VOLUME 24 NUMBER 10 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM
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The port will purchase two $2.2 million RTG cranes to keep up with its rapid growth. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)
New chief for SC Biz News
GSA Business Report’s Rick Jenkins to head statewide operations. Page 7
Global fluency
Business people take part in workshop on the mores of international business. Page 8
View from the top
Trucking industry works to demonstrate the appeal of a career in the big rigs. Page 15
Movement at Toray Though not official yet, the plant closed since June is showing signs of reopening. Page 21
INSIDE
Leading Off .......................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 C-Suite ................................ 4 In Focus: Manufacturing & Aerospace ......................... 19 LIST: Manufacturers ...........23 BONUS LIST: Aviation & Aerospace Companies Statewide ..........................26 At Work ..............................28 Viewpoint .......................... 30
Inland Port Greer to launch major expansion this summer See Page 12
For the survivors, the pandemic is an era of opportunity By Ross Norton
rnorton@scbiznews.com
It was early in the pandemic, and Paul Ryll was sitting in one of his enterprises, then a still-new Tipsy Taco restaurant in a still-new Hartwell Village shopping center in Clemson. But all was quiet in what had just a few weeks earlier been a bustling restaurant, shopping center and town. “It was lunchtime,” he said, “and no one was there but us.” Rather than pull back, Ryll and his business associates decided to open another restaurant — one that wouldn’t simply survive a pandemic, but a concept that could
thrive without dine-in customers. About a year later, with Tipsy Taco doing just fine in Clemson, they opened Parsley & Mint in Greenville, announced plans for another in Travelers Rest and hinted at plans for more to come. By December, more than 110,000 American restaurants had closed permanently or long term, the National Restaurant Association reported, but during those darkest days in memory for the restaurant industry, Ryll moved ahead with plans to open more restaurants. Despite the U.S. Marines emblem on his lapel and displayed prominently at Parsley & Mint, it’s not necessarily bravado that drives
In Focus
Looking to the skies?
Leisure travelers are on the move again but business travelers (or their bosses) are a little more reluctant. Page 19
Ryll to move forward, according to restaurant consultant Zac Painter, principal at Candor. While the pandemic brought an end to many restaurants, it also created opportunities, both for existing restaurants willing to adapt and restaurateurs moving forward with new concepts in dining. “No one could have imagined what would happen,” Painter said. “Had you told me in late January (2020) that restaurants were going to be forbidden from opening dining rooms to guests, I would have laughed that off but then, by the time we hit early March, See SURVIVORS, Page 10
Leading Off
BRIEFS | FACTS | STATEWIDE NEWS | C-SUITE
When new beats used in the car market
P
A LA CARTE
erhaps the most often delivered car advice is that you’re generally better off buying a gently used pre-owned car over taking the hit on the depreciation the moment you roll that new ride off the lot. Turns out, that’s not always the case. A lot of cars hold so much value that it makes more sense to buy them new because you’re not going to take that big of a hit. Consider the Tesla Model 3, which has an overall depreciation of only 2.1%. Think about that. If someone said, you can save $923, which represents the 2.1% savings on a new Model 3, or you can have a new
car, wouldn’t you pay up the difference? That’s the conclusion of the data crunchers at iSeeCars, an online database of new and used cars across the U.S. However there are a lot of car models that you’ll do tremendously better with by buying used, including some of the well-known luxury brands. Top 10 cars you should buy new vs. used Model Tesla Model 3 Toyota Tacoma Kia Telluride Force Ranger Jeep Gladiator Toyota Rav4 Hybrid GMC Sierra 1500 Toyota Tundra Chevrolet Colorado Honda Civic Hatchback
% difference 2.1% 4.2% 5.7% 7.1% 7.1% 7.8% 8.2% 8.3% 8.8% 8.9%
EC&M, a trade publication for electrical
Cash difference $923 $1,557 $2,456 $2,416 $3,373 $2,808 $4,731 $3,939 $3,051 $2,309
professionals, recognized Ricky Smith of Hill Electric as one of their 30 Under 30 All-Stars for 2021. A lead electrician with the company, Smith has been with Hill Electric for seven years.
The 10 cars you should buy used vs. new Model BMW 5 Series Hyundai Sonata Infiniti Q50 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Ford Mustang Mercedes-Benz GLA Infiniti Q60 Nissan Sentra BMW 3 Series Mercedes-Benz CLA
% difference 36.4% 36.1% 34.9% 31.6% 31.0% 30.9% 30.9% 30.2% 29.7% 29.5%
Cash difference $24,207 $9,898 $16,322 $8,041 $13,422 $13,562 $16,944 $6,209 $15,266 $13,420
AM King architect Catherine Knight rallied some coworkers to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County’s virtual wall-building initiative. They celebrated International Women Build Week 2021. Habitat dropped off material and the women assembled a wall unit for pickup later.
Bestselling new and used cars in the Upstate For the Greenville-Spartanburg market, the study ranked the Chevrolet Colorado as the best car to buy new. The best used car in terms of value was the Ford Mustang. Source: iSeeCars.com
ON THE
RECORD
“If you went into it knowing this is going to be hard but we’re in it for the long game, then it was a pretty good time to open a restaurant.”
With more than 250 hours of volunteer
— Zac Painter, co-principal, Candor
Hammer Award, the highest honor given
work in 2020, Rebuild Upstate recently awarded Stephan Hamel the Golden to a volunteer. Hamel began serving with Rebuild Upstate in 2019.
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SC Biz News Briefs CHARLESTON
there’s an art to it all!
Staff Report, Charleston Regional Business Journal
Gov. McMaster terminates all federal pandemic unemployment programs Charleston Gov. Henry McMaster has called for the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce to terminate all federal pandemic unemployment programs in South Carolina, citing the benefits as cause for the state’s workforce shortage. McMaster gave the directive May 6 via a letter to DEW Executive Director Dan Ellzey, according to a news release from his office. In the memo, McMaster stated that the benefits were only meant to be shortterm assistance for the “vulnerable and displaced” during the height of the pandemic, but have now “turned into a dangerous federal entitlement, incentivizing and paying workers to stay at home rather than encouraging them to return to the workplace.” Currently, there are 81,684 open posi- Gov. Henry McMaster has terminated pandemic-era tions in the state, which threaten the federal unemployment benefit programs in South sustainability of hotel and food service Carolina. (Photo/SC Biz News) industries in particular, Ellzey said in a statement. McMaster also addressed the unprecedented workforce challenges in manufacturing and the health sectors. “This labor shortage is being created in large part by the supplemental unemployment payments that the federal government provides claimants on top of their state unemployment benefits,” the governor wrote. “In many instances, these payments are greater than the worker’s previous pay checks.” Assuming a 40 hour work week, a person making $15 or less at their job is likely making more on unemployment than when working, according to the DEW. Workers who previously received an hourly wage of $7.25 — for a total of $290 in weekly earnings — have been receiving $445 a week on unemployment with federal supplements. McMaster then directed the DEW to terminate South Carolina’s participation in the following: • Pandemic Unemployment Assistance • Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation • Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation • Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation • Emergency Unemployment Relief for Governmental Entities and Nonprofit Organizations • Temporary Federal Funding of the First Week of Compensable Regular Unemployment for States with No Waiting Week “While the federal funds supported our unemployed workers during the peak of COVID-19, we fully agree that reemployment is the best recovery plan for South Carolinians and the economic health of the state,” Ellzey said. “Last week’s initial claims numbers were the lowest since the pandemic began, and employers around the state are eager to hire and anxious to get South Carolina back to business.”
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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.
5th Street Group
PAGE 29 VOLUME 14 NUMBER 7 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM
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LEGAL L ABY RINT H
Half-packed house 2021 season to open with Segra Park at half capacity. Page 2
VOLUME 27 NUMBER 10 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM
By Teri Errico Griffis
Entrepreneurs now Women finding opportunity to start their own businesses across S.C. Page 6
Nursing homes face plethora of questions in wake of pandemic Self-driving cars
Zero emissions
Deep Orange 12 project fast-tracking technology. Page 6
Logistics and shipping companies making commitment to cut carbon. Page 8
New publisher A different view
Women key to closing manufacturing talent gap. Page 10
Branching out
New Columbia law firm features familiar faces. Page 15
INSIDE
Upfront................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs................ 3 In Focus: Law..................... 14 List: Law Firms .................. 17 At Work .............................. 21 Viewpoint ...........................23
By Melinda Waldrop
A
mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
s the COVID-19 pandemic changed the rules in almost every industry on a near-daily basis, nursing homes in particular struggled to keep up with the ever-shifting landscape and may face even more uncertainty going forward. “One of the big challenges for the facilities has been dealing with the almost-constant rule and regulation change,” said Kelli Sullivan, a partner at Columbia law firm Turner Padget and a member of the firm’s health care litigation team. “(Guidance) from the CDC and Medicare changed literally every week, and so that was quite a challenge. Once you implement something, if it changes two or three days later, it’s a little bit like turning the Titanic. (But) I think the lessons we’ve learned, if we handle them well and take what we’ve learned, could really ultimately in the long run improve the
industry. It’s going to be painful, but anything worth having always is. This was a rough year, but it has made all of the facilities a lot more cognizant of their weak spots.” Nursing homes and residential care facilities were locked down in the first months of the pandemic, with South Carolina beginning to allow limited visitation last September and before requiring all facilities to allow visitation in March. During that stretch, family members were limited to emails or FaceTime to check on loved ones. “I have said several times, I think that everything that stinks about getting older is made worse by COVID,” said Sarah St. Onge, an associate at Millender Elder Law in Columbia. “If you’re doing OK and you’re living at home and you’re independent and you get COVID, a week afterward, you might end up in assisted living. If you’re in assisted living, you might end up in the nursing home. If you’re in a nursing home, you might end up in a hospital. The isolation is terrible.”
Part of the
Nursing homes would be well-served to put into place lessons learned during the pandemic, Sullivan said, even as they await any potential legal fallout from COVID-19 infections and deaths at facilities. Best practices could include revamped disaster planning, increasing staffing options through resources such as temp agencies, and a commitment to “document, document, document,” she said. “Let’s say your facility is low on PPE, and you contacted supplier A, supplier B and supplier C, and you can’t get any N95 masks. It’s great you’ve done that. You’re doing your best to comply. But four years from now when you’re sued about this, you’ve got to be able to say well, here’s the evidence that I contacted supplier A to get more and supplier B or C, and I couldn’t get it, so our next best step was to do X. But if you don’t document those things, memories fade in the fog of everything See NURSING HOMES, Page 22
Labor win
NLRB stands by S.C. Ports Authority’s unfair labor complaint. Page 7
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Leatherman diverts ships after lawsuit
Rick Jenkins has been named group publisher for SC Biz News. Page 4
T
tgriffis@scbiznews.com
he S.C. Ports Authority has shifted two containerships intended to call on the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal back to Wando Welch Terminal as shipping companies look to stay out of the fray cause by a union lawsuit, the Port of Charleston said in
a statement. In a months-long battle to ascertain HLT jobs that they believe should be assigned to union workers, the International Longshoremen’s Association has taken to using an “intimidation tactic” to get liners to boycott the port, the SCPA said. Despite the Leatherman Terminal opening, the ILA is suing Hapag-Loyd and the U.S.
HIGH TECH
Maritime Alliance for $200 million in damages, arguing that by docking at the terminal and using non-bargaining employees, both violated terms of their Master Contract and subsequently cost ILA members future jobs and wages. While the lawsuit isn’t directed at the SCPA, See LAWSUIT, Page 12 The Charleston Technology Center rises above Morrison Drive in Charleston. The facility recently opened. (Photo/Paul Eric Rich – Huckleberry)
The Charleston Technology Center opens doors on Morrison Drive after new construction builds place for early-stage startups and growing tech firms. Page 10
Better protection
S.C. plans to distribute more effective face mask beyond pandemic demands. Page 7
INSIDE
Upfront................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs................ 3 Best Advice.......................... 4 In Focus: Ports, Logistics and Distribution ................. 15 List: Motor Freight Companies.........................23 Bonus List: Employee Benefit Brokers ..................25 At Work ..............................27 Viewpoint ........................... 31
F O R T I C K E T S : B M W C H A R I T Y G O L F. C O M
Driving commerce
Columbus Street Terminal at S.C. Ports drives business across the state. Page 15
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Our ongoing Industry Trends series features business executives discussing the hottest trendsv(sometimes good, sometimes not) in their specific industry. Today, Steve Townes, President & CEO at ACL Airshop talks about the growing awareness of the area’s role in the aerospace industry. A video conversation with Steve accompanies the write-up below, and it’s archived on SCBIZtv on YouTube. Today, we’re talking with Steve Townes , President & CEO at ACL Airship. You can check out Steve’s video on GSA Business Report’s YouTube channel or on one of our two e-newsletters, Morning Blend or GSA Daily (Monday – Friday).
long-term support and maintenance of long-lived aerospace products. Those many thousands of good jobs are highly likely to grow with the increasing demand for “e-commerce” and globalization. So, through Ranger Aerospace you acquired ACL Airshop in February 2016 and have cultivated the company over the last five years, including building that beautiful manufacturing facility highly visible at the Interstate 85/185 interchange. First of all, ACL Airshop is in the business of unit load devices. Tell us what that is.
Steve Townes President & CEO, ACL Airship In the Upstate, a lot of people think about auto when they think about industry, but there is growing awareness of the area’s role in the aerospace industry. Would you agree? Yes, South Carolina is very well positioned here in the southeast USA, one of the fastest-growing regional aggregations of aerospace/aviation-related companies on the planet. The 5 southeastern states have all worked to attract and build an enormous and still-growing aerospace ecosystem. Why? Contributing factors include: • Great workforce. • Exemplary support from state’s schools, universities, technical colleges • State-level strategic plans and industry-building initiatives such as SC Aerospace. • Over 400 aerospace related companies now call South Carolina home. And you told our editor that the Upstate is smack dab in the middle of a larger aerospace and aviation region that is growing in significance on a worldwide scale. Tell us about the increasing strength of the American Southeast on the world aerospace stage. Our location is strategic, a centerpiece in the regional growth phenomenon of aerospace. The strong support from local governments and state-level initiatives blend to foster a can-do growth climate and a well-trained workforce. The aerospace sector is known for excellent, well-paying jobs in the production, operation, and
A unit load device (ULD) is a pallet or container used to load cargo onto aircraft. They are essential for safely securing the load. ULDs come in two forms: pallets and containers. ULD pallets are rugged sheets of aluminum with rims designed to lock onto cargo net lugs and can be secured in the cargo flooring systems in freighters and other planes. ULD containers are closed containers which come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit in the body of an aircraft. ACL Airshop offers many types of ULDs around the world. Aside from the classic shapes and load capabilities, we also have flying horse stalls, cold-chain transport devices, and even collapsible ULDs which make them easier to move from place to place when empty. You chose to cultivate ACL Airshop locally, and it was a decision made after due diligence in considering what other places have to offer. Why did you choose Greenville? We could have outsourced the new facility overseas, or to lower-cost environs here in the US, but we specifically decided to stay here in Greenville, the company’s legacy hometown for many years. And we have our HQs here for the same reasons. It is a great place to do business, and we can grow and manage worldwide from right here. I hope other middle-market aerospace CEO’s, owners, and divisional leaders in large companies will take a hard look at expanding in South Carolina. The “network effect” is working beautifully here for aerospace firms of all kinds and sizes. The momentum keeps building. As mentioned earlier, Ranger invested in ACL Airshop and it has been acquired now by a company called
Alinda. But I understand that Ranger, you personally, and members of the ACL Airshop leadership team, invested too. You must really believe in this company. We are lucky to be teamed with Alinda for the long-term growth and strategic scalability of ACL Airshop. Our steadily accelerating engine needed a bigger gas tank. Alinda is one of the largest infrastructure investment groups in the world, with experience in transportation, logistics, leased equipment, airports, and other industries. It is a very good fit to have Alinda as our majority owner and capital partner for long-term expansion. ACL Airshop has extensive plans to expand our airports network, grow our huge ULD fleet, invest in innovative logistics systems and tracking technologies, and remain a strong employer. We have more than doubled our business in all dimensions in less than 5 years, and we see a strong trajectory ahead. My senior colleagues and I co-invested in the company alongside Alinda Capital Partners because we believe in it, we are building it, and its continuing prospects are attractive. We hear a lot in our shop about the role of workforce development – about how an increasingly sophisticated manufacturing base relies on the state’s workers and the public and private education systems to prepare people to fill those jobs. Do you find that this system is working for you as you fill positions? The state and local support stems from deliberate strategies aimed at growth and good jobs for South Carolinians. Programs such as Apprenticeship SC and Ready SC are part of the feedstock for talent going into industry. We now have multiple Aviation High Schools tethered to the state’s Technical Colleges System, a truly exemplary initiative. Our universities and vocational schools know that aerospace and aviation jobs pay better than many other industry sectors, on average. Educators and students alike are developing awareness and interest in aerospace training and education. The industry is always looking for motivated people with the “Right Stuff.” As I have said in public speeches, if you learn how to work on or around airplanes, it is likely you will have “a well-paid job for life.” ACL Airshop prides itself on our “High Performance
Culture” and was even named one of the Top Places to Work in 2019. And we grew safely through the Pandemic. How has COVID affected – first – ACL Airshop, as well as some of the other investments of Ranger Aerospace? ACL Airshop effectively navigated the challenges by pivoting and accelerating the way we do business, and how we communicate with our team and customers. More meetings and conferences went virtual, but we were accustomed to that for years, given how far-flung our organization is. Covid grounded most of the “belly load” cargo that usually flies every day on the passenger fleets. All the big air freighter operators swooped in to pick up the slack, and we jumped right in there with them. That is now emerging as a longer-term trend as world trade, e-commerce, and time-critical shipping keep favoring air cargo growth. We added extra energy and a redoubled mandate for SPEED as a competitive weapon that Customers VALUE. We are known for high-speed responsiveness to customer requests, answering in minutes or hours, not days or weeks. We are a NETWORK organization, broad and flat, and very effective. “We have not broken stride at all, in fact we are extraordinarily busy, investing in growing our ULD fleet and our technology innovations, safely and dependably growing alongside our customers.” I guess I already know the answer to this based on the enthusiasm of your earlier answers, but the future of aerospace in Upstate and the rest of South Carlina — you would call it a bright one? Without doubt. Remember, airplanes last for decades, and the long-term support aftermarket is economically larger than the initial production. Whether you build, operate, or overhaul aerospace products, you can count on seeing lots of work for a long time. We have embarked on a new chapter of exciting growth, we will focus tirelessly on building and improving for customers. To fellow aerospace leaders, and to all of our employees and others in this great industry, I say “AIM HIGH!”
Steve commissioned this painting entitled “Aim High” as part of the new ACL Airshop factory in Greenville. It is a 10-foot mural in the main Conference and Training Room.
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May 17 - May 30, 2021
Converse accepts president’s resignation — on 1 condition Staff Report
T
gsanews@scbiznews.com
he Converse College Board of Trustees knew they couldn’t keep President Krista L. Newkirk. The reason for her resignation was a common one, after all: to pursue another opportunity — the top post at a California university. Her resignation was tendered to be effective June 30, corresponding with the final day of the academic year. But the board had another idea and voted to keep her for an additional five days. The unanimous decision was intended to honor Converse College’s 10th president by making her the first to lead Converse University. Newkirk is leaving Converse to become the 12th president of the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif. Her duties at Redlands will begin on July 19, according to a news release. “This vote by the board of trustees was in gratitude of President Newkirk’s dynamic and visionary leadership during a period of transformational change for the institution, and in support of her career decision,” the release said. Converse College will become Converse University July 1. That change, and the move to coeducation in the fall of 2020 were two landmark events shepherded by Newkirk. Converse Provost Jeff Barker will delay his previously announced retirement to serve as president during the 2021-2022 academic year while a nationwide search for the next president is conducted. “As I reflect on the past five years at Converse, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished through our collective efforts,” Newkirk said in the release. “I was drawn to Converse by the community, the focus on enhancing equity and women’s leadership, and its ideal to educate students ‘to see clearly, decide wisely and act justly.’ I leave with the knowledge that our efforts have expanded our
Converse College President Krista Newkirk will spend her last five days on the job as president of the newly named Converse University. (Photo/Provided)
influence and mission and will provide greater opportunities for the future generations of Converse students and alumni. My family and I will miss Converse and the Spartanburg community.” A dynamic and visionary leader, Newkirk and her executive team built upon Converse’s history, mission, and reputation for academic excellence to enhance its financial, academic, and cultural strength. She expanded the vision of Converse to advance a culture of belonging and collaboration that ignites creativity, innovation, and transformation. Under Newkirk’s leadership, Converse: • Became an accredited doctorate-granting institution; • Expanded its master’s degree offerings; • Added data analytics to its business, finance, and health care administration degree programs; • Opened an extension campus at the University Center in Greenville; • Developed degree completion programs in business and child and family studies; • Added an autism certificate pro-
gram for teachers, the first in South Carolina; • Became just the sixth private institution of higher learning to add virtual reality tools to the classroom; • Launched a data science program and developed a data analytics laboratory through funding by Bank of America; • Started the Converse Presidential Leadership Forum to celebrate International Women’s Day; • Welcomed its largest freshman class (2017) in more than three decades; • Reached record levels of fundraising; • Started the Valkyrie Middle College to provide a pipeline for high school students to begin coursework toward an education degree and a teaching position in Spartanburg County District 7 schools; • Added five new men’s athletic teams: basketball, track, cross country, soccer, and tennis; • Led a rebranding and marketing study for Converse and launched a new marketing campaign. In addition, Newkirk led Converse
through a research-driven and collaborative process that resulted in one of its most transformative decisions: to add a coeducational residential college in fall 2020, to change its name to Converse University and establish the Converse College for Women in fall 2021. “Krista Newkirk has led Converse through tough, but necessary decisions that have set Converse on a trajectory of success,” Sandra Shearouse Morelli, alumna and Converse board chair, said in the release. “Her leadership and innovation built a strong foundation for the academic advancement and organizational strength of Converse for both today and for future generations.” Newkirk was honored as one of the 50 Most Influential and one of 25 Women of Influence in the Upstate of South Carolina in 2020 and 2021 and was named a Woman of Achievement by the Spartanburg Herald-Journal in 2018. In 2020 she was honored with the Courage Mary L. Thomas Award for her exemplary civic participation and contribution to positive change in the Spartanburg community, the release said.
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May 17 - May 30, 2021
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BridgeTower names group publisher for SC Biz News By Andy Owens
B
aowens@scbiznews.com
ridgeTower Media has named Rick Jenkins group publisher for SC Biz News. Jenkins formerly served as the publisher for GSA Business Report in the Upstate and will now oversee all operations for the statewide business-to-business media operations. SC Biz News is the publisher of GSA Business Report, Columbia Regional Business Report, Charleston Regional Business Journal, SCBIZ magazine and many associated digital, print and event-driven media products. BridgeTower named Jenkins after a nationwide search to replace long-serving group publisher Grady Johnson who stepped down in March. “I’m so honored to have the opportunity to lead SC Biz,” Jenkins said. “The company has been the leader in producing and distributing valuable content to high-level business executives throughout South Carolina for more than 25 years, and the SC Biz brand is as strong as ever.” BridgeTower is an independently owned company, serving commercial interests in more than 25 markets from
Rick Jenkins has been named group publisher for SC Biz News after a nationwide search to replace longserving group publisher Grady Johnson who stepped down in March. (Photo/Kim McManus)
coast to coast with a strong focus on digital, print and event marketing. Jenkins said this is an exciting and challenging time to be in the media industry, but those challenges provide flexibility to innovate and serve the SC Biz News community with creative, data-driven products the way businesses want them.
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“Our industry continues to transition from traditional print to digital technologies, and I’m galvanized by the continued trend toward digital media and all that entails,” Jenkins said. “Providing valuable content that helps businesses and business leaders make strategic decisions remains vital, but how we deliver that content is changing.” Jenkins has been the driving force behind the S.C. Manufacturing Conference and Expo, an annual event that draws thousands of manufacturing professionals and executives from across the U.S. Jenkins also helped pioneer SCBIZtv, a digital video channel that provides news, information and conversations with South Carolina’s thought leaders with more than 140 business-related videos. “We started it in the early stages of COVID, and it has blossomed,” Jenkins said. “Over the past three months, SCBIZtv has garnered more than 30,000 video views. It’s just another example of our willingness and desire to provide content to our readers in any format they wish to consume.” Jenkins said BridgeTower Media, the parent company of SC Biz News, continues to invest in digital transformation, giving the community of B2B business
leaders sophisticated and targeted options for connecting to customers, investors and talented professionals. “We are reaping the rewards of that
“We are reaping the rewards of that investment into the digital transformation of our business.” Rick Jenkins group publisher, SC Biz News
investment into the digital transformation of our business,” Jenkins said. “Now we are able to offer advertisers an exhaustive suite of digital products, which provides them more ways than they ever could’ve dreamed to reach potential customers. We are also constantly looking at refining technologies that deepen reader engagement.” Reach Andy Owens at 843-849-3142.
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May 17 - May 30, 2021
Upstate organizations host global business panel By Molly Hulsey
I
hands and as an extension of the person.” Wang agreed that she, too, was shocked when she came to her first meeting with Americans in a conference room, adding that in Japan, people even bow when offering up a business card. In the United States, that couldn’t be further from the case. “The table was so long, and then I saw Americans just throwing business cards at each other over the table,” she said.
mhulsey@scbiznews.com
t may be easy to assume that smiles and nods are a sign that a business deal is going swimmingly. Or that there is only one way to give someone a business card, but international business veterans may have something to say about that. And a few did during Upstate International and Upstate SC Alliance’s Global Fluency Panel and Cross-Cultural Training Course in late April — especially when it came to sharing some of the worst faux pas they had committed or witnessed over their career. Carmil Wang, the executive director of China Resources LLC and prior business consultant for Dixon Hughes Goodman Inc., recalled an instance when John, a coworker from Atlanta, met a group of high-level Chinese officials during a seminar and thought ahead to bring some small gifts for them. One of those gifts was a green baseball cap from The Masters Tournament which John placed on the head of one official. The room — full of Chinese business people — burst into an avalanche of laughter and the official smiled politely. “All the Americans were happy,” Wang
Becoming culturally competent
said. “They had no clue what had happened.”
The hat of shame
In Chinese culture, she said, wearing an emerald-colored cap means that your wife is cheating you. In 2015, police officers in Shenzhen made headlines for making jaywalkers wear the green “hat of shame.” Some preferred to pay the fine. One program participant remembered a corporate meeting with business part-
ners in Japan that seemed to have gone well until after all Americans had filed out of the room. An American had accidentally left a Japanese business card behind on the table and deeply offended the holder of the card. “The cultural value there was to treat it with a great amount of respect,” Renee Bishai, the director of global fluency with the Columbus World Affairs Council of Global Fluency. “You receive it with both
It takes time, an open attitude and self-awareness with a side of cross-cultural knowledge, said Bishai, an Egyptian-born American. It means not just knowing to avoid flashing an OK gesture in satisfaction during a meal in Brazil (this is synonymous with giving someone the middle finger), it means not getting impatient that lunch has stretched on for over two hours. And then realizing that the meal is the beginning of many more opportunities to break bread before really getting down to business. “When you want to do business in Brazil, you have to learn and have to learn very fast that when you meet your customer, you first of all receive from him a cafézinho, a little coffee,” said Dirk Lin-
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denbeck, consultant and board chairman of DAL Investment Co. “So you drink cafézinho with each other and you talk about the family with each other: how their family is and how your family is. So, you talk about all sorts of things, maybe also sport, but family is usually the main thing you’re talking about. And only once you had a long conversation about that, then you may be turning to the actual
“The table was so long, and then I saw Americans just throwing business cards at each other over the table.”
He remembered a time that he contracted a trucking company to pick up four presses from a manufacturing plant at 8 a.m. “Eight o’clock comes around. 8:15. Nobody. 8:30. Nobody. 8:45. No one there,” Linenbeck said. “So nine o’clock, an hour later, a truck comes.” At that point, even though the truck didn’t meet specific requirements for transporting the presses, he sent them on their way instead of directing them back home. At the end of the day, two presses had fallen off the truck and were destroyed, complemented by conflicting police reports.
Drawing a blueprint
Carmil Wang executive director, China Resources LLC
technical or commercial conversation.” Lindenbeck, born in Germany, experienced a bit of culture shock when he first began to work in Brazil, especially when it came to timing. “I had to learn that the hard way in Brazil, because when you get a promise of a certain time to meet, it’s never going to happen,” he said.
When Bishai teaches global fluency courses, she uses the Hofstede Cultural Framework as a blueprint for cultural interactions. The framework is a list of six spectrums of values that help describe the drivers behind customs and cultural differences: low-power distance vs. high-power distance, masculine vs. feminine values, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance vs. openness to spontaneity, long-term vs. short-term view of time and indulgence vs. restraint. Brazilian business culture, as in most Latin American countries, tends to avoid the uncertain and relies much more on gaining personal rapport than the U.S. corporate world, according dat from the Hofstede scale. As a nation with a collec-
tivist bent, family is critical. As is building long-term business relationships. Promptness, not always so much — which couldn’t be more divergent from Linenbeck’s German background, a culture that prizes efficiency and timeliness. While there isn’t a Hofstede scale for polychronic (a more flexible view of time, prone to multitasking) nations like Brazil and monochronic (a more rigid view of timeliness) nations like the U.S. and Germany, Hofstede’s other scales can help frame the “why” behind those norms.
A false argument
The U.S. ranks in at a moderate power distance level, according to Bishai — much lower than China or Japan — and yet higher than Germany. High-power distance cultures rely on hierarchy and the hegemony of authority; elders are treated with great respect and superiors will be addressed by title. Meanwhile, decision-making that involves consulting subordinates and acknowledges that the use of power must be legitimized is the name of the game in a low-power culture. Hence the difference in exchanging business cards with a bow instead of the flick of a wrist. This can also have bearing on how direct communication may be with peers and superiors. Italy has a slightly higher power distance than the U.S., but is also a culture
that tends to individualistic, outspoken and is one of the more “masculine” cultures on the list after Japan — in the perspective of the Hofstede Framework, focused more on the drive of winning than savoring the work. Elena Colombarini, the general manager of Greenville’s Vetroresina LLC., a fiberglass manufacturer, remembers when she and her fellow Italian coworkers would get into passionate, opinionated discussions in the workplace, while Americans feared they were fighting. “That is just our way of communicating,” she said. “And it kind looks like we’re really offending each other, yelling at each other, and soon after, [we were] … just friends and everything is absolutely fine.” But as Bishai reminds her students, the framework is just the beginning: a guide for a lifetime of building an understanding of cultural differences. “Even if this is something that you live and breathe, that you have worked in for years, there is always more to learn,” Bishai said. “And to me, that is very encouraging. That means that there is an abundance of information and experience out there for us to have, so I think it kind of takes the pressure off. We don’t have to become experts overnight. It really does take care and ongoing investment from us as we develop these skills.” Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter
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SURVIVORS, from Page 1
we knew we were headed down that path.” Space came available, especially in the fall as Paycheck Protection Plan funds ran out and leases expired, and much of the space came at a better price since commercial real estate in general
“We are not going to go quietly into that good night.” Zach Painter restaurant consultant, Candor
was adjusting. “There was a thinning of the herd. A lot of these restaurants were tired and not willing to innovate and they went away. And when you see closures, you see opportunity,” Painter said. “If you went into it knowing this is going to be hard but we’re in it for the long game, then it was a pretty good time to open a restaurant.” Painter said optimistic restaurateurs
May 17 - May 30, 2021
believe in the fundamental need for their service to society. “It’s something that has been around for effectively thousands of years, and I don’t see it going away,” he said. “People are going to get together, and they are going to eat and they are going to want someone to prepare food for them. They’re going to want to be in a social environment. We are not going to go quietly into that good night.” The survivors — as well as the newcomers — made it through the shutdown portion of the pandemic by adjusting, mostly by embracing carryout. For Ryll and his associates, they chose Parsley & Mint’s concept because the Mediterranean food it serves met criteria Ryll thought people wanted in the pandemic: fresh, healthy, flavorful and easy to carry out. Pre-pandemic, Painter said a lot of full-service restaurants turned away carryout orders when the dining room was busy, and by embracing to-go orders when times got hard, many of them have found a new source of meaningful revenue. “Restaurants balked at Doordash and Uber Eats at first,” he said. “They said, ‘I’m not going to do business with someone who’s going to take 25% or more of my transaction because I’m doing just fine on my own.’ And now they realize third-party delivery is a really import-
ant thing to have and they learned that oh, wow, we can deconstruct our menu. We can adjust the menu for third-party delivery and tailor it to the occasion, price it differently and still be profitable.” The best example may be virtual restaurants such as Coop & Run, which serves only chicken tenders, sauces, Tater Tots, french fries and brownies prepared in the O’Charley’s kitchen. Coop & Run’s menu items are not available on the O’Charley’s menu, and O’Charley’s items are not available through Door Dash and the others. According to Painter, the virtual restaurant has been the revenue equivalent to adding two new O’Charley’s without the costs of land, buildings, equipment and other expenses of starting a brick-andmortar restaurant. In the end, he said, those restaurants that took the time to re-evaluate during those first few days of empty dining rooms are emerging stronger than before, with to-go food as a solid source of revenue and not just gravy. “I think it came down to those people that believed in the resiliency of the industry saw this time as an opportunity to say ‘I’m going to go into this knowing that the first few months, first year, may be really hard,’ but if you’re playing the long game, this last year, especially these last six months, have been a pretty good time to open a restaurant,” said Paint-
er, whose client list includes more than 400 restaurants and restaurant chains. “Now the strategic approach we’re taking is almost like a channel approach. You’ve got the dine-in channel, you’ve got the delivery channel, you’ve got the online ordering channel, you’ve got
“There was a thinning of the herd. A lot of these restaurants were tired and not willing to innovate and they went away. And when you see closures, you see opportunity.” Zach Painter restaurant consultant, Candor
curbside channel, you’ve got the catering channel. And so, if you have these plans to activate each of those channels, you realize you cannot just get back to 100% (of revenue) but you can get back to 120%.” Reach Ross Norton at 864-720-1222 or @ RossNorton13 on Twitter.
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Dedicated to serving up business announcements fast & unfiltered.
Get your message in front of the top decision-makers in the Upstate as they stay up-to-date on the people and businesses making moves in the Upstate. For advertising information, contact Rick Jenkins at (864) 720-1224 or rjenkins@scbiznews.com
May 17 - May 30, 2021
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Harbor Freight Tools adds new facility to its operations
A
Staff Report
s businesses continue to push for more space in proximity to South Carolina’s ports, Harbor Freight Tools has leased an additional warehouse in Dillon County, adjacent to its existing presence. Dillon is a key logistics location for the California-based Harbor Freight, the largest employer in Dillon County, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce. The tool and equipment retailer employs more than 2,300 associates in the state and has invested more than $200 million. “Since we first opened our distribution center in Dillon in 2001, we have continued to be proud members of, and significantly invest in, the Dillon community,” Trey Feiler, SVP of Real Estate for Harbor Freight Tools said in a news release. “We are excited to expand both our presence and our capacity with this new warehouse facility.” The new 373,100 square-foot warehouse distribution space is located at 95 Inland Port Logistics Center, approximately 1 mile from Inland Port Dillon, which serves as a transshipment point for the Port of Charleston, according to a news release by Equus Capital Partners Ltd.
Harbor Freight Tools is now the largest employer in Dillon County. The company opened its facility near Inland Port Dillon with more than 2,300 workers. (Photo/Provided)
The expansion will create 150 more jobs to the region. Equus Capital Partners, Ltd., a private real estate investment management company, headquartered in Philadelphia, entered into the 10-year lease agreement with Harbor Freight Tools. Inland Port Dillon, a S.C. Ports
Authority facility, was constructed in 2018 to connect to the Port of Charleston via a CSX rail line. Users can then transport imported containers more effectively by rail than by truck. Harbor Freight saved significantly by becoming an Inland Port Dillon user. The company imports, on average, 25,000 containers annually
through the port and is the largest user of Inland Port Dillon, the release said. S.C. Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome shared that Harbor Freight Tools was the launch customer for Inland Port Dillon in 2018 and he looks forward to the company’s growth. Newsom added he is excited to see Equus invest in the modern speculative building. “Importers and exporters benefit from Inland Port Dillon’s available capacity and reliable service through its rail connection with the Port of Charleston,” he said. “Investments like this one from Equus will undoubtedly bring more growth to the Pee Dee region.” By entering a leasing agreement with Harbor Freight Tools, Equus not only furthers its development program, but stimulates the economy and helps the state advance its vision of Inland Port Dillon, Senior Vice President of Equus Dan DiLella Jr. said. “SC Ports’ successful Inland Port Dillon project continues the national trend of increased usage of inland ports to support supply chain activity,” DiLella said. “Inland Port Dillon is a valuable facility for Harbor Freight and should also attract new users to the region looking to import and distribute throughout the Southeast.”
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May 17 - May 30, 2021
Inland Port to break ground on $28M expansion By Molly Hulsey
mhulsey@scbiznews.com
A multi-colored canyon wall of containers from every corner of the globe towered above as Inland Port Greer Manager Ed Stehmeyer pointed to what new additions would grow the Inland Port capacity by at least 7,800 more TEUs or 20-foot equivalent units, an industry standard measurement. “That box right there is actually 40 feet long,” Stehmeyer said, pointing to a neon orange container at the base. “So that’s actually two TEUs, but that standard spacing and size is really what has allowed the continuing operations around the world to flourish, because everybody uses the same size equipment, the same size container.” These 4,000 containers are arranged in stacks of seven and eight, what Stehmeyer calls the “empties,” and parallel rows of loaded containers awaiting pick-up from port customers. Five cranes worth more than $2.2 million apiece straddle the railroad tracks while an operator, barely visible 65 feet up, reels in a several-ton container with the ease of a fisherman. The port is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Trucks can enter the port, have a loaded container placed on the chassis
The expansion project will add an additional working track, allowing cranes to deboard containers from three trains at a time. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)
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and drive back out the gate in 10 minutes. In one month, trains can make up to 14,418 trips to and from the Greer port. And at any given time, Stehmeyer could tell you where every container is, who the owner of the container is and how long it has been in the port, he said. It is hard to imagine now that only eight years ago, the 50 kaleidoscopic acres that contain the Inland Port Greer operations didn’t exist. And the 60 employees that operate the port were not manning rubber tire gantry cranes or lifting thousands of tons of international, or at least not in Greer. Now, the S.C. Ports Authority is priming the site’s additional 50 acres for both an eastern and western expansion to cost around $28 million, according to 2018 estimates. Stehmeyer imagines the price tag may be higher after revisiting the renderings in 2021. “We can expand everything to the tree line in this direction to the west and just about everything to the bridge in the east,” he said as pointed into the grassy field behind the Inland Port gate and then back across the chassis yard toward the J. Verne Smith Parkway from his vantage point near the western-most tip of the concrete enclosure. “Our track expansion is going to start right here and we are going to add a third working track where we’re standing. We’re going to cut the concrete at a third working track, so that just gives us more throughput and
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the ability to handle more railcars and containers.” An additional working rail track alongside existing two 2,600-foot-long lines will give the port the ability to deboard containers from three trains at a time, while two storage rail tracks added on the outside of the existing three will allow the port to welcome larger trains. “These RTG (rubber tire gantry cranes) stacks, they basically work in a single-file line, so we’re going to extend the container terminals to be able to add containers in that line on both ends,” he said. “It has a bunch of functional space for operations as well, like say for instance, this container maintenance operation: they’ll be able to put them (containers) somewhere else in the terminal, because they’re sort of in the way going down that line.” The port recently awarded the $4.3 million track installation to Bullock Construction, a Maryland-based company with an office in Columbia, anticipating a project launch in June. Much of the overall project is still under design, he said, with Greenville’s Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering serving as the engineers for the container yard expansion, he said. The project will also double the existing chassis yard and add more than 15,000 square feet of new buildings, including terminal maintenance buildings and a taller heavy-lift maintenance facility to
house an empty handler employed to hoist empty containers for all-weather upkeep. Local architects DP3 will design the buildings, while other contracts will be awarded later this year, he said. Two additional $2.2 million cranes will join the two purchased almost two years ago. “We’re always adding and investing in new equipment to grow,” he said. The expansion project, moving in tandem with plans for the Hugh Leatherman Terminal in Charleston, first appeared on the roster in 2016 or 2017, leading to a $25 million grant from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Fund in 2018. “This funding supports the expansion of Inland Port Greer, which has been a true success story for South Carolina, growing significantly every year since opening,” S.C. Ports CEO Jim Newsome said in the April 29 announcement. “We continue to invest in port infrastructure to handle more cargo for companies. Our strategic investments provide more capacity and efficiency, which attracts more companies to invest in our state.” “The capacity is huge,” said Liz Crumly, manager of corporate communications for the S.C. Ports Authority. “We set a record month here and we had a record month in Charleston, and so we need to keep upgrading our infrastructure to ensure that we’re able to handle more goods that are coming in, so that’s
what this project is really doing here, to handle our customer’s growth, whether that’s import or export.” BMW exports make up about 70% of the cargo handled at the port, along with Adidas merchandise imports, raw rubber from Indonesia bound for Michelin-made tires, exports from Tennessee-based Eastman Chemical and imports for TTI, according to Stehmeyer. BMW spokesperson Steve Wilson was not aware if the expansion would have any major impact on the company’s Spartanburg operations as the Hugh Leatherman Terminal is not expected to affect finished vehicle exports, but it could be a different stories for BMW’s hundreds of suppliers clustered around the Upstate. Especially as the BMW Group gears up for a 50% increase in electric car sales worldwide. “We export 70% of our South Carolina-made vehicles through the Port of Charleston to 125 countries around the world,” BMW President Knudt Flor said in the port expansion announcement. “BMW was also the first customer for S.C. Ports’ rail-served Inland Port Greer in 2013. Inland Port Greer has proved incredibly beneficial to our supply chain. We depend on reliability and speed to produce every car to order, and S.C. Ports continues to deliver for BMW.” Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter
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Make data driven decisions. The story of the Upstate business market continues to be a story best told in numbers. Market Facts provides the context for the data and statistics critical to commerce in our region. COVID-19 reshaped our economy, and now, more than ever, business leaders require the latest data, facts and trends to navigate the pandemic and capitalize on the continuing recovery.
May 17 - May 30, 2021
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usiness.co
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May 17 - May 30, 2021
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Truckers work to change perception behind windshield By Teri Errico Griffis
T
tgriffis@scbiznews.com
he trucking industry is in desperate need of drivers and the problem is going to worsen before it gets better, S.C. Trucking Association President and CEO Rick Todd said. Three years ago, the American Trucking Associations said the national shortage was nearly 61,000 and was projected to rise to 160,000 by 2028. “It takes a while to train and develop a driver, and for them to get experienced to be put behind the wheel,” Todd said. “Since more people are retiring than are replacing, that shortage is going to be more acute short-term.” The average age for a for-hire, over-the road driver in the truckload industry is 46, according to a report by the American Trucking Associations. To address the problem, the Trucking Association — a nonprofit trade association made up of voluntary member businesses that use or depend on trucks — has created a handful of CDL prep programs at the high school level to engage students aspiring to be a truck driver or technician, or work in diesel or engine technology and maintenance. Students can get the training they need
while they’re still in high school to get a leg up on the next step, whether that’s attending tech school or a private truck driver school once they turn 18. Columbia’s Eau Claire High School and Richland One Career and Technical Education Center currently offering the program, and Todd said both schools have shown great progress. SCTA also is further looking to expand the program into the S.C. Technical College System. “We believe this is going to create a ready-to-work workforce coming out of high school and direct these people into technical training programs where they can get trained up and get really good paying jobs and not have to go to college if they don’t want to,” Todd said. In addition to the aging driving population, the American Trucking Associations cites increased freight volume and competition with other blue-collar careers as challenges for the trucking industry. Todd further adds that poor perception of work-life balance also plays a part. Part of his role with the S.C. Trucking Association is to adjust that image. In actuality, Todd said the job offers more freedom than most other industries. “The view from that windshield is a
“We’re trying to show people that the stuff you get and use, somebody has to make it and build it, grow it and move it. That’s what our economy’s based on.” Rick Todd President and CEO, S.C. Trucking Association
heck of a lot better than from a cubicle. Drivers get to see the world in action. They actually feed the supply chain, they learn and are part of every industry sector,” he said. Jobs are available for those who want to be home for dinner every night, while there also are plenty of opportunities for those individuals looking to travel for weeks at a time, Todd said. “We’re trying to show people that the stuff you get and use, somebody has to make it and build it, grow it and move it. That’s what our economy’s based on,”
Todd said. “For the most part, everything we depend on, literally everything, pretty much ends up or begins with the truck movement.” Running your own business and being able to join almost any sector of our economy are further benefits of joining the trucking industry. Todd said one’s direction is wide open depending on what kind of truck they want to drive, load they want to haul and where they want to go. Nearly 65% of the medium and heavy duty trucks on the road also are operated by main street type businesses, not just for-hire trucking companies, Todd said. In 2019, the $791.7 billion trucking industry represented 80.4% of the nation’s freight bill, hauling 72.5% of all freight transport in the U.S. “We’re really still a long way away from when trucks are going to drive themselves with technology,” Todd said. “We’re still going to have a driver and a pilot doing all the preliminary work and also being in the vehicle to make sure all the systems are working and to take control when unique situations pop up … There is still going to be a role for the driver for the foreseeable future.” CRBJ
Reach Teri Errico Griffis at 843-849-3144
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Author: selling effectively during and post-pandemic Greenville native John Sterling was vice president of sales for DataStream, which he helped grow from a startup to the largest techSterling nology company in the state. He is the author of the book Sales for Noobs: Everything Sales Rookies Need to Know to Crush Quota, Get Promoted, and Kick A$$. Q: What are the main challenges you have found to be most impactful for sales-personnel over the course of the pandemic? A: Getting over the pandemic excuses. Never been such a great excuse not to make sales calls — “maybe they are sick, maybe they are not working now, maybe I won’t make my sales calls. Maybe I’ll get fired AND certainly it won’t be my fault.” Q: With the world becoming virtual, what are some key tips for those with a crushing sales quota if it’s through a computer screen or over the phone? A: Many Zoom calls are “automatical-
ly” an hour or 30 minutes just because that’s what we normally do. You will make a lot of friends and sales if you schedule 30 minutes but get to the point and get the call competed in 15 or less. Clients will thank you for giving them time back and you will have extra time to lob in a few prospecting calls/emails with the extra time. Keep the chit chat to two-five minutes and get down to business! Q: Structure is critical in a work from home setting. What advice would you give to maximize productivity and time management in a less-structured setting? A: Define your key daily success metrics first. What do you need to do every day to assure you are going to meet your sales targets? That could be five customer calls a day, three new prospecting calls a day, 10 current pipeline calls a day, 30 minutes on your education in your space, etc. … Whatever that is for you — do it first. Just get up and knock all of that out then free bird after that. Working from home should allow for some more exploratory work and idea exploration in your area since we don’t have the commute, the watercooler time, the football pool or Jonny’s birthday cake. Enjoy the new freedom, enjoy it and use some of it to explore the fringes or what you are working on. If
you need some in-person time, then simply ask your prospect what they are comfortable with? Many can’t have visitors to the office but will meet for coffee or golf. Big difference between company rules and what individuals will do. Q: In a time where in-person interaction has been limited, how can salespeople continue to show their clients value and get to know one another on a deeper level? A: Salespeople today will be better off spending the extra time learning more about the ways they can help prospects save/make money. If you had a serious health issue, are you going to ask around, or ask your buddy, for the very best doctor available? Spend time every week actively learning how your product helps others succeed. Q: For the many young professionals who are trying to find their first job during this challenging time, what are your top five pieces of advice for them? A: Get yourself squared away. If you are fit, have mostly good habits and a good attitude — that is your ante to get in the game. Work on your unique skills, speaking, writing, sales training, negotiation training etc.
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Spend some time and money getting tested. Kolbe.com and others like DISC are proven and will help guide you toward the type of sales you will be best at (inside/outside. Big ticket, transactional, big company, small company, etc.). It really helps to have a job you match up
“Salespeople today will be better off spending the extra time learning more about the ways they can help prospects save/make money.” John Sterling author, Sales for Noobs
well with versus having to force it. What do you do for fun? What would you want to work in if money were not as issue? What industry’s trade show would you most like to go to? Find a way to work in that industry. ID all the cool companies in that space and start a conversation about how you could help them. If you are bored with the whole idea of JOB and
May 17 - May 30, 2021
normal path, save some money and take a trip all the way around the world. Lap it. Figure out the best course based on the ‘rona and just make it happen. When you come back you won’t be bored anymore and don’t be afraid to work in any capacity in the industry that you want to eventually work in. Q: For those in sales currently or aspiring to be in sales (noobs) who feel stuck in their current situation, what do you have to tell them? A: Get some part time sales jobs, even if it is voluntary fundraising. Get some experience then start interviewing for sales jobs. Go thru the steps above so you will land in the right place for you — not just any sales job. Q: Obstacles happen daily. They can be minor or as large as a global pandemic. How important is mindset and attitude to overcome these challenges and ultimately come out on top? A: Attitude is the foundation of everything. Tell me a story and we can frame it as the worst thing in the world or the best thing in the world. A great start for how it positively affects your attitude is to Google and listen to some Zig Ziglar videos. If you want a bad attitude listen to a lot of sad, depressing music or whiny complaining friends. That will work great for bringing you down, down, down.
www.gsabusiness.com 17
600-acre solar farm bound for Anderson By Molly Hulsey
mhulsey@scbiznews.com
W
ithin months, the first few signs of a county-backed solar farm are set to crop up along 600-acres of farmland along Highway 178. “It’s going to be a big solar operation,” Burriss Nelson, director of Anderson County Economic Development, told GSA Business Report following an April 3 Anderson County Council meeting where council members unanimously passed an amendment to a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement with Anderson Solar Farm LLC. Despite 25 acres cut out of the new amendment, Anderson Solar Farm LLC committed to the original $2.7 million to be invested in the site, and Nelson expects the site’s owner, Hartwell Solar, to launch construction this summer. “There are bigger farms than that already in South Carolina; there are some in lower parts of the state that are 3,000 acres,” he said, but as far as Anderson County goes, the 600-acre farm is the largest by far. Hartwell Solar’s Anderson operation will far outpace Furman Univer-
sity’s six-acre, 743-kilowatt farm, the only Upstate site listed in Charleston Solar Co. Southern Current’s list of South Carolina’s largest farms. Once complete, the farm will be able to power an estimated 900 houses, Nelson said. The property, adjacent to 2325 Six and Twenty Road, according to Anderson County property records, has long been in Hartwell Solar’s searchlight. Two years ago, the company negotiated a lease agreement with the Mullikin family estate, commencing the song and dance of grafting any new energy source to the existing power grid. That means leveling out all engineering and design plans with the overseeing utility, such as Duke Energy, which owns property adjacent to the proposed farm, according to Anderson County property records. “It’s a pretty intense negotiation,” Nelson said. “That takes a little bit of time.” But all for an intensive reward, solar companies posit. S.C. landowners can earn between $400 to $600 an acre per year by leasing their property to solar companies,
The Right Time. The Right Place. The Right Team.
according to Southern Current. The amendment passed by Anderson County Council on April 3 docked almost 25 acres off the original FILOT agreement but kept the original $2.7 million investment terms. The project is not the first solar farm to receive economic development and County Council support in Anderson County in recent years. Southern Current invested $30 million into five new solar farms across the county in 2018: a $7.6 million solar farm in Piedmont, a $2.8 million farm on Durham Road in Powdersville and four smaller properties. The total 136 acres were expected to bring in $77,306 in revenue for the county, according to a news release. “The solar farms provide increased revenue to the county, involve the preservation of green space, and in some cases enable families to keep and use land that has long been in the family,” Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns said in a news release. Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter
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International airlines land at GSP with more cargo as business travel wavers By Molly Hulsey
A
mhulsey@scbiznews.com
irlines lifted social distance requirements May 1. Leisure air travel is trickling back with COVID-19 vaccines and summertime. Direct flights are in vogue and on June 5, Delta’s New York City-bound jets will take to the skies for the first time from the Upstate since March 2020. Still, while the market appears brighter for Southeastern passenger air travel than it has for a while, the trajectory toward recovery at corporate travel-powered Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is a gradual one. “Right now, passenger traffic both in business and leisure are coming back,” Tom Tyra, GSP’s director of air service development, told GSA Business Report. “Business travel is a little slower than leisure travel. Most of the people traveling today are traveling for either personal businesses, visiting friends or relatives or going on vacation. Small businesses are traveling, but we don’t expect some of the larger companies to be getting their people on the road until after summer, maybe early fall.” Especially as restrictions on gatherings and office occupancy lift in tandem with COVID-19 vaccine rates within the United States and abroad. With Greenville and Spartanburg’s high percentage of foreign-owned companies, international travel is a mainstay for GSP. Before the pandemic, GSP had double the amount of international traffic than most airports its size. One year out from the beginning of the pandemic, international business and leisure travel still remain virtually nonexistent, Tyra said. “The borders have kind of been closed between U.S. and Canada,” he said. “You’re not able to travel between those two, into Europe, into parts of Asia. There are a lot of restrictions on international travel, and as those loosen, we will probably have travel come back fairly quickly there. It’s been over a year
Jets from British Airways, Magma and at least three other passenger airlines stop at GSP to unload cargo as international flights stall. (Photo/ Provided)
since people have been able to take an international trip out of here, and for large companies like BMW and Michelin and others that do a lot of traveling internationally, it will be more important that they can go off and start conducting business face to face.” March 2021 — the latest monthly report — saw 100,738 passengers fly GSP, a 16.4% decrease from last year’s numbers, but according to Tyra, March 2019’s almost 208,000 passengers is more representative of a healthy influx of travelers. This year’s numbers are down almost 51% from March 2019. That is comparable to other airports of GSP’s size across the nation, he said. “The recovery of airports really depends on what
kind of community you are,” he said, adding that GSP’s traffic is slower than major tourist cities. “We are a little stronger on the business side. We’re not so much of a tourist destination; we have some of that, but we don’t have a beach … so those feature type destinations have rebounded much faster. Still, passenger traffic dropped 96% last April, so March’s 51% drop from 2019 should be considered next to this April’s 50% increase year over year. Tyra expects that June may harken in a 60% recovery toward pre-pandemic levels as families seek wide-open spaces to vacation and markets like New See AIRPORT, Page 22
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2800+ attendees and 283 exhibitors from 14 different states. An exhibit floor the equivalent of three football fields. The South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership conducted 16 training courses. The B2B Matchmaking event, coordinated by the SC Department of Commerce, gave select exhibitors the chance to individually meet with representatives from some of the state’s largest OEMs and 1st tier suppliers. • Economic Forecasts on the auto, tire and aerospace industries. • The annual Salute to Manufacturing Awards Luncheon, where 20 SC manufacturers were honored.
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Toray prepares to relaunch production in new directions By Molly Hulsey
U
mhulsey@scbiznews.com
pstate manufacturers and staffing companies from First Quality to MAU are resorting to billboards to alert new jobs to future employees. Signs around Spartanburg also signal that one aerospace powerhouse will soon be set back in motion after the COVID-19 pandemic’s blow to passenger air travel — along with grounding of the Boeing 737 Max — halted operations in June 2020. Several Toray representatives verified that Toray Composite Materials America’s facility in Spartanburg will restart production many months sooner than the one to two years expected by the company and the local business community. Mary Willard, manager of human resources and general affairs at Toray, said that the company is aiming for a reboot during the first quarter of 2022. She wasn’t able to verify yet whether the plant will be up to former capacity but did add that the company wouldn’t be scraping for business. Toray’s Spartanburg plant is hiring up to 90 new employees from engineers to technicians. “When producing carbon fiber, our process isn’t one that is started up or shut down easily or without consideration,” she said in an email. “We are a continuous
Toray executives think the shut down of the Spartanburg plant will be shorter than originally planned. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)
operation that runs 24/7 and is only shut down for planned maintenance activities. That being said, we will be in full production next year when we start up.” Boeing has long been Toray’s largest customer at its Spartanburg plant. So when Boeing’s production tanked in 2020, Toray’s carbon fiber lines in Spartanburg were moved to the company’s plant in Decatur, Ala. Out of all of Toray’s divisions, its Car-
bon Fiber Composite Materials took the steepest hit in revenue with a 24.8% or 134.9 billion yen ($1.24 billion) drop worldwide from 2019 to 2020, according to the company’s latest financial report. This time around, Boeing may not be the biggest man in town. “Originally, we were planning on a much longer suspension of operations here in Spartanburg, but we are shifting gears some and producing “industrial
grade” carbon fiber here to help serve our other markets initially while we are waiting on the commercial airline industry to reach higher demand levels,” Willard said in the email. Willard didn’t specify which new customer bases the company would tap, but the company’s market report revealed that new opportunities could quite literally be on the horizon of the alternative energy field with the wind turbine application sales remaining strong throughout the pandemic. The Japan-based company’s global forecast predicts a continued recovery for all divisions, but also takes into account the resurgence of COVID-19 infections in Japan that prompted the redeclaration of a state emergency in April, the economic tolls of the conflict between the U.S. and China and expansionary fiscal policies. “Toray does a fantastic job of utilizing the entire global supply of composite materials from all of its subsidiaries, so while there has been a diversification in customers that has aided in our restart, we also are able to help support some of the other Toray facilities worldwide,” Willard said. Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter.
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Alexander reappointed to airport commission
Target your market in an upcoming issue of the GSA Business Report
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For advertising information, call Rick Jenkins at (864) 720-1224
Matthew C. Alexander has been reappointed to the Greenville Airport Commission by Greenville City Council to serve a three-year term. The GAC is the owner and operator of the Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU), which is the busiest general aviation airport in South Carolina and is a self-sufficient entity with financial strength that doesn’t rely on local taxpayers for funding, according to a news release.
GMU is home to Greenville Jet Center, the largest fixed base operator in the state, as well as more than 15 other aviation-related businesses creating 547 jobs that Alexander annually contribute more than $68.8 million to the Upstate economy, the release said.
AIRPORT, from Page 19
out airlines that only delivered cargo to carry the extra load, but those companies were reaching capacity, according to Tyra. Around this time last year, passenger planes, especially those linking the U.S. and Europe or Asia, converted their jets into cargo-only fleets to pick up the additional cargo demand and mitigate the almost complete halt of passenger travel. “When they did that, they went to some of the biggest airports in the U.S. like Atlanta and New York and Chica-
York City unseal. “That’s one that’s a very, very big business market for us,” he said. “But that is just now coming back to airports because New York is just now opening up.” Florida has also become a hot destination for nonstop flights, prompting GSP to add three new flights in January to Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville, Fla., through a new partnership with Silver Airways. “Florida has been wide open for a while,” said Tyra. “The flights to Florida have been just packed. Airlines have added and added and added to those areas.” But Silver Airways is not the only new kid in town. “We have some folks that are kind of plane spotters around here and have been in their backyard and the park and looking up have seen British Airways, seeing Aer Lingus out of Ireland and TUI out of Belgium,” Tyra said. Since last year, they have been asking “what in their world are all these international carriers doing flying over Greenville?” While European travel is a no-go, these planes carry a non-human passenger in their bellies: boxes of cargo bound for Upstate companies or abroad. GSP set a record for cargo volumes last year and plans to go only up from there. “We had put $33 million in building a new cargo facility and expanding a parking deck area where we could put more airplanes in one place than we could before, and that kind of paid off with the timing,” he said. “When the passenger planes weren’t flying, those boxes still need to go and actually, there was an increase in the number of shipments that were going, because everyone was sitting at home and ordering from Amazon and getting stuff delivered.” At first, logistics companies sought
“The flights to Florida have been just packed. Airlines have added and added and added to those areas.” Tom Tyra director of air service development, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
go, but the problem was that so many new airplanes came that they could only handle so many getting through customs and parking, so they were fighting very large, costly delays,” he said. Smaller airports like GSP have stepped in to help rout some of this traffic. The Upstate’s proximity to the Inland Port, Interstate 85 and the Charlotte-Atlanta corridor — and perhaps most importantly, a site for U.S. customs — help sweeten the deal for GSP customers. “They were finding that you could turn an airplane around in a few hours versus a few days,” Tyra said. Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter.
IN FOCUS: MANUFACTURING & AEROSPACE
May 17 - May 30, 2021
www.gsabusiness.com 23
Manufacturers
Ranked by No. of Employees in the Greenville Area Employees: Upstate / Statewide / Worldwide
Company
Phone / Website / Email
Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded
Purchasing Manager
BMW Manufacturing Co. 1400 S.C. Highway 101 S. Greer, SC 29651
864-802-6000 www.bmwusfactory.com
Knudt Flor 1992
Oliver Haase
11,000 11,000 125,000
Michelin North America Inc. 1 S. Parkway Greenville, SC 29615
864-458-5000 www.michelinman.com
Alexis Garcin 1898
Norman King
7,000 -
Designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle
GE Gas Power 300 Garlington Road Greenville, SC 29615
864-254-2000 www.ge.com/power/gas
John Intile, Chuck Nugent 1968
Megan Grant
3,650 -
Power generation
ZF North America 2846 N. Old Laurens Road Gray Court, SC 29645
864-601-2500 www.zf.com communications@zf.com
2012
-
2,800 2,800 160,000
Automotive transmissions
Robert Bosch LLC 4421 S.C. Highway 81 N. Anderson, SC 29621
864-260-8000 www.boschusa.com contact@us.bosch.com
Mike McCormick, Christian Kolzem 1985
Suzana Cizmic
2,311 3,940 394,500
Global supplier of technology and services
Duke Energy Corp. 40 W. Broad St. Greenville, SC 29601
800-777-9898 www.duke-energy.com
Mike Callahan 1904
-
1,825 3,650 30,000
Operates two electric utilities in South Carolina
AFL 170 Ridgeview Center Drive Duncan, SC 29334
864-433-0333 www.aflglobal.com sales@aflglobal.com
Jody Gallagher, Kurt Dallas, Robert Crowder 1984
Carson Cato
1,144 1,144 5,511
Manufacturer of fiber optic cable, optical connectivity, equipment and accessories; provider of engineering and installation services
DAA Draexlmaier Automotive of America LLC 1751 E. Main St. Duncan, SC 29334
864-485-1000 www.draexlmaier.us info_usa@draexlmaier.com
Christian Langstein, Edmund Eggensberger, Max Cichon 1995
Arthur Besseau
1,115 1,115 75,000
Automotive interior and electrical systems; high-voltage wiring harness systems; plastic components; low- and high-voltage battery systems
Sage Automotive Interiors Inc. 3 Research Drive, Suite 300 Greenville, SC 29607
864-987-7778 www.sageautomotiveinteriors.com
Dirk Pieper, Paige Reed 2009
Brian Moore
1,000 1,000 4,000
Design and manufacturing of automotive fabrics and suedes for seating, door panels and headliners
ABB Motion & Mechanical 6040 Ponders Court Greenville, SC 29615
864-297-4800 www.abb.com/us joe.maloney@us.abb.com
Michael Shea, Roger Costa, Joe Maloney 1904
Joe Maloney
796 796 -
Manufactures speed reducers, drives, gears, mounted bearings and mechanical transmission products; electric, electronic and industrial controls, converters, motors and telecommunications equipment
AVX Corp. 1 AVX Blvd. Fountain Inn, SC 29644
864-967-2150 www.avx.com inquiry@avx.com
Nicholas A. Kovalsky 1972
Rick Gould
700 -
Manufacturer and supplier of electronic components and interconnect, sensor, control and antenna solutions
Lockheed Martin 244 Terminal Road Greenville, SC 29605
864-299-3350 www.lockheedmartin.com
1984
Jim Marshall
700 850 114,000
Aircraft production, maintenance, modification, repair and overhaul
Bausch & Lomb Solutions Plant & Distribution Center 8507 Pelham Road Greenville, SC 29615
864-297-5500 www.bauschhealth.com
Bryan Campbell, Bryant Bagwell 1983
Eleanor Blackwood
580 580 22,000
Biotrue, ReNu and Boston contact lens solutions
Fujifilm Manufacturing USA Inc. 211 Pucketts Ferry Road Greenwood, SC 29649
864-223-2888 www.fujifilmusa.com lemily@fujifilm.com
Todd Croker 1988
Gary Patterson
550 550 550
Photographic and imaging products, including printing plates, photographic paper and recyclable cameras
Multi-Pack Solutions 1301 Perimeter Road Greenville, SC 29607
864-627-4155 www.multipacksolutions.com
John Niemi 1986
-
400 -
Contract packager and manufacturer in the consumer, over-the-counter drug and medical device markets
Duke Foods 211 Pine Road Easley, SC 29642
864-991-8895 www.dukefoods.com sales@dukefoods.com
1991
-
360 -
Manufactures sandwiches and spreads
PackIQ LLC 1 American Way Anderson, SC 29621
864-356-5578 www.packiq.com mbeck@packiq.com
Mark J. Beck 2000
Mark Beck
225 225 225
Steel shipping racks, wood shipping crates, foreign trade zone, packaging management
Pierburg US LLC (Rheinmetall) 5 Southchase Court Fountain Inn, SC 29644
864-688-1300 www.rheinmetall-automotive.com
Alma Andreas Zgodic 1996
Christian SchmitzPranghe
200 1,000 25,767
Air and oil pumps, electronic throttle chambers
Stäubli 201 Parkway West Duncan, SC 29334
864-433-1980 www.staubli.us info@staubli-mail.com
Roger Varin 1960
-
200 200 5,500
Fluid and electrical connectors, robotics and textiles
Cornell Dubilier Marketing Inc. 140 Technology Place Liberty, SC 29657
864-843-2277 www.cde.com lcarew@cde.com
James P. Kaplan 1987
Brandy Rogers
180 -
Manufacturer of capacitors
Mermet Corp. 5970 N. Main St. Cowpens, SC 29330
864-463-1200 www.mermetusa.com
Eric Delorme, Chris Duerk, Lisa B. Coxe 1951
Patrick Bettencourt
149 -
Solar screen fabrics made from coated fiberglass yarn, used primarily for internal and external solar screen shades
Southeastern Paperboard Inc. 100 S. Harris Road Piedmont, SC 29673
864-277-7353 www.southeasternpaperboard.com sales@southeasternpaperboard.com
Peek Owen, Kenneth Jones, Dixon Dabbs 1979
Dan Schriefer
125 125 125
Paperboard packaging for food industry, specialty and functional coatings, waste paper and virgin pulp substitute bales
ACL Airshop LLC 500 Park Commerce Road Greenville, SC 29611
864-466-9000 www.aclairshop.com info@aclairshop.com
Jeff Antinoro, Steve Townes, Wes Tucker 1984
Nick Vitielliss
115 115 250
Worldwide provider of unit loading devices, cargo control and air freight products and services for the aviation industry; operates in unit loading device leasing, sales, repair and control, cargo nets and straps manufacturing
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.
Products Manufactured BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, and X7 and their variants
Researched by Business Report staff
24
IN FOCUS: MANUFACTURING & AEROSPACE
www.gsabusiness.com
May 17 - May 30, 2021
Manufacturers
Ranked by No. of Employees in the Greenville Area Company
Phone / Website / Email
Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded
Zima Corp. 101 Zima Park Drive Spartanburg, SC 29301
864-576-0660 www.zimacorp.com
Kenneth L. Kruse 1994
Spartanburg Meat Processing Co. Inc. 3003 N. Blackstock Road Spartanburg, SC 29301
864-574-1225 www.eatbbqribs.com customerservice@spartanburgmeatprocessing.com
Indexx Inc. 303 Haywood Road Greenville, SC 29607
Purchasing Manager
Employees: Upstate / Statewide / Worldwide
Products Manufactured
Brittney Watt
95 95 98
Custom machinery manufacturing, textiles and wastewater
JoAnne L. LaBounty 1999
Travis Smith, JoAnne LaBounty
83 83 83
Raw and fully cooked pork, beef and chicken
864-234-1024 www.indexx.com sales@indexx.com
Michael Lawing, August Spencer, Jordan R. Finn 1994
Angela Overton
59 -
40-inch presses, digital with Indigo presses, black-and-white digital, complete bindery, grand format for banners, boards, acrylic, aluminum and signs, ecommerce, publishing, G7 certified, FSC certified
Custom Forest Products Inc. 145 Coastline Road Spartanburg, SC 29301
864-576-9072 www.customforestproducts.com efoust@customforest.biz
Eric Foust 2003
Eric Foust
50 -
Wood waste removal, recycling of pallets and industrial lumber, manufacturer of pallets, crates and mulch, ISPM 15 HT certified
International Plastics Inc. 185 Commerce Center Greenville, SC 29615
864-297-8000 www.interplas.com mark@interplas.com
Mark McClure, Steve McClure 1964
Chris Davis
47 47 47
Polyethylene bags and film; poly bags, plastic bags, re-closable ziplock bags, box liners, drum liners, trash can liners, poly tubing and plastic bags
Koops 25 Brookfield Oaks Drive, Suite H Greenville, SC 29607
616-395-0230 www.koops.com info@koops.com
Jeff VanUffelen 1989
-
45 45 250
Designs and builds machines and equipment for manufacturers across industries
Agfa HealthCare Corp. 10 S. Academy St. Greenville, SC 29601
864-421-1600 www.agfahealthcare.com agfahealthcare@agfa.com
Luc Thijs 1996
-
40 50 3,000
EEEA Inc. 506 Palmetto Drive Simpsonville, SC 29681
864-963-3651 www.eeea.com ken@eeea.com
Ken N. Armaly 1974
Brent Buckner
40 -
Industrial electronics and printed circuit boards; design, manufacturing and assembly; control panels, cables and harnesses
OpTek Systems Inc. 12 Pilgrim Road Greenville, SC 29607
864-272-2640 www.opteksystems.com osi@opteksystems.com
Duane W. Dinkel 2006
Duane Dinkel
35 35 900
Laser processing of optical fiber and micromachined components
League Manufacturing 2200 Poinsett Highway Greenville, SC 29609
864-232-4423 www.leaguemfg.com fraser@leaguemfg.com
Fraser League, George F. League 1917
George League
32 32 32
Custom fabricator of CNC machined wood, plywood, plastic, thin-gauge aluminum and composite products for a variety of industries
Mariplast North America Inc. 365 Business Parkway Greer, SC 29651
864-989-0560 www.mariplastusa.com mail@mariplastusa.com
Marco Bottari 1993
Marco Bottari
32 32 32
Plastic yarn carriers, filtration cores, plant shelters and other plastic injected products
Quick-Crate North America 2200 Poinsett Highway Greenville, SC 29609
864-232-4423 www.quickcrate.com fraser@leaguemfg.com
Fraser League, George F. League, Linda S. League 2002
-
32 32 32
Custom built collapsible, reusable shipping crates, plywood packaging, custom pallets, standard shipping crates on the shelf for same day shipping
Roylco 3251 Abbeville Highway Anderson, SC 29624
864-296-0043 www.roylcoindustrial.com kathy@roylcoindustrial.com
Carolyn Voisin 1990
Perry Voisin
30 30 64
Die cutting, laminating, heat sealing processes to manufacture sound insulation, NVH, foam padding, leather strapping, educational materials, rubber matting, and more
Prodigy Cabinetry 2723 White Horse Road, Suite C Greenville, SC 29611
864-558-9538 www.prodigycabinetry.com info@prodigycabinetry.com
Tod Shuttleworth 2018
-
25 -
Residential cabinetry
KTM Solutions Inc. 603 High Tech Court Greer, SC 29650
864-479-9099 www.ktmsolutions.com info@ktmsolutions.com
Ginger A. Kumler, Seth Withers 2005
Paul Kumler
21 22 22
Structural systems, advanced structural analysis, tooling systems professionally designed and manufactured (jigs, fixtures and assembly systems) and custom machines
Dynamic Filtration 606 McGee Road Anderson, SC 29625
864-231-6889 www.dynamicfiltration.com customer.service@dynamicfiltration.com
Howard M. Steele 1997
Howard Steele
20 20 20
Manufactures electrical discharge machining filters for all types of new and old electrical discharge machines including Mitsubishi, Sodick, Makino, GF+, Seibu, Accutex, Chmer, Brother, Fanuc and more
Izumi International Inc. 1 Pelham Davis Circle Greenville, SC 29615
864-288-8001 www.izumiinternational.com us-sales@izumiinternational.com
Ryutaro Izumi 1977
Maureen Redmond
19 19 25
Equipment for composite and carbon fiber production, fiber coating lines, fiber winders 3D dispensing robot, industrial automation, conveyor systems, 6-axis robot systems
TruColor 2107 Laurens Road Greenville, SC 29607
864-241-0644 www.trucoloronline.com sales@trucoloronline.com
Sallie Truluck Gold 1980
Lance Tasciotti
16 16 16
Commercial printing, offset and digital; signage, rigid and flexible; promotional items, logoed marketing items; apparel, embroidery and screenprinting; brand specific online stores
Darby Electric Co. 402 U.S. Highway 29 N. Anderson, SC 29621
864-224-2131 www.darbyelectric.com shamilton@darbyelectric.com
Susan Darby Hamilton 1948
-
15 -
Service and sales of industrial and utility electro-mechanical equipment; AC, DC and Servo motors, fans, blowers, pumps, reducers, rotors, gearboxes, field services, dynamic balance and more
Sonoco Recycling - Greenville 1240 White Horse Road Greenville, SC 29605
864-277-7722 www.sonocorecycling.com carol.james-gilchrist@sonoco.com
Carol James-Gilchrist, Davis Goodrich 1997
Carol James-Gilchrist
Schmidt Manufacturing Co. Inc. 1005 Frontage Road Greenville, SC 29615
864-288-9460 sales@schmidtusa.com
Steve Sherrill 1958
Steve Sherrill
12 -
Textile mill equipment, parts and supplies
Separation Dynamics 611 S. Woods Drive Fountain Inn, SC 29644
864-862-2577 www.separationdynamics.com info@separationdynamics.com
Mike Presley 1986
Amanda McDowell
12 12 12
Make water filtration and recycling systems that help automotive, aerospace, heat treaters and other manufacturers generate less wastewater
Hamilton Automation Inc. 1657 S. Batesville Road Greer, SC 29650
864-284-0707 www.hamilton-automation.com rob.aldridge@hamilton-automation.com
Jean Jones, Robert H. Aldridge 1999
Robert Aldridge, Bob Howayeck
10 10 10
Design and manufacture custom automated industrial assembly systems, test systems and control systems; factory automation systems integrator
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.
15 350 21,500
Enterprise Imaging Platform, consolidates medical imaging information; multispecialty images accessed securely through the patient's EHR advances workflow and resource efficiencies
Recycling of cardboard, newspaper, office paper, paper tubes and plastics
Researched by Business Report staff
IN FOCUS: MANUFACTURING & AEROSPACE
May 17 - May 30, 2021
www.gsabusiness.com 25
Manufacturers
Ranked by No. of Employees in the Greenville Area Employees: Upstate / Statewide / Worldwide
Company
Phone / Website / Email
Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded
Purchasing Manager
Imperial Paints LLC 2994 Fairforest Clevedale Road Spartanburg, SC 29301
864-595-3840 www.ecospaints.net inquiries@ecospaints.net
Julian Crawford 2011
Caron Jones
10 -
Manufacturer of environmentally friendly paints, primers, stains and varnishes
Visual Graphics Commercial Printers 405 Airport Road Greenville, SC 29607
864-233-2845 www.visualgraphicsonline.com stephen@visualgraphicsonline.com
Barry Stanley, Stephen Keith, Michelle Keith 1984
Barry Stanley
10 -
Offset, digital, die cutting, foil stamping and mailing
Hoowaki LLC 400 Birnie St., Suite C Greenville, SC 29611
864-238-5631 www.hoowaki.com ralphhulseman@hoowaki.com
Ralph A. Hulseman 2008
-
7 7 7
High grip micro surfaces, primarily created on films, for medical devices, packaging, industrial and consumer goods
Ergo Corp. 212 Riverside Court, Suite B Greer, SC 29650
864-879-1417 www.ergo-corporation.com sales@ergo-corporation.com
Lacy Strange, Greg Conner 1985
Lacy Strange
6 6 6
Standard and custom made material handling equipment
IPC Supply Inc. 1103 Trammell Road Anderson, SC 29621
864-226-1588 www.ipcsupply.com ipcsupply@gmail.com
Andrew McLay, Colin McLay, Lynn McLay 1999
-
6 -
Soaps, lubricants, cleaners, specialty blends
Zimmer America Corp. 165 Zimmer Drive Cowpens, SC 29330
864-464-0007 www.zars-usa.com info@zars-usa.com
Roland J.P. Zimmer 1985
Roland Zimmer
5 -
Textile machinery, recycling machinery for plastic, PET bottle to bottle recycling
Black Forest Container Systems LLC 18 Oil Mill Road Greenville, SC 29611
864-282-2301 www.blackforestmktg.com info@blackforestmktg.com
Jeff Balck, Tom Leftwich 2000
-
4 4 5
Stainless steel tanks, drums, containers
Western Micronics CDN. International 112 E. North 1st St. Seneca, SC 29678
864-985-1556 www.thedisplaycompany.net caribe@carol.net
Denise S. Bush 2000
-
3 3 3
300,000 square-foot distribution operation
Loftis Printing Co. Inc. 301 S. Main St. Travelers Rest, SC 29690
864-834-3815 www.loftisprinting.com info@loftisprinting.com
Eugene B. Loftis 1965
-
2 -
Commercial and quick printer, signs and banners, copying and mailing services
Norwell Sourcing Solutions 334 Crepe Myrtle Drive Greer, SC 29651
978-239-0391 www.norwellsourcingsolutions.com billb@norwellsourcing.com
William D. Bach 2007
Gregory Bach
1 1 10
Machining, fabrication and assembly of OEM products
Eberspaecher N.A. 5679 N. Blackstock Road Spartanburg, SC 29303
864-297-8665 www.eberspaecher.us hr.spartanburg@eberspaecher.com
Andrew Breidigam 2010
-
-
Products Manufactured
Exhaust technology, vehicle heating and bus AC systems, vehicle electronics, automotive bus systems
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.
IT’S TIME TO BINGE BUSINESS What’s New and What’s Hot!
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Recognition Events
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Researched by Business Report staff
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This ongoing video series features business executives sharing insight about their business, the industry in which they work and the community in which they live.
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IN FOCUS: MANUFACTURING & AEROSPACE
May 17 - May 30, 2021
Aviation & Aerospace Companies - Statewide Ranked by No. of Employees Statewide
Employees: Statewide / Worldwide
Company
Phone / Website / Email
Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded
Boeing South Carolina 5400 International Blvd. North Charleston, SC 29418
312-544-2000 www.weareboeingsc.com
Lane Ballard 1916
Zeus Industrial Products 3737 Industrial Blvd. Orangeburg, SC 29118
803-268-9500 www.zeusinc.com support@zeusinc.com
Jennifer McQuesten, Steve Peterson 1966
Eaton Aerospace Group, Fuel & Motion Control Systems Division 7230 Cross County Road North Charleston, SC 29418
843-207-3232 www.eaton.com
Charles P. Roark 1911
950 100,000
Manufactures aerospace component products
Lockheed Martin 244 Terminal Road Greenville, SC 29605
864-299-3350 www.lockheedmartin.com
1984
850 114,000
Aircraft production, maintenance, modification, repair and overhaul
Stäubli 201 Parkway West Duncan, SC 29334
864-433-1980 www.staubli.us info@staubli-mail.com
Roger Varin 1960
Ranger Aerospace 126 Millport Circle Greenville, SC 29607
864-329-9000 www.rangeraerospace.com info@rangeraerospace.com
Steve Townes 1997
130 450
Private equity management holding company; teams with larger institutional investors to acquire, grow and improve companies in aviation services, aerospace sub-specialties, airfield operations, logistics and defense
ACL Airshop LLC 500 Park Commerce Road Greenville, SC 29611
864-466-9000 www.aclairshop.com info@aclairshop.com
Steve Townes, Jeff Antinoro, Wes Tucker 1984
115 250
Worldwide provider of unit loading devices, cargo control and air freight products and services for the aviation industry; operates in unit loading device leasing, sales, repair and control, cargo nets and straps manufacturing
Venture Aerobearings LLC 8701 Palmetto Commerce Parkway Ladson, SC 29456
843-695-2800 www.ventureaerobearings.com
2007
54 54
Manufacturer of jet engine bearings
ADC Engineering 25 Woods Lake Road Greenville, SC 29607
864-751-9121 www.adcengineering.com johnb@adcengineering.com
Mark Dillon, Chris Cook, Greg Jones 1990
46 46
Planning, landscape architecture, urban design, park/recreation planning, aviation, civil and structural engineering
ADC Engineering Inc. 25 Woods Lake Road, Suite 210 Greenville, SC 29607
864-751-9121 www.adcengineering.com larryb@adcengineering.com
Larry K. Barthelemy, Fred Guthier, Clay Greene 1990
45 45
Civil engineering, structural engineering, aviation engineering, landscape architecture, land planning, urban, site and sustainable design, recreation planning and design
Koops 25 Brookfield Oaks Drive, Suite H Greenville, SC 29607
616-395-0230 www.koops.com info@koops.com
Jeff VanUffelen 1989
45 250
Designs and builds machines and equipment for manufacturers across industries
Metalworx Inc. 340 Deming Way Summerville, SC 29483
843-402-0999 www.metalworxinc.com bredmond@metalworxinc.com
Brandon Redmond 1997
45 165
Machining, fabrication, finishing, assembly and engineering services specializing in medical, aerospace and military and sawmill
IHI Ionbond Inc. 197 Ridgeview Circle Drive, Suite I Duncan, SC 29334
864-593-3477 www.ionbond.com jim.south@ionbond.com
Jim M. South 1860
43 860
Provides thin-film coating services and operates 39 coating centers in 17 countries; coatings are used to improve durability, quality, functionality, efficiency and aesthetics of tools and components; Ionbond is part of the business unit
Ethos Energy Accessories & Components 240 Parkway East, Suite 100 Duncan , SC 29334
864-249-9603 www.ethosenergygroup.com/accessories
Sandy D. Sprinkles 1990
42 160
Comprehensive testing and overhaul for aero engine fuel nozzles, injectors, harnesses, sensors and engine components
J.I.T. Manufacturing Inc. 428 Oglesby Lane Cowpens, SC 29330
864-463-0581 www.jitmfg.net dan@jitmanufacturing.com
Dan C. Hunter 1992
40 40
Full line of fabrication services including precision laser cutting, CNC forming, CNC punching, certified welding; services available for machining, powder coating, plating and more
OpTek Systems Inc. 12 Pilgrim Road Greenville, SC 29607
864-272-2640 www.opteksystems.com osi@opteksystems.com
Duane W. Dinkel 2006
35 900
Laser processing of optical fiber and micromachined components
Roylco 3251 Abbeville Highway Anderson, SC 29624
864-296-0043 www.roylcoindustrial.com kathy@roylcoindustrial.com
Carolyn Voisin 1990
30 64
Die cutting, laminating, heat sealing processes to manufacture sound insulation, NVH, foam padding, leather strapping, educational materials, rubber matting, and more
Alpha Sheet Metal Works Inc. 9525 Hamburg Road Ladson, SC 29456
843-821-6665 www.alphamachine.com jschady@alphamachine.com
Joseph W. Schady 1956
28 28
Custom metal fabrication
Accurate Brazing 299 Garlington Road, Suite B Greenville, SC 29615
864-213-9310 www.accuratebrazing.com brentd@accuratebrazing.com
Brent Davis, Greg Lane 2001
Lucideon M&P 1 Marcus Drive, Building 4 Greenville, SC 29615
864-297-4417 www.lucideon.com info@lucideon.com
Frank Anderson 2000
25 300
Materials laboratory-testing, characterization, failure analysis, process and product development; Nadcap-accredited; testing and analysis throughout the aerospace and defense supply chain
Venture Aviation Group 2102 GSP Drive Greer, SC 29651
864-370-2962 www.venture-aviation.com david@venture-aviation.com
David P. Knoblauch 1998
25 25
Executive aircraft charter and management, aircraft brokerage and maintenance
KTM Solutions Inc. 603 High Tech Court Greer, SC 29650
864-479-9099 www.ktmsolutions.com info@ktmsolutions.com
Ginger A. Kumler, Seth Withers 2005
22 22
Structural systems, advanced structural analysis, tooling systems professionally designed and manufactured (jigs, fixtures and assembly systems) and custom machines
Solar Atmospheres Southeast Inc. 108 Progressive Court Greenville, SC 29611
864-970-0111 www.solaratm.com salessc@solaratm.com
Steve Prout, Mike Paponetti 2014
21 217
Provision of AS9100 and Nadcap-accredited vacuum heat treating and brazing services
Dynamic Filtration 606 McGee Road Anderson, SC 29625
864-231-6889 www.dynamicfiltration.com customer.service@dynamicfiltration.com
Howard M. Steele 1997
20 20
Manufactures electrical discharge machining filters for all types of new and old electrical discharge machines including Mitsubishi, Sodick, Makino, GF+, Seibu, Accutex, Chmer, Brother, Fanuc and more
Greenville Jet Center 100 Tower Drive Greenville, SC 29607
864-232-7100 www.greenvillejetcenter.com melissa@greenvillejetcenter.com
Henry Brown 1986
20 20
Fbo, aircraft refueling service
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.
5,706 141,014 1,000 1,700
200 5,500
27 16,000
Area of Specialization Fabrication, assembly and integration of major 787 Dreamliner components and interiors; final assembly and delivery of 787 Dreamliner airplanes; engineering design and production support; information technology High performance polymer components designed for next generation aerospace, commercial, defense and space technology
Fluid and electrical connectors, robotics and textiles
Vacuum brazing, vacuum heat treating and HIP'ing (hot isostatic press); ISO9001, AS9100 and Nadcap heat treat-accredited; ITAR registered and compliant
Researched by Business Report staff
IN FOCUS: MANUFACTURING & AEROSPACE
May 17 - May 30, 2021
www.gsabusiness.com 27
Aviation & Aerospace Companies - Statewide Ranked by No. of Employees Statewide
Employees: Statewide / Worldwide
Company
Phone / Website / Email
Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded
Izumi International Inc. 1 Pelham Davis Circle Greenville, SC 29615
864-288-8001 www.izumiinternational.com us-sales@izumiinternational.com
Ryutaro Izumi 1977
19 25
Equipment for composite and carbon fiber production, fiber coating lines, fiber winders 3D dispensing robot, industrial automation, conveyor systems, 6-axis robot systems
Multiplastics 476 Long Point Road Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
843-881-0323 www.multiplastics.com sales@multiplastics.com
Paul D. Spies, Deborah D. Herbert 1952
18 18
Division of Curd Enterprises Inc.; plastics vacuum forming, pressure forming and twin-sheet forming, fabrication and assembly; comprehensive design-lab and engineering services for most industries
ATS World Packaging 7370 E. Spartan Blvd. North Charleston, SC 29418
843-266-0010 www.atsworldpackaging.com troth@atsworldpackaging.com
Tom Roth 1997
15 15
Custom crating and packaging products and services, including warehousing and distribution, and export and import compliance
Separation Dynamics 611 S. Woods Drive Fountain Inn, SC 29644
864-862-2577 www.separationdynamics.com info@separationdynamics.com
Mike Presley 1986
12 12
Make water filtration and recycling systems that help automotive, aerospace, heat treaters and other manufacturers generate less wastewater
Hamilton Automation Inc. 1657 S. Batesville Road Greer, SC 29650
864-284-0707 www.hamilton-automation.com rob.aldridge@hamilton-automation.com
Jean Jones, Robert H. Aldridge 1999
10 10
Design and manufacture custom automated industrial assembly systems, test systems and control systems; factory automation systems integrator
Custom Equipment Co. Inc. 2700 S.C. Highway 41 Charleston, SC 29492
800-922-6120 www.cecmhs.com sales@cecmhs.com
Robbie Lewis, Bobby Riggs 1978
8 8
Storage (racks, cabinets, lockers and shelving); logistics (carts, conveyors, tuggers and dollies); facilities (modular offices, mezzanines, wire partitions and physical barriers); packaging (custom-returnable, expendable films, bags and caps)
Ergo Corp. 212 Riverside Court, Suite B Greer, SC 29650
864-879-1417 www.ergo-corporation.com sales@ergo-corporation.com
Greg Conner, Lacy Strange 1985
6 6
Standard and custom made material handling equipment
Harris Group Inc. 7301 Rivers Ave., Suite 175 North Charleston, SC 29406
843-203-7014 www.harrisgroup.com info@harrisgroup.copm
Bryan Wood 1975
6 90
Multidiscipline engineering firm providing planning, design and construction management as advisor services to aerospace, manufacturing and process industries; projects range from small to in-plant projects to additions and new facilities
Tiger Enterprises & Trading Inc. 512 John Ross Court Pelzer, SC 29669
864-862-3838 www.tigerenterprises.com dwalker@tigerenterprises.com
Dwight D. Walker, Bonnie L. Walker, Dan Hansen 1993
4 4
Sales of aircraft rotable and airframe components, subassemblies, propellers, engines and engine parts to airlines, OEMs, U.S. Department of Defense and defense subcontractors, authorized repair stations and after-market suppliers worldwide
Above & Beyond Inc. 28 Miler Lane Greenville, SC 29607
864-282-2328 aboveinc01@gmail.com
Ted Hanes 2001
3 3
Aircraft repair and maintenance
Growth Strategies International LLC - Consultants 2242 Daniel Island Drive Charleston, SC 29492
607-727-4727 www.growth-strategies-intl.com jim.wasson@growth-strategies-intl.com
James W. Wasson 2008
2 2
Technology commercialization consulting, helping companies take a concept through product design, development, and market launch and finding seed funding, including R&D grants and contracts
Palmetto Sun Balloons 132 Fawnbrook Drive Greer, SC 29650
864-631-3243 www.palmettosunballoons.com roger.clark@live.com
Roger D. Clark 2005
1 1
Hot air ballooning and communications equipment for aviation; hot air balloon rides, flight and ground instruction; safety and weather services for hot air balloon festivals around the U.S.
Seymour Consulting Inc. 145 Pier View St., Suite 203 Daniel Island, SC 29492
276-494-3575
John C. Seymour 2009
1 1
Aeronautics and propulsion professional development short courses for the civil and defense aerospace industries
Area of 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 Business Report staff
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At Work
BUSINESS DIGEST | PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Business Digest BASF donates to Seneca Fire
BASF said it donated $11,983 to the city of Seneca Fire Department to purchase a new Genesis eFORCE Rescue Tool. The hydraulic rescue tool is used by emergency rescue personnel to assist vehicle extrication of crash victims, as well as other rescues from small spaces.
Grant provides homeless support
ing Federation Awards competition for projects in social media, video production and web development. The three-tier American Advertising Awards, formerly the ADDYs, celebrates creative excellence in advertising and recognizes the achievements of both professionals and students at the local, regional and national levels.
The board of directors of Hollingsworth Funds awarded a $50,000 grant to the Greenville Homeless Alliance to support the work of identifying sustainable solutions for making homelessness brief and rare in Greenville County.
Nonprofit receives GuideStar seal
Rebuild Upstate was awarded GuideStar’s 2021 Platinum Seal of Transparency for the fourth year in a row. This award is the highest level of recognition that GuideStar gives to nonprofit organizations, Rebuild Upstate said.
Cancer program earns designation
Prisma Health’s pancreatic cancer program in the Upstate has been designated by the National Pancreas Foundation as South Carolina’s first clinical center for excellence for pancreatic cancer. National Pancreas Foundation Center status is only awarded after an audit review to determine that an institution’s focus is on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatic cancer, treating the “whole patient” with a focus on the best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life.
AnMed ICU earns Beacon Award
AnMed Health’s Intensive Critical Care Unit has received the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses 2021 Beacon Award for Excellence. The award is given to nursing units that set the bar for excellence in patient outcomes, staff and patient satisfaction, and overall credibility with patients. The hospital’s ICU received its first Beacon Award in 2018.
AM King completes church center
A M King said it completed a new 11,505-square-foot Life Center for the Old Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Simpsonville. The Life Center’s gymnasium features hardwood maple flooring and six automatic fold-up basketball goals. The gymnasium includes an equipment room, restrooms, score board and surrounding bleachers with seating capacity for 122 spectators.
Ameris Banks adds another branch
Ameris Bank opened a full-service branch at 301 N. Main St., Suite 300, in downtown Greenville. The new location offers a range of financial services, including deposit and cash management, consumer and commercial lending, residential mortgages, wealth and trust services and SBA financing.
Harrison Landing purchased
CenterSquare Investment Management of Pennsylvania said it acquired Harrison Landing Townhomes, a 166-unit townhome property in Simpsonville. The investment is being made in a joint venture with Haven Realty Capital, CenterSquare said.
Infinity earns four AAF awards
Infinity Marketing won four silver awards in the 2021 American Advertis-
Bright and Co. receives nine Addys
Bright and Co. received nine American Advertising Awards for creative excellence within the Greenville advertising market. The “Addys” are presented by the American Advertising Federation. Bright and Co. said it was recognized for work performed for Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County, Lowe’s Foods and Renewable Water Resources (ReWa).
McMillan Pazdan Smith names director of planning Staff Report
gsanews@scbiznews.com
McMillan Pazdan Smith, a studio-based architecture, planning and interior design firm with six offices in the Southeast, has hired Minta Ferguson as director of planning. Ferguson’s new role will weave together her professional disciplines of planning, strategy, finance and operations. Ferguson said in a news release that she is looking forward to strengthening the firm’s foundation in research and development and thought leadership, as well as expanding their pre-design service offerings. Ferguson received a Professional Bachelor of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech in 2007 but knew she wanted to achieve things in architecture back in grade school. As her career has emerged, she developed an interest in making positive changes through community health and wellness. Her health care planning and
design work includes projects for notfor-profit and for-profit clients, as well as the Army and Veteran’s Administration. Her project experience ranges from rural health to urban trauma centers and national healthcare systems, the news release said. Ferguson goest to McMillan Pazdan Smith after eight years at Catalyst, a Haskell company, as their director of planning after starting there as a senior Ferguson health care planner in 2013. “I thrive on continuous improvement, learning, tool development, knowledge sharing and collaboration,” she said in the release. “I look to leverage the team’s skills and innovative tools to creatively solve our clients’ problems and provide added value to McMillan Pazdan Smith.”
Hospitals receive ‘A’ for safety
Anne Marie Realty opens office
Seven Prisma Health hospitals and Bon Secours St. Francis’s eastside and downtown locations received “A” grades in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing the hospitals’ achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization that assigns letter grades to approximately 2,600 hospitals across the country. Prisma hospitals earning the “A” grade include Baptist Easley Hospital, Baptist Parkridge Hospital, Greenville Memorial Hospital, Greer Memorial Hospital, Hillcrest Hospital, Laurens County Hospital and Oconee Memorial Hospital.
Anne Marie Realty opened a new office at 623 N. Main St. in Mauldin. The firm has real estate agents, an in-house lawyer, home inspector, photographer and videographer, and provides insurance and lending services.
Upstate BASF supports Texans
BASF’s site in Converse donated 2,016 bottles of water to Texans impacted by severe winter weather events. A week of freezing temperatures in late February interrupted water supply and left some in Texas without access to water in their homes and others under a boil advisory. The bottles of water were donated to Under the Bridge Ministries in Fort Worth.
USC Upstate resumes in-person
University of South Carolina Upstate plans a return to in-person teaching and campus activities this fall. The college said it would continue to adhere to mask requirements; enhanced, routine cleaning and disinfection of classroom and common spaces; illness and exposure reporting; COVID-19 testing; contact tracing; and quarantine and isolation protocols for as long as necessary. USC Upstate transitioned from face-toface to virtual instruction in March 2020.
Submit items using our online submission portal: www.GSABizWire.com. Publication is subject to editorial discretion.
May 17 - May 30, 2021
www.gsabusiness.com 29
People in the News ACCOUNTING
Francis
Stokes & Co. CPAs hired Emma Francis as business development specialist. Francis brings experience in corporate accounting, international trading, human resources and hospitality.
ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PR Engenius promoted Samantha Thoe to a full-time client success coordinator. Thoe started at Engenius last year working as a part-time employee helping the Thoe team with website creation and customer support management.
Creech
Infinity Marketing hired Madison Creech as media coordinator. Creech comes to Infinity with experience as a marketing intern, most recently with the Clemson Athletic Marketing Department.
FerebeeLane hired Emily Copp as account supervisor, Caroline Schoenberger as account coordinator, Emily Scott as account manager and Katherine Darden as account coordinator. Copp was co-owner of Chocolate Moose Bakery in downtown Greenville. Schoenberger is a recent graduate of Clemson University who co-founded the school’s student-led brand communications agency, Cadency. Scott most recently worked as a marketing campaign manager at ScanSource. Darden is a recent graduate of Clemson University.
centrated on one of Infinity’s largest retail clients.
graduate of University of South Carolina Upstate. Huber will lead both the Greenville Chamber’s and Upstate Chamber Coalition’s legislative advocacy. Thorpe is a recent Clemson University graduate.
CONSTRUCTION
McClintock
Corriston
Infinity Marketing hired Beth McClintock as senior media buyer and Victoria Corriston as integrated marketing coordinator. McClintock recently worked as a freelance senior media planner and traffic manager at Smart Media Group in Virginia. Corriston most recently worked at GEM Corp.
Pellett
Grover Martin has retired as president and CEO of ProSource Supply, which he founded with his wife, Tonya, 26 years ago.
ARCHITECTURE LS3P announced that associate principal John Edwards has been named LS3P Greenville office leader. Edwards joined the firm in 2005. Edwards
MOA Architecture Inc. named Priscilla Singleton its chief operating officer. Singleton is a registered architect in Georgia and South Carolina
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
Martin
The S.C. Technical Education Association recognized three employees from Greenville Technical College as Educators of the Year. Jan Bishop, a professor since 2004, was recognized in the faculty category. Thomas Takayama, dean for the School of Arts and Sciences since 2019, was recognized in the administrator category. Gina Marie Thomas, who serves as coordinator responsible for the Perkins Grant and programmatic accreditations, was recognized in the staff category.
HOSPITALITY Allen
Bomar
Huber
Collins
Infinity Marketing promoted Anna Nail and Elizabeth Collins to media buyers. Nail joined the Infinity team in 2019, focusing on financial services clients. Collins came to Infinity in 2019 and con-
Thorpe
The Greenville Chamber hired Kristin Allen as controller, Yasmine Bomar as accounting administrator, Nikki Huber as legislative director and Emma Thorpe as marketing and communications coordinator. Allen previously worked at Ogletree Deakins Law Firm, Elliot Davis and the Spinx Co. corporate office. Bomar is a
Auro Hotels appointed Heather Meadors director of community relations of AC Hotel at Camperdown. Meadors previously worked at Elliott Davis as director of community relations.
INSURANCE
Dobbins
MUNICIPALITIES After a 15-year tenure as the city of Mauldin’s police chief, Mitchell B. Turner announced his retirement. Turner began his career with the Mauldin Police Turner Department in 2006 and served as interim city administrator in 2018.
NONPROFITS
Stevens
Furman University.
EDUCATION
Meadors
Nail
Nelson Tracy Pellett, company stockholder and chairman of the board for Triangle Construction Co. Inc., has retired. He is the son of company founder John D. Pellett Jr. He worked at Triangle for 57 years.
er for a restaurant chain.
Family Connection of South Carolina welcomed Cathy Stevens of Furman University to its board of directors. Stevens is director of the White-Riley-Peterson Afterschool Policy Fellowship at
United Way of the Piedmont announced eight new members to its board of directors: Laura Barbas-Rhoden, professor of Spanish at Wofford College; Denise Beers-Kiepper, vice president of human resources at OTO Development; Jay Beeson, president of Mark III Properties; Reggie Browning, vice president of finance at Limestone University; Joey Monique Fowler, IT director of technical services at Denny’s Corp.; Andrea Moore, founder of Village Legal Hub LLC; Lance Radford, superintendent of Spartanburg School District 2; and Jim Shank, facility personnel manager at Michelin.
Scheibenhoffer
David Scheibenhoffer joined Rebuild Upstate as COO. He has experience in the technology sector, providing hardware and software solutions across a variety of industries.
REAL ESTATE The Turner Agency Inc. hired Caroline Dobbins as a business insurance advisor. Dobbins previously worked in the hospitality industry and most recently was a general manag-
Williams
Submit items using our online submission portal: www.GSABizWire.com. Publication is subject to editorial discretion.
Marchant Real Estate named Laura Marchant Williams company engagement and collaboration director. Williams joined Marchant in September as a real estate agent.
Viewpoint
VIEWS, PERSPECTIVES AND READERS’ LETTERS
Protect your company and employees from identity theft
J
ust when we thought the COVID-19 crisis had reached its peak and begun to calm down a bit, a new problem has emerged, presenting huge challenges for employers, workers and government agencies: rampant unemployment identity theft. States throughout the country are DAVID EVETTE seeing a significant increase in fraudulent unemployment claims with fraudsters attempting to take advantage of the large backlogs and processing difficulties over the past year to submit illegal claims. Many state agencies were simply unprepared to handle the volume of claims, creating an opening for bad actors to game the system and a need for enhanced vigilance from employers and workers alike. Some of these claims were discovered when employers were notified of wage audits, some when those whose identities were stolen received communication from state agencies. However, the next wave is happening right now as people are receiving 1099-G forms from the IRS. These workers are on the hook for paying taxes on unemployment payments they did not receive unless they can prove the claims were fraudulent,
“Constant vigilance is required by employers, consultants, state agencies and workers alike, and all are urged to report any of these signs of trouble immediately.” David Evette president, QBS
and employers who took PPP loans to retain workers could run into trouble with these claims, as well, adding to the frustration and potentially dire consequences on both sides. Further, these pay-outs add strain to an already overburdened system, using up limited state and federal funds and increasing our
collective future tax burden following a time of unprecedented economic and social difficulty.
Prevalence
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, over the course of the pandemic, 32 million Americans, or roughly one-fifth of the U.S. workforce has been unemployed for a period of time, creating an incredible strain on the system and confusion in the claims process. As a result, unemployment identity theft related fraudulent claims have been uncovered in all states dating back to the earliest days of the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Labor, the Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have all issued warnings and guidance on possible fraudulent claims, while some states uncovered fraud before claims were paid. For example, the state of Maryland uncovered nearly 50,000 fraudulent claims through its wage auditing and flagged the claims before any money was paid, while California had gotten so many trigger warnings about possible claim issues that it shut down its claims processing temporarily until more safeguards could be put into place.
Personal information
The good news here is that most of the
personal information used to file these claims was not stolen through employer records, indicating that employers are generally doing a good job of keeping data safe. The bad news, however, is that large-scale hacking and data breaches have become somewhat commonplace, and a good deal of information is easily obtained through the internet. Recent possible large hacks have been well covered in the media, with major department stores, hotels and even banks experiencing breaches that have impacted millions. Other bad actors have used information readily available through the internet and social media, such as birthdate, place of employment and address to piece together fraudulent claims.
agencies and federal agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission and the IRS, but to law enforcement as criminal activity. Filing a fraudulent unemployment claim is a felony punishable by criminal prosecution, fines, possible incarceration, attachment of wages, forfeiting of future tax refunds and permanent loss of eligibility for unemployment insurance. For employers, the most critical action is to file a response with the state unemployment agency to notify them that a claim was fraudulently filed using the identity of an active employee and monitor their accounts to ensure that no erroneous claims are made related to the claim. Employers should also instruct the employee to contact the fraud unit directly to report that their identity has been used to file an invalid claim for unemployment benefits. For a victim of identity theft, a fraudulent unemployment claim may be only the tip of the iceberg. It’s important to contact bank and credit card companies, communicate with the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Trade Commission and complete the forms associated with identity theft, contact all three credit reporting agencies and place a freeze on their account to prevent additional fraud, such as loan or credit applications, and contact the Social Security Administration. Remember that it can take some time to get these issues resolved, and the burden of proof of fraud is largely on the victim, so it’s necessary to play an active role in resolving these issues, while keeping thorough records and documentation. Filing a criminal report with local law enforcement can help establish provenance. The Federal Trade Commission website offers step-by-step guidance for victims of identity theft. Go to https://www. consumer.ftc.gov/ and click on the “privacy, identity and online security” tab. Another source of helpful information is www.identitytheft.gov.
How to report and resolve
Other potential schemes
Constant vigilance is required by employers, consultants, state agencies and workers alike, and all are urged to report any of these signs of trouble immediately. Employers should notify employees that unemployment identity theft is on the rise and educate them on possible clues to fraud and educate them on the steps they should take if they have been victimized. It’s also important for employers and employees to work closely with federal and state agencies, as these crimes must not only be reported to state
While most of the unemployment fraud we are currently seeing is the result of identity theft, employers should also be aware of other possible types of unemployment fraud among active employees who may knowingly submit false information, continue to receive benefits while ineligible, not meeting certification requirements, or intentionally fail to report or under-report wages while collecting benefits. These types of fraud have See EVETTE, Page 31
May 17 - May 30, 2021
www.gsabusiness.com 31
Three things hoteliers should start doing today
S
ome hoteliers hit the pause button in March 2020 with COVID-19’s arrival to wait and see what would happen, but now is the time to set things into motion again. Why? The world is reopening and as more countries welcome travelers, hotels need to be open and ready for business. ALIA Here is a list of BOSTAJI key things hotels need to be doing now as they return to operations.
No. 1: Press Play
Some hoteliers hit the pause button in March 2020 with COVID-19’s arrival to wait and see what would happen. So why is now the time to press play? Simply put: The world is beginning to move forward and reopen, and halting operations in hopes of the pandemic suddenly vanishing may be more harmful than helpful. For over a year, the world has experienced the first strain of the virus and now it evolves almost daily. The virus and vaccines are adapting, which means hotel industries need to as well. Pausing each time something new happens often leaves opportunities untapped. If there is one thing the virus has taught everyone, it’s the importance of evolving and adapting to stay functional, efficient and safe. Hoteliers need to be asking the questions: How can I provide a safe hotel experience for my staff and guests to generate revenue? How can I resume high-quality amenities and services for my guests in a safe and efficient manner? It’s time to press the play button again
EVETTE, from Page 30
also increased dramatically during the chaos of the past year, and any employer who becomes aware of such issues should report them immediately to state agencies, as well as their unemployment insurance vendors to protect their accounts and trust fund balances.
Protecting yourself and your employees
While it’s important to note that most cases of fraud can not be attributed to any fault in employer systems, it is a reminder to both employers and employees of the need to keep personally identifying information private and secure. Employers should invest in enhanced encryption and data security technologies, while employees should be aware of how the information they share publicly can be
and market the property, staff and services — now more than ever. While the public slowly eases their travel fears, the best support hoteliers can offer is to clearly advertise the actions the property is taking to provide a safe and pleasant experience for travelers. Marketing the property during these times will keep the hotel top of mind and show how it has adapted to stay ahead of the curve.
Protection Program was issued, many tried to reinstate their former staff only to learn they were too late. Their talent had sought other opportunities. Don’t be reactive this year — be strategic! Take 2020’s experiences as a learning opportunity to develop or strengthen the hotel’s crisis management strategy and ensure that it will emerge with organizational stability, a consistent revenue stream and customer trust intact.
No. 2: Be Strategic
No. 3: Reinvigorate
Many owners were scrambling at the initial pandemic announcements, not knowing what to do. Some hotels thought doing something was better than doing nothing, however, they lacked a plan or strategy on the necessary actions to take. Not having a crisis plan or emergency strategy can be costly, and in this market, losing talent can be just as detrimental as losing revenue. During the start of the pandemic, the hospitality market saw various layoffs. Many hotel owners rushed into laying off staff as services were halted due to travel bans and business closures. Then, as the first round of the Paycheck
The world may be beginning to move forward, however, the term “normal” should probably be thrown out of common vernacular for now. Things may never be exactly the same, but this presents new opportunities. It’s time to stop repeating and regurgitating the old business cycles, models, processes and plans. For the next few years, suburbs, metropolitan areas, neighborhoods, downtowns, outer districts, etc. will reflect a new look and feel, some of which are being highlighted now. Masks, social distancing and safer sanitizing standards may be here for a while. The key to success will be adapting
easily pieced together. Savvy internet users know to avoid listing personally identifiable information online. Workers should also be extremely wary of phishing efforts — calls and emails that seek to solicit personal information. Social Security and state agencies typically communicate via mail or direct portal accounts rather than phone calls or emails. State specialists will NEVER ask for credit card information, and there are no fees associated with claims. If there is ever ANY doubt about the identity of the person with whom one is communicating, no phone numbers, social security numbers, addresses or personal identification numbers (PINs) should never be shared. Another way for employers to shield themselves and their employees from possible trouble is by working with a professional employer organization, a
PEO, which handles HR-related fiduciary, administrative, tax and reporting responsibilities for employers. Most PEOs conduct routine audits to uncover possible issues, offer unsurpassed data security and encryption technologies, and have deep expertise in navigating similar complex issues, giving those who work with them enhanced peace of mind and protection. Working with a PEO also offers employers and opportunity to offer enhanced benefits, including access to credit monitoring services, which have become more popular over the past several years.
Conclusion
Sadly, fraud is a fact of life, especially during chaotic and stressful times. However, by knowing what to look for and where to turn for help, employers and workers can unite to help defeat bad
former routines to fit the new standards of safety to provide the best service for staff and guests. So take a red pen to the old plans and reinvigorate them. As the pandemic nears an end, it’s time that the hoteliers begin to operate with flexibility and perseverance. Bold moves, decisive actions and strategic planning will be essential. These may require certain sacrifices and calculated risks. For some hoteliers this may mean planning to let go of one or two hotels out of their portfolio. However, they shouldn’t fear; this doesn’t have to be a bad divorce with a lender. Now more than ever, lenders are willing to listen and work with owners to collaboratively market, position and sell the property. With a lender’s guidance and understanding, this will help hoteliers move on and strengthen their position in the market. When the time is right again, hoteliers can resume acquisitions with the lender to build the portfolio again. Alternatively, hoteliers who have equity in some properties may want to leverage that equity to acquire a property that has stood the test of time. Many hotel properties in the economy class fared well and sustained a cash flow for their owners during the pandemic. Resilient properties are out there. The pandemic changed the hotel industry significantly, prompting hoteliers to now evaluate and execute business plans, protocols and services differently. As the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.” For the hotel industry, the pandemic may have been a covert catalyst of opportunities. Alia Bostaji is a brokerage associate and hotel expert at Colliers South Carolina.
actors and protect the common good. David Evette is president of Quality Business Solutions. QBE is headquartered in Travelers Rest. Visit www.qualitybsolutions.net.
Correction
A story in the last issue of GSA Business Report incorrectly stated that Harper Construction Group was the general contractor for Limestone University’s conference and student center. The general contractor was Hogan.
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May 17 - May 30, 2021
Our “Coffee With…” page features an Upstate business executive sharing insights about their business, the industry in which they work and the community in which they live. Where’s the coffee, you ask? Well, that occurs in an accompanying video. We sit down with the executive – over coffee – to see what else is on their mind.
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