•The Richland County Economic Development Office has announced Scout Motors Inc., makers of the next-generation of all-electric trucks and rugged SUVs, has decided to establish its manufacturing operations in Blythewood. The company’s planned $2 billion investment has the potential to create 4,000 or more permanent jobs. Scout is planning to break ground on the new manufacturing facility in Blythewood Industrial Park in mid-2023 and begin production by the end of 2026.
•The Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) has been awarded $5 million after its application was selected as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. CAE was one of 99 airports (of the nearly 383 primary commercial service airports) from across the country to receive funding for various projects and improvements to facilities, ensuring more efficient airports. The funding will come from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Terminals Program (ATP) fund. CAE was one of two airports in South Carolina to receive funding from the 2023 program. The funding will support CAE’s checkpoint modernization project that will begin this summer.
•Children’s Trust of South Carolina has received a $20,000 Spectrum Digital Education grant for its online resource hub, scParents.org. The grant is part of the broadband connectivity provider’s sixyear, $8 million commitment to promote digital education and broadband technology in communities across the country.
•Richland One will hold a Spring Teacher Job Fair Saturday, April 1, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at Dreher High School, 3319 Millwood Avenue.
•The South Carolina State Fair, a self-supporting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, announces a 67 percent increase in awards for its 2023 annual Ride of Your Life Scholarship program. For the first time in over a decade, the individual award amount per student has increased from $6,000 to $10,000. The application deadline is quickly approaching and S.C. State Fair officials encourage high school seniors in South Carolina to apply by the March 15, 2023 deadline. SCStateFair.org.
•A new South Carolina Arts Commission economic impact report using 2021 data estimates an annual $14.1 billion impact is made on the state’s economy by the arts-related economic cluster. The complete report is available at www.southcarolinaarts.com/why-arts-matter/arts-the-economy/.
•The Midlands Technical College Foundation is making more than $150,000 in scholarships available to MTC students for the 2023-24 academic year. To be considered, students only need to complete one application, and MTC will match them to the awards for which they are eligible. midlandstech.edu/about/mtc-foundation.
•The Columbia Metropolitan Airport has relaunched its in-terminal therapy dog program— with a new name—“Paws to Pet CAEnines.” The program was offline for some time due to COVID-19 restrictions and general safety precautions focused on reducing contact points. Now, on a rotating basis, CAE will host roughly 12 trained therapy dogs in the airport to interact with traveling passengers. All participating pooches are currently certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and have all needed vaccines to engage with the public. www.flycae.com.
•The South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority (S.C. Housing) and the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business have released the first part of the Palmetto State Housing Study. The study, commissioned by the South Carolina General Assembly, is a comprehensive, statewide needs assessment to examine housing conditions in the state—across geographic regions, housing markets, populations, and organizations. SCHousing.com.
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