S.C. Delivers

test the alcohol in their house to make sure no one had stolen a gulp and replaced it with water.

At the same time, he believed his word was his bond, and he applied that to his business. “I’ve seen him do things that were not in his best interest because he said he would,” recalled Ben. “He used to say, ‘Your word is everything. Your reputation is everything.’ ”

Norman was a man who could speak conceptually about the business but also knew the most minute details. “That went for people as well,” said Ben. “Even though he had hundreds of employees, he knew his people and cared about them.”

An account of Norman Arnold’s philanthropic contributions to Columbia, the state and his industry is way too long for a comprehensive list. He served for 28 years as director of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association and multiple statewide task forces appointed by governors, with whom he was friendly. He chaired the American Heart Association Heart Fund and served as trustee for Providence Hospital in Columbia and the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He was a trustee at Oglethorpe University, his alma mater, and supported a string of Jewish causes and organizations. In 1977, he earned a Time Magazine Distinguished Community Service Award. He believed deeply, and imparted to his three sons, the importance of giving back.

Norman Arnold was short but tough, strong and indefatigable. He boxed much bigger men in the Navy and never backed down. With a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 1983, when his younger sons Michael and David were months from their Bar Mitzvah, Norman’s doctors told him he wouldn’t live to see it. He told them they were wrong, consulted with a health guru in Boston, and adopted a macrobiotic diet and exercise regimen that led him to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. He lived 33 more years.

Said his son Ben, “Norman Arnold belongs in the HOF because he’s setting an example for how you’re supposed to be: You’re supposed to work hard, do well, help other people, and then give back.”

“I’ve seen him do things that were not in his best interest because he said he would. He used to say, ‘Your word is everything. Your reputation is everything.’ ”

— Ben Arnold

South Carolinas Media Engineer for Economic Growth

COMING IN APRIL!

Trending Now: Automotive

In April, SCBIZ magazine takes a deeper “drive” through the Automotive Industry, the businesses that support it, and growth trends for the future in South Carolina.

Clarendon County will be in the Spotlight, along with a Power List of Economic Development Attorneys.

Don’t miss this opportunity to promote your brand to 18,000+ high-level business executives and site selectors.

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Spring 2021

Driving toward the future S.C. automakers push tech advancements, electric power

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George Greene III

Greene called to serve a mission of clean water access around the world

George Greene III was happy in his job in New Jersey as a chemical engineer for a refinery design team at Exxon, a company that provided challenging projects, a varied experience, worldwide travel and an excellent living. But he and his wife, Molly, decided they wanted their children to grow up in a smalltown, Southern environment like those they enjoyed as children. They moved the family to Charleston and opened an environmental firm – General Engineering Laboratories.

At the start, George and Molly had no plans to grow GEL into the largest privately held environmental laboratories in the United States and the largest single-site, mixed-waste lab in the country, with three spinoffs and hundreds of employees. At

George Greene III (first row, right) with family in the Bahamas. (Photos/Provided)

“Looking back, we found that dealing with helping people get access to safe water had become more rewarding to us than helping people deal with environmental regulations.”

— George Greene III

George and Molly Greene with GEL staff in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

George and Molly Greene during a trip to Africa.

the time of its founding in 1981, GEL was George and a chemist, while Molly served as CEO of the family. The company grew so fast that Molly jumped on board to help with marketing and human resources and remained in those positions for 20 years.

GEL quickly discovered that it could fill two niches in one and thereby provide a unique service to its customers. “Quality is a very big deal, and the definition of quality is meeting the needs of the client,” George said. While chemical companies could inform industrial clients that they weren’t meeting environmental regulations, they couldn’t help the clients remediate it. GEL developed procedures to implement environmental policies for their customers. That fueled the company’s growth, at one point doubling in size every two years.

“That was one of the growth strategies of GEL,” George said. “Growth and profit are the scoreboard. If you do your job well, growth and profit take care of themselves.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras, a country the Greenes’ daughter had served in and felt connected to. Through

GEL, they designed and constructed six emergency drinking water treatment systems from hardware store parts and delivered them to Honduras, along with 50 tons of supplies collected by a galvanized Charleston community. This turned out to be a life-changing experience for them and their family.

The more they researched the issue of clean drinking water globally, the more the Greenes discovered what a crisis the world faced. A billion people were drinking contaminated water every day and nearly a million people die of water-borne disease annually. For the next two years, George and Molly poured more and more of their energies into solving the worldwide water problem. After significant thought and prayer, that led to their next, momentous step.

“We concluded that the Lord was saying it was time to get out of the environmental business and focus on water. Looking back, we found that dealing with helping people get access to safe water had become more rewarding to us than helping people deal with environmental regulations,” George said.

In 2000, the Greenes sold GEL to their leadership team and embarked on building a global nonprofit, Water Mission International. Today, Water Mission is a global Christian ministry headquartered in Charleston with offices around the world. The organization is staffed by 430 employees and several hundred contract employees and has implemented thousands of projects that are providing safe water to more than 7 million people in 57 countries.

In 2010, George and Molly began to develop a strategy to share the technology and engineering experience of Water Mission with other global organizations as a means to scale the global water crisis solution, by then affecting two billion people around the world. While developing the plan to form the Global Water Center as a separate nonprofit with George at the helm, Molly died in a tragic accident when she got caught in a riptide swimming in the Bahamas.

“It felt like my heart had been ripped out,” George said.

George carried on the ministry that Molly had co-created. Today, Water Mission is a global implementer of safe water solutions, with George Greene IV serving as president and CEO, and the Global Water Center is a resource of systems, support services, and equipment to other global implementing organizations.

George III was educated in chemical engineering at the University of Florida, Columbia University and Tulane University, from which he earned his Ph.D. He is a licensed professional engineer and holds several patents related to water treatment.

In 2008, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service from Charleston Southern University. He and Molly have also received The Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award, and Rotary International’s Service Above Self Award. He is an active member of St. Philip’s Church, where he has served on the vestry as Senior Warden and chairman of the Restoration Committee. He currently serves on the Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. He enjoys sailing and flying and is an instrument-rated commercial pilot. His two children, George and Jen, have produced nine grandchildren between them.

2022

CALLING ALL HIGH-GROWTH COMPANIES!

We are currently accepting nominations for the top 40 high-growth large and small companies in South Carolina. Company size is determined by gross revenue. • Large – Over $10 million • Small – $10 million and under Nominate today: bit.ly/22roar20noms

Self-nominations are encouraged! Nominations close on April 1, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

Presented by:

George and Molly Greene outside Water Mission headquarters in North Charleston. www.scbizmag.com