RIOS LEADS NEW BRANCH OF SBDC
PAGE 29 VOLUME 28 NUMBER 9 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM
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MAY 23-JUNE 12, 2022 ■ $2.25
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FULL STEAM AHEAD SC Ports notches another record month Page 17
Tower topping
Student housing project celerates milestone. Page 3
Occupancy, rates on rise for SC hotels By Christina Lee Knauss
H Hydrogen hose
Self-repairing hose could help diversify fuel supply. Page 6
New hire
SC Biz News names executive editor. Page 8
Supply chain woes Concerns for shipping, trucking industries persist. Page 19
INSIDE
Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 In Focus: Ports, Logistics and Distribution......................... 13 List: Motor Freight Lines......25 Bonus List: Employee Benefits Brokers.................27 At Work...............................28 Viewpoint........................... 30
Photo/SC Ports
Business is personal for SBA administrator By Melinda Waldrop
I
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
sabella Casillas Guzman learned firsthand what makes a successful small business growing up in California, where her father owned a chain of veterinary practices. “What I admired most about my father was his relationship in the community. Everyone who walked in that door was so special to him and vice versa,” Guzman said. “The impact that he made in his neighborhood was truly remarkable.” Guzman, sworn in as the 27th Administrator of the Small Business Administration on March
17, 2021, spoke with the Columbia Regional Business Report after a stop at Benedict College on May 4 as part of a bus tour supporting National Small Business Week. Benedict became one of two historically Black colleges and universities to launch a Women’s Business Center in 2020. “Focusing always — from having worked in his business — on that customer-first experience is what drives me,” said Guzman, who represents the nation’s 32.5 million-plus small business owners. “I look through the lens of a customer first at all times in our design and implementation. That See SBA, Page 10
Accelerated accomplishment Port of Charleston played key role in Mark Anthony Brewing’s rapid launch. Page 15
Contributing Writer
otels around South Carolina continue to see strong demand for rooms despite reduced service levels caused by ongoing hiring challenges, according to first quarter 2022 report released by Colliers South Carolina. According to the report, the average hotel occupancy rate around the state was 66.83% during the first quarter, up from 59.08% percent in the third quarter of 2021 and 49.76% in the fourth quarter of that year. Average daily rates for hotel rooms and revenue per available room are continuing to increase and, as a result, to offset a rise in operating costs during the first quarter, the report said. On average, hotels are reporting a 20%-30% increase in operating expenses over pre-pandemic levels largely because of staffing challenges. Hotels are dealing with this ongoing worker shortage by reducing daily housekeeping services, training employees to perform duties in multiple areas of service and increasing automation. The average daily rate for hotel rooms statewide continues to rise and was $126.74 in the first quarter, up from $106.02 in the fourth quarter 2021. Revenue per available room soared to $85.64 compared to $53.15 at the end of 2021. In Columbia, hotel occupancy dipped at the end of 2021 but rose to 66.15% by the end of the first quarter of 2022. Average daily rates were $114.76, and See HOTELS , Page 23