Ten at the Top
Upstate News

April 6, 2015 - Vol 6, Issue 4

UPCOMING SCHEDULE


April 9, 2015
Our Upstate Vision Forum Series: Overcoming the Failure to Act: Investing in Transportation and Infrastructure
Keynote: Governor Ed Rendell
3:00PM - 5:00PM 
Greenville Marriott 

April 21, 2015
Senior Issues Group Meeting
10:30AM - 12:00PM
124 Verdae Blvd, Suite 202

April 30, 2015
Community Vibrancy Task Force Meeting
8:00AM - 10:00AM 
USC Upstate 
 
April 30, 2015
Upstate Elected Officials Meeting
3:00PM - 5:00PM  
Fisher Middle School  

May 19, 2015
Shaping our Future Speaker Series: Dollars and Cents of Quality Development
3:00PM - 5:00PM
Crowne Plaza

June 2, 2015
Our Upstate Vision Forum:Innovation & the Changing Landscape of Healthcare
3:00PM - 5:00PM
Location TBD
Registration Coming Soon

June 18, 2015
The Upstate Bus Tour... Getting to Know Our Neighbors - Union County
8:30AM - 4:30PM

September 22, 2015
Our Upstate Vision Forum: Growing Economic Vibrancy in Downtown's & Rural Communities
3:00PM - 5:00PM
USC Upstate
Registration Coming Soon
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OUR UPSTATE VISION FORUM SERIES
THE UPSTATE BUS TOUR... GETTING TO KNOW OUR NEIGHBORS 
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UPSTATE INFORMATION HUB
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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
April 9, 2015
Our Upstate Vision Forum

Overcoming the Failure to Act: Investing in Transportation and Infrastructure 


Coming to the Upstate this week, Former Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell and Greg DiLoreto from The American Society of Civil Engineers to discuss the importance of investing in Transportation and Infrastructure and how we must Overcome the Failure to Act. 

 

The Greenville Marriott

1 Parkway East, Greenville SC

3:00 - 5:00PM with a reception to follow

 

 REGISTER TODAY!

 

Cost to attend is $10 and advance registration is required.

ELECTED OFFICIALS DISCUSS TRANSPORTATION FUNDING OPTIONS
 

Funding of needed transportation and infrastructure maintenance and improvements is a prominent topic not just within the Upstate but across all of South Carolina. There are currently several proposals being discussed that will have a significant impact on local communities and on March 20th those plans were debated and discussed during the first Upstate Elected Officials Meeting of the year. Panelists for the session included:

  • Mike Burns, SC House District 17, Co-Sponsor of House Bill 3650, SC Voluntary Infrastructure Funding Act
  • Tommy Stringer, SC House District 18, Co-Sponsor of House Bill 3580, the SC Infrastructure & Economic Development Reform Act
  • Brian White, SC House District 6, Chairman, House Ways & Means Committee
  • Woodrow "Woody" Willard, Jr., South Carolina Department of Transportation Commissioner, 4th Congressional District 

Surprisingly, while they all differed in their specific approach towards how funding would be provided, they all agreed that we have reached a critical juncture and it is important for the legislature to act as soon as possible. Though they would not guarantee passage this year, they were all generally optimistic that increasing funding for roads and infrastructure would happen in the near future.  

 

You can check out the entire discussion on the TATT YouTube Channel.

 




"THE UPSTATE BUS TOUR...GETTING TO KNOW OUR NEIGHBORS" WENT TO GREENWOOD, MARCH 12th
The first Upstate Bus Tour took 28 participants to Greenwood on
March 12th for an enjoyable day of learning about all the innovations and community partnerships underway in that portion of the Upstate.
 

Heather Jones, CEO of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance provided great, detailed insight into the economic development and growth of Greenwood County. Jones took the participants on a guided bus tour that highlighted the many manufacturers that call Greenwood home as well as Lander University, Self Regional Healthcare and the Greenwood green house. 

 

The group also heard from a wide range of community leaders including Steve Jones, Chairman of the Greenwood County Council, Welborn Adams, Mayor of the City of Greenwood, Frank Wideman III, President of the Self Family Foundation and Anne Craig, CEO of the Greenwood Arts Council. Julie Wilkie, Assistant City Manager, gave an overview of the decade-long transformation of "uptown Greenwood" and participants then enjoyed a walking tour of the City of Greenwood, including visits with local business owners. They also got to see the site of the next "big thing" coming to Greenwood as ground will be broken on the new Fresh Market soon with it expected to be open for business before the end of the year.  

 

The afternoon was spent at the internationally recognized Greenwood Genetic Center where the discussion turned to technology, workforce and continued partnerships and innovation around genetic research. Presenters included Rudy Powell, Chairman of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance, Jim Pfeiffer, President of Self Regional Healthcare, and Dr. Steven Skinner, Director of the Greenwood Genetic Center. Participants also got to speak with researchers and tour the Genetic Center.

 

Special thanks to Self Family Foundation, Countybank and Piedmont Natural Gas for serving as sponsors of the tour. TATT would also like to thank the local Greenwood community leaders who helped make the day so successful.

 

We are thrilled to announce the second Getting to Know Our Neighbors Bus Tour to Union County will take place on June 18th, so mark your calendars now! Registration is available now and limited to only 33 participants, so be sure and secure your seat on the bus. 

ELECTED OFFICIALS MEETING APRIL 30TH TO FOCUS ON EDUCATION
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On February 12th Upstate Superintendents and School Board members met to discuss the role education plays across the Upstate and how the 23 school districts in the region can work to create a consistent message and collaborative partnerships.

Some of their discussions will be featured during the next Upstate Elected Officials Meeting, which will be held on Thursday, April 30th and focus on Public Education in the Upstate.   

Elected Officials, business leaders and educators are invited to join us for this important session on
Thursday, April 30th, from 3:00PM - 5:00PM with a reception to follow at Fisher Middle School in Greenville. You can Register Here.
TEN AT THE TOP WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Ten at the Top is pleased to welcome new Board Members in 2015!

Ann Angermeier, Upstate Workforce Investment Board
Paul Cain, Oconee County Council
Pamela Christopher, Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce
Teri Gilstrap, Anderson County Economic Development
Cindy Hopkins, Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce
John Lummus, Upstate SC Alliance
Denise Manley, United Way of Greenwood & Abbeville Counties
Lisa McWherter, Southern Wesleyan University
David Owens, Mayor, City of Pickens
David Pitts, Laurens County Council
Bob Romine, WSPA-TV
Walker Smith, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System
Jeanne Ward, GHS Oconee Medical Campus (founding board member returning to active role)

Evans Whitaker, Anderson University

  

(The TATT Governance Committee is still securing additional new board member commitments that will be announced at a later time)  

 

 WE WANT TO KNOW - HOW DO YOU GET INFORMATION ON THE UPSTATE'S NATURAL BEAUTY & RESOURCES?
We want to know how people in the Upstate find out about all of the Natural Beauty & Resources available.
      - Parks
      - Trails
      - Mountains
      - Festivals

Please spend just a few minutes to take our survey. Our goal is to better understand and serve people in all communities across the Upstate. 

 

Take Our Survey

 SHAPING OUR FUTURE SPEAKER SERIES: MAY 19TH
DOLLARS AND CENTS OF QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

What is the economic impact of development patterns on county and municipal budgets? How do location and building type affect cost of services such as sewer, water and utilities, not to mention property tax revenue production?

 

Across the country municipalities and counties are facing budget shortfalls and even bankruptcy. According to Joseph Minicozzi, AICP, if local governments better understood the impact of land use decisions on budget bottom lines, they may approach those decisions differently. 

 

At the second event in the 2015 Shaping Our Future speaker series, Mr. Minicozzi will provide a basic overview of how property tax policy impacts county and municipal budgets and basic lessons in the cost to serve varying development types. He will demonstrate how the design of cities impacts both counties and their incorporated municipalities and how more compact development patterns generally make better economic sense in the long run. Finally, he will share land-use policy ideas and incentive programs that have been used by other localities to encourage economically sustainable development.

 

The event will also include presentations from Upstate governments who have experienced the positive impacts of investing in their downtown core areas - and the dangers of growing without asking whether that growth will pay for itself in the long run - as well as a representative from the National Association of Homebuilders to report on market trends as evidenced by their recent national consumer preference poll, with a focus on what millennials are looking for in their first home purchase.  

 

The event will be held from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on May 19th at the Crowne Plaza in Greenville with a networking reception to follow. Cost to attend is $10 and advance registration is required. The event is being co-sponsored by the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors and the Greenville Homebuilders Association.

 

The Shaping Our Future Speaker Series is a regional collaboration between Ten at the Top, Upstate Forever, the Riley Institute at Furman University, the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors, and the Upstate SC Alliance. The goal of the series is to inspire dialogue regarding the connections between land use decisions, transportation options, housing choices and quality of life.

 

  
REGISTER TODAY! 

 

JOIN A TEN AT THE TOP TASK FORCE
Ten at the Top has active task forces and sub-committees working on a wide variety of issues related to the five driver areas of the Our Upstate Vision.

If you are not already involved with a Ten at the Top Task Force or Committee, but would be interested in getting engaged, please contact Tiffany Tate, Program Manager, at ttate@tenatthetop.org or 864-283-2313.

 

IN THEIR WORDS:
PHIL HUGHES DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF REGIONAL COLLABORATION 
 
We recently asked leaders from across the Upstate region to share their thoughts on the current and future status of the Upstate and why it is important to work collaboratively to address issues that impact economic vitality and quality of life.

The "In Their Words" feature for this month is Phil Hughes, President of Hughes Investments and current Board Member of Ten at The Top.

You can view all the "In Their Words" videos along with videos from TATT Forums and other features on the TATT YouTube Channel.
CELEBRATING SUCCESSES: MILESTONE SPOTLIGHT
GREENVILLE LITERACY ASSOCIATION   
 
Every year Ten at the Top recognizes companies, organizations and initiatives celebrating milestone anniversaries during the final regional forum of the year.

In 2015, instead of recognizing these milestones only in November, we are going to feature a company of organization each month in the TATT e-newsletter.

This month we are recognizing Greenville Literacy Association. 

 

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Greenville Literacy Association's (GLA) service to adult students of Greenville County.  We think this is cause for celebration!  

 

The first concerted effort to address the problem of illiteracy in Greenville County occurred in 1960.  The subject of illiteracy became a focal point of Mr. Norvin Duncan, Program Director at Channel 4 (WYFF). In 1965, a group of 200 community leaders met at the Buncombe Street United Methodist Church to hear an internationally known educator talk about the importance of literacy. Dr. Frank Laubach made such an impression on this gathering that 43 people stepped forward to become trained volunteer tutors. This was the beginning of Greenville Literacy's impact on low-literacy adults in our community. 

 

Tens of thousands of adults have learned to read, to understand basic mathematics, to prepare for their GED, to become proficient in English and to secure gainful employment. Over the past half-century, adult education has made a huge difference in the lives of families living and working in Greenville County.

 

Today GLA operates three (3) learning centers that serve the entire County. Over 1,400 students a year attend classes at GLA, still taught by trained volunteer tutors. Due to the volunteers who share their talents and time with adults who need a better education, this education is still affordable for all!

 

To recognize the volunteers and patrons who have made such significant contributions to GLA, a 50th Anniversary Gala will be held at the Downtown Hyatt, on Saturday, April 18th at 6:00pm. The evening will include silent & live auction, seated dinner and recognition of Mrs. Bessie Lee and Mrs. Jane Thomas, the two Executive Directors, who made the organization what it is today. Tickets can be purchased at Here or call 864-467-3456 for additional information.

 

 

IS YOUR COMPANY OR ORGANIZATION CELEBRATING A MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY IN 2015?
IF SO, PLEASE LET US KNOW  
 
Would you like to see your company or organization featured during the TATT e-newsletter Milestone Spotlight in 2015?

Each year at the final Ten at the Top Forum we recognize companies, organizations or initiatives celebrating milestone (years ending in a 0 or 5) anniversaries of 20 or more years. This year we will also be recognizing a milestone anniversary every month in the TATT e-newsletter.

If your company of organization is celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2015, please contact Ashley Downing to be added to our list.

TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE UPSTATE?
CHECK OUT THE UPSTATE INFORMATION HUB FOR
PROGRAMS, EVENTS & RESOURCES
The Upstate Information Hub continues to offer a "one-stop" internet location to find links to resources and events from across the Upstate.

Overall, the Information Hub has listings of hundreds of local calendar events and more than a thousand local community resources from across the 10 counties of South Carolina's Upstate. 

In addition to the events and resources available on the web site, you can also sign up  for the weekly "Uniquely Upstate" e-newsletter, which highlights the "hot events" happening across the region that weekend and also includes a feature story that showcases something unique about the Upstate.


If you have calendar events, resources or feature stories that you would like to see added to the Information Hub, please contact Ashley Downing.

SHARE YOUR UPSTATE NEWS  
Latest News
If your city, county or organization has news you want to share or an event you want to promote with people across the 10-county Upstate Region, send it to us and we will include it in the next Ten at the Top e-newsletter.
 
The TATT newsletter is typically distributed the first Monday of each month (except for when there is a holiday) to more than 6,500 residents across the Upstate. The deadline for submitting information is the Thursday prior to the first Monday of the month.

Send information about an upcoming event, special recognition or anything else you think is of regional interest to Ashley Downing.