Crowning King Street By Kathleen Dayton A church, a park, a liberal dose of restaurants and a growing number of high-end interior furnishings stores keep company with a few small beauty supply stores and a nearby funeral home in Charleston’s most rapidly evolving district, upper King Street.
Clustered or not, homeland security thriving locally By Dan McCue The tri-county region is fast becoming a nexus of the nation’s burgeoning homeland security industry, according to contractors and state and local law enforcement officials.
Black youth need to discover their entrepreneurial heritage By Dennis Quick Recently I stopped by Books, Herbs & Spices, an alternative health food store on Spring Street, to chat with owner Thomas Williams about Charleston’s black-owned business scene.
Filmmakers striving to create singular S.C. movie industry By Dennis Quick When executives from independent movie company GryphonPix Entertainment announced in May production plans for their forthcoming full-length feature “The Interview,” they emphasized the need for a local film industry and in doing so cited the Angelou Report.
Case closed: Surgeon General issues definitive report on secondhand smoke By Bill Settlemyer On June 27, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a 685-page report on the health consequences of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. This exhaustive analysis brings to an end any controversy about the dangers of secondhand tobacco smoke.
Skilled workforce essential for manufacturing success By Joe Loughrey College-bound students and their parents are caught between two unenviable trends this year: Record low admission rates at colleges awash in applications, making it harder than ever for students to get into top schools; and record high price tags for higher education that are squeezing family budgets.
South Carolina can do better by modernizing its tax code By Andy Brack South Carolina’s economy has changed considerably since the 1930s and 1940s. The days of travel on dusty, dirt roads are gone, replaced by Interstate highways and airplanes. Gone are most afternoon newspapers, and a lot of mill villages and corner stores. In their place are modern communications networks, factory farms and consumer superstores.
Sullivan’s eateries await effects of smoke-free law By Jessica Johnson In June, the Sullivan’s Island Town Council passed an indoor workplace smoking ban to protect the health of workers. With the ordinance going into effect July 20, owners of eating and drinking establishments wonder how the ban will affect the health of their businesses.
Push for smoking ban in Charleston eateries continues By Dennis Quick The ongoing debate over whether Charleston should adopt a smoke-free ordinance lit up again briefly in June, when the Smokefree Lowcountry Coalition released a Medical University of South Carolina study concerning the air quality of restaurants and bars where smoking is permitted.
Kudzu: The lovable pest that invaded the South By Kathleen Dayton Developers beware: the vine that ate the South could have its pesky roots imbedded somewhere on that high-dollar piece of Lowcountry property you’re about to buy, or may already have crept its way in amongst your valuable oaks and palmettos.
Minority contractor business academy graduates first class By Dennis Quick It was tough, but Stacy Casserly got through the contract law course. Contract law was one of a number of required courses Casserly took during a rigorous 14-week program aimed at providing more construction-related job opportunities for minority contractors.
Higher interest rates not cooling off housing market By Kathleen Dayton The nationwide construction avalanche and home-buying frenzy that has accompanied low interest rates for the past couple of years is cooling off as interest rates begin to perk up.
Family perseverance keeps founder’s King Street dream alive By Kathleen Dayton Beneath the ornate facades of turn-of-the-century buildings, bulldozers and jackhammers are re-shaping Charleston’s upper King Street into the shopping district it was a century ago.
Health clubs giving Charleston market a workout By Shannon Cavanaugh No more excuses. You can now work out any hour of the day or night. East Shore Athletic Club is opening a new kind of fitness club called ES24. These new clubs are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to accommodate those who work odd hours or just can’t fall asleep.
Proposed software center to create pool of workers By Shelia Watson When Advanced Information Services received a contract from the U.S. Navy’s Space and Warfare division, it generated good news for the local economy and a challenge for AIS.
‘Team Charleston’ would aid growth of security cluster By Dan McCue Fostering a cluster, in the true sense of the AngelouEconomics report, means more than creating synergies between homeland security projects and initiatives. It also means fostering connections to support businesses.
Industry fractionalization may be a byproduct of secrecy By Dan McCue Talk to enough people in the know about their involvement in Charleston’s homeland security industry, and you’ll soon discover that along with a common thread of patriotism and a desire for continued business success, the most common characteristic they share is a kind of insularism.
DHS refining interactions with the private sector By Dan McCue Homeland security is not a new concept; after all, the U.S. Customs Service is the nation’s oldest law enforcement agency. But the fundamentals changed after Sept. 11, 2001, and with them, the needs of the federal government and the volume of its money that flows to private industry.
New security risk assessment cuts S.C. allotment in half By Dan McCue In late May, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it is sending more than $14.6 million in homeland security grant funding to South Carolina.
SCRA develops mobile information sharing program By Shelia Watson For Al Johnson, director of Public Safety & Homeland Security Solutions with the South Carolina Research Authority’s Integrated Solutions Group, Hurricane Katrina was “the perfect storm” in terms of highlighting the need for a better communications infrastructure.
Local company says ‘Hola’ to Latin America By Kathleen Dayton A short history of the global telecommunications company Telecom International begins with the dream of a man from Pennsylvania, whose company, founded in Vermont, does much of its business in Latin America while based in Mount Pleasant.
Lab Discoveries set to enter U.S. market via Charleston By Shelia Watson Lab Discoveries Ltd., an Israel-based biotech research company, may base its U.S. subsidiary in Charleston thanks to the efforts of Charleston native Gordon Jones.
If the product is the same, the only difference is sales By Jeffrey Gitomer There’s a headline in today’s USA Today that says, “Beloved stores get a lot more than a new name.” The subheading is “Macy’s swoops in big changes to Field’s, Hecht’s, and others—but a few old touches will stay.” Federated Department has bought them all, and will change their names to Macy’s.
For direct success, mastery of Internet now essential By David L. Rawle Direct marketing is more relevant than ever thanks, in part, to the Internet. But it’s also thanks to vast improvements in data mining and analytics.
Persuading others to your point of view By Wayne Outlaw Top executives often think they only have to be right. They not only have to be right, but must also persuade others they are right.
‘Us vs. Them’ is not profitable for us or them By Barbara Poole If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times. I’m talking about the “Us vs. Them” mentality that is so prevalent in organizations undergoing significant change.
Giving Back Fifth Chicks with Checks gathering a success
Chicks with Checks, a local group sponsored by Performax that raises funds for Lowcountry organizations that support women and families, held its fifth gathering at East Cooper Community Outreach in June.
People in the News John T. Hurlbert opened EIM in West Ashley. EIM is a project management firm specializing in supply-chain, operations and information technology projects.
Calendar JULY 14: Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association’s first Palate/Palette benefit. 5:30 p.m. at galleries and restaurants across downtown Charleston. Proceeds benefit the CFADA scholarship fund. Cost: $25. Information: www.cfada.com.
Accolades & More The Clemson University alumni association recognized Robert D. Fairey of Charleston’s Trident Construction Company Inc., as one of five 2006 Distinguished Service Award winners, the university’s highest alumni honor.
Photo Finish EXCEPTIONAL PARENT MAGAZINE HONORS MIRACLE LEAGUE FOUNDER Channing Proctor, founder and CEO of Charleston Miracle League, was honored by Exceptional Parent Magazine with its Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his long commitment to children with disabilities and special needs.
