Milliken and Greenville Drive open plaza at Fluor Field

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Spartanburg-based Milliken & Co., a diversified global manufacturer, unveiled Milliken Plaza at Fluor Field on Tuesday during the Greenville Drive’s 2023 opening night celebration.

Milliken Plaza is a first-of-its-kind activation at Fluor Field that seeks to highlight and celebrate the impact the company and Milliken associates have had on the broader community as one of South Carolina’s largest and most prominent manufacturing employers, and seeks to do so in a way that also elevates the Greenville Drive fan experience, according to a news release. Milliken Plaza is a permanent fixture at Fluor Field as part of an evolving and strategic long-term partnership between the Drive and Milliken, the release stated.

“Milliken employs more than 3,000 associates in the Upstate, so the area is truly home for us,” Milliken President and CEO Halsey Cook said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to the release. “We hope Milliken Plaza excites our associates and their families while deepening our connection to our hometown community.”

The new Milliken Plaza sits adjacent to the newly created District 356 Entertainment District at Fluor Field and acts as one of two main entry points into the ballpark. The plaza activation includes oversized banners displaying the various Milliken innovations connected to the game of baseball, a “Homegrown Heroes” wall spotlighting specific Milliken Honors recipients as well as notable Greenville Drive alums, and an area specifically showcasing Milliken’s commitment to sustainability.

The activation also includes a new “Milliken Digital First Pitch Experience,” where fans can mimic the act of throwing a baseball toward a digital screen, and capture speed, distance and other analytics.

“I can’t tell you how excited and proud we are to expand and enhance our already best-in-class partnership with Milliken with the addition of Milliken Plaza to Fluor Field,” Greenville Drive President Jeff Brown said in the release. “Milliken’s commitment to the community, to innovation, to manufacturing and to its associates is second to none, and we’re excited to help elevate and enhance Milliken’s story at Fluor Field on a year-round basis with the new plaza, and to do so in a way that also elevates the experience for all of our ballpark guests.”

For more than five years, the Greenville Drive and Milliken have worked together in a strategic, comprehensive partnership that includes various elements focused on community visibility, brand and product marketing features, strategic event integration, and relationship development efforts, the release said.

“Our partnership with the Drive has shown us how much our team loves to come together to have fun with their families, colleagues and friends,” Cook said in the release. “Milliken Plaza strengthens our engagement with the Greenville community and offers our associates a place of pride in Greenville.”