In a panel discussion during the recent Global South Metro Exchange, private industry representatives from businesses large and small emphasized the importance of free trade agreements to commercial successes.

During the recent Global South Metro Exchange, coordinated by the Upstate SC Alliance, Greenville Mayor Knox White and Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg shared a panel discussion about globalization’s effect on communities.

Transportation, Free Trade Agreements and the value of collaboration emerged as core themes during the Global South Metro Exchange on July 21, a first-of-its-kind event coordinated by the Upstate Alliance for leaders from the Upstate, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Charleston areas.

As Congress considers the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), it’s important to transcend talking points and understand the agreement. It’s especially significant for South Carolina companies, who exported $8.7 billion in goods to TPP countries in 2014.

So far this year, the Upstate has seen four new and three expansion announcements among advanced materials companies, with a total capital investment of $158,350,000 and 472 jobs.

The factories are the place where it’s happening … they’re clean, they’re challenging, they’ll provide a wage that is dramatically higher than any other you’ll find. The average wage in South Carolina is $37,000; the average wage in manufacturing is $54,000.

When Walgreens opened the doors in 2007 to its $180 million Anderson County distribution facility, the pharmacy retailer ushered in a new model for industrial staffing: recruiting workers with disabilities.

“With one in five South Carolina jobs relying on trade, the next president will need to be a global leader for American exporters and strengthen our economic engagement around the world.”