By SCBIZ Staff

CLEMSON - City and business leaders in Greenville and from across the state will get their first look at the Clemson Renaissance Center during its grand opening Thursday.

Clemson President James F. Barker will officially open the center and launch its first event — the second annual Celebration of Clemson Alumni Entrepreneurs.

The Clemson Renaissance Center will house the university's program for entrepreneurial, experience-based graduate education and will serve as a portal between the school's College of Business and Behavioral Science and the Greenville business community. The center will enable graduate students and faculty to work directly with area firms, entrepreneurs and leaders in innovative ways that will both enrich and accelerate the learning experience. 

"The Clemson Renaissance Center brings entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership education activities to Greenville, which will benefit the business community and Clemson University students," said David Grigsby, interim dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson. "This is the start of big things to come for the college and the beginning of a greater presence in downtown Greenville."   

Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Gunter Auditorium of the Peace Center for the Performing Arts in Greenville. Barker will open the program with remarks about Clemson's top 20 vision, the university's relationship to the Upstate community and the role of the Renaissance Center. Clemson alumnus Richard Reese, chairman and CEO of Iron Mountain, will speak about his success in growing Iron Mountain from $3 million to more than $2 billion in revenues. 

Reese joined Iron Mountain as president in 1981, when the company was privately held and posted $3 million in annual revenue. Under his leadership, the company has grown to more than $2.1 billion in annualized revenue and has become a leader in records management and information protection.

A reception on the Gunter Theatre stage and a tour of the Clemson Renaissance Center, which occupies the sixth floor of the historic Liberty Building on Main Street, will follow the program. The program and reception are free and open to the public. 

Initially, the Clemson Renaissance Center will house offices for the Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the Center for International Trade and the Small Business Development Center. It will link experience-based MBA and other business graduate education programs with area entrepreneurs to create a hub of intellectual activities. The center will offer students and the Greenville community a variety of programs and events, including executive education programs, new business development services, student projects for area companies, seminars, forums, a lecture series and a celebration of the history of Southern entrepreneurs through a published journal.

"We feel that our presence downtown will enable us to better serve all sections of Greenville County, as well as positioning us right in the heart of small business growth and development," said Jill Burroughs, SBDC director. "We also look forward to the student availability and what they can add to the counseling and research mix."