Landing Diverted By Matthew French EADS North America’s key determinant in selecting Mobile, Ala., over North Charleston boiled down to 2,000 feet—the distance from Mobile’s deep-draft loading facility to the airport and the assembly plant site.
Pair hops into online auction consignment business By Rachel Pleasant In a modest, nothing special sort of strip center in North Charleston, Wally Czarnik and his daughter, Christine, are surrounded by things their customers don’t want anymore.
Traffic congestion: Don’t wait for the magic bullet; it’s stuck in traffic By Bill Settlemyer BREAKING NEWS: The Charleston metro area is growing like crazy! Like you didn’t know, right? And the growth in traffic congestion has been just as dramatic during the past few years. The Brookings Institution has some bad news about traffic congestion—get used to it. Here is the summary of a 2004 “Policy Brief” on the subject by Brookings Senior Fellow Anthony Downs: Rising traffic congestion is an inescapable condition in large and growing metropolitan areas…
General Assembly teamwork made 2005 a banner year By Rep. Bobby Harrell This was a banner year in South Carolina. Members of the General Assembly worked together for the common good, largely setting aside partisanship for teamwork. This unique spirit of cooperation allowed us to pass important legislation and to make great strides for our great state.
Legislative session: More bluster, less change By Andy Brack To hear state lawmakers talk about the past legislative session, you would think they had shrunk two suit sizes each because things were so busy this year. You might even feel a little guilty that they were just “plum wore out.”
Expanding firms sold on local real estate craze By Rachel Pleasant It seems nothing will stop the nation’s runaway real estate market, and the Charleston region is no different. To meet this demand, area law firms are expanding and retooling their businesses.
Charleston Rep. Harrell first businessman in 90 years to hold speaker’s post By Matthew French When State Rep. Robert “Bobby” Harrell, R-Charleston, was elected Speaker of the House for the next legislative session, it marked the end of a 90-year stranglehold on the seat which has been traditionally held by attorneys.
News Briefs The Citadel board of visitors selected Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa Jr. as the college’s 19th president subject to his release from active duty. Rosa, a member of The Citadel’s class of 1973, is currently serving as the superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
Pick up a career map and plan your road ahead By Barbara Poole I was raised in a Big Blue family. Both of my parents were employed by IBM and retired after 30 years—the only organization either of them worked for. My sister-in-law retired from “The Company” last year, and my brother has three more years to go before he rides off into the sunset.
BenefitFocus leaving Mount Pleasant location By Matthew French BenefitFocus.com, one of the crown jewels of Mount Pleasant’s business community, will be leaving the town for larger digs on Daniel Island, the company recently announced.
Oui, Fast & French remains at Broad Street location By Rachel Pleasant It’s theirs, all theirs. The building at 98 Broad Sreet, the long-time home of Fast & French Café Restaurant, now officially belongs to restaurateurs Jean-Marie Mauclet and Gwylene Gallimard.
Mount Pleasant infill development plans remain sketchy By Dennis Quick Call it a tale of two developments; one a proposed commercial development, the other residential, both located in Mount Pleasant along the new Hungry Neck Boulevard and both packing a potentially hefty impact.
Incentives help Palmetto State attract new businesses By Matthew French Politicians and economic development professionals for the past decade have radically changed the way South Carolina pursues business. Manufacturing giants like BMW, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Bridgestone/Firestone and Global Aeronautica have each selected the Palmetto State as a place to call home, and the incentives offered by the state are responsible for that in no small part.
Charleston architects take strong civic advocacy stance By Dennis Quick Architect Charles Muldrow is passionate about the route Mount Pleasant should take to improve Johnnie Dodds Boulevard, the town’s main thoroughfare, to handle worsening traffic problems.
Employers: Final HIPAA regulations take effect July 1 By Dennis Quick Final regulations for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act go into effect for employers whose health plan year begins July 1.
Employers: Obesity hurts your company’s profits By Iris Shedlock Your management team sits around the conference room table for its usual Monday morning ritual to discuss company business. Today’s agenda: how to create a leaner (no pun intended) and more profitable company. You and your team come up with all the obvious ideas, such as cutting back on company trips or reducing year-end bonuses.
Persuade others to do it your way and enjoy it By Jeffrey Gitomer Everyone wants it their way. You have been persuading people since you were a baby: crying, smiling, banging your hands on the table. Primitive to be sure—but effective. Babies tend to get their way.
Investigate value investing in a volatile market By Dan Hreha The inclusion of stocks in a portfolio is essential to meet most financial goals because historically, equities have outperformed all types of bonds and cash-equivalent securities over the long term, and their higher returns help combat inflation.
Calendar • JUNE 28: Charleston Commissioners of Public Works board meeting. 9 a.m. at CPW's Hanahan Water Treatment Plant, 1104 Hanahan Road.
People in the News Craig Stephans joined the Jerry Bacon Allstate Insurance Agency as a sales professional. Stephans most recently worked in professional relations for the Medical University of South Carolina’s Institute of Psychiatry.
Accolades & More Mount Pleasant Waterworks general manager Clay Duffie and utilities division manager Tom Wright were honored for their service to the state’s leading water utility associations. Duffie received the George Warren Fuller Award from the American Water Works Association’s South Carolina Section. The Water Environment Association of South Carolina also honored Wright with the Arthur Sidney Bedell Award. Wright was recognized for his leadership, service and membership activity in the Water Environment Association.
Giving Back Pet Helpers Rescue & Adoption Shelter presented Jane Edwards Elementary School with $2,000 for the operational expenses of the school’s pet farm. After four teenagers vandalized the elementary school’s pet farm, killing and injuring several animals, community animal lovers from Edisto Island to North Charleston gave donations ranging from hundreds of dollars to pennies from allowances to help rehabilitate the school’s compound. Lois Lane, of Lane & Smythe Real Estate, gave $500 to enhance the quality of the school’s farm. Pictured, top from left, are Lane, Paula Burns, Karen Mock, Carol Linville; (bottom from left) Jane Edwards Elementary students Liam Burns, Tide Elliott, Jose Chavez, Chloe Brannock and Karon Duffy.
Photo Finish Pictured, from left, George Milner stands with W. Bratton Riley, Carlos Echeverria, and Johnny Linton during the opening session for Pinewood Preparatory School’s Freedom Week. Milner and Linton are members of the Freedom Reigns advisory committee at Pinewood. Riley and Echeverria talked to middle and high school students about Cuba. Echeverria, the president of Summerville-based LINQ Industrial Fabrics, was born in Cuba, but at age 9, his family sought political asylum in the United States. Riley, part of Maybank Industries’ Business Development Group, talked about his firm’s position as the first commercial shipper to sail into the Havana harbor since the U.S. trade embargo began.
