Behind this bank's $50M Greenville HQ relocation.

• Position: United Community Bank; headquarters

When United Community Bank chairman and CEO Lynn Harton and his wife moved to Greenville in 2007, they both quickly fell in love with the city.

So much so that Harton decided to relocate the company's headquarters to Greenville.

Its welcoming vibe, great amenities that make it feel small enough to get to know people, while being close to the mountains and maintaining a vibrant culture, were all catalysts for Harton to make the move.

And the company chose a prime location.

The new headquarters is under construction on Camperdown Way in downtown Greenville next to the Grand Bohemian Lodge.

"It really happened over several years," said Harton. "When I joined the bank, I didn't want to leave Greenville, and I was the first UCB employee in South Carolina at that time. I had this great opportunity with a company that is known for outstanding customer service and culture, we took two years to fix processes to make it scalable and started acquiring companies in higher growth markets."

And it's easy to attract talent to Greenville, he said, for all the same reasons he was attracted to it.

"Banks are a reflection and continue to be an amplifier of economic growth wherever they are," said Harton. "If the community does well, the bank will do well, especially with the right leadership. We project we will grow a $120 million in net new growth in Greenville alone and all that lending activity is helping people meet their hopes and dreams. Any time you can have a strong financial institution embedded in any given market they will both do well."

The publicly traded multibank holding company, which is worth more than $23 billion as of September, announced it would move its headquarters in February 2021 from Blairsville, Ga., to Greenville. UCB is also the largest bank headquartered in South Carolina. The legal move of the headquarters took place in July 2021. The executive team has been working out of the ONE building since 2016 while the new building is under construction. The new building will serve as the physical headquarters upon completion.

"United Community Bank's relocation of their headquarters to downtown Greenville will house more than 300 employees, including all company executives," said Caroline Meis, Harper General Contractors proposal and marketing strategy manager. "This project will also be the first WELL-Certified building in South Carolina, meaning the building approach is focused on health and well-being in the built environment."

UCB...