Anderson ... It's Electric by Beers and Associates

\Photo by Julie Eudy.

Anderson ... Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Electric!

Sponsored by the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce Written by Kathryn Smith Corporate profiles by Kathryn Smith Featuring the photography of Frank Alexander and Julie Eudy Foreword by Lee R. Luff, CCE, CAE President and CEO Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce Editorial Staff Editor in Chief, Lenita Gilreath Profile Editor, Jennifer Kornegay Managing Editor, Rachel Beers Fisher Designer, Scott Fuller Marketing Coordinator, Catherine Goodwin

Ronald P. Beers, Publisher Beers & Associates, LLC 8650 Minnie Brown Road, Suite 120 Montgomery, Alabama 36117 ÂŠ 2014 Beers & Associates, LLC First Edition ISBN: 978-0-9913534-0-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2014932467 Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information herein. However, the authors and Beers & Associates, LLC are not responsible for any errors or omissions that might have occurred.

Printed in the USA 3

Photo by Frank Alexander.

Table of Contents Leadership Logos and Corporate Time Line . . . . . . . . . 6 Foreword by Lee R. Luff, CCE, CAE President and CEO Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce . . . . . . . . . . . 8 PART ONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Chapter One: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter Two: An Electric Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Chapter Three: We Mean Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Chapter Four: Life-long Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Chapter Five: Building A Healthy Community . . . . . . 50 Chapter Six: A Community That Loves Sports and Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Chapter Seven: The Art of Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Chapter Eight: A Caring Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Chapter Nine: Festivals and Happenings . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Chapter Ten: The Best Is Yet To Be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 PART TWO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Business and Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Health Care, Education and Quality of Life . . . . . . . 110 Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Real Estate, Development and Construction . . . . . . 136 Marketplace and Hospitality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Government Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Corporate Sponsor Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Bibliography and Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce and the publisher would like to express our gratitude to the following companies and organizations for their leadership in the development of this book to celebrate the Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first 110 years.

1903-2013

Photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection.

We would also like to express our gratitude to the following companies and organizations that took time to meet with us and tell us their individual stories. The stories of the companies and organizations in color type are included in Part Two.

Corporate Time Line 1826 • Anderson County • City of Anderson • 1855 • City of Belton • 1865 • Milliken & Co. 1889 • Clemson University • 1899 • Independent Mail • The Timken Company • 1903 • The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce • 1904 • AnMed Health • Duke Energy • 1906 • Palmetto Bank • Southern Wesleyan University • 1908 • Anderson County Library • 1911 • Anderson University • 1913 • First Citizens Bank • 1920 • Baldor • Electric City Printing Company • 1923 • Sullivan-King Mortuary • 1925 • Elliot Davis Investment Advisors • 1928 • Medicus Anderson Eye & Easr Associates 1933 • Bank of Anderson • 1934 • South Carolina Bank and Trust • The Commercial Bank • 1935 • The Printer • 1940 • Blue Ridge Security • 1946 • JPS Composit Materials • 1947 • Anderson Area YMCA • Draisen-Edward • Maynard’s Home Furnishings • 1950 • Anderson County Board of Education • Piedmont Natural Gas • 1951 • Ralph Hayes Motors • The Peoples Bank • 1952 • Kenneth Rhodes and Associates, Inc. • 1953 • Anderson Federal Credit Union • Boulevard Baptist Church 1954 • Bonitz Flooring Group, Inc. • Hill Electric Company • 1955 • Fort Hill Natural Gas Authority • McMillian, Pazden Smith, LLC • 1957 • The Abney Foundation • 1959 • Packaging Corporation of America • 1960 • Haven of Rest • 1965 • Epstein Enterprises • Upstate Federal Credit Union 1968 • Electric City Signs and Neon, Inc. • SENIOR Solutions • 1969 • Roylco, Inc. • 1971 • McNair Law Firm, PA • 1972 • Manpower • 1973 • Martin and Martin Auctioneers, inc. • Michelin 1974 • Coldwell Banker-Hugh Durham & Associates • 1976 • Meals on Wheels • MedShore • Sargent Metal Fabricators • 1978 • Cross Country Home Services • 1979 • Lazer Construction, Inc. • Orian Rugs • 1980 • McCoy Wright Realty • 1981 • MCG Mechanical Services • McGee Heating & Air, Inc. • 1982 • Edward Jones • McKay, Zorn & Associates • Trehel Corporation • 1984 • Consolidated Southern Industries, Inc. • Dr. Brent Copeland DMD • Superior Engineering, Inc. • 1985 • Austin/ Pray Family Dentistry • CHOMORAT • Cox, Cauley, Rockwell & Richardson, LLC • Techtronic Industries of North America • 1986 • Commonwealth Realty • Glen Raven • 1988 • Diagnostic Radiology of Anderson • First Quality Tissue SE, LLC • Hospice of the Upstate • 1989 • Associated Fuel Pump Systems Corporation • Computer Medic • Kravet • Martin Advertising • 1990 • Community First Bank • 1991 • Collins Landscape • 1992 • MAU Workforce Solutions • 1993 • Innovate Anderson 1994 • Chapman Design Group • 1995 • Holiday Inn Express • Primary Care Associates, PC • Tucker’s Restaurant • 1996 • Advanced Maytag • 1997 • Computer Troubleshooters Anderson • NBSC • Welborn Tire and Auto • 1998 • Anderson Family Dental Care • Morgan Stanley • 1999 • Foothills Community Foundation • General Machine of Anderson • Magnolia Veterinary Hospital • Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill • 2000 • McDonald’s of Anderson • 2001 • Fairfield Inn & Suites • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Anderson • 2002 • Anderson Regional Joint Water System • Blue Ridge Orthopedics • 2003 • East Coast Signs and Lighting • Publix Supermarket • 2004 • The Legacy of Anderson • 2005 • SunTrust Bank • 2006 • Anderson Heart, PC • Boucher Capital Management • Fatz Café • 2007 • Arthur State Bank • Tri-County Technical College • 2008 • Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau 2009 • CR3 • The Bleckley Inn • 2011 • Artigliere & Clark, PA • Park Sterling Bank • Wells Fargo 2012 • Doolittles Restaurant • Mellow Mushroom • Pazzazz Consignment Shop • Plato’s Closet 2013 • Massage Envy 7

Photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection.

Foreword

nderson … It’s Electric. It’s true. The city of Anderson is “The Electric City.” But lately, there’s been a buzz in the air about Anderson County as a whole. Businesses are growing and people are moving to the area in record numbers. There’s a current of excitement as more and more things are happening in the area – more business development, job growth and industrial development, not to mention more tourism and more recreational activities. Anderson County personifies the best that the Upstate has to offer – rolling hills, beautiful lakes and rivers, bustling downtowns and small-town charm. With a population that runs from homegrown natives to academics and business people from foreign countries, the area is as much a melting pot as a big city. But tree-lined streets, acres of farmland and small businesses still run by generations of families remind you of the area’s Southern roots. For more than 110 years, the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce has been proud to promote the Anderson County area. With Anderson … It’s Electric! the Chamber continues that tradition with a look at what Anderson and Anderson County has been, what Anderson and Anderson County is now and where the area looks to be going in the future. A future so bright, It’s Electric.

Lee R. Luff, CCE, CAE President and CEO Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce

Photo courtesy of Larry Holcombe, Alexander and Lee Publishing Company.

PART ONE

Chapter One

Overview

hat makes the Anderson area a great home for nearly 200,000 people? It depends on who you ask. The natural beauty of this community in the rolling foothills of Upstate South Carolina is obvious. Hartwell Lake was built more than 50 years ago as a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hydroelectric power project. With almost 1,000 miles of shoreline, it claims not only year-round residents, but also thousands of visitors who flock to its lovely blue-green waters for day outings and water sports competitions ranging from bass fishing to sailboat racing. Water not your thing? On a clear day you can see the Blue Ridge Mountains. (In an hour, you can be there!) The sight

left: Anderson residents combine the strengths of a shared

above: The natural beauty of this community in the rolling

heritage with a positive vision of their future. Photo by Julie Eudy.

foothills of Upstate South Carolina is obvious. Photos by Julie Eudy. 13

Paul Brown has covered the news in Anderson as a radio, television and photojournalist since 1974. His tall, lanky frame is a ubiquitous sight at any press conference, public event or crime scene. “I think once you have been embraced by a community, you tend to look at the news a little differently,” he says. “I’ve tried to remember the people in the news today will be the same people I may run into down the road, and I want them to feel like they were treated fair and square during their time in the spotlight. Anderson County makes news – always has. I have joked that if I lived somewhere else, I would starve!” Photo by Julie Eudy.

must have been awe-inspiring to the pioneers who settled this community when the United States was still young. There are reminders of early times in preserved plantation houses near the Anderson County town of Pendleton. In fact, the entire town of Pendleton is on the National Register of Historic Places. Families are attracted to Anderson’s progressive public and private schools, including a Montessori school that serves toddlers through high school students. Our graduates have been successful in careers ranging from engineering to entertainment. A

source of much pride for this community is Anderson University, founded as a women’s college more than 100 years ago, and now a highly regarded university with nearly 3,000 female and male students. Anderson is also home to one of the largest stateof-the-art YMCAs in the region, with programs aimed at improving health and fitness for all ages. Children love its water park! The Anderson County Library system operates numerous family-oriented programs from its impressive main library in Anderson and its eight Woodburn is a graceful plantation house built c. 1830 as a summer home by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. Photo by Julie Eudy.

opposite page: Businesses large and small have found our community a welcoming place. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Many restaurants take pride in buying and serving locally grown ingredients. Photo by Julie Eudy. opposite page: Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Anderson County lies along the South Carolina Heritage Corridor in the state’s northwestern corner. Photo by Julie Eudy.

branches, as well as maintaining public-access computers and a wide selection of research databases for school, business and leisure purposes. Retirees also find Anderson a comfortable place to live, whether they maintain an independent home or join a retirement or assisted living community. Senior programs operated by the county government, nonprofit SENIOR Solutions and numerous churches help seniors stay active and engaged, and many find rewarding second “careers” as volunteers in the vibrant nonprofit community.

Health care is a concern no matter what your age, and newcomers to Anderson are pleasantly surprised by the size, scope and quality of services offered by our local health system AnMed Health, our range of private physicians’ offices as well as other caregivers. At the end of life, Anderson’s homegrown Hospice of the Upstate operates the state’s first in-patient hospice house. Businesses large and small have found our community a welcoming place. After all, Anderson got its name “The Electric City” more than 100 years ago when it became the site of the first long-distance

Terence Roberts, a State Farm insurance agent, is a lifelong Anderson resident and its mayor since 2006. The son of public school educators, his father was a high school coach for 47 years. Mayor Roberts says, “You can just feel the excitement here. … our vibrant downtown, our arts and culture, our recreational opportunities. We are fortunate – and it’s not by accident. City leaders, citizens and a strong business community work together to make Anderson exceptional.” Photo courtesy of the City of Anderson.

Evans P. Whitaker has been president of Anderson University since December 2002, overseeing tremendous growth in its enrollment and campus footprint. “My wife Diane and I never lived anywhere as special as Anderson,” he says. “It embodies everything good about the South. Geographically it’s small, but in terms of what it has to offer it’s deceptively large with uncharacteristic amenities. It’s a wholesome place where people know and respect one another and work together. But it’s also an optimistic and progressive community, where we continuously look ahead, adapt, refine and do our part to move our city, state and nation forward. We cherish our heritage and draw wisdom from it, but our eyes are on the future.” Photo courtesy of Anderson University.

transmission of hydroelectric power in the South. Local governments are eager to work with the business sector, and training and educational opportunities to shape knowledge and sharpen skills exist at the grade school through graduate levels. The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce is an active and effective advocate for strong, healthy and progressive economic growth. But life isn’t all work and no play. Recreational opportunities abound at numerous golf courses, tennis courts, running and walking tracks, parks and A noble steed and a dandy driver offer a lovely tour of downtown Anderson. Photo by Julie Eudy.

ball fields, including the centrally located Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center and smaller facilities scattered countywide. There are four distinct seasons in Anderson, but temperatures in the 60s and even 70s are not uncommon in the winter, and with an average of 248 days of sunshine annually, outdoor activities can be enjoyed year-round. Event lovers have their pick of weekend fun. Throughout the years, festivals celebrate small-town life throughout the county, as well as draw attention

to each spot’s special claim to fame, such as Iva’s railroad history, Belton’s 155-foot, castlelike water standpipe and the village green in Pendleton, home to the Spring Jubilee arts and crafts festival. Each fall, Balloons Over Anderson brings more than two dozen brightly colored hot air balloons to ply the skies. There’s nothing like waking up on a Sunday morning to see a beautiful balloon hovering over your house! Like many communities in the South, the Anderson area adores football – especially Clemson football. Once the season heats up, fans awash in orange spend many Saturdays tail-gating and cheering for the Tigers at the Clemson University’s Death Valley stadium or following the team to away games. (By the way, there is a nationally ranked, land-grant

Like many communities in the South, the Anderson area adores football – especially Clemson football. Photo by Julie Eudy.

above: Anderson is home to one of the largest state-of-the-art YMCAs

below: One of Andersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest and best-known restaurants is Skinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

in the region. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Hotdogs. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Francis Crowder has served as a member of the Anderson County Council and as one of its past chairman. He is the retired founder and CEO of a software development company, QS, Inc., that provided customized software, training and support to health care facilities, financial management systems and electric utility systems. Chairman Crowder and his wife Marian have made their home in Anderson for 45 years. “Marian and I came from a small South Carolina town and desired to live in a community that maintained those qualities of life,” he says. “Anderson has wonderful people who have caring natures. It is the home of great churches, university, medical system, school systems and cultural and civic opportunities.” Photo courtesy of Francis Crowder.

university attached to that football team.) Basketball, tennis, soccer and other sports delight spectators at Anderson University. Another big surprise to visitors is the vitality of the arts community in Anderson County. Recently, the City of Anderson was presented South Carolina’s prestigious Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for the Arts in recognition of the art installations in its revitalized downtown. Among the city’s many partners is the Anderson County Arts Council, founded in 1972. It hosts a dazzling array of visual arts exhibits as well as hands-on classes at its Arts Warehouse, located in a former railroad warehouse, and in the local schools. The Belton Center of the Arts has similar programs, on a smaller scale. Performing arts fans are thrilled by the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium’s annual slate of high-quality choral and orchestral concerts. Community and university theatres showcase homegrown talent as well as touring performances. Anderson is a hub for another favorite pastime – eating out! Clemson Boulevard, Anderson’s “strip,” is home to both chain and locally owned restaurants to suit every taste. Downtown Anderson, with sidewalk dining outside many establishments, offers everything

from an Irish pub to a craft beer house. One of Anderson’s oldest and best-known restaurants is Skins’ Hotdogs, which started in a mill village in 1946 and has expanded to 12 locations as the third-generation of the founder’s family serves up hot dogs that are considered among the best in the country. Many restaurants take pride in buying and serving locally grown ingredients, from vegetables to organic beef. From Walker Century Farms to bee keeping establishments to dairies and meat producers, the area is rich in local produce. A major retail center serving Upstate and Northeast Georgia shoppers, Anderson County offers shopping galore, from the Anderson Mall and other centers to charming boutiques and antique malls that dot downtown streets in Anderson and other municipalities. Each weekend, bargain hunters from near and far visit the Jockey Lot, one of the Southeast’s largest flea markets. In short, the Anderson area’s attractions are as varied as the people who choose to make their homes here – whether they have been here all their lives, or came for a visit or a job or an education and fell in love with the place. Come join us! We’re surging toward the future! 21

Chapter Two

An Electric Past

he famous quote from William Faulkner, “The past is never dead. It isn’t even past,” applies to many places, but Anderson is a particularly fine example of the phrase. From its moniker “The Electric City” to its street names and monuments, Anderson remembers the famous – and sometimes infamous – men and women who made it what it is today. But long before a brilliant young engineer named William Church Whitner thought about harnessing hydroelectric power to run Anderson’s street cars and lighting, this area of South Carolina was part of the Cherokee Nation. The people who settled present-day Anderson County were mostly Scotch-Irish pioneers who found the Cherokees living in organized villages in the foothills. For many years the groups co-existed and even traded goods, but the Cherokees sided with the British in the Revolutionary War and ceded some of their lands to the new state of South Carolina in 1785.

Anderson is named for General Robert Anderson, a Revolutionary War hero, who came to South Carolina to assist Andrew Pickens in surveying land that had been given previously to the English Colony by area Native Americans. Pictured is City Hall in 1925 and in 2013. Left photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection. Bottom photo by Julie Eudy.

Shown is the earliest known photo of downtown Anderson. Photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection.

Dr. Anne Austin Young, born in 1892 in Laurens County, was one of the first female doctors in South Carolina. Practicing full-time for almost 70 years, she delivered more than 10,000 babies, most at the Anderson hospital. Dr. Young, who died in 1989, was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1981. Photo courtesy of the South Carolina Hall of Fame.

Robert Anderson, born in 1741, was a surveyor who fought in the Revolutionary War alongside his good friend General Andrew Pickens. At the Battle of Cowpens, Anderson’s heroics earned him the rank of lieutenant colonel. Anderson became a general in the state militia and served in the legislature. He died in 1813. Adjoining Anderson and Pickens counties are named for these two friends. Anderson is buried in the cemetery at the Old Stone Church outside Pendleton, which was erected in 1797 and still stands today. Photo by Julie Eudy.

In the early 1800s, Charleston planters began building summer homes in the Upstate to escape deadly malaria. Two of these homes near Pendleton, Woodburn and Ashtabula, survive today, beautifully preserved and open to the public. Pendleton is also home to the Pendleton Farmers Society, founded in 1815, and still meeting in the 1828 structure that is the crown jewel of the village green. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, completed in 1822, was the home church of 18th century statesman and U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun. Its graveyard holds the remains of Calhoun’s wife Floride and his son-in-law Thomas Green Clemson, whose land became the site of the university that bears his name.

The Anderson District was created in 1826, with Anderson as its judicial seat, but it did not become a county until after the Civil War. By 1847, the Anderson District had 21,475 residents. Railroad tracks were being laid to convey crops and people, and towns such as Belton grew up around depots. Williamston, home of mineral springs, boasted a large hotel for tourists who came to “take the waters.” Almost a fourth of the Anderson District’s population joined the Confederate Army when South Carolina seceded from the Union in April 1861, with devastating consequences for the young men. The Palmetto Riflemen, a company from Anderson, began with 145 men, and only 39 surrendered at

Manse Jolly’s exploits in post-Civil War Anderson are a mixture of fact and legend that is hard to untangle. The only one of six brothers to survive the war, he was said to have sworn revenge on the occupying Union forces by killing five Yankees for each brother lost. Legend says he came close to reaching his goal and hid the bodies in his well. Fact suggests he took a lot of potshots. Either way, he fled to Texas, where he drowned while trying to cross a river in 1869. Photo courtesy of Anderson Genealogical Society.

In 1897, William Whitner built a 10,000 volt generating station at Portman Shoals, 11 miles west of town. When it was placed in service on November 1, the Portman Shoals Power Plant was the first hydroelectric facility to generate high voltage power without step-up transformers in the nation and perhaps in the world. A marker located at Highway 24 and the Seneca River commemorates the plant that is now submerged beneath the waters of Lake Hartwell. Top photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection. Bottom photo by Julie Eudy.

William Whitner conceived the idea of generating alternating current electricity using turbulent river water. Whitner leased a plant in 1894 for his newly formed Anderson Water, Light & Power Company. There he installed an experimental 5,000 volt alternating current generator to attempt to generate and transmit electric power to the Tribble Street power and water yard. It worked, and ended up supplying enough power to light the city.

The Charleston News and Courier promptly dubbed Anderson “The Electric City.” Photo by Julie Eudy.

Appomattox. Bernard Elliott Bee, who lived in Anderson as a young man, is credited with giving Stonewall Jackson his nickname at the Battle of First Manassas when he cried, “Look, there stands Jackson like a stone wall!” Even after the April 1865 surrender, Union forces terrorized Anderson residents, as the town had briefly housed the Confederate treasury at the end of the war. (The mystery of the missing “Confederate gold” remains unsolved.) South Carolina’s first post-war governor was James L. Orr of Anderson whose home is today’s Anderson County Woman’s Club. Recovery from the Civil War was slow, with federal troops occupying the state until 1877. In the last decades of the 19th century and first two of the 20th, enormous changes 27

Corporal Freddie Stowers was an African-American man from Sandy Springs who served in the segregated U.S. Army during World War I. White soldiers refused to accept the black soldiers as part of the American Expeditionary Force, so Stowers and his comrades served under a French commander. On September 28, 1918, Stowers bravely died on the battlefield in France while leading a charge on the Germans. Stowers’ recommendation for the Congressional Medal of Honor was misplaced, and it was not until 1981 that his two sisters accepted the award from President George H.W. Bush. Stowers is buried in France and no picture of him exists. An artist’s rendering is based on descriptions and the faces of his sisters. Photo courtesy of the Anderson County Museum.

took place. A giant step was taken on May 1, 1895, when William Whitner and a crowd of local leaders gathered at an aging grist mill on the Rocky River at High Shoals. A switch was thrown, the mill’s wheel turned activating a 5,000-volt generator, and alternating electrical current surged through copper wires over a distance of six miles to a steam power plant in downtown Anderson. Local historian Beth Ann Klosky characterized this as “Six Miles that Changed the Course of the South.” Within two years, Anderson boasted the world’s first cotton gin powered by electricity. With the advent of hydroelectric power, Anderson County rapidly began transitioning from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. By 1907, 17 textile mills had been opened by local investors. Turn-of-the-20th-century Anderson was a progressive city famous for its hospitality. It had an elegant hotel, the Chiquola, whose later guests included film stars Helen Hayes and Tallulah Bankhead; a streetcar line; a beautiful new city hall and courthouse; a public library; and a large fountain with underwater lights named for General Anderson. The Anderson Chamber of Commerce was chartered in 1903, and a group of determined women founded the Anderson County Hospital in 1908. The city’s business 28

leaders spearheaded the establishment of a women’s college, with Chamber help, that opened in 1912 as Anderson College. All of these institutions exist today in one form or another, except the streetcar line. It carries on in spirit in the form of the City of Anderson’s gas-powered trolley buses. By 1949, the county was home to 26 textile plants. Many farm families were attracted to the steady paycheck of textile jobs, especially after the boll weevil devastated the cotton crop in the 1920s. But life was not easy for textile workers, especially African Americans who were assigned the most dangerous and least desirable jobs. The segregated school systems guaranteed an inferior education for black children. Anderson’s black residents escaped from their labors on Church Street, a thriving minority business district established in 1907, where they could relax over a good meal, see a doctor or dentist, arrange a funeral or hear live music. As segregation ended in the 1960s, the district dwindled away. The last blackowned business was a tailor shop that now houses a wine bar. Desegregation of Anderson County’s schools and institutions occurred with few negative incidents. The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce joined several

The Bleckley Inn is one of the most historic sites in Anderson. The Fretwell Company now serves at the inn’s banquet room. Top photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection. Bottom photo by Julie Eudy.

organizations calling for the repeal of the city’s segregation ordinances, which happened in 1963. Today, minorities are well represented in both the public and private sector. Anderson elected its first black mayor, Terence Roberts, in 2006. Anderson County’s face was changed mid-century by two huge projects: the creation of Hartwell Lake by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the construction of Interstate

Incorporated in 1826, the City of Anderson relied on a “bucket

Today three stations respond with three engines and one ladder. Top

brigade” for fire suppression for many decades. In 1885 City Council

photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection. Bottom photo by Julie Eudy.

purchased the first fire equipment – a used Steamer from Charleston.

Grace Episcopal Church was established in 1851 as a mission church. The church today was built in 1904, after a fire destroyed the original sanctuary in 1901. Top photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection. Bottom photo by Julie Eudy.

World War II confronted Anderson residents with numerous challenges as the government found it necessary to ration food, gas, and even clothing during that time. Long lines formed on South Main Street as residents collected their rations. Photo courtesy of the Frank Anderson Collection.

85. Both would ameliorate the difficulties caused by the decimation of the textile industry. As mills closed in the 1970s, thousands of jobs were shed. Yet the recreation and tourism on the lake and the dominance of the Interstate 85 corridor helped the county’s economic base recover and diversify. Today, manufacturers in Anderson County include automotive suppliers as well as makers of specialty cloth. In 2010,

First Quality bought and expanded a former textile plant for tissue production, creating 1,000 jobs and making an investment of more than $1 billion. William Church Whitner was a true visionary; if somehow that vision allowed him to see Anderson County’s century of progress and its present prosperity, he would be amazed – and proud!

James Edward “Jim Ed” Rice, born in 1953 in Anderson and a graduate of T.L. Hanna High School, played 16 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, retiring in 1989. A power hitter who still holds several records, Rice was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1978. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009, where his plaque describes his “titanic strength and an innate ability to hit to all fields.” Photo courtesy of the Boston Red Sox.

Jane Edna Hunter, born at Woodburn Plantation in Pendleton in 1881, went to Cleveland, Ohio, as a young woman and worked for the families of John D. Rockefeller and Sherwin D. Williams. They helped fund her Phillis Wheatley Association in 1913, a place where poor young women could receive job training, take music lessons and find day-care. Hunter, who died in 1971, is considered a civil rights pioneer and was inducted in 2012 into the Anderson County Museum’s Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy of Pendleton Historical District.

Built on the site of the Old Waverly House, the “Anderson Hotel Company” was erected by the Grand Lodge A.F.M. of South Carolina in 1888. The Chiquola opened with a Grand Ball on December 31, 1889 with guests from Augusta, Atlanta and Charlotte. In early 2007 work began to restore the early 20th century grandeur of the hotel as an upscale club and condominiums. Top photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection. Bottom photo by Julie Eudy.

Chapter Three

We Mean Business

chamber of commerce wears many hats. It is a booster and cheerleader. A convener and negotiator. A champion of business. A mover and shaker. An engine for networking. The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce has worn all these hats during its 100-plus year history, but the hat worn most often is a business hat, seeking to answer the question, “How do we make the Anderson area welcoming to business, in order to procure jobs and make life better for the people here?” The partnerships forged with all levels of government, schools, colleges and universities, lawmakers and business associations have contributed to Anderson County’s steady growth in population, prosperity and quality of life over the past century. This “We do it together!” attitude was recognized in 2000 when the county was named one of 10 All-America City communities by the National Civic League. Fortunately, Anderson County is careful not to bite off more development than it can chew. With a few spectacular exceptions — such as the $1 billion investment announced by First Quality Enterprises — the pace of growth has been “comfortable,” said economist Dr. Bruce Yandle, Dean Emeritus of the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University and an observer of the scene since 1969. “Anderson is not a hot, high-growth economy, but is experiencing well-paced growth. The community is not outstripping its infrastructure,” he said.

opposite page: The partnerships forged with all levels of government, schools, colleges and universities, lawmakers and business associations have contributed to Anderson County’s steady growth in population, prosperity and quality of life over the past century. Photo by Julie Eudy. below: In May 2010, First Quality announced Anderson as the site of its second tissue/towel manufacturing facility. Photo courtesy of First Quality.

Michelin brings an international influence to the Upstate’s manufacturing sector. Photo courtesy of Michelin.

While the county’s infrastructure is sound, leaders are always willing to put the pedal to the metal for new and expanding business. For example, a $12-million pumping station on Hartwell Lake put into operation in 2013 not only will serve First Quality, but also provide capacity for growth. First Quality bought a closed textile plant and its acreage as the site for its new paper production plant, continuing a diversification trend that began in the 1970s. The Carolinas are dotted with textile mill company towns that declined when the mills closed. Anderson County was hurt by

mill closings, but it worked hard to reinvent itself. It is now known as an automotive industry supplier, and all that began in 1975 when Michelin Tire Corporation opened a huge plant in Sandy Springs. Today, it is the largest rubber processing plant in the world. The courting of Michelin is built on the legend surrounding Anderson’s “secret weapon,” an Anderson businessman named Pete Stathakis. As the unpaid chairman of the county development board, Stathakis helped keep the negotiations under wraps until an announcement was ready by holding meetings with

Jim Evers, regional director for AT&T and a past chairman of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, said, “The business environment in Anderson remains fertile, as can be proven by the variety of small and large businesses that have chosen Anderson as the place to locate or expand their existing business. With an available workforce, prime location and notable collaboration between the business community, educators and elected officials, Anderson will remain the benchmark for business-driven communities in the Southeast.” Photo courtesy of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Advanced Materials Research Center is an incubator for faculty research and start-up companies. Photos courtesy of Clemson University.

Michelin executives and development officials in the back room of his liquor store! Sandy Springs was one of the French corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first toe-holds in the United States. Today, Michelin North America operates from a gleaming glass headquarters building on Interstate 85 in adjoining Greenville County, with nine production facilities in the state. The Sandy Springs plant was joined by a second rubber processing plant in the rural Anderson County town of Starr in 2002. The company recently built a $200-million earthmover tire plant in Starr that added 100 jobs to its roll. The other boost the automotive sector got was the arrival of a BMW assembly plant in nearby Spartanburg County in 1992. Dozens of automotive suppliers followed that are scattered throughout the

Upstate. The automotive focus was cemented in 2007 when Clemson University opened its International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville County. Another noteworthy Clemson partnership is the Advanced Materials Research Center near Pendleton, an incubator for faculty research and start-up companies in a park owned by Innovate Anderson. A public-private partnership, Innovate Anderson is housed in the same building as the Anderson County Economic Development Office and fills marketing functions for the county as well as overseeing the Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau. Tri-County Technical College is another vital ace-in-the-hole when it comes to serving the needs of employers, training workers in everything from 37

technical skills to customer service. Tri-County Tech’s main campus in Pendleton is now augmented by an Anderson campus on the west side of town. Despite the diversification of Anderson’s economy, the textile industry still has a strong presence in Anderson County. Examples are Glen Raven, maker of Sunbrella® performance fabric, and Orian Rugs, a Belgian home décor company that produces fashion rugs. Orian’s Chief Operations Officer Wim De Pape says Anderson’s proximity to the Port of Charleston and Interstate 85 and its history of textile labor made it a natural location for the company’s first site outside Europe. Today, Orian’s 400 employees produce everything from the designs and synthetic fibers to the finished rugs at its 550,000-square-foot Anderson plant. Michelin and Orian are two examples of the international influence that is so prominent in Upstate South Carolina, with 245 foreign-based companies from 24 countries. But manufacturing is just part of the business picture in Anderson. The county’s largest private employer is AnMed Health, the modern incarnation of the Anderson County Hospital founded in 1908, with 4,000 people on its payroll. Anderson County’s economy is characterized by three strong sectors: manufacturing, services — especially health care — and retail. The county is a retailing center that includes a large number of Georgia shoppers. Most of Anderson’s employment growth comes from its unusually large number of small businesses. Between 1970 and 2010, the number of self-employed jobs grew 344 percent, while the number of wage-earning jobs increased just 43 percent. In recent years, there were more than 3,600 separate business establishments operating in the county. The small business sector that is so vibrant in Anderson County is evident on every street and road. It reflects an entrepreneurial bent that is supported by government, the Chamber and a local banking system of more than 20 financial institutions eagerly competing for customers. Downtown Anderson is a microcosm. It had dwindled in the 1970s into a moribund business district largely abandoned for a new mall and outlying shopping centers. The City of 38

Early in the 20th century, South Carolina developed a thriving textile industry that still has a strong presence in Anderson County today with manufacturers like Glen Raven. Left photo courtesy of the Anderson County Museum. Above photo by Julie Eudy.

Jack Woodson is director of operations for Glen Raven’s Anderson plant, which produces Sunbrella® performance fabrics servicing the awning, marine, automotive and casual, residential and contract furnishing markets. “We have had great success attracting quality people in the Anderson area,” he said. “With our proximity to Tri-County Tech and Clemson, we have been able to fill most needs in all levels of the organization from within our community. Quality infrastructure is key to the success of any manufacturing organization. Anderson County is serviced with quality power, water and sewer resources. In addition, the close access to the interstate system is critical for the flow of our products to market. The area provides a high quality of life for our 600 associates as well. Good schools, an active community, access to entertainment and shopping are all strong draws. Having all of this available while still maintaining a small-town flavor is very attractive to our associates.” Photo by Julie Eudy. 39

Bill and Sabra Nickas have operated Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill in downtown Anderson since February 1999 and have been active partners in the downtown renaissance. The couple met at culinary school and wound up in Anderson because of friends who owned the Sullivan Hardware building, which dates from 1891. Sullivan’s was the first fine-dining restaurant downtown and was an immediate success, with Bill as chef and Sabra as pastry chef. Bill recalls that they opened on a Wednesday and ran out of food by Friday! Eventually, they bought the building and even opened an adjoining casual dining café. The 2008 recession hit Sullivan’s hard, however, and the couple – who had three children by then – was forced to close their primary restaurant in September 2009. Fortunately, investors came in and bought the building, so Sullivan’s reopened that November. “Every year has gotten better and better since then,” Bill said. The couple has nothing but praise for the city’s revitalization efforts, saying, “They’ve taken their time, and they’ve done it right.” Photo by Julie Eudy.

Tri-County Technical College serves the needs of employers, training workers in everything from technical skills to customer service. Photo by Tri-County Technical College. 40

The small business sector that is so vibrant in Anderson County is evident on every street and road. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Anderson started implementing its Downtown Master Plan in 1996. Today, the attorneys’ offices ringing the courthouse and a few retailers that hung on through the bad times have been joined by restaurants and bars, specialty shops, a boutique hotel and antique malls. Along the way, people began living downtown again, setting up apartments in empty second floors and moving into condominiums in two old hotels rescued from the verge of extinction. While the downtown area continues to blossom with the seeds of entrepreneurship in places like craft beer houses and stores dedicated to supplying home brewers with their wine and beer equipment needs, other start-ups have popped up across the county. At Tactical Medical Solutions, the production of military medical supplies came from experience. Its owner, Ross Johnson, a Delta Force Medic, found that soldiers were dying because of inadequate supplies. After leaving the service, he and his wife began sewing and manufacturing a new style of tourniquet in their

living room. Service personnel from across the country began to see the life-saving benefits of their product and began purchasing the bandages. Eventually members of the armed services, law enforcement agencies, first responders and more began to see the value of Johnson’s products and orders came flooding in. The company has grown and now sells its life-saving products all over the world. The traffic in Anderson is no big deal. The average worker has a commute-to-work of just 15 minutes, and even that may get better. A new $21.5 million connector will alleviate some of the congestion on Anderson’s “strip,” Clemson Boulevard, and provide an accessible route to neighborhoods on the east side of the city. What is ahead for Anderson County? Economist Bruce Yandle notes that the communities with the greatest stability and success in the United States are located near a major research university and a large medical center. With that in mind, Anderson holds the competitive edge. 41

Chapter Four

Life-long Learning

f Rip Van Winkle had fallen asleep in one of the many one-room schoolhouses in Anderson County in the 1940s and awoke 70 years later, he would be amazed. The clapboard schoolhouse with its pot-bellied stove and portrait of George Washington on the wall are long gone, along with the 57 school districts that operated schools in the county prior to World War II. So, thankfully, is the system of segregation that educated white and black children separately, to the detriment of African Americans. In their place are five consolidated, integrated districts running schools in modern, air-conditioned buildings, all answering to exacting standards of academic excellence. The districts, each with a governing board of trustees, range in size from rural District 3 in Starr-Iva with 2,500 students in five schools to Anderson School District 5 with 12,500 students in 23 schools. Not surprisingly, the public schools are Anderson Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s single largest employer.

opposite page: The nine-branch Anderson County Library system offers services ranging from computer classes to book clubs to assistance with genealogical research. Photo by Julie Eudy. below: Anderson County boasts five consolidated, integrated school districts that all answer to exacting standards of academic excellence. Photo by Julie Eudy.

In 2013, T.L. Hanna High School was ranked in the top six percent of high schools in the United States by

U.S. News & World Report. Before T.L. Hanna High School there were Boys High School and Girls High School. In 1951, Girl’s High School changed its name to T.L. Hanna High School, named after its first principal, Thomas Lucas Hanna. Top photo by Julie Eudy. Bottom photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection.

If Rip’s idea of a good education was a solid grounding in readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmetic, a tour of just a few classrooms would make his head spin with modern technology and all the wonders of the Internet teachers and students have the world at their fingertips. Old George’s portrait and the blackboard have been replaced by colorful displays and interactive touch-screen technology. Beyond this, Anderson School District 5 has developed “magnet” instructional programs at 13 of its elementary and middle schools, such as Calhoun Academy of the Arts, Varennes Academy of Communications and Technology and Midway Elementary School of Science and Engineering. As a “District of Choice,” parents and students can apply for acceptance at any school, regardless of where they live in the district. T.L. Hanna High School is the most widely known District 5 school due to the popular 2003 movie Radio. It was recently listed in the top 7 percent of high schools nationwide in a study released by U.S. News & World Report. And T.L. Hanna is not the county’s only outstanding public school by a long shot. Thirtysix schools in the county received Palmetto Gold or Palmetto Silver awards from the State Board of

Carol Hanna Whitfield learned to sew from her mother at age seven and taught herself to design clothing, in part because she was a gawky and insecure middle-school student and making her own clothes improved her self-esteem. She made her first wedding dress for a friend’s mother while attending Westside High School, and operated a design salon from her dorm room at the College of Charleston. Right after graduation, she took a chance and entered the reality show Project Runway, was accepted and wound up a finalist in 2009, which meant presenting a line at Fashion Week in New York. Her Carol Hannah bridal line is now carried by more than 50 retailers and has appeared in magazines such as Brides and Martha Stewart Weddings. Photo courtesy of Carol-Hanna.com.

Education, recognizing performance on their annual “report card.” Every district in the county had multiple winners, but Anderson School District 2 had the most bragging rights. Every eligible school it operates in Belton and Honea Path was a Palmetto Gold winner, as was the Career and Technology Center it runs collaboratively with Anderson School District 1. Of course, public schools aren’t right for everyone, and one can find many private schooling options in Anderson. The Montessori School of Anderson educates children in the famed Maria Montessori method from

pre-school through high school. Christian education options for grades from pre-school through high school are offered at several church-operated schools. Plus there is a thriving home-schooling community in Anderson County with its own association for support and group enrichment activities, such as field trips and guest speakers. And that’s just on the primary and secondary education levels. Coming from a time when few adults graduated from high school and many never made it past eighth grade, Rip would be bowled over by the Located on the lawn of Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum, this statue was a gift from Tiger Brotherhood and is the most popular photo location at graduation and commencement ceremonies. On the sides of the statue is inscribed: “That the Tiger’s Roar May Echo O’er the Mountain Height,” the last phrase of the alma mater. Photo by Julie Eudy.

higher education opportunities in the area. In his time, Anderson College was a two-year institution for women led by the first female college president in South Carolina, the legendary Dr. Annie Dove Denmark. Today, it is Anderson University with almost 3,000 male and female students with both bachelors and masters programs. Chartered in 1911 with strong support from the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, Anderson University (AU) is a liberal arts university in a Christian setting, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. AU’s 217-acre campus includes a shady “Alumni Lawn” sheltered by massive oak trees, a state-of-the-art library, impressive performing arts building and ball fields galore for competitive male and female sports teams. And there is much more on the drawing board. AU’s meteoric rise in the past decade – with a 70 percent increase in enrollment – has been repeatedly recognized by U.S. News & World Report, among other raters. Fifteen miles from downtown Anderson is Clemson University, which was a maleonly military institution called Clemson A&M College in Rip’s day. Clemson still turns out great engineers, but its original focus as an agricultural college has been superseded by majors that fill the demands of a rapidly changing world. Part of the state university system, Clemson has 19,000 students enrolled in 80 undergraduate and 110 graduate degree programs. No doubt attracted by its reputation for excellence and value, Smart Money listed it among 10 universities with the best return on investment; the 2012 freshman class was its largest ever. Their average SAT score was 1246. (Rip can take comfort in knowing that despite all this change, the Clemson Tigers still rule on the gridiron!)

above: Anderson University’s graphic design program has won multiple national awards for the quality of student work. Photo courtesy of Anderson University.

opposite page: Fifteen miles from downtown Anderson is Clemson University. Clemson still turns out great engineers, but its original focus as an agricultural college has been superseded by majors that fill the demands of a rapidly changing world. Photo courtesy of Clemson University.

Like many communities in the South, the Anderson area adores football

the Clemson Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Death Valley stadium or following the team to

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially Clemson football. Once the season heats up, fans awash in

away games. Photo by Frank Alexander.

orange spend many Saturdays tail-gating and cheering for the Tigers at 48

Shaun “Big Katt” Ellis played 12 seasons in the NFL after an outstanding high school football career at Westside High School (174 tackles and 35 sacks his senior year). He played for the University of Tennessee Volunteers and was part of their national championship team in 1998. Big Katt was a firstround NFL draft pick in 2000, playing as a starting defensive end for 11 years with the New York Jets. He then played for the New England Patriots and achieved one of his life-time goals when the Patriots went to the 2012 Super Bowl. Photo courtesy of the New York Jets.

An entire state technical college system was created while Rip was sleeping, including booming Tri-County Technical College. Established in 1962, it has 9,000 students enrolled in associate degree programs and another 12,000 in its Corporate and Community Education Division. Many of the degree students continue their education by transferring to Clemson University or other four-year colleges, a transition made smoother by a carefully planned “bridge” program. The main campus is located in Pendleton, and a new Anderson campus opened in 2007. Reeling from all the changes, Rip would be gratified to learn there are many places he can catch up

on his woefully undeveloped computer skills or explore new interests that might land him a job or make his old age more enjoyable. All of the aforementioned institutions eagerly embrace life-long learners. In addition, the nine-branch Anderson County Library system offers services ranging from computer classes to book clubs to assistance with genealogical research. It must be doing the job right: The library system has half a million visits a year. One thing is for sure, there’s too much to learn in Anderson County to take another 70-year nap.

Established in 1962, Tri-County Technical College has four campuses – Pendleton, Anderson, Easley and Seneca. Photo courtesy of Tri-County Technical College.

Chapter Five

Building a Healthy Community

he dream of building a hospital in Anderson began with one person, Mrs. Jennie Gilmer, who experienced an excruciating and frightening home birth in 1904. “I had a pretty rough time of it, and I made my promise to God that if He would let me live to take care of my child, I’d see that a hospital was built in Anderson to give women a proper place to have their babies with care by trained nurses,” Mrs. Gilmer recalled. She and other Anderson women, including the Ladies Civic League of the Anderson Chamber of Commerce, got organized and raised money. It took some doing, but they finally convinced the city’s male leadership to join in, and the Anderson County Hospital opened in April 1908.

That 25-bed hospital has grown over more than a century into AnMed Health, a system of three licensed hospitals – including the Women’s and Children’s Hospital where 2,000 babies are born each year – and numerous clinics, medical practices and specialized treatment centers. It is South Carolina’s largest independent, not-for-profit hospital and the winner of numerous accolades for nursing excellence and care for patients with heart disease, stroke and cancer. Every visitor walking into the main hospital passes a life-size bronze sculpture of Jennie Gilmer and the child whose delivery was so harrowing. Every April to celebrate the hospital’s founding, AnMed leaders apply a coat of protective wax to the sculpture, rubbing it

opposite page: The dream of building a hospital in Anderson began

above: AnMed Health, a system of three licensed hospitals and

with one person, Mrs. Jennie Gilmer, who experienced an excruciating

numerous clinics, medical practices and specialized treatment centers,

and frightening home birth in 1904. Every visitor walking into the main

is South Carolina’s largest independent, not-for-profit hospital and

hospital passes a life-size bronze sculpture of Jennie Gilmer and the

the winner of numerous accolades for nursing excellence and care for

child whose delivery was so harrowing. Photo by Julie Eudy.

patients with heart disease, stroke and cancer. Photo by Julie Eudy. 51

Pictured are the doctors and nurse of Anderson Memorial Hospital, the forerunner of AnMed Health. Photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection.

John A. Miller Jr., FACHE, joined what was then Anderson Memorial Hospital more than 40 years ago with a new master’s degree in health administration from Duke University in hand. He moved up through the ranks, becoming CEO of AnMed Health in 1998. “I am always told by visiting physicians and health care professionals that we do not realize how good we have it in Anderson,” he said. “They are amazed at the extent of our health care resources. Once they learn about us and the community, it is easy to attract them to locate here.” Photo courtesy of AnMed Health.

Marshall Meadors, MD, spent part of his youth in Anderson as the son of a Methodist minister. He returned after medical school to complete his training at the AnMed Health Family Practice Residency Program and stayed to establish a practice. His Primary Care Associates is the largest family practice group in the county. “I chose Anderson as my home because of my past experience here and the potential of the community,” he said. “It is a good place to live because, for the most part, we take care of each other. We have a health care system that is second to none for a community this size. Our physicians are committed to taking care of patients. … Anderson is special to me because it is my home. It is that simple.” Photo courtesy of AnMed Health.

until it gleams – a reminder that one person’s dream can make a difference to hundreds of thousands of others. The oldest wing of the main medical center, located on the same tract of land as the original county hospital, was built in 1947. New additions have grown up around it and the entire facility has been modernized, most recently with a $74 million investment begun in 2007. In 1991, AnMed bought a 125-acre tract of land two miles from the main hospital on South Carolina 81 North. This became the North Campus, now home to the Oglesby Center, a complex of physicians’ offices and outpatient services; the Women’s and Children’s Hospital; the Cancer Treatment Center, with radiation oncology,

AnMed Health serves the unique health needs of women. AnMed Health’s rich heritage was built on one woman’s mission to provide better maternity care to women in Anderson. Photo by Julie Eudy.

More than 2,000 babies are born each year at AnMed’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Photo courtesy of AnMed Health.

an infusion center and private oncology offices; the Women’s Imaging Center; and a cardiac diagnostic and rehabilitation center. Appropriately, Anderson’s state-of-the-art YMCA adjoins the North Campus, and the two institutions collaborate on health and wellness programs. It’s one of the many ways AnMed implements its credo, “We’re in this together.” The third licensed hospital in the AnMed Health system is the rehabilitation hospital opened in 2003. Located off South Carolina 81 North, AnMed Health

Rehabilitation Hospital has both in-patient and outpatient services for people rebuilding from orthopedic surgery, strokes, heart attacks, accidental trauma, Parkinson’s disease and other conditions. In 2009, AnMed signed an affiliation agreement with Carolinas Health Care System in Charlotte, North Carolina, opening the door for collaborations such as the one with CHCS’s Levine Cancer Institute. This means access to more clinical trials and specialized oncology clinicians for cancer patients.

Pam Melbourne, RN, MSN moved to Anderson from Atlanta in 2004 to become CEO of Hospice of the Upstate. “Aristotle is often quoted as saying you can judge a society by the way it treats its most vulnerable people,” she said. “If that is true, the Anderson community is rich with a wealth of caring. It is vitally important that a community take care of all its citizens, no matter what stage of life they are in. I am especially proud of this community’s commitment to compassionate end-of-life care.” Photo courtesy of the Hospice of the Upstate.

All this growth has not come at the expense of quality – not by a long shot. Jennie Gilmer would certainly be pleased to know that AnMed Health received Magnet Recognition for Nursing Excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Only three South Carolina hospitals earned this distinction. Even more impressively, only 395 out of 6,000 eligible health care systems nationwide were so honored. Though AnMed Health no longer operates a nursing school, potential nurses have their choice of programs in the region, including Clemson and Anderson universities and associate degrees at TriCounty and Greenville Technical colleges. Health care in Anderson County is dominated by AnMed, which is the county’s only health system. However, two large hospital systems in Greenville and two smaller ones in neighboring counties are also options for county residents, especially those who are geographically closer to them. Also, since 1985 Anderson has been home to a regional acute in-patient hospital operated by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. Patrick B. Harris Psychiatric Hospital, located near the Campbell Nursing Home, has 200 beds. No hospital in the country has been free of the pressures of uninsured patients who crowd emergency rooms with problems that could be better addressed in a doctor’s office, or who wait until a health crisis to seek intervention. For almost 30 years, many of these patients have had an option at the Anderson Free Clinic. Founded in 1985, the free clinic is a volunteer-driven organization that provides a “medical home” to 1,800 low-income, uninsured patients. Volunteer physicians see patients at the clinic office, located near the main hospital on North Fant Street, while 85 specialists accept clinic referrals without charge. The clinic branched out with a dental clinic in 1993, recognizing that tooth decay was contributing to many other health problems as well as ER visits. It also has a pharmacy that The Anderson Free Clinic branched out with a dental clinic in 1993, recognizing that tooth decay was contributing to many other health problems as well as ER visits. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Hospice of the Upstate serves more than 1,000 patients a year with a staff of 160. Photo courtesy of Rainey Hospice House.

People needing long-term nursing care have a variety of options in Anderson County, including numerous private-nursing homes and the 220-bed Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home, opened in 1991. Photo by Julie Eudy.

covers a limited list of medications, dispensing almost 40,000 prescriptions a year. The fact that 75 percent of the clinicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff is volunteers is another example of how much people in Anderson care about each other. People needing long-term nursing care have a variety of options in Anderson County, including numerous private-nursing homes and the 220-bed Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home, opened in 1991. Located between Anderson and Belton, the home is available to veterans who received an honorable discharge and who have lived in the state for at least one year. (Veterans can also use the outpatient services of the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Anderson, which provides primary, mental health and lab services.)

Since 1998 families have had the option of the John and Callie Rainey Hospice House, a peaceful 27-room facility set among lovely gardens. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Jennie Gilmer was not the only determined woman in Anderson County. In 1988, Hospice of Anderson was founded by five women who recognized the need for compassionate end-of-life care in the home. All small in stature – they are sometimes referred to as “The Five Little Women” – they had a big vision. They hired an experienced hospice administrator, begged for an empty office at the Anderson hospital and set to work. Today not-for-profit Hospice of the Upstate serves more than 1,000 patients a year with a staff of 160. Though most of the care is provided in homes, since 1998 families have had the option of the John and Callie Rainey Hospice House, a peaceful 27-room facility set among lovely gardens. It brings Jennie Gilmer’s dream of good nursing care at the beginning of life full circle; the end of life matters just as much.

AnMed’s north campus walking trail is complete with lights and fitness stations. This trail gets year-round usage by employees and community members. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Chapter Six

A Community That Loves Sports and Recreation

n 1905, the company that operated Anderson’s streetcars opened the city’s first public park, hoping to increase ridership on the weekends. Buena Vista Park, located off East River Street, held a baseball field, swimming pool, bowling alley and shady picnic grove. It was a popular place for family and church gatherings, as well as occasions such as a reunion of Confederate veterans in 1910. So it was back to the future in the 1990s, when Anderson County and the City of Anderson partnered to build what has become the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center. The 300-acre Anderson Sports Entertainment Center (ASEC) sits on farmland that had been worked by jail inmates. Operated by Anderson County with financial participation from the city, ASEC consists of the gleaming 37,000-square-foot Civic Center of Anderson and an athletic complex with softball, baseball and soccer fields; tennis courts; picnic grounds; and a small fishing lake. It also boasts miles of walking trails, playgrounds – including the community-built KidVenture mega-playground – and the William A. Floyd Amphitheatre, where more than 13,000 spectators can sit on grassy terraces for outdoor concerts under the stars. Each Labor Day weekend, thousands of people picnic there at

opposite page: Throughout the year, many 5K runs are held that benefit

above: Recreational opportunities abound at the centrally located

charitable organizations. Photo by

Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center. Photo courtesy of Anderson County.

Julie Eudy.

Anderson is a haven for recreation opportunities such as boating. Photo by Frank Alexander.

More than 13,000 spectators can sit on grassy terraces for outdoor concerts under the stars at the William A. Floyd Amphitheatre. Photo courtesy Anderson County.

Celebrate Anderson. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a night of live music concluding with a fabulous fireworks display choreographed to music. The Civic Center is used throughout the year for expos, banquets, dances and meetings, as well as wrestling, basketball and volleyball tournaments. Anderson Sports Entertainment Center recently became home to a five-day spring fair, harking back to the founding of the first Anderson County Fair almost 100 years before by the Anderson

Area Chamber of Commerce. City children learn where their food comes from thanks to a partnership with Clemson University and the fair. Livestock shows of poultry, pigs, rabbits and cows both educate and entertain. (Speaking of Clemson and livestock, the T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena near Pendleton is one of the best of its kind nationally and the site of major horse shows and rodeos.) Anderson Sports Entertainment Center is also the centerpiece of the Tour de La France/Labor Day Omnium. The Tour de La France – a tongue-in-cheek reference to both the internationally famous cycling race and a small town in Anderson County – brings cyclists of all ability levels together for three days of events. They include circuit races sanctioned by USA Cycling and U.S. Handcycling, non-competitive rides of 15 to 66 miles, a bicycle safety rodeo for kids and even “Pimp My Trike,” a hilarious tricycle decorating contest and adults-on-trikes race that raises money for local charities.

The Tour de La France brings cyclists of all ability levels together for three days of events. Photo by Glenn Brill.

Many lake visitors are drawn by annual fishing tournaments. Photo by Julie Eudy.

right: Belton hosts the annual Palmetto Junior Tennis Championships and is the home of the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy of Rex Maynard.

below: Tourism on the lake is a large part of the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic base. Photo by Glenn Brill.

Hartwell Lake, built more than 50 years ago, offers 1,000 miles of

competitions ranging from bass fishing to sailboat racing. Photo by Frank

shoreline and lovely blue-green waters for day outings and water sports

Alexander.

Of course, recreation in Anderson County is dominated by Hartwell Lake, completed in 1962 for hydroelectric power generation, flood control and recreation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hartwell has shoreline in South Carolina and Georgia and is the most popular Corps-managed lake in the country, with more than 10 million visitors annually. They can enjoy swimming, camping, fishing, motorboating, sailing or just sunning on a public beach or a private dock at thousands of homes built along its 972mile shoreline. Many lake visitors are drawn by annual competitions, including a sailing regatta and fishing tournaments. Hartwell is easily accessible at government and privately managed parks, recreation sites and boat landings, but the $4-million fishing event center at Green Pond Landing kicks things up a notch. Green Pond Landing was designed to incorporate a six-lane mega-ramp for launching boats, a courtesy dock, parking, restrooms, walking trails and an amphitheater.

Water enthusiasts arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t limited to Hartwell, though. Broadway Lake, a 300-acre body of water just minutes from Anderson, is a haven for canoeing and kayaking, with a beautiful new county-owned community center at its landing. The Saluda River Blue Trail offers 127 miles for paddling through six Upstate counties, and Anderson County is proud to have Americans with Disabilities Act-qualified kayak/canoe docks in Powdersville and Piedmont. Whitewater enthusiasts are a short drive from the wild and scenic Chattooga River, where the iconic movie Deliverance was filmed. These wooded areas are a paradise for anyone who enjoys the natural world, from birdwatchers to hunters. Deer, quail, turkey and other game all have their seasons in South Carolina, and hunters in camo are a ubiquitous sight in the fall and winter. For folks who prefer their recreation in more structured settings, Anderson County has almost a dozen golf courses and two tennis clubs within its 63

Rocky River Conservancy Nature lovers will have a whole new playground when the Rocky River Conservancy project comes to fruition. The 400-acre swamp, located within the city limits of Anderson, is the focus of a citizen-led effort “to take a wonderful but underused city ‘swamp’ and unlock its great potential for local residents and visitors alike,” according to Dr. Juan Brown of the Conservancy Task Team. One of the key players is Anderson University, which owns a portion of the property and is already using it as an outdoor biology classroom. The university’s future plans include an observatory and chapel. In 2013, two grants were awarded to move the Rocky River Nature Park forward. The first, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is designated for creating a master plan, including holding community meetings to educate and gather feedback from the public about developing the conservancy. The second grant pays for boardwalk trails and platforms so that visitors can begin observing the plants and animals such as water fowl, turtles, beavers and deer that thrive in the green sanctuary. The boardwalk construction is expected to be completed by mid 2014, so more people can see the wonders – and potential – of the park. Photo courtesy of Kathryn Smith.

Anderson is also home to one of the largest state-of-the-art YMCAs in the region, with programs aimed at improving health and fitness for all ages. Photo by Julie Eudy. 64

Anderson County is home to almost a dozen golf courses.

Wren Park is a real enhancement to the downtown area and brings the community

Photo by Julie Eudy.

together for cultural and entertainments venues. Photo courtesy of City of Anderson.

borders, as well as numerous city and county facilities. Belton hosts the annual Palmetto Junior Tennis Championships and is the home of the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame. Anderson’s gorgeous YMCA has two pools, weight and exercise rooms, a racquetball court and a children’s water park. A generous scholarship program means no one is excluded regardless of income. The Y is involved in a number of running events, including the Midnight Flight, the Southeast’s largest nighttime race, held each Labor Day weekend. Races of one mile to 10K begin after dark, attracting everyone from kids to serious athletes. Throughout the year, many 5K runs are held that benefit charitable organizations. If participatory sports aren’t your thing – and even if they are – spectator sports are a huge part of life in Anderson County. On Friday nights in the fall, high-school football stadiums teem with parents as well as alumnae and community residents who enjoy a good game and the opportunity to socialize over popcorn and hot dogs. Anderson University has 17 Division II NCAA sports, from baseball to wrestling, and is rapidly developing a large sports complex. Clemson Tiger fans flock to Death Valley on Saturdays to tailgate and yell themselves hoarse. Others make the drive to Greenville to cheer the Furman Paladins, to Columbia to pull for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks or to Athens to root for the Georgia Bulldogs. Interstate 85 provides fast and easy access. And that’s the other great thing about Anderson County. It is well situated for going somewhere else! Professional sports teams in Atlanta and Charlotte are a little more than a two-hours’ drive on Interstate 85. The Blue Ridge Mountains can be reached in a twohours’ drive and the Atlantic Ocean in less than four – both are perfect settings for many county residents’ weekend getaways and longer vacations. 65

Chapter Seven

The Art of Anderson

crowd gathered at the Anderson County Museum one spring night to watch a sculpture come to life. The sculpture was that of William Church Whitner, the visionary engineer whose harnessing of hydroelectric power gave Anderson its nickname “The Electric City.” A downtown landmark at the intersection of Main and Whitner streets, the sculpture was portrayed by a local actor in a one-man play, The Man on the Corner. The audience laughed and applauded as the story of Anderson was told through its public art: the Confederate monument standing guard in front of the county courthouse, forever facing north; the Robert Anderson Memorial Fountain outside the museum, the second one in the world with underwater electric lights; the sculpture of Jennie Gilmer in front of the hospital she founded; and the flock of bronze Carolina wrens perched all over downtown Anderson. The extensive public art collection in Anderson – 12 distinct and significant installations and hundreds of smaller ones – had won a major honor for the city the day before the performance: The Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award is the highest arts honor given in the state of South Carolina. The judges said, “With a population of just over 25,000, Anderson has made art truly accessible for residents and visitors.

opposite page: The sculpture of William Church Whitner, the visionary engineer whose harnessing of hydroelectric power gave Anderson its nickname “The Electric City,” came to life in a one-man play, The Man on the Corner.

Photo by

Julie Eudy.

below: Since its opening in April, 1992, the Anderson Arts Center has welcomed thousands of visitors in a 9,000 square foot mansion. The center has evolved into a full-service, multifunctional arts center, showcasing the work of a variety of local, regional and national artists. Photo courtesy of Anderson Arts Center.

Anderson has raised the visibility of art and its role of preserving history and inspiring the future; not only among peer communities, but even among larger cities … [The] city’s willingness to collaborate with other organizations has resulted in a downtown that enhances the quality of life with whimsy, education and history in a walkable environment.” One of the city’s key partners is another Verner Award winner, the Anderson Arts Center. This dynamic organization has nurtured the visual, literary

and performing arts in Anderson since 1972. “Our strength in Anderson lies in our ability to work together and partner in the arts arena,” said Kimberly Spears, executive director of the Arts Center since 1994 and herself an individual winner of the Verner Award. “People are so resourceful and creative. I think our size makes us small enough to gain access to our leadership and engage them in the process. Once you are a stakeholder, you are willing to work together to achieve something as ambitious as renovating the

Anderson in the Movies Three major Hollywood films made in the past decade, all of them with a sports theme, have links to Anderson. The most recent was 42, a biopic on Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1946. The title role went to Chadwick Boseman, Anderson native and 1995 T.L. Hanna High School graduate, who was a standout basketball player and community theatre actor as a teen. The film opened at No. 1 at the box office in April 2013. Boseman and his co-star Harrison Ford, who played Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey, visited the White House where the film was praised by President and Mrs. Obama. The movie most identified with Anderson is Radio, released in 2003. It tells the story of Chadwick Boseman’s most unusual schoolmate, James Robert “Radio” Kennedy. In the 1960s, coaches at T.L. Hanna noticed a mentally handicapped teenager hanging around at football practice. They “adopted” him as a sort of team mascot, and the young man who always had a transistor radio at his ear soon became a fixture at the high school. He formed a life-long relationship with Coach Harold Jones and his family, which is the focus of the movie. The film directed by Mike Tollin has a top-rated cast, including Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Radio and Ed Harris as Coach Jones. Almost 50 years after Radio started showing up at football practice, he still goes to school every day (he is always a junior so he won’t have to graduate) and attends every home and away game. Out-of-town visitors frequently drop by to meet Radio, who obligingly signs autographs with the series of loops that he uses as a signature. A life-size bronze sculpture of the high school’s oldest junior stands at the school stadium. Anderson suffered a severe case of Hollywood fever when the cast and crew of the football comedy Leatherheads spent several days filming at The Calhoun in 2007. Directed by and starring heartthrob actor George Clooney, the movie was set in 1925 in the early days of professional football. Several scenes with Clooney and his co-star Renée Zellweger were shot in the lobby of the 1920s-era building, originally a hotel, now a condominium and apartment complex. A huge crowd of locals stood outside, hoping to get a glimpse, photo or autograph of the stars. Clooney often obliged. Zellweger was more elusive. 68

The movie most identified with Anderson is Radio. It tells the story of Chadwick Boseman’s most unusual schoolmate, James Robert “Radio” Kennedy. Almost 50 years after Radio started showing up at football practice, he still goes to school every day and attends every home and away game. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Arts Warehouse or as exciting as putting on an exhibit that touches every part of our community.” The Arts Warehouse, once an unused railroad warehouse, is now the beehive for arts activities in Anderson. Art exhibits – including one of the most highly respected juried shows in the state – as well as classes for toddlers to seniors, special events and a gallery shop, showcase local artists’ work and keep the place buzzing day and night. Among its coups was exhibiting for the first time the entire collection of South Carolina duck stamp paintings. The show attracted people who ordinarily would not darken the door of an art gallery, but who love hunting and the outdoors. And it raised awareness for the Rocky River Swamp, where the black duck featured on its recent Duck Stamp was harvested in 1910. Beyond the warehouse doors, the Arts Center spearheads events such as Art on the Town night, where people can visit different businesses to sip a glass of wine and take 69

R. Alexander Spainhour III of Pendleton is a first-class violinist who performs as a guest soloist with orchestras throughout the Southeast. In addition to being a member of the Greenville Symphony, he is the musical director of the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium’s Chamber Orchestra and Anderson Symphony. Alex served as GAMAC’s executive director for many years and was named Non-profit Executive Director of the Year by the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce. A former public schools orchestra teacher, he has conducted All-State and Honor Orchestras in four states and is an adjunct professor of violin at Anderson University. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Alexander Spainhour.

Performing arts fans are thrilled by the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium’s annual slate of high-quality choral and orchestral concerts. Photo courtesy of the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium. 70

Be sure to check out the large mouth bass around town. The Fish out of Water: Hooked on the Arts 2 project organized by the Anderson County Arts Council, features approximately 35 large mouth bass which have been transformed into works of art by area artists. Photo by Julie Eudy.

in small exhibits. The Arts Center also coordinates the “Wise Walks” installations, thought-provoking quotations laid in the sidewalks of downtown Anderson. They range from FDR’s “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself ” to Cinderella’s “One shoe can change your life.” Another vital partner in the arts is the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium (GAMAC), founded in 1990 as the umbrella organization for a civic chorale and chamber orchestra. It has since grown to include the Anderson Symphony Orchestra, Electric City Big Band, Dixielanders band and a choir for exceptionally talented children. GAMAC’s concerts, performed at the Rainey Fine Arts Center at Anderson

University – another important arts collaborator in Anderson – range from classical works to The Magical Music of Disney. Sacred music concerts, some with nationally known guest artists and others by outstanding local gospel choirs, are performed regularly at area churches. The area’s largest community choir presents a benefit concert for the Cancer Association of Anderson each fall. It’s a “y’all come” choir – no auditions required – and boasts 130 adults and 30 children performing everything from American gospel to Broadway show themes at the Concert of Hope and Remembrance. Community theatre has been a vital part of the arts landscape for decades. Three non-profit theaters

Loretta Holloway, a petite jazz singer with an extra-large voice, is often called South Carolina’s First Lady of Song. Born and raised in Belton, she began singing to help pay her way through college but soon discovered her true vocation was music. Loretta has sung in clubs and concerts all over the United States and around the world, sharing stages with the likes of Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Garry Shandling, Don Rickles and Jay Leno. She appeared in Australia in a command performance for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

The Carnegie Library was formed by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union’s Library Association. Construction began in 1905 and opened the library opened its door on February 27, 1908. The library remained at this location until 1971. Currently, it has been adapted for use as part of the Arts Center. Photo by Julie Eudy.

operate within the county; the Clemson Little Theatre in Pendleton and the Electric City Playhouse and Alverson Center Theatre in downtown Anderson. Combined with the offerings of the Belk Theatre at Anderson University and the performing arts programs of the local schools, it’s hard to find a weekend when a high-quality live theater performance isn’t going on. The range is impressive, from epic Broadway musicals such as Titanic and My Fair Lady to broad Southern-fried comedies to musical tributes to John Denver and bluegrass legends the Stanley Brothers. Lisa Burns, who has appeared on area community theatre stages for more than 30 years, observed, “Community theatre especially, ‘takes a village’ to fill the roles of actors, directors, set builders, stage hands, musicians,

and yes, the audience to support it all. It is certainly a collaborative effort. The reward for those who work so hard is the reward of being part of a family giving back to its community.” Another major cultural player is the Belton Center of the Arts, located in an historic downtown building. It has an impressive gallery, a shop offering high-end crafts and a full slate of educational programs. Its exhibition themes are imaginative and fun and have included Two Wheels – One Journey, which was all about motorcycles and involved a Rally on the Square Motorcycle Show. Whatever happens in Belton, from the South Carolina State Championship Chili Cook-off to the Palmetto Junior Tennis Championships to the Standpipe Festival, the Belton

Sarah Reese forged an international career as an opera singer, appearing at Carnegie Hall and performing as a principal artist with the New York Metropolitan Opera. She has sung with opera companies and symphonies in Boston, Chicago, Berlin and Vienna, among many others. Sarah returned to her native Anderson County to teach choir at Pendleton High School, growing the program from a handful of students to more than a hundred over a dozen years and grooming such talented youngsters as Bailey Hanks. “Mama Reese” still has great “pipes.” She was featured at a Carnegie Hall concert in 2013 in which 28 of her students sang. The same year, she received a Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award. Photo by Julie Eudy. 72

Center for the Arts finds a way to add an artistic twist. “Belton is a small town with big art,” said Executive Director Betsy Chapman. Don’t be surprised if another Verner Award finds its way to Anderson County!

Community theatre has been a vital part of the arts landscape for decades. Photo courtesy of Electric City Playhouse.

A full slate of art classes and activities are held in Kid’s Space, located in a renovated area of the Anderson Art Center Annex. Photo courtesy of Anderson Arts Center.

Chapter Eight

A Caring Community

ila Albergotti has four human children and five non-profit “children.” The Anderson native is proud to be the founder or co-founder of charities that are among the most successful and appreciated in Anderson: Meals on Wheels, the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen, Anderson Interfaith Ministries, Hospice of the Upstate and the Cancer Association of Anderson. Once Lila gets a bee in her bonnet, it’s hard to slow her down, but she is always glad to give credit to the people of her community who pitch in for a good cause. “In a little place like Anderson, we have carried our own weight,” she said. “We surely do turn out for people who are in need. I don’t know what makes us that way, but I think we’re different.” Newcomers to Anderson agree. Many say they have never seen a town with so many nonprofit organizations – or inventive fundraisers to keep them in business. That’s partly because Anderson is not a big-money town with deep pocket donors or a corporate headquarters. Everyone gives what they can, whether it’s money, in-kind services or volunteer hours.

opposite: Habitat for Humanity is able to build simple, decent houses for qualified buyers because of great support from the community, local churches and businesses. Photo ourtesy of Habitat for Humanity.

below: Anderson County Meals on Wheels delivers to more than 600 homebound clients a day, using an army of volunteers to get the job done. Photo by Julie Eudy.

“There are many, many caring people in Anderson, and if it were not for volunteers, many of the nonprofits here couldn’t exist,” said Carl Edwards, Executive Director Emeritus of The Abney Foundation. He gave as examples volunteer-run Clean Start, where homeless people can get a free shower, haircut and have

their clothes washed; and the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen, which has just one employee, assisted by many unpaid helpers, to prepare and serve a hot noon-day meal for needy individuals and families. These volunteers toil without any need or hope of recognition, he said. “They are so faithful.”

Foundations of Philanthropy Part of Anderson County’s textile legacy is The Abney Foundation, founded in 1957 by Susie Mathews Abney, the matriarch of the philanthropic family that owned Abney Mills. Originally, the foundation focused its giving on education, establishing endowed scholarships at six South Carolina colleges and universities. Today, the foundation has endowed scholarships at 14 institutions, including Anderson University, Clemson University and Tri-County Technical College. During any given academic year, 6,000 students across South Carolina are Abney Scholars, according to Executive Director David C. King. Although education is still its top priority, The Abney Foundation also supports research and facilities at the Medical University of South Carolina and the work of nonprofits in Anderson County. Abney Mills is long gone, but The Abney Foundation, governed by the third and fourth generations of the Abney family, has distributed more than $50 million since its founding. It grants $2 to $2.5 million a year. The Foothills Community Foundation was established in 1999 as the result of a bequest by respected Anderson attorney William Law Watkins. He issued a challenge to the community to raise $4 million to match an unrestricted gift of $1 million. This was achieved in a single year. Today, the foundation is home to a general fund and serves as the umbrella for dozens of donor-directed funds and charitable endowments. In its first 12 years, it distributed about $12 million in grants. The mission of the Foothills Community Foundation is to retain and nurture the charitable wealth in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. Because of the community foundation’s structure, anyone can become a philanthropist. According to President Robert Rainey, the foundation has managed donor-advised funds ranging in size from $2,000 to $1 million. He further stated, “The foundation is a conduit for individuals to support the causes and organizations that they care about.” Carl Edwards, executive director emeritus of The Abney Foundation, is an enthusiastic supporter. “The opportunity there for donor-directed funds is a great thing,” he said. Portrait courtesy of The Abney Foundation.

Other examples of charities with big volunteer bases are Meals on Wheels-Anderson, whose 450 volunteers serve more than 600 clients a day; the Foothills Alliance, an umbrella organization over three rape and sexual abuse charities; and the Haven of Rest, a Christianbased shelter and rehab program for men and women with addictions issues. Haven of Rest provides more than 30,000 overnight stays annually. Anderson County also has active local chapters and affiliates of the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Alzheimer’s Association and, of course, the United Way. The United Way of Anderson County’s programs include nationally recognized IMPACT, a school-based intervention that reduced teen pregnancies in one school district by 81 percent. Anderson Interfaith Ministries (AIM) is one of Lila Albergotti’s non-profit “children” that serves the needs of the very poor, but it is a place for a “hand up” rather than a “hand out” as it pursues its mission to “empower people to become self-sufficient.” It has 14 programs that help people with food, utility assistance and education, but what Executive Director Kristi King-Brock often refers to as AIM’s “crown jewel” is the Women and Children Succeeding Program (WACS). WACS helps single parents who are enrolled in college with child care and teaches them life skills so they can graduate and support themselves. Since the program began in 1993, it has graduated more than 110 people.

The Cancer Association of Anderson was founded in March 2003 by a group of cancer survivors, health care professionals and community leaders to improve the quality of life for cancer patients and survivors and their families living in Anderson County. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Established in 1957, The Abney Foundation is a private, grant making foundation in Anderson run by (left to right) Carl Edwards, Executive Director Emeritus and David King, Executive Director. Photo courtesy of The Abney Foundation.

The Haven of Rest Ministries was established to reach out to people who are suffering from any form of addiction, financial crisis, spiritual needs and other life dominating problems. The organization is led by Executive Director Sid Stewart. Photo by Julie Eudy.

One of them is Tracy Bowie, who enrolled as the single mother of two boys. She earned an associate’s degree in accounting at Tri-County Tech, came to work for AIM as a bookkeeper and moved up to assistant director, completed her college education at Anderson University and in 2011 was hired as executive director of Foothills Alliance. “WACS was more than just a way of paying for daycare,” said Tracy. “It was a support system of women who were going through the same things. It is difficult to work, go to school, study and raise kids on your own. Having a support system was what helped me to get through my education and to become a successful person that my boys can be proud of today. I thank God every day for the WACS program and the staff at AIM.” Another home-grown charity is the Outdoor Dream Foundation, which provides children with life-threatening diseases with amazing experiences in the outdoors, such as hunting for big game in the West and Alaska. Organized in 2004, the foundation sends about 40 kids a year

on trips, according to Harold Jones, an active volunteer. He recalls especially a young girl who wanted to go “mushing” behind a dog sled in Alaska. She got her wish, spent a week living her dream and died a month later. Another thing newcomers to Anderson remark upon is the importance of the faith community. It is said that right after someone is asked what they do for a living, they are asked where they go to church. If they don’t have one, the next question is, “Why don’t you visit my church this Sunday?” Every major Protestant denomination and many small ones are represented, as well as two Catholic churches, a synagogue and a growing number of nondenominational churches. Churches take mission work seriously in Anderson. Noteworthy examples of outreach are First Baptist Church of Anderson, which hosts an annual community New Year’s

Churches in Anderson take mission work seriously. A noteworthy example includes First Baptist Church of Anderson, which hosts an annual community New Year’s Day dinner and coat ministry. Photo by Frank Alexander.

P.A.W.S. accepts unwanted, stray and abandoned animals from all citizens of Anderson County while working diligently to provide proper care and humane treatment to all animals housed at the facility. Photo by Julie Eudy. 80

Day dinner and coat ministry; and First Presbyterian Church, which has a daycare program for adults with Alzheimer’s disease. The lawn of Trinity United Methodist Church turns orange each October as church members sell thousands of pumpkins to raise money for missions. And that’s just the tip of the fundraising iceberg. Literally every day of the week a resident of Anderson County can attend a fundraising event, from spaghetti suppers to oyster roasts to silent auctions to golf tournaments to road races. Some of the more unusual ones are a walk in high heels for men benefiting Foothills Alliance (led by the local sheriff in faux snakeskin pumps) and the Greater Anderson Rotary Club’s Dancing for Our Heroes competition. Inspired by the television show Dancing with the Stars, it pairs an experienced ballroom dancer with a local celebrity, each couple raising money for their favorite charity. The event distributed more than $100,000 to eight charities in 2012 – including three of Lila Albergotti’s nonprofit “children.” “If folks in Anderson County know of a need,” Carl Edwards concludes, “they take care of it.”

The Westside Community Center is the realization of a beautiful dream built on the foundation of a terrible nightmare. Located in the midst of a west Anderson neighborhood, it was built as a high school for black children during segregation times. After integration and the construction of a new Westside High, it was converted to an elementary school. But in 1988, as the neighborhood deteriorated and was plagued by crime, the school’s young principal was murdered during a robbery in the parking lot. The school was closed. Over the next few years, alumnae of the old Westside High School spearheaded the creation of the center. Today, the center is home to a dozen programs, including a community clinic operated by AnMed Health, a branch library, police substation and the Developmental Center for Exceptional Children. The school has been renovated wing by wing, celebrating its success and raising money for operations each spring at a gala dinner in the much-used and beautifully restored gymnasium. The center’s long-time executive director is Anderson City Council member Dr. Beatrice R. Thompson, who was a popular teacher at the original Westside High. Photo courtesy of the City of Anderson.

Chapter Nine

Festivals and Happenings

or the past few years, on any given Thursday night from April to October, the sound of electric guitars and high-energy vocals rattle the gray marble ears of the Confederate soldier who has calmly stood guard 38 feet over downtown Anderson since 1901. According to legend, the statue’s face is that of Manse Jolly, a Pendleton man who terrorized occupying troops after the Civil War. The truth is he was modeled on Major William Wirt Humphreys, who served after the war as a judge and Anderson’s mayor. Far below his marble boots, people sip drinks, visit with friends, dance and enjoy the balmy air. It’s Block Party night, a weekly tradition that began with a Leadership Anderson class in 2007. It’s impossible to know who would have enjoyed the party more, the sober judge or the unreconstructed rebel. But from classic rock to blues to jazz to beach music, the Block Party thoroughly delights current-day Andersonians and visitors alike. While the party has been centered on the Courthouse Square for 10 years, it recently found a new home when the City of Anderson’s Carolina Wren Park was completed. The old soldier can still “hear” the music – he just doesn’t have the revelers clustered around his boots any more.

opposite: The village green in Pendleton, home to the Spring Jubilee arts and crafts festival, a juried arts and crafts show. Photo by Glenn Brill.

below: From classic rock to blues to jazz to beach music, the Block Party has been centered on the Courthouse Square for 10 years. Recently it found a new home when the City of Anderson’s Carolina Wren Park was completed. Photo by Glenn Brill.

Balloons Over Anderson takes center stage in October as more than two dozen balloonists gather. Photo courtesy of Glenn Brill. 84

The Block Party is one of many events that draw crowds in Anderson County. From festivals celebrating hot air balloons to chili to railroad history, to glowing displays of Christmas lights and old-fashioned parades, there are endless reasons to gather. The beginning of April is marked by the Historic Pendleton Spring Jubilee, a juried arts and crafts show on the picturesque Village Green. Visitors from all over the Southeast come to the Jubilee, known for its high-end crafts and live entertainment. The festival is another time to learn about Anderson County’s pioneer history, as beautifully preserved Pendleton welcomes visitors to its homes, churches and cemeteries. The South Carolina Chili Cook-off in Belton in mid-April draws competitors from eight states, all hoping to qualify for the International Chili Society World Championship Competition. Pros and amateurs take the chill off the last of winter with spicy concoctions of beans, tomatoes and meat. Tractors, trucks and cars are the draw at festivals in Townville, Ashtabula Plantation outside Pendleton and Anderson’s Main Street Car Show – the latter with more than 350 entries – in spring and summer. They celebrate Americans’ love affair with anything on wheels — especially something old that has been restored. Another kind of transportation takes center stage in the fall at Balloons Over Anderson, and there’s a nod to the past to be acknowledged. The hot air balloon festivals that have been presented at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center for many years have a connection to the days of Anderson’s Buena Vista Park, which had a hot air balloonist performance in 1905. Unfortunately, the pilot’s wife became South Carolina’s first air fatality when she became entangled in the ropes and fell to her death. Thankfully, modern day safety precautions have prevented a repeat. More than two dozen balloonists gather for the Balloons Over Anderson festival, a volunteer-driven event at Anderson Sports Entertainment Center. There are five scheduled flights – weather permitting – opportunities for balloon rides and a Saturday evening “balloon glow.” At dusk, the balloons are inflated but tethered to the ground, glowing like giant lanterns. It gives spectators a chance to stroll around and talk

Each Labor Day weekend, thousands of people at Celebrate Anderson, a night of live music concluding with a fabulous fireworks display choreographed to music. Photo by Frank Alexander.

to the pilots and crews about their interesting hobby. The festival also includes demonstrations of remotecontrolled aircraft and paragliding, as people interested in one form of air flight are often beguiled by another, and Andersonians have always been fascinated by aerialists. When Amelia Earhart stopped off in Anderson during a promotional tour in 1931, she drew a thousand fans. Another type of transportation history, the railroad, is the focus of a fall festival in Iva. It was settled in 1866 as a railroad town, named for the daughter of its founder, Dr. Augustus G. Cook. The October festival includes live music, historic tours (including Iva Cook Bryson’s gravestone) and children’s activities. The town of Belton pays tribute in October to its 155-foot-tall 85

Calendar of Festivals and Special January Southeast Championship Bull Riding Competition, T. Ed Garrison Arena, Pendleton Winter Night Gala, presented by Anderson County Museum, at the museum

February Camellia Ball, presented by AnMed Health, Civic Center of Anderson IPRA World Championship Rodeo, T. Ed Garrison Arena, Pendleton Mardi Gras in the Electric City, presented by Meals on Wheels, Civic Center of Anderson

March Senior Follies, Anderson Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rainey Fine Arts Center Walk with the Docs, presented by the Anderson Free Clinic, Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center Old Farm Days, presented by the Pendleton Historic Foundation, Ashtabula Plantation House, Pendleton St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Parade and Color Run, downtown Anderson

April Bluegrass Under the Stars, presented by Tri-County Technical College, at the college amphitheater Battle of Anderson Civil War Re-enactment, presented by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Honea Path 86

Hejaz Shrine Circus, Civic Center of Anderson J.D. Massey Horse Show, T. Ed Garrison Arena, Pendleton Car and Tractor Show, Townville South Carolina State Championship Chili Cook-off, Belton Main Street Block Party begins, Thursday nights through October, downtown Anderson Historic Pendleton Spring Jubilee, presented by the Pendleton District Historical Commission, Village Green, Pendleton Dancing for Our Heroes, presented by Greater Anderson Rotary Club, Civic Center of Anderson Anderson Arts Center Juried Show, Arts Warehouse Great Anderson County Fair, Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center

May Art on the Town Art Crawl, presented by Anderson Arts Center, downtown Anderson Horse Play in May, presented by the South Carolina Upstate Equine Council, T. Ed Garrison Arena, Pendleton

June Saluda River Rally, Dolly Cooper Sports Complex, Powdersville Palmetto Tennis Championships, Belton Tennis Center, Belton Main Street Car Show, presented by Anderson Main Street Association, downtown Anderson

Anderson’s Main Street Car Show, with more than 350 entries, celebrates Americans’ love affair with anything on wheels – especially something old that has been restored. Photo by Frank Alexander.

Events in Anderson County July

November

Block Party continues Thursday nights, downtown Anderson

Greek Festival, Civic Center of Anderson Starr Fall Festival, Starr Annual Auction presented by Anderson Arts Center, Arts Warehouse Lights of Hope, Thanksgiving through Christmas, Darwin Wright Park, Anderson Festival of Trees presented by Foothills Alliance, Civic Center of Anderson

August Spring Water Festival, Williamston

September Tour de La France professional and amateur bicycle events, Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center Celebrate Anderson outdoor concert, Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center Midnight Flight night-time road races, Anderson YMCA South Carolina Walking Horse Association, T. Ed Garrison Arena, Pendleton Concert of Hope and Remembrance, presented by Cancer Association of Anderson, Boulevard Baptist Church Fresh Taste, presented by City of Anderson, downtown Anderson

October Belton Standpipe Heritage and Arts Festival, Belton Depot Day Heritage Celebration, Iva Sugarfoot Festival, Honea Path Balloons Over Anderson Festival, Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center Hospice Sailing Regatta, presented by Hospice of the Upstate, Western Carolina Sail Club

December Williamston Christmas Park, Spring Water Park, Williamston Homes for the Holidays presented by Anderson Heritage, locations change annually Holidays in the Village and Christmas Candlelight Tours, Pendleton Holiday Walk and Tree Lighting, downtown Anderson Denver Downs Christmas Parade, Denver Downs community near Pendleton Christmas parades are held in most towns in Anderson County in December * There are other events, but these are the festivals, major events and a representative sampling of the largest entertainment-oriented, fund-raising events that are attended by several hundred people.

water standpipe, built in 1909 at a cost of $12,500. It holds 150,000 gallons of water and is still in use today, besides being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Civil War returns once a year to a big field near Honea Path, where re-enactors present the Battle of Anderson. Ironically, the battle occurred after the Confederacy surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. Federal raiders descended on Anderson April 29 through May 2, allegedly hoping to capture Confederacy President Jefferson Davis and the fabled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Confederate gold.â&#x20AC;?

The Civil War returns once a year to a big field near Honea Path, where re-enactors present the Battle of Anderson. Photo by Glenn Brill. 88

Atop a building beside the courthouse is a sign that reads, “ANDERSON IS MY TOWN.” It was modeled on the city’s first electric sign. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Come November and December, a long celebration of Christmas begins. Millions of lights reflect off Hartwell Lake during the Anderson Lights of Hope’s run from Thanksgiving day to Christmas day. The Town of Williamston decks the halls at its Spring Water Park the entire month of December. Numerous tree festivals are held, drawing on endless wells of creative imagination. Most towns hold a Christmas parade, but surely the most unusual one is held in the tiny farm community of Denver Downs, halfway between Anderson and Pendleton. Denver Downs has no true main street, so the parade runs two laps down a country lane. Anyone who wants to enter – whether it be a flatbed truck hauling a Christmas tree made of collards or a group of friends dressed as faded beauty queens (“Miss Behaving” and her court) – is welcome. There is no one running the show, but the parade has taken place spontaneously for more than 30 years. Anderson’s more traditional Christmas parade is held the first Sunday afternoon in December. As Santa Claus rides down Main Street on a fire truck, he’ll see something that has been missing from the landscape for 70 years. Atop a building beside the courthouse is a sign that reads, “ANDERSON IS MY TOWN.” It was modeled on the city’s first electric sign, installed by a proud local man in 1914 and lost to history by the 1940s. The new sign is the work of local businessman Steve Kay. “It seemed appropriate that we honor our past and celebrate our future with the relighting of the sign that was erected a hundred years ago in our town,” said Steve, whose company Hill Electric created the new sign. “I hope it serves as a fitting backdrop for all to discover ‘our town.’” 89

Chapter Ten

The Best Is Yet To Be

ong-time residents of Anderson are always interested in how retirees from all over the place managed to “find” this community. Answers vary, but there are some common threads. Hartwell Lake is often mentioned as a draw. The four distinct seasons, with a mild winter, are also attractive, especially for people who initially retired to Florida and found all the heat and relentless sunshine just a bit too much. (When someone moves south to Florida and then relocates slightly north, they are referred to as “halfbacks.”) Some retirees have a connection to Clemson University and relish the opportunities to attend reunions and athletic events at their alma mater. Others have family or close friends they visited in the Upstate and just “fell in love with the place.” And long-time residents of Anderson, who may be entering the golden years themselves, can feel smug, because they’ve known all along how special Anderson is and decided to just stay put rather than retire somewhere else. They figured out a long time ago that modern retirement in Anderson won’t be spent doing as their grandparents did, sitting in a front porch rocker flapping a funeral parlor fan and watching the world go by! No matter where you have spent most of your life, Anderson is a haven for active retirees, with vast opportunities for recreation such as boating, golf, tennis, bridge and bunko, as well as cultural offerings. At noon at almost any restaurant, you can spot a group of Red Hat Society ladies or ROMEOS (Retired Old Men Eating Out) clustered around tables having a ball. Then there are the folks who discover hidden talents just waiting to be unleashed. For almost 25 years, a large group of folks 55 and over has presented a weekend of Senior

Participants at the Jo Brown Senior Center know that staying active is the key to long life. Photo courtesy of Kelly Jo Barnwell, Jo Brown Senior Center.

Anderson is a haven for active retirees, with vast opportunities for recreation such as boating, golf, tennis, bridge and bunko, as well as cultural offerings. Photo by Julie Eudy.

John and Betty Mann Johnny Mann worked with some of the biggest names in show business during a choral directing career that began in the 1940s. They included Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Danny Kaye, Joey Bishop, Regis Philbin and Kelsey Grammer. He won two Grammy awards, had his own television show and performed at the White House with his Johnny Mann Singers. He was also the voice of Theodore in Alvin and the Chipmunks. For 11 years, John and his wife Betty lived a busy semi-retired life in Palm Desert, California. In 2004, a visit to Betty’s daughter and son-in-law Stephanie and Jim Barr in Anderson so impressed him that he told Betty, “Man, I could live here!” In no time, they had sold their house, moved across the country and settled in. Three more family members followed! The Manns fill their days with church activities, playing bridge, attending plays and concerts and, of course, music. They sing in their church choir and a community choir that performs a benefit concert each fall for the Cancer Association of Anderson. One of John’s proudest moments was when Anderson University presented him with an honorary doctor of humanities degree. A song he wrote to mark the AU centennial, The Sounds of Anderson, has been adopted as its new alma mater. Photo courtesy of John and Betty Mann. Long-time residents of Anderson are always interested in how retirees from all over the place managed to “find” this community. Hartwell Lake is often mentioned as a draw. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Anderson’s state-of-the-art YMCA adjoins the North Campus of AnMed, and the two institutions collaborate on health and wellness programs. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Follies extravaganzas to packed houses at Anderson University. They write the show, sew costumes, rehearse for months, and even take their show on the road, winning national attention for their fun-filled, high energy song-and-dance numbers and comedy routines. Another performing group, the Anderson County Outreach Entertainers, operates under the auspices of the Anderson County Senior Citizens Program. Kelly Jo Barnwell, senior citizens program coordinator at the county’s Jo Brown Center, describes herself as “the only 43-year-old-wanna-be-senior citizen in Anderson County! That’s because I see our active, vivacious, talented, involved and healthy seniors living truly golden years.” The network of senior gathering places across the county offers opportunities for playing games, taking exercise classes and making arts and crafts. SENIOR Solutions, a non-profit organization serving Anderson and other Upstate counties, also has a wide variety of programs aimed at active seniors. The SENIOR Solutions Market Place Cinema Senior Center on busy Clemson Boulevard maintains an incredible schedule six days a week, with everything from computer classes to line dancing, chair-supported yoga, tai chi and covered dish luncheons. It even has its own hair salon. And virtually every church of any size has a senior citizens group. For example, The Happy Group at St. John’s United Methodist Church meets each month for a group lunch 93

The YMCA offers programs aimed at improving health and fitness for all ages. Photo by Julie Eudy. 94

and plans activities as varied as an afternoon visit to the sacred art collection at Bob Jones University in Greenville 30 minutes away to a guided tour of Ireland. Anderson County’s Jo Brown Center is named for Kelly Jo’s late mother, who started the senior program many years ago. “My mom always said, ‘To stay youthful, stay useful,’” Kelly Jo said. “Our seniors are youthful because they have a community where they are always useful!” She’s right. Many retirees discover opportunities to contribute to a variety of worthy causes as volunteers, delivering meals to the homebound, helping out at the animal shelter and mentoring students in elementary schools. Others decide Anderson is a fine location to start a second career or take a part-time job to exercise talents, fill spare time and earn a bit of cash. Still, the most common sentiment of the recently retired person in Anderson County is, “I don’t know how I ever found the time to work!” As health issues arise or infirmities increase, Anderson has a comprehensive health care system anchored by AnMed Health, in-home options from delivered meals to home health care and a variety of group living, assisted living and skilled nursing communities. Besides its recreational programs, SENIOR Solutions has an array of programs to help seniors stay in their homes, such as medical transportation and adult day care. SENIOR Solutions also has its Dine-In meal delivery program and operates congregate meal sites where seniors can

Anderson’s gorgeous YMCA has two pools, weight and exercise rooms and a racquetball court for seniors. Photo by Julie Eudy.

Anderson retirees figured out a long time ago that modern retirement in Anderson wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be spent doing as their grandparents did, sitting in a front porch rocker. Photo by Julie Eudy.

enjoy companionship and nutritious food. Anderson County Meals on Wheels delivers to more than 600 homebound clients a day, using an army of volunteers to get the job done, many of them seniors themselves! Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get us wrong, there are still times when an afternoon dozing over a book sounds pretty good. Especially after a morning spent rehearsing for the Senior Follies, playing golf with the Dirty Old Men or cheering on the kid you mentor at his schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s field day! 96

Andersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four distinct seasons, with a mild winter, are attractive to retirees. Photos by Julie Eudy.

Photo by Julie Eudy. 98

PART TWO

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Business and Financial Services

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The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce

Motivational speaker Bruce Boguski addresses members of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce during an Annual Meeting.

A Past, present and future chairmen of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

n area may brag about its activities, amenities and natural beauty, but it is its people who really make a place, and in Anderson County, people make it a great place to do business, according to Lee R. Luff, CCE,CAE President of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce. “We have wonderful people here, and that’s a big part of what makes us so business friendly,” he said. It is the business of and the goal of the Chamber to make the Anderson area an even better place by supporting businesses and the community all in pursuit of the its mission: “to create an environment for healthy economic growth in the Anderson area and provide superior value for its members.”

A Firm Foundation Founded in 1903, the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce has been the champion of business in the area for more than 110 years and has grown into the largest business and professional association in the county, representing over 800 member companies of all types and sizes, representing over 30,000 employees. The Chamber’s efforts have long been recognized by its members, but others have taken notice too. It was the first Chamber of Commerce in the United States to be a 5-star accredited chamber by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is a Carolinas Accredited Chamber, has earned over 13 communications awards from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) since 2003, and in 2012, it was a finalist in the annual Chamber of the Year competition, an honor that designates it one of the best chambers of its size in the country. In 2013, the Anderson Area Chamber was recognized as the Outstanding Chamber of the Year in North and South Carolina by the Carolina Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. And with a veteran like Luff at the helm — He’s been in the industry for over 30 years and leading the Chamber for over a decade — continued growth and increased accolades are on the horizon.

Member Support The Chamber works diligently to find and implement tools to help its members optimize their opportunities, operations and therefore, their successes. The benefits members receive range from 102

In 2013, the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce was named “Outstanding Chamber of the Year” by the Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, making it the top Chamber in both North and South Carolina for its size.

basics like Member2Member discounts, access to the Chamber’s mailing list, ribbon cuttings, listings in the Chamber directory and referrals to excellent educational and networking opportunities including seminars, forums and workshops, as well as networking events. Every other year, the Chamber puts on the Gain Momentum: Business Expo to showcase members to the public. Monthly, the Chamber hosts Toasts ‘n Topics, a breakfast meeting with local and regional speakers discussing issues relevant to local businesses. The

Chamber also hosts member events to highlight local successes like the annual meeting luncheon, the State of the Economy Luncheon and the Small Business Awards Celebrations.

A Unified Voice Policies and laws put in place at both the state and federal levels can have major impacts on businesses large and small. The Chamber has put special emphasis on the advocacy that it provides and its ability to give its members a voice in the Over the years, the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce has won numerous awards and recognitions for its work from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.

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The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce provides the business community with many events, including a business expo where businesses can market themselves to area residents and other businesses.

halls of government. Each year, an annual legislative agenda is developed by its member businesses. In turn, the Chamber’s lobbyists take that agenda to Columbia and the legislature during session. This advocacy is one of the organization’s primary strengths. Every other year, members have the chance to join fellow members on a trip to Washington D.C. to visit Congress to discuss legislative issues affecting Upstate South Carolina. A similar trip to Columbia In 2012, the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce was a Finalist for the Chamber of the Year award given by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, a national Chamber association representing more than 1,200 members worldwide.

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to meet and talk with Legislators and other state officials is also organized. In 2013, the Chamber’s lobbying efforts were instrumental in helping to get legislation passed that saved businesses statewide millions of dollars in taxes and provided $41.4 million in funding for roads and bridges — the largest expenditure on infrastructure since the 1980s.

Advancing Anderson The Chamber also recognizes its role in creating the leaders that will guide the area in the future. The Chamber’s Leadership Anderson began in 1984 and is a 10-month program designed to give the area’s movers and shakers insight into their home and how to lead it into the future. Leadership Anderson is creating a group of dedicated and qualified individuals by promoting and developing the leadership skills needed to meet challenges in the community and in the workplace. Some of its graduates have gone on to play important roles in the community and in the state. Since it started, over 600 area men and women have completed the Leadership Anderson training and left it with a deeper understanding of how their county works, the issues it faces, its social and economic needs, and most importantly, ways to find creative and innovative solutions to the problems at hand. A similar program, Junior Leadership Anderson, focuses on developing the same insight and leadership in local high school juniors to foster

National speaker Tommy Spaulding shares his story of perseverance and success during a Chamber meeting.

strong character and a commitment to community in Anderson’s next generation. More than 600 high school juniors have gone through the program, and many have returned to help run the program after graduation from college. Designed with a goal of keeping students from leaving the area, the program continues to help students see how much the Anderson County area has to offer. The Chamber boasts a 30-year history of providing top-notch leadership programs. It’s obvious that the education provided through both Leadership Anderson and Junior Leadership Anderson has had a significant positive impact on the community. Graduates of both programs continue to stay connected to each other and to the community by stepping up, pitching in and by assuming leadership positions where needed. The alums are taking full advantage of it and donate countless volunteer hours to their community. The Chamber also takes it role as the “face” of Anderson to newcomers and visitors very seriously, working to always extend a warm welcome by being a resource that shares the area’s multiple positives. Every year, over 3,000 people visit or call the Chamber to receive information about Anderson and its housing, lodging, community activities, demographics, maps, community contacts, licenses, taxations and area attractions. In these ways, the Chamber is enhancing far more than its members alone; it’s a key player in the community’s continued economic development and overall prosperity.

Full Speed Ahead While the Chamber’s vision is broad enough to see the big picture, its leadership knows that it all comes back to people. “We have a very qualified workforce, and many major companies over the last 30 years have come here for that reason,” Luff said. Anderson is still drawing businesses today. A good example is a company like First Quality that is growing its number of employees here from 500 to 1,000, and they came to Anderson and have stayed put because of the workforce. More companies and more jobs mean more growth, a trend that’s been a constant in the area for a few years now; Anderson County is currently one of the fastest growing areas of the country. The Chamber doesn’t see the expansion stopping any time soon. Indeed, it’s just the opposite. While the area had a population of 180,000 in 2013, it is estimated it will reach 200,000 by 2015. And The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce will be there, just as its been for over a century, ready, willing and able to help bring in new businesses and support existing ones, building on its legacy of success for the betterment of everyone who calls the Anderson area home.

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Independent Mail

The Independent Mail mail room facilities

The Anderson Daily Mail and Daily

Independent was one of the first buildings on East Market Street. At about 2:15 p.m., Daily Mail carriers lined up to get their papers.

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t is hard to imagine a company that has changed more than the Independent Mail, which traces its roots in Anderson to the year 1899. At the same time, Anderson’s daily newspaper is still doing what it did more than 100 years ago: keeping the community informed about vital news that affects our residents’ daily lives, as well as entertaining, educating and galvanizing to action. However, today’s newspaper is augmented by the independentmail.com website, Facebook page and electronic applications that bring the news to the customer faster than the publisher of the original Anderson Daily Mail could ever have imagined. Anderson’s daily newspapers were owned and operated locally until 1972, when the HarteHanks newspaper group of Texas bought the afternoon Daily Mail and the morning Independent from Wilton E. Hall Sr. The office moved from

downtown Anderson to a new plant at 1000 Williamston Road, making the conversion from the old “hot type” printing press to a modern offset press. President Gerald R. Ford dedicated the building on October 19, 1974. His was the first presidential visit to the Anderson area since George Washington inspected the Indian frontier in 1791. In 1981, the two papers merged to form the Independent Mail, which was sold in 1997 to E.W. Scripps Company. Based in Cincinnati, Scripps owns 13 newspapers and 19 television stations. Today’s Independent Mail maintains its strong tradition of innovation and local reporting. In 1995, it became the first daily newspaper in South Carolina with an electronic edition. The next year, it implemented a computerized pagination system, enabling entire pages to be designed at work stations rather than being “pasted up” manually. The Independent Mail was also the first daily in the state to convert from a broadsheet to a “tall tabloid” format, saving significant amounts of newsprint — and trees! The 2008 change was among many “green” innovations. Today’s paper is printed on 100-percent recycled newsprint, using a nonpetroleum ink made of soybeans. The tall tab format is an excellent showcase for the Independent Mail’s award-winning photography staff, which regularly nabs first-place awards from the South Carolina Press Association and other newspaper competitions. The news staff has also been honored in recent years with the SCPA General Excellence award and top recognition for enterprise reporting, faith reporting, feature writing and entertainment section. Increasingly, the judges have been impressed by independentmail.com’s unique online content, including photo galleries and videos.

The Independent Mail has a strong reputation for community leadership and involvement. It annually showcases emerging young leaders with its “20 Under 40” awards, as well as outstanding rising seniors with its Star Student awards. Young spellers from five counties compete in the Independent Mail Regional Spelling Bee, and the winner goes to the national bee sponsored by E.W. Scripps in Washington, D.C. The Independent Mail has for many years sponsored a Christmas relief program, the Brighter Christmas Fund, supported by its readers, and donates ad space to many charitable organizations. “Today’s Independent Mail and independentmail.com is the one single medium with the largest penetration in this market,” observed Publisher Susan Kelly-Gilbert. “We are the local media organ of record in terms of anything going on in Anderson County.” Print versions of the paper are delivered to almost 25,000 homes each weekday (more on Sundays), and independentmail.com averages 624,451 unique visitors per month. In 2013, the Independent Mail began charging a subscription for full access to its website, smart phone, tablet and other digital platforms. This was long over-due recognition that while fewer people are subscribing to a home-delivered paper or buying single copies, these readers were subsidizing the online readers. Now, a limited amount of web content is still available at no charge, but most can only be accessed by subscription. Besides the daily newspaper, the Independent Mail staff produces a selection of niche products. Orange & White, an all-sports publication about Clemson University, is distributed in print format to subscribers and single-copy buyers 36 times a year. Its online version attracts 700,000

page views per month, peaking during football season. Anderson Life is a slick lifestyle magazine distributed bi-monthly to high-end subscribers as an insert in their daily newspaper. The Hometowner, a cornucopia of local news about schools, churches, civic clubs and people, reaches 61,000 households each week. The award-winning Upstate BE entertainment section is distributed in Anderson and neighboring counties as a newspaper insert and for free pick-up at restaurants and similar venues. As the Independent Mail moves further into its second century, it will be developing faster, more effective ways to reach readers on the go with the digital methods known today — as well as keeping an eye on innovations on the information highway. But for now, a subscriber can still do what an Andersonian did in 1899: Shuffle out into the driveway, pick up a rolled newspaper and enjoy it over a cup of coffee.

A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the Independent Mail dedication in 1974. President Gerald Ford, Publisher John Ginn and Harte Hanks Executive Robert Marbut were in attendance.

In addition to the newspaper delivered to subscribers’ homes, they also receive unlimited digital access to stories, photos, videos, blogs and more provided by the Independent Mail and delivered throughout the day via computer, smartphone and tablet.

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The Peoples Bank

Chairman of the Board of Directors, JR McGee, and President, Shawn McGee

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t’s not often that the heart and soul of a business can be summed up in the company’s name. But that’s exactly the case at The Peoples Bank. In an era when large banks are merging their way into huge financial institutions, The Peoples Bank is proudly, defiantly local. It’s here to serve the people in and around Anderson. It’s always been that way. Since its founding in 1951, The Peoples Bank has been locally owned, providing neighbors with a safe place to keep and invest their money for decades. The folks inside are the people you see at PTA meetings, or at church or the grocery store. They’re friends you grew up with and know from school. Local people, providing personal service. Don’t be fooled by the name, though. There’s strength in this friendly community bank, with more than $257 million in assets. Six full-service offices offer a wide array of personal and commercial banking benefits throughout the Anderson area. It’s everything you could want from a larger institution, and it’s operated by people from your neighborhood. The Peoples Bank has other powerful services that serve the community, too. The Peoples Agency meets today’s personal and commercial insurance demands with plans for group health, employee benefits, long-term care and other vital protection options. Peoples Mortgage Services has some of the most competitive rates in the country for real estate purchases and mortgage refinancing. Peoples Investments offers retirement plans, tax-advantaged

investing and college planning so the people of Anderson can feel secure about their future. The Peoples Bank stands strong as an ideal example of community banking. It’s completely equipped for today’s financial climate, while firmly anchored by solid local roots. The name sums it up best: At The Peoples Bank you’ll find over 60 years of strength and stability, and it’s just down the road. That’s why so many people in Anderson have made The Peoples Bank their bank. The Peoples Bank is Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.

Cox, Cauley, Rockwell & Richardson, LLC

ox, Cauley, Rockwell & Richardson, LLC offers a range of services that is unusual for a smaller public accounting firm. Founder Tom Cox says it is their philosophy to be full-service, meaning the firm can handle anything from payroll administration to full-scale audits. “We try to provide the highest level of financial services with integrity,” Cox said, and it shows: Some 1,200 individuals and 450 businesses and nonprofit organizations trust the firm with their tax returns each year. The present firm was incorporated in 2008, though Cox has been a public accountant in Anderson since 1985. The four CPA’s — Cox, Chris

ark Sterling Bank, a rising star on the regional banking stage, has four branches in Anderson County: one in Belton, one in Honea Path and two in Anderson. Park Sterling was founded in 2006 in Charlotte, North Carolina, by seasoned bank executives who sought to deliver a high level of customer service in a comfortable, personable setting. In 2011, Park Sterling formed a partnership with 25-year-old Community Capital Bank in upstate South Carolina. Other mergers followed, creating a network of 44 full-service branches across the Carolinas and North Georgia by the end of 2012. Park Sterling’s Anderson County branches are staffed with people who have many decades of

Cauley, Monica Rockwell and Polly Richardson — use a hands-on approach with their clients, delegating less to the firm’s bookkeepers than many accountants do. Rockwell, the attest partner, audits the books of numerous nonprofit organizations and also consults on nonprofit financial sustainability. Her genuine interest in the work of nonprofits is shared by Cauley, who was recently chosen one of 20 emerging leaders under age 40 by the Independent Mail. “Every time you get something from a community, you should put more back in,” Cauley said. “We want Anderson to be a good place for our families to live.”

Cox, Cauley, Rockwell & Richardson, LLC’s

banking experience in the community. The new partnership has enabled these branches to offer a wider array of products, while keeping the same friendly, familiar faces at their desks and teller windows. Services include traditional banking and loan services as well as wealth management, treasury services and mortgage lending. “Our goal is to provide the strength and product diversity of a larger bank with the service and attention to detail of a small community bank,” said Vice President Kim Kincaid. “We’re big enough to help you succeed, and small enough to care that you do.”

Park Sterling Bank

new location on North Main Street

From left, Barry Roe, Phillip Kesler, Gwen Gilliard, Linda Smith, Angela Burriss, Kim Kincaid, Kristin Youngblood, Megan Harmon, Marshall Pickens, Kristin Gorrell, Jimmy Kimbell

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Photo courtesy of Clemson University. 110

Health Care, Education and Quality of Life

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AnMed Health

AnMed Health Cancer Center is accredited with commendation from American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. At AnMed Health Cancer Center, patients have access to medical oncology, radiation oncology, infusion services, clinical trials, survivorship programs, a cancer resource center and specialty shop.

AnMed Health Medical Center, a 461-bed acute care hospital, stands at the site of the original Anderson County Hospital. A bronze sculpture at the entrance pays tribute to hospital founder Jennie Gilmer.

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nMed Health got its start in 1904 when Jennie Gilmer, a young wife and mother, promised God that if she survived the birth of her second son, she would see to it a hospital was built in Anderson. Mrs. Gilmer survived, and largely due to her efforts, the Anderson County Hospital Association was organized and incorporated in

1906. Mrs. Gilmer and members of the association led a spirited effort to raise the $25,000 needed to construct the original two-story, 25-bed hospital building. Anderson County Hospital officially opened on April 20, 1908. Anderson County Hospital has since grown into one of South Carolina’s largest, not-for-profit health systems. For more than 100 years, AnMed Health has cared for residents in eight counties in the Upstate and northeast Georgia. The health system’s medical staff includes more than 400 physicians, and with roughly 3,500 employees, AnMed Health is Anderson County’s largest employer. AnMed Health provides care for every phase of life. Through the AnMed Health Physician Network, residents have access to physicians specializing in family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, cardiology, orthopaedics, neurology and a number of surgical specialties. Most of the health system’s inpatient care takes place at AnMed Health Medical Center, a 461-bed, acute care, teaching hospital at the corner of Greenville and Fant streets. The Medical Center is home to a Level II Trauma Center, a Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center and a comprehensive Heart and Vascular Center. Two miles away, the AnMed Health North Campus is home to AnMed Health

Women’s and Children’s Hospital, AnMed Health Cancer Center, AnMed Health Rehabilitation Hospital, lab and imaging services, and a number of physician practices. After hospitalization or treatment, AnMed Health Home Care provides home health services, medical equipment and two pharmacy locations to help patients make the transition home. As a not-for-profit health system, AnMed Health provides millions in charity care and invests any earnings in bringing new technology, new treatments and new services closer to home. This ongoing mission to passionately blend the art of caring with the science of medicine has led to dozens of national recognitions from accrediting bodies and ratings organizations. AnMed Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital welcomes thousands of new babies each year and is home to the latest in minimally invasive surgical technology.

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Clemson University

Clemson Advanced Materials Research Laboratory building

lemson University was founded in 1889 through a bequest from Thomas Green Clemson. He was the Philadelphia-born, European-educated engineer, musician and artist who married South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun’s daughter, Anna, and settled at her family home. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Clemson believed that the way to rebuild his adopted state’s economy was through scientific education. With this aim, he left his home and fortune to the state of South Carolina to create the institution that bears his name. Clemson University combines the benefits of a major land-grant, science- and engineering-oriented research university with a strong commitment to quality teaching and individual student success. It is a student-centered community characterized by high academic standards, inclusiveness, collaboration and a drive to excel. Located in a town with the same name, Clemson boasts a 17,500-acre forest, the 295-acre state botanical garden and a setting on beautiful Hartwell Lake. Undergraduate enrollment is managed to ensure small classes, an 18-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, and high retention and graduation rates. Clemson scores above the national average on student engagement and satisfaction surveys and has earned national recognition for living-learning communities, creative inquiry, writing across the curriculum and participation in community service.    A 10-year strategic plan called the Clemson 2020 Road Map focuses on providing talent for the new economy, driving innovation that stimulates economic growth, and addressing 114

the great challenges of the 21st century, such as health, energy, transportation and environmental sustainability. Other key emphasis areas include advanced materials; biotechnology and biomedical science; information and computing technology; family and community living; general education; information and communications technology; and leadership and entrepreneurship. Clemson ranks 21st among national public universities, according to U.S.News & World Report, and is the No. 1 choice of South Carolina’s best high school graduates. More than half of Clemson’s incoming freshmen rank in the top 10 percent of their high school class. The university ranks seventh among national universities, both public and private, in payback ratio, according to SmartMoney magazine — a calculation based on graduates’ lifetime earning potential and the cost of tuition. Clemson’s students can select from 80 undergraduate and 110 graduate degree programs offered by five colleges: Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; Architecture, Arts and Humanities; Business and Behavioral Science; Engineering and Science; and Health, Education and Human Development.

Economic Development As a land-grant institution, Clemson University’s mission extends far beyond educating its 20,000 students. Its Office of Economic Development mobilizes the university’s brain power, working with public and private partners to create jobs across South Carolina. In fact, the university’s economic development “footprint” extends all the way to the

coast, where it operates wind energy and historical restoration research centers at the former U.S. Navy base in North Charleston. In the Upstate, much of the economic development research is focused at two locations: the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory in Anderson County and the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville County. The Advanced Materials Research Lab, a partnership between Clemson and the Anderson County Office of Economic Development, is based in a research park near Pendleton. It is home to some of the world’s brightest researchers who are making products smarter, better and faster with funding from the National Science Foundation. With its world-class electron imaging laboratory plus laser and instrumentation labs, Clemson is one of just a handful of universities with the capability to produce optical fiber. The park, owned by a publicprivate partnership called Innovate Anderson, is also an incubator for start-up tech companies. Thirty minutes up the interstate, CU-ICAR opened in 2004 to harness university research for the burgeoning automotive industry in South Carolina. BMW, Michelin, Timken, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Mazda, Toyota, John Deere, Intech, Sage Automotive Interiors, ZF, Proterra and many others

CU Advanced Materials Research Laboratory

CU Duke Innovation Center building (Anderson)

are partners as Clemson trains the next generation of automotive engineers and conducts cutting-edge automotive research. CU-ICAR has created almost 800 on-campus jobs in less than 10 years. Also in the Upstate, Clemson has a partnership with the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center to transfer high-impact medical technology and devices from the laboratory to the bedside. At the Greenwood Genetic Center in Greenwood, South Carolina, Clemson scientists conduct research to develop new diagnostic services, treatments and prevention programs that reduce the risk and severity of genetic diseases. A graduate education center is under construction there. Clemson has not forgotten its roots as an agricultural college — or the fact that agribusiness is South Carolina’s No. 1 industry. The Advanced Plant Technology Center in Florence, South Carolina,, works with other research centers to improve crop yields and value across the state. University labs, farms and forests on the Clemson campus and at five research and education centers across the state tailor research on natural resources, forestry and agriculture to the state’s distinct soil and climate districts. Academic excellence, a beautiful campus and a determined spirit that’s as bold as its tiger mascot — Clemson University really does have it all. And with the innovation and ideas coming out of its off-campus research centers and laboratories, the university is doing far more than educating students. If he could see the many positive impacts his namesake is having on his beloved state, Thomas Green Clemson would be proud. 115

Tri-County Technical College

The vision for a campus convenient to the Anderson County community became a reality when Tri-County Technical College opened the doors of its first community campus on March 1, 2007. The 42,000-square-foot structure houses general classrooms, science labs, a learning resource center, computer labs, and a large multipurpose room.

Tri-County Technical College opened its doors September 10, 1963. Since that time, the College has grown from a technical education center with one building in Pendleton to a comprehensive community college with four campuses in its three-county service area.

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or more than 50 years Tri-County Technical College has been serving the citizens of Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. Tri-County Technical Education Center opened the doors of Pickens Hall September 10, 1963, with fewer than 500 students in seven disciplines and later attracted 919 students during its first year of operation. The original curricula included electronics technology, machine tool, welding and other engineering technologies. W.T. (Bill) Yarborough was hired as the first Executive Director and served until his resignation in 1971. That same year Dr. Don C. Garrison was named the College’s second president. From 1971 until his retirement June 30, 2003, Dr. Garrison was known as a tireless advocate for technical education, and he placed Tri-County at the forefront of twoyear colleges in the nation. When Dr. Ronnie L. Booth assumed the presidency in 2003, his goal was to make the College a role model for community college education. From the beginning, the College’s

mission has been to serve as a tool for economic development, as well as provide equal educational opportunities for all citizens. Tri-County has grown from one technical education center into a comprehensive community college offering technical and health education training, business and public services majors, university transfer offerings, and college credit courses for high school students. Last year, the College served more than 9,000 people at its four campuses and 12,000 residents in non-credit courses in continuing education. During his 10 years at Tri-County, Dr. Booth has launched three community campuses in Anderson, Seneca and Easley and opened the Anderson-Oconee-Pickens Economic Development Center on the Pendleton Campus. He launched the Connect to College program for high school dropouts and the Bridge to Clemson program with Clemson University. All three community campuses have QuickJobs Development Centers for industrial and workplace training. The College’s vision focuses on becoming a role model for community college education through dedication to high standards, a nurturing environment, community alliances and innovative leadership. “It’s about preparing students for success, meeting their needs and positioning the College to meet future needs,” Dr. Booth said. “I define student success as taking students from where they are to where they need to be; getting them on the right path at the right time and equipping them with the tools they need for continued success in life. Our emphasis on student success, individual learning and engagement with faculty are points of pride for us. It’s at the core of what we do.”

Anderson University Anderson University’s campus is recognized as one of the most scenic in the Southeast.

nderson University’s history is tightly interlaced with the Anderson community. More than 100 years ago, the business leaders of the Chamber of Commerce spearheaded the establishment of a women’s college on what had been farmland on the edge of town. Today, Anderson University has a 271-acre campus, offers undergraduate and graduate programs and is attended by 3,000 male and female students. Nine colleges and schools offer 36 undergraduate majors and seven master’s degrees as well as a doctorate through the School of Christian Ministry. Many adults hoping to enhance their careers and employability take advantage of the popular evening degree completion program, Adults College Choice for Exceptional Learning (ACCEL). Most of the graduate and ACCEL courses are available online. This fall, Anderson University achieved record enrollment for the seventh straight year; Anderson University is now the fastest growing private university in South Carolina. To accommodate the growth, in the past six years AU has constructed a library, five residence halls and a state-of-theart School of Nursing, which opened in 2012. Students have been attracted both by AU’s long tradition of excellence in liberal arts education in a Christian setting and increasing national attention from ranking services. Institutional Research and Review Inc. lists it as one of America’s hundred best college buys. AU has been ranked in the top-tier of Southern baccalaureate colleges by U.S. News & World Report for seven straight years and is also one of its 49 “Up and Coming Schools in America Others Should Be Watching.” There’s a lot to watch! Besides all the classroom activity, the university boasts an athletic program with 17 Division II NCAA sports, including nationally ranked men’s and women’s basketball

teams. These sports, as well as wrestling, soccer, volleyball, tennis, softball and baseball, attract many community fans. Anderson University is home to The South Carolina School of the Arts, which has nationally recognized programs in the visual and performing arts. The school’s long history in music education continues at the Rainey Fine Arts Center, where top-notch theatre, symphony and musical productions take place year-round. The student production of the musical “Barnum” was honored nationally by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2013. AU provides a performance home for community arts groups and annually showcases the gifts of older adults with its Senior Follies, which sells out the 1,100-seat Henderson Auditorium for five performances. This sparkling gem of a university has been Anderson’s pride since 1911. Imagine what the next 100 years will bring!

AU is recognized nationally as a leader in the use of mobile technology in the classroom with its groundbreaking Mobile Learning Initiative.

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Anderson County Board of Education

Members of the Anderson County Board of Education are (seated left to right) Dale Martin, David Draisen - Chairman and Reverend Rufus Mitchell; (standing left to right) Gary Burgess, Brenda Bradberry, Mike Upton, Craig Drennon, Mike Brock, and Joey Nimmer - Administrator. Not pictured is Dana Grant.

left: Alternative School students line up for morning assembly in order to get the day started in a positive and uplifting way. right: Students enjoy an outdoor lesson in horticulture with Mr. Skillman.

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he Anderson County Board of Education provides budget oversight and support services and facilitates inter-district cooperation for the five public school districts and their 31,000 students in Anderson County. The school districts range in size from 2,500-student District Three in the rural Starr-Iva community, to District Five, with about 12,000 students in greater Anderson. Nine members, each representing a single district, serve on the board. They are charged with reviewing and approving each school district’s annual budget and allocating tax funds distributed through the Anderson County Treasurer’s Office and the State of South Carolina, according to Stephen J. “Joey” Nimmer Jr., county board administrator. When the annual audits of each district and the county board are reconciled, taxpayers can be assured that funds are being handled as intended. Staff of the county board provides some services to school districts in a more efficient manner than they could on their own, especially regarding at-risk students. One of these is the truancy and dropout prevention program. Each year, about 2,300 students with sketchy attendance are referred to the staff, which develops an intervention plan in concert

with the home school. “It’s a last-ditch effort to keep them in school,” Nimmer said. The board also employs eight mental health counselors, each of whom serves students in five to seven schools. In addition, the food service programs of the two smallest districts in the county are managed by county board staff. Members of the county board staff serve as facilitators for better inter-district cooperation and shared services. The best example of this is the Anderson County Alternative School, established in 1996 in a former Army Reserve facility and directed for the past 16 years by Randolph S. Dillingham. The only alternative school in the state with a boot camp format, the ACAS accepts students in grades six through 12 who have been expelled from their home schools or are under the supervision of the court system. It provides a structured, highly disciplined environment in which more than 200 students a year learn to re-order their lives. Students come from every strata of society, Dillingham said. The goal is to return them to their home school, though some students remain at the alternative school and graduate. “For kids who really want to turn themselves around, we can offer that opportunity,” Dillingham said.

Austin/Pray Family Dentistry

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aring, comfortable dentistry for all” is the philosophy at Austin/Pray Family Dentistry, located at 218A E. Shockley Ferry Road in Anderson. Dentists Robert G. Austin and Matthew A. Pray and their staff are dedicated to excellent personalized patient care. Their goal is to make a visit to their office as comfortable and pleasant as possible for patients of all ages and walks of life. Patients immediately notice the modern office’s cheerful wall murals and an ever-changing display of children’s artwork from a nearby elementary school. Drs. Austin and Pray believe there is a direct correlation between art and performance in school, plus it is good for a child’s self-esteem. Dr. Austin established his practice in 1985, shortly after graduating from the Medical University of South Carolina. He became interested in dentistry while serving in the U.S. Air Force as a dental tech. Dr. Pray joined the practice in 2009 after graduating with honors from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine. Despite the difference in their ages, the dentists say they feel the same about both dentistry and community service. One of Dr. Austin’s proudest accomplishments was starting a dental clinic at the Anderson Free Clinic in 1991. He has served as a board member and president of the clinic and has been honored with numerous community service awards. His motto is, “You make a living by what you take out of the community, but you make a life by what you put back into it.” Dr. Pray, who volunteers at the Free Clinic, was recognized as one of 20 outstanding local leaders under age 40 by Anderson’s Independent Mail in 2012.

Austin/Pray Family Dentistry puts tremendous emphasis on preventive care, believing that a healthy mouth, teeth and gums are crucial to maintaining optimum overall health. Dr. Austin says his healthiest patients in their 80s have three things in common: They are not overweight, they do not smoke, and they still have their teeth. This demonstrates how important diet and other good health habits are for the teeth — and how important good teeth are for good health, he says. The practice offers all traditional dental services as well as aesthetic services, but always with an emphasis on oral health. As Dr. Pray explained, “We focus not only on the beauty of your smile, but your overall health as well.” Dr. Matthew A. Pray and Dr. Robert G. Austin

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Sullivan-King Mortuary

Earle Street Photo: Bill King, his son, Billy King (in ambulance), and Sam Sullivan proudly display the fleet of funeral vehicles at the former West Earle Street location, c. 1936.

Bill King discusses a newspaper obituary and Sam Sullivan records ledger entries, c. 1941.

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he roots of Sullivan-King Mortuary began in 1923, when a storefront funeral home opened on South Main Street. Over the years, William W. “Bill” King and Sam O. Sullivan, Sr. acquired ownership and renamed the company in 1949. Twenty years later, both King and Sullivan died within three weeks of each other. At the time, Bill King’s son David C. King was a 20-year-old training to become a US Army helicopter gunship pilot and would later become a Vietnam combat veteran. Dedicated employee Jack Gilliland became manager and major shareholder, leading the firm until his retirement. In 1997, David and long-time employee Bolt McClain bought Sullivan-King Mortuary. Under Bolt’s management, with a team of loyal employees, Sullivan-King Mortuary has continued the tradition of caring and compassion for grieving families. In 2013, Sullivan-King Mortuary received the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce Pillar of Anderson Award, recognizing the company for

community commitment and civic involvement. The facility at 3205 North Highway 81 was designed and built to reflect timeless architecture and detail. Furnished throughout with beautiful antiques and colorful details, the decor suggests the feel of a lovely, inviting home. In 2008, the daughter of David and Sheila King, Taylor, married Matt Young in the W.W. King Chapel, and the reception was held in the mortuary, with over 1,000 guests in attendance. Even that number has been exceeded by the size of some of the funeral visitations handled by the mortuary. Abundant parking, ease of access and an on-site crematory complete the thoughtful details of this trusted Southern funeral home. Pre-need funeral planning and family aftercare are among the many services provided. “As a 90-year-old, family owned and managed business, passion, respect, knowledge and experience are evident with each family served,” Bolt said. Each funeral service is different, a unique memorial for the family to remember. Most recently, a partnership with Roberts Cemetery has been established to create a community cemetery on South Carolina 187 near the shores of Lake Hartwell. The expansion of this historic cemetery, founded in 1789, includes additional grave spaces and plans to construct a 336-crypt mausoleum and lovely outdoor pavilion. The founder of Roberts Presbyterian Church, Rev. John Simpson; Anna Anderson Hunter, daughter of Gen. Robert Anderson, namesake of Anderson County and the City of Anderson; and numerous war veterans are among those interred in this colonial cemetery.

MedShore

Medshore at its beginnings, when the

reg Shore was a 15-year-old high school student when he took his first ride with an ambulance crew one summer night in 1973. At the time, he was planning to join his father Gerald Shore in his commercial photography business, and often shot photos of wreck scenes as a freelancer for the newspaper. That ride, seated between two attendants, running red lights in a station wagon that had been converted into an ambulance, changed everything. He was hooked. Greg rode ambulances all summer and took his initial EMT training that fall. Six months after he graduated from T.L. Hanna High School, he borrowed $6,000 to buy a used ambulance, hired six part-time employees – many also in their teens – and started Anderson Ambulance Service. It opened January 1, 1976. Today, that company is called MedShore Ambulance Service. Its 85-vehicle fleet includes 70 ambulances, plus rescue trucks, wheelchair transport units and administrative vehicles. (These days, a fully-loaded new ambulance represents an investment of almost a quarter of a million dollars.) Greg’s initial team of part-timers has grown to 220 highly trained men and women, including his wife Bunny and all three of their sons. MedShore serves Anderson County for both emergent and non-emergent transportation, such as critical care transportation and moving patients between AnMed Health’s medical facilities. MedShore also delivers non-emergent transportation in Greenville, Florence and Lexington counties, serving as a back-up to emergency service providers there. System wide, MedShore answered more than 72,000 calls in 2012, and transported more than 55,000 patients. When Greg talks about MedShore’s phenomenal growth and success, he doesn’t emphasize quantity. He focuses on quality. He was the first certified

company was located on Orr Street.

paramedic in Anderson County in 1977. “Now, every ambulance has a paramedic on it, with life-saving equipment, so we’ve come a long way,” he said. In 2001, MedShore became the first ambulance service in South Carolina to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services – the gold standard. “It’s not a cheap way to do business,” he said, “but it’s the right way to do business.” With emergency vehicles stationed around Anderson County, MedShore has a 90 percent success rate for its goal of responding to the site of every emergency call in less than nine minutes. The response rate, tracked weekly, has been maintained since the 1980s, he said. With more than 21,000 dispatches of vehicles with crews to emergency calls in Anderson County a year, that’s quite a record.

Greg Shore

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Diagnostic Radiology of Anderson In the interventional radiology lab at AnMed Health, Dr. Bruce Burns, left, and Dr. Tom Tuten, center, reassure a patient about to undergo a procedure. Observing them is Dr. David Holt, whose subspecialty is nuclear medicine.

Dr. Kyle Bryans, Dr. Carrie Cousar, Dr. Veena Mathur and Dr. Monica Grier have received specialized training in order to staff the Women’s Imaging Center at the AnMed Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

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iagnostic Radiology of Anderson, PA, is a practice of eight board-certified radiologists doing everything from reading routine screening mammograms to performing complex interventional procedures. As the in-house radiology practice at AnMed Health for 25 years, the physicians of Diagnostic Radiology work closely with family physicians and a range of specialists, including surgeons, oncologists, urologists and cardiologists. “Patients may never see us, but our expertise is crucial in the diagnosis and treatment of disease and the detection and repair of trauma,” said Dr. Thomas U. Tuten. Each of the partners has advanced fellowship training in sub-specialties such as muscular-skeletal radiology, interventional radiology and nuclear medicine. In addition, the four female partners have received specialized training in order to staff the Women’s Imaging Center at the AnMed Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital. They read thousands of mammograms and ultrasounds and perform hundreds of biopsies each year. Women’s health is a subject of tremendous passion for them; both Dr. Carrie D. Cousar and Dr. Kyle C. Bryans lost their mothers to breast cancer. Noting that AnMed Health was one of the first hospitals in South Carolina to install highly sensitive digital mammography equipment, Dr. Bryans said, “We don’t want women to die from breast cancer anymore.” They work closely with the AnMed Health Cancer Center staff to diagnose women and move them into treatment expeditiously, increasing their chance of survival. Radiology can be looked at as the research and development arm of modern medicine. For decades, advances in creating “windows on the

body” without surgery have enabled radiologists to detect illness with CT and MRI, PET and bone scans, in addition to performing biopsies using tiny needles and draining abscesses and fluid throughout the body. Working with vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists can even repair aortic aneurisms before they rupture. As older procedures are perfected and taken over by generalists, radiologists are leaping ahead with better imaging and intervention. Some of the results are earlier diagnosis of tumor markers for more targeted cancer treatment and injection of pain relief compounds in joints, delaying the need for replacement surgery. “Radiology is an ever-changing and exciting field,” said Dr. Monica Grier. “We all like to be able to work with patients and doctors in all disciplines to help people get well,” adds Dr. Veena Mathur. Diagnostic Radiology of Anderson, PA includes: Kyle C. Bryans, MD; Bruce M. Burns, MD; Carrie D. Cousar, MD; David H. Holt, Jr., MD; Monica H. Grier, MD; Veena R. Mathur, MD; Thomas U. Tuten, MD; and Joseph W. Yon, Jr., MD.

esidents of The Legacy can’t decide if it’s more like a cruise ship on land or a beloved dormitory from their college days. Either way, there is plenty going on for people ages 55 and up who are tired of maintaining a home and yard and cooking for themselves. In addition, it is the most affordable independent senior living community in Anderson, with apartment options from studio to two-bedroom. All 101 accommodations include three delicious meals a day, weekly housekeeping service, full maintenance and 24-hour emergency call and response systems. Scheduled transportation to doctors’ appointments, shopping, restaurants and community events means residents don’t even need a car. But The Legacy isn’t just about safety and convenience. It’s also about fun! Residents enjoy a full roster of activities to get them out of their apartments. There’s a movie theatre, billiard room, exercise room and library, plus an activity room for sewing, playing cards and making crafts. Many Anderson residents visit The Legacy for the popular annual Strut Your Mutt dog show, benefiting the

ospice of the Upstate celebrates 25 years of caring in Upstate South Carolina and Northeast Georgia. As your community non-profit hospice, we provide support for patients with a limited life expectancy who choose comfort care and quality of life. Most patients receive our care in their home

local animal shelter. And residents can keep up to two small pets in their apartments. With all this and more, The Legacy offers the perfect setting for a wonderful, active retirement.

The Legacy of Anderson

setting. The 27-room John and Callie Rainey Hospice House, set among beautifully landscaped gardens, provides a home-like alternative. Hospice of the Upstate offers a different kind of hope - A hope to maintain dignity, live to the fullest, be free from pain and spend valuable time with loved ones wherever they call home.

Hospice of the Upstate

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Photo courtesy of Kravet. 124

Manufacturing

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Michelin

The US8 facility in Starr, South Carolina, is one of three Michelin facilities in Anderson County.

Anderson is home to Michelin’s newest U.S. production facility, which produced its first earthmover tire in December 2013.

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ichelin’s successful 40-year history in Anderson County is a testament to the region’s skilled and dedicated workforce, the county’s businessfriendly environment and the company’s ongoing commitment to American manufacturing. In 1973, Michelin broke ground for its first Anderson County plant in Sandy Springs. Today, Michelin operates three facilities in Anderson County and employs more than 1,200 people across the three locations. These Anderson County employees contribute to Michelin innovation and the company’s leadership in the competitive global automotive market. Michelin’s Sandy Springs plant is the company’s largest rubber mixing facility in the world, with more than 2 million square feet of space under one roof. In 2001, Michelin opened a second rubber mixing facility in Anderson County, which is located in Starr. In 2013, Michelin announced $200 million of additional investment at the Starr facility, positioning it to become Michelin’s third-largest

mixing facility in the world. At these two locations, Michelin makes semi-finished rubber for use at the company’s manufacturing sites across the United States where Michelin produces tires for passenger cars, light trucks, heavy commercial trucks, and earthmover and agricultural vehicles. These facilities not only mix raw materials, they produce auxiliary products for Michelin tires including textiles, metallic fabric and the wire in radial tires called “tringles.” In 2012, Michelin broke ground on a third facility in Anderson County, also located in Starr, to produce high-demand earthmover tires that are used in the mining and heavy construction industries. Michelin is one of only a few companies in the world with the ability to engineer these specialty tires used for mines, quarries, industrial handling and port machinery. The first earthmover tire produced in Anderson County debuted at the end of 2013, and approximately 80 percent of all tires produced here are exported around the world. Community involvement is a cornerstone of Michelin’s ongoing commitment to Anderson County. Michelin is a leading contributor to organizations such as the March of Dimes, United Way and many other non-profits that help strengthen the fabric of the community. The company’s Anderson County facilities also support Michelin Challenge Education, a program designed to boost learning, engagement and student success at public elementary schools with the support of Michelin employee volunteers. “Michelin Challenge Education gives our employees the opportunity to make a personal contribution to the improvement of public education in Anderson County and inspire young people to pursue careers in science, math,

engineering and technology. Our employees serve as tutors and mentors and demonstrate to these students that there are viable, well-paying jobs within their reach right here in our community,” said John Guest, a 28-year Michelin employee and manager of both rubber mixing facilities in Anderson County. Michelin’s respect for the environment is evident in Anderson County where the Sandy Springs and Starr facilities are certified as Wildlife and Industry Together (W.A.I.T.) locations. At these sites, Michelin has developed walking trails, bird boxes and other wildlife stations designed in partnership with the South Carolina Wildlife Federation with assistance from local Boy Scout troops. To support this effort, Michelin has planted more than 350 wildlife attracting trees at both locations. Since 2002, Michelin has also adhered to its own sustainable development policy, the Michelin

Performance and Responsibility approach, which exceeds the government environmental and safety regulations of the countries where the company operates. “Michelin takes environmental responsibility and safety seriously,” said Guest. “We measure our environmental footprint every month at each plant, and we are close to achieving our goal of zero waste to landfill.” Over the past four decades, Michelin has planted deep roots in Anderson County, helping lay the groundwork for a dynamic, high-tech

Paul Glenn (left), quality assurance operator, verifies the proper rubber quality with Brian White (center) and Jeff Henderson (right).  Employees from Sandy Springs and Starr joined their families and friends for the 2013 Anderson County March of Dimes Walk. The group exceeded its goal of raising $15,000.

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Engineer, Fred Tienken tutors a student in math as part of the Michelin Challenge Education program.

manufacturing economy. As a second and third generation of employees in Anderson County join the company to innovate and continue to drive manufacturing forward, Michelin remains committed to their individual growth and development in a rapidly changing economy. Mark Hourihan, who manages Michelin’s newest plant in Starr, points to the region’s welcoming business environment and ready workforce as the lynchpins for steady growth. “Michelin could have chosen any site in the world for the significant new investments we’ve announced over the past few years, but we continue to expand in Anderson County for good reason,” said Hourihan. “The partnerships we have formed in this community and the people of Anderson County are our greatest asset, and they contribute significantly to Michelin’s success.”

Michelin’s Sandy Springs and Starr facilities specialize in the manufacturing of semi-finished goods and semifinished rubber.   left: Michelin employees Dusty Timpson (left) and

Lane Whitfield (right) inspect a machine that produces tringles, the bead wire of a tire.

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Glen Raven Anderson Plant Creates Beautiful, Durable Sunbrella® Fabrics

Sunbrella® fabrics for casual furniture and sun protection are the leading premium choice for outdoor living, offering comfort, beauty and easy care.

or nearly 30 years, Anderson County has been the manufacturing home for Sunbrella® fabrics, which are known around the world among boaters and homeowners for beauty, long life and easy care. Glen Raven began operations in Anderson in 1986 with the acquisition of an existing plant, and in 1994, built today’s onemillion-square-foot Sunbrella manufacturing center on Liberty Highway. “Our Anderson Plant was designed from the ground up specifically for Sunbrella fabrics,” said Jack Woodson, Anderson Plant site manager. “When customers tour our plant, they always comment on the high levels of automation and sophisticated technology that we employ throughout our facility.” Glen Raven, which is a 133-year-old family owned company based in North Carolina, employs nearly 700 associates at Anderson Plant and they operate one of the world’s most advanced textiles manufacturing centers. Anderson Plant is a vertically integrated manufacturing operation, which means that the plant is responsible for all aspects of Sunbrella fabrics-creation, from fibers to finished fabrics all under one roof. In addition to manufacturing operations, Anderson Plant is also a center for research and development focused on the continual improvement in the performance and the aesthetics of Sunbrella fabrics. Innovative fabrics technology is not only assuring continued leadership in fabrics for sun protection and boating, but also in support of a growing presence for the Sunbrella brand in upholstery markets for both indoors and out. Many of the nation’s leading consumer brands commission exclusive Sunbrella fabrics created in Anderson.

Anderson Plant has also worked hard to be a good neighbor to Anderson County, offering wellness programs for associates and their families, supporting numerous community organizations and operating in an environmentally friendly manner. Anderson Plant has been landfill free for nearly four years with every waste item repurposed or recycled. The plant is also a member of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation’s WAIT program (Wildlife and Industry Together.) This associate-led program protects and enhances the habitat for native plants and animals on Glen Raven’s 180-acre campus, and includes the planting of 25,000 pine trees two years ago on an unused portion of the plant site. “Our operations in Anderson County represent a partnership with the community,” Woodson said. “We’re fortunate to have a talented workforce that enjoys an excellent quality of life working in our plant and living within our community.” Glen Raven’s Anderson Plant features jacquard weaving to create highly decorative Sunbrella® fabrics.

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General Machine of Anderson

ike Ertzberger, an Anderson native and veteran machine shop foreman, started General Machine of Anderson in his garage in 1999. Today, the custom machining, fabricating and assembly company owned by Mike and his wife Debbie grosses $6 million a year, with its team of expert machinists and fabricators serving everyone from major international corporations right down to the local farmer who needs an old tractor part welded. “We’ve built this business on excellence in service and products, and we’re proud of the fact that 95 percent of our business is from repeat customers,” Mike said. “Customer satisfaction is a key factor in building any business.” General Machine is located in a large facility on Doubletree Drive off the Highway 28 bypass in Anderson. The metal building has a surprisingly homey feel inside, and each visitor is enthusiastically greeted by the Ertzberger’s boxer bulldog named Otis, who has his own business card proclaiming him “Head of Security.” But don’t let the laidback atmosphere fool you. General Machine is serious about its work, and its excellence has been recognized with honors, such as the Anderson Area Small Business of the Year award. The company prides itself on its customer service. “We’re always there when they need us.

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When there’s a breakdown or other emergency, we’re there 24/7 until the customer’s needs are met,” Mike emphasized, noting that a malfunction by one crucial piece of machinery can put an entire factory out of commission. Now employing around 50 technicians and support staff, General Machine provides machining, fabricating, and assembly services to a long list of local, national, and international industries in textiles, automotives, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, plastics, pipelines, appliances, chemicals, hardware, and household products, to name a few. “We’re thankful for every customer we have, regardless of how large or small,” Mike said. “General Machine is a small business itself, but we, along with the other small businesses, have an important role in the economic vitality of the Anderson area. We thank all of our satisfied customers for making it possible to enlarge our plant four times in the past five years, despite tough economic times.” Anderson and Upstate South Carolina are growing, and General Machine’s owners and family of employees feel blessed to be a part of that growth.

Kravet

Kravet facility in Anderson, South Carolina

or almost a century, the name Kravet has been synonymous with service, quality and innovation in the world of design. Today, the Kravet brand is a global leader in to-the-trade home furnishings. In 1903, due to the political and social unrest in Russia at the time, Samuel Kravet, a tailor by trade, packed up his clothing and sewing machine and boarded a boat bound for America. After settling in lower Manhattan and continuing his work as a tailor for upscale clientele, Kravet expanded his offerings and sold tassels, trimmings and tiebacks. In the mid-1900s, he brought his four sons into the business, which became known as S. Kravet & Sons. In the ’60s, showrooms opened nationwide and a distribution center was built in Long Island, N.Y. With its ever-expanding national presence matched with high quality products, Kravet Fabrics was growing rapidly with Mr. Larry Kravet at the helm. Kravet acquired Lee Jofa in 1995, GP & J Baker in 2001, and Brunschwig & Fils in 2011, three brands that celebrate tradition, craftsmanship and quality. In 2002, Kravet Fabrics became Kravet Inc., a name that better suited the ongoing expansion into additional product categories, including furniture, carpet and lighting. The distribution center in Anderson, opened in 1989 to support the company’s growth. Kravet chose this location because of Anderson’s skilled workforce and the center’s proximity to the textile industry in the Southeast. The facility, which served as a key distribution point in the South, expanded and doubled in size in 1998, and it currently sits on 66 acres in southern Anderson County. In 2014, Kravet will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Anderson distribution center.

During the last quarter century the company has supported the Anderson community through work with area nonprofits, schools and other organizations. This facility is a key component of the worldwide business, handling a major portion of distribution and customer service and employing approximately 200 people. Today, Kravet products are sold worldwide, and the business is run by the fourth generation of the Kravet family. Company showrooms in the United States, Canada and abroad feature both traditional and contemporary styles as well as licensed collections from the world’s most recognized designers. As Kravet looks ahead to its fifth generation, its presence continues to grow throughout the world, creating opportunities for innovation and development in New York, Anderson and beyond.

Noted interior designer Alexa Hampton designs furniture, fabric and trimmings for Kravet. Pictured is a bedroom vignette showcasing her 2012 collections.

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Roylco, Inc.

isitors to the Roylco, Inc. plant in Anderson are greeted at the receptionist’s desk by a life-size cow painted with impressionistic water lilies. “Moo-net” is just one indication that Roylco is not an ordinary manufacturer. On the production floor, employees may be dyeing different shapes of macaroni in a rainbow of colors for pre-schoolers’ art projects or fabricating car dashboard components or building the plastic, box-shaped lights posted above grocery store cash registers that indicate “10 ITEMS OR LESS.” Carolyn and Perry Voisin, a married couple who are natives of Canada, opened the plant on the Abbeville Highway in 1996. Carolyn’s family founded and operates Roylco in Ontario, and the Voisins established the American firm. While Carolyn joked that all Canadians want to live in Florida, after many scouting trips throughout the Southeast, she and Perry zeroed in on South Carolina. They eventually were drawn to Anderson by the prospect of living on beautiful Hartwell Lake. Roylco has two separate divisions, industrial and educational products, exporting worldwide. Their customers range from daycare centers to the U.S. military. Both lines involve die-cutting, injection molding, printing and assembly, and both involve the same machines and employees on the manufacturing floor. The children’s products range from simple sheets of finger-paint paper die-cut to the shape of kids (for making selfportraits) to life-size bones printed on laminated paper to teach anatomy. Carolyn emphasized that

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their process is very vertical. For example, a Super Topplers box of plastic people-shaped dominoes is designed, fabricated and printed on premises, from the dominoes to the box. Even the dies are made in-house. Roylco sells its educational products through distributors in North America and throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand. They even have customers in China and Korea. The revelations about quality issues with children’s toys manufactured in China have made many buyers realize that the lowest priced item isn’t always the best buy, she said. In fact, the Voisins considered building a plant in China themselves, but after a visit there decided they didn’t want to give up the quality control they have in South Carolina. While the children’s products are certainly more colorful and eye-catching, Carolyn stressed that both product lines are important to Roylco, especially within the burgeoning auto manufacturing base in South Carolina. “A lot of our educational products aren’t necessary products, but they’re fun products,” she said. “I’m glad we diversify.”

First Quality Tissue SE, LLC At First Quality, We Put Quality of Life First. Commitment to Safety, Quality, Service, Integrity, and the Environment is the cornerstone of First Quality’s accomplishments.

irst Quality is a leading manufacturer of non-discretionary family care products and rolled goods in the United States. Founded in 1988 by the Damaghi family, this privately held family of companies is based in Great Neck, New York. The company shipped its first product, adult incontinence briefs, in 1990. Since then, First Quality has expanded its product lines to include baby diapers and training pants, feminine hygiene products, wipes, consumer tissue and towels and bottled water. First Quality Tissue is a proud supplier of premium quality household paper products in retail markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. First Quality’s Plenty™ brand paper towels were launched in 2005 to provide consumers the “best of the best” qualities to make clean-ups easy, with the perfect combination of strength, absorbency and softness. In early 2008, First Quality expanded its product offering to include Panda™ premium bath tissue. Ultra-soft and strong, it satisfies the growing demand for high-performance, premium-quality bath tissue. First Quality also manufactures private labels for some of the world’s premier retailers. Initially, all First Quality’s paper towels and tissue were produced at a plant in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. In May 2010, First Quality announced Anderson, South Carolina as the site of its second tissue/towel manufacturing facility. The facility is the location of two state-of-the-art Thru-Air-Dried (TAD) machines. The first TAD

went on-line in 2011, and the second in 2012. Each TAD can produce more than 70,000 tons of paper per year, for combined production by two TADs of 150,000 tons per year. This effectively doubled First Quality Tissue’s capacity. Commitment is the cornerstone of First Quality’s accomplishments. Although the family of companies is diversified among several industries, each operates with a commitment to quality, service, integrity and environmental sustainability: • Commitment to quality leads to continuous investment in the most advanced technologies, from manufacturing to distribution. • Commitment to service by all of the First Quality companies’ 3,000 employees means they listen to customers and deliver innovative products and support services. • Commitment to integrity is demonstrated by First Quality’s practice of consistently doing what is right for customers, vendors and employees, even in today’s competitive markets. • Commitment to sustainability drives First Quality to reduce energy consumption and its environmental footprint, using the most advanced technologies and utilizing energy and environmental best practices, while delivering a high-quality, competitive product to customers. The combination of commitments creates an unmistakable corporate culture at First Quality: Quality. First. 133

Sargent Metal Fabicators

Robotic welding assures precision, speed and quality.

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t Sargent Metal’s state-of-the-art Anderson plant, sheet metal emerges as fabricated metal products for customers all over the Southeast — and beyond. What goes on under the company’s roof? Raw materials taken from the fully automated storage and retrieval system are laser-cut, punched, bent and welded using sophisticated machinery, operated by smart, welltrained employees. Said President and CEO Tim Hayden, “As a company, we are fully committed to automation, but it’s all about our people. Sargent Metal is like a three-legged stool: employees, vendors and customers. It’s important that we keep that balance.” When the company was founded by Donnie Sargent and his dad, J.D. Sargent, in 1975, their goal was to become one of the best metal fabricators in the Southeast. At that time, sheet

metal mechanics could take a drawing and produce parts from start to finish, including paint. Early customers were textile plants and millwright work for various local plants. Sargent Metal even made fire trucks and armored cars that when complete, the vehicles were ready to drive off. Today, Sargent Metal serves markets whose stringent specifications demand the perfection of precision laser cutting, punching and bending equipment. Welding is done both robotically and by technicians. It’s a capitalintensive, high-technology operation. “Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to work at Sargent Metal,” Tim said. The son of Donnie Sargent, he started working part-time at age 14 and joined the company full-time after graduating from Clemson University. Major changes began in the early 1990s, when Sargent Metal had to pass up a large contract because it didn’t own computer numeric control equipment. It soon purchased its first laser-cutting machine. Now it owns four. By the turn of the 21st century, Sargent Metal had outgrown its facility. Working with the Anderson County Economic Development Department, Sargent Metal purchased a parcel of land at the Anderson County Airport Business Park and opened an 80,000-square-foot facility in 2003. At that time, Sargent Metal had 55 employees. Ten years later, it has 140 employees working three shifts a day. Sargent Metal serves customers in the electronics, building construction, golf turf equipment, mass transit, elevator, trucking and heavy equipment industries, primarily in the Southeast. However, it has shipped all over the United States and to Mexico and Canada. As a third-generation leader of this home-grown company, Tim hopes to keep things in the family: His 14-year-old daughter began helping out in the office during the summer.

rian Rugs produces more than two million rugs a year in its Anderson plant, selling through retailers such as Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe’s, Target, Costco, Ashley Furniture, Babcock Furniture and Rooms to Go. Every possible task required to get a rug into a customer’s living room is completed under the roof of the 550,000-square-foot plant, from the design to extruding the polypropylene yarn and weaving, to marketing to packaging and shipping. “We’re in the fashion business,” said Chief Operations Officer Wim De Pape, explaining that his company can quickly respond to requests for style changes, new colors and custom designs. One reason the company doubled its business during the 2003 recession was that its affordable prices — under $200 for a large area rug — enable customers to make a major change in the look of a room with a minor outlay of cash. Orian is part of a family-owned company based in Belgium. The Anderson plant was established in 1979 to serve the North American market and was one of the first major foreign investors in Anderson

Orian Rugs

Serving Anderson, South Carolina for over 30 years!

County. “We have a great team,” De Pape says of his 400 employees. “They’re reliable, smart and passionate about what we do here. It’s the people who make the difference.”

Packaging Corporation of America

ackaging Corporation of America (PCA) is the country’s fourth largest manufacturer of containerboard and corrugated packaging. The publicly held company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “PKG” is headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. We have six containerboard mills and 98 manufacturing locations across the U.S. PCA’s Honea Path, South Carolina location employs 84 people.

A partnership with PCA is about building a relationship with a knowledgeable, trusted, committed source; adding value to your business; and actively contributing to your success in the marketplace. Whether you are looking for conventional shipping containers, custom-printed corrugated boxes, custom packaging or eye-catching retail visual displays, PCA will deliver the right packaging solution on time and on budget. 135

Photo courtesy of Chapman Design Group. 136

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Hill Electric Company

Hill Electric is positioned to take full advantage of the expanding economy, continuing the legacy begun so long ago by a father and son committed to serving their customers and building a stable company for their employees.

hen Steve Kay purchased Hill Electric Company in 1991, he was following in the footsteps of two men who had played a major role in the history of Anderson, the Electric City. Walter Hill began his career in 1917 as an operator at Anderson Water, Light and Power Company, located in the Portman Shoals power plant on the Seneca River, ten miles west of Anderson. In 1897, this hydroelectric plant was the first to successfully transmit electricity for long distances over wires. In recognition of being the first town to be electrified in this way, Anderson received the nickname it still uses today. Walter Hill left Anderson Water, Light and Power to begin working for Webb Electric Co. in the late 1920s. His son Bob, a young boy at the time, would tag along to job sites with him and other Webb employees. Bob learned a lot about electricity during those years, but he went off to World War II and then, after only a short stint as an electrician, to Clemson College. When Walter wanted to form his own electric contracting business in 1954, Bob joined him. Steve Kay started work there in 1969 when he was only 18, and in

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the traditional way, worked his way to the top. He helped build up the business, and then, when Bob was ready to retire, he purchased the company. For the decade that followed the change in ownership from Bob Hill to Steve Kay, Hill Electricâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major customers were textile companies. The Anderson office was augmented with two branches in Georgia, enabling Hill Electric to service industrial customers along the Interstate 85 corridor south to Atlanta and north to Charlotte. Among its biggest customers were Springs Industries and Milliken. But through the years, most of these textile clients downsized, closed or moved their plants overseas. As a new generation of managers moved up through the ranks at Hill Electric, they aggressively sought new customers in growing industries. Today, Steve and his partners Mike Davis and Zach Loftis â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who were brought in as young men, just as Steve was â&#x20AC;&#x201C; preside over a different, but still thriving, Hill Electric. In the past decade, the company has experienced almost a complete turnover in its customer base without shrinking in size, even during the recent recession. Major

customers for Hill Electric these days include Michelin Tire, which has three plants in Anderson County, and newcomer First Quality Tissue. Mike Davis describes Hill Electric as a “niche service company” for industry. Basically, its electricians and engineers install manufacturing process equipment, keep it running and upgrade it as needed. Mike notes that this service plan creates perpetual business for Hill Electric, as long as the customers are satisfied. That’s why catering to those customers is vital. For example, one of the company’s field supervisors has just two customers, but they are big ones. About 10 percent of Hill Electric’s business is light commercial and home, and just as with its industrial customers, here too, the company emphasizes safety and quality. “If we are going to install a new electrical outlet in the playroom of your home, you want to know it is installed correctly,” Mike said. The company is also well versed in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements on Lake Hartwell, a valuable asset as it serves property owners with electrified docks on the corps-managed lake.

Hill Electric consistently maintains a work force of about 100 people. Its core managers are electrical engineers whom are graduates of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. Its field employees tend to be people who came in young, demonstrated their mechanical ability, learned on the job and didn’t mind putting in 60-hour weeks when required. The company sold its Georgia offices some time ago and now primarily services customers in Anderson and four other Upstate counties. For employees, that means they can still be home to enjoy family time after work and sleep in their own beds. Hill Electric takes care of its people and their families. The company is rewarded with employee loyalty with the average tenure of field foremen and superintendents at 20 years. The values and vision that have kept Hill Electric successful and independent since 1954 continue under the current core management team. It is positioned to take full advantage of the expanding economy, continuing the legacy begun so long ago by a father and son committed to serving their customers and building a stable company for their employees. Now, the next generation of leaders is being groomed and will be ready when the time comes for Steve Kay, Mike Davis and Zach Loftis to step back. As Mike explained, “There’s nobody that’s bigger than the company itself.”

Today (from left to right) Zach Loftis, Steve Kay and Mike Davis – who were all brought in as young men – preside over a still thriving Hill Electric.

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Cross Country Home Services

Cross Country Home Service, a leading home warranty company, operates a national customer service center in Anderson.

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ross Country Home Services (CCHS) is dedicated to making home management easy by offering a full selection of hasslefree, cost-effective home solutions, including warranty products and maintenance plans. Since 1978, the company has built a reputation for excellence and today is one of the nation’s leading providers of these products and services. Consumers can buy home warranties and home maintenance plans directly from CCHS or through select partners in the mortgage, banking, insurance, real estate and utility industries. Headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, CCHS employs more than 600 employees. In 2008, the company added a customer service facility in Anderson and invested a great deal of time, energy and $3 million in renovations to its 40,000-squarefoot building to brand the company in the community. They have successfully gone from being known as “that Call Center in the Old Winn Dixie” to “the Customer Service Center on Greenville Street.” The number of employees in Anderson has grown to nearly 300 since opening, and CCHS is extremely proud to support its commitment to the Anderson business community, even during a depressed economy. The facility is still growing, and

associates may have the opportunity to work from home as well. “We are proud of our Anderson facility and pleased that our company’s success has added to the local economy,” said CEO Joe Incandela. “Our committed, talented team has made CCHS a great place to work, and in turn, we have experienced unprecedented growth that has had a positive ripple effect on the Anderson community.” CCHS’s employee-centric culture is based on its core values: listen, value others, promote improvement, reject status quo, embrace passion, act like owners and celebrate success. They are the cornerstone of every interaction with customers, clients and associates and are fully integrated into the culture and decision-making process. CCHS recruits, retains, engages, rewards and recognizes behaviors that exemplify these values every day. The company is built around customer satisfaction, and CCHS’s customer solutions staff in Anderson is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This team has become integral to the success of the company because of its dedication to ensuring the highest level of service in order to make home management easier for its customers. In 2013, the company received the Silver Stevie© Award in the “Customer Service Department of the Year” category at the American Business Awards. Corporate citizenship is a priority for the company as well, and it is actively involved nationally and in the local Anderson/Upstate community. In 2012, the company launched Operation Appliance AidSM: Keeping Things Running Smoothly For Our Veterans, a national program that was designed to improve the daily lives of veterans and military service families by providing them with new appliances or home systems. This program is CCHS’s way to show its appreciation for their service to our country, and CCHS is proud to have helped several veterans in the Anderson/Upstate community. CCHS also supports many local organizations, including Little League baseball teams, Adopt-a-Highway programs, The Anderson Arts Center, The AnMed Foundation, Meals on Wheels, The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, The March of Dimes, Anderson Interfaith Ministries and more.

Lazer Construction Company, Inc. The 18,300-square-foot, sprinkled four-truck fire station and EMS building has sleeping quarters for

enneth Hicks started his career as a contractor in 1979 with a manila folder of incorporation documents and a used car. He had to sell the car to finance his new company, Concrete Specialties, Inc. His first job was a circular concrete bench for a church. He had all the materials ready to go — then six inches of snow fell. His truck got stuck in the mud. From this humble beginning came Lazer Construction Company, Inc., an unlimited license general contractor. “In year one, we did $82,000 in business,” Hicks said. “Today, we do that almost every day.” Hicks graduated from Clemson University, where he played football under Frank Howard and Hootie Ingram, and worked for another construction company for five years before striking out on his own. Initially, his company focused on concrete work: swimming pool decks, driveways, bank vaults, dairy silo reinforcements. Expanding into larger specialty concrete work, the company snared industrial clients such as Michelin and Milliken and then became a full-fledged general contractor with a new name in 1983. Lazer began building bridges for the South Carolina Department of Transportation in the 1990s. Today, Williamstonbased Lazer Construction serves clients in both Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee. Lazer branched into a new direction with Hicks’ receipt of a scratchy telephone call in the late 1980s. It was made on a Metro Mobile cell phone and led to $100 million in cell tower construction business. Lazer pioneered concrete foundations for the towers and installed them everywhere from the tops of mountains to the top of a 20-story building. The latter required the services of a helicopter. Lazer offers turn-key service for companies such as AT&T,

18 first responders and first-class

Verizon and T-Mobile. Construction crews can go to raw land, grade the road, pour the base, erect the tower, pour foundations for the technology building, build it, and erect the fence around it. Cell tower work is 50 percent of Lazer’s business today, while commercial and industrial construction makes up the rest. Among Lazer’s local projects are bank buildings, churches, a fire station and additions for many of the Anderson District 5 schools. The renovation of The Stitchery building in downtown Anderson to create the Anderson County Farmers’ Market Pavilion is one of its highly visible renovation projects. Hicks’ philosophy, shared by vice presidents Doug Mayfield, William Mott and Bryan Tyson, is to do anything the customer needs — but never at the sacrifice of quality or safety.

accommodations that include a kitchen, day room, covered patio and sleeping quarters. The apparatus bay has two bays able to house four trucks, laundry room, shop, second floor mezzanine and platform for indoor training. Constructed in 1936 as the Greer National Guard Armory, and then serving as a gymnasium for the Parks and Recreation Department until 2006, the latest renovation for this building, the Horace McKown Gymnasium, was dedicated in July of 2012 as the Cannon Centre and has proven to be an integral part of the meeting and events facilities that comprise the Events Center at Greer City Hall.

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Chapman Design Group

Donalds, South Carolina Residence

The Bleckley Inn, Anderson, South Carolina

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hapman Design Group, Inc. completed more than 300 projects during its first 20 years in business. Founded in 1994 by Donald G. Chapman, AIA, CMB, the company’s services include architectural design and interior design for both residential and commercial projects, from renovations and additions to new construction. Don and his wife Amy also operate a construction company, Icon Construction of South Carolina, LLC, which builds many of the firm’s design projects. These include homes at their Stonebridge at Rankin’s Lake subdivision in Anderson, which was South Carolina’s first allelectric Energy Star subdivision. “Our goal is for the completed project to reflect its owner,” Don said. “That’s why none of our projects look the same.” The youngest child of a military family, Don was born in Japan and moved to his father’s native Anderson County as a boy. He completed high school here and put himself through Savannah College of Art and Design by working for architects in Savannah and Hilton Head. In 1989, he earned a double major: a master’s degree in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in interior design. Amy, an Anderson County native, graduated from Clemson

University in 1991 and has worked in real estate and corporate financial management. The couple met on a blind date shortly after Don established his firm, and married in 1995. Chapman Design has made its mark on Anderson’s downtown area, where Don has designed a dozen projects, including The Bleckley Inn. As a member of the Anderson City Council since 2008, Don has brought his expertise to the city’s ongoing downtown revitalization efforts. “If the downtown is vibrant, the rest of the city will be vibrant,” he said. Chapman Design was based downtown for many years but moved to its current address at 3215 Highway 24 in 2011 because of delivery and storage needs for Icon Construction that couldn’t be met in the central business district. The Chapmans make their home at Stonebridge, surrounded by clients. Most of their business is the result of referrals or repeat business from clients. “We build every house like it’s our own,” Don said, joking that he and Amy don’t want to have to do their grocery shopping at 3 a.m. to avoid unhappy clients. “One of the most humbling aspects is to look back on some of the projects that we’ve done and the clients that have become friends,” he said.

McGee Heating & Air, Inc. McGee Heating & Air, Inc.

alter McGee had a solid education at Tri-County Technical College and a dozen years’ experience in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning field when he opened McGee Heating & Air, Inc. in 1981. The company was an immediate success, grossing a million dollars the first year. Today, McGee operates offices in Hartwell and Elberton, Georgia, and Anderson, serving a growing market in the border counties of each state. McGee is proud that he has never had a money-losing year. That’s no accident. “Our business is all about service,” said Robert Kesler, general manager in Anderson and an employee for 30 years. The largest

opened in 1981.

residential HVAC company in the area, McGee prides itself on quick service response — usually within 24 hours — and quality workmanship. McGee Heating & Air’s business is dominated by residential customers, though the technicians do light commercial and some industrial work, too. Most of the systems they install are made by Trane, but Kesler emphasized that they service all makes and models. With almost 100 employees today, Walter McGee believes strongly that people are what make a business a success. “Attitude is everything in business, and good people make a good business,” he said. “That’s where success comes from.”

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Photo by Wayne Barton Photography. Flowers by Renee Burroughs Design.

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Marketplace and Hospitality

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The Bleckley Inn

The Bleckley Inn front entrance Photo by Sposa Bella Photography.

he first guests at what eventually became The Bleckley Inn arrived in three tractortrailer trucks from their St. Louis home in the spring of 2009. They stayed in the carriage house, welcoming throngs of admiring visitors for a week, in between pulling a huge beer wagon down Main Street. The “guests” were 10 of the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales who had been brought to Anderson for a festival. Their experience with these equine visitors got Steve and Lynn Kay thinking about building a hotel for human visitors, such as the team’s handlers. The Kays had bought a block of downtown property in 2005, including an old bank and other buildings constructed in the first half of the 20th century. The structures had housed everything from J.J. Fretwell’s mule and buggy dealership to a tire company. The couple renovated the threestory Peoples Bank into a multi-use building that included ground-floor office space and a penthouse apartment for themselves. After the Clydesdales left, they tackled a combination of renovation and new construction to create their hotel and event center. After a lot of blood, sweat and tears were shed and a few unpleasant surprises uncovered, the result was a 14-room boutique hotel. The Bleckley Inn opened on March 15, 2011, with 30 weddings already booked that year. The second year, it hosted 38 weddings. Business executives who had been staying 30 miles away while doing business in Anderson discovered it and began staying there. According to innkeeper, Shelby Clardy, 74 guests had posted positive reviews on tripadvisor.com by the Inn’s second anniversary.

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Steve, Lynn and Shelby did a tremendous amount of research to make the inn unique and pleasant. Lynn and Shelby personally tested personal care products to choose the best for the inn’s bathrooms. The Comphy Sheets Lynn bought were such a hit that one guest likened a night in a Bleckley Inn bed to “sleeping in the Easter Bunny’s lap.” The beautifully appointed rooms, with their 10-foot ceilings, heart pine floors and plethora of amenities, delight guests. The complimentary week-day breakfast is cooked to order, while on weekends, chef Lolly Wenzel pulls out all the stops with a “Skippin’ Lunch” breakfast. And each guest is treated to milk and cookies at bedtime. For brides-to-be and others planning a special event at The Bleckley, there are public spaces that can accommodate up to 400 guests, including the carriage house, a 3,000-square-foot walled courtyard with an illuminated fountain and a garden patio. Typically, the staff works with a bride for a year to make sure every detail of the wedding is perfect. Interior spaces in the inn can handle a 16-person meeting to a 100-person seminar. Guests can stay in the hotel, as well as in two second-floor apartments and an eight-room annex building a block away on the courthouse square, all historic buildings. All of the facilities boast a rich patina of history. Steve salvaged vintage wood, brick and other building materials from all over downtown Anderson for use in The Bleckley. It wasn’t the cheapest way to build — In fact, it usually was more expensive — but the result was worth it. The walls of the inn are hung with family photographs honoring Anderson residents associated with the

site, including 19th century businessman Sylvester Bleckley and his wife Ann Elizabeth, whose portraits hang in the lobby. “Artwork has always been important to me, and what I wanted here was local artwork that showed the best of Anderson,” Lynn said. She purchased watercolor paintings by Anderson artist Diann Simms that portray historic sites. Vintage postcards showing downtown scenes were enlarged and printed on canvas, with a different one in each guest room. Not surprisingly, The Bleckley has become a popular gathering spot for local people, too. Charities are frequent mid-week customers, holding fund-raising dinners, auctions and even the annual Furball for the Anderson County Humane Society. In addition, The Bleckley occasionally hosts its own theme dinners, such as one recreating the last meal on The Titanic. Guests were asked to dress the part — “Some wore life preservers,” Steve recalled — and each was given a ticket with a real passenger’s name on it. The secret of The Bleckley Inn’s success is the old-fashioned Southern hospitality shown by the Kays and their staff. “It’s all about treating people the way you want to be treated,” said Steve. “I tell our staff, if you are in doubt as to how to treat a guest, just treat them as your mother would in her own home.”

A wedding in the Bleckley Inn’s Carriage House Photo by Magnolia House Studios.

A king room at the Bleckley Inn, featuring a king bed, full bath, hot breakfast, and nightly milk and cookies Photo by Michelle Brooks.

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Photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection.

Maynard’s Home Furnishings Maynard’s offers quality, service, selection and value in fine furnishings for any room

l Maynard came home from World War II and opened a small furniture store in the heart of his wife Sadie’s hometown of Belton in 1947. At first, new furniture was so hard to come by as factories converted from war to peace needs that Al bought, refinished and sold secondhand items. Four years later, he opened Maynard’s Wayside, a showroom of beautiful new furniture. Today, Maynard’s Home Furnishings is run by Al’s son Rex and his grandsons Alderman and Blake. The locations in Belton and Piedmont have a combined floor space of 43,000 square feet, plus a 20,000-square-foot warehouse. Rex Maynard, named for an uncle who didn’t return from the war, still uses the greeting his father coined on a radio advertisement many years ago: “Hello, Nice People.” He also adheres to the business model his father established. “The principles of our business have always been quality, service, selection and value,” he said. The stores offer better quality furniture that will last, as well as

in the home.

competitive pricing from well-known manufacturers like Thomasville, La-Z-Boy, Smith Brothers and Jamison Bedding. Maynard’s carries furnishings for every room in the home, including the porch and patio, as well as rugs, lamps, pictures and other decorative accessories. Recently, the American furniture industry has faced fierce competition from abroad, and many firms closed or moved their plants overseas. Despite this, Maynard’s offers furniture made in America whenever possible. Most sofas, chairs and recliners are still made in North Carolina, and Maynard’s offers a wide choice of custom upholstery that can be delivered in six to eight weeks. Among the stores’ most popular lines are Winesburg and Yutzy, solid wood bedroom and dining room furniture made by Amish artisans in the Midwest. Rex speaks often of loyalty — both from customers and staff. There are indeed a lot of “Nice People” at Maynard’s.

left: Founder Al Maynard in front of the original Maynard’s location. Maynard’s is a family-owned business now managed by the second and third generations. Rex Maynard is flanked by his two sons, Blake and Alderman.

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McDonald’s of Anderson

arry and Stacey Linnette met while working at a McDonald’s restaurant in Virginia Beach, Virginia. More than 30 years later, they are proud not only to be McDonald’s franchise owners, but also to be bringing their own children into the business. Since 2000, the Linnettes have owned three restaurants in the Anderson area: two on the SC 28 Bypass and one on Clemson Boulevard. The latter, located at Belvedere Plaza, is one of the oldest McDonald’s in South Carolina, dating back to the 1960s when it was a drivethrough without a dining room. Expanded and remodeled numerous times, the three restaurants wait on several thousand people a year and have 150 employees. Larry says the key to their success is, “to look on any job look like it was your career and take advantage of any advancement opportunities.” When asked their favorite menu item, the Linnettes quickly pick classics. Larry’s choice is the Quarter Pounder with cheese, while Stacey’s is the Big Mac. They quickly point out the constantly changing menu gives customers many choices, including options for those counting calories, watching carbs or looking for a quick meal that is

Holiday Inn Express

ince 1995, the Holiday Inn Express of Anderson has catered to the lodging needs of travelers visiting family and conducting business throughout the Electric City. The hotel also provides lodging for visitors attending events at Anderson Sports and Entertainment Complex as well as for those visitors attending sporting events at Anderson University and Clemson University. For individuals looking for a peaceful retreat, the facility is conveniently located in the suburban area of Anderson and within the shortest drive to the

still healthy. And they always deliver value for the dollar. Stacey said, “Every day, it’s our job to please those who are choosing to eat with us.”

Greenville-Spartanburg Airport. The 100% smokefree facility features a complimentary hot breakfast including breakfast meats, eggs, biscuits and gravy. A fully equipped meeting room is available to serve small seminars, receptions, and family gatherings. A business center and fitness center are also available on site. All 51 guest rooms and 12 suites are equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, flat screen TV, coffee maker, and wireless high speed Internet access. The hotel has been family owned and managed since it started operating in 1995.

ill and Sabra Nickas opened Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill in an historic building in downtown Anderson in 1999. Their American cuisine with a Mediterranean flair was an immediate hit with locals. Glowing articles in the Wall Street Journal and Southern Living and a string of Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence have further polished Sullivan’s reputation for fresh food complemented by great wine. Sullivan’s is a Certified South Carolina Grown restaurant, with 70 percent of its menu items originating in state. The restaurant atmosphere is upscale casual. Sullivan’s is the place to go on weekdays for a casual or business lunch of sandwiches, wraps, salads, signature portabella mushroom bisque and pasta.

Photo courtesy of the Frank Alexander Collection.

Six nights a week, customers enjoy white tablecloth elegance and Bill’s knock-your-socks off menu of fresh seafood, aged beef and other specialties, plus a huge dessert selection made by Sabra. That includes big, chewy cookies, black bottom peanut butter pie, cheesecakes and layer cakes. Sullivan’s is a popular location for private parties and receptions and also caters off-site, with the food prepared and served by a professional and attentive staff. That sometimes includes Bill and Sabra’s children, all three of whom were “raised in the kitchen” while their parents cooked and baked.

Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill

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Photo by Julie Eudy. 152

Government Services

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Anderson Regional Joint Water System

The Lake Hartwell Water Treatment Plant Intake provides drinking water for nearly 200,000 citizens in Anderson and southern Pickens counties.

W SCDHEC awarded Anderson Regional the 2012 Area Wide Optimization Program Award for continued excellence in water quality. Anderson Regional has received this award five consecutive years.

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ater is something we all take for granted. We turn a handle on a kitchen faucet or a huge water main at a local industry and the clear, clean element that sustains all life and the local economy gushes out. Since 2002, the Anderson Regional Joint Water System has made sure that happens every day for some 200,000 residents of Anderson and Pickens counties, as well as commercial and industrial users. Anderson Regional Water is a partnership

of municipal and rural water districts created to purchase the water treatment facilities that had been owned and operated by Duke Energy since 1968. The partnership has since been expanded to include five municipalities, eight rural water districts and one special purpose district. At the time of the purchase, the treatment plant had a capacity of 32 million gallons of water per day (MGD), according to Executive Director Scott Willett. Thanks to a forward-thinking governing board, the facilities have been upgraded and capacity expanded to 48 MGD. That’s not only a 50 percent increase in capacity since the purchase, but provides plenty of capacity to support future growth. The peak use on a hot summer day is currently “just” 30 MGD. And that’s just treated water. A $12 million raw water pumping station was dedicated in early 2013, built in response to water needs of the First Quality tissue plant. First Quality will be the system’s largest single user. However, with a capacity for over 18 MGD, the new raw water system can provide economical service to several more large users who don’t require treated water for their processes. It’s all part of looking ahead. “We plan infrastructure for the next 30 years and water resources for 50 years,” Willett said. Even in times

of severe drought, the intake station on the Six and Twenty Creek tributary of Hartwell Lake has no trouble drawing. “With our intakes firmly in the original river beds, for us to go dry, the lake has to be gone,” he said. That’s good news about the quantity of water, but what about the quality, and how does it taste? “Thanks to a large stable water source and a dedicated staff our water is excellent,” he said, citing numerous water quality accolades from the South

Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Local water systems supplied by Anderson Regional Water have twice won a competition for best-tasting drinking water in the state. Willett gives credit for Anderson Regional Water’s success to its award-winning and highly trained and qualified staff. There is someone on the job 24/7 to make sure when your tap is turned on, that clean, fresh water gushes out.

Recent filter upgrades are part of Anderson Regional’s continual rehabilitation program of existing infrastructure to maintain or improve water quality.

The South Anderson Water System Intake will provide water for economic development and job creation in the southern region of Anderson County.

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City of Anderson

City officials and excited citizens listen as Mayor Terence Roberts and City Manager John Moore speak at the ribbon cutting at Carolina Wren Park in 2013.

Linley Park Greenway

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nderson is an amazing place where businesses thrive and citizens relish a range of amenities unusual for a city of just over 25,000 in population. In addition to its beautifully revitalized downtown and exciting recreational programs, Anderson delivers traditional municipal services, including fire and police protection, weekly curbside trash collection and water and sewer utilities, in consistently superior fashion. None of this happens by accident. A visionary City Council, known for its informed, deliberate approach, and the city’s stable, professional management have helped Anderson blossom in the past decade. The carefully implemented improvements to the city’s infrastructure have paved the way for innovative public/private partnerships. The execution of a Downtown Master Plan has encouraged private investment in the city’s core business district. Anderson’s Main Street has been enhanced with attractive streetscaping, charming

retro lighting and an astounding collection of public art. The newest addition to downtown is Carolina Wren Park designed to be both a retreat and a gathering place. It is an ideal venue for festivals, concerts, theatre performances, cultural events, weddings and reunions. Convenient, welllighted downtown parking lots and a four-floor garage welcome visitors as they shop, eat out or visit government centers. The city’s Recreation Master Plan has resulted in the creation of walking trails and upgrades to its 15 parks. The striking, state-of-the-art Recreation Center offers a variety of healthy choices for citizens of all ages, from its fitness center and indoor walking track to organized sports. In 2013, Anderson was recognized for its outstanding commitment to public art with the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award, the highest arts award given by the state of South Carolina. Fourteen separate and distinct art installations, the result of both public and private investment, dot the downtown business district. These include the painstakingly historically accurate sculpture of William Church Whitner by noted sculptor Zan Wells; the colorful, over-sized bass in the “Fish Out of Water” sidewalk sculptures by local artists; and a flock of amazingly realistic bronze “wrens” that perch here and there, providing a game of “I spy” for sharp-eyed children and adults. Creative leadership and partnership building have enabled Anderson to function far beyond its primary role as guardian of citizen safety. As one partner noted, “The cooperative and generous spirit of the city’s leaders has played a key role in this success.”

Anderson County

elcome to Our Wonderful County – A Great Place to Live, Work and Play!” That’s the message on Anderson County’s award-winning website, and living up to it is the goal of the 1,100 county employees and the county’s elected officials. County services range from maintaining more than 1,500 miles of roads to running a nine-branch library system to recycling tons of plastics, glass, cardboard and other materials at 17 convenience centers. Working in creative partnerships with business, nonprofit groups, educational institutions and health care providers, Anderson County also supports economic development; operates a modern farmers’ market, a 12,000-square-foot history museum and a 300acre sports and entertainment center; and guards the health and safety of its residents with law enforcement and emergency services. Anderson County is governed by a sevenmember County Council, elected from singlemember districts, with a professional administrator carrying out the decisions of the council through seven government divisions. Separately elected officials oversee law enforcement, courthouse functions and some financial functions, such as tax collection and auditing. It’s a balancing act that strives to ensure basic needs are met while quality of life is enhanced — in short, that Anderson County is indeed “A Great

Place to Live, Work and Play!” Recent successes include five economic development announcements in the spring of 2013 by expanding and new industries. They represent a combined investment of $33.6 million and the creation of 420 new jobs. A long-awaited East-West Parkway, opened in late 2013, not only provides a link between Anderson’s two busiest roads but does it in style. Beautifully landscaped, the connector has a 10-foot-wide paved path for pedestrians and cyclists. The Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center is home to ball fields, tennis courts, walking trails, one of the largest outdoor amphitheaters in the state and the Civic Center of Anderson, a multi-use facility suitable for everything from trade shows to wedding receptions. County-owned and operated recreational facilities are not limited to Anderson, but are sited to provide opportunities in small municipalities and on Hartwell Lake as well. Other services address the needs of county residents who should not be overlooked. There are lively programs for senior citizens and special populations. In fact, the county has hosted the state Special Olympics. Finally, Anderson County has an enlightened interest in animal companions, evident in both its PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) Animal Shelter opened in 2012, animal neutering program in partnership with nonprofit groups and animal welfare ordinances. 157

Corporate Sponsor Index The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce 907 North Main Street, Suite 200 Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1903 Phone: 864-226-3454 andersonscchamber.com p. 102-105 Anderson County 101 S. Main Street Anderson, SC 29622 Founded: 1826 Phone: 864-260-4000 andersoncountysc.org p. 157 Anderson County Board of Education 402 Bleckley Street Anderson, SC 29625 Founded: 1950 Phone: 864-225-0591 boardofed.net p. 118

Anderson Regional Joint Water System 998 Hunters Trail Anderson, SC 29625 Founded: 2002 Phone: 864-332-6534 arjwater.com p. 154-155 Anderson University 316 Boulevard Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1911 Phone: 864-231-2000 andersonuniversity.edu p. 117 AnMed Health 800 North Fant Street Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1904 Phone: 864-512-1000 anmedhealth.org p. 112-113

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Austin/Pray Family Dentistry 218-A East Shockley Ferry Road Anderson, SC 29624 Founded: 1985 Phone: 864-226-4411 caringdentistsc.com p. 119 The Bleckley Inn 151 East Church Street Anderson SC 29624 Founded: 2009 Phone: 864-225-7203 bleckleyinn.com p. 146-147 Chapman Design Group 3215 South Carolina 24 Anderson, SC 29626 Founded: 1994 Phone: 864-224-7563 chapmandesign.com p. 142 City of Anderson 401 South Main Street Anderson, SC 29624 Founded: 1826 Phone: 864-231-2200 cityofanderson.com p. 156 Clemson University Clemson, SC 29634 Founded: 1889 Phone: 864-656-3311 Clemson.edu p. 114-115 Cox, Cauley, Rockwell & Richardson, LLC 2006 North Main Street Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1985 Phone: 864-225-8713 Coxandcompanycpas.com p. 109 Cross Country Home Services 1529 East Greenville Street Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1978 Phone: 864-716-5700 cchs.com p. 140

Diagnostic Radiology of Anderson 800 North Fant Street Anderson, SC 29621 Phone: 864-226-0511 p. 122 First Quality Tissue SE, LLC 441 Masters Boulevard Anderson, SC 29626 Founded: 1988 Phone: 864-437-2085 firstquality.com p. 133 General Machine of Anderson 120 Doubletree Drive Anderson, SC 29625 Founded: 1999 Phone: 864-375-9746 generalmachine.org p. 130 Glen Raven 4665 Liberty Highway Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1986 Phone: 864-224-1671 Glenraven.com p. 129 Hill Electric Company 2017 East River Street Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1954 Phone: 864-225-8791 hillelectric.net p. 138-139 Holiday Inn Express 410 Alliance Parkway Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1995 Phone: 864-231-0231 hiexpress.com p. 150 Hospice of the Upstate 1835 Rogers Road Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1988 Phone: 864-224-3558 hospicehouse.net p. 123

Corporate Sponsor Index Independent Mail 1000 Williamston Road Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1899 Phone: 864-224-4321 independentmail.com p. 106-107

MedShore 1009 North Fant Street Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1976 Phone: 864-224-4444 medshore.com p. 121

Kravet 1500 U.S. 29 Anderson, SC 29626 Founded: 1989 Phone: 864-231-6000 kravet.com p. 131

Michelin 1 P-9-206 Anderson, SC 29626 Founded: 1973 Phone: 864-332-1780 michelinman.com p. 126-128

Lazer Construction Company, Inc. 1000 Thompson Road Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1979 Phone: 864-226-3463 lazer.com p. 141

Orian Rugs 2415 South Carolina 81 Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 1979 Phone: 864-261-6481 orianrugs.com p. 135

The Legacy of Anderson 3501 North Highway 81 Anderson, SC 29621 Founded: 2004 Phone: 864-276-3501 legacyofandersonseniorliving.com p. 123

Packaging Corporation of America 12105 Belton-Honea Path Highway Honea Path, SC 29654 Founded: 1959 Phone: 864-369-7341 packagingcorp.com p. 135

Maynard’s Home Furnishings 725 Anderson Street Belton, SC 29627 Founded 1947 Phone: 864-338-7751 maynardshomefurnishings.com p. 149 McDonald’s of Anderson 2505 Brenda Drive Anderson, SC 29625 Founded: 2000 Phone: 864-222-1227 p. 150

McGee Heating & Air, Inc. 2729 Whitehall Road Anderson, SC 29625 Founded: 1981 Phone: 864-231-9533 mcgeehvac.com p. 143

Park Sterling Bank 717 Anderson Street Belton, SC 29627 Founded: 2011 Phone: 864-338-2265 parksterlingbank.com p. 109 The Peoples Bank 1921 East Greenville Street Anderson, SC 29621 801 East Front Street Iva, SC 29655 3010 South Main Street Anderson, SC 29624 605 North Main Street Anderson, SC 29621

(The Peoples Bank continued)

3901 Clemson Boulevard Anderson, SC 29621 3009 Whitehall Road Anderson, SC 29626 Founded: 1951 Phone: 866-367-6709 PeoplesBankSC.com p. 108 Roylco, Inc. 3251 Abbeville Highway Anderson, SC 29624 Founded: 1969 Phone: 864-296-0043 roylcoindustrial.com p. 132 Sargent Metal Fabricators Sargent Metal Fabricators 5500 Airport Road Anderson, SC 29626 Founded: 1976 Phone: 864-226-0063 sargentmetal.com p. 134 Sullivan-King Mortuary 3205 North Highway 81 Anderson, SC 29621 Founded 1923 Phone: 864-225-5431 SullivanKing.com RobertsCemeterySC.com p. 120

Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill 208 South Main Street Anderson, SC 29624 Founded: 1999 Phone: 864-226-8945 sullivansmetrogrill.com p. 151 Tri-County Technical College 511 Michelin Boulevard Anderson, SC 29625 Founded: 2007 Phone: 864-260-6700 tctc.edu p. 116

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Bibliography and Acknowledgements Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce 2012 Membership Directory

Dahlhouse, Debbie, “Anderson: Shining Star of the South,” Community Communications, Inc., 2000

Anderson County Museum exhibits on Anderson and other municipalities in Anderson County; Anderson County educational institutions; textile baseball; Cpl. Freddie Stowers; the Civil War; and textile mills.

Independent Mail stories on Jane Edna Hunter, Alliance Industrial Park, Linley Park and the East-West Connector.

Badders, Hurley E., “Anderson County: A Pictorial History,” Donning, 1999 Copeland, Kathryn, “Dr. Annie Dove Denmark: South Carolina’s First Female College President,” History Press, 2011

Klosky, Beth Ann, “Six Miles That Changed the Course of the South: The Story of the Electric City, Anderson, South Carolina,” Electric City Centennial Committee, 1995 Watkins, William Law, “Anderson County, South Carolina: The Things That Made it Happen,” 1995; Anderson County Museum, 2010

Corrigan, Daniel G. and Gorrell, Richard L., “AnMed Health: A Century of Healing”

Kathryn Smith, Author Kathryn Smith is a seasoned journalist, editor and writer whose work has appeared in print and on-line publications for more than 35 years. Kathryn came to Anderson in 1986 as an editor at the Independent Mail after working at two other daily newspapers in South Carolina. She has since worked in the Anderson nonprofit community and as a freelance writer and editor. Most recently, Kathryn wrote A Necessary War: Anderson County Residents Remember World War II, a book published by the Anderson County Museum. An avid reader, Kathryn writes a twice-monthly book column for the Independent Mail as a cover for her addiction to building her home library. She and her husband Leo have two grown children, Adam and Elizabeth, and a granddaughter, London.

Frank Alexander, Photographer In 1976, Frank Alexander received a camera as a gift and has been taking photographs ever since. In his nearly 40 years of experience, Frank has photographed everything from country music concerts to aerial shots from helicopters. Frank is no stranger to the sporting sidelines, either. He spent 32 years photographing the Clemson Tigers and 25 years with the NFL capturing winning moments with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

Julie Eudy, Photographer In 1988, Julie began taking photographs as a hobby. In 1999, her work was featured in a publication by The International Library of Photography called Dreams to Remember. Her eye for architectural and sports photography can be seen in football programs and press guides on game days in Clemson. Julie also works as lifestyle photographer in the Anderson area capturing portraits, weddings, newborns and other events.

Acknowledgements “Thanks to Beers & Associates and the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce for this opportunity to rediscover the wonderful, vibrant community where I have lived for most of my life. It was such a pleasure to meet the business owners, nonprofit heads, government and education leaders and others I profiled. I appreciate their willingness to let me help them tell their story.”

– Kathryn Smith

“Many thanks to the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce and Beers & Associates for allowing me to be a part of this book about Anderson, my hometown. Special thanks to the New York Jets, the City of Anderson, AnMed Health, the Anderson County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the families who provided images for this book.”

– Frank Alexander

“Thanks to Beers & Associates for the opportunity to help in the creation of this book. Special thanks to the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, the Anderson County Museum, Pendleton Historic Commission and the Genealogical Society. Also, thanks to all my new friends who provided me with photo opportunities for this book.”

– Julie Eudy

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