S.C. offers Boeing a deal ‘too good to pass up’ – lawmaker

Published 7:51 am Friday, September 25, 2009

South Carolina lawmakers are feeling pretty confident that the Boeing Co. will pick their state as the site of its second 787 production line.

Charleston Rep. Chip Limehouse told The Post and Courier that the state is offering Boeing a deal too good to pass up.

“We are poised for one of the major economic boons our country has ever seen,” Limehouse, a Republican, told the publication. “This is going to be our gold rush, if it happens.”

Earlier this year, Boeing bought supplier Vought Aircraft Industries’ 787 parts factory in North Charleston. Boeing has said it needs to add a second final assembly line for its 787 in order to meet its production goal. The first final assembly line, of course, is here in Everett.

Boeing is expected to make a decision on its second line by year’s end. The company also plans to fly its 787 for the first time by Dec. 31.

South Carolina’s Limehouse thinks his state has an advantage due to its business climate, worker training programs and the state’s willingness to offer tax incentives.

Limehouse also noted that South Carolina is a right-to-work state. Boeing’s workers there voted on Sept. 10 to end union representation. The company’s workforce in Washington is largely unionized.

The Charleston lawmaker wasn’t the only S.C. politician who is upbeat about the state’s chances.

“When we put out best foot forward, I think it would be very hard for a company to go somewhere else unless they were predisposed to do so,” Rep. Jim Merrill told The Post and Courier.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to meet soon with Jim Albaugh, Boeing’s new president of commercial airplanes, to discuss what Washington has to offer the jet maker.