With yesterday’s announcement that its new 787 Dreamliner will be assembled in North Charleston, the buzz is that a host of other new businesses to support Boeing’s new plant will spring up in the region. And Newberry could be positioned to get some of the ripple.

Boeing will make a more than $750 million investment in the state, and employ 4,000 people, but it is also expected to bring another 8,000 jobs through supporting industries to the region.

“Similar to BMW, a number of suppliers will locate in South Carolina because of the Boeing facility,” describes local Economic Director Teresa Powers. “While some will need to be close to the plant and thus land in the Charleston region, Newberry certainly has an opportunity to attract others. The county’s strategic position on Interstate 26 allows for easy travel to the proposed facility and suppliers can avoid higher costs typically associated with metropolitan areas.

“Of course, competition to land these companies will be intense. Just like Newberry, most South Carolina counties as well as our neighbors in Georgia and North Carolina will be vying for these projects. The Mid-Carolina Commerce Park is coming online at an ideal time. It provides Newberry County with an attractive, shovel-ready location to show prospects that can meet their tight timeframes to become operational. It certainly won’t hurt that Nasmyth, the first tenant for the park, is significantly involved in the aerospace industry and indirectly supplies Boeing.”

Currently, grading and infrastructure for the first phase of the Mid-Carolina Commerce Park is in progress.

The new 787 Dreamliner will carry 200 to 250 passengers on flights up to 8,200 nautical miles. The new aircraft will be more efficient, quieter and have lower emissions than others planes, and will offer passenger more comfort and direct, non-stop flights between more cities around the world, according to Boeing.