Upstate Group Talks Business with Nikki Haley

On Friday Gov. Nikki Haley will go to Greer to take part in the groundbreaking for the new Inland port. On Tuesday, a portion of Greer came to her.

A group of about 30 business leaders from the Greer Chamber of Commerce spent much of the day in Columbia meeting with their local officials, state agencies and eventually, Gov. Haley.

The main topic of discussion was the inland port, which could be ready by this fall.

“The inland port is a huge issue for us and making sure the infrastructure and the roads are going to be in place for our businesses,” Chamber Vice President Mark Owens told Patch. “Our whole community is very excited.”

Owens said that in addition to bringing immediate development to the Greer area, the port could act as a catalyst for future growth in the Upstate as a whole.

The port will provide a direct rail link for shipping containers to and from the Port of Charleston.

Aside from the port going off without a hitch, Owens said his members are hopeful for tax reform. “We want to look at how we’re taxed and making sure too much of the burden is not placed on businesses,” he said.

The group from Greer was in Columbia as part of its annual visit to celebrate Greer Day.

Haley is just back from a meeting in Washington, DC for a Republican Governors Association meeting where she made her “frustration” with the gridlock clear.

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