VOLUME 24 NUMBER 1 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM
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JANUARY 11 - JANUARY 24, 2021 ■ $2.25
In Focus
Hiring pros bullish on 2021
Staring down adversity
Economist Slifer expects robust growth in 2021. Page 13
By Ross Norton
Team owners ready to rumble
Pro teams look forward to end of pandemic that has affected two seasons. Page 12
Autonomous Army Clemson partners with military to work on selfdriving vehicles. Page 10
Peabody chooses Pickens site
West Coast manufacturer moves production and HQ to the Upstate. Page 8
INSIDE
Leading Off .......................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 C-Suite ................................ 4 In Focus: 2021: The Year Ahead ................................ 17 LIST: Economic Development Agencies............................ 19 At Work .............................. 21 Viewpoint ...........................23
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County officials move forward with a plan to make a significant upgrade to government offices by turning over part of the property to the private sector. (Image/Provided)
COUNTY BREAKS GROUND ON PRIVATE-PUBLIC COUNTY SQUARE PROJECT By Molly Hulsey
mhulsey@scbiznews.com
Fresh off opening the glass-walled global headquarters for the PGA Tour, Atlanta developers RocaPoint Partners and London architects Foster and Partners now turn their collaborative energy to a new vision for the drab and dated labyrinth that is the Greenville County offices at University Ridge. A small crowd of reporters and county officials, including three Greenville County Council members that passed the torch at the end of the day, gathered for the groundbreaking of 250,000 square feet of tower space at County Square on Jan. 4. “Our building was designed with the
same thoughtfulness and expertise as an Apple headquarters and PGA headquarters,” County Administrator Joe Kernell said. “It will become a beacon of architecture for our community and will serve our residents well for the next 50 to 100 years. Our development partners also brought Nelson Worldwide to the table to serve as architect of record and make sure this building is constructed with the latest efficiencies to ensure it stands the test of time and is accessible to all.” The latest renderings for the building feature two glassed-in steel office towers connected by a lattice of skybridges soaring over a landscaped courtyard with outdoor seating. Tax and real propSee COUNTY SQUARE, Page 6
rnorton@scbiznews.com
he face of Marketplace Professional Staffing owner Ray Lattimore disappears from the Zoom window as he turns away his laptop to show the rest of his office. “Here at Marketplace — I don’t know if you can see this — see that Plexiglas screen? See the bottle of Lysol? We have wipes. We’re COVID crazy here. We do temperature checks,” says Lattimore, president and CEO of the Greenville company, still panning his laptop camera. “You see that? We have an air filter in every room. So we’re doing everything that we can to be COVID safe.” Lattimore is not a health expert. But he’s a workforce expert and the precautions taken at his office is as much about a healthy business as a healthy body. And in the coming year, he expects to see improvements in health and business. At Marketplace Professional Staffing, everyone is at the office and preparing to take advantage of opportunity, and Lattimore isn’t just filling jobs for other employers; he is bolstering his own staff. “The reason I made the decision to grow in a pandemic is we are a small, homegrown staffing agency and we’re competing against these big guys, and I figure we better be ready after this pandemic or they’re going to eat our lunch,” he said. “So we have to be better prepared than them, and be there for our clients and go out and secure new clients. I don’t believe you can cut your way to success. I believe you have to grow your way to success. See HIRING, Page 1
Fishing for tourism dollars
The Upstate’s natural resources are a big draw, especially for those seeking a getaway that offers plenty of distancing options. Page 17