September 28, 2018 Upstate Business Journal

SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 | VOL. 7 ISSUE 35

MAN

MEETS MACHINE CLEMSON PROGRAM AIMS TO REIMAGINE LIFE ON THE FACTORY FLOOR Inside this issue

Muffin Mam: New CEO plans for aggressive growth • Page 4

Rick Erwin Dining Group tapped to bring Southern flavor to GSP Escape Lounge • Page 24

Data, wearable tech keep workers connected • Page 25

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UBJ | 09.28.2018

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

| THE RUNDOWN

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 35 Featured this issue: Muffin Mam names new CEO.........................................................................................4 200 jobs coming to Cherokee County..........................................................................6 Clemson gets $3 million grant.....................................................................................14

Seared tuna with ponzu sauce and seaweed salad is one dinner option being considered for the new GreenvilleSpartanburg Airport Escape Lounge menu, designed by Rick Erwin Dining Group.

Read more on Page 24.

Photo by Spencer Stanton

WORTH REPEATING

The No. 1 issue is identifying and recruiting a sustainable workforce. Companies are now thinking of out-of-the-box solutions for how they recruit and retain their workforce.

Chuck Spangler, Page 8

“It won’t work perfectly, but the parts that do work, we want to be able to push out the actual pedagogical lessons or the teaching lessons potentially to other industries.”

Laine Mears, Page 14

There is no better time than now to start a career in manufacturing, where jobs are plentiful, wages are rising faster than the county average, and employers are lining up to help students pay for school through programs like apprenticeships and internships.

David Clayton , Page 16

09.28.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

RETAIL & HOSPITALITY

Muffin Mam names new CEO, embarks on aggressive growth NEIL COTIAUX | CONTRIBUTOR

The Muffin Mam Inc., the Simpsonville-based private-label baker of crème cakes, pound cakes, muffins, brownies, and angel food cakes, is about to enter an aggressive new phase of growth.

With new funding from Azalea Capital, a Greenville-based equity finance firm, Muffin Mam’s new chief executive officer, Dewey Armstrong, has set the bar high: Generate four to five times existing growth in the next three to five years and become a $150 million

Pound cakes are packaged at The Muffin Mam Inc. facility in Simpsonville.

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UBJ | 09.28.2018

company employing 200 people.

Armstrong, the former Wise Snacks CEO who engineered a major turnaround at the near-bankrupt company in the early 2000s, joined Muffin Mam in July as part of the equity deal inked with Azalea, which brought him in to rebuild the 26-year-old company after trustees representing the former owners sought out fresh capital.

“They’d been maxed out in capacity … and they had continued as-is for two years” while serving at least one national food club and a variety of retail grocers, Armstrong explained. “Their current profits were going to be eroded.”

To revive the company’s fortunes, Armstrong and the firm’s newly named executive vice president, Greg Marshall, will increase the current production capacity of approximately 40,000 square feet by adding 80,000 to 100,000 square feet at a second site in the Upstate. “And it would be my vision to double that space in the new facility in a year and a half to 150,000 square feet,” the new CEO added.

The additional facility will be selected from among a dozen available sites that are now under review. It will open in 2019, Armstrong said.

More immediately, Muffin Mam is stepping up automation at its Simpsonville plant, located at 3129 N. Industrial Drive off Interstate 385.

“Azalea is investing a million dollars in automation as part of the growth vision, and we started that on day one,” Armstrong said, noting that manual insertion of paper wrap in muffin trays is one of the first labor-intensive tasks

Greg Marshall, T’yada Vega, and Dewey Armstrong Photos by Will Crooks / Upstate Business Journal to be automated.

“Speed is kind of important when you’ve got customers waiting for your product,” Armstrong said.

Muffin Mam has 63 full-time employees on its payroll and also leans heavily on temporary staffing.

To help accelerate production, Muffin Mam is starting to recruit at least 60 new employees, many of them maintenance technicians and production leaders, in order to develop four teams working 12-hour shifts, four days on and four days off, Armstrong said.

Following the opening of the company’s second plant, perhaps 30 more employees will be recruited, he added.

With a larger workforce and heavier use of automation, the stage will be set for serving more clients.

Working off its existing customer base of food clubs and retail grocers, Marshall, who had served as general manager, said a push is underway to interest more convenience stores in the company’s products.

“In addition to C-stores, we also want to look at food service … your restaurants, your hotels; we’re qualified with some of the products we make to also work with school lunch programs, breakfast programs,” Marshall said.

Both new and existing clients

will be able to make purchases from a product line that will expand, Armstrong said, including cupcakes and decorated cakes for special occasions.

Ben Wallace, a partner and director of business development at Azalea Capital, said the equity firm usually makes investments of $5 million to $15 million per company and holds its position for an average of five to seven years.

“We like the general trends in the industry,” Wallace said of the bakedgoods sector, explaining that consumers will buy such products in both good times and bad.

“I’m just excited to see what the future holds,” said T’yada Vega, who joined Muffin Mam as a temporary worker 22 years ago and who was one of three employees that the company sponsored for specialized training last year to help them advance their careers.

Vega now serves as human resources manager and will play a key role in recruiting and training both new and existing associates as the business expands.

“I’d like to pay it forward … just kind of developing the same kind of opportunities that were developed for me,” she said.

Going forward, Muffin Mam will continue to nurture “leaders who grow leaders,” Vega said.

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

FINANCE

Spartanburg-based Carolina Alliance Bank announces merger with Park National Corp.

ANDREW MOORE | STAFF

amoore@communityjournals.com Spartanburg-based CAB Financial Corp., the holding company for Carolina Alliance Bank, has signed an agreement to merge with Newark, Ohio-based Park National Corp., the holding company for Park National Bank.

Park National Corp. expects to acquire CAB Financial Corp. for approximately $141.8 million in a stock and cash transaction, including $28.4 million and 1.03 million shares with an implied share price of $19 each, according to a news release.

The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expect-

ed to close in the first half of 2019, according to the release.

Following the completion of the merger, Carolina Alliance Bank will operate as a community bank division of Park National Bank.

Carolina Alliance Bank has $730 million in assets and operates seven branches in the Upstate and western North Carolina, with a loan production office in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The bank’s leadership team, including CEO John Kimberly, and its board of directors will continue to operate under the Carolina Alliance Bank name and retain headquarters in Spartanburg, according to the release.

Among the many benefits of the

merger, Carolina Alliance Bank will gain greater lending capacity through its partnership with Park, an increasingly important component of its service to commercial and small-business customers, the release said.

The bank will also gain the potential to broaden its offerings to include other financial services not currently available to its customers, the release said.

“We chose to partner with Park National Bank because its leadership and service values align very closely with ours,” Kimberly said in a statement. “Our customers can feel confident that this merger only strengthens our ability to grow with them and continue to do business

| NEWS

in the way they have come to expect from Carolina Alliance Bank.”

With the addition of Carolina Alliance Bank, the Park National family of community banks consists of 12 banking divisions, each led by local professionals.

The bank most recently acquired Charlotte-based NewDominion Bank. It also opened a lending office in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this year.

“We believe in community banking excellence, and Carolina Alliance bankers share those principles and practices,” Park National Corp. CEO David L. Trautman said in a statement. “We are committed to helping John Kimberly and his colleagues in Asheville, Greenville, Spartanburg and surrounding areas as they move forward in this next chapter of their bank’s story.”

For more information, visit carolinaalliancebank.com or parknationalbank.com.

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UBJ | 09.28.2018

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

ENERGY

Green Tech Solution bringing 200 jobs to Cherokee County with new recycling facility ANDREW MOORE | STAFF

amoore@communityjournals.com A China-based recycling company is bringing hundreds of jobs to the Upstate.

Green Tech Solution plans to invest $75 million in a new recycling facility at 210 Henson Road in Blacksburg, according to a news release. The 180,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in the second quarter of 2019 and create about 200 new jobs.

“We could not be more excited to locate our new recycling operations in Cherokee County, a location that has everything we need for our investment to succeed,” Green Tech Solution CEO Richard Young said in a statement. “None of this would be possible without the assistance of the local and state allies that have supported our new endeavor.”

Green Tech Solution is a subsidiary of Tianjin Sheng Xin Non-Financing Guarantee Co., an investment company headquartered in Tianjin, China.

The company’s recycling center in Blacksburg will collect and process a variety of materials, including plastics, scrap metal, and electronics. Hiring should begin in February 2019.

Cherokee County Council Chairman Tim Spencer said the company’s new facility in Blacksburg will help boost the local economy.

“Cherokee County welcomes Green Tech Solution to our community,” Spencer said in a statement. “Their investment of $75 million and the creation of 200 new jobs will greatly increase the standard of living for many Cherokee County residents. We appreciate Green Tech Solution selecting

Cherokee County for the project and bringing new life to one of our available industrial buildings.”

South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt said he’s looking forward to “seeing the difference these 200 news jobs will make in the Cherokee County community.”

He also noted, “South Carolina’s recycling industry continues to

“Their investment… will greatly increase the standard of living.”

Cherokee County Council Chairman Tim Spencer enjoy tremendous growth, and foreign investment has played a large role in this.”

The recycling industry brings a $13 billion boost to the state’s economy every year, according to a report from the South Carolina Department of Commerce. South Carolina is home to more than 500 recycling companies, including collectors, processors, recycled product manufacturers, and equipment makers.

In the past five years alone, the South Carolina Department of Commerce has helped facilitate the recruitment of 2,477 jobs, $1,129 million in capital investment, and 42 new or existing companies in South Carolina’s recycling industry.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development, which was established by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, has approved job development credits for Green Tech Solution’s new recycling operation, according to the release.

For more information, visit www.sccommerce.com.

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| NEWS

TECH AND DESIGN

Greenville-based PivotSC snags Oracle partnership LAURA HAIGHT | CONTRIBUTOR

PivotSC, a Greenville-based conglomeration of tech startups, has snagged a coveted partnership with global software giant Oracle.

Helmed by serial tech entrepreneur Robert Fields, PivotSC officially opened its new downtown innovation lab last month. On hand for the launch were two executives from Oracle: Joe O’Toole, Northeast regional manager focusing on small and medium businesses, and Nick Ramos, account rep, who announced PivotSC’s acceptance into the selective Oracle Scaleup program, part of the Startup Cloud Accelerator ecosystem.

O’Toole and Ramos describe it as a next-generation initiative that offers “prerevenue startups” a customized set of services including cloud credits, access to mentoring from Oracle experts, customers, and partners, and potential access to Oracle investors.

O’Toole noted that one of the first companies to participate in this selective program was eventually so successful, Oracle acquired it.

“Part of what we look for are people who have done this before, who are dynamic,” Ramos says.

“Robert has done this many times; he knows how to hire good people.

You look at their roster and all the right signs are there. Not everyone is allowed in this program; we choose carefully. There’s an application process and you have to meet certain criteria. Robert has checked all those boxes.”

Among those boxes are selecting the right companies to invite to join the PivotSC community. The eight companies are mostly technology oriented: Many focus on “internet of things” solutions, a few are medical, and there are robotics and agribusiness involved as well.

Oracle representatives Nick Ramos, left, and Joe O’Toole, second from left, talk with Mayor Knox White, right, and PivotSC adviser Lee Stogner, internet of things and electronics expert.

In addition to office space, the PivotSC umbrella includes a full business infrastructure, including acknowledged subject matter experts such as Lee Stogner, an internet of things and electronics expert; a lawyer; a data analyst; engineers; and experts in sales, technology, and operations.

In some cases, the companies themselves do double-duty and offer expertise to their collaborative colleagues.

HOW ORACLE MET GREENVILLE The Oracle-PivotSC relationship began with a Bloomberg Business article tagging Greenville “the Silicon Valley of the South.” Ramos was intrigued and started making some calls, doing some research.

Ultimately, he found Adam Steen, chief operating officer of PivotSC, and also owner of Visigrow, one of the PivotSC portfolio of companies.

“The timing was perfect,” O’Toole says. Countering questions about why Oracle — a global enterprise provider — would be

interested in a small startup, Ramos says the times are changing. “Traditionally, Oracle’s been thought of as an enterprise product. But we’ve worked hard with our tech teams to change that. We have great solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, and we hope this shows that.”

The accelerator programs are part of this change, O’Toole says.

“We’re looking to become a real part of the community,” he says.

“To contribute with mentorship on how to grow business, to find ways that Oracle experts and thought leaders can help beyond just using our products.”

Ramos calls Fields “a great ambassador for Greenville,” and he plans to be in the city on a regular basis “so we can be hands on and in front of Robert.” He also anticipates that Fields will introduce Oracle to other small-business leaders.

WHAT DOES ORACLE GET OUT OF THIS? Oracle is banking on PivotSC to be a success story that can be a

springboard to more connections in Greenville.

“We want to show the community and all the small and medium-sized businesses that Oracle is a great fit for them,” Ramos says.

Fields says so far, so good.

“We’ve been working with Oracle for a couple of months and are really pleased with what they’ve been able to prepare for us,” he says.

Although PivotSC has not applied for any capital assistance from Oracle, O’Toole didn’t rule that out in the future. Both partners say that for now it’s Oracle’s added value as a business partner and mentor fueling rapid growth that they are looking for.

“Robert is going to build his solutions and they’re going to be powered by Oracle,” says Ramos.

“A great use case of how a startup is using our tech is fantastic.”

A LOOK AT PIVOTSC LOCATION 50 S. Richardson St., Greenville WEBSITE www.pivotsc.net

COMPANY PORTFOLIO VISIGROW LLC Agribusiness internet of things.

XTREMEDX LLC Medical devices.

FIBRATRONICS INC. Advanced materials using graphene.

VOIR DIRE ANALYTICS LLC Big-data analytics for jury selection.

THATLOOKSNEAT LLC Electronics consulting.

IPETKITS LLC Veterinarian kits.

OCSNAH BOTANICAL ROBOTICS INC. Robotics for GMO solutions.

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09.28.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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A CLOSER LOOK |

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

MANUFACTURING Q&A

Chuck Spangler, CEO and president of the S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership ANDREW MOORE | STAFF

amoore@communityjournals.com Manufacturing is an ever-changing industry, with new issues arising every year. This year has been no exception, with the Trump administration waging a trade war on multiple fronts and imposing tariffs against China, the world’s largest manufacturing hub.

In South Carolina, one of the leaders guiding the manufacturing industry through these volatile market conditions is Chuck Spangler, the CEO and president of the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership, or SCMEP. SCMEP is a nonprofit that aims to promote business growth by connecting manufacturers across the Palmetto State to public and private resources essential to their achieving increased competitiveness and profitability.

In an exclusive interview with the Upstate Business Journal, Spangler discussed the state of manufacturing in South Carolina, how the organization is helping companies improve their operations, and the effectiveness of their efforts.

The following transcript has been edited and condensed for brevity and clarity.

Upstate Business Journal: What is the state of manufacturing in South Carolina?

Chuck Spangler: The manufacturing sector is doing well. The state has transitioned from traditional manufacturing to an advanced 8

UBJ | 09.28.2018

manufacturing state in 20 short years. It is more diversified than ever before and currently has 60,000-plus statewide manufacturing job openings.

How would you describe the Upstate manufacturing community?

CS: The Upstate’s performance is outstanding. New companies are moving in and existing companies are expanding. … Large [original equipment manufacturers] have improved their supply chain performance over the last few years, which has benefited many suppliers.

What market conditions do you see impacting South Carolina manufacturers in 2018 and 2019?

CS: Market conditions are solid for 2018 and positive for the first half of 2019. Several top economists are looking at a possible slowdown in late 2019. There is also a lot of uncertainty over the potential impact tariffs will have.

What areas do you see having the biggest need in the future?

CS: Workforce, workforce, workforce. SCMEP works with manufacturing companies of all sizes and industries around the state.

The No. 1 issue is identifying and recruiting a sustainable workforce.

Companies are now thinking of out-of-the-box solutions for how they recruit and retain their workforce. We see more companies moving towards a virtual/augmented reality training method to recruit younger workers, which in turn has a higher learning re-

tention rate compared to traditional training methods.

What is SCMEP doing to help meet the future needs of the industry?

CS: SCMEP is vetting future needs of South Carolina’s manufacturers and identifying resources that will bring bottom- and top-line improvements to the manufacturing community. We are benchmarking what the top original equipment manufacturers around the globe are doing and determining what best practices/technologies can help small- to medium-size manufacturing companies in South Carolina.

The main goal is to find resources at the right price to assist companies in adopting the technology.

How is SCMEP addressing the widening skills gap?

CS: SCMEP acts as a conduit to the Department of Commerce, other state agencies, community colleges, and universities on current needs in the marketplace. We also lead the “Manufacturing Day” initiative for the state. This national initiative has been designed to expand knowledge about and improve the perception of manufacturing careers and manufacturing’s value to the North American economy.

It is a chance for manufacturers to open their doors to students and parents, enabling them to see firsthand what advanced manufacturing looks like.

Where does SCMEP receive funding from?

CS: SCMEP receives funding from the U.S. Department of Com-

Chuck Spangler merce, South Carolina Department of Commerce, and fees from client projects. SCMEP also has key partnerships with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, several South Carolina technical colleges, Clemson University, several economic developers, and a number of workforce development boards. We also have an extensive network of third-party providers that delivers approximately 80 percent of our projects around the state.

What types of workshops does SCMEP offer to companies and their executives?

CS: In addition to on-site consulting services, SCMEP offers a wide range of courses and workshops, from continuous improvement (Lean Six Sigma), leadership and soft skills development, supply chain, quality management systems, environmental

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

| A CLOSER LOOK

MANUFACTURING Q&A health and safety, and technical skills, among others. SCMEP offers customer-requested or current industry topic training.

We held 131 open enrollments around the state during our last fiscal year, which ended in June.

SCMEP also offers a network for manufacturing executives called Insight. The Insight Network provides executives with the opportunity to collaborate with peers to share ideas, solve problems, and navigate the obstacles of running a business. Through monthly half-day sessions, members work face-to-face to sharpen skills and improve organizationa l per for mance.

Events typically include a combination of training sessions, focused problem-solving, guest speakers, product demonstrations, and plant tours.

SCMEP offers a Competitiveness Review. What is it?

CS: Developed by SCMEP, the Competitiveness Review is a comprehensive, on-site evaluation of a company’s operations that both appraises capabilities and gauges the effectiveness of business systems. There is no cost to South Carolina manufacturing companies and it represents a $5,500 value. It reveals (or confirms) the company’s limiting factors and provides a snapshot comparison to other companies.

The assessment delivers a road map to improve competitiveness, performance, and the bottom line.

What types of companies typically seek out help from SCMEP? CS: SCMEP works with all size companies and industry sectors, which is what makes us unique.

Growing Middle Market Manufacturing.

We have worked with one-employee companies to the major OEMs around the state. In the past, our “sweet spot” has been working with companies with 100 to 500 employees. This past year, SCMEP worked with 105 companies that had under 20 employees. We expect this number to climb in the next few years.

During your time with SCMEP, what has the organization accomplished for manufacturing companies in South Carolina?

CS: SCMEP is becoming the No. 1 resource for the manufacturing community. We worked with 508 companies and completed 695 projects during our last fiscal year. All companies that engage in projects with SCMEP are

surveyed to demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative impacts. These impacts convey how we help improve performance and achieve goals. Measured quarterly, and reported annually, client companies are surveyed by NIST [National Institute of Standards and Technology] through an independent third-party organization. During 2017, SCMEP had a $2.45 billion impact to the state. A W.E. Upjohn Institute report released in March showed that for every dollar given to the national MEP system, $14.5 is returned to the U.S. Treasury. SCMEP has consistently been one of the top-performing MEP centers in the U.S. in the area of new and retained sales.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SCMEP.ORG. Financial and Growth Strategies Tailored to Our Manufacturing Clients ` Assurance

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A CLOSER LOOK |

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

MANUFACTURING NEWS ROUNDUP with Andrew Moore

JTEKT North America completes $5.8M expansion, Roy Metal Finishing announces acquisition, and more The manufacturing sector in the Upstate started and ended the month with a bang on several fronts. From multimillion-dollar expansions to acquisitions, it’s clear that progress is in full swing. Here are some of the top announcements:

JTEKT North America expands Greenville County headquarters JTEKT North America, a subsidiary of global automotive and industrial supplier JTEKT Corp., has completed a $5.8 million expansion of its headquarters at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville.

The expansion, which includes a 19,000-square-foot addition to the One Research Drive building at CU-ICAR, began last year to accommodate the creation of 100 new

jobs, all of which should be filled by 2020, according to a news release.

JTEKT North America officials said the new space complements the 135 square feet of space the company already occupies between two facilities on the 250-acre research campus and will provide work areas for associates who have been relocated to Greenville, as well as the new positions.

“Greenville is an excellent location for our growing headquarters, not only geographically as it’s central to most of our manufacturing footprint, but also due to the availability of talented professionals in business and technical fields,” said Mike Davison, executive vice pres-

ident and chief operating officer at JTEKT North America, in a statement. “This expansion facilitates co-location of vital functions within our organization and the continuation of research and development, all to better serve our customers and allow for capable associates to thrive in an innovative environment.”

JTEKT North America, which was founded in 1958, manufactures steering systems, driveline components, bearings technologies, and precision machine tools for the automotive industry, according to the release.

The company employs more than 6,000 associates at 24 sites across North America. It has four operations across South Carolina, with plants in Piedmont, Blythewood, and Orangeburg. In 2015, continued on PAGE 12

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Time To Get Serious About Your Company’s Data?

Hurricane Florence slammed into the North Carolina coast causing billions of dollars of damage and taking several lives. This time, the Upstate of South Carolina got lucky. If you are a business owner in this area, you should know that data loss occurs every day. Not just during a natural disaster.

There are services that will perform automated email backups for all your employees.

You should also consider who has access to your email Administrative Credentials. Testing the functionality of your backups periodically also.

Cyber Security and Backups It should not surprise anyone that email is a favorite target for Cyber Criminals. If the security of your email system is compromised, your business email could immediately be hijacked (meaning your entire mailbox including email, contacts, calendar, etc. can be stolen), or encrypted and held for ransom. Cyber Criminals can have your incoming and outgoing messages copied to them, etc.

Hurricanes, Earthquakes, and Fires get a lot of attention. But, as damaging as these natural disasters are, they are not the most common, nor the most dangerous causes of data loss. So, what is this secret cause of data loss that’s bigger than a hurricane?

SURPRISE! The Number One Cause of Data Loss is – Your Own Employees!

To reduce the risk your business faces from these unforeseen disasters, you MUST have data protection in place, including email backup, archiving, and recovery.

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If you have users with data stored on their computer hard drives, that data also needs to be backed up. Often laptops are accidentally damaged, lost, or stolen. If your employees have sensitive or confidential data stored on laptops, those should be encrypted so the data cannot be retrieved by the bad guys.

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Statistics show that nearly two thirds of all data loss is caused by human error. Some of the top reasons include: • Human Error – accidental deletion of data or other errors.

• Exiting the Firm – taking knowledge or access to data with them • Malicious Intent – purposefully deleting or damaging data • Non-Compliance – Not following proper data access/storage procedures

It is almost 2019. Your company’s data security and integrity should be top-of-mind items for you. Most of these things sound like common sense. And, to a large degree, they are. However, there has never been a better time to use some common sense and protect yourself and your company.

Email Backups – The Cloud Isn’t Enough!

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A CLOSER LOOK |

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

MANUFACTURING ROUNDUP

Brain Boosting Tips We’ve all experienced the occasional lapse in memory, where we misplace our car keys or forget someone’s name. Sometimes it feels like our brain just doesn’t want to cooperate. When it happens to our aging loved ones it can be somewhat alarming. Fortunately, there are plenty of non-threatening reasons that account for senior forgetfulness. What’s more, seniors can even take steps to give their brains a boost and help reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

Below are a few tips that seniors can follow to help give their brains a boost: EXERCISE: When we engage in physical exercise, even if it’s just walking, our brains release a protein called BDNF that promotes healthy nerve cells in the brain, helping to preserve memory and mental functions.

SOCIALIZE: Socializing with friends and family members can help reduce depression and stress, both of which are known contributors to memory loss.

SLEEP: When seniors don’t sleep well, their mental functions are not as sharp. Sleep also helps consolidate memories, so that we can recall them at a later time. Simply put, sleeping is like a reset button on the brain.

Greenville County Council Chairman Butch Kirven, who also serves as director of Greenville Area Development Corp., said in a statement that JTEKT North America’s recent expansion of its headquarters at CU-ICAR is a “testament to our dedicated workforce and strong pro-business environment.”

“JTEKT North America is a great corporate citizen and a prime example of the growing family of leading international companies located here,” he said.

Those looking to apply for one of the company’s new positions should visit the company’s careers page online. For more information, visit jtekt-na.com.

STIMULATE: One of the best ways to keep the brain active is by ensuring it is stimulated, through activities such as puzzles, playing cards, reading, and even memory games. Mentally stimulating activities will go a long way in keeping the brain sharp.

Dutch technology company acquires Roy Metal Finishing Inc.

Comfort Keepers® Can Help

Piedmont-based manufacturer Roy Metal Finishing Inc. announced earlier this month that it has been acquired by Aalberts Industries N.V., a Dutch technology company that specializes in industrial machinery for the equipment industry.

Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“We are fortunate to have found a European partner that aligns not only with our company’s core values and our focus on our people, but is also committed to our goal of providing high-quality products to our customers,” said RMF president and CEO John Pazdan. “We are proud of our growth over the past 57 years and, with Aalberts’ support, we will be in an even better position for continued success.”

Roy Metal Finishing, which was founded in 1961, provides corrosion-resistant coatings to the automotive, heavy truck, and industrial/recreation vehicle markets in the southeastern United States.

Current customers include BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Ford, General Motors, FCA, Volvo, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai/Kia, John Deere, and Caterpillar.

Pazdan and other members of the management team will remain in position to manage the company from its Upstate headquarters and

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JTEKT North America announced a $1.75 million investment and « opened its operational headquarters at CU-ICAR.

UBJ | 09.28.2018

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

| A CLOSER LOOK

MANUFACTURING ROUNDUP to implement a business plan aimed at expanding the presence of Aalberts Industries in North America.

Aalberts Industries, which was founded in 1975 by Dutch entrepreneur Jan Aalberts, is divided into four general business units — building installations, climate control, industrial services, and industrial controls — according to the release. Each business unit is decentralized and managed by a dedicated leadership team and is responsible for its own improvements. Collectively, the units have a revenue of more than $2.9 million and employ 14,700 people in more than 30 countries.

“We are looking forward to adding Roy Metal Finishing to the Aalberts family. RMF is an outstanding leader in the metal finishing business and this acquisition will provide a platform for us to expand our surface treatment network in the United States,” Oliver Jäger, executive director of Aalberts Industries, said in a statement. “Their reputation in the metal finishing business is second to none, and we are proud to join with

a company that has had such stellar success over the years.”

For more information, visit www.roymetalfinishing.com.

“Uninterrupted supply of products, shorter lead time, and lower shipping costs — that’s what our customers will gain from this development.”

Hemingway said he plans to relocate his office to the distribution center later this year to operations. Employees will include Griplock Systems opening new oversee warehouse personnel, quality control managers, and procurement engineers. distribution center in Duncan The distribution center marks the fourth California-based company Griplock Systems, major expansion for Griplock Systems, the which manufactures cable suspension products, release said. Its most recent expansion occurred plans to open a distribution center in Duncan. in 2013, when it relocated to a larger warehouse The company didn’t say how much it will and headquarters in Carpinteria, California. invest in the center, but it plans to employ about “We have a great number of customers on the 35 people and begin operations during the East Coast, in the Midwest, and Canada that are fourth quarter, according to a news release. going to benefit from this expansion,” said Ryan It will also provide onsite engineering support. Kwast, vice president of sales and engineering “With our ever-increasing customer base and at Griplock Systems, in a statement. “This inhigh demand in product we were poised for ex- crease in our warehouse capacity and personnel pansion and it only made sense to expand to the allows us to get product out the door much faster other side of the country to better serve our and we’re closer to half our customers so delivery customers in the Eastern part of the United States time is shorter and costs are lower.” and Canada,” Todd Hemingway, president and For more information, visit www.griplocksysCEO of Griplock Systems, said in a statement. tems.com.

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A CLOSER LOOK |

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

MANUFACTURING

Clemson gets $3M grant to study simulated factory with Greenville Tech ARIEL GILREATH | STAFF

agilreath@communityjournals.com Next fall, Clemson University graduate students and Greenville Technical College students will be working together in what the schools hope will be the new national model for workforce development education.

The National Science Foundation awarded a $3 million grant t o C lemson Universit y ’s THINKER program, which stands for Technology-Human INtegrated Knowledge, Education, and Research.

THINKER places more than 20 graduate students a year at the Clemson Vehicle Assembly Center housed in Greenville Tech’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation to research human interaction with technology on the assembly line, as well as ways to enhance the

Clemson University student Matthew Krugh works on a circuit board for a sensory glove he developed.

14

UBJ | 09.28.2018

work environment.

Previously, graduate students at Clemson’s International Center for Automotive Research would have a small window to test technology at BMW’s plant.

Laine Mears, BMW SmartState chair in Automotive Manufacturing at Clemson, said a student would have about 15 minutes when the assembly line shuts down in the middle of the night to test a piece of equipment he was researching — while being careful not to disrupt production.

“If he were to ever shut down production, that would be a really big problem,” Mears said. “So we said, let’s not worry about that anymore, let’s build a factory that we can actually break and cause problems in and understand how humans can address those problems.”

Matthew Krugh, a student in Clemson’s doctorate program for vehicle manufacturing and quality, has been developing technology to help assembly line workers complete tasks. One of Krugh’s inventions places a small camera at the end of workers’ index fingers that can project onto smart technology so they can see what they’re feeling with their hands when they reach inside a vehicle.

“We were looking at, how can we make the associate’s life easier?

How can we also enable them to use a lot of new technology that’s coming out?” Krugh said.

The Greenville Tech students

Clemson University student Matthew Krugh poses at Greenville Technical College’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation. Photos by Will Crooks will still be completing their coursework with the school, but through THINKER the graduate students will consult Tech’s students as though they are working in an actual factory.

Greenville Tech’s students will be the first to test some of the technology that comes out of CUICAR. “It won’t work perfectly, but the parts that do work, we want to be able to push out the actual pedagogical lessons or the teaching lessons potentially to other industries,” Mears said.

Assembly lines haven’t changed much in the 105 years since the automobile assembly line was invented by Henry Ford, Mears said.

“In 100 years, there have been no major advances beyond the robot, but now, it’s a time that we can relax here a little bit, and

rethink — what does the manufacturing system need to look like for the person to do the best job that they can [and] get the most out of it themselves?” Mears said.

He said the idea behind THINKER is not only to invent technology to help industry workers and executives improve the quality of the product, but to study the work environment and improve employees’ quality of life.

“Now we’re able to get to a much higher level of doing data analysis, understanding human behavior in the manufacturing environment, and really developing a new understanding of how people interact with manufacturing systems,” Mears said. “People are an integral part of manufacturing, and you’re never going to empty a factory out and put a bunch of robots in — people will always be in manufacturing.”

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FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

MANUFACTURING IDEAS Manufacturing Day reveals career potential to high school seniors

By DAVID CLAYTON

“National study points to shortage of 3 million professional basketball players over next decade.”

That is a headline we will never see, but whenever I ask middle school students what they want to be when they grow up, professional athlete is the answer of nearly all the boys. The girls have more varied answers, but rarely much more realistic.

Who wouldn’t want to be a rich celebrity paid to play games?

When we host tours of Greenville Technical College’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation, especially with middle and high school students, I stress that it’s not an either-or proposition: Do what you love in your free time and start building the path to a career while at school.

To pique the students’ interest, I often compare our manufacturing tools to exotic sports cars. Racing counts as a pro sport, right? Both types of machines run fast, cost a small fortune, and you don’t hand the keys to just anyone. Seeing these high-performing machines in action attracts the interest of many students, while learning that the average salary in manufacturing for an associate degree holder is $67,000 attracts the interest of parents.

During the past year, we’ve hosted thousands of visitors to CMI, and on Oct. 5, we will open our doors again to hundreds of Greenville County high school seniors for Manufacturing Day 2018, held in partnership with the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and Greenville County Schools.

Manufacturing Day gives students a chance to see the clean, modern learning environment of Greenville Tech’s CMI and tour one of a dozen local manufacturing facilities. At CMI, students will see lasers that can cut, melt, and measure; 16 industrial robots; 10 3D printers; 12 metal machining centers; and all the latest software and tools to make these machines run. Most importantly, students will have the opportunity to meet faculty and prospective employers to learn about career and educational pathways.

Due to strong employer demand for graduates, enrollment in our industrial programs has grown by more than 10 percent annually since opening CMI two years ago. So why do we continue to invest resources in outreach, hosting events like Manufacturing Day? The answer is that there is no better time than now to start a career in manufacturing, where jobs are plentiful, wages are rising faster than the county average, and employers are lining up to help students pay for school through programs like apprenticeships and internships. Our plan to begin offering a four-year degree in advanced manufacturing technology next fall makes this the best time. Once all approvals have been received and that degree is in place, students will be able to move seamlessly from Executive director, Greenville Technical College’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation

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UBJ | 09.28.2018

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

| A CLOSER LOOK

MANUFACTURING IDEAS our manufacturing associate degree programs into an applied bachelor’s degree program.

Although the focus of our Manufacturing Day event is on high school students, the average age of students in our programs is 26. Greenville Tech can attract both students starting out in their careers and others further along in their journey because our programs are flexible in many ways. Classes run from 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. at CMI, allowing students to schedule around work and family. Through a prior learning assessment, students can exempt classes for material they already know, helping them expedite their education.

Working with Clemson University and local industry partners, our students have the opportunity to conduct research and development projects, giving them real-world experience. Finally, with more than a dozen certificates and degree programs of study in advanced manufacturing, students

have the flexibility to study subjects that are most interesting and career-relevant to them.

While Manufacturing Day is only one day in October, there is never a bad time to invest in higher education and begin a career in Greenville’s vibrant manufacturing economy. Students can begin at the start of any semester — spring, summer, or fall — and be two years away from a great career with pathways to technical leadership and operations management.

Interested students or parents in Greenville County high schools should contact their school counselors to sign up for the Manufacturing Day activities on Oct. 5. Families are also invited to Community Fest on our Barton Campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 6 where they’ll see high-tech, advanced manufacturing tools in action, including 3D printers and robotics, as they enjoy a fun day of hands-on learning.

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09.28.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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A CLOSER LOOK |

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

MANUFACTURING IDEAS Technology, innovation drive local manufacturers to become smarter, more data-driven enterprises

By CHRIS YARROW Co-founder and managing partner, The Hiring Group

The marketplace of the 21st century is evolving into one of merging national markets, fragmented consumer markets, and rapidly changing product technologies.

Manufacturing is a key part of the DNA of the Upstate, but manufacturing is no longer just about making physical products. Technology and innovation are driving local manufacturers to become smarter, more data-driven enterprises.

The demand for highly skilled manufacturing engineers and technical workers continues to rise as technology, automation, and more advanced manufacturing practices are adopted.

Hiring for these critical positions is challenging, especially for the companies with deeply ingrained processes and industrial-focused environments. Here are several key considerations for manufacturers that are impacting recruiting, hiring, and culture here in the Upstate.

THE MODERN WORKFORCE Upstate manufacturing organizations must re-evaluate their hiring and retention strategies to effectively compete in the high-demand hiring marketplace.

An entire generation of engineering and technical talent is moving toward retirement, which means manufacturers must attract and hire new talent to fill in the skills gap

or chance losing years of knowledge capital.

In the Upstate, companies face this reality as demand for highly skilled IT and engineering resources is driving more competitive job offers, richer benefits, and more perks overall.

Manufacturing organizations must not only align their hiring strategies to attract and hire the best and brightest, but also add programs that focus on continued development.

Today’s technical and engineering workforce is eager to work on new, challenging projects that are tied to key corporate initiatives. Companies that implement programs to expose employees to cutting-edge technologies are at an advantage when it comes to recruiting the top IT and engineering resources.

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FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

MANUFACTURING IDEAS « AUTOMATION, TECH AND DATA ARE KING

Technology and the digital transformation are changing the manufacturing landscape here faster than ever before. For manufacturers, investing in technology and data solutions delivers several benefits to all levels of the company. As knowledge and insight are gleaned by engineers, data scientists, and analysts from manufacturing systems, production-based workers in these companies also gain access to it.

Digital manufacturing affords more flexibility than conventional, linear approaches by allowing companies to plan and develop in tandem.

Companies can quickly identify product shortfalls and address production changes to course correct immediately. Agile technologies, robotic automation, and 3D modeling solutions enable companies to configure and reconfigure operations faster at a lower cost. To leverage these innovations, companies should invest in training their existing workforce and continue to build a data-focused enterprise.

COMPLIANCE: EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY Across the globe, regulatory and security compliance remains a critical priority. The Upstate is no exception, as organizations face severe financial or operational penalties if found to be in violation.

The need for compliance and documentation teams in manufacturing organizations continues to increase as companies strive to lower costs linked to penalties.

In addition to regulatory compliance, IT and data-security compliance for manufacturers also poses a great risk. According to a recent study by the Ponemon Institute, the average cost of a data breach globally is $3.86 million. For Upstate manufacturers, having resources and standards in place to protect enterprise data is critical, which means investing in IT and data security professionals to manage these business requirements to circumvent the risk of data breaches.

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT The future of manufacturers here in the Upstate of South Carolina is bright. Technology and innovation are helping these companies improve their businesses to plan, build, produce, and distribute their products at a higher quality and more efficiently than ever before.

To stay ahead, local manufacturers should consider establishing new or updated methods to attract the most qualified, highly technical talent and keep them engaged and loyal. Leveraging technology and data to share across the organization will continue to bring shared value at all levels of the enterprise. Having the insight and visibility into people, processes, and technology will help these companies drive production, while also mitigating risk and driving overall productivity and revenue generation.

Chris Yarrow is a co-founder and managing partner of The Hiring Group (www.thehiringgroup.com), a technical staffing and recruiting firm with clients across the U.S. Yarrow and his business partner, Brooks Israel, established The Hiring Group in 2014 and have become one of the nation’s fastest-growing staffing companies. The Hiring Group was recently named No. 130 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing businesses in the U.S. and was also named one of the 2018 South Carolina’s 25 Fastest Growing Companies.

| A CLOSER LOOK

5S philosophy is key for manufacturing support contractors

By KEVIN CRITTENDON Director of Continuous Improvement, GreenWood Inc.

Every maintenance and manufacturing support contractor should maintain a steadfast commitment to safety, customer satisfaction, and quality services. In order to deliver on these commitments, programs must be implemented and tools used that are designed specifically for the work environment for continuous improvement. One of the key components to continuous improvement is 5S, which is a management philosophy devoted to proper arrangement and orderliness of the workplace.

The 5S philosophy applies to any work area and is a key tool to eliminate waste. Industrial markets typically categorize waste as: overproduction (manufacturing an item before it is needed); excessive inventory (work in progress from overproduction and waiting); waiting (poor material flow); motion (unnecessary and inappropriate movement); transportation (moving product between processes); rework (quality issues from defects); and over-processing (use of high-cost equipment when it isn’t necessary).

In order to achieve high levels of safety, quality, and productivity, workers must have a conducive working environment that is clean and organized. The elements of 5S are common sense and simple to learn: Sort — Eliminate whatever is not needed Straighten — Organize whatever remains Shine — Clean the work area Standardize — Schedule regular cleaning and maintenance Sustain — Make 5S a way of life The benefits and advantages of implementing 5S can be tremendous and quantified, and include: visual management; improved safety; higher equipment availability; lower defect rates; reduced costs; visual organization; improved employee morale; better asset utilization; and enhanced enterprise image to customers, suppliers, employees, and management.

When a company embraces 5S, it establishes a solid foundation for continuous improvement. Through a team-based approach, workplace organization results in a safer environment with more-efficient work processes. Typically, improvements are realized in productivity, quality, and employee morale. Because the team takes ownership to manage the entire process, continuous improvement is sustainable.

Kevin Crittendon is director of continuous improvement for GreenWood Inc., a provider of integrated maintenance, operations, and construction solutions. He can be reached at kcrittendon@gwood.com.

09.28.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

19

SPONSORED CONTENT

Is Your Business Compliant with the New South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodations Act?

By Andy Satterfield, Jackson Lewis, P.C. The South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodations Act became effective May 17, 2018, with a deadline of September 14, 2018 for compliance with the Act’s notice provisions. The Act requires employers with at least 15 employees to provide reasonable accommodations to employees for pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical conditions (including lactation).

related medical conditions. It is also unlawful to require an employee to take leave under any leave law if another reasonable accommodation can be provided.

In addition, the Act makes it unlawful for the employer to require an applicant or an employee affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions to accept an accommodation if the individual does not have a known limitation related to the pregnancy, or if the accommodation is unnecessary for the applicant or employee to perform the essential duties of her job.

Reasonable Accommodations The Act gives specific examples of reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, including: • Providing a private place, other than a bathroom stall, for Notice and Posting Requirements the purpose of expressing milk (although the employer is Employers must provide written notice to existing employees and not required to construct a permanent, dedicated space for all new employees, at the commencement of their employment, expressing milk); of the right to be free from discrimination for medical needs • Modifying food or drink policies; arising from pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical • Providing seating or allowing the employee to sit more conditions. Employers may comply with the notice obligation frequently if the job requires the employee to stand; ANDY SATTERFIELD by amending existing Equal Employment Opportunity policies to • Providing more frequent or longer break periods; include rights for pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical conditions.

• Providing assistance with manual labor and limits on lifting; Alternatively, employers may choose to draft a standalone notice or policy.

• Temporarily transferring the employee to a less strenuous or hazardous vacant position, if qualified; In addition, employers must conspicuously post notice at each place of • Providing job restructuring or light duty, if available; business in an area accessible to employees, such as where the employer • Acquiring or modifying equipment or devices necessary for performing posts other state and federal workplace posters. The South Carolina essential job functions; and Human Affairs Commission has created a new South Carolina Employment • Modifying work schedules.

Discrimination Poster to comply with this posting obligation.

However, the Act does not require an employer to do the following (unless Next Steps the employer does or would do so for other employees): South Carolina employers should: • Hire new employees that the employer would not have hired otherwise; • Provide notices as required to all new and existing employees; • Discharge an employee, transfer another employee with more seniority, or • Post the updated South Carolina Employment Discrimination Poster; and promote another employee who is not qualified to perform the new job; • Train supervisors and managers on how to spot pregnancy accommodation • Create a new position, including light-duty position for the employee, requests and enlist Human Resources’ assistance in the process. unless a light-duty position would be provided for another equivalent employee; or Jackson Lewis is a law firm providing premier workplace law representation • Compensate an employee for more frequent or longer break periods, to management. Andy Satterfield is a Greenville native and Principal of unless the employee uses a break period that would otherwise be Jackson Lewis’s Greenville office. compensated.

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| NEWS Office of Philanthropy & Partnership

Greenville ranks 21st on Verizon’s top 50 small cities for small businesses list

Run4Life 2018

Greenville, South Carolina, recently ranked 21st in Verizon Business’ first “Best Small Cities to Start a Small Business Report.” Being in the top 10 percent in the nation, Greenville was named one of the top small cities for small businesses to grow and thrive.

Those making the list of 50 small cities were chosen by Verizon analysts based on education level of the local workforce, in-city commute times, income per capita, broadband access, availability of SBA loans, and overall tax friendliness. Data was gathered from nearly 300 small cities with populations between 50,000 and 75,000 people, which is how the U.S. census classifies small cities.

While Verizon is more popularly known as a cellphone service provider, Verizon Business also strives to provide businesses with a variety of tools necessary to operate efficiently.

The complete study can be found at https://go.verizon.com/resources/the-bestsmall-cities-to-start-a-small-business/.

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Smith Moore Leatherwood to merge with Fox Rothschild in its Southeastern expansion Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP will merge with Fox Rothschild LLP on Nov. 1, adding 130 attorneys to Fox while expanding into the Southeast. Mergers with six offices in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina totaled the combined firm's locations to 27 nationwide with more than 900 attorneys.

The Smith Moore Leatherwood firm in Greenville will remain open and operate under the Fox Rothschild name after the merger. The firm has served in the Greenville area since 1945, delivering solutions specific to clients’ industry challenges and needs.

Working with Smith Moore Leatherwood since 1990, Frank Williams is the partner in charge of the Greenville firm.

“We’ll have a lot more resources,” Williams said of the merger. “We see this as a great opportunity for us to provide better,

more full services to our clients. It provides us with the resources of a nationwide firm.”

Williams said some clients require resources in other parts of the country or additional expertise, and this merger will better meet those clients’ needs. Smith Moore Leatherwood was initially interested in the merger with Fox as a larger firm because of the firms’ similarities in values, Williams said.

As a result of the merger, Smith Moore Leatherwood’s services in litigation, labor and employment, tax, trusts and estates, real estate, corporate law, health law, intellectual property, and others will be strengthened. Practitioners specializing in legal issues of manufacturing, clean energy, transportation, and infrastructure will be another result of the firms’ merger.

“Expanding our footprint in the Southeast through this merger is an important

milestone for the firm,” Fox chair Mark L. Silow said in the release. “We have explored opportunities in this region for many years and are delighted to have found in Smith Moore Leatherwood a firm with a superb roster of talented attorneys who share our values, our approach to client service, and our entrepreneurial focus.”

Julie Theall Earp, Smith Moore Leatherwood’s chair of the management committee, said Fox’s dedication to excellence, integrity, and teamwork is attractive to the firm.

“We are thrilled to join Fox Rothschild.

For almost 100 years we have been proud to provide our clients with efficient, top level legal services,” Earp said in the release.

“Combining resources with Fox allows us to expand our geographic reach and utilize an established nationwide network of resources for our clients.” — Melody Wright

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com |

@arielhturner

Escape Lounge opening at GSP chooses Rick Erwin Dining Group to design menu An Escape Lounge will open in the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport this October with Rick Erwin Dining Group designing the menu.

Not to be confused with the Escape Room entertainment concept, Escape Lounges are premium, common-use airport lounges open to all guests. The popular concept was brought from the United Kingdom to the United States by MAG USA, which will be investing more than $1 million in the 2,500-square-foot space at GSP. "The Escape Lounge is a great fit for GSP because of the high number of business travelers that utilize the airport, and this is one

of the most-requested services that we don’t offer today," said Scott Carr, Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District’s vice president-commercial business and communications. "We’re looking forward to opening the lounge on Oct. 22, and we know that it will be widely received by the traveling public based on the quality that Escape Lounges are known for around the country."

The goal of Escape Lounges is to return the airport experience to the more-pleasant one it used to be 20-plus years ago.

Guests entering the lounge pay a flat $45 fee at the door to receive unlimited amenities that include hot and cold food and a full bar;

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UBJ | 09.28.2018

Rick Erwin’s corporate chef Jason McCarthy (right) presents a tasting of breakfast options for the GSP Escape Lounge to members of the MAG USA team.

Photo by Spencer Stanton

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a variety of comfortable seating options with plenty of power outlets; high-speed, consistent Wi-Fi; local and national newspapers; and up-to-the-second flight information.

With a focus on local, each Escape Lounge’s design includes local art, and the food offerings are developed by a local chef, using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible to create full dishes, rather than offering a simple plate of cubed cheese and cut fruit, as many airline lounges do.

The GSP Escape Lounge menu is in development by Rick Erwin’s corporate chef Jason McCarthy and will include pastries, a breakfast casserole, biscuits, and grits for the early morning travelers.

Lunch and dinner options will include pimento cheese sandwiches, she-crab soup, fresh salads using Clemson blue cheese and local peaches, mac ‘n’ cheese,

shrimp and grits, barbecue sliders, salmon, and tuna.

The idea was to create a menu representative of Greenville, one with which locals and travelers alike would feel comfortable.

"We are thrilled to be a part of the continued expansion in passenger amenities at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport," said Rosemarie Andolino, president and CEO of MAG USA. "Our Escape Lounge will deliver the flavors of the local community which has firmly placed itself on the map as a foodie destination."

Other U.S. Escape Lounge locations currently include Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), Oakland International Airport (OAK), Bradley International Airport (BDL), and Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO). Several more are in the planning stages.

THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF BUSINESS

| DIGITAL MAVEN

Management of today’s worker is fueled by data and wearable tech

By LAURA HAIGHT president, portfoliosc.com

Manufacturing is enjoying a resurgence nationally with job growth reaching a 25-year high. At the end of January, the U.S. had 12.5 million manufacturing jobs employing 8.5 percent of the workforce.

Along with growth, manufacturing also leads in another, less desirable area: Risk. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there are nearly 400,000 nonfatal injuries each year in the manufacturing sector, and about 300 fatalities.

Busy manufacturing plants are dangerous places. Workers are surrounded by heavy machinery, moving belts, lifts, and other equipment, and there are gases, chemicals, and fire hazards to cope with every day.

A great deal of technology that is part of the industrial internet of things, along with some tools that may evoke movie superheroes, has come to market in the past few years to help make workers safer and, by extension, more efficient.

A significant risk to workers is fatigue.

Manual labor is hard; workers carry more and more things around with them. And there are fewer workers, who must shoulder a bigger burden than before. Enter the exoskeleton. We wrote about this first back in 2015 when Lockheed Martin developed a system that enhances workers’ physical capabilities, lightening their loads and enabling them to be more productive — as much, Lockheed predicted, as 27 times more. This has tremendous possibilities for civilian as well as military manufacturing, mining, exploration, and more. But another byproduct is the potential for minimizing physical limitations among aging workers.

The first real test was a nonpowered skeletal support system of metal struts that took weight off the wearer to increase productivity by reducing fatigue. It was tested with Navy shipbuilders, then SEALs. Now a new, powered version, which incorporates artificial intelligence and machine learning to anticipate the wearer’s movements and give a boost, is being tested by the Army. That all lets workers or soldiers lift more, carry more, work over their

heads more, and climb more, with significantly less fatigue. Less fatigue, generally, also means fewer accidents.

A lot of technology development for manufacturing is happening under the umbrella of connected worker programs.

These programs meld together a variety of tech including wearable tags, communications protocols, real-time location services, and database development/design to create systems that address specific needs in the manufacturing, construction, mining, and energy industries.

Sometimes these tech systems cross from safety to efficiency. That’s the case with worker location services. A major challenge on any worksite is keeping track of workers — knowing who’s where and making sure they are where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Several systems from both new and established technology companies utilize wearables — anything from a simple radio frequency identification tag that can be embedded in clothing, such as a vest, to a handheld, smartphone-like device — to keep track of workers. Using communication protocols, the tag enables software tracking systems to identify workers on site, know where they are, and even alert them if they are moving into an area that’s restricted.

Knowing where a worker is is just the first step.

How about knowing how he or she is feeling?

Some wearables can track biometrics such as temperature, breathing, and heart rate. Yes, I know NASA was able to do that in the ’60s, but that was with full suits and arrays of electrodes.

Today’s biometrics are lightweight vests embedded with sensors, such as a product made by United Safety. Two-way audio communication lets the connected worker monitoring station inform the worker or supervisor of a health risk.

In the Upstate, Modjoul is one of many developers around the U.S. working in this space.

Its product — the SmartBelt — is designed to keep workers safe in industrial and manufacturing environments while also potentially

improving efficiency. The belt’s sensors identify behaviors such as walking, sitting, falling, driving and lifting and turn those into working “verbs” that can be used to build a profile of a wearer’s movements. Transmitted to a proprietary software system, the data helps companies get visibility into how workers work.

Two other prevalent connected worker functions are fall detection and mustering. Falling is common in manufacturing and industrial

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there are nearly 400,000 nonfatal injuries each year in the manufacturing sector, and about 300 fatalities. sites. Today’s systems include the ability to detect a fall, how far, if the worker is motionless and, if so, for how long. Workers who often work on their own in remote parts of a facility need to be identified immediately. Some devices, such as the Loner device developed by Blackline Safety, emit audible, visual, and tactile alarms that request the employee confirm his or her well-being by responding via a button press or by voice. A lack of a response will trigger another set of procedures to alert supervisors and team members to respond. The fall detection available in many wearable systems is a significant safety improvement.

A number of different events could trigger the need to evacuate an area in a plant or industrial site. Often those events are localized and don’t require the evacuation of an entire facility. Many connected worker systems have built-in alert functions that can notify a specific group of workers of the need to evacuate and then track workers to make sure they’ve left the area of risk.

On the back end, all this data — where workers are; how long they stay there; how much they walk, sit, or stand; their temperature and breathing; and so much more — can be tracked and put into a database to give visibility into everything from time on task to supervision effectiveness and training needs.

09.28.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

25

INNOVATE |

MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

Small business has big impact on economic mobility in Greenville A vital concern for any community that

By BRENT WARWICK desires to thrive is the partner, ipsoCreative ability of residents to improve their economic status or that of their families. If people are locked into a low socio-economic status (also known as low mobility), that community’s efforts to flourish will be hampered until the underlying issue of economic mobility is properly addressed.

Once again, small businesses play a key role. Similar to the impact that small businesses have on employability, they also have a significant impact on economic mobility in the surrounding community. There are a few key reasons for this.

A VIBRANT LOCAL JOB MARKET

While insightful research continues to challenge our long-held notions about what contributes to low-mobility areas versus high-mobility areas, one factor seems to be a constant: the availability of good jobs. Areas without a vibrant local labor market often see homegrown

talent depart for areas with greater opportunities. That contributes to stagnation, disillusionment, and an accumulation of additional barriers to mobility.

Small businesses are essentially the pioneer species in barren low-mobility economic landscapes. They are the quickest to market, the most nimble in making adjustments, and the most vested in terms of the outcome. The local market, including all of its constituent parts, is crucial to the success and sustainability of a small business. And more job opportunities mean more mobility for those who need jobs.

EXPOSURE TO GOOD SOCIAL NETWORKS

A beneficial byproduct of a vibrant local job market is the creation of social networks that promote economic mobility. Many small businesses find their employees via referral. For instance, a current employee knows a good prospective candidate — who may not have the ideal credentials or background — and introduces him to the employer. That transfer of trust, despite one’s credential shortcomings, is an invaluable intangible.

Similarly, the children associated with local social networks are beneficiaries of these intangibles. There are countless examples of a

Delta Dental of South Carolina Small business. Big benefits.

We know you wear a lot of hats as a small business owner, including benefits administrator and human resources executive. But choosing and administering dental benefits shouldn’t be your full-time job.

We’re here to make dental plans hassle-free so you can focus on what really matters to you—your business, your customers and your employees.

Offering a dental plan is a great way for small business owners like you to attract and retain top talent and stand out from the competition.

For more information on how Delta Dental can benefit you and your employees, visit SmallBusiness.DeltaDentalSC.com or contact your broker or insurance professional.

26

UBJ | 09.28.2018

«

MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUPTORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

| INNOVATE C L E M S O N U N I V E R S I T Y M B A P R O G R A M

Small businesses can significantly impact economic mobility in the surrounding community. recent high school or college graduate who, needing employment, is « offered an opportunity via an introduction made by a family member.

Inclusion in these social networks is often the simple difference between subsistence on the margins versus flourishing through growth or the possibility for growth.

And since small businesses are often at or near the center of a vibrant local job market, it stands to reason that small businesses are one of the prime catalysts for these social networks.

LESS STRESS, MORE FLEXIBILITY

Small businesses also don’t have the often stress-inducing bureaucracy of large corporations or the rigid drive to satisfy shareholder profitability demands. Small businesses are most often privately held and as such have the freedom to create a work culture that values human flourishing beyond work. And when employees are afforded real freedom to leave work at work, and flexibility to attend to their families’ needs, there are tangible benefits for their lives outside of work. The elimination of various causes of stress and conflicts of time, originating from the work environment, can help provide the mental, emotional, and physical space to help families flourish.

An increasing amount of research suggests that intact family units contribute to economic mobility. While less stress and more flexibility at work may not fix the problem of broken families, they can at least potentially contribute to keeping families together.

While an individual small business may not have the scale and reach to make a noticeable impact on a community’s economic mobility, it can certainly have an impact on the economic mobility of one family. Then, coupled with other small businesses, that impact can start to be felt within a community.

LAUNCHING FALL 2019

WHAT WE CAN DO

Like all large-scale challenges facing humanity, the problem of economic mobility is complex, varied, and layered. We cannot expect the solutions to be simple or quick.

However, given the impact that small businesses can have in key areas associated with economic mobility, it makes sense that our support of small, local business is a good place to start. Let’s encourage small businesses to be the vital component that they can be for the common good of our community and beyond.

W W W. C L E M S O N . E D U / M B A 09.28.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

27

ROUND UP / NEW TO THE STREET |

BRIEFS, TIDBITS, BLIPS, DATA & MORE / NEW FACES OF BUSINESS

IN BRIEF HTI Job Mobile highlights:

• Mobile application center that helps with on-site candidate screening support and application accessibility.

• Six computer application workstations.

• HTI staff member to help candidates find jobs.

• Open 5:30-8 p.m. Oct. 3 • Located at 105 N. Spring St.

Crawford Strategy

is introducing a new service, Deliver Your Brand, which will help organizations utilize their employees to build their brands. The program will help translate core values of the company to employees at every level.

Gov. Henry McMaster awarded the Order of the

O’Neal Inc.,

a Greenville-based engineering and construction company, has acquired DME Alliance, a biopharmaceutical engineering firm based in Pennsylvania.

Countybank has acquired B.A. Bennett Insurance of Greer.

Guy Roofing

has won the Firestone Inner Circle of Quality Award, the only roofing contractor in South Carolina to receive this commercial roofing industry honor.

Forbes has announced

Michelin as No.

7 among “America’s Best Employers for New Graduates” in 2018.

Palmetto to Reid Lehman, Miracle Hill Ministries president and CEO.

Spartanburg-based Atlas Organics has partnered with Closed Loop Ventures, the venture investment arm of Closed Loop Partners, based in New York City.

Clemson University will host the third annual

IEEE Electronic Power Grid Workshop and Conference Nov. 12-14 at the Charleston Convention Center.

Open for business 1

1. A droit Systems Company, a provider of professionally designed and installed electronic security and life-safety systems, recently relocated its headquarters to 5 Custom Mill Court in Greenville. Areas of integration and specialization are electronic card access control, intelligent fire alarm systems, intrusion detection and duress alarm systems, HD video surveillance systems, and biometrics.

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UBJ | 09.28.2018

2

2. A nMed Health recently opened an occupational medicine clinic to serve employers and employees in Clemson, Seneca, and Westminster. The new clinic is located at the AnMed Health Clemson campus at 885 Tiger Blvd. / U.S. Hwy. 123 in Clemson. It will provide local employers with pre-screening physicals for new employees, drug screens, safety exams, and work injury care in addition to other services.

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

PROMOTED

| ON THE MOVE

PROMOTED

NICHOLAS BECK

THERESA CALABRESE

SUZANNE LEE

PAUL MCDONALD

LAURA BLANTON

Nicholas Beck has been hired as a licensed psychologist at Synergy Psych. Beck received his doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of North Texas. He has experience providing individual and couples counseling and psychoeducational assessments.

Theresa Calabrese has joined Jack Porter as a graphic designer. Calabrese will use visual communication to transform spaces with design needs into engaging spaces.

Previously, she worked at T2H Advertising in Myrtle Beach on a variety of client projects, including identity campaigns in print and digital, website designs and coding, and wayfinding and environmental installations.

Suzanne Lee has been hired as director of sales for Aloft Greenville Downtown by McKibbon Hospitality. Lee will be responsible for managing the sales and marketing efforts for the hotel. Previously, Lee was the sales manager at the Hilton Greenville. She has more than 25 years of hospitality sales experience.

Paul McDonald has been promoted to assistant vice president of Grandbridge Real Estate Capital’s Greenville office. He is responsible for all phases of production support including underwriting and packaging new loans, as well as following committed loans through the closing process.

Previously, McDonald was the assistant vice president at Armada Analytics.

Laura Blanton has been promoted to senior vice president-branch manager with Wells Fargo Advisors in Greenville. Blanton has over 15 years of experience in the financial industry and is a graduate of North Greenville University.

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218 WILSON BRIDGE ROAD | BUILDING A Fountain Inn, SC 29644 | ±217,000 SF

naiearlefurman.com 09.28.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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#TRENDING |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

THE WATERCOOLER 1. Gather GVL announces four more tenants, breaks ground at 126 Augusta Road

2. Flying Biscuit Cafe to occupy right side of Haley building at 656 S. Main St.

GET THE INBOX CARING PECT G RES MILITY POWERIN URAGE HUCARING T RITY EM RATION CO N CLA ION BO Y RESPEC E PASSIO MENT COLLA SION CLARIT COLLABORATSION G NFIDENC PAS PAS GAGE CUS CO ATION EN CONFIDENCE EMPOWERIN NFIDENCE GEMENT ITY FO EBR S CO NT GA S CU CEL EGR INT SION ITY FO GAGEME RITY FOCU EBRATION EN Y FOCUS HONESTY ION PERSUA STY INTEGR ATION EN RIT INTEG NE SION CEL INTEG ATION EBR HONESTYION PERSUA HONESTY COMPASS ICATION HO ASION CEL CELEBR STY TION NE UN ASION ASS N HO SU MP TIO N COMM SION PERSU COMMUNICA CO ION UNICA ASSION PER UNICATIO RING COMM MM MP COMPAS E HUMILITY RESPECT CA COMPASSTION G MILITY CARING CO HUMILITY CO T CARING UNICA T E COURAG EMPOWERIN URAGE HU PEC Y RESPEC ION COURAG WERING RES MILITY COMM MPASSION CLARIT RATION CON CLARITY AGE HU BORAT RING CO Y EMPO BO MILITY COLLA NCE PASSIO RING COLLA SION CLARIT RATION COUR RESPECT CA URAGE HU RING WE CO BO Y CONFIDEMENT EMPO COLLA NCE PAS EMPOWE CLARIT RATION CONFIDE ENGAGEMENT E PASSION G COLLABO N CLARITY LLABORATION S CU ENGAGE CO IDENC SION PASSIO WERIN ITY FO ATION INTEGR SION CELEBR FOCUS CONF MENT EMPO NFIDENCE ENGAGEMENT IDENCE PAS RING NF S CO ITY ON GAGE POWE PERSUA CUS CO INTEGR ON EN EGRITY FOCU CELEBRATI NT EM NCE EBRATI RITY FO ENGAGEME INT CONFIDE ON HONESTY ASION INTEG ON NESTY SION CEL FOCUS ATI PERSU HONESTY N CELEBRATI INTEGRITY ON CELEBR RITY PERSUA ICATION HO MPASSION TION UN SIO EG STY ASI G CO UNICA COMM PERSU PERSUA N HONE STY INT COMM T CARIN ASSION MMUNICATIO COMPASSION TION HONE CELEBRATION MP RESPEC E HUMILITY CO N CO G RING UNICA SUASIO HONESTY COURAG RESPECT CA AGE HUMILITY PECT CARIN ITY COMM ION PER UNICATION ION RES Y UR ASS MIL ASS G RIT MP HU MP MM CLA ION CO POWERIN URAGE ITY CO RING CO TION RING CO BORAT COLLA RITY EMBORATION CO Y RESPECT CA URAGE HUMIL RESPECT CA COMMUNICA ION G N CLA PASSIO MENT COLLA SION CLARITBORATION CO EMPOWERIN AGE HUMILITY G COMPASS ITY RIN Y PAS MIL UR ENGAGE NFIDENCE G COLLA SION CLARIT RATION CO RESPECT CA URAGE HU RING CO WERIN RITY E PAS NT COLLABO ION CO Y EMPOWE FOCUS MENT EMPO NC CLA RAT IDE N ION BO NF ME RIT SIO G COLLA SION CLA COLLABORATSION CUS CO ON ENGAGE IDENCE PAS ENGAGE PAS WERIN ITY FO ATI INTEGR SION CELEBR FOCUS CONF MENT EMPO NFIDENCE ENGAGEMENT IDENCE PAS RING NF S CO ITY ON GAGE POWE PERSUA CUS CO INTEGR ON EN EGRITY FOCU CELEBRATI NT EM NCE EBRATI RITY FO ENGAGEME INT CONFIDE ON HONESTY ASION INTEG ON NESTY SION CEL FOCUS ATI PERSU HONESTY N CELEBRATI INTEGRITY ON CELEBR RITY PERSUA ICATION HO MPASSION TION UN SUASI STY INTEG G CO SUASIO N HONESTY UNICA COMM PER RIN PER MM CA TH ON CO ION T ICATIO N WI ASSION EBRATI N HONE MPASS TIO RESPEC E HUMILITY MMUN SA G COMP UNICATIO SUASION CEL HONESTY ER RING CO MILITY CO RIN AG NV CA CA MM UR T CO N T CO PER CO A HU RESPEC HUMILITY Y RESPEC URAGE ASSION ASSION UNICATIO MP CLARIT RATION CO POWERING G CO OFMILITY COMM CARING COMPICATION S HU URAGE T CARIN BO T YEAR UN ION CO Y RESPEC COLLA RITY EM Y-FIVE URAGE RING RESPEC ITY COMM MPASSION N CLA COLLABORAT CLARITFO RT CO SIO MIL ION WE PAS N AGRE HU CARING CO HUMILITY MENT PASSIO COLLABORAT RITY EMPO CORUR ENGAGE NFIDENCE G IONGE FO PECT N CLA BOMA URAGE WERING RATNA CO WERIN RITY RES LLA E PASSIONT CO PO ION CO RAL FOCUS MENT EMPO NFIDENC NE ME GENEPASSION CLA COLLABORAT CLARITY EM BORATION N G CUS CO ON ENGA ENGAGE A GE W COLLA IDENCE SION PASSIO WERIN ITY FO ATI INTEGR SION CELEBR FOCUS CONF MENT EMPO NFIDENCE ENGAGEMENT IDENCE PAS RING CO ITY ON CONF POWE ENGAGE ATI PERSUA FOCUS INTEGR EBR FOCUS GEMENT EM NCE 34 ATION INTEGRITY CEL 7 ISSUEEGRIT Y EBR ON | VOL. GA CONFIDE ON HONESTY ASI 14, 2018 INT ON EN NESTY SION CEL FOCUS ATI PERSU SEPTEMBER HONESTY N CELEBRATI INTEGRITY ON CELEBR RITY PERSUA ICATION HO MPASSION N TIO UN SUASI NESTY G CO SUASIO INTEG UNICA COMM COMM ION PER UNICATION HO ASSION PERN HONESTY EBRATION T CARIN ASS MP MP RESPEC E HUMILITY CEL TIO COMM G CO SION RING CO UNICA PERSUA COURAG RESPECT CA AGE HUMILITY PECT CARIN ITY COMM ION RES Y UR ASS HUMIL G COMP CLARIT RATION CO POWERING URAGE RIN BO COLLA RITY EMBORATION CO Y RESPECT CA N CLA PASSIO MENT COLLA SION CLARIT PAS ENGAGE NFIDENCE CO FOCUS

THE

3. Front Row: September 2018 Design Review Board Urban Panel

QUALITIES OF A

LEADER UCB’S

RTON LYNN HA ILLE GREENV

SHIP LEADER

ED LOCKHE N MARTI

4. Coastal Crust plans to open later this year in new Pendleton Street location

5. H ampton Station pop-up Circa Barbershop to open permanent location in new HalfMoon Outfitters *The Top 5 stories from last week ranked by Facebook reach

30

UBJ | 09.28.2018

Follow up on the Upstate’s workweek.

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

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EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

UBJ PUBLISHER

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

| PLANNER

DATE

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Wednesday

Human Technologies Inc. Job Mobile Grand Opening

HTI Corporate Office 105 N. Spring St. 5:30–8 p.m.

Cost: Free, must register online For more info: https://bit.ly/2PO6Req; 864-467-0330

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Greenville BBQ Bash: Manufacturing Celebration

GTC’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation 575 Millennium Blvd.

5:30–8:30 p.m.

Cost: $45-$105 For more info: https://bit.ly/2M2HKSK; 864-239-3714; hhyatt@greenvillechamber.org

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity & Inclusion Summit

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive 9 a.m.–7 p.m.

Cost: $150 for members, $225 general For more info: https://bit.ly/2zKXdG3; nikawhiteconsulting@greenvillechamber.org

10/3

Susan Schwartzkopf susans@communityjournals.com

EDITOR

Claire Billingsley

COPY EDITOR Rebecca Strelow

STAFF WRITERS

Ariel Gilreath, Cindy Landrum, Andrew Moore, Sara Pearce, Ariel Turner

Thursday

10/4

MARKETING & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR OF SALES Emily Yepes

MANAGERS OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Ed Ibarra | Donna Johnston

MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Heather Propp, Meredith Rice, Caroline Spivey, Liz Tew

Tuesday

10/16

CLIENT SERVICES

Anita Harley | Rosie Peck

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR Will Crooks

LAYOUT

Tammy Smith

Thursday

10/25

The Greenville Chamber’s Brickyard Minority Business Accelera400 Birnie St. tor’s Information Session for 3–5 p.m.

2019 Cohort

Cost: Free, must register online For more info: https://bit.ly/2POGyVl; 864-239-3716

ADVERTISING DESIGN

Michael Allen | Amanda Walker

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kristi Fortner

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE STORY IDEAS:

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

NOVEMBER 9 CRE ISSUE

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

UBJ milestone

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

1988

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

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

>>

EVENTS:

events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AND AWARDS:

onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com UBJ welcomes expert commentary from business leaders on timely news topics related to their specialties. Guest columns run 500 words. Contact the editor at editor@communityjournals.com to submit an article for consideration.

Got any thoughts? Care to contribute? Let us know at upstatebusinessjournal.com/submit.

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

>>

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

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

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

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

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

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

1998

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

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

2009-2012 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 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

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09.28.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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