June 2, 2017 UBJ

JUNE 2, 2017 | VOL. 6 ISSUE 22

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

OUR MAN OVERSEAS Greenville Mayor Knox White’s other job involves helping foreign companies get established in the Upstate.

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TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

| THE RUNDOWN

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 22 Featured this issue: First Look: The Beautiful Co..........................................................................................8 How Mauldin became Call Center City.....................................................................10 Are you a gazelle or a lifestyle business?................................................................. 23

This tool is the size of a credit card, performs 40 separate functions, and weighs about an ounce — and the company that makes it is moving its headquarters to Greenville. Read more on page 4.

WORTH REPEATING “They’re going to pay less than a BMW or a GE, but they’re paying more than a grocery clerk or something like that.”

Page 10

“I love being mayor, but I also have to make a living.”

Page 14

“How I would have loved to have been a sixthgrader now and go on a field trip to the science center with my classmates.”

Page 20

VERBATIM

On the global economy “It says something about this new global economy that USA Today now reports every morning on the day’s events in Asian markets.”

Lawrence Summers, economist and former U.S. secretary of the treasury

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

MANUFACTURING

Asheville’s Lever Gear moves operations to Hampton Station cutter, and a can opener, into a streamlined credit-card sized design.

The Toolcard is made out of heat-treated 420 stainless steel. It’s TSA compliant, has a detachable money clip, and weighs 1.3 ounces with clip or 1 ounce without. It retails for $32 with the money clip and is available mainly online with the brick-andmortar retail presence growing, Scully says.

Scully will use the new Hampton Station space for light manufacturing, prototyping, design work, a small warehouse, and a small retail area.

Scully says he plans to hire three or four more employees in Greenville.

Before moving to Asheville in 2015 with his wife and Lever Gear director of business development, April, and newborn son, Brayden, Scully, 43, spent 15 years in San Francisco helping

ARIEL TURNER| STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com The latest business to move into Greenville’s Hampton Station is further adding to the diversity of the tenants, which include Birds Fly South Ale Project, Lion’s Roar CrossFit, and Noble Dog Hotel.

Lever Gear, founded in January 2015

by Mike Scully, has signed a lease for Unit 4A, next to Dapper Ink, moving operations from Asheville to Greenville.

Robert Zimmerman of Coldwell Banker Caine represented the tenant in the transaction.

The startup’s product, the Toolcard, is a similar all-in-one concept to the Swiss Army Knife, only without the knife, as Scully is quick to point out, packing 40 functions, such as various wrench sizes, screwdrivers, a cord

Free

Admission

Individuals consuming alcohol must purchase a $1 wristband

Reedy River

The Lever Gear Toolcard is made out of heat-treated 420 stainless steel, is TSA compliant, has a detachable money clip, and weighs 1.3 ounces with clip or 1 ounce without.

companies develop products ranging from solar inverters to kayaks. As an independent product designer and engineer, he longed to create his own products, on his own terms.

After a few false starts, Scully remembered an old idea he had for a credit card multitool when he came across a similar product in a gift shop.

He remembers that card tool as being “pretty cool, but kinda lame,” and thinking, “I can do better.”

After two years in Asheville, Scully decided a move to Greenville was in order for his family because of the many

more opportunities for them in the area. He also liked Hampton Station.

“I was looking for something where we could grow,” he says. “It had a nice feel to it, and it’s accessible to shops and restaurants and recreation areas.”

It also happens to have a similar feel to Asheville’s River Arts District, a trait the owners of the neighboring White Duck Taco Shop, who are also from Asheville, noticed as well.

“There are other small businesses there and there seems to be a camaraderie among them,” Scully says. “We’re excited to be moving down there.”

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The Toolcard features 40 different functions, including multiple wrenches and screwdrivers.

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| NEWS

DEVELOPMENT

Grocery chain Sprouts may put first SC store on Woodruff Road rbell@communityjournals.com What could be the first Sprouts Farmers Market in South Carolina is on track to open at the corner of Woodruff Road and Highway 14 after the Greenville County Planning Commission agreed to a rezoning.

The rezoning, applauded and opposed by neighbors at a public hearing, now goes to Greenville County Council.

Under a proposal from RealtyLink, a Greenville-based real estate developer, the grocery would occupy 30,000 square feet of retail space at the intersection, beside a cemetery called Graceland East Memorial Park.

Colby Price, a RealtyLink project manager, said it would be the first Sprouts Farmers Market in South Carolina.

The chain specializes in fresh, natural, and organic foods in a store layout it says was inspired by a farmers market.

A spokesperson for the Phoenix-based chain said it wasn’t ready to announce a South Carolina store.

Neighbors have successfully objected to previous plans to put Fresh Market and Harris Teeter groceries at the busy Eastside corner.

A county planning document prepared in 2008 with the help of a citizens committee, the East Woodruff Road Area Plan, calls for any development at the site to be housing only.

But the latest development proposal Residents had previously fought plans to put Fresh Market and Harris has the blessing of county planners, who Teeter groceries at the future Sprouts Farmers Market site. noted, as part of a recommendation to approve the rezoning, that the property is directly across Woodruff Road. is in “a major high-traffic area better suited for comThat parcel would have to be used for school opermercial uses.” ations under an amendment to the rezoning made by County planner Alan Willis told members of the the Planning Commission.

Planning Commission at a May 24 meeting that the Members of the Planning Commission voted 6 to 1 2008 East Woodruff Road Area Plan was a guide meant in favor of the rezoning. The only no vote came from to last seven years and has now expired.

Nick Hollingshad, who argued the planned developRealtyLink also proposes another 13,200 square feet ment was too intense. of building space on the same 5.8-acre parcel to house County Council’s Planning and Development a restaurant, shopping, and offices.

Committee is scheduled to take up the rezoning on It had proposed to donate another 4.2 acres at the June 5. The full County Council is expected to vote on site to Southside Christian Academy, whose campus it at second reading on June 20.

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DEVELOPMENT

A major real estate development on the shores of Lake Hartwell next to Clemson University is continuing to get traction.

Casto, developer of the 45.5-acre Hartwell Village, said it has struck lease deals with six retailers that will be part of a shopping center at the development.

They are Marshalls, Michaels, Ulta Beauty, Rack Room Shoes, Five Below, and Petco.

In addition, Casto is in final talks with a specialty grocer that may lease about 20,000 square feet of retail space and should open at the same time as the six retailers, in the spring of 2018, said Shannon Dixon, an executive vice

president with the developer’s office in Cary, N.C. Dixon also said Casto has sold an outparcel to a company that is developing a new hotel concept by Hilton called Tru. She said the hotel would be the first Tru in South Carolina.

In addition, Dixon said Casto has a contract to sell 7.5 acres at Hartwell Village to a luxury condo developer.

She also said “many” restaurants and smaller shops have agreed to lease space in the shopping center, though she didn’t identify any.

Casto plans a second phase of the shopping center for which tenants should be announced later this year, Dixon said.

Ultimately, the shopping center is expected to have a total of 275,000

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rbell@communityjournals.com

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RUDOLPH BELL| STAFF

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Six chains sign up for space in Seneca shopping center

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RUDOLPH BELL| STAFF

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square feet to 300,000 square feet, not including outparcels, making it a little smaller than Cherrydale Point shopping center in Greenville.

Hartwell Village is located at the intersection of U.S. 123 and Highway 93, just inside the Seneca city limits where a Milliken & Co. textile plant used to be.

A branch of NewSpring Church opened at the site in November 2016.

Oconee County residents have always had to go elsewhere to shop —Anderson,

Greenville, or Commerce, Ga. — but Hartwell Village should help stop that “retail leakage,” said Richard Blackwell, the county’s economic development director.

“This will provide new opportunities to eat and shop that we’ve never had in Oconee County,” Blackwell said, adding that he hopes Hartwell Village is the first of many such shopping centers in the county.

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

GOVERNMENT

President Trump reportedly takes another swipe at Germany

MARKETING

Brains on Fire obtains B Corporation designation Creative agency Brains on Fire officially obtained the Benefit Corporation (B Corp) designation, joining a growing community of nearly 2,200 Certified B Corps representing more than 50 countries and over 130 industries. B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Brains on Fire shares the distinction with companies including Method Products, GOOD, The Honest Company, Ben and Jerry’s, and Patagonia.

“Brains on Fire is a creative company that believes in the power of human connection,” said Robbin Phillips, president. “We partner with bold brands and organizations, both nonprofit and for profit, that want to grow so they can do more good in the world. Our B Corporation status is a sign to the world that our actions are aligned with our words.” —Staff Report

President Donald J. Trump last Thursday appeared to stoke concerns about the nation’s trade relationship with Germany. Media outlets also reported that the former business mogul took another swipe at Deutschland because of its trade surplus with the U.S. During his meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President JeanClaude Juncker, President Trump said, “The Germans are bad, very bad,” according to the German news magazine Der Spiegel.

For some in the Upstate and in South Carolina, the president’s comment will likely add to the heap of emotions still lingering from statements he made in January, when Trump was still president-elect.

In an interview with German newspaper Bild, Trump blasted BMW and its cohorts in the German automotive industry for not assembling more cars in this country.

At the time, Trump said he would impose a 35 percent border tax on vehicles imported to the U.S. by BMW, Daimler, and Volkswagen.

State and local officials were vocal in their defense of the automaker’s economic impact on South Carolina and the U.S. After all, BMW’s one and only U.S. plant is located in Spartanburg County.

President Trump’s most recent comment drew a response from S.C. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ted Pitts last Friday.

“South Carolina is proof that we are better when we have strong President Donald J. Trump partnerships with German companies,” Pitts said in the statement. “Instead of criticizing our German partners, the president should come back to South Carolina where he can see firsthand what an incredible impact companies such as BMW, Daimler, the Schaeffler Group, and others can have on a state and its people.”

In the wake of President Trump’s comments in January, Kenn Sparks, manager of U.S. Corporate Communications for BMW North America, issued a statement in response.

“The issue is about commitment, and BMW made a significant commitment to the U.S. when it began manufacturing vehicles in America more than 22 years ago,” Sparks said. “Our U.S. plant in Spartanburg, S.C., is now our largest in the world, producing more than any other BMW plant — 411,000 vehicles in 2016.

Fun, agile, and efficient.

The 2017 C 300 Sedan

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

We export 70 percent of our U.S. production to 140 markets around the world. The annual export value is nearly $10 billion, greater than any other auto company in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Our U.S. plant employs 8,800 people with 800 of those jobs added in the last 1 1/2 years. BMW is currently investing another $1 billion in our U.S. plant to further expand production and add capacity for a new model, the BMW X7, which goes into production in 2018.”

Sparks also said in January that BMW’s total capital investment in the local plant, which is the production hub of it X3, X4, X5, and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles, was $7.5 billion to date.

“Some 70,000 Americans depend on the BMW Group for their livelihood working in our plant, our dealerships, our suppliers, and our corporate facilities across the country,” he said.

Sparks said Friday that his original statement “still stands.”

He did add that the X models assembled at the local plant accounted for almost 38 percent of BMW’s U.S. sales in April.

—Trevor Anderson

| NEWS

ENTREPRENEURS

couple decided to move to the Upstate.

Sikma named to Spartanburg EFG post

Jason serves as the clinical operations manager at the Greenville Free Medical Clinic. Betsy has continued to maintain a thriving photography business she started on the side in 2009.

On Tuesday, May 30, the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce announced it hired Betsy Neely Sikma to serve as director of entrepreneurial development for its Economic Futures Group (EFG), Spartanburg County’s economic development organization.

Betsy said the couple has been living in Taylors, but will soon relocate to Spartanburg’s Duncan Park neighborhood.

She said former Spartanburg Mayor and chairman of the Northside Development Group Bill Barnet recently introduced her to Allen Smith, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Chamber.

Sikma will start on June 12.

She will be responsible for marshaling the small business and entrepreneurial programming for the EFG, and leading the Spartanburg Angel Network, which was launched in 2015 to provide funding and support for local startups.

Sikma will fill the role vacated by Meagan Reithmeier, another native of Spartanburg who was chosen earlier this year to serve as executive vice president of OneSpartanburg, the county’s new community and economic development strategy.

“This is a key position and Betsy will be a tremendous addition to our team,” said Ethan Burroughs, EFG’s chairman, in a statement. “We have made significant progress in Spartanburg toward

Betsy Sikma. Photo by Will Crooks

developing an environment in which entrepreneurs can thrive, but with her experience and expertise, Betsy will take these efforts to the next level.”

Sikma grew up on Spartanburg’s east side, the youngest child of the local pastor and writer Kirk Neely, and his wife, Clare Neely.

In 2006, she moved to Nashville, Tenn., to attend the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University. It was there she met her future husband, Jason Sikma, originally of Illinois. Sikma earned her Master of Theological Studies degree in 2009. The following year, she became director of development for the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation, based in Nashville.

In 2011, she accepted a position as director of communications and development for Protestants for the Common Good and relocated to Chicago. In 2012, she became director of development and communications for Accion Chicago.

At Accion, Sikma helped start a food and beverage incubator in East Garfield Park on the west side of Chicago.

She and Jason, who went back to school to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at Loyola University, married in 2013.

www.CarltonMB.com (864) 213-8000 2446 Laurens Road Greenville, SC 29607

Sikma said that shortly after Rowan was born, she took the family on a trip to Spartanburg and was awestruck by the revitalization in her hometown, particularly in the downtown area. The

Study: SC startup activity flat in 2016 Business startup activity remained flat in South Carolina in 2016, according to a private foundation that promotes entrepreneurship.

The Kauffman Foundation ranked South Carolina No. 13 out of 25 comparable states in the area of Startup Activity — the same position it held last year.

After graduating from Spartanburg High School, Sikma attended Furman University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion in 2004.

The couple welcomed their first daughter, Wren. In 2015, they had a second daughter, Rowan.

“It’s a crazy change — not a path I would have ever thought my life would take,” Sikma said. “But I couldn’t be more excited about it.” —Trevor Anderson

“Compared to itself in the previous year, South Carolina’s entrepreneurial community is experiencing basically no changes in startup activity,” the foundation said in reporting its 2017 Index of Startup Activity.

The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation gave California the No. 1 spot among the group of 25 states, followed by Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Colorado.

The index uses three indicators to evaluate new business creation: the percentage of adults becoming entrepreneurs in a given month, the percentage of new entrepreneurs driven primarily by opportunity versus necessity, and the number of new employer businesses divided by the total population of existing employer businesses.

South Carolina fared better in the foundation’s Main Street Entrepreneurship category — a measure of established small-business activity — rising four spots to No. 20.

In the area of Growth Entrepreneurship, however, a measure of entrepreneurial business growth, South Carolina fell two spots to No. 13. —Rudolph Bell

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FIRST LOOK |

A SNEAK PEEK AT NEW LOCATIONS IN THE UPSTATE

SALON

The Beautiful Co. opens in the West End ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com PHOTOS BY WILL CROOKS

Another piece of West End history recently got a modern makeover.

A gut-job renovation transformed the 2,500-square-foot freestanding former Flowers by Danny at 100 Green Ave. into the current arctic white spa-like environment.

The Beautiful Co., a new full-service, high-end salon that opened this spring, is owned by Jessica Heckman and managed by her sister, Kelsey Kovacik, both of whom previously owned salons in Chicago and West Palm Beach, Fla., respectively.

Heckman moved to downtown Greenville from the Windy City a little more than two years ago with her husband, Braden Heckman. They knew within the first year they were here to stay based on the local climate for entrepreneurship and the growth of the city.

“This is where we want to set our roots down,” Heckman says. “We are all in.”

About four months after the move, Heckman convinced Kovacik to move north from Florida, and they decided to open the salon together.

Heckman says they searched for months for the right location, looking at just about any available 8

UBJ | 6.2.2017

The front room of The Beautiful Co. features a statement wall that’s decorated with especially ordered wallpaper that owner Jessica Heckman says she couldn’t do without.

property. Mutual friends of the building’s owner, Tula Egan, and the Heckmans told them the building was for lease. Heckman says as soon as she saw it, she could see her vision for the salon and she was drawn to the idea of supporting the developing West End. “I wanted it to be clean, minimal, and modern,” says Heckman, referencing the designs of downtown businesses Methodical Coffee and Caviar & Bananas.

“I didn’t want it to look dirty or messy.”

The drop ceiling was removed and replaced with white shiplap, adding four more feet of height. The flooring is gray-and-white special-order snap-in vinyl that looks like ceramic tile. The walls are pure white, with the exception of the waiting area state-

ment wall, which is covered in gray-and-white wallpaper ordered from London. The exposed brick on the rear wall was patched in places before being painted white, but the brick is still visible to keep a piece of the building’s original architecture.

Gold lighting fixtures, black accents, and a large midnight blue velvet sofa in front of the statement wall are the main pops of color on an otherwise white canvas.

“We want the space to be part of the city,” Heckman says. “It’s designed for people to use it for events and do photo shoots here.”

The business owners will allow other businesses or individuals to use the front waiting area for marketing or personal photo shoots upon request.

A SNEAK PEEK AT NEW LOCATIONS IN THE UPSTATE

| FIRST LOOK

ANNOUNCING THREE DAILY NONSTOP FLIGHTS TO

Owner Jessica Heckman (left) and her sister, Kelsey Kovacik, salon manager, fell in love with Greenville and the West End when they moved here two years ago.

CHICAGO! STARTING JULY 5, 2017

Heckman and her husband, Braden, designed the space to be clean, open, and spa-like.

The color palette for the salon is monochromatic, using primarily whites, black, and gold.

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

SERVICES

CALL CENTER CITY Since 2000, call centers have flocked to a stretch of I-385 in Mauldin — and more are on the way RUDOLPH BELL| STAFF

rbell@communityjournals.com

In the City of Mauldin, a striking feature of the economy has emerged over the past 17 years.

Near the intersection of Interstate 385 and Butler Road, at least nine companies — most of them big corporations with recognized brand names — have opened or announced call centers or similar kinds of back-office operations such as loan-processing centers that primarily involve rote or routine tasks.

The cluster of facilities where at least 2,960 people work, or will soon work, began in 2000, when Ford Credit announced a loan-processing center in the Brookfield office park.

The next year, Verizon Wireless launched call center operations in the same office park.

In 2002, Charter Communications began call center work in an office building along I-385, not far from the intersection with Butler Road.

Seven years later, Samsung Electronics America announced a call center within eyesight of the Charter offices.

In 2014, Esurance, an Allstate subsidiary that sells insurance over the internet, announced a sales and claims office in Brookfield.

Last year, two more companies announced call centers in Brookfield: Morley, which is helping an unidentified customer provide roadside assistance, and Anyone Home, which serves property managers in the housing market.

The cluster grew again in February when BB&T announced plans to relocate more than 600 mortgage-processing jobs from downtown Greenville into a new office building along Butler Road near I-385.

The same day, Verizon Wireless said it would add 260 call center jobs to its existing facility in Brookfield.

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And more call center jobs may be on the way.

Morley said it’s planning to open a second location in the Mauldin area as its regional business grows.

UBJ wasn’t able to ascertain when one company that operates a call center in Brookfield, G l o b a l Lending Services, launched the operation because it didn’t make an announcement through the state Commerce Department or respond to a request for information. The company’s website says it’s “an Atlanta-based automotive subprime lending company that provides financing to franchise auto dealerships throughout the United States.”

WHY MAULDIN?

Commercial real estate brokers who have worked with call centers gave various reasons why the cluster formed in Mauldin near the intersection of I-385 and Butler Road instead of somewhere else.

The location along I-385 is key, they said, because it makes for a relatively easy commute from almost anywhere in the Upstate, enabling call centers to recruit labor from Anderson to Spartanburg, Laurens to Travelers Rest.

Bill Burgess, a broker and developer from Greenville who helped put Ford Credit in Brookfield, said securing a

workforce is the biggest issue for call center operators.

“You’ve got to have people that you can hire,” he said. “Because the call center companies are not transferr i n g people here;

they’ve got to hire locals.”

Call centers also need a lot of parking space, and neither they nor their employees are usually willing to pay $72 a month for a single space in a downtown garage, said Charlie Whitmire, a broker and developer from Greenville who counts Verizon Wireless among his clients.

Whitmire said the office space at Brookfield, where six of the nine operations in the cluster are located, is not only less expensive than downtown

office space but also comes with lots of free surface parking.

And there’s lots of retailers on Butler and Woodruff roads — restaurants, bank branches, pharmacies — where call center employees can dine, shop, or run errands on the way to or from work or during lunch breaks.

That tends to make them happier, reducing turnover at the call centers, Burgess said.

“If everything is a hassle — going to work is a hassle, picking up the dry cleaning is a hassle, going to the grocery store is a hassle — then people are going to move away from that and find an alternative,” he said.

Call centers also want redundancy in telecommunications and electrical infrastructure, and more than one provider to choose from, and that’s available around the intersection of I-385 and Butler Road, the brokers said.

AT&T offers a service called a SONET Ring that provides a second path for data

«

New employees learn the trade in a training class at the Morley call center in Mauldin. The company currently has 100 employees, and ultimately hopes to employ more than 270.

«

transmission if one line is accidentally cut, a spokesperson confirmed.

Laurens Electric Cooperative has three substations in the area, so call centers always have a backup circuit, said Randy Garrett, vice president of government affairs.

That’s not the case everywhere, he said, adding, “It just turns out that in that area we’re fortunate enough to be able to do that.”

A spokesman for Morley gave various reasons why the company picked Mauldin for its call center, including weather, transportation considerations, and an employment pool from which to recruit.

The various factors that led BB&T to pick Mauldin for its mortgage-processing center include available land, proximity to interstates, and an analysis of where its employees live, said David White, vice president of communications for the Winston-Salem, N.C.based bank.

NOT AS STICKY AS A FACTORY

Call centers typically don’t pay their workers as well as corporate headquarters do, or even higher-end factories. But they can be a good source of starter jobs

for tech-savvy millennials or second incomes for spouses.

And because the work is labor-intensive, call centers usually come with a lot of jobs, which together add up to a sizeable new payroll flowing through a community that lands one.

“Most of them aren’t real high-paying jobs, but they’re above the average wage rate around here typically,” Whitmire said. “They’re going to pay less than a BMW or a GE, but they’re paying more than a grocery clerk or something like that.”

Many companies operating call centers or similar operations in Mauldin declined to answer inquiries from UBJ about how much they pay their biggest class of workers.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for customer service reps in the Greenville metro area was $14.38 last year, more than a dollar an hour less than the national median of $15.53.

Exact pay rates depend on the employer and type of job. Verizon Wireless, for example, offers customer service reps at its Mauldin “solutions center” a base salary of $35,000 a year, or $16.80 an hour, accord-

ing to Abdullah El-Amin, a local recruiter for the company.

The benefits package includes up to $8,000 a year in tuition assistance, an attractive perk for students working their way through college.

A few office buildings away, Anyone Home pays entry-level workers at its Mauldin “contact center” $13.50 an hour, according to a help-wanted ad on the company’s website.

Applicants need to have a high school diploma and excellent phone etiquette, among other things.

Workers may wear jeans in the office, but they must be willing to work on either Saturday or Sunday.

Greenville site consultant Didi Caldwell said call centers provide a clean, climate-controlled workplace, unlike some factory jobs where the environment can be dirty, hot in the summer, and cold in the winter.

“It’s a nice, comfortable environment,” she said.

One downside to call centers, though, is they can be moved easily, which means they’re “not as sticky” as factories, Caldwell said.

Caldwell, who makes her living helping companies scout locations for new facilities, said factories are CALL CENTER continued on PAGE 12

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Taft Matney, a Mauldin city councilman who chairs the council’s economic planning and development committee, said the city wants a diversified economy and is working to recruit various kinds of jobs so its prosperity doesn’t hinge on any one industry.

“I think our ultimate goal is to continue welcoming the companies that want to locate here, let them know we appreciate them,” Matney said. “But we’re certainly not going to lock ourselves into a certain industry.”

He said Mauldin wants to be known for more than call centers.

“You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket,” Matney said. “And when an industry may need to restructure itself because of market conditions and relocate somewhere else, I don’t want to see — and I don’t think anybody wants to see — the City of Mauldin negatively impacted because we relied too much on a single industry.”

Two recent job announcements show the city is adding manufacturing, as well as call centers.

A company called M.P. Husky said it would add 50 jobs and 150,000 square feet of building space to expand production of cable tray and cable bus products on Old Stage Road.

Along Brookfield Oaks Drive, Caristrap, a manufacturer from Canada, said it would hire 100 people to make industrial strapping in an existing building.

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CALL CENTER continued from PAGE 11

harder to move to lower-cost areas because they usually come with heavy machinery that’s expensive to disassemble, ship, and reinstall.

Call centers, by contrast, consist largely of cubicles, telephones, and personal computers.

“It’s so easy to move a call center if your business conditions change,” Caldwell said.

Verizon Wireless provides a local example.

New jobs at its Mauldin facility are being relocated from call centers that are closing in Rancho Cordova, Calif., and Rochester, N.Y., according to El-Amin, a company news release, and published reports.

Kate Jay, a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman, said the company relocated “telesales” work “to better align our real estate portfolio, streamline operations, and make the best use of capacity in other centers.”

Last year, the Communications Workers of America accused Verizon Communications, the parent company of Verizon Wireless, of moving U.S. call center jobs related to its hardline telephone business to the Philippines, where workers were paid $1.78 an hour and forced to work overtime for the same pay, according to the union.

The union said it learned of the situation by dispatching four of its members to the Philippines for an investigation. At the time, members of the union were on strike and demanding that the company retain U.S. call center jobs.

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SAMSUNG ELECTRONIC AMERICA er Chase Tann

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MAULDIN’S CALL CENTER CLUSTER FORD CREDIT

1100 Brookfield Blvd.

Established: 2000 Facility functions: Serves about 700 Ford and Lincoln dealerships in 13 states, providing customer service, dealer service, dealer credit, wholesale, organizational effectiveness, and account services.

Employees: About 270

VERIZON WIRELESS

700 Brookfield Pkwy.

Established: 2001 Facility functions: Ten different functions, including call center operations, customer service, telesales, and technical support Employees: About 1,100, with more than 850 handling inbound calls for customer service and tech support (as of December)

CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS

2 Digital Place Established: 2002 Facility functions: Sales, customer service, regional and technical operations, engineering, human resources, and various other small groups.

Employees: 800 (most of them in inbound sales and sales support)

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA

356 Centerpointe Blvd.

Established: Announced 2009 Facility functions: Customer service center Employees: Announced as an initial 300 with the possibility of up to 1,000 over time. Samsung declined to provide an updated head count.

ESURANCE

1200 Brookfield Pkwy.

Established: Announced in 2014 Facility functions: Sales and claims office Employees: 450 announced. Company did not respond to a request for an updated head count.

ANYONE HOME

750 Brookfield Pkwy.

Established: Announced in 2016 Facility functions: Customer contact center Employees: About 90 so far out of 570 announced.

MORLEY

400 Brookfield Pkwy.

Established: 2016 Facility functions: Contact center/customer service center related to roadside assistance.

Employees: Announced as more than 270.

Currently about 100, with plans to continue growing

BB&T

825 E. Butler Road Established: Under construction Facility functions: Administrative, back office, and support functions related to mortgage processing.

Employees: More than 600 planned (transfers from BB&T’s facility on College Street in downtown Greenville).

GLOBAL LENDING SERVICES

1200 Brookfield Blvd.

Company did not respond to a request for information.

2017 CEO Build

Dick Wilkerson, Chair AFL Jody Gallagher, President & CEO Bon Secours St. Francis Health System Craig McCoy, CEO Community Foundation of Greenville Bob Morris, President Complete Public Relations John Boyanoski, President Ethox Chemicals, LLC Chuck Hinton, President Fluor Corporation James Brown, General Manager GBS Building Supply Bob Barreto, CEO Greater Greenville Association of Realtors Mike Sabatine, President & CEO GCRA Stanley Wilson, Executive Director Greenville Health System Mike Riordan, President & CEO

every hand makes a difference

Thanks to these generous leaders for helping the Nivens family build their future through affordable homeownership. #strength #stability #self-reliance

Greenville Technical College Dr. Keith Miller, President Home Builders Association of Greenville Michael Dey, President & CEO JHM Hotels D.J. Rama, President Lockheed Martin Don Erickson, Site Director Meritage Homes Patrick Murphy, Division President REWA Graham Rich, Executive Director SC Telco Federal Credit Union Steve Harkins, CEO Southern Fried Green Tomatoes Kevin Baluch, Owner The Blood Connection Delisa English, President & CEO The Marchant Company Seabrook Marchant, President United Way of Greenville County Ted Hendry, President

Building homes, communities and hope.

Urban League of the Upstate Jil Littlejohn, President & CEO Wal-Mart Distribution Center Steve Wetmore, Operations Manager

LAWYER BY DAY, MAYOR BY NIGHT KNOX WHITE’S OTHER JOB PROMOTES FOREIGN INVESTMENT AT HOME AND ABROAD WORDS BY ANDREW MOORE | PHOTOS BY WILL CROOKS

When Knox White took office in 1995, his intention was to make Greenville “the most beautiful and livable city in America.”

During his 22-year tenure as mayor, White’s push for revitalization has rapidly transformed the city’s once largely deserted downtown into a thriving collection of retail, restaurants, offices, residential, and green space.

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In fact, downtown Greenville has begun to “feel very European” in recent years, according to White, who attributes it to wide sidewalks, outdoor plazas, art galleries, and street-side dining.

But it’s also a product of foreign investment.

“Our region has about 500 foreign-owned companies that have helped to create a comfortable European atmosphere in downtown,” said White. “You can’t walk down the street without hearing a foreign language or meeting someone from another country. There’s just a staggering amount of diversity.”

Curiously enough, White has played a direct yet largely unacknowledged role in helping foreign companies establish their operations here. Since 1992, he has been a partner in the law firm Haynsworth, Sinkler & Boyd, where he leads immigration and customs practices.

“I love being mayor, but I also have to make a living,” said White, who earns about $20,000 a year as mayor.

“Immigration, unlike other areas of law, allows me to set my own schedule. I usually spend my mornings as a lawyer and my afternoons and nights as mayor. But of course, I’m always on call.”

White, who graduated from the University of South Carolina’s School of Law in 1979, currently helps more than 70 U.S. and foreign-based companies secure temporary worker visas for executive, managerial, and special-skilled employees.

He also helps employees secure permanent residence and offers advice and counsel on I-9 compliance to verify identity and employment authorization, as well as state employment authorization requirements.

Like the rest of the country, South Carolina’s foreign-based companies depend on temporary worker visas to import talent to work in science, technology, engineering, and math occupations. That includes the federal government’s H-1B program, which allots temporary worker visas to foreign workers with specialized skills.

“It’s definitely an overlooked aspect of foreign investment. The temporary worker visas are essential to foreign companies wanting to do business in the United States,” said White. “In the startup phase, they aren’t bringing in hundreds of workers. It always starts with the executive leadership and specialists, who then train stateside employees. For instance, many foreign-based companies are

and several paralegals, has continued to grow over the years due to the increasing amount of foreign investment in South Carolina.

U.S. subsidiaries of global companies are writing paychecks for 8 percent of South Carolina’s private sector workforce – the highest in the country – and providing 127,300 jobs, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

“You can’t walk down the street without hearing a foreign language or meeting someone from another country.

There’s just a staggering amount of diversity.”

Knox White

using robotics and other machinery that our workforce doesn’t even know how to operate without proper training.”

White said his practice secures about 100 temporary worker visas a year for clients. That also includes EB5 visas for foreign investors who create U.S. companies and L1 visas, which enable foreign companies to transfer their workers with managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge on a long-term basis to the U.S.

FOSTERING FOREIGN INVESTMENT

Haynsworth, Sinkler & Boyd’s immigration and customs practice, which now includes another lawyer

In the past five years, South Carolina’s employment from foreign direct investment has gone up by 13.4 percent, with more than half of those jobs in the manufacturing sector. In 2014 alone, 1,233 international firms from 42 countries invested $5.1 billion in the Palmetto State.

“South Carolina’s successful track record with foreign investment has opened up great opportunities for the firm,” said White. “Our business-friendly environment is a key asset that makes us particularly attractive to international companies.”

More than 40 Fortune 500 companies operate across the Upstate, among them General Electric, Fluor,

and Lockheed Martin. Greenville County claims the highest foreign manufacturing investment per capita in the nation.

In 1975, Michelin made its first Upstate investment when it established its North American headquarters in Greenville. Other auto-parts makers soon followed, and in the early 1990s German automaker BMW announced that it would build a major assembly plant in Greer.

BMW vehicle production now supports 30,777 jobs in the state, according to a 2014 study by the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business. For every job created at BMW Manufacturing Co., three jobs are created elsewhere.

“BMW is the gift that keeps on giving because it provides a supplier network that represents a large foreign investment,” said White.

“We’ve represented numerous European automobile suppliers.”

For instance, White secured visas for a German automotive manufacturer that established its North American headquarters in Duncan in the late 1990s.

The company, which he couldn’t name due to attorney-client privilege, specializes in the production of injection molding products for BMW and other automotive companies across the country.

Last year, the company invested $5.8 million in an expansion that created an additional 25 jobs. It currently has more than 350 employees.

White’s clients also include European and American textiles, manufacturers, technology companies, health care providers, and colleges.

He has also started to represent an increasing number of Asian companies.

“About 80 percent of my clients were German automotive suppliers when I started the firm’s immigration and customs practice,” said White.

“Now Asian companies make up about 50 percent of my clients.”

White, for instance, recently secured 20 temporary worker visas for a Chinese manufacturer that plans to invest $45 million in a

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“I love being mayor, but I also have to make a living.”

Knox White

260,000-square-foot facility in Greer, creating 150 jobs over the next five years. The company, which produces bumpers and other car parts, will begin hiring and starting operations later this year.

“Greenville has attracted a lot of foreign investment from Germany and other European countries in the last decade and companies are doing well here, which has resonated in China and other parts of Asia,” said White.

KNOX GOES TO CHINA

For that reason, White has traveled extensively in Asia with other members of his practice to participate in immigration workshops, assist clients, and promote Chinese foreign investment.

In 1992, White took his first trip to China and visited various cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, with a group of textile companies.

“The trip gave me a chance to see China before the reforms, which opened my eyes to the impact that Asia was going to one day have on our economy,” said White. “They were changing their entire economic model.”

White said he was particularly surprised by China’s “cutthroat” domestic market.

Chinese firms are hot to invest offshore, according to White. They are pressured by harsh competition and flagging GDP growth at home.

“They want to come to the U.S. market and create a niche market,” he said.

South Carolina has become a target for Chinese companies in recent years. It has the highest per capita international investment of any state and is one of the country’s most important manufacturing bases.

Its most important industries include textiles and garments, furniture, tobacco, and automobiles, which match well with the strengths of Chinese companies.

White credits the region’s textile industry opening the door.

South Carolina was once the epicenter of the U.S. textile industry. But thousands of jobs were 16

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lost in the late 1990s when emerging markets started touting cheaper materials and labor. Many of the jobs went to China, Brazil, and Vietnam.

Now, Chinese companies are looking to manufacture in the U.S. Many companies are driven to invest offshore because of the lower energy costs in the U.S. and rising labor costs in China, according to White.

In 2015, for instance, White’s practice helped a Chinese textile company relocate part of its yarn production line to Indian Land, a $218 million investment. The operation has since created more than 500 jobs.

According to White, economic development remains a relationship-driven business in China, where business transactions aren’t conducted until trust is established between the involved parties.

“It’s very important for us to physically appear in China if we’re serious about building a relationship and possibly securing a foreign investment,” he said.

White, acting as both lawyer and mayor, has since traveled to China more than 10 times to meet with companies and government leaders. He’s also spearheaded several economic development initiatives.

In 2002, White helped establish a sister-city relationship between the City of Greenville and the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, an industrial development in northeast China. A Free Trade Zone is an area where goods may be traded without any barriers imposed by customs authorities like quotas and tariffs.

He also helped establish an office of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone in Greenville in 2005 to promote trade and investment between northern China and the U.S. The Greenville office, according to White, once served as a market-entry incubator to assist both foreign companies entering the U.S. market and U.S. companies entering international markets.

“It’s not always about China or the world coming to the Upstate. The more remarkable thing to watch is our businesses going to other countries. That’s

when you have something sustainable and beneficial for all parties concerned. Anybody can go to China and recruit investment. We’re not like that anymore,” said White. “We’re playing at a different level nowadays.”

More than 140 Chinese companies displayed products to U.S. purchasers at the office and various South Carolina companies worked to do business in China, according to White. However, the office relocated to Silicon Valley in 2009.

White said the S.C. Department of Commerce has been a key partner in recruiting Chinese foreign investors who may have overlooked Greenville for nearby major cities.

“Few investors in China know about South Carolina,” said White. “There’s no such thing as Greenville, S.C., to them. Luckily, we’ve been able to sell the city as a gateway to Atlanta and Charlotte.”

The state’s commerce department has focused on Chinese investment since the early 2000s, according to White, who has accompanied the agency on economic development trips to Asia over the years.

In 2005, for instance, the commerce department opened a Shanghai office to sell the benefits of a South Carolina location to Chinese companies, while also helping state businesses take advantage of the immense export opportunities that exist to China.

The office actually attracted Haier, which announced a $40 million refrigerator plant for Camden in 1999. It was the first greenfield manufacturing operation by a Chinese company in the United States, according to the Rhodium Group, an economic research firm that tracks Chinese investment in the U.S. As a result of South Carolina’s early efforts, Chinese firms have invested about $300 million in South Carolina and employed about 1,000 people, according to Rhodium Group, a New York research group.

In 2014, White joined the advisory board of the Chinese Economic Development Board of South Carolina, a nonprofit that “provides a knowledgeable platform to encourage and assist companies engaged in or considering U.S. investment and trade while promoting cultural understanding between China and South Carolina.”

White suspects Chinese investment will continue to grow throughout the state.

“The Chinese as a people have a great affection for America. In fact, the Chinese description of America is ‘beautiful country,’” said White. “They all want to come here and see it. A small subdivision is a wonder to them. And they want to come to our schools, because their schools don’t focus on creativity.”

THE FUTURE OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT Many experts expect China to purchase more American goods as its population grows in size and affluence. As White points out, China is home to about 1.4 billion people and 20 percent of the world’s children.

White also pointed out the Trump administration’s recent agreement with China to ease market access for various industries, including beef and financial services.

“I think it’s a signal that our relationship is getting better,” said White. “It could mean more diversification of investment in South Carolina.”

The agreement, which was announced earlier this month, comes as part of an ongoing negotiation between the two countries following a meeting between President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.

Trump, who spent months on the campaign trail criticizing China for its trade practices, has also initiated reviews of China’s support of its steel and aluminum industries and its impact on U.S. trade.

But Trump has made it clear that he wants to crack down on immigration.

“I will end forever the use of H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions,” Trump said in March 2016.

White and other immigration advocates worry Trump’s review of the program could lead to fewer visas and less foreign investment.

H-1B visa holders are classified as “nonimmigrants” that are not expected to permanently reside in the U.S. Instead, they are intended to be guest workers hired for jobs that foreign-based companies have struggled to fill with Americans.

Their visas are valid for three years at a time, and can be renewed only once for another three-year period before workers are expected to leave the U.S. for at least a year.

The program has become widely debated across the country. Critics are saying it is being abused by companies to hire and exploit cheap foreign labor.

Four in five applications filed in South Carolina last year were for entrylevel and less-experienced jobs, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Demand for H-1B visas has vastly outstripped supply, and they are therefore awarded by an annual lottery system. This year, USCIS received 199,000 applications within five days. However, applications dropped from 236,000 the previous year.

It was a significant enough drop that former USCIS director Leon Rodriguez speculated Trump’s vows to crack down on the program may have deterred some possible applicants.

“Immigration reform is definitely going to impact economic development, specifically our ability to recruit international students,” said White. “Our goal should be to attract the best and brightest, and we should give them a chance.”

There are currently more than 1 million international students in the country pursuing different levels of education. It’s a pathway for many foreigners to find jobs in the U.S. Among the increasing international student influx, China has been sending the largest number of students in the U.S

Knox White has visited Asia more than 10 times over the last decade to meet with companies and government officials, including the mayor of Suzhou in China.

Photo provided.

“Our goal should be to attract the best and brightest, and we should give them a chance.”

Knox White since 2009, which accounted for 31 percent of the total number in 2015, according to the Institute of International Education.

Foreign students receive nonimmigrant F-1 visas to study in the U.S. That means students wishing to stay and work in the U.S. after graduation must transfer their immigration status to an immigrant visa category, which usually forces them to apply for one of the H-1B temporary worker visas, or return to their home country and begin to put his or her education to use.

“I’ve seen many international students go to Clemson and get an engineering job and then start their own business in the Upstate after receiving a green card. I see it all the time,” said White. “But now there’s a possibility they’ll graduate and head back overseas, which is the opposite of what we need right now.” —Andrew Moore

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MAKING TRACKS IN S.C.

MANUFACTURING

Thanks to foreign firms, SC No. 1 in tires RUDOLPH BELL| STAFF

rbell@communityjournals.com France sent its first tire jobs to South Carolina more than 40 years ago, helping the state recover from a declining textile industry.

Thirteen years later, it was Japan’s turn to put tire jobs in South Carolina. Then came Germany, Singapore, and Sweden.

Today, South Carolina is home to five foreign-owned tire makers: Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, Giti, and Trelleborg.

Together, they have created, or announced, more than 15,200 jobs in the Upstate and Midlands.

Collectively, the companies from Europe and Asia operate, or have announced, 15 factories, two corporate headquarters, a research center, a test track, and a distribution center.

Because of them, South Carolina has the capacity to make more tires than any other state — up to 107,000 a day — according to Tire Business, a trade publication that tracks the industry.

And that figure doesn’t include a Giti plant that’s still under development in Chester County.

In addition, South Carolina employs more tire builders — people who operate machinery to build tires — than any other state, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

BLS data show South Carolina was home to 3,750 tire builders last year — about 17 percent of the national total — though it trailed Alabama, Ohio, and Tennessee when it came to tire builders’ mean wages.

South Carolina’s tire industry cluster began in 1975 when Michelin launched its U.S. 1 plant in southern Greenville County.

The same year, Michelin established a semi-finished rubber plant in Anderson County, a research center in Greenville County, and a test track in Laurens County, according to a company fact sheet.

The heavy corporate investment followed earlier decisions by U.S. automaker Ford to use Michelin tires as original equipment and by U.S. retailer Sears to sell Michelin tires in its stores, according to a brief history on the Michelin North America website.

Michelin continued to invest in South Carolina in the 1970s and 1980s, opening tire plants in Spartanburg and Lexington.

In 1985, the company moved its North American headquarters from Long Island to Greenville in a landmark event for economic development in the Upstate.

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More than 2,200 people are assigned to the headquarters along Interstate 85, according to Michelin.

The company enlarged its South Carolina network again in 1998, establishing a second plant in Lexington.

That same year, South Carolina landed its second tire maker when Tokyo-based Bridgestone Corp. announced plans to make tires in Aiken County.

A decade later, Hanover, Germany-based Continental AG joined the roster of South Carolina tire makers, saying it would move its headquarters for the Americas from Charlotte 12 miles across the state line to Fort Mill.

In 2011, Bridgestone announced a second plant in Aiken County, as well as major expansions of its first plant there.

Also in 2011, Continental revealed plans to make tires at a new plant in Sumter.

In 2014, Giti Tire announced plans for a tire factory in Chester County, and Trelleborg Wheel Systems said it would develop a small plant in Spartanburg to produce tires for agricultural machinery.

Of South Carolina’s five tire makers, Michelin has the biggest footprint by far, accounting for 10 of the 15 plants, and 9,400 of the 15,280 jobs.

In Anderson County, Michelin opened a plant to make semi-finished rubber in 2001, and one to make tires in 2013.

Company: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin Headquarters: Clermont Ferrand, France SC employees: 9,400 Company: Bridgestone Corp.

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan SC employees: 1,880 (tire business only) Company: Continental AG Headquarters: Hanover, Germany SC employees: More than 1,550, with another 600 planned over the next four years (tire business only) Company: Giti Tire Group Headquarters: Singapore SC employees: 1,700 over a decade announced Company: Trelleborg AB Headquarters: Trelleborg, Sweden SC employees: 150 announced

In 2014, it opened a small plant in Greenville County to make an airless tire call the Tweel that was invented at its Greenville County research center.

In the industry’s most recent big jobs announcement for South Carolina, Michelin last year announced a 350-job, $270 million distribution center in Spartanburg County.

The plans call for a five-building complex with 3.3 million square feet of warehouse space near the intersection of Highways 101 and 417.

Michelin North America President Pete Selleck (center) was joined in 2012 by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and then-S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley for the announcement of the company’s Anderson County plant.

Knudt Flor, president & CEO, BMW Manufacturing Co. Photo by Will Crooks

MANUFACTURING

BMW weathering the storm TREVOR ANDERSON| STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com In May, automakers reported a fourth straight month of sales declines in the U.S. The reports ignited fears that the domestic market could be headed for a major slump similar to the Great Recession, which was marked by workforce reductions, factory closures, bankruptcy, and government bailouts.

While some car companies have already started feeling the pinch, Spartanburg County-based BMW Manufacturing Co. is riding a wave of success as an essential part of the German automaker’s global business.

“BMW Plant Spartanburg is a global plant, meaning we build cars for the world, not just the United States,” said Sky Foster, department manager of corporate communications for BMW Manufacturing Co. The plant is the assembly hub of BMW’s light trucks lineup, including the X3, X4, X5, and X6 Sports Activity Vehicles.

BMW Group in April reported an all-time monthly sales record of 192,494 vehicles, which was a 7.4 percent increase compared with the same month of the previous year.

The company also reported its sales during the first four months of the year increased 5.8 percent to 779,736 vehicles compared with the same period of 2016.

Kenn Sparks, head of U.S. corporate communications for BMW of North America, said X models built in Spartanburg accounted for almost 38 percent of

the company’s domestic sales in April.

Globally, locally made models accounted for more than 17 percent of BMW sales in April and more than 18 percent of the company’s sales during the first four months of the year.

“The future is exciting for this plant,” Foster said.

“We produce the four most popular BMW products in the world. Later this year, we will unveil the new BMW X3, and the X family will expand to include the all-new BMW X7 in 2018. Our Chairman Harald Krueger has said, beginning in 2020, BMW wants to build electric, plug-in hybrid and combustion-engine variants of each model series on the same line. Plant Spartanburg already builds a plug-in hybrid X5, and, starting in 2020, we will produce an all-electric X3.”

In 2016, the plant, which employs almost 9,000 people, produced a record 411,000 vehicles. It exported a record 287,700 of those vehicles, about 70 percent of its total volume, through the Port of Charleston to customers in 140 markets worldwide, making it this country’s largest exporter of automobiles.

“The BMW Group has confidence in Plant Spartanburg’s future with an investment of $1 billion from 2015 to the present day,” Foster said. “Over the past two years, the plant has constructed a new 1.2 millionsquare-foot body shop that will eventually contain 2,000 new robots. At the same time, we are expanding and installing new equipment in the X5/X6 assembly hall and expanding our logistics area. The assembly hall is increasing by 200,000 square feet and logistics by 100,000 square feet. When the expansion is completed, the factory size will be more

than 7 million square feet. Our capacity remains at 450,000 units per year.”

While BMW’s U.S. sales declined by about 12 percent in April, the automaker’s sales in other markets around the globe continue to grow.

The company said its sales in April increased more than 39 percent in China to 191,697 vehicles. By comparison, the company sold 108,038 vehicles in the U.S. during the month.

The increase in demand for vehicles built at the Spartanburg plant has prompted the company to shift production of the new X3 due out in June to its Rosslyn plant in South Africa and its Dadong plant in Shenyang, China.

Foster declined to comment on reports that BMW is seeking to boost its annual production capacity between the Spartanburg plant and its plant under construction in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, to 750,000 vehicles per year.

The Mexican plant is expected to have an initial capacity of about 150,00 vehicles by 2019.

Foster did say that the company still has the capability to expand the plant, which sits on 1,150 acres off Interstate 85 near Greer.

The plant was announced in 1992 and began production in 1994. It represents a nearly $8 billion investment.

“It’s quite evident from our expansion and the new models coming that Plant Spartanburg’s future is very bright,” Foster said.

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Sister Act What happens when Greenville’s sister city comes to visit from Belgium?

By TRIP DUBARD Director, SC Connect

When the time came during a celebratory dinner to toast their Sister City relationship recently, the mayors of Greenville and Kortrijk were nowhere to be found. Like mischievous school kids, the two had run away to drop in on the Artisphere opening party.

Grinning sheepishly, White and Vincent Van Quickenborne returned later to call for increased education and business ties between their cities, building upon a shared history begun in World War I during Greenville’s textile heyday and continuing through the city’s urban and economic renewal.

Like Greenville, Van Quickenborne said during the trip, “Kortrijk is entrepreneurial. We’re business-based.”

Van Quickenborne led a 16-member delegation for a four-day visit to Greenville, apparently the largest-ever by a Kortrijk delegation since the Sister City relationship was formalized in 1990.

The visit strengthened existing ties between educational and civic leaders and opened the door for business growth between two economic powerhouses — Upstate South Carolina and Flanders, the portion of Belgium where Kotrijk is located.

The two cities share remarkable similarities: • Populations around 70,000 • Unemployment around 4 percent • Rich textile histories — Kortrijk’s based on flax and Greenville’s on cotton • Painful urban rebirths resulting in beautiful and healthy downtowns • Most amazingly: Almost identical pedestrian bridges spanning city center rivers — the Liberty Bridge over the Reedy River in Greenville and the College Bridge over the Leie River in Kortrijk.

They also share a bittersweet history from World War I, when soldiers from Greenville’s former Fort Sevier training base helped break the Hindenburg Line in 1918. A moving ceremony during the visit’s final day featured a single bagpiper and a uniformed young man reciting “In Flanders Fields.”

It was the trip’s highlight for many.

“The World War I commemoration was quite 20

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inspiring,” said Hank Hyatt, vice president of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. “It underscored the shared sacrifices our communities had to make during the Great War.” The Kortrijk visitors were impressed by Greenville’s marketing, particularly after seeing a presentation at City Hall by VisitGreenvilleSC’s Jennifer Stilwell.

“The explanation of Greenville merchandising and positioning in terms of tourism was an eye-opener,” said Kelly Detavernier, Kortrijk’s alderman for finances, events, and education. “I find it remarkable and admirable what has been achieved in Greenville.”

Detavernier was also impressed by a visit to the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and — along with others in the group — by a trip to the Roper Mountain Science Center.

“How I would have loved to have been a sixth-grader now and go on a field trip to the science center with my classmates,” said Petra Huyst, research staff member at the Catholic University of Leuven’s campus in Kortrijk.

Greenville’s representatives learned from the Kortrijk visitors as well. Mayor White wanted to know more about a technically innovative parking program Kortrijk operates for its downtown merchants. And several participants were taken by a program called MyMachine, presented by Piet Grymonprez, co-founder and managing director. MyMachine, now operating in nine countries on three continents, connects elementary school children and their wide-ranging ideas for dream machines with college students who further develop the ideas and technical secondary school students who help build the machines.

The visit was preceded by a trip to Kortrijk last summer by a Greenville delegation. And in June, a delegation from the Upstate SC Alliance — representing a region that attracts roughly $1 billion annually in foreign direct investment — will travel to meet with businesses in Flanders and its cities of Kortrijk, Ghent, and Antwerp. With 45 percent of Belgium’s territory, Flanders accounts for nearly 50 percent of gross domestic product and more than 80 percent of the nation’s exports.

In recognition of the economic potential, the trip’s final dinner was attended by Amy Thomson, newly announced international strategy and trade chief at the S.C. Department of Commerce, as well as Commerce’s chief protocol officer, Clarke Thompson. Also attending — from their offices in Atlanta — were Belgian Consul General William De Baets; Anton Mertens, president of the Bel-

North Sea

AMSTERDAM LONDON BRUSSELS English Channel

PARIS maps4news.com/©HERE

KORTRIJK

(pronounced “Court-ray” in English) City in West Flanders, Belgium Area: 80.02 square kilometers (30.9 square miles) Population: 75,606 Industries: Historically connected to flax and textiles Company HQs: Barco NV; Bekaert Sister City: Greenville, S.C.

gian-American Chamber of the South; and Wim Van Cauteren, trade and investment commissioner for Flanders Investment and Trade, which supports increased business with the Belgian region. Also included in the visiting delegation was Matthieu Marisse, a representative from the Kortrijk area’s Chamber of Commerce.

Beyond the demographic similarities, John Lummus, president and CEO of the Upstate SC Alliance, sees commonalities in the regions’ businesses.

“Our regions have common textile heritages, [and are] now seeking innovative technologies and more proactive R&D ecosystems to remain competitive as technology advances,” Lummus said. “Additionally, both regions share a dependency upon trade and a close relationship with our nearby ports.”

Conversations are underway for potential future collaborations, including • Academic and student exchanges and/or possible joint research work involving various combinations of Furman University, Howest

University of Applied Sciences, KULAK University, and Clemson University.

• Internships with Greenville businesses and organizations for students from Kortrijk.

• Introduction of MyMachine in South Carolina, with Greenville as a pilot market.

• Exchanges between the Greenville Chamber and their counterpart at the West Flanders Chamber of Commerce. Earlier this year, Greenville hosted a communications officer from Kortrijk and hopes to continue these activities.

• A trip in October by two Greenville Fine Arts Center educators to Kortrijk during that city’s Design Week, with an eye toward developing long-term professional relationships.

The project came together through the work of Greenville Sister Cities International, the City of Kortrijk, and the passion of Flemish native and Greenville citizen Stijn Van de Velde.

Trip DuBard, director of SC Connect, works from Brussels to maintain and create relationships between South Carolina and Europe. He can be reached at trip@scconnect.us.

Delegates from Kortrijk, including Mayor Vincent Van Quickenborne (second from right), toast their Greenville hosts during a meal at the Trappe Door in downtown Greenville.

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com |

@arielhturner

Brothers Bill and Pace Beattie planned the 22-lot Woodland Park at Cleveland Forest to integrate with the surrounding neighborhoods through the landscaping and architecture of the homes. Thomas Croft of Croft Architecture developed the design guidelines to maintain the aesthetic of the historical area. Sketch by Thomas Croft; rendering by Site Design Inc.

Woodland Park at Cleveland Forest Design releases rstStandards 6 lots Guidelinesfiand Sites 7–22 to be released in late summer Nearly 12 years after the site design was filed, the 7.66-acre subdivision now known as Woodland Park at Cleveland Forest in Greenville has released the first six of 22 lots. The subdivision is bordered by Southland Avenue, Woodland Way, and Newman Street.

The first three home sites, which range from 0.254-0.351 acres and start at $375,000, are under contract. Lots seven to 22 will be released late summer in the second phase as soon as neighborhood infrastructure is complete.

The land at the heart of Cleveland Park and steps from the Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail has belonged to the Beattie family for more than 60 years. Brothers Bill and Pace Beattie have been working nearly

22

UBJ | 6.2.2017

full-time since 2015 to bring the project to this point, Pace said.

The 150 or so interested buyers who contacted the Beatties before the sites were released were given first priority, but now sales are open to the public.

Tom Marchant of Marchant Company is the broker.

“It’s really hard to find a lot to build on in the city,” Marchant said. “It’s exciting to have something like this.”

Fairview Builders has been selected as a preferred builder, though it is not an exclusive deal. They and other approved builders will work alongside Marchant to customize each home for each specific client based on design guidelines developed by architect Thomas Croft.

Restrictive covenants are in place to maintain the design aesthetic of the

16th of May 2017 surrounding neighborhoods and protect buyers’ investments, Marchant said.

“We could’ve done higher density with townhomes and had 60 home sites, but we chose not to do that,” Bill Beattie said.

The neighborhood will be bordered by a stone and iron wall along Southland Avenue and Woodland Way with stone pillars at the entrance on Woodland similar to but smaller than those at McDaniel Avenue. New sidewalks outside of the neighborhood will follow the wall along the streets. Just behind the wall, sites one through six will be fronted by a grass alleyway engineered specifically to bear the weight of cars.

The grass alleyway will allow homeowners to access the front of their properties and front-facing driveways.

A paved alleyway allows access to the rear of the properties.

To further maintain the aesthetics of the neighborhood, an underground stormwater retention system is installed at the front corner of the subdivision with open green space above rather than the typical and often unsightly fenced-in retention pond. Each home also will have its own stormwater retention system to cut down on the size of the neighborhood system.

A small creek borders the green space on the northwest side where the Beatties’ mother, Catherine H. Beattie, maintained a wildflower garden for many years that attracted sightseers.

To honor her, a new garden designed

by Robert Miller will be planted in the same location.

MOVERS, SHAKERS, AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

| INNOVATE

The Name Game Part II What’s the difference between a gazelle and a lifestyle business?

By MICHAEL MINO Instructor, Clemson MBA and CU-ICAR

In our last discussion [“The Name Game,” Upstate Business Journal, March 31, 2017], I examined the difference between an entrepreneur and a small businessperson. Let’s change our perspective to the ventures or companies that they create.

Again, I will develop two archetypes: the gazelle venture and the lifestyle company.

Investopedia defines a gazelle venture as “a high-growth company that is increasing its revenues by at least 20 percent annually for four years or more, starting from a revenue base of at least $1 million. This growth pace means that the company has effectively doubled its revenues over a four-year period. As gazelle companies are characterized by their rapid growth pace, rather than their absolute size, they can range in size from small companies to very large enterprises.”

Wikipedia defines a lifestyle company as “a business set up and run by its founders primarily with the aim of sustaining a particular level of income and no more; or to provide a foundation from which to enjoy a particular lifestyle.”

A gazelle venture is investable. Highnet-worth individuals (when acting alone, they are called “angels”) purchase equity in these ventures with the unenforceable expectation that they will receive multiple times this investment in return at some time in the indeterminate future. The investor expects the future value of the venture to increase multifold.

A lifestyle company is loanable.

Commercial banks provide capital in the form of debt with the legally enforceable expectation that they will receive a modest return in the form of interest and the principal returned in a specific period of three to five years. The banker focuses on the owner’s ability to pay the commitments of the loan from business income and personal or business assets held in the form of collateral.

A gazelle venture is high growth.

For a venture to be worth five or 10 times its value requires lots of growth, both top line and bottom line. A lifestyle company does not need to grow quickly to satisfy the needs of the owners. Moderate growth (10-15 percent) is a good thing, like the feeling of wind in your sails. Growing a business at a faster rate is expensive and hard work, similar to navigating through gale force winds.

A gazelle venture is scalable. To grow fast requires that the business can scale — significantly grow revenue (top line) without equally increasing cost (bottom line). The venture must be able to move beyond its founders. This is accomplished through process and a replicable business model. A lifestyle company is closely tied to and dependent on its owners.

A gazelle venture often has defendable intellectual property. Many scalable business models depend on some “secret sauce” to provide a barrier to entry from competitors. The KISS (Keep It Simple) principle generally applies to a lifestyle company. Complexity gets in the way.

Lifestyle owners compete on reputation, personal service, and individual shrewdness.

A gazelle venture has an exit strategy — how else do you provide a return to the investors? Why would a successful owner sell a lifestyle company that is providing for his lifestyle? He may pass it on to a family member or sell it at retirement, but this is not the objective.

In a gazelle venture, the founders “swing for the fences,” targeting a big outcome (harvest or exit) with a low probability of success. They do it for the investors (including themselves) with the end as the goal. The definition of success for a lifestyle company is different. The owners call all of the shots with the goal of providing a great quality of life for themselves. The journey is what it is all about.

What differences do you see?

Send them to mmino@clemson.edu.

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SOCIAL SNAPSHOT |

INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE

GHS PRESIDENTIAL LUNCHEON Greenville Health System held a Presidential Luncheon last week at Ruth’s Chris Steak House to introduce Spence M. Taylor, M.D., GHS’ president.

Photos by Will Crooks.

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UBJ | 6.2.2017

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

PROMOTED

HIRED

HIRED

PROMOTED

| ON THE MOVE

PROMOTED

JOEL JONES

ANNA BARTOK

JOSE PEREZ

COURTNEY AMOS

DANA HALTIWANGER

Promoted to chief technical officer for Renewable Water Resources (ReWa). Jones most recently served as the pretreatment manager for the agency. Jones has 23 years of experience in the public wastewater industry with emphasis on facility operations and compliance.

Jones offers practical experiences in science, engineering, customer service, finance, and management.

Hired as project lead at BRIGHT+CO Marketing.

Prior to joining BRIGHT+CO, Bartok worked for several other marketing agencies, including Erwin Penland Greenville and BBDO Atlanta. She has experience with brands including South Carolina State Fair, ESPN, Verizon, AT&T, and Denny’s.

Hired as production manager/ media specialist at VantagePoint Marketing.

Perez works closely with VantagePoint’s media and sourcing director to coordinate and manage production needs and media placements for the agency’s clients. His past experience includes branding, production, and design work, as well as teaching college courses in design and production.

Promoted to integrated marketing manager at Infinity Marketing. Amos manages all aspects of the full-service agency’s relationship with Comcast, from creative production to digital media.

Formerly, she supervised the endorsements department by overseeing the marketing and development of Infinity’s Live DJ Endorsements program.

Promoted to media buyer at Infinity Marketing.

Haltiwanger is responsible for negotiating and purchasing traditional and digital media across multiple markets, as well as developing media strategy and digital reporting for clients. Previously, she assisted with the coordination of media research and the planning and buying for financial services and educational clients.

VIP EARLE HARDING Earle Harding has joined IBERIABANK as senior vice president, commercial relationship manager.

Harding, a native of Greenville, was previously commercial banking group manager of United Community Bank, formerly The Palmetto Bank, where he held several key executive positions throughout his 37-year banking career. Prior to joining Palmetto Bank, he held a variety of management and officer positions with larger financial institutions. “Earle is an accomplished banker and leader and the right choice to serve as the cornerstone as we begin building our Greenville team,” said Sam Erwin, IBERIABANK’s South Carolina regional president.

“He has a long proven track record, is a trusted advisor, and has a deep of understanding of his clients’ businesses. His strong leadership skills throughout his banking career and in the community make him a perfect fit as we look forward to building a bright future in South Carolina.”

HEALTH CARE Matthew Bitner, MD, an emergency medicine physician with Greenville Health System, has been elected to serve on the board of the South Carolina chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). South Carolina ACEP exists to support the availability of high-quality emergency medical services to all patients within South Carolina. The local chapter represents more than 340 emergency physicians, residents, and medical students working at hospitals across the state.

CONSTRUCTION Woody Hydrick, managing principal of Global Location Strategies, a site selection and economic development consulting firm, will be a panelist at the Northeast U.S. Petrochemical Construction Conference held in Pittsburgh in June. Hydrick and his fellow panelists will discuss site selection considerations

for petrochemical production investments and downstream products in the Appalachian Basin – home to the Marcellus Shale, a “super giant” natural gas resource. Hydrick is an expert in capital-intensive, heavy industrial production sites and facilities. He has sited large-scale industrial projects all over the world, representing billions of dollars in capital investments and thousands of jobs.

INFORMATION Ray Barry, managing partner of Stevens & Steven Business Records Management Inc.’s Greenville facility, has received the prestigious President’s Award from the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID). This is only the ninth time NAID has given out the award in its 23-year history. “It is only presented when a NAID member has given a sustained and lasting contribution to the secure information destruction industry,” explained NAID past president Don Adriaansen, MBA, CSDS of Titan Mobile Shredding LLC. Barry has been president, secretary, and director of the organization, including two years as deputy executive director.

MANUFACTURING JSI Store Fixtures Inc., a designer and manufacturer of high-quality merchandising displays for the supermarket industry, is expanding its Greenville County facility. The firm is expected to invest $2.1 million in the expansion of its Greenville operations, creating 97 new jobs. Located at 2723 White Horse Road in Greenville, JSI Store Fixtures’ new 78,000-square-foot facility will allow the company to expand beyond grocery stores and into convenience stores and more.

MARKETING BRIGHT+CO Marketing’s FUTERRA New Product Launch Campaign has won the 2017 Public Relations and Marketing Excellence Award. The FUTERRA New Product Launch Campaign was selected as the 2017 Campaign of the Year.

RSC Bio Solutions, a global leader in environmentally acceptable lubricants and cleaners for marine and land markets, partnered with BRIGHT+CO Marketing to establish the brand of its newest family of products, the RSC FUTERRA HF Series.

CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions, & award winners may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

6.2.2017

|

upstatebusinessjournal.com

25

#TRENDING |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

THE WATERCOOLER Social Chatter RE: UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPS 0.1% IN APRIL “Gains in low-skilled jobs, yet decreases in professional and tech jobs... not exactly a brighter picture of economic health.”

@MaryKurzawa

RE: FIRST LOOK: BASIL THAI OPENS IN ONE CITY PLAZA “It’s one of my favorite restaurants now!

Delicious and a lovely ambiance. Perfect martinis.”

LaDonna Metcalf Welch “Yes! Greenville needed this!”

Joseph Wallace

RE: GSP AIRPORT IS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF WITH PROJECT WINGSPAN COMPLETE “It is just a beautiful facility and such an asset to the Upstate.”

Joyce McCarrell

“GSP has grown so much over the years but is still an easy airport to get in and out of!”

“Based on the list of low-end stores identified, I’ll still be driving to a Greenville to shop.”

Love WHERE you LIVE: Spartanburg SC

Gayle Morris

RE: THINKING INSIDE THE BOX WITH CONTAINER HOME BUILDERS

“Why put that on the lake? Crazy idea.”

“A young friend of mine was in college at RISD at least 20 years ago, and his thesis project was container house design... I’ve loved it ever since.

I hope to see some popping up in G’ville. Way to go, Jennifer Gosnell.”

Marty Epp-Carter

Joseph Wallace “What happened to the Sanctuary Pointe resort? @wyffnews4 posted an article a year ago saying construction should start January 2017.”

@mozdaddy

“This looks quite intriguing! An interesting perspective on downsizing.”

RE: FIRST LOOK: THE BEAUTIFUL CO. OPENS IN THE WEST END

Manfred Gollent

“Love this place!”

RE: SIX CHAINS SIGN UP FOR SPACE IN SENECA SHOPPING CENTER

@saralildolan

“Will be nice! Would love for Cherrydale to be reconfigured — make it walkable and a specialty grocery store would be nice.”

Kathleen Mussay Johnson

E 21

MAY 26,

TOP 5:

VOL. 6 ISSU 2017 |

DIGITAL FLIPBOOK ARCHIVE

The layout of print meets the convenience of the Web. Flip through the digital editions of any of our print issues, and see them all in one place. upstatebusinessjournal.com/past-issues

1. Six chains sign up for space in Seneca shopping center

2. Grocery chain Sprouts may put first SC store on Woodruff Road

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF

ion 25 mill oject is The $1 PAN pr WINGS — now the e complet s its eyes ha t or s airp horizon on new ALSO INS

3. Thinking inside the box with container home builders

4. GSP Airport is cleared for takeoff with Project WINGSPAN complete

5. First Look: Stewart Penick’s Terrace restaurant opens May 22 in the West End

*The top 5 stories from the past week ranked by shareability score

26

UBJ | 6.2.2017

e by sculptur GSP’s t,” a new ece of ll of Ligh a centerpi Will Crooks. by “WaterfaLukanov, is Photo Dimitar d terminal. renovate

IDE

E WINE BIZ S BOUT IQU TERRA CE & BURG GET SPAR TAN LOOK: BA SIL TH AI EEN VIL LE GR FIRST RA GE FOR RK ING GA A NE W PA

GET THE INBOX CONNECT We’re great at networking.

Follow up on the Upstate’s workweek.

The Inbox – our weekly rundown of the top 10 local biz stories you need to know. upstatebusinessjournal.com/email

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EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

DATE

PRESIDENT/CEO

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

| PLANNER

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Nonprofit Alliance: Guiding Volunteer Recruitment & Retention

Greenville Chamber 24 Cleveland St. 8–9 a.m.

Cost: Free for investors, $10 for noninvestors For more info: bit.ly/2riAkl2, tjames@greenvillechamber.org, 864-239-3728

6/8

Netnight

Fluor Field (Indoor Space) 945 S. Main St. 6–8:30 p.m.

Cost: $15 for investors, $25 general admission For more info: bit.ly/2riFf5z, nwhite@greenvillechamber.org, 864-239-3727

Tuesday

Small Business Development Center’s Summer Breakfast

The Old Cigar Warehouse 912 S. Main St. 8:30 a.m.

For more info: 864-370-1545, ClemsonSBDC@clemson.edu

Thursday

6/8

UBJ PUBLISHER

Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

EDITOR

Chris Haire chaire@communityjournals.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com

DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Tori Lant tlant@communityjournals.com

Thursday

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Emily Pietras epietras@communityjournals.com

STAFF WRITERS

Trevor Anderson, Rudolph Bell, Cindy Landrum, Andrew Moore, Ariel Turner

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Sherry Jackson, Melinda Young

MARKETING & ADVERTISING VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES

7/11

David Rich drich@communityjournals.com

SALES REPRESENTATIVES Nicole Greer, Donna Johnston, Lindsay Oehmen, Rosie Peck, Caroline Spivey, Emily Yepes

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR Will Crooks

LAYOUT

Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

UP NEXT

IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF UBJ? WANT A COPY FOR YOUR LOBBY?

JUNE 16 THE LEGAL ISSUE Critical information from local experts.

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

UBJ milestone

UBJ milestone jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years 1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport

1988

>>

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGN

Kristy Adair | Michael Allen

CLIENT SERVICES

Anita Harley | Jane Rogers

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Chairman larry Jackson, Jackson marketing Group. Photos by Greg Beckner / Staff

Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 years By sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

JULY 14 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ISSUE Tomorrow’s game-changers and disruptors.

Kristi Fortner

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE STORY IDEAS:

ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com

EVENTS:

events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AND AWARDS:

onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com UBJ welcomes expert commentary from business leaders on timely news topics related to their specialties. Guest columns run 700-800 words. Contact managing editor Jerry Salley at jsalley@communityjournals. com to submit an article for consideration.

Circulation Audit by

JULY 28 THE CRE ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.

Got any thoughts? Care to contribute? Let us know at ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

Solve. Serve. Grow. Those three words summarize Jackson Marketing Group’s guiding principles, and according to owner Larry Jackson, form the motivation that has kept the firm thriving for the past 25 years.

Jackson graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in video and film production and started his 41-year career in the communications industry with the U.S. Army’s Public Information Office. He served during

Vietnam, where he said he was “luckily” stationed in the middle of Texas at Fort Hood.

He left the service and went to work in public affairs and motorsports at Ford Motor Company in Detroit.

After a stint at Bell and Howell, where he was responsible for managing Ford’s dealer marketing and training, the entrepreneurial bug hit and he co-founded Jackson-Dawson Marketing Communications, a company specializing in dealer training and product launches for the auto industry in 1980.

In 1987, Jackson wanted to move back south and thought Greenville would be a good fit. An avid pilot, he

learned of an opportunity to purchase Cornerstone Aviation, a fixed base operation (FBO) that served as a service station for the Greenville Downtown Airport, providing fuel, maintenance and storage.

In fact, when he started the Greenville office of what is now Jackson Marketing Group (JMG) in 1988, the offices were housed on the second floor in an airport hangar.

“Clients would get distracted by the airplanes in the hangars and we’d have to corral them to get back upstairs to the meeting,” Jackson said.

Jackson sold the FBO in 1993, but says it was a great way to get to know Greenville’s fathers and leaders

>>

2003 motorsports Division acquires an additional 26,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space

1998

1990 Jackson Dawson

acquires therapon marketing Group and moves to Piedmont office Center on Villa.

1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court

with a majority of them utilizing the general aviation airport as a “corporate gateway to the city.”

In 1997, Jackson and his son, Darrell, launched Jackson Motorsports Group. The new division was designed to sell race tires and go to racetracks to sell and mount the tires. Darrell Jackson now serves as president of the motorsports group and Larry Jackson has two other children and a son-in-law who work there. Jackson said all his children started at the bottom and “earned their way up.”

Jackson kept the Jackson-Dawson branches in Detroit and others in Los Angeles and New York until he sold his portion of that partnership in 2009 as part of his estate planning.

The company now operates a small office in Charlotte, but its main headquarters are in Greenville in a large office space off Woodruff Road, complete with a vision gallery that displays local artwork and an auditorium Jackson makes available for non-profit use. The Motorsports Group is housed in an additional 26,000 square feet building just down the street, and the agency is currently looking for another 20,000 square feet.

Jackson said JMG has expanded into other verticals such as financial, healthcare, manufacturing and pro-bono work, but still has a strong focus on the auto industry and transportation. It’s

also one of the few marketing companies in South Carolina to handle all aspects of a project in-house, with four suites handling video production, copywriting, media and research and web design.

Clients include heavyweights such as BMW, Bob Jones University, the Peace Center, Michelin and Sage Automotive. Recent projects have included an interactive mobile application for Milliken’s arboretum and 600-acre Spartanburg campus and a marketing campaign for the 2013 Big League World Series.

“In my opinion, our greatest single achievement is the longevity of our client relationships,” said Darrell Jackson. “Our first client from back in 1988 is still a client today. I can count on one hand the number of clients who have gone elsewhere in the past decade.”

Larry Jackson says his Christian faith and belief in service to others, coupled with business values rooted in solving clients’ problems, have kept

2009 Jackson Dawson changes name to Jackson marketing Group when larry sells his partnership in Detroit and lA 2003

2009-2012 Jackson marketing Group named a top BtoB agency by BtoB magazine 4 years running

him going and growing his business over the years. He is passionate about giving back and outreach to non-prof non-profits. The company was recently awarded the Community Foundation Spirit Award.

The company reaffirmed its commitment to serving the community last week by celebrating its 25th anniversary with a birthday party and a 25-hour Serve-A-Thon partnership with Hands on Greenville and Habitat for Humanity. JMG’s 103 full-time employees worked in shifts around the clock on October 22 and 23 to help construct a house for a deserving family.

As Jackson inches towards retirement, he says he hasn’t quite figured out his succession plan yet, but sees the companies staying under the same umbrella. He wants to continue to strategically grow the business.

“From the beginning, my father has taught me that this business is all about our people – both our clients and our associates,” said his son, Darrell. “We have created a focus and a culture that strives to solve problems, serve people and grow careers.”

Darrell Jackson said he wants to “continue helping lead a culture where we solve, serve and grow. If we are successful, we will continue to grow towards our ultimate goal of becoming the leading integrated marketing communications brand in the Southeast.”

2011 Jackson marketing Group/Jackson motorsports Group employee base reaches 100 people

2008 2012 Jackson marketing Group recognized by Community Foundation with Creative spirit Award

pro-bono/non-proFit / Clients lients American Red Cross of Western Carolinas Metropolitan Arts Council Artisphere Big League World Series The Wilds Advance SC South Carolina Charities, Inc. Aloft Hidden Treasure Christian School

CoMMUnitY nit inVolVeMent nitY in olV inV olVe VeMent & boarD positions lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board,

Metropolitan Arts Council Board, American Red Cross Board, Greenville Tech Foundation Board, South Carolina Chamber Board

eric Jackson (Jackson motorsports Group sales specialist): Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board

November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21

20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013

AS SEEN IN

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

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27

Unprecedented: All three sitting defense bar presidents.

All from one firm.

John E. Cuttino

JohnT. Lay, Jr.

President, DRI

President, IADC

H. Mills Gallivan President, FDCC

The Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, DRI–The Voice of the Defense Bar and the International Association of Defense Counsel have a combined history totaling 230 years. For the first time ever, the three incumbent presidents of these distinguished legal organizations are all from the same firm: Gallivan White Boyd.

As a leading Southeast law firm for business and litigation, GWB takes pride in these attorneys and their leadership in the legal profession. This unprecedented achievement is indicative of our commitment to the law, to our fellow attorneys and, most of all, to our clients.

Well done. And more to do. Gallivan White Boyd.

Charleston | Charlotte | Columbia | Greenville | gwblawfirm.com