In-migrating Innovators Key to Expanding Greenville’s Potential, Expert Says

In-migrating Innovators Key to Expanding Greenville’s Potential, Expert Says

Among the thousands of people moving to Greenville is a small but potentially significant pool of talent that could be key to amplifying the region’s innovation ecosystem: C-suite executives and founders. These industry leaders are moving to Greenville for many of the same reasons as everyone else – the quality of life and natural beauty that abounds in the Palmetto State. However, according to John Moore, founder and principal of economic-development consulting firm Momenteum Strategies, the traditional models and incentives used in economic development are ill-suited to attracting such entrepreneurs.

Plugging In

While it may not come as a surprise that high-powered executives who have founded and run successful companies are among the wave of people moving to Greenville, Moore highlights that there is currently no systematic effort to identify these individuals and get them plugged into the region’s entrepreneurial network. “There really are no organizations for people like this,” he states. “We don’t generally think about people as an economic-development opportunity.”

Moore explains that he has been focusing on “onboarding” these executives when he discovers them, by introducing them to existing resources and networks like NextGEN and Upstate SC Alliance. However, he also emphasizes that none of the existing organizations are dedicated solely to nurturing and expanding the kind of peer network that highly innovative entrepreneurs seek. On the other hand, these individuals are generally highly motivated and are in the habit of forging connections themselves and finding peers with whom to collaborate.

One such example is Gary Shiffman, a behavioral economist and entrepreneur who moved to Greenville in 2021. Shiffman, the founder of highly successful AI-driven companies Giant Oak and Consilient, states that moving to Greenville from northern Virginia “cost him nothing” in terms of running his companies, thanks to technology and the ease with which he can fly out of GSP to get anywhere he needs to go. Upon moving to Greenville, he began forging connections, first through his membership at Atlas Local, a coworking space in Brandon Mill geared toward tech-savvy creatives, and then through NextGEN, where he was recently named its inaugural executive in residence.

Powering Up

Shiffman believes that the talent to power successful startups is already present in Greenville. With the widespread ability to work remotely, people increasingly have the freedom to live wherever they want and still work for innovative companies, regardless of location. “My wife and I moved to Greenville because we could live anywhere,” he explains. However, getting a company to uproot itself and relocate to Greenville’s Main Street is a more challenging task.

Both Shiffman and Moore suggest that an interim step to powering up the area’s innovation ecosystem could be recruiting and plugging in CEOs, CFOs, and COOs from successful companies who have the option of living anywhere. “We know the power of these people,” Moore says. “I think it’s important for our community.”

As Greenville continues to attract a diverse range of talent, it is vital to recognize the potential of in-migrating entrepreneurs and executives who can contribute to the region’s innovation and economic growth. By fostering and nurturing these connections, Greenville can further enhance its role as a thriving hub of innovation and entrepreneurship.