As many of you know, the Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC) serves as Greenville County’s primary engine for economic development, creating jobs, attracting investment, and strengthening our community’s long-term prosperity. I’m honored to serve on the GADC Board as Chairman of County Council alongside Vice Chairman Rick Bradley and Councilor Garey Collins, and to work with leaders across the public and private sectors on behalf of our citizens.
Under the leadership of Max Stewart, President & CEO, the GADC has continued to build a strong, strategic, and community-oriented path forward. Stewart, a seasoned economic development professional who joined the organization in 2024, has helped sharpen GADC’s focus on high-quality job growth, thoughtful business recruitment, and long-term opportunity for Greenville County residents.
A Strong Year of Investment and Job Growth
In 2025, the GADC helped secure $725 million in new capital investment and 1,293 new jobs for Greenville County, wins that demonstrate the county’s growing reputation as a destination for companies large and small.
That progress included strong announcements in key sectors like automotive, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and data infrastructure, all while ensuring that new opportunities are not only high-paying but filled locally, a shift in emphasis that directly responds to community concerns about growth and the quality of jobs produced through incentive programs such as FILOTs.
The GADC’s approach reflects an important evolution: no longer focused solely on attracting economic activity, but on ensuring that the benefits of development, especially quality employment and strong career pathways, accrue first and foremost to our residents. This is economic development that listens, that adapts, and that aligns with the real expectations of local taxpayers, the true stakeholders in Greenville County’s future.
Listening to Community Concerns and Responding Strategically
In recent years, conversations in our community have centered on how economic growth should occur, not just that it should occur. The GADC has taken that feedback seriously. Changes in how FILOT incentives are considered today reflect a genuine shift toward prioritizing:
- High-paying, sustainable jobs rather than short-term gains
- Local hiring and workforce engagement
- A development framework that supports families, neighborhoods, and long-term community well-being
This is economic development that doesn’t chase headlines or political advantage, it builds roots.
Partnerships That Matter
A stable economic engine requires strong partnerships, and GADC continues to deepen those across education, workforce development, and industry. This year’s annual meeting highlighted workforce collaboration with the Greenville Technical College Center for Manufacturing Innovation, recognizing its role in preparing local students for high-value careers and strengthening Greenville’s talent pipeline.
Additionally, long-term wins such as Isuzu’s decision to establish its U.S. production base here and expansions like GE Vernova’s growth underscore Greenville’s competitiveness and the confidence employers have in our community.
A Stable Engine And Evolving Vision
What sets this current GADC apart is not just results but intent. Max Stewart and his team have combined strategic vision with responsiveness to community voice, positioning Greenville for growth that honors both economic opportunity and quality of life.
There are several additional local-focused initiatives in the pipeline that I’m excited to share with you in the months ahead, programs that aim to bring existing Greenville talent into better jobs, strengthen local supply chains, and continue building an economy that works for everyone here at home, utilizing local infrastructure as it’s template. I can’t wait to share that with you soon!
Economic development isn’t abstract. It’s real jobs, real families, and real futures being shaped right here in Greenville County.
And with GADC’s leadership, grounded in experience, community engagement, and thoughtful strategy, our economic engine is not only stable… it’s responsive, inclusive, and future-ready.
