BEST ADVICE Rob Temple, CEO, FishBait Solutions LLC
PAGE 4 VOLUME 27 NUMBER 4 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM
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FEBRUARY 22 - MARCH 7, 2021 ■ $2.25
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Lowcountry Local First opens expanded Local Works By Andy Owens
State of the region
Mayors from Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant talk about future and 2020. Pages 5-7
L
aowens@scbiznews.com
owcountry Local First opened a new HQ, including more than 5,000 square feet of coworking space on Summerville Avenue in Charleston recently. The location in the Lumberyard commercial development expands and modernizes the nonprofit, small business advocacy group’s
ability to help support individual entrepreneurs and early stage startups with more offices, more services and with less flooding. The organization’s previous location on upper Meeting Street was prone to flooding and the space was limited. A ribbon cutting streamed online last Friday signaled the opening of a larger, elevated space in addition to expanded, dedicated parking. The idea behind Local Works is unchanged,
organizers said. It will continue offering a low-cost option for local businesses that need commercial space. The added benefit is similar to other coworking locations across the region, which is a creative environment where entrepreneurs can talk and share ideas and discover commonalities that could lead to new business. See LOCAL, Page 16
SPECIAL REPORT
The apprentices
Santee Cooper invests in apprenticeships to help boost pipeline of skilled workers. Page 12
IAAM partnership
Michelin North America is working with the International African American Museum. Page 3
S.C.’s energy use
Oil and electricity are the two largest end-use power consumption categories in the Palmetto State. Page 2
Grants help stabilize firms across S.C.
SAVING MIDDLE KING
By Melinda Waldrop, Molly Hulsey and Alexandria Ng
Sense of community, common goals create synergy among middle King Street businesses leveraging digital to weather the pandemic storm.
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 Knapp, president and CEO of the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce. “There’s been exposed the problem of entrepreneurs and
Pages 8-9
INSIDE
Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 Best Advice........................... 4 In Focus: Trends in Energy................. 13 List: Recycling Companies.. 18 Bonus List: Solar Companies................. 19 At Work............................... 21 Viewpoint............................23
SC Biz News
(Photo/Margaret Sullivan)
Many megawatts
Solar power represents one of the largest business units for Dominion Energy S.C. with more under construction. Page 13
See SC CARES, Page 10