New York City company relocating corporate headquarters to Greenville. (Spartanburg: home, job openings)

[g-man430]

But I thought New York Born said that Greenville was nothing and New York City was better. Why would this company want to move here? Hmmm...

Waste2Energy was drawn to Greenville by a combination of factors, including its plentiful engineering and project management talent pool, its accessibility and acclaimed regional airport, reasonable costs for conducting business, temperate climate and high quality of life factors, and Bohan’s own familiarity with the region from past travels to the Upstate. The firm, previously headquartered in New York City, also considered locations in New York, Massachusetts and Florida before selecting Greenville.

“There’s no doubt that the outstanding engineering and project management talent in this region, the Greenville-Spartanburg airport and the lower costs of doing business here were drivers in our selection,” said Bohan. “This area is known for its top engineering talent, and the quality of life in this region makes it easy to attract and retain quality employees here.”


Global Waste-to-Energy Converter Relocates Corporate Headquarters to Greenville County : published at CarolinaNewswire.com - Stay on top of the day's business & technology news

[USNRET04]

"Acclaimed Regional Airport"???

Guess they don't mind paying more to fly.

[UpstateBooster]

Glad to see GSP listed as an asset rather than a liability by a relocating business! BTW - wonder what GADC's Jerry Howard meant by "this announcement and others to come" in hoping that suppliers, etc would also relocate or put facilities in the area? Are more announcements imminent?

[Rapunzll]

I'm curious, NYB. What is your definition of a living wage?

[NewYorkBorn]

Why not locate the company in Greenville it makes good business sense.

A) They would benefit from lower taxes in Greenville which saves the company money.
B) There is a ready pool of people already living there who work in the field, so no problems finding people to fill positions.
C) They will save money by not having to pay Greenville residents the higher salarys that they would have to pay a NYC resident.

The better question is who is going to stand up and make sure that Greenville residents benefit from the jobs that are created? Someone needs to make sure that:

1) They pay residents a livable wage and stop them from doing like the other companies already there who use the low cost of living excuse to pay residents nothing.

And

2) Not going to transfer NYC residents there to take the jobs.

Transferring NYC residents to Greenville to fill the job openings does absolutely nothing to help Greenville residents with their employment needs. Getting excited about the number of jobs that will be created by this company locating there is great but it would be wise to make sure that the residents of Greenville are benefiting from them being there. Otherwise it will be just another company there transferring people and not giving back to the community. What is good for the company is not always good for residents who need jobs!

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by Rapunzll

I'm curious, NYB. What is your definition of a living wage?

Nothing less then $12 an hour! Residents in Greenville work hard, don't they deserve to be paid more then $8 or $9 an hour?? Not everyone is a teenager living at home with their parents. Adults living on their own trying to pay bills need to make decent money.

[Rapunzll]

Good enough. I am pleasantly surprised. I honestly thought you were going to throw out some ridiculously high number.

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by Rapunzll

Good enough. I am pleasantly surprised. I honestly thought you were going to throw out some ridiculously high number.

Really it should be at least $14 an hour but $12 an hour is good to start as long as they give people raises. If a company can't locate to Greenville and offer a decent wage then they are not doing the city any favors. Companies need to be held to a higher standard if they are going to locate there.

[gsupstate]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

Really it should be at least $14 an hour but $12 an hour is good to start as long as they give people raises. If a company can't locate to Greenville and offer a decent wage then they are not doing the city any favors. Companies need to be held to a higher standard if they are going to locate there.

WHY, pray tell, are you even talking 12 to 14 dollars an hour? This company will be employing professional engineers in the 75K to 100K range.

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

Transferring NYC residents to Greenville to fill the job openings does absolutely nothing to help Greenville residents with their employment needs. Getting excited about the number of jobs that will be created by this company locating there is great but it would be wise to make sure that the residents of Greenville are benefiting from them being there. Otherwise it will be just another company there transferring people and not giving back to the community. What is good for the company is not always good for residents who need jobs!

Relocated jobs are different from created jobs, yet are still very good of the economy. If you read the article, it explains the plans to hire at least an additional 25 employees over the next few years. I completely disagree with your insinuation that Greenville and the Upstate do not benefit from a new corporate headquarters relocation if it does not hire locally. Even if no local hiring takes place, a relocated business benefits the local economy in many ways. They may transfer a number of employees with them who will inevitably invest in local housing, services, and small businesses as a result. This is new money infused into the local economy that otherwise would remain in NY. Additionally, the county notices financial benefits as greater tax revenue comes in. Less announced community contributions include the fact that many companies dontate a considerable amount of time and money to local cultural and charitable organizations. Whenever money is added to a local economy, it is a very good thing for the people living there. This only scratches the surface for the positive beneficence of adding businesses to the local economy.