Mar. 8, 2013 UBJ

march 8, 2013

IS CO-WORKING THE NEXT BIG THING FOR THE UPSTATE? PAGE 14

Integro Brings Biofuel to Upstate page 6

Inland Port Breaks Ground in Greer page 12

Six and Twenty Keeps Spirits Up page 18

UBJ Table of Contents PRESIDENT/Publisher Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

David Raad keeps notes while operating the column hybrid still at the Six and Twenty Distillery.

Senior Vice President Alan P. Martin amartin@communityjournals.com UBJ Associate Publisher Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com eXECUTIVE Editor Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com MANAGING editor Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com staff writers Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Charles Sowell SENIOR BUSINESS writer Dick Hughes contributing writerS Jenny Munro, Jennifer Oladipo, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage

18

EDITORIAL INTERNS Shelby Livingston, Casey Dargan art & production art director Richie Swann photographer Greg Beckner CONTRIBUTING photo EDITOR Gerry Pate PrODUCTION Holly Hardin Photo by Greg Beckner

F e at u r e s

colu m ns

de pa rt m e n t s

Cover Story 14 Goodbye, Walls

Digital Maven 8 How Social Should Your Business Be?

4 Worth Repeating 4 TBA 22 The Takeaway 23 Square Feet 24 On the Move 26 The Fine Print 28 Planner 30 New to the Street 31 Snapshot 31 Social

Entrepreneur 18 Jump Start: Upcountry Spirits Create. Innovate. Celebrate.

21 UCAN Begins 2013 with 3 Investments Across the State

Statehouse Report 9 Time to Connect Dots on Mental Health Funding

Correction: A photograph was incorrectly credited in an article (“Created for Commerce”) in last week’s UBJ. The photographer was Emilie Uphoff, and the photo was provided by the Commerce Club. We apologize for the error.

2 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

marketing & advertising Marketing Representatives Lori Burney, Mary Beth Culbertson, Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Pam Putman MarketinG Katherine Elrod Marketing & EVENTS Kate Banner Billing Shannon Rochester Client Services ManagerS Anita Harley, Jane Rogers ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair, Michael Allen, Whitney Fincannon, Caroline Reinhardt IDEAS, FEEDBACK, OPINIONS opinions@upstatebusinessjournal.com HOW TO REACH US 148 River Street., Suite 120 Greenville, SC 29601 864-679-1200

Copyright @2013 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal (Vol. 2, No. 9) is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. 148 River Street, Suite 120, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication.

Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $65. Visit www.UpstateBusinessJournal.com.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, 148 River St., Ste 120, Greenville, SC 29601. Printed in the USA.

Pack your bags …

you might need them.

All jewelry provided by Hale’s Jewelers (halesjewelers. com); Gentleman’s clothing from Clothes Make The Man (clothesmakethemanllc.com) Barbour Tartan Weekender from Rush Wilson Limited (rushwilson.com) Woman’s shoes provided by Muse Shoe Studio (museshoe studio.com); Skirt, Dome Satchel & Sunglasses from Monkee’s of the West End (monkeesof thewestend.com) Scarf from Labels Designer Consignment (labelsonaugusta.com); Mesh Crossbody Bag provided by Postcard From Paris (postcardfromparis.com) Photography by Jake Simpson

04.25.2013 6:00–10:00 pm Tempus jets hangar at Stevens Aviation/GSP airport

By Invitation Only*

*Limited open tickets available for $125/person. A portion of ticket sale proceeds will benefit the Village Hospital Foundation. Tickets available at: 2013Altitude.eventbrite.com RUNWAY SPONSOR Bynum Dentistry Supporting Sponsors AugustaRoad.com Realty, Back to 30, Capello Salon, Clothes Make The Man, Eric Brown Design, Fairview Builders, Greenville Dermatology, In Site Designs, JB Lacher Jewelers, Joan Herlong, Labels Designer Consignment, Linda McDougald | Postcard From Paris Home, Millie Lewis Models, Panageries, Rush Wilson Limited, Studio.7, The Chocolate Moose, The Houseplant, The Valet, Vintage Made Modern

Tailored

by the Purveyors of Classic American Style

UBJ Worth Repeating | TBA “Everyone has an opinion and there are very few quiet people here.”

Going to the Chapel

Wedding season is quickly approaching. When you receive a wedding invitation in the mail, you should enjoy the anticipation of attending, rather than the dread of anxiety associated with what to wear. Here are a few tips to “help you get to the church on time.”

Rob Wright, on sharing office space and ideas with collaborators at CoWork Railside

The invitation will help you decide what a man should wear to the wedding. If the invitation is formal or engraved and the wedding is scheduled for 6 o’clock in the evening in a church, one should wear a black tuxedo with a white formal shirt, black bowtie and cummerbund.

During summer or in tropical climates, a white dinner jacket can be substituted for the black tuxedo jacket.

Accessories remain the same!

“Our whiskey to corn moonshine is like comparing wedding cake to cornbread.”

Robert Redmond, co-founder of Six and Twenty Distillery

“We’ve got trucks, we’ve got rail, we’ve got air. This a historic day in South Carolina.”

Gov. Nikki Haley, at the groundbreaking ceremony for Greer’s new inland port

If the time of the wedding is before six, then a dark blue or grey suit will be more appropriate. Match it with a white shirt with a point or spread collar, dressy tie with color to suit your preference and a white linen or silk pocket square. Always finish the outfit with a pair of well shined and maintained calfskin shoes. For morning, daytime or outdoor events, you may wear a suit in a lighter shade, and in the summer, a tan suit made of wool or cotton or a seersucker suit.

“We want to make sure diverse professionals can see themselves as able to thrive in South Carolina.”

Ben Haskew, president and CEO of the Greenville Chamber, on the launch of the Diversity Recruitment Consortium

If there is some ambiguity in the preferred dress, feel free to ask someone in the wedding party to help you shed some light on the dress code.

Remember to keep it simple and never underdress. You always want to dress for the occasion and compliment your host and hostess.

TBA

Premier restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s is definitely targeting Greenville and on track for an early August opening along Woodruff Road…

The Gold Wing Road Riders Association’s Annual Wing Ding is returning to Greenville and the TD Convention Center this July. Expect 10,000 riders, if the turnout last time around in 2008 is any indication…

Open Mon.-Sat. 9:30am - 5:30pm Wed. 9:30am - 1:00pm

4 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

J23

23 West North Street, Greenville, SC 29601 864.232.2761 | www.rushwilson.com

We Pay For Gold is appealing a zoning

administrator’s decision that the business is not allowed under current zoning at 2100 Augusta St… Word is V-Go Mart wants to build a convenience store on vacant property between 207 and 215 Pelham Road…

Look for a few more major announcements from the upcoming South Carolina College All Star Bowl before the March 23 game in Greenville…

UBJ News Boeing VP to Headline Salute to Manufacturing jack jones, the vice president for Manufacturing Excellence. and general manager of Boeing BMW in Spartanburg, Boeing in South Carolina, will be the featured North Charleston, Itron in West speaker at the 2013 Salute to Man- Union and Nucor in Mt. Pleasant ufacturing Luncheon at the TD are finalists in the large manufacConvention Center in Greenville turer category. on March 21.

Southern Weaving of Greenville, Jones, who oversees Boeing’s Aaron Industries of Clinton and operations in South Carolina, in- Shaw Industries of Central are ficluding production of the 787 nalists in the mid-sized category.

Dreamliner in North Charleston, In the small division, the finalists will address manufacturing are PropertyBoss Solutions of industry, business, civic and Greenville, Spartanburg Meat political leaders from Products of Spartanburg, across the state. Jones Cytec Industries of North started his career with Augusta and Holcim of Boeing as an industrial Holly Hill. engineer in 1980, The award “recognizes working at various diviexemplary companies that sions before being named reflect world-class stanto head S.C. operations in Jack Jones dards in manufacturing, emMarch 2011. ployee programs and involvement, Also at the luncheon, the Silver community programs, and environCrescent Foundation will honor mental stewardship,” according to three Palmetto State companies the foundation. “This award supports with its 2013 Silver Crescent Awards SCF’s vision and mission of promot-

ing manufacturing vitality and career opportunities in South Carolina.”

New this year is a Best Practices Forum, which will feature a presentation on sustainable innovation by executives from Sage Automotive Interiors, a Greenville-based maker of car interiors from recycled materials. The forum will also feature a presentation on innovation in education and manufacturing by GE Power and Water, and a presentation on the impact of longterm commitment on profitability

by Bridgestone-Firestone. Fred Dedrick, executive director of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, will headline the forum.

The 2013 Silver Crescent Awards are co-sponsored by the South Carolina Research Authority, Scott and Company CPAs and SC Biz News.

Tickets to the luncheon are $50, and are available online at silvercrescentsc.org. Sponsorship packages inclusive of tickets are also available, as are luncheon tables of eight.

To learn more, visit saluteto manufacturing.org or contact Sharon Halsey at 803-657-6183.

Diversity Recruitment Consortium Launches the diversity recruitment Consortium (DRC), which aims to attract and retain diverse professionals to South Carolina, launched at the Riley Institute’s second annual OneSouthCarolina conference March 1-3 in Hilton Head.

The DRC is a group of organizations led by three sponsors –The Riley Institute, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the Greenville Chamber – working collaboratively to develop innovative programs and practices in a focused attempt to increase diversity among professional and executive talent

across South Carolina.

DRC founders say the organization’s recruitment style “offers a broader understanding of what South Carolina has to offer for individual careers and lifestyle opportunities.”

Central to that is an Ambassador Network that offers members access to a wide range of trained professionals with similar backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

The network includes an online resource that member organizations may tap for recruitment purposes.

“We want to make sure diverse professionals can see themselves as

able to thrive in South Carolina,” Ben Haskew, president and CEO of the Greenville Chamber, said at the launch. “Connecting those individuals with others that are like them can be an effective way to recruit quality talent and retain those professionals as part of our communities.”

Membership is free, and includes a variety of events to be unveiled this spring, including the DRC Ambassadors Reception, the South Carolina Employee Resource Group Forum, the DRC Member Organizations Intern Barbecue and the Graduate Schools Engagement Reception.

For more information, visit the following DRC social media sites: on Twitter, @DRCSC_; on Facebook, facebook.com/DiversityRecruitmentConsortium; and on YouTube, youtube.com/TheDRCSC.

NEXT Launches Jobs Portal, Hosts Intern Event the greenville chamber’s next economic development initiative has launched a new jobs portal to support NEXT companies and engage job seekers.

Economic impact data derived from an annual survey of NEXT company CEOs in Nov. 2012 showed that these companies produced 168 new jobs from Oct. 2011-Sept. 2012 (34 percent growth). The average full-time salary reported by NEXT companies is $68,560, which is 72 percent more than Greenville County’s average wage. In addition, NEXT companies employed 104 interns during the past year.

According to Greenville Chamber executive vice president John Moore, “It is critical that we support these companies in securing the talent they need to grow at the fast pace necessary for competitiveness in their industries.”

The NEXT Intern Event is March 12 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the NEXT Innovation Center, 411 University Ridge in Greenville.

College students in search of internships can utilize this opportunity to discover NEXT, hear from some of the fastest growing companies in the Upstate, find out about available internships, interview for a specific internship, network with potential employers and peers, and enjoy free food and refreshments.

Visit nextupstatesc.org to check out available internships and apply online. For more information, contact Brenda Laakso at blaakso@nextupstatesc.org or 864-751-4806.

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 5

UBJ News

Integro to Build Biomass Fuel Plant at SCTAC

By Dick Hughes | senior business writer

Go Figure $27.5 million cost of Integro’s new Upstate facility

125,000

The Integro plant is under construction off Perimeter Road at the SCTAC.

tons of biomass fuel the facility should produce each year

90% energy value retained by the wood in the torrefaction process used to produce NuCoal; the wood loses 20-30 percent of its mass

9,500-11,000 calorific value (in Btu per pound) of NuCoal, comparable to the middle range of coal

Photos by Greg Beckner

integro earth fuels is building a cutting-edge plant in Greenville large enough to produce a fuel from forest residue as a green substitute for coal to fuel utility boilers for electricity.

The Arden, N.C., company is close to completing the first stage of a $27.5 million facility to make its NuCoal product, a dry, solid biomass fuel, at the SC Technology and Aviation Center. It is one of very few such facilities built on a commercial scale.

“The end result of our product is a solid biomass fuel that is renewable, that is sustainable … and is a replacement for coal at coal-fired utilities,” said Walt Childs, business development director.

“It will be primarily carbon-neutral. It will have lower nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide levels,” he said.

The “great thing” about the process, Childs said, is that it uses forest waste that used to be the raw material staple for the wood and paper industry, which has “decreased or gone offshore.”

Childs said that although Greenville is “viewed as something of an urban area,” the company’s studies

on available raw materials establish “there is more than sufficient feed stock to fuel a full-size plant there.”

In its initial stage, the Greenville plant will produce 10,000 tons of biomass briquettes a year, all of which is destined for European utilities to provide enough for fullscale testing as a replacement for environmentally unfriendly coal.

“That’s what makes this such a valuable asset to Integro’s future,”

“Very few companies have been able to provide the kind of volume utilities need to prove biomass fuel works as everyone thinks it will.”

Walt Childs, business development director of Integro Earth Fuels

6 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Childs said. “Very few companies have been able to provide the kind of volume utilities need to prove the product works as everyone thinks it will.”

Childs said Integro “has a great deal of interest lined up in Europe,” where there is more regulatory pressure than in the United States to reduce reliance on burning coal, considered the single largest contributor to global warming through carbon dioxide emissions.

Further, under the EU’s “cap and trade” mechanism, carbon credits make Integro’s biomass fuel price competitive in Europe. (There is no such equalizing factor in the U.S.) “If you were being completely frank, you would say the (domestic) utilities don’t operate as though climate change is a real issue, and consequently greenhouse gases are not a concern,” Childs said.

“Their position would be ‘Well, we are on a quest to produce the lowest-cost electricity for our customers that we can, and the way to

do that primarily is through coal.’”

Integro successfully has tested “thousands of pounds” of NuCoal at a pilot plant at Gramling in Spartanburg County, but the European utilities need 3,000 tons to run full-scale tests, he said.

They told Integro that if the biofuel “performs as we expect it to, then we would sign a long-term contract, and we would try to buy 100,000, 200,000, 500,000 tons on a 10-year contract. But we can’t do that until we can do a largescale test.”

That’s where the Greenville plant’s initial capacity to produce 10,000 tons a year comes in. “It allows us the capability to provide large-scale test volumes, which we never had before,” Childs said.

Confident of its technology, Integro’s intent is to expand the Greenville plant to a full capacity of 125,000 tons a year before the end of 2014 and “have multiple plants in North and South Carolina within a reasonable distance of ports to export our materials to the EU.” Integro plans to ship from the port in Savannah, Ga. Integro expects to employ 15 people in its early stages and around 35 when Greenville is in full mode. Beyond those direct hires, Childs said, Integro will generate residual jobs in timber, harvesting and trucking.

How it Works (Briefly) Integro Earth Fuels uses a process called “torrefaction” to convert biomass to its NuCoal product, a high-Btu, solid and dry fuel source.

Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers called Integro’s decision to build plants in South Carolina “an important step toward realizing new opportunities in the agribusiness industry of our state.”

Integro last month received a sizeable but undisclosed investment from the technology fund of SCRA’s SC Launch program. Ambrose Schwallie, SCRA executive vice president, said the investment recognizes “there must be an integrated supply chain for renewable energy feedstock right here in South Carolina.”

In December, the Greenville County Council approved for 20 years an annual 6 percent in-lieu payment for property taxes, normally 10.5 percent. Integro was also granted a 20 percent special source revenue credit.

Of Integro’s $27.5 million in projected capital investment, $5.9 million includes pollution-control equipment that is exempt from taxation.

Walt Dickinson founded the company in 2007 to manufacture wood pellets, making use of biomass left on the forestry floor by the decline of the paper and pulp industry. In the process, he “came upon a manufacturing process that improved on the energy value of wood pellets, so he began to pursue that as a technology,” said Childs, who joined the company in 2008.

its mass while retaining 90 percent of its energy value.

The product is achieved through a thermochemical process at inert gas temperatures of 485-535 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The calorific value of the wood increases to 9,500-11,000 Btu per pound,” which puts it in the middle range of coal, Integro says. According to Wikipedia, lignite coal, at the low end, has a value of 8,000 Btu per pound and anthracite coal, at the high end, produces 14,000 Btu per pound.

In the process, the wood loses 20-30 percent of

Specifically, Integro says its biomass briquettes

are carbon neutral, have lower nitrogen and sulfur oxides than coal, contain less than 3 percent moisture, do not take on water so they can be uncovered like coal and are as easily pulverized as utilities typically do to coal before feeding into boilers.

Torrefied wood can be mixed with coal piles, has been tested in burns at 10 percent content “and likely will go to 30 percent mix with coal.”

Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.

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Hiring exceptional readers. exceptional business writers.

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March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 7

UBJ Digital Maven

By laura haight

How Social Should Your Business Be? can your business self and your personal self peacefully co-exist on social media?

Maybe. But it requires diligence, attention to detail and a balancing act worthy of Karl Wallenda.

First, to be clear, I’m not talking about your employees having personal profiles and where they draw the line between personal and professional. Because for the most part, your staff does not have rights to post as your business.

When I set up my Facebook page (facebook.com/portfoliosc), I did it – as you have – under my own personal Facebook account. Everything on Facebook is connected to an individual – even when you create company pages.

Keeping the two things separate and distinct can be difficult and, at times, impossible.

Here are some tips, but they do not by any means cover all the possibilities. Facebook’s settings, security procedures and algorithms change all the time. Bookmark this page from Lifehacker – a site that tends to stay updated as Facebook changes things: goo.gl/ACUzw. 1. Do unto others... If you met a restaurant owner at a networking event, you wouldn’t say “Oh, yes, I’ve been to your place. Wow, it was AWFUL!” And yet that is what we do all the time on social media.

Some would argue that that’s what social media is for – to share the good and the bad with your friends.

And that’s great if you don’t have your own business.

When you post negative comments about other businesses – especially in your local area – you aren’t just telling your friends, you are telling their friends and their friends’ friends. In other words,

everyone. Someday when that restaurant owner needs a website, or new menus designed, or a new accountant or HR assistance, you don’t want to be remembered as “the person who posted that really nasty review.”

No matter how big or small your market is, people do business with people they feel comfortable with.

And they will check you out on social media. So if a friend of theirs hasn’t already flagged that post to them, they’ll see it eventually. Why risk it?

2. Spread the love. When you get good service, have a great meal, meet an impressive person and the like, DO share that – so long as it stays away from hot-button controversies. You want people who have a great experience with you and your business to do that, too. So set that example in your online life.

3. Call a friend a friend. Most of us do not take the time to organize our Facebook contacts into lists. If

8 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

you get a new client – or meet a potential new client – you may try to connect with them on Facebook.

They accept, and now they are in the giant bucket known as “friends.”

If you take the time to set it up and – more importantly – to continue to manage it, you can establish groupings. Find out how on Facebook’s blog: goo.gl/7gAtu. For example, as most of us do, you might have Really Close Friends who you can share anything with.

You probably have Work Friends, maybe acquaintances or Client Friends. And most likely you have friends who fall into a particular interest group like Moms From School or Dog People. When you post as an individual, you can direct your post to the specific group of

people, but you have to make that choice before you hit POST, by clicking on the audience button to the left of the post button. If you have set up lists, they will be accessible there.

4. The Mom Rule. Even if you do that, you can only control what you do, not what other people do. So I follow the “Mom Rule.” If I wouldn’t want my mother to see it, I don’t post it.

5. Managing your personal vs. business pages. A lot of times, I am reading a story online and I want to share it on my Portfolio page. Depending upon the interface, you may or may not have the option to post it on anything other than your personal page. If you have a business that has more than one business page or you manage pages for other businesses, as I do, make sure you are posting on the RIGHT page.

My husband and I rescued a border collie puppy last summer.

In reading up about the breed, I was struck by the comment that you should never teach a border collie something you don’t want it to do for the rest of its life. Boy, is that true. And it is equally true on Facebook. Things may fall off your screen, but they are never gone.

Facebook posts are part of the massive digital media library and they come up in searches on Bing and Google and who knows where in the future. A picture you posted five years ago of yourself with a margarita on the beach may come up today in a Google image search for “Margarita, Beach.”

And if that’s not what you want potential clients to see when they search for you online, you might want to think twice about sharing it.

Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (portfoliosc.com), a communications company based in Greenville that focuses on harnessing the power of today’s technology to reach new customers, turn customers into loyal clients and loyal clients into advocates. She is a former IT executive, journalist and newspaper editor.

UBJ Statehouse Report

By Andy Brack

Time to Connect Dots on Mental Health Funding the new talking point for folks who don’t want more gun control is that the government – yes, the government they often complain about – needs to do more to help the mentally ill.

Well, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is. For 40 years, state governments have devastated state mental health facilities and dumped people on communities for treatment. While a lot of it made sense with improved drug therapies and other assistance, state governments often didn’t add appropriate funding to provide enough community-based treatment to keep people from falling through the cracks.

South Carolina, of course, is one of the worst cases. During the years of the Great Recession, 2008-2012, our leaders cut a larger percentage of general fund dollars for mental health than any other state. According to the National Association of Mental Health, South Carolina legislators cut the state’s share of funding from $187.3 million to $113.7 million – a 39.3 percent cut.

Back in 1970, community mental health centers treated some 14,000 patients across the state. By 1989, the number tripled. Today, some 80,000 people get mental health treatment in 17 community health centers and clinics, according to the state Department of Mental Health (DMH).

During the same time span, the state closed its big mental hospitals.

Around 1970, some 5,800 people were in state-run mental facilities.

The number dropped to 4,114 by 1976 and 2,800 by 1990. Today, some 1,400 people are in state hospitals. On any given Monday, there’s a waiting list of 100 people who need help, according to DMH

Hospital Patients In State Facilities AVERAGE DAILY CENSUS 1990 2012 SC State Hospital 588 CLOSED Crafts-Farrow State Hospital 498 CLOSED Bryan Psychiatric Hospital 191 343 Harris Psychiatric Hospital 152 111 Hall Institute 173 41 Morris Village Treatment Center 166 93 Tucker Nursing Care Center 482 251 Dowdy-Gardner Nursing Care Center 550 CLOSED Campbell Nursing Care Center not open 218 Veterans’ Victory House not open 218 Sexually Violent Predator Treatment Program not open 134 TOTAL 2800 1409

revenue/expenses for state department REVENUE State Medicaid Disproportionate Share Veterans Administration All Other Sources TOTAL

1990 2012 $173,955,317 $132,968,384 $28,982,655 $60,093,248 $0 $39,542,637 $767,221 $17,018,066 $21,913,391 $85,394,173 $225,618,584 $335,016,508

EXPENDITURES 1990 2012 Admin and Support $29,766,191 $33,779,374 Community Mental Health Centers $58,976,302 $136,766,887 Hospital Programs $105,121,936 $101,387,503 Nursing Care Facilities $29,894,778 $52,707,203 Other Expenses $768,441 $4,488,818 TOTAL $224,527,648 $329,129,785 Source: SC Department of Mental Health

Deputy Director Mark Binkley.

But here’s something that keeps some people up at night: About half of the 2,800 patients admitted annually to state mental facilities now aren’t part of a known population of people with mental health challenges. Those who show up in emergency rooms or at state facilities often have substance abuse problems, which brings them to the attention of law enforcement authorities.

Andy Brack, publisher of Statehouse Report, provides weekly commentary. He can be reached directly at statehousereport.com.

So those who are getting help might be the tip of the iceberg. What about others who suffer quietly at home with their families or who don’t get in trouble with the law?

Binkley estimated about three times the number of people who are not known to officials – up to 4,500 people across the state – may need treatment. But that’s a guess. Since deinstitutionalization of mental health facilities over four decades,

there’s really no clear number of South Carolinians who need treatment but aren’t getting it.

It’s important to keep from demonizing those with mental health issues. But because people throughout our communities aren’t getting the treatment they need, they pose a risk to the general population.

Like the Newtown killer. And like the South Carolina woman who recently stood outside Ashley Hall school in Charleston, but couldn’t get her loaded pistol to work.

Now the very people who have blathered on about the need to cut evil government want the state to do more. They don’t want the government to do anything about their guns, but they want something done about people who pose a risk.

They want more cops in schools (a big cost) or more money spent on mental health funding.

So let’s be clear about a lesson adults should have learned as children: Acts have consequences. All of that festering hubris about the need to cut government to the bone to score political points has had a big consequence – our streets are less safe and people with mental illness aren’t getting the treatment they need. Thanks a lot.

Last year, state legislators started restoring draconian mental health cuts with an extra $20 million. A similar amount is expected in the coming year. But much more is needed to ensure more beds are available for seriously ill people and more community treatment options exist to keep up with the state’s mental health needs as more people move here.

There’s not a magic pot of money to fix our problems. Only we can address our challenges. Either we pay a comparatively small amount now through taxes and restore funding for the state Department of Mental Health. Or we can suffer the consequences and face the horrible possibility of paying later with a South Carolina tragedy.

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 9

UBJ Made Here few changes in the ensuing years, with electric models coming out in the 20th century that were increasingly accurate and portable.

But there hasn’t been a product that combines the utility of a metronome with a digital practice journal and timer.

“There has been no real paradigm shift, and that’s the real key here,” says Owoc, chief operations officer of the company, who has about a dozen patents through his company Torq Tuf Hand Tools. “We’ve taken the little cold black box, and we’ve turned it into something personal.”

Consumer connection

Keep on Ticking Local business takes PractizPal Metronome from concept to store shelves

By Leigh Savage | contributor

coming up with a new idea that meets a need in the marketplace can be difficult, but as the creators of the PractizPal Metronome know firsthand, the real challenge is in the execution.

It’s been eight years since piano teacher Nathan Arnold and tool designer Greg Owoc first discussed creating a digital metronome and practice journal for music students.

After many long days and late nights full of research, meetings, testing, debugging and tweaking, they, along with business partner Allen Hodges, are excited to see the

results of their efforts hit store shelves on March 15.

“After going through so many tiny details, it’s rewarding to see students use this and come back and say that it’s so easy, it’s simple, they like how it looks,” said Arnold, CEO of PractizPal’s parent company, Greenvillebased MadeForYouMusic Corp. “All the details came together to make a solid, usable product.”

The metronome dates back centuries, with the first mechanical model patented in 1815 and popularized by Beethoven. The product, which marks tempo, has seen very

10 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Students can choose their color – Beethoven Black, Gershwin Green, Rossini Raspberry – and then personalize the device further with a skin in designs such as camouflage or zebra. Each device comes with a coupon for a free skin that can be ordered on the company website, practizpal.com.

Students can enter their names and personalize their practice goals and schedules. “The product is ultimately about how it connects to the consumer,” Arnold said. “This has a connection with them.”

The result is better tracking of practice time, which benefits students and the music teachers they hope to target with their marketing efforts. As owner of Distinctive Music Studios, Arnold has seen students lose track of their practice time, which can cause them to get frustrated and quit “It’s a retention issue,” he said.

“But it’s also making practice something that’s fun, non-threatening and exciting.”

With tens of thousands of music teachers in the U.S., approximately 8,000 stores around the country selling musical accessories and more than 5,000 selling lesson programs, the company founders say there is a large market and hopes their complete rethinking of a classic product

can grab a large share.

Allen Hodges, a CPA who serves as chief financial officer for PractizPal, had a friend tell him about the product and ended up funding the prototype and other initiatives.

He’s now a partner in the business.

“With their background and experience and mine, the three of us make a good management team,” he said.

At a recent National Association of Music Merchants trade show attended by 100,000 people, the PractizPal caused a stir among music teachers and kids and won an award for Best Tools for Schools.

The product is available for preorder on the website and will be stocked in about 40 stores nationwide, including locally at Pecknel Music, Musical Innovations and Ye Olde Piano Shoppe. They’ll ship

“We’ve taken the little cold black box, and we’ve turned it into something personal.”

Greg Owoc, co-creator of the PractizPal Metronome

Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.

Photos by Greg Beckner

From left, Nathan Arnold, Greg Owoc and Allen Hodges of PractizPal.

UBJ News Green Cloud Signs 100th Customer Timeline Provided

2,500 units for the first wave and long-term plans include wider national distribution and deals with European distributors.

The patent process Many companies sell metronomes or other music accessories, but Owoc said the broad patent – three years in the making – should protect the company’s ideas and innovations.

The patent includes protection against apps, though the inventors said smartphone metronomes can’t compete with their product’s power and adjustable wood block sound.

After first discussing the idea in 2005, they filed the patent that year,

but it wasn’t issued until 2008.

They spent four to five years on development, working with factories in Hong Kong and the U.S. on programming, structure, materials and packaging.

They went over each aspect of the product, having students and teachers give their opinions and assessing everything from its gripping rubber strip (it won’t slide on pianos), how it clips onto music stands and what type of 9-volt battery will offer the best performance.

“We had never designed a metronome before, and that was actually an advantage,” Arnold said. “We rethought the entire concept. Now it’s just a matter of getting the word out.”

SCANPO to Host 2013 Nonprofit Summit the south carolina association of Nonprofit Organizations will host their 2013 Nonprofit Summit, entitled “Together. For Good.” on March 13-15 at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville.

The annual conference, which brings together more than 400 nonprofit volunteers and leaders from across the state, will feature keynote speakers, sessions, exhibitors and pre-summit workshops.

The keynote speaker is Robert Lupton, founder of FCS Urban Ministries in Atlanta, author of “Toxic Charity.”

Other speakers include: Mike Snusz, senior Internet marketing consultant at Blackbaud in Charleston; Brad Majors, vice president of marketing and development for Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Mid-

lands S.C.; Chris Steed, president and CEO of United Way of the Piedmont in Spartanburg; Kelly E. Callahan, director of SC 2-1-1, United Way Association of South Carolina; Kivi Leroux Miller, president of NonprofitMarketingGuide.com in Charleston; and Darrin Goss Sr., vice president of community impact at United Way of Greenville County.

“We are delighted to bring such stellar speakers and leaders to SCANPO’s 2013 conference,” says Madeleine McGee, president of SCANPO. “SCANPO seeks to raise the bar for nonprofit governance and efficacy, because that is what ultimately raises quality of life in our South Carolina communities.”

Registration is now open at scanpo.org.

green cloud technologies, a cloud technology solutions provider headquartered in Greenville, recently signed its 100th business customer, East Cooper Plastic Surgery, located in Charleston.

East Cooper Plastic Surgery’s need for a backup solution that was HIPAA-compliant and secure enough to protect highly sensitive patient information led them to Green Cloud Technologies, company officials said. The medical practice specializes in surgical reconstruction for breast cancer survivors and leads the Southeast in bringing patients the latest reconstruction options available.

“This is a significant achievement

and another milestone for us to celebrate,” said Shay Houser, CEO of Green Cloud Technologies. “Our team has worked hard to develop the best cloud solutions on the market today. Businesses across South Carolina, like East Cooper Plastic Surgery, are seeing the value our solutions bring to the table. Along with all the Green Cloud channel partners, we’re fired up and ready to celebrate one hundred more.”

Green Cloud’s fourth quarter sales were up 70 percent quarterover-quarter, reflecting accelerating market demand for cloud-based products across the Southeast, the company reports. To meet market demand, Green Cloud reportedly plans to open sales offices in four additional markets by early spring.

In the last six months, the company has opened regional sales offices in Charleston, Nashville, Tenn., and Tampa, Fla.

SCWBC Helps Businesswomen With Certifications the sc women’s business center (SCWBC) is offering a workshop on March 19, 9-11:30 a.m., at the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce at 105 North Pine St., to help women business owners understand the certifications available to them.

The workshop provides attendees with detailed information on the various woman-owned business certification options available in South Carolina – government and private – including the ones offered by the state, by the Department of Transportation and by WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council). The workshop will cover requirements, qualifications and benefits. The cost is $50 per person. Registration is at scwbc.net/ events/upstate. Seating is limited.

The SCWBC will also hold workshops on March 12 and March 19

from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Spartanburg Methodist College’s Buchheit Boardroom. The topic of the March 12 workshop will be entrepreneurial readiness, and attendees will learn to evaluate their skills as entrepreneurs by discussing common traits of successful entrepreneurs and learning what lenders are looking for. This is an opportunity for potential business owners and current business owners to learn about building a strong foundation for their businesses.

On March 19, the topic will be “Is My Business Idea Feasible?” The workshop will give attendees the chance to get feedback from peers and professionals.

Admission is $20 for the March 12 workshop and $10 for the March 19 workshop. Registration is at scwbc.net.

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 11

UBJ News

A Groundbreaking Day for the Inland Port Construction underway for $35 million project, due for completion in September

By Dick Hughes | senior business writer

Go Figure 40,000 containers per year the S.C. Port Authority projects the inland port will handle initially

100,000 containers per year the inland port is projected to handle in five years

$35 million cost of the project

18 months time to projected completion of the project in September from when Norfolk Southern approached the Port Authority in January 2012

from the world’s waterways.

“We’ve got trucks, we’ve got rail, we’ve got air,” said Gov. Nikki Haley.

“This a historic day in South Carolina.”

She couldn’t resist a playful jab at states competing with South Carolina for industry: “The more they try to keep us with us, they just can’t keep up.”

Haley was just one of nine public or corporate officials who spoke of the coming landlocked port as akin in importance to BMW’s decision more than two decades ago to build its North American assembly plant in Spartanburg County.

Indeed, the inland port is coming about because BMW approached the Norfolk Southern Railway for a rail alternative to highways for moving its nation-leading export of vehicles 212 miles to the Port of Charleston, then to overseas markets. It promises to be the biggest user of the inland port.

The Upstate terminal, which will be operated by the South Carolina Port Authority, will have 552 slots for containers on 40 developed acres.

The SCPA estimates the initial capacity will be around 40,000 containers annually with potential to handle as many as 100,000 in five years. Three rubber-tiered gantry cranes will lift containers on and off Norfolk Southern flatbeds.

Two 2,600-foot working tracks will connect to the NS mainline.

In addition, NS will have 5,200 feet of storage tracks with room for expansion.

Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCPA, said the facility will be completed and in operation

12 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

The total cost of the project is $35 million, the SCPA said. NS is paying 25 percent of the cost under contract with the SCPA, a spokesman said.

“This is truly special, “ said Mike McClellan, vice president for intermodal and automotive marketing for the railroad. “We’re sharing the risk and we are sharing in the upside, and I think there will be considerable upside.”

The short-haul overnight trips between Greer and North Charleston are something of a Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Gov. Nikki Haley departure for railroads and Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South that historically saw Carolina Ports Authority more economic benefit in September, just 18 months from in long-haul shipping. the time NS approached the authorNewsome said the Port of ity about building it.

Charleston “would not exist without But, he said, the inland port “has the Upstate,” which has the highest been 30 years in the making,” a concentration of international shipreference to the 1982 decision to pers through the port of any region acquire approximately 100 acres in in the state. Of the port’s in-state Greer for an inland terminal, a cargo, 60 percent originates here. project that gained no traction until The Greer terminal will enhance NS approached the Port Authority the area’s position as the fastestin January 2012. growing region along the I-85 corWhen envisioned it was an in- ridor, he said. novative idea “before its time, and Minor Shaw, chairwoman of the its day has come,” Newsome said.

GSP Airport Commission, said the In the meantime, SCPA sold all location of the inland port adjacent but 30 acres of the land to the to the airport, along the rail line airport. What was left was not and close by I-85 provides indusenough to do the inland port, tries with unique accessibility to all Newsome said, so the airport com- modes of transportation. mission leased back 60-plus acres She said it “no doubt will attract to make it work. the attention of companies” looking Photo by Gerry Pate

when dignitaries, group after group, on cue for the cameras, put their shovels into the ground in Greer last Friday, they were giving a ceremonial start to what is believed to be the first inland port of its kind.

For this afternoon, the earthmovers that had been preparing the ground for weeks went silent for the speechmaking.

The public and private officials, the regular folks and the press were there for the breaking of ground on what speakers heralded as a unique inland terminal to collect and receive goods by rail, road and air

to locate on land the airport commission has set aside for development.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said the two engines of South Carolina’s economy – the Upstate and the Lowlands – “are now connected.” One out of every five jobs in the state can be attributed to the Port of Charleston, he said.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said he believes the Greer inland port “will be a model for the nation.”

Spartanburg Councilman Tim Britt called the inland port “transformational for a lifetime to come.”

Greer Mayor Richard Danner said he had never seen “so many people, important people” at a groundbreaking. He called it a “historic day” for the city.

Paul Fisher, CEO of CenterPoint Properties, which is constructing the facility and was the developer for the nation’s largest inland port at Joliet, Ill., said the Greer facility would be “the model for the future.”

Photo provided

An artist’s rendering of the future inland port

SC Exports Reach Record $25.3 Billion

By Dick Hughes | senior business writer South Carolina exports rose 2.2 percent to $25.3 billion in the value of goods in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

It was a record for the state, which ranks 17th in the nation in exports.

Gov. Nikki Haley said the growth in exports shows “the strong economic ties our state has with countries around the globe.”

The state’s No. 1 trading partner last year was Canada, which imported goods valued at $3.2 billion, up 5.4 percent from $2.7 billion in 2011.

Exports to Germany, the second-largest trading partner last year, fell to $2.9 billion from $3.4 billion in 2011.

Only California exports more goods to Germany.

China ranked third, with $2.2 billion in goods imported from South Carolina. China is on a trend line to challenge both Canada and Germany for the top two spots in trading with the state.

The value of China’s imports from South Carolina has risen 500 percent since

2007, while those of Canada and Germany have remained relatively flat in that comparative period, though with economic cyclical spikes up and down in intervening years.

South Carolina ranks ninth in the nation in exports to China. It is third in exports to Iraq and the Czech Republic and fourth in exports to Egypt, Hungary and Sweden.

The top export industry was vehicles on the strength of BMW, which exported about 70 percent of the 301,500 vehicles it produced in Spartanburg last year. BMW exports more cars from the United States than any other manufacturer.

The second-largest export commodity was rubber. The state ranked first in the nation in tire exports, accounting for 30 percent of all U.S. tire exports. That is a share that likely will increase as Michelin, Bridgestone and Continental ramp up production in South Carolina.

Other top commodity exports from the state include electrical machinery, plastics, optical and medical equipment, paper and paperboard, organic chemicals, wood pulp and cotton yarn and fabric.

With Greenville’s GE turbine plant in large-scale operation, the state is the second-largest

south carolina’s top five trading partners

Canada Germany China Mexico UK World

exporter of gas turbines.

Manufacturers in the Upstate account for the lion’s share of South Carolina exports. In 2011, the last year for which data was available, the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metropolitan statistical area exported $11.7 billion in goods, 25th-highest total in the nation. The Spartanburg MSA accounted for another $1.7 billion.

Trailing far behind are the Charleston-North CharlestonSummerville MSA at $2.3 billion and Columbia at $1.5 billion.

Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt said the department’s export program is “building on our relationships with trading partners” to increase trade, particularly focusing on helping small and mediumsized business to enter new world markets.

Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Port Authority, said he expects exports from the Port of Charleston to outpace imports in the coming years.

The Port Authority is embarked on a 10-year, $1.3 billion capital plan to improve SCPA facilities, including deepening the Port of Charleston to accommodate in all tides the giant ships that will come through the widened Panama Canal.

Last week, the SCPA held a groundbreaking for the Upstate Inland Port at Greer to make it more economical and efficient to transport containers to North Charleston by rail rather than by truck. The inland port also is expected to attract industrial development in the Upstate.

Source: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 $3 b

$3.2 b

$3.3 b

$3.3 b

$2.7 b

$3.2 b

$3.8 b

$4 b

$2.4 b

$2.1 b

$3.8 b

$4.8 b

$3.4 b

$2.9 b

$4 b

$3.7 b

$622 m

$703 m

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$790 m

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$2.2 b

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$1.1 b

$981 m

$1.2 b

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$1.4 b

$14 b

$13.6 b

$16.6 b

$19.9 b

$16.5 b

$20.3 b

$24.7 b

$25.2 b

Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 13

Goodbye, Walls

Upstate workers are leaving their solitary spaces to share energy and ideas while co-working

By April A. Morris | staff

14

c over s to ry Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Photos by Greg Beckner

Co-work space at the Iron Yard’s Railside CoWork office on Washington Street in Greenville.

c over s to ry Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Hunkered down in coffee shops with glowing screens and steaming cups

2,072

number of co-working spaces worldwide (according to Global Co-working Survey 2012 conducted by Deskmag.com)

$83,900

typical co-working space investment in the U.S. in 2012, up from $58,200 in 2001 (according to the Global Co-working Survey by Deskmag.com)

are not college students checking their social media or moms checking their email. These are the digital nomads – freelancers or entrepreneurs. They’ve escaped their cramped home offices and uncomfortable chairs to crank out a new business proposal or report to a client.

Now, the next step. Instead of dealing with the din that is a public space, purposefully designed workplaces for these sometimes solitary workers have been appearing across the Upstate as part of a global trend: co-working.

Rather than sharing a table with a coffeehouse stranger, a co-worker shares space with fellow freelancers or entrepreneurs. They work with each other in the same space and sometimes on the same projects. Co-working spaces offer a place to work and meet clients, typically for a rental fee. Workers can keep flexible hours, share common areas and many times collaborate.

And the movement is building. According to Deskmag.com, a site devoted to co-working and its settings, two-thirds of co-working spaces surveyed in 2012 are considering expanding.

machine. There’s also a common conference room – complete with a disco ball. In the adjoining room are traditional desks and standing desks for the co-workers. Two round rooms with doors are available for small meetings and private phone calls.

Co-working offers a flexible workspace along with community and collaboration for freelancers and entrepreneurs, Smith says. The members of CoWork are “wellexperienced, talented designers, developers – people (continued on page 16) Iron Yard’s Railside CoWork office on Washington Street in Greenville.

C o W ork R a il side Near the train station in downtown Greenville is CoWork Railside, a dedicated space for nearly 30 workers in a former general store used by railroad staff. Matthew Smith, a designer and cofounder of the Iron Yard, took over the space that was once Crescent Studios and now helps manage it. CoWork became part of the Iron Yard in 2012. Owner Trey Cole Design Group, which also has an office in CoWork, renovated the building.

When you walk into the open, warm space with exposed wood beams, brick walls and plenty of windows, at the forefront is a bar with high-tech coffee

15

Photos by Greg Beckner

“For a town the size of Greenville, this is superunique. It’s a gem, really.”

Rob Wright, member of CoWork Railside (continued from page 15)

ABOVE and BELOW: Dodd Caldwell, left, and Sims Key at work in their co-work space at the Iron Yard’s Railside CoWork office on Washington Street in Greenville.

Caldwell owns and operates several businesses. Keys is using the co-work space as his Greenville office for his architecture firm Key Architecture.

He has another office in Florence, S.C.

16

involved in the creative industry and business,” he said.

Membership is at varying levels, ranging from “tips” to $300 per month for full-time members. Drop-in workers and monthly Café Members get access to Wi-Fi and common spaces while full-time members get a desk to call their own and a computer monitor.

“We let the community aspect of co-work be handled by the co-workers,” says Smith. “It’s a very cooperative environment in that way.”

L e av ing C orpor at e f or C a f é In CoWork’s café area, Rob Wright works creating iOS projects for Apple and Java. Smith explains that after working together on a few projects, Smith later convinced Wright to quit his job of 15 years to go out on his own. Wright lives in Anderson and had commuted to Taylors for 12 years.

Wright says co-working suits him. “For me, café membership is good because I don’t want to be at home every day all day, but also don’t want to commute to Greenville every day, so it’s a good compromise for me.”

Wright says collaboration happens because he is not isolated in the home office. “It’s a great community to bounce ideas off of to get feedback. Everyone has an opinion and there are very few quiet people here.”

He says if he ever returns to a corporate setting, he would use the CoWork group as a source for talent.

“For a town the size of Greenville, this is super-unique.

It’s a gem, really.”

Smith says his co-working space is unique because they have had many members stay for a number of years.

“Many co-working spaces across the country are set

up for transients. We’re not set up that way. We want people to build businesses and keep them here,” he says.

Members are accepted at first on a trial basis. They aren’t interviewed, but come in to work for a month to see how it suits them and how the relationship evolves.

“We all get along really, really well, and we’ve got a ton of personalities here, from the super-quiet guy all the way to loudmouths,” he says. That’s an important reality to remember, because while there are ways to escape engagement, “your headphones are the closest thing to a closed door you can get” in the open office plan, he added.

F reedom t o Re -T hink Though the dress code and atmosphere are relaxed, Smith says the members are very professional and some of the most talented people in their fields, some speaking internationally on their specialties. “Most of us have great productivity here. You also need that freedom to think and rethink about what you’re working on.”

Janice Antley, a designer who owns Mighty Mouse Productions, is currently the only female at CoWork Railside. She says she was happy to join after years of working solo. “I worked from home for 15 years – like in a vacuum, in a box – and you feel stagnant.

I came here and was learning new things, meeting new people and have better resources because everyone is in-house together.”

Dodd Caldwell, who works on tech products like instant websites for nonprofits and a system for recurring online payments, was headed out the door to work at the coffee shop for a change of scenery. One advantage of co-work “is that you have a lot of creative juices,

Ed Zeigler Jr., left, and Stuart Stenger at work in the offices of Craig Gaulden Davis in Greenville.

c over s to ry Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Mel Dias with Mel Dias Designs at work in his co-work space in the offices of Craig Gaulden Davis in Greenville.

but some days the headphones are enough and some days you have to get out,” he says.

CoWork members will soon have additional venues for that change of scenery, The Forge on Main Street in Greenville and The Mill in downtown Spartanburg, both due to open this spring, Smith says. “We believe that everyone needs to get out of the office and if this is your office, you still need to get out sometimes.”

T en a n t s a nd Col l a bor at ors Co-working came out of a series of developments rather than a grand design for the 55-year-old architectural firm Craig Gaulden Davis, says Ed Zeigler, president.

The firm employed 40 people before the 2008 economic downturn, but now has 14 on staff.

In 2011, the interior design studio, located on the ground floor of the 8,000-square foot building, moved upstairs. “When we started getting smaller, we decided to integrate our two studios: the architecture and the interior design,” says Zeigler.

The relocation energized the design staff – while it had regularly met with the architectural staff before, the change in proximity boosted collaboration, he says.

This new synergy, however, left an entire floor vacant.

Searching for a way to fill it, the firm spread the word that there was space available and soon had a former staffer, residential designer Mel Dias, using one of the three ground-floor conference rooms as his office. Dias, who had been working out of his home, loves the arrangement.

Dias’s specialties don’t overlap with the larger firm, but complement each other, as does the other group who took over the former interior design studio, Blue Water Civil Design. Blue Water moved into the build-

ing with seven employees in October 2011.

The three companies sometimes collaborate on jobs and are often able to answer the others’ questions about their specialties, says Dias. They also share some equipment like teleconferencing gear, copy machines and the plotter for drawing.

And in the corner of the second floor sits a part-time co-worker: Vernon Trice, owner of VET1 IT Consulting. He’s a contractor who works on the firm’s computers, but Craig Gaulden Davis provides him with a workstation when he comes in once a week. Trice says he appreciates one of his clients offering him a base of operations. “I really enjoy this space,” he adds.

Mu t u a l Benef i t s “It’s given our whole office sort of a boost, to have more people in the building and to have different disciplines in the building,” says Zeigler. “Each of us has brought each other work since we’ve been in the building together.”

Jason Henderson of Blue Water Civil Design says he and his partners had worked out of their homes before sharing the space at Craig Gaulden Davis. He’s now a fan of co-working and calls it “definitely a unique opportunity.”

Though Blue Water Civil Design had worked on a few projects for the architectural firm, they have done more since moving into the building and would like to continue, says Blue Water partner Lynn Solesbee.

“They will come and ask about a civil issue on a project that we may or may not be involved in. We’ll offer some free advice and try to send some architectural work their way when we get a chance,” he says.

“I think it’s mutually beneficial.”

Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com.

“It’s given our whole office sort of a boost, to have more people and different disciplines in the building.”

Ed Ziegler, president of Craig Gaulden Davis

17

Six and Twenty Distillery turns out handcrafted whiskey by April A. Morris | staff

Upcountry Spirits 18 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Robert Redmond and David Raad, proprietors of Six and Twenty Distilleries, with their custom-made column hybrid still.

eneur • r p e

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repreneu nt

ne

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entrepr e

UBJ ur • entr

ju m p s ta r t Photos by Greg Beckner

Crafting spirits runs in Robert Redmond’s family: He’s the great-great-nephew of Major Lewis Redmond, a legendary Oconee County moonshiner who regularly tangled with the government and was shot many times, but was so talented that he was pardoned from prison to work in a government distillery.

Now Redmond, along with wife Maureen and partner David Raad, has resurrected the family tradition at Six and Twenty Distillery in Powdersville. Redmond and Raad, who played rugby together at Clemson, kept in touch over the years. When Raad moved back to the Upstate from Africa in 2010, the friends hit upon the idea to found a distillery.

“We were in my driveway during a company Christmas party, tasting some local moonshine, and David said to me, ‘We could make this stuff and actually make it better,’” said Redmond.

Raad had returned to the area after working in the private equity field in Africa. “We immediately started planning and deciding what we would and wouldn’t be. We had brilliant idea 1, which was followed by brilliant idea 1.2, which was overwritten by brilliant idea 4,” said Raad.

They both credit the Easley Chamber of Commerce and Clemson’s Regional Small Business Development Center for helping them start on the right foot. Raad says his linear thinking complements Redmond’s conceptual approach and makes them perfect business partners.

Using a custom still from Artisan Still Designs, Six and Twenty Distillery now produces two varieties of handcrafted whiskey: an unaged, clear variety dubbed Carolina Virgin

The ‘Body’ of

Whiskey

David Raad monitors the distilling process to capture the best parts:

Heads

180 proof - initial product of distillation and discarded

Hearts

185-100 proof - the “sweet spot” where the product is saved for bottling

Tails

below 80 proof - final product of distillation, low in alcohol; Six and Twenty recycles them

Wheat and a blended and aged variety called Six and Twenty Blue.

“The virgin wheat is pure, virtuous, unaged, youthful – it’s got attitude. It’s clean, crisp and clear,” said Redmond.

The Blue is made by blending the virgin wheat with a five-year-old Kentucky bourbon and aging in a barrel for several months. The name comes from the bride’s wedding day tradition and “marriage” in the barrel, said Redmond.

“Something old is the Kentucky bourbon, something new is the virgin wheat whiskey, something borrowed is time in a barrel, and you come out with something blue,” he said.

“Our whiskey to corn moonshine is like comparing wedding cake to cornbread,” said Redmond.

Throughout the distilling process, Raad tastes and smells the product to determine the optimum point to collect the perfect product, he said. He learned the chemistry and science of distillation while working to help set up a brewery in east Africa for SAB Miller, he said, but also went back to school to learn the sensory aspect at Siebel Institute.

“Craft whiskey is an expression of art,” he said.

Both are quick to point out that they are not making legal moonshine (derived from corn), but craft whiskey from South Carolina-grown soft red winter wheat, the same variety that bakeries use to make pastries. When planning the venture, Redmond said they decided to go in a different direction to make the handcrafted whiskey.

Their location, in a former Peeler milk transfer station, offers access to some of the area’s

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 19

ABOVE: Six and Twenty Whiskey.

RIGHT: David Radd uses a shot glass to get a sample of product for testing as it comes out of the still.

best-quality water and locally sourced ingredients, Raad said, including wheat from Westminster and Anderson that is milled at Greer’s Suber Mill.

Six and Twenty also has a custom-engineered strain of yeast used to ferment the wheat before distilling, Raad said. They go a step further to create a local flavor: “I keep the door open because whenever I’m mashing (in open containers). I want the natural yeast unique to this area cross-pollinating in that mash. It gives us a profile that’s totally unique.”

Redmond and Raad have been distilling whiskey for nearly six months and say the demand for their high-quality product is following the trend of the craft beer movement.

“We started selling our first batch a week before Christmas and the last bottle was gone

by New Year’s,” Redmond said. Curious customers can drop by to purchase whiskey from their storefront, have a taste and take tours, which happen twice on Saturdays.

At this point, the operation can produce about 15 gallons of whiskey each day in the 150-gallon

Robert Redmond

Behind the Name Six and Twenty refers to the famous Upcountry love story of Issaqueena, a local Native American who, before the Revolutionary War, rode to warn her British soldier love of an impending Cherokee attack. Legend says that along the way, she named several places based on the distance from the village, including Six Mile and Ninety Six. The Six and Twenty Distillery is approximately 26 miles from the original village.

Fast Facts Robert Redmond grew up in Marietta, S.C., picking strawberries on his family farm, Beechwood Farm. His nickname is “Farmer.”

He also owns a general contracting business.

David Raad was born in South Africa and has worked in the private equity business, as a diplomat and as a media and political consultant.

Go Figure 30,000 number of standard fifth bottles of whiskey that Six and Twenty Distillery can currently produce in a year with one shift

15 gallons

Six and Twenty Distillery • 3109 Highway 153, Piedmont • 864-640-0531 • sixandtwentydistillery.com Open noon-7 p.m., Monday-Saturday with tours 1 & 4 p.m. on Saturdays or by appointment

20 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

still, but the distillers are hoping to outgrow their equipment by the end of the year, Raad said. The duo is concentrating on distributing in “our own backyard,” and then will explore widening the reach, Redmond added.

For the time being, Raad will continue making whiskey several times a week and Redmond still works as a general contractor. However, since the distillery just inked a statewide distribution deal with Southern Wine and Spirits, they both anticipate happily spending a lot more time at Six and Twenty.

amount of whiskey Six and Twenty Distillery can currently produce in a day

Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com.

Photos by Greg Beckner

“Our whiskey to corn moonshine is like comparing wedding cake to cornbread.”

UBJ

UCAN Begins 2013 With 3 Investments Across the State

Create. Innovate. Celebrate.

by m a t t d unba r In the first 10 weeks of 2013, the Upstate Carolina Angel Network invested in startups across three major regions of South Carolina. The investments ranged from Charleston to Greenville, and across industries from biotechnology to digital media. Despite their diversity of geography and industry, each investment shared common threads of strong leadership, unique technologies, growing markets and attractive potential returns.

Here’s a closer look at what these entrepreneurs are up to, and why the Upstate Angels invested.

The CharlestonPharma team

CharlestonPharma is a biotechnology company developing antibodies and diagnostic tests to help fight cancer. Based on research conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina, the company’s antibody therapies target a protein called nucleolin, which is expressed on the surface of many cancer cells – but not on normal cells. The company is being led by Brad Goodwin, a startup veteran and former vice president of finance at Genentech, along with the inventor of the technology, Daniel Fernandes of MUSC, and renowned oncologist Robert Capizzi. While UCAN does not normally invest in drug development startups, CharlestonPharma has a clear strategy to partner early with a large biotech company, reducing the enormous capital and regulatory risk associated with the drug development space.

“The science of treating cancer is evolving so that therapy is increasingly discriminating among targets that make cancer cells different from normal cells,” explained UCAN member Jeff Giguere, an Upstate oncologist. “This new nucleolin target and the antibody CharlestonPharma

is developing give us hope that we may be able to treat multiple types of cancer with really minimal toxicity.”

Following UCAN’s investment, Goodwin noted, “We value UCAN’s participation in our financing, both for their domain expertise as well as for the participation of a sophisticated group of South Carolina investors in helping CharlestonPharma succeed.”

Pandoodle is a digital media company that made its way from Silicon Valley to Columbia when its CEO, Dirk Brown, took the role as director of the Faber Entrepreneurship Center at the University of South Carolina. The company develops software that enables dynamic customization of video content with extremely high quality and very low cost. In simple terms, what that means is that Pandoodle can insert realistic, customized brand placements into video footage based on where and how the video is being viewed – which has tremendous potential value for content creators, distribution channels and brands.

UCAN investor Tom Govreau was particularly impressed with Pandoodle’s technology and expressed confidence in the CEO. “He’s demonstrated success in previous technology startups, and he’s been resourceful and responsive in attracting capital in a difficult capital marketplace,” Govreau said.

“The due diligence process at UCAN was thorough, professional, and ultiDirk Brown

mately very helpful to our company,” said Dirk.

“We are excited about having such a seasoned group of helpful technology investors involved with Pandoodle.”

The Iron Yard is working on the “Next Big Things” in the Upstate technology community. From coworking space and conferences for developers, to code academies and a startup accelerator, the Peter Barth Iron Yard is putting the pieces in place for Greenville and Spartanburg to become a renowned hub for technical talent. The accelerator in particular drew the interest of UCAN, as it works with eight to 10 teams of entrepreneurs to accelerate their startups in intense three-month bursts. The first program ran in Greenville last summer, with the second gearing up next week and a third scheduled for Spartanburg in the fall. Investors in the Iron Yard retain a small piece of equity in the startups that come out of the program, many of which go on to raise additional capital and continue their growth trajectory.

“The Iron Yard is not your typical angel investment, but ironically it represents the true ideals of what every angel investor is seeking,” noted J.B. Holeman, UCAN’s co-founder. “The Iron Yard portfolio is itself diversified, with each company representing a potentially profitable return. It directly supports the nurturing of regionally based, high-growth startups, and it’s building on proven success from last year.”

Peter Barth, founder and “Head Honcho” of the Iron Yard, underscored that UCAN’s investment was valuable for more than just the capital. “We couldn’t be more excited that UCAN is investing in our program again this year,” he said. “They’re a crucial partner for us, offering not only capital, but rich strategic relationships as well.”

Likewise, UCAN is excited to partner with this diverse set of startup companies that represent the promising and intriguing opportunities entrepreneurs are generating in South Carolina. To help fund those entrepreneurs and their economy-growing enterprises, UCAN is always on the lookout for potential investors who are interested in learning more about early-stage angel investing. If you would like to get involved, please visit UCAN’s website at upstateangels.org, or contact me at matt@upstateangels.org.

Matt Dunbar is managing director of the Upstate Carolina Angel Network.

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 21

UBJ The Takeaway

‘We All Have a Brand Inside of Us’

Kimberly Kelly

Photo: Provided by Image to Impact

Kimberly Kelly, host of WSPA-TV’s “Your Carolina with Jack and Kimberly” and “Scene on 7” has become a brand in her own right. Not only does Kimberly host the two shows, but she’s also made a lucrative career doing commercials all over the Southeast. On a recent Wednesday evening at The Loft at Falls Park, Kimberly spoke to FemCity Greenville about “Making YOU a Brand.”

EVENT: FemCity Greenville Around Town Social WHO WAS THERE: Members of the regional chapter of the national organization Femfessionals SPEAKER: Kimberly Kelly TOPIC: Making YOU a Brand For information about joining or attending the next event, visit femfessionals.com/FemCities/ Greenville.htm.

1. We all have a brand inside of us. The brand of YOU will happen naturally, if you’re out there being social (both in person and on the Web) – it happens organically.

2. We all have many layers. The unique layers make up your brand.

Uniqueness can often be intimidating and sometimes misunderstood, so while it’s important and imperative, it’s not the key to your brand.

The key is being relatable. Be relatable while being unique.

3. Find a commonality with others; it makes you relatable. If

rison albums. We all have a little bit of rock ’n’ roll in us.

6. Don’t be afraid of sharing your personal interests – it makes you human. It makes you relatable. People like to do business with an actual person.

7. Learn to have business sense about your brand. Learn to negotiate contracts.

And hire people to help you in areas you just don’t know how to do.

8. Use both your left and right brain; use every ounce of creativeness you have AND every ounce of business you have.

9. Use social media to show people who you are as a brand. There is an ROI for being social. People do business with people they know. Let others know who YOU are. But make it unique and relatable – don’t just be a commercial for your company.

10. Remember that what you stand for is stronger than what you’re selling.

you agree on nothing else – politics, religion, etc. – find some common ground. We are all a child of God, no matter what our beliefs are.

4. There is a difference between being dramatic and being drama.

People don’t like to be around people who always seem to have drama going on. Make sure your drama is the positive, fun kind.

5. Think about the brand of rock ’n’ roll. No one has branded better than rock ’n’ roll. Decades later we still see teenagers wearing Grateful Dead T-shirts and buying Jim Mor-

By Taryn Scher, founder and president of TK PR.

FemCity Greenville launched in September 2012 and has more than 60 members. There are more than 50 FemCities nationwide. A Femfessional is a savvy businesswoman characterized as positive, open-minded, driven, professional, ambitious and desirous of forming strong strategic connections with similar-minded professional women to benefit each other personally and professionally and to benefit their community. Not only is she motivated to succeed, she is passionate about the success of others around her. A Femfessional is giving of herself and more than willing to help when she is needed. She wants to make an impact in the world, starting with the betterment of her city, and grow as a business professional and a woman.

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From left: Elaine Harris, mayor of Pacolet; Ailene Ashe, mayor of Lockhart; Ernest Moore, mayor of Jonesville; Harold Thompson, mayor of Union; Richard Webel, president of Pacolet Milliken Enterprises; Bryan Stone, chief operating officer of Lockhart Power; Ralph Walker, senior vice president of energy for Pacolet Milliken Enterprises; Philip Land, Piedmont regional outreach director for Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Lockhart Power Company and its parent company, Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc., recently broke ground on the power company’s new corporate office building, to be located next to the company’s current office facility at 420 River St., Lockhart, in Union County.

The 6,600 SF office building will

Dealmakers Griffin Property Solutions LLC announced: Mark Griffin recently represented Professional Building Maintenance Services Inc. (PBMS) in the purchase of a 9,000 SF facility located at 12 International Court, Greenville. PBMS Inc. purchased the facility to relocate their corporate headquarters and allow for additional future growth.

provide three distinct functions: new administrative offices, a new customer service center and a company meeting room.

“The building underwent an extensive design process, particularly considering its modest size, because we wanted to ensure we had the space to meet our near-term needs while

minimizing our environmental footprint,” said Bryan Stone, chief operating officer of Lockhart Power. “Noteworthy design details include the reuse of bricks from the Excelsior Union Mill, renewable energy for the building provided by the adjacent hydroelectric plant and high efficiency HVAC equipment and appliances.”

represented John Gigante in the sale of approximately 9 acres on Poplar Drive, Greer, to Ashmore Brothers Paving Co.

COL LLC in the leasing of retail space to Bare Essence at 1624 Woodruff Road, Greenville.

Jack Snedigar represented Kent Worldwide Development in the leasing of approx. 4,500 SF of corporate office space at 25 E. Court St., Greenville, to Customer Effective Solutions and the extension of their lease term on their existing 8,585 SF corporate office to accommodate their expansion and growth going forward.

NAI Earle Furman announced:

Spectrum Commercial Properties announced:

Rob Brissie represented O& C Properties in the leasing of retail space in The Park Center shopping center to Sophia’s Alterations located at 5115 Calhoun Memorial Hwy., Easley.

Brent Freeman recently

Rob Brissie also represented

Photo Provided

UBJ Square Feet

Stuart Wyeth represented the landlord of 124 Verdae Blvd., Greenville, in leasing a 5,788 SF office space in Suite 405 to TEKsystems Inc. David Feild and Tyson Smoak represented the landlord of The Old Cotton Warehouse at 511 Rhett St., Greenville, in leasing a 2,600 SF office space. Alexi Papapieris represented the tenant, Lakeview Capital Partners LLC. Keith Jones represented the landlord of 115 N. Brown St., Greenville, in leasing a 4,820 SF office space. Scott Jones

Magnolia Park, the redevelopment of the old Greenville Mall on Woodruff Road, recently announced that two more restaurants will be moving in.

Florida-based developer Menin Development will begin construction on Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and Toby Keith’s I Love this Bar. The 6,500 SF Firebirds’ construction completion is anticipated in June, but the restaurant will open in November next to Rooms to Go. Firebirds opened its first restaurant in Charlotte in 2000, and the chain now has 23 locations in nine states with plans to open six more locations this year.

According to the developer, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar will be in front of Regal Cinemas and is set to open sometime in mid 2014. I Love This Bar is named after the country music singer’s hit single by the same title, and the restaurant already has locations around the country.

Both restaurants will join Dave & Buster’s restaurant, Big Daddy’s Burger and Cabela’s in Magnolia Park.

represented the tenant.

John Powell represented the landlord of 4802 Hwy. 81 N., Unit C, Anderson, in leasing a 5,400 SF flex space to DXP Enterprises, Inc. Ted Lyerly and Jimmy Wright represented the landlord of Morgan Manor at 730 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, in leasing a 2,100 SF retail space in Suite I to Complete Care Medical Center PC, and a 1,429 SF retail space in Suite 107 to Matthew Lee Morgan.

Hunter Garrett and Towers Rice represented the seller of 227, 235, 236 and 255 Finley Hill Court, Simpsonville, in selling 1.04 acres to Eastwood Construction LLC. Hunter Garrett and John Staunton represented Palmetto

Bank in selling 0.41 acres on S. Harper St., Laurens, to Dominick Motors Inc.

DEAL OF THE WEEK Langston Black Real Estate, Inc. announced: Tim Allender recently represented the Bank of Travelers Rest in the sale of a 14,200 SF industrial building, situated on a 17-acre parcel, located at 350 Railroad St., Roebuck. The purchaser, Louis Signorile, plans to open a small waste management company that will service the Spartanburg County area.

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 23

UBJ On the Move

HIRED Lynn H. Watson

Joined SynTerra Corporation, an environmental and engineering consulting firm Greenville, specializing in environmental studies, design, transportation/ civil, and management for industry, government, and commercial clients, as a senior environmental scientist. Watson holds a BS degree in biology from Wofford College in Spartanburg.

She has provided environmental services to industrial facilities for the past 20 years, specializing in project management, environmental compliance, remedial site investigations and due diligence.

COMMUNITY: Upstate businesses and community leaders were recognized and honored at the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting on Feb. 25 at the Spartanburg Marriott. Recognitions and awards during the event included: The Neville Holcombe Distinguished Business Person of the Year Award presented to Sheila S. Breitweiser, Ed.D., executive director/vice president of the Spartanburg Regional Foundation; the University of South Carolina Upstate sponsored the Teachers of the Year honoring the following educators: Erin Gramling, District 1; Windy D. Hodge, District 2; Myra Elvington, District 3; Melinda Crocker, District 4; Mollie Wheeler, District 5; Lanetra Ebron, District 6; Angela Duckworth, District 7; Lee Vasbinder, Spartanburg Day School; and Cindy Watson, SC School for the Deaf and the Blind. The Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to

A PPOIN T ED

HIRED

David Powell

Steve Rush

Karen Knuckles, owner of Express Employment Professionals; and the Spartanburg Young Professional of the Year Award was presented to Todd Horne, vice president of business development for Clayton Construction Company.

Chick-Fil-A and the Atlanta Braves. He then joined his family firm in the financial services industry in Maine. He holds Series 7 and Series 66 registrations (with LPL Financial) as well as his life insurance license.

CONSTRUCTION: Michael Fox has joined O’Neal Inc., a Greenville-based integrated design and construction firm, as senior estimator.

Fox brings more than 30 years of industrial and commercial construction experience to O’Neal. He most recently worked in the sales/estimating department at Acoustics Inc. He previously served as senior estimator with Fluor Daniel for 10 years and has also worked in roles such as project manager, piping estimator and scheduler.

MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS: Jackson Marketing Group, South Carolina’s largest business-to-business integrated marketing communications agency, has hired Chris Brady as interactive and video project manager and Sarah Hart as creative department intern.

Brady comes to JMG with more than five years of interactive project- and accountmanagement experience. Most recently with Erwin Penland, Brady also works as the manager of Web and social media for Loggerhead Apparel, an all-American Greenville-based clothing company that donates 10 percent of their sales to Loggerhead sea turtle conservation efforts.

Already holding a Bachelor of Arts in history, Hart will obtain a bachelor’s degree in graphic design at Bob Jones University in May 2013. She will intern with the creative team designing graphics and advertising concepts during the spring semester.

Named interim CEO for Hospice Care of South Carolina (HCSC).

Powell has served on the senior leadership team as chief operating officer for the past three years and has been instrumental in positioning HCSC as a leading provider of end-of-life care services in the industry. He succeeds DawnMichele Teachey as CEO.

FINANCIAL: Sims & Karr Financial Solutions recently announced the addition of Alex Means as a financial advisor committed to helping build long-term client relationships and guiding others towards their long-term goals. Means spent more than three years in the marketing industry, working with clients such as BMW,

24 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Recently joined Carolina Alliance Bank as senior vice president and commercial lender. Rush’s banking experience is centered in the Spartanburg market, where he has worked for 29 years, primarily in commercial/ consumer lending, administration and management. He is a graduate of Wofford College.

HONORED Lynn C. Faust

Senior vice president of investments with The FaustBoyer Group of Raymond James and Associates; was recently named to Barron’s list of “The Top 1,000 Advisors” in the country. The 2013 list ranked 1,000 advisors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Faust ranked No. 3 overall in South Carolina, up from her No. 5 ranking in 2011 and 2012. She has been named to the list every year since 2010.

This list of distinguished advisors was produced by Barron’s after conducting extensive research, surveys and interviews and weighing factors such as advisors’ assets under management, revenue generated, quality of service and regulatory records.

NONPROFIT: The ETV Endowment of South Carolina recently announced that Georgia Vaughn retired on Jan. 31 as director of planned and managed giving; Dawn Deck will be promoted to director of planned giving; and Colleen Bishop joins as membership manager. Vaughn successfully launched the Endowment’s Legacy Society, which recognizes those individuals who have included the ETV Endowment in their estate plans. Deck joined the Endowment in 2009 and has a background in the banking industry. Bishop comes to the Endowment from Spartanburg’s Glenn Spring Academy, where she was director of administrative services.

RALPH HENDRICKS

NOMIN AT ED Dr. Kevin McKenzie

Chief information security officer and executive director of the Office of Information Security and Privacy at Clemson University; was recently nominated as the Information Security Executive (ISE) of the Year for the Southeast Region. The ISE award is based on merit and accomplishment, and McKenzie’s nomination will be judged by a panel of judges. He is a three-time graduate of Clemson University and he has been employed for over 17 years in the Information Technology department.

REAL ESTATE: Coldwell Banker Caine recently recognized its top-producing agents in property sales and listings from each of its five offices – Easley, Greenville, Greer, Seneca and Spartanburg – for the month of January. The top producing agents from each office are ranked by the total volume of business closed last month and include: in Easley: Susan McCoy, Melissa Hall and Heather Parlier; in Greenville: Sharon Wilson, Nick Carlson and Jacob Mann; in Greer: Alicia Waynick, Faith Ross and Linda Wood; in Seneca: Pat Loftis and Brett Smagala; and in Spartanburg: Francie Little, Steve Hammett and Judy McCravy. Top listing agents in each office are recognized for listing the highest total volume of residential properties last month and include: in Easley: Susan McCoy and Carol Walsh; in Greenville: Jacob Mann, Susan Reid and Kathy Harris; in Greer: Faith Ross, Charlene Panek, and Linda Wood; in Seneca: Pat Loftis, Lauren Willis and Tammy Davis; and in Spartanburg: Francie Little, Beth Beach and Kay Cox.

The former Simpsonville mayor and 95-year-old philanthropist was recently awarded the Order of the Silver Crescent, the state’s highest honor for volunteer and community service, at a meeting of the Simpsonville Rotary Club.

Hendricks served on city council for nearly 15 years, including 12 as mayor, and has been involved in a variety of civic improvements. He left his mark on Simpsonville through donations for its library and the clock tower. In addition to his work in Simpsonville, he has served on board of directors of The Palmetto Bank and the Greenville Tech Foundation, as well as the board of trustees at Furman University and North Greenville University and a commissioner at ReWa. He also created the Ralph and Virginia Hendricks Foundation to provide scholarships for Hillcrest High and Woodmont High students who attend Furman University, North Greenville University, Anderson University or Greenville Tech. In addition to providing scholarships, the foundation contributes to many charities including: Marietta Baptist Camp, Meals on Wheels, Greenville Rescue Mission, Boy Scouts of America, The Salvation Army, Simpsonville Rotary Club, Boys Home of the South, Golden Strip YMCA and Home with a Heart.

This month, I celebrate my 42nd birthday. I love being in my 40s and I think I am just now reaching the age where I can apply much from my experiences as well as my youth. As I celebrate being 42, the government is protecting me. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits age discrimination against employees, or job candidates, on the basis of age. This law covers workers who are age 40 or older. Really, 40!

LEE YARBOROUGH However, ageism does exist and there is a reason that this law was enacted. I question the starting age, but not the motive behind it.

As employers, it is important to keep this law in mind when making employment decisions. Here are some ways to improve your HR practices to avoid age discrimination.

• In hiring, make sure that job postings are age neutral and do not appear to favor certain ages.

• Avoid any questions during the interview concerning age. Do not ask when the candidate graduated from high school or even the ages of their children. This keeps you from inferring age and making decisions.

• Keep records of your recruiting efforts to document your hiring decisions.

• Have a diverse group of managers involved in hiring, promotion and termination processes.

• Avoid having age be a decisive factor in promotions; view promotions based on skills alone.

• Terminating an older employee may require additional work. The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) protects older workers who receive a severance or early retirement. The law lays out a specific procedure to follow and allows the employee 21 days to consider an agreement waiving their rights to sue under the ADEA. The employee then has up to 7 days to revoke the agreement. Please seek counsel when offering severance for an employee over 40.

• If termination is due to a lay-off, verify that older workers are not being unfairly targeted. Again, older workers will have different rights in a lay-off including longer review times under the OWBPA. Today, more than half of the country’s workforce is over 40. Yet, ageism still exists. Last year the EEOC had 22,857 charges based on age discrimination. Being aware of the law and adjusting our attitudes towards age is necessary in order to avoid this discrimination in our workplaces. And personally, I really do believe that 40 is the new 20!

669 N. Academy Street, Greenville, SC 864.679.6055 | 800.446.6567 | www.propelhr.com M33A

HONORED

Avoiding Age Discrimination

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 25

UBJ The Fine Print

A Program of The International Center

A MONTHLONG CELEBRATION OF CULTURES

MARCH 1 - 31

UpstateInternational.org

26 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Accountants Double Down Two certified public accounting firms, Johnstone, Graydon & Thompson of Greenville and Scott and Company of Columbia, announced plans to merge June 30.

The combined company will operate as Scott. Both have offices in Greenville, and the employees will be merged into one office, the companies said.

The combined company will have 15 employees in its Greenville Upstate office and 20 in its office in Columbia.

“Combined we will provide our growing client base and the greater Upstate communities with quality solutions delivered by an experienced local team,” said Phyllis P. Graydon, tax partner in Johnstone, Graydon & Thompson.

She said the Greenville office adds “talented colleagues that we know from experience embrace a culture of ‘client-first’ work.”

S. Hunter Howard Jr., director of Scott’s Greenville office, envisions “a huge upside” to the merger.

Bill Johnstone, who founded the Greenville firm, continues to serve a limited number of clients as he approaches retirement.

Grants for Water and Sewer The South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority has awarded four Upstate communities grants for water, sewer and drainage projects.

The Laurens County Water & Sewer Commission received $347,239 for water system improvements in Hickory Tavern and Princeton.

Cherokee County got $124,000 for a water line along Potter Road.

The City of Anderson received $29,900 for its Murphy/Benton water project. Abbeville received

$94,525 for a water line on Deer Run Road.

They were among 14 projects in 13 counties to receive $3.8 million in competitive grants.

The RIA is a new authority within the Department of Commerce.

Hospice Care Honored The Spartanburg Area Chamber recognized Hospice Care of South Carolina with its 2013 James B. Thompson Award Small Business of the Year Award.

“Receiving awards of this kind only confirms our passion for excellence and community building through our expert services,” said David Powell, interim chief executive of HCBC. Founded in 1997, HCSC is the only hospice provider in the state with a facility trained to teach end-of-life nursing education, a nationally accredited course. It has 35 offices serving 48 counties.

Whiskey Moves to Shelves The Six and Twenty Distillery in Powdersville said Southern Wine and Spirits would distribute its whiskies statewide.

The agreement allows Six and Twenty to sell its small-batch whiskies off shelves in 375-milliliter sizes. Six and Twenty is restricted to selling 750-milliliter bottles at their distillery.

Six and Twenty said its “Blue” product is a blend of virgin whet whiskey with aged Kentucky bourbon and then re-barreled and aged before bottling.

Note: For more information on Six & Twenty, see our “Jump Start” article on page 18.

Chamber Picks a Mover Two Men and a Truck is the

Most Important

Greenville Chamber’s February Small Business of the Month.

The franchise moving company has grown from two trucks when Bryan and Rebecca Feldman purchased it in 2002 to 13 trucks and more than 30 employees.

Last year, the Feldmans purchased a second franchise in Tallahassee, Fla., which ended the year with growth of 25 percent.

Bryan Feldman started with Two Men and a Truck while a student at the University of South Carolina and became a manager of an Atlanta franchise upon graduation.

Shortly after Bryan and Rebecca married, they bought the Greenville franchise and moved to Greenville.

Re-Seller Adds 365 SYNNEX Corp., the re-seller of electronics and other IT products with its global marketing headquarters in Greenville, said it has added Microsoft’s 365 office applications, including cloud service, to its offerings.

“To support the adoption of Office 365, partners can take advantage of SYNNEX’s Capture the Cloud program, which offers seasoned and novice cloud resellers a tiered program” to small and mid-sized companies, SYNNEX said.

Fast Delivery for Supplies AFL, the Duncan-based manufacturer of fiber optic cables, has created a new website, BuyAFL.com, to offer e-commerce sales of fiber optic cleaning products, cleaning supplies and accessories.

The company said the new site gives technicians, contractors and installers a quick and simple way to select products and, if necessary, have them “in hand the next day.”

AFL said it offers “same-day and next-day shipping to both domestic and international destinations.”

We get up every day. We get ready. Some of us take care of getting others ready and then we go about our work in or outside of the home. Most of us work pretty hard. Most of us do all we can with our abilities and understanding.

Have you ever thought about why? Sure, everyone wants nice things, and most of us have a mortgage payment and other obligations; but really, if you didn’t have bills due, would you do what you’re doing?

Freedom is doing what you want. The key word here is doing.

Some folks garden, some travel, some go back to school.

Do you have the freedom to do what you want while you’re working, or are you waiting?

What we do in our working lives carries over into our retirement.

Some people let go of their professional lives at some point.

Others work well past traditional retirement years or even begin a new entrepreneurial chapter.

Whatever your course, direction and understanding where you’re headed helps in the journey. In any plan, direction is determined by cash flow. If you save more than you spend, you are accumulating assets. How much you save determines how quickly you will get where you want to go.

In planning, we generally begin by determining how much someone needs to accumulate to live their lifestyle indefinitely.

The next step is to define the actions most likely to lead to financial independence.

Architect Honored in Jersey Adeptus Architecture of Greenville has received New Jersey’s Leading Higher Education Project Award for its design of the Warren Street Village at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.

Adeptus was responsible for designing a six-building complex, including a residential honors college, dormitories, a fitness center and restaurants. The project received LEED Silver accreditation for sustainability.

N.J. Secretary of Education Rochelle Hendricks presented the award to Adeptus founder Barry Agnew.

For most of us, we want to take care of the people we love. We may even want to give something or leave something for our community. Taking care of ourselves allows us the opportunity to serve others and contribute more. So take time to define what you love and who you love. Take time to determine how to spend more time with those people and more energy on those activities that build you as a person.

A lot of planners talk about budgeting and cash flow. These are appropriate conversations, but we’ve never met anyone who likes budgeting. When you’re thinking of your cash flow, think of how you can get more happiness for less money. How can you create more joy and more energy with more simplicity?

Good planning is really about increasing peace of mind, adding joy, and doing more of what you love in a sustainable and repeatable way.

Christopher A. Brown, CPA, PFS has been helping people plan and manage their money since 1995. Give us a call at 864-233-0808 or visit us online at www.falegacy.com.

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 27

UBJ Planner Monday, March 11 GCS Roundtable: What Really Motivates Us The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m.

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Speaker: Terry Weaver Call Golden Career Strategies at 864-527-0425 to request an invitation.

NxLevel for Entrepreneurs (Existing Businesses) Upstate Workforce Investment Board, 102 Commerce St., Spartanburg; 6-9 p.m.

For entrepreneurs who want to expand an existing business and need the skills to make it grow.

Cost: $195 per person Register: bizbuildersc.com.

Tuesday, March 12 Business Before Hours Commerce Club of Greenville, 55 Beattie Place, Suite 1700, Greenville; 7:30-9 a.m.

Open only to Chamber members.

Cost: $8.50 for those who preregister online or $12 at the door.

Chamber members who are also members of the Commerce Club can bill this event to their account.

Contact: Dot Drennon at ddrennon@greenvillechamber.org if you are a Commerce Club member or Lorraine Woodward at 864-2393742.

Small Business roundtable: SBA Resource Day Spartanburg Library, 151 South Church St., Spartanburg; 9:15 a.m.-noon This series of topical seminars is presented by the Spartanburg Area Office of the South Carolina Small

28 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

Business Development Centers (SBDC), SCORE, and the Spartanburg County Library.

Cost: Free Register: workgroups.clemson.edu/ SBDC_Workshops/form.php Contact: Beth Smith at es2@ clemson.edu or 864-592-6318.

Entrepreneurial Readiness Spartanburg Methodist College, Buchheit Boardroom, Spartanburg; 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Cost: $20. Refreshments will be provided by the host sponsor, the Office of Access and Equity at Clemson University.

Register: scwbc.net/events/upstate.

DON’T MISS! The NEXT Intern Event NEXT Innovation Center, 411 University Ridge, Greenville; 6-8:30 p.m.

Open to college students in search of internships to discover NEXT and network while finding internships.

There will be free food and refreshments.

To search internships and apply online, visit nextupstate.org.

Contact: Brenda Laakso at blaakso@nextupstatesc.org or 864-751-4806.

The Mauldin Garden Club Mauldin Cultural Center, 101 East Butler Road, Mauldin; 7-8:15 p.m.

Guests are welcome.

For more information: visit mauldingardenclub.org Contact: Ann Smith, Garden Club President at jerryansm115@ charter.net.

Where customer experience and expectations are one in the same.

Wednesday, March 13 Pelham Power Breakfast Roosters, 3935 Pelham Road, Greenville; 8-9 a.m.

Cost: Free for chamber members.

Register: greerchamber.com.

GSA Technology Council’s Learning Lunch: How IT Is Changing 21st-Century Banking Embassy Suites Hotel, 670 Verdae Blvd., Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Contact: Don Johnson at dfjj1141@yahoo.com Thursday, March 14 Meet and Greet at The Springs at Simpsonville The Springs, 214 East Curtis St., Simpsonville; 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Hors d’oeuvres, green beer and live Irish music.

Cost: Free for chamber members Contact: Allison McGarity at amcgarity@simpsonvillechamber. com

Speaker: Mark Terry, CIO of Palmetto Bank.

Cost: $26.21 for non-members, $25 for members, or $30 at the door.

Register: gsatc-lunch-2013-03. eventbrite.com.

Legal and Intellectual Property Workshop for Small Businesses Greenville County Library, Hughes Main Branch, 25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Resource Recess with Edward Jones Simpsonville Chamber of Commerce, Chamber boardroom, 211 North Main St., Simpsonville; noon 1:00 p.m.

Cost: $29 Register: piedmontscore.org/ workshops.

Lunch and learn events with the Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Speaker: Micah Valentine of Edward Jones Topic: Save Time, Attract and Retain Employees, Preserve Your Business for Yourself and Your Heirs Cost: Free to chamber members, a small fee to non-members. Lunch will be provided.

Contact: Allison McGarity at amcgarity@simpsonvillechamber. com to register.

Mauldin Chamber Leads Group Mauldin Chamber of Commerce, 101 East Butler Road, Mauldin; noon-1:00 p.m.

ets

Serving Upstate SC, Charlotte, Atlanta, Columbia and Asheville since 1997.

Located next to GSP International Airport, our services include…

• Luxury Stretched Limousines • Vans • Town Cars • Vintage Cars

• Motor Coaches • Mini-Coaches

• Limousine Coaches

• Transportation Coordinators • Valet Parking & Greeters • and more…

Eastside Transportation Service

2311 Airport Rd., Greer • 864.609.LIMO

Entrepreneurial Readiness Madren Center, Clemson University, Clemson; 6-8 p.m.

Cost: $20. Refreshments will be provided by the host sponsor, the Office of Access and Equity at Clemson University.

Register: scwbc.net/events/upstate Friday, March 15 The Power of Email Marketing Tri-County Technical College Pendleton Campus, 7900 Highway 76, Pendleton, 10-11:30 a.m.

Cost: $15 Register: piedmontscore.org/ workshops.

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 29

UBJ New to the Street

germshield a division of gos

• 90 day protection • eliminates 99.99% of mold, fungi and bacteria • EPA and USDA approved • 24-hour hand sanitizer products

Rapptor Studios recently opened at 205 North Laurens St. in Greenville.

They create custom apps for businesses on every major mobile platform. For more information, visit rapptorstudios.com or call 864-2390138.

Rapptor Studios

Jane Crawford Skin Clinic recently opened at 405 The Parkway, Suite 200, in Greer. Jane Crawford is a medical esthetician with nearly 30 years of clinical experience. She opened the first med-spa in the U.S. during the late ’80s and went on to be the founder and co-owner of Carolina Aesthetics. Clinic hours are Mondays and Saturdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Wednesdays and Fridays 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit janecrawfordskinclinic.com or call 864-469-7720.

Jane Crawford Skin Clinic

Call us today and ask for a FREE germshield consultation McLain Scales mscales@gos1.com

864.233.5346, ext. 179

Jane Crawford Skin Clinic

gos www.gos1.com 30 Upstate business journal March 8, 2013

TJ’z Findz recently opened at 102 N. Main St. in Fountain Inn. They are open Mondays and Saturdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Tuesdays 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Fridays 11 a.m.-4 p.m. They sell purses, jewelry, perfume, home décor and Noah’s Ark Build an Animal. For more information, find them on Facebook at facebook.com/tjzfindz or call 864-862-5400.

The current home of The Iron Yard’s CoWork Railside building was a screenprinting shop before being boarded up sometime in the 1960s. Located on West Washington Street next to the train depot, the office gets its name from its railside location.

Photo by Greg Beckner

Photo Provided by O’leary-Cole, Inc.

UBJ Snapshot | Social

Today the building is used by The Iron Yard’s CoWork Railside, which is a co-working space for entrepreneurs, investors, developers, artists, teachers and others to collaborate in the same area.

The Marchant Company recently hosted its First Quarter Executive Breakfast. The quarterly breakfasts allow the company to show its appreciation for past business, and enjoy a morning of fellowship and networking over breakfast.

Photos provided by the Marchant Company

Spartanburg Young Professionals Vision Café with HUB-BUB took place last week. The lunch was sponsored

by Panera Bread and the guest speaker was Cate Ryba, executive director of HUB-BUB. Photos provided by Spartanburg Young Professionals

March 8, 2013 Upstate business journal 31