Report says young workers flocking to Spartanburg

By Adam Orr
Staff Writer

Two years into a five-year mission and Spartanburg leaders are already touting the payoffs of the OneSpartanburg plan and promising plenty more to come.

Chief among them? Millennials — which includes workers between 25-34-years-old — are flocking to Spartanburg, according to the group, surging by nearly 18 percent over the past five years.

That’s good enough to rank 8th nationally among small metro areas, according to OneSpartanburg.

It’s a data point Allen Smith was keen to highlight Tuesday, as the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO detailed OneSpartanburg’s second year scorecard at the University of South Carolina Upstate’s Sansbury Campus Life Center.

“In just two short years we’ve made tremendous progress on all fronts,” Smith said Tuesday. “The issues identified in this plan, if addressed, will position Spartanburg for economic prosperity and I think you’re already seeing that.”

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Spartanburg leaders look at ways to end ‘brain drain’

By Bob Montgomery

Charlianne Nestlen is committed to Spartanburg.

She grew up here, earned her degree in communications at USC Upstate and, at 36, is now a successful real estate agent who lives here with her husband and 4-year-old child.

“Spartanburg has a lot,” said Nestlen, chairwoman of the Spartanburg Young Professionals, a Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce networking group. “Some stay and some go. We’re not trying to be Charlotte or Greenville. We’re trying to be the Hub City and create our own identity.”

But many young people don’t share Nestlen’s enthusiasm, and that has some civic and business leaders concerned.

A recent study for the chamber by Atlanta-based Market Street Services found young people are less likely to stay in Spartanburg.

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