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News Briefs
Dunes Properties opens new office
Dunes Properties of Charleston, Inc. opened a new office in Mount Pleasant. Located at 300 West Coleman Blvd., the office opened April 15 with nine agents and two administrative assistants.
It currently has offices on the Isle of Palms, Folly Beach and Bohicket Road on Johns Island.
Mount Pleasant listings for the company increased 83% from 2003 to 2004. With more than $40 million of its $220 million closed sales in 2004 coming from the Mount Pleasant area, the company saw the need for a new office to accommodate its growing sales force and this market.
“The Mount Pleasant office is a natural geographic extension for our clients searching for their primary home, investment properties or retirement residences,” said Randy Walker, Dunes Properties’ president.
Dunes Properties has been serving the Charleston Coast since 1989, and this new office will add to the buyers’ choices of location and pricing. In addition to the Mount Pleasant area, its easy access to the new bridges also makes it centralized to downtown areas and Daniel Island.
A wine and cheese drop-in reception will be announced upon completion of the new office.
Law firm opens new east wing
The law firm Buist Moore Smythe McGee. one of the oldest and largest general practice law firms in the Lowcountry, has opened new east wing building addition on Exchange Street. The two-story, 10,500-square-foot addition includes 28 new offices, an expanded conference suite, an enlarged copy center, a new lunch area and additional file storage. The two new stories are built above a parking area for clients and guests.
Wachovia to buy Palmer & Cay
Wachovia Corp. has agreed to acquire Palmer & Cay Inc., the 15th-largest insurance brokerage and benefits consulting firm in the United States.
Georgia-based Palmer & Cay has 950 employees and operates 34 offices in 22 states and the District of Columbia.Charlotte-based Wachovia says its insurance division, Wachovia Insurance Services, will have $400 million in annual revenue and 1,800 employees after the acquisition.WIS will rank among the top 10 insurance brokerage firms in the nation as a result, the company says.
Financial terms of the deal, which is slated to close this quarter, weren’t disclosed.
John Cay III, chairman and chief executive of Palmer & Cay, will become chairman of Wachovia Insurance Services.
Immigration Services opens new Charleston facility
A new facility in Charleston will be the home of the offices of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“The Southeast has always been a region of new immigrants, and today, it is also exciting to be part of the opening of this new facility that will better serve the growing numbers of immigrants that have been arriving in this area in the last decade”, says Alfonso Aguilar, Chief of the Office of Citizenship for USCIS.
There will also be a new office of USCIS opening in Raleigh, North Carolina toward the end of next year. This is need is seen in the growth of Charlotte’s immigrant population, which has risen by 71 percent in the past 10 years.
The USCIS office in Charleston has been open to interviews and adjudications since the early 1980s. The office currently process applications for adjustment of status, naturalization, advance parole, employment authorization, replacement certificate of naturalization or citizenship, certificate of citizenship, replacement alien registration card, processing for cases approved at the Service Centers, removal of conditions forwarded from the Service Center, petition for alien relative forwarded from the Service Center if the beneficiary is in proceedings.
Lowcountry Ford under new ownership
Earl A. Bridges Jr. is the new owner of Lowcountry Ford Mercury in Summerville.
“Our goal is to make Lowcountry Ford Mercury the top dealership in the Lowcountry. Our focus is on our customers and all of our employees will be trained in this philosophy. ”
Bridges previously owned a Ford dealership in Gaffney, S.C. Before entering the retail automotive industry, Bridges practiced law in his hometown of New Orleans.
Bridges has a long and distinguished career of public service. “I believe in being a good corporate and individual citizen. My family and I are very excited about moving to Summerville. It’s a great opportunity and I look forward to becoming an active member of the community.”
During his tenure in Gaffney, Bridges served on the Sherman College Foundation board of directors, Cherokee Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Upstate Workforce Investment Board, Cherokee County Boys & Girls Club, Cherokee County Communities in Schools and the Upstate Carolina Medical Center.
His community service while in New Orleans included, serving as president of the Audubon Commission, the board of trustees of Children’s Hospital, New Orleans City Park Improvement Association, Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, Arts Council, Louisiana Philharmonic, Metropolitan Area Committee and the Young Leadership County. He also served as chairman for the New Orleans Economic Development Committee.
Lowcountry Ford Mercury has two locations in Summerville, 9700 Dorchester Road and 1622 North Main St.. Both locations sell new and used cars and are open Monday through Friday 9am - 8pm and Saturday from 9 am - 7pm.
Select Health to celebrates 10 years in business
Select Health is thriving and surviving in South Carolina, a relatively unfriendly voluntary Medicaid managed care environment, under the leadership of its Chief Executive Officer, J. Michael Jernigan and the backing of the leader in Medicaid Managed Care, AmeriHealth Mercy.
South Carolina has about a 5.8% managed care penetration rate, compared to the national average of 23.7%, according to Kaiser State Health Facts. Despite this luke-warm climate, which edged out two other Medicaid managed c are plans in the ’90s, Select Health has flourished. As South Carolina’s first managed care plan, Select Health will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in September. The company currently serves more than 55,000 members in 28 SC counties (membership has more than tripled in past five years)??has a network of more than 2,500 providers, 38 hospitals and 731 pharmacies. It contracts with all four of South Carolina’s children’s hospitals and has saved the State of South Carolina more than $6 million dollars over the past three years
While the gains are impressive, the struggle to stay afloat in South Carolina’s tough managed care environment hasn’t been easy. Through the ups and downs, Michael Jernigan, Select Health CEO, has helped the company stay its course.
Jernigan attributes Select Health’s success to collaboration, quality service, effective communications, continuous quality improvement, professional management for medical care coordination and outreach and education.
Select Health is also committed to supporting the education of young health professionals. As part of the commitment, Select Health partners with the Medical University of South Carolina for a residency-training program. As part of the program, family practice residents are introduced to managed care, and actively participate on various committees within Select Health.
In addition to two practicing physicians who currently serve as medical directors, in late 2004 Select Health added a full-time chief medical officer to its management team.
Select Health is committed not only to improving the health of its members, but also to supporting the communities where members live. As part of that commitment, Select Health sponsors a number of different community outreach programs each year. One of the longest running and most successful programs is the South Carolina Health Ministry Program For Women. The Health Ministry Program, started in South Carolina in the Fall of 1996, is a faith-based initiative designed to help minority women make positive lifestyle changes. Since its inception, the program has touched the lives of nearly two thousand women here in South Carolina.
In the Fall of 2005, Select Health will implement its newest program, Healthy Hoops. The Healthy Hoops program seeks to educate children with asthma and their caregivers about asthma and how to manage the disease through appropriate medication usage, proper nutrition, monitored exercise and recreational activities. With the guidance and supervision of celebrity basketball coaches and medical staff, the 2005 program will include asthma control screenings, professional development, Healthy Hoops kickoff and the Fall Challenge.
The Healthy Hoops and Health Ministry Program For Women were both started in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Select Health’s parent company, AmeriHealth Mercy.
John Wieland Homes to build in The Refuge at Whitehall
John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods has been building in the Charleston area since the 1990 and The Refuge at Whitehall will spark its re-entrance into the Summerville market since wrapping up sales at Legend Oaks in 2000. Wieland currently plans to initiate sales and construction in its new Summerville location with six homes priced from the low $300,000s designed with a Lowcountry appeal. The Refuge at Whitehall is located just 5 minutes from downtown Summerville and 15 minutes from the Charleston airport.
An intimate neighborhood of 62 homesites, The Refuge is a conservation community bordered by the salt marshes of the Ashley River and Coosaw Creek. Add to that the distinction of being a certified wildlife habitat, and The Refuge offers a serene, nature-oriented environment that everyone will appreciate. Homeowners at The Refuge enjoy the benefits of a community dock and nature trail. For the more active individuals, a wide variety of recreational activities are all within a short drive, including golf courses, tennis, swimming pools, boating and kayaking. Nearby Summerville offers great shopping, dining and other area attractions.
Founded in 1970, the company is currently building in 60 neighborhoods in the Southeast with 1,800 closings and revenues of $730 million in 2004. Named “National Builder of the Year” and “National Housing Quality Award” winner as well as named Americas Best Builder in 2005, the company is the Southeast’s leading builder of move-up homes. For more information on homes at The Refuge at Whitehall, contact Sherry Murrie at 843-708-7885.
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