The Friday Five 3.8.19

It is hard to believe it’s already Friday! Whew – it’s been a week. The House passed the education reform bill, the upstate winner claimed the $1.5 billion lottery ticket, and the House Ways & Means Committee unveiled the state’s 2019-2020 budget proposal. In addition to those headlines, here are five additional articles you may have missed this week. 

1. International Women’s Day 2019: How Female Entrepreneurs Are Changing the World. Happy International Women’s Day – a day to celebrate the female entrepreneurs making a difference in today’s society. International Women’s Day began back in 1908 when women marched in New York City for the right to vote, and today we are surrounded by women using their voices to create good in the world. In 2019, female CEO’s and executives are networking, taking charge and creating innovative solutions to conquer global women’s issues.
2. Hiring growth slows sharply as US adds just 20,000 jobs. During the month of February, the United States created only 20,000 jobs, the lowest amount in over 17 months. Many economists believe this is a sign of a larger economic “slowdown”, but not a drastic drop off the charts. The industries hit the hardest were construction, retail and shipping, while most others experienced less dramatic decreases. The United States has consistently created over 200,000 jobs a month in the past year. The unemployment rate experienced a small increase and is still sitting at about 3.8%.
3. South Carolina sets ninth consecutive export record in 2018. According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, South Carolina exported $34.6 billion dollars worth of goods to foreign countries, clinching the state’s ninth consecutive record for exports in 2018. Accounting for nearly of the exports is the German automaker’s Upstate Plant, BMW with the second place trophy going to Boeing in North Charleston. Since 2011, foreign countries value of South Carolina products has increased by 40%.
4. Upstate growth is requiring mobility adjustments. As the Upstate continues to grow, discussions leading towards more efficient mobility have began taking place. Dean Hybl, the executive director of Ten at the Top, looked at land use in the Upstate. Based on his results, Hybl expects that the Upstate will utilize more land in the next 25 years, demanding the need to address the need for more efficient mobility.
5. InvestiNet expansion to bring opportunities to Greenville. Founded in 2011, InvestiNet, a full-service account receivables management firm, plans to relocate its new office operations to Greenville this year. The firm’s $2.1 million investment is expected to create 85 new jobs in Greenville, phased in over a five-year period.

Bonus: Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday – here’s the history behind the bi-annual time change, and why some states have gotten rid of it.