Ten at the Top Unveils Our Upstate Vision
April 28, 2011
More Than 500 Attend Regional Vision Unveiling and Workshop
UPSTATE, SC – April 27, 2011 – Created following input from nearly 10,000 Upstate South Carolina residents, Ten at the Top (TATT) officially unveiled the Shared Upstate Growth Vision – dubbed the Our Upstate Vision – in front of a crowd of more than 500 residents at the Carolina First Center.
This regional event served both as the culmination of the two-year effort to develop a vision for what matters to residents of the Upstate as we look toward future growth in the region and as the beginning of the implementation phase for the Our Upstate Vision.
As revealed by TATT Vision & Values Committee Chairman John Stockwell, by 2030 the vision calls for the 10-county Upstate South Carolina region to be universally recognized as one of the leading places in the United States to live, learn, do business and raise a family.
It focused on five key areas, known as drivers, to help reach the vision. They are:
• HUMAN POTENTIAL: Creating opportunities for all Upstate residents to succeed
• ECONOMIC & ENTREPRENEURIAL VITALITY: Growing the competitiveness of the Upstate in the global economy
• SUSTAINABLE GROWTH: Encouraging future growth in appropriate locations by means that enhance livability in the Upstate
• NATURAL BEAUTY & RESOURCES: Serving as reliable stewards of our natural environment and resources
• COMMUNITY VIBRANCY: Embracing the importance and heritage of the Upstate’s urban areas and small towns
According to TATT Board of Directors Chairman Irv Welling, the process to develop a regional vision has been helpful in setting an agenda for what to focus on moving forward. “Without a vision and clear understanding of what is important to residents across the region as we look toward future growth, it would be difficult to set an agenda for what issues need to be addressed from a regional standpoint.”
As part of the event, TATT announced the formation of five regional task forces, one for each driver area of the vision, that will each focus on identifying and implementing regional-scale initiatives. Each task force is open to the public and will be comprised of subject experts and interested of regional residents. More information about these task forces is available at the new vision web site.
“The process to create the Our Upstate Vision was an important one because we engaged residents from across all ten counties and representing a wide variety of stakeholder groups within our region,” said TATT Executive Director Dean Hybl. “Now that we have a vision, we cannot think that the work is done. In fact, it is just starting.”
In addition to a regional vision collateral document, those in attendance received a Regional Vision Action Items Guide which has a starter list of actions that can be done to help move forward the Our Upstate Vision. Following the unveiling, participants broke into five workshops and began expanding the action items list and prioritizing the regional-scale actions.
Hybl identified four groups that can be engaged in implementing action items associated with the regional vision:
Individuals: There are many individual actions that if done by all 1.36 million people who call the Upstate home would have an amazing cumulative impact on the region.
Businesses and Institutions: Many local businesses and institutions are already involved in our local community, but the action items within the vision provide new and innovative ideas that when combined with the work of other entities could have significant impact on the Upstate.
Cities and Counties: While it is crucial for cities and counties across the region to continue identifying and advancing issues that are important to that individual community, it is likely that many individual actions of our cities and counties have some impact on the region and are consistent with issues that other communities are facing.
Regional: There are some issues that clearly cross city and county boundaries and that have the greatest potential of being mitigated through a combined effort across jurisdictions.
“There is something that everyone who calls the Upstate home can do that helps make our region better. If we are all working together with the common goal of making our community a better place for generations to come, the impact would be tremendous,” Hybl said.
A running count of Upstate residents who have committed to helping advance the Our Upstate Vision will be kept on the web site at www.ourupstatesc.org. You can receive a copy of the Our Upstate Vision material or learn more about how you can become engaged in helping advance the regional vision through the web site.
About Ten at the Top
Comprised of public, private and civic leaders across the ten-county Upstate South Carolina Region, Ten at the Top was created to build regional trust and consensus through data-driven research and regular convening of leaders and citizens to address key issues facing the region. Ten at the Top works with regional partners to encourage quality growth and enhance the economic vitality, natural and cultural resources and quality of life for Upstate residents both today and as the region continues to grow.
