The South Carolina Mastermind Group welcomed speaker – and now New Member – Laura Ullrich, Regional Economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond – Charlotte Branch to the meeting in Columbia. Laura provided a national economic overview then did a deep dive into how the state is thriving and besting national numbers across a variety of metrics. Notably, South Carolina’s unemployment numbers are at 2.6% statewide as compared to a very healthy national average of 3.6% (as of October 2019). Laura noted that although the unemployment rates are lowest in Greenville and Charleston, Columbia is still showing better than the national umemployment average – making it one of only a few states where all MSA’s are positive.