Accelerate Greater Charleston
ABOUT
A message from the AGC Chair, Anita Zucker
What is Accelerate Greater Charleston?
AGC is a dedicated blueprint to maximize our community’s ability to take advantage of a once in a generation set of economic development and community advancement opportunities.Why do we need it?
Our region needs a well-defined, multi-purpose strategy to successfully compete in the global market place. Accelerate Greater Charleston is that plan.Why the Chamber?
Our business members expect us to lead the way by charting the community’s future course. We are the best organization to work across all sectors to deliver alignment and collaboration.Why now?
It is simple – greater Charleston is an emerging player on the world stage. Accelerate Greater Charleston is a dedicated plan to assure that over the next five years we can respond to and take advantage of this prominent new position.How is this plan different from what the Chamber is currently doing?
Accelerate Greater Charleston features four specific deliverables that go above and beyond the Chamber’s current business plan in advancing our region:1. Build and strengthen a talented workforce
2. Maintain and accelerate a positive job creation environment for small business, military, research and development, and international trade firms and organizations
3. Position greater Charleston as an advocate and attractor for globally competitive businesses
4. Deliver a region-wide business platform that places a premium on ease of doing business and great interest in business success
AGC COMMITTEE
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| Anita Zucker | Ron Jones | Bryan Derreberry |
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| Brian Moody | Stuart Whiteside |
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| John Golding | Laura Varn |
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| Chris Fraser | Randy Byerly |
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| Jules Anderson |
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| Jack Moore |
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| John Osborne |
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| Peter Wertimer |
ECONOMIC IMPACT
| ITEM | TOTAL IMPACT |
| New Jobs | 2,568 |
| Earnings (Payroll) | $113.7 |
| ITEM | TOTAL IMPACT |
| Net Personal Consumption Expenditures | $82 million |
| Deposit Potential for Area Financial Institutions | $45 million |
PERFORMANCE
Talent Development
• Develop an interactive asset map, an analytical tool that identifies gaps and serves as a resource, to identify the number and type of services provided by organizations impacting the delivery of education programs in our region. Map to be updated annually.
• Partner with all four school districts to provide 12 EDGE (Education and Development for Graduation and Employment) Academies, over five years, in three priority areas: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), hospitality/culinary arts and health sciences.
• Graduation rate is eight percent higher for EDGE students versus non-EDGE completers.
• Percentage of students entering post-secondary education is five percent higher for EDGE vs. non- EDGE completers.
• By 2017, ensure the range of business partnerships established in each EDGE Academy meets the recommendations of the TIP (Trident Industry Partnership) Council business leaders
• Increase by 25 percent the number of students able to obtain a two-year degree or certification from Trident Technical College.
Effective Business Climate
• Provide proactive ability, through staff policy analyst, to address business climate issues, craft legislation and build a repository of knowledge on issues.
• Identify and address at least one regionally critical issue each year (i.e., infrastructure).
• Provide seed funding for surveying and executing a campaign for successful passage of critical referendums impacting regional advancement. (Only applied if demand for such a campaign is required.)
Advocacy
• On a monthly basis meet with the Governor, state leaders, members of legislative delegation and their staff
• Develop a pro-active annual legislative agenda and achieve goal of successfully passing 100 percent of the agenda each year
• Identify business climate issues and develop legislation and successful action plan to address each issue
• Significantly raise the private sector voice on issues at the local, state and federal level
• Establish “Influence Profile” database of 300 largest business members to build grasstops lobbying network
Job Creation
• Serve at least 200 new and prospective employees (and families) through providing community assimilation programs• Establish an electronic portal that connects businesses and students for internship opportunities • Provide micro-loans to at least 15 entrepreneurial endeavors annually
• Maintain our position during BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) as strategic military transportation hub for the Department of Defense
• Secure Africa Command – a $4.4 billion economic impact
• Increase annual growth rate of export activity by at least seven percent over five years
• Provide import/export trade leads and research information to 100 companies per year
DELIVERABLES
The following new program offerings and staff will successfully implement Accelerate Greater Charleston’s talent, business development and advocacy goals.
Talent Development and Readiness (full deliverable)
1. Education asset map
2. Three career academy coordinators for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), hospitality/culinary arts and health sciences academies
3. Financial assistance through removing barriers (books, transportation, etc.), for qualified students graduating from EDGE (Education and Development for Graduation and Employment) Career Academies to attend Trident Technical College in comparable fields of study – changing the conversation around the dinner table
4. Talent to Employer Bridging and On-Boarding programs
Job Creation and Retention (full deliverable)
1. Micro loan program for entrepreneurial start-ups
2. Fund BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) and Africa Command lobbying initiatives
3. Effectively launch World Trade Center Charleston by hiring an executive director and building out the program
Advocate for Competitive Speed to Market Region (full deliverable)
1. Have a full-time, professional staff lobbyist in Columbia each day of the S.C. General Assembly
2. Build a “grasstops” relationship lobbying network of our 300 largest business members
Ensure an Entrepreneur Friendly Business Environment (full deliverable)
1. Staff policy analyst to research top legislative and community advancement initiatives
2. Public referendum campaign seed funding for conducting surveys and launching initiatives
CYP
Accelerate Greater Charleston is a dedicated five-year action plan from the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce focused on economic growth and prosperity for the region. The $5 million capital campaign will target initiatives to assure that the metro region will feature a business environment that places a premium on: speed to market, collaborative relations, innovation, productivity, and global connectivity.
This five-year program will seek to identify resources and resolve circumstances that may inhibit business growth and focus on education and other building blocks of a high performance economy. This economic and community development program for the next five years focuses on the following:
• Building and strengthening talent development and readiness
• Maintain and accelerate positive job creation environment for small business, military, research and development, and international trade firms and organizations
• Position greater Charleston as an advocate and attractor for globally competitive business
• Deliver a metro-wide business platform that places a premium on ease of doing business and great interest in business success
In an effort to assist with the growth, the ability to attract and retain young professional talent, as well as to meet the goals the community has outlined, the Charleston Young Professionals need to be team players. In collaboration with community leaders, the goal is to have 100 members of CYP commit to contributing $10 per month for the next five years. This is a total of $600 per person and $60,000 total for the Accelerate Greater Charleston Campaign. “If we do this, it will be the most significant contribution of our demographic to move the community forward” – John Osborne, Chairman, Charleston Young Professionals.
Charleston Young Professionals are part of this community-wide initiative aimed at transforming the region. Improvements must be made to the Charleston region in order to reflect the changing times and position us as premier city.
