August 18, 2017 UBJ

AUGUST 18, 2017 | VOL. 6 ISSUE 33

THE UPSTATE LABOR MARKET HEATS UP RESTAURANTS STRUGGLE WITH STAFFING EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES GET CREATIVE STATS, STATS, STATS

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TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

| THE RUNDOWN

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 33 Featured this issue: The George gets a new dean ..........................................................................................8 Understaffed employers struggling to fill open positions.................................14 Keys to retaining employees........................................................................................17

A worker operates machinery at the BorgWarner plant in Seneca, S.C. The worldwide automotive components and parts supplier is part of the network of manufacturing companies in the Upstate, many of which are currently understaffed. Read more on Page 14. Photo by Will Crooks.

WORTH REPEATING “I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘You can’t do that.’

Well, I like to prove to them that we can.”

Page 4

“There are a thousand restaurant jobs in Greenville and only 900 people to fill them.”

Page 20

“I once received a 78-page business plan from a would-be entrepreneur. That’s not a business plan; that’s a thesis.

Really good business plans can be written on two pages.”

Page 22

VERBATIM

On the recent stock market boom “It’s easy for us sitting in New York to look at the market and say everyone is doing well. The reality is that a huge portion of the population is not participating in this.”

Andres Garcia-Amaya, global market strategist at Zoe Financial

8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

Chemistry Class David Leamy’s Custom Chemical Corp. turns environmentally friendly cleaners into cash WORDS BY TREVOR ANDERSON | PHOTO BY WILL CROOKS

David Leamy isn’t in it for the money.

For 13 years, the Upstate entrepreneur’s passion for innovation, and a willingness to try where others have failed, have helped fuel the growth of his Spartanburg-based small business Custom Chemical Corp.

And he believes big things are on the horizon.

“I’m not money-oriented,” said Leamy, founder and CEO of Custom Chemical Corp. “I’m motivated by innovation and a desire to make life a little better.

But I’m also about providing jobs for my employees.

It’s about service, attention to detail, protecting the environment, and taking care of my family.”

Leamy moved to Spartanburg in 1972 from the Philadelphia area.

He graduated from Dorman High School in 1978 and spent two years at Spartanburg Methodist College before going to work for R.R. Donnelley & Sons.

“It was a really good foundation for learning and building a craft,” Leamy said.

Leamy then spent a few years in the concrete, 4

UBJ | 8.18.2017

chemical, and packaging industries before deciding in 2004 to launch his own company.

He said the company quickly established a volume business in the industrial institution and critical care markets, and became EPA registered in 2006.

During its first five years in business, Custom Chemical Corp. built its reputation on an eco-friendly line of degreasers, including its Green Gator, Green Gator Magnum, Action, and DH-Limonene brands.

By 2010, the company had started to contract package medical products, Leamy said.

“Our industrial and institutional market segments continue to grow, but the attention to our medical products division showed us a stable platform,” he said. “And we began to grow the company with equipment and employees that have specific skill sets in those areas.”

Today, Custom Chemical’s list of product categories comprises Environmental Protection Agency registered disinfectants, clean wipes, general cleaners, facility hygiene, transport cleaners, resource renewable

The company’s portfolio of products has increased from about 75 in 2009 to more than 140 today. products, floor care products, textile cleaners, odor control products, metalworking solutions, corrosion inhibitors, and engineered distilled water. Almost all of the company’s products are biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

The company also manufactures resource renewable cleaners and lubricants sourced from soy-based raw materials, coconut oils, and other natural soap and chemical derivatives.

Leamy said he recently moved into the kitchen

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

and personal care industries with a lineup of dish soaps, drain cleaners, hand cleaners, shampoos and conditioners, pet shampoos, and soaps for automatic and self-serve car washes and pressure washers. The company also offers fragrances, such as bubble gum, cucumber melon, and piña colada.

The firm’s primary customers span the industrial, automotive, critical care, aerospace, remediation, janitorial, and metalworking markets.

According to Leamy, the company’s sales have increased to $1.5 million per year. He expects that number will grow to about $3.5 million during the next 24 to 36 months.

Custom Chemical Corp. has 10 full-time employees, but its workforce grows to about 15 during seasonal peaks.

In 2014, Leamy made the decision to move the company into its current 25,000-square-foot headquarters building on about 2.6 acres at 2320 S. Pine St. near the Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg ReStore.

The facility, built in 1972, formerly housed Gateway Supply Co., a plumbing and HVAC supply company that relocated about four years ago to a facility at 1098 Asheville Highway across from Chevrolet of Spartanburg.

Leamy said his company still has room to grow in the space, which is significantly larger than its previous 6,000-square-foot home off Southport Road.

The plant has a laboratory that allows for research and development, simple analysis, and quality control.

It also has a fully equipped packaging division, a state-of-the-art water filtration and deionizing system, accounting and business offices, a walk-in sales counter, and ample space for warehousing and distribution.

Leamy said the company’s blending operation, which includes one 1,000-gallon tank and a 3,500gallon tank, is also “state-of-the-art.”

“We innovate and make our own blends,” he said.

“That’s really what we do.”

The company’s portfolio of products has increased from about 75 in 2009 to more than 140 today,

Leamy said the company’s sales have increased to $1.5 million per year.

He expects that number will grow to about $3.5 million during the next 24 to 36 months.

Leamy said. But that number does not include a multitude of proprietary formulations the company provides for its customers.

One of the areas where Leamy said he sees the most potential for future growth is in metalworking solutions for critical support areas in manufacturing.

For example, the company has formulations for cleaning, removing rust, and polishing aluminum, chrome, stainless steel, and other metals. It also has cutting fluids, defoamers, and lubricants.

Another area of potential growth is in the critical area in medical facilities as well as pharmaceutical research and manufacturing facilities.

“I have surrounded myself with very talented, intelligent employees, clients, and consultants,” Leamy said. “I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘You can’t do that.’ Well, I like to prove to them that we can.”

Custom Chemical Corp.’s customers include Spartanburg-based Contec Inc. and ZF Lemforder.

VOTE for Hunter!

| NEWS

Leamy said he believes innovation will be critical to the company’s future success as manufacturing processes continue to evolve and the need for more diverse, better-performing products increases.

“Our vision is panning out in that we continue to innovate in key areas,” he said.

To drive innovation, Leamy said he knows one of the most important aspects of his management will be to continue to foster a corporate culture and environment that will attract and retain talented employees.

“My rule of thumb is to treat people better and create a place where you don’t need to have another job. The way you accomplish that is by paying people a lot more,” he said. “I came from where many of them are. I know what it feels like.”

Leamy said he has always been open with customers and competitors in terms of sharing information. He said he found it to be the best approach to solving problems and maintaining compliance with regulatory standards.

He said the company invests a lot of time and effort in researching where other companies have failed in order to provide solutions for clients.

Custom Chemical Corp. is also meticulous when it comes to EPA guidelines.

“I have to share with people,” he said. “If you don’t share and you don’t network, you’re not going to go anywhere.”

Leamy said he has taken more of a leadership role in driving the company’s sales.

“We tried having a sales team for many years, but it just wasn’t working for us,” he said. “I spend most of my days in a suit and tie, meeting with people and talking about what we have to offer.

We’ve found that it works better for us this way.”

Leamy said he plans to keep the company in Spartanburg. He didn’t rule out the potential for future mergers, or partnerships that could accelerate growth.

“The Upstate in general is a great place to be,” he said. “The diversity here is great. The quality of life is good. We’re happy to be where we’re at.”

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8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com |

| SQUARE FEET @andersontrev

Anderson lands its first co-working space A new co-working space is under construction in downtown Anderson.

Anderson businessmen Jason Patterson, Danny Walker, and John Wright Jr. plan to open Whitner & Company Co-Work Space this fall in a two-story, 3,100-square-foot building at 109 S. McDuffie St. across from the former Bailes building site.

The space, which owners said is the first of its kind in Anderson, will provide entrepreneurs, contractors, stay-at-home workers, and other professionals with a place to do their work in an environment that promotes collaboration. Owners said they also hope the building will be used for events that showcase the county’s burgeoning entrepreneurial culture.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people, and this is definitely something we need in Anderson,” Patterson said.

“We wanted to keep people from having to drive to Greenville and other places. We think the demand is here.”

Property records showed the owners purchased the building in May for $130,000 via their company McDuffie Street Properties from Greer-based Gibb Shoals Properties.

W MELLO OM O MUSHR

EET ER STR W. RIV

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ENUE RAY AV N. MUR

N. MAIN

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WHITNER & COMPANY CO-WORKING

John Wright Jr., Danny Walker, and Jason Patterson (not pictured) plan for the final space to include exposed brick, original hardwood floor, new windows, and rooftop space.

Photo by Will Crooks

It sits on a 0.6-acre lot beside Generator Park.

When complete, the interior will feature exposed brick, original hardwood floors, new windows that allow for natural light to spill in, and rooftop space for work, entertainment, and events.

“We want it to look nice and to be practical for our tenants,” Wright said. “Since this is the first co-working space in Anderson, we knew we needed to do it right.”

The owners said the current layout should be able to accommodate up to 30 users.“You’ve got entrepreneurs and small-business folks who need space, but don’t want to spend an exorbitant amount on rent for space they don’t need,” Wright said. “There are also people working from home who need a place to escape so they can get their work done.”

Rates will range from about $250 to $275 per month for one workstation. Private offices will be available at an introductory rate of about $450 to $475 each.

Those rates include access to a number of amenities,

including meeting rooms, private lounge space, a coffee bar, office equipment, internet, janitorial, and other services.

Patterson and Walker are partners at the Anderson-based marketing firm Growth360. Wright is a commercial broker with McCoy Wright Real Estate in Anderson.

“We all grew up in Anderson,” Walker said. “This is where we live, work, and play. Our families are here.

We wanted to take care of home.”

Pamela Christopher, president and CEO of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, said she believes the new co-working space will be a benefit to the community.

“We don’t have nearly enough start-up space for entrepreneurs and small businesses,” she said. “It will be great for those who don’t want to commute, but still need that time away from home to get their work done.”

8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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PROFILE |

MOHAMED “MO” DJERDJOURI

Meet the George’s New Dean Djerdjouri plans to create educational programs on supply chain management, health care management, international business, and business analytics WORDS BY TREVOR ANDERSON | PHOTO BY KATIE FENSKE

T

he University of South Carolina Upstate’s George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and Economics will begin the fall 2017 semester with a new leader. Mohamed “Mo” Djerdjouri has been appointed dean of the downtown Spartanburg-based business school.

Djerdjouri steps into the role of dean of “the George” after his predecessor, Frank Rudisill, decided to move into a teaching role at the college.

“When I was a child, I had two dreams: to become a professional soccer player and a professor,” Djerdjouri said. “My life has been changed by teachers.”

Djerdjouri grew up in a household with nine children. His father was a truck driver. At a young age, he became interested in mathematics. By the time he was in high school, he decided he wanted to emigrate to the U.S. “Everyone thought I was crazy, because they thought of France as being the place with all of the opportunity,” Djerdjouri said. “I was into James Brown and Elvis Presley. I loved American movies.

When I watched the moon landing in 1969, I was mesmerized. My geography teacher showed me a picture of himself standing in front of Niagara Falls.

He said, ‘You can go there too.’ And the idea was planted in my head.”

Djerdjouri earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene in Algiers. In the early 1980s, he moved to the U.S. and earned a master’s degree in management science and a Ph.D. in operations research from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

While he was living in Cleveland, Djerdjouri was invited to play for a semi-pro soccer team, earning a little extra cash that helped him get through school.

After college, Djerdjouri worked as a senior operations research analyst for ROVER Technology Co. in Philadelphia, where he developed mathematical models, algorithms, and information systems to solve 8

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logistics and operations problems for large companies.

In 1991, he moved to Ontario, Canada, and became an associate professor in the school of commerce at Laurentian University. It was there that he met his wife, Kalida. The couple married in 1993.

Djerdjouri spent one sabbatical year teaching at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji between 1996 and 1997.

The couple returned to Canada and eventually decided to move to Upstate New York.

In 1999, Djerdjouri joined the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, where he recently served as the chairman of the department of management, information systems, and analytics.

The Djerdjouris have one son, Kareem, who is 20, and a daughter, Leila, 17.

“My wife and I decided that after our daughter graduated we wanted to begin looking south,” Djerdjouri said. “I prefer a smaller size public institution because you can do great things there.”

He said the couple narrowed their choices to Asheville, N.C., and Spartanburg.

Djerdjouri was interviewed and offered the position at the George, an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accredited school, a designation held by only 5 percent of business schools nationwide.

“This is a great place,” Djerdjouri said. “Frank did an amazing job. [USC Upstate] has a new chancellor [Brendan Kelly]. He has a tremendous vision for the university. I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

Djerdjouri said the George has strong relationships with area business leaders and companies, and has a diverse student body and faculty, as well as a good portfolio of educational programs and the GreenHouse Business Incubator.

“It will be very easy for me to sell this place,” he said. “I am here because of the opportunities I see for doing things. I love building new programs.”

Djerdjouri plans to develop several innovative educational programs, including supply chain

management, health care management, international business, and business analytics. He also hopes to introduce graduate, certificate, and online programs, and increase experiential and hands-on learning for students.

The new dean wants to develop an international strategy for the college that includes building relationships with colleges and business schools in other parts of the world, such as Latin America, Canada, and China. He believes that could lead to more dual programs, and opportunities for faculty exchange and students to study abroad.

He said one of his other main goals for the George will be to create a culture of inclusion, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

His vision includes the introduction of faculty development initiatives to support and reward teaching; to increase enrollment, retention, and graduation rates; to enhance human, physical, and financial resources; and to boost the school’s engagement with the community.

Djerdjouri praised the George’s partnership with the Northside Development Group and Community Works in the Start:ME Initiative, an accelerator program designed to spark entrepreneurial growth on the city of Spartanburg’s north side.

He also said he is proud of the school’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which offers free tax preparation services to households with annual income of $53,000 and lower.

Djerdjouri said he is impressed with the momentum in Spartanburg and hopes to support efforts to revitalize downtown and increase opportunities across the community.

“I think this place is happening,” he said. “We need to create an environment where people can do business — where all the processes are streamlined.

We shouldn’t be naïve. To compete, we need to be confident. We need to convince people that this is a place where they can grow their business.”

MOHAMED “MO” DJERDJOURI

| PROFILE

“To compete, we need to be confident. We need to convince people that this is a place where they can grow their business.”

8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

DEVELOPMENT

Cup Runneth Over After launching in Greenville, 1 Million Cups set to come to Spartanburg TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com The momentum behind Spartanburg’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is building. And one of the world’s leading supporters of small-business ventures has taken notice.

Spartanburg has been chosen as a host city for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s 1 Million Cups Program, which seeks to engage, educate, and connect local entrepreneurs, and build startup communities at the grassroots level.

“We are very excited to bring 1 Million Cups to Spartanburg,” said Erin Henderson Ouzts, the event’s lead organizer. “The application process was pretty exhaustive. … This is the result of a lot of hard work by many people, and we think it’s really going to make an impact on the community.”

Founded in 2012 in Kansas City, Mo., 1 Million Cups is in place in 132 communities across the country, including Greenville, Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, York County, Atlanta, and Charlotte, N.C., according to the program’s website.

Spartanburg will hold its first event 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, at the Hub City Tap House at 197 E. St. John St. Local events will continue to be held at Hub City Tap House on the first Wednesday of each month.

All of the events are free and open to entrepreneurs, investors, and other interested members of the community.

The format for each meeting will include a six-minute presentation by one or two entrepreneurs, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session with the audience.

Ouzts said every meeting will close with someone from the audience asking the speakers the question, “What can we as a community do for you?”

Krispy Kreme and Spartanburg-based Little River Roasting will provide free coffee on alternating months.

The Small Business Development Center and the GreenHouse Business Incubator at the University of South Carolina Upstate’s George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and Economics will provide audio and visual support and interns to help out.

1 Million Cups Spartanburg Wednesday, Sept. 13 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Hub City Tap House 197 E. St. John St. 10

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“One of the things I find the most compelling and true to Spartanburg is the grassroots origin of this idea coupled with huge pie-in-the-sky thinking.”

Betsy Neely Sikma

Volunteers who will serve in leadership roles for 1 Million Cups Spartanburg include: • Brian Brady, director of the GreenHouse • Daniel Craig, associate at the Johnson, Smith, Hibbard & Wildman Law Firm •J ed Dearybury, director of professional development and communications for the Palmetto State Teachers Association • Doug Gregory, director of administration and research for the Spartanburg Economic Futures Group • Erin Ouzts, president of LaunchPad Ventures • Joseph McMillan, CEO of Atlas Organics • Reggie Pryor, president of Pryor Diversified • Betsy Neely Sikma, director of small business and entrepreneurial development for the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce • Elizabeth Smith, area manager of the Spartanburg Small Business Development Center • Lekesa Whitner, case manager at Community Works Carolina and the Northside Development Group • Cal Wicker, assistant vice president of BB&T in Spartanburg

Ouzts said she came up with the idea to bring 1 Million Cups to Spartanburg in 2014.

“I saw that Columbia and Asheville [N.C.] have one. Charleston was getting this. I thought, ‘Spartanburg needs to have this too,’” she said. “There are so few opportunities for entrepreneurs to gather, collaborate, and commiserate.”

Her idea began to pick up steam after she introduced it to her peers in the 2016-17 Leadership Spartanburg class.

Founded in 1979, Leadership Spartanburg is a nine-month course offered through the Spartanburg Chamber that is designed to prepare leaders and volunteers for community service.

“Everyone jumped on board and figured out how to get this done,” Ouzts said.

Next month, Ouzts will attend 1 Million Cups’ annual organizers summit, which will give her opportunities to learn from and network with other event leaders.

Organizers said the program’s name was derived from the idea that entrepreneurs across the nation network and discover solutions over one million cups of coffee.

Ouzts said the program does not offer any startup funding, but the Kauffman Foundation provides in-kind support, such as gifts, banners, promotional items, and T-shirts. It also leverages support from local sponsors.

“This is an indicator of all that is going on in Spartanburg,” Wicker said. “It’s indicative of how this community supports business. … When you put together the list of businesses we have in Spartanburg, it’s pretty impressive. This is a sustainable idea that we will be able to carry out for many years to come.”

Ouzts said organizers are in the process of recruiting the event’s first speakers and should have those individuals nailed down in the coming weeks.

Applications for future speakers are being accepted, she said. Organizers said ideal candidates would be for-profit or nonprofit entrepreneurs from the startup phase to the five-year mark in the life of their endeavor.

“One of the things I find the most compelling and true to Spartanburg is the grassroots origin of this idea coupled with huge pie-in-the-sky thinking,” Sikma said. “I love the narrative: that a group of people joined a leadership program to make their community even stronger and dared to dream and bring in this national event.”

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

DEVELOPMENT

Negotiations to begin with County Square redeveloper Greenville County officials voted to begin negotiating with a developer about the planned remaking of County Square.

But they’re not disclosing the name of the developer, saying they have yet to conclude negotiations.

The county earlier this year solicited proposals from developers for remaking the prominent downtown property that has been the county’s main base of operations for 30 years.

Six development teams responded, and later the county scratched three of them off the list.

On Monday, Aug. 14, members of County Council met behind closed doors to decide which of three developers to start negotiating with.

Joining them in the meeting were two officials from the city of Greenville that are part of an “evaluation team” — City Manager John Castile and Deputy City Manager Nancy Whitworth.

After a discussion in private, County Council members returned to open session and voted to begin negotiations with a certain developer, referring to the firm only as developer C. They agreed to move to developer B if

negotiations with developer C were not successful, and then to developer A if negotiations with developer B were not successful.

County officials defended the unusual process by saying they are involved in negotiations over a contract. That’s one of the situations in which government officials are allowed to maintain secrecy under the Freedom of Information Act. County officials say they have no particular deadline for concluding a redevelopment deal.

The county first began talking about turning County Square over for redevelopment more than a decade ago but never struck a deal.

The property of nearly 38 acres is high ground within walking distance of Falls Park, Fluor Field, and the Swamp Rabbit Trail and is highly desirable for real estate development.

In soliciting development bids in January, county officials instructed developers to include in their proposals a plan for building a 250,000-square-foot office building to house county operations in place of the former shopping center where they are housed now. They also asked for a 1,000-space parking garage to be included in the development proposals. —Rudolph Bell

Golf course goes on the auction block A 4,600-acre luxury golf and resort community in Mill Spring, N.C., is headed for the auction block.

Toronto-based commercial real estate firm Avison Young announced last Tuesday the listing of Bright’s Creek at 2222 Palmer Road. The gated community features a Tom Fazio-designed golf course and clubhouse, a member’s lodge with 11 rentable suites, a boutique equestrian center, 120 custom homes, six condominiums, and 3,000 acres for future development, Avison Young said.

Avison Young is selling the community on behalf of the debtor in possession, Miami-based Alianza Trinity Partners.

Alianza voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection in October 2016, according to court documents.

The firm said the previous owner invested more than $100 million in improvements, including amenities and infrastructure, such as roads, water, sewer, power, natural gas, and fiber optic cable.

The community has a state-of-the-art phased water treatment facility on site that could provide for the future expansion of Bright’s Creek’s water treatment and golf course irrigation needs, creating “a more sustainable and environmentally sensitive land plan.”

| NEWS IN BRIEF

Bright’s Creek’s master plan allows for up to 1,370 residential units, a resort hotel, outdoor shooting club, and several miles of hiking and biking trail.

Avison Young said future revenues can be generated from the ancillary sale of club memberships, resort activities, and a conservation easement over a portion of the Hidden Springs acquisition.

“The potential for future real estate revenues is unmatched for this type of asset considering the stunning views from the property,” said Ben Jenkins, CEO of Land Advisors Resort Solutions, which has co-listed the community, in a statement. “Having a national hotel flag already interested in branding and marketing support of the resort and management and operations of the sports and amenities speaks volumes to the level of revenue potential seen by Fortune 500 companies.”. —Trevor Anderson

WORKPLACE

GHS honored for diversity Greenville Health System announced Wednesday, Aug. 2, it once again made Diversity MBA Magazine’s 50 Out Front list.

GHS said it was the sixth consecutive year it has been named on the list, which recognizes companies that hire and supNEWS IN BRIEF continued on PAGE 12

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NEWS IN BRIEF |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

NEWS IN BRIEF continued from PAGE 11

port women and minority managers.

“Receiving this recognition multiple times alongside some of the largest companies and universities in the United States is a great honor and it reinforces GHS’ commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Doug Dorman, vice president of human resources for GHS, in a statement.

GHS said some of the ways it has developed a pipeline for a diverse selection pool of managers includes its Young Professionals and Emerging Leaders programs.

Young Professionals allows employees to participate in education sessions, network, and receive mentoring from established leaders across the health system, GHS said.

The GHS Emerging Leaders program gives high-performing employees an opportunity to further the development of their leadership skills, the health system said.

“As our community and those we serve become increasingly diverse, it is important that our health system continues its strides to mirror those communities while developing capable leaders,” said Scott Porter, vice president of equity and inclusion for GHS, in a statement.

Diversity MBA Magazine, which is a bimonthly publication of DMBA Publishing, reaches more than 1.9 million readers worldwide via online and print. —Trevor Anderson

TRANSPORTATION

CATbus picks Proterra Clemson’s bus service, CATbus, has selected a company with local operations, Proterra, to provide it with 10 more battery-powered buses.

CATbus hopes to negotiate a contract with Proterra in the next couple of weeks, said Keith Moody, interim general manager of the bus service.

The transit service already operates six Proterra buses in Seneca. It plans to deploy the other 10 on routes serving Clemson University.

CATbus rejected bids from two other electric bus manufacturers: BYD of China and New Flyer of Canada.

The transit service will buy the buses with the help of nearly $4 million from the Federal Transit Administration.

The FTA awarded the money through a program designed to promote low-emission or no-emission vehicles such as the buses Proterra makes at its factory along Interstate 85 in Greenville.

Greenville’s bus service, Greenlink, has

1 0 1

asked the FTA for about $5.6 million from the same program in hopes of deploying six Proterra buses.

Proterra came to Greenville from Golden, Colo., in 2010 as a startup company.

It later moved its headquarters to the San Francisco area and opened a second plant in the Los Angeles area.

Greenville, however, remains its East Coast base, home to its busiest factory, vehicle engineering department, and more than half of its 300 employees.

—Rudolph Bell

MANUFACTURING

Kayak company to launch operation in Greenville, create 76 new jobs Greenville’s Bonafide Kayaks, a company that makes fishing kayaks, is launching a new manufacturing operation that’s expected to create 76 new jobs over the next three years.

According to a press release, the company plans to invest $2 million in the operation, which will be located at 10 Quest Lane in Greenville. Bonafide has already started constructing the facility and has completed the installation of production equipment. The company’s operations, including rotational molding and assem-

bly, are expected to come online by December.

“We looked long and hard for the best place to set up our manufacturing operations, and Greenville, S.C., offers everything we were looking for. It’s one of the best places in the world to live, there’s a thriving workforce available, it’s a great shipping point, and every resource and utility we need are readily available. We couldn’t be happier to call Greenville our new home,” said Bonafide Kayaks’ CEO Luther Cifers.

Formed in 2016, Bonafide Kayaks has spent the past several months developing its first models of kayaks. It recently debuted at the sport-fishing iCAST trade show in Arlington, Va. Greenville County Council Chairman Butch Kirven said the county “could not be more proud to have Bonafide Kayaks.”

“Bonafide Kayaks’ decision to invest in Greenville and its people is another example of our state being open for business to companies of every kind,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in the release.

Hiring is expected later this year.

Interested applicants are encouraged to email buff@bonafidekayaks.com.

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UBJ | 8.18.2017

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE

| COVER

THE

WORKFORCE ISSUE Staffing Guidance from Julie Godshall Brown The Upstate’s Tight Labor Market

Hot, Hot Spartanburg

Restaurants can’t get enough help 8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

13

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE LABOR SUPPLY

PERSONNEL ADS

Faced with an unbelievably tight labor market, understaffed employers are desperately seeking new workers WORDS BY RUDOLPH BELL

H

uman Technologies Inc., a Greenville-based staffing agency, is constantly on the hunt for assembly-line workers to serve its manufacturing clients.

Toward that end, it has placed “help wanted” ads in a range of media — newspapers, radio, social media, movie theaters, and billboards along Interstates 85 and 385.

But it had never flown a banner over downtown Greenville, that is, until July 4.

In a marketing technique usually seen only at the beach for all-you-can-eat fried shrimp or $1 beers, Human Technologies hired a Florida company called Airsign to soar over Main Street in a Piper Cub carrying a 135-foot-long banner. The message in sevenfoot-tall lettering to thousands awaiting fireworks below: “Great manufacturing jobs. HTIjobs.com” Anna Rowe Messick, marketing manager at Human Technologies, said the firm is “just trying to find people any way we can.”

Employers across the Upstate are racking their brains for new ways to recruit the workers they need in an unusually tight labor market. Human resources managers and staffing agency executives with decades of experience say they’ve never seen it so hard to fill certain jobs.

Multiple industries are reporting difficulty in finding suitable candidates for a range of common occupations necessary to make the economy turn — from retail cashiers to forklift drivers and utility linemen.

South Carolina’s unemployment rate has been falling for 7.5 years. In June, it reached 4 percent for the first time since December 2000 — almost a half percentage point below the national rate.

Rates were even lower in the state’s booming metro areas — 3.7 percent in Greenville County, 3.6 percent in Lexington County, and 3.5 percent in Charleston County.

“In a word, in boldface, markets are about as tight 14

UBJ | 8.18.2017

as they get in the stronger economic regions,” said Bruce Yandle, professor of economics emeritus at Clemson University and a longtime expert on the state economy.

In the retail trade, the county’s average weekly wage rose 10 percent over the same period, to $564, and 10 percent in manufacturing, to $1,189.

UPWARD PRESSURE ON WAGES As they search for labor, employers are pulling out all the stops, casting their marketing nets wider, teaming with schools, and offering referral and signing bonuses.

When nothing else worked, some have raised wages.

In March, MAU Workforce Solutions, an Augusta, Ga.-based staffing agency with Upstate offices, gave its employees at BMW Manufacturing Co. in Greer a raise of $1.20 an hour.

Their pay went from $15.30 an hour on the day shift and $16.30 for night work to $16.50 in the day and $17.50 at night.

“You have to increase your wages in order to stay competitive and attract the top talent,” said Jared Mogan, MAU’s regional operations manager in Greenville.

But even that doesn’t appear to be enough.

MAU needs even more workers at BMW and is dangling a $2,000 signing bonus to try and lure them.

The staffing agency, whose clients also include Milliken & Co., General Electric, and Michelin North America, has 200 job openings around the Upstate, Mogan said.

Cheryl Szczesniak, executive vice president of human resources for the Spinx Co., the Greenville-based convenience store chain, said it raised wages for cashiers last year from $8 an hour to $8.50 and is now hiring them at $9 an hour.

“We knew it was coming, and it’s the right thing to do,” she said.

Over the five years from 2012 to 2016, the average weekly wage in Greenville County rose 9 percent, to $888, according to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

“They’re not going to leave for a job that pays the same thing as they have.”

REASONS WHY Firms cite various reasons for the situation.

Some say younger people are choosing not to replace retiring baby boomers in traditional blue-collar occupations such as welders or maintenance technicians at a factory.

Firms also say there’s simply a lot of jobs available in the Upstate right now, thanks to years of steady economic growth and South Carolina’s success in industrial recruiting.

BMW alone has announced 1,800 jobs at its Greer complex since the spring of 2014.

“We’ve just been blessed with a lot of new jobs, and really good jobs,” said Ed Parris, president of Phillips Staffing, a Greenville-based staffing agency.

CONSTRAINT ON GROWTH? Anecdotal evidence suggests the labor shortage may be holding back economic growth.

Van Swafford, president of Swafford Transport and Warehouse, a small trucking company in Greer, es-

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE LABOR SUPPLY

No Stone Unturned: Creative Approaches to Wooing Workers RUDOLPH BELL | STAFF

rbell@communityjournals.com An unusually tight labor market has Upstate employers getting creative in trying to recruit the workers they need.

Phillips Staffing, a Greenville-based staffing agency, is participating almost every day in events designed to match employers with employees, said Ed Parris, the firm’s president.

On one hot Sunday afternoon, he said, the company worked with a Hispanic radio station to host one of the hiring events at a flea market along White Horse Road.

Phillips needs to maintain a workforce that usually numbers between 2,500 and 3,000 people at 200 client sites, mostly factories or warehouses.

“We’re trying to leave no stone unturned,” Parris said.

“I’ve been in the human resources business since the early ’80s, and it’s about as tight as I’ve seen it,” he said. “And certainly for technically skilled labor, it is as tight as I’ve ever seen it.”

Duke Energy is talking with Greenville Tech about launching a program to train utility linemen as it gets ready to spend $3 billion over a decade improving its electrical grid in South Carolina.

Ryan Mosier, a spokesman for the Charlotte, N.C.-based power company, said linemen are in

timated his firm could be doing 15 percent more business if it could find enough drivers.

Swafford said some of his drivers have been lured away by competitors “painting a pie in the sky” and promising “more money, more miles, more home time.”

“There’s so many trucking companies out here looking for drivers,” he said. “They’re making all kinds of promises. We don’t make a promise we can’t keep.”

Michael Dey, chief executive officer of the Homebuilders Association of Greenville, said contractors are taking longer to build homes and having to delay starts because they can’t find enough workers with the right skills.

The labor shortage has become homebuilders’ “No. 1 issue by far,” he said.

“It’s really having a significant impact on the industry’s ability to produce, and it’s starting to throttle the capacity of the industry in this area,” Dey said.

high demand and finding enough of them is a challenge.

They earn $21 an hour to start, he said, and the pay rises to $70,000-$80,000 a year after four years and full training.

“It is a physically demanding job, as well as mentally demanding, and you work long, hard hours,” Mosier said. “That said, the career field offers a lot of opportunities. It is a high-paying job for a position that does not require any type of degree beyond high school.”

In Columbia, state trade associations representing 15 industries sought $950,000 in state money to buy a tractor-trailer and drive it around the state to promote various occupations such as truck driver, plumber, machinist, tool, and die maker.

The plan was to equip the big rig with video screens that would inform high school and middle school students about the trades and where to get training.

Backers aimed to duplicate an Arkansas program for addressing a shortage of skilled workers.

Gov. Henry McMaster joined them at a Statehouse press conference, but the House declined to fund the program, said Rick Todd, president of the S.C. Trucking Association, one of the groups involved.

“We’ve got a gun to our head with the labor shortage,” Todd said. “It’s reaching a crisis.”

MAU Workforce Solutions, a Georgia staffing agency that provides labor to Upstate manufac-

SELLER’S MARKET Julie Godshall Brown, president of Godshall Professional Recruiting and Staffing, a Greenville-based staffing agency, said employers need to adjust their hiring approaches to match the realities of today’s seller’s market.

Some employers, she said, have not yet realized, “Hey, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Godshall said some employers are responding to current market conditions by putting attractive job applicants on their payrolls immediately, instead of following the “temp to perm” pattern they would have used in the past.

“They don’t want to take the chance of losing that person,” she said.

One thing employers should consider, according to Godshall, is compressing their hiring processes, screening candidates and making decisions within days instead of weeks.

turers, began training forklift drivers after encountering difficulty in finding enough.

“We’re having to take people that are willing and able and basically grow our own forklift drivers,” said Jared Mogan, MAU’s regional operations manager in Greenville.

The training offerings include a fundamentals course for people with no experience, as well as an enhancement course for people who have driven a forklift before but need to brush up on their skills, Mogan said.

In Laurens County, ZF Group last summer launched a co-op program with schoolteachers in an effort to fill openings at its transmissions plant in Gray Court, S.C., said Michael Morris, the plant’s director of human resources.

Under the program, ZF paid teachers in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) to engage with various departments at the plant over summer break and then give presentations back at their schools.

“We want to get the message out there that jobs are available,” Morris said.

He said the plant has also extended its search for engineers beyond Clemson University and the University of South Carolina to Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

The ZF plant currently has 200 job openings, Morris said, declining to disclose pay rates.

Otherwise, they may find their best candidates have already accepted rival offers, she said.

Most job seekers today are not unemployed, Godshall said, but already working and looking for a better job.

“They’re not going to leave for a job that pays the same thing as they have,” she said.

Godshall also said employers today need to sell job seekers on their companies as much as job seekers need to sell themselves.

In addition, she said, employers should consider accepting job applicants that meet most of their qualifications, rather than insisting they meet all of them to the letter.

Godshall said she’s never seen the labor market more favorable to job seekers during 24 years in the staffing business.

“The client has to be competitive on the offer, has to move much more quickly,” she said.

8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

15

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE LABOR SUPPLY - THE STATS

Greenville Unemployment Rate: January 2013-June 2017 8 7 6 5 4 3 Jan 2013

Jan 2014

WE MAKE THINGS RUDOLPH BELL | STAFF

rbell@communityjournals.com For most of the nation’s 387 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), the most common occupation is retail salesperson.

In the Upstate, however, the most common occupation involves making things, not selling things.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, team assembler, a category of assembly-line worker, is the leading occupation in both the Greenville/Anderson MSA and the Spartanburg MSA. The two Upstate MSAs are among just 17 MSAs in which team assembler is the leading occupation.

According to the BLS, the Greenville/Anderson MSA had the eighth-highest number of team assemblers as of May 2016, with nearly 17,000. Meanwhile, the Spartanburg MSA had the sixth-highest concentration of team assemblers, 57 per 1,000 jobs.

The importance of manufacturing to the Upstate is also evident in data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

According to the BEA, manufacturing accounted for 20 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Greenville/Anderson MSA in 2015, as measured by dollar value. By comparison, manufacturing was responsible for just 11.5 percent of GDP in all MSAs combined.

In the Spartanburg MSA, manufacturing made up an even higher percentage of GDP, 32 percent.

Jan 2015

Jan 2016

16

Tuscaloosa, Ala. Rockford, Ill. Columbus, Ind. Elkhart, Ind. Lafayette, Ind. Fort Knox, Ky. Lexington, Ky. Battle Creek, Mich.

Detroit, Mich.

Grand Rapids, Mich.

Jackson, Miss.

Sumter

Spartanburg Greenville/Anderson Cleveland, Tenn.

Morristown, Tenn.

Fond du Lac, Wisc.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Metro areas with the highest levels of team assembler employment 1. Atlanta, Ga. (24,420) 2. Troy, Mich.

(22,640) 3. Chicago, Ill. (21,770) 4. Los Angeles, Calif.

(21,500) 5. Detroit, Mich.

(21,470) 6. Nashville, Tenn.

(20,850) 7. Grand Rapids, Mich. (17,210)

8. Greenville/Anderson (16,980) Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Metro areas with the highest concentrations of team assembler 1. Elkhart, Ind. 2. Columbus, Ind. 3. Battle Creek, Mich.

4. Jackson, Mich.

5. Lafayette, Ind.

6. Spartanburg

(132 per 1,000 jobs) (76 per 1,000 jobs) (66 per 1,000 jobs) (62 per 1,000 jobs) (59 per 1,000 jobs)

(57 per 1,000 jobs)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

COMPANY

NO. OF JOBS

ANNOUNCEMENT DATE

LOCATION

BMW

1,000

June 2017

Spartanburg County

BMW

800

March 2014

Spartanburg County

BB&T

600 (relocations)

February 2017

Greenville County

Rite Aid

600

January 2015

Spartanburg County

Anyone Home

574

August 2016

Greenville County

UBJ | 8.18.2017

June 2017

All U.S. metro areas in which team assembler is the top occupation

Top job announcements in the Upstate over the past five years

Source: Upstate SC Alliance

Jan 2017

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE COLUMN

Retention is a Practice How businesses can ensure their employees stick around

By JULIE GODSHALL BROWN President, Godshall Professional Recruiting and Staffing

In a world full of to-do lists, to-do lists for your to-do lists, and deadlines, thinking about strategies on how to retain employees can sometimes be on the back burner. However, experts say it should be a priority.

With unemployment rates at 4.4 percent, the lowest it’s been in the past 10 years, finding and keeping great people is becoming more of a challenge. It will take more time to go through recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and training, when in fact you can nurture and work with the employees you currently have with no speed bumps. Not only will retention save you time, but also it will provide your company with quality work. When employees feel taken care of and listened to, they want to return the favor by listening to the company’s needs and fulfilling those needs excellently.

The unemployment rate isn’t the only thing changing. The workforce is shifting as millennials start to take over. This generation is changing the game as it is becoming more common to see resumes with twoyear stints at various companies. So, how do we keep up?

In a roundtable discussion held by Godshall Professional Recruiting and Staffing and moderated by our very own Hannah Barfield Spellmeyer, I had the pleasure of hearing insights from four experts who weighed in on real-life experiences with practicing retention. These leaders have been in the business of people for more than 20 years.

INTENTION Companies want people who are on board with its vision. It’s important to intentionally collaborate with executives and vice presidents to set expectations for the job position you are looking to fill. One top executive says, “If you study a winning team, and a group

that has a history of winning, you’ll find that the leaders who are a part of that team lead with passion.” Companies today aren’t just looking for a warm body to fill the position; they are looking for people who are passionate about what they do and who will be able to move the business forward.

It’s essential to intentionally and strategically bring culture into the conversation to ensure the candidate will be a good fit. Placing people in the wrong culture results in quick turnover. If you don’t like country music, do you really want to spend your time at a country music concert?

One panelist who is a senior director of human resources said, “We try to strategically talk with candidates about our culture and see if that is something they will be able to embrace and love. The millennial generation gets excited when they feel like they have a purpose and that what they are doing is really making a difference.”

On the contrary, employees want a peek behind the curtain to better understand how the business is doing.

Younger workers seem to have an even stronger desire to understand the “cause” they are working for. Top talent isn’t just looking for a job. They want to belong to something bigger.

LISTENING GOES A LONG WAY People want to feel listened to, they want to feel acknowledged, and they want to feel valued. Just listening can be the key reason very talented candidates choose to work for you.

Another panelist said, “When I am talking to talented people, I try to make sure they understand that they will have an opportunity to engage with all of the decision-makers. That they are going to be able to be on a first-name basis with the executives that are going to make all the decisions determining what direction we will choose to go in. The engagement piece that millennials need to feel is that they are not going to be lost in the environment they are working hard in.”

Listen to the employee’s needs and desires. Try to meet them in the middle and be transparent. Create

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CULTURE IS A PART OF THE BRAND “When working with companies, I notice that many of them are not just selling the culture but they are selling the brand to potential employees,” said Spellmeyer. “What do you see as something to think of from a branding perspective to make sure people are portraying things correctly across the board?”

One CEO chimes in, “It all turns back to our values.

It’s important to make sure it’s all on strategy. We try to speak early on about our culture and our values. It’s all about talking about who we are, why we are the way we are, and what our values are. Branding starts with how we behave, because culture is really the way we do things around here, so that is the brand.”

Hosting a company picnic, running a co-ed kickball team, sitting down for lunch, or encouraging employees to join organizations is the definition of culture and in turn is your company’s brand. Why? Because employees are the product. Their minds and knowledge create quality products and services. Having a great culture results in having a great brand that consumers want to be a part of.

Link marketing to recruiting for maximum impact.

Recruiting departments cannot operate in a vacuum, but must ensure that every manager is selling a consistent message to potential employees.

BOTTOM LINE Whether you are in engineering or consulting, these strategies can be applied across the board and they work. Companies today are competing for great talent, and practicing retention will keep that talent. Finding the right person with the right skill set that fits into the culture is hard to find. Take the time to nurture your current employees. Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk.

In a tight labor market, it is very important that employers keep abreast of rising wages, but retention is an even more complex equation. *Annual Percentage Yield. **A minimum new deposit of $25,000 is required to receive a 0.50% APY bump to existing rates through the end of 2017. Rates listed in chart include 0.50% APY rate bump. Only one (1) bump during the promotional period. Online transfers are not applicable. Quoted rate based on an initial deposit of $50,000. Rates subject to change without notice. Maximum of six (6) transactions per month. Fee of $8 applies to transactions over the six (6) permitted monthly transactions. A minimum daily balance of $500 must be maintained to avoid an $8 monthly fee. Cash withdrawals, transfers, checks or drafts must be for a minimum of $500.

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8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

17

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE SPARTANBURG

IT’S HOT IN HERE The Upstate job market is on fire… and so is the rest of South Carolina WORDS BY TREVOR ANDERSON

ata from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that employment in the Spartanburg metropolitan area, comprised primarily of Spartanburg County, grew by 3 percent during the past year, making it the fastest growing metro area in the state.

By comparison, the Myrtle Beach metro area, made up of Horry and Georgetown counties, had the second-highest job growth since July 2016 at 2.8 percent.

The Greenville area, including Greenville, Pickens, Anderson, and Laurens counties, had the second-lowest growth in employment among all the state’s eight largest metro areas at 0.8 percent.

Sumter had the lowest job growth among those eight metro areas with a 0.3 percent increase in employment.

As a whole, the Palmetto State recorded its eighth consecutive year of job growth in 2017 with a 1.6 percent annual increase.

“We’re seeing that growth in manufacturing and construction,” said Joey Von Nessen, a research economist with the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. “Those are really the two leaders from a state level perspective. It’s certainly no surprise that manufacturing is doing well in the Upstate. Automotive manufacturing has been an anchor that has been driving growth for several years.”

The Charleston area, comprised of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, led the state in job growth in each of the previous three years.

The area dropped to the No. 3 spot on the list with

D

18

UBJ | 8.18.2017

a 2.6 percent growth rate during the year.

Employment in the Florence area grew by 2.4 percent, Hilton Head by 1.5 percent, and the Columbia area, including Lexington, Richland, Newberry, Calhoun, and Kershaw counties, by 1.3 percent.

“There is more seasonal fluctuation and demand along the coast. Those areas have seen sizeable growth,” Von Nessen said. “The overall leader during this eight-year expansion has been Charleston. They have a strong tourism sector, a strong manufacturing sector behind Boeing and others, and the S.C. Ports Authority. But the Upstate hasn’t been far behind.”

Von Nessen said the percentages are based off of a rolling 2017 average employment figure from BLS. The only numbers available that show actual jobs created are from the bureau’s year-end estimates for 2016.

South Carolina added 35,300 jobs in 2016.

The Charleston area saw an increase of 11,000 jobs during that same year. The Greenville area gained 5,000 jobs; Spartanburg, 4,500; Myrtle Beach, 3,200; Florence, 1,500; Hilton Head, 1,200; and Sumter, 400.

The Columbia area lost 400 jobs in 2016, according to BLS data.

DRIVING FORCES Von Nessen said there have been two driving forces for the state’s economic growth during the past eight years: logistics and workforce.

“By logistics I mean we are well-positioned in the United States,” he said. “From South Carolina, you have access to the entire eastern seaboard. The same can be said for the South generally. Here we have access to the [Port of Charleston] and good highway infrastructure. … It’s extremely important for a company to be able to interact with its suppliers and deliver to its customers.”

In terms of workforce, Von Nessen referenced

“Given the choice, I’d rather have manufacturing than any other industry because it’s more secure.

You can move an office overnight, but you can’t move a manufacturing facility overnight.”

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE SPARTANBURG

DOING THE MATH CHARLESTON AREA GREENVILLE AREA SPARTANBURG MYRTLE BEACH FLORENCE HILTON HEAD SUMTER

+11,000 +5,000 +4,500 +3,200 +1,500 +1,200 +400

35,300 SC JOBS IN 2016 Swedish automaker Volvo’s announcement in 2015 for its first U.S. plant in Berkeley County.

He said one of the company’s primary reasons for choosing South Carolina — in addition to the port, business-friendly environment, and experience with other premium brands — was the state’s ability to provide a ready and able employee base.

Volvo’s sentiment has been echoed by many of the new and existing companies that have chosen to relocate or expand in the Palmetto State.

“South Carolina has done a good job of linking up workers with companies through readySC and Apprenticeship Carolina [two divisions of the state’s Technical College System].”

Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt said he isn’t surprised that Spartanburg is at the top of the list for job growth.

“The numbers don’t lie,” Britt said. “Over the past 25 years, more than $16 billion has been invested in Spartanburg with more than 50,000 jobs created.

Sometimes when you’re in it working on these deals, you don’t get to see where you measure up. It’s nice to have someone from outside validate what we’re doing. … I think it sends a message to the world that this is a great place to live, work, and play.”

Britt said 128 international companies have set up operations in Spartanburg County across a range of industries, including automotive, carbon fiber, concrete, tires, fiber optic cable, and more.

“It gets me every time somebody tells me we need to create more white collar jobs in Spartanburg County,” he said. “Every time a manufacturer chooses Spartanburg, they bring not just manufacturing jobs, but white collar jobs as well—everything from sales to engineering to finance. Given the choice, I’d rather have manufacturing than any other industry because it’s more secure. You can move an office overnight, but you can’t move a manufacturing facility overnight.”

A JOBSEEKER’S MARKET Johnnie-Lynn Crosby, regional director of business solutions at SC Works Greenville and Upstate, said there are well over 1,000 open and active jobs available in Spartanburg County.

Crosby said the county has seen a “huge increase” in job openings related to all of the readySC projects.

Those opportunities have primarily included manufacturing, distribution, and call center jobs, she said.

“It’s a jobseeker’s market right now for us,” Crosby said. “We’ve seen an explosion of opportunity not only for individuals who are qualified but also for individuals to learn and grow with these companies.”

Von Nessen recognized that many lessons were learned after the decline of textile manufacturing, which hit Spartanburg County and the rest of the Upstate very hard.

He said he isn’t concerned that the region is once again relying on manufacturing for jobs and economic prosperity.

“We want to see diverse growth across industries,” he said. “But the depth of the cluster development we’ve seen in automotive manufacturing is a very positive sign going forward.”

8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

19

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE RESTAURANT STAFFING

SHORT-STAFFED

Restaurants feel the labor pains of the growing food scene

Henry’s Smokehouse is among the majority of local restaurants looking for additional kitchen staff to keep operations running smoothly.

A

lmost every week, it seems Greenville makes a national top 10 list of one variety or another — and the focus is often on the growing restaurant scene. But the increasing number of eateries has exacerbated an already prevalent problem within the local restaurant industry.

“There are a thousand restaurant jobs in Greenville and only 900 people to fill them,” says Chad Gangwer, co-owner of Southern Culture and Bar and its newly opened neighbor, LTO Burger Bar. Those aren’t the exact figures, obviously. Instead they offer a figurative analysis of the issue: There are more restaurant positions than there are staff to fill them. And if a restaurant can’t find staff, it can’t provide the service.

“Everyone feels it, down to the customers,” says Henry’s Smokehouse owner Tiger O’Rourke, who needs 45 employees to operate his restaurants at optimum level but is currently about 10 short.

The reason for that shortage, however, isn’t quite as simple as noting the supply and demand deficit.

A survey of several local veteran restaurateurs offers a number of other explanations. Some say there are problems with the younger generation of workers, while others say there’s a general negative attitude toward service industry jobs.

Steve Seitz, Table 301 Restaurant’s chief operating 20

UBJ | 8.18.2017

WORDS BY ARIEL TURNER | PHOTO BY CAROLINE HERRING

officer and vice president of operations, worked for 20 years in Charlotte’s restaurant community before moving to Greenville two and a half years ago to help lead the local group. Today, Table 301 owns eight restaurants, including Soby’s and Jianna, a food truck, and a catering business, and employs around 500 people.

Seitz said that today’s Greenville reminds him of Charlotte in the 1990s when independent restaurants started popping up with increasing frequency. He sees the same type of lag here, but believes it will eventually catch up as Greenville becomes more and more recognized for its scene.

“It’s becoming popular with culinarians and service staff,” Seitz says, adding that career service industry members are starting to target Greenville as a destination.

Seitz says this last spring was the toughest season yet since he joined Table 301.

During the winter season, which is traditionally slow for restaurants, there isn’t enough work for a more robust staff, so eateries run bare-bone operations. When the local scene starts to pick in spring, restaurants start hiring, all at the same time. That’s especially challenging for restaurants when they’re trying to staff up to a complete kitchen and a front of the house of 100 servers, hostesses, and bartenders.

Seitz says staffing Jianna this spring posed a

challenge for the Table 301 restaurant group, as the modern Italian eatery pulled staff from other group restaurants to fill the gaps. “We cannibalized ourselves,” he said.

Chai Eang, owner of Basil Thai, knows all too well the challenge of staffing a new restaurant in this nascent foodie town. When Basil Thai opened in May, Eang had hired only one staff member from Greenville. The rest were current employees at his other locations in Columbia and Charlotte whom he had to put up in a local hotel so they didn’t have to drive back and forth.

“It’s been tough, but it’s getting better,” he said.

One indication that’s the case: Basil recently added daily lunch service.

Barley’s Taproom and the Trappe Door owner Josh Beeby says he’s noticed the pool of available applicants dwindling in size and quality over the last few years. This year was especially difficult, he said.

“We’re constantly a man down,” Beeby said.

For LTO Burger Bar’s Gangwer, just a few years ago he could be more selective in his hiring, but that’s not the case these days.

“Five to six years ago you could pick and choose,” Gangwer said. “Now I just have to buy in bulk.”

O’Rourke expresses a similar sentiment. Previously, he wouldn’t consider an applicant whose

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE RESTAURANT STAFFING

“Five to six years ago you could pick and choose. Now I just have to buy in bulk.”

For LTO Burger Bar’s Gangwer, just a few years ago he could be more selective in his hiring, but that’s not the case these days.

résumé showed he changed jobs every six months.

Today, that’s nearly every applicant. He has little choice but to risk it.

“There’s a lot of jumping around of those 25 and under,” he said.

Beeby used to put help wanted ads on Craigslist, but says the quality of applicants was so poor that it wasn’t worth the time. Some of those hires walked

out mid-shift or would bail after only a few weeks.

“This generation in general, they’re entitled,” he says. “They don’t want to work.”

If one is to believe the reports, millennials are more likely to take a job in which they’ll feel personally fulfilled. In Europe, wait staff jobs are often salaried, but in America that’s generally not the case.

As a result, service industry jobs carry something of a social stigma in the U.S. that they don’t in Europe.

When you add in the long hours and an inconsistent tips-based income — deterrents for many — it’s not surprising a restaurant career doesn’t have the appeal other occupations do.

Kitchen staff tends to have more longevity in the business, while serving jobs are often seen as a stepping stone or means to an end for college students, says Seitz, who spends much of his time managing and reducing turnover. Interestingly, Soby’s does have a few servers who’ve been on staff since the beginning, 1997.

“Folks don’t aspire to be in the industry,” he says.

“But it’s an excellent opportunity for a young adult to get in a management position.”

But those who aren’t passionate about the job are less likely to push through when the hours and work get tough. Many move on to another restaurant, thinking it will be better there. It’s generally not.

“Let me tell you, the grass is not greener,” Beeby says. “Several people who’ve left came back.”

But Beeby doesn’t ignore the role he plays in staff retention. He knows kitchen work, especially, is difficult, which is the main reason Trappe Door no longer serves lunch. His staff was “worked to the bone” from prepping for dinner while serving lunch.

He recognized their quality of life was suffering.

“I’ve made an effort to put my employees as No. 1,” he says. “If you treat them well, they’ll treat the customers well.”

Partnering with local culinary schools, such as the Culinary Arts Institute at Greenville Tech, Bob Jones University’s culinary arts program, Project Host, Johnson and Wales in Charlotte, and Virginia College in Charleston does help provide kitchen staff for many local restaurants, but a partnership is no guarantee of success or longevity.

Seitz says a main source of new and quality staff members for Table 301 is through referrals from current employees. And he’s committed to retaining them through fair treatment and a positive work environment, because he believes a job in the restaurant industry should be one of the most desired careers.

“Everybody should work in a restaurant,” Seitz says. “The life skills and interpersonal challenges are unmatched anywhere else.”

WE WANT YOU TO THRIVE IN THE UPSTATE. To let your ideas shine.

To have a fulfilling career.

To live comfortably.

Our region’s strongest asset is its 686,000 talented workers – here by birth and by choice. Thank you for enriching the Upstate’s prosperity and quality of life.

To learn more about the network of partners who are positioning the Upstate to excel in the global economy, visit www.upstatescalliance.com.

8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

21

PROFESSIONAL |

STRATEGIES FOR HONING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Game Plan Don’t be an accidental entrepreneur

By JOE ERWIN president of Erwin Creates and founder of Endeavor

Becoming an entrepreneur is rarely accidental. Most entrepreneurs have known for a while that they wanted to have their own business.

Because of this, thoughtful entrepreneurs don’t just up and say, “I’m going to start a business,” and do it the next day or week. Creating a successful, sustainable business begins with a preparation phase that may be brief or lengthy, very structured or flexible.

But how you optimize this phase will make a world of difference once you shift from planning to opening.

Looking back to the start of Erwin Penland, I had known for a few years that I wanted my own advertising agency. And while I was learning

advertising at two terrific ad agencies in my youth — one in Greenville and one in New York City — what I didn’t know was the first thing about starting or running a successful business. So I consciously decided to become a student. Not in the classroom sense, but by reading, learning firsthand from experienced business professionals, and developing a keen understanding of the legal and financial options available in this new life I imagined.

When it comes to reading, I’d recommend reading as much as possible about the kind of business you want to own and manage, and the business functions to help you make smart decisions. What I wouldn’t recommend is spending valuable time studying the endless supply of self-help and general lead-

Payroll. HR. Benefits. Tax Reporting.

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And we do it with a service orientation that offers enormous peace of mind.

Because you’ll always be in compliance. And you’ll always be in step with all the latest changes. See for yourself. Make an appointment now.

QBS. We help you help your company more.

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22

UBJ | 8.18.2017

PEO/ASO • Payroll • Benefits • Tax Reporting • Workers’ Compensation • HR Management

Most successful entrepreneurs I know are happy sharing lessons learned along the way – including some of their failures.

ership books. I never found that these helped prepare me for starting, running, or growing a company to higher levels of success.

For me, firsthand learning meant “going to school” on the people I knew in the industry – in my case, business people running and managing marketing agencies. I asked questions, invited them to challenge my thinking and plans, and, just as important, I listened. Most successful entrepreneurs I know are happy sharing lessons learned along the way – including some of their failures. By learning from experienced entrepreneurs, and allowing them to help you see the potential faults in your thinking, you can avoid a lot of the painful mistakes that many encounter early in their entrepreneurial journey.

Legal structure and funding are both critical elements, and here, you truly want to be conservative. Don’t think that money comes easily. It doesn’t. While there are many angel investors and banks, most look to put their money into already established early-stage businesses. So when you’re starting out, you’d better have enough cash to make it through the early years, which are often very lean.

My advice? Save all the money you can while you’re planning a business, and use your own funds whenever possible. For one thing, that’ll prove to you and others that you’re committed to your plan. And while we’re at it, a note about business plans. I

once received a 78-page business plan from a would-be entrepreneur. That’s not a business plan; that’s a thesis.

Really good business plans can be written on two pages.

Every successful entrepreneur I’ve met – myself included — had an idea, a skill, and a dream. But that didn’t necessarily mean they were ready to run a business. The good news is that they were able to get ready. And you can, too.

As simple as it sounds, make a checklist. Be able to clearly answer fundamental questions like where’s my location, who will we bank with, what access do I have to a sharp business attorney and a good CPA, and how long can I run the new company without a second infusion of funds? Who will my customers be and why will they come to me as opposed to a competitor?

If you can’t answer every one of these with clarity, you’re not ready.

And if you don’t have the stomach for failing, you’re not ready either. That’s something most business books don’t even tell you. Especially in the early years, you have to be prepared to fail — with the understanding that failure isn’t permanent. If you have the confidence to get back up off the mat after short-term failure, then you’re emotionally ready for your next, even better, entrepreneurial journey.

MOVERS, SHAKERS, AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

| INNOVATE

Students Today, Employees Tomorrow The role of honors education in workforce development become employees who can solve Professor, Director, Honors Program, problems, voice Greenville Technical College opinions yet listen to other views, and innovate. They Honors education is not a new show up on time and well prepared phenomenon. Institutions of higher for whatever is required, bringing a learning have been offering honors strong work ethic and a readiness for opportunities to students at colleges any challenge. and universities across the country Honors students often take courses for decades. or seminars on leadership developThough four-year colleges were the ment and most participate in leaderfirst to offer honors education, twoship development opportunities year colleges, where nearly half of all outside of the classroom. Honors college students study, have offered students frequently serve as peer honors opportunities over the past mentors for new students, guiding 25 years, too. Doing so has opened them through the often-puzzling up incredible possibilities for students process of assimilating to college life. across the nation to sharpen their They participate in service learning academic experiences while developprojects on and off campus, devoting ing skills that make them desirable time and energy to a variety of nonto transfer institutions and potential profit organizations and helping to employers upon their graduation. serve a multitude of needs in their What do honors students take away communities. They learn the value of from their education that makes them servant leadership — to put the needs so valuable? Honors education preof others first and to foster a sense of pares students to succeed in the giving, and thus leadership, in others. classroom and also, more importantBuilding on their enriched academly, fill leadership roles in college and ic experiences, honors students beyond. These classes also build the continue to develop critical thinking soft skills employers cite as critical to and problem-solving skills in their employee success. roles as servant leaders. They learn Honors courses usually have small the value of approaching problems student-teacher ratios, allowing for holistically and thoughtfully, commaximum interaction between promunicating effectively and with fessors and students. Most classes are purpose, and the importance of dediscussion-based, or flipped, classveloping a professional work ethic. rooms where students come to class They participate in a variety of culprepared to discuss course material tural engagement opportunities, alwith their peers. lowing them to understand and value Memorization of class material is the diverse populations and perspecless important than spending time tives in their local communities. deconstructing, digesting, debating, These experiences prepare them to and critically evaluating course contribute not only to their local content. Students learn to work in communities as active, engaged citigroups, building trust and a sense of zens but also to the missions of emsolidarity with one another along the ployers who see these skills as imperway. They also produce quality ative in an ever-changing marketplace. scholarship, and many have opporThe Greenville Technical College tunities to present their work at local, Honors Program proudly embodies regional, and national academic all of the above characteristics. The events. program is the oldest, largest, and This ability to bring ideas forward, most fully developed honors program defend a viewpoint, and work with among the 16 institutions in the S.C. others is critical in developing emTechnical College System. The ployment skills. Honors students program serves a wonderful body of

By APRIL L. DOVE

Honors students become employees who can solve problems, voice opinions yet listen to other views, and innovate.

They show up on time and well prepared for whatever is required, bringing a strong work ethic and a readiness for any challenge. students who excel in academics, engage in leadership development, serve their local community via service learning, and participate in exciting cultural engagement events.

Upon graduation, our honors program students go on to excel at four-year institutions and in the local and regional workforce. They become scientists, scholars, teachers, medical

and legal professionals, engineers, and entrepreneurs. They carry the value of honors education with them throughout their professional and personal lives, and they exemplify the mission of Greenville Technical College, to drive personal and economic growth through learning, with pride.

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CALL 864-655-8300 TODAY FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT! 8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

23

SOCIAL SNAPSHOT |

INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE

BUSINESS ON TAP The Upstate Business Journal hosted its monthly networking event, Business on Tap, at Rick Erwin’s Nantucket Seafood in downtown Greenville on Aug. 2.

Photos by Katie Fenske

sccareersearch.com • 864-242-3491

GODSHALL Professional Recruiting Staffing Consulting

24

UBJ | 8.18.2017

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

HIRED

| ON THE MOVE

ELECTED

SARA STUART

KEIGAN MENNETTI

SIMON HARVEY

BARRY ROE

VENUS POE

Joined Ballentine Capital Advisors as office manager.

Along with daily administrative responsibilities, she will be working on public relations and event coordination.

Joined EnviroSouth Inc., an Upstate environmental consulting firm, as an addition to their growing environmental engineering staff. Mennetti, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, has a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Clemson University and is a S.C. Engineer in Training.

Joined Crawford Strategy as graphic designer. Harvey received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from Bob Jones University in 2016. During his time at BJU, Harvey earned multiple ADDY awards in recognition for his creative design work.

United Community Bank Mortgage Services is pleased to welcome veteran banker Barry Roe to its team as a mortgage loan officer. Roe is based in Pendleton and serves the Upstate region in Anderson, Seneca, and surrounding areas. Roe brings more than 15 years of local banking experience to the United team.

Elected president of the Fountain Inn Rotary Club. A personal injury attorney, Poe has been a member of the Fountain Inn Rotary Club since 2013 and serves as a board member for the Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce. She formerly served on the board of directors of the Simpsonville Chamber of Commerce and founded the Simpsonville Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

VIP STEVE SELLERY Community Journals has tapped Steve Sellery to lead all event- and sponsorshipfocused business across the company’s media portfolio. Launched as a subsidiary of Community Journals, Sellery will lead Community Experiences, focusing on the development and management of new experiential events and branded entertainment platforms. Serving existing media partners and new clients, Community Experiences will also provide advisory services in support of event development, sports marketing, and brand activation.

MARKETING VantagePoint Marketing, a nationally recognized business-to-business marketing agency with special expertise in food service, was named to the Best Places to Work in South Carolina 2017 in the small/midsized employer category. This recognition marks the fifth year in a row that the Greenville-based company has been named to the list.

Infinity Marketing announces new team members Kortney Williams, media coordinator, and Sebastian Hubard, media assistant. In addition to these new hires, Infinity has named Bryan Huber to the new position of senior digital creative designer in response to an ever-growing demand for web and digital creative services. Williams is new to Infinity as a graduate from the University of South Carolina Upstate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. Hubard, a previous intern, is a graduate of Furman University with a bachelor of arts in business administration. Huber has been working with Infinity for a year in the creative production department. He is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in graphic communications. Huber’s new title is a better representation of what his role is within the company.

BANKING CresCom Bank announces additions to its team in Greer. Alana Brookshire has joined the bank as an item-processing specialist. Brookshire holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice and criminology from the University of South Carolina. Shamilah Thompson has also joined the bank as an item-processing specialist. Thompson graduated from USC Upstate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice and from Rutgers University with a master’s degree in social work.

RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY Greenville CITGO store manager Brenda Craig was recently awarded the title of Store Manager of the Year by the South Carolina Association of Convenience Stores (SCACS) on July 16 at the association’s annual convention. Craig has been working for the CITGO Corner Mart on White Horse Road for more than 20 years.

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

Open for business Blair Cato Pickren Casterline LLC recently opened their new Upstate office located at 406A E. Butler Road in Mauldin.

Learn more about the law firm at blaircato.com.

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

8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

25

#TRENDING |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

THE WATERCOOLER Social Chatter

RE: FEDS TARGET SOME GREENVILLE RESTAURANTS TO MAKE SURE THEY MEET ADA STANDARDS “There is no ‘grandfathering’ for civil rights laws. There are some exceptions to certain things but access to goods and services is not one of them.”

Steve Metzer

RE: KAYAK COMPANY TO LAUNCH OPERATION IN GREENVILLE, CREATE 76 NEW JOBS “Another WIN for Greenville! Unfortunately, I can barely even pilot a kayak, so helping make one’s probably out of the question”

Austin Trousdale

RE: CATBUS PICKS PROTERRA

RE: POLL SHARED FROM GREENVILLE JOURNAL: COULD A LAW EXPUNGING THE RECORDS OF SOME NONVIOLENT EX-CONS BE AN ANSWER TO OUR RESTAURANT AND RETAIL EMPLOYEE SHORTAGE? “Depends on the nonviolent offense. … It is about having the general public stop taking advantage of the system and start working.

We have plenty of citizens sitting around all day receiving a check. We need to find a way to motivate those who are taking advantage. … Also, many do not want to work in the restaurant industry, because the environment is not always the best. Many women/girls have to deal with sexual harassment and others that use drugs frequently.”

RE: FSC CUTTING TOOL AND TECHNOLOGY GETS A BOOST FROM AN UNDERUSED STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PROGRAM “I have seen the factory. Hard-working folks there using latest technology. Good luck to them!”

Salman Waheed

RE: BURN BOOT CAMP OPENS AT SPARTANBURG’S DRAYTON MILLS MARKETPLACE “Another junk group fitness chain.”

Tim Quinn

Toni Clark

“Great to see Upstate taking advantage of our own new tech transport business!”

TAB Upstate

DIGITAL FLIPBOOK ARCHIVE

TOP 5:

E 32

AUGUST 11,

VOL. 6 ISSU 2017 |

UP, UP, AND AWAY

1. Six chains sign up for space in Seneca shopping center

2. Former combat pilot’s drone business takes off

of siness The beus takes off dron

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

INSIDE // BAR BURGER A BETTER SPRINGS NG BUILDING ILI D FOR BO ING BOAR BIG NEWS THE DRAW BACK TO

3. Bright’s Creek in Mill Spring, N.C., will be sold at auction

tate tt of Ups Brian Sco Will Crooks Photo by

Aerial

GET THE INBOX 4. Ex-con Jerry Blassingame leads the charge to get an expungement bill passed

CONNECT We’re great at networking.

5. LTO Burger Bar opens Aug. 8 in former Dive ‘N’ Boar Space *The Top 5 stories from last week’s issue ranked by page views

26

UBJ | 8.18.2017

LINKEDIN.COM/COMPANY/ UPSTATE-BUSINESS-JOURNAL FACEBOOK.COM/ THEUPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL @UPSTATEBIZ

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

DATE

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Greenville Chamber Night

Fluor Field 945 S. Main St. 7 p.m.

Cost: $9, Chamber investors receive a $5 food/drink voucher.

For more info: bit.ly/2vvhBXE , Kevin.Jenko@greenvilledrive.com

GSHRM HR Management Conference

Hyatt Regency 220 N. Main St. 8 a.m.–4:45 p.m.

Cost: $175 nonmembers, $150 members, $50 pre-conference workshop For more info: greenvillehr.org

8/24

Pulse Village Block Party

Lawn of The West Village Lofts at Brandon Mill 25 Draper St. 5:30–8 p.m.

Cost: Free, registration required For more info: bit.ly/2tNDTzX; 864239-3730; eaustin@greenvillechamber.org

Thursday

8/24

Simpsonville Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours

The Crossings at Five Forks 345 Five Forks Road, Simpsonville 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Cost: Free For more info: bit.ly/2ur8zXR

Wednesday

Upstate Alliance 2017 Midyear Meeting & Reception

Crowne Plaza Greenville 851 Congaree Road 4–5 p.m.

Cost: Free, investors only For more info: bit.ly/2fDYxAZ

9/7

Greenville Chamber Netnight

Cost: $15 for Chamber investors, The Champions Club at Fluor Field $25 general admission 945 S. Main St. For more info: bit.ly/2vzw6Ll 6–8 p.m. or 864-239-3727

Tuesday

Greenville Chamber’s Diversity & Inclusion Summit

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Tuesday PRESIDENT/CEO

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

UBJ PUBLISHER

Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

8/22 Tuesday-Wednesday

8/22-8/23

EDITOR

Chris Haire chaire@communityjournals.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Emily Pietras epietras@communityjournals.com

DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Tori Lant tlant@communityjournals.com

STAFF WRITERS

Trevor Anderson, Rudolph Bell, Cindy Landrum, Andrew Moore, Ariel Turner

Thursday

MARKETING & ADVERTISING VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES

8/30

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Thursday

David Rich drich@communityjournals.com

Donna Johnston, Stephanie King, Rosie Peck, Caroline Spivey, Emily Yepes

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR Will Crooks

LAYOUT

Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

| PLANNER

10/17

Cost: $100 investors, $125 general admission For more info: bit.ly/2uDPySZ nwhite@greenvillechamber.org

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGN

UP NEXT

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

Kristy Adair | Michael Allen

CLIENT SERVICES

Anita Harley | Jane Rogers

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

SEPTEMBER 15 THE REGIONAL 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

Kristi Fortner

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE STORY IDEAS:

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

1990 Jackson Dawson

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

>>

OCTOBER 13 THE DESIGN ISSUE

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.

ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

>>

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

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

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

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

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

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

1998 1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court

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

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

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

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

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

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

him going and growing his business over the years. He is passionate about giving back and outreach to non-prof non-profits. The company was recently awarded the Community Foundation Spirit Award.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CoMMUnitY nit inVolVeMent nitY in olV inV olVe VeMent & boarD positions lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board,

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

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

November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21

20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013

AS SEEN IN

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

EVENTS:

events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

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OCTOBER 27 CRE ISSUE

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8.18.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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BTC BEHIND THE COUNTER

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VISTA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT GROUP “While technological advances have led to quicker, more proactive Frank DuPree founded Vista Capital Management Group in 2007 response times and enabled aggregated analysis of portfolios and trending with a goal of creating a boutique multifamily property management capabilities, the underlying foundation of property management company that brought the sophistication of institutional has remained constant. The nuts and bolts of the industry grade management together with the accessibility and Having the right people haven’t changed,” says Frank DuPree, CEO. “Our goal is always maneuverability of a smaller firm. Frank and his president in the right place is to maximize the gross income, to control property expenses, of operations, Wayne Redding, have both been in the paramount to the multifamily management business for more than 40 and thus, drive the net operating income.” With a staff that is success of real estate extremely attentive to detail and committed to deriving the years. Frank and Wayne worked together at both Boston investments. full potential of their assets, Vista is able to focus on these Financial Company and later with AIMCO and its fundamentals. predecessor, Insignia. Prior to leaving AIMCO to start In addition to a platform that delivers successful results, Vista Vista Capital Management Group, Frank was regional emphasizes strong relationships with top-tier service providers in each of its vice president of AIMCO, overseeing almost 20,000 apartment units under markets. Vista Capital Management Group is headquartered in Greenville with management. regional offices in Myrtle Beach and Waldorf, MD. Frank and Wayne believe that Vista’s strongest asset is its people. Through Frank likes to say, “To be successful in life, you have to do what you say the expertise and commitment of their staff of Certified Property Managers, you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it.” This dependability and Vista has earned the designation of Accredited Management Organization (AMO) from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). “Having transparency is what Vista’s clients experience every day. the right people in the right place is paramount to the success of real estate investments,” says Wayne. With this vision, Vista provides the unparalleled service that their clients deserve.

Vista currently provides property and asset management services for more than 2,500 units throughout the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions and is dedicated to providing the best in service to each and every one. Because of that commitment, Vista’s clients now include five of the top ten largest 207 Whitsett St., Greenville | 864.404.3500 affordable multi-family owners in the country. vistacapitalmanagementgroup.com