SCBIZ Magazine July/August 2022

SCBIZNEWS.COM JULY/AUGUST 2022

GOING VERTICAL

GROWING TREND

Hydroponics changing crop production

Farm taking hemp to next level

Check out the 10 best upscale neighborhoods in Greenville

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

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 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.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Rick Jenkins, Group Publisher rjenkins@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1224 SCBIZ EDITORIAL TEAM Jason Thomas, executive editor jthomas@scbiznews.com • 864.568.7570 Ross Norton, managing editor-content rnorton@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1222 Melinda Waldrop, managing editor-production mwaldrop@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7542 Molly Hulsey, staff writer mhulsey@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1223 Paige Wills, research specialist pwills@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3125 Steve McDaniel, editor, Custom Publishing Division smcdaniel@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3121 SCBIZ ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Ryan Downing, senior account executive rdowning@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1221 Lucia Smith, senior account executive lsmith@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7547

HEMP HYPE

Charleston farm leading way in upscaled production.

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Amanda Alford, multimedia account executive aalford@bridgetowermedia.com • 864.720.1223 Tony Rossi, multimedia account executive trossi@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1974 Jim Wheeler, multimedia account executive jwheeler@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3104 SCBIZ EVENTS DEPARTMENT Kim McManus, events manager kmcmanus@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3116

South Carolina’s Media Engine for Economic Growth ACCOUNTING ar@bridgetowermedia.com SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES service@bridgetowermedia.com • 877.615.9536

CUSTOM MEDIA DIVISION Ryan Wilcox, Director of Research Operations rwilcox@bridgetowermedia.com • 843.849.3117

About the Cover: Artist Ginette Callaway’s watercolor of Shem Creek was inspired by a trip to the area a decade ago. Find out more about Callaway on Page 6.

GENETIC INNOVATION

MUSC researchers unlock key gene mutation.

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Mailing address: 3265 North Carolina Ave., Suite 101 North Charleston, SC 29405 Phone: 843.849.3100 www.scbiznews.com NWS Company LLC A portfolio company of BridgeTower Media

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CLOSING THE SKILLS GAP

Life science industry luring Gen X through technology.

Page 20 The entire contents of this newspaper are copyright by NWS Company LLC with all rights reserved. Any reproduction or use of the content within this publication without permission is prohibited. SCBIZ and South Carolina’s Media Engine for Economic Growth are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

GETTING VERTICAL

Hydroponics changing look, delivery of crops.

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COUNTY SPOTLIGHT

Chester County offers urban perks in rural setting.

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POWER LIST

Check out the state’s top Real Estate Attorneys.

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SC DELIVERS INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Susie Shannon, president and CEO, SC Council on Competitiveness, says collaboration is crucial Page 9

Amid change, SC Ports keeps breaking records.

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SC UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Learn who’s building what and when projects are slated to be completed.

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AROUND THE STATE

Catch up on the biggest news from the Upstate, Midlands and Lowcountry.

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LEADING OFF

Life Science Industry in South Carolina 87,773 TOTAL JOBS

42.2%

30,731 EMPLOYEES

1,033 EMPLOYMENT GROWTH SINCE 2017

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COMPANIES

$25.7 billion ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

$5.6 billion LABOR INCOME

$87,639 AVERAGE DIRECT INDUSTRY JOB ANNUAL WAGE

www.scbizmag.com

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FROM THE EDITOR

On the lookout for another first

M

y first trip to South Carolina was in high school.

Pawleys Island.

You never forget a place responsible for so many firsts: my first glimpse of the ocean; my first time seeing dolphins swimming; my first time holding a squirmy sand dollar.

So many years later, South Carolina has given me another first: the role of executive editor. Decades after I first dug my toes into a sandy beach as a stranger, I now call South Carolina home.

As the new executive editor of SC Biz News, which is responsible for the production of this magazine, I’m afforded a front-row seat to South Carolina’s bustling business scene. From the Upstate to the Midlands to the Lowcountry, the Palmetto State’s economy offers plenty of storylines.

They include the state’s life sciences industry, which is the focus of this issue of SCBIZ Magazine. According to SCBIO’s 2022 life sciences impact report, conducted by University of South Carolina research economist Joey Von Nessen, South Carolina’s life science sector has grown by 62% since the study, conducted in 2021, and generates a total economic output of nearly $26 billion each year.

You can read more about the reason behind that growth inside these pages.

You can also learn about innovative life sciences-related companies and cuttingedge research in this issue, including BrightMa Farms, a pioneer in the hemp in-

dustry that is eyeing the international market; SkillsGapp, which aims to connect workforce opportunities with emerging talent; and Vertical Roots, the country’s largest hydroponic container company whose technology is changing how communities grow food.

We’re in the innovative mood here at SCBIZ Magazine, too. We’re working to enhance our product so that it’s a fitting vehicle to give voice to South Carolina’s dynamic companies and organizations — and the personalities behind them. It’s a work in progress, just like any venture.

As I help guide this ship, along with SC Biz News’ three business journals in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, I invite you to drop me a line. Let me know what’s happening within the state’s economic ecosystem.

I’m always on the lookout for another first.

Jason Thomas is the executive editor of SC Biz News. Send him an email via jthomas@scbiznews.com.

On the cover: Meet artist Ginette Callaway Ginette Callaway’s backstory is as colorful as her paintings.

The 65-year-old Lovejoy, Ga., resident — she lives between Lovejoy and Jonesboro, but prefers Lovejoy “because it sounds prettier” — was born in France, raised in Germany and has a Turkish stepfather.

“I have this mumbo-jumbo mix, like a spicy goulash-type of background,” Callaway says with a slight accent.

Callaway is our featured cover artist for this issue of SCBIZ Magazine. Her watercolor and pastel painting of Shem Creek near Mount Pleasant was inspired by a trip to the area a decade ago.

“I loved the look. It was so small-town like.

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To me, that’s a good thing,” she said. “I like areas where people know each other.”

Callaway has been painting since she was about 10 years old. Her first artwork featured two stallions fighting each other.

“I always did artistic things,” she said. “I’ve always loved bright colors, ever since I was a child.”

In her late 20s while living in Frankfurt, Germany, she met Richard, a U.S. Army soldier stationed in nearby Hanau. They fell in love, Richard got orders to return to the States, and a quick wedding was in order.

Off to Denmark they went.

“Denmark was uniquely set up for people to get married without a lot of red tape,” Callaway said. “The next day, we were on a plane to the United States. I was in shock.”

That was in 1986.

The Callaways eventually made their way to the Atlanta area, where Ginette found employment as an artist for Stax Records. That’s when she started taking drawing classes at Clayton

State University. A teacher there told her she had “wonderful talent,” and urged her to start painting in vivid colors.

“To me it was a matter of experimenting and letting loose the internal animal of creativity,” Callaway said of her newfound artistic freedom.

“I never looked back.”

Not even a stroke in June 2021 has slowed her down.

“With help from my husband, of course, in just a few weeks I was walking and talking,” she said. “I was determined, and I said, ‘I am going to be better than I was before.’ I hope that’s true.”

Callaway’s philosophy on art matches her outlook on life — and could apply to any business venture.

“To know your creativity is to discover yourself,” she said. “The challenges that come with painting, they give you confidence over time. If you don’t have challenges, it’s art without a soul.”

You can find Callaway’s artwork at www.ginettefineart.com. •

- Jason Thomas

PEOPLE TO KNOW

From Ulaanbaatar to the Upstate: Researcher’s journey to eradicate disease

David Stefanich CEO of Upstate company Rymedi helps track, eliminate diseases

By Molly Hulsey mhulsey@scbiznews.com

A few years ago, the nation of Mongolia was cited by the Centers for Disease and Control for the highest levels of liver cancer in the world, with hepatitis B and C viruses as the primary culprit.

Greenville-headquartered Rymedi got its start in helping Mongolia pursue its goal of becoming the first country to eliminate hepatitis C. “We identify individuals, (suggest) treatments to them and then moderate overall health and wellness to realize disease eradication – not just treatment of the diseases that are out there to improve quality of life,” Rymedi CEO David Stefanich shared at a Greenville Development Corp. meeting on the growth of the life sciences in the state.

Using blockchain-reliant data tools, Stefanich and co-founder Jason Cross began to collaborate with the Onom Foundation and the Ministry of Health of Mongolia to trace hepatitis screenings, treatment and follow-up with patients close to five years ago.

“We came back to the U.S., decided to form a company, and we did in the RTP (North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park),” he said.

“There are very large companies there, and if we didn’t go out and raise $100 million, you seem to not get the attention we were looking for.”

Stefanich had written a business plan for what would become Rymedi on a napkin at an entrepreneurial class six years ago. It was a grassroots organization and needed a location where it could find grassroot support.

A friend in Greenville offered Stefanich an office, and the rest is history.

“These synergies between a digital platform and real estate, a digital platform and marketing – all these cross pollinations allowed us to grow,” he said, adding that Greenville’s ability to foster startups with capital support and visibility made it possible for the company to expand outside of Mongolia and around the world from an office above WestEnd Dental on S. Main Street.

“We touch under just a few quarter million lives, millions of transactions,” Stefanich said. “We operate in 48 states and different universities around the country.”

Dr. Deborah Brix, former U.S. Coronavirus Response Coordinator praised the company’s work tracking COVID-19 on the campus

of Clemson University, helping decrease cases at the school by close to 90% in one month, according to the company.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped highlight other public health concerns across the state and beyond. For example, he said, the spread of hepatitis C in rural South Carolina.

Parents today walk up to Stefanich and Cross, thanking them for helping protect their children, allowing them to feel safe as they go to school.

“That’s a mission, and that’s what we do in-market, in many languages and many places around the world,” Stefanich said.

“

•

We touch under just a few quarter million lives, millions of transactions.

We operate in 48 states and different universities around the country. www.scbizmag.com

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VANTAGE POINT

VAN TAGE POINT SC Suds

BY THE NUMBERS 129

craft breweries (23rd in the nation)

$905 million annual economic impact (26th)

3.3

breweries per capita (29th)

128,419

barrels of craft beer produced per year (36th)

1

barrel per adult age 21 and over (44th)

Source: Brewers Association 2019 data

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

CONTINUED COLLABORATION KEY TO SOUTH CAROLINA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH

I

f you have heard me speak lately, then you have heard it already — collaboration is in our DNA. It’s a phrase that we preach and practice at the SC Council on Competitiveness (SC Competes).

Every new idea or initiative we take on is built on a collaborative framework with public-private-academic partners.

Launching an e-mobility study, standing up a new technology cluster, hosting the state’s first-ever tech/logistics B2B matchmaking event or awarding this year’s STEM Educator of the Year, our goal is always the same — we want to advance South Carolina's collective economic competitiveness.

States and regions successful in cluster strategies not only focus on individual industries and their respective supply chains, but also bring together multiple interconnected industries that share common needs in workforce development, applied research and a diversified supply chain. In short, South Carolina wins when it dismantles silos around these areas and creates a more open-source business hub.

Our signature industry clusters — SC Aerospace, SC Logistics, SC Tech — have been connecting, growing and supporting the state’s leading industries since our inception in 2004 and we embrace, with our partners, the continued shift of cross-pollinating economic growth.

For example, our 2020 SC Logistics study found that logistics supply chains have become 3 times more reliant on technology suppliers (and this was pre-Covid e-commerce explosion). Aerospace manufacturing has become more automated, bringing sizable stores of data and a need for artificial intelligence and robust cybersecurity protections. These industry shifts rely on a diverse, tech-heavy supply chain with substantial cybersecurity risk mitigation.

Focusing on the overlapping ecosystems for our aerospace, logistics, tech and cybersecurity clusters allows SC Competes to identify common research and workforce needs, and put partnerships and resources in place for these clusters to thrive.

Partnerships like the SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance (SCFUSA), a collaborative effort between SC Competes, SC Department of Commerce, and Fraunhofer USA, advances and funds applied research across the state of South Carolina with an aim of making and keeping our companies competitive and at the tip-of-the-spear in their industries. The program is available to any company with a presence in South Carolina, and, since 2020, has matched more than $2 million in industry-sponsored research.

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see expansive growth in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and e-mobility. We recently launched Palmetto AI Corridor to connect and grow the communication and influence among our state’s business leaders and AI professionals.

Excitedly, we are teaming up with the SC Department of Commerce to acquire a Boston Dynamics “SPOT” robot to promote AI and programming education, opening students’ eyes to the depth of

Shannon (Photo/Provided)

possibilities in careers in tech, advanced manufacturing and beyond.

As our state's leading industries advance in the technologies to improve quality, efficiency, and cost; it becomes imperative for our clusters to collaborate across interconnected industries to collectively solve shared challenges in workforce, research, and supply chain. For SC Competes, that collaboration is in our DNA. Susie Shannon is president and CEO of the SC Council on Competitiveness. Find more online at sccompetes.org.

“

Focusing on overlapping ecosystems for our aerospace, logistics, tech and cybersecurity clusters allows SC Competes to identify common research and workforce needs ... www.scbizmag.com

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AROUND THE STATE A $150 million nitrile glove plant is establishing a manufacturing plant, expected to create 600 jobs, in Greenville. (Rendering/Provided)

WORTH A LOOK IN SC Here’s a snapshot of some of the biggest stories from our three business journals in Greenville, Charleston and Columbia. To read more, visit www.scbiznews.com.

$150M facility to be buit in Greenville

Biofuel company fueling innovation

Anticipated musuem to open next year

The call for domestic PPE continues to be answered.

Health Supply US recently shared its plans to invest more than $150 million in a manufacturing base in Greenville.

The announcement was made at the Greenville Area Development Corp.’s annual meeting.

The Mooresville, N.C.-based company will produce 4.3 billion nitrile gloves per year at the 1 Quality Way plant in the Beechtree Business Park, with the capacity to triple that over the next several years. The operations will be called Glove One and are expected to employ 600 workers during the next five years.

The company supplies the governments at all levels, as well as private health care systems with Class I medical devices and products such as medical isolation gowns.

The company purchased the 182-acre property for $6.5 million this February from Beech Tree Inc., according to Greenville property records data. The business park was developed by Hughes Investments.

Molly Hulsey

When Beth and Joe Renwick founded what was then called Midlands Biofuels in 2008, restaurants paid to dispose of used cooking oil, which often went to landfills.

Now, the market in which Green Energy Biofuel competes requires wooing customers while making greener, more sustainable use of oil and other food waste.

Midland Biofuels’ focus over the years broadened into a large-scale waste processor of biodiesel products, and the company changed its name to Green Energy Biofuel in 2016, when it also expanded throughout South Carolina and Tennessee.

The company now operates three processing plants, processes 200,000 gallons of product daily and serves customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Louisiana and Europe while sponsoring internships and educational programs.

Beth Renwick joined the company full time in 2012 and became majority owner, making the firm the only woman-owned biodiesel company in the country.

Melinda Waldrop

The International African American Museum will welcome its first visitors on Jan. 21, 2023.

The museum, first publicly announced in 2000 by former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, is located at the site of Gadsden’s Wharf in downtown Charleston, where many slaves disembarked from Africa.

Its focus will be the cultural, social and economic impact of slavery in the Americas and the diverse journeys and achievements of slaves and their descendants.

“This museum will be a must-see space of courageous curiosity and authentic engagement with our nation’s history — with African American history,” Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the International African American Museum, said in a news release.

The museum features nearly 150,000 square feet of exhibition, learning and interpretive space and includes nine themed galleries ranging from African origins to African American economic, creative and social contributions to American history.

Melinda Waldrop

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Serving the Life Sciences Industry is in our DNA. Our life science attorneys partner with you to navigate the changing regulatory landscape and meet the highest standards of innovation at every stage of your business – from start-up through years of growth.

1230 Main Street | Suite 700 | Columbia, SC 29201 Nikole Mergo | Office Managing Partner

Charleston • Charlotte • Columbia • Greensboro • Greenville • Hilton Head • Myrtle Beach • Raleigh • Austin

nexsenpruet.com

FOCUS

HYPED ABOUT

HEMP

The state’s first industrial-use hemp processing facility, BrightMa Farms, is poised to disrupt the industry

By Jenny Peterson

LIFE SCIENCE FOCUS SPONSORS

BrightMa Farms, which broke ground in April, is the state’s first hemp processing facility for industrial use. (Photo/Jenny Peterson)

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FOCUS

H

emp, the once-notorious plant most often known for its cannabis and CBD oil, became legal to grow in South Carolina only four years ago. Today, a $50 million hemp processing facility and innovation center is under construction in Orangeburg and global manufacturers are hyped about the plant’s potential to infiltrate the industrial materials market.

Behind the shift is Brightma Farms, a Lowcountry-based hemp company and pioneer in the industry. Charleston’s BrightMa Farms is selectively breeding the high-performing crop to create highfiber, low-THC industrial hemp for mass production. Harold Singletary, founder of BrightMa Farms, said hemp can replace, and even outperform, many building materials including wood, concrete, plastics and composites as well as textiles, grain, paper, fiber and biofuel. Add that it’s a sustainable product and Singletary said hemp is already moving toward becoming industry disrupter.

“In our backyard, we have Volvo, we have Boeing, we have BMW — they use hemp fibers (in production). They are not using South Carolina hemp, and we have to change that. Let’s bring the supply chain here,” Singletary said. “We’ve been doing research and development with Ford Motor Co. over the last two years, using hemp fiber to create a hemp pellet that’s molded into car parts — the door panel, items under the hood that are plastic.”

Singletary is a fourth-generation farmer born in James Island. An accountant by trade, he credits his end-user mindset for what sets him apart in this field: treating hemp like any other global supply material.

“There’s nothing that was legally stopping us from disrupting the industry; we just didn’t have the infrastructure here,” said Singletary.

BrightMa Farms broke ground in April on the $50 million BrightMa Farms Innovation Center (BIC), the state’s first-

Harold Singletary (center), founder of BrightMa Farms, inspects a hemp crop. Singletary, a fourth-generation farmer from James Island and an accountant by trade, oversees the Lowcountry company and industry pioneer, which broke ground in April. (Photo/Provided)

ever hemp processing facility for industrial use which will also serve as a breeding ground for next-generation farmers and scientists. It is expected to create 30 jobs once construction is complete over the next year.

Singletary said the BIC processing plant has the capacity to process 1 million pounds of hemp per month to ship to Tier-1 manufactures, which currently source most industrial hemp from Europe, Canada and China.

High-performance hemp Singletary specifically sought out Switzerland-based Puregene AG, a plant genomics company with high-level scientists, to selectively breed new hemp varieties that grow bigger, stronger and faster, specifically for the industrial hemp market. Puregene AG crops are bred specifically to tolerate South Carolina’s climate and can be harvested in as little as 120 days.

“Every component of this plant has a line-item use application,” Singletary said.

Dr. Michael Ruckle, cofounder and director of plant science with Puregene AG, is on the ground at BrightMa Farm’s greenhouse and nursery outside of Moncks Corner, leading the effort in novel scientific selective breeding and cultivation. Puregene AG scientists use a multimillion-dollar artificial intelligence scientific program to perfect hemp varieties, collecting intellectual property patents along the way.

Targeted predictive breeding creates tailored, high-performing varieties for industry need. For example, taller hemp plants can be used for textiles and fibers, while shorter plants can be used for oil extraction. It’s similar to food growers selectively breeding for the largest tomato or the reddest apple.

“I tell people we are a tech company — agriculture and technology,” Singletary

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FOCUS said.

Major players in the industry, including Ford Motor Company, are paying attention.

Interestingly, back in the 1940s, Henry Ford himself built a car made out of 85 percent hemp, before the marijuana tax act lumped hemp into the ban on marijuana for growing the plant. Now, it’s time to bring things full circle.

Hemp has moved out of the shadows and now has a seat at the table. During a roundtable discussion about BrightMa’s future held in downtown Charleston in late April, major industry representatives — including those from Ford Motor Co. and SonoAsh — raved about the potential of BrightMa Farms hemp for industrial use.

“We are continuously working to explore new potential materials in innovation, going back to Henry Ford,” said Arthur Jack, a technical expert in additive manufacturing for electrical applications for Ford Motor Co. “We see the potential for not just hemp but other materials as well.”

Singletary regularly fields phone calls from companies interested in using BrightMa hemp to create a variety of products, from helmets to cardboard packaging.

Empowering minority farmers A goal for BrightMa Farms is to bring minority farmers into the fold to grow their exclusive industrial hemp varieties. This mission is particularly close to Singletary’s heart; in fact, BrightMa is named after Singletary’s own ancestor: a freed slave named Katie, later known as BrightMa to her descendants, who settled on the land in Moncks Corner that is now the company’s greenhouse and nursery.

“She was the first person who put her hands in the soil,” Singletary said.

Minority and disadvantaged farmers across the state will be able to buy BrightMa’s selectively bred hemp to grow and harvest, which would then be bought back

by BrightMa Farms for processing. Singletary says it’s a win-win; farmers are able to

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make money off the harvest, and the BIC processing center gets a steady stream of raw materials.

“We’re at the front, the middle and the end,” he said.

Already, carefully bred, industrialquality hemp clones grown at BrightMa Farms are being shipped to farmers throughout South Carolina and beyond, along with education on best practices for the highest possible yield.

“We are doing an industrial hemp trial right now with Clemson Extension and South Carolina State (University), where minority farmers are getting paid to cultivate our genetics and learn,” Singletary said. “When the farmer grabs BrightMa’s genetics, they know they have a guaranteed return on investment on what they harvest. For us, (the question) was how do we bring farming to those who farmed for survival to farm for a business.”

The BIC innovation center has the support of Congressman James Clyburn, educational cluster partners and economic development agencies. Singletary continues to petition for legislative changes on the hemp industry to allow higher THC percentages in crops grown solely for industrial use.

Singletary said BrightMa Farms is going after a large grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture that awards companies for growing climate-smart commodities.

“Why are we cutting down our forests for paper products and wood products when we can use hemp?” Singletary asks.

Educating future farmers A major component of the BIC will be to serve as an educational facility for future plant scientists and agricultural workers, especially minority students.

The BIC Center has partnered with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the S.C. State 1890 Research Extension, Tuskegee University and CUICAR Clemson University to train students in scientific research and development and advanced breeding techniques using Puregene AG technology. The BIC inno-

Dr. Michael Ruckle, co-founder and Director of Plant Science at PureGene AG, inspects a plant. (Photo/Jenny Peterson)

vation center will have its own Hempton University, connected to HBCUs, to prepare students for the future.

“The center will be a beacon for cutting-edge research,” Singletary said. “Students will do research and development to create additional breeding programs to put more hemp in more environments beyond South Carolina to harvest even more hemp.”

“

Why are we cutting down our forests for paper products and wood products when we can use hemp?

Leading the Way in Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences

A hub for Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences, Lexington County is a proud partner of Nephron Pharmaceuticals, an innovative pharmaceutical manufacturer recently named the County’s fastest growing company.

With UofSC’s College of Pharmacy coupled with Midlands Technical College, the first in South Carolina to launch the new SCBIO Life Sciences Pharmaceutical Manufacturing certificate program, Lexington County continues to lead the way in pharmaceutical and life sciences manufacturing.

www.LexingtonCountyUSA.com

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FOCUS

ON THE FAST TRACK Why South Carolina’s life sciences industry is outpacing peer states

By Molly Hulsey mhulsey@scbiznews.com

I

n another life, James Chappell researched how stem cells laid the blueprint for cancer and diabetes in the labs of Harvard Medical School.

But the new CEO of SCBIO isn’t new to South Carolina.

He punctuated his studies in environmental sciences as a placekicker at Death Valley as a varsity letterman and walked past Tillman Hall to reach his Masters classes.

Chappell would later bring his expertise to Louisiana State University and then to Boston, where he realized he could best serve the life science industry outside the lab and in the consultant’s chair.

Now that the growth of South Carolina’s life science sector has begun to outpace traditional Southeastern hubs such as North Carolina and Georgia, SCBIO’s lead seeks to make the Palmetto State a place where upcoming talent in the industry wants – and is able to – stay.

And as economists expect the research and development field to be on a fast track in the state’s growing innovation hub, the state to keep that talent at home, too.

“We’re growing almost twice as fast as North Carolina, and one and a half times faster than a lot of our other Southern States. It’s crazy,” Chappell told SC Biz News following the release of SCBIO’s 2022 life science impact report, conducted by University of South Carolina research economist Joey Von Nessen. “I joke that even the most bullish of us, when we got that report back, we were blown away.”

The economic impact of the Palmetto State life science sector has grown by 62% since the study, conducted in 2021, and generates a total economic output of $25.6 bil-

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James Chappell, the new CEO of SCBIO, is a Clemson graduate and at home in S.C. (Photo/Provided)

lion each year. Since 2017, core industries in the life sciences – those that work solely in the field and not as a supplier to life science companies – have grown by 42.2% in terms of employment, according to the study.

“South Carolina really stands out,” Von Nessen said during the report’s presentation, which took place at the 2022 SCBIO Life Sciences Conference, held in late February in Charleston. “Not only when we look at the absolute numbers again within the state, but also comparing South Carolina to the rest of the Southeast.”

Von Nessen projected the life science’s research and laboratory subsector to grow by 18.4% between 2018 and 2028, trailed by

bioscience-related distribution at 11.2% and more than double the sector average at 9%.

Agricultural product and the pharmaceutical industries follow at respective 7.5% and 7.4% projected growth, while the medical device sector is expected to grow 2.5% over the decade.

In between 2028 and today, Chappell expects a number of local startups to transform into household names.

“We have a lot of early-stage, rapidly growing companies,” he said. “Early stage is a broad range that could be 15 employees and well-funded; it could be 100 and then have those other anchor companies.”

National brands such Boston Scientific

and Thermo, as well as S.C.-headquartered companies such as Nephron Pharmaceuticals, create fertile soil for newer companies including Rymedi, SyncMD, Kiyatec and RhythmLink to thrive.

“We as a state have to make sure we do everything to foster that road,” Chappell said. “We don’t want to look back in five or 10 years and say, ‘We’re really good. We had a great period of growth there, but kind of leveled out.’ ” More than 71% of the life science companies surveyed by Von Nessen expect demand for their services and products to increase by more than 10% over the next five years due to an aging population, technological advancement and ongoing demand for healthrelated products following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an unsurprising finding, 57% of the companies surveyed cite workforce shortages as the greatest impediment to this growth – more than the national average. But those companies said the hardest challenge is finding qualified workers for open positions, not just applicants. However, because of high wages and geographic mobility of potential hires, Von Nessen said that R&D companies report fewer problems with recruiting or retaining talent than other subsectors in the field.

A life science cluster similar to North Carolina’s Research Triangle could be key to developing and attracting talent, Chappell said. Too many life science students continue to flee the state for other regions, he told SCBiz, but South Carolina is beginning to see and more talent follow his route and return home – or move to the state for the first time.

In-state schools have also upped the ante on their life sciences programs since Chappell first left South Carolina.

“We’ve seen so much growth at Clemson, South Carolina and MUSC in producing a lot of that talent,” he said. “So some of that is keeping them (life science workers) in state, and also, what we’re starting to see is the flip of bringing them into South Carolina, where now the Duke grad, the Georgia Tech grad, the Harvard grad, whoever, wants to come down here. We’re starting to see that.”

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INDUSTRY PIONEERS

By Ross Norton

There are 1,033 life science companies operating in the state, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce. From the mountains to the sandy plains to the coast, companies with small footprints and small profiles are making a big impact on the state’s most vigorous industry.

Glycopath of Charleston was founded in 2019 with a goal of revolutionizing biomarker research. The company uses Mass Spectrometry Imaging to study changes in the glycosylation of various disease states.

The company hopes to introduce accurate simplified assays to improve patient care and treatment. Glycopath.com Softbox had a supporting but important role when Pfizer rolled out the first COVID-19 vaccine. When the first media images around the world showed the first vaccines being delivered, they could show only the packaging because the actual vaccines had to be kept in incredible cold sub-zero temperatures. That packaging was made by Greenville’s Softbox. Softboxsystems.com Charles River Laboratories in Charleston is part of a pharmaceutical company specializing in a variety of preclinical and clinical lab services. The Charleston site manufactures Endosafe products that include FDA-licensed LAL reagents, cartridges and accessories for bacterial endotoxin testing. The Charleston site has been in operation for more than 30 years. Criver.com

(Photo/Provided)

Arthrex in Sandy Springs is one of the company’s three manufacturing plants. They make orthopedic devices from raw materials to finished products. Arthrex was founded in Germany in 1981 but later moved headquarters to the United States, now in Naples, Fla. The orthopedic surgical device design, research, manufacturing and medical education compan has partnered with Clemson University to create a two-year surgical device technology consultant program. Arthrex.com Zylö Therapeutics of Greenville has developed the Z-pod technology platform, a topical delivery system the company says extends the duration of effect, improves targeting, and enhances the product performance of many therapeutic and cosmetic agents. Notably, the Z-pod technology can also be adapted to provide sustained topical delivery of nitric oxide for multiple therapeutic indications. www.zylotherapeutics.com

Kiyatec is a Greenville company that uses its proprietary cell culture technology platforms to model and predict response to approved and investigational cancer drugs targeting a spectrum of solid tumors. The company works with biopharmaceutical companies to unlock response dynamics for their investigational cancer drug candidates. Kiyatec.com Xequel Bio Inc. (formerly FirstString Research Inc.) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing dermatologic and ophthalmic therapeutics utilizing its patented new chemical entity aCT1 (alphaConnexin carboxyl-Terminal 1 peptide) with a research and development center in Mount Pleasant. The company’s lead clinical programs include Granexin gel in dermatology and iNexinTM ophthalmic solution in ophthalmology. The company also has ongoing preclinical research in pulmonology. www.xequel.com

Elastrin Therapeutics makes a bold claim on the most visible part of its website: “We do not manage diseases. We reverse them.” The Greenville company leverages a platform technology to develop therapeutics targeting damaged elastin fiber with a goal of making calcified tissue and organs supple again. Elastrin.com

Rhythmlink International LLC designs, manufactures and distributes medical devices and provides custom packaging, private labeling, custom products and contract manufacturing to its customers. Rhythmlink provides a physical connection between patients and the diagnostic equipment to record or elicit neurophysiologic biopotentials. Originally founded by neurodiagnostic technicians and engineers in 2002, Rhythmlink is based in Columbia. Rhythmlink.com

Precision Genetics uses an advanced scientific approach with employees and patients in an effort to bring precise and appropriate medication use for safer and more efficient well care. The Greenville company uses health care data to determine genetic and non-genetic risks and prescription spending habits associated with medications and complex drug regimens to deliver a successful ready-to-use program toward better value-based outcomes. The company combines evidence-based technology and population risk analysis to help health care providers deliver individualized treatment plans for patients. Precisiongenetics.com

Alcami is a contract development and manufacturing organization headquartered in North Carolina with more than 40 years of experience advancing products through every stage of the development lifecycle.

The company has five scientific campuses, including one in Charleston. Alcami serves pharmaceutical and biotech companies of all sizes by providing customizable solutions for analytical development, clinical to commercial sterile and oral solid manufacturing, packaging, microbiology, cGMP biostorage, environmental monitoring, and pharmaceutical support services. Alcaminow.com

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Fueling Innovation in Life Sciences and Bio Sciences since 1983 Chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina as a public, nonprofit corporation, South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy through the impact of its four programs. n Academia: Funding and supporting to advance transitional research and accelerate the growth of university-based startups. n Facilities: Providing high-quality laboratory and administrative workspaces for technology-based startups and academic institutions. n Industry: Facilitating and funding partnerships between and among startups, industry, and academic. n Startups: Coaching and funding technology-based startups that may also receive investments from SCRA’s investment affiliate, SC Launch Inc.

FOCUS Generation Z may have a competitive advantage in manufacturing as the sector becomes more about managing automated systems and less about labor on the production line – if Baby Boomers and Generation X don’t pass down their stigmas about the sector. (Photo/Provided)

MAKING A CONNECTION How a Greenville startup is redefining how to bridge the workforce gap

By Molly Hulsey mhulsey@scbiznews.com

O

ne Google search for “what millennials …” might lead one to think the entire English-speaking world wants to know how to keep these digital pioneers in the workplace.

The query tops the chart behind “what millennials means,” “what millennials do for fun” and “what millennials have lived through,” as those born after 1980 come close to comprising half of the world’s workforce, according to Gallup.

But when it comes to overcoming recruitment challenges in the long game, Tina Zwolinski of SkillsGapp looks to millennials’ successors: the digital natives of Generation Z. And Generation Z, made up of students and a few new faces to the workplace, has an answer.

Zwolinski cited a 2021 survey from EY asking those born after 1997 what

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could be done to improve their education system.

“Their No. 1 response was learning from industry and hearing what jobs are available,” she told SC Biz News.

“They wanted to hear from industry.”

Self-starters and multitaskers If high school and college job fairs were successful in the past, the widening gap between available and needed talent today – and the sheer number of career options that just didn’t exist when parents or guidance counselors picked their path – show that they aren’t getting through to the latest generations.

According to the study, 67% of high schoolers surveyed reported that they only knew about five or fewer available industries to enter.

About 80% of all surveyed college students reported that they didn’t know

“what kind of jobs are really out there.”

Half said they went to college only because it was expected of them.

The situation had not much been much clearer for recent graduates either during high school: half of those surveyed didn’t know their current position existed in high school and another half did not know what they had wanted to do after high school.

“To me, the biggest challenge is there’s so many industries and jobs, there’s no way for a teacher or a guidance counselor to be aware of all that,” Zwolinski told SC Biz News. “You just don’t have time and it changes so much.

But industry knows what’s happening.”

Generation Z is defined by selfstarters and multi-taskers, she said.

The best way to get through to post1995 demographic isn’t to use an older intercessor; it’s to speak with them and to listen.

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We’re Open for

Work

Clarendon County, SC

virtual meetings

by phone & email

on the web

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“Technology really allows for more engagement these days versus ‘come to our website and navigate.’ Now, you can actually create this two-way, back-andforth communication through technology, whatever that may be,” she said.

“Mobile phone is the answer, because that’s where they are. And so, looking for ways to develop things for mobile use would be significant.”

Smells like team spirit For Zwolinski, that meant gamifying the skills needed for the aerospace, automotive, cybersecurity, life science and advanced manufacturing industry in partnership with real-life companies.

Millennials will know career-ready games are nothing new, but SeaWorld Adventure Parks Tycoon and Pet Vet PC games from the late 2000s may just not translate quite as well to today’s mobile generation or its future career opportunities.

SkillsGapp’s Skillionaire Games allow students to achieve in-game certification, which not only piques the interest of players, but also can alert guidance counselors, teachers and parents to students’ skill sets – instead of the other way around.

“It’s really helping that player and that student navigate their own interests, which Gen Z does, and then be able to flip the conversation,” Zwolinski said.

The newest member of the Skillionaire Games family, RadLab, is months

“

“Mobile phone is the answer, because that’s where they are. And so, looking for ways to develop things for mobile use would be significant

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away from launching on the Google Play and Apple Stores through SkillsGapp’s partnership with SCBIO. Geared toward middle school players, RadLab allows players to try out a number of life science careers through challenges like testing new medicines, obtaining Food and Drug Administration approval, managing the manufacturing process and treating hospital patients.

Geofencing will alert players to life science companies in their area and what they do, while in-game incentives could also translate into out-of-game awards. Zwolinski suggested anything ranging from a pizza party to a lab tour to a free semester at a technical college.

A desert of talent can up the ante on rivalry between companies, but Zwolinski has seen that today, it is bringing businesses together.

In the current labor market, Industry-wide initiatives and clustering may be one of the best tools for sharpening a company’s competitive recruiting edge, she said.

To reboot outdated perceptions of some sectors and to train a workforce for ever-improving technologies, it takes a village. Advanced manufacturing for the incoming workforce could be a world away from the manufacturing work of the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers and Generation X. But while millennials may have been more exposed to the stigma put on manufacturing jobs by parents and grandparents, according to Zwolinski, the future looks brighter for Gen Z. Post-1997 babies present more of a clean slate.

“I do feel like this is that one generation really has the opportunity to explore, try things on, do different things, break down the silos and the stigmas that maybe we put on our own kids with CTE (career and technical education) programs or technical college pathway or manufacturing jobs,” she said. “We remove that if the kids don’t hear it from us … If they never hear ‘dirty jobs,’ ‘layoff,’ ‘that’s a plan b option,” they get to actually explore.”

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FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE Breakthrough in rare disease has personal meaning for MUSC researcher who helped discover crucial genetic mutation

By Christina Lee Knauss

C

ortney Gensemer’s life changed permanently when, at 19, she was diagnosed with hypermobile EhlersDanlos syndrome (hEDS), a rare, hereditary connective tissue disorder that can cause severe pain and problems with joint and neck movement, among other symptoms. After her diagnosis, Gensemer, who originally wanted to be a physician, decided to go into medical research instead.

Maybe, she thought, her research one day could help people like her who live with rare diseases.

Little did Gensemer know that in less than a decade, she would get the chance to research the very condition she lives with and in the process discover a genetic mutation in those who have it, all while pursuing a doctorate at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Gensemer, who received her doctorate in May, spent the past four years working on that research with a team at the Norris Lab, which is led by Russell “Chip” Norris, a professor in the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology at MUSC. The genetic mutation that Gensemer and her team discovered could eventually be used as a diagnostic marker for EDS, a breakthrough which could speed up the process of diagnosing the disorder and shorten the time patients have to live with its effects, which can include hypermobile joints, heart problems and other conditions.

The Norris Lab’s success in discovering the genetic mutation will now lead to more extensive research into EDS at MUSC, and the school is also exploring the possibility of creating an EDS Institute in the future.

“It takes on average 14 years for patients to be diagnosed, and that’s a big problem,” Norris said.

“It’s because of the complexity of all the different

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Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020 (top photo, left), toured the Norris Lab at MUSC to learn about a genetic mutuation discovered by MUSC researcher Cortney Gensemer (bottom photo), who also has EDS, and her team.

Schrier’s winning talent in the Miss America pageant was to conduct a chemistry experiment.

Photos/Sarah Pack

tissues that are involved with Ehlers-Danlos. Patients go to see different doctors for symptoms, but nobody is connecting the dots. What patients really need is a continuum of care that cross-pollinates between physicians with different specialties. If we find a way for patients to be diagnosed and treated earlier, it changes the way they approach their entire life and leads to a better life in general.”

Gensemer said EDS is so difficult to diagnose because its many symptoms can mimic other conditions, and the disease also manifests differently in every patient. Her symptoms started showing up when she was 14.

“My biggest symptoms were a lot of joint issues and bad, chronic pain — really severe pain that was just not normal for a teenager to be experiencing,” she said. “I was an athlete at the time and some people mistakenly thought the pain just came from exercising really hard.”

Gensemer, who played varsity lacrosse in high school, also sustained severe injuries, including multiple joint dislocations and tears in the soft tissue in her hips.

“I went through multiple joint surgeries in a row, and I knew something was not normal be-

A genetic mutation discovered at MUSC could eventually be used as a diagnostic marker for EDS. Photo/Sarah Pack

cause my fifth surgery came from an injury I got just walking up the steps, not on the lacrosse field,” she said.

The possibility of researching hEDS never crossed her mind four years ago when she first enrolled in the doctorate program at MUSC. It was Norris who gave her the idea during a meeting the

two had to discuss possibilities for her dissertation.

The Norris Lab’s previous work includes extensive research into the genetic aspects of cardiovascular diseases, including mitral valve prolapse, a condition in which the flaps of the mitral valve don’t close properly during heartbeats.

Norris and Gensemer were discussing that re-

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Russell “Chip” Norris, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology and the Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of South Carolina, talks with Schrier. Photos/Sarah Pack

Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier (top left) listens as Cortney Gensemer explains research being dones at MUSC.

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search when she brought up the fact that she had hEDS and mitral valve prolapse was common in people with the disease.

“When Dr. Norris found out I had the hypermobile subtype of EDS, he said ‘That type doesn’t have a known gene – do you want to try to figure that out?’ ” Gensemer said. “For someone who didn’t have a direction on what I wanted to do, I suddenly was given the idea and the opportunity to study something I was already passionate about.”

Gensemer and her team in the lab started the work by sequencing the DNA of one small family whose members had EDS. Over the years they continued to obtain more DNA from families nationwide who carry the EDS gene, and that eventually led to the discovery of the genetic mutation that appears in those with the hypermobile subtype.

The extensive DNA registry of more than 4,000 EDS patients that they compiled also offers a database of patients who Gensemer and other researchers in the Norris Lab, accessible online at the norrislab.com, can contact for future research into the disease.

Even though she graduated from the doctorate program in May, Gensemer said she plans to stay right where she is as a post-doctoral scholar continuing her work with hEDS, with hopes to transition into a faculty position.

“I love it here at MUSC because they’ve given me so many opportunities as a student with both a chronic disease and a disability, and they’ve been so supportive of this work. They really want to see us progress with what we’ve been doing,” she said.

“The goal right now is to research more treatments for the disease as well as getting a better picture of the global, large-scale genetics of EDS.” Gensemer and the Norris Lab’s work on EDS will take on a worldwide perspective later this summer, when she heads to Paris to work with a genetic collaborator for two months to explore how common the genes that cause EDS are in donor pools from U.S., Europe and beyond.

Norris said the lab’s work with EDS is important not only as a way to help the population in general, but also because the DNA registry’s statistics indicate that the disease disproportionately affects women.

“It’s shocking that about 90% of our registry consists of DNA from women,” he said. “This is not only a debilitating disease that almost nobody

else is working on, but it’s also a big woman’s health problem. We need to understand why EDS primarily affects women and why they typically start having problems around the onset of puberty. It’s life-altering for these teenagers when they’re diagnosed.”

The Norris Lab’s work with EDS has also provided a rare opportunity for students from around the country who have the disease to study it directly. This is the second summer that the Norris Lab is hosting four interns with EDS who are conducting research into the disease.

Both Norris and Gensemer say the program is important because it not only offers HDS patients a chance to research their own condition, but also helps the Norris Lab and others at MUSC to gain perspectives on ways to make scientific research in general more accessible to people with chronic diseases and disabilities.

“We really like the idea of having interns that have the disease doing research on it because it gives them an opportunity to contribute from their perspective,” Gensemer said. “There’s really no better place for them to work than a lab that truly understands what the disease is like.”

“

For someone who didn’t have a direction on what I wanted to do, I suddenly was given the idea and the opportunity to study something I was already passionate about.

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‘Everyone’s going to benefit’ New genetic testing program hopes to prevent late-stage cancers for patients who may be predisposed to disease

By Jenny Peterson

G

enetic testing to determine if a person is predisposed to certain types of cancers is now being offered at no cost to patients in the first-of-its-kind, large-scale population genomics initiative in South Carolina.

It’s made possible through a collaboration between Helix, a leading Silicon Valley-based population genomics company and the Medical University of South Carolina.

Called In Our DNA SC, the program tests for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2) and Lynch syndrome, a form of hereditary colorectal cancer that presents in people in their early 40s. An additional test shows any markers for inherited familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which can indicate a person’s predisposition to high cholesterol and certain cardiovascular disease.

Helix and MUSC hope to enroll 100,000 patients over four years who consent to genetic testing, which is done through a simple saliva test either taken at an MUSC clinic or at home and mailed to the Helix lab. Anyone can participate, no matter their family history of disease.

Test results will allow MUSC to create specific health care options to improve outcomes for patients who have the markers — including increased screenings — as well as gather large genetic population insights for long-term clinical care and research. Analyses will be used to pioneer and further advance genomics research.

“You can detect earlier and prevent very severe cancer down the road,” said Dr. James Lu, CEO and co-founder of Helix. “We’re trying to avoid stage three and stage four cancers.”

Lu said genetic testing is the future of health diagnoses, which has relied on patients providing a family history of cancer to

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A physician identifies a specific biopsy site on a tower display touch screen. Photo/Weinberg-Clark Photography

determine genetic risks for diseases. By using patients’ actual DNA data to discover alleles and markers to show a risk for developing types of cancer and diseases, health care systems can treat patients earlier and educate them about treatment options.

Helix has rolled out similar large-scale population genetics testing at major health care facilities across the country including Renown Health in Nevada, Advent Health in Florida and a Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

“In similar programs, as many as one in 75 participants have been found to be at risk for a serious health issue, of which 90% would not have been discovered through traditional practice,” Lu said. “Initially, it determines what are you predisposed to from a disease perspective that we can intervene on today, but there will be other things during the course of a patient’s lifetime (that benefits)

from having genomic data, like a prescription decision that might be changed because of a genetic marker.”

An additional piece of the program is that MUSC and Helix will develop a clinicogenomic dataset from participants that will help researchers learn what can cause certain diseases and how to treat them more effectively, with a goal to improve the standard of care for everyone.

“Precision medicine is an emerging field that is going to transform the future delivery of health care. Being a leader and helping to define this path is core to our mission,” said Dr. David J. Cole, MUSC president.

Lu said Helix got connected with MUSC for this program by mutual contacts. “MUSC is one of the leaders in this space; this is a novel offering to do this at scale in a population,” Lu said. “I applauded their forward

thinking in terms of the patient impact, but also the broader impact on how they think about the design of their healthcare system moving forward.”

The genetic testing technology can provide long-term cost savings to health care systems as well as open the door for new treatment opportunities. “Guiding (patients) early (in detection) does save the health system money,” Lu said. “There will (also) be patients who qualify for trials as part of this program. Much of the drug pipelines now are genetically targeted as well. We think it’s a good avenue for patients to get access to new trial opportunities over time.”

Enrollment in the program will initially be available to patients who sign up at select MUSC clinics and locations, with a plan to expand to participants throughout the community and state in collaboration

with MUSC’s clinical affiliates and partners. Patients will have digital access to their results, which they can take with them to any health care system, Lu said.

Participants who securely contribute genetic data will help MUSC develop one of the largest clinicogenomic datasets in the country.

“We can use it to drive new therapeutic and diagnostic discovery. As the genomic medicine advances, you A research staffer prepares to take a DNA sample. Photos/Sarah Pack, MUSC should see us expand more broadly into a variety of conditions over time that we not only can detect, but we can do something about them,” Lu said. “As these data sets start to come forward and come together, you’re going to be able to better predict and serve your community from a care perspective. That’s going to be incredibly important in the future of health care. We truly believe that everyone’s going to benefit from having this data.”

Dr. James Lu (left), speaks as MUSC President Dr. David J. Cole looks on.

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SOMETHING IN THE

WATER

Vertical Roots’ hydroponic technology is changing how communities grow food

By Jenny Peterson

Vertical Roots grows rows of lettuce in indoor hydroponic farms.

(Photos/Provided)

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I

t’s considered a farm, but there are not acres of rows of crops, not even soil. There is no actual sun shining on the crops, no pests to worry about, and farmers go to work in air-conditioned spaces inside refurbished shipping containers.

Welcome to South Carolina’s Vertical Roots, the largest hydroponic container farm in the United States. Started less than a decade ago, Vertical Roots is already a wildly successful business, selling its romaine, red oak leaf and butter lettuces to more than 2,000 grocery stores and numerous food distributors across 13 states in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

AmplifiedAg, the parent company behind Vertical Roots, builds the indoor hydroponic farms from scratch, transforming the inside of decommissioned refrigerated shipping containers with custom rows of shelves, custom light strips for maximum crop output and exclusive, one-of-a-kind technology.

Each container comes equipped with proprietary AmplifiedAg technology and software specifically created to monitor all aspects of crop growth that can be checked from a smartphone.

AmplifiedAg builds its own systems for moving water to the plants through channels that continuously circulate water through a self-contained system and precision drips to carry nutrients to the crops. Each container farm comes equipped with this state-of-the-art technology and proprietary software that make growing a breeze.

“The software and electronics manage most of the farm,” said Amplified CEO Don Taylor. “Our horticulturists set the nutrient levels and temperatures and humidity and Co2 levels; all of the environmental levels are controlled by the software and technology. The farmers are really just managing the grow process, seeding, transplanting, harvesting and packaging.”

There are 30 shipping container farms — referred to as grow pods — at the Charleston farm and 120 pods at

the Columbia farm. Each container can grow 3,600 bright green leafy lettuces in roughly one month using just 3% of the water it would take to sustain a crop that size outdoors.

“If you look at our Columbia farm on two acres, those two acres are equivalent to 350 acres of farmland,” Taylor said.

The controlled indoor environment requires no pesticides and no soil; seeds are grown in a small amount of peat moss and cultivated solely in water. Once ready to eat, it takes just two employees to harvest it all.

It would be easy to simply expand Vertical Roots’ reach as a business goal, but Taylor has bigger plans for the company beyond selling its wholesale crops.

The bigger mission is to share the company’s success and infrastructure, selling AmplifiedAg’s outfitted shipping container farms to traditional farmers and entrepreneurs throughout the United States, and, eventually, the world.

“We are continuing to prove our technology, and we are going to begin aggressively selling that technology to enable others to do the same thing,” Taylor said.

“We are trying to share our success.”

Using Vertical Roots’ accomplishments as an applied real world example of how to operate at a profit, the AmplifiedAg sales team is now marketing its specialized growing pods and accompanying exclusive technology nationwide to reimagine how local communities get food.

“We started the company as really a science project to create a few jobs to put some local food into the community,” Taylor said. “But as we got further and further into it and realized what a massive market opportunity it was to sell the technology, that’s when we really started to lean in. Vertical Roots came to life to prove how the technology could grow and distribute at scale in the commercial world, which helps back up the sale of the technology.”

AmplifiedAg currently has partners already using its shipping container

farms in Alaska and Boston, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has bought several pieces of technology to conduct research and development for growing, Taylor said.

The ideal clients for AmplifiedAg growing pods are farmers and entrepreneurs who have a strong business plan; Taylor said staff will conduct a thorough vetting process and AmplifiedAg will provide training on the technology to make sure clients are set up for success.

“We don’t want to put our technology out somewhere and have it not be successful,” Taylor said. “We continue to add more and more technologies that make that easier; our software keeps everything in range and gives farmers alerts.”

Each hydroponic grow pod shipping container costs $125,000 and comes outfitted with almost everything to get started, with seeds and a few plugs as the only exclusion. All that’s needed is a power source and public water hookup. AmplifiedAg configures containers to desired production scale, including separate propagation and growing containers..

“One grow pod is $125,000 — that’s the container and everything that goes into it. It’s cheaper than a tractor,” Taylor said.

Combating climate change Taylor, the former chief technology officer at Benefitfocus technology firm in Charleston, moved into the current space after seeing firsthand the effects of climate change in India.

“I spent a lot of time in India and got very familiar with the crisis they are having from an agriculture perspective; their soil is depleted, the environmental change was having a very negative impact on the farms in India,” Taylor said. “When I retired from Benefitfocus, I spent quite a bit of time researching the industry to understand what’s going on. From an environmental perspective, it makes perfect sense to use to growing containers.”

Taylor’s initial vision was simply to create a new local food source in Charles-

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FOCUS ton using growing containers. He and his daughter developed their first container farm for The Citadel in Charleston, and its success sparked a bigger mission to develop agriculture technologies and manufacture indoor farms to feed people across the globe.

At the same time, Vertical Roots was founded in 2016 by friends Andrew Hare and Matt Daniels. Both avid plant enthusiasts, Matt brought his engineering and horticulture expertise, while Andrew worked on the commerce side, previously owning restaurants and other businesses. The three entrepreneurs crossed paths and the two companies joined forces to develop the most advanced, food-safe hydroponic indoor farms in the industry.

“Seven years ago, we all knew climate change was going to be a problem,” Taylor said. “It’s really starting to happen now in the production of produce on the West Coast. They’re beginning to have challenges. Transportation costs are going up significantly. The supply that’s needing to be provided by the Controlled Environment Agriculture (indoor farming) industry is all of a sudden exponentially growing. I think over the next 3-5 years we’ll see significant growth in the industry at large.”

Ninety-five percent of the lettuce consumed by Americans comes out of California and Arizona, Taylor said.

“It’s about a $7 billion industry. I’d say that indoor farming is maybe $100 million of that. But I think the climate change issues are going to continue to happen, water is going to continue to be more and more of a problem and we’re really going to escalate,” Taylor said. “As our technologies evolve, automation and everything else that requires us to really operate at a large-scale infrastructure will be mature in another 3-5 years.”

AmplifiedAg is looking into adding solar power to run their shipping container growing pods and is continuously testing technology to streamline their software systems.

A new AmplifiedAg farm is being built in Florida, closer to Vertical Roots clients and purchasers.

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Don Taylor oversees technology development and Vertical Roots’ strategic operations. (Photos/Provided)

“We are starting to locate towards our customers with the ultimate objective to be located at the point of consumption and eliminate more and more transportation out of the process,” Taylor said. “In the future, we will look at (supplying for) large-scale brands, where all their supply comes from California. Being able to put capacity at their actual processing facilities will eliminate transportation and increase efficiency.”

Backed by private investments and run by a board of directors, AmplifiedAg continues to do research and development for more crops — currently, strawberries, Bok choy, collard greens and peppers.

“We started with lettuce because it’s the fastest-turning plant and there’s a massive demand for it,” Taylor said. “We are looking for ultimately higher protein-types of plants. As we look to distribute our farms globally to other regions of the world, they don’t want a farm (only) full of lettuce. One

of the interesting parts of our relationship we have with the USDA is that they’re also doing R&D on new crops.”

AmplifiedAg’s efforts were recognized by the SC Dept of Commerce’s innovation hub, ScribbleSC. AmplifiedAg hopes to partner with governments to bring in growing pods following droughts, climate and natural disasters — thousands of crops ready to eat in a month.

“We are moving from a concept to a state of infrastructure,” Taylor said. “We are focused on scale, automation, technology and being able to provide millions of pounds of produce in the very short term.”

A new workforce in farming There are 140 people on staff at AmplifiedAg statewide, but they aren’t doing traditional farm work.

“We have a very unique workforce, from horticulturists to software engineers,

electrical engineers and mechanical engineers,” said Taylor. “It’s very different on the engineering side in that these products didn’t exist before, so there is a lot of new innovative development.

“The shipping container units are a very small, tight space and we’re getting really smart with how to put a lot of stuff into that space and be efficient.”

Staff members are food safety specialists and horticulturists who identify ideal plant growing conditions. The tech-focused company draws a younger demographic to its workforce.

“Students that are coming out of agriculture programs are already studying in a more high-tech environment; it’s ‘farming’ but you’re working in air conditioning and utilizing the latest technologies available,” Taylor said.

All manufacturing work to build and outfit the shipping containers is done inhouse, with a 90-day lead time from when a client purchases an AmplifiedAg shipping container growing pod to when it’s delivered.

Charleston-based Vertical Roots was founded in 2016 by friends and plant enthusiasts Andrew Hare and Matt Daniels.

“

Students that are coming out of agriculture programs are already studying in a more hightech environment; it’s ‘farming’ but you’re working in air conditioning and utilizing the latest technologies available

Amplified is conducting research and development on crops including strawberries. (Photo/Provided)

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SC DELIVERS (Photo/Kim McManus)

AT FULL THROTTLE Barbara Melvin taking over a Ports Authority on a record tear

By Ross Norton rnorton@scbiznews.com

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uly will signal the climax of one legendary maritime legacy and a surge in a notable career-in-themaking for the next president and CEO of the S.C. Ports Authority.

CEO Jim Newsome, recently inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame and the longest-serving head of a major container port in the United States, will turn the helm over to Barbara Melvin, who will be the sixth leader in the history of the port and the first woman to lead a top 10 U.S. operating container port. She has been with S.C. Ports since 1998, serving most recently as COO. Newsome will continue working as

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an executive adviser to the system.

During his tenure, Newsome significantly enhanced port operations and grew the port’s cargo base with strategic investments, resulting in cargo volumes doubling in a decade.

“Capacity is the new port currency, and S.C. Ports has the right capacity at the right time to meet retailers’ needs to keep freight moving,” Newsome told SC Biz News. “We have invested more than $2 billion in recent years to enhance existing infrastructure and open a new container terminal.”

Those improvements put the state’s ports in a better position than most to deal with supply chain lags that have disrupted commerce across the country.

“S.C. Ports must continue to deliver vital port infrastructure to meet the

needs of customers and ensure a fluid supply chain,” Newsome said. “We are thankful to our state leaders for their visionary leadership and support. Strategic investments in port infrastructure are crucial to remain competitive as a port and as a state.”

Melvin, recognized as the 2021 S.C. Manufacturing Alliance Woman of the Year, said the ports play a critical role in supporting the state’s manufacturing sector and remains dedicated to continually improving the system to serve customers in manufacturing and other sectors. The Charleston Harbor Deepening Project, reaching a 52-foot depth this year, makes the harbor the deepest on the East Coast.

Both Newsome and Melvin said they expect the transition to be a smooth

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SC DELIVERS one, continuing the momentum that frequently leads to the description “record-breaking” in month reports about volumes.

The Ports Authority reported the biggest April ever for containers handled, for example, marking the 14th consecutive month of cargo records at the Port of Charleston. Strong volumes were driven by sustained retail imports, which were up 34% in April compared to last year, according to a news release

from SCPA. A month later, the Ports Authority reported a record-breaking May. “With ongoing supply chain challenges and record cargo volumes, S.C. Ports remains focused on deploying responsive, creative solutions to return terminal and berth fluidity to normalcy for our customers,” Newsome said in the news release. “We are in a strong position as we have proactively invested more than $2 billion into our infra-

structure ahead of demand.”

Rolling along in record fashion S.C. Ports had its strongest May ever for containers, moving 230,870 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) across Wando Welch Terminal, North Charleston Terminal and Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, the news release said. This is a 36% increase from a year ago as cargo continues to boom globally.

S.C. Ports handled nearly 2.32 million TEUs so far in fiscal year 2021, from July 1 through May 31, up 6.85% from the year prior.

Vehicles remain a strong segment for the Port of Charleston. S.C. Ports handled 21,280 vehicles in May, up 818% year-over-year — a significant jump from last May when many automotive manufacturers were affected by the pandemic. S.C. Ports has handled 230,885 vehicles at Columbus Street Terminal fiscal-year-to-date, up 24.5%.

Inland Port Greer reported 11,280 rail moves in May, a 25.9% increase year-over-year. Inland Port Greer has handled 144,459 rail moves fiscal-yearto-date. Inland Port Dillon handled 2,318 rail moves in May for a total of 32,409 rail moves fiscal-year-to-date.

“

“Capacity is the new port currency, and S.C. Ports has the right capacity at the right time to meet retailers’ needs to keep freight moving. We have invested more than $2 billion in recent years to enhance existing infrastructure and open a new container terminal.

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THE POWER LIST

PRESENTING THE 2022

REAL ESTATE ATTORNEYS POWER LIST

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hether helping a homeowner close on a first house or assisting with financing for a multimillion-dollar development deal, real estate attorneys play crucial roles in important transactions every day.

Real estate attorneys dot the I’s and cross the T’s on deals ranging from railroads to warehouses to game-changing 400-acre mixeduse developments. They represent landlords and tenants, argue cases (sometimes before the U.S. Supreme Court) and write chapters in national publications. They also give back to their communities, frequently contributing their time and talents pro bono to worthy causes that improve the landscapes in which they operate.

Often, real estate attorneys also take on public roles, serving on city councils, running for mayor, and representing their firms as recipients of numerous awards — including more than a few from SC Biz News publications. They play the roles of informed advisor, noted expert, trusted confidante and detailed perfectionist with equal aplomb.

To honor a sampling of the best of the field in South Carolina, SC Biz News developed this Power List by analyzing industry contributions and considering community impact and nominations. The attorneys listed here serve their both profession and their clients with the highest levels of excellence and ability.

Please join us in congratulating these individuals in this issue of SCBIZ Magazine.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. MICHAEL W. TIGHE

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2. SHARON C. BRAMLETT

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3. GEORGE BULLWINKEL

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4. TAMEIKA ISAAC DEVINE

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5. DAVID WOLFF

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HONOREES CONTINUED

40-45

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MICHAEL W. TIGHE Callison Tighe & Robinson

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co-founder of Callison Tighe & Robinson more than 50 years ago, Mike Tighe has spent a career representing lenders and major developers in real estate-related litigation and in transactional matters. A skilled litigator who has represented clients in state and federal courts, he’s frequently called upon to testify as an expert witness in real estate cases. He also has presented numerous Continuing Legal Education seminars and Judicial Continuing Legal Education seminars on the topic of real estate. He began his studies at the University of South Carolina School of Law after only two years as an undergraduate at the university, completing his bachelor’s degree during his first year in law school. After graduating first in his law school class, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, where he served for four years as trial or defense counsel in numerous general and special courts-martial. After leaving the Air Force, he served as an assistant attorney general before entering private practice. For decades, he was involved in every major case involving real estate title litigation in South Carolina. His recognitions are many and include multiple Lawyer of the Year designations by Best Lawyers in America, South Carolina Super Lawyers, and Legal Elite of the Midlands. He also maintains an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

SHARON C. BRAMLETT Finkel Law Firm LLC

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Magna Cum Laude graduate of Furman University the University of South Carolina School of Law, Bramlett joined the former McNair Law Firm immediately upon graduation in 1985 and practiced in the areas of banking, finance and real estate law for 35 years prior to joining the Finkel Firm. She has represented clients in real estate sale and financing transactions throughout her career, including closing the sale of a short line railroad, numerous manufacturing facilities, warehouses, commercial and medical office facilities and manufacturing housing parks. She also has been involved in real estate financings for major commercial and public real estate projects and has developed real estate financing documents for many institutional lenders and finance companies entering the S.C. market from throughout the country. Bramlett also represents homeowners’ associations, tenants and landlords. She is admitted to practice in South Carolina and before the U.S. Supreme Court.

She served on the SC Bar’s Ad Hoc Committee, co-authoring the SC Third Party Opinion Report, and served on the SC Bar’s Task Force on the Unauthorized Practice of Law in Commercial Transactions. She chaired the SC Bar’s Corporate, Banking and Securities section, was a council member of the Consumer Law Section and was state editor for South Carolina for Houselaw and Carlaw, two national publications. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Richland County Bar Association, and a charter member of the South Carolina Women Lawyer’s Association. She is a member of CREW Midlands and the Conference on Consumer Finance Law. She has been named Lawyer of the Year for Columbia for Financial Services Regulation Law four times.

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GEORGE BULLWINKEL Nexsen Pruet LLC

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ullwinkel practices primarily in real estate acquisition and development, commercial real estate and administrative law, including permitting, zoning and land sales registrations; development agreements and economic development, representing clients in securing economic development incentives, large tract rezoning approval and infrastructure agreements with various agencies, counties and municipalities in South Carolina. He has been involved in several large, notable real estate development projects including Nexton, Summers Corner, Spring Grove, Magnolia, Cane Bay, and Reverie on the Ashley. He has been named to the Charleston Regional Business Journals’ 40 Under 40 list, was a member of the 2010 Leadership Charleston class, and has been recognized by Chambers USA, Real Estate, South Carolina and Martindale-Hubbel, with an AV Preeminent Peer Review rating. A 2001 Cum Laude Clemson University graduate, he graduated the WHU-Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management in Koblenz in 2004 and earned JD and MBA in International Business degrees in 2005 from the University of South Carolina School of Law and Darla Moore School of Business.

TAMEIKA ISAAC DEVINE Jabber & Isaac P.A.

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1994 University of South Carolina School of Law and SC Economic Developers School, Devine is a founding partner of Jabber & Devine with more than 20 years’ experience in real estate. She is a frequent presenter for Continuing Legal Education courses in Real Estate as well as home-buying workshops. She served on Columbia City Council, serving as mayor pro tem, and chaired the city’s Affordable Housing Task Force. She has been recognized as a Hall of Fame inductee by Columbia Business Monthly and a Woman of Influence by Columbia Regional Business Report. She was a Liberty Fellow, named to Women of Distinction by the Congaree Girl Scouts and was in Governing Magazine’s Women in Government Class of 2017. She received the Indian Waters Boy Scout Council’s Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, the National Council of Negro Women’s Living the Legacy Award, and the Columbia Urban League’s Lincoln C. Jenkins Jr. award.

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DAVID WOLFF

Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson LLP

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graduate of Ohio State University and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Wolff, managing partner for Barnes Alford Stork & Johnson LLP, has practiced for more than 45 years, specializing in commercial real estate matters with an emphasis on shopping centers, mixed-use developments, apartments, office and retail buildings, warehouses and land development. His responsibilities include property acquisitions and sales, development issues, construction and permanent financing, contracts, leases, environmental issues, and title matters. He often serves as local counsel for borrowers and lenders in multi-state transactions and handles corporate and banking matters related to commercial real estate. He has been lead counsel for regional shopping center and mixed-use project developers, including counsel for the developer of the 400-acre, mixed-use BullStreet District in Columbia and for various lenders on large transactions involving commercial real estate. He is also author of the S.C. chapter of the book State-by-State Guide to Commercial Real Estate Leases. He has been named to Super Lawyers; Best Lawyers in America; Columbia 2014-15 Real Estate Lawyer of the Year; Midlands Legal Elite; and has a Martindale Hubbell AV Rating.

BRETT D. BUDLONG

Graybill, Lansche & Vinzani

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udlong advises developers, investors, lenders, buyers and sellers in areas such as financing,

leasing, land use and development, planned unit developments, construction, real estate title insurance, and all aspects of structuring commercial loans, CMBS, and business transactions. He has achieved the LEED Green Associate designation from the U.S. Green Building Council and has presented at numerous continuing education seminars on various real estate topics. A dean’s list graduate of Emory University and the University of South Carolina Law School, he is a member of the Order of Omega Honor Society and National Society of Collegiate Scholars, member editor, Southeastern Environmental Law Journal, James L. Petigru Public Interest Grant recipient, Palmetto Law Society, and Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity.

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RYAN BUTLER

Butler & College LLC

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utler earned his BS and

MBA degrees from The Citadel and his juris doctor from Charleston School of Law. While in law school, he received the CALI Award for the highest mark in Contracts, was elected vice president of the Evening Law Students Association and was a member of the Real Estate Society. An attorney since 2009 and a partner with Butler & College LLC since 2012, he has been named to Lawyers of Distinction and is a member of the state and Charleston County Bar, the American Land Title Association, Palmetto Land Title Association, and Charleston Trident Area Realtors. His firm has been named to Best of Mount Pleasant, Charleston’s Choice, Best of Bluffton, Best of SunSelect, Best of the Best for Charleston Living Magazine and Parent Magazine’s Mom’s Choice Awards.

WILLIAM B. COX JR. Savage, Royall & Sheheen LLP

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graduate of the College of Charleston and the USC Law School, Cox’s practice focuses on residential, commercial and timberland real estate transactions of all types in the Midlands. Currently managing partner of a general practice law firm in Camden, he has served in numerous community leadership roles, including president of Kershaw County Bar Association, as well as chairing or serving on boards for United Way of Kershaw County, Food for the Soul, Kiwanis of Kershaw County, South Carolina Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation at Wateree River Correctional, Carolina Cup Racing Association, Community Medical Clinic of Kershaw County, and Central Carolina Technical College Foundation. He is an at-large member of SC Bar House of Delegates.

ERIN CULBERTSON Culbertson Andrighetti LLC

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graduate of Furman University and of the University of South Carolina School of Law, Culbertson launched her firm, Nelson & Culbertson LLC, in 2000, practicing in residential and commercial real estate transactions. She is experienced in business formations and disputes. In 2007 she formed Culbertson Andrighettim LLC, where she continues practicing in those areas. She has served on the city of Greenville’s Board of Zoning Appeals, which she chaired, as well as the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority and the GVL2040 steering committee. She successfully appealed a Piedmont Natural Gas condemnation action to the S.C. Supreme Court in 2018.

FRANKLIN DANIELS

KEVIN GARRISON

Nexsen Pruet LLC

Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte

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graduate of Wofford College and the University of South Carolina School of Law, Daniels’ practice includes real estate tax planning and tax appeals, real estate development, contracts and leases, assisting local and Fortune 500 companies, structuring and economic development incentives, and assisting lenders and borrowers. He has experience in New Market Tax Credit transactions and Opportunity Zone matters. He community service includies the South Carolina ETV Commission, Brookgreen Gardens board, MUSC board of visitors, and the board of directors for the South Carolina Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics Foundation.

graduate of the USC School of Law, Garrison practices in commercial and residential real estate transactions, real estate development and community association law, foreclosure, workouts, corporate law, banking law and commercial law. He is an approved attorney for Chicago Title Insurance Company, Fidelity National Title Insurance, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company and Investors Title Insurance Company. He is a designated closing attorney under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 504 loan program. He has written articles, served as a panelist, and given presentations on Real Estate law.

CO

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.

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• 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

www.scbizmag.com

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JOHN P. GETTYS JR.

DAVID F. GIEG

KARA BAILEY HAMILTON

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A

TEE HASSOLD

JOHN LANSCHE

KATIE HINSON LEWIS

Morton & Gettys

graduate of Erskine College,

Gettys simultaneously earned an MPA and a Juris Doctor at the University of South Carolina. He has completed the Furman University Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative and the Liberty Fellowship. A cofounder of Morton & Gettys in Rock Hill, his residential real estate practice has included conventional financing, owner-financed properties, cash deals and other scenarios.

Additionally, he has closed and assisted in 1031 exchanges, foreclosures, short sales and other workouts. He has maitained an AV Preeminent Peer Rating from MartindaleHubbell. In 2021, he was the South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Lawyer of the Year. He is currently mayor of Rock Hill.

Holliday Ingram

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graduate of Clemson University,

Lipscomb University, and Wake Forest University School of Law, Hassold has accomplished much, both as a teacher and as an attorney. He spent two years as second grade teacher in inner-city Nashville, Tenn., with Teach For America, worked with the International Justice Mission in Uganda assisting in prosecution of criminals with the NGO, served as an Assistant District Attorney in Nashville. Currently, he focuses his practice on real estate closings and estate planning. Born and raised in Greenville, he is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and South Carolina.

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Buist Byars & Taylor

ieg is a partner in the commercial real estate practice area. After earning his B.A. from Yale University, Dave graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, then spent nearly 20 years working in large firms in Atlanta and Charleston. He also served for three years as in-house counsel for an Atlantabased public company. A real estate and corporate attorney, his practice focuses on commercial real estate acquisition, divestiture, financing, development, leasing, and transaction structuring, including drafting and negotiating complex joint venture agreements. He has represented multi-family, commercial, retail and mixed-use buyers, sellers, operators and developers in and around Charleston.

Graybill, Lansche & Vinzani LLC

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graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and the University of South Carolina Moore School of Business and USC School of Law, Lansche concentrates his practice in commercial real estate development, commercial real estate leasing (with an emphasis on retail leasing), commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions and marina/resort development. He is the lead attorney on many high-profile shopping center, marina, office and industrial projects throughout the Carolinas. He is a member of the North Carolina and South Carolina Bar Associations and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. He has an AV peer rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Wyche P.A.

2014 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law with a CALI Award, Hamilton was 2019 South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division Star of the Quarter and received a 2018 Leadership in Law Award from SC Lawyers Weekly.

She has served on the board of Commercial Real Estate Women of the Midlands, United Way of the Midlands Young Leaders Society Steering Committee and Women in Philanthropy and is a member of Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina Young Professionals Auxiliary.

She is vice chair of Midlands Foundation Cancer Centers board of directors and chair of the South Carolina Bar Corporate, Banking & Securities Law Section.

Shumaker Law Firm

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2011 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, she has represented a borrower and operator in acquisition of real estate for a skilled nursing facility as well as independent living/assisted living facility and assignment/assumption of an existing HUD loan. She has represented lender in a $14 million loan for properties in Texas, Georgia and Washington, as well as represented many clients and entities in the closing of real estate sales and purchases, as well as loan transactions, for properties throughout South Carolina.

She has also reviewed, drafted and interpreted real estate contracts, leases and easements. She was named to the 2018 Legal Elite of the Lowcountry in Residential Real Estate Law and has received a CALI award for Real Estate Transactions II.

JOSHUA LONON

LEIGHTON LORD

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Wyche P.A.

onon graduated from USC’s School of Law in 2003, serving as managing editor of the Southeastern Environmental Law Journal and on the National ABA Moot Court Competition Team. He was an SC Lawyers Weekly 2020 Leadership in Law honoree and has been recognized on the SC Supreme Court’s Pro Bono Honor Roll by Supreme Court of South Carolina.

In addition, he served as Chair of the South Carolina Bar Real Estate Practices Section and was a member of the 2017 South Carolina Bar Leadership Academy.

He is a Paul Harris Fellow Rotarian and serves on the Urban Land Institute Upstate South Carolina Executive Committee and the City of Spartanburg Board of Architectural Design and Historic Review.

WESTON NEWTON

Nexsen Pruet LLC

graduate of the University of Delaware and Vanderbilt University School of Law, Lord practices in the areas of economic development, corporate, partnership and real estate law. His practice has a special emphasis on siting economic development projects, real estate financing, and general business law. He is chairman of Nexsen Pruet and serves as managing director of the firm’s communications affiliate, NP Strategy LLC. He has led teams that sited many commercial facilities, successfully re-zoned over 4,000 acres for a commercial gold mine and negotiated the development agreement for the largest redevelopment project in Columbia’s history. He has an AV peer review rating in Martindale-Hubbell.

Jones, Simpson & Newton

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president and dean’s list graduate of the University of South Carolina, Newton’s practice concentrations include corporate, real estate development, property owners and condominium associations, and other areas. He served on Beaufort County Council, serving as chair from 2003-2012, and in the S.C. House of Representatives. He was named in the 40 Under 40 Top Young Business Professionals - Savannah/Hilton Head; Best of Bluffton - Best Attorney Award 2007; Liberty Fellow Class of 2015; 2018 Levin Institute - Carl Levin Award for Effective Oversight; and The Riley Institute at Furman 2017 David H. Wilkins Award for Excellence in Legislative Leadership.

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MEGAN O’NEILL

MEG SCOOPMIRE

ANTHONY STITH JR.

graduate of Vanderbilt University and VU School of Law, O’Neill has been practicing since 1991 and with Wyche since 1997. She represents clients in a variety of commercial real estate transactions.

She has been main counsel to sponsors in more than 25 projects throughout the Southeast with acquisition and development costs ranging from $25 million to over $100 million. She has been listed in South Carolina Super Lawyers, Chambers Elite, and Best Lawyers in America and is a member of the Greenville Bar, the Urban Land Institute and the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. She serves or has served on boards of trustees including Camperdown Academy and Cancer Survivors Park Alliance.

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WILLIAM R. STROUD

JEDDIE SUDDETH

SETH R. SWAN

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Wyche P.A.

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Riley Pope & Laney

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graduate of the University of Mississippi and the University of Richmond School of Law, Stroud manages the firm’s Charleston office, where he leads the transactional law team. His practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, commercial leasing and commercial real estate development, acquisitions, financing, leasing, and title insurance matters. He has represented a seller in $6 million sale of tenant-occupied properties in downtown Charleston as well as several buyers in numerous multimillion dollar transactions, leases, and other transactions. He has been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for his work in Real Estate Law and Land Use/Zoning Law and was a Super Lawyers Rising Star.

He serves in civic and community organizations such as Rotary Club of Charleston.

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Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A.

graduate of University of South Carolina School of Law, Scoopmire is a shareholder in Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Greenville offices and co-leader of the Real Estate Practice Group. Her practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions and financing, and she is a designated attorney for the U.S. Small Business Administration Development Company Loan Program (504). She is recognized by Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America.

She currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of North Carolina School of Law’s Center for Banking and Finance and is a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and serves on their board of regents.

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A.

graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, Suddeth is a real estate attorney and member of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Management Committee. He advises developers with residential, commercial and mixed-use projects, including entity formation, site acquisition, entitlements, financing, sales and leasing matters. He assists lenders with commercial real estate transactions and advises landlord and tenant clients. He has worked on several large mixed-use projects in North Charleston, assisting clients with legal matters including entity formation and structure, acquisition, financing (acquisition and construction), environmental, historic tax credits, construction and leasing. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America Real Estate Law.

Dodds, Hennessy and Stith

Clemson University and University of South Carolina School of Law graduate, Stith was admitted to the S.C. Bar in 2001. After clerking for the Honorable Irvin G. Condon, he joined Dodds Hennessy & Stith Law Firm in 2005, where he now serves as managing partner. His practice focuses exclusively on residential and commercial real estate.

He has also served the community by volunteering with the Sullivans Island Fire Department for more than 25 years.

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A.

graduate of Charleston School of Law, Swan represents developers, investors, buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, lenders and borrowers on all aspects of commercial real estate and financing transactions, assisting clients with due diligence issues and advising on title, acquisition or sale documentation, financing documentation and leasing matters for commercial real estate transactions. He has experience in drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, deeds, mortgages, commercial leases, ground leases, and easements.

His recent work has included representing clients in large-scale portfolio acquisitions and sales and with residential rental communities. He has been recognized

by The Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law.

JOSHUA VANN

Morton & Gettys LLC

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graduate of Furman University and Wake Forest Law School, Vann started with Morton & Gettys in 2004. He began the firm’s commercial real estate practice group and continues to chair that expanding practice area.

He has served as lead counsel on several $100 million-plus development and multifamily transactions. He has been named to Best Lawyers every year since 2018 and is well-known and respected by peers across the Southeast.

Congratulations, Joshua Vann.

2022 Power List Honoree

A partner at Morton & Gettys in Rock Hill, Josh represents clients in commercial real estate and development and real estate finance.

He’s part of a skilled, experienced business law team that can take any project from start to finish, from formation or acquisition to expansion and succession planning.

803.366.3388

331 E. MAIN STREET, STE 300 | ROCK HILL, SC

JIM WARREN Nexsen Pruet LLC

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graduate of Duke University and Vanderbilt University Law School, Warren has practiced in the Upstate and Southeast for more than 20 years, advising lenders, investors, developers, and public and private companies in a real estate and economic development transactions and assisting in the development and acquisition of retail, industrial, and commercial properties. He has been recognized by Chambers, MartindaleHubbell, Super Lawyers, and Legal Elite for Real Estate Law and was named the Greenville Real Estate Lawyer of the Year

by Best Lawyers in 2013. He has been recognized by Chambers USA, South Carolina Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Law and Real Estate Law, and has had an AV Rating by Martindale-Hubbell since 2008.

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COUNTY SPOTLIGHT A rural highway in Chester County. The county is still rural and sparsley populated, giving it a laidback feel and country charm. (Photo/Provided)

CHESTER COUNTY A laid-back lifestyle with big-city benefits drawing residents to I-77 corridor

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By Jim Tatum t first glance, Chester County can seem a bit of a paradox. Largely equidistant from Columbia and Charlotte, it is considered part of the greater Charlotte, N.C. metro region. Today, the county is growing a formidable commercial/industrial base with more than 50 manufacturers across industrial sectors, yet Chester County is still relatively small, rural and lightly populated.

Chester County is maximizing its assets to the fullest. Sitting conveniently on the I-77 corridor, the county enjoys easy access to major local, regional and national markets, the port of Charleston, and two major airports — Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

That strategic location, coupled with a business-friendly atmosphere, offers a large, diverse inventory of commercial prop-

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erty — Chester County has more available commercial inventory than any other county in South Carolina. The county even has a long-established short line railroad that connects with both CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads, allowing industrial clients to negotiate and secure very competitive freight rates with savings up to more than 20 percent in many cases. All this makes the area very attractive to businesses seeking a new home in the Carolinas.

In fact, Chester County is ranked No. 1 in both manufacturing employment and manufacturing growth rate in the Charlotte Metro Region. In the last five years, the area has seen 24 announcements resulting in $900.1 million in capital investment and 1,505 jobs created. With its proximity to Charlotte and Columbia, manufacturers can recruit employees from a labor shed of more than 2 million people.

Chester County Economic Development, which was created

connecting you and your business to what matters

Proudly serving chester county & surrounding areas for 125 years 1.800.768.1212 truvista.net

hosted voice | internet | security | video | managed services 47 www.scbizmag.com

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT

Giti Tire, with about 750 workers, is one of Chester County’s major employers, and the tire industry is one of the state’s primary employers. Tires made in the Palmetto State topped $29.7 billion in exports in 2021, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce. (Photo/Provided)

Chester Office 517 Ballymena Road P.O. Box 220 Chester, SC 29706 (803) 385-3157 (office) (803) 581-1543 (fax)

Great Falls Office 509 Chester Avenue P.O. Box 472 Great Falls, SC 29055 (803) 482-2442 (office) (803) 482-2292 (fax)

Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

After Hour Calls: (803) 385-3158 customerservice@chestergas.com www.chestergas.com We strive to fulfill our mission of improving the welfare of the communities we service by providing quality natural gas service at competitive rates in a safe, environmentally clean, and efficient manner. Serving Chester County for over 65 years.

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in 2004, along with a number of community partners and stakeholders, has worked hard to create a business friendly atmosphere without sacrificing what makes the area unique. Indeed, the idea that a rising tide floats all boats — industrial success also means success in every other aspect — has been at the forefront of the county’s economic development efforts.

“The mission of CCED is to create an environment that supports existing industry expansion, encourages new industry investments, fosters entrepreneurialism, and welcomes visitation by others, all of which support the provision of public services and otherwise improves each citizen’s prosperity and overall quality of life,” CCED Director Robert D. Long said.

Chester County’s investments in itself — in infrastructure, in commercial property and building inventory and other areas — has paid strong dividends. The county has attracted a diverse industrial base that includes companies such as Giti Tire, Boise Cascade Company, Guardian Industries Corp., Carolina Poly Inc., ATI Industries LLC, Chart Industries, Last Step Recycling, and others One major recent addition to Chester County’s industrial landscape is E.&J. Gallo Winery, which announced a new regional distribution center and manufacturing operation in June 2021. Gallo’s initial $423 million investment is expected to create 496 new jobs in the next eight years and the company has stated its long-term vision is to invest more than $1 billion and create 1,000 jobs over the next three decades.

However, the county seems to have an extra “something else” that gives it an edge, observes Stein Edwards, E.&J. Gallo Winnery Senior Director and Plant Manager.

“We selected Chester County, as it provided an East Coast location with connectivity to a substantial highway system, access to the Port of Charleston, and access to rail,” Edwards said. “Plus, as a familyowned company, we liked the family atmosphere of Chester County.”

Indeed, if you are looking for a fairly quiet place with a strong yet affordable

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COUNTY SPOTLIGHT quality of life, Chester County is a great place to start your search.

The 586-square-mile county is home to around 32,000 people, with about 5,400 living in the largest municipality and county seat, the city of Chester. That means there’s quite a bit of room to breathe and a wide variety of housing options from which to choose. The cost of living and average price of a home are both lower than state, regional and national indexes.

Educational and training opportunities abound. Thanks to its central location, Chester County has close access to more than 40 colleges and Universities, including the University of South Carolina, Winthrop University, UNC Charlotte, and Wofford College. Locally, York County Technical College, which has a campus in Chester County, is a valued business partner, offering more than 100 programs, including maintenance technology and automotive programs.

At the K-12 secondary level, Chester County’s public schools boast award-winning schools that have earned state of S.C. Palmetto Gold and Silver awards. Both public and private schools have modern, state of the art facilities complete with the most up-to-date infrastructure such as high-speed internet. Plus, more than 60 percent of the teachers working in Chester County schools have master’s degrees or higher.

Chester County is quite a hotspot of outdoor recreation, from golf to hunting, fishing, and camping opportunities to more extreme sports such as sky diving and whitewater adventure. In fact, Duke Energy is not only funding a project to put water back in original channels of the Catawba River in Great Falls, creating a rafting, canoeing and kayaking feature, but it is developing a state park on the big island of Dearborn Armory, which will join Chester State Park and Landsford Canal State Park.

For those seeking other opportunities, beach and mountain getaways are but short drives away.

In summary, Chester County clearly has much to offer, as more and more people and industries are discovering every day.

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The Richburg Magnolia Industrial Park is an example of the significant manufacturing presence in Chester County and along the I-77 Corridor leading to the Charlotte Metro Area. (Rending/Provided)

Chester County residents can enjoy the benefits of a rural location and the relaxed pace of its natural landscape while still being close to Charlotte and Columbia. (Photo/Provided)

Check out this round-up of some of the most important projects in the state. In the spotlight, you’ll find general contractors and architectural and engineering firms and the work they are doing.

Just scan the QR code for the details.

Today’s QR Code Roundup Brought to you by: HRP Associates, Inc. Since 1982, HRP has worked to minimize the environmental risks associated with our client’s projects and help them reach their business goals.

HRP is a multidisciplinary environmental and civil engineering consulting firm, with nine offices throughout the U.S. We are sure that you will find that this partnership approach provides the unsurpassed levels of service that you expect.

Project: R. Keith Summey Library The R. Keith Summey Library incorporates the existing Cooper River Memorial Library while designed to serve a diverse community. The result will be a vibrant, multi-textured library, accentuated by natural light. The center gathering space is highlighted by a clerestory and features a museum display documenting the history of the community. Features include community rooms, adult stacks, an outdoor reading area, a YA room, self-checkout stations, administrative areas and a walk-up automatic material handling system that can be accessed from outside. The original building is being transformed into a children’s area, with a computer lab, a story time area and an exterior courtyard.

Construction Firm: McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture McMillan Pazdan Smith is an architecture, planning, and interior design firm with 7 offices across the Carolinas and Georgia. Since 1955, MPS has provided innovative design solutions that are functional, beautiful, cost-effective, well-constructed, and community oriented.

Project: South Carolina State Credit Union - Columbia, SC New construction of a new 56,000 SF office building and renovation of 11,000 SF of SCU’s existing space. The new facility will include staff offices, conference rooms, a security station, restrooms, break rooms, a data center, mail room, and much more, while the renovated space will receive a finish upgrade to match the new facility. On the exterior, an entirely new facade and new windows will be added for greater efficiency and a refreshed look.

Construction Firm: Hood Construction Hood Construction is headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, with service areas throughout SC, NC, and GA. Our portfolio is broad, and includes offices, hospitality, healthcare, K-12 and higher education, faith-based, retail, industrial, municipal, and historic projects. www.scbizmag.com

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SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER CONSTRUCTION Project: Friarsgate Animal Hospital Construction began on Friarsgate Animal Hospital’s new location in the fall of 2022 and is expected to be completed by the end of this summer. The 6,000 square foot facility will include a new state of th e art surgery center and six exam rooms.

Construction Firm: Hill Construction Hill Construction Company is a commercial construction services firm located in Columbia, South Carolina. Respected as a leader in “team approach” project delivery, we base our quality standards on “building excellence” when fulfilling our clients’ needs.

Project: Palmetto Logistics Dalfen Industrial partners with Choate Construction and LS3P Associates for the Design-Build delivery of the largest speculative industrial building to date in the Charleston market. Measuring a record-breaking 1.3 million square feet, the new facility will help support strategic growth at the ports by delivering much-needed warehouse and distribution space.

Construction Firm: Choate Construction Choate Construction is a nationally recognized general contractor excelling in both ground-up and interior commercial construction with offices in Charleston, Charlotte, Nashville, Raleigh, Savannah, and Atlanta.

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Project: Anderson Univ.

Construction has started on Anderson University’s new Football Operations Center. AU aims to kickoff NCAA Division II football in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) in 2024. The 45,000 SF state-of-the-art facility will house the Trojan’s daily operations with coaches’ offices, locker rooms, team meeting rooms, and a training and sports medicine center.

Hogan Construction Group (SC) is the general contractor.

Construction Firm: McMillan Pazdan Smith McMillan Pazdan Smith is an architecture, planning, and interior design firm with 7 offices across the Carolinas and Georgia. The firm’s Higher Ed studio has completed over 500 projects on over 100 campuses. www.mcmillanpazdansmith.com

Project: County Square County Square is a former adaptive re-use shopping center and leased state/county government facilities in downtown Greenville, SC. Phase 1 consists of a new county administrative facility with parking structure. Future mixed-use phases will create a new urban experience and expansion of downtown. SW+ is providing comprehensive civil engineering, landscape architecture, permit coordination services, and construction administration for the project.

Construction Firm: SeamonWhiteside SeamonWhiteside (SW+) is a full-service site design firm with offices and projects throughout the Carolinas.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Does this look familiar? One of the QR codes will give you all the scoop!

Project: Surfside Beach The Town of Surfside Beach’s pier and associated buildings were irreparably damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

LS3P and Collins Engineers have designed a replacement pier and associated buildings consisting of a concrete structure and timber decking to provide greater resilience to future storms, longer service life, and lower maintenance costs.

Project: Gastroenterology Associates New construction of a 40,000 SF medical office building for Gastroenterology Associates is nearing completion. The first floor will contain the ambulatory care portion of the practice with the second floor housing office, administration, and exam rooms. Plans include a rooftop terrace with occupancy planned for September 2022.

Construction Firm: LS3P

Construction Firm: Caldwell Constructors

LS3P is an architecture, interiors, and planning firm providing services nationwide from our offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Caldwell Constructors is a full-service construction company focused on building relationships and providing exceptional service with unwavering integrity.

www.scbizmag.com

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER CONSTRUCTION Construction, engineering and architectural firms are working hard around the state.

Below are but a handful of the projects in progress.

4 West @ Brookland 351 Meeting St., West Columbia Developer/owner: Cornerstone at Meeting Architect(s): Steinberg Dickey Collaborative, Houston General contractor: Crestline Construction, Indianapolis Engineer(s): Strand, Dallas (engineer of record); Red Bay Constructors, North Charleston (installation of micropiles, provision of all post-tensioned foundations, slabs, and structural concrete) This new construction will host 15,000 square feet of Class A commercial space consisting of office, retail, and restaurant suites located on the first floor. The second through fifth floors will contain high-end apartment homes. Amenities include an unobstructed view of the river and Columbia skyline with public spaces and options for outdoor seating.

The site will be pedestrian-friendly to the river, park amphitheater, local shopping, entertainment, and numerous restaurants.

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71 Wentworth on King 71 Wentworth St. Developer/owner: East West Partners Architect(s): Kevan Hoertdoefer Architects General contractor: Trident Construction Services Engineers(s): Hensley and Goerling Consulting Engineers (mechanical, electrical, plumbing); Forsberg Engineering and Surveying (civil); Lambert Engineering Company, Mount Pleasant (structural) Estimated total cost: $13 million This historic King Street building is being renovated to house luxury condominiums. The residences will feature large windows, cathedral ceilings, and centuries-old brick.

Anderson University Football Operations Building Anderson University, 317 Boulevard, Anderson Developer/owner: Anderson University Architects: McMillan Pazdan Smith, Spartanburg General contractor: Hogan Construction Group, Easley Estimated completion date: Spring 2023 A groundbreaking was held in May for Anderson University’s new Football Operations Building. Anderson University aims to field their inaugural Division II football team during the 2024 college football season. This building will serve as the home for the football program, featuring locker rooms, team meeting rooms, coaches’ offices, strength and conditioning spaces, and sports medicine. While primarily for the football program, the building will also provide paces for other student athletes.

Broad River Electric Construction 1036 Webber Road, Cowpens Developer/owner: MBM Consulting, Greenville (owner’s rep) Architects: SGA Architecture, Greenville General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineers: Live Oak Consultants, North Charleston (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, civil structural) Estimated completion date: Third quarter 2022 This 62,900-square-foot project consists of a 27,600-squarefoot, two-story office building, a 12,800-square-foot truck shed, and a 22,500-square-foot warehouse. The site includes a laydown yard, pole yard, transformer yard, damaged-lineequipment shed and fueling station.

Learn More

Advanced Manufacturing Facility Design

803.765.0320 | www.ssoe.com

www.scbizmag.com

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powder-coated aluminum trellis, precast concrete piles, pile caps, and concrete planks. The structure features composite decking and sleeper system, with electrical conduit coordinated throughout. Galvanized-steel hand and cable rails and LED lights span the full length of the pier. All work is being completed within a drained pond.

Cambria Hotel 1000 Lady St. Architect(s): LS3P Project Manager: Highside Development, Denver General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineer(s): LeBlanc Welch, Greenville (mechanical/ plumbing); Buford Goff & Associates (electrical); Cox and Dinkins (civil); ADC Engineering, Greenville (structural) Estimated completion date: Summer 2022 (recently opened) Opened during the first week of June, the new 144-room Cambria Hotel in the Vista features upscale meeting and event space, locally inspired décor celebrating the history of the textile industry in Columbia, and contemporary, sophisticated guest rooms. Also offered are onsite dining and a full-service bar with local craft beer, wine, and specialty cocktails as well as a state-of-the-art fitness center.

Camp Hall Village–Park and Avian Pavilions 464 Autonomous Dr., Ridgeville Developer/owner: Santee Cooper, Moncks Corner Architect(s): Rush Dixon Architects, North Charleston General contractor: Choate Construction, Mount Pleasant Engineers(s): DWG Consulting Engineers, Mount Pleasant (mechanical, electrical, plumbing); Seamon Whiteside (civil); ADC Engineering, Hanahan (structural) Phase I of Camp Hall’s Village Center includes construction of the Avian Pavilion, an approximately 2,400-square-foot pier consisting of a galvanized steel structure with a white 56

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Clemson University Poe Indoor Practice Facility Renovation Perimeter Road, Clemson Developer/owner: Clemson University Architects: Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Greenville General contractor: Mavin Construction Estimated completion date: November 2022 The west end of the practice facility will be home to Clemson’s new Student-Athlete Branding Institute, multipurpose media spaces, a relocated applied-science lab, and an NFL locker room for recruiting. The upgrade also includes new storage, equipment, and hydration areas on the facility’s east side.

Crosspoint IX—Elbit Systems 9028 Palmetto Commerce Pkwy., North Charleston Developer/owner: Elbit Systems, Fort Worth; Childress Kline, Charlotte Architect(s): MCA Architecture, Greenville General contractor: Choate Construction, Mount Pleasant Engineers(s): Shepherd Harvey & Associates, Duluth, GA (mechanical); Eldeco (electrical); HLA (civil); WGPM, Charlotte (structural);

Estimated completion date: Winter 2022 Elbit develops and supplies a broad portfolio of airborne, land, and naval systems and products for defense, homeland security, and commercial appliances. The 175,500-squarefoot build-to-suit manufacturing facility is constructed out of 36-foot cast-in-place tilt walls with thermoplastic polyolefin roofing and accommodates 14 overhead cranes on the interior.

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant 945 Sabal St. Developer/owner: Bull Street Retail Architect(s): McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineer(s): Devita & Associates, Greenville (mechanical, electrical, plumbing); Davis & Floyd, Greenwood (civil); Fuller Group, Greenville (structural) Estimated completion date: Fourth quarter 2022 (shell completion) The 7,500-square-foot Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant will feature Iron Hill’s signature onsite brewing facility. A bar area, dining room, and outdoor dining space will seat approximately 250.

Judson Mill 703 Easley Bridge Road, Greenville Developer/owner: Judson Mill Ventures, Greenville Architects: McMillan Pazdan Smith, Greenville General contractor: Triangle Construction, Greenville Estimated completion date: Various completion dates by phase Judson Mill continues to grow with several new tenant upfits and building shell projects currently under construction. New tenant projects underway include JudHub, a shared office space oriented toward nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, and

other mission driven companies; Stumphy’s Hatchet House, an axe throwing venue; Magnetic South Brewery’s second Upstate location; and offices and event space for High Spirits Hospitality. Two new building shells are also being completed for future tenants.

Kiawah River Commissary 2577 Mullet Hall Road, Johns Island Developer/owner: Kiawah River Hospitality Group, Johns Island Architect(s): McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture General contractor: Southcon Building Group, Mount Pleasant Estimated completion date: September 2022 This project consists of a new 17,500-square-foot Kiawah River Commissary building. This multipurpose preengineered building includes an administrative area (offices, housekeeping, and staff-support spaces), commercial kitchen, dining room, locker room, and golf-cart storage building—all to support an onsite event hall, restaurant, hotel, and rental properties.

Publix Supermarket at Lexington Place 100 Old Cherokee Road, Lexington Developer/owner: Publix Supermarket, Lakeland, FL Architect(s): Little Diversified, Charlotte General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineer(s): Brandt Engineering, Midlothian, VA (mechanical, electrical, plumbing); Little Diversified, Charlotte (structural); Estimated completion date: Estimated total cost: Third quarter 2022 This project comprises interior renovations to an existing www.scbizmag.com

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Publix store during ongoing operations. Included are updates to the deli kitchen as well as new energy-efficient upgrades, new rooftop air-conditioning units, and overall cosmetic upgrades to the store. The project also includes enclosing the loading dock and concrete slab/ramp modifications.

Rosewood Church Redevelopment 2901 Rosewood Dr. Developer/owner: Cason Development Group Architect(s): Garvin Design Group General contractor: Boyer Commercial Construction Engineer(s): Swygert & Associates (mechanical, plumbing); Belka Engineering Associates, West Columbia (electrical); LandPlan South (civil); Mabry Engineering Associates (structural) Estimated completion date: October 2022 This mixed-use development project adapts an existing church building for new use as apartments and adds new construction for retail, hospitality, and apartments. Distinctive elements such as the steeple and stained glass windows will remain in place.

Red Bullet Spec Building 200 Masters Blvd., Anderson Developer/owner: Red Bullet, Anderson Architects: Architectural Design Center–ADC, Easley General contractor: McCrory Construction Engineers: Piedmont Mechanical, Spartanburg (mechanical); Walker & Whiteside, Greenville (electrical); Cam-Ful, Charlotte (plumbing); Site Design, Greenville (civil); Fuller Group, Greenville (structural) Estimated completion date: Fourth quarter 2022 This is an expansion to an existing facility for which McCrory recently completed a large renovation and expansion. The new project adds 150,000 square feet of warehouse and machine/maintenance shop with an area three-hour CMU separation wall. Site work includes an additional seven loading docks and truck apron, 16-foot-high segmented block retaining wall, and extension of the underground fire loop.

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St. Paul’s Church 304 E. Camperdown Way, Greenville Architects: McMillan Pazdan Smith, Greenville General contractor: Mavin Construction, Greenville Estimated completion date: June 2022 This project comprises ground-up construction of a 26,500-square-foot two-story church building. Included are 1.2 acres of site work for parking, connection to existing parking, and work associated with renovating the existing church entries as required to accommodate the new grading.

Strayer University 601 Meeting St., Suite 170 Developer/owner: Strategic Education, Atlanta Architect(s): SShape, Washington, DC General contractor: J. Musselman Construction Engineers(s): Jordan & Skala, Charlotte (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), Tadjer Cohen Edelson, McLean (structural) Estimated completion date: May 2022 This project is an upfit on the first floor of an existing shell building for use as a university. Trades for this work include framing, drywall, painting, flooring, casework, and other architectural finishes. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are provided as well.

Sweetgrass Pharmacy Phase 2 Addition 3485 Park Avenue Blvd., Mount Pleasant General contractor: Harbor Contracting This project comprises the phase two addition of Sweetgrass Pharmacy in Carolina Park.

The Dunlin 6000 Kiawah River Dr., John’s Island Developer/owner: Kiawah River Hospitality Group, John’s Island Architect(s): McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture Project Manager: KRHG General contractor: Trident Construction, North Charleston Engineers(s): Crenshaw Consulting Engineers, Raleigh (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection; Thomas and Hutton, Mount Pleasant (civil); Timmerman Structural Engineering Group, West Columbia (structural) Estimated completion date: Late 2023 The Dunlin is a luxury hotel featuring ten buildings, including 72 rooms, an outdoor gathering space, a restaurant, a pool, and a spa.

Wildcat Senior Living 2101 Cane Bay Blvd., Summerville Developer/owner: Lucky Shepard, Miami Beach Architect(s): Studio+, Fort Myers General contractor: Choate Construction, Mt. Pleasant Engineers(s): EC4B Engineering, Ft. Meyers (mechanical, electrical); KimleyHorn and Associates, Charleston (civil); Select Structural, Ft. Myers (structural); Estimated completion date: Fall 2022 Lucky Shepherd teams with Choate Construction under its subsidiary, Shepherd Senior Living, to bring 146,000 square feet of senior living facilities to Summerville. Wildcat Senior Living consists of 85,459 square feet of memory care and assisted living for residents and 57,069 square feet of independent living connected by breezeways. The community includes a 3,400-square-foot clubhouse with amenities for residents. www.scbizmag.com

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5 QUESTIONS WITH

5 QUESTIONS WITH…

Sam Konduros 1. As the new CEO of Southeast Life Sciences, what is your top priority in leading the organization?

To actually make our mission a “movement” in the Southeast U.S. that will garner global recognition and engagement. That means dramatically muscling-up our ecosystem and attracting an unprecedented number of national investors to fund the most promising life sciences technologies and companies emerging in our region. While it is a bold CEO priority, it is the reason that I accepted the position.

2. A recent impact study indicated that the life science industry in South Carolina was growing faster than in all peer states in the Southeast.

What do you think is driving this growth, especially in S.C.?

S.C. has always had a wealth of resources to fuel life sciences growth, but in the past we didn’t have a strategic plan for this unique industry, and weren’t effectively leveraging our assets. Now we’ve become very deliberate, and the impact of SCBIO’s mission has been a key factor, along with the increasing prioritization of life sciences by state and regional economic development organizations. This recent surge of relative growth has accelerated S.C.’s progress at a faster pace than peer states. Another key factor is S.C.’s ability to competitively produce life sciences products as a globally recognized advanced manufacturing hub. As the U.S. necessarily onshores the life sciences industry to prevent the serious supply chain vulnerabilities and disruptions we’ve encountered during the pandemic, S.C. is positioned to emerge as a new rising star in life sciences manufacturing.

3. What can be done to encourage diversity among entrepreneurs and early-stage startups within South Carolina’s life sciences and bio industries?

We must be extremely focused and creative in our

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efforts. Importantly, this element is now part of the state’s strategic life sciences plan crafted by SCBIO, and other influential peer organizations such as MUSC. While progress has been made, additional root-cause analysis, a long-term commitment and new approaches will be required. Identifying and proactively supporting the growth and success of diverse entrepreneurs is low-hanging fruit that must be seized, and more resources need to be developed within our ecosystem focused on this specific objective.

4. What do you see as the future of life sciences in South Carolina, given the life science powerhouses to our north in Research Triangle Park, to our west in Atlanta, and to our south in Florida?

It is highly strategic for S.C. to be sandwiched between strong players in the life sciences industry. We can benchmark and learn a lot from a prolific life sciences state like N.C., and our geographic proximity also puts S.C. within easy reach of a growing Southeast talent pool that can readily be recruited. And our extraordinary progress in connecting the state’s life sciences industry with the assets and resources they need to succeed, coupled with our renowned quality of life, makes continued progress inevitable in a state only beginning to flex its muscles in this sector.

5. Outside of work, what do you do to unwind?

I have a lot of diverse hobbies from photography to travel to lifting weights, and I actually get a lot of satisfaction from getting my hands dirty with yardwork.

However, it’s hard for me to imagine anything better than cruising down the Blue Ridge Parkway on my motorcycle on a sunny day, or skiing down a mountain in fresh powder!

Sam Konduros is the CEO of Southeast Life Sciences.

Learn more by visiting southeastlifesciences.org.

MAXIMIZE YOUR MARKETING 2022

This event shines the spotlight on both established leaders and the state’s rising stars who make an impact in business while making time to give back to the community.

The North Charleston Business Expo is the Lowcountry’s premier busines event showcasing regional companies. This event offers the business community an opportunity to network with local professionals, engage with exhibitors and discover new resources for business growth.

JULY

This annual event recognizes 20 small and 20 large companies in an exciting countdown format that culminates in the crowning of the two best-performing companies in the state.

AUGUST

OCTOBER

This annual dinner celebrates Lowcountry health care workers who go above and beyond to keep our citizens, businesses and communities safe and healthy.

NOVEMBER

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

NOVEMBER

The Best Places to Work in South Carolina program ranks companies that meet certain criteria for practices, programs and benefits. Celebrate with a party unlike any other, with a red carpet welcome, surprise speakers, cocktails, dinner and lots of glitz and glam.

This annual event recognizes forty Lowcountry professionals under the age of 40 who are making their mark with professional and community involvement.

The SC Manufacturing Conference and Expo will be held in Greenville. This multi-day event includes the Salute to Manufacturing Awards Luncheon, a manufacturing expo, panel discussions and several interactive, practical workshops.

FORTY 2022 | SOUTH CAROLINA

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For sponsorship opportunities, contact Rick Jenkins at rjenkins@scbiznews.com or 864.720.1224

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Corporate Health & Wellness (803) 726-3134

Danielle Hickson

Corporate Health and Wellness Manager

Employer Health Services Doctors Care provides occupational medicine and corporate wellness to more than 2,500 companies in South Carolina. We help employers reduce costs through efficient in-center scheduling and on-site service support, driving productivity through convenience.

With more than 50 locations across the state, your employees have4unparalleled access to our high quality health care services. www.scbizmag.com

Call toll free: 888-845-6887 Email: Sales@DoctorsCare.com Employers.DoctorsCare.com