The Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce launched ‘GreerMade’ last week at its annual awards ceremony.

Chamber launches GreerMade initiative

Billy Cannada's picture
By: 
Billy Cannada

The Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce is taking aim at a growing problem in the Upstate.

“The Manufacturing Institute says in the next decade, two million jobs will go unfilled due to a widening skills gap,” said Mark Owens, president and CEO of the chamber. “While the gap is widening, our students aren’t picking up manufacturing as one of their interest. We need to get our students interested.”

That’s why the chamber, last week, introduced GreerMade, an initiative that seeks to promote companies and engage students at a local level.

“We want to promote our products and the companies that make them here in Greer. We have a lot of people that make amazing things, and we need to tell that story and showcase their businesses,” Owens said.

GreerMade will allow certified companies access to future employees through workshops, trainings and in-school visits.

“Right now, students go through counselors, so we want to enhance that relationship with counselors,” Owens said. “We want to bring businesses into the schools to show them how the robot works. We want to bring chefs into the culinary program to help teach different specialties. We just want to encourage our students to look at those types of careers.

“We also want our students to be more interested in trades and careers where they use their skills to make things. We want to connect the businesses with our students,” he said.

Business leaders recognized at ceremony

Companies applying to have a product certified as GreerMade must construct at least 60 percent of their product in Greer. Businesses will then be given a trademark, showing that the product comes from Greer.

“We want this to be a catalyst in our community,” Owens said. “Our community in Greer is shipping products to the entire world, and we can have such an impact in doing so.

“The Greer Commission of Public Works (CPW) is our first company to apply for their product—water—to be certified as ‘GreerMade.’ It’s great to know that people are believing in this program.”

Companies interested in becoming certified can visit greermade.com to complete the online application. Once submitted, final approval will be determined by the GreerMade Advisory Board. Approved companies will receive: profile and recognition on GreerMade website, a license to use GreerMade logo on products, marketing materials, etc., an opportunity to participate in annual GreerMade trade show and access to local resources.

The GreerMade Advisory Board consists of representatives from: BMW Manufacturing Co., Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce, Greenville Technical College, Greer Development Co., J. Harley Bonds Career Center

Funding Partners of the program include: Greer State Bank, Owens Insurance Agency, Steven M. Bateman, CPA, Ten at the Top, Upstate Workforce Investment Board.

billy@greercitizen.com | 877-2076

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