Greenville Business Magazine
honors City Administrator Ed Driggers

January issue highlights "50 Most Influential"

Greer City Administrator Ed Driggers is among Greenville Business Magazine’s list of 50 Most Influential People and is featured in the magazine’s January cover story.

“Greenville is full of influential people, and we were amazed by the amount of nominations for this year’s 50 Most Influential list,” Greenville Business Magazine Editor Kristi Keenan stated in her introduction of the list. “We consider the contributions of each of these people to be important in shaping Greenville’s business and community landscape in 2009.”

Driggers, who has managed the City of Greer’s daily operations since 2000, is among 29 individuals listed in the list’s “business” category — the largest of the categories that also included professionals from government, healthcare, education, and non-profits.

Individuals included in the magazine were recognized at a reception on Jan. 26.

The cover story states: “Under the direction of Ed Driggers, the City of Greer has seen an explosion in growth, making it the fastest growing city in the state. His planning efforts have helped the city remain in strong financial shape even during a challenging economy. The City of Greer recently opened the Greer City Park at the new Greer City Complex, providing quality of life improvements for local residents, increased tourism through local events, and an anchor for redevelopment activities in downtown Greer. The SC Parks and Recreation Association honored the City of Greer Parks and Recreation Dept. as 2009 Agency of the Year.”

The accolade comes as no surprise to Greer Mayor Rick Danner.

“The word influential means many things to many people. In Ed’s case, I think the definition applies to his unique ability to overcome obstacles while accomplishing remarkable tasks,” Danner said. “He has brought together different segments of the population to work hand-in-hand on projects and has balanced financial challenges while keeping goals on track. The city is blessed to have someone with those skills leading Team Greer.”

Driggers’ extensive community service includes serving as a board member with the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce, Greer Partnership For Tomorrow, Greer Development Corporation, the S.C. Municipal Insurance Risk Fund, and the S.C. City/County Management Association. He holds membership in more than 10 professional organizations.

He served for more than four years as city administrator in Chester, S.C., before coming to Greer. That was preceded by a seven-year stint with Carolina Tank Corporation in Chester, where he served first as manager of production and inventory control and later as plant superintendent. His nonprofit skills were honed from 1983-1988 as executive director for the South Carolina Division of the American Cancer Society, and his interest in municipal government was generated during his first job as a staff reporter for The Chester News and Reporter.