EASLEY — The City of Easley and the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce have both joined the Upstate SC Alliance.

Easley is the sixth Upstate city to invest in the Upstate Alliance, joining alongside the City of Clinton, the City of Greenville, the City of Greer, the City of Spartanburg, and the City of Union.

The nine county members of the Upstate Alliance include Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Spartanburg, and Union counties. Like all of these public sector investors, the City of Easley will be a member of the Upstate SC Alliance Board of Directors and help provide strategic direction for the organization.

“We are excited to become part of the Upstate Alliance and partner with organizations towards a shared vision of economic development,” said Easley Mayor Larry Bagwell. “It is our hope that this new partnership will help bring investment to Easley, and in turn benefit the community and the region.”

Additionally, the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce has joined the Upstate SC Alliance. The Chamber facilitates communication, dialogue, and collaboration between community and business leaders in the public and private sectors for both Easley and Powdersville.

“As a chamber representing 470 local businesses, we are pleased to offer our support to the Upstate SC Alliance,” said Cindy Hopkins, president of the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce. “Together with the City of Easley, we look forward to the economic growth this new partnership will produce, both locally and regionally. Over the past few years, our Easley market has experienced incredible growth and development, and we view this new partnership as a means to leverage that success to help recruit new economic investment to our area.”

The Upstate Alliance aims to bring value to investors and the region by strengthening the Upstate’s global reputation for excellence and by promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors. 2014 was a record setting year for Upstate South Carolina and 2015 is proving to be another strong year for the region with 26 announcements representing more than $477 million in capital investment and 3,251 jobs.

“We are excited to have the City of Easley join our Board of Directors and the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce join our private sector investor group,” said John Lummus, CEO and president of Upstate SC Alliance. “We are eager to work collaboratively to continue moving our region forward. By joining our team, the City of Easley and the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce have made a commitment to economic development and regional growth and we are excited to market the City as a great place to live and do business in South Carolina.”

The Upstate Alliance is a public/private regional economic development organization designed to market and brand the Upstate of South Carolina. The Upstate represents the commerce-rich northwestern corner of South Carolina, including the I-85 corridor and the Greenville-Spartanburg- Anderson Combined Statistical Area (CSA). Visit www.upstateSCalliance.com for more information.

Staff Report