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PAGE 4 VOLUME 27 NUMBER 20 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM
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Residential developments expand into Ravenel By Jenny Peterson
Luxury living
New townhouse community begins development on Broad Street. Page 14
A
Contributing Writer
second planned unit development has been pitched for Ravenel, the rural town of 2,700 residents, showing signs that progress is now pushing outward from West Ashley. Residents are concerned the movement could fundamentally change the rural nature
of the area they call home. Plans for the Tea Farm Tract, a proposed 400-unit planned development in Ravenel, and the related annexation of over 3,100 acres of land in Ravenel, were blessed Sept. 16 by the town’s planning and zoning commission, with a recommendation to limit density on over 2,000 acres of land outside the development. The Tea Farm Tract would sit on 395 acres
Charleston County raises its minimum wage to $13.50. Page 8
By Alexandria Ng
S
Help needed
Could immigration reform help solve S.C.’s workforce shortages? Page 20
Taking on Twitter Motley Rice negotiates an $809.5 million settlement. Page 8
Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 Small Business Spotlight........ 4 In Focus: Education and Workforce Development...................... 15 List: Postgraduate Degree Programs............................ 17 Bonus List: Private Schools..18 At Work............................... 21 Viewpoint............................23
See RAVENEL, Page 11
100s of students enroll for work training center
Pay increase
INSIDE
of land. Rebecca Baird, who lives adjacent to the property and whose husband runs a grass-fed beef farm on their property, also opposed the annexation and development. “I’m begging you to not annex this property; it will be devastating for this community, it will change the traffic flow, it will change how
STREET SMART
The business owners behind Ma’am Saab take a pandemic-era opportunity to serve up Pakistani street snacks East of the Cooper. Page 7
(Photo/Fia Forever Studios)
ang@scbiznews.com
outh Carolina’s economic region is growing, and the trained workforce is struggling to keep up. But the West Ashley Center for Advanced Studies is aiming to equip students from a young age to be career-minded and skills-oriented. Opened in August, this four-acre campus adjacent to West Ashley High School will offer courses to students from West Ashley High, Baptist Hill Middle High and St. John’s High School. According to Dale Metzger, principal of the center, the goal is to have every student earn career- and/or college-readiness certification by the time they complete their semester, along with normal high school credits and soft skills. Students will leave with training and industry certifications in hand, enabling them to directly enter the workforce or to pursue higher education better prepared for college coursework and with a better understanding of their career goals. The center offers 11 programs that cover a variety of fields, including cybersecurity, See WEST ASHLEY, Page 9
Calculating for the future
Accounting firms figure out how to attract and retain young workers. Page 15