Canadian event in Myrtle Beach could spur business ventures

A conference aiming to increase business between Southeastern states and Canada is headed to Myrtle Beach next year.

Local leaders say the fifth annual conference of the Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance, set for May 20-22 at the Marriott-Grande Dunes, could be an opportunity for the area to let prospective business leaders know the beach can be more than a vacation spot.

"We are not just a playground," said Tom Rice, chairman of the Horry County Council who is attending the conference this week in Canada urging folks to attend in Myrtle Beach next year. "We are a great place to live, great place to do business."

This year's conference kicked off Monday in Fredericton and wraps up today. More than 200 Canadian and U.S. business and government leaders are there, including Rice and a representative from the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Canada and the Grand Strand have a long history - there's already the annual Canadian-American Days Festival that's been held here for half a century - but local leaders want Canadians and their businesses to get to know the beach as a place where they can also do business. It's a goal leaders have had for years, having a business conference as part of the annual Can-Am festival a couple of times years ago.

Rice said he talked to a Canadian on Monday who said he owned a condominium in the Myrtle Beach area, but never considered the beach as a place to do business. That's the impression Rice said he wants to change.

Playing host to the conference next year will give the area the chance to show off its nontourist attributes, leaders said.

"Showing off our area is probably the greatest benefit," said Nora Hembree, spokeswoman of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "[The conference] will attract those businesses, those investors, those high-profile leaders."

Tourism fuels the local economy, but leaders have wanted to bring in other types of business to diversify the economy and create higher-paying jobs.

"We happen to be a pretty attractive location for Canadians - especially tourists. I just have to figure out how to parlay that into investment," said Brad Lofton, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp., which is charged with luring jobs and businesses to Horry County.

Lofton, hired earlier this year and who was not at the conference Monday, is trying to capture some business leads from tourists who already come here, setting up a kiosk at the Myrtle Beach International Airport and working with marketing group Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday to include information in the group's regular newsletters sent to golfers.

"We've just got to connect the dots," he said.

On Monday, conference attendees in Canada talked about new innovations and green business, but also showed how incentives can lure companies, said Rice, who also serves on the EDC board.

He said it's crucial that Horry County start offering stronger incentives and show that the area is fertile ground for businesses to grow.

"We've got to get in this game," Rice said.

Horry County has stepped up funding for its economic development efforts, starting July 1.

The council plans to give the EDC $1.8 million annually for five years. The EDC board has approved a $2.1 million budget for 2011-12 - with the rest of the money coming from private memberships - a substantial increase from this fiscal year's $581,800 budget.