News and Media Center

The top executive at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research said he will travel to Asia in November with a delegation of South Carolina economic development officials. Fred Cartwright said CU-ICAR is recruiting research and development partners. Cartwright will accompany representatives of the Upstate S.C. Alliance and the S.C. Department of Commerce. He said CU-ICAR is […]

Greenville Technical College said it recently received funding through the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development and Duke Energy to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce development in South Carolina. To read about the three projects, visit GSA Business.

Clemson University faculty affiliated with the automotive engineering department received almost $4.5 million in research and sponsored programs in the past year. The 2013 annual report on the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research also shows more than 200 students enrolled this academic year in automotive engineering. The faculty-generated awards funded 24 projects. Automotive companies […]

As one of the largest automotive exporters in the U.S., BMW has announced the expansion of the company’s export program to emerging markets. Originally announced in 2011 to support export of BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicles to certain countries, BMW will now expand this operation to include the new BMW X5. To support this expansion, […]

Fraenkische Industrial Pipes today announced that it will expand its existing operations and North American headquarters in Anderson County. The $5 million investment is expected to generate 50 new jobs over the next few years.  “We are very happy to be expanding again in Anderson. We have grown from 20 employees in 2009, at the […]

Spartanburg-based holding company Synalloy Corp. has acquired the business assets of Color Resources LLC and its plant in Fountain Inn. The purchase price for the facility at 300 International Blvd. was $3.45 million. Synalloy – a producer of stainless steel pipe, fiberglass and steel storage tanks and specialty chemicals – plans to relocate its headquarters […]

Santee Cooper said Monday its board of directors approved $7.5 million in loans to help construct a substation to serve the S.C. Inland Port in Greer, as well as industrial spec buildings in Anderson and Dillon counties. The funding is part of $15.5 million in economic development loans approved under the utility’s 14-month-old infrastructure development […]

Told they won’t have to raise taxes, Greenville County Council members voted Monday to fund a $25 million bond issue for Greenville Technical College to build an industrial job training center. Greenville Tech President Keith Miller said the funds will pay for the campus, which he said will include a 62,500-square-foot-building, an energy plant and […]

Scientists and engineers from around the world are expected to attend a conference hosted by Clemson University to discuss advances in polymers and its increasing role in technology. The biennial conference is set Aug. 13-16 at the Hyatt Regency Greenville downtown. The 15th International Conference on Macro Molecular Complexes is the third time that a U.S. […]

Heiche US Surface Technology, which specializes in surface treatment for metal automotive components, will locate its new production facility and U.S. headquarters in Spartanburg County, with a $4 million investment expected to generate 38 new jobs, state officials said. Heiche will establish its U.S. headquarters and new production operations in an existing building, located at […]

Edgewater Automation, a maker of custom machines, will invest more than $3 million to establish its new facility in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, with plans to generate 53 jobs. The firm makes custom machines, primarily robotic assembly and testing, for industrial clients across the country. The company will locate its operations in the former Somet […]

Laurens County has been designated a certified Work Ready Community, one of three in South Carolina. Laurens County established a comprehensive program at the elementary level in districts 55 and 56 teaching work ethic. It also engaged educators through its Educators in Industry course, and SC Works has helped seek and assist the transitioning workforce. […]

A next-generation Mazda concept vehicle conceived and engineered by automotive engineering students at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research has been shown for the first time in its finished form. The Deep Orange 3 was unveiled Monday at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich. Read the full article from GSA […]

Officials with Spartanburg Community College gave a behind-the-scenes tour of the school’s new downtown campus Friday as crews worked to prepare the building for students later this month. SCC President Henry C. Giles Jr. walked a small group through the halls of the three-story Evans Academic Center, which will house SCC, Spartanburg High School’s Viking […]

Congratulations to our Board Members at AnMed Health on their latest announcement! AnMed Health of Anderson has partnered with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) to become a clinical teaching site for third- and fourth-year medical school students. Students at VCOM’s Spartanburg campus can apply to train in Anderson. Ten third-year students will […]

ZF, a global supplier of driveline and chassis technology, will expand its operations in Laurens County, opening the company’s first passenger car transmission plant in the United States. The expansion will create 450 new jobs and more than $175 million in capital investment. Part of the largest single venture in ZF’s history outside Germany, the […]

South Carolina recently received a No. 10 ranking in Site Selection magazine’s annual measure of state-by-state competitiveness. Read more from the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association’s website. View the official ranking online here.

A building next to the new South Carolina Inland Port in Greer may house a BMW export operation, according South Carolina Ports Authority president and CEO James Newsome. South Carolina Ports Authority president and CEO James Newsome told members of the Rotary Club of Greenville on Tuesday that a facility being built next to the […]

A new report on America’s energy future describes how the Greenville County Schools’ decades of energy-savings efforts have significantly cut power bills and freed up money to benefit students. Two congressmen are leading a bipartisan discussion set Wednesday in Washington, D.C., on the report, entitled: Powering Up America: The Revolution Began Yesterday. Read the full […]

Industrytoday.com talks about how South Carolina is the among the Best in the East in Manufacturing. Read the full article on their website here.    

Ten medical technology startups from all over the world comprising the inaugural class of The Iron Yard LLC’s new business accelerator in Spartanburg punched in on Monday. The teams, whose entrepreneurial concepts were chosen in June from a large pool of applicants, reported for duty at the Greenville-based accelerator’s 7,000-square-foot downtown facility at 151 S. […]

Quest Brewery opened it’s doors to the public this past weekend with a packed celebration that included live music and two food trucks. This fall, Brewery 85 is set to open in the Upstate near Interstate 85, very close to our office. Thomas Creek is celebrating 15 years of business in the Upstate and we cannot talk about beer in […]

The 300-acre Oconee Industry and Technology Park has been certified by the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the McCallum Sweeney Industrial Site Certification Program, economic development officials announced Wednesday. Read the full article from GSA Business.

Josef Kerscher, who since 2007 has been President of BMW Manufacturing Co. in Spartanburg, South Carolina, will assume new responsibilities as Managing Director of BMW Plant Dingolfing in Bavaria, Germany. Taking over from Kerscher at Spartanburg will be Manfred Erlacher, currently Managing Director of BMW Plant Leipzig in Saxony, Germany. The handover takes place November […]

GSA Business hosted a Power Hour Thursday night featuring panelists speaking on the South Carolina Inland Port. The Port will attract cargo from across the Southeast and improve the efficiency of shipping from the Upstate through the Port of Charleston, panelists said Thursday night. Panelists included David Edwards, CEO of Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport; Jack Ellenberg, […]

Upstate’s Clemson University announced a gift of more than $1.2 million from the estate of the late Caroline Barton Caughman, formerly of Pinehurst, N.C. Most of the gift – more than $1.15 million – establishes the Kenneth and Caroline Caughman Memorial Endowment Fund, which will be used for undergraduate student scholarships. Read the full article […]

Piedmont Technical College and Laurens District 56 announced a partnership to offer a journeyman welding certificate program to students at Clinton High School. The move comes amid calls from industry and economic development officials to increase awareness of manufacturing jobs for younger students. Upstate S.C. Alliance President and CEO Hal Johnson, for example, has called for […]

Liquid Lignin Co. LLC in Clemson has received an $80,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant to develop environmentally friendly borate-based wood. If the project proves to be commercially viable, the company is eligible to compete for up to $300,000 to commercialize the technology. The company, a member of the Next Innovation Center in Greenville, is positioning to […]

The Grainger Foundation gave $10,000 to support the Electronics Engineering Technology program at Greenville Technical College. The funds will help upgrade computer workstations and the server supporting the program. Read the full article from GSA Business.

Lockheed Martin’s Greenville site has added to the Lockheed Martin Aircraft Maintenance Technology Endowed Scholarship Fund with a donation of $30,000. The fund provides scholarship assistance to students at Greenville Technical College who are pursuing degrees in aircraft maintenance technology. The skills will enable them to repair, modify and maintain aircraft. “We have had a […]

A distribution facility is under construction on land that abuts the S.C. Inland Port in Greer. An unnamed tenant will occupy the facility. Initial site preparation has been completed and a concrete slab has been poured for the 400,000-square-foot facility, expected to be complete in December, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport CEO and President Dave Edwards said. […]

Area Development magazine has awarded South Carolina a 2013 Silver Shovel award for the state’s economic development efforts last year.”The states receiving 2013 Shovel awards deserve special recognition for their efforts to attract new businesses and to help their existing corporate citizens to expand their businesses,” said Geraldine Gambale, editor of Area Development. “They have […]

Clemson University, in conjunction with the Greenwood Genetic Center, plans to break ground next month on a 17,000-square-foot research and education center in human genetics at the J.C. Self Research Institute, a division of the genetic center. The project will expand Clemson University’s existing doctoral program in human genetics; create an internationally competitive research and […]

Liberty Property Trust will break ground next month on a speculative industrial building in Greer. A.L. Industries Inc., a manufacturer of filters for the automotive and heavy duty industry, has signed a lease for 52,000 square feet of space in the 156,000-square-foot facility. A.L. Industries announced plans in April to invest $3.6 million and create […]

The state’s three tire-making companies and the S.C. Chamber of Commerce have established the Tire Manufacturers’ Council. The mission of the council, which includes Michelin North America, Bridgestone Americas and Continental Tire the Americas, will be to evaluate and propose policies relating to the manufacturing of tires in South Carolina. Steve Evered, vice president of […]

BMW says it will have no problem launching two new models from the Greer assembly plant within months of each other. The company’s announcement that the third-generation rollout of the X5 sports activity vehicle will start in the fourth quarter this year comes a few months after the German automaker said the X4 sports activity […]

The food truck business is heating up nationwide, and in anticipation of more inquiries into mobile food kitchens, the city of Spartanburg has developed policies and identified six potential downtown sites for the vendors. Food truck vendors are known for selling affordable, fresh, unique delicacies – such as Asian barbecue or traditional burgers – out […]

The S.C. Economic Developers’ Association announced Hal Johnson, president and CEO of the Upstate S.C. Alliance, was named its Local Developer of the Year. The award recognizes the work and dedication of local economic developers in South Carolina who have made a significant difference in communities. “Hal’s vision and leadership have positioned the Upstate to successfully compete […]

Sage Automotive Interiors of Greenville has acquired the automotive fabric manufacturing assets of Poland-based Apo-Tessile. The companies have previously worked together and a statement Thursday said the operation, now Sage Automotive Interiors Poland, is well situated to supply automotive cut and sew facilities in central and eastern Europe. Read more from GSA Business.

After nearly eight years of discussions, planning, maneuvering and negotiating, it appears a landmark project between Clemson University and the Greenwood Genetic Center is set to move forward. Clemson, in conjunction with the Genetic Center, will construct a 17,000-square-foot genetic research and education center adjacent to the Genetic Center. The Clemson facility will be built […]

The U.S. Energy Department has awarded Clemson University $200,000 to develop courses and training programs that will help researchers and students gain a better understanding of technology being developed to monitor the electric grid. Including Clemson’s contribution, the total value of the project is $250,000. The DOE grant, announced Wednesday, is one of seven awards totaling $1.4 […]

Site Selection magazine recently recognized both the Spartanburg Economic Futures Group and the Upstate SC Alliance among the top 10 “Best to Invest” economic development groups nationwide for 2012. … Since 2005, the Upstate has attracted more than $10 billion in capital investment which has generated more than 31,000 new jobs, according to Site Selection. […]

Clemson University has received a $1 million donation for two endowments, one that will provide scholarships and another for an engineering professorship, named for Clemson alumnus Samuel Lewis Bell and his wife, Lucia. Half of the money will establish the Samuel Lewis Bell and Lucia Beason Bell Memorial Scholarship Endowment that will award scholarships to […]

An online ratings site has ranked South Carolina as one of the top ten states to develop a small business, but not all areas of the state were ranked the same. Thumbtack.com completes an annual study on small business friendliness and recently released their rankings for 2013. On the nation scale, South Carolina was given […]

The 13th annual BMW tournament, presented by Synnex Corp., will take place May 16 to 19 at Thornblade Club, Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer course and The Reserve at Lake Keowee, which is a new addition for 2013. Since 2001, the tournament has raised more than $9.25 million for more than 150 charities. To see the […]

Congratulations to our investors at RJ Rockers! They announced the expansion of their distribution of their seasonal beer, Son of a Peach, to the Atlanta area. The craft brewery currently distributes to five states – Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, though other RJ Rocker brews are available in some capacity in Georgia […]

Carbures LLC plans to hire up to 100 more employees and invest $400 million more in Greenville in the next three years with the opening of its second local facility in as many years. The Cadiz, Spain-based manufacturer produces carbon and composite structures for the automotive, aerospace and infrastructure markets. Growth has continued as these […]

Greenville-based Kiyatec and the University of Southern California are collaborating on research of cellular responses through a $30,000 grant. The U.S. National Academy of Engineering recently awarded Matthew Gevaert of Kiyatec and Andrea Armani of the University of Southern California a Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Grant. “This grant is the first step in this exciting collaboration,” Gevaert, Kiyatec’s […]

Elected officials, community business leaders and Amazon associates gathered Monday for the official opening and a tour of Amazon’s Spartanburg facility at 405 John Dodd Road, which opened for business in September. Seattle-based Amazon announced plans in January 2012 for a $50 million investment and 390 jobs. The 1 million-square-foot facility now employs more than […]

The Upstate of SC prides itself on workforce and education. We’re proud to hear that Champion Aerospace in Liberty supports our local technical college and the future of our communities. Exceprt from GSA Business: Champion Aerospace in Liberty donated $6,000 worth of supplies to be used in aviation technician training at Greenville Technical College.

TD Bank is celebrating the opening of its new call center in Greenville. The company held a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday. The call center is part of the bank’s regional center which will include auditing, technology and customer service. Regional president Rob Hoak says the company has already hired 600 employees and expects to hire […]