2009 Advantage Greenville Update - Feb 9

The first month of 2009 has passed us by and left many of us wondering what additional surprises could be in store for the remainder of the year. While we are certainly aware of the potential havoc the economy has played on many of our businesses, Advantage Greenville is keeping an eye to the longer-term as it continues its work on focusing the community's attention on doing what matters most to increase per capita income in our region. Our programming for you in 2009 will reflect this longer-term focus as well as provide you with an excellent opportunity to network with other business and community leaders in the region.

The first Advantage Greenville event of 2009 will be held at 8 a.m. on Friday, February 20th. This Economic Impact Forum will focus on the importance of recruiting a low-cost airlines to GSP, including an update on recent initiatives and a discussion of what the business community can do to support this process. Recent studies show that GSP is losing more than 50% of its catchment area population to Charlotte and Atlanta and that GSP remains one of the highest-priced airports in the country. Inadequate air service can often be a deal breaker for economic development projects. Come hear from GSP officials and be part of the effort to overcome this obstacle to bringing more high-paying jobs to our area.

To register for the Economic Impact Forum, click here.

The 2009 Advantage Greenville Regional Economic Scorecard will be released on March 30th at the 1st Quarter Luncheon. Details will follow shortly. We will also hear from both Butch Kirven and Knox White on the State of the County/State of the City. This luncheon promises to be quite interesting, given all that is happening in the economy.

Finally, the Advantage Greenville Steering Committee is being re-organized, with a number of sub-committees being formed. These smaller groups will assist with efforts around the issue areas defined by the Economic Scorecard (e.g., education, entrepreneurship and innovation). Some of you have expressed an interest in serving. We will be getting back to all of you over the next several weeks to move this forward.

Thanks again for your continued investment in Advantage Greenville. Your support allows us to work on a number of issues important to the future of our community. Please contact me directly (hhyatt@greenvillechamber.org), if you have any questions or need anything from me.