Columbia Regional Business Report - March 15, 2021

VOLUME 14 NUMBER 5 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM

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Game for a job?

Columbia Fireflies to hold job fair on March 20 for gameday positions.

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COLUMBIA’S CONUNDRUM:

Retaining the talent it produces

Homegrown grub

S.C. Food Hub Network helps distribute $1.3 million in state-grown food.

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Vaccine rollout

State employers preparing for Phase 1b and eligbility of many floor workers.

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University impact

Study: University of South Carolina creates $6.2 billion economic impact.

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INSIDE

Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 In Focus: Education and Workforce........................... 13 List: Colleges and Universities........................ 14 At Work............................... 21 Viewpoint............................23

A recent report highlights the challenges the Midlands faces in keeping college graduates at home and in its workforce

A recently released competitiveness report found that Columbia and the surrounding metropolitan area continues to struggle to retain the talent produced by the area’s colleges and universities. Midlands leaders say changes in mindset and conversations, some spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, can help reverse that trend. (Photo/File)

By Melinda Waldrop

C

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

olumbia continues to struggle to keep the talent it produces, according to the findings in an annual competitiveness report, but compilers of report data say a willingness to think differently, an enhanced image and even the COVID-19 pandemic could help change that.

The 2020-21 Midlands Regional Competitiveness Report highlighted an ongoing regional issue, finding that the area ranked ninth among 10 comparative markets in attracting, developing and maintaining a skilled workforce.

The Midlands represents the Columbia metropolitan statistical area, which includes Richland, Lexington, Kershaw, Fairfield, Salu-

da and Calhoun counties. The report, released in a Jan. 25 online presentation, compares the area to nine other peer metropolitan areas in the Southeast: Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, Charleston-North Charleston, Augusta-Richmond County (Ga.), Raleigh (N.C.), Greensboro-High Point (N.C.), Winston-Salem (N.C.), Knoxville (Tenn.), Lexington-Fayette (Ky.), and Tallahassee (Fla.).

The report has been compiled for seven years by regional project management nonprofit EngenuitySC as a tool to assess how the Midlands stacks up against those similar areas and to pinpoint areas for improvement.

While the region’s struggle to retain talent also is tied to its eighth-place ranking in both STEM degrees and salaries, those metrics could be improved by a factor that seems far from helpful at first glance. The increased

All hands on deck

McMaster urges private businesses to help in vaccination efforts.

Page 11

remote working opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic could be a benefit, allowing college graduates to remain in the area and companies recruiting talent to not require relocation, said Joseph Von Nessen, a University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business research economist who compiles the data used in the annual rankings.

The challenge, Von Nessen said, is starting the conversations between industries and workers produced in the Midlands.

“We create and market Columbia as a talent base for all these companies so they can say, ‘Where do I want to get my talent from?

I want to get it from Columbia, South Carolina, and oh by the way, I don’t have to recruit these employees to come work wherever I’m See WORKFORCE, Page 16

Upfront

BRIEFS | FACTS | STATEWIDE NEWS

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exington County is among the best bargains in the Palmetto State when it comes to residents’ spending power, according to an analysis by SmartAsset, a financial technology and personal finance company that collects data in all 50 states.

The data show that residents of Beaufort County, Charleston County and York County have the highest median income, respectively, out of all 46 counties in the state, though they also face some of the state’s highest costs of living. Lancaster County residents, with a cost of living averaging just above $36,000 and a median income near $59,000, have the highest purchasing index in the state.

Lexington County’s median income of more than $61,000, coupled with a cost of living that averages less than $39,000, means its residents also have some money muscle to flex.

County

Cost of living

Median income

Purchasing Index

Lancaster

$36,146

$58,849

56.11

Beaufort

$42,537

$68,377

54.78

Charleston

$39,915

$64,022

54.55

Greenville

$37,675

$60,351

54.42

York

$40,805

$65,361

54.42

Berkeley

$39,974

$63,309

53.25

Lexington

$38,867

$61,173

52.62

Dorchester

$40,435

$63,080

51.73

Oconee

$33,145

$49,134

46.72

Spartanburg

$35,729

$52,332

45.59

Source: SmartAsset, ranked by purchasing index

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“Our region is in desperate need of a refreshed brand identity, an identity that we can all get excited about and that we can all as a region get behind.”

— Meghan Hickman, EngenuitySC executive director

WEBSITE: www.ColumbiaBusinessReport.com

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Where your dollars go further in S.C.

A LA CARTE

Fireflies job fair set for March 20 The Columbia Fireflies will play host to a job fair to fill seasonal gameday positions on March 20 at Segra Park.

The job fair begins at 1 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Open positions for the 2021 season include parking and ticketing staff, ushers, and video production and food and beverage workers, as well as cleaning, merchandise and grounds crew staff.

Interviews will be held at the fair, and applicants are encouraged to fill out an online application, available at ColumbiaFireflies.com, in advance.

Applications will be available onsite at the job fair but will not be distributed or accepted at the Fireflies’ front office, according to a news release from the team.

Returning employees do not need to attend the fair but will need to fill out the online application.

Face coverings will be required at the fair, which will follow social distancing protocols.

The Fireflies open the 2021 season at Augusta on May 4. On May 11, the team begins a six-game homestand against Charleston.

Games will begin at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, with first pitch at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday and 5:05 p.m. on Sunday.

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SC Biz News Briefs

Two new ship-to-shore cranes arrive at the Wando Welch Terminal. The cranes have 155 feet of lift height above the wharf deck and 212 feet outreach. (Photo/SCPA, English Purcell)

CHARLESTON

Charleston Regional Business Journal

Wando Welch Terminal welcomes 2 new cranes

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he Wando Welch Terminal welcomed two more ship-to-shore cranes earlier this month as part of the S.C. Ports Authority’s strategic investment plan to modernize operations and upgrade infrastructure, the SCPA said in a news release.

The cranes have 155 feet of lift height above the wharf deck and 212 feet outreach.

They are expected to be up and running this summer following a few months to assemble and commission them.

“As a result of our significant investments in terminal infrastructure, we offer unmatched vessel and cargo fluidity at a time that it is sorely needed in major U.S. ports,” SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome said.

The cranes allow the ports to service container vessels up to 24 feet wide, which the SCPA will be seeing more of once it completes the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project. At that time, the harbor will be 52-feet deep, up from its original depth of 45 feet. The port will be able to handle three 14,000 TEU ships simultaneously, as well as 19,000 TEU vessel, a capability few U.S. ports currently have, Newsome said.

“Taller cranes with wider reach greatly increase our big-ship capabilities,” Newsome said. “These impressive cranes from ZPMC ensure S.C. Ports will remain globally competitive as we work the largest, cargo-laden ships already calling the Port of Charleston and U.S. East Coast.”

The cranes arrived after a two-month journey from Shanghai and were transported aboard the Zhen Hua 27. Once the equipment is up and running, it will bring Wando Welch’s total crane count to 13, but the SCPA said it will have 15 by the end of the year.

The Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal recently welcomed its own delivery of cargo equipment — the final pieces before the terminal is expected to open this March.

In mid-February, six hybrid rubber-tire gantry cranes, also fabricated by ZPMC, arrived to the North Charleston container terminal. They will be commissioned alongside the other 19 already in place.

The cranes will run on 100% electric battery power as part of the port’s goal to make the new 47-acre terminal as environmentally efficient as possible.

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Nexton reflects rental shift as commercial builds steam

By Teri Errico Griffis

What is this?

Morrison Yard Tower design built to mirror region’s reliance on waterfront.

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T

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

here are some new developments coming to Nexton, including a bank, a park, a hospital and now 282 single-family cottages that’ll be available to rent.

Developer Capstone Communities is expected to deliver the first round of rentable homes in late 2021. Floorplans include one-,

two-, and three-bedrooms — each with their own private, fenced yard. Units will range from 650 to 1,350 square feet. There also will be studio lofts and two-story carriage units available to rent on the 27-acre project.

“When we started the community, one of the things we identified as sort of an important strategy was this notion of diversity — mainly diversity of housing and choices for people,” Nexton Vice President of Operations

Dorothea Bernique, executive director of Increasing H.O.P.E., talks with North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey at the groundbreaking for the Opportunity Center. (Photo by Reggie Murphy/TMI Productions)

Clothing on King

Virginia retailer opens store for eco-friendly clothing in downtown Charleston.

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Growing the Creek

INSIDE

Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 Best Advice .......................... 4 In Focus: Real Estate and Construction ................11 List: Heating & Air Contractors ........................ 17 At Work .............................. 19 Viewpoint ...........................23

Vigilent develops at-home COVID test, mobile app

By Teri Errico Griffis

Vikor Scientific launches cancer testing system in expanding sector.

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CENTER OF OPPORTUNITY

Nonprofits collaborate on commercial real estate project to transform a wholesale furniture warehouse in North Charleston into an Opportunity Center.

Spring 2021

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

magine a COVID-19 test as convenient as pulling a thermometer out of your medicine cabinet.

No phone calls sending you in circles. No registration lines snaking outside of grocery stores. No waiting days for results.

Vigilent Labs in North Charleston is reforming COVID-19 testing in the U.S., creating technology that will provide instantaneous results at home and store the data at your fingertips. With the swipe of an app, you can pull up results with a GPS and timestamp to show an employer, send to school or to carry as you board a plane.

The idea is for individuals to be able to control access to their own personal health credential, including providing it on demand.

“We’re all about critical data being put into the right people’s hands,” Vigilent Labs President John Falk said. “But most importantly we believe this framework can bring clarity from the current chaos.”

COVID-19 testing kits, similar to preg-

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Driving toward the future S.C. automakers push tech advancements, electric power

See VIGILENT, Page 9

Developing Berkeley

Berkeley County saved millions on an administration building, which sparked other projects waiting on money.

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SC Biz News 1802 Dayton St., Suite 101 North Charleston, SC 29405

County Spotlight: Newberry | Trending: Automotive in S.C. | S.C. Delivers

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HISTORIC INDUSTRIAL

See NEXTON, Page 8

I

Biotech boom

Goose Creek sets sights on keeping retail trade from leaving municipality.

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Brent Gibadlo said.

Over the last five years or so, the real estate market has leaned heavier into its build-torent approach, Gibadlo said. While there wasn’t much action at first, he has seen the trend pick up steam as people change their lifestyles and prefer not to buy.

“First and foremost people are more

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MIDLANDS NEWSROOM Editor - Melinda Waldrop mwaldrop@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7542

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March 15 - April 11, 2021

Former SCANA CEO pleads guilty to federal mail, wire fraud charges

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Staff Report

ormer SCANA Corp. CEO Kevin Marsh pleaded guilty Feb. 24 in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Marsh, the second SCANA executive to plead guilty to fraud charges, will be sentenced once a sentencing report has been reviewed, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Peter M. McCoy Jr. Marsh faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

With the guilty plea, Marsh admits intentionally defrauding ratepayers while overseeing SCANA operations, including the failed twin reactor project at the V.C. Summer nuclear power station, so that SCANA could obtain and retain rate increases and qualify for up to $2.2 billion in tax credits, according to the release.

“Every day, this office protects South Carolinians from criminals of all types,” McCoy said in the release. “Our office will always seek justice for those victimized by individuals or entities that misuse positions of trust and responsibility. Today’s plea shows that no one, not even a Fortune 500 CEO, is above the law.”

U.S. District Judge Mary G. Lewis accepted the plea at the Matthew J. Perry Federal Courthouse at 901 Richland St. In December 2020, Stephen Byrne, former SCANA executive vice president, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

In July 2017, the V.C. Summer nuclear project, co-owned by SCANA subsidiary S.C. Electric & Gas and Santee Cooper, was abandoned in the wake of mounting delays and rising costs after more than $9 billion had been spent on its construction. SCANA and SCE&G settled a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit charging the companies with defrauding investors in November 2020 and settled lawsuit with SCE&G ratepayers for $2.2 billion in

Kevin Marsh, the former CEO of SCANA Corp., pleaded guilty to federal mail and wire fraud charges last month stemming from the V.C. Summer nuclear project. Marsh, the second SCANA executive to plead guilty to fraud charges, faces up to five years in prison. (Photo/File)

November 2018.

SCANA, acquired by Dominion Energy in a $14.6 billion deal approved by the S.C. Public Service Commission in December 2018, asked for and received approval for nine rate increases from state regulators during the reactors’ construction. Company executives are alleged to have hidden damaging information about the project’s problems.

“Today’s plea is another step in bringing to justice those individuals responsible for this vast and audacious fraud that impacted so many people throughout South Carolina and beyond,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Susan Ferensic. “The FBI’s work is not done, however. We will see this case through while we continue to fulfill our mission to investigate and hold accountable those who seek to commit mass fraud and theft.”

According to the release, Marsh knew in 2016 that efforts by V.C. Summer contractor Westinghouse to improve product pace and productivity were “woefully inad-

equate.” He learned that at least one reactor was in “grave jeopardy” of not being completed by Dec. 31, 2020, then the deadline for SCANA to secure federal nuclear production tax credits valued up to $2.2 billion.

“With this specific knowledge, using both wires and mail, Marsh conspired with others to defraud customers with misleading statements and omissions,” the district attorney’s statement said. “This includes concealing the truthful status of the failing mega-project and making false and materially misleading statements in late 2016 to the South Carolina Public Service Commission (PSC), the Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS), the financial community and the general public.”

In the plea agreement, Marsh agreed to cooperate with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and to testify before any grand juries until the investigation stemming from the V.C. Summer debacle is complete. Additionally, prosecutors and Marsh recommended a five million dollar forfeiture.

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March 15 - April 11, 2021

S.C. Food Hub Network helps distribute $1.3M in state-grown food

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Staff Report

he South Carolina Food Hub Network helped S.C. food distributors buy and distribute more than $1.3 million of state-grown food in 2020.

Four state distributors successfully applied for contracts through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program, funded by federal COVID-19 relief money.

The distributors bought, boxed and distributed more than $5 million in fresh food, including $1.3 million from S.C. farmers, according to a news release from the S.C. Department of Agriculture.

Distributors Limehouse Produce, Senn Brothers and Taylor Boys’ Produce, along with Charleston food hub GrowFood Carolina, secured USDA contracts.

Also, Blythewood-based food hub Axiom Farms Cooperative won a state agriculture department contract to distribute 887 boxes of food worth $30,000 to Midlands families, while Charlotte food hub Freshlist secured a contract through a Carolina Farm Stewardship Association program called FarmsSHARE to buy 1,897 food boxes from S.C. farmers.

“This year put the power of the network to the test and demonstrated how investing in the local food system increas-

Photo/File

es our resilience,” Nikki Seibert, South Carolina Food Hub Network facilitator, said in the release.

Food hubs connect farmers to buyers such as restaurants and grocery stores and identify market opportunities to help support crop planning.

The S.C. Food Hub Network coordinates resources and education among state food hubs while working to increase each hub’s buying power and selling capacity.

South Carolina has six food hubs,

including established operations GrowFood Carolina, Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery in Greenville and Catawba Farm and Food Coalition in Chester, along with newcomers Axiom Farms, Orangeburg’s ACE Basin Growers and Lowcountry Fresh Market and Cafe in Bluffton.

Freshlist also serves several S.C. counties.

“The South Carolina Food Hub Network has helped build capacity for the state’s food hubs, ultimately helping farmers grow more and feed more people,”

S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers said. “We’ve supported the Network through our Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship and Specialty Crop Block Grants, and so far, it’s been a great investment for South Carolinians.”

In 2020, network staff underwent training from the USDA, National Good Food Network and the National Sustainable Agricultural Coalition to help S.C. food distributors secure food box contracts.

Applications open for ACRE’s advanced entrepreneurship program

S

Staff Report

tate agribusinesses entrepreneurs can once again apply to receive funding and mentoring through the S.C. Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship program.

Applications for ACRE’s 2021 advanced entrepreneurship program are being accepted through May 3. Selected applicants will pitch their business mod-

els to a panel of judges in June as part of a competition for up to $25,000.

“We’re looking to find these small businesses that aren’t traditional and help them a little bit,” Kyle Player, ACRE’s executive director, said in a news release.

Now in its third year, ACRE has awarded nearly $500,000 to 35 entrepreneurs, helped those entrepreneurs secure more than $1 million in grant funding, and provided training to 60 businesses, according to the release.

Applicants must be S.C. residents with a business plan and a product prototype or sales history. ACRE has a separate program each fall for burgeoning innovators with an agribusiness idea but no business experience.

Past advanced entrepreneurship winners include Barrier Island Oyster Co., now selling its hand-raised farmed oysters at Whole Foods, and Covered in Cotton, a family company that grows cotton to make woven blankets and was named

the overall winner of Garden & Gun magazine’s Made in the South Awards last year.

Heron Farms, which grows salt-tolerant sea beans, is in production and growing rapidly, while family-owned dairy Nance Farm used ACRE funding to build a creamery.

Applications are available online at acre-sc.com. For more information, contact Player at 803-734-2324 or kplayer@scda.sc.gov.

March 15 - April 11, 2021

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Business Report named top newspaper; SC Biz wins 11 awards Staff Report

S

C Biz News publications won 11 S.C. Press Association awards in 2020, including eight first-place honors.

The Columbia Regional Business Report took first place in the newspaper publication category, while SCBIZ magazine won first among magazines or special publications. Special publications editor Steve McDaniel and designer Jackie Royds won for their work on the magazine’s fall issue.

GSA Business editor Ross Norton won two first-place awards. Norton won business reporting with a profile of a grassroots effort that grew into a regional campaign to rescue the restaurant industry and first place in column or editorial writing with a column championing the much-maligned participation trophy.

Charleston Regional Business Journal creative director Ryan Wilcox also took a pair of first-place honors. Wilcox won feature page design for his work on Lake Wylie Today magazine and for an infographic depicting a timeline of COVID-

19 cases in South Carolina.

CRBJ digital editor Alexandria Ng won first place for her news photo of former vice president Mike Pence speaking at an event at The Citadel.

Columbia Regional Business Report editor Melinda Waldrop won first place in news reporting for an article chronicling how local businesses dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Charleston Regional Business Journal reporter Teri Errico Griffis won second place in news reporting with an examination of how the pandemic affected S.C.

nonprofits.

Griffis also took second place in business reporting for a story detailing the Charleston farmers market’s struggle and survival during the pandemic.

Charleston Regional Business Journal managing editor Andy Owens won third place in the reporting-in-depth category with a look at how state businesses used billions in federal pandemic relief dollars to save 658,000 jobs.

The awards were announced March 1, and winners will be honored at an awards ceremony in October.

Nephron CEO elected to National Association of Manufacturers board

N

Staff Report

ephron Pharmaceuticals Corp. owner and CEO Lou Kennedy has been elected to the National Association of Manufacturers board of direc-

tors.

NAM is the largest manufacturing association in the U.S., representing companies in all 50 states.

“I could not be more excited and honored to join the board,” Kennedy said in a news release. “Our team has been fortunate to work with NAM over the last few years on critical issues, from COVID-19 to workforce development, and we are always impressed by the results

NAM delivers for its members, as well as for employers and employees across the nation.”

Board members play a key role in the NAM’s “Creators Wanted” campaign, an initiative to aimed at encouraging people to pursue careers in modern manufacturing.

Kennedy “Lou Kennedy is a recognized leader in our industry, and the NAM will be stronger thanks to her service on our board of directors,” Jay Timmons, NAM president and CEO, said in the release.

Based in West Columbia, Nephron develops and produces generic inhalation solutions and suspension products.

The company also operates an industry-leading 503B Outsourcing Facility division which produces pre-filled sterile syringes and IV bags for hospitals across America and recently opened a CLIA-certified diagnostics lab.

Nephron, which is conducting COVID-19 testing and administering vaccines, is completing a $215 million expansion at its Saxe-Gotha Industrial park campus which will include the establishment of a vaccine production facility.

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March 15 - April 11, 2021

S.C. technical colleges confront officer candidate shortage

By Molly Hulsey

I

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

n South Carolina, prospective police officers can serve for a year before acquiring certification at the SC Criminal Justice Academy if they pass agency requirements.

Officer shortages on the local level and a bottleneck at the state’s only justice academy, however, mean that some aspiring officers — all lacking the prerequisite training and some who may not qualify for certification — must serve on the force for longer than the allotted year, according to a 2019 report from the S.C. Senate Oversight Subcommittee.

The report cited a “considerable” attrition rate of candidates enrolled in the certification program because of failure to meet the academic requirements of the course. In the 2018 class under S.C. Senate scrutiny, 26.4% of the cohort didn’t reach certification.

The average 106-day backlog for waitlisted candidates prompted the academy to initiate training reforms in 2019 that brought the wait down to two weeks, according to SC Criminal Academy Director Jackie Swindler. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, delaying academy classes for those in line for training.

“I don’t know of any agency in South Carolina that’s not struggling to find and recruit officers,” Swindler said during a March 3 press conference.

To confront the shortage, the SC Technical College System and the SC Criminal Justice Academy joined forces this month to forge a new law enforcement career pathway that will be free for aspiring police officers. The program, a 14-week certificate offered at Midlands, Central Carolina and Aiken Technical Colleges, along with 13 other S.C. Tech schools across the state, gives aspiring officers training before securing a position at a law enforcement agency. These officers will then become certified after passing the physical assessment, cumulative exam and eight-week training course at the SC Criminal Justice Academy.

The Lottery Tuition Assistance pro-

Photo/File

gram and the SC Wins Scholarship will cover tuition for participants, according to a news release. During the 14-week period, candidates will learn basic and introductory law enforcement training, tactics, and procedure. These four courses add up to 12 credit hours that can be applied toward the 66 credits required for an associate degree if candidates choose to continue their education.

According to Galen DeHay, president of Tri-County Technical College, a participating school, the first cohort will start classes this fall at the latest.

“By increasing the education level of our officers and creating a new pathway for the profession, we can address our state’s workforce shortage and enhance the policing profession,” DeHay said during the press conference. “There are a lot of benefits for a college-educated police force. First of all, our technical col-

leges will prepare officers for the challenges they are going to face in a very diverse and multi-cultural community that we all serve across the state.”

DeHay cited studies that he said showed college-educated officers are less likely to resort to force as a first response, adding that officers may gain more creative problem-solving and leadership skills at a third-level institution.

Program participants must be U.S. citizens, pass a criminal background check, have completed a high school education or a GED and be at least 20 years old, according to DeHay. Tim Hardee, president of the SC Technical College System, compared the program to one ReadySC mobilized to staff Duke Energy with 500 linemen during a shortage sparked by industry development and an aging workforce.

“We are excited to partner with the

South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy to educate and train the next generation of law enforcement officers,” Hardee said in the release. “This certificate is a win, not just for the individual and law enforcement, but for our state and local communities.”

Other participating schools include Denmark Technical College, Florence-Darlington Technical College, Greenville Technical College, Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Northeastern Technical College, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, Piedmont Technical College, Spartanburg Community College, Technical College of the Lowcountry, Trident Technical College, Tri-County Technical College, Williamsburg Technical College, and York Technical College.

Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222.

West Columbia extends face covering ordinance

W

Staff Report

est Columbia City Council has extended a face covering ordinance until May 1.

Face covering ordinances must be worn inside food service and retail establishments, hair and nail salons, medical offices and city buildings, among other

locations.

Businesses where masks are required must place a notice in a conspicuous place notifying the public of the face covering requirement.

The ordinance was extended during a special council meeting March 2.

All city food service and retail establishments employees are required to wear

a face covering while having face-to-face interactions with the public or other employees or when social distancing of at least six feet cannot be maintained.

Exceptions include persons unable to wear a face covering because of a health condition, 10 years of age or under (unless in a restaurant, where the age requirement is 2 years), and in a private

or individual office.

Retail establishments able to isolate customers from employees and maintain social distancing may request a waiver in writing from the city. Forms are available at www.westcolumbiasc.gov.

Violations are a civil infraction and will result in a fine of not more than $25 for each violation.

March 15 - April 11, 2021

www.columbiabusinessreport.com 9

MTC receives diversity recognition for 11th consecutive year

F

Staff Report

or the 11th consecutive year, Midlands Technical College has been ranked among the top colleges in the nation for minority students earning associate degrees by education publication Diverse: Issue in Higher Education.

MTC ranked No. 65 in associate degrees awarded to African American students in the latest rankings, earning 10 top-25 listings. Since 2010, MTC has been recognized as one of the top 100 degree producers among the 1,200 technical and community colleges nationwide.

“Midlands Technical College provides

Ronald Rhames, Midlands Technical College president, stands with a student during December 2020 graduation. MTC has been ranked among the top colleges in the nation for minority students earning associate degrees by a higher education publication for the 11th consecutive year. (Photo/Provided)

pathways to higher education and career training for a broad array of students and actively addresses the under-representation of African-Americans in higher education,” Ronald Rhames, MTC president, said in a news release. “This report demonstrates our commitment to diversity and shows that our rigorous curriculum is accessible to all.”

In the most recent rankings, MTC ranked in the top 25 for degrees awarded in business, management and marketing; construction; family and consumer sciences/human sciences; registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing.

McMaster lifts alcohol restrictions; CDC advises continued vigilance

By Teri Errico Griffis

S

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

.C. restaurants and bars could resume alcohol sales after 11 p.m. and large gatherings of 250 or more no longer required approval from the S.C. Department of Commerce after March 1.

Given the state’s 79% decline in COVID-19 cases reported by the S.C. Department of Health and Environ-

mental Control since early January and ongoing vaccination efforts, Gov. Henry McMaster said “targeted and limited safety measures are no longer necessary” in lifting the ban on both on Feb. 26. The “last call” order had been in effect since last July.

“The virus is still among us and we all must continue to make responsible decisions to take care of ourselves and our loved ones, but those decisions are for

South Carolinians to make,” McMaster said in a news release.

That message contrasted with remarks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director at a White House briefing the same day. “Now is not the time to relax restrictions,” Rochelle Walensky said at the briefing.

She empathized with those who are tired of pandemic restrictions but said a return to norma has not yet been

achieved. She said more people need to be vaccinated before restrictions are eased.

While national rates for COVID-19 cases and admissions have been declining since early January, Walensky noted that drop followed one of the highest peaks yet in the pandemic, when 315,729 cases were reported Jan. 8. She also warned that the decline in cases is stalling. “We may be done with the virus, but clearly, the virus is not done with us,” she said.

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March 15 - April 11, 2021

S.C. employers prepare for Phase 1b vaccine rollout

By Molly Hulsey

A

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

s the Palmetto State prepared to roll out Phase 1b vaccine access on March 8, manufacturers across the state are navigating a workplace landscape where most employees on the floor will qualify for the vaccine while some executives may not.

“Throughout South Carolina’s vaccination efforts, our priority has been – and continues to be – saving lives,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in the March 2 announcement. “In the month of February, South Carolina made tremendous progress on expanding access to vaccinations as the supply of vaccine increased.

Our hospitals, pharmacies and healthcare providers became more nimble and efficient at getting shots in arms. Because of these successes, we’re now in a position to make the majority of South Carolinians eligible to receive the vaccine.”

Vaccine-eligible South Carolinians now include anyone 55 or above, those between the ages of 16 and 54 with a highrisk medical condition ranging from obesity or pregnancy, and frontline workers — such as those on factory floors — in settings where they must be in close contact with others.

Photo/Provided

The S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the S.C. Commerce Department, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Greenville Area Development Corp. answered industry leader’s questions in a virtual meeting March 3.

According to Myra Reece, director of environmental affairs at DHEC, 2.7 million South Carolinians became eligible for the vaccine on Monday, prompting mass vaccination of a vast number of manufacturing employees, school staff and law enforcement officers.

“We’re going to be relying on self-identification,” Reece said.

“It’s almost like an honor system that employees can go through a series of questions and answer these questions.

And if bottom line, they report to work every day — their job requires them to do that — and they come into close contact with folks in the work environment, they are considered frontline essential workers.”

No documentation will be necessary to the vaccine provider, only a patient’s attestation that he or she is a frontline

employee that must work within six feet of coworkers for more than 15 minutes, according to the agency.

“We’re trying to keep it very simple,” Reece said.

Supply, however, is already struggling to keep up with demand. Louis Eubank of DHEC said that so far, despite increases in vaccine allocation since December, South Carolina is receiving between 115,000 and 200,000 doses a week. He added that the Jansen Corp. or Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine will be a game-changer for vaccine accessibility, especially for rural areas and businesses. About 41,000 Jansen Corp. vaccine doses reached the Palmetto State earlier this month, but will become more widely available in April as production ramps up with aid from Merck.

In the meantime, DHEC is activating hundreds of additional vaccine providers to be ready for the supply when it comes.

Some businesses with an onsite health clinic have already applied to become a vaccine provider, according to Reece.

Most employers are either extending information about a provider to employees this week or will host an onsite vaccination event via an external provider.

Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1223.

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March 15 - April 11, 2021

www.columbiabusinessreport.com 11

McMaster urges private businesses to bolster vaccine effort

By Teri Errico Griffis

G

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

ov. Henry McMaster is urging private businesses to step up to become vaccination sites, saying that public health depends on everybody’s support.

Last month, McMaster and wife Peggy visited a Dominion Energy property off Interstate 77 in West Columbia that has become a drive-thru vaccination site in partnership with Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp.

“There’s no way that there will be enough sites to vaccinate everyone who wants to be vaccinated without having sites like this, companies like this, private individuals stepping up and playing their part,” McMaster said.

On March 2, McMaster and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced that South Carolina would move to Phase 1b of the state’s vaccination plan beginning March 8. Those newly eligible to sign up for the vaccine include: ages 55 and above; people with increased risk for severe COVID-19 infection including cancer, kidney or lung disease; and frontline workers who perform an in-person job that puts them at increased risk of exposure, including school staff, grocery store workers and law enforcement.

“Throughout South Carolina’s vaccination efforts, our priority has been – and continues to be – saving lives,” McMaster said in a release announcing the move. “In the month of February, South Carolina made tremendous progress on expanding access to vaccinations as the supply of vaccine increased. Our hospitals, pharmacies and healthcare providers became more nimble and efficient at getting shots in arms. Because of these successes, we’re now in a position to make the majority of South Carolinians eligible to receive the vaccine.”

The West Columbia vaccination site has the capacity to serve 89 vehicles without waiting and so far has seen about 120 to 150 a day, with Nephron owner and CEO Lou Kennedy saying her goal is to reach 300 a day. Nephron’s

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Dominion Energy have partnered to provide a drive-thru vaccination site off Interstate 77. During a recent visit to the site, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster called on private businesses, especially those in rural and densely populated areas, to get involved with vaccination efforts. (Photo/Provided)

staff of registered nurses, pharmacists and doctors are on site to support and perform the by-appointment-only inoculations.

Kennedy, who noted people have come to the site from as far away as North Augusta, said her first call after having the idea for the vaccination site was to McMaster, who immediately came on board. She then called Keller Kissam, Dominion South Carolina’s president of electric operations.

Within 24 hours, the site had power to chill vaccines, shelter from inclement weather and cones and signs donated by the community, Kennedy said.

“I think we can do a lot of things for the good in the private sector,” she said.

“We want to help the government, we

want to help take the stress and strain off the hospitals and clinics, and this is an example of doing just that.

“I hope to see this across the private sector across the whole state.”

Business owners looking for information on how to become a vaccination site can visit the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s new COVID-19 Business Vaccine information page at https://scdhec.gov/covid19/ covid-19-business-vaccine-info.

The page answers frequently asked questions and offers phase breakdowns and information on when employees will be eligible, along with a survey to help estimate the number of workers who need a vaccine.

“This is a perfect example of what

we call Team South Carolina,” McMaster said. “Our people who work together, who know each other and trust each other, are willing to work together for the good of our people.”

McMaster encouraged businesses in rural areas and densely populated communities to get involved with vaccination efforts. “We know the government is not big enough and never will be big enough to do all that needs to be done,” McMaster said. “That is why in everything we do, we depend on private businesses, private citizens and those that want to lend a hand to jump in and get to work, and that’s exactly what Dominion and Nephron have done here.”

Reach Teri Errico Griffis at 843-849-3144.

3 Columbia warehouses sell for $7.25 million T

Staff Report

hree Columbia industrial warehouses totaling 136,000 square feet have sold for $7.25 million.

NV LLC purchased the Sunbelt Court buildings in a transaction facilitated by Colliers South Carolina’s industrial team

of Chuck Salley, Dave Mathews, Thomas Beard and John Peebles, who represented the seller, Judy-Sunbelt Properties LLC. The portfolio was 96% leased at the time of the sale, according to a news release from Colliers, with an average tenant occupancy term of 13 years. Ten-

ants include TopBuild, Campbell Soup Co., Continental Carbonic Products Inc. and Carolina Wholesale Floors.

“This portfolio has demonstrated great tenant loyalty over the past two decades,” Salley, vice president and director of industrial brokerage in Colliers’ Columbia office, said in the release.

“Most tenants had a history of multiple renewals and the buildings are in an excellent location right off of I-20 and equidistant to the Columbia MSA’s major housing markets and suburban communities.

“These are attractive qualities for industrial investors.”

12

www.columbiabusinessreport.com

March 15 - April 11, 2021

IT’S TIME TO BINGE BUSINESS What’s new on SCBIZtv? With nearly 150 videos (and counting), our YouTube channel features a wide variety of businessrelated content. From recognition events to one-on-one interviews with high-level business executives to in-depth discussions with industry leaders, our playlists have something for everyone.

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Check out our new content as well as our trending videos on this ever-changing playlist.

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Recognition Events

With events like Women of Influence in the Upstate, Icons and Phenoms in the Midlands and Health Care Heroes in the Lowcountry, SC Biz News honors the movers and shakers across the state.

Coping with COVID

Explore the impact the coronavirus is having on our daily lives, both at home and at the office.

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Coffee With

This ongoing video series features business executives sharing insight about their business, the industry in which they work and the community in which they live.

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In Focus

EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LISTS: Colleges & Universities, Page 14

NEXT ISSUE’S FOCUS:

Architecture, Engineering and Construction

CAREER JUMPSTART: Program provides workforce training to high school students Photo/File

By Melinda Waldrop mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

W

ith college costs rising along with student loan debt, pinpointing a career pathway is more important than ever for high school students.

A new partnership between Richland School District One and Apprenticeship South Carolina is providing another tool to help in that process.

The organizations have certified the state’s first pre-apprenticeship program in career fields including health science, transportation, hospitality, agriculture and media technology. The registered programs integrate a training curriculum based on industry standards with hands-on training and simulated labs or volunteer opportunities.

Twenty-one pre-apprenticeship students are currently enrolled in the program, which also includes construction, manufacturing, automotive technology and engineering industries. The program will feature industry partners with registered apprenticeship programs and has

already established relationships with the city of Columbia, Midlands Tech and Prisma Health, said Amy Firestone, Apprenticeship Carolina vice president.

“They’re getting the exposure in a meaningful way, because it’s hands-on and paid,” Firestone said. “They’re figuring out ‘OK, do I actually want to get more training in this area, or try something else?’ Or, ‘Do I want to enter an apprenticeship and actually get some more work experience and become proficient in a certain area? Or do I just want to work and go to school?’ So it really helps open doors much earlier on.”

Tana Lee, director of career and technical education for Richland One, said the district had developed a pre-pandemic plan for more training for students in its career and technical education programs, including a summer program, last year. After COVID-19 put those plans on hold, the district connected with Apprenticeship Carolina, a workforce initiative of the 16-school S.C. Technical College System, for a more detailed discussion of what a pre-apprenticeship framework would look like.

The pre-apprenticeship program aligns with skills sought by local employers and culminates in one or more industry-recognized credentials, along with an opportunity to transition into an adult apprenticeship program.

“A pre-apprenticeship won’t be for every student,” Lee said. “It’s not only what we already have with career and technical education programs, but it’s the student making the commitment to follow everything, finishing their program, receiving their state or nationally recognized credential, and then proving that they have mastered the skills that they learned in their classroom through a work-based piece.”

Apprenticeship Carolina has 1,135 programs registered with the U.S. Department of Labor and features 246 youth apprenticeship programs. This newest initiative allows students interested in a particular career to gain experience and exposure while connecting them with potential future employers who may offer youth or adult apprenticeship programs in those fields.

“We wanted to implement it here so

that we could provide more opportunities for high school students and adults to get some basic training that would allow them to be successful in regular apprenticeships,” Firestone said. “Pre-apprenticeships include some of the classroom training, classroom studies and also some hands-on training. … And what’s really cool about pre-apprenticeships is that companies that have registered apprenticeships, most partner with these pre-apprenticeship programs. That way, individuals who are successful in their pre-apprenticeship have an opportunity to interview for registered apprenticeships, so there’s that clear connection.”

The Richland One program was developed by Apprenticeship SC with guidance from but not oversight by the Labor Department. Richland One program participants are paid, either by the district if their training is in an internal field or an outside employer.

“It adds value to them,” Lee said.

“When you look at everything that our students, that today’s students, period, See PRE-APPRENTICESHIP, Page 20

14

IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

www.columbiabusinessreport.com

March 15 - April 11, 2021

Colleges & Universities Ranked by Spring 2021 Enrollment

Evening Classes?

Weekend Classes?

Online Classes?

Top Three Undergraduate Majors,

by Enrollment

Public

Yes Yes Yes

Biological Sciences, Public Health, Sport and Entertainment Management

594 900

Public

Yes Yes Yes

Associate in Arts, Pre-Nursing, Associate in Science

2,081

57 390

Private

Yes No Yes

Business Administration, Sport Management, Psychology

Dwaun J. Warmack 1869

1,834

121 325

Nonprofit; Private

Yes Yes Yes

Biology, Psychology, Business Administration

800-845-4955 www.newberry.edu admission@newberry.edu

Maurice William Scherrens, Sid Parrish, David Sayers 1856

1,150

69 240

Nonprofit; Private

No No Yes

Business Administration, Sport Professions, Nursing

University of South Carolina Sumter 200 Miller Road Sumter, SC 29150

803-775-8727 www.uscsumter.edu suwebmst@uscsumter.edu

Michael E. Sonntag 1966

1,140

42 150

Public

Yes No Yes

Associate of Arts, Associate of Sciences, Bachelors in Education

Webster University 100 Gateway Corporate Blvd.

Columbia, SC 29203

803-699-0900 www.webster.edu/columbia columbia@webster.edu

Sherriel Byrd, Rhonda T Sherman, Julian Schuster 2003

325

90 103

Nonprofit; Private

Yes No Yes

Psychology, Management, Business Administration

ECPI University 250 Berryhill Road Columbia, SC 29210

803-772-3333 www.ecpi.edu webcl@ecpi.edu

James R. Rund 1966

300

28 80

Private

Yes Yes Yes

Nursing, Computer Information Systems-Cyber Security, Medical Assisting

Institution

Phone / Website / Email

Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded

Enrollment

FT Faculty / Employees

University of South Carolina 915 Bull St. Columbia, SC 29208

803-777-7700 www.sc.edu uscuadms@mailbox.sc.edu

Bob Caslen 1801

27,270

1,555 5,761

Midlands Technical College 316 S. Beltline Blvd.

Columbia, SC 29205

803-738-8324 www.midlandstech.edu askmtc@midlandstech.edu

Ronald L. Rhames 1974

7,786

Columbia International University 7435 Monticello Road Columbia, SC 29203

803-754-4100 www.ciu.edu admissions@ciu.edu

Mark A. Smith 1923

Claflin University 400 Magnolia St. Orangeburg, SC 29115

803-535-5000 www.claflin.edu communications@claflin.edu

Newberry College 2100 College St. Newberry, SC 29108

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.

EDUCATING COLUMBIA’S WORKFORCE ZTechnology

Skills based, hands-on career focused education driven by industry needs.

Z Nursing

ZHealth Science

Convenient day, evening, and online classes.

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Employer Partnership Programs allow businesses to train and support employees.

Public / Private

Researched by Business Report staff

BUILDING THE ESSENTIALS FOR OVER 90 YEARS

803.610.4111 | ECPI.EDU mbkahn.com

Columbia Campus | 250 Berryhill Road, Columbia, South Carolina, 29210 ECPI030420

IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

March 15 - April 11, 2021

www.columbiabusinessreport.com 15

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IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

WORKFORCE, from Page 1

located, in New York or California or wherever.’ They can work from right there,” Von Nessen said. “So how do we create those relationships to be able to do that? How do we go out and tell companies that we have a talent base here, and you need to be looking in Columbia to recruit your workforce?”

Part of that answer begins with the conversation participants. Instead of focusing on advanced manufacturing companies that have traditionally eschewed the Midlands as an operational base, the region would be better served to think outside the job creation box, said Meghan Hickman, executive director of EngenuitySC. “While we’re maybe not likely to land a Boeing or a BMW or a Volvo in Richland County just due to different aspects of our county makeup and geography, we are very well-positioned to be the home to the suppliers for those industries, the engineering firms that work for those industries,” Hickman said. “The Jushi announcement and the Mark Anthony announcement, those are huge opportunities for this region, but there are so many other, smaller opportunities that can produce high-paying, knowledge economy jobs that I think are going to be a really critical part of our economic development makeup moving forward and our recruitment strategy moving forward.”

China Jushi, a worldwide supplier of fiberglass reinforcements, began production at an 818,000-square-foot plant in Richland County in 2019, while Mark Anthony Brewing announced plans last November to build a $400 million brewery and production facility in the county.

Overall, however, the Midlands does not attract the large manufacturing presence evident in the Upstate with BMW Manufacturing’s Spartanburg County plant or the Lowcountry, home to production facilities for both Volvo and Boeing. Regional leaders point to reasons ranging from a comparative lack of land to Richland County’s high millage rate, driven by its two largest, public employers, the University of South Carolina and state government.

That’s where the creative thinking has to come in, area leaders say. The University of South Carolina’s Office of Innovation, Partnerships and Economic Engagement is charged with creating research partnerships with corporate leaders in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and other industries, and other state colleges are stepping up to the talent retention plate. A new partnership between Midlands Technical College and Columbia-based website developer Cyberwoven called Create Opportunity will offer accelerated job training and job placement in an attempt to build a sustainable workforce pipeline.

“Every year, we’re graduating thousands out of our institutions of higher

“Our region is in desperate need of a refreshed brand identity, an identity that we can all get excited about and that we can all as a region get behind.”

Meghan Hickman Executive director, EngenuitySC

education,” Hickman said. “There are some serious assets that we have at our disposal when it comes to producing excellent, well-prepared, workforce-ready talent. I think the disconnect is that I don’t know that we’ve done as much as we can to associate the kind of industries we’re recruiting to this region with the kind of talent we’re producing. … It is a huge opportunity.”

Non-advanced manufacturing opportunities could lie in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and bioscience. Irmo-based biotechnology company Integrated Micro-Chromatography Systems Inc. was awarded a $900,000 research grant from the National Institutes of Health in January, while SCBio’s February conference celebrated the state’s $12 billion life sciences industry. During that conference, a partnership between a California-based company and a Charleston lab to pioneer a preventative test that can detect cancer-causing mutations was announced.

In West Columbia, Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp. is completing a $215 million expansion that will include a 110,000-square-foot vaccine production, chemotherapy and antibiotic wing and is expected to create 380 jobs.

“We’re going to have to think past advanced manufacturing,” Hickman said. “We’re going to have think past high energy users, we’re going to have to think past the kinds of industries that may find limitations in Richland County and just a limitation of space. We’ve got to look at knowledge economy opportunities, white collar jobs, things like building off our success with partners like Nephron Pharmaceuticals and looking at biomedical and biosciences and building an industry cluster with that strength that we’ve already got.”

The Midlands also doesn’t do enough to market itself, regional leaders agree.

“I do think, to some degree, we still have a self-esteem problem,” said Cayce Mayor Elise Partin, chair of the EngenuitySC board. “We are amazing as a region.

Seeing the talent and the creativity and the offerings that are here, it’s amazing, and I would hold it up against any other region. But I was with somebody last week who was talking to a gentleman who was getting ready to be located here for a short term and talked with pride about our area, but then also said, ‘We’re close to the mountains and the shore.’

“I think we’ve got to stop describing ourselves that way. Sure, we are, but that

is not our asset. Our asset is in our riverwalk, our asset is our high number of unique, small businesses. Our asset is in the arts here and the creativity. We have so many things that were described in this competitiveness report that we can and should be proud of.”

The Cayce/West Columbia Riverwalk provides eight miles of running, walking and bicycling access along the Congaree River, while Cayce’s arts district showcases the town’s surging creative scene.

“People want to live in places that are memorable, in places that they feel connected to, and art can do that for us,” Partin said. “The businesses will follow the people. If the people are here and the talent economy is here, which it is, we know that we can get the businesses here if we take the right steps.”

Such amenities, along with the area’s low cost of living and the distinctive smaller businesses such as Steel Hands Brewing in Cayce and other only-inmy-town experiences sprinkled through the region, need to be highlighted more, Midlands champions say.

“Our region is in desperate need of a refreshed brand identity, an identity that we can all get excited about and that we can all as a region get behind,” Hickman said. “We’ve got some incredible natural assets like our river that could organically become a regional identity, but I think it’s really important that that’s something that leaders in this region focus on in years to come — who we are, what’s special about us. How do we not only present that to residents and become our own best (advocate), but how do we use that to communicate to visitors and businesses and economic prospects around the region?”

Better answering those questions would also address a livability rating in the competitiveness report of seventh, the same as the previous year but with a drop in the area’s Gallup Well Being Index metric.

“The Gallup Well Being Index is more of a reflection of the fact that Columbia just doesn’t have much of a perception one way or the other when you get outside of the Southeast,” Von Nessen said.

“Part of it is that we are going to see some fluctuations on a year-to-year basis.

That’s normal. But overall, if you look at livability, we’ve remained, in the last few years, fairly consistent, and I think that illustrates the point more broadly that Columbia really doesn’t have a brand. ...

Most people aren’t aware of Columbia

March 15 - April 11, 2021

as a region, and as a result, not having a brand, good or bad, just not having much of a perception outside of the Southeast, is a negative in and of itself.

“That’s something that we need to work on, branding Columbia from the perspective of the individual. Why would an individual or family want to locate to Columbia, and why would an employer want to move to Columbia?”

The Midlands also ranked seventh in two other competitiveness metrics: innovative capacity and high-impact industry clusters. The industry cluster ranking represented an improvement of two spots from last year’s report, while the region maintained its ranking of third in entrepreneurial and business environment.

Another way to boost the region’s rankings, Von Nessen said, is to leverage Department of Defense research dollars with the state’s already strong military presence evident in Columbia’s Fort Jackson, as well as in energy projects and research at both the Savannah River Site and the University of South Carolina, where university president Bob Caslen brings military connections as the former president of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

“If you look at the research and development dollars that are coming into Columbia, they are not the high-value add dollars, meaning they don’t generate a significant multiplier effect,” Von Nessen said. “When you see a high multiplier effect on R&D, that usually comes in a high-tech space, because you see a lot of secondary spending, a lot of high-wage, high-skill positions that derive from the high-tech field. The DoD and funding from the DoD is part of the reason why we saw Silicon Valley do so well initially.

Defense spending was a big part of that hub and that region getting started. The DoD and the research surrounding it does have a strong track record of creating a high-tech hub.

“We already have a very strong military footprint in Columbia and throughout the state. It’s just a matter of what the next step for that would look like. One of the reasons I think President Caslen came to Columbia was to be able to build those bridges and those connections that he already had and to take our military footprint to the next level.”

Regional stakeholders say that capitalizing on the area’s assets, and making a more concerted effort to broadcast them, can result in not just higher competitiveness rankings but in sustained economic growth and a stronger workforce pipeline.

“Columbia has a lot of assets, and there’s a lot of upside potential over the next decade,” Von Nessen said. “If we’re proactive and develop these assets and take advantage of them appropriately, then we have a real opportunity to increase our growth going forward.”

Reach Columbia Regional Business Report editor Melinda Waldrop at 803-726-7542.

March 15 - April 11, 2021

IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

www.columbiabusinessreport.com 17

Bilt Rite Garage Doors has operated within the framework of quality products, excellent customer service and a culture of family among its workforce for the past 50 years. Adhering to those core values has made Bilt Rite the industry leader in the Midlands.

Jesse Davis opened Bilt Rite Garage Doors Inc. in 1971 to sell, service and install garage doors in the Midlands, along with sons Marion and Edwin Davis of Columbia.

Edwin’s son, Andy, grew up working in the business and is the company’s current president and owner.

Now 50 years later, Bilt Rite has become the largest garage door company in the Columbia market. In 2017, it expanded into South Carolina’s Upstate, installing residential doors and operators and making residential service calls throughout the Greenville area.

According to Andy Davis, having highly qualified, well-screened and trained team members helps set Bilt Rite apart from its competitors.

“Our mission statement is ‘to open homes and businesses to the world with quality products and services and to exceed our customers’ expectations in all aspects of our business,’” he said. “Our valuable employees are a significant part of our success, as is the support and repeat business of our faithful customers over the years. Our 50th anniversary is a huge milestone spanning three generations for the Davis family — and for our entire Bilt Rite family. We’re excited to see what the next 50 years will hold.”

General Manager James Bagwell agreed. “Bilt Rite Garage Doors believes its longevity comes from commitment to our core values. We seek to honor the Lord in all that we do. We humble ourselves in service to our customers, we strive to be the best in quality and value, and we select team members who live up to our values in the way they treat our customers and suppliers,” he said.

Bilt Rite has an extensive selection of commercial dock and door equipment and residential door styles and designs, including custom doors. Garage doors enhance the look, functionality and value of a property. Bilt Rite’s dedication to attentive customer care is a hallmark of its services, which include installation, repair and maintenance.

Bilt Rite’s reputation of excellence in its field has attracted numerous recognitions and accolades from industry organizations. Bilt Rite is an Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA) certified installer, ensuring both customer safety and satisfaction by giving its employees extensive background checks and ongoing training.

Bilt Rite has also received the prestigious Ruby Award for “Exceptional Sales and Customer Service” from C.H.I., a major residential and commercial garage door manufacturer. Bilt Rite is the largest full-service installation and service company for C.H.I. products in the Southeast and is recognized as an Emerald Distributor with a 5-Star rating from C.H.I. for sales and service.

Liftmaster, a leading garage door system manufacturer, recognizes Bilt Rite as a “Pro-vantage” Dealer, which is the highest rating Liftmaster gives to its distributors.

Call 803-744-DOOR to schedule service with Bilt Rite Garage Doors in Columbia or 864-232-DOOR for the Greenville office. Learn more about the products and services Bilt Rite offers at biltritegaragedoors.com.

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IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

March 15 - April 11, 2021

Midlands struggles to retain University of South Carolina graduates

T

By Melinda Waldrop

he University of South Carolina generates a total economic impact on the state of $6.2 billion a year and is responsible for one out of every nine jobs in the Midlands, but the region faces challenges keeping its graduates from seeking opportunities elsewhere.

A study by researchers at the Darla Moore School of Business found that the university has an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion on the Columbia metropolitan region, though 61.8% of alumni live outside the Midlands.

The importance of retaining graduates is clearly quantifiable: Every percentage point increase in the graduate retention rate means $14.1 million in new economic activity annually for the Midlands, Moore School economist and lead study researcher Joseph Von Nessen said in releasing the study March 3.

“First, we have to look at the reasons why the graduation retention rate is what it is,” Von Nessen said. “The biggest reason is the employment opportunities.”

While S.C. has outpaced the U.S. in employment growth and other economic metrics from 2010-2019, Columbia has seen just 0.5% employment growth in the last four years, Von Nessen said. The region also has struggled to recover as quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 67% rate of job recovery as compared to 85% statewide.

“The Midlands is one of those regions that has generally fallen behind overall state averages,” Von Nessen said. “The Midlands region has really struggled relative to the rest of South Carolina in the past decade.”

The reason is twofold. The area doesn’t boast the volume of advanced manufacturing industries, such as automobile, aerospace and tire production, as

Photo/File

the Upstate and the Lowcountry, and its largest employers are public: the university, which is the region’s largest employer with 43,876 overall jobs (11% of the state’s employment base), and state government.

“Public employment sectors take longer to recover,” Von Nessen said. “That bodes as a challenge potentially going forward as well. Columbia needs a proactive strategy and a proactive effort.”

The university can play a critical role in that effort, Von Nessen said, by helping to provide additional opportunities for its skilled graduates and matching those graduates with employers with whom the school has built relationships.

The university’s Office of Innovation, Partnerships, and Economic Engagement works to create research partnerships with corporate leaders in advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and other industries.

“Growth in existing industry and new business would help keep skilled graduates in the Midlands,” university president Bob Caslen said in an introduction to the report. “That’s critical, as the study concludes, because even small increases in the retention of college graduates can have a significant regional economic impact.”

In addition, the work-from-home trend spawned by the pandemic can benefit Columbia in the competition for workers, Von Nessen said, as those with the ability to do their jobs remotely can take advantage of the area’s low cost of living and natural resources.

“This provides a real opportunity for the Midlands region,” he said. “As that phenomenon becomes a professional norm, that means that Columbia is more attractive.”

The study defined total econom-

ic impact by the annual dollar value of all goods and services associated either directly or indirectly with the university. Four major elements were examined: alumni impact, or the wages of graduates in the labor market spent in the local economy; alumni spillover effects, or the social benefits of college graduates in a local population; university expenditures; and university athletics.

Statewide, the university system supports a total of 63,689 jobs, representing $2.6 billion in labor income, the study found, and is responsible for generating more than $202 million in annual tax revenue.

A 2017 study measured the university’s annual statewide economic impact at $5.5 billion, meaning the recent study found a $700 million increase in four years.

Reach Melinda Waldrop at 803-726-7542.

New University of South Carolina program honors diverse group of medical leaders

A

Staff Report

new program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia is providing recognition to medical and science community leaders for legacies of service, leadership and efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Luminary Leaders in Medicine and Science Recognition program honored its inaugural seven-member class during a virtual ceremony Feb. 18.

“In 2019, the Women in Science and Medicine Committee accurately noted that virtually all of the images on display in the school depicted white males,”

School of Medicine dean Les Hall said in a news release. “Although these individuals have made noteworthy contributions to the School of Medicine, they advocated that many women and those from diverse racial backgrounds also deserved to be honored.

“I completely agreed with them, and the Luminary Leaders in Medicine and Science initiative is an outgrowth of those conversations.”

The members of the inaugural class are: • Raymond P. Bynoe, Prisma Health-Richland trauma surgeon with Prisma Health-Richland • Everett Dargan, retired Columbia

physician and School of Medicine faculty member • Everlyn Hall-Baker, the first African-American to attend the School of Medicine • Carol McMahon, associate dean of Diversity and Inclusion for the School of Medicine • Lurlene Scott, retired vocational rehabilitation counselor with the Department of Veterans Affairs • Alvin F. Wells, rheumatologist and international speaker • Patricia Witherspoon, Prisma Health assistant program director and School of Medicine faculty member

The school held the ceremony in February to recognize the individuals during Black History Month. During the tribute, plaques honoring each of the class members were unveiled.

Five more individuals will be recognized later this year, and the school will select several new inductees each year, according to the release.

“We would like to congratulate our inaugural honorees,” Hall said. “Their images and stories, which will be showcased on our recognition wall and seen by our students each day as they enter our building, will serve as an inspiration and guidepost to them as they pursue their dreams.”

March 15 - April 11, 2021

IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

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PRE-APPRENTICESHIP, from Page 13

have going on, if we can pay them, we’re giving them some incentive. They’re getting paid to learn.”

Program participants are juniors or seniors within the district’s CTE programs who expressed interest in the additional training and go through an interview process, Lee said.

“We do our best to make sure that children have opportunities, and we have to be willing to meet them where they are,” Lee said. “Working with pre-apprenticeships helps us to help them to be better prepared for post-secondary positions.”

Firestone said there are plans to expand the pre-apprenticeship program.

“Currently we’re in conversations with the state Department of Education on aligning the pre-apprentice training standards that Apprenticeship Carolina developed to all the CTE programs in the state,” she said. “That’s going to be a big project, as you can imagine. We’re in the very beginnings of doing that. And then in addition to K-12, the technical colleges can also become a provider of pre-apprenticeships for high school students and adults. It’s really another option for adult education students, maybe people who have been out of the workforce for a long time or English language learners — folks who aren’t quite ready to go into an apprenticeship but need some kind of pre-training.”

Firestone said Apprenticeship SC’s pro-

grams have helped build the state’s workforce pipeline, though challenges remain — including financial ones.

“We do have a lot of funds from the U.S. Department of Labor to cover the tuition for the apprentices, but it’s not really a dedicated fund from the state or at the federal level,” she said. “We kind of have to see each year what funding is available to support apprentices, because we don’t want anyone to pay out of pocket for their tuition, whether it’s continuing education coursework or credit coursework. There is a lot of great state funding from lottery tuition assistance to workforce scholarships that do help subsidize, but we find that not all the costs can be covered.”

Employers interested in participating in

March 15 - April 11, 2021

the pre-apprenticeship program can contact Apprenticeship Carolina at 803-8965287 or visit www.apprenticeshipcarolina. com.

“Our programs are for all children, whether you’re going to college, into the military or straight into the workforce.

We have so many programs that prepare students for the next level. … It spans the whole gamut,” Lee said. “If we can help students to explore before they get to college, we may help them save time, talent and treasure.

“I want to be able to somehow change the stigma that you have to have a college education to be successful or that our programs aren’t for college-bound students, because they are.”

Ben Lippen School expanding to Northeast Columbia

B

Staff Report

en Lippen School is expanding to Northeast Columbia.

Approximately 60 students will be accepted into classes for pre-K4 through second grade for the 2021-22 school year, according to a news release.

Classes will begin Aug. 11 at Sandhills

Community Church at 3513 Hardscrabble Road, and open enrollment began March 1.

“All three of our lower school campuses will continue to offer a rigorous academic program anchored in a foundation of solid biblical truth,” Ben Lippen headmaster Tony Fajardo said in the release.

“Our purpose is to help students develop

faith in Jesus Christ through academics, co-curricular activities, leadership development, and personal relationships. We will continue to accomplish these critical components through committed faculty and staff who love Christ, love students, and love to teach a biblically permeated curriculum.”

Ben Lippen, an accredited Christian,

college preparatory school and a ministry of Columbia International University, offers lower school, middle school and high school classes on the CIU campus on Monticello Road and lower school classes at its St. Andrews Road location This year, enrollment at Ben Lippen grew by 99 students, bringing total enrollment to 929, according to the release.

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PEOPLE, PLACES AND HAPPENINGS ACROSS THE MIDLANDS

People in the News BUSINESS SERVICES

Independent College/UPS Scholarship provided by South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities and its national partner, the CIC in Washington, DC.

Sales representative Tim Cantrell has joined Professional Printers. He brings with him almost 40 years of printing experience.

CONSTRUCTION

Cantrell

McCrory Construction has promoted Barry Schilling to director of safety and risk management from compliance manager. He is responsible for implementing companywide safety and Schilling compliance measures among employees as well as with subcontractors on all job sites.

DESIGN At GMK, Marta Lockwood passed the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam and has become an NCIDQ-certified Lockwood and licensed interior designer in the interiors division. Lockwood’s focus is senior-living projects. She is an honors graduate of Ohio University with a bachelor of fine arts degree in interior architecture.

Boudreaux interior designer James “Jimmy” Wall has earned his NCIDQ certification.

Wall holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, a master’s degree in interior design, and research interests Wall in evidence-based design, environmental psychology, and place-making.

EDUCATION Columbia College student Andrea Choice, a biochemistry major from Moncks Corner, has received a Council for

The Midlands Technical College Commission named James L. Hudgins, PhD, as president emeritus. He was the longest-serving president in the college’s history, having served as third president Hudgins from 1986 to 1999.

Upon leaving MTC, Hudgins became executive director and later president of South Carolina’s Technical College System.

Jeff P. Spears, First Community Bank senior vice president and regional market president in Augusta, GA, has been appointed to serve as the second judicial district representative to the University of Spears South Carolina Board of Visitors.

FINANCIAL SERVICES Moore Beauston & Woodham’s Geoffrey Busby, CPA, CTRS now has authorization from the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers to use the Certified Tax Resolution Specialist and CTRS certification marks. Busby is a tax manager in the West Columbia office. In addition, Moore Beauston & Woodham promoted Judith N. Wellendorf to senior accountant, also in the West Columbia office. Wellendorf received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Iowa State University. She is a member of the South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

The new staff accountant in Moore Beauston & Woodham’s Hartsville office is Rebecca A. Cantey. She holds a bachelor of business administration in accounting from Francis Marion UniCantey versity and a bachelor of science in wildlife biology from Clemson University.

Ryan Clark has joined McGregor &

Company’s Columbia accounting staff.

Clark received his bachelor of science in accounting from the University of South Carolina, where he also completed his master of accountancy in taxation.

Clark

The Financial Planning Association of South Carolina has added William Hardaway III, CPA, PFS, CFP to its board of directors. Hardaway has been employed with WebsterRogers Financial Advisors since 2007, most recently as a financial advisor. He is a graduate of Francis Marion University with a bachelor of business administration in accounting.

Thomas Manly, CFP, of Hobbs Group Advisors, has been authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to use the Certified Financial Planner and CFP certification marks.

Manly Manly is responsible for providing financial planning and investment guidance to clients.

First Reliance Bank has promoted Brook Moore to chief credit officer. He succeeds Jack McElveen, who remains in a credit leadership position with the bank.

Moore had been a senior credit executive at Southern First Bank.

The First Community Bank board of directors named Ted Nissen, chief banking officer and executive vice president, as president, a newly established role. He is working with the executive leadership Nissen team and First Community Bank CEO Mike Crapps in setting the bank’s strategic direction.

First Reliance Bank brought in longtime banking industry executive F. Justin Strickland to serve as president of First Reliance Bank as it continues to expand throughout

Strickland

the Carolinas. Strickland oversees the bank’s commercial platform. In addition, Michael Edens has joined the bank as senior vice president and private banker.

Based in Columbia, Edens works to build and maintain relationships with business customers and provide counsel on a variety of services.

HEALTH CARE Randall S. Colby, MD, has joined his wife, Billie Jean Waddell, MD, at Palmetto Aesthetic Medicine.

Colby, a 1996 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, recently retired from pediatric practice.

Colby

Nicole Hendricks has been appointed as chief executive officer of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbia.

She oversees day-today operations as well as patient care and quality.

Hendricks earned her bachelor’s degree in speech pathology/audiology Hendricks from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and her master’s degree in health administration from Saint Louis University. She is a fellow with the American College of Health Care Executives.

The South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health has named Richard “Dick” Wilkerson as board chair. New members of the board of directors are Roslyn Clark Artis, JD, EdD; Anne Graham Masters, MD; Virgil Miller, and John Singerling. Departing after a full term of board service are Bill Barnet, Pamela Lackey, and Governor Jim Hodges.

New members of the Mental Illness Recovery Center board of directors are Lucy Easler, PhD, director of behavioral care services for Prisma Health; Mary Winter Teaster, senior brokerage associate for Colliers International; Rev. Chris Leevy Johnson, PhD, president and managing director of Leevy’s Funeral Home; Tosin Adelakun, PharmD., of Nephron Pharmaceuticals; and Elaine Delk, development consultant.

See PEOPLE, Page 22

22

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March 15 - April 11, 2021

People in the News PITN, from Page 21

MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

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Maddie Hilliard has become a project coordinator at Flock and Rally. Since joining the firm as a full-time employee in December 2020, Hilliard has worked Hilliard with a variety of clients to create strategic content, plan photo shoots, foster online engagement, and more.

NONPROFIT Special Olympics South Carolina named Ashley Johnson to its board of directors. An associate with Robinson Gray law firm, she also serves on the Johnson City of Columbia’s Design Development and Review Commission and is active in the South Carolina Bar’s Young Lawyer’s Division and Junior Achievement.

Event chair of the Alzheimer’s Association as the 2021 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Columbia, is John T. Lay Jr., a partner in Gallivan, White & Boyd’s Columbia office. Lay focuses on commercial litigation, product liability, class actions and mass torts, and legal malpractice.

The South Carolina Planned Giving Council has three new board members and a new slate of officers. New to the board are Michelle Hardy, Benita Hopkins, and Daniel Prohaska. Officers are Sam Head, immediate past president (Carolinas Wealth Management); Bill Yaeger, president (Citadel Foundation); Peggy Cieslikowski, president-elect (College of Charleston); Lisa DeFreitas, secretary (Wofford College); Francis Schodwoski, treasurer (Columbia College); Dana Taylor, vice president for programs (Clemson University); and Gina De La Cruz Turcotte, vice president for membership (Spartanburg Regional Hospital System).

Directors-at-large are Clay Grayson (Grayson Law Firm); Melissa Levesque (Coastal Community Foundation of

South Carolina); Lauren Ward (A Business Law Firm); and Wes Daniels (University of South Carolina).

Incoming board of trustees chair for Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina is Andy Folsom, vice president, M&A, Strategic Investments, at Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. The board’s other officers are Mitch Watson, vice chair; Gerald Smalls, treasurer; and Brian Murrell, secretary.

Smalls, chair and associate professor of law and accounting of the Johnson College of Business and Economics at the University of South Carolina Upstate, is new to the board, as is Macon Lovelace, SIOR at Trinity Partners. New committee members are Tigerron “Tiger” Wells and Tracy S. Bailey.

New officers for this year’s Senior Resources board of directors executive committee are Connelly-Anne Ragley, president (South Carolina Department of Social Services); Chris Zecopoulos, vice president (Scott & Corley); Rachel Elliott, treasurer (Dominion Energy); and Debra Slaughenhaupt, secretary (First Citizens Bank). Now on the Senior Resources executive committee are Catherine Perry (BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina) and Tara Wise (AllSouth Federal Credit Union). The 2021 board of directors consists of Todd Timmons, past president (SC Department of Employment and Workforce); William Beaman (Pearson Properties); Andrew Boozer (executive director, Senior Resources): Tom Brown (Asset Realty); Bryant Davis (Richland County); Susan Forrest (BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina); Jack Heinsohn (Spring Valley Presbyterian Church); John Leighton (South State Bank); Tracy McDowell (Verizon); Kathi Price (Colonial Life); J. Scott Ravan (Columbia Development); Erinn Rowe (Bank of America); and Cam Varner (Recruiting Solutions).

Cory Manning, a partner in Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s Columbia office, is the corporate walk chair of the 2021 Light The Night. The annual fall fundraiser, held by the South Carolina Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, helps find cures and provide access to treatments for blood cancer patients. Manning practices in the areas of corporate internal and regulatory investigations, securities litigation, business litigation, and class-action defense.

He co-chairs Nelson Mullins’ white-collar defense and government-investigations practice.

Submit items using our online submission portal: www.SodaCityBizWire.com.

Publication is subject to editorial discretion.

Viewpoint

VIEWS, PERSPECTIVES AND READERS’ LETTERS

The truth about rooftop solar revealed at PSC hearing

A

recent opinion editorial by Kellar Kissam warned 740,000 Dominion Energy South Carolina customers that they were unfairly subsidizing about 11,000 residents and small businesses that have rooftop solar installations.

Kissam, president of electric operations for DESC, is seeking FRANK to generate a pubKNAPP JR. lic outcry against the 1% of DESC solar net-metering customers for allegedly not paying for “maintaining power lines, generation stations and all other associated costs.”

Recently the S.C. Public Service Commission, at the direction of the state legislature, began a hearing to examine this potential subsidization, called “cost shift.”

The PSC is to approve a new Solar Choice Tariff by June of this year and “eliminate any cost shift to the greatest extent practical.”

I had a front-row, virtual seat during this PSC hearing because, as a commercial solar customer of Dominion Energy South Carolina, I was permitted to personally intervene and participate.

Establishing whether there is cost shift and exactly how much non-solar DESC customers might be subsidizing the solar customers was the key question in the hearing.

If any cost shift was occurring, the next important PSC decision was how much of that cost shift could be eliminated without causing great harm to the fledgling customer solar market that the legislature wants to continue to grow.

During the hearing, we heard DESC witnesses talk in general about the financial burden non-solar customers were bearing so that solar customers could save on electric bills.

But getting these witnesses to quantify the extent of any cost shift was a problem.

Then the fourth DESC witness, who is responsible for designing and administering DESC’s electric rates and tariffs, took the stand.

Based on the company’s own analysis, this witness finally revealed the details of DESC’s cost shift assertions: 1. Residential non-solar customers are paying $1.38 more a month to subsidize DESC residential solar customers.

2. Small business non-solar customers

Photo/File

are paying 28 cents more a month to subsidize DESC small business solar customers.

The big financial burden on the backs of non-solar customers came down to $1.38 and 28 cents respectively per month.

Clearly the legislature was not given these subsidization estimates during the deliberation of the bill calling for eliminating cost shift to the greatest extent possible. Had DESC done so, the urgency of addressing cost shift might have evaporated.

But there was another bombshell dropped by the same DESC witness.

There is no cost shift today.

The $1.38 and 28 cents a month the utility claims as a cost shift actually won’t happen until the next DESC general rate hearing years from now, if at all.

Non-solar residential and small business DESC customers are not subsidizing the small number of solar customers.

The non-solar customers will not see any financial relief anytime soon if solar customers start paying a lot more on their electric bills. The millions in new revenue would stay with DESC. So, let’s stop scaring the DESC customers about them paying higher electric bills because of rooftop solar.

However, even if there is no cost shift now or in the near future, the PSC still might decide to adjust the present solar net metering program to address any potential cost shift down the road.

The danger is that the PSC might approve the DESC proposed Solar Choice Tariff plan, a plan one respected Charleston-based solar company calls “industry-killing.”

Other states like Nevada have enacted similar draconian solar policies as proposed by DESC and have seen their solar markets collapse.

What would be the loss to all the Dominion customers if the DESC plan is approved?

1. The demand for rooftop solar would decrease dramatically because of over a 50% drop in electricity solar savings.

2. Fewer customers would opt to invest in rooftop solar because reputable solar companies won’t be able to give savings projections with any degree of certainty because of DESC not providing the hourly electricity-use data needed for those projections.

3. Reputable solar companies will abandon South Carolina, as they have in other states, because of the drop in customer demand and lay off their well-paid rooftop solar installers harming the state’s economy.

4. Any remaining customer solar demand will be served by disreputable out-of-state scam-solar companies that the state warns customers about. The resulting bad experiences will further weaken rooftop solar

demand.

5. With very little new rooftop solar that reduces peak electricity demand, DESC will be back to the PSC much sooner seeking to raise rates on all customers in order to build new generation.

6. With less rooftop solar, Dominion Energy South Carolina customers will be unavoidably contributing more to carbon pollution from using more of DESC’s electricity from coal and gas plants. This carbon pollution drives climate change resulting in higher costs to consumers because of more severe storms, hotter summers, sea level rise that threatens property values and coastal tourism, and faster degradation of DESC’s electric grid that will cost customers more to repair.

These are the benefits to be lost to all consumers if DESC’s new solar tariff plan is approved to correct for today’s non-existent cost shift.

Frank Knapp Jr. is the president and CEO of the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce.

We want to hear from you Write: Melinda Waldrop, Editor Columbia Regional Business Report, 1612 Marion St., Suite 301 Columbia, SC 29201 Email: mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

24

www.columbiabusinessreport.com

March 15 - April 11, 2021

LEADING ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE MIDLANDS The University of South Carolina has never been more resolved to transform the lives of the people of South Carolina, the nation and the world. That starts right here in the Midlands, where an estimated $3.7 billion in economic impact is delivered to the local metropolitan area alone, making the university a major contributor to our growing job market and an essential part of our future economic prosperity.

LOCAL JOB MARKET

The University of South Carolina contributes $1.7 billion towards personal income and supports 1 in every 9 jobs in the Midlands community. That’s 43,876 jobs overall, and of those, 13,705 are employees working directly for UofSC. Upcoming university construction projects like campus village and the public health campus are expected to further boost jobs in the region.

FUTURE ECONOMIC GROWTH

The Columbia campus will continue to be a key driver in future economic growth for the Midlands. The university’s focus on producing highly skilled graduates in competitive fields, coupled with its efforts to attract new, private research partners to the region, will continue to boost growth going forward.

STATEWIDE IMPACT

The total impact of UofSC’s eight-institution system is estimated at approximately $6.2 billion annually, which is defined by the annual amount of goods and services associated with the university.

What’s more, the system as a whole supports a total of 63,689 jobs and returns more than $202 million in annual tax revenue back to the state.

Based on a new study by the researchers at UofSC’s Darla Moore School of Business, the university has a significant impact on South Carolina and is one of the largest economic drivers in our state. We fuel innovation by aligning research with business, help to create a thriving marketplace and educate and train tomorrow’s workforce. All of these actions and more help to improve the lives of South Carolinians and further support our drive to be the nation’s preeminent flagship university.

GO.SC.EDU/ECONOMICIMPACT