Building A Globally
Competitive Economy For The
Charleston Region.

Opportunity Next is the three-county Charleston region's comprehensive, cluster-based economic development strategy, which guides our region's efforts to strengthen the local economy, improve average wages and create new jobs over the next three-to-five years.

The objective: to supercharge the region's economy, strengthen employment and to establish Charleston as an international hub for business and talent.

Industry Targets

& Core Competencies

Opportunity Next is driving regional stakeholders to take action to foster the growth of four target clusters:

TARGET CLUSTER

Advanced
Security & IT LEARN MORE >

TARGET CLUSTER

Aerospace LEARN MORE >

TARGET CLUSTER

Biomedical LEARN MORE >

TARGET CLUSTER

Energy Systems LEARN MORE >

It further enhances five core competencies that are critical to overall economic growth:

Advanced Materials, Creative Design, Drivetrain & Power Systems, Logistics and Software.

Competencies include workforce skills, infrastructure, and innovations that intersect multiple sectors, enabling the region to progress despite industry fluctuations.

Vertical Industry Targets

Target Mix

Recommendations

Economic development efforts balance business recruitment, business retention/expansion and entrepreneurship programs.

Balance Chart

The Opportunity Next strategy provides a unique balance of these activities for each target.

Some targets, such as aerospace, represent an immediate recruitment and expansion opportunity. Others, such as biomedical, depend on entrepreneurial resources.

A detailed plan of action for each target cluster and competency can be found in Resources.