CHARLESTON: The South Carolina Ports Authority is expecting a record year on the docks in the Charleston area. Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome says that the booming automotive industry and the growing regional economy are among the reasons this fiscal year should be the best ever.
The Port of Charleston serves both the BMW plant in Greer and automotive suppliers such as Michelin North America, which operates seven South Carolina plants.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that nine of the 20 fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the nation are in the South Atlantic region. Three of them – Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Beaufort County – are on the South Carolina coast. The best year on record for the ports was a decade ago before the Great Recession.