Greater Greenville Economic Developments

[gs3]

I still think it is possible for Greer to become the dominant upstate city within our lifetimes as agressive as they have been with development and annexation.

Cool.

I'd like to see our area become more of a Virgina Beach / Norfolk / Hampton / Newport News / Chesapeake kind of area. Great area!

[krazeeboi]

Greer continues it's aggressive planning. They will try to create 1,000 jobs with 125MM in investment over the next 5 years. I still think it is possible for Greer to become the dominant upstate city within our lifetimes as agressive as they have been with development and annexation.

Development and annexation is one thing. Proper planning is quite another. The last thing this state needs is another sprawlburb trying to be something it's not.

[apaladin]

I still think it is possible for Greer to become the dominant upstate city within our lifetimes as agressive as they have been with development and annexation.

Gvillenews

This will never happen. This is like saying Gastonia will be the dominant city in the Charlotte area. Greer will never hold a candle to Greenville.

[gs3]

Wasn't sure where to post this, but since George Hincapie has turned into a "brand" and since he has a positive economic impact in Greenville, this seemed like the right thread. Anyway, Hincapie has launched a new denim brand.....here is the website. Looks pretty cool.

http://www.hincapiedenim.com/

[vicupstate]

This will never happen. This is like saying Gastonia will be the dominant city in the Charlotte area. Greer will never hold a candle to Greenville.

It actually could happen within 30 years or so. Greer is growing much faster in population. It already has the airport and BMW, and now two hospitals. It's central location will away be a plus. The mega-development on I-85 with Bass Pro Shop is one example of how it is becoming more and more of a player.

In roughly 25 years, Mount Pleasant has become an equal player in the political/economic makeup of the Charleston Metro area. Back then it was smaller than Greer is today.

[GvilleSC]

It actually could happen within 30 years or so. Greer is growing much faster in population. It already has the airport and BMW, and now two hospitals. It's central location will away be a plus. The mega-development on I-85 with Bass Pro Shop is one example of how it is becoming more and more of a player.

In roughly 25 years, Mount Pleasant has become an equal player in the political/economic makeup of the Charleston Metro area. Back then it was smaller than Greer is today.

It may become of place of equal or greater population compared to Greenville and Spartanburg, but we're talking about being a 'dominant' city. This is a title that is much more dynamic and dimensional than simply population figures. Right now, downtown Greenville has one-third of all the office space in the GSP area and the largest concentration of headquarters in the region (source: greenvillesc.gov ). I doubt sprawling office parks are going to snatch that title from Greenville, even within 25 years. Hopefully development trends in Greenville and Spartanburg counties will be fixed to a smarter form of growth, developing a greater density.

[krazeeboi]

The closest example I can think of here is the Tidewater region in Virginia. Virginia Beach is the largest city in terms of population, but the true hub of the region is still Norfolk.

[Spartan]

This is an interesting discussion. Greenville isn't going anywhere as a hub of the Upstate. One thing that Greer lacks is being the county seat.

I think that Greer will definitely become a more significant player in the region since its population will most certainly catch up over time. Greer, IMO, will become something more like Cary, NC except less pretentious.

One thing that remains to be seen is how the current recession will impact suburban development. Greer's growth rate could slow considerably if its a negative impact.

[vicupstate]

I don't think being a county seat means much in terms of this discussion. Take Rock Hill for example, also Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.

[Spartan]

Good point, though those cities overtook much smaller towns to do it. Even still, I don't see how Greer could eclipse Greenville or Spartanburg. Not to say that it couldn't become a political equal over time due to sheer population growth.

[gs3]

With the U.S. push toward more green energy sources, seems Greenville is well positioned. Article on wind energy places GE Energy as the lead U.S. manufacturer of wind turbines. Various components of wind turbines are manufactured at the local GE campus.

http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/news/271...potential?rss=0

[gs3]

Good article about the strength of Michelin during these tough times for tire manufacturers:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20...ONTPAGECAROUSEL

[gs3]

Greenville was recently ranked the top North American city of less than 100,000 population in terms of prospects for economic development and business expansion by fDi Magazine. Article from GV News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20.../904210308/1003

http://www.fdimagazine.com/

[adrockc2]

Greenville is #8 in Business Weeks Top 10 metro areas with low rents

[gs3]

Greenville is #8 in Business Weeks Top 10 metro areas with low rents

Cool that they used an image from the US Pro to go along with the article.

[goodbye]

Looks like Greenville is battling with Orlando, Florida, for a California company that is thinking of relocating. More information

Ziehm Imaging Inc., a 35-year-old mobile X-ray technology company, may move its sales and support-services headquarters from Riverside, Calif., to the East Coast. Orlando is competing with Greenville, S.C., to lure the company, which would bring 16 employees from California and hire four locals at an average salary of $60,000.

[RestedTraveler]

Downtown Greenville's Development Initiative's (DGDI) web site - THRIVE GREENVILLE - is live! Check it out: http://www.thrivedowntown.com/

[Greenville]

Downtown Greenville's Development Initiative's (DGDI) web site - THRIVE GREENVILLE - is live! Check it out: http://www.thrivedowntown.com/

Thanks for sharing this link, RT. I enjoyed spending some time looking around to see what it has to offer. I initially thought, "Okay, this is just another recruitment video touting downtown." I expected to read all about how downtown was decaying, and through public-private partnerships it has made a great comeback. And it had that information, as it should. But it also had a lot more.

I was initially underwhelmed by the site's main page. The drawn-in clouds for the background and the site's main logo did not really grab my attention, but "The Intellectual South" did. The best part of the site, IMO, is the "Explore Downtown" section. The clickable cartoon drawing of downtown was neat, as was the ability to "flip" downtown to experience more. I really enjoyed the company profiles and features about some Greenville landmarks. It gave a good representation of some of the things that make our downtown special and unique. If I were a prospective business and was considering locating downtown, I would be impressed.

[rant]

The thing I don't like, and this might just be a personal thing, is the insistence that we're a "small town." This is not a criticism of the web site as much as it is a criticism of some things I saw and read on the site itself. For example, I watched the Leatherheads video, and when they were introduced the city official thanked George Clooney and Renee Zellweger for "putting Greenville on the map." What a simple-minded and stupid thing to say! We might not be New York or Los Angeles, but we're certainly not a small town that nobody has heard of. I thought it was funny that George Clooney immediately said, "We were both familiar with Greenville before shooting this movie." In the press conference later in the video, he said, "Plenty of people know about Greenville." If stars such as these are aware of Greenville, perhaps it's time for some city leaders and residents to realize that we have a lot to offer. I realize that we are not to the point where everyone knows about Greenville, but dangit, it's time we start realizing our worth. If we want to take the next step, people to move away from the down home, small town mentality (which is perhaps most prevalent in those who grew up here and remember it being "little 'ol Greenvuhl." ). I eagerly anticipate the day when we stop touting the fact that we're halfway between Charlotte and Atlanta, and just bask in the glory of being Greenville, SC.

[/rant]

Overall, this site is a nice addition to our recruitment efforts, and I applaud the hard work and creativity that went into the web site. I hope that it pays off handsomely!

[distortedlogic]

[rant]

The thing I don't like, and this might just be a personal thing, is the insistence that we're a "small town." This is not a criticism of the web site as much as it is a criticism of some things I saw and read on the site itself. For example, I watched the Leatherheads video, and when they were introduced the city official thanked George Clooney and Renee Zellweger for "putting Greenville on the map." What a simple-minded and stupid thing to say! We might not be New York or Los Angeles, but we're certainly not a small town that nobody has heard of. I thought it was funny that George Clooney immediately said, "We were both familiar with Greenville before shooting this movie." In the press conference later in the video, he said, "Plenty of people know about Greenville." If stars such as these are aware of Greenville, perhaps it's time for some city leaders and residents to realize that we have a lot to offer. I realize that we are not to the point where everyone knows about Greenville, but dangit, it's time we start realizing our worth. If we want to take the next step, people to move away from the down home, small town mentality (which is perhaps most prevalent in those who grew up here and remember it being "little 'ol Greenvuhl." ). I eagerly anticipate the day when we stop touting the fact that we're halfway between Charlotte and Atlanta, and just bask in the glory of being Greenville, SC.

[/rant]

I absolutely couldn't agree more! Bravo!

[RestedTraveler]

I was initially underwhelmed by the site's main page. The drawn-in clouds for the background and the site's main logo did not really grab my attention, but "The Intellectual South" did. The best part of the site, IMO, is the "Explore Downtown" section. The clickable cartoon drawing of downtown was neat, as was the ability to "flip" downtown to experience more. I really enjoyed the company profiles and features about some Greenville landmarks. It gave a good representation of some of the things that make our downtown special and unique. If I were a prospective business and was considering locating downtown, I would be impressed.

I would agree that overall the site is very good at providing some insight into businesses that have found success and quality-of-life type things that are a real draw for Greenville; however, the interface is initially a little plain and the Explore Downtown takes a little while to load.

[rant]

The thing I don't like, and this might just be a personal thing, is the insistence that we're a "small town." This is not a criticism of the web site as much as it is a criticism of some things I saw and read on the site itself. For example, I watched the Leatherheads video, and when they were introduced the city official thanked George Clooney and Renee Zellweger for "putting Greenville on the map." What a simple-minded and stupid thing to say! We might not be New York or Los Angeles, but we're certainly not a small town that nobody has heard of. I thought it was funny that George Clooney immediately said, "We were both familiar with Greenville before shooting this movie." In the press conference later in the video, he said, "Plenty of people know about Greenville." If stars such as these are aware of Greenville, perhaps it's time for some city leaders and residents to realize that we have a lot to offer. I realize that we are not to the point where everyone knows about Greenville, but dangit, it's time we start realizing our worth. If we want to take the next step, people to move away from the down home, small town mentality (which is perhaps most prevalent in those who grew up here and remember it being "little 'ol Greenvuhl." ). I eagerly anticipate the day when we stop touting the fact that we're halfway between Charlotte and Atlanta, and just bask in the glory of being Greenville, SC.

[/rant]

Overall, this site is a nice addition to our recruitment efforts, and I applaud the hard work and creativity that went into the web site. I hope that it pays off handsomely!

Absolutely! Instead of promoting Greenville as a small town that thinks big, I really feel that recruiting efforts should focus on a consistent message that Greenville is a Large City with a Small Town Charm. It's a simple change of mindset and a subtle change of marketing focus, but it'd be an appropriate one, in my opinion.

[gs3]

This is good to see.

Since SAE has one of their four national offices at ICAR, they will be hosting a tour of CU-ICAR / BMW / Greenville for top auto industry execs from Detroit.

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseC...6306&EDATE=

[INFOMAN]

http://www.southernautocorridor.com/Portal...fs/250_Best.pdf

Pretty surprising that they actually separated Greer and Greenville...lol I like it though

[gman430]

Here is an update from Carbon Motors on South Carolina: http://www.carbonmotors.com/blog/39/The-So...onal-Delegation

[Greenville]

Here is an update from Carbon Motors on South Carolina: http://www.carbonmotors.com/blog/39/The-So...onal-Delegation

Doesn't really tell us much, but it is still nice to know that our state Congressmen took the time to meet with Carbon Motors. I think Carbon Motors is impressed with our state, and has to like the idea of being located in Greenville where there is already a ton of business investment and a growing automotive cluster. As I said before, if our state puts us on a level playing field incentive-wise I think we'll land Carbon Motors (and the 10,000 jobs that will follow).

Edited May 18, 2009 by Greenville

[gs3]

Here is an update from Carbon Motors on South Carolina: http://www.carbonmotors.com/blog/39/The-So...onal-Delegation

Good read. Thanks.