Nov 30, 2016 | Elevate Upstate
Upstate, SC [November 30, 2016] – Ten at the Top (TATT), an organization created to enhance economic vitality and quality of life across the Upstate by fostering collaboration and strategic partnerships has announced the recipients for the 2016 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy Grants.
The program, which began in 2013, annually provides “seed funds” to support vibrancy initiatives in communities across the Upstate region. There were 19 applications for the 2016 grants and five finalists gave brief presentations before the selections were made during the Our Upstate Vision Forum on November 29th.
The two recipients of $5,000 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Grants were the Town of West Pelzer for their Expand Your Wings project and the Anderson Free Clinic for their F.R.E.S.H. project. In addition, Hughes Investments presented each of the other three finalists (City of Pickens, Hub-Bub in Spartanburg and Children & Choices/Hello Saville in Union and Spartanburg) with $1,000 to be used to help start their vibrancy initiative.
“The goal of the Elevate Upstate program is to get communities thinking about what types of initiatives or programs might help spark vibrancy within their area and then provide some seed money to get some of them started,” said Hughes Investments President Phil Hughes. “In the four years we have done this program, I have been amazed by the great ideas and passion of communities across the region to grow their vibrancy and sense of place. It was a real challenge to narrow the field to five finalists and to select the recipients.”
In the four years of the Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Grants program, Phil Hughes and Hughes Investments has provided a total of $56,000 to help with 17 different vibrancy initiatives across the Upstate region.
The two $5,000 recipients for 2016 are:
F.R.E.S.H. (Food Resources Ensuring Satisfactory Health) – Anderson Free Clinic – Healthy communities are vibrant communities. The “Farm to Table” style event will promote awareness of food insecurity in low access communities in Anderson County while featuring local farms and food products.
Expand Your Wings – Town of West Pelzer – The Town of West Pelzer is established and declared to be a wild bird sanctuary. “Expand Your Wings” is both an educational venture and an art installation that will allow residents, visitors and passersby to West Pelzer to “Become like a bird, expand your wings, learn new things and fly high as you can.”
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Nov 21, 2016 | Uncategorized
Upstate, SC [November 21, 2016] – Ten at the Top will be recognizing companies, organizations and individuals who are helping make the Upstate a great place to live, learn, do business and raise a family during the annual Celebrating Successes: Great Things Happening Across the Upstate Regional Forum on Tuesday, November 29th. The Forum will be held from 2:30-4:30 pm at the Greenville Marriott.
The Forum will include the recognition of more than 100 Upstate companies, organizations and programs that are celebrating milestone anniversaries of 20 or more years during 2016. Among those being recognized is the J.W. Woodward Funeral Home in Spartanburg, which is a minority owned business celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2016. Company President K.E. Woodward will provide a reflection of the company history during the Forum.
Also to be recognized during the Forum is renowned Upstate business leader Minor Mickel Shaw. She will receive the Welling Award for Regional Collaboration in recognition of her longstanding involvement in encouraging collaboration across jurisdictional and stakeholder boundaries. Shaw will also be awarded the first-ever Burdette Leadership Award, which is given in recognition of Carol Burdette, the first female chairperson of Ten at the Top, and honors women who have both served and led across the Upstate.
Another exciting component of the Forum will be the selection of the 2016 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy Grant recipients. There were 19 applications for two $5,000 grants and the five finalists will each provide a brief overview of their project.
The Forum is open to the general public with a $10 registration fee. Following the program, there will be a networking reception. Registration information is available on the Ten at the Top web site (www.tenatthetop.org).
About Ten at the Top
Comprised of public, private and civic leaders from across the ten-county Upstate South Carolina Region, Ten at the Top was created to build regional trust and encourage regional collaboration through data-driven research and regular convening of leaders and citizens to address key issues facing the region. Ten at the Top works with regional partners to foster collaboration and strategic planning to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life for Upstate residents both today and as the region continues to grow. For more information, visit www.tenatthetop.org.
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Nov 7, 2016 | Uncategorized
Upstate, SC [November 7, 2016] – More than 100 school board members, district superintendents, business leaders from across the Upstate region are expected to participate in the third meeting of this group, which is being coordinated by Ten at the Top (TATT) and will be held on Thursday, November 10th from 1:30-4:00 pm at the MT Anderson Support Center in Greenville.
There are 23 public school districts within the ten counties of the Upstate. The November 10th meeting will provide leaders from the districts as well as economic and workforce development organization representatives with an interactive discussion about bridging the gap between the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate and the needs of our region’s businesses and industry.
The meeting will include a more in depth look at what the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate is and how the Upstate school districts are working to achieve the goal. There will also be a Local Business Leaders Panel Discussion that will focus on the characteristics that Upstate businesses are looking for when hiring recent graduates. The panelists include: Leigh Anna Compton, Director of Human Relations, Group of Patriots; DJ Doherty, Partner, Mavin Construction; Rick Grooms, Vice President of Human Resources, AnMed Health; andJanet Krupka, Director of Recruiting, Michelin North America.
Following the panel discussion, attendees will participate in table discussions which will focus on answering the question, what are the consistencies, or differences, between the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate and what local businesses need? And how can we bridge the gap to ensue students are prepared for employment?
A networking reception will follow the meeting where students, school board members, superintendents, and business leaders will have the opportunity to further the conversations and create lasting connections.
About Ten at the Top
Comprised of public, private and civic leaders from across the ten-county Upstate South Carolina Region, Ten at the Top was created to build regional trust and encourage regional collaboration through data-driven research and regular convening of leaders and citizens to address key issues facing the region. Ten at the Top works with regional partners to foster collaboration and strategic planning to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life for Upstate residents both today and as the region continues to grow. For more information, visit www.tenatthetop.org.
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Nov 3, 2016 | Elevate Upstate
Upstate, SC [November 3, 2016] – Ten at the Top (TATT), an organization created to foster collaboration, partnerships and strategic planning across the Upstate, has announced the finalists for the 20165 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy Grants.
The five finalists were chosen from a total of XX applications submitted for the two grants available in 2016. Hughes Investments is contributing $10,000 per year to the program with two recipients each year receiving $5,000 to support a new vibrancy initiative in the Upstate. The program began in 2013 in conjunction with a series of Community Vibrancy Workshops hosted by Ten at the Top.
During the Ten at the Top Regional Forum on November 29th the five finalists will each provide a brief overview of their initiative before the two 2016 recipients are selected and announced. The cost to attend the forum is $10, prior registration is required. The forum will be held from 3-5 pm at the Greenville Marriott. To register go to www.tenatthetop.org.
Here are the five finalists (applying organization and project name):
Under the Pickens Historic Water Tower – City of Pickens – The City would use the Elevate Upstate Grant to create a social gathering spot in downtown under the historic water tower, which would better serve our local businesses, who have expressed an interest in utilizing this space.
F.R.E.S.H. (FOOD RESOURCES ENSURING SATISFACTORY HEALTH) – Anderson Free Clinic – The event would feature local farms and food products. By working with local partners, the clinic could lead collaborative efforts addressing the nutrition needs of our patients and community.
Hub Crawl Interactive Games (Spartanburg) – Hub-Bub – As a part of HUB-BUB’s Downtown Programming Initiative, local artists will design an inventory of interactive games that can be used in partnership with the Hub Crawl series, a recurring event meant to inspire creative interactions and promote the Downtown Spartanburg area.
Family Fun Day (Union & Spartanburg) – Children & Choices/Hello Saville – The Family Fun Day Project will serve as a safe opportunity for families to gather for positive fun, an exchange of information as well as a time for youth to have increased exposure to positive and caring adults. It will include a series of fun activities including; Trivia, Movie Family Skate Nights. This project will also serve as an opportunity for participants to gain access to community and academic programs as well as provide a platform for families to share their ideals about community recreational offerings.
Expand Your Wings – Town of West Pelzer
The Town of West Pelzer is established and declared to be a wild bird sanctuary. “Expand Your Wings” is both an educational venture and an art installation that will allow residents, visitors and passersby to West Pelzer to “Become like a bird, expand your wings, learn new things and fly high as you can.”
The selection committee for the Elevate Upstate Grants Program includes Phil Hughes (President, Hughes Investments), Ingo Angermeier (SmartPulse), and Terence Roberts (Mayor, City of Anderson).
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