BEST ADVICE Rodly Millet, East Cooper Medical board chairman.
PAGE 4 VOLUME 26 NUMBER 26 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM
Part of the
DECEMBER 14 - 27, 2020 ■ $2.25
network
Companies shift to give employees sense of balance By Teri Errico Griffis
Special Section
Honoring health care workers and first responders for keeping businesses, communities safe. Page 12
Dorchester’s DC
Walmart, port break ground on 3 million-square-foot distribution center in Dorchester County. Page 10
Not so tiny
Entrepreneur opens store front as sales increase with demand for handmade products. Page 8
T
tgriffis@scbiznews.com
he rules of workplace engagement have changed, especially for families. It’s no longer taboo for a doorbell to ring, a dog to bark or a child to interrupt a Zoom call. In fact, the growing presence of children in the workday has provided a creative outlet for Blackbaud employees, Chief People Officer Maggie Driscoll said. Starting in September, the software company rolled out the pilot version of Blackbaud Afterschool Program, a series of live and on-demand videos to tutor, entertain and
SMALL BUSINESSES, BIG INFLUENCES Many small businesses like Turning Page Bookshop in Goose Creek are working to survive the pandemic downturn. Page 11
On the fairway
Golf club undergoes $6.5 million renovation on Johns Island. Page 27
INSIDE
Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 Best Advice........................... 4 In Focus: Architecture, engineering and Construction................27 List: Commercial Property Management Companies..... 41 At Work...............................23 Viewpoint............................29
engage children of employees in the evenings. “We created ASP knowing that our caregivers’ children will be going back to school whether hybrid or 100% virtual. So we took 30-plus days to create and curate a program to support our caregivers around mealtime and end of business time,” Driscoll said. She hoped for the best when she sent out a company-wide casting call, and was blown away the company’s talent outside of work. While some offered tutoring in math, reading and history, others gave lessons on knitting and hosted live storybook readings for younger children. One executive walked children through how to nurture a fish tank. Volunteers recorded 115 sessions, includ-
VaLinda Miller, owner of Turning Page Bookshop (Photo/Teri Errico Griffis)
ing 14 composed by Blackbaud customers like the S.C. Aquarium. By Thanksgiving, participants logged 380 hours watching the sessions, Driscoll said. Sarah Simpson, senior manager, software development at Blackbaud, said that the afterschool program has been a gift during the pandemic. “My daughter loves the program, and it has made me feel so much better about how she spends some of her downtime at home,” Simpson said. “Without siblings or playdates during the pandemic, this program provided a way for her to connect with other kids her See FAMILIES, Page 9
Owners, officials tout power of local spending By Teri Errico Griffis
D
tgriffis@scbiznews.com
id you know small businesses make up 99.4% of South Carolina’s private businesses? Defined as having 500 employees or less, these businesses combine to employ more than 817,000 residents, according to a 2020 report by the U.S. Small Business Administration, and S.C. Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt is encouraging everyone to support them Nov. 28 for Small Business Saturday. The annual initiative created by American Express in 2010 falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and promotes the support of mom and pop shops across the country. This year data from the Small Business Administration revealed more than 63,000 South Carolina companies filed for emergency Paycheck Protection Loans. See SMALL, Page 5
CHARLESTON UNDER CONSTRUCTION Who is building what in the Charleston area? Projects, companies, prices, projected timelines, photos and stories. Page 27