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.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Spartanburg city leaders launch OneSpartanburg initiative

Matthew Clark

GSA Business Report

After nearly a year of work, including community surveys, meetings and data analysis, Spartanburg is ready to move forward with a plan that city leaders hope will put it on track for future prosperity.

Allen Smith, president of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, along with other city officials, unveiled the OneSpartanburg plan to focus on the quality of life in the Upstate city. The plan includes creating an organization dedicated to improving downtown and another aimed at implementing the OneSpartanburg plan. Both organizations will be housed under the Chamber of Commerce.

The plan includes a five-year implementation process and comes with an estimated price tag of $5.15 million over the five years. The budget — which is being raised with private funding — includes creating up to seven new positions, including an executive vice president of the Downtown Partnership and an executive vice president of OneSpartanburg.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Spartanburg leaders search for “entrepreneurial ecosystem”

Trevor Anderson
Upstate Business Journal


Spartanburg County’s business landscape is dotted with high-profile projects.

Companies like BMW, Milliken, Michelin, Adidas, Toray, Rite Aid, Amazon and others have pumped billions of dollars of investment into the county and created thousands of jobs.

Spartanburg’s small business sector, however, has not fared so well.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of small ventures, or businesses with one to four employees, decreased almost 10 percent in the county between 2008 and 2013.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

On Vision. One Spartanburg Initiative Moves Forward

Charleston Regional Business Journal

Members of the Spartanburg community received an update on a plan geared at enhancing the area’s economic competitiveness.

As part of the One Vision. One Spartanburg initiative, Atlanta-based Market Street Services delivered its community assessment at a meeting June 14. Market Street Services is a consulting firm that has done similar studies in Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tenn., according to a statement detailing the presentation.

The firm has already conducted four of the six steps in the evaluation process: Stakeholder input, target business analysis, community assessment and a community marketing review. According to the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the process began in February and the research garnered more than 3,100 resident responses.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Report highlights strengths, weaknesses in Spartanburg

Bob Montgomery
GoUpstate.com

Spartanburg is looking at ways to address economic imbalances in the community to improve the quality of life for all residents.

It's part of a nine-month-long project designed to make "Spartanburg County a more successful and prosperous place."

“Bold actions are required to secure the community's desired future,” according to Atlanta-based Market Street Services, a consulting firm hired by the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber launched the Spartanburg Vision Plan in February and this week the project reached its halfway point.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Join the effort to plan Spartanburg's future

Todd Horne
Spartanburg Herald Journal

Spartanburg is at a pivotal moment. Our community is rapidly changing, and everything we do today will influence what we will be tomorrow. We cannot leave our future to chance. We must instead methodically plan our change. This is exactly why 52 community leaders have set out to create a Comprehensive Community and Economic Development Strategy that will guide our actions for the next five years.

This process began in January and, with the assistance of Market Street Services, a national community and economic development firm, the guidance of an engaged steering committee, and input from all across our community, four of the six phases of this critical process are now complete. The findings to this point have been both sobering and encouraging.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Spartanburg Chamber reaches milestone in Vision Plan with Chattanooga trip

Trevor Anderson
Upstate Business Journal

The vision for building a foundation for a long-term community development strategy in Spartanburg County has taken another step forward.

According to the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, a group of 28 delegates from the county, including representatives from the Spartanburg Chamber, city of Spartanburg and other groups, recently visited Chattanooga, Tenn.

The trip, which occurred May 19-21, was part of the research and planning of the Spartanburg Vision Plan being led by Atlanta-based Market Street Services, a consulting firm that has helped cities like Nashville, Austin and Tulsa chart a path to prosperity.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Committee visits Chattanooga to plan economic development

GoUpstate.com

The Spartanburg Steering Committee recently went to Chattanooga, Tenn., to plan the community's path for economic development.

The committee, made up of 28 delegates from groups like the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Spartanburg Economic Futures Group, spent three days in Chattanooga based on that city's similarities to Spartanburg.

Market Street Services, an Atlanta-based consulting firm, is leading the Spartanburg Vision Plan effort.

The six-phase process began in February and will last approximately nine months.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Spartanburg leaders rally for 5-year visioning plan

by Ashley Boncimino
Upstate Business Journal

Spartanburg County could soon have a strategic development plan similar to those that lit up Austin, Nashville, Portland and Greenville.

Along with business and community partners, the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce is spearheading the effort to hire Atlanta-based Market Street Services to craft a five-year community and economic development plan for the county. The 10-month process would result in a unified long-term vision that will move the entire county forward, according to Chamber President and CEO Allen Smith.

To read the full article click here.  If it has been removed please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article. 

Spartanburg leaders eye long-term community vision

By Trevor Anderson
GoUpstate.com



Local business leaders decided this week to develop a long-term vision for Spartanburg County and its economic growth.

The Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce's board voted Thursday to approve the hiring of Market Street Services, an Atlanta-based strategic planning firm that has helped cities like Nashville, Austin and Tulsa, chart a path to prosperity.

Market Street will soon begin the 10-month project to devise the plan that will be the foundation for a community development strategy.



To read the full story, please click here, or if the story has been removed please contact Alexia Eanes for more information.