Economy Columbia, South Carolina

first citizens bank building @ corner of main , lady streets

columbia enjoys diversified economy, major employers in area being south carolina state government, palmetto health hospital system, blue cross blue shield of south carolina, palmetto gba, , university of south carolina. corporate headquarters of fortune 1000 energy company, scana, located in columbia suburb of cayce. other major employers in columbia area include computer sciences corporation, fort jackson, u.s. army s largest , active initial entry training installation, richland school district one, humana/tricare, , united parcel service, operates southeastern regional hub @ columbia metropolitan airport. major manufacturers such square d, cmc steel, spirax sarco, michelin, international paper, pirelli cables, honeywell, westinghouse electric, harsco track tech, trane, intertape polymer group, union switch & signal, fn herstal, solectron, , bose technology have facilities in columbia area. there on 70 foreign affiliated companies , fourteen fortune 500 companies in region. gross domestic product (gdp) of columbia metropolitan statistical area of 2010 $31.97 billion, highest among msas in state.

several companies have global, continental, or national headquarters in columbia, including colonial life & accident insurance company, second-largest supplemental insurance company in nation; ritedose corporation, pharmaceutical industry services company; agfirst farm credit bank, largest bank headquartered in state on $30 billion in assets (the non-commercial bank part of farm credit system, largest agricultural lending organization in united states established congress in 1916); south state bank, largest commercial bank headquartered in south carolina; nexsen pruet, llc, multi-specialty business law firm in carolinas; spectrum medical, international medical software company; wilbur smith associates, full-service transportation , infrastructure consulting firm; , nelson mullins, major national law firm. csc s financial services group, major provider of software , outsourcing services insurance industry, headquartered in columbia suburb of blythewood.

downtown revitalization

lady street in historic congaree vista district downtown

the city of columbia has accomplished number of urban redevelopment projects , has several more planned. historic congaree vista, 1,200-acre (5 km) district running central business district toward congaree river, features number of historic buildings have been rehabilitated since revitalization begun in late 1980s. of note adaptive reuse of confederate printing plant on gervais , huger, used print confederate bills during american civil war. city cooperated publix grocery stores preserve look. won columbia award international downtown association. vista district region s convention center , anchor hilton hotel ruth s chris steakhouse restaurant located. other notable developments under construction , completed include high-end condos , townhomes, hotels, , mixed-use structures.

a downtown lightpost banner heralds columbia s new main street part of effort reinfuse life , vitality main street.

the older buildings lining vista s main thoroughfare, gervais street, house art galleries, restaurants, unique shops, , professional office space. near end of gervais south carolina state museum , edventure children s museum. private student housing , residential projects going nearby; canalside development @ site of old central correctional institution, high-profile. @ full build-out, development have 750 residential units , provides access columbia s waterfront. lady street between huger , assembly streets in vista , 5 points neighborhood have undergone beautification projects, consisted of replacing curbs , gutters, , adding brick-paved sidewalks , angled parking.

special revitalization efforts being aimed @ main street, began seeing exodus of department , specialty stores in 1990s. goal re-establish main street vibrant commercial , residential corridor, , stretch of main street home businesses—-from gervais blanding streets—-has been streetscaped in recent years. notable developments completed in recent years along main street include 18-story, $60 million tower @ high-profile corner of main , gervais streets, renovation of 1441 main street office building new midlands headquarters wells fargo bank (formerly wachovia bank), new sanctuary holy trinity greek orthodox church, location of mast general store in historic efird s building, , relocation of nickelodeon theater. façade improvement program downtown business district, implemented in 2011, has resulted in restoration , improvement of façades of several historic main street shopfronts. 1 of ambitious development projects in city s history underway involves old state mental health campus downtown on bull street. known formally columbia common, project consist of rehabbing several historic buildings on campus residential, hospitality, , retail use. new minor league baseball stadium built on campus well.