In October, a luncheon in Columbia, hosted by South Carolina Business Awards and presented by The Capital Corporation, celebrated the top 25 fastest-growing companies in South Carolina—and twelve of those companies are here in the Upstate.
The qualifications for the awards are that
the company must be headquartered in South Carolina, have been in operation for
at least 3 fiscal years, and have reported revenues of at least $3 million in
the most recent year; judging is based on financial and employee growth over a
3-year period.
Those Upstate companies that were honored at
the luncheon reflect the larger trend of growth in our area. The companies
include:
a financial services firm: WCM Global Wealth (Greenville), a diversified financial services firm specialized in providing exclusive financial products and services
two staffing firms that cater to technology groups: The Hiring Group (Greer), a technical staffing and recruiting firm, and Intellectual Capitol (Greenville), a staffing and technology services company that provides technology assessment and consulting, strategic staffing, and application development
three companies in the technical/engineering/manufacturing sector: Clear Touch Interactive (Greenville),a leading provider of multi-touch interactive flat panels for education,government, and businesses; NextGen Supply Chain (Greenville), providing consulting, engineering support, andsupply chain management services to advanced manufacturing industries such as aerospace, automotive, and medical devices; and Thomas Mechanical (Laurens), a mechanical contractor specializing in commercial/industrial HVAC services, fabrication, process piping, engineering, and maintenance services.
two contracting and construction companies: Harper General Contractors (Greenville), a full service general contracting and construction management firm offering preconstruction, building information modeling, design-build, construction management at risk, LEED construction, and design-assist services; and Clayton Construction Company (Spartanburg), a general contractor that will provide preconstruction planning, project coordination, post-construction follow-up, and a range of other services based on the project.
two real estate companies: RealOp Investments (Greenville), a commercial real estate investment company; and National Land Realty (Greenville), a full-service real estate brokerage company specializing in farm, ranch, recreational, plantation, timber, equestrian, waterfront, and commercial land across the country.
a fitness company: 9Round (Simpsonville), specialized fitness centers that bring kickboxing fitness training to the average person in a convenient, affordable, 30-minute, full-body circuit format.
and a food company: Duke Brands (Greenville), the holding company for Duke Foods, a manufacturer of ready-to-eat dips, spreads (most notably Duke’s Mayonnaise), and bakery items, as well as the Duke Sandwich Company restaurants.
Additionally, the following awards were
handed out: Harper General Contractors, headquartered in Greenville, was
presented with the South Carolina Economic Impact Award. The Rising Star was
awarded to Global Sales Group (Easley). South Carolina Excellence in Business
Awards went to A3 Communications (Irmo), Duke Brands (Greenville), PCI Group (Fort
Mill), and Quality Business Solutions (Travelers Rest).
Congratulations
to all of these companies for their growth and for their contribution to the
grown of the Upstate and of South Carolina.
Upstate,
SC [October 23, 2018] – Ten at the Top (TATT), an organization created
to foster collaboration, partnerships and strategic planning across the Upstate,
has announced the finalists for the 2018 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate
Community Vibrancy Grants.
The five finalists were chosen from a total of 26 applications
submitted for the two grants available in 2018. Hughes Investments is
contributing at least $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. Since the inception of the grants program, Hughes
Investments has contributed a total of $67,000 to community vibrancy initiatives
across the Upstate.
During the Ten at the Top Celebrating Successes Brunch on November
14th the five finalists will each provide a brief overview of their
initiative before the 2018 recipients are selected and announced. The cost to
attend the brunch is $35, prior registration is required. The event will be
held from 11:30 am -1:30 pm at the Greenville Marriott. To register go to www.tenatthetop.org.
Below are the five finalists (project name, applying organization,
and brief summary):
1st Annual Charles Townes Arts & Technology
Experiment – Spontaneous Productions The
1st Annual Charles Townes Art & Technology Experiment intends to generate
awareness and gratitude for Charles Townes, winner of the Nobel Prize in
Physics, who was a Greenville native and graduate of Furman University. The
project also aims to be a catalyst for the acceptance and encouragement of
experimentation and curiosity—in technology as well as the arts—reflecting some
of Townes’ ethics.
Centuries of Gaffney: A Walking Tour – City of Gaffney The
City of Gaffney, in an effort to create walkability and interaction downtown,
proposes to place Revolutionary War shields along sidewalks that will celebrate
local champions from 1780 and 1781, much like the “Hollywood Stars.” The
unveiling of each shield will be done by descendants of each Revolutionary War
hero.
Environmental Arts
Festival – Piedmont Physic Garden The
Piedmont Physic Garden (PPG), a botanical garden in the historic center of Union,
South Carolina, seeks funding to start an Environmental Art Festival (EAF)
along with the Union County Arts Council (UCAC), the University of South
Carolina–Union (USC–U), and the Union County Tourism Commission (UCTC). All
four entities are located within three blocks of each other, which will allow
convenient access to various exhibits and vendors. The first EAF will take
place in April of 2020. Over the two-day weekend, people from across the
Piedmont and beyond will be drawn to downtown Union to enjoy the arts as well
as the outdoors. The $5,000 grant will be used for logo/branding design, artist
prospectus development, banners, billboard rentals, and advanced media
promotion.
IDEAS Festival – The
Arts Center of Clemson, City of Clemson Arts & Culture Commission,
Neighborhood Associations The City of Clemson Arts & Culture Commission, in partnership with the Arts
Center of Clemson and Clemson neighborhood associations, seeks to create and
deliver a high-impact arts and culture festival in spring 2019 that will
increase engagement and participation of Clemson citizenry in city-wide arts
and culture initiatives, while also creating a new social justice opportunity.
The IDEAS Festival will bring residents from the City and Clemson together to
celebrate local artists as well as to gather citizen input for long-term
planning for art in public places.
Movie Night at the
Park – Ninety Six Mill Village Association The
Ninety Six Mill Village Association (MVNA), in collaboration with the Town of
Ninety Six and local residents, is seeking to build a sense of pride in the
community by offering a series of free outdoor events to showcase the community
park. MVNA is requesting assistance to help fund the purchase of equipment and
supplies to host a regular Movie Night at the Park, which stands on the site of
a former textile mill.
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).
