Upstarter Profile

An engineer, CrossFit coach, husband and father of two, Kevin Kessler found a health-and-wellness centered life at the heart of Upstate South Carolina.

A native of Houston and, later, Atlanta, Kevin never thought he’d end up anywhere but a major city. After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1999, he got an opportunity with a company in Upstate SC. Faced with the prospect of relocating, Kevin says he was “actually pretty leery. I grew up and lived in big metropolis cities. I love sports and Houston and Atlanta both have great sports teams. I wasn’t too sure what I’d find in the Upstate.”

What he found surprised him. After nearly 25 years, working with three employers and living in multiple Upstate communities, the Upstate is still where he wants to be.

“I could probably live anywhere near an airport, really,” he says. “Though we love South Carolina and the Upstate. The weather’s great. There’s always activity – concerts, unique restaurants – it’s such a blessing for our family.”

Another blessing: the Upstate’s healthcare systems.

Kevin, a Level-2 Certified CrossFit coach who helped to open Crossfit Greenwood, was at the inaugural Fittest of the Upstate competition in 2019 when he experienced a deadly heart arrhythmia event categorized as “sudden cardiac death.”

“The community of people who were there that day sprung into action and saved my life,” he says. “There were two emergency room nurses, a doctor and two EMTs at the event that day. They did CPR, gave me mouth-to-mouth and used an AED to save my life.”

Kevin underwent an emergency operation and inpatient stay at Prisma Health System’s Greenville Memorial Hospital, and he sees a cardiac care team at SELF Regional Healthcare for ongoing care and monitoring of the implantable cardiac device (ICD) that monitors for arrythmias.

“The healthcare systems in the Upstate are a tremendous asset,” he says. “I thought I was relatively young, active, and lived a healthy life and didn’t need it, though I’m here because of the care team and some creative, innovative solutions.”

Four years later, Kevin remains active in the Upstate CrossFit community, training and coaching two to three nights a week. “They’re my second family,” he said of the 160-member community. “We’re very tight-knit. We don’t just work out together—we go out to eat together, we help each other move, we are there for each other when any need arises.”

For the Kesslers, fitness is a family affair: his son, who recently joined the Navy, was the captain of his state champion wrestling team in 2022. And after living in Greenwood, Kevin and his family have just relocated to Simpsonville to live closer to the gym where his daughter, a competitive level 10 gymnast, trains with the goal of scoring a college scholarship.

The move was made possible by Kevin’s role as Director of Facilities Planning and Industrial Engineering with FujiFilm Holdings, which oversees facilities at six operations across the country, including Greenwood. He works in a hybrid environment, splitting time between his home office, Greenwood and the facilities across the country that he oversees.

Kevin was recruited by FujiFilm’s Greenwood manufacturing site in 2005 after holding roles in manufacturing and engineering at National Electrical Carbon Products (NECP) in Greenville and distribution at GNC in Anderson.

Working with FujiFilm for 18 years, Kevin worked his way up through engineering positions and into facilities leadership. When FujiFilm announced it was reducing the headcount at the Upstate facility, the company held job fairs to help connect employees with new opportunities, and several companies reached out. “There’s so much industry and opportunity, it’s amazing. I think everybody who wanted to land on their feet did.”

With a smaller footprint and about 400 employees, FujiFilm still manufactures all Quicksnap cameras in the Upstate, and continues to operate personalized printing and distribution businesses of out the Greenwood facility, where Kevin goes to complete his hybrid work.

Kevin is also on the steering committee for “FujiFilm Fit,” an initiative that encourages all aspects of health and wellness in the workplace. It was launched at the Greenwood facility in partnership with the Upstate company Suitcase of Courage, and now the FujiFilm Fit initiative spans several of the company’s national facilities.

“The Upstate is a thriving area with a lot of energetic people who are conscious about health and wellness, who are dedicated to staying in shape and living full, healthy lives while making a difference in their communities,” he says.

Kevin also attends NewSpring Church, where he’s actively involved, and loves to catch a concert or performance at Newberry Opera House.