Last year David Britt ’77 found himself in the center of a continuing debate over President Trump’s tariffs on the U.S. automobile industry and their impact on South Carolina.
This became a big issue for Britt because BMW’s biggest manufacturing facility, for more than two decades a driver of employment in the Upstate of South Carolina, is located in Spartanburg County and is feeling the negative force of the impact of tariffs.
Britt has been on the Spartanburg County Council since 1991 and is vice president and general manager of Tindall Corp. in Spartanburg.
Although he described himself as a lifelong Republican, Britt spoke against the tariffs to various media outlets last year and was invited by Sen. Orrin Hatch to appear before the Senate Committee on Finance to discuss the issue.
Britt spoke to the committee in September, emphasizing how BMW’s presence in the Upstate has dramatically changed the economic outlook and how tariffs could cause a significant falloff in the car builder’s impact.
“I was part of the team that helped recruit BMW here,” says Britt. “I got involved in talking about the tariffs because they affect families here. I wanted to get the message to the president that these tariffs are catastrophic.
“I have done everything in my power to try to convince the president that this is the wrong avenue he’s taking.”
Britt said his success in business and his ability to impact decision-making processes at local, state and now national levels can be traced to his days at Wofford.
“Without Wofford, I wouldn’t be here and wouldn’t have done the things I’ve been able to do,” Britt says. “I owe Wofford a great deal of gratitude.”