Calendar JAN. 22: Mechanical Contractors Association of South Carolina, Coastal Area meeting. 6 p.m. at C.R. Hipp Construction Inc., North Charleston. Information: Stan Harbourt, 843-747-4100.
Accolades & More Tom Martin has been elected chair of the College of Charleston’s Department of Communication Advisory Council for 2008. Martin, who joined the department in August as the executive-in-residence, succeeds Michael Fanning, vice president of corporate affairs for Michelin North America, who served as chair for two years. Karen Kaplan, general manager of Fleishman-Hillard Atlanta, has been named vice chair, succeeding Martin. The council also elected four new members at its most recent on-campus meeting. The new members are Bill
Heyman, president and CEO of Heyman Associates in New York; Rob Minton, communications manager for General Motors fleet and commercial operations in Detroit; Phil Noble Jr., a former U.S. Senate policy analyst; and H. Keith Poston, managing director of corporate communications at AGL Resources.
People in the News Dan Fabrizio has been named news director of WCBD-TV, an NBC affiliate. Fabrizio previously worked as an assistant news director at WSYX-TV/WTTE-TV in Columbus, Ohio.
Cigar Factory mixed-use building opens sales center The former industrial building known as The Cigar Factory at 701 East Bay St. downtown has opened a sales and information center as the building’s new owner moves forward with plans to convert the property into a mix of high-end condominiums, offices and retail space.
Reality check update: We agreed to agree By Bill Settlemyer I’m hoping you’ve heard or read about the regional planning exercise called Reality Check that was conducted early last month. This one-day exercise was developed by the Urban Land Institute and had already been used in several other communities around the country as a means of developing a common vision for regional growth.
$20M deal restarts Chevron site By Dan McCue Delfin Group USA wasn’t looking to establish a manufacturing beachhead in North Charleston. But when the perfect opportunity arose at the Chevron Corp. property late last year, the Russian petroleum firm had no choice but to jump at it, said Tony Williams, who orchestrated the $20 million deal on the parcel for the company.
Hugine lost trust of SCSU board, evaluation shows By Scott Miller Andrew Hugine dug South Carolina State University out of a $4 million deficit and steered the institution through several construction projects, but it wasn’t enough to save his job as president.
Business Journal sold to Brown Publishing Co. By Dan McCue Bill Settlemyer, founder, owner and publisher of the Charleston Regional Business Journal and its affiliated print and electronic publications, has announced the sale of Setcom Media Inc. to the Brown Publishing Co., a family-owned chain of daily, weekly, niche and business publications based in Ohio.
Breaking barriers, inmates lock up career advancement By Scott Miller At 20 years old, an age that often abounds with hope and expectation, former honor student Charlene Croom worries no one will give her a break in the job market. Despite good grades, she was expelled from high school twice. Once for truancy. Another for fighting.
Force Protection CEO to retire by end of January By Dan McCue Force Protection Inc.’s chief executive said he will retire by the end of January, ending a three-year tenure that’s been marked by both impressive successes and shareholder unrest.
Safe-Ports signs deal with Force Protection subsidiary By Dan McCue Force Protection Industries Inc., a subsidiary of Ladson-based armored vehicle manufacturer Force Protection Inc., has partnered with Safe-Ports Inc., an affiliate of logistics firm CaroLinks, to ship spare vehicle parts to U.S. military customers.
Joe Griffith: A real estate developer with vision By Kathleen Dayton If you’ve bought a home in Charleston any time during the past 50 years, you could be living in one of Joe Griffith’s subdivisions. But if the young Joe Griffith had stayed on his original career path, you might have been calling him Father Joe instead.
Ward announces retirement from SPAWAR Charleston By Dan McCue James D. Ward, who for nearly a decade has served as the senior civilian official at the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in Charleston, has told his senior staffers that he plans to retire in April.
S.C. House offers another plan for immigration reform By Scott Miller S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell said the state Legislature can approve comprehensive immigration reform within a month. The Charleston Republican made the statement earlier this month while announcing a reform package that would deny state-funded benefits for illegal immigrants and bar them from attending public colleges or receiving scholarships.
Charleston County leaders stress education, cooperation By Molly Parker Even in times of a strong regional economy, political and business leaders should not lose sight of their role in bolstering and supporting the most fragile segment of the community: its children.
Google ramps up area hiring By Dan McCue Jeff Stevenson’s friends and business associates saw the writing on the wall almost as soon as Google Inc. announced its intention to build a massive server farm in Berkeley County.
Sanford says state must rein in runaway pension costs By Molly Parker The state’s public pension systems are in dire straits and the runaway costs are threatening to eat up the state budget at the rate of some $800 million a year, Gov. Mark Sanford noted in his budget proposal released earlier this month.
Sonoco to open larger facility By Dan McCue Sonoco, the $3.7 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer packaging products based in Hartsville, has relocated its local recycling operation to 2025 Tellico Road in North Charleston.
Engineers offer alternatives to I-526 extension plans By Kathleen Dayton Transportation engineers with Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin, a community design firm based in Orlando, Fla., have completed their study of the proposed Mark Clark Expressway extension and have proposed smaller, interconnected roads and town centers to relieve traffic congestion in areas of West Ashley, Johns Island and James Island.
Affordability will jump-start local housing market By Kathleen Dayton Though still mired in tepidity, the local housing market has its bright spots, and real estate experts pinpoint affordability — both of home prices and home loans — as the key to reigniting housing sales this year.
State NAACP charges lenders with discrimination By Scott Miller The S.C. chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has joined a national class-action lawsuit charging mortgage lenders with discriminating against minorities.
Region, state avoid booming foreclosures seen across U.S. By Molly Parker There’s not much in common between the $826,000 Ashley Avenue home for sale on Folly Beach near the water and the $161,000 Barclay Avenue residence in a modest North Charleston neighborhood that is also on the market.
Mt. Pleasant may suspend building permit programs By Kathleen Dayton A short time ago, the town of Mount Pleasant had more than double the number of residential building permit applications as the actual number the town would approve.
Mortgage rules changing for borrowers and lenders By Scott Miller Since 2005, several hundred convicted criminals have applied to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs to become mortgage brokers, according to staff attorney Charles Knight.
Developers have ‘green’ plan for Kings Grant golf course By Kathleen Dayton A team of developers has a fresh $12.5 million plan for the abandoned golf course at Kings Grant, the North Charleston neighborhood near Summerville that was begun in 1970 on property granted to English nobility in the 17th century.
Ousted SPA board member sues governor for seat back By Dan McCue A S.C. State Ports Authority board member dismissed by Gov. Mark Sanford Jan. 7 has filed suit in the Lexington County Circuit Court, charging the governor exceeded his office’s powers by removing him.
Smaller mergers booming in spite of credit woes By Dan McCue The ongoing credit crunch might have put the brakes on large, high-profile mergers and acquisitions, but it’s proving to be a bonanza for deals in the $20 million to $200 million range, which is the typical range for the sale of many South Carolina companies, say attorneys involved in such deals.
Well-organized board retreat should leave you energized By June Bradham Q. I have been organizing our board retreats for three years and I’m starting to feel like they’re getting stale. Can you remind me of the purpose of these board retreats and suggest how to hold one that is informative without being a two-day chore?
Got a cause to stand for? Every smart company does By David L. Rawle What’s the major trend that American Express launched nearly a quarter of a century ago?
Well, at first it didn’t have a name. It was just an idea. The idea was to align the credit card giant with the effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. “We’ll donate a penny to the cause every time someone uses our credit card,” said American Express.
Remember that good really does get in the way of best By John Carroll In the first column on the topic of how the best get better, we covered five key elements of how the best get better. Let’s further consider the topic of continuous improvement with four additional strategies and some tips on how to implement them immediately.
Roaring 20 winner: Force Protection Inc. The vehicles Force Protection Inc. creates in its Ladson production facility are used all over the world. The company manufactures ballistics- and blast-protected vehicles that are used by armed forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and other global locations.
