"We have enjoyed six straight years of good economic growth in this state," said South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Charles S. Way Jr. in an interview in January. "Our challenge will be to keep that record going. It will be tough, but we will work very hard to do it."
      State officials realize with the slowing economy South Carolina must remain competitive in the global economy. With that purpose, Gov. Jim Hodges recently named a host of educators and professionals to his Technology Transition Team. This group of business leaders and research educators will help develop strategies to attract and retain high-tech firms to South Carolina and to grow local technology start-ups.
      "We've assembled a diverse team to help South Carolina make the transition from the old economy to the new economy," says Hodges. "The first order of business will be to tap into this network of South Carolinians committed to technology."
      South Carolina education officials are dedicated to bring a technology- competent work force into the market. Education Week recently identified 97 percent of the Palmetto State's schools wired to the Internet, above the national average of 94 percent. The publication also recognized 81 percent of South Carolina schools as having high-speed T1 lines or better as compared with 67 percent of schools nationally.
      The state's unemployment rate remained stable during the month of April at 4.3 percent. This figure shows a slight decrease from March's rate at 4.4 percent. South Carolina continues to create jobs, mostly in the trade and services areas. In April, 11,700 jobs were added to the state's economy. However, the manufacturing sectors continue to post losses, with 600 job cuts announced during the same month.
      "We will be monitoring the effects of tourism," says C. Michael Mungo, executive director of the Employment Security Commission of South Carolina. "We will also be closely following the impact of recent announcements of layoffs in the manufacturing sector."
      Deere & Co., in conjunction with a Japanese firm, is scouting York and Lancaster counties for a site to build a $35 million equipment transmission plant that would employ 200 workers. Company officials are tight-lipped about the move, but state officials agree the site would be a major investment. The joint venture would produce transmissions used in tractors and other machinery.
      Verizon Wireless announced a recent expansion of its Columbia call center. The $10 million project will double the size of the customer service center and is anticipated to create as many as 750 jobs by 2005.
      South Carolina Electric & Gas announced in April the construction of a new natural gas power plant in Jasper County. The $250 million facility is one of two new power plants announced for the state this year. Entergy Power will build a $380 million facility in Greenville.