Author: epidevelopment

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Upstate families are welcomed to a back-to-school event featuring snow cones, face painting, balloon artists, arts and crafts that will include jewelry designing and more.

KIND of the Upstate’s Third Annual Back to School Event will be held on Sunday, August 20 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Sara Collins Elementary School, 1200 Parkins Mill Road, Greenville. The event will take place on the school’s all-inclusive playground. The event will include jewelry designing with a s special appearance by Lucy Graham from The Upside Down Collection. Lucy creates jewelry to connect with others in hopes of sharing the upside to Down syndrome.

KIND of the Upstate is a nonprofit dedicated to educating young children and encouraging them to include others and nurture all forms of differences amongst their peers. It provides educational material to local schools that ignite discussions between children, parents, and educators about the importance of being kind to others and learning that everyone has different abilities. Furthermore, KIND promotes the inclusion and acceptance of all individuals.

“As the new school year begins, this is a great way to bring the community together for all of us to meet new friends with and without disabilities,” said Caroline Giguere, one of the co-founders of KIND of the Upstate.

About KIND of the Upstate:
KIND of the Upstate aims to educate young children and encourage them to include others and nurture all forms of differences amongst their peers. KIND promotes inclusion and acceptance of all individuals. KIND provides educational material, which will ignite discussions between children, parents, and educators about the importance of being kind. Together, through education, they strive to build a KIND foundation in the children of the Upstate of South Carolina that will sustain into adulthood. Learn more at kindoftheupstate.org.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Piedmont Natural Gas will once again play a key part in brining top independent films to the Upstate.

Piedmont Natural Gas Presents Reedy Reels: The Greenville Festival will be held this upcoming March at the South Carolina Children’s Theatre in downtown.

In 2023, 143 films were submitted and an 11-person review panel watched all of them to get to 50 films that were shown. Reedy Reels plans to expand that number to 60 for the three-day festival this year.. The portal for entering films will close on January 15, 2024. More than 300 films have been shown over the past eight festivals ranging from shorts to student films to animated movies to full-lengthen features, and a little bit of everything in between.

“Piedmont Natural Gas is once again honored to support the Upstate’s independent film community through presenting Reedy Reels,” said Hank McCullough, Community Relations Manager for Piedmont Natural Gas. “This festival showcases arts, culture and community vibrancy, which are pillars of Piedmont’s community giving strategy.’

About The Reedy Reels Film Festival: The Greenville Film Festival:
Piedmont Natural Gas Presents Reedy Reels: The Greenville Festival is an independent film festival promoting the appreciation of the art of film-making while generating support for independent filmmakers in the Upstate. The Reedy Reels Film Festival is a non-profit organization that supports the education and appreciation of filmmaking. Learn more at www.reedyreels.com.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The YoPro Know’s Kamber Parker will be educating thousands of people this Fall across the Southeast about how they can improve their recruiting and retaining efforts of young professionals talent.
The YoPro Know is an innovative consulting group that is changing the way businesses engage with young professionals. It draws on its exclusive content and knowledge base to help business leaders better attract young professionals using digital branding and culture. The YoPro Know also hosts a podcast called The Great Retention.
Because of her work in this sector, Parker has become a sought-after public speaker for seminars, training sessions, and at corporate retreats.
Some of the highlights of her speaking engagements this fall include:
PIQUE Conference, in Greenville, on October 1
American Association of Textile, Chemists, and Colorists, in Charlotte on October 13
Greenville Hospitality and Restaurant Conference, in Greenville on October 16
In addition, Parker will be facilitating two workshops for businesses this late summer, one for the City of Sumter on August 31, and one for the Northwestern Mutual Maryland Leaderships Teams in Annapolis, Maryland. People or companies interested in working with Parker or having her speak at an event can reach out to her via, https://yoproknow.com/speaking/
“We have many exciting engagements happening this Fall, and we hope we spread our message with even more audiences as they learn and get excited about what we’re accomplishing in the workforce development space,” Parker said.

About The YoPro Know:

The YoPro Know’s mission is to help businesses develop the future leaders of our workforce through research, education, and recruiting and retention consulting. Based in Greenville, S.C. with a national community, The YoPro Know promotes success in the workplace by being a bridge between ambitious young professionals and progressive businesses who want to recruit, engage and retain the. Learn more at www.yoproknow.com.

The Center for Developmental Services (CDS) will host their 12th annual Eggs Benefit on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at The Poinsett Club in Downtown Greenville. Breakfast will be served at 7:30am and the program will begin at 8:00am.

This year, special guest speaker Michael Hayes, Senior Vice President of Hearst and President of Hearst Television, will join the breakfast to speak on behalf of CDS.

The funds raised at the Eggs Benefit support the programs and services offered to over 8,000 children in our community with developmental delays and disabilities. For more information or to sponsor the event, contact Joy Blue at 864-331-1314 or Joy.Blue@cdservices.org. Visit the event website at www.EggsBenefit.com to RSVP. A reservation is required to attend.

About CDS

CDS is the largest multi-disciplinary treatment facility in the Upstate for children with disabilities and developmental delays. In one location, children receive evaluation, diagnosis, therapy, psychology, audiology, day care needs for the medically fragile, early intervention, case management, and a family support network. The partnership is comprised of Clarity; Project Hope Foundation; Thrive Upstate; and four programs of Prisma Health: Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Kidnetics, The Wonder Center, and Prosthetics and Orthotics. CDS and its partners serve over 8,000 children and their families each year on property donated by the First Presbyterian Church at 29 North Academy Street in Greenville, SC. For more information about CDS and its partners, visit www.cdservices.org.

Global Management Partners (GMP), based in Greer S.C., is pleased to announce the acquisition of Koch Project Solutions (KPS), a Koch Engineered Solutions (KES)-owned company based in Houston, Texas.

GMP is a growing comprehensive Project Management Contractor and, with its new KPS acquisition, will expand its geographical reach into the Gulf Coast region while allowing the company to continue providing quality EPC project management and project delivery services its customers have come to expect. Through this acquisition, GMP is pleased to welcome its additional clients to the roster in multiple industry sectors, such as energy transition, carbon capture and the circular economy.

“We are excited to add KPS to our growing organization, and this growth exemplifies our ongoing commitment to the current customer base and serves as a testament to the success of our core philosophy of ‘Think Like an Owner’,” says Price Howard, President of GMP. “The simultaneous expansion of GMP’s design engineering and construction management capabilities shows our true commitment to our clients as well as the rapidly expanding US Energy Transition movement.”

While establishing its newest location in Houston, Texas, GMP will maintain its home base in Greer, S.C., as well as its multiple project sites across the U.S. The expanded organization will work-share between all locations and give GMP additional access to two of the strongest professional project execution work forces in the country.

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About Global Management Partners:
Headquartered in Greer, S.C., Global Management Partners (GMP) is a program and project management company providing services to support clients throughout the entire program life cycle, including strategic planning, execution, start-up and comprehensive maintenance and management of complex projects and facilities both domestically and internationally. Since January 2012, GMP has been instrumental in the successful completion of over $10B capital projects worldwide. The company employs approximately 50 full-time employees with over 75 on-call resources to support our client’s specific project needs. For more information, visit www.gmpco.com.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – One of the Upstate’s top nonprofit events will have a new location in a new county in 2023.

Wake Up with Rebuild is a free networking and awareness event hosted by Rebuild Upstate, a 16-year-old nonprofit that has repaired more than 1,450 homes in the Upstate. The event is open to the public and will take place on Thursday, September 14th from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Tucker’s Restaurant, 3501 Clemson Boulevard in Anderson. The event has always been in Greenville previously.

Momentum is building for affordable housing solutions, including home preservation throughout the Upstate. In the past year, the organization has seen particular interest from the Anderson community.

While attendees enjoy provided breakfast and coffee, they can expect to learn from a moderated panel of Anderson leaders, including:

Carol Burdette, President, United Way of Anderson County
Michael Cunningham, VP of Community Health Partnerships, AnMed Health
Mayor Terence Roberts, Anderson City Council
Kathy Hodges, Attorney, Law firm of Kathleen Hodges

Guests who donate as volunteer table hosts are greatly appreciated; all proceeds support Rebuild Upstate’s program and operations in Anderson County.

“I am so excited that we will be holding Wake Up with Rebuild in Anderson this year,” said Jake Beaty, CEO of Rebuild Upstate. “We have seen an increasing interest and partnership in our mission with many businesses and churches in the Anderson Community and look forward to serving more homes in Anderson County in the coming months.”

Rebuild Upstate helps low-income homeowners with home repairs and accessibility improvements to create safe, livable housing in existing homes and neighborhoods. Home repairs can range from small plumbing fixes to roof and floor replacements. Accessibility improvements range from installing grab bars and railings for vulnerable populations to building wheelchair ramps for those with disabilities.

Attend Wake up with Rebuild to learn about the program’s work in the community, ways to get involved and how to contribute to life-changing home repairs. https://secure.qgiv.com/for/rebups/event/wakeupwithrebuild2023/

About Rebuild Upstate:
Rebuild Upstate serves low-income homeowners with repairs and accessibility improvements to create safe, livable housing in existing homes and neighborhoods in Greenville, Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee counties. Its team envisions a community where everyone has the opportunity to live a life of dignity in a safe home environment in order to maintain and foster strong, sustainable communities. Learn more at www.rebuildupstate.org.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Jewish Federation has recognized the outstanding accomplishments of 16 Upstate teens who spent the past year learning about philanthropy, engaging with our aging population, and raising money to benefit area nonprofits.
Molly Applefeld, Paisley Applefeld, Jeremy Baum, Mackenzie Belenky, C.J. Doss, Hayley Forstot, Ethan Kedar, Alex Klapperich, Annabelle Levy, Sam Levy, Elora Manning, Mikaela Mascolo Hudson McCarthy, Logan McCarthy, Gilad Rosen, and Meredith Warthen chose to direct micro-grants totaling $1,250 to support Habitat for Humanity Greenville, Harvest Hope, Homes of Hope, Pendleton Place and Upstate Trees.
The Jewish Upstate Teen programs focus on teen philanthropy under the Honeycomb education model coupled with intergenerational elements as part of the Better Together program, said Courtney Tessler, CEO of the Greenville Jewish Federation. The group will start accepting applications for the 2023-2024 program year in late August and encourages teens of Jewish ethnicity and/or faith to apply at www.jewishgreenville.org/jut/.
The Greenville Jewish Federation works tirelessly to support educational programs, social services, cultural events, and advocacy efforts that promote Jewish values, heritage, and unity.
“These young people worked with dedication, volunteering their time, learning, and engaging to help support a stronger Greenville Community,” Tessler said. “They demonstrate how young people can create a positive impact in their world.”
About the Greenville Jewish Federation:
The Greenville Jewish Federation is a dynamic organization dedicated to serving and strengthening the Jewish community in Greenville and neighboring counties. With a rich philanthropy and community-building history, the Federation works tirelessly to support educational programs, social services, cultural events, and advocacy efforts that promote Jewish values, heritage, and unity.
To learn more about the Greenville Jewish Federation’s initiatives and upcoming programs, visit www.jewishgreenville.org.

GREENVILLE, S.C.— Christian Groomes, a Senior Sales Manager with Lima One Capital, has been named a Top Emerging Star by Scotsman Guide.
The Top Emerging Star honor goes to exceptional loan originators under the age of 40 who tripled their production volume in the past year. Groomes was also named a Top Originator for 2022 by Scotsman Guide, a leading publication in the mortgage industry.
An Upstate native and Clemson graduate and football player, Groomes has been an originator with Lima One since 2018.
About Lima One Capital
Since its inception in 2010, Lima One Capital has been recognized as the nation’s premier lender for real estate investors and has funded over $7 billion in business purpose real estate loans. With a reach across 46 states, Lima One operates as a capital partner for both real estate investors and brokers by financing residential investment strategies including fix and flips, rental, new construction, and multifamily. For more information, visit limaone.com.

Eleven students had the opportunity to learn ballet at Phillis Wheatley Community Center over the summer. Instructors from International Ballet provided two free ballet classes per week at the center for seven weeks.

The introductory classes focused on ballet conditioning and fundamentals and culminated in a performance for families and members of the community on July 27. The classes were open to youth ages 8 – 12 years old, and no prior experience was required.

“We so appreciate the partnership with International Ballet Academy. Because of their support and expertise, eleven young people had the opportunity to try something new and challenge themselves,” said Randy Jackson, executive director of Phillis Wheatley Community Center.

Performing Arts have long been a program focus for the center. Phillis Wheatley hosted the classes in the newly-renovated performing arts practice room and the performance on the gymnasium stage.

The classes were funded by a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) that supported activities to expand student access to arts education opportunities, complement standards-based arts instruction aligned with school curriculum, and address South Carolina’s 2017 College and Career Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency.

“We are so grateful for the support we received to begin this outreach program because it helps the children and the community at large. Exposure to ballet can open a whole new world to children and they immediately feel the benefits of focus, hard work, attention to detail, and pride as they start to feel and see the results of their work,” said Sarah Shoemaker, executive director of International Ballet. “Other benefits come from listening to beautiful classical music and being in community with others who share the experience with them.”

Each class was 1.5 hours long and was taught by International Ballet faculty member Lydia Sanders with assistance from International Ballet alumna Sophia Brown. In addition to the classes, the SCAC grant funded new ballet shoes, dance bags, and yoga mats for every student to keep.

Jackson and Shoemaker say they are exploring ways to make lessons available at the center throughout the year.

“We look forward to continuing to provide unique opportunities to youth in our community,” said Jackson.

“Phillis Wheatley has been an amazing partner, and we want to be able to keep the program running year-round and free to interested students,” said Shoemaker.

About International Ballet
Based in Greer, International Ballet is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to inspire joy and success through professional ballet training and performances. In the 23-24 year, IB will train students ages 3-adult, present free “Storytime Ballets” for children in partnership with Greenville County Library System and produce The Nutracker and Swan Lake accompanied by the Greenville Symphony Orchestra at the Peace Center. Learn more at internationalballetsc.org.

About Phillis Wheatley Community Center
The Phillis Wheatley Community Center provides a wide variety of services and programs to youth, adults and seniors in Upstate South Carolina. Founded in 1919 by Hattie Logan Duckett, the center has been serving the community for more than a century. Learn more at philliswheatleysc.org.