JASON BROADWATER

The Hive

Project Overview

For three and a half years, we (a collaboration of businesses and institutions) brought students from Winthrop University and York Technical College into a space in burgeoning downtown Rock Hill, SC and taught them how to design and develop websites by building free or low-cost websites for regional non-profit organizations.

The outcomes of The Hive were many and interwoven.

  • The students got a great capstone experience.
  • The non-profits got a great website.
  • The population served by the non-profits got the benefit of improved operations/marketing/funding of the non-profit (the reason for the website to begin with).
  • The city got the students to come downtown, as it is seeking their participation and energy for economic development.
  • Rock Hill received the workforce training economic development benefit.
  • The educational institutions got the opportunity to innovate and iterate their offerings in training and educational services.
  • The project was a success and is recognized as the catalyst of the Hive being a “tip-of-the-spear” initiative in the community’s revitalization as an early symbol and attention-shifter towards the community development initiative that would come to be known as Knowledge Park.
  • Male college students working at computers
  • Female college student working on classwork
  • College student working at computer and looking over at other student's monitor
  • Woman working at computer
  • backs of computers in co-working space
  • student working on 3D animation on computer

Jason’s Role in the Project

Jason created the concept of the Hive. He was the co-founder and then managed the project for three years.

The Hive at Knowledge Park website screenshot

Two Former Hive Students Discuss the Hive’s Impact on Them

The Hive represents the very best of today’s reality. A joint effort with the public private and educational interests combined to enhance economic development and learning experience is a win for everyone. Our hope is that the quality of life in our community and this new high tech initiative will result in creative jobs in a place young people will want to stay and call home.

Doug Echols Mayor of Rock Hill, SC

The Hive is an innovative, collaborative solution for utilizing the growing Internet Industry for workforce, community, and economic development. Not only was the idea truly innovative, but RevenFlo delivered.

Greg Rutherford, Ph.D. President of York Technical College

Field based learning is at the heart of what we do but the HIVE takes the benefits to a new level; students have a dedicated place to work, the clients are real, other team members come from York Tech with their distinct competencies, so the collaborators is a perfect representation of how their careers will unfold. They feel the pressure and learn to rely on their creativity. Our teachers, working with the other supervising professionals, can act more like conductors than enforcers of a set of arbitrary rules.

Dr. Roger Weikle Dean of the College of Business Administration at Winthrop University

The Hive is bringing a new energy, youthful energy, to the core of Main Streets of Old Town. It provides a place for future entrepreneurs to learn a trade, to hone it, and possibly to set up shop in Old Town Rock Hill. And, what’s even better, these entrepreneurs might consider remaining in Old Town as residents. The Hive is a boon to restaurants in Old Town and is a strong contributor as the “third place” to which downtown Rock Hill has aspired. In short, it’s good for business and it’s good for people.