American author Ken Blanchard once said, "None of us is as smart as all of us." Recognizing the validity of this notion, S.C. Commerce has developed some important partnerships in recent years, seeking to propel the state's target industry clusters. Our agency now collaborates with the S.C. Council on Competitiveness to advance South Carolina's aerospace and logistics industries, as well as the S.C. Automotive Council and the S.C. Biotechnology Industry Organization (SCBIO) to advanced our automotive and life sciences industries, respectively.
A great example of Team South Carolina at work, these collaborative efforts have been on full display in recent weeks. On October 24-26, the annual SCBIO Conference was held in Charleston, providing business executives, government leaders, university presidents and other supporters an opportunity to discuss how best to grow South Carolina's $11.4 billion life sciences industry. And, this week, as part of the S.C. International Trade Conference, an inaugural Tech Talk event was hosted to examine industry trends and technological advances that will impact the future of distribution and logistics. Moving forward, as we aim to promote these important target industry clusters, assembling leaders and supporters across this state will remain critical. After all, when many smart people are gathered in one place and pulling in the same direction, good things are bound to happen.