The Laurens County Development Corporation recently announced that Thomason II, a 113 acre site near the City of Clinton, has been recertified by the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

Some of the Phase I tasks that have been completed are:

• Environmental Review,
• Geotechnical Studies,
• Boundary Surveys, and
• Wetland Delineations

Thomason II has rail access and may be subdivided.

BP Barber and Associates conducted the certification. The certification expires January 2015.

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Leigh Fibers Inc. Announces Expansion in Spartanburg County
Investment expected to create 40 new jobs

The South Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Futures Group of Spartanburg County today announced that Leigh Fibers Inc., a supplier of reprocessed and raw fibers, will expand its manufacturing plant in Spartanburg County. The $10.1 million investment is expected to generate 40 new jobs over the next five years.

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Posted in:  Celebrations

Ten at the Top Unveils Strategy For Creating a Shared Upstate Vision
Public Survey Will Ask Residents “What Matters Most” as Region Grows

Upstate, SC [March 23, 2010] – The regional collaboration and planning organization Ten at the Top (TATT) today announced a four step, year-long initiative to create a Shared Vision and Implementation Strategy for South Carolina’s Upstate (known as the Shared Upstate Vision) that will be based on input from area residents, community leaders and elected officials.

According to projections based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Upstate of South Carolina (comprised of Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union counties) will add roughly 234,000 residents and 200,000 new jobs to the region over the next 20 years. Pending the final results from the 2010 Census, it means the 10-county region could have a population near 1.6 million with nearly a million jobs by 2030.

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Please take a few minutes to learn more about what Greenville has planned as part of its efforts to convince Google to build its new, ultra-high speed fiber network in our community. There will be quite the event on Main Street tonight (March 20th) and they still need volunteers/participants. It’s free to participate but you need to register online.

To learn more about this event, go to

www.wearefeelinglucky.com

Thanks and I hope to see you downtown Saturday night!

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Posted in:  Upstate Thoughts

The Upstate SC Alliance announced the addition of four new members to the Alliance’s 2010 executive committee at its recent annual meeting held at the BMW Zentrum in Spartanburg County.

The Alliance expanded its executive committee from five members previously to now nine members. Two of those nine also come from the public sector which is new to the Alliance structure. In addition to welcoming new members, the Alliance announced returning executive committee members.

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The Upstate SC Alliance held its annual meeting this afternoon, reporting to members and other attendees that the 10 counties of the Upstate are poised for growth in 2010. The Alliance prepared for these opportunities by investing in a comprehensive target market study to determine which industries would best suit the Upstate business climate.

The Upstate SC Alliance will use this laser-focused target marketing plan to assist in accelerating new business development. The specific industries the Alliance is targeting are: energy, advanced materials, biosciences and automotive. The Upstate SC Alliance’s target industry study results were a significant accomplishment for the organization in 2009. The plan will be the basis of for the Alliance’s push to drive business to the ten county region for the next five years.

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Did you know that the Greenville School System is building a new elementary school with a focus on engineering ? This will be the first of its kind in South Carolina and is scheduled for a grand opening in June, 2010.

You can keep track of this new school at -

http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/ajw/index.asp

Let’s help make them a success so we can build more around South Carolina.

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Ten at the Top, a ten-county not-for-profit organization in Upstate South Carolina that is dedicated to promoting regional collaboration while enhancing the quality of life for residents in the region, has hired its first full-time Executive Director. Dean Hybl recently assumed the position after spending the last five years promoting regional collaboration in the Central Florida area.

“We are very excited about the experience and perspective that Dean brings to the Upstate and Ten at the Top,” said Irv Welling, the Chairman Emeritus at Elliott Davis and the Chairman of Ten at the Top. “It is important for us to build on the great work done through Reality Check last year and Dean has already hit the ground running with ideas on how we can move to the next level and turn the Reality Check into a Regional Vision.”

Reality Check was a day-long event held in April 2009 during which more than 500 leaders from across the Upstate SC Region developed land-use scenarios for future growth. Among the outcomes was the identification of four potential patterns for how the region could grow in the future. The participants also identified and prioritized regional principles and potential barriers.

Hybl was part of a similar initiative in Central Florida through myregion.org, which promotes regional development and collaboration in the Orlando area. He served as the primary Program Manager for the “How Shall We Grow?” initiative, which engaged more than 20,000 residents in an 18-month conversation about growth in the region. The project culminated with the unveiling of the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision in August 2007.

“My family is excited to call the Upstate our new home and I am pleased to have this opportunity to help the residents of our region create a shared vision for our future,” Hybl said. “Because of the excellent work that has already been done, we will be able to use the results of Reality Check as the base for developing a Shared Regional Vision for the Upstate.

“We know that growth is coming (the Upstate is projected to add more than 234,000 residents and 200,000 jobs in the next 20 years), so the question is whether you want to shape that growth or let it shape you,” Hybl added. “Creating the Shared Upstate Vision and then developing an implementation strategy that includes buy-in from elected officials, community leaders and citizens will help ensure that we can maintain a high standard quality of life for our residents while hopefully also enjoying the increased economic vitality that typically is associated with such growth.”

Over the next several months, Hybl and members of the Ten at the Top Board of Directors will be making presentations across the Upstate updating leaders and citizens on the results from Reality Check as well as the next steps in developing the Shared Upstate Vision. The process will include an intensive community input process, including an on-line regional survey, later this spring.

Details on the regional outreach will be outlined at a Regional Media Breakfast to be held on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at the Carolina First Gallery on the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) Campus in Greenville.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to give their input on the future of our region.” Hybl said. “We want to know what matters most to the residents of the Upstate and will use that feedback to create the Shared Upstate Vision.”

While with myregion.org, Hybl also coordinated initiatives focused on environmental preservation, improvement in science and math education, arts and culture, economic development and social services.

Prior to joining myregion.org, Hybl spent 15 years as a Sports Information Director and Assistant Director of Athletics in college athletics. He received eight national publication awards during six years at Hampden-Sydney College and then directed marketing and communications efforts for 21 varsity sports during nine years at Rollins College. He has also worked for a private public relations firm and is the founder of the web site Sports Then and Now.

Originally from Keysville, Virginia, Hybl is a graduate of James Madison University. He and his wife, Suzy, have two children, Bethany and Nate.

About Ten at the Top

Comprised of public, private and civic leaders across the ten-county Upstate Region, Ten at the Top was created to build regional trust and consensus through data-driven research and regular convening of leaders and citizens to address key issues facing the region. Ten at the Top works with regional partners to encourage quality growth and enhance the economic vitality, natural and cultural resources and quality of life for Upstate residents both today and as the region continues to grow. www.tenatthetop.org.

Regional Media Breakfast – March 23, 2010

Ten at the Top will be hosting a Media Breakfast on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, to officially introduce Dean Hybl to the local media and also to unveil the timeline and strategy for the upcoming Shared Upstate Vision initiative. The event will be held from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, in the Carolina First Gallery at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) Campus in Greenville.

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The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce is interested in gauging perceptions related to South Carolina. As a business leader in this state, please take about 10 minutes to answer some questions related to the state’s image and your perceptions. The survey simply seeks your impressions based on what you have read, heard or personally experienced. We value your feedback and thank you for your time.

Please click here to take the survey.

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