November 15 - November 28, 2021
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SC Biz News Briefs
1946 — 2021
Two cranes arrived at Columbus Street Terminal after a two-month voyage from Shanghai aboard the Zhen Hua 35. (Photo/Teri Errico Griffis)
CHARLESTON
Teri Errico Griffis, Charleston Regional Business Journal
Wando terminal receives latest round of updated equipment in 2 cranes
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ando Welch Terminal now has 15 updated cranes after two more arrived Nov. 3 from Shanghai. The cranes docked at Columbus Street Terminal, where S.C. Ports Authority crew spent a few days dropping sea fasteners and other rigging that hold the booms upright before the gear can be transported under the Ravenel Bridge. Since redesigns began for the terminal in 2014, four of the former cranes have been renovated and raised. The others will all have been replaced with the arrival of these final two. “It’s our duty to be an economic engine for the state,” said Ed Stehmeyer, SCPA general manager and projects and design manager. “As a part of that, we’re building the infrastructure needed to make sure we can handle the cargo demands in the future.” The two new cranes cost nearly $11.5 million each. Coming in at 3.8 million pounds apiece, they have a lift height of 155 feet. The cranes are taller than the previous Wando set, but shorter than the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal cranes because they were designed years ago when the projected ships were smaller than they are today, Stehmeyer said. HLT cranes clock in at 169 feet. “We’re obviously not done improving these facilities and whatnot, but like I said, we started this in 2014, and it takes time,” Stehmeyer said. “We’re projecting far out, and we’re trying to make sure we have timely infrastructure for what’s coming ahead.” For Wando Welch Terminal, that’s getting the final two cranes up and running. Once they arrive at the terminal, one berth will be shut down for a couple days while the parts are offloaded. The SCPA will need another four to five months to fully reassemble the equipment and get everything working. The SCPA is also looking into a wharf extension as part of a plan to use barges to transport cargo containers at Wando Welch Terminal to HLT. Wando currently has three parking spots for ships, but plans would extend the wharf 700 feet so that a barge can slip into a fourth spot.
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.
C E L E B R AT I N G S E V E N T Y- F I V E Y E A R S OF BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES. Greenville, SC | Gainesville, GA | Atlanta, GA | carrolldaniel.com
Savage Craft Ale Works West Columbia, SC
Photo by: Oswald Design + Creative
CHERYL BENNETT Owner Audacy Preschool
PAGE 4 VOLUME 27 NUMBER 23 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM VOLUME 14 NUMBER 16 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM
Holiday spirit
Vista Lights celebration returns to full format. Page 2
Part of the
network
NOVEMBER 8-21, 2021 ■ $2.25
SERVICE
Dangerous drones Company receives a $6.7million contract to train troops on drone threats. Page 13
IN THE
China to Chas.
Two 3.8-million-lb. cranes arrive at Wando Welch Terminal from Shanghai. Page 10
Business Report to honor 22 Women of Influence. Page 8
Industry in focus
A Clemson University alumnus returns to S.C. to become the new SCBIO CEO. Page 11
Triple sale
A real estate company swoops up three King Street properties for $5.1 million. Page 8
The McCutchen House, which provides fine dining and hands-on traning at the University of South Carolina, opened to the public in September for the first time since 2019. (Photo/Melinda Waldrop)
By Melinda Waldrop
INSIDE
Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 In Focus: Hospitality and Tourism ............................. 13 List: Hotels with Meeting Facilities ............................ 15 At Work .............................. 21 Viewpoint ...........................23
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mwaldrop@scbiznews.com
hile the initial surge that lifted S.C.’s hospitality and tourism industry when businesses reopened after pandemic-related closures has abated somewhat, experts agree that reasons for optimism remain for the economic sector that brought a record-breaking $28.3 billion to the state in 2020. Scott Smith, associate professor and graduate program director at the University of South Carolina’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, said that a combination of pent-up demand and shored-up finances drove record business at hotels and resorts when stricter quarantine measures were first lifted. “The bottom dropped out at the very beginning, just really everyone
was suffering, and then we started coming back,” Smith said. “Every month, it got progressively better. … Resorts that had laid off staff weren’t prepared. They cut staff and they didn’t plan for the comeback. When things bounced back in March, April and May, a lot of problems were because of staffing, and still are. That just made the resorts and the hotels that were prepared even better off.” According to the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Hotel Revenue Per Available Room, or RevPAR, for the week ending Oct. 23 was $80.92, up 67.3% from the same week in 2020 and up 9.9% from the same time in 2019. As of Oct. 23, year-to-date RevPAR was 73.7% above the same period in 2020 and 2.7% above the same time in 2019. See HOSPITALITY, Page 14
Historic hire
Barbara Melvin to become first female CEO of SC Ports Authority. Page 9
ColumbiaBusinessReport.com
GSA DAILY
INSIDE
Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 Small Business Spotlight ....... 4 In Focus: Defense and Homeland Security............. 13 List: Defense Contractors ... 16 At Work ..............................27 Viewpoint ...........................29 Day in the Life ..................... 31
shipped to their doors in brown, carboard boxes. But it seems shopping habits also have accelerated the sector of furniture and home furnishings as the fastest-growing commodity in Charleston and the country. Year-over year, the U.S. has experienced a 50% increase in furniture imports, with See FURNITURE, Page 7
Paint supply drying up under pandemic push
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By Alexandria Ng
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Home sweet home
Full steam ahead
Infrastructure investments pay off for SC Ports. Page 10
S.C. trying to increase filmmaking appeal. Page 19
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tgriffis@scbiznews.com
ears ago, when Micah Mallace walked through a warehouse at holiday time, he watched as container after container arrived filled with hover boards — a popular self-balancing scooter that burst onto the scene that holiday. Retailers were preparing for an inundation
of orders. “What predicts the next explosive thing, I think, 100% is our buying habits. We’re a consumption-driven economy,” the senior vice president of marketing and sales for the S.C. Ports Authority said. For much of the pandemic, retail goods have been on the rise as consumers, hesitant of traveling and venturing out of the house, shopped online for a flow of tangible items Officer Thomas Wallace surveys the waters from the Harbor Patrol boat. (Photo/Alexandria Ng)
Experts see reason for optimism in evolving hospitality industry
NOVEMBER 15 - 28, 2021 ■ $2.25
network
Capacity drives flow of furniture to Charleston By Teri Errico Griffis
STORM Difference makers
Part of the
CRUISE CONTROL The North Charleston Police Department Harbor Patrol oversees a wide range of duties to ensure the safety of all things associated with Charleston’s waters. Page 31
ang@scbiznews.com
hen the pandemic quarantine period kept millions of people looking at the interior of their homes, renovations around the house that would normally be placed on the back burner finally had their moment in the sun. More than a year later, renovations remain strong as lingering effects of the pandemic have popularized the work-from-home model, in addition to other reasons as to why Americans may find themselves with more time and funds to allocate to home-office upgrades. Across the country, paint suppliers are struggling to keep up with increased demand as products fly off the shelves with more customers taking on residential and commercial projects, and South Carolina is not the exception. Jimmy Brooks is the owner of the 360 Painting Columbia franchise, part of a national brand with 133 locations across 40 states and D.C. For Brooks, a customer placing an order could mean a slew of follow-up phone calls to other stores to see if they have the specific paint in inventory.
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See PAINT, Page 9
Architecture Power List
The most influential architects and design professionals in South Carolina. Page 17
CharlestonBusiness.com
SCBIZmag.com
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