Celebration of Clemson Alumni Entrepreneurs

Distinguished alumni Joe Turner and Bill Masters were recognized by the Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership’s annual Celebration of Clemson Alumni Entrepreneurs at the Hyatt in Greenville in front of an audience of more than 300.

Bill Masters

Bill Masters graduated from Clemson University with an electrical engineering degree and the same year started Fiberglass Technology, a fiberglass manufacturing company. Two years later, he formed Perception Inc., a canoe and kayak manufacturing company. Bill has been recognized as the S.C. Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Association and was the Olympic Mayor of the Whitewater Slalom Village during the 1996 Olympics. 

Joe Turner

Joe Turner graduated from Clemson with a degree in industrial management and is now the chairman and chief executive officer of First Sun Management Corp. in Clemson. In addition, he owns and operates 50 Wendy’s Restaurants and has been recognized often by Wendy’s, including induction into the Wendy’s Hall of Fame in 2007.

S.C. Knowledge Economy Index

The South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is interested in better understanding and measuring of the variables that capture South Carolina’s progress in the new innovation economy.

Alumni Distinguished Professor of Economics and Dean Emeritus Bruce Yandle teamed up with SCRA to develop a S.C. Knowledge Economy Index. Economics master’s student Tate Watkins and Professor Yandle reviewed other measurement models and developed a new index that allows policymakers to compare South Carolina to other states and to its own performance over time.

The S.C. Knowledge Economy Index will be released soon.