On Tuesday, October 13, I delivered the luncheon keynote at the 4th Annual Upstate Talent Forum in Spartanburg, South Carolina, hosted by the University of South Carolina Upstate. My topic was Capitalism for All. The forum brings business, education and workforce leaders together to strengthen talent pipelines and expand economic mobility, and this year it widened its focus to include six states across the Southeast.

USC Upstate Chancellor Bennie Harris introduced me, and it was good to be back after my visit to the Johnson College of Business last November for the Johnson Innovation Speaker Series on making America AI-ready.

The idea at the center of Capitalism for All is that a workforce is made of people, and people are made of confidence, credit, savings and a plan. That is the work Operation HOPE does every day. Our coaches sit down with people one on one, at no cost, on the foundations that turn a job into a career and a paycheck into wealth.

Thank you to Chancellor Harris and the USC Upstate team for the invitation, and for putting copies of Capitalism for All in the hands of forum participants.

Event: 4th Annual Upstate Talent Forum, October 13–14, 2026, Spartanburg, South Carolina. Hosted by the University of South Carolina Upstate.