Columbia Regional Business Report - October 25, 2021

VOLUME 14 NUMBER 15 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM

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OCTOBER 25-NOVEMBER 7, 2021 ■ $2.25 Illustration/File

Midway return

S.C. Stair Fair back in full swing for 152nd year.

Page 2

Spirit of giving A readers’ guide to philanthrophy in the Midlands.

Inside

Makers’ map See what’s happening at the S.C. Manufacturing Conference.

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Power List

SC Biz News ranks the state’s most influential real estate professionals.

Page 17

INSIDE

Upfront................................. 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 In Focus: The Insurance Cluster................................ 13 List: Employee Benefits Brokers............................... 15 At Work...............................29 Viewpoint............................ 31

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1

CHANGING NEEDS Pandemic, vaccines driving insurance innovation

By Christina Lee Knauss

W

Contributing Writer

hen the federal government unveiled new COVID-19 vaccination mandates in September, leaders at Colonial Life went to work to find solutions for employers who might feel overwhelmed by the prospect of keeping track of who in their workforce has and hasn’t gotten the shots.

The result is Vaccine Verifier, a digital platform that offers a way for employers to verify vaccination status and keep track of vaccine exemptions and the testing status of non-vaccinated employees. The program launches in November.

Coming up with Vaccine Verifier is just one of the ways the Columbia-based supplemental insurance company has been working to help both its employees and customers face ongoing challenges brought on by the pandemic, according to Tim Arnold, president of Colonial Life.

Arnold said adapting to change and coming up with new products and solutions quickly has been as important in the insurance industry as it has been to the rest of the economy since the pandemic hit 19 months ago. He said Colonial Life, like others in the industry, has experienced economic challenges as well as technological ones.

“Many of the challenges related to COVID-19 were common across industries,

Marsh sentenced

Former SCANA Corp. CEO to serve two years for role in V.C. Summer nuclear debacle.

Page 7

and the insurance industry faced a special challenge because during the height of pandemic restrictions and infections, we faced declines in new sales and increases in claim costs,” Arnold said. “We maintain significant reserves to deal with unexpected events and can support policyholders during unexpected change.”

Like many other employers, Colonial Life came up with technology solutions to allow employees to work remotely during the height of the pandemic. Now, as more people go back into workplaces nationwide, Arnold said digital solutions such as Vaccine Verifier offer a way for companies to both make See INSURANCE, Page 16

Upfront

BRIEFS | FACTS | STATEWIDE NEWS

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S.C. State Fair celebrates full-fledged return

By Melinda Waldrop

M

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

ore than 22,000 visitors helped open the 152nd S.C State Fair this week as the annual event returned in full force after being limited to a drive-through event last year.

The fair opened Wednesday and welcomed 22,266 guests, according to organizers. Along with a special $5 admission fee, visitors enjoyed rides, food, exhibits and the new CIRCUS at the Fair 40-minute big top show.

“It was exciting to see our patrons return to what has become a tradition for so many fam-

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ilies in our state,” Nancy Smith, S.C. State Fair general manager, said in a news release. “We are committed to doing everything possible to make this, as always, a safe and enjoyable fair.”

The fair continues through Oct. 24 at the state fairgrounds at Rosewood Drive and Geore Rogers Boulevard. The latest COVID-19 guidelines from local government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are being followed.

“Our fair has such a rich history in this state, and we want to showcase what it has meant to so many people for so many years,” Smith said. “We look forward to having our state residents join us over the next 12 days to safely celebrate the best of South Carolina.”

“The pandemic forced many individuals and families to realize that something very unexpected can happen and that the impact can be devastating, if not fatal.”

— Joel Lourie, president and CEO, Lourie Life and Health

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The next time a big commercial real estate deal closes in South Carolina, participating parties can celebrate by cracking open a cold one.

Colliers | South Carolina has partnered with North Charleston’s Holy City Brewing to create a custom Carolina Kolsch-style beer called The Dealmaker to celebrate its 115th year. Columbia artist Cait Maloney created the can art for the effervescent brew, which has peach-flavored notes in a nod to the peach-producing Upstate cities of Spartanburg and Greenville.

“I can’t think of a more fun and unique way to celebrate than by creating our own exclusive beer,” John Folsom, president and CEO for Colliers | South Carolina, said in a news release.

Colliers, which has offices in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville and Spartanburg, worked with Holy City to develop the beer during the past few months.

“The Dealmaker is a light Kolsch-style beer that was brewed with Carolina Gold rice and has hints of peach,” said Chris Brown, owner and production manager at Holy City Brewing. “Carolina Gold rice imparts a ton of great flavor, making a nice crisp, clean lager.”

The can art features local landmarks including the Keenan Fountain, presented on Colliers’ 100-year anniversary to the Columbia Museum of Art. The artwork will also hang in Colliers’ four offices.

“The local artist who designed the art featured on the can really embraced our vision,” said Liz McCary, Colliers vice president of marketing for Colliers.

“What we love most about the design is every time you look, you see something new.”

Colliers plans to use the beer for special events and client gifts throughout the year, and The Dealmaker will be available in Holy City’s taproom for a limited time.

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SC Biz News Briefs CHARLESTON

Charleston Regional Business Journal

Newsome to step down as S.C. Ports CEO

S

.C. Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome will step down next year, the long-serving chief executive said.

He will be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Barbara Melvin. Melvin’s appointment was approved the board of directors on Oct. 18.

Melvin will be the sixth leader in the history of the port and the first woman to lead a top 10 U.S. operating container port.

She has been with S.C. Ports since 1998, serving in a variety of roles over the years, including senior vice president of operations and terminals and COO. “I am honored to be chosen to lead S.C. Ports and continue the positive momentum we have generated together. I am grateful, and I am ready,” Melvin said. “With the guidance of our board, the skill and talent of our team, the solid experience within our maritime community, and the support of elected, busi- Longtime S.C. Ports Authority CEO Jim Newsome is ness and community leaders, S.C. Ports stepping down from that role in July. (Photo/Provided) will achieve enhanced growth benefitting the state, region and nation.”

Newsome will step down July 1 to serve in an executive adviser capacity.

At a time when the global supply chain is entering peak season and scrambling to meet demand challenges, the S.C. Ports Authority is continuing to expand its strategic investments into port infrastructure, Newsome said in his 13th State of the Port address today.

“We have worked together to cultivate a highly competitive, world-class port that continues to grow above the market,” Newsome said. “This past year has been one of my proudest as we have achieved major successes, including Walmart investing in a near-port import distribution center, our handling of record-breaking volumes during a global pandemic, and the opening of Leatherman Terminal, the first container terminal to open in the U.S. since 2009.”

Fiscal year 2021 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 saw records numbers for containers handled, especially as a shift in consumer spending during the pandemic brought an increase of retail imports coming into the country.

The $1 billion Phase One of Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, opened in March, also marked the first container terminal to open in the U.S. in more than a decade, as well as the only new container terminal capacity planned in the country until 2030.

The terminal adds a berth and 700,000 TEUs of capacity to the Port of Charleston.

“Capacity is the new port currency, and S.C. Ports has the right capacity at the right time to meet retailers’ needs to keep freight moving,” Newsome said. “We have invested more than $2 billion in recent years to enhance existing infrastructure and open a new container terminal.”

The Lowcountry also saw growth in the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project, which is set to achieve a 52-foot depth in 2022, making the harbor the deepest on the East Coast.

Inland Port Greer is also on track to enhance cargo capacity and rail infrastructure in the Upstate.

Despite these successes, the industry can and must do continue to do better, Newsome said.

“There’s not enough supply chain to support record buyers,” Newsome said. “And I don’t forecast that it will balance back out anytime soon either.”

The U.S. import volume currently sits at about 2.5 million TEUs, an industry measure equivalent to 20-foot units. However, only about 2 million TEUs worth of capacity is available nationwide to support all of the goods coming in and out, Newsome said.

With publications in the Upstate, Columbia and Charleston, as well as a statewide magazine, SC Biz News covers the pulse of business across South Carolina.

Above are excerpts from our other publications.

Target your market in an upcoming issue of the Columbia Regional Business Report

NOVEMBER 8 HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM List: Hotels w/Mtg. Facilities

Advertising Deadline: October 27 NOVEMBER 22 MANUFACTURING

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PAGE 4 VOLUME 27 NUMBER 21 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM

Larger venue

Charleston Wine and Food expands for 2022 to North Charleston Riverfront Park.

Page 6

RAISING THE BAR

Part of the

Charleston takes new approach to housing crisis

By Teri Errico Griffis

I

Commercial King King Street commercial spaces fill up following pandemic vacancies.

Page 30

Transparency, reinvestment bring Charleston School of Law back from the brink.

Ex-CEO sentenced

Former SCANA Corp. CEO Kevin Marsh gets two years in federal prison.

Page 7

Uptown world

A $200 million mixed-use development coming to North Charleston.

Page 15

INSIDE

Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 Small Business Spotlight ....... 4 In Focus: Architecture, Engineering and Construction ...............29 List: General Contractors....42 Bonus List: Commercial Moving & Storage Companies.........................43 At Work ............................. 45 Viewpoint ...........................47

OCTOBER 18 - 31, 2021 ■ $2.25

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By Teri Errico Griffis

D

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

ean Larry Cunningham was full of apologies after running a few minutes late to a meeting. A group of Charleston School of Law students had surprised him last-minute by dropping off a handful of handwritten thank you notes, expressing their appreciation to him for volunteering at a recent event.

The bubbly moment was a far cry from where the law school was nearly eight years earlier, on the brink of disaster and on its way to permanently shuttering. Back then, school administrators were far more likely to receive correspondence related to lawsuits than sentimental cards.

The hiccup in the school’s history began in 2013 when owners Robert Carr and George Kosko called an impromptu gathering of faculty to inform them that that the school would either have to close or be sold to InfiLaw, a Florida-based for-profit company that owned three law schools consid-

ered so-called “diploma mills,” including Charlotte School of Law. The Charleston law school was only 10 years old at that time.

Devastated but determined students, alumni, and faculty pushed back — with two faculty members filing lawsuits — fearing that the sale would mar the school’s reputation and lower the standards of a Charleston School of Law education.

The turning point came in October 2015 when Ed Bell, a Georgetown trial lawyer, stepped in as president and bought into the school, alongside Carr and Kosko, to save it from the sale to InFiLaw. Bell’s agreed to manage the school, while Carr and Kosko serve as members of the board, until the school goes nonprofit and the former owners are bought out.

Since then, InfiLaw has gone out of business and all of its law schools are now closed, while Charleston School of Law years has clawed its way back from that See LAW SCHOOL, Page 12

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

n less than 10 years, Charleston will need 16,351 affordable places for people to live, according to a city report. To find and build those affordable residences, Charleston is seeking out a real estate broker whose sole job will be to find land for projects.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said of all the concerns the coronavirus pandemic has made worse, affordable housing has been near the top — especially as more people work from home and more people from other areas sought to move to the region.

Demand grows higher, supply dwindles, prices go up.

“We just have a huge thousand-pound gorilla in the room of the real estate market to contend with as we try to keep some housing affordable here,” Tecklenburg said.

He understands Charleston market is dynamic with housing developments popping all over the region, but the downside is that the more affordable housing is being pushed farther and farther away from where most people work, exploding in Berkeley and Dorchester counties, and places like Johns Island in Charleston County, where land is much more affordable.

“You just end up with a situation where what’s available for folks is they have to travel farther to get where it’s affordable,” he said.

“And that’s not a good thing,” The mayor understands the dire need to create more housing and to make not only the process to find more affordable and attainable housing easier on residents, but on homebuilders too. That includes changing zoning and regulations that might incentivize companies that aren’t building affordable housing to possibly consider it down the line.

Tecklenburg regularly discusses housing

For advertising information, call Lucia Smith at (803) 726-7547

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Real Estate Power List

The most influential residential and commercial real estate professionals in South Carolina.

Inside, Page 17

GSABusinessReport.com

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

October 25 - November 7, 2021

CIU celebrates business school naming, growing area impact

By Melinda Waldrop

Senior Account Executive - Lucia Smith lsmith@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7547 MultiMedia Advertising Executive - Amanda Alford aalford@bridgetowermedia.com • 803.726.7540 LOWCOUNTRY NEWSROOM Executive Editor - Andy Owens aowens@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3142 Editor, Custom Publishing Division Steve McDaniel smcdaniel@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3123 News Editor - Alexandria Ng ang@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3124 Research Specialist - Paige Wills pwills@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3125 Staff Writer - Teri Errico Griffis tgriffis@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3144 Web Editor - Rob Lyle rlyle@scbiznews.com.com • 843.849.3119 UPSTATE NEWSROOM Editor - Ross Norton rnorton@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1222 Associate Editor, Custom Publishing Division Jim Tatum jtatum@scbiznews.com • 864.720.2269 Staff Writer - Molly Hulsey mhulsey@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1223

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s Columbia International University celebrated the naming of its business school, Mike Crapps reflected on the benefits of partnering with the private Christian university with nearly 2,400 students.

“Our bank has a very strategic partnership here and it’s really focused on education, learning, developing our people, developing our leaders now and in the future,” Crapps, president and CEO of First Community Bank, told the Columbia Regional Business Report. “It’s within the value system that we have as a bank.

Our culture lines up, our beliefs line up.”

The First Community Bank Leadership Institute, now in its third year, was developed in partnership with CIU, which plays hosts to organization meetings and its graduation ceremony and the college’s Monticello Road campus. Eight to 10 participants complete the 15- to 18-month class combining academic and experiential learning.

“The people that have come through that program have just grown so immensely, and the beauty of it is, not just learning leadership content but learning it in the context of Christian values,” Crapps said.

On Oct. 7, CIU celebrated the official christening of the John and Lyn Cook School of Business, named for the owners of America’s eighth-largest pest control company who have a long-time relationship with the school. Lyn Cook has served on the CIU board of trustees for 12 years, while John Cook is a 1972 graduate of Ben Lippen School, CIU’s pre-K to 12th grade school.

“Our family has always been a giving family, especially to Christian ministries.

I’ve served on the CIU board for 12 years now, so this is where my heart is,” Lyn

Lyn Cook addresses the crowd during an Oct. 7 ceremony celebrating the naming of Columbia International University’s John and Lyn Cook School of Business. The Cooks, owners of Cook’s Pest Control, have a long association with the Christian university on Monticello Road. (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)

Cook said. “My husband is a graduate of Ben Lippen. We just totally support this school and its mission and so we wanted to give back, plus we’re business people. …

Helping provide jobs is very rewarding.”

Scott Adams, dean of the John and Lyn Cook School of Business, said the naming puts the school of business, CIU’s largest undergraduate major, on footing similar to other area business schools, such as the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.

“We’re really proud,” Adams said before Lyn Cook addressed a crowd which included current business school students. “She (Lyn Cook) was able to see the impact this school was making in the community, not only here locally but what we were doing internationally. Our graduates are working in 150 countries around the world. That’s significant.”

Cook’s Pest Control, with 40 locations in Georgia, Alabama, Tennesse and Florida, has been in business for more than

90 years and has earned the International Torch Award for Ethics from the Better Business Bureau. The Cooks donated an undisclosed amount to CIU. “It’s humbling and honoring, and we’re just very thankful that we could do this to help the school,” Lyn Cook said.

Earlier this month, CIU announced an enrollment of 2,373, largest in its nearly 100-year history. That includes 919 residential and online undergraduate and 1,454 graduate/seminary students. CIU ranked No. 11 in the South on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Value for Regional Universities list for 2022.

“The people graduating from the school of business here are great candidates to come work for First Community,” Crapps said. “The education and the things they’ve learned here and the way it’s taught here just matches up perfectly.

And in today’s world where labor shortages are talked about often, having this relationship with CIU is really helping us.”

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October 25 - November 7, 2021

Weston continues to expand Columbia portfolio

By Melinda Waldrop

C

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

leveland-based industrial property owner and developer Weston Inc. is continuing to add Columbia properties to its growing Southeast portfolio.

Weston most recently acquired a 65,000-square-foot industrial building at 110 Metal Park Drive in Columbia in a transaction facilitated by Colliers | South Carolina’s Chuck Salley, Dave Mathews, Thomas Beard and John Peebles. Weston also retained Colliers to lease and manage the property.

LCK’s Dale Stigamier is currently serving as project manager for property improvements including the installation of a new truck court, fire suppression system and LED lighting.

“We are excited to expand our portfolio in South Carolina,” Eileen McConville, Weston asset manager, said in a news release from Colliers. “The Colliers team brought this property to us as a value-add investment, and we look forward to working with LCK and Colliers to improve the property and find a tenant that will add to the local econ-

“The Colliers team brought this property to us as a value-add investment, and we look forward to working with LCK and Colliers to improve the property and find a tenant that will add to the local economy.”

Eileen McConville Weston asset manager

omy.”

Weston now has nearly 7 million square feet of assets in South Carolina, including two industrial properties leased by China Jushi totaling more than 128,000 square feet on Bluff Road.

In February, the company acquired three vacant industrial properties located at 6011 Shakespeare Road, 1030 Metso Way and 201 Metropolitan Drive in the greater Columbia market.

In August, Sterlite Technologies leased 168,000 square feet of space at 2 Business Parkway on property owned by Weston.

Salley, Mathews, Beard and Peebles also represented Weston in two other Bluff Road transactions at 3130 Bluff

Road: a 54,073-square-foot lease to an unnamed building supply company and the 44,465-square-foot lease for Crosstown Courier, a full-service delivery, logistics and warehousing company headquartered in Tennessee. The new location will be Crosstown Courier’s fifth and first outside of Tennessee.

“These leases are representative of the tremendous tenant velocity the Columbia industrial market is experiencing right now,” Salley said. “The excellent location of the Bluff Road submarket in Richland County is a major draw for tenants.”

Colliers’ Grant Butler will continue to serve as the property manager for 3130 Bluff Road.

Those transactions followed Weston’s big S.C. splash in February 2020, when the company purchased 5.5 million square feet of industrial assets in the 37-property Carolina Industrial Properties. The 16-county, 57-tenant portfolio represented the largest single acquisition in South Carolina in at least 10 years, according to commercial real estate data provider CoStar, and was the largest transaction in Weston’s history.

In other area transactions, NAI Columbia’s Tombo Milliken, Tom Milliken and Nelson Weston III facilitated several deals in Columbia. The trio represented the seller in the $1.05 million sale of 479 acres surrounding Oak Hills Golf Course in Richland County, as well as the seller in the $496,584 sale of 1.14 acres on Two Notch Road that will be the new location for Express Car Wash.

The Millikens and Weston also represented the seller in the $350,000 sale of 11.59 acres at Old Dunbar Road and Interstate 26 in Lexington County to TEC Equipment Rental and in four transactions in the Horrell Hill area of Richland County totaling 52 acres.

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October 25 - November 7, 2021

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Former SCANA CEO sentenced to 2 years in federal prison

By Melinda Waldrop

F

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

ormer SCANA Corp. CEO Kevin Marsh has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his role in the V.C. Summer nuclear debacle.

Marsh, 66, who pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Mary Lewis. Following his 24-month sentence, Marsh will serve a three-year term of court-ordered supervision, according to a news release from acting U.S. Attorney M. Rhett DeHart’s office.

There is no parole in the federal system. Marsh, who paid $5 million in federal forfeiture prior to his sentencing, was also fined $200,000.

Evidence showed that Marsh intentionally defrauded ratepayers while overseeing and managing SCANA’s operations, including the construction of twin reactors at the V.C. Summer nuclear station in Fairfield County, so SCANA could obtain and retain rate increases and qualify for up to $2.2 billion in tax credits. In 2016, confronted with information that project delays put those credits at risk, Marsh and others withheld that information from regulators and made “false and

materially misleading statements,” according to DeHart’s office.

“Due to this fraud, an $11 billion nuclear ghost town, paid for

by SCANA investors and customers, now Marsh sits vacant in Jenkinsville, S.C.,” DeHart said in a statement. “Hopefully, this prosecution will deter other corporate fraud in the future.”

DeHart’s office noted that Marsh has no prior criminal history and has cooperated with federal and state investigators for more than a year in the ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing related to the V.C. Summer project. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has also obtained guilty pleas from Stephen Byrne, former SCANA executive vice president and ex-COO of former SCANA subsidiary S.C. Electric & Gas, as well as Carl Churchman, former Westinghouse Electric Corporation vice president and V.C. Summer project director.

Westinghouse was the contractor for the project, abandoned in July 2017 in the wake of mounting delays and rising costs after more than $9 billion had been spent on the reactors’ construction. SCANA

Former SCANA CEO Kevin Marsh has been sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the V.C. Summer nuclear debacle. Marsh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. (Photo/High Flyer)

and SCE&G settled a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit charging the companies with defrauding investors in November 2020 and settled a lawsuit with SCE&G ratepayers in November 2018 for $2.2 billion.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has also executed cooperation agreements with Dominion Energy, which acquired SCANA in a merger approved in December 2018, and has charged Jeffrey Benjamin, former Westinghouse senior vice president, in a 16-count felony criminal indictment.

Marsh is the first defendant to be sen-

tenced in the case.

“Kevin Marsh deceived regulators and customers to financially benefit SCANA,” said Susan Ferensic, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office.

“Unfortunately, Marsh’s and other executive’s actions resulted in South Carolinians bearing the financial brunt of the failed Summer nuclear station. This sentence should serve as a reminder to any corporation and their executives that there is a price to pay for those who conspire to commit fraud.”

Reach Melinda Waldrop at 803-726-7542.

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October 25 - November 7, 2021

Mako Medical Laboratory runs Greenville County School District’s COVID-19 testing site for students and employees at Fountain Inn High School. Testing labs throughout the state are scaling up in anticipation of increased demand as a result of mandates requiring vaccines or negative tests. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

Labs ramp up for mandated COVID-19 tests

By Molly Hulsey

C

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

arolina COVID-19 testing labs are scaling up for enhanced demand as the Palmetto State’s largest employers anticipate rollout of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Some report that the industry is dealing with a shortage of testing kits. Others add that their company’s supply chain is doing just fine despite a warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about too few rapid tests in September.

“We’re the number one vendor for Thermofisher and Medline, so we will not have a supply chain issue,” said Nolan McBride, executive director of Mako Medical Laboratory. “We don’t forsee that. We have the capacity to run about 50,000 COVID [tests] a day and that will last about six months with the current supply we have.”

North Carolina-based Mako Medical Laboratory was selected by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control as one of four labs to process tests for the state’s school district testing sites. Mako Medical serves most of the Upstate districts including Greenville, York, Anderson, Spartanburg, Oconee and parts of Greenwood counties, accord-

ing to McBride.

“We hope we don’t have to run 50,000 a day,” he added.

The S.C. Department of Education launched optional testing for employees and students in early September with the help of $155 million in funding from Washington, D.C., according to Education Superintendent Molly Spearman.

She doesn’t expect that requirements for weekly testing in lieu of a vaccine for employees will be underway any time soon.

“I doubt any type of requirement would be from DHEC,” she told GSA Business Report. “I don’t anticpate that, but this, certainly, is an excellent tool we now have, because it means that we can get people back quicker from the quarantine or even if they are feeling sick, they have a site readily available that they can go to.”

Ryan Brown, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, reiterated on Oct. 12 that no plans were in the works for a mandate at this time and that a call with the U.S. Department of Labor the previous week on the topic had yielded little guidance, as the Labor Department has just started to get the ball rolling on the issue.

“We have no idea of what the mechanics would look like,” Brown said.

Vaccine mandate or no, Greenville’s Diversified Medical Health Care is preparing to expand its operations even fur-

ther for an onslaught of Delta tests, a 35% increase in tests processed from last year, according to Kristina Loughrey, communications director of Diversified Medical Healthcare.

Since President Joe Biden announced the mandate, the lab has also seen an uptick in test samples, both from individuals and the large corporations it serves across all 50 states.

“As soon as the mandate came out, we’ve just been preparing ourselves for being able to support large businesses and schools, but really, we’ve been prepared all along, because right at the beginning of COVID, we became the first laboratory validated for COVID testing in the state of South Carolina,” said Loughrey.

“In the summer, when there was sort of a lull in cases, laboratories kind of scaled back, but we did not do that. We kept building out our capabilities, because we anticpated another surge.”

Right now, Diversified Medical Health Care has three companies under one roof: manufacturing arm PT Medical, the medical equipment distributor Vessel Medical and Premier Medical, the testing lab.

Sister company OnGen also develops proprietary laboratory information software, she said.

In the months to ahead, Vessel and CPT will relocate to give Premier more room to grow at its 6000 Pelham Road

location, along with the addition of a new almost 50,000-square-foot suite.

The new office will give the company’s R&D team, including one of the creators of the first FDA-approved COVID-19 tests, more breathing room, while Diversified Medical Healthcare hires on more lab assessioners.

“We’ve invested in state-of-the-art automation equipment, which automates a lot of the laboratory processes,” she said. “That’s the reason why we have one of the largest testing capacities in the nation. We can process up to 300,000 specimens per day.”

As for supply chain snags, Loughrey reported a shortage in testing supplies, including saliva-collection kits and nasopharangial and nairs swabs, but Diversified Medical Healthcare’s manufacturing arm has has helped ease bottlenecks at the company.

“That is one area that has slowed things down in being able to provide testing for a lot of testing entities and having testing capacity is a major issue,” she said about supply chain hold ups.

“Having the automation equipment, that meets that need. Every time there’s been a roadblock, we’ve really thought through what we can do to help improve testing as a whole.”

Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter.

October 25 - November 7, 2021

www.columbiabusinessreport.com 9

Project expected to save school district $57M

By Melinda Waldrop

A

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

new project between Richland County School District One and Schneider Electric is projected to reduce the district’s energy bill by nearly 73% when completed next year.

The two-phase project will add solar arrays to the roofs of 15 district campuses and guarantee Richland One nearly $57 million in energy savings during the next

20 years, according to a news release.

A net metering program will allow the solar panels to general renewable energy, reducing operational costs and providing financial credits to the district from its utility, Dominion Energy, for excess power generated but not consumed.

“School buildings with legacy equipment were a drain on energy and budgets,” Justin Shutt, business development manager for Schneider Electric, said in the release. “We’re pleased to help Richland One truly transform its infrastruc-

ture in a way that not only helps achieve their sustainability goals but also drastically cuts energy costs to free up millions of dollars for other district priorities.”

The solar project is part of a district-wide infrastructure modernization project started in 2020 to upgrade HVAC systems and improve air quality. Savings and revenue will fund improvements across Richland One campuses and make the district less reliant on taxes for school maintenance, according to the release.

The infrastructure project also gener-

ated new science, engineering, technology and math curriculum for the district, with students learning about energy generation, conservation, carbon impact and sustainability through hands-on labs featuring the upgraded equipment.

“STEM is a cornerstone of our curriculum across the district, and we are excited to show our students how the earth’s natural resources can be transformed and create such a substantial impact in their lives,” Miles Hanley, Richland One energy manager, said.

Denmark Tech, Savannah River Remediation renew partnership

By Melinda Waldrop

S

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

avannah River Remediation, Savannah River Site’s liquid waste contractor, has reaffirmed a memorandum of understanding with Denmark Technical College.

The renewed memorandum, signed Sept. 28, continues a partnership that includes internships and mentoring programs between SRR and Denmark Tech, S.C.’s only historically Black technical college. Denmark Tech provides students

with internships in areas including welding, training and nursing, while SRR provides transportation for students to the site as well as recommendations to improve Denmark Teach’s STEAM curriculum and “boot camps” to prepare students for industrial and nuclear work environments.

“The fruit from this partnership can be seen in the good work completed by the students who come to work at SRR,” Mark Schmitz, SRR COO and deputy project manager, said in a news release. “Together, we are bringing improvements to both organizations that will support our future

workforce.”

The two organizations signed the original memorandum in 2019. The renewed agreement will be effective until September 2022 or the Department of Energy names a replacement contractor for the liquid waste project, according to the release.

“Our partnership has opened doors for our students, helping them to forge onwards towards successful STEM careers,” Denmark Tech President Willie L. Todd Jr. said. “There aren’t enough words to express our appreciation for the com-

mitment and investment SRR has made to our students. We are working diligently to provide access to our students and the citizens of rural South Carolina.”

SRR is a team of companies led by Amentum with partners Bechtel National, Jacobs, and BWX Technologies Inc. Critical subcontractors for the contract are Orano, Atkins, and Amentum N&E Technical Services.

Located in Bamberg County, Denmark Tech serves more than 500 students and offers associates degrees and a four-year college transfer program.

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October 25 - November 7, 2021

Demand for workers pushing wages higher

By Ross Norton

rnorton@scbiznews.com

M

aybe the politicians can’t agree on what to do about increasing the federal minimum wage, but the market is making its own decisions.

And the decision seems to be that wages must go up.

The federal minimum has remained $7.25 since 2009 and it seems that’s not enough in 2021. Pressure to pay more, especially in the hospitality sector, was exacerbated by the pandemic, according to Furman University economics professor Kailash Khandke.

“The minimum wage debate that started a little before the pandemic, was highlighted during the pandemic, when workers in the service sector, restaurants, etc., felt that they were working long hours with little to no benefits, said Khandke, the Frederick W. Symmes Professor of Economics at Furman. “At the same time research on the poverty line and poverty threshold resulted in government intervention and trial programs with things like Universal Basic Income. So we may be seeing wages begin to go up in some of these low earning positions.”

A number of announcements have suggested a trend. Chipotle made national news in May when the company said it would raise its minimum wage companywide to an average of $15 in its American restaurants. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. has about 2,800 restaurants but some of them are abroad.

In South Carolina, the largest retailer headquartered in the state announced plans to raise the minimum at Spinx convenience stores and car washes to $12 for fulltime staff. And here and there across the Upstate, temporary banners, hand-lettered posterboard and paid

advertising have promised higher wages, especially at restaurants.

Clemson University economist Bruce Yandle, dean emeritus, former executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and senior economist on Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter’s Council of Wage Price Stability, said restaurant workers — the accommodations and food sector — is one of three areas where he expects to see growth, along with health care and finance.

“The latest job openings data, which is for July, showed 10.2 million jobs nationwide waiting to be filled,” Yandle said in September. “That is the highest number ever recorded by the BLS. In January 2021, the number was 7.5 million. In August, nationwide, there were 8.4 million unemployed.

“The ratio of openings to lookers, which is now greater than one, has been rising. This says the time is ripe for wage increases.”

In August, average hourly earnings for U.S. wage earners rose 4.2% on a yearover-year basis, Yandle said. Inflation, omitting food and energy, rose 4%.

“All-items inflation rose 5.2%. Inflation pressures also suggest it is time for wage increases,” Yandle said. “The largest growth in job openings is occurring in health care, finance, and accommodations and food. We should look for early and larger wage increases in these three sectors.”

Jeff Yankow of Furman said any increases in wages now may be absorbed by corresponding increases in the cost of living.

“So wages have been going up considerably for low-wage earners in nominal terms all summer. However, it is not clear whether real wages are increasing all that much given inflationary pressures in the

“We’re proud and excited to announce this commitment to enhancing our hourly rates for our valued frontline teammates.”

Stan Storti President, The Spinx Co.

cost of consumer goods,” Yankow, the David C. Garrett Jr. Professor of Economics, said in an email.

Wages went up each month of the summer for production and nonsupervisory employees, he said. And those employees worked more hours.

“However, when you adjust the wages into real terms by the Consumer Price Index increases over the same period, you get monthly increases in real hourly wages of only minus-0.6% in June, 0% in July, and 0.3% in August, and monthly increases in real weekly earnings of minus-1.2% in June, 0.3% in July, and 0.2% in August,” Yankow said. “So the picture is a little more mixed here.”

The Spinx Co. president said the retailer is responding to challenges by promising candidates better wages and a better work environment.

“We’re proud and excited to announce this commitment to enhancing our hourly rates for our valued frontline teammates,” Stan Storti said in a news release.

“Being an employer of choice has been a significant goal for us at Spinx over the last five years, which means a lot more

than pay.”

Storti said the company has adopted a formal program to make Spinx a fulfilling place to work. With 82 convenience retail stores and 45 carwashes throughout South Carolina, Spinx’s competition is not just other convenience stores.

To keep its 1,500-person workforce at full staff the company competes with every business that pulls talent from the labor pool.

“We spend a great deal of time and effort ensuring that we at Spinx have a unique and generous reward system,” Storti said in the release, which called the current environment a hiring crisis. “Pay rates are reviewed every six months, and lately every other month, to ensure that our rates are competitive with similar employers, not just gas/c-store operators.

This year, we’ve seen starting rates begin to trend higher around June as businesses struggled to find people.”

Restaurant industry expert Zac Painter said rising wages may affect the kind of employees restaurants hire.

“The turnover at restaurants has already been incredibly high, but you’ve always been able to find people,” said Painter, principal at Candor, a Greenville based restaurant consulting group.

“So anytime that unemployment is low, restaurants are always struggling from a labor market perspective. But as the minimum wage increases, restaurants are going to — and you’re already seeing this — they’re going to think a little more carefully about, ‘Am I going to hire a bunch of teenagers that are all going to work 15 or 20 hours a week? Or now that I have to pay a higher hourly wage, am I going to invest in more of a full-time person?’”

Reach Ross Norton at 864-720-1222.

Flying Biscuit Cafe landing in Columbia next month

By Melinda Waldrop

A

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

biscuit cafe with locations throughout the Southeast and in Texas will be coming to Five Points later this year.

The Flying Biscuit Cafe will open in the new Treadwell redevelopment in the 900 block of Harden Street by mid-December. A project of Los Angeles-based development group Campus + Main, The Treadwell is named in honor of Henrie Monteith Treadwell, the first Black student admitted to the University of South Carolina in 1963.

The Columbia franchise, located at 936

Harden St., will be owned by Midlands residents John Robert Barth and Kevin N. White, according to a news release.

The first Flying Biscuit Cafe opened in 1993 in Atlanta. A new Atlanta location set to open next year will mark 14 Georgia locations for the franchise, which also has locations in Greenville and Mount Pleasant. Its five North Carolina cafes include two in Charlotte, and the company also has a presence in Houston, Alabama and Florida.

Flying Biscuit Cafe serves breakfast foods, including a Southern Style Benedict, Pancake Tacos and grits bowls all day, along with sandwiches, burgers and vegan offerings. It also features a catering

service.

A biscuit cafe with locations throughout the Southeast and in Texas will be coming to Five Points later this year.

The Flying Biscuit Cafe will open in the new Treadwell redevelopment in the 900 block of Harden Street by mid-December.

A project of Los Angeles-based development group Campus + Main, The Treadwell is named in honor of Henrie Monteith Treadwell, the first Black student admitted to the University of South Carolina in 1963.

The Columbia franchise, located at 936 Harden St., will be owned by Midlands residents John Robert Barth and Kevin N.

White, according to a news release.

The first Flying Biscuit Cafe opened in 1993 in Atlanta.

A new Atlanta location set to open next year will mark 14 Georgia locations for the franchise, which also has locations in Greenville and Mount Pleasant.

Its five North Carolina cafes include two in Charlotte, and the company also has a presence in Houston, Alabama and Florida.

Flying Biscuit Cafe serves breakfast foods, including a Southern Style Benedict, Pancake Tacos and grits bowls all day, along with sandwiches, burgers and vegan offerings. It also features a catering service.

October 25 - November 7, 2021

www.columbiabusinessreport.com 11

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October 25 - November 7, 2021

Sanctuary Food Hall to bring new experience to BullStreet

By Melinda Waldrop

A

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

new food and beverage concept is coming to the BullStreet District.

Sanctuary Food Hall is seeking local businesses, from food trucks looking to open a brick-and-mortar location to restaurants in search of a place to expand, to join its curated eatery collection.

The food hall, a project from Atlanta-based Creative Culinary Ventures LLC, is slated to open in 2023 with approximately 19,000 square feet of space for vendors ranging from micro-enterprises to full-service restaurants and bars.

Creative Culinary Ventures developed a similar concept with the Marietta Square Market Food Hall outside of Atlanta.

“Based on our experience developing Marietta Square Market Food Hall, we know that a concept like this creates opportunities for locals to connect with smaller, distinctive food and beverage vendors who might not otherwise have a formal location,” Ed Lee, founder of Creative Culinary Ventures, said in a news release. “It also creates an opportunity for expansion for existing full-service restaurants in a prime downtown district.”

Sanctuary Food Hall will be an adaptive reuse of the Chapel of Hope, located in the center of the 181-acre mixeduse BullStreet District, former site of the S.C. State Hospital.

The chapel is situated on Pickens Street near Segra Park, The Babcock

Rendering/Provided

Building, being renovated into luxury apartments, and the in-the-works WestLawn mixed-use building.

The renovated chapel will feature an outdoor green space for dining, live music and events, and its mezzanine will be available for private events and/ or community seating.

“What we envision is an assortment of eateries that offer a wide variety of food and drink options spanning many food cultures that reflect Columbia’s remarkable diversity,” Lee said. “Patrons

“What we envision is an assortment of eateries that offer a wide variety of food and drink options spanning many food cultures ...”

Ed Lee Founder, Creative Culinary Ventures

will be able to pop in for a quick bite or make it a full-blown culinary experience by meeting up with friends and family and sampling dishes from multiple vendors. We see Sanctuary Food Hall as a place where people can get that wonderful feeling of becoming regulars, making friends with the people behind the food, and supporting an array of creative small businesses in the process.”

Vendor information is available at www.sanctuaryfoodhall.com.

Report: Available Columbia office space poised to increase

By Christina Lee Knauss

T

Contributing Writer

he amount of office space available in the Columbia area is poised to increase soon, according to a report on the third quarter of 2021 released earlier this month by commerical real estate firm Colliers | South Carolina.

According to the report, activity in the Midlands office market was relatively flat during the third quarter, with 2,169 square feet of negative absorption during the quarter.

However, an increase in available office space is expected by the end of this year and in early 2022.

While the Columbia office market wasn’t hit as badly by the pandemic as those in larger metro areas, the Colliers report noted that it is now seeing the same overall general trends – namely, an increase in vacancy and

Photo/File

slowdown in leasing and sales – on a smaller scale.

The report said the anticipated increase in vacant office space will be partly fueled by several large business tenants who may be

planning moves or space contractions in the next several months.

According to the report, there was 14.28 million square feet of available office space in the Midlands in the third quarter, down

from 14.63 million available square feet during the same time in 2020.

The average lease rate for Class A office space dropped slightly from $21.38 per square foot in the second quarter to $20.71 per square foot during the third. The overall vacancy rate for the third quarter was 12.09 percent, up from 11.8 percent in the second.

The Colliers report stressed that the anticipated increase in vacant space shouldn’t be alarming but could allow for some positive changes.

“Vacancies in quality space will allow tenants to upgrade to higher-quality space that was previously unavailable and will give owners a chance to update dated space that is vacated,” the report stated.

Also, the report noted that large blocks of available space could be attractive to prospective tenants from outside the market who previously could not find adequate space.

In Focus

THE INSURANCE CLUSTER LIST: Employee Benefit Brokers, Page 15

NEXT ISSUE’S FOCUS:

Hospitality and Tourism

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Financial advisors say pandemic pushed more planning decisions

By Teri Errico Griffis

P

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

rior to the pandemic, the last thing Spencer Schulz and his wife chatted about over pizza and wine on Friday nights was an unforeseen passing. But now it’s a common conversation for his family, and his clients at Northwestern Mutual, the financial advisor said.

Life insurance sales are the highest they’ve ever been at the company.

Not only has the pandemic forced the nation to take a long hard look at their rainy day savings — the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reports banks grew by a record $2 trillion in cash deposits during 2020 — but people have been forced to discuss how death could be just around the corner. With COVID-19, a trip to

the grocery store, a hug could result in contracting a potentially fatal disease.

“The pandemic made it OK for people to talk about finances in their house and to plan for something happening — not in a pessimistic way, but rather, I want to get life insurance before I contract COVID and become uninsurable, or God forbid I get it and do pass,” Schulz said. “We definitely saw an uptick.”

Last year was Schulz’ best year as a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual, which has offices in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg and Asheville, N.C. Additionally, the company brought on more clients than it had ever seen, reaching $31 billion in revenue and surpassing $300 billion in total assets for

“The pandemic made it OK for peope to talk about finances in their house and to plan for something happening ...”

Spencer Schulz Financial advisor, Northwestern Mutual

the first time, the company said.

Client investment assets also hit a record high of $195 billion.

With a year that saw a global pandemic and a controversial election, Schulz said the positives that came out of 2020 was the realization for the importance of planning.

“We truly think about the folks

that were waiting for a $600 or $1,200 stimulus checks,” he said. “If we’re really banking on that, we’ve got a bigger problem, right? We realize the need for a proper emergency fund.”

Rainy day funds should total three to six months of expenses, Schulz suggested. Additional savings can be divvied into short-term, mid-term and long-term investments, which can include life insurance.

There are two types of life insurance: term and whole or permanent.

Term lasts for a specific period of time, generally five years, 10 or 30.

People often buy term insurance because they can get a large death benefit amount for a relatively inexpensive premium, said Evan HamSee DECISIONS, Page 14

14

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IN FOCUS: THE INSURANCE CLUSTER

October 25 - November 7, 2021

DECISIONS, from Page 13

mond, financial advisor and field director at Northwestern Mutual.

“The reason someone would buy term insurance is because they have a need, they have children or some debt that, God forbid they pass way, they want their family or beneficiary to have tax-free money,” he said. “It’s a really easy way to cover yourself for the specific term.”

The downside of term insurance is the potential to outlive the term, they said. The insurance then expires and renewing can be harder as the individual ages or incurs health issues.

Permanent life insurance can last for a person’s entire life as long as they pay the premiums. Some use it as a financial strategy, Hammond said.

“The unique thing about permanent life insurance is it’s not correlated to the cash market, so you don’t have the ebbs and flows like a year ago when we saw that huge dip in the market,” he said.

“Nobody’s cash value took a hit because it’s not associated to the stock market.”

The insured can also pull out money in a tax-favored fashion, meaning what you put in can be taken out tax-free.

Hammond recommends a mix of

Photo/File

both when making a financial plan.

There are always going to be downturns in the market and having an alternative vehicle to pull money from is extremely strategic.

For those looking for a financial advisor, Schulz stressed the importance of exploring options, just as you would a personal trainer. There are

talented people whether you choose Wells Fargo, Charles Schwabb Corp. or Northwestern. And there’s zero risk in having a conversation, he said.

“What’s important is to work with someone who has a financial plan and is working with your best interest,” Schulz said.

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IN FOCUS: THE INSURANCE CLUSTER

October 25 - November 7, 2021

www.columbiabusinessreport.com 15

Employee Benefits Brokers

Ranked by No. of Employee Benefits Agents in the Columbia Area Company

Phone / Website / Email

Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded

Benefits Agents / Employees

Alpine Agency of the Midlands 8910 Two Notch Road, Suite 200 Columbia, SC 29223

803-432-4960 www.alpineagency.com kim.frost@alpineagency.com

Reese L. McCurdy 1997

50 45

Health insurance, individual ACA products, employee benefits, Medicare Advantage, Medicare supplements, dental, vision; LTD, STD, life insurance

Brown & Brown of South Carolina 3700 Forest Drive, Suite 300 Columbia, SC 29204

803-252-1766 www.cbbins.com info@cbbins.com

Mark K. Ackerman, Laurel M. Suggs, Jackee D. Moye 1977

24 78

Employee benefits, individual insurance, property and casualty, business insurance, commercial insurance and wealth management

AssuredPartners of South Carolina LLC 501 Huger St. Columbia, SC 29021

803-732-0060 www.assuredpartners.com frontdesk.columbia@assuredpartners.com

Jennifer Coffee, Chris Daves, Drew Mood 1950

7 30

Property and casualty, personal lines, employee benefits

Clarke & Co. Benefits LLC 2422 Devine St., Suite B Columbia, SC 29205

803-253-6997 www.clarkebenefits.com sdasilva@clarkebenefits.com

Norman Clarke 1999

7 21

Employee benefits

HUB International 1330 Lady St. Columbia, SC 29201

803-799-5533 www.hubinternational.com

Tommy Suggs 1998

6 69

Formerly KeenanSuggs; risk and insurance, employee benefits, retirement and private wealth

OneDigital Health & Benefits 2508 Devine St. Columbia, SC 29205

803-799-1400 www.onedigital.com gsnyder@onedigital.com

Gary W. Snyder 2000

6 6

Employee benefits consulting

Benefit Coordinators Inc. 121 Hunter Village Drive, Suite H Irmo, SC 29063

803-772-0110 www.benefitcoordinators.com

Bill Boykin, Mendel Boykin 1987

5 13

Consumer driven health care

Insurance Advantage LLC 540 Meeting St. West Columbia, SC 29169

803-851-0049 www.theiateam.com info@theiateam.com

David Harrell, Ben Green 2010

5 6

Group and individual health, short term medical, Medicare, dental, vision, life, short-term, long-term disability, cancer, accident, critical illness, long-term care and other supplemental insurance

The Johnston Insurance Agency 2906 Devine St. Columbia, SC 29205

803-724-6554 www.allstate.com/josephjohnston josephjohnston@allstate.com

Joseph E. Johnston 2013

3 4

Group short-term disability, group critical illness, group cancer and specified disease, group accident coverage, individual term life insurance, group long-term disability, group dental, group lmtd.

The Covenant Group Inc. 3209 Cornwall Road Columbia, SC 29204

803-771-8771 www.thecovenantgrouponline.com carl@thecovenantgrouponline.com

Carl Cease 2009

2 2

Group employee benefits including medical, dental, vision and related work site and supplemental benefits

Russell-Massey & Co. Inc. 1320 Elmwood Ave. Columbia, SC 29201

803-779-7854 www.russellmassey.com info@russellmassey.com

Melody S. Herring 1955

1 17

Medical, dental, vision, disability, life

Adams Eaddy & Associates 2230 Devine St. Columbia, SC 29205

803-254-9404 www.adamseaddy.com AEA@adamseaddy.com

Ken Finch 1980

30

Commercial lines, personal lines and bonds

Specialization

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 Paige Wills

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INSURANCE, from Page 1

employees feel safer and comply with vaccine and testing mandates as they emerge.

Vaccine Verifier offers a variety of web-based solutions to track new layers of record-keeping brought on by COVID-19. These include a self-service portal where employees can report vaccination status and upload documents, tools for handling intake of medical- and non-medical vaccine exemption requests, and a way to handle test-result documentation for non-vaccinated employees.

“Many busy human resource professionals will soon be charged with either requiring employees to become vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID19 test at least weekly,” Arnold said. “In doing so, they also need to consider requests made by employees who want to be excused from the mandate due to a medical or religious reason. These professionals may be unfamiliar with how to assess and fulfill these mandates. Vaccine Verifier provides a solution for this business need.”

A tool like Vaccine Verifier not only will offer companies a way to stay safe and in compliance with the law, but in the long run can help with the economic

“Many busy human resource professionals will soon be charged with either requiring employees to become vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test at least weekly.”

Tim Arnold CEO, Colonial Life

bottom line as well, Arnold said.

“Tracking vaccination status and monitoring test results could slow the spread of COVID-19 and improve the health and safety of workers, therefore also lowering medical costs over time,” he said Along with the economic and technological challenges, COVID-19 has also profoundly changed the work cycle and workload for insurance companies that specialize in health insurance, according to Joel Lourie, president and CEO of Columbia-based Lourie Life and Health.

The company also has offices in Greenville, Charleston and Myrtle Beach and independent agents in eight other states.

“From the very beginning, we’ve seen a heightened interest from consumers in making sure they have the right health coverage,” Lourie said. “The pandemic

forced many individuals and families to realize that something very unexpected can happen and that the impact can be devastating, if not fatal. At times like this, it can be very detrimental for people to not have the proper health insurance or Medicare coverage.”

In normal years, Lourie said his company would see its heaviest workload during annual enrollment periods for Medicare and policies obtained on the national health care exchange through healthcare.gov. The pandemic prompted the federal government to keep enrollment open longer for plans bought on the exchange and also to increase federal subsidies for those policies.

“Our phones have pretty much been ringing off the hook since March of 2020,” Lourie said. “Normally we would be very busy from October through December

October 25 - November 7, 2021

and then for the next six months plan for the next enrollment season, but now the calls come in throughout the year. We’ve added staff because of the increased need.”

The COVID-19 pandemic also forced many people to confront some very stark realities — namely, that they aren’t going to live forever. As a result, Lourie said, interest in life insurance peaked during the height of the pandemic and is still going strong.

According to a September article in Forbes Magazine, the number of life insurance policies sold nationwide increased 8% in the first six months of 2021, the largest year-over-year increase since 1983. The numbers came from a study done by LIMRA, an industry-funded research firm.

“We are seeing more inquiries about life insurance because all of this caused everyone to sort of come to understand their own mortality,” Lourie said.

“The whole life insurance industry itself has seen an increase in applications for new policies placed since the third quarter of last year. Because of COVID19, people have really come to realize that something like a serious, life-threatening illness can happen to anyone at any time.”

Haley named to Clemson University board of trustees

By Ross Norton

F

rnorton@scbiznews.com

ormer United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki R. Haley has been named to the Clemson University board of trustees, effective immediately.

Haley, who served as South Carolina’s governor before being nominated by former President Trump to the U.N., graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Clemson in 1994.

After leaving Clemson, she worked for her family business and served as its chief financial officer.

Haley’s career in public service began in 2004 with her election to the S.C. House of Representatives. In 2010, Haley was elected as the first female and first minority governor of South Carolina and was the youngest governor in the country at that time. She was reelected governor in 2014.

In 2016, Trump nominated Haley to be the 29th U.S. permanent representative to the U.N. Haley continued to serve as governor until her confirmation by the U.S. Senate in January 2017. Haley served as the ambassador until January 2019. During that time, she was also a member of the president’s cabinet and the National Security Council.

At the United Nations, Ambassador Haley worked to introduce reforms to make the organization more efficient, transparent, and accountable. Ambassador Haley was also a champion of human rights and challenged human rights violators. In the U.N. Security Council, she sought to defend America’s interests and safety. Those efforts included spearheading negotiations resulting in the strongest set of sanctions ever placed on North Korea for its nuclear weapons program.

Since 2019, Haley has led the Stand for America advocacy group, with stated objectives to promote public policies that strengthen America’s economy, culture and

national security.

“Ambassador Haley’s love of country, leadership skills, commitment to education, and passion for Clemson University will serve the board well,” Kim Wilkerson, board chair, said in a news release. “She will be a tireless advocate for the university and all of its constituents.”

Haley succeeds David H. Wilkins of Greenville, who is retiring as a trustee after serving since 2007, including six years as chair.

Wilkins, a former speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives and ambassador to Canada, will become a trustee emeritus, the release said.

FAST. UNFILTERED. FRESH. Get your message in front of the top decision-makers in the Midlands as they stay up-to-date on the people and businesses making moves in the Midlands.

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Dedicated to serving up business announcements fast & unfiltered.

For advertising information, contact Lucia Smith at (803) 600-5479 or lsmith@scbiznews.com

For more information, visit: scmanufacturingconference.com

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PREVIEW GUIDE

DON’T MISS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MANUFACTURING EVENT OF THE YEAR For more information, visit www.scmanufacturingconference.com

NOVEMBER 10 - 12, 2021 GREENVILLE CONVENTION CENTER | GREENVILLE, SC

To view the agenda and to register, visit www.scmanufacturingconference.com PRESENTED BY:

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CONFERENCE PARTNERS

PRESENTING SPONSORS

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We are excited to make this year’s conference live and in-person once again. Last year’s online conference was successful, but returning to a live event has confirmed what we already suspected: There’s nothing like being in person … with COVID-19 precautions still in place, of course.

We are proud to partner with SCMEP — the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership — along with the S.C. Council on Competitiveness, the S.C. Research Authority and the S.C. Technical College System.

With 3,000+ attendees each year, the SC Manufacturing Conference and Expo is one of the largest manufacturing events in the Southeast.

The Conference’s anchor event will be the 25th annual Salute

Attendees will take part in more than a dozen workshops, hear keynote

to Manufacturing Awards

addresses, visit a wide variety of manufacturing-related booths and have

Luncheon, where up to 30

an almost unlimited number of opportunities for business-to-business

of the state’s manufacturers will be honored with a

interaction.

From a networking and lunch event that kicks off the conference and expo, to a closing bell with this year’s Salute to Manufacturing awards and luncheon, with awards presented by S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, we hope you take full advantage of a conference that has been a year in the making and two years in the waiting.

We are looking forward to seeing you there.

variety of excellence awards.

Other events on the agenda will explore topics such as: Industry 4.0 technologies, aerospace, logistics, supply chain, workforce and economic forecasts for the auto and aerospace industries.

Rick Jenkins Conference Director Group Publisher, SC Biz News

SCMEP will present a wide range of training and informational sessions on topics that are ‘hot’ for South Carolina’s manufacturers.

Sessions will focus on Workforce (leadership, recruitment and retention, apprenticeships, high performing teams, state workforce incentives), MFG 4.0 (artificial intelligence, virtual reality/augmented reality, automation, and MFG4.0 in logistics), supply chain, risk management, project management and energy management.

To view the agenda and to register, visit scmanufacturingconference.com

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AGENDA: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY IN 2021 SC Biz News is committed to

Exhibitor Check-in - 8:00 am Exhibitors may check in and set up their booths from 8 am – 5 pm.

Check-in instructions will be sent out prior to the conference.

For questions, please contact Melissa Tomberg at mtomberg@scbiznews.com.

bringing business professionals together to celebrate South Carolina’s vibrant manufacturing industry again in 2021. We are committed to achieving this in a safe environment and are working closely with the Greenville Convention Center to ensure we strictly adhere to all CDC regulations.

For more information go to: www.meetgcc.com/safetyprotocols

Leadership Event - 11:30 am 10:30 am – 12:15 pm Registration, Networking and Lunch 12:15 pm – 12:30 pm

Welcome: Rick Jenkins, Publisher, SC Biz News Introduction: Nancy McCartney, President & CEO, HR Bridging

The Building Blocks Of A Leader…

To Drive Results We’re never too experienced to learn new techniques in our changing workplace environments and social landscape. Looking inside at resources, capabilities and practices. Aligning people and activities – the analysis to action!

Randy Hatcher, President, MAU Workforce Solutions

2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Networking With Sponsors

1:30 pm – 2:20 pm Leadership in Today’s Changing World!

3:00 pm – 3:50 pm – The Inclusive Leader – Building A Great Team!

Key to maintaining the health of the business, leaders are inextricably linked to the financial and operational sustainability now and in the future… contributing to business success. You the leader!

You the mentor!

Keynote speaker: Susie Shannon, President & CEO, SC Council on Competitiveness

Enhance leadership awareness, knowledge and skills to support and create an environment that values all employees and inclusive differences. Then, apply those skills when navigating cultural intelligence within your team talent and their potential.

Keynote speaker: Julio Hernandez, Clemson University, Assistant VP for Inclusive Excellence, Leadership

12:30 pm – 1:20 pm Keynote Speaker

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4:00PM – 5:15PM Ted Talks & Keynote Leader’s Panel

Your Leadership Matters!

A powerful catalyst to align leadership skills, the Panel will share TED ideas with new strategies to lead while fueling collaboration. Offer solutions to common problems from front-line managers to the C-Suite and across an organization’s platform. You’ll have takeaways from many different perspectives!

Moderator: Nancy McCartney, President & CEO, HR Bridging Panelists: Lesley Kelly, CPA, Partner, DarverKelly LLP Chris Lewis, President, Greenville Triumph SC Dr. Hope Rivers, President, Piedmont Technical College

5:30pm – 7:30pm Networking Mixer + Exhibitors, VIP Guest And Vendors

Manufacturing Expo

November 11 – 12: 8:00 am - 5 pm Visit the Manufacturing Expo to have access to our Exhibitors.

The Expo Floor spans approximately three football fields in size and attendees are encouraged to explore the entire space. The Manufacturing Expo will be open to the public from 8 am – 5 pm.

The cost to enter the Manufacturing Expo is $25 and you can register for this option under “Build Your Own Conference Agenda” on our registration page.

Of course, we encourage you to also register for the various breakfast and lunch events on the Agenda. You can add those events as well under “Build Your Own Conference Agenda.”

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AGENDA: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2021 8:00 am - 5:00 pm - Manufacturing Expo Visit the Manufacturing Expo to have access to our Exhibitors.

The Expo Floor spans approximately three football fields in size and attendees are encouraged to explore the entire space. The Manufacturing Expo will be open to the public from 8 am - 5 pm.

8:00 am - 11:15 am Implementing Industry 4.0 Technology Manufacturers are in a race to adopt and implement new manufacturing systems and technologies. The market defines whether a company remains competitive or not, and brands that adopt Industry 4.0 have a much better chance at success than their competitors.

But keeping up with technology isn’t an easy task. And re-training the workforce and finding new qualified employees can also be challenging.

TOPIC 1: Exoskeletons in Manufacturing Presenter: Chris Reid, President, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Boeing TOPIC 2: Digital Lean Solutions to Enhance Operational Effectiveness Presenter: Brandon Flexsenhar, Co-Founder, Dynamic Flow Systems and VP Operations, KION North America TOPIC 3: Zero Downtime and Zero-Defect Manufacturing; Leveraging Industry 4.0 Presenter: Dr. Mo Abuali, Managing Partner, IoTco

Key Takeaways: • Build business case for Industry 4.0 and Predictive Analytics • Digitalization is the past; Predictive analytics and artificial intelligence is the future.

• Empower maintenance and quality personnel with predictive and prescriptive insights • A systematic approach to “Think Big, Start Small, and Win ROI with AI” Sponsors:

11:30 am – 1:00 pm Driving Change: The Future Of Electric Vehicles In South Carolina The era of the electrified vehicle (EV) has arrived. The EV landscape is changing rapidly, from infrastructure and utilities to consumer vehicles and logistics carriers. What will EV mean for South Carolina, in terms of fleet electrification, sustainability, and economic development? How are South Carolina manufacturers, utilities, and supply chain experts capitalizing on the EV movement?

SC Logistics, an initiative of the SC Council on Competitiveness, will bring together industry leaders from throughout the “EV” landscape to discuss one of the hottest topics in the manufacturing industry today.

You may register for this luncheon as an add-on event to your base Manufacturing Expo entrance fee, under the “Build Your Own

Business Health Solutions Working together to improve health and manage costs We provide health and wellness services to businesses throughout South Carolina.

Learn more about creating a healthier workforce by calling toll-free 833-890-2109 or visiting PrismaHealth.org/BusinessHealth.

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Conference Agenda” option. Make sure you add the luncheon before checking out and pre-registration is required. The”All Access Pass” option on the attendee registation page includes this event as well.

Speakers: Volvo Trucks: Brett Pope, Director of Electric Vehicles Benore Logistics: Dennis Kunz, VP of Revenue Strategy& Operations Development Duke Energy: Jim Poch, Electric Transportation Manager Proterra: Dale Hill, Founder Arrival: Suzanne Merkelson, Policy & Government Affairs

Building Your Success THOMPSONSOUTHEAST.COM

Dominion Energy South Carolina: Westy Westmoreland, Manager – Contracts & Franchises Border States: Jimmy Woods, Product Manager | Utility Sponsors: SUMTER | COLUMBIA | GREENVILLE | CHARLESTON

Fueling South Carolina’s Innovation Economy SCRA fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy through the work of programs that advance academic research and development, and provide coaching, grant funding, world-class facilities, and industry match making for technology startups. Learn more at scra.org.

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AGENDA: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021

8:00 am - 5:00 pm - Manufacturing Expo Visit the Manufacturing Expo to have access to our Exhibitors.

The Expo Floor spans approximately three football fields in size and attendees are encouraged to explore the entire space. The Manufacturing Expo will be open to the public from 8 am - 5 pm.

8:30 am - 11:30 am Women In Manufacturing: Leaders And Influencers Women make up only 29% of the manufacturing workforce. However, the industry’s attitude toward recruiting and promoting women has been changing and the gender gap is narrowing. Executive women will share their past experiences and their hope for the future.

You may register for this breakfast as an add-on event to your base Manufacturing Expo entrance fee, under the “Build Your Own Conference Agenda” option. Make sure you add the breakfast before checking out and pre-registration is required. The”All Access Pass” option on the attendee registation page includes this event as well.

Speakers: SC Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette will facilitate a panel discussion.

Sponsors:

For more information, visit: scmanufacturingconference.com

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12:15 pm - 1:45 pm SCMEP Manufacturing Excellence Awards Awards winners will be honored at 24th annual Salute to Manufacturing Awards Luncheon, the anchor event of the SC Manufacturing Conference and Expo. Award categories include: Innovator of Year, Outreach, Operational Excellence, Emerging Manufacturer and Lifetime Achievement. Judging process coordinated by SC Manufacturing Extension Partnership. You may register for this luncheon as an add-on event to your base Manufacturing Expo entrance fee, under the “Build Your Own Conference Agenda” option. Make sure you add the luncheon before checking out and pre-registration is required. The”All Access Pass” option on the attendee registation page includes this event as well.

Speakers: S.C. Governor Henry McMaster will address the crowd and present the manufacturing awards.

Sponsors:

JOIN THE AFL TEAM! AFL manufactures cutting-edge telecommunications technology that connects people and improves quality of life while having a minimum impact on our environment. Our success over the past 35+ years is due to the commitment of our greatest asset—our associates.

Visit www.AFLglobal.com/Careers to explore our career opportunities.

The S.C. Aeronautical Training Center at Trident Technical College is transforming how education and industry work together in the regional, national and global economies.

The S.C. Aeronautical Training Center houses: • Aeronautical studies programs • High-tech manufacturing programs • readySC’s Boeing Training Center • Advanced manufacturing workforce training

For more information: 843.323.3501.

AT20-016

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SCENES FROM THE 2019 SOUTH CAROLINA MANUFACTURING CONFERENCE AND EXPO

TOGETHER, WE ARE BUILDING A BRIDGE T0 THE FUTURE. It takes great partners to achieve great results. Nucor Steel Berkeley is committed to working with our neighbors, customers and community to make Berkeley County a better, cleaner, stronger place.

POWERFUL PARTNERSHIPS. POWERFUL RESULTS.

For more information, visit: scmanufacturingconference.com

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WE’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING MANUFACTURERS SCMEP puts that passion into practice by providing South Carolina manufacturers and their employees a range of strategies and solutions that promote innovation, competitiveness, performance and profitability for an increasingly demanding global economy.

ONE-DAY COMPETITIVENESS REVIEW Start elevating your company and workforce with our free one-day Competitiveness Review: Visit SCMEP.org/help-my-business Call 864.288.5687 Email info@SCMEP.org

SCMEP is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization affiliated with The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a network of 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

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19 TRAINING COURSES BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP (SCMEP) Register for training courses and see complete session overviews and instructor bios on conference website: www.SCManufacturingConference.com

Track 1: Workforce

professional lives to differentiate themselves and create impact.

Instructor: Susan Whitehead, SCMEP

In this session, we explore Agile EQ, the emotional intelligence necessary to support a thriving, agile culture. In today’s environment, the ability to be agile in strategy, tactics and business is critical if an organization is to successfully adjust to changing situations.

The John Maxwell Leadership Game – 11/11 at 2 pm

Emotional Intelligence – 11/11 at 9:30am

Self & High Performing Teams – 11/11 at 10:30 am John Maxwell has been named the world’s #1 leadership guru for several years in a row. Taking key concepts from one of his NY Times Best Selling Books, Today Matters plus several of the course instructor’s best strategies taught to hundreds of people, learn the keys to breakthrough performance by you and your team. Learn several obstacles and habits holding you and your team back. You will take away several simple, yet highly effective strategies you can put into practice immediately to achieve greater results than you ever thought were possible for you and your team.

Instructor: Bill Bliss, Bliss & Associates Inc. and Founding Partner/ Executive Director of the John Maxwell Team

Women in Leadership – Declare Your Brand – 11/11 at 1 pm During this one-hour session, participants will learn about the power of a personal brand statement and how it can be used in their daily

The John Maxwell Team Leadership Game is a comprehensive game based on the teachings of John Maxwell (the #1 Leadership Expert in the World). This game helps organizations improve their leadership intelligence and increase their effectiveness. These leadership principles carry consequences with them. Violate or ignore them and you will not be able to lead others. But there is good news: every one of the laws can be learned!

Instructor: Chris Stoecklein, Stoecklein Consulting

Personal Kanban – Coming to a Whiteboard Near You – 11/12 at 9:30 am Personal Kanban is a highly customizable tool that allows individuals and teams to visualize work – facilitating the shift from endless to-do lists to a simple work management system that produces dramatic results. For the purposes of this topic, work becomes inventory. With Personal Kanban, the same pull-system principles that allow for plantbased inventory management are utilized to manage work.

Instructor: Rhonda Huskins, SCMEP

Commit to your employees.

Partner with Anderson University.

Benefit from a culture of support.

Corporate Customized Training and Workshops Customized in-person workshops and self-paced online learning modules tailored specifically to your organization’s employee development needs Self-Paced Professional Development Courses Innovative courses aligned to applicable professional development credit Certificates Convenient and affordable certifications to help you explore new careers and professional growth 100% Online Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees Flexible online programs designed for the working student Join our Preferred Partnership Program Learn and grow in your respective field with an exclusive tuition grant on a selection of over 30 eligible online and hybrid degrees

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For more information, visit: scmanufacturingconference.com 15

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WE’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING MANUFACTURERS SCMEP puts that passion into practice by providing South Carolina manufacturers and their employees a range of strategies and solutions that promote innovation, competitiveness, performance and profitability for an increasingly demanding global economy.

ONE-DAY COMPETITIVENESS REVIEW Start elevating your company and workforce with our free one-day Competitiveness Review: Visit SCMEP.org/help-my-business Call 864.288.5687 Email info@SCMEP.org

SCMEP is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization affiliated with The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a network of 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

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Positive Personal Strategies – 11/12 at 10:30 am Learn key strategies for using positive influence in your workplace and your life. Our personal outlook affects our interpersonal relationships, our health and our wellness. These tools will help you have a positive impact on the culture of your team and your organization.

Instructor: Melissa Steinkuhl, SCMEP

Track 2: Developing The Organization The Hidden Cost of Employee Churnover 11/11 at 9:30 am

Is your organization currently challenged with high employee turnover?

Do you continue to hire candidates into the same positions, only to lose them in the first 90 days, 6 months or year of employment?

Employee turnover is extremely costly for any organization, but the true cost if often not measured and not understood.

Instructor: Susan Whitehead, SCMEP

Building A Leadership Pipeline – Preparing Your Manufacturing Company for The Next Generation of Leaders – 11/11 at 10:30 am Steve is probably 5 years away from retirement, and the company he started 32 years ago needs a leader. In fact, the company needs a whole new group of leaders to take it into the next 30 years. How can he and other manufacturing companies like his prepare now for the future? There is a way to invest talent capital today that will help him retain his most promising and most loyal team members at the same time – and will set them all up for success for decades to come: building a leadership pipeline.

Instructor: Paul Clark, Find Great People

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Diversity & Inclusion – 11/11 at 1pm The Power of Peer-To-Peer Networking – 11/11 at 2 pm Advanced manufacturing technologies, increased social connectivity, and the push for continual improvement are all factors on the plates of manufacturers today. South Carolina manufacturers have done well internally in building interdepartmental and cross-functional collaboration to optimize these efforts.

Instructor: Mike Demos, OpExChange Running a business can be a very lonely position but there’s one place where you don’t have to go it alone. There are many others that have experienced similar situations with running their business and who are willing to share what they’ve learned along the way, so you don’t have to keep reinventing the wheel. A business leader peer advisory group can help you navigate the white waters typically faced along the journey and it doesn’t all necessarily have to do with business.

Instructor: Kevin Minton, Chief Executive Boards International/Insight

Identifying and Implementing More Creative Models for Compensating Manufacturing Leaders – 11/12 at 9:30 am Gone are the days when you could just post an hourly rate or set up a salary chart and then forget about it. To attract and keep the best talent in 2021 and beyond, manufacturers are finding more creative compensation models.

Instructor: Carrie Cavanaugh, Find Great People

Building A Better Supply Chain Through Strategic Sourcing – 11/12 at 10:30 am Now, more than ever, organizations are re-evaluating their existing supply chains and making strategic decisions to strengthen their

Warehouse Services, Inc. Established 1986 - WBENC Member

Distribution Warehousing Transportation Value Added Services Manufacturing Support Contract Manufacturing Engineering & Construction Maintenance & Support Services Asset & Real Estate Management Information & Integration Services

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For more information, visit: scmanufacturingconference.com 17

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supply base and mitigate risks to their business. Strategic Sourcing can be an invaluable tool for organizations of all sizes, helping them to effectively identify and develop a supply base that facilitates achievement of the organization’s goals and objectives.

Instructor: Dennis Dedrick

Track 3: MFG 4.0

AI in Manufacturing: Real World Success and Lessons Learned, Right Here, Right Now in SC – 11/11 at 9:30 am In 2021, Nucor Steel, Precision Global and Metromont Concrete joined fellow SC Manufacturers Rolls-Royce, Atlas Copco, JTEKT and Elkem Silicones on the Artificial Intelligence journey with SC firm Delta Bravo.

Use cases in Predictive Maintenance, Predictive Quality and Scrap Reduction have increased throughput and profits, but all came with lessons learned both for the customer and Delta Bravo.

Instructor: Rick Oppedisano, Delta Bravo

Solving Labor Shortages with Collaborative Robots – 11/12 at 10:30 am Is your company suffering from a workforce shortage? Are you having difficulties finding qualified people to work in your factory? Come learn how collaborative robotics can help solve your workforce challenges.

Instructor: Robert Goosen, Purdue MEP

Discovering and Addressing the 7 Wastes Using RealTime Location Tracking – 11/11 at 1pm

Move Your Company Forward with Autonomous Mobile Robots – 11/11 at 2 pm Manufacturers and warehousing companies are boosting productivity with Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). We will view use cases showing how AMRs are being used in different manufacturing settings and hopefully give you some ideas on how these advanced robots might benefit your business.

Instructor: Robert Goosen, Purdue MEP

Solving Real World Employee Training Issues Using eXtended Reality – 11/12 at 9:30 am This talk will describe the state of the art in immersive, AI-powered training and how it offers a promising solution to efficiencyeffectiveness tradeoff. We will also present a case study on how immersive training delivered ROI and results at Shaw Floors Plant 8S in Columbia, SC. Instructor: Rajesh Jha, SimInsights

Deploying Augmented Reality In Manufacturing & Logistics – A ‘How To’ Guide – 11/12 at 10:30 am Smartglasses and Augmented Reality are becoming a large part of many company’s efficiency improvements.

We look at how to choose the right solution for the current situation, how to set goals and measure your success, how to map metrics to income (ROI), and how to create a roadmap.

Instructor: Javier Ortiz, New Forge LLC

In this fun and informative session you will learn more about and have the chance to experience first-hand the amazing capabilities and potential of real-time location tracking using ultra-wide band (UWB) technology.

Instructor: Stijn van de Velde, Gemba Partners

COMMUNITY is More Than Just a Word in our Name This initiative is SCC’s investment in the future economic prosperity of our community. Education is the key to success, and the gateway to economic prosperity. In order to grow, we must continue working together to educate our citizens and provide businesses an educated and skilled workforce. This 2021-2022 academic year initiative is intended to make attending college more affordable than ever! Live or work full-time in SC?

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Find out more at SCCgoesFREE.com or call (864) 592-4800.

10/7/21 6:59 PM

18 For more information, visit: scmanufacturingconference.com

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EXHIBITOR DIRECTORY COMPANY.................................BOOTH #

A

Assured Partners.....................................542 Clean Metro Inc.........................................416 Atlas Copco Vacuum..............................145

Closed Loop Recycling.........................507

A.T. Locke...................................................345

B

Coffee House..............................................110

Able South Carolina...............................328

Baker Roofing...........................................526

Accurate Brazing...................................214A

BDV Solutions............................................154

ADC Engineering..................................... 140

Beardow Adams Inc.............................. 444

Alder Energy Systems............................ 212

Belfor Property Restoration............... 443

Alston Construction................................ 122

BL Harbert international....................... 323

Ambrell Induction Heating Solutions ................................. 309

BLG Logistics............................................. 215

AMECO..........................................................116

C

American Services Inc.......................... 402

Blue Ridge Thermoforming................. 106

Colite Technologies................................. 513 Colliers........................................................ 306 Columbia Southern University........... 109 Condustrial, Inc......................................... 313 Connectivity Point................................... 321 Convergint.................................................505 Custom Equipment Company............ 523

D

Anderson Career & Technology Center.................................. 317

Call Experts................................................162

Dale Carnegie Training of South Carolina.................................... 535

Carolina Creative Products...................164

Apprenticeship Carolina....................... 235

Darla More School of Business...........412

Carolina Custom Products................... 528

Ardleigh Minerals Inc. ............................. 211

Defender Services...................................427

Cerlean....................................................... 406

ASAP Expediating & Logistics........... 537

Delta Bravo................................................ 327

CGF................................................................. 115

ASAP Technologies................................ 108

Digitize Designs....................................... 104

Charleston Southern University......... 222

Associated Receivables Funding....... 173

Distribution by Air.................................. 232

Choate Construction...............................316

Doctor’s Care..............................................411

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Dodge Bearings and Power Transmission......................... 404 Donnelly Brothers of SC ............................................................541 Drum Creative...............................................................................207 Dry-Tech Commercial Roofing Services Inc....................... 410

E ECPI.................................................................................................. 403 Eldeco, Inc......................................................................................434

#1

IAL INDUSTR R IN C TO CONTRA HEAST T THE SOU

Embassy Suites..............................................................................150 Ergo Advantage Inc....................................................................425

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Eruditio........................................................................................... 506

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Evans General Contractors....................................................... 401

F Factory Systems............................................................................ 512 Falcon................................................................................................143 FANUC America Corporation................................................... 521 FieldForce Workplace Solutions.............................................319

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Fusion3 3D Printers...................................................................... 231

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20 For more information, visit: scmanufacturingconference.com

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G

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L

Garratt-Callahan Company.................230

IES..................................................................210

Landrum HR...............................................415

Gemba Systems........................................216

IH Services.................................................432

Leadec.........................................................543

Grande Aire Inc........................................439

Industrial Network Group..................... 153

LICOA..........................................................229

Greenville Scale Company.................... 123

Industrial Turn Around Corp (ITAC)... 234

Life Cycle Engineering..........................205

Greenville Technical College................ 331

Infinity Marketing...................................... 117

Lynn Welding............................................ 522

GreenWood Inc.......................................... 311

Insulated Roofing Contractors........... 527

GSP International Airport................... 407

Integritive ................................................... 218

M

H

IPS Packaging & Automation...............119

Mariner........................................................536

Harper General Contractors................424

J

MAU Workforce Solutions...................202

HG Global Services..................................310

Jantize Upstate.........................................148

McCrory Construction Company ..... 227

High Performance Composites LTD..................................... 344

JDI Industrial Services............................163

Mcmillan Pazden Smith..........................314

JH Batten Inc........................................... 540

Metl-Span..................................................... 121

Jobscope ERP..........................................333

Microburst Learning.............................. 405

Hire Dynamics........................................... 172

K

Mikaela Kate Leadership Training.... 440

HR Bridging............................................... 225

Koops Automation Systems................120

HR Experts on Demand......................103B

Kyocera AVX ............................................437

Hilton Hotels Charleston/Savannah....420 Hilton, Greenville.......................................101

HRP Associates.........................................124

Mavin Construction................................303

Monti, Inc.....................................................518 Morrisette....................................................105 Morrow Insurance Agency....................514

For more information, visit: scmanufacturingconference.com 21

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Multi Industries LTD...............................539

Prisma Health......................................... 213B

SC Council on Competitveness...........114

Mumford Industries Inc..........................139

ProLogistix..................................................165

SC Department of Commerce........... 340

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SC Manufacturing Extension Partnership............................103

Nephron Pharmaceuticals..................... 118 QAD Inc..................................................... 308

SC Premier Signs...................................... 241

Nesco Resource LLC................................ 113 QEMS Inc.....................................................144

SC Technical College System..............431

Nexterus....................................................... 171

R

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RBW Logistics Corporation ................126 Re:Build Manufacturing........................ 325

OpExChange.............................................329

Red Hype..................................................214B

OpSource Staffing..................................208

REI Automation.......................................529

Network Controls & Electric................158

SCBIZtv........................................................ 531 Schaeffers Oil...........................................320 SEJ Services.............................................. 335 Sika Corporation......................................538 SimInsights................................................330

P

SiMT...............................................................441 Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co. Inc........................................ 151 Skyline Exhibits and Design.................301

Paessler AG................................................ 517

Renfrow Industrial.................................. 209

Solar Atmospheres................................ 206

Panel Built................................................... 217

Robert Bosch LLC.....................................141

Solution Services Corp.........................324

Pattillo Construction Corporation.... 228

Rogers & Callcott Environmental......238

Pattons........................................................307

S

Sonfast Corporation...............................242

Phoenix Specialty Mfg. Co...................534 Piedmont Forklift Handling.................203 Portsmouth Metal Stamping................414

South Carolina Employee Benefits Program.....................................519

S&ME.............................................................149 South Carolina Research Authority.... 516 Salem Media............................................213A Southern Bracing Systems..................520

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SouthStar Capital.....................................413

The Haskell Company............................. 152

Spartanburg Community College.....236

The Teneo Group....................................... 131 US&S............................................................ 233

Stasmayer Incorporated........................421

Thermwood................................................107

SteelCore Industrial............................... 304

Thomas Concrete...................................... 161

Sun Machinery Company..................... 322

Thompson Construction Group.........503

Sunland Logistics....................................530

Tooling U-SME ..........................................219

Watson Electrical Construction Co. LLC............................ 525

Supreme Mainteneance Organization Inc......................................442

Toray Industries Inc................................. 221

Wayne Brothers.......................................436

Transition Works LLC.............................239

Winton Machine Company................. 409

Transworld Inc........................................... 127

Wirthwein USA........................................ 240

Tree Brand Packaging...........................423

WM Jordan Company............................226

TriMech....................................................... 445

Women in Manufacturing.....................326

T1V + Planar...............................................224

Trishul Hospitality.................................... 155

WorkSmart Group................................... 223

TEiC/BTA.....................................................318

Tuffaloy Precision Manufacturing....... 112

Wyco Inc. ...................................................510

Surge Capital............................................426 Synterra..................................................... 508

T Terracon Consultants Inc...................... 332 Tetramer Technologies..........................342 The Citadel................................................ 237 The D/C Group.........................................438

U United Seal.................................................156 United Srap Metal.................................... 147

US Coating Innovations.......................... 511

W Warehouse Services................................501

Z Zefco........................................................... 509 ZF Transmissions.....................................422

Upstate Controls.....................................220

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October 25 November 7, 2021 18 -- 31, 2021

www.columbiabusinessreport.com www.charlestonbusiness.com 17

2021 REAL ESTATE

POWER LIST

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October 25October - November 18 - 31, 7, 2021

PRESENTING THE 2021

REAL ESTATE POWER LIST

By Andy Owens

aowens@scbiznews.com

W

hen real estate moves, South Carolina’s economy moves with it. That has always been the case, but never has it been so critical as during the pandemic when demand soared to record heights, and everyone looked to the housing industry as a sign the economy was getting back on track.

Individuals, families and businesses looking to relocate frequently have found the Lowcountry, Midlands and Upstate on their short list. Even with the changing dynamic of office space during the surge of remote work, businesses seeking a place to grow within the market have realized South Carolina is ideal to put down pilings.

In the following pages, you’re going to see the people we picked from across the state as the key power players in residential and commercial real estate.

1

These individuals represent a market sector that serves as a leading indicator of the health of South Carolina’s economy.

We picked this second Power List as a companion to Banking and Finance because access to capital and real estate provide the catalyst to economic development in cities, towns, counties and communities across South Carolina.

Our editorial team analyzed industry data and considered the individuals who are called upon in the Palmetto State to serve as the experts when someone needs to understand a complex real estate transaction based on variables that require specific, real-time market information.

All of these real estate professionals contribute to their communities, their businesses and to the businesses and families they serve. We felt the Top 5 distinguished themselves as economic ambassadors for our state and their sector.

Please join me in congratulating these individuals in print and online.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. JOHN C.L. DARBY

18

2. SHARON WILSON

20

3. JONATHAN A. GOOD

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4. OWEN TYLER

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5. STEPHEN SMITH

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HONOREES CONTINUED

23 - 28

JOHN C.L. DARBY

The Beach Co. n his roles as president and CEO of The Beach Co., and man-

I

aging partner of Kiawah River, John C.L. Darby is charged with executing the vision of his grandfather, company founder J.C. Long, to generate lasting value in all aspects of The Beach Co.’s real estate endeavors. Over more than 20 years, Darby’s efforts have had a significant impact on the communities served by The Beach Co., helping to improve their quality of life and contributing to their long-term economic vitality.

A Charleston native and 1985 graduate of The Citadel, Darby began his career in banking. In 1988, his family approached him to work for The Beach Co., and in 1990, he joined family business.

Since becoming CEO in 1999, Darby has expanded the company’s presence throughout Charleston and across the Southeast.

Under his leadership, The Beach Co. grew from 18 employees to over 300, transforming into a full-service real estate business with a portfolio including residential and resort properties, office buildings, shopping centers, industrial parks and land across the Southeast. The company grew from a multi-million-dollar, multifamily portfolio to a more than $1.5 billion portfolio of Class A multifamily and mixedused properties. Darby also expanded the firm’s construction company, Gulf Stream Construction, and development division, Beach Development, as well as formed the Beach Investment Fund, The Beach Co.’s first-ever investment fund. The firm has been frequently recognized, regionally and nationally, for excellence.

Darby supports many community organizations and serves on The Citadel Foundation, Trident CEO Council, Palmetto Business Forum, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, S.C. Tourism Council, Ashley Hall School Board, New Carolina, the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, and the East Cooper Land Trust Advisory Council.

He has dedicated much time, energy and resources, both personal and on behalf of the company, to the Emanuel Nine Memorial, a planned memorial honoring the nine victims and five survivors of the mass shooting, which took place at Mother Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston. The memorial is expected to open in 2022.

October 25 November 7, 2021 18 -- 31, 2021

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T H E B E A C H C O M PA N Y C O N G R AT U L AT E S A L L O F T H E S U C C E S S F U L R E A L E S TAT E P R O F E S S I O N A L S I N S O U T H C A R O L I N A . W E A R E G R AT E F U L T O S C B I Z N E W S F O R R E C O G N I Z I N G O U R C E O , J O H N D A R B Y.

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POWER LIST

October 25October - November 18 - 31, 7, 2021

SHARON WILSON Wilson Associates

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haron Wilson is a name that has been synonymous with outstanding performance in the Greenville real estate market for decades, having earned numerous accolades from peers and clients alike. She co-founded Wilson Associates in 2014, where she is president and broker-in-charge of 28 full-time agents.

Now in its seventh year, Wilson Associates consistently ranks among the top 10 performing real estate companies in Greenville and is an affiliate of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a referral network serving clients nationwide and globally. Recognition aside, Sharon’s motivation to succeed has never been about awards or sales goals but loving what she does and prioritizing her clients. At the start of the pandemic, Wilson Associates put the safety of their clients, agents and staff first by providing proper personal protective equipment and weekly professional office sanitizations, as well as offering showings with streaming video, safety training programs for agents, and virtual house tours.

One of Wilson’s favorite aspects of running her own company is the opportunity to hand-pick and mentor a team of professionals who share her work ethic to exceed client expectations as well as giving back to the community. In fact, Wilson Associates recently just pitched the idea of implementing bike racks alongside Greenville’s new Unity Park. This implementation will be paid for as a charitable donation to Unity Park by Wilson Associates and other real estate companies. A seventh generation Greenvillian, she

Congratulations!

Sharon Wilson WILSON ASSOCIATES REAL ESTATE

2021 Power List - Real Estate

encourages everyone at Wilson Associates to support a charity of their choice to help make Greenville a better place. The company supports many local organizations such as Project Host, Cancer Society of Greenville County, Artisphere, the Julie Valentine Center, and the Meyers Center.

Her leadership has earned local and regional sales awards as well as her being named to the 2020 GSA Women of Influence and being awarded the 2018 Business of Integrity Award for Outstanding Community Service by the Better Business Bureau of the Upstate.

As she puts it, philanthropy and real estate professionalism, paired with ambition, approachability and innovation, make Wilson Associates just very good at real estate.

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October 25 November 7, 2021 18 -- 31, 2021

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POWER LIST

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JONATHAN A. GOOD

NAI Earle Furman, NAI Piedmont Triad and NAI Columbia

A

1997 graduate of Furman University, Jonathan A. Good joined NAI Earle Furman in January 2000 after selling the first business he purchased after graduating college. He was elected to shareholder of the firm in 2005 and named CEO in 2011.

Good’s ability to source deals and partner like-minded teams has led to the successful operation of a firm-controlled private equity fund that is currently in its second investment cycle. He has full oversight and heads the firm’s executive committee. He has a proven record of increasing sales for the firm throughout the Carolinas and concentrates his efforts on growing the bottom line. He also coordinates every facet of broker training and development and plays an integral role in creating valuable instruction for administrative employees. He has directed the restructuring of several divisions, facilitated growth initiatives, and led the merger and acquisitions of several additional brokerage firms to continue adding resources and new talent to the firm’s various businesses.

Good has served in a variety of community leadership roles, including as a boardmember of the Greenville Housing Authority, past president of The Commercial Alliance of the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors, Past Chairman, Loaves and Fishes, a food rescue program that collects and delivers more than 1.1 million pounds of food each year.

He serves as board secretary and member of the Community Foundation of Greenville’s Finance and Investment Committee and has been a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization since 2012. He is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Liberty Fellowship Class of 2020 and is a member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors.

He is a former director and the 2003 Commercial Realtor of the year for the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors, a Costar Power Broker from 2007-2012.

Company recognitions include the NAI Earle Furman Property Management Business Development Award, Capital Club, Silver, Gold and Platinum Levels, Largest Transaction of the Year, and Global Elite Performer.

OWEN TYLER The Cassina Group

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fter a successful career as a general real estate broker, Owen Tyler felt it was time to take on a new role as managing broker and broker-in-charge at The Cassina Group, based in Mount Pleasant. Experienced in residential and commercial real estate, Tyler is an Accredited Buyer Representative, Certified International Property Specialist, Council of Residential Specialists, Resort & Second-Home Property Specialist, and Certified Mediator.

He brings a passion for his profession, a stellar reputation, and offers a superb client service experience.

Tyler joined The Cassina Group in 2014, charged with moving the brokerage to its next iteration with a focus on creating a highly specialized consumer experience. His focus on Realtor excellence and a client-first approach has helped The Cassina Group evolve into the successful luxury real estate firm that clients and customers expect today. Under his management, the firm has consistently

ranked among the best in the Charleston MLS, named to the Roaring 20s List, listed as one of the top 1000 Brokerages in the U.S., and landed on the Inc. 5000 list more than once.

Tyler has served on local, state and national boards and in leadership positions for South Carolina Realtors, Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Charleston Regional Development Alliance, The Children’s Trust of South Carolina, and One80 Place. He was the 2013 President of Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, 2018 & 2019 Governance Chair for One80 Place, and the 2020 president of South Carolina Realtors.

He was named 2013 Realtor of the Year by the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, awarded the 2008 C. Dan Joyner Community Service Award

by South Carolina Realtors, and named Charleston Global Realtor of the Year by CTAR Global Business Chapter. He was

named to the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s 2013 Forty Under 40.

Tyler graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

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October 25October - November 18 - 31, 7, 2021

POWER LIST

STEPHEN SMITH CBRE

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native South Carolinian born and raised in Charleston, Stephen Smith graduated from the College of Charleston and spent the first nine years of his career in the Lowcountry, specializing in commercial sales and leasing. In 1993, Smith moved to Greenville and joined the Furman Co., specializing in office sales and leasing before moving into leadership roles within the company. When CBRE acquired CBRE Furman Co. in 2014, he transitioned into his current role leading the brokerage, investment property and property management business for the state of South Carolina.

He has been recognized throughout his career with a number of professional accolades, including the South Carolina Chapter of Society of Industrial and Office Realtors’ award for the largest office transaction in 2000, 2004 and 2010 as well as being named a member of Grubb & Ellis’ Circle of Excellence in 2000 and 2005, which recognizes the top producers in the company.

Since earning the SIOR designation, Smith has been closely involved with that organization throughout his career, serving as the Carolinas Chapter president, and as a regional director and a member of the board of directors.

He has worked with a number of business and philanthropic organizations in South Carolina, noting that he is “very proud of the work that I have been part of through my professional career and through these organizations.”

He currently serves on the board of directors for the Greenville Tech Foundation and the board of directors for the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, as well as on the Executive Leadership team for the March of Dimes Real Estate Committee. He is a former member of the Board of Governors for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce and the Greenville YMCA Board of Directors.

REAL ESTATE GROUP

SCBIZ Daily provides the inside scoop on South Carolina’s business community!

Charleston’s leading

Innovation-Driven Real Estate Firm

REAL ESTATE GROUP

SCBIZ DAILY

Sign up today for the SCBIZ Daily email newsletter at www.scbiznews.com

Congratulations to Managing Broker & Partner Owen Tyler for being named to the 2021 Power List.

309 Coleman Boulevard, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 132 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401 Visit us at CassinaGroup.com or call us at 843.628.0008

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October 25 November 7, 2021 18 -- 31, 2021

POWER LIST

WADE ALLEN

MARK BARDO

A

I

Lee & Associates

1983 graduate of Clemson University, Wade Allen is a 38-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry with vast experience in brokerage transactions, property and asset management, as well as construction and development of multiple asset types. His career roles have included both owner-occupier responsibility and real estate service provider relationship management. Recruited to Lee & Associates in 2019 as president and broker-in-charge of the company’s Charleston operations, Allen has been instrumental in growing the business in all facets. He has led the company to a compounded annual growth rate of 20% in revenues over the past two years. He serves many organizations through past and present board appointments, including Clemson University, Camp Twin Lakes, Charleston Regional Development Alliance, Downtown Athletic Club and The Church at LifePark.

Allen Tate Co.

n his 35 years of real estate leadership, Mark Bardo has held in many roles, including at an executive level. Licensed as a broker in four states, he currently oversees all sales and operations for Allen Tate Co. in the Upstate with nine offices and 170 personnel. Since his appointment, he has led the regional office to double-digit growth since 2019.

Previously, Bardo led other divisions to similar growth levels. He is past chair of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World’s marketing and technology committee, a past board member of the Charlotte MLS and a current board member for Luxury Portfolio International.

www.columbiabusinessreport.com www.charlestonbusiness.com 23

BRENT CASE

Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic

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ith more than 25 years experience in the business, Brent Case is president and BIC of Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic in North Charleston, specializing in retail brokerage in sales, leasing, tenant representation and development as well as multifamily, office and land acquisitions. Case has received many accolades, including Commercial Realtor of the Year, CCIM Region Vice President, and Commercial Realtor of the Year and has been named Broker of the Year and Circle of Distinction over the past 10 years. Since 2012, he has been named Coldwell Banker Commercial No. 1 Sales Professional by State

CONGRATULATIONS

WADE ALLEN, PRESIDENT & BROKER-IN-CHARGE 2021 POWER LIST HONOREE On behalf of Lee & Associates Charleston, we’d like to congratulate Wade Allen, the President of our Charleston office, for being named to SC Biz’s Commercial Real Estate Power List. Wade’s commitment to our firm, clients, and the entire community is commendable and something we can all aspire to. Congrats Wade, well deserved!

960 Morrison, Suite 400 | Charleston, SC 29403 | 843.747.1200 | lee-charleston.com

every year, as well as to the top 2% of the Coldwell Banker Commercial Global Network of Brokers.

He serves on the National Advisory Board for Coldwell Banker Commercial Corporate, the Executive Committee for the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS and chairs the North Charleston Business Expo. An active member in the Charleston Chamber, he has headed the Chamber’s Leadership Charleston program. He is leading the company in the development of three shopping centers totaling over 100,000 square feet, managing all aspects and processes of the development cycle. He has also been the exclusive real estate agent for many National Brands Retail Tenants.

Case also is a Principle in Tenant Development Company LLC and in AI Insurance Services LLC.

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October 25October - November 18 - 31, 7, 2021

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

Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find on SCBIZtv. What’s New and What’s Hot!

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

9

Recognition Events

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

Coping with COVID

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

9

Coffee With

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

Subscribe to SCBIZtv and stay in tune with what’s happening across South Carolina. https://www.youtube.com/scbiztv

October 25 November 7, 2021 18 -- 31, 2021

FRANK DUPREE

Vista Capital Management

F

rank DuPree has been in the multifamily industry since 1978. Currently, he is CEO and founder of Vista Capital Management Group in Greenville, but prior to this role, he served as regional vice president of Apartment Investment Management Company. Prior to AIMCO, DuPree worked as an asset manager for Insignia Financial Group. He holds real estate broker’s licenses in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. DuPree is a Housing Credit Certified Professional, awarded by the National Association of Home Builders; a Certified Property Manager, awarded by the Institute of Real Estate Management; and as a Certified Commercial Investment Member.

DuPree is a past president of the Upper State Apartment Association and the South Carolina IREM Chapter, an active member of the Urban Land Institute, and currently serves on the National Affordable/Workforce Housing Council and as a National Governing Councilor for IREM.

POWER LIST STEPHEN EDGERTON Coldwell Banker Caine

M

ore than 10 years ago, Stephen Edgerton joined Coldwell Banker Caine in the Upstate as COO. Today he serves as president and CEO, overseeing the company’s related real estate divisions. Under his leadership, the organization has come to be known for its innovative attitude, hundreds of high-caliber associates and deep commitment to community. Edgerton works personally with Meals on Wheels and other organizations. The company’s Caine Cares program similarly impacts the Upstate through programs focused on human services, animal welfare, arts and health and wellness. Previously, Edgerton has served as chairman of the Coldwell Banker Large Office Group for five years, as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Metro Greenville YMCA and as board member for Artisphere and VisitGreenvilleSC. He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization. Edgerton graduated from Rhodes College and earned an MBA from Arizona State University.

www.columbiabusinessreport.com www.charlestonbusiness.com 25

PETER FENNELLY

CHRIS FRASER

S

A

Bridge Commercial

ince earning his first real estate license in New Jersey at the age of 18, Peter Fennelly has been representing clients throughout the country and has worked in cities such as Princeton, San Diego, Atlanta and for the past 20 years, Charleston. Working in teams and building teams over the years has provided some of the greatest opportunity and experiences to Fennelly. From playing college football at the University of Rhode Island to international sailboat competitions around the world. Those experiences helped develop the skills, empathy and camaraderie to be part of building a great organization such as Bridge Commercial.

As the President of Bridge Commercial, Fennelly works on long term strategy, actively helps train young recruits and serves his various long term clients.

Fennelly is active in his community through school, sports and community organizations and is a member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors and CoreNet Global.

Avison Young

graduate of Clemson University and a U.S. Navy veteran, Chris Fraser entered the real estate profession in 1985.

Throughout his career, he has been involved in the development of multiple product types, including hospitality, sports complexes, retail, industrial and office space, and has worked in office leasing and management as well.

Fraser’s experience has led him to a number of development and brokerage assignments, taking part in large-scale residential subdivision projects, anchored shopping centers, corporate office buildings and hotel and amenity-rich projects.

Today, Fraser is managing director of Avison Young’s South Carolina and Savannah commercial real estate offices based in Charleston. Fraser holds a designation as a Certified Commercial Investment Member. He also serves in several community roles including, arts, education and economic development.

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Robert Reilly: 843-849-3107 or rreilly@scbiznews.com

SOUTH CAROLINA’S 2021 POWER PLAYER IN REAL ESTATE BRIDGE-COMMERCIAL.COM

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October 25October - November 18 - 31, 7, 2021

POWER LIST

BRENDA HANNA

BRUCE HARPER

BEN HINES

DUSTIN AND TARA JOHNS

W

ruce Harper sp e ci a l ize s in investment sales and development as well as land sales and office and medical sales and leasing. He joined Trinity in 2018 and is currently managing partner for the company in the Columbia office. Prior to joining Trinity Partners, he was president and broker-in-charge of a major real estate company. He has received a Circle of Excellence Award every year since 1999, achieving Gold status each year from 2005-2008. He was awarded the CCRA 2008 and 2010 Commercial Transaction of the Year award. He is a member of the Central Carolina Realtors Association and National Association of Realtors, the Society of Office and Industrial Realtors, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. He served on the city of Columbia Design Development and Review Board, Clemson University Board of Visitors and the Columbia Market Forecast Board.

B

A

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Midlands Real Estate ith more than 40 years in the real estate industry, Brenda Hanna has served as an agent and licensed broker for over 30 years.

She opened Prudential Midlands Real Estate in 2006 and joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in 2015. She was president of the Central Carolina Realtor Association in 2014 and has been awarded a Realtor of the Year Meritorious Award.

Today, Hanna serves as the chief financial officer, broker-in-charge and owner for Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices in the Midlands.

Hanna has said that she shares a passion and core values for the team members under her in serving the communities in the Columbia region.

Trinity Partners

Spencer/Hines Properties

Resource Realty Group

1978 graduate of Wo f f o r d College, Ben Hines started Spencer/ Hines Properties, a commercial real estate firm, in 1986.

Headquartered in Spartanburg, the company, a commercial real estate firm, is celebrating 35 years in the industry.

Hines grew the company into the largest market share in Spartanburg County, with 20 brokers and a branch office in Greenville. The firm added two partners, Andy Hayes and Guy Harris, three years ago. Hines and his team have represented many clients, producing millions of dollars in commercial real estate transactions, hundreds of jobs, and substantially increasing the Upstate’s tax base. He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member and former certified financial planner.

Hines has served on numerous boards, including the United Way of the Piedmont, Child Evangelism Fellowship, The S.C. Christian Foundation and First National Bank.

ounded by Dustin and Tara Johns in 2008, Resource Realty Group is the largest independent brokerage in the Columbia market, servicing investors and bank-owned properties. Since then, and as the markets improved, RRG has grown to sales of over $100 million annually, with 35 agents and six brokers. The Johns’ thrive on solving unique property challenges and complex transactions for their clients in both the commercial and residential sectors. Dustin is also a licensed builder and Tara serves as Broker In Charge. RRG also offers flat fee listing services for $2,800, regardless of price, which has saved their clients over $5 million in commission since they introduced the model four years ago. They are also active in community affairs. Tara was nominated to run for their local Leukemia/Lymphoma Society’s Woman of The Year fundraiser. Her team goal is to raise $150,000 for the society.

Congratulations to our Founder,

Congratulations to Bruce Harper,

BEN HINES

from all the Agents and Staff at Spencer/Hines Properties.

Managing Partner

Ben Hines CFP, CCIM President, Spencer/Hines Properties

Thank you SCBiz News for honoring Ben as one of the 30 Most Influential Real Estate Agents in South Carolina.

https://www.trinity-partners.com/team/bruce-harper-sior

Visit us at spencerhines.com Spartanburg 864-583-1001 Greenville 864-991-8077

October 25 November 7, 2021 18 -- 31, 2021

JOSEPH KLOSIK

Keller Williams Realty

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oseph Klosik started in real estate in the Atlanta area in 2001 with Keller Williams Realty. After working as a sales agent, team leader and coach, he joined his wife, Lynne, in her sales business to form Salt Marsh Properties within Keller Williams, serving as the listing specialist and CFO. He currently is the operating principle for Keller Williams Charleston’s West Ashley and Summerville offices, as well as broker-in-charge for all Charleston Keller Williams offices. Klosik’s biggest passions are teaching and coaching agents around the country. In 2018, he was accepted into the Keller Williams Realty International Master Faculty. Klosik has served on grievance, professional standards and the MLS board of directors, is the immediate past president of the Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Service, and currently serves on the board for both the state and local Realtor associations. The Klosiks live in Mount Pleasant, where they are active in their church.

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POWER LIST PATTY KORAHAIS Keller Williams Realty

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graduate of the University of South Carolina, Patty Korahais has been a licensed South Carolina Realtor since 2000.

She is currently broker-incharge of more than 400 real estate associates in the Upstate as operating principal of Keller Williams Realty. She oversees more than 4,000 closed real estate transactions per year.

Korahais also serves as the broker-in-charge of Central Property Management, which has been serving clients in Greenville, Anderson and Spartanburg since 2010.

Korahais said that as a local industry leader, Keller Williams always searches for solutions and resources for agents to serve their clients better.

Under Korahais’ leadership throughout the past five years, the Spartanburg brokerage has been ranked No. 1 in Spartanburg County for units and volume closed, and the Greenville offices rank third in units sold in Greenville County.

DAVID LOCKWOOD Colliers International

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Clemson University graduate, David Lockwood is currently executive vice president and COO, as well as a shareholder of Colliers International South Carolina Inc. He started with the company in 1986 as a leasing agent and six years later was promoted to vice president of leasing, in charge of all lease production for the Columbia office. In 2005, Lockwood was promoted to senior vice president and promoted in 2010 to executive vice president. In 2016, he was named executive vice president and COO, responsible for all marketing, research and IT operations, as well as overseeing staff for the company’s four offices in South Carolina. He has been president of the Central Carolina Realtors Association and the South Carolina Realtors Association, and served for more than eight years on the executive committee of the National Association of Realtors, along with numerous leadership positions within National Association of Realtors.

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www.columbiabusinessreport.com www.charlestonbusiness.com

POWER LIST

TED PITTS

LAURA RITTENBERG

Wilson Kibler

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October 25October - November 18 - 31, 7, 2021

ed Pitts first joined Wilson Kibler in 1999 as a broker, and became a principal in the company in 2008. More than a decade later, in January 2021, he was named Wilson Kibler’s president and CEO, overseeing operations in all three S.C. offices in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston. Prior to being named president and CEO, Pitts left Wilson Kibler to work in Gov. Nikki Haley’s administration in 2011, first as deputy chief of staff, then later chief of staff. Following that role, he shifted his efforts to the S.C. Chamber of Commerce where he took on the role of president and CEO in 2015. Pitts graduated from Presbyterian College where he now serves on the Board of Trustees. He is also a football official in the Southeastern Conference.

Coldwell Banker Realty, Atlanta; Coldwell Banker Realty, Carolinas

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aura Rittenberg has 40 years of experience in residential real estate as a salesperson, branch office manager and corporate executive. After managing sales offices for two national franchises, she went on to oversee her own real estate company, mortgage company and real estate licensing school. She joined the Coldwell Banker executive team in 2000 when she sold her Denver-based company to Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. In 2017, Rittenberg took the helm of Coldwell Banker Realty in Atlanta and her role was expanded two years later to include operational oversight in North and South Carolina. She leads 29 sales offices and nearly 2,700 affiliated agents. In 2020, Rittenberg helped implement the shift to virtual learning, marketing and conducting business. Under her management, the company’s sales rose to $5 billion last year, a 14% increase over 2019.

She was named to the 2021 Women of Influence list and Atlanta Magazine’s Women Making a Mark. Rittenberg also is the president of the Atlanta and Carolinas chapter of Coldwell Banker Realty Cares Foundation.

DAN JOYNER

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner Co.

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Greenville native and Furman University graduate, Dan Joyner has worked with the company from his youth, starting in property management and doing appraisals, insurance and residential sales. He started the commercial division in 1996, serving as president and general manager. He became president of the C. Dan Joyner Co. in 2010 leading the company through the transition to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner, Realtors in 2013. Under his leadership, Joyner continues to be the Upstate’s market leader in residential home sales and is poised for continued growth. Joyner has served on many boards in the Upstate, including The American Heart Association, Coaches for Character and Greenville Little League, and recently completed The Riley Institute’s Diversity Leadership Program.

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At Work

PEOPLE, PLACES AND HAPPENINGS ACROSS THE MIDLANDS

People in the News BUSINESS SERVICES

mark in April as a general laborer.

Claire Jones, director of human resources with the South Carolina Education Lottery, won the Human Resources Professional of the Year award from the South Carolina Society of Human Resources ManageJones ment and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. She was one of the first recipients of the lottery’s LIFE scholarship and attended the University of South Carolina, where she earned her bachelor’s in business administration.

DESIGN

LS3P’s Annie Linn Johnson was elected to a threeyear term on the Columbia’s Congaree Vista Guild’s board.

She is office manager and marketing assistant in LS3P’s Columbia office.

Harrison Floyd, PE, associate AIA, is now with LS3P. A recent graduate of Clemson University with a master of architecture and a digital ecologies certificate, he has a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina. While at Clemson, Floyd won the AIA Henry Adams Medal and the Edward Allen Student Award as well as the Martin A. Davis Award, served as a graduate teaching assistant for Architecture Foundations, and worked at LS3P as a summer intern.

He teaches a second-year studio and a portfolio class at Clemson and is a board member of the Southern Off-Road Biking Association.

LAW

Johnson

CONSTRUCTION Corban Wolfe has been promoted to engineering technician at Landmark Construction Co. Inc. Wolfe’s responsibilities include performing comprehensive Wolfe layouts and surveys to collect details of present site conditions. Wolfe joined Land-

A team of four students at University of South Carolina School of Law won the school’s mock trial competition and received the D. Reece Williams III Trial Advocacy Award. The honorees, three of whom graduated since the competition, are Ariyana Nicole Gore, class of 2021; Chance Taylor Sturup, class of 2021; Destinee Simone Wilson, class of 2021; and Tia Reed, class of 2022. Gore, from North Myrtle Beach, works as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Walton J. McLeod IV. Sturup, from Pensacola, is employed

by Cromer, Babb, Porter, & Hicks and intends to practice employment litigation as an associate, pending bar passage and licensure. Wilson, from North Augusta, works in the South Carolina Supreme Court staff attorneys office. Reed, who hails from Charlotte, is in her final year of

law school and hopes to obtain a judicial clerkship after graduation. The mock-trial case that won the competition for the team concerned a contested-liability accident involving a car and a motorcycle. To prevail, teams had to represent both sides of the case.

NONPROFIT At South Carolina ETV, Stephanie Frazier has been promoted to assistant general manager from vice president of education. The position puts her in charge of such SCETV departments as education, marketing and communications, underwriting, and content. Earlier in her career, she worked as an original trainer for the StreamlineSC educational video-on-demand service. Before returning to the network in 2019, she served as the associate vice president of curriculum and instruction at the South Carolina Technical College System.

TRANSPORTATION South Carolina Ports’ 2021–2022 Port Ambassadors class comprises 26 delegates, all of whom will get an in-depth look into port operations. Class members are Juwan Ayers, commercial banker with Synovus Bank, Charleston; Karl Brady, Charleston City Council member and donor relations manager for the Carolina Youth Development Center, Charleston; LaJoia Broughton, government relations advisor with Adams & Reese, Columbia; Jennifer Brown, director of business development for Charleston County Economic Development, North Charleston; James Brunson, MD, family physician with Orangeburg Medical, Orangeburg; Jody Bryson, president and CEO of

South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center, Greenville; Willis Cantey, president and CEO of Cantey Tech Consulting, Charleston; Tushar Chikhliker, attorney with Nexsen Pruet, Columbia; Brian Frerichs, senior vice president and branch manager with Stephens Private Wealth Management, Sumter; Rob Honeycutt, CEO and co-founder of SixAxis, Pawley’s Island; Felicia Howard, vice president of economic development strategy with Dominion Energy, Columbia; Pat Hudson, of counsel with Willoughby & Hoefer, Blythewood; Andrew Lesinski, vice president and general manager of brokerage, Cardinal Logistics, Indian Land; Edward McKelvey, senior vice president of community development banking with South State Bank, North Charleston; Christopher McKinney, CEO and executive director of Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, Sumter; Phillip Obie, Berkeley County Council member and manager of coal combustion products and Ash Pond closure with Santee Cooper, Goose Creek; Bill Otis, former mayor of Pawley’s Island, Pawley’s Island; Robby Robbins, attorney with Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, Summerville; Joan Robinson-Berry, former senior vice president and chief engineer with Boeing, Charleston; Will Salters, client development manager with Terracon, Charleston; Heather Simmons-Jones, senior advisor with MRB Group, Charleston; Lynn Stokes-Murray, director of government affairs with Burr Forman, Columbia; Rebecca Vance, president of Vance, Summerville; Jim Wanner, CEO of Keymark, Liberty; Clay Williams, a broker with NAI Earle Furman, Greenville; and Natalie Zeigler, city administrator for the City of Goose Creek.

Submit items using our online submission portal: www.SodaCityBizWire.com. Publication is subject to editorial discretion.

Packaging company opening Hampton County facility

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Staff Report

vanesce, a sustainable technology innovator, is opening its first U.S. production facility in Hampton County.

The company makes biodegradable, environmentally friendly food packag-

ing from upcycled food waste. An opening celebration featuring a plant tour was held Oct. 21 at the facility, located at 103 Logistics Drive in Early Branch. S.C. Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey, Evanesce founder and CEO Doug Horne and Southern Carolina Regional Devel-

opment Alliance CEO Danny Black were among those in attendance at the event.

The Hampton County facility will produce 100% plant-based and compostable straws for the food service industry, according to a news release.

Evanesce has distribution centers

throughout the U.S., according to its website, and is opening a second manufacturing facility in Nevada.

The company’s molded starch technology has a bio-safe coating and is 100% compostable, decomposing in 90 days or less.

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www.columbiabusinessreport.com

October 25 - November 7, 2021

Newberry fishing boat manufacturer expanding

By Melinda Waldrop

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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

altwater fishing boat manufacturer Sea Pro Boats LLC is investing $3.7 million in an expansion of its Newberry County operations expected to create 50 jobs.

The company has manufacture center console fishing boats for more than 30 years.

The expansion, expected to be completed by spring 2022, will increase operating capacity at its facility at 25214 S.C. Highway 121 in Whitmire.

“Sea Pro Boats LLC is pleased and excited to be part of a growing county that can

offer many different employment options as well as produce a product for our customers that is of top quality and made with integrity,” Jimmy Hancock, Sea Pro Boats president, said in a news release from Central SC Alliance. “We pride ourselves in being a family-oriented business and treat our employees with respect and dignity while providing them with the satisfaction that they are manufacturing a well-built boat that will be around for a long time.”

For employment information, contact April Sligh at asligh@seapromfg.com or apply in person.

The Coordinating Council for Economic

Development has awarded a $100,000 SetAside grant to Newberry County to assist with costs related to the project.

“The recruitment of Sea Pro Boats LLC to a vacant textiles factory near Whitmire back in 2015 was the first significant economic development that has happened in Whitmire in years,” Newberry County Council Chair Henry H. Livingston III said. “We thank Sea Pro Boats LLC for investing in Newberry County once again, and we wish them many, many years of continued success at producing some of the finest boats in the world.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic intensi-

fied demand for outdoor activity, boat sales throughout South Carolina grew during the past year. Sportsman Boats in Summerville is producing nearly 400% more units compared to pre-pandemic levels, while Falcon Boats, a two-seater fishing boat manufacturer in Newberry, recorded record sales.

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, South Carolina has more than half a million registered boats and ranks seventh in the county in boat ownership, with one in 10 state residents owning a boat.

Reach Melinda Waldrop at 803-726-7542.

New center to help businesses procure military contracts

By Melinda Waldrop

S

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

.C. businesses have a new resource to help procure military contacts and subcontracts with the U.S. Department of Defense as well as federal, state and local governments.

The Procurement Technical Assistance Center of South Carolina has opened a state office on Laurel Street in Columbia. The

partnership between the University of South Carolina’s Office of Economic Engagement, the S.C. Department of Commerce and the Defense Logistics Agency will provide each of the state’s 46 counties assistance in identifying marketing opportunities, application submission, certification and registration processes, and bid and proposal submissions, among other services.

“Many businesses throughout the state have expressed their interest in learning how

to do business with all levels of government,” Ron Conner, PTAC SC state manager, said in a news release from the University of South Carolina.

“I’m excited that PTAC SC will help provide the assistance they need to help them achieve their goals by providing procurement counseling, marketing and bid matching services.”

The center will focus on helping small businesses, along with women-owned,

HUBZone and disabled veteran-owned businesses.

The DLA supplies more than $42 billion in goods and services annually, with most coming from businesses that utilize state assistance centers, according to the release.

In 2019, PTACs, funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the DLA, secured more than $24 billion in government contracts and subcontracts for more than 57,000 businesses.

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VIEWS, PERSPECTIVES AND READERS’ LETTERS

Four things to consider when designing a family-building benefit plan

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n employer-sponsored fertility benefit was once considered a luxury. Now more than ever, it’s an essential part of a company’s HR toolkit.

Employers across a wide spectrum of economic sectors have begun to offer a managed fertility benefit as a tool to recruit and retain the best employees. CorpoPETER rations specializing NIEVES in financial services, healthcare, professional services, retail, manufacturing, and tech, as well as higher education, municipalities, and law firms are all pushing the trend.

Here are four things to consider when designing your employer-sponsored fertility benefit plan: 1. How much the program will cost As the sponsor of the fertility plan, your company has a fiduciary responsibility to make it worthwhile and valuable to your employees. It’s also critical to be aligned with the provider when it comes to costs. How efficiently is the fertility benefits provider spending on medication, recommending the most effective treatments, and referring patients to in-person clinical appointments? There is no reason to overpay.

Your fertility program manager must make a dedicated effort to provide oversight in how care is administered. This helps ensure quality of outcomes for your employees and promote efficiency in spending.

The best way to improve outcomes is to educate the patient. Are they choosing a doctor who has experience overcoming the challenges the patient and partner face? Choosing to not work with a qualified reproductive endocrinologist in the first place can add to the cost to both employers and patients.

Cost is the most important element to ensuring your fertility benefits program is sustainable. Purchasing fertility care and related pharmaceuticals can be fraught with inefficiencies, so be sure all costs are presented transparently.

2. Corporate culture Define how the fertility benefit program fits into your corporate culture.

Put simply, why are you offering this to your employees? Is its primary purpose to attract quality employees and retain your existing talent? To increase employee productivity? To promote diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Illustration/File

Cost is the most important element to ensuring your fertility benefits program is sustainable.

Peter Nieves Chief commercial officer, WINFertility

Your program manager needs to be well-versed in supporting people of all ethnic backgrounds, financial positions, and geographical locations. What is the standard of fertility care in your immediate region? A good program manager will help patients gain access to the best care, even when it is not in their immediate area.

Keep in mind that standard health plans can’t be counted on to meet all the needs of a patient being treated for infertility. A separate provider is needed from the major health systems in your area.

3. Program management In an unmanaged fertility benefit, a

patient can spend to a predetermined limit (dollars or cycle) at his or her own discretion. But this approach can be fraught with inefficiencies. Intended parents need advocacy, guidance and clinical support.

In a managed fertility benefit, a clinician (preferably and trained RN) is available during every step of the process to advocate for patients: helping them to understand their benefit, finding the doctors they need, understanding their personal medical history and diagnosis, navigating medication, catering to their emotional and behavioral support needs.

A clinically trained advocate is sensitive to the diversity of patient situations — anything from postpartum to male-factor behavioral support and testing — and can be an essential advocate for each of them.

This saves the patient time and stress, and saves employers money by eliminating potentially wasteful spending on doctor’s visits and unnecessary medication.

4. Family re-investment Traditionally, employers have viewed an employee walking through the office door as the beginning of their relationship. It’s increasingly worthwhile to think about helping the employee outside the workplace as well.

The idea of an employer providing additional financial assistance from pre-conception through the fertility journey, then back to work and parent-

ing, is gaining popularity. Effective management of a fertility program offers an opportunity to re-invest in broader family services.

Say a managed fertility benefit program is able to save a company $1,000 in per-employee spending. The company might choose to reinvest those savings in, for example, family coaching or at-home male factor testing for its employees.

The concept of family services is driven by the need for employers to support their employees with family-building more broadly than they have in the past.

By designing a useful fertility benefits plan, the company can directly impact employees’ lives in a profoundly meaningful way.

Peter Nieves serves as the chief commercial officer for WINFertility. He is responsible for the profitable growth, product strategy and expansion at WIN. Peter has more than 25 years of experience in the benefits consulting and P&C industry.

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

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October 25 - November 7, 2021

Unexpected P s r s o e blem n i s : Bu

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