Debt nearly cancels local Hispanic TV station By Dennis Quick Phyllis Bancroft and Jose Luis Villegas, owners of WJEA-TV 12, arrived in Charleston five years ago from Hartford, Conn., with a dream of creating the Lowcountry’s first Spanish-language television station to serve the region’s growing Hispanic population.
Real estate schools sizzle in wake of hot market By Rachel Pleasant With homes in the Charleston area selling quickly and for record prices, now is the time to be a real estate agent, and it is a great time for the area’s real estate schools.
‘Controversy’ over Noisette is growing tiresome By Dennis Quick Remember Watergate? What launched Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein on the investigation that eventually led to Richard Nixon’s resignation of the presidency was a break-in at the Democratic Party’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s Watergate office and apartment complex.
Multiple plans for Hwy. 17 addition to be proposed By Matthew French With construction already underway, and more planned during the next decade, the major corridor through Mount Pleasant will present drivers with an ugly commute for years to come.
Spend your advertising dollars wisely to harvest the Hispanic market By David L. Rawle The U.S. Hispanic population surged by nearly 19 million between 1990 and 2005 with a growth rate nearly four times that of the total population. Today, one in seven people in the United States is Hispanic, and the U.S. Hispanic population stands at 41.3 million.
Better education could help root out poverty By Andy Brack Turn down a dirt road on St. Helena Island in Beaufort County, and it won’t be long before you find someone living in or near poverty.
Give yourself the gift of more sales: The gift of gab By Jeffrey Gitomer When you make a presentation, the sales reality is that you are trying to persuade someone to buy from you. But calling it a sales presentation sets the wrong thought process in your mind.
Spurned by BenefitFocus, Mount Pleasant looks for next big employer By Matthew French When Mount Pleasant town officials learned they were losing BenefitFocus.com, a local software development company, to neighboring Daniel Island, there was little hand-wringing and worry.
State fails to break into top 100 best places to live list By Matthew French The Charleston area may be considered one of the most polite places in the country and may be one of the most visited areas in the nation, but it is not in the top 100 best places to live, according to a recent study conducted by Money magazine, CNN and data research company OnBoard. The criteria for the list included median household income, job growth, education, proximity to a major airport, proximity to a teaching…
Census figures reveal tri-county area’s explosive growth By Matthew French Speak to Lowcountry residents about the past 20 years, and they would be able to talk about the region’s massive growth during that time. But if asked which municipality is the fastest growing, each response would differ.
Boeing’s VP introduces area to the Dreamliner By Rachel Pleasant The excitement was undeniable at last week’s “town hall celebration” honoring the manufacturing complex being built by Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. and Alenia Aeronautica at Charleston International Airport.
Condo conversions remain hot commodities By Dennis Quick Apartment-to-condominium conversions, which began lighting up the Lowcountry’s residential real estate landscape about three years ago, remain a popular, affordable alternative to purchasing a single-family home, according to industry experts.
Eminent domain ruling causes no imminent change in South Carolina By Rachel Pleasant The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a controversial 5-to-4 decision in late June, deciding that a Connecticut city could use its power of eminent domain to seize private properties to make way for economic development projects.
Low-income apartments slated for Daniel Island By Dennis Quick Daniel Island, where the average annual household income exceeds $90,660 and the average cost of a single-family house is more than $730,000, is a step away from seeing the construction of a 72-unit apartment complex where rents for one-, two- and three-bedroom units will range between $523 and $726 a month.
Legal wrangling tangles up Watson Hill project By Rachel Pleasant The story of Watson Hill, the mammoth residential development planned for 6,600 acres off Ashley River Road, took yet another legal turn earlier this month when the city of North Charleston filed a lawsuit against the town of Summerville.
Never stop looking for alternate solutions By John Carroll Someone once said, “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” You do not have to be in a negative or difficult situation to look for a smoother, faster, simpler way of doing things. If you are considering alternatives on a regular basis, you will discover opportunities for improvement in some unlikely places.
NFIB: education failing local business owners By Matthew French Local business owners expressed their displeasure with the state’s poor public education system during the National Federation of Independent Business’ meeting of the Lowcountry Area Action Council in late June.
Remember who pays the bills when you’re irritated By Jack Hoey Some years ago I had a customer named Ted, who had a glass shop in a busy shopping center. Most business owners would be thankful for the traffic Ted’s shop enjoyed, but Ted did not like it. He complained that customers were always coming into his shop and interrupting his work.
Noisette master plan wins international design award By Dennis Quick The Noisette Co.’s master plan for the redevelopment of North Charleston recently received the Award of Excellence from the Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Landscape Architects.
Law school aims for ABA accreditation By Rachel Pleasant The nightmares are over for Richard Gershon. Gershon, the dean of Charleston School of Law, was so worried about the school’s first year he literally lost sleep.
TTC’s Culinary institute: an appetizing facility By Dennis Quick Trident Technical College’s Culinary Institute of Charleston, a 77,000-square-foot training facility designed to support the Lowcountry’s hospitality industry, will open Aug. 22 for students seeking two-year associate’s degrees, diplomas or certificates.
News Briefs Argolyn Bioscience announced that it has been awarded a $1.35 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Calendar • JULY 26: Charleston Commissioners of Public Works board meeting. 9 a.m. at 103 St. Philip St., 1st floor conference room.
People in the News Haynes Poe joined the Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce as tourism coordinator. Poe is a recent graduate of Clemson University with a degree in travel and tourism.
Appointments Alicia G. Ward, marketing manager for Motley Rice LLC, was elected to the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry board of directors. She also will serve on the marketing committee.
Giving Back Gene Reed Jr. of Charleston’s Gene Reed Toyota and Lexus of Charleston (right) presents $500,000 to Dr. Fred Worsham, American Cancer Society chairman of the board South Atlantic Division (left), and Edwin Pearlstine Jr., Charleston Hope Lodge Expansion Campaign Chairman (middle). The donation benefits Charleston Hope Lodge, a project of the American Cancer Society that provides free, unlimited housing for cancer patients and their caregivers. This gift will become a part of a larger expansion, more than doubling the current capacity at the Hope Lodge.
Photo Finish Pictured, from left, is the 2005-2006 Lowcountry Wedding Professionals board of directors: Linda Ruggles of Ruggles Photography, social chair, Bill Flanagan of Weddings with Style Magazine, vice president, Karla Korn of Regal Catering, secretary, Richard Almes of Almes Productions, president, Ed Coyle of Silvershadows LLC, membership chair, and Charles Kolb of Charleston Entertainment, treasurer.
Accolades David Felix, director of client services for Planning the Globe was nominated as a finalist for Event Producer of the Year by Event Solutions Magazine Spotlight Awards 2005. Felix is one of five finalists chosen from hundreds of national and international entries. The winner will be determined by votes cast online via the Event Solutions Magazine Web site.
