It is with great pleasure that the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Futures Group have announced the following businesses to be recognized as an Economic Champion at the 2011 Economic Champion Luncheon, presented by Wells Fargo Bank.   The Awards Luncheon will be held from Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Marriott Spartanburg at Renaissance Park in downtown Spartanburg on Friday, November 11^th, 2011.

Departing from the format of the Economic Champion Luncheons of the past four years, this year’s Luncheon will only celebrate 10 outstanding companieswhose confidence and collective investments are providing a healthy economic climate for the Upstate. This year’s Economic Champions are as follows:

American Credit Acceptance  The Corporate Headquarters for American Credit Acceptance in Spartanburg is a subprime automotive finance company that has quickly established itself as a lender of choice for deep subprime automobile lending needs in franchise and independent dealerships nationwide.  As ACA continues to grow its market share they continue to reinvest and expand their workforce in Spartanburg. 

BMW Manufacturing BMW Manufacturing is an integral cog in BMW’s global manufacturing network and continues to meet the global demand for their product.   The Spartanburg location is the exclusive global manufacturing facility for all X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the X6 Sports Activity Coupe. 

DAA Dräxlmaier AutomotiveDAA Draxlmaier Automotive of America is a supplier of electronic systems and components for upscale passenger cars and luxury sports cars.  The parent company markets products to several automakers, including BMW, Daimler-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, General Motors and Toyota. 

Eaton Corporation  Eaton Corporation recently selected its Duncan facility for a major expansion and solidified Spartanburg County as one of three key U.S. distribution centers to service both their international and domestic customers.  Eaton receives stocks and ships electrical components, as well as logistics consolidation, product modification and assembly, and returns processing.   

Fehrer  Fehrer is an international developer and series supplier for the automobile industry, whose product range comprises of molded seat pads for car seats, arm rests, center consoles, side bolsters, headrests and inner trim panels as well as structural parts for cars.  Fehrer recently selected Spartanburg County to accommodate their continued growth in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Frigoglass North America Ltd.  Athens, Greece based Frigoglass selected Spartanburg for its first US manufacturing location and is a leading player in the design, manufacturing and marketing of ice-cold merchandisers (beverage coolers), and the production of glass containers for the beverage industry. 

Huntington Foam  Huntington Foam LLC is a molder of polystyrene and polypropylene shapes for the appliance, furniture, consumer electronics and automotive industries.  Using advanced computer modeling techniques with finite element analysis, Huntington Foam can specially design and test custom-made packaging for any client.  The City of Greer and Spartanburg County are pleased to have Huntington Foam select us for their newest U.S. based manufacturing facility.

Indorama/Auriga Polymers, Inc.  The Spartanburg, South Carolina facility produces polyester resins and polyester staple currently used in bottles for carbonated soft drinks, water, beer, juice, and wine; food and custom-container applications, and fibers and specialty polymers for a variety of applications.

MMS Medical As one of the largest independent medical supply distributors, MMS Medical prides itself in being a “Regional Distributor with a National Presence” allowing them to provide dedication and commitment to their customers along with a broad array of products.  MMS serves all of the specialized and diverse needs of the medical community with divisions dedicated to hospitals, nursing homes, physician practices, home care Providers and Dealers, hospices, EMS, government facilities, and a retail division.

TMKG Inc.  TMKG Inc. recently opened a manufacturing facility in the City of Greer and Spartanburg County where it produces electric panels for conveyor systems.          

Special thanks to Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (Gold sponsor), Gosnell Menard Robinson Infante, CPA’s, P.A. (Silver sponsor), Kusters Zima Corporation (SIlver Sponsor) and Southwest Airlines (Silver sponsor) for their financial investment and assistance in presenting this luncheon.

 As a special bonus for all attendees, Southwest Airlines will be giving away 2 FREE ROUND-TRIP TICKETS in a special drawing!

Tickets are $30 each, or a table of 8, for $240. For more information, or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Yvonne Harper at 864-594-5032 or yharper@spartanburgchamber.com