EngenuitySC, ULI Partner to Create “Growth by Choice, Not Chance” in the Midlands

COLUMBIA, SC – June 27, 2013 – EngenuitySC has entered into a partnership with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) South Carolina to serve as the project manager for the upcoming Midlands Reality Check. EngenuitySC will utilize its expertise in collaboration management between business, government, higher education, and community leaders to provide event logistics support, volunteer management, marketing and communications direction and execution, and provide administrative support to host a successful Game Day event for the Midlands on October 22, 2013.

The Midlands Reality Check and Game Day is a one-day, hands-on, data driven, visioning exercise amongst regional leaders and citizens to build awareness and consensus on where projected growth in the Midlands should happen. The event is led by a steering team composed of local Midlands leaders, co-chaired by Irene Dumas Tyson of The Boudreaux Group and Herbert Ames of EDENS, with support from ULI South Carolina District Council and now EngenuitySC.

Private and public sector leaders gathered Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. at the West Columbia Riverwalk Amphitheatre to announce their support for Midlands Reality Check. In addition to Midlands Reality Check co-chairs Ames and Dumas Tyson, speakers in support of the initiative included Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin; Lexington Mayor Randy Halfacre; Cayce Mayor Elise Partin; Paul Livingston of Richland County Council; Bill Banning, chairman of Lexington County Council; Terry Brown, CEO of EDENS; and Bogue Wallin, chair of Urban Land Institute South Carolina.

Since 2005, regions including Baltimore, MD, Tampa Bay, FL, Washington, D.C., the Upstate of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., Raleigh-Durham, N.C. and Jacksonville, FL have hosted successful Reality Check events. Reality Check steering committees, often made up of community volunteers in partnership with a region’s district council, traditionally secure a local organization with ties to public and private sector leaders to serve as a project manager. Partnerships like these help guarantee a well-run event and create opportunities for lasting impact and implementation for the region.

About EngenuitySC

Headquartered in Columbia, SC, EngenuitySC is a public/private partnership formed to develop and grow the South Carolina Midlands’ knowledge-based economy. Through collaborations with business, government, higher education, and community leaders, EngenuitySC leads initiatives that enhance the region’s economic competitiveness by empowering entrepreneurs, cultivating the region’s talent, fostering knowledge creation and innovation, and enhancing the region’s areas of competitive advantage. To learn more, visit www.engenuitysc.com.

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