April 26, 2013 UBJ

april 26, 2013

A Healthy Bottom Line How 10 Greenville companies are building a healthier workforce

Ashburn Hill and INVISTA protect first responders page 16

Lullaby Paints offers chemicalfree colors page 24

Debbie Bell rules at SCCT page 23

UBJ Table of Contents PRESIDENT/Publisher Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

Lab equipment at the ready in Canal Insurance’s on-site doctor’s office.

Senior Vice President Alan P. Martin amartin@communityjournals.com UBJ Associate Publisher Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com eXECUTIVE Editor Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com MANAGING editor Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com staff writers Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Charles Sowell SENIOR BUSINESS writer Dick Hughes

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contributing writerS Jenny Munro, Jennifer Oladipo, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage EDITORIAL INTERNS Shelby Livingston, Casey Dargan Photo by Gerry Pate

F e at u r e s

colu m ns

de pa rt m e n t s

Cover Story 20 Healthy Employees, Healthy Businesses

by Leigh Savage

Digital Maven 10 Big Data, Big Opportunity, Big Quandary

by Laura Haight

Profile 23 ‘I’m the Lucky One’

by Cindy Landrum

Statehouse Report 11 Cleaning Up Our Past Messes While Big Problems Languish

by Andy Brack

4 Worth Repeating 4 TBA 26 The Takeaway 27 Planner 28 Square Feet 30 The Fine Print 32 On the Move 34 New to the Street 35 Snapshot

Profile 24 Keeping Chemicals Off the Wall

by Dick Hughes

Working Well 12 Discover Your Cost-Effective Employee Health Resources

by Matt Johnson Create. Innovate. Celebrate.

14 Are Your HR Pros Keeping Up With Complexity?

by Gail DePriest

art & production art director Richie Swann photographer Greg Beckner CONTRIBUTING photo EDITOR Gerry Pate PrODUCTION Holly Hardin marketing & advertising Marketing Representatives Lori Burney, Mary Beth Culbertson, Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Pam Putman MarketinG Katherine Elrod Marketing & EVENTS Kate Banner BRAND STRATEGIST Austin Hafer Billing Shannon Rochester Client Services ManagerS Anita Harley, Jane Rogers ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair, Michael Allen, Whitney Fincannon, Caroline Reinhardt IDEAS, FEEDBACK, OPINIONS opinions@upstatebusinessjournal.com HOW TO REACH US 148 River Street., Suite 120 Greenville, SC 29601 864-679-1200

Copyright @2013 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal (Vol. 2, No. 16) is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. 148 River Street, Suite 120, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $65. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, 148 River St., Ste 120, Greenville, SC 29601. Printed in the USA.

2 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

Happy Spring!

UBJ This Week

Box up the sweaters and put away the coats. Azaleas and dogwoods are blooming. A lot of us are thinking about our next beach trip or where we’re headed after the kids get out of school. It’s time to get the tomatoes in the ground.

NEXT High School Receives GHS Donation a new charter high school, NEXT High School, planned as a partnership between the Greenville Chamber’s NEXT economic development initiative and local CEOs, received a boost this week as the Greenville Health System announced a $25,000 donation to the school at its NEXT Education Summit.

The charter high school would offer a project-based, technologyfocused curriculum and be free and open to all students in South Carolina. According to Zach Eikenberry, planning coordinator, the idea resulted when NEXT company CEOs wanted to get involved in education.

The new school is modeled after the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART) near Fresno, Calif. It will have focus areas in entrepreneurship, technology, life sciences, engineering and automotive.

NEXT High School, which doesn’t have a physical location yet, will also offer online learning and increased flexibility for student collaboration, according to Eikenberry. He told UBJ that the school

day will be structured like a workday, and he anticipates 200 to 300 students in each grade.

NEXT High School’s charter application to the South Carolina Public Charter School District is due in May. Zach Eikenberry

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

We encourage you to look around and be mindful of the good things. Faith, children, family, and friends are what give us our connections. We encourage you to find time to gather and be with those you love.

As people grow older and progress from working life to other adventures, these connections become even more relevant.

In our business, we look at statistics, cash flows, and other financial analysis. We also try to help plan for how to care for, and connect with, loved ones.

Many people seek to help with education for a younger generation. Many people hope to be able to assist with care for older family members. Everyone wants strong connections and healthy, productive bonds with those close to them.

A good financial plan addresses what you can do and how you will help those closest to you. We all have different levels of ability and inclination. We all have things that we can do to help others. We all leave some sort of legacy.

There are many types of legacy, but most fall into one of two categories: personal or financial. We can leave money for others and help support others with gifts and other means. We also have our kindness and involvement in the lives of others. Never underestimate the power of a kind word at the appropriate time.

We never know what others are struggling with but we can be sure that most folks have something going on. It’s just the way of things. We’ve all had a teacher, a business associate, a friend, even a complete stranger say something out of the blue that profoundly moved us and gave the insight we needed right then.

Photo by Greg Beckner

So yes, I’ll tell you to work on your financial plan and be prudent with your money. I’ll suggest you find an appropriate risk allocation and save adequately for retirement. As you’re doing all of this, please keep in mind that you will be remembered for your kindness.

The good things you do for others and the doors you open for those around you mean so much more than the size of your house or the kind of car you drive.

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Christopher A. Brown, CPA, PFS has been helping people plan and manage their money since 1995. Give us a call at 864-233-0808 or visit us online at www.falegacy.com.

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by the Purveyors of Classic American Style

UBJ Worth Repeating “It’s a family-oriented organization, and we look after each other.

It’s the right thing to do, and we do it without having to answer to the bottom line.”

SPRING INTO A SOUTHERN TRADITION The Seersucker Suit & Bow Tie

Southerners love to wear bow ties and seersucker suits during the spring and summer! But, what is the history behind each of these fashion statements?

According to ehow.com, New Orleans suit maker Joseph Haspel created the first classic seersucker suit in 1909. The seersucker suit was designed to have working class appeal due to its low cost and light weight fabric. However, the look became very popular with stylish southern gentlemen from preppies to politicians.

During the 1950’s the seersucker suit lost a bit of its allure with the emergence of air conditioning, which made dressing for the weather less of a factor. But in 1996, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott announced “Seersucker Suit Thursday” in the Senate.

So, once a year in mid-June, men and women of the U.S. Senate wear their seersucker suits as an annual rite of summer. The seersucker suit was revitalized!

And what about that bow tie…where did it come from? Bows-n-ties.com states during the Prussian wars of the 17th century, Croatian mercenaries would tie and wear colorful scarves around their necks to denote rank. The French, who fought alongside, adopted the idea as their own and brought it home, now calling the necktie “Cravats.” This emerging new style became very popular with the upper crust of French society. A new tradition was born.

At Rush Wilson Limited, we too love to tell the rich history and tradition of our family-run, upscale menswear clothing store in downtown Greenville.

Our history began in 1950 in Davidson, NC where Rush Wilson opened the first store. He expanded to Greenville in 1959 and in 1978 moved the store to its present location at 23 West North Street. Today, as always, we specialize in classic American style. Our focus is to offer our customers clothing and products that fit their lifestyle. Although, the physical location has changed a few times, the tradition of Rush Wilson Limited has remained the same, to offer our customers exceptional service and an unparalleled experience in shopping for their clothing.

Tradition continues. For Rush Wilson Limited, it is quality, service, honor, history, community, values, experience and above all, a desire to enrich the lives of all of our customers.

Abby Russell, workplace wellness consultant at Rosenfeld Einstein.

“Even though he was my baby brother, I often went to him for advice. I’d love to have another conversation with him, especially now.”

Debbie Bell, executive director of the South Carolina Children’s Theatre, on her brother Caine Halter, who died in 2007.

“This is an opportunity for us to provide products for these folks that make their jobs more efficient, easier and with less stress.”

Todd Herring, sales and marketing director of Ashburn Hill, makers of protective gear for emergency workers such as firefighters.

“Let’s spell that out clearly: Even a standard that purports to be a definition of healthy paint allows for more than 6 ounces of VOCs in a gallon of paint.”

Julian Crawford, CEO of Imperial Paints in Spartanburg, makers of Lullaby Paint which emits no volatile organic compounds.

TBA Word is a new music venue will be opening soon in the far West End…

Open Mon.-Sat. 9:30am - 5:30pm Wed. 9:30am - 1:00pm

4 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

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Expect to hear in 60 to 90 days where Greenville business leaders plan to locate NEXT High School, an innovative new public school slated to open in the fall of 2014…

UBJ This Week Bon Secours Honored for Employee Engagement maryland-based, multi-facility Bon Secours Health System was named as one of 32 recipients of the 2013 Gallup Great Workplace Award this month. Bon Secours operates Bon Secours St. Francis in Greenville.

According to Gallup, the award recipients average a ratio of engaged employees to actively disengaged employees that is more than five

times the national average and more than 20 times the ratio globally.

According to the website of Kevin Kruse, entrepreneur and author of “Engagement 2.0,” employee engagement is “the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its goals.” This commitment impacts productivity, service and employee retention.

The rate of employee engagement for Gallup was determined through an employee engagement survey and at least 80 percent of the employees of an organization had to respond. Those applying also had to have at least 1,000 respondents, offer concrete examples of how it linked engagement to business outcomes and an example of how engaged employees made a difference with their customers.

According to Bon Secours, it has improved engagement as part of a system-wide effort, increasing en-

Spartanburg Regional and VCOM Launch Joint Lab the edward via college of osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and Gibbs Cancer Center have launched a new collaboration: a cancer and stem cell laboratory at the Gibbs Cancer Center.

VCOM students and graduates will be able to continue research at the new site, a renovated 7,500-square-foot laboratory.

“We have a longstanding valued relationship with the hospital, which has served as clinical practice site for our Virginia Campus students and VCOM graduates for more than five

years,” said Timothy J. Kowalski, D.O., FACN, vice dean of the VCOM Carolinas Campus, in a statement. “We are excited to move forward in this new partnership, working with Spartanburg Regional and the Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute to conduct research and promote health for humankind.”

The college also hosted a Space, Cancer, and Personalized Medicine conference on how the International Space Station can be used for health research on everything from stem cell biology to disease modeling.

gagement since 2005. The change has also resulted in rising rates of physician and patient engagement along with an employee turnover rate that has dropped from 21 percent to 13.2 percent, according to the healthcare provider.

Bon Secours Health System will receive the award at the 2013 Gallup Summit on May 7-9. Other recipients with a presence in the Upstate include six-time winner Self Regional Healthcare of Greenwood, Hyatt Hotels, Charles Schwab and Nationwide.

Union Events Center Campaign Begins the union county events Center Board of Directors, Lockhart Power Company and Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc. recently helped kick off a fundraising campaign, Breaking Ground, for a future Union County Events Center. Lockhart Power and Pacolet Milliken announced a joint donation of $100,000 to begin the campaign.

According to the Union County Events Center, the new location at 200 North Pinckney St. in Union will be “a state-ofthe-art 20,000-square-foot multipurpose facility to be used as a cultural, educational and

performing arts center.” It will feature a 300-seat performance venue with a moveable stage and seating, as well as meeting rooms and conference rooms.

There will also be facilities for food prep and serving, dressing rooms, support rooms and storage rooms.

Breaking Ground’s goal is to raise $4 million to construct the new Center through a countywide, public-private campaign.

For more information, visit facebook.com/ growunioncounty.

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UBJ Industry

Payment Processing, Pronto Tandem helps keep credit and debit transactions flowing, with the help of a new industry credential

By Jenny Munro | contributor

greenville-based tandem innovative Payment Solutions is part of an industry invisible to the general public, but one that makes credit and debit transactions flow smoothly for all parties concerned.

The three-year-old company has 10 employees and offices in Greenville; Greensboro, N.C.; and Fernandina Beach, Fla., said Tandem president Larry Feniger, who is a Certified Payments Professional through the Electronic Transaction Association (ETA).

In transactions using cards, the parties involved include the Visa, Mastercard or other credit card networks, an issuing bank, a credit processing organization, a sponsor bank, the merchant and the consumer, he said.

The approval process takes from less than a second to about eight seconds, he said.

Consumers gain from the convenience. The benefit for the merchant is the speed of payment, although they are charged fees by the various entities.

“Every business that takes credit cards pays fees to do that,” he said, adding that about 90 percent of the fees go to the banks and the credit card networks. But every processor also adds a fee. For example, if a customer pays $100 for a pair of shoes, the merchant is likely to pay about $2 in fees. Of that, less than 10 cents will come to the processor.

And the credit/debit processing industry continues to grow, with more mobile phones available and more than 1 billion credit/debit cards issued in the United States, according to Jason Oxman, CEO of ETA, a trade association for the payments industry, in a report by the trade publication Bank News.

Filling a Local Niche

Larry Feniger assists a staff member of Greenville Pediatric Dentistry with the practice’s new payment processing system.

“This is a great development for the industry,” Oxman said. “Any innovation that makes it more convenient for consumers to use credit/ debit instead of cash is a huge opportunity for growth.”

Processing Horror Stories “The system works about 99.9 percent of the time,” Feniger said, but when talking to merchants, he hears the horror stories. Sometimes the problems are simple, such as merchants having trouble with their phone lines. But merchants can be sold a bad deal or get caught in a contract with no way out other than paying an additional fee.

Kelly Odom, owner of Pickwick Pharmacy, agreed.

“We did have a major problem with another processor,” he said.

When the problem occurred, the company just stepped away.

“We didn’t receive funds for three days,” he said. “When your business is 90 percent credit, that’s a disaster.

It wreaked havoc on our business.”

6 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

Pickwick moved to Tandem more than two years ago, Odom said. In addition to working out the problem, “they saved us a lot of money on the rates.”

Having a local voice also is important: “We’re a local family business. They feel like a local family business, too,” he said, adding that Tandem executives walked his business through various accreditations needed for financial transactions.

“No other company would do that,” he said.

Larry Feniger, president of Tandem Innovative Payment Solutions

Prior to founding Tandem, Feniger, a business banker, kept hearing those stories of problems with credit processing. He said he decided a niche existed for a local credit processing company.

“We do everything face-to-face,” he said. “If you have a problem, you call a local number.” And he doesn’t lease equipment; he sells it to the merchant.

Jeff Fann, owner of Professional Party Rentals, said his 16-year-old business has seen a real growth in credit and debit card use. Before joining Tandem, “we had switched several times.”

He received calls nearly monthly, touting a lower rate. Sometimes he bit, but “it pretty much always backfired.”

When Feniger called more than a year ago, Fann said he was pleased with the idea of using a local company and the rate was “very competitive.” Tandem helped them set up a process that was simple to use. If problems do occur, Tandem responds immediately.

With Feniger and his team, “we have the best of both worlds” of service and rates, Fann said.

Starting with no customers and only Feniger himself as an employee, Tandem now has 10 employees and is slated to add client No. 1,000 this month or next, Feniger said. In the past 18 months, the company has doubled in size – much of that growth fueled by referrals from existing customers.

The company does more than credit processing.

“Our goal is we want to be that trusted business advisor. We want to help them improve their busi-

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Surcharge controversy Part of the core difficulty in the payment processing industry, said Feniger, is that the industry has little regulation. One new rule, part of the settlement in a class-action suit against the Visa and Mastercard networks by merchants, allows retailers to add a surcharge to a credit card purchase although not a debit card purchase.

This rule is an attempt to allow merchants to recoup the swipe fee they pay on debit card transactions.

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Feniger said he knows of few or no retailers using the surcharge, probably because of fears of a consumer backlash. That occurred when several major banks tried to set a $5 fee for the use of a debit card.

However, South Carolina, as well as 17 other states, is considering attempts to block this rule, according to the American Banker, a trade publication.

Ten states already ban the surcharge and Mississippi recently instituted a limited ban, affecting only governmentissued credit cards, American Banker said. Maine is attempting to relax its ban on the surcharge.

“Hopefully, the merchants are already pricing in the cost of credit,” Feniger said, so they won’t need to add a surcharge.

ness,” he said. Feniger has even told potential clients that the company they are with is doing a good job and recommended they remain where they are.

Tandem’s long-term goal is to serve the Southeast from North Carolina to Florida, especially along the Interstate 85 corridor in the Carolinas and Georgia and the I-95 corridor in Florida. “According to studies, this is where the growth will be,” he said.

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A New Credential But Feniger wants to do more than run a well-respected, profitable business – he wants to clean up the image of his industry among merchants. That’s why he and Greg Ericson, an employee, recently sat for the Certified Payments Association exam, a credentialing process launched by the ETA in late 2011.

Ericson, a graduate of The

Citadel, is an account executive with Tandem, which he joined in 2010.

The two are the only CPPs in the Upstate and among only seven in South Carolina. About 500 individuals hold the credentials worldwide. The exam should be used more broadly in the industry, Feniger said, adding that South Carolina has about 750 working in the industry.

Contact Jenny Munro at jumnro@communityjournals.com.

“Other professions have licenses, permits or certifications to distinguish qualified agents,” he said. “This new CPP credential marks the highest level of expertise within our industry.”

The certification recognizes “professionals in the industry who demonstrate a thorough knowledge of their profession as well as a com-

mitment to professionalism and personal integrity,” said the ETA. Certification requires continuing education every three years, Feniger said. He has been named to the ETA’s Education Committee, a position that allows him to work with other credit processing firms to move forward on the certification of their employees.

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 7

UBJ This Week Drive Event a Hit with Downtown Businesses

PRESENTS

Activities encourage team-building, networking

By Leigh Savage | contributor

Congratulations To Our Charter Business

Photos by Greg Beckner

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

Rick Davis, left, managing shareholder of Elliott Davis, shares a laugh with Greenville Drive president and co-owner Craig Brown during the networking opportunity of the third annual Drive Business Downtown event sponsored by Elliott Davis at the Drive Stadium.

Award Presentation, from left to right: Chamber CEO Ben Haskew, 2013 Chair Luanne Runge, HTI VP David Sewell, Charter Business/Award Sponsor Ken Pelanda, HTI President Herb Dew, Small Business Awards Committee Cheryl Taylor, HTI VP John Knight, HTI Director of Sales Nat Banks, and HTI Marketing and Public Relations Specialist Katie Key.

“Human Technologies, Inc. is a proud 12-year member of the Greenville Chamber and enthusiastic supporters of its initiatives.”

-Herb Dew, HTI President HTI works diligently to establish itself as the “go to” staffing company by creating innovative solutions to their clients’ most challenging issues.

Their tailored approach helps clients with professional recruiting, industrial staffing, training, consulting, and outplacement services through the HTI Employment Services division, while also providing warehouse management and physical logistics services, complex project management, quality sorting, and consulting through the HTI Manufacturing Services division. Learn more at www.htijobs.com.

Impressed by a local small business lately? Nominate them for the Greenville Chamber’s Small Business of the Month Award at www.GreenvilleChamber.org.

24 CLEVELAND ST. GREENVILLE, SC 29601

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8 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

upstate companies celebrated the link between business and baseball at Drive Business Downtown: A Celebration in the Heart of Greenville, on Tuesday at Fluor Field.

“It’s a glorious day for a ballgame,” said Craig Brown, Greenville Drive president and co-owner, during the game. He said the event had grown significantly since the previous year and likely had 5,000 people in attendance.

Drive Business Downtown, sponsored by Elliott Davis, was designed to showcase the role of downtown businesses in improving quality of life in the Upstate. Now in its third year, the event offered networking opportunities, on field-competitions and other activities before and after the game, when the Greenville Drive took on the Lakewood Blue Claws.

Local business leaders took on roles as team captains, scorekeepers and play ball announcers. Events

included networking activities, home run and base-running competitions and a trivia competition for the less athletically inclined.

“Drive Business Downtown has become one of the best networking opportunities of the year,” said Rick Davis, managing shareholder of Elliott Davis, an accounting and tax firm headquartered on East Broad Street. “Downtown is a great place to work and to live, and it’s good to take the time to stand back and say, ‘what a great place we have to do business.’”

Brown said 38 companies served as Drive Business Downtown Boosters this year. The companies received group tickets and were recognized for their support during game.

“This whole thing started with the great relationship with have with downtown businesses, and wanting to pause and acknowledge it,” Brown said. “In the end, it comes down to people.”

Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.

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to $665.2 million; and core deposits – deposits from relationship customers – increased $32.3 million to $360.2 million.

Southern said nonperforming loans on its books dropped 36 percent to $8.8 million from the first quarter of 2012. The bank’s percentage of badly performing loans relative to total assets is at 1.07 percent, 1.33 percent relative to total loans. That would be one of the best ratios of loan quality of any bank in the state.

Seaver said opening of a third branch in Columbia, its first in Charleston late last year, along with expanding its mortgage business, “are already generating sizeable growth and additional non-interest income.”

Southern First has assets of $822 million as of March 31. As of Dec. 31, it reported assets of $798.

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southern first banchares, which operates as Greenville First Bank in the Upstate and Southern First elsewhere, reported net income of $784,000, or 18 cents per share, in the first quarter.

That’s just shy of double net of $399,000, or 9 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.

Southern said it has redeemed $1 million in preferred shares, half on Jan. 3 and half on April 1.

In the first quarter, the bank completed transfer of its charter from federal to state. CEO Art Seaver said a cost savings of $100,000 annually primarily drove the change.

As other highlights, the company said net interest margin – the difference between what it makes on loans and its costs – rose to 3.69 from 3.45 percent; loan balances increased $57.3 million

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so we’ll have one 10 or 15 years from now,” he said. “The networking event makes sure up-and-coming leaders are given every opportunity that today’s leaders had. It’s really a virtuous circle that’s happening.” “”It’s definitely a chance to get out and celebrate, to be around others in the business community, to build relationships and network,” Davis said. “We’re building on each year’s experience to take Drive Business Downtown to a broader audience and to have a greater impact.”

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This year, the event extended into the evening after the game, with more than 20 CEOs from area businesses gathering at the Lazy Goat to offer advice and mentoring opportunities to young professionals.

By Tuesday afternoon, almost 70 young professionals had signed up for the chance for one-on-one time with the area’s top executives, and Brown said the list was growing longer by the hour.

“It’s a time to appreciate the downtown we have and invest in it,

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 9

UBJ Digital Maven

By laura haight

Big Data, Big Opportunity, Big Quandary data is everywhere. the barista at your local coffee shop knows that when the temperature drops below 45, more people will order scones during the mid-afternoon coffee rush. Your boss knows how many smoke breaks you take and how they coincide with a heavier or lighter workload. The online store you shop in emails you when new fashions by a designer you’ve bought before become available in your size.

As businesses, we have to be asking ourselves: Are we gathering all the data we can so we can be as nimble and targeted, as proactive as these companies we do business with? And, just as importantly, do we know what we should – and what we shouldn’t – do with it?

Today’s buzz phrase is “big data,” an analytics term that originally came about to describe datasets that were so big they were almost unusable. Today, we see big data in a different way: as a massive amount of available information to be analyzed and acted on, using it to create data-driven decisions and datainformed strategies.

Any tool is only useful if you use it. Consider: • Can you see the picture in the pattern? Technology has given us the capability to passively track employee behavior through radio fre-

quency chips (RFID) embedded in employee badges. Through proximity tracking and other tech wizardry, they can track who your employees talk to and even analyze the through tone of voice how one employee interacts with another. It sounds very Big Brother-ish, and it can be. The opportunity and the quandary is: How transparent will you be with your employees and what will you use the data for? One company learned through a deep analysis of this data that employees were 25 percent more productive after social interaction with team members on a break. They used the info to sched-

The key to data isn’t collecting it, it is using it. ule regular breaks to facilitate that.

(Read more: goo.gl/qxP69.)

The key here is not just to see the dots, but to connect them. One function without the other is just expensive voyeurism.

• Once you collect data, how will you secure it? If you have an iPhone and use the Siri virtual as-

sistant feature, you may be surprised to learn that the voice data is collected and stored by Apple for up to two years. Apple says some of the data is used to assist in improving the Siri product. And they are quick to point out that they connect data to random ID numbers that are not connected in any way to your email address or Apple ID. (Read more: goo.gl/AmKMx.) I don’t see this as a big opportunity for Apple, except for a lawsuit.

What you keep can be accessed – by yourself, by others, by subpoena, by hackers and used in any number of unintended, unapproved and unimagined ways. If that idea gives you pause, Apple says if you turn Siri off completely the data is immediately erased.

• Why do you want to know? The more we know, the better our abilities to find you, communicate with you, put relevant products or services in front of you. But how often do we gather information from customers and then not use it? I consistently receive emails from online job sites that tell me they have identified jobs that match my resume and then presume to offer

Go Figure The world’s technological per-capita capacity to store information has roughly doubled every 40 months since the 1980s.

As of 2012, every day 2.5 quintillion (2.5×1018) bytes of data were created.

Sources: Science magazine and IBM

me auto mechanic and medical technician prospects.

The key to data isn’t collecting it, it is using it. It is easy to go from desired provider to spammer if you don’t. There is a downside to unsubscribes and an even bigger downside to abuse reports. If you are using email marketing, your job isn’t done when you hit send. Check your analytics and see what your rates of unsubs and abuse reports are. You could find yourself blacklisted, locked out by spam filters and even entire ISPs, if you aren’t looking.

Got a question? Come to Facebook/ thedigitalmaven and post it.

Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (portfoliosc.com), a communications company based in Greenville that leverages the power of technology and digital media to communicate effectively with clients, customers and your staff. She is a former IT executive, journalist and newspaper editor.

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After two years of exclusively representing builders and new home communities, Marchant Company enters the general real estate and property management business. Seabrook Marchant grows the Marchant Company team by adding 6 new agents.

2013

UBJ Statehouse Report

By Andy Brack

Cleaning Up Our Past Messes While Big Problems Languish the Senate passed a measure that would create a cabinet-level Department of Administration to supersede most of the functions of the Budget and Control Board to give more authority to a governor.

The measure, now in the House, is structural and won’t make a big difference in people’s everyday lives.

Candidates: After last year’s embarrassment of more than 250 candidates removed from ballots for incomplete filing because of a state law snafu, the legislature seems to be cleaning up the mess this year so it won’t happen again. it’s pretty ridiculous how House lawmakers with the job of drafting major ethics reform to improve accountability and transparency in government did their work in secret with virtually no public input.

Hacking: After a hacker stole the personal information of 3.5 million taxpayers and hundreds of thousands of businesses from the state Department of Revenue, it hasn’t been too contentious for the state to approve more credit monitoring

State lawmakers seem to be legislating around the corners and doing stuff that’s comparatively easy, instead of handling the big problems that continue to vex us.

But that’s the odd way things have happened in this year’s legislative session, characterized more by fixing dumb things done in the past than any grand moves to fix real and lingering problems, such as the poor states of education, health care and poverty in South Carolina.

Among the messes that state legislators are working to clean up with about six weeks left in this year’s session: Restructuring: After weeks of discussion this year and in years past,

for taxpayers and more data security to fix the system. It looks like the state will pay for monitoring for 10 years.

Ethics reform: After embarrassing headlines for Gov. Nikki Haley and House Speaker Bobby Harrell over ethical allegations of impropriety in different cases, lawmakers are making moves to create a tougher ethics law to improve accountability and transparency. But while proposed measures are much stronger than what is in place now, it

doesn’t help that House members negotiated on components of the bill in private.

Although these issues are responses to problems of our own making, other work being done this year includes looking for ways to improve accountability for charter schools, trying to fix high property insurance rates along the coast, providing a $120 million incentive to Boeing so it will invest $1 billion in an expansion, boosting small job creation and more. The House also has passed measures to shorten the legislative session and redirect the sales tax on cars to roads.

One Statehouse veteran observed that this year’s session has been more of a breather than recent ones in which lawmakers faced huge challenges to keep state government going during the Great Recession.

The 2013-14 state-funded part of the South Carolina budget has about $6.7 billion in monies for legislators to spend – about $400 million more than last year. Signs that the economy is recovering also come in the $159 million in extra revenues received this year that were not expected last year.

So as the state is slowly rebuilding government agencies severely cut during the recession and getting a little time for recovery, state lawmakers seem to be legislating around the corners and doing stuff that’s comparatively easy, instead of handling the big problems that continue to vex us.

The state needs leaders who will fly the flag of reform to fix education funding so that the opportunities

provided in rural schools match those found in suburban ones. They need to ignore flash points like abortion, unions and expanding access to guns in bars. Instead, they should figure out a way to accept federal aid to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of people without health insurance. And it wouldn’t hurt to find ways to improve the justice system with alternative sentencing options that will keep bad guys in jail, but have less expensive correctional options for non-violent criminals.

Bottom line: Find common ground of big issues on which we can agree and get moving on those things. Set a statewide agenda. And keep in mind that people don’t have much faith in state legislators. The way to earn their trust and respect is to achieve, not just float on along.

by the numbers $6.7 billion

Money legislators have to spend in the 2013-2014 state budget – about $400 million more than last year

$159 million Extra revenues received this year that were not expected last year

$120 million Provided to Boeing so that it would invest $1 billion in expansion

Andy Brack, publisher of Statehouse Report, provides weekly commentary.

He can be reached directly at brack@statehousereport.com.

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 11

UBJ Working Well

By MATT JOHNSON

Discover Your Cost-Effective Employee Health Resources businesses around the country are feeling the squeeze of rising health care costs. Many companies are taking drastic measures and devoting more of their budgets to health promotion programs.

Popular services include on-site medical clinics run by a nurse practitioner or physician, annual health screenings, and health education programs. Studies show that a $1 investment saves $3 on healthcare.

That’s fine for companies who can spare that $1, but what about those who have little or no budget to make this initial investment? Three costeffective resources are already readily available.

People: The employees of a business are its greatest asset when it comes to creating a culture of well-being.

The key is to implement an initiative that motivates the employee population to make it their own.

Invite employees to participate on a team focused on employee well-being. Different departments and fitness levels should be represented. Also include employees who have relational influence (different from positional influence) within the employee population.

Ask the team to focus on resources already within the employee population. Have them discover the passion of their co-workers and invite them to use this passion to enhance health within the work environment. Are some people passionate about gardening? Ask them if they would be willing to organize a company garden. Workers passionate about basketball? Ask if they would be interested in putting together a company league. For people passionate about cooking,

health events with partner companies. As an added benefit, the increased involvement might persuade vendors to provide speakers and/or resources.

Local hospital systems: These can be a great resource on educating employees on preventive care. Hospital mission statements already focus on improving the health of the local community. As members of the population that local hospitals serve, the business community should partner with hospitals in working towards this common goal. Collaborate on how employees can use hospital-provided preventive services in a more effective way, rather than habitually reacting to health crises. This will lead to positive outcomes on both sides of the partnership.

Each entity must rise to the task of improving the health of the whole. ask if they could organize a healthy recipe cook-off. In this way, employees become engaged in improving the health of their community, and the process of brainstorming and instigating change will directly improve the bottom line.

Peers: Another great resource is the surrounding business community. Reach out to local businesses and collaborate to form a culture of health. Initiate challenges to promote competition between employees at each company. Set goals to inspire high rates of employee participation. Plan co-sponsored

Sedentary lifestyles, cheap processed foods, hyperconsumerism and a sense of entitlement in the general population are feeding the current health crisis. Solutions to these issues can be discovered more cost-effectively through a multifaceted partnership. Each entity must rise to the task of improving the health of the whole. For the hospitals: to educate the community about the importance of utilizing preventive resources on a consistent basis. For businesses: to

Go Figure 2013 Average health care premium increases will jump to

6.3%

up from 4.9% in 2012.

2012 The average health care cost per employee was

$10,522

up from $10,034 in 2011.

The employees’ portion of the total health care premium was

$2,204

up from $2,090 in 2011.

Average employee out-of-pocket costs, such as co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles, were

$2,200

up from $2,072 in 2011.

Source: Aon Hewitt

encourage a culture within their employee population that promotes a healthy life balance. And for the individual: to choose the path toward well-being. Success in this daunting task is possible by utilizing partnership as the greatest catalyst for a healthy future.

Matt Johnson is the preventive program coordinator at Bon Secours St. Francis WorkWell. A graduate of Furman University, Johnson has been living in Greenville for the past sixteen years. He enjoys running, hiking, participating in his church community and spending time with his wife and four children.

12 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

DISCOVER

INNOVATE

DEVELOP

ENGAGE

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UBJ Create. Innovate. Celebrate.

By gail depriest

Are Your HR Pros Keeping Up With Complexity? whether you are working at the surgical unit of a hospital or as a surgical mechanic assembling a jetliner, the world of work has become increasingly complex.

Human resources professionals are tasked with sourcing the appropriate employees for each job to ensure their skills and abilities meet the demands of service delivery or product manufacturing.

HR professionals should monitor closely how the legislation process is impacting their employees and business and should formulate plans and policies to adapt appropriately.

South Carolina has approximately 10 percent unemployment, but there are thousands of jobs that remain unfilled largely due to the skills-gap issue. Increasingly high-tech manufacturing jobs require better education and better technical skills.

Beverly Deal, a certified WorkKeys profiler, assesses manufacturing jobs and determines the level of skills that are needed to perform a particular job. She indicates that the two most often-needed skill areas are locating information, an assessment which measures how accurately people read and interpret workplace graphics, and workplace observation, which measures the ability to make inferences, antici-

pate outcomes, and extrapolate information. Workers with aptitude in these key areas will continue to be in demand in the workplace.

In the fall of 2011, HR leaders from GE, BMW, Michelin, ScanSource, Milliken, Canal Insurance and others came together to discuss the realities facing new managers.

Many indicated that transitioning from an individual contributor role to that of manager is difficult, especially now that the role of manager is becoming ever more complex.

The group agreed that new managers need soft-skills training and practical application tools in the areas of self-awareness, effective employee engagement, coaching and innovation, and that developing skills in these areas often makes the difference between an excellent manager and a merely adequate one.

Another major challenge facing HR professionals is that of aligning the functional activities of individuals with their company’s strategic goals. This challenge often includes assisting employees’ shift from task-oriented activities to more creative, customer-oriented approaches that are performancedriven and utilize project management methods and tools. Methodologies such as Total Quality Management and Six Sigma can play a major role in an organization’s transformation and help support HR and leadership in building common culture, tools and language.

Some critical challenges are imposed by legislation in the areas of workforce readiness as well as labor issues, health care, and excessive taxation on business. Human resources professionals should monitor closely how the legislation process is

14 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

Survey Says In a recent survey of HR professionals:

67%

have adopted or plan to adopt internal social networking technology.

64%

of those use it for recruiting and hiring.

54%

use it for learning and development.

34%

use it for performance management.

75%

felt their companies were “behind the curve” in adopting the technology.

Source: “State of Social Technology and Talent Management,” SilkRoad

impacting their employees and business and should formulate plans and policies to adapt appropriately.

Technology is also impacting the human resources profession in a profound way. While the HR community has begun using Twitter and Facebook for recruitment, they

have also seen that technology has brought new challenges, including: • Harassment investigations that involve text and Facebook messages • Keeping policies up to date with the technology element • Using QR codes for recruiting • Terminations for Facebook posting and pictures – what is invasion of privacy and/or protected speech?

Similarly, because of all the technology at the fingertips of employees and candidates, many believe that they should get an instant reply to an e-mail, a voicemail or a resume submission. Not responding as quickly as another company may cause a business to lose an applicant. In addition, if a current employee asks a question via email and doesn’t get a response within a matter of minutes they will likely call others until they get an answer.

Talent that can make a difference in this time of increased technology and global competition can be scarce. The increased competition for talent and the need for talent development ensure that workforce readiness remains a key challenge facing HR executives. The very existence of many organizations depends on the ability of the human resources department to hire, develop and retain the right talent.

Gail DePriest is the director of corporate relations and leadership development for Clemson at the Falls. Having previously served as senior vice president and corporate director for a global talent management consulting firm, she has advised Fortune 500 companies and top-ranked business schools. She lives and works in downtown Greenville.

UBJ This Week SC Unemployment Dips to 8.4%

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Greenville County’s jobless rate declined from 6.6 percent in February and 7 percent in March of last year to 6.2 percent, the lowest unemployment rate in Greenville since August 2008. Only Lexington County’s 6 percent rate is lower.

The number of unemployed declined in Greenville to 14,018 from 14,896 in February, and the total workforce increased by 267 to 226,457.

In Spartanburg, unemployment declined 7.7 percent from 8.3 percent. The county had 10,558 unemployed out of a workforce of 136,485, which was down 513 from the prior month.

The rate declined in Pickens, Anderson, Laurens, Oconee, Greenwood, Abbeville, Cherokee and Union counties.

With the tourism season beginning to come alive, leisure and

county Greenville pickens anderson laurens spartanburg oconee greenwood Abbeville cherokee union State

feb. ‘13

mar. ‘12

6.2 6.7 7.3 7.6 7.7 7.9 9.4 9.6 10.3 12.8

6.6 7.0 7.8 8.2 8.3 9.0 10.2 10.2 11.5 13.8

7.0 7.9 8.4 9.2 8.9 8.5 10.1 9.4 11.7 13.9

8.4

8.6

9.3

hospitality reported a job gain of 9,800, much of it in accommodations and food service. Professional and business services were up

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mar. ‘13

2,600, and government employment, mostly in local government, rose by 2,200. Government is the state’s largest sector employer.

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unemployment in the state, as well as in all 10 Upstate counties, declined in March, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce reported.

The state’s rate decreased from 8.6 percent in February to 8.4 percent in March with the lowest number of unemployed (182,978) since October 2008. The decline was broad across the state, with all 46 counties reporting lower unemployment.

South Carolina is doing better than North Carolina (9.2), is even with Georgia and trails Florida (7.5).

However, according to TD Economics, Florida and Georgia had significant job growth of 33,000 and 14,000 respectively, North Carolina was flat and South Carolina lost 1,000 jobs.

The nation’s jobless rate in March was 7.6.

Unemployment in the Upstate

UBJ This Week

To Protect – and Grow After acquisition by INVISTA, Ashburn Hill seeks worldwide market for protective gear

with the resources of global INVISTA behind it, a small Greenville company says it will be able to take its innovative protective gear to an international market and grow its operation here.

“It is exciting for us, coming from a small company, to have the support we have in the tremendous resource availability” of INVISTA, said Todd Herring, sales and marketing director of Ashburn Hill.

In March, INVISTA, one of the world’s largest producers of polymers and fibers, acquired Ashburn Hill Corp. and integrated into its performance materials division. INVISTA had been a minority shareholder in Ashburn Hill.

“What that means for Greenville is we are staying here,” said Herring. “Our employee base is here. We see significant growth, and a lot of those people are going to come from Greenville and the surrounding area.”

The prize is innovative lightweight fiber material made and sold by Ashburn Hill for fire-resistant gear for firefighters and others working in dangerous environments.

The material is branded TECGEN Select, developed for manufacturing, transportation, mining, oil and gas and energy utilities, and TECGEN Xtreme, a lightweight apparel that also repels moisture for firefighters and rescue responders, the company said.

TECGEN has “quickly gained trust in the marketplace; and by coupling that expertise with INVISTA’s existing global work wear capabilities, we have high expecta-

Firefighters in TECGEN XTREME turnout gear.

tions for the specialized garment segment,” said Jeff Brown, executive vice president of INVISTA Performance Materials in a statement.

“This fiber technology is what it is all about,” said Herring. “It’s a platform for us to create some really unique, innovative products across multiple platforms, fire service being one of those.”

The terrorist attack in Boston demonstrates the value of lightweight protective clothing for first responders who “are working their butts off running to a situation when most people are running away,” Herring said.

“This is an opportunity for us to provide products for these folks that make their jobs … more efficient,

“It makes perfect sense for us to take an innovative textile product and put it in the center of the textile region.”

Todd Herring, sales and marketing director of Ashburn Hill

He said INVISTA, with its 10,000 employees in 20 countries, provides broader resources to take TECGEN “to a whole new level of growth potential.”

16 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

easier and with less stress.”

Herring said Ashburn Hill on its own “focused on specific markets, but now the platform can be expanded, and we do see a growth

platform in other areas.”

The TECGEN unit under INVISTA will stay in Greenville, where 20 are now employed. The garments are made in a Texas factory, which will remain in place Herring said research and development also will stay in Greenville and “will work hand-in-hand with the rest of the INVISTA team so Greenville is the hub for all the TECGEN fiber activity.”

“It makes perfect sense for us to take an innovative textile product and put it in the center of the textile region,” he said. “This is where most of the resources are. We have a great knowledgeable and experienced pool of people to work with.”

As minority shareholder in Ashburn Hill, he said, INVISTA “has been there since the beginning, and has seen us grow with the potential to really provide these excellent products to the market.”

Ashburn Hill had purchased the patents for the TECGEN materials and brought TECGEN Select to market in 2010. Sales doubled in the next year.

For Jon Heard, who had been CEO of Ashburn Hill, the acquisition by INVISTA represents a return to INVISTA, which he had left in 2008 to head up Ashburn Hill. He continues to lead the business unit here.

INVISTA is a subsidiary of Koch Industries of Wichita, Kan. According to Forbes, it is the second largest privately held company in the United States and had revenue near $100 billion in 2011.

Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.

Photo Provided by INVISTA

By Dick Hughes | senior business writer

UBJ This Week Last Call for Leadership Greenville applicants have just a few days left to get involved with a 10-month development program that has graduated more than 1,700 alumni since 1973.

Until May 1, the Greenville Chamber will be accepting applications for the 40th class of Leadership Greenville. The program is “designed to help develop informed, committed and qualified leaders for Greenville County,” said the Chamber in a statement.

Each class selects a project or projects to meet a need in the area. Class projects are chosen based on proposals sub-

mitted by class members, as well as nonprofit Chambermember organizations.

“By taking an intensive look into the issues affecting the area, Leadership Greenville prepares and motivates participants to provide quality, dynamic leadership,” the Chamber said.

Applications are online at greenvillechamber.org/class40.php.

For more information, contact Tami Miller at tmiller@greenvillechamber. org or 864-239-3743.

Union Events Center Campaign Begins the union county events Center Board of Directors, Lockhart Power Company and Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc. recently helped kick off a fundraising campaign, Breaking Ground, for a future Union County Events Center. Lockhart Power and Pacolet Milliken announced a joint donation of $100,000 to begin the campaign.

According to the Union County Events Center, the new location at 200 North Pinckney St. in Union will be “a state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot multipurpose facility to be used as a cul-

tural, educational and performing arts center.” It will feature a 300seat performance venue with a moveable stage and seating, as well as meeting rooms and conference rooms. There will also be facilities for food prep and serving, dressing rooms, support rooms and storage rooms.

Breaking Ground’s goal is the raise $4 million to construct the new Center through a countywide, public-private campaign.

For more information, visit facebook.com/grow unioncounty.

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UBJ Entrepreneurs

Click and Say ‘Aaah’ MyDocTime offers local doctor info and appointments online

By April A. Morris | staff

several upstate entrepreneurs have joined forces to create an online portal that can help patients find a nearby doctor or dentist who accepts their insurance, and then make an appointment online.

Founders Jim Ness and Warner Bouzek partnered with Web developer Michael Roberts of Utopia Net to develop the MyDocTime.

Bouzek, also a franchisee for Steak Out in Greenville and northern Florida, sat down with Upstate Business Journal to talk about the new venture.

How does MyDocTime work?

Physicians, dentists and chiropractors can sign up to be listed in the directory. They can also link their schedule directly to the site, allowing patients to see when an appointment is available and book it online. Think Travelocity for

doctors. If you’re going to the beach, you don’t go to Holiday Inn’s website, you go to Trave-

locity or Orbitz and you see all the hotels, their availability, you book your room online and you’re done.

Users can search using the parameters of ZIP code (distance), specialty and insurance carrier. The patient can notify the doctor of the reason for the visit, book an appointment, and they later receive an email confirmation. To

Work efficiently, close

deals and conduct meetings in the sophisticated, iPad-ready e-lounge and private offices

Connect in the upscale bar with great city

and mountain views; network with Greenville’s top business professionals

further save time, patients can download all the necessary forms from our site and fill them out before visiting the office. Anyone can search online, but must register using an email address to make an online appointment.

What is unique about this online service?

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meetings in our dynamic boardroom with hightech business amenities and signature service

Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com

MyDocTime is the first of its kind in the Upstate. There are similar services in larger cities. It’s just going to make everything so much faster and save time on the phone.

The service is especially beneficial to new residents. If a mother moves into town and needs a whole new list of doctors, she’s not going to spend half a week on the phone trying to determine if they are accepting new patients and her insurance. We’re streamlining the communication process in addition to streamlining the appointmentmaking process.

What are the advantages for providers listed on the directory?

In addition to saving time on staff calls, if a doctor or specialist is booked, a patient can be added to a waiting list, be notified if there is a cancellation and take that appointment. A lot of doctors have four or five cancellations a day, so the return just from that feature alone is a benefit. General practitioners can also see specialists’ available appointments and can choose one for the patient they are referring without having to use the phone.

Could you talk about some of the other features?

MyDoc Answers allows doctors to

respond to patient inquires, like requests for prescription refills or questions about how to deal with certain problems like a child with poison ivy. In addition, doctors can

post any medical articles that they have written. When users make an appointment, they also receive a reminder through email and can opt to receive a text, too.

How has response been since you launched the site?

We introduced it in early April and we’ve signed up about 150 doctors

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and dentists. We hope to eventually have all the Upstate doctors on board. During the two-year development, we received a lot of input from doctors and medical practitioners on what their needs were and how we could help them.

Because we’re a local company, we had the ability to change, adapt it and mold it to the market.

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Healthy Employees, Healthy Businesses

LiveWell Greenville lauds 10 companies building a fitter workforce by LEIGH SAVAGE | contributor This spring, 23 employees at Green Cloud Technologies

completed 439 workouts and lost 63 pounds. The efforts were part of the company’s fitness challenge and one of the reasons Green Cloud, a small startup located in the NEXT Innovation Center, is being recognized as one of Greenville’s healthiest workplaces.

“Green Cloud has a culture of wellness, and encourages people to stay active,” said Kendale Miller, marketing coordinator. “We believe that it provides some work-life balance and that fits with our culture. We encourage creativity, working hard and playing hard.”

On April 25, LiveWell Greenville announced the winners of the first LiveWell Workplace Awards, presented by Sportsclub, at the TD Center. Ten local companies were recognized for their effective workplace wellness programs, receiving gold, silver and bronze designations based on responses to a questionnaire.

Eleanor Dunlap, lead facilitator at LiveWell Greenville, said the organization was looking for com-

20 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

panies with a comprehensive wellness strategy that includes upperlevel support, a committee that monitors effectiveness, screenings that show problem areas and specific initiatives that support good health and well-being.

“We hope the awards will raise awareness for businesses who aren’t doing anything and those that are dabbling,” she said. “We want them to know what steps to take to implement programs that produce results. We also want to recognize those that are doing great work.”

The awards were presented in conjunction with the Healthy Workplace Expo, which brought together more than 25 vendors and included free educational sessions focusing on implementing and expanding

workplace wellness offerings.

The city of Greenville, which employs 921, received a bronze award for its efforts, which include an occupational health clinic and an employee health clinic.

Valentina Love, health clinic administrator, said each employee is eligible for free physicals, lab work and diagnostic testing, done on-site.

The city also provides a tobacco cessation program, a free flu clinic, and fun events such as a Biggest Loser competition.

Big payoff Love said there are multiple reasons for implementing wellness programs, but the easiest to quantify is the economic impact. About four years ago, the city had to raise its deductibles and copays, and that made wellness more of a priority.

For the 2013 plan, the city’s insurance company agreed to reduce costs by 3.5 percent, crediting the wellness program with leading to fewer large claims and reduced

Photo by Greg Beckner

utilization. “Our premiums decreased while everyone else’s were going up,” Love said.

Jennifer Floyd, vice president of human resources at Canal Insurance, said bolstering wellness programs has led to notable savings for the firm, which employs 230. “I think I’ve cracked the code of how we control health care costs,” she said. “It takes a significant amount of investment and patience. With health, you don’t see a turnaround in one month or six months.”

Now entering the third year of the expanded wellness program, which includes an on-site doctor’s office, Floyd said the proof is in the 10 percent reduction in expenses for those treated in the clinic.

“We saw so much advantage for operations on-site, and we saw return on our investment, so we invested in a space upfit and built the fitness facility,” she said. “It’s getting a lot of use. The expense is large, but not compared to what we are saving.”

Photo by Gerry Pate

“It’s a family-oriented organization, and we look after each other. It’s the right thing to do, and we do it without having to answer to the bottom line.”

Abby Russell, workplace wellness consultant at Rosenfeld Einstein

Research shows similar findings nationwide. A 2010 Harvard University study found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs, and that absentee day costs fall $2.73 for every dollar spent.

ScanSource, which received a silver award in the large-company division, employs about 600 locally and 1,600 around the world. Jessica Howard, wellness program manager, was hired in 2011 with the purpose of strengthening wellness efforts and creating a comprehensive wellness plan.

She said lowering healthcare costs is important, but so are employees who are “more productive, more engaged with customers, have less absenteeism, a more

Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.

positive attitude, and overall improved morale.”

Managers set an example by encouraging 10-minute walk breaks on an on-campus trail, having walking meetings instead of holding them in the conference room, and participating in lunchtime group classes like boot camp and yoga.

Howard has seen many instances of reduced blood pressure, reduction or elimination of maintenance medications, and reports of better quality of life.

“It saves Scansource money, but it also saves employees money by providing different resources to be healthy,” she said.

ABOVE, LEFT: Employees with Green Cloud Technologies jog along the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Cleveland Park. The company’s location in the NEXT building affords easy access to the trail. ABOVE, RIGHT: Personal trainer Nicole Tebano shows some of the equipment in Canal Insurance’s on-site gym to employee Jill Altland.

(continued on page 22)

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 21

Healthy Workplace winners For its first Healthy Workplace Awards, LiveWell Greenville honored 10 Upstate companies in three size categories.

Large companies (more than 500 employees): Greenville Health System Gold ScanSource Inc. Silver Bon Secours St. Francis Bronze City of Greenville Bronze Medium-sized companies (100-500 employees):

ABOVE, LEFT: Employees with Green Cloud Technologies jog along the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Cleveland Park. The company’s location in the NEXT building affords easy access to the trail.

Photo by Greg Beckner

“I think I’ve cracked the code of how we control health care costs. It takes investment and patience. You don’t see a turnaround in one month or six months.”

Jennifer Floyd, vice president of human resources at Canal Insurance

(continued from page 21)

Added incentive

Go Figure

$521

per employee spent on wellness-based incentives

9 out of 10

employers surveyed offer wellness-based incentives

54%

plan to expand incentives to include dependents Source: National Business Group study

A study from the National Business Group on Health found that 35 percent of companies use rewards or penalties based on smoking or use of tobacco, and 17 percent plan to add those incentives in 2013. Incentives based on measures such as weight and cholesterol are less common, with 10 percent using them in 2012, though that number is expected to triple to 33 percent this year.

Abby Russell, workplace wellness consultant at Rosenfeld Einstein, which received a silver designation, said tobacco cessation has been very successful at her company after becoming a tobacco-free campus two years ago.

“We added surcharges on medical premiums for those that use tobacco, and offered cessation classes on site. That was a big push, and the numbers showed a 50

22 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

percent reduction in smoking with most remaining smoke-free.”

At Canal, employees receive health insurance premium credits for being tobacco free and for progressing toward individual health goals. “It’s a highly interactive and customized wellness program,” Floyd said.

They city of Greenville offers a passport program that allows employees to earn points through a variety of healthy behaviors, and if they earn 100 points, they receive a “premium holiday,” meaning they

Photo by Gerry Pate

Hartness International Silver Elliott Davis Silver Southern Weaving Silver Canal Insurance Co. Bronze Small companies (fewer than 100 employees) Rosenfeld Einstein Silver Green Cloud Technologies Bronze

don’t have to pay the employee portion of their health insurance for one month.

Rosenfeld Einstein’s Russell said cost savings are important, but other factors are at play as well. “It’s a family-oriented organization, and we look after each other,” she said.

“It’s the right thing to do, and we do it without having to answer to the bottom line.”

Increased productivity, better retention and happier workers are some additional benefits, she said, as well as better recruitment of top talent looking for a company that values the health of its employees.

Howard Einstein, president of the employee benefits division at Rosenfeld Einstein, said healthy workers are better workers and spend less on health care. “And it is the right message to our folks,” he said. “We care about our people.

It’s not all about compensation. A lot of things you can’t quantify.”

‘I’m the Lucky One’

Debbie Bell chooses nonprofit arts organization over family business

By Cindy Landrum Staff Writer

Debbie Bell

It wasn’t a difficult decision for Debbie Bell to forego a career in the family real estate business. ¶ Her mother, the late Shirley Halter, had always told her to find something she was passionate about, and Bell discovered that selling real estate and being a company administrator at the Caine Co. wasn’t it. ¶ Instead, Bell has worked for the South Carolina Children’s Theatre for 25 years – the past 14 years as its executive director.

Debbie Bell Occupation Executive director of the South Carolina Children’s Theatre Family husband, Mike Bell; two children, Lauren and David; two grandchildren, Foster and Libby; father, the late Frank Halter; mother, the late Shirley Halter; brothers, Brad Halter and the late Caine Halter; sister, Laura Sardone.

Education Greenville High, 1970; Converse College, 1973.

First job Flipping hamburgers at the Roper Mountain Science Center lunch stand.

You had a chance to get involved in the family business.

Why didn’t you take that route?

My mom was always encouraging me to find something I felt passionate about; somewhere I could make a difference.

Being a company administrator at Caine Co. wasn’t that for me. My dad talked to me along the way about going into the family business, but I never felt pressured. My brother, Brad, has told me at the end of the day, I’m the lucky one because I get up every day and make a difference.

How did you get involved with the SCCT? I had no idea I had a passion for it until my children auditioned for “Dracula Spectacular” in 1989. I started volunteering and I realized my heart was here. Theater is life-altering for a child. I didn’t want to sell real estate. Once you live around all this creativity, you can’t leave it.

What’s next for the SCCT? My next goal is to build a home for the Children’s Theatre.

We’ve been gifted some land next to our current building by Josephine Cureton (including the two-story gray Victorian house at 133 Augusta which must be demolished according to Cureton’s will and the land trust she established), a very dear friend of mine. The Children’s Theatre has always had loan facilities or rentals. We’ve never had space that was totally appropriate for our programming. There is so much more we’d like to do. We are studying what we can do in the new space. We hope to begin work on the site within the next three years.

What’s the SCCT’s biggest challenge?

Funding and a building. We cannot grow a single drop right now. Many times we’ve got three classes going on at the same time. Funding for paid programming is healthy. Funding

Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@communityjournals.com.

for outreach programs is always a challenge, especially as the corporate world cuts back. We’re working to develop an individual giving campaign. I’m continually reminding our staff and board that we’re not an agency. Yes, we’re trying to provide programming for children from all walks of life. But we’ve got to keep the doors open and raise funds in the community to provide programming.

With whom would you like to have a conversation?

My brother, Caine, especially as we enter this phase of our capital campaign. Even though he was my baby brother, I often went to him for advice. I’d love to have another conversation with him, especially now.

What’s your most important belief?

Integrity. Maintaining integrity in everything we do is one of my guiding principles. I believe you have to treat people with respect. We provide a haven for all types of children and adults.

That was taught to me by my parents and by my brother, Caine. I think about it every time I have to make a decision.

What has been the biggest surprise in your life?

Grandchildren and how life-altering they are. When you are with them, nothing else matters but those little people. How would you ever know you could love something so much in your life? Grandchildren can turn the worst day into the best day just by smiling at you. They are so transformational, and with the deaths our family has been through, they have truly saved us.

What’s your favorite movie?

“The Sound of Music.” I love the music, I love the way the children seemed so carefree. It’s a beautiful story with beautiful music.

“Even though Caine was my baby brother, I often went to him for advice.

I’d love to have another conversation with him, especially now.”

Debbie Bell

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 23

Photo by Greg Beckner

profile

Photos by Gerry Pate

Julian Crawford, CEO of Imperial Paints

Keeping Chemicals Off the Wall Spartanburg’s Lullaby Paints aims to bring VOC-free color into more lives

By Dick Hughes | senior business writer

A Spartanburg company holds North American marketing and technology rights for odorless and toxin-free paints and varnishes for nurseries, hospitals or anyone wanting or needing to live within walls free of chemicals.

The company, Imperial Paints, holds rights to ECOS Paints, which has been selling organic paint in Great Britain and Europe for 25 years. It was developed by a paint chemist, Ian West, who himself got sick around paint fumes and chemicals.

In its first major marketing thrust, Imperial launched its first brand, Lullaby Paint, last May on the Internet and in specialty stores that appeal to parents of newborns, said CEO Julian Crawford.

“It has gone very well for us,” he said. “The group we are focused on is moms, 21 to 35. They are very Internet-savvy and extremely educated about the health and safety of their babies.”

No Harmful Chemicals Coming off Baby’s Wall

You can put a baby into a room freshly painted with Lullaby right away because there is no odor and no chemicals coming out of the walls as with traditional paints that emit chemicals for three to five years, he said.

24 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

ECOS paints and varnishes emit no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which the Environmental Protection Agency classifies as an indoor contributor to respiratory illness, allergies, asthma, nausea, cancer and, particularly for babies and infants, cognitive development issues.

Crawford stressed that unlike many “environmentally friendly products, paint in particular,” ECOS paints perform just as well as conventional latex- and oil-based paints.

“We don’t have to deal with the compromise in performance. The product actually performs better. It is beautiful. It covers well. It dries quickly. It works as a premium quality product but has characteristics of an environmentally friendly product.”

ECOS Paints Praised By the Eco-Friendly

The water-based paints come in 32 colors. A full line of VOC-free varnishes and floor finishes is available.

In a test of Lullaby Paints by independent California blog InterioRevolution, designer Rachel Hulan found the paint to be “smooth, no splatter application, very nice consistency. Odor is virtually non-existent.

Children exposed to

Especially good choice for those with chemical sensiWhen ‘Zero VOCs’ Equals Some VOCs paints containing tivities or for use in a nursery or child’s bedroom.”

Imperial, the umbrella Spartanburg company, mixes propylene glycol and Healthy Child, Healthy World, a California-based paints from materials shipped from Europe in an glycol ethers have: nonprofit that promotes environmentally friendly and industrial building on Rainforest Clevedale Road off 100% higher harmless products for children, accepted Lullaby as U.S. 29. The company has 10 employees. likelihood of being safe and effective.

“The plan is to produce here, but set up satellite Crawford expects an upcoming study by the Harvard offices in other states,” Crawford said regarding future School of Public Health will add scientific credibility growth. “We could manufacture here and ship in bulk 150% higher to the safety and efficacy of ECOS paints. to another place to reduce cost and increase speed to likelihood of Starting with marketing focused on the most vulnerconsumers.” able, babies and pregnant women, ECOS is spreading About $8 billion a year is spent on paints in the its message to hospitals and clinical settings where Unites States, and Crawford believes the company 320% higher pristine environments are critical. can carve out a significant niche with customers inlikelihood of In the coming weeks, Crawford said, the company creasingly concerned about the health and environwill be “talking to a number of hospitals about using mental hazards of conventional paints.

Lullaby Paint in their neonatal units,” as well as to use Still, he said, one disadvantage is that regulatory Source: Harvard School of Public Health study, 2010 “almost the same paint” for renovation repainting. controls of chemicals in paints in the U.S. are weaker A hospital in California and one in Georgia already than in the United Kingdom and Europe, where VOCs plan “repainting major units” with ECOS paint, and are more stringently restricted.

Crawford has begun talks with Spartanburg Regional Hospital and the The EPA allows paints to contain up to 250 grams, or 33 ounces per Greenville Health System to convince them to use ECOS paints. gallon, of VOCs per liter, and manufacturers are allowed to label paint containing five grams per liter, or 0.677 ounces per gallon, as “zero VOC.” Paint Dries in Room,Patient Settled in Bed As ECOS puts it, “Let’s spell that out clearly: Even a standard that “With our paint, if a room becomes vacant, it can be repainted; and as purports to be a definition of healthy paints allows for more than 6 ounces soon as it is dry, you can put someone in it, so hospitals get an efficiency of VOCs in a gallon of paint.” improvement,” as well as a room free of VOCs, Crawford said.

The company also is spreading the word within the green community in the building industry. An “environmentally friendly” company building a headquarters in Spartanburg plans to use ECOS paints, Crawford said. “Their motivation is purely to do the right thing for their employees.”

He did not identify the company.

ECOS paints cost considerably more than the low-end paints of the major companies such as Sherwin-Williams, PPG and Benjamin Moore, but “the price is about the same” as their premium brands, Crawford said. “Our product is more expensive to produce, but not massively more expensive.”

A gallon of soft sheen eggshell, the paint used by InterioRevolution for its test, is priced at $59.95 on ECOS’ website. It has more expensive specialty brands, including more protective nursery paint at $150.95 per gallon and a $134.95-per-gallon “atmosphere purifying paint” that removes Imperial Paints CEO Julian Crawford with some of his company’s Lullaby Paints products volatile pollutants from the air.

asthma eczema

rhinitis

‘We’ve Got a Lot of Things to Do’ ECOS Paints was brought to Spartanburg in 2008 by an English couple asked to set up its first North America subsidiary after two decades of success in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Robert and Christina Emptage, who were new to the paint business, picked the Upstate as their location “purely for personal reasons,” said Julian Crawford, CEO of the company that exists today.

“A friend in the U.K. said

the people in this area are nice, and you should go there, and that is why they came.”

Although ECOS’ full line of odorless and VOC-free paints and varnishes had been on the market in Europe for many years, the company did not sell in the States until it decided to manufacture and market here.

Crawford, also a British citizen, who was a director of consulting for SwaimBrown – a regional CPA, consulting and wealth management firm

in Spartanburg – helped the Emptages go through the hoops of setting up the ECOS subsidiary in South Carolina.

Initially, the subsidiary struggled financially, and two years ago Crawford, with other investors, purchased North American rights to the technology from ECOS and incorporated as Imperial Paint. The main investor is in Atlanta but the majority are in Spartanburg, Crawford said.

Robert and Christina Emptage, who live in Greer, remain with the company.

“What I thought the

Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.

business lacked was exposure for customers,” Crawford said. “You have to explain to people why they should have a paint that is different, why you should care about the chemicals in conventional paints.”

Crawford, 46, and his wife settled in Spartanburg in 1999 when he was made sales and marketing manager and later vice president of a division of Johns Manville, which later was sold to a Japanese company.

“I worked for them for a few years and then they

wanted me to move to the Netherlands.” But Crawford, his wife and their two children, ages 12 and 13, decided “this was a good place” to live and declined the transfer.

Crawford remains director of consulting for SwaimBrown but is spending 90 percent of his time building ECOS production and marketing to take advantage of the time, available resources and opportunity.

“We’ve got a lot of things to do,” he said.

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 25

UBJ The Takeaway

By Marion Mann, senior marketing manager, Greenville Chamber

‘Advocate, Collaborate and Excel’

Both speakers stressed the importance of creating environments where inclusiveness is truly welcome, and where the right kinds of debates, those with differing views, are coveted. And that when organizations are intentional about wanting diverse thought in the room, they can then find the individuals with the talent they need.

They acknowledged that we don’t always have to agree, but that when we listen respectfully to one another’s stories and experiences, we

provoke thought, and that is what can bring us together and allow us to move forward with mutual understanding.

Obligation: “When I choose to help others, it’s not a mandate.

It’s the moral compass inside me that says it’s the right thing to do.” –Walter Davis Most of us have the desire to make the world a better place than we found it. Part of that obligation can be as simple as inviting others Walter Davis and Bridget-Anne Hampden

to the table, and to be sincere in including those who have been disenfranchised. In order to do that, we must create environments where inclusiveness is truly welcome, and not a requirement. Obligation has two sides, as Hampden noted: “For those to whom much is given, much is expected.” When we desire to be a part of a free and caring society, not closed and careless, we obligate ourselves to contribute however best we can.

Terminology: “I may be in the minority, but I am not a minority.” – Walter Davis Davis noted that part of taking inclusion to the next level is changing the language. If you think of yourself as a minority, you establish yourself as “lesser than.” Davis acknowledged his mentor, a banker whose feedback and coaching encouraged him to go to both business and banking school. “Mason never used the word ‘minority,’” Davis remembered. “To him, black is black, white is white and green is green. And when you work harder, work smarter, you will be successful.”

Find a Mentor. Be a Mentor: “Identify someone you can build a mutually beneficial relationship with.”

– Bridget-Anne Hampden Mentors and mentees can find value in bilateral mentoring. Both sides can benefit by learning from experiences as well as generational and cultural differences. You have to care about one another and understand up front what the goals are. According to Hampden, “There has to be urgency about this. Look for someone you can help.”

26 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

WHO WAS THERE: A sold-out, diverse audience of 300 Greenville Chamber members and community and business leaders SPEAKERS: Walter Davis, co-CEO of CertusBank; Bridget-Anne Hampden, deputy chief information officer for the United States Department of Education TOPIC: Advancing Minority Leadership and Corporate Board Service EVENT SPONSORS: CertusBank, Greenville Technical College, The Idea Group and 107.3 JAMZ Opportunity: In an effort to serve as a resource for connecting organizations with qualified individuals, the Chamber developed the Diversity Leadership Pipeline (DLP). This online tool allows individuals interested in serving in leadership capacities to provide their interests and contact information to be considered and connected when opportunities for volunteer leadership are presented to the Chamber. The DLP is online at greenvillechamber.org/ diversity-leadership-pipeline.php. For more information about this and the Chamber’s CAPACITY initiative, contact Nika White at 864-239-3727.

Upcoming event: The Greenville Chamber and the Riley Institute at Furman, in partnership with Upstate Chambers, will host the ninth annual event to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the region. The Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards Dinner will be held on May 23 at the TD Convention Center. Event registration and award nominations are online at GreenvilleChamber.org.

Photo Provided

THE GREENVILLE CHAMBER’s CAPACITY initiative to foster economic development through diversity and inclusion was launched in 2012. The ACE Leadership Symposium lunchtime event at the Poinsett Club engaged the business community in a candid conversation about the importance of diversity to a thriving, vibrant economy. ¶ Walter Davis was named co-CEO of CertusBank, now headquartered in Greenville, in February 2012 after serving in many roles there, at Wachovia and Bank of America. Bridget-Anne Hampden, originally from Guyana, has more than 20 years of IT-related experience in the banking industry.

EVENT: Greenville Chamber’s ACE Leadership Symposium

UBJ Planner saturday April 27 Smartphone Classes Various Verizon Wireless Stores in the Upstate Topic: Android: Getting Started Cost: Free, but registration is required at verizonwireless.com/ workshops.

Open House Airwolf Aviation, 100 Tower Drive, Greenville; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Open House will provide the opportunity for persons interested in career pilot training to see Airwolf’s facility and have their questions answered. Refreshments will be provided.

RSVP at: flyairwolf.com or 1-877- 3-FLYING. For more information: call Cyndy Hollman, chief flight instructor, at 864-202-3342.

MONday April 29 GCS Roundtable The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Speaker: Myles Golden Topic: Do’s and Don’ts of Networking

Call: Golden Career Strategies at 864-5270425 to request an invitation.

Chamber Presents!

Stella’s Southern Bistro, 684C Fairview Road, Simpsonville; noon-1:15 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Larry Gluck, director of the Cancer Center at Greenville Health System Topic: The hospital and its work in our community.

Cost: $15 for Simpsonville Chamber members, $20 for non-Chamber members.

Contact: Allison McGarity at amcgarity@simpsonville chamber.com

NxLevel for Entrepreneurs (Existing Businesses) Upstate Workforce Investment Board, 102 Commerce St., Spartanburg; 6-9 p.m.

For entrepreneurs who want to expand an existing business and need the skills to make it grow.

Cost: $195 per person Register at: bizbuildersc.com

TUESday April 30 Affordable Care Act Executive Roundtable Clemson at the Falls, Board Room, 55 E Camperdown Way, Greenville; 7:45-10:30 a.m.

Speakers: Andrew Coburn, Wyche Attorneys; Keith Giddens, Dixon, Hughes, Goodman Accounting; and Todd Swayne, The Gilston Insurance Agency Program includes breakfast from Soby’s on the Side.

Wednesday May 1 Costco Speed Networking Costco, 1021 Woodruff Road, Greenville; 7-9:30 a.m.

Speaker: Michael Riordan, CEO of Greenville Health Systems Open to all Upstate Chamber members.

Continental breakfast will be served.

RSVP to: Lisa Lanz at 864-297-2578 or w01005mbr@costco. com

AM Think Tank

Women’s Meet & Greet: Derby Party

Chamber Office, 211 N Main St., Simpsonville; 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.

Gleneagle Apartments, 1011 W. Butler Road, Mauldin; 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Event Description: The purpose of this group is to discuss ideas and challenges you might be having within your own business with other members that might have faced the same circumstances and how they got through it.

Bring a beverage and a snack if you like.

Cost: Free to attend as part of your Chamber membership.

Contact: Becky at 864-963-3781 to RSVP.

The event will feature line dancing, derby hats, karaoke and networking.

Smartphone Classes Various Verizon Wireless Stores in the Upstate Topic: Android: Getting Started Cost: Free, but registration is required at verizonwireless.com/ workshops.

Manufacturers Roundtable Greenville Chamber, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Speaker: Jack Ellenberg, SC Ports Authority Topic: Inland Port Update Note: This event is open to top leaders in regional manufacturing facilities.

Cost: Free to Greenville Chamber members, $11 for guests Contact: Darlene Parker at 864-239-3706

registration is required at verizonwireless.com/ workshops.

Wednesday May 2 Julie Hughes Shabkie Artist Opening Coldwell Banker Caine, 428 S. Main St., Greenville; 5-9 p.m.

Friday May 4 Smartphone Classes

Smartphone Classes

Various Verizon Wireless Stores in the Upstate

Various Verizon Wireless Stores in the Upstate

Topic: Android: Getting Started Cost: Free, but registration is required at verizonwireless.com/ workshops.

Topic: Android: Getting Started Cost: Free, but

Calendar Got a hot date?

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

Offering the capabilities of a “BIG” bank

with the local knowledge and personal service

www.PinnacleBankSC.com

you deserve.

UBJ Square Feet Rhett Street Project Breaks Ground charlotte based lat purser & Associates recently broke ground on a new apartment complex on Rhett Street in Greenville. The building will be four stories over two levels parking with independent street access to each level.

The 150-unit building will be 157,580 SF with an additional 71,879 SF spread over the two parking levels. The building will also feature a large private courtyard with a saltwater swimming pool, fireplaces, televisions, shuffleboard court, outdoor kitchen, multiple private seating areas, fully equipped fitness center, and clubhouse, as well as a “sports bar”-like media room with multiple televisions.

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LEFT: Construction begins with Adolfson & Peterson Construction Co. doing the work.

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ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Breaking ground for Rhett 400, Fred Bolt, Amy Ryberg Doyle, Mayor Knox White, Adam Purser, Lat Purser and John LaPenta.

Photos by Gerry Pate

3 offices.

36 brokers.

600 deals completed in 2012.

4 million+ SF under property management.

The Upstate’s leader in Commercial Real Estate.

Celebrating 27 Years 101 E Washington Street Suite 400 Greenville, South Carolina 29601 864 232 9040 naiearlefurman.com

DEAL M A K ERS Spencer/Hines Properties, Inc. announced: Guy Harris represented Srj Investments, LLC in the 2,500 SF lease at 115 E. Blackstock Road, Unit B, Spartanburg, for restaurant use. The lessee, PAPE LLC, was represented by Craig Jacobs. NAI Earle Furman LLC is the property management company for this center.

Guy Harris served as listing and leasing agent for 2,283 +/- SF that was rented for a business lease by Crossroads Environmental at 1258 Boiling Springs Road, Spartanburg.

David Strickland represented the lessor, ARTEP LLC, in the multi-lease renewal of 7,500 SF at 330 E Wingo Heights, Spartanburg, to Emerald Compounding LLC. Strickland also represented the Lessor, ARTEP LLC. David Strickland served as listing and leasing agent for 2,500 SF that was leased at 1791 E. Blackstock Road, Unit A, Spartanburg, for a tattoo and piercing parlor to Twisted Needle Tattoo.

The lessor is Echo 31.

Andy Hayes represented the buyer, The Windsor Exchange Corp., who purchased 0.41 acres at 100 E. Kennedy St., Spartanburg, from RDN Holdings LLC. The closing was March 26, 2013, with a sale price of $700,000. The listing agent was Pegasus Investments.

Guy Harris was dual agent for the 22,734

+/- SF former Wynnsong Movie Theatre on 4.64 +/- acres at 1640 John B. White Sr. Blvd., Spartanburg. The closing took place on March 27, 2013 for $1,250,000.00. The buyer was Sampaquita Investments LLC, and the seller FBSA I LLC. NAI Earle Furman announced: Ted Lyerly, Jimmy Wright and Renee Dunlap represented the landlord of 2531 Woodruff Road, Simpsonville in leasing a 2,800 SF retail space in suites 105 and 106 to Hollipops, a toy store.

Keith Jones represented the landlord of Green Gate Office Park at 25 Woods Lake Road, Greenville, in leasing a 6,867 SF office property in Building 8, Suite 802, to Lifepoint Community Church.

Towers Rice represented the landlord of 2432 Hwy. 72, Greenwood in leasing a 3,000 SF flex space to GCA Jets.

Ted Lyerly and Jimmy Wright represented the landlord of 30 Ray E. Talley Court, Simpsonville, in leasing an 11,700 SF retail space. The tenant will be Ace Hardware.

Peter Couchell represented the landlord of 415-C N. Pleasantburg Drive,

Greenville, in leasing a 5,000 SF retail space to SalonCentric Inc. Tim Roller represented Abbeville Holdings LLC in selling an 8,450 SF retail property at 809 W. Greenwood St., Abbeville, to Abbeville TEI Diversified I LLC. Jon Good and Earle Furman represented the purchaser of 3435 Clemson Blvd., Anderson, in purchasing the 6,080 SF retail investment property.

Goodyear Auto Service Center is the tenant.

Michael Greer and Towers Rice represented the owner of 16 International Court, Mauldin in selling a 10,000 SF industrial property.

Ted Lyerly and Jimmy Wright represented Dialysis Venture Partners of Greenville in purchasing a 1.4 acre land property on Pete Hollis Blvd., Greenville.

Tim Roller represented the seller of 102 W. Main St., Liberty, in selling a 5,840 SF retail property. The site will be a CVS drugstore.

Glenn Batson represented the seller of 8 N. Palmetto St., Liberty, in selling a 1,900 SF office property.

80 years of homework around the kitchen counter.

The real estate professionals of the Caine Companies have always known real estate is about more than buying, selling or leasing houses and buildings.

It’s about helping people come home—which we’ve been doing for the past 80 years. Let us help you find your dream home—visit cbcaine.com

John Powell represented the seller of the Liberty Post Office space at 28 N. Commerce St., Liberty.

DEAL of the WEEK Peter Couchell, Stuart Wyeth and Jake Van Gieson represented the seller of Pelham Oaks Shopping Center at 1440 Pelham Road, Greenville, in selling the 56,000 SF retail investment property.

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 29

UBJ The Fine Print Filter Maker Picks Spartanburg A.L. Solutions, an Israeli company that makes vehicle filters, is investing $3.6 million in its first North American manufacturing plant to be placed in Spartanburg County.

The company, which makes small to very large auto and truck filters for sale in the aftermarket under third-party brand names, said it eventually would create 80 new jobs.

The company already has set up equipment for making filters at the Tyger River campus of Spartanburg Community College under the county’s soft-landing program.

A.L. can stay at Tyger River rent-free for up to a year to find a permanent location in the county. The company also has received state approval for credits on business income taxes if hiring goals are met.

“This new facility will allow us to manufacture in the United States and help us enter new markets to expand out business,” said Doug Buffington, A.L. president.

A.L. has a warehouse and headquarters for North America in New Jersey, and Spartanburg County officials have said they are trying to induce the company to move warehousing to Spartanburg to be near its manufacturing.

Councilman David Britt, chairman of the recruitment committee, said SCC’s soft-landing program and the county’s Economic Futures Group were instrumental in bringing A.L. to Spartanburg.

Gov. Nikki Haley and Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt issued celebratory statements about the new plant and promised jobs.

The company has begun hiring.

Applicants are asked to contact Bob Schulmeister, general manager, at 864-502-6316.

Give us a call. We originate and underwrite all our mortgage loans so we can be more flexible than lenders like commercial banks who will sell your loan to the secondary market.

Local Mortgage Loans Since 1907

30 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

Italian Firm Likes Laurens Alupress AG, an Italian company in aluminum casting, plans to invest $19.9 million in a manufacturing plant in Laurens County that is expected to create 57 new jobs.

The company recently purchased Koerber LLC, a subsidiary of a German company that created its first U.S. plant in Laurens County’s Hunter Industrial Park in 2008.

Alupress said the company would open a new 30,000-square-foot plant for aluminum castings for the auto industry.

It is expected to begin operations next year and start hiring in January.

The state approved credits on the company’s South Carolina income taxes if it achieves job-creation goals.

“Alupress is another example of industry realizing success in a rural county,” said Laurens County Councilman Jim Coleman Gov. Nikki Haley and Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt cheered the company’s decision to locate in Laurens.

‘Best in Class’ for Recruiter The Upstate SC Alliance, the privatepublic business recruiter, has been recognized as “best in class” by Business Facilities magazine, a publication aimed at site-selectors.

The magazine gave the alliance its Achievement in Public Private Partnership Award, saying it “established a standard of service and performance for its region that deserves to be cited as best in class.”

Hal Johnson, CEO, said the alliance was honored by the recognition but said local economic teams in the 10-county region deserve the credit.

“We find projects, but they close the deals and win the business.”

Jack Rogers, editor of Business Facilities, said the Upstate Alliance’s “solid regional strategy and the cooperative partnerships … are prerequisites for success in today’s ultra-competitive economic development.”

Taking LED to New Heights Hubbell Lighting, which is based in Greenville, introduced innovative LED lighting products at LIGHTFAIR International 2013, a trade show for architectural and commercial lighting held this week in Philadelphia.

Hubbell said it demonstrated two new technologies for architectural

are encouraged to benefit the Child Life Program at Children’s Hospital of Greenville Health System.

Chamber’s April Honoree

down lighting from high commercial building ceilings: a 12,000 lumen MegaLum and a piping system to transfer heat away from LEDs 10 times faster than conduction systems.

In another development, Hubbell demonstrated the first outdoor LED luminaire controlled by Bluetooth.

“Hubbell Lighting has always been a leader in professional-grade wireless control, and our innovative use of Bluetooth technology in Kim Lighting’s LightVault 8 is nothing short of brilliant,” said Scott Muse, president.

BMW Wins Quality Trifecta BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg has been certified by an international body for policies and practices to protect and improve the health and safety of workers.

The certification of Occupational Health & Safety Assessment, OHSAS 18001, follows previous certification by the International Standards Organization for quality standards, which BMW has had since 1998, and for environmental practices.

“Certification in all three areas becomes the foundation for the company’s future financial success supporting the company’s sustainability strategy,” BMW said in a news release.

“Our management system clearly defines the principles and processes that ensure the quality of our products, the safety of our team members and protection of the environment,” said Duncan Seaman, head of market operations.

95 Percent Made in USA

Airless Tire is Award Finalist Michelin North America is a finalist for an Edison Award in transportation for applying “revolutionary technology” to adopt its airless radial tire for use on heavy-duty vehicles.

“This is a tremendous honor for Michelin,” said Tim Fulton, head of Michelin Tweel Technologies. “Michelin’s Tweel first fascinated the world with the concept of the airless radial tire, and we are now using this revolutionary technology in the construction, agriculture, refuse and landscaping industries.”

The Edison awards are given in the name of Thomas Alva Edison to encourage persistent creative and innovative excellence.

The Tweel is a non-pneumatic tire with the characteristics of a radial but without the risk and downtime caused by punctures and loss of air.

A 2,900-square-foot home built with more than 95 percent American materials will open for public tours May 1 at Ruskin Square in Hollingsworth Park, Greenville.

The home was built by The Cottage Group/A Dillard-Jones Co. with support from Southern Living, This Old House, Builders First Source and Hollingsworth Park-Verdae.

“Studies have show that if every builder bought just five percent more American-made materials, it would generate 220,000 American jobs,” The Cottage Group said in announcing the public tours.

Tom Dillard, president of The Cottage Group of Dillard-Jones, said the All-American Cottage is a testimony to the ingenuity and quality craftsmanship of products made in the United States.

The cottage will be open to the public Thursday through Sunday, May 2-19, from 1-6 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturdays. There is no admission charge, but contributions

Human Technologies Inc. is the Greenville Chamber’s April Small Business of the Month.

HTI, which was founded in 1999, has its base in Greenville with offices in Anderson, Mauldin, Seneca and Spartanburg and also in Charlotte, N.C., Gainesville, Ga., and in Water Valley and Oxford, Miss.

Founded in Greenwood, the company moved its headquarters to downtown Greenville in 2001.

Herb Dew is president, John Knight is vice president and David Sewell is director of sales. All are founders of HTI.

Postcards Goes Online Linda McDougald Design/Postcard from Paris Home has launched an online boutique to showcase curated items, from fine gifts to antiques.

Linda McDougald, principal and lead designer, said “e-commerce is an essential sales channel for any retail

business” and that she expects the online boutique will evolve beyond sales of gifts and furnishings to integration of design expertise with product offerings.

The online store can be accessed from postcardfromparis.com. The company has stores in downtown Greenville and at The Shops at Greenridge.

Defense Work for Greenville Lockheed Martin in Greenville has been assigned the task of modifying infrared countermeasure kits for Lockheed’s C-130 J, the large Super Hercules aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force awarded the company a $9.25-million contract for the work to be completed by March 31, 2015.

The funds are in the defense department’s fiscal 2011 budget.

UBJ On the Move

HIRED Malcolm “Bo” Hastings Joined GreenWood Inc., an integrated operations, maintenance and construction solutions provider, as Corporate Director of Construction Operations. Hastings is a 30-year construction industry veteran with experience in heavy mechanical and industrial construction projects, construction management services, direct hire programs, engineering processes and startup. His market experience includes project work within the petroleum, chemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, energy and general manufacturing markets.

Before joining GreenWood, he performed project work for Jacobs, Day & Zimmerman, Rust, and Brown & Root (now KBR).

CONSTRUCTION/ENGINEERING: Mavin Construction recently welcomed Ryan Boiter, Tyson Boulton and Robert Hill as superintendents. Boiter has worked since 2008 as superintendent for SYS Constructors Inc. following graduation from the University of Alabama. Boulton contributes over 15 years of professional construction experience to the Mavin team. He was a superintendent for SYS Constructors Inc. from 2007-2012, and worked with Boulton Construction in Fort Myers, Fla., for over 10 years. Hill contributes over 14 years of professional experience as a superintendent for Beers-York Construction and superintendent at SYS Constructors, Inc. O’Neal Inc., a Greenville-based integrated design and construction

HIRED

HIRED

Bill Lawton

Moe Megan

firm, has hired Eric Rose as business development manager. Rose has more than 20 years of professional experience in business development of process and industrial services. He has experience with Rockwell Automation and most recently Day and Zimmermann in Greenville.

EDUCATION: Bob Jones University recently announced the appointment of Ken Still as chief financial officer to replace John Matthews who will move full-time into his new role as vice president for advancement and alumni relations. Still most recently served as vice president of Finance and Corporate Treasurer (CFO) for Aldersgate United Methodist Retirement Community in Charlotte, N.C. He is also a certified public accountant. Prior to his most recent position, he served as vice president of finance and corporate controller, interim CFO, group controller – treasury, and director of accounting with SantaFe HealthCare Inc. and as a senior auditor with Arthur

Andersen & Company. Matthews has been serving as chief financial officer, vice president for finance and vice president for advancement and alumni relations since December. He is a licensed certified public accountant and worked at Ernst & Young for two years before joining the BJU accounting faculty and later becoming the assistant chief financial officer.

NONPROFIT: Upstate Forever recently announced the addition of Emily Neely and Kate Premo to its staff. Neely is Upstate Forever’s new development associate, returning to the organization after serving as Program Manager for Upstate Forever’s Spartanburg office from 2004-2008. She is experienced in nonprofit and higher education programming, has written for local and regional publications such as Spartanburg Magazine, the Converse Bulletin and the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, and taught undergraduate coursework on traditional musics of the American South. Premo has worked with several environmentally focused nonprofit organizations in the Upstate, most

Joined Keller Williams Realty as broker in charge to the teams in the Greenville Market Center and Augusta Street Business Center.

Lawton has been a Realtor for over 15 years, and has been a top producer the majority of his career. He co-founded The Lawton Team in 1998, and in three short years helped grow the team greatly. He joined Keller Williams in 2009, first as a Realtor, and now as broker in charge and assistant team leader.

32 Upstate business journal April 26, 2013

Joined the staff of Brains on Fire as community manager for the VisitGreenvilleSC and Tinkernation accounts. Megan is a graduate of Furman University with a degree in South Asian Religion and Music. Her previous work experience includes social media direction for the scooter company Zike LLC as well as studio management for Getzcreative Photography.

HONORED Bryan Kohart

Senior environmental engineer for Renewable Water Resources (ReWa); recently recognized at the South Carolina Environmental Conference (SCEC) with the Water Environment Association of South Carolina (WEASC) Engineer of the Year Award. The award is given to an engineer who is responsible for the design of a facility, or has demonstrated excellence by managing, directing, operating, education, research or pollution prevention on a project in the field of wastewater collection, treatment, or residual management. Since 2005, Kohart has served as a leader for ReWa, bringing countless projects to fruition with environment-minded results. He has been a senior environmental engineer for ReWa since December 2005. recently the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities, and is now a project associate for Upstate Forever’s Clean Air and Water Program. She is also certified as a Senior Sustainability Professional.

The Friends of the Greenville Zoo recently welcomed Lynn King operations coordinator/grants administrator.

King brings years of experience working in the nonprofit arena including management and community outreach at Healthy Smiles of Spartanburg, as well as at Regenesis Health Care.

PUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETING: Jackson Marketing Group (JMG),

HIRED Michael Kramer

PROMOTED Eric Jarinko

Promoted to vice president – assistant general manager of the Greenville Drive. Jarinko, a 2004 graduate of Clemson University, is currently in his eighth season with the Drive. Last season, he served as the Drive’s vice president of ballpark experience. Prior to last season, he served as senior director of media and marketing services from 2010-11 and media relations director from 20062009. During that time, he was named South Atlantic League Media Relations Director of the Year in 2009 and 2010.

South Carolina’s largest business-tobusiness integrated marketing communications agency, recently welcome Lorie Stacey as an account coordinator, Jonas Buckner as an interactive developer, and Keller Foster as a copywriter. Stacey comes to JMG with eight years of advertising and marketing experience in Chicago, where she worked on major client brands such as Acura, Saturn and Anheuser-Busch theme parks. Prior to joining the team, Buckner worked at East Tennessee State University as a research assistant in the physics department. Foster worked as a copywriter for two different agencies before starting a greeting card business and freelancing for the past few years.

REAL ESTATE: Coldwell Banker Caine recently recognized its top-producing agents in property sales and listings from each of its five offices – Easley, Greenville,

HIRED Lindsay Koeper

Hired as project manager with Mavin Construction. Koeper graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering. She was previously a project manager for SYS Construction Inc. for four years. Koeper’s expertise is client retention.

Greer, Seneca and Spartanburg – for the March. The top producing agents from each office are ranked by the total volume of business closed last month and include: Susan McCoy, Carol Walsh and Heather Parlier for Easley; Helen Hagood, Jacob Mann and Pete Edge for Greenville; Charlene Panek, Faith Ross and Susan Wagner for Greer; Pat Loftis, Barry Voeltz and Lauren Willis for Seneca; and Donna Morrow, Rhonda Porter and Judy McCravy for Spartanburg. Top listing agents in each office are recognized for listing the highest total volume of residential properties last month and include: Susan McCoy, Kathy Gallamore and Carol Walsh for Easley; Sharon Wilson, Jacob Mann and Nick Carlson for Greenville; Faith Ross, Linda Wood and Alicia Waynick for Greer; Pat Loftis, Jere duBois and Brett Smagala for Seneca; and Francie Little, Eva Sandfort and Holly West for Spartanburg.

Keller Williams Realty recently announced that following people have recently joined the company: Joe Foice as a real estate broker and residential

Joined Table 301 Restaurant Group as executive chef of culinary operations. Kramer graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and spent his apprenticeship at La Folie restaurant under legendary French chef Roland Passot. He moved on to Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Los Angeles and then to the famed Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas under celebrity chef Dean Fearing.

After his tenure at the Mansion, he was recruited to open McCrady’s in Charleston. appraiser; Matt Miller as a member of the Ashley Lewis Team; David Porter as a realtor; Bambi Crumley as a buyer specialist for the J. Michael Manley Team; Tanya Strickland as a buyer specialist for the Victoria Cottle Group; Jenny Hawkins as a buyer specialist for the Turner Team; Yasmeen Bull as a buyer specialist for the J. Michael Manley Team; Topeka Caldwell as a realtor; Margie Scott as a buyer specialist for the Ashley Lewis Team; Lisa Otto as a buyer specialist for the Ashley Lewis Team; and Francesca Potsidis as a realtor. Keller Williams Realty also recently welcomed the Lawton Team to the team in their Greenville Market Center. The Lawton Team was cofounded by new broker in charge Bill Lawton and his mother, Karen Lawton. Other team members are Dawn Borkowski, Patty Pfister, and Kim Guest.

Allen Tate Realtors recently announced its top agents for March. In the Greenville office, Cynthia Serra was top listing agent and Teresa Brady was top producer. In the Easley office, Missy Rick was top listing agent and

In 2008, he opened Voice restaurant at the acclaimed Hotel Icon in Houston.

Recently, he has opened the Tasting Room at City Centre and Felix 55. He comes to Table 301 Restaurant Group after most recently working with the Compass Group in Houston.

Judy Messer was top producer. The Murphys (Celia and Gary), were the top listing and producing team for the Easley office. In the Greer office, Kathy Sheehan was top listing agent and Chris Stroble was top producer. The Herseys (Paul and Marcia) were the top listing and producing team for the Spartanburg office.

The Marchant Company, a Greenvillebased real estate company providing signature service in buying, selling, relocating and investing, recently announced that JeanE Bartlett has received the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) designation by the Real Estate Negotiation Institute (RENI).

Agents eligible to become a CNE are among the top 1 percent of all agents nationally and have successfully completed formal negotiation training.

The Certified Negotiation Expert designation provides knowledge needed to better deliver sales results of homes through proven professional best practices and a powerful, competitive edge. Bartlett has been with the Marchant Company since February 2011

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 33

1. Manning House recently cut the ribbon at 10 Companion Court in Greer. An assistedliving community, Manning House offers various services and programs, including companion living and respite care.

For more information, call 864-989-0707 or visit alcco.com.

For more information, call 864-451-7755 or visit frankssalon.com.

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2. Frank’s Gentlemen Salon, located at 5 E. Coffee Street in downtown Greenville, recently held its ribbon-cutting. They are open Tuesday-Wednesday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday-Friday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

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UBJ New to the Street

3. SIP, a tasting room and rooftop lounge, recently opened at 103 North Main St., Suite 400, in downtown Greenville.

For more information, visit facebook.com/ siprooftop or call 864-509-1181.

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UBJ Snapshot

Historic photographs available from the Greenville Historical Society

Photo Provided

By the 1930s, Roger’s Grocery had left the building at the corner of East North and Main streets. Pete’s Cafe, renamed Pete’s Lunch Room, had moved next door. In their place is the Ritz Theater, one of a growing number of movie theaters on Main Street. In this photograph, a crowd waits to be admitted to the latest Shirley Temple movie. In the 1930s, most women wore hats on any excursion outside the home. Movies were not shown on Sunday. As shopping malls began to appear in the 1950s and 1960s, the Main Street movie theaters migrated along with the department stores. The former site of the Ritz Theater survived into the 21st century. Sadly, its neoclassical facade was covered over by turquoise-colored panels.

From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection,” by Jeffrey R. Willis Today, the City Tavern occupies the building that was once the Ritz Theater and, before that, Roger’s Grocery.

Photo by Greg Beckner

April 26, 2013 Upstate business journal 35