12O NEW JOBS CREATED IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY
I am excited to announce that we have recruited a new Michigan
based company to place their distribution in Spartanburg County, creating
120 new jobs. As the Director of Economic Development at Spartanburg
Community College, I am excited to announce that the center will be located
at our new Accelerated Business Center.
We all know that our state and nation are currently facing an economic
crunch. We can complain about the problem or we can do the hard work it
takes to find creative solutions. Here in the UpState we have a lot of folks
in the public and private sector working together to get the job done. I
been working hard for years to create jobs in our region. I hope you will
give me the opportunity to now take that hard work to the State House.
God Bless,
Mike Forrester
PS - Here’s the article from WSPA:
WSPA - 120 New Jobs Coming To The Upstate
The South Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Futures Group at
the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce today joined Master Precision
Global, LLC “MP Global”, a Michigan based manufacturer of plastic/electronic
assemblies, injection mold tooling, and lighting innovations, in announcing
that the company will locate its new Southeastern manufacturing and
distribution facility in Duncan (Spartanburg County), South Carolina. MP
Global will invest $7.25 million in this new operation and will create 120
new jobs in the area.
“The Southeast is the premier manufacturing region of the country. We are
thrilled to be establishing ourselves right in Spartanburg County – the
center of activity,” said Stephen Drake, President of MP Global. “Our
manufacturing style is perfect for this area.” Drake’s company has been
involved in the plastic molding industry for over 40 years. Starting in
engineering and mold building, the company has added several specialty
services over the years. Now, Master Precision Global is a full-service
product and sub-system supplier. MP Global optimizes the right combination
of domestic and offshore resources to meet program requirements – providing
high value, cost effective solutions to all customers.
“Dr. Dan Terhune has a vision of creating a full scale manufacturing
environment which would enable out-of-state companies to create a presence
in Spartanburg County – and we are excited to be involved in that vision,”
said Drake. “To also have Spartanburg County Council support this, creates a
powerful team that will attract businesses for years to come.”
MP Global is partnering with Spartanburg Community College to launch their
operation, which will utilize 42,000 sq ft of manufacturing space in the new
Tyger River Accelerated Business Center. “Spartanburg County offers us the
absolute best environment to be successful in South Carolina. Our goal is to
make this a win-win for everyone. MP Global can grow and diversify our
business while having a positive impact on the economics of the area,” says
Bob Bronsink, Southeast Business Unit Manager of MP Global. “Setting up
initially at the Tyger River Campus is a strategically powerful step for our
organization. The available facility allows us to get MP Global operations
up and running efficiently, grow our business, and train our workforce – all
at the same time. Tyger River campus was a deciding factor in choosing
Spartanburg County.”
“There are several individuals we need to thank who have lent us tremendous
support during the planning phase of this project,” says Patrick Kinstle,
Chief Financial Officer of MP Global. “Carter Smith, Executive Vice
President of the Economic Futures Group at the Spartanburg Area Chamber of
Commerce, Mike Forrester, Director of Economic Development at Spartanburg
Community College, and the S.C. Department of Commerce. These gentlemen and
their teams have succeeded at piecing together a package of financial
incentives that are of tremendous value to us and go a long way toward
contributing to both our decision to come to South Carolina, specifically
Spartanburg County, and our planned success of the project. We congratulate
them for all of their efforts.”
“We are pleased to welcome Master Precision Global to the Duncan area of
Spartanburg County. It was a pleasure to work with this project team and we
are thrilled that they have chosen a location at the Tyger River Accelerated
Business Center of the Spartanburg Community College for their new
manufacturing and distribution operation,” said Carter Smith, Executive Vice
President, Economic Futures Group, Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Master Precision Global is a leader in the plastic molding industry. The
company is committed to providing high value and cost effective solutions to
all its customers. Their decision to expand in South Carolina is evidence
that our state’s business-friendly climate is again working to grow
businesses and create opportunities for more South Carolinians. Thanks to
the team effort of local and state officials, Spartanburg County will
benefit from this investment,” said Joe Taylor, Secretary of Commerce.
“Spartanburg Community College is honored to be one of the many partners
that have worked diligently to bring Master Precision Global to Spartanburg
County. This outstanding company will provide much needed new employment
opportunities for our citizens. The college looks forward to continuing our
relationship with Master Precision Global as they enjoy the robust business
climate of our community. We stand ready to provide training and other
support services to insure the successful start-up and operation of the
company in South Carolina,” Dr. Dan Terhune, President, Spartanburg
Community College.
“Duke Energy is glad to welcome Master Precision Global to Spartanburg
County. We’re excited to add MPG to our ever-growing and diverse mix of
industrial customers who have found Upstate South Carolina to be such a
beneficial place to do business,” Sandy Martin, Duke Energy Economic
Development Manager.
“This is a great day for Spartanburg County. In less than one year, county
council is seeing a return on their investment in Spartanburg Community
College’s Accelerated Business Center. We are obviously pleased to have
Master Precision Global as our first tenant and it’s our belief that this is
the beginning of many more to come. The Accelerated Business Center concept
provides space to allow a new company to get on its feet with respect to
efficient operations and the training of its workforce while it looks to
renovate an existing facility or build a new facility. This process also
has potential for existing businesses that are looking at a new product
lines to beta test or simply looking to retrain their existing employees on
new technology. It’s a great tool to have in the recruitment of new
industry as well as the retention of existing industry,” said Mike
Forrester, Economic Development, Spartanburg Community College,
MP Global is a medium-size company with a global scope of business. They
have a broad portfolio of services and the proven capability to take product
from concept through manufacturing and distribution. Currently MP Global has
business activities in China, Mexico, and Michigan.
Press Release: Mike Files for State House
PROMISES TO PUT INTEGRITY BACK IN POLITICS, WILL CONCENTRATE ON SOLUTIONS
(SPARTANBURG, SC) – Republican Mike Forrester today filed for State House District 34. This seat is being vacated by Representative Scott Talley. In filing, Mike Forrester promised to put integrity back in politics and concentrate on the solutions that will move South Carolina forward.
Mike said “I’m running for office because every time I turn on the television or pick up a newspaper I’m bombarded by stories of political scandal or politicians complaining about all the problems facing our nation and state. I think its time to acknowledge our problems, but move past them and start finding the solutions that will move South Carolina forward. That’s why my campaign will be about.”
Accountability in Education
The economic viability of our state depends on our ability to provide a quality education for all our children, one that will prepare them to be successful and productive citizens in an ever changing, high tech environment. While I am a product and a supporter of public education, I think we have plenty of room for improvement.
As chairmen of the state board of education I saw firsthand the tremendous amount of state resources we provide for the education of our children. And yet we’ve all heard stories about teachers having to take their personal money to buy supplies for their classrooms. I want to ensure we have accountability and efficiency from the state department to the classroom and that every possible dollar goes toward the teaching of students. We have to eliminate bureaucracy, redundancy, outdated procedures and programs. Our state has limited resources therefore we must maximize the effect of every dollar. We can’t afford waste.
Spartanburg School Consolidation
While making calls to voters across the district, I have been asked numerous times about my position on Spartanburg County school district consolidation.
While I’m open to education reform proposals that will ensure more kids graduate and that they are better prepared for college or to enter the work force, I can see no reason to believe that consolidation will accomplish that or save taxpayers money. There is always room for improvement, but we currently have some of the best schools, teachers, and students in the entire state and I see no reason to interrupt a system that is obviously working and receiving awards for its success.
Linking Education and Economic Development
As Chairman of the State Board of Education and a leader in numerous economic development organizations, I understand how education is the key to job creation in our state.
Most people find this hard to believe, but Spartanburg County ranks 16th in the State in per capita income at $26,656. Our educational attainment level of the population over 25 years of age is as follows: 7.5% or 11,472 have less than a 9th grade education, 14.4% or 22,793 have between a 9th and 12th grade education, 31% or 54,803 have a high school degree, 20% or 34,791 have some college, 7% or 12,456 have an associate degree, 15% or 26,003 have a bachelor’s degree and 8% or 14,275 have a graduate or higher degree.
Early Childhood Education
A recent study performed by the Riley Institute at Furman University reported that 80% of the learning process takes place between the ages of 0-5 yet our state spends only 8% of their total educational recourses on that age group. It appears that we have it backwards. We’ve got to find ways to fund 3-4 year kindergarten. One thing that might help with this is to create a uniform criteria/curriculum for all childcare providers and set a required educational level or certification for those teachers/providers. This would raise the bar on quality as well as provide consistent instruction to all children.
Welcome to my Solutions Center
I created this page to have a discussion with you. I believe that politicians today talk a lot about the problems facing our state and nation, but few are actually talking about solutions. That’s what I want to do here.
I have started the discussion by posting a few of my solutions to problems our state currently faces. I want you to post your thoughts in the comment section and give me your solutions.
In the upcoming months I will be posting more ideas, thoughts, and opinions on solutions that can make this state a better place for all of us to live.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
- Mike