Feb. 6, 2015 UBJ by Community Journals

FEBRUARY 6, 2015 | VOL. 4 ISSUE 6 COMPLIMENTARY

WORKABILITY The Upstate is bridging the gap between workers with disabilities and employers with staffing needs—but there’s more work to be done, local experts say

upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEWS

| SUSTAINABILITY | 3

‘Our communities need to rise to the occasion’ THE INBOX

Natural Resources Defense Council founder to speak in Greenville JENNIFER OLADIPO SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER

joladipo@communityjournals.com This year’s Upstate Forever ForeverGreen Awards Luncheon on Feb. 24 will feature keynote speaker James Gustave “Gus” Speth, South Carolina native and cofounder of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the World Resources Institute. Speth said he considers Upstate Forever one of two “powerful” environmental organizations in the state, the second being the Coastal Conservation League. Now a professor at the University of Vermont Law School, Speth owns a home on Isle of Palms and frequently returns to South Carolina to visit family. He talked with UBJ about the intersections of climate change and business in South Carolina. What should the Upstate’s business community know about climate change? My consuming passion for some 34 years—which shows how long you can be passionate about a losing cause—is the climate issue. This is a beautiful state that has a great deal to lose from climate destruction, which we are going to see a lot of because we’ve wasted 34 years. We’re late. The goal now is to try to prevent the worst, and to try to prevent this matter from spinning out of control. What are the law-based solutions? Whether you call it climate neutrality or net neutral, our communities need to rise to the occasion. A lot does fall on our communities at the local level and the state level. There are great examples of what can be done to reduce fossil fuel use through new transport systems, energy retrofits, community net metering; it’s possible to put in place emission fees. How do you make that case to a very pro-business, manufacturing-dependent part of the state? I know Clemson has been a leader in testing of wind machines. There are tremendous opportunities in the deployment of solar and wind equipment and their manufacture, and manufac-

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ture of the materials needed for retrofits. I know that these things sound small compared, say, with the “Gus” Speth production of Photo provided automobiles, but I think that the manufacturing community in the Upstate could commit to higher performance in the manufacture of very efficient equipment. There was a time in our country when some of the more aggressive things that needed to be done had the active support of the business community, whether it was education or any number of social causes. It’s a huge challenge. The flip side of it is the day will come that, in the absence of addressing these issues, the consequences will be very severe for some industries. What positives can we build on? The most positive things that are happening in the U.S. are things that are happening in our communities. We’re seeing the development of smaller-scale and craft-oriented light industries. The whole food system is going through a revolution. We’re getting profit-nonprofit hybrids. We’re seeing in many communities the development of a new type of biz—more rooted, more committed to the community, more sustainable environmentally and otherwise. A lot of communities are taking up causes of social justice, which goes hand-inhand with environmental justice. This is happening across the country and it’s very positive, and the emergence of what we might call a new economy is beginning to take shape.

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4 | THE RUNDOWN |

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

UBJ

02.06. 2015

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 Featured this issue: Quarterlies: CertusBank, World Acceptance, ScanSource 10 Deb Sofield knows the power of speech 12 Greenville News site redesign moves forward 18

MONEY SHOT: The proposed design for the Greenville News property on Main and Broad streets downtown has at least “eight or nine” reviews ahead before a final design is approved for construction. Read more on page 18. Rendering provided.

WORTH REPEATING “This is a beautiful state that has a great deal to lose from climate destruction, which we are going to see a lot of because we’ve wasted 34 years. We’re late.” Page 3 “It’s been a cool ride, but we really want to set some roots down and have a place of our own.” Page 6 “Both sets of my grandparents worked at Camperdown Mills, and I grew up knowing firsthand the impact that it had on this community.” Page 18

TBA Papas and Beer in Simpsonville will soon be moving down Main Street into much larger digs at the former Pop’s Pizzeria and Molino’s location at 1400 NE Main St. Word is the owners of Molino’s Italian Restaurant in Simpsonville will also be moving into new space at the BI-LO plaza at East North Street and Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville. Rezoning requests for a 119-lot subdivision on East Georgia Road and a 71-lot subdivision at Jonesville and McKinney roads are on their way to Greenville County Council for approval. A 48-unit assisted living/memory care facility may be coming soon to Five Forks Road.

VERBATIM

On best vacation spots “With 18-plus miles of trails, ‘Bikeville’ is a hub for cyclists.”

Men’s Health magazine, naming Greenville No. 3 of its “Best Vacation Spots 2015” (menshealth.com/ best-life/best-vacation-spots-2015)

CORRECTION: An article in the Jan. 14 UBJ, “Game of drones,” omitted the information that the “Tracking Lights” video shot by Furman University drones was produced by Taylor de Lench, assistant director of Web marketing for Furman. We regret the omission.

upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEWS

| TRANSPORTATION | 5

Life is a highway with low gas prices Local businesses predict less spending on gas will equal more on dining, goods Recent statistics appear to back Herman up. Nation’s Restaurant South Carolinians are living in News said that Popeye’s Louisiana the state with the third-lowest gas Kitchen reported a 9.8 percent intax, according to USA Today, crease in same-store sales for and the sixth-lowest gas its fiscal fourth quarter, and prices, according to gasSonic Corp. reported an 8.5 buddy.com. percent increase in sameLocal business owners store sales for its quarter hope Greenville residents that ended Nov. 30. will take advantage of However, Mike Penfalling gas prices nington, owner of economists are downtown Greenville calling the restaurant FunnelDeliequivalent of a cious, said he has not tax cut—and noticed a correlation then choose to between lower gas prices spend that leftand an increase in sales over “free at his restaurant. He money” right even opted to close on here. Mondays during the Exactly how winter months. But much free Pennington said he is money can hopeful that business Americans will pick up in April expect? The when the Greenville average family Drive kicks off its new should save season. He is optimistic $750 on gas this ball fans will come to year, President Greenville, particBarack Obama ularly for travel said in his State of baseball in midthe Union to- late February, SC GAS FACTS: address. The and visit one of benefits are trickhis municipal • S.C. has the 3rd lowest ling down: Conconcession opergas tax sumer confidence ations. • S.C. is the 6th state for is at an 11-year Mary Nase, lowest gas prices high and restaumanager of the rants and bars are Greenville Mast • Greenville is the 19th city in enjoying their General Store, the U.S. for lowest gas prices largest sales said that the store Source: USA Today and gasbuddy.com growth in years, has seen “a nice reports the Wall increase” in busiStreet Journal. ness since gas Jeff Herman, an equity partner at prices went down. Like Pennington, Wagner Wealth, said while he has not Nase said she thinks Greenville is seen extra cash flow in his finance-addrawing more and more tourists from vising business, he has noticed a longer outside the county, and she expects to line of patrons at the Olive Garden see even more this summer. and LongHorn Steakhouse. He expects “Hopefully they’ll be using their cars this trend to continue. so they can go shopping in our “It’s just my gut feeling, but I think great downtown and take stuff home people will spend” the extra money, and tell everybody where they got it,” Herman said. “And I think they’ll Nase said. spend it on restaurants and retail.” NATALIE WALTERS | CONTRIBUTOR

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6 | DEVELOPMENT & HOSPITALITY |

UBJ

NEWS

02.06. 2015

Greenville looks into downtown convention center SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

sjackson@communityjournals.com The city of Greenville, along with Greenville County and VisitGreenvilleSC, has released a request for proposals for a feasibility study assessing locations for a possible downtown convention center. The request for bids, which are due by March 19, seeks “qualified professional firms or individuals to conduct a comprehensive market demand analysis and evaluation of the potential of constructing a new convention facility in the downtown area,” said the city’s solicitation. “We want to attract out-of-town people here for conferences,” said

Greenville Mayor Knox White. “Professional groups, larger state conventions. This will not be a facility for local events, as we would rather those take place somewhere else.” According to the city’s RFP, a downtown convention center should provide at least 200,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, which could include existing space in combination with new space. Building a new convention center would also require the sale of the city’s current facility, the TD Convention Center, according to South Carolina law. However, no decisions have been made about the future of the TD Convention Center, said Nancy Whitworth, director of economic development for the City of

Greenville. “We’re not closing the TD Center right now. We still have bookings years out,” she said. When the TD Center was partially renovated in 2006, the city received a $7 million bond from the State of South Carolina. If the city were to simply sell the TD Center, that money would need to be repaid. However, new laws went into effect last year that say if a convention and trade show center is sold and the proceeds used to build a new one on publicly owned land within a certain period of time, the bond money would not have to be repaid. The TD Center is three miles from downtown and offers 280,000 square feet of exhibit space and 27,000 square feet of meeting space, plus a

30,000-square-foot ballroom, and can accommodate groups from 25 to 25,000. The requested analysis will determine an approximate size and configuration of a possible new downtown convention center. “We really want to get a sense of how much space we would need to create for the kind of events we want to attract,” said White. “We’re also looking for ways to privatize the project by maybe working with a hotel component.” The city “seeks to dramatically increase visitor economics (overnight visitor stays) associated with attracting sizeable conventions, trade shows and meetings to the community,” said the RFP. The analysis should also look at what >>

Asada leaving Village for Wade Hampton Boulevard SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

sjackson@communityjournals.com Asada, the popular Latin American food truck and restaurant inside of Mac Arnold’s in the Village of West Greenville, is leaving Mac Arnold’s for a new-to-them restaurant space on Wade Hampton Boulevard. “It’s been a cool ride, but we really want to set some roots down and have a place of our own,” said Gina Petti, co-owner of Asada. Their sublease with Mac Arnold’s was up at the end of February, and Petti said they had looked at other spaces in the Village, but nothing was “kitchen-ready.” Then along came an “amazing” opportunity from an angel investor, Rob Young with Communicating Results Advertising, Petti said. Young is purchasing the already-equipped restaurant building at 903 Wade Hampton Blvd., former home of Haus Edelweiss, and then doing a lease-to-own agreement with Asada.

Young, an avid Asada customer, said when the restaurant approached him about moving to a brick-and-mortar location, he considered it a good investment and bought the former German restaurant. “I see the traffic counts on Wade Hampton for people coming in and out of Greenville,” said Young. “The location is about ¾ mile from The Community Tap, where they [Asada] sell out within an hour every time they’re there. They’re the No. 1 food truck in town. They’re a destination.” For now, the move is simply a case of moving locations. Asada will still be serving lunch and dinner with the same hours, the menu won’t change and the staff will remain. Lola, Asada’s food truck, will be parked out front. Even the restaurant space itself will be about the same size, at about a 44-person occupancy. Petti said they may be hiring some additional staff come spring, as Lola will “be wanting to get out and about more” and roam the streets of Greenville.

Photo by Greg Beckner

In the space they are vacating at Mac Arnold’s, Petti said Arnold and his wife, Vonda, will be running their own kitchen with fresh ingredients from their garden. Young said he expects to close on the property in early February, and Petti hopes to be open at the new location by the first of March.

upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEWS

current clients could potentially be lost if the current TD Center was sold. Whitworth said that all stakeholders and current users of the facility will have input and that all of the “financial aspects” need to be considered. As the current convention facility, the TD Center has lots of space and parking and is easy to deal with, Chris Stone, president of VisitGreenvilleSC, told UBJ last year. “The downsides are the weak inventory of hotels, walkability and no headquarter hotel,” he said. Meeting planners want a large hotel facility that can accommodate a majority of participants, generally around 400 rooms, Stone said. Ultimately, Greenville may need two convention centers – the TD Center for larger consumer shows and a smaller, more business-focused one, said Whitworth. “We just don’t know and we’re not experts, so that’s why we’re bringing in someone to help. We’ve got to start somewhere.” “The idea is to have something

downtown that’s close to hotels, the river and restaurants,” said White. “It would be a major attractor to bringing high-quality events to downtown Greenville.” The RFP is available for download at bit.ly/Greenville-Convention-RFP.

Entrepreneur Series

BY THE NUMBERS:

presented by the Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership

371 events were held in last fiscal year

478,425

William Bradshaw

people attended events

$5,528,354

Bradshaw Automotive Group

operating revenues

$5,982,488

February 12th at Noon

operating expenses

Source: TD Convention Center

POTENTIAL SITES According to the city, the evaluation of Adjacent to the Greenville Hyatt Hotel potential (downtown convention center) Adjacent to Fluor Field stadium in sites should include, but not be limited the West End to, the following: Adjacent to the proposed Visitors Adjacent to the Bon Secours Center on River Street Wellness Arena ie St Hayn

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Join us for an intimate, informal conversation with William Bradshaw of Bradshaw Automotive Group. Mr. Bradshaw is a seasoned, successful business owner who will share what he has learned in an effort to help the next generation of entrepreneurs become successful. Mr. Bradshaw’s presentation will be followed by a Q & A moderated by Bill Masters.

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| NEWS | 7

8 | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |

NEWS

UBJ

02.06. 2015

Tax credit brings hundreds of millions to low-income communities ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com

A not-so-typical tax credit has been quietly funding high-impact projects outside of South Carolina’s economic mainstream, providing much-needed capital investment to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in the state’s economically distressed communities. Today, wielders of this financial tool are using it to build the state’s manufacturing industry, as well as to create thousands of jobs. “New Markets Tax Credits [NMTC] are a huge economic development tool, and the purpose is to encourage private investment in low-income communities,” said TD Community Development Corporation Deployment Director Lance Player, who works with pubic and private companies in the region to finance capital projects using NMTC financing. “You are really trying to stimulate investment, so it’s how many dollars invested and what that returns to the community.” In Greenville alone, NMTC-financed projects include Project ONE downtown, the Peace Center and St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in West Greenville, to name a few, said Player.

Nationwide, $31 billion in credit created 550,000 Other big names include the NEXT Innovation jobs between 2003 and 2012. Center, The Children’s Museum of the Upstate and McBee Station, according to Greenville New Markets At its most fundamental, the NMTC gives a 39 Opportunity LLC Operatpercent tax credit to a ing Officer Tammy Propst. NMTC investor, but it’s a “The whole purpose of bit more complex than that, said Propst. the statute when it was Community Developenacted was to target ment Entities—of which capital to areas of the country that traditionally Propst’s organization, had trouble with capital,” Greenville New Markets said Propst, whose organiOpportunity LLC, is one— zation is one of only a have to apply to a governhandful authorized to work ment entity to get permiswith the credit in the state. Local NMTC-funded projects include sion to use the credit in First authorized in 2000, downtown Greenville’s Project ONE. certain community projthe New Market Tax Credit Photo by Greg Beckner ects, usually in the form of is part of the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act loans or equity investments. CDEs receive qualified aimed at stimulating investment and economic equity investments from investors up to the amount growth in low-income urban neighborhoods and to which the CDE was qualified by the federal entity, rural communities. and investors receive 39 percent tax credit over seven In South Carolina, $518 million in credit was years on the investment they make in CDEs. leveraged for an additional $460 million in other A borrower has the benefit of borrowing at a very investment between 2003 and 2012, resulting in low interest rate—about 1 percent over a seven-year 8,136 construction jobs and 4,235 full-time jobs, period—and also has the opportunity to buy the loan according to the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition, for a relatively low amount, said Propst. a lobbyist group for the credit. “At the end of the day, it’s about a 25 percent >>

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEWS

| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | 9

BY THE NUMBERS:

$518 million

in NMTC in SC, leveraged for

$460 million

in other investment between 2003 and 2012, resulting in

8,136

construction jobs and

4,235 full-time jobs

$31 billion

in the credit nationwide created

550,000

jobs between 2003 and 2012 Source: New Markets Tax Credit Coalition

>> subsidy. If you think of a $10 million project, this is about a $2.5 million subsidy to the project,” she said. “But it’s truly not a grant. It’s a financing tool.” And it’s not only for community projects, but businesses that could reinvigorate those communities. In 2011, for example, Continental Tire the Americas LLC decided to build a 1-million-square-foot plant in Sumter, S.C., which was a severely distressed community with a 17.3 percent poverty rate and 12.1 percent unemployment rate. CDEs pooled $58.9 million in NMTC financing, which provided funding to start the first phase of the development. The total project cost was $324 million, and created 854 construction jobs and 1,600 permanent jobs for Sumter. NMTC projects have begun to shift from real estate towards manufacturing, with the biggest criteria being job creation, said Player. The Ash Center at Harvard University named the NMTC program as one of the top 25 innovations in government, he said. “Honestly, we have had several projects that maybe would not have happened if it were not for the New Market Tax Credit,” he said. “Ninety percent of the time they would have happened anyway, but the amount of investment would be different because of the credit.”

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10 | QUARTERLIES |

UBJ

NEWS

02.06. 2015

CertusBank

World Acceptance

ScanSource

Easley-based CertusBank saw $70 million in net income losses during the fourth quarter, the 12th straight quarter of net income losses reaching back to the first quarter of 2012. Losses weren’t as severe as the fourth quarter of 2013, which saw negative net income of $75.7 million.

The Greenville-based small loan provider (Nasdaq: WRLD) saw a 19.4 percent drop in income to $18.5 million compared to the same quarter last year. The company—which operates 1,314 offices in the U.S. and Mexico—said poor exchange rates with the Mexican peso and an increase in delinquencies in the Guerrero region of Mexico were partly to blame for the results for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2014.

Greenville-based technology distribution firm ScanSource Inc. reported a 9 percent increase in net sales to $807 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014, compared to the same quarter a year earlier. Operating income decreased 5.4 percent to $26 million and diluted earnings per share decreased 9.4 percent to 58 cents over the same period.

The losses were due to the bank’s recent exit from the mortgage business and decision to vacate excess office space, said CertusBank Vice President of Corporate Communications Emily Ledbetter in an email. Both moves were intended to shift CertusBank towards a traditional community bank model, Ledbetter said.

“We are actively pursuing opportunities to reduce expenses, including subleasing office space,” she said.

The bank’s assets continued to fall for the sixth quarter in a row to $1.48 billion from $1.55 billion. Bank assets were highest at $1.84 billion during the second quarter of 2011, the bank’s second quarter of FDIC recorded earnings.

“We saw an improvement in operating expenses and experienced strong production from our SBA unit,” Ledbetter said. “Deposits also remained stable, which we believe is directly attributable to our continued focus on providing an exceptional experience to our customers.”

One of the issues facing the company is the slowdown in U.S. demand, which the company can explain and address, said World Acceptance CEO Sandy McLean in the Jan. 29, 2015 earnings call. “The things that we have been attempting to address is the attraction or getting additional traffic in the office both in the form of new borrowers,” he said.

McLean said while the company’s reliance on direct mail had been effective, “direct mail in and of itself is not the only solution and we are not seeing the effectiveness of that direct mail.” Alternatives, such as texting, may fill the gap, but the company must do a better job of getting its name in front of potential customers, he said.

Net income over the first nine months of the fiscal year decreased 7.9 percent to $62.3 million compared to the same period last year.

The company’s September acquisition of European value-added distributor Imago contributed positively to the 11.1 percent year-over-year increase in net sales, according to company statements. The company’s $60 million acquisition in January of Brazilian value-added distribution firm Network1 added 400 employees, 60 vendors and 8,000 customers to ScanSource, making it the largest company acquisition to date.

“We will continue to pursue strategic opportunities to invest in and grow our business including additional acquisitions,” said ScanSource CFO Charlie Mathis in an earnings call transcript retrieved from the company’s website. Net sales for the current quarter, ended Mar. 31, 2015, are expected to remain within $800 million to $820 million, he said.

ALDI, THE GLOBAL DISCOUNT SUPERMARKET CHAIN, IS EXPANDING IN THE UPSTATE WITH AT LEAST TWO NEW LOCATIONS PLANNED TO OPEN IN 2015. In Greer, construction is expected to begin in March on a new 17,000-square-foot store at 1000 W. Wade Hampton Blvd. in the former D&D Motors used car lot. The new store is expected to open in the second half of 2015, said Thom Behtz, Aldi Jefferson Division vice president.

the 1.94 acres. The remaining six acres of the parcel is available for development.

Jeff Howell of Langston-Black Real Estate represented the seller, 3348 LLC & Davenport Properties, in the sale of

Aldi currently has seven stores in the Upstate.

Also under development is a location in Greenville on South Pleasantburg Drive, near Home Depot and Tire Kingdom. The location will be opening in the second half of 2015 as well, said Behtz.

upstatebusinessjournal.com

MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

| INNOVATE | 11

Innovation happens where you least expect it Public schools and chambers of commerce can be surprising breeding grounds for game-changing ideas By JOHN MOORE, CEO, NEXT

Software. Genetics. Nanomaterials. These are the market sectors we typically associate with the term “innovation.” Disruptive breakthroughs in these and other innovation-rich fields have totally changed the way we live and work, and the businesses that spawned them have grown to become some of the most successful in the world today. Names like Apple, Amgen and Amazon are synonymous with innovation—and rightly so, as their game-changing products and services are intertwined throughout the world today. But while these well-known companies and their sectors continue to thrive and grow through innovation, they hardly have a monopoly on the practice. In fact, today some of the most exciting breakthroughs are found in rather unexpected sectors hungry for disruption and innovation. We have some great examples right here in our backyard. Take education, for example. Global competition for jobs and capital investment places even greater pressure on our education institutions to increase workforce productivity. As established public schools, universities and community colleges work to reengineer their approaches to meet the changing marketplace, new entrants into the market are making great strides in shifting the education model forward. One such innovation is found in MOOCs, or massive open online courses. These online education platforms offer free classes from top institutions on topics ranging from computer programming to art history via sites like Coursera, EdX and Kahn Academy. Leveraging this new capability, Georgia Tech recently launched a new Masters in Computer Science degree program that is completely online through its Web partner Udacity and can be completed without ever setting foot in Atlanta. Though the long-term effectiveness of MOOCs is unknown, the fact that free college-level courses are available online for anyone to use is a major innovation for education and one that will continue to drive change in that marketplace.

Another new entrant into the education market is coding schools. With the supply of computer programmers not keeping up with market demand and the need to train future programmers on more current languages, private coding schools have sprung up to fill the need. One of the largest code schools in the country is The Iron Yard—a company headquartered in Greenville. With intense 12-week courses teaching a variety of programming languages in 14 locations from Washington, D.C., to Las Vegas, The Iron Yard has emerged to become one of the global leaders in disrupting computer programming education through innovative new approaches. NEXT High School offers another glimpse into the world of innovation within education right here in the Upstate. The new school is modeled after other project-based learning schools around the world and leverages how students learn best, through hands-on experience working on real-world multidisciplinary problems instead of listening passively to classroom lectures. NHS will open in August 2015 with the mandate to “prepare students for life.” As a free, pubic school chartered by the state of South Carolina, NEXT High School is an innovation that is changing the landscape for public schools in our state before it even opens. Another field not typically associated with innovation is economic development, and, in particular, chambers of commerce. With established membership bases and longstanding community roles in place, chambers are typically well entrenched in their current positions and thus are not known for innovations and game-changing breakthroughs.

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Upstate Business Journal

However, there are always exceptions to the rule, with one example right here locally. The Greenville Chamber was willing to innovate when it launched NEXT, one of the leading entrepreneur development efforts in the Southeastern U.S. today. Back in 2006 when NEXT was being formed, opposition was strong against creating something that didn’t drive near-term membership revenues, much less a new program that didn’t have “Greenville” or “Chamber” in its name. Yet the Greenville Chamber had the vision to see what the community needed, the courage to launch innovative new solutions, and the will to stay with a new startup venture within its own walls as it matured. Today, NEXT supports more than 150 early-stage high-growth companies across the Upstate region and has helped generate hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars of new capital investment in our state. Since before NEXT was launched, detractors scoffed at the idea of a chamber of commerce being able to lead such an innovation, with one even saying “Good luck with that” when I described our plans for NEXT. But today, with hundreds of entrepreneurs plugging into the NEXT support ecosystem and a second NEXT facility coming online in May, there is little doubt whether a chamber can become prime ground for innovation if its leadership has the necessary vision and will. These are just a few examples of innovation in unexpected places. The fact that breakthroughs are happening in fields like public education and chambers of commerce should encourage future business pioneers that innovation can and will happen anywhere innovators find themselves.

@UpstateBiz

TheUpstateBusinessJournal

12 | ENTREPRENEUR |

UBJ

THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THE BUSINESSES

02.06. 2015

The power of

SPEECH Deb Sofield sees a lot from behind the scenes DEB SOFIELD Education: B.A. in communications. Coaching gigs: American Council of Young Political Leaders, International Republican Initiative, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and on the faculty of the Woman’s Campaign School at Yale University

Photo by Greg Beckner

JENNIFER OLADIPO SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER joladipo@communityjournals.com Deb Sofield won’t share her client list, but she says there’s an easy way to tell whom she might have worked with as a speaking coach in Greenville: “If they were good, it was probably me. If they weren’t, it probably wasn’t.” That kind of confidence and clarity is exactly what she works to pull out of her clients. Sofield said her boldness comes in part from being the youngest of five children—and the only girl in the bunch. Sofield is one of those public figures many locals will encounter at some point. She coaches speakers at events such as TEDxGreenville and beauty pageants. When working with businesspeople, Sofield said she draws on her own entrepreneurial experience, which includes running a company that sold novelty Christmas stockings.

Having coached leaders throughout South Carolina and the world, Sofield has gained something of a backstage pass to see what happens inside organizations, and inside the minds and hearts of people who have to talk to the public. She is a multifaceted entrepreneur and author, with guest lecturer positions at Ivy League schools. She says her radio show on 94.5 WGTK-FM uncovered lessons that informed other parts of her business. “On radio I’ve figured out you don’t have time to build to ‘wow.’ I’m literally a centimeter from the next station,” Sofield said. BACKSTAGE VIEW Sofield says she is tight-lipped about her clientele because many of them don’t want people to know they use a speech coach. “Everyone will tell you they have a golf coach or a tennis coach, but they won’t tell you they have a speech coach. They want you to think they’re naturally good, because it’s personal.”

Past life: Sofield once had a business selling Christmas stockings that looked like tiny fake fur coats. She called it quits when costs ran too high and anti-fur activists started sending threats. Pro tip: “Heaven forbid, if you’re the fourth morning speaker, do not say ‘good morning.’”

She often works with men whose wives have called her knowing their husbands would be reluctant to reach out for help on their own. Yet the impact of verbal communication can be huge. Sofield said she sees many leaders who try to solve problems entirely on their own, or fail to acknowledge people’s concerns when addressing employees or the public during difficult times. “I could show you video after video of people who were just reading their stupid statement,” she said, rather than responding to the spoken or unspoken needs of their audiences. One client, a South Carolina company she declined to name, saw major losses one quarter due to shipping problems on the West Coast. The CEO wanted to dodge the issue in his >>

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THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THE BUSINESSES

| ENTREPRENEUR | 13

>> subsequent address to the company and shareholders. Instead, Sofield had him tackle it first, illuminated by a spotlight before he even reached the podium. The result was a long round of applause without a single follow-up question, Sofield said. “People in America are not stupid. They know that running a business is hard,” Sofield said. Employees often have answers, but “you didn’t give anybody a chance. That’s where I find people are falling down.”

“People in America are not stupid. They know that running a business is hard.”

Photos this page provided

POLITICS GAME Sofield works with politicians at every level of government. “I’m grateful for that. They like me because I’m real, I’m Southern, I have good stories.” Working with state representatives in a state that she asked not be named, Sofield said her job was essentially to work at getting the large Republican majority to be nice, and the tiny Democratic minority to keep from being discouraged. “I am somebody who does believe that government works well when you have voices at the table,” she said. Sofield has coached political speakers in Albania, and parts of the Middle East and South Asia. Teaching at schools with worldwide reputations opened the door to opportunities abroad. Her work touched on the politics of issues outside of government

“They get there and have a desk and office, and suddenly the world opens up and they recognize their power. But they don’t have anybody to talk to about in a world of men. … A lot of women I’ve coached internationally you’ve seen on TV,” she said.

chambers when she coached Syrians on how to keep Americans’ attention on the conflict in Syria. After a while, she told them, lower tones and a solemn demeanor were more impactful than the wailing when mourning a dead child on camera. WOMEN’S WORK With assistance from translators, Sofield regularly works with the International Republican Institute’s Women’s Democracy Network to coach women running for political office. She spends a great deal of time in the Middle East. “My good fortune is I am Lebanese, so when I check a box, I end up being Arab,” said Sofield, who was adopted by Americans as a child. She said women

Opposite page: Speaker, author and executive speech and presentations coach Deb Sofield. This page: Deb Sofield’s work has taken her all over the world, including Albania (top), Jordan (middle), and Saint Kitt (bottom). are afforded seats in parliament by law in many countries, but when they arrive, they find themselves in male-dominated systems where support is hard to find. It’s a position Sofield said she can understand in a way; she is the first and only woman elected to the Greenville Water Commission.

KEEPING IT REAL Sofield said she’s wanted to be a political speaker since childhood, seeing public speeches as one way to impact the world around her in a lasting way. Authenticity is a powerful communication tool Sofield emphasizes in her coaching advice and anecdotes. Politeness, she said, is a common speech-killer. “Some people have won the top awards in Greenville, but nobody will remember what their speech was about because they were civil, and they didn’t have a good message.” Sofield also works to find the stories and attributes that make her clients unique, or the engaging parts of themselves they can share with the audience. “I do not let [clients] lose their gentle Southern accents. There’s a graciousness that you find in the South that you don’t find anywhere else,” Sofield said. “It’s more than sweet tea and fried pickles.”

Left to right: Angela Mackey, right, visits with colleague Thomas Bigger at the Walgreens Distribution Center in Anderson; Thomas Bigger opens boxes at the Walgreens Distribution Center in Anderson; Angela Mackey Photos by Greg Beckner

EMPLOYERS & EMPLOYEES MAKE DISABILITY WORKABLE Overcoming a lack of knowledge and fears on both sides, more companies in the Upstate are considering employees with disabilities JENNIFER OLADIPO SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER joladipo@communityjournals.com Federal disability law hasn’t changed much, but its interpretation has, said Patti Padgett, diversity and inclusion chair at the Greenville Society of HR Management. “It used to be that an employee had to come to the employer and say, ‘Hey I need something,’” Padgett said. “More recently the definition has been broadened, so that frankly it’s a little hazier for an employer to know what is a disability and what they need to accommodate. Now the employer is more responsible for noticing.” In a word, lawsuits spurred the change. In recent years, settlements and court rulings have been issued over matters such as refusals to hire hearing-impaired persons; applicants and

employees being shunned or punished for taking prescription medications; and firings related to cancer, obesity and amputees. The Wall Street Journal reported a 55 percent increase in lawsuits related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the first six months of 2014, with nearly 2,000 by June 2014, as compared to filings over the same period in 2013. At the same time, more companies are considering employees with disabilities because they want to become more diverse, or because they need to explore a bigger pool of applicants to meet their needs. Employers also adjust their approach when changes such as illness or aging begin to increase disabilities in their current worker population. “Frankly, any cancer survivor [was] a disabled person, so how many people do you know who could have had that?” Padgett said. Local experts say a lack of knowledge about resources, along with a variety of fears on both sides,

too often creates a gap between workers with disabilities and employers with staffing needs. Yet the Upstate has already shown that bridging that gap can be done, and done well. SMALL BIZ WOES “Inclusion does not mean changing job expectations. It just means that an employer is opening a door to the person that has historically been closed, so that he or she can show what they can do,” said Angela Mackey, HR generalist at the Walgreen Company. Most large corporations are doing inclusion well these days, according to John Cocciolone, executive director of the Greenville County Disabilities and Special Needs Board. “Where it really falls apart is at the small business level.” In many cases, employers might have invested more in training, time or money before a new employee with disability can get to full productivity, and tough economic times dampen small business’ willingness to do so. “When you see that diversity is part of what you have to do to get your raise, you’re going to pay >>

EARNINGS OF EMPLOYED POPULATION BY DISABILITY STATUS (PERCENT DISTRIBUTION)

WITH A DISABILITY

NO DISABILITY

54 34

TOTAL EMPLOYED

JANITORS AND BUILDING CLEANER 37

22 18

26 18 12

Less than $15,000

$15,000–$24,999

$25,000–$34,999

$35,000–$49,999

$50,000–$74,999

$75,000 or more

Less than $15,000

$15,000–$24,999

$25,000–$34,999

upstatebusinessjournal.com

COVER | 15

RESOURCES

attention,” Padgett said, describing how larger companies have been successful. Padgett said Walgreens, Greenville Technical College and Verizon have worked hard to promote inclusion. The Gallivan, White & Boyd and Ogletree Deakins law firms have also made notable efforts, she said. “We’ve been trying to educate some of the smaller companies because, quite frankly, business doesn’t know how to approach it. They don’t know where to start.”

“When you see that diversity is part of what you have to do to get your raise, you’re going to pay attention.” Patti Padgett, diversity and inclusion chair, Greenville Society of HR Management SEEING ABILITIES Cocciolone said he’s been impressed by how proactively Upstate businesses address disability in the workplace, calling it “a lot nicer atmosphere” than other places he has worked. Mackey said what new hires with disabilities usually need most is to be given the benefit of the doubt. “All a person needs is an opportunity to show what he can do. If we as HR professionals have an open mind, the person with the disability will thrive in the work environment.” Mackey, who was based in Walgreens’ Anderson, S.C., distribution center, has cerebral palsy, so she understands the challenges of forging a professional career with a visible disability. The first meeting is the hardest part when people assume she is less intelligent, dependent and uneducated. “I have a master’s degree, but the social stigma when you have a disability is that you are not educated. That can sometimes be hard to deal with. I have worked hard, and hate to be underestimated.” GETTING HELP Mackey said employers’ biggest misconception is the belief that they must be disability experts in order to be inclusive, but outside organizations can help recruit the best candidates.

South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation and Disabilities Department assists workers with disabilities. scvrd.net Greenville County Disabilities and Special Needs Board can visit worksites and assist with recruitment and hiring. gcdsnb.com Job Accommodation Network provides information about the Americans with Disabilities Act and accommodation for specific individuals. askjan.org

Also, employers often think strictly of physical disabilities, or fail to consider the broad range of physical disabilities. Padgett said certain disabilities can be addressed as easily as simply locating the employee’s office closer to a bathroom. She and Cocciolone said employers also tend to overestimate the cost of making accommodations. They might decide not to hire a candidate they like for fear of having to make accommodations such as making a place wheelchair-accessible, Cocciolone said. Mackey said accommodations Walgreens made for employees with disabilities at its Anderson County distribution plant only cost as much as the ink and paper to print visual job aids based on individual needs. Having several people with disabilities on staff, the company is widely held up as an employer that got it right with regard to addressing employees’ disabilities. “What they don’t realize is that there’s state and federal money that would pay for that,” Padgett said. “There’s a lot of support out there for an employer who wants to take that leap and hire somebody with a disability.” Fear also crops up in a few other forms. Employers commonly fear litigation if things do not work out with an employee who has a disability. Cocciolone said some employers are too scared to even bring up the issue. Yet he maintains that employers are more protected than usual when they hire somebody with a disability. For those who are still apprehensive, DSN will do the hiring and handle the HR, he said. Mackey said employers often let fear of the unknown keep them from giving people with disabilities an opportunity to prove themselves. Most

Source: Disability Employment Tabulation 2008–2010 based on the American Community Survey

13 8 3 $35,000–$49,999

$50,000–$74,999

$75,000 or more

Less than $15,000

$15,000–$24,999

Customized employment is a flexible process designed to personalize the employment relationship between a job candidate and an employer in a way that meets the needs of both. It is based on an individualized match between the strengths, conditions and interests of a job candidate and the identified business needs of an employer.

CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT WILL OFTEN TAKE THE FORM OF: Task reassignment Some of the job tasks of incumbent workers are reassigned to a new employee, allowing the incumbent worker to focus on the critical functions of his or her job and complete more of the central work of the job. Task reassignment typically takes the form of creating a new job to address unmet workplace needs. Job carving An existing job description is modified—containing one or more, but not all, of the tasks from the original job description. Job sharing Two or more people share the tasks and responsibilities of a job based on each other’s strengths.

From the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy

WHAT IS CUSTOMIZED EMPLOYMENT?

Self-employment Allows for an individual to receive assistance in the creation of an independently owned small business (typically a micro enterprise, under five employees) based on the strengths and dreams of an individual and the unmet needs of a local market while incorporating the individualized planning and support strategies needed for success.

CASHIERS

disabilities today can be accommodated with little or no cost to the employer. She said people with disabilities also need to overcome assumptions about themselves. “I’ve also found in my 35 years [in the workforce] that sometimes people who have a disability don’t see themselves that way,” she said. “So they don’t understand all the hoopla when people want to talk to them or see them do their work. They’re just like you or I and they’re just thinking about getting their work done. “We live in a society where people with disabilities are protected, but a lot of times not challenged,” Mackey said. “If you tell me not to worry about working hard, that I’ll get Disability [benefits] when I turn 18 anyway, that makes me feel as though ‘What’s the use in working hard?’ That disability becomes a definer of who the person is. In truth, our disability is just a part of who we are.”

$25,000–$34,999

$35,000–$49,999

$50,000–$74,999

$75,000 or more

16 | ON THE MOVE |

UBJ

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

APPOINTED

02.06. 2015

HIRED

Cherington Love Stucker

Frank Knapp Jr.

Dan Noneaker

Andrea White

J. Hayes Holliday

Named executive director of the Greenville Center for Creative Arts. A Greenville native, Stucker recently returned to the area after working for six years in New York City for education consulting firm Keeling & Associates LLC. The Center for Creative Arts plans to start offering classes by May 1.

Named to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Region IV Regulatory Fairness Board. Knapp is the president of The Knapp Agency and serves as the president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. He will work with small business trade groups to address regulatory concerns.

Named chairman of the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clemson University. Noneaker joined Clemson in 1993 and began serving as interim chair last summer. He has also served as professor and as the department’s graduate program coordinator.

Named manager of operations at Valuation & Advisory launched by Cushman & Wakefield. White has more than eight years of real estate appraisal expertise and is a designated member of the Appraisal Institute. She will work closely with Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer to expand both groups’ service offerings.

Named associate attorney at the Leinster Law Firm. Holliday will practice in the areas of estate planning and residential real estate. He worked as an assistant solicitor in South Carolina’s 7th Judicial Circuit for three years. He also completed a one-year clerkship with Circuit Court Judge Edward W. Miller.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT The Greenville Chamber awarded the following people at its 125th Annual Meeting: Raj Gavurla, Ambassador of the Year Award; Elizabeth Stall, Arts Leadership Award; Lynn Faust, ATHENA

Leadership Award; Steve Brandt, Buck Mickel Leadership Award; Toby Stansell, Chairman’s Award; Steve Bailey, Special Chairman’s Award; Chandra Dillard, Leadership Greenville Distinguished Alumni Award; and Chris Manley, Young

Rebecca Faulk Professional Recruiter

Professional of the Year Award.

EDUCATION Furman University appointed W. Michael Hendricks as vice president of enrollment >>

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VIP

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

>> management. Hendricks currently holds an equivalent position at The Catholic University of America. Under his leadership The Catholic University nearly doubled applications over a five-year period while also raising student quality, selectivity and overall net tuition revenues. GOVERNMENT The Sunnie & DeWorken Group hired Molly McCarthy and David Shiley to help with the firm’s advocacy and legislative efforts and policy research. McCarthy most recently interned with Gov. Nikki Haley’s administration in its communications division and also interned with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s re-election campaign. Shiley has experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Kimberly Mode: Promoted Named senior vice president at The Palmetto Bank. Mode has more than 30 years of commercial banking experience providing financial services in the Upstate market. She joined The Palmetto Bank in 2011 following various management and officer positions with larger financial institutions.

Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Deborah K. Leporowski to a clinical psychologist seat on the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology. Leporowski is a licensed clinical psychologist with 23 years experience who relocated to the Upstate in 2012 from south Florida.

HEALTH CARE

to its medical team. Cabiao earned her doctorate of osteopathic medicine from A.T. Still University and completed family medical residencies at Danville Regional Medical Center and Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. She is a member of the American College of Family Physicians and the Christian Medical and Dental Association. The Woodlands at Furman named Candace Williams as the activity coordinator. Williams previously worked at the Woodlands in skilled nursing as a licensed nurse practitioner. As activity coordinator, she is responsible for planning and hosting events for both Woodlands residents and the community at large.

NONPROFIT Upstate Forever hired Patricia Carson as land protection specialist and Brittany McKee as development associate. Carson has more than a decade of experience in the environmental community. She has been involved in nonprofit advocacy at various levels, including administration, policy, legal and education.

Gateway Family Medicine of Travelers Rest Group named Kristi Cabiao

| ON THE MOVE | 17

McKee has experience in fundraising and technology skills. She primarily manages the donor database and assists in the planning of fundraising events.

MARKETING/PR Today’s Physician Productions, a division of Creative Design Media Group, hired Jeff McLaughlin as associate producer. McLaughlin has more than 10 years of experience in pharmaceutical and medical device sales, having worked with Johnson & Johnson, Novartis and Covidien.

STAFFING HTI Employment Solutions promoted Todd White to branch manager of the Greenville Industrial office. White joined HTI in 2010 at the Anderson branch and became team leader for the Mauldin branch in 2014.

TRANSPORTATION The Greenville Transit Authority elected the following officers for 2015: Pat Dilger, chair; Julian A. Reed, vice chair; Sam Zimmerman, treasurer.

CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions & award winners may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

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18 | SQUARE FEET |

UBJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

02.06. 2015

Design for Greenville News site moves ahead SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF sjackson@communityjournals.com @SJackson_CJ Greenville city officials say the site plan for the Greenville News property on Main and Broad streets has at least “eight or nine” reviews ahead before a final design is approved for construction. Last week, the city’s Design Review Board gave partial approval to a preliminary design concept that includes a “signature” all-glass building fronting Broad Street, as well as a hotel, apartments, offices, condominiums, a dine-in movie theater, fitness center and public plaza. “You can expect to see this project eight or nine more times,” said Michael Kerski, planning and development manager for the city. The DRB approved the conceptual rendering for the site plan’s “building envelopes” indicating where each building will be located on the site. City officials said going forward, each building and the plaza area would come back through the DRB for separate approvals. “It will allow us to go forward with the rest of the design,” said Brody Glenn, president of Centennial American Properties. “We need to know we’re going in the right direction.”

The city has contracted with Asheville-based Design Workshop to provide design consulting services to ensure the project is “done right,” officials said. Design Workshop has consulted on such projects as Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix, Orchard Town Center in Westminster, Colo. and many other projects around the world. The Greenville News project has been named “Camperdown” to honor the Camperdown textile mill and village that once flourished along the banks of the Reedy River in downtown Greenville, Glenn said. “This site has a lot of historic signifi-

cance that dates back to the late 1800s, when the Camperdown Mills thrived and put Greenville on the map as a textile industry leader and led to the growth of our city,” said David Glenn, CAP founder and CEO. “Both sets of my grandparents worked at Camperdown Mills, and I grew up knowing firsthand the impact that it had on this community. We want to honor that legacy and build upon it to create >>

Rendering provided

- CGD Team at Washington Park Coal Chute

upstatebusinessjournal.com

a new community where future generations will live, work and enjoy a downtown lifestyle.” Renderings show the glass building fronting Broad Street would offer “an outdoor dining experience under the office building so there is life along Broad Street,” Brody Glenn said. “We see this space being used by a high-traffic retailer, which could be anything from an ice cream shop to a coffee or wine bar—something that would be a great addition to a theater district.” The planned movie theater also shifted more towards Main Street, and a “grand staircase” is planned by the theater, he said. Underneath the planned condo building, a dedicated, gated parking garage would be available for residents only. A new service road, called Japanese Dogwood Lane, would replace Murphy Road, which the city abandoned some time ago. “Our team is working with the city staff and city consultants to put together a design that is a mix of historic Greenville, using bricks and oversized windows that pay homage to the mill architecture, and a more modern design of glass and steel that has a contemporary, urban feel,” said Brody Glenn. The new project is expected to have a public plaza surrounded by 18 condos, 225 apartments, an upscale seven-story hotel, fitness center, two office buildings, retail and restaurant spaces and a dine-in movie theater.

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

THE ELEMENTS OF CAMPERDOWN INCLUDE SOUTH MAIN STREET

Freestanding valet waiting station

All-glass, 1,500-square-foot retail jewel box on the corner of Main and Broad streets

Four-story office building with 7,900 square feet of plaza/street-level retail space

Upscale hotel property with (+/-) 140 rooms

Three levels of office space above retail at 23,700 square feet

4,900-square-foot plaza-level lobby with a lounge with six floors of hotel rooms above 12,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space on the plaza level with six floors of hotel rooms above and a patio overlooking Main Street Additional level of retail space at sidewalk grade Six levels of office (+/- 22,000 square feet per floor) with an entry at plaza level parking below Five levels of premium condominiums above (18 units). There would be separate vertical cores for the office and residential spaces. 6,000-square-foot restaurant on the ground level overlooking Falls Park Grand staircases that connect the Plaza to both Main Street and Falls Street EAST BROAD STREET Plaza level drop-off/valet area that will be used for the hotel as well as for general property/ downtown usage

TRANSFORMING COMMUNIT Y Serving our clients with 235 years of experience

| SQUARE FEET | 19

FALLS STREET Seven stories of (+/-) 225 residential units for rent above 20,000 square feet of retail space on the plaza level 24,000-square-foot fitness center with plaza level entrance 6,800-square-foot, plaza-level retail space connecting between the office and residential spaces 33,000-square-foot theater below plaza level with 2,400-square-foot plaza-level lobby PLAZA FEATURES The plaza will feature landscaping and water features Multiple access points to the (+/-) 900 parking spaces on three levels below including a glass atrium with vertical circulation Additional small, freestanding retail space

4 Upstate apartment complexes sold to out-of-state firms Four Upstate apartment complexes were sold recently in two separate deals to out-of-state firms. Westgate Apartments, a 122-unit complex located at 430 E. Blackstock Road in Spartanburg, and Woodside Apartments, a 124-unit complex located at 1631 Fernwood Glendale Road in Spartanburg, were purchased for $6.4 million. The two properties were built in 1977 and 1973, respectively. The multifamily properties were sold to Warrendale, Pa.-based DBC Real Estate Management and were occupied at 96 and 92 percent at the time of sale. Tony Bonitati, Kay Hill and Bern DuPree of NAI Earle Furman’s Multifamily Division represented the seller, Southwood Realty of Gastonia. In another deal, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based real estate investment firm Two Bridges Asset Management acquired the Timbercreek Apartments, a 116-unit multifamily rental property at 501 Camelot Drive in Spartanburg, for $5.6 million. “We really like areas, like the Upstate

in South Carolina, which have solid job markets and strong prospects for future population growth, yet are still overlooked by most investors,” said Jonathan Twombly, president of Two Bridges. This acquisition follows closely on the heels of Two Bridges’ $3.2 million acquisition of the Addison Townhomes, a 54-unit property in Taylors. That deal closed in mid-December 2014. The two deals mark the company’s third and fourth deals in South Carolina in the past 12 months. In February 2014, Two Bridges purchased the 102-unit Valley Creek Apartments in Spartanburg for $4.1 million. In July 2014, it acquired the Village Park Apartments in Simpsonville in a $4.85 million deal. Red Drum Capital of Mount Pleasant acted as Two Bridges’ broker, while Buist, Byars & Taylor LLC, also of Mount Pleasant, provided legal representation. Kay Hill, Tony Bonitati and Bern DuPree of NAI Earle Furman represented the seller.

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 Purchasing new or upgrading equipment  Making infrastructure improvements  Investing in startup companies  Clean energy property

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

INSIDE THE UPSTATEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE

| SOCIAL SNAPSHOT | 21

GREENVILLE CHAMBER 126TH ANNUAL MEETING The Greenville Chamber of Commerce hosted its 126th annual meeting last week at the TD Convention Center. Along with recognizing community and business leaders with awards, the Chamber welcomed its 2015 chair, Julie Godshall Brown. Photos by Rose Photography & Design

TEN AT THE TOP KICKOFF RECEPTION Last week, Ten at the Top held its 2015 Kickoff Reception in the TD Gallery at CU-ICAR in Greenville. Photos provided

CONTRIBUTE: Got high-resolution photos of your networking or social events? Send photos and information for consideration to events@upstate businessjournal.com.

22 | THE FINE PRINT |

UBJ

BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

02.06. 2015

Ob Hospitalist Group implements 6 new programs

Clemson offers digital health MBA program to health care professionals

Greenville-based Ob Hospitalist Group (OBHG) implemented six new OB/GYN hospitalist programs in January. The programs were implemented in hospitals in Illinois, Georgia, Indiana and California. “Opening six new Obstetrical Emergency Departments (OBEDs) across the country in less than a month is significant not just because it confirms our leadership in this emerging industry, but more importantly because of the lives that will be saved,” Christopher D. Pott, OBHG vice president of strategic initiatives, said in a release. The company said its physicians focus exclusively on patients in the labor and delivery unit rather than dividing time between the hospital and a private practice. OBHG, which started in 2006, was also recently voted one of the Inc. 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America for the second year in a row for a growth rate of 239 percent since 2011.

Clemson University’s Center for Corporate Learning has partnered with Social Health Institute (SHI) to offer a Digital Health Mini MBA Certificate Program. The six-course offering will teach students approaches to delivering thought leadership in digital communication, social media communication and healthcare business management. The Digital Health Certificate Program is part of Clemson University’s Mini MBA Certificate Program offered by the Center for Corporate Learning in downtown Greenville. The Digital Health Mini MBA Certificate Program will accept applications through March 31. The six courses will be offered one a month over a six-month period, beginning on May 15 and finishing on October 16. Health care leaders interested in applying can go to socialhealthinstitute.com/ clemson to complete an application.

Polydeck spends $12M to expand in Spartanburg Polydeck Screen Corporation, a polyurethane and rubber screen media and specialty screening solutions provider, is spending $12 million to expand its operations in Spartanburg County. The expansion is expected to create 40 jobs over the next five years. The additional space will be used for a research and development lab, a tool-and-die facility and material warehousing. The company recently purchased a building and about 4 acres adjacent to its existing facility, increasing its manufacturing footprint to approximately 129,000 square feet. Polydeck is a family-owned business that provides screening solutions for the aggregate, coal and mining industries around the world. The company, which was founded in Johannesburg, South Africa, opened its first U.S. operation in Spartanburg in 1978. Polydeck’s current Spartanburg County expansion, the firm’s seventh in South Carolina, will add 36,400 square feet to the existing facility. The expansion will increase the company’s total South Carolina workforce to more than 250. Those interested in jobs with Polydeck can visit polydeckscreen.com/ polydeck-careers.

NC bank expands to Upstate with loan office Franklin, N.C.-based holding company Entegra Financial Corp. opened its first South Carolina operations with a loan production office in downtown Greenville. Entegra Financial is the $884.4 million-asset holding company for Macon Bank, which operates from 12 locations around North Carolina. Entegra Financial hired James A. Kimbell as South Carolina market executive to lead the loan office and business development efforts in the Upstate. Kimbell was hired in 2013 to serve as the Anderson market president for Park Sterling. Kimbell has more than 25 years of commercial lending experience in South Carolina, mostly on the community bank level, according to SEC filings. “Our recently announced entry into the Greenville, South Carolina, market is expected to meaningfully contribute to our growth, as we continue to explore additional opportunities to utilize our capital and increase shareholder value,” said Entegra Financial President and CEO Roger D. Plemens in an SEC filing.

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BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

Duke Energy gives $50k for manufacturing showcase

Uber legal again in SC

Duke Energy Foundation gave $50,000 to create an advanced manufacturing showcase at the Center for Manufacturing Innovation (CMI), which Greenville Technical College plans to open in 2016 in partnership with Clemson University. “We know that advanced manufacturing drives the Upstate’s economy,” Keith Miller, president of Greenville Technical College, said in a release. “Through this interactive display, we can help people understand how manufacturing can also drive their success. Telling people about this strong sector isn’t enough. Thanks to Duke Energy Foundation, we can show people the opportunities that exist.” CMI’s stated goal is to increase the number of skilled workers for manufacturing in order to close the skills gap for manufacturing jobs in the Upstate. Greenville Tech also plans to use the CMI to show K-12 students the possibilities for advanced manufacturing careers through dual enrollment programs, tours, camps and open houses. The showcase will feature four 55-inch interactive screens where visitors can learn about manufacturing components and careers. The CMI will be located at the Millennium Campus adjacent to the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) Technology Neighborhood 1. It will offer dual credit programs in partnership with Greenville County Schools.

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The Public Service Commission (PSC) has issued an order which allows Uber to operate legally again in South Carolina. Reversing a previous decision, the PSC issued a limited-time classification allowing the company to operate legally in the state until June 30. In the order, the PSC cited a bill that was filed in the S.C. House of Representatives that would determine how to regulate companies like Uber. “Our action today is neither a rulemaking proceeding nor an attempt to legislate. The requested … classification is a temporary one granted solely for the purpose of bridging the time until legislation may be explored that more fully addresses the type of service being offered by [Uber subsidy] Raiser,” the order said. Uber began operating in South Carolina in June last year, but has been dogged by legal challenges to how it operates. Uber has said multiple times that all of its drivers are subject to background checks and rides are insured up to $1 million. After the PSC’s reversal, Gov. Nikki Haley issued a statement praising the commission for “reversing their decision and removing the bureaucratic roadblock they created for a company choosing to grow their business in South Carolina.” She also said the decision would give citizens access to “safe reliable transportation options.”

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Rite Aid plans to build $90M facility in Spartanburg Rite Aid Corporation is planning to build a 900,000-square-foot distribution center in Spartanburg. The new distribution center is expected to employ about 600 people when fully operational. The $90 million project will be Rite Aid’s first new distribution center in 15 years and will support about 1,000 stores. The company announced plans in 2014 to consolidate three centers in Alabama, North Carolina and West Virginia into one facility. The South Carolina Power Team, in conjunction with Broad River Electric Cooperative, committed a $520,000 grant for infrastructure in support of the project. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project. Information on employment opportunities at Rite Aid’s new facility in Spartanburg will be made available in the second half of 2015.

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24 | NEW TO THE STREET |

THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

Open for business

UBJ

02.06. 2015

1 1. Art & Light recently opened its new gallery at 16 Aiken St., Greenville. Hours are WednesdayFriday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit artandlightgallery.com or call 864-363-8172.

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2. Park Sterling Bank opened its regional headquarters at 617 E. McBee Ave. in Greenville this week after the completion of significant renovations. The building houses commercial bankers, treasury services, wealth management, mortgage operations and asset-based lending teams, as well as a retail branch. For more information, visit parksterlingbank.com. CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon? Email information to bjeffers@communityjournals.com.

Professions Defended PRACTICE AREAS Trey Suggs and the professional liability team at Roe Cassidy

Professional liability defense

Coates & Price focus on defending professionals, including

Health care litigation

physicians and hospitals, in professional malpractice litigation. The firm represents hospital systems across the Upstate and has done so for decades. Trey also handles general, business,

Civil litigation Commercial litigation/business disputes

commercial, and construction disputes and litigation.

Construction litigation Personal injury litigation

Fred W. (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Treyâ&#x20AC;?) Suggs III

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Employee Benefit Tax Strategies APRIL 15 IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. By Forum

2. KEEP GROUP HEALTH PLAN IN PLACE. A topic of interest is whether to keep a company health plan or move to individual plans on the Exchange. One of the first things to consider is the IRS states that an individual plan is not a deductible event because it is no longer a group health plan. Therefore, the employer cannot deduct from their business income tax return and the employees cannot receive the benefit as pre-tax.