Upward Star Center in Spartanburg County sells for $16 million. What to know about buyers.

Two years after it was listed for sale, the 107-acre Upward Star Center campus and sports complex on U.S. Highway 29 in Wellford has been sold.

Spartanburg-based sports ministry Upward Unlimited sold the 120,000-square-foot sports complex on 11 acres to Global Academy of South Carolina for $16 million, according to property records.

The sports complex is on one of four tracts that were sold by Upward Unlimited, which had subdivided the 107-acre site. Colliers/South Carolina's Spartanburg office handled the marketing and sale of all tracts.

Global also acquired one of the tracts that will be marketed for future development. Shannon Donahoo, a commercial advisor at SVN Blackstream in Greenville, represented Global in the purchase of its two tracts.

SJWD Water District bought another tract containing the corporate office building; and WS Distribution bought the tract with the logistics center/distribution facility.

The Star Center will continue providing sports activities but is also converting to a K-8th grade charter school, according to Ilya Soroka, CEO of outreach education for Global Outreach Charter Academy. The outreach oversees Global Academy of South Carolina.

"We are still going to be a staple of the community," Soroka said. "We plan to use sports as a leadership opportunity for our students."

Soroka said there are nearly 300 students enrolled at the charter school, with about 500 on a waiting list. Two of the six basketball courts are being converted to classrooms, he said.

The facility also features a rock climbing wall, running track, strength and fitness area, seven conference rooms, a café, a retail store and more.

"Sports will absolutely be part of the facility business plan," Soroka said.

Charter school modeled 'to create global leaders'

The school, modeled after Global's charter schools in Florida, specializes in teaching foreign languages "to create global leaders," he said.

In addition to the sports complex, a Global Academy-related entity purchased a 57-acre tract for $8 million that will be marketed for development, Soroka said.

John Montgomery of Colliers Spartanburg represented Upward Unlimited in the property sale.

"We're excited to find a buyer to make good use of the facilities and continue to operate it and allow for sports activities," Montgomery said.

He said Colliers will represent Global Academy to market the 57-acre tract near the sports complex for possible retail development, multi-family housing, a hotel and offices.

"We're hopeful it will drive more people to that area and continue to support the growth," Montgomery said.

SJWD purchases tract to relocate its offices

The Star Center site is near Grand Oaks multi-family apartments, 7- Eleven and Spartan Exchange Industrial Park along U.S. 29 (Warren H. Abernathy Highway, about 8 miles west of Spartanburg.

A tract containing the Star Center corporate office building was purchased by SJWD Water District (Startex-Jackson-Wellford-Duncan) for $7.5 million.

Also, a 16-acre tract containing a logistics center/distribution facility was purchased by WS Distribution for $3.4 million. WS is a warehousing services and distribution/logistics company based in Greenville. It is a limited liability company that was incorporated Aug. 2 of this year.

Leif Busby of Windsor Aughtry Company in Greenville brokered the deal for the buyers.

Upward Unlimited's staff will continue to operate in the corporate office building, according to Kevin Drake, CEO of Upward Unlimited.

Billy Cothran, CEO of SJWD, said the site is next to its water resources, the North Tyger Reservoir. He said the staff at its current location, near 307 Spartanburg Highway in Wellford, will relocate there in early 2024.

Drake: 'Real estate sale frees up assets'

Kevin Drake told the Herald-Journal that Upward's board of directors and leadership team sold the subdivided 107-acre property because "these significant real estate assets are no longer necessary for the furtherance of its mission and purpose."

Drake, a former publisher of the Herald-Journal, became executive director of Upward Sports in July 2020.

He said Upward's mission is "to promote the discovery of Christ through sports across the nation through our 2,000 church partners."

"The Star Center represented a small portion of this ministry, but consumed a disproportionate share of Upward's attention and resources," Drake said.

He said the sale frees up a large portion of the organization's assets and allows Upward's staff to refocus efforts related to its core vision.

"For our team and our board, this is about being good stewards of the resources God has given us," Drake said. "We want to maximize the impact of those resources to reach the next generation for Christ, which is why we chose to sell the campus.

"We have been blessed with tremendous growth across the nation," he added. "The sale of the campus will enable our organization to concentrate on helping churches spread the gospel through sports."

Bob Montgomery covers Spartanburg County politics and growth & development. Reach him via email at bob.montgomery@shj.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Upward Star Center in Spartanburg County sells land for $16 million