State reining in equine industry’s economic growth By Dan McCue Standing at the top of a rolling hill with his back to his truck, Franklin G. Smith looks off into the distance toward a lone rider working a thoroughbred on his three-quarter mile track.
Freight forwarders get lesson in risks of their trade By Dan McCue Mayhem was on the mind of Greg J. Kritz of Roanoke Trade Services as he stood before a gathering of freight forwarders, customs brokers and transportation providers at the Embassy Suites Hotel in North Charleston.
Architecture debate stirs emotions By Dan McCue To those who wage the battle over what constitutes appropriate development in Charleston’s historic district, the cause is nothing less than saving the city itself.
Mount Pleasant-based bio-pharmaceutical helping in war effort By Sheila Watson One of the enemies sought by the military is too small for guns and bombs; it is microscopic. The dengue virus is one of the most dangerous diseases because of its debilitating characteristics, and the military has long pursued a vaccine against all strains of it.
Infrastructure Bank weakens process but provides solutions By Andy Brack As lawmakers ponder restructuring to achieve efficiencies and avoid duplication, they are also creating new kinds of structures that allow services to be delivered in spite of the very same lawmakers.
Ready, fire, aim!—Tax reform frenzy trumps thoughtful approach By Bill Settlemyer The idea of cutting, limiting or shifting local and state tax burdens continues to be the hot topic in Columbia. Various interest groups are lining up to promote or oppose a basketful of proposals that would profoundly, and perhaps permanently, change the state’s tax structure.
Letters to the Editor Dear Editor,
I have frequently been tempted to respond to Bill Settlemyer’s editorials in the Charleston Regional Business Journal.
Local real estate firm finds niche in high-end homes By Dennis Quick In July, Chris Anderson and Laurie Minges Thornhill left I’On Realty in Mount Pleasant to form a new real estate company. Donivon Glassburn joined them, and the three created Places, a firm focusing on the Lowcountry’s more exclusive residential real estate properties.
Develop customer loyalty to stop negotiating price By Jeffrey Gitomer Salespeople tell me that these days, “price” is all that matters. But I think price doesn’t matter, if value and relationship are solid.
Smart marketing requires wisdom, intelligence By Elizabeth Boineau This marketing game we play has many elements to it, and only the wise survive. When I say wise, I mean wisdom and intelligence, qualities much more important than one’s IQ score.
ATI assists national health care technology initiative By Sheila Watson The Advanced Technology Institute, a Charleston-based nonprofit company affiliated with the South Carolina Research Authority, has been selected as part of a team to standardize health care information technology nationwide.
Pearman, Grace bridge demolition methods change By Dan McCue In a marked change of demolition strategy, the center spans of the Pearman and Grace bridges will be lowered onto barges and removed to a nearby recycling facility on Feb. 22 and March 1, respectively, rather than blown up as other sections of the bridges have been.
Aging and disabilities aren’t always related By Dan McCue Advancing years and disability don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand, but when it comes to minimizing potential health-related conflicts with aging workers, legal experts suggest employers look for guidance to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Aging boomers raise issue of discrimination law By Dan McCue As recently as a decade ago, thanks in equal parts to a surging economy, mandatory retirement laws and Social Security rules that allowed for a relatively early collection of benefits, aged workers were a small segment of the American labor force.
Groups draw battle lines in workers’ comp dispute By Dan McCue Statistics may never lie, but disagreements over what statistics to count and how the results should be interpreted is muddying the march toward comprehensive reform of South Carolina’s workers’ compensation system.
Roper St. Francis, East Cooper Medical await DHEC By Dennis Quick Now there is nothing left but the wait. Representatives of Roper St. Francis Healthcare and the East Cooper Regional Medical Center made their presentations defending the need for their proposed new Mount Pleasant hospitals Jan. 18 in Columbia before the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Company expands military research to protect local residents By Dan McCue The Scientific Research Corp. has given the bad guys one more reason to believe crime doesn’t pay—technology that will ensure records of earlier misdeeds will follow them wherever they go in the Lowcountry.
Horse owners give tips of the trade By Dan McCue Visiting the executive offices of FoodStaff, the Charleston-based temporary service for food and beverage wait staff and affiliated personnel, it’s not hard to see that thoroughbred race horses are never far from CEO Bailey Bolen’s mind.
Folly Beach residents to vote on building height limit ordinance By Shannon Cavanaugh It took three city council meetings, pleas from angry citizens and more than 600 signatures before Folly Beach City Council decided to reverse its previous decision at a special meeting Jan. 26 and give voters the power of setting height limits under a fire and protection safety ordinance.
Program has high school students going global By Sheila Watson Students on Johns Island are among a growing number that are learning what Mark Condon, executive director of the South Carolina World Trade Center, calls a cold fact of the business world: “If you’re not prepared for globalization, it’ll really hurt you.”
Crab House restaurant gets ‘flipped’ into new look By Dennis Quick Richard Davis and John Keener are longtime friends, and what Davis said to Keener is probably something only one close friend could say to another.
Local call center helps keep hotels booked By Dennis Quick Greg St. Clair of the InterContinental Hotels Group considers the company’s North Charleston call center one of the Lowcountry’s hidden economic gems.
Charleston’s new tourist trek: Charleston Tea Plantation By Holly Fisher Add tea making to Charleston’s list of historical claims. The Charleston Tea Plantation off of Maybank Highway on Wadmalaw Island is the only tea plantation in North America, and its tea plants are direct descendents of plants grown in Summerville in the late 1800s.
Universal design a hot topic with aging population By Dan McCue Whether the structure is a new public building that will be visited by scores of tourists, or a private home lived in by a few, an increasingly common attribute these buildings share is that their designers, and in some cases, remodelers, have incorporated universal design elements into the structures.
Discover how to be a continuous learner By John Carroll In my last column, we looked at the importance of learning and how it can make a significant difference in our lives, both at work and at home.
C of C program introduces students to leadership By Sheila Watson Forget the stereotypical image of college life being all parties and pranks. Students around the College of Charleston campus are spending extracurricular time learning to be leaders.
C of C establishes new school By Sheila Watson The College of Charleston has established a new academic school, the School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs. The new school will consolidate academic programs in languages and international studies as the institution continues its commitment to internationalizing its curriculum.
Extreme habits can lead to executive failure By Barbara Poole Why have some smart executives failed in recent years? Corporate scandals involving CEOs from the likes of Enron, Webvan and WorldCom have brought entire companies to ruin.
People in the News • Cathy Burns, Milon Smith, Tony Young and Jim Bedsole have joined Tidelands Bank. Burns has been promoted to assistant vice president. She was previously employed by SouthTrust
Bank for 16 years and was hired in March as an executive assistant and assistant secretary to the board. Smith is the chief credit officer. He was previously employed by People’s Bank in Aiken and Bank of America and has more than 32 years of banking experience. Young is a vice president and a commercial lender. He will manage the West Ashley branch. He previously worked for Regions Bank and SouthTrust Bank and has more than 27 years of banking and finance experience. Bedsole is a senior risk manager. He has more than 19 years of experience in managing bank regulatory compliance and bank auditing programs.
Appointments Mark Smith, co-owner and funeral director of Charleston’s McAlister-Smith, is slated to become the next president of the Cremation Association of North America. Founded in 1913, CANA is an international organization of more than 1,500 members, composed of cemeterians, cremationists, funeral directors, industry suppliers and consultants. CANA is concerned with the proper treatment and respect for those who have chosen cremation and that cremation is preparation for memorialization.
Calendar • FEB. 6: Charleston Contractors Association meeting. Speaker: Tim Dangerfield, chief of staff of the S.C. Department of Commerce. Topic: Economic forecast of the Greater Charleston Area. Cost: $30. Information & RSVP: Melissa, 559-5074.
Photo Finish CREDIT UNIONS HELP PREPARE CHILD ID KITSS.C. Federal Credit Union staff members joined employees from Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union, Charleston Area Federal Credit Union, Santee Cooper Credit Union and CPM Federal Credit Union, as well as representatives from the S.C. Credit Union League, to package child identification kits for distribution to local school district offices. Each kit contains inkless fingerprinting materials, a self-laminating identification card for the child, an information card to collect personal details and distinguishing characteristics, and swabs for collection of DNA from the child’s cheek. Families are encouraged to keep completed kits with current photo albums for reference and security. Pictured: Charleston-area credit union employees, including S.C. Federal CEO Scott Woods, front right, and CPM Federal CEO George Lockwood, front, second from right, prepare child identification kits.
Giving Back Hotel employees spread Christmas cheer
For the second consecutive year, InterContinental Hotels Group Charleston Reservations Center employees participated in spreading Christmas cheer in the Park Circle community by purchasing and decorating a Christmas tree from the city of North Charleston for the North Charleston Christmas Tree Festival & Tree Lighting. Proceeds from the event benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Carolina. Pictured, from left, InterContinental Hotels Group managers Paula O’Neal, Abraham Belanger, Frances McKoy-Young, Candice Simpson, Karen Faneuf-Jones, Samantha Cochran, Jim Stanton and Stacey Hughes.
Accolades & More Josh Caplea and Lynden Garland of Liollio Architecture have received LEED Accredited Professional status. Both obtained this recognition upon their successful completion of the required examination. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program was created by the U.S. Green Building Council to encourage the development of energy efficient, environmentally friendly, sustainable buildings.
News Briefs Parks named president of Palmetto Biotechnology Alliance
Dawn Parks, director of public and government affairs for Charleston-based biotech company ArborGen, has been elected president of the Palmetto Biotechnology Alliance for 2006. In her new role, Parks will lead the PBA as it acts as a catalyst for building biotech infrastructure and promoting life sciences growth in South Carolina. The organization currently represents more than 140 member companies and individuals throughout the state.
Parks assumes the PBA presidency after holding various leadership positions within the organization. She has served on PBA’s board of directors and was responsible for the widely successful 2005 biotechnology conference last spring.
“South Carolina has the essential elements for biotech success. If we leverage the resources our state offers, we can be successful in attracting and creating biotechnology firms,” Parks said.
“Just as biotech holds great promise for life-saving and life-changing advances, this industry holds promise for creating high-skill, knowledge-based jobs for South Carolina. Working together, we can grow biotechnology in this state.”
The Palmetto Biotechnology Alliance is member-managed and -owned, and recognized by BIO as the South Carolina-affiliated state chapter. In addition to the annual conference, the alliance services include legislative and regulatory affairs, employment and services networking, the BIO discount procurement program and a variety of other activities to assist South Carolina’s biotech companies.
Corrections Book of Lists
The 2006 Book of Lists commercial/industrial real estate brokers listing on page 46 should have listed Coldwell Banker Commercial Atlantic International Inc.’s top local executive as Raymond J. Case.
