VOLUME 23 NUMBER 11 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM
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JUNE 1 - 14, 2020 ■ $2.25 The addition to Plush Mill and redevelopment of nearby Judson Mill promise to change the atmosphere of Easley Bridge Road. (Image/Provided)
Experts predict slow recovery
Economists, Fed president weigh in. Page 8
Architect’s perspective
Designer considers influence of museum. Page 10
Workplace tests
Nephron partnership aims to expand capabilities. Page 3
Advocating for women at work
Association takes its work online to help. Page 23
INSIDE
Leading Off........................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 C-Suite................................. 4 In Focus: Architecture, Engineering & Construction..11 LIST: Engineering Firms...... 18 At Work...............................22 Viewpoint............................23
Plush Mills expands with new office and retail space Staff Report
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gsanews@scbiznews.com
new five-story office and retail building will expand the Plush Mills complex on U.S. Highway 123 in Greenville, near the main Bon Secours St. Francis campus downtown. The project is expected to be completed in 2021 by M Peters Group, according to a news release.
The building will sit next to the original Plush Mill, which was restored in 2018 as a coworking space. Although the address is on Traction Street, the site is more visible from the other side, where is stood in disrepair for years after closing mill operations in the 1980s. The name comes from the plush material it produced, according to the Greenville County Historical Society website, which says it was the first mill in the state to produce material with a “soft and luxurious feel.”
The Greenville-based M Peters Group, which also restored the historic building, focuses on economically impactful redevelopment of brownfield sites located in transitional areas, according to the news release. “We believe that redeveloping property in a blighted area can be the spark for the revitalization of an entire community,” said Mark Peters, managing partner of M Peters Group. See PLUSH MILLS, Page 20
Portal connects non-traditional health care providers, suppliers By Molly Hulsey
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mhulsey@scbiznews.com
s Dick Pace rushed to the hospital March 12, he had no idea that he would spend seven weeks visiting his newborn daughters and son in an intensive care unit — or that it would take place during a pandemic. “I always joke and say I woke up the day after, and the whole world was different,” he said. “I’ve got three children now and a pandemic in place.” While Pace stayed an entire week in the
hospital ward with his triplets — born with complications unrelated to COVID-19 — he experienced firsthand the dearth in quality hand sanitizer felt by the health care community and beyond. “All of the hand sanitizer that people started making was the 80% liquid version, and it’s non-sterile and not really suited for laboratory use or hospital use,” Pace said. “And on top of that — here’s something that’s really scary — you go to any of the suppliers for alcohol, and they are sold out of stuff that’s got methanol in it, stuff that’s got hexane, which is gasoline. They’re sold out of those, and I’m thinking, no one should be
In Focus Brave new world
Pandemic brings new approach to medical design. Page 11
using that for hand sanitizer in the first place.” Being a research and development chemist, Pace took a sanitizer bottle he had on hand to his Powdersville lab, Parimer Scientific, and ran it through instruments to parse out its chemicals. After creating his own solution, he called up Birds Fly South, a craft brewery in Greenville’s Hampton Station, to secure more alcohol. Thus, Pace’s brainchild, a new hand sanitizer line, was born, and all other projects were put on hold. He joined a growing number of companies that pivoted to supply urgently See SUPPLY, Page 6