Why SC | Business Climate
Columbia, SC
Columbia has always been famously hot, as the city's new brand
indicates. As the seat of government for South Carolina and home of the
largest university in the state, Columbia is a hot bed of growth and
excitement. Columbia's attraction goes deeper than the city's authentic
restaurants, independent coffee shops, theaters, and microbreweries. The
aggregate is the hot bed of growth from our knowledge-based jobs.
As if the "famously hot" nightlife, art, entertainment, cultural,
and educational opportunities weren't enough, Columbia is also
headquarters to one of the nation's largest private health insurers
and to a growing cluster of important entities to the insurance industry.
The collaboration among the insurance technology cluster combined with
the talent developed at the progressive research universities in South
Carolina make Columbia a sizzling place to do insurance business.
Additionally, it is estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 knowledge-based
jobs, from boutique software development firms to fortune 500 nationally
recognized leaders, exist under the umbrella of insurance technology and
services.
Columbia is quickly becoming a talent magnet for innovative solutions
providers in the insurance technology and services field.
South Carolina
South Carolina is dedicated to establishing an environment where
businesses can prosper. The state has taken the necessary steps to
further enhance its business-friendly environment. Efforts like tort
reform, workers' compensation reform, lowering taxes, and expanding
healthcare access for small businesses are just a few reasons why
South Carolina has been ranked among the top two most business-friendly
states for the past three years by the Pollina Corporation. Additionally,
the Palmetto State was ranked fifth among the "Most Dynamic States for
Entrepreneurs" by Entrepreneur magazine.
South Carolina is free of many regulatory burdens that hamper business
conditions. With one of the lowest corporate income taxes in the
Southeast and no state property tax, South Carolina is committed to
helping businesses compete and succeed and as a result the state has
become home to numerous world-class companies such as BMW, FUJIFILM
Manufacturing U.S.A., Inc., Google, GE, Vought Aircraft Industries,
Starbucks, Bosch, and Roche.
As a right-to-work state, South Carolina's workforce has one of the
lowest unionization rates and lowest work-stoppage rates in the nation.
The state is also committed to furthering the skills of its expanding
technical workforce. That is why South Carolina offers a customized
worker training program through the state's technical college system.
The worker training program has trained hundreds of thousands of employees
in a variety of skill areas and was ranked #4 in the nation by
Expansion Management magazine.
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