President
864.979.3689 | jhoward@insiteconsultinggroup.com
As President of InSite Consulting, LLC, Jerry Howard oversees and sets strategic direction for InSite’s comprehensive site selection and economic development services. With over 35 years of working with companies at the local level,
Howard understands how companies make location decisions and has negotiated over $13 billion in new capital investment decisions over his career.
Howard is best known for the record-setting economic development initiatives he facilitated as the inaugural President and CEO of Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC) from 2001 to 2013. Howard is widely credited with paving the way for GADC’s current position as one of the nation’s most capable and respected economic development organizations – helping to create thousands of good-paying jobs and a brighter future for the community.
Primary clients included Manufacturers in Automotive, Aerospace, Advanced Materials and Plastics. Other client groups included Headquarters, Office, IT and Call Centers. During this time, Howard managed staff of 8 people and a budget of over $1,000,000.
Most recently, Howard was Manager of Employee Relations for Greenville Technical College’s Division of Economic Development and Corporate Training. One of the largest public two-year colleges in South Carolina, Greenville Technical College is recognized as a world-class learning institution where students from all backgrounds and life stages find flexible career and educational opportunities of the highest quality and value. Jerry established relationships with local employers to determine both short-term and strategic training needs. The Division of Economic Development and Corporate Training, under the leadership of Howard, assisted companies with leveraging Greenville Tech resources to design and deliver customized training protocols. Clients included manufacturing, headquarters, office, call centers, IT related companies, engineering, and architecture. The goal was to employ a strategic approach to ensure local employers build a sustainable pipeline of talent. Core competencies were design around entry level and advanced skills training as well as soft skills such as Leadership, ISO Certification, Lean Six Sigma, logistics and health care, to name a few.
As Program Manager for Greenville Workforce Collaborative (GWC), Howard assessed the talent recruitment and training needs for local employers. This collaborative organization is comprised of all the local public sector workforce development providers and economic development organizations. The intelligence gathered through Greenville Works is utilized to purchase training for employers through the Greenville Regional Workforce Collaborative. Entry level workers can obtain a national certification as a manufacturing technician and continue a career path into advanced skills. GWC utilizes national and local grants to purchase the training for local employers.
Howard, as Executive Director of the Anderson County Economic Development Office, was responsible for leadership and execution of business recruitment and retention for Anderson County, SC. He managed a staff of six professionals and a budget of over $750,000.
Howard is a graduate of Clemson University (B.S. degree in Economics) as well as the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma.