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Charleston to serve as springboard for Jafza
By Dan McCue , Staff Writer
After months of developing an engineering and project management brain trust here, Jafza International said it plans to use its Charleston location as a “springboard” into other markets in North and South America.
The company has formally established its North American headquarters in the Holy City. In February, Jafza appointed Clint Murphy its engineering principal in charge of North American operations and sent him to Charleston to establish the Dubai-based firm’s first formal project office in the United States.
Chuck Heath, managing director of Jafza International, said the Charleston headquarters will soon start recruiting additional staff. The office is near the South Carolina Aquarium and is in the same office complex as Applied Technology and Management.
"We believe that Charleston will be a good location to springboard into other markets throughout the Americas," Heath said.
The office, now staffed mainly by engineering experts, will soon also be home to the company's administrative and business operations for the Western hemisphere.
“(The office) will be our base not only for the Orangeburg project, but also for business all over the U.S.,” Heath said. “We are now moving fast to achieve our South Carolina target and pursue further expansion in the region."
The new headquarters’ opening under the banner of Jafza South Carolina LLC is in line with the parent company's time-bound plan to launch its landmark $600 million U.S. logistics and business park project in Orangeburg in 2009 or early 2010.
The logistics park will include light manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facilities. Jafza has estimated the project will create 8,000 to 10,000 jobs in the next decade.
Jafza International is the global free-zone management and consultancy arm of Economic Zones World, an economic development firm owned by the ruler of Dubai through the Dubai World holding company.
"I think opening our North American office in Charleston shows our commitment, obviously to Orangeburg, but also and equally to South Carolina and the Southeast region of the United States," Heath said.
Heath said the company's embrace of South Carolina is a reflection of the warm welcome Jafza received last year as it contemplated the purchase of more than 1,300 acres in Orangeburg.
"We came here last September, heard a presentation by Gregg Robinson of the Orangeburg County Development Commission, and met with several public officials, and what made a huge impression on us was the spirit of cooperation they exuded," he said.
"They made it clear they wanted us here and made us very comfortable," Heath said. "In fact, we had intended to go back to Dubai to make a decision on the project within the following 30 days or so. Instead, we committed to the project before we left."
"In the weeks and months since, we have developed many good friends, both personally and professionally in the state," he said. "Personally, I feel the vision of the folks in South Carolina is very similar to our own."
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Easter gas prices up sharply from last year
By Daily Journal Staff
A weak dollar, a weakening national economy and significant investment in gas and oil futures are combining to drive up gasoline prices.
So if high gas prices have you shying away from the pump, go ahead and fill up now before prices shoot higher. Because they will.
Gas prices are setting record highs in the Carolinas and will be more than 60 cents higher in South Carolina this Easter than they were at the same time last year.
“We expect gasoline prices to continue their upward spiral between now and Memorial Day,” said David E. Parsons, president and chief executive of AAA Carolinas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association.
Parsons said prices normally climb in spring when people drive more while refineries retool for summer-blend gasoline and perform maintenance. The most recent upswings, however, are due instead to the U.S. economic slowdown, the weakening of the dollar against foreign currencies and speculation in investment markets, he said.
“(There are) unprecedented levels of investment in crude oil and gasoline futures as a hedge against the falling dollar and a ‘safe haven’ from sliding prices in other investments such as real estate, equities and bonds,” Parsons said.
With oil trading at record highs of $1.10 a barrel and upward, chances are good that gas prices will continue to climb as the summer driving season approaches, he said.
South Carolina gas prices are a fraction of a penny away from surpassing the record high set in September 2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf of Mexico, and gas prices are setting record highs daily in North Carolina.
South Carolina’s highest gas prices are found in Myrtle Beach. Here is how current prices for a gallon of unleaded, self-serve gasoline compare with prices a year ago around the state:
hCharleston
Currently: $3.14.
Year ago: $2.37.
hColumbia
Currently: $3.15.
Year ago: $2.36.
hGreenville
Currently: $3.08.
Year ago: $2.33.
hMyrtle Beach
Currently: $3.18.
Year ago: $2.38.
hNational average
Currently: $3.28.
Year ago: $2.56.
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Local manufacturers honored for plant safety
By Dan McCue , Staff Writer
Robert Bosch LLC in North Charleston and Alcoa’s Mount Holly facility were among 134 plants throughout the state honored for outstanding workplace safety accomplishments during 2007 by the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance.
Facilities with a low rate of incidents resulting in lost workdays, job transfers or restrictions were nominated for recognition.
The South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance works with legislative and regulatory bodies on behalf of the state’s manufacturers to develop a positive environment for industry growth.
Ellis McGaughy, site manager for DuPont’s Moncks Corner operation and chairman of the alliance’s Plant Safety Task Force, said, “We are all proud to be part of the SCMA and to be able to recognize the outstanding safety achievements of our members.”
McGaughy said recognizing the importance of safety helps ensure that it remains a top priority.
“The evaluation criteria for this award are ambitious, and it’s evident that South Carolina manufacturers have worked conscientiously to meet and exceed the standards the award requires,” he said.
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Drayton Hall launches DVD tours
By Daily Journal Staff
Drayton Hall, the 18th-century Ashley River plantation off S.C. Highway 61, today launches interactive DVD tours to allow visitors to interpret the historic site at their own pace.
“Without a formal visitors’ center or exhibition space, Drayton Hall’s archives remain an untapped resource with extraordinary interpretive potential,” said Craig Tuminaro, Drayton Hall’s director of interpretation. “Now, guests will not only have access to these resources that depict how Drayton Hall has changed over the centuries, but they will be able to better understand the impact of those changes as told through the varying perspectives of historic witnesses.”
“The Voices of Drayton Hall” is a companion to the historic site’s interpreter-led house tour and is at the forefront of a National Trust for Historic Preservation movement to improve interpretation at historic sites across the country. The DVD was produced by True Aim Productions with support from The History Channel.
The “Voices” DVD allows visitors to be in charge of what they learn and how much time they spend at each site along the tour. The DVD spans four centuries of American history and includes archival images, archeological artifacts, family possessions and interviews with Drayton family members and descendants of slaves who once lived and worked at Drayton Hall.
Visitors can rent the DVDs all day for $7 and can also purchase a copy to take home for $24.95.
Drayton Hall is a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a National Historic Landmark that has been preserved in near-original condition. It was owned by the Drayton family until they bequeathed the property to the National Trust in 1974.
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Chamber to hold annual Economic Outlook Conference
By Daily Journal Staff
The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce will present its forecast for the region’s key economic sectors Thursday at the 2008 Economic Outlook Conference.
The conference and luncheon will be held noon to 2 p.m. at Charleston Place Hotel at 205 Meeting St. Registration is at 11:30 a.m.
The forecast is based on historical data tracked and collected by the chamber’s Center for Business Research and is produced in conjunction with the College of Charleston.
The conference’s keynote speaker is Kevin P. Healy, senior vice president of marketing and planning for AirTran Airways.
For more information, call Erin Pabst at 805-3040.
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Helping Out
Helping Out highlights some of the many charitable events and activities going on in the Charleston area. Submissions should be sent to dailyjournal@charlestonbusiness.com.
The Carolina Lowcountry chapter of the American Red Cross has launched its 2008 Clara Barton Society Fundraising Campaign.
Tomi Youngblood is campaign chair and Laura and Bill Hewitt are vice-chairs. Former state Gov. and Mrs. James B. Edwards are the campaign’s honorary chairs.
The Clara Barton Society Campaign is the chapter’s major annual gift campaign. Society membership helps the chapter provide its programs and services in Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester and Colleton counties.
All society members receive an invitation to the annual Clara Barton Society Recognition Reception, a disaster preparedness presentation for their families or employees and recognition in the chapter’s newsletter and annual report and on the chapter’s Web site.
Sponsors, Pacesetters, Benefactors and Leadership members of the society receive additional benefits, such as an invitation to a local disaster ride-along or an invitation to a Breakfast Roundtable with chapter executives. Membership benefits and naming opportunities may also be customized to meet the needs of individual donors.
For information on joining the Clara Barton Society, call 843-764-2323, ext. 368.
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The restaurants of Maverick Southern Kitchens are participating this week in the UNICEF/Tap Project, a nationwide program in which restaurants around the nation are raising money to provide clean, safe drinking water to the countless children throughout the world who are without it.
Maverick Southern Kitchen restaurants are raising funds in two ways: Collecting donations from dining guests by charging $1.00 for the tap water served to each guest at a table and by providing a dollar-for-dollar company match of all funds raised on Maverick properties.
The donations will be forwarded to UNICEF to help pay for safe drinking water for needy children worldwide.
“There’s no question that we support the Tap Project because it’s the right thing to do, and our management team felt strongly that we could do even more,” said Dick Elliott, company president.
According to the Tap Project Web site, more than 1 billion people worldwide have no access to safe drinking water, causing the deaths of almost 6,000 children daily.
The Maverick restaurants will ask dining guests if they wish to participate, prior to charging $1.00 for their tap water. If guests are interested, they may leave additional donations for the Tap Project on their dining check.
The Maverick Southern Kitchens restaurants include Slightly North of Broad and High Cotton in downtown Charleston; Old Village Post House in Mount Pleasant, and High Cotton in Greenville. The fundraiser began Sunday and will continue through Saturday.
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Job of the Week
Each week, Job of the Week will feature one employment opportunity from the Charleston JobMarket, a service of SC Biz News LLC, publisher of the Charleston Regional Business Journal.
Cintas, a provider of corporate identity uniform programs, is looking for a sales representative to focus on new business-to-business account development in its facility services business.
Responsibilities include prospecting, cold calling, setting appointments with prospects, presenting programs and delivering a sales quota. Sales representatives may also transport samples of products for presentations. Cintas provides a thorough training program, including product knowledge and development of our company sales process.
Candidates must have a valid driver’s license, a high-school diploma (although a bachelor’s degree is preferred) and a minimum of one year of outside sales experience. Preferred qualifications include new business-to-business experience, two or more years of outside sales experience and knowledge of Microsoft Office applications including Outlook, Work, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet/Intranet and Contact Management System.
Benefits include competitive pay, 401(k) and profit sharing, medical, dental and vision insurance plan, disability and life insurance package, paid vacation and holidays and career advancement opportunities.
The position is full-time, based in Charleston and is available immediately. To apply, click here.
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