Dec 12, 2016 | News
Upstate, SC [December 12, 2016] – Ten at the Top, a non-profit organization focused on promoting collaboration and strategic planning across the Upstate region, has promoted Tiffany Tate to the role of Assistant Director. She has served in the position of Program Manager since joining TATT in October 2014.
Since joining the organization, Tate has overseen the doubling of TATT committees and committee volunteers to more than 20 committees and 500 active committee participants. She has also led the development of regional inventories in a number of areas including child well-being, non-traditional entrepreneurial funders, senior issues and outdoor recreation activities. In her new role, Tate will continue to oversee TATT programs and committees while taking on additional responsibilities in administration and outreach.
“Tiffany has done an amazing job increasing the involvement and impact of Ten at the Top’s committees and task forces,” said TATT Executive Director Dean Hybl. “In her expanded role, I expect Tiffany to continue having a positive impact not just on this organization, but also the Upstate region.”
A graduate of Liberty High School and Clemson University, Tate currently resides near Inman, SC.
About Ten at the Top
Formed in 2009, Ten at the Top envisions an Upstate region where collaboration, coordination and cooperation across communities and business sectors are hallmarks. It fosters partnerships and cooperation amongst the ten counties that form South Carolina’s Upstate, and encourages these diverse communities and stakeholder groups to work together to enhance the Upstate’s economic vitality and quality of life. To date, Ten at the Top has hosted more than 600 meetings, programs, workshops and forums that have informed and engaged 30,000+ participants. To learn more, visit www.tenatthetop.org.
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Dec 5, 2016 | News
Upstate, SC [December 5, 2016] – Longtime Upstate Community Leader Minor Mickel Shaw and Ten at the Top Executive Director Dean Hybl were recognized during the 2016 Celebrating Successes Forum hosted by Ten at the Top on November 29th. Shaw was honored with the 2016 Welling Award for Regional Collaboration and the first-ever Burdette Leadership Award. Hybl was surprised by Welling with another Welling Award in recognition of his efforts since becoming the first full-time director for Ten at the Top in 2010.
The Welling Award for Regional Collaboration was developed in 2012 in recognition of Irv Welling III, the founding chairman of Ten at the Top. It is given annually to an individual, business or organization whose actions have demonstrated a sustained commitment and effort towards developing and fostering regional collaboration that works strategically to make the Upstate one of the best places to live, learn, do business and raise a family.
Minor Mickel Shaw has been engaged in numerous local, regional and national efforts that help enhance economic vitality and quality of life in the Upstate. She serves as the chairperson of the Greenville Spartanburg Airport Commission and has been involved in a wide array of efforts that enhance regional thinking including serving as a founding member of the Ten at the Top Executive Committee and leading the effort to expand the focus of what is now Community Works Carolina from its initial creation as the Greenville Housing Fund.
“We would be here all night if I listed all the things Minor has been a part of,” said Welling. “She understands the big picture and has displayed many times her commitment to making the Upstate a better place.”
Since becoming the Executive Director of Ten at the Top when the organization moved from an ad hoc group to an incorporated non-profit, Dean Hybl has helped elevate the conversation around thinking across community and stakeholder boundaries. Ten at the Top has hosted more than 600 regional engagements with over 30,000 participants and is focused on building collaborative partnerships, strategic actions and collective capacity across the region.
“Dean hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped since,” Welling said of Hybl’s efforts over the last seven years. “He has worked tirelessly to spread the idea that working together will make all of us stronger and we are seeing the impact.”
The Burdette Leadership Award was established by the Ten at the Top Board of Directors to recognize Carol Burdette, the first female chairperson for Ten at the Top (serving for 2014-2015). The award is given to a woman who both leads and serves in the Upstate.
“Minor Shaw is a true servant leader,” Burdette said. “She has done so many things to enhance the lives for all of us in the Upstate region both through her leadership and her willingness to serve.”
Ten at the Top is a regional collaboration organization focused on promoting collaboration, partnerships and strategic planning across the Upstate on issues that impact economic vitality and quality of life in the ten-county region.
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Nov 30, 2016 | News
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 | News
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 | News
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 | News
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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