Wave of trade raises port competition By Dan McCue Forty years after the first cargo container arrived at the Port of Charleston aboard a retrofitted tanker called the Gateway City, the revolution in shipping wrought by North Carolina trucker Malcom McLean, the inventor of containerized cargo shipping, continues to fuel an explosion of growth in the goods shipping industry.
Guitar maker strikes right business chord By Dan McCue Leaning slightly over the Benedetto electric guitar before him on the workbench, Joe Wilson checks its finish and decides it needs another light sanding.
Semi-pro football team hopes to score with community By Dennis Quick As indoor football returns to the Lowcountry three years after the Charleston Swamp Foxes folded, Jason Parker and his front-office colleagues of the area’s newest semi-pro team, the Charleston Sandsharks, believe their organization is strong enough to lead the franchise to pay dirt.
Raising cigarette tax a key health care measure By Dennis Quick During a Jan. 31 health care panel discussion in Columbia hosted by the South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations, three gubernatorial candidates, the fourth, Gov. Mark Sanford, was absent, agreed it was time the state raised its cigarette tax to help fund health insurance for some 850,000 low-income South Carolinians who lack it.
Apocalypse deferred: Is the economy stronger than we think? By Bill Settlemyer I suppose it’s the ex-lawyer in me, or maybe I’m just a born worrier. Either way, I spend more time focusing on what can go wrong rather than what’s going right. That probably explains why one of my favorite business books is Only the Paranoid Survive by Intel co-founder Andy Grove.
It’s time for Charleston to ‘butt out’ for good By David L. Rawle The other day my wife and I went to a popular local restaurant. “Smoking or non-smoking?” we were asked. “Non-smoking,” we said. Our non-smoking booth was separated from an adjacent booth in the smoking section by a thin, four-foot-high wall.
Letter to the Editor By Thomas O'Brien Over the next couple of weeks, the U.S. Senate will be debating the Asbestos Trust Fund bill. Having been involved in the progress of this bill in the U.S. Senate and as the current chairman of the Coalition for Asbestos Reform, I fear South Carolina’s businesses are unaware of the potentially dangerous threat posed by this bill.
Biotech research at MUSC spawns new company By Sheila Watson A new wound-healing process created through research at the Medical University of South Carolina has spawned a biotechnology company that will develop and, ultimately, market the technology.
Area growth spurs SCB&T’s expansion By Dan McCue South Carolina Bank and Trust’s new loan production office in the heart of downtown Charleston is just the beginning of an all-out push by the financial institution to establish a foothold in the Lowcountry.
Credit union celebrates birthday, looks forward to growth By Dan McCue As the South Carolina Federal Credit Union celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, it stands poised to significantly expand the membership base it serves.
Food and wine festival provides economic treat By Dennis Quick The Distinctively Charleston Food and Wine Festival runs from
March 2 through March 5 and is likely to provide basic meat-and-potatoes economic benefits to the region while showcasing some fancy Lowcountry cuisine.
Collaborators seek way to detect deception By Sheila Watson Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, collaborating with the South Carolina Research Authority’s Biomedical Applications Research Institute, have completed a series of studies on functional magnetic resonance imaging to detect deception in individuals.
DuPont bows out of Savannah River Site bid By Sheila Watson Despite last October’s announcement of a partnership with Fluor Daniel to pursue business opportunities at the Savannah River Site, officials at DuPont have announced the company will not participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s SRS bid process.
Build your bench to ensure smooth transitions By Barbara Poole If you’re a key leader in your organization, one of the most important jobs you have is figuring out who your replacement is.
State efforts narrow gap in venture capital funding By Sheila Watson A recent National Venture Capital Association survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Thomson Venture Economics revealed disappointing statistics for the Southeast in general and South Carolina in particular.
Analyst: Competitors unwise to discount Charleston By Dan McCue When it comes to expanding its cargo volume from the Far East, the South Carolina State Ports Authority has some significant challenges, according to John C. Martin, a prominent economic analyst for the port industry.
Ports focus on growth in competition for Asian market By Dan McCue The Port of Charleston is an outstanding service provider with a great workforce and a longstanding reputation as one of the world’s port productivity leaders, according to John C. Martin, an analyst who specializes in strategic planning for the port industry.
Official: Eminent domain rewrite won’t block port By Dan McCue A bill sponsored by several state senators from Charleston has reignited the debate over government powers to condemn private land for public projects, but officials in Jasper County said it won’t slow the hotly contested plan to build a $500 million cargo container terminal on the Savannah River in Jasper County.
Manufacturers interested in more than incentives By Dan McCue Gathered around the podium for the recent announcement of SKF Aero Bearing’s decision to expand its North Charleston operations, the easygoing banter among the principles revolved mainly around golf and restaurants.
Manufacturers struggle to lure young workers By Dennis Quick Mike Leatherwood, president and owner of Leatherwood Electronics in North Charleston, needs to fill 10 job vacancies in his 45-employee company.
Land donation could block bridge, development By Shannon Cavanaugh Joanne Sabel remembers the days she walked hand in hand with her husband Arnold along the beach, birdsongs wafting across the sea oats. It is for those memories that Sabel is donating 78 acres of marshland to the Folly Beach Nature Conservancy.
How to improve with a slow-to-change team By John Carroll The following is an actual letter I received recently from a team member of one of our clients, revised slightly to maintain anonymity of those involved.
Focus on development for company success By Wayne Outlaw When talking about development, it is easy for the individual to focus on aspirations, but talking about career goals does not constitute development. Development must be more than career planning or performance appraisal. It must focus on creating the competencies needed for success.
New businesses start with preparation and planning By Ted Albenesius Entrepreneurs are dreamers who see the possibilities and realists who recognize the truths and risks of building a viable enterprise. They know that not every aspect of running a small business is glamorous, and they also understand how each necessary task factors into profits, financial independence and personal satisfaction.
People in the News Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has elected two new partners to the Charleston office: Jennifer Williams Davis and Douglas L. Lineberry. Davis practices in federal and state taxation, economic development and estate planning. Lineberry practices in the areas of intellectual property, employment and labor law, and ERISA benefits and litigation. John C.B. Smith has also joined the firm. Smith currently serves as the chairman for the S.C. Education Lottery Commission and is a director of Carolina First Bank and a lead independent director of The South Financial Group.
Calendar • FEB. 20: S.C. Women's Business Center seminar. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at 5900 Core Drive, Suite 104, North Charleston. Topic: QuickBooks and the small business owner. Cost: $120. Information: 740-6160.
Giving Back Habitat breaks ground on 41st home
East Cooper Habitat for Humanity broke ground on its 41st home thanks to the generosity of The Darby Family Foundation. The house, located on Eagle Street and adjacent to Hope Row in the Green Hill community, will be owned by Melissa Johnson. Once Johnson completes her 350 hours of sweat equity and participates in ECHFH’s Steps to Successful Home Ownership Program, she will assume a 20-year, interest-free mortgage. Pictured, from left, Virginia Johnson, Melissa Johnson, John Nuernberger, ECHFH board president, David Barnard, ECHFH executive director, and Dr. Charles Darby.
Accolades & More Architect Glenn Keyes of Glenn Keyes Architects has been selected by This Old House magazine as one of its “Best Building Pros in America” in its October 2005 issue. Keyes was chosen as one of the magazine’s top 10 preservation architects, following an extensive selection process.
Photo Finish BIG AND LITTLE BROTHERS AND SISTERS GIVE AWARDSBig and Little Brothers and Sisters recently awarded the “Wendy M. Hall Big of the Year” award to Joyce Aungst of Mount Pleasant. Others recognized were the CJ Award winners, those pairs of Big and Little Brothers and Sisters who have enjoyed four years of friendship through the program. Those recipients were Ronnii Bartles and B.J. Cason; Kimberly Chesanek and Ashley Gerhardt; Justin Dickens and David Wilson; Andrew Jordan and Kenneth Polite; and Brian King and Tyrus Goodwater. The Partner of the Year award was given to the armed forces: Charleston Air Force Base, Charleston Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, Charleston Nuclear Power Training Unit, Charleston Naval Weapons Station, United States Coast Guard and the United States Army. Pictured, from left, Barbara Kelley Duncan, CEO, Carolina Youth Development Center; Mandy Treadway-Scherer, program director, Big Brothers Big Sisters; Ryan Szymanski, Aungst and Wendell and Barbara Hall, Wendy M. Hall’s parents.
Appointments Charleston’s Cinco de Mayo Festival has announced the following committee members: Lee Deas of Obviouslee Marketing, event chair; Shannon Odom of Charleston Golf Inc., sponsorship chair; Thetyka Husser of Blackbaud Inc., sponsorship chair; Kelly Carpenter of Charleston County Economic Development, entertainment chair; Laura Martindale of Knology, marketing chair; Katie Kern of Cognetix Advertising and Marketing, public relations chair; Michelle Ray of the College of Charleston, vendor chair; Julio Garrido of Rotomotion, Hispanic media and Web site chair; and Holly McLeod of Berlitz, logistics chair.
News Briefs Corporate DevelopMint to host philanthropic event
Corporate DevelopMint will host a two-day Healthcare CEO Forum at Kiawah Island Sanctuary to provide insight and instruction on how health care organizations can maximize their fundraising capacity.
The invitation-only forum on philanthropy will be attended by approximately
30 health care CEOs and their development professionals representing locales from Ohio to Florida. The forum will offer educational sessions focusing on how hospitals can increase their community’s philanthropic support and will also address the fundamental aspects of capital campaign structure as it relates to the decision-making processes of the health system, best practices for donor cultivation and role-playing exercises that will reinforce gift cultivation and invitation skills.
The keynote speaker for the event will be Eugene Cochrane Jr., president of the Duke Endowment, a Charlotte, N.C.-based private philanthropic foundation. Cochrane’s keynote address will focus on “National Trends in Healthcare Funding.”
During the forum, Corporate DevelopMint will also unveil the results of its Healthcare Benchmarking Research Study. The research project surveyed a range of health care systems and hospitals to examine the relationship between local conditions, such as the community’s philanthropic culture, and future potential.
