VOLUME 15 NUMBER 9 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM
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SAVING HISTORY Group working to restore World War II-era bomber Page 2
A B-25C Mitchell Medium Bomber, fished out of Lake Greenwood in 1983 after crashing on a practice run in 1944, is being restored at the Jim Hamilton - L.B. Owens Airport in Columbia. (Photo/Christina Lee Knauss)
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A close-up of the cockpit of a B-25C Mitchell Medium Bomber being restored at a Columbia airport. The South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation aims to restore and display the plane. (Photo/Christina Lee Knauss)
Group bringing historic bomber back to life By Christina Lee Knauss
A
Contributing Writer
n irreplaceable piece of South Carolina’s aviation history sits in a rented corporate hangar in Columbia, being restored to its former glory by volunteers while it waits for a permanent home. The B-25C Mitchell Medium Bomber, fished from the depths of Lake Greenwood back in 1983 where it sat for 39 years after it was lost on a practice run in 1944, is believed to be one of only three B-25Cs still in existence. The plane bounced from place to place for years and its chances of remaining in the Midlands were in jeopardy until a group called the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation formed in 2010 with the goal of restoring the bomber and using it as a way to teach people about S.C.’s long history of aviation. Now, SCHAF volunteers spend two nights a week working on the plane to restore it to its original condition, and on the second Saturday of every month the group’s members hold an open house at its hanger at Jim Hamilton – L.B. Owens Airport near Columbia’s Rosewood neighborhood to let the public view the plane and learn more about the restoration efforts.
The goal, according to SCHAF president Kenneth Berry, is to eventually build a permanent aviation museum to house the plane and other artifacts the organization has collected over the years, many of which are on display at the hangar. “This plane is an important part not only of the state’s aviation history but as a symbol of the history of the state and the nation, and what folks did for us back during World War II so we could live the lives we have today,” Berry said. “This plane has really taken on a life of its own since we bought it. The airport likes having it here because it attracts visitors and people, especially kids, like being able to see it and to visit the displays.” B25s play a special role in the World War II history of the Midlands because pilots trained on the bombers at the Columbia Army air base, best known for producing the famous volunteer crews known as “Doolittle’s Raiders” who trained under Lt. Col James “Jimmy” Doolittle and bombed Tokyo in 1942, the first retaliatory attack by the U.S. on Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Pilots trained on the B-25 in South Carolina played key roles in air battles overseas throughout the war. The plane currently owned by the SCHAF was stationed at the Greenville Army Air Base. On June 6, 1944, it was on a training run over Lake Greenwood when the instruc-
tor pilot swooped too low and was forced to ditch in the lake when the propellers touched the water. The five-man crew survived but the plane sank. Fast forward to 1983 when the plane was recovered, in an effort aided by several local women who witnessed when it went down and were able to pinpoint exactly where in the lake to find it. After that, the plane was owned by several different groups and eventually made its way back to Columbia, where it was first housed in the historic Curtiss Wright Hanger at the Owens airport. The bomber made appearances in 1992 at the 50threunion of the Doolittle Raiders and again in 2002 in front of the State Museum at the group’s 60th reunion. Many people get the SCHAF’s B-25C mixed up with another B-25 which crashed in Lake Murray in 1943 and was recovered in 2005. That plane has since been relocated to an aviation museum in Alabama. Berry said the restoration’s goal is not to restore the plane to the point where it can be flown but to make it as authentic as possible for viewing on the ground. He said the SCHAF is always seeking sponsorships from both individuals and businesses to continue the work on the plane and to build the eventual museum. Over the years, volunteers have combed the internet and gone through
other networks to obtain rare original parts for the plane. Some other components have been built by hand, a process aided by hours on the internet and many trips out of state to get original parts such as those that can be found in the meticulously reconstructed cockpit and the bombing turret in the plane’s nose. Berry said the plane has proved to be an important way to get young people interested in aviation. Some youth who participate in the Young Eagles aviation program at Owens have signed up to volunteer to work on the plane, and others gain interest after seeing the bomber on school field trips. Berry said one student who helped to work on the plane is now attending the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, and another got into aviation after joining the U.S. Navy. “Seeing something like this is a great way to get kids interested in aviation and also in the science and technology surrounding it, especially because a lot of kids aren’t exposed to the field these days,” he said. “Every once in a while, we’ll get a student in here and you can see the interest spark as they’re looking at the plane. You can see that light go on in their eyes.” Learn more about the B-25C at www. SCHistoricAviation.org
VOLUME 15 NUMBER 9 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM
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Say cheese
Pimento cheese lovers have 17 reasons to celebrate. Page 6
Growing footprint
REI Co-op plans to open its 3rd S.C. location this fall. Page 10
PPE production
Nitrile glove plant establishing Greenville base. Page 11
HOME BASE
The Center for Architectural Design, located at 1530 Main St. in downtown Columbia, will serve as a statewide education, outreach and advocacy center. (Photo/Provided)
Podcast pioneers
Medium highlights women in nontraditional roles. Page 27
INSIDE
Upfront................................. 4 SC Biz News Briefs................. 5 In Focus: Architecture, Engineering and Construction .......................................... 21 List: Homebuilders..............28 At Work...............................29 Viewpoint............................ 31
Center consolidates advocacy, education for SC architecture By Melinda Waldrop
P
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
reserving South Carolina’s architectural heritage is one mission of the South Carolina Architectural Foundation and the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and a new showplace designed to highlight that ongoing work couldn’t have a more appropriate home. The Center for Architectural Design, housed at 1530 Main St. in downtown Columbia, is the product of a years-long vision to increase visibility of the architectural profession in the state. Before the S.C. AIA chapter purchased the building, currently undergoing renovations with an eye toward a late fall
opening, there was no real center for architectural outreach and education to take place. Since the early 1980s, the organization had operated out of “The Cottage,” a small structure on Bull Street nestled among law firms. Inspired by larger AIA chapters with a more centralized, noticeable presence around the country, including one in Raleigh, AIA S.C. decided to change that. “We made the commitment in 2014 that we were going to look for something more prominent, both from an advocacy/lobbying standpoint with the Statehouse but also from the standpoint of where the public could see architecture in South Carolina,” said Ben Ward, project manager at McMillan Pazdan Smith and 2022 president of AIA S.C.
Monumental opening
International African American Museum to open in January 2023 Page 17
In 2015, AIA S.C. purchased the former Eckerd Drug Store building, where a significant moment in the state’s history took place in 1960. Allen University student Simon Bouie and Benedict College student Talmadge Neal were arrested, jailed and convicted for refusing to leave the Eckerd lunch counter, where they were denied service because they are Black. Those events became the basis for a landmark 1964 civil rights case which, coupled with another lunch-counter case at the nearby Taylor Street Pharmacy, led to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the students’ convictions, saying their right to due process under the 14th Amendment had been violated. Days See ARCHITECTURE, Page 25
Upfront
BRIEFS | FACTS | STATEWIDE NEWS | BEST ADVICE
C
herokee County is the best place in the state to be a small business owner, according to an analysis by Smart Asset using data from the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey and other government information. The study measured three factors: the proportion of people in a county with small business income, the reported business income and the amount of tax a potential resident must pay on income. With small business income amounting to nearly 15.5% of all income in the county, Cherokee County came out on top with an index score of 58.4. No. 2 Berkeley County trailed at 52.18. The percentage of small business income (2.27%) seemed to be the biggest factor in putting Williamsburg County last in the state.
Rank Country, State
Small Business Small Business Returns Income
Income Taxes
Small Business Index index
1
Cherokee, SC
28.85%
15.45%
$9,294
58.40
2
Berkeley, SC
30.22%
10.53%
$9,294
52.18
3
Greenville, SC
26.56%
11.35%
$9,294
49.80
4
Greenwood, SC
24.66%
8.51%
$9,294
43.55
5
Jasper, SC
22.07%
9.99%
$9,294
43.26
6
Kershaw, SC
25.87%
6.03%
$9,294
40.93
7
Saluda, SC
21.74%
8.67%
$9,294
40.89
8
Abbeville, SC
21.94%
8.41%
$9,294
40.69
9
Charleston, SC
20.16%
9.12%
$9,294
40.02
10
McCormick, SC
21.43%
7.56%
$9,294
38.89
SC
23.43%
6.91%
$9,294
Source: SmartAsset.com
ON THE
RECORD
“I think so many times, in rural areas, kids go to school for architecture, and then they’ll move to New York or D.C. or somewhere like that to practice when they could stay here in their home state and do great things.” — Ben Ward, president, AIA S.C.
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Carnival Cruise Line will not have a homeport cruising contract in Charleston beyond 2024. (Photo/File)
CHARLESTON
Charleston Regional Business Journal
Carnival bidding Charleston bon voyage
C
arnival Cruise Line will soon no longer have a homeport in Charleston. South Carolina Ports and Carnival Cruise Lines announced in late May that the two parties have reached an agreement not to extend the homeport cruising contract in Charleston beyond 2024. The agreement will provide more space for the redevelopment of Union Pier Terminal, unlocking a transformational opportunity within the city of Charleston, the Ports Authority said in an emailed statement. South Carolina Ports will continue welcoming port-of-calls, according to the release. “Since 2010, Carnival has been a great business partner and worked alongside our maritime community to benefit our overall maritime commerce mission,” the statement said. “As we look to the future, South Carolina Ports will continue to evaluate the market and looks forward to continued partnerships and opportunities.” Carnival released the following statement: “It is amazing to see the continued growth of Charleston’s tourism economy, and Carnival is proud to have been a part it of since 2010. While exciting for the future of Charleston, the redevelopment of Union Pier Terminal will unfortunately mean Carnival will no longer homeport a ship in Charleston beyond 2024. “We will work with the Ports Authority to explore future opportunities in Charleston. In the meantime, it is business as usual and we look forward to seeing our guests aboard Carnival Sunshine through 2024.” South Carolina Ports continues to handle record cargo volumes while making significant progress with terminal and berth fluidity amid ongoing supply chain challenges, the organization announced in a recent news release. SC Ports had its highest April ever for containers handled, marking the 14th consecutive month of cargo records at the Port of Charleston. Strong volumes are driven by sustained retail imports, which were up 34% in April compared to last year. SC Ports handled 264,099 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) at Wando Welch Terminal, North Charleston Terminal and Leatherman Terminal in April, up 17% from last year, the release stated. SC Ports has moved 2.4 million TEUs thus far in fiscal year 2022, from July through April, up 15% fiscal year-over-year. April marked an all-time record for pier containers, which account for boxes of any size, according to the release. SC Ports handled 145,779 pier containers last month, a 16% increase year-over-year. Thus far in fiscal year 2022, SC Ports has moved 1.3 million pier containers, up nearly 15% from the same period the year prior.
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE List: Commercial Real Estate Cos. Bonus List: Commercial Moving & Storage Cos. Advertising Deadline: July 5
AUGUST 15
ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION (AEC) List: Architecture Firms Special Section: Icons & Phenoms Advertising Deadline: August 1
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GROWTH REPORT: MADE IN SC (STATEWIDE) List: Largest Manufacturers Advertising Deadline: August 29
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RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE List: Residential Real Estate Firms Bonus List: Independent Insurance Cos Advertising Deadline: September 12
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VOLUME 25 NUMBER 10 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM
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By Molly Hulsey
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mhulsey@scbiznews.com
hris Garcia happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Women in construction
Podcast captures international attention. Page 9
When COVID-19 broke on American shores, he had stepped to the helm of startup Health Supply US, formed in January 2020. Coming from a family of first responders, the former deputy director of the U.S. Commerce Department was more than well
acquainted by the shortages that plagued health care in the following months. He learned that the United States made only 1% of the world’s glove supply and witnessed how prices for PPE skyrocketed to more than 10 times their pre-pandemic market value in some cases. “During COVID, everyone thinks that the number one item that was in most scarce supply was masks, maybe some vials or some tubes,” he told a crowd during the Greenville Area Development Corp.’s annual meeting
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Greenville glove factory draws on personal, state roots on June 6. “But really, the number one item that we could not get our hands on was nitrile gloves and gowns.” Under his leadership, the company began to churn out hospital gowns, masks and hand sanitizer in Texas, North Carolina and California. One other location was needed: a place to manufacture nitrile gloves in the Southeast. “We embarked on an exhaustive search of the right state and the right county and the spe-
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HISTORY IN THE MAKING IAAM to open doors next January
Bon voyage
Carnival Cruise Lines bidding Charleston adieu. Page 4
SCBIZNEWS.COM MAY/JUNE 2022
See GLOVE, Page 6
New Look for Laurens Road Destiny fulfilled
Nearly a century after it was designated, Unity Park is what it was meant to be. Page 8
Verdae Development Inc. and Hollingsworth Funds have rolled out a bold vision for Laurens Road that would transform an area for pedestrians to avoid into one they would embrace. See story, Page 11.
MIXing it up
New event venue planned for Charleston area. Page 7
Growing portfolio
Fraud allegations
Investment firm aquires Charleston hotel. Page 9
Upstate Under Construction
Charleston Under Construction
The International African American Museum, located at the site of Gadsden’s Wharf in downtown Charleston, will welcome its first visitors on Jan. 21, 2023. Plans for the museum, which will focus on the impact of slavery in the Americas and the achievements of slaves and their descendants, were first discussed publicly in 2000. (Photo/Ellis Creek Photography)
INSIDE
A
12 sentenced in multi-million dollar fraud case. Page 10
New Lowcountry projects Page 26
A glimpse at some of the Upstate’s commercial construction projects. Page 14
INSIDE
Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 In Focus: Architecture, Engineering and Construction ..................... 20 Charleston Under Construction ......................26 List: Homebuilders .............34 At Work ............................. 36 Viewpoint ...........................39
Leading Off .......................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 Cruise line pulls out .............. 4 In Focus: Architecture, Engineering & Construction 13 List: Home builders ............ 18 At Work .............................. 19 Viewpoint ...........................23
In Focus
Architectural base
New center for the state AIA opens in Columbia Page 13
GSABusinessReport.com
By Melinda Waldrop mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
fter years of planning and anticipation, the International African American Museum will welcome its first visitors on Jan. 21, 2023. The museum is located at the site of Gadsden’s Wharf in downtown Charleston, where many slaves disembarked from Africa. Its focus will be the cultural, social and economic impact of slavery in the Americas and the diverse journeys and achievements of slaves and their descendants. The museum features nearly 150,000 square feet of exhibition, learning and interpretive space and includes nine themed galleries rang-
ing from African origins to African American economic, creative and social contributions to American history. The museum also includes this African Ancestors Memorial Garden, conceived by landscape architect Walter Hood, which includes art installations, plants and an infinity reflection pool. “I am proud to have worked with our incredible team to get this museum to opening day,” Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the International African American Museum, said in a June 1 news release announcing the opening date. “This museum will be a must-see space of courageous curiosity and authentic engagement with our nation’s history — with African American history.
“Committed reckoning with history is a necessary stop on the road to healing and reconciliation. Charleston is a port city, a global city, a historic city — and there is no better place for our museum to steward these stories that have such national and international significance and impact.” The museum was first publicly announced by Joseph P. Riley Jr., former mayor of Charleston, during his state of the city address in 2000. “Our journey has been long because it took time to secure the optimal site,” Riley said in the release. “A site that is called ‘sacred’ because it is precisely where so many enslaved Africans
VOLVO’S ROAD AHEAD What’s next for Ridgeville
HOMEGROWN
Putting SC’s oyster industry on the map
See IAAM, Page 22
Diversity awards
SC Biz News honors community leaders with its inaugural Lowcountry Diversity Leadership awards Page 13
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South Carolina’s Media Engine for Economic Growth
A Pimento Cheese Passport from Experience Columbia SC features 17 dishes highlighting the ingredient at participating restaurants. (Photo/Forrest Clonts) Rick Jenkins, group publisher rjenkins@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1224
Plethora of pimento cheese options on menu By Melinda Waldrop
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ficionados of a Southern delicacy have a new way to consume pimento cheese. Experience Columbia SC is reintroducing its Pimento Cheese Passport in honor of National Cheese Day, celebrated June 4. The downloadable passport features 17 dishes highlighting the ingredient at 17 participating restaurants. Pimento pioneers can check into the restaurants and order the featured dish to collect a digital passport stamp. “Pimento cheese in Columbia dates back to 1912, when one of the first recipes was published in a local cookbook, and we feel honored to continue its legacy with the relaunch of the passport,” Charlene Slaughter, director of communications for Experience Columbia SC, said in a news release. “This passport includes a
dozen returning locations from our debut pimento cheese passport in 2019 and five new spots for this year all found throughout our beautiful city.” Featured dishes range from a classic pimento cheese dip with pita chips to a Southern egg roll made with pimento cheese and pulled pork. A vegan dip option will also be available. Any participant who visits five restaurants will receive a Pimento Cheese Passport mug or pint glass. Each participant who visits 10 restaurants will receive a Pimento Cheese Passport t-shirt, while the seasoned traveler who dines at all 17 locations will receive a mug, pint glass, t-shirt, and $50 gift card to their favorite Pimento Cheese Passport restaurant. “We are thrilled to be a new stop in Columbia SC’s Pimento Cheese Passport,” said Chris Williams, chef at Roy’s Grille and a 2022 South Carolina Chef Ambassador. “It’s so exciting to recog-
nize the creativity and quality of pimento cheese dishes available throughout Soda City.” Participating establishments in this year’s Columbia SC Pimento Cheese Passport are: • Bourbon • Cafe Strudel, Lexington • Cafe Strudel, West Columbia • DiPrato’s Delicatessen • Good Life Cafe • Midwood Smokehouse • Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Cafe • Rambo’s Fat Cat Biscuits • River Rat Brewery • Rockaway Athletic Club • Roy’s Grille • Spotted Salamander • Terra • The Root Cellar • Sandwich Depot • The War Mouth • The Whig
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The S.C. State Fair has awarded 53 statewide scholarships to students pursuring studies at any public or private college in the state through the Ride of Your Life program, which has awarded more than $4 million in scholarships since it began in 1997. The $6,000 scholarships are awarded at an annual rate of $1,500. (Photo/Forrest Clonts)
SC State Fair awards 53 scholarships through program By Melinda Waldrop
F
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
ifty-three high school students have received scholarships through the South Carolina State Fair’s Ride of Your Life program. The $6,000 scholarships are awarded at
an annual rate of $1,500 to students planning to pursue their studies at any public or private college in the state. The awards are based on academic and extracurricular achievement, communication skills, need, and completeness of the application.This year, a $20,000 donation from Circle K stores allowed the S.C. State Fair
Member FDIC
Forever proud. Forever First.
to award three additional scholarships. “We are honored and excited to reward these 53 outstanding students,” Nancy Smith, State Fair general manager, said in a news release. “Educating the state’s youth is a priority of the fair. We feel blessed to be able to continue our scholarship program throughout the challenging
times of the last few years.” The scholarships may cover tuition or other educational expenses like on-campus housing, a computer, or textbooks. Recipients must retain a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and enroll in no less than 30 credit hours each academic year to receive funding for that year.
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Congratulations Regions Bank is pleased to congratulate Robert G. Suber and M.G. Suber & Associates, LLC, on winning the 2022 South Carolina Exporter of the Year Award. regions.com © 2022 Regions Bank. Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.
Today’s market calls for a financial team you can rely on. Working with a dedicated team driven by a shared vision can make all the difference. Regions Commercial Relationship Managers know that developing a strong understanding of your business and its unique operations helps us provide highly responsive, personalized solutions. Let us leverage our capabilities and create a comprehensive financial strategy to help guide and strengthen your business. Commercial Banking | Treasury Management | Capital Markets Specialized Industries Bland Wilkerson | Vice President 803.210.9860 | bland.wikerson@regions.com regions.com/commercial-banking
© 2022 Regions Bank. Banking products provided by Regions Bank. Only banking deposit products are FDIC insured. All loans and lines subject to credit approval. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.
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National retailer REI to open 3rd South Carolina location By Jason Thomas
S
jthomas@scbiznews.com
pecialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op has announced plans to open its third South Carolina location. The new store is expected to open in Mount Pleasant this fall, according to an REI news release. It will employ about 50 full- and part-time employees, a company representative told SC Biz News. The company declined to reveal the cost of the project. The 21,500-square-foot store, to be located at 1720 Shoremeade Road in Indigo Square, will offer an assortment of apparel, gear and expertise for camping, cycling, running, fitness, hiking, paddling, climbing and more, the release stated. The location will also feature a full-service bike shop that will be staffed by certified mechanics. “We look forward to opening a third store in South Carolina and being a resource to REI members and the broader outdoor community in and around Mount Pleasant,” Jacki Harp, REI regional director, said in the release. “Our local team will also seek partnerships with outdoor nonprofits to support their efforts in protecting natural places and welcoming more people outside.” REI, which is headquartered in Seattle, also has locations in Columbia (2300 Bull St.), which opened in 2020, and Greenville (1140 Woodruff Road, Suite 400), which opened in 2011. REI was the first national retailer lured to the 181-acre, mixed-use BullStreet District development in 2019. Since its August 2020 opening, it has been joined by a Starbucks at the intersection of Bull and Freed streets, and several other commercial and residential real estate projects
National outdoor retailer REI Co-op plans to open its third S.C. location, this one in Mount Pleasant, this fall. The 21,500-square-foot store will be located at 1720 Shoremeade Road in Indigo Square and employ around 50 people. The Seattle-based company has stores in Columbia and Greenville. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)
have sprung up around it. Employment information is available online at rei.jobs. REI, the nation’s largest consumer co-op, has more than 167,000 members in South Carolina, and more than 28,000 members in the region, according to the release. Last year, the co-op invested $7.1
million in 45-plus nonprofits across the country, the release stated. Over the last five years, the co-op has invested nearly $184,000 in South Carolina-based land agencies and nonprofit partners. Recent recipients include Anne Springs Close Greenway, Conestee Foundation Inc., Friends of Harbison State Forest, Friends of Paris Mountain, Friends of Ses-
qui and Palmetto Conservation Foundation. Also last year, the co-op launched the REI Cooperative Action Fund, a community-supported public charity. Black Girls RUN! Foundation chapters in Charleston, Columbia, Florence/Myrtle Beach and Greenville/Spartanburg received grants in the first round of funding.
Gift card program targets small businesses in 148 SC towns By Melinda Waldrop
A
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
Connecticut-based startup has launched a community gift card program that includes 148 cards specific to S.C. towns. The cards, offered by Giverrang, can be redeemed at local, independent businesses throughout the state. A portion of card sells will be donated to area nonprofits through the company’s local affiliate program. “The whole idea is to bring more dollars and attention to small businesses,” Mark Walerysiak Jr., head of card programs at Giverrang, said in a news release. “The big guys have the benefit of having huge resources behind them, so we really want to help the small guys as much as possible.”
Each area has a web page with some suggested businesses where gift cards can be spent. The Mastercard gift cards can be shipped directly to a recipient’s or a purchaser’s address and will arrive in an estimated seven days. Giverrang is seeking local nonprofits such as economic development organizations and service or fundraising groups to join its affiliate program. For every card these organizations help sell, Giverrang will donate back a percentage of profits. “We’re excited to help as many local businesses as we can and we hope this resonates with people and they want to support it,” Walerysiak said. “A local gift card makes a meaningful gift for family, A program launched by a Connecticut-based startup is offering gift cards specific to 48 S.C. towns. The cards, friends, or employees. Plus, it makes a offered by Giverrang, can be redeemed at local, independent businesses throughout South Carolina. The com- real difference in helping local businesses pany is also seeking local nonprofits to join an affiliate program. (Photo/File) not just survive but thrive.”
June 20-July 17, 2022
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Greenville will be home to medical glove plant By Molly Hulsey
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mhulsey@scbiznews.com
he call for domestic PPE continues to be answered. At the Greenville Area Development Corp.’s annual meeting held June 6 at the Westin Poinsett Greenville, Health Supply US shared its plans to invest more than $150 million in a manufacturing base in Greenville. The Mooresville, N.C.-based company will produce 4.3 billion nitrile gloves per year at the 1 Quality Way plant in the Beechtree Business Park, according to a news release. The operations will be called Glove One and are expected to employ 600 workers during the next five years. “Health Supply US is dedicated to bringing critical medical supply chains back to the United States, “Christopher Garcia, CEO of the company’s U.S. operations, said in the release. “Nitrile gloves are a vitally needed medical item that keep our frontline health care professionals and first responders safe, an item that we simply cannot rely completely on international markets for our domestic supply in the future.” The company supplies the governments at all levels, as well as private health
A new nitrile glove manufacuting plant will be located in the Beechtree Business Park. (Rendering/Provided)
care systems with Class I medical devices and products such as medical isolation gowns. “We embarked on this critical project on behalf of our nation, and in doing so, knew that manufacturing site selection was of paramount importance to operational longevity,” Health Supply US Executive Vice President Aaron Petrosky said in the release. “Greenville and the entire state of South Carolina displayed tremendous enthusiasm for life sciences and support for this medical device operation. We’d like to thank all those involved from the Lowcountry to the Midlands to the Upstate that enabled this project to find its Greenville home for many decades to come.”
The company purchased the 182-acre property for $6.5 million this February from Beech Tree Inc., according to Greenville Property records data. The business park was developed by Hughes Investments and also holds Maritec Corp., Ellcon National, Alfmeier Corp., Specialty Bar Products, Cintas and FW Tool & Die Co. GADC conducted its annual meeting in person for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting featured congratulatory comments by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, U.S. Rep. William Timmons, GADC CEO Mark Farris and other public figures and business leaders. “This major investment by Health Supply US is further proof that our increased
efforts to recruit life science companies to South Carolina are paying off,” Gov. Henry McMaster said at the meeting. “Expanding our life science industry is critical to safeguarding our supply chain and ensuring life-saving medical supplies are readily available during future emergencies. I congratulate Health Supply US on their investment and look forward to the impact they will have statewide.” Last July, West Columbia-headquartered Nephron Pharmaceutical Corp. launched Nephron Nitrile, slated to produce three billion nitrile gloves in its first year of operation at its Saxe-Gotha Industrial Park facility. The gloves are manufactured in the Kennedy Innovation Complex, part of Nephron’s $215.8 million expansion at its Lexington County headquarters. CeramTec, a global ceramic and medical technology company with North American headquarters in Laurens, makes the glove molding forms. Since 2017, life sciences have become South Carolina’s fastest-growing industry. The state’s life science industry also is growing at a faster rate than in any other Southeastern state. More than 1,030 life sciences companies are spread across 42 of the state’s 46 counties and employ 87,000 citizens.
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Pair of Pickens Street hotels in downtown Columbia sold By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
pair of downtown Columbia hotels have sold to an institutional buyer for an undisclosed price. Hilton Garden Inn and Home2 Suites on Pickens Street have sold in a transaction facilitated by Mayank Patel, senior vice president of Hunter Hotel Advisors, who advised the seller, CN Hotels. “We trusted Mayank and Hunter with this property, given our longstanding relationship and history of successful transactions,” Mitul Patel with CN Hotels said in a news release. “Once again, Mayank and the team provided us with exceptional results. We thank Mayank and Hunter for their continued dedication to their clients and the deal.” The Hilton Garden Inn and Home2 Suites provide 223 rooms to downtown Columbia. The property, built in 2019, is near the University of South Carolina and the S.C. Statehouse and features amenities including an indoor pool, fitness center and onsite restaurant. “We are very pleased by the completion of this transaction for our client,” Mayank Patel said in the release. “This premium development is further elevated
by its strategic urban location in downtown Columbia which provides numerous leisure and corporate demand generators allowing the property to capitalize on sustained demand.”
3 York County hotels sold
Three York County hotels have been sold to a Charlotte-headquartered, privately held real estate investment, development and management company. Hunter Hotel Advisors also facilitated the sale of the Hampton Inn & Suites in Fort Mill, along with the Fairfield Inn & Suites and the Townplace Suites in Rock Hill, to Shreeji Hotel Group on behalf of investor groups led by the Warren Norman Co. Shreeji Hotel Group purchased the 307-room portfolio for an undisclosed price. “This transaction provided our investment group with an opportunity to divest some assets close to home while we seek opportunities in new markets,” Warren Norman, Warren Norman Co. broker in charge, said in a news release from Hunter Hotel Advisors. Fort Mill and Rock Hill, the fifth-largest city in S.C., are located 30 minutes outside of Charlotte’s city center, home to six Fortune 500 companies.
Columbia chamber honors local leaders By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
he Columbia Chamber of Commerce honored nine local businesses and individuals, ranging from a hotel to an exterminating company, with its 2022 Impact Awards. The awards, presented by Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A., were announced virtually via individual announcements from April to June. “The Columbia Chamber is proud to recognize the outstanding organizations and individuals who have worked to make Columbia a better place to live, work, and play,” Carl Blackstone, Columbia Chamber President and CEO, said in a news release. “The 2022 Columbia Impact Awards showcased each winner in a new, more accessible way, allowing all to join in the celebration of these extraordinary talents.” The Cathy Novinger Trailblazer Award honors an individual who has shown exemplary industry leadership, advocates for business and positively impacts the community. The 2022 recipient is Roslyn Clark Artis, president and CEO of Benedict College. The Small Business of the Year Award
recognizes a chamber partner who has shown great growth or achievement or has realized economic and cultural growth that benefits the business community. The 2022 recipient is Modern Exterminating. The Diversity & Inclusion Award celebrates a partner that strives to create a diverse work environment. The 2022 recipient is Camp Cole. The Golden Nail Award is given to businesses or property owners for exemplary contributions to the physical character of the greater Midlands region through cosmetic or commercial improvements. 2022 recipients are: Hood Construction, Smoked, Midas of Gervais, and Lucas Group Properties. The chamber also introduced two new awards this year. The Hospitality Industry Award celebrates a partner that makes Columbia a better place to live, work and visit. The 2022 recipient is Hotel Trundle. The Workforce Development Award honors a partner that works to retain local talent with innovative strategies. The 2022 recipient is Midlands Technical College. Recipient acceptance videos are available online at the chamber’s YouTube page.
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
SHIFTING SCALES: HOW CURRENT MARKET VOLATILITY HAS WIDENED THE GAP FOR BUSINESSES IN THE BUILDING PRODUCTS INDUSTRY M&A INSIGHTS BY MATRIX CAPITAL MARKETS GROUP
B
eginning in the first quarter of 2020 and continuing through present day, the broader economic landscape has been subject to meaningful volatility, evidenced by rising interest rates, inflationary pressures, intensified constraints on supply chains, and turbulent capital markets, both globally and nationally.
David W. Shoulders
Head of Consumer & Industrial Investment Banking
One of the most impacted sectors of the market has been within building products, including manufacturing and distribution of roofing, windows, decking, and other construction related products. The macroeconomic turbulence has created perceived “winners,” businesses whose performances have remained consistent or elevated, and “losers’, those that were negatively impacted, on a market-bymarket basis; however, the paradigm has shifted in what defines each category. In defining the winners, a few different perspectives must be considered when determining success. For example, as a result of the pandemic, consumers increased their usage of e-commerce platforms due to their inherent safety, relative ease of use, and convenience. Consequently, businesses that are able to leverage both their building products
expertise, e-commerce sales and distribution channels experienced a substantial increase in order volumes. Further, with increased popularity of “doit-yourself” projects and extended at home stays, the desire for new product categories quickly boomed. Decking, once seen as an accessory or secondary building products category, has quickly been repositioned to a highly competitive, fragmented segment that not only enhances value, but rides the tailwinds of long-term outdoor living trends. Given global supply-chain constraints, it’s also no surprise that business owners who are able to source their materials domestically are positioned favorably compared to those with predominantly overseas suppliers. Today’s consumer is rarely willing to wait months for building products or accessories and often compromise on selections in order to receive timely delivery. Where there are winners, there are often groups lagging and the building products space is no exception. Longtime darlings in the broader building products market, home décor has, on balance, been experiencing extremely long wait times. While backlogs mount, near-term earnings are stifled by import delays and earnings have lagged as a result. While likely temporary, it nevertheless stifles a product category that was previously of high interest. Additionally, with consumers more inclined to order products online than in-person, brick and mortar retailers and distributors are struggling to attract and retain customers. The struggles of traditional retailers are by no means new developments, but the chasm between traditional and e-commerce in
the building products market has only grown wider in the past 24 months. These impacts have even passed through to many residential construction and engineering firms, where service costs scale with input costs, making it more difficult to actually generate new business, pay and retain employees, and maintain targeted profitability metrics. With all of the recent volatility, business owners may be asking themselves: “Has this impacted the valuation of my business? And if so, how?” For better or worse, the answer isn’t as clear as one might think. For example,
William J. O’Flaherty Director
increased revenues may be attributable to the inflationary environment temporarily driving up individual order values, while order volumes have remained flat or decreased. Similarly, decreased cash flows could be the result of elevated input costs (materials or transportation) that should normalize over time. The most accurate method for business owners to understand the value to their business comes from enlisting the services of an experienced financial advisor who understands the
David W. Shoulders dshoulders@matrixcmg.com
www.matrixcmg.com
804.591.2034
nuances of market trends, as well as the unique characteristics of each individual business to provide guidance on financing options, liquidity events, capital allocation or guidance for future growth. Founded in 1988, Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc. is an independent, advisory focused, privately-held investment bank headquartered in Richmond, VA, with an additional office in Baltimore, MD. Matrix provides merger & acquisition and financial advisory services for privately-held, private-equity owned, not-for-profit and publicly traded companies. Matrix’s advisory services include company sales, recapitalizations, capital raises of debt & equity, corporate carve outs, special situations, management buyouts, corporate valuations and fairness opinions. Matrix serves clients in a wide range of industries, including automotive aftermarket, building products, business services, consumer products, convenience retail, downstream energy, healthcare and industrial products. This article is presented for informational purposes only by Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc. and MCMG Capital Advisors, Inc. (“Matrix”), and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to purchase securities. Matrix believes the information presented is accurate, it is provided “AS IS” and without warranty of any kind. Matrix assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in or linked to this article. Any recipient of this article is expressly responsible to seek professional advice with respect to the information referenced.
William J. O’Flaherty woflaherty@matrixcmg.com
804.591.2053
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June 20-July 17, 2022
New SRS apprenticeship training nuclear operators By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
avannah River Nuclear Solutions and Denmark Technical College have created a paid apprenticeship program to train Savannah River Site nuclear operators. The apprenticeships, open to area residents and students from local colleges and universities, involve nuclear operations, radiation control, maintenance and other positions typically requiring a technical school certificate or bachelor’s degree, according to a news release. The program has registered 139 apprentices across 15 occupations, the release said. About 20% of those have become full-service employees.
“We’re continually looking for new opportunities to expand this initiative,” Dorian Newton, program manager, apprenticeship and pipeline training at SRS, said in the release. “We’re currently assisting the president of Denmark Technical College, who has expressed a strong desire to partner with SRNS, to develop an apprenticeship program that will meet the needs of their students in the area of nuclear operations. This, of course, will help achieve one our company’s most pressing objectives: creating a strong employee pipeline filled with qualified candidates possessing a wide variety of skills and talent who can begin their careers at SRS ready to productively contribute while requiring a minimum of additional training.” Denmark Tech is a two-year college
that primarily serves Bamberg, Barnwell and Allendale counties. “We’re mirroring a highly successful and robust program at Denmark Tech that was established at Aiken Technical College years ago. We want to pass on the benefits of that program to the students attending Denmark Tech as well,” said Janéssa Smith with SRNS human resources. “Building this program at Denmark Tech is also highly desired because of the valuable resources DTC’s students bring to our workforce.” When not attending classes at Denmark Tech, each student works two days a week at SRS, earning a competitive starting salary. “Financially, this is an optimum situation for participating students seeking apprenticeships as nuclear operators,”
Newton said. “They receive a paycheck from SRNS, while in many cases, much of their college-related expenses will be covered by grants through the school and other local resources, in partnership with the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, such as tuition, purchasing books and paying fees.” Denmark Tech is now accepting applications for fall 2022 classes associated with the Nuclear Operators Certificate. “At the least, they (students) will earn transferable credentials issued by the U.S. Department of Labor for graduating students of this program that are recognized by multiple organizations nationally. … Our desire is to hire everyone who completes this apprenticeship program,” Smith said.
Samsung’s Newberry County investment nears $500 million By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
n the five years since opening its first U.S. home appliance manufacturing facility in 2017, Samsung has invested nearly $500 million in the Newberry
County plant. That total exceeds the $380 million planned investment, according to a news release from the company. Samsung has also hired more than 1,500 employees from Newberry and surrounding counties since 2018. “The family we’ve built in this commu-
nity has been incredibly supportive, and we know we’ll be developing new home appliances together for generations to come,” Thomas Komaromi, general counsel of Samsung Electronics Home Appliances America, said in a news release. The 450,00-square-foot Newberry
facility added 151,000 square feet to the former Caterpillar site and installed two manufacturing and assembly lines. A second production line was added in March 2018. Since manufacturing began in 2018, more than 4 million washing machines have been shipped across the U.S.
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Final SC gas tax increase to take effect in July By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
outh Carolinians will see the final increase in gas prices of a phased, six-year plan starting July 1. The Motor Fuel User Fee increase will raise gas prices by two cents per gallon for the final time as part of the South Carolina Infrastructure and Economic Development Reform Act passed by the General Assembly in 2017. The total 28-cent increase will be permanent. The fee helps support road, bridge and infrastructure construction in the state. From July 1,2017 through March 2022, nearly $890 million has been deposited
The final gas tax increase of a six-year plan passed by the General Assembly in 2017 will take effect next month. Prices will rise by two cents per gallon, and the total 28-cent increase will be permanent. (Photo/File)
into the state Infrastructure Maintenance Trust Fund to support more than $2 million in road and bridge work, according to numbers from the S.C. Department of Transportation. A tax credit is available to help offset the fee increase. The credit equals the lesser of the vehicle maintenance fees paid during the year or what was paid in the increased fees. According to S.C. Department of Revenue data, the credit has been claimed on 68,052 S.C. tax returns, totaling $5,592,065 in credits issued so far this year. To claim the credit next year, save receipts from gas purchases and vehicle maintenance work.
Former Orangeburg School District employee sentenced for fraud By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
former Orangeburg School District employee has been sentenced to almost three years in federal prison for defrauding the district of more than $550,000. David Cortez Marshall was sentenced June 7 by U.S. District Judge Mary G.
Lewis to 33 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. Marshall was also ordered to pay approximately $600,000 in restitution. “Fraud of any nature is illegal and wrong, but fraud against a public school — in the middle of a pandemic — is unconscionable,” U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis said in a news release.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Marshall, a former media communications specialist employed by the Orangeburg County School District, purchased remote learning cameras for school classrooms. Through the use of shell companies, fabricated documents, forged signatures and a false identity, Marshall steered the district’s purchasing contracts to companies he controlled,
purchased the cameras, then sold them to the school at a substantial markup. Marshall also received funds from the school district for the cameras that he never paid to the seller and received more than $550,000 in illegal proceeds. He was eventually confronted by school district employees and reported to the FBI. Marshall also faces state tax evasion charges.
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Saluda County schools to receive $38M for improvements By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
he Saluda County School District has been allocated $38 million to renovate and replace outdated facilities. The funding is part of the $100 million appropriated to the South Carolina Department of Education as part of the General Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2021-2022. “With school facilities approaching 100 years of age, it is long overdue
that the state provides financial support for counties like Saluda which cannot afford to build new facilities on its own,” S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said in a news release. “With the generous support of the General Assembly, we are pleased to be able to provide the additional funding that these districts need to provide safe, state-ofthe-art facilities that students, families, and educators need and deserve.” In April, the SCDE commissioned independent facility studies of schools in the state’s poorest counties. Saluda Coun-
ty School District includes five separate schools located in or near the town of Saluda and in the Hollywood community. Current pre-K through 12 district enrollment is approximately 2,412 students. The review found the five schools were an average of 53 years old and in need of significant modification and renovation, according to the release. Recommendations included a new elementary school on the existing Saluda Elementary School campus that would consolidate Saluda Elementary and Saluda Primary schools. Additions and ren-
ovations to Hollywood Elementary and Saluda middle and high schools were also recommended. “We are extremely grateful for the investment made by the State of South Carolina to improve the educational environment for our students, teachers, and community,” Harvey Livingston, Superintendent of Saluda County School District, said. “We commend Superintendent Spearman’s leadership in her continued fight for improvements in public education, especially in rural districts such as ours.”
SCICU awards more than $105,000 for undergraduate research By Ross Norton
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rnorton@scbiznews.com
.C. Independent Colleges and Universities Inc. has awarded more than $105,000 in funding to undergraduate researchers in its 2022 Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program. Thirty research projects to be conducted by 31 students at 11 SCICU member colleges and universities received funding, according to a news release. SCICU convened subject-area expert fac-
ulty from member institutions to review students’ academically diverse research proposals and select projects for funding. “The SCICU Undergraduate Student/ Faculty Research Program is approaching three decades of offering SCICU students exceptional professional research experience,” Jeff Perez, president and CEO of the organization, said in the news release. “Generous support from our donors allows our undergraduates to conduct the kind of faculty-mentored research typically conducted at only the graduate level. Milliken & Co. provided the original
seed money in 1995 to establish SCICU’s undergraduate research program, the release said. Since then, numerous donors have designated their SCICU support for student research. The Belle W. Baruch Foundation, another long-term supporter of the SCICU student research program, is funding a Converse University student’s arts research project. The project will focus on Hobcaw Barony, a Georgetown County research reserve owned by the foundation. Hobcaw Barony’s 16,000acre plantation includes more than 70
cultural sites, including cemeteries, slave cabins and the Baruch homes. The latest SCICU donor to provide major support focused on the Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program is Power:Ed, the philanthropic arm of the S.C. Student Loan Corp. Power:Ed designated $25,000 for funding 2022 student research proposals submitted by students attending SCICU’s HBCU member colleges and universities. Students at Benedict College and Claflin University received funding for their research projects.
He won’t forget his family when he deploys. And neither will we. Veterans who work at Dominion Energy are in good company: 1 in 5 new hires has served in the military. And should they be deployed while on the job, we’ll proudly continue their family’s benefits for up to five years and cover the difference between their current salary and military pay. Because family watches out for family, and they’ll always be a part of ours.
June 20-July 17, 2022
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The International African American Museum is set to open Jan. 21, 2023. (Photo/Ellis Creek Photography)
Museum to welcome 1st guests in 2023 By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
he International African American Museum will welcome its first visitors on Jan. 21, 2023. The museum is located at the site of Gadsden’s Wharf in downtown Charleston, where many slaves disembarked from Africa. Its focus will be the cultural, social and economic impact of slavery in the Americas and the diverse journeys and achievements of slaves and their descendants. The museum features nearly 150,000 square feet of exhibition, learning and interpretive space and includes nine themed galleries ranging from African origins to African American economic, creative and social contributions to American history. The museum also includes this African Ancestors Memorial Garden, conceived by landscape architect Walter Hood, which includes art installations, plants and an infinity reflection pool. “I am proud to have worked with our incredible team to get this museum to opening day,” Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the International African American Museum, said in a news release. “This museum will be a mustsee space of courageous curiosity and authentic engagement with our nation’s history — with African American history. “Committed reckoning with history is a necessary stop on the road to healing and reconciliation. Charleston is a port city, a global city, a historic city — and there is no better place for our museum to steward these stories that have such national and international significance and impact.” The museum was first publicly announced by Joseph P. Riley Jr., former mayor of Charleston, during his state of the city address in 2000. “Our journey has been long because it took time to secure the optimal site,” Riley said in the release. “A site that is called ‘sacred’ because it is precisely where so many enslaved Africans arrived in our country, and many died here. It took time to raise the resources, assemble the team,
and plan every detail that would enhance the experience of being here. And it took time because we have been committed to excellence.” The exterior of the museum, designed by architect Henry Cobb, features 18 13-foot pillars that lift the structure over the garden, stretching out to the Charleston Harbor pier walk. A 245-foot steel band, inscribed with the names of regions from which enslaved people were brought, is being installed beneath the museum at the site of the original edge of Gadsden’s Wharf. Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard professor and historian who helped shape the museum’s Center for Family History genealogy research library, noted that “48.1% of all the African slaves who came to the United States entered this country through Charleston. So, for blackness, black culture, the African experience, the African American experience, slavery — however you want to slice it — this is ground zero. I think it’s very important that a great city in the South be the home of a great museum celebrating the achievements, the history, and the culture of persons of African descent.” The museum’s first board chair, Congressman James E. Clyburn, said the museum is a place to honor and celebrate the whole of the African American experience. “The grand opening of the International African American Museum is the culmination of over 20 years of hard work, and I am pleased to see it finally come to fruition,” Clyburn said. “I have always said that this museum ought to tell more than just the story of slavery and pay homage to the countless descendants of slavery who, in spite of their circumstances, rose to prominence and helped bring us closer to achieving this land’s promise of a ‘more perfect union.’ I am confident that this museum will help educate its visitors on America’s dark past and inspire future generations through stories of perseverance.” Details about opening celebrations, speakers and events will be released in the months leading up to the grand opening, the museum said.
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Exercise equipment company expanding Lexington operations By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
n exercise equipment company which purchased a Lexington facility in March is expanding operations. Sorinex Exercise Equipment Inc. is investing $7 million in an expansion of its 120 Glassmaster Road facility expected to create 35 jobs. The expansion, expected to be completed within 12 months, will help the family-owned strength training equipment company meet increased demand, according to a news release from Central SC Alliance. Sorinex has created custom exercise equipment and workout apparel for 40 years for customers ranging from high school, college and professional teams to military bases. “Lexington County has been home to Sorinex Exercise Equipment Inc. and many of our employees for years,” Kenny Workman, Sorinex controller, said in the release. “We look forward to continuing our expansion, growth and investments in the county that we work and live in. We’re proud to have the opportunity to build the most innovative weight equipment in the world right here in Lexington, S.C.”
In March, the company bought a 97,000-square-foot industrial facility at 120 Glassmaster Road for $2.7 million as it relocated operations from West Palm Beach, Fla. That 8.32-acre facility is located on the same exit off Interstate 20 as the company’s headquarters and main manufacturing hub on Litton Drive. Sorinex also has two smaller leased warehouses in the greater Columbia area. Employment information is available on the company’s career page at https:// www.sorinex.com/pages/career-opportunities. “We are thrilled to see Sorinex Exercise Equipment Inc. expand its business and continue to invest in Lexington County,” Lexington County Council Chair Scott Whetstone said. “This investment will bring more job opportunities to our residents and allow the county to keep growing and moving in a positive direction.”
Decor company expandings
An international decor printing company is investing $21 million to expand its Lexington County operations in a move expected to create 23 jobs during the next five years. Schattdecor, a family-owned company headquartered in Germany and founded in 1985, produces printed, impregnated
and finished surfaces used for flooring, furniture, countertops, doors and interior design. Schattdecor’s state-of-the-art production facilities create minimal environmental emissions while optimizing energy use. The expansion will include the addition of a new production line and mixing plant at the facility, located at 138 Zenker Road in Lexington. “Schattdecor is proud to announce the expansion at our Lexington facility as we grow to meet global demand,” Flavio Nunes, company president, said in a news release from Central SC Alliance. “The positive manufacturing environment in South Carolina motivated Schattdecor to focus our development efforts in North America toward Lexington. We are excited to be part of this community and look forward to a long future of further investment and cooperation.” The expansion is expected to be completed by October 2023. Employment information is available on the company’s careers page at https://www.schattdecor. com/en/careers/usa. “This internationally known company is recognized for creating high-quality products and providing reliable service to its customers, and we are excited to see that continue as they expand their operations in Lexington County,” Lexington
County Council Chair Scott Whetstone said. “The growth of Schattdecor adds to our list of the many successful manufacturing industries which are creating more jobs for our residents and helping Lexington County see continued prosperity in the future.”
Industrial building sold
An industrial building in West Columbia has sold for $6.375 million. Trinity Partners’ Nick Stomski and Jake Nidiffer represented the seller of the 180,000-square-foot building at 107 McQueen St. The agents generated multiple offers on the property, which was purchased by a qualified buyer who was able to close quickly on the facility, according to a news release from Trinity.
Columbia car washes acquired
In other area transactions, apartment community investment company PassiveInvesting.com LLC purchased seven express car washes in the Columbia area. NAI Columbia’s Patrick Palmer and Bobby Balboni represented the company, founded in 2013 and manager of a growing portfolio of large apartment communities, self-storage facilities and express car washes.
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Mark Anthony Brewing launched its $400 million, 1.3 million-square-foot facility in Richland County’s Pineview Industrial Park in less than a year. (Photo/Mark Anthony Brewing)
Mark Anthony Brewing celebrates rapid launch in Richland County By Melinda Waldrop
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
fter a whirlwind production schedule that brought a $400 million, 1.3 million-squarefoot state-of-the-art production facility online in a year, the stakeholders in Mark Anthony Brewing’s Shop Road operations took a moment to acknowledge their accomplishments. “The magnitude of this project is breathtaking,” Mark Anthony founder and CEO Anthony von Mandl said during a May 12 grand opening ceremony at the Pineview Industrial Park plant attended by company officials as well as state, county and city dignitaries. “Twenty-seven miles of stainless steel
piping, 33 miles of steel roof framing and racks, 56 enormous stainless steel tanks, 126,000 tons of concrete, more than 600 people on the site during the peak of construction during the height of COVID. … Nothing about this project was normal. This was to be the most complex, advanced facility of its kind in the world, purpose-built with technology that had to be designed as we were building.” A slew of project engineers and architects, including German and Italian companies, teamed up with general contractor Clayco accelerate a production schedule von Mandl said would normally take four to six years to complete. But before the building began, a decision had to be made.
Choosing South Carolina
On Sept. 22, 2020, a Mark Anthony site selection task force arrived in Columbia for breakfast at the Governor’s Mansion. At home in Vancouver, von Mandl couldn’t join that expedition because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, but he was well aware of the goings-on on at 800 Richland Street. “Your goal was to convince us to select South Carolina as the state to build the largest brewery built in the United States in the last 28 years and the most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the world,” he said, addressing S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, seated in the front row at the May 12 event. “We looked at 18 locations in five states and narrowed the field down to two. I can tell you now,
Governor, truth be known, South Carolina was not in the lead when our team arrived that morning.” That changed as the Mark Anthony team heard what McMaster, then-Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt, and Richland County economic development officials had to say. “Peggy (McMaster) hosted half of our team on what she called the kids’ table, and she charmed the team with her Southern hospitality and played an integral role in convincing us that South Carolina was the place to be,” John Sacksteder, president of Mark Anthony Brewing, said. “The governor was just as convincing. His deep pride in this state and See MARK ANTHONY, Page 20
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June 20-July 17, 2022
Mark Anthony founder and CEO Anthony von Mandl speaks at a May 12 grand opening ceremony. He is flanked by a screen showing brewing tanks shipped from Germany to Charleston. (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)
MARK ANTHONY , from Page 19
this city was clear from the moment that we met him.” Also apparent were the forward-thinking steps the county had already taken to make the 160 acres 310 Mark Anthony employees now call home readily habitable. “(The county) had the vision more than eight years ago to add infrastructure to this site — roads, natural gas lines, water, wastewater connection,” Sacksteder said. “Without that, we could have never even considered this piece of property.” By October 2020, the team decided South Carolina was the place to be, and ground was broken a month later. Within 10 days of the facility’s Nov. 30 groundbreaking, Clayco poured the first concrete slab, and the project was off, forging ahead through pandemic protocols and staying a step in front of supply chain disruptions. “Four weeks later, the first structural and roofing steel was in place,” von Mandl said. “Had we started the project just one month later, we would have not been able to keep up with the steel required for the structural girders to keep going. If we tried to build the project today, it would probably take us two more years to get the steel.”
Breakneck pace
Within three months and 100,000 work hours, the facility’s exterior walls were erected. By March 2021, the roof was up, and “we had helicopters lifting 88 air conditioning units up to the roof in the midst of a driving rain storm,” von Mandl said. “Nothing was going to stand in our way, not even South Carolina occasional weather.” Filtration equipment and brewing tanks from German manufacturer Ziemann Holvrieka arrived via the Port of Charleston and were put into place with the help of 46 laser-guided vehicles. The electrical substation, powered at a lightning pace by Dominion Energy, was activated. Front office furniture was installed, and test production runs began. “Here’s a remarkable photo,” von Mandl said, gesturing to an onstage screen. “Here’s four of our tanks on a barge. Ziemann Holvrieka has this remarkable facility where they build some of the highest-end tanks in the world on the Rhine River. The tanks are loaded on a barge, taken to the Port of Rotterdam, and loaded on a vessel to Charleston. Thank you, Port of Charleston, for being there. It really helped us on our project.” In November 2021, the first salable case of Mark Anthony products — which include White Claw hard seltzer, Mike’s
Hard Lemonade and Cayman Jack cocktails — rolled off the line and into of one 69 shipping bays. “Ten years ago, the land that we stand on today was a tree nursery with about two or three employees,” Richland County Council Chair Overture Walker said. “This was made possible because my colleagues in Richland County made the commitment to invest in economic development with the aim of creating quality career opportunities for our citizens and growing our community’s tax base and attracting more industrial and commercial development. “We didn’t allow concerns about taxes to stand in the way of delivering job opportunities that will pay a livable wage for many of our residents. Instead, we took a resourceful approach and used all the tools at the county’s disposal for leveling the playing field and competing with other regions for economic development projects.” Ryan Coleman, director of the city of Columbia’s Office of Economic Development, told SC Biz News the Mark Anthony project is an example of what the county can accomplish when stakeholders work together. The facility was part of a record-setting $638.7 million in economic investment the county attracted in 2020, followed in
2021 by $359.6 million, the second-highest amount on record. “It’s about (removing) those impediments as early on as possible, so that the barriers (leading) to a company saying no aren’t there,” Coleman said. “When you’ve got the ability to control the site, and you can give the company the infrastructure that they need to go forward, that’s how you get something like this to happen.” Mark Anthony’s Columbia investment included $10 billion in a system that captures and reprocesses all carbon dioxide created at the plant into carbonation for its beverages, $15 million in an advanced wastewater treatment system and $4 million in landscaping that includes more than 200 newly planted trees and a 29-acre employee park. “We’re not done yet,” von Mandl said. “Our long-term vision for South Carolina will see even more investment, including expanding the footprint of our facilities in years ahead. I’ll leave those details for another day. “This is a great day for Mark Anthony Brewing, the city of Columbia, the state of South Carolina. For me personally, it is a very significant moment. Thank you all for your commitment and believing in us. One final promise to the future Mark Anthony staff in South Carolina, and that is: We’ve only just begun.”
June 20-July 17, 2022
IN FOCUS: ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION
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Ebony Livingston (with scissors) celebrates the opening of her business. (Photo/Christina Lee Knauss)
New business opens on North Main amid changes in city regulations By Christina Lee Knauss
T
Contributing Writer
he owner of a new business on North Main Street wants to offer the neighborhood and the city of Columbia a space for everything from making art to celebrating life events. Irmo resident Ebony Livingston is owner of Good Vibes Nibbles and Sips, which opened June 10 at 2510 Main St., Suite A, in the NOMA (which stands for North Main) trestle district. Livingston said her business will offer everything from a place where guests can enjoy a glass of wine while learning how to paint from a local artist to a space that can be rented for occasions ranging from business meetings to baby showers. “I love to host events. I’ve done them in the past with my family, and now I’m stepping out to open this business and share what I love to do with other people in Columbia,” Livingston said. “I think there’s a need for this type of venue in this neighborhood and in Columbia. It’s going to give an additional outlet for people nearby who want somewhere to come to have a good time without having to go out of town.” Good Vibes will offer a variety of events, from privately scheduled painting events to daily public access where visitors can create their own works. The space will also be available for rental by individuals, groups and businesses. Events offered by Good Vibes will include open bookings, where customers can select artwork to paint from a provided gallery, bring any food or beverage they want, andpaint provided supplies including aprons, paint, pre-sketched canvases and brushes. The business will also offer special painting events for children and larger events for adults. The opening of Good Vibes is coming at an opportune time for businesses in the capital city. On June 13, Columbia announced a series of business-friendly initiatives designed to streamline opera-
tions for both new and existing businesses. The initiatives include eliminating the water and sewer change of use fee, which will eliminate the fees when a commercial property is redeveloped for a change in use. The process for applying for and renewing business licenses will be simplified, including the elimination of the requirement to show business or personal tax returns in order to renew. City officials also estimate the entire process for applying for and renewing licenses should be online by the fourth quarter of this year. Another new initiative includes flexibility and new financial assistance programs for grease capture costs, including a reimbursable loan program that will offset 50% of grease capture costs up to $10,000. Other initiatives focus on making renovations and remodeling of existing buildings more affordable, attracting investments and opportunities for businesses, and eliminating the requirement for on-site parking or renting off-site parking to receive an occupancy permit for commercial and retail buildings. “Too often, we hear from our business community about the burden of doing business in Columbia — whether lengthy processes, needless requirements or just too much red tape,” said Jean Cecil Frick, chair of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce board of directors. “The Columbia Chamber applauds the city’s efforts to deliver business friendly initiatives, and we look forward to seeing the city’s economic base expand through important steps like these.” Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann attended the ribbon-cutting event for Good Vibes, along with city council members and other community leaders. “North Main is the new corridor where investment is coming. ... This is a business that’s going to offer a lot of variety for people, whether they’re coming to ‘paint and sip’ or for other events, and it’s a great asset for the neighborhood.”
Enhancing the
Experience
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June 20-July 17, 2022
COLUMBIA UNDER CONSTRUCTION SPONSORED BY:
4 West @ Brookland 351 Meeting St., West Columbia Developer/owner: Cornerstone at Meeting Architect(s): Steinberg Dickey Collaborative, Houston General contractor: Crestline Construction, Indianapolis Engineer(s): Strand, Dallas (engineer of record); Red Bay Constructors, North Charleston (installation of micropiles, provision of all post-tensioned foundations, slabs, and structural concrete) This new construction will host 15,000 square feet of Class A commercial space consisting of office, retail, and restaurant suites located on the first floor. The second through fifth floors will contain high-end apartment homes. Amenities include an unobstructed view of the river and Columbia skyline with public spaces and options for outdoor seating. The site will be pedestrian-friendly to the river, park amphitheater, local shopping, entertainment, and numerous restaurants.
The Barn at Brookside 120 Brookside Pkwy., Lexington Developer/owner: Kudzu Staffing Architect(s): Davis Architecture General contractor: Hill Construction Company Estimated completion date: July 2022 This mixed-use development includes new construction and site work for Kudzu Staffing. The 6,500-square-foot building will have a total of four suites, three of which are currently available for lease.
Bo Tire & Oil Company 224 Bo Tire Way, Lexington Developer/owner: FTC Properties, Lexington Architect(s): Architectural Concepts General contractor: Master Construction Company, Chapin Estimated completion date: Summer 2022 This new construction for a tire center consists of a preengineered metal building, split-face concrete masonry units, stone accents, glass-panel overhead doors, stamped-concrete showroom floor, big rig/RV tire-changing bay, and 12 service bays for tire changes and vehicle servicing.
Cambria Hotel 1000 Lady St. Architect(s): LS3P Project Manager: Highside Development, Denver General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineer(s): LeBlanc Welch, Greenville (mechanical/plumbing); Buford Goff & Associates (electrical); Cox and Dinkins (civil); ADC Engineering, Greenville (structural) Estimated completion date: Summer 2022 (recently opened) Opened during the first week of June, the new 144-room Cambria Hotel in the Vista features upscale meeting and event space, locally inspired décor celebrating the history of the textile industry in Columbia, and contemporary, sophisticated guest rooms. Also offered are onsite dining and a full-service bar with local craft beer, wine, and specialty cocktails as well as a stateof-the-art fitness center.
Carver Lyon Elementary School Addition 2100 Waverly St. Developer/owner: Richland School District One Architect(s): Quackenbush Architects + Planners, Grimball Cotterill Landscape Architects General contractor: Contract Construction, Ballentine Engineer(s): Swygert & Associates (mechanical, plumbing, fire protection); Belka Engineering Associates, West Columbia (electrical); ADC Engineering (civil); Mabry Engineering, West Columbia (structural) Estimated completion date: 2022 Estimated total cost: $7 million This 28,280-square-foot classroom addition will support the district’s new language immersion program. The addition is conceived as two academic houses, with each house containing classrooms and flexible learning areas for a specific language program. Designed to create a flexible and immersive linguistic experience for students, classrooms have operable partitions that allow them to open to one another or to adjacent extended learning areas.
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant 945 Sabal St. Developer/owner: Bull Street Retail Architect(s): McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineer(s): Devita & Associates, Greenville (mechanical, electrical, plumbing); Davis & Floyd, Greenwood (civil); Fuller Group, Greenville (structural) Estimated completion date: Fourth quarter 2022 (shell completion) The 7,500-square-foot Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant will feature Iron Hill’s signature onsite brewing facility. A bar area, dining room, and outdoor dining space will seat approximately 250.
June 20-July 17, 2022
Lefkowitz Plastic Surgery 3566 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia Architect(s): LTC Associates Engineer(s): Jacob Rice Engineering This new building, comprising approximately 7,978 square feet, will be used for a physician clinic and ambulatory surgery center separated by a one-hour fire-rated partition as a business occupancy and type V-B construction. Scope includes site work on 2.4 acres, landscaping, masonry, concrete flat work, structural steel, high-end interior finishes, custom casework, and acoustical ceiling systems. Also included are mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, and fire and life safety systems.
COLUMBIA UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Publix Supermarket at Lexington Place 100 Old Cherokee Road, Lexington Developer/owner: Publix Supermarket, Lakeland, FL Architect(s): Little Diversified, Charlotte General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineer(s): Brandt Engineering, Midlothian, VA (mechanical, electrical, plumbing); Little Diversified, Charlotte (structural); Estimated completion date: Estimated total cost: Third quarter 2022 This project comprises interior renovations to an existing Publix store during ongoing operations. Included are updates to the deli kitchen as well as new energy-efficient upgrades, new rooftop air-conditioning units, and overall cosmetic upgrades to the store. The project also includes enclosing the loading dock and concrete slab/ramp modifications.
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Tiny Teeth Pediatric Dentistry 7432 Broad River Road, Irmo Developer/owner: Architect(s): Seed Architecture Engineer(s): HB Engineering Scope of work for this project includes a full site package developing approximately 1.45 acres with a detention pond sized for future development of the entire 2.00-acre property and the construction of a two-story 6,500-square-foot woodframed building with dental and office areas.
QuikTrip 580 Jamil Road Developer/owner: QuikTrip, Tulsa Architect(s): DP3 Architects, Greenville General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineer(s): Hoss & Brown, Lenexa, KS (mechanical, electrical, plumbing); Wolverton, Duluth, GA (civil); Britt, Peters and Associates, Greenville (structural) Estimated completion date: Third quarter 2022 This 4,993-square-foot convenience store and gas retailer is the fourth ground-up QuikTrip project that McCrory has worked on. Located just off the intersection of I-26 and Jamil Road, this new store features an industrial kitchen, gas and diesel canopies, high-end finishes throughout, and a complete landscape package.
New E. L. Wright Middle School and Center for Knowledge 2740 Alpine Road Developer/owner: Richland School District Two Architect(s): Quackenbush Architects + Planners General contractor: Contract Construction, Ballentine Engineer(s): Swygert & Associates (mechanical, plumbing, fire protection); Belka Engineering Associates, West Columbia (electrical); ADC Engineering (civil); Mabry Engineering, West Columbia (structural); TriMark (food service) Estimated completion date: 2024 Estimated total cost: $60 million This new, modern complex replaces the aging school and center on the same site. The 230,500-square-foot design creates a more unified and compact campus, incorporating 21st century learning features and a significant increase in green space. The building comprises three 3-story academic wings linked by a main circulation spine that connect the academic wings to the arts, gymnasium, library, dining, and administrative spaces.
Rosewood Church Redevelopment 2901 Rosewood Dr. Developer/owner: Cason Development Group Architect(s): Garvin Design Group General contractor: Boyer Commercial Construction Engineer(s): Swygert & Associates (mechanical, plumbing); Belka Engineering Associates, West Columbia (electrical); LandPlan South (civil); Mabry Engineering Associates (structural) Estimated completion date: October 2022 This mixed-use development project adapts an existing church building for new use as apartments and adds new construction for retail, hospitality, and apartments. Distinctive elements such as the steeple and stained glass windows will remain in place.
USC Williams Brice Stadium Concourse Expansions and Elevator Addition 1125 George Rogers Blvd. Developer/owner: University of South Carolina Architect(s): Quackenbush Architects + Planners General contractor: Contract Construction, Ballentine Engineer(s): Swygert & Associates (mechanical, plumbing, fire protection); Belka Engineering Associates, West Columbia (electrical); Timmerman Structural Engineering Group, West Columbia (structural) Estimated completion date: 2022 Estimated total cost: $3.1 million Two concurrent projects provide upgrades to the fan experience on the stadium’s west side. The first includes two new elevators and an enclosed lobby with direct access to the 200 club level. The second project focuses on the main level west concourse, expanding outward with more than 5,000 square feet of space for gathering and small concession zones as well as views of Gamecock Park.
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June 20-July 17, 2022
$500,000 grant to help preserve Benedict’s Morgan Hall By Melinda Waldrop
B
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
enedict College will use a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service to continue rehabilitation efforts at Morgan Hall. The African American Civil Rights grant will be used to implement the second phase of a preservation project at Morgan Hall, one of five buildings in the college’s historic district. The district, which has played a significant role in the civil rights struggle, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. “Buildings like Morgan Hall are a rare treasure that contain a wealth of institutional history,” Roslyn Clark Artis, president and CEO of Benedict College, said in a news release. “I am grateful to the National Park Service for their commitment to helping the college to preserve its historic buildings. Built in 1895, Morgan Hall is the former home of five Benedict College presidents and the current home of Institutional Advancement.” Morgan Hall, the historic district’s oldest building, has distinct characteristics of the late Victorian time-period with a gable and hip roof, wraparound porch, and corbeled
A $500,000 federal grant will be used to continue preservation efforts for Benedict College’s historic Morgan Hall. (Photo/Provided)
chimneys. The preservation project aims to reduce the threat of water damage to the building as well as to refurbish around 50 windows. Morgan Hall was constructed with a $9,000 contribution from the American Baptist Home Mission Society and named in honor of Thomas J. Morgan, a former executive secretary of the American Baptist
Home Mission Society and editor of the society’s influential Home Mission Monthly. Morgan was instrumental in the establishing Benedict’s technical departments. He encouraged HBCUs to create programs for Black students to become architects, artists, engineers, and master mechanics. The building which bears his name
housed classrooms and offices from 19651987 and was then closed pending renovations. It now houses the college’s Division of Institutional Advancement. Benedict and neighboring Allen University were among eight S.C. community sites added last November to the National Park Services’ Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.
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June 20-July 17, 2022
later, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed racial segregation in public facilities. “Based on historical photographs of the incident, we actually located the two (counter) stool spots,” Ward said. “In the terrazzo floor, you could see the outline of where the drug store counter was, and then you could see the circles where the stools were bolted to the floor.” The old Eckerd Drug Store played a pivotal role, recognized with a historical marker outside the structure, in Columbia history. But like the civil rights case with origins in the building, its new tenant hopes to expand its impact beyond the capital city. While the Center for Architectural Design’s proximity to the Statehouse is critical for AIA S.C.’s advocacy of architecture and issues such as safe, sustainable building codes, its community outreach will extend into every corner of the state, both urban and rural. “Columbia is very central and strategic in its location to the Statehouse, but really the goal of the center is to get this programming out into our communities, into Charleston and Greenville and the Upstate and the Grand Strand and the Midlands,” said Dan Scheaffer, principal at LS3P’s Charleston office. “That’s where we’re going to make the most impact once we get it into those communities.” Adrienne Montare, AIA S.C. executive director, echoed those goals. “We wanted to create the South Carolina Center for Architecture so we’d have a space where we can show the public what we do and enhance the services we provide our members,” she said. “We feel so fortunate to be located in the heart of the capital city, a few blocks from the Statehouse and across the street from the Columbia Museum of Art. It’s the perfect location to showcase the important work architects do to uplift communities and design beautiful, safe, and healthy places for all South Carolinians to enjoy.”
Statewide vision
Scheaffer was president of AIA S.C. during fundraising for and design of the center, and he was a member of the steering committee for its capital campaign, which he said was met with great support from members. Currently on the S.C. Architectural Foundation board, he is excited about the center’s potential to not just promote architectural achievements but to make those achievements accessible to all state residents. “Really the goal of the center has always been about three main things: advocacy, community outreach and member knowledge,” Scheaffer said. “That includes preserving historically and culturally significant buildings, creating affordable housing through better design and supporting programs that promote resilient design to protect homes and businesses during weather events such as hurricanes and earthquakes. “And then one of the things we’re get-
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Simon Bouie speaks outside the former Eckerd Drug Store during a ceremony dedicating a historical marker on Main Street. (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)
The Center for Architecture will include a brightly lit, open event and exhibit space. (Rendering/Provided)
ting a lot of traction on and I think is really important for our profession particularly is diversity, equity and inclusion — being culturally aware. How can we create a better pipeline of diversity?” he said. “That really starts with getting into the schools. We’re doing a lot of partnerships with Clemson on programs and also K-12, creating programs that help young students see architecture as a viable career path, because that’s not often taught by guidance counselors and schools, that you can be an architect.” The center also will feature rotating and traveling exhibits, including one called Say It Loud, created by architect and activist Pascale Sablan and aimed at increasing diversity in the field. “We take this idea of architecture, and you go to Dillon County and do presentations for kids,” Ward said. “You go to Allendale County, some of these places where it might not be taught in school. They’re not given that as a career choice. “You can go into architecture, and you can make your community a better place” — that’s not something they hear, and it’s something they should hear.” A goal of the center is also to keep that burgeoning talent at home.
“One of the big things for me is creating a pipeline for kids — a whole diverse range of kids — to think that they can become architects, to see the importance of the profession and to see the power for change that we have in the profession, and also to highlight that you can be a great architect in South Carolina,” said Ward, who earned a design degree from Clemson in 2003 before getting his master’s in architecture at N.C. State. “I think so many times, in rural areas, kids go to school for architecture, and then they’ll move to New York or D.C. or somewhere like that to practice when they could stay here in their home state and do great things.” After purchasing the center, AIA S.C. held a design competition in 2017 to select the project’s architect. The winner was the formerly Columbia-based firm Watson Tate Savory, which merged with McMillan Pazdan Smith last October. The move combined Watson Tate Savory’s expertise in higher education design with the broader reach of MPS, which has offices in Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, Charleston, Charlotte, Atlanta and Asheville. “Now we have the backing of this large
firm that’s allowed us to do more things and go after bigger projects and participate in the community even more,” said former Watson Tate Savory principal Gene Bell, now with MPS. “We’re hoping the center will bring an awareness of architecture to everyone — not only serve as a home base for all registered architects and our members and the association, but also a home for the understanding of architecture and its impact on our community.” The Center for Architecture will feature its current, historically protected stone façade, which will open into a bright, open event and exhibit space lined by offices. Delayed by COVID-related supply issues and needing roof and other repairs before new construction could begin, the center is on track to open in late October or November, Ward said, with the public portion of its fundraising efforts also set to begin soon. “We are so thankful to all our founding campaign donors who have allowed us to not only renovate our Center for Architecture space but also to develop statewide programming to advance public awareness of the power of architecture, planning and design,” Mary Beth Branham, chair of the S.C. Architectural Foundation, said. “We will now have a place, right here in downtown Columbia, where we can host those programming events that will then spread to other areas of the state.” Having been on the ground floor of the center’s creation, Scheaffer is eager to see the project’s final shape. “There’s been a lot of effort by a lot of (people),” he said. “Financially, our firms have invested. We’ve invested our time and our talents to make this happen, so it’s real exciting. It’s going to be an incredible space, and we’re so excited for it to be here. Couldn’t get here soon enough.”
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June 20-July 17, 2022
Dance supply shop finds perfect new partner in Five Points By Melinda Waldrop
Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said before joining Columbia District 2 City Councilman Ed McDowell in helping Strasburger cut the bright red ribbon. “It’s been a well-established business for a long time in our community that has filled a need for all those dancing folks.”
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Five Points’ newest business features a familiar face. Dance supply shop The Turning Pointe relocated from the Forest Drive location it’s called home for 38 years to 1030 Harden Street after owner Coleen Strasburger received an offer she couldn’t refuse. “We had had offers before, and it was just never the right time or, really, the right price,” Strasburger said after a May 25 ribbon cutting at her business’ new location. “Lexington Medical approached us and said, ‘We’ll offer you this for your property,’ and we decided you know what, let’s do it. Let’s get this property sold and find us another home.” After selling the Forest Drive property last December, Strasburger searched until she found the perfect spot. The building, which once housed longtime Five Points establishment Cribbs Bakery, was most recently home to cable company Spectrum before becoming available. “This was the one that really drew us,” Strasburger said. “I really loved this space. … We had about eight weeks to renovate. So it was very, very scary. I was ready to put stuff in storage if I needed to.”
“This was the one that really drew us. I really loved this space.” Coleen Strasburger Owner, Turning Pointe
Ryan Coleman (left) of Columbia Economic Development joins Mayor Daniel Rickenmann (second from left) and City Councilman Ed McDowell (right) and Coleen Strasburger (with scissors). (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)
The space’s curved walls and already-installed track lighting appealed to Strasburger, who said one of the biggest renovations was the wood floor, now
polished to a gleaming sheen. “We get excited when there’s a new business in the city limits — not that Turning Pointe is a new business,”
Strasburger said she’s been overwhelmed by the support from Five Points and city officials and is excited to be a little more centrally located to her customers, who come from all over the state. “It’s been a great decision, a great move. I’m glad that I did it — now that it’s over,” she said with a laugh. The Turning Pointe stocks a variety of dance supplies and dancewear for ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, ballroom and other forms of dance. The shop is open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday.
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Chrisit Powell (left), of 84 Lumber and Angela Gardner of Hill Electric interview both men and women in the construction industry for the Women Talk Construction podcast, as well as women in nontraditional roles. The podcast, which currently has 14 episodes, has listeners in 17 countries and 207 cities. (Photo/Provided)
Podcast highlighting women in construction gains traction By Molly Hulsey
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or years, 84 Lumber’s Christi Powell didn’t work with other women. A former fire and rescue team lead and chemist, Powell turned her talents toward business development at Lowe’s and Builders FirstSource’s commercial sales departments in 2000. Fellow women in construction were just nonexistent — or at least appeared to be. “I didn’t even know there were female builders,” she told SC Biz News. “You just don’t run into them often.” Then she joined 84 Lumber, a Pennsylvania building materials company led by Maggie Hardy Knox, and met Hill Electric’s business development and marketing director Angela Gardner. Since then, has run into so many women in the field and companies seeking out women to join the industry that she was promoted to 84 Lumber’s Women Business Enterprise Lead and now cohosts the Women Talk Construction podcast with Gardner. “I’m now in the world of general contractors now that are high-end, doing 400 units at a time, and very involved with government agencies that are buying,” she said. “So, it’s still kind of the same, but now I work with a different set of customers. Now I work with a lot of women
where I never worked with women at all before.”
Building from the ground up
The strongest impetus for the increasing number of women in construction has been minority and women-owned business quotas required of federal contractors for material procurement and onsite work, she said. But few companies understand the full breadth of funding available for such businesses, or how to certify themselves for such incentives, she said. Fewer have the resources available to put together a Women and Minority Business program like 84 Lumber. “Even though I was new in July of 2020, just from doing a little bit of homework for 30 days prior to me taking the role on, I knew more than 90% of the people I talk to who are in it,” she said of the construction industry’s women and diversity hiring leads. “So, we’ve got people out there making laws and making rules and putting together programs that don’t work because they don’t understand it.” Most businesses she dealt with in South Carolina didn’t even know what it meant to be certified as a women-owned business, she said. Meanwhile, she said, general contractors were finding it challenging to find the certified suppliers or employees needed to fulfill federal or internal requirements.
Longtime customers and strangers alike have come to Powell in droves saying: “We love having female product managers. What can I do to get more women to work for me?” Powell knew she had her work cut out for her. Instead of having 1,000 mentorship sessions over coffee, she and Gardner began to interview women and men in the construction industry – as well as women in other non-traditional roles such as aviation – across the nation. After the release of 14 episodes, the podcast now has listeners in 17 countries and 207 cities. “When I meet amazing people — it doesn’t matter if they’re in New York or Maine or Arizona — if it’s an amazing story and we want to share it, we just ask them if they’d like to be on the podcast,” she said. Podcasts, released each Monday, focuses on the wins and challenges overcome for women in construction, not the airing of complaints. Both men and women are featured on the podcast, because both have been key to creating a more egalitarian workforce that doesn’t skip out on 48% of available talent, Powell said. “When you only have one or the other, you aren’t bringing everything to the table that that particular customer or that particular client needs to have,” Powell said. “It’s not fair to them, right? We’re better together, so we want to learn how to work
better together.” The podcast website also serves as a forum for industry players to discuss scholarships, workforce development opportunities and business support.
Better together
Powell’s Build the Way initiative has been another method that 84 Lumber uses to connect contractors and women or minority-owned businesses. The company offers free blueprints to small businesses able to demonstrate a need. It’s also compiling a database of minority and women-owned businesses across the country under Powell’s leadership for contractors in need. Paired with the podcast and Powell’s efforts, a Greenville happy hour has grown into a quarterly luncheon called Women Confidence Builders for working women across sectors. The first sessions were held at the Commerce Club; Powell invited 20 people, but 48 showed up. An upcoming Aug. 30 event, sponsored by BMW, is expected to draw 450 people to the Greenville Convention Center. Other business leaders want to emulate the event in Charlotte, Atlanta and Charleston. “It’s just so exciting,” Powell said. “Just to see what God is doing in my obedience to just be good to people and be kind and try to lift other people up.”
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IN FOCUS: ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION
June 20-July 17, 2022
Homebuilders
Ranked by No. of Permits Granted in 2021 Company
Phone / Website / Email
Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded
Clayton Properties Group dba Mungo Homes 441 Western Lane Irmo, SC 29063
803-749-9000 www.mungo.com mungo@mungo.com
Steve Johnson, Geoff Shiley, Steven Mungo 1954
Great Southern Homes 90 N. Royal Tower Columbia, SC 29063
803-699-4734 www.greatsouthernhomes.com info@greatsouthernhomes.com
Shelton Twine, Michael P. Nieri, Mike Satterfield 2004
HomeMax 1323 W. Main St. Lexington, SC 29072
803-898-1111 www.homemaxsc.com Info@homemaxsc.com
America's Home Place 1220 Bower Parkway, Suite E8 Columbia, SC 29212
Permits / Employees
Developments / Areas in South Carolina
Price Range
Irmo, Chapin, Lexington, West Columbia, Blythewood, Elgin, Northeast
$225,000 - $650,000
905 125
Builds new homes throughout South Carolina with operations in the Midlands, Greenville, Spartanburg, Clemson area, Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, Florence, Sumter, Aiken, Augusta, GA and Greenwood
$228,000 - $945,000
David P. Fautley 2009
120 6
Statewide
$75,000 - $300,000
803-772-4169 www.americashomeplace.com chrisk@americashomeplace.com
Tracy Bonner, Russ Jones 1972
54 14
Midlands
$150,000 - $900,000
Madison Homebuilders 2435 Fish Hatchery Road West Columbia, SC 29172
803-936-1011 www.madisonhomebuilders.com info@madisonhomebuilders.com
Mike Boyce 2000
45 9
Aiken, Calhoun, Edgefield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg west of U.S. Highway 176 and Interstate 95, Richland, Saluda and Sumter
$250,000 - $400,000
Remodeling Services Unlimited Inc. 3127 Forest Drive Columbia, SC 29204
803-765-9363 www.remodelingservicesunlimited.com tony@rsu-acc.com
Tony Thompson 1977
32 5
Scattered in the city of Columbia, Northeast and close in on Lake Murray; 2023 RSU begins building affordable and custom 3-D printed homes; Columbia and Myrtle Beach
$150,000 - $1,500,000
Paradime Construction Inc. P.O. Box 5892 Columbia, SC 29250
803-600-4237 www.paradimeconstruction.com stan@colahome.com
Stanley Joseph O'Brien 1999
6 1
Richland, Lexington
$300,000 - $507,000
Longfield Partners 2700 Middleburg Drive, Suite 103 Columbia, SC 29204
803-730-2044 www.longfieldpartners.net deas@longfieldresidential.com
Kaki Zeigler, Deas Manning, McLain Manning 2017
5 3
Lowcountry and greater-Midlands, Camden and Kershaw areas
$100,000 - $1,000,000
Dick Wohlers Homes Inc. 140 Rum Gully Lane Chapin, SC 29036
803-730-0918 www.dickwohlers.com dickwohlers@aol.com
Dick Wohlers 1995
3 2
Lake Murray and Columbia area
$500,000 - $2,000,000
1,042 185
Because of space constraints, sometimes only the top-ranked companies are published in the print edition. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to research@scbiznews.com.
Researched by Business Report staff
2022 | SOUTH CAROLINA
MANUFACTURING CONFERENCE AND EXPO PRESENTED BY:
SAVE THE DATE: NOV. 3 - NOV. 4 GREENVILLE CONVENTION CENTER | GREENVILLE, SC
To view the agenda and to register, visit www.scmanufacturingconference.com Join Manufacturing suppliers and innovators across all industry verticals at South Carolina’s most significant manufacturing event of the year. • An exhibit hall the equivalent of three football fields • Implementing Industry 4.0 Technology
The 2022 conference will include:
• 2023 Economic Outlook: Auto, Aerospace, Biotech • Women in Manufacturing: Leaders and Influencers • SCMEP Manufacturing Excellence Awards
• The South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) will conduct training courses
PRESENTING SPONSORS:
For questions about exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Robert Reilly at rreilly@scbiznews. com or call (843) 849-3107 Visit scmanufacturingconference.com for the latest updates.
At Work
PEOPLE, PLACES AND HAPPENINGS ACROSS THE MIDLANDS
People in the News ARCHITECTURE
Institute.
GMK has named John Whetstone to the newly created position of director of operations. Whetstone’s responsibilities include overseeing Whetstone all day-to-day operational aspects of the company strategy, helping to set organizational strategic goals, and facilitating the flow of operational information among company leadership and professional staff.
David Dougherty has joined the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers to supports the state’s CommuniBevill ty Navigator Pilot Program in its mission to equip and empower minority, rural and other underserved sectors of the entrepreneurial community. Dougherty has A more than 47 years of banking experience in South Carolina.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Groucho’s Deli is the presenting sponsor of Family Connection of South Carolina’s Look! 2022. This year’s Look! photography collection will be on exhibit at the Richland County Library Gallery downtown and open to the public from July 24 through September 16. To create the exhibit, professional photographers from across the state volunteered to offer individual photo sessions with families who have a child or youth with a disability or chronic healthcare need. The photos are active, candid shots of the participants doing the things they like to do best. The South Carolina Arts Commission has promoted Ce Scott-Fitts to the executive team as deputy director from artist development director. Before coming to the commission, Scott-Fitts was creative director and on the founding staff of the McColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte, where she curated exhibitions, developed an artist-in-residence program, and established an international residency program for North Carolina artists in South Africa and Ireland. She has served on numerous grant panels nationwide and taught in higher education. Scott-Fitts also co-chairs the individual artist support committee for Grantmakers in the Arts and is the founder of South Carolina Artists in Action, which seeks to serve the unique needs of Black South Carolina artists
BUSINESS SERVICES Stacey Bevill, owner and president of Golden Career Strategies, has earned the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation from the International Coach Federation. She is a board-certified coach through the Newfield Network Coaching
Neil McLean, Expert EOS Implementer, has held his 500th session day. McLean, who has been offering EOS implementation since 2015 and was McLean the first EOS Implementer in the state of South Carolina, hit the achievement in a session with McGuinn Homes. McLean and business partner Meghan Hickman, a Certified EOS Implementer, together make up Sagacious Partners, a business coaching firm that offers EOS implementation. The International Business Brokers Association has given David Yezbak, of Sunbelt Business Brokers, its Platinum Chairman’s Circle Award for the secYezbak ond consecutive year for his performance in 2021. Yezbak received the Chairman’s Circle Award in 2019. Yezbak, a business broker for more than 23 years, has been involved in hundreds of business sale transactions with companies of all sizes and across a variety of industries. The International Association of Business Communicators/South Carolina has named its 2022 board. Officers are Charnita Mack, president elect (client success manager, Rhodes Branding); Emily Eckert, past president (communications specialist, South Carolina Department of Commerce); Carolyn Culbertson, secretary (marketing department, Nelson Mullins); Mary-Kathryn Craft, vice president of communications and webmaster (communications director, South Carolina Bar); Alison Shuman, vice pres-
ident of finance (a corporate communications coordinator II, Farm Bureau Insurance); and Bailey Crafton, vice president of membership (branding and creative supervisor, Nelson Mullins). Cynthia South is member at large (elected to the SC IABC Board in 2014, attended the IABC National Leadership Institute, and served as president in 2018).
EDUCATION A grant from the BlueCross Blue Shield Foundation to the University of South Carolina School of Nursing will help launch the Nursing Faculty Fellows Pipeline Program, to begin in August. The program is designed to increase faculty size to support increasing enrollment as the college addresses a critical shortage of nurses. South Carolina can expect a 24 percent nursing staff shortage during the next few years, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the federal Bureau of Health Workforce, the state has the lowest nurse-to-population ratio in the U.S. During the next three years, the 7 to 10 doctoral students accepted into the Faculty Pipeline Program will work as faculty clinical instructors while they receive additional mentorship, teaching, and research preparation to prepare them for faculty positions. After completion, the fellow is eligible to apply to be an assistant professor in the College of Nursing. Power:Ed, a South Carolina Student Loan philanthropy, has awarded $50,000 to the Midlands Technical College Foundation in support of the college’s QuickJobs programs. The school’s QuickJobs programs, which provide intensive workforce development training, are designed to close the job skills gap and quickly fill available positions. The approximately 40 QuickJobs training programs, lasting from one day up to 14 months, prepare students for careers in such areas as business, health care, information technology, skilled trades, and advanced manufacturing. Civic leader and philanthropist Minor Mickel Shaw received this year’s Council of Independent Colleges’ Charles W. L. Foreman Award in recognition of her long-term support of South Carolina’s private colleges and universities. Shaw was nominated by the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities. The Moore School’s Center for Executive Succession has brought in Marcia
Avedon as its new executive director. She is a retired Trane Technologies executive vice president and chief human resources, marketing and communications Avedon officer. Avedon brings more than 35 years of global experience leading Fortune 500 companies’ human resources practices in diverse sectors that include industrial, health care, and consumer products. She served as the executive vice president and chief human resources, communications and corporate affairs officer at Ingersoll Rand, which separated from Trane in 2020, for more than 13 years. The South Carolina Association of Technical College Commissioners selected five 2022 award winners. The Chief Executive Officer award went to Todd Willie L. Todd Jr., PhD, president and CEO of Denmark Technical College. The other 2022 award winners were Garry Powers, Commissioner Leadership (Midlands Technical College); Tri-County Technical College, Equity; Kevin Mitchell, Faculty Member (Trident Technical College); and Michael Zanfardino, Professional Board Staff (Midlands Technical College). A Columbia student has been named the first Black speaker of China’s Women’s Conference, in Beijing. Sixteen-year-old Damarea Ogbuewu joined China’s ArtOgbuewu ist Association in December 2021, before being selected as the first American and first African American to speak at the conference.
FINANCIAL SERVICES Safe Federal Credit Union’s new controller is Martha Brendle. She came to Safe from Coastal Credit Union in Raleigh, where she was accounting man-
Brendle
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ager. Her work experience also includes vice president of accounting and controller at Sharonview Federal Credit Union in Fort Mill. Michael Smith is the new vice president of Appalachian Development Corporation. He works with banks, lenders, credit unions, and small businesses throughSmith out South Carolina on the SBA 504 loans program. Most recently, Smith was with First Federal Bank as a SBA business development officer. The boards of directors of Arthur Financial Corporation and of Arthur State Bank have announced the election of new board member Patrick Weston Weston, who will serve on the boards of both companies. Weston is the managing partner and an investing committee member for Route 2 Capital.
GOVERNMENT The City of Cayce has a new assistant city manager: Michael Conley. With 16 years of local government experience in South Carolina, Conley has held Conley such positions as Kershaw senior planner and Kershaw assistant county administrator for public services.
LAW Stanley L. Myers, a partner at Moore Bradley Myers, has become a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Myers law practice focuses on personal Myers injury, workers’ compensation, criminal defense, and military law. He is a graduate of The Citadel, where he a member of the board of visitors, and of the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia. Myers is a member of the South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Association for Justice, and the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The newest partner at Burnette Shutt & McDaniel is Amanda S. “Mandy” Mueller. A family law attorney with
June 20-July 17, 2022
more than a decade’s experience, Mueller’s practice covers divorce, custody, separation, protection orders, and more. In addition, she frequently serves as a Mueller guardian ad litem. Before joining Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, she was an attorney for a national family law firm. She helped launch the firm’s Columbia office, where in addition to her work as a litigator she managed family law cases from start to finish. She also dealt with the many nuances of family law cases involving military personnel. A graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, Mueller worked for more than three years as a paralegal before earning her juris doctor. La’Jessica Stringfellow, an associate with Robinson Gray law firm, has been named a South Carolina Bar delegate to the American Bar Association House Stringfellow of Delegates. She was recognized by the ABA Young Lawyers Division as a Star of the Quarter in 2020, and recently received a similar accolade from the South Carolina Young Lawyers Division. Her practice focuses on business and commercial litigation. Before joining the firm, she was an assistant solicitor in the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s office. A graduate of Virginia State University, Stringfellow received her juris doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. J. Hagood Tighe has become president of the South Carolina Bar. An experienced labor and employment law attorney, Tighe is a partner at Fisher Phillips in the Tighe firm’s Columbia office and co-chair of the firm’s national wage and hour practice group. Two Columbia attorneys, a law student, and one law firm were recently recognized by the South Carolina Bar for outstanding contributions to the legal profession in South Carolina. Margaret “Peg” Fox received the Law Related Education Lawyer of the Year Award for her contributions to fostering understanding of the legal system among students. She is a past chair of the South Carolina Bar Law Related Education Committee, has coached and judged mock trial, and helped write and edit the mock trial coaches’ manual.
Lewis Cromer received the Employment, and Labor Law Section Distinguished Lawyer Award for his contributions to the section, including mentoring generations of plaintiff ’s lawyers. Lydia R. Hendrix, a student at the University of South Carolina School of Law, received the Employment and Labor Law Section Memorial Scholarship. Robinson Gray Stepp & Lafitte received the Pro Bono Award for its contributions to pro bono legal services in the state and partnership with the South Carolina Bar pro bono program.
MANUFACTURING The South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership has promoted Tony Moore to director of operations; he had been a regional vice president. In his new role, Moore, an Air Force veteran, oversees a field staff of seven regional vice presidents as well as five process-improvement coaches and the organization’s vice president of training programs. In addition, Moore selects third-party providers and resources that the organization makes available as part of its support of South Carolina manufacturers.
MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS The South Carolina chapter of Public Relations Society of America gave out its 31st Mercury Awards at a ceremony in April. The event, presented by Dominion Energy, included 23 categories of awards for professionals and students who submitted work from 2021. Recipients were: Anderson University (Student Award of Excellence–Research/Evaluation, Student Award of Excellence–Magazine/ Print) BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (Mercury Award of Excellence– Internal Communications, Silver Wing Award of Excellence–Websites, Internal) Bright + Co (Mercury Award of Excellence–Events and Observances Seven or Fewer Days, Mercury Award of Excellence–Events and Observances Seven or More Days, Silver Wing Award of Excellence–Videos, Mercury Award of Merit– Integrated Communications) Carolina Traveler (Silver Wing Award of Merit–Podcasts) City of Beaufort (Mercury Award of Merit–Community Relations, Silver Wing Award of Merit–Newsletters/Digital) Chernoff Newman (Best in Show Mercury Award, Best in Show Silver Wing Award, Mercury Award of Excellence–Integrated Communications, Silver Wing Award of Excellence–Videos, Mercury Award of Merit–Integrated Communications) Dominion Energy, 2022 Mercury Awards Presenting Sponsor (Silver Wing Award of Excellence–Best Sponsorship Activation, Silver Wing Award of Excel-
lence–Webcasts, Silver Wing Award of Merit–Consumer Services) Flock and Rally (Silver Wing Award of Excellence–Instagram Engagement, Silver Wing Award of Excellence–Consumer Services, Mercury Award of Merit–Public Service) Fuel, 2022 Mercury Awards Silver Sponsor (Mercury Award of Merit–Reputation/Brand Management)
NONPROFIT The incoming president of the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families is Karriem Edwards, who will take over for the retiring president, Patricia Littlejohn, this summer. Edwards has more than 20 years of experience in program development, training, management, and fundraising. Most recently, he was vice president of development for Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County, where his year-todate efforts garnered $8 million in funds raised.
REAL ESTATE Ryan Causey has joined Trinity Partner’s Columbia Brokerage Team. Causey has facilitated more than $125 million in gross volume over the past three years. In addition, Causey was a member of the U.S. Army Reserves and South Carolina Army National Guard, serving in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. New at Wolfe & Taylor is Chachere Freeman. A Columbia native, Freeman graduated from Erskine College, where he majored in sports management and played baseball all four years. NAI Columbia brought in Bill Lamar as a brokerage associate. His focus is office, retail, multifamily, and recreational land sales. Earlier in his career, Lamar was vice president of national accounts for McEntire Produce and Club Chef ’s director of sales for the Southeast. Tim Lovett is now specializing in office leasing and investment sales at CBRE. Before joining CBRE, Lovett was a global account director at WeWork, where he managed the leasing, portfolio, and relationships of key customers in the Fortune 1000. The Art of Real Estate has added Lexi Nick as an associate agent in its Lake Murray office and Steely Walker as its executive coordinator. Before she earned her real estate license, Nick and her husband worked as full-time house flippers. Walker, who holds a degree in public relations from the University of South Carolina, has experience in such areas as business operations, customer service, marketing, and event management.
Viewpoint
VIEWS, PERSPECTIVES AND READERS’ LETTERS
Illustration/File
Goodwill Industries program matches senior workers, employers
I
’ve been a workforce development professional since 2007. That’s also when I first became aware of the mission side of Goodwill Industries Mann of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina. We’re all familiar with the thrift stores. What many people don’t know? Those great deals fuel an enterprise that provides career training and job placement services for thousands of folks in our local communities. It was something I came to understand deeply when I became the business solutions director for Midlands Technical College in 2012. Students came to Midlands Tech for training and certifications through a partnership with Goodwill. Class after class, I saw the impact of Goodwill. Some people gained a new way to support themselves or their family. Some used Goodwill’s programs for help with a job search, writing a resume or for interview coaching. The more I learned, the more I was compelled to bring those services to more South Carolinians. In 2018, I joined the nonprofit’s Board of
Directors. Through my work on the Board, I’ve gotten to know more of Goodwill’s career services programs. I believe one in particular — the Senior Community Service Employment Program — is a win-win for purpose-seeking older Americans and businesses emerging from COVID-19 into today’s tighter-than-tight job market. SCSEP is a community service and work-based job training program for Americans age 55 and older. The program, first authorized by Congress’ Older Americans Act in 1965, provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors. If your first thought is it’s a nonstarter because seniors are retired, I wouldn’t be surprised. But the reality is quite the opposite. Retirement is a luxury many seniors do not have nor one that some even seek. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by 2024, the labor force will grow to an estimated 164 million people. Of that, about 41 million are expected to be age 55+. Within those senior workers will be a super senior workforce of about 13 million age 65+. While some will need income, others are simply not yet ready for retirement.
They crave purpose. They’re not built to sit at home every day. The SCSEP program is ideal for both senior populations plus those who don’t know how to go about getting a job or lack skills demanded by modern workplaces. With so much emphasis on technology, learning computer skills was a big draw for the SCSEP program before the pandemic. Post-COVID, hiring trends have further digitized. Virtual interviews, digital meetings and conferences occur on screens every day. And that’s all on top of the job hunting basics — connecting with employers, preparing a resume and interviewing for a role. But the benefits of SCSEP don’t end with employees. It’s relief for employers, too. At this moment, many organizations are struggling to fill seats. With labor in high demand, part-time jobs are going unfilled. There’s an entire population of experienced workers Goodwill can connect employers to. They’re vetted, productive, reliable and have much to offer. Participants are first evaluated for their skills and interests and then placed with
local or nonprofit government agencies. They receive about 20 hours per week paid, on-the-job skills training in places such as social services nonprofits, schools, libraries, daycare and senior centers, and health care centers. Connecting people who want to work with places to work. That’s what’s happening at your local Goodwill today and every day. If you’d like to learn more about the Senior Community Service Employment Program, just reach out to Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina by calling (864) 593-6984 or toll-free 1-877-538-7975 or email scsep@ goodwillsc.org. Kim Mann is the talent Management Consultant for the South Carolina Department of Commerce as well as Board Secretary for Goodwill Industries of Upstate/ Midlands South Carolina.
We want to hear from you Write: Melinda Waldrop, Editor SC Biz News 1612 Marion St., Suite 301 Columbia, S.C. 29201 Email: mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
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