Gary Simrill, Co-Chair, Palmetto Research Region Cabinet

Invest: spoke with Gary Simrill, co-chair of Palmetto Research Region Cabinet, about Rock Hill’s regional role and how higher education is aligning with economic development. “Highest and best use, in this case, doesn’t equate to dollars. It equates to legacy,” Simrill said.

How would you describe the vision for Palmetto Research Park, and why does it matter for Rock Hill?

Palmetto Research Park matters for Rock Hill because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is a raw piece of property with direct interstate access, and Rock Hill has the chance to align its vision, mission, and values in creating something that can sustain the community for generations.

Before the Carolina Panthers considered the site, it was slated for transportation and distribution. That would have meant high traffic, lower wages, more vehicles on the road, and no interchange. When the Panthers looked at investing in the community with their headquarters, it changed the entire dynamic. When that did not pan out, it created a new opportunity. The community wanted to harness what that could look like.

The priority was not a quick turn but a better turn. It was about looking deeply at the community and asking what this location, this 10th interchange in York County, and the proximity to Charlotte Douglas International Airport and downtown Charlotte could become.

Winthrop University is a good example of Rock Hill’s history of second chances. Winthrop began in 1886 and came to Rock Hill in 1894. It was a women’s college at a time when women could not vote, so Rock Hill was progressive in wanting the college to come to the community. Rock Hill lost the original bid to Anderson, South Carolina, but Anderson could not fulfill the obligation, so it was rebid. Rock Hill had a second chance at the university and made sure it did not lose Winthrop the second time.

Having Winthrop here took political leadership, philanthropy from the business community, and citizens saying they wanted it. Those same three elements go into Palmetto Research Park. Highest and best use, in this case, doesn’t equate to dollars. It equates to legacy.

The question becomes how to harness the power of 240 acres and shape it to be the best it can be, not just for Rock Hill but for the surrounding areas. I look at BMW in Spartanburg as an example. The biggest job creator was not necessarily BMW itself. It was the collateral and ancillary businesses that came around it. I look at this hub in much the same way. You may have a hub of life sciences, but what surrounds those life sciences in a support mode is what starts making the legacy difference for the community.

Where does the project stand today, and what are the most important next steps?

This was raw land. It had an interchange and part of a building structure that had to be taken down. The proper zoning needed to be put on that land so the right signals were there to attract what the community wants and needs.

Those things are in place. Now, it is up to the community, through its leaders, to start selecting the best fit. At every turn, it has been a great opportunity, and it continues to be one.

How has Rock Hill’s shift from being in Charlotte’s shadow to becoming more connected to the region shaped today’s opportunities?

You pull from the assets of Charlotte. Charlotte is a banking and finance center, and if you look at Winthrop and fintech, that relates directly back to Charlotte. Winthrop now has an aviation program and an aviation degree that relate directly back to American Airlines and Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

It is about taking an asset that exists, even if it is in the larger community, and harnessing that power into your own community. If you are at Palmetto Research Park and need to catch a flight, you are within about 20 minutes of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Within 20 minutes, you can be in downtown Charlotte. In 45 minutes, you are at Scout Motors in Blythewood. In less than an hour, you are in downtown Columbia. In three hours, you are in downtown Charleston. Those things make a difference.

I have often said there are two powerful economic engines in South Carolina. One is the port in Charleston, and the second is Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Someone may say the airport is in North Carolina, but if you look at travel time from places like Matthews, Mint Hill, or Huntersville versus Rock Hill, Rock Hill is closer to the airport. The proximity makes a difference, and the state line becomes invisible.

The Buster Boyd Bridge, which connects the Steele Creek area of Charlotte with the Lake Wylie region, spans two states. It took collaboration and partnership between the North Carolina and South Carolina departments of transportation to build a bigger, wider bridge. The same thing happened when the interstates were widened. North Carolina and South Carolina worked together to make sure they lined up. That is emblematic of how the resources of the region enhance both sides. The shadow from that tree is no longer impeding the grass growing in our community.

How is Winthrop supporting the talent pipeline needed to attract and retain new industries?

Winthrop began in 1886, and while its mission has changed somewhat, it remains a liberal arts university that is now positioned as a regional comprehensive institution. Three years ago, Winthrop developed a strategic plan built on market-driven pillars.

Biology is currently the largest degree program at Winthrop. At one time, it was education. Today, the university offers programs in aviation management, fintech, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and game design. Winthrop has the first artificial intelligence degree in South Carolina. There has been a wholesale change in the university’s book of business, and that change is based on market data.

The goal is for graduates to be able to stay in this community. This is a great community, but if you graduate with certain degrees, you may have to go elsewhere to find employment. Palmetto Research Park creates an opportunity to have that employment right where people live.

York Technical College and Clinton College are also part of that picture. Together, we have a trifecta of educational opportunity in one community. York Tech partners with Winthrop, and Clinton College does as well. At Winthrop, this is the first time in 140 years that both our board chair and president are alumni. It is a new day, and we are embracing what that means for the community.

What are companies asking for when they consider investing in the region, and how can universities respond?

Companies are looking for employees who match the demand of what is coming. You have to be market-ready and fleet of foot. Winthrop is adapting to every piece of that.

It is important to be market-driven and to operate with an economic development lens. Recently, Winthrop announced a partnership as one of six hubs in the state with the South Carolina Research Authority. That gives us a whole new menu to serve our community and our students.

Winthrop is seeing more students apply, more students come to earn their four-year degree, and our retention rate is at an all-time high. It is one thing to attract a student, and it is another to keep that student. Winthrop is doing both.

About 85% of Winthrop’s student population is from South Carolina, so we are educating South Carolinians. Being near the border also raises the question of how we partner with the Charlotte community and bring more students from North Carolina counties. We want to work with our neighbors, not just compete.

What does success look like over the next few years, and what should business leaders watch closely?

At the macro level, South Carolina continues to attract manufacturing-based jobs. One important factor is the state’s tax environment. South Carolina’s effective tax rate has always been in a good place, but the published rate, or sticker price, was high.

The governor recently signed a new tax reduction plan. South Carolina’s goal is to bring that rate down as low as possible, with zero as the long-term goal. When a corporation and its board are considering moving to South Carolina, one of the things that created hesitation was that tax rate. By switching models from federal taxable income to adjusted gross income and lowering the rate, South Carolina is creating more opportunity.

That matters for Palmetto Research Park because it is coming along at the right time. The new law is in place, and as we talk about headquarters coming to the area, it is now hand in glove. One more issue has been solved. The timing could not be better, and those are the things that will open up more opportunity for South Carolina.

Is there anything else you would like to highlight?

It comes down to a willing attitude. Universities have often been called ivory towers, where they do what they are going to do, and the market has to react. We are in a different day and time. Winthrop University reacts to what the market is doing and what the demands within the market are.

Winthrop has responded in a market-driven way to ensure that the degrees and programs being offered match the employment opportunities we see in this area. Competency-based education is one example. There are about half a million people in South Carolina who started college and never finished. Competency-based education allows those individuals to show the competencies they already have and complete a degree in a shorter period of time.

If you are working a job and do not have time to go to classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you can go online and graduate with a degree at your pace. Those are new opportunities, and they are about responding to the market with agility.

South Carolina is now one of the fastest-growing states in the nation by percentage. That does not happen by accident. It happens because of purpose and leadership that says this is how we want South Carolina to look in the next decade. For colleges to be part of the solution is important, and they are. Carrying that collaboration to the next level is important.