Sam Konduros: Sparking Economic Development in Greenville | EP 38

1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,920
What does it take to turn a
region into a magnet for

2
00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:05,840
economic development and
advanced industries, all while

3
00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,000
managing over 150 business
opportunities at once?

4
00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,760
Today's guest is Sam Condors,
President and CEO of the

5
00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:16,200
Greenville Economic Development
Corporation, with a background

6
00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,000
as a licensed attorney,
certified the economic developer

7
00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:23,080
and former Upstate SC Alliance
leader, Sam has helped position

8
00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:25,960
Greenville as a rising hub for
innovation and business growth,

9
00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,640
attracting top companies and
driving strategic partnerships

10
00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:32,360
across the Carolinas.
In this episode, you'll learn

11
00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,760
how to recruit high impact
businesses, balance fast-paced

12
00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,240
growth with smart planning, and
build collaborations that fuel

13
00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,080
long term prosperity for our
communities.

14
00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:50,160
Sam, it's an honor to have you
join us today.

15
00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:52,480
So thank you so much.
I'm excited to be here, thanks

16
00:00:52,480 --> 00:00:54,040
for asking.
Well, just for the listeners

17
00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,160
that aren't aware, can you fill
us in a little bit about the

18
00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,400
Greenville City Economic
Development Corporation, the

19
00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:04,000
GECDC?
Yeah, calling it the Greenville

20
00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:09,240
City EDC and basically about 3
years ago, and I had no idea

21
00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:11,560
this was going on at the time,
even though I've been involved

22
00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,280
in economic development in the
state and the region for a long

23
00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,000
time.
The City Council, mayor, city

24
00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,400
manager decided they wanted to
shift away from the traditional

25
00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,560
economic development department
because Greenville was just

26
00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:29,840
experiencing explosive growth.
And the idea of having an entity

27
00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,960
that could be more private
sector and thought could be more

28
00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:37,200
agile, versatile, creative, if
you will, and do some things you

29
00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:38,600
couldn't do with the city
department.

30
00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,240
So kind of starting with the
North Star of the city's vision,

31
00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,360
which is GVL 2040 and everyone
could look at that easily.

32
00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,120
That spawned A strategic plan
for economic development.

33
00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,960
And they, the city enlisted
probably about 50 stakeholders

34
00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,680
to provide a lot of input on,
you know, here's a city that

35
00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,320
really was built by industry and
business in a lot of ways.

36
00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,160
So economic development was
considered a cornerstone.

37
00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,840
So they came out with seven goal
areas that I would say are

38
00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,000
really core mission areas of our
economic Development

39
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,640
Corporation.
It is a 46 page document that

40
00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:14,880
you can access on our website,
but I'll I'll sum.

41
00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,520
It up for 40 seconds.
The seven goal areas are around

42
00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,640
investment, everything that
catalyzes job creation.

43
00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:25,560
Investment increases the tax
base of the city and that's a

44
00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,600
very multifaceted arena.
I mean, from retail and

45
00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,440
mixed-use and hotels to advanced
manufacturing on the ICAR campus

46
00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:36,960
to life sciences and fintech.
So it's a, it's a wide array of

47
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,920
investment opportunities,
innovation, building an

48
00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:42,440
entrepreneurial ecosystem where
we can create our own

49
00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,080
headquarters, build our own
companies, but do more than

50
00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,360
cheerlead, help scale and help
them attract the funding that

51
00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,280
they need.
Talent, workforce of the future.

52
00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,600
What do we do about AI and
quantum computing and all the

53
00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,360
the jobs of the future and
leverage that in a city like

54
00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,400
Greenville where we can recruit
creative class folks,

55
00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,440
Inclusivity, bottom line, how do
we build a bigger tent?

56
00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,360
How do we create economic
development strategies that more

57
00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,600
citizens can benefit from,
prosper from, participate in

58
00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:17,560
livability?
That's kind of the challenge

59
00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,680
area.
It's kind of affordable housing,

60
00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,000
infrastructure, mobility, public
transit.

61
00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,440
How do we enhance our strategies
around that?

62
00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,800
Because those are real
challenges for thriving cities

63
00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,640
placemaking this idea that
Greenville's become this amazing

64
00:03:33,640 --> 00:03:36,680
Instagram city where it wants to
take that photo.

65
00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,760
But I think it really is about
this like experience that people

66
00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,080
have when they are walking the
streets of the city.

67
00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,720
And it causes many people to
just decide to move here on a on

68
00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,840
a day that's real.
So how do we continue building

69
00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:54,200
on that strength?
And the 7th 1 was create an

70
00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,520
entity that could really
champion these things and

71
00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:58,960
spearhead it.
So it's a it's a long answer,

72
00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,560
but I guess what I'll say is
this is not your grandpa's

73
00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,920
economic development.
This is this is leading edge

74
00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,920
tech based economic development
in 2025, where things are

75
00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:11,960
changing and evolving so
rapidly.

76
00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,040
And we needed new, we needed new
tools, new approaches.

77
00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,440
Most of the projects we attract
within the city, it's a much

78
00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:23,920
more complex urban environment,
multifaceted, don't qualify for

79
00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:28,040
traditional state incentives or
even county incentives that are

80
00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:30,800
still very geared toward
manufacturing.

81
00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,400
And I've been part of the
manufacturing world.

82
00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,880
It is an incredible foundation
for our economy, but there's a

83
00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,600
lot more to it and especially
when you look at a city like

84
00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,320
Greenville, what we're trying to
attract.

85
00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,920
So anyway, with all that said,
this corporation was formed to

86
00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,680
be the formal economic
development.

87
00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,680
And how many years ago was it?
It was three years ago was when

88
00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,280
the idea came up.
About two years ago they

89
00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:59,160
actually incorporated it
quietly, created bylaws, decided

90
00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:03,240
on board members, and then they
did a national search for ACEO

91
00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:04,560
and ended up going with the
local guy.

92
00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:06,160
Nice, that's the best way to do
it.

93
00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,200
But yeah, so we we're basically
responsible for driving economic

94
00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,240
development strategies for the
city that touch all those areas.

95
00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,520
Nice, so about 10 years ago, did
Greenville as a city have any

96
00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:18,720
idea it would explode the way it
has?

97
00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,280
I'm going to say no, you know,
And I came with BMW, where this

98
00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:25,120
city has always fought above its
weight.

99
00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:29,720
It's always generated seismic
opportunities, has attracted

100
00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:33,960
amazing global companies.
The fact that we have over 500

101
00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,440
foreign owned companies really
in our metro area have has

102
00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,360
always given Greenville a
special sauce.

103
00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:44,160
And post BMW of 9394, it really
did start rising.

104
00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,800
Let's say we already had
Michelin's North American

105
00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,240
headquarters.
But I think it, it has been at

106
00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:54,280
an exponential level, especially
in the last decade and and post

107
00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:58,280
COVID even more so because just
droves of people are choosing

108
00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:02,600
sometimes online to move here.
28 new people a day in

109
00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,840
Greenville.
Amazing, but not surprised.

110
00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:09,280
I mean, there's people all over
the city now, but looking at you

111
00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:13,440
and your career, you've been
described as mission driven, an

112
00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,600
entrepreneur at heart.
So how do those qualities really

113
00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,600
help you shape your approach
with economic development here

114
00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,640
in Greenville All.
Right, yes, mission driven true.

115
00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,440
I, I think it is about passion.
Number one.

116
00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,680
Life is too short not to do what
you're passionate about.

117
00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:34,000
And I'm looking across you and I
see, I see passion and I, I

118
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,680
think for me, I'm a builder.
I like creating things and I'm

119
00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:43,280
probably not the ideal person
5-7 years in to tweak it and

120
00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:45,080
fine tune it.
I sort of like the heavy

121
00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:47,200
lifting.
You get the moment I'm going,

122
00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,560
yeah.
I think you have a chance to

123
00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:54,480
make an impact building a team I
love and I'm at a stage of

124
00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,160
career where I'm definitely a
lot more seasoned as the hair

125
00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:02,520
proof and I love getting to kind
of mentor and support a team of

126
00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,200
rock stars and help them achieve
their best.

127
00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,640
That's that's a big part of the
satisfaction for me.

128
00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:10,760
I think the entrepreneurial
piece is just, I've always been

129
00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,840
creative and an idea guy, and so
it's been really fun to be my

130
00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:19,560
own chairman of my own board of
directors sometimes when running

131
00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:22,680
my consulting company.
But yeah, all those things

132
00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:24,680
together.
So we like to dive into people's

133
00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:27,360
stories, kind of hear about how
you got to where you are.

134
00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:32,400
When you think back to younger,
younger Sam, as a a college age

135
00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,280
kid when you went to study law,
what were your interests then

136
00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,000
and why did you initially pursue
law?

137
00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:40,840
Yeah, you know, well, I've I've
been unorthodox from from the

138
00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:42,880
get go.
So I actually went to Clemson as

139
00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,440
an architecture major did well,
loved it had a four O in my

140
00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:48,120
first year.
I say that only because people

141
00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:49,600
think, oh, was it too hard you
quit?

142
00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:51,760
No, it was just a.
Little more.

143
00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:53,280
It is a hard degree.
It is my.

144
00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:54,720
Roommate One of my roommates is
an architecture.

145
00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,720
But I really enjoyed it.
It was just more of a hobby and

146
00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:01,920
I thought I need a, a bigger
platform to figure out what I

147
00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,200
want to do exactly.
And I'll, my dad was a corporate

148
00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:08,320
attorney and I, I felt like a
law degree was going to give me

149
00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:12,000
foundation for approaching
business however I wanted to.

150
00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,920
And, and I kind of suspected
even then that I would not be a

151
00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,040
traditional practitioner of the
law where I'm either fighting

152
00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,000
people's battles or protecting
things.

153
00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:24,240
I'm more of that builder.
So second year of law school, I

154
00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:26,480
literally made a decision and
said, you know what, I'm going

155
00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:28,240
to get this degree.
I'm going to pass the bar, I'm

156
00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,840
going to get licensed and I want
to know that I can practice law,

157
00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,080
but I'm going to look for other
things to use it for.

158
00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:40,679
And I was a day away from
joining the FBI, had a lined up

159
00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:42,320
and.
Quantified the.

160
00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:46,080
G man for a little while and and
then at the last minute I had

161
00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:48,680
interned 1 summer at what used
to be called the State

162
00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:50,960
Development Board.
It was our Commerce Department

163
00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,520
and I think it's a God thing
sometimes.

164
00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,080
At that last moment, the head of
the Development Board called me

165
00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:00,280
and said, hey, we're looking for
a couple of young lawyers to

166
00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:02,040
join our international business
team.

167
00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:04,480
Think you would be good?
What do you say?

168
00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,520
And it was like in 5 minutes I
just kind of knew I went, wow.

169
00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,080
So yeah, it's a 20 year old
something.

170
00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:15,560
I was suddenly traveling all
over the world on behalf of my

171
00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:20,560
beloved state and and kind of
recruiting enticing companies to

172
00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:24,880
come here and had a great time
helping develop the strategies

173
00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,400
around why they should penetrate
North America from South

174
00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:32,280
Carolina and I learned so much
as a sponge.

175
00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:34,840
I was working around CE OS and
CF OS that's.

176
00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:38,360
Incredible at such a young age.
Yeah, so I, I got, I got very

177
00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,280
lucky.
And then I, I mean, I'll, I'll

178
00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:43,360
kind of even wrap that up.
So they, they like the legal

179
00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:45,280
skills.
It's always played into what

180
00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:47,320
I've done and kind of how I
operate.

181
00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:51,040
But at the end of the day, after
five years of that, I got

182
00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,880
surprised by one of the supplier
companies that was following

183
00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,720
BMWI got to help recruit BMW on
that team.

184
00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,520
When BMW landed, a flood of
suppliers were coming into the

185
00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,600
Upstate to serve them.
I got to have the privilege of

186
00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:08,360
citing a number of them and one
was, I'll say, crazy enough to

187
00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,000
ask a 30 year old kid to run
their North American operations.

188
00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,120
So it kind of propelled me into
an unexpected position.

189
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,680
My wife to be threw me a going
away party, thought I was

190
00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:24,320
leaving forever in Greenville.
So I said, hey, you're coming

191
00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:26,360
with me.
Ask her to marry me and make

192
00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,160
Greenville our hometown.
Together three years.

193
00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:29,920
Ago.
So where are you from

194
00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:32,360
originally?
Grew up on Lake Murray outside

195
00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,040
of Columbia, near the town of
Lexington before it was a

196
00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:37,880
fashionable suburb.
I grew up in northeast Columbia,

197
00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,360
Spring Valley High School where
I would have been.

198
00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:43,760
So if I'm hearing you correctly,
did you play a significant role

199
00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:45,800
in helping BMW come to
Greenville?

200
00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,640
I wouldn't call it significant
other people because I was

201
00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:50,800
young.
I, I had the privilege of being

202
00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:54,880
a really young man on a very
strong team under a great

203
00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,360
governor.
So I was, I, I got to be part of

204
00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:03,240
that story and it was amazing to
watch how that project unfold.

205
00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:05,320
And, and there's a lot of war
stories with that.

206
00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:07,760
Pretty cool.
I did have I, I call it one of

207
00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:11,080
my Forest Gump moments.
I literally got to pick up up as

208
00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:15,680
a project manager the two head
guys at BMW Burn Peaches

209
00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:19,320
Streeter and Helmut Punkett,
private airport in Columbia,

210
00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:22,080
drive them to the governor's
mansion the day they signed the

211
00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,080
deal on the napkin.
And I was sort of waiting

212
00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:25,800
outside while they were with the
governor.

213
00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:30,200
And it was the head of SCANA at
the time that was head of the

214
00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:33,040
Development Board.
And so I'm driving them back to

215
00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:36,880
the airport and we got stuck in
traffic and they said, we we've

216
00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:38,640
signed on, we're coming to South
Carolina.

217
00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:41,080
So it's kind of amazing to be
there.

218
00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:44,480
And then I had no idea that how
much it would dramatically

219
00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:48,800
impact thousands of lives.
So it changed my life forever.

220
00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,040
I mean, it's a significant
economic booster here, not even

221
00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:54,480
in the Upstate, but just in in
Charleston as well where we have

222
00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:56,440
the port and the pieces coming
in regularly.

223
00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:00,040
I mean, BMW kind of turned heads
all over the world really when

224
00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,640
they made the announcement to
come, come to South Carolina

225
00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:05,840
that I, I would consider that
one of the most pivotal moments

226
00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:08,640
in the state's history, but
definitely in Greenville's.

227
00:12:08,680 --> 00:12:10,920
And suddenly people were like,
why, why there?

228
00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,560
And, and it never has really
stopped since.

229
00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:16,600
And they've been quite a beacon
for us.

230
00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:20,560
I mean, through Great recessions
and otherwise, BMW has been a

231
00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:23,360
powerhouse.
So kind of interesting sometimes

232
00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,760
even recently, people
questioning how important are

233
00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:28,960
these international investments
and we can vouch for it in South

234
00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:30,240
Carolina.
I want to get into your

235
00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:32,160
headspace.
When you're 30 years old at the

236
00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:35,840
time, maybe 20s and you're
picking up some two of the

237
00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,080
highest people in the BMW
corporation about to go sign a

238
00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,800
deal with South Carolina to
bring their plant here.

239
00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:42,960
You've got to be thinking, I
don't mess this up.

240
00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:45,680
Or maybe like, are you like
trying to share them a little

241
00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:47,320
bit?
Like what is your process with?

242
00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,560
What is, What is your headspace
like in that moment?

243
00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,280
Don't wreck, don't wreck the
car.

244
00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,320
Don't say something stupid.
No, you know, I was, I was

245
00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,720
probably more of a tool that day
than anything.

246
00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,480
But it was such a privilege,
like I say, to just get work in

247
00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:05,400
that atmosphere in my 20s and
and watch that deal unfold.

248
00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,560
Watch.
We were challenged by BMW to

249
00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:12,120
create 1000 acre site and did
not exist adjacent to Greenville

250
00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:13,720
Spartanburg International
Airport.

251
00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,960
So over 100 pieces of land had
to be acquired.

252
00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:20,520
Neighborhoods were moved,
churches were moved, and it sort

253
00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:26,080
of demonstrated to me early on
what a can do attitude can

254
00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,920
achieve, and that's part of what
I love about the state.

255
00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:31,560
So I mean that that just turned
out to be a special day.

256
00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:35,320
We knew it would be incredible
if BMW chose South Carolina, but

257
00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,320
I don't think we could have
foreseen when you look at the

258
00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,360
economic impact studies years
later.

259
00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:44,000
I mean, we we had a incentive
package we thought was huge of

260
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,000
around $125 million.
Most of it was investing in our

261
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,840
own infrastructure and in
training employees.

262
00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:55,160
And they promised US $1 billion
of investment, 1000 jobs that

263
00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:58,240
was eclipsed decades ago.
Yeah.

264
00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,560
That's great.
So with your early on experience

265
00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:04,600
with other countries and
speaking to companies and other

266
00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,920
countries, did you pick up any
other languages or learn any any

267
00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:09,400
other languages for that
experience?

268
00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:13,080
Very good.
Very good.

269
00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,880
And I had to kind of learn on
the run more pleasantries than

270
00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:20,680
anything, you know, but you you
definitely learn how to order a

271
00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:23,960
beer in Germany.
And it what was funny is my

272
00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:25,920
pronunciations aren't bad, I'm
told.

273
00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,920
So you know, you in German netsy
cannons, you learn and it's kind

274
00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,320
of a a welcoming statement to
make a meet.

275
00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:33,520
And they're like, oh, you speak
Deutsch and they jump in and

276
00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,440
you're like, no.
That's it, That's it.

277
00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,040
So I think what I always try to
do, I was immersed myself a lot

278
00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,600
in those cultures and, and what
I learned is an American who

279
00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:46,160
loves this country so much, how
much we can learn from others

280
00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,120
though, and that it, it, it, you
know, when we built the Tier 1

281
00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,720
supplier headquarters and plant
here in Greenville, it was

282
00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,360
taking a lot of German
engineering know how and

283
00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,800
culture, combining it with
American ingenuity and really

284
00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,960
looking at a lot of Japanese
production systems, Toyota at

285
00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:06,000
that time and how they were
doing things pretty

286
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,280
innovatively.
And, and it was always fun to

287
00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,640
say, how can we learn from each
other and kind of on a clean

288
00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,960
slate, do this better.
Yeah, it's always great to

289
00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,080
experience another culture and
that's one of the things that we

290
00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,160
love to do together again with
other countries and places and

291
00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:22,640
jump right in for Heath, that's
learning a new language.

292
00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,280
As a Spanish background, yeah,
for Puerto Rico.

293
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,160
So in the short three years
we've been together, he can now

294
00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:29,480
speak Spanish, which is pretty
cool.

295
00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,400
Yeah.
But you mentioned earlier, so at

296
00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,600
age 30 you were leading a
company.

297
00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,120
So tell us, what's that company
and what was that role like

298
00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:44,000
being so young?
Serious war stories and and

299
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,120
blood, sweat and tears and and
you know, the the end end game,

300
00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:49,000
I'll say is this.
It was an incredible experience.

301
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,160
It was wonderful.
I'm still I consider myself good

302
00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:56,040
friends with the the owner who
had faith and confidence that

303
00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:59,720
somehow I could could do it.
I think sometimes you have to

304
00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:04,120
almost not know how much you
don't know.

305
00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:07,800
Because I think, I think if I
had really realized when I was

306
00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,840
asked to tackle that job, what I
didn't know, it might have

307
00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,640
intimidated me too much.
And there were definitely a

308
00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:17,920
couple days right at the outset,
the enormity of I had to find a

309
00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:22,280
site, hire 200 people, build a
factory, set up a headquarters,

310
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:24,000
processes.
I really didn't.

311
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,000
I mean, we, we made fuel
management systems for BMW and

312
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,720
for Audi and for Mercedes.
These are 300 components sourced

313
00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,880
from all over the world that are
assembled and put in a fuel tank

314
00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,360
with a 24/7 injection molding
process.

315
00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:42,000
Did you ever get overwhelmed?
Oh, yeah, absolutely.

316
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:44,760
And I think, you know #1 I
believe reach should always

317
00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:48,560
exceed grasp.
If you tackle a new job and

318
00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,240
you're already, you know, you
know pretty much everything you

319
00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:54,400
need to know, maybe you didn't
challenge yourself enough.

320
00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:58,880
I probably wondered sometimes if
I've bitten off a piece of pie

321
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,480
that that I could choke on with
that job because it was a huge

322
00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:06,319
job and part of it was even the,
the BMW contracts, it was low

323
00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:10,240
volume at that time, high
complexity, which is kind of the

324
00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,359
wrong combination for making
money.

325
00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,880
And so we had, I had to quickly
set up an office in Detroit,

326
00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,240
penetrate the US business.
I'm doing hot trip testing out

327
00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,480
in Phoenix in the deserts, GM
and Chrysler in the summers.

328
00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:26,040
And yeah, it was, I'm flying
back and forth to Germany

329
00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:28,600
monthly because it was young
leadership there.

330
00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,240
We were learning together and
had an office in Troy, MI, two

331
00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,280
days a week there.
So I basically didn't see my

332
00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:38,920
wife much for about 5 years, but
what it taught me was

333
00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:41,560
incredible.
And you're good about asking

334
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:45,840
some personal questions.
I'll say I I realized so quickly

335
00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:49,440
that I was probably over my
head, but with, you know,

336
00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:53,080
leaning on God and good people.
If I could be confident enough

337
00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:57,440
to surround myself with people
smarter than me and and be

338
00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:01,120
fearless about delegating and
giving other people a chance.

339
00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:05,200
So it probably saved me from
being a micromanager or from

340
00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:07,720
trying to do everything myself
because I knew I wouldn't

341
00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,520
survive.
And it so it was great lessons

342
00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,920
like that and, and where you
learn early on, you know, people

343
00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,080
who try to make themselves
indispensable by controlling

344
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,680
information, you really make
yourself dispensable.

345
00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:22,920
And that's when you're trying to
give it away, help other people

346
00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:25,040
succeed.
It's amazing how it comes back

347
00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:26,560
to DID.
You have any mentors that were

348
00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:28,040
helping coach you during that
time?

349
00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:30,920
All through my life, I really, I
really have, you know, And I

350
00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:34,720
mean there's there's a couple
even in the last 20 years I

351
00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:36,360
bring up.
But I would say at that time,

352
00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:39,840
even watching our governor when
I was at the Department of

353
00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:43,280
Commerce and and his name was
Carol Campbell, the graduate

354
00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:44,960
center of like cars named after
him.

355
00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:49,080
He was such a deal closer.
That was that really I I knew if

356
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:53,680
I worked super hard and got a
deal, 90% there, he closed

357
00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:56,160
deals.
Nikki Haley was very much the

358
00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:57,840
same kind of governor really
cool.

359
00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:02,240
When I, let's say during my
automotive stent here, Doctor

360
00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:06,480
Chris Presemble, who actually
lives in Hollingsworth, He was

361
00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,560
vice president of research and
economic development at Clemson.

362
00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:13,720
In many ways, he's kind of the
father of ICAR and Clemson

363
00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,280
bioengineering, the advance all
these innovation campuses that

364
00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:21,000
sprung up around the state.
And he retained me to help

365
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,880
develop the ICAR strategy and to
kind of be a bridge between the

366
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:28,920
private sector and a major
research university.

367
00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:33,120
And how does 1 + 1 equal 4, how
to create what I call a body

368
00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:36,800
contact sport of you bring
really smart researchers

369
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:40,280
together with private industry
folks and and later in

370
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:43,440
healthcare, add some doctors.
It's amazing what can happen.

371
00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:45,960
But I'll, I'll say this about
him too.

372
00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:52,120
You know, he was a very kind man
and I watched how empathetic he

373
00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:55,320
was.
I, I watched his steadiness.

374
00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:57,160
He always treated people with
respect.

375
00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,200
I've been around some other
leaders who could be a little

376
00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:05,040
ferocious and sometimes lose
their cooling meetings.

377
00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:08,960
And, and so just being honest,
he had a profound effect on me

378
00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:12,280
in terms of how you treat people
in business and, and seek to

379
00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:15,360
bring out their best.
So he would probably be, I still

380
00:20:15,360 --> 00:20:19,520
call him my bonus dad that he's
retired just sits on a lot of

381
00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:20,760
boards.
Yeah, that's cool.

382
00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,400
You have a really fascinating
background with the law degree,

383
00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:26,400
the international travel at such
a young age, the huge part of

384
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,720
BMW, the icar experience.
You also worked in an Olympic

385
00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,240
training center I saw online,
which I really wanted to touch

386
00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:33,600
into because I think that's
pretty cool.

387
00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:37,560
What was your role with that?
Yeah, so, so, OK, Long story

388
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,480
short, somehow the ICAR
experience took me into

389
00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:43,520
healthcare.
So the Greenville Health System

390
00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,720
came to me.
I'd had board members when I was

391
00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,320
heading Upstate Alliance and
major hospitals and

392
00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:53,040
corporations, and they said, we
like this ICAR project that

393
00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:54,840
you're helping create this
business model for.

394
00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,320
Can you bring it to healthcare?
And I have doctors and move

395
00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,040
solutions to the bedside more
rapidly.

396
00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:04,680
I enjoyed that for years.
Got the privilege of being head

397
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,240
of a research corporation at
Greenville Health System.

398
00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:11,040
After the merger with Prisma, I
moved on to head SC Bio to

399
00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,400
advance life sciences.
So it's interesting #1.

400
00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:14,680
So a lot of different industries
and.

401
00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:19,920
That's what one point I'd make
is good skill sets and I say

402
00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,080
this with great humility or very
translational.

403
00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:26,480
You know you can take some great
principles from 1 industry.

404
00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:28,400
You have to learn a lot and
apply.

405
00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:31,800
The Long story short is when I
relaunched my consulting firm

406
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:34,880
after having a lot of that
healthcare and life sciences

407
00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:39,040
experience, I I just had some
really unique clients.

408
00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:42,600
And this one is building still
one of the largest Olympic

409
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,840
training campuses in the country
just outside of Charlotte

410
00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,160
alongside the UNC Charlotte
campus.

411
00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:53,320
And they enlisted me just to
help develop those, those what

412
00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:54,840
is that going to take?
And how do you build the

413
00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:58,600
partnerships, but especially the
innovation component, combining

414
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,920
forces with major healthcare
providers with science.

415
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,920
How do you how do you harness
the neurological system to

416
00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:06,640
benefit athletes?
All those things.

417
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:11,600
But I ended up getting to travel
to some unusual places, trips to

418
00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,320
Dubai, Abu Dhabi.
I was, I was, you know, meeting

419
00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:17,920
with representatives of Shakes
who were interested in maybe

420
00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:22,520
taking the concept over The UAE
actually went to Azerbaijan to

421
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,840
represent them.
That that was a that was kind of

422
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:26,680
a cool day.
They were like, hey, we need you

423
00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:28,080
to go to Baku.
And I was like.

424
00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:30,360
All right, where's that?
I'm like.

425
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:32,760
I'm like, I'm usually pretty
good in geography.

426
00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:36,880
I really have to like Google up.
So it's an Azerbaijan, which is

427
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:41,680
so I, you know, I, I enjoy
supporting clients I do and

428
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,040
helping them achieve their
goals.

429
00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:46,720
And I typically would be a very
embedded consultant, almost an

430
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:51,200
extended team member.
But I think coming back to what

431
00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:56,160
I'm doing now, giving my all for
one major mission, and in this

432
00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:58,800
case, the city of Greenville
being my favorite city on the

433
00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,000
planet, you know it, it just
became a mission job I couldn't

434
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,440
resist.
Yeah.

435
00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:07,640
So right into that, you know
what led you to take on the

436
00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:10,520
Greenville role?
That's a big role, inaugural

437
00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:12,880
CEO.
No one's done it before you.

438
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:14,480
And you're like, yeah, I'm going
to do it.

439
00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:16,880
I'm going to jump into this new
project that hasn't been done.

440
00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:19,560
So I guess what gave you the
passion and drive behind that,

441
00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:21,880
other than having all these
awesome experiences that you've

442
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:23,640
been through?
It's a nice question, really.

443
00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,440
So obviously I was crazy enough
to take on some challenges when

444
00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,080
I was young.
This one I at least felt okay.

445
00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:34,120
I've had the privilege to work
and a number of great economic

446
00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:38,600
development organizations from
life sciences to, you know, to,

447
00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:42,400
you know, the first regional
alliance in the Upstate.

448
00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:47,080
And I, you know, economic
development has been the one

449
00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:50,920
consistent theme of my career.
Whatever I've been doing, I've

450
00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:52,560
loved it and I've loved this
state.

451
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,760
So being at a point in life
where I still feel like a young

452
00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,000
dude, but I'm, you know, this is
fourth quarter career for me.

453
00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:01,800
You don't want to waste your
time.

454
00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:03,600
You want to do things that
really matter.

455
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:08,200
And I had no idea that the city
had entered that process that I

456
00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:11,360
was telling you about to form
this whole new corporation, take

457
00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:15,680
this really innovative approach.
So it kind of landed on me about

458
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:18,240
two or three different ways on a
given week when I was I was

459
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:20,920
actually in my prayers.
You know, listen, everybody's

460
00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,040
got very personal spiritual
journey.

461
00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,680
So I don't mean to be
heavy-handed about that.

462
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:27,800
But for me, that's an important
part of who I am.

463
00:24:28,120 --> 00:24:31,480
I've always wanted to be part of
things that are much bigger than

464
00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:33,840
me.
I've always believed God has a

465
00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,480
much bigger plan than I do.
So I'm like, hey, how do you

466
00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:38,040
want to use me at this point in
time?

467
00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,840
All of a sudden this opportunity
came at me a few different ways

468
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,880
and I just kind of threw my my
hat in the ring and said, if it

469
00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:49,720
turns out I'm the right person
at this stage of life to again

470
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,040
spearhead economic development
for my favorite city, my

471
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,520
hometown, and kind of bring it
back here.

472
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:58,280
Let's do it.
And so it was not a want.

473
00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,480
It was a not a need.
It was kind of a want.

474
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:04,760
And then when it happened, it's
been amazing.

475
00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,360
It's been it's been a whirlwind.
I'll tell you, it's 15 of the

476
00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:13,440
busiest months of my life.
And you know, sometimes I

477
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:15,880
probably bordered on getting a
little exhausted.

478
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:18,960
Sometimes we started with only
two people in the office.

479
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:24,320
Right now we have over 150
projects in our pipeline with a

480
00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:28,440
team of 6 and, you know, an
incredible cross section of

481
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:29,920
companies from all over the
world.

482
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,520
And so to be as proactive in
those areas while building a

483
00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:37,480
board of directors, supporting a
mayor, a city manager, a City

484
00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,200
Council trying to launch
innovative grant programs that

485
00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:45,800
target women owned and minority
businesses, it's a lot, but it

486
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,160
is a labor of love.
So what did day one look like

487
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:50,680
when you see the all these
different things in the

488
00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:52,400
Billboard that need to be
accomplished?

489
00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:57,760
Yeah, I mean, I would say even
before day one, once I accepted

490
00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:02,320
the role and it was announced
and I had about 3 weeks, I went

491
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:05,840
to Mexico.
I'm going to chew.

492
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:09,200
But I mean, yeah, my head was
swirling and I and listen, I

493
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:13,200
will tell you the, the, the list
is always going, you know, I

494
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,360
mean, it's rare on a night I
don't wake up.

495
00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:17,880
And it's not anxiety.
It's just thinking, OK, we want

496
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:20,320
to do that and that and that
and, and next idea is.

497
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:24,040
But when I started.
Yeah, I think, I think the cool

498
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:28,640
thing about being older is
important mantras for me.

499
00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,120
Don't try to force things.
Sometimes there's a reason it's

500
00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:35,240
not going a certain way.
And I think when I was younger,

501
00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:39,560
even in those 30s, you know,
with the the German company or

502
00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,920
even upstate alliance, you're
you're trying to wrestle things

503
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,320
to the ground sometimes.
So it's like make it happen.

504
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:49,040
So more of a ride the wave
you've been given and and don't

505
00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:52,480
respond to shrill to things, you
know, just kind of absorb it.

506
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:56,440
Listen, but you know, you but
you do have to be bold.

507
00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:01,720
I will say that fears, you know,
use the passion in in to

508
00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,440
energize, hopefully inspire, be
clear with a vision.

509
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,840
So I felt like, OK, I I think I
can do this.

510
00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:14,360
But the two words I took into it
though, and I mean this were

511
00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:17,520
humility and gratitude.
It was like, listen, this is not

512
00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:20,960
about the money.
This this is about being part of

513
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,600
something much bigger immunity.
I love it.

514
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:27,000
It.
I think service as I get older

515
00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:31,320
gets more and more important to
try to you in a position where

516
00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,840
you can serve others and feel
like there's some legacy, you

517
00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:36,760
know, that you leave some things
better.

518
00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,640
And again, for me, because I
don't consider this a stepping

519
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,880
stone to anything.
It may be my last, you know, big

520
00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,280
CEO build and maybe I'll, I'll
consult again one day.

521
00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:51,080
I love building a team right now
and I love working with younger

522
00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:53,920
executives.
They make me smarter.

523
00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,760
I learn from them every day.
But I can also help them maybe

524
00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:01,200
avoid a few of the potholes I
stepped in or at least help give

525
00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,920
them more context around because
so, so a lot of times with my

526
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,800
team members, I'm trying to
share things that I wish when I

527
00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:11,160
was 28 that people were sharing,
would have shared with me.

528
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:16,280
So that's, that's a privilege.
Well, there's lots of success

529
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:19,360
and good stories with what y'all
are doing, but as you can

530
00:28:19,360 --> 00:28:22,080
imagine, there's always
obstacles and challenges that we

531
00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:24,480
face and a big part of that is
how do you overcome it?

532
00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,760
So in the short year and a half
or two years that y'all have

533
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:31,280
been doing this, what are some
of those major challenges that

534
00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:32,840
you faced?
How did you overcome them?

535
00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:34,480
Or maybe still are overcoming
them?

536
00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:38,760
Great question.
Bandwidth #1 there's just never

537
00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:42,120
enough hours in the day to be as
proactive as you want to be, you

538
00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:46,760
know, you don't want to be the
reactive fireman put out, you

539
00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:50,600
know, and I would say that was
immensely challenging in the

540
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:54,560
initial months because the
economic development strategy

541
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,520
had almost been put on pause for
two years while the city went

542
00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:01,000
into a planning mode.
There was huge pent up demand

543
00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:06,200
and and so when I came in, it
was like a fire hydrant blasting

544
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:09,920
and a little bit of a avalanche.
And you're like, OK, you know,

545
00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,920
it's it's sort of like gang
face, put your helmet on and

546
00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:17,520
just get after it.
And and so I would say did we

547
00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:19,960
are still, we're going to hire
three more people.

548
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:21,880
We'll have a team of nine by the
end of the year.

549
00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:23,760
Are growing fast.
Yeah, yeah.

550
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,920
And, and I mean, and it's really
needed.

551
00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:29,560
So it's, it's getting better and
better and exciting to have such

552
00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:32,400
wicked smart people on the team
that are just doing a great job.

553
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:34,760
But that clearly was the number
one challenge.

554
00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:39,240
I think #2 just you want to take
a city that is already

555
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:43,000
phenomenal to the next level.
So expectations are through the

556
00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,680
roof, you know, with everybody.
I mean, Greenville's this

557
00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,200
amazing city that I'm blessed to
get to head economic development

558
00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:51,840
for the city itself, along with
other great collaborative

559
00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:55,560
organizations that focus on the
county or chamber or the upstate

560
00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:59,800
region.
And you know, I want to, I'm

561
00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:02,680
challenging myself on how to
take it to that next level.

562
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,680
And that means this is not a job
you relax at.

563
00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:08,160
You know, it's, it's, it's not
laid back.

564
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:13,400
I would say the atmosphere is
incredibly interesting because

565
00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:17,920
of the array of opportunities.
Greenville has endless

566
00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:20,480
possibilities in private.
It really does.

567
00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:26,360
And to get to be part of what
will be maybe echoing in a big

568
00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,800
way five years from now, 7 years
from now is really cool.

569
00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:33,040
But yeah, now practically
speaking, I will tell you formed

570
00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,760
a whole new board of directors,
C3 Corporation.

571
00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:38,800
There's a right now we're in the
middle of really taking that

572
00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:43,520
strategic plan into a, a really
clear business plan that says

573
00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:46,920
what truly is the role of this
corporation in all these areas.

574
00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,720
It's easier to imagine an
investment innovation.

575
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:52,160
But when you start talking about
what should our role as this

576
00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:55,520
corporation be to develop the
workforce of the future in

577
00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,640
talent, what should our role be
in livability issues around

578
00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:02,360
affordable housing or, you know,
highway infrastructure and, and

579
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:05,680
in some cases like investment,
we need to be the leader, the

580
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:09,480
champion in other spaces, we
need to be a great supporting

581
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:13,840
partner because other groups or
people are more equipped to take

582
00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:17,800
on some of those things.
I think it's fair to say what I

583
00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:19,560
would call operational
excellence.

584
00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:23,440
If, you know, go bold or go
home, go big or go home.

585
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,520
I would say we kind of decided
if we're going to do this

586
00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:28,440
corporation, it should be a
national model.

587
00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:30,960
If if not, not to what do?
You mean by national?

588
00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:35,640
And not to beat our chest, but
it's like I look to other places

589
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:39,440
right now to emulate and say
what can I learn from them?

590
00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:44,000
We would like to build a
corporation that is so

591
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,720
innovative and creative and
approach yeah that that

592
00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:51,200
ultimately people would say, OK,
let's just see what they're

593
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:52,760
doing and, and how they're doing
it.

594
00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:57,560
We had a group from Chattanooga
yesterday, a fellow president,

595
00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:00,200
CEO, and the cool thing is they
called us, said, hey, we want to

596
00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,280
come down, talk with you and
learn about some of the cool

597
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:05,120
things y'all are doing.
I'm like, good, I want to learn

598
00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:06,720
about some of the cool things
you're doing.

599
00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:11,880
And and and, yeah, so it's been
challenging as much as anything,

600
00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,520
just a lot of weight, but what a
privilege.

601
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:16,080
Do you think Greenville is
growing too?

602
00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:20,880
Quickly, you know this this is
more how I put it and I I hope

603
00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:27,160
don't let me dodge the question.
If we sat on our hands and did

604
00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,360
absolutely nothing, the city
will continue to grow fast.

605
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,080
I mean that, that is, we're not
a secret, you know, it's.

606
00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:37,640
Weird the secrets out so.
I would say in many ways, the

607
00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:41,040
number one reason I think this
corporation was formed was

608
00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:43,480
embrace the fact we're going to
keep growing.

609
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,240
So let's do it in the most
strategic targeted way.

610
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:50,080
And the cool word that enters
the conversation now is

611
00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:54,080
Greenville can be selective.
So I think our role is to go for

612
00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:58,040
the apples higher up the tree
for those aspirational projects,

613
00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:01,600
companies, investments that some
people think we're not even

614
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:04,440
ready for.
And I think we are for what it's

615
00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:06,400
worth.
And and so it's definitely

616
00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:09,680
quality over quantity is not
growth for growth's sake.

617
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:12,440
But for some of the folks who
would say, hey, I wish we'd quit

618
00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:15,720
growing, I would say go live in
a city that's not growing and

619
00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:19,800
see how you feel.
It's, it's a double edged sword.

620
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,320
It has to be managed.
And that that probably is, is

621
00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:27,040
our big role.
But it's many cities would kill

622
00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:29,280
for the challenge that
Greenville has.

623
00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:31,600
And, and the challenges are
real.

624
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,920
I've mentioned affordable
housing, infrastructure.

625
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,720
No one likes sitting in traffic
that we're not used to.

626
00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,400
They've been doing it in Atlanta
and Charlotte for a long time.

627
00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:43,840
So we, we are having to be very
deliberate on those those items

628
00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:46,840
and learn from our neighbors.
And, and I think here's the

629
00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:49,840
other cool thing I'll say about
Greenville is we want to be the

630
00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:54,040
best Greenville and not, not to
sound trite or you know, window

631
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:55,840
dressing.
We really don't want to be

632
00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:57,160
Charlotte.
We really don't want to be

633
00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:00,120
Atlanta.
We can learn things good and bad

634
00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:03,480
from both, but it's how to put
our own spin on it.

635
00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:06,880
We all know Greenville's got
this special sauce.

636
00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:10,120
You feel it, It's a vibe.
It's how people feel when they

637
00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,840
walk down the streets and and we
can't lose that.

638
00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:16,400
So even while our buildings are
getting taller and we're getting

639
00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:20,880
denser and more urban, I think
there is a a charm and adna

640
00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:23,719
about Greenville that we have to
zealously protect it.

641
00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:26,480
I'd agree with that.
I mean, we walk downtown on a

642
00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:28,600
Saturday night and we just think
how fortunate we are to have

643
00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:30,440
such a beautiful city that we
live in.

644
00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:32,679
Quite right?
Changed like I'm born and raised

645
00:34:32,679 --> 00:34:35,159
here so growing up, you know
anywhere you go you always see

646
00:34:35,159 --> 00:34:37,440
people you know, which that's
one of the reasons I love

647
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:39,159
Greenbelt.
I can go to any restaurant and

648
00:34:39,159 --> 00:34:42,120
see people I know.
But lately we'll walk downtown

649
00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:45,040
and we can go up and down
downtown and not see a single

650
00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,760
person you know.
And I'm like, this is crazy.

651
00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:50,040
Usually I'm used to seeing
people I know left and right and

652
00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:53,760
say there's a ton of growth.
But with that y'all have a bunch

653
00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:56,120
of cool projects you're working
on, collaborating with the city

654
00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,480
and others.
So are there any exciting

655
00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,840
upcoming projects that you can
tell us about?

656
00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:04,800
I mean, I can, I mean, a couple
have been announced and, and to

657
00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:08,040
me they're they're going to be
seismic and the next wave of

658
00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,600
investment.
And I can at least allude to the

659
00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:13,080
types of projects that are in
the pipeline now that I can't

660
00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:16,920
say much about.
But we, you know, so massive

661
00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:20,360
mixed-use projects looking at
downtown of live work, play and

662
00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:24,320
continue to shape that cityscape
and provide new residential

663
00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:27,200
offerings and more affordable
housing and those kind of things

664
00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:30,120
too.
So the Gateway project, you

665
00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:32,800
know, we're in touch with that
group almost every day and

666
00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:35,360
you're going to see the tallest
building in the state go up in

667
00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:38,960
the state in the state.
What was the the giant hole

668
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,760
Memorial Auditorium left when it
was imploded?

669
00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:45,320
And it's it's going to be a
state-of-the-art building.

670
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:49,280
It's going to create kind of a
seamless pedestrian activation

671
00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:51,880
district to connect the arena
district to downtown.

672
00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:56,280
While the in the arena is about
to go through massive, you know,

673
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:03,600
renovations and an amphitheater.
We we are talking with folks on

674
00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:07,200
proposals for downtown
Conference Center that will be I

675
00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,440
think a really exciting addition
to downtown.

676
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:13,480
And then you know, I will tell
you quietly, there are numerous

677
00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:16,000
companies if you looked at our
pipeline that are looking at

678
00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,280
Greenville as a potential
headquarters for them.

679
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:22,360
So headquarters in office is a
really important space for us.

680
00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:26,400
Interestingly, we have no Class
A office space left downtown.

681
00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:29,880
We're one of the only cities in
the country that have that as an

682
00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:33,960
issue because current lending
rates make it very hard to

683
00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:37,800
pencil those deals, as you would
say, unless you have an absolute

684
00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:40,880
anchor tenant who's going to
take at least 75% of the

685
00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,240
building.
So we, our vacancy rate on Class

686
00:36:44,280 --> 00:36:48,720
A office space is about 3.8% on
where many other cities just

687
00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:53,040
have empty skies.
So so yeah, it's challenge and

688
00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:56,120
opportunities mixed.
Some really cool.

689
00:36:56,240 --> 00:37:00,400
I mean, I'll tell you another,
we have two AI companies,

690
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:04,040
quantum computing West Coast.
They're looking for an East

691
00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:06,960
Coast hub.
And those are again, what I

692
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:09,600
consider really projects jobs in
the future.

693
00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:13,280
We have one of the top drone
technology companies in the

694
00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:16,640
world looking at Greenville as a
potential North American

695
00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:19,480
headquarters where they could
design, build drones, but

696
00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:22,400
connect it to the education
system through STEM projects.

697
00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:26,400
And they're kind of like the
Formula One drone racing series

698
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:30,680
as well, millions of people
online drone racing.

699
00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:35,120
So yeah, the array of projects
is really interesting and next

700
00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:37,120
generation.
So when you look at Greenville,

701
00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:39,360
that's thriving.
What makes Greenville different

702
00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:41,800
from some of the cities that
aren't thriving take like a, a

703
00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:45,320
Saint Louis that's like, or a
Detroit like obviously a lot of

704
00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:48,320
issues there.
What makes Greenville so great

705
00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:49,560
and these other ones are
struggling?

706
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:53,120
So, so at the risk of sounding
like I'm drinking our kool-aid,

707
00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:58,160
but I mean, Greenville has been
validated by so many third

708
00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,960
parties, right?
It's not just us as residents

709
00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:03,040
who say we love this place.
And I think it's special.

710
00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:05,320
A lot of people are saying it is
special.

711
00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:09,120
I mean, in the last two or three
weeks, Travel Leisure names us

712
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:14,640
the 7th best city in there.
You know, last May U.S. news

713
00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:18,240
called us the 4th best place to
live in America.

714
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:22,320
So I, I think there is objective
data saying people are

715
00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:26,600
appreciating that something is
unique here at the risk again of

716
00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:29,280
sometimes sounding, you know,
kind of like you're, you're

717
00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:33,280
throwing a softball.
Collaboration is taken to

718
00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:35,760
another level in Greenville.
I do, I do believe that.

719
00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:40,280
And the city in particular, I
think what I've gotten to

720
00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:44,480
inherit and, and, and working to
build on is I don't know of any

721
00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:47,640
city that does public private
partnerships better than us.

722
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,600
And I think part of it is
recognizing that the private

723
00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,400
sector really brought wealth to
South Carolina and helped

724
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:55,920
elevate us.
And we've been blessed to have

725
00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:59,200
some visionary leaders, our
current mayor 30 years and who

726
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:03,000
championed everything from the
Liberty Bridge in Falls Park to

727
00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:04,800
Fleurfield to Unity.
Park.

728
00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:09,200
These were all incredibly
challenging projects and there's

729
00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:11,720
always a group of people saying
no, you can't do that or

730
00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:13,680
whatever.
And sometimes it just takes

731
00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:15,800
really resilient leadership and
vision.

732
00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:19,000
Greenville's been blessed with
some really strong leaders.

733
00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:23,840
I think because it's always been
a private sector city in a way,

734
00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:26,400
we never could roll the line of
being the state capital or

735
00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:31,720
having 40,000 students downtown.
It's always had a real solid

736
00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:35,120
business edge that I think has
made us a little more, more

737
00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:38,280
creative.
You combine that with let's say,

738
00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:41,360
I mean, I mean I know our
corporation is how can we work

739
00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:44,800
with the private sector to
create something neither of us

740
00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:49,360
can possibly do separately?
And so the city does.

741
00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:52,640
I mean, we don't just talk a
good game, we invest in

742
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:55,120
projects.
So most every project you would

743
00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:59,080
see downtown that's been built
within the last 10-15 years,

744
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:01,360
really going back further, if
you go to Fluor Phil, if you go

745
00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:04,520
to the Peace Center, there's
always been public private

746
00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:07,920
partnership in terms of how we
all bring capital, have skin in

747
00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:10,680
the game, determine what our
roles need to be.

748
00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,800
And that's what I find a lot of
cities who visit us are trying

749
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:15,600
to understand how, how do y'all
do that?

750
00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:20,280
Some of it, I mean, look, I, I,
I'm so fortunate to get to

751
00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:23,120
represent and build this new
corporation for the city that I

752
00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:26,600
think is really needed because.
Our our economic development

753
00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:31,600
issues in the city itself, the
urban center are they overlap

754
00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:33,680
with, but they're different from
even the county.

755
00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:36,240
They're different from the
region as a whole or the state.

756
00:40:36,240 --> 00:40:39,160
We have some pretty unique
things in that in that city

757
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:42,040
center.
But GADC working for the county

758
00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:45,560
Upstate Alliance for the region,
visit Greenville as he does a

759
00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:49,080
phenomenal job, you know, on on
the convention visitors Bureau

760
00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,080
side.
And that would be an example of

761
00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:53,760
where Heath Dillard who heads
another Heathman.

762
00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:56,720
We had him on a couple weeks.
For him heading that

763
00:40:56,720 --> 00:40:58,800
organization, he really
understands economic

764
00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:00,560
development.
We know it's intertwined.

765
00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:05,080
So for instance, when that drone
technology CEO came from Europe

766
00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:08,080
a couple weeks ago, his team and
our team were working hand in

767
00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:10,520
hand.
Recent headquarters project,

768
00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:12,440
GADC and our team working hand
in hand.

769
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:16,000
So there are certain things that
the city has to kind of pursue

770
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,480
independently because it's not a
fit for others.

771
00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:23,400
But whenever we can embrace with
our partners when I go to Europe

772
00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:26,880
on missions to really find what
is that next generation of

773
00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:29,640
companies we want in Greenville
in South Carolina, we have a

774
00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:33,720
phenomenal office in Munich and
the the guy there, Sergio

775
00:41:33,720 --> 00:41:36,120
Dominguez, he's a beast,
amazing.

776
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:41,240
And so I think it takes a
village, it takes real

777
00:41:41,240 --> 00:41:45,240
collaboration.
A city can maybe be pretty good

778
00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:48,800
or good and and not really focus
on that, but to be

779
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,120
extraordinary, you have to be
able to collaborate and work

780
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:53,960
together at unprecedented
levels.

781
00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:57,080
I do think Greenville has
something special.

782
00:41:57,080 --> 00:42:00,480
We're we're Clemson people
talking about Clemson a little

783
00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:01,640
bit.
There's something special.

784
00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:04,800
Yeah, that's all they say.
Exactly.

785
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:07,520
I'd love to transition it back
to you, away from away from

786
00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:08,600
Greenville.
Everyone knows Greenville is

787
00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:10,360
great, but I'm sure a lot of
listeners want to know more

788
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:12,480
about Sam Cunders.
What makes him so special?

789
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:14,840
How is he doing so much
successful work here?

790
00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:19,200
What is it that fuels you as a
as an entrepreneur, as a leader,

791
00:42:19,760 --> 00:42:23,360
even at your age, to keep going
at this high level of

792
00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:26,680
engagement?
Even at my age, one of my team

793
00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:28,680
members the other day, I was
struggling with something on the

794
00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:29,280
computer.
Idiot.

795
00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:32,600
And I said, what is the deal?
Because when you're elderly, I

796
00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:35,520
was like, I was like, hey,
senior, but not.

797
00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:39,240
Boy, did you see a lot of people
tone it down and you're, you're

798
00:42:39,240 --> 00:42:40,560
doing the opposite.
I'm toning it.

799
00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:43,080
Up gearing it up.
This is partly true.

800
00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:45,880
It's almost interesting to me to
see some of my contemporaries

801
00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:48,480
are retiring and I'm like, I'm
not ready for that.

802
00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:55,040
I think retirement's overrated.
I so I think again, the quest to

803
00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:59,360
be part of something bigger than
yourself, to make an impact, to

804
00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:03,680
do meaningful work.
You know, my wife and I both

805
00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:08,120
went through she, she went
through breast cancer in 2010

806
00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:10,920
and came, you know, post her
child for early detection.

807
00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:13,240
They thought I had a rare form
of lymphoma.

808
00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,920
I was going into chairing the
chamber or living on McDaniel at

809
00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:20,360
you know, and and you're kind of
it really caused an amazing

810
00:43:20,360 --> 00:43:22,960
amount of reprioritization in
2010.

811
00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:25,240
That was kind of our year in the
barrel together where you do

812
00:43:25,240 --> 00:43:28,440
question, why do I do what I do?
Because we were coming out of

813
00:43:28,440 --> 00:43:33,400
the Great Recession.
I had been working like crazy,

814
00:43:33,400 --> 00:43:36,960
you know, with clients that are
awesome but demanding.

815
00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:40,080
And during the Great Recession,
they needed more and more of you

816
00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:43,440
for the same retainer amount.
Lessons learned.

817
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:48,160
I'm veering here on you.
So we had accumulated, you know,

818
00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:50,520
a couple of vacation homes and
this and that.

819
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:52,960
And suddenly you feel like
you're kind of hostage to your

820
00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:55,160
possessions.
And we said, you know, so

821
00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:58,200
important, number one, you keep
learning lessons as you go.

822
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:02,400
But what I found for me is my
spiritual journey is #1 most

823
00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:05,160
important.
I believe in that.

824
00:44:05,160 --> 00:44:08,400
There is a plan that is much
bigger than me and a higher

825
00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:14,200
power to tap into that.
I always know when I'm trying to

826
00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:18,400
tune into that, that that's when
I'm going to be at my best.

827
00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:22,880
Humbly speaking, I'm I really
have learned that body, mind,

828
00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:26,640
spirit, it's all connected.
You know, if you can be maybe

829
00:44:26,640 --> 00:44:29,680
really killing it on your job,
but you're letting everything

830
00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:32,400
else suffer.
Your life gets out of whack.

831
00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:37,360
But you know, he just the simple
answer is I don't know the way

832
00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:40,720
God wired me.
I have a passion for building

833
00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:45,040
things and especially building
with people and especially

834
00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:50,320
building community and and you
know, it just makes it it makes

835
00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:54,080
it not even a job sometimes.
You know, that's cool.

836
00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:57,240
That's pretty rambling answer.
That's the perfect answer.

837
00:44:57,240 --> 00:45:00,640
You see, I think one of the
things that helps us a ton since

838
00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:03,840
we're still early in our career
is not only here in the good,

839
00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:06,280
but what not to do.
And so earlier I brought up

840
00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:08,720
challenges and obstacles with
your current corporation.

841
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:12,040
But to his point, we'd love to
hear about you and your journey.

842
00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:16,440
So outside of 2010, what were
some challenges that you faced

843
00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:18,680
or obstacles in your personal
career?

844
00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:22,920
You know, I mean, I'll just take
it to the the personal level

845
00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:25,160
beyond just complexities at
work.

846
00:45:25,160 --> 00:45:29,200
And, you know, sometimes I've
worked as my own boss in my

847
00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:32,880
consulting company, you know,
probably full time for about 12

848
00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:34,800
years in between other full time
gigs.

849
00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:37,880
I've worked in massive
organizations that can have

850
00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:43,400
silos and communication
obstacles or, you know,

851
00:45:43,400 --> 00:45:47,360
sometimes it's hard for big
institutions to deviate from

852
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:52,040
certain processes when even it's
not logical and, and you do have

853
00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:54,080
to have some humility with that,
right?

854
00:45:54,440 --> 00:45:58,080
But I would say, you know, on a
personal level, it, it's kind of

855
00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:00,200
developing our own emotional IQ,
right?

856
00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:05,840
I, I mean, I think what I like
about the word joy is joy

857
00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:09,200
doesn't mean happiness per SE.
Happiness is, can be

858
00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:13,640
circumstances, you know, how,
how can you actually have a

859
00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:17,200
sense of well-being, even if
you're sick, even if your career

860
00:46:17,200 --> 00:46:19,520
is struggling a little bit or
whatever.

861
00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:22,680
And, and so I think it, you
know, a little bit of it goes to

862
00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:24,600
that.
It was always weird to me when

863
00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:27,080
you get on the plane that say,
put your mask on before helping

864
00:46:27,080 --> 00:46:29,480
others, but if you're really
going to help others, you got to

865
00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:34,160
kind of be together.
And, and so I think when I was

866
00:46:34,160 --> 00:46:37,960
younger, I didn't understand
sometimes with that passion and

867
00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:41,400
intensity in my career, what I
was bringing in the room and

868
00:46:41,400 --> 00:46:43,000
what I was leaving behind
sometimes.

869
00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:49,640
And I think I think listening
more, really trying, it's fun to

870
00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:52,040
concentrate on helping other
people succeed.

871
00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:55,960
And the weird thing is it has
this strange echo where it's

872
00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:59,560
good, it's good karma.
It actually makes you more

873
00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:04,000
winsome for them to want to be
with when you're really trying

874
00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:06,240
to help them.
So it, you know, it's just kind

875
00:47:06,240 --> 00:47:08,400
of funny.
But I think, I think as I got

876
00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:12,520
older, you start trying when I
was young, OK, I'll be really

877
00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:13,480
personal here.
Why not?

878
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:17,200
I think I had a lot to prove.
I had kind of AI had a great

879
00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:20,440
dad, but he was really tough.
And I, I always kind of, am I

880
00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:24,120
stacking up enough and
professional affirmation, having

881
00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:27,080
people pat me on the back in my
20s and say, man, you're doing a

882
00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:29,160
great job.
That was kind of a drug of

883
00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:33,040
choice for a while.
It made me sort of addicted to

884
00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:37,920
exceeding expectations, which
can be good, but it it, it can

885
00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:40,720
be unhealthy.
And I would say it, it drove me

886
00:47:40,720 --> 00:47:43,120
close to burnout.
Sometimes I would just go so

887
00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:45,280
hard until I would finally wear
myself out.

888
00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:49,560
So those are lessons that it's
taken me a long time to in a job

889
00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:56,400
like today that is so busy and
to just try to be joyful and

890
00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:59,840
appreciative.
The one thing you can control

891
00:47:59,840 --> 00:48:04,440
any of us is how we show up with
your attitude, what your mindset

892
00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:06,880
is.
I mean, it, it's, it's almost

893
00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:10,960
scary how much impact that has,
how you're going to handle that

894
00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:14,760
driver who's cutting you off,
how you're going to, you know,

895
00:48:14,760 --> 00:48:17,280
whether you're going to get
triggered in a meeting, you

896
00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:22,000
know, and, and so I really just
try to concentrate on again,

897
00:48:22,920 --> 00:48:26,200
have a positive attitude
because, you know, life's a

898
00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:28,680
gift.
Good health is a gift none of us

899
00:48:28,680 --> 00:48:32,120
should be entitled, right?
And to just try to appreciate.

900
00:48:32,120 --> 00:48:34,160
And I think as you get older,
one thing you're going to find

901
00:48:34,160 --> 00:48:35,320
is yeah, you don't want to
waste.

902
00:48:35,480 --> 00:48:38,200
If I'm going to work this hard,
I want to enjoy it.

903
00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:39,720
That's.
Really.

904
00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:42,240
Yeah, wise words right there.
And it's easier said than done,

905
00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:44,160
you know, obviously, to to hold
your tongue with that.

906
00:48:44,320 --> 00:48:46,320
Balance has always been a
challenge for me.

907
00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:48,840
I don't know.
But we'll wrap it up here

908
00:48:48,840 --> 00:48:51,640
shortly.
But I would like to see as the

909
00:48:51,960 --> 00:48:54,160
the CEO is kind of the dream job
for some people.

910
00:48:54,160 --> 00:48:56,720
Can you take us into what a
typical day looks like for you

911
00:48:56,880 --> 00:48:58,640
and your role as CEO?
Yeah.

912
00:48:59,960 --> 00:49:03,960
And, and, and you're right, I
think the first I was head of

913
00:49:03,960 --> 00:49:08,040
North American operations for
the German company, but that led

914
00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:11,000
to me being the first CEO of
Upstate Alliance.

915
00:49:11,000 --> 00:49:14,920
And as you know, early 30s, what
have you, mid 30s.

916
00:49:15,480 --> 00:49:18,320
And, and it was like, wow, OK,
what it, what does this mean?

917
00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:20,920
What does this look like?
How do I report to a board?

918
00:49:21,240 --> 00:49:24,720
How much do they want to know?
You know, I learned they're

919
00:49:24,720 --> 00:49:27,960
like, we don't need to know that
after a while.

920
00:49:28,240 --> 00:49:32,680
And, and, and so it's been a
blessing for me to have six or

921
00:49:32,680 --> 00:49:35,280
seven of those leadership
positions and a couple of board

922
00:49:35,280 --> 00:49:38,200
chairmanships where you try to
hone those skills and, and

923
00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:41,440
whatever.
I think more than anything, ACEO

924
00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:44,800
needs to have the humility to be
chief bottle washer as well as

925
00:49:44,800 --> 00:49:48,040
chief executive officer and be
willing check your ego at the

926
00:49:48,040 --> 00:49:50,520
door.
You're really there to try to

927
00:49:50,520 --> 00:49:54,600
serve your team, support your
team, make them the best.

928
00:49:55,040 --> 00:49:57,680
Never be bigger than the
institution you're part of.

929
00:49:58,320 --> 00:50:02,520
So I, I think the worst humility
at this point in my life keeps

930
00:50:02,520 --> 00:50:05,200
coming back over and over.
There's really no downside to

931
00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:07,480
having humility.
That doesn't mean not being

932
00:50:07,480 --> 00:50:10,520
confident, you know, that does
not mean that you know you know,

933
00:50:10,520 --> 00:50:13,640
or being falsely and modest or
doing humble brags.

934
00:50:13,640 --> 00:50:18,440
It just means humility is I'm,
I'm blessed and, and, and how do

935
00:50:18,440 --> 00:50:20,360
I pass it on?
How do I move it forward?

936
00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:24,200
But organizing A-Team, making
sure that there's clarity and

937
00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:27,360
vision and purpose.
I, I'm a communicator.

938
00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:31,120
I, I believe if I'm asking my
team members to tackle these

939
00:50:31,120 --> 00:50:35,080
complex projects, they deserve
to understand nuances and the

940
00:50:35,080 --> 00:50:37,000
background.
And so I'll share as much

941
00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:40,560
information as I can to make
sure they feel equipped and can

942
00:50:40,560 --> 00:50:43,560
also appreciate what they're
doing and why they're doing it.

943
00:50:44,000 --> 00:50:46,600
And then, and then, you know,
the shift that's taking place

944
00:50:46,600 --> 00:50:48,720
now, I would say to you all
that's kind of cool.

945
00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:51,800
In those first few months, there
were times I kind of had to do

946
00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:54,200
everything, you know, I mean,
that's, you know, you, you know

947
00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:57,600
that you're entrepreneurs and
you're, you're, I'm really proud

948
00:50:57,600 --> 00:51:02,080
of what I'm seeing you all do
with now 16 members and three

949
00:51:02,080 --> 00:51:05,200
more coming, I'm making that
shift into what I'll call really

950
00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:06,960
ACEO should do.
And that is number 1.

951
00:51:07,200 --> 00:51:11,040
You set the example by how hard
you work by not being entitled,

952
00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:15,680
but it really is about
supporting those employees and

953
00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:19,680
make make help them achieve
their dreams in the job.

954
00:51:20,000 --> 00:51:23,880
And frankly, if I don't hire
people that other people want in

955
00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:26,040
two or three years, then shame
on me.

956
00:51:26,800 --> 00:51:30,440
And so it's my job as I see it
after two or three years and

957
00:51:30,440 --> 00:51:32,120
they're killing it doing a great
job.

958
00:51:32,120 --> 00:51:35,000
If other people are recruiting
them, I need to keep challenging

959
00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:37,280
them and helping them grow and
take care of them.

960
00:51:37,800 --> 00:51:42,320
So you know, the CEO job, it's
great when it matures more into

961
00:51:42,960 --> 00:51:45,280
yes, you've got to be great at
reporting to a board.

962
00:51:45,720 --> 00:51:48,520
You've got to have a vision that
can inspire people.

963
00:51:48,640 --> 00:51:52,680
I believe that you've got to be
a good communicator, but it's

964
00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:56,320
all about the team.
And then also being humble and

965
00:51:56,320 --> 00:51:59,680
receptive to guidance from board
members, city leaders, things

966
00:51:59,680 --> 00:52:00,880
like that.
We'll.

967
00:52:00,880 --> 00:52:04,040
Wrap it up here.
But when Sam does finally call

968
00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:06,960
it a day and all said and done,
what is the legacy you're hoping

969
00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:10,520
to leave behind?
I mean, I, you know, at first I

970
00:52:10,520 --> 00:52:11,960
thought you're going to say,
what do I do when I'm not

971
00:52:11,960 --> 00:52:15,120
working?
I bought a motorcycle, my third

972
00:52:15,120 --> 00:52:17,160
one, last week.
And because I don't have time

973
00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:19,680
for golf.
But joking, joking aside, I

974
00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:25,680
mean, the legacy for me now is
I'll tell you what the nicest

975
00:52:25,680 --> 00:52:27,640
thing that has almost ever been
said.

976
00:52:28,080 --> 00:52:31,320
And I hope he doesn't mind me
quoting him, but Councilman John

977
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:35,160
Dworkin, who was part of the
hiring process with me, along

978
00:52:35,160 --> 00:52:39,880
with the mayor and the city
manager, he he said Sam builds

979
00:52:39,880 --> 00:52:43,840
things that last.
And that might be the nicest

980
00:52:43,840 --> 00:52:45,760
professional compliment I've
ever been given.

981
00:52:45,760 --> 00:52:49,160
So if if you can build some
things that last and echo, I

982
00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:53,040
mean, right now for me to have
been CEO of SC bio, CEO of

983
00:52:53,040 --> 00:52:55,680
Upstate Alliance and I'm a board
member for him now I'm trying to

984
00:52:55,680 --> 00:52:58,560
support their mission and I'm
watching younger leaders to get

985
00:52:58,560 --> 00:53:01,760
to another place.
I mean that that is really

986
00:53:01,760 --> 00:53:04,240
gratifying.
And I think with Greenville,

987
00:53:04,240 --> 00:53:05,960
it's a it's a pretty easy
agenda.

988
00:53:05,960 --> 00:53:08,320
I think we live in the best city
in the country.

989
00:53:08,320 --> 00:53:12,040
And if I get a chance to do
anything to help make it better,

990
00:53:12,440 --> 00:53:15,680
you know, take it to the next
level, that that's the legacy

991
00:53:15,680 --> 00:53:18,120
thing.
And to pay off piggyback off of

992
00:53:18,120 --> 00:53:22,080
that real quick, most of our
listeners are young

993
00:53:22,160 --> 00:53:26,320
professionals or mid career.
So what piece of advice would

994
00:53:26,320 --> 00:53:28,520
you give to those that are
listening to you today?

995
00:53:28,720 --> 00:53:31,360
Jump in.
I mean, honestly, I mean, I, I

996
00:53:31,360 --> 00:53:36,200
think you 2 are great examples
of you, you, you have unique

997
00:53:36,200 --> 00:53:39,120
backgrounds, education, but
you've caught you're, you know,

998
00:53:39,200 --> 00:53:42,720
pursuing A niche.
But I think showing up #1 is

999
00:53:42,720 --> 00:53:44,600
huge.
You, you got to put yourself out

1000
00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:46,360
there, got to be a little
fearless.

1001
00:53:46,360 --> 00:53:49,400
It's not always comfortable.
You sort of embrace getting a

1002
00:53:49,400 --> 00:53:51,720
little uncomfortable.
And you know, there's a lot of

1003
00:53:51,720 --> 00:53:54,680
young ambassador programs and
whether it's Chambers of

1004
00:53:54,680 --> 00:53:58,000
Commerce and different Ed
organizations, etcetera.

1005
00:53:58,360 --> 00:54:05,840
But I think showing up #1 #2
follow up, I think sometimes

1006
00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:11,000
follow up is very underrated and
it impresses people so much.

1007
00:54:11,040 --> 00:54:13,920
When you have that meeting, you
have that cool connection.

1008
00:54:14,120 --> 00:54:16,040
It's funny, we used to go to
these conferences and trade

1009
00:54:16,040 --> 00:54:17,480
shows around the world and
you're like, yeah.

1010
00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:21,240
And then come home and you get
busy and, and people, someone

1011
00:54:21,240 --> 00:54:22,720
called it, yeah, it's trade show
fever.

1012
00:54:23,560 --> 00:54:25,840
But all all joking aside, I
think when you make a

1013
00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:29,040
connection, then you follow up
with that person and even one

1014
00:54:29,040 --> 00:54:31,840
relationship at a time, it makes
an impression.

1015
00:54:32,520 --> 00:54:36,560
The other thing I would tell
younger folks is, again, never,

1016
00:54:36,560 --> 00:54:38,640
never let money be the first
driver.

1017
00:54:38,720 --> 00:54:41,760
You're usually going to make a
mistake if you choose a job or a

1018
00:54:41,760 --> 00:54:46,040
career because money was first.
I mean, we all, you know, close

1019
00:54:46,040 --> 00:54:48,760
second, that's fine.
Got to follow your passion.

1020
00:54:49,040 --> 00:54:51,000
You're never going to be great
at something if you're not

1021
00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:55,920
passionate about it.
And lastly, I would say people

1022
00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:59,840
are always watching.
Most of my new jobs and roles

1023
00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:03,520
came to me without necessarily
searching for them because

1024
00:55:03,800 --> 00:55:08,360
people watch how people operate.
And when people see someone

1025
00:55:08,360 --> 00:55:11,640
working as hard as they can and
giving it their all and having a

1026
00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:17,400
great attitude, it it's, it's
magnetic and it will cause

1027
00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:21,520
people my age sometimes to take
chances on younger people who

1028
00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:25,200
may not have the experience yet,
but they have those qualities.

1029
00:55:25,200 --> 00:55:28,320
You really can't train.
They're they're, they're kind of

1030
00:55:28,320 --> 00:55:30,800
in you or not.
So hopefully that's a little.

1031
00:55:30,960 --> 00:55:32,680
That's helpful.
That was great.

1032
00:55:32,840 --> 00:55:34,480
Thank you.
Sam, thank you so much for

1033
00:55:34,480 --> 00:55:34,960
joining.
US.

1034
00:55:35,440 --> 00:55:37,160
Thanks for joining, we
appreciate it.