Greenville Connects

What Greenville Connects does

Greenville Connects is a nonprofit transit advocacy coalition founded in 2019 and headquartered at 701 Easley Bridge Rd, Suite 6070, Greenville, SC 29611. It educates and mobilizes Greenville County residents, businesses, nonprofits, and local officials to advocate for expanded public transit investment in the Greenlink system operated by the Greenville Transit Authority. The coalition serves as the convening quarterback for a cross-sector partnership including the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Piedmont Health Foundation, Hollingsworth Funds, Jolley Foundation, Graham Foundation, healthcare systems (Prisma Health, Bon Secours St. Francis), manufacturers and retailers (Michelin, Krispy Kreme, Food Lion), and Furman University's Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities. Its primary stakeholders are essential workers, county residents reliant on transit for jobs and healthcare, Greenville County businesses dependent on workforce access, and County Council members who control transit funding decisions.

The organization's core offerings are advocacy content and informational tools rather than commercial products. The "Bussin': The Greenville Transit Podcast" features on-bus interviews with riders, community leaders, and County Council candidates, distributed via Apple Podcasts and YouTube. The Transit Data Dashboard, developed in partnership with Furman University's Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, is an interactive web-based visualization covering General Access, Future Opportunities, Access to Essential Services, Roads, and Transit data for Greenville County. These assets are deployed alongside community polling, commissioned economic impact research (notably a 2023 study by University of South Carolina economist Joey Von Nessen projecting $670M to $2B in new annual economic activity), press relations, and direct policy advocacy supporting Greenlink's Transit Development Plan to expand routes from 12 to 27 and double service frequency.

The business model is donation-based. Greenville Connects is a 501(c)(3)-pending nonprofit that accepts tax-deductible contributions from individuals and businesses, processed through the Community Foundation of Greenville as fiscal sponsor. Revenue is supplemented by philanthropic grants from Piedmont Health Foundation, Hollingsworth Funds, Jolley Foundation, and Graham Foundation, which have funded operational analyses, transit development planning, and the Intelligent Transit System. The organization does not sell products or services. Erin Predmore, hired in January 2023, is the inaugural Executive Director and sole employee, with additional administrative and board oversight provided by the Community Foundation of Greenville and Piedmont Health Foundation respectively.

Name

Greenville Connects

Legal name

Greenville Connects

Website

https://greenvilleconnects.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Greenville Connects is a Greenville County, SC nonprofit coalition founded in 2019 that convenes businesses, residents, nonprofits, and government to advocate for expanded public transit investment in the Greenlink system, funded through donations and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transit Advocacy Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Integrated Multimodal Transit Agencies (Bus + Rail) (THAIAEAD)

Keywords

• Public transit advocacy
• Community coalition organizing
• Transit policy research
• Nonprofit advocacy services
• Transportation infrastructure investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations from individuals and businesses: Greenville Connects accepts donations from individuals and businesses who support increased transit investment in Greenville County. Donations are processed through the Community Foundation of Greenville, a 501c3 public charity that serves as the organization's fiscal sponsor.
2. Philanthropic foundation grants: The organization receives support from philanthropic foundations including Piedmont Health Foundation (which founded the transit advocacy focus area), Hollingsworth Funds, Jolley Foundation, and Graham Foundation. These partners have provided funding for operational analysis, transit development plans, and advocacy efforts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Greenville Connects is a nonprofit transit advocacy coalition that educates and mobilizes Greenville County residents, businesses, and nonprofits to increase public transit investment. The organization produces the Bussin' podcast and a Transit Data Dashboard to communicate transit needs, commissions economic impact studies, conducts polling, and engages directly with local government officials to advocate for Greenlink expansion.

Product overview

Greenville Connects is a transit advocacy coalition, not a product company. Its offerings consist of advocacy content and informational tools: the Bussin' podcast (interviews recorded on Greenlink buses featuring riders and community stakeholders) and a Transit Data Dashboard (an interactive visualization of transit and mobility data for Greenville County). These are informational/advocacy resources rather than commercial products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bussin': The Greenville Transit Podcast: A behind-the-scenes bus riding podcast featuring conversations with everyday citizens, community leaders, and candidates for County Council elections aboard Greenlink buses.

Products and services

• Bussin': The Greenville Transit Podcast A behind-the-scenes podcast featuring conversations with transit riders, community leaders, and local officials recorded aboard Greenlink buses, used to educate the public and build support for transit investment in Greenville County.
• Transit Data Dashboard An interactive data visualization tool exploring transit access, mobility patterns, and future expansion opportunities in Greenville County, developed in partnership with Furman University's Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities and used to support transit advocacy with policymakers and stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Per dollar invested in transit, $30-$80 are returned in economic activity
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Greenlink (Greenville Transit Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreenlink is the public transit agency serving Greenville County. Greenville Connects advocates for expansion of Greenlink's Transit Development Plan, which calls for more than doubling bus routes and increasing frequency from 60 to 30 minutes. The organizations work closely together though Greenville Connects is not formally connected to Greenlink. Greenville Connects frequently discusses needs and improvements with Greenlink's leadership team.
• Greenville Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Greenville Chamber of Commerce is a key partner in the Greenville Connects coalition. Chamber CEO Carlos Phillips has appeared on the Bussin' podcast. Business leaders including the Chamber have been involved in studying ways to expand transit service.
• Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman UniversitymajorTechnology or IntegrationThe Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University built the Transit Data Dashboard for Greenville Connects. Their hard work and expertise allows the organization to tell the story of mobility in Greenville and make the case for stronger, more connected community transit.
• MichelinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichelin is listed as a business partner supporting transit in Greenville County as part of the decentralized partnership that has helped grow Greenlink's revenues for operations and capital.
• Local healthcare systemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal health care systems are listed as business partners supporting transit, including Prisma Health which sponsors Greenlink rides for employees.
• Bon Secours St. Francis Health SystemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBon Secours St. Francis partners with Greenville Connects through the Project SEARCH program providing internships to students with disabilities. Essential workers at the hospital rely on Greenlink transit to get to work.
• Project SEARCHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject SEARCH is an innovative program at Bon Secours St. Francis providing internships to students with disabilities. Greenville Connects highlights Dequan Downs as a participant who now works at the hospital and relies on Greenlink transit.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• PeopleForBikes: National bicycling advocacy organization funded by the bicycle industry that supports local bike infrastructure and trail investment campaigns. Comparable as a mobility-focused advocacy nonprofit that uses coalition pressure and policy campaigns to drive infrastructure investment, though focused on active transportation rather than public transit.
• Strong Towns: Nonprofit advocating for incremental, financially resilient urban development and improved local transportation in small and mid-sized cities. Comparable in targeting mid-sized American cities with community-led advocacy for better local infrastructure and transit.
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: National nonprofit that converts former rail corridors into multi-use trails and advocates for active transportation infrastructure investment. Comparable as a nonprofit using research, data, and policy advocacy to expand mobility infrastructure, with similar grant-supported coalition model.

Direct peers

• TransitCenter: National foundation focused on improving urban transit through research, advocacy, and grantmaking. Comparable to Greenville Connects as a dedicated transit advocacy organization pursuing policy change through evidence-based campaigns, though operating at national scale rather than a single county.
• Transportation for America: Coalition of state, local, and national organizations advocating for equitable federal transportation policy and investment. Comparable to Greenville Connects in mission (mobilizing citizens and stakeholders to increase transportation investment) and coalition-based GTM model.
• Transit Alliance Miami: Miami-Dade County-based coalition advocating for expanded public transit through research, civic engagement, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable to Greenville Connects in scope (single metro advocacy coalition), mission (transit investment), and coalition-driven GTM motion.
• Smart Growth America: National advocacy organization advancing equitable, sustainable, transit-oriented land use and infrastructure policy. Comparable as an evidence-driven urban mobility advocacy nonprofit using research and coalition building to influence public investment decisions.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO): Association of 96 major North American cities and transit agencies that develops street design guidelines and advocates for federal transportation funding. Comparable in advocating for transit investment and street design standards but operates at a multi-city level with institutional membership rather than grassroots mobilization.

Others

• Center for Neighborhood Technology: Chicago-based nonprofit that uses data and policy analysis to advance equitable, sustainable, transit-oriented community development. Comparable in producing data-driven research (like the Transit Data Dashboard) and policy advocacy linking transportation investment to community outcomes, but as a broader urban sustainability organization rather than a single-issue advocacy coalition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gvlconnects
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMFfFeBfZoHG2Xk1bRjdEfw
• Facebookfacebook.com/GreenvilleConnects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greenville-connects
• Instagraminstagram.com/greenvilleconnects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greenville Connects