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News Briefs
Small Business Development Center offers new self-employment seminar
The Charleston office of the Small Business Development Center is expanding its course offerings for entrepreneurs. The center already offers courses ranging from Quickbooks, to business plans, to financing.
But with the help of The Entrepreneur’s Source, a nationwide self-employment and franchise consulting firm, and its local franchisee, Mary Beth Poggi, the center will offer a Self-Employment and Franchise Options seminar monthly.
The April workshop will be held Tuesday, April 18, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Small Business Development Center, 5900 Core Drive in North Charleston.
For more information, call the center at (843) 740-6160.
Force Protection awards purchase order for Mack trucks
Force Protection Inc. recently announced it has awarded a $5 million purchase order for 40 Mack trucks and spare parts to South Carolina-based Hughes Motors Inc.
“This acquisition will help us to continue production of the Buffalo Mine-Protected Clearance Vehicle,” said Force Protection Program Manager Damon Walsh in a release. “The equipment will also enable us to continue to support Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom requirements for spare parts.”
Noisette Foundation launches program to help minority contractors
The Noisette Foundation, a North Charleston-based nonprofit organization, has started a business academy to strengthen the skills of minority contractors so they can compete in the local construction industry.
The first class of the Historically Underutilized Businesses Academy began recently at the Lowcountry Graduate Center in North Charleston. Charleston area students will be trained in business, law and project management. Experts from the Carolinas Associated General Contractors will teach the class.
Charleston company launches ads targeting iPod, cell phone users
A company based in Charleston has launched an audio commercial campaign for mobile media. The primary targets are portable music players, such as iPods and mobile phones, according to MobileMag, a magazine for the mobile technology industry.
The company, SurfNoise, has created PocketSpots, a venture that offers stand-alone ads that can be heard on any portable media device. Initial price range is from $100 to $900, with charities having no payment requirements for their ads.
Leap to acquire wireless spectrum licenses in North and South Carolina
Leap Wireless International Inc., headquartered in San Diego, has signed an agreement with Urban Comm-North Carolina Inc., debtor-in-possession, to purchase spectrum licenses for $31.8 million in cash in markets spanning North and South Carolina.
Under the sale agreement, Leap will purchase spectrum licenses covering about 4.9 million potential customers in 13 markets, including 10 MHz of spectrum each in eight markets in North Carolina and five markets in South Carolina, including Charleston.
The sale will position Leap and its affiliates with wireless licenses covering roughly 76.3 million potential customers.
Dialysis clinic opens in Hollywood
The Hollywood-Ravenel Dialysis Clinic, providing a full range of dialysis services for Hollywood, Ravenel and surrounding communities, opened recently at 5953 Jacobs Point Blvd. in Hollywood.
An affiliate of Franklin, Tenn.-based National Renal Alliance, Hollywood-Ravenel Dialysis Clinic is operated by Carolina Kidney & Hypertension LLC, which has offices in West Ashley, Moncks Corner, Mount Pleasant and Walterboro.
MUSC acquires Blood Volume Analyzer
Daxor Corp., a medical instrumentation and biotechnology company, announced the receipt of a signed trial agreement from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Daxor’s Blood Volume Analyzer BVA-100 will be located in the Nuclear Medicine Department at the Medical Center, which includes the University Hospital, the Institute of Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital.
Blood Volume Analysis will be available for all patients requiring a blood volume determination and will be especially utilized by the Heart Failure Department.
Alltel buys out wireless partnerships in North and South Carolina
Alltel has purchased wireless partnerships from Palmetto MobileNet that covers about 2 million people in North and South Carolina.
Alltel already managed and owned 50% of each of the 10 partnerships and has purchased the remaining interests from Palmetto. The partnerships include 34 counties across South Carolina and seven counties in western North Carolina.
Half-cent sales tax road projects to get under way
Work on grading and paving 15 dirt roads within unincorporated areas of Charleston County will begin soon, county officials announced.
The county’s half-cent sales tax is funding the road projects. Grading along Coakley, Julius Robertson and Dagallies roads, all in Mount Pleasant, is already under way. These roads are scheduled to be paved before the end of March.
Grading and paving for the remaining 12 roads will begin soon and are scheduled to be completed between April and June. These roads, listed in the order that they will be completed, are:
• Middle Hill Road in St. James-Santee Parrish.
• Jack Road in St. James-Santee Parrish.
• End Drive in West Ashley.
• Old Jacksonboro Road in the Ravenel area.
• Tumbleston Road in the St. Paul’s area.
• Wine Road on Johns Island.
• Bligden Road on Johns Island.
• Hamilton Road on Johns Island.
• Abbapoola Road on Johns Island.
• Mackey Lane in the St. Paul’s area.
• Village Road in the St. Paul’s area.
• Moffett Road in the St. Paul’s area.
Polymer Group Inc. reports record high FY2005 results
The Polymer Group Inc. reported continued growth and improvements despite challenges in raw material prices because of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the fourth quarter and fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31, 2005.
Net sales for fiscal year 2005 increased 12.3% to a record high of $948.8 million, driven by higher volumes and improved price/mix of sales, partially to offset the effects of increased raw material costs. Sales for the fourth quarter increased 7.6% over the prior year comparable period to $240.4 million.
Gross profit for fiscal year 2005 increased 5.2% compared to the prior year.
Fourth quarter 2005 gross profit was down compared to the fourth quarter of 2004, due primarily to increases in raw material prices experienced as a result of hurricanes along the Gulf Coast.
The company reported net income for fiscal year 2005 of $7 million, up 47.9% over the prior year.
PGI operates 22 manufacturing and converting facilities throughout the world. The company plans to relocate from its current headquarters in North Charleston to Charlotte, N.C., by August.
Last I’On marsh lots to go on auction block in May
I’On Realty, the original real estate company representing the I’On neighborhood in Mount Pleasant, will sell the neighborhood’s remaining marsh lots, in addition to several others, to the highest bidder at an auction at 7 p.m. May 4 at the Creek Club, 44 Saturday Road in I’On.
More than 17 lots will be available for purchase at the auction, which will be run by Tranzon Hagen, a Carrollton, Ga.-based real estate auction company. Many of the lots front Shelmore Creek and its branching waterways.
Beginning April 4, interested buyers will have access to an auction packet available online at www.ionvillage.com with plats, maps, photos, recommended minimum bids and other details about each lot. The packet will also contain the registration form, sample contract and frequently asked questions about the auction process.
Advance registration is required to participate. For more information, call I’On Realty at (843) 884-3080.
The Citadel Foundation announces $100 million campaign
The Citadel Foundation has kicked off its most comprehensive and ambitious fundraising effort. The “Campaign for The Citadel” plans to raise $100 million by Dec. 31, 2007, for numerous campus initiatives.
The campaign focuses on four areas deemed vital for enhancing The Citadel experience and ensuring the college’s continued success: scholarship, academic excellence, facilities and unrestricted operating support.
New Web site helps renters with pets find homes
A new Web site gets renters with pets out of landlords’ “dog house” by showcasing pet-friendly housing and vacation rentals.
Dog House Properties LLC, located at www.doghouseproperties.com, provides real estate rental listings, as well as links to resources that can aid pet owners in their search for a place to call home.
Landlords, property managers and real estate investors can post their listings online, with detailed property descriptions and large pictures at a fraction of the cost of other advertising alternatives.
Beach Co. launches Web site for new residential development
The Beach Co. announced that its Web site for Watermark, the company’s new residential development in Mount Pleasant, is now live.
Watermark is an 82-acre parcel consisting of home sites, townhouses and luxury rental units located at Rifle Range and Bowman roads. The Web site contains information about Watermark’s soon-to-be-available residences. The development includes a 33-acre lake, a walking and biking trail, a pool and amenity center, plus parks and open space.
The Beach Co.’s residential division will handle home site and townhouse sales, while the company’s management division will handle rental unit leases.
For more information, visit www.watermarksc.com or call (843) 881-8522.
Southern Living selects MUSC Children’s Hospital as Idea House partner
The Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital has been selected by Birmingham, Ala.-based Southern Living magazine as the charity partner for the 2006 Southern Living Idea House at Daniel Island.
With tours open to the public from June 17 through Oct. 8, thousands of people are expected to tour the Southern Living Idea House at Daniel Island. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the hospital, which will provide volunteers to host tours of the home.
Noisette offices and studio recognized for green, healthy design
The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded the Noisette Co.’s offices and the Noisette Urban Alliance Studio in North Charleston with a Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design for Commercial Interiors certification, the Noisette Co. announced.
This is the first LEED-CI certification to be awarded in South Carolina, said Roger Noyes, Noisette’s director of development.
LEED-CI is a national pilot program designed as the industry benchmark for making existing commercial buildings healthier places in which to work and more environmentally sustainable. Previous LEED programs rated the construction of new buildings.
Noisette and its Urban Design Studio are located in an historic building on the former Charleston Naval Base, part of Noisette’s urban revitalization effort.
Study: Verizon ranks high in wireless call quality
Verizon Wireless announced recently the company has been recognized for the “Highest Call Quality Performance Among Wireless Cell Phone Users in the Southeast” in a J.D. Power and Associates study on wireless call quality.
The J.D. Power and Associates Wireless Call Quality Performance Study employs a call quality index based on seven criteria that impact overall carrier performance. The wireless phone subscribers surveyed were asked about their experiences with static/interference, connection on first try, voice distortion, echoes, dropped/disconnected calls, immediate voice mail notification and immediate text message notification.
Earlier, Verizon Wireless announced the completion of a $51 million enhancement to its South Carolina voice and data wireless network in 2005.
The investment includes adding and updating cell sites and other technologies to improve call quality, increase coverage areas and allow a variety of advanced services for customers.
The company has worked throughout South Carolina to expand its network, which currently covers 91.66% of the state’s population and 87.49% of the total land mass.
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