WHEN GOV. MARK SANFORD last week announced a revised deal for an automotive research park in Greenville, it was easy to see his fingerprints on the details. The governor’s passion for guarding the taxpayers’ pennies helped craft a deal that adds $134 million to the government’s side of the ledger. But the arrangement also shows that Gov. Sanford and his economic team have an eye on the big picture: building a 21st century economy for South Carolina.

These improvements in the numbers should not be overlooked. The deal puts more of the land in the new park under the control of Clemson University, which seems a better arrangement for the college and for the park to thrive. While the governor’s decision, shortly after taking office, to reopen this deal ruffled feathers in the Upstate, it indisputably was the correct action. Even developer Cliff Rosen acknowledges that this deal is a better one for the taxpayers.

Given the way politics has worked in the state, it wasn’t surprising that when the new governor reopened the deal, some in the Upstate immediately smelled a rat. It has become axiomatic that a public official who says he’s looking out for the greater public good is really concealing his unenlightened self-interest. Axiomatic, perhaps, but not true in this case. This instance should be a caution to those who assume the governor’s office is soon to lapse into politics as usual.

Beyond the better financial shape of the deal, the energy involved in it promises good things for the future of South Carolina business. With textiles and other manufacturing becoming less stable employers, this state faces a challenge of encouraging new businesses — not just to keep our employment level the same, but to boost South Carolinians’ sagging incomes. If those numbers don’t rise, the Palmetto State will likely remain low-ranked on measures of health and opportunity. To build that economic growth will require focused investment in promising industries, with the state’s research universities adding their key assets to the mix.

The automotive industry is an emerging economic center in the Upstate, with BMW and associated suppliers at its heart. Uniting that existing strength with a tailored outreach of Clemson’s engineering prowess is a great potential engine for the new economy. About half of the money set aside so far for endowed chairs at research universities is pegged to this automotive project. The successful result of these negotiations is an indication that the governor and Commerce Secretary Bob Faith recognize how key they were for South Carolina’s future. They will have to keep nurturing such industries, even as the Commerce Department continues its more traditional business recruitment efforts.

South Carolina’s economic challenge is huge. It must build a new industrial base as the world economy lowers the value of what the state traditionally has offered: cheap, moderately skillful labor. Leaders of business, government and academia do seem to realize the scope of this endeavor, and that’s a hopeful sign. Because of how important it is to our future, all South Carolinians — not just Upstate residents or Clemson supporters — should wish the new auto park, and projects like it, great success.