Tiger Team

The Tiger Team focused on neighborhoods of blight in upstate South Carolina where few opportunities exist for affordable housing, steady employment, small business development, and quality-of-life essentials like fresh groceries, recreational facilities, and youth activities. The team partnered with a newly created non-profit organization, Opportunity South Carolina (OPSC), to discover tangible ways to take advantage of recently created “opportunity zone” investment incentives introduced in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

The Tiger Team’s diverse make-up contributed to the partnership in two significant ways. First, the Team helped OPSC scope its Mission, Vision and Engagement Strategy for future, long-term lines of effort in the greater upstate community. This included meetings with OPSC leaders to discuss neighborhood priorities and identify connections across upstate communities of interest to include realtors, educators, local business leaders, veterans’ groups, and young entrepreneurs. The Tiger Team committed to developing a strategy document for OPSC’s use that provides preliminary guidance and a road map for next steps. Second, the Tiger Team agreed to serve as an Advisory Board for OPSC, periodically reconvening to review progress, priorities, and offer suggestions to further the mission.

The Tiger Team’s goal is to not just offer Opportunity South Carolina the best chance for success as a valued non-profit organization in the upstate, but to also see rural and urban South Carolina neighborhoods thrive in the 21st Century where they haven’t before. This isn’t about gentrification…it’s about investing in South Carolina’s wonderfully diverse communities.