Regional Canvas Benchmarking Workshop

Baton Rouge Area business and community leaders will make their eleventh trip in 2022 to reflect upon important policy issues facing the Capital Region and learn how the destination region, Greenville, South Carolina, addresses similar matters. The Regional Canvas Benchmarking Workshop is an effort by BRAC in conjunction with the Office of Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Sharon Weston Broome. Business leaders from the Capital Region and surrounding areas are expected to participate.

Registration for Canvas 2022 is now closed. Stay tuned for other BRAC events on our events page.

EVENT DETAILS

The Regional Canvas Benchmarking Workshop will be held November 2 - 4, 2022, in Greenville, South Carolina.

Registration is $2,500 per person, which includes all transportation, lodging and meals.

Lodging

Located right on Main Street in the heart of Downtown Greenville, AC by Marriott Greenville Downtown inhabits the very soul of the city. Offering a unique combination of quality, timeless European design, comfort, and true authenticity. This unique hotel pays homage to the local area, it's inspiring people, arts, and culture. You'll appreciate the extensive collection of art work throughout the hotel at every turn, all created by local artists in Greenville.

Charter Flight

Canvas participants will travel to Greenville via a private charter flight. The flight will depart from the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport the morning of Wednesday, November 2 and arrive back in Baton Rouge the evening of Friday, November 4. Checked luggage is included.

About Greenville

Greenville is the largest metro area in South Carolina and the 60th largest metro in the United States by population. “The Upstate” is home to headquarters or major presences of a number of major corporations, many of them among the Fortune 100. The region was formerly known as the “Textile Capital of the World,” but as the global economy changed, Greenville adapted and attracted top global brands such as BMW, Michelin, 3M, and more. In addition to its strong business climate, community leaders attribute the ability to land economic development wins to strong culture and quality of place, which is anchored by its world-class downtown area. Its strong population and economic growth are a testament to the community's success in creating a diverse, livable place.

Why Greenville

From creative public-private partnerships that led to a vibrant downtown to its impressively diversified industry base, Greenville – which is regularly at the top of national “Best Places to Live” rankings – has undertaken a number of best practices that align with BRAC’s five-year strategic plan. Session topics for Canvas will include:

Partnerships in development and quality of place
Inclusive entrepreneurship
Business and education partnerships
Attracting and retaining talent
Diversifying industries within an economy

Check back for more information on the workshop's agenda.

Agenda

Day	Topic	Speakers
Day 1	BMW Drive Experience Welcome Event
	Transforming the economy: From textiles to automotive engineering	John Lummus, President & CEO, Upstate SC Alliance
	Lessons in leadership: Optimism & determination	Mayor Knox White Merl Code, community leader Councilmember Russell Stall
Day 2	Dynamic developers, downtown & PPPs	Bob & Robert Hughes, Hughes Development Corporation Nancy Whitworth, former economic development director and deputy city manager
	Inclusive redevelopment	Councilmember Lillian Brock Flemming Bryan Brown, Greenville Housing Fund
	Entrepreneurial ecosystem/minority business accelerator	Eric Weissman, Executive Director, NEXT entrepreneurial support services Kenzie Biggins, CEO & Visionary, Worxbee James Jordan, President & Founder, Jordan Construction Company
	Talent attraction/retention	Tiffany Tate, Upstate SC Alliance Cliff Holekamp, Cofounder & Managing Director, Cultivation Capital Nicole Andrews, Career coach & organizational/HR consultant
	Business & education/workforce partnerships	Cheryl Garrison, Director of Leadership Development, Greenville Chamber Brenda Thames, VP & Chief Academic Officer, Prisma Health David Clayton, Executive Director, CU-ICAR
	Serial entrepreneurship & community leadership	Carl Sobocinski, Founder & President, Table 301 Restaurant Group
Day 3	Young professionals & the Future of Greenville	Marco Carrizales, Partner & General Manager, RingoFire Marketing Kamber Parker, interim Director of Greenville Parkinson Society, founder of The YoPro Know, and 2022 Greenville YP of the Year
	Debrief