A full day in Abbeville will start with an economic development update and coffee and muffins at The Renaissance, a senior living community located in Due West. We will also go on a tour of the beautiful Erskine College and receive a campus update from President Dr. Robert Gustafson at the renowned Bowie Arts Center. We'll get a glimpse of the Upstate's global economy by visiting Prysmian Cables and Systems and look out from their 30-story Copper Wire Tower. Lunch will be held at the Belmont Inn and also include a walking tour of downtown Abbeville highlighting the nationally known Opera House, town square and historic homes. Other planned excursions are to Calhoun Falls, Lake Russell, and headquarters of West Carolina Tel.  

 

Space is limited to 33 people (only 10 spots remain), so be sure to secure your spot today. Cost for the day is $25, lunch is included. 

Click Here to Register 

Did you know Nasha Lending, an organization that provides small loans to entrepreneurs, also has a ten week Business Entrepreneur Academy? Neither did we until our last Small Business Support Providers Workshop!

Identifying and sharing resources, such as Nasha Lending's Academy, is exactly why convening representatives from organizations that support entrepreneurs and small business owners is important. Click here to view the directory of identified services and organizations devoted to assisting entrepreneurs and small business owners.

In the most recent workshop attendees brought real life issues entrepreneurs were facing and attendees broke in to small groups to discuss strategies and resources to help find solutions. Erin Ouzts, Co-Chair of Ten at the Top's Economic & Entrepreneurial Vitality Task Force says this about the workshops,

"As professionals who support our entrepreneurs and business founders, we have so few opportunities to mix with and learn from our peers. This 2-hour respite every other month is refreshing and rejuvenating. Everyone brings their amazing skills and knowledge to share which makes us all better at supporting our local business owners and, ultimately, our region's economic and entrepreneurial vitality."

 

The next workshop will be held at the Ten at the Top office on July 18th at 11:30AM - 1:30PM (lunch provided). During the workshop we will be discussing how small business support providers measure their success including: metrics, processes, and accountability. Please click here to register if you would like to attend.

Additional workshops are scheduled for September 12th and November 15th, each to be held at the Ten at the Top office at 11:30AM until 1:30PM.

The Upstate region is projected to add more than 320,000 new residents between now and 2040 for a total population near 1.75 million residents.

How are we currently growing and utilizing our land and resources and what impacts will that additional growth have on the quality of life and economic vitality of our region?

Those questions were among those explored through the Shaping Our Future Regional Growth Analysis that was recently completed for the Upstate. Led by a consortium that included Upstate Forever, the Riley Institute at Furman University and Ten at the Top, the analysis looked at land use and revenue projections for the current dispersed growth pattern in the region as well as three other potential growth patterns.

The final results from the study were unveiled during the Ten at the Top Regional Forum held at the BMW Zentrum on May 25th.

You can watch the video from the forum through this link or check out the results from the study at www.shapingourfutureupstatesc.org.

Since 2012, the final Ten at the Top forum of the year has focused on Celebrating Successes: Great Things Happening Across the Upstate. This event has included the selection of the Hughes Investments Elevate Upstate Grant recipients, recipients of the Welling Award for Regional Collaboration and the Burdette Leadership Award as well as recognition of companies and organizations with milestone anniversaries.

The 2017 Celebrating Successes Forum will be a brunch event on November 16th starting with registration at 11 am and running from 11:45am-1:30pm at the Greenville Marriott.

Event and table sponsorships are currently available for the event by contacting Megan Zapf. Individual ticket registration will begin in September.

If your city, county or organization has news you want to share or an event you want to promote with people across the 10-county