Spring 2021
Driving toward the future S.C. automakers push tech advancements, electric power
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Table of
CONTENTS TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C. 15 Navigating the pandemic: Automotive sector in state remains strong
18 Artificial intelligence enhances efficiency and safety of automotive workforce
20 New lithium-ion technology aims to make electric car batteries safer
SPECIAL PUBLICATION The Deep Orange 12 team at Clemson University includes 40 graduate engineering students, who are developing a high-speed, self-driving, open-wheel racecar at CUICAR. See the story on page 17. (Photo/Provided).
ABOUT THE COVER Robots assemble a Volvo S60 sedan at the company’s manufacturing facility in Berkeley County. Volvo and other global automakers are using artificial intelligence and improvements in automation to enhance workforce safety and efficiency. (Photo/Volvo)
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8 County Spotlight: Newberry 26 S.C. Delivers
CITIES MEAN BUSINESS S.C. cities learn new ways to do business, connect with residents in pandemic
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The automotive industry in South Carolina has faced the same headwinds buffeting every sector of the pandemic-afflicted economy. Supply chain disruptions, COVID-19 safety protocols for workers and worldwide markets in upheaval continue to be the reality automakers and their affiliated suppliers deal in day after day. Automakers and suppliers contribute an estimated $27 billion annually to the S.C. economy. BMW, Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Michelin and Continental Tire are major employers throughout the state, driving tax and capital expenditure revenue through their manufacturing operations. Their financial health and future outlook will shape much of the state’s economic landscape in the coming months and years. The losses in revenue have subsided since the early days of the pandemic in spring and summer 2020, but companies face significant challenges at least through the first half of 2021 as the novel coronavirus continues its deadly global spread. Steve McDaniel This issue of SCBIZ magazine looks at several key fronts of the Editor, automotive industry: electrification, which is a major buzzword across SCBIZ Magazine the globe as automakers seek cleaner, more efficient ways of powering vehicles; battery technology, a key component of electric vehicles, that must gain the trust of a largely gasoline-dependent public; and the future of the industry, specifically what key employers such as BMW, Volvo and Mercedes Benz see in the coming months and years. Of course, the public’s willingness to adopt on a wide scale this new technology depends largely on the reliability of electric vehicles to get from point A to B efficiently and safely. Battery limitations in terms of miles driven and a lack of infrastructure to recharge those batteries on the road are major hurdles automakers are working to overcome. Also in this issue, our staff took a look at how small businesses across the state have fared during the pandemic, specifically at how federal and state relief packages have been accessed and distributed. This relief has been a lifeline for many businesses that otherwise could not have survived the sudden and sharp downturn in demand for their products and services that started nearly a year ago. Our biannual partnership with the S.C. Municipal Association, Cities Mean Business, is also a featured section in this issue. Read more about how municipalities across S.C. have adapted to address pandemic-related issues such as health protocols, access to city services and more. We hope you find all this content valuable, insightful and informative. As always, thank you for being part of the SCBIZ community.
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UPFRONT regional news | data
S.C. small businesses navigate changes wrought by COVID-19 with the help of state and federal funds By Melinda Waldrop, Molly Hulsey and Alexandria Ng SC Biz News
T
he COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare obstacles small businesses face that go beyond financial. As small businesses across the country struggle to keep the lights on after a spring shutdown and varying degrees of reopening in the nine months since, federal Paycheck Protection Program loans and state grants have provided much-needed help. But the $525 billion distributed nationally in the first round of PPP, along with $40 million in SC CARES grants to small- and minority-owned businesses in South Carolina, are stopgap solutions for many. “There’s obviously a number of problems that have been exposed,” said Frank
Margaret Nevill, owner of Columbia fired arts studio Mad Platter, prioritized payroll with the PPP loan her small business received. She was committed to making sure none of her nine staff members at the Millwood Avenue studio were let go, a goal she achieved. The Mad Platter has been in business for 23 years. (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)
Knapp, president and CEO of the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce. “There’s been exposed the problem of entrepreneurs and very small businesses not having good access to the financial institutions or keeping proper records and getting the proper training.”
While those issues may have prevented some from receiving a cut of the first round of PPP loans, another factor makes it hard for many small businesses in the state to thrive even in good times, Knapp said. “There’s obviously a problem with
Section begins on
FAST FACTS | Automotive in S.C. No. 1
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S.C.’s rank in global exports of automobiles
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22,000
New jobs in S.C. automotive industry created since 2011 Source: S.C. Department of Commerce
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500
Automotive and related companies in S.C.
$27 billion
Annual estimated economic impact of S.C. automotive industry
62,000
People employed in S.C. automotive and related companies
$8.9 billion
Capital investment in S.C. automotive industry since 2011
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broadband,” Knapp said, exposed most visibly in education and health care, but also an economic development issue. “From our perspective, we recognize education’s important. Health care’s important. But there’s also the economic part of that. How can we expect these rural communities to actually develop good, successful business communities if there’s no broadband there? This is as much an economic development issue, statewide broadband, as it is a health care issue, as it is an education issue.” The second round of PPP loans were initially targeted to address those that might have fallen through the cracks in 2020. When the program re-opened in January, only Community Financial Development Institutions, which serve underrepresented communities, could apply for loans in its first week, and the U.S. Small Business Administration said it was prioritizing small businesses in the $284 billion allocated for job retention, property damage costs, operations expenditures, supplier costs and worker protection through March 31. In the first round of PPP, Knapp said only 16% of S.C. small businesses received loans. The S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce released a report last September analyzing available business closure data in three areas through the first week of September. The report found that 580 businesses in Horry County, Rock Hill and Hilton Head had closed, with 30.5% of closures in the personal services sector, 29.7% among contractors and 20.5% in the retail industry. Chamber research also found that statewide, new business license applications dropped by 946, a decline of 31.2%, from April through July 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019. To help small, minority-owned businesses and nonprofit organizations, the General Assembly passed the SC CARES Act, which was signed by Gov. Henry McMaster in September. The act made $65 million available to small businesses and nonprofits to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Grant
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UPFRONT
applications flooded the S.C. Department of Administration, quickly exhausting the funds.
Columbia arts studio adapting daily to a changing normal Margaret Nevill’s first priority was paying her staff. Nevill, owner of Columbia fined arts studio The Mad Platter, was determined to keep all nine of her employees on staff as the COVID-19 pandemic forced changes to her business model at her 23-yearold store on Millwood Avenue. She used PPP loans to help meet that goal. “When you’ve lost more than 60% of your business for the year, you’re struggling to reach every month’s bills, every month’s payroll, and no, I did not let people go,” said Nevill, who also received $17,680 from the SC CARES Act. “I was making sure my staff was paid. … Payroll was my priority. After payroll, it was rent and utilities.” The Mad Platter was one of 2,284 S.C. minority and small business which received $40 million in SC CARES grants, according to data from the S.C. Depart-
ment of Administration. Six hundred and eight-six nonprofits received $25 million. Nevill said the process of obtaining the federal loan was “absolutely seamless,” once she found the right person to talk to. “I banked with a larger, big bank, someone that’s across many states. When PPP came out, they did not offer any assistance to me,” she said. “I got no notice. It was really hard. I have a personal banker who my husband and I have used for our home and for my husband’s businesses. He reached out to us immediately and said how can I help you? His bank, Security Federal, it’s a local bank, and they made it seamless for us.”
Limestone College’s mission: Keep serving all its students Cherokee County’s Limestone University is no stranger to virtual learning. “We have one of the largest online enrollments in South Carolina,” President Darrell Franklin Parker told GSA Business Report. “But our online enrollment is overwhelmingly made up of the students who were online before the pandemic.”
So, as universities and school systems across the country witnessed an unprecedented uptick in online enrollment numbers over the past year — sometimes mandated, sometimes not — the Gaffney college was an anomaly. In the fall semester, about 60 formerly brick-and-mortar undergraduates moved online due to concerns about the pandemic or, for international students, because of an inability to get back in the country. During this semester, residential enrollment grew by 79 students year-overyear, while Limestone’s online student community dipped. This was no reason to celebrate, Parker said. Many of the school’s online students are adults, working to make ends meet while cramming for exams. They were more likely to be “economically vulnerable” during the shutdown last spring, or less likely to be able to keep up their courses when the pocketbook gets thin. So when Limestone College took out a Paycheck Protection Program loan between $2 and $5 million through the First National Bank of Pennsylvania, it helped
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Charleston limo company tries to keep the wheels rolling Keeping a luxury car and limo service business afloat when Charleston tourism has taken a hit due to the pandemic, said
Kenneth Hutchinson, owner of Marquee Limo Co. It has been just as hard finding the financial aid required to sustain the business, he said. “We’ve gone in debt by about $230,000,” Hutchinson said. “We’ve seen a tiny upswing, so it’s looking a little bit better than it did last year, but not a whole lot more. Currently, we’re still losing about $20,000 a month.” As a company that provides transportation services for airports, weddings, group gatherings and special events, Marquee Limo’s target market significantly dwindled as tourists, resorts and venues canceled events to limit the spread of COVID-19. Whereas the company might have fulfilled a little more than 1 million transportation requests on a normal year, it only had about 300,000 in 2020, according to Hutchinson. After 60 days of being completely shut down last year and reducing its staff to three drivers from the original 18, Marquee Limo Co. reports being down 70% as compared to previous years.
Upon applying for the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan, Hutchinson was told that the company qualified for about $500,000. But they got caught in the waiting line, Hutchinson said. By the time it was their turn to receive the funds, they could only get $149,000 due to a cut-off amount. Hutchinson had more success with the Paycheck Protection Program, having received $34,000 in loans on the first round. Those funds went toward catching up on interest-only payments, owner’s salary and utilities. Now, the company has applied for the second round of payroll protection, which could take up to 60 days for approval, Hutchinson said. As Hutchinson prepares for a waiting game preceding the second round of PPP, he plans to keep his business running using the Charleston LDC’s revolving loan fund, from which he received a total of $73,000. The fund comes from an $850,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
UPFRONT
the school save up for services that help sustain its usual programming and keep these vulnerable students in the loop. “We would certainly have had to decide where to cut” without the loan, said Parker, who declined to say what programs may have been dropped. “There definitely would have had to have been some tough choices, and [with] the type of support we’ve gotten so far, we have spent every penny and then some on COVID-related and student support.” Today, the fall-spring retention rate is more than 90% despite the pandemic, he said. “I think there is a recognition that if we had not invested in higher education and made sure that that would continue to fulfill its mission during the pandemic, we could lose a generation,” Parker said.
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county spotlight
NEWBERRY
Students learn skills at Piedmont Technical College to help them join a skilled workforce.
NO SECRET ANYMORE
Newberry County boasts central location, quality of life By Jim Tatum, Associate Editor | Photos provided by Newberry County
N
ewberry County continues to build a reputation as an up-andcoming destination to live, work and play. Located in the center of the state, in the heart of the I-26
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corridor, its proximity to larger urban areas such as Columbia, Greenville
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Newberry Coun by the numbers ty Population: 39,224
and Spartanburg and ease of access to airports, regional and national
Per capita income:
markets and the port of Charleston has helped the county become a
Avg. Hourly Wage:
significant contributor in South Carolina’s economic development efforts. “I’ve lived here all my life,” County Chairman Henry H. Livingston III
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Source: U.S. Cens
$39,024
$18.05
us Bureau
COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: NEWBERRY www.scbizmag.com
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said. “I’ve always said Newberry County was the best-kept secret in the state — and now that secret’s getting out.” Throughout its history, Newberry County has worked to leverage its assets into economic prosperity. Founded in 1785, the area was largely agrarian, and started as a trading community due to its location between two rivers. Later, in the 19th century, the railroad would spur greater economic growth. Cotton mills came into the area in the late 1880s and were the economic bedrock for a century — for example, Newberry Cotton Mills opened in 1882 and closed 100 years later. As the mills were closing, county leaders saw the need to find new industries. They were able to land Louis Rich, now Kraft-Heinz, the largest turkey processor in South Carolina. Since then, the county has welcomed such companies as Georgia-Pacific, Valmont Composite Structures (formerly Shakespeare Composites), Pioneer Frozen Foods, Kiswire, Komatsu America Corp., KRA Operations, and MM Technics, to name a few. More recently, Metal Masters, KRA Operations, MacLean Fiberglass, and Special Advertising Section
Newberry County has welcomed a number of major manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics Home Appliance America (top) and Schweitzer Maduit International.
Hecate Energy all made investments and brought in new jobs to the county. In 2017, Newberry County announced the largest economic development project in county history, a home appliance manufacturing facility from one of the largest companies in the world. Since announcing in 2017,
Samsung Electronics Home Appliance America has grown to more than 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing space, investing about $500 million, and now is one of the largest employers in the community with well more than 1,000 jobs. “One of the primary reasons for open-
MID-CAROLINA COMMERCE PARK
7 PROJECTS
4 MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES 1 INDUSTRIAL PARK 1 CONTRACTOR
THSconstructors.com
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MM Technics is one of a number of manufacturers that have benefited from Newberry County’s business-friendly climate and skilled and ready workforce.
Special Advertising Section
ing the Newberry home appliance manufacturing facility was to account for the growing demand for home appliances in the United States,” Thomas Komaromi, General Counsel for Samsung, said. “In Newberry County, our local businesses, government, and community all work together to help create, attract and grow competitive companies and expand the tax base, thereby providing more dollars to local and state government to deliver high quality services and infrastructure … Overall, we are committed to our local community for the long term and we will continue to uplift others as we write our history together.” Newberry County has a labor force of around 18,500, and nearly 22.5% of this workforce is employed in manufacturing, more than double the national average. In addition, because of its location, Newberry County can draw from a pool of nearly a half million workers, a pool that stretches from Greenville to Orangeburg counties, an advantage not lost on companies considering a move to the area. “We are a small company, but we need a highly qualified staff,” MM Technics President Meinolf Muhr said. “I was concerned about hiring staff, and all my doubts are gone. The unique businessfriendly environment of Central South Carolina and Newberry County gave MM Technics the chance to create a great team of experienced, high-skilled specialists and local college graduates, supported by the German-based headquarters.” Similar collaborations have enabled the county to build and upgrade vital infrastructure over the years. From water and sewer projects done in the early 1990s and the development of the county’s industrial parks to the city of Newberry’s collaboration with WC Fiber, part of West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative, to bring affordable fiber optic technology to the city have been investments that have yielded great dividends. “We just completed that project,” Newberry Mayor Foster Senn said. “The city of Newberry is a provider of elec-
882 Wilson Road Newberry, SC 29108 (803) 276-1121 nec.coop
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Providing our members with quality service at competitive rates since 1940
COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: NEWBERRY
Improving economic growth in our community by meeting the demands of today with the innovative ideas of tomorrow.
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Newberry County is home to many popular festivals and events, including the annual Oktoberfest.
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tricity, and we partnered with WC Fiber to bring fiber optic to every household and business in Newberry. This has been very well received.” Newberry County offers an excellent, affordable, quality of life. The crime rate is low. The city of Newberry, known as the “City of Friendly Folks” and voted a top 100 town in America, is the county seat and largest municipality. The towns Special Advertising Section
of Peak, Pomaria, Prosperity, Little Mountain, Silverstreet and Whitmire are all small, charming, eminently livable places. Newberry County residents, on average, earn around $39,000 a year and enjoy a reasonable cost of living; the cost of housing, for example, is around 25-30 percent of the national average. The public school system, rated
“excellent” by the state of South Carolina, offers a quality education, but for those who seek an alternative to public schools, Newberry Academy, a private K-12 institution, is a good local option. Piedmont Technical College offers a diverse curriculum in technical education, while Newberry College, a prestigious, four-year liberal arts college, continues to attract students from around the world. Ultimately, all agree the most important asset to Newberry County is the people. “We have an entrepreneurial spirit in the city and throughout the county,” Senn said. “People are willing to work together to make things happen. I think it’s tough to be a smaller, more rural place. You have to get creative, and our people do that.” “I think the first thing that comes to mind is the word “friendly” when you’re talking about the people who live here,” Livingston noted. “I know it from my own experience, but I hear it all the time from visitors and newcomers. We have truly wonderful folks call Newberry County home.”
TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C. Michelin, like everyone, had to quickly but safely maneuver the challenges posed by the pandemic. Above, a ribbon cutting takes on a new look. (Photo/Michelin)
NAVIGATING THE PANDEMIC DESPITE CORONAVIRUS, AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR REMAINS STRONG By Jim Tatum
D
chain manufacturers experienced disruptions, halted production for five weeks. The company used that time to implement deep cleaning and safety measures, which included disinfecting equipment in all technologies, sanitizing workstations, remodeling layouts to enhance social distancing and completing preventive maintenance on equipment. In addition, new protocols, including temperature self-checks, modified seating for cafeteria and office areas, staggered lunch schedules and expanded cleaning practices, were implemented. In addition, social distancing and face masks were, and continue to be, required. And through it all, Plant Spartanburg, which manufactures two of BMWs most popular vehicles, the X3 and X5, posted a strong year. In fact, while BMW North America produced 2 percent fewer vehicles in fourth quarter 2020 than they did for
the same period in 2019, Plant Spartanburg finished the last six months of 2020 with record numbers. “2020 was a challenging year for everyone, but the team at Plant Spartanburg managed the COVID crisis in a responsible way,” Sky Foster, Department Manager, BMW Corporate Communications said. “As a result of our efforts, Plant Spartanburg produced nearly 218,000 BMWs during the last six months of the year, a record for any sixmonth period in our history.” In fact, Plant Spartanburg produced 361,361 vehicles in 2020, Foster said. An important lesson learned was how the supply chains were impacted by the pandemic. Some, such as logistics provider Senator International, which located to Upstate South Carolina initially to service the automotive industry had, long before COVID-19, planned for a future that
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espite numerous hurdles imposed by COVID-19, South Carolina’s automotive sector seems to have successfully navigated the pandemic. From supply chain disruptions to manufacturing shutdowns, the automotive sector, like everyone, had its share of sudden, sometimes drastic challenges. Yet, companies such as BMW, Volvo, Michelin and others have not only successfully tackled these disruptions but gained valuable insights along the way. Stephanie Mangini, Volvo Car USA LLC Corporate Communications noted that the pandemic taught the company to not only stay even more connected to the supply chain, but to be more vigilant in protecting its employees. BMW’s Plant Spartanburg, like so many others, dealt with a host of challenges. A production shutdown, exacerbated as supply
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TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C.
included, unlikely as it seemed, major changes to the automotive market. So, while the pandemic did present challenges, Senator International was able to not only survive the pandemic, but thrive, according to COO Ralf Schneider. Meanwhile, BMW, and its suppliers have taken on a “just in case” mentality, one factor that has sparked an increase in warehousing absorption within the GreenvilleSpartanburg market. One example of a supplier making room for greater inventory reserves is MingHua USA, an auto part-manufacturing subsidiary of Chinese Jiangnan Mold Plastic Technology Corp, located in Spartanburg. The company, a tier-one supplier to BMW, recently announced its lease of some 132,000 square feet of speculative warehouse space at the Wood Chapel Crossing facility in Duncan. “Despite the challenges levied by the pandemic, the automotive industry is holding steady and flourishing in the Southeast region,” Thomas Koehler, president of MingHua USA, said in a news release. “As production regains momentum, the increased stream of manufacturing has required MingHua USA to conduct a swift expansion. With Wood Chapel Crossing located right down the street from our headquarters, we jumped on the opportunity to occupy this state-of-the-art warehouse, which checks all of our boxes for kickstarting operations to meet the swell in demand.” As far as the manufacturers go, plans appear to keep the new protocols in place. “For 2021, Plant Spartanburg will continue following the common-sense hygiene rules we established in 2020 such as wearing masks, social distancing and frequent washing of
Lt. Gov. Pam Evette visits Michelin’s Lexington facility in July 2020 (top). A Michelin employee (above) works with mask donations to be shipped out to areas and people who need them.
We are optimistic in our production forecast and expect to produce 1,500 vehicles per day during 2021.”
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“DESPITE THE CHALLENGES LEVIED BY THE PANDEMIC, THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IS HOLDING STEADY AND FLOURISHING IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION.”
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— Thomas Koehler, president of MingHua USA hands,” Foster said. “Our supply chain is currently stable, and the models we produce are extremely popular around the world. For instance, in the United States, the BMW X3 and X5 were the top-selling BMWs in 2020.
“Since the beginning of the global health crisis, Michelin’s No. 1 priority has been the long-term health, safety and well-being of our employees, their families and the surrounding communities,” Alexis Garcin,
chairman and president of Michelin North America, said. “Now more than ever, we believe that everything we do has to be sustainable and meet three inseparable criteria: people, profit and planet.” “Volvo has been managing the challenges brought on by the global pandemic,” Mangini said. “The pandemic has certainly brought unexpected challenges to our business. It has taught us to be more vigilant in protecting our team members through safety protocols, and to stay even more connected with our supply chain. We expect these protocols to continue this year and will continue to manage through any challenges.”
Cities Mean
BUSINESS A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E M U N I C I PA L AS S O C I AT I O N O F S O U T H C A R O L I NA
ISSUE 1
|
202 1
Adapting to Change Cities Find Creative Ways to Handle Pandemic
CONTENTS
5 Amplifying the Mask Message
By Megan Sexton
Cover Photo: Greenville city staff wear masks at the TD Saturday Market on Main Street. Photo: City of Greenville - Department of Events and Cultural Affairs.
BUSINESS A publication of Municipal Association of South Carolina 1411 Gervais St., PO Box 12109 Columbia, SC 29211 803.799.9574 mail@masc.sc www.masc.sc @muniassnsc
8 Offering Services Online Helps Cities and Residents
10 E-newsletters Put Information ‘All in One Place’
By Megan Sexton
Todd Glover Executive Director, Municipal Association of SC
12 Finding Socially Distant Workarounds for Arts and Culture
Russell Cox Uptown Editor and Digital Production Manager, Municipal Association of SC Contributing Writers Russell Cox Page Ivey Megan Sexton
Published by
By Page Ivey
FEATURES
Cities Mean
By Page Ivey
DEPARTMENTS 4
Letter From the Director
15 Hometown Snapshot
By Todd Glover
www.scbiznews.com A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
#StrongSCcities | Cities Mean BUSINESS 3
Letter From the
DIRECTOR
The coronavirus pandemic has introduced all of us to new ways of doing things — new ways of conducting business, meeting each other and even celebrating. South Carolina’s city and town governments have demonstrated leadership through many of these adjustments, from managing local mask ordinances to pushing for business relief efforts and keeping public discourse alive at socially distant city council meetings. This issue of Cities Mean Business focuses on the ongoing work of local governments to maintain vital services and minimize disruptions during the pandemic. Todd Glover
Executive Director, Municipal Association of SC
One of the articles takes a look at how cities have met the challenge of communicating with residents and businesses about their ordinances requiring face masks — a precaution which experts tell us has been an impactful tool in the fight against the coronavirus. Another story highlights the creative ways that city governments have found to continue offering the arts and culture opportunities that help make their host communities an attractive place to live. This story examines the rebirth of drive-in movies in Newberry, special events without large crowds in Walhalla and even virtual museum exhibits in Seneca. Long before the pandemic, cities and towns were already expanding digital services such as online permitting and payment systems. A story in this issue shows how these efforts at streamlining transactions are benefiting local businesses and will continue to do so. The final story looks at how city e-newsletters have provided an effective way of communicating with stakeholders in Greenwood, Mauldin and Beaufort. South Carolina’s municipalities have played a critical role in this pandemic, working to keep residents as safe as possible and businesses supported. They have remained resourceful and creative throughout, and their labors will remain important to the state’s recovery efforts.
B. Todd Glover tglover@masc.sc
Executive Director, Municipal Association of SC
4 Cities Mean BUSINESS | #StrongSCcities
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
FEATURE STORY
AMPLIFYING THE MASK MESSAGE
By Megan Sexton
A
s cities and towns passed face mask ordinances last summer to combat COVID-19, some turned to marketing and communications departments to help spread the
message of the importance of wearing masks to a sometimes skeptical public. Communication campaigns popped up in municipalities statewide — from large banners erected in downtowns to Instagram posts with local businesses and neighbors pledging to wear face coverings. The Florence Forward Pledge program, for example, started after the city adopted an emergency face covering ordinance, requiring face coverings to be worn when people enter a business that is open to the public. The program sought to encourage businesses
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
Greenville Mayor Knox Wh ite stands with one of the images created for the “M ask Up. Life is Waiting.” campaign. Photo: City of Greenville.
#StrongSCcities | Cities Mean BUSINESS 5
FEATURE STORY … I’ve dreamed of this day my whole life.’ We didn’t want to be heavy-handed. We just wanted people to think about the impacts.” To make the campaign visible, Greenville erected 5-foot-by-7-foot A-frame signs around downtown, along with smaller signs at entrances to local attractions. They also added streetlight banners. “The campaign certainly got a good response on social media,” Brotherton said. “Lots of people took selfies with the posters downtown. It was fun to see how people did really connect with the message. I think the campaign, combined with the ordinance, did exactly what we hoped it would do. It made mask wearing more ‘acceptable’ and less ‘weird.’ ” The face-covering campaigns around
Dr. Wendell James speaks at a Greenville press conference. Photo: City of Greenville.
the state also drove home the importance of municipalities working with other area orga-
to commit to the safety of their employees
director of communications and neighbor-
and the public by following state and federal
hood relations in Greenville.
safety guidelines, said Hannah Davis, development manager for the City of Florence. Each participating business received information to help keep employees and
nizations to broaden a city’s reach. In Hartsville, which also had a mask
The campaign was announced by Mayor
ordinance, the city worked with Darlington
Knox White at one of the city’s media brief-
County, the school district and Carolina
ings with local physicians.
Pines Regional Medical Center on the “Mask
“We chose local, recognizable people — a
Up Darlington County” initiative. The col-
customers safe, and a door decal to remind
mom blogger, a high school football star, a
laboration began while the Darlington
patrons that the business was following CO-
popular restaurant owner — and chose tag-
County School District was discussing back-
VID-19 safety protocols, she said.
lines that we hoped people would connect
to-school plans.
“The 30,000-foot answer [for why the
with. ‘I wear a mask because … we all miss
“All organizations wanted to make one
campaign was important] is that we have
school.’ ‘I wear a mask because … fall isn’t
large — and loud —push to encourage resi-
got to show a united front, especially with
the same without football,’” Brotherton said.
dents to mask up in order for COVID-19
a pandemic that’s been so politicized. It’s
The campaign ran at a time when schools
numbers to decrease, therefore meaning stu-
important that we put out the facts, put out
had not yet decided on their attendance and
dents could return back to the classrooms,”
why it’s important to our community and
athletic plans.
said Lauren Baker, Hartsville’s director of
amplify the message in a consistent way,” Davis said. Some cities, including Florence, modeled
“We also included a small business owner so citizens could recognize that another
tourism and communications. Communications representatives from
closure or stay-at-home order could be dev-
each organization met to create a consistent,
their pledges and campaigns after Greenville,
astating to entrepreneurs who were barely
branded campaign to show they were all on
the first municipality in the state to enact
hanging on to their livelihoods,” Brotherton
the same page. They used the same signs, but
a face covering ordinance. After passage,
said. “We used a bride-to-be because it
changed out the organizations’ logos.
Greenville quickly pushed out its “Mask Up.
seemed like everywhere you looked on social
Life is Waiting.” campaign, which drew on
media people were talking about delaying
own personal reasons for wearing a mask.
locals to explain the importance of masks
weddings, hosting them on Facebook live
These real-life reasons and scenarios allowed
to slow the spread of the virus and allow life
or limiting guests to only immediate fam-
the campaign to hit home for people on dif-
to return to normal, said Beth Brotherton,
ily. The tagline was ‘I wear a mask because
ferent levels. These photos and videos were
6 Cities Mean BUSINESS | #StrongSCcities
“We allowed the individuals to write their
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
FEATURE STORY
The “Mask Up Darlington County” effort was a partnership between Darlington County, the City of Hartsville, Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center and the Darlington County School District. Photo: City of Hartsville.
then dropped into one template and posted
In the future, we plan to implement this type
to see their grandkids, or people with preex-
across all organizations’ social media pages,”
of opt-in program should the need arise.
isting medical conditions who are at severe
Baker said.
We see it potentially being very useful for
risk of complications or death if exposed, but
documenting calls for service, or hurricane
because we desire the more everyday things
response,” Davis said.
of going to a ballgame, eating at our favorite
According to analyses by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, cities with mask ordinances saw COVID-19
In Greenville, Brotherton said the success
numbers drop during the campaigns. Look-
of the city’s efforts reminded her that public
ing ahead, cities say they have learned les-
health marketing campaigns must be simple,
sons from the successes and missed oppor-
real, personal and not “boring.”
tunities of the mask wearing campaigns they can build on in the future.
“Numbers and data are important and
restaurant and being able to go to school to see friends,” Brotherton said. Greenville is now taking lessons learned from the public health campaign to launch new campaigns. Brotherton said when her
can certainly help you tell the story, but at
office got an assignment for a tree preser-
the end of the day it’s about showing people
vation campaign, she was told, “‘We were
nications department of one, is the strength
why they should give a darn. Answering
thinking something like the ‘mask up’ cam-
in collaboration,” Baker said. “While I was
the question, ‘Why should I care?’ In this
paign.’ So, I’m thinking you’ll see a lot more
responsible for the scheduling, branding and
case you should care not only because you
photos of real people in relatable situations
posting, it was great to have other organiza-
have elderly parents who have been unable
coming from the City of Greenville.”
“The biggest lesson I learned, as a commu-
tions feeding me a diverse group of content.
•
This allowed the campaign to have a greater impact in the community as a whole, not just in the direct city that we serve.” Davis said Florence was actually a few months behind with implementing its program, and an earlier start may have generated more participation than the 36 businesses that had opted in by early November. “We need to find a more effective and efficient way to get the word out about future participation-oriented programs and convert interested parties to real users of the programs. On the plus side, we found a whole new set of skills within our staff to create these user-generated platforms utilizing GIS.
A Florence Forward Pledge decal
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
hangs in a business window. Photo: City
of Florence.
#StrongSCcities | Cities Mean BUSINESS 7
FEATURE STORY
OFFERING SERVICES ONLINE HELPS CITIES AND RESIDENTS By Megan Sexton
M
any cities around the state were offering permitting and payment systems online even before
COVID-19 hit — a move officials and staff were thankful for when the pandemic disrupted life and closed offices last spring. Other municipalities moved quickly to set up procedures to help companies submit building permits or residents pay their water bills without visiting city offices. In North Myrtle Beach, the building permitting system entered the virtual world in September 2019. Builders and property owners go online to submit plans, communicate with city staff members, apply for an inspection, view the inspection results, turn in any necessary forms and print a certificate
Courtnay Heyward of the North Charleston Executive Department attends to residents’ needs using the city’s online Citizen Support Center. Photo: City of North Charleston.
of completion at the end of the process. At one time, the city had not allowed
“As I always tell people, our job is to
Especially in our building, planning, fire
customers to make payments online, “but
make sure our buildings are safe and adhere
inspections and our stormwater inspections
once COVID came, we flipped that switch
to codes because we want them open as
in public works,” Johnson said.
and allowed people to do everything online,”
quickly as possible,” he said. “We want parks
All of the city’s registration and payments
said Suzanne Pritchard, the senior planner
open and sidewalks fixed and potholes filled
for athletics, recreational activities and court
and urban designer with the City of North
and everything else to run smoothly and
costs also are online.
Myrtle Beach.
grow and improve. Especially considering
When North Charleston moved into its
City leaders stress that if customers don’t
we’re facing a shortfall in revenue this year
have access to the internet, paper applica-
new city hall in 2009, the facility became
because of COVID-19, which is not easy by
tions are still accepted. Some municipalities
a one-stop shop for permitting. Residents
any stretch of the imagination.”
have kiosks for payments or internet access
could move from office to office to submit,
He said moving services to a digital
review and pay fees at various departments
platform has helped the staff, residents and
within the same building.
businesses.
“Now we’ve taken our permitting approach
Pritchard said North Myrtle Beach’s decision to move to new permitting software
“It’s convenient because people are able
one step further and made it all virtual,” said
to submit all their plans at one location and
Ryan Johnson, North Charleston’s public rela-
it goes to everyone all at the same time to
tions and economic development coordinator.
be reviewed, so it speeds up the process.
8 Cities Mean BUSINESS | #StrongSCcities
available in city buildings.
began with a general upgrade of the city’s outdated system. “We wanted to bring more accessibility to everyone. We didn’t envision the COVID
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
FEATURE STORY future during this whole process, where city
Allowing online payments offers a quick-
hall would be closed. We wanted people
er and safer way to provide payment than
to be able to come in and talk, but it was
through the mail system, Denny said.
also important to have that ability [to work
“It was difficult in the beginning as the
with] people who couldn’t get down here,”
system we use requires you to put in the
Pritchard said.
account number along with the service ad-
The reaction at first was mixed.
dress. As residents learned the system, they
Developers and builders accustomed to
commented how it is great to be able to pay
doing large volumes of permits had to
at any time of day or night. It also offers
change their workflow. Once they realized
them to set up an account, with their own
that someone didn’t have to come to city
password, so they can conveniently pay
hall for each permit and wait until the
quickly each month,” she said.
process was complete, they appreciated the
She said adding the ability to process pay-
easier, more efficient process, according to
ments online has reduced in-house payment
Pritchard.
and foot traffic by 40% to 50%, opening up
It also was important for North Myrtle
staff time to work on other projects.
Beach to be able to customize its software to fit its needs, and be able to change the online forms or substitute questions quickly. “We had a lot of staff time learning the
“One of the things I like best with the York City Hall offers a bill payment kiosk in its lobby. Photo: City of York.
online system is that when there is an issue with a payment, I can log in and search quickly to find the payment and explain to
system and being able to create the forms
There are no limits on files, so that’s awe-
the customer why it was rejected. This saves
and use the forms, but we now can make
some,” said Pritchard.
time,” Denny said.
changes on the fly when something happens like we close city hall.”
Cities also offer multiple ways to pay for
As technology improves and options
services like utilities or court fines, including
grow, cities can implement changes that
in-person, online and through night drop
make conducting business more convenient
also allowed North Myrtle Beach to look
boxes. The City of York offers those options
and economical.
strategically at its whole process of issuing
along with a kiosk in the city hall lobby
permits — something Pritchard recom-
where customers can pay bills.
Choosing and customizing its software
mends for other cities looking to transition to online permitting. “Really figure out what you want. If you
“The night drop box has been very convenient for those who work outside the city.
Advice from Johnson in North Charleston for those cities looking at moving more of their services online? “Just do it. Government lags behind pri-
It is a safe, secure, locked safe where they
vate industry, but eventually we get there.
were building the perfect building permit
can drop their payments off,” said Barbara
We started streaming city council meetings
process, what would that be? What are the
Denny, York’s finance director. “Offering
in 2011. Now everybody is doing it. By us-
important parts that were being missed?
to accept their payments over the phone is
ing the technology that’s out there, we make
How can we better coordinate with depart-
something we added with the closing of our
things more open and transparent,” he
ments like public works and finance?”
lobby due to COVID.”
said.
The North Myrtle Beach system is not limited to file uploads and it works for more than building permits. For example, the city realized it could use the same system to develop a plat review process, so residents and developers can submit plats online to the planning department for review. “Because it’s a citywide license, we can use it for any form that needs to be reviewed. A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
•
North Myrtle Beach allows builders and property owners to handle necessary paperwork online through its building permitting system. Photo: City of North Myrtle Beach.
#StrongSCcities | Cities Mean BUSINESS 9
FEATURE STORY
E-NEWSLETTERS Put Information ‘All in One Place’ By Page Ivey
C
ities and towns have many ways to
Sometimes Hudson will send out in-
communicate with residents: direct
formation between editions of Uptown
mail, websites and social media.
Lowdown if something important comes up
E-newsletters also provide a low-cost way for
or the details of an event change.
cities to reach out and help residents know
“We spend most of our time on our web-
what’s going on.
site. That’s where we’re putting all of our in-
Often powered by email marketing plat-
formation and that makes putting the news-
forms like Constant Contact or Mailchimp,
letter together easier,” Hudson said. “Our
e-newsletters give subscribers the big munic-
Facebook page definitely gets more engage-
ipal headlines before sending them to a city
ment if we link to it from our newsletter.”
website or other digital locations for more
Hudson said that information has be-
information. In many cases, newsletters
subscribers, focuses on upcoming events, es-
come even more critical during the corona-
started small, but some cities are now using
pecially Greenwood’s two major annual cele-
virus pandemic.
them as robust ways to engage residents and
brations, the Festival of Flowers and the Fes-
help foster a more vibrant community.
tival of Discovery. It also contains write-ups
in Uptown for families, especially now with
on news and events and encourages readers
everything going on,” Hudson said. “I think
to learn more from the Uptown Greenwood
residents are appreciative of the communica-
website or a social media channel.
tion we give them because they’re hungry for
Uptown Greenwood Uptown Greenwood, the city’s central business district organization, provides a
“There’s always things going on here,”
“The splash pad is a very popular activity
something to do right now.”
digital newsletter called Uptown Lowdown.
said Uptown Greenwood Manager Lara
Uptown Greenwood works with the city on
Hudson. “Whether it’s maintenance or if
in, meaning they must request specifically to
the product, which includes information on
there’s a private event, just information that
receive the emails. Finding new subscribers
the Uptown farmers market and splash pad.
the community would need to know about
has not been easy this year, with many of the
The monthly newsletter, which has been
accessing the farmers market and when they
events that ordinarily make people want to
produced for about four years and has 8,000
can come to the splash pad.”
sign up for the newsletter not happening.
10 Cities Mean BUSINESS | #StrongSCcities
Subscribers to the newsletter have to opt
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
FEATURE STORY The city, with the help of its technology
honest newsletter. It had information, it had
became the city’s first dedicated communica-
team, is trying something a little different.
factual reports, it had demographics infor-
tions person in December 2019.
“You used to just click on the [free Up-
mation, it had stories about the community.
town] WiFi and were automatically connect-
She just took it to another level. It could be
letter is to consolidate city information in one
ed. Now you have to put in an email address,
its own newspaper for the city.”
place that people may have missed on social
accept terms and then you have the option to receive our newsletter,” Hudson said.
The Mauldin Report, covering everything from public works to cultural affairs, is
media posts or as news releases on the website. “I do think newsletters can be effective in
mailed, distributed in city offices and posted
terms of putting it all in one place in a way
on the city’s website. It is also promoted in a
that social media, which tends to be a little
monthly e-blast and on social media.
more scattered, can’t really offer,” Williams
“Every department has something going
says. “It reinforces news that’s come out in
on,” said Heider. “It’s basically how do resi-
the past month that is still timely and alerts
dents engage with their city and know what’s
people to anything upcoming.
happening in their city from council meetings to when you just want something to do.”
Mauldin
Williams said the biggest asset of the news-
“For the pandemic, it’s been an incredibly important tool for sharing information.”
For the Cultural Center, the team prints
Williams has included information on
an annual season preview, including shows,
city office closings, how the public can do
festival and educational opportunities, that
business with the city when offices are closed
is mailed to 25,000 homes in Mauldin. Indi-
and information on the pandemic from
vidual events are promoted in weekly emails
the Centers for Disease Control and the
to subscribers.
South Carolina Department of Health and
The city’s eblast goes to more than 2,600
Environmental Control. She even included
The City of Mauldin’s community de-
subscribers while the Cultural Center has
a feature on how to make a mask as she
velopment department handles everything
more than 4,200 subscribers. Heider said
was letting residents know about the city
from business recruitment and long-term
there is also a mailing list of folks who want
ordinance requiring them to wear one.
infrastructure planning to the Mauldin Cul-
to know about volunteer opportunities, and
tural Center. When Van Broad, director of
the city’s recreation department plans to
great example, she said, of how information
community development, started, the city
start an e-blast very soon.
flows from the city. First, Williams posted
didn’t have direct marketing communication
“Residents can easily access information
The city’s mask ordinance provided a
a news release to the city’s website with
with its residents and relied on an outside
they do want but are not bombarded with
information about the ordinance. She
firm to provide the occasional news release.
information they don’t want,” Heider said.
produced several social media posts
“If you think about it, somebody is going
As the effort has grown, so has the team’s
announcing the ordinance and linking to
to tell your story,” Broad said. “Either you
staffing, which includes marketing and de-
the website. In the next monthly newsletter,
can tell it or let someone else tell it.”
sign coordinator Jeannie Harmon.
she reminded residents of the ordinance
Part of the funding for the community
and thanked them for following it. The
development office’s marketing efforts comes
newsletter was sent to her 3,500 subscribers
from accommodations taxes, and helps
and it was posted on both the website and
cover the cost of material Broad’s team mails,
social media.
and for the staff that produces and promotes
Williams recommends that any town
the information digitally.
looking to start or improve an existing news-
Broad described the earliest newsletters from 2016 as “very generic.” “Then [Cultural Affairs Manager] Keira [Heider] came on board, and she created an incredible template and really made an
letter should look for a staffer who can be
Beaufort The City of Beaufort’s e-newsletter is the responsibility of Kathleen Williams, who
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
dedicated to creating the newsletter, even if that’s not their whole job. She also suggests hiring someone with a news or marketing
•
background.
#StrongSCcities | Cities Mean BUSINESS 11
FEATURE STORY
Finding Socially Distant Workarounds for Arts and Culture By Page Ivey
cities and towns were gearing up for
T
free outdoor movies transitioned into a
attendees — a little less than the event’s usual
spring festivals and summer arts and
cultural throwback, as the city created a pop-
crowds when people brought chairs and
cultural events. Event restrictions meant that
up drive-in theater experience. The city set
blankets to sit together under the stars.
many programs and events aimed at giving
up a 40-foot blowup screen in a city parking
families local entertainment or education
lot and used an FM transmitter to allow
so much from their heyday that most
options were in danger.
attendees to listen to the film using their car
attendees had never been to one, leading to
stereos rather than over loudspeakers.
unfamiliarity with the process. Kopp and her
he coronavirus pandemic hit just as
In South Carolina, the cancellations have
In Newberry, the summer tradition of
four people per car, that would total 200
Drive-in movie theaters have faded
led to some creative workarounds, creating
Mary Alex Kopp, Newberry’s tourism
new ways to celebrate culture and commu-
and events manager, said the drive-in setup
rules and etiquette, while also explaining
nity and offer family-friendly activities.
accommodates about 50 cars. Assuming
why people couldn’t bring their golf carts
12 Cities Mean BUSINESS | #StrongSCcities
team made a short video explaining drive-in
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
FEATURE STORY — state law prohibits driving golf carts on
in the same sense that we always do, but it’s
roads after dark. They also explained why
nice to try to give them something.”
pandemic restrictions meant that families needed to stay in their cars. In the fall, Oktoberfest serves as one of
The City of Walhalla did not host its annual Oktoberfest this year, but it has worked to give residents and visitors some
the most important events on Newberry’s
ongoing arts and culture opportunities.
cultural calendar. The city’s largest outdoor
During the pandemic, Walhalla’s small size
festival features arts and food vendors to
has worked to its advantage, said Libby
help celebrate the town’s German heritage.
Imbody, director of Main Street Walhalla.
Rather than cancel it, the city decided to move the entire event online. The virtual festival ran for two weeks and
“If we have an event and the maximum size we can have is 250 people — that’s a good-sized event for us,” Imbody said.
included about 30 artisans and craftspeople
Instead of larger outdoor events with
selling their goods in a virtual vendor fair.
vendors and activities all packed together on
Restaurants offered takeout “taste of Okto-
Walhalla’s traditional Main Street, Imbody
berfest” menus and recipes for traditional
helped create several smaller events with
German dishes that could be made at home.
venues spread farther apart.
The event also featured lots of at-home activities for kids as well as contests with prizes. “There is an authenticity to the
“Being able to host smaller events to get a couple of vendors out there helps that community that has really had their
celebration because of the heritage of the
livelihood taken away by COVID,” Imbody
area,” Kopp said. “Many people treat it like a
said.
homecoming when they come back to visit family and friends. It’s sad that we can’t do it
“These artists, these makers, are also local small businesses. We need to help out that
Libby Imbody distributes activity kits for the “Summer Nights on Short Street.” Photo: City of Walhalla.
The City of Newberry transitioned its free outdoor movie series into a drive-in theater in a parking lot. Photo: City of Newberry.
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
#StrongSCcities | Cities Mean BUSINESS 13
FEATURE STORY maker community that has lost a ton of work
Imbody said. “Our merchants have been
moving parts are operating,” he said. “Trust
because there are no events.”
happy with it. They say, ‘Let’s do it every
me, we would love to have more moving
weekend.’ ”
parts, but in some ways, it has its advantages,
One event, the “Dog Days of Summer,” focused on bakers and craftspeople who make things for pets. “People came with their dogs throughout
and this is one of those ways. We can say,
For one city, the response to the pandemic’s effect on arts and culture was
‘Our new focus is this, how do we make it
something they could accommodate all
happen?’ ”
the day,” Imbody said. “It was not a huge
along with a virtual museum. Now, the
crowd, but it just kind of keeps it going and
alternative to museum visits they created has
exhibits hosted on the museums’ own
keeps Walhalla on people’s minds.”
actually increased their “visitors.”
websites, found at www.blscm.org and www.
The town waived its vendor fee at its
The Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural
The result is a collection of virtual
lunneymuseum.org.
farmers market and extended the dates
Museum and the Lunney Museum in Seneca
through September.
tell the stories of the African American
a socially distant option can create new
Walhalla also turned its kid-centric
experience as well as the story of one of the
opportunities, even during the pandemic,
“Summer Nights on Short Street,” which
town’s prominent white families in the late
since they have drawn more visitors than the
usually takes place inside museums, into
19 and early 20 centuries — the Lunneys.
museums themselves drew when they were
take-home activity kits that parents could
th
th
The directors of the two museums, Shelby
These virtual exhibits have shown how
open. More importantly for Henderson, the
pick up and use at home with their children.
Henderson and Nick McKinney, work
exhibits are getting visitors who are coming
Families signed up on Facebook for the
together to create exhibits that tell these
back multiple times.
event then drove by and picked up the
stories. When the pandemic hit, they worked
activity kits in advance of the weekend.
quickly to put their limited resources into
clicking on it a second time, a third time,”
exhibits online.
said Henderson, who helped the Bertha Lee
“Parents could come by and get their stuff, like coloring sheets, different activities,
“One of the advantages or disadvantages
“A huge parameter for me was people
Strickland museum get started four years ago.
recipes, instructions for games, YouTube
of a small museum is that because you have
“We are close to triple what our visitation
and Spotify playlists for each event,” Imbody
limited staff, it’s a lot easier to pivot,” said
would be in person if we had been open.”
said. “It was a crash-course, last-minute
McKinney, who added that his role is to
thing, but we had great sponsors for that.”
help convert Henderson’s vision into reality
and towns have been able to host in-person
— even when it’s virtual.
gatherings. Even so, creative changes made
The smaller, more frequent events have been a hit with residents and local businesses. “We want to take this idea of these smaller events and carry it on post-COVID,”
The pandemic has limited the way cities
“When you’re a larger institution, it takes
by local leaders have allowed for new ways
longer to turn and try to get something new
to involve residents and businesses in their
out because so many people and different
communities.
•
The Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum offers virtual versions of its exhibits online. Photos: City of Seneca.
14 Cities Mean BUSINESS | #StrongSCcities
A publication for the Municipal Association of South Carolina
HOM ETOWN
SNAPSHOT
won a Community Challenge In 2017, the City of Camden Communities initiative that grant from the AARP Livable poorly lit alleyway into enabled it to transform a long, ting, seating and planters. an inviting space featuring ligh es as a connection point for The alleyway, which also serv e then been the site of public Camden’s Town Green, has sinc nts. art projects and even dance eve
Photo: City of Camden.
You see a ballpark…
We see an investment in hometown quality of life that offers a special place to host national tournaments and welcome visitors. This is the same special place where kids of all ages can enjoy sports and outdoor activities with neighbors and friends.
By Molly Hulsey mhulsey@scbiznews.com
TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C.
CU-ICAR, SCHAEFFLER BUILD FIRST AUTONOMOUS INDYCAR
The Dallera IL-15 prototype, modified by Schaeffler, CU-ICAR’s Deep Orange team and other sponsors of the event, was unveiled on Jan. 12. (Photo/Clemson Univ.)
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Valvoline. “Self-driving cars are the next grand challenge in automotive technology, but we’re still a ways away from an autonomous vehicle that can drive anywhere and everywhere,” Mitchell said during the press conference. “We knew that there was a major leap that had to be taken. What better way to do that than a highspeed race at the most famous racetrack in the world?” For Schaeffler North America, based in Fort Mill, the leap meant taking their “Space Drive” drive-by-wire steering system from vehicles built for disabled drivers to no one with no driver at all, according to engineering director Noel Marshall. “That’s kind of the arms and legs if you will of these vehicles,” she said. “These sensors and software on top that tell the cars where to go – that’s like the eyes and ears of it. We’re taking in all of this information and then translating it into steering wheel angle, as well as throttle, as well as break.” According to Marshall, the race had no who, what, when or hows attached in 2019, the year she first learned about the event through her connections with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and the IndyCar racing community. Just a where and why. “Do you have a sponsor for the drive-bywire?” Marshall asked the Energy Systems Network team at the time. “Because that’s what we do and that’s what you’re going to need.”
“I guess the rest is history,” she told SC Biz News, grateful that she had been in the right place and the right time. Schaeffler and other sponsors have collaborated with Clemson University, which is creating the first prototype. Once tested, the model will be replicated for all teams, which will then develop and program the software used to direct the vehicles. Schaeffler researchers hope that installing the system in each of the IAC vehicles will help pave the road for its future use in driverless vehicles on roads where speed limits peak 65 mph. CU-ICAR also hopes the project will spark interest and expertise in the field’s future workforce as the 40 graduate engineering students on its Deep Orange 12 team stich together the skeleton of the car. Students designed the protoype’s powertrain and its eyes and ears — a suite of liadars, radars, cameras and GPS systems that communicate with computers in the driver’s seat. “The extreme engineering behind motorsports has often been used as a testbed to push the boundaries of consumer vehicle technology,” Robert Prucka, Deep Orange 12 faculty lead, said in the news release. “This is an incredible opportunity for students to not only work with advanced racing technologies but have a hand in driving solutions for one of the most pressing engineering challenges facing the mobility industry today.”
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or the first time in 10 decades, no spectators flocked to the world’s largest single-day sporting event last August, the Indianapolis 500. This fall at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, no drivers will be behind the wheel. In fact, there will be no steering wheel at all — at least for the Dallara IL-15 racecars upfit by CU-ICAR and Schaeffler for 30 teams bound to give their programming prowess wings during the inaugural Indy Autonomous Challenge this October. After two years of preparation, more than 500 students and mentors from Argentina to West Point Military Academy will push 200 mph from their desk chair in hopes of taking home the $1 million grand prize, according to Paul Mitchell, co-organizer of the IAC and CEO of the Energy Systems Network. “The Dallara-built IAC racecar is the most advanced, fastest autonomous vehicle ever developed,” Mitchell said in an announcement from the event’s January press conference. “Our IAC sponsors are providing radar, lidar, optical cameras and advanced computers, bringing the value of each vehicle to $1 million.” Logos bedecking the sleek black racer gifted to each team pay homage to these collaborators: Indiana Economic Development Corp., ADLINK, Ansys, Aptiv, AutonomouStuff, Bridgestone, CU-ICAR, Dallara, Microsoft, New Eagle, PWR, RTI, Schaeffler, and
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TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C. With Bosch’s push for data-driven analysis, the Charleston plant has hired four data scientists and engineers with plans to train its existing workforce in the discipline. (Photo/Bosch)
S.C. AUTO INDUSTRY SUPPLEMENTS WORKFORCE WITH AI TECH By Molly Hulsey
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here is only so much “kaizen” — the Japanese term for continuous improvement — that can take place without implementing Manufacturing 4.0 technologies, according to Antonio Vaz, director of production engineering at JTEKT North America. “Our main focus has been on eliminating a lot of the waste,” Vaz said last year at the S.C. Manufacturing Conference. Automation isn’t used to replace the human workforce on the factory floor but to make the most of human skills machines can’t emulate, he said. “It’s not about technology, it’s about people,” he said. “It’s about process — then it’s about technology. If we don’t address these three, it’s not going to be successful.” One of the most advantageous Manufacturing 4.0 practices for JTEKT has
been the use of automatic guided vehicles to transport materials around plants. At first, these autonomous vehicles could only move in straight lines. Now, a GPS-guided AGV can maneuver an entire facility on its own.
employ intelligent technologies for visual product inspection. “For us, it’s really about connectivity,” echoed John Penton, connectivity architect and digital transformation leader at Bosch’s
“IT’S NOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE. IT’S ABOUT PROCESS — THEN IT’S ABOUT TECHNOLOGY.” — Antonio Vaz, JTEKT North America on the company’s implementation of advanced technology practices AGVs also aid Volvo and auto supplier Robert Bosch in redirecting “manpower away from processes that pose safety or ergonomic risks,” according to Kevin Graham, director of plant engineering at the Lowcountry’s Volvo plant. Both Lowcountry facilities also
Charleston plant. Over the past few years, the plant has been working to hardwire equipment on the plant floor into its Manufacturing Execution System, which stores historical data from the production line, and to analyze that data.
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Autonomous vehicle research pioneered by Bosch engineers in Germany, such as the development of a camera that uses neural networks to categorize each pixel of an image, could eventually be used to upgrade automatic vehicles on the plant floor. (Rendering/Bosch)
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MIDLANDSTECH.EDU/enterprise Chuck Whipple, SCCED, EcDMP 803.691.3954 | whipplec@midlandstech.edu
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In the past, it took a “considerable amount of time” for engineers to go to each individual machine to download that data, often leaving little time for analysis, especially of the predictive kind. “Now, having that data at their fingertips allows them to shift their focus directly on trying to tackle the problem as opposed to gathering the data to work on a problem,” he said. The company has hired four data scientists and data engineers and seeks to instill the Manufacturing 4.0 mindset into the existing workforce. Bosch’s headquarters offers intensive six-month courses in data science and data engineering, and the Charleston plant is prepared to mine the program’s graduates for specialists. “We are currently looking at how we can leverage that in Charleston,” Penton said. “There’s a lot of interest here for our plant as well to be engaged in those programs.” Bosch is also targeting current engineers on the floor as the new vanguard of data-driven experts, while leveraging the installation of new tech with people-oriented projects. “It’s important when you’re rolling out technology like that, that you explain what you’re trying to do, what is the purpose, what is the benefit and not necessarily just rolling it out and putting the technology out there without people being involved on the front end,” he said.
TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C.
Bio-Medical Opportunities Here
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TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Battery Manufacturing Facility can be used by any battery manufacturer, equipment manufacturer or material supplier to integrate any component into a complete battery, test the product and analyze the results. (Photo/Provided)
OAK RIDGE LITHIUM ION TECHNOLOGY WARMLY RECEIVED IN S.C. By Molly Hulsey
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ast autumn ushered in a season of battery-fire scares for the electric car industry. BMW, Volvo, Hyundai, GM and Ford are a few of the companies that announced a recall on their electricpowered cars in 2020. For BMW, the recall expanded to 4,509 U.S. vehicles, according to Green Car Report, including the 2020-2021 BMW 530e model, 2020-201 xDrive30e, 2020-2021 Mini Cooper Countryman All4 Se, 2020 BMW i8, 2021 BMW 330e, 2021 BMW 745Le xDrive
and 2021 BMW XDrive45e. “And so each one of those is a multibillion dollar event,” Brian Morin, CEO and founder of Greenville’s Soteria Battery Innovation Group, said in October. “They wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t important. And so, you know, the challenge is this. Right now, 1% of the cars being sold are electric. We’re already having recalls. How are we going to get to 50% unless we fix this?” Morin thinks that he and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory may have an answer. Last year, the Department of Energy
selected Soteria to sign an exclusive license to make the technology available to the organization’s consortium members. Their challenge is to research and develop a technology spawned at the Oak Ridge lab through a $750,000 Technology Commercialization Fund Project called “Lion Batteries with Safer Current Collectors.” One of 77 projects funded by $24 million from the Department of Energy, the initiative also received matching funding from the private sector, according to the federal announcement.
TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C. In Oak Ridge’s solar and natural gas-powered building initiative, power can flow in either direction between the vehicle and building through a lab-developed wireless technology. (Rendering/Provided)
In most electric car fires, Morin explains, the battery catches fire due to “thermal runaway,” or an uncontrolled spike in temperature, when the battery is crushed or damaged, such as during an accident. The Oak Ridge-developed technology instead allows the battery’s electrodes and foils to shatter into a “pre-defined geometry” — or, in other words, “breaks the damaged part
products, but both Oak Ridge and Soteria are eying the electric car industry as one of the innovation’s most important markets, especially as it is set to grow by more than 2,000 gigawatt hours — or more than $200 billion in battery consumption — by 2030, according to the release. Oak Ridge selected Soteria since the technology “dovetails nicely” with the
“RIGHT NOW, 1% OF THE CARS BEING SOLD ARE ELECTRIC. WE’RE ALREADY HAVING RECALLS. HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET TO 50% UNLESS WE FIX THIS?” — Brian Morin, Soteria Battery CEO, on recalls of electric car batteries organization’s existing licenses, according to Maddy Cox, North American Consortium manager at Soteria. A representative from Oak Ridge met Morin at a conference several years ago and was intrigued by Soteria’s use of a metalized film — like the material used in a potato chip bag or party balloon — as a current collector instead of the usual copper or aluminum foil. Like the Oak Ridge technology, the film stymies intense currents in a damaged or
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into a million little small batteries,” which are unable to burst into flame. “This technology can dramatically improve battery safety upon mechanical, thermal and electrical damage,” Jianlin Li, a principal investigator of the technology at Oak Ridge Laboratory, said in a news release. “This can simplify battery design and lead to higher energy density and lower cost.” The technology could be used to squelch combustibility in a number of lithium ion
short-circuited battery that would set it alight, said Morin, as he played a video of a battery-powered drone in flight even after an electric drill bored a sizable hole in the heart of the battery. Soteria hosts a consortium that enables members including NASA, Teijin, Bosch, Mercedes-Benz, Motorola Solutions and Dupont, among many others, to develop, manufacture and sell lithium battery technologies based off the licenses the organization holds. Once the option is finalized, a license to manufacture the technology will become available to the entire auto and lithium ion battery industry through the consortium. “We’re collaborating to have some of the technology applied to some batteries now, so phase two is getting some tangible evidence of the performance of the two technologies in the cell,” Cox told SC Biz News in January. Most of the testing will go through the Oak Ridge Laboratory in the months ahead.
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TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C. BMW’s plant Spartanburg installs a lithium-ion battery module in a BMW X5 xDrive45e. (Photo/BMW)
BMW’S PLANT SPARTANBURG SEES HIGHEST HYBRID SALES YET By Molly Hulsey mhulsey@scbiznews.com
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n the race toward electrification, BMW Manufacturing and its suppliers are revving up for the long haul. Especially after 2020’s surprising windfall. Despite a five-week shutdown last spring, the company produced more plug-in hybrid variants of the BMW X3 xDrive30e and X5Drive45e than any year prior following the plant’s 2019 battery assembly hall expansion, a plant spokesperson told SC Biz News in February. “About two years ago, we added automated battery installation equipment in both of our assembly halls in anticipation of the
growing popularity of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles,” Sky Foster, department manager of BMW Corporate Communications, said in an email. “The BMW X3 and X5 are the plant’s two most popular models, so it makes sense that the plug-in hybrid versions of those two models would be well received. We also doubled capacity in Plant Spartanburg’s battery assembly hall in 2019 when production of the new BMW X3 plug-in hybrid joined production of the new BMW X5’s plug-in hybrid.” The total 22,964 X3 and 24,248 X5 madeto-order hybrids added up to 13% of the plant’s total production last year, according to
a news release. About 90,000 plug-in hybrids have rolled out of Plant Spartanburg since the launch of the electric line in 2014 with the X3 becoming the first BMW vehicle to offer diesel, petrol, plug-in hybrid and pure electric drive train elements last year. The fully electric BMW iX3, launched in China last October, and BMW i4, set to debut in Munich this year, are the next lines ramping up on the global stage. According to a 2019 corporate announcement, i3 production, launched eight years ago in Germany, will also extend until 2024, fueling the company’s electrification goal. According to Foster, the BMW Group
TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C.
aims for a 50% increase of electric car sales, including hybrid models in 2021, following the lines’ popularity in 2020. “The continued expansion of the BMW Group’s electrified model range will include 25 electrified vehicles by 2023,” she said. “More than half of the 25 models will be fully electric.” The company expects up to 25% of all global sales to go electric by 2024. “The BMW Group continues advancing its model offensive of electrified vehicles,” she said in an email. “Electromobility is becoming a key driver of sustainable growth for the company.” BMW is far from the only Palmetto State auto company charged with the electrification hype. In step with Volvo’s plan for electric vehicles to make up half the company’s global
“THE CONTINUED EXPANSION OF THE BMW GROUP’S ELECTRIFIED MODEL RANGE WILL INCLUDE 25 ELECTRIFIED VEHICLES BY 2023. MORE THAN HALF OF THE 25 MODELS WILL BE FULLY ELECTRIC.” — BMW spokesperson Sky Foster
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sales by 2025, every line launched after 2019 contains an electric motor. Charleston’s plant produces both the gasoline-powered and hybrid S60 sedan, the first U.S.-made Volvo line and the first sold without a diesel engine. The XC90 SUV, originally launched in 2014, is slated for S.C. production next year and also comes in a hybrid model. Stephanie Mangini, spokesperson for Volvo’s Charleston plant, couldn’t comment on the company’s future plans, but added that both versions of the S60 sedan currently run on the same two production lines. Volvo USA sold 1,241 S60 models from Jan. 2020 to Jan. 2021, a 72.1% increase from the 721 produced during 2019, according to sales data.
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TRENDING: AUTOMOTIVE IN S.C. Anderson’s Roylco facility ships out stuffed animals alongside insulation cut in-house that is used in BMW door panels. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)
ROYLCO JUGGLES TOYS WITH TOYOTAS DURING PANDEMIC By Molly Hulsey mhulsey@scbiznews.com
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t’s not often that foam discs used to tip missiles in transit for the U.S. military lie on the same shelf as die-cut butterflies. But it is just par for the course at Anderson’s Roylco facility. Roylco products can be found in toy and educational stores from South Carolina to South America, but what may surprise neighbors in Anderson County is that the same die-cut machines used to shear foam stars and flowers are also used to shape the soundproofing insulation and seat cushions in Toyotas, Hondas, BMWs and Nissans — just to name a few. Still, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the facility’s educational arm that has been pulling most of the weight as droves of
parents turn to homeschooling opportunities or supplements for virtual learning. When Roylco’s CEO and “creative fiend” Carolyn Voisin moved the toy manufacturer from Buffalo, N.Y., 25 years ago, she knew she wanted to be in a more business-friendly state. An added bonus: Anderson was a hopskip-and-jump away from BMW North America and its suppliers in Greenville. “We always did our custom manufacturing and continue to do custom manufacturing, and really have found a niche in automotive because of opportunity,” Kathy Little, project manager with Roylco Industrial and Roylco Educational, said as she placed a diecut paper turtle next to a piece of insulation used in a G07 BMW X7 door panel. “It’s a
similar manufacturing process … it’s the shape that makes the difference.” Now, the automotive and custom manufacturing business makes up about 30% of Roylco’s die-cutting, printing and injection-molding production at the Anderson facility and 60% at its Canadian facility, Little said. The company was recently included in a fee-in-lieu of tax agreement between Anderson County and BMW Manufacturing for the benefit of BMW suppliers. In the same room on the factory floor, bolts of magenta and lime green felts are stacked a few feet from a spool of the utilitarian blue fabric used to cushion vehicles. Alphabet letters on sprues, still warm to the touch,
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Project manager Kathy Little sifts through the dyed rice used for crafts in classrooms and playrooms across the country. (Photos/Molly Hulsey) Roylco Industrial also produces bands used in caps by various branches of the U.S. military.
York, one of the largest industry trade events in the world. The cocoa-colored stuffed pup is weighted to feel like a real dog and can be either heated or cooled to soothe anxiety in children or patients with Alzheimer’s. “That has received several national awards for quality and for parents’ choice,” she said. Roylco also began to ride the wave of booming demand for educational resources for students who were still learning from living their livings rooms. Since the pandemic, they have launched several new products including Toddler Art Sensory and STEM-skill enhancing building kits and added a second shift. “It’s been like drinking out of a firehose,” according to Little.
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fall into a basket beside the belly of a plasticmolding machine near a board spotlighting the kitted shapes used to pad vehicle doors, all bearing whimsical nicknames like “the banana,” “the baby bird” and “the eye.” The company competes on par with offshore prices, Little said, as indicated by a recent contract for a Greenville Tier 1 auto supplier that Roylco Industrial seized from a Mexican die-cutter. The company has long tag-teamed with its existing Canadian facility to balance its industrial and educational product lines, but when auto sales dropped off last year, educational toy sales shot through the roof, Little said. Roylco had already made headlines in February with its Theo the Therapy Dog production line, premiered at Toy Fair New
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Crew members of the CMA CGM Brazil throw down lines to dockworkers at the Wando Welch Terminal in September to secure the ship as it steamed into port. (Photo/Kim McManus)
TROUBLED WATERS
PORTS AUTHORITY FILES COMPLAINT WITH NLRB AGAINST UNION By Teri Errico Griffis tgriffis@scbiznews.com
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n Jan. 7, the S.C. Ports Authority and Attorney General Alan Wilson filed a complaint accusing longshoremen and a maritime alliance of illegally strong-arming ocean carriers to stop doing business in Charleston. A similar case was filed in 2012 by ICTSI Oregon Inc., in Portland, Ore., and the resulting legal battle laid waste to the port’s container business, which only resumed a year ago, and nearly sent the union into bankruptcy. Despite ICTSI being awarded a $93 million verdict, which was reduced to $19 million in 2020, the company still had to shutter Portland’s only container terminal in the meantime. The union now has to decide if it will pay the fee or file bankruptcy. Someone closely connected to that case said that union workers lost jobs and the business community has been devastated with increased costs and fewer service providers. In South Carolina’s labor dispute, Wilson and the SCPA filed their charge with the National Labor Relations
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S.C. DELIVERS South Carolina and the S.C. Ports Authority have filed a grievance related to employment at the Hugh Leatherman Sr. terminal under construction in North Charleston. The grievance involves disagreement with longshoremen’s union agencies over how jobs there should be filled. (Photo/SCPA)
Board, alleging violation of the National Labor Relations Act by the International Longshoremen’s Association, its local 1422, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance. The focus of the charge is a master contract clause, Article VII, added in 2013 and agreed upon by ILA and USMX. It states for any new ports built in the U.S., 100% of those jobs would be union jobs. The clause was signed into effect with-
expected to open in March. While the Leatherman Terminal is under construction right now, SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome said it should not be considered a new port, but rather an extension of the existing one. He also believes the contract clause shouldn’t apply to the HLT because it was permitted in 2003. “This is not a contemplated terminal. This terminal was real, well before that
“THE UNION IS EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THE RULE OF LAW LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. ... THOSE LAWS DO NOT PERMIT THE UNION TO TAKE OVER JOBS FROM STATE EMPLOYEES.” www.scbizmag.com
— S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson
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out involvement from the SCPA, Wilson said, and threatens the jobs of hundreds of state workers if the NLRB allows it to be implemented. The conflict comes from how each side is interpreting the clause in relation to the Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal in North Charleston, which is
clause came into effect,” Newsome said. Few want to talk about the complaint in South Carolina. Both the NLRB and the ILA will not comment on the case, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance and their legal counsel did not return repeated attempts for
a comment. SCBIZ also asked other state agencies, economic development organizations and university experts to speak into this case, but no one wanted to talk on the record. As a result of the ILA’s assertion of Article VII, ocean carriers won’t commit to their vessels calling on the Leatherman Terminal unless the issue is resolved, Newsome said. He called the actions “surreptitious” attempts to acquire new work, particularly as they implement what is known as a secondary boycott. The NLRB prohibits secondary boycotts, which is defined as two parties, in this case the ILA and USMX, making an agreement that could harm a third party, in this case the port. All it takes to violate this act is to “engage in, or induce or encourage” someone in the industry to boycott another party’s goods or services, according to published NLRB regulations. Labor disputes of this nature are far from new.
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In the case of ICTSI Oregon Inc. and its charge against the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the two parties also fought over a secondary boycott. The case was a landmark for its $93 million jury award in ICTSI’s favor and has been covered nationwide from the Los Angeles Times to the New York Post. But despite the multimillion-dollar award, the tale still doesn’t have an ending. Litigation is ongoing even after a decade, and the embroilment has caused widespread economic issues for many involved. A judge last year agreed with the finding that the union had unfairly damaged
ICTSI but disagreed with how damages were calculated and reduced the jury award to $19 million. ICTSI has since refused to accept the $19 million award, and the court is ordering a new jury trial to determine damages. The union said it likely would be forced into bankruptcy if it had to pay the $93 million award.
Is Oregon like S.C.? The case in Portland began in the early 2000s with ICTSI, a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services Inc., taking over the lease on a government-
operated container terminal in Oregon. As part of the transition, refrigerator container work — managed by the Port of Portland — was to be done by port electricians per a labor agreement established in 1974. The ILWU maintained the work belonged to them, however; and the longshoremen prevented the electricians from working, took over the jobs themselves and tanked the port’s volumes, a source involved in the case said. ICTSI was powerless in a dispute that didn’t involve the company in the first place. Similar to the S.C. Ports Authority, they filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. In 2012, the NLRB found that the longshoremen were intentionally slowing down work — taking twice as long to move containers and falsely claiming safety issues that took time to investigate but turned out to be baseless. The NLRB said the unionized dockworkers engaged in illegal stoppages and other gimmicks to pressure the company for jobs. That same year, the Oregon Federal Court entered an injunction ordering the ILWU to cease the illegal conduct. But the union persisted, according to someone closely involved in the case. In a business where everything is about the speed of production, ICTSI’s timing took a huge hit and never recovered. It subsequently shut down Oregon’s only international container terminal, which remained shuttered until January 2020. Without use of the Portland port for four years, customers had to transport their cargo to Seattle or Tacoma, Wash., to ship from there — raising export causes, especially for the large agricultural industry in Oregon. Traffic congestion increased, more trucks were needed and prices went up for the Asian markets that imported to Portland, the source said. One case mushroomed into many and the case went as high as the D.C. Circuit of Appeals. With the Hugh Leatherman Terminal scheduled to open in March, Newsome hopes for a quicker resolution and expects any day to hear of a determination by NLRB.
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Longstanding labor model Should Article VII be enforced, it could threaten the SCPA’s half-a-century-old hybrid model of using both state employees and union labor on the waterfront. Newsome has known about the clause from its inception, but never felt it applied to the HLT or any other South Atlantic ports, which are all state-owned. He also believed that with only hypotheticals as to how this article would hinder business or carriers coming to the state-owned and -operated port, the NLRB would turn away his concerns.
They’re now no longer hypothetical. “The union is expected to follow the rule of law like everyone else,” Wilson said. “South Carolina has long been a staunch right-to-work state and the union cannot undermine our laws guaranteeing the right to work. Those laws do not permit the union to take over jobs from state employees.” The SCPA generates one in 10 jobs in in South Carolina and has found longstanding success with its hybrid model of experienced state employees handling cranes, lift machines and heavy machinery working alongside ILA’s deep sea staff, clerks and checkers, and mechanics, Newsome said.
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He said this provides the “best combination of productivity, efficiency and cost in the United States.” The clause could upset that balance. Under Article VII, there are two provisions, one of which says that the UMSX can “notify any port authority contemplating or intending to develop a new container handling facility that USMX members may be prohibited from using the new facility if the work at that facility is not performed by Master Contract bargaining unit employees.” Newsome and the ports predicated the decision on how to operate the terminal on its existing model, he said. Should the article be enforced in ILA’s favor, hiring only union workers would increase the price of using the Leatherman Terminal and therefore would cost the SCPA business. “I can prove that the operating model of the Hugh Leatherman Terminal would be expensive and our customers wouldn’t pay for it,” the CEO said. “And if they don’t go to the terminal, it wouldn’t matter. The S.C. Ports data is currently the only analysis on hand, Newsome said. As part of the second provision for the article, the ILA and USMX were supposed to conduct a study that showed how the hybrid model “could be altered to permit work currently performed by state employees to be performed by ILA-represented employees in a more productive, efficient and competitive fashion.” That analysis would then be presented to the port “in an effort to convince them to employ ILA-represented employees,” the clause said. As of press time, Newsome said no study has been conducted. The CEO stressed he is grateful to collaborate with the ILA and its rank and file members in Charleston and intends to move forward operating the terminal with the current hybrid model. “It’s the only way it’s going to be successful,” he said. “Everybody will benefit from that in terms of increased job growth for all the people that work on the waterfront, the state board employees and the ILA. To me, failure is not an option.”
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