Joining the ranks of similar organizations across the state and nation, the city of Greenville is spinning off its economic development department into a new nonprofit corporation.
City council approved an enabling resolution at its June 12 meeting, and District 1 councilman John Deworken said the move will be transformational for the city’s economic development efforts.
He said the Greenville City Economic Development Corp. will be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit similar in structure to organizations like the Greenville Area Development Corp. — the nonprofit created by Greenville County for its economic development efforts.
Deworken said he has been advocating for the move since he was elected to city council four years ago and thinks the new organization has the potential to supercharge the city’s ability to attract and retain businesses..
“I just feel like what we’re about to embark on is huge,” he said.
Deworken’s background is in economic development where he has been involved with the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and the state chamber. He said he’s seen the impact of effective economic development efforts and how those efforts translate into jobs and increased opportunities for the city’s residents.
Related: Greenville City Council Notes: budget, development code gain final approval
“For the four years I’ve served on council, I have always felt that we could and should be doing a lot more in economic development,” he said. “That is, we should have more resources, we should be more targeted, and we should be able to compensate those who are in that division.”
The new nonprofit will have a professional, talented staff dedicated to leveraging public funds with private capital to recruit businesses and projects to the city to maintain and expand the city’s economic vibrancy, Deworken said. He added the city will do a wide search to find the most qualified person to fill the top role of president and CEO of the company.
Among GCEDC’s priorities will be to:
- Recruit high-quality retail and restaurants to the city
- Foster higher-quality real estate projects
- Advance small and minority-owned businesses
Mayor Knox White said the new company will enhance the caliber of projects coming to the city and enable the city to collaborate more effectively with other regional economic development partners like GADC and the Upstate SC Alliance, among others.
The resolution authorizing the creation of GCEDC directs the city manager to devise bylaws and have articles of incorporation prepared, subject to city council’s approval. It also directs the board of directors overseeing the corporation to be made up of at least three members appointed by the city council.
Deworken said he anticipates two members of that board will be the mayor and one council member.
