Calendar JUNE 25: S.C. Women’s Business Center seminar. 9-11 a.m. at SCBWC office, North Charleston. Topic: Internet Strategies for Small Businesses. Cost: $50. Information: 740-6160.
Accolades & More Stephen D. Kirkland, a tax and compensation consultant with Kirkland Thomas Watson & Dyches LLC, earned the Certified Management Consultant designation.
People in the News Jim Henderson joined Pearlstine Distributor Inc. as a district area manager. Prior to moving to the Lowcountry, Henderson worked in the beer wholesaler industry for 12 years.
MeadWestvaco Corp. hired Kenneth T. Seeger as senior vice president and president of MeadWestvaco’s Community Development and Land Management Group. Seeger will be based in Summerville and will report to John A. Luke Jr., MeadWestvaco chairman and CEO.
Riley Institute’s Diversity Leadership Academy provides path to positive change By By Bill Settlemyer The concept of “industry clusters” is all the rage in economic development circles. The idea of spurring synergistic economic growth in areas such as the aerospace, automotive and biomedical industry sectors is widely accepted as a leading strategy for state and regional development, as it should be.
Dressing up the Neck By Dan McCue Developer Robert L. Clement III is on the verge of seeing his $2 billion dream, the Magnolia development, rise on the neck of the Charleston peninsula.
Lowcountry rings true for bell company By Kathleen Dayton What better place than the Holy City for a newly launched business that provides a centuries-old product—church bells.
All in the family By Dan McCue There is a moment when a family business inexorably changes. That moment is when a venture that thrived in a basement or garage with a staff consisting solely of family members suddenly finds itself with its first outsider as an employee.
Area’s world-class hotels attract the rich and famous By Kathleen Dayton The last time he stayed in Charleston, did actor Richard Gere phone room service for a peanut butter sandwich in the middle of the night? Or did rhythm & blues icon Diana Ross check in to a downtown hotel under the alias “Diana Orange?”
Developer turns former rice plantation into nature preserve By Holly Fisher Vic Mills’ SUV bumped along an unpaved road keeping his eyes peeled for wild turkeys. He was not hunting but rather sharing his vision for Charleston’s Poplar Grove development.
Focus turning to other interests in Parish case By Dan McCue With all suspected hard asset purchases by Al Parish believed to be secured, the attention of the court-appointed receiver in the former economist’s fraud case is increasingly turning to the numerous business interests the flamboyant one-time professor involved himself in.
SunTrust expands presence in Charleston market By Shelia Watson The event SunTrust Banks Inc. held earlier this month at its 276 East Bay St. office signified more than a mere ribbon-cutting of another branch. It confirmed that the bank’s strategy of fast-paced growth is well on track.
Through U-Haul, Hunley hits road to promote tourism By Dan McCue Over the course of its existence, the CSS H.L. Hunley has been many things.
The first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship and that lay lost off Sullivan’s island for 136 years has been an object sought, a subject of scientific and forensic scrutiny, and will soon be the cornerstone of Clemson’s Restoration Institute on the grounds of the former Charleston Naval Base.
Summer season looks sunny for county parks By Dennis Quick Tom O’Rourke, executive director of the Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission, forecasts plenty of splashing and sunbathing this summer at county beaches and water parks.
New marina plans moving forward By Kathleen Dayton The latest plans for St. Johns Yacht Harbor, a new marina that will replace the former Buzzard’s Roost and Stono marinas off Maybank Highway on Johns Island, include a restaurant on the south end of the project and a cluster of townhomes on the north end.
Drought drying up some business in Lowcountry By Lindsay Street The sweetgrass is brown, the grapevines are dropping fruit, the shrimp aren’t running and the crabs are too far up the creeks to legally catch—all examples of how the Lowcountry is being affected by the drought.
Transportation group beefs up bus fleet By Dennis Quick For workers living in the tri-county areas rural outskirts and relying on buses to get them to work in the Charleston-North Charleston metropolitan area, the workday often is a long one.
Opinions vary on Marion Square hotel plans By Kathleen Dayton Plans are moving forward for a grand hotel with a rooftop pool to replace the abandoned pink cube that was formerly the Charleston County Library at the northwest corner of Marion Square.
Logistics solution lifts Boeing to new heights By Dan McCue It was the kind of challenge all businesses, large or small, face: How do you most effectively move vital resources into your facility and produce a product with a reasonable profit margin?
Democratic debate at The Citadel brings challenges By Dan McCue On the surface, The Citadel seemed an odd choice for the Democratic presidential debate this summer, considering that it is a military school and most, if not all, of the Democratic candidates oppose the Iraq war.
Mother-daughter businesses growing in Lowcountry By Kathleen Dayton It’s a familiar practice: fathers and sons running and growing businesses together. What’s not as familiar is a mother and daughter duo operating a business. But that is changing.
Passing family businesses along requires planning By Dennis Quick When Rick Seidman became president and CEO of Goose Creek-based decorative lighting company Quoizel in January 2006, he became the first person outside of the Phillips family to lead the company since patriarch Ira Phillips became the company’s president in 1974.
Farm equipment company survives by remaining flexible By Shelia Watson It’s clear from one look at the parts room and the outside lot at Herrington Equipment Inc. that the company deals in tractors and farm equipment. And it’s evident a few minutes into a conversation with company president Harry Herrington Jr. that the company has been around a while—more than 50 years, in fact.
Can we talk? By Shelia Watson Family businesses face particular challenges in that they must confront all the traditional issues of operating a business while addressing family concerns such as harmony among family members and other employees, compensation, succession planning and wealth transfer, fair treatment of non-family employees and the potential perception of nepotism.
The man who brought Gucci to Charleston By David L. Rawle Gucci stores have been phenomenal successes in major cities throughout the world for many, many years. But it was only when Charleston Place opened that Gucci chose the Lowcountry. And when that happened, the retail face of Charleston changed forever.
A goal is a dream with a plan (and other fairy tales) By Jeffrey Gitomer My mother never went to Europe. She talked about it, dreamed about it—even opened a travel agency at age 55. Never got there. She died 15 years later, never achieving the goal. Oh, she achieved plenty of other goals. But not that one.
Sales lessons from the mountain trail By John Carroll In the first part of this series, we looked at preparing properly, packing light and taking good care of one’s feet out on the western Carolina mountain trail. With the preparation now complete, let’s head out on this multi-day hike for more selling lessons from the trip:
Business community comes together for firefighters’ families By Dan McCue Led by the Charleston’s hospitality community, businesses large and small across the city have joined together for what’s being billed as the largest fundraiser in Lowcountry history to benefit the families of the nine firefighters killed in last week’s Sofa Super Store fire.
Business community comes together for firefighters’ families By dan Led by the Charleston’s hospitality community, businesses large and small across the city have joined together for what’s being billed as the largest fundraiser in Lowcountry history to benefit the families of the nine firefighters killed in last week’s Sofa Super Store fire.
Sofa Super Stores to reopen Saturday By Dan McCue The owner of the store and warehouse where the nine Charleston firefighters died on June 18 will reopen his Mount Pleasant and North Charleston locations on Saturday.
Ravenel enters drug treatment facility in Arizona By Dan McCue In the wake of his indictment on federal drug trafficking charges, Thomas Ravenel has entered a drug treatment facility in Tucson, Ariz.
Citigroup signs deal to purchase Mount Pleasant’s ATD By Dan McCue It’s a done deal. Early this morning, Citigroup Inc., the nation’s largest bank, announced it will buy Automated Trading Desk of Mount Pleasant for $680 million, including $102.6 million in cash and 11.17 million shares in Citigroup stock.
Auction set for Al Parish’s ‘amazing’ collection By Dan McCue The auction of assets accumulated by former economist Al Parish during what authorities believe was a years-long buying binge with investors’ money will be July 13-14 at the Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston.
Venture capital investment unexpectedly paved way for ATD deal By Dan McCue A decision by a Palo Alto, Calif.-based venture capital firm to invest $60 million in Automated Trading Desk last January was the trigger that ultimately led to this week’s agreement to sell the company to Citigroup.
