Skip to main content

Greenville Business Magazine

Ten At The Top To Host Annnual Young Professional Conference, The Pique, March 25

Join other young professionals from across the Upstate as we pique your interest for impacting our community and region.

The ten counties of the Upstate including Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union counties is home to numerous young professionals. The millennial generation (ages 21-39) is quickly surpassing the Baby-Boomer generation and they will soon be our region’s leaders.

For this reason, Ten at the Top realized the importance of creating an opportunity for young professionals to connect with other young professionals from across the Upstate, meet Upstate business and community leaders, and provide valuable personal and professional development opportunities. To this end, Ten at the Top began hosting an annual regional young leaders event called the PIQUE with a goal of bringing together existing young professional groups from across the Upstate.

Ten at the Top is a nonprofit that promotes regional collaboration to improve quality of life and economic vitality in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Approximately 200-300 young leaders from across the ten counties of the Upstate are expected to attend. Ten at the Top board members and executives representing Upstate businesses and organizations will also be in attendance. 

The event will be held March 25 at the Greenville ONE Center. 

Tickets are $25. You can register here.

The following is a list of the workshops being offered:

Executive Networking Roundtables (Repeated)

Young leaders have a thirst for knowledge, advice and mentorship. This workshop will feature an interactive session of roundtable networking. Established business and community  leaders (executives) from all sectors, regardless of age, will be invited to lead a discussion about how they got where they are, how they found what they needed to successful and the barriers they have overcome to reach success

Developing Executive Courage

Many of us aspire to reach the executive level within our careers. What they don’t tell you is that it takes a lot of courage and resilience along the way. In this session, you will hear from Chunsta Miller, General Manager of the Anderson. You will hear about her 20 + years of retail experience and journey to executive. She will discuss the challenges and opportunities that have risen since becoming the Manager of the Anderson Mall and how she stays courageous when faced with tough decisions.

Speaker: Chunsta Miller, General Manager, Anderson Mall

Lions, Tigers, Millennials – Oh My!

We read about it, we think about it, now let’s talk about it.

A panel of professionals ready to discuss the spoken and unspoken generational differences in the workplace. The panel will consist of a Baby Boomer (1944-1964), a Gen-Xer (1965-1979), and a Millennial (1980-1994). This panel will focus on sharing the positives and negatives of working alongside other generations with the goal of learning that we may be more alike than realize. We can all work better together after understanding more about what motivates each of us to be successful.

Moderator: Alex Moore, Director of Marketing and Communications, United Way of the Piedmont

Panelists:

Daja Dial, Marketing and Communications Manager, Oconee Economic Alliance

Stacey Flax, Senior Strategic Communications Coordinator, Renewable Water Resources (Re-Wa)

Barry Nocks, PhD, FAICP, Graduate Professor in City & Regional Planning, Clemson University

Moving up the Ladder

As a young professional, you might always be thinking about the “next step” whether that be a promotion, pay increase or increase of responsibility within the workplace. There is not right or wrong way to move up the ladder within your career, but there are steps that can be taken to distinguish yourself and be ready for that next big opportunity that comes your way. This panel will address some of those steps that can be taken to prepare for moving up the ladder and flourishing within positions of higher leadership.

Moderator: Todd Horne, VP of Business Development, Clayton Construction 

Panelists:

Blake Sanders, Planning & Projects Manager City of Easley/Mayor of West Pelzer

Leesa Owens, Director of Government and Community Relations, Michelin

Dr. Jermaine Whirl, Vice President of Learning and Workforce Development, Greenville Tech

Reading between the Lines (Creating a positive conversation within the workplace)

Creating a culture of open and positive communication is a priority for employers. Miscommunication between bosses, peers and subordinates can often be very stressful for all parties involved and be detrimental to overall productivity. This panel seeks to address communication challenges that often arise in workplace environments and give tips on how all parties can work together to create a positive open dialogue within the workplace.

Moderator: Chad Lawson, Communications Manager, Spartanburg Water

Panelists:

Chris Corley, Owner, Corley Plumbing Air and Electric

Madison Skinner, Human Resources Manager, ScanSource