Hundreds of local jobs narrowly escaped the chopping block; those workers are all breathing a sigh of relief. They are grateful their employer is staying put in Richland County.
Roughly 300 jobs at Navistar in Blythewood have been spared. That company had considered consolidating operations to Virginia.
The employee's aren't the only one's excited about the change of heart.
Business is good at the "Smoke Southern Barbeque" restaurant in Blythewood. And it should keep on sizzling after the jobs were saved at the nearby manufacturing facility.
"These people have to eat lunch somewhere and we try to offer things at a reasonable cost," said restaurant manager Julie Hall.
Trucking Giant Navistar and Continental Diesel Systems are teaming up to keep operations rolling in Richland County. Continental was set to move its operations out of state, until Navistar bought up their long-time supplier.
"It's absolutely important to keep all the businesses," said Hall. "Blythewood is a pretty small community."
It's a small community that got some big help from county and state officials.
"It tells the corporate world, globally that South Carolina is a preferred place to do business with our highly trained work force," said Dept. of Commerce representative Adam Jordan.
A workforce that Boeing opted to dip into just last week, when the plane manufacturer decided to build a new plant in North Charleston. That move could mean thousands of jobs for South Carolina.
While Navistar's move to Blythewood keeps hundreds of jobs online, economic officials say these are indicators that the Palmetto state's economy is starting to rebound.
"I think what it tells the world is South Carolina has the right business conditions for any company," said Jordan.
And local businesses are reaping the benefits.
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