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Special to the Daily Journal/Messenger

Hal Johnson, president and chief executive office with Upstate Alliance, speaks Wednesday at the Alliane's mid-year meeting at the BMW Zentrum.

GREER — Upstate Alliance rolled out its strategic plan Wednesday, with an emphasis on online, marketing and public relations surges.

“With today’s technology, it’s important to have a first class Web site,” said Alliance Director Richard K. Blackwell. “It’s normally the first stop for a site consultant or decision maker when they’re looking at possible locations.”

Blackwell said he’s pleased with the general appearance of the Alliance site, www.upstatealliance.com. However, he wants to provide easier access to data site consultants crave, including demographics and structure details. Although the Alliance site currently offers this information, Blackwell said electronic visitors “have to dig for it.”

Some site revisions, courtesy of a Duke Energy sponsored $200,000 AdvanceSC Grant that has helped Upstate Alliance, should be completed by January. Blackwell hopes to complete the flash additions by the end of 2009.

The Alliance’s public relations goals include in-state and out-of-state marks. In South Carolina, the objective is to paint a more complete picture of the organization’s accomplishments.

“A lot of people have a little bit of knowledge about Upstate Alliance, but we want to share the high points, like the $1.3 billion invested in new jobs and new companies in the Upstate. That’s what we want to get out … more than, ‘Upstate Alliance generated this amount of leads.’”

Blackwell said out-of-state plans are geared to focus “everyone on the same sheet of music.” He would like to see more stories about Upstate progression, such as the Clemson University Advanced Materials Lab, in vaunted national publications, like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

When it comes to marketing, the Upstate Alliance is shooting for “laser focus,” Blackwell said. This would involve concentrating on the quality of trade shows instead of quantity. The new strategic plan also would include intensified focus at trade shows, with more media buys in event materials.

“We want to go to those trade shows and own them,” Blackwell said.

Wednesday’s presentation was held at the BMW Zentrum in Greer. Target industry recommendations outlined in the strategic plan include: advanced materials, automotive, distribution and logistics, headquarters and regional offices and health care. The plan’s second tier priorities include branding and graphics identity, project flow, regional positioning and contributor management.

The strategic plan was sculpted from information gleaned from focus groups, individual interviews and electronic respondents. A public-private organization, Upstate Alliance was formed in 2000. Blackwell said the Alliance derives 70 percent of its funding from about 170 private sector members, like Trehel Corporation, Pickens Railway Company and AnMed Health. The 10 counties, including Oconee, Pickens and Anderson, and five municipalities belonging to the Alliance contribute the remaining 30 percent. Public funding is based on a 50-cent per capita basis, with a $50,000 maximum contribution and $10,000 minimum.