The º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AV’s Champions for Student Success event (formerly the Workforce Development Salute) is one of the premier events in our community.
2026 Champions for Student Success
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
This annual signature fundraising event honors and recognizes community businesses, individuals, and partners for their significant support of the education and student success efforts of º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AVnical College. Proceeds from this event provide unrestricted resources in support of the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AV mission.
Honorees:
The Fluor Corporation has been a committed partner and investor in the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AV and º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AVnical College for decades. Fluor established its presence in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1957, selecting the city as the headquarters for its industrial and infrastructure business and laying the foundation for many years of growth. Since then, Fluor’s Greenville campus has become one of the company’s largest and most important global operations, supporting major engineering, procurement, and construction projects across energy, advanced manufacturing, advanced technologies, life sciences, maintenance, mining & metals, and infrastructure worldwide. Fluor’s expansion helped position Greenville as a national center for advanced engineering and high-skill employment, contributing significantly to the region’s economic development. Beyond its business achievements, Fluor has demonstrated a deep commitment to the Upstate community through employee-led initiatives such as Golf for Greenville, which began in 1989 when Greenville-based employees volunteered to launch a charitable golf tournament. What started as a grassroots effort has grown into a transformative community initiative, generating more than $9 million to support local needs. Proceeds from the tournament have benefited a wide range of Upstate South Carolina nonprofits, most recently in the naming of the Main Welding Lab – an advanced training hub featuring 80 welding booths at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AVnical College’s new Center for Welding and Automation Excellence – solidifying Fluor’s role as a longstanding community partner. The º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AV and º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AVnical College have benefited from more than $1 million in program support from Fluor, for areas including our ASPIRE Scholars Initiative, Military Support Endowed Scholarship and Student Emergency Needs. Fluor’s continued commitment to education has transformed students’ lives, strengthened the economic vitality of our region, and established the company as a lasting legacy and true Champion for Student Success.
Vermeer Corporation traces its roots back to 1948, when Gary J. Vermeer, then a farmer in Pella, Iowa, turned an invention originally meant to ease grain-wagon unloading into a business venture called Vermeer Manufacturing Company. Over the decades, the company expanded well beyond farm tools, pioneering innovations such as stump cutters, tree spades, trenchers, and in 1971, the first large round hay baler – which helped redefine hay harvesting globally. What began as a small job-shop with a handful of employees evolved into a diversified industrial and agricultural-equipment manufacturer, with production facilities worldwide and a dealer network spanning more than 60 countries. Over the years, leadership has stayed within the Vermeer family, now in its third generation. The company remains guided by a philosophy combining innovation, family values, and a commitment to customers and community. Vermeer Corporation’s presence in the Greenville, South Carolina area dates to Vermeer MV Solutions, the company’s specialized vacuum excavation business formed through acquisitions, including McLaughlin Group, Inc. of Greenville, which was fully integrated into Vermeer by 2018. Vermeer MV Solutions then celebrated the grand opening of its new 130,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in nearby Piedmont, SC on November 18, 2021. Since that time, Vermeer Corporation has been one of º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AVnical College’s and the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AV’s most generous supporters, investing more than $305,000 to make a lasting, positive impact on the lives and success of students in Greenville and the Upstate region of South Carolina. In 2024 Vermeer made a significant gift to the Foundation for the MIG Welding Lab: A hands-on training ground for future welding students at the new Center for Welding and Automation Excellence. Through its sustained investment and unwavering commitment to education and workforce development, Vermeer Corporation stands as a true Champion for Student Success, empowering º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AVnical College students to build meaningful careers and strengthen the future of our community.
PARTICIPATE
Sponsorships
Sponsorships and individual sponsorships are available for purchase securely online. Or, if you prefer to mail your payment, you may download and print our sponsorship form and mail it to us at:
º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½AV
PO Box 5616, MS 6002
Greenville, SC 29606
