VOLUME 24 NUMBER 20 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM
Part of the
OCTOBER 18 - OCTOBER 31, 2021 ■ $2.25
network
Demand for workers pushing wages higher By Ross Norton
A better way of development
Groups work to preserve natural areas. Page 10
The upside
Commercial real estate players say business is going well. Page 9
M
rnorton@scbiznews.com
aybe the politicians can’t agree on what to do about increasing the federal minimum wage, but the market is making its own decisions. And the decision seems to be that wages must go up. The federal minimum has remained $7.25 since 2009 and it seems that’s not enough in 2021. Pressure to pay more, especially in the
hospitality sector, was exacerbated by the pandemic, according to Furman University economics professor Kailash Khandke. “The minimum wage debate that started a little before the pandemic, was highlighted during the pandemic, when workers in the service sector, restaurants, etc., felt that they were working long hours with little to no benefits, said Khandke, the Frederick W. Symmes Professor of Economics at Furman. “At the same time research on the poverty line and
FORK IN THE ROAD Booming festival raises hopes of beleaguered restaurant industry. See story, Page 25.
See WAGES, Page 28
Labs ramp up for mandated COVID-19 tests By Molly Hulsey
C
mhulsey@scbiznews.com
arolina COVID-19 testing labs are scaling up for enhanced demand as the Palmetto State’s largest employers anticipate rollout of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Some report that the industry is dealing with a shortage of testing kits. Others add that their company’s supply chain is doing just fine despite a warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about too few rapid tests in September. “We’re the number one vendor for Thermofisher and Medline, so we will not have a supply chain issue,” said Nolan McBride, executive director of Mako Medical Laboratory. “We don’t forsee that. We have the capacity to run about 50,000 COVID [tests] a day and that will last about six months with the current supply we have.” North Carolina-based Mako Medical Laboratory was selected by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control as one of four labs to process tests for the state’s school district testing sites. Mako Medical serves most of the Upstate districts including
New Realm eyes Greenville icon
Brewery and restaurant finds a home at Old Cigar Warehouse. Page 27
New chair at CU
Industrial engineering department has new leader in Taaffe. Page 29
INSIDE Leading Off........................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 C-Suite................................. 4 In Focus: Food & Beverage....25 LIST: Breweries, Wineries & Distilleries...........................26 At Work...............................29 Viewpoint............................ 31
poverty threshold resulted in government intervention and trial programs with things like Universal Basic Income. So we may be seeing wages begin to go up in some of these low earning positions.” A number of announcements have suggested a trend. Chipotle made national news in May when the company said it would raise its minimum wage companywide to an aver-
In Focus
See LABS, Page 7
Real Estate Power List
The most influential residential and commercial real estate professionals in South Carolina. Inside, Page 13