VOLUME 23 NUMBER 13 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM
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JULY 13 - JULY 26, 2020 ■ $2.25
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In Focus Historic Greer lights up with finished CenterG By Molly Hulsey
Passenger traffic on the ascent
After hitting rock bottom in April, GSP flights pick up. Page 17
Confidence builder sticks to windows Greenville hopes to reassure diners and travelers. Page 12
Time for leaders to step up for staff Columnist: Employers should look out for employee safety Page 23
Looking ahead for next 125 years Greenville Country Club manager takes the long view for club operations. Page 4
INSIDE
Leading Off .......................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 C-Suite ................................ 4 In Focus: Hospitality and Tourism ............................. 17 LIST: Restaurants with Banquet Facilities .............. 18 At Work ..............................22 Viewpoint ...........................23
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Mayor Rick Danner stands in front of Trade Street improvements. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)
mhulsey@scbiznews.com
side from a nameplate inlay in the intersection of Randall and Victoria Streets with Trade Street, on June 30, downtown Greer was a few bricks away from fulfilling a vision eight years in the making. Called CenterG, the streetscape project is a key phase in the town’s master plan. “There was this point in time that people said ‘Oh my god, what have you done? You have ruined downtown,’” Mayor Rick Danner said as he surveyed the length of Trade Street. “On the flipside of that, just in the last six or eight weeks as the light posts have gone up, as the lights come on at night, as the landscaping has gone in, as the final pieces have started to sort of fall in place, you’re getting ‘Oh my gosh, it looks great!” By June 30, electricians had beaded turn-of-the-century Trade Street with string lights. Three years and $10.8 million worth of engineering and craftsmanship by Greer Commission of Public Works, Sossamon Construction Co. and designers Kimley-Horn produced a feature that, according to Danner, few southeastern towns can claim — a level Republic can produce an engine every 30 days to meet demand. (Photo/Ross Norton)
“shared surface” streetscape marked by colored brick instead of paint. Alternating maroon and umber ribs delineate crosswalks; burnt orange herringbone ringed by a cream parallel-parking lane cordons See GREER, Page 6
ON TRACK Greenville manufacturer revolutionizes industrial locomotive By Ross Norton
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rnorton@scbiznews.com
hey’re not the 200-ton behemoths rolling down the CSX main lines, but at 160,000 pounds, the Republic Locomotive model RX500 — the only industrial locomotive made in America — is still imposing when viewed up close, and it packs plenty of muscle for its niche in industrial settings around the world. Republic has been repairing locomotives at its Greenville headquarters since 1980 when founder Lewis Rhodes of See LOCOMOTIVE, Page 8
Bounce Back
Experts from help businesses prepare for when the coronavirus pandemic subsides. Page 11