COLUMBIA, S.C. — Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. has donated $2 million to the University of South Carolina (USC) for the institution to use to create an endowed chair position at its Darla Moore School of Business.
The Continental Endowed Chair in Global Supply Chain Management and Management Science was presented during the fall 2017 Industry Summit of the Operations and Supply Chain Center, held at the university's Alumni Center, according to USC.
The endowed chair reaffirms the role of the research university and the importance of corporate partnerships, USC President Harris Pastides said.
The endowed chair will support demand for teaching and research in operations and supply chain. The position will begin as early as 2020 following a national search, USC said.
Continental began working with the center in 2013 when seeking input on where to locate a warehouse for its tire business. Since, Continental and the center have worked on a number of projects together, the university said.
The Operations and Supply Chain Center was formed in 2005 to help companies improve performance and provide students with real-world experience and application of operations management skills learned in the classroom.
The Moore School center has completed 235 student- and faculty-led projects that have saved partner companies around $200 million, the university said.
Todd Pearce, vice president of controlling for Conti's passenger and light truck business, is chairperson for the center's advisory board alongside other corporate partners with global and regional operations.