Nov 15, 2022 | Elevate Upstate, Press releases, Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
“I” Marks the Spot Scavenger Hunt – City of Inman (Inman)
“I” Marks the Spot will be a scavenger hunt in our downtown/Historic district. Our vision for this project is to develop an interactive scavenger hunt in our downtown. We believe that this will be of value to our community in many ways. The plan is to use a combination of bronze peach place markers and “vanishing” paint to create an interactive scavenger hunt for people to use to explore our downtown and learn about important pieces of our history, along with current places of importance.
Children’s Art in the Park – The Shaw Center (Clemson)
Neighborhood children will be invited to participate in painting individual boards to create a fun, diverse, and eclectic picket fence. The fence will serve as a backdrop for the park located in the middle of the neighborhood. They will be provided with a single board (already painted with primer), a variety of paint colors, a protective apron, and brushes and other painting supplies. They will be instructed to paint to represent their family, themselves, their neighborhood, things they love to do, Monarch butterflies – endless possibilities. We will also include educational information for them about Monarch butterflies and the recent recognition of Clemson as a Monarch City, so butterflies will be an option to include in their artwork. To incorporate an educational opportunity in collaboration with the SC Botanical Gardens, we plan to offer a field trip offered through the Littlejohn Community Center and CatBUS. The kids can apply what they learned by illustrating through painting on the fence boards. The Arts Center staff will also provide artists to help the kids brainstorm and sketch ideas before actually painting their boards.
Honea Path’s Got Talent – Town of Honea Path (Honea Path)
The Honea Path Planning Committee plans to reinstitute a successful one-time event that happened over 6 years ago: Honea Path’s Got Talent. This one-season event was very popular, but the event organizer only intended to provide the event for one year. The Town of Honea Path is under new leadership for the past 3 years and has placed a high priority on revitalizing the downtown by adding and enhancing events that draw tourists from surrounding areas to Honea Path. Honea Path’s Got Talent will be a reinvented 6-week event allowing people of all ages and backgrounds in Honea Path and the surrounding areas to showcase their talent.
Open Doors Studio Tours Spartanburg – Artists Collective of Spartanburg (Spartanburg)
The Open Doors Studio Tour is a chance to showcase the unique talents and diversity of the visual arts community of Spartanburg County. The Artists Collective Spartanburg is working with a committee of arts professionals and organizations from the area to establish the event. None of these organizations are funding Open Doors, and the event could be coordinated by any of these organizations in the future. The Open Doors Studio Tour is a self-guided 2-day event that is free to the public. Participating artists will open their studios to show and sell their work from 10 AM – 5 PM on Saturday, April 22, and from 12 – 5 PM on Sunday, April 23. Visitors will be directed by a map on the Open Doors Website, and a printed map inside the Open Doors catalog.
Polar Experience – City of Clinton (Clinton)
With the closest movie theater being over 30-minutes away, many children in Clinton will never get to experience what it is like to see a movie on the big screen. However, by bringing the big screen to the depot, they could finally get to experience something magical. The Polar Express is all about a magical experience that will be brought to life, not only for the children but also for the adults. With hot cocoa all around and the chairs nicely spaced out with a chill in the air, nothing says winter is here like the Polar Express.
Nov 19, 2021 | Press releases, Staying on Top
Greenville, SC [November 19, 2021] – Ten at the Top (TATT) hosted their 11th Annual Celebrating Successes event, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, yesterday November 17th at Greenville Convention Center. At this event, five finalists for the 2021 Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy Grants presented their projects on enhancing community vibrancy across the Upstate.
Hughes Investments contributes at least $10,000 per year to this 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 nearly $100,000 to community vibrancy initiatives across the Upstate.
There was a total of five finalists selected to present amongst the 19 applications that were submitted for the two grants available this year. At the event, each of the finalists presented a brief overview of their initiative before the 2021 recipients were selected by the committee and announced.
The two recipients of the 2021 Elevate Upstate Grants were the City of Belton and the Italian American Club of Greater Greenville.
The City of Belton was selected for their Belton’s Downtown Sounds Project, which will bring music and food to the Downtown Belton four times during the summer of 2022. Each of the four events will include local bands and food trucks.
The Italian American Club will be hosting their first-ever Italian-American Festival on Main Street in Fountain Inn. The one-day festival will include food & drink vendors, craft vendors, live music, dancing, and carnival rides. The area will be decorated with appropriate Italian décor to set the tone and atmosphere.
In addition to providing the two $5,000 grants, Hughes pledged to contribute $1,000 to each of the other three finalists if they move forward with their project. The other finalists were the United Way of Anderson, Conestee Nature Preserve and the Honea Path Planning Committee.
“Creating vibrancy in Upstate communities is such an important part of making this region a leading place to live and raise a family,” said Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top. “The Elevate Upstate Grants is a great way to grow vibrancy in the region. All five finalists presented exciting projects and it was a tough choice for the selection committee. I am excited for the projects to be implemented in 2022.”
Representative Rita Allison, the recipient of the Burdette Leadership Award, along with Neal Workman and Clemson University, recipients of the Welling Award for Regional Collaboration, were also recognized as a part of this event.
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 connect 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.
Nov 18, 2021 | Press releases, Staying on Top
Greenville, SC [November 18, 2021] – Ten at the Top (TATT) hosted their 11th Annual Celebrating Successes event yesterday, November 17th, at the Greenville Convention Center. During this event, Representative Rita Allison, Neal Workman, and Clemson University were honored for their contributions to enhancing the Upstate region. Allison received the Burdette Leadership Award while both Clemson University and Workman were recognized with the Welling Award for Regional Collaboration.
Celebrating Successes is an annual event presented by BlueCross and BlueShield of South Carolina. Ten at the Top annually hosts public forums, workshops, and other events across the Upstate on issues of regional significance with the overarching goal of building consensus, encouraging regional thinking, and enabling leaders to set aside parochial priorities in order to address critical challenges and visualize opportunities for the future.
This marks the sixth year of the Burdette Leadership Award, which is given in recognition of Carol Burdette, the first female chair of Ten at the Top. This award honors women who have both served and led across the Upstate. Previous recipients of the Burdette Award are Dr. Fay Sprouse, Beth Padgett, Minor Shaw, Dr. Becky Campbell, and SC Representative Chandra Dillard. Allison is currently in her second stint as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives having originally served as the representative for House District 36 from 1993 to 2002. She was reelected to the seat in 2008 and is currently the chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee.
The Welling Award for Regional Collaboration, named after Ten at the Top founding chairman Irv Welling, recognizes individuals who have demonstrated longstanding involvement in encouraging collaboration across jurisdictional and stakeholder boundaries. Previous recipients of the Welling Award include Erwin Maddrey, Phil Hughes, GSP International Airport, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Michelin North America, Dean Hybl, Minor Shaw, Carol Burdette, Rick Danner, Terence Roberts, and Bobby Hitt.
Workman, the founder of Trehel Corporation, was recognized for his decades long service to collaborative organizations across the Upstate. He has been a member and officer for multiple Chambers of Commerce in the region and was involved in starting the Oconee Economic Alliance. Workman is also a founding board member of Ten at the Top and served as the second chairman of the organization in 2012-2013.
Founded in 1889 as a public land-grant university in South Carolina, Clemson University has long been a catalyst for collaborative partnerships that enhance economic vitality and quality of life across the Upstate region and state of South Carolina. In recent years, efforts including the creation of CU-ICAR and partnerships with the Greenwood Genetics Center have increased the role of Clemson as a leader around key Upstate issues. In addition, the graduate program for City & Regional Program was instrumental in providing Ten at the Top with data and guidance when developing the Our Upstate Vision created during the first two years of the organization and still used today as part of TATT’s strategic plan.
“Last year’s event was virtual, with a different spin on it as we honored unsung heroes, so we are incredibly grateful to honor these deserving award recipients in-person. These leaders are very important to our Upstate community, and it is a privilege to recognize their hard-work, leadership, and commitment to our region at our annual event,” said Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top.
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 connect 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.
Jul 6, 2021 | Elevate Upstate, Press releases
Greenville, SC l July 6, 2021 — After taking off a year due to the Global Pandemic, the 2021 grant period for the Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Grants is currently open. On July 14th, Ten at the Top will host a workshop to guide applicants through the process and parameters of the grants. The workshop is from 1:30-3:00 p.m. at their event space at Park 37, 250 Executive Center Drive in Greenville.
Since 2013, Hughes Investments has provided nearly $100,000 in funds to 30 local communities as part of the Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy Grant program. The purpose of the Elevate Upstate Grants is to identify and provide initial funding support for community-based programs that promote community and economic vibrancy in local areas across the Upstate.
“The Elevate Upstate Grants are for those wishing to bring new life to their communities—a spark, a fresh idea, a new tradition—something that will excite the public and bring people together from all walks of life in a new way,” said Phil Hughes, President of Hughes Investments, Inc.
The workshop will include an overview of the program by Dean Hybl, Phil Hughes and three-time Elevate Upstate grant recipient Jonathan Irick from the City of Laurens Main Street Program.
“The last year has definitely been different and especially challenging for creating community vibrancy,” said Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top. “Phil Hughes and Hughes Investments has long been a local champion around encouraging community vibrancy and we are pleased that the Elevate Upstate Grants will again be available for communities and organizations in 2021.”
The grant period opened June 1st with an initial interest form due by August 13th and the completed applications due by September 17th. Two grants of $5,000 each will be awarded at Ten at the Top’s Annual Celebrating Successes event on November 17th, where finalists will have the opportunity to present their proposed project before a final judgment is made.
The Elevate Upstate Grant Workshop is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. You can learn more about the workshop and register through this link.
May 18, 2021 | Press releases, Staying on Top
Greenville, SC | May 18th, 2021 – On Monday, May 24th, Ten at the Top and the Urban League of the Upstate will host a special Lunch and Learn event from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. This event is open to the public and will feature Lawrence Jackson, an official White House Photographer and author of the book Yes We Did: Photos and Behind-the-Scenes Stories Celebrating Our First African American President. This virtual lunch & learn is free to join, but advance registration is required and can be completed by clicking here.
Lawrence will talk about his journey from Richmond, Virginia and James Madison University to the White House, where he served as a photographer for President Obama from 2009-2017 and is currently the official White House photographer for Vice President Kamala Harris. He also will share some of his favorite photos and stories from his White House experiences.
“I have known Lawrence for many years and am excited that he will share about his career journey and amazing experiences working as a White House photographer,” said Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top. “He has not only witnessed history, but he has preserved it for all-time and it will be great to have him share some of the pictures and stories with an Upstate audience.”
Comprised of public, private and civic leaders from across the ten-county Upstate South Carolina Region, Ten at the Top was created to connect 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.
“It is famously said, “That a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words” and we are thrilled to have this unique opportunity with White House Photographer, Lawrence Jackson,” said Sean Dogan, President and CEO of the Urban League of the Upstate. “We look forward to hearing and seeing about Lawrence’s experiences over the years, working to capture history first-hand as it has unfolded over time.”
The mission of the Urban League of the Upstate is to advance equity by empowering black and other underserved communities through advocacy, education and economic stability. Under the leadership of the Interim President and Chief Executive Officer Reverend Sean Dogan, the Urban League of the Upstate continues to support and advocate for the economic equality for African Americans by building strong and stable communities.
Click here to register for the Lunch & Learn with White House Photographer Lawrence Jackson hosted by Ten at the Top and the Urban League of the Upstate on May 24th.
ABOUT TEN AT THE TOP
Comprised of public, private and civic leaders across the ten-county Upstate South Carolina Region, Ten at the Top was created to build regional trust and consensus 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 encourage quality growth and enhance the economic vitality, natural and cultural resources and quality of life for Upstate residents both today and as the region continues to grow. www.tenatthetop.org.
ABOUT THE URBAN LEAGUE
The mission of the Urban League of the Upstate is to advance equity by empowering black and other underserved communities through advocacy, education and economic stability. https://urbanleagueupstate.org
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Feb 1, 2021 | Press releases
Ten at the Top is pleased to announce the addition of 14 new board members for the 2021-2023 term. Each new member participated in one of the TATT New Board Member orientation sessions held on January 28 and 29. They join existing members to form the governing board for the 10-county non-profit organization.
New Members to the TATT board are:
Geoff Beans, Associate, NAI Earle Furman
Alex Butterbaugh, Owner, Keowee Brewing Company
Annie Caggiano, President & CEO, Oconee Economic Alliance
Dr. Annette Christy, Executive Council Member, AARP of South Carolina
Stinson Ferguson, Special Counsel, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd
Joel Jones, Chief Operating Officer, ReWa
Brown Patterson, Chairman, Laurens County Council
Abby Russell, Corporate Relations Director, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
Nathan Senn, Mayor, City of Laurens
Frannie Stockwell, President, Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Michael Thorsland, Superintendent, School District of Oconee County
Jenny Wehrs, Vice President-Operations, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System
Julie Wilkie, City Manager, City of Greenwood
Trentsie Williams, Director of Finance, Meg’s House
The TATT Board of Directors is composed of public, private and civic leaders from across the 10-county Upstate region. TATT board members are charged with representing the region and their community in fostering trust and collaboration across the region on issues of regional significance, serving as an advocate for regional thinking within their specific city or county, assisting TATT in engaging elected officials, business and community leaders, and supporting general organizational functions.
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 connect 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.