Most people in the Upstate probably have heard of TD SYNNEX, the technology company with a staff of 1,000 in Greenville.
However, many of those people may not know exactly what TD SYNNEX does in Greenville and around the world.
“Who is this big tech giant that sits right here in the heart of Greenville with so many co-workers? We move technology across the globe and put it in the hands of people every day,” explains Jessica McDowell, Senior Vice President, TD SYNNEX North America, Marketing and Digital Customer Success.
The company distributes a wide range of hardware and software technologies to resellers and partners, provides education about technology, and develops innovative technology solutions. Ultimately, that technology helps people and businesses worldwide – and in the Upstate.
“TD SYNNEX is a world-leading IT distributor and solutions aggregator. We sit at the center of what we call the technology ecosystem. We connect technology vendors with resellers and consumers, like small businesses, schools, hospitals, government. That can mean many things – a computer, a software application, or security infrastructure for a school,” McDowell says.
Another part of the process is finding ways for new, innovative, and diverse pieces of software and hardware to work together to meet the needs of consumers, she says.
“We provide solutions. That can mean an infrastructure. It can mean a Wi-Fi network or the hardware that runs the Wi-Fi. It can mean the Chromebook in a local school,” McDowell says.
“So, we are a technology outfitter. We provide the products. But we also provide services to resellers. Our ecosystem changes daily. It is our job to simplify that for the resellers that purchase from us, so they can simplify it for those who consume the technology. We’re doing a lot of aggregating and problem-solving behind the scenes.”
TD SYNNEX operates in 100 countries, with 20,000 employees worldwide, 1,500 technology partner vendors, and 150,000 customers. In 2024, TD SYNNEX reported annual gross revenue of $58.45 billion.
Founded in 1980 and expanded to Greenville in 1996, SYNNEX merged with Tech Data Corp. four years ago to become TD SYNNEX. The publicly held company’s headquarters are in Fremont, California, and Clearwater, Florida.
But its presence and commitment in Greenville and the Upstate have not dimmed.
“I think when you meet people across Greenville, everybody knows somebody who works at TD SYNNEX,” says McDowell, a Greenville native who has been with the company for 17 years.
“It’s very likely that the technology anybody in the Upstate is using has been touched or has passed through TD SYNNEX in some way, shape or form.”
Beyond the economic impact created by local staff members, TD SYNNEX hosts large events in Greenville that attract out-of-towners who spend money at local hotels, restaurants, shops and other amenities.
“We are proud of Greenville, and we show it off every chance we get. That’s really special to us,” McDowell says.
“We’ve got a lot of vendor relationships with the tech giants of the world, but we also have local vendor relationships – people who help us with events, catering, facility services, branded swag. We work with local entities to support the community.”
The largest annual event, the TD SYNNEX Inspire conference, will take place from Sept. 24 to Sept. 27.
Employees, vendors and customers from the Upstate and across the country, even overseas, are expected to gather at the Greenville Convention Center, with additional events at other locations and venues. The opening reception will be at Camperdown Plaza in Downtown Greenville. Buses will shuttle people around town.
McDowell says she jokes that TD SYNNEX takes over Greenville for about a week. At least 2,000 people are expected to attend the conference.
“Everybody loves seeing the Downtown area and how much it’s grown and flourished. People really, really look forward to that event every year,” she says.
Another annual boost to Upstate is the BMW Charity Pro-Am, presented by TD SYNNEX, in June.
“That’s a huge economic impact. We are front and center with BMW supporting that effort,” McDowell says.
This year, the company also hosted a conference for its partners during the same week.
And after the Inspire conference, TD SYNNEX co-workers can celebrate a year of fundraising at the annual Share the Magic Gala on Sept. 27.
“That will be 1,000-plus people. We’re celebrating our 15th year. It’s an event that directly benefits charities in the Upstate,” McDowell says.
Through the years, Share the Magic in Greenville has raised $30 million for nonprofit organizations. Similar efforts now happen at TD SYNNEX offices across the nation and in Canada.
In addition to four local Share the Magic fundraising events that precede the gala, staff members work with vendors, businesses and manufacturers to sponsor and support the event and its charities.
“It is really a company-wide effort. I think everybody is proud to get behind making an impact in the community where they live and work,” McDowell says.
SYNNEX was McDowell’s second job out of college; she was a communications major and didn’t anticipate finding a job at a tech company. She started as an “individual contributor,” someone who is responsible for specific tasks but does not manage other employees.
She was promoted to managing the company’s relationship with manufacturers in the security and networking space. In December, she stepped into her current position.
“It has been a very rewarding journey. I think my favorite part is that I started as an individual contributor. I really got to learn the business. I feel like I grew up inside this organization and built my career at the same time,” she says.
McDowell credits the “family-type” culture and the vast number of opportunities for her long tenure.
“You work alongside people. You cheer for people. There are a lot of people at our company who have been here for many, many years. There’s no shortage of opportunities to learn and grow,” she says.
“Looking back, I can’t think of anything else that I would rather be doing. It’s one of the greatest blessings that I never saw coming.”
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