S C T E CHN I CA L CO L L E G E S Y S T EM ’ S
F I R S T 5 0 Y EAR S
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7 9
The 1990s
A H I G H E R R O L E I N E D U C A T I O N
THE ULTIMATE RECRUITING MACHINE
“I was in the first group that called on BMW five years before
they set foot in South Carolina,” said Dr. JimMorris, system pres-
ident from1986 to 1994. “We got to know the chairman of BMW.”
Morris spent a lot of time working out the details of the pre-em-
ployment program, the supervisory development program, and
on-the-job training with the vice president for manufacturing.
“They had a manufacturing facility in Pretoria, South Africa,
and they wanted us to include that site as part of the supervisory
training effort,” said Morris. “I resisted that because I thought it
might set a precedent that would cost the state a lot of money,
and we didn’t believe that much supervisory training was neces-
sary. Well, BMWwas nervous about that. So, tomake a long story
short, I denied the request.”
Governor Carroll Campbell (1987-1995) called Morris. “Tell
me what the problem is.” Morris explained the problem and
Campbell said, “Suppose I get the money from the private sector.”
“I’d run with it,” said Morris, “but I don’t believe they need it.”
Back then a well-known banker, Hootie Johnson, was the biggest
contributor to development efforts. “Hootie made a $2 million
pledge to the tech system,” said Morris. “We put all the money in
an escrow account. We wrote everybody and said, ‘If you want
your money back, we’ll send it with the interest we earned, but
if you want to give it to the system for some specific purpose or
whatever, you can do that.’ Well, Hootie gave his money to the
system.”
“BMW was satisfied that we didn’t have to go to Pretoria and
that all worked out fine. It was a testament to the fact that the
pre-employment training works. If BMWwas satisfied as partic-
ular as they are about the skill level of their workforce, then that
is a good testimony that this is a good program.”
VISIBLE FROM THE INTERSTATE
“It was not as difficult as you would imagine,” said Dr. Jim
Morris, “to get BMW to come to South Carolina. On the first
visit—Governor Campbell led it—several of us made presenta-
tions and explained what the business climate was like in South
Carolina, what the workforce was like, and what the tax struc-
ture was. That night we had dinner with two members of their
board and a couple of their key staff. And we were pitching the
port (Charleston) as much as we were pitching anything, because
BMW was bringing all its products into New Jersey. Well, the
Charleston port turned out to be an important factor in their
decision, and then the chairman of the board came to South
Carolina on Campbell’s invitation. They looked at a site up near
Clemson and driving back to Spartanburg the chairman looked
out the window and pointed: ‘What about that site?’” The sug-
gested site supported 82 residences and a cemetery.
The answer came back affirmative...somewhat.
“We could do that. It would be difficult, but we could proba-
bly put that together.”
“Why don’t you do that,” said the BMWchairman. “This looks
like a better site. We’re visible from the interstate. We like that.”
“And that’s how that came down,” said Morris.
The rest, as the old cliché goes, is history.
Outside Munich on Autobahn 92, cars speed by one of
BMW’s major facilities. Driving toward Deggendorf the massive
“If BMW was satisfied as particular as
they are about the skill level of their
workforce, then that is a good
testimony that this is a good program.”
—Dr. James Morris
