South Carolina
| Program | # of Grants | EDA Funds |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Adjustment Assistance | 6 | $4,525,000 |
| Partnership Planning | 11 | $1,911,130 |
| Public Works | 3 | $6,602,165 |
| Technical Assistance | 3 | $360,465 |
| Total | 23 | $13,398,760 |
The transportation, distribution, and logistics (TDL) industry are vitally important to South Carolina’s economy, and disruptive impacts within the industry are felt throughout the State. Assets within the industry include the fourth largest state-owned highway system in the Nation, as well as a number of ports and railways. The devastating impacts of the October 2015 flooding exacerbated the aging and declining transportation infrastructure.
Growth in the TDL industry holds significant potential. The SC Logistics initiative will not only focus on growth and development in a key industry for South Carolina, but will ensure that the rebuilding and rehabilitation efforts of existing infrastructure meet industry needs. The work of the initiative is focused on managing, marketing and connecting the logistics cluster; growing the logistics cluster; expanding the talent pipeline to serve the logistics sector; promoting infrastructure and business environment; and developing and enhancing research/innovation/technology solutions.
In August 2016, EDA invested $175,000 in Economic Adjustment Assistance funds to assist the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness to strengthen the TDL cluster in South Carolina by engaging key private sector executive leadership in the TDL industry, determining immediate and mid-term needs for industry growth and acting on concrete opportunities to grow existing businesses, attract new businesses, and create new jobs. The initiative, SC Logistics, has established an Executive Forum and created a new website, sclogisticsindustry.com, which provides a one-stop online venue for making connections to logistics providers, news, and events focused on this industry.