THANK YOU for engaging with the Greenville Chamber’s 2025 Policy Guide and supporting our advocacy efforts to champion the Upstate’s business community.
In today’s polarized political landscape, it’s never been more essential to have an organization that stands at the center, working beyond the noise of partisanship and divisive rhetoric. As public discourse drifts further to the extremes, the Greenville Chamber remains focused on bringing people together around shared goals for economic growth and prosperity. We are proud to work hand-in-hand with the Upstate Chamber Coalition and the S.C. Metro Chambers Coalition to coalesce around these common goals.
In the following pages, you will find various ways to get involved. We hope you will allow this information to motivate you to engage in this meaningful work. We need business leaders like you to be engaged in public policy. Our mission remains clear: to lead, unite, and activate the business community toward a stronger, more vibrant Greenville.
You will also find a detailed look at our 2025 policy agenda, shaped by the insights of Upstate business leaders.
The policy priorities outlined in this guide play a pivotal role in protecting where our community excels and closing the gap where we lag. Between 2020 and 2040, our population is projected to increase by an impressive 43.2%, far outpacing the U.S. national average of 13.9%. Job growth over this period is also set to surpass national trends, with Greenville expected to see a 19.3% increase compared to the U.S. average of 15.4%. Yet, while we’re ahead in growth, some critical areas show room for improvement. Educational attainment in Greenville, at 50.6% in 2022, falls short of the national goal of 60%, and per capita personal income sits at $56,653, lower than the U.S. average of $65,470. These statistics underscore our commitment to advocating for policies that not only sustain our competitive edge but also drive progress where we’re behind.
Thank you for your continued support of the Greenville Chamber. We look forward to collaborating with you in the year ahead and drive meaningful growth across the Upstate!
Traci Newkirk 2025 Board Chair
WHAT’S INSIDE THE 2025 GUIDE
4 STAFF AND LEADERSHIP 2025 Board and Upstate Chamber Coalition Members
5 ADVOCACY AGENDA
7 FEDERAL AND LOCAL AGENDA
9 FEDERAL ELECTED AND STATE OFFICES
10 WAYS TO GET INVOLVED Tips on engaging with your elected officials to advocate for issues you are passionate about.
11 SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE
12 SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
15 LOCAL LEADERS City Council, County Council, and School Board.
STAFF AND LEADERSHIP
2025 Board Chair Traci Newkirk
Co-Chairs, Business Advocacy Committee
Milton Shockley & Brad Medcalf
President & CEO Carlos Phillips
Vice President of Government Affairs Matt Wills Office 864.239.3718; Cell 843.251.5306
• Support the rights of private businesses to make their own operating decisions, champion legislation that enhances competitiveness for small businesses and entrepreneurs and encourages economic development and business growth.
• Reinstating joint and several liability protections to improve fairness in allocating fault impacting both the cost of doing business and the state’s insurance climate.
ACCESSIBILITY & AFFORDABILITY OF CHILDCARE
• Support solutions to expand the accessibility and affordability of quality childcare to ensure working parents may increase participation in the workforce.
WORKFORCE SUSTAINABILITY
• Support legislation that addresses education funding, teacher compensation, workforce barriers, and development to enhance statewide access, quality, and career readiness.
INFRASTRUCTURE
• Support investments in our state’s road, bridge, broadband, airport, electricity, transit, and housing infrastructure to meet current and future demands and enhance resiliency, and advocate for legislation that streamlines processes to be more efficient and business friendly.
EVERGREEN PRIORITIES
• Ensure adequate tourism funding.
• Close the state pension system to protect taxpayers & invested individuals and move to a defined contribution plan.
• Advocate for initiative-taking measures in sustainable land use, and resilient infrastructure to ensure environmental stewardship and community resilience.
• Support tax reform that makes the tax code a more fair, equitable and competitive system for the business community.
The Greenville Chamber is focused on creating a globally competitive Upstate economy where businesses succeed and people prosper. As we prepare our rapidly growing region for this bold future, we’re using these outlined priorities to guide our policy decisions. It is critical that we enact policies to meet those growth challenges while exceeding national metrics in educational attainment and per capita income.
• Support eligibility for occupational or professional licenses for those that have current and valid employment authorizations.
• Increase the state’s police training capacity and address return-to-work requirements for retirees.
• Promote penalty enhancements for hate crimes.
• Expand policies to attract veterans and military dependents while continuing to advocate for policies that support the mission readiness and operations of our state’s military bases.
FEDERAL AND LOCAL AGENDA
FEDERAL
MEET OUR IMMIGRATION AND WORKFORCE NEEDS
• Expand legal immigration avenues to help companies meet their workforce needs.
• Reform visas for skilled workers
EXPAND INTERNATIONAL TRADE
• Fight for international trade policies that will benefit the Upstate economy.
SUPPORT SECURING OUR ENERGY FUTURE
LOCAL
MEET OUR GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
• Establish a sustainable and substantial local funding source for key infrastructure.
• Pass a Unified Development Ordinance and put teeth into the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
• Enact zoning ordinances in un-zoned areas of Greenville County.
EXPAND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
• Seek increases to operational funding for Greenlink
• Seek to remove barriers and provide new local incentives to develop workforce and affordable housing projects
UPSTATE LEADERSHIP
LINDSEY GRAHAM (R)
D.C. Office: (202) 224.5972
Upstate Office: (864) 250.1417
SCOTT (R)
D.C. Office: (202) 224.6121
Upstate Office: (864) 233.5366
SHERRIE BIGGS (R-3)
D.C. Office: (202) 225.5301
Anderson Office: (864) 224.7401
WILLIAM TIMMONS (R-4) SOUTH CAROLINA’S FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
D.C. Office: (202) 225.6030
Greenville Office: (864) 241.0175
RALPH NORMAN (R-5) CONGRESSMAN
D.C. Office: (202) 225.5501
Rock Hill Office: (803) 327.1114
CAROLINA STATE OFFICES
ADVOCACY 101
Tips on engaging with your elected officials to advocate for issues you are passionate about.
MAKE A CALL
CALLING IS THE BEST option if a vote is coming up soon.
ALWAYS SAY WHO YOU ARE, where you’re from (“I live in your district!”), and what role you play in the community (“I own Smith’s Auto Shop”).
MAKE YOUR REQUEST and be respectful of the official’s time.
WRITE A NOTE
YOU CAN ADVOCATE by sending a formal letter or a less-formal email.
KEEP IT RELATIVELY SHORT (one page), outline your story, make your request.
BE SURE TO USE THE CORRECT SALUTATION (Congressman Timmons, Senator Turner, etc.). “The Honorable” works for most officials.
SCHEDULE A MEETING
MEETING FACE-TO-FACE with elected officials or staff is the most effective way to advocate.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT —don’t just show up!
BRING PEOPLE with you. Coalitions do better than individuals.
ATTEND OUR LEGISLATIVE EVENTS for a less-formal meeting.
ENGAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
WHILE NOT AS PERSONAL or effective as other methods of engagement, social media can be used to advocate.
X IS THE MOST USED platform among Congressional and Statehouse officials.
ALWAYS IDENTIFY YOURSELF as a constituent.
SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE
The South Carolina Senate consists of 46 members who are elected from single member districts of approximately 87,200 citizens. Senators serve four year terms.
South Carolina General Assembly SCStatehouse.gov
Senate Switchboard: 803.212.6200
Correspondence & Mail: The Honorable (Senator’s Name) South Carolina Senate P.O. Box 142 Columbia, SC 29202
THOMAS ALEXANDER (R) Oconee District 1
KARL ALLEN (D) Greenville District 7
RICHARD CASH (R) Anderson District 3
TOM CORBIN (R) Greenville District 5
JASON ELLIOTT (R) Greenville District 6
MIKE GAMBRELL (R) Anderson District 4
BILLY GARRETT (R) Greenwood
JOSH KIMBRELL (R) Spartanburg
SHANE MARTIN (R) Spartanburg
ROGER NUTT (R) Spartanburg
HARVEY PEELER (R) Cherokee District 14
REX RICE (R) Pickens District 2
ROSS TURNER (R) Greenville
SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The South Carolina House of Representatives consists of 124 part-time citizen legislators elected every two years to represent our state’s 124 separate singlemember districts. As outlined by our State’s Constitution, the General Assembly’s annual session begins on the second Tuesday in January and runs through the second Thursday in May.
District
BILL WHITMIRE District
ADAM DUNCAN District
PHILLIP BOWERS District
DAVEY HIOTT
NEAL COLLINS District 6
APRIL CROMER
District
LEE GILREATH
BLAKE SANDERS
THOMAS BEACH
District 11
CRAIG GAGNON
District 12
DANIEL GIBSON
District
JOHN MCCRAVY District
RANKIN
MIKE BURNS
District
ALAN MORGAN
District 19
PATRICK HADDON
District
STEPHEN FRANK
District
BOBBY COX
PAUL WICKENSIMER
CHANDRA DILLARD
District 24 BRUCE BANNISTER
District 25
WENDELL JONES
District
DAVID VAUGHAN
CHRIS HUFF
DENNIS MOSS
BRIAN LAWSON
ROSALYN HENDERSON-MYERS District
SCOTT MONTGOMERY
South Carolina General Assembly SCStatehouse.gov
House Switchboard: 803.734.3000
Correspondence & Mail:
The Honorable (Representative’s Name)
South Carolina House of Representatives P.O. Box 11867, Columbia, SC 29211
LOCAL LEADERSHIP
GREENVILLE CITY COUNCIL
The Greenville City Council consists of a mayor, elected at-large, and six council members, two of whom are elected at-large and four who are elected from their respective districts.
• All members serve a four year term.
• Elections are conducted every two years.
• Together they constitute the legislative body of the City.
Mayor KNOX WHITE kwhite@greenvillesc.gov
District 1
JOHN DEWORKEN jdeworken@greenvillesc.gov
District 2
LILLIAN FLEMMING lflemming@greenvillesc.gov
District 3 KEN GIBSON kgibson@greenvillesc.gov
District 4 WIL BRASINGTON wbrasington@greenvillesc.gov
At Large
DOROTHY DOWE ddowe@greenvillesc.gov
At Large
RUSSELL STALL rstall@greenvillesc.gov
206 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 | 864.467.4431 | GreenvilleSC.gov
GREENVILLE COUNTY COUNCIL
301 University Ridge, Suite 2400, Greenville, SC 29601 864.467.7115 | GreenvilleCounty.org
Twelve members, each elected in single member district contests for four year staggered terms.
District 17
JOEY RUSSO
District 18
KELLY CASON-LONG
District 19
BENTON BLOUNT
District 20 STEVE SHAW
District 21 CURT MCGAHHEY
District 22 FRANK FARMER
GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOLS
District 23 ALAN MITCHELL
District 24 LIZ SEMAN
District 25 ENNIS FANT
District 26 RICK BRADLEY
District 27 GAREY COLLINS
District 28 DAN TRIPP
301 E Camperdown Way, Greenville 864.355.3100 | Greenville.k12.sc.us
The Board of Trustees of Greenville County Schools is an elected body, their mission is to ensure excellence in the governance of a quality educational program by analyzing needs, establishing policies, allocating resources, and monitoring progress.
SUPERINTENDENT W. BURKE ROYSTER, PH.D. | 864.355.8860 | wroyster@greenville.k12.sc.us
