Maceo Nance Addresses Sold Out Crowd at Chamber’s Outlook Luncheon

A South Carolina Department of Commerce official said Florence County’s decision to issue bonds to purchase land and develop four spec buildings in the county will help the county attract additional economic development opportunities.

Maceo Nance, director of targeted rural strategy and special projects for the department, told the people attending the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Outlook Luncheon that companies looking to grow were looking first at three factors: risk, time and speed. More than 425 local business and community leaders attended the Luncheon.

“Companies are risk averse and they are going to eliminate as much risk as they can,” Nance said. “Time here may be a little bit different from the time that you have in your mind. From a company’s standpoint, time means going from spending money to making money… Speed is speed to market. How quickly can we get this product to our suppliers, to our customers and can we beat the competition in getting it there?”

Florence County is already well positioned, according to Nance’s definition of speed. The county lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95, which provide easy access to the Southern United States and the Eastern Seaboard and nearby are the port facilities in Charleston, Dillon and Georgetown. Also, three major airports, in addition to the Florence Regional Airport, are located within two hours: Charlotte, Columbia and Myrtle Beach.

Nance delivered the address Wednesday in place of Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey III who was called to testify before the South Carolina General Assembly.

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