By Lydia Dishman
Contributing Writer

Nancy Whitworth is standing in the Wyche Pavilion on the banks of the Reedy River in Greenville. Along with about 50 participants in the inaugural Food for Thought Conference, the city’s director of economic development is enjoying the soft breeze that blows off the water on this near-perfect night in May.

Despite the idyllic moment, she’s thinking about business. “This has always been a business community,” she muses. “It just took a while to figure out the quality-of-life piece.”

Stockbroker Charles Schwab once said, “A man, to carry on a successful business, must have imagination. He must see things as in a vision, a dream of the whole thing.”

The Upstate had not one but many such successful businesspeople, those with visions and dreams that turned an upcountry land traversed by wildlife, Native Americans and rivers into the vibrant urban hub of industry and development that it is today.

With more than 128,000 businesses in 2006, and a work force of more than 640,000, the region has become home to a variety of industries including automotive, aviation, biopharmaceuticals, advanced materials, call centers, computer and software services and manufacturing facilities.

Not to mention that between January 2007 and April 2008, nearly $209 million has been invested — just in Greenville County — by a diverse array of companies such as Cytec Industries, Datran Manufacturing, Millmer Milliken and Q Tires, just to name a few. All of this activity has created more than 1,000 jobs according to the Greenville Area Development Corp.

“If there is a singular reason why the Upstate is so successful at attracting industry, it is because there’s visionary leadership with a get-it-done mentality,” says Kevin Landmesser, vice president of the GADC. The GADC, along with the Upstate Alliance, Greer Development Corporation, Economic Futures Group, formerly the Spartanburg Economic Development Corporation, and others are working to promote the area to attract business. According to the Upstate Alliance, an overall, aggressive tax incentive program rewards companies for job creation and investment.

The Upstate Alliance also found that this region boasts the production of 60% of the goods shipped through the Southeast’s largest container port in Charleston. Its location — within a 48-hour drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population — is key.

Though the 10-county Upstate is a medium-sized market, it makes up one of the strongest manufacturing centers in the country. Greenville is a locus, not only because it is the most populous, but also because it is home to more than 300 corporate headquarters, more than any other region in the state, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce.