DATE: September 14, 2007
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Tiffany Hughes, (864) 592-4625
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News Services, (864) 656-2061
Spartanburg Community College announces collaboration with CU-ICAR Partnership Office
SPARTANBURG — Spartanburg Community College (SCC) Wednesday announced a new, collaborative agreement with the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) Partnership Office that will offer potential economic benefit to the residents of Spartanburg County.
CU-ICAR, a 250-acre “technopolis” in Greenville, focuses on automotive and motorsports research and education. SCC will collaborate with the CU-ICAR Partnership Office through the College’s Accelerated Business Center on SCC’s Tyger River Campus in Duncan to give companies and entrepreneurs the space to take business innovations to the manufacturing phase and then to the marketplace.
“The Accelerated Business Center is incredibly versatile,” said Dr. Dan L. Terhune, president of SCC. “A collaborative relationship with CU-ICAR will allow us to explore opportunities that relate to Spartanburg County that may develop as a result of CU-ICAR’s presence in the Upstate.”
In December 2006, Jeff Horton, County Council chairman, and Terhune met with Bob Geolas, executive director of CU-ICAR, to explore a relationship between CU-ICAR and SCC.
“The possibilities and potential for the agreement began to grow after we presented our vision for the Accelerated Business Center,” said Terhune. “It was immediately apparent how our facility, less than a 20-minute drive from the CU-ICAR campus, offers great potential to companies that may benefit from proximity to this unique research facility. It was truly exciting.”
This collaborative effort clearly demonstrates how vital it is to both South Carolina and Spartanburg County that we build bridges like this to connect innovative people with innovative companies,” said Horton.
eolas said the decision to collaborate with Spartanburg Community College reflects the intention of CU-ICAR and Clemson University to support and strengthen the South Carolina automotive industry.
“Collaboration is the key to business success,” he said. “As CU-ICAR becomes a presence in the Upstate community, we welcome collaborations like this to explore the possibilities the presence of this new economic development model brings.”
Geolas added that CU-ICAR will be willing to collaborate with other academic institutions “from K-12 through graduate programs.”
To further support the effort, the college is forming an advisory board for the business incubator composed of individuals with extensive background and experience with start-up companies. SCC is also partnering with the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce to provide professional services through their membership and are holding discussions with the University of South Carolina Upstate to provide pre-incubation business services, such as assistance with business and marketing plans for the individual businesses.
South Carolina Technical College System president Dr. Barry Russell also spoke at the event. "This relationship clearly reflects the flexibility and responsiveness of the South Carolina Technical College System and of Spartanburg Community College to the needs of our communities and the opportunities that can be made available as we work together," said Russell.
he collaboration will expand opportunities for Spartanburg County to increase per capita income and create high-tech, high-wage jobs for its citizens.
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SCC’s Accelerated Business Center is designed to provide space for new or existing companies in Spartanburg County to house temporary start-up systems, jump start an expansion or relocation, develop new products or processes and train new or existing employees. Within the Accelerated Business Center is the business incubator that provides 180,000 square feet of open warehouse space and approximately 30,000 square feet of office space in the Tyger River Building. The center is located on the college’s Tyger River campus.
The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research is a new model for economic development in South Carolina that combines Clemson’s strengths in automotive engineering with the state’s strong automotive economic cluster. CU-ICAR is a 250-acre “technopolis” where BMW, Michelin, Timken, SUN and other corporate partners are joining with Clemson to focus on automotive and motorsports research and education. Located in the heart of the Interstate 85 corridor, midway between Charlotte and Atlanta, CU-ICAR is ideally situated in the Southeastern automotive and motorsports economy.
Photos from the event are available for download on the college’s website.