Eco- tourism According to a study recently released by USC's Moore School of Business, South Carolina's natural resources add nearly $30 billion annually to the state's economy. The report was prepared by economists Dr. Douglas P. Woodward and Dr. Paulo Guimares in the Moore School's research division. Besides the impact on visitor count, the natural resources are credited with talent retention. To quote from the report: "Increasingly, scholarly research shows that talented people - the kind the state wants to retain - reside in places with quality natural resource - related amenities and recreation opportunities. Thus, they provide a magnet for human capital."

Around the world Delta Air Lines, the world's largest carrier, has announced a new long- term pact with Air France KLM Group, Europe's largest. The deal enhances the strength of the SkyTeam alliance, which is a worldwide collection of coordinated airlines. SkyTeam sells a 'round- the- world coach ticket for $6,000. The passenger has a year to circle the globe, touching down at a maximum of 16 cities, and the complete circumnavigation can't take more than 39,000 miles.

Trains The Georgia Department of Transportation has started to create a comprehensive state rail plan to qualify for federal rail funding through the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA). Georgia's statewide rail plan will have to include work with South Carolina and other neighboring states. The Obama administration's high- speed rail plan includes routes from the Northeast to Raleigh, where there is a split between service to Charlotte and Atlanta, terminating in Houston, and service to Columbia and Savannah, terminating in Miami. Atlanta also connects with Savannah on a high- speed route, but Columbia does not connect with Charlotte.

Business schools downtown, uptown The business school at UNC Charlotte has announced a new uptown location at the corner of Ninth and Brevard for its graduate school. Ground was broken in April for the $50.4 million Center City Building, 143,000 square feet of classrooms, public space, and faculty offices. Wake Forest University has reconsidered its business school's graduate branch classroom facility in the 48- story Duke Energy Center. Wake Forest is yet to announce its uptown Charlotte location. At USC's Moore School, there is an ongoing site search for its new building. Most reports locate the Moore School's new home in the Vista, leaving behind the College Street building for a long- term lease to the federal government, most likely the Advocacy Center next door.

Defense business The Department of Defense has announced 97 projects at military compounds across South Carolina, some of which are already under way. More than $84 million in federal stimulus money is flowing through the state's military installations. Shaw Air Force Base is receiving the most money, almost $36 million, and Columbia's Fort Jackson is due more than $22 million. The Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce is holding a forum to help businesses do business with Fort Jackson on June 17 in the 81st Reserve auditorium on the post, 9 to 11:30 am. Speakers will be from the post's Directorate of Contracting, the Small Business Administration, and the General Services Administration. For more information, call Renee Joye at 733.1154.

Main Street's record crowds Since the start of Columbia's Main Street Marketplace on May 1, more than 2,000 attendees have been present at the event every Friday. The Main Street Marketplace at the corner with Hampton Street continues through June, every Friday, 10 am to 2 pm.

Raleigh ranked Kiplinger's Personal Finance has ranked Raleigh, N.C., as the 10th best city in the country for growth potential. The top city is Huntsville, Ala., followed by Albuquerque, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Charlottesville, Va.; Athens, Ga.; Olympia, Wash.; Madison, Wisc.; Austin, Tex., Flagstaff, Ariz; and Raleigh. The American College of Sports Medicine's American Fitness Index ranked the Raleigh area as the 20th most fit MSA of the nation's 50 most populous metropolitan areas.

Home sales A total of 3,192 homes were sold statewide in April, a 2 percent drop from March and a 25 percent drop from April of last year.

Charlotte goes national In the last week of May, Charlotte City Council flirted with the idea of competing for both the 2012 Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention. Charlotte lost its bid for the 2008 Republican National Convention because the city had fewer than 20,000 nearby hotel rooms. The Mecklenburg County hotel rooms total is now about 23,000.