Teamwork sought to bring jobs to Strand area

By John McDermott
By Adva Saldinger, The Sun News
Monday, May 31, 2010

MYRTLE BEACH -- The Grand Strand needs diversity in available jobs and improved communication and teamwork among business, political and education leaders to create a better plan for improving the employment situation, officials at a job summit said.

Few concrete ideas were laid out during last Wednesday's summit at Coastal Carolina University, but attendees said it may be a step toward improving the conversation about an economic development plan and trying to generate new ideas moving forward.

"I think we've about hit rock bottom with the economy, and I think it's a good time to get our thoughts out on how we can rebound," said Brent Schultz, an Horry County councilman and a member of the board of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp.

Joe Taylor, the S.C. Secretary of Commerce, said Horry County should focus on finding jobs that fit the community.

"It's more than just chasing factories. You've got to look at your area, and you've got to look at your work force. When I look down here ... I don't see a heavy-industrialized economy," Taylor said.

Knowledge-based industries such as call centers, reservation centers and back-office operations for major companies are a good fit for the area, Taylor said.

Taylor talked about jobs the state has lured, but did not mention any on the Grand Strand. The Commerce Department recruited more than 18,000 new jobs to the state in 2009, he said.

Taylor said he doesn't discuss potential deals the department is working on, but said he sees potential on the Grand Strand. One of the problems on the Grand Strand is the lack of ready-to-go space for companies, who are increasingly looking to move to where a discounted building waits at the ready, he said.

Richard Singleton, a Realtor for Coldwell Banker Chicora, who is also a board member of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp., said it is possible to retrofit some of the existing vacant buildings into office space suitable for the call center-type business the area looks to attract.

The development group has been in talks with a company to bring a call center to the area, but the plans have been delayed several months, said Jimmy Yahnis, chairman of the group's board, who attended the event.

The organization, which is charged with bringing jobs to the area, is in negotiations with the county about future funding and the restructuring of the organization. The development group has failed to meet job creation benchmarks set by the county in the past few years and has been without a president since Hugh Owens left in December.

The organization is working to expand the types of business it targets, Yahnis said.

"The world is changing, and you've got to adapt your business to that change," he said.

The presenters agreed that diversifying the economy beyond the tourism industry is key to future job growth and improving the average salary in the area.

"This is not a situation where we have too many jobs in tourism," said Don Schunk, a research economist at Coastal Carolina University. "The problem is we don't have enough jobs outside of tourism."

The Grand Strand needs to bring in new jobs that require more skills and provide better salaries, he said. The average wage in Horry County is among the lowest in the state and is well below the national average.

Average unemployment on the Grand Strand in the first three months of the year is down more than 12,000 jobs from the same period in 2008, and those jobs must be regained to get back to those levels. Schunk said he doesn't expect those jobs to be back until 2013 or 2014.

Several panelists discussed the need for better cooperation and planning among the different groups.

The development corporation and the county need to work together to evaluate and make the area's resources work together, Schultz said.

Marilyn Fore, senior vice president of Horry-Georgetown Technical College, said education is a key component moving forward, and the college is looking to expand and develop new programs that respond to local industries.

Fore said the area needs a united front of salesmanship by business, governmental and education leaders.

William Alford, chairman of the Coastal board of trustees, said the greatest asset is the people, and their knowledge should be brought together to create a plan.

"What we need is a vision, and in creating a vision, I think it's important that we coordinate all the entities in the county," he said.