COLUMBIA, S.C. – Most communities in America would be content to have even one emerging cluster to appeal to Corporate America.
        In the nine-county region known as the Central South Carolina Alliance, anchored by the cities of Columbia and Sumter, no less than three emerging clusters are gaining momentum.
        According to a study conducted by Collaborative Economics of Mountain View, Calif., the central region of South Carolina is becoming a Southeast hub for advanced manufacturing, specialty health-care services and software information services.
        "We specifically looked for concentrations of growth compared to the rest of the nation, and we discovered two industry clusters that stand out," said Doug Henton, president and founder of Collaborative Economics. "Advanced manufacturing and health-care services – including medical device manufacturing – are highly concentrated in Central South Carolina. We also found a third industry cluster – information and communication services, particularly in the area of software – being developed as the result of National Cash Register coming to this region a few years ago."
        Henton pointed to two primary factors as driving these clusters' growth: the emerging automotive sector in the Southeast United States, and the support coming from the region's colleges and universities.
        "Midlands Technical College provides an incredible amount of training and support in the area of advanced manufacturing," Henton said. "They are constantly upgrading the work force and creating a much higher-skilled labor base. And the University of South Carolina has a School of Public Health that provides tremendous support for rural health-care services throughout the state."
        As a result, the region is a national leader in several health specialty areas. There are numerous hospitals and specialty clinics providing services ranging from neonatology to heart and vascular services.
        Central South Carolina is also helped by its geography, said Henton. "Being on the major Interstates and part of a distribution corridor helps the manufacturing companies, particularly those firms in the automotive industry," he said.
        Qualifying companies benefit from a generous array of incentives, from real estate tax exemption and abatement programs to corporate income tax credits and state funds for infrastructure improvements.
        Manufacturers also benefit from good logistics. The Central Carolina region is a UPS hub, and about two-thirds of the U.S. population is accessible by truck in two days.
        The Port of Charleston, the busiest container port along the Southeast and Gulf coasts, provides the region's companies with excellent access to an international cargo-shipping facility.
        Since 1994, the public-private partnership known as Central SC Alliance has attracted $4.5 billion in capital investment and 32,000 jobs to the region.