Charleston Regional Business Journal - August 23, 2021 - Includes Market Facts Supplement by SC Biz News

BEST ADVICE Tim Myers president, 1st Choice

PAGE 4 VOLUME 27 NUMBER 17 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM

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Condo collapse refocuses attention on private inspections By Jenny Peterson

Taking her shot

CEO Lou Kennedy mandates vaccines for Nephron employees. Page 10

Goodwill hunting

Palmetto Goodwill looks to replace its longtime CEO who recently stepped down. Page 11

Lowe and behold

Citadel engineering cadets receive on-site training at The Cooper. Page 6

Contributing Writer

ith the collapse of the condominium complex in Florida that killed nearly 100 in June, renewed interest has emerged in building codes and inspections, especially in coastal towns. A sobering fact is that while there are many regulations on both state and local levels

regarding structural integrity when any building or major structure is first built, there aren’t required inspections in the ensuing years for private projects — unlike bridges, which go through regular inspections. “(State projects) go through a cycle where the state investigates, looks at them and makes sure there’s nothing showing deterioration, but the problem is that most of our building stock is private buildings, so everything

NURSES IN CRISIS With pandemic uncertainty adding stress to a struggling job sector, fewer people see nursing as a viable career choice. Page 16

Culture care

Patrick Lencioni stresses the importance of healthy office culture. Page 9

INSIDE

Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 Best Advice........................... 4 In Focus: Health Care......................... 15 List: Retirement Communities...................... 18 At Work............................... 19 Hot Properties...................... 21 Viewpoint............................23

Dr. Stephanie Whitener waits for the all-clear to walk into the COVID-19 unit at MUSC’s main hospital. The pandemic has put stress on doctors and nurses across S.C. (Photo/MUSC)

Stellar invention

College of Charleston astronomy and physics professor invents cervical cancer detector. Page 14

is left up to the owner of the building,” said Tim Mays, civil engineering professor at The Citadel School of Engineering. It’s typically the responsibility of building owners to ask qualified engineers to do structural evaluations — either preventatively, or after noticing structural damage. However, some municipalities, including the city of See INSPECTION, Page 12

Billionaire to buy Belmond Charleston Place By Alexandria Ng

ang@scbiznews.com

harleston billionaire businessman and philanthropist Benjamin Navarro is adding the luxury downtown hotel Charleston Place to his long list of assets. Beemok Capital, the family office of Navarro, has confirmed that it will be acquiring the hotel from Belmond, an international hospitality and leisure brand with a presence in 22 countries. The transaction is expected to be completed later in the year upon approval and clearance from relevant local authorities, Belmond representatives said in a statement. Terms of the agreement have not yet been disclosed. Belmond and Beemok Capital did not want to discuss other terms of the sale or answer questions about any possible changes to the signature property until the deal officially closes. Charleston Place, located at 205 Meeting St. in the heart of historic downtown, is a 433-room property with 40,000 square feet of event space, a rooftop infinity pool and private two-story lounge. Starting rates for a deluxe See HOTEL, Page 7

Upfront

BRIEFS | FACTS | STATEWIDE NEWS | BEST ADVICE

What do Bulldogs, Tigers and Gamecocks have in common? Best deals for higher education*

f you said, they all have storied traditions of academic excellence and gridiron grit, you would be right, but we’re talking about money. Financial online portal SmartAsset recently conducted an analysis of South Carolina colleges and universities to find out which ones offered the best value. Colleges and universities across the Palmetto State made the list, with The Citadel, Clemson University and University of South Carolina coming in at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. The analysis used several metrics to create an index that included measurements such as starting salary, tuition, living expenses, student retention rate and the amount of scholarship money awarded to college students. With school starting up for the 2021-2022 academic year, see if you got a good deal.

ON THE

RECORD

Rank

School

1 The Citadel 2 Clemson University 3 University of S.C. 4 Wofford College 5 Furman University 6 Winthrop University 7 College of Charleston 8 USC Upstate 9 Coastal Carolina 10 Lander University South Carolina average

College tuition

Starting salary for grads

Retention

$12,516 $15,374 $12,616 $43,985 $49,532 $15,730 $12,838 $11,852 $11,716 $11,700 $15,295

$60,700 $58,600 $51,900 $52,800 $52,200 $46,000 $48,900 $47,000 $45,900 $42,700 $48,842

86% 93% 89% 92% 89% 70% 81% 67% 68% 68% 65%

Sources: SmartAsset, 2019 National Center for Educational Statistics, 2020 *Rankings based on index using several metrics.

“I’ll be very sad if we lose even the first person, (but) we need to be healthy, and I think the only way to do that is to get more folks vaccinated.” — Lou Kennedy, CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp.

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SC Biz News Briefs UPSTATE

GSA Business Report

Mill Village Farms finds partner for 4th plot in Upstate agriculture project

he farming operation, which has three farms in the Upstate, has added a fourth farm at the Hartness development on Greenville’s east side. Mill Village Farms began in 2014 with a mission to grow food and grow jobs in under-resourced communities of Greenville. The organization’s vision is to transform communities by developing successful youth entrepreneurs Hartness started with four plots that produced what through sustainable agriculture and they called a pretty good crop for a first year. Plans educational empowerment. are to expand the farm and add poultry. (Photo/Ross In addition to the labor and skills Norton) developed while growing and harvesting, the program also offers young people something called Powered for Life, a course that covers resume writing, interview skills, workplace etiquette and preparing for things like opening a bank account and handling taxes. Dan Weidenbenner, executive director of Mill Village Farms, said he has seen alumni do well because, after a summer working in the fields, even a hot fast-food kitchen can seem comfortable. “It’s a hard job working outside in the summer heat, so if you can do this job you can do anything,” he said. “It’s by no means an easy job.” Weidenbenner said youth that work during high school more likely to graduate and have better attendance in school. They are also more likely to attain post-secondary education ranging from certificates to bachelor’s degrees.

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Columbia Regional Business Report

S.C. schools receive $6.7M for innovation projects

he S.C. Research Authority has allocated $3.3 million to third-level institutions across the state for translational research projects addressing challenges facing the state’s industrial base through the organization’s Academia Collaboration Team, according to a news release. The SCRA Academia Collaboration program was designed to connect multi-institutional academic teams to industry leaders to foster engagement, advance technological innovation and bolster the creation of South Carolina-based jobs, according to the news release. Following SCRA’s announcement, academic institutions and private industries are following suit with matching grants totaling $6.7 million. “Many of the technologies on which they are working today will produce the new companies of tomorrow. It’s an honor for SCRA to support these collaborations,” SCRA Executive Director Bob Quinn said. Several colleges and universities will be working on projects along with other school as part of the grants, including The University of South Carolina, Clemson University, Greenville Technical College, Midlands Technical College, the Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University, Trident Technical College, Francis Marion University and The Citadel. VOLUME 24 NUMBER 15 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM Part of the

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Learning some manners

A Clemson researcher says teaching robots to be ‘polite’ can help eliminate errors. Page 13

Penny resolution

Settlement reached in longrunning Penny Tax dispute. Page 4

Opportunity awaits

New Standard

New student housing tower coming to downtown Page 5

North Main venue to bring entertainment, development to underserved community

A different look

Companies team up on Main Street renonvation. Page 8

INSIDE

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

he 64,000-square-foot, $34 million entertainment venue and brewing production facility set to open on North Main Street next year is about more than beer. It’s about opportunity. Peak Drift Brewing Co., the latest Middleton family project, is located in an Opportunity Zone, one of nearly 9,000 areas throughout the country designated for incentivized economic development through 2017 federal legislation sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott. Investors

receive tax benefits to invest in low-income communities certified as Opportunity Zones by the U.S. Treasury Department. “People say why not Charleston? Why not Charlotte? Why not Greenville? Why not Miami?” Greg Middelton, who will own Peak Drift along with sister Sara Middleton, said during July 13’s official announcement of the brewery’s name and head brewmaster. “ ‘You can take the money and the capital you’re doing here and go anywhere.’ I’m not from Miami, and neither is Sara. I’m from Columbia, I’m from South Carolina, and I want this to be something that Columbia can truly be

By Molly Hulsey

Infectious conditions take place atop priority list. Page 8

proud of.” In March 2018, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster nominated 135 areas in the state as Opportunity Zones, with 128 eventually certified as low-income community tracts and seven as contiguous to such tracts. So far, the 8,764 certified zones in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have attracted $75 billion in private investment, said Alyssa Richardson, Scott’s deputy chief of staff. “Generally, when you’re talking about a place for investment or opportunity, you want See VENUE, Page 7

Icons & Phenoms

The Columbia Regional Business Report honors leaders across the Midlands. Page 12-21

Montgomery Building spurs on Spartanburg revitalization

New frontiers

Summer 2021

S.C.’s life sciences sector poised for growth, success

The Montgomery Building in disrepair had become a barrier from one part of downtown Spartanburg to another. Now it’s a sign of how the Hub City’s central business district is recovering from a pandemic economy. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

OSHA standards adjusted

Man in green By Melinda Waldrop

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Hybrid office, now by choice

A staff ‘Fueled’ by collaboration takes the model into the future. Page 6

St. Pat’s festival returning to Five Points in 2022. Page 2

Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 In Focus: Financial Services ..........................................23 List: Accounting Firms .......24 Bonus list: Credit Unions ....26 At Work ..............................29 Viewpoint ........................... 31

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Greg Middleton, co-owner of Peak Drift Brewing Co., talks about the North Main entertainment venue during a news conference. (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)

TD Bank names region president for Mid-South. Page 9

INSIDE

Leading Off .......................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 C-Suite ................................ 4 In Focus: Banking and Finance ............................. 15 LIST: Accounting Firms....... 16 At Work ............................. 20 Viewpoint ...........................23

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

ome remembered Elvis playing on its stage. Others had parking tokens, light fixtures and elevator signs from its heyday. Some stopped on site to swap stories about an uncle who was a janitor, usher or patron. One woman brought bonds issued to construct the building during the 1920s.

Everywhere Tom Finnegan and his development team turned, Spartanburg residents came out of the woodwork to share how the city’s once-highest skyscraper had shaped their childhoods, their family’s livelihood. But if the building inspired the art deco imaginations of long-time Spartanburg residents, it was also an albatross that drummed up liability and development nightmares for city leaders. And in many ways, the building served as a barometer of Hub City’s revival

from the time most of its seven railway lines came to a halt. “It was such a blight on the city and really a barrier from downtown proper, out Church Street toward Wofford,” K.J. Jacobs, principal of McMillan Pazdan Smith, told GSA Business Report. “It really was a kind of psychological barrier for folks coming out of the Northside and Wofford into downtown and vice versa.” Pedestrians would have to evade falling See BUILDING, Page 7

High-tech farm touts paradigm shift for organics By Ross Norton

rnorton@scbiznews.com

henandoah Growers Inc., a company specializing in commercially advanced indoor agriculture, broke ground Aug. 3 on its next indoor biofarm — this one in Anderson County.

The company, based in Rockingham County, Va., says it is the only large-scale USDA certified organic soil-based indoor growing system. Shenandoah Growers says it wants to change the reputation of organic food from something expensive to something affordable by making affordability a reality.

By establishing the company’s 13th “biofarm” in Anderson County, on U.S. Highway 29 about halfway between Anderson and Williamston, the company takes another step in a second objective to make organic produce widely available. Shenandoah Growers’ other 12 growing sites range See ORGANICS, Page 11

In Focus Foreclosure Cliff?

Banks and other lenders face tough decisions as federal moratorium comes to an end. Page 15

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PRESIDENT 1ST CHOICE A/C, HEATING, PLUMBING & GAS

“THE BEST ADVICE I’VE EVER RECEIVED … is to trust in God and ask for the guidance to have his blessings in life and be a blessing to others. I truly believe that if you ask then you will receive and if you give you will get. I take great pride in helping others in the A/C, heating, plumbing and gas industry to be able to come to a happy place they call work and to be an elite team. We want everyone to succeed, grow, have opportunities, feel cared for, be well trained, well rested, excited to take care of our customers and always do the right thing. It’s the people with the same values and mindset that are selected to represent the company and are the company. It’s not a one-person hero it’s a family team. Those people have to be taken care of and rewarded just like we are with the blessings that we work and pray for. At 1st Choice A/C, Heating, Plumbing & Gas LLC we happily serve the community with honesty, experience and a great attitude that is for the customers best interest.”

INTERESTING FACT

Myers is conuinely creating, including graphics on his company’s vehicles, grills, smokers and fire pits where friends and family are always gathering. He also creates his own spice rubs and recipes. “There’s nothing better than providing for others and the smiles and laughs that come along with the different foods prepared. It’s a hobby. I always say build a longer table. Not a higher fence,” he said.

Events Account Executive - Melissa Tomberg mtomberg@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1220 Events Manager - Kim McManus kmcmanus@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3116

TIM MYERS

Photo/Stan Foxworthy

HEART OF AN ENTREPRENEUR

Tim Myers started working very young mowing lawns, bailing hay, planting bluberry bushes, haulig sand. detassling corn, stocking shelves at a grocery store and anything else he could do to earn money. He joined a heating and air conditioning company when he was a teen, where he worked on milk coolers at a farm and commercial A/C units in his small town. Soon after he moved from Indiana to South Carolina to be with family, he started working at the local company in Mount Pleasant. Myers thought he could do a better job out on his own by charging honest prices and making sure problems were diagnosed correctly. “They knew I cared, and it wasn’t just money to me. It is so much more.” He ran is company from 1999 to 2010, and eventually he decided to sell, but after working for someone else for several years, he decided it as time to start a new company: 1st Choice.

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Incoming Citadel cadet-recruits join Lowe executives for a real-time lesson on a waterfront construction site. (Photo/Provided)

Lowe offers Citadel cadets on-site training experience By Teri Errico Griffis

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

fter a year of homebound learning, real-time field experience must be a refreshing change of pace for college students, especially those in The Citadel School of Engineering. Incoming cadet-recruits of the Excellence in Civil Engineering Leadership program received on-the-job analysis from Citadel partner Lowe, the college said in a news release. Advertisement Executives at Lowe and BL Harbert

International hosted an in-class lecture this month, followed by a tour of Lowe’s construction site at The Cooper — a downtown waterfront hotel the company broke ground on in 2020. The on-site experience illustrated the construction process, as well as the challenges and opportunities that come with building foundations for large waterfront developments, the release said. Citadel professor Rebekah Burke is grateful for the support Lowe’s has shown to the School of Engineering and the cadets. “This valuable partnership not only

introduces our cadets to real estate and construction management but provides them a better understanding of how classroom lessons apply in real-world development,” she said. As a Citadel partner, Lowe regularly visits the college campus to offer reoccurring lecture series to cadets in the School of Engineering. “By partnering with The Citadel’s School of Engineering, Lowe is helping to showcase real-world experiences and in turn, better prepare cadets for career opportunities in the future,” said Lowe vice president Mike Mansager in the release. “We enjoyed interacting with

such a great group of cadet-recruits and look forward to inviting them back to see The Cooper hotel construction progress through to completion.” The National Science Foundation sponsors the ExCEL program, a fouryear scholarship and development program for students who show “exceptional leadership potential,” the release said. As part of the program’s mission, students are connected with resources to help build a career plan and become leaders in the civil engineering profession. CRBJ

Reach Teri Errico Griffis at 843-849-3144.

Crawlspace encapsulation company expands operations in Awendaw

Staff Report

rawlspace, an crawlspace encapsulation company in Charleston County, is expanding. A $3.6 million investment will include the purchasing and upfitting of a new facility at 1056 Hunley Sullivans Road, according to a statement issued by Charleston County Economic Development. The company, which manufactures and distributes crawlspace encapsula-

tion, anticipates creating 40 new jobs when the expansion is completed in the fall. “Your Crawlspace has been experiencing significant growth over the last several years, which necessitates this expansion,” said founder and president Bennie Marshall in a statement. “We are very appreciative of our customers, the YCS team and Charleston County for all their support.” YCS is a family-owned business, which Secretary of Commerce Harry M.

Lightsey III said is the kind of company that makes up the “heart of South Carolina.” “These new jobs will make a big difference in the Charleston County area, and we’re excited to see what the future has in store for this great company,” he said. The company’s headquarters are located at 10004 North Highway 17 in McClellanville. YCS creates vapor barrier systems that provide a damage-free seal through-

out treated areas and is the only patented, non-mechanical and properly sealed encapsulation system in the industry, according to the company’s website. “Creating local jobs and shared prosperity for all Charleston County citizens is the core of our economic development mission,” said Charleston County Council District 2 member Dickie Schweers in the release. “Your Crawlspace’s expansion is providing tremendous opportunity for the citizens living in rural Charleston County.” CRBJ

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Don't just GO online, GROW online Signature bronze horse statues greet visitors to Charleston Place on Meeting Street. The Charleston hotel is being sold to Beemok Capital, which is owned by billionaire Benjamin Navarro. (Photo/Andy Owens)

HOTEL, from Page 1

room, which includes two full-sized beds or a king bed, ranges from $400 to $600, depending on time and availability. Beemok Capital plans to make “substantial investments in the hotel to maintain its iconic position in the community,” according to a statement. This investment will serve as the flagship asset for Beemok Hospitality, Beemok Capital’s newly formed vertical focused on seeking out hotel, restaurant and entertainment assets across the Southeast. Casey Lavin will lead Beemok Hospitality as president. He most recently served as managing director for Montage International, a California-based hospitality management company. “I am honored to join Beemok Hospitality and be part of the next chapter for the extraordinary Charleston Place,” Lavin said in a statement. “I look forward to leading our hospitality initiatives and expanding Beemok’s vision for excellence in Charleston and across the Southeast.” Lavin has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality sector and has managed award-winning establishments, such as Palmetto Bluff, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island and The Woodlands Inn. During his time at Palmetto Bluff, Lavin led a team that earned the hotel a Forbes Five Star award and ranking among Conde Nast’s top-10 properties worldwide. For Navarro, this transaction represents a “full-circle moment,” he said in a statement, as he and his wife Kelly attended the grand opening of Charleston Place 35 years ago when it operated under the name The Omni. “We were so taken with the charm of the city and excited to be a part of that momentous occasion in its history,” Navarro said in the statement. “The opening of Charleston Place transformed

the city into a premier destination for visitors from around the world and inspired revival and growth in the entire community. Today, we are extraordinarily proud to call Charleston our home, and thrilled about the opportunity to become a steward of this incredible property.” Navarro’s other assets include Charleston-based Sherman Financial Group, which owns Credit One Bank, as well as Charleston Tennis LLC. He founded nonprofit Meeting Street Schools and bought the annual Women’s Tennis Association tournament on Daniel Island in 2018, now known as the WTA 500 Credit One Cup. Previously, he also made an unsuc-

“The opening of Charleston Place transformed the city into a premier destination for visitors from around the world and inspired revival and growth in the entire community.” — Benjamin Navarro

cessful bid to own the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Beemok Hospitality investments also include Hotel Domestique in Traveler’s Rest and control of the Credit One Bank Stadium and LTP Tennis Center in Charleston. Belmond, from which the hotel is being acquired, is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a Paris-based luxury conglomerate that also owns brands like Christian Dior and Givenchy, under a $3.2 billion transaction that took place in 2019. CRBJ

Reach Alexandria Ng at 843-849-3124.

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Charleston tightens COVID protocols, doctors urge masks By Andy Owens

“The reality is masks work very well, and universal masking is one of the best mitigation strategies we have to protect children, teachers and our community from the spread of coronavirus.”

aowens@scbiznews.com

everal doctors urged Charleston City Council to back an effort to require masks in local schools to fight against a recent surge in coronavirus cases. Charleston recently moved the city back to Phase III on its matrix of COVID measures, tightening protocols based on a rise in cases from the coronavirus pandemic. During the special council meeting to discuss the change and answer questions about the city’s plans going forward, particularly with schools opening, city council passed a resolution encouraging masks and vaccinations. Charleston pediatrician Dr. Eliza Varadi said doctors want children to return to schools safely, especially considering the surge in delta variant cases. Varadi said South Carolina has the third-highest percentage of children with coronavirus at 19.1% compared to 14.3% nationally. “The reality is masks work very well, and universal masking is one of the best mitigation strategies we have to protect children, teachers and our community from the spread of coronavirus,” Varadi said to Charleston City Council. Varadi said that the American Acade-

— Dr. Eliza Varadi Charleston pediatrician

my of Pediatrics with Centers for Disease Control is recommending that children over two, along with staff and faculty of schools, wear masks. “Children, given that they’re not able to be vaccinated, are also going to be spreaders,” she said. Dr. Elizabeth Mack, a pediatrician at MUSC Children’s Health, said from an economic perspective, masks can help minimize the chances of extended quarantines and the pressures that puts on businesses and families. “This means less kids on quarantine, more kids in school, less parents scrambling for child care, less sick citizens, less kids in the hospital,” Mack said. “Children need to be in masks, safely in school.” Mack compared wearing masks to putting children in car seats in automobiles and requiring them to wear seatbelts. “We have the power to stop this. This

issue is akin to child passenger safety or really any other public health issue,” she said. Mack said that the Charleston region doesn’t have herd immunity because a large percentage of people are still unvaccinated, and the youngest children cannot receive the shot. “This is, of course, a pandemic of the unequal,” she said. “COVID is surging, and as you know the delta variant is incredibly contagious, and my colleagues and I are terrified that we are about to step into what we have seen around the country.” The decision to return to tighter protocols was made after consulting with the city’s COVID-19 Task Force. The city said the move was to keep citizens, city workers and tourists safe. As part of the reopening of the city, Charleston implemented a matrix that

outlines what happens under different protocols. Phase III includes requiring masks once again in all city buildings and requiring posting occupancy limits for public areas. Phase III also changes how several city offices will operate, including scaleddown judicial sessions and no jury trials. Tourism companies can operate if they have a plan in place with the city. The entire list of protocols and measures can be found online. Charleston passed a resolution “strongly encouraging” citizens to follow all current CDC guidance regarding the masking of children under the age of 12, along with encouraging everyone who is over the age of 12 to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus. The resolution also asks all adults, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, to wear masks in the presence of children 12 and under while in the city in crowds of 10 or more. Charleston called a special meeting after press time to consider an emergency ordinance requiring masks in government buildings and public and private schools and daycares within the city limits. Check www.charlestonbusiness.com for the latest. CRBJ

Reach Andy Owens at 843-849-3142.

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Organizational expert urges leaders to care for culture

Staff Report

atrick Lencioni shared his thoughts on leadership, teamwork and the value of building healthy organizational cultures in the August episode of the 21st Century Business Forum. The monthly webcast features oneon-one interviews with some of the nation’s most prominent business minds and thought leaders, brought to you by SC Biz News, the Charleston Regional Business Journal and business partners, Charleston Southern University and Doctors Care. The author and organizational expert said joy “is the leading indicator” of whether an organization is healthy and is something he can gauge just by walking around a workplace. “Are people talking to one another?” Lencioni said. “Are they engaged in what they’re doing? Does it seem like there is joy? Or do they look like they can’t wait to be gone?” If good people stay at an organization and bring other people in, that indicates the company is healthy, Lencioni said. Conversely, if a company

Patrick Lencioni

is incapable of keeping its best people on staff, then it could be a sign of an unhealthy organization, he said. Lencioni told the webcast’s host, Jon Gordon, that “one of the most practical things (a leader) can do for any business is build a healthy culture.”

Striving to create such a culture “is not something esoteric or touchyfeely,” Lencioni said. “The best companies in the world get this.” For example, Lencioni said that Southwest Airlines isn’t considered one of the best in the world because of

technical decisions or the company’s ability to manage fuel prices, but rather they have a culture that works. “Leaders have to realize that (culture) is more important than finance or strategy or operations or technology,” he said. “It’s the context for business.” He said the biggest mistake executives make is figuring out their business inside their own minds and keeping it to themselves without inspiring a staff through culture and messaging. “What makes a business successful is, do the leaders care and work well together, are they crystal clear on what they want the organization to be, and do they repeat (that message) constantly” and reinforce it consistently? Asked by Gordon what he learned about leadership during the pandemic, Lencioni said, “I think what I learned is that very few people are leaders.” “Leadership involves suffering, and it is lonely,” Lencioni said. “It involves the willingness to sacrifice for others, and there are not many people in the world who want to do that.” In September, the Business Forum welcomes Todd Graves, the founder and CEO of Raising Cane’s.

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Nephron to mandate vaccinations for employees, visitors By Melinda Waldrop

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

ephron Pharmaceuticals Corp. is requiring all employees to be vaccinated by the end of the month, with owner and CEO Lou Kennedy saying she hopes other private employers in the state will follow the West Columbia-headquartered company’s lead. “I believe this is what’s right to do and I really hope business colleagues of mine around the state will do the same,” Kennedy said during a Zoom call today with reporters. “I feel like it is a good move for the private sector to do this. I feel like we can lead the way if we show our ability to get vaccinated.” All Nephron employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have at least received the first dose of a two-dose vaccine by Aug. 27, unless an employee has “an exemption or reasonable accommodation” provided to the company’s human resources department by that date, according to a company-wide email sent the morning of Aug. 16. The second dose of a twodose vaccine must be received no later than Sept. 30. All new hires at the generic respiratory drug manufacturer, which recently completed a $215.8 million expansion and announced the formation of a new company, Nephron Nitrile, to manufacture PPP equipment, must provide proof of vaccination before their first day of employment, and all visitors and vendors must be fully vaccinated to enter Nephron property. Employees who do not comply will be terminated, Kennedy said. “I’ll be very sad if we lose even the first person, (but) we need to be healthy, and I think the only way to do that is to get more folks vaccinated,” she said. As a manufacturer of generic inhalation solutions as well as pre-filled, sterile syringes used in hospitals nationwide, Nephron cannot afford to risk having to curtail its operations if employees get sick, Kennedy said. “This is what we have to do,” she said. “Our drugs are expected. ... We cannot shut down. It’s needed.” Kennedy, who said she made the decision to require vaccinations Aug. 13, said she informed S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster of that decision days later. “I wanted him to be aware of this bold move we’re making today,” said Kennedy, who added the governor told her it was her right as a private business sector owner to do what she thought best for her family and her business. “He appreciated the heads up. It was a very brief call.” McMaster, who attended last month’s announcement of Nephron Nitrile, a

Nephron CEO Lou Kennedy is joined by Gov. Henry McMaster with Nephron founder Bill Kennedy during last month’s announcement of the formation of Nephron Nitrile. On Aug. 16, Kennedy announced Nephron is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated. (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)

new $100 million company which will manufacture nitrile gloves and create 250 jobs, has said S.C. schools will not be allowed to mandate masks and that health experts are exaggerating the danger posed by COVID-19 and the delta variant responsible for the majority of new cases. McMaster urged private businesses to help with vaccination efforts during a February visit to Nephron’s vaccination site, provided through a partnership with Dominion Energy. Kennedy said a conversation with the CEO of a local hospital convinced her of the danger not just of surging COVID cases but to other patients who may need hospital beds in increasingly short supply. According to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control statistics, updated each Tuesday, 78.6% of the state’s 11,345 hospital beds are in use, with 1,303 of those in intensive care units. COVID-19 patients make up 13% of hospitalized patients, with 27% of those patients in ICUs and 15% among the 532 users of 1,932 ventilators. In Lexington County, 93.8% of hospital beds are occupied, including 60 of 61 ICU beds. COVID-19 patients occupy 141 beds, 42 in ICU, and account for 35 of the 47 patients currently ventilated.

In Richland County, 69% of hospital beds are occupied, with 101 COVID-19 patients, 28 of whom are in ICU beds and 17 on ventilators. As of Aug. 13, the seven-day average of nationwide new cases increased 18.4% to 114,190, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That average is 65% lower than the peak observed on Jan. 10, 2021, and 882.8% higher than the lowest value observed on June 19, 2021. Kennedy shared a personal hospital experience of staying with her mother, who died three weeks ago of an aortic dissection, saying she heard patients coughing and wheezing throughout the night. “It’s dire,” she said. Kennedy said lines at Nephron’s testing and vaccination sites near the company’s Saxe-Gotha Industrial Park facilities off Interstate 77 had stretched to 25 to 30 people on Monday morning after tapering off to 10 people a day a few weeks ago. Employees can be vaccinated on-site, which should streamline record-keeping, she said. Kennedy said she is not concerned about potential backlash, including any legal action, to her decision, comparing vaccinations to the protective gear Nephron lab workers wear. “Nephron does have a legal right to protect the health and safety of its

workforce,” she said. Nationwide, several large companies have mandated vaccinations for employees, including Walmart, Disney, Google and Facebook. In South Carolina, five Medical University of South Carolina employees were fired last month for not receiving vaccinations in accordance with a company policy established in April. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the largest health care company in the mid-Atlantic region, announced today it would make COVID-19 vaccinations a requirement for its workforce, board of directors and guests. Nephron employs almost 2,000 fulland part-time workers, apprentices and interns, as well as participants in an educator program that provides afterhours jobs for state teachers. The company has an annual revenue of $196.85 million, according to Dun & Bradstreet. Kennedy said the company is working to obtain a firm number of employees who are already fully vaccinated. “Everybody’s going to have an opinion. People may resign or hold out,” she said. “But I think leaders have to make tough decisions. I’m the leader here, and I have to protect my own. We’ll just deal with whatever comes our way.” CRBJ

Reach Melinda Waldrop at 803-726-7542.

August 23 - September 5, 2021

www.charlestonbusiness.com 11

Palmetto Goodwill searches to replace longtime CEO By Teri Errico Griffis

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

eplacing a CEO is a hefty feat, let alone one who has been the face of a company for 40 years. But Palmetto Goodwill was fortunate to start the conversation years ago with President CEO Bob Smith to prepare for this transition and what succession would look like. Smith stepped down from his decades-long role on June 7, and now a Palmetto Goodwill committee is performing a national search for someone to fill his “very big shoes,” said Chris Harvey, Goodwill board chair. Smith’s service began in the ’70s when he took on a truck driver role to support his growing family. His dedication to the organization and hard-working nature led to numerous promotions until Smith came to lead the nonprofit organization in 1998, growing it from a few stores serving 100 people to 31 retail locations and more than 16,000 people last year, Harvey said. “I think the way Bob has grown the organization to the level that it’s reached now, we’re in a position to bring in a really strong leader with a great back-

ground, and someone who’s got that forward mentality, that’s great strategically, that will come in and want to help expand partnerships in the community,” Harvey said. He added that the former CEO has been the “driving force of the organization,” but he’s been pleasantly surprised with the interest so far from candidates. The search committee has heard from folks within the Goodwill network in other parts of the country, as well as people outside of the organization, both from nonprofits and for-profits. In early August, the search committee performed a second round of interviews in person. Harvey said the goal was to find a replacement for Smith by the end of the summer, early fall. “We’re looking for the right fit,” Harvey said. “We’re not rushing the process. I think broad picture… we’re certainly allowing the time to find the right person. It’s obviously one of the most critical roles in the organization.” As the search continues, Palmetto Goodwill is continuing its daily operations under the leadership of interim CEO Lorna Utley, who temporarily relocated from Michigan.

She will also add input as someone with Goodwill International experience. Utley was excited to experience Palmetto Goodwill, one of the stronger and bigger locations in the network, she said. “Bob did such a wonderful job building this Goodwill,” she said. And she should know. Utley served on the Goodwill Detroit board of directors for 25 years before signing on as the organization’s CEO for another 10 years. From August 2018 to February 2019, she also served as Interim CEO for Goodwill International. When she took the Palmetto Goodwill role on, she knew she wouldn’t be the replacement—nor was she interested, she added. “I know enough about Goodwill, how it works and the operation so that I can help guide the ship and have a hand on the tiller until the new person comes,” she said. For her, the future leader of Palmetto Goodwill needs to be strong leader and a business leader involved in the community and the approach to his replacement has been a thoughtful one, she said.

“We didn’t just say, ‘OK, Bob is leaving, we’re just going to pluck somebody in and carry on,’” she said. “We are taking a thoughtful, deliberate approach to be sure we have the best leader going forward. We don’t’ want a revolving door.” The selected candidate must also have a desire to focus the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion mission, and excel in relationship building, both within the company and the community, she and Harvey said. “They’re going to need to step in and solidify those relationships so they can lead the team and help support them, but also integrate themselves in the community,” Utley said. Whether the new CEO is someone locally who already has community ties or someone who has to build connections from scratch, Harvey said Palmetto Goodwill has a talented and diverse board ready to help with the transition. “We’re going to find someone who is up to the task,” he said. “We’re going to find someone that has the chops to step in. It is a big job. It is a big role.” CRBJ

Reach Teri Errico Griffis at 843-849-3144.

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August 23 - September 5, 2021

INSPECTION, from Page 1

Folly Beach, conduct their own structural reviews by their building department staff if they have received written complaints about a building. Mount Pleasant has implemented more restrictive construction standards for buildings located in high-risk flood zones, including areas adjacent to waterways like Shem Creek. Mark Dillon, president and co-founder of ADC Engineering based in Hanahan, said his office has seen an increase in the number of requests for structural evaluations following the building collapse in Florida. “We have been contacted by a few building managers and owners to look at doing an inspection. There hasn’t been a tremendous increase, but there’s been a few phone calls,” Dillon said. “The (tragedy) in Miami shows the importance of periodic maintenance. There’s nothing that you can build that lasts forever without maintenance. You’ve got to maintain everything.” Following major structural disasters, state and national industry groups look at ways to prevent disasters and improve the practice. One emerging trend over the past decade is to require certified Structural Engineers to help draft and sign-off on building plans. That designation is for those who have passed a 16-hour structural engineering exam, which tests for a minimum level of competency in structural engineering. The majority of U.S. states, including South Carolina, do not require the specific exam for engineers to create and signoff on building plans. Instead, certified licensed professional engineers, with a degree, at least four years of relevant work experience following graduation and who have passed the practice of engineering exam and the fundamentals of engineering exam are qualified. Industry groups, including the Florida Structural Engineers Association have been pushing to require the structural engineering exam for engineers working in the structural space. The Structur-

Construction is under way at The Morris office and parking garage at 1090 Morrison Drive, in spite of rising August temperatures. Crews, adorned in safety gear and hard hats, break for water. (Photo/Teri Errico Griffis)

“The (tragedy) in Miami shows the importance of periodic maintenance. There’s nothing that you can build that lasts forever without maintenance.” Mark Dillon President and Co-Founder, ADC Engineering

al Engineering Licensure Coalition has been lobbying for it nationwide. While there hasn’t been any public push to require a specificstructural license in South Carolina, Dillon said he predicts that more states will adopt that recommendation in the future. “It could be that one of the next steps the state would take would be to say, ‘We’re going to require structural engi-

neers to work on the more critical facilities, such as hospitals, police and fire stations,’ and things that are considered in the emergency response realm,” Dillon said. “Or, the state might require structural engineers to do the design for all hospitals or high-occupancy facilities, like larger stadiums that hold thousands of people.” Despite not requiring structural engineering-specific certification, the level of

Cranes tower over the Lennar Multifamily Communities construction at 1310 Meeting Street Apartments. (Photo/Teri Errico Griffis)

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regulations on the engineering, design and construction of new buildings remains rigorous statewide, and those certified in the practice of engineering exams have extensive experience as part of their training and licensing. “South Carolina is one of the more stringent states, in that we adopt codes quickly and completely and regulations are considered to be the best, latest, greatest and safest for the public,” Mays said. The Charleston area has its own set of hurdles to ensure strength and durability of buildings because of the coastal climate and potential for seismic activity. Additionally, the area’s poor soil necessitates pilings for taller buildings. “Anything made with steel, or a concrete structure with reinforced steel, is subject to deterioration and corrosion due to salt water, which is what everybody’s talking about with the Florida collapse,” said John Moore, founding principal of Charleston-based firm 4SE. “As engineers, we’ve been asked to consider a lot more things in the design of buildings than we used to, and therefore, we have become a more integral cog in the team to design a building.” So, what does the future look like? Mays says he’s seeing a trend in the continued study of structural engineering to ensure safety.

One lone worker connects the ceiling of the Charleston Trade Center in Summerville. (Photo/Teri Errico Griffis)

“In our department, a good percentage of civil engineering students go into structural engineering,” Mays said. “It’s something you see with these students — they want to make (the industry) better. You don’t want (disasters) to happen again, and maybe you see yourself as part of that solution.” CRBJ

Under the guidance of Frampton Construction Safety Manager Sofie Collins (not pictured), steel beams are erected and bolted in place, creating the outline of the Charleston Trade Center. (Photos/Teri Errico Griffis)

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New era

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Home office tax deductions require more than COVID By Teri Errico Griffis

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Griffis principal, Pernice Adams, offered tgriffis@scbiznews.com a life-changShe described the moment ing intervention. Adams encouraged she fell in the teen love with engineering to apply her skill set toward as a literal light bulb rowing up, Wysheka Austin pre-engineering moment — loved classes and connected connecting wires and batteries her with a teacher that class drawing, and excelled in math in to make her first bulb illuminate. and could provide hands-on experience. science. But she had no idea Today, Austin has carried that how to Austin admits she’d never heard passion into translate those skills into a career. of engi- a senior operations She consid- neering before manager at General Electhen. ered architecture. tric and is one of two Clemson “You don’t necessarily have alumni being With few resources at home to see where honored at the to guide her, you’re going BEYA STEM Global Competin order to go, though,” she said Austin turned to her career center where her of taking that first class. See ENGINEERING, Page 6

By design

MOVING STUFF

Trident Technical College receives $1 million foundation grant for the Truist Transportation and Logistics Center, the first part of a multiphase plan to renovate the 38-year-old Berkeley campus into a training facility for high-demand jobs. Page 10

Market facts are critical when you’re making financial decisions. Don’t make your financial decisions based on myths, misconceptions, or incomplete facts.

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Bringing representation into STEM sector

Charleston’s new architect immersing herself in design of historic city. Page 8

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he IRS may have pushed the start of tax season to Feb. 12, but it’s never too early to start preparing — especially if you’re thinking about writing off your home office as a tax deduction. Millions of Americans have been forced to work from home for most of 2020 because of the pandemic shutdowns, but that doesn’t mean W2 workers can suddenly claim their home office — especially when it’s a makeshift set up on your dining room table, local tax professionals said. With the Targeted Jobs and Tax Cut Act of 2018, W2 employees can no longer write off their home office, said Clint Hulsey, tax tor at Atlantic Coast Tax & Accounting direcInc. in West Ashley.

“It used to be that if you worked for an employer and had a W2 from them, and worked from home some of the time and out of that office, you were able to deduct some of those expenses, even working on behalf of your employer,” Hulsey said. “Things changed with the new tax laws in 2018. ” While some may be disappointed they can’t See HOME, Page 9

CHARLESTON UNDER CONSTRUCTION Who is building what in the Charleston area? Projects, companies, prices, projected timelines, photos and stories. Page 13

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FINANCIAL SERVICES

What are your chances of getting audited in S.C.?

ou know the moment of dread comes every time you sign that 1040: Could this end up with a trip to the local IRS office holding a box of receipts with sweaty palms? We understand your feeling, and so does ProPublica. Their journalists poured through mounds of data to analyze every county in the U.S. to determine how likely you are to get audited. We broke out the South Carolina stats to kick off 2021. Now you should definitely use a tax preparer, especially if you run a business, and consult a tax attorney if you think your tax situation might be an issue. Because these are statistics, you’re going to find that individual circumstances can sway one way or another. For comparison, the national rate of audits is 7.7 per 1,000 filings. The most audited county in the nation is Humphreys County, Miss., with 11.8 audits per 1,000 filings. The county near the Mississippi River Delta has a population of 8,257 people, according to the latest Census data. The reason for the high rates of audits in Humphreys County is because so many of the residents are poor. IRS data show that Americans with the lowest income and those who are exceptionally rich are audited at a higher rate than anyone else.

Most audited counties in S.C.

Least audited counties in S.C.

Federal tax audits in selected S.C. counties These selected counties represent a geographic cross section of the state, ranked by lowest to highest rate of federal tax audits. County

Audits per 1,000

Lexington

7.4

Berkeley

7.5

Dorchester

7.5

Greenville

7.7

Anderson

7.9

Charleston

7.9

Spartanburg

7.9

County

Audits per 1,000

County

Audits per 1,000

Horry

7.9

Allendale

10.3

Lexington

7.4

Newberry

8.0

Dillon

9.7

Berkeley

7.5

Richland

8.1

Marion

9.7

Dorchester

7.5

Florence

8.7

Marlboro

9.7

Pickens

7.5

Williamsburg

9.5

York

7.6 Sources: ProPublica, Census Bureau

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Accounting for S.C.’s finances South Carolina’s somewhat like a business when it comes to balancing the books and accounting for income, cash flow and expenditures. The S.C. Department of Administration offers a quick snapshot at the numbers in South Carolina’s books.

REVENUE STREAM

$35B $30B

South Carolina’s annual budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year is more than $31 billion. The money comes from several revenue streams.

$31.06B

$25B $20B $15B $10B

$12.3B $9.3B

$9.5B

General funds

Federal funds

$5B 0 Other funds

Total

Emergency funds South Carolina’s constitution requires the state to maintain a rainy day fund for unexpected circumstances.

$458,961,225

By law, the General Reserve Fund must be 5% of the General Fund revenues and may be used to cover shorfalls from general funds receipts. For the current fiscal year, that amounts to nearly $460 million.

$183,584,490

The Capital Reserve Fund has to equal 2% of the General Fund. The money must be used to replenish the General Reserve Fund if necessary. However, if that money isn’t needed, then the General Assembly can appropriate that money for one-time expenditures, such as capital improvement projects.

What about schools?

Education is one of the largest expenditures for state government. For the current fiscal year, more than $4.3 billion, or 41% of the General Fund, has been allocated for educational expenses in South Carolina.

$3,545,719,579

K-12 education receives more than $3.5 billion from the General Fund, along with $987,285,024 from the state’s 1% sales tax, which is designated for education.

$800,452,070

Colleges and universities, on the other hand, receive less than $1 billion from the state General Fund, not counting lottery money.

$597,200,000

Nearly $600 million from the S.C. Education Lottery has been allocated by the state, including $68.6 million for K-12, $528.5 million for higher education, and $100,000 for other agencies. Source: S.C. Department of Administration, fiscal year 2021-2022

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FINANCIAL SERVICES

Demographics and Economic Development The hospitality and tourism industries are vital to the Charleston region’s economy, and no sectors were hit harder during the pandemic in terms of financial and job losses. Prospects look decidedly better as we enter the second half of 2021, with airline passenger numbers and hotel occupancy rebounding sharply. Restaurants and bars still face hurdles in filling jobs, a fact that is limiting their ability to serve customers.

FAST FACTS

2,649%

-36%

Increase in total passengers at the Charleston

Drop in the total economic impact of

International Airport from April 2020 to May 2021.

tourism in the Charleston region.

PAGE 42

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Total passengers at Charleston International Airport, Jan. 2019 - May 2021 The airline industry was one of the hardest hit as COVID-19 spread across the world. However, as vaccines became widely available and COVID-19 cases began to decrease, travel activity at CHS took off. 500K

469,160

-97%

450K

decrease from July 2019 to April 2020

400K

409,463

350K

2,649%

300K 250K

increase from April 2020 to May 2021

Scan QR code

to see more CHS statistics

200K 150K 100K 50K 0

or go to bit.ly/CHSStats

1/19

2/19

3/19

4/19

5/19

14,896 6/19

7/19

8/19

9/19 10/19 11/19 12/19 1/20

2/20 3/20 4/20 5/20 6/20 7/20

8/20 9/20 10/20 11/20 12/20 1/21

2/21

3/21

4/21

5/21

Source: Charleston County Aviation Authority

Fueling South Carolina’s Innovation Economy SCRA fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy through the work of programs that advance academic research and development, and provide coaching, grant funding, world-class facilities, and industry match making for technology startups. Learn more at scra.org.

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Estimate of tourism’s economic impact in the Greater Charleston Area, 2020 Tourism in 2020 was defined by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the unique challenges presented, the Greater Charleston Area attracted 5.12 million overnight visitors, who generated $6.15 billion in total economic impact throughout the region.

Visitors

Total economic impact

Hotel average occupancy

Labor earnings

decrease from 2019 to 2020

-31%

-36%

7.43M

$9.67B 5.12M

2019

-38.4%

73.9% $6.15B

2020

2019

2020

-33%

$3.43B 45.5%

2019

$2.29B

2020

2019

2020

Source: College of Charleston Office of Tourism Analysis

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Business leaders and teams can make a significant impact in the fight against hunger.

How you can help: Fund a specific Lowcountry Food Bank program or sponsor an awareness campaign Sponsor and attend Chefs’ Feast, our premier gala event in February Volunteer with your team at Lowcountry Food Bank Host a virtual fundraiser

Challenge your customers and employees to give through your company’s annual employee giving campaign Provide in-kind donations by donating products or professional services Join the Walk to Fight Hunger with your team in September

Contact Lowcountry Food Bank Development Department, Heather Perry, Director of Fundraising at 843-747-8146 ext. 162

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EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

South Carolina craft breweries, 2020

105,620

$905 Million Economic Impact

Barrels of craft beer produced per year Ranks 36 in U.S.

Ranks 26 in U.S.

Number of craft breweries operating per year

increased the amount of beer a person could consume at a brewery per day from 4 tasting glasses to 48 ounces.

allowed breweries to sell more than 3 pints of beer per customer if the brewery has a food service permit from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

2011

2012

20 2013

31 2014

Ranks 44th in U.S.

Temporary order

On March 21, 2020, Gov. McMaster signed a bill allowing for curbside pick-up of beer and wine to limit in-person contact.

The Stone Law

The Pint Law

Gallons per 21+ Adult

One of the drivers of the expansion of the craft beer industry in S.C. has been the passage of bills by the state legislature that favor the industry.

0.8

2015

82 50

61 Two more bills signed

The first allows craft breweries to donate their product to charities and provides that brewers can participate in nonprofit events by pouring their beverages and providing equipment. The second bill allows breweries to sell liquor, which helps brewpubs planning to distribute their product.

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020 Source: Brewers Association

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Population growth by county, 2010-2020 19.1% – Dorchester County

– Berkeley County

– Charleston County

increase from 2010 – 2020

450K

417,981

400K 350K

Number of new residents moving to the region each day

Source: Charleston Regional Development Alliance

350,998

31.5%

300K 250K 200K

179,492

150K

137,005

235,987

increase from 2010 – 2020

165,737

21.0%

100K

increase from 2010 – 2020

819,705

50K

Total Charleston MSA Population, 2020

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

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EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Leisure and Hospitality employment in Charleston-North Charleston MSA, Jan. 2007 - May 2021 The Leisure and Hospitality supersector includes both the Accommodation and Food Services sector and the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sector. COVID-19

Recession

60K

2021 trend - Increase from previous month - Decrease from previous month

55K

12/20

1/21

50K

2/21 4/21

+74.7%

40K

5/21

was the amount employment in this sector increased from April 2020, when employment dropped to 24,836, to May 2021, when employment reached 43,387.

35K

30K

2008

2009

2010

2012

2013

2014

2015

2017

2018

2019

42,305 42,410 43,387

THE TREND:

EMPLOYMENT REBOUNDING RAPIDLY, STILL A WAYS TO GO No sector was hit harder by the pandemic than hospitality. In the beginning, restaurants were only allowed to serve take-out. Hotels were reeling as tourism came to a halt and thousands of workers were rapidly laid off. Though the workforce has rebounded, it still needs to add 8,191 jobs to reach the high of 51,578 people employed in February 2020.

25K

20K 2007

41,770 42,644

3/21

45K

42,554

2020

2021 Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

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South Carolina statewide lodging outlook report, May 2021 – Percent Change from May 2020 to May 2021

Occupancy rate

Average room rate

+53.8% 90%

+73.2%

80%

66.5%

70% 60%

$138.81

$140

RevPAR RevPAR = Revenue Per Available Room, i.e., total room revenue divided by total number of room nights.

$140

$130

$120

$110

$100 $90

$90.28

$90 $80

$70

$60

30%

$50

$40

20%

$30

$20

$10

40%

38.4%

10% 0%

May 2020

May 2021

May 2020

$92.37

$100

$80

50%

+166.1%

May 2021

THE TREND:

LODGING NUMBERS REBOUNDING RAPIDLY Year-over-year numbers confirm that lodging is rebounding at a rapid pace. People are eager to travel after months of restrictions. Vaccine availability and a decline in COVID-19 cases have also led to people resuming more activities.

$34.71

May 2020

May 2021 Source: S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

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EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Education The coronavirus pandemic brought into sharper focus the disparities of educational attainment in the Charleston region. While those with college degrees largely held onto jobs and suffered less financial hardship during the most severe parts of the lockdown, many people with a high school diploma or less faced significant job and wage losses.

FAST FACTS

51.5%

$10,856

Percentage of residents in Charleston County

The amount S.C. spends per K-12 student.

with an associate’s degree or higher.

PAGE 54

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Enrollment analysis of technical colleges and research institutions, 2009 – 2019 THE TREND:

TECHNICAL COLLEGE ENROLLMENT CONTINUES DECLINE, FOR NOW

80,000

Technical college enrollment expanded during the Great Recession. As unemployment increased, many sought the cost-effective training necessary to embark on a new career that the state’s technical college system offers. As jobs became more plentiful, that enrollment has declined. The pandemic may have a similar impact as the thousands of unemployed workers began to reassess their professional trajectory; many have resigned their positions and look to change careers that may require additional training.

75,000 70,000 64,597

65,000

62,511

64,227

63,463

61,893

60,000 55,000 48,440

50,000

50,080

51,682

53,359

59,246

58,593

59,685

59,039

61,126

56,505

54,932

55,411

52,940

51,896

48,792

48,706

46,953

45,000 40,000 2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Technical Colleges: Aiken, Central Carolina, Denmark, Florence-Darlington, Greenville, Horry-Georgetown, Midlands, Northeastern, Orangeburg-Calhoun, Piedmont, Spartanburg CC, TC of the Lowcountry, Tri- County, Trident, Williamsburg, York

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Research Institutions: Clemson, MUSC, USC Columbia

Source: S.C. Commission on Higher Education

The S.C. Aeronautical Training Center at Trident Technical College is transforming how education and industry work together in the regional, national and global economies. The S.C. Aeronautical Training Center houses: • Aeronautical studies programs • High-tech manufacturing programs • readySC’s Boeing Training Center • Advanced manufacturing workforce training

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Annual college tuition costs

- 2008—2009

- 2020—2021

- percentage change

For selected S.C. public colleges and universities.

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

$10,608

$15,120 $11,731

MUSC**

USC COLUMBIA*

$8,838

$12,688

$8,428

THE CITADEL

$14,318

43% 22%

44%

$13,140

56% THE TREND:

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

$8,400 $7,806

SC STATE TRIDENT TECHNICAL COLLEGE

$3,330 $0

$2,000

$4,563 $4,000

$12,518 $11,060

42%

$10,000

$12,000

COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION CONTINUES TO RISE

49%

Tuition continues its upward climb, with no sign of coming down. The pandemic didn’t slow this trend, even when many institutions had to switch to online learning at various times.

37% $6,000

$8,000

$14,000

$16,000

Source: S.C. Commission on Higher Education for public universities *Excludes medicine, law and pharmacy **Excludes medicine, dentistry and pharmacy; includes nursing and health professions only

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EDUCATION

The connection between education, earnings and job security The highest wage-earners in the Charleston region hold a college degree or higher. Someone who holds a graduate degree or higher makes over three times the wages of a person who dropped out of high school. As more skilled jobs come to the region, the opportunity for those holding a degree will grow. Increasing educational attainment improves work outcomes whether or not there is a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic.

Educational attainment for population 25 years and over, 2019

3+6+231782716 4+8+302411167 3+7+2824111710 2.4%

Less than 9th grade

15.7%

Graduate or professional degree

5.9%

CHARLESTON COUNTY

27.9%

285,759

8.2%

Associate’s degree

17.2%

Some college, no degree

3.4%

Less than 9th grade

Graduate or professional degree

22.7%

High school graduate (includes equivalency)

Population 25 years and over:

Bachelor’s degree

8.4%

9th to 12th grade, no diploma

3.5%

9.6%

Less than 9th grade

Graduate or professional degree

7.2%

16.6%

Bachelor’s degree

9th to 12th grade, no diploma

BERKELEY COUNTY

Population 25 years and over:

11.1%

Associate’s degree

18.6%

Bachelor’s degree

142,955

Population 25 years and over:

29.4%

High school graduate (includes equivalency)

DORCHESTER COUNTY

106,309

11.2%

6.8%

9th to 12th grade, no diploma

27.3%

High school graduate (includes equivalency)

Associate’s degree

23.0%

23.9%

Some college, no degree

Median earnings of population 25 years and over, 2019

Berkeley

Charleston

Dorchester

$70K $60K

THE TREND:

HIGHER DEGREE ATTAINMENT RESULTS IN HIGHER WAGES

$50K $40K

The highest median earnings are found in Charleston County, which also has the highest percentage of residents with an associate’s degree or higher at 51.5%.

$30K

$32,279 $28,408 $32,267

$38,305 $36,399 $39,572

$50,694 $53,796 $51,416

$64,132 $71,146 $60,816

$39,917 $42,686 $40,862

$10K

$25,751 $18,729 $21,520

$20K

Less than high school graduate

High school graduate (includes equivalency)

Some college or associate’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Graduate or professional degree

Median Earnings

EDUCATION | www.charlestonbusiness.com

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey five-year estimates, 2019

Educational attainment and job security in the U.S. during COVID-19 era Workers with higher levels of education had more job security as COVID-19 spread through the U.S.

Unemployment rates by education, Jan. 2020 - May 2021 Less than high school diploma 25%

High school graduate, no college

Peak: 21% Peak: 17.3%

15% May 2021: 9.1% 5%

Pre-recession: 5.7%

May 2021: 6.8% Pre-recession: 3.7%

Some college or associate degree

Bachelor degree and higher

25% Peak: 15%

15%

Peak: 8.4%

May 2021: 5.9%

May 2021: 3.2%

5% Pre-recession: 2.7%

Pre-recession: 2%

Jan. 2020

May 2021

Jan. 2020

May 2021 Source: Congressional Research Service

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EDUCATION

Southeast has lowest spending per pupil

National education spending Region Northeast Midwest West South

The South spends the lowest amount per student in the U.S., on average, according to the latest data from the U.S Census Bureau. The Census reports that spending has increased nationally for six years.

Average per pupil $19,953 $12,773 $11,582 $10,285

$14K

5 states that spend most $12K

State New York Washington, D.C. Connecticut New Jersey Vermont

$10K

$8K

$6K

5 states that spend least State Utah Idaho Arizona Oklahoma Mississippi

$9,377

$9,346

Georgia

Arkansas

Alabama

Tennessee

Carolina

Florida

$8,935

$9,544

S. Carolina

$9,696

Louisana

$10,139

$11,452

Virginia

$10,810

$12,216

$10,856

$4K

$2K

Average per pupil $24,040 $22,759 $20,635 $20,021 $19,340

Average per pupil $7,628 $7,771 $8,239 $8,239 $8,935

Mississippi Source: U.S. Census Bureau, May 2020, using 2018 data

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Charleston-area school districts, 2019-2020 Berkeley County School District

107 E. Main St. Moncks Corner, SC 29461 www.bcsdschools.net Grades PK-12 Superintendent: Eddie Ingram Board Chair: Sally Wofford No. of Teachers.................................. 2,260

Charleston County School District

75 Calhoun St. Charleston, SC 29401 www.ccsdschools.com Grades PK-12 Superintendent: Gerrita Postlewait Board Chair: Rev. Dr. Eric Mack No. of Teachers...................................3,474

– Berkeley

– Charleston

Student enrollment

40,000

– Dorchester District 2

500 Ridge St. St. George, SC 29477 www.dorchester4.k12.sc.us Grades PK-12 Superintendent: Dr. Kelvin Wymbs Board Chair: Dr. Kenneth Jenkins No. of Teachers........................................171

– Dorchester District 4

Per-pupil expenditure

$55,461 $55,000 $53,000

36,812

$53,482

$53,022

$11,000

$51,000

$8,500

20,000

$49,000

$6,000

10,000

$47,000

$3,500

26,228

$13,574

$13,500

$51,734

30,000

Dorchester School District 4

115 Devon Road Summerville, SC 29483 www.ddtwo.org Grades PK-12 Superintendent: Joseph Pye Board Chair: Tanya Robinson No. of Teachers...................................1,600

Average teacher salary

49,495

50,000

Dorchester School District 2

$11,719 $10,836

$9,010

2,263 Berkeley

Charleston

Dorchester 2

Dorchester 4

Berkeley

Charleston

Dorchester 2

Dorchester 4

Berkeley

Charleston

Dorchester 2

Dorchester 4

Source: S.C. Department of Education

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EDUCATION

Import, Export and Distribution The S.C. State Ports Autority opened the first new container terminal on the East Coast in the last 12 years with the Leatherman Terminal in 2021. Aside from being a major milestone for shipping on the Eastern Seaboard, the Leatherman Terminal is part of a larger expansion of distribution assets in South Carolina. The first phase of the terminal, completed in March, added 700,000 TEUs to the Port of Charleston’s capacity.

FAST FACTS

1,418,865

38%

The total number of pier containers the

of tires exported from the U.S. were

S.C. Ports Authority handled in FY2021, up

exported from S.C. in 2020.

7.7% from FY2020.

PAGE 63

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S.C. State Ports Authority, FY 2020 vs. FY2021 Total pier containers

Inland port rail moves Greer

+7.7% 1.4M

1,317,332

Dillon

1,418,865

1.2M

157,842

1.0M

140,155 0.8M

THE TREND: 0.6M

TOTAL PIER CONTAINERS SETS RECORD

0.4M

The 7.7% growth from FY2020 was enough to make FY2021 the highest year in total pier containers in history.

FY2020

FY2021

32,453

35,002

FY2020

FY2021

0.2M

FY2020

FY2021

Vehicles moving through the port FY2020

199,825

+27.1%

FY2021

253,981 THE TREND:

VEHICLE ACTIVITY ACCELERATES With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, BMW and Volvo ceased operations, causing a dramatic drop in vehicles moving through the port in fiscal year 2020. With the plants back open, vehicles moving through the port grew 27.1% in fiscal year 2021.

Cruise passengers

217,673 0 FY2020

THE TREND:

FY2021

CRUISE INDUSTRY CEASES OPERATION COVID-19 shuttered the cruise industry. As of June 16, 2021, S.C. Ports did not have a confirmed date for when port of calls will resume operations in Charleston.

Source: S.C. State Ports Authority

Three vessels at SC Ports Wando Welch Terminal (Photo/Walter Lagarenne, SCPA)

IMPORT, EXPORT AND DISTRIBUTION | www.charlestonbusiness.com

8100 Palmetto Commerce Pkwy North Charleston, SC 29405 terminal: 843-767-8693 | fax: 843-767-8893 www.cowboyusallc.com

Building the Leatherman Terminal

700,000

The first phase of the Leatherman Terminal adds 700,000 TEUs, the equivalent number of 20-foot long containers, to the Port of Charleston’s capacity.

2,400,000

Once the third phase of the Leatherman Terminal opens, the port will have added 2.4 million TEUs, twice the existing capacity of the port.

The data behind the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal at the Port of Charleston shows how the first containership terminal to open in the U.S. since 2009 operates.

20,000

The Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal can handle 20,000-TEU containerships, among the largest ships carrying cargo around the globe.

286

Number of acres the Hugh K. Leatherman emcompasses, including 134 developed acres for the first phase of the project.

The terminal’s container yard stretches across 47 acres, more than 35 football fields.

169

Scan QR code

to see the special section of the Charleston Regional Business Journal on the terminal opening

or go to bit.ly/CRBJ_HLT

The terminal’s five ship-to-shore cranes can lift containers 169 feet from the dock of the terminal and can reach 228 feet across the largest of containerships.

(Photo/Walter Lagarenne)

Source: S.C. State Ports Authority

South Carolina Ports Economic Impact $63.4 billion

annual economic impact on S.C.

1 in 10 jobs

in S.C. are due to the Port

Scan QR code

to see the full report

$1.1 billion

in tax revenue generated annually for S.C.

Upstate

58+42 25+75

or go to bit.ly/SCPortsStudy

$32.8 billion

51.8% percentage of total impact

economic impact

116,561 total jobs

$6.6 billion

percentage of total impact

Midlands

24.6% percentage of total impact

$15.5 billion economic impact

55,346 total jobs

$3.1 billion labor income

Source: The Economic Impact of the South Carolina Ports Authority - 2019

11+89 12+88 11.3%

labor income

IMPORT, EXPORT AND DISTRIBUTION | www.charlestonbusiness.com

Lowcountry $7.8 billion

12.3% percentage of total impact

economic impact

27,781

total jobs

$1.5 billion labor income

Pee Dee $7.1 billion

economic impact

25,275 total jobs

$1.4 billion labor income

South Carolina importing and exporting TOP 5 COUNTRIES SENDING IMPORTS TO S.C., 2020 Germany

-9.5%

from 2017

China

-12.2%

from 2017

Mexico

Canada

23.1%

-12.8%

from 2017

TOP 5 COUNTRIES RECEIVING EXPORTS FROM S.C., 2020 Germany

Vietnam

11.9%

148.4%

from 2017

$8B

5.8%

from 2017

$7B $7.268B

$7B $6.872B $6B

Canada

$6.620B

$6.921B

$5B

$4.451B

$3B $2.820B

$3.814B $2.961B

$4B

$2.813B

$2B

-30.4%

$2.457B $1.853B

$3.785B

$2.608B

$3.979B

$4.010B

$0.746B

0 2017

$0.738B

2018

2019

2020

$4.082B $3.886B

$2.770B $2.198B $1.813B $1.286B

$1B

China’s numbers have dropped 40% from 2019 to 2020. This steep decrease is likely due to COVID-19’s impact on supply chains, consumer demand and ongoing tariffs.

$4.006B

$3.768B

$2B $1B

$0.840B

137.6%

from 2017

$4.48B

$3.648B

$3B

Belgium

from 2017

$5.637B

$6.220B

$4.764B

$4B $3.615B

-34.4%

from 2017

$6.495B

$6B

$5.813B

$5B

Mexico

$6.230B

$6.835B $6.461B

China

$0.595B

0 2017

$0.764B

2018

2019

$1.414B

2020 Source: U.S. Census Bureau

IMPORT, EXPORT AND DISTRIBUTION | www.charlestonbusiness.com

South Carolina’s export market share in 2020 21 % of passenger vehicles

exported from the U.S. were exported from S.C., 2020 – 1% from S.C.

– 1% from all other states

38% of tires

exported from the U.S. were exported from S.C., 2020 – 1% from S.C.

– 1% from all other states

Source: S.C. Department of Commerce

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IMPORT, EXPORT AND DISTRIBUTION

Distribution and logistics in South Carolina $37.2 billion economic impact $1.5 billion

Announced capital investments by transportation, distribution and logistics (TDL) firms in S.C., 2011-2020

139,650 South Carolinians employed in the TDL business

208 million People within two days’ drive of South Carolina

41,000 Miles of

2,300 Miles of rail

state-maintained highways

Source: S.C. Department of Commerce

Aerospace industry’s effect on S.C. exports – Total value of S.C. Exports

$45B

– Total value of civilian aircraft, engines, and parts exports

$40B $35B

$32.2B

S.C.’s percent share of the U.S. total of civilian aircraft, engines, and parts exports

$41.5B

2017

$34.6B

2018 22.8%

$30.3B

$30B

13.3%

Since Boeing’s arrival in S.C., civilian aircraft, engines and parts have become the state’s number one export. Boeing’s successes and challenges have a direct — and significant — impact on S.C. exports. Boeing has had multiple challenges recently including the temporary suspension of 737 MAX production after two crashes, the shutting of plants during the pandemic and an airline industry that was reeling as the pandemic took hold. Recently, Boeing decided to move all 787 production to its North Charleston site, which is likely to help their numbers rebound and likely increase S.C. total exports.

$12.4B

$15B

$6.3B

$7.9B $4.0B

$5B

2020

29.9%

S.C. EXPORTS HEAVILY RELIANT ON BOEING

$20B

2019

THE TREND:

$25B

$10B

19.5%

2017

2018

IMPORT, EXPORT AND DISTRIBUTION | www.charlestonbusiness.com

2019

2020

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

20,000-TEU vessels welcome The Leatherman Terminal is now open, significantly enhancing SC Ports’ big ship capabilities and cargo capacity. #TOMORROWISHERE

SCSPA.COM/TOOLKIT

THE WORLD CONNECTS HERE

Medical and Health Care South Carolina’s COVID-19 vaccination rate of just nearly 45% by the middle of 2021 led health, political and community leaders to implore businesses, individuals and families to get vaccinated. The pandemic started as a health care crisis that quickly shifted into an economic crisis as businesses scaled down in 2020, and then struggled to find workers in specific sectors as the state began to reopen in 2021.

FAST FACTS

1,926,140

1,131

Total S.C. residents who have completed vaccination

Number of drug-related overdose

by August 5, 2021, 44.8% of S.C. residents.

deaths in S.C., 2019.

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MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE | www.charlestonbusiness.com

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Kitty Howell

Jonathan Pent

Ryan Martin

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Corporate Health & Wellness (803) 726-3134

Danielle Hickson

Corporate Health and Wellness Manager

Employer Health Services Doctors Care provides occupational medicine and corporate wellness to more than 2,500 companies in South Carolina. We help employers reduce costs through efficient in-center scheduling and on-site service support, driving productivity through convenience.

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COVID-19 in South Carolina

Once vaccines began being adopted in large numbers, reported cases of COVID-19 in S.C. dropped significantly. However, by mid-July cases began rising again due to the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.

Daily count of total vaccine doses administered and reported, South Carolina 70K

4.5M

7-day moving average in S.C. 7-day moving average in U.S.

4.0M

60K

3.5M 3.0M 40K

2.5M The pace of vaccinations has begun to slowly pick up. This is likely from the resurgence of COVID-19’s Delta variant.

30K COVID-19 20K

10K

SOUTH CAROLINA

1.5M 1.0M 0.5M

STATE PROFILE REPORT | 07.30.2021

12/13/20

2.0M

1/21/21 3/1/21 4/9/21 5/18/21 67 hospitals are expected to report in South Carolina

6/26/21

8/3/21

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS

Hospital admissions by age group Because of higher vaccination rates in this age group, those ages 70 and over are a much smaller percentage of the hospitalized compared to the COVID surges that occurred prior to the vaccines.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE | www.charlestonbusiness.com

Doses in United States

Doses in South Carolina

50K

7-day moving average of reported COVID-19 cases, by public health region Lowcountry

Midlands

Pee Dee

Upstate

2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0

3/1/20

6/1/20

9/1/20

12/1/20

3/1/21

6/1/21 Source: S.C. Department of Health and Environment Control

2020 SYSTEM STATISTICS Doctors 1,000

Helipads 4

Experience Matters Emergency Rooms 6

Physician Partner Practice Visits 672,975

Surgeries 27,538

Express Care & Walk-In Care Locations 6 Visits 64,104

Outpatient Visits 205.012

Charity Care Giving Nearly $30 million

Teammates 5,974

Hospitals 4 acute & 1 rehab ER Visits 140,393

Beds 667

www.rsfh.com

Facilities 117 + in 5 counties Babies Born 3,327

Based on 2020 data

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MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE

Opioid crisis in South Carolina Prescription drugs are the leading cause of drug-related overdose deaths. The governor’s office has instituted rules that cover prescribing drugs for patients by doctors in an attempt to curb the abuse of painkillers across the Palmetto State.

Number of drug-related overdose deaths in S.C., 2019 Total

Unintentional

Suicid

1200

1,103

1,131

Number of Deaths

800

876

1,030

1,051

718

679 587

600

573

400

200

489

478

924

785

613 629

577

789

Total drug overdoses

123

1,001 1000

Number of drug-related overdose deaths by county, 2019

Charleston

713

2011

2012

106 74

2013

2014

2015

Note: Total also includes Homicide and undetermined which are not shown on the graph. Source: S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control

Dorchester

Prescription drug overdoses

528

0 2010

Berkeley

MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE | www.charlestonbusiness.com

2016

2017

2018

2019

Charleston

Berkeley

13 Dorchester

Primary care physicians per capita Primary care physicians include practicing non-federal physicians (M.D.’s and D.O.’s) under age 75 specializing in general practice medicine, family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. The ratio represents the number of individuals served by one physician in a county, if the population was equally distributed across physicians. For example, if a county has a population of 50,000 and has 20 primary care physicians, their ratio would be: 2,500:1

= 100 individuals

Berkeley County

3,200 to 1

Dorchester County

Charleston County

2,700 to 1

820 to 1 Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps

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www.charlestonbusiness.com |

MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE

Business Resources and Government A variety of organizations, government agencies and educational institutions provide information for industrial growth, entrepreneurship and doing business among specific sectors and in different counties and communities. A lot of information found in Market Facts comes from these agencies after being distilled to the most comparative data for the Charleston metro region. Direct help can be found by contacting these organizations, which are dedicated to providing avenues for businesses to locate and expand throughout the region and state by offering reliable information and advice.

FAST FACTS

819,705

$353,544

Total Charleston MSA

Median home sales price in June 2021 in the

population in 2020.

Charleston region, up 22.8% from June 2020.

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Proud to Be Recognized As One of America’s Fastest Growing Companies By Inc. 5000

Modern Advertising Agency Powered by Data. 635 Rutledge Ave, #201 Charleston, SC 29403 | digital-ignite.com

Business Assistance Organizations BCD Council of Governments 5790 Casper Padgett Way North Charleston, SC 29405 843-529-0400 www.bcdcog.com Assist local governments develop local and regional plans within the region, as well as providing local governments with planning and technical support to improve the quality of life in the region Center for Business Research 4922 O’Hear Ave., Suite 101 North Charleston, SC 29405 843-577-2510 www.charlestonchamber.org/commerce/ economic-competitiveness Source for regional economic and demographic data Charleston Angel Partners LLC 469 Double Eagle Trace Seabrook Island, SC 29455 843-478-7483 www.chapsc.com Assists in investing for members and portfolio companies Charleston Digital Corridor 997 Morrison Drive, Suite 200 Charleston, SC 29403 843-607-1264 www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com Community-sourced initiative to attract, nurture and promote the region’s tech economy through an array of programs, products and events while leveraging Charleston’s livability Charleston LDC 2 Race St. Charleston, SC 29403 843-973-7298 www.charlestonldc.org Community-driven nonprofit dedicated to growing the local economy by providing flexible, affordable, customizable loans to small businesses and affordable housing developers in South Carolina Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) 4401 Belle Oaks Drive, Suite 420 North Charleston, SC 29405 843-767-9300 www.crda.org Full-service economic development organization for Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties; serves as a confidential resource to help streamline the site selection process, assist companies

MEL BAR MAR 845 Lowcountry Blvd., Suite P Mount Pleasant, SC 29466 706-248-0720 www.melbarmar.com Norwegian Honorary Consulate 198 E. Bay St., Suite 101 Charleston, SC 29401 843-577-5782 www.norway.no Norwegian Consulate for South Carolina and North Carolina S.C. Works 1930 Hanahan Road, Suite 200 North Charleston, SC 29406 843-574-1800 www.toscc.org Connects businesses, job seekers, and training providers to create a pathway to employment in our region’s leading industries South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) 315 Sigma Drive Summerville, SC 29486 843-760-3200 www.scra.org Fuel South Carolina’s innovation economy by accelerating technology-enabled growth in research, academia, entrepreneurship and industry U.S. Export Assistance Center 5790 Casper Padgett Way, Suite 220 North Charleston, SC 29406 843-746-3404 www.trade.gov/south-carolina-charleston Network of international trade specialists and commercial officers in 200 cities worldwide that supports exports of American goods and services Women Entrepreneurs Inc. 1415 Rivers Cotton Road Charleston, SC 29412 706-248-0720 www.womenentrepreneursinc.com Investment to be connected to a community of women to succeed; now seeking members, speakers and partners Because of space constraints, sometimes only the top-ranked companies are published in the print edition. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to research@scbiznews.com.

BUSINESS RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT | www.charlestonbusiness.com

S.C. Trade Associations American Institute of Architects South Carolina Chapter 803-252-6050 Promote a culture of mentorship and collaboration among our members, in order to support personal and professional development across all firms and career stages American Lung Association in South Carolina 843-556-8451 Save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease Associated Builders & Contractors of the Carolinas 704-367-1331 Represent the interest of merit shop contractors and its employees in the protection and enhancement of the free enterprise system within the construction industry, policy making process of government provision of educational, marketing and informational programs Carolina Credit Union League 800-822-8859 Primary advocate for credit unions, focusing members’ collective political voice Carolina Ready Mixed Concrete Association 704-717-9199 Supports the continued expansion and improvement of the ready mixed industry in the Carolinas through product promotion, industry advocacy, education and technical services Carolinas AGC Inc. 704-372-1450 Providing business development opportunities, helping contractors manage their workforce and advocating for a legal and regulatory environment that ensures contractors success Home Builders Association of South Carolina 843-572-1414 A professional, non-profit; promoting housing for people of all income levels and the production of quality homes Independent Banks of South Carolina 803-537-0414 Advocate for and represent independent community banks in South Carolina

Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of South Carolina 803-731-9460 Provide members with the tools, knowledge and protection they need to serve clients effectively and build a successful agency Manufactured Housing Institute 803-771-9046 Maximize opportunities for South Carolinians to enjoy the benefits of factorybuilt homes Maritime Association of South Carolina 843-577-7678 A member-based trade association which connects the Maritime Association industry and entities who support maritime commerce Mental Health America of South Carolina 843-974-4683 Improving the lives of people with mental illness in South Carolina, promoting mental health, preventing mental disorders and achieving victory over mental illness through advocacy, education, research and service Mining Association of South Carolina 803-772-5354 Promotes harmony within the industry and with the general public consistent with high standards of responsibility and integrity Municipal Association of South Carolina 803-799-9574 Offer the services, programs and tools that will give municipal officials the knowledge, experience and tools for enabling the most efficient and effective operation of their municipalities in the complex world of municipal government NAACP South Carolina State Conference 803-754-4584 Ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination National Golf Course Owners Association 843-881-9956 Serves as a resource for information and inspiration on how to operate golf facilities as efficiently and profitably as possible

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More than 200 professionals serving the Lowcountry and beyond. 205 King Street | Suite 400 | Charleston, SC 29401 (T) 843.577.9440 Mary Shahid | Office Managing Partner

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National Guard Association of South Carolina 803-254-8456 Serve as the local arm of the National Guard Association of the Unites States to represent and protect the interests of our nation’s defense and SC Citizen Soldiers Palmetto State Teachers Association 803-256-2065 Organized as an alternative to the union, PSTA believes educators should have the right to join a professional association to have their voices heard Printing Industry of the Carolinas PICA 704-357-1150 Provide member companies with opportunities to access value-added resources and services designed to help them be more effective, efficient and profitable S.C. Alliance to Fix Our Roads 803-799-2518 Educate the public and our elected officials about the importance of improving and investing in our transportation infrastructure

S.C. Arts Commission 803-734-8696 Offer resources and support to artists, educators and community groups all across our great state S.C. Asphalt Pavement Association 803-252-2522 A non-profit trade association; protect, promote and advance the progress, interest and welfare of the producers of plant mixed asphalt paving materials S.C. Association of Convenience Stores 803-771-4438 Dedicated to unifying, serving and representing the convenience store industry of South Carolina S.C. Association of Counties 803-252-7255 Empower county officials through advocacy, education and collaboration S.C. Association of CPAs 803-791-4181 Protect and promote the value of the CPA credential S.C. Association of Health Underwriters 843-779-7009 Represents those individuals engaged in providing products and services that help finance the cost of health care for South Carolina consumers

S.C. Association of Nurse Anesthetists 803-931-0696 Promote continuing education among CRNAs in South Carolina S.C. Association of Railroads 843-727-2067 Bring information about our industry and its vital economic importance to the South Carolina legislature, government agencies and the general public S.C. Association of Realtors Inc. 803-772-5206 Ensure that the products, programs and services provided to members contributes to their success as real estate professionals S.C. Association of School Administrators 803-798-8380 Strive to have great leaders in every school and district in South Carolina who ensure the success of every student S.C. Association of Tire Dealers & Retreaders 803-748-9700 Advance and safeguard the business interests of Independent Tire Dealers and Retreaders and to promote cooperative relationships among those in the industry

Local and Family-Owned

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S.C. Association of Tourism Regions 800-868-8118 Promote and develop travel and tourism as an economic development activity in all areas of South Carolina S.C. Automobile Dealers Association 803-252-0205 Advocates on behalf of its members in public policy, regulatory issues and economic developments impacting the automotive industry S.C. Bankers Association 803-779-0850 Professional trade association organized to effectively represent the common interest and welfare of the banking industry in South Carolina and to promote the professional development of its members and their employees S.C. Bar 803-799-6653 Continually improve the administration of justice throughout the State S.C. Beer Wholesalers Association 803-779-3373 A non-profit trade association representing the State’s independent beer wholesalers S.C. Broadcasters Association 803-732-1186 The trade association for radio and television stations in the state of South Carolina

S.C. Cable Television Association 803-708-4851 A non-profit trade association whose members joined together to advance the common interests of the cable industry in South Carolina S.C. Chapter Alzheimer’s Association 843-571-2641 Eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; provide and enhance care and support for all affected; educe the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health S.C. Dental Association 803-750-2277 Represents member dentists in order to promote and provide optimal oral health care to all citizens of the state of South Carolina by serving as an advocate to advance the profession of dentistry S.C. Economic Developers Association 803-929-0305 A not for profit organization of members whose primary objective is to increase the effectiveness of individuals involved in the practice of economic development in South Carolina by encouraging cooperation, exchange of information and promotion of professional skills

S.C. Education Association 803-772-6553 Advocate for quality public education in South Carolina S.C. Farm Bureau Federation 803-936-4350 Promote agricultural interests in the state of South Carolina and optimize the lives of those involved in agriculture while being respectful to the needs and concerns of all citizens of our state S.C. Forestry Association 803-798-4170 Supporting SC’s wood and paper products industry including manufacturers, timberland owners, foresters, wood dealers and logging companies by promoting sustainable forestry, use of wood and paper products, and working forests S.C. Golf Association 803-732-9311 Promote, preserve and serve the game of golf S.C. Health Care Association 803-772-7511 Empower our members to help improve their patients’ lives by delivering healing and compassionate care to the state’s most vulnerable population - the elderly, frail and disabled

S.C. Hospital Association 803-796-3080 A private, not-for-profit organization made up of member hospitals and health systems and personal members associated with our institutional members; serve as the collective voice of the state’s hospital community S.C. Independent Colleges & Universities Inc. 803-799-7122 Provide information and resources to assist students and parents, while promoting independent higher education in South Carolina

S.C. Medical Association 803-798-6207 Provides a voice for the medical profession and creates opportunities to improve the health of all South Carolinians S.C. Newspaper Network 803-750-9561 Helping advertisers use newspapers effectively and efficiently S.C. Nursery & Landscape Association 803-743-4284 Education and research for nursery and landscape professionals in South Carolina

S.C. Law Enforcement Officers Association 803-781-5913 A professional association of law enforcement officers that have the common goal of advancing and enhancing the law enforcement profession in South Carolina S.C. Manufacturers Alliance 803-799-9695 Provides a vehicle for all manufacturers to advocate their interests at the legislative, regulatory and executive levels in South Carolina

S.C. Nurses Association 803-252-4781 Represent all South Carolina registered nurses in a membership organization to promote and advocate the role of the registered nurse to improve health for all S.C. Optometric Physicians Association 803-799-6721 Preserve, promote and advance the profession of optometry ensuring access to quality eye care in South Carolina S.C. Petroleum Council - Division of API 803-799-9588 To promote safety across the industry globally and to influence public policy in support of a strong, viable U.S. oil and natural gas industry

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BUSINESS RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT

S.C. Petroleum Marketers Association 803-765-9570 The voice for the petroleum marketers in South Carolina S.C. Pharmacy Association 803-354-9977 Serve its members, enabling them to advance the practice and science of pharmacy S.C. Poultry Federation 803-779-4700 Preserve, promote and protect the activities that bring value to stakeholders of the poultry industry in the State of South Carolina S.C. Primary Health Care Association 803-788-5058 Represent public and private partnerships working together to improve the health status of their respective communities S.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association 803-765-9000 Provide superior value and effective communication by being the voice of the foodservice and lodging industry in government and public relations, educational programs, offering operational benefits and creating opportunities for member involvement

S.C. School Boards Association 803-799-6607 Advocating for quality public education while ensuring excellence in school board performance through training and service S.C. Society of Professional Land Surveyors 803-771-4271 Advance the public welfare and the professional, social and economic interests of the Land Surveyor by promotion of education, legislation and public relations through the establishment and maintenance of high ethical standards and practices S.C. Specialty Food Association 803-734-2144 Non-profit association seeks to further the development and awareness of the South Carolina specialty foods industry through education, networking, peer support/ mentoring and promotions S.C. Telecommunications & Broadband Association 803-779-7282 Pursue statewide strategies that encourage the deployment of technologies that will enable SCTBA members to be the best providers of telecommunication and broadband products and services to South Carolina

S.C. Timber Producers Association 803-957-9919 Serve as the voice for timber harvesting and allied timber businesses; advance the ability of its members to professionally, ethically, efficiently, safely, environmentally and profitably harvest, produce and transport timber; providing continuing educational and training opportunities S.C. Trucking Association Inc. 803-799-4306 Advocate, educate and collaborate for successful trucking operations in S.C. South Carolina Home Care & Hospice Association 919-848-2355 Representing providers of home health, hospice, palliative care and personal care services South Carolina Vending Association SCVA 803-252-1087 Members can benefit from activities designed to keep them informed on industry issues that affect their businesses

Transportation Association of South Carolina Comprised of numerous entities involved in the business of providing quality transportation services United Way Association of South Carolina 803-929-1000 Maximize the capacity and effectiveness of local United Ways and provide leadership on issues that impact the quality of life of South Carolina residents Because of space constraints, sometimes only the top-ranked companies are published in the print edition. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to research@scbiznews.com. Researched by Paige Wills.

South Eastern Fabricare Association 877-707-7332 Serving professional drycleaners and launderers throughout the Southeast

ONE COMPANY. MANY SOLUTIONS. Audio • Video • Lighting • Staging • Scenic • Projection 843.554.3466 | pdastage.com

BUSINESS RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT | www.charlestonbusiness.com

Chambers of Commerce

Chambers in the Charleston Area, Ranked by No. of Members Chamber

Phone / Website / Email

Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded

No. of Members

Greater Summerville / Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce 402 N. Main St. Summerville, SC 29483

843-873-2931 www.greatersummerville.org membership@greatersummerville.org

Kevin Szostak, Caroline Titze, Rita C Berry 1922

Berkeley Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 968 Moncks Corner, SC 29461

843-577-9549 www.berkeleysc.org info@berkeleysc.org

Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 1635 Mount Pleasant, SC 29465

Geographic Coverage

Mission Statement

674

Greater Summerville; Dorchester, Berkeley and Charleston counties

Protect and promote the quality of life in the community, with specific emphasis in improving economic vitality and providing a favorable business climate

Elaine M. Morgan 1977

430

Greater Berkeley County

Serve as the voice of our members and business community in matters of economic development, education and legislative concerns; support and promote the success of our members through Chamber programs, professional development and leadership

843-800-2258 www.mountpleasantchamber.org info@mountpleasantbusiness.com

Chris Staubes, Eddie Phipps, Jennifer Maxwell 1992

335

Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, Awendaw, McClellenville, Sullivans Island, Isle of Palms

Encouraging business and community success East of the Cooper

Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce - St. George 225 N. Parler Ave. St. George, SC 29477

843-563-8187 www.tri-crcc.com tricounty@tri-crcc.com

Mike Kullenberg, Sandy C. Price 1992

322

Berkeley, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties

To take a proactive role in improving the general welfare, prosperity and quality of life for all citizens of the Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce area

Edisto Chamber of Commerce 42 Station Court Edisto Island, SC 29438

843-869-3867 www.edistochamber.com chamber@edistochamber.com

Chelsea Ward Harrison 1987

207

Edisto Beach and Edisto Island

Promoting member businesses in our community and to the tourism industry; represent our members' voices in our local government; providing and sharing resources, leads, referrals and networking opportunities

North Charleston Chamber of Commerce 7679 Dorchester Road, Suite 400 North Charleston, SC 29418

843-410-0321 www.northcharlestonchamber.org info@northcharlestonchamber.org

Steve Nettles, Alan Thompson 2016

150

City of North Charleston and surrounding community

A catalyst for the economic growth of our members and the community through education; exchanging ideas and information; sharing experiences and solutions; networking and recognition

Researched by Business Journal staff

Economic Development Organizations Ranked by No. of Employees in the Charleston Area Company

Phone / Website / Email

Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) 315 Sigma Drive Summerville, SC 29486

843-760-3200 www.scra.org info@scra.org

Bob Quinn 1983

Fuel South Carolina’s innovation economy by accelerating technology-enabled growth in research, academia, entrepreneurship and industry

Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) 4401 Belle Oaks Drive, Suite 420 North Charleston, SC 29405

843-767-9300 www.crda.org alliance@crda.org

David T. Ginn 1995

Full-service economic development organization for Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties; serves as a confidential resource to help streamline the site selection process, assist companies with issues such as buildings and sites, financing, talent attraction and workforce training; builds long-term prosperity by attracting the world’s best companies, talent and entrepreneurs

Charleston County Economic Development 4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 200 North Charleston, SC 29405

843-958-4511 www.charlestoncountydevelopment.org info@charlestoncountydevelopment.org

Steve Dykes 1993

Charleston County Economic Development's mission is to lead the advancement of economic growth and shared prosperity in Charleston County

Charleston LDC 2 Race St. Charleston, SC 29403

843-973-7298 www.charlestonldc.org info@charlestonldc.org

Cindi Rourk 1979

The Charleston LDC is a not-for-profit community development lender whose mission is to ensure access to capital for small businesses and affordable housing developments that cannot secure traditional financing; serving the entire state of South Carolina, the LDC has more than 40 years of history lending to entrepreneurs who have been turned away from for-profit banks

South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development P.O. Box 20577 Charleston, SC 29413

843-579-9855 www.scaced.org kate@scaced.org

Bernie Mazyck 1994

Through our network of members and partner organizations, SCACED strives to improve the quality of life for low-wealth families and communities by advancing community economic development and public policy in South Carolina

Berkeley County Economic Development 1003 U.S. Hwy 52 N. Moncks Corner, SC 29461

843-719-4175 www.berkeleycountysc.gov webec@berkeleycountysc.gov

Kristen Lanier 1995

The Economic Development Department is directly responsible for industry attraction, retention, expansion and workforce development; we work in partnership with key stakeholders to ensure that Berkeley County has what businesses and industries need to succeed

Dorchester County Economic Development 402 N. Main St. Summerville, SC 29483

843-875-9109 www.dorchesterforbusiness.com info@dorchesterforbusiness.com

John M. Truluck 1989

Creating an environment that supports new business growth and retention, enabling companies to succeed for generations; working to strengthen and prepare our community for the future and providing our citizens with the opportunities to grow and prosper in Dorchester County

SCBIO 22 Westedge St., Suite 400 Charleston, SC 29403

864-397-5101 www.scbio.org info@scbio.org

Erin Ford 2010

To build the nation's most industry-friendly and innovative life sciences ecosystem and business environment to fuel the knowledge economy in South Carolina

Charleston Digital Corridor 997 Morrison Drive, Suite 200 Charleston, SC 29403

843-607-1264 www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com info@charlestondigitalcorridor.com

Elaine Whitfield, Ernest G. Andrade 2001

Community-sourced initiative to attract, nurture and promote the region's tech economy through an array of impactful programs, products and events while leveraging Charleston's renowned livability; focused on creating the business, education and social environment that is attractive to tech and tech-related companies and leverages its care

Employees

Mission Statement

www.charlestonbusiness.com |

Researched by Business Journal staff

BUSINESS RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT

Legislative Representatives S.C. Governor

Henry D. McMaster (R) State House 1100 Gervais St. Columbia, SC 29201 803-734-2100 www.governor.sc.gov

S.C. Lieutenant Governor

STATE SENATE All addresses are in Columbia, SC 29201

Pamela Evette (R) State House 1100 Gervais St. Columbia, SC 29201 803-734-2100 www.governor.sc.gov

Ronnie A. Sabb (D) District No. 32 —Berkeley, Florence, Georgetown, Horry and Williamsburg counties 504 Gressette Building 803-212-6032 RonnieSabb@scsenate.gov

U.S. SENATE

Stephen L. Goldfinch (R) District No. 34 —Charleston, Georgetown and Horry counties 513 Gressette Building 803-212-6172 StephenGoldfinch@scsenate.gov

Lindsey Graham (R) 290 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5972 www.lgraham.senate.gov Local office: 530 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Suite 202 Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-849-3887 Tim Scott (R) 104 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-6121 855-425-6324 www.scott.senate.gov Local office: 2500 City Hall Lane, 3rd Floor Suite North Charleston, SC 29406 843-727-4525

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Nancy Mace (R) 1st Congressional District – Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, and Dorchester counties 212 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-3176 mace.house.gov Local Office 2000 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., Suite 3002 Charleston, SC 29407 843-352-7572

Local Office 176 Brooks Blvd. Santee, SC 29142 803-854-4700

James E. Clyburn (D) 6th Congressional District – Allendale, Bamberg, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter and Williamsburg counties 200 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-3315 clyburn.house.gov

Lawrence K. “Larry” Grooms (R) District No. 37 — Berkeley and Charleston counties 203 Gressette Building 803-212-6400 LarryGrooms@scsenate.gov Sean M. Bennett (R) District No. 38 — Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties 205 Gressette Building 803-212-6410 SeanBennett@scsenate.gov Vernon Stephens (D) District No. 39 — Berkeley, Calhoun, Colleton, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties 606 Gressette Building 803-212-6024 VernonStephens@scsenate.gov Sandy Senn (R) District No. 41 — Charleston and Dorchester counties 601 Gressette Building 803-212-6116 SandySenn@scsenate.gov Marlon E. Kimpson (D) District No. 42 — Charleston and Dorchester counties 508 Gressette Building 803-212-6132 MarlonKimpson@scsenate.gov George E. “Chip” Campsen III (R) District No. 43 — Berkeley, Charleston and Colleton counties 305 Gressette Building 803-212-6340 ChipCampsen@scsenate.gov

BUSINESS RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT | www.charlestonbusiness.com

Brian Adams (R) District No. 44 — Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties 613 Gressette Building 803-212-6056 BrianAdams@scsenate.gov

Joseph H. Jefferson Jr. (D) District No. 102 — Berkeley and Dorchester counties 304B Blatt Building 803-734-2936 JosephJefferson@schouse.gov

Margie Bright Matthews (D) District No. 45 — Allendale, Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties 502 Gressette Building 803-212-6108 MargieBrightMatthews@scsenate.gov

Lee Hewitt (R) District No. 108 – Charleston and Georgetown counties 327D Blatt Building 803-212-6297 LeeHewitt@schouse.gov

STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES All addresses are in Columbia, SC 29201 JA Moore (D) District No. 15 — Berkeley and Charleston counties 432A Blatt Building 803-212-6890 JAMoore@schouse.com Joseph S. Daning (R) District No. 92 – Berkeley County 310C Blatt Building 803-734-2951 JoeDaning@schouse.gov Gil Gatch (R) District No. 94 – Charleston and Dorchester counties 310A Blatt Building 803-212-6871 GilGatch@schouse.gov Mandy W. Kimmons (R) District No. 97 – Colleton and Dorchester counties 310A Blatt Building 803-212-6973 MandyKimmons@schouse.gov Chris Murphy (R) District No. 98 – Dorchester County 3O8D Blatt Building 803-212-6925 ChrisMurphy@schouse.gov Marvin “Mark” Smith (R) District No. 99 — Berkeley and Charleston counties 327A Blatt Building 803-212-6719 MarvinSmith@schouse.gov Sylleste H. Davis (R) District No. 100 — Berkeley County 414C Blatt Building 803-212-6930 SyllesteDavis@schouse.gov

Deon T. Tedder (D) District No. 109 — Charleston and Dorchester counties 328A Blatt Building 803-212-6721 DeonTedder@schouse.gov William Scott Cogswell Jr. (R) District No. 110 – Charleston County 310B Blatt Building 803-212-6950 WilliamCogswell@schouse.gov Wendell G. Gilliard (D) District No. 111 – Charleston County 328B Blatt Building 803-212-6793 WendellGilliard@schouse.gov Joseph M. “Joe” Bustos (R) District No. 112 – Charleston County 308A Blatt Building 803-212-6880 JosephBustos@schouse.gov Marvin R. Pendarvis (D) District No. 113 — Charleston and Dorchester counties 328A Blatt Building 803-212-6716 MarvinPendarvis@schouse.gov Linda “Lin” Bennett (R) District No. 114 — Charleston and Dorchester counties 414D Blatt Building 803-212-6948 LinBennett@schouse.gov Elizabeth “Spencer” Wetmore (D) District No. 115 – Charleston County 422A Blatt Building 803-212-6872 ElizabethWetmore@schouse.gov Chardale R. Murray (D) District No. 116 – Charleston and Colleton counties 330A Blatt Building 803-212-6817 ChardaleMurray@schouse.gov

Krystle N. Matthews (D) District No. 117 — Berkeley and Charleston counties 414A Blatt Building 803-212-6879 KrystleSimmons@schouse.gov

Attorney General Alan Wilson Rembert Dennis Building 1000 Assembly St., Room 519 803-734-3970 info@scag.gov www.scag.gov

Leonidas E. “Leon” Stavrinakis (D) District No. 119 — Charleston County 522C Blatt Building 803-734-3039 LeonStav@schouse.gov

S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom 305 Wade Hampton Office Building 1200 Senate St. 803-734-2121 cgoffice@cg.sc.gov www.cg.sc.gov

OTHER CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS All addresses are in Columbia, SC 29201 unless noted. Secretary of State Mark Hammond Edgar Brown Building 1205 Pendleton St., Suite 525 803-734-2170 www.scsos.com State Treasurer Curtis M. Loftis Jr. Wade Hampton Building 1200 Senate St., Suite 214 803-734-2101 treasurer@sto.sc.gov www.treasurer.sc.gov

State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman Rutledge Building 1429 Senate St. 803-734-8500 SCSuptED@ed.sc.gov ed.sc.gov Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh E. Weathers Wade Hampton Building 1200 Senate St., 5th Floor P.O. Box 11280 Columbia, SC 29211 803-734-2190 hweathe@scda.sc.gov agriculture.sc.gov

Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Van McCarty 1 National Guard Road 803-806-4217 www.scguard.com

Charleston SC Works Center 1930 Hanahan Road, Suite 200 North Charleston, SC 29406 843-574-1800

OTHER STATEWIDE OFFICES S.C. Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III 1201 Main St., Suite 1600 803-737-0400 info@sccommerce.com www.sccommerce.com

Berkeley SC Works Center 325 E. Main St. Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-761-4400 Dorchester SC Works Center 1325 Boone Hill Road, Suite A Summerville, SC 29483 843-574-1800

Commerce Director of Targeted Rural Strategy and Special Projects Maceo Nance, director 1201 Main St., Suite 1600 803-737-0440 mnance@sccommerce.com www.sccommerce.com S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey 1550 Gadsden St. P.O. Box 995 Columbia, SC 29202 803-737-2400 dew.sc.gov dellzey@dew.sc.gov

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More consolidation

Cummins to bring Memphis operations to North Charleston facility. Page 5

Bobby Cummings, founder, president Cummings Wealth Management Part of the

network

By Teri Errico

Trident Technical College plans to use space at the college’s Berkeley campus to provide a course for commercial driver training. (Photo/File)

INSIDE

Home office tax deductions require more than COVID By Teri Errico Griffis

Metal merger

New era

FEBRUARY 8 -21, 2021 ■ $2.25

By design

Chernoff Newman restructures, sees shifts in executive leadership team. Page 11

PAGE 4

Bringing representation into STEM sector

Charleston’s new architect immersing herself in design of historic city. Page 8

Summerville metal company purchased by New Yorkbased company. Page 7

Sign up for the electronic CRBJ business lists and spend more time building your business and less time endlessly scouring the internet on your own.

MOVING STUFF

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

he IRS may have pushed the start of tax season to Feb. 12, but it’s never too early to start preparing — especially if you’re thinking about writing off your home office as a tax deduction.

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Millions of Americans have been forced to work from home for most of 2020 because of the pandemic shutdowns, but that doesn’t mean W2 workers can suddenly claim their home office — especially when it’s a makeshift set up on your dining room table, local tax professionals said. With the Targeted Jobs and Tax Cut Act of 2018, W2 employees can no longer write off their home office, said Clint Hulsey, tax tor at Atlantic Coast Tax & Accounting direcInc. in West Ashley.

CHARLESTON UNDER CONSTRUCTION Who is building what in the Charleston area? Projects, companies, prices, projected timelines, photos and stories. Page 13

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POWER TO GROW

With resources like low-cost, reliable power, creative incentive packages and a wide-ranging property portfolio, Santee Cooper helps South Carolina shatter the standard for business growth. In fact, since 1988, Santee Cooper has worked with the state’s electric cooperatives and other economic development entities to generate more than $15.3 billion in investment and helped bring more than 83,000 new jobs to our state. It’s how we’re driving Brighter Tomorrows, Today.

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BUSINESS RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT

County Governments BERKELEY COUNTY GOVERNMENT

CHARLESTON COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Supervisor Johnny Cribb 1003 U.S. Highway 52 Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-719-4094 johnny.cribb@berkeleycountysc.gov www.berkeleycountysc.gov

Lonnie Hamilton III Public Services Building 4045 Bridge View Drive North Charleston, SC 29405 843-958-4000 www.charlestoncounty.org

County Council Dan Owens, District 1 dan.owens@berkeleycountysc.gov Joshua Whitley, District 2 843-696-9094 josh.whitley@berkeleycountysc.gov Phillip Obie II, District 3 843-532-6243 phillip.obie@berkeleycountysc.gov Tommy Newell, District 4 843-442-2109 tommy.newell@berkeleycountysc.gov Brandon Cox, District 5 brandon.cox@berkeleycountysc.gov Jack H. Schurlknight, District 6 843-830-1804 jack.schurlknight@berkeleycountysc.gov Caldwell Pinckney Jr., District 7 803-492-3150 caldwell.pinckney@berkeleycountysc.gov Steve C. Davis, District 8 843-761-7727 steve.davis@berkeleycountysc.gov Economic Development Kristen Orvin Lanier, director 1003 U.S. Highway 52 Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-719-4301 kristen.lanier@berkeleycountysc.gov www.berkeleymeansbusiness.com Auditor Janet Brown Jurosko P.O. Box 6122 1003 U.S. Highway 52 Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-719-4309 janet.jurosko@berkeleycountysc.gov Treasurer Carolyn Umphlett P.O. Box 6122 1003 U.S. Highway 52 Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-719-4040 carolyn.umphlett@berkeleycountysc.gov

East Cooper Service Center 1189 Sweetgrass Basket Parkway, Suite 400 Mount Pleasant, SC 29466 North Area Service Center Lonnie Hamilton III Public Services Building 4045 Bridge View Drive Charleston, SC 29405 St. Paul’s Service Center 5962 S.C. Highway 165, Suite 300 Ravenel, SC 29470 Administrator Bill Tuten 843-958-4000 www.charlestoncounty.org County Council Herbert Ravenel “Herb” Sass III, District 1, vice chairman 843-766-7500 hsass@charlestoncounty.org Dickie Schweers, District 2 843-513-9229 dickieschweers@tds.net Robert L. Wehrman, District 3, chairman 843-958-4030 rlwehrman@charlestoncounty.org Henry Darby, District 4 843-901-6793 henrydarby@msn.com Teddie E. Pryor Sr., District 5 843-958-4030 tpryor@charlestoncounty.org

Economic Development Steve Dykes, executive director 4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 200 North Charleston, SC 29405 843-958-4511 sdykes@charlestoncounty.org www.charlestoncountydevelopment.org Auditor Peter Tecklenburg O.T. Wallace County Office Building 101 Meeting St., Room 101 Charleston, SC 29401 843-958-4200 ptecklenburg@charlestoncounty.org Treasurer Mary Tinkler O.T. Wallace County Office Building 101 Meeting St., Room 108 Charleston, SC 29401 843-958-4360 mtinkler@charlestoncounty.org

DORCHESTER COUNTY GOVERNMENT St. George Office (Main): Kenneth F. Waggoner Building 201 Johnston St. St. George, SC 29477 Summerville Office: Human Services Building 500 N. Main St. Summerville, SC 29483 843-563-0100 www.dorchestercountysc.gov Administrator Jason L. Ward 201 Johnston St. St. George, SC 29477 843-563-0100

Kylon Jerome Middleton, District 6 843-325-4577 kmiddleton@charlestoncounty.org

County Council Harriet Holman, District 1 843-563-0196 HHolman@DorchesterCountySC.gov

C. Brantley Moody, District 7 843-270-2483 bmoody@charlestoncounty.org

David Chinnis, District 2, vice chairman 843-801-2326 DChinnis@DorchesterCountySC.gov

Anna B. Johnson, District 8 843-795-3970 ajohnson@charlestoncounty.org

George Bailey, District 3, chairman 843-563-2314 GBailey@DorchesterCountySC.gov

Jenny Costa Honeycutt, District 9 843-693-6447 jhoneycutt@charlestoncounty.org

Todd Friddle, District 4 843-805-2258 SFriddle@DorchesterCountySC.gov

BUSINESS RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT | www.charlestonbusiness.com

Eddie Crosby, District 5 843-832-0196 ECrosby@DorchesterCountySC.gov William R. “Bill” Hearn Jr., District 6 843-442-5787 Bill.WRHearn@gmail.com Jay Byars, District 7 843-324-6732 ByarsJ@gmail.com Economic Development John M. Truluck, director 402 N. Main St. Summerville, SC 29483 843-875-9109 jtruluck@dorchestercountysc.gov www.dorchesterforbusiness.com Auditor James “JJ” Messervy Jr. Main Office: 843-563-0118 Summerville Office: 843-832-0118 Treasurer Cindy L. Chitty Main Office: 843-563-0165 Summerville Office: 843-832-0165 cchitty@dorchestercounty.net www.dorchestercountytaxesonline.com

Regional Municipalities Awendaw Mayor Miriam C. Green 6971 Doar Road Awendaw, SC 29429 843-928-3100 miriamcgreen@gmail.com www.awendawsc.org Planning Director: Judy Muldrow, 843-9318125; planningawendaw@tds.net Bonneau Mayor Rembert E. Wrenn 420 Municipal Lane Bonneau, SC 29431 843-825-3385 Clerk to Council: Liz Wrenn, bonneau. clerk@tds.net Charleston Mayor John J. Tecklenburg 80 Broad St. Charleston, SC 29401 843-724-3727 tecklenburgj@charleston-sc.gov www.charleston-sc.gov Clerk to Council: Jennifer Cook, 843-7203830; cookj@charleston-sc.gov Folly Beach Mayor Timothy Goodwin 21 Center St. Folly Beach, SC 29439 843-588-2447 www.cityoffollybeach.com Director of Public Works, Facilities and Building: Eric Lutz, 843-708-9982; elutz@ cityoffollybeach.com Zoning Administrator: Aaron Pope, 843513-1839; apope@cityoffollybeach.com Goose Creek Mayor Gregory S. Habib 519 N. Goose Creek Blvd. Goose Creek, SC 29445 843-797-6220 www.cityofgoosecreek.com City Administrator: Natalie McKelvey Zeigler, 843-797-6220, ext. 1115; nzeigler@ cityofgoosecreek.com Hanahan Mayor Christie Rainwater 1255 Yeamans Hall Road Hanahan, SC 29406 843-554-4221 crainwater@cityofhanhan.com www.cityofhanahan.com City Administrator: Mike Cochran, 843-5765250; mcochran@cityofhanahan.com Harleyville Mayor Charles Ackerman 122 W. Main St. Harleyville, SC 29448 843-462-7676 www.harleyvillesc.com Clerk to Council: Amanda Childers

Hollywood Mayor John Dunmyer III 5150 S.C. Highway 165 Hollywood, SC 29449 843-889-3222 www.townofhollywood.org Planner/Zoning Administrator: Roy DeHaven, planner@townofhollywood.org Isle of Palms Mayor Jimmy Carroll 1207 Palm Blvd. Isle of Palms, SC 29451 843-886-6428 jcarroll@iop.net www.iop.net Administrator: Desiree Fragoso, desireef@ iop.net James Island Mayor Bill Woolsey 1122 Dills Bluff Road James Island, SC 29412 843-795-4141 mayorwoolsey@jamesislandsc.us www.jamesislandsc.us Building Official: John Porcelli, jporcelli@ jamesislandsc.us Planning Director: Kristen Crane, kcrane@ jamesislandsc.us Jamestown Mayor Roy P. Pipkin 7604 S.C. Highway 41 Jamestown, SC 29453 843-257-2233 Clerk to Council: Christine F. Pipkin Kiawah Island Mayor John D. Labriola 4475 Betsy Kerrison Parkway Kiawah Island, SC 29455 843-768-9166 jlabriola@kiawahisland.org www.kiawahisland.org Building Official: Bruce D. Spicher, 7685107; bspicher@kiawahisland.org Lincolnville Mayor Charles B. Duberry 141 W. Broad St. Lincolnville, SC 29485 843-873-3261 cdmayor@bellsouth.net McClellanville Mayor Rutledge B. Leland III 405 Pinckney St. McClellanville, SC 29458 843-887-3712 www.townofmcclellanville-sc.net Zoning Administrator: Kathryn S. Basha, mcclellanvillezoning@tds.net

Meggett Mayor Harry V. “Buster” Herrington 4776 S.C. Highway 165 Meggett, SC 29449 843-889-3622 busterherrington@comcast.net www.townofmeggettsc.org Clerk to Council: Ali Ravenel, clerk@ townofmeggettsc.org

Rockville Mayor Riley A. Bradham P.O. Box 9 Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487 843-214-0539 rileybradham@att.net www.townofrockville.com Town Clerk: Colleen Key St. George Mayor Kevin Hart 305 Ridge St. St. George, SC 29477 843-563-3032 mayor@townofstgeorgesc.org www.saintgeorgesc.org Business License Official: Annette L. Moore, 843-563-7161; g.town@bellsouth.net

Moncks Corner Mayor Michael A. Lockliear 118 Carolina Ave. P.O. Box 700 Moncks Corner, SC 29461 843-719-7900 mike@batesinsg.com www.monckscornersc.gov Town Administrator: Jeffrey V. Lord, 843719-7910; jeff.lord@monckscornersc.gov

St. Stephen Mayor John W. Rivers 124 Hood St. St. Stephen, SC 29479 843-567-3597 jrivers@townofststephen.com Chief Building Official: Henry Jackson

Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie 100 Ann Edwards Lane Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-884-8517 whaynie@tompsc.com www.tompsc.com Town Administrator: Eric DeMoura North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey 2500 City Hall Lane North Charleston, SC 29406 843-554-5700 mayor@northcharleston.org www.northcharleston.org Clerk to Council: Sandy L. Brown, 843-7402502; slbrown@northcharleston.org Ravenel Mayor Stephen W. Tumbleston 5962 S.C. Highway 165, Suite 100 Ravenel, SC 29470 843-889-8732 stevetumbleston@gmail.com www.townofravenel.com Planning and Zoning Administrator: Michael D. Hemmer, 618-719-6556; mikehammer@comcast.net Reevesville Mayor Paul Wimberly 6800 Johnston Ave. Reevesville, SC 29471 843-563-9122 pwimb@ntinet.com

Seabrook Island Mayor John W. Gregg 2001 Seabrook Island Road Seabrook Island, SC 29455 843-768-9121 jgregg@townofseabrookisland.org www.townofseabrookisland.org Licenses and Permit Specialist: Lynda Stearns, lstearns@townofseabrookisland.org Sullivan’s Island Mayor Patrick M. O’Neil 2056 Middle St. Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482 843-883-3198 oneilp@sullivansisland.sc.com www.sullivansisland.sc.gov Administrator: Andrew Benke, 843-8835726; abenke@sullivansisland.sc.gov Summerville Mayor Ricky Waring 200 S. Main St. Summerville, SC 29483 843-851-4200 rickywaring@summervillesc.gov www.summervillesc.gov Town Administrator: Lisa Wallace

Ridgeville Mayor Clarence Hughes Jr. 105 School St. Ridgeville, SC 29472 843-871-7960 ceh.ridgevillemayor@gmail.com Town Clerk: Sandra Winn, ridgevilleclerk. treasurer@gmail.com

www.charlestonbusiness.com |

BUSINESS RESOURCES AND GOVERNMENT

Index Real Estate.........................................................................................................6

Education.........................................................................................................48

Days on the market until sale, Jan. 2020 - June 2021................................................................................................ 8

Enrollment analysis of technical colleges and research institutions, 2009 – 2019................................50

Inventory of homes for sale in the Charleston region............................................................................................. 9

Annual college tuition costs.................................................................................................................................................51

Median sales price in the Charleston region...............................................................................................................10

The connection between education, earnings and job security.....................................................................52

New listings in the Charleston region.............................................................................................................................10

Southeast has lowest spending per pupil...................................................................................................................54

Charleston region office market, Q2 2021......................................................................................................................12

Charleston-area school districts, 2019-2020..............................................................................................................55

Office submarket comparison, Q2 2021...........................................................................................................................13 Charleston region industrial market, Q2 2021.............................................................................................................14

Import, Export and Distribution....................................................................56

Charleston-area apartment market.................................................................................................................................15

S.C. State Ports Authority, FY 2020 vs. FY2021...........................................................................................................58

Industrial Buildings...................................................................................................................................................................16

Building the Leatherman Terminal...................................................................................................................................60 South Carolina Ports Economic Impact........................................................................................................................60

Architecture, Engineering and Construction.............................................. 18

South Carolina importing and exporting......................................................................................................................62

New private housing units authorized by building permits Charleston MSA, Jan. 2005 - May 2021......................................................................................20

South Carolina’s export market share in 2020...........................................................................................................63 Distribution and logistics in South Carolina...............................................................................................................64

How builders handle building costs...............................................................................................................................20 Mining, Logging, and Construction employment in Charleston-North Charleston MSA.....................22 New construction homes for sale in the Charleston region, 2016 - 2020....................................................22 Number of construction companies by county........................................................................................................24 Average weekly wage for construction jobs by county........................................................................................25

Medical and Health Care................................................................................66 COVID-19 in South Carolina..................................................................................................................................................68 Opioid crisis in South Carolina...........................................................................................................................................70 Primary care physicians per capita.................................................................................................................................71

Total construction costs for S.C. metro areas.............................................................................................................26 Housing building permits for S.C. metro areas.......................................................................................................... 27 Architecture, engineering and construction related occupations and wages, Charleston MSA....29 S.C. construction costs mostly below U.S. average, 2020...................................................................................30 Charleston under construction...........................................................................................................................................31

Financial Services..........................................................................................34 Charleston area banks by county....................................................................................................................................36 All financial activity employment in Charleston-North Charleston MSA..................................................... 37 What are your chances of getting audited in S.C.?.................................................................................................38 Accounting for S.C.’s finances.............................................................................................................................................39

Demographics and Economic Development...............................................40 Total passengers at Charleston International Airport, Jan. 2019 - May 2021...............................................42 Estimation of tourism’s economic impacts in the greater charleston area, 2020..................................43 South Carolina craft breweries, 2020.............................................................................................................................44 Population growth by county, 2010-2020.....................................................................................................................45 Leisure and Hospitality employment in Charleston-North Charleston MSA, Jan. 2007 - May 2021.............46 South Carolina statewide lodging outlook report, May 2021.............................................................................47

www.charlestonbusiness.com

Business Resources and Government.......................................................... 72 Business Assistance Organizations.................................................................................................................................74 S.C. Trade Associations............................................................................................................................................................74 Chambers of Commerce........................................................................................................................................................79 Economic Develpment Organizations............................................................................................................................79 Legislative Representatives................................................................................................................................................80 County Governments...............................................................................................................................................................82 Regional Municipalities.........................................................................................................................................................83

In Focus

HEALTH CARE LISTS: Retirement Communities, Page 18 Joseph Carson’s students at the College of Charleston work on an inexpensive imaging device using astronomy technology to detect early cervical cancer. (Photo/Provided)

Open wide

Dental care providers in South Carolina ensure bright smiles and healthy gums, but also screen and make referrals for problems that could be indicators of health issues.

Dental providers across Southeast State Florida N. Carolina Virginia Georgia Tennessee Kentucky S. Carolina Louisiana Alabama Mississippi Arkansas

Providers 10,499 5,356 5,099 4,565 2,967 2,423 2,242 2,075 1,937 1,169 1,150

Women in dentistry*

NASA tech engineered for cancer detection Astronomy professor invents medical imaging device modeled after telescopes By Jenny Peterson

image, weird shapes in there — you don’t know what’s just noise, or shapes and you have to separate things out. College of Charleston profes- When you are looking inside the body, sor in the departyou have a similar situation. ment of physics and A lot of this artificial intelliastronomy, along with a gence software technology small team of medical prothat we use in astronomy can fessionals and alumni, are also show complicated imagworking to bring an invenes in the body.” tion to the health care space The goal is for medito detect early-stage cervical cal professionals to be able cancer. to detect cervical cancer Carson CervImage, an invengrowths immediately with tion created by professor Joseph Car- the 3-D imaging in a 360-degree view, son, is a slim, portable wand that uses rather than taking samples, waiting for high-resolution 3-D imaging from lab results and scheduling follow-up a single tunable liquid lens to detect appointments. Carson created a startpre-cancer cervical lesions. It applies up called Pensievision to manufacture the same technologies as NASA’s space the device. telescopes when studying objects in While CervImage uses advanced space. technology, the wand requires an ordi“I met a professor of medicine, nary lithium battery and can display and we started talking about how, images onto an inexpensive laptop, in astronomy, we do sophisticated without requiring Wi-Fi or even elecadvanced image technology and we tricity, making it ideal to bring into started brainstorming and came up developing countries. with our idea,” Carson said. “When Carson’s idea formed nine years ago, you look in outer space, you take 30-40 but the team has ramped up efforts to images, and you could have a blurry make the invention a reality in the last

Contributing Writer

two years. A $400,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health helped move it along through patient clinical trials, currently being done in California. Carson is on a research leave of absence from the College of Charleston while the team works through patient trials, updating software and hardware and tweaking the design for ease of use. Carson said the NIH grant was awarded to the project in the hope that it will bring the advanced technology to developing countries. The Pensievision team is planning a pilot program in sub-Saharan Africa following Food and Drug Administration clearance stateside to demonstrate that the technology can work in areas with few resources and specialists. “You can screen for cervical cancer in a single visit in a relatively non-invasive way; you don’t have to use a scalpel to take samples. You can take a 3-D image with a slender probe and if you see something that is potentially dangerous, in the same visit, it could be See TECH, Page 16

State Florida Virginia N. Carolina Kentucky Georgia S. Carolina Louisiana Mississippi Alabama Tennessee Arkansas

% Female dentists 38.6% 37.5% 35.0% 34.8% 33.8% 32.2% 31.8% 31.1% 30.6% 27.4% 24.2%

187,295

Number of professional dentists actively working in the U.S. as of 2021.

21.1%

Percentage of dentists operating in the 11-state region of the Southeast, including several Mid-Atlantic states, representing nearly 40,000 dentists.

29,660

The most populated state, California, also has nearly 30,000 dentists, which is the largest concentration in any state. Source: The Kaiser Family Foundation, 2021; U.S. Census Bureau. * 1.9% of dentists in the above states did not indicate gender.

NEXT ISSUE’S FOCUS: Manufacturing

www.charlestonbusiness.com

IN FOCUS: HEALTH CARE

August 23 - September 5, 2021

Nursing shortage deepens as pandemic keeps students away By Jim Tatum

jtatum@scbiznews.com

outh Carolina’s nursing shortage began long before the global pandemic stretched health care resources to the limit. Like the rest of the nation, the state grappled with a shortage of registered nurses for a number of years. As early as 2005, studies conducted by various health care organizations have sounded the alarm. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports registered nursing has been projected to be one of the top areas for job growth between 2019 and 2029, with some 175,000 new openings being created each year. However, the average age of a registered nurse in the U.S. is around 50 years old. That means over the next 10 or so years, the industry was already expecting to see a spike in the number of individuals leaving the profession, either via retirement or for other reasons. Another reason for the shortage of bedside nurses is a lack of nursing instructors, making it even more difficult to replenish a shrinking talent pool. Add the COVID-19 pandemic to the mix, and the entire situation takes on a whole new spectrum of challenges and an increased sense of urgency. Health care organizations across the state are working to come up with immediate and long-term solutions. South Carolina health care providers have worked to rise to the challenges that have been presented to them, both for immediate needs and for long-term solutions. Patti Hart, chief nursing officer for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, noted that prior to the pandemic, MUSC, while performing above the national average, was experiencing many challenges described nationwide.

TECH, from Page 15

treated and can reduce health care costs,” Carson said. “If there is Wi-Fi available, the device can interact with a server and send images to specialists worldwide via telemedicine. But, even though it is advanced and sophisticated, we designed it to be optimized to work on a $40 mobile computer.” Pending an FDA clearance — expected by the end of 2021 — Carson said the next step is to find a manufacturer to mass produce the CervImage device to sell it to clinics and hospitals. “One of the things we need to do in the next year or two is to scale it up; one of the things I’m looking forward to is

Hiring travel nurses, increasing salaries and bonus packages, attracting nurses who had previously left the patient care arena, either for other jobs or for retirement, are all options MUSC have undertaken. Revisiting the day-today routine is another. “We’ve had to get creative,” Hart said. “We are looking at all the things that RNs do that don’t require an RN to do it and making adjustments so that the RNs can do the job they need to do.” MUSC has hired more health care technician positions across the spectrum. Licensed practical nurses are handling such functions as passing medications. MUSC also has attracted some retired nurses and nurses who left patient care for other opportunities to handle admission work, freeing floor nurses to concentrate on bedside care. Most important, MUSC has worked to help nursing staff maintain mental well-being, Hart said. “We are truly trying to give them the tools to help them take care of themselves and their leaders to take care of their teams,” Hart said. Christina Oh, the new CEO of Trident Medical Center, a HCA hospital system based in North Charleston, said that, like everyone in the health care industry, Trident has turned to traveling nurses to help alleviate staffing shortages. “Unfortunately, none of us are in this alone — we are all facing growing challenges industry wide,” Oh said. “But thinking beyond the immediate situation is very important to us. We had a very good running start. We took that bolus approach to our critical staffing needs — and the traveling nurses are heroes — leaving their families and coming here to help us. But we also really tried to make sure we have recognized and taken care of the staff who have been with us, make sure they know they are appreciated and valued. We

want to have the financial incentive for them as well. We don’t want to make a traveling contract more attractive.” The lure of travel nursing is strong. A traveling nurse can often make significantly more money working a shortterm contract than they would make as a regular staff nurse. Oh said she wants Trident to not only be a place traveling nurses want to work, she wants Trident to be a place that attracts them permanently. “The culture of an organization trumps everything,” she said. “You can pay competitively, you can offer all the benefits, but if you don’t have a culture that values people above everything else, you’re going to have very difficult time getting over the wall. So, my number one focus is to show employees and prospective employees, by example, that our culture is the one to choose because we value them.” Carolyn Swinton, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Prisma Health, agreed. Prisma, like everyone in the industry, is using travel nurses to bolster staff shortages, as well as offering bonus packages for extra shift work and for employees who refer candidates to Prisma. She is a strong believer in developing and nurturing positive workplace culture. “The attraction for travel is strong,” Swinton said. “So Prisma works very hard to let our people know how much they are needed, and appreciated. We work hard to take care of our people. We try to market this area — it’s a wonderful place to live, work and play. We try hard to provide a good work/life balance.” The other important area being addressed is the challenge to replenish the talent pool. According to a report by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2019-2020 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, U.S.

nursing schools turned away 80,407 qualified applications from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2019 because of an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. Most nursing schools responding to the survey pointed to faculty shortages as a top reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into their programs. The pandemic has added fear and uncertainty to the mix. Hart said a survey first conducted by the American Organization of Nurse Leadership in 2007 found that 63% of people surveyed in the U.S. would recommend a career in nursing. But when the survey was conducted again in 2021, only 27% said they would recommend a career in nursing. In South Carolina, efforts have been made to lobby for such benefits as student loan forgiveness for nurses and nursing students, as well as salary increases for nursing faculty. MUSC and others have been working statewide to identify and establish satellite campuses and bolster programs at the secondary school level, Hart said. MUSC is working with one school district on a pilot program that will start freshmen on a path to graduate from high school at nearly LPN level. Swinton said Prisma Health partners with school districts, technical colleges, and colleges and universities — and even has a K-12 program — to expose younger students to the possibilities and career opportunities across the entire health care industry, including nursing. But all agree that it will be some time before results will be seen. “It’s about course correction,” Hart said. “We’re behind the times, so we need to position ourselves now to change that course to meet those needs.”

(possibly) partnering with a manufacturer in South Carolina,” Carson said. “The most expensive component (in the device) is no more than $50. A lot of the competitors in imaging have devices that cost $10,000, so if our price point is even $400, that’s still much better.” The Pensievision team has a handful of full-time employees and nearly a dozen part-time employees, split between Charleston and California. The medical team is in California working on patient clinical trials and the research and development team, almost entirely made up of CofC alumni, is located in Charleston. Carson is responsible for the development of the novel imaging software and

hardware for the astronomy-inspired medical imaging applications and artificial intelligence diagnostics. “Our ‘official headquarters’ is my house in Charleston,” Carson said. The NIH grant covers salaries and funds for patient clinical testing. Pensievision also got financial support from the South Carolina Research Authority, Carson said. The potential for expansion is huge; Carson said the average sale price for startup medical imaging companies is $300 million. “Sometime in the next year, we are going to do a major seed fundraising and finding a strategic partner and backing,” Carson said.

While the main flagship of the CervImage is to help detect early-stage cervical cancer, the long-term vision is that it can be applied to all types of early cancer detection. “Colonoscopy is a similar application and would be no brainer to use a high resolution 3-D images, but we are actually in collaboration with the Medical University of South Carolina where we built a version of our device that’s actually being tested on cadavers to be able to screen and look for esophagus cancer, which is very difficult to screen without a specialist,” Carson said. “Every year, our device gets smaller and narrower and we can get access to more narrowly-confined regions.”

CRBJ

Reach Jim Tatum at 864-720-2269.

CRBJ

IN FOCUS: HEALTH CARE

August 23 - September 5, 2021

www.charlestonbusiness.com 17

Hollings testing daily pill to replace bone marrow, chemo By Alexandria Ng

ang@scbiznews.com

kip the chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants, and simply take a pill a day to achieve complete cancer remission. That is the goal of the clinical trials of a medicine called AG-120 at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Hollings Cancer Center, targeted toward a specific subset of patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. “We have been treating acute leukemia the same way we did 30 years ago, so for 30 years, the scientific progress has been very slow,” said Praneeth Baratam, a Hollings hematology and oncology researcher leading the trials. “Within the last five years, all these (FDA) approvals have been happening, so this is a major game-changer in how these drugs came about in changing the entire landscape.” This medicine, sold under the brand name Tibsovo by pharmaceutical company Agios, is meant for cancer patients who have a mutation of the IDH1 enzyme, which prevents cells in the bone marrow from maturing. AML is a cancer of the blood and is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, Baratam said. MDS can progress and develop into leukemia. The Federal Drug Administration

approved use of AG-120 in AML patients with the IDH1 mutation in May 2019, but treatment for MDS patients has yet to be given the green light. MUSC, as one of 30 research sites across the country conducting these trial studies, hopes that its work and resulting data will bring about this second approval. Two patients have been enrolled in its AML study, while the MDS portion, made eligible in September 2020, has one patient. Results show that they could be getting close. According to national AML data collected in patient follow-up since 2016 when the trials began, AG-120 has garnered an approximate 40% complete remission rate, meaning that there was no sign of disease in the bone marrow and that cell counts had returned to normal. Half of its patients also had an increased lifespan of at least another 12.5 months. While these numbers seem small, the level of success is a significant jump relative to results gathered from other treatment options. Chemotherapy generally has a complete remission rate of 15% to 30%, with a median survival of another five to six months. “This is considered a big success when you put it into perspective,” Baratam said. “Compared with historical numbers, which are lower, achieving transfusion

independence is a big deal, especially with giving treatment that is mild on the body with minimal side effects.” The current treatment options for these patients’ long-term survival are limited and aggressive. Chemotherapies and bone marrow transplants are harsh on the body and involve intrusive risks such as infection. With most patients age 60 and older, life-threatening treatments like these are oftentimes not even an option as their bodies cannot handle it. “These patients would just have to take their blood transfusions and wait for, typically, an infection to kill them,” Baratam said. “But now that has changed because we can provide hope to leukemia patients who cannot tolerate these intense chemotherapies and are able to achieve a meaningful improvement in their quality and length of life.” Once tested and passed, AG-120 will be a pill that MDS patients can take once a day indefinitely, just as AML patients do, as FDA-approved. It will be a nontoxic alternative to achieving better rates of remission, as compared to existing treatments. While side effects of AG-120 could include inflammation of the body, which could manifest as fevers, rash and difficulty breathing, Baratam said these are temporary issues and that the benefits out-

weigh the costs. Patients with this specific type of enzyme mutation only consist of 6% to 16% of AML patients and less than 5% of MDS patients. As such a small percentage of the overall population with AML and MDS, patients who meet the requirements are hard to come by. Though Baratam would like to enroll more patients in the trials, it is just a waiting game for those who are eligible and who elect to participate, he said. FDA approval will be a wait as well, as pharmaceutical companies must see proof of enough mature data before submitting an application. Once approved, Baratam predicts this type of treatment will be less expensive than marrow transplants, but more costly than chemotherapy. He said it is worth it though, if ancillary costs of hospital-stay recovery after chemotherapy are factored in, as well as taking into account the less taxing effects AG-120 will have on the body. “We will continue this trial for patients with MDS and hoping we gather enough data to get this drug approved,” Baratam said. “I would have to imagine it will take another year or two before that happens.” CRBJ

Reach Alexandria Ng at 843-849-3124.

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www.charlestonbusiness.com

August 23 - September 5, 2021

Retirement Communities Ranked by No. of Beds/Units in the Charleston Area

Bed/Units / Employees

Fitness Facility

General Store

Guest Apartment

Library

Personal Laundry

Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community 1 Bishop Gadsden Way Charleston, SC 29412

843-762-3300 www.bishopgadsden.org contactus@bishopgadsden.org

Aaron Roop, Sarah E.H. Tipton 1850

406 420

✔

Franke at Seaside 1885 Rifle Range Road Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

843-856-4700 www.frankeatseaside.org marketing@frankeatseaside.org

Sandy Stoll 1892

321 200

✔

The Palms of Mount Pleasant 937 Bowman Road Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

843-884-6949 www.thepalmsofmtpleasant.com -

Rhonda Hammers, Joe Carr, Lisa Bell 1983

194 125

✔

The Blake at Carnes Crossroads 4015 Second Ave. Summerville, SC 29486

843-376-3996 www.blakeliving.com/carnescrossroads/home info.carnescrossroads@blakeliving.com

Christine Hames 2017

100 80

✔

Sherman House 1635 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd. Charleston, SC 29407

843-763-2242 www.theshermanhouse.org shermanhouse@bellsouth.net

Rebekah Kinsella 1984

56 4

Transportation

Administrator(s) / Year Founded

Sched. Activities

Phone / Website / Email

Physician Office

Company

Salon/Barber

Services

✔

Researched by Paige Wills

Thursday, October 21 Charleston Area Convention Center Presented by:

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At Work

BUSINESS DIGEST | PEOPLE IN THE NEWS | HOT PROPERTIES | PEER TO PEER

People in the News

Business Digest

Bull & Finch Gastropub to open in Mount Pleasant

EDUCATION Thomas & Hutton has hired Jed Sorce as a designer in its landscape architecture department and Tatum Roland as a designer in the civil department. T&H has also announced their class of 2021 summer interns: David Smith, Dixon Flowers, John Jordan, Lizzy McClure and Sam Hearne. Sorce Sorce studied landscape architecture and environmental planning at Utah State University. He will assist on various multifamily projects currently under design. Roland studied civil engineering at the Honors College at the University of South Carolina. He will assist T&H’s civil team with various developments throughout the Lowcountry region including the master planned communities of Point Hope and Carnes Crossroads.

ENGINEERING

Mount Pleasant’s newest gastropub, Bull & Finch, will open at 1710 Shoremeade Road on Sept. 1. Bull & Finch will feature a 20-seat bar with TVs, as well as a more elevated dining room. The menu will cater to customization and sharing. Chef Brandon Buck, formerly of Tradd’s, Blossom and Middleton Place, will serve as executive chef.

SweatHouz infared sauna coming to Charleston

This September, a new SweatHouz will open at 835 Savannah Highway in West Ashley, joining the Mount Pleasant location that opened last year. Grand opening details will be announced in the coming weeks.

able at Munkle, at 1513 Meeting St., and cans and six packs are sold at Taco Boy’s three locations downtown, Folly Beach and in Summerville. Cerveza Contigo is Taco Boy’s first locally-brewed can.

Vape-Free Schools Initiative so that more kids can access cessation, support and education.

Traveling Country Club expands to Charleston

Palmetto Moon is opening a new store at Valley Bend at Jones Farm, located at 2750 Carl T. Jones Drive SE, Suite 245, in Huntsville, Ala., next month. The new location will be the Charleston-based company’s 30th location.

The Traveling Country Club is expanding its unrestricted golf course access to Charleston. TCC offers a membership model that grants golfers unlimited access to the more than 30 courses in their network, centered around the state, for less than the cost of traditional club memberships.

Lung association launches vape-free scholarship fund Munkle Brewing, Taco Boy launch Cerveza Contigo

Munkle Brewing Co. has launched Cerveza Contigo, a Vienna lager brewed in collaboration with Taco Boy. Half pours, full pours and six-packs are avail-

The S.C. Youth Tobacco Survey reports more than 22% of high school students in the state use e-cigarettes. The American Lung Association in S.C. hopes to cut down on that statistic with the Vape-Free Schools Scholarship Fund, a new effort to fund schools’ implementation of the

Palmetto Moon opens location in Alabama

Code Ninjas to open learning center on Long Point Road in East Cooper

Code Ninjas will debut on Aug. 22 at 624-I Long Point Road. The new learning center aims to serve the local area by teaching children ages 5-14 computer coding and problem-solving skills while having fun building video games. Offers include a flexible weeknight drop-in program, camps, Roblox and Minecraft clubs, birthday parties, and parents’ night out events on weekends.

Terracon has hired Melvin Williams as senior client development manager. Williams serves as vice chair for the American Council of Engineering Companies and in the ACEC 2021 National College of Fellows. He was also recently re-elected to the board of directors for the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments. At Terracon, he will lead local and state client relationships and serve as project executive for large projects. He earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering technology from South Carolina State College, and a Bachelor of Science in civil and environmental engineering from The Citadel.

LAW Hall Booth Smith P.C. has hired Rene Stuhr Dukes as of counsel in its Charleston office. Smith has practiced law since 2012, representing clients in a Dukes range of family law matters. She holds a Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the Charleston School of Law, a master’s in education in clinical counseling from The See PEOPLE, Page 22

www.charlestonbusiness.com

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August 23 - September 5, 2021

How the tech sector led U.S. out of an economic meltdown

very quarter we are surprised by the steady robust pace of GDP growth and the resilience of the stock market. Clearly, a series of stimulus checks combined with ultra-easy Fed policy deserve much of the credit. But let’s not forget the contribution from the tech sector. Without a vacSTEPHEN D. cine none of this SLIFER would be happening. But also, technology has allowed us to work from home when we were locked out of the office, conduct business meetings when we could not meet in person, buy things we needed when stores were closed. It has also helped restaurants develop take-out and delivery services when in-restaurant dining was prohibited. While initially businesses may have been forced to accept this new technology, good things have happened as a result. Productivity growth has accelerated, corporate earnings growth has quickened, and the stock market has soared. Best yet, technological developments hold the promise of faster growth in our standard of living. Last year’s quarantine-induced recession was the worst in our history. GDP declined 31% in the second quarter of last year. Twenty-two million workers lost their jobs. But shortly thereafter, Congress passed a $2.5 trillion fiscal stimulus package. Meanwhile, the Fed purchased $2 trillion of securities to provide additional liquidity. As a result, the deepest recession in U.S. history ended two months later. Within five months, the stock market had recovered all that it lost during the recession. By way of contrast, it took five years for the stock market to achieve that feat following the 2008-09 recession. But money alone cannot achieve a sustained recovery. For that to happen, we needed a vaccine. In its absence, Americans would have still been unwilling to get on an airplane, stay in a hotel, go to a restaurant, or attend a sporting event. Typically, a vaccine takes 10 years to develop. But thanks to Operation Warp Speed that cycle was compressed to a single year. OWS was a public-private partnership funded by $10 billion from the initial fiscal stimulus package. Eight pharmaceutical companies were selected to divide the billions and do everything in their power to produce 300 million safe and effective doses of the vaccine by the end of January 2021. The government agencies involved included the Centers for Disease Control, Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes

of Health, and the Department of Defense. Their job was to eliminate any bureaucratic obstacles. And guess what? It worked! Without it, the stimulus led recovery would have eventually stalled. While the vaccine development was almost certainly the crowning contribution from the tech sector in the past 16 months, there were others. In the midst of the quarantine businesses needed a way to communicate with their employees and customers. Along came Zoom to fill that need. Consumers could not purchase needed goods and services from local stores, which were closed. Sales at online retail giant Amazon took off. But retail chains like Walmart and Target did an impressive job of enabling their customers to buy goods online and pick them up at the store. During the recession, Amazon hired 175,000 workers, Walmart hired 100,000. Restaurants had to close their doors to in-restaurant dining, but Grubhub and UberEats helped them deliver meals to their customers. The revenue stream was greatly diminished, but for most restaurants there was enough coming in to keep the lights on and the doors open. During the pandemic, you could not visit your local doctor in their office. As a result, tele-health got a boost. You no longer had to sit in the waiting room for an hour with a roomful of other sick patients to see your doctor. Now you could do all this from the comfort of your home. A lot of these services were available prior to the recession, but the pandemic expedited their development and acceptance. During the pandemic, businesses had to completely re-think their business models under stressful circumstances. Those who were willing to embrace the new technology survived. Many others did not. Today, business leaders are grappling with what to do next. Many are requiring workers to return to the office. But given the discussion above, perhaps working from home might be a viable alternative. The long held notion that camaraderie in the office around the water cooler encourages new ideas is being challenged by new ways of communication. Working from home may not be the ideal solution for every firm in every industry, but employees seem to like it, and company performance does not appear to have suffered. One final thought. Suppose that in this new high tech world productivity growth accelerates for a protracted period of time. If so, our potential growth rate — a proxy for growth in our standard of living will climb. If the tech industry can continue to find ways to boost business productivity we will all be better off. CRBJ

Reach economist Stephen D. Slifer at steve@numbernomics.com.

August 23 - September 5, 2021

www.charlestonbusiness.com 21

Hot Properties Hot Properties highlights recently sold or leased commercial properties in the Charleston region every Monday at www.charlestonbusiness.com. Keith Mayfield of Twin Rivers Capital LLC represented the landlord, CRS Associate LLC and Love-Seymore of Richmond, Virginia LLC, in the lease of 1,337 square feet of restaurant space at 1041 Folly Road on James Island to PizzaVola Express. Justin Gaskill and Eric Bickle of Big Realty represented the tenant.

Brian Connolly of JLL represented the landlord, The Keith Corp., Mixson Properties, Origin Development Partners, in the lease of 3,512 square feet of office space at 850 Morrison Drive, Charleston, to Bond Street Advisors. Ashley Jackrel, CCIM, Chris Fraser, CCIM, and Leslie Fellabom of Avison Young South Carolina Inc. represented the sellers, Thomas Roosevelt and Linda Hamalak, in the sale of 0.43 acres at 1216 Old Towne Road in Charleston to Justin Miles for $127,500. Jonathon Wells of The Boulevard Co. represented the buyer. Edward Oswald, Blair Hines of Oswald Cooke & Associates represented the buyer, 1028 Johnnie Dodds LLC, in the sale of 1.26 acres of retail space at 1028 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Mount Pleasant, from MJ Properties of South Carolina LLC for $3,200,000. Bradley Baker of CC&T represented the seller.

JR Caldwell and Bob Caldwell of Caldwell Commercial Real Estate Services represented the landlord, 825 Lowcountry Boulevard LLC, in the lease of office space at 825 Lowcountry Blvd., Mount Pleasant, to Tanis Construction Inc.

Vitré Ravenel Stephens and Taylor Sekanovich of Avison Young-South Carolina Inc. represented the landlord, Fifty-Two Associates, in the lease of 1,500 square feet of retail space at North Rivers Plaza, 8410 Rivers Ave., Suite G, in North Charleston to Tina’s African Hair Braiding.

Craig Massey and Chris Fraser, CCIM, of Avison Young-South Carolina Inc. represented the landlord, College Park Center LLC, in the lease of 4,000 square feet of retail space at College Park Center, 113-E College Park Road in Ladson to Popped!

Thomas Boulware, David Grubbs, Dexter Rumsey of NAI Charleston represented the seller, Matthew-Strawberry LLC, in the sale of residential development space at U.S. Highway 52 and Cypress Gardens Road to Meredith Gill.

Vitré Ravenel Stephens and Taylor Sekanovich of Avison Young-South Carolina Inc. represented the landlord, McDew LLC, in the lease of 1,200 square feet of retail space at Mark IV Shopping Center, 5131 Dorchester Road, Suite 6, in North Charleston for Mexican grocery store Tienda La Guadalupana. Vitré Ravenel Stephens of Avison Young-South Carolina Inc. represented the landlord, McDew LLC, in the lease of 1,200 square feet of retail space at Mark IV Shopping Center, 5131 Dorchester Road, Suite 7, in North Charleston to Quick Stop Convenience Store. Robert Pratt of RE/MAX Pro Realty represented the landlord, Robert L. Pratt LLC, in the lease of 1,102 square feet of office space at 419 N. Cedar St., Summerville, to Love My Charleston Home LLC. Kevin Richter of Brand Name Real Estate represented the tenant. Leslie Fellabom, Chris Fraser, CCIM, Ashley Jackrel, CCIM, Nick Gregorios, and Peter Berk of Avison Young-South Carolina Inc. represented the tenant, Na Ali’i Consulting and Sales LLC, in the lease of 3,244 square feet of office space at 115 Fairchild St., Suite 330, on Daniel Island from Daniel Island Sun LLC. Mark Mattison, SIOR, CCIM, of Bridge Commercial represented the landlord. Craig Massey, Vitré Ravenel Stephens, and Taylor Sekanovich of Avison Young-South Carolina Inc. represented the seller, PNB Holding Co. 1 Inc., in the sale of 6,712 square feet of retail space at 135 Executive Park Way in Moncks Corner to JohnCo LP for $575,000. Dana Cumbie of Cumbie Realty represented the buyer. Mandy Coleman of Charleston Restaurant Properties LLC represented the tenant, The Tippling House LLC, in the lease of 1,000 square feet of retail space at 221-A Coming St. in Charleston from Frederick Fields. Leslie Fellabom, Chris Fraser, CCIM, Kisha Lyles, and Ashley Jackrel, CCIM, of Avison Young-South Carolina Inc. represented the landlord, TwoBeeTwo Associates LLC, in the lease of office space at the Franke Building, 171 Church St., Suite 218, in Charleston to Shealy Law Firm. Ashley Jackrel, CCIM, Chris Fraser, CCIM, Leslie Fellabom, and Kisha Lyles of Avison Young-South Carolina Inc. represented the landlord, Merritt Rae Holdings LLC, in the lease of 2,500 square feet of industrial space at 720 Dupont Road in Charleston to RKO-Total Graphics LLC.

Jeremy Willits and Gerry Schauer, CCIM, of Avison Young South Carolina Inc. represented the seller, Brianna L. Paxton, in the sale of 9,398 square feet of office space at 1548 Ashley River Road in Charleston to Hedgemark Brentwood Pharmacy Inc. for $1,000,000. Leslie Fellabom, Chris Fraser, CCIM, and Ashley Jackrel, CCIM, of Avison Young South Carolina Inc. represented the tenant, FirstString Research Inc., in the lease of 6,521 square feet of office space at 1501 Belle Isle Ave., Suite 220, in Mount Pleasant from BH Office LLC. Cameron Yost, CCIM of Lee & Associates represented the landlord. Courtney Marous, Ryan Young, Alex Irwin of Avison Young represented the sublessor, W.W. Williams Co. LLC, in the sublease of 109,897 square feet of industrial space at 5801 North Rhett Ave. in Hanahan. JLL Charleston represented the tenant. Vitré Ravenel Stephens and Taylor Sekanovich of Avison Young South Carolina Inc. represented the landlord, 63 Broad Street LP, in the lease of 2,753 square feet of office/retail space at 63 Broad St., first floor, in Charleston to Simpatico Galleries LLC. Gerry Schauer, CCIM, of Avison Young South Carolins Inc. represented the tenant. Chris Dion, Morrow Boggs of Belk Lucy represented the landlord in the lease of 2,760 square feet of retail space at 5325 Park Forest Parkway, Suites F and G, in North Charleston to Nail Garden.

Submit items at our online submission portal: www.CRBJBizWire.com. Publication in print and online is subject to editorial discretion.

www.charlestonbusiness.com

August 23 - September 5, 2021

People in the News Citadel and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Virginia. K&L Gates’ Charleston office has hired Alexis A. Riordan as a counsel in the firm’s real estate practice group. She previously served as an associate at a New York City law firm where she advised private equity funds, real estate investment Riordan trusts, institutional investors, sponsors, managers and operators. She received her Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Vanderbilt University and her Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law. Husch Blackwell has hired Jason P. Walton and C. Cartwright “Carty” Bibee as partners in its financial services and capital markets group. Walton practices tax law with a concentration on deals involving federal and state tax credits. Bibee represents equity investors in connection with solar energy projects and other projects generating tax credits

2021

and has a broad-based transactional law practice focusing on acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures. Both lawyers were formerly partners in the Charleston office of K&L Gates LLP.

NONPROFIT The Charleston Parks Conservancy has hired Sara Brunner and Becca Hudson as horticulturists, Mara DeMauro as digital marketing and fundraising manager and Courtney Olson as community garden manager and educator. Brunner worked for the College of Charleston’s sustainable agriculture program at Stono Preserve while in graduate school. Hudson worked several years as an archeologist before moving onto horticulture with Hyams Garden Center. DeMauro previously managed her own business and worked in marketing at Blackbaud. Olson has two decades of experience farming, gardening and operating restaurants.

REAL ESTATE William Means Real Estate has added Sandra Di Salvo to its team. Di Salvo previously worked in human resources

and commercial real estate development at Boeing and founded a business that administered on-site influenza vaccinations to school-age children in the South Salvo and Midwest. She received an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and an executive MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. Avison Young has hired Alex Irwin to its Charleston office. He has eight years of brokerage experience and will focus on industrial sales and leasing.

Irwin

Colliers has promoted Chloe Heiligenstein to brokerage associate on the industrial brokerage team in its Charleston office. Heiligenstein received a Bachelor of Science in commercial real estate finance from the Col-

lege of Charleston. She is an active member of Commercial Real Estate Women and serves on the communications committee. She is involved in the Council of Supply Chain Management, serving on the young professionals committee, and is also involved with the SIOR Foundation. Within Colliers, she is involved in the U.S. Emerging Leaders Group and the Employee Resource Group for women.

SALES Custom shower tile manufacturer KBRS has hired Benjamin Smith as director of sales for the Charleston market. Smith has more than a decade of leadership experience in sales, account management and business development. He recently worked in inside sales for Maner Builders Supply. Evolution by MacGregor Yachts has hired Harrison Hughes to its center console sales team. Hughes graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in construction science and management. He has several years of experience operating boats in the commercial maritime industry.

Submit items at our online submission portal: www.CRBJBizWire.com. Publication in print and online is subject to editorial discretion.

FORTY

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Viewpoint S.C.’s entrepreneurial ecosystem shaking off pandemic pause VIEWS, PERSPECTIVES AND READERS’ LETTERS

nnovation is alive and well in South Carolina and is having an increasing impact on our state’s economy. We at the S.C. Research Authority have a front-row seat to many of the exciting developments coming from our colleges, universities, technology startups and industry partners from across our state. We also have experienced the effects the panBOB QUINN demic has had on these institutions and sectors and how, during the lockdown, the dearth of activities and events led to a marked decline in innovation development and commercialization. However, in 2021, we are seeing things rapidly returning to normal. Thanks to factors such as events like the recent Dig South conference in Charleston and the NEXT Ventures pitch competition coming to Greenville in September, there has been a rapid increase in pipeline activities, early-stage companies looking for support and relocating to the state, and industry involvement in innovation assessment and adoption activities.

Growth in pipeline

Networking and interaction are critical activities for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Entrepreneurs need a strong support network to help find the next big idea, support that idea’s development and fund its evolution into a viable product and/or service in the marketplace. Although we’ve become well-versed at virtual meetings over the last 18 months, it has become very clear that, for the innovation sector to thrive, constant interaction and networking are crucial for those moments of serendipity that allow innovation to be conceived, developed and delivered. As of March, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of these interactions. From coffee meetings between entrepreneurs to larger state and regional conferences, new ideas are being developed, partnerships are being formed, and the innovation economy is becoming vibrant again. We are once again beginning to see the pre-pandemic volume of companies seeking support and funding, and we are discovering new ways to create economic value via increased interactions between and among industry, startups, and academia. It remains to be

Francis Marion University is participating in a $3.3 million, matching-grant initiative funded by the S.C. Research Authority to spark research projects facing S.C. business and industry. (Photo/FMU)

seen to what degree the recent increases in COVID-19 cases from the Delta variant will have a dampening effect on this trend.

Companies pitching

This increased activity in the innovation space has also led to a significant increase in early-stage startup company activity. Many of these companies went into a form of hibernation during the shutdown as they found it extremely challenging to acquire customers, hire people, obtain funding, and further develop their innovations. In the last few weeks, all these things became possible again, and as a result, SCRA has also had an increase in companies approaching us for our funding and business support programs. Much of this is pent-up demand from the previous months. However, we are also seeing new concepts and ideas, developed during the pandemic months, that resulted in the formation of startups. Many of these of these companies were created by first-time founders, new to the entrepreneurial process, and we are adapting our programs and more effectively teaming with our ecosystem part-

ners to better support these companies in their earliest stages.

Relocations expanding

Another positive trend is the growing desire of early-stage, technology-based companies to relocate to South Carolina. This year, SCRA has teamed with organizations such as the Upstate SC Alliance in multiple projects involving companies relocating from across the country. Our weather, thriving industry sectors, strong entrepreneurial ecosystem, lower cost of conducting business, and overall quality of life make our state a desirable relocation destination. We offer relocation grants to eligible companies to offset the cost of relocating and provide networking support to the companies seeking customers and partners.

Tech startups

We are also seeing an increase in the number of companies interested in partnering with startups to solve their own technological needs. Our team conducts tech scouting for large industry partners and those seeking assistance has increased. In many cases, we have demonstrated to our industry partners

that it is often more cost-effective and efficient to partner with a startup to solve a technological need than to hire an industry vendor or attempt to address it entirely inhouse. We offer demonstration grants to co-fund with the industry partners pilot projects to reduce the risk of adopting new technical solutions. In addition to these positive trends, we are part of an ever-growing innovation ecosystem. We’ve formed strong strategic partnerships with organizations that share our goal of fueling South Carolina’s innovation economy. I’m confident that this ecosystem can provide the resources a tech startup would need to grow and succeed in South Carolina. CRBJ

Bob Quinn is executive director for the S.C. Research Authority. Find more information about the organization online at www.scra.org.

We want to hear from you Write: Andy Owens, Executive Editor Charleston Regional Business Journal 1802 Dayton Street, Suite 101 North Charleston, SC 29405 Email: aowens@scbiznews.com

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August 23 - September 5, 2021