January 3, 2020 Upstate Business Journal

NEED TO KNOW

| NEWS

JANUARY 3, 2020 | VOL. 10 | ISSUE 1

BEHIND T HE CAS T LE WALLS A look inside Super Duper Publications

PAGE 6 | upstatebusinessjournal.com January 3, 2020

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THE OPENING BELL

6

QUOTED

Super Duper Publications takes

UBJ behind its castle walls for a look at the company’s unique business

10 14

25 Merline and Meacham masters

the changes of time, taxes and technology as it celebrates 50 years

“Twenty-five to 30-year-olds is our biggest age bracket which surprised us quite a bit, because it would make sense that this would be a younger audience, but it's certainly both.”

-Andrew Leonardi, co-creator, JobQuiz.com “I think you'll see some things changing after the primary season finishes and people don't have opponents and I think also you'll see some trade deals get made pretty fast.”

-David Britt, vice chairman, Spartanburg County Council

THE BIG NUMBERS

$1.12 BILLION purchase of 16 new F-16 Block 70 aircraft by Lockheed Martin's Greenville facility. Page 4

23.7%

of Spartanburg's workforce is in the manufacturing industry. Read more about the Upstate's ranking. Page 11

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January 3, 2020 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

3

NEWS |

NEED TO KNOW

BUSINESS

Bahraini ambassador speaks on $1.12 billion Lockheed Martin deal n story by and photo by EVAN PETER SMITH

The late December rain that pelted the roof of the Westin Poinsett hotel in downtown Greenville was the kind of weather that made the Bahraini ambassador to the United States think fondly of his warm and sunny home nation.

Nestled in an armchair in the hotel lobby, with a bodyguard nearby, Ambassador Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa — Khalifa, for short —wasn’t too perturbed by the dismal grey skies outside.

“I haven’t even gone out yet,” he said with a smile, before nodding up at the ornaments, garlands of holly and the glimmering Christmas tree.

“The view in here is beautiful enough, though, isn’t it?”

Khalifa was in town to commemorate the $1.12 billion purchase of

16 new F-16 Block 70 aircraft, production of which is already underway at Lockheed Martin’s Greenville facility. The aircraft is expected to be delivered by 2021, making Bahrain the first customer to receive the new aircraft. Between 150 to 200 new jobs will be created locally over the course of the aircraft’s production.

“Looking at the relationship between the two countries as a whole, we see that Bahrain has for a long time been a steadfast partner of the U.S.,” Khalifa said.

He noted the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet being headquartered in Bahrain and the importance of that “huge network of U.S. personnel, individuals and families in Bahrain.”

“The region is quite volatile,” he added, “and we believe it is our obligation to protect those U.S. personnel.”

The sale comes after the Trump administration removed an Obama-implemented hold on selling aircraft to Bahrain due to concerns over human rights abuses against the nation’s Shia Muslim minority. Just this past November, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, one of many Democrats who have criticized the Trump administration’s decision to proceed with the aircraft deal, took a trip to Bahrain to visit the family of Nabeel Rajab, a prominent human rights activist who has been detained since 2016 due to Twitter comments critical of the Bahraini government.

When asked to comment on the Obama-era hold, Khalifa said the overall concerns that unite Bahrain and the United States should be seen as the prominent factor.

“I think there is an acknowledgement today of the threats that the region is facing, and in order for us to continue doing our job, we need to upgrade our systems,” Khalifa said.

“It’s important to look at the historical relationship we have. I think over time, we’ve been able to achieve more and more cooperation between the two countries.”

Despite political concerns between the Sunni-led government and the Shias, the island nation of Bahrain, with its 600,000 citizens, has maintained a global reputation as a relatively liberal stronghold of arts, culture and sports in an otherwise fraught region.

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4 UBJ | January 3, 2020

NEED TO KNOW

| NEWS

BUSINESS

Automotive supplier Multi-Pack Solutions to Pierburg US invests $27 begin operating from expanded Greenville facility million, creates 95 jobs n story by JESSICA MULLEN | rendering PROVIDED n story by JESSICA MULLEN

Multi-Pack Solutions expects to begin full-scale operations from a new 125,000-square-foot facility at the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center. Once the move is complete, Multi-Pack expects to add 72 new positions to its workforce.

Multi-Pack Solutions is a leading contract packaging and manufacturing provider for some of the

world’s most recognized brands in the consumer, personal care, overthe-counter drug, medical and industrial markets. The company is headquartered in Greenville and employs more than 300 people.

The new facility, located at 2 Exchange St., represents a $16.3 million investment by Multi-Pack and will house Multi-Pack’s production and sales operations departments.

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Pierburg US announced plans to expand its existing operations in Greenville County. The $27 million investment will create 95 new jobs.

Pierburg US is a manufacturer of components for air supply and emission control. Its 100,000-square-foot facility, located at 5 Southchase Court in Fountain Inn, produces exhaust gas recirculation modules, bypass valves and components for electric throttle controls.

Pierburg’s investment will allow the company to install four new production lines within the existing facility over the next five years. The expansion is expected to be completed in 2024.

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January 3, 2020 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

5

BEHIND T HE CAS T LE WALLS NEWS |

NEED TO KNOW

A look inside Super Duper Publications n story by JEANNIE PUTNAM

photo provided by SUPER DUPER PUBLICATIONS

N

estled in a castle on Pelham Road is Super Duper Publications, a family-run business that has been producing learning products for speech pathologists since 1986.

Sharon Webber, co-founder and president of Super Duper Publications, said she knew she would not return to work as a speech pathologist for the Greenville County School system after having daughter Abigail in 1985. Webber and her then-husband Thomas established Super Duper Publications less than a year later.

“I had been a speech pathologist (for the Greenville County school system) for four years and my husband at the time was practicing law,” Webber said. “We had our first baby and I didn’t want to leave her every day, so I knew I wasn’t going to go back to the school system full time.”

Founding the company had been a long time coming. When Webber Above: King Tut-themed conference room | photo provided by SUPER DUPER PUBLICATIONS

6 UBJ | January 3, 2020

was in the undergraduate program in speech and language at the University of Georgia and the master’s program at the University of South Carolina, she developed worksheets to give to her friends at school.

Then those people would use them with the children they worked with in speech therapy.

“I would develop worksheets that I would give to my friends in the program to use with their children in therapy,” Webber said. “I would draw a picture and write a word or sentence or whatever the goal was. That was really the beginning of the creativity of developing very rudimentary materials. My friends always loved it. I thought after we had our Abigail in 1985, why don’t I see if someone might want to buy my materials [worksheets] and that is really how it started.”

Webber wrote and illustrated the first two books and packs of stickers for Super Duper’s first product line.

The company purchased a mailing

photo by BONFIRE VISUALS

list and did a direct-mail campaign out of the Webbers’ home. Webber said that receiving her first product order was a turning point.

“Thomas and I had no background in business or art or any of that,” Webber said. “We took a chance and in 1986, we did our very first direct mail piece. When I got the first order in the mailbox, I think I was hooked on direct mail. Back then, you didn’t have the internet or anything, so all of your advertising was through direct-mail pieces and at that time, it was just a postcard and an envelope.”

I thought after we had our Abigail in 1985, why don’t I see if someone might want to buy my materials [worksheets] and that is really how it started” -Sharon Webber, co-founder and president, Super Duper Publications As the company grew, the business moved out of the Webber home and into a building on Boyce Avenue, which is now the Confederate Museum. The office building served as the home of Super Duper until 1999, when the company built on Pelham Road, across the street from their current location. They stayed there until 2005, when the castle was built.

BUT, WHY A CASTLE?

“Thomas [who is still a partner in the business] always called me queen of the office across the street,” Webber said. “When it came time to build a bigger building, we both thought it would be fun to build something that wasn’t plain and didn’t look like everyone else’s building. We got a kick out of the thought of building a castle. All credit to Thomas, he was the guy behind the exterior design of this building.”

January 3, 2020 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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Above: Route 66-themed bathroom | photo by BONFIRE VISUALS Below: Hippie Haven-themed bathroom | photo provided by SUPER DUPER PUBLICATIONS

Below: Moose Lodge-themed bathroom | photo by BONFIRE VISUALS

8 UBJ | January 3, 2020

While Thomas Webber designed of the person, and can be used by the exterior of the castle, Webber someone older than middle school. said she designed the interior in a “A good many of the products variety of themes. These include can be used by a regular classroom a Camelot conference room with teacher and parents as homework medieval-style decorations, a King practice, usually under the guidTut-themed conference room and ance of a speech pathologist for a breakroom fashioned after a carryover practice at home,” Web1950s-style diner. Even the bath- ber said. “We have a large parent rooms inside Super Duper have marketplace, but our primary auwhimsical themes. Webber said she dience has always been the speech used so many styles because she language pathologist.”

In addition to offering versatile could never settle on one.

“My whole life is divided into products, Webber credited Super themes and a lot of that originates Duper’s survival to its highly talfrom developing product,” Web- ented employees and the compaber said. “For example, I’m going ny’s ability to adapt. While Webber to do a product and focus on ani- said she wrote all the books in the mals. Now I’m going to do things beginning and illustrated the first around the four therapy books, the home.

Now company has I’m going to since hired a do travel, so I team of artists just loved all We both thought and an editothe different it would be fun to rial staff, who themes. When help develop we moved into build something that the products. this building, wasn’t plain and didn’t “We hire talI just thought, ent,” Webber ‘well, here’s look like everyone said. “Don’t be my opportunity to really afraid of talent. else’s building. We have fun with Talented people got a kick out of the all the things will keep you I like’ and so on the edge of thought of building that’s how we what’s going on. a castle.” have all these Between hiring bathrooms talent and lis-Sharon Webber, tening to your and conferco-founder and president, ence rooms customer base, Super Duper Publications with different they will tell themes. It is you loudly and a creative atclearly what mosphere bethey want and cause it’s not stale. An extension what they need. That’s how we keep of my creativity in doing products up with it.” goes into interior design.”

As Super Duper moves into It is that same creativity that fu- 2020, Webber said she thinks the eled the creation of Super Duper’s future of the company is strong as product line, which includes books, the second generation of Webbers flash cards and apps designed for come to work in the castle. The speech pathologists to use with Webbers’ son Abraham is vice preschildren with communication chal- ident of daily operations and their lenges. Super Duper’s products are daughter Samantha works in martargeted to children from pre-K to keting. Their daughter Abigail also middle school who face challeng- works remotely for the company as es in how they say words, or with an illustrator. grammar or syntax issues, disfluen“I see a strong creative concy (stuttering), voice disorders and nection coming this way at some more, Webber said. point,” Webber said. “The future While the products are targeted of Super Duper is very bright. I see for a speech therapist to use for no reason that 25 years from now, children younger than high school, it shouldn’t still be going strong.

Webber said that the company’s At that point, I have one grandson products are very versatile and and perhaps he will be helping his based on the developmental age father Abraham.”

SUPER DUPER PUBLICATIONS PRODUCES: • Language flash cards • Vocabulary books • Stickers

• Language apps • Story books • Worksheets

THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE SHARON WEBBER RECEIVED? Get help from experts in a particular area; for example, hiring an outside agency to help with payroll and tax paperwork.

Above: Super Duper Publication flash cards and products | photo by BONFIRE VISUALS | Below: Camelot-themed conference room | photo by BONFIRE VISUALS

January 3, 2020 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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NEWS |

NEED TO KNOW

PROFILE

Father, son launch CareerTest.com after JobQuiz.com hits big n story by NEIL COTIAUX | photo JOHN OLSON

Regardless of whether 2020 ends up more bear than bull, one thing is certain: Americans looking for work hope the jobs they find this year provide them with that perfect mix of personal satisfaction, earnings and growth.

Jay and Andrew Leonardi think they’ve found the online key to that success.

About a decade ago Jay Leonardi, a training and development consultant for companies like BMW and Verizon with a master’s in human resource development, wrote a paper-based test called Career Maker.

“I originally wrote it when my son Adam dared me to, because he had taken a career test and it was terrible and he said, ‘You could write something way better than this.’ And so I took that as a challenge and did,” the father of two said.

That “something” turned out to be JobQuiz. com, developed over 18 months and launched in January 2018 by Leonardi, 59, and his other son, Andrew, 27, a website developer now living in New York.

While his father was on vacation, Andrew was “just looking at my stuff ” at Jay’s home office in Easley and found the Career Maker program, Leonardi Sr. recalled. “And he said ‘This is the one. This is the one I want to put online.’”

The Leonardis’ JobQuiz site “goes so far beyond any of those little personality tests you see online and that’s, I think, why it’s been so successful,” Jay Leonardi says.

In the period January 2018 through October 2019, the father’s and son’s uncluttered, easy-to-navigate site attracted 1.6 million unique visitors, with 108,000 in October alone.

With an average test time of 12 minutes, the JobQuiz.com program asks its visitors a series of yes-no-maybe, like-or-dislike and “choose 2” or “choose 4” questions aimed at homing in on their dream jobs.

“Twenty-five to 30-year-olds is our biggest age bracket which surprised us quite a bit, because it would make sense that this would be a younger audience, but it’s certainly both,” Andrew Leonardi said in a conference call with his father and Upstate Business Journal.

Women generate 60% of the site’s business.

A push was made to create a smooth, seamless mobile experience for test-taking.

“So we went very hard on mobile design with the intention of people taking this on their phones or tablets primarily,” Andrew Leonardi said, “and that has been the case.”

10 UBJ | January 3, 2020

Personality. Interest. Aptitude.

Both JobQuiz.com and CareerTest.com, a spinoff of JobQuiz that launched Nov. 17, use three testing elements integral to determining each visitor’s results: personality traits; work interests; and job aptitude.

Each site analyzes those factors differently.

“JobQuiz applies all of those elements at the individual job level. CareerTest begins at the career-lane level and works down through a series of filters to the individual job level,” Jay Leonardi explained.

At the conclusion of both tests, users are presented with their top 15 jobs in rank order.

JobQuiz scores are based on 16 career lanes, CareerTest scores on 24.

A review of the Leonardis’ newest site, CareerTest.com, presented the test-taker with access not only to their top 15 jobs but also to a personality analysis, detailed jobs analysis, earnings potential, key career strengths and other findings.

Jay Leonardi cautions visitors that the old computer adage “garbage in, garbage out” will affect the relative usefulness of an individual’s results.

“We’ve sat looking over people’s shoulders and some people just don’t know themselves,” Jay Leonardi said. “They’ll contradict themself, they’ll go in all different directions, and if they do that, the test — like any other test — is going to

have trouble. But if people are consistent in their responses, it will put out a very good response,” he said.

With no ads and no subscriptions, each site charges a one-time fee of $9.99 for adults and $6.99 for students. There’s a 100% money-back guarantee and so far, the refund rate stands at 0.3 percent.

With JobQuiz.com showing increasing traffic in the U.S. and other parts of the English-speaking world, his son makes enough money to live in New York and not have to hold down a day job, Jay Leonardi said.

In any event, Andrew Leonardi will soon return to Greenville.

“My goal at this point is to continue to build a series of products that generate passive income,” he said.

Said Jay Leonardi, “Andrew and I split the profits 50-50. We are a true partnership.”

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| NEWS

MANUFACTURING

The Upstate ranked among top 10 best places to work in manufacturing n story by JESSICA MULLEN

According to a new study by SmartAsset, the Upstate ranks in the top ten best places to work in manufacturing in the U.S. in 2019.

Spartanburg was ranked fourth, and the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin metro area was ranked seventh.

SmartAsset analyzed cities’ friendliness to the manufacturing workforce based off of the following six factors:

23.7% Of Spartanburg’s workforce is in manufacturing

• Manufacturing as a percentage of the workforce.

• Four-year job growth.

• One-year job growth.

• Four-year income growth.

• One-year income growth.

• Housing costs as a percentage of average income for manufacturing workers.

Spartanburg claimed the fourth spot on the SmartAsset list. The study found that 23.7% of the workforce was employed by the manufacturing industry and the typical mortgage in Spartanburg is 15.8% of the average income for manufacturing workers in the area.

The same study ranked the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin metro area at seventh. According

8% of the nation’s workforce to the study, the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin area ranks in the top third of the 376 total metro areas in the U.S. for all six metrics. The area also ranks within the top 10% of the study for four-year income growth from 2014 through 2017, at 13.4%.

The manufacturing industry accounts for 8% of the U.S. workforce,

is in manufacturing

which translates to roughly 12.8 million employees nationwide, according to SmartAsset.

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January 3, 2020 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

11

MILESTONE

Merline & Meacham Mark 50 years n story by STEPHANIE TROTTER | photos by EMILY PAINTER

Jan. 1, 1970: Richard Nixon sat in the White House; B.J. Thomas sang about raindrops falling on heads; and David Merline Sr. opened a single-attorney practice in Greenville.

The raindrops dried up, and the public knows how Nixon’s second term ended. As for the law firm?

It’s become a mainstay in the community, and this month, Merline & Meacham P.A. celebrates 50 years of legal service.

THE FOUNDER

“My dad was just a very natural person,” says only son, Dave Merline Jr. “He was very concerned with being fair, being kind and treating everyone with respect. That’s how he lived and we just continue to try to do that every day.”

Merline Sr. grew the firm from a small office in the Daniel building to a three-generation operation, handling business law, estate planning and tax work for more than 10,000 clients.

As a boy, Merline Jr. recalls tagging along with his dad downtown.

“We’d swing by his office after church and he’d say, ‘I just need to do one thing,’” the second-generation barrister says. “It would turn out to be two hours. It was very personal work. He was helping people and people seemed to appreciate it.”

No internet; no TV ads; no word-processing programs: The firm grew with hard work, using shorthand and a long list referrals.

“There wasn’t a big business strategy,” Merline Jr. says. “He developed

12 UBJ | January 3, 2020

a deep relationship with a lot of clients. He loved what he did. He helped people and he was sincere about it. I always knew I wanted to do that. I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer.”

SECOND-GENERATION GROWTH

Son joined father in 1984 and Keith Meacham came on board a few years later, adding to the company name. But it’s the names of clients that would read like a who’s who of Greenville, if attorney-client privilege didn’t prohibit release. When asked about the impact their professional work has had on the community, Merline Jr. initially sits silent with humility. Only when pressed does he admit their clients have left fingerprints everywhere, in many different ways.

“The community has benefitted from our estate planning, gifts that our clients have made,” he says. “In one case, we created a foundation, a private charity for one family decades ago, and they funded it. It gives hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to various charities. It’s a living, breathing thing.”

Employees’ volunteer efforts have also molded the landscape.

M&M attorneys have led and guided dozens of institutions within the industry, including the South Carolina Bar Association, the South Carolina Supreme Court’s Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization and The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Their leadership and legal acumen have extended into other sectors as well, serving groups that include the Clemson University Foundation, South Carolina Mental Health Association and Rotary Club of Greenville, in addition to boards of directors with the St. Francis Foundation, Greenville Hospital System Foundation, Community Foundation of Greenville

and Meals on Wheels.

By 1995, the firm’s 25th anniversary, more attorneys had joined the staff, Above: Andrew D. Merline (left) and David A. Merline Jr. (right) including current shareholder is more complicated. It’s no longer Bob August.

“They had a stellar reputation,” snail mail; it’s an email or text. You the University of South Carolina have to be more responsive.”

Leading the way with new ideas School of Law graduate says. “My is third-generation attorney, Andy professors said it was the best firm in the state and if you can get them Merline, who joined the firm four to even talk to you, jump on it. We years ago.

“I can recall 20 times asking my have a good working atmosphere, granddad, ‘What do you do all day?’” good management style and longterm view of things, with clients says the youngest Merline. “He’d say, ‘Well, I answer the phone and read who are loyal to us.” a lot.’ Now, I answer the phone and read a lot!”

To better reach Andy’s age group, You have to Merline & Meacham has recently created a social media presence, and work harder and is updating its website, while mainbe better so that taining the quality that’s secured success across half a century. More than people will 80% of new business comes from appreciate referrals from pleased clients, other attorneys and outside companies. what you did “It’s very much problem solving,” to get here.” says the young attorney. “Everything’s unique. There’s always 100 -Dave Merline Jr. fires to put out, and you only have time to do one. But it comes together really well, and I’m extremely happy THE FUTURE Today, Merline & Meacham offic- and appreciate it.”

His father says collaboration is es in Greenville and Columbia house the mid-size firm’s culture, and he just under 20 employees. The firm’s knows he’s passing the legal pad in five shareholders like to hire young the right direction. talent who will stick around.

“I told my son you can’t be aver“We hire with the intent of you staying,” Merline Jr. says “We heavily age,” Merline Jr. says. “You have to mentor. We heavily groom. I think work harder and be better so that we are the largest collection of tax people will appreciate what you did and estate-planning attorneys of any to get here. He’s doing that.”

Together, father and son hope to firm in our state.” continue to build what Merline Sr. That grooming includes adaptstarted 50 years ago. ing to ever-changing technology “My Dad got brain cancer and and tax laws.

“Over time, certain areas of law passed a few years ago,” Merline Jr. have shrunk and certain areas have says. “But he kept working until he grown. So, we have,” Merline Jr. says. couldn’t work anymore. He’d be “Another thing that’s changed: Ev- working today if he didn’t get sick. erything is faster now. Everything He loved what he did… and so do I.”

NEED TO KNOW

| NEWS

FINANCE

A New Year’s financial planning checklist Welcome to the roaring ’20s! As 2020 begins, it’s a great time to plan and organize your personal finances for the new year. Here are a five actions to consider: 1 SET YOUR SAVINGS GOALS. Did you set savings goals for 2019? Evaluate how you did, and set your new goals for 2020. Review how much you’re contributing to your workplace retirement account and if you’re not taking full advantage of your employer’s match, consider increasing your contribution. Be proactive and pay yourself first!

2 REDUCE DEBT. This is a big one and often the least fun. The new year often brings holiday debt and credit card bills. So if you’re carrying consumer debt, start with an honest assessment.

Then begin paying off revolving cred-

it, such as high-interest credit-card bills and non–tax-deductible debt.

3 RE-BALANCE YOUR PORTFOLIO. Let’s face it, 2019 was a great year for the stock and bondmarkets. It’s unlikely to continue at this pace and your investments probably need some attention. Make sure your asset allocation is in line with your investment goals, time horizon and risk tolerance. The beginning of the year is a great time to review and re-balance your portfolio.

4 PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED. This is often where I see individuals make the biggest mistakes. Review your insurance policies—homeowner’s, renter’s, auto, disability, long-term care and life insurance. Are the limits adequate? Should the deductibles be modified? Is there less-expensive insurance available for similar cover-

ROB DEHOLLANDER

managing partner and co-founder of DeHollander & Janse Financial Group.

age? Are you taking advantage of all the discounts offered to you by your insurance providers? Insurance helps protect against unforeseen events that don’t happen very often, but when they do can be too expensive to manage yourself. Review and make sure your coverage is adequate.

5 THINK LONG TERM. Finally, here are three long-term items to think about.

They’re usually not top of mind but have great importance for financial and legacy planning: • Review your estate planning documents – To ensure that your estate plan stays in tune with your goals and needs, you should review and update it on an ongoing basis to account for any life changes or other circumstances. Update beneficiary designations, take a fresh look at trustee and agent appointments, review provisions of powers of attorney and health

care directives and ensure that you fully understand all of your documents.

• Check your credit report. It’s important to monitor your credit report regularly for suspicious activity that could indicate identity theft.

Federal law requires that each of the nationwide credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) provide you with a free copy of your report every 12 months.

• Get professional advice. From time to time, it’s helpful to look at the big picture. This may involve a professional review of your unique planning concerns. Consider reaching out to a certified financial planner for a thorough review.

• Finally, remember that you don’t have to feel like you have to do all of this at once. This year, be intentional about improving your financial health. Take one step at a time and make real progress on your journey to financial success!

January 3, 2020 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

13

NEWS |

NEED TO KNOW

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Outlook Spartanburg 2020: Lots of sun but one stubborn cloud

n story by NEIL COTIAUX | photos provided by the SPARTANBURG CHAMBER

I think you’ll see some things changing after the primary season finishes and people don’t have opponents and I think also you’ll see some trade deals get made pretty fast.”

-David Britt, vice chairman, Spartanburg County Council

“We had routes we would take people on to keep them out of downtown,” said David Britt, the vice chairman of Spartanburg County Council as audience members laugh.

“I mean that’s no joke. Because it was boarded up. It wasn’t something to be proud of.”

At this year’s Outlook Spartanburg conference, it was easy for the audience to chuckle at Britt’s recounting of how, years ago, he had tiptoed around the county with prospects.

That’s because speaker after speaker at this year’s economic outlook event, held Dec. 6 at the Spartanburg Marriott, painted a picture of a city and county on a roll.

Countywide, 22 projects in 2019 represented

$286.5 MILLION in capital investment

Warming up the crowd for its breakout sessions, Allen Smith, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, ticked off a mix of recent achievements.

Nearly 300 businesses are up and running downtown. “One in four businesses was not there three years ago,” Smith said, with $50 million in downtown development occurring in the past year and $292 million of development in progress or announced.

Growth in hotel development, up by 22% in Spartanburg County, is the highest such growth by percentage in the state, surpassing Charleston and Myrtle Beach in a key tour-

14 UBJ | January 3, 2020

ism metric. The average occupancy rate for hotels in the county stands at 68%.

Countywide, 22 projects in 2019 represented $286.5 million in capital investment. Of those, 59% were new, 41% represented expansions and 40% of the total were advanced manufacturing projects.

“One county is generating 25% of our state’s investment,” Smith said proudly.

Other economic-development leaders were equally bullish.

Spartanburg is the 19th fastest-growing county in the country, Britt noted.

“The Inland Port has been a game-changer,” added Max Metcalf, government and community relations manager for BMW and chairman of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance.

Metcalf said GSP International Airport has emerged as an excellent supply-chain partner for the port.

“The tremendous increase in air cargo is benefited by being by the inland port. … It creates a multi-modal system because you can bring cargo in by air, have maybe it go into containers at some complex and then be ready to go to market either by rail or by truck from air,” Metcalf explained.

All told, public-private cooperation in Spartanburg County has generated $16 billion in industrial and commercial development and 45,000 jobs from just before BMW put down roots in the early 1990s to today, said Katherine O’Neill, the new executive vice president of the chamber’s economic futures group.

STRONG FUNDAMENTALS

Heading into 2020, fundamental measures remain strong in support of the continued revitalization of downtown and the ongoing recruitment of larger business prospects, although uncertainty over tariffs continues to make some international prospects hesitant.

Nationally, economic expansion will continue, but at a slower rate closer to 2%, said Tim Quinlan, director and senior economist with Wells Fargo Securities, the event’s keynote speaker.

Both employment growth and consumer spending remain strong and single-family home building is steady, he said.

Quinlan described Spartanburg County as a “powerhouse of growth.”

“Even with the trade war, we can still continue to grow,” the Charlotte-based economist noted. But he warned that tit-for-tat retaliatory tariffs are starting to hit some consumer goods categories in the U.S. directly.

THE CHILL MAY COME OFF

The trade wars that began in 2017 have been like “ice-cold water poured on development in Spartanburg” with companies hesitating to make firm commitments on major projects, said Britt, who is the county’s point person on tariffs.

Nevertheless, companies representing 11 countries including China, France and Germany were involved in some kind of develop-

ment in the county during 2019, according to chamber data. A total of 211 international companies now call Spartanburg County home.

Britt believes 2020 will usher in a softening of the trade wars as a result of the costs they continue to inflict domestically and as candidates for public office emerge victorious from primary squabbles and no longer need to fend off party challengers.

“I think you’ll see some things changing after the primary season finishes and people don’t have opponents and I think also you’ll see some trade deals get made pretty fast,” Britt said.

A week after Britt made that prediction, President Donald Trump announced a partial trade deal with China in which tariffs on a number of consumer products imported into the U.S. were scaled back or cancelled. For its part, China agreed to buy hundreds of billions of dollars more of U.S. goods.

“We’re going to go back to ‘whitehot’ next year,” Britt predicted.

NEED TO KNOW

| NEWS

UPSTATE AREA NEWS AND NOTES Palmetto Pedic establishing operations in Cherokee County Palmetto Pedic, a mattress manufacturing company, announced plans to establish operations in Cherokee County. The $8.5 million investment is expected to create more than 60 new jobs.

Located at 418 Chandler Drive in Gaffney, the company’s manufacturing processes will include a foam pouring line, computer cutting machines, injection molding machines, innerspring mattress coil manufacturing, and all cutting, sewing and packaging of the final products. Palmetto Pedic’s operations are expected to be online this month.

Turbine Federal Credit Union announces merger with SelfHelp Credit Union Greenville-based Turbine Federal Credit Union announced its merger with Self-Help Credit Union, headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.

Turbine has approximately 2,900 members and $26 million in assets. The merger was approved by both credit union boards and by state and federal credit union regulators.

Self-Help has been operating in South Carolina since 2018 after its merger with the former Palmetto Trust Federal Credit Union, based in Columbia, and CommunityWorks Federal Credit Union in Greenville last year.

Global Lending Services announces more than 650 new jobs in Greenville

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The automotive lending company Global Lending Services announced plans to expand its current operations in Greenville with an investment of $4.2 million locally, which is expected to create 669 new jobs.

GLS offers consumer financing for the purchase of new and used vehicles. The company’s services are available at more than 12,000 car dealerships nationwide, with more than 150,000 customers to date.

The just-announced expansion is expected to be completed by the summer. Initial hiring efforts are already underway.

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9/20/19 9:16 AM

NEWS |

NEED TO KNOW

BUSINESS

On the Move Some of the Upstate’s most recent hires, promotions, awards and appointments HIRED:

HIRED: Michael Branch recently joined NAI Earle Furman

as a broker. Branch is a graduate of the College of Charleston. He previously worked with a Charlestonbased solar energy company as a technical analyst.

Michael Sarvis recently joined First

National Bank as Greenville market president. Based in Greenville, Sarvis oversees a Commercial Banking team focused on establishing and maintaining banking relationships with middle market and large corporate clients throughout upstate South Carolina. With 30 years of financial services experience, Sarvis previously served as market president for Synovus Bank in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he oversaw business development across the southeastern portion of the state.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Financial Management and Master of Business Administration from Clemson University as well as an Advanced Banking Degree from Georgetown University’s Stonier Banking School.

To learn more visit www.fnbcorporation.com

New to the Street Recently opened businesses in the Upstate

HIRED: Richard “Christian” Capps recently joined Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey. Capps is a graduate of The Citadel and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He is a commissioned officer in the National Guard and has served for the past five years.

HIRED: Melody Cuenca recently joined Ballentine Capital

Advisors as marketing coordinator. Cuenca joined BCA to provide public relations and marketing support to the team. She is a graduate of Bob Jones University. She has professional experience in writing and social media.

AWARDED: Greyson Furnas of Spencer Hines was recently

awarded the CCIM Designation. Furnas is also a 2018 graduate of the United Way of the Piedmont’s Non-Profit Fellows Program, 2019 Graduate of Leadership Spartanburg and currently serves as the development chair for the Spartanburg Young Professionals.

NAMED: Annette Allen was recently named to lead Fluor’s Greenville operations center as vice president of global execution and general manager. Allen most recently led business development and strategy globally for Fluor’s life sciences and advanced manufacturing business.

BoxLunch recently opened in the Haywood Mall. BoxLunch is as a gift and novelty store that donates a meal to a person in need for every $10 spent.

Where: 700 Haywood Road, Greenville Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Saturday and noon-7 p.m. Sunday For more information: Visit www.boxlunch.com or call 864-626-6951

16 UBJ | January 3, 2020

PROMOTED: Kory Radford was recently promoted to director of

accounts at Engenius. Radford was previously an account manager at Engenius. Before joining Engenius, he worked at Herff Jones for 11 years where he owned and operated a sales territory.

BUSINESS ON TAP presented by

THE UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL’S MONTHLY NETWORKING EVENT IN A RELAXED ATMOSPHERE.

No pressure.

No presentations.

FIRST DRINK IS ON US. NETWORKING IS ON YOU. WHERE:

Genevieve’s 300 S Main Street Greenville, SC At the Peace Center

WHEN:

Wednesday, January 22 5:30 - 7:00 PM

UpstateBusinessJournal.com

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Networking + Business Events Planner JAN

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Basic Small Business Start-up Greenville

HR Concerns for Small Business Owners

6-8 p.m. | Greenville County Library

6-8 p.m. | My Greenville Office

This meeting is for people thinking of starting a small business.

Owners or managers of a small business can attend this workshop to learn about the rules, regulations and best practices for HR.

SCORE Mentors, Piedmont SCORE Chapter 0232 at 864-271-3638 or info@piedmontscore.org.

JAN

9

JAN

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SCORE Mentors, Piedmont SCORE Chapter 0232 at 864-271-3638 or info@piedmontscore.org.

JAN

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2020 conference series 5:30-7 p.m. | Furman University | Younts Conference Center | 3300 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville This conference series is for women who aspire to become better and stronger leaders in the workplace and their communities. The speakers for session one of this four-part women in leadership conference series are Dr. Margaret Oakes, English professor, Furman University; Kim Keefer, director of the Shucker Center for Leadership Development; and Mary Kathrine Roark Harbin, area manager, Maymead Construction. The topics will include “Reflection, Transformation and Self,” “What is Leadership?” and “CliftonStrengths Discovery: Your Unique Strengths.”

Links Industrial 8:45-10 a.m. | Greenville Chamber

Chamber Connects Referral Group 1

This noncompete leads group offers business networking and referral marketing in industrial industries.

9-10 a.m | Simpsonville First Baptist Church

Andrew Van at 864-242-1050 or avan@ greenvillechamber.org.

Free to Simpsonville chamber members.

$1,695 per person; each session includes breakfast, lunch and a key business leadership workshop register at: www.furman.edu/wli; Sam Tisdale at Sam.Tisdale@furman.edu.

Topics include marketing strategies, business resources, local industry trends, and more.

Aaron Rupe at Aaron.Rupe@dexyp.com.

JAN

15 JAN

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JAN

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Annual Meeting and Banquet 6 p.m. | Green Valley Country Club The annual banquet for the Travelers Rest Chamber of Commerce. $30 per person, admission includes dinner. www.greatertrchamber.com/events-calendar.

Leads Group Noon-1 p.m. | Mauldin Cultural Center

Friendly Friday with Chamber Ambassadors

For individuals looking for business leads.

10 a.m.-noon | Simpsonville Chamber

Mauldin Chamber of Commerce, 864-2971323.

This is a monthly meeting of Simpsonville Chamber of Commerce ambassadors.

JR Humphries at 864-688-9553 or jhumphries@simpsonvillechamber.com.

18 UBJ | January 3, 2020

UP NEXT GOT ANY THOUGHTS? PUBLISHER

CARE TO CONTRIBUTE?

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

LET US KNOW AT

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

sherry@communityjournals.com.

Susan Schwartzkopf

EDITOR Claire Billingsley

ASSOCIATE BUSINESS EDITOR Sherry Jackson

STAFF WRITERS

IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF UBJ? WANT A COPY FOR YOUR LOBBY?

Georgia Gay, Jessica Mullen, Evan Peter Smith

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

UBJ milestone

UBJ milestone jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years 1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport

1988

MARKETING & ADVERTISING MANAGER OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

1990 Jackson Dawson acquires therapon marketing Group and moves to Piedmont office Center on Villa.

>>

Chairman larry Jackson, Jackson marketing Group. Photos by Greg Beckner / Staff

Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 years By sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

Solve. Serve. Grow. Those three words summarize Jackson Marketing Group’s guiding principles, and according to owner Larry Jackson, form the motivation that has kept the firm thriving for the past 25 years.

Jackson graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in video and film production and started his 41-year career in the communications industry with the U.S. Army’s Public Information Office. He served during

Vietnam, where he said he was “luckily” stationed in the middle of Texas at Fort Hood.

He left the service and went to work in public affairs and motorsports at Ford Motor Company in Detroit.

After a stint at Bell and Howell, where he was responsible for managing Ford’s dealer marketing and training, the entrepreneurial bug hit and he co-founded Jackson-Dawson Marketing Communications, a company specializing in dealer training and product launches for the auto industry in 1980.

In 1987, Jackson wanted to move back south and thought Greenville would be a good fit. An avid pilot, he

learned of an opportunity to purchase Cornerstone Aviation, a fixed base operation (FBO) that served as a service station for the Greenville Downtown Airport, providing fuel, maintenance and storage.

In fact, when he started the Greenville office of what is now Jackson Marketing Group (JMG) in 1988, the offices were housed on the second floor in an airport hangar.

“Clients would get distracted by the airplanes in the hangars and we’d have to corral them to get back upstairs to the meeting,” Jackson said.

Jackson sold the FBO in 1993, but says it was a great way to get to know Greenville’s fathers and leaders

>>

with a majority of them utilizing the general aviation airport as a “corporate gateway to the city.”

In 1997, Jackson and his son, Darrell, launched Jackson Motorsports Group. The new division was designed to sell race tires and go to racetracks to sell and mount the tires. Darrell Jackson now serves as president of the motorsports group and Larry Jackson has two other children and a son-in-law who work there. Jackson said all his children started at the bottom and “earned their way up.”

Jackson kept the Jackson-Dawson branches in Detroit and others in Los Angeles and New York until he sold his portion of that partnership in 2009 as part of his estate planning.

The company now operates a small office in Charlotte, but its main headquarters are in Greenville in a large office space off Woodruff Road, complete with a vision gallery that displays local artwork and an auditorium Jackson makes available for non-profit use. The Motorsports Group is housed in an additional 26,000 square feet building just down the street, and the agency is currently looking for another 20,000 square feet.

Jackson said JMG has expanded into other verticals such as financial, healthcare, manufacturing and pro-bono work, but still has a strong focus on the auto industry and transportation. It’s

2003 2009-2012 Jackson marketing Group named a top BtoB agency by BtoB magazine 4 years running

him going and growing his business over the years. He is passionate about giving back and outreach to non-profits. The company was recently awarded the Community Foundation Spirit Award.

The company reaffirmed its commitment to serving the community last week by celebrating its 25th anniversary with a birthday party and a 25-hour Serve-A-Thon partnership with Hands on Greenville and Habitat for Humanity. JMG’s 103 full-time employees worked in shifts around the clock on October 22 and 23 to help construct a house for a deserving family.

As Jackson inches towards retirement, he says he hasn’t quite figured out his succession plan yet, but sees the companies staying under the same umbrella. He wants to continue to strategically grow the business.

“From the beginning, my father has taught me that this business is all about our people – both our clients and our associates,” said his son, Darrell. “We have created a focus and a culture that strives to solve problems, serve people and grow careers.”

Darrell Jackson said he wants to “continue helping lead a culture where we solve, serve and grow. If we are successful, we will continue to grow towards our ultimate goal of becoming the leading integrated marketing communications brand in the Southeast.”

2011 Jackson marketing Group/Jackson motorsports Group employee base reaches 100 people

2008 2012 Jackson marketing Group recognized by Community Foundation with Creative spirit Award

pro-bono/non-proFit Clients American Red Cross of Western Carolinas Metropolitan Arts Council Artisphere Big League World Series The Wilds Advance SC South Carolina Charities, Inc. Aloft Hidden Treasure Christian School

CoMMUnitY inVolVeMent & boarD positions lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board, Metropolitan Arts Council Board, American Red Cross Board, Greenville Tech Foundation Board, South Carolina Chamber Board eric Jackson (Jackson motorsports Group sales specialist): Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board

November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21

20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013

Donna Johnston

2009 Jackson Dawson changes name to Jackson marketing Group when larry sells his partnership in Detroit and lA

2003 motorsports Division acquires an additional 26,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space

1998 1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court

also one of the few marketing companies in South Carolina to handle all aspects of a project in-house, with four suites handling video production, copywriting, media and research and web design.

Clients include heavyweights such as BMW, Bob Jones University, the Peace Center, Michelin and Sage Automotive. Recent projects have included an interactive mobile application for Milliken’s arboretum and 600-acre Spartanburg campus and a marketing campaign for the 2013 Big League World Series.

“In my opinion, our greatest single achievement is the longevity of our client relationships,” said Darrell Jackson. “Our first client from back in 1988 is still a client today. I can count on one hand the number of clients who have gone elsewhere in the past decade.”

Larry Jackson says his Christian faith and belief in service to others, coupled with business values rooted in solving clients’ problems, have kept

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