Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, which includes the Palmetto State, got a first-hand look at the Boeing juggernaut during a two-day visit to the Charleston area last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really impressive,\u201d\u009d he said. \u201cWhat I don\u2019t think is broadly known is the extent of which … they\u2019ve added to what was just a manufacturing and assembly facility, and this looks now to be a bigger part of Boeing\u2019s future than it looked a couple of years ago. So I think that speaks well for Charleston\u2019s economic capabilities and for its work force … because they\u2019ll tell you … the biggest uncertainty about the whole venture down here was whether they could attract enough of a work force to do the things they can do up in Puget Sound. They\u2019ll tell you they succeeded.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Aside from Boeing\u2019s growth, Lacker has witnessed other sea changes since his last official visit to the Holy City. In 2009, the Fed was still cutting interest rates to jump-start the then-wounded economy. Now, some believe the time is finally ripe to start raising them again.<\/p>\n