BEST ADVICE Keegan Bird and Dan Rimer, Beech Restaurants.
PAGE 4 VOLUME 27 NUMBER 18 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM
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SEPTEMBER 6 - 19, 2021 ■ $2.25
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Lawyers help employers navigate vaccine mandates in SC By Teri Errico Griffis
Staffing struggles Retaining talent and safety protocols threaten manufacturing operations. Page 31
Van sales soar
Pent-up travelers lead to record Sprinter Van sales in Summerville. Page 34
$180M project
Kiawah Island welcomes Seafields, its first-ever 62+ community. Page 12
T
tgriffis@scbiznews.com
he Food and Drug Administration’s approval for the Pfizer vaccine has removed a major legal hurdle for companies looking to mandate COVID-19 immunizations as a condition of employment. Until Aug. 23, the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were only approved for emergency use authorization,
giving further reason for people to stronghold their opposition, said David Dubberly, an employment and labor law group leader at Nexsen Pruet. In the near future, Dubberly expects more businesses to create mandate policies, especially as Moderna is on its way to approval as well. Dubberly, along with S.C. Chamber of Commerce President Bob Morgan and other top labor lawyers in the state came together on Aug. 26 to advise employers on what to expect
‘NOT A DONE DEAL’ For decades the Mark Clark Expressway project has been stuck in traffic. Now highway planners want help testing the viability of the latest effort. Page 6
should they mandate COVID-19 inoculations and how to respond — or not respond. Mike Carrouth, a lawyer at Fisher Phillips LLP in Columbia, said employers should prepare for medical and religious exemption requests, protests and, most severely, people withholding labor. Employers could potentially lose between 10% and 20% of their workforce, with See FDA, Page 9
Camp Hall plans mixed-use park near Volvo plant By Alexandria Ng
T
ang@scbiznews.com
here are currently about 1,500 employees working at the Volvo manufacturing plant in Ridgeville. If they want to step away for a quick lunch or run errands after work, most have to travel at least 20 minutes out for basic conveniences. Especially during a timed break, that commute adds up. But soon, workers’ will have food and retail options just down their street with the new Camp Hall Village Center, a master-planned community located in the heart of the industrial commerce park and adjacent to the Volvo plant in Berkeley County. In early August, developer Santee Cooper selected commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates to lead the sale of retail parcels at the village center. Lee & Associates will facilitate the request for proposal process to secure developers and tenants. While nothing is set in stone yet as they enter the final round of approvals, Lee & Associates have confirmed that multiple businesses have already
C is for cookie co.
Grey Ghost Bakery offers a behind-the-scenes look at its West Ashley factory. Page 47
INSIDE
Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 Best Advice........................... 4 In Focus: Manufacturing.................... 31 List: Manufacturers............. 41 Bonus List: Industrial Staffing Agencies................43 At Work...............................44 Viewpoint........................... 46 Day in the Life......................47 Signs indicate the end point of Interstate 526 West.
Forty Under 40
Meet some of the best and brightest in Charleston businesses. Page 13
See CAMP HALL, Page 10