Issuu

VOLUME 25 NUMBER 12 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM

Part of the

JULY 11-24, 2022 ■ $2.25

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Travel Trials

Travelers return to the skies but are the airlines ready? Page 6

Statistical star

Working the numbers pays off with elite recognition. Page 10

Best Places to Work in SC

SC Biz News reveals top 119 companies for the grind. Page 5

Building boom for industrial space Company expects to build or design nearly 30 million square feet of space. Page 15

An early rendering from February shows pedestrian-friendly areas, retail and entertainment opportunities surrounding the Bon Secours Wellness Arena and the proposed site. (Rendering/Provided)

Mayor urges county to consider FILOT status By Molly Hulsey

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

ast October, Greenville County Council’s finance committee gave a thumbs down to fee-in-lieu tax incentives for a proposed $42 million planned community in Greer because of the development’s residential nature. “FILOTs are used for manufacturing and industrial, not for housing,” Council Chair-

tives. Plusurbia, the Miami-based developers of the project, hope to earmark a percentage of the slated 300-unit multifamily apartments at the former Greenville Memorial Auditorium site as affordable housing. According to White, the affordable housing component of the plan relies on the county’s approval of residential FILOT incentives. See GATEWAY, Page 8

GSP an early adopter of Clear

INSIDE

Leading Off........................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 C-Suite................................. 4 In Focus: Commercial Real Estate......................... 13 LIST: Commercial Real Estate Firms........................ 17 BONUS LIST: Commercial Moving & Storage Companies.......................... 18 At Work............................... 19 Viewpoint............................23

man Willis Meadows told GSA Business Report at the time. “So, we follow that rule. Now, I’m sorry to say we haven’t always done that.” The decision could prevent developers of the Greenville Gateway project from seeing their plans for affordable housing in the area become reality, but Greenville Mayor Knox White said he has been in “active discussion” with county councilors on lifting limitations on residential economic development incen-

By Molly Hulsey

Staffers test the Clear system on the day it was unveiled at GSP. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

reenville-Spartanburg International Airport’s new amenity for streamlining Transportation Security Administration checks wasn’t a product of the “Travel Armageddon” of the past few weeks, according to airport CEO Dave Edwards. Still, as the summer’s spike in air travel demand continues to mount, the new technology arrived at an apt time on June 27.

Minted to be different

A new kind of hotel experience takes up residence at Greenville property. Page 13

“There’s no question that there are staffing shortages in the airline industry today and that’s creating a problem,” Edwards said. “What compounds that issue is, if you have a mechanical problem on an airplane … the ability to reaccommodate those people on another flight is very, very difficult. All the flights are full right now because there’s a limited number of flights. The same with weather.” See related story on how staffing challenges are See GSP, Page 6

Leading Off

BRIEFS | FACTS | STATEWIDE NEWS | C-SUITE

SmartAsset study to identify the places across the United State receiving the most incoming investments also turned up some interesting information about GDP growth in South Carolina. Charleston County is ranked at the top of the state for GDP with $990 million in growth in 2021. The top five are spread throughout the state in a way that few will find surprising. Greenville County was No. 2 last year, Horry County was third and Richland and Lexington counties were fourth and fifth. That growth was adjusted for inflation. Charleston was 102nd nationally and Greenville 109th. The top-ranked county in Georgia was Atlanta’s Fulton County at No. 14, and North Carolina’s leading county was Mecklenburg, home of Charlotte, ranked No. 21 nationally. SmartAsset culled its data from the U.S. Census Bureau 2019, American Community Survey, U.S. Bureau Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey and USAspending.gov.

Rank Country, State

Business Growth

GDP Growth ($ in millions)

New Building Permits (per 1,000 homes)

GDP Growth Index

Charleston, SC

8.1%

$990

22.7

26.60

Greenville, SC

7.4%

$953

29.0

26.39

Horry, SC

8.6%

$644

26.3

24.66

Richland, SC

2.2%

$627

10.3

24.56

Lexington, SC

5.9%

$465

19.3

23.66

Spartanburg, SC

7.0%

$458

22.2

23.62

Beaufort, SC

6.6%

$378

23.1

23.17

York, SC

10.2%

$371

23.8

23.13

Anderson, SC

3.1%

$262

17.8

22.52

Berkeley, SC

14.3%

$234

35.3

22.37

South Carolina

2.4%

$166

12.6

Source: Apartment List

ON THE

RECORD

“There’s no question that there are staffing shortages in the airline industry today and that’s creating a problem.” — Dave Edwards, CEO, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

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July 11-24, 2022

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SC Biz News Briefs

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Operators of Bevi Bene Brewing Co. say it is the only lager and hard kombucha brewery in Charleston. (Photo/Abby Murphy)

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Charleston Regional Business Journal

New taproom opens at The Lumberyard Bevi Bene Brewing Co., a new lager and hard kombucha brewery, celebrated its grand opening on June 25. Joining Charleston’s brewery district on the upper peninsula, Bevi Bene is Charleston’s only lager and hard kombucha brewery, according to a news release. The brewery is located in The Lumberyard at 1859 Summerville Ave. Clay and Marissa Carlisle dreamed up the concept of the new brewery while living in Golden, Colo. Italian for “drink well,” Bevi Bene is all about drinking authentically crafted beer and kombucha, coupled with great company, the release said. “Creating a space to gather, be comfortable, and enjoy well-crafted beverages is what we envisioned,” Clay Carlisle, brewer and co-founder, said in the release. “We’re thrilled to join such a lively brewery scene in Charleston and are excited to welcome everyone into our space to drink well with us.” Bevi Bene incorporates new and classic techniques, including South Carolina ingredients when available. The brewery offers rotating brews including lagers, sours and hard kombuchas.

Columbia

Water Mains FA R

Clinton, SC Exit 54 and I-26 Available Retail Sites Contact Marvin Moss 864-833-7504 Email: mmoss@cityofclintonsc.com

Midlands man pleads guilty to wire fraud A Sumter County man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving a Sumter nonprofit, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. Rodney Ellis, 71, of Sumter County, pleaded guilty to defrauding Sumter Behavioral Health Services, a 501c3 nonprofit, the release said. Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that between 2013 and 2020, Ellis, while employed by SBHS as its financial officer, defrauded the nonprofit out of at least $800,000 by diverting funds from organization banking accounts to his own personal accounts. Ellis faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. Senior U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Ellis after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the United States Probation Office. “This office is committed to prosecuting economic crimes, especially those that take advantage of organizations that treat some of the most vulnerable in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis. “We appreciate the efforts of all state and federal agencies involved in this case.” Principal receives national honor

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.

PAGE 22 JUNE 20-JULY 17, 2022 ■ $2.25

network

Say cheese

Nitrile glove plant establishing Greenville base. Page 11

Fresh injection

IV therpay center opens in Mount Pleasant. Page 9

HOME BASE

SC Biz News names 2022 Best Places to Work. Page 6

INSIDE

Upfront ................................ 4 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 5 In Focus: Architecture, Engineering and Construction .......................................... 21 List: Homebuilders .............28 At Work ..............................29 Viewpoint ........................... 31

Center consolidates advocacy, education for SC architecture By Melinda Waldrop

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

reserving South Carolina’s architectural heritage is one mission of the South Carolina Architectural Foundation and the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and a new showplace designed to highlight that ongoing work couldn’t have a more appropriate home. The Center for Architectural Design, housed at 1530 Main St. in downtown Columbia, is the product of a years-long vision to increase visibility of the architectural profession in the state. Before the S.C. AIA chapter purchased the building, currently undergoing renovations with an eye toward a late fall

opening, there was no real center for architectural outreach and education to take place. Since the early 1980s, the organization had operated out of “The Cottage,” a small structure on Bull Street nestled among law firms. Inspired by larger AIA chapters with a more centralized, noticeable presence around the country, including one in Raleigh, AIA S.C. decided to change that. “We made the commitment in 2014 that we were going to look for something more prominent, both from an advocacy/lobbying standpoint with the Statehouse but also from the standpoint of where the public could see architecture in South Carolina,” said Ben Ward, project manager at McMillan Pazdan Smith and 2022 president of AIA S.C.

NEW DEVELOPMENT Constructon on City House Charleston, a new mixed-use project, will begin this summer, (Rendering/Provided)

Construction on mixed-use project in downtown Charleston starting soon By Ross Norton

Workplace stars

The Center for Architectural Design, located at 1530 Main St. in downtown Columbia, will serve as a statewide education, outreach and advocacy center. (Photo/Provided)

Podcast pioneers

Medium highlights women in nontraditional roles. Page 27

network

Boutique hotel to display work of Augusta native. Page 4

Growing footprint

PPE production

Part of the

Artist in residence

Pimento cheese lovers have 17 reasons to celebrate. Page 6

REI Co-op plans to open its 3rd S.C. location this fall. Page 10

VOLUME 28 NUMBER 12 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM

In 2015, AIA S.C. purchased the former Eckerd Drug Store building, where a significant moment in the state’s history took place in 1960. Allen University student Simon Bouie and Benedict College student Talmadge Neal were arrested, jailed and convicted for refusing to leave the Eckerd lunch counter, where they were denied service because they are Black. Those events became the basis for a landmark 1964 civil rights case which, coupled with another lunch-counter case at the nearby Taylor Street Pharmacy, led to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the students’ convictions, saying their right to due process under the 14th Amendment had been violated. Days See ARCHITECTURE, Page 25

Monumental opening

International African American Museum to open in January 2023 Page 17

ColumbiaBusinessReport.com

Historic sale

Sullivan’s Island property sells for $2.8 million. Page 14

INSIDE

Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 In Focus: Commercial Real Estate ......11 List: Commercial Real Estate Firms ................................. 18 Bonus List: Commercial Moving and Storage Companies........................ 20 At Work .............................. 21 Viewpoint ...........................23

rnorton@scbiznews.com

onstruction on City House Charleston, a mixed-use multi-parcel complex in downtown Charleston, is set to begin this summer. It is a project of Landmark Partners, which is working with Bello Garris Architects, SGA-NW Architecture and Rethink Studio Interior Design. The project in the French Quarter neighborhood will include 21 luxury residences, each with an outdoor terrace. “We are thrilled to bring a new concept of a sophisticated, personalized residential experience that will blend seamlessly with Charleston’s gracious architecture and the celebrated charm of the surrounding French Quarter,” Jon Pannoni, partner, Landmark Partners, said in a news release. “At a time when the availability of luxury residential options in historic Charleston is limited, we look forward to providing future residents the opportunity to define their own personal living experience with highly amenitized and architecturally superior accommodations.” Landmark Partners’ $50 million investment will stretch from Church to State Streets and along the historic Cumberland

Sewer Gravity Mains Parcels

Date: 5/25/2022

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VOLUME 15 NUMBER 9 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM

Power Lines

corridor. The two- and three-bedroom residences, ranging between 1,500 and 3,000 square feet, will include a common wellness center, activated shared workspaces, and 69 covered parking spaces, in addition to full-time staff and concierge services, according to the release. The development will also include a fourth-level, exclusive 3,000-square-foot Parker Lounge Clubhouse and pool deck. The clubhouse will be complemented with an outdoor kitchen and entertainment area. “City House Charleston is a project that infuses the historic location opportunity with luxurious amenities and services not found in other established projects nearby,” Charles Sullivan, partner in Carriage Properties, said in the release. “With the comfort of all-new construction, concierge services, spacious terraces, covered parking and a rooftop pool, this rare project will surely set a new standard for gracious and sophisticated living, enhanced further by superb amenities. The walkable French Quarter location is just icing on this cake.” Carriage Properties is managing inquiries and sale of residences. City House Charleston will be available for occupancy in early 2024, the release said. CRBJ

JULY 11-24, 2022 ■ $2.25

Manufacturing organizations enter official partnership

SCBIZNEWS.COM JULY/AUGUST 2022

By Ross Norton

rnorton@scbiznews.com

wo organizations dedicated to supporting and growing the manufacturing industry and assisting manufacturing companies in the state have entered a formal partnership. The S.C. Manufacturers Alliance and the S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership have formalized their relationship after many years on working together on projects. A goal of the partnership is to collaborate formally on efforts to elevate industry and manufacturing statewide, according to a news release. SCMA has worked to ensure manufacturers have the right legislative climate and network to encourage growth and prosperity for the facilities operating in the state. SCMEP has a long history of providing a wide range of consulting and training services that helps small- to medium-sized manufacturers increase their competitiveness, the news release said. A primary aim of the partnership will focus on increased promotion of the services the two organizations provide, ensuring more companies are able to access their support and, in the process, further strengthening the state’s overall manufacturing environment. “The S.C. Manufacturers Alliance and our colleagues at the S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership have always worked toward the same goal — creating the most supportive manufacturing environment possible,” SCMA President and CEO Sara Hazzard said in the release. “By creating and committing to a more formal partnership, we will be better equipped to learn from each other, build on each other’s work and provide a comprehensive resource for manufacturing companies in

GOING VERTICAL

Hydroponics changing crop production

GROWING TREND

Farm taking hemp to next level

Check out the 10 best upscale neighborhoods in Greenville

See SCMA, Page 9

Speculation frenzy

Demand for industrial space fueling statewide industrial spec market. Page 11

CharlestonBusiness.com

A supplement to Charleston Regional Business Journal, Columbia Regional Business Report and GSA Business Report

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July 11-24, 2022

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A View From The C-Suite Art Seaver | Chief Executive Officer, Southern First Bank THE BEST ADVICE I’VE EVER RECEIVED Good is the enemy of great.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE? It is never about you. Claim every responsibility and none of the credit.

Lauren Medders,

WHAT IS THE STIFFEST CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW? Inflation and uncertain Federal Reserve response.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT ABOUT YOUR COMPANY Our company was started in Greenville and started in a triple-wide trailer.

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE? Sweep the walks and greet clients.

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July 11-24, 2022

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SC Biz News names Best Places to Work for 2022 By Melinda Waldrop

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

C Biz News has named 119 companies ranging from contractors to credit unions to its 2022 list of Best Places to Work in South Carolina. The companies were chosen in partnership with the publishers of SC Biz News and the Best Companies Group for the 17th consecutive year. Rankings will be revealed during a ceremony on Aug. 18 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Tickets are available online at https:// www.squadup.com/events/2022bestplacessc Companies which choose to participate are surveyed by Best Companies Group, an independent research company. A two-part process includes an employer questionnaire about policies and procedures, among other information, as well as an employee survey with eight focus areas including work environment, pay and benefits, leadership and planning, and overall engagement. Overall rankings reflect a combination of the questionnaire and the survey data. Companies are broken down in small (15-49 employees), medium (50-249) and large (250 and above) employer categories. “We are excited to recognize these out-

standing companies for providing great employment opportunities and their commitment to putting their employees first,” Rick Jenkins, SC Biz News group publisher, said. “This year’s honorees are best-in-class examples of how positive workplace cultures and motivated team members can produce remarkable results.”

• • • • • • • • •

Small employers: • Air Compressor Services • Arnold Companies • The Brand Leader • Clayton Construction Co. Inc. • CNT Foundations LLC • Cognito Forms • Crawford Strategy LLC • Custom Recycling LLC • DP3 Architects • FUEL • Green Energy Biofuel • HudsonMann Inc. • Landmark Builders of South Carolina LLC • Marabu North America • Marsh Bell Construction Co. • Mavin Construction • New Life Chemical & Equipment • Palmetto Technology Group • Parrish & Partners LLC • Quality Business Solutions Inc.

Medium employers: • AMBAC • Bauknight Pietras & Stormer P.A. • The Brandon Agency • Bunnell Lammons Engineering • CarolinaPower Inc. • Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union • Central Electric Power Cooperative Inc. • CF Evans Construction • Colliers International South Carolina Inc. • Connectivity Point Design & Installation • CPM Federal Credit Union • CUI • ERS Inc. • Find Great People • First Reliance Bank • Floyd Lee Locums • Frampton Construction • Greenville Federal Credit Union • Hudson Management Group • Infinity Marketing

The 2022 Best Places to Work in South Carolina, in alphabetical order:

SIOS Technology Corp. South Carolina Research Authority South Carolina Student Loan Corp. RingoFire Swampfox THS Constructors Inc. Total Beverage Solution Young Office Worthwhile

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Greenville Federal Credit Union JEAR Logistics J.M. Cope Construction KeyMark Kopis Langston Construction Co. of Piedmont, LLC Limric Plumbing Heating & Air Mankiewicz Coatings McCrory Construction Mount Pleasant Waterworks NCEES New South Construction Supply LLC Palmetto Electric Cooperative Inc. Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative PhishLabs by HelpSystems Premier Nationwide Lending Rhythmlink International LLC Sargent Metal Softdocs Spero Financial SpinSys TPM Inc. Trehel Corp. York Electric Cooperative Inc. Wasserman

Large employers: • Advanced Technology International • AMAROK See BEST PLACES, Page 9

Presented by: SC Biz News Sponsored by: Doctors Care

AUGUST 18, 2022 6 pm - 9 pm Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

Join the Party!

Executives from more than 100 companies will gather to celebrate being named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina, and no event this year will provide better networking bit.ly/22bestplacessctix opportunities! Join all the fun at this celebratory event featuring cocktails, dinner and an introduction of this year’s winners. #BestPlacesSC For sponsorship information, contact Rick Jenkins at 864.720.1224 or rjenkins@scbiznews.com.

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July 11-24, 2022

Airports grapple with high demand, fewer pilots By Molly Hulsey

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

harleston International Airport CEO Elliot Summey held tickets for one of the first direct flights to Las Vegas starting in August. He didn’t realize, when CHS announced the new route in March, that his trip would become a bit of a gamble: the inaugural flight between Holy and Sin cities now takes off Sep. 7 instead. The Vegas-Charleston trip is one of a handful of flights Breeze Airways has postponed or suspended due to staffing issues. Other halted flights include Friday and Monday routes to New Orleans between July 1 and Aug. 29, all flights to Palm Beach International between July 2 and Sept. 3 and flights to Louisville, Ky., from June 30 until Sept. 2. Monday, Tuesday and Friday flights to White Plains, N.Y., also will be suspended, while seasonal flights between Charleston and Huntsville, Ala., will end on July 31 instead of the expected Sept. 4.

Red-eye by morning

Still, Summey would rather know he wouldn’t make it to Sin City as planned now rather than later. “They really stepped up to the plate, and I thought that was pretty significant,” he told SC Biz News. “I’m not throwing shade at any of the legacy carriers, but those guys are canceling flights as people are on their way to the airport or while they’re standing there.”

Breeze Airways is the first airline to offer direct flights from Charleston to Las Vegas. S.C. airports report that travel for pleasure and business is on the rise, despite some challenges. (Photo/Provided)

Between June 28 and June 29, 62 flights at CHS were delayed; two American Airlines flights heading to and from the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport were cancelled, according to Flight Aware. Ticket holders will be able rebook their flights for an alternate time or receive a refund and 10,000 Breeze points, according to Summey, which is the equivalent of about $100. “I don’t like to be blindsided, personally,” he said, adding that Breeze Airways predicted possible staffing issues in the months ahead and didn’t wait too late to react. “I think that that says volumes.” Staffing shortages borne out of difficult days for the industry in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic have only exacerbated delays created by summer weather patterns, Summey said. Breeze Airways, after launching in

May 2021, missed the first shock of layoffs but still had an upwind battle ahead. The airline, like its legacy competitors, also has to recertify pilots and staff each year. “But the good news about Breeze is they’re growing,” he said. “Even with their cutbacks, their volume is up higher than it was six months ago. Yes, the news is they postponed and cut back the flights. What gets lost in that is the fact that even with those cutbacks, it’s still more service than we had before.” Since its founding, Breeze Airways has added direct routes to Orlando, Fla.; New York’s Westchester County and Long Island MacArthur Airports; San Francisco; Las Vegas; Fort Meyers, Fla., Syracuse, N.Y., Tampa, Fla.; Providence, R.I.; Richmond, Va.; Norfolk, Va.; Hartford, Conn., Canton, Ohio; New Orleans; Pittsburgh; Columbus, Ohio; and Hunts-

ville, Ala. “I think we’re seeing business travelers come back,” he said. “And I think a lot of that has to do with our more direct destinations. When we started this thing back in July 2020, we had about 22 cities that we would fly to. Today that number is around 47 or 48.” Summey said the CHS airline partners were working overtime to find a solution to the staffing issues, and he’s heard talk of putting more certification simulators on the market to help train more pilots at once. Close to eight months ago, the CHS team struck a deal with Delta to switch out one of their regional jets for a Boeing 737, which are now made in North Charleston. “They’re so excited and so happy with the response, that they’ve switched out to [larger] 757s without even asking,” he said. “We’re going to have six flights before 8 a.m. to Atlanta on 757s with Delta.” Overall, Summey said that he’s seeing CHS partner airlines shift to larger, widebody aircraft, which maximizes the number of passengers able to fly with the same number of pilots. “I remember my first call with the airlines back July of 2020 when I came on board: every airline partner said, ‘It’s going to be 2024 before we even see if we’re lucky to that. We may never fly at 100% again, and if we do, it’ll be 2024,’” Summey told SC Biz News. “Well, that’s certainly not the case in Charleston, and I don’t think that’s the case in a lot of places.”

GSP, from Page 1

affecting air travel, Page 6. After several months of negotiation with Clear, a biometric scanning startup that allows travelers to cut to the front of the TSA line, GSP became the 44th airport in the United States — and one of the smallest — to use the service. The airport is also the only Clear customer in South Carolina. “My team has worked extremely hard to help get this in place and really spending a lot of time with Clear about how GSP wants to be on the forefront of things,” Edwards told SC Biz News. An annual membership for Clear services, which can be purchased online or at the airport, costs $189, according to Arnee Wells, brand ambassador for Clear. The company also offers discounts for active military members, veterans, students, government officials and customers of Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Express Members. Clear expects the new product to create 19 jobs at GSP and a $1.5 million local economic, impact according to Kyle McLaughlin, senior vice president of the company. Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1223 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter.

GSP President and CEO Dave Edwards leads a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome Clear to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

July 11-24, 2022

www.gsabusiness.com 7

Final SC gas tax increase took effect July 1 By Melinda Waldrop

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

outh Carolinians saw the final increase in gas prices of a phased, six-year plan on July 1. The Motor Fuel User Fee increase raised gas prices by two cents per gallon for the final time as part of the South Carolina Infrastructure and Economic Development Reform Act passed by the General Assembly in 2017. The total 28-cent increase will be permanent. The fee helps support road, bridge and infrastructure construction in the state. From July 1,2017 through March 2022, nearly $890 million has

The final gas tax increase of a six-year plan passed by the General Assembly in 2017 took effect this month. Prices rose by two cents per gallon, and the total 28-cent increase is permanent. (Photo/File)

been deposited into the state Infrastructure Maintenance Trust Fund to support more than $2 million in road and bridge work, according to numbers from the S.C. Department of Transportation. A tax credit is available to help offset the fee increase. The credit equals the lesser of the vehicle maintenance fees paid during the year or what was paid in the increased fees. According to S.C. Department of Revenue data, the credit has been claimed on 68,052 S.C. tax returns, totaling $5,592,065 in credits issued so far this year. To claim the credit next year, save receipts from gas purchases and vehicle maintenance work.

Former Orangeburg School District employee sentenced for fraud By Melinda Waldrop

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

former Orangeburg School District employee has been sentenced to almost three years in federal prison for defrauding the district of more than $550,000. David Cortez Marshall was sentenced June 7 by U.S. District Judge Mary G.

Lewis to 33 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. Marshall was also ordered to pay approximately $600,000 in restitution. “Fraud of any nature is illegal and wrong, but fraud against a public school — in the middle of a pandemic — is unconscionable,” U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis said in a news release.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Marshall, a former media communications specialist employed by the Orangeburg County School District, purchased remote learning cameras for school classrooms. Through the use of shell companies, fabricated documents, forged signatures and a false identity, Marshall steered the district’s purchasing contracts to companies he controlled,

purchased the cameras, then sold them to the school at a substantial markup. Marshall also received funds from the school district for the cameras that he never paid to the seller and received more than $550,000 in illegal proceeds. He was eventually confronted by school district employees and reported to the FBI. Marshall also faces state tax evasion charges.

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GATEWAY, from Page 1

The 1.83-acre site bordered by East North Street, Church Street and Beattie Place is within Greenville city limits, but only the county can activate FILOT agreements under state law. According to Greenville County property records, the latest owner, Kana Gateway LLC, purchased the site in 2017 for $3 million. Greenville Memorial Auditorium sold the site in 2008 after demolishing the auditorium in the late 1990s. “We’re just urging the county to adopt guidelines or rules for FILOT, and we hope that affordable housing will be one of the criteria that they give a green light to FILOT,” White told SC Biz News. “And if so, this project I hope, would be first up for the county’s consideration.” The Gateway to Greenville development is far from the only proposed

July 11-24, 2022

affordable housing project riding on the FILOT greenlight, but if it is allowed to move forward, it may be one of the most high-profile projects within city limits to receive incentives since the 262-apartment Project Unity Gateway development, which included 52 units of affordable and workforce housing. “So we have to get the county’s participation and that’s a bigger issue than just this one project,” the mayor said. “That’s a bigger issue than just this one project, but we have a number of projects that could include affordable housing if there were a FILOT but right now we’re sort of frozen.” So far, all discussion with the county on the topic have been “nothing but positive,” he said. But the residential component of the project is old news, according to White. He’s most excited about the retail and

restaurant space planned for the ground level of the apartments, creating the pedestrian-friendly entertainment destination lobbied for by resident respondents to a spring survey. “Many people over the years decided to contract only to walk away from it,” White said about the former Greenville auditorium site. “So this group, what really distinguishes them from others in the past, is their focus on entertainment and their activation of the street level of the project. And also … they’re the first development group to look at this site and say, it’s not so much about ‘gateway to downtown,’ as much as it is the gateway to the corridor back to the [Bon Secours Wellness] Arena.” Along with Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville County and adjacent landowners, the city recently participated in a “privately-financed planning exer-

cise” for the North Street corridor from Interstate 385 from the Greenville law enforcement complex on 301 E. North St. to the former Greenville Memorial Auditorium site. “I think as long as it’s been vacant, it’s been difficult to attract investment to the whole quarter-mile stretch,” he said. While the city does not own the site, White said it seeks to invest in a sidewalk widening project, along with other safety improvements to appeal to pedestrians. The collaboration seeks to transform the existing strip of one- to two-story relics from the 1970s into taller, updated structures that can conserve space on prime real estate and draw in public-facing retail operations. The city’s design review board was expected to review Plusurbia’s plan for the site on July 7, after the GSA Business Report print deadline.

ADA playground keystone of Greenwood park renovtion By Molly Hulsey

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

rmo’s Leo Bugenske loves the outdoors — so much so that the 8-year-old has inspired at least two cutting-edge play parks across his state and one that holds his name. Bugenske was also born with severe spinal muscular atrophy. He gets from place to place with the aid of a modified stroller due to deterioration of nerve cells impacting his movement, but according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the condition does not impact patients’ intellect or ability to perceive the world around them. So when Bugenske’s family wanted their son, and other children like him, to be able to enjoy swings and tower platforms alongside his able-bodied cohorts, they helped Saluda Shoals Park craft Leo’s Landing Inclusive Playground in 2019. The park includes a Treehouse Village connected by a ramp, a wheelchair platform swing, hobbit-inspired playhouses and recumbent bouncy-chairs, among other features, according to the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission. Contract Construction, builders of the park, celebrated a ribbon cutting of the park’s two-acre expansion, including an ADA-accessible zip line, terrain park and a music and decompression garden on May 5, according to a company statement. The success of Leo’s Landing prompted Greenwood County to use $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act toward making an ADA-accessible playground the keystone of a $10 million refurbishment plan for the 80-acre Greenwood County Recreation Complex, according to county officials. Greenwood County received $13.7 million in ARPA funds, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. “It’s a shame not to have a playground for everybody to play on,” Brad Cuttill, director

A rendering from Landscape Structures shows the ADA-accessible ZipKrooz zipline added to Leo's Landing in Irmo. (Rendering/Provided)

of Greenwood County’s Parks and Recre-

multi-purpose sports fields; an outdoor

The first phases of the Greenwood County Recreation Complex renovation will cost the county close to $10 million, including $1 million allocated from the county's ARPA fund. (Rendering/Provided)

ation Department, told SC Biz News. “So I’m very excited about that: to update that to get it where all bodies can use it.” The playground is at the top of a project wish list, which Cuttill admits won’t be completed with the first $9.1 million allocated from the county’s capital fund, for the complex. He expects the 40-year park, former field for the Greenwood Braves, to gain three

fitness area; a revamped baseball complex with a new fence, bathrooms and lighting; as well as up to eight pickleball courts and resurfaced tennis courts. Plans for an indoor gym will be under discussion for future phases, he said. According to Cuttill, Greenwood County is contracting out the project now and aims to break ground at the end of 2022 or early 2023. The contractor, who could not

yet be named, said the project would take them about 18 months. McMillan Pazdan Smith created original renderings for the project’s master plan, and officials said North Carolina-firm J.D. Goodrum won the bid for the park renovation. The county is gearing up for “progressive design build” at this stage, where the contractor is hired on first before blueprints are made, according to Cuttill. “This has been a long-term project,” said Councilman Robbie Templeton, also the associate vice president of Countybanc Insurance. “It’s been a dream of mine and of council’s for probably 10 years, but we just haven’t had the financial ability to do it.” The park renovation was first approved by a community vote when Greenwood County Council passed an initiative to use a percentage of county sales tax toward select capital projects, according to Templeton. “We’re trying to strike a balance between taking care of the recreation needs of our growing community, but also, build on sports tourism to be an economic driver for the community,” he said. Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @ molly_gsa on Twitter.

July 11-24, 2022

BEST PLACES, from Page 6

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New plan for The Pier will triple the potential residents

The Pier is the site of a textile plant that closed after layoffs in 2005. (Photo/Provided)

By Ross Norton

rnorton@scbiznews.com

hicago-based Core Spaces is teaming up with Clemson developer Tom Winkopp Development on a venture to create what they say will be one of the country’s largest off-campus student housing development projects, according to a news release. The development on Lake Hartwell is on the site of an old J.P. Stevens textile plant, which had become WestPoint Stevens. The company announced closures and layoffs at multiple sites in 2005, including 1,345 job losses from the Clemson plant, which is actually across the lake in Oconee County. The plant closed and was demolished eventually, with the first phase of off-campus student housing known as The Pier going up several years ago. As it exists now, The Pier stretches deep into the 140-acre village site, which now includes 1,400 beds of student housing,

recreation facilities, a small restaurant and bar and an enclave of tiny houses. The final development will bring the bed total to 4,000, the news release said. It will include walking trails and a lakefront beach. “At Core, our mission is to connect with our residents and create spaces where they can live how they want and do what they love,” Daniel Goldberg, president of Core Spaces, said in the release. “This project is among the most ambitious in our history, and we are pleased to partner with Tom Winkopp and his highly respected local development team to bring to Clemson University and its surrounding community a world-class college town environment. Clemson … has experienced significant population growth due to its high quality of living, affordability, picturesque downtown, and favorable year-round climate as well as Clemson University’s strong enrollment rates.” Future construction will be more than

continuing the line of houses and townhouses that stretch along the streets, now, the release said. The plan will reimagine the entire student village. Core will work to create single-family neighborhoods and clusters of homes that have their own community feel. One of the key elements of the neighborhood will be the nine-bedroom homes that the company says will be among the most unique off-campus student housing units in the country. The student village is one piece of a larger master-planned, mixed-use project on the entire 325-acre site to be developed by Tom Winkopp Development and partners during the next three to five years, the release said. Winkopp and partners have owned the land since 2007. “This is one of the most spectacular pieces of property located near a college campus we’ve ever seen,” Joe Gatto, managing director of acquisitions at Core Spaces, said in the release. “We’re very excited to transform the space into a oneof-a-kind student village that residents

will love. After we deliver 900 new beds in 2024, it will become one of the largest privately owned student housing projects in the country.” “Core Spaces is nationally recognized as the best-in-class design-centric developer of purpose-built student housing, and they showed why immediately,” Winkopp said in the release. “I am thrilled to partner with them to bring this exciting project to life. I chose Core for its urban planning approach to projects that seamlessly stitch together the old and the new in terms of architecture and style. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to develop this type of property that will greatly benefit Clemson students and have a tremendous economic impact on the surrounding counties.” JLL Capital Markets worked on behalf of the joint venture between Tom Winkopp Development and Core Spaces. JLL is a professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management.

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July 11-24, 2022

Statistician earns one of profession’s highest honors Staff Report

gsanews@scbiznews.com

Clemson University professor has received one of the highest honors bestowed on statisticians. Chris McMahan, a professor in the College of Science’s School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, has been named an American Statistical Association Fellow. The ASA elects fellows based on their established reputation and contributions to statistical science, according to a news release. The ASA limits the honor to onethird of 1% of the organization’s total membership each year. “Dr. McMahan is very deserving of this honor,” Kevin James, director of the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, said in the news release. “Through his collaboration with researchers across the globe, he has made significant contributions in the fields of genetics, engineering, agriculture and epidemiology. We look forward to seeing him make many more significant contributions to statistics and science.” The ASA selected McMahan for the honor for his “influential contributions in group testing and Bayesian methods; for his leadership in interdisciplinary collaboration; and for his extensive service to Clemson University and the ASA,” according to the citation.

McMahan has worked with more than 120 researchers from academic institutions, industry and government across several fields. He has published 81 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. (Photo/Clemson University)

“Becoming an ASA Fellow is much more than just publishing papers,” Joshua Tebbs, chair of the University of South Carolina Department of Statistics, said in the release. “It’s about significantly advancing the field of statistics and making a difference in scientific discovery. Chris has a proven record of doing this across many disciplines.” Tebbs was McMahan’s Ph.D. adviser and nominated his former student for the honor. “Chris has the gifted ability to collaborate with scientists and researchers in a multitude of areas,” Tebbs said. “It is

sometimes hard to frame a researcher’s goals in terms of statistical models and methods, but Chris does this with absolute ease. It’s probably why everybody wants to work with him.” During his career, McMahan has modeled the spread of vector-borne disease and studied allergy desensitization therapies, automated structure detection in neuroimaging, genetics associated with personalized medicine, genetics of agriculture, efficient infectious disease screening and surveillance, cancer, sexually transmitted disease, coupled engineering systems, environmental mon-

itoring, biomedical applications, and epidemiology and public health. In addition, he has helped create 10 software packages disseminated via standard open-source software repositories. He has given 38 invited talks and has authored or co-authored more than 100 conference presentations. McMahan has won four national and international awards for papers he has written. McMahan didn’t set out to be a statistician. He was double majoring in mathematics and physics at Austin Peay State University. A semester before graduation, he realized he didn’t like physics. “What I enjoyed was using mathematics to explain what goes on in the world,” he said in the release. He finished his major in math and pursued a master’s degree in mathematics at Western Kentucky University. It was there that McMahan took his first statistics course. The professor encouraged him to apply to the University of South Carolina statistics program. McMahan, who hadn’t decided whether to pursue a Ph.D. in statistics or mathematics, visited the school. “If you’ve ever done anything in life where it just feels right, that’s what happened when I visited the University of South Carolina. It just felt right,” McMahan said. “I loved explaining things with mathematics. Statistics is the nice interface between all of sciences and mathematics.”

MIN G

IN S

EPT

EM BER !

Taking Flight: SC Aerospace In September, SCBIZ magazine explores the economic impact of the aviation and aerospace industries, the businesses that support them, and growth trends for the future in South Carolina. Richland County will be in the Spotlight, along with a Power List of Accounting Firms, and a special section showcasing the Best Places to Work in South Carolina. Don’t miss this opportunity to promote your brand to 80,000+ high-level business executives and site selectors.

DEPARTMENTS

SPECIAL SECTIONS

• Upfront • SC Delivers - Port Impact • The South Carolina You Don’t Know

• County Spotlight: Richland • Power List: Accounting Firms • Best Places to Work in South Carolina

For more information, contact Rick Jenkins at 864-720-1224 or rjenkins@scbiznews.com

July 11-24, 2022

www.gsabusiness.com 11

Faculty member earns prestigious Powe Award Staff Report

gsanews@scbiznews.com

asra Sardashti, an assistant professor in the Clemson University Department of Physics and Astronomy, has received a 2022 Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. Forty-one junior faculty from across the country received awards, which aim to enrich junior faculty’s research and professional growth. Each winner receives $5,000 seed money for the 2022-23 academic year. Each recipient’s institution matches the Powe award with an additional $5,000. Winners may use the grants to purchase equipment, continue research or travel to professional meetings and conferences. The award will support Sardashti’s research in superconducting quantum computing devices. “I am thrilled Dr. Sardashti earned this very prestigious and competitive award. It recognizes his immense talent and potential to emerge as a leader in his field. This award will allow him to continue to expand his very productive research program,” Sean Brittain, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said in a university news release. “I look forward to seeing the valuable contributions he’ll make to the field of quantum computing.” Quantum computers could revolutionize the future of science and technology by solving extremely complex problems beyond the reach of even the best current classical computers. By leveraging two key quantum phenomena — superposition and entanglement — quantum computers can explore multiple solution pathways simultaneously, allowing them to solve problems that would take a traditional computer too long

Kasra Sardashti, an assistant professor in the Clemson University Department of Physics and Astronomy, conducts an experiment. (Photo/Clemson University)

to calculate, the news release said. Sardashti, who has a joint appointment as an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Clemson College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, will use the award to design and fabricate simple Josephson Junction switches on germanium for superconducting qubit systems, he said in the release. Sardashti said that one issue with today’s quantum computers is scaling the number of qubits. Semiconductor processors in traditional computers and phones have billions of transistors, which are binary switches that either prevent or allow current to flow through. In quantum computers, it is challenging to put several of the individual processing units, or qubits, together while preventing unwanted crosstalk between them.

“The record is 127, but to make a useful computer, we must go to at least tens of thousands,” Sardashti said in the release. “To get there, one issue you have to address is if these little processing units are not supposed to talk to each other, they don’t talk to each other. You have to control their interaction. The switch we’re proposing is a way to make this possible to put a lot of these processing units on the same chip in an energy-efficient way while being able to control the interaction between the various qubits on demand.” Powe Award recipients are in the first two years of a tenure track position and work in any of five science and technology disciplines: engineering and applied science; life sciences; mathematics and computer science; physical sciences; and policy, management or education. The awards are named for Ralph E. Powe, who served as the ORAU council-

or from Mississippi State University for 16 years. Powe participated in many committees and special projects during his tenure and was elected chair of ORAU’s Council of Sponsoring Institutes. He died in 1996, the release said. Ken Tobin, ORAU vice president for research and university partnerships, said the award program provides an opportunity for junior faculty members to further their research careers and pursue new funding avenues. Sardashti joined Clemson in 2021. He helped organize the first South Carolina Quantum Technology Forum in April, bringing academic and industrial quantum computing, sensing and communication experts together on the Clemson campus. “I’m honored to be chosen for this award and that somebody saw potential in this project and our group to get this work done,” he said in the release.

Manufacturing organizations enter official partnership By Ross Norton

rnorton@scbiznews.com

state. SCMEP has a long history of providing a wide range of consulting and training services that helps small- to medium-sized manufacturers increase their competitiveness, the news release said. A primary aim of the partnership will focus on increased promotion of the services the two organizations provide, ensuring more companies are able to access their support and, in the process, further strengthening the state’s overall manufacturing environment. “The S.C. Manufacturers Alliance and our colleagues at the S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership have always worked toward the same goal — creating the most supportive manufacturing environment possible,” SCMA President and CEO Sara Hazzard said in the release. “By creating and committing to a more formal

partnership, we will be better equipped to learn from each other, build on each other’s work and provide a comprehensive resource for manufacturing companies in our state.” SCMEP is headquartered in Greenville and SCMA is based in Columbia, though each delivers services across the state. “Our two organizations share a common vision, and our combined approach will help ensure manufacturers have the tools and environment they need to thrive,” SCMEP President and CEO Andy Carr said in the release. “This is an important development for our industry, and I’m excited to start working more closely with the passionate team at SCMA on behalf of manufacturers in South Carolina.” SCMA is the only statewide orga-

nization dedicated exclusively to the interests of manufacturers. Its mission is to strengthen and advance S.C. manufacturing by advocating for members, fostering a world-class workforce and bringing together manufacturers to connect, share and solve industry challenges. The SCMA membership is comprised of more than 200 manufacturing companies that represent 100,000-plus associates in South Carolina. SCMEP is a private, nonprofit group that serves as a resource to manufacturing companies, providing them with a range of strategies and solutions. An affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, SCMEP operates under the U.S. Department of Commerce to promote innovation and industrial competitiveness.

www.gsabusiness.com

July 11-24, 2022

2022 | SOUTH CAROLINA

MANUFACTURING CONFERENCE AND EXPO PRESENTED BY:

SAVE THE DATE: NOV. 3 - NOV. 4 GREENVILLE CONVENTION CENTER | GREENVILLE, SC

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

Join Manufacturing suppliers and innovators across all industry verticals at South Carolina’s most significant manufacturing event of the year.

The 2022 conference will include: • An exhibit hall the equivalent of three football fields • Implementing Industry 4.0 Technology • 2023 Economic Outlook: Auto, Aerospace, Biotech • Women in Manufacturing: Leaders and Influencers • SCMEP Manufacturing Excellence Awards • The South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) will conduct training courses

PRESENTING SPONSORS:

For questions about exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Rick Jenkins at (864) 720-1224 or rjenkins@scbiznews.com Visit scmanufacturingconference.com for the latest updates.

In Focus

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LISTS: Commercial Real Estate Firms, Page 17

NEXT ISSUE’S FOCUS: Banking & Finance

Apartment-style lodging company sees 200% growth By Molly Hulsey

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

he Mint House may appear to look like any downtown apartment from its glass façade on Falls Park Drive. At 4 p.m. on a Tuesday, no one sits at the lobby desk in front of a collection of mailboxes and a code is required to access the complex. But as one inhabitant indicates, she’s not from around here. She and her family are renting out a space for a few days via Airbnb while they explore Greenville. And at the Mint House’s 23 properties, it is guests, both long- and short-term, that fill most of the furnished apartment-sized rooms. The company calls itself the provider of “luxury apartment style accommodations with the premium branding of a hotel,” but like a traditional Airbnb, the entire transaction is contactless. The appeal of contactless travel coupled with demand from digital nomads cut loose from a brick-and-mortar office has brought the company $35 million in investment after a year of 200% growth, according to company spokesperson Meg Bell. The American Hotel and Lodging Association expects the hotel industry as a whole to be $20 billion or 25% below pre-pandemic revenue levels in contrast, according to an April report. “We are penetrating a trillion-dollar global hospitality market, transforming a traditional hotel industry that has historically been low-tech and full of consumer frictions," Will Lucas, founder and CEO of Mint House, said in a news release. "Secular megatrends including 'work from anywhere' and the mixing of business and leisure travel are driving explosive demand for flexible apartment-style accommodations in lieu of legacy hotel

rooms.” A wave of investment from Mohari Hospitality, Revolution Ventures, Allegion Ventures and Ingleside Investors has spurred on what the company calls an “aggressive expansion plan” into new stomping grounds in Philadelphia and within existing markets like Seattle and New York, where Mint House’s corporate office is based. Earlier this year, the company snagged Allen Smith, former president and CEO of Four Season Hotels and Resorts, to serve on its board of directors. Smith also serves as managing partner of Mohari Hospitality. “Our properties are outperforming upper-upscale hotel peers across all financial and guest metrics, and we are the hospitality partner of choice to corporations with over 400% growth in corporate partnerships in the past year,” Lucas said in the release. “While delighting our guests, we deliver significant value creation for our property owners, often doubling the income these owners received pre-Mint House. With this funding, led by Mohari Hospitality, we look forward to accelerating our product roadmap and market expansion." In Greenville, Mint House takes up five stories of the Riverwalk Apartment building in between traditional multi-family and office space. But many of Mint House’s new locations are built within adaptive reuse projects. One of Mint House’s three locations In Nashville also offers guests the opportunity to book meetings in the former vault of a rehabilitated Federal Reserve building, according to Bell, while the new Philadelphia location — opened in May — features 40 loft apartments within the press room of the city’s first penny paper. Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @ mhulsey_gsa on Twitter.

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The understated lobby of Mint House in Greenville is striking because of the absence of most things found in a hotel lobby, including employees. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

Mint says business has grown for its 23 properties, partly because of the pandemic-inspired appeal of contactless travel. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

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IN FOCUS: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

July 11-24, 2022

Demand for industrial space driving speculative growth By Christina Lee Knauss

cknauss@scbiznews.com

ne of the hottest real estate markets in South Carolina involves buildings that do not even have specific occupants yet. Known as speculative buildings, they are built to provide ready-to-occupy space for companies looking for a place to set up new operations or expand existing ones. In the Midlands and around South Carolina in general, the need for speculative space for manufacturing as well as warehousing and distribution is booming. There are multiple reasons behind the boom, most of them fueled by the pandemic. COVID-19 accelerated already increasing demand for next-day shipping and air, while supply chain disruptions increased time and costs for construction, leading more companies to seek out pre-constructed buildings. The region’s current appetite for industrial buildings, speculative ones in particular, is confronting developers, design firms and construction companies with unprecedented demand. One example is SeamonWhiteside, a full-service land design firm headquartered in Mount Pleasant with offices in Summerville, Greenville, Spartanburg and Charlotte. “In previous years, SeamonWhiteside was developing 100,000 square feet per year in industrial projects, and now we are projecting almost 30 million square feet in 2022,” said William O’Neal, the company’s vice president. “This is not only a change for SeamonWhiteside but a change for South Carolina as a whole. We have never seen this volume of industrial projects in our state.” O’Neal noted the boom in speculative industrial demand in South Carolina is not only following national trends, but also can be attributed to the rapid expansion of the Charleston port, the large number of people moving to the area, and the increased number of suppliers moving to the state to serve large industries such as BMW in the Upstate, Boeing and Volvo in Charleston, and Mark Anthony Brewing in the Midlands. A recent report from Colliers South Carolina shows that demand for industrial space overall, speculative real estate included, continued to be unparalleled in the first quarter of 2022 despite an increase in rental rates. According to the report, 21.5 million square feet of industrial buildings is under construction in the state, with another 25 million square feet in proposed developments. A total of 9.8 million square feet is slated to deliver in 2022, with most of that pre-leased.

Meeting the demand

To help meet the rising demand in the Midlands, several large speculative industrial projects are already under construction or have been announced recently.

Groundbreaking for the largest expandable speculative building ever constructed in central S.C. took place June 21 at the Sandy Run Industrial Park. (Photo/Christina Lee Knauss)

Groundbreaking for the largest expandable speculative building ever constructed in central South Carolina took place June 21 at the Sandy Run Industrial Park. The 497,952-squarefoot-building, located at the intersection of Interstate 26 and U.S. Highway 21, is a project of Columbia-based Red Rock Developments, the exclusive developer of build-to-suit and speculative buildings within the industrial park. The structure, located in the Calhoun County section of the industrial park, is expandable to 663,836 square feet with a capability for cross-dock distribution and a clearance of 36 feet. On June 29, local developers Saxe Gotha Spec LLC announced plans for a 43,750-square-foot speculative industrial building on Old Wire Road in Saxe Gotha Industrial Park in West Columbia, which is already home to Amazon, Nephron Pharmaceuticals and other tenants. The Class A building, scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2023, will feature 28-foot ceiling heights, 43 car parking spaces, five dock-high doors and one drive-in door, an ESFR (early suppression, fast response) fire suppression system and LED lighting throughout. Colliers South Carolina is handling the leasing for both buildings, and company officials say they couldn’t come at a better time because the Midlands has a need for speculative space of all sizes. “Free-standing industrial buildings under 50,000 square feet are the most underserved product class in the Columbia market,” said Chuck Salley, managing

director of industrial services in Colliers’ Columbia office. Expanded availability of large and expandable speculative property like the Sandy Run site is important because many companies seeking larger spaces have had to pass up the Midlands in recent years simply because there were not enough sites of that size available, according to Thomas Beard, vice president of industrial services for Colliers South Carolina. “Our market has been passed over by a lot of users that want to be in the Columbia market but end up having to look elsewhere, usually the next closest market, that has larger buildings either under construction or proposed,” Beard said. “Those larger sites are really the bread and butter of this market right now. There is a huge demand for that size product right now.” However, Richland County’s days of being passed over by companies looking to relocate to South Carolina might be in the past, Beard said, because of several factors. Available space in the Greenville and Charleston areas is becoming harder to find, and a move to by Richland County to become more developer-friendly through fee-in-lieu tax agreements and revenue credits has piqued developers’ interest. “We’re getting more interest and more calls on a daily basis from national and regional groups that are realizing that the Columbia market is worth looking at,” Beard said. Other large speculative projects in Richland County include Mag-

nus Development Partners’ planned 200,000-square-foot speculative building on county-owned property at Blythewood’s Northpoint Industrial Park. And in May, St. Louis-based Summit Real Estate Group announced plans to invest $28.6 million toward development of a 350,000-square-foot speculative building in Richland County’s Pineview Industrial Park, to be located on 34 acres at the intersection of Bluff and Longwood roads. Charlotte-based commercial real estate firm Collett has also purchased about 19 acres of land from the county for construction of a 210,000-square foot speculative site. Casual observers might think all this will lead to an awful lot of empty buildings, but to borrow a quote from the wellknown baseball movie Field of Dreams, the idea behind speculative real estate is “If you build it, they will come.” Developers say the tenants start calling shortly after projects are announced. At least two tenants had already expressed interest in the new Sandy Run building even before the groundbreaking ceremony took place, said William C. Smith, Jr., CEO of Red Rock Developments. The increasing demand for speculative industrial real estate and industrial buildings in general has caused some companies like SeamonWhiteside to completely retool their business model, according to O’Neal. “It’s a complete 180 in our business model because before COVID-19 we See, INDUSTRIAL, Page 16

July 11-24, 2022

IN FOCUS: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

www.gsabusiness.com 15

Industrial construction company races to meet demand By Ross Norton

rnorton@scbiznews.com

emand for next-day delivery, exacerbated by pandemic-related efforts to onshore, is driving a huge growth in the industrial construction business for one land design company working throughout the Carolinas. SeamonWhiteside is relatively new to the industrial sector, the company said, so that accounts for some of the growth: there was simply room to grow. Still, the company expect to design or build, or both, close to 30 million square feet of industrial buildings this year alone. In recent years, the company would build about 100,000 square feet of industrial space. “Five years ago, SeamonWhiteside began chasing opportunities to expand its industrial sector and anticipated the growing need for relocating warehousing and manufacturing back to the United States as the demand for next-day delivery became today’s standard,” SeamonWhiteside said in a news release. “This need grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic when people relied on next-day delivery as a means of

Some of the space at Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville has already been leased. Four buildings at the site range from about 200,000 square feet to 1.2 million square feet. (Photo/Provided)

life.” The rapid growth is not limited to the company, according to William O’Neal, professional engineer and vice president of SeamonWhiteside. “This is not only a change for SeamonWhiteside but a change for South Carolina as a whole,” O’Neal said in a news release.

“We have never seen this volume of industrial projects in our state. It is through the innovative nature of this company and our desire to expand and diversify business sectors that we were privy to this trend. This allowed us to anticipate and prepare for these industrial projects before they even came to fruition and be invested in this

sector by the time the demand for it rose.” Industrial projects differ from other designs and require a different skill set, relying heavily on civil engineering and less on landscape architecture, O’Neal said in the release. They also need larger capital investments and staffing. Since most industrial projects are in rural areas, there is less government involvement and shorter approval times, so the team begins the execution of plans almost immediately after conception. Headquartered in Mount Pleasant, SeamonWhiteside also has offices in Summerville, Greenville, Spartanburg and Charlotte. The firm’s services include master planning, civil engineering, landscape architecture, urban design, land development management services and permit coordination. To date, the majority of industrial projects come from their Mount Pleasant and Greenville offices, including Coastal Crossroads, Ladson Industrial Park, Port 95 Business Park, Camp Hall Campus 4 and Palmetto Logistics, the release said. Reach Ross Norton at 864-720-1222 or rnorton@ scbiznews.com

Strong retail market has undergone changes throughout SC By Christina Lee Knauss

cknauss@scbiznews.com

ising inflation might be battering both the wallets and the attitudes of many consumers, but so far the upward surge in prices for food, gas and everything else has not put a damper on the retail real estate market in South Carolina, according to data from Colliers South Carolina. Colliers’ recent report on the state’s retail market during the first quarter of this year indicates retail space continues to be in high demand around the state, fueled largely by an ongoing population increase in many regions. To put it simply, more people moving in means a higher demand for goods and services, which is translating into a higher need for everything from grocery stores to restaurants. The Colliers report drew on data from the South Carolina Department of Revenue and South Carolina Department of Commerce to study retail trends. According to the report, new housing permits rose 27% from February to March across the state, indicating a continued influx of new residents. In addition, South Carolina’s retail sales increased by 29% in February compared to February of 2019, and 28% above February 2021. The overall retail vacancy rate, meanwhile, decreased from 5.64% to 3.25% year-over-year, and is expected to continue to decline as vacant space is absorbed to accommodate pent-

up demand for retail properties. One of the hottest areas for new retail in Columbia is Forest Acres, where available retail space is at a premium. Other growing areas include Harbison, the Clemson Road and Killian Road corridors in northeast Richland, and the areas around U.S. Highway 378 and S.C. 6 in Lexington. “We’re seeing an overall strong demand for retail brick and mortar space across the board, whether it’s necessity retail like grocery stores or dollar-type stores that sell things people have to have, food and beverage, or specialty service retail,” said Rox Pollard, Colliers’ vice president of retail services in South Carolina. Pollard said the sheer variety of specialty service retailers coming online around the state is “amazing” and likely fueled by a rising demand for new and different services as people continue to get back to more normal lives after two years of the pandemic. “Recently the services we’ve done include not only things like hair and nail salons, but specialized things like cryotherapy,” Pollard said. “We’re seeing a lot of specialty fitness services like Pilates and cycling.” Food and beverage services, especially those that specialize in one particular product, are among the hottest new tenants of retail space around the state, including in the Midlands. Vacancy for restaurant and food service retail in Columbia has steadily decreased during the past year

from 5.66% to 3.17%. Pollard said specialty bakeries such as Nothing Bundt Cakes and Crumbl Cookies are examples of the kind of food businesses doing well with customers seeking more of a niche food experience. Nothing Bundt Cakes currently has two locations in Columbia, one in Forest Acres and another near the Village at Sandhills. Crumbl Cookies currently has a site in Lexington and will soon be opening another in Forest Acres in the new Cardinal Crossing complex. Although restaurants have been struggling with staffing shortages and supply chain issues, that hasn’t put a damper on restaurant retail development either, reports show. When it comes to restaurants, small and fast are the words to live by right now, both statewide and in the Columbia area. According to Colliers, more efficient restaurants in smaller spaces are leading the pack when it comes to new restaurant retail development in the capital city, with quick service and fast casual concepts growing in popularity among consumers. New offerings in Columbia embrace a wide variety of cuisines and cooking styles, but all focus on speed and efficiency. The Colliers report indicates this trend is coming from a greater focus on drive-through service and lingering lower demand for indoor dining. During the first quarter, several restaurants under 5,000 square feet completed

new deals in Columbia, including El Charro, Don Camaron, Griffin Chophouse, Jay’s Bar and Grill and Mai Poke. “Smaller footprints are driving new restaurants because a lot more people are interested in using drive-throughs or click-and-collect services where you go in and take your order off a shelf,” Pollard said. “There’s a rapid shift where some restaurants are using double and even triple drive-throughs, so that enables the buildings to be smaller because not as many people are using the dining rooms.” Smaller also is a watchword with other types of retailers, with fewer national chain grocers, discount retailers and other stores going for the “Big Box” experience that was all the rage during the ‘90s and 2000s, Pollard said. He used the example of Best Buy, which has recently decreased the footprint of many of its stores from a Big Box to the 25,000-square-foot range. While retail stores and restaurants might be a little smaller in the future, what isn’t likely to change is an increase in people using them, Pollard said. Shopping and grabbing a bite to eat on the go is one way of battling the isolation so many people have experienced in recent years. “Many people had been predicting the end of retailing as we know it prior to and during the pandemic, but many of the overlooked the important socialization aspect that comes just through shopping or going to a restaurant to pick up a meal,” Pollard said.

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IN FOCUS: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

July 11-24, 2022

INDUSTRIAL, from Page 14

focused a lot on retail, hotels and hospitality and offices, and we’re not seeing as many of those at the same pace as we did pre-2020,” O’Neal said. “Smaller retail particularly was a really hot sector then, but it has slowed down, while warehousing, distribution and manufacturing has taken off.” SeamonWhiteside started looking to expand its industrial sector about five years ago, predicting a need for more manufacturing and warehousing space in the U.S, as the demand for next-day shipping and delivery became a standard. He said the company’s predictions paid off with the change in business and consumer needs that came with COVID19, as well as the increasing trend for “right-shoring,” with more U.S. companies bringing operations back here from overseas and as a result causing a boom in the need for industrial and warehouse space. Beard from Colliers said the market for speculative industrial real estate is not likely to slow down any time soon. “Speed to market is everything these days,” he said. “You rarely ever have a manufacturer come into a market and say they have time for a building to be constructed. “Everybody needs readily available space to fulfill the requirements they have, and they’re really only willing to consider buildings that are proposed or already under construction.”

A 497,952-square-foot expandable speculative building planned for the Sandy Run Industrial Park in Calhoun County will be the largest ever constructed in central South Carolina. (Rendering/Provided)

Our Business is Commercial Real Estate. Leasing | Sales | Property Management | Investments

Wilson Kibler Columbia 1111 Laurel Street Columbia, SC 29201 803.779.8600

Let us help you find your next property. www.wilsonkibler.com

Wilson Kibler Greenville 13 E. Coffee Street Greenville, SC 29601 864.679.8600

IN FOCUS: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

July 11-24, 2022

www.gsabusiness.com 17

Commercial Real Estate Firms Ranked by No. of Sale/Lease Transactions in 2021

Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded

Transactions: No. / Value

Comm. Brokers / Current Listings / Upstate Offices

1,255 $1,084,632,508

72 166 3

Agricultural; flex; health care; hotel, motel; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; sports, entertainment; warehouse

Company

Phone / Website / Email

NAI Earle Furman 101 E. Washington St., Suite 400 Greenville, SC 29601

864-232-9040 www.naiearlefurman.com info@naiearlefurman.com

Jonathan A. Good 1986

Spencer Hines Properties LLC 380 S. Pine St. Spartanburg, SC 29302

864-583-1001 www.spencerhines.com admin@spencerhines.com

Zach Hines, Lynn Spencer, Guy Harris 1986

462 $216,300,000

20 510 2

Flex; health care; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; warehouse

CBRE Inc. 355 S. Main St., Suite 70 Greenville, SC 29601

864-527-6070 www.cbre.com/greenville

Stephen B. Smith 1988

250 $520,700,000

15 107 1

Flex; income-producing; industrial; office; restaurant; retail; warehouse

Joyner Commercial - Berkshire Hathaway C. Dan Joyner, Realtors 230 Buist Ave. Greenville, SC 29609

864-233-7724 www.joynercommercial.com mcarter@joynercommercial.com

Matt Carter, Danny Joyner 1964

165 $320,200,000

24 94 1

Agricultural; flex; health care; hotel, motel; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; sports, entertainment; warehouse

Langston-Black Real Estate Inc. 400 Memorial Drive Ext., Suite 100 Greer, SC 29651

864-848-9070 www.langston-black.com rraffaldt@langston-black.com

Charles B. Langston 1992

130 $67,501,085

15 15 1

Agricultural; flex; health care; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; warehouse

Pintail Capital Partners LLC 24 Cleveland St., Suite 201 Greenville, SC 29601

864-729-4500 www.pintailcre.com info@pintailcp.com

Stuart Wyeth, Tyson Smoak, Ross Kester 2015

92 $134,163,158

12 28 1

Flex; health care; income-producing; industrial; land; office; restaurant; retail; sports, entertainment; warehouse

Avison Young - South Carolina Inc. 656 S. Main St., Suite 200 Greenville, SC 29601

864-334-4145 www.avisonyoung.us/web/greenville avisonyoungsouthcarolina@gmail.com

Christopher B. Fraser 2013

88 $64,935,510

12 45 1

Flex; health care; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; sports, entertainment; warehouse

Colliers International 55 E. Camperdown Way, Suite 200 Greenville, SC 29601

864-297-4950 www.colliers.com/en/united-states/cities/ greenville liz.mccary@colliers.com

David M. Feild 1906

86 $547,873,252

11 120 2

Flex; health care; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; warehouse

Lee & Associates Greenville / Spartanburg 101 W. Court St., Suite A Greenville, SC 29601

864-704-1040 www.leegreenville.com ebentley@lee-associates.com

Kevin P. Bentley, Marty Bentley, Randall Bentley 2005

85 $4,500,000

13 115 2

Flex; health care; hotel, motel; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; warehouse

Lyons Industrial Properties 812 E. Main St. Spartanburg, SC 29302

864-583-0094 www.lyonsindustrial.com bobby@lyonsindustrial.com

Luke Lyons, Bobby W. Lyons 1999

75 $28,500,000

5 35 2

Flex; income-producing; industrial; warehouse

Cardinal Commercial Properties 100 Orchard Park Drive, Suite 26262 Greenville, SC 29616

864-559-8227 www.cardinalcommercialproperties.net info@cardinalcommercialproperties.net

Robert Leland Brissie 2013

63 $22,000,000

2 50 1

Agricultural; flex; health care; hotel, motel; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; sports, entertainment; warehouse

KDS Commercial Properties LLC 340 Rocky Slope Road, Suite 302 Greenville, SC 29607

864-242-4200 www.kdsproperties.com admin@kdsproperties.com

Michael W. Kiriakides 2001

50 -

8 1

Flex; health care; income-producing; industrial; multifamily; office; retail

Wilson Kibler 13 E. Coffee St. Greenville, SC 29601

864-679-8600 www.wilsonkibler.com alyse.howard@wilsonkibler.com

Ted Pitts, Edward Wilson, Givens B. Stewart 2011

45 -

12 50 1

Agricultural; flex; health care; hotel, motel; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; sports, entertainment; warehouse

Covington Commercial Realty Inc. 109 Pilgrim Road, Suite A Greenville, SC 29607

864-483-8811 www.covingtoncom.com chris@covingtoncom.com

Christopher E. Covington 1991

22 $1,500,000

1 20 1

Flex; income-producing; industrial; office; retail; warehouse

M.S. Shore Company Inc. 904 N. Church St. Greenville, SC 29601

864-235-3898 www.msshore.com msshore@msshore.com

M.S. Shore 1985

16 $20,000,000

2 30 1

Agricultural; flex; health care; hotel, motel; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; sports, entertainment; warehouse

Jeff Richardson Co. 3706 E. North St. Greenville, SC 29611

864-962-1750 www.jeffrichardsoncompany.com rrealestcm@aol.com

Caroline Richardson Mahaffey 1926

12 $11,000,000

2 2 1

Income-producing; land; multifamily

Metcalf Land Co. Inc. 1078 Boiling Springs Road Spartanburg, SC 29303

864-585-0444 www.metcalfland.com rob@metcalfland.com

Rob Metcalf 1971

12 -

4 4 1

Agricultural; industrial; land

Carroll Properties Corp. 1989 S. Pine St. Spartanburg, SC 29302

864-542-4455 www.cpcindustrial.com ecb@cpcindustrial.com

Elizabeth C. Belenchia, Thomas A. Belenchia 1976

7 $5,000,000

1 5 1

Agricultural; health care; hotel, motel; industrial; land; multifamily; warehouse

Joy Real Estate Co. Inc. 309 E. Butler Road Mauldin, SC 29662

864-297-3111 www.joyrealestate.com hello@joyrealestate.com

Craig Bailey 1975

7 $1,215,000

5 1 2

Agricultural; flex; health care; hotel, motel; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; sports, entertainment; warehouse

Bob Hill Realty LLC 528 Bypass 123, Suite D Seneca, SC 29678

864-882-0855 www.bobhillrealty.com sales@bobhillrealty.com

Michael S. Hill 1996

5 $1,500,000

1 5 1

Agricultural; hotel, motel; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; warehouse

Carolina Home Real Estate Inc. 102 N. Fairplay St. Seneca, SC 29678

864-882-6670 www.carolinahomesc.com info@carolinahomesc.com

Lisa A. Ancona 2003

1 1 1

Income-producing

Cushman & Wakefield 15 S. Main St., Suite 502 Greenville, SC 29601

864-370-8155 www.cushmanwakefield.com brian.j.young@cushwake.com

Brett Gray, Nicole Tobin, Brian J. Young 1917

7 66 1

Flex; income-producing; industrial; land; multifamily; office; restaurant; retail; warehouse

Because of space constraints, sometimes only the top-ranked companies are published in the print edition. For a full list of participating organizations, visit scbiznews.com/buy-business-lists. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to research@scbiznews.com.

Types of Properties

Researched by Business Report staff

IN FOCUS: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

www.gsabusiness.com

July 11-24, 2022

Commercial Moving & Storage Companies Ranked by No. of Employees in the Greenville Area, Then Listed Alphabetically Hilldrup Companies 750 Berry Shoals Road Duncan, SC 29334 Phone: 864-879-0021 Website: www.hilldrup.com Top Local Official(s): Billy Morrison Year Founded: 1903 Employees: 70 Warehouse Sq. Ft.: 135,000 Climate Controlled? Yes Packing Available? Yes Moving/Storage Services: Full service commercial, office and residential moving and storage Geographic Coverage: Statewide; western North Carolina Advanced Rigging & Machinery Movers 2117 Three and Twenty Road Easley, SC 29642 Phone: 864-850-9829 Website: www.advanced-rigging.com Email: mlhinty@advanced-rigging.com Top Local Official(s): Gene Burnett, Matthew Hinty Year Founded: 2003 Employees: 30 Warehouse Sq. Ft.: 12,000 Climate Controlled? No Packing Available? Yes Moving/Storage Services: 12,000 sq ft

of storage available Geographic Coverage: Nationwide Mark 1 Moving & Storage Inc. 121 McDougall Court Greenville, SC 29607 Phone: 864-269-7659 Website: www.mark1moving.com Email: support@mark1moving.com Top Local Official(s): Mark Tucker Year Founded: 1995 Employees: 15 Warehouse Sq. Ft.: 13,500 Climate Controlled? Yes Packing Available? Yes Moving/Storage Services: All services available Geographic Coverage: Nationwide H.D. Auston Moving Systems LLC 200 Pate Drive, Suite C Greenville, SC 29609 Phone: 864-269-0073 Website: www.austonmoving.com Email: info@austonmoving.com Top Local Official(s): Hardy D. Auston Year Founded: 1945 Employees: 6 Warehouse Sq. Ft.: 33,000 Climate Controlled? No Packing Available? Yes Moving/Storage Services: Designed

relocation process to meet specific needs Geographic Coverage: 48-state coverage Affordable Movers 201 W. Stone Ave. Greenville, SC 29609 Phone: 678-672-0444 Carey Moving & Storage Inc. 1 Shelter Drive Greer, SC 29650 Phone: 864-877-6683 Glaser & Sons 614 Keith Drive Greenville, SC 29607 Phone: 864-242-3607

Phone: 864-351-0606 Tiger Movers 899 N. Main St. Mauldin, SC 29662 Phone: 864-908-9028 Two Men & A Truck 2731 White Horse Road Greenville, SC 29611 Phone: 864-474-6171 U-Haul Moving & Storage 529 Wade Hampton Blvd. Greenville, SC 29609 Phone: 864-233-8319

Mobile Mini 361 Highway 183 Piedmont, SC 29673 Phone: 623-777-3752

United Rentals 2936 Grandview Drive Simpsonville, SC 29680 Phone: 864-963-4900

Quality Logistics Inc. 645 Leonard Road Duncan, SC 29334 Phone: 864-879-7770 Smith Dray Line 320 Park Commerce Road Greenville, SC 29611

Units Moving & Storage 308 Pennsylvania Ave. Greer, SC 29650 Phone: 864-254-0044

Because of space constraints, sometimes only the top-ranked companies are published in the print edition. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to research@scbiznews.com. Researched by Paige Wills

NAI EARLE FURMAN 2022 SUMMER INTERNS 101 E. WASHINGTON STREET, SUITE 400, GREENVILLE, SC 29601

NAIEARLEFURMAN.COM

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BUSINESS DIGEST | PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Business Digest

First Reliance Bank founder and CEO Rick Saunders, left, receives the Participating Partner Award from Edwin Lesley, chairman of the Business Development Corp. of South Carolina.

partnership with the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, announced its annual HR Conference and Strategic Academy will take place Sept. 21-23 at Marriott Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach. The conference features discussions on a post-COVID workplace, a keynote address by Nally Group Inc. President Jeff Nally and sessions with a combination of HR practitioners and legal counsel. Attendees can receive up to six SHRM- and HR Certification Institute-approved recertification credits. For more information, visit https://sc.shrm.org/

First Reliance CEO recognized by business organization

Edwin Lesley, chairman of the Business Development Corp. of South Carolina, recognized First Reliance Bank during the organization’s annual meeting in May. Rick Saunders, founder and CEO of First Reliance Bank, received the Participating Partner Award for 2021 for the Greatest Number of Loans Approved in 2021 on behalf of the bank. The award recognizes the bank’s effort to assist business customers with PPP loans. Leadership training available July 12-14 Life Cycle Institute, a training program of Life Cycle Engineering (LCE), has openings for its July 12-14 class in Greenville. The Maintenance Management Skills course, which teaches supervisors how to lead maintenance departments using planning and scheduling best practices, will be held at Clemson University’s Center for Corporate Learning in Greenville. For more information, visit www.lce. com.

Grant to support junior golf clinics

South Carolina Charities Inc. announced the receipt of a $10,000 grant from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation for a series of junior golf clinics during the 2022 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD Synnex played in June at Thornblade Club and The Carolina Country Club. The grant, given by the local Greenville Golf Galaxy and Dick’s stores, funded numerous clinics, including a girls’ only clinic, a clinic for Spanish-speaking youth, and a clinic for children with autism.

Statewide HR Conference set for Sept. 21-23 at Myrtle Beach

The South Carolina Society for HR Management State Council (SC SHRM), in

Carter Tippins, left, and Micah Taylor at the 2022 National Addy Awards in Nashville.

Electric Soul receives national Addy Award for video

United Bank donations helps GTC students Staff Report

gsanews@scbiznews.com

nited Bank has donated $2,500 to the Greenville Tech Foundation to be used for the Emergency Student Needs Fund. This gift will assist students who have unmet critical needs, providing help with medical bills, utilities, rent, bus passes, and other financial burdens that could otherwise cause a student to drop out. Funds are administered through Greenville Technical College’s Student Assistance and Resources Center, which helped 177 students and granted more than $197,000 in emergency aid last year. Resources provided by the STAR Center include the on-campus Caring Corner Food Pantry, providing packaged and canned items to help students navigate food insecurity, according to a news release. “We are grateful to United Bank for joining with us to help students through hurdles,” Ann Wright, vice president for

Greenville-based advertising agency Electric Soul said it received a Silver Addy at the 2022 National ADDY Awards in Nashville in June 3. The award recognizes the agency’s video created for the James Fisher Memorial Foundation. The Addy Awards program is officiated by theAmerican Advertising Federation.

Greenville Tech recognizes students NGU updates communications majors

BASF’s Lizardi receives national award for women in manufacturing

Elba Lizardi, site director of the BASF facility in Seneca, was among 130 women recognized nationally at The Manufacturing Institute’s 10th annual STEP Ahead Awards. Focusing on science, technology, engineering and production (STEP), the program honors women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers across all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the executive level. Lizardi joined BASF in 2020 and was named site director at BASF’s Seneca facility in August 2020. Over the last two years, Lizardi has overseen a site expansion that includes the addition of more than 100 new employees.

advancement with the Greenville Tech Foundation, said in the news release. “Supporting the college’s mission of transforming lives through education, United is making sure that students are able to stay in college until they graduate. Gaining the skills to achieve economic mobility, graduates ensure that area employers have the qualified new hires they need to succeed.” “United Bank is proud to partner with Greenville Technical College,” Jim Boyd, United Bank market president, said in the release. “College is a place of learning, hope and growth, and we are supporting our communities’ future leaders to continue on this path by removing some of the unexpected financial burdens that may arise. It is an honor to offer this support.” United Bank has a goal of helping communities in a variety of areas including financial literacy, children and education, health and affordable housing. Through volunteerism, fundraising and corporate support, United works to make a positive impact across the Upstate, the company said in the release.

North Greenville University said its School of Communication in the College of Communication and Fine Arts will begin offering an updated slate of majors for Fall 2022, including new concentrations of study in film, strategic communication and sports media. The School will have two majors for the new academic year: digital media with concentrations in broadcast, film, journalism and sports; and strategic communication with concentrations in public relations, communication studies and media ministry.

The African American Male Scholars Initiative (AAMSI) at Greenville Technical College celebrated achievements of the group’s members in an awards presentation in May. Among the awards presented were 22 special AAMSI jackets given to students who earned 1,000 or more engagement points. These points were achieved by participating in activities including program orientation, advising sessions, lunch and learns, financial literacy training and counseling, while maintaining a minimum 2.2 grade point average. In addition, nine participants earned AAMSI blazers. This honor signifies earning 2,000 or more engagement points.

Logisticus recognized internationally TD Bank gives to International Logisticus Group, a transportation logis- African American Museum tics company based in Greenville, said it received a Longevity Award from the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association. SC&RA is an international organization comprised of more than 1,350 members from 46 nations. SC&RA’s Longevity Awards are presented to member companies for longtime support and dedication to the association and its mission. Logisticus Group was recognized with the 10 Year Award.

The International African American Museum (IAAM) said it received a $250,000 grant from TD Bank to sponsor the TD Bank Program Series. The series will feature nine community events and programs from 2022 to 2024. The array of public programs is designed to appeal to various multi-generational audiences and includes national speakers, panel programs and arts and foodways events. For more information, visit iaamuseum.org.

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July 11-24, 2022

People in the News BUSINESS SERVICES Endeavor, a co-working and office space community in downtown Greenville, has three new members: Kelley Jones, owner and attorney at KH Jones Law Firm; Alex Hay, co-founder of Gold Path Solar; and executive leadership development company Battlefield Leadership.

CONSTRUCTION The summer intern in Thomas & Hutton’s Greenville civil department is Lee Mikell, a rising junior at Clemson University. A civil engineering major, Mikell is Mikell chapter president for Clemson’s American Society of Civil Engineers student club. McCrory Construction has promoted Nick Skrobola to project manager. Skrobola has a decade of construction industry experience and is currently working Skrobola on a 150,000-squarefoot warehouse and machine/maintenance shop in Anderson. A graduate of Clemson University, he has a Bachelor of Science in Construction Science and Management.

FINANCIAL SERVICES Forbes has named Mark Clary of McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors, a 2022 Best-In-State Wealth Advisor. Clary began his career in the Greenville NorthClary western Mutual office and co-founded McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors in 2018. The company became part of Northwestern Mutual’s private client group in 2021. The Southern Bank has named Clayton Davenport as vice president and branch manager of its Greenville location. Davenport, who has a decade of experience Davenport in the financial industry, specializes in business development and branch operations. A graduate of Lander University, he earned his MBA from Charleston Southern University. Russ Williams is now The Southern Bank’s senior vice president of Upstate commercial lending in the Greenville market. He

is a 35-year veteran of the banking industry, with experience in bank leadership, relationship management, loan production, and credit administration. WilWilliams liams earned a bachelor’s degree at Davidson College and an MBA at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

GOVERNMENT The S.C. House of Representatives recognized Allen Gillespie, chief investment officer at FinTrust Capital Advisors, for his public service and commitment to Gillespie South Carolina as a commissioner of the Retirement System Investment Commission. Gillespie was appointed by the House Ways and Means Committee as one of the original commissioners in 2005 and served until 2021. An Anderson native, Gillespie graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s in economics from Washington & Lee University, where he was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an economics honor society.

Jud Hub names community director Staff Report

gsanews@cbiznews.com

he Judson Mill Community Innovation Hub, Judson’s newest collaborative space for non-profits, mission-driven profits, small businesses and social entrepreneurs, has named James Westman Abbott as community director. The Judson Mill Community Innovation Hub, Jud Hub for short, is a member of Founded Communities, an impact-driven coworking management and consulting firm that works with community leaders, policy makers, private developers and universities to use innovation spaces and programming as a means for economic and community impact, according to a news release. In his role, Abbott will be responsible for leading the community of social innovators at Judson Mill and beyond, the release said. Abbott will work with community leaders in Greenville to collaborate on resources, events and programming that will benefit the neighborhood and the nonprofit membership at Jud Hub. He also will oversee the 18,000-square-foot space and serve as main point of contact for collaborating or leasing space. “I am excited to be part of this community investment,” Abbott said in the release. “Our Jud Hub family will be about

collaboration, creativity, community and compassion for others. On a higher level, we will be about developing mission, purpose and identity as we create impact for our Judson Mill neighbors and surrounding Greenville community.” Abbott comes to the Jud Hub after serving The Salvation Army Area Command of Greenville Abbot for the past 14 years. “We are fortunate to have James as the new director for Jud Hub because he has the perfect balance of non-profit and for-profit experience,” Jess Porta, chief strategist of Founded Communities, said in the release. “This community is made up of non-profits and scaling small businesses so understanding both worlds is essential. James has an incredible passion for helping people and we look forward to seeing the unique programming and resources he will develop as director.” The Jud Hub is set to open this month and will be home to the recently announced CommunityWorks Learning Center. Membership at the Jud Hub includes access to high-speed Wi-Fi, common coworking spaces, classroom spaces, conference rooms, huddle rooms, phone booths and beer and coffee on tap.

MANUFACTURING Sefa Group has promoted Wiley Blankenship from major projects manager to vice president of Sefa Industrial Solutions. He is responsible for leading the operations of Sefa’s industrial construction and installation services.

MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Summer interns in the Executive Management Assistance Program at Jeff Dezen Public Relations are Grace Mills, a senior at Furman University; Megan Sheets, a senior at the University of Akron; and Johnathon Smith, a senior at Bob Jones University. Mills is double majoring in communication studies and information technology. Sheets is pursuing a degree in communication with a public relations concentration and a minor in converged media. Smith is majoring in journalism and mass communication with a public relations concentration.

Farmer

Infinity Marketing has brought in Mallory Farmer as media coordinator and Tia Ternberg as media buyer. Farmer is a graduate of Clemson University, where she received a bachelor’s in marketing. Her most

recent position was with Clemson as an advancement marketing intern. Ternberg is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where she received a bachelor’s in adverTernberg tising with a minor in business administration. She most recently worked at Chernoff Newman as a junior media planner. Jonathan Tribble has joined Story, a digital marketing firm serving the Southeast, as director of marketing services to oversee creation and execution of marketing strategies. An Anderson University graduate, Tribble brings more than 17 years’ experience in marketing, specializing in search engine optimization, search engine marketing, graphic design and account service.

NONPROFIT

Buck

Emory University.

The new volunteer coordinator at Rebuild Upstate is Natalie Buck. After graduating from the University of North Dakota, Buck received her master of divinity at Candler School of Theology at

REAL ESTATE John Simmons joined the William Pender team of CrossCountry Mortgage as a business development specialist. Simmons Simmons previously worked as a real estate agent in the Upstate and in sales with Greer Flooring Center.

Fields

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner Realtors announced that Danielle Fields joined the company’s Simpsonville office as a sales associate.

Jamie Cobb has joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner, Realtors’ Spartanburg office as a sales associate. Cobb Jamie earned a bacheCobb lor of science in math education at the University of South Carolina Upstate and an international MBA at USC’s Darla Moore School of Business.

IN FOCUS: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

July 11-24, 2022

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The economy has a way of shrugging off higher interest rates

he long-awaited slowdown in the pace of economic activity remains elusive. Jobs are being created at a robust pace. Consumers are spending. Businesses are investing. The housing market has slowed but largely because of a lack of supply rather than a drop in demand. It is hard to see any significant slowing in growth or the rate of inflation. Economists are once again underestimating the strength and resilience of the U.S. economy. Apparently they are focusing on the increase in nominal rates and ignore what is happening to real rates. As long as real interest rates remain negative, the economy will not slow by any appreciable amount and inflation will remain stubbornly high. The Fed plans to raise the funds rate to what it believes is a neutral rate of 2.5% by the end of this year, and perhaps move it slightly above that neutral level into restrictive mode in 2023. That has clearly spooked stock investors and caused economists to ratchet downwards their growth expectations. But the Fed told us what it planned to do in December of last year and the stock market has been sliding steadily ever since. Shouldn’t we see clear evidence of slower economic activity by now? Most economists will point to the housing market as evidence that slower growth has arrived. Existing home sales

began their slide at the exact same time that the Fed began to sound tough and the stock market began its swoon. Most economists conclude that the housing market is slowing down in response to the combo of sharp increases in home prices and rising mortgage rates. It makes perfect sense. Or does it? If home sales were being hit by reduced demand, why is it that the average home sells in just 17 days which is the shortest length of time between listSlifer ing and sale ever. It seems to us that the demand for housing remains solid. But the most important factor in our mind is that there is only a 2.2-month supply of homes available for sale. Real estate agents would like to see a 6month supply. There are simply not enough homes from which to choose. Some of the ones that are available will be too expensive, too small, in bad condition, or not close enough to a school. It is difficult to find something that suits your needs. Home sales would be far stronger if there were more homes on the market. So have home sales suffered because of reduced demand? Or are there simply not enough See SLIFER, Page 22

Make data driven decisions.

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