By Scott Miller
smiller@scbiznews.com
Published Feb. 5, 2010

Proterra Inc. President and CEO Jeff Granato said he expects suppliers to follow the company to the Upstate.

Announcing to a large crowd gathered at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research that Proterra would hire 1,300 people at its planned Greenville facility, Granato, pictured at podium, stressed that its operations would have ripple effects across the Upstate.

While Granato expects companies to follow, Proterra may even present opportunities for manufacturers already located here, said Jerry Howard, president and CEO of the Greenville Area Development Corp.

“There are already a lot of automotive suppliers in the area. Some of those needs could be filled by current suppliers,” Howard said. “And there’s certainly potential to find outside suppliers to help Proterra. We will be working with Proterra to identify suppliers and help them locate here. We just don’t know who that is right now.”

Proterra announced plans Thursday to build a 240,000-square-foot facility on 25 acres at CU-ICAR. The site will include manufacturing and R&D, as the company continues the development of energy-storage technologies that could apply to more vehicles than just public-transit buses.

The technology could be used on school buses, delivery vans and garbage trucks, said Dale Hill, Proterra founder, chairman and chief technology officer.

“Don’t be surprised if there other vehicles running around here being tested,” said Hill, a holder of three patents and serial entrepreneur who also founded TransTeq, the company that designed and manufactured the EcoMark Alternative Fueled Hybrid-Electric Vehicle for the Denver Regional Transit District.

Hill also was a co-founder of Alumatech, which manufactured aluminum dump trailers, and Tech-Weld, a welding supply company.

Hill began developing the electric bus 11 years ago. He founded Proterra in 2004.

The Proterra bus has been on tour from California to New Jersey, and the Colorado-based company is developing an overseas market, Hill said. That could lead to even more growth.

“I see us working with a lot of organizations around the world,” he said.

Proterra’s CU-ICAR facility in Greenville includes an additional 25 acres that would allow the company to double its growth.

The current plans calls for a $68 million investment and the creation of 1,300 over the next seven years.

State and local officials lauded Proterra’s announcement a shot in the arm of an already growing energy sector in the Upstate.

“Greenville has always been great at reinventing itself,” said Greenville Mayor Know White, referring to the city’s transformation from an economy heavily tied to the textile industry. “And that is what Proterra and this day are all about: reinvention.”

The company, which uses lightweight carbon composites on its bus, also could have positive impacts on the advanced materials industry here, Howard said.

“Proterra touches on a lot of things that Greenville wants as a part of its corporate portfolio,” he said. “But, the most exciting thing for us is the renewable energy. Can we leverage this opportunity to become a destination of choice for companies that are involved in that field?”