April 21, 2017 UBJ

APRIL 21, 2017 | VOL. 6 ISSUE 16

Ahead Of The Curve As the market shifts from apps to web designs, Designli’s founders shift along with it page 12 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

WHAT IS A WALKABLE CITY?

YEE-HAW, BEER ON MCBEE

ERWIN PENLAND BUILDINGS CHANGE HANDS

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Joshua Tucker and Keith Shields, co-founders, Designli Photo by Will Crooks

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THE RUNDOWN |

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 16 Featured this issue: Q&A: Urban designer Jeff Speck..................................................................................4 Erwin Penland buildings change hands ..................................................................10 Volunteers may wreck your nonprofit’s security ..................................................17

Crews demolish an old industrial building at 301 River St. in downtown Greenville to make way for a new parking lot. Greenville-based Windsor/Autry Co., developer of the Embassy Suites hotel next door, bought the property from Greenville County for $4.26 million after plans failed to develop it into a visitors center. Photo by Will Crooks.

WORTH REPEATING “Let’s become a place where people want to be.

And if we achieve that, everything else should follow.”

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“It takes a lot of confidence to do the kind of things that people in this community are doing. …Part of my job is to see that we don’t mess it up.”

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“A sweet potato doesn’t have to say how sweet he is.”

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VERBATIM

On a big ship “Seeing [the Cosco Development] in our harbor is a tangible reflection that our vision and capital investments to be big-ship-ready are absolutely critical.”

Jim Newsome, CEO of the S.C. State Ports Authority, on the 1,200-foot-long ship — as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall — which will arrive in the Port of Charleston in May. The Cosco Development is the largest container ship ever to visit the East Coast.

NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

QUESTION AND ANSWER

Step by Step Urban designer Jeff Speck on walkable cities and economic development RUDOLPH BELL | STAFF

rbell@communityjournals.com

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eff Speck is a city planner, urban designer, author, and lecturer who advocates for more walkable cities. He advises municipalities and real estate developers through Speck & Associates, his consultancy in Brookline, Mass. Speck is the author of “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time” and was previously director of design at the National Endowment for the Arts.

UBJ interviewed Speck on April 12 while he was in Greenville for a speaking engagement at the downtown offices of Clemson University’s MBA program. The event was sponsored by the Greenville chapter of the American Institute of Architects and 21 other groups.

PHOTO BY WILL CROOKS 4

UBJ | 4.21.2017

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

What is a walkable city?

In America it’s fair to say a walkable city is a city in which you can live a full and fruitful life without relying on an automobile.

That doesn’t mean that a lot of people aren’t driving. It just means that the car is an empowering instrument of freedom, as opposed to a prosthetic device, which is what it’s become for so many Americans.

Why is it important for a city to be walkable?

The economists have made it very clear that living in a way that we are dependent on automobiles is extremely inefficient and wasteful and actually causes people who aren’t wealthy to feel poor much sooner than would be the case in other types of environments.

Secondarily, it’s been shown that walkable places tend to produce more wealth. Some of that is coincidence, but some of it is the fact that you can just be much more efficient in a place in which you don’t have to drive hours between every appointment. But also that more patents are generated in places with higher walk scores because of the intellectual community that forms around walkability.

Is there a relationship between urban planning and economic development?

What we’re finding now is that talent is mobile. Most folks now, not all of them, but a good portion of the creative, educated workforce, can live anywhere. And so they decide first where they want to live, and then they create wealth and jobs and a strong economy. For that reason, many cities have realized that the best economic development strategy is a place-making strategy.

Let’s become a place where people want to be. And if we achieve that, everything else should follow. And I think Greenville has already crested that hill. And every additional step that the city takes to make itself more livable and more walkable will accrue to that success.

Some of the most effective cities I’ve ever worked in have actually had a head of planning and economic development, and linked the two together, understanding that one was a function of the other. In most cities, those are typically … separate departments of equal power that report similarly to the, let’s say, city manager or mayor. And economic development directors who do not understand the power of place-making will often cause city leaders to accept projects that are detrimental to the quality of place of the city, in a way that in the long run do much more damage than good. And so getting economic development and planning out of their separate silos has to be a key effort of any city leader who wants to see a thriving downtown and central business district, as an example.

Are there ways to facilitate good urban planning that works with the private market as opposed to simply government legislation?

More than half of the successful plans I’ve done have been with private developers rather than with cities. The city needs to have a light touch, but it needs to have the right touch. ... Right now [in Greenville], I understand that the city has completed some downtown design guidelines, which I’ve reviewed and which look very effective. That’s the sort of leadership that a city should show in terms of encouraging developers to do the right thing. Developers are smart, but they’re not all smart.

You have the new development happening on the newspaper property that’s running along Main Street. One would hope the developers are smart enough without the regulation to put stores continually on that Main Street edge, because if they don’t, it ruins the connectivity of that corridor from Falls Park to the best part of your downtown.

But I’m glad to know that the city requires it, just in case, because there are developers of all kinds, and some get it and some don’t.

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| NEWS

NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

The Drayton Mills Marketplace is located within 60,000 square feet of warehouses built between 1902 and the 1950s.

DEVELOPMENT

Spartanburg’s Drayton Mill is centerpiece of village’s growth

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Vegan chef Laura Theodore hosts the show, which airs on Create TV. Musical guests like Laura Cheadle and Broadway choreographer Chase Brock will accompany her.

Drayton Mill shuttered in 1994.

Greenville-based Pacolet Milliken Enterprises, a private investment firm founded by Milliken & Co. shareholders to preserve and grow the innovation company’s real estate and energy assets, reopened it for redevelopment in 2013.

TMS Development and Montgomery Development Group share ownership of the residential and commercial portions of the mill site.

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once hummed in the vast halls of Spartanburg County’s Drayton Mill.

During its peak period of expansion and development, the 115-year-old former Milliken textile plant provided jobs for about 1,200 people and helped fuel the local economy.

On Tuesday, April 11, state and local leaders gathered to celebrate the mill’s resurgence as the centerpiece of a vision for a vibrant mixed-use community and a symbol of the county’s continued economic success.

Gov. Henry McMaster joined with developers to cut the ribbon on the Drayton Mills Marketplace, the commercial portion of the 14-acre mill site’s redevelopment, during the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours event held at the mill.

The Marketplace is located within 60,000 square feet of warehouses built between 1902 and the 1950s. It also includes the mill’s former 10,000-square-foot Romanesque Revival-style company store.

A renovation of the facilities led by Spartanburg-based Montgomery Development Group and Charlotte,

studio, pool, and walking trail.

They hope the mill’s revitalization, as well as a new Spartanburg School District 7 elementary school being built nearby, will make it a magnet for activity and help drive new development and prosperity in the surrounding mill village.

Tara Sherbert, managing partner of TMS Development, said the vision for Drayton Mills is to create a “live, work, play” environment.

Developers announced the television series “Jazzy Vegetarian” will film its sixth season at the mill. Filming is expected to begin in May, with the season premiere scheduled for Sept. 15.

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N.C.-based TMS Development is nearing completion.

Illinois-based industrial developer Agracel Inc. has already opened its office in the Marketplace.

Three more tenants will move in soon.

They include Greenville-based Rick Erwin Dining Group’s new 7,000-square-foot concept restaurant called The Standard: A Refined Kitchen; Spartanburg-based Melotte Enterprises new headquarters, Bella Latte coffee shop and Mozza Roasters, a coffee roasting business; and Burn Boot Camp.

“It takes a lot of confidence to do the kind of things that people in this community are doing,” McMaster said.

“That’s all it takes, is that kind of vision and that kind of confidence and willingness to get out and work. Part of my job is to see that we don’t mess it up.”

John Montgomery, principal of Montgomery Development Group, said he hopes to announce “several more” tenants in the near future.

Developers believe the retail and office amenities will complement Drayton Mills Lofts, the residential portion of the development featuring 289 luxury apartments in the mill’s old spinning and weaving plants, a fitness

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TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

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www.CarolinaCommercialGenerators.com 4.21.2017

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

Yee-Haw Brewing Co. will open in a 4,402-square-foot space in the Keys Village development that was announced a year ago near downtown Greenville.

Yee-Haw Brewing Co. to open on McBee Plans for additional tenant, plaza renovation moving forward ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com The rumors are true: A new brewery will be opening late summer next to CycleBar in Keys Village at 307 E. McBee Ave. in Greenville.

Yee-Haw Brewing Co. from Johnson City, Tenn., whose European-style Dark/Muenchner Dunkel landed the bronze at the 2016 World Beer Cup, will open its second location in the 4,402-square-foot space closest to McBee in the development that was announced nearly a year ago. CycleBar, which opened in January, is the first tenant to open up shop.

Yee-Haw is currently in the permitting phase, with construction expected to take 90 days from approval, says Yee-Haw partner Joe Baker.

Exterior features include a wide canopy over three glass garage doors that will open to the 10,000-squarefoot courtyard. Interior plans include bar seating and a retail component.

The lease for the additional 2,286-square-foot space facing the courtyard should be signed within the next few weeks, says building co-owner Steve Navarro. He says the tenant has a food component and will fit in with the outdoor active entertainment 8

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site they are hoping to create.

Leasing for the development is brokered by Shelby Dodson of CBRE. Navarro says bids are currently being accepted for the outdoor audio-visual component, which includes an 8-by-12-foot movie screen. Construction of the plaza, which is central both physically and ideologically to the development, will be completed in time for the brewery’s opening.

“We went after several breweries six to nine months ago, with Yee-Haw being our singular choice,” Navarro says. “They have great beer, but in their other site they are very active in not just the brewery. They have a track record of great programming.”

Baker says the family-run brewery has extensive plans for entertainment on the plaza, which will include live music as well as movie nights. Yee-Haw will serve as the primary party responsible for plaza programming, working with booking agency Music City Roots out of Nashville, Tenn., for musical acts, but will coordinate with the other tenants’ usage plans as well.

Baker calls the Greenville Yee-Haw location “a

hub of ingenuity,” with a distinct aesthetic featuring bicycle-wheel light fixtures and art installations fabricated by Greenville ironworker Ryan Calloway to represent the Yee-Haw outdoor and exercise culture.

“I’m an exercise junkie,” Baker says. “We’re a family that loves to have fun outside.”

Baker says the small brewing system planned for the Greenville location will allow for creativity and flexibility of brews, with most of the brews on tap and bottled for retail distinctive to the Greenville market.

“We want Greenville to be its own standard and adventure,” Baker says. “We’re the same company, but Greenville will have its own identity.”

Baker, who lives with his family of five 50 minutes away from Greenville in Fletcher, N.C., says he wasn’t looking to open a second brewery, but after visiting the area over the years for concerts and sports activities, he saw downtown as an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“It’s almost like, ‘Why not Greenville?’” he says.

“It’s a great place to go on the weekends. I can only imagine the quality of life living there.”

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

| SQUARE FEET

Exterior features of Yee-Haw Brewing Co. will include a wide canopy over three glass garage doors that will open to the 10,000-square-foot courtyard.

Rendering by McMillan Pazdan Smith.

Small firm values. Big firm experience.

etblawfirm.com Business Litigation | Construction Litigation | Civil Litigation | Workers Compensation

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

United Community Bank has purchased 125 E. Broad St. (left), and Mary Beth Galbreath of Nelson & Galbreath, a law firm, has purchased 131 Falls St. (right).

The Falls Street building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Photos by Will Crooks.

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buildings that have housed advertising agency Erwin Penland for many years are getting new occupants.

United Community Bank has a contract to buy the three-story office building at 125 E. Broad St. where Erwin Penland has long housed its headquarters. The bank said it plans to establish a 150-worker operations center in the building.

Next door, local resident Mary Beth Galbreath recently bought the three-story office building at 131 Falls St., at the corner of Broad and Falls streets. That building has also housed Erwin Penland offices, but now Nelson & Galbreath, a local law firm, plans to occupy the first floor unless a single tenant agrees to lease the entire building, said Nathan Galbreath, a partner in the firm and the husband of the building's new owner.

A trio of Greenville developers — Brody and David Glenn and Jackson Hughes — sold 131 Falls St. and has agreed to sell 125 E. Broad, Brody Glenn said.

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Erwin Penland is in the process of moving to a new office building nearby at 110 E. Court St. and is scheduled to complete the process by the beginning of May. The bank said it was scheduled to close on its purchase of 125 E. Broad St. in May and launch the operations center by the end of August after renovations.

UCB said it would use the building, which has about 30,000 square feet of space, to house operations that are currently located at various locations around the Upstate.

The proposed operations center will be within walking distance of UCB’s existing executive offices in the ONE complex at the corner of Main and Washington streets, which Lynn Harton, the bank’s president, said he sees as an advantage.

“We continually focus on making United a great place to work,” Harton said. “Providing our people with comfortable, state-of-the-art office space located in Greenville’s vibrant downtown is a part of that.”

The building at 131 Falls was built in 1922 and once housed offices for black doctors, lawyers, dentists, a

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RUDOLPH BELL | STAFF

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newspaper, insurance firms, and the first black mortuary in Greenville, according to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

David Glenn restored it in the early 1980s and formerly used it to house his real estate development company, American Centennial Properties.

Erwin Penland moved from Pleasantburg Drive into the building in 1988, recalled Joe Erwin, the agency’s former chief executive.

He said Erwin Penland had to agree to lease an entire floor at 131 Falls and

had to sublease some of the space because the agency only had eight employees at the time.

“There’s always going to be a soft place in my heart for that building,” said Erwin, who has since started a business called Endeavor that provides co-work space in the ONE complex for creative professionals and marketing-related businesses.

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

TECHNOLOGY

Digital Scientists opens office in downtown Greenville Digital Scientists, a Georgia-based software development company, has opened its first South Carolina office at OpenWorks in downtown Greenville.

“We’ve been working with South Carolina clients for years from our office here in Atlanta,” says Digital Scientists CEO Bob Klein. “We really couldn’t be more excited to finally have a local office space in Greenville.”

The company, which previously operated out of its headquarters in downtown Alpharetta and nearby Atlanta office, offers web design, app development, and custom software for e-commerce programs.

Digital Scientists aims to be a full-service digital services provider for companies in various industries, Klein says.

The company, for example, currently provides services for Hubbell Power Systems, Office Depot, Thompson Reuters, and others.

“We’ve really honed in on a system that works for us,” says Klein. “Our process is intentional and our team is very engaged, and we think that results in better, faster, smarter work for our clients.”

In addition to software and web development, the company’s market analysts and product specialists offer initial strategy and marketing planning for customers, according to Klein. The company’s web and software developers design and implement a range of electronic solutions, which include dashboard reporting sites, responsive mobile apps, the internet of things, and more.

“Our mobile app developers are truly some of the best in the business,” says Klein. “They love to partner with our clients to hypothesize, analyze, and experiment on new technologies to better serve their businesses.”

“Our customers see us as one of the most innovative software development companies in the Atlanta area,” says Klein. “We take that responsibility seriously. We’re so much more than just a web development operation, and we’re looking forward to bringing our specific expertise to the Carolinas.” —Andrew Moore

BANKING

New ATM will be installed near downtown Spartanburg's Morgan Square A historic building in downtown Spartanburg will soon get a standalone automated teller machine (ATM).

Andrew Babb, co-owner of the 137-year-old Palmetto building at 100 E. Main St., said he has finalized an agreement with Greenville-based Upstate ATM Inc. The machine will be installed in a front window display near one of the building’s entryways between Two Doors Down and OEC graphics.

“This is just another amenity for downtown,” said Babb, a principal of Palmetto Belk LLC, along with Spartanburg

businessmen John Bauknight and Nick Wildrick. “When you look around, there aren’t a whole lot of ATMs in the area. This one will be in a prominent location so patrons can find it if they need it.”

Babb said the city of Spartanburg’s Building Inspections and Permits department approved the project Tuesday.

A spokesman for Upstate ATM, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the machine will be bricked in and the roof of the building’s entryway will provide users with cover from rain.

He said the project represents a $20,000 investment. The ATM will not be affiliated with a financial institution and will charge a $3 fee to users.

Upstate ATM has machines in locations across the country, but its core business ranges from the Upstate to Columbia and west along the Interstate 85 corridor toward Atlanta.

The ATM will be near Morgan Square, which is considered to be the commercial and cultural hub of Spartanburg.

Construction will begin soon and the ATM is expected to begin operating May 1.

In addition to Two Doors Down and OEC, the Palmetto building’s ground floor is home to the Growler Haus, Groucho’s Deli, The Lemongrass Kitchen, Bella Dance Studio, and Live Fit Now. The upper floors feature a range of luxury loft apartments. —Trevor Anderson

Sharonview Federal Credit Union opens new Spartanburg branch A Fort Mill-based credit union is expanding its presence in Spartanburg County.

Sharonview Federal Credit Union opened its new 2,300-square-foot branch on Wednesday, April 19, at Hillcrest shopping center between Chico’s and Salons by JC. The company’s Spartanburg branch previously operated out of a 1,000-square-foot office at the Auriga Polymers plant off Dewberry Road.

Sharonview established the branch in the mid-1970s, when the facility was still operating under the Hoechst Celanese banner.

“We think Spartanburg is a great market for us,” said Ricky Otey, chief operating officer for Sharonview. “We looked at several different locations and eventually settled on this one. It is centrally located and should be convenient for our members. We’re very excited.”

Otey said the company has signed a long-term lease with Brixmor Property Group, the shopping center’s owner.

He said Sharonview plans to open an ATM in the Hillcrest parking lot in the near future.

The Spartanburg branch is the second of three locations the company will open this year, including an office in StoneCrest at Piper Glen in Charlotte, N.C., that opened earlier this year and another branch in Charlotte scheduled to open in the summer.

“I’m like a kid in a candy store,” said Chuck Coveney, financial advisor for Sharonview, who will lead the new Spartanburg branch. “We’ve talked about this for a while and to finally see it come to fruition is exciting.”

Coveney and Otey said Sharonview specializes in consumer banking, loans, and financial planning. The company does not do small business or commercial lending.

| NEWS IN BRIEF

Sharonview has 15 branches in the Carolinas and New Jersey, including locations in Greenville, Greer, and Simpsonville.

Coveney and Otey said the Spartanburg branch will host a grand opening with fun activities for the community.

Details for the event will be unveiled soon. —Trevor Anderson

MANUFACTURING

Milliken acquires Keystone Aniline Corp.

Spartanburg-based Milliken & Co. announced last week it has acquired the assets of Keystone Aniline Corp.

Keystone, headquartered in Chicago, produces dyes, pigments, pigment dispersions, and polymers for a variety of industries.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Milliken spokeswoman Courtney Edwards said the acquisition will not result in layoffs or facility closures.

Keystone’s Chicago office will continue to operate, but the headquarters for all of Milliken’s chemical companies is in Spartanburg, Edwards said.

In a statement, Milliken said the deal will position it for global growth and provide customers with a broader selection of advanced colorant solutions, technologies, and services.

Keystone, founded in 1920 in Chicago, has operations in Europe and North America, including its largest manufacturing plant off Highway 292 in Inman.

The company established its first international location in 1950 in Huddersfield, England.

Keystone expanded into aqueous and solvent-based pigment dispersions in the 1960s at its plant in Inman.

In 2016, the company acquired Colour Synthesis Solutions, a provider of fine chemicals and custom chemistry services in the United Kingdom. The company also completed a 35,000-square-foot addition to its Inman facility.

Prior to its acquisition by Milliken, Keystone offered specialized solutions, including FDA-compliant dyes, biodegradable colorants, CleanGredients database listed products, and sub-micron pigment dispersions. All of those products are now a part of Milliken’s portfolio, the company said. —Trevor Anderson

AWARDS

Excellence in Entrepreneurship nominations now open CommunityWorks (CW) recently opened its nominations for the 2017 Excellence in Entrepreneurship awards.

Winners will be announced in late April. Awards will be presented at the annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship awards reception on June 6. The following five awards are open for nomination: Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Minority-Owned Microbusiness of the Year, WomanOwned Microbusiness of the Year, Entrepreneurial Success Award, and Microbusiness Champion of the Year. To view nomination guidelines, visit bit.ly/EENomGdln. To submit nominations, visit bit.ly/EENomin. —Staff Report

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JUMPSTART: DESIGNLI |

COMPANIES BLAZING A TRAIL IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FROM NATIVE APPS TO WEB DESIGNS, DESIGNLI AIMS TO PUT BUSINESSES AHEAD OF THE TECHNOLOGY CURVE WORDS BY ANDREW MOORE | PHOTOS BY WILL CROOKS

years ago, Keith Shields and Joshua Tucker ditched their plans to become engineers to create mobile apps for struggling startups.

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Today, their software development company is transforming the digital presence of Fortune 500 companies.

In 2012, Shields and Tucker, owners of software development company Designli, were more than 300 miles away from each other when they heard the big news coming out of Silicon Valley: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, in a surprising move, had purchased the photo- and video-sharing app Instagram.

The two, then-sophomore mechanical engineering students at Ohio State University and Alfred Uni12

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versity, respectively, couldn’t believe it. Facebook — a company that was about to become one of the largest initial public offerings in history — shelled out $1 billion for a two-year-old app that had 13 employees and zero revenue.

It was a sign for Shields and Tucker, who were coders and former high school classmates.

Soon after, they got in touch and began formulating their plan to enter the world of mobile app development. “The Instagram sale was the ‘a-ha’ moment for us. We knew that apps were the next big thing,” Tucker said.

“We didn’t have the knowledge to create apps from scratch, or the budget to hire developers. We were greedy college kids,” Shields said. “But we had some idea of what we wanted, and that was enough for us.”

Shields and Tucker, who had some knowledge of programming languages like HTML, created a website that solicited new app concepts and invited users to vote each month on the idea that they found most promising. They wrote a business plan, raised about $70,000 among friends and family, and named the competition Applits.

“We actually used our seed rounds to pay freelance developers,” said Tucker, who transferred to Ohio State in fall 2012 to help get the business off the ground.

Six months after the selection of the site’s first winner, the duo had recruited developers in Romania, designers in Paraguay, and an entire team from India. Meanwhile, a group of U.S. project managers kept things running smoothly.

FROM ENGINEERS TO STARTUP SAVIORS

Shortly after, Tucker dropped out of college to focus on Applits and returned to his parents’ house in Marcellus, N.Y. As the site became better known in the industry, Tucker and Shields started to notice that more and more users were asking them if they could create their apps outside the confines of the monthly competition.

“Some of our users owned businesses or startups, and they had the budget for their app’s development,” said Shields. “We noticed a demand for software developers that could create high-quality, affordable apps and websites in a short timeframe. Luckily, we had a solution.”

In 2013, Shields and Tucker launched Designli, a software development company that creates mobile apps and website designs for startups. In 2014, as the agency started to garner more and more clients, Tucker moved to Greenville. Shields followed in 2015.

The duo purchased a house in downtown and

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COMPANIES BLAZING A TRAIL IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Joshua Tucker, co-founder, Designli

| JUMPSTART: DESIGNLI

Designli FOUNDERS: Keith Shields and Joshua Tucker SERVICES: Software development and web design MARKET: Technology startups and enterprises DIFFERENTIATORS: Unlike other software development companies that can go over budget, Designli offers a fixed-fee pricing model.

Essentially, clients are not responsible for overages, according to Shields.

PRICE: $5,000 for consulting and designing mobile apps or websites; between $40,000 and $150,000 for fully developed apps and websites.

>>

hired several project managers.

Soon after, they decided to close Applits. After three years, the company had received more than 2,000 app ideas, created 18 mobile apps for the iTunes and Google stores, and received Inc.’s 2014 Coolest College Startups award.

One of its most profitable products was ReadyMic, which transformed a Bluetooth headset into a wireless microphone for videos shot using an iPhone. FaceCap, another popular app, allowed users to make custom emojis of their own faces.

The apps once garnered several hundred downloads a day, according to Shields.

However, the company only made about $1,800 from the apps. “It wasn’t a winning business model, but it actually taught us a lot about apps,” said Tucker. “Our free mobile apps had around 500,000 downloads. The iTunes and Google stores are just massive, so we weren’t making much money on the paid ones.”

In 2015, Shields and Tucker moved their headquarters to OpenWorks in downtown Greenville, where they started to garner new clients.

“Greenville’s startup ecosystem is really young, so it’s nice to be on the forefront of that,” said Shields.

Using their vetted network of about 60 developers, Shields and Tucker started offering their new clients a unique solution: a fixed-fee pricing DESIGNLI continued on PAGE 14

Keith Shields, co-founder, Designli

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COMPANIES BLAZING A TRAIL IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

“Many businesses don’t understand why they need apps.

But it doesn’t need to be an app.

It can be a collapsible and expandable website that looks great at every resolution. It’s figuring out the best application of technology for that business.”

KEITH SHIELDS, CO-FOUNDER, DESIGNLI DESIGNLI continued from PAGE 13

model and transparency throughout the entire app development process.

“Our project managers work closely with clients in the early stages of the process to identify problems they want solved,” Shields said. “We then design and develop an application that will tackle the problem, and we make client relations a priority.”

“We’re also able to hit the price point that is required for entrepreneurs to get their app off the ground without compromising quality. If a project goes over budget, we don’t pass the costs off to our clients,” he added.

According to Shields, it costs at least $5,000 for project managers to consult with clients and design a mobile application or website. That process allows them to frame the user experience and design the user interface.

Clients can then preview their new mobile application or website. Screens are linked together through an interactive prototype that allows clients to show their stakeholders or investors the solution.

“There’s no coding done in this stage, but it proves that the solution is worth building,” Shields said.

It typically costs between $40,000 and $150,000 for Designli to fully develop an app or site, according to Shields. Since 2013, the company has completed more than 100 software projects for various industries.

For instance, Designli has created an app for Greenville’s Accessible Diagnostics that can read diabetic testing strips. In 2014, Clemson University student Kayla Wilson developed an ultra-low-cost test process called Glucosense, in which an inkjet printer dispenses enzymes onto inexpensive filter paper. When exposed to blood, the strips correspond to glucose levels, and turn various shades of blue.

The company hopes to distribute the strips to medical clinics throughout India, Africa, and Latin America. Accessible Diagnostics submitted its materials for FDA approval last year; the process is expected to take about 18 months.

Designli’s contribution was to create an app that would more accurately interpret the shades of blue on the strip. The mobile app snaps a picture of the strip, analyzes the color, and produces a blood glucose reading. Essentially, the phone becomes a glucometer.

Louisville, Ky.-based Arrow Food Couriers, a delivery service for restaurants that don't deliver their offerings, hired Designli to create an iPhone app called ArrowMyFood and accompanying website.

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“People living in rural India cannot afford typical diabetes strips, so they don't test themselves,” Shields said. “But it just so happens that they do have Android smartphones. So by baking the technology into the phone instead of the strip itself, the cost of those strips go way down, and now the extremely poor can afford to track their blood glucose.”

Designli also develops apps and sites for emerging startups across the country.

Louisville, Ky., startup Arrow Food Couriers, a restaurant food delivery service that partners with restaurants that don't offer delivery service, hired Designli two years ago to create an iPhone app called ArrowMyFood and an accompanying website.

The app allows customers to place their food orders and track them in real time. Customers whose information has already been saved can place an order within 30 seconds. It also allows drivers to update the status of an order.

TROUBLE WITH THE TECHNOLOGY CURVE

The future seems grim for software companies that rely solely on app development.

Many technology startups rely on mobile apps, which have skyrocketed in popularity and utility since Apple introduced the iPhone App Store in July 2008. In fact, mobile apps now represent 52 percent of time spent with digital media in the U.S., according to comScore, up from 40 percent in early 2013.

Yet most U.S. smartphone owners download zero apps in a typical month, according to comScore’s new mobile app report. While smartphone apps are sucking up more of our time than ever, people only use a few of them.

Only about a third of smartphone owners download mobile apps in an average month, with the bulk of those downloading one to three apps. The top 7 percent of smartphone owners account for “nearly half of all download activity in a given month,” comScore reports. Last year, the top 15 app publishers saw downloads drop an average of 20 percent in the U.S., according to Nomura.

According to European analytics firm Adjust, more than 80 percent of the 1.4 million apps in Apple’s App Store can’t be found on any of the company’s thousands of top category rankings. As a result, many languish in obscurity.

>>

COMPANIES BLAZING A TRAIL IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Greenville startup Arkiver hired Designli last year to develop an app for the iPhone that allows users to import photos, audio, video, quotes, notes, and PDFs from a variety of existing media platforms and devices.

>> Also, startups are decreasing across

the U.S. The startup rate has fallen over the past 30 or so years, from 14 percent of total companies in a given year to about 8 percent, according to researchers Ryan Decker of the Federal Reserve Board, John Haltiwanger of the University of Maryland, and Ron S. Jarmin and Javier Miranda of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Shields and Tucker said startups now only account for 50 percent of their clients.

However, the changing market has actually created new opportunities for Designli, which has recently started providing services for enterprises, which range from regional businesses to Fortune 500 companies such as Michelin.

Many enterprises, especially manufacturing companies, are on the lagging end of the technology adoption curve, according to Shields. “They’re lacking iPhone apps, mobile responsive websites, and more. These are not new pieces of technology,” Shields said.

“We’re basically pushing these companies to the forefront of the curve by helping them adopt existing, proven technologies,” he added. “Many businesses don’t understand why they need apps. But it doesn’t need to be an app.

It can be a collapsible and expandable website that looks great at every resolution. It’s figuring out the best application of technology for that business.”

Many enterprises across the country are requesting iOS apps to improve customer experiences and business-to-business transactions.

For instance, Mullican Flooring, which manufactures hardwood floors, recently hired Shields and Tucker to create an iOS app that can easily showcase the company’s 2,000 products during demos.

“They don’t want to have to flip through the pages of a catalogue for demos. They want a digital catalogue where you can swipe through each of the products, and sort them and filter them and see the benefits right there,” Shields said. “They just needed assistance understanding how to apply the technology to their business to be more customer-friendly and enhance the digital experience.”

Also, Designli is developing an iOS app for Henderson Oil Company, which distributes gasoline to stations across the Southeast. The mobile app will allow gas station customers to place orders on the move without having to call for prices or to place orders. That should expand the capacity of the employees at the company, who can now process orders more efficiently.

While Shields and Tucker are receiving more requests from enterprises, they plan to maintain their services for startups. “Our vision is to keep working with startups, because they keep you in front of the technology curve,” Shields said.

“Our two markets complement one another. The startups keep us engaged with the up-and-coming ideas. Once those technologies get proven and adopted in the mass market, we’re in a good position to go to the enterprise and push them forward on the technology-adoption curve,” Tucker said.

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| JUMPSTART: DESIGNLI

ANNOUNCING THREE DAILY NONSTOP FLIGHTS TO

CHICAGO! STARTING JULY 5, 2017

www.gspairport.com

THE TAKEAWAY |

NOTES FROM THE BEST TALKS YOU MISSED

Women’s Work Five leaders discuss cultural perspectives and the importance of diversity

By MARION MANN Marketing & Communications Director, Greenville Chamber

This Greenville Women at Work lunch provided several thought-provoking, interesting perspectives from multicultural women professionals who shared their experiences and suggestions for ways to break out of their silos, look at behavior from the cultural perspectives of others, seek commonalities, and communicate openly.

The panelists, moderated by Ava Smith of Flat Fee Recruiting, were: Mavis Nakuma, BSN, is a registered nurse in the telemetry unit of AnMed Health in Anderson. She is originally from Africa.

Elvia Pacheco-Flores, a human resources professional at Fluor and founder of the nonprofit LatinosUnited, moved to the U.S. from Mexico as a young child.

Sima Patel is an attorney at Nexsen Pruet Law Firm who specializes in corporate compliance, litigation, business disputes, and employment and labor law.

She is a first-generation Indian-American who was raised in California.

Anita Tam, Ph.D., is a first-generation Chinese-American and assistant professor of psychology and faculty advisor of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society at Greenville Technical College.

Nazanin Zinouri, Ph.D., originally from Iran, recently returned to the U.S. after being detained and making global news. She serves as a data scientist at Modjoul, a wearable tech company.

On background and culture The panelists shared several insights about their backgrounds. From the focus on close personal relationships in Iran to the extremely family-oriented Indian-American culture, each of the women felt a difference in their personal background and that of the mainstream culture found here in the Upstate, especially in our workplaces.

Pacheco-Flores described the hardworking and especially loyal work culture of her Latino background mixed with the perceived views of her age group. For her, the cultural loyalty to an employer far outweighs the stereotypical millennial aversion to staying in one place for a long time.

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Sima Patel, Anita Tam, Mavis Nakuma, Elvia Pacheco-Flores, and Nazanin Zinouri

Culture shock What shocked the panelists most about Greenville?

• Warm but distant: Panelists had a shared experience of meeting people who seemed very warm and friendly in the beginning, yet quite distant with time.

• Christian assumptions: Several of the panelists have been asked where they go to church. Christian invocations are still given at events for large professional organizations, prayers and blessings said at business meetings and lunches. These acts, though inadvertent, provide serious modes of exclusion and need to be addressed within all of our organizations.

• Other cultural differences: Even when moving from within the United States, panelists noticed big cultural differences when moving to the Upstate.

Noted was a visible change in the overall diversity landscape from Washington, D.C., to Greenville, as well as the eye-opening thought that moving from Iran to Illinois provided less of a culture shock than moving from Illinois to the Upstate.

A few don’ts • Don’t assume that all individuals from within a culture are the same. They don’t all know each other. While you may think that a Chinese woman looks like Lucy Liu, believe that all Africans are poor, or wonder why a woman from Iran isn’t wearing a hijab, you really don’t need to tell them that.

• Don’t try so hard to prove you’re inclusive.

Your best friend may very well be Indian, but again, you don’t need to kick things off with that. During the session, a panelist mentioned an old saying: “A sweet potato doesn’t have to say how sweet he is.”

• Don’t assume that your culturally diverse associates don’t want to socialize outside of work.

Silence is often the most hurtful form of exclusion.

• Don’t start conversations by pointing out differences. For example: “You’re not from around here.” “Your accent is different.” As human beings,

WHAT: The Greenville Chamber’s Women at Work Multicultural Lunch: Engaging & Building Relationships Among Cultural Differences Within the Workplace WHEN & WHERE: April 5 at the Embassy Suites Golf Resort & Conference Center PRESENTING SPONSOR: BRIGHT+CO we have more similarities than differences, so try starting conversations with those in mind instead.

And some do’s The way to overcome ignorance is to become informed and take the time to learn from people who are different than you.

• Do ask sincere questions. “I want to learn more about your culture. Can you make time to share with me?”

• Do your research. If you know a little about where a colleague is from, take the time to look it up and learn about it in order to engage in informed, meaningful discussions.

• Do be prepared. For those who are culturally diverse, get ready for what people might say and have responses ready to help turn interactions into productive learning experiences.

• Do invite your culturally diverse colleagues to events, lunches, dinners, etc. Sharing time and experiences cultivates an inclusive community.

And as always, the main takeaway from every Greenville Women at Work event: build each other up. Be the women who pave the way for more women to be included and successful.

Learn more about the Greenville Chamber’s Women at Work program and future events at greenvillechamber.org.

THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF BUSINESS

| DIGITAL MAVEN

Hands Up Volunteers, the heart of nonprofit organizations, paint a big target for hackers external copies of data, called shadow databases, allow sensitive data to be removed from secure networks, possibly passed around on vulnerable USB keys, or taken home and loaded up on unsecured home computers.

What they should do: Shadow databases — extra copies of a central database that exist outside the main repository — are a major vulnerability for NPs and all organizations. A significant factor in many of the health care data breaches nationally has been stolen laptops containing shadow databases with patients’ names, diagnoses, and other sensitive information. Nonprofits often create these shadow copies so that willing volunteers or even staff can work at home. That’s risky on several levels.

No employee or volunteer should be authorized to remove sensitive information from the database or to take copies of that information off site.

It’s a myth that if people are working at home they aren’t really working.

They still are. It’s just that instead of helping you, they are creating a significant risk.

By LAURA HAIGHT president, portfoliosc.com

To reduce the costs of doing business, nonprofits have historically relied on volunteers to do much of the work that paid, professional staff should be doing. This reliance on willing volunteers has been the lifeblood for many nonprofits operating on a shoestring budget. Volunteers’ purposeful passion is both critically important and inherently risky.

Nonprofits and small businesses are no longer just collateral damage in the cybersecurity wars; they are increasingly becoming the intended targets — both for the wealth of donor information in their control, and as unwitting stepping stones to bigger phish.

A big part of the problem revolves around volunteers. Calm down, everyone — not volunteers themselves, but more precisely, the way nonprofits manage volunteers.

Issues range from the fear of alienating volunteers by forcing onerous security requirements and procedures on them to going outside of protected systems and providing information in unprotected formats for volunteers to work on. The problem is less about the volunteers themselves than the way nonprofits think volunteers will react.

The best protection against hackers is informed and engaged staff. All the technology in the world will not protect an organization — any organization — from uninformed or uninvolved authenticated users who do the wrong thing, either intentionally or accidentally. This is particularly true of volunteers. By definition, volunteers are there to help, not hurt.

Here’s a look at three typical ways nonprofits make accommodations for volunteers that can put the organization at significantly greater security risk.

What organizations do: Organizations make assumptions that volunteers will not follow rules, can’t be asked to change passwords, or follow appropriate procedures. Nonsense.

What they should do: Establish best practices and policies for email usage, sensitive data protection, file access, web browsing, password requirements, etc. And — here’s the tough part — take a day or two to train both staff and volunteers. Everyone needs to understand the reasoning behind policies. Once they do, volunteers or staff need to be held professionally accountable. Nonprofits that treat their volunteers like professional staff — with respect, training, and the attendant accountability — often get far better results.

What organizations do: CRM and donor management software licenses are expensive. Often that means nonprofits buy one or two licenses and share

the login credentials with others in the organization.

This may mean that passwords with administrative access to data about donors is in the hands of dozens of people, unprotected, and, by extension, exposed.

Volunteers, or staff, may login from unsecured home networks putting admin credentials at risk of being scraped by a key logger or accessed via other malware.

What they should do: Yes, software licenses can be expensive, but sharing account passwords is an unforced error putting nonprofit donors and reputations at risk. I would never recommend that any business not follow licensing requirements. But businesses should segregate administrative controls into a single license held by the office manager or executive director. Lower-level licenses that do not have administrative authorities should be purchased and provided to other staff — paid or volunteer.

What organizations do: Sometimes organizations are smart enough not to share the passwords, but instead routinely extract data into spreadsheets that are easily accessible to unauthorized users. These

What organizations do: Once they understand the risk, some organizations will initiate a procedure prohibiting the practice of creating shadow databases or maintaining data anywhere outside of the main system. That’s fine going forward, but does not address the horse that is already out galloping around in the field.

What they should do: The data that is out of the barn is still your responsibility and still a major risk.

Nonprofits need a data cleanup: Ask everyone on the staff to inventory if they have any external data on their computer, at home, on a USB. How many copies are out there? Is some of it updated outside of the main database, meaning I cannot know that my main data is accurate? It will take some time and some effort, but you can’t sleep well without doing this step.

Nonprofits could not do all the incredible work they do without volunteers. But volunteers are engaging in professional activities and acting as professional staff. They do this because they are passionate about the cause and the organization. Treat them like professionals, with respect and information, and explain the risks and the reasons for the policies. And thank them for accepting the minor inconveniences while helping to keep your nonprofit safer from cyber threats.

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YOUR MONEY |

NEWS AND TIPS FOR YOUR PERSONAL BOT TOM LINE

Fees vs. Commissions Is your financial advisor’s compensation aligned with your best interests?

By MAURA COPSEY Vice President, Nachman Norwood & Parrott

Considering the current regulatory environment, new attention is being placed on the compensation of financial advisors. Although the primary concern should be what is best for the client, there is a vast difference of opinion regarding which is best: fees or commissions. While this debate will continue for the foreseeable future, it is increasingly important to understand the landscape.

When deciding on the best approach, there are at least five important considerations: Conflict-free advice and objectivity. It is critical that the advice you receive is delivered in a conflict-free and objective structure. Are you certain the advice you are receiving is in your best interest, or could it be for the advisor or firm they represent to generate revenue? Do you ever harbor any doubts about this answer? As a rule, the fee structure should eliminate this concern. An advisor charging a level fee for advice does not get paid based on the number of transactions made. In contrast, the commission structure could encourage more active trading than what might be best in the long run.

Greater choice. At most wealth management companies, a fee-structured arrangement usually opens the door to almost all investment types from most money managers, fund companies, etc. The commission route will likely limit investment options strictly to those who pay commissions. This is particularly true in the world of mutual funds. It is also possible that the advisor’s broker-dealer or custodian has special arrangements with many fund companies and ETFs. This could unknowingly limit your choice or increase your cost. Do you see familiar low-cost fund managers in your portfolio such as

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Ask your advisor for an accounting of all costs — seen and unseen. If they are not completely transparent, this should be a warning sign.

Vanguard and T. Rowe Price, or is your portfolio limited to commission-based investment vehicles?

Aligned interest in keeping costs down. When an advisor charges a fee, this should be the only compensation they receive for their advice. In other words, they should not be receiving additional compensation from fund companies or money managers within your portfolio. Therefore, it should be in their best interest to keep costs down, aligning their interest with yours. Although the commission-based approach could be cheaper for some clients, the compensation structure certainly may not be aligned.

Do you understand the cost? Just because you don’t see the cost doesn’t mean it is free or the least costly. You should understand the imbedded expenses and commissions inside mutual funds, annuities, and insurance. Quite often, what you assume to be low cost is actually the most expensive. Also, just because you are paying a fee, don’t assume it is reasonable. Fees should be closely reviewed. If you don’t know, ask your advisor for an accounting of all costs — seen and unseen. If they are not completely transparent, this should be a warning sign.

Are you getting your money’s worth? Regardless of which compensation route you take, you should make sure you are getting the commensurate service and advice for the cost. If you are simply using an advisor to place trades, you may be best served at a discount or online broker. If you are paying full-service commissions or fees, at a minimum you should be receiving services such as investment planning, tax planning, estate planning, and insurance planning. In addition, you should expect regular meetings. It is not uncommon for us to hear prospective clients say they never hear from their advisor. If so, why would you pay them full freight?

Bottom line: There can be a time and a place for both types of payments. However, make sure that you understand all of the costs as well as what’s in it for the advisor and their firm. Long-term outcomes can be significantly impacted by cost and advice.

And finally, do you have absolute confidence that your advisor’s interests are 100 percent aligned with yours? If you have any doubts, don’t wait another day. Make a change now.

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MOVERS, SHAKERS, AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

| INNOVATE

Surface Matters Companies like Hoowaki, Kiyatec, and Ionbond IHI look to nature for high-tech inspiration

By BLAINE CHILDRESS

Tire, golf ball, moth, felt, pearl, cell. All have at least one thing in common: surface.

As a former peach farmer, I know about peach fuzz. It’s not just about the irritation imparted to the folds of one’s skin following hours of picking in the summer heat. A peach has special powers. The tiny hairs on its surface endow the peach with the ability to suspend water droplets atop the hairs so that the main surface retains airflow.

That fuzzy topology sheds water and reduces the fruit’s tendency to prematurely develop brown rot fungus.

Consider the example of a bird egg.

Its surface seems completely solid, but it is actually covered with thousands of tiny pores that permit gas exchange for the growing chick. While great high magnification images may be found, you do not need a powerful microscope to recognize this. All have observed the gas bubbles being expressed from inside when preparing a boiled egg.

Humans have been engineering surface performance for a very long time. However, the meaning of “surface” is being continually redefined to include smaller and smaller features.

Nanomaterials have been in the news for several years, such as hydrophobic surfaces, adorned with nano-scale pillars or cones. A recent report in Nature Materials explored the antifogging properties of insect eyes and self-cleaning surfaces of insect wings.

Scientists thereafter produced a surface studded with nano-cones. As with prior experiments, the surface repelled water droplets. But this time, even fog droplets were expelled. The nano-features were so closely spaced that condensing water droplets were “pinched” between conical tops, and grew to become large spheres perched atop cone-like spikes, like a balloon resting on a wire brush.

A second March report in C&E News examined tooth enamel at the nanometer level. Researchers concluded that all teeth appear like a network of tall,

laterally connected bristles (think wood fiber). The unique pillar-like microstructure permits the tooth to provide an extremely hard exterior while resisting fracture by absorbing and sharing energy during chewing.

Chemists, armed with this understanding, have approximated an enamel structure by growing zinc oxide pillars (nanowires) that exhibit flexibility in a stiff ceramic-like structure.

Surface engineering is important in South Carolina. Many readers know that Hoowaki is the world leader in the design of micro-surfaces. Several companies have reported super slippery surfaces and super hydrophobic surfaces (the lotus leaf effect). But Hoowaki is instead focusing on developing micro-surfaces that can adhere to exceptionally slippery surfaces.

Hoowaki studied mountain goat hooves to understand the physics of such remarkable frictional adhesion, and then set out to recreate bumpy micro-textures. The result is a “micro-grip” feature that may enable the secure and precise positioning of medical implants.

For example, a tubular vascular stent, used to treat heart disease, is prone to shift along a vessel wall. Hoowaki aims to impart their gripping surfaces to such implanted medical devices to eliminate migration problems without a clinician resorting to other anchoring methods such as sutures.

Kiyatec was founded to provide better understanding of the influence of surfaces on cell growth (surface versus bulk effects). Prior to their entry, laboratory testing was performed on flat transparent surfaces. Traditional 2-D Petri dish cultures could not model the complex interaction of real world tissue. Matt Gevaert developed 3-D cell culture vessels to provide a better mimic of tissue growth behavior in the body. Kiyatec has advanced clinical understanding of 3-D tissue surfaces by culturing different tissue types, even biopsy-derived tumors. Living tissues can be observed along different axes, and being able to replicate a tumor in different test containers permits evaluation of multiple treatment options.

This enables personalized understand-

A scanning electron microscope image of the micro- and nano structures of a rose petal ing of the most effective drug options for cancer before an actual patient exposure.

Ionbond IHI in Duncan engineers surfaces against wear. Tooling has clear advantages over wear, from turbine blades to prosthetic implants. While the company hosts a range of surface modification, including laser hardening and plasma deposition, the truly interesting innovation is Ionbond’s recent development of carbon film deposition.

The company can now affix tetrahedral carbon to tool surfaces. Tetrabond pyramidal coatings provide extremely hard diamond-like carbon surfaces up to 1.5 µm. Hmm, a diamond drill bit?

Whether inspecting a pearl for authenticity, protecting a car finish, or seeking traction on a slick roadway, surface is important. South Carolina has a growing ability in surface engineering. Materials science is swiftly becoming a core strength in this state.

BRIDGING PHILANTHROPY & PURPOSE Jeannette and Marshall Winn established a Donor Advised Fund to make their charitable giving easier, tax-effective, cost-efficient, and more powerful.

864-233-5925 • cfgreenville.org 4.21.2017

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ON THE MOVE |

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

HIRED

HONORED

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

KAREN MCCUE

RAMON NIEVES-LUGO

DUSTIN JOHNSON

KRISSY SIMMONS

TRAVIS HARRISON

Joined Wilson Associates Real Estate as a Realtor associate. McCue, a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, relocated to Greenville from Upstate New York in July 2016. McCue brings over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing for major corporations, including Gannett and Verizon Information Services.

Selected as the chair-elect of the Greenville Chamber Hispanic Business Council and vice-chair of United Way of Greenville County LatinosUnited. Nieves-Lugo was an original member of the council, previously named the Chamber’s Hispanic Business Committee, when it was formed in 2014. Nieves-Lugo has also been a member of the United Way of Greenville County’s LatinosUnited leadership group since 2014.

Joined Jackson Marketing, Motorsports & Events, South Carolina’s second-largest integrated marketing communications and events agency, as CDL and event specialist. Johnson comes to Jackson from NAS Racing in Spartanburg, where he was a transport driver and crewmember representing some of the world’s fastest drag racing vehicles at events in the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Joined Pintail Capital Partners as marketing director and office administrator. Simmons supports the brokerage, development, and investment sales divisions of the company through marketing initiatives, collateral material design, and administrative support. A native of Greenville, Simmons is a member of the Young Leaders Society of United Way Piedmont and brings extensive marketing and business development experience to Pintail.

Joined LS3P as a designer.

Harrison is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts in arts and humanities with an architectural background.

Harrison brings a wealth of professional experience in residential, educational, health care, commercial, civic, and faith-based designs at firms throughout North and South Carolina.

VIP FRANK WILLIAMS III Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP partner and longstanding member of the firm’s business practice group Frank C. Williams III has been elected partner-in-charge of the firm’s Greenville office. Williams joins the firm’s management committee, which is responsible for overseeing the operations of the Southeast regional firm’s seven offices located in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. His practice covers a range of commercial transactions, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. He has advised corporations and limited liability companies and their ownership groups in structuring, negotiating stock, asset acquisitions, and dispositions and in a variety of commercial and corporate matters, including reorganizations, organizational matters, shareholder and operating agreements, joint ventures, corporate governance, and general business and contractual matters.

Jim Melvin, award-winning journalist and media specialist, was recently named director of public communications and marketing for Clemson University’s college of science. Melvin joined the university in January 2015 as a media specialist for public service and agriculture and the college of agriculture, forestry, and life sciences. Melvin has an extensive background covering a wide array of science-related topics, from the future of the human race to erupting volcanoes. At Clemson, he has written dozens of stories that focused on the university’s globally recognized research, including diabetes, autism, obesity, genomics, and big data.

COUNTRY CLUB The Greenville Country Club elected its 2017 board of governors at its recent annual meeting of the club’s members. John Reynolds will continue to lead the club’s board of governors as president. New officers include Matthew Smith, vice president; Bo Russell, secretary; and David Ellison, treasurer. Smith is director at Elliott Davis Decosimo. Russell is a partner with Nelson, Mullins, Riley and Scarborough LLP. Ellison is a certified financial planner and wealth management advisor at Northwest Mutual Wealth Management Company.

Chris Riley will continue to serve on the executive committee and board as immediate past president.

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION Sam Tisdale has been named director of the Center for Corporate and Professional Development at Furman University. Tisdale oversees a wide array of business education offerings, which include the postgraduate diploma in corporate sustainability, the Women’s Leadership Institute, Managing Across Borders: Mexico, and a new postgraduate diploma in executive leadership.

Prior to joining Furman, Tisdale was a training and development director in the continuing education division of Greenville Technical College for 20 years.

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Alexium International Group Limited recently welcomed former United States Congresswoman Karen Thurman to its board of directors as a nonexecutive board member. Thurman will be appointed to both the remuneration committee and audit committee of the board. Congresswoman Thurman has spent a lifetime serving the public good as a city councilwoman, a mayor, a Florida state official, a member of the United States House of Representatives, as well as through her involvement with many civic organizations. >>

THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

| NEW TO THE STREET

Open for business 1

Presented by

Photo provided

2

1. Kirkland’s Inc. will host a grand opening beginning 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, at its new Greenville location at 1025 Woodruff Road, Suite G102. For more information, visit kirklands.com.

2. MIX Salon Studios recently opened at 115 Pelham Road, Building 13. Learn more at mixsalonstudios.com.

Conversations with Upstate Professionals

Photo provided

CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon? Email information to aturner@communityjournals.com.

>> ENGINEERING Davis & Floyd recently recognized 106 employees for their dedication and service to the firm at an event held at Spirit Communications Park in Columbia, one of the firm’s recent projects. The event celebrated length-of-service milestones for 106 employees; 38 of those have worked with Davis & Floyd for 20 years or more. Collectively, the employees in the firm have over 1,900 years of service.

RETAIL Spartanburg’s Hub City Cooperative board of directors is pleased to announce that Derek Suhar will fill the store’s general manager position. Last April, Suhar moved to Spartanburg to help open the first grocery co-op in the state of South Carolina. Suhar moved from Placerville, Calif., where he worked for Placerville Food Co-op, a successful cooperative grocery in the foothills of Northern California. Suhar has served as the interim general manager since Jan. 1 of this year and has shown exceptional management skills during this time.

Embassy Suites 1818 Augusta St Greenville, SC 29605 250 Riverplace, Greenville, SC

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

THE WATERCOOLER Social Chatter RE: COUNTY SQUARE IS THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT THAT WILL DEFINE OUR CITY “Every time I drive by this site, I think how huge a project this will be. The only logical plan should include the necessities for urban living and not more apartments!”

Nick Gilley “We need family entertainment. There isn’t much to do in Greenville, and the zoo is way too small. … Breakout and Dave & Buster’s are good additions. Still need more. Those are a little pricey to do on a regular basis.”

Carrie Gaske “We’ve been talking about this a lot around the office, since we use the County Square parking.

Hoping that they use this space to encourage a more ‘walkable’ existence in the West End by adding some of the daily-use needs they mention in this article (grocery, drug stores, etc.)."

Shannon Jones Anderson

“I live downtown, and I can tell you that livability factor is very important. I can also tell you that what we do not need is another grouping of five- or six-story brick apartment buildings. We have too much of that downtown already, and these buildings are becoming very trite.”

Sally Eastman “Livability is key to downtown. This is why some people won’t come here, because they would still have to buy a car and ride around town.”

Angel King

RE: GRAND BOHEMIAN GREENVILLE PLANS COULD GO TO DRB NEXT MONTH “I like Greenville’s controlled development plans and actions, but The Bohemian seems a bit out of character for ‘Yeah, THAT Greenville.’ How about some modern glass and brick high rises?”

“Greenville’s downtown social scene and overall downtown aesthetic are about to get a boost from the new Grand Bohemian Hotel set to replace the Wyche firm in the prime spot at the end of the Liberty Bridge.”

Jackson Herlong “There is already a building there. An unattractive building. We will now have a better-looking building with enhanced landscaping.”

Michael Pittillo “The Grand Bohemian? About the only trace of downtown Greenville left is the Army-Navy Store.

I miss the pre-gentrified Greenville, warts and all.”

Erwin Frazier

Tony Caruso

RE: STATE PLANS EXPANSION OF GREENVILLE’S CHESTNUT RIDGE HERITAGE PRESERVE

“Yeah just what we need: another hotel downtown.”

“Great area. So thankful for these preservation efforts.”

Stephen Anastos

Mary Evelyn Mitchell

E 15

APRIL 14,

TOP 5: 1. Lockheed Martin submits bid for Air Force T-X competition

2. Todd Horne announces candidacy for Spartanburg mayor

3. With a new smartphone device, Aluma Connect hopes to prevent sexual assaults

4. Six redevelopment plans submitted for County Square

VOL. 6 ISSU 2017 |

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5. Mayor aims to boost Countybank’s presence in Greer

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EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

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Wednesday

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City Range 615 Haywood Road 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Cost: $17.95 online registration, $20 at the door For more info: uwitsc.com

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EDITOR

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STAFF WRITERS

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER Sherry Jackson, Melinda Young

MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES

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4/29

Nicole Greer, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Lindsay Oehmen, Rosie Peck, Caroline Spivey, Emily Yepes

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR Will Crooks

LAYOUT Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

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

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

UBJ milestone

jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years

>>

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

Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 years

Kristy Adair | Michael Allen Anita Harley | Jane Rogers

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kristi Fortner

By sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

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

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NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AND AWARDS:

JUNE 2 THE BUSINESS OF FOOD Good eats mean good profits.

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

Circulation Audit by

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

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

1990 Jackson Dawson

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

ADVERTISING DESIGN CLIENT SERVICES

UBJ milestone

1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport

1988

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

>>

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

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

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

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

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

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

1998 1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court

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

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

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

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

2009 Jackson Dawson changes name to Jackson marketing Group when larry sells his partnership in Detroit and lA 2003

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

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

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 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

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NOVEMBER 1, 2013

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

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