Nov. 29, 2013 Upstate Business Journal

NOVEMBER 29, 2013

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Manufacturing Jobs Up for 2nd Straight Year

By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com South Carolina gained 1,967 jobs from Sept. 2012 to Sept. 2013, a 1 percent increase, according to Manufacturers’ News, which publishes industrial directories and databases. That’s slightly lower than the previous year’s increase of 2.3 percent.

Most of the growth comes in the Upstate, which saw its own 1.5 percent increase. Greenville remains the leader in manufacturing employment.

Jobs came from initiatives including The Crown Group’s new auto parts plant and expansions at BMW, BorgWarner, ZF Transmissions and the recently announced planned expansion at the Fitesa textile plant. Elsewhere in the state are planned expansions at Boeing in North Charleston, and new plants for Coroplast Tape Corp. in York County and Ithaca Gun Company in Aynor.

Also notable was the spate of firearms manufacturers in recent months that announced plans to move to or expand in South Carolina, promising 400 jobs altogether. The last, American Tactical Imports, announced last month that it would relocate from Rochester, N.Y. Industrial machinery and equipment

TOP MANUFACTURING CITIES & NUMBER OF JOBS Greenville – 26,660 Spartanburg – 16,108 North Charleston – 12,736 Greer – 11,663 Columbia – 10,566 are the biggest sector, but manufacturing of furniture and fixtures, chemicals, food products, and rubber and plastics also saw gains during the period.

Manufacturers’ News also reported that transportation equipment has continued gains, with employment climbing 4.2 percent over the year. That sector ranks second in the state for industrial employment, employing 32,813 people.

The year also saw industrial closures including Pexco’s extruded sheet products plant in West Columbia; Covidien’s medical device facility in Seneca; and a Mohawk Industries location in Calhoun Falls.

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November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 3

VolumeII, II,Issue IssueXLVIII XLVII Volume

November 22, 29, 2013

20

WORTH REPEATING “If we don’t have local brick-and-mortar stores, what will the fabric of a community be like?”

Tiby Weinstein, owner of Gage’s gift and stationery store

“Obviously, you can’t buy 100 percent of everything locally, but you should try to buy it first locally.”

Charles Scales, president of Greenville Office Supply

“The department stores never worry me.

My customers like shopping at small stores. They avoid the mall.”

Musette Stern, owner of Muse Shoe Studio

“I’m a believer in people supporting their own. I am hiring local people. I am supporting the local economy.

I’m putting money back into our tax system here.”

Ben Duncan, owner of Ace Hardware in Simpsonville Refreshments are served during the annual Augusta Road Holiday Open House. The Augusta Road Business Association sponsors the event to bring shoppers to the plazas and stand-alone stores in the area.

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“We’re just getting started – and nowhere in the country will there be a bigger push to put people back to work and keep driving the unemployment number down than what will keep happening in South Carolina.”

Gov. Nikki Haley, on the state’s unemployment rate dipping to 7.5 percent in October – its lowest figure since September 2008.

4 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL November 29, 2013

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UBJ TECHNOLOGY

Report: IT Salaries Will Climb 5.6%

By Sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

IT careers are still hot, with overall base compensation for information technology professionals expected to increase 5.6 percent in the coming year, according to a report and 2014 Salary Guide by Robert Half Technology.

Mobile applications and software developers are in particularly strong demand. Business intelligence analysts also can expect to see higher than average salary increases.

“Tech skills are obviously on the increase,” says Eddie Payne, Greenville branch manager for Robert Half. “Folks are using technology more and more every day.”

Payne says that his company is seeing a large growth in technology

hiring in the Upstate and that these positions are usually well compensated. Application and software developers, Web developers and IT project managers can expect to make anywhere from $80,000$130,000 a year.

“Development and software engineering roles are in high demand with industry-specific experience,” says Michael Bays, an information technology recruiter with Godshall Professional Recruiting and Staffing.

“Companies have been forced to adjust their budgets accordingly for the talent that matches their needs.”

Payne says that temporary and consulting positions are also still in high demand. Companies are

Illustration Provided

“moving a lot faster in the placement process because the Upstate is doing so well” for permanent roles that need to be filled. “People interviewed today

will be gone tomorrow,” he said.

Bays agrees. “A strong software developer or engineer has a very short ‘shelf life’ on the market >>

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GODSHALL

UBJ TECHNOLOGY SALARY TRENDS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)

Note: Greenville salaries are expected to be 90 percent of national amounts, shown here.

%

2013 2014 CHANGE

%

2013 2014 CHANGE

ADMINISTRATION Chief Information Officer (CIO) $145,500 - $234,750 $153,000 - $246,750 Chief Technology Officer (CTO) $125,500 - $195,500 $132,250 - $205,750 Chief Security Officer (CSO) $119,750 - $179,250 $126,750 - $189,750 Vice President of IT $127,750 - $186,500 $134,750 - $196,750 Information Technology Manager $ 94,000 - $135,000 $ 99,000 - $142,250

5.1% 5.3% 5.9% 5.5% 5.3%

APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT Manager $ 95,250 - $135,000 $100,500 - $142,250 Project Manager $ 83,500 - $124,000 $ 88,500 - $131,500 Systems Analyst $ 72,500 - $103,500 $ 76,250 - $108,750 Applications Architect $103,750 - $140,500 $109,750 - $148,750 Business Systems Analyst $ 71,000 - $103,250 $ 75,500 - $109,750 CRM Business Analyst $ 76,000 - $103,500 $ 80,000 - $109,000 CRM Technical Developer $ 84,000 - $112,250 $ 89,500 - $119,750 Developer/Programmer Analyst $ 64,750 - $114,500 $ 69,250 - $122,750 ERP Business Analyst $ 79,250 - $109,250 $ 83,750 - $115,250 ERP Technical/Functional Analyst $ 85,250 - $118,250 $ 90,000 - $125,000 ERP Technical Developer $ 88,250 - $122,000 $ 94,250 - $130,250 Lead Applications Developer $ 94,000 - $130,000 $ 99,750 - $137,750 Mobile Applications Developer $ 92,750 - $133,500 $100,000 - $144,000 Technical Writer $ 51,250 - $ 81,000 $ 53,000 - $ 83,500

5.4% 6.0% 5.1% 5.8% 6.3% 5.3% 6.6% 7.1% 5.6% 5.7% 6.8% 6.0% 7.8% 3.2%

INTERNET & E-COMMERCE Senior Web Developer $ 92,000 - $127,250 $ Web Developer $ 65,750 - $106,500 $ Web Administrator $ 61,500 - $ 92,750 $ Web Designer $ 57,000 - $ 93,500 $ Electronic Data Interchange Specialist $ 68,500 - $ 97,000 $ E-Commerce Analyst $ 75,000 - $108,250 $ Messaging Administrator $ 65,250 - $ 95,000 $

CONSULTING & SYSTEMS INTEGRATION Director $107,250 - $160,000 $113,750 - $169,500 Practice Manager $106,750 - $146,500 $113,500 - $155,750 Project Manager/Senior Consultant $ 89,000 - $127,750 $ 94,500 - $135,500 Staff Consultant $ 69,250 - $ 96,500 $ 73,750 - $102,750 Senior IT Auditor $100,250 - $138,000 $106,750 - $146,750 IT Auditor $ 86,250 - $119,750 $ 91,500 - $127,000

6.0% 6.3% 6.1% 6.5% 6.4% 6.1%

DATA/DATABASE ADMINISTRATION Database Manager $101,750 - $140,750 $107,750 - $149,000 Database Developer $ 86,500 - $126,250 $ 92,000 - $134,500 Database Administrator $ 83,000 - $119,500 $ 87,500 - $126,000 Data Analyst/Report Writer $ 64,250 - $ 96,000 $ 67,750 - $101,000 Data Architect $104,250 - $143,500 $111,750 - $153,750 Data Modeler $ 92,000 - $126,750 $ 97,250 - $134,250 Data Warehouse Manager $108,750 - $145,750 $115,250 - $154,250 Data Warehouse Analyst $ 93,500 - $126,500 $ 99,000 - $133,750 Business Intelligence Analyst $ 94,250 - $132,500 $101,250 - $142,250 Portal Administrator $ 86,500 - $114,500 $ 91,250 - $121,000

5.9% 6.5% 5.4% 5.3% 7.2% 5.8% 5.9% 5.8% 7.4% 5.6%

QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) & TESTING QA/Testing Manager $ 83,250 - $111,000 $ 87,500 - $116,750 QA Associate/Analyst $ 57,500 - $ 89,000 $ 60,250 - $ 93,500

5.1% 4.9%

97,750 - $135,250 70,000 - $113,500 63,500 - $ 95,750 60,250 - $ 99,000 72,250 - $102,250 79,500 - $114,750 68,500 - $ 99,750

6.3% 6.5% 3.2% 5.8% 5.4% 6.0% 5.0%

NETWORKING/TELECOMMUNICATIONS Network Architect $102,250 - $146,500 $109,250 - $156,500 Network Manager $ 88,500 - $122,500 $ 94,000 - $130,000 Network Engineer $ 80,750 - $116,250 $ 86,250 - $124,250 Wireless Network Engineer $ 85,500 - $117,000 $ 91,500 - $125,250 Network Administrator $ 62,750 - $ 93,250 $ 66,750 - $ 99,500 Pre-Sales Engineer/Technical Engineer $ 76,250 - $107,750 $ 82,750 - $116,750 Telecommunications Manager $ 78,500 - $106,750 $ 82,250 - $111,750 Telecommunications Specialist $ 54,000 - $ 82,000 $ 56,500 - $ 85,750

6.8% 6.2% 6.9% 7.0% 6.6% 8.4% 4.7% 4.6%

OPERATIONS Manager $ 62,500 - $ 86,750 $ 64,250 - $ 89,250 2.8% Computer Operator $ 32,750 - $ 45,250 $ 33,750 - $ 46,500 2.9% Mainframe Systems Programmer $ 57,500 - $ 80,000 $ 59,000 - $ 82,000 2.5% SECURITY Data Security Analyst Systems Security Administrator Network Security Administrator Network Security Engineer Information Systems Security Manager

$ 95,000 - $129,750 $ 89,500 - $123,750 $ 89,750 - $123,500 $ 93,500 - $123,250 $108,000 - $149,750

$100,500 - $137,250 $ 95,250 - $131,500 $ 95,000 - $130,750 $ 99,750 - $131,250 $115,250 - $160,000

5.8% 6.3% 5.9% 6.6% 6.8%

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Product Manager $ 95,250 - $130,750 $ 99,250 - $136,000 Software Engineer $ 83,500 - $127,750 $ 89,750 - $137,250 Software Developer $ 74,500 - $118,250 $ 80,250 - $127,250

4.1% 7.5% 7.7%

TECHNICAL SERVICES, HELP DESK & TECHNICAL SUPPORT Manager $ 72,750 - $103,750 $ 76,500 - $109,000 Desktop Support Analyst $ 48,250 - $ 70,750 $ 49,750 - $ 73,000 Systems Administrator $ 59,500 - $ 92,500 $ 62,250 - $ 96,500 Systems Engineer $ 74,000 - $107,500 $ 76,750 - $111,250 Help Desk Tier 3 $ 50,250 - $ 64,750 $ 53,000 - $ 68,500 Help Desk Tier 2 $ 40,000 - $ 52,000 $ 42,000 - $ 54,500 Help Desk Tier 1 $ 31,750 - $ 42,500 $ 33,000 - $ 44,250 Instructor/Trainer $ 50,000 - $ 79,500 $ 52,250 - $ 83,000 PC Technician $ 31,250 - $ 46,000 $ 32,250 - $ 47,500 Business Continuity Analyst $ 83,250 - $118,500 $ 87,750 - $125,000

5.1% 3.2% 4.4% 3.6% 5.7% 4.9% 4.0% 4.4% 3.2% 5.5%

Source: Robert Half 2014 Salary Guide: Technology

>> as companies have been hiring at a much quicker pace than they have been in recent years.” Bays says that when a company targets a person who matches their desired skill set, they must move quickly to hire as there is heavy competition for some IT skills. “Employers are adjusting to a market where talented candidates are not job searching and must be truly recruited into their new roles.”

Entry-level IT roles such as telephone customer support or help desk have been fairly steady, says Bays, as employers seek candidates who have education or a specialized certification that will help them succeed in their field.

“These companies, I find, are looking to attract talent that they can groom and grow to their specific needs.

“Development and software engineering roles are in high demand with industry-specific experience.”

Michael Bays

Companies have been willing to offer ‘A’ players slightly higher salaries in 2013 than I saw in 2012,” says Bays. “I can only imagine that this will be the case in 2014. For someone considering a technical career, information technology is an attractive field with high demand.”

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 7

UBJ RESTAURANTS

New GM and Executive Chef at High Cotton

By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com

High Cotton recently announced new additions to its leadership team, adding Chet Green as general manager and Adrian Carpenter as executive chef.

Green will oversee the restaurant’s daily operations. He previously managed the TBonz regional chain and later served as operations manager, general manager and regional manager for McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants in Charlotte, New Jersey and New York.

Green is a graduate of Clemson University and native of Tuberville in Clarendon County, S.C. “I am excited to work with Carpenter, who is such an immensely talented chef,” Green said in a statement.

Carpenter spent most of his career in the western United States, including stints as sous chef at the Montagna at The Little Nell Hotel in Aspen, Colo., and executive chef at Brasada Ranch in Bend, Ore. He has a passion for using seasonal, local ingredients and building rela-

CHET GREEN

ADRIAN CARPENTER

tionships with local food vendors.

Carpenter is a native of North Carolina.

High Cotton is an enterprise of Maverick Southern Kitchens, which includes High Cotton in Charleston and Charleston Cooks! in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston.

When you are done reading this paper, please recycle it.

8 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL November 29, 2013

UBJ LAUNCHES PRESENTS

STEPHEN HAHN

MARK LIU

Congratulations to the Greenville Chamber’s

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

Iron Yard Company Launches Upkeep Charlie will handle “honey-do” lists

By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com

A new handyman service, Upkeep Charlie, launches this week in Asheville and Greenville to tackle “honey-do” lists in both cities. Co-founders Stephen Hahn and Mark Liu both participated in the Iron Yard accelerator, Hahn in 2013 and Liu in 2012.

Upkeep Charlie customers can buy services in two- and four-hour increments, with lower rates for additional hours if needed.

Liu said the handymen the company uses are paid “extremely well,” which has made for a large applicant pool from which the company can choose the best candidates. Staffing is also influenced by how workers have been rated by customers. He said they expect customers to use the service infrequently but regularly, with long lists of chores.

“Although our official launch in Greenville is Thanksgiving weekend, we have been handling many jobs already and we are very happy with the work everyone on our team is doing.”

“Although our official launch in Greenville is Thanksgiving weekend, we have been handling many jobs already and we are very happy with the work everyone on our team is doing.”

Award Presentation, from left to right: Chamber President/CEO Ben Haskew, Chamber Board Chair Luanne Runge, Amy Garland, William Luce, Ken Pelanda (Award Sponsor/Charter Business), Penn Gaines, David Hudson, and Frank Mobley (Award Committee Representative/Immedion).

“Performance Payroll has established several referral programs with other Greenville Chamber members, providing a significant return on our investment.”

-David Hudson, Managing Partner

Liu and former partner Roger Wang had brought their amateur sports tracking app, Leaguevine, to the 2012 Iron Yard accelerator cohort. They sold Leaguevine to Chicago-based 8to18 media in January and Liu moved on to Upkeep Charlie, which went through the Iron Yard this year.

Performance Payroll provides payroll, tax, time, attendance, and human resources services to hundreds of clients, primarily headquartered in the Southeast. They are currently filing payroll taxes in 48 states from their Greenville headquarters and Charlotte and Columbia locations.

Performance Payroll is passionate about providing the friendliest, most accurate, and competitive service to each of their customers. Their goal is to help your business grow and succeed without worrying about payroll and taxes getting done. Learn more at www.performancepayroll.com.

Impressed by a local small business lately?

Nominate them for the Greenville Chamber’s Small Business of the Month Award at www.GreenvilleChamber.org.

The Small Business of the Month Award is sponsored by Charter Business.

24 CLEVELAND ST. GREENVILLE, SC 29601

864-242-1050

WWW.GREENVILLECHAMBER.ORG

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 9

UBJ RETAIL

Cyber Rules Most – But Not All – Holiday Retail Trends

By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer | joladipo@communityjournals.com Retail this holiday season will continue trends from last year, with longer store hours and increasing focus on Internet sales. But as usual, the situation is different for smaller retailers, who are competing when they can and taking detours where they must.

FASTER SHOPPING CLOCK

The holiday shopping season is six days shorter this year because Thanksgiving fell on a later calendar date. That prompted many retailers to begin having sales before Thanksgiving that would normally have begun today, Black Friday, the biggest shopping day

“We’re trying to go about our shopping season in a slightly different way. We want it to be joyful.”

usually finds them waiting until around Dec. 10 to begin shopping in earnest.

What’s more, shoppers are not as likely to be influenced by the calendar as they are by the economy, which, though sluggish, is not expected to be a major deterrent this year.

Lisa Parks, manager of Pedal Chic

Still, retailers aren’t risking it. More than a quarter of respondents in Shop.org’s eHoliday survey said they were beefing up the online shopping experience in direct response to the economy this year.

“Retailers have been preparing for months, smartly investing in what’s important to online shoppers: value, free shipping, a user-friendly site, and flexible returns, among other features,” said Shop. org executive director Vicki Cantrell.

This season, however, increased attention to mobile platforms marks a significant shift. ComScore, a Virginia-based Internet analytics company, listed “smartphones and sit-back shopping” among the top digital trends this season. They suggest that even if every retailer does not need its own app, mobile strategy is essential for reaching new audiences.

of the year. Some even began offering deals last month.

However, experts say the foreshortened shopping month will likely do little to change people’s behavior, which

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CYBER MONDAY

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10 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL November 29, 2013

Last year, 129 million people participated in Cyber Monday, the major online shopping day on the Monday following Thanksgiving, according to Shop.org. ComScore projects Monday to be the heaviest online spending day in history, approaching $2 billion, 20 percent or more than last year.

For large retailers, the Internet remains a crucial focal point as it has for the past several years, but smaller retailers generally cannot compete on Cyber Monday.

Retailers of all sizes are expected to increase their use of social media this season. The eHoliday survey found >>

Source: comScore Custom e-Commerce Analytics, U.S., November 2012.

For more information, visit www.comscore.com/HolidayShopping

UBJ RETAIL >> that nearly 55 percent of companies surveyed would increase their use of Facebook in November and December.

About 60 percent would increase their use of Pinterest and 55 percent would use Instagram more.

we just want to bring the love and warmth back to the holiday season.”

That includes a little joy for business owners and their employees. Parks said

the group agreed to keep the same extended hours, and that those hours would be reasonable so that neither they nor their employees would be

unduly overworked. With that, they seem to have taken a page from Ebenezer Scrooge’s playbook – the end of the book, that is.

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RETAIL INVESTING IN MOBILE • MORE THAN HALF have invested in optimizing their mobile websites • NEARLY FOUR IN 10 have invested heavily in the smartphone user experience

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Upstate retailers are also taking advantage of social media, but staying out of the Cyber Monday fray. They are adopting some big-box tactics such as early sales and extended hours, but also relying on what they feel they can do differently.

Pedal Chic tried to answer bigger retailers’ efforts with a blowout pre-Thanksgiving sale for the first time, discounting items it normally would not and offering deeper discounts for the first two hours of Black Friday.

However, the women-focused cycling store is relying on next month’s Downtown Greenville Holiday Happening campaign – the first concerted effort among downtown businesses – to present small businesses as an alternative. The Augusta Road Business Association has already done this well for a couple of years (see article on page 20).

Manager Lisa Parks said business owners have been meeting weekly for months in preparation for the holidays.

One decision it made was to be the antidote to the frenzied, door-buster holiday shopping experience.

“We’re trying to go about our shopping season in a slightly different way,” Parks said. “We want it to be joyful…

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 11

UBJ DIGITAL MAVEN

By LAURA HAIGHT

Tips for Less-Stressed Mobile Shopping We are supposed to be focusing on business in this column, but for most of us our thoughts today are on how to get our shopping done quickly, cheaply and without losing our sanity.

If there’s a mobile device on your list, here are some suggestions for being a less-stressed Santa.

First, skip the store. Every place you can physically go is going to have an online way to purchase – and most likely the same or similar Christmas deals. There are only two things you can get in the store that you can’t get online: a giant headache and advice from a guy who is filling in at the computer department because another guy called out sick.

Grab a coffee, put on your slippers and fire up your laptop.

Looking for an iPad, Apple TV or a nice MacBook Air? You may not know that Apple has an online store for refurbished devices. These are fully Apple-certified and eligible for Apple Care, a three-year coverage plan that covers everything from phone support to in-person training to full replacement of a defective device.

Refurbished devices can be 10-30 percent cheaper, which is a plus since Apple doesn’t know that they’re

supposed to knock prices down at Christmas time. (goo.gl/eDIOR0) These devices are most often a generation older – not the most recent iterations available – but sometimes the differences between new devices are marginal.

If you don’t really need the

new features, you may easily be able to save a nice bit of coin here.

There is a thriving marketplace for castaway digital devices, as people want to sell the perfectly functional older devices so they can buy the new hot model that just came out. At the rate companies bring out new products, these devices may be less than a year old. That’s great for buyers who, a day before the big release, might have purchased that cool new tablet for $500 and can now find it – in a reseller store – for $350. Same device, all cleaned up and often warrantied.

Resellers like Nextworth owned by Target, Gazelle or Sell My Mac have online stores and eBay sites where great deals can be found.

A device is only as good as the apps >>

Study Finds Different Tech Use at Women’s Companies

By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer | joladipo@communityjournals.com

Women-owned businesses in South Carolina are less likely to use computers and broadband technology, but they’re slightly more likely to use it to reach out to customers, according to a recent study by Connect South Carolina.

The study, titled “Making an Impact: Technology Use Among Women-Owned Businesses in South Carolina,” looked at how women-owned businesses use computer technology and also barriers to their use of broadband Internet.

Just 68 percent of women-owned businesses with fewer than 20 employees use broadband compared to 81 percent of other privately held businesses the same size. There is a digital literacy gap, driven primarily

by business owners’ belief that they can do everything they need without broadband, according to the study.

“Our research, though, shows that every business can benefit from learning how to use broadband to find customers, learn how to be more efficient, or help attract and keep the best employees to make sure the business is able to grow and thrive,” said spokeswoman Jessica Ditto. The organization said the disparity in broadband use puts South Carolina’s women-owned businesses at a disadvantage.

On the other hand, those companies might be more social media-savvy.

“It is kind of surprising that women-owned businesses rank the im-

12 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL November 29, 2013

portance of the ability to post information on a social network higher than other privately held businesses,” Ditto said.

Study authors could not say whether the types of businesses women owned affected their technology adoption, but national figures indicate that is not the case. A 2010 U.S. Department of Commerce study, “Women-Owned Business in the 20th Century,” showed that women-owned firms were underrepresented compared to men-owned firms across all industries but healthcare and education, where they significantly outnumber men-owned business. Those fields tend to be increasingly dependent on computer technology and broadband.

GO FIGURE Among women-owned companies in S.C.:

33%

let employees telework versus of other privately held firms

30%

49%

enable employees to use mobile Internet service for work functions versus of other privately held firms

46%

16% post information on a social networking site versus 12% of other privately held firms

40%

say they don’t need broadband and don’t subscribe Source: “Making an Impact: Technology Use Among Women-Owned Businesses in South Carolina,” Connect South Carolina

UBJ DIGITAL MAVEN >> you can put on it, and they are getting bigger and bigger. So one place not to look to save money is on the capacity. A 16GB version will be fine for a while, but the 32 is a better option, especially when you try to sell it. For heavy gamers, photographers, artists and travelers, maybe even 64GB.

nificantly to the total cost of ownership of any device. Salespeople always try to scare you into larger plans. For most of us, less really is more.

Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (portfoliosc.com), which works with small businesses to incorporate emerging media and technology into its business communications, operations and training.

Eyeing a tablet? Whatever flavor of device you want to buy, the most important thing to consider is how you’re going to use it. That is going to play into two important and potentially costly decisions: whether to buy a cellular data plan with it or just go Wi-Fi, and how big a data plan to purchase.

Do you need a cellular plan?

Whether your giftee is going to use the device for work or play is less important than where they are going to do the working or playing. In your office and home, you most likely have Wi-Fi. No need for cellular there. I am on my third iPad and I haven’t had cellular since the first one. Even if I am at a client site, there is usually Wi-Fi available. On the rare occasion that I find myself at a loss for a signal, I use the personal hotspot that is included in a Verizon data plan for free (formerly this was a $20-per-month option). My tablet connects through my phone’s cellular service.

How much data do I need? My guess is that most people buy way bigger data plans than they need. Yes, catching up with your shows on Hulu and Netflix does involve a lot of data – but how often do you do this when you aren’t home sitting on the sofa?

The same with listening to music or emails or downloads. Here’s a totally unscientific benchmark to consider: I have a 1MB data plan for my smartphone and tablet combined. I use both probably 75 percent for work. I watch videos every day while I walk on the treadmill. I get several hundred emails per week. I do not use even half of my data plan.

Data plans are the most controllable cost you have and contribute sig-

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 13

40 UBJ MILESTONE YEARS

Getting Paid to ‘Have Fun’ The seeds of David Narramore’s 40 years in architecture were planted in second grade

By Sherry Jackson | staff sjackson@communityjournals.com

When David Narramore’s second-grade teacher, Elaine Childress, told him “you draw so well you should be an architect,” his fate was sealed. From that day forward he wanted to be an architect. Now 40 years later, Narramore is still astonished that he “gets paid to have fun.”

Narramore is a native Greenvillian who attended Overbrook-Eastover Grammar School on Laurens Road and later Greenville Senior High. He never wavered from his chosen profession, taking mathematics classes in high school to do everything he could to prepare for his architectural career. In 1969 he graduated from Clemson University with a degree in architecture.

He spent a few years working as an architect-in-training for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah, Ga., and Mobile, Ala., helping with Hurricane Camille disaster relief in Mississippi.

After a short stint in Atlanta for the General Services Administration, Narramore made the decision that he “didn’t like working in civil service for the U.S. government or living in Atlanta,” so he came back to Greenville.

He worked for several local architectural firms until he

David Narrmore with the office dog, Harley.

was eligible to take the state architectural exam in 1972 – “a week-long endurance test with three days in Columbia and two in Clemson.”

He passed the exam on his first try – “not an easy feat” – and opened his own practice in 1973 with a partner, working out of the laundry room of his house, using an old door as a drafting table.

But work slowly came in, although Narramore says he and his partner “only made about $6,000 the first year.” Narramore dissolved the partnership in 1974 and continued on his own. Each time one of his projects was in the newspaper, Narramore said that his former teacher Ms. Childress would clip it out and send it to him with a note saying how proud she was of him. “It’s really a testament to how a teacher can affect a kid.”

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GREG BECKNER / STAFF

Narramore Associates specializes in retail and commercial projects and has large customers such as Aldi Foods and WalMart. Narramore is licensed in 27 states and often does projects outside of South Carolina.

“Over 90 percent of our customers are repeat,” says Narramore. The company has completed designs of over 500 Aldi stores in the past 13 years, he says, and has also completed shopping centers in the Upstate such as the Shops at Orchard Park, Lewis Plaza and Augusta Commons.

Narramore just completed the company’s largest project to date: a 700,000-square-foot shopping center in Morganton, N.C. The grand opening was a >>

UBJ MILESTONE >> few weeks ago, and Narramore says it took three years to complete. The shopping center was built on the site of a former furniture plant, and Narramore says “it has relocated the town,” bringing more jobs to the area than the closing of the former plant took away.

From time to time, Narramore takes on projects that aren’t just commercial. A passion for hunting and shooting sports led to a couple of projects to design private hunting lodgings.

About 15 years ago he did a pro-bono job for Head Start, a nonprofit program that provides child development services, for the Pleasant Valley Child Care Center.

“The child care center was really special,” says Narramore, who was moved when his second-grade teacher showed up to the grand opening and told him she was proud of what he had accomplished.

Narramore says his 10-employee firm is family-oriented, and even with a few tough years

“It’s really a testament to how a teacher can affect a kid.”

David Narramore, on the encouragement he received from his second-grade teacher

riding out the recession, he has many long-term employees. Narramore says he tells his employees that “family is the most important thing, not architecture,” and even Harley, a large labradoodle, comes to the office most days.

The company has had several different office spaces around Greenville and moved into the current location on Mills Avenue 18 years ago.

Narramore says his office is big enough, with 5,000 square feet and plenty of room for growth, that he hopes to not have to move again.

He sits on the Greenville Technical College Architectural Engineering Technology

Advisory Board and has served as a board member for A Child’s Haven and the Clemson Advancement Foundation.

“Life is good,” says Narramore, who believes in “living life to the fullest” and relishes a little more free time these days to pursue other passions. He’s a self-described “gadget junkie” who enjoys the latest technology. In addition to hunting, he likes motorcycles (he has four now: two BMWs and two Harleys), he completed a welding class at Greenville Tech, does blacksmithing, paints watercolors and likes to travel.

Narramore has five children and several have worked for him “from time to time” but none have an interest in taking over the family business. He says even though he is far from retirement, he hopes his right-hand man, Shea O’Brien, will take over the company reins when that time comes.

Narramore also hopes to collaborate on design/build projects in the future with one of his sons and possibly do design work on new urban-type neighborhoods.

But for now, he’s content. Narramore says that he really enjoys what he does. “I love getting up every morning.”

David Narramore hunting.

David Narramore in the 1970s.

David Narramore’s 1972 National Council of Architecture Registration Boards application.

Through the Years 1945 David Narramore born in Greenville, S.C. 1945 1952 In second grade at OverbrookEastover Grammar School, teacher Elaine Childress told him “you draw so well you should be an architect.”

1963 Graduated from Greenville Senior High School.

1955

1970 Position with the General Services Administration in Atlanta. Eventually, returned to Greenville without a job.

1965

1969 Graduated from Clemson University with Bachelor of Architecture. First job, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Worked on Hurricane Camille disaster relief.

1975

1972 Passed the S.C. Architectural Board exam and obtained license; obtained national registration from the National Council of Architectural Registration Board; and became a member of the Construction Specification Institute.

Nov 19, 1973 Started own firm, Narramore & Barber Architects, with fellow graduate Wade Barber.

1985 1974 Dissolved partnership to become David Narramore, AIA Architect.

1985 Formed business corporation, Narramore Associates Inc., Architects & Planners.

1995 1990 Joined Greenville Technical College AET Advisory Board.

2005-2008 Served as board member on the Clemson Advancement Foundation.

2005

2002-2005 Served as board member for A Child’s Haven.

2013 Celebrates 40 years in business.

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 15

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THINKING BIG, SHOPPING SMALL

COVER STORY

By Dick Hughes | contributor | dhughes@communityjournals.com

Local retailers strive to lure shoppers Boost for Holiday Shopping Business Saturday was begun away from the big boxes and online – bySmall American Express in 2010 to give and keep more dollars in the Upstate small retailers and restaurants a boost Shop Small Saturday gives locally owned retailers a potential sales boost – and a shout-out for social and economic benefits their dollars bring to neighborhoods.

Started by American Express, Small Business Saturday, now in its fourth year, has become a major Thanksgiving promotion, sandwiched between two competing events: the big-box stores’ Black Friday and the Internet’s Cyber Monday.

Tiby Weinstein, who has co-owned Gage’s gift and stationery store on Augusta Road in Greenville for 29 years, sees the appeal of Shop Small as putting “a face on small businesses” and their bedrock place in vibrant communities.

“To me the biggest question of all is, if we don’t have local brick-and-mortar stores, what will the fabric of a community be like?” she said. “We can’t all be warehouses and click-and-shop. Where are the jobs going to be? In a consumer-based economy, if you don’t have a job you are not consuming products.

That’s one of the biggest dangers.”

Independent retailers put back nearly four times as much of their revenue into their local communities as chain stores, according to a compilation of nine studies by the American Independent Business Alliance.

The AIBA studies show chains recirculating 13 percent of their revenue locally compared to 48 percent by independents. American Express estimates that 52 cents of every dollar spent

with local businesses stays local.

“Locally Owned, Period”

That is a compelling reason to buy from locally owned enterprises, said Charles Scales, president of family-owned Greenville Office Supply, which is in its 45th year.

“Obviously, you can’t buy 100 percent of everything locally,” he said, “but you should try to buy it first locally.”

What disturbs Scales are those who “believe just because a Staples or a WalMart is down the street, they consider that local.

They are not local at all.

Local to me means locally owned, period. There is no other definition.”

Weinstein said the Buy Small campaign promoting commonweal advantages of spending local over spending with distant corporations “explains it pretty clearly. It is just a question of believing it.”

She told of a conversation with a woman who fills her car twice a month at Costco because it is three cents cheaper.

“I said, ‘It doesn’t take 20 gallons, so for $1.20 a month you would like for Costco to have that business as opposed to the guy you’re going to call when your windshield wiper has flown off on Augusta Road?’”

16 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL November 29, 2013

to start the critical holiday shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

AmEx offers cardholders who register in advance a $10 credit on their bill when they spend $10 or more at a participating store. In the prior three years, the credit was $25.

Scott Krugman, a spokesman for American Express, said the credit was reduced to make it available to more people. “The budget was not changed.”

AmEx does not disclose the number of cardholders it registers to use the credit on Shop Small Saturday but Krugman said it is in “the hundreds of thousands.”

“Whether it is $10 or $25, it is nice to support small business,” said Rush Wilson of Rush Wilson Limited, an upscale men’s clothing store in business in Greenville since 1959.

Wilson uses Facebook and email to

remind customers of potential savings by using their AmEx card. In the first year, he said, customers “did it by accident,” with greater public awareness in the second and third years increasing the numbers.

“Did it increase our business? I can’t tell you that. Our business has increased, but it is just probably a small piece of it.”

The Anti-Black Friday

Wilson particularly appreciates that Shop Small Saturday picks up small businesses coming as it does after Black Friday when “all the promotions you see are for all the big-box stores.”

Musette Stern, owner of Muse Shoe Studio on Augusta Road, is a participating Shop Small retailer and, like Wilson, can’t say “we got considerably more business” because of it.

Just as important, she said, is the message that buying from a local shopkeeper is the right thing. “It feels better and helps our economy when you are part of the economy you live in.”

As grateful as she is for one day once a year, Stern wishes it “could stay all year or all week or at least as a reminder through the holidays.”

Shop Small has grown in terms of participating stores, shoppers and dollars spent. AmEx estimates 100 million consumers spent $5.5 billion on Shop Small Saturday last year. >>

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>> It has gained major encouragement from business associations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and Twitter, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service offer incentives for advertising and shipping.

Small retailers have long lived with competition from chain stores in malls, using personal and tailored service, product familiarity, ease of access and neighborhood visibility to their advantage.

Greater Concern: Online

As Stern of Muse Shoe Studio put it, “The department stores never worry me. My customers like shopping at small stores. They avoid the mall. They like to shop where they know the culture and are not taking a risk.”

Of greater concern is the growth of online shopping, particularly among younger generations who use their computers, pads and smartphones to shop at any time, anywhere.

“I think the virtual shopping experience is going to be all that some 20-yearolds ever know. I am concerned about that from a community standpoint,” Weinstein said.

Greenville Office Supply is the quintessential local business battling box stores for office product business throughout the Upstate and into North Carolina. It is family-owned, and Charles Scales’ three sons represent third-generation management.

GOS has 50 employees “all full-time, all provided with health benefits, 401(k) s, everything,” and its employees are long-tenured. The average in customer service is 15-18 years and 12-15 in delivery, Scales said.

“I’m a big proponent of trying to buy

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

SPENDING IN 2012 BLACK FRIDAY –

$11.4(upBILLION 6.6 %) SHOP SMALL SATURDAY –

$5.4 BILLION

(Includes retailers and restaurants)

CYBER MONDAY –

$1.2(upBILLION 20 %) Sources: National Retail Federation, Shopper Talk, IBM, ComSource Online and American Express as reported by CNNMoney

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as much as we can from local vendors,” he said. “We try to support our community, as I hope they will support me.”

He can’t fathom “why another owner of another business doesn’t believe in that 100 percent. There are many that don’t believe in that, and they rely on their local business to shop their businesses.”

Can the Chamber Help?

Scales, Wilson, Weinstein and Stern believe an organized and sustained campaign promoting the benefits of buying local would help, but it is something they can’t do alone.

“It seems to me that it is important for the business leaders to puzzle it through,” said Weinstein. “I am sure there are great programs in places, best practices we should be investigating. I don’t know where they are, and honestly I only have so many hours in the day.”

Scales believes that responsibility is inherent in the historic mission of chambers of commerce, the first of which was founded in France in 1599 as a way for tradesmen to help one another.

His company is active in chambers in Spartanburg, Greer, Easley, Anderson, Laurens and Greenwood that have “active programs” to promote buying local. “They do what they say. They are proponents and buyers of our products.”

After 40 years with the Greenville Chamber, Scales dropped GOS’s membership about five years ago when the chamber replaced GOS with Office Depot as its own supplier and preferred provider to members. (Early this month, Office Depot and OfficeMax merged, creating the largest office supplier with revenue of $17 billion.)

“I can’t sit here and have a double standard, say ‘I want to support buy local, I support it,’ but I don’t do it,” he said.

Chamber Defends Big Boxes

To Scales, the chamber’s position of putting box stores on an equal footing with locally owned companies in terms of its own purchasing is wrong, even if the box stores have a local presence and chamber membership.

In effect, he said, the chamber is buying into “the perception that if they have brick and mortar, then they are

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local. No, the people there have no ownership.”

He said GOS sells “everything-plus what the national guys do. Our prices are more than competitive; their service is not even close. All things being equal, why wouldn’t small, medium and large companies try to support where they live?”

In an email response, Ben Haskew, chamber CEO, said the chamber signed up with Office Depot, which had become the U.S. Chamber’s preferred provider for chambers, after GOS pulled out of the chamber’s BuySmart program to give its small business members “access to affordable products and services.”

Contrary to Haskew’s assertion,

Scales said, GOS dropped out of BuySmart after the chamber went to Office Depot, not before.

In any case, he said, his interest is working with the chamber, not fighting with it, and would love to bring GOS back into membership as a partner.

Haskew defended the participation of box stores in chamber activities, noting that Office Depot, Belk and Costco hold in-store promotions giving chamber members discounts.

“All of these organizations support the bigger mission of the chamber – growing per capita income as a measure of community prosperity and building a premier business community,” he said.

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 17

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Hardware Wars Former golf pro Ben Duncan holds his own amid the big boxes in Simpsonville

By Dick Hughes | contributor | dhughes@communityjournals.com After 10 years on the PGA circuit, Ben Duncan walked away from golf to sell hammers and nails.

It’s not like he’s giving up tough competition on the links for an easy ride in hardware.

In July, Duncan opened Greenville County’s first new locally owned hardware store in years – an Ace Hardware along Simpsonville’s fast-growing and traffic-heavy commercial strip on Fairview Road off I-385.

And he did it two-tenths of a mile from Home Depot and five-tenths of a mile from Lowe’s, two national box stores with a history of driving out local retailers.

If that’s not enough competition, Duncan’s store is a long stone’s throw from a Wal-Mart.

Duncan is unfazed.

“Yeah, there is an extreme amount of competition from the box stores, but at the same time we offer something they don’t,” he said. “When you walk through the front door, you can get somebody who can help you. You can get in, get what you need and, more importantly, have a pleasant shopping experience, and get back to your life, get back to your project, your office, whatever.”

Living Off Disgruntled Box Store Customers

Box store customers complain they often wander aisles to find help – someone, for example, who can explain the dizzying array of energy-efficient light blubs.

“I can live on the people they piss off,” said Duncan. “Customer service, customer service, customer service. That’s the bottom line.”

He is confident, too, of disabusing customers of the perception that “because we are smaller, we’re more expensive. That is just not the case.

I am right in line pricing-wise.”

Further, he said, he has products and brands such as Craftsman and Stihl not available at Lowe’s or Home Depot, which “a lot of times send people to me. They don’t have what the people need, so they tell them, ‘Try the new Ace.’” Duncan is counting, too, on people who see the civic benefit of buying local even if they may have to pay a bit more on occasion.

“I’m a believer in people supporting their own.

I am hiring local people. I am supporting the local economy. I’m putting money back into our tax system here.”

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Ben Duncan owner of a new Simpsonville Ace Hardware store.

To strengthen local ties, Duncan and his wife, Christy, a fifth-grade teacher at Thomas Kerns Elementary, will move “very soon” from Greenville, Duncan’s hometown, to Simpsonville.

Weary of the PGA Tour, Duncan Puts Clubs Away

In startup mode, he is running “extremely lean right now” with four full-time employees, including him, and three part-time.

While Home Depot and Lowe’s offer a host of ordinary hardware and household items, Duncan said, “they make their living off the guy who is coming in and buying lumber for five houses.”

According to SEC filings reported by Reuters, professional contractors account for 35 percent of sales at Home Depot and 25 percent

GREG BECKNER / STAFF

at Lowe’s.

There was nothing casual about Duncan’s decisions to leave the pro golf circuit, open a hardware store, join the Ace brand and put the store where he did in the Simpsonville ZIP code.

Duncan turned professional after a successful run as a member of Clemson’s 2003 NCAA golf championship team. He gave himself 10 years but “never made it where I wanted to make it.”

Tired of the travel, at age 32, Duncan quit the tour last November “to get into something else.”

He hasn’t picked up a golf club since.

He considered farming and real estate but what got “the wheels turning” was fascination with hardware stores. As a kid, he loved walking the aisles of a nearby Ace Hardware and on the golf tour would seek one out “and kind

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of walk around and check them out.”

That decided, he went to work.

Picking a Store Location in County’s ‘Next Hotbed’

“When I sat down about a year and a half ago and really started looking at it, I had a pretty good grasp of Greenville, its growth, where it is growing. After studying the demographics of this area, even though you already have two boxes, you are sitting on the next hotbed of commercial and residential growth.”

He found a population of 75,000 within three to five miles, major homebuilders buying up large parcels of undeveloped acreage and “rooftop after rooftop being built here every day.”

With 26,000 cars traveling Fairview Road daily, pulling “a couple of hundred a day from that is not asking for a whole lot of the pie.”

In January, after months of research, Duncan approached Ace, a wholesale buying cooperative with 4,700 independently owned stores, the largest in the hardware trade.

Things went quickly from there.

“I was pleasantly surprised to learn that for a small store their prices are competitive with those of Home Depot.”

Gary Konczal

He was “about three steps ahead of where normally people are.” Ace agreed the area could support a store and worked up a 10-year business plan.

Duncan signed a lease for a 10,000-square-foot vacant building in May and did a lot of the refitting and remodeling himself to prepare for Ace’s set-up team around July 1. “In about 15 days, the store went from empty to cash registers ready for the first customer.”

What attracted Duncan to Ace was an incentive that let him stock the store “basically for free. You pay

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for it upfront, and they reimburse you up to $330,000” – $200,000 after six months, $100,000 the next year and $30,000 in the third.

“I don’t see how anybody could make the numbers work if they didn’t offer the incentives they do,” Duncan said.

Duncan has “a lot on the line” and figures he’ll have to go through about four spring seasons – “our big time” – to see where things stand, access market demand and make changes “to make things really take off.”

Once Found, Customers Give Store Thumbs Up

For now, though, the challenge is to get found. Because his store is set back from Fairview Road, it lacks clear street-front visibility, and the county’s signage ordinance prevented as dominant of a sign as he would have liked.

But once they get in the door, he said, customers give him positive encouragement. He’s “yet to hear one negative feedback.”

One such first-time customer was Gary Konczal of Simpsonville, who found a 15-watt incandescent light bulb he could not find at Home Depot. “It was my first visit,” Konczal said. “The clerk was helpful. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that for a small store their prices are competitive with those of Home Depot.”

On the way out, Konczal “even purchased a couple of $1 items, which were priced no higher than at a dollar store.”

Ace Hardware has ranked No. 1 in consumer satisfaction among home improvement stores by J.D. Powers for seven consecutive years.

It was founded in 1927 and purchased by its retailers in 1973 as a wholesale buying cooperative. With 4,700 individually owned stores, it is the largest hardware co-op. True Value and Do it Best follow close behind.

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STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Independent retailers find advice, support in alliances

By Dick Hughes |contributor

Alliances of independent retailers with year-round campaigns encouraging consumers to buy local when and where they can produce greater sales growth for retailers than those without programs, according to the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA).

The data was compiled by the Institute of Self-Reliance for AMIBA, which promotes and organizes local educational programs on the community payback of spending with local and independent retailers and restaurants.

According the groups’ data, yearto-year sales growth for small independent businesses with ongoing buy-local programs rose by 8.6 percent in 2012 compared to 3.4 percent for businesses without one.

AMIBA’s primary purpose is to help local businesses work together at the community level to help run effective programs and avoid mistakes others have made, said Jiff Milchen, co-director.

“We provide a full array of tools and templates and ongoing advice and support based on the experience of having helped more than 85 organizations around the country with best practices,” he said.

It takes more than a bumper sticker and a poster to be successful, Milchen said.

“It involves public education at a deeper level. We encourage folks to engage actively, making presen-

tations to civic groups, school groups, writing op-eds for their local newspapers … all the different communication channels.”

And it must be ongoing, he said. “If someone comes to us and says, ‘We want to do it for the holiday season as a stand-alone,’ we tell them, ‘Don’t bother. It is not worth your time and energy.’”

For the first year in startup, AMIBA charges $950 for its time helping set up a campaign and for materials – “posters, bumper stickers and a lot of other materials to help with the startup before they develop a lot of their own material.”

After the first year, Milchen said, AMIBA charges for ongoing support on a scale of 1 percent of a group’s operating budget up to a maximum of $600. “We are here every day to provide advice and support,” he said.

The AMIBA’s buy-local model is based on one developed in Boulder, Colo. AMIBA is now based in Bozeman, Mont., with a staff of four.

With the support of American Express, AMIBA created a 12-page introduction to organizing an effective campaign, “Building Buy Local Campaigns that Shift Culture and Spending.” A free PDF version is available upon request.

For information, contact: AMIBA, 222 S. Black Ave., Bozeman, MT 59715; 406-5821255 or Jeff@AMIBA.net.

Note: The similarity in name with Duncan Home Center, also an Ace store, on Augusta Road in Greenville, is coincidental. There is no relationship.

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 19

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‘Only on Augusta’ For the Augusta Road Business Association’s 80 members, life on the road has its rewards

By Dick Hughes | contributor | dhughes@communityjournals.com Tiby Weinstein remembers when the Augusta Road Business Association was a handful of shopkeepers sitting around talking about “traffic lights and things like that.”

“We flopped around for 20 years,” said Weinstein, who next year marks 30 years at Gage’s stationery and gift store on Augusta Road, 23 years at Capers Place and the last six at Lewis Plaza.

“There were six of us who paid dues year-in, year-out, but there was no sugar for the nickel. We just believed in it.”

It is a far different story today. From 10 members three years ago, ARBA has grown to 80 along the stretch of Augusta Road with its storied past as Greenville’s premier commercial and elegant residential neighborhood link in and out of downtown.

Its “Only on Augusta” promotions link yesteryear with today’s “upscale culture, commitment to heritage and rare blend of locally owned businesses

side-by-side with nationally acclaimed franchises, (that) make life on the road for generations of families a truly unique experience.”

The turning point came in the summer of 2011 when ARBA cobbled together enough members at $225 a year to hire a marketing and public relations consultant, Clair Ray, the “just me” of Clair Ray Creative Marketing.

“I give Clair Ray great credit for shepherding the process,” Weinstein said.

“One of the things we struggled with for years and years and years is that you don’t have time to run your business and champion an organization.”

Although not near where it wants to be, ARBA created the kind of neighborhood association of retail and service merchants that proponents of buying local say is critical to keeping independent and locally owned stores alive against the onslaught of online and box-store shopping.

Photo Provided

Shoppers at Lewis Plaza during the annual Augusta Road Holiday Open House.

“What ARBA has tried to do is ensure the charm of Augusta Road stays, to get the community involved and keep it going for people to come from other areas to enjoy Augusta Road,” Ray said.

It sponsors two open houses a year, one to start the summer and one at the beginning of the holiday season, to bring neighbors and outsiders to the shopping plazas and stand-alone stores with festive entertainment and discounts. The third annual Holiday Open House was held Sunday.

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There are 350 businesses along the roughly three miles from Augusta Road and Dunbar Street to the far end where ARBA is anchored by The Pickwick, a family-owned independent pharmacy and soda fountain that has been a Greenville fixture since 1947.

The current chairman of the ARBA board is Kelly Odum. He and his brother Chad are the third-generation owners of The Pickwick.

The main shopping centers are Lewis Plaza, Capers Place, Augusta Village, McDaniel Village and Augusta Common.

“There are free-standing businesses or smaller strip areas, and you have businesses off the side streets,” Ray said.

While Ray said existing members of the association have “done a phenomenal job” and new members are joining, there are shopkeepers who have declined to join yet “are still reaping the benefits.”

For example, she said, “during the holiday open houses, there are retail businesses who are not members and do not participate but on that Sunday … they have their doors open ready to sell. We can’t force them to not open their doors.”

To Weinstein of Gage’s, “it’s a sin that every single business isn’t a member” – including property owners who have an interest in keeping their properties rented with healthy businesses.

Retail in her DNA

Tiby Weinstein’s passion for brick-and-mortar stores is a family legacy

By Dick Hughes | contributor | dhughes@communityjournals.com

GREG BECKNER / STAFF

Tiby Weinstein, owner of Gage’s stationery and gift store on Augusta Road, is not sure being a shopkeeper “was the correct career choice for me, but I am pretty passionate about brick-and-mortar stores.”

As well she should. Right career choice or not, it is in her DNA. Tiby is the daughter of Ben Weinstein, who managed the Meyers-Arnold Department Store for nearly 40 years on Main Street, where Mast General Store thrives today, and at McAlister Square, where it moved as an anchor store in 1968.

In her elementary school years,

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Meyers-Arnold “was my after-school care. Now when I walk into Mast, I know every inch of that building.”

She retains fond nostalgia for the glory days of department store retailing when long-tenured clerks knew their merchandise and their customers. Shoppers didn’t have to search for help, and they got their hankies wrapped in tissue paper.

Today, when she walks into a department store, “I am one of the few people who truly feels sorry for the woman in hosiery who also has to cover handbags and jewelry. All

she is getting is animosity. She has been asked to do too much.”

Weinstein went to work for Gage’s the week in 1984 when co-owners Mary Gage Dobbins and Pee Wee Satterfield opened the store at Caper’s Place. She bought Satterfield’s share a year later, and she and Dobbins owned it together until 1999 when Dobbins retired and Weinstein became sole owner. Seven years ago, Weinstein moved across Augusta to Lewis Plaza.

“It’s bizarre for me to think I’ve been doing it for 30 years, but that’s the truth.”

UBJ SQUARE FEET DEALMAKERS

SOLD:

CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD | THALHIMER ANNOUNCED:

America in leasing 1,704 SF of office space at 775 Spartan Blvd., Spartanburg.

Brian J. Young and Elliott Fayssoux recently represented IPS Packaging in their lease of a 40,000 SF located at 174 Millennium Drive off of Highway 30 in Orangeburg, S.C. This property will serve as their new distribution center and will join other IPS Packaging centers operating in Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C. and Memphis, Tenn., as well as the corporate office in Fountain Inn.

SPENCER/HINES PROPERTIES ANNOUNCED:

Brian J. Young handled the lease negotiations on behalf of G&K Services in the renewal of its lease of 22,000 SF of industrial space at 17 Continuum Drive, Fletcher, N.C. Tim Venne with Cushman & Wakefield | Northmarq assisted with the transaction.

Brian J. Young and Charles G. Whitmire Jr. represented Keystone Automotive Industries in leasing 32,900 SF of industrial space at 112 Montague Drive, Columbia.

Brad Harvey and Jason Guillot represented Medical Services of

the sale of their 16,973 SF manufacturing/ industrial warehouse, located at 913 Olive St., Easley, to Robert Hoover.

Guy Harris was the leasing agent of a 7,200 SF warehouse at 2995 New Cut Road, Spartanburg.

Zach Hines sold a 1,100 SF office conversion at 939 Cardinal Drive, Easley, to Premiere Roofing of the Upstate LLC. The sellers are also building a +/4,000 SF warehouse at this location.

Zach Hines was the leasing agent for a 1,800 SF salon at 213 N. Main St., Greenville.

Bobby and Zach Hines were the leasing agents for a 2,300 SF restaurant space at 220 E. Green St., Honea Path, to Spinx Company.

Andy Hayes sold 1330 Boiling Springs Road, Spartanburg, the location of North Grove Medical Investments LLC, to Oaktree Medical LLC.

Andy Hayes and Neal Boyett were the leasing agents for two 1,000 SF retail units at 1400 Boiling Springs Rd., Spartanburg. Hayes was the leasing agent for Unit 7 and Boyett was the leasing agent for Unit 4. Craig Jacobs served as listing agent.

David Strickland sold the former Clifton Mill, 39 acres located at 5299 Clifton Glendale Road, Spartanbug, to Spartanburg County.

David Strickland sold Cycle & McMillian Drive to Spartanburg County District 2.

Guy Harris served as leasing agent at 170-B Camelot Drive, Spartanburg. Andy Hayes was the listing agent.

Guy Harris sold a 1.95 acre and professional office space at 155 Tradd St., Spartanburg, for CBNA-SC LLC to 1st & 10 Properties LLC.

Craig Jones served as listing and leasing agent of a 1,800 SF restaurant at 910 E. Main St., Spartanburg.

Andy Hayes represented Atlas SC I SPE LLC in

SINESSJOUR EBU NA TAT

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GREG BECKNER / STAFF

WHAT: 3.22 acres at Biltmore Drive and Pearle Avenue, Greenville BROKER: Frank Hammond, Colliers International PREVIOUS OWNER: Biltmore Group LLC

NEW OWNER: Not disclosed FUTURE PLANS: The new owner has no immediate plans for the property

FIRST FRIDAY

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November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 21

UBJ FORWARD

By RUSSELL STALL

Giving Thanks for Greenville Thanks to way too much time spent browsing Facebook, I know what people are grateful for during this holiday season. Actually, I probably know more than I would like.

Inspired by the gratitude posts that are filling up my newsfeed, I have put together my own list. My friends’ posts talk about their appreciation for family, their health and, of course, great food.

People really love food. But while I’m grateful for what we eat, during this holiday season, I am most grateful for the special place where we live.

I am grateful for Greenville, a community with a rich history that is always looking for opportunities to write the next and better chapter. I am grateful for a community unafraid to take the lead in creating a better quality of life for its residents. Most of all I’m grateful for the people of Greenville. Greenvillians have made creating a list like this easy. Here are just a few things that make me thankful that I live in Greenville County.

THE GARDENING MOVEMENT Community gardens are popping up everywhere – at Greenville churches, in neighborhoods, and at schools; quickly replacing the front porches of old and becoming gathering places for neighbors to reconnect. Greenville Forward’s Gardening for Good program has over 80 gardens in its network, creating access to healthy foods and building a new sense of community wherever they are located. We’re excited about the local gardening movement because we see firsthand how a garden can reinvigorate neighborhoods, improve the health of residents and neighborhoods, and transform Greenville through gardening.

HEADSTRONG YOUTH

I am constantly impressed with

our young people who are writing the next chapter for Greenville. I am amazed with their energy and enthu-

Open Studios breaks attendance records every year. The Pendleton Arts District is becoming the cool place to hang out. The arts continue to be the soul of the community, and more and more artists are being welcomed into the mix.

FOOD TRUCKS AND THE FOODIE MOVEMENT

I am grateful for Greenville, a community with a rich history that is always looking for opportunities to write the next and better chapter. siasm. Greenville Forward’s Headstrong program, a voice for young people, has joined efforts with Greenville County School District’s Inter-High Council – a group of student council representatives – to develop young leadership, and to build and inspire the leaders of our future. These students have a contagious energy that is great for Greenville.

ECONOMIC GROWTH Business along the Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail is exploding, Travelers Rest and the other cities are rocking, and it seems like there’s a new development going up daily in downtown Greenville. I’m thankful that not only does Greenville continue to grow as an international mecca for business, but also that we understand the impact economic growth has on our livability and quality of life. We welcome startups and new business models, such as NEXT and the Iron Yard, and I’m excited to see what the next year brings for them.

22 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL November 29, 2013

SPIRIT OF GIVING AND VOLUNTEERISM Greenville is one of the most giving communities in the country, and we give significantly more than the rest of the country. Giving is part of who we are, and we are grateful for the many Greenvillians who volunteer their time, talents and money to make this community a better place. Greenville Forward has the honor of spotlighting some of these volunteers once a year with the Heroes Next Door Awards, and every year it’s difficult to choose just three “Heroes” out of the pool of nominations.

My stomach is grateful for food trucks. Greenville’s growing culinary scene means some great choices for dining out in this town, but the arrival of the food truck scene created a whole new and fun way to enjoy food, and demonstrates how the community can come together to change local policy.

CONVERSATIONS A generation ago, Mayor Max Heller was known for his talent in creating community conversation. In that spirit, we continue to inspire dialogue to make Greenville better. This community is best when it brings together different perspectives and opinions to create change. I see it every month during our Momentum Dialogue Series where we invite the community to discuss topics such as bullying, climbing the income ladder, and inclusion in the classroom.

The room is always full and people are willing to sit at the table to talk and listen. And for that I am grateful.

Thank you, Greenville, for giving me so many reasons to be grateful.

Thank you for letting us be a small part of it.

CREATIVITY AND THE ARTS The Greenville community continues to support the arts and because of their support, there’s always something to do and see in Greenville.

Artisphere just received a record number of applicants for next year’s festival, and it’s hard to find a show at a Greenville theater that is not sold out. The Metropolitan Arts Council’s

Russell Stall is executive director of Greenville Forward. Greenville Forward’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for greater Greenville by engaging all citizens in continually updating, promoting and facilitating a community vision for 2025 and beyond.

UBJ THE FINE PRINT Clemson Dedicates Energy Innovation Center Duke Energy, energy provider SCE&G and Clemson University recently dedicated the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center.

SCE&G supported the center with a $3.5 million gift.

Clemson said the center houses the world’s most advanced wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility, capable of full-scale highly accelerated mechanical and electrical testing of advanced drivetrain systems for wind turbines. Testing and research at the Innovation Center will focus on areas such as energy storage, solar energy, wind energy, traditional energy sources such as natural gas and diesel systems, smart-grid and micro-grid technologies, fuel cells, aerospace systems, electric vehicle

charging systems, and grid security.

The SCE&G center will also house the Duke Energy Electrical Grid Research Innovation and Development (eGRID) facility, a 15-megawatt hardware-in-the-loop grid simulator that can replicate the electrical grid of any country in the world.

Duke Energy will also contribute $5 million to help fund laboratory infrastructure and educational program development and fund a Smart Grid Technology Endowed Chair. Duke Energy employees also will provide the center with ongoing technical expertise and resources.

Accelerator Receives $25,000 from Hollingsworth The Greenville Chamber received a $25,000 grant from Hollingsworth Funds to further develop its new Minority Business Accelerator (MBA).

Twelve companies are participating in the MBA, which is modeled after similar programs in Charlotte and Cincinnati. According to the chamber, the average annual busi-

ness revenue in the Upstate is $466,000 for whites, $336,000 for Hispanics, $279,000 for Asians, and $42,000 for African-Americans. The MBA aims to help correct such disparities through mentorship, providing access to large corporations and other assistance.

SCRA, Israel Request R&D Proposals The South Carolina Research Authority and the Israeli Industry Center for R&D jointly released the initial request for proposals for new or improved products and processes that could be commercialized in global markets.

Proposals must include one South Carolina-based company and one Israeli R&D company.

This is the first RFP resulting from an agreement between the government of the State of South Carolina and the government of the State of Israel, which was signed last month by Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt and Opher

Aviran, consul general of Israel to the southeast United States.

South Carolina is the first state to sign such an agreement with Israel. Initiatives to use South Carolina as an important point of entry in U.S. markets have picked up pace in the past year and a half.

South Carolina, in turn, benefits Israel’s highly developed research and development business culture.

“We look forward to helping our South Carolina companies grow through this exciting initiative,” said SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney in a statement. “This collaboration will

further innovative research and collaboration and will ultimately advance South Carolina’s knowledge economy. We are delighted to be a key player in the process, and we look forward to many positive partnerships and successes.”

Suggested fields for exploration include biomedical sciences, advanced materials, sustainable energy and agriculture systems, defense and health information.

Questions relating to this RFP can be directed to Russ Keller at Russ.

Keller@scra.org. SCRA focuses on applied R&D and early-stage capital investment.

New Biomass Plants Dedicated Santee Cooper Energy and EDF Renewable Energy last week dedicated two 17.8-megawatt biomass plants in Allendale and Dorchester counties that became operational this month. Under 30-year power purchase agreements, the two sites will supply

renewable energy to Santee Cooper’s existing transmission system.

“Biomass is poised to be a key renewable base load energy resource for South Carolina and we are pleased to work with Santee Cooper on this excellent opportunity to produce

economically attractive renewable energy,” said Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EDF. “Utilizing wood waste to generate electricity is a proven renewable technology that complements EDF Renewable Energy’s robust portfolio of wind, solar and biogas projects in North America.”

Upstate to Join Global Cities Initiative’s New Exchange Network The Upstate SC Alliance announced that the Upstate will join the Global Cities Initiative, a new exchange network of metropolitan areas committed to establishing actionable plans that will promote greater global trade and economic competitiveness. The network is a joint project of The Brookings Institution and JPMorgan Chase.

Regions were evaluated based on their readiness and capability to pursue the project’s curriculum and goals. The program aims to equip metropolitan leaders with the information, policy ideas and global connections they need to bolster their regions’ positions in the global

economy.

The Upstate team will join Atlanta, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Fla., Milwaukee, Phoenix, Sacramento, Calif., and Wichita, Kan., in the Exchange’s inaugural class, which will work together over the next four years to establish new metro-to-metro relationships and to share best practices in global economic development. Additional cities will be added over time.

The Upstate will be represented by a team of leaders convened by the Upstate SC Alliance and will include: Max Metcalf, manager of government and community relations at BMW Manufacturing Co.;

Dave Edwards, president and CEO of the GSP International Airport; and Jack Ellenberg, senior vice president for economic development and projects at South Carolina Ports. Many others involved with export and trade have committed to the project.

The team will develop a regional export plan and later integrate a foreign direct investment strategy.

Together these plans, which may also grow to include logistics and advanced industries, will comprise a customized global engagement strategy to strengthen the region’s global economic connections and competitiveness.

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

New hires, promotions & award winners can be featured in On The Move.

Send information & photos to onthemove@upstatebusiness journal.com.

UBJ ON THE MOVE APPOINTED

HIRED

Tracy Warren

Erin J. Dickert, M.D.

Appointed to the Clemson University Research Foundation board of directors.

Warren is a general partner of Battelle Ventures. She chairs the BioNano Genomics Board and sits on the Board of Micro Interventional Devices as part of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Joined the Bon Secours Medical Group as part of its Upstate Maternal Fetal Medicine section. A boardcertified OB-GYN specialist, Dickert is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina.

HONORED

PROMOTED

Christina Gridley-Robles

Elizabeth Crews

Received the Charter Business PULSE Volunteer Award for November.

Gridley-Robles is a graduate of the University of Georgia and serves as marketing coordinator for CBRE | The Furman Co. She has been an active member of PULSE for more than three years.

Named director of Furman University’s Undergraduate Evening Studies, a division of Continuing Education. Crews most recently served as director of Furman’s Learning for You program, where she led “Connections: Women Leaders of the Upstate,” the Scopes summer camps and other developmental programs.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT:

year term on the Upstate Workforce Investment Board.

Cook is the economic development director for Cherokee County. He also serves as the chairman of the WIB’s financial oversight committee and

The Greenville Chamber of Commerce recently announced that Jim Cook was reappointed to serve a three-

is on the WIB’s executive committee.

The Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce recently announced the winners of the Minority Enterprise Development Awards. Karen Knuckles, who is the owner of Express Employment Professionals, won Minority Business Person of the Year; and Louise B. Connell, who is Supplier Diversity Coordinator for BMW Manufacturing Co. LLC, won Minority Business Advocate of the Year.

CONSTRUCTION/ ENGINEERING: O’Neal Inc. has hired David Moss as project engineer.

Moss has more than five years of professional construction experience with The Shaw Group/CB&I and Summit Engineering and Construction Services. Jimmy Feltman has been hired as construction manager.

Feltman has more than 25 years of commercial construction management experience in the Upstate. He comes to O’Neal from Feltman Brothers Inc. Jose Cortes has been hired as quality manager.

Cortes has more than 15 years of field experience in mechanical and piping systems acquired while working with Yonkers Industries and Fluor Daniel Caribbean.

PUBLIC RELATIONS/ MARKETING: Crawford Strategy recently expanded its creative team.

Hannah Dillard, who has been promoted to art director, has been with Crawford Strategy since 2010. Previously, she worked as a free-

24 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL November 29, 2013

lance graphic designer and as a graphic imaging specialist intern at Cryovac Inc. Jessie Kendall, also promoted to art director, has been with Crawford Strategy since 2012, and brings more than 10 years of experience to the team. She previously worked with Erwin Penland as a senior graphic designer and technical designer. Crawford Strategy also welcomed Marlena Sigman as a new graphic designer. Sigman joined Crawford Strategy as a graphic designer with more than four years of experience.

Prior to her position at Crawford Strategy, she worked as a graphic designer for CertusBank in Greenville.

Full Media recently hired Sarah Arbogast as an internet marketing analyst and Ryan Fleming who is taking on the business development role for the Greenville office.

Before joining Full Media, Fleming played college football for Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tenn., and served as an officer in the U.S. Army upon graduation. Arbogast joins Full Media having recently completed her Master of Arts in Communication, Technology and Society from Clemson University.

Jackson Marketing Group recently added Erin Fields as account coordinator and Daniela Yankelevitch as office coordinator/receptionist. Fields brings more than five years of experience in client services, most recently with Raymond James & Associates. Yankelevitch has a degree in advertising from the University of South

Carolina and previously served as a customer care representative with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Columbia.

SPORTS: The Greenville Drive recently announced that Eric Jarinko has been promoted from front office member to general manager. Jarinko most recently served as the organization’s assistant general manager. He joined the Drive as director of media relations in November 2005, prior to the organization’s inaugural season in downtown Greenville.

STAFFING: Phillips Staffing recently announced that Tim Duerr has completed all training and become the company’s third authorized WorkKeys job profiler, and one of only 20 in South Carolina. As WorkKeys Profiler, Duerr will work with organizations across South Carolina to profile their positions with a focus in the manufacturing and logistics/distribution arenas.

TECHNOLOGY: EDTS recently announced that security and network consultant Paul Pelletier has attained the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification. The certification is symbolic of attaining a globally accepted standard of achievement among information systems audit, control and security professionals. Pelletier joined EDTS in 2012 when his former company merged with EDTS operations in Augusta, Ga.

UBJ NEW TO THE STREET 3

1

1. Bell Roper Mountain Apartments cut the ribbon at 230 Roper Mountain Road in Greenville. For more information, visit bellapartmentliving.com or call 864-297-8899.

2

2. YouthBASE, an after-school program for children with behavioral, academic, social and emotional difficulties, recently held a ribbon-cutting at 813 Hampton Ave. in Greenville. For more information, visit youth-base.org or call 864-349-7331.

3. Step by Step Ministries Hope Project recently held a ribbon-cutting at

402 Tampa St. in Greenville. For more information, visit stepbystephope.com,

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email info@stepbystephope.com or call 864-263-3414.

November 29, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 25

GOT A HOT DATE?

UBJ PLANNER 299 N. Church St., Spartanburg; 5:30-8:30 p.m.

MONDAY DECEMBER 2 GCS ROUNDTABLE

SPEAKER: Walter L. Davis, co-CEO, CertusBank

The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Dr., Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m.

SPEAKER: Myles Golden TOPIC: The Collective Genius Theory CONTACT: Golden Career Strategies to request an invitation – 864-527-0425 GREENVILLE WOODWORKERS GUILD Education Center, 209 Hollyridge Dr., Greenville; 6:15-7:45 p.m.

PRESENTER: Don Clarke will demonstrate proper veneering techniques MORE: visit greenvillewoodworkers. com

TUESDAY DECEMBER 3 TOASTMASTERS BILINGUE University Center, 225 S. Pleasantburg Dr., Auditorium Room 204, Greenville; noon-1 p.m.

Contribute to our Planner by submitting event information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

COST: $50 per person

MORE: visit tmbilingue. toastmastersclubs.org CONTACT: Jeff Alfonso at jeff@alfonso@ interpreting.com NON-PROFIT ALLIANCE Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; noon-1:30 p.m.

SPEAKER: Paul Savas, Warehouse Theatre TOPIC: Comical Goals Leading to Serious Success COST: Free to members, $20 to non-members

CONTACT: Rochelle Williams at 864-594-5032 or rwilliams@ spartanburgchamber.com NETNIGHT Hyatt Regency Greenville, 220 N Main St., Studio 220, Greenville; 6-8 p.m.

COST: $15 at the door, $10 for preregistration (ends three days before the event) Attendees are asked to bring a gift card to donate to Pendleton Place

2013 MINORITY ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT (MED) AWARDS DINNER Spartanburg Marriott,

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com MANAGING EDITOR Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com

BUSINESS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL Southern Fried Green Tomatoes, 1175 Woods Crossing Rd., Greenville; 8:15-9:45 a.m.

COST: Free to visitors; invitation required

Demonstrations on how to achieve great holiday hair and makeup tips from Belk’s Estee Lauder.

COST: $15 for Simpsonville Chamber members, $25 for non-members CONTACT: Jennifer Richardson at jrichardson@ simpsonvillechamber.com

CONTACT: Shanda Jeffries at sjeffries@flynnwealth. com or 864-968-2319

UPSTATE MOORE SCHOOL ALUMNI – 3D PRINTING LUNCH & LEARN

WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK

TPM Headquarters, 1003 Laurens Rd., Greenville; noon-1:30 p.m.

Events at Sapphire Creek, 401 N. Main St.,

COST: $12 per person and includes lunch

MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES Lori Burney, Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Pam Putman MARKETING & EVENTS Kate Banner DIGITAL STRATEGIST Emily Price

INTERN Benjamin Jeffers

ART & PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR Kristy M. Adair PRODUCTION MANAGER Holly Hardin ADVERTISING DESIGN Michael Allen, Whitney Fincannon

26 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL November 29, 2013

HOLIDAY DROP-IN 2013 Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 5:30-8 p.m.

ADMISSION: One new, unwrapped toy to be donated to the United States Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign CONTACT: Jennifer Powell at 864-2393731 or jpowell@ greenvillechamber.org REGISTER: greenvillechamber.org FOUNTAIN INN CHAMBER CHRISTMAS DROP-IN

REGISTER: fountaininnchamber. com

SPEAKERS: Sam and

PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Beckner

CONTACT: alumni@ moore.sc.edu

COST: Free for Fountain Inn Chamber members, $5 for non-members

Old Cigar Warehouse, 912 S. Main St., Greenville; 5:30-8:30 p.m.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dick Hughes, Jenny Munro, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage

REGISTER: http:// bit.ly/3DPrintLunch_ Nov2013

The Parlor, rear of I Declare entrance on Depot Street, Fountain Inn; 6-8 p.m.

PULSE ANNUAL REPORT TO MEMBERS

STAFF WRITERS Sherry Jackson, Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris

UBJ ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

THURSDAY DECEMBER 5

Simpsonville; noon-1 p.m.

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4

SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER Jennifer Oladipo

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

REGISTER: greenvillechamber.org

REGISTER: greenvillechamber.org

Lunch is potluck CONTACT: 864-242-1050

Aphrodite Konduras

Copyright @2013 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. 148 River Street, Suite 120, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $65. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, 148 River St., Ste 120, Greenville, SC 29601. Printed in the USA.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE STORY IDEAS: ideas@ upstatebusinessjournal.com

EVENTS: events@ upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AWARDS: onthemove@ upstatebusinessjournal.com

UBJ SNAPSHOT

Historic photo available from the Greenville Historical Society.

PHOTO PRO VIDE D

The Gassaway Mansion was constructed between 1919 and 1924 by Walter and Minnie Quinn Gassaway. Walter Gassaway was a successful banker, land developer and stock trader.

Minnie Gassaway was said to have designed the structure after taking correspondence lessons in architecture. The 40-room three-story structure was partially constructed of stone from the old Vardry McBee grist mill that once stood along the west side of the Reedy River. At 22,000 square feet, the mansion is the largest home in the Upstate. In 1959 the building was purchased by the Greenville Arts Association and became the first home of the Greenville County Art Museum. In CURRENT PHOTOS BY GREG BECKNER / STAFF 1982 the mansion was listed on Today, The Gassaway Mansion is privately owned and is available for weddings, the National Register of Historic social events and special occasions.

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”WELCOME TO OUR WORLD”

The seven pilots of the Breitling Jet Team belong to the international elite of aviation professionals. In performing their aerobatic figures at almost 500 mph, flying 7 feet from each other and with accelerations of up to 8Gs, errors are not an option. It is for these masters of audacity and daring exploits that Breitling develops its chronographs: sturdy, functional, ultra high-performance instruments all equipped with movements chronometer-certified by the COSC – the highest official benchmark in terms of reliability and precision. Welcome to the Breitling world.