July 22, 2016 UBJ

JULY 22, 2016 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 30

GAME CHANGER

If course designer Beau Welling has his way, your next golf game will be about more than golf

07.22.2016

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| RETAIL | 3

Hub City Runners to offer fitness and faith TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com Two entrepreneurs in Spartanburg County have parlayed their running ministry into a new retail store.

Jill Morris and Donna Loudermilk will open Hub City Runners Aug. 6 in the Reidville Center strip mall at 2932 Reidville Road on Spartanburg’s west side.

The 1,500-square-foot store will have running shoes for men, women and kids; sports apparel; and accessories for running and cycling. Its main brands will include Skechers, On, Hoka, 361, TSC and Dona Jo. “This is more than a store,” Morris said. “It’s a mission … And hopefully we’ll sell some shoes along the way.”

Morris said the concept for the store grew out of the running group she has led for three years at her church, Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church in Spartanburg.

She said the church’s former assistant pastor, Rev. Kevin Harrison, created the group. Morris, who worked for the church before launching the store, was encouraged to lead the group to boost outreach in the community.

“I wasn’t very excited about it at first,” Morris said.

“But I saw people’s lives begin to change. It became something that I loved deeply.”

Morris and Loudermilk, who are both longtime members of Anderson Mill Road Baptist, said they met several years ago, but outside of church.

Through the running ministry they developed a friendship that, over the course of time, was strengthened by their Christian faith, and their passion for running and helping others.

“Our goal is to help women who say, ‘I can’t do this,’” Loudermilk said. “We’re here to show them that yes they can. We both started running seriously at age 40 … You’ve got to keep moving forward.

Don’t stop.”

Morris and Loudermilk said they began talking about opening the store in November. The idea quickly started to gain traction.

“This was the first [space] I wanted to be in,” Morris said. “There’s a whole story about how we actually got it. It was just amazing to see how God just worked it all out for us. We even prayed that God would stop this if it wasn’t meant to be.”

The owners said they hope to be different from other running stores by becoming a community gathering place for anyone interested in getting fit.

They plan to form groups for running, cycling, walking, swimming and other activities. They will host events and have information that promotes

Jill Morris and Donna Loudermilk healthy living and nutrition.

Hub City Runners will operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The business will also have an online store.

Morris and Loudermilk will host a grand opening on Aug. 6. The event will feature free food and drink, gift card giveaways and more.

For more information, visit hubcityrunners.com.

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4 | THE RUNDOWN |

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 30 Featured this issue: Indian businessman funds fellowships at CU-ICAR.. ...........11 Pendleton Street Baptist property sale finalized................. 19 Is it time to reboot your business plan?.................................. 22

WORTH REPEATING “This is more than a store. It’s a mission. And hopefully we’ll sell some shoes along the way.”

Page 3

“No one knows anybody anymore. We’re more connected but less. The species is in trouble if we don’t figure it out.”

Page 13

“As fun as it is working for yourself, it’s much cooler to have people buy your ideas.”

Page 16

VERBATIM

On catching 'em all “Pokemon Go is everything that is wrong with late capitalism.”

Timothy B. Lee of Vox.com, suggesting that “technology-based products like Pokemon Go explain a lot about the current state of the global economy.”

Read the article at bit.ly/vox-pokemon.

Provided By Johnny Look and Chris Mast

“Neil Pencils,” the commercial spokesman for Greenville design company Beautiful Demise, models socks with the “Jumpshot Jesus” design that recently found its way into the NBA championship. Read more on page 16.

Will Crooks

07.22.2016

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| RESTAURANTS | 5

First look: Cantina 76 CAROLINE HAFER | STAFF

chafer@communityjournals.com

You’re about to have a new go-to spot for Margarita Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Fiesta Fridays and everything in between. Cantina 76 is finalizing some last renovations before opening its doors in the next few weeks.

The taqueria and bar’s central location in Greenville’s ONE City Plaza was announced this April. The four partners — Rob Ward, Craig Wyatt, Chad Elsey and Jeb Babcock, who are also partners in Za’s Brick Oven Pizza in Columbia — have been planning on opening a Greenville location for two years, but waited until a Main Street location came along. “It really was a no-brainer,” said Ward.

The menu consists predominantly of different a la carte tacos inspired by nontraditional flavors like teriyaki, Buffalo chicken and barbecue. It also features classic Mexican dishes, daily features and sides. Kick your meal off with the “tres hombres” sampler of queso, fresh guacamole and salsa. The restaurant has daily deals and happy hours. Order a classic margarita, or choose from one of their eight other specialty flavors.

The partners opened their first Cantina 76 location in 2009 on Devine Street in Columbia. The downtown Greenville destination will be the restaurant’s third location and first outside of Columbia.

Cantina 76 is occupying the spot previously home to Rare at 103 N. Main St. Find out more at cantina76. com.

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Cantina 76 partners (from left) Jeb Babcock, Craig Wyatt, Rob Ward, and Chad Elsey.

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6 | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT / MANUFACTURING |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

$73M in tax credits extended for eight SC projects DAVID DYKES | STAFF

ddykes@communityjournals.com

Greenville

New

Markets

Opportunity II, a community development entity managed by tax advantagegroup and Greenville Local Development Corp., has extended $73 million of New Markets Tax Credit allocations for eight South Carolina businesses and nonprofits over the last 18 months.

GNMO II's portfolio is projected to support 1,815 jobs, serve 5,230 clients through its nonprofit investments and help create or redevelop nearly 930,000 square feet of new and improved commercial and industrial real estate.

The federal NMTC program, aimed at stimulating investment and economic growth in low-income communities, allows taxpayers to receive a tax credit against federal income taxes for making equity investments in community development entities such as GNMO II. The development entities, in turn, use the capital raised to make investments in low-income communities.

The demographics of GNMO II's current investment portfolio consist of poverty rates as high as 66.6 percent, median family income as low as 14.24 percent and unemployment rates as high as 23.7 percent.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund provides the allocation.

The eight projects GNMO II awarded NMTC allocations to are • Legacy Charter School (Greenville): $13.7 million • Greenco Beverage Company (Greenville): $8.3 million • Limehouse Produce (North Charleston): $9 million • Sweet Street Desserts (Greenville): $10 million • TDC Cutting Tools (Seneca): $7 million • OTO Development/AC Hotel (Spartanburg): $10 million • Claussen Bakery building (Greenville): $5 million • Upward Star Center (Spartanburg): $10 million

“GNMO II invests in projects that are both financially sound and significant assets to their community at large,” said GNMO II Operating Officer and taxadvantagegroup President Tammy C. Propst. “One of our investment goals is to be a catalyst for change, investing in first-mover projects in distressed neighborhoods."

An example is Greenco Beverage, which is building a new distribution center in Greenville’s Poinsett Corridor.

With a total project cost of $11.5 million, it is the first major investment in the Poinsett Corridor in more than 40 years.

Aside from supporting quality jobs, Greenco — like many GNMO II investment projects — will establish an apprenticeship program with Apprenticeship Carolina and a local community college to provide employment opportunities for neighborhood residents.

“We have adapted and grown stronger in an environment that is very different than it was 10 years ago,” said Deborah McKetty, GNMO II advisory board member and executive director of Community Works.

“However, there remains much work to be done to support South Carolina communities."

Founded in 1979, Greenville Local Development Corp., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was established by a group of community and business leaders to address obstacles faced by businesses and community-based organizations in obtaining conventional financing.

Since inception, GLDC has been working to provide financial assistance, real estate development coordination and strategic guidance for economic development projects and business expansions.

Headquartered in Greenville, taxadvantagegroup is a consulting firm specializing in New Markets Tax Credits, helping nonprofit and for-profit organizations access capital.

Since 2004, it has helped secure more than $1 billion for community projects across the United States. In addition, the group manages $290 million of NMTC assets.

UBJ

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07.22.2016

BMW supplier Berrang Inc. expands to Velocity Park TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com

A BMW supplier has relocated from Greenville County to a stateof-the-art facility at Velocity Park in Spartanburg County.

Berrang Inc., the North American subsidiary of Karl Berrang GmbH, headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, recently took up residence in a new 60,000-square-foot building at 1013 Robinson Road.

The facility is on more than 12 acres the company purchased in 2015 near Lear Corp. and the future site of Minghua USA. “It’s a very exciting time to be in the Upstate,” said Thomas Koehler, general manager of Berrang’s Spartanburg plant. “We are extremely grateful for all the support we received from state and local officials.

The business climate in South Carolina is great and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

Berrang specializes in the development and production of high-quality mechanical joining technologies.

The company was first established in Atlanta in 1997 as the first overseas facility for Karl Berrang. In 2001, the company relocated to a 30,000-square-foot space off Pelham Road in Greenville in order to better serve its customers in the North American automotive sector.

Koehler said the company’s business has continued to grow. It currently serves customers in the automotive and agricultural industries.

Berrang is in the process of obtaining its certification for the aerospace industry, which is expected to lead to even more growth, Koehler said.

He said the company has 35 employees, and anticipates adding more employees as demand for Berrang’s products increases.

“We are so glad to see companies that land in the Upstate realize the market’s potential through growth in their customer base,” said Carter Smith, executive vice president of the Economic Futures Group. “We’re

pleased that they have identified Spartanburg County as the place that will help them keep their flow of activity going. They have designed a first-class facility that will help accommodate their needs for years to come.”

Koehler declined to comment on the company’s investment in the plant.

The company said that in addition to doubling its footprint, the new facility has taller ceilings that will allow for a larger percentage increase of pallet space.

Koehler said the plant has a range of energy-efficient features, including windows throughout that allow natural light to spill in.

The building has been integrated with wireless internet to support short- and long-range Bluetooth scanners that streamline the process of receiving, pulling and shipping of customer products. The company said the system reduces the chance of human error and allows for greater traceability and overview.

Berrang said the facility has opened up space in its quality lab for a friction check stand that allows the company to “oversee the coefficient of friction on incoming inspection” and helps its customers “ensure the required torque is applied during assembly to achieve proper fastening.”

The plant has additional office space that has enabled the company to expand its multilingual staff.

Berrang has also expanded its purchasing department to support its expanding sales department and growing customer base in the automotive, agricultural, medical and aerospace industries.

Koehler said the company was able to complete the move with no disruptions for its customers.

“Our team did a really fantastic job,” he said.

Karl Berrang has 11 facilities worldwide, including seven in Germany, and one in France, Poland, China and Spartanburg.

For more information, visit berrang.de/en/company.

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8 | MANUFACTURING / RESTAURANTS |

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07.22.2016

BMW supplier Tower International announces $75M Greenville County plant STAFF REPORT

BMW supplier Tower International has announced it will invest $75 million to establish its first South Carolina plant in Greenville County and create 140 jobs.

The facility will be at Southchase Business Park in Fountain Inn. It will manufacture large, complex assemblies for “a leading automobile manufacturer,” the company said Tuesday.

A company official could not be reached for comment.

Tower International, headquartered in Livonia, Mich., is a global manufacturer of metal components and assemblies, with annual revenues of $2 billion, the company said.

According to the company’s website it has 27 plants in North America, South America, Europe and China that are near its customers, which include “the world’s largest automotive manufacturers.”

Tower International said it has 7,000 associates at its plants in North America and Europe.

“Tower International’s expansion in South Carolina is an important part of the expected future growth of our North American operations,” said Jim

Bernard, president of Tower Americas, in a stateGreenville County was awarded a $100,000 setaside grant to assist with the cost of building upgrades ment. “We are most appreciative of the support we have received from the Greenville Area Department and renovations.

Corporation, Greenville County and the State of Tower International said jobseekers should visit South Carolina as we establish our first facility in the careers page on its website. the Palmetto State.”

For more information, towerinternational.com.

The company said it anticipates the facility will begin production in September 2017.

Tower International said it will hire for the facility throughout 2017.

“Tower International adds to the automotive competitiveness of the Greenville landscape and we are proud to welcome them to the community,” said Bob Taylor, chairman of Greenville County Council, in a statement. “Greenville County wishes them much success and continued growth.”

The state’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved job development credits for Workers at Tower International, headquartered in Livonia, Mich., stamp components into an auto door. the project, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce.

Starbucks plans 3 new Upstate locations TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com

Upstate caffeine addicts will soon have several new places to get their fix.

Seattle-based coffee chain Starbucks plans to build three new stores in the area, including two in Duncan and Boiling Springs in Spartanburg County and one in Greenville County in Simpsonville.

A project official who asked not to be identified said his development company is working with Starbucks to develop all three stores simultaneously, although the stores will be completed at different times.

The developer said the Duncan store would likely be the first to open. It will be built adjacent to a new Fuddruckers by franchisees Lee Ann and Allen Johnston in the former Denny’s restaurant at 1515 Highway 290.

Ben Hines, principal of Spartanburg-based Spencer/ Hines Properties, who is part of the group developing the Duncan property, said he anticipates the project will close early next week.

He said developers want the property to be annexed by the Town of Duncan in order to avoid county setback requirements that would make the project more difficult.

“We are very excited about it,” Hines said.

The Boiling Springs store is expected to close in August, the developer said.

Site plans filed with the county showed it will be constructed on a 2.6-acre lot between Advance Auto Parts and the new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen near the intersection of Highway 9 and McMillin Road.

The lot is comprised of three small properties that currently house three vacant homes and a small grove of trees.

The homes and trees will be removed to make way for a more than 3,600-square-foot building.

The Starbucks store and a new Marco’s Pizza restaurant will occupy

the building.

According to the developer, the third store will be built in downtown Simpsonville near the intersection of highways 14 and 417. Plans for that store are still being finalized.

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10 | HEALTH CARE |

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07.22.2016

GHS board votes to sell The Cottages for $10.1M MELINDA YOUNG | CONTRIBUTOR

myoung@communityjournals.com

Last Thursday, The Greenville Health System (GHS) Board of Trustees unanimously approved the sale of its skilled nursing facility, The Cottages at Brushy Creek, for $10.1 million to Orianna Health Systems, a regional, for-profit company that owns 48 nursing centers in 11 states.

The Cottages will be renamed Brushy Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center, but little else will change for patients, said Stan Healy, Orianna senior vice president of post-acute strategies. Healy worked at GHS as a senior administrator until late 2015.

Orianna, which was known as Covenant Dove until the company changed its name on June 1, expects to close on the purchase by Sept. 30, 2016, Healy said.

Greenville County has more than 1,500 skilled nursing beds, and Orianna Health has 36 percent of the county’s market share. The Cottages accounts

for 8 percent of the market share, and the remaining 56 percent are owned by a variety of nursing home organizations, said Malcolm Isley, GHS vice president of strategic services.

Isley said GHS is selling the 144-bed facility as part of its plan to develop strategic partnerships with other health care providers, including post-acute providers, such as Orianna.

GHS anticipates needing access to 3,000 nursing home beds as the health system shifts from the fee-for-service model to a value-based model, Isley said.

Since the health system doesn’t own enough skilled nursing beds to cover its hospitalized patients’ needs, one way to increase access is through partnerships with a company like Orianna that owns many of these nursing facilities.

Through a partnership, the two organizations can prepare for a future where their payments will rely on greater efficiency and meeting quality measures, Isley said.

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The Cottages at Brushy Creek will be renamed Brushy Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center. payments are moving into the direction of paying large health systems and providers one price per patient. This one upfront payment might have to cover the patient’s hospital stay, therapy, medication and care at a skilled nursing facility or home care or outpatient services, including rehabilitation. In order for a health system like GHS to manage all of a patient’s medical needs, it has to have partnerships with other organizations, Isley explained.

“We need to work together to align our quality measures for patients and unify payments,” he said.

For example, suppose a patient had a bad accident and needs multiple surgeries and life support care. Eventually, the patient might get a little better and could be transferred to a skilled nursing facility, which could help the patient recover as well as any hospital could.

If there are not enough nursing beds available in the community, then the recovering patient has to stay in the hospital, taking up a bed that could be used by another sicker patient. When hospitals are paid the same fee for every day a patient is hospitalized, there is not a financial incentive to move that patient to a skilled nursing facility, where patient care is less expensive than the hospital.

But under the new population health or value-based care model of one upfront payment, the hospital will actually make less money by keeping a

patient in the hospital bed longer than medically necessary.

GHS and Orianna expect to form formal partnerships when advanced payment contracts occur, although there is no formal partnership agreement at this time, Isley said.

“When we enter into a contract together, we’ll have good collaboration and work closely together,” he said.

Healy told the GHS board that Orianna, like other skilled nursing providers, has raised its private-pay rates in recent years, but they won’t give existing patients at The Cottages “sticker shock.”

Patients who run out of private funding can continue to stay at the nursing home as Medicaid patients, because good planning will keep enough Medicaid beds available for existing patients who might need them, Healy said.

“In a worst-case scenario, if we don’t have a bed available at The Cottages, we will have the patient go to another Orianna site,” he said.

Orianna has about 700 total skilled nursing beds in the Upstate, where 13 of its 17 South Carolina facilities are located.

GHS notified The Cottages’ patients and staff in June of the proposed sale.

The facility’s staff, numbering about 200, will be offered an opportunity to become a part of Orianna’s team or transferred within GHS or receive severance, Isley said.

07.22.2016

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| INTERNATIONAL | 11

Indian businessman to fund CU-ICAR fellowships TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com

South Carolina’s economic bond with India was strengthened Tuesday.

Clemson University officials unveiled a new partnership with Indian businessman Ratan Tata during a ceremony at the school’s International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville County.

Tata has pledged to fund five fellowships through his nonprofit charity Tata Trusts that will enable students from India’s PSG College of Technology to pursue doctorate degrees in automotive engineering at the ICAR campus.

“This is an excellent opportunity to strengthen the relationship between South Carolina and India,” said Zoran Filipi, chairman of Clemson’s Department of Automotive Engineering. “It’s a tremendous validation for our program … This is just the first step in building a bridge between our two countries.”

Tata was not at Tuesday’s announcement, but representatives from PSG were in attendance.

Clemson officials said Tata, who serves as chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, a conglomerate with more than 600,000 employees worldwide, visited the Upstate last year.

Tata toured ICAR and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in automotive engineering from the university.

Clemson officials said he was impressed with the program and wanted to contribute.

Each student will receive $26,500 a year toward tuition, books, housing and other expenses.

Filipi said the fellowships would continue on an annual basis for the foreseeable future.

“Investing in education is a legacy bequeathed by our founder and an important part of our philosophy,” Tata said in a statement. “This partnership with Clemson University promises to benefit both our countries and prepare professionals who are passionate about automotive engineering to offer their expertise to Indian industry.”

Program officials said the students Ratan Tata, center, received Clemson University’s first honorary will arrive in four weeks, just in time for Ph.D. in automotive engineering when he visited last year. the beginning of the fall semester.

Subramanyan Neelakrishnan, head investment and jobs to the Palmetto State. of PSG’s Department of Automobile Engineering, “India has a young population and is a fast-growing said officials had to move quickly to establish the global and regional power,” said James Clements, program because the students were already applying president of Clemson University, in a statement. for jobs.

“As a top public university, we want to engage in “We are excited about the long-term potential of the most meaningful research and offer a highly this project,” Neelakrishnan said. “We hope to create relevant educational experience. Much of the 21st-cena talent pipeline. The bigger picture is for [more tury growth will be in India and other fast-rising fellowships], faculty exchange and other things.” nations. This collaboration and others that stem from In 2014, Gov. Nikki Haley embarked on a 10-day it will make students in both nations more competitrade mission to India in hopes of luring economic tive.”

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12 | LEADERSHIP / HOTELS |

UBJ

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

Chamber announces Leadership Greenville’s 43rd class

3 new hotels under development in Spartanburg County

STAFF REPORT

TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com

The Greenville Chamber’s Leadership Greenville program has accepted 60 participants for its 43rd class. Participants were selected based on a thorough application process including essays, professional resume and community involvement.

Leadership Greenville is the Chamber's 10-month leadership development program “designed to help develop informed, committed and qualified leaders for Greenville County,” according to a statement by the Chamber. The program has graduated over 2,000 alumni since 1973, many of which have served in key positions, including school board, city and county council seats, members of Congress, judges and business leaders. Each class selects community projects to meet a need in the area.

Acumen IT and The University of South Carolina Upstate are co-sponsoring Leadership Greenville Class 43.

LEADERSHIP GREENVILLE CLASS 43 Brian Albers, Raymond James Rachael Anna, Nexsen Pruet Kenneth Anthony, The Anthony Law Firm P.A. Leila Aziz, GE Power Aaron Barr, MAKE Consulting Christina Belge, Greenville County Redevelopment Authority Chi Blair, Greenville Police Department Gina Blohm, Community Foundation of Greenville James Boyd, Eric Brown Design, Inc. Kathleen Brady, University of South Carolina Upstate Laura Bratton, Laurens Road UMC Mario Brown, Eastside Homes Danielle Car, Community Journals Bobby Cox, Milliken & Company Ashley Dyal, Bon Secours Wellness Arena Tara Eaker, City of Greenville Rebecca Ellefson, Greenville Drive David Feild, Colliers International Greenville Travis Fortson, Countybank Yancey Fouche, Furman University Debra Ham, County of Greenville John Hansen, Craig Gaulden Davis Elise Hardin, Thrive Upstate Randolyn Harmon, Greenville County Schools Baker Hatcher, MAU Workforce Solutions Virginia Hayes, Coldwell Banker Caine Taylor Howell, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System Aimee Leary, Wendell L. Hawkins, P.A. Alesia Lowe, A Child's Haven Clinical Department Anne Marie Maertens, AccessHealth Greenville County

Lisa Mangione, Greenville Technical College Ragan Marling, Greenville County Sheriff's Office Kevin McBride, Upstate Warrior Solution Kevin McCarrell, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP Kathryn Mendez, United Way of Greenville County Polly Miller, Greenville Health System Jason Mitchell, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Sara Montero-Buria, Hispanic Alliance Eric Morris, BB&T Scott & Stringfellow John Mosser, Elliott Davis Decosimo Jamika Nedwards, Julie Valentine Center Bryce Norton, Miracle Hill Ministries Dean Oang, LS3P Associates Ltd. atricia Parker, Triune Mercy Center Alexander Parks, Mavin Construction Mark Parrott, TD Bank Michael Pennington, SABAR dba FunnelDelicious Rionne Ridgeway, Greenville Chamber Meghan Riordan, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A. Daniel Rundle, Worthwhile Ame Sanders, State of Inclusion Inc. Adam Scheuch, Greenville County Schools Shelly-Anne Scott, McMillan Pazdan Smith Christopher Sparrow, Able South Carolina Hannah Spellmeyer, Godshall Professional Recruiting Brian Thomas, DP3 Architects Ltd. Ashlee Tolbert, City of Greenville Ryan Twitty, Wells Fargo Hagan Walker, Clemson University Derek Watchorn, Wells Fargo Laura Williams, Carolina Business Interiors

Three new hotels are headed for Spartanburg County.

Home2 Suites, an extended-stay concept by Hilton Worldwide, will be constructed on nearly 7 acres in Duncan behind the site of the future Fuddruckers and Starbucks development at 1515 Highway 290.

S p a r t a n burg-based developer Pinnacle Hospitality has already announced its plan to build a 105-room Residence Inn by Marriott on 7.6 acres behind the Hampton Inn and Summit Pointe Conference and Events Center off Spartan Boulevard next to Costco and WestGate Mall.

Site plans filed with the county showed Pinnacle has sweetened the deal by adding a four-story, 116-room Hilton Garden that will be built on more than 6 acres adjacent to Summit Pointe.

“We could not be happier about this,” said Chris Jennings, executive vice president of the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Last weekend, we hosted two major youth sports events that attracted thousands of visitors. And we had major overflow to Greenville County. We are bidding on NCAA sporting events through 2022 that would require us to have a larger inventory of hotel rooms … We will be happy to take them on and help build them up.”

Innkeeper Motor Lodge West Inc., based in Winston-Salem, N.C., will

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07.22.2016

build Home2 Suites, according to site plans.

A company official could not be reached for comment.

The hotel’s site plan did not specify how many rooms would be included in the Duncan property, but it did show the hotel would have 152 parking spaces.

Pinnacle Hospitality officials were also unavailable for comment.

A 10-story AC Hotel by Marriott with more than 100 rooms is under construction at the intersection of Daniel Morgan Avenue and West Main Street across from the RJ Rockers brewery in downtown Spartanburg.

The hotel, a joint venture between Spartanburg businessman George Dean Johnson Jr. and Spartanburg-based OTO Development, will open in 2017.

In June, crews completed the foundation work and placed the large tower crane that will be used to complete the upper floors of the hotel. The first two floors were visible from street level last week.

HOME2 SUITES BY HILTON, DUNCAN, HWY. 290 (behind Starbucks and Fuddruckers development) RESIDENCE INN BY MARRIOTT, Spartanburg, Spartan Blvd. (next to WestGate Mall) HILTON GARDEN, Spartanburg, Spartan Blvd. (adjacent to Summit Pointe Conference and Events Center)

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18 holes into the future

For course designer Beau Welling, the game is just a starting point for more human connections LAURA HAIGHT | CONTRIBUTOR

"A man of genius makes no mistakes.

His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."

James Joyce, “Ulysses”

G

olf courses are most often

photographed without players.

Unsullied, they are defiant, pristine, perfect. But Greenville golf course and land designer Beau Welling sees the intangibles: companionship, association, collaboration, creativity, shared joy and comforted disappointment. Places cannot be fulfilled until they are shaped by human interaction.

Welling knows that his perspective may be a bit different from others. He comes by that honestly, having honed it through an extremely diverse array of educational and business experiences.

“I've always been fascinated by learning,” Welling says. "That's what I am into the most and it will take me on interesting routes. I get interested in something new. And I like the sense of discovery. So I am constantly seeking out new things to discover."

To that end, he’s traveled the world designing and building golf courses, lived in Europe, earned a degree in physics from Brown University, a master’s in international business from the University of South Carolina, been a “visiting scholar” at Trinity College in Dublin, and studied landscape architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. Among his clients he counts Tiger Woods and the Biltmore Estate, where he has an advisory role in long-range planning that sustains the property while maintaining the vision of its designer, Frederick Law Olmstead.

PROFILE

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PROFILE

Bigger than the course Welling’s journey of discovery has energized himself and his company, Beau Welling Designs, which he launched in 2007.

For 10 years, Welling worked with Tom Fazio, the champion golfer and world’s leading golf course designer.

The list of golf courses he worked on in the Fazio years is impressive, including Pinehurst #4, exclusive Pine Hill in New Jersey and Waterville in Ireland, one of the Top 100 courses in the British Isles, birthplace of the sport.

Working with Fazio helped Welling learn “the business of what we’re trying to do.” He describes Fazio as a “wonderful teacher” and a “close friend.” But ultimately what he learned is that he wanted to “do more than just golf.”

His work with Fazio led him to collaborate with Tiger Woods’ golf course design business, where Welling is now senior design consultant. In that role, he helps to execute Woods’ vision of golf course design projects, like the new Bluejack National golf community in Texas.

“It started that all the planning we did was around golf, but the communities and projects that I got really excited about were the ones where the club itself became really neat,” he says.

“It was something bigger than the golf course.”

What that means is often intangible.

“I see it. I know within myself what the consistent part of this practice is. But it is hard to verbalize,” Welling explains.

“New clients come to us because they want to talk greens, tees and bunkers,

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and all of a sudden I’m talking about human planning and this experiential stuff."

Changing the American golf game “Cultures are different in how people like to get together,” Welling says. For example, golf. The play is fairly consistent no matter where in the world you go. But the social aspects are very diverse. In Korea, he says, “golf is a daylong experience” that includes stops for tea and snacks on the par 3s, a full sit-down lunch between the front and back nine and then a trip to the spa followed by dinner.

The example isn’t just anecdotal. It is what he thinks golf needs to evolve into: an experience, not just a round; the feed and caring of social relationships.

To facilitate that, Welling envisions some basic changes in the way Americans play golf.

More walking (fewer carts) — not for the exercise, but for the human experience. “Camaraderie in golf,” he says, “is one of the game’s most precious assets, and it needs to be fostered even more than the game itself.”

More flexibility. Golf is a highly programmed and coordinated activity.

You’ve got to make a tee time in advance and arrive on time. You’ve got to wear the right clothes, know the rules and complete your activity within a socially accepted amount of time. This rigidity may, in part, contribute to golf participation being “flat to down,” Welling thinks.

"We are fundamentally trying to create spaces and places for people to gather and interact. That’s what the species needs.

No one knows anybody any more.

We are more connected but less.

The species is in trouble if we don’t figure it out."

Beau Welling

Beau and Tiger link up on Bluejack Bluejack National, the first

Tiger Woods (left) with Beau Welling (center).

Tiger Woods-designed golf course in the U.S., opened last April in Montgomery, Texas. It is, Beau Welling says, “the most significant thing I’ve done.”

Although he’s not big on superlatives, he can’t hide his pride in the project. “This is our little experiment of what we think golf should be.”

The golf course is just one part of this private club community with a resort vibe. The 18-hole course has no rough, so you almost never lose a ball.

That cuts playing time down to a “very fast three to 3 1/2 hours.”

But when Welling gets really excited is when he’s talking about The Playgrounds, a 10-hole short course of 35- to 135-yard holes and a

30,000-square-foot putting green.

“You and I could go out after a round on the main course, take a cocktail in one hand, a club in the other and have fun,” he says. It’s a relaxed, low-pressure environment for families to do “all these human things.”

The concept is reminiscent of the fishing camps and lodges of the 1800s.

Working with Tiger Woods Design, BWD was actively involved in the land planning for the entire 775-acre community. The entire project fits the Welling desire for experiences. In addition to The Playgrounds, there’s The Fort and its Wiffle ball field, skate park, canoeing and fishing, zip line and flag football field.

“I am uber proud of this,” he says.

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WELLING’S WORKS From China to Columbia, S.C., Beau Welling Designs is making its mark. Here are a few past and present projects.

Current STANFORD UNIVERSITY GOLF COURSE: Stanford ranks fourth among U.S. colleges producing the best PGA Tour players. No. 1 on that list is Tiger Woods.

The Stanford course that honed Tiger’s skills opened in 1930. BWD is helping the university evaluate possible renovations to the course and the practice facility.

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA: Earlier this summer, BWD started staking out the new 17-acre golf practice facility. The firm designed “The Coop,” a smaller practice area that opened in 2012. The new practice area is near the Williams-Brice football stadium and will offer world-class training for Gamecock golfers.

Construction should finish this summer.

THE BILTMORE: BWD serves in an advisory role for land planning at the Biltmore Estate. Grace Vince, BWD marketing director, defines that as “helping to synthesize the many factors that should influence both short term planning needs, along with long-range legacy planning that conforms to the historic and sustainable master plan of George Vanderbilt and Fredrick Law Olmsted.” Frederick Law Olmstead, the founder of landscape architecture, designed New York City’s Central Park, the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and the Stanford University campus.

CAMPERDOWN: The Main Street site where The Greenville News building has stood for nearly 50 years will be forever changed by the Camperdown project. BWD has been involved in the project from the beginning, offering land and site planning, streetscaping concepts, landscaping designs and advisory services.

BWD is leading the design process for a canopy that will be another iconic image for the city along with the Liberty Bridge.

Previous QUINTA DO LAGO (PORTUGAL): The North Course underwent a complete redesign in 2014.

A collaborative project with BWD and European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, the project was completed in just 10 months, despite having a number of environmental and planning challenges. Quinta do Lago appears on several Top 100 lists of international golf courses.

27 CLUB: In Tianjin, China, the 27 Club is a unique golf experience.

Each of its 27 holes expresses the vision of a major championship winner. The result is a dramatic setting, unique in the world of golf experiences reflecting the vision of players like Fred Couples, Tom Watson and Greg Norman.

PROFILE

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GET TO KNOW BEAU 1. GOLF ISN’T HIS ONLY SPORTS PASSION. He is the founder of the Palmetto Curling Club in Greenville and serves as the U.S. representative to the World Curling Federation.

2. HE IS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE FIRST TEE OF GREENVILLE. The First Tee strives to impact young people’s lives and instill them with the values that are both the bedrock of golf and of a well-conducted life.

3. THERE ARE FOUR THINGS HE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT. “Reading, thinking, learning and drinking… I am half Irish, after all.”

What’s exploding, though, are unaddition to the ReGenesis project, BWD scheduled things: running, hiking, biking. is integral in the development of CampGo when you’re ready, eat when you’re erdown at the south end of Main Street. hungry, stop when you’re done. What golf The firm is taking the lead on the design needs, Welling believes, are more “golfof the canopy that will be the iconic image for the new space. He sees this project as like” experiences where you decide how long you’ll do it. Practice ranges, short a big step in creating “Greenville 3.0,” courses, relaxed rules and night play which would move from the flow of under the lights. human traffic up and down Main Street In Spartanburg, Beau Welling Designs to “nodes of people clustering more tois working on the ReGenesis Project. The gether.” Camperdown, he says, “will be a project is the rehabilitation of the Arkbig movement in that direction.” The wright community, an inner-city area direction of all the great urban environfouled by chemical ments, he says.

In Columbia, a waste, forgotten by former asylum is government and mired in poverty and being transformed crime. into a mixed-use deInto this mix, velopment bringing Welling brings golf. modern urban design In a central area, to the 181-acre BullStreet project while BWD will build a practice range, nine preserving the holes of regulation 19th-century character of the city and the golf and a series of existing buildings. shorter holes. “The BWD got involved project resonates with me on a lot of through Welling’s levels. We are taking friendship with Beau Welling something where Robert Hughes, humans have done master developer of bad things and we’re the project.

“He said, ‘You know, you don’t have to going to make a good thing. And I think have a golf course in the middle of it to it is going to be fun.” And it will expose new people to golf, particularly young do all this stuff you’re talking about.’” people, who might never had had that Hughes brought him into the Bullchance.

Street project, which Welling defines as Are these steps toward saving golf? “a great opportunity to make the leap and Says Welling: “It’s trying to create intantake some things that I whad learned gible brands in a way that connect people. more around the recreational and resort It can be golf. And it can not be golf." space and start putting them in an urban context."

Method to the madness “If you look through all the things I’ve Welling is placing his mark on South done,” Welling says, “it looks schizoCarolina through several high-profile phrenic.” But there is method to this projects that feed his desire to create these madness. “It all comes from a thirst for spaces for connection and interaction. In learning and discovery."

“It’s trying to create intangible brands in a way that connect people.

It can be golf.

And it can not be golf."

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COMPANIES BLAZING A TRAIL IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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Shirts getting real Thanks to NBA champs the Cleveland Cavaliers, Greenville T-shirt makers Beautiful Demise are in center court EMILY PIETRAS | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

epietras@communityjournals.com

“J

ack

Be

Nimble,”

“Johnny Utah,” “Buddha Bang,” “Le Tour de Dino” and “Dill With It.” Just a few examples of the T-shirts designed and printed by Greenville clothing label Beautiful Demise. The brand has flown relatively under the radar locally since its inception – but an encounter with an NBA championship team is changing everything.

Founders Scott Arnold and Kyle Greathouse met while attending Western Carolina University. Greathouse, who played basketball for the university, was unsure of his next step following graduation. Arnold proposed

the two start a company, and in 2010, they opened a custom T-shirt printing shop on West Antrim Drive.

Although that business performed well, in February 2012, Arnold and Greathouse decided to concentrate solely on the private Beautiful Demise label, which would give them more creative freedom.

“As fun as it is working for yourself, it’s much cooler to have people buy your ideas,” Greathouse says.

The duo’s ideas have steadily evolved into Beautiful Demise’s four collections: Jurassic, Gurken, Atrium and Big Bang.

The designs are inspired by a combination of slightly obscure pop-culture references and imaginative concepts generated in-house. “Jack Be Nimble” depicts a cartoon jackrabbit jumping

rope, while the “Johnny Utah” is a cartoon rendering of Keanu Reeves’ character in the 1991 cult classic movie “Point Break.”

“It starts a conversation, no matter what,” Greathouse says. “People like it when what they wear starts a conversation, and they like it when people talk to them [about it].”

The price is right Online, the T-shirts start at $31, a price point that may raise some eyebrows, but it reflects the careful detail that goes into producing each one.

“It’s not easy to buy a 30-something-dollar T-shirt, but when you do buy it, you know why it’s [that price],” says Greathouse. “You can sell $10 shirts, and it’d probably be easier to

start off selling a lot, or you can pick top materials and top quality.”

Beautiful Demise’s designs are all printed in-house on tri-blend T-shirts manufactured in the U.S. Tri-blend fabric is a combination of cotton, polyester and rayon — materials that give the feel of a soft T-shirt that has been washed dozens of times, explains Greathouse. The more the T-shirt is washed, the more comfortable it becomes, and putting the T-shirt in the washer or dryer doesn’t make it shrink or change shape.

Each Beautiful Demise design also consists of a high number of ink colors, which is “rare in the T-shirt game,” says Greathouse. “Most T-shirt brands aren’t out there making their own T-shirts, so a lot of T-shirts are simple

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with one color, because it’s cheaper for a printer to make, thus making it cheaper for a brand to buy. We have multiple designs that have up to eight colors, and only a few are one-color prints.”

“We spend a good amount of time in making each and every T-shirt, because it matters to us,” he says. “Every single T-shirt is printed, packaged, inspected and shipped by [us].”

Alternative marketing If you visit the Beautiful Demise website, one omission immediately stands out: Greathouse and Arnold are nowhere to be found — they’re not even named on the company’s “About” page, which has no background about the brand’s story.

Instead, you’ll find a brief video of “Neil Pencils, T-shirt enthusiast” going through his collection of Beautiful Demise products. Greathouse calls him the “official spokesperson for the brand.”

“Neil Pencils” is a fictitious character played by Chris Mast, an actor in Los Angeles. Mast and Greathouse grew up together in Ohio. “Neil” can

be found throughout the website, sporting the brand’s apparel in short videos and on their Lookbook page.

Positioning “Neil” as the central — and lone — face of Beautiful Demise is intentional. “They’re T-shirts; we don’t

COMPANIES BLAZING A TRAIL IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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need to take them too seriously,” Greathouse says. “With a lot of brands, when you first look at them, they’re telling you what you’re looking at and what it stands for. We leave it up to your interpretation.”

The brand has developed a steady following on the West Coast; Beautiful Demise actually sells more T-shirts in California than they do in South Carolina.

“Just not many people in Greenville know about [Beautiful Demise],” says Greathouse. “But we’ve kind of created our own little spot. It’s exciting that we’ve been able to reach this small audience.”

“Jumpshot Jesus” has risen

Actor Chris Mast as Beautiful Demise spokesman “Neil Pencils.”

Greathouse and Arnold regularly work with two artists to make design concepts come to life. One of these artists, Jason Kuczek, lives in North Carolina, and he’s responsible for the illustration of the extremely popular “Jumpshot Jesus” design.

The gray T-shirt displays a robed cartoon Jesus figure, clad in sandals and hair flowing, pulling up for a

Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The company sent the T-shirt to Ray Allen (via a team director of player personnel) when he was playing for the Miami Heat. The choice was deliberate: “We thought, ‘We’ve got to get ‘Jumpshot Jesus’ to ‘Jesus Shuttlesworth,’” said Greathouse.

Ray Allen played a high school basketball star named Jesus Shut-

fadeaway shot. The lighthearted design has become a game-changer for Beautiful Demise. Within the last year, the T-shirt’s been spotted on former NBA player Ray Allen and J.R. Smith and

tlesworth in the 1998 movie “He Got Game” alongside Denzel Washington and Spike Lee. The moniker followed Allen, one of the best three-point and free throw shooters in NBA history,

onto the court.

Although the shirt was sent in 2013, Allen wasn’t seen wearing it publicly until two years later, when John Calipari, head coach of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, posted a photo with Allen onto his Twitter account.

Soon after the image appeared on Twitter, USA Today’s “For the Win” posted a brief article with a headline declaring that Ray Allen was wearing “the greatest T-shirt ever.”

That’s when the design first began to catch on. Fast-forward to June 2016, when the Cavaliers faced the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals.

Greathouse and Arnold used their previous approach to get some “Jumpshot Jesus” T-shirts into the hands of current Cavaliers players.

This time, it really paid off.

In early June, Cavaliers small forward Richard Jefferson showed shooting guard J.R. Smith wearing the “Jumpshot Jesus” T-shirt in a Snapchat video. “‘Jumpshot Jesus’ — that’s your new nickname!” Jefferson said to Smith, who later posted an Instagram photo of himself wearing the T-shirt in a group photo with teammates.

It garnered enough attention that WKYC, a news station in Cleveland, posted an article directing people who wanted to buy the shirt to the Beautiful Demise website.

Following the NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving was also spotted wearing the now-famous T-shirt in the Bahamas.

The catchy, hard-to-forget moniker of “Jumpshot Jesus” has helped increase Beautiful Demise’s visibility — and sales. “All you have to do is search ‘Jumpshot Jesus,’ and there’s only one

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place to get the shirt,” says Greathouse.

Since Ray Allen was first spotted wearing the T-shirt a year ago, Beautiful Demise has shipped orders to 11 different countries. The Cavaliers’ championship victory has led to a surge in sales over the past month.

Making the connection Other than selling their apparel online and at their showroom on West Antrim Drive, Beautiful Demise has a relationship with The Vault, a retro sports apparel store with locations in downtown Greenville and Charleston.

The store mainly carries licensed NBA, NFL, MLB and college apparel, but “then there’s a section that makes you think, ‘That’s different,’ and that’s our section,” explains Greathouse.

Beautiful Demise’s “Tiger Tee” and “Titus Elephant” T-shirts are popular sellers at The Vault because of the presumed connection to the mascots for Clemson University and the University of Alabama. However, Greathouse says neither T-shirt has an intentional association.

“Our tiger T-shirt has nothing to do with Clemson, but because we’re in this area, that’s the interpretation,” he says.

The next steps Greathouse and Arnold will soon travel to Surf Expo in Orlando, Fla., to showcase their products to store owners and retailers from all over the world.

These types of events open up potential opportunities for their brand to catch on virtually anywhere.

“It’s possible our brand could hit in Japan before it ever becomes big in the U.S., which would be fine. However it happens, it happens,” Greathouse says.

The success of “Jumpshot Jesus” will

allow Greathouse and Arnold to work again with Kuczek on some future designs. One in the works is a football-themed “Juke Jesus” T-shirt.

“We’re definitely looking for growth, but our main focus is the quality. And that’ll never change,” Greathouse says.

“We enjoy what is happening with Beautiful Demise, and with patience we will continue to carve our niche in the game.”

BEAUTIFUL DEMISE Founded: February 2012 Products: 80+ products available for sale online Price tag: $31+ for T-shirts; $10 for socks In stores: B eautiful Demise — 215 W. Antrim Drive, Greenville, The Vault — 213 N. Main St., Greenville Online: beautifuldemise.com

THE RISE OF THE T-SHIRT • More than $20 billion is spent a year on T-shirts in the U.S. • “Push for perfection” has led to higher costs for consumers. Labels like Beautiful Demise are focusing on producing T-shirts made from top materials and with top construction.

• Rising cotton prices have also affected the cost of T-shirts.

• T-shirts were first worn by men in the Navy more than a century ago and then became a “workplace staple” among blue-collar workers.

• Hollywood icons Marlon Brando and James Dean popularized the garment, and the popularity of T-shirts has continued to increase.

• Today, T-shirts are the most purchased men’s clothing item. Each American owns about 15 T-shirts.

• The online original-design T-shirt sales industry is expected to expand until 2019, due to the ease and accessibility of both the internet and e-commerce as well as the increase of disposable income among consumers.

Sources: Wall Street Journal, NPD Group, IBISWorld, Cotton Inc.

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

| SQUARE FEET | 19

sjackson@communityjournals.com |

@SJackson_CJ

Springs at Laurens Road plans 272 units I-85

Millennium Blvd.

Laurens Rd. 3309 Laurens Road

More apartments are headed to Laurens Road in Greenville with the announcement of the Springs at Laurens Road, a new 272-unit apartment complex.

Located on 18 acres at 3309 Laurens Road, near the I-85 intersection, the Class AA, gated community will feature 13 buildings with townhome-style, ground-level private entries to every home. Also planned are a resort-style pool, a 24-hour state-ofthe-art fitness center and a free coffee bar. Each apartment will have an open kitchen design, spacious

closets and energy-efficient stainless appliances.

Private balconies and patios will be available, along with attached and detached garages. This is Wisconsin-based Continental Properties’ second multifamily development in Greenville. They currently own and operate the Springs at Greenville located off Woodruff Road on Oak Springs Drive. Tony Bonitati, Kay Hill and Bern DuPree of NAI Earle Furman’s Multifamily Division represented the buyer and developer, Continental Properties.

“We are very optimistic about our new apartments

in Greenville,” said John Minahan, director of multifamily development for Continental Properties.

“Continental is very deliberate in picking sites for our communities, and we were very pleased to have excellent partners in the team from NAI Earle Furman. They helped us find a great location for Springs at Laurens Road, our second Greenville location.”

For more information, visit springsapartments. com/laurens-road.

Pendleton Street Baptist Church property sale finalized DAVID DYKES | STAFF

ddykes@communityjournals.com

Pendleton Street Baptist Church has sold

Under contract to Woodfield Investments Retained by Pendleton Street Baptist Church for possible new facility St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

T ST.

ARKL

RHET

N. M EY S T.

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N ST

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three acres on South Main Street in Greenville that will be developed into a multifamily community.

Marty Navarro, managing member of NRE Property Group, represented the church in the sale, which involves property on the corner of South Main and Rhett streets and Perry Avenue.

Terms weren’t disclosed.

The property is across from Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive baseball team.

Charlotte-based Woodfield Investments will develop the site.

Minutes of the Oct. 1 meeting of the Design Review Board – Urban Design Panel show Wood-

field proposes “The West End Apartment Homes” on a portion of a lot that houses the church and its support buildings.

The project will include about 270 units and 500 parking spaces, the minutes show.

Pendleton Street Baptist is retaining a small corner at Markley and Rhett streets to build a new church.

In May 2015, the church T ST. property was granted a zoning RHET change, from C-3, regional commercial district, to C-4, central business district, which allows a denser, urban-type development.

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

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tanderson@communityjournals.com

Spartanburg entrepreneur launches cloud-based realty company

Marina Moroz, founder of Up Realty.

Marina Moroz has spent plenty of time helping new companies find firm footing. But the native of Spartanburg never thought that one of those ventures would be her own.

The young entrepreneur has founded Up Realty, a cloud-based residential real estate company based in downtown Spartanburg.

Moroz said that the “cloud-based” model means the office will have a physical location, but all business will be conducted online. That will give her agents the freedom to work from outside the office, but still have access to all of the support functions of a traditional brick-and-mortar office.

“I’m pretty much a typical millennial,” Moroz said. “I’m always looking for better ways to do things — to make things easier and simpler. I guess you could say I’m tech-savvy. … This is a very new concept. To the best of my knowledge, there’s nothing like this anywhere.”

Moroz graduated from Broome High School in 2009.

In 2013, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of South Carolina Upstate’s George Dean Johnson Jr.

College of Business and Economics.

Moroz went on to study international business in 2014 at Hochschule Landshut, a university of applied sciences in Landshut, Germany. She took part in an apprenticeship with BMW Group and worked in the German automaker’s finance and logistics departments.

After returning to the U.S. later that year, Moroz became the program coordinator at USC Upstate’s GreenHouse business incubator on the third floor of the school’s campus in downtown Spartanburg. She was exposed to a wide range of startups and helped cultivate entrepreneurial ideas.

About a year ago, Moroz said she began looking at her career options.

She applied for several jobs and was ready to accept a position, when a conversation with her dad inspired her to choose a different path.

“He said, ‘Marina, do you want to work for someone, or work for yourself?’” she said. “My answer was, ‘I want to work for myself.’ But that’s a whole new ball game.”

Moroz said she grew up working in different administrative roles for her mother and father, who are both realtors in Spartanburg. She was already familiar with the terrain.

She decided to test the waters by helping her dad “digitalize” his office.

“For example, we had an out-ofstate investor who we were able to take on a FaceTime walkthrough of a property,” Moroz said. “I started thinking about how can we accommodate the needs of the office with technology.”

Moroz said she began working with a team of programmers to develop a platform that would integrate a traditional multiple listing service (MLS), but enable her office and agents to work more efficiently and better serve the needs of the client.

“It’s surreal,” she said. “I helped people start their own businesses, but now that it’s my turn, it’s a little hard to believe.”

Moroz has leased a 2,000-squarefoot space at 169 E. Main St. in

downtown Spartanburg beside The Local Hiker.

The space will serve as Up Realty’s headquarters, although the five agents she has hired will be linked to the company’s cloud-based platform so they can be free to do their work from outside the office. She has hired three administrative employees who will work in the office.

Moroz said she is currently focusing on Spartanburg County but has MLS access in Greenville and Spartanburg. She hopes to continue to grow the company and open offices in other high growth markets.

She said Up Realty plans to be very active on pretty much all of the most popular social media platforms.

The sweet spot for the company right now, Moroz said, is first-time homebuyers and people relocating to Spartanburg for work.

“It’s amazing,” she

said. “I had no idea how many people are moving here … This is a time of tremendous growth for Spartanburg, and I think we are coming along at just the right time to be able to establish a good foundation in this market.”

For more information, visit uprealtyhomes.com.

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STRATEGIES FOR HONING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

| PROFESSIONAL | 21

Is it time to throw out your old business plan?

Meeting your customers’ changing needs may mean radical change for your business model tion, computers and service they

By GARY UNDERWOOD want and need.

Owner, Computer Direct Outlet That concept led and Computer Direct Business Computer Direct to create and manufacEvery smart business owner ture its own workstations known as knows that a business plan is a must Volta, which have garnered national and it needs to be reviewed and adacclaim from magazines such as Tom’s justed for customer demands and Guide, Cadalyst and Desktop Engimarket changes. However, the biggest neering. question many business owners both A few years ago, we noticed a need large and small struggle with is when in the market for our experience, to go from tweaking to overhauling a technical skill sets and friendly and plan completely and coming up with knowledgeable staff to add real value a new business model. to our business customers’ buying and The reality is that many of us don’t service/warranty experiences. The idea make that decision until it is too late. behind Volta is to take a complex Too often, the realization that a change process like designing workstations should be made doesn’t occur until for a tech business and make it the business is failing or has already straightforward and understandable. failed.

Volta represents our new web platLook at the history of the Upstate form, which help clients make ineconomy, and that story is easily seen. formed decisions and buy computers The majority of Upstate counties that fit their individual needs. relied heavily on textiles to provide jobs and drive their economic engines Make the change for decades. Greenville, which was In some ways, the easy part of considered the textile capital of the changing a business model is finding world, broke ranks in the 1970s and the need.

The real challenge comes in began to diversify its economic base. implementation. Here are some things So, when textiles started to crash, that worked for us.

Greenville’s economy was not hit • Separate the new division nearly as hard as the rest of the from the rest of the business.

Upstate.

Computer Direct Business Of course, not all textile companies provides our business customers suffered. Spartanburg-based Milliken with a different experience than and Greenville-based Kentwool Computer Direct Outlet. That changed to business models that was important, because in order focused on new and unique products for it to grow, it needed to be that have allowed both of them to treated differently. It couldn’t be prosper. a spare or part-time part. It needed its own life with its own Find the need work culture and goals. Giving it Those are large companies, but a new name — even if it was a smaller businesses can do the same. tweak in the name — helped When I came to Greenville almost 20 make that transition more real. years ago to join Computer Direct Outlet, the company was focused • Bring in new blood. mainly on selling computer parts. We To help Computer Direct have adapted our business over time Business find its own identity, I to focus more on the service end of the realized we couldn’t treat it like spectrum and to provide a better the old business. I got some overall experience for our business mentors and found smart customers. businesspeople to provide fresh To this end, we created a new diviideas. They helped me see the sion called Computer Direct Business, new division in a different light. which focuses on making sure that That was key, but it is not a each client has a great experience and one-time thing. I constantly gets the server, professional workstabring in new people to make sure

we are growing smartly.

• Focus on design.

Flawless hardware has always been the trademark of Computer Direct, but with business division comes a new focus of aesthetic details, better user experiences and design simplicity.

• Realize success is now different When you have an established business, you know what success looks like. You have a history to compare with. A new business

obviously doesn’t have that history, but it is tempting to compare your new model to the old one. We created new metrics and new systems to measure success for Computer Direct Business because of that need.

• Don’t stop innovating.

Just because you brought in new people, created new metrics and developed a new brand, doesn’t mean you are done. You have to keep innovating and making changes.

22 | INNOVATE |

MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

UBJ

|

07.22.2016

A midyear ecosystem review How is our state doing so far in 2016 in attracting startups?

By JOHN MOORE President, NEXT

As we cross the halfway point of 2016, it’s the perfect time to take a brief look back at the state of our area’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and assess our competitiveness in attracting and supporting high-impact startups.

Ten years ago, there was very little happening on this front beyond the original Innoventure Conference and a handful of community leaders meeting to try and kick start an entrepreneurial movement here. In early 2006, a handful of local entrepreneurs launched NEXT with little fanfare as a part-time program of the Greenville Chamber to champion the entrepreneur’s cause and begin the long, sustained process of building critical ecosystem elements like facilities and capital required to build companies here that would have a global impact.

Today, we find a landscape that is beginning to flourish and starting to

produce the results envisioned when the effort first began. This should encourage us as we move into a second decade of leveraging high-impact entrepreneurship as a core approach to economic development. Here are just a few examples from the first six months of this year that reflect our area’s growing entrepreneurial momentum.

soon.

Other entities have launched new entrepreneur spaces in 2016. Notably, Joe Erwin, founder and former CEO of Erwin Penland, created Endeavor, which caters specifically to creatives in marketing, graphic design and similar fields.

Facilities

Capital

Building on the success of the award-winning NEXT Innovation Center opened in 2009 and the addition last year of NEXT on Main downtown, a new entrepreneur-centric facility called NEXT Manufacturing opened in March of this year focused uniquely on entrepreneurial manufacturing businesses. The new space on Birnie Street near downtown Greenville was developed by the property owners, Braasch Building Group, and is being built in two phases with phase I being completed earlier this year and phase II scheduled to begin

Just last week, the leadership of the Upstate Carolina Angel Network announced VentureSouth, a new early-stage investment firm that manages angel groups and funds across South Carolina and western North Carolina. This new effort pulls together accredited investors across a broader geography than any other capital group in our state, thus increasing the investment pool available to fuel the growth of area startups.

This milestone announcement is on top of the continued work by UCAN to coalesce Upstate investors, resulting in more than $14 million invested in 47 ventures since launching in 2008.

Talent At the NEXT Innovation Summit several years ago, the lack of a sustainable entrepreneur-mentoring program was identified as a critical ecosystem gap worth addressing. Following two years of research and successfully landing a grant from the S.C. Department of Commerce to start such a program, the NEXT Venture Mentoring Service in partnership with MIT was created with a “soft launch” in early 2015.

Today, the effort has reached several important milestones, including reaching a total of 22 mentors providing guidance to 17 ventures in our area.

Also, the total mentor time volunteered to date just surpassed 1,100 hours in June, while the quality of the mentoring remains high, scoring an average 4.5/5.0 by entrepreneurs in the program.

Company news Perhaps the most encouraging front during the first half of 2016 is the stream of exciting headlines coming from a

broad spectrum of early-stage companies headquartered here. Here are several that come to mind.

The Iron Yard continued its impressive growth, expanding its code school business to a total of 16 locations and announcing a hospitality accelerator this fall in Las Vegas.

Cycling innovator Boyd Cycling moved into its new headquarters location on Welborn Street along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, where they now design and build high-performance bike wheels for top cyclists around the globe.

Local biotech venture Kiyatec recently made international waves when they announced a strategic partnership with the world-renowned Mayo Clinic to fight ovarian cancer by leveraging their patented 3-D cell culture platform.

If you followed area news this spring, you will certainly be aware of the medtech startup ChartSpan, who disclosed in April the closing of $3.2 million in new investment and the planned addition of 300 new full-time staff positions in Greenville over the next 12 months. Their news combined with that of their peers made the first half of 2016 the most exciting six months since NEXT was founded, and it sets the stage for an even brighter future.

There is certainly a flywheel effect happening in the Upstate entrepreneurial ecosystem as success in one arena drives more success in another. Our entrepreneurs and the companies they founded are producing greater and greater operating results here, and the community is starting to take notice.

While we’re proud of the growing successes and the changes seen over the last 10 years, there is much work to do if we are to make this area nationally recognized for entrepreneurial success.

Today, it is critical that we recognize the decade of effort required to generate today’s momentum and recommit ourselves to another even greater decade ahead.

07.22.2016

|

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

upstatebusinessjournal.com

HIRED

PROMOTED

APPOINTED

| ON THE MOVE | 23

HIRED

ELECTED

VICTOR GALLAS

KIM PEREZ

BRIAN L. JOHNSON

KURT SCHUMACHER

JOHN T. LAY JR.

Named as engineering manager at tForm. Gallas is a graduate of Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a graduate of CU-ICAR with a master’s degree in automotive engineering. In his new role, he will manage engineering design efforts to optimize the design and process for mold manufacturing.

Named as manager of family programs at the Center for Development Services (CDS).

Perez joined CDS in 2015 as coordinator of outreach and bilingual support. She previously worked as a recruiter with Pin-Point Solutions and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a degree in public health.

Named to the South Carolina Board of Accountancy by Gov. Nikki Haley. Johnson is co-founder and tax partner of SuggsJohnson in Anderson.

He has more than 20 years of experience in public accounting, professional services and manufacturing sectors. The South Carolina Board of Accountancy regulates the accounting profession in the state.

Joined Global View Investment Advisors as wealth planning strategist.

Schumacher is an estateplanning attorney who focuses his legal practice on estate planning and settlement, asset protection, business succession planning and trust administration. He currently serves as chairman of the board of the Governor’s School for the Arts Foundation.

Named as president of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC). Lay is a shareholder of Gallivan, White & Boyd P.A. and is a member of the board of directors of the IADC, among others. The IADC is an invitation-only organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests throughout the world.

MARKETING/PR

VIP

The public relations office of Greenville Health System added Margaret Stegall as a summer intern.

Stegall is a senior journalism and mass communication major at Bob Jones University. She will be responsible for assisting with community relations and marketing efforts, among others.

Nicholas Graves Named as executive chef at Restaurant 17. Graves has more than 11 years of experience working in the professional food service industry as chef de partie for High Cotton in Charleston and Husk in Nashville, Tenn., and as sous chef at the Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. He most recently served as executive chef at Halls Chophouse in Greenville.

LEGAL

CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions & award winners may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

Carly is a second-generation Allstate Agency Owner. Like her dad before her, she knows success comes from treating clients like family. That’s why her business is growing strong, just like her two little girls.

Isn’t that the kind of good life you deserve? Reserve your spot today.

TALK TO YOUR ALLSTATE RECRUITER IN THE GREENVILLE AREA TODAY. Bonnie Lins Executive Recruiter 888-901-9692 blins@allstate.com

Subject to all terms and conditions as outlined in the Allstate R3001 Exclusive Agency Agreement and Exclusive Agency program materials. Allstate agents are not franchisees; rather they are exclusive agent independent contractors and are not employed by Allstate. Allstate is an Equal Opportunity Company. Allstate Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL. In New Jersey, Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company, Bridgewater, NJ. © 2015 Allstate Insurance Co.

179617

Turner Padget Graham & Laney P.A. added Greenville-based of counsel David H. Keller to the firm’s workplace law group. Keller, a nationally recognized workers’ compensation lawyer, previously worked with Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP and is a board member of the South Carolina Self-Insurers Association.

24 | NEW TO THE STREET |

UBJ

THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

recognizing

|

07.22.2016

Open for business

our community

heroes

Photos provided

Up Realty, a cloud-based real estate firm, has opened an office at 169 E. Main St., Spartanburg. See our story in this week’s Square Feet section.

CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon?

Email information to lgood@communityjournals.com.

August 19, 2016 12pm Hyatt Regency 220 N. Main Street | Downtown Greenville

Bringing deserved recognition to two local heroes and benefiting two local scholarship funds for Greenville City Firefighters and City Police Officers.

In addition, the luncheon will offer a tribute to fallen officer Allen Jacobs.

For tickets or more information

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

Blue Moon Estate Sales expands with new SC location North Carolina-based Blue Moon Estate Sales, a leading estate sales franchise in the country, continues its national expansion with the opening of its newest location in South Carolina.

Based in Clemson, the new location opened this month and marks the company’s second expansion into the state. Blue Moon Estate Sales of Anderson, Clemson and Seneca will serve the Upstate area of western South Carolina, including the counties of Anderson, Oconee and Pickens. Blue Moon of Anderson, Clemson and Seneca will be owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo, Meredith Jones and Julie Jacoby.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for our brand,” said David Blue, co-founder and VP of development of Blue Moon. “Having already established a loyal following of customers throughout North Carolina, we now have our sights set on South Carolina and intend to continue expansion throughout the state.”

Blue Moon Estate Sales launched in 2009 and began franchising in 2013.

The company has 14 locations currently open and operating in five states.

Partners in Primary Care to open senior-focused facility in Greenville Texas-based Partners in Primary Care will open a new senior-focused primary care in Greenville to area residents. The grand opening event will feature facility tours, the ability to meet the doctors and staff and make appointments.

The new Partners in Primary Care facility will allow patients to receive primary care needs such as x-rays, lab tests and check-ups conveniently in one location.

Board-certified doctors and care teams who have been specially trained to treat the senior population will staff the center. In addition, the center will feature a wellness and activity center offering activities such as wellness classes and health education.

Partners in Primary Care is a primary care medical group practice and is part of a larger group of more than 60 primary care offices in Florida and Texas operating under the names CAC Florida Medical Centers, Continucare Medical Centers, MetCare and Partners in Primary Care. It caters to all patients, with a strong emphasis on senior-focused primary care.

States commit to Michelin’s tire safety campaign Michelin, headquartered in Greenville, and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) recently entered year three of the award-winning Beyond the Driving Test road safety campaign with the commitments of 31 states to update driver’s education materials with consistent tire maintenance and safety information. The campaign’s goal is to address tire safety education and information gaps in all 50 states by 2020.

“Michelin is committed to transforming tire safety education for new drivers to help make our nation’s roadways safer for all motorists,” said Pete Selleck, chairman and president of Michelin North America. “Beyond the Driving Test is a multifaceted campaign focused on shifting driver’s education policy while mobilizing teen and parental involvement in road safety — all with the goal of saving lives. Michelin and the FIA applaud the 31 states that have already committed to including tire safety as a standard in their driver’s manuals.”

BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

| THE FINE PRINT | 25

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Stop waiting! Register today!

26 | #TRENDING |

UBJ

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

OVERHEARD @ THE WATERCOOLER RE: STARBUCKS PLANS 3 NEW UPSTATE LOCATIONS

> Ivan Dion Wesley “Yes! Something to look forward to in Boiling Springs."

RE: FRONT ROW: GREENVILLE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD URBAN PANEL, JULY MEETING > Jason Greer “I really wish there was more public discussion of city money being used for this project. There are many questions that should be asked but are not." > Johnnie Choi “Love Southern Tide! It’s about time high-end Frat Parties got to North Main!"

JULY 15, 2016

| VOL. 5 ISSUE 29

SERIOUS BUSINESS As Upstate cases grow, ing cancer care is expand to meet the need.

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

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Get it off your chest.

We’re looking for expert guest bloggers from all industries to contribute to the UBJ Exchange. Send posts or blog ideas to dcar@communityjournals.com.

RE: SPARTANBURG ENTREPRENEUR LAUNCHES CLOUD-BASED REALTY COMPANY

RE: BACON BROS. TO SET UP SHOP NEAR THE SWAMP RABBIT TRAIL, PLANS FRANCHISE MOVE INTO HOUSTON

> Eggs Up Grill “Very cool! Congrats Marina!"

> Deanna Arce Fine Homes of the Upstate “I can’t wait!"

RE: SBDC AWARDS CELEBRATE COMMUNITY IMPACT OF SMALL BUSINESSES

> Tommy Pike Customs “This is awesome for TR and to our Houston friends… get ready! Congrats Mike Porter!"

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1. Starbucks plans 3 new Upstate locations

>> 536 2. Spartanburg entrepreneurs turn ministry into running store

>> 491 3. Bacon Bros. to set up shop near the Swamp Rabbit Trail, plans franchise move into Houston

>> 384 4. Spartanburg entrepreneur launches cloud-based realty company

>> 161 5. BMW supplier Berrang Inc. expands to Velocity Park

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07.22.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

DATE

EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

| PLANNER | 27

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

UWIT Annual Summer Social

124 Verdae Blvd., #502, Greenville 5–7 p.m.

Cost: $5 Register: uwitsc.com

InnoVision Foreign Direct Investment, Economic Development and Innovation forum

124 Verdae Blvd., Suite 202 3:45–6 p.m.

Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/inno-july2016

Greenville Chamber Greenville Women at Work: Breakfast Empowerment Session

Hilton Greenville 45 W. Orchard Park, Greenville 7:45–9:30 a.m.

Cost: $25 investors $35 non-investors Register: bit.ly/gwaw-july2016

Piedmont SCORE Basic Small-Business Start-Up workshop

Greenville Technical College Barton Campus 506 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville 6–8 p.m.

Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/bsbs-aug2016

GSHRM Annual Human Resource Management Conference Evolve, Engage, Empower: Developing Authentic Leaders for the Future

Hyatt Regency Greenville 220 N. Main St., Greenville 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

More info: bit.ly/hr-aug2016

Thursday

7/28

Friday

7/29 Tuesday

8/16 Thursday

8/18

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

ART & PRODUCTION

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

VISUAL DIRECTOR

JULY 29 QUARTERLY CRE ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.

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

PRESIDENT/CEO

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

UBJ PUBLISHER

Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Emily Pietras epietras@communityjournals.com

STAFF WRITERS

LAYOUT

UBJ milestone

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

Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

1988

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

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair | Michael Allen

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

1990 Jackson Dawson

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

>>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

>>

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

AUGUST 19 THE CAREERS ISSUE Finding – and keeping – the right job.

David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board,

Metropolitan Arts Council Board, American Red Cross Board, Greenville Tech Foundation Board, South Carolina Chamber Board

eric Jackson (Jackson motorsports Group sales specialist): Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board

November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21

20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013

AS SEEN IN

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

CLIENT SERVICES Anita Harley | Jane Rogers

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kristi Fortner

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE STORY IDEAS:

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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SEPTEMBER 16 THE DESIGN ISSUE Designing, crafting and making locally.

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