Congressman Inglis Names SCTAC as Number One Transportation Priority

Sends Request to Appropriations Committee

Greenville, S.C. – In his 2010 fiscal request to the Appropriations Committee earlier this week, 4th District Congressman Bob Inglis has named the South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center as his top transportation priority.

Using the criteria of economic development, local matching funds and federal nexus, Inglis has requested $4 million (with a $400,000 local match) be allotted for SCTAC airport improvements. The announcement came only days after Jody Bryson, president & CEO of SCTAC, traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with Inglis and other congressional leaders from South Carolina to discuss SCTAC’s economic impact on the Upstate and South Carolina.Inglis cited in his official request that, “SC-TAC is the largest general aviation airport in the state of South Carolina, serving the aviation industry as a major aircraft maintenance and modification base. This high priority, taxiway B (North) improvement project would greatly enhance the operational capacity and safety parameters of the airfield, increasing access to current and future airport infrastructure. SCTAC’s 2,600-acre aviation park is home to 80 high tech companies and organizations employing over 3,000 local residents. This upgrade project would facilitate SCTAC’s ability to attract additional aviation-related businesses and jobs to the complex, adding to the $222 million economic impact of their operation.”The Appropriations Committee will make a final decision as to allotted dollars later this year.

“I personally, and all of us at SCTAC, are grateful for the support and leadership of Congressman Inglis and for his recognition of the value that SCTAC brings to the Upstate,” Bryson said. “This is great news and will help the Upstate attract new business and create jobs. With close to a quarter of a billion dollars in economic impact to our state annually, the South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center is a major employer and revenue generator. This assistance will help us compete in today’s global economy.”

SCTAC is responsible for $222.2 million in economic development alone (53%) compared to $195.1 million (47%) from all other general aviation airports in the state combined, yet they receive no millage or taxes from the county or city. SCTAC is also a center for job creation. Already in 2009:

• 3M recently completed a $150 million expansion
• Vetroresina completed their new facility
• Several upgrade/expansion projects are underway at Lockheed-Martin
• Cytec is undergoing a $250 million expansion
• The SC Army National Guard will break ground next year on a $45 million Aviation Support Facility
• Greenville County School District is constructing a new School Bus service and maintenance center

The South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center is unique to the state of South Carolina. It is the largest general aviation airport in S.C. with more than 50,000 flights annually and its total economic impact is $222 million for the airport only, more than all of the general aviation airports in the state combined. No other business facility in the state has a fully-operational general aviation airport, a state-of-the-art control tower, and an 8,000 ft. runway capable of handling large aircraft.

SCTAC is a hub for industrial, technological and aviation facilities, and provides direct access to an airport infrastructure that contains an aircraft maintenance and modification center suited for air cargo and aviation-related businesses.

Strategically situated along the I-85 corridor in Upstate South Carolina, two hours south of Charlotte, N.C., two hours north of Atlanta, Ga., and three hours northwest of the historic port city of Charleston, S.C., the South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center is also within 30 minutes of some of the country’s best colleges and universities, including Clemson University, Furman University, Wofford College, and Greenville, Spartanburg and Tri-County Technical Colleges.

The South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center opened in 1942 as Greenville Army Air Base. When the Air Force decided to close the base in 1962, the city and county of Greenville purchased the property and named it after Greenville native, Captain John O. Donaldson, a World War I flying ace, and it became known as Donaldson Center Industrial Air Park. It changed its name to the South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center in 2008 and currently employs more than 4,000 people from more than 80 local and international companies and organizations, including Fortune 500 companies 3M, Lockheed-Martin and Michelin.