The Friday Five 4.12.2019

Happy Friday! With crossover wrapping up this week, less than one month remains until the General Assembly adjourns for the 2019 Legislative Session – time flies. While the Senate debates their version of the budget next week, the House will furlough (aka their spring break, if you will). In addition to that, here a few things you may have missed this week. 

1. Beto O’Rourke, Bernie Sanders, Eric Swalwell are presidential candidates visiting SC next. Beginning this week, more 2020 Democrats will be heading to South Carolina. The newest contender, U.S. Rep Eric Swalwell from California, will be in Greenville today, Friday April 12th. Beto O’Rourke is stopping in Clemson this Sunday, April 14th, for an afternoon rally, and Sen. Bernie Sanders will be stopping in Spartanburg Thursday, April 18th. Potential candidate and former Vice President, Joe Biden will also be in South Carolina next week for the funeral of U.S. Senator and former SC Governor Fritz Hollings at the Citadel. Vice President Biden will deliver the eulogy.
2. The Muffin Mam, Inc. to create over one-hundred jobs in Laurens County. The Muffin Mam, Inc., a manufacturer specializing in unique and innovative baked goods, is locating their newest production operations in Laurens County. The move will include an investment of $18.8 million and will create 114 new jobs. The 100,000 sq ft facility will be located in Hunter Industrial Park.
3. Opportunity Zones could mean big business for Spartanburg. President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Job Acts, signed in 2017, included important sections on opportunity zones. These opportunity zones, strongly supported by Sen. Tim Scott, offer incentives to investors for putting their money into low-income census zones. Spartanburg is home to four of these opportunity zones. The locations are designed to drive business to the areas that have not shared the growth that a majority of the upstate has experienced in recent years.
4. Americans still don’t trust self driving cars, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds. In a poll done by Reuters, nearly one half of American adults think that self-driving cars are more dangerous than traditional vehicles, while two-thirds said they would not consider buying a self-driving vehicle. Many automotive companies are currently pushing large amounts of capital into developing self-driving technology, but the public opinion is light-years behind them, which is becoming an urgent concern for these companies. Since an Uber operating in self-driving mode struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in 2018, studies show that opinions have only worsened.
5. McMaster announces pick to head state workforce agency. On Wednesday, Governor McMaster nominated Daniel Ellzey for the position of Director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. Ellzey is a labor attorney in the Columbia area who commonly represents various corporate interests. Rep. Bruce Bannister said this week that Ellzey has the perspective needed to show the needs of private industry and knows what attracts them to the Palmetto State. Ellzey is a current partner in the Fisher Phillips law firm, and has advised on labor relations across the country.