2008: Terror and temperature set tempo By Bill Settlemyer Look past 2008’s wobbly economic picture due to last year’s credit crunch and the housing meltdown. Those will sort themselves out. It will be messy, but like all excesses driven by greed and shortsightedness, things will get better.
People in the News Simply Your Spa has been purchased by Bobbi Jo O’Neal, who has hired skincare professionals Christine Pazul and Danyiel Robinson.
Calendar JAN. 8: ThinkTEC Homeland Security Task Force. 3-5 p.m. at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. Information: Emily Brown, 843-805-3042 or ebrown@charlestonchamber.org.
Accolades & More Travis Moore of Edward Jones in North Charleston has received the professional designation of Accredited Asset Management Specialist after completing an educational program with Denver-based College for Financial Planning.
Charleston-area business leaders keep optimism afloat By Staff Report The only thing that seems certain about moving into 2008 is that uncertainty abounds. But in the Charleston region, business leaders and experts tend to weave a common thread of cautious optimism.
Top Business Stories of 2007 By Staff report Al Parish: The well-known economist and oft-quoted financial guru saw his fortunes plunge as he pleaded guilty to bilking hundreds of clients, including his former employer, Charleston Southern University, out of millions of dollars. Parish is expected to be sentenced up to 45 years in prison. His wife and investment partner, Yolanda Yoder, cut a deal with investigators that gives her and her children immunity from lawsuits.
Short-line rail takes on new economic development role By Dan McCue It’s been 30 years since a short-line railroad was created in South Carolina, but that drought in activity could soon change as state officials and hopeful investors look for ways to profit from an anticipated onslaught of Asian trade and other foreign investment.
Passion for planning sparked by childhood experience By Molly Parker Bill Gore will never forget his return to North Charleston. It was Valentine’s Day, 1983. “I fell in love with the city,” he said with a chuckle.
Peta pressure puts monks out of longtime egg business By Kathleen Dayton Bowing to ongoing pressure by a national animal-liberation organization, the monks of Mepkin Abbey plan to phase out egg production, which has been their livelihood and main source of income for nearly 50 years.
DuPont building $500 million Kevlar plant in Berkeley By Molly Parker Kevlar saved David Fikes’ life. The Anderson police officer was shot five times—twice in the arm, three times in the chest—while responding to an armed robbery at a bar in July.
$20 million bond issue to pay for Ashley Hall project By Scott Miller The S.C. Jobs-Economic Development Authority has issued $20 million in tax-exempt bonds to help Ashley Hall school expand its nearly century-old campus in Charleston.
PVI layoffs may be permanent By Dan McCue Though Protected Vehicles Inc. told its employees just days before Christmas that their services were no longer needed, a company executive has vowed the company will resurrect itself.
SPA funds more flights to spot endangered whales By Dan McCue The Wildlife Trust, a global conservation and environmental science organization, has significantly increased its aerial monitoring of the North Atlantic right whale population traveling through South Carolina’s coastal waters.
The ‘right’ whale By Dan McCue The North Atlantic right whale is one of about 1,880 species listed as protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, and one of 64 species that comes directly under the jurisdiction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
Port expecting cargo lull, plans to focus on capital investment By Dan McCue The Port of Charleston will continue to feel the effects of a flagging economy in 2008, but will press on with numerous capital projects in preparation for the rebound that industry insiders predict is just around the corner.
Finding more bang for the U.S. buck in 2008 By Scott Miller Bob Whitten hopes to see his company’s exports increase to 5% this year by leveraging the weak U.S. dollar against foreign markets. His company, Showa Denko Carbon Inc., which manufactures synthetic graphite in Ridgeville, isn’t alone.
Housing market immune to national woes ... somewhat By Kathleen Dayton The housing market is the big question mark in today’s national economic picture, and that’s not expected to change much in early 2008.
Immigration reform at top of S.C. legislative agendas By Molly Parker It’s going to be a tough year for illegal immigrants in South Carolina if the legislative agenda is any barometer of public opinion. A number of bills sitting in the General Assembly’s hopper target illegal immigrants and the businesses that hire them. One bill requires government agencies to print materials and tests in English only.
Travel, tourism industry still mainstay of area’s economy By Kathleen Dayton Nearly $100 billion poured into Lowcountry coffers in 2006, thanks to the open wallets of
4.21 million leisure tourists and business travelers who, along with a growing cruise ship market and ballooning festival attendance, are expected to push this year’s numbers still higher.
Commercial real estate might be bright spot for 2008 By Molly Parker Residential real estate remains a rocky venture in Charleston and elsewhere, but the commercial side thus far has been spared a major downturn.
Manufacturing to be state’s economic cornerstone in ’08 By Dan McCue In spite of a run of bad news ranging from supply chain issues for Vought Aircraft Industries to the apparent closure of Protected Vehicles Inc. and a spate of layoffs in the waning months of 2007, industry experts think manufacturing will be a bright spot in the region’s economy in the year ahead.
Transportation upgrades depend on tax dollars By Scott Miller Long commutes and an exploding population keep raising the blood pressure on the Lowcountry’s transportation infrastructure, but future plans and projects will have to wait until the state can find a way to pay for them.
Syn Strand sets partnership example By Dan McCue Federal officials visited the Syn Strand Inc. monofilament plant in Summerville recently to get a firsthand look at a thriving textile plant in South Carolina and to learn how its partnership with the S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership helped it grow.
High-end mortgage company expands amid cutbacks By Scott Miller As other lenders are closing their doors, one mortgage company has just expanded its presence in the Lowcountry and in North Carolina.
Maximize your career goals in 2008 By Barbara Poole This is the time of year when folks are fresh from making New Year’s resolutions: the laundry list of things they will start and stop, lose and gain. Many people have a tendency to bite off more than they can chew with this exercise, and fall off the wagon by the time the calendar turns to February.
Begin your new year with resolve for a new start By Elizabeth L. Boineau Just around the corner awaits another chance, a symbolic clearing of the slate of the year past and the promise of a bright, shining string of 365 new days, ripe with potential, just waiting to be plucked. As the year turns new again, we’re granted the chance to say goodbye to the things that are lacking or just not working somehow. And we’re given the gift of a new start and the chance to say hello to new places, people and things and to consider a different approach to the way we do things, both personally and professionally.
Ward announces retirement from SPAWAR Charleston By Dan McCue James D. Ward, who for nearly a decade has served as the senior civilian official and U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in Charleston, has told his senior staffers that he plans to retire. He reportedly informed about 50 of his senior staffers of his decision during an impromptu meeting this morning.
Today’s Profile: Richard Jerue, Charleston Art Institute By Kristen Poland In an office perched above Market Street’s bustle of tourist activity, Richard Jerue enjoys looking out over the heart of the city’s historic district as he works to build one of its newest residents. Jerue is president of the Charleston Art Institute, which with less than a year under its belt, is exceeding growth expectations.
