GSP UPDATES

The Business of Upstate, South Carolina

  • Home
  • About
  • Legal

December 2019 Newsletter

Its December, so lets start with…

Food

The boiled peanut is the official state snack of South Carolina.  Ever wonder about its history?  Learn about “new crop” and find a recipe here:  (Columbia Metroplotian H/T GVL Today)

Elevated to icon status in 2006, when the boiled peanut was designated as the official state snack by the South Carolina Legislature, the peanut has a long history that spans both centuries and continents…
The first peanuts to arrive in what became the United States came from Africa in the 18th century on slave ships. Easy to propagate, peanuts soon flourished in plantation gardens throughout South Carolina. “Peanuts were commonly boiled in Africa, so the dish quickly became a staple for enslaved Americans,” says Dr. Dan Anco, a peanut specialist with Clemson University. “Legend has it that Civil War soldiers first boiled peanuts to keep from starving, but, in reality, peanuts were being boiled long before the Civil War, both in the United States and in Africa.”

An overview of Food Halls in the state.  (Columbia Business Monthly)

Chef Sean Brock (think Husk in Charleston and GVL) tries something new in Nashville. (CBS H/T GVL Today)

Business

Freightliner to add 193 jobs in Gaffney.  (UBJ)

SC ranks #16 in Forbes list of Best States for Business (Forbes, H/T Post & Courier)

Pelican announces the acquisition of GVL-based Confluence Outdoor. (UBJ)

Real Estate

Ever wonder where Campobello gets its name?(Greenville Journal)

Broad Margin is a private residence in GVL, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1951.  (Greenville Journal)

Tiny homes in the Upstate.  (GVL Business Magazine)

Entertainment

A GVL native makes it to the CMAs…“At 21 years old, Wilson is no more than a few years removed from his days attending Greenville High School, but his songwriting skills have already landed him a writing credit on the most streamed country album of all time in its debut week, with more than 33 million on-demand audio streams.” (Greenville Journal)

A retro toy convention was held in GVL.  This brings back some memories.  See photos here: (GVL Journal)

Parks & Rec

Hatcher Garden unveils recent improvements.  (Photos via GoUpstate)

Sustainability & Recycling

Milliken has joined the United Nations Global Compact – the world’s biggest sustainability initiative. (Milliken, H/T GVL Today)

Gun Metal Forge recrafts old guns into tools like hammers, knives, mallets and chisels. (GVL Journal)

“Two new solar farms in the Midlands will generate enough power for 30,000 homes in South Carolina and help fuel Google’s expanding data center campus in Berkeley County…”  (Post & Courier)

Like this newsletter?  Forward it along.  Want it delivered to your inbox once a month?  Sign up here.

Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: Boiled Peanut, Campobello, Food Hall, Frank Lloyd Wright, Freightliner, Hatcher Garden, Milliken, Sean Brock, Solar

November 2019 Newsletter

History

A must see – this documentary about GVL’s textile industry. Highly recommended for anyone living in the Upstate. (Greenville Journal)

Business

Automotive, Aerospace, and …Life Sciences?
“Life sciences’ total economic impact in the state now stands at more than $12 billion, with 43,000 professionals employed directly or indirectly…
Average earnings among the more than 15,000 jobs supported directly by life sciences stands at $78,658.” (Greenville Journal)

An in-depth report by McKinsey on The Future of Work In America.  GVL and Spartanburg are both classified as “America’s makers” cities.  (Page 106. Source:  McKinsey, H/T GVL Today)

Transportation

A record number of passengers have flown through GSP this year – 2,317,985 (Video via Fox Carolina)

BMW may be working on an electric motorcycle. (Electrek)

Food & Entertainment

Restaurants that stand the test of time – what it takes to make it 50 years.  (UBJ)

The group behind Willy Taco and FR8YRD are at work again, this time on a fried chicken restaurant called Flock Shop located in a soon-to-be renovated gas service station on S Pine St. (UBJ)

Art & Literature

Spartanburg photographer Kavin Bradner (@abovespartanburg) is releasing a book of drone photography titled “Above Spartanburg” (Hub City, H/T GVL Today)

Parks & Rec

The ultimate Carolina Hiking Guide. (GVLToday)

Ned Barrett of Partners for Active Living interviews Croft State Park Manager, Tim Ritter, and they discuss the many recreational opportunities that Croft has to offer. (Podcast via PALS)

Two Charleston sites have been accepted to a global coalition for historic education.
“McLeod Plantation on James Island and the Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel, both operated by Charleston County Parks, are the first historic sites in South Carolina to be included in the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, a global network of historic sites, museums and memorials.” (Post & Courier)

The Bigger Picture

Americans are moving at the lowest rate since the Census Bureau started tracking it in 1947.
“One result has been a geographic unevenness. Decades ago, less wealthy parts of the country tended to be the ones that attracted the most new residents, because lower rents and wages there drew in businesses, and people were more likely to move to where jobs were. But the economy is now less flexible, with prosperity clustered in larger cities and with businesses and people moving less.” (NYTimes, H/T Collaborative Fund)

Like this newsletter?  Forward it along.  Want it delivered to your inbox once a month?  Sign up here.

Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: BMW, Croft State Park, Drone Photography, Flock Shop, GSP Airport, Hiking, Life Sciences, McKinsey, Partners for Active Living

October 2019 Newsletter

Business

Unemployment in SC reached a historic low of 2.9% in September. “South Carolina has added 8,700 manufacturing jobs in the last year, representing 7.4 percent of all manufacturing jobs added in the U.S.” (Post & Courier)

Real Estate

The Cleveland Hall renovation is nearing completion. (WSPA)

A new type of hotel is coming to Charleston.  Positioned across from the medical district, it will be marketed to medical device sales reps, patients and their families, visiting scholars, etc.  (Post & Courier)

Transportation

More buzz about the high speed rail that might pass through the Upstate.  Now there are three proposed lines, one of which could possibly run through GVL (and maybe Spartanburg too).  (GVLToday via Facebook)

What’s the status of the Gateway project?  “All new lanes of traffic for the history making 85-385 Gateway Interchange Project are expected to be open by the end of this quarter, which means the project is substantially complete.” (Greenville Journal)

Energy

Ever wonder where the names Keowee and Toxaway come from?  Here’s a bit of history behind the Keowee-Toxaway project.  (Greenville Journal)

Travel & Entertainment

An inaugural event for Greenville includes hot air balloons and polo matches.  (Greenville Journal)

USC’s Horseshoe comes to life – in Legos.  (Post & Courier)

Parks & Rec

The Swamp Rabbit has plans for 5 new bridges to help users.  (Greenville Journal)

Mapping Cherokee Trails in the Appalachians (The Big Story via YouTube)

Like this newsletter?  Forward it along.  Want it delivered to your inbox once a month?  Sign up here.

Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: Cherokee, Cleveland Hall, Gateway Project, High Speed Rail, Swamp Rabbit Trail, Unemployment

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 10
  • Next Page »

Connect

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Past Newsletters

Sign up for the GSP Updates Newsletter

Receive a monthly email from GSP Updates. Unsubscribe anytime.

Tags

AC Hotel Arcadia Mills Bass Pro BMW Cambria Hotel Camperdown Carolina Panthers Charlanta City Planning Clemson Converse College County Square CRE CU-ICAR Drayton Election Gather GVL Greenville ONE Center Greer Chamber GSP Airport Industrial Spec Building Inland Port Landing Pads Logisitics Mary Black Rail Trail Montgomery Building Northside OneSpartanburg PALS Partners for Active Living Port of Charleston Raleigh-Durham SC Ports SPACE Spark Center Spartanburg Chamber Swamp Rabbit Trail Tax Ten at the Top Tours Unity Park Upstate SC Alliance USC Upstate Volvo Zoning

Copyright © 2025 · GSP Updates. All Rights Reserved.