In February 2010, electric bus maker Proterra, then based in Colorado, announced it had chosen Greenville, S.C., as the location for a $68-million R&D and manufacturing investment. The presence of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), an industry-driven knowledge and innovation coalition, was a big factor in the selection, which came after evaluating sites in 30 states. Proterra aimed to create up to 1,300 jobs over seven years.
Nearly six years into that time frame, the company — which moved its headquarters from Golden, Colo., to Greenville in 2011 — has made bold moves driven as much by policy-driven markets as by market-driven policies. In October, Proterra announced the opening of a new corporate headquarters in the Silicon Valley municipality of Burlingame, Calif.
Image: While Proterra's HQ is moving to California, its R&D and manufacturing presence in Greenville, S.C., will remain strong. Images courtesy of Proterra
