Listen First. Then Go Big.
What the Middle Tyger Education Center taught me about meaningful community investment.
By: Rainer Blickle, SEW-EURODRIVE
As a father of young children, I know firsthand how difficult it is to find high-quality childcare. Openings are scarce. Waiting lists are long. And even when a family secures a place, the cost can be a serious burden.
I also understand this challenge from another perspective. I have served on the board of the Middle Tyger Community Center for many years. That experience has shown me that childcare is not simply a private struggle for individual families. It affects children, parents, employers, and the long-term strength of our entire community.
The new Middle Tyger Education Center in Duncan is a major step toward addressing that need. It will expand Middle Tyger’s childcare capacity from approximately 60 children to 265, serving children from six weeks old through 4K in 17 classrooms.
Those numbers are worth celebrating. But the more useful story for other business and community leaders is how we got here.
We started by listening.
Middle Tyger did not need SEW-EURODRIVE, or anyone else, to arrive with a new theory about how to serve families. The organization was already doing the work.
During my time on the board, I have seen that Middle Tyger does exactly what it says it will do. Its leaders understand the families they serve. They use resources responsibly. They have built trust over many years, and they produce results.
Middle Tyger is a leader in this work. Our responsibility was not to replace that knowledge. It was to listen to it, trust it, and help expand what was already working.
That lesson should guide more corporate giving.
Businesses are approached by many worthy organizations, and the natural response is often to spread support across as many causes as possible. Broad generosity matters. But lasting change usually requires depth.
Companies should narrow their largest community investments to needs where they can make a meaningful difference. Find a grassroots organization with a proven record. Put one of your leaders on its board. Take the time to understand the mission, the people being served, and the barriers limiting the organization’s impact.
Listen before deciding what the solution should be. Over time, you may find an opportunity worth going big on.
Going big does not mean going alone.
The Middle Tyger Education Center required businesses, foundations, local schools, state government, and community supporters to contribute different pieces. Land, public funding, private gifts, grants and long-term support all mattered.
No single participant had everything the project needed. But every partner had something the project needed.
That is what building bridges looks like in practice. It means bringing together organizations with different priorities, resources, and decision-making processes and keeping them focused on a shared outcome. It also means being patient.
One of the hardest parts of a project like this is waiting for all the pieces to come together. Large community efforts rarely move according to one organization’s preferred timeline. They move at the speed of trust, alignment and shared commitment.
When AFL announced its $1 million gift, it felt like more than another fundraising milestone. It was a moment of validation. It meant that another respected community leader had studied the need, believed in Middle Tyger and found value in what we were building. That kind of commitment creates confidence. It helps others recognize that a bold idea is becoming a lasting community institution.
It also stays true to the heart of our charitable outreach organization, “Greater Than Us”.
The need is greater than any one company. The mission is greater than any one donor. And the outcome matters more than whose name receives the most attention.
This center will not solve every childcare challenge in the Upstate. The need is too great for any single project to accomplish that. But it will give more children a strong start, help more parents participate in the workforce, and demonstrate what is possible when a community commits deeply to a proven organization.
My challenge to other business leaders is simple: Do not try to be everything to everyone.
Rainer Blickle is fourth-generation ownership with SEW-EURODRIVE and a longtime member of the Middle Tyger Community Center board. He lives in the Upstate with his family.
About SEW-EURODRIVE
Founded in 1931 in Bruchsal, Germany, SEW-EURODRIVE is a global leader in Industrial Automation, with operations in over 50 countries, 17 manufacturing plants, 92 assembly facilities, and more than 21,000 employees. The company holds over 1,000 patents, continuously driving technological advancements in gearmotors, frequency inverters, servo drives, and Industry 4.0 solutions.
SEW-EURODRIVE provides engineered solutions in countless industries, including automotive, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, mining, steel, logistics, energy, and more, providing customized automation solutions that enhance efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. Despite its global reach, SEW remains family-owned, ensuring long-term vision, strong values, and a commitment to excellence.
SEW-EURODRIVE. Driving the World™
SEW-EURODRIVE, Inc.
220 Finch Road
Wellford, SC 29385
(P): (864) 439-7537
cslyman@seweurodrive.com
www.seweurodrive.com
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