Jan 23, 2026 | News
Our first TATT Chat of the year highlighted how tourism marketing drives economic growth across the Upstate of South Carolina by attracting visitors, talent, and businesses.
Heath Dillard, CEO of Visit Greenville, outlined the significant economic impact of tourism in Greenville County. In 2024, visitors generated a total economic impact of $2.5 billion, including more than $1.7 billion in direct spending at local businesses. Tourism supports one in every 25 jobs in the county and contributes over $200 million in state and local tax revenue. Visit Greenville’s marketing efforts influenced 1.5 million trips, producing a $453 million economic impact in fiscal year 2025. Visit Greenville public relations, social media growth, and digital engagement, resulted in approximately 15,000 website visits per day in 2025. Their sales team booked more than 270 events, resulting in 185,000 group room nights and over $150 million in economic impact. Major upcoming events include the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, NCAA Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds, and Greenville’s appearance on Top Chef Carolinas.
Chief Tourism Development Officer, Billy Dunlap of OneSpartanburg, described their unique role as South Carolina’s only consolidated business, economic, and tourism development organization. Guided by its “Vision Plan,” OneSpartanburg focuses on talent, economy, and place. In 2025, Spartanburg secured $3.5 billion in capital investment across 20 projects, including the $500 million Project Core downtown development featuring Fifth Third Park. Sports tourism remains a major driver in Spartanburg, with 94 events generating $32 million in direct spending in the past fiscal year. The organization has also launched a new marketing campaign, “Take a Bite Out of the Berg,” along with a forthcoming “Experience Spartanburg” website and a new destination guide.
Kelly McQuarter, of Discover Greenwood, announced plans for a new destination center on Main Street, opening in April. Greenwood is advancing major projects such as Oregon Station, a food hall–style development with dining, entertainment, and outdoor concerts. A new campaign, “Only in Greenwood,” will highlight the area’s unique experiences, while sports tourism and targeted marketing tied to The Masters in Augusta continue to attract visitors. “Only in Greenwood,” will kick off with “Fresh Start Only in Greenwood” in the first quarter. This will be integrated into their new destination center and promoted at the Greenville Spartanburg International Airport.
Founded in 1978, Discover Upcountry focuses on encouraging visitation and spending across the broader region, reinforcing tourism as a cornerstone of the Upstate’s economy. Discover Upcountry Director, Tim Todd explains the organization’s regional role in promoting six Upstate counties Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg. This year the United States is celebrating our 250th anniversary. There were several key battles in the Upstate that changed the tide of the war. In fact, four of the six counties Discover Upcountry promotes are named after war generals. There is a continuing campaign to remember these battlegrounds as they are key historical sites in our region.
Jan 21, 2026 | News
Measles has been a popular topic amongst the media, as cases have arisen across the Upstate. For our November TATT Chat, we were joined by Dr. Kandi Fredere from the South Carolina Department of Public Health. Dr. Fredere gave us an update on how healthy South Carolina is compared to the rest of the United States.
As of Nov. 12, 2025, there have been 46 confirmed cases of Measles in the Upstate, with 97% of those being unvaccinated residents. Between 2019-2020, only 92.1% of kindergartners were received the MMR vaccine. We suspect that the number of vaccinated children may be even lower now. Measles can have severe complications like pneumonia, and even death. To learn more about measles cases in the Upstate, prevention, and government response please visit SCDPH’s website by clicking here.
Currently South Carolina ranks 40th in the country for life expectancy after birth. The average life expectancy across the state is between 75.2-77.5 years old, with rural communities often seeing lower numbers. This correlates with the number of residents that are uninsured, with the largest number coming from rural and downtown communities. 35% of South Carolinians have a BMI of 30 or higher, ranking us 29th in the country for obesity. To combat these issues, there are nine priority areas that SCDPH is focused on. To learn more about this effort and view the 2024 annual report on state health, visit the link below.
Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina 2024 Annual Report
Our November Resource Update was brought to us by Rebecca Maddox, Chief Executive Officer for the Phoenix Center. Since 1973, the Phoenix Center has been offering a safe place for people suffering from substance abuse to recover. It is primarily there for those who may not be able to afford to enter a recovery program. Out of 46 counties in South Carolina, only four of them have a publicly funded detox program. In 2024, the Phoenix Center helped 5,000 people with treatment, and another 21,000 in substance abuse prevention. Programs have been successful with an 82% reduction in alcohol abuse, and an 89% reduction in drug use. To learn more about the services offered by the Phoenix Center visit their website by clicking here.
Jan 21, 2026 | News
Oct. 15, 2025, marks the 67th anniversary of the first flight at GSP International Airport in 1958. VP/Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Tom Tyra, informed us about several upcoming projects concerning the airport.
Three million passengers travel through GSP every year. To accommodate this, the airport has made several improvements to make the visitor experience more seamless. One of the largest upcoming projects is the repaving of runway 4/22. 6,500 feet of runway will be repaved with asphalt, in addition to 11,001 feet of shoulder area, and the runway safety areas. It has been 17 years since the runway was paved, and 30 years since the shoulder has been addressed. The project is set to take place in 2026 in three phases starting on July 27-Sept. 4 with nightly runway closures. There will be two 72-hour full runway closures Sept. 11-13 and Sept. 18-20. The last phase is expected to take place from Sept. 14-Nov. 12 with nightly closures. This is the most efficient way to complete this project as it would take over 200 nights of partial closures to complete runway work.
Roadways into the airport have been upgraded as well as the addition of lanes in front of the terminal, increasing traffic efficiency. A new 1,500 space parking garage is expected to be fully operational by December 2025. Two passenger boarding bridges for gates A0 and B5 have been added to handle the increase in airport traffic. The facility is also updating all the seats, adding 20% seating capacity with charging stations. This is projected to be completed by the end of 2025. For more information regarding airport projects please visit https://gspairport.com/trip/.
During our TATT Chat, Gateway SC presented us with a resource update. Oct. 10, 2025, is World Mental Health Day. One in five adults have a mental health issue. To help combat this, Gateway utilizes the Clubhouse International model which focuses on building connections and viable skills. This is an excellent standard because it is internationally recognized and more cost effective than other treatment programs. For more information about how to support Gateway SC please visit https://gateway-sc.org/support-gateway/.
Jan 21, 2026 | News
Our Sept. 11, 2025, TATT Chat focused on homelessness in the upstate. Keynote speakers Hannah Jarratt from A Place to Call Home, and Cody Carver from Greenville Together updated us with statistics, 2025 progress, and ways to support their mission.
A Place to Call Home is a Spartanburg based collective focused on sustainable housing. As of Jan. 1, 2025, there were 288 homeless people in Spartanburg County. Unfortunately, APTCH estimates that 65% of homelessness goes unreported, making the number of unhoused people significantly higher. Prevention, service, and housing are crucial steps in APTCH’s mission. A Way Home is a program operated by APTCH and The Faith Initiative to End Child Poverty. Around 90 days ago, they opened a family shelter in Spartanburg County. This filled a huge void as there were no family shelters currently available in the area. “We envision a Spartanburg County where homelessness is recognized as a solvable problem and where everyone has a safe, secure place to call home.”
Greenville Together is collaborative effort supported by United Way of Greenville, United Housing Connections, United Ministries, and the Triune Mercy Center. In Jan. 2025, Greenville Together estimated that there were 739 homeless people in Greenville County. Once again, the number is likely larger as homelessness often goes unreported. Greenville Together is utilizing a one-year, six-step action plan that includes accountability, public education, and training. The goal is to house 80 unsheltered households by the end of 2025. They also have a three-year, four-step comprehensive plan aimed at reducing homelessness amongst all populations. One of the ways to support Greenville Together is through their street counts. These are held on the last Thursday of the month. To participate in a street count email Cody Carver at ccarver@greenvilletogether.org.
For more information about A Place to Call Home and Greenville Together watch our Sept. TATT Chat and visit the websites below.
A Place to Call Home
Greenville Together
Sep 25, 2025 | News
By Dean Hybl
Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s gave me countless memories I cherish. Yet one area I wish had been different was how society approached mental health and personal struggles. Back then, women were often expected to step away for “a good cry,” while men were allowed the occasional outburst—sometimes fueled by alcohol, sometimes by stress—without much concern. Children were left to process these behaviors on their own, while being told never to show weakness.
Over the past 40 years, our culture has begun to shift. We talk more openly about mental health, but even today in 2025, stigma remains, and resources are still stretched far too thin. Recognizing this need, Ten at the Top, the SC Department of Public Health Upstate Region, and the SC Office of Rural Health have partnered with more than 100 organizations within the Behavioral Health field to grow the collective capacity of behavioral health services across the Upstate. This work, highlighted during the recent Resilient Upstate Behavioral Health Collaborative rollout, shed light on sobering statistics.
In our region, more than 16% of adults report experiencing poor mental health at least half of every month. Over a quarter have been diagnosed with depression. Suicide—an issue I first encountered in high school when a classmate’s younger brother took his own life—remains devastatingly prevalent. At that time, students were told they should “speak up” when they struggled but offered little guidance or support if they did. The stigma was heavy, especially for men, who were expected to suppress emotion and just “get over it”. It’s no surprise, then, that men continue to die by suicide at far higher rates than women.
The numbers are stark. According to the SC Department of Public Health, the male suicide rate in the Upstate is 28.3 deaths per 100,000—nearly four times the female rate of 7.2. Both figures exceed state and national averages. Even more troubling, suicide is now the second leading cause of death for Upstate residents ages 10 through 34, behind only accidental injuries. It is also disproportionately high among men over 75 and veterans. These deaths are preventable, and we must treat them as such.
Encouragingly, new tools and resources are being developed to change the narrative. At the rollout event, the collaborative unveiled a workplace toolkit to help employers support employees and families, along with stigma-reduction programs to spark courageous conversations. They also introduced the Behavioral Health Professional Pipeline, a hub highlighting 16 different career paths in behavioral health, aimed at inspiring young people to enter this critically important field. DREAMS Workshops are also helping foster Recovery Friendly Workplaces, ensuring both businesses and communities benefit from healthier environments.
My hope is that when people look back on this decade 50 years from now, they’ll see a turning point: the moment when our culture finally began to treat mental health as openly and seriously as physical health. By dismantling stigma, promoting resources, and encouraging honest conversations, we can create an Upstate—and a future—where no one suffers in silence, and where preventable deaths are truly prevented.
(You can check out the Resilient Upstate Resources at: https://tenatthetop.org/resilient-upstate-behavioral-health-initiative/)
Supporting mental health and well-being in the workplace is an important employee retention strategy. Please Join us for one of the Turning Resources Into Actionable Behavioral Health Workplace Practices Workshops. We are limiting each to a maximum of 20 attendees to ensure opportunities for discussion.
October 15 – 9:30-11:30 a.m. – Park 37 Complex (150 Executive Center Dr., Greenville, SC 29615) – Link to Register
November 5 – 9:30-11:30 a.m. – Park 37 Complex (150 Executive Center Dr., Greenville, SC 29615) – Link to Register
![“Striving to Achieve a Great Society”]()
May 22, 2025 | News
by Dean Hybl, Executive Director, Ten at the Top
It was in a speech at the University of Michigan 71 years ago, on May 22, 1964, that President Lyndon Johnson first outlined strategies to address poverty, racial inequality, and other social issues in the United States in an overall domestic agenda that would become known as the “Great Society”.
Among the programs and legislation developed as part of the agenda were the:
- Economic Opportunity Act of 1964: Created the Office of Economic Opportunity, including Job Corps and Head Start.
- Social Security Act Amendments (1965): Created Medicare and Medicaid.
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965): Expanded federal funding for education.
- Civil Rights Act of 1964: Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
- Voting Rights Act of 1965: Eliminated discriminatory voting practices.
- Department of Housing and Urban Development: Established to address housing issues.
While like most people I have heard the “Great Society” referenced throughout the years, I didn’t really understand the totality of the effort and its goal to end poverty in the United States until recently reading the book “An Unfinished Love Story” by author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
In the book, Kearns-Goodwin walks through the history of the 1960s using the more than 300 boxes of papers and memorabilia compiled by her husband, Dick Goodwin. Goodwin was a speechwriter and staff member in the White House for both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.
It was, in fact, Goodwin who coined the phrase “Great Society” though he was just one of several advisors who helped Johnson frame the agenda.
One thing that struck me when reading about the early development of the “Great Society” agenda was the clear belief by Johnson and those around him that the effort could successfully end poverty across the United States.
As I think about what has evolved over the last 71 years and specifically where we are as a community and nation today, it strikes me that while the result of the work of Johnson and others helped create some measurable positive impacts, we are still dealing with most of the issues identified in the “Great Society” today.
The three pillars of the Great Society program were education, employment and healthcare. In addition to the development of the programs I highlighted earlier, it also created the National Endowment for the Arts, called for support for mental illness, and set the groundwork for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 during the administration of President Richard Nixon.
When looking at the work that Ten at the Top has been doing to support economic vitality and quality of life in the Upstate region over the last 15 years, I can’t help but see the connections between the idea of a “Great Society” where every person has the opportunity to thrive and the idea of Ten at the Top to build the collective capacity of businesses, organizations and communities across our Upstate region.
Since 2010, Ten at the Top has engaged Upstate leaders around such a wide array of issues that all are part of the goal of making this a better place for every person living in the region.
From air quality, transportation and education to senior needs, affordable housing, public safety, land use, mental health, entrepreneurial support and community vibrancy, communities, organizations and businesses across the region are working individually and have worked collaboratively on many of the issues vital to providing an opportunity for all people to achieve individual and collective success.
Though the optimism of those in the 1960s that creating the “Great Society” would end poverty in our country has certainly proven not to be true, I will say that the foundation created during that time has been critical to the gains that have been achieved across this region and country over the last 70 years.
As we move forward, we must not lose sight of the idealistic goal that we live in the wealthiest country in the world and by working together we can make this a place where every person can reach their full potential.
Dean Hybl, Executive Director, Ten at the Top
Ten at the Top is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with the mission of fostering collaboration and partnerships that create collective capacity and enhance the economic vitality and quality of life of the Upstate region. You can learn more at www.tenatthetop.org.
