High-tech incubator planned in downtown Charleston

By Scott Miller , Staff Writer

The S.C. Research Authority plans to spend about $5 million to refurbish a downtown Charleston building into an incubator for biotech research and business development.

The Charleston Innovation Center will focus on biomedical and biopharmaceutical research conducted by the Medical University of South Carolina, said SCRA President Bill Mahoney.

“We’ve got a pretty good pipeline of companies that would be located in the building and are ready to get going,” Mahoney said.

“The primary objective is better patient care, but if we can commercialize some of those discoveries, then everybody wins,” he said. “This is the very early stages of commercialization. This is the germination state, the very, very early stages of the companies.”

The city of Charleston negotiated a lease with the SCRA for a 28,000-square-foot building at 645 Meeting St., near the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Charleston City Council must approve the lease, which is for $1 per year for 30 years.

“It’s really hard to overstate the importance of this,” said Charleston Mayor Joe Riley. “That part of town has a terrific future and obviously to have a biotech incubator right in the heart of it is great for that area.”

If the lease is approved, Mahoney hopes to open the incubator in the fall of 2009.

Per the state Innovation Centers Act of 2005, SCRA must develop three research centers with MUSC, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.

The authority broke ground on a research center with Clemson earlier this year in Anderson. SCRA continues to work with USC to find space in Columbia, Mahoney said.

For more on this story, read the July 21 issue of the Business Journal.

USC hires one of its own as president

By Daily Journal Staff

Trustees at the University of South Carolina voted unanimously today to hire an insider to become its next president.

Harris Pastides, vice president for research and health sciences and executive director of the USC Research Foundation since 2003, will succeed retiring President Andrew Sorensen on Aug. 1. Pastides, 54, has been at USC since 1998.

“He understands the challenges we face, the opportunities before us and the university’s commitment to becoming a world-class university,” said Herbert Adams, chairman of the university’s board of trustees.

Either of the two other finalists, University of Florida Provost Janie Fouke and Geri Hockfield Malandra, a vice chancellor for the University of Texas System, would have been the university’s first female president.

In speaking of his goals for his tenure, Pastides said he is looking at new strategies for Innovista, the university research park designed to bring together the public and private sectors. He would not elaborate.

“The university needs Innovista,” he said. “Columbia and the state need Innovista as well.”

Under Pastides’ leadership, research funding has increased 69% since 2002, reaching a record $185.2 million in fiscal 2007. A news release issued by the university also credited Pastides with broadening partnerships with Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina.

Pastides also said he wants to continue advancing the quality of education the university can offer, boost campus security and prioritize upgrades of campus facilities.

“This is not time for gradualism,” he said. “I promise we will accelerate our momentum as a world-class university yet remain a faithful index to the best hopes and dreams of all South Carolinians.”

“I can’t guarantee that we will meet all of our goals, but what I can guarantee is that I will uphold all the values of Carolina,” Pastides said.

The university reviewed 89 resumes and interviewed seven candidates during its months-long presidential search.

State refuses to pay for ‘so gay’ U.K. ad campaign

By Molly Parker , Staff Writer

State officials are refusing to pay for a London-based poster campaign advertising South Carolina as a friendly place for gay and lesbian travelers to visit.

The poster reads, in bold letters, “South Carolina is so gay.”

In smaller type, it says: “Explore an America most never see. From plantations to the Civil War. Golf to gay beaches. Hilton Head, Charleston, Myrtle Beach. There’s nowhere quite like South Carolina.”

A spokesman for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism said Friday that the campaign was approved without the consent of management, and the United Kingdom agency responsible for the posters has agreed not to charge South Carolina the $4,900 fee.

“The problem with this particular situation is it (the campaign) had not been examined, reviewed or included in our marketing effort,” department spokesman Marion Edmonds said. “It involves, quite frankly, a theme, a topic, that we don’t currently have in our marketing mix.”

Edmonds said a middle-level employee approved the project, though it’s unclear whether the employee reviewed the campaign.

“That was a mistake,” Edmonds said. “It was a case of poor judgment, and they acted without consulting management that makes the marketing decisions.”

Agency director Chad Prosser was unavailable for comment but passed a prepared statement on through Edmonds, saying: “I do not believe that it is appropriate to use state tourism marketing funds to support any specific social agenda, nor would we ever knowingly, willingly do so.”

Amro Worldwide, a British company specializing in gay travel, organized the campaign in conjunction with gay pride week celebrations in London. According to the company’s Web site, tourism agencies in Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Washington originally sponsored the campaign. South Carolina signed up as a sixth partner shortly thereafter, it says.

The posters were placed on London Underground stations frequented by gay and lesbian riders, the company said. The idea was to turn the commonly used putdown “that’s so gay” into a positive phrase.

Gov. Mark Sanford has called for the state tourism department to review its procedures in regard to advertising campaigns.

“There’s a failure in the process,” Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said. “Any kind of advertising marketing campaign like that, the director should have final approval on.”

“As a matter of principle, we think our tourism dollars should be spent promoting the natural beauty and the attractions of South Carolina, and not any one particular social or political agenda,” he said.

Public meeting set on Santee Cooper air quality permit

By Daily Journal Staff

A public meeting has been set to discuss the air quality application for the proposed coal-fired Santee Cooper power plant.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. July 22 at Hannah-Pamplico High School in Florence County.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Bureau of Air Quality received an application from Santee Cooper for a case-by-case Maximum Achievable Control Technology air permit. The public meeting allows residents to ask questions and offer comments on the proposed coal-fired plant to be located near Kingsburg and Pamplico.

Information on the application and DHEC’s air permitting process will be provided at the meeting.

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the federal Clean Air Mercury Rule for power plants in February. Until a new mercury regulation is issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, each new power plant will have to propose emissions limits to control hazardous air pollutants, including mercury.

DHEC is required to review the proposed limits and application and make a determination on the analysis.

For more on this story read the July 21 issue of the Charleston Regional Business Journal.

City holding Daniel Island business workshop

By Daily Journal Staff

Charleston’s Department of Planning, Preservation and Economic Innovation is sponsoring a workshop for the Daniel Island business community and others interested in owning or establishing a business in the Daniel Island business district.

“The business district on Daniel Island is an exciting and dynamic place to do business,” Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said. “Our goal is to offer to existing and proposed businesses some of the tools they may need for a successful business. This will be a great opportunity for those who have dreamed of owning their own business to get some tips for making their dream come true.”

The workshop will take place from 9-11 a.m. July 31 at the Daniel Island branch of the Berkeley County Library, at 2301 Daniel Island Drive.

The Daniel Island Business Planning Workshop is designed to help business owners understand how to better plan for their business, manage sales expectations, design target marketing strategies and budget.

Business development experts from the city, SCORE, Charleston Citywide Local Development Corp., Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and advertising experts, among others, will talk about resources and programming available for business owners.

International forestry conference to be held in Charleston

By Daily Journal Staff

The Information Exchange Group’s biennial IEG 40 conference will be held July 22-25 at the Doubletree Hotel in Charleston. It will feature speakers from more than 10 countries discussing various tree species, as well as a daylong field trip into the woods.

This year’s conference, titled “Incorporating Genetic Advances into Forest Productivity Systems: Value for All Landowners,” will feature 30 speakers discussing varietal testing, nursery practices, wood quality improvements, growth rate enhancement and other aspects of varietal forestry science.

An all-day field trip to conifer and hardwood stands and research trials is also planned.

Clarification

Thursday’s Daily Journal story about the opening of Venture Aerobearings’ manufacturing facility in Palmetto Commerce Park should have said the plant is located in North Charleston.

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