New website aims to connect talent, employers in central South Carolina

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A new website powered by the Central SC Alliance aims to connect skilled workers with local employers while touting the benefits of the region.  

Start Central includes search tools for jobs and internships, training programs, startup aid for tech companies and entrepreneurs, and resources for veterans and military members. It also features profiles of nine communities designated as central S.C.: Richland, Lexington, Newberry, Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw and Orangeburg counties, along with the city of Columbia.  

“It’s been a project of passion over the past year for our team to bring this website to life,” Tracy McMillin, Central SC Alliance interim president and CEO, said in a news release. “We saw a gap in how the central S.C. region was faring in the highly competitive market of skilled talent attraction and retention. This new site provides job seekers an opportunity to bridge that gap by obtaining the careers in our region that they’ve been dreaming of and enhancing their appeal to employers by upgrading their skill sets. It’s also another way we can support our local existing industries in drawing in skilled talent.” 

The site also includes links to charitable and volunteer opportunities as well as an interactive cost of living calculator for each region.  

The central S.C. region includes bases for companies such as Amazon, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Capgemini, Nephron Pharmaceuticals and Samsung. Recent area startups include ZVerse, Cognito Farms, Proof Alcohol Ice Cream and guhroo.  

Those businesses, along with more than 1,000 others, employ more than a quarter million workers, according to the news release. 

“The talent pool in central S.C. and the surrounding area is deeper than people realize,” Matt Vaadi, CEO of Columbia-area payroll software company guhroo, said in the release. “Between the universities, the large technology companies, and the people relocating to the area, you can find exactly what you are looking for if you put in the work. We focus most of our recruiting efforts on hiring local talent and upskilling where necessary because we believe in the local talent density.”