GREENVILLE, S.C. — The South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center has been awarded $11.8 million in federal funding to renovate buildings on its Greenville County campus in support of the Upstate’s automotive industry, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
The grant was the largest of 10 awards totaling $40 million that the EDA announced Oct. 8 under its fiscal year 2025 Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs, the agency said in a release. The other recipients, spread across Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Iowa, received between $1.5 million and $5.5 million each, mostly for water, sewer, road and workforce-training projects. The Greenville News highlighted the SCTAC award in its Oct. 27 business roundup, noting that it was the largest grant in the round.
The EDA described the project only as building renovations to support the local automotive industry. The agency’s announcement did not specify which buildings will be renovated, a construction timeline, a local funding match or projected job counts, and the Greenville News report did not include those details either.
SCTAC is a 2,600-acre business airpark in Greenville that hosts more than 100 companies in automotive, aerospace and advanced manufacturing, according to the Southern Economic Development Council. Its tenants include Lockheed Martin’s F-16 production and sustainment operation, and the campus is home to Donaldson Field, the state’s largest general aviation airport. SCTAC also serves automakers and suppliers through its subsidiary, the International Transportation Innovation Center, a state automotive proving ground.
An economic impact study by research economist Joseph Von Nessen, co-commissioned by SCTAC and the SC Council on Competitiveness, estimated the campus generates $6.1 billion a year in economic activity statewide, $5.9 billion of it in the Upstate, the SEDC reported. The study found SCTAC directly or indirectly supports about 17,873 Upstate jobs, roughly one in nine of the region’s manufacturing jobs, at an average supported wage of $91,456.
For commercial real estate professionals, the grant matters because modern, move-in-ready industrial space is a key factor in landing manufacturers and suppliers. Federally funded renovations can bring older airpark buildings up to current specifications without pushing the full cost onto private owners or tenants, sharpening SCTAC’s ability to compete with newer industrial product elsewhere in the region. Brokers and developers tracking automotive supplier demand will want to watch which buildings are selected and when the renovated space comes to market.
Sources: U.S. Economic Development Administration, The Greenville News, Southern Economic Development Council
Leave a Reply