NORTH CHARLESTON,
S.C. (WCIV) –
Boeing's new
interior fabrication
facility located in
the Palmetto
Commerce Parkway off
Ladson Road is
impressive, but
behind the machines,
are its workers, 140
of them. They are
the few who made the
cut, after 50,000
applied.
Thursday, Boeing and
those employees
celebrated the
facility's opening.
Workers will be
making items like
overhead stow bins,
dividers, closets
and many of the
interior pieces in
the airplane.
They'll be training
until January when
they'll start full
production.
The employees in
this facility aren't
the only ones
benefiting from
Boeing. Mark Derry
works Cowboy USA out
of Walterboro, now
contracted by the
aircraft
manufacturer.
"Everything that
comes by truck, we
bring it," Derry
said.
Derry says he never
imagined his trucks
would be delivering
supplies to the
aeronautics giant.
"As a small business
in a historically
underdeveloped area,
we were kind of
concerned they
wouldn't look at
us," Derry said.
Both companies say
they've grown thanks
to Boeing, so it's
no wonder, for them,
it was cause for
celebration when the
company opened up
another facility.
South Carolina
lawmakers hope
Boeing's standing
will lead to even
more ribbon
cuttings.
"We're seeing a lot
of folks looking at
South Carolina like
they didn't before
because Boeing is
here," S.C. Senator
Paul Campbell said.
Too bad, lawmakers
won't say who else
may be eyeing the
Palmetto State.
"We aren't going to
give our competitors
any inside
information. I'll
just say this: There
are some great
opportunities
ahead," S.C. Senate
President Glenn
McConnell said.
Lawmakers say, with
Boeing, the sky's
the limit.