The $30,000 electric solar panel system that Libby Smith and Charlie Sneed installed on their James Island home in early April is little more than a very expensive rooftop decoration these days. The Charleston couple is among a handful of South Carolina residents and businesses installing mini-power plants and thinking green, as in the color of the environmental movement, but also the color of money. >>
State lawmakers may pull the plug on the financially distraught S.C. World Trade Center, a nonprofit long dependent on state tax dollars to stay afloat. The trade center is not necessarily dying on the vine, however; as the organization’s leaders look to cut costs, which could affect services and boost revenue, they will ultimately reduce the center’s dependence on state funding, said Paul Roderique, a member of the trade center’s board of directors. >>
Jim Roquemore stood behind the large wooden desk in his office and pointed at the window that overlooked a small parking lot and a few long yellow trucks bearing the “Super-Sod” logo. “You used to be able to see almost to the horizon,” he said with an apologetic smile. “But with the growth of our business, I had no choice but to put the warehouse in.” >>
EDITOR'S NOTES SCWTC on a head-on course with its destiny One dark, foggy night while a U.S. destroyer was on patrol off the eastern seaboard, an admiral was on deck and noticed that his ship appeared to be on a head-on course with another vessel.
MARKETING MATTERS Passion for marketing strikes a common chord In my efforts to tap into those frequent-flyer miles that seem almost impossible to spend these days (and in the perfect example of relationship marketing, which I’ll return to shortly), early April found me winging over to northern Italy to visit my aunt, who teaches at Consortium Institute of Management and Business Analysis, a collection of 40 American universities offering an exchange program of international studies in undergraduate and graduate business courses. CIMBA spans two campuses just miles apart in the foothills of the Grappa Mountains in the Veneto region due north of Venice.
CAREER COACH Pay attention to your career stirrings It happens when you least expect it. You’re snug in bed, sleeping like a baby, and wham! Something jolts you wide awake at about 3 a.m. Or, you went to bed hours ago, but you’ve yet to visit dreamland, and instead you’ve been tossing and turning and worrying about how few hours stand between you and your alarm clock.
NONPROFIT DEVELOPMENT Make potential donors part of telling your story Q. This year, we are overhauling all of our foundation’s marketing and communications pieces. We have a great cause, some compelling pictures and a sound organization, but our materials lack impact. Any ideas on giving them some punch?
Global trade curriculum exposes students to international trade Kristen Munn plans to see the world after graduating from college. But the Fort Dorchester High School 10th-grader isn’t looking forward to a senior trip. She’s planning a career in international business, marketing and sales.
DuPont breaks ground on $500M Kevlar plant Gov. Mark Sanford declared DuPont’s new Kevlar fiber plant a life-saver at a groundbreaking event during which a half-dozen dignitaries ceremoniously tossed a bit of loose Berkeley County dirt.
Retailers ringing up success in Berkeley County Angie and Bill Scull are brewing up their recipe for success in Moncks Corner one cup of coffee at a time. They and other entrepreneurs and retailers have awakened to the fact that Berkeley County is the place to be, right in the path of growth.
Seniors’ volunteer work boosts local economy On a quiet dirt road between the Charleston International Airport and a North Charleston subdivision, the sound of hammers and the smell of paint rises from a leafy lot where a newly constructed home stands out among a number of careworn residences.
Lenders imposing new limits on student borrowing Those who need financial aid the most could lose the opportunity to attend college as lenders impose stricter credit requirements and stop writing new loans.
In-store banks represent more than capricious trend Since launching in the 1980s, in-store banking has given the industry a way to build without the higher cost of stand-alone locations and expand its customer base by exposing its products to more prospects.