About Upstate MINIs

Upstate MINIs is a club that was founded in 2008 by a group of MINI owners who meet monthly for social time and motoring runs. The Club now numbers more than 200 active members and continues to grow. This non-profit Club consists of current and former owners of MINI Cooper automobiles. While most members reside in the Upstate SC area, there are also members who reside in other regions of South Carolina, as well as North Carolina and Georgia.

We have monthly Socials for food and fellowship. The schedule can be found in our website Events Calendar as well as the emails sent to members. Members organize and participate in motoring runs around the area. Most of these involve curvy roads, called “twisties” that MINI Coopers seem made to travel on. Everyone travels at their own pace, and safety is the primary concern in all these runs. Upstate MINIs members attend organized events by other clubs (i.e. MINIs on the Dragon in North Carolina) and also on the national level with the MINI USA-sponsored MINI Takes the States, which takes place every other summer.

The Club also has meetings as needed to set policies and make decisions. There is a governing board of volunteers, and all members are allowed and encouraged to vote on issues that affect the club.

The Club maintains this website and a Facebook Group (Groups/UpstateMINIsSC with 1,000+ members) to keep club members informed of upcoming events, and provide forums for discussing anything from current events to automotive issues.

With a growing membership, there is loyal buying power. Annual members can request a Clubcard that identifies them to supporting vendors. The vendors get dedicated business that they might miss and are also listed with their logo on the Upstate MINIs website. If you’re a MINI owner, we welcome you to our club! If you’re a vendor or business who provides a discount or merchandise for giveaways, we thank you for your support!

To become a member, please go to our “Join” page.


Upstate MINIs Contacts and Information

Directors (Administration and policy questions):
Stefan Bauch sbauch@upstateminis.com
Tristan Overmann tovermann@upstateminis.com
Sarita Laflamme slaflamme@upstateminis.com

Social Coordinator (Monthly Socials questions or ideas):
Crystal Mitchell cmitchell@upstateminis.com

Swag Manager (Club Store questions):
Mark Petersen mpetersen@upstateminis.com

Website questions or anything else:
upstateminis@gmail.com


Meet the Volunteers who keep the wheels turning at Upstate MINIs

Stefan Bauch, Director
Tristan Overmann, Director
Sarita Laflamme, Director
Crystal Mitchell, Treasurer, Social Coordinator
Ann Moran, Membership Administrator
Chris McMahan, Dealership Liaison
Bill Hightower, Facebook Administrator
Mark Petersen, Swag Manager
Gene Carter, Web Manager