The blueprints and office designs sit within arm’s length at his desk. Scott Moore references them multiple times a day as president of 98 Ventures, a Greenville-based executive management services company that oversees affiliate organizations UST, UST Select and Equip Fulfillment.
After 21 years at various locations, the company will move in January into an 11,000-square-foot space at Poe West in the Village of West Greenville.
“We looked at 30 properties in all areas of the Upstate,” Moore says. “When you go outside the city, property gets easier to acquire and it’s cheaper. There are a lot of options out there, but culture is everything with our company. We’re youthful and energetic. We don’t like everything to be vanilla. We like things a little different. We really felt to maintain that culture, we needed to be downtown.”
Employees are currently split between two locations on Main Street, one inside the Bank of America building and one above Cantina 76 restaurant. The Poe West space is not that much bigger than the total space the company currently occupies, but the new site will be designed for specific needs, making it more efficient. A single location will also reunite the team and provide room for additional staff.
98 Ventures supports companies across various industries including logistics, fulfillment services and technology. UST serves in the “last mile” logistics industry, delivering large items from home improvement stores to homes across 23 states. UST Select does much the same for one of the largest e-commerce platforms on the planet, while Equip Fulfillment provides supplies to 450 trucking teams in the industry. Business is booming, Moore says.
“It’s been an incredible year,” he says. “I don’t even know how to describe it. Right now, we’re trending at 77% growth over last year, and we plan to hire 150 new employees. We’ve been working on this move for just over a year. It’s been tough. It’s been stressful. But we have such a strong team. It’s been a fluid process because our growth has occurred simultaneously to looking at properties.”
The South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved more than $600,000 in job development credits related to the project. Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt calls the news a “terrific win.”
“It’s always a great day in South Carolina when an existing company has great success in our state and chooses to expand,” Hitt says. “We’re eager to see this company continue to grow in Greenville County.”
The space
98 Ventures has secured a seven-year lease at Poe West, with an option to extend. The company is investing seven figures into the expansion, including more than $600,000 in renovations.
“It’s an historical building, so we do have certain restrictions,” Moore says. “The space is an old hardware distribution site; that type of industrial feel is perfect for what we do. But we also wanted to bring in a bit of modernization. We want our people to enjoy being there, and feel like it was an extension of their family and an extension of their home, not just being at work.”
Polished concrete floors create the foundation for an open space, encouraging collaboration. Johnston Design Group, Fusion Audio + Video, Acumen IT, PMC and Rescom Construction are just a few of the companies working on the upfit and interior.
“We’re making it fit our personality,” Moore says. “Gone are the days of typical cubicles and typical conference rooms. We’ll have all-glass offices with drop-pendant lighting; the furniture will be crisp white and piano black finishes. The conference room will have touch-screen TVs, sofas and soft seating. The break room — what we’re calling Café Oasis — will have repurposed wood ceilings, a galley kitchen and a big deck overlooking the back of the property.”
While extremely focused on operations inside the building, Moore is also looking outside, toward 98 Ventures’ impact on the entire Village of West Greenville.
Community champion
In moving to Poe West, 98 Ventures will become the largest employer in the Village of West Greenville. Moore and his team recognize the opportunities that presents across several fronts.
“Bringing almost 100 full-time employees to the Village, Monday through Friday, and partially on weekends? The impact it’s going to have on the Village will be quite significant,” Moore says. “We have young, vibrant folks who are really going to enjoy the things the Village has to offer, and the economic impact is going to be huge.”
Yet he wants 98 Ventures’ role in the neighborhood to extend far beyond dollar bills.
“It brings a lot of pride — and responsibility,” he says. “We want to be an engaged corporate citizen. Anything less would be a disgrace. We’ve already begun meeting with some organizations, including Mill Village Farms. Our ability to have 100 or so volunteers go hands-on with projects and initiatives should prove helpful.”
The city’s highest leaders are applauding the plan.
“We couldn’t be more proud of their growth, success and commitment to making Greenville a better place to live and work,” Mayor Knox White says.
As the move nears, Moore is already looking toward future growth. 98 Ventures is in discussions about a second building at Poe West that can provide more space when needed.
“We want to stay in the city we love, operate in the city we love and do our part to keep it a city we love,” he says. “We are very excited about being a part of the Village and Poe West. We feel like we can really be a part of the community over there.”
Did you know…
- Poe West is a 60,000-square-foot, mixed-use space on Perry Avenue in the Village of West Greenville.
- Poe West is named for Poe Hardware & Supply Co., one of the city’s first incorporated businesses. Poe Hardware opened shop in 1876 and moved to the Perry Avenue location in 1946.
- Poe West tenants will include The Junkyard, Unlocked Coffee Roasters, LaRue Fine Chocolate, Carolina Bauernhaus Brewery & Winery, Six & Twenty Distillery, and Greenville Technical College’s Center for Culinary and Hospitality Innovation.
Expansion adds jobs
98 Ventures and its affiliate companies plans to hire 150 additional employees, bringing its total staffing to about 250. Those interested in joining the team should visit https://98ventures.bamboohr.com/jobs/.
