August 12, 2016 UBJ

AUGUST 12, 2016 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 33

ON BOARD FOR

MARKLEY STATION

The planned revitalization of two vacant storage buildings in Greenville’s West End is the next chapter of the historic neighborhood’s continuing story

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| TECHNOLOGY | 3

Iron Yard presents studentmade apps at Demo Day ANDREW MOORE | STAFF

amoore@communityjournals.com

Greenville’s The Iron Yard has graduated another class of junior developers.

The coding school held its Demo Day at The Warehouse Theatre in Greenville last week, signaling the end of a three-month crash course in coding that the school has held since 2013 to address a deficit of skilled developers in the local tech community.

Eighteen students presented websites and applications in various stages of completion in hopes of impressing potential employers.

Joe Walling, owner of Greenville-based software development firm Walling Info Systems, was in attendance and said some of the applications had “real potential.”

Representatives from software development firm Worthwhile and email security company Mail Protector were also in attendance.

The three-month course promises students that they will be able to build impressive websites and applications, no matter their prior experience in coding. Students then present their projects to the local tech community at the end of the course.

The school teaches front-end and back-end engineering as well as mobile engineering and design. Courses are held at 22 locations throughout the country and cost $13,900.

“We’re changing the definition of what a junior developer is,” said instructor Joel Taddei.

While three months might sound like a short time to become proficient in something as difficult as computer programming, the latest class of junior developers produced impressive applications, some of which are commercially viable.

Front-end engineering student Matthew Rice presented FullScope, an application that allows families of hospital patients to connect with people who can help them meet their emotional, financial, spiritual or basic needs.

Families can create a profile and list their needs on the site. Then people can submit their choice of donation.

The application is a combination of

Facebook and GoFundMe, according to Rice. He got the idea from his struggle with cancer.

“I was diagnosed with an endodermal sinus tumor at 2 years old,” said Rice. “My parents were told I had three months to live. I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for them during that time. So I wanted to build something that could help the community that did so much for them. I really want families to have somewhere they can come to share those needs safely and have a support system from the community.”

Rice, who previously worked at Starbucks, said he hopes to find a software development job and add more features to the site, including a chat function.

Kirby Munson, a front-end engineering student and recent Clemson University graduate, presented rePurpose, a site that allows people to sell clothing and other items to raise money for causes, which range from personal needs to fundraisers. The application is a combination of Etsy and GoFundMe. Davis Crain, a back-end engineering student and former Starbucks employee, presented Fat Hen, an application that allows users to review local farmers markets and find vendor information. The application is comparable to Yelp or Angie’s List.

The site features a listing of farmers markets and independent grocers throughout the state, including Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Café and Grocery.

It also allows stores to upload their weekly inventory. The site isn’t public yet.

“If I get some interest from local farmers markets and vendors, I’m open to the idea of taking this further into a valuable service for people,” said Crain.

The Iron Yard, located in Suite 400 at 101 N. Main St., is holding an open house for interested residents on Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. The next coding course begins on Sept. 12. The school is also accepting applications for its spring course, which begins on Jan. 9.

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4 | THE RUNDOWN |

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 33 Featured this issue: Upstate docs moving away from health systems, into private practice..............8 Spartanburg Community College is a magnet for economic development.....12 How to drag your workplace tech into the 21st century.....................................22

MONEY SHOT: The astronauts who lift off for Mars in the distant future might just eat their leafy greens from a shipping container during the yearlong journey. Clemson University researcher Joshua Summers has helped develop a Self-Sustaining Crop Production Unit (SSCPU) – a shipping container retrofitted as a mobile hydroponic farm. The 320-square-foot container uses LED lighting strips that disperse red and blue light (required for photosynthesis) in between vertical rows of plants. Meanwhile, a closed-loop hydroponic system delivers nutrient water to the roots and an automated climate-control system regulates temperature and humidity.

Photo provided by Clemson University

WORTH REPEATING “We could probably have 100 doctors right now if we said ‘yes’ to everyone, but that’s not our plan.”

Page 8

“For years, training camp was kind of a sleepy affair. There wasn’t much to do but sit on a grassy hill that really wasn’t all that grassy.”

Page 11

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a company say, ‘This is the reason we chose Spartanburg.’”

Page 13

VERBATIM On the Olympics’ outdated business model “In today’s world you’d never start the Olympics the way [International Olympic Committee founder] Pierre de Coubertin did in 1896. We’ve clung to that 19th-century model while the world has passed it by.”

Chris Dempsey – founder of a group opposed to Boston’s bid for the 2024 Olympics – interviewed in the Harvard Business Review (“The Olympics Needs a New Business Model,” bit.ly/olympics-business).

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S.C. Dept. of Commerce partners with SCBIO to attract more life sciences MELINDA YOUNG | CONTRIBUTOR

myoung@communityjournals.com

A new partnership between the state and a life sciences trade organization could usher in a new era in biotechnology growth in the Upstate and South Carolina.

The South Carolina Biotechnology Industry Organization (SCBIO) will work with the South Carolina Department of Commerce on a strategic plan that includes attracting more life sciences sectors to the state, says Wayne Roper, president of SCBIO,

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| BIOTECH | 5

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state, and then they’ll support the commercialization of research for South Carolina universities, Roper says.

The state is developing expertise in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, which is a burgeoning field, created by small companies, he says.

This type of manufacturing fills a huge need as some predict that half of all prescriptions will be biopharmaceuticals within the next four years, Roper says. “We’re talking about drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, for autoimmune

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which was formed in 2004 and became a self-sustaining membership-driven trade association six years ago.

“We have the expertise and the interest in developing the job,” Roper says. “We know how to get the most bang for our buck in economic development.”

The partnership will begin with an inventory of life sciences companies and assets in the state, including on-site visits to pharmaceutical, medical device, research, diagnostic and medical equipment companies and their suppliers.

Next, SCBIO and state officials will identify opportunities to attract more human life-sector companies to the

diseases; these are the treatments.”

South Carolina is well positioned to attract life science industries that fit within existing companies and infrastructure, without competing with Boston or North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, Roper says.

Ultimately, the initiative could result in more high-paying jobs and the development of more business relationships and supply chains.

“We’re going to find companies that fit with South Carolina’s economy and ability to support and grow,” he says.

“The field is vast.”

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Caviar & Bananas will offer a selection of prepared packaged goods, made-to-order salads and sandwiches and other delicacies.

First look: Caviar & Bananas LETY GOOD | STAFF

lgood@communityjournals.com

Charleston-based gourmet market and cafĂŠ Caviar & Bananas opened its doors at its downtown Greenville location on Monday, Aug. 8. Caviar & Bananas Greenville occupies 4,700 square feet on Laurens Street, next to the Aloft Greenville Downtown Hotel in the ONE City Plaza.

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8 | HEALTH CARE |

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Tribe 513 represents evolution in Upstate health care Provider group reflects national trend of physicians returning to private practice MELINDA YOUNG | CONTRIBUTOR

myoung@communityjournals.com

With its name inspired by a Bible verse about the freedom to serve others (Galatians 5:13: “Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another”), the newly formed health care provider Tribe 513 is quickly expanding its practices in Greenville and attracting physicians as part of a national boomerang trend of doctors returning to private practice after years of working as employees of large health care systems.

Ten years ago, several local physicians — fresh out of their residencies — started Parkside Pediatrics in Five Forks in Simpsonville. Today, Parkside has evolved into Tribe 513.

And within the next six months, there will be nine provider practices under the group’s umbrella, including two new Brio Internal Medicine offices.

Their next risk is to open a downtown Greenville location for Brio at

North Main and East North streets this month for young professionals and others who need a primary care doctor and would like the concierge model of service and convenience of walking there on their lunch break.

Looking for a change

The rapid growth is spurred, in part, by Upstate doctors looking for a change, says David Martin, CEO of Tribe 513, the parent company of Parkside as well as the five existing offices and four new ones. “Brio is primary care for people ages 18 and up,” Martin says. “It’s like family medicine, except we don’t see children.”

Tribe 513 also just opened Vida Gynecology in July on Commonwealth Drive and has additional expansions planned in Greenville, including Apex Allergy in October on Woods Lake Road and a joint Brio/ Parkside Pediatrics site on Harrison Bridge Road in Simpsonville in early 2017.

The physician member-owned company handles business operations for various provider offices. All of the sites are on the same electronic medical record system, and all are on the MyHealth First Network, used by GHS, Martin says.

Dr. Ann Meade, an internal medicine physician, is one of the four founders of Tribe 513’s Brio Internal Medicine; all previously worked for the Greenville Health System (GHS).

When they all left GHS to open the first Brio Internal Medicine in late 2015 near Haywood Road, they took a leap of faith that the personal benefits would outweigh the financial risk and longer hours.

Meade says the parting with GHS was amicable, and she and the other physicians were pleased to maintain a relationship the Upstate’s largest health system through MyHealth First, which means they can refer patients to GHS imaging and other services.

“When we left, we told them, ‘We still want to use your services, but we want to be on our own, and we want to run and manage our day-to-day operations,’” Meade says.

More than 10 doctors working with Tribe 513 previously had worked with GHS, choosing, instead, to become captains of their own fate, professionally. They’ve invested their savings and have taken on debt to open practices where they can provide the type of health care experience they want to give patients, Martin says.

“For the new Brio, there is a huge startup cost of pushing $1.5 million, and that’s not real estate because they’re leasing right now,” Martin says. “It’s just the money it takes to keep your practice going until insurance companies reimburse you.”

A nationwide trend

What these Greenville doctors are doing is part of a nationwide trend.

Health systems across the country for at least a decade have made a push

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“Tribe 513 is not focused on just getting bigger,” Martin says.

“We could probably have 100 doctors right now if we said ‘yes’ to everyone, but that’s not our plan.”

The goal all along has been to be a small, patient-centered multispecialty group that allows doctors to grow the brand of their practice. “They might have worked two days a week before and now they work seven days a week — it’s an ownership thing,” Martin says.

Meade admits that the hours are long, as in addition to patient care, she works every day of the week on charts and tasks necessary to run a small business. “I work with fabulous people, and we have a great team,” Meade says. “This is such a great environment, and I’m just happy to come to work every day.”

Dr. Jocelyn Renfrow and Dr. Ann Meade

to buy physician practices, but within the last couple of years there’s been an opposite trend of physicians — often young ones — going into practice for themselves. “Hospitals

| HEALTH CARE | 9

buying physician practices is so five years ago,” Martin says.

In the Upstate, the health system acquisition trend still is strong with the vast majority of doctors working

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Denny’s to diners: Love our pancakes, or they’re on the house STAFF REPORT

Spartanburg-based Denny’s Corp. has launched a campaign to promote its new and improved buttermilk pancakes.

During the month of August, customers can stop by any of the family-dining chain’s participating restaurants and take advantage of its “Love ‘em or They’re Free Guarantee.”

Denny’s said diners who order the new buttermilk pancakes, which are made with fresh buttermilk, real eggs and a “hint” of vanilla, won’t have to pay for them if they don’t like them.

“When we launched our new pancakes we promised our guests a higher-quality, tastier ‘cake that was so much better, it might even top those beloved recipes they can only find at home,” said John Dillon, chief marketing officer for Denny's, in a statement. “We stand firmly behind that statement, and to demonstrate how confident we truly are, we’re inviting America to decide if our pancakes are some of the best they’ve ever had with our ‘Love ‘em or They’re Free Guarantee.’”

Denny’s said the buttermilk pancakes are featured throughout its menu, offering guests “plenty of ways to experience the fluffy pancakes before making their decision.”

Among those options are four new dishes: the double berry banana pancake breakfast, sticky bun pancake breakfast, strawberries and cream pancake breakfast and peanut butter cup pancake breakfast.

Denny’s said younger guests can also decide for themselves with select signature dishes available for the first time on its kid’s menu.

The buttermilk pancakes will be served every day at breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as during late-night hours, the company said.

For more information, visit dennys.com.

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| SPORTS | 11

Carolina Panthers set record and make NFL history TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com

The Carolina Panthers set two precedents last week.

More than 10,000 fans attended the Panthers’ Thursday morning training camp session at Wofford College that it shared with Spartanburg High School’s varsity football team, according to the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It was the first time an NFL team has ever practiced with a high school team, and the fan turnout pushed total attendance for the camp to 79,804 visitors, surpassing the camp’s previous record of 76,000 set the previous year.

The other good news for Spartanburg: The camp isn’t even at the halfway point. Panthers’ players and coaches will be in town for another 12 days and hold seven more practices.

“As predicted, the reigning NFC champion Carolina Panthers have attracted a record number of visitors to Spartanburg, their summer home,” said Chris Jennings, executive vice president of the Spartanburg CVB. “We are overjoyed. The weather has held great for us … We may have underestimated [how many visitors would attend camp this year].”

This is the seventh consecutive year that camp’s attendance has increased, Jennings said.

Carolina is one of only 12 out of 32 NFL teams that hold their training camps away from their home facilities.

The team held its first camp at Wofford in 1994.

Will Rothschild, a spokesman for the city of Spartanburg, said he doesn’t believe it’s just the team’s recent success that has led larger crowds at camp.

“For years, training camp was kind of a sleepy affair,” Rothschild said.

“There wasn’t much to do but sit on a grassy hill that really wasn’t all that grassy. But six years ago, the Panthers and Wofford really stepped up their efforts to improve the fan experience out there.”

Changes include immaculate landscaping, tee boxes, repaved walkways, better parking and shuttle service, a larger autograph area and other amenities that camp officials said are focused on improving the team’s relationship with its fan base.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin greets players from the Spartanburg High School Vikings during a joint practice held last week. Photo provided by panthers.com.

“It’s more akin to being out at Augusta National [golf club],” Rothschild said.

Rothschild said the camp’s growth is no accident.

The rising star status of quarterback Cam Newton and the team’s success as Super Bowl runners-up this past season are also big parts of the equation.

But the city’s growth, particularly downtown, has provided Panthers players and staff, their families and fans with more dining and retail options outside of camp, Rothschild said.

“It’s really the perfect storm,” he said. “The city’s growth mirrors the camp’s growth … That’s how all of this is supposed to work. It’s a huge economic stimulus. We’ve always been lucky to be able to call ourselves an NFL city. There are only a few cities that can say that. And we’re proud to be one of them.”

Wofford spokeswoman Laura Corbin said she has been amazed by the camp’s growth during the last two decades.

“We have evolved over the last 22 years,” she said. “Wofford and the Panthers have always looked for ways to make things easier and more fan-friendly. It used to be where you’d come to camp and then eat at the

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SCC business center acts as magnet for economic development TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com

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From the outside, Spartanburg Community College’s Center for Business and Entrepreneurial Development looks like another industrial complex along the county’s bustling Highway 290 corridor.

But looks can be deceiving.

Local officials believe the facility is one of the most important tools in the county’s repertoire of economic development assets that has continued to attract new investment and, perhaps most importantly, jobs.

Since its inception in 2006, the center at SCC’s Tyger River Campus has supported the development of more than 15,000 jobs and close to $1 billion in wage earnings in Spartanburg, according to the college.

In total, 61 new and existing enterprises have utilized the 363,000-squarefoot center to launch, expand or relocate their manufacturing, distribution and office operations in the county.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a company say ‘This is the reason we chose Spartanburg,’” said state Rep. Mike Forrester, R-Spartanburg, and director of economic development for SCC. “There’s nothing else like this that I know of.”

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The center sits on 50 acres of what was once part of the corporate headquarters for One Price Clothing Stores Inc. It includes several large warehouses and modern office space near the front of the building that features classrooms, computer labs, conference rooms and other workspaces.

SCC recently completed a 22,000-square-foot expansion of the office area aimed at raising the center’s appeal and efficiency.

“Adaptability is what makes this place so special,” Forrester said. “Whatever the company’s needs are, we can make it happen … A lot of work goes into economic development. It doesn’t stop when a company announces that they’re coming.”

A study conducted in 2015 that measured the center’s economic impact found it supported the creation of 2,766 jobs during the year and created a “ripple

Spartanburg Community College’s Center for Business and Entrepreneurial Development includes several large warehouses and modern office space that features classrooms, computer labs, conference rooms and other workspaces.

effect” that supported a total of 4,304 jobs.

Since 2007, the center has generated about $50 million in sales and income tax for the state, according to the study.

And numbers for 2016 are still being finalized.

“It helps us differentiate ourselves from all other counties, not just in the state but the whole country,” said Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt. “I don’t know of many other counties that have that tool in their toolbox. It is very important to us.”

Four key functions

Forrester said the center has four main functions.

The first function is to provide space for “soft landings” of foreign and domestic companies that are looking to relocate or add new operations in the county.

Japanese carbon fiber maker Toray is currently housing employees at the center while its $1.5 billion plant is under construction a few miles away.

Forrester said Kobelco stored equipment and trained employees at the center while its new plant on Highway 290 was being built. Rite Aid also trained employees while its distribution center was nearing completion.

“Whenever you can offer something that is beyond something else, it makes a statement about who you are,” Britt said. “We’re not just in the recruitment of companies but also in the development of those companies.”

The next function, Forrester said, is to provide incubation space for new businesses that are in the early startup phase or existing companies that need a place to retool and reorganize.

The center is a member of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Spartanburg Entrepreneurial Resources Network. It houses offices for the Clemson Regional Small Business Development Center and Service Corps of

Retired Executives.

Henry Giles Jr., president of SCC, said the center is the fifth-largest incubator in the U.S. When Israeli manufacturer A.L. Industries sought the county’s assistance a few years ago in finding a suitable facility, Forrester said, the company was able to use the center on a short-term basis until it was able to establish its own plant.

“We didn’t have any [facilities] on the market,” Forrester said. “We told them we could get them started in our facility. They didn’t believe us.”

Three more companies have used A.L. Industries’ space at the center since then, Forrester said.

The center’s third function is to support workforce development in the county. Agencies, including the state Department of Employment and Workforce and ReadySC, as well as companies such as BMW and MAU Inc., regularly use the facility to host job fairs.

Forrester said the center not only gives employers an opportunity to take applications and screen applicants, but it also allows agencies and companies to hold pre-employment training.

“You get to see [an applicant] in a work environment,” he said. “That’s very valuable to a lot of employers who have very high standards.”

The final function is something Forrester referred to as “special services.”

Under this service, companies and industry partners can receive assistance on special projects, such as beta testing a new product line or manufacturing process, training employees on new processes or providing storage for equipment.

About 60 companies have used the center for its special services.

Forrester said BMW Manufacturing Co. came in and set up, tested and

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| BANKING | 13

perfected one of its new paint shop processes and then “went and built their facility.”

“It’s like being in the pool with someone when you’re trying to teach them how to swim,” Britt said.

Wilkins joins UCB board of directors

A vision in search of a building

ddykes@communityjournals.com

Local officials said they have received countless calls from other communities that are seeking input in developing centers similar to SCC’s facility.

They said the center has benefitted relationships with companies that haven’t even used it. And they remember that the center almost didn’t happen.

Forrester and Giles said the college had a vision for the center but were in need of a building to put it in.

SCC leaders sought help from county officials and together they began the search.

When the One Price building became available, Giles said the college was still working to get all of its “ducks in a row.”

They knew the facility wouldn’t sit on the market for long, so they sought the help of Spartanburg businessmen Foster Chapman and George Dean Johnson Jr. “We knew this was an opportunity we couldn’t miss,” Britt said. “It would’ve been like playing baseball without the ball and the bat. We knew companies would want this and need it.”

Johnson’s development company purchased the property and held it for six months until the college was ready to purchase it.

“It has really turned out to be the difference-maker that it was envisioned to be,” Giles said.

DAVID DYKES | STAFF

David Wilkins, a former speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives and U.S. ambassador to Canada, has joined United Community Banks’ board of directors as the Blairsville, Ga.-based bank holding company adds a second director from the Palmetto State.

On the board, Wilkins joins Lynn Harton, president and chief operating officer of the company’s banking subsidiary, United Community Bank. Harton lives and works in Greenville.

He called Wilkins “the perfect addition” to the UCB board.

South Carolina is a growing part of the company, which has about three dozen offices, in excess of 350 employees and more than $2 billion in assets in the state, Harton said.

“We needed somebody that understood the market and understood the market from a statewide perspective and just honestly couldn’t think of anybody better to help us do that than Mr. Wilkins,” Harton said. “Fortunately, he said yes.”

Wilkins, a Greenville attorney, will work on the board’s risk committee. He does government relations work on the federal level.

“To have the opportunity to join such a dynamic

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bank at this point in its growth period is a real privilege,” Wilkins said in an interview.

Wilkins is one of two directors being added, with UCB’s board expanding to 10 members.

The board also appointed David C. Shaver, founder and David Wilkins CEO of Cost Segregation Advisors LLC, a national income tax advisory services company.

Shaver, a certified public accountant, once was controller of The Home Depot Inc., where he directed financial operations.

Wilkins served in the South Carolina House from 1980 to 2005, including 11 years as speaker.

He was nominated as ambassador to Canada by President George W. Bush in 2005, serving until 2009.

He chaired the Clemson University Board of Trustees for six years and still is a member of that board.

He also is a board member of Porter Airlines, Mattamy Homes and Resolute Forest Products.

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14 | COVER |

UBJ

MARKLEY STATION

|

08.12.2016

Markley Station developers aim to maint

Offices, retail and restaurants planned for four vacant buildings in Gr REALOP INVESTMENTS, A GREENVILLE-BASED COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT GROUP, HAS PURCHASED FOUR VACANT BUILDINGS ON MARKLEY STREET and plans to renovate and preserve the former warehouse property in the city’s historic West End.

RealOp officials said the urban revitalization project, called Markley Station, continues the neighborhood’s ongoing development and momentum.

It will blend historic buildings with timeless finishes to house a mix of offices, retail and restaurants, the officials said.

RealOp also purchased property across the street that the company intends to convert into parking.

Terms of the acquisitions weren’t disclosed.

The project won’t include any new buildings or a residential component.

Neither Paul Sparks, RealOp’s managing principal and president, nor Ralph Settle, director of development, would disclose the size of the company’s investment.

But Sparks said it would amount to a “mid- to high-seven figures number.”

The majority of the work will be exterior renovation of the existing buildings, including new storefront windows, restoring masonry openings and adding new openings for doors, according to filings with the city’s Design Review Board and confirmed

by Sparks and Settle.

Work also will include new canopies over designated entrances, new metal railings to meet building code requirements, cleaning the brick facades, a new roof and exterior lighting.

There will be a new center plaza with raised benches and landscape improvements.

City officials reviewed and approved the exterior work. The interior build-out doesn’t need such approval.

“From our perspective, it was important to maintain the bones of the development as far as it relates to the

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

Rendering by McMillan Pazdan Smith

aintain historic neighborhood’s integrity

s in Greenville’s West End buildings, the aesthetics,” Sparks said.

“It’s consistent with what we’ve seen with older historical buildings in the downtown area. What we want to do is continue that tradition of community-conscious developers maintaining that integrity.”

With the C-4 zoning designation, the company isn’t required to provide parking. But it will to enhance the project’s marketability and address neighborhood concerns about available parking in the area, Sparks and Settle said.

The site will have about 80 parking

by DAVID DYKES | STAFF

ddykes@communityjournals.com

spaces, or 2.2 per thousand square feet, Settle said.

“THE CENTER OF THE WORLD”

Historically, the Markley Station property was used for dry storage.

In its early days, Markley Street in downtown Greenville was in the business hub of the Upstate. A train would pull in with raw materials, like cotton and lumber, and pull out with finished goods to ship around the world.

It was where people met, deals were made and commerce was conducted.

The RealOp project will house

seven suites in about 43,000 square feet. About half is under signed letters of intent from three tenants, who are in the lease-negotiation state, Settle said.

RealOp is relocating its corporate headquarters to Rhett Street in the West End, “and this project is just going to be what we think is the center of the world over there,” Settle said.

The area’s transition includes millennials and entrepreneurs who are reshaping the housing and office environments with how they live and work, Sparks said.

Other developments in the vicinity include multifamily projects planned for three acres on South Main Street at Pendleton Street Baptist Church and near the Kroc Center.

A hotel also is planned nearby.

With those becoming reality, it “further edified what we thought and we envisioned for that area,” Settle said.

“This is signature property, a signature development for RealOp Investments,” Sparks said. “We know that, and we know a lot of people are going to be watching to ensure that

16 | COVER |

UBJ

MARKLEY STATION

|

08.12.2016

“We know a lot of people are going to be watching to ensure that we could maintain the integrity of the project. And we’re going to do that.”

Paul Sparks, managing principal and president, RealOp Investments

Rhett St.

AJ Whittenberg Elementary

Academy St.

Markley St.

Rendering by McMillan Pazdan Smith

we could maintain the integrity of the project. And we’re going to do that.”

The project team consists of RealOp Investments, the developer; NAI Earle Furman, leasing; Harper Corporation, general contractor; and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture.

“We think the West End is going to continue to grow,” Sparks said. “It’s going to continue to grow at a much faster pace than anywhere in our opinion. We love that aspect of it. We just want to be part of it.”

Rendering by McMillan Pazdan Smith

Current interior of the Markley Street buildings

08.12.2016

|

MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

upstatebusinessjournal.com

| INNOVATE | 17

A date with the angels The pitches fly during a typical meeting with a startup investor group

By MATT DUNBAR Managing Partner, Upstate Carolina Angel Network

Last month, the Upstate Carolina Angel Network (UCAN) and the South Carolina Angel Network (SCAN) announced a new brand for our expanded activities across state lines. VentureSouth now encompasses nine active angel investor groups in the Carolinas and two angel funds.

Before accredited investors join as members of a VentureSouth angel group like UCAN in Greenville, we invite them to visit one of our meetings to observe how our groups operate and how our investment process works.

We recently asked Brooke Rowan to summarize a typical meeting for potential investors on our new VentureSouth blog, and we’ve incorporated and expanded on her post below. Brooke is vice president of public relations with MPA Strategies and has assisted VentureSouth with its media and operations over the last several months.

Introductions A typical VentureSouth meeting begins with mingling among members, prospective members and sponsors. Refreshments are served as everyone arrives and catches up. At UCAN specifically, since we meet in the early evenings, attendees can enjoy beer (typically from local breweries like Thomas Creek or RJ Rockers), as well as wine and delicious appetizers from UCAN portfolio company New York Butcher Shoppe.

The two-hour meeting kicks off on time with a welcome of members and guests. New members and guests are invited to introduce themselves and their backgrounds. The power of investing in startups as part of a group is leveraging the expertise of other members, so these introductions help the group know what skills and experiences members have to offer.

We also take a few moments to recognize and express appreciation for our sponsors like Wells Fargo, our statewide banking partner. Sponsors are given opportunities throughout the year to share a brief message with our investors and entrepreneurs about their products and services.

Following the introductions and sponsor messages, the group’s director gets things started with an overview of the agenda for the meeting. The first agenda item is usually “news and notes,” which can include an assortment of national updates from the Angel Capital Association, local group news, portfolio company updates, recent investments and — happiest of all — news about distributions from realized investments. We then review the calendar of upcoming events, including future meetings, company events and investor education workshops.

Pitches The real fun starts once the pitches begin. The strongest companies that have graduated through our screening process make a presentation to the group, which at UCAN typically includes an audience of 30 to 40 people. A useful, although less dramatic, point of comparison is the ABC show “Shark Tank.”

The entrepreneur has about 15 minutes to make a compelling argument to the room full of investors why they should consider risking their capital betting on the young company and its team.

Following the pitch, the entrepreneur faces 15 minutes of question and answer time — and his or her ability to respond to the investors’ questions with direct, honest, thoughtful answers in many cases turns out to be even more important than the pitch itself.

After the presentation and Q&A, members are given an opportunity to confidentially discuss among themselves their perspectives and expertise related to the presenting company. This lively dialogue is often cited as one of the most valuable aspects of participating in a group as sharp minds provide great insights into the risks and possibilities of each potential investment.

Most VentureSouth meetings include one or two

of these new pitches from entrepreneurs. Each member then submits a ballot to provide feedback on the quality of the opportunity, whether or not we should proceed with due diligence and how much he or she might consider investing.

Diligence reports Once the new pitches are completed, the group turns to diligence reports and updates on companies that presented in previous months. Members from the due diligence team — which consists of VentureSouth staff and, more importantly, a handful of our angel investor members — summarize the pros and cons of the opportunity, address the questions raised from the pitch discussion, explain the investment structure and outline a timetable for investment (or their rationale for passing on the opportunity).

After robust debate and discussion, members submit their indications of interest. There is never any obligation for a member to invest, but if interested, members can invest a minimum of $5,000 in any investment round, provided that collectively VentureSouth generates $100,000 or more of committed capital. The documentation and execution of the investments are handled in between meetings.

Wrap-up Finally, the meeting concludes with any last questions, updates or member input along with reminders for upcoming events and special thanks for sponsors.

Members are welcome to stick around to ask further questions of the entrepreneurs, diligence teams or staff, or to simply chat with their peers. The day after the meeting, we distribute a recap newsletter to all the members and get to work on the next round of due diligence and preparations for the next month’s meeting.

So, now you have some insight into what a typical angel investor group meeting looks like. If you are an accredited investor interested in learning more about angel investing, please get in touch with us at venturesouth.vc, and we’d be delighted to invite you to come see for yourself.

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18 | THE TAKEAWAY |

UBJ

NOTES FROM THE BEST TALKS YOU MISSED

|

08.12.2016

Collaborative innovation attracts foreign-direct investment

By DANIELLE BESSER Upstate SC Alliance Event: InnoVision Forum Who was there: 40 members of InnoVision, an organization dedicated to advancing technology in South Carolina through communication, education and recognition of the spirit of innovation and technological progress.

Speakers: John Lummus and Elizabeth Feather, Upstate SC Alliance Theme: Collaboration & Innovation are Keys to Economic Development Future

Foreign-direct investment in the Upstate’s economy has grown tremendously since 1991, resulting in production efficiencies and an associated wage increase that requires the region’s economic developers to define a new value proposition when recruiting industries.

“We used to sell the fact that we were low-cost, low-wage — we are

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not that anymore. We are a center of advanced manufacturing, technology and innovation,” said John Lummus, president and CEO of the Upstate SC Alliance, last week to 40 members of InnoVision, an organization dedicated to advancing technology in South Carolina.

The Upstate SC Alliance was formed in 2000 to position and market the Upstate globally for business investment.

In late 2013, the Upstate of South Carolina was selected for the Global Cities Initiative (GCI), a program that strives to develop practical knowledge, policy ideas and networks needed so that participating regions become more globally connected and competitive.

Increasing foreign-direct investment in the Upstate A component of the GCI work, the Upstate SC Regional Foreign Direct Investment Plan, was launched in March to elevate the Upstate’s global competitiveness and empower its companies and citizens to seize opportunities in the global economy.

Benefits to increasing foreign-direct investment include that for-

eign-owned firms pay higher wages and invest greater amounts into research and development than domestic-owned firms, said Elizabeth Feather, director of research for the Upstate SC Alliance.

Plan strategies and tactics include: • Forging collaborative partnerships throughout the Upstate region • Building a global reputation for the Upstate’s advanced materials cluster • Boosting the competitiveness of existing Upstate industries • Growing the region’s industrial and technology service sectors • Leveraging all assets to attract top labor talent to the Upstate

Collaborative innovation as a competitive edge “Our economy is changing,” Feather said. “We always have been blessed with our location, our access to the port, and the inland port added new capability there — but the real game-changer has been in the last 20 years, as Clemson University has really stepped up and said ‘We want to be a Top 20 university,’ and part of that process was building

08.12.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

out these innovation campuses.”

Increasingly, Lummus said, foreign and domestic industrial prospects are drawn to the region’s public-private partnerships, where industry needs drive academic research, such as Greenville Health System’s planned IMED Innovation Corridor, the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC), the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research and the Greenwood Genetics Center.

“In a lot of cases it’s because of foreign-direct investment, because of companies like BMW and Michelin that come in with a set of strategies, policies about the way that they do business. They’re operating on a global scale, and that kind of ability to move forward in your production levels and get the most out of your teams automatically gets infused into your market,” Feather said. “And once they do it, everybody starts doing it, and what that ultimately leads to is more efficient production and higher wage rates.”

Foreign-owned industries, such as BMW and Michelin, also provid-

NOTES FROM THE BEST TALKS YOU MISSED

| THE TAKEAWAY | 19

MORE ON INNOVISION

John Lummus, president & CEO of the Upstate SC Alliance

ed initial financial support to establish these collaborative campuses, and their continued support connects students and researchers with industry trends, issues and goals.

As foreign-owned companies succeed in the Upstate and collaborative research continues, there is opportunity to align resources by industry clusters — working with multiple companies within one

sector to understand its needs and opportunities — and then to connect Upstate clusters to other markets worldwide.

The movement toward open technology and innovation, where companies seek ideas and solutions from external sources, also presents opportunities to expand the business presence of Upstate firms into other markets.

Now in its 18th year of celebrating innovation, InnoVision is the premier awards organization that honors the world-class achievements of businesses, educational institutions and governmental entities throughout the state of South Carolina. The InnoVision program supports innovation through two activities: educational InnoVision Forums that are held throughout the year and the annual InnoVision Awards Banquet.

The 2016 Awards banquet will be Nov. 3, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Greenville. There, InnoVision will recognize winners from across South Carolina in six categories: Technology Development, Technology Integration, Community Service, Sustainability, Education and Small Enterprise. InnoVision will also honor visionaries with the Young Innovator Award and the Charles Townes Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more information about the 2016 Awards Dinner or to sponsor a table, contact Angela Halpin, executive coordinator for InnoVision, at angela@innovisionawards.org

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20 | SQUARE FEET |

UBJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

|

08.12.2016

tanderson@communityjournals.com

Spartanburg Regional’s offices relocate to Beaumont Mill Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s administrative offices and 600 employees have officially taken up residence in the historic Beaumont Mill.

The move follows a one-year, $34 million renovation of the 126-year-old mill that is part of the health system’s 10-year, $500 million master facilities plan aimed at improving the patient and visitor experience at Spartanburg Medical Center.

No medical practices were moved to the 180,000-square-foot mill, but a range of other services, including human resources, employment and recruitment, billing and medical resources, have relocated. Those operations were previously housed at Spartanburg Medical Center and Pinewood Resource Center on East Wood Street.

“We need the Spartanburg Medical Center campus to be more user-friendly for our patients and visitors,” said Phil Feisal, president of Spartanburg

Medical Center, in a statement. “We recognize that finding your way around the hospital presently can be confusing and somewhat intimidating.

We anticipate that we will gain tremendous efficiencies and be able to further improve patient care with a more streamlined physical plant.”

Beaumont Mill functioned as a textile mill from 1890 to 1997. It sits on 23 acres off North Pine Street.

Renovations were focused on preserving the mill’s historic character, while adding structural, aesthetic and technological improvements that support its new life as modern office space.

SRHS said the space features the original floors, exterior brick and expansive windows that fill the mill with natural light. It has also paid tribute to the mill’s textile heritage with photos and memorabilia displayed throughout the building.

Local officials hope the mill will once again serve as an anchor for economic activity.

“Beaumont Mill is a prominent historic building in the middle of the city that sat vacant for many years and served as a disincentive for commerce and residential activity around it,” said Will Rothschild, a spokesman for the city of Spartanburg. “Now it will serve

as an incentive for the neighborhoods and the major traffic arteries around it … Spartanburg Regional is the city’s largest employer and a leader in so many ways. This is the first visible step of their large, long-range capital plan that will solidify their role as a significant regional employer, health care provider and leader. We’re excited to see that begin to reach fruition.”

The offices at Beaumont Mill will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

SRHS employs about 6,000 associates and its Medical Group of the Carolinas includes more than 300 physicians in seven counties in North and South Carolina.

Customers can access the building from its main entrance on North Pine Street.

For more information, call 864-560-MILL.

Beaumont Ave.

N. Fairview Ave. N. Pine St.

08.12.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

| SQUARE FEET | 21

Greenville Planning Commission to consider Tindal Park plan At

its

August

meeting,

Greenville’s Planning Commission will consider a land development plan for Tindal Park.

Earlier this year, some Tindal Avenue residents expressed concern that the character of the neighborhood off Church Street would be changed if the school district sold the land to a developer.

The property, included in the city’s

Haynie-Sirrine Master Plan, was once the site of Donaldson Elementary School, where Albert Einstein once visited to speak to fifth-graders. The school was closed in 1971, and the school district has leased the land to the City of Greenville for a park for decades.

After residents’ attempts to get the school district not to sell the land failed, some tried unsuccessfully to

have the neighborhood designated as an historic overlay preservation district, which could have provided additional restrictions. The Haynie-Sirrine plan allows only single-family homes or duplexes no more than 2.5 stories tall.

The Croft Co. plan filed with the city calls for 16 homes and a pocket park on the 2.7-acre site.

“This development will fit in archi-

tecturally with the neighborhood,” Greenville developer Tom Croft said.

The homes would range from 2,800 to 3,500 square feet and sell for $600,000 to $800,000, he said.

The planning commission will hold a public hearing on the project at its meeting on Aug. 18 at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers on the 10th floor of Greenville City Hall.

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22 | DIGITAL MAVEN |

UBJ

THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF BUSINESS

|

08.12.2016

The reluctant employee 3 stages to motivate your people to embrace new tech

By LAURA HAIGHT president, portfoliosc.com

PART 2 OF A 2-PART SERIES

Planning a new tech implementation in your company? You’ve got a 15 to 65 percent chance of pulling it off.

With so much new workplace technology hitting the marketplace, it might come as a surprise that success is this elusive. There are many reasons for it; a significant one is lack of adaptation by employees.

Moving to any new tech is a three-stage process. At each of those stages, we have an opportunity to win or lose the battle for employee approval.

STAGE 1: Evaluation Many studies, articles and posts on this subject talk about how to engage employees and get them on board during implementation. But by then the negativity boat is already out of the harbor. Start with looking at who will be on the team evaluating and selecting the new system.

A cautionary tale comes from the story of Avon’s 2013 epic fail in its transition to a new enterprise system.

Drop in and

The cosmetics company lost between $100 million and $125 million, not to mention four years devoted to the project, when its initial territory rollout to Canada (big territory!) was quashed by staffers’ absolute refusal to use the system. (goo.gl/3MplXz) What killed it? Clunky software that was so hard to use that a “meaningful” number of employees quit rather than deal with it. All the more reason to have an age- and experience-diverse evaluation team.

Don’t assume that millennials — the “digital natives” — will be more adaptable to anything you throw at them. They grew up with technology, sure, but the smartphone-software kind, not the one-step-from-agreen-screen kind.

The more experienced workers know what doesn’t work in the system you have now and what they always have to work around. Instead of age, look for a spirit of discovery and an openness to possibilities and opportunities. Don’t expect or demand a rubber stamp.

When your diverse team is able to agree on a system, you are a third of the way home. And you have advocates to mentor and lead.

STAGE 2: Implementation

Formal training on new software is often a missed step — and a missed opportunity.

Dr. Kasie Whitener, president and CEO of Clemson Road Creative, a “knowledge consultancy,” works with businesses on system adaptation and training, and she has a few suggestions for successful implementaPresented by tions: • Make it their idea: “Introduce the technology and then ask the staff to identify what the benefits might be. Let them come up with their list of ways in which the new system will make their jobs better,” Whitener suggests. “Once they’ve got that idea in their head, there’s not really any room for them to backtrack.

Because they’re the ones who demonstrated the network… benefits.”

• Build “to-be” processes: Don’t try to fit old processes into new systems. Identify how the system works and then 21 E Coffee Street, design the new “to-be” Greenville, SC 29601 processes. Implementers are usually pretty bad at

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this, notes Whitener. In a perfect world, she says, “We would teach the geography of the system first, then give users the opportunity to ‘design their own adventure.’” Because we don’t create these cultures of adventure and exploration, she says, we “often fail in our adoption rate.”

• Rely on both change agents and “Bettys”: More than age, implementations can rise and fall on the risk-aversion levels of your staff. “You’ve got to have people who are change-minded and who can be ambassadors for change,” says Whitener. “Otherwise all you’re going to get is a new tool to do the same old stuff, maybe slightly better.” But don’t leave out the “Bettys,” who Whitener describes as the more experienced, possibly older, employees, who get really excited about new software and “jump in feet first.” She focuses on the Bettys in training, because they know how the business works, they will inspire other older staff to come along and even the millennials will be pushed toward acceptance.

“Young people will look at that and say: ‘If Betty can do it, I can do it.’”

STAGE 3: Normal operation Businesses tend to think that once normal operation begins, the implementation is over. In reality, this is a critical stage where so many systems fail. People who behaved during training or group meetings are back in their element. If they haven’t gotten excited about the system, this is when they backslide into old ways and legacy systems.

• Get your ambassadors, your early adopters and change agents out among the staff to see how they are doing.

• Set up mechanisms for fielding questions and sharing the answers.

• Do small-group how-to sessions as new processes come up.

• Publicize positive comments and results, and look for real data (increased sales, reduced errors) to support the new system.

• But don’t listen exclusively to the good. Seek out the things that aren’t working as well. Once you know them, you can focus on improving them and get extra boss-points in the process.

If you missed it, you can still read Part 1 "Why We Can’t Let Go of Old Technology in the Workplace" at bit.ly/UBJ-old-tech-part-1.

08.12.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

SHERRI WHITTINGTON

SARA BETH TRIMBLE

LINDSAY LONG

HOWARD MILLS

BRANNAN HUDSON

Named as director of operations for Mere Christianity Forum (MCF)/ Vista House at Furman University. Whittington has more than 20 years of experience in the technology, development and marketing fields. In her new role, she will facilitate MCF’s growth and development, among others.

Named as a resource manager with Crawford Strategy. Trimble has more than 18 years of marketing and advertising experience.

She most recently served as a resource manager at Cargo and has worked with companies such as Henderson Advertising, The Bounce Agency and Ferebee Lane.

Joined Greyrock Accounting as a manager in the client services division. Long is a licensed CPA with nine years of experience in the industry.

She previously served as a senior accountant at Bradshaw, Gordon & Clinkscales. Long earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Columbus State University and a master’s degree from Georgia Southern University.

Joined the sales team at EDTS as a sales executive.

Mills has more than 30 years of sales and customer support experience across several industries dealing with business infrastructure needs including hardware, software, audiovisual and telephony. He most recently worked with an IT consultancy serving western North Carolina.

Joined the Greenville office of Colliers International as a brokerage associate. Hudson most recently served as an assistant golf coach at Wofford College. He is a graduate of Wofford with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a focus on financial analysis, business leadership and management.

O’Neal Inc. was awarded an Excellence in Construction Award by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Georgia for a grassroots iron oxide pigments facility in Augusta, Ga. The Excellence in Construction program highlights the innovation, quality and vision of a project’s entire construction team.

FINANCE Wendi Witek joined Merill Lynch Wealth Management as a financial advisor. Witek serves on the board of directors for the Junior League of Greenville and is involved in several other community organizations.

MARKETING/PR Infinity Marketing hired Laura Hinson as a client services coordinator, Gina Smith as a social media assistant and Taryn Zira as a

media assistant. Infinity also promoted Nancy Thomas to media coordinator, Ericka Jackson to senior media buyer, Heidi Pettit to senior graphic designer and Shannon Rogers to marketing coordinator.

VantagePoint Marketing hired Emily Weber as a media and account specialist. Weber has several years of experience in media buying, digital media direction and business development. She is a graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in business management.

STAFFING Phillips Staffing added Andrew Holsen as a human resource analyst intern. Holsen is a recent graduate of Clemson University and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management national chapter.

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

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DEVELOPMENT

24 | NEW TO THE STREET |

UBJ

THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

|

08.12.2016

Open for business

2 1

1. Restaurant Depot, a wholesale food service supplier, recently opened at 1060 E. Butler Road, Greenville. For more information, visit restaurantdepot.com.

2. Horton & Horton Law Firm recently opened at 413 Vardry St., Suite 4A, Greenville. For more information, hortonlawsc.com.

Photo provided Photo provided

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

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3M donates funds to GTC’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation A $25,000 gift from 3M Greenville’s Community Vibrancy Fund will support the mechatronics program at Greenville Technical College’s (GTC) Center for Manufacturing Innovation (CMI). The money will be used to outfit mechanical training bays, which will help students learn installation, use, maintenance and troubleshooting of mission critical drive components.

The center will offer a unique environment for educating the manufacturing workforce of the future as it showcases the careers and technology in this sector, attracting younger students and career changers to rewarding professions.

“The education and programs that Greenville Technical College will deliver at the Center for Manufacturing Innovation will have a direct connection to 3M operations but more importantly, the long-term vibrancy of the community,” said James Fissette, human resources manager at 3M Greenville.

BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

| THE FINE PRINT | 25

recognizing

our community

heroes

ScanSource to acquire Intelisys ScanSource, a Greenville-based global provider of technology products and solutions, announced on Monday a definitive agreement to acquire Intelisys Communications Inc., a technology services distributor of business telecommunications and cloud services. With 2015 gross commissions of $120 million, Intelisys distributes services for the world’s leading telecom carriers, cable companies, cloud services providers and technology partners through the channel’s top producing sales partners.

Based in Petaluma, Calif., Intelisys “provides agents and value-added resellers (VARs) with an extensive portfolio of services, support and enablement tools to sell cloud and connectivity services,” according to a statement. ScanSource VARs will gain access to Intelisys’ portfolio of cloud services offerings, said the statement.

Under the agreement, the all-cash transaction includes an initial purchase price of approximately $83.6 million, plus earn-out payments based on earnings before interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) over the next four years.

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 TO DON'T SELL TO JUST ANYONE.JUST

dv Protect home a field advantage n by selling t to a fellow ag e s tribute to fallen officerb Allen Jacobs.y ee Clemson p Fan. Let’s keep Death D Valley solid orange! eath Val

band #bandtogether together

m

For tickets or more information

greenvilleheroes.org BANDWAGONFANCLUB.COM/UBJ | ba n dwag o n fa n c lu b . c o m

Presented by JHM Hotels

26 | #TRENDING |

UBJ

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

8TH ANNUAL

OVERHEARD @ THE WATERCOOLER

Distilled commentary from UBJ readers RE: A CONVERSATION WITH ERIK WEIR, THE MAN BEHIND A PROJECT CHANGING THE FACE OF MAIN STREET > @RealOpInvest “Congratulations @WCMGW way to go Erik!!”

RE: TRYON EQUESTRIAN PARTNERS SUBMITS BID TO HOST 2018 FEI WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES

AUGUST 18-28 Local restaurateurs team up to offer you the chance to experience some of the area’s best cuisine at an appetizing price!

WINgift A $50 card

find out how to enter on our facebook page

www.facebook.com/upstatefoodiefest

> Sandy Milne Sibley “If TIEC should get this, Camp Sibley will be open for friends.”

RE: T.B.A. MAJOR CHANGES COULD BE IN STORE FOR GREENVILLE’S TINDAL PARK >> Arthur Street “Yes, because we need more overpriced housing near downtown.”

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08.12.2016

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

>> 799

1. Patewood Memorial Hospital named best in S.C. for orthopedics

>> 748

2. Spartanburg Regional’s administrative offices relocate to Beaumont Mill

>> 191

3. Tryon Equestrian Partners submits bid to host 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games

>> 181 4. A conversation with Erik Weir, the man behind a project changing the face of Main Street

>> 92 5. Brown Roof Thrift expands to Greenville

>> CONNECT WITH US We’re great at networking.

>> John Monarch “Supply/demand.”

LINKEDIN.COM/COMPANY/ UPSTATE-BUSINESS-JOURNAL

>> Kerry Lightner “The neighborhoods on South Church Street continue to transform and become a blessing not a blight!”

FACEBOOK.COM/THEUPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL

RE: DENNY’S TEMPTS DINERS WITH NEW BUTTERMILK PANCAKES > Craig Kinley “Roxanne Doty, here is the story your pancake guy at Denny’s that comes into the Growler Haus – Spartanburg you were talking about.” > Growler Haus – Spartanburg “Tim Foxworth is the famous pancake guy!”

RE: PATEWOOD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL NAMED BEST IN S.C. FOR ORTHOPEDICS > Eggs up Grill “Impressive!”

RE: SPARTANBURG REGIONAL’S ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES RELOCATE TO BEAUMONT MILL > @SptbRegional

“It’s an exciting time as we implement our 10-year master facilities plan”

@UPSTATEBIZ @CWHaire @AndersonTrev @andrewmooreGVL @clandrum @daviddykes

@melindagyoung @EPietras_CJ @theladylety @jerrymsalley

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08.12.2016

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DATE Tuesday

8/16 Wednesday

8/17 Thursday

8/18 Thursday

9/1 Tuesday

9/13

EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

| PLANNER | 27

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

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

Tech After Five Networking event for tech entrepreneurs and professionals

Pour Lounge, 221 N. Main St., Greenville, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/taf-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

Greenville Chamber Netnight Networking event for business owners and professionals

Aloft Greenville Downtown Hotel, 5 N. Laurens St., Greenville, 6-8 p.m.

Cost: $10 investors, $15 non-investors More info: bit.ly/netnight-sept2016

Ten at the Top Upstate Regional Summit: Creating Leading Region

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville 7:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

More info: bit.ly/tattusummit-2016

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

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & ACCOUNT STRATEGY Kate Madden

PRESIDENT/CEO

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

Will Crooks

UBJ PUBLISHER

Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

EDITOR

Chris Haire chaire@communityjournals.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Emily Pietras epietras@communityjournals.com

STAFF WRITERS

Trevor Anderson, David Dykes, Lety Good, Caroline Hafer, Andrew Moore, Cindy Landrum

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGN CLIENT SERVICES Anita Harley | Jane Rogers

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kristi Fortner

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE STORY IDEAS: ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com

EVENTS: events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER

onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com

MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES Nicole Greer, Jenny Hall, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Lindsay Oehmen, Emily Yepes

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

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

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

>>

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

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-profits. The company was recently awarded the Community Foundation Spirit Award.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CoMMUnitY inVolVeMent & boarD positions lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member

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

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

Kristy Adair | Michael Allen

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AND AWARDS:

Danielle Car

UBJ milestone

1988

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

Guest columns run 700-800 words.

Contact managing editor Jerry Salley at jsalley@communityjournals.com to submit an article for consideration.

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

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