BEST ADVICE Jonathan Kish, Queen Street Hospitality Group
PAGE 4 VOLUME 27 NUMBER 5 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM
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MARCH 8 - 21, 2021 ■ $2.25
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Nexton reflects rental shift as commercial builds steam By Teri Errico Griffis
What is this?
Morrison Yard Tower design built to mirror region’s reliance on waterfront. Page 11
T
tgriffis@scbiznews.com
here are some new developments coming to Nexton, including a bank, a park, a hospital and now 282 single-family cottages that’ll be available to rent. Developer Capstone Communities is expected to deliver the first round of rentable homes in late 2021. Floorplans include one-,
two-, and three-bedrooms — each with their own private, fenced yard. Units will range from 650 to 1,350 square feet. There also will be studio lofts and two-story carriage units available to rent on the 27-acre project. “When we started the community, one of the things we identified as sort of an important strategy was this notion of diversity — mainly diversity of housing and choices for people,” Nexton Vice President of Operations
Dorothea Bernique, executive director of Increasing H.O.P.E., talks with North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey at the groundbreaking for the Opportunity Center. (Photo by Reggie Murphy/TMI Productions)
Clothing on King
Virginia retailer opens store for eco-friendly clothing in downtown Charleston. Page 5
INSIDE
Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 Best Advice........................... 4 In Focus: Real Estate and Construction.................11 List: Heating & Air Contractors......................... 17 At Work............................... 19 Viewpoint............................23
Vigilent develops at-home COVID test, mobile app
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Vikor Scientific launches cancer testing system in expanding sector. Page 10
Goose Creek sets sights on keeping retail trade from leaving municipality. Page 16
See NEXTON, Page 8
By Teri Errico Griffis
Biotech boom
Growing the Creek
Brent Gibadlo said. Over the last five years or so, the real estate market has leaned heavier into its build-torent approach, Gibadlo said. While there wasn’t much action at first, he has seen the trend pick up steam as people change their lifestyles and prefer not to buy. “First and foremost people are more
CENTER OF OPPORTUNITY
Nonprofits collaborate on commercial real estate project to transform a wholesale furniture warehouse in North Charleston into an Opportunity Center.
tgriffis@scbiznews.com
magine a COVID-19 test as convenient as pulling a thermometer out of your medicine cabinet. No phone calls sending you in circles. No registration lines snaking outside of grocery stores. No waiting days for results. Vigilent Labs in North Charleston is reforming COVID-19 testing in the U.S., creating technology that will provide instantaneous results at home and store the data at your fingertips. With the swipe of an app, you can pull up results with a GPS and timestamp to show an employer, send to school or to carry as you board a plane. The idea is for individuals to be able to control access to their own personal health credential, including providing it on demand. “We’re all about critical data being put into the right people’s hands,” Vigilent Labs President John Falk said. “But most importantly we believe this framework can bring clarity from the current chaos.” COVID-19 testing kits, similar to preg-
Page 6
See VIGILENT, Page 9
Developing Berkeley
Berkeley County saved millions on an administration building, which sparked other projects waiting on money. Page 14