Distinguished Alumnus Award
It wasn’t until Victor Austin started his own home health care business that he realized he’d been a caregiver before without knowing it. While an Upstate student, he had a summer job helping a woman and her husband, a World War II veteran and double amputee.
That desire to provide comfort to people in need drives Austin’s work now as president and CEO of Palmetto Home Care Upstate.
“You’ve got to have a heart for people,” he says. “If you don’t, it’s not going to be sustainable.”
Austin’s career started out in a very different field.
A business major with a concentration in marketing, Austin was an operations manager at FedEx while still in school and spent several years with the company in sales.
He also partnered in a coffee franchise. But he found his calling with Palmetto Home Care, which he has operated for more than 20 years.
Austin is deeply committed to making a difference at Upstate. He serves on the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education, has established a scholarship fund, and supports Spartan basketball.
He notes, “I always say, no one person can do it all, but if all alumni just did a little something, it would make such a great impact.”