VOLUME 13 NUMBER 12 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM
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SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2020 ■ $2.25
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WEATHERING THE STORM Suit settlement
Santee Cooper reaches deal over V.C. Summer equipment with Westinghouse. Page 4 SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza speaks at a Sept. 2 ceremony celebrating the launch of a Women’s Business Center at Benedict College. (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)
Rising rates?
Dominion Energy requests 7.75% rate increase from Public Service Commission. Page 7
Lucrative land
Businesses finding ways to survive during pandemic Photo/Melinda Waldrop
New agribusiness center to bring 1,547 jobs, $550M annual economic impact. Page 8
First step
PayPal deposits $50M with Optus Bank as part of social justice commitment. Page 10
INSIDE
Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 In Focus: Human Resources .......................................... 13 List: Executive Recruiters.... 14 Bonus List: Industrial Staffing Agencies ........................... 16 At Work............................... 21 Viewpoint............................23
By Melinda Waldrop
C
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
had Elsey has been through a gamut of emotions during seven months unlike any he’s ever seen in his restaurant career. “It probably comes in waves,” said Elsey, part of the ownership group behind South Carolina’s five Cantina 76 locations. “At first, it’s probably a little bit of fear and shock, and then you get a little used to it and it becomes just kind of a challenge, and then probably it becomes frustrating, and I think now it’s starting to become a way of life, unfortunately. But overall, I think everyone’s moving forward with a positive attitude.” Elsey and other business owners up and down Columbia’s Main Street, as well as surrounding districts, have balanced their bottom lines with concern for the health of employees and customers as the COVID-
19 pandemic has affected every aspect of daily retail life. After a statewide shutdown in March limited most restaurants to to-go only services, a gradual reopening that began late this spring has infused many establishments with some life and revenue, but things are far from back to normal. “These are trying times, but people are — we’re getting through it,” Matt Kennell, CEO of downtown development organization City Center Partnership, said. “People are resilient. … People are going forward. People are not just burying their head in the — I wouldn’t say the sand, but the sidewalk, I guess. And they’re being creative.” For many restaurants, that resiliency has included an emphasis on to-go offerings and outdoor dining as inside seating remains limited to 50% occupancy. “We’re doing much more business than just traditional dine-in,” Eddie Wales, owner See BUSINESSES, Page 16
Be Pro Be Proud program underway
The workforce development initiative celebrates S.C. launch. Page 18
SBA administrator pledges more help on the way for S.C. By Melinda Waldrop
A
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
s she helped celebrate the potential of a newly opened women’s business center at Benedict College, U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza made a prediction to S.C. proprietors, including the minority small businesses owners disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: Help is on the way. Carranza said congressional negotiations over a second round of emergency coronavirus relief funding are focused on continuing to help small businesses — 5.2 million of which have already received more than $500 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans. “We still have $130 billion remaining, and Congress is trying to negotiate how we will make the remainder of those funds available,” Carranza told the Columbia Regional Business Report. “I’ve seen the language. It’s very promising for small businesses.” Carranza said she assures the small business owners she talks to in her nationwide See SBA, Page 19