BMW to be Featured in National Geographic Channel: Ultimate Factories...Read more
National Geographic Channel to Feature BMW's South Carolina Plant in Documentary, Ultimate Factories: BMW X3 BMW announced today that the National Geographic Channel (NGC) will air an hour-long documentary on the making of the BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle as part of the popular Ultimate Factories series. Premiering Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on National Geographic Channel, Ultimate Factories: BMW X3 will be the second time NGC has featured a BMW built exclusively in South Carolina. In 2007, BMW's Z4 Roadster, also built at the South Carolina factory until 2008, was featured on Ultimate Factories. National Geographic Channel spent almost ...
Peach Rivalry Gains National Attention...Read more
By KIM SEVERSON [caption id="attachment_4686" align="alignleft" width="227" caption="SC produces more peaches annually than Georgia"][/caption] CLEMSON, S.C. - The South has plenty of rivalries. Auburn and Alabama fight over football dominance. North Carolina and Tennessee battle over barbecue. And then there is Georgia, which is getting kicked to the curb by South Carolina over the fruit that defines its very identity. For more than 100 years, since Georgia first began shipping peaches beyond its borders, the state has claimed the fruit as its own. An image of the peach is on the official state quarter and its license plates. In Atlanta, where a giant peach drops ...
Spartanburg’s Success in Economic Development Gains National Attention...Read more
By TIM RONALDSON [caption id="attachment_4681" align="alignleft" width="290" caption="Foster Chapman, Carter Smith, Honorable David Britt and Honorable Jeff Horton accept award"][/caption] The Upstate continues to receive national attention for economic development. Just last month, Site Selection Magazine named Spartanburg's Economic Futures Group as No. 5 on the list of the Top Ten Economic Development Groups of 2010 for its accomplishments in bringing new jobs and capital investment to the community. "If overcoming adversity is the path to success in economic development, then the Top Groups of 2010 wrote the book on it," said Ron Starner, author of the report and general manager of Conway Data, ...
Small Business Lending Trends Upward...Read more
BY: TIM RONALDSON [caption id="attachment_4674" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Business Growth Trends Upward"][/caption] There has been an "upward trend" in lending as the credit market has begun to loosen and return to pre-recession days. That's good news for the future prospects of business expansion, and potential job growth, and it comes from a man who's intricately involved in small business lending - Elliott Cooper, the South Carolina district director for the Small Business Administration. "We do see the market picking up," Cooper said. "Our volume is picking up. I would assume that is because the overall economy is improving." The South Carolina SBA office had a record ...
Upstate Workforce Investment Board Partners with SCC to offer new scholarship...Read more
[caption id="attachment_2414" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Spartanburg Community College Tyger River Campus"][/caption] The Upstate Workforce Investment Board and its partner, Spartanburg Community College, have announced a new scholarship program for select residents in Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties. Residents living in the three counties who are unemployed, underemployed, dislocated and may have been to college but did not earn a degree may be eligible for a Workforce Investment Act scholarship to attend SCC. WIB and SCC will discuss the scholarships at an information session at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the college's central campus. For information, visit www.sccsc.edu/wia.
Through Imagination, SCSDB Students Create Their Own “Wonderland” Production...Read more
SPARTANBURG, SC - Pure imagination...exciting, empowering and limitless. Students at the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB) have tapped into their limitless imaginations to create an original musical production that excites and empowers audiences of all ages. With lessons of promoting self-worth and the power of friendships, "Wonderland" is sure to inspire all. The story is based on students' own situations and experiences throughout their lives as individuals with sensory disabilities. Through song, the spoken word and performances in American Sign Language (ASL), they illustrate how using your imagination can boost one's self-esteem and self-reliance. SCSDB students were ...
Ellen Hines Smith Girls’ Home Recipient of $5,000 Fujikura Foundation Grant...Read more
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - March 24, 2011 - AFL announces that the Ellen Hines Smith Girls' Home (EHSGH) is the recipient of a $5,000 Fujikura Foundation Grant to support the after-school and summer programs for young girls at EHSGH. Keeping the girls engaged with activities and learning opportunities are an important part of their success. The after-school and summer programs will provide opportunities for the girls to be engaged in activities that promote personal growth, continued learning and a healthy lifestyle. Tony Payne, Director of Development of Ellen Hines Smith Girls' Home, expressed his appreciation on behalf of the Board and Staff: ...
New Partnership Between Business and Education Focuses on Inspiring Young Minds...Read more
Long gone are the days of children attending school for 12 years before there is any foresight into future career paths and opportunities. Long gone are the days where jobs were plentiful and readily available for those who are willing and physically able to work. The idea of getting an education because it's "the right thing to do," "a mind is a terrible thing to waste," and "be cool, stay in school" are as far behind us as the cheesy public service announcement slogans and overly dramatic commercials that relayed their messaging. In today's world, kids want to know "what is ...
Spartanburg Community College Recieves Donation from AT&T for Downtown Campus...Read more
Spartanburg, S.C. -AT&T South Carolina is supporting the development of Spartanburg Community College's new Downtown Campus with a donation of $10,000. Located in the historic Evans Building on South Dean Street, the new facility will significantly increase SCC's ability to serve students. Jim Thomas, AT&T regional director, presented the donation to SCC President Dr. Para M. Jones, who named the donation in honor of South Carolina State Rep., Harold Mitchell, Jr. "Expanding our region's capacity to deliver quality higher education to more students is critical to the long-term economic success of our region and state," said Thomas. "That's why AT&T's community ...
MAU Announces Innovative Online Recruiting Method for Contingent Workforce at BMW...Read more
[caption id="attachment_4573" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Now there is a new way to apply for BMW jobs"][/caption] Greenville, SC– MAU Workforce Solutions, a staffing and recruiting provider with offices in the Upstate, announced recently that it will be moving all recruiting for BMW Positions to an online system. With the new recruiting met hod, applicants can go to http://www.mau.com/bmwjobs, apply online for a position, and are immediately redirected to an Online Scheduling System where they can register for the interview time slot of their choice. At their scheduled time, they are interviewed by MAU staff at its Greenville branch off of Pelham Road. “This ...
USC Upstate Announces Upstate Direct Connect Partnership With Three Local Two-Year Colleges...Read more
Initiative Offers Students Deliberate Pathway To Baccalaureate Degree Attainment Spartanburg, S.C. -- With the demand for higher education in Upstate South Carolina on the rise and the availability of well-educated technicians, scientists, professionals and managers among the most critical factors in the economic growth of the region, the University of South Carolina Upstate recognizes that partnerships with two-year colleges are an important key to producing more graduates with baccalaureate degrees. USC Upstate is unveiling its Upstate Direct Connect© initiative, an exclusive opportunity for two-year colleges that guarantees admission to USC Upstate for any student who graduates with an Associate of Arts, Associate ...
With more music, venues, downtown nightlife is bustling...Read more
The city's music scene is starting to strike a chord with patrons of downtown Spartanburg. Five new nightspots have opened in the past year near Daniel Morgan Square, attracting bigger crowds and more musicians. With an influx of students from six nearby colleges expected this fall, supporters of the industry believe downtown is starting to develop an identity. "It's great that on a Friday night (or any night) in such a small area, you have several different entertainment options," said Stephen Long, director of the Hub-Bub Showroom at 149 S. Daniel Morgan Ave. "We are starting to see little scenes of different ...
Publication Lists South Carolina as #1 for Growth Potential...Read more
Business Facilities magazine has given South Carolina a series of high rankings for its business environment, including being named No. 1 for economic growth potential. The state also was ranked No. 3 nationally for auto manufacturing and No. 4 for best business climate. In its coverage, the publication cites the coming of Boeing's second 787 assembly line in North Charleston as the primary reason South Carolina was top in growth potential. "We believe the selection of North Charleston as the manufacturing site for Boeing's best-selling commercial jet cements South Carolina's status as a top-tier aerospace player, providing the basis for tremendous growth potential ...
Spartanburg Named Playful City USA...Read more
The City of Spartanburg in partnership with Southside Unity in the Community was selected as a "Playful City" for the third year in a row by KaBOOM! a national non-profit that promotes providing areas for children to play. Of the 93 communities chosen, Spartanburg was among the 22 cities named for the third consecutive year including Honolulu, Indianapolis and San Antonio due to the City's commitment to usable, open parks in the City of Spartanburg. Southside Unity in the Community, a local nonprofit focused on improving the lives of the community's youth, started the application process in aspiration of receiving grant money ...
Tourism board hails plan to market Spartanburg...Read more
[caption id="attachment_879" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Spartanburg County's New Identity"][/caption] The Spartanburg Tourism Action Committee marked the completion of its countywide Action Plan and Feasibility Study on Thursday with a special celebration at the Chapman Cultural Center. From locally made peach cider to a brand new BMW X5, attendees enjoyed a sampling of the county’s tourist attractions that were on display, filling the main theater lobby and flowing out onto Zimmerli Plaza. The 40-member committee, with the help of consultants from the firm Arnett, Muldrow and Associates, has spent the past few months designing the plan, which is meant to be a blueprint ...
Two Spartanburg high schools ranked among nation’s best...Read more
[caption id="attachment_842" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Spartanburg High School"][/caption] Two Spartanburg high schools are among 16 in the state to make Newsweek Magazine's 2010 list of America's Best High Schools. The annual ranking is based on rigorous course offerings and student performance in those courses. Only 6 percent of public high schools in the nation made the list. Woodruff High School in Spartanburg District 4 and Spartanburg High School in District 7 made it to this year's list as numbers 586 and 1,256, respectively. Newsweek ranks schools based on the number of college-credit tests like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate taken by students, divided by ...
Upstate Lifestyle
When Spring time arrives in Spartanburg, it can only mean one thing - ...more
By KIM SEVERSON The South has plenty of rivalries. Auburn and Alabama fight ...more
The Upstate Workforce Investment Board and its partner, Spartanburg Community College, have announced ...more
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National Geographic Channel to Feature BMW's South Carolina Plant in Documentary, Ultimate Factories: ...more
SPARTANBURG, SC - Pure imagination...exciting, empowering and limitless. Students at the SC School ...more
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - March 24, 2011 - AFL announces that the Ellen Hines ...more
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Spartanburg, S.C-BMW Manufacturing recently announced the launch of the first phase of ...more
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