Rising tide By Kathleen Dayton Will people pay more than $1 million to live beside an expressway on the site of a former concrete manufacturer?
They already have.
That is because the north end of the city’s Ashley Bridge District has become an up-and-coming residential hot spot at the gateway to West Ashley. It is two minutes from downtown Charleston and situated along the banks of the Ashley River, where marinas and restaurants abound.
Restoration institute an innovation cornerstone By Dan McCue Despite Gov. Mark Sanford’s highly publicized reservations about expanding the state’s university infrastructure, the S.C. Budget and Control office on Jan. 30 gave its final approval to Clemson University’s request for $10.3 million in infrastructure bond funding to support the creation of the university’s restoration institute in North Charleston.
“We are very grateful for the support of the Budget and Control Board,” said John Kelly, vice president for public service and agriculture at Clemson, who is leading efforts to establish the institute. “The board’s support is a vote of confidence in Clemson’s ability to generate research that will create high-tech jobs in South Carolina.”
The Wentworth Mansion in downtown Charleston, Woodlands Inn and Resort in Summerville and The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort each received for 2007 the AAA’s Five Diamond Award, the automobile association’s highest hotel and restaurant rating.
AAA’s tourism editors awarded the glittery honor, which recognizes a property’s service, amenities, the beauty and luxury of its facilities and the overall experience of staying there, to only 93 of the 60,000 hotels and resorts inspected in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
CARTA brings transportation to Express lane By Lindsay Danzell Howard Chapman, executive director of the Charleston Area Regional Transport Authority, can recite the number of votes the half-cent tax referendum received in 2000 and 2002. Long nights of dwelling on those marginal victories have been stamped permanently into his memory.
Clemson’s Restoration Institute poised to catch new wave of economic growth By Bill Settlemyer A few years ago I was invited to a meeting to hear Storm Cunningham, author of “The Restoration Economy,” speak about the coming economic revolution that would be sparked by the need for countries and communities around the world to be better stewards of the environments where we live and earn our livelihoods.
More for-profit developers needed for affordable housing By Dennis Quick The Lowcountry Housing Trust and Charleston Water System have a nice little incentive package for private developers. Last March, the two entities announced a program that reduces or delays impact fees so developers can save a few bucks building homes working-class folks can afford.
Realignment of Interstate 26 would cost $293 million By Dan McCue A consultant working at the behest of the Berkeley/Charleston/Dorchester Counties Council of Governments has projected that a realignment of Interstate 26 through the neck region of the Charleston peninsula would likely cost just under $293 million.
However, many downtown residents still wait for the promise of the municipally provided wireless Internet access, originally boasted of as a way to bridge the digital divide.
New Roper ER built to accommodate more patients By Dennis Quick On Feb. 5, when Roper Hospital in downtown Charleston opened its newly expanded emergency department, it was not a moment too soon, according to Dr. John Walters, the emergency department’s medical director.
JSJ Pharmaceuticals chooses Charleston By Shelia Watson JSJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty company that identifies and brings to market pharmaceutical products targeted for topical use primarily for dermatology, has relocated its corporate headquarters from Philadelphia to Charleston.
Google interest validates S.C. tech environment By Dan McCue Google may be remaining mum on its activities in South Carolina, but that’s not stopping some of the state’s leading tech personalities from interpreting the Internet search engine giant’s confirmed interest in a site in Goose Creek as a validation of a burgeoning innovation economy.
Google agrees to N.C. site but still ogling Goose Creek By Dan McCue Wither Google? A company spokesman suggested it may be some time before there’s a definitive word on whether it will establish a data center in the Lowcountry.
Commerce Department planning Vietnam trade mission By Dan McCue The S. C. Department of Commerce is planning a trade mission to Vietnam next fall, a junket state officials said will offer South Carolina businesses their first formal introduction into Southeast Asia’s most rapidly growing market.
Corner stores survive by adapting to customers By Kathleen Dayton When Ted Deas left his downtown office on a recent afternoon to pick up a few grocery items for his boss and a sandwich for himself, he didn’t head for Harris Teeter.
“You don’t mention that word in here,” Deas said as he sat his grocery items down on the counter for 84-year-old Robert Burbage to ring up.
Smoking ban inflames bars, forces business elsewhere By Dennis Quick On a recent January weeknight, bartender Kevin Young served drinks to a handful of cigarette-smoking customers in a largely empty A.C.’s Bar & Grill on upper King Street.
But when it comes to determining which performers and plays audiences will get to see at the North Charleston Coliseum or its Performing Arts Center in the coming year, the no-nonsense ruminations that take place are all about dollars, doability and determination of acceptable risk.
Bringing the best of Broadway to the Lowcountry By Dan McCue Although presenting Broadway road shows has been part of the North Charleston Performing Arts Center mix since its opening in 1999, the series got a major boost when New York’s fabled Nederlander Organization decided to expand its offerings beyond its typical markets of Broadway, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Local man sets sail and overcomes disability By Lindsay Danzell Connecticut native Ned Goss could cleat-hitch a sail boat by age 3. Today, he stands at the helm of the Ocean Sailing Academy at Charleston Harbor Marina.
One-on-one trainers are making fitness personal By Kathleen Dayton It isn’t every trend that gets to Charleston in a timely manner, but some say the city and its nearest suburbs are leading the region in personal fitness facilities, where no more than three people work out at one time with their own personal fitness trainers.
ATD enjoys growth surge, prepares for expansion By Dennis Quick Steve Swanson, president and CEO of electronic stock trading company Automated Trading Desk LLC, has a lot to smile about these days.
Let your ideas take flight to build business success By Ted Albenesius Have you decided to open your own business? If this is your dream, start planning to make it a reality. Research, planning, hard work and innovation can build business success.
How to make 2007 your best sales year yet By John Carroll Do you sense, as do many professionals I’ve spoken to, that 2007 holds many positive opportunities for you and your business? Do you feel that, with a few things dropping on the proper side of the fence, this could be your best year yet?
People in the News Richard M. Rumble joined Berchtold Corp. as president of U.S. operations. Prior to joining Berchtold, Rumble spent 21 years in the medical device industry.
Accolades & More East Cooper Regional Medical Center, through the Tenet Healthcare Foundation, awarded a $25,000 grant to Hospice of Charleston.
Calendar FEB. 17: Parent camp. 12 p.m.-4 p.m. Northwoods Mall. Lowcountry Parent magazine hosts a camp and education fair designed to let parents see what options exist for their children both for summertime fun and wintertime learning.
Giving Back Nelson Mullins donation funds Crisis Ministries’ legal program
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP presented a gift of $25,000 to Charleston’s Crisis Ministries that will allow the shelter to offer its residents permanent, full-time legal services, primarily focused on stabilizing families with children and helping them become self-sufficient.
Photo Finish LOCAL PROFESSIONALS JOIN ST. ANDREWS CAREER DAY
Blackbaud’s Sarah McBride and Melissa Kovacevic, of CommPlan Call Center Consulting, spoke on careers in the local call center industry at the St. Andrews Middle School Career Day.
