Greenville County "a Driver of State's Growth", Annual Economic Impact of GADC Exceeds $6 Billion
Greenville County Council's vision in creating GADC has paid off big for the local economy
As Greenville County, SC’s economic development arm – the Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC) – kicks off celebration of its 20th Anniversary, researchers from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina have documented the GADC’s total economic impact in the county exceeds $6 billion annually and sustains 64,784 jobs in Greenville County alone. When the 10-county Upstate region is considered, the total economic impact of Greenville’s success climbs to $6.9 billion annually and supports 82,693 jobs.
 
Researchers also noted that, since GADC’s launch in July 2001, the cumulative impact of all GADC-affiliated business activities total over $55 billion. The research team noted that “Greenville County and the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin metropolitan region have both been principal drivers of South Carolina’s growth throughout the 21st century – and especially since 2010,” noted study author Dr. Joseph Von Nessen. 
 
“Led by manufacturing in general and transportation equipment manufacturing in particular -- a subsector which has experienced one of the highest growth rates among all state industries since 2010 at more than 3 times the state average – the percentage of the Greenville metropolitan region’s economy tied to manufacturing is almost twice that of Charleston or Columbia and significantly exceeds both South Carolina and national levels,” added Dr. Von Nessen. Read full details here.
GADC Marks 20 Years with Fresh Look, Special Events, Leadership Reflections
GADC has kicked off its 20th anniversary by publishing its first Economic Impact Study, scheduling special events, publishing articles and featuring a fresh new look across its communications platforms. Formed in 2001, GADC economic development efforts have resulted in creation of more than 30,000 new jobs and over $6 billion in capital investment here.  

To celebrate, the GADC is rolling out a series of events for its supporters and the business community, starting with its recent CEO’s Speak Out program featuring four prominent Upstate business executives sharing their post-pandemic outlook.  To come is GADC’s Virtual Annual Meeting & Celebration on June 16, programs on the Future of Higher Education in August and the Life Sciences Industry Boom in October, and a November Holiday Drop-In.

Feature articles are planned for Upstate media beginning next week and continuing through the year, while monthly newsletters highlight events, leaders and activities. Communications feature a fresh new look and are being deployed across all touch points from websites and presentations to e-signatures and digital materials during the commemorative period.
Message from CEO Mark Farris:
All Systems Go:
Greenville County's Future Bright
The just-completed Economic Impact Study concluded that the continuing impact of the 300+ companies GADC has helped locate or expand here exceeds $6 billion annually and sustains 64,784 jobs in Greenville County alone. When the 10-county Upstate region is considered, the total economic impact of Greenville’s success climbs to $6.9 billion annually and support of 82,693 jobs. Now that's results.

Greenville County has also realized significant industry diversification in the last decade, critical to boosting long-run economic growth and insulating the county from major downturns in any one sector. There's more good news, too. Read on to learn why I am bullish on our community's future.
Growing Greenville County -- A Recent Round-up of Good News
SCBIO has named Erin Ford as Interim CEO, replacing Sam Konduros who stepped down to pursue a private sector role in life sciences and healthcare. Previously COO, Ms. Ford has led SCBIO’s business operations, finance, investor relations and industry strategy since 2017. Two weeks prior, Gov. Henry McMaster issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Commerce to enhance recruitment efforts of pharmaceutical and medical supply manufacturers to South Carolina.

Lockheed Martin received its first F-16 from the U.S. Air Force as part of the $900 million contract the company received to provide sustainment support and depot-overflow services. The F-16 arrival marks the beginning of fighter Sustainment work and positions Greenville as an F-16 Center of Excellence. Additionally, Lockheed Martin named Walt Lindsley to succeed the retiring Mike Fox as Greenville Site Director. Enjoy F-16 footage here.

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) has been recognized as the Best Airport in North America among airports serving 2-5 million passengers annually by the 2020 Airport Service Quality awards.

Greenville’s Fox Hill Business Park recently completed a 206,140 square foot building -- Sudler Companies' first in the 2.5M square foot Class A business park. The building sets new standards for the construction industry through its pioneering use of CarbonCure technology which takes carbon dioxide, a harmful greenhouse gas, and traps it within the concrete to reduce harmful effects.

Proterra, a leader in electric mass-transit vehicles that produces electric buses, batteries and charging equipment and infrastructure for heavy-duty transit customers, announced a merger with ArcLight Clean Transition Corp. of Boston to help it scale its technology. Proterra also hosted President Joe Biden for a virtual tour of its Greenville plant as part of his clean energy initiatives tour.
Quick Hitters You Need To Know
DC BLOX broke ground on its Tier III Regional Datacenter in Greenville County. Sited in Global Business Park, it includes 54,000 sf of data center space with an expected investment by DC BLOX and customers of over $200 million.

Synnex Corp. and Tech Data agreed to merge in a transaction valued at approximately $7.2 billion. With projected revenues of $57 billion, the combination will make Synnex a Fortune 100 company.

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia is the top medical program in the country for graduates who are practicing in areas where there is a shortage of health care professionals, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Greenville's Softbox Systems, a provider of temperature control packaging solutions for the pharmaceutical, life science and logistics industries, is supporting Pfizer in distribution of COVID-19 vaccines nationally by supplying a high-performance temperature-controlled parcel shipper developed specifically for such applications.

Area Development's 16th Annual Gold & Silver Shovel Awards named South Carolina its Silver Shovel winner in the 5-8 million population category for 2021. It also named the DC BLOX project one of the state's 10 largest investments of the year.

Mauldin has broken ground on Bridgeway Station, an expansive European-style village near Interstate 385 and the Swamp Rabbit Trail. The $100 million Hughes Development project includes residential, retail, restaurants, institutional and entertainment space.

As demand for innovative automotive technology increases, Srikanth Pilla and CU-ICAR envision integrating smart devices with composites manufacturing so vehicle components will automatically send performance reports to manufacturers. Watch this clip for more. 

Tech Tribune recognized four Greenville companies among 2021's Best Tech Startups with telehealth titan Chartspan and data service provider Green Cloud Defense seizing the top spots. They were followed by rising stars in Katana Safety and 6AM City.