Courtesy Greenville Business Magazine
With a 20th anniversary quickly approaching and its first economic impact study hot off the press, the Greenville Area Development Corp. is celebrating its history and accomplishments, while continuing to evolve to attract cutting-edge businesses to the area.
The GADC was formed in 2001 by Greenville County Council as a public-private venture with a mission of driving new economic development and investment in the area.
It’s two decades of success have been rigorously documented for the first time, culminating in an economic-impact study prepared by Joseph C. Von Nessen, a research economist with the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business. The study was released in mid-April.
Among Von Nessen’s findings, the 21-page study revealed that capital investments and job announcements by GADC-affiliated businesses account for an estimated annual economic impact of $6 billion and almost 65,000 jobs in Greenville County. Those numbers increased to $6.9 billion and almost 83,000 jobs when Von Nessen included the entire Upstate, comprising Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Cherokee, Union, Abbeville, and Greenwood counties.