April 3, 2015 UBJ

APRIL 3, 2015 | VOL. 4 ISSUE 14

Help wanted With the region’s construction boom, how are general contractors keeping up with the demand for workers? Page 14

upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEWS

SCBIO: State is ripe for medical device biz Daylong workshop is aimed at bioscience entrepreneurs ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com Despite being a growing hub for biomedical and life science technologies, the Upstate may need a science lesson, or at least a lesson in the business of science, according to South Carolina Biotechnology Industry Organization (SCBIO) President Wayne Roper.

“We’re hosting a daylong workshop where we teach people with technology and entrepreneurs with an interest in starting up their companies how to get their idea off the ground,” Roper said.

The workshop will be the fourth by SCBIO but the first to focus on medical device startups, a rapidly growing sector within the life science and biotechnology space, he said. “They’ve grown a tremendous number of jobs and … there’s going to be more.”

The bioscience industry employed more than 13,600 people in the state in 2012, with the largest subsectors including medical devices and equipment; bioscience-related distribution; and research, testing and medical labs, according to a study by nonprofit research and development organization Battelle, national trade association the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), PMP Public Affairs Consulting Inc. and the Bravo Group.

According to the same study, academic bioscience research and development expenditures made up 70 percent of total research and development in the state at $397,153 that same year, putting it in the first quintile of states.

Roper said roughly half of the state’s 90 medical device companies are located in the Upstate, which he partially attributes to the region’s “very entrepreneurial” health system and the fact that Clemson University has both one of the oldest biomaterials departments and one of the most active bioengineering departments in the country.

The entrepreneurial health system includes more than institutions such as Greenville Health System, Spartanburg Regional Health System and Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, he said—it also includes Spartanburg-based Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute alongside The Iron Yard Spartanburg’s digital health accelerator, among many other research hubs.

“When you put clinical practice, research and entrepreneurship together, you create a kind of innovation environment … that is unique,” he said.

Industry experts will lead small-group workshop sessions on topics such as rapid prototyping, patents, engineering, design prototyping, regulatory

| BIOSCIENCE | 3

ENGAGE APR

09

Starting Up Medical Device Companies

When: April 9, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Where: SiMT, Florence, S.C. How: Bus trip departing from CU-ICAR at 7 a.m., returning 6 p.m.

Who: Entrepreneurs, students and researchers interested in medical device startups Learn more: scbio.org/event-1869234 stipulations, product marketing and business idea pitching.

Roper said the workshop will showcase one of the state’s most prominent assets, the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology’s $50 million prototyping and design center.

Successful biomedical companies are often the first to develop a product prototype to test and present, Roper said, and the center’s capabilities range from common to exotic 3-D printing materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, copper, magnesium and plastics.

SCBIO has arranged a bus for workshop attendees in the Upstate. The bus will leave at 7 a.m. from the TD Gallery at CU-ICAR and will return at 6 p.m.

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4 | THE RUNDOWN |

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

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VOLUME 4, ISSUE 14 Featured this issue: Connecting with pitches at Wofford Freeman & Major celebrates 75 years Office building design unveiled for News site

6 20 23

MONEY SHOT: The Wade Hampton Boulevard branch was First Federal Savings & Loan’s first branch office. Designed in 1962—during the Cold War era— by the company now known as Freeman & Major Architects, a community fallout shelter was included in the initial design. Prior to construction, changes the political climate dictated it being deleted from the plans. For more on Freeman & Major’s 75 years in the Upstate, see page 20. Photo provided.

WORTH REPEATING “We want to be the American Greetings card that introduces kids to the idea that there’s something they can do.” Page 8 “We are awash with content … that is the written equivalent of bubble gum. Sweet, not filling, but ultimately bad for your teeth.” Page 15 “Back when Jack first went to work here in Greenville, if two architects were walking down the street and saw each other, one of them would go to the other side of the street. They did not get along with each other, and Jack brought us together.” Page 20

TBA Look for Splash on Main to open May 1 at 807 S. Main St. in downtown Greenville. The upscale specialty boutique will carry swimsuits, resort wear, cover-ups, home décor, jewelry and gifts.

Word is a new Montessori Academy is slated for downtown Greenville.

Watch for Hub City Tap House to open this summer at 197 E. St. John St. in Spartanburg, across from the Chapman Cultural Center.

VERBATIM

On building a career “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

Steve Martin

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NEWS

| TECH & DESIGN | 5

Who goes there—human or machine?

Software firm aims to override captchas ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com Greenville software company Ellipsis intends to disrupt the human-bot detection space, one captcha at a time.

Captchas—human-detection tests used to deter programs and online “bots” from accessing websites—can be annoying to users, but they can also discourage real humans from websites, which can mean losing traffic and potential sales, said Ellipsis COO Matt Dunbar, also the managing director of the Upstate Carolina Angel Network. That’s where human-detection technology steps in.

“What we do is effectively a captcha test, but instead of you having to enter anything to tell the website you’re human, we do it based on data we can track around the site,” Dunbar said. “It’s a totally passive way to use algorithms to determine what looks like a human and what looks like a bot.”

Originally developed by a Georgia company, the technology simultaneously keeps from deterring human users with captchas while protecting the site from threatening or aggressively malicious bots, said Director of Account Management Ryan DeMattia, who works with Ellipsis clients on the use and implementation of the technology.

While some bots can be harmless—such as those crawling websites for search engines—others can mine websites for valuable or sensitive data, while others can overload a website’s servers with bot attacks that can shut down a website or cause physical damage to equipment, he said.

“When the traffic comes in, we can pretty much instantly say [if] it’s human or it’s suspicious,” he said, noting the technology Matt Dunbar collects up to 50 data points the moment a user accesses a site.

For example, “If you’re holding a mouse in your hand, just your heartbeat and tremors in your hand are picked up … but when the pointer moves in a perfectly straight line and does not move beyond its end point, that’s a really obvious red flag.”

Around 40 to 60 percent of all Web traffic is estimated to be bot traffic, which translates in tangible ways to companies such as online advertising companies, said DeMattia. Bots waste about $10 billion in advertising spending every year through fraudulent clicks, he said.

“One of the biggest risks isn’t what the bot or hacker does on your site, it’s the technology and information they steal over time, and how it’s used over time,” he said.

While there are many others in the human detection market, most companies still require human interaction of some kind, whether it’s to drag an item into a shape or do a math problem, DeMattia said. The difference with Ellipsis, he said, is the program detects behavior and only goes through a captcha process if the behavior is suspicious.

“As it stands right now, you build a new layer of bot technology and in a matter of minutes or hours later, it’s defeated by a team of hackers,” he said. “When we move everything behind the scenes, we’re totally changing the game.”

The Ellipsis team also includes The Atlantic Partners Managing Partner Bill West as CEO; Gnoso Inc. Founder and CEO Peter Waldschmidt as vice chairman; ProActive Technology founder Andrew Kurtz as CTO; Palmetto Security Group Founder and CEO Adam Anderson as chief security officer; and 20-year business development professional Joe McKeown as the senior vice president of sales.

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6 | FINANCE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP |

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NEWS

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04.03.2015

Cost of SEC reporting squeezes small banks

Greer Bancshares terminates registration of common stock, ceases SEC reporting ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com The increasing costs of federal regulations caused bank holding company Greer Bancshares to deregister its common stock, suspending the company’s duty to file reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The bank is the latest to flee the SEC to cut compliance costs by taking advantage of the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which eased regulatory burdens by increasing the threshold under which a bank or bank holding company may terminate the registration of its securities.

Under the new law, banks can terminate their registration if they have 1,200 shareholders of record or less. Previously, the threshold was 300 shareholders of record. According to SNL Financial, 87 banks across the country filed to deregister during the five months following the law’s enactment, all of which had more than 300 shareholders on record, meaning they previously would not have been able to go private without the JOBS Act. Of those, 70 were small community banks with less than $500 million in assets, the group said.

With 743 shareholders of reporting. He said the bank record, Greer Bancshares would studied the effect of deregistraalso not have qualified to deregtion at other local banks before ister without the act. The bank’s making the same decision, alCEO George Burdette said the though he declined to name which banks were included in company decided to deregister about a year ago because the cost that study. of operating as a public company “Other banks of our size and outweighed the benefits to shareholder scope have done it, shareholders. and we looked into their history “We just felt for our shareof doing it before we proceeded holders base it was a little bit with it and discovered it didn’t unnecessary,” said Burdette, cause any problems with the who said the bank will continue bank or shareholders,” Burdette sending out financial informasaid. “There were other banks tion to shareholders and that we checked with.” releasing statements on the Burdette said reporting costs are often more arduous for bank’s earnings information. smaller banks, and deregulation “There was a lot of expense Greer Bancshares CEO George Burdette and work that went into providwould result in “significant” ing it that could be better annual cost savings.

Photos by Greg Beckner allocated elsewhere.”

“For banks of our size and others, it’s a significant cost in time and resourcBurdette said the move allows the bank to shift personnel to focus on other areas such as compliance es,” he said. “It’s definitely more swallowable and risk management rather than on SEC-related for bigger banks.”

Wofford announces pitch contest winners ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com Wofford College awarded six student startup companies a total of $20,000 in cash and support services during the college’s third annual Impact & Launch competition at the end of March.

Six winners were chosen out of 10 finalists, all of which had 15 minutes to pitch their concept before a panel of judges. Five finalists pitched ideas focused around social or community improvement projects (Impact), while the remaining five pitched more tra-

ditional business models (Launch).

On the Impact side, Wofford student Philip Habib’s idea Learn More, Do More took first place with a project aimed at helping former prison inmates earn a degree to increase their opportunities in the workforce. The project will assist with college and financial aid applications to Spartanburg Community College’s 42-week programs, which include advanced manufacturing, automotive technologies, HVAC and refrigeration, welding and other career paths. The project—which won $5,000 and a marketing consultation from New York City-based Photos provided

upstatebusinessjournal.com

The Strategy Collective—will also prepare participants via basic job application and interview skills.

In the Launch category, business economics student Victoria Biggers’ concept also took first place with Wee Celebrations, a children’s party service idea that allows parents to focus on their child rather than event details.

NEWS

Biggers received $5,000 plus a year’s worth of coworking space at The Iron Yard Spartanburg.

The five-member judge panel included Marco Suarez, Etsy senior product designer and cofounder of Methodical Coffee in Greenville; Scarlett Sieber, Infomous vice president of operations; Emil Picasso Genolizo, Pheonix Interactive’s director of UX; Chad Williamson, cofounder of student public service and entrepreneurship organization Noble Institute; and Deepa Subramaniam, director of product at nonprofit charity: water.

Around 200 people attended the five-hour Saturday evening event, which was held at Wofford College’s campus in Spartanburg. The competition is one element of the college’s entrepreneur development programming, The Space in The Mungo Center. The Space includes five programs aimed at giving students preparation with career development, internships, social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship and consulting.

PLANS ARE MOVING FORWARD FOR THE ALLEY GREENVILLE, a music, bowling and entertainment venue slated for the former Handlebar property at 304 E. Stone Ave. Rob Bouton, owner of The Alley in Charleston, said that things are moving forward, final plans are being drawn and permits are being applied for. He hopes to break ground in May for a late 2015 opening.

| ENTREPRENEURSHIP | 7

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8 | TECH AND DESIGN |

UBJ

NEWS

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04.03.2015

The hunger app

Spartanburg-based Hunger Crunch wins Facebook’s social good app of the year ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com Five years ago, Dodd Caldwell saw the writing on the wall and shifted strategies. This year, the move paid off when social media giant Facebook recognized his idea—a mobile gaming app called Hunger Crunch that feeds hungry orphans— with its inaugural Social Good App of the Year award.

“It kind of came to me in the early days when there was a lot of arcade-style games,” said Caldwell, the 12-year volunteer president of Spartanburg-based orphan care nonprofit Rice Bowls. The nonprofit got its start in the 1980s by manufacturing, distributing and recollecting plastic coin and paper currency banks used as fundraising tools in the area.

“Obviously we knew going into the future that’s going to be less and less of the economy, so we wanted to have a way we could engage with kids and do the fundraising with them,” he said.

“We looked at where kids were going

to be more and more into the future, and for better or for worse, that’s in front of screens.”

So Caldwell set to work, enlisting the help of four people during the last two years to build Hunger Crunch, an iOS and now Android gaming mobile application that puts 100 percent of its profits from in-app purchases towards feeding orphaned children in eight countries around the world.

The app allows the gamer to ride the virtual world of hunger, collecting candy coins at the end of each of the 12 levels. The app generates revenue by allowing players to use real money to buy candy coins in bulk, the profits of which go to orphanages.

Photos provided

“We thought, ‘Let’s do something that inspires and just introduces kids to this concept of the world being round and that there are people out there on the other side of it in need, and make kids feel empowered to do something about it,’” said developer Bryan Martin, who used his experience with advertising agencies and as a concept artist to help develop the game. “We know our game is not going to educate kids fully, but … we want to be the American Greetings card that introduces kids to the idea that there’s something they can do.”

The app—currently with more than 10,000 downloads as of the end of March—was funded completely by a grant, meaning not a penny of the Rice Bowls budget went towards the mobile app, said Caldwell, who grew up in Spartanburg and also works full time with his software business. Building the app cost in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last three years, he said.

While kids are likely using their parents’ funds to make in-app purchases, Caldwell said the fact that the purchases go to charity has contributed to its success.

“That’s definitely part of the hook.

It’s one thing to say I can buy this in-app purchase in a game that I’m playing, and another thing to say all the money I’m using is going towards feeding orphaned kids,” he said.

Going forward, Caldwell and his team will focus on something called tournament mode, which uses

the competitive nature of Hunger Crunch to organize kids around larger-scale events.

“You can actually have an event, a Hunger Crunch competing event that puts middle school students versus high schoolers, or fourth grade versus fifth grade,” said Caldwell. Kids would need to purchase a tournament pass to enter in the competition, then would be able to spend additional funds while in the competition that would help their chances of winning.

“I think the tech ecosystem in Greenville and Spartanburg is growing as far as app development and Webbased software, so it’s really great to get some recognition for our community, especially through a name brand like Facebook,” said Caldwell.

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10 | EVENTS & ANNUAL REPORTS |

UBJ

NEWS

Prepare to engage

Events near and far worth checking out What: New Business Start Up Bootcamp Where: Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology, Florence, S.C. When: Saturday, April 18, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Who: Entrepreneurs, business leaders Cost: $25 general, $10 students, $15 Gould Incubator Clients Florence, S.C.-based Gould Business Incubator will host a New Business Start Up Boot Camp to help entrepreneurs and business leaders through the basics of starting, operating and succeeding with their new business ventures. The one-day event will cover business management, incorporating, accounting, finance, manufacturing, marketing, social media and customer service.

Established in 2012, the Gould Business Incubator is an extension of the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing Technology and aims to assist in establishing and growing new business ventures by providing an affordable launch platform for first- and second-stage companies. Refreshments and lunch provided.

Learn more: gouldincubator.com/new-business-start-up-boot-camp What: Founder Institute information session Where: NEXT Innovation Center, 411 University Ridge, Greenville When: Monday, April 6, 6 p.m.

Who: Budding entrepreneurs Cost: Free Do you want to start your own technology company, but don’t know where to get started? You are not alone. “Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur” will feature talks by entrepreneurs Brian McSharry (cofounder Sage Automotive and chairman of Concepts to Companies), Ray Lattimore (CEO of Marketplace Staffing) and Jason Premo (cofounder of ADEX Aerospace and chairman of Premo Ventures) as they share best practices, strategies and mistakes to avoid from those who have done it before.

Learn more: fi.co/e/40251

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04.03.2015

What: The Iron Yard Digital Health Program Application Deadline Where: Spartanburg When: April 10 Who: Health startup teams and entrepreneurs The Iron Yard’s nationally ranked health accelerator program in Spartanburg helps startup teams and solo founders build their software, software/hardware combination, medical device, biotech or life science businesses with $20,000 in seed capital, three months of mentorship and training, a year of coworking space, networking opportunities and free legal services. Applications are due April 10, the program begins on May 18 and graduates present at the health care technology conference Health 2.0 exclusive demo day Oct. 4-7 in Silicon Valley.

Learn more: ironyardventures.com/digital-health What: One Spark Crowdfunding Festival Where: Jacksonville, Fla. When: April 7-12 Who: Anyone Heralded as the world’s largest crowdfunding festival, the annual One Spark event in downtown Jacksonville, Fla., is a one-stop shop for founders, inventors, makers and startups to connect with potential investors, find market validation and get feedback on their ideas.

This year, Greenville-based angel investment group Swamp Rabbit Angels has partnered with Arsenal Venture Partners, GuideWell, MountainStar Capital and PS27 Ventures to pledge $3.5 million in private investment to creators at One Spark 2015.

Learn more: onespark.com What: Imagine Upstate Festival Where: Downtown Greenville When: Saturday, April 4, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Who: Anyone Cost: Free Greenville-based one-day festival Imagine Upstate aims to educate students, families and young professionals about science, technology, engineering and math careers and innovations located in the Upstate. This year’s inaugural event will feature booths along Greenville’s main drag and will include live robot battles, futuristic fashion shows and hovercraft demonstrations.

Learn more: imagineupstate.org

Annual Reports

Regional Management Corp. (NYSE: RM)

Denny’s (Nasdaq: DENN)

Synalloy Corp (Nasdaq: SYNL)

Spartanburg-based Denny’s Corp. reported a 2.1 percent increase in sales to $472.3 million at the end of fiscal 2014 year over year after three previous years of falling sales, while gross income increased 5.5 percent to $118.3 million during the year after falling 4.8 percent from fiscal 2012 to 2013. Net income for the year increased 33.2 percent to $32.7 million, or 37 cents per diluted share compared to the prior year.

“In 2014, we generated the highest annual system-wide sales growth in eight years and the highest annual company same-store sales growth since 2004,” said Denny’s President and CEO John Miller in a statement. “We were also able to grow sustainable guest traffic, which was primarily due to our ongoing strategy to further enhance our food, service and atmosphere.”

The company opened 38 system restaurants during the year, including six international and three non-traditional locations.

Spartanburg-based metals and specialty chemicals firm Synalloy Corp. reported a 1.4 percent increase in consolidated net sales to $199.5 million, a 66.3 percent increase in gross profit to $32.9 million and a 210.2 percent increase in net income to $5.5 million in fiscal 2014 compared with the prior reporting period, according to the company’s annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

During 2014, Synalloy completed the planned closure of its Bristol Fabrication unit, completed the sale of its used and outstanding membership interest of wholly owned South Carolina subsidiary Ram-Fab, and entered into a stock purchase agreement to purchase all of the issued and outstanding stock of Specialty Pipe & Tube Inc. The company operates 11 major facilities located in South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Virginia, which includes Synalloy’s Fountain Inn and Spartanburg facilities.

Greenville-based specialty consumer finance company Regional Management Corp. reported a 20 percent increase in revenue to $204.7 million compared to the prior year across its 300 branches in Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Small loans make up the largest single segment of the company’s product portfolio, representing $319.5 million in finance receivables and contributing $134.7 million, $98.0 million and $65.9 million to the company’s total revenue in 2014, 2013 and 2012 respectively.

The company saw a 10.8 percent increase to $53.8 million in fourth quarter 2014 revenue compared to the same period the prior year, while early-stage delinquencies (accounts delinquent for fewer than 60 days) were down just over 2 percentage points to 18.0 percent year over year.

Regional Management offers small and large loans ranging from $500 to $20,000, as well as automobile loans, retail loans and optional insurance products to non-prime and underbanked customers, a population that has grown to 51 million adults in 2013 from 43 million in 2009.

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12 | WHO’S WHO |

NEWS

A celebration of Who’s Who UBJ celebrated its second class of Who’s Who winners in an event held last Thursday at the Palmetto Bank Headquarters in downtown Greenville.

A large and diverse group of Upstate professionals gathered to honor the seven 2015 Who’s Who winners — a group of innovative and determined individuals who have devoted their talents and efforts to changing not only their organizations and industries, but the entire Upstate community.

Photos by Patrick Cox Photography

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14 | INNOVATE |

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MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

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Mix vigorously around specific, personal introductions to various entities and individuals that can benefit their company.

CEO, NEXT As a result, NEXT acts much like a concierge service for its entrepreneurs Growing globally competitive as it addresses various company needs headquarter companies is a relatively and requests by mixing the CEO with new economic development approach appropriate resources, allies and infor the Upstate. But with every passing dividuals in the area. There is also an day, there is an increasing appreciation online vehicle for mixing entreprehere for high-impact entrepreneurs neurs with the ecosystem—a weekly and their companies as they generate e-newsletter called NEXT Up that significant new jobs for the area while compiles all of the regional entrepregenerating greater community wealth neur news and events into one simple over the long term.

The entrepreneurship recipe calls for vigorous and regular mixing of place entrepreneurs can scan for items Attracting and growing innovative founders with one another and with the ecosystem at large to produce of interest. Such tools and services are young companies requires communibreakthrough companies and the resulting benefits to the community. very simple, yet essential for mixing ties like ours to build supportive enentrepreneurs with the activities and trepreneur ecosystems that provide allies around them. critical inputs and targeted services to preneurs and across the larger comHowever, while we work daily to Perhaps the most important mixing early-stage ventures and their foundimprove the individual ingredients of munity is the most effective and effithat can occur within an entrepreneur ers. Inputs like investment capital, our ecosystem like talent, capital, and cient way to connect needed ecosystem is within the network of world-class talent and specialized facilities, we must become more aware entrepreneurs themselves, as peer resources and to generate breakservice providers are needed if highof a lesser-known aspect that is critical through new ideas. While this seems connections can provide value in many growth companies are to start and to thriving entrepreneurial commulike common sense on the surface, very ways including sharing best practices, thrive here. nities: the important role of fostering few regions put the needed emphasis fostering new connections and generIn a region known more for our large connections or “mixing” entrepreneurs ating potential business partnerships. on creating peer and ecosystem conindustrial base and international within the ecosystem. nections, and thus the long-term Entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur coneconomic results are sub-optimized. nections can even result in new business formations as combinations Think of it this way. Like fostering high-impact entrepreneurship, baking of products and capabilities across a loaf of bread requires a variety of multiple companies can often create Join Greenville for the greenville individual ingredients. If placed in a breakthrough market introductions.

3rd annual Healthy Workplace making the healthy choice the easy choice bowl together with no stirring or To foster these connections and stir Conference & Cocktail Reception kneading, bread ingredients like flour, up the entrepreneur network, NEXT yeast and water do not come together facilitates a variety of scheduled at T.D. Convention Center to form dough for bread.

As such, and ad-hoc meetings and events deThursday April 23 • 1-6 pm bread recipes provide clear directions signed specifically to introduce entreIncluded in Registration: on mixing and kneading the elements preneurs to one another and to en• Educational breakout sessions on worksite wellness together to unleash their unique cacourage open dialogue about their • Vendor expo on worksite wellness market issues and opportunities. pabilities once combined properly.

• Cocktail reception Without intentional mixing of the Entrepreneur ecosystems perform ATTENDEES REGISTER AT: in much the same way and require entrepreneur community, company www.lwgworkplaceconference2015.eventbrite.com mixing and kneading to drive optimal founders are often left to fend for results. While each individual element themselves and find it a struggle to Does YOUR business help other businesses is important, they do not produce identify and connect with one another help their employees live healthier lives? success in and of themselves. Instead, and the resources that can help them the entrepreneurship recipe calls for succeed. They are very busy people Participate in the Healthy Workplace vigorous and regular mixing of foundand often have their heads down Conference event as a vendor. ers with one another and with the working within their individual VENDORS REGISTER AT: ecosystem at large to produce breakcompanies closing sales, building www.lwgworkplaceconference2015vendor.eventbrite.com better products and making payroll. through companies and the resulting Thus it is critical that as we work to benefits to the community.

NEXT engages with approximately build stronger individual support elGreenville Health System Brand Signature: Basic Guidelines 20-30 new growth companies in the ements like talent, capital and facilities, we must apply similar value to Upstate each year as we attract more Signature System GHSsig1: 2 color on white GHSsig3: White on dark background and more entrepreneurs here.

Typithe behind-the-scenes service of The GHS brand signature combines the symbol and name, set in customized type, in a special that never changes.“stirring Reproduce cally, the first request from configuration these new vigorously” to ensure our signatures only from authorized files available from GHSof marketing. entrepreneurs is an overview the entrepreneurs are connected and entrepreneur resources inSignature the Colors area engaged with all the aspects that can GHSsig4: 2 color on dark background Black making the healthy choice the easyGHSsig2: choice with the second request centering help them succeed here. making the healthy choice the easy choice

By JOHN MOORE,

branch manufacturing, the Upstate has made great strides on this front in recent years, creating elements like the Upstate Carolina Angel Network, the NEXT Innovation Center and the recently launched Venture Mentoring Service in partnership with MIT. In less than 10 years, our community has created an up-and-coming entrepreneur support landscape, though we still have much work to do.

The most important factor in driving entrepreneurial success in a community is not the creation of any one particular support element or the support of any one outstanding entrepreneur. Instead, it is the deliberate and planned mixing of entrepreneurs with one another and with the larger ecosystem that generates the greatest value.

Fostering intentional collisions and interactions within the tribe of entre-

greenville

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF BUSINESS

| DIGITAL MAVEN | 15

Can a computer take my place?

The next news story or financial report you read just may have been written by a robot program “Tuesday was a great day for W. Roberts, as the junior pitcher threw a perfect game to carry Virginia to a 2-0 victory over George Washington at Davenport Field.”

By LAURA HAIGHT, president, portfoliosc.com If you are a regular reader of Forbes or a fan of Big Ten sports, there’s a good chance that you’ve been reading stories created by computers.

In fact, you might be shocked at the amount of content that is being “generated” by computer programs— and who they are writing it for. How about the Associated Press, the world’s largest news service? They’ve been using Automated Insights to write financial reports. The AI Wordsmith system is also marketed as a way to produce client results reporting for marketing companies.

The Big Ten Network has been using another company, Narrative Science, since 2010 to do ingame updates and tweets for basketball and football.

And it’s not just publishing services.

It’s possible that the annual client report you get from your financial advisor has been produced by an algorithm under the umbrella function of a natural language generator (NLG).

Think you could tell the difference?

Try this quiz from the New York Times (goo.gl/xWk4Dg). I won’t even tell you how many I got wrong.

This really isn’t new. It’s been going on for more than five years and, as you may be starting to see, is gaining acceptance in some major industries and some big players. Some in the NLG industry predict that 90 percent of all content could be created by robot programs by 2020.

Narrative Science says 2015 is the year of the “democratization of data” where collecting information gives way to deep analysis and utilization— performed, of course, by artificial intelligence.

The NLG movement segues nicely with the rush to transform “education” into “skills-based training” and the promotion of technology over those soft skills of critical and analytical thinking.

The confluence of Internet adaptation, cloud computing, content marketing and a recession have created a huge contingent force of freelancers writing blogs, books, white papers and articles for publication. Will a computer program be able to replace them?

Whatever the reason you have content on your website, that content still represents you. If it’s slapdash and shallow, that’s what you represent to the viewers you have managed to attract to it.

Already high-quality writing and reporting is devalued for “cheap and quick.” Good writers struggle to compete with $5 blog posts available through freelance bidding sites online.

Of course, you can really tell when a blog post has been created by someone who wrote it for $5. It lacks context, uniqueness, reporting, flow, tone and so much more. But many cost-resistant small businesses want blog posts only as SEO magnets for high search ratings and referrals.

I would argue that whatever the reason you have content on your website, that content still represents you. If it’s slapdash and shallow, that’s what you represent to the viewers you have managed to attract to it.

We are awash with content (five ways to get more hits, 15 things you need to know about hiring, the three things you wish you could take back) that is the written equivalent of bubble gum. Sweet, not filling, but ultimately bad for your teeth.

The algorithm-generated content that I have read while preparing this article (yes, it is really me) is better than a lot of the content I see posted on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

But it still stays in its lane: reporting on data points. At least for now, to go beyond that, you still need an educated human.

Can anybody find me … Apple Pay? Come October the liability for lost credit card numbers and credit card theft will shift from the credit card company to the retail merchant. They’ve had several years to get ready for it; primarily that means converting to point-of-sale devices that will accept the much more secure chip-and-PIN-style cards that have been the standard in the rest of the world since the end of 2011.

Enter Apple Pay—by most accounts the most secure mobile payment method yet (goo.gl/ JSVKMu). Ever since I got my iPhone 6 which is equipped with

the near-field communications capability that makes Apple Pay work, I’ve been searching for a place to use it. Every retailer should be replacing their terminals; surely some of these will take Apple Pay. CVS, no. Publix, no. My dry cleaner, no.

Redbox, no. UPS store, no. In some stores, I ask and the counter staff most often says they just don’t know.

We should be seeing new credit card terminals popping up all over.

(Your magnetic-stripe card will work in those machines. Don’t worry.) I’m just hoping that somewhere I’ll find a retailer taking Apple Pay. Know any? Let me know at laura@portfoliosc.com—I’ve got an iPhone burning a hole in my pocket.

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16 | WORKING WELL |

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GOOD HEALTH IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

|

04.03.2015

Sunshine, puppy dogs, rainbows = productivity?

By JONATHAN BURMAN, organizational psychologist

Alright, it’s not as easy as that. And no, I don’t believe that thoughts of glittery unicorns will save the world—but research shows that being positive will make you and your workplace more productive and fulfilled.

What is positive psychology?

Paraphrasing from the pioneers of positive psychology, Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, positive psychology means focusing on those aspects of life that provide you the most satisfaction.

Previous to positive psychology, the focus of mental health was to heal those with dysfunctions; now we are looking to shift the focus to increasing productivity and fulfillment for everyone.

Why is this important?

In the U.S., we spend about 70 percent of our waking lives working or at work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than half of us are unsatisfied with our work, according to a 2014 survey published on The Conference Board. We are spending an enormous amount of resources—about $300 billion a year, according to the World Health Orga-

nization—on stress-related problems, and approximately 41 percent of us “feel tense or stressed out during the workday,” says a 2012 article in Forbes.

How can we bring positive psychology to the workplace?

As leaders in an organization, we have a choice: Encourage positive thoughts and behaviors and energize our people, or encourage negative thoughts and behaviors that depress and demotivate our people.

I once heard a manager say, “The problem I have with all this optimism stuff is it is unrealistic, because bad stuff does happen.” True—and I would say that pessimism is as equally “wrong” in this context as optimism. No one, pessimist or optimist, has a monopoly on reality. Positive psychology does not say bad stuff does not happen. The difference is, even if bad stuff happens, we have a choice in how we look at it. Leaders have a responsibility to help their people be productive and fulfilled—and emphasizing the bad stuff does not help.

To help people transition from negativity to positivity, here are five tactics you can employ at your workplace:

1. Understand the negativity bias When discussing projects, strategies, tactics and people, we have a tendency to show a “negativity bias,” which means we pay more attention to the possible negative outcomes or perspectives (this is why news organizations serve up so much negative news). To combat this, make employees aware of the negativity bias and for every negative assertion (e.g., “He always does that”, “That never works”) challenge them on their absolutes by asking, “You said he always does that. Can you give me an example?”

2. Reframe Mizuta Masahide once said, “Barn’s burnt down; now I can see the moon.” Reframing means looking at things in a different way. This can be in the form of asking, “What’s another way of looking at this?” or “What was learned?” Even if a project or process has failed, there is most likely something you have learned from it.

3. Realistic optimism Realistic optimism means acknowledging a

Leaders have a responsibility to help their people be productive and fulfilled—and emphasizing the bad stuff does not help.

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>> challenge in a positive way. If you are describing an organizational change, it sounds like this: “This change will be difficult and I am confident that we can succeed by working together.” Another way to articulate this is, “This project is going to require hard work, long hours, and some stress. By working together and being patient with each other, I feel we will be successful and have some fun along the way.”

4. Find the most likely outcome Helping others to explore options can be a great way to pull them out of negativity. This can be done by asking, “What’s the worst and best-case scenario?” If you can imaginatively explore possibilities and not just focus on doom and gloom, you can most likely find a more optimistically realistic outcome.

5. Locate the bright spots Instead of focusing on what can go wrong or all of the mistakes in the past, encourage people to look at what has worked or is currently working. This can be done by asking things like, “What is working well in our department?” or “What is a best practice we can try?”

This is an organizational version of the

GOOD HEALTH IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

“Gratitude list” (listing or discussing the things we are grateful for).

To clarify, these tactics can be used in all aspects of your life. Whether you are a leader of an organization, a parent or trying to change yourself, you have a choice on how to view things—negatively or positively. If you spend your time focusing on the negative, you are limiting your options, reducing energy and in general demotivating yourself. Since we spend the majority of our lives at work, organizational leaders have a unique responsibility to help guide their employees towards a more positive, productive and fulfilled workplace.

| WORKING WELL | 17

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18 | COVER

While new construction projects are booming in the Upstate, finding local people to build them is proving challenging SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

sjackson@communityjournals.com If developers are the pie-in-the-sky dreamers and inventors of the construction industry, then general contractors are the nuts and bolts—the key component that directs the project’s transformation from blueprint to physical reality.

So with the large increase in construction projects in downtown Greenville and all across the Upstate, how are general contractors keeping up with the workload, and where are they finding the workers they need to do the jobs?

and across the country are seeing construction activity pick up to pre-recession levels.

“I lived and worked in Charlotte for seven years, and Greenville now reminds me of Charlotte in the early 2000s with as much work as is going on,” said Bill Connor, project manager at Yeargin Potter Shackelford Construction.

Construction firms added jobs in 45 states and the District of Columbia between February 2014 and February 2015, while construction employment increased in 33 states between January and February, according to a recent analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America.

“Right now the market is good. It seems busy. We expect that will continue,” said Tom Fuduric, director of human resources and safety and health for Harper Corporation General Contractors.

South Carolina was one of 33 states that added construction jobs between January and February, with a 3 percent increase equating to 2,500 jobs added, according to the report.

A BUSY REGION In the city of Greenville, 1,664 permits have been WORKFORCE IS “A HUGE CONCERN” applied for or awarded since January, with an estiHowever, many construction trade workers left mated value of $289,742,650. Another 296 permits the volatile industry during the recession to find are in progress. In the multifamily sector alone, more work in other fields than 1,600 multifam– and haven’t come ily units have been SOME OF THE LARGE CONSTRUCTION back yet. permitted and are PROJECTS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY IN “Workforce is a under construction in THE CITY OF GREENVILLE huge concern for us Greenville, another at YPS and for our 1,100 units submitted subcontractors,” for permitting and Connor said. Many 1,700 additional • Aloft Hotel at ONE workers were forced units planned. City to find another career officials said it takes • RiverPlace/Embassy Suites in 2008 and 2009 or about five to seven drop out of the workweeks to get a permit force entirely, he said. for larger commercial High construction and multifamily • Stone + Main, 375 apartments activity north of projects.

• Link Apartments West End, 215 apartments Charlotte and south The construction and west of Atlanta renaissance isn’t has had a strong limited to the city of impact on Greenville, Greenville. Greenville • Magnolia Park said Brasfield & County has issued • Fresh Market w/ retail on Woodruff Gorrie General Con2,295 permits in tractors regional January and Febru• Former Claussen Bakery on Augusta president Keith ary 2015. Columbia, • Cancer Survivors Park Johnson, who overCharleston and other sees the Greenville areas in the Upstate

Brasfield & Gorrie

Yeargin Potter Shackelford Harper Construction

|

04.03.2015

Photo by Greg Beckner

WHERE ARE THE WORKERS?

UBJ

“If you get several jobs going and there are only a few subs in each trade, then you then go to the second-tier sub and then quality is going to suffer and it takes an increase in management on our part.”

Keith Johnson, Brasfield & Gorrie General Contractors area. “When those two markets get hot, those people aren’t too interested in going to Greenville because they have the work in their own backyard,” he said.

However, “It’s booming in the Upstate right now with multifamily,” Connor said. “A lot of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing subcontractors are coming from out of the area for those trades.”

The latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that mining, logging and construction are up 16.6 percent in February compared to a year ago.

“In the future I think we’re going to see a bit of a shortage,” Fuduric said. “As an industry, we’re not doing a lot to attract people. We have an aging workforce because we haven’t attracted younger people to the workforce yet. There are some terrific and very well-paying jobs in construction.”

According to the Associated Builders and Contractors organization, construction will be tied with the health care sector for the fastest growth over the next decade, with employment growing at an annual rate of 6 percent, more than twice as fast as the average of all industries.

Johnson said while his company always tries to hire local subcontractors and resources, he routinely pulls crews in from Charlotte and Atlanta.

Right now in Greenville, Brasfield & Gorrie has two large projects, the Riverplace development and the Aloft hotel at ONE. About 65-75 percent of >>

COVER | 19

upstatebusinessjournal.com

THE LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES OF A CAREER PATH IN CONSTRUCTION

MIDDLE SCHOOL (Career Awareness)

HIGH SCHOOL OR TECH. COLLEGE

>>

the subcontractors are local, Johnson said. Of the 25 or 35 percent that aren’t, it’s because they’re not available, he said.

to bid on jobs with companies they have good relationships with. “You want to work with people you respect and respect you,” said Fuduric.

“In the future I think we’re going to see a bit of a shortage. As an industry, we’re not doing a lot to attract people. We have an aging workforce because we haven’t attracted younger people to the workforce yet. There are some terrific and very well-paying jobs in construction.”

Tom Fuduric, Harper Corporation General Contractors

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THE CHALLENGES “A concern is overloading the good Connor said site contractors are subcontractors. We have to be careful always tough jobs to fill, especially and police ourselves that we don’t give projects in downtown working within them so much work that they can’t its confined spaces. Other subs, espeperform,” Connor said. “That hurts evcially those in mechanical, electrical eryone and the job. It’s a balancing act.” and plumbing, are just too busy Johnson said the demand has been sometimes to bid work. For example, manageable so far, “but it certainly at the Stone + Main project, only one has the ability to get really tight later of the six subcontractors out of those this year. There are a lot of projects three trades is local, said Connor. talked about right now and a lot more Local subcontractors account for being talked about.” about 75 percent of the workforce, with the remaining 25 percent from out of the area, for both the

BY THE NUMBERS: Stone + Main project and the Link Apartments West End that In the city of Greenville...

YPS is doing, Connor said.

“We have seen subcontractors permits have been applied come from other markets,” for or given since January 2015 Fuduric said. “I don’t know if that’s because there is a deficiency or because we have work available.” estimated value of those permits “The biggest challenge in Greenville specifically is the permits in progress depth of subcontractors,” said Johnson. “There are some subs, but not a lot in each trade. If you weeks average time to get a get several jobs going and there permit for larger commercial and multiare only a few subs in each trade, family projects then you then go to the second-ti-

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296 5-7

er sub and then quality is going to suffer and it takes an increase in management on our part.”

Greenville lacks a high-rise, large concrete subcontractor and a large glass contractor, Johnson said, so general contractors have to go outside of Greenville for those trades.

Relationships are key when having subcontractors bid on projects – it’s important to keep the general contractor/subcontractor relationship professional and happy, said Fuduric.

When the market heats up, subcontractors will be more apt

3-4

weeks average time to get a permit

for small commercial additions/renovations and single family

1,600

multifamily units are

permitted and under construction

1,100

multifamily units submitted

for permitting

1,700

units planned

additional multifamily

20 | MILESTONE |

UBJ

A TRIBUTE TO OUR LONG-LASTING ENTERPRISES

Designed to thrive

|

04.03.2015

1

Freeman & Major Architects celebrates 75 years

75 YEARS

NATALIE WALTERS | CONTRIBUTOR

nwalters@communityjournals.com

Founded during World War II, Freeman & Major Architects has grown from a one-man business into a small firm that can take on the big jobs. In addition to designing some of Greenville’s landmark structures, the firm marked 75 years in the Upstate this year.

STARTING OUT Born in Greenville in 1911, William E. “Jack” Freeman (1911-1992) grew up helping his dad run a hardware store just off Main Street, which his dad assumed Jack would take over one day. But Freeman became interested in architecture at Clemson University. He returned to Greenville to work with architect Willie Ward, and then to open his own one-man architectural business, W.E. Freeman and Associates, in 1940—right in the midst of World War II. His first office was located over the People’s National Bank that once stood on West Washington Street, but he soon moved across the street to 226 W. Washington St. where the Symmes Gymnasium of the First Presbyterian Church now stands.

Jack Freeman’s son, Allen Freeman, who worked at the new location as an office boy during high school, said the building was originally designed for a fish market.

Although after about a year, work was nearly impossible to come by, Jack Freeman survived the war years and soon hired additional architects, including Jimmy Wells, who would later become a partner.

GROWTH IN THE POSTWAR YEARS As work picked back up after the war, particularly in schools and churches, Jack Freeman gradually hired more architects until he had eight employees in 1959. One of these employees was Charles Major, a Clemson graduate who would go on to work for Freeman and Major for 50 years. Major says he was excited to take the job because Freeman was going to raise his weekly salary “from $75 to $100.”

Major said the drafting room had a simple setup then: one telephone, sawhorse tables with backless stools and a big fan that served as an air conditioner.

“You had to hold your drawings down with bricks and be careful not to drip sweat on them,” Major said.

In 1965, Jack Freeman decided to make Wells and

2

4

1. Architects at work in the Freeman 3 & Major office on Washington Street in 1960 (photo provided); 2. From left: John Jacques, Allen Freeman, Kate Schwennsen, Mrs. A. Freeman and Joel Van Dyke at Clemson University’s Centennial Symposium School of Architecture October 2013. The award was posthumously awarded to W.E. “Jack” Freeman Jr., Clemson class of ’34 (photo by Ann Marie Jacques); 3. Freeman Major Architects designed additions to Clemson’s Memorial Stadium in 1978 and 1983 (photo provided); 4. The South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities, Greenville (photo provided).

Major junior partners, who would transition to full partners over the course of the next year. Then, in 1971, Jack Freeman asked Wells and Major if he could gradually transfer his partnership to his son,

Allen Freeman, who had graduated from the architecture program at Clemson in 1965.

“We couldn’t have been happier,” Major said.

The same year he became a partner, Allen >>

upstatebusinessjournal.com

>> Freeman designed the company’s new building at One McDaniel Green.

“It was a wonderful place for us because it was almost downtown but had a residential flair,” Allen Freeman said.

Jack Freeman retired from the firm in 1978 and, in 1985, Allen Freeman and Major bought Wells out and changed the name from Freeman, Wells & Major to Freeman & Major. Allen, who became managing partner of the firm in 1995, called Major “the best partner anybody ever had.”

A SMALL COMPANY GETS BIG JOBS Allen and Major maintain that the company has survived “the feast and famine” periods that come with architectural work because they stuck to their philosophy of being a small firm ranging from four to 12 people so that “every client got the best team we had, which was really our only team,” Allen said.

The key was that the firm was still big enough to do the big jobs—they just did them one at a time so that the client had their full attention.

“I worked there 50 years, and I don’t think there was a project that came out of that firm that I didn’t work on in some capacity,” Major said.

One of those projects was the First Federal building downtown, which was built in 1972.

Major remembers the building was originally 10 stories, but Charles Scales, the president of First Federal Savings at the time, said he couldn’t see it from his house and asked them to add two more stories, which they did.

Other projects include the upper decks in the Clemson Memorial Stadium, a $15 million job that Allen and Major said made Clemson the first college stadium to have box seats; Duke Power Regional Headquarters (now First Citizens Bank) and the Greenville Water System Building, both of which were influenced by the colonial-style architecture of one of the firm’s other projects, Johns Hall at Furman University. The firm also designed the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, a $20 million job Freeman & Major landed by winning a design competition with a design based on an Italian hill village, since the school’s land sloped down toward the river, like a hill.

AN ARCHITECTURE LEGACY PASSES In 1992, Jack Freeman died. He was highly involved with the American Institute of Architects and helped found the Greenville Council of Architects (now the Greenville section of the AIA). He also rose to president of the state AIA chapter in the early 1950s and, later, to regional director of the AIA before being elected a Fellow in the AIA. His actions were monumental in uniting the architects of Greenville, Major said. “Back when Jack first went to work here in Green-

A TRIBUTE TO OUR LONG-LASTING ENTERPRISES

ville, if two architects were walking down the street and saw each other, one of them would go to the other side of the street. They did not get along with each other, and Jack brought us together.”

Jack Freeman was also instrumental in the creation of Clemson University’s School of Architecture, which was just a department under the School of Engineering when he was a student, and in establishing the Clemson Advancement Foundation for Design and Building, which allows architecture students to study abroad. For these contributions, Jack was one of the 2013 recipients of Clemson’s School of Architecture’s inaugural alumni achievement awards.

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE In 2006 Freeman & Major Architects merged with Van Dyke Design Group, originally founded in 2003 by Joel Van Dyke.

Allen Freeman said the transition was smooth because Van Dyke shared his and his father’s small firm philosophy.

As a result of the recession and a changing company culture, Van Dyke started to look for a more economical space that would promote more collaboration, which he found at 2 N. Main St., where the firm moved in 2013 and where Van Dyke co-founded OpenWorks, a community of creative entrepreneurs. Freeman & Major now shares the space with more than 20 organizations and entrepreneurs, which Van Dyke said has provided an energetic and collaborative environment.

During the recession, Van Dyke also began to use social media to expand his connections outside of the U.S. He connected with the Dutch founder of the Amsterdam-based Design Thinkers Group, which now has locations in 16 countries around the world. In 2012, Van Dyke was asked to start the U.S. presence of the organization, Design Thinkers Group USA, which helps organizations shift “from being strictly product oriented and sales driven to being service-oriented and human-centered,” according to designthinkersgroup.us.

Van Dyke said that using the tools of design to unlock solutions for non-architecture related problems has changed the way he thinks about serving his architecture clients.

He helps clients see that every stakeholder in their organization’s experience is a customer.

“For example, we dig into the DNA of an organization in order to help them understand what motivates their employees and then design great office space that energizes and empowers employees to do their jobs,” Van Dyke said. “This holistic approach helps organizations hire and retain the best talent, so there’s a definite return on investment in design for the client.”

| MILESTONE | 21

TIMELINE OF FREEMAN & MAJOR ARCHITECTS

1911

William E. “Jack” Freeman is born.

1941

All construction material frozen because of WWII.

1940

Jack Freeman opens Freeman & Associates with an office above Peoples National Bank on West Washington Street. Soon after, the firm moved across the street to 226 W. Washington St.

Early 1950s

1959

Jack Freeman becomes president of the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Later on, Jack became regional director of the AIA and then was elected a Fellow in the AIA.

1966

Allen Freeman graduates from Clemson University with an architecture degree.

Charles S. Major Jr. joins the firm and will work for the company for 50 years.

James Wells and Major become partners with Jack Freeman in Freeman, Wells & Major.

1978

Jack Freeman retires.

1985

Allen and Major buy Wells out and the firm becomes Freeman & Major Architects.

1965

1973

Allen Freeman becomes a partner and the new building is completed at One McDaniel Green in order to give First Presbyterian Church room to expand on West Washington Street.

1993

Jack Freeman dies.

1995

2006

Freeman & Major Architects merges with Van Dyke Design Group, led by Joel Van Dyke.

2013

Freeman & Major Architects moves to a “more collaborative and economical space” at 2 N. Main St.

Allen Freeman becomes managing partner of the firm, though Allen and Major remain dual owners.

2012

Van Dyke founds Design Thinkers Group USA, an organization that originated in Amsterdam to help organizations be “service-oriented and human-centered.”

2013

Jack Freeman is a recipient of one of the 2013 Clemson’s School of Architecture’s inaugural alumni achievement awards.

22 | SQUARE FEET |

UBJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

|

04.03.2015

Tigertown boom continues

Several projects are underway for students and the city of Clemson SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF sjackson@communityjournals.com @SJackson_CJ

With an increase in student population predicted for the next several years at Clemson University, development activity in the city of Clemson is booming. The university’s 6,183 beds on campus remain consistently full, prompting students to seek off-campus housing. Add in services to accommodate those students as well as the growing city, and it’s easy to see why developers are responding.

10" VERTICAL FIBER CEMENT SIDING SINGLE HUNG VINYL WINDOW

Todd Steadman, the city of Clemson’s codes administrator, said that between the projects that are under construction or are in the permitting process, he expects a $130 million investment by the end of this year. “It’s the combination of a perfect storm with interest rates lower and demand for student housing. It’s unprecedented growth, both in terms of dollar amount and growth for the city,” he said.

Here’s a glimpse at just a few of the projects in the city of Clemson.

Renderings provided

FIBER CEMENT PANELING WITH REVEAL

12" HORIZONTAL FIBER CEMENT SIDING STANDING SEAM METAL ROOF 6" HORIZONTAL FIBER CEMENT SIDING

REVEAL TRIM

Mellow Mushroom mixed-use project Clemson developer Mark Johnson plans to revamp the current Mellow Mushroom site, tearing down the existing restaurant and two duplexes to make room for a new mixed-use project that will have four stories with roughly 62 beds, an amenity terrace, fitness center and study room.

BRICK ROWLOCK SILL

LEVEL 03 VINYL WINDOW, TYPICAL

BRICK SAILOR CORSE WATER TABLE AND WINDOW HEADER

BRICK VENNER LEVEL 02 STEEL LINTEL, PAINTED STEEL AND WOOD TRELLIS /CANOPY

ALUMINUM STOREFRONT BREAK METAL COVER PANEL, MATERIAL AND FINISH TO MATCH STOREFRONT

RESTAURANT

CAST-IN-PLACE CONC. SITE WALL

HANGING BLADE SIGN TO CONFORM WITH EXISTING SIGN ORDINANCE

The Study Hall

The ground floor will offer space for a new Mellow Mushroom restaurant along with additional commercial space.

A new bar, restaurant and music venue planned in downtown Clemson.

DASHED LINE INDICATES ELEMENTS BEYOND WALL

PD- TYPICAL MATERIAL PALETTE Graphic Scale: 3/16"inch = 1'-0"

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5' - 4"

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GrandMarc at Clemson This mixed-use project will revamp the existing shopping center at 139 Anderson Highway, where Monterrey’s Mexican Restaurant is located. The project is expected to have three stories with the first floor for commercial and two stories of apartments.

If approved by Clemson City Council, Grand Marc at Clemson would have approximately 494 beds with 20,000 square feet of commercial space.

412 College Avenue project Dukes Center, a.k.a. University House on College Avenue This mixed-use project is underway and will have five stories and 420 beds with 12,000 square feet of retail space.

A 1.29-acre mixed-use project by Orlando, Fla.-based PLC Partners. It will include a leasing office and two retail storefronts on the bottom floor and three stories of apartments above. The project will have approximately 69 beds and 3,073 square feet of retail.

Bank of Travelers Rest slated for Verdae A new Bank of Travelers Rest will soon be the newest addition to Verdae’s 1,100-acre master-planned community.

Located at the corner of Woodruff Road and Verdae Boulevard, the new two-story building will be located on 2.76 acres and have 5,000 square feet of space on the ground floor which the bank will occupy and an additional 6,000 square feet on the second floor available for lease.

“Being part of the Verdae development is a good fit for us,” said Eric Wall, vice president and marketing director of Bank of Travelers Rest. “The sense of community that Verdae is creating aligns perfectly with the philosophy of community banking and our positioning to bring banking to the places we call home. We look forward being a good neighbor in our newest community at Verdae.”

Construction is expected to begin April 2015 and be completed early in 2016. Wall said he estimates 12 employees will be hired to staff the new location.

PROJECT PARTNERS CONTRACTOR: Trehel Corporation ARCHITECT: Johnson Design Group/JSDR Architecture

upstatebusinessjournal.com

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

| SQUARE FEET | 23

Plans emerge for Camperdown office building Preliminary designs for one of the new office buildings at the future Camperdown project— the current Greenville News site—have been submitted to the Greenville Design Review Board for review.

The four-story office building will sit at the corner of Broad and Falls streets and will total 23,700 square feet with an additional 7,900 square feet on the first floor that could include a restaurant with outdoor seating area. Currently, the plan shows a small parking area with seven parking spaces underneath this office building.

The Greenville News announced last year that it will look at leasing space downtown. There is no update yet on if the company will occupy one of the office buildings at the Camperdown project.

Initial DRB staff recommendations requested changes to this design, and according to the application, updated plans will be presented at the DRB meeting on Wednesday, April 1, at 4 p.m. at City Hall. These were not available before UBJ went to press on Tuesday.

Camperdown is expected to have a public plaza surrounded by 18 condos, 225 apartments, an upscale seven-story hotel, fitness center, two office buildings, retail and restaurant spaces and a dine-in movie theater.

Dallas-based Trammell Crow and Greenvillebased Centennial American Properties are developing the property.

Renderings provided.

CAP is also requesting approval from the DRB for the demolition of the two buildings it acquired at 421 and 423 S. Main St.

Goodbye, Blandin’s; hello, M West The former Blandin’s Clean Up Shop on Main Street in Greenville’s West End came down earlier this week to make way for the new M West development.

The project will have 18 townhomes with two- and three-bedroom floorplans. Part of Phase I, which includes the building fronting Main Street, will have five units and will be the first building to be constructed within the next 45-60 days and is expected to be completed by December 2015.

All but two units have been sold in Phase I, and three units remain in Phase II. Phase I prices range from $645,000$670,000. Phase II prices range from $499,000-$533,000. All units have a two-car garage and rooftop terrace.

For more information, visit mwestgreenville.com.

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24 | SQUARE FEET |

UBJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

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04.03.2015

Link Apartments breaks ground in West End SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF sjackson@communityjournals.com @SJackson_CJ

While digging has been going on for a couple of weeks, North Carolina developer Grubb Properties officially broke ground last week on its first new construction project in Greenville.

Link Apartments West End will be a six-story, 215-unit complex at Rhett and River streets in the West End. Apartments will have granite countertops, storage, side-by-side washers and dryers, balconies and USB outlets.

Clay Grubb with Grubb Properties said the company had been looking for an opportunity in downtown Greenville for â&#x20AC;&#x153;quite a while.â&#x20AC;? He said the property is designed for the millennial generation who want to live where they work.

Onsite amenities for the Link Apartments will include two courtyards, a dog park, pet wash station, a solar-heated saltwater swimming pool, rooftop terrace, fitness center and club room. The apartment complex will also

have a premium bicycle amenity with a maintenance shop and premium bike lockers, which Grubb said they are expecting to get a lot of use.

The building will be built as podium construction with subterranean parking that is screened and hidden from view.

Units are expected to be move-in ready by spring 2016.

Photos and rendering provided

DEALMAKERS Commercial real estate transactions in the Upstate CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD | THALHIMER ANNOUNCED: Brad Harvey represented the seller, Trendset-4 Interchange Holding LLC, in selling 11,000 SF of office space at 4 Interchange Blvd., Greenville, from the buyer, AFS Logistics LLC, represented by Jake Jackson.

COLDWELL BANKER COMMERCIAL CAINE ANNOUNCED: Graham Howle represented the buyer, Central State Leasing LLC, in purchasing a 20,900 SF industrial building on 2.9 AC at 200 Sunbelt Court, Greer, from MOMAN Family Partnership.

Graham Howle represented the seller, Crown Metro Chemicals, Inc., in selling a 1,606 SF restaurant facility on 0.26 AC at 903 Wade Hampton Blvd.,

Greenville, to Young Investment LLC. Pete Brett and David Sigmon represented the seller, Land Holding LLC, in selling a 6,835 SF office building on 0.55 AC at 104 Simpson St., Greenville, to Greenville Health System.

Tim Satterfield represented the seller, MJM South Carolina Inc., in selling 10.31 AC of vacant land on Bishop Road at Asheville Hwy., Inman, to Enchanted Construction LLC. Tim Satterfield represented the landlord, Mary Black Foundation, in leasing 3,189 SF of office space at 349 E. Main St., Spartanburg, to The Stevens Law Firm.

Tim Satterfield and Angela Halstead represented the landlords Manuel Savvakis and Italo Maddaloni in the leasing of 960 SF of office space at 2890 Reidville Road, Spartanburg, to Victoria Law Firm LLC.

Graham Howle represented the landlord, 291 Retail LLC, in the leasing of 2,000 SF of retail space at 200 N. Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville, to Gnomegorillagames.

Matt Vanvick represented the tenant, Vicki Willard, in leasing 700 SF of retail space at 2219-B Augusta St., Greenville, from Jamile J. Francis Revocable Trust.

BROADSTREET PARTNERS ANNOUNCED: Craig Stipes and Matt Covington assisted in the sale of The Crossings at Nations Ford East, a 78,736 SF flex building in Charlotte.

Craig Stipes and Matt Covington represented the buyer, RCG Ventures, in purchasing the 55,800 SF Peachtree Shopping Center in Greer.

Craig Stipes and Matt Covington represented the tenant, NewSpring Church, in leasing

77,225 SF in North Charleston at Festival Center.

Craig Stipes and Matt Covington represented the tenant, NewSpring Church, in leasing of 56,000 SF of space at the intersection of Hwy 501 and Hwy 17 in Myrtle Beach.

Craig Stipes and Matt Covington represented the seller, NewSpring Church, in selling 45.5 AC at the intersection of Tiger Boulevard and Pendleton Road, Clemson, to CASTO. LEE & ASSOCIATES ANNOUNCED: Randall Bentley represented Lee & Associates-Greenville in leasing 411 River St., Greenville.

Randall Bentley represented the landlord in leasing 11,200 SF at 299-B Garlington Road, Greenville.

Randall Bentley represented the seller in

selling 6,000 SF at 1134 N. Main St., Fountain Inn. Randall Bentley represented the landlord in leasing 26,250 SF of industrial space at 200 Brozzini Court, Greenville.

Randall Bentley represented the buyer in purchasing a 45,000 SF industrial building at 200 Brozzini Court, Greenville.

Randall Bentley represented the buyer in purchasing a 24,186 SF industrial building at 8501 Pelham Road, Greenville.

Kevin Bentley represented the buyer in purchasing a 15,000 SF flex building at 34 Ellwood Court, Greenville.

Bryon Culbertson represented the seller in selling a 1,950 SF office unit at 115-F Southport Road, Spartanburg.

Randall Bentley and Kevin Bentley represented the landlord

in leasing a 2,800 SF unit at 535 Brookshire Road, Greer.

Deanna Hudgens represented the landlord in leasing 1,260 SF of space at 509 N. Main St., Mauldin.

Willz Tolbert represented the tenant in leasing 3,900 SF of space at 320-E Business Pkwy., Greer.

Randall Bentley represented the landlord in the lease renewal of 8,000 SF of space at 1016 Laurens Road, Greenville.

NAI EARLE FURMAN ANNOUNCED: Earle Furman and Alexi Papapieris represented the landlord in leasing 1,600 SF of office space at 716 S. Main St., Greenville, to Yeargin, Potter, Shackelford Construction. Hunter Garrett represented the tenant.

DEALMAKERS continued on PAGE 26

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26 | DEALMAKERS |

DEALMAKERS continued from PAGE 24

Keith Jones represented the Hawkins Law Firm in leasing 2,483 SF of office space at 501 River St., Greenville.

Scott Jones represented Tencarva Machinery Company in leasing a 9,844 SF flex space at 12 Park Place Court, Greenville.

Bill Sims, Jake Van Gieson, and Gaston Albergotti represented the landlord of Burns Corner in leasing 3,909 SF of retail space at 2508-2524 E. North St., Greenville.

Stuart Wyeth and Taylor Allen represented the landlord of Eastside Medical Center in leasing 2,218 SF of medical office space at 10 Enterprise Blvd., Greenville.

Hunter Garrett and John Staunton represented the landlord leasing 5,000 SF of warehouse/ distribution space at 150 P & S Court, Duncan.

John Gray and Drew Stamm represented the landlord of in leasing 1,900 SF of office space at 221 and 223 Adley Way, Greenville. Keith Jones represented the tenant.

Keith Jones represented the landlord of Green Gate Office Park in leasing office space at 25 Woods Lake Road, Greenville, to Anchor Mortgage LLC. Brendan Gower, Ted Lyerly and Jimmy Wright represented klw.elm LLC dba Barre3 in leasing 1,927 SF of retail space at 3016 Augusta St., Greenville.

John Gray and Drew Stamm represented the landlord in leasing 1,491 SF of office space at 3208 Earle Morris Jr. Hwy, Piedmont.

Hunter Garrett represented Sandlapper Concrete, LLC in leasing a 6.61 AC industrial site at 198 Freeman Farm Road, Spartanburg.

Grice Hunt and Ford Borders represented the landlord in leasing a

UBJ

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS IN THE UPSTATE

22,500 SF of industrial space at 500-514 Matrix Pkwy., Piedmont.

Keith Jones represented the landlord of Green Gate Office Park in leasing office space at 25 Woods Lake Road, Greenville, to Greenville Family Partnership. Jake Van Gieson, Bill Simms and Gaston Albergotti represented the tenant.

Keith Jones represented the landlord of Green Gate Office Park in leasing office space at 25 Woods Lake Road, Greenville, to Upstate Behavioral Health LLC. Towers Rice represented the landlord in leasing 3,000 SF of industrial space at 504 Old Easley Hwy., Greenville.

Tony Bonitati, Kay Hill, Bern DuPree and Jon Good represented the buyer, Brand Properties LLC, in purchasing 13 AC of land along Market Point Drive in Greenville from Point Development LLC. Jimmy Wright represented the seller in selling a 5,500 SF retail property at 109 Batesville Road, Simpsonville. Peter Couchell and Robert Schmidt represented the buyer.

Jimmy Wright and Ted Lyerly represented the seller in selling a 6,295 SF retail property at 159 S. Pine St., Simpsonville.

Peter Couchell, Robert Schmidt and Jake Van Gieson represented the buyer.

Ross Kester and Tyson Smoak represented the buyer in purchasing a 2,200 SF property at 6709 White Horse Road, Greenville.

Hunter Garrett represented the seller in selling Snider Fleet Solutions, a 17,500 SF industrial property at 540 Locust Grove Road, Spartanburg.

Hunter Garrett and John Staunton represented the seller in selling a 75,000 SF industrial investment property at 1107 Easley Hwy., Pelzer.

Hunter Garrett represented the seller in selling Snider Tire, a 49,000 SF industrial property at 5806 Augusta Road, Greenville.

property at 510 6th St., Greenville.

John Staunton and Hunter Garrett represented the seller in selling a 206,000 SF industrial property at 851 Simuel Road, Spartanburg.

Shawn Thomas represented the seller, Colonial Investors LLC, in selling a 15,000 SF flex building at 34 Ellwood Court, Greenville, to ASL Properties LLC.

John Gray and Drew Stamm represented the seller in selling University Place Apartments, a 143-unit multifamily apartment complex at 211 Batesview Dr., Greenville.

Grice Hunt and Ford Borders represented the seller in selling a 157,500 SF industrial investment property at 201 South Park Dr., Greenville.

Earle Furman and Alexi Papapieris represented the seller in selling 2.97 AC of land on N. Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville.

Bill Sims and Jake Van Gieson represented the seller in selling O’Reilly Auto Parts, a 7,000 SF retail property at 3430 Boiling Springs Road, Boiling Springs.

John Powell represented the seller in selling 1.64 AC of land on Salem Church Road, Anderson.

Ken Anderson represented the buyer in purchasing a 38,400 SF industrial property at 851 Victor Hill Road, Greer.

Rusty Hamrick represented the seller in selling Pacolet Mill Farm totaling 167.38 AC of land on Asbury Road, Pacolet.

John Gray and Drew Stamm represented the buyer in purchasing an 11,000 SF office property at 12 Interchange Blvd., Greenville.

Ken Anderson represented the buyer in purchasing a 39,500 SF industrial property at 1109 Old Stage Road, Simpsonville.

Gaston Albergotti and Bill Sims represented the seller in selling a 10,454 SF multifamily

NEW CITY DEVELOPMENT & REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCED:

BEACON PARTNERS ANNOUNCED: Beacon Partners represented itself in purchasing 350,000 SF distribution facility at 1201 Woods Chapel Road, Spartanburg.

COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCED: Frank Hammond and Nick Reinhardt represented the subtenant, Splash on Main LLC, in leasing 3,500 SF of retail space at 807 S. Main St., Greenville, to the sub-landlord, Greenville Weddings LLC. Richard Barrett represented the landlord, J&J Rose Enterprises LLC, in leasing 9,844 SF of flex space at 12 Park Place Court, Greenville, to the tenant, Tencarva Machinery Company.

Frank Hammond and Nick Reinhardt represented the landlord, L.C. Julian Jr. LLC, in leasing 4,650 SF of retail space at 2410 Laurens Road, Greenville, to Brakes for Less.

Bob Shaw represented the landlord, US REIF ICP South Carolina LLC, in the lease renewal of 7,334 SF of office space at 5 Independence Pointe, Greenville, to Girl Scouts of South Carolina.

Richard Barrett represented the landlord, Coble Properties, in leasing 6,400 SF of flex space at 8 Progress Road, Greenville, to Cary Reconstruction Co., LLC. Will Nelson represented the landlord, Pelham Falls Ventures, in the lease renewal of 2,400 SF of retail space at 8590 Pelham

Road, Greenville, to Paisano’s Pizza.

Lyn Tyner represented the seller, Hillside Partnership II, in selling 13 AC of land on Highway 290 in Duncan to Ashford Park LLC. SPENCER HINES PROPERTIES ANNOUNCED: Bobby Hines, Ben Hines and Andy Hayes were the leasing agents in the leasing of 1.57 AC of land from 85/101 Holdings LLC to Chix n’ Bix at Highway 101 and I-85, Greer.

Guy Harris was the listing and leasing agent in the leasing of a 1,500 SF restaurant from A&M LLC to Ganko Inc. at 8147 Warren H. Abernathy Hwy., Spartanburg.

Guy Harris was the listing and selling agent in the sale of 2,439 SF of space on 0.85 AC from Synovus Bank to 1585 E. Main Street LLC at 1585 E. Main St., Spartanburg.

Andy Hayes was the listing agent in the sale of 142 AC of land from Wingo Park LLC to S.C. Becknell Investors 2007 LLC at 2751 New Cut Road, Spartanburg.

Andy Hayes was the listing agent in the sale of 10,170 SF of space from Wild Wing of Anderson Holdings LLC to Store Master Funding VII LLC at 119 Interstate Blvd., Anderson.

Andy Hayes was the selling agent in the sale of an 8,400 SF storage facility from Gaffney Investment Group to Simple Storage Solutions at 1100 W. Floyd Baker Blvd., Gaffney.

Bobby and Zach Hines were the listing and selling agents in the sale of medical space from Quad A Properties to SPC Realty Investment LLC at 7 Memorial Drive, Greenville.

Zach Hines was the listing and selling agent in the sale of 2,000 SF of office space from Gary W. Glenn to Rallis Holdings LLC at 205 E.

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04.03.2015

Stone Ave., Greenville.

Bobby Hines was the listing agent in the sale of 3,000 SF of office space from NBT Properties LLC to Red Pride Carolina House LLC at 14 Whitsett St., Greenville.

Craig Jacobs was the selling agent in the sale of 1,500 SF of space on 0.55 AC from Warren John Sanders to Inayat Ali at 8055 Asheville Hwy., Spartanburg.

Robbie Romeiser was the listing and a selling agent and Guy Harris was a selling agent in the sale of 21.83 AC from Marvin, Michael and Connie Poteat to Jerry A. Bruce at 9658 Asheville Hwy., Inman.

Guy Harris was the leasing agent in the lease of 10,000 SF of space from Upstate Logistics & Distribution to Sterling Packaging at 254 Franklin St., Spartanburg.

Craig Jacobs was the listing and leasing agent in the lease of 5,760 SF of manufacturing space from Axels Plus LLC to Jason Williamson at 190 Alice St., Spartanburg.

Andy Hayes was the listing agent in the lease of 5,000 SF of industrial space from Chris Benyo to Southeast Beverage LLC at 2969 Nazareth Road, Wellford.

Andy Hayes was the leasing agent in the lease of 80,000 SF from 100 Buffington Rd LLC to Marlow Trucking Company LLC at 700 Buffington Road, Spartanburg.

Dale Seay was the listing and selling agent in the sale of 6,250 SF of space on 0.60 AC from Sterling Lending Group Inc. to Temple Baptist Church of Spartanburg at 1448 Union St., Spartanburg.

Zach Hines was the listing and leasing agent in the lease of 11,700 SF of space from North Hill Centre LLC to Kwi Hwang at 3423 Clemson Blvd., Anderson.

28 | ON THE MOVE |

UBJ

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

HIRED

HIRED

AWARDED

HIRED

|

04.03.2015

APPOINTED

Samantha J. Strain

Chris Talley

Sam B. Phillips

Pam Davis

Karen High

Named a senior vice president and general manager of the Special Lending Team of United Community Bank.

Strain will lead the dental and medical lending SBA vertical at the bank. She previously spent four years as vice president and regional sales manager at Bank of America Practice Solutions.

Named a network engineer at EDTS. Talley has almost 10 years of experience in networking, support and systems engineering across multiple industries. He returns to EDTS from a Charlottebased technology solutions provider. He will help ensure critical IT systems work properly and increase client team productivity.

Awarded the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award by the South Carolina Staffing Association. Phillips is founder and chairman of Phillips Staffing. He started the company in his home in 1968. The company has grown to 10 offices in South Carolina and Georgia.

Named director of Furman University’s Bridges to a Brighter Future program. Davis joins Furman after a five-year career with the City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department, where she was the recreation programs manager and youth commission liaison.

Named associate dean for undergraduate studies in Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science.

High will oversee undergraduate curriculum, including approval for new courses and major changes to existing courses. High was previously a visiting professor teaching engineering and science courses.

DEVELOPMENT O’Neal Inc. hired April Emory as business development manager, Paul Wood as a mechanical en-

gineer, Derrick Freeman as a controls engineer and H. Greg Campbell as a senior project specialist.

Emory has 14 years of experience in business development and project management, having gained

Cathy Boggs Financial Recruiter 15 years experience

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

VIP

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

tions to large-scale new facilities in the Southeast.

EDUCATION Presbyterian College hired Alex Scull as director of annual giving. Scull began his career in the advancement office at Marian University in Wisconsin. He most recently served as the Westminster College director of the 1852 Society, a group of loyal benefactors to the school. Presbyterian College also promoted the following faculty members: Kirk Nolan, associate professor in the department of religion and philosophy; Roy B. Campbell, professor of history; Troy R. Nash, professor of biology; James Wanliss, professor of physics; and David Eagerton associate professor in the School of Pharmacy.

Jonathan Brashier Named by McKibbon Hotel Management as general manager of the Aloft Greenville Downtown, which is slated to open November 2015. Brashier will manage day-to-day operations. He has more than 20 years of hotel management and operations experience. He most recently managed the Aloft in Tallahassee, Fla.

>>

Sebring Engineering and NBP Engineering. Freeman has more than three years of controls engineering experience from Jacobs Engineering.

Campbell has more than 30 years of electrical engineering experience, gaining experience from his work with Celanese and BASF/Shaw.

Mashburn Constrction hired Derek Skipper as a health care project manager. Skipper has over 10 years of experience in the health care market, ranging from small renova-

Clemson University president James P. Clements was appointed to the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE), a coordinating body for the nation’s college and universities. Clements will represent over 430 members of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) for a three-year term beginning in June.

FINANCE Greenwood Capital increased its employee ownership to include John R. Decker, Brian L. Disher and John D. Wiseman. Decker is portfolio manager for the small cap equity strategy and a senior research analyst. Disher is director of wealth management. Wiseman is director of fixed income.

tors: Lisa Slayton, senior manager at Synnex Corporation, chair; Lisa Lanni, president and director of Community Studio at McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, vice chair; Sharon Gibbs, CFO and operations officer of the Community Foundation of Greenville, treasurer; Kathryn McKissick, business manager of Fairway Automotive Group, secretary; Ronny Hyatt, senior vice president and CFO of Bon Secours St. Francis Health System; Bo Knapp, CEO of Perfect Delivery and founding partner of Babaziki Mediterranean Grill; Suzanne Sanders, Greenville community leader; Mike Shain, UBS Wealth Management; Dana Spinks, director of retirement plan services for Mark Clary and wealth management advisor at Northwestern Mutual; and Marshall Stein, CPA and senior manager of Elliott Davis Decosimo.

PR/MARKETING Infinity Marketing hired Mark Havens as a digital media coordinator and Maura Anthony and Brittany Chamness as graphic designers.

Havens will develop digital media campaign plans and strategies; manage daily execution of search campaigns; and research, develop and monitor keyword lists. He previously owned a digital marketing company.

Anthony and Chamness will participate in creative development and design for the telecommunications team. Anthony previously worked as a freelance graphic designer.

Chamness previously work at Boom-

NONPROFIT The Greenville Humane Society named the following officers and new members to its 2015 board of direc-

| ON THE MOVE | 29

Town ROI, a Charleston company specializing in real estate sales and marketing software.

The Greenville County Childcare Association awarded Leslie Roper Latimer the Time for Children Award. Latimer is the director of operations for Greenville First Steps.

She was recognized for more than 12 years of service in Greenville and as an advocate for children and child care providers through her work at Greenville First Steps and on the board of the Greenville County Childcare Association.

REAL ESTATE Elliott Fayssoux, an industrial sales and leasing specialist in Thalhimer’s Greenville office, has been promoted to senior associate. He joined the firm in 2012.

The South Carolina Association of Realtors named David Feild to the executive committee. Feild is the market president for Colliers International Greenville. He will serve on the committee as the state commercial representative for a three-year term.

TECHNOLOGY Engenius named Rachel Robinson and Reagan Thompson as spring semester interns. Robinson is a junior marketing major at Anderson University. Thompson is a senior communication studies major at Furman University.

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

Send information and photos to onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

Who’s Who in SALES? We want to know.

WE’RE HIRING A FULL TIME SALES EXECUTIVE. Email AHARLEY@COMMUNITYJOURNALS.COM with cover letter and resumé.

We look forward to meeting you.

COMMUNITY JOURNALS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

30 | THE FINE PRINT |

UBJ

BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

GSP signs $50k a year sponsorship with Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Rendering and photo provided.

GSP Airport District entered into a five-year sponsorship agreement with the Bon Secours Wellness Arena that is worth $50,000 per year.

The partnership provides naming rights to the arena’s box office, which is now called the GSP Box Office.

The box office windows mimic those on an airplane, and the wall behind the ticket sellers has a mural of an in-flight sky. Inside the arena, guests will see graphics that depict a sample of the non-stop destinations from GSP. Additional elements to the box office will be added in the coming months, including new architectural awnings and additional signage.

Greenville Chamber gets 4-star rating The United States Chamber of Commerce awarded the Greenville Chamber with four-star accreditation.

Accreditation is a national program that recognizes chambers for their effective organizational procedures and community involvement.

To win accreditation, a chamber must meet minimum standards in their operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs, and technology.

Greenville Chamber president and CEO Ben Haskew said in a release, “We are thrilled to be acknowledged as a 4-Star Accredited Chamber—one of just 199 chambers to reach this status among 7000 chambers nationwide.”

Local chambers are rated accredited, three-stars, four-stars, or five-stars. The Accrediting Board, a committee of U.S. Chamber board members, makes the final determination.

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04.03.2015

Greenwood Genetic Center gets $1.8M grant Researchers at the Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC), in partnership with the University of Georgia (UGA) and the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Penn., received a $1.8 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to discover the fundamental cellular changes that cause debilitating neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, autism and intellectual disabilities.

The team of scientists, led by UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC), will study the role of glycans—structurally diverse sugar molecules on the surface of every cell in the human body—in the development of these diseases, which may open the door to new therapies.

“We know very little about what’s happening on the surface of cells in people with neurological disorders,” Michael Tiemeyer, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at UGA and principal investigator for the project, said in a release. “But what we do know is that glycans control a lot of what happens between cells, and we can use technology developed at the CCRC to examine what role these molecules play in disease mechanisms.”

Members of the research team have already identified a number of glycan targets that are implicated in Alzheimer’s, autism and intellectual deficiency, which they will study more closely in model organisms like mice and zebrafish and in brain cells derived from reprogrammed human cells.

Cherry Bekaert focuses on middle markets Cherry Bekaert LLP formed THInc, a new specialty practice focused on middle market innovation and its impact on clients in the technology, health and industrial sectors.

Dawn Patrick, chair of the THInc practice, said in a release, “We have established this specialty practice to help clients translate innovative activity into tangible organizational and financial improvements and capitalization of market potential.”

The firm’s THInc team is more than 80 professionals with advisory, tax and accounting expertise in the areas of accounting and advisory; tax optimization; innovation, strategy and consulting; innovation credits; business economics consulting; and state and local tax (SALT) advisory.

Addison Homes wins Bridge Award for Green Building Addison Homes, a Greenville builder specializing in sustainable homes, won the 2014 Southern Home & Garden Bridge Award for Green Building.

“We are committed to outstanding craftsmanship, and it’s especially gratifying to have that recognized by our peers in the building industry,” Addison Homes president Todd Usher said in a release.

Addison Homes earned the Green Building Award for a home in Cobblestone, a residence that blends traditional brick-and-stone style with highperformance standards.

upstatebusinessjournal.com

Upstate organizations receive grants to protect waterways Duke Energy is giving $1 million in grants from the Water Resources Fund to 15 organizations—two of which are in the Upstate—throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

The fund is a $10 million, multi-year commitment from Duke Energy to help local nonprofits protect and improve the environment.

The Anderson County Timmerman Access Project will receive $99,509 to provide a handicapped-accessible kayak launch and shoreline access route at the Timmerman Access along the Saluda River Blue Trail.

The City of Spartanburg Butterfly Foundation Trail Project will receive $100,000 to return the Greenville Branch Creek to its natural setting and to provide greater awareness of plant and wildlife natural to the habitat.

“The Water Resources Fund is an investment in healthier waterways and a better quality of life for communities,” Stick Williams, president of the Duke Energy Foundation, said in a release.

“Our hope is that these programs will help preserve the beauty of our region’s waterways for years to come.”

Duke Energy anticipates two grant announcements per year for the duration of the commitment.

BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

Venture Capital & Angel Investing Venture capital and angel investing drives U.S. job creation and economic growth by helping entrepreneurs turn innovative ideas and advances into products and services that change the way we live and work.

100

Average number of venture capital transactions closed by Nelson Mullins in each of 2012, 2013 and 2014

35

Number of Nelson Mullins attorneys in 8 offices across the East Coast who focus on emerging growth, venture capital and angel investing.

200

Number of emerging growth and venture capital stage companies represented by Nelson Mullins across the East Coast

$173 MILLION Amount of venture capital investment in South Carolina companies since 2012.*

$

10.7

Amount of money invested last year in seed and early stage companies in the U.S. by venture capitalists

billion

O’Neal to hire 60 with $5M expansion Engineering and construction firm O’Neal Inc. announced plans to invest $5 million in adding 60 people to its Greenville team, located at its current facility off of Highway 385 in Greenville.

O’Neal—which celebrates is 40th year in the Upstate this year—combines overall project planning, design, procurement and construction services for companies all over the country from its operations in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina.

The company’s services span the advanced facilities, automotive, pharmaceutical, process chemical, manufacturing, energy and pulp and paper industries, according to its website.

| THE FINE PRINT | 31

Venture capital is about capturing the value between the startup phase and the public company phase

213

Total number of venture capital deals closed last year in the Southeast. *As of 3Q14

Why pay extra for the inconvenience of out-of-state attorneys, when we have brought so much large market experience home to the Upstate?

NEIL GRAYSON (864) 250-2235 neil.grayson@ nelsonmullins.com

BO RUSSELL (864) 250-2313 bo.russell@ nelsonmullins.com

MIKE JOHNSON (864) 250-2365 mike.johnson@ nelsonmullins.com

www.NelsonMullins.com

32 | SOCIAL SNAPSHOT |

INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE

UBJ

|

04.03.2015

HISPANIC BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE

GRAND OPENING FOR E-MERGE

The Hispanic Business and Community Open House, hosted

by Greenville Chamber staff, the Board of Directors and the Chamber’s Hispanic Business Committee, was an opportunity for Hispanic business owners and professionals to learn about the offerings of the Greenville Chamber and network with Chamber leaders, community leaders, and business leaders.

Last week, e-Merge @ the Garage and the City of Anderson held a grand opening of the facility at 102 N. Murray Ave. in Anderson. The team announced the recent award of $125,000 from South Carolina Department of Commerce Innovation office in the recent round 2 Innovation Challenge.

Photos by Van Sullivan Jr.

Photos by Smit’N Photography

CONTRIBUTE: Got high-resolution photos of your networking or social events?

Send photos and information for consideration to events@ upstatebusiness journal.com.

upstatebusinessjournal.com

THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

| NEW TO THE STREET | 33

Open for business

Photo provided

United Community Bank recently opened at 1400 Augusta St., Greenville. Lobby hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Drive-up hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. For more information, visit ucbi.com or call 864-241-8450.

CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon?

Email information to bjeffers@communityjournals.com.

CLOSE MORE DEALS. Over 100,000 readers look to the UBJ every week to help them close more business.

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DRINK UP!

34 | PLANNER | DATE

EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

|

04.03.2015

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Downtown Greenville begins at 10 a.m.

Cost: Free More info: bit.ly/imagine-upstate

Commerce Connect Topic: The Mine Field of “Social Media”

Commerce Club 55 Beattie Place, 17th Floor Greenville, starts at 5:30 p.m.

Register: 864-232-5600

DesignThinkers Design Talk Topic: Workplace Design and the Bottom Line

OpenWorks 2 North Main St., Greenville noon-1 p.m.

Cost: $10 Register: bit.ly/dt-april2015

Using Tax Incentives to Enhance Your Development Work Speakers: Dan Elswick and Bernie Mazyck

SC Department of Archives & History 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: SCACED nonprofit members $100, corporate and individual members $150, non-members $200 Register: bit.ly/scaced-april2015

High Performance Leadership Series Topic: Leadership Roles For Today’s Leaders

Commerce Club 55 Beattie Place, 17th Floor Greenville, 7:30-11 a.m.

Register: 248-766-6926

TATT Upstate Vision Forum Topic: Overcoming the Failure to Act: Investing in Transportation and Infrastructure Speaker: Former Gov. Ed Rendell

Greenville Marriott 1 Parkway East, Greenville 3-5 p.m.

Cost: $10 Register: bit.ly/tatt-april2015

Service to America Leadership Series Speaker: Sgt. Tom Casey, USMC sniper, Vietnam

Commerce Club 55 Beattie Place, 17th Floor Greenville, noon

Cost: $16.95 Register: 864-232-5600

SC Manufacturing Conference and Expo Manufacturing professionals from across the Southeast discuss the latest manufacturing trends and topics

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville

Register and more info: scmanufacturingconference.com

Digital Marketing Lunch and Learn Topic: Blogging for Business: Best Practices and Other Advice

Clemson at Greenville ONE 1 N. Main St., Greenville noon-1 p.m.

Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/lunch-and-learn-april2015

4/23

ACE Leadership Symposium An initiative to advance leadership among women and minorities

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Cost: $15-$45 Register: bit.ly/ace-april2015

Tuesday

Small Business Success Series Topic: Networking: How It Can Increase your Sales Speaker: Meredith Noon, professional networker, BNI

Comfort Suites Simpsonville 3971 Grandview Drive, Simpsonville 8-9:30 a.m.

Cost: Chamber members $39, nonmembers $49, RSVP: 864-862-2586

Friday

The Citadel Directors’ Institute Corporate directors and executives connect and discuss emerging issues and best practices in board oversight

Francis Marion Hotel 387 King St, Charleston 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: $395 Register: citadel.edu/cdi

Workplace Law Breakfast Series Topic: Daily Decisions: Best Practices For Managing Your Existing Workforce

Westin Poinsett Hotel 120 S. Main St., Greenville 8-10 a.m.

Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/breakfast-series-may2015

Saturday

4/4 Tuesday

4/7

Wednesday

4/8

Thursday

4/9 Tuesday & Wednesday

4/14–15 Thursday

4/16 Thursday

4/28 5/1 Tuesday

5/12

EVENT INFO

UBJ

Main Event

iMAGINE Upstate Festival Celebration and showcase around STEM, innovation, creative and entrepreneurial activity

CONTRIBUTE: Got a hot date? Submit event information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

upstatebusinessjournal.com

A QUICK LOOK INTO THE UPSTATE’S PAST

The Freeman & Major Architects Gallery showcasing the firm’s work in 1961. See page 20 for more on Freeman & Major’s history.

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UBJ PUBLISHER

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Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Anita Harley, Jane Rogers

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MANAGING EDITOR

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Ashley Boncimino, Sherry Jackson, Benjamin Jeffers, Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris

INTERNS

Kristi Fortner

STORY IDEAS:

Kate Madden

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

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

>>

him going and growing his business over the years. He is passionate about giving back and outreach to non-prof 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 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

APRIL 24: QUARTERLY CRE ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.

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

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AND AWARDS:

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

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

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CoMMUnitY nit inVolVeMent nitY in olV inV olVe VeMent & 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

FACEBOOK: TheUpstateBusinessJournal

events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

UBJ welcomes expert commentary from business leaders on timely news topics related to their specialties.

Guest columns run 700-800 words.

Contact Executive Editor Susan Clary Simmons at ssimmons@communityjournals.com to submit an article for consideration.

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & ACCOUNT STRATEGY

By sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

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

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

EVENTS:

PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Beckner

Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Lindsay Oehman, Maddy Varin, Emily Yepes

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

Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 years

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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onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com

SALES REPRESENTATIVES

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

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

ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com

Amanda Cordisco, Natalie Walters

MARKETING & ADVERTISING

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

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

>>

CLIENT SERVICES

Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com

STAFF WRITERS

UBJ milestone

ART DIRECTOR Whitney Fincannon

Kristy Adair, Michael Allen

Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com

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

1988

Historic photos provided

APRIL 10: GREEN BUSINESSES How are Upstate companies going green while making green?

Emily Price UBJ milestone

| SNAPSHOT | 35

MAY 15: THE DESIGN ISSUE Drawing up the Upstate’s future Got any thoughts? Care to contribute? Let us know at ideas@ upstatebusinessjournal.com.

Copyright ©2015 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. P.O. Box 2266, Greenville, South Carolina, 29602.

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