041715April 17, 2015 — Greenville/Spartanburg BMW Plant
The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met in a special meeting at 7:00 a.m. on April
17, 2015, at the Randolph Community College Archdale Campus, 110 Park Dr., Archdale, for an
information -gathering trip to Greenville -Spartanburg, SC. Commissioners Kemp, Lanier,
Haywood and Allen were present. Commissioner Frye was absent. Also present were County
Manager Hal Johnson, Finance Officer Will Massie, Public Works Director Paxton Arthurs,
Planning Director Jay Dale, and Clerk to the Board Amanda Varner.
Others present were RCC President Dr. Bob Shackleford, RCC V.P. Workforce Development
Elbert Lassiter; Randolph County Schools Superintendent Dr. Stephen Gainey, Assistant
Superintendent Marty Trotter, and School Board Chair Todd Cutler; Randolph County Economic
Development President Bonnie Renfro and Existing Business/Industry Coordinator Kevin
Franklin. Attending from the City of Greensboro were Mayor Nancy Vaughan, Council
Members Jamal Fox, Sharon Hightower, and Nancy Hoffman; City of Greensboro Economic and
Small Business Development Manager Kathi Dubel, City Manager Jim Westmoreland, and City
Attorney Tom Carruthers. Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing. Representing the Piedmont
Triad Partnership was Jed McMillian; representing the Bryan Foundation was Attorney Garrett
Walker; representing Greensboro Economic Development was Cyndi Dancy.
Recess
At 7:05 a.m., the Board recessed the meeting to travel to South Carolina in multiple vehicles.
Regular Meeting Resumed
At 10:15 a.m., the Board returned to regular session at Zentrum, the BMW Museum, located
on the BMW Campus, 1400 Hwy 101 S. Greer, SC 29651. Executive VP of Spartanburg
Economic Futures Carter Smith welcomed everyone and introduced BMW employee Sky Foster,
Manager of Corporate Communications, who had been with the company since its location
opening. Ms. Foster presented a two -minute video about the manufacturing process at the site.
She talked about the vehicles they manufacture, the process, as well as the programs the
company offers its employees. She said the plant is set for another $1 billion expansion. They
manufacture 390,000 cars a year. It has been estimated that 37,777 jobs have been added to the
state of SC since the BMW plant was built. A lot of that was support industry. She also talked
about the education programs established by BMW with the local high school and colleges that
begin in the classroom and have hands-on career path involvement. The college level program
targets engineering and operations management development. It is formulated in conjunction
with each four-year college in the area.
The plant also focuses on sustainability. Panels located on the property collect solar energy.
Methane gases are piped from local landfills through pipes which BMW installed. They also
have their own recycling programs.
An overview of BMW location & growth was given by Greenville Chamber President Ben
Haskew and Mr. Smith. GIS maps of the footprint before acquisition of property, after building
of the BMW facility, and a current aerial view were shown.
Mr. Smith explained the 1,300 -acre footprint was very rural with a few housing developments
but mostly farmland. He said the farmers and homeowners commented that they sold for the
betterment of their community. They knew what it could mean for many who were seeking jobs.
David Britt, Chairman, Economic Development Committee and Spartanburg County
Councilman discussed the local government perspective. He said the area had lost over 25,000
jobs in the 80's due to textile industries moving overseas. BMW currently has around 9000
employees, Mr. Britt said, but what they've done for the area is far better than the jobs provided.
They have given citizens pride, confidence, and self-worth. The community gets involved with
businesses looking to move to the area. They make them feel welcome and like part of the
community. The companies then invest in the community financially and emotionally. Mr. Britt
said, "Team work makes the dream work."
Mr. Britt and Smith discussed the incentives given, site acquisition process, ownership of the
property, and infrastructure partnerships. Owners of the property are SC Ports Authority, the
County and BMW.
John Lummus, President/CEO Upstate Alliance (Regional Economic Council) added that this
whole process took regional collaboration and emphasized the teamwork of everyone. He said
marketing and branding your area is key.
Spartanburg Community College President Henry Giles discussed workforce readiness. They
traveled to other BMW plants and headquarters to learn and train on equipment that would be
used. He said they prepared potential workers by setting up pre-employment training and basic
education. All branches of government were involved in the preparation of employees. The
county leased a building for training and the state committed money for the equipment to train
with. BMW had 85,000 applicants that lived within a fifty mile radius that included seven
counties. Mr. Giles said all of the colleges have the same common curriculum so that each
graduate has the same level of training.
Dr. Darrell Owings, District Six Superintendent/Spartanburg County Schools spoke about the
system's "academic movement" and investment in this program. They told BMW they could
give them an educated and trainable workforce. They have set goals to have every student
capable of attending a two or four year college. The ACT is now given in the 9th grade to assess
the need for remedial education for students who need it. They have begun training as early as
the elementary level giving students a chance to see what is available and maybe find out what
they are interested in as a future career. He said the jobs at BMW are all sophisticated and every
employee is at least a high school graduate. He concluded by saying that businesses and citizens
are all working together to improve education.
Mr. Britt said that "Do you have a job ready workforce?" is the primary question that has
been asked by companies looking to locate and the reason the area's focus on education. He said
the level of skillsets is important.
Commissioner Haywood asked what the impact has been on medical care. Mr. Smith replied
that BMW has its own medical staff and pharmacy. The applied technology center has had the
most growth in the medical field and they attribute that to the impact of new businesses. They
now have the number one heart center and a state of the art cancer center in the area.
Commissioner Allen inquired how the concerns of the citizens were handled. Response was
that BMW committed in the incentives package to hire only employees who had lived in the area
for at least two years and within a fifty -mile radius of the plant. Their incentives packages to any
new company seeking assistance are performance based.
County Manager Hal Johnson asked if there were any particular problems related to adjusting
county zoning or land issues at public hearings. Mr. Smith advised that zoning/land use planning
was not an issue and that the only standards required were building setbacks and buffers.
Mr. Smith said that having an intermodal inland port with rail (SC Port Authority), as part of
the site, allows shipments from site to ocean port in one day. And having airports nearby has
been a benefit to the companies which have located there.
Mr. Garrett Walker, Bryan Foundation Attorney asked if there was anything they would have
done differently. Mr. Britt said they didn't expect the area to explode and grow as it has. They
would have found a way to get their General Assembly to be more involved and would have
pushed faster for road infrastructure.
In conclusion, each encouraged unity to be shown from every aspect.
Recess
At 1:50 p.m., the Board recessed the meeting to travel.
Adjournment
At 5:35 p.m., there being no further business, the meeting adjourned.
Phil Kemp
Stan Haywood
Amanda Varner, Clerk to the Board
Arnold Lanier
David Allen