October 20, 2017 UBJ

OCTOBER 20 , 2017 | VOL. 6 ISSUE 42

Sean Brock’s

game-changing

HUSK is ready to make its Greenville debut

ALSO INSIDE • TOPGOLF IS COMING • CLEMSON’S NEW MINI CONCEPT CAR • 1,000 JOBS FOR ANDERSON

With a sporting soul and a compact footprint, the GLA is agile, adventurous and adaptable.

The 2018 GLA 300 SUV. The compact GLA packs some sizable surprises. Its sensible footprint conceals a cabin that’s generous with legroom, headroom and luxury. And while it’s solid and strong, it also slips through the wind efficiently and quietly.

DYNAMIC SELECT dials in the GLA’s performance character with the tap of a console button. Throttle, shifting and more sharpen in Sport mode, ease up in ECO, keep calm in Comfort. There’s even a mode you can set up yourself.

CARLTON MOTORCARS www.CarltonMB.com (864) 213-8000 2446 Laurens Road Greenville, SC 29607

Mark Your Calendars

november 11&12, 2017 Joseph Bradley’s studio

WEEKEND HOURS Friday, Nov. 10th 6:00 – 9:00 P.M. (select studios only)

Saturday, Nov. 11th 10:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.

Sunday, Nov. 12th Noon – 6:00 P.M.

ABOUT THE EVENT

SOMETHING ON THE SQUARES

Greenville Open Studios allows you to experience the life of local artists at work in their studios for one full weekend, November 11–12.

12 X 12 EXHIBIT

This free, self-guided tour is a unique experience to engage with our community’s incredible talent, learn about artistic processes, enhance or begin your art collection and become inspired.

MORE INFORMATION Visit our website for more information on Open Studios as well as a directory of the 145 participating artists. greenvilleARTS.com @macARTScouncil #MACopenstudios

Make MAC your first stop the week before or the weekend of Open Studios.

An exhibit of 12 x 12 inch works from the 145 participating artists will be on display in our gallery from November 4 – December 15.

Vladimir Demidovich

Visit our Instagram @macARTScouncil for a chance to win $500 towards artwork in the exhibit!

Presented By

THE RUNDOWN |

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 42 Featured this issue: Topgolf considering Pelham Road location ..............................................................5 Kairos Greek Kitchen eyes March opening in Lewis Plaza .............................19 The dangers of sleep deprivation in the workplace............................................ 22

Last week, CU-ICAR students unveiled their Deep Orange 7 MINI concept car. The 18 graduate students began working on the car in 2014 and built it almost entirely from scratch. Deep Orange project leaders said the MINI was engineered with three goals: targeting the premium U.S. market out to 2025 and beyond, maximizing the use of interior space, and ensuring a fun driving experience. Read more on Page 6.

Photo provided by the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research.

WORTH REPEATING “We’re not trying to save the world with what we’re doing. We’re just trying to improve it.”

Page 8

“It’s a huge part of what forms a culture. If food goes away, that’s a really powerful component, and we lose part of the story, and the culture dissolves.”

Page 14

“As baby boomers enter retirement, they want to continue their tech-savvy, active lifestyle, but they also need to know that their changing health care needs can be met.”

Page 18

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UBJ | 10.20.2017

VERBATIM

On passing tax reform

“Yeah, if we don’t, we’re dead. If we don’t cut taxes and we don’t eventually repeal and replace Obamacare, then we’re going to lose across the board in the House in 2018.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” in regards to the possible fate of the GOP if they don’t pass tax reform.

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| NEWS

RETIREMENT

SALE BEGINNING OCTOBER 4TH

PELHAM ROAD

PROPOSED TOPGOLF COMPLEX Composite of Seamon Whiteside site design and aerial photo by Greenville on the Rise

ENTERTAINMENT

Off the Tee Greenville County posts plans for proposed Topgolf off Pelham Road ANDREW MOORE | STAFF

amoore@communityjournals.com Topgolf is considering putting its newest location on Pelham and Garlington roads, according to county documents.

Topgolf is a golf entertainment center with competitive golfing games for people of all ages and skill levels. Most Topgolf venues are three levels and include 102 hitting bays for up to six golfers at a time.

Players can hit golf balls with computer microchips

to track the distance and accuracy of shots.

The development plans, which are preliminary, show the entertainment center situated on nearly 13.5 acres across from “Restaurant Row,” which includes On The Border and California Dreaming.

It also includes 466 parking spaces.

According to the plans, the center would be part of a 73-acre site that also features a hotel with at least 90 rooms, a 7,000-square-foot restaurant, and a 75,000-square-foot building with 300 parking spaces.

10.20.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

FINE MEN’S CLOTHING SINCE 1979

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

MANUFACTURING

Vroom Vroom CU-ICAR students unveil Deep Orange 7 concept MINI TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com

Good things often come in small packages.

And a team of 18 graduate students from Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) on Saturday, Oct. 14, unwrapped the prototype vehicle that embodies their vision for the future of BMW’s iconic MINI brand.

The vehicle is the seventh concept model developed as part of Clemson’s Deep Orange program.

Clemson officials, BMW leaders, and others involved in the car’s design and build were also on hand as the students presented the vehicle during a ceremony at the BMW Zentrum beside the German automaker’s Spartanburg County plant.

“This was a great experience,” said Robert Knizek, team leader for Deep Orange 7 and an automotive ergonomics engineer for Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich. “The most difficult thing for us was keeping the customer in mind the whole time. We’re all gear heads, so it was important for us not to let [what customers want] get too far out of reach. The most important lesson was to know whom you’re designing for.

We certainly hope someone will take our ideas and implement them in the future.”

Deep Orange is the flagship program of Clemson’s two-year master’s degree program in automotive engineering, the university said.

The program gives students exposure to market analysis, target customer profiles, vehicle design, prototyping, and manufacturing. All the while, students have to balance costs and design targets in an “aggressive” timeline, according to the university.

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UBJ | 10.20.2017

The Deep Orange program gives students exposure to market analysis, target customer profiles, vehicle design, prototyping, and manufacturing.

All the while, students have to balance costs and design targets in an “aggressive” timeline.

Clemson said the prototype portion of the program encourages students to “push the boundaries of conventional design and engineering.”

“Today was phenomenal,” said Johnell Brooks, associate professor of automotive engineering at Clemson. “Our goal is to enable students to present their views to the industry. … The great thing about Deep Orange is that it provides students with valuable real-world experience before they graduate. We hear all of the time from automotive companies who have hired one of our students that they have really hit the ground running.”

The students began working on the Deep Orange 7 MINI in 2014.

They weren’t given a kit or a stripped-down body to reassemble. Brooks said the students built almost the entire car, minus the engine and a few other parts, from scratch at the CU-ICAR facility in Greenville.

The vehicle was put on display at CU-ICAR on Monday, Oct. 16.

Project leaders said the MINI was engineered with three goals in mind: targeting the premium U.S. market out to 2025 and beyond, maximizing the use of interior space, and ensuring a fun driving experience.

“The objective was to create a revolutionary MINI technology demonstrator that embodies the potential requirements for the next decade,” said Anand Gramopadhye, dean of Clemson’s College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences. “The project outcome will provide a unique, U.S.-centric view on what could be the next volume MINI.” Jörg Schulte, manager of research and innovation for BMW, who served as a mentor for the project, said a survey showed that about half of MINI owners in the U.S. today are baby boomers, two-thirds are baby boomers or older, and the average age of current customers is 54.

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

That means the company’s future success could be determined by its ability to appeal to new customers during the next decade.

“The question is Gen X and Generation Y and Generation Z; is that iconic MINI from the ’60s still going to be relevant for them? Or, what is going to be relevant for them?” Schulte said.

The prominent features of the Deep Orange 7 prototype include: • An open design with a floating dashboard that creates a single space throughout the entire vehicle, called MINI Open. The traditional hood is replaced with a windshield that reaches all the way to the front of the vehicle and is easily lifted. Occupants are provided with a unique wide-open view outwards.

• This open design enables customers to see/share/store (S3) their prized items in the front of their vehicle as well as in the rear hatch. Items can be displayed or held securely with origami storage, a clever and customizable aftermarket solution.

• A scalable powertrain provides the customer the choice of internal combustion engine, two plug-in hybrid options, or a pure battery electric vehicle (BEV). The clever design means all four variants can be built on the same vehicle platform. The concept vehicle includes one of the two hybrid options, which was the most challenging to build.

• For the hybrid and BEV variants, electric motor cooling elements are functionally integrated inside the vehicle’s rocker panel, eliminating the need for conventional radiators and giving easy access to the front storage space. Rocker cooling takes advantage of otherwise unused space.

• Engineering the vehicle with manufacturing in mind resulted in a modular architecture concept. Students explored the theoretical concept of assembling the vehicle from four large separate modules.

• A customizable personal virtual companion, MINI FACE, replaces the conventional static instrument cluster and center stack. MINI FACE anticipates the needs of the driver and presents relevant information on a holographic display. Much like theater scenery, important interactive elements are in the front, while other information remains visible on display layers in the back. Hand gestures are used to interact with the system in three dimensions.

• When parked, the MINI Parking Marshal concept uses its own exterior lights to guide other drivers who are parking in front of or behind it.

The lights illuminate incrementally as the other vehicle approaches. The lights encourage drivers to park at an optimal distance. A driving simulator is used to demonstrate this concept.

CU-ICAR said it partnered with ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., on the vehicle’s styling. This provides engineering and design students the opportunity to collaborate just as they would in a real-world design studio, the university said.

ArtCenter has been a strategic partner on multiple previous Deep Orange concepts, according to CU-ICAR. Knizek said his participation in the program taught him and his classmates how to work on a team with a diverse group of individuals.

He said CU-ICAR’s presence is a boon for South Carolina’s growing automotive manufacturing cluster that is largely based in the Upstate.

Knizek said he believes the program is an important part of the state’s efforts to develop its future workforce in order to remain competitive globally.

“For you [students], it’s the first time in your life that you’ve designed a car,” said Knudt Flor, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Co., during the ceremony. “Maybe you’re infected and you want to do this for the future. Then you know that we have an open door where everybody can apply for a job at BMW. We need you. We need talents like you for our future.”

10.20.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

| NEWS

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

EDUCATION

Employees of Tomorrow ThinSchool seeks to help South Carolina meet its future workforce needs

Craig Kinley and Snowil Lopes. Photo by Will Crooks

TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com South Carolina’s talent pipeline could soon have a new feeder.

Upstate entrepreneur Craig Kinley and his business partner Snowil Lopes have founded a new education platform called ThinSchool to help the region and state fill its future workforce needs.

The concept aims to develop courses for sixth through 12th grade students that introduce them to emerging and prospective technologies, problem solving, and design thinking techniques.

Kinley and Lopes said they want to establish partnerships with industries and technical and four-year colleges to prepare students for advanced science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

They hope to enrich the soil where employers in the Palmetto State can harvest skilled, innovative workers prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.

“ThinSchool is about building a fundamental program for the students and industry partners it engages with to assist with future workforce development,” Kinley said. “It’s about working together and solving problems and preparing our leaders for the future workforce.”

Kinley said ThinSchool’s name is derived from a term in the telecommunications industry, where his career began, that describes something that exists in the cloud or on the internet.

The idea grew out of Kinley’s involvement with the Liberty Fellowship, an incubator founded in 2004 that seeks to move South Carolina forward by developing leaders in communities across the state.

As part of the leadership incubator, fellows are tasked with spearheading a project that has an impact on the state and reflects their personal passion.

For Kinley’s project, he decided in 2014 to do e-Merge @ the Garage, a business startup experience, in his hometown of Anderson.

Two other programs quickly grew out of e-Merge, 8

UBJ | 10.20.2017

including the startup incubator e-Spark and the LemonADE Stand, a workshop for middle and high school students to design and develop new business ideas.

Lopes, an energy expert at Clemson University, and a group of his colleagues took part in the e-Spark program in 2015.

After the program concluded, Kinley said he agreed to mentor Lopes, and the two men began discussing Lopes’ dream of changing education in South Carolina.

“My vision was improving education with technology,” said Lopes, who earned his undergraduate degree in architecture, a master’s degree in civil engineering, and an MBA from Clemson.

“When I began working with Craig, and even before that when I was really researching education to determine how to improve the system in South Carolina, one thing I found out is that we really need big improvement compared to the rest of the country,” Lopes added.

Lopes said he and Kinley began looking at ways to create an ecosystem that connects schools and engages various industry partners. And that’s where ThinSchool was born.

“What if we can let these kids know what is available to them, this is where the market is moving, and these are the options available to you,” he said. “We really want to produce the future leaders that can change the face of South Carolina.”

From 2015 to early 2016, Kinley said he and Lopes “spent a year on the road” investigating which future workforce skills will be needed and what the state’s technical colleges and universities were already doing to meet that need.

“After our year of discovery, we found we were on the right track,” Kinley said.

The concept was first piloted in the spring at Greenville’s NEXT High School.

A second round of pilots started in August at the Greenville Renewable Energy Education, or GREEN, Charter School, with another program set to launch soon at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Greenville.

Lopes said he and Kinley plan to continue to build relationships with companies and schools, to add more courses, and to launch a third pilot program that will also involve public schools.

The premise for ThinSchool is that manufacturing growth in South Carolina and the integration of new technologies in manufacturing processes have created competition and demand for skilled employees.

State and local officials, educators, schools, workforce development groups, companies, and other organizations have pondered various ways to stay ahead of the curve. Lopes and Kinley said ThinSchool is meant to complement, not compete with, those efforts.

“We’re not trying to save the world with what we’re doing,” Kinley said. “We’re just trying to improve it.”

Kinley said ThinSchool has partnered with Sealevel Systems and is working toward partnerships with companies such as Boeing and BMW Manufacturing Co. to determine what “soft skills” they are looking for in prospective employees.

The founders said courses could be designed for almost any industry, from drones and autonomous vehicles to aerospace and virtual reality software development.

Kinley said the founders envision a merit badgestyle system for middle and junior high school students. For high school students, they hope to have a certificate system, where students might be able to earn college credits. The program lasts about 60 to 90 days, Kinley said.

The first pilot at NEXT High School involved 19 students that were divided into four teams that were each given “real-world” challenges.

Those challenges included the growth of Greenville and the need for police staff, the state of South Carolina vocational work, Textile Crescent growth in Greenville, and repurposing government-owned facilities.

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| NEWS

WORKFORCE

What the Doctor Ordered

GREENVILLE

tanderson@communityjournals.com

CLEMSON

6 Y7 WA GH HI

Naples, Fla.-based Arthrex said Monday, Oct. 16, it will invest $69 million to establish a new 200,000-square-foot, state-of-theart production facility on 200 acres at 5500 Highway 76 in Sandy Springs. The move will bring 1,000 new jobs to Anderson County by 2025.

Reinhold Schmeiding, the company’s founder and president, said the investment will include $30 million for the building’s construction and at least $35 million for the facility’s manufacturing equipment.

The company said construction of the facility, which will be located in the newly minted Anderson County Technology and Manufacturing Center, is anticipated to begin during the first quarter of 2018, with completion expected by early 2019.

Schmeiding said the building phase of the project could create up to 500 local construction jobs.

“It’s very clear that we’re wanted and needed in the state of South Carolina,” Schmeiding said during a special ceremony at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center.

“With our focus on product innovation, education, and research, we’ve also created a great company that creates jobs. We’re really excited to expand that job creation opportunity right here in South Carolina.”

Officials scheduled the ceremony

to reveal Arthrex as the company behind the economic development project codenamed “Project Atlas” ahead of Monday night’s County Council meeting.

State and local dignitaries, including Gov. Henry McMaster, and a large crowd of area business leaders and local residents filled the event hall to welcome Arthrex.

McMaster said Arthrex’s announcement brings the state’s total economic development numbers to about $3.8 billion in investment and 13,000 jobs since he took office in January.

“They just keep coming from all over the world,” McMaster said. “So why is that? I think these people that come from somewhere else notice things that we don’t see because we live here.”

Schmeiding said he was born in the United States, the son of two German parents, and grew up in Michigan.

He said while he was in high school, his family took a trip to Hilton Head for spring break.

“We went there and I said, ‘Wow! If South Carolina is like this throughout the state, this is where I want to go someday,’” Schmeiding said.

Schmeiding briefly explained that he wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon in college, but his life took a different course.

After college, he moved to

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Medical manufacturer to invest $69M, build 200K-SF facility, and bring 1,000 new jobs to Anderson TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

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ANDERSON

Germany. In 1981, he started Arthrex out of his apartment in the Olympic Village in Munich. He started making some of the first tools for doing arthroscopic knee surgery on a table in his apartment.

In 1991, Schmeiding returned to the U.S. and operated the company out of a small office in Burlington, Vt. “I felt that our surgeons didn’t necessarily want to come to Burlington, and I couldn’t attract good employees, so we decided we wanted to go south,” he said. “I took the company with one employee… and moved to Naples, Fla.” Today, the company has locations across the world and boasts about 11,700 innovative products.

Schmeiding said the company projects its workforce will grow from almost 3,000 employees currently to nearly 7,000 by 2026. “[After] 36 years, we’re still a private company without outside

investors, dedicated to one thing: making people better and helping surgeons make their patients better,” Schmeiding said.

Arthrex said the Anderson facility will not impact employees at its other manufacturing sites in Florida and California.

The crowd erupted in applause when the leader described his company’s commitment to American manufacturing. He said 95 percent of the company’s products are made in America.

“That’s one of the luxuries of being a private company: We do things for patriotic reasons and not for economic reasons,” Reinhold Schmeiding said. “And, of course, most importantly, we’re making things that make people better.

We’re not making military products; we’re not making industrial products. We’re making things that will change all your lives, our lives in the future.”

Rendering provided by Arthrex.

10.20.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

Shipt memberships are available for $99 per year. All members have access to unlimited delivery, free on all orders over $35. Orders can be placed as early as one hour before delivery.

“Shipt’s ability to simplify our members’ lives in combination with Lidl’s commitment to superior quality at affordable prices provides a winning grocery experience,” said Bill Smith, founder and CEO of Shipt.

Leading up to the launch, Shipt planned to hire shoppers in Greenville to support the new partnership. They will be a part of the team responsible for ensuring complete, accurate fulfillments of each order. -Andrew Moore

RESTAURANTS

Brazwells closes, and Wu’s Cajun Seafood moves into former Green Room

Jack Runnion

RETAIL

Jack Runnion to close A Greenville men’s clothing store is hanging it up after 38 years in business. Jack Runnion, founder, owner, and namesake of Jack Runnion Ltd., said he plans to retire and shutter his store at 530 Haywood Road.

Runnion said he does not have a firm date yet for the closure, but it will likely be by the end of the year.

Until that time, Runnion said the store will offer 30 to 70 percent discounts on its merchandise. He said customers can still come in and order items and conduct regular business until the store closes.

“I will miss the customers,” Runnion said. “They became my friends, and I will miss seeing them. … What I wanted to do was carry better clothing and offer it at a fair price. It will be a change, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Runnion opened his store in 1979. A year later, he purchased the building near Haywood Mall that currently houses his 2,800-square-foot store and Hale’s Jewelers. He moved his store into the building in late 1982. He plans to lease the space after the store closes. -Trevor Anderson

Shipt partners with Lidl to deliver groceries in Greenville Shipt, an online grocery delivery service, recently announced that it had partnered with Lidl to deliver fresh groceries and more to Greenville residents starting Oct. 17.

“We are committed to being a life-enhancing grocery store – one where customers can compromise less around quality, price, and convenience. Our pilot program with Shipt is an exciting extension of this mission,” said Zara Khaleeli, senior project manager at Lidl. “We look forward to offering customers in Greenville, S.C., another avenue to experience Lidl’s high-quality products.”

At launch, more than 123,000 households in the Greenville metro area will have access to groceries and household goods from Lidl.

The process is simple. Through the Shipt app, members select groceries and other items, note any preferences, choose a one-hour delivery window, and pay for their order.

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UBJ | 10.20.2017

Out with one concept, and in with a new one.

The owner of several downtown restaurants, Bottle Cap Group, has announced that Brazwells Premium Pub at 631 S. Main St., Greenville, closed permanently Oct. 16 and that Wu’s Cajun Seafood will be opening in the former Green Room Restaurant & Bar, 116 N. Main St., Greenville.

The official statement from Morgan Conroy, marketing director, reads, “Brazwells Premium Pub has officially closed today, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017. As one door closes, Bottle Cap Group is pleased to announce the concept that will take place at 116 N. Main St., called Wu’s Cajun Seafood.

We look forward to launching the Asian Cajun style fusion restaurant this winter in downtown Greenville.”

Brazwells Premium Pub opened January 2016 in the space formerly occupied by Ford’s Oyster & Cajun Kitchen and was the Charlotte, N.C.,-based Bottle Cap Group’s first foray into the Greenville market. They have since also opened original concepts Ink N Ivy and Diner 24, and purchased Green Room and SIP Whiskey & Wine Bar from High Street Hospitality group in 2016. All are located in downtown Greenville. Green Room closed May 14 for rebranding, but by mid-summer it was clear that concept would not be reopening.

Wu’s Cajun Seafood is an Asian-Cajun fusion joint Bottle Cap Group launched in Charlotte in July with corporate executive chef Troy Gagliardo. The menu includes Asian seafood dishes, Cajun-Asian sushi choices, rice and noodle sides, and combinations of gumbo and Asian stir-fry plates. -Ariel Turner

Coastal Crust pizzeria sets opening date in Village of Greenville Coastal Crust Greenville announced last week their brick-and-mortar location in a renovated bungalow at 1180 Pendleton St. in the Village of West Greenville will open in December.

The vintage Coastal Crust pizza truck has been serving up Neapolitan-style pizza, local beer, and fresh salads at both public and private events since launching last year.

The Village location will serve the same style pizza as the truck with loads of fresh veggies and artisanal toppings, in addition to a small fresh pasta selection, a wine list, and plenty of Peroni on tap. It will also serve as a catering headquarters. The Village location is the second permanent Coastal Crust operation. The first opened last year in Charleston.

“The Charleston location has been so popular that we decided to keep the momentum going and open our second location in Greenville,” says owner Brian Piesner.

Coastal Crust. Photo by Will Crooks

The former residence fronting the main artery into the Village has been transformed by general contractor Marsh Bell with architect Ken Betch of Betch and Associates into a full-service pizza cottage with an organic veggie garden out front. The restaurant will have onsite parking too.

The vintage truck will continue to be available for private events, local festivals, and weddings. -Ariel Turner

LEADERSHIP

Greenville Tech Foundation salutes Jim Benson, Stewart Spinks, and Melvin Younts The Greenville Tech Foundation hosted the Workforce Development Salute to honor local leaders for their support of Greenville Technical College on Oct. 10. Jim Benson, Stewart Spinks, and Melvin Younts were the 2017 honorees.

In total, they have funded programs that benefit more than 3,000 students and have contributed over $4 million to the Greenville Tech Foundation.

The Greenville Tech Foundation supports Greenville Technical College’s mission to change the lives of students and help the community by providing a high-class, affordable education to build an educated and engaged workforce in the Upstate. They host this event annually to celebrate students, the college, and the contributions of businesses and community members.

Jim Benson, owner of Benson Automotive Group, has served as president of the Greer Chamber of Commerce and has been a dedicated supporter of Greer Community Ministries. Benson has been recognized by the city of Greer for his community service and was awarded outstanding philanthropist by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2009. Over the years, he has given more than $3 million to grow the Greenville Tech Benson Campus in Greer, which serves 2,500 students each year. Benson is an emeritus member of the Greenville Tech Foundation Board.

Stewart Spinks is a South Carolina native and currently serves as chairman of the board and founder of Spinx Company. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, he served in the U.S. Army Reserve and then went on to start Spinx Company in 1972. He has served on the board of the Furman Foundation, the National Association of Convenience Stores, Coca-Cola Leadership Council, and Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers Association.

He is a former board member of the Greenville Tech Foundation and was inducted into the Entrepreneurs’ Forum in 2001. Spinks has endowed two scholarship funds and gifted a Falcon 10 Jet to the Greenville Tech Aviation Maintenance Technology program, providing invaluable hands-on education.

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

Melvin Younts graduated from Furman University and continued his education at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He then returned to Fountain Inn and established a law practice that has been successful for 60 years. Younts has been involved in the Fountain Inn community, including time spent as president of the Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Dollie, have given generously with a focus in higher education, including several universities and establishments that span the Southeast. Younts and his wife have donated more than $1 million to Greenville Tech to benefit the new Center for Manufacturing Innovation Campus. -Sara Pearce

DEVELOPMENT

Daniel Builders awarded by REMODELING magazine Anderson-based Daniel Builders has been selected by REMODELING magazine, a national trade publication, as a recipient of its Big50 award, which recognizes exemplary practices in the remodeling industry.

Each year, REMODELING inducts the owners of 50 North American companies that have raised the standards for professionalism and integrity through exceptional business practices, craftsmanship, and impact in their community or the trade at large.

“To give a sense of how unique this status is, consider there are roughly 92,000 remodeling firms in America with paid staff,” said Craig Webb, REMODELING’s editor-in-chief. “Since 1986, we have selected only about 1,550 firms. That’s 1.7 percent of all the remodeling businesses in the country.”

Daniel Builders’ revenue doubled from 2015-16, and in three years, the company’s employment has increased twofold.

“So much gratitude goes to our customers, trade partners, and the Upstate community,” said Daniel Jachens, partner.

“These relationships, built on trust, have resulted in tremendous growth for our business. Thanks to REMODELING for recognizing the standards we value deeply – expert craftsmanship, exceptional customer service, and a commitment to integrity.” -Ariel Turner

EDUCATION

Wofford College receives $500K grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Wofford College on Thursday, Oct. 12, announced it received a three-year, $500,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The school said it would use the funds to revitalize its general education curriculum and provide more creative and collaborative approaches to the student experience.

“This generous support from The Mellon Foundation will allow Wofford’s faculty to pilot the new concepts they have been developing, then assess their success as part of the ongoing process of reviewing general education at Wofford,” said Michael Sosulski, provost, in a statement. “The Wofford community knows that meeting the needs of tomorrow’s students involves careful deliberation and planning.”

Wofford said the grant would provide funding for faculty to design and pilot new courses or to enhance existing ones and to experiment with creative teaching methods and collaborate in new ways.

The funds will also provide faculty with the 12

UBJ | 10.20.2017

opportunity to dedicate time, especially during the summer, to creative curricular development in general education; allow Wofford to create new faculty leadership roles in general education; facilitate the faculty and staff’s reimagining of Wofford’s approach to pre-major advising and adviser training; enhance the college’s ability to support faculty who are interested in professional development in teaching and scholarship; and enhance the school’s ability to share work within the broader academic community, the college said.

“The generous support of The Mellon Foundation comes at an opportune time as Wofford finds itself in the midst of some historic changes,” said President Nayef Samhat in a statement. “A top 100 national liberal arts college, Wofford has a bold new strategic vision for our future.”

Samhat said that vision includes energetic new senior academic leadership, steady enrollment, a strong endowment, and a highly engaged faculty and staff that have “eagerly co-authored the ambitious vision for the college’s future.”

“The Wofford faculty’s deep investment in teaching, advising, scholarship, and community service leaves little time for the kind of self-reflection and collective deliberation that are essential to sustaining a residential intellectual community,” said Eugene Tobin, senior program officer for The Mellon Foundation, in a statement. “As the college prepares to renew the general education curriculum and adopt stronger undergraduate research, civic engagement, and study abroad programs, this grant will renew, stimulate, and inspire the faculty and administration’s deliberations and planning.”

The latest grant is the third Wofford has received from The Mellon Foundation during the past four years.

In 2013, the foundation gave Wofford and Converse colleges a joint grant of $75,000 to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their library services.

The following year, the foundation provided Wofford with a $100,000 grant to enhance the general education curriculum to renew emphasis on writing and further integrate information literacy, undergraduate research, electronic portfolios, and the digital humanities.

According to its website, the foundation supports institutions of higher learning and “endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies.”

The foundation has provided more than $6.2 billion of endowments since its inception in 1969. -Trevor Anderson

Two Upstate college students receive manufacturing-focused scholarship The Upstate Workforce Futures Corp. has announced the recipients of its 2017 Danny E. Allen Memorial scholarship.

Andrew Arnold, originally of Woodruff, and Jordan Cole, of Spartanburg, have each received $500 from the nonprofit organization founded to support the Upstate Workforce Board.

Arnold graduated from Woodruff High School earlier this year and is a freshman at Greenville Technical College. He is pursuing a degree in CNC programing/ machinist. He works as an intern with GE Gas Turbines in Greenville.

Cole, a 2017 graduate of Dorman High School, is a freshman at Spartanburg Community College, where he is earning a degree in mechatronics and welding. He serves as an intern at Spartanburg County-based BMW Manufacturing Co. Arnold and Cole both took technical courses at R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center in Moore.

The students were presented with their awards during a scholarship luncheon held earlier this month.

Danny E. Allen was a former Spartanburg attorney and county councilman who served in the Upstate Workforce Board for 17 years before his death in 2012.

The scholarship is awarded annually to students majoring in a manufacturing career or construction trade.

-Trevor Anderson

EMPLOYMENT

Hire Dynamics completes acquisition of StaffMasters Hire Dynamics, an Atlanta-based staffing company, has acquired StaffMasters, a Charlotte, N.C.-based staffing company with offices in Greenville and Spartanburg.

The acquisition, which was finalized Oct. 2, creates a company with about 38,000 jobs. The merged company will be one of the five largest staffing firms in the Southeastern United States, according to a press release.

“StaffMasters has a long history of focus on superior service to our clients and talent, as does Hire Dynamics,” said Robert Langdon, founder of StaffMasters.

“We look forward to working with Hire Dynamics to implement best practices from both our companies to yet better serve our clients and talent and to accelerate our growth across the Southeast,” he added.

The companies declined to say how much Hire Dynamics paid for the acquisition. But together, the companies will provide support for about 1,500 clients, according to Larry Feinstein, CEO of Hire Dynamics.-Andrew Moore

MANUFACTURING

SMT Group locates sales office in Greenville SMT Group, an Illinois-based electromechanical components manufacturer, has announced plans to locate a new technical sales office in Greenville.

According to a press release, the office will be located at One Research Drive at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. It will be led by Deric Frisch, the company’s group director of business development.

Reinhard Buchmann, managing director of SMT Group, said the company selected Greenville for the new sales office because of the “growth of international companies moving into the Southeast.”

The office is expected to aid the company’s expansion within the automotive, medical, and consumer markets, according to Buchmann. SMT has traditionally focused on manufacturing insert-molded fuel injectors for the automotive industry.

“The partnership with CU-ICAR will also enable us to be on the leading edge of new technologies and business resources,” Buchmann said.

He added that SMT is also in the planning stages of adding a production facility in Greenville “to support growth in the Southeast manufacturing sector.” -Andrew Moore

AS SEEN IN – THE 2017

BTC BEHIND THE COUNTER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEY ASHFORD PHOTOGRAPHY

TAYLORS MILL Taylors Mill is scenic, off the beaten path and full of a diverse group

casting director in Los Angeles, found himself spending a lot of time there.

of people and businesses – and that’s exactly the way owners Caleb Lewis

Cotton later developed WRK GRP, a unique community of offices and studio

and Greg Cotton want it.

“We’re a good mix of artists and entrepreneurs,” Lewis said. “We have painters, a yoga studio, woodworkers, potters, a brewery.” Offering options – for tenants and for visitors – is what separates the Mill, and they are working on expanding those options and seeking entrepreneurs to open a barber shop, retail shops,

options within the mill. Lewis and Cotton bought the mill in

Taylors Mill was established in 1924 as the Southern Bleachery before adding Piedmont Print Works in 1928.

restaurants and more.

Popular draws are the Taylors Farmers Market, held every Thursday from May 4th – August 31st; Southern Bleachery Events, hosting corporate parties, weddings, and craft fairs; and 13 Stripes Brewery, a craft beer brewery, set to open in April 2017.

Taylors Mill was established in 1924 as the Southern Bleachery before adding Piedmont Print Works in 1928. The 700,000-square-foot building

2015, to continue creating a community-driven space that is a destination for area residents and offers flexibility for tenants.

Lewis grew up in Taylors, as did his parents and grandparents, and said it’s gratifying to see something exciting happening in his hometown in a building that played such a key role in the community – but he never knew about growing up. And while repurposing old mills is nothing new, the owners say their gradual approach is allowing them to retain the beauty

and charm of the space while also keeping it affordable for tenants.

“What’s driving this place is the community aspect,” Cotton said. “Artists are telling us they are inspired and creating their best work. Everyone is getting together for a coffee or beer. It’s like a giant Cheers – everybody knows everybody.”

once employed more than 1,000 people. The mill closed in 1965 and sat vacant for more than 40 years until Kenneth Walker purchased it, hoping to create low-rent options for business owners.

One of those business owners was Caleb Lewis, who owns Carolina Recycling Company and became a tenant in 2012. Cotton’s wife, makeup artist Katie Cotton, also opened a studio at Taylors Mill, and Greg, a former

250 Mill St., Taylors taylorsmill.community 864.335.9913

COVER |

HUSK

The

Sean Brock Effect

The celebrated Charleston restaurant Husk is set to open in the Upstate – and farmers are about to get a big boost

WORDS BY ARIEL TURNER | PHOTOS BY WILL CROOKS

L

ong before the name Husk Greenville was anything more than wishful thinking, the Charleston-based restaurant’s award-winning chef, Sean Brock, began impacting the Upstate’s burgeoning restaurant scene.

“He changed the way I wrote a menu,” says chef Gregory McPhee, who launched The Anchorage, a true farm-to-table restaurant in the Village of West Greenville, earlier this year.

McPhee opened Husk Charleston alongside Brock in 2010 and quickly learned the restaurant’s trademark philosophy of working with local farmers to inspire their cuisine, a practice McPhee brought to Greenville two and a half years later as executive chef of High Cotton, then Restaurant 17, and now his own concept.

“You ordered and then wrote your menu,” McPhee says, explaining Brock’s method, which is the opposite of the customary practice of planning dishes and then ordering the necessary ingredients.

Whatever was Southern and fresh at the moment was what the 2010 James Beard Award-winning chef would use, and Brock taught his staff to do the same.

On a recent visit to check on progress at Husk Greenville, which is scheduled to open in November in a renovated former grocery and department store at 722 S. Main St., Brock described the philosophy as a way of life.

“It’s the truest, most honest way of cooking,” he says. “It’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

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UBJ | 10.20.2017

At Husk Charleston, McPhee was responsible for purchasing all of the fish and produce the restaurant would use for the week, which often meant 200-300 pounds of whole fish, not including shellfish.

McPhee says the sheer amount of purchasing power Husk had was enough to boost the Charleston farming community in a major way. More local produce purchased meant more revenue for the farmers, which turned into more crops available the next season for more restaurants to purchase.

It’s a cycle McPhee says he and a handful of other chefs in the Greenville area have begun to spark by sourcing ingredients from local purveyors only, and he predicts getting a boost from a restaurant like Husk could completely change the local farming community.

Chef Nick Graves, who took the helm of Restaurant 17 when McPhee left, also trained with Brock but at Husk Nashville from 2013-14. During that time, Brock was filming the second season of the PBS series “The Mind of a Chef,” and Graves says being around for that experience was eye-opening, exposing him to new techniques and ingredients.

But, most of all, he learned to stay local and in many cases, regional, sourcing the best ingredients below the Mason-Dixon Line.

“Supporting everyone is important,” Graves says of how he learned to work with local providers.

HUSK

| COVER

For Brock, it’s about storytelling, about cooking food families crave, and preserving history through forgotten ingredients.

Sean Brock and Jon Buck

“The scary thing about that is if it’s not brought into modern life, there’s a risk of it going away.

It’s a huge part of what forms a culture.”

10.20.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

15

COVER |

HUSK

Jon Buck, of Husk, says they’ve already agreed to buy all of the duck and chicken eggs Providence Farm produces, which could be a game-changer for the up-and-coming farm.

Jon Buck

Graves says during his stint in Nashville, he noticed more and more restaurants beginning to adopt the Husk philosophy of sourcing.

“Every community had farms long before our restaurant was created,” says David Howard, president of The Neighborhood Dining Group, which owns Husk. “We hope to revitalize and energize the passion for growing more specialty items.”

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UBJ | 10.20.2017

Howard says while the NDG restaurants certainly aren’t the only ones with this hyper-local focus and commitment, they have a platform that can enhance other people’s businesses through influencing and encouraging the support of local providers.

Chef Jon Buck, who spent five years at Husk Charleston before being named the chef de cuisine of Husk Greenville, has been spending his time prior

to the restaurant’s opening in development. For a Husk chef, that means hours upon hours of meeting with local farmers and touring their properties, along with conducting historical research about indigenous food ways and practices.

Buck says much of the meetings serve to establish relationships with the farmers and their families, who in a year will be more like friends than business contacts.

So far, Buck and his team have met with Beechwood, Providence, Reedy River, Crescent, Greenbrier, Broken Oak, and Heritage farms, among others. At each one, they’re looking to source specific crops and animal proteins. Buck says the plan is usually to buy the whole harvest rather than a smaller amount, and it’s that purchasing power that has the ability to change the entire dynamic of a local farming community.

For instance, Buck says they’ve already agreed to buy all of the duck and chicken eggs Providence Farm produces, which could be a game-changer for the up-and-coming farm.

While Buck is working with the local farmers, Brock, who is involved in seed saving in each of the markets where his restaurants are, is researching the local, indigenous crops the restaurant will feature.

For him, it’s about storytelling, about cooking food families crave, and preserving history through forgotten ingredients.

“The scary thing about that is if it’s not brought into modern life, there’s a risk of it going away,” Brock says. “It’s a huge part of what forms a culture. If food goes away, that’s a really powerful component, and we lose part of the story, and the culture dissolves.”

For the Greenville market, Brock is focusing on reviving Cherokee varieties of squash, corn, and beans, along with other Appalachian crops, such as Georgia Hill Rice. He’s also looking at the Native American Three Sisters method of inter-planting corn, beans, and squash because they thrive together, like a builtin crop rotation.

Cherokee and Appalachian flavor profiles may involve incorporating different types of tree bark and acorns, Buck says. A hallmark of the Husk model is preserving produce that won’t be used immediately through pickling and utilizing the whole animal through charcuterie. And while the exact menu is still unknown, Brock says two things are certain at Husk Greenville: There will be fried chicken, likely including cornmeal, and a burger.

The Upstate also presents a unique opportunity, Buck says, because of the large number of farms compared to the number in the Lowcountry and the occurrence of four seasons, providing more crop variety.

Brock says that taking Husk into different areas, including Savannah, Ga., where the fourth outpost will open in December, is like using a whole new language, especially with his drastic life change of embracing sobriety within the last year.

“I have a new perspective,” he says. “I have the giddiness of a 17-year-old line cook.”

During Brock’s quick trip to Greenville, he and

HUSK

| COVER

David Howard

“Every community had farms long before our restaurant was created.

We hope to revitalize and energize the passion for growing more specialty items.”

David Howard, president of The Neighborhood Dining Group

Buck met at Eggs Up Grill to discuss Buck’s menu ideas moving into the fall season. Those ideas come from the crops that should be harvested in time for Husk’s opening and also the two chefs’ personal stories from their childhoods, reaching back into the memories from their grandmothers’ kitchens.

“We’re combining inspirations,” Buck says. “I have my stories, and he has his, so we’re meeting in the middle.”

Buck remembers his grandmother’s

rum cakes, biscuits, tuna salad, and pimento cheese. His sous chef, Shamil Velazquez, who is Puerto Rican, introduced Buck to Velazquez’s culinary heritage at Latinos Restaurant in Simpsonville. Buck says that was his favorite meal since moving to Greenville, because Velazquez was sharing his memories of his family through the experience.

Buck says, “Every menu we’re reaching back into memories and pulling from other people’s memories.”

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10.20.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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SQUARE FEET |

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com |

Woodlands at Furman breaks ground on 28 new homes The Woodlands at Furman broke ground Oct. 12 on 28 new homes that will be part of the continuing care retirement community’s Villas project.

The Villas will be located on the southern end of the Woodlands’ 22-acre campus, with 12 of them overlooking the 17th tee at the Furman University Golf Course, said Kevin Parker, The Woodlands’ executive director. There will be four plans to choose from ranging from 2,200 to 2,800 square feet.

“The Woodlands has become synonymous with being forward-thinking and proactive when it comes to offering new concepts for how retirement in the Upstate and the Southeast in general can work,” Parker said. “The Villas is an exciting step to the future of what we can offer our aging population.”

The Woodlands at Furman is a nonprofit continuing care retirement community owned and operated by a local board of directors and managed professionally by Greystone. The campus is located on the Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail adjacent to Furman University.

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UBJ | 10.20.2017

Ben Deibler, The Woodlands’ board chairman, said the Villas are being built to meet the needs of current and future community members. That means the Villas will be among the most high-tech retirement communities in the region.

“As baby boomers enter retirement, they want to continue their tech-savvy, active lifestyle, but also need to know that their changing health care needs can be met,” said Parker. “With the Villas, we are offering a luxurious transition to retirement with the added security of resources available for the future.”

Each Villa will include power blinds, Alexa voice control, a golf cart and golf cart garage, docking station for an electric vehicle, and iPad that connects directly into the Woodlands’ system so residents can place work orders, Deibler said.

“We want this to be a state-of-the art project,” he said. “This is the first time this kind of detail will go into senior housing in the Upstate.”

@arielhturner

1.

2.

1. Exterior rendering for a home at the Villas of the Woodlands 2. An aerial rendering of the retirement community 3. Example floorplan of a Villas home Renderings provided by CJMW Architects

3.

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

| SQUARE FEET

aturner@communityjournals.com |

@arielhturner

Kairos Greek Kitchen inks deal for Lewis Plaza The newly launched Mount Pleasant fast casual restaurant Kairos Greek Kitchen has signed a lease for 1800-A Augusta St., Greenville, in Lewis Plaza anchored by the new Harris Teeter.

Owner Cary Chastain, who also owns 12 Moe’s Southwest Grills in Charleston and Asheville, N.C., says he hopes to have what will be the second Kairos location open by March 15. Chastain says he is currently scouting hard for two more locations in Greenville.

“Lewis Plaza is extremely excited to introduce Kairos Greek Kitchen to the Upstate, bringing a fresh, new concept that will complement the Augusta Road neighborhoods, and become a great addition to the redeveloped shopping center,” says Paul Holder, vice president, AVTEX Commercial Properties Inc.

Pete Brett and David Sigmon with Coldwell Banker Commercial Caine represented the landlord Lewis Plaza Partners. Bill Runge with Collett represented the tenant.

The 2,500-square-foot restaurant will feature counter service with seating for 70 between the common areas, countertops, banquettes, and booths.

The menu is simple: Choose a base, protein, spreads, and add-ons. Those options include building a salad, bowl with basmati rice, or pita with falafel, lamb (roasted for eight hours), meatballs, and chicken. Spreads include hummus, red pepper feta, baba ghanoush, tzatziki, and harissa. Chastain says everything is made in-house.

Kairos opened in May in Mount Pleasant with chef John Ondo, former chef-owner of Italian restaurant Lana, as operating partner. Chastain says he

The Greenville location of Kairos will be the restaurant’s second.

will be bringing on a local operating partner for Greenville.

Kairos was three years in the making, and the plan all along has been to expand quickly in the Southeast. Lewis Plaza was the right fit for the second location, Chastain says.

“We loved the rejuvenation that’s going on with the shopping center and

the new anchor and their new model and being a part of that,” Chastain says.

Chastain says the restaurant appeals to family and kids, especially those who love handmade meatballs.

“We knew it had all the right attributes, with the visibility, the traffic, and the demographics,” Chastain says.

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$11.4 BILLION ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT | 15,000 EMPLOYEES | 400 FIRMS From international companies like Abbott to world-renowned Greenwood Genetic Center to Greenville technology start-up Chartspan, the Upstate is fortunate to have a growing number of life science companies advancing health solutions while expanding career opportunities at home. We’re proud to work alongside SCBIO to support this sector’s growth.

You, too, can join the more than 180 public and private sector partners working to enhance the Upstate’s prosperity and quality of life. www.upstateSCalliance.com

10.20.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

19

PROFESSIONAL |

STRATEGIES FOR HONING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

It’s About the Experience How to create and manage a successful internship program (Part 2)

By NICOLE CENDROWSKI director of engagement, A-LINE Interactive

Last week, I shared some guidance from

Endeavor, a Greenville-based creative services coworking community, on how to lay a strong foundation for a summer marketing internship program. In this concluding article, I’ll share advice on how to effectively manage a summer internship program.

BE THE STUDENT AND THE TEACHER

While the nature of an internship may require independent work, it’s important to provide guidance and feedback during projects, especially in the event of hiccups, mistakes, and challenges.

Endeavor’s intern, Lindsay Odom, appreciated immediate feedback while working through the writing process. She was responsible for research and interviews and writing, designing, and sharing content for the company’s various digital marketing platforms. Endeavor’s managing partner, Shannon Wilbanks, is her mentor and manager.

“Shannon was very patient and helped me through the revision process with my blog posts.

I actually had to unlearn some things I’d learned in school. There wasn’t necessarily a formula or a cookie-cutter approach to the content I was creating. I learned to embrace listening, intuition, and strategic thinking,” Odom recalls.

She was also surprised how people were willing to spend time with her. “People invested in the process with me. While I was learning new things, they wanted to learn, too.” she says.

“It would have been easy for me to assume that seasoned advertising executives don’t want a 22-year-old explaining the business case for Instagram, however, everyone was open to new ideas and technology.”

BE PRAGMATIC

Odom’s internship experience is a healthy example of a win-win experience, bringing value to both the organization and the intern.

Not every internship at mid-summer’s point fares so well. If you realize you and your intern aren’t the match you’d anticipated, there are pragmatic approaches to improving the situation.

“If you think the intern is miserable, I think it’s fair to offer them the ability to leave early.

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UBJ | 10.20.2017

Not every internship at mid-summer’s point fares so well.

If you realize you and your intern aren’t the match you’d anticipated, there are pragmatic approaches to improving the situation.

Without pay, of course,” Wilbanks admits. “But it may be that everyone just needs to recognize the situation and move on.” If they’re not miserable, but simply aren’t living up to expectations, or maybe, you’re not living up to theirs, here are a few next steps to remedy the situation.

First, understand what’s really wrong. Does your intern need more structure or more freedom? Do they need more time with members of the full-time team? Do they have the skills you’d expected them to and if not, can you teach them anything while they are with you?

“I’d look at it almost the same way I would an issue with a permanent employee,” explains

Wilbanks. “You’ve invested in this person, so what can you do to help them succeed? If that means we need to adjust our own expectations so the intern does have a positive experience, even if it’s not what we originally intended, then it’s worth it. Especially if we’re able to learn from it and do better.”

BE PREPARED FOR NEXT YEAR

Moving forward, it’s critical to take note of lessons learned during your internship program while they’re still fresh in your mind. Then, be sure to apply them to next year’s program. It may be helpful to get clearer about the position or more capable in the interview process.

WHAT ’S NEXT FOR THE UPSTATE, AND HOW WE’LL GET THERE

| FORWARD

Growing the Talent Pool Advanced manufacturing management degree will benefit industry, region, and workers

By DR. BRENDAN B. KELLY chancellor, University of South Carolina Upstate

Each region of the United States has a unique set of talent needs, and the Upstate of South Carolina is no exception. A critical contribution to matching talent with opportunities is the lynchpin in the relationship between higher education and industry partners.

As a public, regional comprehensive university, the University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) is, by design, an institution that maintains the mission of ensuring that it feeds opportunity, promise, and partnership in the Upstate of South Carolina. We are proud to serve as an important regional partner. USC Upstate has an annual economic impact of more than half a billion dollars and boasts the highest percentage of graduates who continue to live and work in South Carolina among peer institutions in the state.

We are working to continue to position the institution to be responsive to the needs of industry. For example, highly skilled employees equipped with higher education credentials are necessary to manage the automated and technology-based manufacturing that are key components to advanced manufacturing in this region. USC Upstate is providing manufacturing professionals seeking a pathway to professional advancement with career-relevant academic programs and maintaining close relationships with our industry partners.

Recently, we launched a new Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Advanced Manufacturing Management (AMM). This unique 2+2 degree is for students who have earned their Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in mechatronics, a multidisciplinary field that combines electronics and mechanical engineering. In the automotive industry, mechatronics, a dynamic field that blends mechanical knowledge with electronics, information technology, and robotics, is es-

sential to modern manufacturing.

The development of the two-year baccalaureate Advanced Manufacturing Management program is a cooperative effort among USC Upstate, technical colleges in the Upstate, industry partners such as BMW Manufacturing, and other manufacturers.

The program is offered through USC Upstate’s Division of Natural Science and Engineering and prepares graduates to assume organizational leadership roles, communicate with all levels of an organization, and solve complex problems that combine technical and nontechnical factors, such as economics. Our curriculum includes 21 hours of major courses at USC Upstate, including manufacturing leadership I and II, manufacturing work practices, manufacturing quality, manufacturing project management, operational excellence, and a senior seminar, which is similar to a thesis course.

In the last three years, technical colleges collaborating with USC Upstate have awarded more than 200 AAS degrees in mechatronics. According to the Upstate SC Alliance in Greenville, more than 106,000 people across the region work in the manufacturing sector, an area that sees steady growth while unemployment continues to remain relatively low.

Given these facts, a rather large pool of candidates will benefit greatly from the USC Upstate degree, as it enables them to develop solid leadership skills and move into supervisory roles with job titles such as manufacturing section leader, manufacturing section manager, or team leader. Additionally, with a bachelor’s degree in hand, these manufacturing workers can pursue lucrative careers that will earn them higher wages and afford greater opportunities for advancement throughout their careers. Today’s manufacturing sector is an innovative, technology-intensive industry that demands a qualified workforce and enhanced talent.

Highly skilled employees equipped with higher education credentials are necessary to manage the automated and technology-based manufacturing that are key components to advanced manufacturing in this region.

USC Upstate’s Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Advanced Manufacturing Management will help Spartanburg County reach its 40/30 Challenge goal to have 40 percent of the county’s population age 25 and older earn a baccalaureate degree by the year 2030. Together, USC Upstate

with area technical colleges and globally recognized manufacturers will benefit not only Upstate residents and manufacturing associates but also the state’s efforts to attract new industry and bolster economic development.

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manufacturing ecosystem, it’s tied directly to the bottom line. Studies across the board have identified sleep deprivation as not only a safety hazard but also a liability on a company’s finances.

According to the S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP), there are more than 5,000 manufacturing firms employing nearly 250,000 men and women across the Palmetto State. And with the ports in Charleston and Georgetown, and the inland port in Greer processing more than $53 billion in annual economic impact, logistical companies are trucking cargo up and down the highways day and night.

Researchers at the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine concluded fatigue-related productivity losses could cost nearly $2,000 per employee annually, while an article published by the Harvard Business Review pointed to workers in manufacturing and transportation as being particularly susceptible to sleep deprivation.

Brian Kuney, SCMEP regional vice president, has linked sleep deprivation to a list of potential impacts in South Carolina, including workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.

“Similar issues cost billions of dollars each year around the U.S., and beyond the immediate financial impact, there are more than 1 million injuries experienced by workers in an average year contributing to the loss,” he said. “Injuries from falls or lapses in judgment are often due to forgetfulness, habit, and fatigue.”

In addition to sleep deprivation’s impact on workplace safety, people suffering from a lack of sleep are also more likely to get sick and be out of work, growing the company’s cost. During sleep stages three and REM, the body repairs damaged tissue while growing more. If these stages do not occur, or occur without consolidation, white blood cells will diminish as inflammatory cells multiply.

Unfortunately, most people suffering from sleep deprivation are not aware they have an issue until they are diagnosed with one of its many offshoots, including diabetes, restless leg syndrome, heart palpitations, and insomnia.

Sleep apnea is often to blame for sleep disorders, but there are degrees of severity. Mild sleep apnea with frequent sleep disturbance can be more harmful than its more extreme version. Why? Mild sleep apnea is commonly overlooked, and without treatment, the potential for body dysfunction rises to its most severe.

Every arousal or sleep stoppage causes a sympathetic nervous system response, such as increased heart rate, decreased blood flow to vital organs, and an increased need for energy. Essentially, the body begins to work overtime UBJ | 10.20.2017

Essentially, better sleep means a safer environment and healthier workers, and with manufacturing and logistical employment being what it is in South Carolina, a rested workforce is a safe, productive, and compliant workforce.

when it should be resting and restoring.

Sleep apnea is commonly treated with an apparatus called a CPAP, a machine that delivers pressurized air through the nose using a nasal mask. The pressure creates a pneumatic splint in the upper airway and prevents obstruction.

The obstructive issues range from narrow airways and enlarged tonsils and tongue to dental malocclusions like crowded teeth, cross-bite, or enlarged tissue in the mouth.

The most common indicator of this issue is snoring.

“Unfortunately, the compliance rate for a CPAP is a mere 40 percent,” said Ken Hooks, clinical director of True Sleep Diagnostics in Greenville.

“These patients often develop further issues and return for additional sleep studies when they should be prescribed an oral sleep appliance from a dentist trained in sleep medicine, airway, and TMJ,” he said. “Although the treatment is less known, the appliance is custom-designed and can be worn comfortably while sleeping to open airways.”

Essentially, better sleep means a safer environment and healthier workers, and with manufacturing and logistical employment being what it is in South Carolina, a rested workforce is a safe, productive, and compliant workforce.

Sleep-deprived, caffeine-stimulated employees also have lower rates of job satisfaction, while a lack of sleep drives job frustration, lackluster performance, increased absence, poor communication, and horrible customer service.

Due to the regular incidences of sleep deprivation in industries impacting the Palmetto State’s economy, Don Snizaski, CEO of Life and Safety Consultants Inc., recommends companies provide their employees with sleep assessments.

“In today’s business climate, the muscle behind your productivity is your workforce,” he said. “A rested workforce will equate to reduced injuries and better quality.”

NEWS FACES OF BUSINESS

| NEW TO THE STREET

Open for business 1

Presented by

1. Pinnacle Financial Partners recently opened its newly rebranded location at 550 E. McBee Ave., Greenville.

Learn more about Pinnacle at pnfp.com.

2. Circulation Nation opens its newly expanded location in the Regency Commons Plaza at 109 E. Regency Commons Drive, Greer. Learn more at circulationnation.com.

2

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BBQ BASH

Because Brunch Should Not Be Limited to Just Weekends

The Greenville Chamber of Commerce hosted more than 400 business and manufacturing leaders and parents of Upstate high school seniors at the 2017 BBQ Bash on Oct. 5. The annual event is a celebration of the Upstate manufacturing community and was held at Greenville Technical College’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation. Photos provided by the Greenville Chamber

TerraceRestaurants.com Downtown Greenville’s West End Open Daily at 8am UBJ | 10.20.2017

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

HIRED

HIRED

OPENED

OPENED

| ON THE MOVE

APPOINTED

JENNINGS CRAFT

RICK BRYSON

JOHN HAYES

MYRA HAYES

MEREDITH E. GREEN

Joined Nachman Norwood & Parrott Wealth Management Consultancy as a client service associate. Jennings graduated in May 2017 from the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in business administration.

Hired as global creative director at ZWO, a branding and marketing firm. Rick has 20 years of experience in the field and has worked at notable firms such as BBDO and Erwin Penland. He received his BFA in design from Western Carolina University.

Enters the South Carolina market as local co-owner of Relocation Strategies. John has over 30 years of experience in the television industry. He has successfully operated four television stations in three cities.

Joins the Upstate community as co-owner of Relocation Strategies. Hayes has personally relocated seven times as an adult. She is a Greenville native and has previously been in the airline industry. Hayes earned a bachelor’s degree in history from East Tennessee State University.

Named general counsel at Furman University, where she graduated from in 2005.

Meredith most recently worked for McGuire Woods LLP in Charlotte, N.C., where she specialized in higher education law. Meredith graduated from the Wake Forest School of Law in 2010, where she was editor of the law review.

ENGINEERING O’Neal Inc., a Greenville-based integrated design and construction firm, has hired Jim Wolfe as a senior engineer. Wolfe has more than 30 years of automation engineering experience. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University.

MARKETING Infinity Marketing has added five interns to its teams for the fall semester of 2017. Amanda Walker, Clemson University, is majoring in graphic communications and works with the graphic design team. Betsy Rice, Furman University, is double majoring in psychology and public health and medicine. She will be assisting the media team during her semester at Infinity. Sara Tompkins from USC Upstate and Mark Bixler from Bob Jones University are working with Infinity’s digital creative designers. Nicole McAlister returns after a summer internship with Infinity as a public relations assistant. She is a communication major at Clemson University and graduates this December.

Crawford Strategy has promoted Hannah Stone to senior art director, manager of creative services. Stone, who has worked at the agency for more than six years, began her tenure as a graphic designer. In her new role, Stone will develop and implement unique campaigns and strategies for Crawford clients while collaborating with the agency’s creative team. Stone is a graduate of the Calhoun Honors College at Clemson University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in graphic communications.

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

10.20.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

25

#TRENDING |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

THE WATERCOOLER Social Chatter

TOP 5:

RE: GREENVILLE COUNTY POSTS PLANS FOR PROPOSED TOPGOLF OFF PELHAM ROAD “Great news! I know a lot of people who have been to Topgolf and they love it. I’m glad more entertainment venues are being planned for Greenville!”

Miller Hyatt

“And what’s gonna happen in a few years when they need to make that stretch of 85 eight or 10+ lanes?”

Ryan Foster

“Can’t wait to have my meetings here.”

1. Greenville County posts plans for proposed Topgolf off Pelham Road

2. Shipt partners with Lidl to deliver groceries in Greenville

Jory Sullivan

“This needs to happen!

Topgolf, make a home in Greenville!”

3. Village of West Greenville warehouse to be redeveloped

Rob Swanson “Can’t wait!”

Rick Mullinax

4. Front Row: October DRB Urban Panel meeting

“PLEASE BE TRUE!”

“Oh this is great. Does this mean our community is passing a threshold for athleisure?”

Brian Atkins

5. Coastal Crust pizzeria sets opening date in village of West Greenville

Jonnie Choi

*The Top 5 stories from last week ranked by Facebook reach OCTOBER

Because we are BORN, BUILT, & BASED in Greenville.

13 , 2017

| VOL. 6 ISSUE

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EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

| PLANNER

DATE

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Saturday

10/21

Piedmont SCORE‘s Comprehensive Small-Business Startup

Hughes Main Library Branch 25 Heritage Green Place 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Cost: $39, $15 students For more info: bit.ly/2fpcoI4

Wednesday

UBJ PUBLISHER

10/25

Upstate Business Journal’s Business on Tap

Stella’s Southern Brasserie 340 Rocky Slope Road 5:30–7 p.m.

Cost: Free

EDITOR

Wednesday

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Small-Business Seminar & Networking

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive 8–11 a.m.

Cost: Free For more info: bit.ly/2geabQp; 864-239-3728; nwhite@greenvillechamber.org

PRESIDENT/CEO

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com Chris Haire chaire@communityjournals.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Emily Pietras epietras@communityjournals.com

10/25

Thursday

STAFF WRITERS

10/26

What Every Small Business Needs to Know to Free up Capital for Growth and Expansion

Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce 105 N. Pine St., Spartanburg 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Cost: Free, registration required For more info: solutionsunlimitedsc.com/ section179-seminar; 864-599-8678

MARKETING & ADVERTISING VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES

Thursday

10/26

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Women @ Work Showcase

Embassy Suites Golf Resort & Conference Center 670 Verdae Blvd., outdoor terrace 4:30–7 p.m.

Cost: $25 investors, $35 general admission For more info: bit.ly/2xEzKF8; 864-239-3730; eaustin@greenvillechamber.org

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Thursday

Endeavor’s Collaborators & Cocktails: Endeavor Kenn Sparks, head of U.S. corporate 1 N. Main St., 4th floor communications, BMW Group 5–7:15 p.m.

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR

Thursday

11/2

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Netnight

Fluor Field 945 S. Main St. 6–8:30 p.m.

Tuesday

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s ATHENA Leadership Symposium

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Trevor Anderson, Cindy Landrum, Andrew Moore, Ariel Turner

David Rich drich@communityjournals.com

John Clark, Maria Hall, Donna Johnston, Stephanie King, Rosie Peck, Caroline Spivey, Emily Yepes

Will Crooks

11/2

Cost: Free for members, $30 for preregistered guests. No walk-ins.

For more info: Endeavor@EndeavorGreenville.com Cost: $15 investors, $25 noninvestors For more info: bit.ly/2gdQMiy, 864-239-3727, nwhite@greenvillechamber.org

LAYOUT

Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGN

11/14

Cost: $35 investors, $50 noninvestors For more info: bit.ly/2sUsFdd; 864-239-3727; nwhite@greenvillechamber.org

Kristy Adair | Michael Allen

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Anita Harley | Jane Rogers Kristi Fortner

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

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

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onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com UBJ welcomes expert commentary from business leaders on timely news topics related to their specialties. Guest columns run 700-800 words. Contact editor Chris Haire at chaire@communityjournals.com to submit an article for consideration.

Circulation Audit by

1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport

1988

NOVEMBER 17 LEADERSHIP 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.

DECEMBER 15 MANUFACTURING ISSUE Got any thoughts? Care to contribute? Let us know at ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

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

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

Order a reprint today, PDFs available for $25. For more information, contact Anita Harley 864.679.1205 or aharley@communityjournals.com

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10.20.2017 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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