Spartanburg County from SCBIZ

Fall 2020

Headwinds

S.C. aerospace industry meets challenges, embraces new opportunities

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SPARTANBURG

A couple enjoys a relaxing moment at Historic Drayton Mills in Spartanburg.

SPARTANBURG COUNTY: COMMON VISION LEADS TO PROSPEROUS FUTURE

By Jim Tatum, Associate Editor | Photos provided by Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce

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partanburg County continues to build on its reputation as an emerging place to live, work and play. With a reasonable cost of living, many urban, rural and outdoor amenities, diversity of living areas, variety and strength of educational opportunities, and welcoming business climate all contributing to a superior quality of life, Spartanburg continues to blossom and grow.

Located at the intersection of two major interstates, near the Inland Port of Greer and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, and within easy driving distance of major metro areas as well as recreational amenities, the county is both strategically located for businesses and conveniently located for people to enjoy a wide variety of urban and rural amenities.

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Spartanburg Co by the numbers unty

Demographic infor mation (population size, average incom e, age distribution) : Total Population .... ............... 319,785 Median household income .. $50,179 Age distribution: Persons under 5 ye

ars, percent: 6.1% Persons under 18 ye ars, percent: 23.1% Persons 65 years an d over, percent: 16.

4% Source: U.S. Cens us Bureau

4

th

Nationwide in Economic Strength

19

th

Fastest Growing Metropolitan Area in the U.S.

GSP

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Direct domestic flights

15

th

Best Performing Cities in the U.S. 2020

INLAND

PORT

GREER

Direct international freight flights to continental Europe and Mexico

Next-day direct rail service to port of Charleston

gspairport.com

scspa.com

3+

MILLION FT 2 spec space available or under construction

6.8B

$

In Economic Development Projects since 2010

292M

$

In Development Either In Progress or Announced in Downtown Spartanburg

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NATIONAL INTERSTATES

From the intersection of I-85 and I-26, 239.7 million people are reachable within 2 days by truck

SPARK

FIND MORE AT

at Spartanburg Community College — soft landing office and warehouse space for new and expanding projects

KYLE A. SOX Vice President of Industrial Development

sparkcentersc.com

ksox@spartanburgchamber.com

CENTER SC

economicfuturesgroup.com

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: SPARTANBURG www.scbizmag.com

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Founded in 1785, Spartanburg County would, by and throughout the 20th century, become well known for two important products, textiles and peaches. However, as agriculture faded and textile production moved overseas for cheaper labor, Spartanburg found itself at a critical juncture, a crossroads, as it were.

“For a hundred years or more, we were dependent on textiles,” David Britt, vice president/general manager of Tindall Company’s S.C. Division, said.

“That can work — until whatever it is you depend on goes away.”

State, regional and local leaders in business, industry, education and government recognized and capitalized on Spartanburg County’s assets. One of those leaders is Britt, who has served on Spartanburg County Council since the early 1990s and has played key roles in recruiting industry to the area. He recognized early the need for a well-coordinated, cooperative vision and effort — something he noted is much easier said than done.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “We did it, but it takes hard work.”

The most important selling point, ultimately, was the people and the Special Advertising Section

Spartanburg’s commercial property options include over 3 million square feet of class A industrial space.

opportunity for new industries to take part in uplifting and building a strong and vibrant community, Britt said.

“We sold them on the fact that we had 100 years of manufacturing experience, the best tech system in the state, and a work ethic second to none,” he said.

“But we really sold them on the opportunities for what they could do for and in the community. That’s basically what convinced BMW, a company that had never built anywhere outside Germany, to come here.”

Indeed, BMW’s arrival in 1992 marked the turning point in Spartanburg, the Upstate, and South Carolina’s fortunes, he noted.

Britt said that not only has the business/industry community truly stepped up as community partners, but companies such as BMW and others are enthusiastic, energetic and valuable partners in recruiting new business and industry.

He also noted that companies that located in the area did so fully engaged with the idea of building fruitful,

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COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: SPARTANBURG

Tyger River Industrial Park – South

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developments, our Class-A, Tyger River Industrial Parks provide great locations

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for economic expansion in the Spartanburg community.

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symbiotic relationships and working toward the underpinning goal of building a vibrant, prosperous, community.

“We are not just cheap labor; we have steered companies away because of that,” Britt said. “If you are just looking for cheap labor, we are not where you need to be.”

Geographic advantages as well as a hard working labor force that understood production were key in Spartanburg County being able to attract European manufacturers such as Michelin, Menzel, Hoechst Celanese, Staubli, Rieter, and BMW, the county’s largest employer, Kyle Sox, vice president of industrial development for the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce said In addition, with seven school districts, several private schools, technical education institutions and world-class colleges and universities such as Wofford College, Converse College and USC Upstate, Spartanburg’s education community is both an attractive amenity and an integral partner in the area’s success, Sox noted.

“BMW came to Spartanburg for a variety of reasons,” BMW Corporate Communications Manager Sky Foster said. “The state’s pro-business climate was certainly a deciding factor. Governor Carroll Campbell and his team, along with the Spartanburg business community, worked tirelessly to bring BMW to the Upstate.”

The area was well-known for manufacturing, a skilled workforce and manufacturing experience, and excellent transportation infrastructure.

BMW’s long-range strategic plan for the Spartanburg plant included exporting vehicles globally — currently about 70 percent of what is produced — so being near the port in Charleston was critical, Foster said.

Senator International, a logistics firm, came to the Upstate because of the automotive industry and its suppliers, Ralf Schneider, Chief Operating Officer said.

“We have built a strong relationship with the automotive industry that con-

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: SPARTANBURG

tinues today,” he said.

However, Schneider noted that Senator International’s leadership team had, long before COVID-19, thought very carefully about its future, including the possibility, unlikely as it seemed, that the automotive market may change.

While the pandemic has presented significant challenges — including a fiveweek shutdown of the manufacturing side of the business — Senator International has not only survived but thrived.

“We are fortunate to have a CEO with great entrepreneurial ability, and a skilled leadership team, so we have been positioning ourselves for growth, diversifying our services and our client base,” added Business Development Manager Gregor Ulbrich. “When the pandemic hit, we were able to handle disruptions and continue to move forward.”

Ulbrich noted that the Inland Port in Greer and GSP International Airport have been important partners and valuable assets not only to Senator International, but to the Upstate business community. For example, it takes only a few

Downtown Spartanburg has enjoyed a redevelopment and resurgence.

Right, mascots from Spartanburg County’s seven colleges, including Converse College, Sherman College of Chiropractic, Spartanburg Community College, Spartanburg Methodist College, the University of South Carolina Upstate, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and Wofford College.

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“I think we’re going to see a lot of activity. I see a very bright future for Spartanburg County, the Upstate, and South Carolina.”

— David Britt, vice president/general manager of Tindall Co. S.C. minutes to an hour to get a truck into and/or out of GSP, compared to many hours, even days, at a time at larger airports in major metro areas.

Spartanburg County continues to diversify its industrial base, with projects such as AirSys, Toray, Kobelco, SEW EuroDrive, AFL, Contec, Ritrama, Michelin, and Keurig Dr Pepper, which is building a 700,000-square-foot production manufacturing facility. It will be the largest LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficiency Design) certified facility of its kind in the nation, Chuck Hollingsworth, the company’s director of operations said.

Like everyone else, Keurig Dr Pepper had to adapt to the challenges of COVID-19, Hollingsworth said. This included allowing only essential staff in company facilities and going to great lengths to keep them safe. The pandemic has delayed construction, but Hollingsworth said they hope to have production underway by early 2021.

Ultimately, Spartanburg’s success can be credited to many people at all levels of the public and private sectors.

Concentrated, unified economic development efforts have not only nurtured existing industries such as Inman Mills and Milliken but attracted new industries to the area.

And despite the challenges of COVID-19 — or perhaps because of it — Spartanburg and the Upstate are likely on the cusp of another boom.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of activity,” Britt said. “I see a very bright future for Spartanburg County, the Upstate, and South Carolina.”

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Spartanburg County is home to numerous outdoor and urban amenities. Whether you launch a kayak from the Glendale Shoals bridge, enjoy a stroll on one of many greenways and walking trails such as the Mary Black Rail Trail, or just want to gather with friends at a local venue, Spartanburg County has something for everyone.