march 15, 2013
complimentary
The New MBA Entrepreneurship, flexibility and an international flair mark today’s business degree programs in the Upstate Y E A H, T H AT GREEN V IL L E
$450,000 PROMOTION AIMS TO REBRAND CITY page 6
DUDE, W HERE’S M Y JE T PA CK?
VIRAL MARKETING CREATES BUZZ FOR B-CYCLE page 13
T HE FIRS T 100 Y E A RS
MCAFEE FUNERAL HOMES CELEBRATES A CENTURY page 18
UBJ Table of Contents PRESIDENT/Publisher Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com
Barista Deidra Hall prepares to make a customer’s espresso in the Café Blends coffee shop in the Lexus of Greenville dealership.
Senior Vice President Alan P. Martin amartin@communityjournals.com UBJ Associate Publisher Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com eXECUTIVE Editor Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com MANAGING editor Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com staff writers Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Charles Sowell SENIOR BUSINESS writer Dick Hughes contributing writerS Jenny Munro, Jennifer Oladipo, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage
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Photo by Greg Beckner
F e at u r e s
colu m ns
de pa rt m e n t s
Entrepreneur 20 Full Circle: Digital Evolution
Digital Maven 10 I Built It. So Where Is Everybody?
3 Verbatim 4 Worth Repeating 4 TBA 16 Made Here 18 Milestone 27 Square Feet 27 Social 28 The Fine Print 30 On the Move 32 Planner 34 Snapshot 34 New to the Street
Cover Story 22 The New MBA
Statehouse Report 11 Haley Has Duty to People, Not Politics Create. Innovate. Celebrate. 26 GEEK: Greenville’s Expanding Economy of Knowledge
EDITORIAL INTERNS Shelby Livingston, Casey Dargan art & production art director Richie Swann photographer Greg Beckner CONTRIBUTING photo EDITOR Gerry Pate PrODUCTION Holly Hardin marketing & advertising Marketing Representatives Lori Burney, Mary Beth Culbertson, Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Pam Putman MarketinG Katherine Elrod Marketing & EVENTS Kate Banner Billing Shannon Rochester Client Services ManagerS Anita Harley, Jane Rogers ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair, Michael Allen, Whitney Fincannon, Caroline Reinhardt IDEAS, FEEDBACK, OPINIONS opinions@upstatebusinessjournal.com HOW TO REACH US 148 River Street., Suite 120 Greenville, SC 29601 864-679-1200
Copyright @2013 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal (Vol. 2, No. 10) is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. 148 River Street, Suite 120, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $65. Visit www.UpstateBusinessJournal. com. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, 148 River St., Ste 120, Greenville, SC 29601. Printed in the USA.
2 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
UBJ Verbatim on Greenville becoming the South’s next big food city… “With big cities like Atlanta, still lacking in Southern soul, and Nashville, finally capitalizing on its musical history, battling it out to be the South’s best food city, a smaller, more interesting competition is going on between two smaller South Carolina cities — Charleston and Greenville. Despite the former’s gastrosurge and national media hype over the last three years, the latter is quickly gaining on the top spot.
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“What is really amazing is that within a mile-and-ahalf stretch of Main Street, there are now more than 110 restaurants, overwhelmingly locally owned, and excellent.”
Read the whole post – and find out what the author thinks of downtown luminaries like Soby’s, Red Fin, Roost, Deveraux’s, The Lazy Goat and Dark Corner Distillery – at esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men.
765 Haywood Road • 864.297.6458
sylviecollection.com • facebook.com/sylviecollection
PACK YOUR BAGS … you might need them.
Altitude An Exclusive TOWN Event For Those Well Traveled
APRIL 25, 2013 • 6-10PM
TOWN Magazine, in partnership with Tempus Jets, Steve White Audi, Hale’s Jewelers, The Ciffs, & Village Hospital, will host an evening focused on luxury Upstate brands and spring couture. INVITATION-ONLY EVENT • LIMITED OPEN TICKETS • DETAILS AVAILABLE ONLINE
2013ALTITUDE.EVENTBRITE.COM
Look inside next week’s Journal
forMarch the inside storyjournal on 15, 2013 Upstate business
over 70 local businesses.
3
Some banks may have more branches…
UBJ Worth Repeating | TBA
but, we have more roots.
“Everybody seems to focus on the sexy, creative stuff, which is terrific and critically important, but ultimately the bottom line is this is a business.”
If your bank doesn’t work as hard for your money, as you worked to get it... you should think twice. Whether you are just getting started or already established in the Greenville
Jennifer Stilwell, chief marketing director of the Greater Greenville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau (now VisitGreenvilleSC), on the bureau’s $550,000 investment in promotions and rebranding
community, we’re committed to helping your business grow. We’ll get to know you and your business before customizing banking
“The payoff must fulfill all the hype, or it could backfire.”
solutions to suit your unique needs. Let’s partner for your business success.
Beth Thomason, owner of Thomason PR, on the perils of viral marketing efforts such as Erwin Penland’s recent “Greenville Jetpacks” campaign for Greenville B-Cycle
“We have an obligation to the community to continue a legacy that was started by our greatgrandfather that’s continued on, generation to generation.” John McAfee, vice president of McAfee Funeral Homes, now celebrating its 100th anniversary
“You no longer form your own opinion about a product or experience. It’s formed by your friends and peers.” Brice Bay, founder of 10Best and CEO of EnVeritas Group
TBA Look for Steve White Volkswagen Audi to break ground later this year on a new dealership on the property adjacent to its current site at 100 Duvall Drive in Greenville…
Growing Greenville •
BankGreenville.com
•
499 Woodruff Road
(Located at the corner of Woodruff Road and Rocky Slope Road)
4 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
K13A
864.335.2200
If you’re looking for ideas to spruce up the house for spring, you’re in luck:
4 Rooms, a home decor store, is opening Saturday on Augusta Street across from Roots… Beer lovers may soon have another stopover for their pub crawls: Word is Bavarian Pretzel Factory is laying plans to open a beer garden downtown …
UBJ News Go Figure
Jennifer Stilwell with some of the promotional material for the VisitGreenvilleSC campaign. Photo by Greg Beckner
‘Yeah, THAT Greenville’ Multimedia campaign seeks to emphasize city’s standout qualities By Dick Hughes | senior business writer
greater greenville had its best tourism year ever in 2012, and its first full-bore multimedia marketing campaign aims to build on that success. It is not an ordinary campaign, the first major effort to promote and brand Greenville as a special place of people and attractions – a place to meet, stay, eat, play, shop and live. The “Yeah, THAT Greenville,” tagline is everywhere, on TV commercials, magazine advertisements, social media, a glossy visitor’s companion (rather than “guide”) and giveaways from pens to bags and stickers to T-shirts. Even the agency that promotes tourism is being rebranded. What had been the Greater Greenville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau now will henceforth be known as VisitGreenvilleSC. And the staff? “We are the Yeah team,” they said,
as in “Yeah, THAT Greenville.” The phrase is personified by a new logo nicknamed the “happy ‘g’” that can be found everywhere – which is the point, said Chris Stone, president of the tourism agency, in an unveiling to more than 300 invited guests at a party at the Zen event venue on Greenville’s West Side. Greenville, S.C. is not like any of the other 35 Greenvilles in this nation, Stone said. Ergo the tag line “Yeah, THAT Greenville,” to make it known “we’re not just any ordinary Greenville, we’re THAT Greenville.” The party scene itself, a décor mixing east and west, could well personify the Zen expression down Main Street to Liberty Bridge and the Reedy riverfront where kids
6 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
play, families picnic, plays are staged, art is displayed, Frisbees sail, books open, people doze. “The happiest place in the United States,” is the way Stone put it. “A magical place.” The promotion unveiled on TV screens and displays at Zen was, in fact, already underway across the Southeast. The TV spots began airing Feb. 19 and will run through June 9. VisitGreenvilleSC has scheduled 2,000 commercials on network and highviewer cable channel slots in major cities throughout the Southeast. The TV promotion is complemented with full-page, full-color ads in major local and regional magazines and integrated, interactive social media. Jennifer Stilwell, chief marketing director, said the promotion is costing $450,000 and the rebranding of the agency $100,000. It’s an investment with a big return, she said in a later interview. “Everybody seems to focus on the sexy, creative stuff, which is terrific and critically important, but ultimately the bottom line is this is a business,” she said. Just as Greenville has moved well past being the world’s center for cutting, weaving and sewing to become an international home of soft and hard industry, so, Stilwell says, it must recognize tourism as an economic engine. The spending for the major promotion was made possible through the first year of revenue from a fund whereby the state matches every dollar collected locally with 50 cents. In Greenville, with only 12 of the county’s 82 hotels adding a $1 surcharge per room, VisitGreenvilleSC netted an estimated $500,000, including the state match. “If we can get more hoteliers on
$982 million direct spending generated by visitors
$235 million Wages from 9,200 jobs created by tourism
$55 million Contributed annual by visitors to state and local taxes
$318 taxes saved by each household through tourism revenue
$29 million Generated by every 1 percent increase in hotel occupancy
$24 Returned to the community from every dollar invested in travel promotion Source: VisitGreenvilleSC
board or more private investment for that matter, we can bring those dollars to the table when applying for grant dollars … (and) those dollars go straight for out-of-market promotion,” Stilwell said. The new campaign seeks to build on the growing visitor traffic that has been happening without it. 2012 was Greenville’s “best year ever” with hotel occupancy at 66 percent, up from 61 percent in 2011 and 57 percent in 2010, Stilwell said. “Anytime you can build equity from a brand and marketing perspective, that’s worth its weight in gold,” she said. “That’s not something you walk away from but continue to capitalize on it and look at different ways to
Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.
UBJ News take advantage of it.” The new campaign, Stone and Stilwell said, came out of research, including on-the-street interviews with visitors and surveys from their database. “The communication that came back was about our people,” Stilwell said. “People kept saying there really isn’t one thing. Sometimes with destinations, it is an Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty or the Space Needle, where people point more to a structure than on the emotion side, and ‘people’ is an emotional thing.” With Greater Greenville, she said, people talked about many attractions – Greenville’s downtown, the parks, the Blue Ridge, the Swamp Rabbit Trail, the festivals, Bob Jones University’s worldrenowned collection of religious art. “But at the end of the day it was about people,” Stilwell said.
Embassy Suites planned for downtown By Cindy Landrum | staff
embassy suites is planning to build a hotel in downtown Greenville, the Upstate Business Journal has confirmed. The hotel chain is expected to open a 155-suite property in early 2016, according to Jacqueline Toppings, director of Embassy Suites Hotels brand public relations for Hilton Worldwide. No further details, including where in downtown the hotel will be built, were available, Toppings said. Greenville developer Bo Aughtry, president of the commercial division of Windsor/ Aughtry, who was listed as the local contact for the hotel, also
361 East Kennedy Street |
declined comment, saying it would be “inappropriate” to talk about the project details at this time. The Embassy Suites would be the third new hotel built in downtown Greenville since 2006. The Hampton Inn and Suites at RiverPlace opened in 2006 on the banks of the Reedy River with 115 guestrooms and suites. The Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Greenville opened in 2010 across from the Peace Center and next to Greenville City Hall. It has 130 rooms and five suites on six floors. The Hyatt, the cornerstone of Main Street redevelopment nearly
three decades ago, is completing a multimillion-dollar renovation that includes a new restaurant, artsy conference space and NOMA Square, the newly named plaza that fronts the hotel. The Embassy Suites Hotels opened its first all-suite hotel in 1984 in Kansas. There are more than 200 Embassy Suites in the United States, Canada and Latin America. One of the hotels, the Embassy Suites Greenville Golf Resort and Conference Center, is on Verdae Boulevard. It has 268 suites.
Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@communityjournals.com.
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UBJ News
Online rental service connects the ‘haves’ with the ‘have nots’ By April A. Morris | staff
if there are big-ticket items gathering dust in your garage or shed – like, say, power tools or recreation equipment – Jody Burgess has a deal for you. Burgess is the founder of LendLocked, an organized, Webbased rental service he launched last year. LendLocked allows owners of items valued between $50 and $3,000 to make money off of them when they aren’t being used, Burgess said. “Basically, you can post any item that you want to on the website, then other people can rent it from you. This is stuff that you don’t use very much, but don’t want to sell.” Users can offer up almost anything, he said, from leaf blowers and bicycles to tailgating gear and air compressors. When a user posts something, he enters the original
“Why should sharing be limited to bikes? Why can’t we share everything?” Jody Burgess
cost and when it was purchased. The site then calculates the value of the item and takes 30 percent as the deposit. Three percent of the value is the first day’s rental and one percent is for additional days. If someone wants to rent an item, the site sends an email connecting the poster and renter. Renters receive the deposit balance when they return the items. Burgess also sells cable locks with
8 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
changeable combinations that can be used to secure items. If someone rents your item, you can pass along the combination to the renter, so he can pick it up, he said. Users can also use their smartphones to snap photos of items and post them on LendLocked. “You can walk into your carport with a smartphone and you can probably post 10 to 15 items,” he said. Burgess said he envisions users being able to take advantage of the service on the go. For example, they could see a bicycle in a rack with a LendLocked tag, scan the tag with their smartphone, pay the fee and receive the lock combination. To generate enthusiasm and spread the word, Burgess has included an incentive for users: If a user refers someone else to the site and they rent an item, the original user gets $1. The referrals only go two deep to keep it simple, he said. In addition, he is working with Clemson University packaging science students to create a visual representation of the online experience. “It’s not intended to make you rich; it’s really to benefit your community,” he said. Burgess, who lives in a rural area,
said he would rather locate an item he needs in his community than travel to an urban area to find one. He said the idea came from his frustration with consumerism. He liked the idea of bike-sharing programs, but wanted to take it a step further. “Why should sharing be limited to bikes? Why can’t we share everything?” He said he has located other sites similar to his own, “but I think they are all too complicated.” LendLocked’s simplicity extends to the fact that users don’t need to create an account, but just use their email address. For those who don’t want their home “pinned” on an online map, LendLocked only requires posters to list their city or general location, he said. And what’s in it for Burgess? In addition to the satisfaction of being kinder to the Earth, he said, when the rental rate is set, the amount is rounded up to the next dollar and Burgess collects the change when deposits are returned. “It’s about the environment, it’s about community … it’s also a frustration about the amount of stuff that we buy and how can I change that,” he said.
FAST FACTS Burgess works in procurement at Clemson University. A chemical engineering major, he worked in sales in North Augusta for many years. After moving to Westminster, he started a farm, raising 200 chickens, but found he was more suited to a high-tech venture, he says. “I’m the engineer and geek type; I’m not the farmer type, but I gave it a go,” he said. lendlocked.com 864-214-LEND
Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com.
Photos Provided
LendLocked Offers Income on Seldom-Used Items
SPECIAL IN-STORE EVENT March 21st, 9:00am–8:00pm
ND LAyouT
Come meet the John Hardy representative and see the new product as we launch John Hardy Jewelry in the Upstate. Special Guests from 6:30 – 8:00pm:
presenting their line of skin care products
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UBJ Digital Maven
By laura haight
I Built It. So Where Is Everybody? how do you know if your digital efforts are paying off? Every management process has some kind of evaluation tool. If a product isn’t selling, there’s a new strategy or action based on a detailed sales and marketing analysis. Eventually, the product is either sustainable or gone. But in our social media and digital forays, it’s often less “Wall Street” and more “Field of Dreams.” If we build it, they will come. Right? Not necessarily. But using readily accessible data you can get quite a bit of information about what’s working and what’s not. To a point, you can do a lot for free, but to take it to the next level, you may want to consider professional help, better tools or services that usually aren’t free. Website analytics A lot of small businesses create their own websites from free templates that came with the hosting account, but don’t take the time to set up analytics. One accessible and free tool that provides a great deal of information is Google Analytics. If you have a Gmail account, setup is a few clicks away. If not, you’ll need that too. You have to plug a small bit of script into your website (most services like Wordpress, Squarespace and GoDaddy make it easy to find the spot to put this code without having to know HTML). If you aren’t comfortable with that, this is where hiring a professional does make good business sense. Once the code is in, Google Analytics starts tracking tons of info about your site. There are a couple of key metrics to understand. • Unique visitors vs. page views. It’s fun to look at the page views and be impressed with yourself. Don’t be. One person
who roams around a lot through your site – either because they are fascinated by your content or they can’t find what they’re looking for – can create a lot of page views. Unique visitors is the actual number of people who came to your site. • Bounce rate. The percentage of people who leave your site without going to any pages other than the one they entered at. A high bounce rate is usually a negative; but much depends on the page they came into. If they’re coming to your home page and leaving immediately, that’s bad. But if they are following a link to a blog post, spending five minutes reading it, that’s not so bad. • Top content and traffic sources. What are the most viewed pages on your website? If you spent two days writing a blog post and no one visited it, you have something to think about. And where are people coming from? If you get a lot of direct traffic – people who type your URL into their browsers – they may have your business card or a referral. You want to watch
10 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
traffic that comes from search engines (if it is rising as a percentage you know you are getting seen more in rankings). And see what your big referral pages are. For example, you can see if your Facebook business page is driving any traffic to your website. Sometimes you shake your head and just need a laugh. In the hysterical videos linked to this page, Google explains its analytics: goo. gl/IwaCb. Facebook Insights Without spending money, buying a tool or hiring an analyst, you can get a lot of data about your efforts on Facebook using the Insights available in the admin panel on your business page. Look for: • Reach: This is the total number of people on Facebook who saw a post. You can see this
information aggregated for a time period or get down to the post level. You can also drill down to find out how many were organic (they are likers who came to the page or saw the post in their news feed) and how many were viral (the content was shared with them by someone else). • Engaged users: The number of people who clicked on your post during the first 28 days it was available. Engagement has long been the buzzword of social media. • Talking about this: This is the holy grail: people who interact with you by liking, commenting on a post or sharing it with others. The last two are what you really want to grow reach. You may be accustomed to looking at your individual posts to see how many people liked it or saw it, but by exporting the Insight data, you can analyze the bigger picture. What kind of posts get the most attention, what gets shared, what is the agegender group I’m reaching and is it the right demographic? Seeing the data and understanding what it’s telling you are two different things. But this blog post (goo.gl/ cqtVW) on Mashable offers five (free) spreadsheets to help you make sense of things. Regularly evaluating your results can help you to direct your efforts better. The answer probably isn’t to stop posting on Facebook, or to throw your website out, but to find out what is really working for you and capitalize on it.
Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (portfoliosc.com), a communications company based in Greenville that focuses on harnessing the power of today’s technology to reach new customers, turn customers into loyal clients and loyal clients into advocates. She is a former IT executive, journalist and newspaper editor.
UBJ Statehouse Report
By ANDY BRACK
Haley Has Duty to People, Not Politics in five years, we probably will look back at the debate over whether South Carolina should accept $11 billion in federal money to expand Medicaid and we’ll wonder: What in the world were we thinking? As part of the Affordable Care Act, South Carolina, like other states, can accept the federal tax money that we’re already paying to expand the Medicaid program. By taking the federal tax dollars, some 250,000 low-income residents in South Carolina would be able to get health insurance for the first time. But in an act of purely political theater, Gov. Nikki Haley has drawn a line in the sand and said “no.” She continues the bombast that the state shouldn’t accept the free money because costs to the state would eventually rise – even though the feds cover 100 percent of the program costs for the first three years and 90 percent through 2020. Her position is even more ludicrous
A NEW AARP SURVEY OF 800 SOUTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS 45 AND OLDER SHOWS:
ALMOST 70%
feel that
when compared to other government programs, Medicaid is very to extremely important.
57%
of 45 to 64 year-olds surveyed disagree with Gov. Nikki Haley’s refusal to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid in South Carolina.
54%
of total respondents back the expansion of S.C.’s Medicaid program to provide health coverage for at least 329,000 uninsured state residents. Source: AARP South Carolina
the tea party, although publicly they say they need more information on the program. They worry they’ll get challenged in 2014 if they vote against the governor – even though a statewide poll shows the strength of the tea party has dropped to under 10 percent of voters. Quiet word floating around the Statehouse is that some Republicans are sick and tired of being held hostage by Haley and the tea party. Some in the Statehouse even think that there are enough votes – 63 – among Democrats and moderate Republicans to approve Medicaid
It doesn’t matter to our governor that the business community will be hurt and less competitive than other states because those with 50 or more employees will face fines if the low-income workers seek a subsidy to take part in a federal exchange for health insurance. when you realize that regular Medicaid dollars accepted already by the state are reimbursed only at a 70 percent rate. Haley’s recalcitrance is designed to burnish her ambitions for a bigger national role and to be able to tout in next year’s gubernatorial campaign how she stood strong against the federal government. It doesn’t matter to Haley and her cronies that a quarter million of South Carolina’s neediest and working poor will be hurt because they won’t get the insurance that people in other states will get. Other states with anti-Obama governors – like Florida’s Rick Scott and Arizona’s Jan Brewer – saw the light when they realized they had a duty to people, not political posturing. It doesn’t matter to our governor that the business community will be hurt and less competitive than other states because those with 50 or more employees will face fines if the low-income workers seek a
subsidy to take part in a federal exchange for health insurance. It doesn’t matter to Haley that hospitals across the state will lose federal payments they get to treat poor people for free. And because they won’t have replacement Medicaid, health insurance rates on everyone will go up and hospitals will have to reduce services. All of this mess can be avoided. All it will take is a legislature with the courage to do what’s smart and right – and stand up to Haley by including the Medicaid expansion dollars in the state budget and then overriding her expected veto. If push comes to shove, the state Senate could probably muster the votes to override a veto of Medicaid expansion dollars. But the House of Representatives is a different question because many Republicans there live in fear of retaliation by
expansion. The problem is they need 20 more votes to be able to override any vetoes – and that’s not expected to happen. What could change is increased pressure by hospitals, advocates and the business community. A new AARP poll shows a majority of older South Carolinians agree with Medicaid expansion. And business groups, like the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, are starting to go on record to support accepting the $11 billion. One health care advocate noted, “No one can deny $11 billion coming into the state over seven years will not have a positive impact.” Yet when politics takes precedence over people, doing the dumb thing often wins. Let’s not be dumb this time. Governor, legislature: let’s do something smart for a change.
Andy Brack, publisher of Statehouse Report, provides weekly commentary. He can be reached directly at brack@statehousereport.com.
March 15, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 11
UBJ News
New rooftop bar slated to open in late March if you’re ready to enjoy fresh air and views of the twinkling lights on Greenville’s Main Street with an after-work cocktail or drinks with friends, SIP wine bar may be your kind of place. Due to open in late March, the rooftop spot is the newest restaurant from Jason Fletcher, who also owns The Green Room and Ford’s Oyster House and Cajun Kitchen. The elevated tasting room and lounge, located on the Piazza Bergamo above Proaxis Therapy,
will offer more than 40 wines by the glass along with two-, four- or six-ounce tastings. SIP will also feature a menu of small offerings like cheese boards, dessert and pizzas created by Chef Patrick Long of The Green Room. Fletcher said the lofty concept will appeal to a city that savors the outdoors. “Everybody in Greenville loves being outside,” he said, “so we felt a rooftop bar would complement downtown.” In the 1,500-square-foot interior, Fletcher said that he is aiming to reproduce something similar to a wine-tasting room in Napa with a bar and a 1,000-bottle, lighted wine wall crafted by Kessick Wine Cellars. The idea is to offer education on “anything to do with taste,” said Fletcher – from wine and food to beer and spirits. And all of it can be enjoyed on the 3,500-square-foot outdoor space.
Jason Fletcher, owner of SIP Tasting Room and Rooftop Lounge.
Photo by Greg Beckner
SIP to offer a view with your drink
The tasting room will also take advantage of the knowledge of beverage experts who normally meet with restaurateurs every week, said Fletcher. Members of the SIP Society will get notifications of the special
events, like samplings, seminars and meet-and-greets, with industry insiders and vintners, he added. For more information, visit siprooftop.com.
Who needs a jetpack when you can fly on a jet plane?
Lift Off: Thursday, April 25, 2013 Tickets: http://2013altitude.eventbrite.com/#
UBJ News
Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.
No Jetpacks (Yet) Erwin Penland creates buzz for B-Cycle By Leigh Savage | contributor
for generations, jetpacks have symbolized the ultimate futuristic travel mode, and for a brief period, many thought the future had arrived in Greenville. It turns out the buzz was about another new transportation system: Greenville B-Cycle, a bike-sharing system that will begin offering a downtown commuting option with a soft launch on March 28 and an official launch on April 9. Greenville B-Cycle will offer 28 bikes that users can pick up or return at locations including County Square, Sterling Community Center and City Hall. Greenville B-Cycle is made possible through a partnership between Greenville Hospital System and Upstate Forever, with additional funding provided by Greenville Transit Authority and Greenville County Recreation District. “The Greenville Jetpack campaign got a lot of people talking about new and innovative ways to move around Greenville,” said Brad Wyche, executive director of Upstate Forever, in a press release from Erwin Penland. “We hope the buzz will
carry over to Greenville B-Cycle and that people will try this great new way to navigate downtown Greenville.” Six billboards went up on Wednesday, March 6, and immediately caused a stir, with inquiries pouring into area news outlets. YouTube videos show what appears to be someone trying out the jetpacks over the downtown skyline. A website popped up including a bio of company founder Terrance Woodburrow, who had his own Facebook page complete with photo. The Greenville Jetpacks Facebook page earned more than 300 likes in less than a week and was shared dozens of times by those who dreamed of soaring to work with a jetpack – or those who just appreciated creative marketing campaigns. Soon after the billboards went up, news outlets pointed out there is no company named Greenville Jetpacks
registered in South Carolina. The greenvillejetpacks.com website is full of specific information about rates and information about Woodburrow, who supposedly was inspired by a trip to Alaska as a child, where he “saw three eagles fly over his campsite,” sparking an “unquenchable thirst for flight.” “Commuting is easy with Greenville Jetpack Rentals,” one billboard reads. On Monday, the Pleasantburg Drive billboard said “T-minus two days until liftoff.” Consumerist reported on March 7 that Erwin Penland was involved, which Barry Finkelstein, senior vice president and director of public relations at Erwin Penland, confirmed. He said he didn’t necessarily consider the campaign “viral marketing,” calling the term subjective. But he did say the jetpack ads have earned “a lot of exposure. I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls.” Beth Thomason, owner of Thomason PR, was not involved with the campaign, but said viral marketing – often defined as
marketing techniques that use social media to boost brand awareness – is increasingly popular. “Today, it’s all about generating interesting content that creates buzz, and the jetpack campaign has certainly done that,” she said. Modern marketing doesn’t play by the same rules, since in today’s socially connected world, “anything can spike to the top news of the day,” she said. Viral marketing campaigns can boost the popularity of a company, product or idea, she said. The only problem: “The payoff must fulfill all of the hype, or it could backfire.” Greenville B-Cycle will offer membership rates starting at $5 for a 24-hour pass. Between March 28 and April 9, promotional codes for free 24-hour passes will be available at the bike-share stations so people can try the system. Weekly passes ($15) and annual passes ($60) will also be available online at greenville.bcycle.com. Greenville is the 17th location for B-Cycle, joining cities including Boulder, Colo.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Spartanburg.
UBJ News
Café Blends Brings Warm Cuppa to Lexus Dealership
Café Blends grand opening March 20, 5:30-8 p.m.,
special presentation at 6:30 p.m.
Lexus of Greenville,
2660 Laurens Road, Greenville
Shop hires employees with autism
Enjoy samples and hors d’oeuvres, meet the baristas and hear their stories
By April A. Morris | staff
864-281-1111 • cafeblends.com
Barista Deidra Hall in the Café Blends coffee shop located in the Lexus of Greenville dealership. ABOVE, RIGHT: Hall puts cookies in the oven Photos by Greg Beckner
instead of sipping a self-served cup of drip coffee, customers at Lexus of Greenville can now order a cappuccino or latte prepared by a well-trained and friendly barista. Dubbed Café Blends, the java spot is even more unusual in that it employs staff who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The café will hold its official grand opening on March 20, offering samples along with the chance to see their staff in action. The Café Blends concept, a
partnership with the Atlanta nonprofit Nobis Works, became an Asbury Automotive Group initiative when one Mercedes dealership in Florida hosted a coffee shop, said Melissa Corey, the group’s public relations and communications manager and Café Blends program manager. When the manager later presented the café to the meeting of 77 dealerships, it became a group initiative, Corey said. Within a year of the Florida location opening, the first Café Blends opened in Atlanta.
The name refers to “blending autism into the workplace,” she said. “Many people have a fear of the unknown and when it comes to autism, people don’t understand it. We’ve realized that we can educate people about autism and a different ability rather than disability … and teach people that these individuals can do just as good a job as anyone else,” she said. Nobis Works hires and trains the staff for the cafes. There are three in Atlanta and now one in the Upstate. Barista Deidra Hall had been working in the café for about a month. She stood behind a marble counter artfully arranged with snacks and baked goods and said her favorite part of her new job is set-up in the morning. “I think I like it here,” she said. “It makes me happy and it helps me learn experience. I have fun with the employers here.” Hall is one of four baristas who work with Travis Norton, the site supervisor. Norton helped to get the café up and running in a
“Many people have a fear of the unknown, and when it comes to autism, people don’t understand it. We’ve realized that we can teach people that these individuals can do just as good a job as anyone else.” Melissa Corey, Café Blends program manager
14 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
converted break room and quiet lounge in early February. “Almost everyone who has come here has commented on how nice it is” and the friendliness of the staff, he said. A Marine veteran, he said setting up the café has also offered him valuable business experience. Opening Café’ Blends is important to the company, Corey said, because of the number of children who are diagnosed with autism. “We want to make sure that we provide opportunities for them to contribute.” The work gives “them an opportunity, but it has also changed our lives in that it has given us new family members,” said Dan Clara, the dealership’s general manager. “I think it has strengthened the team.” He said customer feedback “has been very positive. Whenever we meet people, they know someone who is affected by autism. When they learn about the café, they say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe you did that, I wish more people would do that.’” Clara said he has witnessed the café employees gain independence, draw their own paychecks and make their own decisions. “It’s something they are very proud of.” As for expansion in Asbury Automotive Group, there is already a line forming. “We’ve got plenty of general managers who are raising their hands and who are interested in opening a café,” Corey said.
Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com.
Photo provided by Airwolf Aviation Services
UBJ News Contest Puts Winners in Pilot’s Seat a pilot’s license can help your business take off – even if your business has nothing to do with aviation, says Michele Rash, owner of Airwolf Aviation Services. “Many of our students are business people who see the need to expand their business using aviation,” she says. “Other people learn for a hobby or to become a career pilot.” A flight training school with several locations in South Carolina, Airwolf is partnering with UBJ, the Greenville Downtown Airport and the Greenville Jet Center to give away a flight-training package. First prize, valued at $8,000, will be an entire Pilot Training Program, including the training, books and exams to qualify the winner to get
a private pilot’s license. Second prize, valued at $149, will be one Discovery Flight Lesson, including 45 minutes of ground instruction and a 45-minute flight. “Our industry foresees a future shortage of trained pilots,” says Hank Brown, owner of Greenville Jet Center. “This contest is one way that we can help make a difference. It may bring us one new pilot and it may also inspire others to learn.” In 2013, projections show that about 26 percent of existing aviation workers will retire – and the numbers are expected to jump from there. Boeing recently predicted the industry will need 460,000 trained pilots by 2013, most to replace those who will be retiring. To be eligible for the contest, an
entrant must be 17 years old by May 19, 2013 (or have the signature of a legal guardian), and must live and/ or work in Greenville or Spartanburg county. Contestants must weigh fewer then 250 pounds, be capable of passing a third-class flight physical, and be willing to sign a liability waiver. Winner’s pilot training must be completed by May 19, 2014, with the winner scheduling at least one two-hour lesson per week. Entry forms and official rules for the contest, which starts today, are available in this issue and future
issues of UBJ, as well as upcoming issues of the Greenville Journal, the Spartanburg Journal and TOWN Magazine. Contestants may complete and submit an unlimited number of official entry forms; however, no photocopies will be accepted. Entry forms can be mailed or dropped off during regular business hours to Airwolf Aviation Services at 100 Tower Drive, Unit 8, Greenville, SC 29607, by 5 p.m. May 18. Winners will be notified on May 19, 2013 – International Learn to Fly Day.
For more information about Airwolf Aviation Services, visit flyairwolf.com or contact Michele Rash at tampa19fl@gmail.com or 864-224-7440.
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A package of Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch!
A Deadly Punch for Household Pests For these entrepreneurs, time flies like an arrow – and fruit flies like their deadly FlyPunch! By Dick Hughes | senior business writer
matthew and jodi franken had pesky, potentially E. coli-carrying fruit flies swarming around and diving into their fruit in their Greenville home. What to do? With “nerdy motivation, we decided to get rid of them,” said Mathew Franken, in explaining the creation of a natural-ingredient drink that lures fruit flies, induces them to gluttony and, put bluntly, to kill themselves. For years, they kept it “only for our own use,” but that changed 18 months ago when they gave some to a neighbor to combat an infestation. “It solved it in 48 hours” –and the neighbor urged the
Frankens to take it to market. And so they are, having spent a year and their own money to finetune the punch, apply for a patent, find vendors for supply and production, garner support online and find retailers. If all goes as expected, their Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch! will be on sale in retail stores and online in two months. The timing is propitious. Sweeping regulations giving the FDA more control over preventing food contamination are in the final comment stage and expected to become effective this spring. Under the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was
16 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
signed into law in January 2010, the emphasis is on preventing contamination of the nation’s food supply. Every producer, transporter and seller of fruit will have to ensure the produce is safe from infestation of fruit files, potential vectors of E. coli. Public awareness of the risk at home will be heightened. Natural and organic food stores such as Whole Foods and eventually mainstream supermarkets offer the greatest sales opportunity, but “we do expect a decent amount of revenue from online,” Matthew Franken said. He is optimistic about having FlyPunch! in the Whole Foods store in Greenville, where the produce manager “has shown a lot of enthusiasm for the product.” Beyond retail, Franken sees potential on the commercial side with restaurants, institutional cafeterias, fruit stands and anywhere else fruit is processed, stored, transported and sold. “The market out there is pretty large, especially with organic.” The National Center for Biotechnology, the FDA and USDA identified the flies as carriers of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria, which, while not common, causes serious and sometimes fatal illness. While commonly associated with infected cattle and recalls of contaminated ground beef, fruit flies can carry the bacteria to fruit by ingesting feces, laying eggs on fruit surfaces, puncturing the skin and injecting eggs into the wound. “E. coli O157:H7 is then subsequently implanted into the fruit and reproduces quickly,” Franken said. The trick is to kill the flies before they get to the fruit, he said. “What we know is our product attracts flies to a greater degree than any homemade concoctions or better than anything else on the market.” Franken, 35, and his wife Jodi, 34, are in the final stages of preparing FlyPunch! for sale. With
Go Figure $55,000 amount the Frankens have invested in their company
$6,000 amount raised through pledges at FruitFlyPunch.com
$4.99-$6.50 estimated cost of one 4-ounce packet of Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch!
1 pouch
2 months
needed to rid a household of fruit flies
until the Frankens project Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch! will be on the shelves
the help of friends, they are mixing batches in 55-gallon barrels and 340-gallon totes to be shipped to a vendor in Florida to fill the punch in branded packages. They have invested $55,000, all but a small portion from their savings.
Jodi and Matt Franken of Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch!
Photo by Greg Beckner
Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.
UBJ News “What we know is our product attracts flies to a greater degree than any homemade concoctions or better than anything else on the market.”
Celebration Aims to ‘Drive Business Downtown’ the third annual “drive business Downtown: A Celebration in the Heart of Greenville” will take place at the 2 p.m. Greenville Drive game on April 23 at Fluor Field in Greenville, Elliott Davis LLC and the Greenville Drive have jointly announced. The annual event sponsored by Elliott Davis combines business and baseball to spotlight the major role downtown businesses play in Upstate economic development by recognizing key members in finance and banking, law, manufacturing, retail and nonprofits. “Drive Business Downtown has
Matthew Franken
For more information, call the Greenville Drive sales office at 864-240-4507 or follow #DBDowntown on Twitter.
Hyatt renovation complete on North Main New JHM hotel planned for downtown property D.J. Rama, president of JMH Hotels, in the newly renovated downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Photo by Greg Beckner
They have pledges of $6,000 in small-dollar donations from an environmentally friendly cloudfunding website. About half of the pledges have been received. “The operation is bootstrap. It’s not about someone coming in and giving us $25,000,” Franken said. The couple plans to “reevaluate the production cycle and cost” after six months. If they secure national distribution, “ma-and-pa” mixing won’t work, so they arranged for commercial mixing in that event. “If we had to scale up quickly, we could do it on a moment’s notice,” he said. Depending on the retail outlet, a 4-ounce packet of Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch! likely will cost between $4.99 and $6.50, Franken said. Most often, one pouch will rid households of fruit flies, though a serious infestation could require putting out repeated packets, he said. The Frankens have incorporated FruitFlyPunch! as a product of Dr. E. Brown Enterprises. They have a placeholder website at FruitFly Punch.com, which temporarily directs seekers to their cloudfunding site but soon will become a sales outlet.
become one of the best networking opportunities of the year,” said Rick Davis, managing shareholder of Elliott Davis, in a prepared statement. “It provides a unique setting for area professionals to connect, socialize and develop new opportunities for growth.” The event allows attendees to network before and after the game, and will feature special appearances by downtown business and community leaders, on-field skits and competitions featuring participating company
personnel. Local business leaders may also take on the roles of honorary team captains, Green Monster operators, “play ball” announcers and other special positions, organizers say. “The response to ‘Drive Business Downtown’ from the business community has been enthusiastic, broad-based and very encouraging,” said Craig Brown, Greenville Drive president and co-owner. “We are proud to see so many business and community leaders from across Greenville and the Upstate take part in this meaningful and important celebration of our great downtown and all it means to the economic vitality of the region.”
the hyatt regency’s multimillion-dollar renovation is complete, an achievement to be marked in a special presentation April 17 that organizers say will also recognize the hotel’s resurgence as anchor to Greenville’s North Main Street. Greenville-based JHM Hotels extensively remodeled the down-
town Greenville hotel to restore it to the pivotal role it originally held for North Main after it was built 35 years ago to launch the revitalization of Greenville’s downtown. D.J. Rama, president of JHM, said the company “felt like we were the legacy of this building to reposition it for the next 30 years.” The renovation cost went “well north” of the original estimate of $15 million made to the city in a development agreement last year, Rama said. The renovation includes the city’s $900,000 expenditure for improvements to the NOMA Plaza, integrating the 300,000-squarefoot Hyatt with the city streetscape. Improvements to the Hyatt’s interior space include a new restaurant, Roost, and a one-of-akind 40-foot artisan chandelier suspended over a new circular
lounge. Meeting space areas were expanded by 13,500 square feet to 37,500 square feet. The atrium was refitted with new wood with accents of 14-foot laser-cut steel light towers. Rama said once the Hyatt is stabilized, JHM plans to build a second hotel in downtown Greenville on property it acquired at Spring and Washington streets. The second facility is expected to be a national-brand hotel with 250-300 rooms. The project is likely two years away, Rama said. Family-owned JHM owns and operates 42 national hotels of various brand franchises in six states. In addition to the Hyatt Regency in Greenville, JHM owns and operates the Marriott Courtyard on The Parkway, the Fairfield Inn (a Marriott) on Fisherman Lane and the Greenville Marriott on Parkway East.
March 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 17
Thomas (Tom) McAfee Jr. and Thomas (Tuck) McAfee III in 1964
when thomas mcafee sr. founded his funeral home in Greenville in 1913, hearses were still drawn by horses, and it was two years before he brought in the town’s first motor ambulance. The world has transformed in the ensuing century, and the McAfee family has embraced those changes. But for the fourth generation of McAfees that runs the company today, the most important aspects of their business have remained the same. “People appreciate when we meet them where they are in their grieving, no matter what their tradition or background, and that is rewarding to us,” said John McAfee, vice president. John’s brother, Thomas McAfee IV, president of Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes, agrees. “Just because our lives are busier, we still have to allow our grief to be expressed,” he said.
Family Ties The family business began in 1913, when Thomas McAfee Sr. moved
Photos Provided
UBJ Milestone
John McAfee and Thomas (Tommy) McAfee IV
Celebrating a Century Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes makes helping families a family business By Leigh Savage | contributor
from Atlanta to Greenville and, partnering with the Ramseur family, bought Greenville Undertaking Company, creating Ramseur McAfee. After Ramseur departed, McAfee joined with R.D. Jones to form Jones McAfee before going on his own in the early 1920s, forming Thomas McAfee Funeral Home. Originally located on Main Street across from the Poinsett Hotel, the business then moved to McBee Avenue. McAfee was joined by his son, Thomas McAfee Jr., who took over when his father died in 1943. The company moved to its current
18 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
location on North Main in 1952. Thomas McAfee Jr. passed away in 1993, and Thomas McAfee III followed in his father’s footsteps. Now Thomas McAfee IV and his brother John are guiding the company, though neither expected to end up there. Tommy McAfee headed off to Clemson expecting to study medicine, but soon realized he wanted to be a funeral director. After completing his degree, he attended Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service to become a licensed funeral director and embalmer.
John McAfee graduated from Presbyterian College and went to work for Milliken, thinking the funeral business was not for him. “I decided later to join the business and I’m very glad I did,” he said. “It’s rewarding, helping people like we do.” Tommy’s son, Thomas McAfee V, a senior at the University of South Carolina, has already expressed interest in keeping the family tradition going by becoming a funeral director. “We encourage our kids to make their own decisions, because it has to be in their heart,” Tommy said. “It has to be something they truly want to do.”
Offering Options Tommy and John agree that the company has continued to grow by staying attuned to what grieving families need and offering numerous options. In the early days of the business and into the late 20th century, services tended to be the same, and families looked to the funeral home to tell them what to include and
Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.
McAfee’s First 100 Years 1913 Thomas McAfee Sr. moves from Atlanta to Greenville, partners with Ramseur family to create Ramseur McAfee
1913
1933
1915 McAfee brings in Greenville’s first motor ambulance
1943 Thomas McAfee Jr. takes over after death of Thomas McAfee Sr.
1943
Early 1920s McAfee goes out on his own to form Thomas McAfee Funeral Home
what protocols to follow. Today, family members want to customize services to suit their loved one’s desires, and the funeral home staff is there to fulfill their wishes. Families can select music, photos, video, special eulogies by family and friends and caskets with embroidered panels, medallions and other personal touches. The question is no longer open or closed casket, but whether the body of the deceased will be present at all. Cremation is an increasingly popular choice, with remains no longer relegated to urns but placed in birdbaths or wind chimes or even added to a coral reef. “Even obituaries are no longer just naming of survivors, but a life story,” John McAfee said. “We spend time with families to learn something about the individual so we can do
1992 Berea location added on White Horse Road
1963
1973
1983
1952 Moves to current location on N. Main Street
different things that will make the whole experience more meaningful.”
The Legacy Grows As Greenville has grown, the company has expanded, adding a location on White Horse Road in the Berea area in 1992 – also the site of the Cremation Center – and expanding to Simpsonville in 2012. The company has 45 full-time and 30 part-time employees, and works with more than 1,000 families per year. The growth is a testament to referrals by family and friends, since “people don’t go to a phone book to pick out a funeral home,” John McAfee said. “They want someone they are sure is going to care for the loved one like we’d treat our own family.” Another growing trend is preplanning your own service, Tommy McAfee said. “We hear from people
1993 Thomas McAfee III takes over after death of Thomas McAfee Jr.
1993
2003 2012 Simpsonville location added
a lot, the advantage of getting their desires on paper. We encourage people to do it because we know the hardship families go through if they wait. People appreciate knowing what their parents wanted. And it can be paid for in advance, too, which takes the financial burden off the family.” He said pre-arrangement makes up about 25 to 30 percent of the business, on par with trends industrywide. The McAfees take pride in their work, and are proud to hit the milestone of a century serving the Upstate community. “We have an obligation to the
community to continue a legacy that was started by our greatgrandfather that’s continued on, generation to generation,” John McAfee said. “We feel blessed to be involved in what we consider to be a ministry in itself, helping people to deal with what is often the most difficult time in their life.”
ABOVE: Tommy, Tuck and John McAfee in 2002.; BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT: Thomas McAfee Sr. shows off Greenville’s first motor ambulance in 1915; McAfee at the rear of the ambulance; A Jones-McAfee hearse in front of Christ Church Episcopal in Greenville.
March 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 19
Brice Bay
r•
reneur • e p e
repreneu t n
entrepr e
UBJ ne
full circle
ur • entr
Digital
evolution Photo by Greg Beckner
EnVeritas Group travels at the speed of change By Leigh Savage | contributor
brice bay launched his business when the Internet was a The Early Days who had been traveling 20 states as a technew world and profit models were uncertain at best – Bay, nology salesman, founded 10Best.com in June nonexistent at worst. But he found that navigating the 1999 to provide objective information on destiaround the world. rapid changes in business and technology left Enveritas nations “In those days, search engines weren’t that and there were paid listings, but not Group primed to help other companies do the same. powerful, much objective information,” Bay said. “I wanted to find a way to sort it, so if someone was traveling to New York City or Poughkeepsie, they could find the place where the locals hang out.” The first business model was to list businesses on the site and then offer enhanced listings for a fee. Despite having no venture backing and just $250,000 of local angel investment, the project took off, going from two employees in 1999 to 55 in 2000, including researchers, writers, editors, sales and technical staff. But like many during the dot-com boom and bust, the cost of sales was too high to sustain the
20 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
business. “It was costing us hundreds of dollars to sell an enhanced listing that cost $120,” Bay said. As Internet businesses scrambled to monetize their growing audiences, some became subscription-only, and 10Best attempted that route in 2001. The site managed to get between 3,000 and 5,000 paying subscribers, but site traffic plummeted from thousands per day to around 100 per day. “In those days, it was in vogue to create a walled garden, where people had to pay for access to your information. Everyone was searching for a revenue model in those days,” an issue some sites continue to struggle with today, he said. In late 2001, after 9/11 and the subsequent economic turmoil, 10Best was forced to slash its staff 80 percent, from 55 to 10. While the company had previously sent employees around the world to find the best restaurants, nightclubs and attractions – a tactic that earned the company Monster.com’s designation as one of the 10 Coolest Jobs on the Internet – management realized that finding locals to provide information was less expensive and yielded more accurate information.
The Growth Period
With a scaled-down staff, Bay and his team again looked for a new way to find revenues, and saw an opportunity in the nascent world of mobile technology. AT&T Wireless hired the company to provide its signature travel information in and around Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The combination of experienced travel writers and in-house programmers allowed the company to create the first location-aware app for public use. The project allowed 10Best to break even in 2002. At the same time, the company’s hotel contacts, forged during the days of enhanced listings, contacted the company about licensing content. Online travel agencies like Orbitz and Expedia were earning market share, and hotels “began to see the Internet as a game-changer for distributing their product,” Bay said. Hotels had rudimentary websites at the time, and they needed to add value to the customer experience, so 10Best began creating content based around hotel destinations – a move that transformed the company. “That’s when we really started to grow,” Bay said. Wyndam and Omni hotel groups were early clients, and today the company works with “the vast majority of global brands,” including Carlson, Holiday Inn, Hilton and Rezidor. By 2003, the company became cash-flow positive thanks to its Business Services division, created to serve the hotel industry. The company
By the Numbers
2
number of employees at 10Best.com’s founding in 1999
$250,000
angel investment the company started out with
70
current employees at EnVeritas
3,000
contractors scattered worldwide continued to provide content for mobile companies, including Verizon and Alltell, and maintained the 10Best.com website, which didn’t bring in significant revenue but was a recognizable brand. In 2003, they paywall was removed. “A lightbulb went off,” Bay said. “Content answers questions. We have lots of content, so get traffic, make money.” Overnight, traffic to the site skyrocketed, quickly reaching more than a million unique visitors per month. The site began to offer transactions like hotel bookings and concert ticket sales, as well as selling display ads.
The Sale
By 2010, the company was “growing nicely,” Bay said, though he declined to release revenue numbers. The business-to-business 10Best Solutions made up 80 percent of revenue, so Bay
decided to divest 10Best.com, which was purchased by Nile Guide. The deal closed in January 2011 and 10Best Solutions was renamed EnVeritas Group, with Bay as chairman and CEO. “We wanted to focus on what we now call content services,” Bay said. “It’s what we do today – creating and managing content for large brands.” Hotels are still a key client base, he said, though the company has been branching into other arenas, including media companies such as Meredith, Travel and Leisure and Food & Wine. “We learned that we don’t want to be completely dependent on one vertical,” Bay said. The newest vertical is manufacturing, where Bay said many companies are still operating based on outdated marketing models. In the past, consumers would experience a product before making a decision, but today, before the purchase is made, they are bombarded with information through social media, blogs and search engines. “You no longer form your own opinion about a product or experience,” Bay said. “It’s formed by your friends and peers.” Companies must be producing and publishing relevant content and participating in the conversation, he said. To succeed, manufacturers must become thought leaders, managing writers and communicating in dozens of languages and cultures. His company lets clients outsource the entire process, from strategy and creation to localization and management of digital content. “This has totally changed our business, and it is big business,” Bay said. With 70 employees and 3,000 contractors scattered around the globe, he said EnVeritas is uniquely positioned to capture this market. To tap into manufacturing, the company is hosting a conference, Manufacturing Marketing Innovation 2013, in conjunction with PR Newswire and Clemson University, on April 19. “The idea is to create noise around this,” he said. “Most manufacturers still have just a directory online, and they need to plug into this because they are getting their lunch eaten. How do they differentiate themselves? Content. It’s a content decision. That’s the first place people look.”
10Best/EnVeritas timeline June 1999 10Best.com founded
2002 Unveil first location-aware app
2000 staff reaches 55 employees
2003 Begin licensing content for hotel groups; become cash-flow positive
Late 2001 cut staff 80% to 10 Late 2001 Site becomes subscription-based
Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.
2003 remove paywall from site; traffic hits a million unique visitors per month
2008 - 10Best buys The Content Works; expands global network of contractors Jan. 2011 - 10Best.com sold to Nile Guide; remainder of business rebranded EnVeritas Group, focusing on content management 2013 - EnVeritas begins targeting manufacturing industry
March 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 21
c over s to ry Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
The New
MBA
Business degree programs in the Upstate stress entrepreneurship and flexibility by Jenny Munro | contributor
Clemson professor Mark McKnew gives his MBA class in management sciences instructions prior to giving the class an exam. Photo by Greg Beckner
22
Three friends, all Clemson University graduates, expect to earn their MBAs in entrepreneurship and innovation and launch their new business in Greenville within months. Brendan and Josh Lopes, 23-year-old twins, and Carlisle Kennedy, 24, are enrolled in the first class of Clemson’s one-year MBA-e program. They plan to launch their new mobile technology program aimed at college students initially at Clemson. They are part of Greenville’s vibrant business community, which is encouraging more growth in new MBA programs as well as those that have been in the area for years. “All of us had talked about starting our own company down the road,” said Josh Lopes. But they didn’t know how far in the future that would be or when they would decide it was time to earn an MBA. The Lopes twins began working with financial institutions in Columbia and Charlotte, N.C., after their 2011 graduation. When they learned of the new MBA program, Kennedy passed on work experience and moved directly to graduate school. The mix of MBA programs encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, the three said, and attracts and keeps young talent in the Upstate as well as the entire state. It helps showcase that new talent and increases Greenville’s knowledge base. “I think it’s great” to have multiple MBA and other graduate programs in Greenville, said Josh Lopes. “Getting an MBA is always taking a risk whenever you do it. It’s awesome that Greenville has so many people doing that.”
“It would be tough for Greenville to compete without the MBA and other graduate programs. People are going to go where the opportunity is.”
“Getting an MBA is always taking a risk whenever you do it. It’s awesome that Greenville has so many people doing that.”
Clemson MBA-e student and entrepreneur Brendan Lopes
Clemson MBA-e student and entrepreneur Josh Lopes
Clemson Moves Downtown
From left to right, Josh Lopes, Carlisle Kennedy and Brendan Lope.
MBA Options Expanding The city’s higher education footprint – especially that of MBA programs – is expanding as Clemson University prepares to move its MBA program to the still-under-construction ONE project. Also, the University of South Carolina, which offers the Professional MBA and executive continuing education programs, has its facilities in RiverPlace. “There are direct and indirect benefits” from having graduate programs available in Greenville, said Hank Hyatt, Greenville Chamber vice president of economic development. Those benefits flow to students, businesses, the city and the entire Upstate. What’s more, when the program is downtown, the resulting traffic increases restaurant and retail business.
Photo by Amy Burka
Beyond that baseline, graduate programs help with telling Greenville’s story while on recruitment projects, Hyatt said. They also produce employees with the higher-end skills many area businesses need. Greenville is the economic driver of the Upstate and a major economic driver for the entire state, he said. “You need to be where the action is. You can’t neglect Greenville if you offer an MBA in South Carolina.” Brendan Lopes said Greenville is benefitting in another way. When students graduate from college, they think of moving to cities. First choices in this area are Atlanta and Charlotte, but “Greenville is No. 3 on that list. It would be tough for Greenville to compete without the MBA and other graduate programs. People are going to go where the opportunity is.”
Clemson led the latest charge into Greenville-based MBA programs with the move of its full-time and part-time MBA programs to downtown Greenville several years ago. Clemson has actually offered part-time MBA programs at the University Center in Greenville since the 1970s, said Greg Pickett, associate dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science Greenville as well as director of the MBA programs and the Spiro Institute of Entrepreneurship. Clemson’s part-time MBA programs also have been housed at Furman University and across the street from the University Center. The entire MBA program moved to Greenville in 2010 and the university plans to move all its MBAs, full-time and part-time, to the ONE building in December. Moving along with the MBA will be the master’s programs in accounting, marketing and management.
Telepresence Connects Classes USC’s Darla Moore School of Business facility has been in RiverPlace for a year, but the school has been offering programs in Greenville for 22 years, previously through the University Center. This program “is one of our strongest cohorts,” said Tim Carroll, director of USC’s Professional MBA program. “We’re in Greenville and a lot of different sites,” he said. “We teach the classes out of Columbia and people attend from any of those sites or any place they have a computer and a webcam.” He said
Go Figure A recent Graduate Management Admission Council study of MBA alumni from the class of 2011 showed:
86%
were employed after graduation Of those:
69%
took mid-level positions
21%
took entry-level jobs
8%
took senior-level positions
1%
took executive spots
3 out of 4
reported they could not have gotten their jobs without their MBAs
$79,806 was the average salary
(continued on page 24)
March 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 23
“You need to be where the action is. You can’t neglect Greenville if you offer an MBA in South Carolina.”
(continued from page 23) occasionally classes are taught from satellite locations such as the one he recently taught from RiverPlace in Greenville. Currently about 37 students are in various stages of the PMBA program. “We take the latest and greatest in telepresence,” or high-level video conferencing, he said. “There’s no delay in speaking and students can interact from all the locations with the professor and each other.” At its main campus in Columbia, the Moore School also offers an accelerated MBA program that allows students to earn MBA degrees in 11 months, instead of the typical two-year program. Students can concentrate in corporate accounting, entrepreneurship, general management, global supply chain and operations management, human resource management and marketing analytics. The Moore School’s International MBA (IMBA) program combines traditional MBA classes with an intensive language training program abroad, lasting from four months to a year. Languages offered include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. Students must also complete a six-month international consulting project, undertaken within the country or region of the chosen language track.
‘You Have to Come In With an Idea’ Clemson recently launched its fulltime MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and expects to launch the part-time segment in the summer of 2014, Pickett said. That’s the program that caught the eye of the two Lopes brothers and Kennedy. “How many chances do you get to work with your two best friends to start a business?” Brendan Lopes said, adding the three already were kicking around an idea for a new business. “You have to come in with an idea.”
Dabbler, their company in the works, has definitely “evolved and matured,” Kennedy said. The one-year program is perfect, the only reason they jumped at the MBA. Anything else would have taken too long to transform their idea into a business. Many MBA programs target adults who already are in the labor force and may not be able to quit their jobs. But the need also exists for executive continuing education, said USC spokeswoman Peggy Binnette. Businesses “want to encourage more education” on the part of their executives, she said. The use of online classes and telepresence provides more flexibility for students and lowers the cost of education, said Carroll. “You do miss out on some benefits of the classroom,” he said, but USC blends their in-person and telepresence program so students can gain from both types of education.
Reaching Out to Working Students Southern Wesleyan University opened its Greenville campus in 1986, moved to its present location in 1997 and offered its first MBA program in Greenville in 2002, said Jeannie Trudel, dean of the business school. The school also has campuses in Charleston, Columbia, North Augusta and Spartanburg that offer both undergraduate and graduate programs. SWU’s MBP program is offered one night a week, making it attractive to working students, said Jerry Blackwell, director of the Greenville and Spartanburg campuses. Also, the school plans to offer an online MBA in June. The schedule “makes it very convenient for working adults,” he said. In fact, offering an education to people already in the workforce is the focus of the university’s outreach program. SWU wants to “provide an opportunity to working adults.”
24 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
LEFT: Clemson at the Falls is located in the former Bowater Building next to the Liberty Bridge and Falls Park; RIGHT: USC’s Darla Moore School of Business is located in Riverplace in Greenville.
Feeding the Need for
“Corporations and individuals have found there is a growing need for people to come up with an idea and drive it to commercialization,” Pickett said. Corporations want parts of their large business to be entrepreneurial, with employees who know how to add to the bottom line. Marketplaces are rapidly evolving and technology changes all the times, he said. Individuals are becoming more interested in entrepreneurship as they discover they can no longer expect lifetime employment with the same company. Although Clemson’s MBA advisors “shoot holes in your ideas for a business very quickly,” the MBA-e program “hedges your risk” by making the resources of Clemson and the business community
available to people trying to launch a business, Kennedy said. Entrepreneurship skills will help anyone advance in a career, Pickett said. “We can’t change a person’s inherent ability to deal with risk,” he said, “but we can teach individuals a business skill set that applies more directly to a startup.” MBA and other graduate programs in Greenville help the entire Upstate, Hyatt said. Existing businesses can find employees with the skills they need. Employees can gain the skills needed for career advancement, helping their companies become more productive and more profitable. When educational attainment is higher and businesses pay higher salaries, per capita income will increase, although usually slowly.
Institutions with Greenville MBA presence
Some online programs available in the area
Anderson College University Center Clemson University downtown Greenville North Greenville College Greer Southern Wesleyan University Greenville, Villa Road Strayer University Greenville University of South Carolina Moore School Professional MBA downtown Greenville
Capella University
Entrepreneurship
Everest University Kaplan University Keiser University Graduate School University of Phoenix Virginia College
Contact Jenny Munro at jmunro@communityjournals.com.
Photo by Greg Beckner
Hank Hyatt, Greenville Chamber vice president of economic development
Best in Business.
MARCH 15, 2013
COMPLIMENTARY
THE NEW MBA ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FLEXIBILITY AND AN INTERNATIONAL FLAIR MARK TODAY’S BUSINESS DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE UPSTATE Y E A H, T H AT GREEN V IL L E
$450,000 PROMOTION AIMS TO REBRAND CITY PAGE 6
DUDE, W HERE’S M Y JE T PA CK?
VIRAL MARKETING CREATES BUZZ FOR B-CYCLE PAGE 13
T HE FIRS T 100 Y E A RS
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Every week. everywhere.
UBJ Create. Innovate. Celebrate.
GEEK: Greenville’s Expanding Economy of Knowledge over 300 investors, entrepreneurs and small-business owners were at the inaugural GEEK event. This celebration of the inventive spirit of the Upstate was held at the newly opened NEXT Innovation Center in late August of 2011. It was tight quarters, indeed, with innovative minds shoulder-to-shoulder, each person inching their way from table to table where half a dozen resource providers were there to explain their individual programs. Fast-forward to 2013, and the collaboration between the InnoVision Awards Program and Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science (CBBS) has assembled an even larger group of resource providers for a GEEK event next month. Fostering startups, entrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses requires a rich and diverse group of private and public organizations whose mission is to provide them with assistance. Let me share an
GEEK 2013 BASICS DATE AND TIME April 4, 2013, 5-8 pm LOCATION Clemson at the Falls 55 E. Camperdown Way MORE INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS Kathy Ham kham@mcnair.net 864-271-4940 WEBSITE geekgreenville.com
overview of these entities; if I am unsuccessful in encouraging you to attend, you can use this as a directory of helpful sources. The Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF) moves technology, created through research and creative inquiry, out of the laboratory and into commercial markets. The Clemson University MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MBAe) is a one-year, intensive, experiential program where students begin with an idea, apply rigorous business principles and graduate with both an MBA degree and a market-ready business. The Clemson Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers personal guidance and assistance to small-business owners and entrepreneurs through personal and confidential consultation. The Clemson University Sustainable Entrepreneurs & Economic Development (SEED) education certificate program draws on the experiences of local business leaders to help early stage entrepreneurs build sustainable success. The Clemson University Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership supports educational, research and outreach programs promoting entrepreneurial activity and economic development. Their programs include EcoPlosion, Social LaunchPad, and LaunchPadSC. InnoVenture helps people with big
26 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
By michael mino
ideas ask for introductions to those who can help attract the customers, capital, talent and technology they need. Michelin Development Corporation provides low-interest loans and business expertise to create quality sustainable jobs and promote economic growth. The Iron Yard supports entrepreneurs, investors, developers, artists and teachers, in collaborative spaces, and by hosting events that bring them all together. The Piedmont Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) has 40 volunteers committed to helping entrepreneurs start a new business, or build up an existing business. SC Launch, an SCRA affiliate, facilitates applied research, product development and commercialization programs and provides entrepreneurs with key tools to help build technology startups, jobs and equity in the future of our state. Upstate SC Alliance is a public/ private regional economic development organization that markets the dynamic 10-county Upstate region to the world. The Upstate Carolina Angel Network (U-CAN) provides intellectual and financial capital to startup and early-state, high-growth businesses. To date, they have invested $4.5 million in 16 companies. The Greenville Spartanburg Anderson Technology Council (GSATC) provides networking, education, business development and community service opport-unities through its news-letter, meetings, job
fair and community training programs. They host Tech After Five, a series of free, sponsor-supported professional networking events. Greenville Business Magazine partners with organizations and experts to provide terrific advice to help grow businesses and protect their assets. And lastly, InnoVision, in its 15th year, has a rich tradition celebrating and highlighting the achievements accomplished by talented and innovative individuals, businesses and governmental entities within the State of South Carolina. InnoVision supports innovation and technological excellence through monthly Forums and its annual awards dinner. Douglas Kim, shareholder of McNair Law Firm P.A. and chair of the InnoVision Awards Program, strongly believes that “the economic growth of the Upstate will continue to be fueled through entrepreneurial activities and technological advances developed in the area.” Dr. Greg Pickett, associate dean of Clemson University CBBS, states, “Greenville is nurturing a new generation of businesses that are rooted in the entrepreneurial spirit, and many involve a great deal of innovative technologies.” Both Kim and Pickett agree that GEEK 2013 is going to be the most significant networking event of the season. In addition to Clemson University CBBS and Innovision, sponsors of the event include Upstate Business Journal, McNair Law Firm, Fete Greenville, Kidder Group, Inc., Immedion, Net 3 Technology, Smith Moore Leatherwood, VidiStar, Mojoe.net and [en-gage] solutions.
Michael Mino is a longtime member of the InnoVision advisory board. He is also CEO of PropertyBoss and teaches innovation management and entrepreneurship in the Clemson MBA program. To learn more about the InnoVision program and submitting an innovative project, visit InnoVisionAwards.org
UBJ Square Feet
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GRAND PRIZE One Airplane Pilot Training Program Includes all the training, books and exams to qualify someone to get their private pilot’s license. Valued at $8,000!
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RUNNER-UP One Discovery Flight Lesson Includes 45 minutes of ground instruction and a 45 minute flight. Valued at $149!
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Carolina Holdings Inc., located in Greenville, recently announced the development of The Shops on Broad located on Broad Street in Sumter, S.C. “We are beginning construction of a new building to include Aspen Dental and Starbucks. We are pleased to bring these nationally known brands to Sumter,” said Bill Misiaveg with Carolina Holdings. “We believe The Shops on Broad is an excellent opportunity for both Aspen Dental and Starbucks to serve the regional market, given the prominence of location and the ease of access.” McMillian Pazdan Smith of Greenville will serve as the design architect for the project, which is being constructed by DooleyMack Constructors and financed by GrandSouth Bank. The Shops on Broad is under construction and slated to be open during the third quarter of 2013.
A VI
Lee & Associates announced: Randall Bentley represented MBVB in leasing a 12,000 SF industrial building at 1224 Old Stage Road, Simpsonville. Randall Bentley represented Accurate Diagnostics in sub-leasing a 6,688 SF office space at 210 Brendan Way, Greenville.
TO
Randall Bentley represented Sunlife Assurance Co. of Canada in leasing the 16,000 SF Pelham South Building at 1 Brozzini Court, Suite G, Greenville.
AI
Griffin Property Solutions announced: Mark Griffin recently represented Professional Building Maintenance Services Inc. in the purchase of a 9,000 SF facility located at 12 International Court, Greenville. PBMS Inc. purchased the facility to relocate their corporate headquarters and allow for additional future growth. PBMS Inc. specializes in building façade maintenance for moderate size and high-rise buildings through the upstate. PBMS Inc. is a member of the International Window Cleaners Association, the IWCA Safety Certification Program and the Scaffold Industry Association.
IC
Rendering of Aspen Dental and Starbucks located at The Shops on Broad in Sumter, South Carolina.
LEARN
RV
GREENVILLE
JET
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greenvilledowntownairport.com/LearnToFlyContest.html
L E A R N T O F LY C O N T E S T NAME
UBJ Social
ADDRESS
PHONE
Photo by Ron Urso Property of the Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce
EMAIL *Mail or drop off entry during business hours to:
Airwolf Aviation Services, 100 Tower Dr., Unit 8, Greenville, SC 29607 *Entry must be received by 5pm, 05/18/13. Must live and/or work in Greenville or Spartanburg County. Must be 17 by 05/19/13 and winners, if under age 18, must have signature of parent/legal guardian. Must be US Citizen; weigh less then 250 lbs.; capable of passing a third-class flight physical; & sign liability waiver. If Grand Prize winner is unable to accept prize, offer will default to Runner-Up. Training must be completed by May 19, 2014 with at least one lesson per week. Multiple entries accepted. Winners will be notified on 05/19/13 – International Learn to Fly Day!
K313A
Attendees at the Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce 2013 Annual Banquet
March 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 27
UBJ The Fine Print Equity Firm Backs Fitness The Spartanburg equity firm of WJ Partners has acquired an interest in Pure Barre, a franchise of personal fitness studios. George Dean Johnson Jr. and Benjamin Wall are co-founders and managing partners of WJ Partners. Johnson was a founder of Advance America and Extended Stay America, and Wall was sales director of OTO Development, a hotel development and operations company started by Johnson and other former Extended Stay executives in 2005. According to Arlington Capital Advisers of Birmingham, Ala., which represented Pure Barre in the transaction, WJ Partners made an undisclosed investment last October to facilitate a private equity recapitalization of the franchise. Founded in 2001, Pure Barre uses the ballet barre method set to music “as a total body workout that lifts your seat, tones your thighs and burns fat in recordbreaking time.” Pure Barre has 100 locations in 29 states and the District of Columbia. There are studios in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Columbia and Greenville. One is scheduled to open in Spartanburg April 8.
Startups Find Helping Hand Michelin Development has extended low-interest loans and ongoing mentoring to four Greenville County businesses. The awards went to: • Blues Boulevard Jazz, which has opened as a music and tapas food club at 300 River St. in downtown Greenville. • Divine Healing Health Care Services, a Simpsonville-based temporary staffing agency for certified nursing personnel. • High Performance Gym, a family-owned personal fitness business that moved from New York City in the fall of 2012 to open a gym at 284 Rocky Creek Road, Greenville. • 9 Round, a fitness center offering boxing and kickboxing training, at 500 Old Buncombe Road. Since 2009, Michelin Development has provided more than $2.2 million in below-market loans and mentoring to small businesses in the Upstate. In addition to announcing the latest loans, Michelin Development said it entered into an agreement with SCBT to administer the loans going forward. InnoVenture Slate Announced “Light” manufacturing, aerospace, infrastructure rehabilitation, green transportation and crowdfunding will be spotlighted at the InnoVenture 2013 conference, set for May 8 and 9 at the TD Convention Center in Greenville. John Ballato, director of Clemson’s Center for Optical
28 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET), will speak on efforts “to develop and commercialize industrial applications for lasers and other optics technologies,” event organizers said. Bill McLendon, president and CEO of CAV International, will present information on investing capital in the growing Southeastern aerospace industry. Milliken & Company will include its innovative concrete cloth product in its presentation on products designed for the rehabilitation of civic and transportation infrastructure.
Greenville County Concilman Fred Payne will speak about GreenVillages, an initiative to use personal mobility innovations and other transit options, including bikeways and walking paths, to connect people to their daily working, shopping and recreation needs. Mark Knight, a securities attorney with Nexsen Pruet, will give a presentation on crowdfunding. The presentation will feature the crowdfunding provisions of the recent JOBS act, and their implications for entrepreneurial companies seeking to raise capital. A call for additional presentations at the InnoVenture conference ends Friday, March 15. For more information, visit innoventureconference.com.
Converting Diesel to Natural Gas Clemson’s International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville and EcoDual Inc. of Beaufort have formed a partnership to perfect conversion
of heavy-duty truck engines from diesel to natural gas. “The increased use of natural gas for transportation is the most cost-effective way to utilize the vast quantity of newly discovered reserves,” said Zoran Filipi, who holds the Timken Endowed Chair in Vehicle System Design at CU-ICAR. “This new research relationship with EcoDual is very exciting for us and will unlock the full potential of this technology, including the possibilities to make engines run cleaner.” EcoDual’s system allows conversion of diesel engines to run on a combination of natural gas and diesel fuels with more than 60 percent of the engine’s power generated by natural gas. The Environmental Protection Agency has approved EcoDual’s conversion system for the 15L Cummins heavy-duty diesel engine. The company is at work on systems to convert other Cummins diesels and Detroit Diesel engines. New Contractor, New Model DJ Doherty and Todd Malo, with 25 years of experience in construction between them, have formed Mavin Construction in Greenville with what they say is a new business model. “We’ve turned the business model upside-down, stressing a clientoriented management style,” said Doherty in a statement. “It’s easy for a construction company to get caught up in the project and forget about the client – but not for Mavin.” The company, which first began in 2011, said it offers “not only construction but maintenance service” for routine preventive maintenance and emergency response as a single-source service to clients. Doherty and Malo previously were with SYS Constructors and worked as “key staff on multiple projects.”
Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com.
community regardless of residency,” the chamber said. For more information, contact support@chambermaster.com.
Small Business of 2012 Rush Wilson Limited, a men’s clothier, is the Greenville Chamber’s 2012 Small Business of the Year. Rush Wilson was recognized as “an extraordinary small business” at the chamber’s 124th annual meeting Feb. 21. Dixon Hughes Goodman sponsors the award. Founded in Davidson, N.C., in 1950, the company expanded to Greenville in 1959 with a location on North Main. It moved to its present location at 23 W. North St. to make room for the Hyatt Hotel when it was built.
Agfa Wins $528.4M Contract Agfa Healthcare Corp., which has headquarters in Greenville, was awarded an option on a defense contract of $528.4 million for a digital picture archiving system. The contract requires completion by March 7, 2015. The digital system is for use by all branches of the military and civilian agencies, the Department of Defense said. Afga Healthcare is a division of Agfa, a Belgium conglomerate. Nominations for Honors The Simpsonville Chamber of Commerce is soliciting nominations for its Citizen of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year honors. The awards are “for anyone active in the Simpsonville
Fix-Up Planned for Motel Mehta Enterprises has acquired the Howard Johnson Inn at the Spartanburg Expo Center and plans to do improvements to make it “an attractive lodging option.” The inn is on Pottery Road off I-25 near the I-85 interchange. Greer State Bank provided the financing for the acquisition through a Small Business Administration loan and with assistance from the Appalachian Development Corp. “This is a great opportunity for Mehta Enterprises who has a successful track record in the lodging industry,” said Tim Lincolnhol, senior vice president of Greer State. “With this acquisition of the Howard Johnson Inn, we now have the ability to implement improvements that will enhance the hotel as an attractive lodging option for those visiting the Upstate,” said Jatin Mehta, principal of Mehta Enterprises.
Combination for the Ages A young Greenville technology company has teamed up with a 150-year-old Pennsylvania company to develop and manufacture separators to use in lithium batteries and ultracapacitors. DreamWeaver International of Greenville and P.H. Glatfelter Co. of York, Penn., announced the joint venture Tuesday. “The collaboration aims at developing and producing the next generation of high-quality,
competitively priced material demanded by the energy storage market,” said Brian Morin, DreamWeaver’s president and chief operating officer. He said Glatfelter has the capability “to help us become a leading supplier of battery separators worldwide.” Glatfelter, which began as a paper manufacturer in 1864, has expanded into an international maker of advanced fiber-based engineered materials. DreamWeaver is developing nano-fiber nonwovens to replace expensive membranes now used in batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. In May 2012, DreamWeaver received an energyinnovation grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Kilwins to Open NOMA Store With the completion of the renovations to the Hyatt on North Main Street and the opening of NOMA Square will come the addition of a Kilwins store, selling chocolate, fudge, premium ice cream and other confections. Ashley Adams and her parents own the Kilwins Chocolates & Ice Cream franchise, which will be managed by Ashley Adams. “Having graduated from Clemson, I know Greenville well and I am thrilled to be opening a business in such a dynamic downtown area,” said Ashley Adams. “Kilwins and Greenville will be a perfect match.” Greenville Mayor Knox White said, “Kilwins is a great addition to NOMA Square and will be a destination retailer for residents and visitors. They will serve as another anchor to the continued growth of the North Main area.” Tommy Molin with CBRE | The Furman Co. Retail Services represented the landlord in this transaction. The date of the store’s opening was not announced.
March 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 29
UBJ On the Move
APPOINTED
HIRED
HIRED
HIRED
Harriet Goldsmith
Michael Howard
Brock Koonce
Lindsey Stemann
Selected as chairwoman of the Community Foundation of Greenville board of directors. She will serve a two-year term. Goldsmith joined the board in 2006 and brought with her the idea of forming a women’s collective-giving group. Greenville Women Giving, a special initiative of the Community Foundation, has now invested almost $2.2 million in Greenville’s nonprofit organizations.
Named the new general manager at Nissan of Greer. Howard grew up in the Greer area and graduated from Eastside High School. After graduating from the University of South Carolina, Howard went into the automotive sales industry. He has more than 20 years of experience including more than a decade as a general manager at various dealerships in the Upstate.
Joined the Brown Mackie College – Greenville team as the school’s business and community relations manager. Prior to joining Brown Mackie College, Koonce most recently served as program director for Greenville Forward, and as an account executive for Erwin-Penland Advertising and Henderson Advertising.
Joined Intero Advisory as vice president of client development. Stemann will be launching LinkedIn training and coaching services for business professionals and organizations. Using InMail messages sent to executives at multimillion-dollar consumer brands, and tapping into new markets via LinkedIn groups, she has engaged in business opportunities that would have been impossible without LinkedIn.
CONSTRUCTION/ENGINEERING: O’Neal Inc, a Greenville-based integrated design and construction firm, recently welcomed Michael Fox as senior estimator. Fox brings more than 30 years of industrial and commercial construction experience to O’Neal. He most recently worked in the sales/estimating department at Acoustics Inc. He previously served as senior estimator with Fluor Daniel for 10 years and has also worked in roles such as project manager, piping estimator and scheduler.
PUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETING: DNA Creative Communications recently announced the promotion of Merry Mac Miller to account executive. Miller’s responsibilities will include full-circle management and implementation of communications and marketing strategies for her clientele in the nonprofit, higher education and community development industries. She holds previous experience as an account coordinator at DNA along with a concentration of leadership and volunteer work for a variety of nonprofits.
NONPROFIT: The Community Foundation of Greenville recently named: Dick Wilkerson as vice chair, Jo Hackl as past chair, Sue Priester as secretary, Perry Gilreath as assistant secretary, Doug Kroske as treasurer, Bill Bridges as assistant treasurer, and J. Tod Hyche as legal counsel. The Community Foundation also welcomed these community leaders to the board: Ann Bryan, community volunteer; Mark Crocker, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP; Frances Patterson, Elliott Davis LLC; and Brenda Thames, GHS University Medical Center.
30 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
Jackson Marketing Group, South Carolina’s largest business-to-business integrated marketing communications agency, recently promoted Devin Smith to user experience designer, Jordan Fretz to senior art director, Mary McCurley to account executive, Julia Boisvert to account representative, and Joe Hindman to account representative. After serving five years as an art director at JMG, Fretz has been promoted to senior art director. With nearly six years of service to JMG, McCurley is being promoted from
HIRED JAY BURNETT
PROMOTED Angie Taylor Howell Promoted to vice president at South Carolina Bank and Trust (SCBT). Howell joined SCBT in April 2007 as banking officer and was later promoted to assistant vice president, leading to her current promotion as vice president. She serves on the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations, including Triune Mercy Center, Thornwell Home for Children and Smiles 4 Life.
Joined JHM Hotels as the company’s vice president of real estate. Prior to joining JHM, Burnett was vice president of corporate strategies for GF Management in Philadelphia, where his responsibilities included hotel acquisition analysis and strategies, equity partner relationship management, market research, feasibility analysis and project management. Previously he was vice president and asset manager for AMC Delancey Group, a Philadelphia-based private equity real estate investment company, where he oversaw a portfolio of hospitality and senior living assets.
FIRST FRIDAY
LEADERSHIP SERIES PRESENTS
JULIE SEITZ Director, Workplace 2020 The Coca-Cola Company
APRIL 5, 5:00 p.m. Clemson at the Falls
55 East Camperdown Way, Greenville
Attending First Friday is free, but space is limited! Register at FirstFridaySeitz.eventbrite.com.
account representative to account executive. Boisvert, who has been working with JMG since 2011 as an account coordinator, is being promoted to account representative. Hindman began his JMG career as an intern in the events and logistics department. After his graduation from Bob Jones University, he worked as an account coordinator before his recent promotion to account representative. REAL ESTATE: Lee & Associates Greenville recently announced that Austin Guest has joined the company as a new agent. Guest most recently worked at Medtronic, the world’s largest medical technology company, based in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he began a career in commercial real estate, with a specialization in retail, and will continue to focus on customer service by meeting his clients’ needs to the very best of his abilities. Coldwell Banker Caine recently welcomed Jason Pruitt as a residential sales agent to its Greenville office.
A graduate of Clemson University, Pruitt’s previous job titles include office engineer with Rodgers Builders and healthcare superintendent of Harper Corp. Convergent Property Group recently welcomed Barb Turner as a realtor/ residential property expert. After graduating from Boston College, Turner launched a recruiting firm in Connecticut then shifted focus from human-resources to brick-and-mortar as she developed her project management career in the construction and corporate industries.
March 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 31
UBJ Planner Friday, March 15 The Power of Email Marketing Tri-County Technical College Pendleton Campus, 7900 Highway 76, Pendleton, 10-11:30 a.m. Cost: $15 Register at: piedmontscore.org/ workshops/ Registration Deadline for BMW Tier 1 Supplier Diversity Matchmaker Conference TD Convention Center, 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville; April 11, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost: Free to attend, but registration is required. Continental breakfast and lunch provided. Register or more information: carolinasmsdc.org or qwbc.biz monday, March 18
A Program of The International Center
A MONTHLONG CELEBRATION OF CULTURES
MARCH 1 - 31
UpstateInternational.org
GCS Roundtable: Retirement: Are You Dreaming The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m. Speaker: Walter Kivett and Myles Golden Call Golden Career Strategies at 864-527-0425 to request an invitation. NxLevel for Entrepreneurs (Existing Businesses) Upstate Workforce Investment Board, 102 Commerce St., Spartanburg; 6-9 p.m. For entrepreneurs who want to expand an existing business and need the skills to make it grow. Price: $195 per person Register at: bizbuildersc.com tuesday, March 19 Healthcare Providers Network Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Board Room, Greenville; 7:30-9 a.m. Open to leaders in a healthcare provider setting who are members in good standing with the Green-
32 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
ville Chamber. Prospective Chamber members may attend one meeting as a guest of an HPN Member. Contact: Julie Alexander at 864-239-3754 Is My Business Idea Feasible? Spartanburg Methodist College, Buchheit Boardroom, Spartanburg; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Cost: $10 Register at: scwbc.net/ events/upstate Business After Hours Ford’s Oyster House & The Loft at Falls Park, 631 S. Main St., Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Open only to Greenville Chamber members. No cost to attend. Contact: Lorrainne Woodward at 864-239-3742 2013 Small Business Series Greer- Marketing Your Small Business Greer Development Corporation, 111-B South Main St., Greer; 6:30-8 p.m. This seminar will review three aspects of target marketing: defining the “customer,” setting the message, and using various media to attract customers to your business. Cost: Free. Register: workgroups.clemson.edu/ SBDC_Workshops/form.php Contact: Beth Smith at 864-5926318 or es2@clemson.edu Metro Toastmasters Club City Hall / third floor conference room, 206 S. Main St., Greenville; 7-8 p.m. Open to all Contact: 864-350-0044 Upstate PC Users Group Five Forks Baptist Church, 112 Batesville Road, Simpsonville; 7:30-9:30 p.m. Description: A small informal PC users group that aims to help cut
Professional Speak Out By Anna T. Locke
through the confusion of today’s computers and software with real-world information and answers. wednesday, March 20 Handshakes and Hashbrowns Delta Apparel, 322 S. Main St., Greenville; 8-9 a.m. Cost: Free for members. Register at: greerchamber.com For more information: Call 864-232-5200 or visit deltaapparelinc.com AM Think Tank Chamber Office, 211 N. Main St., Simpsonville; 8:30-9:30 a.m. Event Description: The purpose of this group is to discuss ideas and challenges you might be having within your own business with other members that might have faced the same circumstances and how they got through it. Bring a beverage and a snack if you like. Cost: Free to attend as part of your Chamber membership. Contact: Becky at 864-963-3781 Women’s Business Network Stella’s Southern Bistro, 684C Fairview Road, Simpsonville; 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost: Lunch. Speaker: Janet Christy, South Carolina Women’s Business Center Topic: Women-Owned Businesses Register at: simpsonvillechamber.com Mauldin Chamber Leads Group Mauldin Chamber of Commerce, 101 East Butler Road, Mauldin; noon-1:00 p.m. Contact: Don Johnson at dfjj1141@yahoo.com Tech After Five – Greenville Carolina Ale House, 113 S. Main St., Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free to GSA Technology Council members. Register at: techafterfive.com
thursday. March 21 Salute to Manufacturing TD Convention Center, 1 Exposition Center, Greenville Featured Speakers: Jack Jones, Boeing South Carolina vice president and general manager, and Fred Dedrick, executive director of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions (NFWS). Three companies will be honored from among 11 statewide finalists for the 2013 Silver Crescent Awards for Manufacturing Excellence. Cost: Tickets to the Best Practice Forum are $125 per person and to the luncheon are $50. For more information: Visit SaluteToManufacturing.org or silvercresent.org or contact Sharon Halsey at 803-657-6183. Small Business Start-Up Tri-County Technical College Pendleton Campus, 7900 Highway 76, Pendleton; 5:30-8:30 p.m. Cost: Free Register at: piedmontscore.org. For more information: Call 864-271-3638 Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Celebration Holly Tree Country Club, 500 Golf Club Drive, Simpsonville; 5:30-8:00 p.m. Cost: $40, single tickets; $1250, gold sponsor; $750, hospitality sponsor; $500, award sponsor; and $350, table sponsor Contact: Allison McGarity at amcgarity@simpsonvillechamber.com 2nd Annual Public Safety Appreciation Dinner Cannon Centre, Greer City Park, 301 East Poinsett St., Greer; 7 p.m. Open to the public Tickets: $30 per person. Can be purchased at greerchamber.com. Contact: Mark Owens at 864-877-3131
If you think that your CPA is digging deep into your financials, looking for issues that you should be concerned about, think again. Most CPAs focus on compliance obligations – taxes, financial statement compilation, perhaps an audit – and not on coaching you on how to improve your business. In fairness, your CPA probably can’t serve you as a CFO might. Because you don’t immerse him in your business, include him in strategy sessions, or debate staff changes, he’s not equipped to monitor your performance – much less plan and forecast the future accurately. His perspective is limited largely to past performance, not future opportunity. CPAs differ greatly from CFOs. CPAs use historical data that you provide to compile financial statements based on generally accepted principles after your accounting period ends. These are acceptable to third parties like banks, and it is assumed that you read and understand them. A CFO focuses on the goals and strategies of your business, establishes and monitors key performance indicators that signal opportunities – or warnings – to management, works to maximize the value of your business, and coaches you on your financials, including the issues they unveil and trends they indicate. Some CPA firms can perform both functions. Many cannot. If you seek a partner to improve the performance of your business going forward, consider adding a CFO, even in an outsourced capacity. Your organizational performance, your bottom line, and your peace of mind will be better for it.
864.908.3062 • atlocke.com
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Chicora College for Young Ladies was established in Greenville in 1893. Two years later this building was constructed opposite the Greenville Coach Factory on the hill above the south bank of the
Reedy River overlooking South Main Street. The college moved to Columbia in 1915, and in 1933 merged with Queens College in Charlotte, N.C. After the move to Columbia, its main building was
Photo by Greg Beckner
From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection,” by Jeffrey R. Willis Historic photos available from the Greenville Historic Society
UBJ Snapshot
transformed into a movie theater before being destroyed by fire in the late teens. Today the former campus of Chicora College is the site of new development
along the Reedy River. The main building of the college on a hill off of Rhett Street would be hidden behind a row of modern buildings looking from the river.
Photos provided
UBJ New to the Street
Vintage Made Modern is Greenville’s exclusive retailer for Chalk Paint decorative paint and fabrics by Annie Sloan. In addition to their small booth at Palmetto Home & Gardens, Vintage Made Modern has recently opened their own location at 1322 E. Washington St. in the Park Square Building. They help to repurpose furniture, cabinets, picture frames, mirrors, etc., instead of purchasing new. For more information, visit vintage-made-modern.com and facebook.com/vintagemademodern.
34 Upstate business journal March 15, 2013
The Old Cigar Warehouse recently opened in Greenville’s West End at 912 S. Main St. as an event hall in one of Main Street’s oldest and most historic buildings. The Old Cigar Warehouse includes three separate venue areas: The Main Hall featuring the 45-foot-high ceilings and hand-crafted chandeliers; The Cellar featuring intimate lighting and exposed steel rafters; and The Deck featuring bronze accents and 1,700 square feet of open event space facing Main Street. For more information, visit oldcigarwarehouse.com.