OC on forefront for Foreign Direct Investment

The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit public-policy research organization, recently released a micropolitan and metropolitan level analysis of foreign direct investment for the Upstate region. According to this information and among the country’s 616 micropolitan areas, Oconee County ranks 38 for share of jobs in foreign operated enterprise at 11.7%. “This is a testament to the diverse industrial base we have here in Oconee County with foreign owned companies like Sandvik and BASF,” stated Glenn Buddin, chairman of the Oconee Economic Alliance board of directors. “Sometimes we take for granted the economic activities taking place in our community and seeing numbers like this, indicating we are one of the top locations in the United States, is encouraging as we continue to work hard on the economic development front.” The Oconee Economic Alliance is a public-private nonprofit effort to accelerate job creation and capital investment, increase per capita income, diversify the local tax base and generate awareness of Oconee County, South Carolina as a business location. To learn more, visit www.InvestOconeeSC.com.