Housing market is red hot By Matthew French Anyone who has looked at housing prices lately knows that Charleston ain’t what it used to be. Homes can double their value inside of five years and first-time homebuyers have less buying power than at any time in recent memory.
Soaring gas prices siphoning dollars from businesses, consumers By Jerry Miller With gasoline prices nearing $2.25 per gallon, the highest in the region’s history, and the cost of diesel fuel near or at that level, the impact of escalating fuel costs on business is already being felt.
Morrison Drive project needs to revitalize, not gentrify area By Dennis Quick The former landfill on Romney Street, off downtown Charleston’s Morrison Drive, is an economic development gold mine, according to local business leaders and politicians.
Community Benefits Agreements Community Benefits Agreements are contracts between developers and community organizers to ensure that local community residents share in the benefits of major developments.
Spring ushered in by two little words: Play ball! By Bob Bouyea I love baseball. I’ve come to realize this fact as I’ve grown older. I’ve always followed the game, but as a boy and young man, I was attracted to the faster-paced sports of football and basketball. Plus my enthusiasm for the game was less back then because of the fact that I wasn’t a good baseball player.
Helicopter company hovers area for new home By Dennis Quick Dennis D’Annunzio’s business is running out of space. And if he can’t find a facility with enough room to grow into, he may be forced to move the company out of state.
Welcome to Flatland: The world wants your job and soon could have it By Bill Settlemyer New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman has a new book out: The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. The book is meant as a wake-up call for those in this country who still assume that our role as the world’s leading economic power is some kind of birthright that can be challenged but not overcome.
Letters to the Editor I was excited, once again, to see that you’ve expressed support for removing passive smoking from public work and entertainment locales. Your care and concern for the well being of our community has always been outstanding.
Quick Notes: Trends & Talk About Town By Dennis Quick Timely transportation. In March, Rick Laubscher, president of San Francisco’s Market Street Railway and a light rail expert, told an audience at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce that we in the Lowcountry have phenomenal light rail opportunities right in front of our collective face.
Mount Pleasant expands scope of Highway 17 study By Matthew French A month after an East Cooper citizen’s group began to make noise by reproving plans to create overpasses along Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant, the town has included the group’s alternate plans in the scope of a study being conducted by an Atlanta-based consultant.
Army Corps studying port access road alternatives By Matthew French The Army Corps of Engineers recently completed a study to evaluate the traffic impact of the South Carolina State Ports Authority’s proposed container terminal on existing roads in the vicinity of the former Charleston Naval Base.
Carroll on Work: Be a true ‘American idle’ By John Carroll Perhaps you’ve heard it said that you’re either advancing forward or moving backward, that there’s no such thing as standing still. To take such a stance literally, one might believe that action and only action counts.
Georgetown County lands large employer By Matthew French A Texas-based company has announced plans to build a $125 million gypsum wallboard plant in Georgetown County. The facility would employ more than 100 people.
State high court may close employment law loophole By Matthew French The South Carolina Supreme Court is once again considering a case that could have significant ramifications on employment law, particularly for small businesses.
College develops master plan to guide development By Holly Fisher Looking strictly at recent construction, it would appear as if the College of Charleston is preparing for major growth. Actually, it’s just catching up.
News Briefs Dunes Properties of Charleston, Inc. opened a new office in Mount Pleasant. Located at 300 West Coleman Blvd., the office opened April 15 with nine agents and two administrative assistants.
Luxury home market sizzles despite shrinking supply By Dennis Quick Lowcountry homes costing upwards of $1 million were in hot demand during 2004. While fewer sales are expected for this year, property appreciations should make the total sales value at least equivalent to last year’s tally, says broker Ron Davis of Isle of Palms-based Ron Davis Realty.
People in Real Estate Richard P. Anderson, Charles P. Blankin and Douglas M. Wells opened Anderson, Blankin, Wells, and Associates LLC, a full-service real estate firm at 786 Johnnie Dodds Blvd.in Mount Pleasant. The three principals have a combined 50 years experience in residential brokerage and new home site sales. They have also added two staff members. Brad Milner specializes in downtown, West Ashley, Mount Pleasant and James Island properties. Tracey Chisholm has 10 years experience in real estate and specializes in residential and new home site sales.
Time Well Spent By Honor Hawkins Spring in the Lowcountry promises sunshine, azaleas, The Family Circle Cup and a proliferation of Ohio license plates. For many of us, though, it brings a little more: stuffy noses and itchy, watery eyes. Seasonal allergies strike again.
Executive Development: ‘Managing up’ can give your career a lift By Wayne Outlaw Most people think of managing as directing those below you on the organization chart. To achieve true success as an executive, you must develop your ability to manage up. You must manage the relationship with those above you who have a vested interest in seeing you succeed.
Local physicians revive house calls By Lyn Mettler When Joe Sylvan, owner of Sylvan Galleries on King Street, came down with a nasty case of pneumonia last December, he felt there was no way he could muster up enough energy to get to the doctor’s office. But he remembered a physician who came to the rescue of a friend who became ill while staying at a local hotel.
Marketing: What does ‘No More Late Fees’ teach us about brand credibility? By Elizabeth Boineau That giant of the movie-rental industry and the largest video-rental company in the world, Blockbuster Inc., has suffered a major blow from the uproar caused by what initially was touted as an incredible breakthrough for the customer and one that was sure to be a setback for the competition: No more late fees!
Banks aim services at Hispanic community to fuel growth By Kim Chen Wiseman More than half of all U.S. retail banking growth in the next 20 years will come from America’s growing Hispanic population, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Beach renourishment project waving tourists away By Shannon Cavanaugh Sounds of the waves, breathtaking views of the ocean and salty summer breezes are not enough to entice tourists to pay $1,385 a week to stay at the Dancing Dolphin this summer.
Beach house rental marketing effort could land tourists in hot water By Shannon Cavanaugh To counter negative impact of the renourishment efforts, Islands West Real Estate, which handles vacation rentals on Folly Beach, is promoting a contest that encourages tourists to look for the most historic and weirdest artifacts, bring them into the office and compete for a monthly prize.
The changing face of Folly By Shannon Cavanaugh With more than one-third of its downtown properties for sale, Folly Beach could see an extreme make over. An island known as the place to let your hair down and enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the 1960s is now at the mercy of a “for sale” sign.
Commerce supports small business innovation The following information is provided to the Charleston Regional Business Journal by the South Carolina Department of Commerce for publication once a month.
Career Coach: Increase your stock value, become a ‘keeper’ at work By Barbara Poole Everywhere you turn these days, someone is writing or talking about the volatility in the job market. Guaranteed employment is a thing of the past, and the era of mergers and acquisitions makes it tough to know who’s on first and what the balance of power is in many organizations.
Calendar APRIL 19: Developers Council. 8:30-10 a.m., Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 2750 Speissegger Drive, Ste. 100. Information: Honey Hopkins at 805-3089.
APRIL 20: East Cooper Area Business Council. 7:30-9 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Mount Pleasant, 250 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Topic: "East Cooper Area Business Council vision for 2005-2006: Help the chamber form the chamber priorities." Cost: $15 at the door. Information: jnobles@charlestonchamber.org or www.charlestonchamber.net.
Amazon.com buys North Charleston-based BookSurge By Kim Chen Wiseman Online book retail giant Amazon.com has purchased BookSurge, a North Charleston-based publishing company touted to be changing the way books are printed, sold and distributed.
Prime Properties: “Prime Properties” has changed! This section is now spotlighting properties that have been recently purchased or sold in the tri-county area. Local agents or buyers are invited to submit properties they feel merit inclusion, including a photograph and the following information: property type, property description, the property’s address, buyer and seller names, and the sale or lease price.
People in the News Glasspro Inc. hired Melinda Boggs as a customer service representative in its customer call center. Previously, Boggs was an office manager in the insurance industry and also had administrative positions with Piggly Wiggly and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
Giving Back MeadWestvaco employees raise funds for United Way
Appointments The new officers of the Mortgage Lenders Association of Greater Charleston are Charles "Chuck" H. Stuart of First Federal of Charleston, as president; Susan Druschel of Susan Druschel & Associates as vice president; Paul Franklin of Franklin Funding as secretary/treasurer; and Michael Gobin of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage as past president.
Photo Finish Nancy Green, of DHI Mortgage, was honored by the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors as the 2004 Affiliate of the Year. The award recognizes an affiliate member for her exemplary dedication and involvement with the association, real estate industry and the community. Pictured, from left, are Green; Lynn Barber, association awards committee chair; and Ruthie Smythe, association president.
Accolades & More Heather Lord of Century21 Properties Plus completed the Realtor e-Pro certification through the National Association of Realtors.
