From growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh to finding his place as a student at Clemson University to falling in love and moving to Columbia, South Carolina, to chase his dreams, Michael Nieri ’86 has had a storied journey to a successful career alongside his wife, Robyn Nieri HA ’20. And although life and a growing business took them away from Clemson, the family — which now includes three happily married children and five grandchildren — has found its way back to the University as a family among families with multigenerational roots at Clemson. The entire Nieri family is now deeply committed to their alma mater, wearing orange and purple with pride, dedicating time and service to the University, and fiercely investing in its future. Among their numerous gifts, the latest has helped provide the Clemson Family with a tribute to what the Nieri family has found at Clemson: a place to call home.
Lasting impact doesn’t happen overnight. It begins in the ordinary, everyday moments and builds over time. And it often begins with a dream.
So began the Clemson Journey of Michael Nieri, who grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and came to Clemson University as a first-year student in 1982 to study construction management. That decision was an easy one. Michael had grown up around the business learning from his father, who was a civil engineer. He was familiar with Clemson from family vacations in South Carolina and knew the University offered a quality program that could help him achieve his dream of becoming a home builder. He came down South and fell in love with it.
But Michael will admit the adjustment was a bit of a challenge. Although everyone at Clemson was friendly and welcoming, it took him a while to understand their strong accents and Southern ways. He also realized rather quickly that as a city kid from up North, he was allergic to a lot of the native foliage in South Carolina, especially the trees. Despite those minor hurdles, Michael thrived at Clemson. He studied hard and played hard, making lifelong friendships with his roommates at Village Green and brothers at Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
The Nieri Family: Michael ’86 and Robyn Nieri HA ’20 are pictured with their children and grandchildren. Children are Pennington ’15 and wife Katie ’15; Maigan ’18 and husband Rob Lincks; Patrick ’19 and wife Jessica ’19.
Finding ‘The One’
Michael earned his degree in 1986. Soon after that, while working on a building project at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, he met a pretty co-ed through his sister, who was a student there. That co-ed would become his wife and lifelong partner, Robyn. The Nieris moved to Columbia, South Carolina, a year after getting married and have made it their home ever since.
Ten years after leaving Clemson and learning the business by working for various large corporations, Michael made a life-altering decision. The story of how and when he told Robyn about this decision is now part of Nieri family folklore. Robyn was in the hospital, about to give birth to twins, with a 3-year-old toddler waiting at home. As Robyn tells the story, “Michael sat down on the end of the bed and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got some news for you. I just quit my job.’” She recalls asking, a little groggy from medication to slow down her early labor, “What do you mean you quit your job? Do you even know how to build houses?”
The Nieris’ strong commitment helped them not only survive the transition but thrive while growing the new company. That company, which eventually became Great Southern Homes, was born, along with those healthy twins. It turns out Michael did indeed know how to build houses.
Over the next 30 years, he dedicated his career to providing families with well-built, affordably priced homes throughout the Southeast. He has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including induction into the South Carolina Housing Hall of Fame.
In 2020, the same year Great Southern Homes was ranked the 44th-largest homebuilder in the nation, Michael received the Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award, a national award for industry leaders who demonstrate a lifetime dedication to charitable endeavors. That award reflects years of philanthropic efforts in their community, specifically Camp Cole, a retreat center in the South Carolina Midlands designed for children and adults with illnesses, disabilities and life challenges.
In 2023, Michael took the company public to become United Homes Group. Just one year later, United Homes Group won the 2024 Builder of the Year Award from BUILDER Magazine.
Ironically, during those years of growing his company and helping Robyn raise their three children, Michael was not actively involved with his alma mater. He says, “Clemson was not a big part of my life for a while.” In fact, the whole Nieri clan agrees that Michael was so focused on the success of his business that he had no outside hobbies — not even fishing, despite the family home right on a big lake.
Coming Home
Everything changed when the Nieris’ oldest son, Pennington ’15, was in high school and began to think about possible college choices. Because of his interest in joining the family business, there really was only one choice. And once Pennington was officially a Clemson Tiger and the family began to come to home football games in Memorial Stadium, a transformation occurred. For all of them.
From that first game, Robyn noticed that, at Clemson, the family atmosphere was multigenerational. Students tailgated with parents, and some families had three generations of Clemson alumni at their tailgate, with another generation of grandchildren playing nearby, all decked out in orange and purple. It was an infectious feeling that was felt by each member of the Nieri family. They were all instantly hooked on Clemson, and Michael could not have been prouder. Not only had he come back home, but he was bringing the whole family with him.
Since that time, the three Nieri children have each earned their own Clemson degrees: Pennington and wife Katie ’15, daughter Maigan ’18 and husband Rob Lincks, and son Patrick ’19 and wife Jessica ’19. The five Nieri grandchildren all have closets filled with Clemson Orange. Michael jokes that although he started 529 college funds for each grandchild, he thinks of the accounts not as their college fund but as their “Clemson fund.”
Robyn now dedicates time and service to Clemson. She serves with Michael on the University’s Committee on Philanthropy. The Clemson Alumni Association honored Robyn in 2020 with the designation of Honorary Alumna.
Investing in Clemson’s Future
In addition to service, the Nieri family has fiercely invested financially in Clemson’s future. They are Cornerstone Partners for both athletics and academics. In 2015, they made their first $2.5 million Cornerstone gift to develop the Nieri Family Student-Athlete Enrichment Center at Memorial Stadium. In 2019, the Nieris made a $5 million Cornerstone gift to the Department of Construction Science and Management, now renamed the Nieri Department of Construction and Real Estate Development. Additionally, the family has created a new challenge for the department to match 50 cents for every dollar raised, up to $6.39 million, ensuring an even greater impact on the program’s success.
“The Nieri family defines what it means to be a Clemson Tiger,” says Clemson University President Jim Clements. “They are ALL IN for Clemson and have continued to give back time and time again to the place they call home. Their latest gift of $12.5 million to name the Nieri Family Alumni and Visitors Center is another example of their extraordinary commitment and dedication to Clemson University and to elevating the Clemson Experience. We are grateful for the Nieri family’s incredible generosity and philanthropy and know that the Nieri Family Alumni and Visitors Center will serve as the keystone of every future Tiger’s Clemson Journey.”
The family’s latest gift may well be its jewel in the crown. Appropriately, it is a home — the Clemson Family’s dream home on the shores of Lake Hartwell. The Nieri Family Alumni and Visitors Center is many things, but most of all, it is a tribute to the Clemson Family itself. That same family that the Nieris fell in love with during those Saturday tailgates in Clemson.
“The reason we decided to give to the Alumni and Visitors Center was that it is a gift to every graduate and every person who will visit Clemson in the future. We believed it could have the biggest impact for so many, the entire Clemson Family. And we wanted to do it while our own family could enjoy it as well. The joy of giving while you’re still around to enjoy it is a wonderful thing. If you have a love for your college and your college extended family, you know, there’s nothing better than that”
MICHAEL NIERI
Generational Gifts
Michael’s legacy of following his dreams, working hard, being generous and having a family has passed on to the next generation. Both Nieri sons, Pennington and Patrick, and Maigan’s husband, Rob, have worked in the family business. They have learned valuable business and life lessons that will ensure their own success in the future. Their love for Clemson is part of the family dynamic now, each of them giving back to their alma mater in their own way.
Maigan says her dad is the hardest-working person she’s ever known. “He wants to see people succeed,” she says. “So, giving back means a lot to him. He is empowering people for a better future.”
There is an old saying, “Charity begins at home.” But when your home is your University and your family is the extended Clemson Family, those benefits of generosity can be immeasurable. Imagine the number of people, estimated at more than 160,000 annually, who will walk through the doors of this new facility each year. Some will be visiting Clemson for the first time. Some may be wondering, “Is this where my future begins?” Some will be returning to the place where their best memories were made. But all will be able to experience what Robyn felt during that first Clemson tailgate — that this is a special place. This place feels like home.
Amanda Childers is a senior development writer in the Division of Marketing and Communications.
Photography by Ashley jones and Sydney Lykins ’19, M ’22. Architectural Illustrations Courtesy of Goodwyn Mills Cawood.
