Districts face up-hill battle By Rachel Pleasant It is difficult, if not impossible, to escape the residential development occurring in every corner of the tri-county area.
Dorchester’s building boom leaves schools scrambling By Rachel Pleasant Dorchester County is ground zero for a housing boom. By mid-June, the town of Summerville had issued 550 single-family permits; unincorporated Dorchester County had signed off on 399 single-family homes. With such mega developments on the horizon as Watson Hill—a project that could mean between 1,200 and 4,500 homes—the number of permits is sure to multiply in coming months.
Charleston County faces continuing school development problems By Rachel Pleasant At the Charleston County School District, decision-makers are facing a pressing question: what next? The school district recently is wrapping up a five-year building program, an initiative that pumped $432 million into the district, says Mary Girault, the district’s communications officer. But as the district has discovered, despite the millions of dollars it recently invested in its schools, it has a long way to go in addressing overcrowding and facility needs. The challenges facing the…
Developers, Berkeley district collaborate on schools By Rachel Pleasant No matter the name, be it Tanner Plantation, Liberty Hall or St. Thomas Point, the residential neighborhoods popping up throughout Berkeley County mean one thing: a strain on its schools.
Politics may have hindered Charleston’s EADS chance By Matthew French Politics is perception, so the saying goes. Politics also is a possible factor behind South Carolina losing the EADS engineering facility to Alabama. While the company says the location at the Alabama site was too good to pass up, it likely did not hurt that the Congressional delegation from the Yellowhammer State has built up seniority in key House and Senate committees.
Companion HealthCare announces name change Companion HealthCare Corp., the second largest health plan based in South Carolina, changed its name to BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina Inc. effective July 1.
Blackbaud retools education software program By Rachel Pleasant Blackbaud Inc., a software development company located on Daniel Island, recently launched a retooled version of its student information system, The Education Edge.
MUSC spin-off reveals area’s tech weaknesses By Dennis Quick When Micrus Endovascular Corp. went public last month, officials at the Medical University of South Carolina both rejoiced and lamented.
Wet lab needed to bolster state’s biosciences cluster By Matthew French When the AngelouEconomics team released its report on the path the Lowcountry should take to pursue industry clusters, some of the clusters made perfect sense: automotive and aerospace, for example. South Carolina has a long history with both of these industry sectors and has a firm base on which to build.
Goodnight Gracie: Remembering the old bridge experience By Bob Bouyea Do you remember your first time? Remember how your heart was racing and your breathing became quicker? How your palms sweated as you held on with a white-knuckled grip? How you stared straight ahead, wishing you could close you eyes until it was over?
Companies reap benefits from pollution-free policies By Dennis Quick The Alcoa Mount Holly aluminum plant in Goose Creek each year produces about 500 million pounds of aluminum, used in everything from cans to cars.
Investments could raise everyone’s ship, lifestyles By Dennis Quick One of the sad factors of progress is the human cost. When a new, upscale housing development rises, in many cases, poor and low-income folks pay the price for the progress by being forced out of their homes. Ask any one of the nearly 300 residents of Calhoun Homes in North Charleston who were forced to pack up and leave to make room for the forthcoming Mixson Avenue mixed-used development.
Health care: Seeking solutions through ‘community managed care’ By Bill Settlemyer For the past three years, I have spent a good deal of my personal time focusing on health care issues. In 2003, the Business Journal began convening an informal discussion group, followed by two health care forums, one in 2003 and another in 2004. Several hundred business people attended the forums, along with experts from state government, health care organizations, employers and the insurance industry.
Tax modernization should be on the front burner By Andy Brack As constant as the rising sun, people complain about taxes. It is easy to do, but without taxes, we would not be able to live in a civilized society. As much as people hate taxes, they love to civilize America.
Boston financial services firm opens Southeast office in Lowcountry By Matthew French NewStar Financial Inc., a year-old financial services company headquartered in Boston, had been searching for a location to establish its Southeast U.S. office. After surveying several cities, including business and banking centers such as Atlanta and Charlotte, company executives chose the Holy City as its ideal location.
NAACP tourism boycott seems to be forgotten By Dennis Quick Five years after the South Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People launched its economic boycott against the state to protest the Confederate battle flag, then flying atop the statehouse, Rev. Joseph Darby, vice president of the state’s NAACP chapter, is not pleased with the boycott’s impact.
CARTA picks up speed with new bus routes, plans By Dennis Quick The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority is making a comeback after more than 1 1/2 years of operating at 25% capacity due to budget cuts.
Region leaders pursue other aerospace opportunities By Matthew French Now that EADS North America has decided to forgo the Lowcountry in favor of Mobile, Ala., economic development professionals are turning their sights to the region’s next potential aerospace newcomer.
Governor signs port incentive bill to lure distributors By Matthew French Gov. Mark Sanford recently signed into law a bill that offers tax incentives to distribution centers that increase their international shipments through the state’s ports in an effort to make South Carolina more competitive with neighboring states.
Calendar • JULY 13: Women At Work Inc. 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel Airport-Convention Center, 5055 International Blvd., North Charleston. Speaker: Jennifer Dyer Buddin with the little black book for every busy woman. Topic: Building bridges to success through networking. Information: Laura Martindale, 817-4161 or LMartindale@printingassociate.com.
People in the News TECHNOLOGYBookSurge LLC, an Amazon.com company specializing in inventory-free book fulfillment and international distribution, expanded its staff.
Appointments Chuck Cain has been named second vice chairman and One-Stop committee chair to the Trident Workforce Investment Board executive committee. Cain, a Dupont retiree, has been involved with the board for 20 years.
Giving Back Employees at the accounting firm of Gamble Givens and Moody LLC donated $5,000 to the Charleston Ronald McDonald House to aid in expansion efforts.
Photo Finish Dr. Frankie Miller (right), dean of the Culinary Institute of Charleston, leads national corporate and hotel executives of John Q. Hammons Hotels through the new Culinary Institute of Charleston facility under construction on Trident Technical College’s main campus in North Charleston.
Accolades & More The Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce honored Donna Klim, the owner of Candy Bouquet, with the 2004 Business of the Year Award. She was recognized for her exemplary leadership skills through her civic and business activities.
