Jul 14, 2020 | Staying on Top
Dean Hybl, Executive Director, Ten at the Top
Depending on the minute, I could probably argue equally that 2020 has flown by faster than normal or that 2020 seems like the year that will never end. Either way, there is no disputing that 2020 is a year like none other and certainly one that they will be writing history books about for decades to come.
When the year began, historically low unemployment and a continuing strong growth in the Upstate’s economy provided great clarity about what issues were important to prioritize. At Ten at the Top, our primary focus areas at the beginning of the year included: Talent Attraction (most specifically around the K-12 teacher shortage), Mobility & Access to Transportation; Senior Needs, and Connecting Disconnected Communities to Resources for Starting & Growing a Business.
We were also looking forward to the 5th anniversary of the Pique Young Leaders Summit to be held in March and the 2020 Upstate Summit with best-selling author Richard Florida as the keynote speaker in September.
Click on the image to see an enlarged graphic.
As we all now clearly know, the best laid plans are no match for a global pandemic.
Beginning in early March, TATT joined most other businesses, local governments and non-profit organizations across the country in pivoting focus towards the growing global health crisis as well as the economic crisis that quickly developed as a result of the shutdown of non-essential in-person businesses.
As an organization that uses convening and connecting as a way to engage the community, Ten at the Top was able to very quickly redirect our primary focus to how we could help compile and share information needed by Upstate organizations and residents during this time of crisis.
On March 16th, TATT created the Upstate COVID-19 Community Link Repository that ultimately included links to more than 100 health, utility, education, business, government and many other resources across the Upstate.
An increased presence on social media as well as weekly e-newsletters with specific resources and insight from a variety of sector leaders from across the region provided additional opportunities for TATT to connect with Upstate residents and to share important community information.
Recognizing the need for a continued platform to keep stakeholders connected during a time of social distancing, TATT quickly began a series of virtual workshops for our Entrepreneur Ecosystem work group. We also began a TATT CHAT virtual workshop series that provided regular opportunities for stakeholders from across the region to connect with each other and hear updates on key issues impacting the region.
Building on previous efforts to build interactive regional asset maps, in partnership with Clemson University and Upstate United Ways, TATT developed an interactive regional food access map to help identify available food resources across the region for people dealing with food insecurity.
As a result of these efforts, Ten at the Top has reached a broader audience across the Upstate throughout the first half of 2020.
TATT’s social media reach (through Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter) eclipsed 375,000 impressions and 44,000 direct engagements. The TATT Website saw a 31.91% increase in sessions during the COVID-19 crisis with nearly 49,000 sessions and over 71,000 pageviews so far in 2020. In addition, TATT electronic newsletters resulted in nearly 35,000 views and more than 5,000 clicks.
Moving TATT’s convening platform from in-person to virtual proved to be a positive opportunity to engage a wide range of participants from across the region. TATT hosted 27 virtual meetings with 832 total participants. In addition to the TATT CHAT and Entrepreneur Workshops, TATT also hosted an Upstate Virtual Listening Tour where stakeholders from the seven non-urban counties in the Upstate provided insight into their focus and concerns as we move forward in the health and economic crisis. The result of those sessions was a summary report and several next steps.
Though much of the focus of TATT staff during the second quarter of 2020 was on outreach, there was also continued work done to advance the focus areas identified at the beginning of the year.
The Upstate Mobility Alliance was officially launched in January and Michael Hildebrand was hired as the director. The Alliance is convening four workgroups around various elements of mobility (Moving People/Public Transportation, Growing Mobility Investments, Active & Livable Communities, and Technology & Innovation). The Alliance is also supporting local efforts to advance transportation & mobility across both the urban and rural areas within the region.
The Education Spectrum initiative looking at the K-12 teacher shortage announced the Teach at the Top campaign in late 2019 and began a social media presence in 2020. In addition, work is currently underway on a Teacher Gateway platform to provide connections to all the information needed by someone interested in becoming a teacher in the Upstate.
The global pandemic and economic crisis illustrated the need for an Entrepreneur Ecosystem that connects service providers with opportunities to grow the awareness of programs available to support entrepreneurs and small business owners. In addition to hosting seven virtual workshops, the Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem also has continued to identify opportunities to connect the disconnected with needed entrepreneur resources. In the second half of 2020, the focus on building awareness and understanding of resources will continue through multiple platforms.
Another issue that has become a top focus in recent weeks is community safety following a number of deaths across the country at the hands of police officers and subsequent national protests around the Black Lives Matter movement.
Under the leadership of Terence Roberts, the Mayor of the City of Anderson and 2020-2021 Chairman of Ten at the Top, in July TATT will begin convening a discovery committee to look at opportunities to increase the safety of all residents across the Upstate while supporting community unity. Please be on the lookout for more information and a set of recommendations during the second half of 2020.
Unfortunately, the global pandemic has impacted TATT’s ability to host some of our signature events in 2020. The annual Pique Young Professionals Summit has twice been postponed and we are currently looking at alternatives to an in-person event for 2020. The bi-annual Upstate Regional Summit has been postponed until May 5, 2021, though we are pleased that Richard Florida will still be available to serve as the keynote speaker. The status of other TATT networking events and the annual Celebrating Successes event are currently in limbo with decisions to be made over the next several months.
Though the first half of 2020 has provided all of us with a new set of personal and professional challenges that were unforeseen when the year began, there are many great examples from across our region of individuals, organizations and communities working collaboratively to overcome these challenges. By continuing to think creatively and work collaboratively, the Upstate will address the challenges ahead and ultimately emerge from this crisis with greater resolve and community strength to tackle future tests and ensure this region remains a special place to live, learn, do business and raise a family for generations to come.
Jul 9, 2020 | Economic & Entrepreneurial Vitality, Human Potential, Shared Upstate Vision, Staying on Top, Sustainable Growth
General Overview
While cities, counties, businesses and organizations across the Upstate continue to address public health and economic issues related to the global pandemic, Ten at the Top remains committed to serving as a regional convener and connector to help support local efforts and grow the Upstate’s collective capacity.
To help better understand the concerns and challenges being faced by communities across the Upstate, Ten at the Top recently completed a “Listening Tour” of the seven non-urban counties in the region (all counties except Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg). Each session included input from leaders from local governments, community organizations, businesses and other local stakeholders.
While each county had its own nuances and distinct approach to responding to the pandemic, there were a number of similarities across the region.
- Most encouragingly, each county reported that overall the response to provide needed services to those facing immediate hardship has been successful in meeting the general needs of all residents, including children, seniors and college students. Another commonality has been a collaborative spirit as many local entities, including some that had not previously worked together, have collaborated to meet the needs of local residents.
- Communication has been an important element and communities have used a variety of methods to ensure that residents are aware of programs as well as health services. Social media has played an important role in many communities, but with a significant portion of residents in rural counties not serviced by high speed internet, that approach has not reached all residents.
- Accessible and affordable internet was a theme across the region. In some communities, school buses were deployed to help residents connect to internet, especially to assist students. However, with transportation also being an issue for some residents, reaching an internet hot spot was not always possible.
- With many businesses shut down for an extended period of time due to the stay-at-home order issued by Governor McMaster, there is great concern about how quickly small businesses can recover. Many communities have worked with business service agencies to help ensure their business owners are able to connect to government support programs developed to reduce the impacts on local businesses. In addition, many local business organizations have been providing marketing and promotional support for local businesses.
- One interesting commonality among the communities is that while COVID-19 has spotlighted issues including internet accessibility and fragility of small businesses in rural communities, there are also a number of issues that were of concern prior to COVID-19 that remain priorities across the Upstate.
- Mobility and lack of transportation access has become a regional priority in recent years, especially for many residents of rural communities who are unable to improve their personal economic mobility due to lack of access to transportation. Skill training also remains an issue in many Upstate counties as the technical colleges, Workforce Boards and others continue to provide a critical service to help people gain skills needed for higher paying jobs.
During each session, members of the Ten at the Top team asked a specific set of questions around the topics of general collaboration, economic development & small businesses, infrastructure & mobility and social services, public health and education. Below are composite summaries of the general feedback heard across the region. You can also read each of the county specific summaries through this link.
Polling Questions
For all counties except for Cherokee, participants were provided with a series of poll questions and asked to rank on a scale of 1–10 (I being not at all met and 10 being totally met) their impression on the response for each category.
| County |
|
Abbeville |
Cherokee |
Green-wood |
Laurens |
Oconee |
Pickens |
Union |
| Number of Responses |
|
7 |
2 |
10 |
15 |
8 |
12 |
9 |
| When it comes to social services and health care in your county, how do you feel your community’s personal well-being needs have been met? |
Avg. |
8 |
|
8 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
| Mean |
7 |
|
8 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
6 |
| Min |
5 |
|
6 |
3 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
| Max |
9 |
|
9 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
| Within your county, how do you feel the needs of your manufacturers and other larger employers have been met? |
Avg. |
7 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
| Mean |
7 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
6 |
| Min |
7 |
6 |
7 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
5 |
| Max |
8 |
8 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
| Within your county, how do you feel the needs of your restaurants and retail stores have been met? |
Avg. |
6 |
|
6 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
| Mean |
6 |
|
5 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
| Min |
5 |
|
3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
| Max |
7 |
|
9 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
| Within your county, how do you feel the needs of your local (non-chain or franchise) small businesses and entrepreneurs have been met? |
Avg. |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
| Mean |
5 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
| Min |
4 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
| Max |
7 |
6 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
| Within your county, how do you feel the needs of your schools, colleges, and universities have been met? |
Avg. |
6 |
|
7 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
| Mean |
6 |
|
7 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
| Min |
5 |
|
5 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
| Max |
7 |
|
8 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
| Within your county, how do you feel the needs of your local and county governments have been met? |
Avg. |
7 |
|
6 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
| Mean |
7 |
|
5 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
6 |
| Min |
5 |
|
2 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
| Max |
9 |
|
10 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
Collaboration
Questions asked by Dean Hybl, Executive Director
What role has collaboration played in communities across the Upstate as they respond to COVID-19?
Whether it be previously developed collaborative partnerships or ones created specifically to collectively respond to COVID-19, collaboration has clearly been critical in all communities during the pandemic. Collaboration has been used by different communities to share information, identify resources and implement needed services. The result has been a general feeling in most Upstate counties that the response to COVID-19 has been a team effort with everyone playing their own specific role in the effort.
Are there any examples of communities being pro-active in their approaches?
Prior to COVID-19, Pickens County had passed a state of emergency ordinance that called for city agencies to automatically coordinate with each other during a state of emergency. As a result, when a number of agencies had limited day-to-day work due to COVID-19, those employees were repurposed to help the community in various ways, including distributing meals on wheels, collecting food and assisting the United Way.
Economic Development & Small Business
Questions asked by Erin Ouzts, Entrepreneur Ecosystem Coordinator
In general, what was the state of small businesses & entrepreneurs in the Upstate prior to COVID-19 and how does that set things up for recovery? Generally growing, expanding and starting to thrive. Many new businesses getting started.
What were some of the major impacts seen by small businesses during COVID-19? Closings and shifting to curb-side delivery. Scrambling to understand and get PPP and EIDL loans. How to get funding for under-the-table workers and non-legally-registered organizations. Exposure of their lack of understanding of internet usage to get information and post updated information. Challenges that came with not knowing where or how to look for and find information. Lack of clean/updated financial documents led to extra work by banks and accountants. Having fast enough internet at home, or even access at all, hampered attempts to do online activities.
Please share any unique programs or support efforts that were undertaken across the region. $75k spent on advertising for “shop local”; technology audit; community-based loan funds popping up everywhere. Sandwich board signs for downtown businesses.
What established resources were most helpful to small businesses & entrepreneurs during the crisis? SBDC, Chambers, county and city economic development organizations
What was the general experience and challenges around utilizing EIDL & PPP programs? Scrambling to understand PPP and EIDL loans. Not having a big-bank relationship. How to get funding for under-the-table workers and non-legally-registered organizations. Challenges that came with not knowing where or how to look for and find information. Lack of clean/updated financial documents led to extra work by banks and accountants. Banks trying to process applications and answer questions while the rules were still being decided.
Is there a general lesson that COVID-19 has taught local communities and/or small business owners? Have the business of our business in order (legal, financial, accounting); be nimble and able to shift resources to maximize opportunity for revenue quickly; know how to use the internet, social media, etc. to post AND find updated information.
In general, how have manufacturers and larger employers fared during COVID-19? Most have fared well. They are moving to smaller groups of employees at a time and are adjusting for social distancing. Seems that other than getting through to unemployment office, getting the unemployment insurance was something most employees pursued.
Share examples of best practice efforts by counties to support manufacturers. SBDC weekly information sessions and webinars. SBDC phone meetings and ability to set appointments online, plus loan programs, help with setting guidelines.
Please share any potential programs, collaborative efforts or other initiatives that could be implemented to support communities, businesses & entrepreneurs across the region. Community loan programs, technology training, advertising and promotion support, additional social media campaigns by city and chambers, webinars on how-to proceed through and implement the many changes.
Infrastructure & Mobility
Questions asked by Michael Hildebrand, Director, Upstate Mobility Alliance
Provide a general overview of rural mobility challenges in the Upstate. Generally speaking, the mobility challenges in our rural communities are focused in two areas: a lack of accessible public transportation options and minimal infrastructure such as sidewalks and bike lanes. These challenges limit access to work, medical, and other community resources.
What are some of the specific challenges related to mobility? Several communities currently do not have access to any public transportation system. In other communities that have a public transportation system, often these systems do not serve the entire county which leaves areas without any transit option. An additional challenge is the lack of transportation to educational opportunities. Finally, the lack of safe walking and biking paths limits access to employment opportunities.
As employees return to work, what have been some of the challenges to overcome? Communities are finding that financial and educational literacy is a challenge to returning to work. Additionally, since most information about job postings and work opportunities are online, the ability to communicate with potential workers has been an issue in communities that lack strong internet availability. Finally, finding transportation options to get to work has been a challenge.
What has been the experience around broad band across the Upstate? The lack of widely available broadband service is a major issue for most rural communities. Where broadband is available, the cost is a barrier for individual users.
Please share any potential regional efforts that could help support infrastructure and mobility challenges in rural areas across the Upstate. Efforts that provide education on the basics of computer and internet use would be helpful, especially as it relates to looking for job opportunities. Also help in identifying potential transportation solutions would be beneficial.
Social Services, Education, Health
Questions asked by Justine Allen, Events & Program Coordinator
Overall, what role did school districts play in supporting social service needs of students during COVID-19?
School districts provided meals, either by bus at schools and other drop off points, or by direct delivery to homes. School districts provided wi-fi hot spots for downloading of e-learning materials at schools and other central locations.
Schools made guidance counselors available, but not being able to spend time in person with students is expected to take a toll, as this is how concerns generally arise to be addressed.
Union Reads (Union High School program) is partnering with SCC on virtual parent literacy classes, including financial literacy.
What were some of the challenges faced by colleges/universities?
Some students were unable to travel to their home state or country when the schools closed, so they were accommodated with housing and meals, either on campus or with families.
There are concerns about students being part of the local workforce and consumer economy. Many students are unable to work due to closures and unable to access stimulus funds because they are still dependents.
Lander University’s Foundation started a crisis fund. Students apply for a max of $300 in vouchers for rent, utilities, transportation, gas. They will continue to raise money for the fund.
Financial Aid offices working with students who are struggling.
Were there any best practice examples of communities coming together to support community needs?
- Covid for All in Cherokee started by several organizations working together in Cherokee.
- United Way partnered with YMCA in Greenwood to expand food program.
- Lakelands YMCA working with Laurens District 55 on a summer reading program and other initiatives tbd.
- SC Empowerment distributes food boxes in Laurens neighborhoods.
- Salvation Army in Pickens County assisting with funding, childcare, working with United Way.
- Meals to You (Baylor program) extended outreach to SC during school year.
What are some of the ongoing challenges, especially related to keeping people in their homes amid increased unemployment?
Initially food shortages were an issue. Now more assistance is being requested with mortgages, rent, and utility payments. Will funds be available moving forward?
Did communities provide specific programs to support seniors?
Through United Way and other organizations, counties provided some sort of meal assistance through access points and home delivery. Computer literacy is an issue so resources available have not always been accessed. Many food vouchers for fresh fruit and vegetables have not been requested so the assumption is that people do not know about them or are afraid to go out to pick them up. Some agencies put vouchers online for safely, but this posed a challenge because some seniors do not use or know how to use technology to find or access the vouchers.
How to reach seniors without using smartphones and internet?
Have any groups fallen through the cracks?
The only group identified was students of higher education.
What are some of the challenges, potential collaborative opportunities moving forward?
| Challenge |
Potential Collaborative Opportunity |
| Dissemination of information |
Counties get together to develop best practices for information distribution, including in times of disaster (no power)
|
| Lack of internet access and affordability |
Counties get together to develop plan, lobby state/fed, and implement universal installation and affordability of broadband |
| Childcare |
|
| Seniors and technology |
Scale up training for seniors—e.g.,coordinate getting appropriate people in the counties together and train their people so their people can train seniors.
Just Call Bill mentioned as a resource
Andrea Smith at Senior Action also mentioned her staff doing lots of over the phone assistance. |
| Transportation – getting to jobs, getting to schools to get meals and wi-fi, seniors getting to food access points |
Mobility Alliance |
Next Steps & Future Opportunities
In general, the listening tour input reinforced that a number of the areas in which Ten at the Top has been focusing collaborative efforts including mobility & transportation, entrepreneur support and senior needs remain relevant during the current crisis.
Access to internet & broadband technology was also a major focus and while Ten at the Top will certainly support the continued expansion of availability across the region, that issue seems to have been identified as a state-wide issue that the state legislature will be focusing to address.
Below are some of the specific follow-up actions that TATT will be taking in the coming weeks to support some of the issues identified during the listening tour:
- Rural Mobility Listening Session: The Upstate Mobility Alliance’s Moving People Task Force will be holding a special virtual listening session on July 13th with representatives from rural communities to better learn about specific mobility & transportation challenges in the non-urban areas within the Upstate. Following this session, the committee will develop a strategy for how to move forward in supporting greater access to transportation in the rural areas within the Upstate.
- Entrepreneur & Small Business Webinar Series: To help address some of the specific challenges identified by entrepreneurs & small businesses, TATT’s Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem group will be holding a series of webinars with subject experts that will be available for viewing by small business owners & entrepreneurs. In addition, the group will continue to focus on “connecting the disconnected” with resources to help start and grow businesses in the Upstate.
- Senior Needs Workshops: Due to COVID-19, TATT has been unable to hold in-person Senior Needs Workshops through the first half of 2020. Beginning in August, we intend to hold virtual workshops to continue to connect senior service providers and to especially understand how to support their needs during the current pandemic.
In addition to these three specific efforts, TATT will continue to look for opportunities to support communities across the Upstate in other areas that are impacted by the pandemic and corresponding economic crisis.
Jun 24, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
Dean Hybl, Executive Director, Ten at the Top
While cities, counties, businesses and organizations across the Upstate continue to address public health and economic issues related to the global pandemic, Ten at the Top remains committed to serving as a regional convener and connector to help support local efforts and grow the Upstate’s collective capacity.
To help better understand the concerns and challenges being faced by communities across the Upstate, Ten at the Top recently completed a virtual “Listening Tour” of the seven non-urban counties in the region (all counties except Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg). Each session included input from leaders from local governments, community organizations, businesses and other local stakeholders.
While each county had its own nuances and distinct approach to responding to the pandemic, there were a number of similarities across the region.
Most encouragingly, each county reported that overall the response to provide needed services to those facing immediate hardship has been successful in meeting the general needs of all residents, including children, seniors and college students. Another commonality has been a collaborative spirit as many local entities, including some that had not previously worked together, have collaborated to meet the needs of local residents.
Communication has been an important element and communities have used a variety of methods to ensure residents are aware of programs as well as health services. Social media has played an important role in many communities, but with a significant portion of residents in rural counties not serviced by high speed internet, that approach has not reached all residents.
Accessible and affordable internet was a theme across the region. In some communities, school buses were deployed to help residents connect to internet, especially to assist students. However, with transportation also an issue for some residents, reaching an internet hot spot was not always possible.
With many businesses shut down for an extended period of time due to the stay at home order issued by Governor McMaster, there is great concern about how quickly small businesses can recover. Many communities have worked with business service agencies to help ensure their business owners are able to connect to government support programs developed to reduce the impacts on local businesses. In addition, many local business organizations have been providing marketing and promotional support for local businesses.
One interesting commonality among the communities is that while COVID-19 has spotlighted issues including internet accessibility and fragility of small businesses in rural communities, there are also a number of issues that were of concern prior to COVID-19 that remain priorities across the Upstate.
Mobility and lack of transportation access has become a regional priority in recent years, especially for many residents of rural communities who are unable to improve their personal economic mobility due to lack of access to transportation. Skill training also remains an issue in many Upstate counties as the technical colleges, Workforce Boards and others continue to provide a critical service to help people gain skills needed for higher paying jobs.
During each session, members of the Ten at the Top team asked a specific set of questions around the topics of general collaboration, economic development & small businesses, infrastructure & mobility and social services, public health and education. You can read each of the county specific summaries through this link.
Next Steps & Future Opportunities
In general, the listening tour input reinforced that a number of the areas in which Ten at the Top has been focusing collaborative efforts—including mobility & transportation, entrepreneur support and senior needs—remain relevant during the current crisis.
Access to internet & broadband technology was also a major focus, and while Ten at the Top will certainly support the continued expansion of availability across the region, that issue seems to have been identified as a state-wide issue that the state legislature will be focusing to address.
Below are some of the specific follow-up actions that TATT will be taking in the coming weeks to support the issues identified during the listening tour:
Rural Mobility Listening Session: The Upstate Mobility Alliance’s Moving People Task Force will be holding a special virtual listening session on July 13th with representatives from rural communities to better learn about specific mobility & transportation challenges in the non-urban areas within the Upstate. Following this session, the committee will develop a strategy for how to move forward in supporting greater access to transportation in the rural areas within the Upstate.
Entrepreneur & Small Business Webinar Series: To help address some of the specific challenges identified by entrepreneurs and small businesses, TATT’s Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem group will be holding a series of webinars with subject experts that will be available for viewing by small business owners and entrepreneurs. In addition, the group will continue to focus on “connecting the disconnected” with resources to help start and grow businesses in the Upstate.
Senior Needs Workshops: Due to COVID-19, TATT has been unable to hold in-person Senior Needs Workshops through the first half of 2020. Beginning in August, we intend to hold virtual workshops to continue to connect senior service providers and to especially understand how to support their needs during the current pandemic.
In addition to these three specific efforts, TATT will continue to look for opportunities to support communities across the Upstate in other areas that are impacted by the pandemic and corresponding economic crisis.
![Upstate Virtual Listening Tour]()
May 22, 2020
Upstate Virtual Listening Tour Transitioning from Crisis to Recovery In June, Ten at the Top hosted a Virtual Listening Tour in the seven non-urban counties of the Upstate to provide an opportunity for leaders and stakeholders within the counties to share about their...
May 15, 2020 | Staying on Top
Welcome David Field, TATT Vice Chairman
Initiative/COVID-19 Updates
Liz Seman, Furman University & Greenville County Council
Furman:
- COVID-19 emergency management team is meeting weekly since January, now meeting twice a week—first priority was faculty and students who were studying abroad, had to get them home
- Quickly pivoted to online learning, faculty changed methods of instruction
- Contacted host companies who had contracted with interns to see if they could do it remotely
- A virtual graduation was held May 9th and look forward to celebrating seniors this fall
- Summer classes will be held online, including OLLI classes, and camps/conferences are canceled
- The focus is on opening in the fall, but doing so in the safest way possible—if we can’t do it safely, we’ll continue online, but the essence of the Furman experience is the on-campus experience, so we want to be able to do that
- Furman has supported students through philanthropy, distributing more than $100K in emergency aid to students in need
- Furman is Greenville’s university and a vital part of the Upstate, and we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can not only for our Furman family but for the broader community
Business Recovery Task Force:
- Collaboration between Greenville city, Greenville County, Greenville Chamber, and JEC with representatives across all sectors
- Purpose is four-fold: identifying needs of business community as it relates to recovery, to share best practices on recover, to define each partner’s role and how they can be helpful, and identifying programs to help address the needs that we see
- Launched the Greater Greenville Pledge, which is a marketing campaign aimed at restoring consumer confidence—businesses pledge to open based on CDC and DHEC recommendations for social distancing, etc.
Greenville County:
- Greenville County is the only county in SC to qualify for the CARES act, receiving $91 million for small business support, housing and rent assistance, and public health needs
- Money must be spent by December 31st, cannot be used to replace lost revenue, must be related to COVID-19
- Council will be voting in the near future on deployment of the funds
John Lummus, Upstate SC Alliance
- No set date for starting back, looking at plans for how we re-enter
- Executive community has been meeting, board is staying focused, first ever Zoom board meeting next week
- Recruiting strategy coming out of the pandemic: target industry study, sharing recruiting plan with business development groups
- We’re a manufacturing region, companies are going to be looking to on-shore, looking to manufacture in the U.S., we’ll be able to take advantage of that
- Call with SC Works, conversations with the SC Technical College System—president Dr. Tim Hardy will be speaking on an investor Zoom call on May 27th
- PPE is an area that we’ll see a lot of activity, have had a lot of companies switch over to that, which will make us a good area as companies start looking
- Prospect activity has remained steady, moving forward, we’ll look to recruit pharmaceutical and life sciences/medical device companies
- Food manufacturing will also be a big industry that we’ll be focusing on
- Unable to travel—9 total trips canceled, so doing a lot of Zoom, phone calls, emails with prospects to stay active
- MoveUp initiative: will shift from talent attraction to help internal people to connect with jobs, but with talent attraction, large city residents/companies might want to move
- Updating marketing pieces
- One of the best things out of the last few months is the connections made with the local economic development professionals—we were meeting once every two months in person, now we’re meeting weekly on Zoom with all 10 counties and 6 cities, sharing best practices and talking about how we can collaborate
TATT Updates Dean Hybl, Sharon Purvis & Erin Ouzts
Dean:
- Updates on Teach at the Top—hoping to launch the web portal for teacher recruitment within the month
- Justine Allen interviews on senior issues—those can be seen here
- Michael Hildebrand of the Upstate Alliance has also been hosting Zoom interviews and will have a movie screening/panel discussion on May 28th
- County Virtual Listening Tour: As we’re moving from crisis to recovery, we wanted to hear what the challenges and opportunities are in each of the seven non-urban counties of the Upstate
- Upstate Entrepreneur Ecosystem (Erin Ouzts): Final webinar session this past Tuesday, May 12th was a roundtable session about how to best support business owners in pivoting to different business models. Storytelling workgroup will contact media about companies that were prepared and were able to pivot. All past webinar videos available here.
County Updates
Cherokee County – Ken Moon, Cherokee County Economic Development
- 69 industrial companies that we talk to regularly, but that communication is now all at once, so it’s a challenge to manage and make sure everyone is responded to
- Cherokee County companies are very resilient, many have pivoted to making PPEs
- There were some layoffs at the beginning but most have brought workers back
- Dollar Tree distribution center hired 100 additional workers, contacted Ken about sending laid off workers to them
Greenwood County – David Dougherty, Greenwood County Chamber
- Collaborating with the city, county, and uptown association
- Biggest need is driving customers to businesses, so they’re looking at providing advertising
- The chamber will be providing a seminar on employment law and workforce issues
- Also seeing manufacturers shift to PPE, which nonprofit groups have been asking for
Spartanburg County – Patty Bock, City of Spartanburg Economic Development
- COVID-19 reveals strengths and weaknesses
- Spartanburg Economic Development Office has build strong relationships with community partners
- Working on evaluation plan for what things will be like when we open back up
- Biggest challenge is revenue
- Construction is up, projects are ongoing, RFPs are up
- The Amplify program (for minority-owned businesses) has an all-women cohort of 14 going through the program now—20% of businesses in Spartanburg are African American owned
Other counties are providing a positive update and community challenge shared by Sharon Purvis:
- Tim Hall, City of Abbeville:
Encouraged by: On May 1st the City assisted with the distribution of food with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina to citizens in the area in need. Around 300 vehicles came through the line to get food at the Abbeville County administration building site and the food ran out in around 2 hours. The City of Abbeville provided safety support as well as assisted with packaging boxes to be distributed by the National Guard. The National Guard, City and County staff were present to assist with the process.
Additionally, one of our local Businesses began a campaign to raise funds to promote all three (3) County High school 2020 seniors with individual Banners to be displayed in Calhoun Falls, Due West and Abbeville . The funding for this campaign was achieved in six hours. The Banners were installed last week and will stay up until the week of May 25th when they will be taken down and presented to each student at their perspective graduations at the end of the week. (28th-29th)
Challenge: Tim says he doesn’t feel that they have any challenges that anyone else isn’t dealing with.
- Terence Roberts, Mayor of Anderson:
Encouraged by: I’m proud of the way our community has prepared for the pandemic. We ramped up for the surge that hasn’t not happened to the degree that we prepared. It has forced us to continue breaking down the silos and work together.
Challenge: The challenge for our city is the continued struggles of our small business owners. Particularly, I’m worried about some of our legacy businesses.
- Whitney Hanna, Greenville County Schools:
Encouraging: The school district got approval from the USDA to distribute breakfast and lunch for all 7 days of the week (on Friday they get 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches for the weekend), to any child under 18 in Greenville County, whether they’re registered in Greenville County schools or not. Tomorrow or Monday they will distribute their one millionth meal since the shutdown started.
Challenging: Planning for different scenarios as they look to the fall, not knowing how things will look at that point. Also, and this is something that all school districts are facing, it’s been a challenge to figure out how to properly celebrate our seniors.
- Jonathan Irick, Main Street Laurens:
Encouraging: We are encouraged that during the COVID-19 shut down, our community rallied around Main Street and our small businesses. At this time, we have not permanently lost any businesses as many pivoted into a somewhat different business model. After Monday, the majority of our businesses will be reopened in some capacity.
Challenging: Our one challenge is the waiting game of how our events will look in the future. We have cancelled one event at this point and all the rest are in a holding pattern. Current conditions and guidelines make it almost impossible to hold in person events, however, our businesses tell us what they need most is customers. We have encouraged them to use online sales etc, but getting people outside their doors is also key.
- JoAnn Johnson, Oconee County Chamber of Commerce:
Encouraging: I’m encouraged by the level of teamwork and flexibility that I’ve seen in our community. People are truly rising to the challenge and putting others ahead of themselves.
Challenging: There is nothing normal about this “new normal,” and people are having to really dig deep into their well of creativity to make things work.
- Jeremy Price, United Way of Pickens County:
Encouraging: United Way of Pickens County is strongly encouraged by the generosity of the people of Pickens County. The total amount raised so far is
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- United Way of Pickens County COVID-19 Fund $121,085
- Tornado Relief Fund $25,781
- United Way of South Carolina One SC Fund $60,000
Again, all of these funds are being distributed to local agencies in Pickens County.
Challenging: A challenge right now is reactivating our VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program. We had to suspend the program due to social distancing guidelines. We are currently working on a plan to submit to the I.R.S. where we will have a drive-thru tax service where clients can drop off their return from their car to be prepared by one of our volunteer tax preparers. The client will then come back at a later date to pick up the completed return. We feel like this process will minimize contact for our clients as well as volunteers. Tax preparation and completing tax returns is important for our clients so that they can receive the credits and refunds that so many people in our community need right now.
- Reita Drinkwine, Union County Library System:
Encouraging: I’m encouraged by the willingness of our many agencies to work together to overcome the hardships our community is currently and will be facing.
Challenging: education has been one of our biggest challenges, and now with the lack of internet access and reduction in services, there will be some tremendous barriers for portions of our communities, especially among families with children in K-3rd grade, since that’s such a crucial age for learning. We’ll need to rally together and pull more resources in support of education, in addition to the school district’s efforts. (38% of our community does not have internet and 1 in 4 don’t have a computer).
Adjourn David Feild
