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COLUMBIA (WACH) – On Monday the South Carolina Department of Commerce, the Central SC Alliance and Richland County joined Pure Power Technologies, a Navistar company, to celebrate the inauguration of its new research and development operation center in the Columbia Technical Center. Company representatives and state and local leaders were on hand for the event.
"We have a three fold focus, number one jobs, number two jobs, and number three many more jobs," says James Clyburn, House Majority Whip.
"You’re sending out a message to everyone in Richland County, of hope and encouragement that things will get better,” said Richland County Councilman Greg Pearce.
Last October, Navistar bought Continental Diesel System’s Columbia and Blythewood facilities stopping their closure and saving more than 400 jobs. With expansion plans already in the works officials hope the move will lead to job creation.
The positive job news comes on the heels of the state's record unemployment numbers. Last week employment officials released December’s jobless rate of 12.6 percent, an all time high in South Carolina.
