March 31, 2017 UBJ

MARCH 31, 2017 | VOL. 6 ISSUE 13

LANDING LOCKHEED THE F-16 LOOKS LIKE A GO FOR GREENVILLE IF THE COMPANY CAN CLOSE A DEAL IN THE PERSIAN GULF INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

| THE RUNDOWN

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 13 Featured this issue: Roebuck Buildings constructs a 70-year milestone.............................................12 Is the F-16 really a go for Greenville?.........................................................................14 The difference between entrepreneurs and small businesspeople.................17

On the road to the Final Four, the USC Gamecocks first had to get through Marquette and Duke in the first and second rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, played at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. Officials say the games had at least a $3.6 million economic impact on Greenville. Read more on page 4. Photo by Joshua S. Kelly.

WORTH REPEATING “We took on some projects that we may not have taken on during normal times. We did what we had to do to survive.”

VERBATIM

On “repeal and replace”

Page 12

“The F-16 is a legendary program. It’s just that it’s on its last legs. They’re just about out of orders.”

Page 14

“If I don’t follow up, I don’t eat. People don’t call with an emergency and then wait a few weeks until you call them back.”

Page 22

GageSkidmore

“Next move on health care — Collapse and Replace. … Good news is we still have a chance to WIN.”

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on Twitter last Friday, as the GOP withdrew its Obamacare “repeal and replace” bill. Graham described “#Winning” as “replacing Obamacare with something that improves the health care choices available to Americans.”

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

THE SWEET 3.6

NCAA Tournament is a slam-dunk money-maker for Greenville TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com

The USC Gamecocks men’s basketball team has had plenty to celebrate on their way to the Final Four, including knocking off Duke at Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Photo by Joshua S. Kelly.

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

The return of March Madness had at least a $3.6 million economic impact on Greenville, a local tourism official said.

For the first time since 2002, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament was held in the city March 17 through 19.

Officials said Greenville, which hosted first- and second-round games, sold out of the 42,000 tickets available for the event.

“We were the only first or second round site to sell out,” said David Montgomery, vice president of sales for VisitGreenvilleSC. “Sunday games were moved to prime time. That means we had another full day of people in Greenville.”

Montgomery said all of the 6,000 hotel rooms tracked by his organization were occupied throughout the weekend.

He suspected the nearly 3,000 other rooms in Greenville were also booked.

comments about the city.”

The removal of the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds in 2015 made it possible for Greenville and other cities in the Palmetto State to bid for NCAA events. The flag was removed in response to the slayings of nine parishioners at the historic Mother Emanuel church in Charleston.

In September 2016, the NCAA announced it planned to relocate several neutral-site championships, including the men’s basketball tournament games originally scheduled for Greensboro, N.C. That decision was in response to North Carolina’s so-called bathroom bill, HB2.

“The exposure was tremendous for the city,” said Greenville Mayor Knox White. “We heard a lot of the usual comments from people about wanting to come back.”

White said he was walking through the lobby of city hall on Sunday when

“We can host this event just as well as, if not better than, anyone else.

We’re a known entity now.”

David Montgomery, vice president of sales for VisitGreenvilleSC.

Official economic impact numbers from the event are being calculated and will be released soon, he said.

The city also benefited from the “luck of the draw,” Montgomery said, as teams with a nearby fan base, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and the University of South Carolina, were chosen to play in Greenville.

The other teams were from Texas Southern University, the University of Arkansas, Seton Hall University, Marquette University, and Troy University.

Furman University and the Southern Conference served as co-hosts of tournament, which was held at the 15,000-seat Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Montgomery said fans crowded downtown restaurants and retail shops, and visited a number of local attractions.

“Everything exceeded our expectations,” he said. “The weather was great.

We had some great teams. … All positives. We have heard a lot of great

three young ladies from outside of Atlanta walked into the visitor’s center.

He said one of them yelled out, “Best city ever!”

“People just want to share their enthusiasm,” White said. “Overall, I’d give us a solid A. Everything worked out beautifully.”

The mayor said the event highlighted the need for greater connectivity between the arena and downtown, as well as the area around Heritage Green.

He hopes the city will address those needs soon as part of its Capital Improvement Program.

Montgomery said the city has already bid on NCAA basketball events for 2019 to 2022. Efforts are also being made to bring the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament back.

He said the NCAA is expected to announce its host cities for future tournaments on April 12.

“I think we put ourselves in a very good position by proving that we can host this event just as well as, if not better than, anyone else,” Montgomery said. “We’re a known entity now.”

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䴀䈀䄀

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| NEWS

NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

OUT OF GAS

BI-LO, Spinx part ways on loyalty program RUDOLPH BELL | STAFF

rbell@communityjournals.com Fifteen years ago, when the BI-LO grocery chain decided to sell three convenience stores it owned in Simpsonville and Greer, it sold them to the Spinx convenience store chain. In addition, the two chains, both locally based at the time, discussed a long-term partnership that would have involved joint real estate development.

Seven years later, ties between BI-LO and Spinx grew again when they began working together on a customer loyalty program called Fuelperks. It rewarded frequent BI-LO shoppers with gasoline discounts at Spinx stores.

Recently, however, BI-LO took a step back from its relationship with Spinx, dropping Fuelperks in favor of a different customer loyalty program called

Plenti. Plenti, operated by American Express, offers gasoline discounts at Exxon and Mobil stores, but not Spinx stores.

BI-LO is now based in Florida and part of a larger company with multiple grocery brands, while Spinx remains independent and based in Greenville.

BI-LO stopped giving customers rewards under the Fuelperks program on March 26, but Spinx stores will continue providing gasoline discounts under Fuelperks until April 30.

“Fuelperks has been a great way for our shared customers to save money on gas these past eight years, so we’re disappointed to see it go away,” said Stewart Spinks, who founded the convenience store chain with a single gas station at the corner of Washington Street and Laurens Road in Greenville in 1972.

Spinx founder Stewart Spinks (center), with Spinx President Stan Storti (left) and CEO Steve Spinks (right).

Today, his company operates 82 convenience stores across South Carolina.

Spinx is now emphasizing its own customer loyalty program, called Spinx Xtras. It also offers discounts on gasoline, specifically 5 cents off a gallon for every $25 spent on other merchandise inside one of its stores.

Spinx launched Xtras in 2010 and now claims to have more than 50,000 customers participating in the program, which comes with its own plastic card to swipe when purchasing.

“We believe that there are a lot of

Fuelperks customers who will want to continue saving money on gas at Spinx, and Xtras will give them that opportunity,” said Steve Spinks, CEO of the convenience store chain. He said Spinx has been providing gasoline discounts to about 1,500 people a day under the Fuelperks program.

BI-LO says customers who enroll in the Plenti program can earn points that can be used to get discounts at thousands of retail locations, including AT&T, Macy’s, Chili’s, and Rite Aid.

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| NEWS

NUMBER CRUNCH

Stansell to help lead Cherry Bekaert’s new tech group Toby Stansell RUDOLPH BELL | STAFF

rbell@communityjournals.com A familiar face in the Greenville business community has a new job leading the technology business of a regional accounting firm.

Toby Stansell spent decades as an executive with various firms — often selling technology services — after getting a bachelor’s degree in financial management from Clemson University in 1977.

Early in his career, the 61-year-old sold forklifts from Spartanburg, IBM hardware and software from Asheville, and software from Greenville.

He worked as an executive in The Netherlands, Southern California, and Austin, Texas, before returning to the Upstate in 2004.

Back in Greenville, Stansell ran two local companies: apparel provider Oobe Inc. and technology services firm Acumen IT. Now Stansell is managing director of the Technology Solutions Group for Cherry Bekaert LLP, an accounting firm based in Richmond, Va., with offices stretching from Washington, D.C., to Miami.

He and his wife, Susan, currently live on Lake Keowee in Seneca, in his parents’ native county of Oconee. But Stansell said they’re planning to build a house in Greenville “as my commercial endeavors and our community involvement make it impractical for us to live at the lake during the week.”

The Cherry Bekaert job is his first in the accounting industry.

Stansell said it gives him a platform to provide independent advice to clients on technology matters, instead of pushing one company’s particular products and services.

“The fact that we are systems-agnostic puts us in a unique position of not

having to favor or promote any particular brand or product, and instead frees us up to recommend solutions that truly are the best match for the functional requirements of the business, while still staying within the financial parameters for technology investment,” he said.

Cherry Bekaert caters to the middle market and has special expertise in the technology, health care, and industrial sectors, “all of which are important industries to Greenville,” Stansell said.

The firm says it recently launched the Technology Solutions Group to meet the growing technology and business intelligence needs of its clients.

Some of the group's offerings include business process requirements assessments, software search and evaluation engagements, systems/software functionality requirements schedule, and disparate systems integration architecture and plan.

Stansell said he’s resigned from certain community roles and boards to focus on Cherry Bekaert clients.

But he won’t give up his extensive volunteer work at the Greenville Chamber, where he’s vice chair of economic growth and prosperity, cochair of the Accelerate economic development initiative, and instructor for the Minority Business Accelerator.

Carlos Phillips, the chamber’s CEO, said Stansell has been a tremendous help to him since he took the chamber’s helm a little more than a year ago.

“Thanks to Toby and Craig Brown [president of the Greenville Drive minor league baseball team], both co-chairs of Accelerate, we have been able to keep investments up and a clear focus on what the chamber’s role in economic development is,” Phillips said. “With their leadership and determination, we’re on a glide path to get there.”

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

PHILANTHROPY

BMW Charity Pro-AM hosts inaugural Executive Women’s Day The BMW Charity Pro-AM presented by SYNNEX Corporation is hosting the inaugural Executive Women’s Day on May 17, 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m., at Furman University’s Trone Student Center and will include a panel discussion and keynote speaker focusing on topics for women, by women. Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research is sponsoring the event.

Keynote speaker Molly Barker is founder of Girls on the Run, which uses running to inspire and motivate girls, encourage lifelong health and fitness, and reinforce important social, psychological, and physical skills and abilities.

SterAssure uses a heated water vessel to sterilize medical waste

HEALTH CARE

SterAssure receives DHEC’s green light to process medical waste SterAssure Processing received approval from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) in March to process and sterilize medical waste, using its sustainable and green technology.

The Greenville-based company, which also hauls medical waste, reduces the carbon footprint by reducing the energy usage needed to sterilize the waste, says Ryan Hamsho, chief operating officer.

“We figure we have a 94 percent reduction in the carbon footprint over incineration,” says Mike McCuen, SterAssure’s president. McCuen and Hamsho formed the company in 2015. They have been working with DHEC for over a year to receive approval.

The most popular way to handle regulated medical waste is to incinerate it, but this method uses a significant amount of energy and it can contribute to pollution, Hamsho says.

Another technology involves an autoclave in which a vessel containing medical waste uses steam to sterilize the material — but the steam may not penetrate all surfaces, Hamsho says. “That’s a big risk because it is all taken to the landfill,” he says. “But it has to be sterilized first.”

SterAssure’s novel technology uses a process that heats water in a vessel that is loaded with medical waste. When the water reaches a certain temperature, a mechanism churns the waste with water penetrating all surfaces of the waste. When the water is drained from the tank, a large portion of the water goes into a holding tank where it stays warm and fresh water is added to it, Hamsho explains.

The finished waste product is more sterile than household water running down the sink, and it uses no chemicals, which means it can be accepted into any public landfill, McCuen says. —Melinda Young

“The purpose of Executive Women’s Day, which will take place during tournament week, is to generate business and social relationships by providing an exclusive and engaging forum for professional women,” said Linda Johnson, sales director, BMW Charity Pro-Am presented

by SYNNEX Corporation.

Panelists include Elizabeth Davis, president, Furman University; Brenda J. Thames, vice president for academic and faculty affairs, Greenville Health System; and Denna Mensch, vice president, technology solutions marketing, SYNNEX. Amy Wood, 7 News WSPA anchor, will serve as emcee.

To purchase tickets to the event, contact Linda Johnson at LJohnson@sccharities.org or 864-517-2383.

—Staff Report

TRANSPORTATION

American Airlines announces three new flights from GSP to Chicago Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport’s growth plan took a step forward last Tuesday. American Airlines will add three daily nonstop flights to Chicago’s O’Hare International beginning July 5.

The flights will depart from the Upstate at 8:10 a.m., 10:05 a.m., and 6:20 p.m., according to GSP spokeswoman Rosylin Weston.

American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said the company will use 50-seat ERJ-145 aircraft for the flights.

“American is the world’s largest airline, and these flights will connect passengers from GSP to more than 500 daily flights from Chicago that reach more than 120 destinations,” Scott said.

Weston said the expansion of American Airlines’ service comes as welcome news to GSP, which saw its passenger traffic reach an all-time high of 2,018,319 flyers in 2016.

GSP hit that mark despite low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines’ decision to scale back its service and only fly to Atlanta.

The airport is nearing completion of its $125 million main terminal renovation, Project WINGSPAN. The project will increase GSP’s total capacity to 4 million passengers per year, according to Weston.

“For those whose final destination is Chicago, this gives them three more options for getting there,” Weston said.

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UBJ | 3.31.2017

“Equally as important, it opens up American’s network — potentially hundreds of flights to Chicago and beyond — to those flying out of GSP. It adds 150 seats to the market and opens up travel to destinations around the world.”

Weston said cities like London, Madrid, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Seattle are just a few of the potential places American passengers will be able to reach from Chicago O’Hare.

“You can grow by attracting new airlines, or by existing airlines choosing to expand their service,” Weston said.

“The record passenger numbers and this announcement

by American Airlines clearly demonstrate that there is demand and the measures taken to improve air service out of GSP are having a positive effect.” —Trevor Anderson

MATERIALS

Lumber company expanding operations in Greenwood County Ackerson-Stevens Inc. (ASI) announced Tuesday it will invest $490,000 to expand its operations in Greenwood County and create 15 jobs.

ASI, a lumber company and manufacturer of custom moldings and flooring accessories, said the expansion will include the renovation of an existing 30,000-square-foot building adjacent to its existing facility at 1 Quality Way in Ware Shoals. The company said it will also upgrade machinery and expand its office space.

ASI anticipates the project will be completed by the second quarter of 2018. Hiring for the new positions is underway.

Job seekers are asked to contact bjsmith@asihardwood.com. —Trevor Anderson

TECH

Clemson partners with SAS for data analytics Through a new educational partnership, analytics leader SAS and Clemson will provide research, software, services, and funding to the university’s Watt Family Innovation Center.

Thanks to the new partnership, professors, students, and researchers can access and apply advanced SAS Analytics, business intelligence, cybersecurity, and data management software toward the Watt Family Innovation Center mission. SAS also will provide teaching materials, onsite training for faculty and staff, and help developing analytical programs. Professors will be able to integrate SAS software into coursework, giving students hands-on experience.

The center has recognized SAS as the sixth Founding Innovation Partner, joining Comporium Inc., Haworth Inc., Philips Lighting, Scientific Research Corporation, and SCRA. Clemson will receive access to SAS Visual Analytics, the company’s flagship data visualization and exploration tool. In addition, access to SAS Cybersecurity will support teaching and learning about how to detect suspicious network activity and thwart malicious intrusions. —Staff Report

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS IN THE UPSTATE

CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD ANNOUNCES THE FOLLOWING TRANSACTIONS

1,120-SF property at 404 Fairview Road in Simpsonville by Brixmore Fairview Corners to Carolina Smoothie.

Rob Cochran and Jared Londry were the agents in the sale of a 45,567-SF property at 110 Frederick St. in Greenville by Good Wall Frederick LLC to Front Street Properties Fund I LP.

Guy Harris and Robbie Romeiser were the agents in the lease of a 2,797-SF property at 481 S. Pine St. in Spartanburg by Roger & Pamela Willford to Palmetto Designs.

COLDWELL BANKER CAINE ANNOUNCES THE FOLLOWING TRANSACTIONS

Pete Brett, David Sigmon, and Matt Vanvick were the agents in the lease of a 2,176SF property at 2815 Woodruff Road, Suite 102, by CHI-Woodruff LLC to Summit 22 LLC. SPENCER HINES PROPERTIES ANNOUNCES THE FOLLOWING TRANSACTIONS

Neal Boyett was the agent in the lease of a 6,500-SF property at 26 E. Walnut St. in Asheville

by Peterson Amusement to Shutao Want.

Craig Jacobs was the agent in the lease of a 1,500-SF property at 912 E. Main St. in Spartanburg by Xioa Ping Gao to Western Shamrock Corp.

Dale Seay and Lynn Spencer were the agents in the lease of a 1,200SF property at 1000 N. Pine St., Suite 36, in Spartanburg by Baker & Baker to Linda’s Nails.

Lynn Spencer was the agent in the lease of a 326-SF property at 101 W. Saint John St., Suite 3, in Spartanburg by JM Smith to Henderson Law Group.

Lynn Spencer was the agent in the lease of a 1,114-SF property at 101 W. Saint John St., Suite 303, in Spartanburg by JM Smith to Trey Gowdy.

Guy Harris was the agent in the lease of a

Dale Seay was the agent in the lease of a 5,376SF property at 750 W. Main St. in Spartanburg

by Nick Kargiatlis to Direct Deal Furniture.

Lynn Spencer was the agent in the lease of a 6,700-SF property at 7092 Howard St. in Spartanburg by Hearon Center to Lisa Corkren.

Staunton were the agents in the lease of a 31,500SF property at 501 Bettis Academy Road in Graniteville by WSM Holdings LLC to Wilson Mold & Machine Corp.

and Bern Dupree were the agents in the sale of a property at 180 South Pine Drive in Spartanburg by Upstate Property Rentals to Holiday Park LLC.

Ted Lyerly and Jimmy Wright were the agents in the lease of a 5,025-SF property at 11 Furman Road in Greenville by Victory Capital LLC to DME Experts Inc.

John Powell was the agent in the sale of a 24,600-SF property at 101 Control Drive in Anderson by Kenneth Black Jr. to Rickie and Gary Yank Sefton.

Keith Jones was the agent in the lease of a 10,953-SF property at 201 W. McBee St. in Greenville by Riverview Land Company to Countybank.

Jimmy Wright and Ted Lyerly were the agents in the lease of a 4,200-SF Guy Harris was the agent property at 300 E. Coffee St. in Greenville by HTI in the lease of a 1,000Holdings LLC to Fairway SF property at 4795 S. Church St. in Roebuck by Independent Mortgage Company.

Oak Hill Plaza to Davis Griffin Insurance.

Dan Dunn was the agent in the lease of a Lynn Spencer was the 6,000-SF property at agent in the lease of a 180-182 Metro Drive 12,000-SF property at 98 Fairview Church Road in Spartanburg by in Spartanburg by ARTEP Neuburger Management Inc. to Thermallx LLC. to Michelin USA. Ben Hines and Andy Hayes were the agents in the sale of a 17-AC property at 2751 New Cut Road in Spartanburg

by Wingo Park LLC to N. Spartanburg Fire & Emergency.

Ben Hines and Andy Hayes were the agents in the sale of a 60,000SF property at 5969 Highway 221 in Roebuck

by Larry & Steven Bronste to Wolverine Coatings.

Rusty Hamrick was the agent in the sale of a 109AC property along Highway 72 in Clinton by G3 Properties LLC to Darnell Land & Timber LLC. Stuart Smith was the agent in the sale of a 5,000-SF property at 2969 Nazareth Road in Wellford by Christopher Benyo to MA Huffman Investments LLC.

Earle Furman was the agent in the sale of a 4,400-SF property at 2 Dale Seay and Neal Boyett were the agents in Williams St. in Greenville the sale of an 11,200-SF by Sean McNalley to property at 152 McGuire Joe’s Place LLC. Road in Spartanburg Dan Dunn and Stuart

by Sites Properties to Smith were the agents in Wheeler Supplies. the sale of a 3,672-SF NAI EARLE FURMAN property at 647 E. Main ANNOUNCES St. in Spartanburg by THE FOLLOWING Gail Brandli to Land Art TRANSACTIONS Deco LLC. Tony Bonitati, Kay Hill, Hunter Garrett and John

LEE & ASSOCIATES | GREENVILLE ANNOUNCES THE FOLLOWING TRANSACTIONS

Ashley Trantham was the agent in the lease of 22,000 SF at 400 W. Blackstock Road in Spartanburg from Gould Blackstock SC LLC to W.S. Badcock Corporation.

Kevin Bentley was the agent in the lease of 10,937 SF at 2920 Grandview Drive in Simpsonville by Blind John LLC to Asset Enterprises.

Randall Bentley was agent in the lease of 40,000 SF at 200 Ben Hamby Drive, Suite C,

by JoCo Holdings LLC to Henry Schein Inc. Darath Mackie was agent in the lease of 132 SF at 217 E. Stone Ave., Suite 19, in Greenville

by Stone Avenue Partners LLC to MerMac Consulting.

| DEALMAKERS

Hinkle Properties LLC. Randall Bentley was agent in the lease of 22,500 SF at 2824 Old Woodruff Road in Greer by Dye Property Holdings LLC to Management Analysis & Utilization Inc. dba MAU Workforce Solutions.

Randall Bentley was agent in the sale of 1,325 SF at 418 River St. in Greenville by Terry Capital Investments LLC to Akim Anastopoulo.

Kevin Bentley was agent in the sale of 0.748 AC at 308 Pennsylvania Ave. in Greer by Roland Knoke Ashley Trantham and Darath Mackie were and Sheila T. Knoke to agents in the sale of 4.51 Able Holdings LLC. AC at 24277 Highway 76 E. in Clinton by Mark Long Randall Bentley and Kevin Bentley were agents & Sandra Long to New Beginnings Missionary in the lease of 100,000 Baptist Church.

SF at 1387 Victor Hill Road in Greer by Kidco Darath Mackie was agent LLC to Bondtex 2 Inc. in the lease of 5,000 SF at 1110 W. Butler Road, Darath Mackie was Suites G&H, by SEPP Inc. agent in the lease of to Kelly’s Professional 1,300 SF at 1306 Cleaning Service.

E. Washington St. in Greenville by USIC Locating Services LLC to

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

The Rutherford is planned to be a 10,000-square-foot event space situated between North Main Street and Poinsett Highway on Rutherford Road.

Rendering by Group 1.6 Architects

New event venue, the Rutherford, to open this summer

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child, Yasha Patel was signing a mortgage in early December for a complete gut job of a 1950s-era property. Upon completion, the location will be transformed into a 10,000-square-foot event space situated between North Main Street and Poinsett Highway on Rutherford Road.

Originally a motor freight company and most recently Gypsy G’s Roadhouse, the building at 520 Rutherford Road sat vacant for about three years before Patel snatched it up to become the Rutherford.

If all goes according to plan, it will open June 1.

“It was the first building I saw,” Patel said. “I had goose bumps. My brain was flooded with ideas, and I couldn’t wait to get started.”

Patel said she couldn’t wait to remove the dated bar décor and asked her construction crew to wait for her on the first day of demolition so she could take the first swing.

“I couldn’t get the bar, so I had to go for an empty wall,” said the new mother who admits she multitasks during nighttime feedings by researching or catching up on business emails.

Patel, a former assistant public defender in Greenwood, grew up in a family of entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry who started with nothing and worked their way up to managing hotels.

The idea for the Rutherford began when Patel was

H illc re

Just one month after giving birth to her first

searching for a venue to hold a family event but was coming up emptyhanded. “I needed a space for a family gathering and I had to book months in advance,” she said. “There was nothing available.”

With that in mind, Patel set out to open a new venue with flexible spaces that could accommodate a variety of events.

The Rutherford is divided into three distinct spaces and design aesthetics. Each will be available to rent separately. Rates range from $1,100 on weekdays to $3,400 on Saturdays and holidays.

The street-level Brick Room measures approximately 2,800 square feet with 13-foot ceilings, exposed brick and ceilings, newly installed windows along the front and rear walls, and restored pine floors.

The Brick Room also offers a guest suite with private

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ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

Originally a motor freight company and most recently Gypsy G’s Roadhouse, the building sat vacant for about three years before Yasha Patel bought it. Photo by Will Crooks

invie w Ave

restroom and a catering kitchen and can accommodate 225 for a seated dinner or 275 for a reception.

Downstairs, The Warehouse is slightly smaller at 2,200 square feet, and will accommodate 165 for a seated dinner or 250 for a reception. Architecturally, it will be similar to the upstairs, with exposed brick and ceilings, but the rear-facing wall will feature three glass garage doors. Major design elements in the rustic space include a wall of faux greenery and polished concrete floors. It will also have a prep kitchen to save caterers from trekking up and down the stairs. ”Through the garage doors is the Veranda, a 1,150-square-foot covered patio that opens to a 4,000-square-foot fenced-in courtyard that will likely be bordered by pavers with grass in the center. The largest of the three spaces, the Courtyard, will accommodate 300 people in a variety of arrangements.

“This is the feature I’m so excited about,” Patel said.

“You don’t have to go out to Simpsonville or to a farm or vineyard to have an outdoor space. We have it right downtown.”

The Rutherford is flanked on either side with parking lots that should accommodate 150 vehicles, and nearby businesses have agreed to allow guests to use their lots as well.

Patel said the Rutherford will have an open-vendor policy to give guests flexibility and the ability to use their choices of vendors as long as they are licensed and insured.

“I want to make it easy to book with us,” she said.

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

| SQUARE FEET

Macy's-owned Bluemercury opening in Greenville's 'pink building' ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com The downtown storefront known in Greenville as the “pink building” on the corner of West North and Main streets is getting a blue makeover — but just on the inside.

Bluemercury, a Macy’s-owned skincare retailer you might think of as Sephora’s more mature and sophisticated older sister, has signed a lease for the 2,100-square-foot former Town House Galleries and Drake’s florist location. The space will include a spa along with high-end and specialty skincare and makeup retail.

Founded in 1999 by husband-and-wife pair Barry and Marla Macolm Beck in Washington, D.C., Bluemercury was purchased by Macy’s Inc. in 2015 for $210 million. Since then, the business has grown to include more than 120 locations, with more growth planned in 2017 even as Macy’s is closing its own brick-and-mortar stores.

Barry Beck, Bluemercury COO, said the Greenville store should open in 90 days.

“This is a big win for the city,” said Zach Hines, a member of the building’s ownership group and

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Bluemercury will include a spa and high-end skincare and makeup retail. Rendering by Kerley Signs, Inc.

broker with Spencer/Hines Properties who will live in the apartment above Bluemercury.

Cortney Carter of Collett & Associates knew Bluemercury was looking in the Greenville market and introduced their broker, John Auber of the Auber Group in Rhode Island, to Spencer Hines. Taylor Fisher with Spencer/Hines assisted the property’s ownership group in the transaction. A remaining 1,500 square feet on West North is still available.

Beck said he personally picks every location for the growing chain, which includes locations in Charleston and the just-announced Kiawah Island.

“Greenville has this amazing downtown,” he said.

“We look for buildings that are emblematic.”

Beck said the corner location, with visibility from multiple vantage points, is what he looks for when scouting new markets.

The proposed renovations will keep the character of the building and the iconic pink exterior intact, Beck said.

Hines, whose group purchased the building in August 2016, courted multiple national retailers and restaurant chains that were interested in the location.

“We had more than a hundred mom-and-pops interested as well,” Hines said. “And don’t get me wrong, we weren’t all about finding a national tenant, but we were looking to make a 30-year decision.”

After months of searching for the right tenant and turning down a major restaurant chain, the Bluemercury deal took about month from first contact to signed lease.

“It was worth it to land them,” Hines said. “There’s nothing like it in Greenville.”

Aldi to add Cherrydale location Germany-based discount grocery store Aldi

ed a group of sellers in the transaction.

The new Aldi will be the fourth grocer to enter the Cherrydale submarket, joining BI-LO, Ingles, and Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

There are currently three locations in Greenville, one in Taylors, and another in Greer. Aldi also has three stores in the Spartanburg area. —Ariel Turner

HOME DEPOT

CHERRYDALE POINT N

Poinsett Hwy

is heading to Cherrydale in Greenville, making it the sixth location in the Greenville market.

Aldi, which has locations nationwide in 36 states, has purchased an approximately 2.64-acre lot located at the intersection of North Pleasantburg Drive and Worley Road. Colliers International’s Frank Hammond and Nick Reinhardt represent-

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MILESTONE: ROEBUCK BUILDINGS |

A TRIBUTE TO OUR LONG-LASTING ENTERPRISES

SEVEN DECADES IN THE MAKING Since 1947, Spartanburg County-based ROEBUCK BUILDINGS has taken on projects throughout the Southeast while keeping it in the family

Representatives from Roebuck Buildings and Advanced Equipment Company at a groundbreaking in the 1980s.

Roebuck Buildings employees gather for a company meeting and meal in the 1980s. projects that we may not have taken on during normal times. We did what we had to do to survive.”

TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com When John Anderson returned from serving in the U.S. Army after World War II, he did two things.

The first was to marry his sweetheart, the late Vivian “Bib” Dean Brockman Anderson, in February 1946.

The following year, the late Spartanburg businessman joined with a group of investors to establish a new construction venture, Roebuck Buildings.

“Back then, pre-engineered buildings were just starting to Dean Anderson emerge,” said Anderson’s son, Dean Anderson, president and treasurer of Roebuck Buildings. “Within the first year, my dad and his business partner J.D. Edwards had bought out the other partners. By the mid-’80s he bought out Edwards. … Our motto is ‘70 years and building.’ I think that’s a pretty rare feat for any company.”

CHALLENGING YEARS The journey hasn’t been easy.

A boom in the pre-engineered 12

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building market saw the company’s fortunes rise during the 1950s.

Its projects included warehouses and large retail buildings, such as car dealerships, spanning from Virginia to Florida.

But as the market began to tighten during the 1980s, the younger Anderson said Roebuck Buildings was faced with a dilemma.

It had outgrown the prefabricated market, which had become dominated by smaller firms. It was too small to challenge larger firms for projects that were larger and more complex. The company had to decide whether to scale back its operation or transform into a different kind of company altogether.

With his father poised to retire and Anderson set to take the company reins, the decision was made to evolve

Roebuck Buildings into a full-service contractor.

The company invested in new technologies and talent, particularly on the design side of the business.

Anderson said Roebuck Building’s commitment to quality and expertise led to more growth and success in the years that followed.

The elder Anderson died in 2002.

By 2007, the company’s portfolio had grown even larger.

And then came the recession in 2008.

“Between 2002 and 2007 we saw growth that was just unsustainable,” Anderson said. “After the recession hit, our workload dropped off more than 50 percent. We had some tough decisions to make. We had to lay some people off. It was difficult because we are like a family. … We took on some

TURNING IT AROUND Anderson said the clouds finally began to break in 2012.

He said the business has continued to grow every year, and even more since the presidential election in November.

“I’m not being political, but we have seen a tremendous uptick since then,” he said.

The company recently completed a renovation of its 18,000-square-foot headquarters building at 3600 S. Church St. Extension in Roebuck, which has been its home since the 1960s. The facility includes 8,000 square feet of state-of-the-art office space.

Roebuck Buildings’ market includes the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Its list of projects comprise several notable facilities in the industrial, health care, education, community and faith, fire department, and commercial arenas.

More than 50 percent of the company’s business is from repeat clients, Anderson said.

Anderson said his workforce has grown to 70 employees, including 20

A TRIBUTE TO OUR LONG-LASTING ENTERPRISES

| MILESTONE: ROEBUCK BUILDINGS SOME NOTABLE PROJECTS Lear Corp.’s new 156,800-square-foot seating plant in Greer Bericap’s plant in Cherokee County Plastic Omnium in Duncan

A fleet of Roebuck Buildings trucks before the start of a work day in the 1980s.

BMW Manufacturing Co.’s Associate Family Health Center Mary Black Hospital’s Birthing Center and Outpatient Surgery Center

Roebuck Buildings has completed projects for Lear in South Carolina (shown) and Alabama.

Spartanburg Community College’s Gaffney Campus

Roebuck Buildings recently completed construction of the Powdersville YMCA, a 33,500 SF building that houses more than 30 programs

Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research

1947

Spartanburg businessman John Anderson joins with a group of investors to establish Roebuck Buildings, a construction company focused on the pre-engineered building industry.

office workers and 50 people out in the field. And the company is looking to hire more.

“We’re very excited about the future,” Anderson said. “We are growing, but it’s important for us to manage that growth so we can continue to provide our customers with quality. We’re always on the lookout for new talent.”

‘DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY’ With all of the growth in manufacturing and distribution sectors, however, Anderson said the company is facing a labor shortage.

“We have had to subcontract more work,” he said. “There just isn’t that many people who want to do construction work.”

Anderson said he would support guest worker programs similar to those that are available in agriculture and other industries.

He said he sits on the advisory board for the R. D. Anderson Applied Technology Center in Moore and has worked with Spartanburg Community College. The answer, he said, may be in working with local vocational schools to develop a talent pipeline for the

construction industry.

“We have employees who have worked here for 30 years,” Anderson said. “We’re very proud of that. … At some point, though, us baby boomers are going to retire.”

Anderson said his son, Ken Anderson, 29, has joined the company in preconstruction services. He said it’s still a little premature, but he hopes to hand ownership of Roebuck Buildings to a third generation.

“The culture here is very family-oriented,” he said. “We don’t have your typical corporate structure. We’re not here to micromanage people.”

Anderson said the company has surpassed 3,000 days without a losttime accident, an accomplishment he’s very proud of.

“It’s a pretty significant milestone,” he said. “It means that our employees are doing things the right way — safely.

I think it speaks to the level of quality that we strive to uphold. At the end of the day, you want everyone to be able to go home to their families.”

1948 1960s

Anderson and business partner J.D. Edwards buy out their other partners.

Roebuck Buildings continues to grow; moves headquarters to 3600 S. Church St. Extension in Roebuck.

1983 1988

Anderson’s son, Dean Anderson, joins the company.

Dean Anderson takes charge of the company after his father retires.

Faced with the decision to grow or scale back the company’s operations, the younger Anderson decides to reshape Roebuck Buildings into a general contracting and design firm.

2002 2008 2012

Roebuck Buildings founder John Anderson dies.

After two decades of growth, the company downsizes due to the recession.

Economic recovery brings life back to the construction industry; Roebuck Buildings begins to see its business grow again.

2016

Company completes renovation of its 18,000-square-foot headquarters, including 8,000 square feet of state-of-the-art office space.

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COVER |

LOCKHEED MARTIN

IF LOCKHEED MARTIN MAKES THE F-16 IN GREENVILLE, WHO’S GOING TO BUY IT?

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

WORDS BY RUDOLPH BELL

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LOCKHEED MARTIN

| COVER

It sounded like a major win for the local economy when news broke that Lockheed Martin Corp. planned to move future production of its F-16 fighter jet to Greenville County.

The Bethesda, Md.-based defense contractor has refurbished military aircraft at a former Air Force base in southern Greenville County for more than three decades.

But it has always used its 16-hangar complex at what is now called the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center to modify aircraft made elsewhere — such as the P3 Orion or C-130 — and never for the original manufacture of an aircraft.

That would change if F-16 production moves from Texas to Greenville.

If that happens, Lockheed would need to add 160-180 jobs to its current local workforce of about 500, according to Don Erickson, the company’s top local executive. He said F-16 fabrication and assembly could begin locally in late 2018 in an existing hangar modified for the work.

Problem is, at this point, it’s not certain if the F-16 even has a future.

OUT OF ORDERS

The U.S. government is no longer buying the 40-year-old fighter — known as the “Fighting Falcon” — and sales are a shadow of what they were in the 1980s and 1990s.

Deliveries peaked at 304 in 1988 and had dropped to 16 by 2015, according

to the Teal Group, an aerospace consultancy in Fairfax, Va. “The F-16 is a legendary program.

It’s just that it’s on its last legs,” said Richard Aboulafia, a Teal Group analyst. “They’re just about out of orders. Conceivably, they could build a few more.”

Lockheed is scheduled to complete what at this point is the final F-16 order — 18 jets for Iraq — this fall at the Fort Worth, Texas, factory where it has made the fighter since the late 1970s, according to company spokesman John Losinger.

After that, Lockheed expects to make up to 19 more F-16s for Bahrain, Losinger said, though he acknowledged that deal has not yet been cleared by the U.S. government, a requirement for the sale of any advanced military equipment to a foreign country.

Losinger said the approval process involves the State Department and Congress and that he couldn’t provide a date when the Bahrain deal would be cleared to move forward.

According to Aboulafia, the Bahrain deal may never move forward, though he considers it more likely under the Trump administration than the Obama administration, which had taken the position that Bahrain’s human rights

record needed to improve first.

In other potential F-16 business, the United States and India are negotiating a deal that Aboulafia said could ultimately involve more than 100 of the aircraft. But as part of that deal, India is sure to insist that production of the jet be moved within its own borders, he said.

Aboulafia said India made that demand successfully with previous purchases of military aircraft from France and Russia. “The Indians are not going to buy that number of planes if they don’t get their own line,” he said.

“They’re just not.”

Lockheed’s Greenville complex might make the initial planes sold to India, he said, and keep some of the work over the life of that potential contract.

A ‘SIGNIFICANT MARKET’

Losinger insisted a “significant market” remains for the F-16 among countries that aren’t authorized to buy Lockheed’s newer fighter, the F-35, or don’t need or can’t afford it, especially in the Middle East or Asia/Pacific.

But Aboulafia said that’s “been the case for some years now and they just haven’t gotten any orders. The market seems to be moving elsewhere.”

Aboulafia was more positive about another scenario in which Lockheed could began manufacturing an aircraft in Greenville – the company’s bid to supply 350 jets to the U.S. Air Force for training fighter pilots.

In hopes of landing that multibillion-dollar contract, Lockheed has proposed supplying the Air Force with a variant of an existing jet, the T50A. Lockheed has said it would import the T50A in pieces from South Korea, where it’s made by Korea Aerospace Industries, and assemble the pieces in the Greenville County complex, adding 200 jobs.

It’s competing for the work with a Boeing/Saab alliance that has proposed building an entirely new jet from scratch.

Aboulafia said he gives Lockheed a 60 percent chance of winning the contest because its plan doesn’t involve a lot of upfront product development costs that add to the price.

Boeing/Saab, by contrast, “has to find a way to make a billion or 2 billion go away, and that usually means increasing the offer price,” he said.

WELCOME NEWS

Questions about the F-16’s future notwithstanding, South Carolina offi-

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COVER |

LOCKHEED MARTIN

304 Highest number in 1988

300 250 200 150 100 50

cials welcomed the news that Lockheed may move production of the jet to Greenville.

Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a retired Air Force Reserve colonel and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that the decision is “yet another feather in [Greenville’s] cap and will pay dividends for the city, community, and state in years to come.”

Deborah Cameron, director of aerospace initiatives with S.C. Aero-

space, a public/private initiative that seeks to develop the industry in South Carolina, said hosting F-16 production should expand the state’s “talent pool” and burnish its reputation as an aerospace center.

“I think it also demonstrates that Lockheed has a lot of confidence in Greenville and South Carolina,” she said. “They’re obviously very impressed with the things they’re seeing here.”

Carl Washburn, head of the Aircraft Maintenance Technology department

at Greenville Tech, said he expects the department’s longtime relationship with Lockheed to grow.

The department, certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to train aircraft technicians, has been providing labor to Lockheed since the 1980s and is located near the company’s local complex.

If production of the T50A and F-16 both move to Greenville, Washburn said, Lockheed is “going to need a bunch of technicians, which is going to

A two-day symposium featuring ten prominent Furman alumni including the former U.S. Director of National Intelligence and two Army commanding generals APRIL 10 & 11, 2017 7–8:45 p.m. | McAlister Auditorium | Furman University

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UBJ | 3.31.2017

2015

help our program.”

Washburn said he and Walt Carter, avionics program coordinator for the department, both worked on the F-16 when they were in the Air Force.

“We understand how all the systems are integrated together,” Washburn said. “It just makes it easier for us to train people to be ready to work on them.”

Safe and Free?

Civil Liberties and the Fight for National Security

Presented by Furman University’s Riley Institute and Department of Politics and International Affairs with support from the J. Kelly Sisk Fund and the Mayville Fund

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For more information visit riley.furman.edu

MOVERS, SHAKERS, AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

| INNOVATE

The Name Game What’s the difference between an entrepreneur and a small businessperson?

By MICHAEL MINO Instructor, Clemson MBA and CU-ICAR

The role of entrepreneur has been much celebrated in the last two decades. The media uses the term frequently in most business-related discussions. As a result, the title has been claimed by and bestowed upon a number of people and professions.

Entrepreneurs are attributed great powers and believed to be the solution to job creation.

At the risk of dating myself — haven’t we previously applied these same attributes to our local small businessperson? Most of the business community is composed of small businesses that have operated here for decades, many of them family-run.

If you accept the premise that a significant difference exists, it follows that the training, incentives, and assistance that we offer these two archetypes would also be different. This affects the curriculum of educational institutions, the inducements offered by economic development agencies, and programs implemented by government entities.

Think of the small businessperson-entrepreneur traits as a continuum with each individual sharing various proportions of the attributes about to be described. The specific examples designate an extreme case at each end of this continuum.

I have participated in a number of discussions debating what it means to be a small businessperson or an entrepreneur. Some of the discussions drifted to “why do we care?” I will address the second topic before diving into the first. Future discussions will change the perspective from that of the individual to the characteristics of the companies they create. We will also identify resources appropriate for those that venture into the small businessperson-entrepreneur continuum.

For now, let’s start with a few examples adapted from Melanie Spring, chief inspiration officer of Sisarina, a D.C.-based branding firm (sisarina.com).

Small businesspeople have a great idea. They solve problems in their community and know their business and target audience. They know what makes their customers happy and provide outstanding service.

Entrepreneurs have big ideas. They dream and think big. They come up with ideas that haven’t been tested, diagnosed, or worked through. They often don’t even know if their ideas are possible, which gets them even more excited. They are also more likely to move onto a different venture once the idea is realized or determined to be not big enough.

Small businesspeople are risk-averse. They like to know what the next thing is and where it will come

Small businesspeople operate these firms that are the bedrock of our economy.

Consider entrepreneurs to be accelerators in this process.

Both types of business operators are essential to our economic system. from. They make calculated decisions where the outcome is clear. The result may not be huge, but it will typically keep them moving forward.

Entrepreneurs embrace risk. They are not risk seekers although they are willing to step out on a ledge. They jump in with both feet knowing that if they put in their full effort, the risk will be worth it more often than not.

Small businesspeople focus on current challenges. They have daily and weekly to-do lists. They manage employees, work with customers, network with new customers, and keep everything rocking and rolling.

Entrepreneurs dream ahead six months. While their team is thinking about what they’re doing that week, they tend to skip the “now” and focus on the future of the company. They have people to manage the business — and if they don’t, they should.

Small businesspeople are sentimental with their businesses. They seldom plan on selling or handing their business off to someone else unless it’s family.

They like making the decisions and running the dayto-day. They also see their business as part of the community.

Entrepreneurs focus on scaling. They view their venture as an asset they want to grow with growth

embedded in the culture. The exit or harvest is part of the thought process to satisfy their investors and enable the entrepreneur to move on to the next venture. The forward thinkers set it up to run without them. They surround themselves with experts while they perform the role of rainmaker.

The Small Business Administration reports that 99.7 percent of all firms in the U.S. with paid employees are small businesses. Small businesspeople operate these firms that are the bedrock of our economy.

Consider entrepreneurs to be accelerators in this process. Both types of business operators are essential to our economic system.

Some additional contrasts: Entrepreneurs are restless and seldom content with the status quo. They are change agents with characteristics more aligned with artists. Small businesspeople are managers favoring a more predictable environment and enjoy making a profit. They focus on operational efficiency — controlling costs and maximizing customer satisfaction.

Small businesspeople may inherit their business from a family member. Alternately, they may transition, voluntarily or involuntarily, from being an employee to starting a similar business using their domain-specific skills. The business is created out of necessity to make a living, attain greater independence, or increase income. Entrepreneurs generally start a business because they are restless or desire to change the world. They are driven by passion and opportunity.

Entrepreneurs accept the risk that the venture, often operating with negative cash flow, may fail.

Small businesspeople are less concerned about failure since their business is profitable. They feel more pressure from ever-increasing competition.

What differences do you see?

Send them to mmino@clemson.edu.

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THE TAKEAWAY |

NOTES FROM THE BEST TALKS YOU MISSED

Chris Corley (left), owner of Corley Air Electric Plumbing, spoke at this year's Pique event for young professionals at Wofford College.

Photos by Melissa Houser Photography

‘Do the right thing, even if it hurts’ Chris Corley shares the tricks of his trade

By SARA DOLAN Smoak PR

Chris Corley, owner of Corley Plumbing Air Electric in Greenville, once got some advice from his father-in-law: “Learn a trade and you’ll never be without a job.” Following up on that advice, Corley applied, and was selected for, a plumbing apprenticeship with the Oklahoma City Plumbers union.

The Corley family eventually relocated to Greenville, and Chris went to work for his in-law’s family plumbing company.

In 1986, with an investment from his father, Chris decided to start his own company and won a bid to install the plumbing and HVAC system for a large tenant at Haywood Mall. Over the next few years, Chris was motivated by providing for his wife and four children, who as he says, “put a strong emphasis on having a roof over their head and expected to eat every day.” No job was ever turned down, and at one point, he was working full-time during the day on one project and completing another in the middle of the night. Every time he wanted to throw in the towel, someone came along to offer work.

Chris Corley has run his company by emphasizing that “we will always do the right thing, even if it hurts.” His approach to challenging the way things are being done helps to push his company to new levels. Ask any of the 50 employees of the company and they’ll tell you that Corley is a man who sets the tone for a culture that is driven by the company’s four core values of character, excellence, unselfishness, and engagement.

Here are a few of the lessons Chris Corley had to share about being a successful business owner.

HOW DID HE CHOOSE THIS CAREER PATH? After just one semester in college, Corley realized that working with his hands in different job locations would be the most fulfilling route for him to take professionally. He ultimately decided to open his own business, growing it into something much larger.

WHAT DOES HE WISH HE KNEW PRIOR TO STARTING A BUSINESS? “If you are averse to risk, you do not want to start your own business,” Corley said. He went on to share that if it is important for you to have a consistent paycheck or if you don’t like solving people problems, starting a business may not be the best fit.

WHAT BARRIERS DID HE FACE WHEN STARTING A BUSINESS? Being in the plumbing, HVAC, and electric business, Corley explained that knowing how to price a product or service correctly is imperative. “If you don’t do that correctly, you don’t make money; if you don’t make money, you don’t stay in business,” he said. “Time is something that you only have so much of, and when just starting out, there are many things that you’ll need to prioritize. Managing your time, in addition to knowing how to price a service correctly, can both be a challenge.”

HOW IS HE FINDING EMPLOYEES AND ATTRACTING YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO FILL POSITIONS? It is a big challenge to find technical people, including electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians, Corley said — not just locally, but nationally because we have been college-career-track-minded for so many years. “We must remember that as long as we are living in homes with electricity and plumbing, there will always be a need for the trades,” he said. “Unfortunately, most of the technicians today are baby boomers and subsequently aging out of the workforce. In order to find people to fill those roles 18

UBJ | 3.31.2017

EVENT: The Pique “Young Leaders Elevating the Upstate,” presented by Ten at the Top PRESENTATION: Entrepreneurship & Alternative Career Paths WHERE: Wofford College WHO WAS THERE: More than 100 students and young entrepreneurs in the Greenville/ Spartanburg community

and close the demand gap, we make sure to recruit around the country.”

Corley uses the desirable Greenville market as an important recruitment tool. “We also make sure to hire young adults and apprentice them with the assistance of area technical schools via online and on-the-job training,” he said. “In addition, we make sure their values fit our core values and will be the type of person we want in front of our customers.”

WHAT TIPS DOES HE HAVE ON FOLLOWING UP WITH CONTACTS TO EARN BUSINESS? “If I don’t follow up, I don’t eat,” Corley said.

“People don’t call with an emergency and then wait a few weeks until you call them back.”

WHAT STRATEGIES DOES HE USE TO CREATE DUPLICATION OF LEADERSHIP? You should always be building your people, Corley said. “People surprise us; if we coach them and trust them, they will do great work.”

WHAT IS THE SINGLE MOST VALUABLE PIECE OF ADVICE FOR ENTREPRENEURS? “Can there only be one piece?” Corley asked. “The best advice would be to find a really good mentor.

Being in business is very rewarding; however, when you’re feeling down and you need someone to build you up, you must have that person in your life. If you don’t have them when you start a business, it will likely be very lonely.”

See more pictures of this event on page 19.

INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE

| SOCIAL SNAPSHOT

PIQUE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS About 250 young professionals descended on Spartanburg last week for the second annual PIQUE event held this year at Wofford College.

Photos by Melissa Houser Photography

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ON THE MOVE |

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

ELECTED

DANNY BALON

BETHANY KERN

LESLIE WESTLAKE

TRACY RYAN

REID SHERARD

Joined the Greenville office of Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. as a senior project manager. Balon has more than 12 years of experience in the design and management of land development projects in the commercial, retail, institutional, mixed-use, and industrial sectors. He has successfully managed land development projects throughout the Carolinas from concept to construction.

Joined Infinity after seven years of fund development, marketing, and social media development for nonprofits such as FAVOR Greenville and the Upstate Homeless Coalition of South Carolina.

Kern’s experience includes social strategy and public relations. She will create social content, manage marketing strategy, and handle public relations. Kern is a graduate of Centre College with a degree in dramatic arts.

Joined Infinity as a senior copywriter. Her experience spans a variety of industries and gives her an understanding of multiple consumer markets. As senior copywriter with Infinity, she will write content for clients in all mediums, including direct mail, radio, out-of-home, digital media, and social. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in communications from Rollins College and recently held the position of development writer in Clemson University’s creative services office.

Joined the Commerce Club as the private events director.

A Florida native, she brings more than 15 years of experience to the team. Ryan also serves on the executive committee for The Upstate Bridal Association, is the programs chair for the Appalachian Chapter for the National Association of Caterers and Event Planners, and is a member of My Wedding Group.

Elected 2017 president of the board of directors of A Child’s Haven. Sherard is a partner at Nelson Mullins law firm with a concentration in divorce-related litigation, particularly involving significant assets, income, or other challenging financial issues as well as contested custody matters. He has been an active member of A Child’s Haven since 2014.

VIP CRAIG O’NEAL VantagePoint Marketing president and CEO Craig O’Neal has been awarded the Silver Medal Award by the American Advertising Federation of Greenville. The Silver Medal Award is the highest honor awarded by the AAF’s local clubs and recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to advertising, been active in furthering industry standards, exhibited creative excellence, and supported community development.

O’Neal co-founded VantagePoint, a business-to-business marketing and advertising agency, in 1993 and has led the company to become an eight-time BMAC Agency of the Year and a Chief Marketer 2017 B2B Top Shop. In addition to his company leadership, O’Neal contributes to the development of the industry by serving on the Anderson University MBA Advisory Board and supports philanthropy in the community, both through direct financial support and by supporting employee volunteerism.

ENGINEERING Dale Herendeen joined the Greenville office of Civil & Environmental Consultants with more than 12 years of experience in the design and management of civil engineering land development projects in the commercial, retail, institutional, mixed-use, and industrial sectors. He will fill the role of civil practice lead for CEC. 20

UBJ | 3.31.2017

EDUCATION The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District III recognized the work of Clemson University staff members with awards for their outstanding achievements in media, design, and communications in 2016 at its recent annual awards ceremony in Nashville, Tenn. The collective group received two Grand Awards, four Awards of Excellence, and two Special Merit awards.

REAL ESTATE The Marchant Company recognizes three individuals and one team for outstanding performance in January 2017. Awards go to Kathy Slater, Barb Riggs, Tom Marchant, and the Valerie Miller Properties team.

CBRE celebrates achievement in 2016 with the announcement of top producers in South Carolina: Charles Gouch, Trey Pennington, and Blaine Hart.

NONPROFIT Cheryl Cromartie and Jason Vaughn are the newest members of the Center for Developmental Services’ board of directors. Cromartie is a lieutenant with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. She is a recent graduate of Leadership Greenville and advocates for those with learning disabilities. Vaughn is a registered professional engineer and the director of client services at SynTerra Corporation. He was voted as one of Greenville’s Best & Brightest under 35 by Greenville Business Magazine in 2015. Vaughn’s construction experience has been instrumental in leading CDS during their expansion project this spring.

CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions, & award winners may be featured in On the Move.

Send information and photos to onthemove@ upstatebusinessjournal.com.

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

Open for business 1. AFC Urgent Care-Bon Secours is now open in Greenville at 1800 Augusta St. in the Lewis Plaza area. Learn more at afcurgentcareaugustard. com.

1

Photo provided

2. SpaceMax Storage recently opened at 305 McAlister Road in Greenville. It is the first location in South Carolina.

To learn more, visit spacemaxstorage.com.

2

CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon?

Email information to aturner@ communityjournals. com.

| NEW TO THE STREET / THE FINE PRINT

Pickens County rejoins Upstate SC Alliance Pickens County has rejoined the Upstate SC Alliance, the regional economic development organization, after an absence of nearly five years.

Four new faces on Pickens County Council joined with one veteran in voting on Monday, March 20, to once again take part in regional efforts at job creation, said Roy Costner, council chairman and one of the new faces.

The county will pay $58,000 a year for the Alliance’s services, which include marketing the county as a great place to do business.

Pickens was one of 10 Upstate counties that helped form the Alliance, but a previous Council pulled out in the summer of 2012, arguing the value wasn’t worth the price.

Costner, however, sees it differently.

“We believe that we can get a return on our investment in the sense of putting Pickens County back on the map for those national and international businesses that are wanting to locate in this area,” he said.

Photo provided

JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL LUNCH & MULTICULTURAL PANEL DISCUSSION: Engaging & Building Relationships Among Cultural Differences Within the Workplace

Greenville Chamber

WOMEN @ WORK

APRIL 5 | 11:45AM-1PM

EMBASSY SUITES GOLF RESORT & CONFERENCE CENTER

Mavis Nakuma AnMed Health

Elvia Pacheco-Flores Fluor Corporation

Anita Tam, Ph.D.

Greenville Technical College

Sima Patel

Nexsen Pruet, LLC

Nazanin Zinouri, Ph.D. Modjoul

- REGISTER TODAY AT GREENVILLECHAMBER.ORG 3.31.2017

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#TRENDING |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

THE WATERCOOLER Social Chatter RE: REDEVELOPMENT PLAN ANNOUNCED FOR CONESTEE MILL “Wow! I wonder if the condo developers have any plan to deal with the dam at all?”

Sally Eastman

RE: LOCKHEED MAY MOVE F-16 PRODUCTION TO GREENVILLE “The opportunities for aerospace in the next decade are huge. Good news, indeed, for area economic development!”

Global Location Strategies "Awesome a 1960s jet design is still being constructed."

Geoff Pritchett

RE: PENDLETON STREET PROPERTIES TO BE REDEVELOPED IN VILLAGE OF WEST GREENVILLE

RE: AMERICA AIRLINES ANNOUNCES THREE NEW FLIGHTS FROM GSP TO CHICAGO

“Have a lot of people been displaced as a result of this development? That’s always my question when we start to tout the advantages of the ‘development of the mill villages’ in S.C.”

“This is great news, especially since Southwest is only flying to Atlanta now.”

Cheryl Anne Pelicano

RE: NEW INDOOR GUN RANGE CALIBER 290 HEADED FOR SPARTANBURG COUNTY

“West Greenville is a great place to look for bargains in real estate, but not for much longer.

The west side began its makeover a while ago but now is picking up the pace to redefine the area as the arts district. It’s safe to say that the real estate deals will soon be much harder to find in this part of town.”

Entre-Realty, LLC Property Management

Scott Meadows

“About time for another choice in Spartanburg.”

Nick Scarinzi

RE: NCAA HAD AT LEAST A $3.6 MILLION IMPACT ON GREENVILLE "Greenville and USC big successes on a national stage."

Michael Badeaux's Engineering Upstate Real Estate

2017 MARCH 24,

E 12 | VOL. 6 ISSU

DIGITAL FLIPBOOK ARCHIVE

TOP 5:

The layout of print meets the convenience of the Web. Flip through the digital editions of any of our print issues, and see them all in one place. upstatebusinessjournal.com/past-issues

1. Redevelopment plan announced for Conestee Mill

2. Pendleton Street properties to be redeveloped in Village of West Greenville ISSUE SERVOSIT

Y

G EDION • net FEATURIN NS • IMM L SOLUTIO • INTEGRA

3

3. Macy’s owned Bluemercury to open in Greenville’s ‘pink building’

4. Lockheed may move F-16 production to Greenville

GET THE INBOX CONNECT We’re great at networking.

5. New indoor gun range Caliber 290 headed for Spartanburg County

*The top 5 stories from the past week ranked by shareability score

22

UBJ | 3.31.2017

Follow up on the Upstate’s workweek.

The Inbox – our weekly rundown of the top 10 local biz stories you need to know. upstatebusinessjournal.com/email

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EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

DATE

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

4/11

Business After Hours: Drayton Mills Lofts

Drayton Mills Lofts 1800 Drayton Road, Spartanburg 4:30–6:30 p.m.

Cost: Free to members For more info: bit.ly/2mlIGcK, 864-594-5000

Tuesday

Business After Hours at The Children's Museum

Children's Museum of the Upstate 300 College St. 5–7 p.m.

Cost: Free to members/investors For more info: bit.ly/2mMoIs5, 864-239-3742, lwoodward@ greenvillechamber.org

Basic Small Business Start-Up

Greenville Library Augusta Road Branch 100 Lydia St. 6–8 p.m.

Cost: Free

Friday Forum featuring Sheriff Will Lewis

Greenville Hilton 45 W. Orchard Park Drive 8–9:30 a.m.

Cost: $15/members; $25/nonmembers For more info: 864-239-3728, tjames@greenvillechamber.org

Clemson University's Men of Color Summit: Tickets available now

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Cost: $329 (thru 4/15) For more info: clemson.edu/ inclusion/summit, menofcolorsummit@clemson.edu

Tuesday PRESIDENT/CEO

| PLANNER

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

UBJ PUBLISHER

Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

EDITOR

Chris Haire chaire@communityjournals.com

4/11

MANAGING EDITOR

Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com

DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Tori Lant tlant@communityjournals.com

Thursday

4/13

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Emily Pietras epietras@communityjournals.com

STAFF WRITERS

Trevor Anderson, Rudolph Bell, Cindy Landrum, Andrew Moore, Ariel Turner

Friday

4/21

CONTRIBUTING WRITER Sherry Jackson, Melinda Young

MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES Nicole Greer, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Lindsay Oehmen, Rosie Peck, Caroline Spivey, Emily Yepes

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR

Thursday-Friday

4/274/28 UP NEXT

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

Will Crooks

LAYOUT Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair | Michael Allen

CLIENT SERVICES Anita Harley | Jane Rogers

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kristi Fortner

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE STORY IDEAS: ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com

EVENTS:

APRIL 14 THE PERSONAL FINANCE ISSUE Keeping your bottom line top of mind.

onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com UBJ welcomes expert commentary from business leaders on timely news topics related to their specialties. Guest columns run 700-800 words. Contact managing editor Jerry Salley at jsalley@communityjournals. com to submit an article for consideration.

Circulation Audit by

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

1988

>>

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

MAY 19 THE INTERNATIONAL ISSUE Upstate, meet the world. World, meet the Upstate.

Got any thoughts? Care to contribute? Let us know at ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

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

1998

1990 Jackson Dawson

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

APRIL 28 CRE QUARTERLY ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.

events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AND AWARDS:

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

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

2009 Jackson Dawson changes name to Jackson marketing Group when larry sells his partnership in Detroit and lA 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-profnon-prof its. 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 lients 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 nit inVolVeMent nitY in ol inV olV V Ve eMent & 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

AS SEEN IN

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

Order a reprint today, PDFs available for $25. For more information, contact Anita Harley 864.679.1205 or aharley@communityjournals.com

EVENTS: Submit event information for consideration to events@ upstatebusiness journal.com

publishers of

Copyright ©2017 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved.

Upstate Business Journal is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. 581 Perry Ave., Greenville, South Carolina, 29611. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $50. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, P581 Perry Ave., Greenville, South Carolina, 29611. Printed in the USA.

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