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>> driving and 17.7 miles of multilane underpass and overpass interstate test track. SCTAC invested $1 million in resurfacing, crack repair and other upgrades for the track before quietly opening in July 2013, said Bryson. During the 18 months after it opened, the track generated more than $173,000 in revenue. “For 15 of those 18 months, we were not really marketing the track, so we’re happy with that revenue number,” he said. SCTAC hopes to reach $100,000 during the 2015 fiscal year, which ends in September. The organization’s annual operating budget is just short of $2 million, said Bryson. Though it is co-owned by Greenville County and the City of Greenville, SCTAC doesn’t receive funding or financing from either entity and is self-sustaining, said Bryson. “We exist on the revenue that we
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generate, which for the past few years were primarily lease revenues,” he said. “Now we’re diversifying and now we have the track revenues, which will help us grow and reinvest.” Bryson announced that the organization’s annual economic impact jumped to $1.93 billion based on new estimates for 2014, 38 percent higher than previous 2010 estimates of $1.4 billion per year. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to create jobs and create capital investment,” said Bryson. “That’s why we go to work every day.” The nonprofit has announced partnerships with the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) to research and develop wireless charging, as well as with Michelin, Volvo Trucks, the American Trucking Association, Toyota, Cisco, GM, Duke Energy, Evatran and ZF North America.
Six Upstate counties certified as Work Ready BENJAMIN JEFFERS | STAFF
bjeffers@communityjournals.com
Almost half of South Carolina counties are now certified as Work Ready through the South Carolina Work Ready Communities (SCWRC) initiative. Mary-Kathryn Craft of the SC Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) said the initiative is a way for counties to show businesses a nationally recognized certification of workforce readiness. SCWRC gives county leaders a measure of the workforce and can also be a tool in recruiting new businesses, Craft said. South Carolina is one of four pilot states for the program started by ACT Certified Work Ready Communities. The Palmetto State is “outpacing the nation in an initiative that showcases the highly skilled workforce that businesses require in a competitive economy,” according to a release by the DEW. Six of the 18 new certified counties are in the Upstate: Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Laurens,
Pickens and Greenwood. Craft said all counties in the state have signed on to participate in the program and are working toward certification goals. “Counties of all sizes are catching on to the effectiveness of the Work Ready program and realizing that certification allows each area to market itself to new and existing businesses and ultimately results in more jobs for South Carolinians,” said Cheryl Stanton, executive director of the SC Department of Employment and Workforce, in a release. To be certified, counties must reach or exceed goals in the number of National Career Readiness Certificates, graduation rates, soft-skills and business support. The other newly certified counties are Allendale, Bamberg, Beaufort, Berkeley, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Marlboro, Newberry, Sumter and Williamsburg. The previously recognized counties are Clarendon, McCormick, Colleton and Saluda.
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126completion: th annual meeting estimated 1.27.15 _ 126th annual meeting
126 th annual meeting PresenTing sPonsor
diaMond sPonsors
sPeaker sPonsor
tuesDay, january 27, 2015 tD convention center 5:30 pM – reception 6:00 – Dinner anD proGraM Featuring Special GueSt Speaker
David trone Owner total Wine and More and Member of Furman university’s Board of trustees
TICKETS $75 for Chamber Members • $130 for non-Chamber Members please register online at www.greenvillechamber.org by Friday, January 23, 2015. seating assignments are based on date of reservation. For questions or more information, contact elise nichols at 864.271.0718.