Results of 2018 competitiveness report set to be unveiled

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The results of the fifth annual Midlands Regional Competitiveness Report, which shows how Columbia compares to nine similar Southeast cities, will be announced today.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and Doug Woodward, University of South Carolina economics professor and director of research at USC’s Darla Moore School of Business, will join EngenuitySC in unveiling the Columbia metropolitan statistical area’s ranking in five economic competitiveness indicators.

The 2017 report showed Columbia’s livability ranking fell from second in 2016 to fourth, while its index value rose in talent, innovative capacity, entrepreneurial and business environment, and industry clusters.

The report is an initiative of EngenuitySC, a nonprofit organization focused on entrepreneurial growth and prosperity.

Additional speakers at today’s 4 p.m. announcement at the Columbia Museum of Art will include John Folsom, chair of the Midlands Business Leadership Group and president and CEO of Colliers International South Carolina, and John Carrington, CEO of Columbia-based 3D design and manufacturing company ZVerse.

The event kicks off EngenuitySC’s Regional Competitiveness Week.