Oct 14, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Zeb Gantt, Community Research & Data Specialist
United Way of Greenwood & Abbeville Counties, in collaboration with local, state and national partners, is pleased to announce the successful launch of a new data platform. Greenwood Counts (www.greenwoodcounts.org) provides access to population health data, demographics, evidence-based practices, and information on vital resources and activities. The platform provides governments, health departments, hospitals, educational institutions, community-based organizations and human service providers with the resources needed to facilitate regional and community improvement activities and strengthen collaborations, both locally and regionally.
Using Greenwood Counts, individuals and organizations can view over 140 health and quality of life data indicators; map and visualize data, and generate tailored data reports; examine zip-code level maps of socio-economic needs; browse through a database of over 2,000 evidence based practices and programs; access zip code specific pages with local data, priorities, improvement activities, and resources; track progress towards county and regional goals and use tools for creating a community health needs assessment.
“Our vision for Greenwood Counts was to provide Greenwood County with a vital resource to support community improvement work in the region. We are eager to make the site scalable and replicable for other surrounding counties in the future, as this would enable the region to come together collectively to formulate shared goals. This new platform will engage diverse stakeholders, help pinpoint at-risk populations and areas of need, promote the implementation of programs proven to affect change, and provide tools to track and report on results at the zip code, county, and regional levels,” says Zeb Gantt, Community Research & Data Specialist, United Way of Greenwood & Abbeville Counties.
Having successfully launched, Greenwood Counts is now transitioning into building a community consortium. “The Greenwood Counts Community Consortium is being developed with one goal in mind, bringing representatives from across multiple sectors to advocate and advance system changes for a safer, healthier and happier community. The Consortium will drive conversations on how Greenwood plans and coordinates services and will serve as advisors for governments and community leaders,” says Marisel Losa, President & CEO, United Way of Greenwood and Abbeville Counties.
The Consortium will address our community’s greatest needs utilizing the resources of Greenwood Counts. The platform will serve as the data backbone for decision making through its easy-to-use navigation tools for supporting community improvement work. It will enable the Consortium to understand Greenwood’s greatest needs and track the progress towards remedying those needs overtime.
For more information on Greenwood Counts and the Greenwood Counts Community Consortium, please visit: www.greenwoodcounts.org
Oct 9, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Kyra Lobbins, Deputy Chief of Staff, Clemson University
Welcome Terence Roberts, TATT Chairman
Guest Presentation Kyra Lobbins, Deputy Chief of Staff, Clemson University
You can watch a recording of the meeting here.
6,800 students living on campus in the third week of classes
Masks are required on campus and in the city of Clemson
COVID testing percent positive is well below the state average
Clemson tested all students initially, now just on campus
Wastewater is being used to target testing; can pinpoint down to a floor in a dormitory
350 of 629 isolation beds being used; extending to 750 beds
207 students are isolating independently
Marketing research has showed that Clemson should thrive post-pandemic
All finals will be held online
When vaccine becomes available it will be provided to students
TATT Updates Dean Hybl, TATT Executive Director
Creating Upstate Unsung Heroes Virtual Event on November 18
- Register and nominate your Unsung Hero here.
Other events coming up
- Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem Workshop
- Sneak Pique
- Upstate Professional Planners Workshop
- Air Quality Group
- Creating a Safer Upstate Discovery Committee Meeting
Cherokee (Frannie Stockwell, Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce)
Businesses are getting back up and running slowly with some new openings and some closings
Elementary schools are back in person five days a week
The city passed a mask ordinance for employees and customers yesterday
The Chamber is hosting an in-person job fair on October 19
New Cherokee County vision 20/37 “A Clear Vision”
Pickens (Katie Mann, Hagood Mill)
Hagood Found took over day to day operations from Pickens County last year
Many events cancelled but many things still happening including grist mill 175 year celebration, Rural LISC digital inclusion grant to rural communities for local rural communities to provide funding support for those who cannot afford computers or internet www.hagoodmillhistoricsite.com
State sanctioned fiddling competition this month and next month is Native American Heritage Month celebration
Spartanburg (Doug Stephenson, SC Works Greater Upstate
One stop operator for SC Work Centers offering support to employers
Closed five centers mid-March due to COVID, started service by phone, virtually, email, etc.
Developed PPP and safety protocol with many donations from counties and local organizations
Centers reopened to people needing unemployment compensation
Several virtual job fairs have been held over the past months with one upcoming in Spartanburg
Greenville: 2325 in-person customers, Union 692, Cherokee: 1862; Spartanburg 4844
Union (Jami Trammell, Union County Chamber of Commerce)
New businesses have started with more in the pipeline
Have cancelled several events but still planning on Christmas parade
Hosting a drive-in movie
More new chamber members than ever before
Oct 6, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Troy Hanna, President & CEO of Spartanburg County Foundation
Construction is complete for the Robert Hett Chapman III Center for Philanthropy, the first center for philanthropy in the state of South Carolina.
The Center is a state-of-the-art hub for people to gather, analyze data, and share ideas for solutions to Spartanburg’s critical indicators. It will be a place where donors, nonprofits, and community groups meet and collaborate. It will also offer access to research and innovative tools for building the organizational capacity of Spartanburg nonprofits.
It was just over a year ago that The Spartanburg County Foundation hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for The Robert Hett Chapman III Center for Philanthropy. Over 150 community members and distinguished guests attended this landmark event.
“Our groundbreaking ceremony represented more than just breaking ground on the Center for Philanthropy,” said Mary Thomas, Chief Operating Officer. “We broke ground on the future of philanthropy in South Carolina and introduced a first-of-its-kind facility that will generate change not only in Spartanburg County but also throughout the state.”
The Center allows The Spartanburg County Foundation, its partners, nonprofits, and community leaders to move the needle on critical issues facing Spartanburg in an innovative, collaborative space designed to spark ideas and facilitate action around data-driven solutions to address the challenges that we all care about as a community. The Center will allow the Foundation to enhance the donor experience and proactively connect them to its program of work.
The Center meets the need for a flexible meeting and convening space in Spartanburg for nonprofits, other funders, and a multitude of organizations whose mission is to improve the lives of people in our county. “The Center for Philanthropy is all about Spartanburg and how we build a legacy and community here,” Thomas said. “We want people to naturally gather in the Center.”
Nonprofits will benefit from the Resource Media Room, an innovative learning space that will offer access to research and tools to strengthen an organization’s ability to fulfill its mission over time. The building will incorporate interactive technology, especially in the Gallery of Philanthropy, where stories of giving back will be featured in one of the many planned exhibits.
“The critical work that will be seen in the Center is already happening today,” said Troy Hanna, President and CEO. “This Center is not about a building, but the people who embody that work every day to shape our community’s future.”
Though the physical doors of the Robert Hett Chapman III Center for Philanthropy have not yet been opened to the community, the Center is already making a difference in the Spartanburg community. Through the Center for Philanthropy brick paver campaign, people can support disaster relief, including crucial COVID-19 assistance in Spartanburg County. Personalized, commemorative bricks are available to anyone interested in supporting The Spartanburg County Disaster Relief Fund and leaving a lasting, permanent mark on The Robert Hett Chapman III Center for Philanthropy.
“Through these brick pavers, the Center for Philanthropy is already able to connect to the community and support Spartanburg County through disaster relief,” said Troy Hanna, President and CEO of The Spartanburg County Foundation.
Learn more about the Robert Hett Chapman III Center for Philanthropy and brick pavers on the Foundation’s website at spcf.org.
Oct 6, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Dr. Nika White, Founder of Nika White Consulting, Senior Advisor to Greenville Chamber of Commerce Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative
The Greenville Chamber has a strong and long-lasting legacy of championing initiatives across the Greenville region to foster economic parity and community prosperity for all citizens. The Chamber has long-held the belief that such initiatives are not only the right thing to do, but that there is a business-case as well. Countless studies have found that diversity and inclusion leads to better business performance, better team collaboration and can even lead to better financial returns. The Greenville Chamber has several upcoming opportunities to engage in this meaningful work.
One new initiative created by the Greenville Chamber, in partnership with United Way of Greenville County and Urban League of the Upstate, to foster such growth in Greenville County is the Greenville Racial Equity and Economic Mobility (REEM) Commission. The Commission grew from ongoing community conversations to identify and address systemic racial barriers in Greenville County. The group will work collaboratively with other community partners to develop systems-level, meaningful solutions.
The Minority Business Accelerator (MBA) program is designed to strengthen and expand the regional minority entrepreneurial community. To accomplish this, MBA utilizes a two-pronged strategy: improving the readiness of local minority-business enterprises to serve as effective engines for economic development, and engaging the corporate community to more effectively utilize these firms through local supplier diversity efforts. Both actions are essential for improving the overall economic base in the Upstate. MBA participants undergo a rigorous yearlong business development program where they receive specialized training from business coaches, access to mentors, and access to large corporations for partnership opportunities. Recruitment for the 2021 MBA Cohort is currently underway. Learn more and apply at www.greenvillechamber.org/mba.
The Chamber will also host the 4th Annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit on October 20th. The critical work of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion starts within – not only within our organizations – but within ourselves as individuals. With a theme of “Amplify the I,” this year’s Summit will feature renowned speakers from across the nation teaching strategies to focus on the internal aspects of DEI work so that we may achieve a greater and more positive impact. For the first time, this event will be held virtually, allowing greater access across the region. To learn more and register, visit www.greenvillechamber.org.
Sep 30, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Chad Lawson, Director of Communications at Renewable Water Resources
Clean water and a thriving natural environment are two of the primary hallmarks of any successful community. Ensuring that these needs are not compromised during periods of rapid growth requires not just vision and discipline but careful, coordinated planning and precise execution.
All of us at ReWa understand that we play a critical role as both an environmental steward and a driver of economic development and growth. One of ReWa’s and, in fact, Greenville’s most ambitious and significant infrastructure projects, DIG Greenville, is an excellent example of how strategic planning and innovation meet to deliver great results.
As part of its ongoing efforts to employ cutting-edge technology to keep Greenville poised for what comes next, ReWa began construction on this multi-year wastewater conveyance tunnel project in 2018. This project aims to safely and efficiently revitalize our wastewater infrastructure in the growing Greenville community for the next 100 years.
Administered by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s State Revolving Fund Section and partially funded through the United States Environmental Protection Agency, DIG Greenville will alleviate the risk of overflows in Greenville’s wastewater collection system during peak events. It will also provide additional storage and capacity during wet weather to ensure future projected capacity needs. Evidenced by the numerous cranes and construction you see in Greenville, we are growing at an unprecedented pace. Without this critical project, capacity, or the availability in the pipes to add additional wastewater flows, would be minimal, limiting growth opportunities in our community.
As part of our stewardship efforts, we sought a solution for growing capacity needs that would minimize disruption to the area and its residents and provide the best long-term solution, so the idea for the tunnel was born. With digging recently completed , DIG Greenville’s tunnel is approximately 11 feet in diameter and nearly 6,000 feet long and will house a 7-foot diameter fiberglass reinforced carrier pipe. Wastewater will enter the diversion structure and drop shaft at Riley Street (near the Kroc Center) and flow underground to the downstream ending in Cleveland Park, where the new tunnel will connect with the existing system.
As the excavation phase concludes, work will shift to installing and connecting the pipe inside the tunnel, followed by restoring and landscaping both tunnel construction sites. The project is on track to be completed in May of 2021.
Here are some key statistics on ReWa, the project, and its impact:
- Each day ReWa cleans and returns more than 40 million gallons of water to area waterways.
- We operate nine water resource recovery facilities (WRRF) and more than 352 miles of pipe, and are responsible for wastewater treatment and collection services for a broad geographic area, including Greenville County and portions of Anderson, Laurens, Pickens, and Spartanburg Counties.
- ReWa has worked closely with various governmental and economic development entities on this project, even partnering with the Greenville Zoo to ensure the safety and well-being of any animals who might have been impacted by early blasting.
- In the spirit of complete transparency, we have distributed numerous updates and bulletins to area residents regarding the DIG project and hosted 14 “Sippin’ with Steve” public events to inform and update the public at every step of the process.
- The massive tunnel boring machine (TBM) used to dig under the city journeyed from Cleveland Park and will surface at the prepared site on Westfield Street near the Kroc Center. On its way, this huge and incredibly powerful machine bored through solid granite and crossed underneath the Reedy River twice.
- The tunnel boring machine began mining under the city in January 2020 and completed its work within the last few weeks.
- The total tunnel footage is 5,928 feet with a maximum depth of 120 feet, and the machine has operated at a production rate – 6.6 feet/hour (31.2 feet/day) and excavated more than 20,000 cubic yards of rock, which ReWa will use on future construction projects.
- The project is expected to be completed on-budget with no cost overruns.
While it’s not typically considered glamorous, having the necessary supporting infrastructure in place is the most critical factor in our area’s ability to support its incredible rate of growth. DIG Greenville has been embraced and celebrated by community groups, environmental organizations, economic development agencies, and government leaders alike and is evidence of ReWa’s commitment to meeting the needs of our community head-on and envisioning and driving a better for future us all. Simply put, we live here, too, and we will always do what is in the best interest of Greenville and the Upstate.
We look forward to sharing more exciting news on DIG Greenville soon. Please visit www.diggreenville.org for updates and additional information.
Sep 30, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Scott Carr, VP, Commercial Business & Communications, GSP Airport District
Much has changed since my last update on April 21, 2020. At that time, the significant changes to the aviation industry and how we travel were just beginning to be realized. At the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), we were actively modifying the airport’s operation to acclimate to the new and continually evolving environment.
During April 2020, passenger traffic at GSP decreased by 96% compared to the same month in 2019. In response, airlines swiftly canceled flights to adapt to the decreased passenger demand. Restaurant and retail operations that were initially consolidated to our Grand Hall for passenger convenience were later closed or had their operating hours reduced. The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, Vino Volo – Market Bar, DC3 Hot Dogs, Chick-fil-A, Thomas Creek Grill, RJ Rockers Flight Room, the Escape Lounge, Palmetto Distillery, and the Hudson retail stores on each concourse were all closed.
Since the airport is considered critical essential infrastructure, GSP had to remain fully operational and ready to serve the passenger, cargo, general aviation, and military needs of the region regardless of the level of consumer demand. So, it was imperative that we found a way to remain fully operational while absorbing significant losses in revenue and activity. To meet the call, the Airport District enacted significant measures to conserve funds and assist our airlines and business partners during this difficult time.
To ensure the highest level of safety for our customers, Airport District staff and our business partners implemented “Prepare for Takeoff”, which is a comprehensive communications program designed to encourage passenger safety and to stem the spread of the coronavirus at GSP. The program included the wearing of facial coverings in the terminal building, enhanced cleaning procedures, the installation of Plexiglass shields at ticket counters and gates, the installation of social distancing stickers throughout the terminal building, increased signage, additional hand sanitizing stations, and more.
Now, nearly six months into the pandemic, we are beginning to see some signs of recovery. Passenger traffic has steadily increased and we are now carrying about 35% of our pre-pandemic passenger traffic. While far from the record-setting activity we anticipated in the beginning of the year, volume at GSP is outpacing the national average and many similar-sized airports across the U.S.
In September 2020, the Vino Volo – Market Bar re-opened in the Grand Hall. In December 2020, we plan to reopen two additional restaurants including Chick-fil-A and The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck. We are also optimistic that a new restaurant concept to replace DC3 Hot Dogs may be opened during the first half of 2021; allowing even more choices for dining at GSP.
GSP has been fortunate to retain nearly all of its pre-pandemic air service access. While the number of daily flights has been reduced, we are confident that we will see nearly all our nonstop destinations restored in early 2021. In fact, as airlines rebuild their route networks, we have been busy suggesting new route opportunities from GSP. Based on some discussions last week, these efforts appear to be paying off, as we anticipate announcing one or two new nonstop destinations in the very near future. Stay tuned!
To ensure that the airport remains well positioned to serve the Upstate region’s needs once air travel demand returns, work has continued on several significant capital improvement projects. We anticipate that our new Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) station will open on schedule in November 2020 and that our new Economy Parking Lot C will be completed in January 2021.
Enhancements to the airport entrance road and work to relieve roadway congestion at the airport will also conclude by the end of the year. Our lighter flight schedule has allowed us to conduct necessary maintenance on our runway and taxiways and we have started to clear land for a future apron expansion and new aircraft hangar. In addition, a new roadway is currently being constructed and utilities relocated in preparation for a future parking garage, as parking demand warrants in future years.
Though we have seen some early signs of recovery in the aviation sector, we know that we still have a long way to go to return to pre-COVID-19 activity levels. We anticipate that passenger volume may not fully recover until 2023 or 2024 at GSP. The speed of this recovery will be highly dependent on how quickly business travel resumes. With over 60% of air travel at GSP reliant on business trips, we know that the level of access and flight frequency available at the airport will be closely tied to when and where companies located in the Upstate region travel. To ensure that GSP maintains quality air service options, it is critical for the nation to re-open, commerce to resume, and for the public to feel confident when they consider choosing air travel.
To that end, GSP remains committed to providing Upstate South Carolina travelers with a safe, clean, efficient, and modern airport offering quality connections to the people and places that matter most to them. Thank you for supporting GSP during this unprecedented time and we look forward to serving you on your next flight from your hometown airport.
