Calendar APRIL 1: The Charleston Metro Chamber’s Prudential Partnership Seminar. Noon-2 p.m. at the chamber boardroom, 2750 Speissegger Drive, North Charleston. Information: Chip Fell, 843-805-3064 or cfell@charlestonchamber.org.
Accolades & More Thomas Hamm II, a graphic artist for the Medical University of South Carolina’s division of education and student services, won a Best of Category award from The Printing Industry of the Carolinas Inc. for his design of the division’s annual report. The awards have been the graphics industry’s symbol of excellence since 1966.
People in the News Jessica Crouch has joined Cognetix Advertising and Marketing as an art director. Prior to joining Cognetix, Crouch was a graphic designer for Zafari Inc.
It’s time for another American revolution By Bill Settlemyer For those who have access to the HBO cable channel, the series now being presented on John Adams and the American Revolution provides a thoughtful framework for the daunting challenges this nation faces today.
Dubai: Building a vision By Dan McCue Walking into the top floor of “The Wheel House,” a conference space in downtown Dubai, it quickly became evident to the delegation from South Carolina that Jafza International had been stoking the buzz for the Palmetto state.
A land of ‘economic development’ rises next to the Persian Gulf By Dan McCue It was late at night and the question hung in the air. “How can you possibly communicate past people’s preconceptions to tell them what your experience in a foreign land was like?” One by one the members of a South Carolina delegation visiting Dubai for the first time grappled with the question, but came up largely empty.
Living too long: Medicare cracking down on hospice care By Molly Parker With the help of a walker, 82-year-old Lavada Wiley navigates her Mount Pleasant home with spry ambition, dodging toys and attending to her two energetic grandchildren. Some days, she contends, are better than others. One recent night she woke up gasping for air. That same morning, for the first time in months, she needed her daughter’s help getting down the stairs.
American LaFrance reshuffles management deck By Dan McCue American LaFrance LLC has reshuffled its management and hired a new president and CEO as it continues efforts to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and resume full production of emergency vehicles at its Berkeley County plant.
From bagger to CEO, David Schools remains loyal to the Pig By Molly Parker There’s just something about that chubby-cheeked, big-eyed pig that’s as synonymous with the South as soul food that keeps employees and customers loyal to the Piggly Wiggly chain for years.
Digital screens seize attention, opportunity of captive audience By Kathleen Dayton Having just finished a round of golf in Summerville, James Mergenthaler of New York could still remember the ads that flashed on the 10-inch plasma screen attached to the dashboard of his golf cart. A law firm, a jewelry store and a golf shop were all vying for his attention.
Losses in Parish investment fraud case revised down to $79 million By Dan McCue Those who bet their life’s savings on Al Parish, former Charleston Southern University economist, might consider it a minor consolation, but the tally of the actual loss resulting from his investment schemes has been lowered by the court-appointed receiver overseeing the case.
DeMint: Runway extension ‘moving along’ By Molly Parker The stakes are high in the race to secure $59 million to extend the shorter runway at the Charleston International Airport by an additional 2,000 feet, or about the length of 5 1/2 football fields.
Fuel costs expected to stall growth in airline industry By Andy Owens If the economic downturn had happened a little sooner, Charleston might have held on to its notoriously high air fares indefinitely, an AirTran Airways executive told an Economic Outlook Conference this month.
Retailers hoping rebate checks will boost bottom line By Kathleen Dayton Ladies, start your engines. Tax rebate checks are on their way to many U.S. households in May, and a recent survey reveals that women will spend a larger portion of their check than men.
Vought CEO: North Charleston plant back on track By Scott Miller Many of the supply-chain problems that led to lengthy delays in Vought Aircraft Industries’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner program in North Charleston have been corrected, the manufacturer’s CEO said in a recent conference call to investors.
North Charleston set to close on $2.8 million land deal By Molly Parker Sometimes the most prosperous development is no development at all. One of North Charleston’s oldest land owners sold its last remaining parcels to the city in a deal that closed March 25.
Orangeburg, S.C. State fund study for long-planned research and education park By Dan McCue Orangeburg County and S.C. State University will split the $97,500 cost of a study to determine the feasibility of developing a World Trade Park and Education Research Center somewhere in the vicinity of the county’s global logistics triangle.
Local business partners hope to manage City Market By Kathleen Dayton Two well-known local entrepreneurs are negotiating a 25-year lease with the city of Charleston to manage the four-block area along North and South Market Street and give one of the city’s signature places a $4 million redo.
Study at sea: Educational vessel helps students learn more than sail By Scott Miller Dolphins distracted the students only for a brief moment. The rest of the day, seventh-graders from Summerville’s Alston Middle School focused on the crew of the Spirit of South Carolina, a 140-foot pilot schooner with a main mast that stands 105 feet above water.
State wooing more educators By Scott Miller Elementary school teacher Laurel Shirey could have earned $20,000 more a year in her home state of Pennsylvania, where she would have been with her fiancé
Laborers aging, replacements headed to college By Scott Miller About 40% of Alcoa’s South Carolina work force, around 500 people, is set to retire in by 2010, and Jennifer DeWitt wonders who will replace them.
North Charleston creates office of Education, Youth and Family By Molly Parker If you haven’t yet heard from Kyle Lahm, you probably will soon. Lahm, a product of North Charleston public schools, oversees the newly created North Charleston Mayor’s Office on Education, Youth and Family.
Measuring the brain drain By Scott Miller Nearly half of the graduates at South Carolina universities leave the state to pursue careers.
That “brain drain” situation, as it’s commonly called, is a well-documented problem, as young professionals leave the state to find more opportunities and often better pay. South Carolina ranks 40th in the nation in employee earnings.
You’ve come a long way, baby By Kathleen Dayton A year ago, The Art Institute of Charleston launched classes at 24 North Market St. with 59 students. Today, the career-focused school is instructing more than 300 students, adding curriculum and seeking space for expansion.
Use the wisdom of your body in your job search By Barbara Poole Have you ever stopped to consider what your body says about you when you go for a job interview? I’m not talking about the size of your body, whether you are slender or stocky, young or old. Instead, I’m referring to how you inhabit your body and the energy that you project into the world. The impressions you make in an interview are formed by many factors above and beyond what you have to say and how you respond to the questions that are asked. In large part, the messages that you convey about who you are derive from what your body says about you.
Making assumptions can be costly By Keith Rosen When clients ask for help in closing more sales, I’d ask them to list the objections they are hearing that prevented the sale. It’s when they start stumbling over their response that I ask, “Are these the objections you are hearing directly from your prospects or what you’re assuming is the reason they don’t buy?”
Digital marketing: the ‘new normal’ By Bruce Murdy Many of us who have been through a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Hugo, may remember the phrase “the new normal” (for newcomers, Hugo was the massive Category 5 hurricane that hit our fair city in 1989).
Roaring 20 winner: Wings Over America Inc. / Wild Wing Being in the restaurant business means plenty of competition for a company like Wild Wing Café, so it’s constantly reinventing new marketing strategies, creating new products and staying on top of entertainment trends to gain an edge in the marketplace.
Ingenuity, innate business sense drive Little Black Book co-owner By Kristen Poland Sunny Gray doesn’t like to take “no” for an answer. When she was a senior in high school, her parents told her they didn’t have the money to send her on a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach. Determined to celebrate with her friends, Gray earned enough money babysitting to purchase bulk drink koozies in her school’s colors with a spring break logo on them. She sold the koozies to her classmates and earned enough money to pay for her trip.
Corporate DevelopMint owner has it all figured out By Kristen Poland When June Bradham was a child, she wanted a chimpanzee for a pet. Instead of telling her daughter “no,” Bradham’s mother suggested her daughter write a letter to zoo staff asking about the purchase and care of a chimpanzee.
Roaring 20 winner: Metalworx Inc. Despite continued growth, Metalworx Inc. has stayed true to the core beliefs and values on which the company was founded. While the company does make changes to reflect customer needs, the mission and values statements remain the same.
