Staff Writer

GSSM ranked No. 1 in SC

Hartsville-based SC Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics has been rated the No. 1 public high school in the state and No. 3 in the country by Niche.com.

STEM

FMU makes Great Colleges to Work list

Three SC colleges were ranked Great Colleges to Work, including Francis Marion University, the only Pee Dee institution to do so.

Education

Darlington County EMS deploys new ambulance

Darlington County Emergency Medical Services has placed a new ambulance in service, replacing an aging unit.

Darlington County

HopeHealth acquires pediatric practice

Florence-based healthcare services provider HopeHealth Inc. has acquired Eastern Carolina Pediatric Associates. HopeHealth said in a statement Monday that the acquisition “expands access to trusted pediatric care in Florence and Darlington counties, while preserving the relationships families have established with their providers ...”

Healthcare

McLeod, MUSC make ‘Forbes’ best SC employers list

New Jersey-based business news outlet ‘Forbes‘ published its list of ‘America’s Best Employers by State‘ for 2026, the eighth year it has done so.

Workforce

Sonoco further consolidates consumer packaging arm

Hartsville-based consumer and industrial packaging firm Sonoco Products Co. will integrate its global consumer packaging businesses under a single leadership structure.

Manufacturing

Darlington County investigates cybersecurity incident

Darlington County is conducting an active and ongoing investigation into a cybersecurity incident that is affecting some computer systems and limiting County services.

Darlington County

SteelFab to invest $38.9M, add 108 jobs in Florence expansion

Charlotte-based steel fabrication company SteelFab Inc. will invest $38.92 million and add 108 jobs in an expansion of its Florence County operations, according to a statement issued today by the SC Commerce Department.

Manufacturing

Rural infrastructure and broadband programs show ‘significant progress’ across SC

Some six years and $65 million later, two state initiatives, the Rural Initiative Grant and the Rural Broadband Grant programs, are showing “significant progress and measurable impacts” on rural infrastructure across South Carolina, according to a Monday statement from the SC Commerce Department.

Infrastructure

First Reliance to be acquired by GA company in $163M deal

Colony Bankcorp Inc. will acquire 100% of Florence-based First Reliance Bancshares Inc. stock in a stock-and-cash transaction worth about $163 million.

Finance

Projects in 4 Pee Dee counties receive rural infrastructure grants

The SC Rural Infrastructure Authority has awarded $29 million in grants for capital improvement projects in 16 counties, including four in the Pee Dee. The authority said in a statement Tuesday the grants will go toward improving water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, benefiting more than 50,000 households and businesses and bolstering services that support economic growth.

Construction

Sandhills Medical announces new CEO, CIO, cybersecurity incident

Sandhills Medical has appointed Amanda Duke as CEO and Sena Ocloo as CIO. Sandhills Medical is a federally qualified health center based in McBee.

People

State requests input on Opportunity Zone designations

The SC Commerce Department seeks input on eligible census tracts to be designated Opportunity Zones, according to statement Wednesday.

Economic Development

Forecast: US vehicle sales steady despite global uncertainty

Cox Automotive sees US new-vehicles sales for Q1 unchanged year over year in its automotive forecast released Wednesday.

Economy

Cheney Brothers’ $42.5M Florence expansion to add 85 jobs

Food distribution company Cheney Brothers will implement a $42.5 million expansion to its Florence facility that will add 85 jobs, according to a statement issued today by the SC Commerce Department.

Transportation and logistics

MUSC Health acquires Palmetto Primary Care for $111M

MUSC Health has acquired North Charleston-based Palmetto Primary Care Physicians for $111 million, according to a statement Tuesday. Palmetto Primary Care, formed in 1996, is "the state’s largest independent multispecialty care practice," the statement said. It has 31 physicians, 95 advanced practitioners and 40 medical practices, with physical therapy, urgent care and other clinics in the Lowcountry, Midlands and Myrtle Beach.

Healthcare

SC exports hit 7-year high in 2025, lead US in vehicles, tires

SC export sales reached $38.5 billion in 2025 according to a joint statement from the SC Commerce Department, SC Ports Authority and Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday. That figure represents a 1.5% increase for the year and is the greatest it’s been in seven years, according to a US Commerce Department report.

Manufacturing

Study: Florence County among top 10 in state for manufacturing

Manufacturing ranks as one of the largest industries in the state, with as much as $313 billion in yearly economic impact on South Carolina and supporting more than 30% of its jobs, according to a study released Feb. 11.

Manufacturing

Investment in northeastern SC tops $426M, adds 400 jobs

Nine counties in the northeastern part of the state collectively announced investments that totaled more than $426 million and added more than 400 jobs in 2025, the Northeastern Strategic Alliance said in a statement Friday.

Economic Development

Additions to GSSM Foundation board bolster school's STEM mission

The SC Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics Foundation has added four members hailing from STEM industries to its board of directors, the school said in a statement Monday. The move supports the school's statewide science, technology, engineering and mathematics “education mission.”

Education

MPD invests $50K in Bennettsville

MPD Electric Cooperative has awarded the city of Bennettsville $50,000 for economic development.

Economic Development

Inland port hits record year with soybean export surge

Inland Port Dillon processed a record 48,761 rail containers in calendar 2025, up 33% from the previous year. The SC Ports Authority attributed the increased volume to "retail growth and a successful soybean season for regional farmers" in a statement Tuesday.

Transportation and logistics

Governor's School, Coker team up for STEM

The SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics has partnered with Coker University and the International Science and Engineering Fair to advance opportunities for Pee Dee students in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Education

MPD invests $188K in Marion County

MPD Electric Cooperative awarded Marion County $188,114 for economic development, the company said in a statement Monday.

Marion County

Sonoco to combine 2 packaging businesses

Sonoco Products Co. is restructuring its metal packaging and rigid paper containers businesses.

Manufacturing

Staff Writer

GSSM ranked No. 1 in SC

FMU makes Great Colleges to Work list

Darlington County EMS deploys new ambulance

HopeHealth acquires pediatric practice

McLeod, MUSC make ‘Forbes’ best SC employers list

Sonoco further consolidates consumer packaging arm

Darlington County investigates cybersecurity incident

SteelFab to invest $38.9M, add 108 jobs in Florence expansion

Rural infrastructure and broadband programs show ‘significant progress’ across SC

First Reliance to be acquired by GA company in $163M deal

Projects in 4 Pee Dee counties receive rural infrastructure grants

Sandhills Medical announces new CEO, CIO, cybersecurity incident

State requests input on Opportunity Zone designations

Forecast: US vehicle sales steady despite global uncertainty

Cheney Brothers’ $42.5M Florence expansion to add 85 jobs

MUSC Health acquires Palmetto Primary Care for $111M

SC exports hit 7-year high in 2025, lead US in vehicles, tires

Study: Florence County among top 10 in state for manufacturing

Investment in northeastern SC tops $426M, adds 400 jobs

Additions to GSSM Foundation board bolster school's STEM mission

MPD invests $50K in Bennettsville

Inland port hits record year with soybean export surge

Governor's School, Coker team up for STEM

MPD invests $188K in Marion County

Sonoco to combine 2 packaging businesses

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