March 20, 2015 UBJ

MARCH 20, 2015 | VOL. 4 ISSUE 12 COMPLIMENTARY

The Upstate Welcomes

THE WORLD Our international issue Local businesses seek success across the globe — while global companies find a home in our backyard​

upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEWS

Entrepreneur training program eyes the Upstate

Founder Institute taps 21 local leaders as mentors ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com An entrepreneur training and

made by entrepreneurs who dare to start, build, or invest in something new, and I want to play a contributing role in creating more jobs.”

The Founder Institute uses a predictive admissions test that the organization says is 85 percent accurate at predicting an applicant’s potential to

startup launch program based in Silicon Valley may soon spool up an Upstate chapter if the program can generate enough interest.

The Founder Institute— which calls itself the largest FOUNDER INSTITUTE GREENVILLE MENTORS startup accelerator in the world—currently has 92 John Bauknight, Longleaf Holdings chapters across 50 cities, each Jeremy Boeh, The Space, Wofford College of which guides a group of Michael Bolick, Selah Genomics entrepreneurs through a four Scott Cochran, Mungo Center for month part-time program Entrepreneurship, Wofford College designed to help them launch Leighton Cubbage, Serrus a company.

Capital Partners In the Upstate, regional

R. Michael Johnson, Cox Industries business leaders Steve

Ryan Johnston, Upstate Business Journal Townes, Leighton Cubbage,

Douglas Kim, Innovision Jason Premo and Ryan Entrepreneur Awards Johnston have expressed in Craig Kinley, WiProwess & e-Merge @ terest in organizing and The Garage leading the local chapter.

Matthew Klein, Red Rock Capital (*Full disclosure: Upstate Ray Lattimore, Marketplace Staffing Business Journal Publisher Anna Locke, A.T. Locke Ryan Johnston is to be a Brian McSharry, Concepts to Companies co-director of the chapter upon Tom O’Hanlon, Sealevel Systems sufficient local interest).

Jason Premo, Premo Ventures “Ideas are easy, but running David Setzer, Mailprotector a business is really hard,” said Steve Townes, Ranger Aerospace Founder Institute Greenville co-director Jason Premo in a John Uprichard, FGP International news release. “The institute’s Peter Waldschmidt, Gnoso program guides new entre John Warren, Lima One Capital preneurs through these Geoff Wasserman, ShowCase Marketing & trenches, while bringing the Black Box Magazine program to South Carolina provides a direct mechanism to become a successful technology enspur additional growth in our knowltrepreneur, according to the company’s edge economy.” website. Upon acceptance, particiThe Greenville chapter will hold pants pay a $750 course fee to cover three interest sessions during April, location fees, mentor travel and other and is currently accepting applications expenses during the four months. for the four-month program, which Dates and times for general interest will include startup training, feedsessions can be found online at fi.co/ back and support from experienced about?target=Greenville. local CEOs. Umbrella organization the Founder ENGAGE Institute has helped launch 1,563 Making the Leap companies, with 4,112 CEOs in five APR from Employee to years. The program’s goal is to provide Entrepreneur 1 million new jobs worldwide, accordApril 6, 6 p.m. ing its website.

Next Innovation Center, “This is how jobs are made,” said 411 University Ridge, Greenville Ranger Aerospace founder and CEO fi.co/about?target=Greenville Steve Townes in the release. “Jobs are

06

| MENTORING | 3

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4 | THE RUNDOWN |

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

UBJ

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03.20.2015

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 Featured this issue: Upstate CEOs look for a few good people 6 Lima One stakes new claim in lending 10 New tenants coming to Augusta Street shopping center 20

MONEY SHOT: Members of Clemson University Racing (CU-R) Kyle Mattison, Amrita Shah and Skylar Stamey work on their 1991 Mazda Miata at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). To turn the Mazda into a race car, the group is taking apart the vehicle, installing safety features and making improvements to make it faster. CU-R is a nonprofit student organization partnered with the Brooks Institute of Motorsports and based at CU-ICAR. CU-R’s purpose is to provide students with opportunities to conduct motorsports-related research. CU-R is open to all majors and degrees.

Photo by Greg Beckner.

WORTH REPEATING

TBA

VERBATIM

“This is how jobs are made. Jobs are made by entrepreneurs who dare to start, build or invest in something new.” Page 3

Developers are seeking rezoning from Greenville County to build a 212-lot subdivision on 81acres on Griffin Mill Road near Reedy Fork Road. The patio-style homes reportedly will be priced at $170,000 to $225,000.

On a favorite arts festival

“If they come in and try to sell us on the solution to an unsolvable problem, we probably won’t hire them.” Page 6

Look for Table 301 to bring a healthy foods/juice bar to the ONE building in downtown Greenville in the near future.

“You wake up in a different town every day wondering where you are, but know you’re going to start with a breakfast meeting in the morning and end with dinner with someone else.” Page 16

Word is Food Lion has a contract to build a 45,000-square-foot grocery store with a gas station on 14 acres at East Woodruff Road and Lee Vaughn Road. The project reportedly hinges on County Council approving a major change to the county’s planned development zoning.

“Since its establishment in 2005, Artisphere in Greenville, S.C., has earned regional as well as national esteem as one of the top art events in the nation.”

USA Today 10Best, nominating Artisphere as a Reader’s Choice Favorite Arts Festival.

Cast your vote at bit.ly/ artisphere-vote.

UP FRONT | 5

upstatebusinessjournal.com

Mentor momentum

Entrepreneurs can’t do it alone—and in the Upstate, thanks to some new programs, they don’t have to

By RYAN JOHNSTON, Publisher “Entrepreneur” is the most overused word of the day. You can scroll about two pages on any social media platform and see an article about not working for The Man and changing your life by becoming an entrepreneur.

These articles spin tales of four-hour workweeks, use photos of daiquiris by the pool with a side of work, and promise an instant work-life balance and a life spent pursuing your passions. This is reckless rhetoric.

Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and it doesn’t come with whipped cream and two cherries on top.

For those drinking the Kool-Aid—or the daiquiri—and who want to see what the life is really like, the Upstate now offers a few new programs that can help develop the entrepreneurial mindset.

This week in UBJ, you will read about the launch of a Greenville Founder Institute exploratory chapter, and an update on the Venture Mentoring Service, a program the Greenville Chamber imported from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Two weeks ago, you read about Anderson’s e-Merge @ the Garage collaborative, and we are all familiar

with the impact the Iron Yard The mentor resource has brought to the Upstate. network promises to be an

BY THE NUMBERS: These programs offer a invaluable asset to mentored much-needed component to startups. Many of these of entrepreneurs fail in the Upstate’s entrepreneurial mentors are a phone call away their first venture. landscape: mentorship. The from contacts who could exidea of local business leaders ponentially increase the of startups fail within helping to increase the startup’s success—and the the 1st year. success rate of great people mentors are ready, willing and and great ideas will lead to a able to pick up the phone. larger pool of sustainable The other positive aspect fail within the 2nd year startups. These startups will of the mentor momentum is be better prepared as they the eagerness of local leaders fail within the 3rd year pitch for capital and potential to step up. As co-director of customers. They will move the Greenville Founder Infail in the 4th year from the coffee shops to bestitute, I was tasked to help round up a strong team of coming tenants at Next and Source: Entrepreneur Weekly, Small Business mentors. This was much other startup spaces.

Development Center, Bradley Univ., University of Tennessee Research These programs will also easier than I thought it was help offer entrepreneurs going to be. I think it was an some structure, and provide easy sell because they all a taste of what true entrepreneurship looks like. realize this is a missing element in helping our Lessons are better learned at practice than on game Upstate startup scene prove the above stats wrong. day. These mentorship initiatives will give particiPay attention to the opportunities. Whether you are a mentor or founder, the opportunities to increase pants the guidance and direction to help them vet ideas and determine if they are ready to jump in our batting average are out there. feet-first, before issuing their two weeks’ notice.

82% 25% 36% 44% 50%

entor “

onday

”

If you have done well, it’s your responsibility to send the elevator back down.

- Jack Lemmon

6 | LEADERSHIP & MENTORING |

UBJ

NEWS

People, process key to Spartanburg’s fastest growing companies higher costs associated with talent acquisition as the job market tightens up, Uprichard said.

“Three years ago it was definitely a company-drivFinding, acquiring and keeping good people en, client-driven market,” he said, noting that the are key to targeted growth for Upstate firms, accordshrinking unemployment pool was turning the tables ing to a panel of CEOs from some of the Upstate’s by increasing labor and talent acquisition costs for fastest-growing companies, at a quarterly roundtasome businesses. If a firm loses an employee with a ble in Spartanburg last week hosted by Greensalary of $85,000 a year, for example, getting that ville-based The Capital Corporation. same talent in the market might cost $105,000 as But it’s not enough just to hire good people—you the demand for that skill increases, he said. “It’s an have to hire the right people, said John Uprichard, increase in fixed cost for businesses. … I think a lot president and CEO of Find Great People, an execuof companies are struggling with attrition. They’re tive recruitment and talent management firm. That struggling with the acquisition of talent.” can lead to more intentional interview processes, Employee turnover and wage pressures are parincreasing focus on employee development and ticularly salient for the hospitality industry, added Charlie King, CFO of OTO Photo Provided Development, a hotel development and management firm. King said OTO has given out physical activity trackers such as FitBit devices to keep employees around. General managers in particular can be pivotal in reducing employee turnover, he said, which makes them even more crucial to recruit and retain.

“We’ve moved up our pay scale so we can attract people with those skill sets,” he said, From left: Bill Mahoney, CEO of South Carolina Research Authority; John noting that internal general Uprichard, CEO of Find Great People; Charlie King, CFO of OTO Development manager training also boosts ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com

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03.20.2015

OTO’s ability to hire from within. “From my perspective, the higher-turnover properties are more correlated to general managers,” he said. “The better GMs [general managers], regardless of the market, typically have lower turnover. It’s simply a part of their skill set.”

A more stringent hiring process is also key to building an effective, efficient and low-turnover team, said federal contractor South Carolina Research Authority CEO Bill Mahoney. SCRA issues writing and math tests to potential new hires, he said, including an unsolvable math problem.

“Part of the reaction of the candidate to an unsolvable problem is a part of the hiring process,” said Mahoney. “If they come in and try to sell us on the solution to an unsolvable problem, we probably won’t hire them.”

In the talent-intensive world of staffing, Uprichard said the firm not only asks for a writing sample to test email correspondence skills, but tests candidates’ cultural fit with Find Great People.

“A lot of times we’ve hired people in the past and we think that just because they have experience in our industry, it’s going to be a home run,” he said.

“In our industry, there are a lot of people who can manage talent firms, but… we really sort of flipped when we looked at hiring good leadership. We look for people with great business acumen and then second at skills.”

Hiring from within is increasingly important, as hiring outside talent becomes more expensive and sometimes less reliable than internal employee development and promotion, he said.

“What we’re seeing now is companies saying, ‘We want people to come in and build skills not just for the local organization, but for the global company,’” said Uprichard. “It’s more about building capabilities.”

Next’s Venture Mentoring Service to launch

Greenville Chamber members trained at MIT for entrepreneurship program ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com After months of training, applications and interviews, the Greenville Chamber’s Next entrepreneurship program launches this month with 15 founding mentors for an eight-venture pilot run.

“There definitely is a need” for the Venture Mentoring Service, said Next Vice President Brenda Laakso, the staff lead for the program. “The majority of the entrepreneurs Next supports are founders of their business, are CEOs. For the majority of those entrepreneurs, it is their first time building a business. What we saw was really lacking in the ecosystem was an effective way to connect these entrepreneurs to individuals who had a lifetime of experience in building a business.”

The Next program announced the mentorship service in October, when Next CEO John Moore said members of the Chamber traveled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to receive training for the program.

“Just as dollars of mentors per venture or per entrepreneur allows the individare important to helping that entreual to benefit from several perspectives from within several preneur build that business, so is the industries, she said. mindshare that The entrepreneur or cofoundhelps them tap into ers will also be expected to take the knowledge they the lead on the mentoring need,” said Laakso, session, and they must submit Brenda Laakso, John Moore, noting the 15 Next Vice President agendas and documentation in Next CEO advance of the meeting, she said. mentors were esPhoto by Greg Beckner Photo Provided tablished entrepreEach 60- to 75-minute session neurs who could have decades of experience each. should give the entrepreneur or cofounders enough For the mentors, “This is probably the first time they’re information to make a significant decision on an issue being asked not for their money, but to really give within six to eight weeks. back their mindshare that helps build the entrepre“It’s very much based off of the needs of the entrepreneur and the value that the entrepreneur is getting neurial talent in the community.”

While many entrepreneurs from the 145 firms within from the mentoring,” Laakso said. “As long as the the Next network may have their own mentorship and entrepreneur is finding value in the mentoring, then peer networks, the Venture Mentoring Service is aimed the entrepreneur can stay in the program.” at providing unbiased, conflict-free advice through A $250,000 matching grant from the S.C. Department group or team mentoring, Laakso said. Having a group of Commerce funded program expenses, she said.

upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEWS

Save these dates around the state As spring arrives in the Upstate, conferences and networking opportunities are sprouting up across the state—here are a few that local professionals may find worth the trip.

What: Dig South | DigSouth.com When: April 28-May 2 Where: Charleston Cost: $750 all-access | $575 3-day conference | $275 demo day | $275 single day | $50 each shindig Now in its third year, Dig South mixes business, technology, media and culture in a five-day event reminiscent of Austin’s annual SXSW event. The festival will include high-level presenters, innovative startups, a two-day tech and creative industry showcase, a 75-startup demo day, the Wild Pitch event, national touring bands, space walk tours, craft beer gardens and networking opportunities for attendees, which numbered over 5,000 last year.

What: ConvergeSE Conference ConvergeSE.com When: April 15-18 Where: Columbia Cost: $475 per person $300 early bird Aimed at anyone who works in the Web industry, ConvergeSE is an annual multi-day Web design and development conference chock-full of presentations, workshop sessions and networking opportunities to help you level up your skills and boost your business connections. The threeday conference includes design, front end, development and business tracks, but it’s also open to content creators, online marketers, game developers, business owners and makers.

What: Greenville GROK GreenvilleGrok.com When: April 29—May 1, 2015 Where: Greenville Cost: $250 per conference pass For creatives, by creatives, Greenville GROK is an interactive discussionbased event focused on the pressing issues facing designers, developers and thinkers in the region. Known for forging easy relationships between attendees—as well as plenty of beer and a kickball game or two— Greenville GROK is structured around 10-minute mediated conversations between around a dozen people, after which session leaders can extend the conversation for another 10 minutes or ask for another topic.

What: TEDxFurmanU TEDxFurmanu.com/2015-conference When: March 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Furman University, Greenville Cost: $15 per person Run by Furman University students, TEDxFurmanU is an independently organized TED event that includes a series of talks from Upstate thinkers, including entrepreneurs, professors, students and thought leaders on what each would consider an idea worth spreading. This year’s theme, “Shatter,” will explore fragile and not-so-fragile concepts such as family and relationships, social constructions and disability from a variety of perspectives.

23 West North Street, Greenville, SC 29601 864.232.2761 | www.rushwilson.com Open Mon.-Sat. 9:30am - 5:30pm

| EVENTS | 7

8 | EXPORTS |

UBJ

NEWS

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03.20.2015

Export strategy to give Upstate international edge ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com Boosting the Upstate’s export power is key to staying competitive, both at home and abroad, according to the economic development firm Upstate SC Alliance.

“Imagine 15 years from today, and imagine how we’re going to be operating and doing economic development,” said John Lummus during the company’s annual meeting last week. “As the world changes, so must our strategy.”

That shift should be one toward exports, which could boost Upstate firms’ revenues and financial stability, the firm says. While 79 percent of the world’s economic growth is expected to occur outside the United States during the next five years, only five percent of the country’s employer firms currently export. Further, 59 percent of those exporters only sell to one foreign market, the firm says.

Using its own data and research from the Brookings Institution and the U.S. Census Bureau, the Upstate SC Alliance determined that U.S. manufacturers who exported saw revenue increases of 37 percent, versus five percent from those who did not between 2005 and 2009. The group also claims that U.S. business exporters have 100 percent higher sales, 70 percent higher employment and 20 percent higher wages compared to non-exporters.

The Upstate has room to grow with exports, said Elizabeth Feather, the Alliance’s director of research.

“Although the Upstate’s export performance is generally good and has a positive outlook, it masks an underlying weakness in existing export systems,” she said during the annual meeting. “We do believe that a global Upstate will be a stronger Upstate.”

At 22.7 percent, the Upstate has a higher export intensity—the measure used to assess export performance—than the rest of the country at 11.7 percent nationally, but it drastically underperforms in its

the journey to exporting exports of services, their products and serBY THE NUMBERS: Feather said. Services vices. make up 11.8 percent Top 10 exports ($ millions, 2013): The Upstate’s manuof the Upstate’s facturing industry is exports compared to Transportation equipment relatively mature, and 33.8 percent of the the next step for many country’s exports, with Machinery manufacturing firms is to begin exportthe majority of Upstate ing in order to take their exports consisting of Chemical manufacturing business to the next level, manufacturing-related said Chuck Spangler, products.

Electrical equipment and appliances COO of the S.C. ManuThe path to more facturing Extension Upstate exports inTextile mills Partnership, an industry cludes more research, competitiveness consulas well as creating a Plastics and tubber tant firm. pipeline of business “A lot of them have no support that would act Royalties clue about local resourcas The Iron Yard—a es,” said Spangler, noting Greenville-based Fabricated metal products many small to medistartup accelerator— um-sized firms are too for business exports, Paper manufacturing busy managing everyday said U.S. Commercial operations and demand Service South Carolina Travel & tourism to find time to think Director Dorette Source: Upstate SC Alliance Regional Export Plan about the possibility of Coetsee, who is based exporting. “Some small in Columbia. to medium businesses “The real opportunity for development is the need someone to hold their hand,” he said. number of markets exported to,” Coetsee said. AlUltimately, the Alliance aims to increase export ready-exporting firms likely meet standards and activity by 75 percent among domestic companies certification requirements that lower the barriers to and small business in the Upstate, while maintainentry for other markets, she said. “The sweet spot ing the region’s export intensity (the ratio of exports really lies with the single-market exporters.” to sales) at or above 20 percent. The three-year plan’s The country’s top export markets include Canada, success will be measured in GDP, export jobs, export Mexico, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and intensity and export volume, among other metrics.

Germany, as measured with exports of top commodThe plan is the result of a year of research, conities, said the firm’s report. The firm’s plan will ducted by the Alliance in collaboration with the include both encouraging single-market exporters Global Cities Initiative, a five-year joint project by to expand to other markets, as well as helping the Brookings Institution and JP Morgan Chase. non-exporting small to medium businesses begin

$2,764 $1,985 $1,456 $873 $799 $790 $434 $371 $253 $194

TATT TAKES BUS TO GREENWOOD About 30 community members representing public and private sectors ranging from business to education recently took a Ten at the Top (TATT) bus trip to Greenwood. The purpose of the trip was to help connect members of the Upstate to industry leaders in other counties. Trip highlights included a walking tour of downtown Greenwood and a tour of the Greenwood Genetics Center. TATT is planning three more bus trips for this year.

Photos provided

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10 | FINANCE |

UBJ

NEWS

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03.20.2015

New money

Lima One Capital aims for rental home lending niche ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com After cutting its teeth on loans for the distressed residential real estate market, Lima One Capital is ready for another bite.

Founded in 2010, Lima One filled the void for hard money loans in the buy, rehab and flip market after post-2008 regulations made it difficult for banks to lend against non-owner-occupied property. Rapid growth in the $2 billion market led to a title as one of the fastest-growing companies in state, said founder and CEO John Warren. The company now has sales channels in 27 states, he said.

Now, Lima One has plans to launch a 30-year loan product for the $1.5 trillion rental homes market, which spans 14 million rental homes across the country and is also underserved, he said. Warren expects to originate $100 million in the new product during the first year.

While the market includes players such as First Key—backed by private equity giant Cerberus—and Colony, Warren said Lima One plans to be a strong competitor with more streamlined product deliveries and speedier customer service.

“Regulations have pushed out the traditional lending institutions,” he said. “The problem they

have, they don’t have any sales channels, they don’t have the infrastructure to originate these types of products. … That’s why we’re positioned well, because all of the sales channels we have in 27 states are the same sales channels we’ll use for this product.”

The program includes a 30-year, fixed-rate, fully amortized loan with rates starting at 6.5 percent that provide up to 75 percent loan to value with no down payment, he said.

Up until this point, Warren said the vast majority of rental property owners have been using their own cash to bridge the lending gap, which limits the number of properties they can buy and hurts their return on investment, he said.

“When you get into a 30-year loan product, its harder to raise that kind of capital. You’ve got to have audited financials, fully automated systems in place to handle it and service it,” he said. “It’s kind of a balancing act because you have to originate something that capital markets want you to originate, and balance that with what the customers want with the product.”

The loan can be used to purchase new rental properties or refinance existing ones, and Warren said Lima One aims to close loans within 10 days compared with market averages of four to six weeks.

“The vast majority of rental properties are owned

Photo by Greg Beckner

by people who own between one and eight [properties],” he said. “We’ll serve that aspect as well as the larger clients who have several hundred.”

Warren said Lima is currently hiring to match expected demand for the product, adding three additional underwriters to Lima One’s existing workforce of 20 full-time and 80 part-time employees. Additional business development personnel are to be cross-trained to handle both products, he said.

“We think it is going to be a very popular service, so we’re staffing up to make sure we can continue great customer service,” Warren said.

“Owens Insurance Agency has been protecting the Palmetto State since 1952. Like Greer State Bank, we believe in building relationships, not just our profit margin. We bank with GSB not because we have to, but because we choose to do business with people that not only care about the health of our business but also the quality of our lives. Greer State Bank takes care of our financial needs so we can take care of our customers, our employees, our friends, and our families.”

Chris Crist & Shane Lynn Owens Insurance Owners

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864-877-2000

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Consumers Are Changing The Face Of Health Care A CONSUMER DRIVEN MARKET IS TAKING SHAPE. By Forum

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Strategies must be created to reach these patients and create effective care coordination.

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< 1. MILLENNIALS. 80 million millennials in the US are redefining the definitions of health, well-being and value. Unlike prior generations, they rank work/life balance as the most important job feature followed by health benefits and then compensation. To reach millennials, companies must develop new approaches to motivate them with incentives, education and target goals. They expect greater flexibility, convenience, relevance, education and guidance in their jobs and their benefits.

3. REEMERGENCE OF MANAGED CARE. Health reform added 10 million newly insured people into the marketplace. This population of insureds has higher than average medical costs and lower than average income which often leads to selection of a low cost medical plan with high out of pocket expenses. Programs such as health risk assessments, disease management and social support could benefit this population by helping them manage their out of pocket healthcare costs.

4. PHARMACEUTICAL COSTS. According to Express Scripts, the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest pharmacy benefits manager, Pharmacy costs rose 13% last year and Specialty Pharmaceutical costs rose 31%.

As consumers are faced with these escalating drug prices and higher out of pocket costs, they will need to familiarize themselves with the different types of pharmacy programs to help them control their pharmacy spending.

As costs continue to rise, we will see more drugs fall into prior authorization, step therapy, and quantity limit programs in an effort to slow the increases.

5. TRANSPARENCY. As health industry data becomes more transparent consumers, physicians, insures and pharmaceutical companies will feel the effects of having access to more data. This is not only about shopping for affordable healthcare. We are going to see initiatives targeting clinical trial data, patient outcomes, and financial arrangements between physicians and pharmaceutical companies. The ultimate goal being improved patient care at a lower cost.

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12 | YOUR MONEY |

UBJ

NEWS AND TIPS FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL BOT TOM LINE

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03.20.2015

Minimize risk to maximize business potential

By JOHN TRIPOLI, managing director, Northwestern Mutual

“Risky Business” takes on a new meaning to the entrepreneur who excitedly opens the doors, real or virtual, for business on that first day and awaits customers. As any entrepreneur knows, one can work hard, create a good product and maintain good business relationships—do everything right— and still some future events are beyond one’s control.

A whole host of unforeseen possibilities can dash the dream, including the impact of a disability suffered by you or an employee.

Planning for success requires taking a hard look at where the business is vulnerable. The likelihoods vary with age, but during your income-producing years, you are nearly twice as likely to become disabled as you are to die before reaching age 65, according to the Society of Actuaries. A sound risk management plan’s purpose is to lessen the impact of a disability on your business. What are your options?

There is coverage to protect human capital, and coverage to protect your ability to do business. The specific types of insurance you need will depend upon the type of business you have and how you conduct that business. But selecting the right coverage for your business should not be a “deal or no deal” decision. The challenge is to find the right combination of policies that provide protection without duplicating coverage.

lated injuries, it’s important to keep in mind that less than 5 percent of long-term disabilities are work-related. The other 95 percent are not, meaning workers’ comp doesn’t cover them, according to the Council for Disability Awareness. In fact, the major causes of disability are diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, the council said.

Valuable disability income protection can be provided for employees through group disability income insurance, individual disability income insurance, or a combination of the two.

PROTECTING YOUR ABILITY TO DO BUSINESS Protecting your ability to earn an income and offering income protection to your employees certainly makes good business sense, but what happens when a loss directly impacts your bottom line? How will you protect your business and provide the money to keep your business running if you or another owner essential to maintaining the income becomes unable to work? There are specific types of insurance to consider: • Disability overhead insurance can provide needed cash to meet business expenses such as rent, payroll, benefits, utilities, taxes, maintenance costs and others.

• Disability key person insurance can help your company weather the disability of a key employee.

• Disability buyout insurance can help purchase the business interest of a totally disabled owner.

Fewer delays. Fewer headaches.

PROTECTING YOUR EMPLOYEES As your company grows and you add employees, it becomes increasingly important to protect your human capital. Quality employees are vital to the success of your business. Offering disability income insurance to protect your employees can also help you to create a competitive benefits package, which can enhance your recruiting and retention of employees.

While most states require companies to carry workers’ compensation to cover the cost of work-re-

PROTECTION THAT GROWS ALONG WITH YOUR COMPANY With a lot of hard work and a little luck, small businesses do prosper and grow. The right risk management plan must also evolve to protect your business through all its phases of growth. Keep in mind that there are as many additional types of

insurance coverage as there are unique business needs. That’s where an experienced financial professional can help you focus on your current and future business risks to select the right types and amounts of coverage to meet your ongoing needs.

Partnering with a financial professional gives you the benefit of another expert keeping a watchful eye on the growth of your business.

By lessening the effect of serious potential business problems with a sound risk management plan, you protect and enhance your potential for business success.

For all your travel in 2015 remember to

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THINK Fewer GSP FIRST! GSP is closer, faster and less crowded than Atlanta or Charlotte Airports. Think GSP first. gspairport.com : Book Flights, Hotel Rooms and Rental Cars.

KEMET’S GLOBAL CAPACITY For CEO Per-Olof Loof, carefully cultivating worldwide resources doesn’t just save his company millions—it’s “the right thing to do” JENNIFER OLADIPO | CONTRIBUTOR

Dozens of international flags wave in the wind and form a bright spot on an unremarkable frontage road in Simpsonville, marking the entrance to KEMET. The supplier of capacitors and other electronics components is headquartered there, but only a tiny fraction of its 10,000 employees live in the Upstate. The rest are scattered across the globe.

CEO Per-Olof Loof spends about 200 days a year traveling. The interconnectedness of the world has him keeping his eye on what’s happening in Europe and China and the Middle East. He also spends time in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There, KEMET has developed mining operations to control its supply of the mineral tantalum, and ensure that sourcing it doesn’t help fuel war in the region.

During a recent stint back home, Loof spent part of an afternoon discussing what it means to work in an international context, and how currency, conflict, cartels and communities are all part of doing business at KEMET.

What are the current events around the world you’re keeping your eye on?

The situation in Ukraine worries me a lot because it is so close to our operations in Bulgaria, and the sanctions against Russia are hurting European countries that trade with Russia. Europe is a third of our business. It’s a bigger market than the U.S., so it’s important for everybody that that thing stabilizes and that can get back on a growth scenario.

The currency is another one. The euro has dropped from a year ago, impacting profitability. The Mexican peso is behaving the same way, but a cheaper peso is actually good for us. The Japanese yuan is also going in a good direction for us, so it all evens out.

Where did KEMET start the conversation about “conflict-free” tantalum?

It started in 2010. There wasn’t really a risk of supply, but the price would fluctuate wildly. At the time a provision in the Dodd-Frank Act gave us a kind of a playbook on how to handle sourcing from DRC. It gave me the impetus to start the conversation with some people in Africa. If there wasn’t a legal framework for how to do this, we probably would not have done this.

We helped with the working capital for a small concession to make it a real mine. At that time it was just artisanal miners doing the work, basically with a shovel and small panning. Go watch a movie about California in the 1840s; that’s exactly how they were working.

That sounds like a big expense.

So you’re asking, “Why did we do this?” We were interested in vertically integrating the process, so we would actually take the material from the ground and eventually make in into an anode that would go into a capacitor. So, in addition to the work in Africa, we had to build a chemical facility in Matamoros, Mexico, to reduce the ore into something that can be powdered. We also acquired a company in Nevada that could process the powder; that was the biggest single expense. We have probably spent around $100 million in setting up this whole thing.

Did it pay off?

Today, we’re basically saving $55 million a year, just because we can control the pricing and supply, plus we have no middleman. We are about 70 percent self-sufficient. We would like to go to 80 percent, but we need to further develop our powder capabilities.

We’ve also started a foundation that has spent a little over $3 million so far, and we funded half of that. For that money we built a hospital, a school with 1,850 kids in it, and we spent money on roads.

Kisenge [in the DRC] is five degrees south of the equator. At 6 p.m. it’s dark, so we’ve put in solarpowered street lighting in the village, and wells for clean water.

“Conversations about sustainability are probably not as frequent as they ought to be.

I think people are waiting for governments to kind of force them into doing things.”

Why start the foundation?

Well, it’s the right thing to do.

How do you have conversations in the company about spending that money?

I have 60 votes [laughs]. But, you know, the business case is fine. We get more out of the people >>

upstatebusinessjournal.com

WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE YOU NEED TO KNOW

>> in the village if we do this. The mine will be a better mine for it. And it is the right thing to do. This is how societies are being built. I think the people in Greenville feel good about this. It’s sort of gratifying. I was there when the first baby was born in the hospital this summer. That was kind of cool.

“We get more out of the people in the village if we do this. The mine will be a better mine for it. And it is the right thing to do.

This is how societies are being built.”

How do you and your peers discuss sustainability?

To be really honest, conversations about sustainability are probably not as frequent as they ought to be. I think people are waiting for governments to kind of force them into doing things. They want a level playing field. I think people in general are pretty responsible in terms of trying to make sure whatever they do doesn’t affect people around them.

I think you need a wider perspective than just the green aspect, particularly if you have operations in countries that really need your support. Of the 10,000 people or so that work for KEMET directly, only 500 or 600 are in the U.S. The rest are in a bunch of places. We’ve been in Mexico for a long time and had plenty of programs for the people there to get a high school education. We find that people with a high school education tend to stay. We have similar programs in Bulgaria and Macedonia, and also in Indonesia.

Kemet CEO Per-Olof Loof

Are these kinds of activities just part of the cost of doing business?

It depends on how you look at it, but I would tend to see that if people employed by KEMET feel like we’re getting something back, they would also feel more part of who we are and what we do.

Photo provided

What are you excited about?

We have this ongoing activity with a joint venture in Japan, NEC Tokin, and the ultimate objective is to acquire that business. That would nearly double KEMET’s size. It’s a little hard to tell how quickly this is going to happen since there’s an ongoing cartel investigation in Japan, which affects a number of capacitor companies and includes NEC Tokin. So we just need to see where that will end or if there will be ramifications for NEC Tokin. But that’s going to be a really good thing for KEMET.

As the head of a multinational company, how do you think about the world and your place in it?

I haven’t really thought about that, to be honest.

Obviously the way I think about things is affected by my experience, and having had the great opportunity of traveling a lot—I probably do 200 days a year—and meet with people from all over the world is very engaging. You marvel at the differences, but maybe even more at the similarities. People are kind of interested in pursuing the same things.

Photos by Greg Beckner

What is one unique aspect of working in a multinational context?

Sometimes you have to refit the industry or the business you’re in. We’ve gone through a huge process in Europe where we had people and plants in the wrong places and we had to take action to move them. We’re taking that experience to Japan now, which is interesting. What we learn in Italy we can apply in Japan.

| C-SUITE | 15

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UBJ

THE INTERNATIONAL ISSUE

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03.20.2015

FISHING EXPEDITIONS Traveling across the sea may be a grind for Upstate leaders looking to reel in business back home— but the returns can be huge

ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com

HISTORY PLAYS A ROLE Take Chinese textile company Keer Group. Negotiations for the company’s first facility outside China took two to three years of back-and-forth discussions, and relationship building typically takes even longer than that, said Greenville Mayor Knox White. But toward the end of 2013, the company announced plans to invest $218 million in Lancaster County and create 501 jobs in the area.

“You just go until you drop every day. …

You have got to be specific and targeted and maximize your time. … It’s not a sightseeing trip.”

Greer Mayor Rick Danner

While international trade delegations may seem like glamorous international jet setting, Mayor Rick Danner of Greer says traveling for economic development is no picnic.

“You just go until you drop every day,” said the fourth-term mayor.

Danner said he packed and repacked, checked and rechecked his business card supply and industry literature before heading off to his first such trip to China years ago. “You wake up in a different town every day wondering where you are, but know you’re going to start with a breakfast meeting in the morning and end with dinner with someone else.”

The harrowing schedule could easily run from 7 a.m. to 11 at night, he said. “You can’t just take the shotgun approach. You have got to be specific and targeted and maximize your time. … It’s not a sightseeing trip.”

But despite the packed schedules and travel costs—which Danner said have been partially covered by donations in combination with other sources, such as the city’s limited expense account— the reason they go is simple: “The return on investment can be huge.”

Like many things in the Upstate, the region’s history plays a role, said White, noting the Upstate has one of the highest concentrations of foreign direct investment in the country. The Greenv i l l e metropolitan area has the seventh-highest share of jobs in foreign-owned entities in manufacturing at 59.1 percent, for example.

In this case, economic development activity and investment by foreign-owned firms tends to send the signal that the region is open to international business, which tends to draw even more attention from abroad.

“Once you get past the taxes and the right-to-work states, if you look at the East Coast, foreign companies tend to go where other foreign companies are,” White said, noting Swiss and German textile equipment firms were supplying U.S. manufacturers with equipment from their U.S.-based operations long before today’s big names came into the region. “If you’re a delegation that walks in the door and you say you have other Chinese investments, but more importantly the people who are already here—BMW, Michelin, GE, Fluor— those are names that they know.” >>

upstatebusinessjournal.com

>> “A LONG SALES CYCLE” White has been on three or four such trips with the Upstate S.C. Alliance, one of South Carolina’s eight regional economic development organizations. Each regional firm is invited to participate in trade missions and delegations organized by the S.C. Department of Commerce, said Allison Skipper, the department’s director of marketing and communications.

“The sales cycle in particular with international companies is a long sales cycle,” Skipper said. Trips vary in scope and size, but larger ones that include the state governor are typically around once a year, she said.

The governor’s most recent trip, for example, was a 10-day trade mission to several parts of India, where the group even split into smaller groups in order to meet with all interested parties, which included business representatives from targeted industry sectors as well as elected officials, she said.

Funding for Department of Commerce trips varies from year to year but comes from the department’s general fund, Skipper said.

“Sometimes it’s an awareness-type meeting, literally introducing someone to where South Carolina is. Phase one is to educate prospective businesses and prospective partners on who we are and why it would be advantageous to locate in South Carolina.”

For others, it’s less of an introduction to South Carolina and more of an in-depth look at particular strengths of the state and outlining business partnerships. Delegations also sometimes set up trade booths at exhibitions, where there often might be a central U.S. pavilion where other state delegations are vying for similar attention and partnerships, she said.

“For South Carolina, the international focus for foreign direct investment has been around for decades and … has been very successful for this state.”

Allison Skipper, director of marketing and communications, S.C. Department of Commerce “We watch our competing states very closely, and I think we do a similar volume with these shows, just recognizing the importance of getting your name out there,” she said, noting that there is no real way to measure how active other states are in their own international economic development efforts.

THE INTERNATIONAL ISSUE

PRIVATE COMPANIES REACH OUT This year, South Carolina celebrates the 40th year of its European office, which has shifted from its initial location in Brussels to Frankfurt and, finally, to Munich, Skipper said. The state’s office in China is 10 years old, while the sister office in Japan is several years younger.

“They’re really scouring their prospective areas to determine companies that would be a particular good fit for South Carolina,” she said. “For South Carolina, the international focus for foreign direct investment has been around for decades and … has been very successful for this state.”

But international delegations aren’t limited to state departments and regional alliances, as private companies from the Upstate have begun reaching out for international business, such as national accounting, tax and consulting services firm Elliott Davis Decosimo. The firm has participated in several delegations over the years, including several each in China, Germany and India as well as Africa, Israel and Taiwan, said Kay Biscopink, the firm’s international services practice leader and shareholder, in an email.

“The strength … is really just the relationship-building, the face-to-face and working with companies so that when opportunities come up, they know us and we can make something happen.”

R. Carter Smith, executive vice president, Economic Futures Group

“Elliott Davis Decosimo helps companies doing business internationally navigate country-specific regulatory requirements, complex tax laws and international accounting standards,” said Biscopink, who is based in the company’s Greenville headquarters.

“For companies considering foreign direct investment in the Southeast, we can help them with business formation activities and requirements to successfully set up their operations.”

STRENGTH IN RELATIONSHIPS Domestic and international trips for the Upstate have been commonplace for three decades, said R. Carter Smith, executive vice president of the Spartanburg-based Economic Futures Group. The group averages about one trip per quarter, Smith said.

“We try to be very consistent in certain markets, and we try to be sure we’re going to Canada once a year, western Europe once a year, then mingle in those domestic trips,” he said. “The strength of those is really just the relationship-building, the face-toface and working with companies so that when opportunities come up, they know us and we can make something happen.”

White said the Upstate doesn’t only send out delegations, they receive them as well. The mayor

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doesn’t have current plans for a major international trip this year, but said Greenville is making its way onto incoming delegation itineraries alongside larger metropolitan areas such as New York and Los Angeles.

“We have a constant stream of people from European countries and Asian countries,” he said. “The challenge for us is to get people to extend their stay and get them to go visit somewhere they might not normally go.”

18 | COVER |

THE INTERNATIONAL ISSUE

Soft landings

International transplants get assistance for whole family SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

sjackson@communityjournals.com Moving to a foreign country can be exciting and scary. Moving for a new job or assignment and bringing the family along? Add yet another set of challenges.

Luckily for transplants coming to some Upstate-area companies, several resources are available to help guide them through the process.

The International Center of the Upstate offers resources such as a relocation program and concierge program to expats coming into the U.S. from all over the world, said Christine Hofbauer, relocation specialist, office and program manager with the center. The center works with several large Upstate employers, including Michelin and SPF. Before the families move, The International Center can arrange a look-and-see trip and tours of the area.

“We tour schools, drive through neighborhoods so they get a feel for the area,” Hofbauer said. When the families arrive, the center offers assistance with acquiring Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses, setting up utilities, purchasing cars and other items needed to “get settled here.”

New health care, new people—all of it can be overwhelming, she said. “We make their move less overwhelming.”

FAMILY AFFAIRS It’s also not just about the employee moving here for a new job or temporary assignment. “When it’s a family moving here, you really need to attend to the well-being of the entire family,” Hofbauer said. The company is usually helping integrate the employee and introducing him or her to new people, but the kids and spouses need to integrate too, she said.

The center helps by offering language classes, professional development for spouses, social activities and family-friendly cultural functions.

BMW offers similar programs for its employees.

International program packages include language training, intercultural training for the associate and spouse, schooling, tutoring for kids, career instructions for spouses and drop-in functions.

“Because BMW is international, we have a global program with people coming into and out all the time and from many different countries,” said Tracy Smoak, an international human resources representative.

Best practices are traded globally back and forth between BMW global locations, and the company has put together self-reflection and other question-

naires which employees must complete before agreeing to an International assignment to make sure it is a good fit, she said.

“There’s a balance between all of the logistical things that need to happen to get families packed up,” Smoak said. “But there’s an emotional side of it, too.

Families with children may be leaving family and friends and changing schools. So you have to spend as much time supporting the emotional needs as the logistical needs.”

While most BMW employees are either coming from or going to Germany, Smoak said she’s also worked with employees in China, South America, the United Kingdom and Mexico. The majority of assignments are two or three years, but some can be shorter, depending on the needs.

“It’s not an easy task to move internationally,” said Smoak, who has a checklist with 100 to 200 steps depending on the situation, and maps it out for each individual. “The biggest challenge is making sure all of the pieces of the individual puzzle are working from point A to point B,” she said.

EASING ACCULTURATION Another large Upstate employer, Michelin, also has a relocation department tasked with making the transition to or from Greenville (as well as other locations) much easier for employees and their families. The company runs a French School both in Greenville and in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where its global headquarters is located.

In an interview with UBJ last year, Karen

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Karen Summers, right, talks with Jeff Li about attractions in and around Greenville in her office at Michelin.

Photo by Greg Beckner

Summers, relocation and international mobility manager, said Michelin’s seven-member relocation group is responsible for helping about 230 internationals feel at home in the Upstate, in addition to a few hundred more throughout 19 North American plants.

At Michelin, she said, international stints are not a perk, but the status quo. Employees often work in several different job functions throughout their careers in order to have the chance—or multiple chances—to work outside of their home countries.

Greenville’s large and diverse international presence makes acculturation easier for Michelin’s expats, Summers said. The relocation team facilitates area tours and helps employees find the right neighborhoods and schools.

Most newcomers to Greenville are shocked that they need to have two cars per family, having come from communities that are pedestrian-friendly or have extensive public transportation, said Summers.

The temporary assignments mean that for every welcome to the Upstate, a potentially sad goodbye awaits. And those are sad, Summers said. “People really enjoy their time in Greenville. For many, it’s difficult to have to go back.”

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY’S PREMIERE

AUTO SHOW & FESTIVAL IS COMING TO GREENVILLE!

WHEN presents The 2nd Annual Millennium Drive, a FREE international car cruise & festival.

With over 100 cars on showcase, kids’ activities, food trucks, an international biergarten and live entertainment, there’s something to make everyone feel right at home on the CU-ICAR campus. Find out more at www.cuicar.com/millenniumdrive

Saturday, March 28 12 PM - 5 PM

WHERE CU-ICAR Campus 5 Research Drive Greenville, SC

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UBJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

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Renovations underway at South End Augusta New tenants slated for Greenville shopping center

The South End Augusta shopping center,

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near the Spinx gas station on Augusta Street in Greenville, is getting a makeover and is attracting new tenants.

New parking, a new façade, outdoor seating and streetscaping are all part of the renovations that are already underway.

The redevelopment is attracting two new businesses: Barre 3, a high-end ballet-meets-Pilatesmeets-yoga fitness center; and a yet-to-be-named taproom and wine bar. The taproom and wine bar will have outdoor seating available.

Current businesses that are staying include Thai Restaurant, Dry Clean USA, 9Round and Van Nails.

Interior renovations are also slated for Thai Restaurant, said David Rosenberg with District Augusta LLC. There is one 1,023-square-foot space still available for lease. Rosenberg said he hopes to attract a retail or clothing-related business to round out the shopping center.

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sjackson@communityjournals.com @SJackson_CJ

Once renovations are completed, Rosenberg said he is planning on holding events such as food truck Sundays and special golf cart parking days. “I really see this as a neighborhood shopping center,” he said.

Rosenberg expects renovations to be completed

by June.

Old Augu sta Rd

SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

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Renderings provided.

Hiring

www.thalhimer.com

We are pleased to announce that Laura Harmon has joined our team specializing in retail sales and leasing in the Greenville, SC market.

www.thalhimer.com (864) 370 8155

LAURA HARMON ASSOCIATE (864) 704 1363

Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer continues to hire top talent in order to provide our clients with experts who can create solutions that are tailored to meet their needs.

The Marquette | Downtown Greenville

For Sale

720 Augusta Street | Greenville, SC 29605

upstatebusinessjournal.com

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

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Want to own a restaurant and a piece of Greenville history? The Marquette, at 720 Augusta St., has been listed for sale.

The Marquette Grocery Store with friends and family members running the restaurant and butcher shop.

Once called The Market Basket, this Greenville institution has been around since the 1920s. It served as a grocery and meat market, and owners Buddy and Louise Ray would make deliveries to local restaurants and customers. In the 1950s, it was renamed

In 2012, the Marquette reopened after having been closed for several years for renovations.

The 4,200-square-foot restaurant includes the real estate, improvements and most equipment.

Address: 720 Augusta Street Building: 4,200 square feet includes equipment such as hood, grill, walk-in freezer Asking price: $495,000 For more information: contact Matt Carter, Berkshire Hathaway C. Dan Joyner Commercial, 864-313-9078

Fully operating restaurant for sale on rapidly transitioning Augusta Street between Main Street and Church Street on corner lot.

• 4,200 sf +/• Real Estate, Improvements, and Nealy all Equipment included such as hood, grill, walk-in freezer.

• Grease Trap & UL-100 updated less than 1 year ago

Sale Price: $495,000 24 Vardry Street, Ste. 401 Greenville, SC 29601 © 2014 BHH Affiliates, LLC. Real Estate Brokerage Services are offered through the network member franchisees of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Most franchisees are independently owned and operated. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Information not verified or guaranteed. If your property is currently listed with a Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation.

Matt Carter, CCIM Broker in Charge MCarter@JoynerCommercial.com 864-313-9078 www.JoynerCommercial.com

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

City Park view planned for 15 townhomes Thomas said the location, with its proximity to Main sjackson@communityjournals.com Street, Falls Park, the Peace @SJackson_CJ Center and the Swamp Rabbit Trail, is what Fifteen new townhomes are prompted him to develop the new slated for construction near downcommunity.

“There are so many unbetown, overlooking the Kroc Center lievably great features that people will tennis complex and with possible be able to take advantage of,” he said. future views of the proposed 160-acre Homes will range from 1,650 to City Park (a.k.a. Mayberry Park).

2,375 square feet and will include Called New City Court View, the covered front porches and upstairs three-bedroom, 2.5-bath townhomes balconies. Prices begin at $399,000. will have two-car garages, hardwood A pre-sales round robin tennis event floors, stainless steel appliances, upwill be held April 11 from 11 a.m. until graded finishes and options for fire2 p.m. at the Tindal Avenue tennis places and elevators, said developer courts.

Contact Shawn Thomas for Shawn Thomas with New City Develmore details at 864-241-3008. opment and Real Estate, which also

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Constantine Dental looks to June completion

SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

developed The Brio condo project on Church Street.

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BUILDER: Cunningham Waters FINANCING: Bank of Travelers Rest

Rich Constantine will soon be fulfilling a dream of owning his

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own dental practice when his 3,000-square-foot building located at the corner of Prentiss Avenue and Augusta Street in Greenville is completed in June.

Constantine and his wife knew they wanted to live somewhere in the South, he said. They relocated to the Upstate from the Northeast after a trip to downtown Greenville and a drive through the neighborhoods “inspired” them.

He’s been practicing at a Simpsonville dentist office for the past six years, but Constantine Dental will be completely his own. “I will be establishing a brand-new practice,” he said.

Rendering provided.

Constantine said he plans to have a “state-of-the-art dental facility offering the latest technology” and will place “an emphasis on patient comfort, communication, education and quality of care.”

In working with the architect for the new building, Constantine said he wanted his office to “not feel institutional and reflect the architecture of the beautiful homes in the neighborhood.”

Although trees had to be cut down to clear the lot for the development, Constantine said they will be planting several large canopy trees along with a lot of landscaping surrounding the building, and there will be plenty of on-site parking.

Construction on the building began in January and is expected to be completed in early June.

NEW PLAN FOR MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM SITE Renderings of the proposed Greenville Gateway project show a new street off East North Street with a motor court surrounded by 176 apartments and underground parking. The proposed development would be situated on the former Memorial Auditorium site bordered by North Church Street, East North Street and Beattie Place. The plan will be reviewed at the April 2 City of Greenville Design Review Board meeting.

Renderings provided.

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PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

SELECTED

HIRED

HIRED

AWARDED

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03.20.2015

HIRED

Teresa Cox

Matt Brown

Shane Grivich

Robert W. Hassold Jr.

Richard Elliott

Named to the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Training Advisory Committee. The committee seeks to gather information related to the training needs of affiliates within the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network. Cox is director of the C. Dan Joyner Career Center.

Named an associate practicing workers’ compensation defense and employment law at Collins & Lacy P.C. Brown represents employers and insurance carriers against claims and disputes statewide. He also has experience with state administrative agency claims.

Named vice president of product sales at ChartSpan Medical Technologies.

Grivich will manage revenue generation and overall sales operations for ChartSpan. He has more than 12 years of experience in the health care industry, including experience launching medical technologies internationally.

Awarded the C.C. “Cotton” Harness III Peace Award by the South Carolina Bar for his leadership in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the state. Hassold is a fellow in the American College of Civil Trial Mediators. His practice focuses on mediation and neutral services.

Named president of Techknow Inc. Elliott has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, sales and product development. Since 2001, he has worked in various executive, development and sales and marketing positions for Panasonic, most recently as director of the food services division.

EDUCATION Spartanburg Methodist College named Wells Shepard executive director of enrollment. He most recently served as director of retention and athletic recruiter for the college. His new duties will include both admission and retention. Shepard has 16 years

of experience in counseling and recruiting students.

He previously worked as director of admissions for both Wofford College and LaGrange College.

ENGINEERING Daniel Head and Stephanie Arntz joined the engineering and automation team at aeSolutions. Head joined

as a safety and control systems senior specialist. He will design and implement controls for basic process and safety instrumented systems. Arntz joined as an administrative assistant in the safety and control systems group.

She has experience collecting and analyzing data, reporting and document and quality management. >>

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

VIP

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

| ON THE MOVE | 25

Gerst has six years of professional experience working on groundwater contamination and water supply projects for domestic and international clients.

NONPROFIT

R. Kinard Johnson Jr. Named to the Greenville Airport Commission by Greenville City Council to serve an additional three-year term. Johnson will help the commission oversee operations of the Greenville Downtown Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in South Carolina.

>> ENVIRONMENT EnviroSouth Inc. hired Jonathan D. Gerst as a project hydrogeologist.

The Spartanburg Regional Foundation honored Judy Bradshaw with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to helping others and her commitment to children in the Pediatric Rehabilitation Program.

Bradshaw has supported the Spartanburg Regional Foundation since 1993 and formed a relationship with children in the Pediatric Rehabilitation Program, which supports children with special needs in speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

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Saffron’s caters to all your needs.

• Corporate Functions • Large Events • Office Parties • Business Meetings • Lunches and Dinners

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

864.241.0401 | www.saffronscafe.com 2728 Wade Hampton Blvd - Suite B, Greenville Facebook: saffronscatering

26 | THE FINE PRINT |

UBJ

BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

Coke opening new distribution center in Anderson Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated is investing $13 million to build a new regional sales and distribution center in Anderson County. The investment is expected to create 147 jobs in the area.

Coca-Cola spent two years in negotiations with Anderson County to select a site location.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated is the nation’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, with 7,000 employees serving franchise-selling territories in 12 states.

Michelin named Deere’s top supplier Deere & Company named Michelin as Supplier of the Year and a partner-level supplier for 2014.

Partner-level supplier is Deere’s highest rating for suppliers under its ongoing “Achieving Excellence” initiative.

Michelin also received the Innovation of the Year Award for its tire-wheel hybrid, the Tweel.

“Our business teams have worked very hard indeed to establish a spirit of mutual partnership with our associates at John Deere, which has resulted in a strong and growing relationship between our companies,” Emmanuel Ladent, group director of Michelin’s agriculture tire division, said in a release.

“We are pleased to accept this honor and looking forward to the journey ahead with John Deere,” Pete Selleck, chairman and president of Michelin North America, said in the release.

Michelin delivers products to multiple Deere manufacturing sites globally.

Upstate companies win Silver Crescent awards A couple of Upstate manufacturers, BorgWarner and Mack Molding Co., were named winners of the Silver Crescent Manufacturing Excellence Award.

BorgWarner produces transfer cases for four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive pickup trucks, SUVs and passenger cars.

Mack Molding supplies molded plastic products to a variety of industries.

The Silver Crescent is presented to companies that earn or surpass a specified score on seven criteria: citizenship, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, environmental stewardship, innovation, financial performance and longevity plan.

Gov. Nikki Haley will be the keynote speaker at the awards luncheon at noon April 14 during the South Carolina Manufacturing Conference at the TD Convention Center.

|

03.20.2015

Selah Genomics faces challenges Selah Genomics Inc., a Greenville-based supplier of molecular diagnostics tests, is facing challenges after the government reduced the level of Medicare reimbursement for drug metabolizing enzyme testing, according to London news organization Alliance News.

British company EKF Diagnostic acquired Selah in 2014.

Alliance News reported that revenue from Selah was lower than expected and will be unlikely to cover the $17.5 million deferred consideration for Selah for its first year.

EKF has shifted its focus to PrecisionPath validated biomarkers, which were also acquired with Selah, according to Alliance News.

“Our ambitions remain to achieve double-digit growth and to be able to exploit the opportunities in front of us. We are under no illusion that we must deliver on expectations and that as we continue to seek to grow we must do this in a non-dilutory fashion,” EKF executive Chairman David Evans said in a statement published by Alliance News.

NBSC invests $100k in South Carolina Community Loan Fund NBSC, a division of Synovus Bank, invested $100,000 in the South Carolina Community Loan Fund’s (SCCLF) revolving loan fund to finance community development projects throughout the state.

“We are excited to partner with the South Carolina Community Loan Fund.

The work being done by SCCLF is so vital to ensure all communities have the opportunity to access capital to help create thriving, prosperous and economically resilient communities,” Rob Phillips, NBSC regional market president, said in a release.

As a U.S. Treasury-certified CDFI, SCCLF seeks low-interest-rate loans from financial institutions, foundations, businesses and high-wealth individuals to help underserved communities. NBSC will receive quarterly interest payments of 2 percent and repayment of their $100,000 principal upon the loan’s maturity, and low-wealth communities gain access to capital to finance development projects.

NBSC has joined Bank of America, Bank of South Carolina, Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union, PNC Bank, South State Bank, Tidelands and Wells Fargo in investing in SCCLF.

KEMET introduces high voltage snap-in capacitors KEMET Corporation, a global supplier of electronic components, unveiled its new high-voltage ALC10 Series snap-in aluminum electrolytic capacitors at APEC 2015 in Charlotte.

The capacitors are designed for high-ripple-current applications and feature surge voltage capability and very long life performance.

upstatebusinessjournal.com The capacitors are suited for industrial and commercial applications with operational life up to 18,000 hours.

“As the voltage rails used in modern inverter-based systems continue to increase, the need for high-voltage, high-capacitance solutions in smaller packages is critical,” Mark Wright of KEMET said in a release.

ScanSource hosts Worldwide Conference in Greenville

ScanSource Inc. hosted its Worldwide Partner Conference in Greenville this week. About 600 employees, manufacturers and customers from the regions where ScanSource does business were scheduled to attend the four-day conference, which focused on ScanSource’s point-of-sale and barcode (POSB) business.

“We are pleased to once again host our customers and manufacturers from across the globe,” Buck Baker, president of Worldwide Barcode and Security at ScanSource Inc., said in a release. “We chose Greenville as the destination so we could give our partners a chance to visit our corporate headquarters—some for the first time—while also showcasing this great city.”

ScanSource has 42 offices throughout North America, South America and Europe. The ScanSource Worldwide Partner Conference gathered key customers and manufacturers from each of these regions to hear from ScanSource leadership about the business, new service and product offerings. ScanSource estimates the economic impact of the conference at nearly $900,000.

BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

| THE FINE PRINT | 27

Mobile Payments It’s the way of the future . . . the very near future . . . And it’s coming faster everyday.

Your customer’s walking-around-money is about to grow some legs. The number of customers with smartphones already exceeds the number who carry cash.

Will your business stay in stride?

29

The number of Nelson Mullins attorneys in the firm’s Mobile Payments practice group.

1 trillion

The number of corporate clients that Nelson Mullins attorneys have assisted in creating or implementing mobile payments solutions, including by addressing data privacy and security issues.

$

50

+

The projected volume of mobile payments in 2015.

13

+

The number of federal agencies that regulate mobile payments. Many of these regulations apply not only to banks and money service businesses, but also to merchants and third party vendors.

150+

The number of virtual currencies that have been launched in the last several years (one of which is Bitcoin).

30%

The number of consumers who used mobile payments to pay for purchases during the 2014 holiday shopping season.

48

%

The number of consumers who cited data security as their number one concern when using a mobile payments platform in a recent Federal Reserve study.

“The foundation is in place — are you going to let it happen or are you going to make it happen.”

(Mike Abbot, CEO if Softcard at Money 2020)

Merchants say they are investing in mobile apps, and 74% of those merchants say they will invest in apps that enhance the consumer’s shopping journey in some way.

“Merchants will be focused over the next decade on how what they do and with whom they do it can deliver incremental revenue.” (Karen Webster, CEO, Market Platform Dynamics)

93%

Why pay extra for the inconvenience of out-of-state attorneys, when we have brought so much large market experience home to the Upstate?

For further information, contact

TheUpstateBusinessJournal

Stay in the know.

NEIL GRAYSON (864) 250-2235 neil.grayson@nelsonmullins.com

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www.NelsonMullins.com 104 S. Main St., #900, Greenville

28 | SOCIAL SNAPSHOT |

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

UBJ

GENIUSES AT WORK A series of after-hours networking events for tech entrepreneurs and professionals, Tech After Five meets every month in Greenville at the Pour Lounge on Main Street downtown. The group also sponsors meetups in Atlanta, Charlotte, Asheville, Columbia and Charleston.

Learn more at techafterfive.com.

Photos provided

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

|

03.20.2015

upstatebusinessjournal.com

THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

Open for business Staymobile recently opened at 121 E. McBee Ave., Greenville. The business offers same-day repair service for cellphones and other electronic devices. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday, noon-6 p.m. For more information, call 864-509-0220 or visit staymobile.com/greenville-sc.

| NEW TO THE STREET | 29

Join Greenville for the greenville 3rd annual Healthy Workplace Conference & Cocktail Reception making the healthy choice the easy choice

at T.D. Convention Center Thursday April 23 • 1-6 pm Included in Registration: • Educational breakout sessions on worksite wellness • Vendor expo on worksite wellness • Cocktail reception

Is your business healthy?

Nominate your business for the 2015 LiveWell Healthy Workplace awards! Applications are accepted through March 31.The application link can be found at livewellgreenville.org Attendees register at: www.lwgworkplaceconference2015.eventbrite.com Tickets are only $25 if purchased by March 27th Vendors register at: www.lwgworkplaceconference2015vendor.eventbrite.com

Greenville Health System

GHSsig1: 2 color on white

GH

making the healthy choice the easy choice

GH

greenville CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon?

Email information to bjeffers@communityjournals.com.

GHSsig2: Black

making the healthy choice the easy choice

NO or b

NOSE DIVE @ NOON. Daily Features.

GF & Healthy Options.

Timely, Full-Service Lunch.

1. Do not add graphic elements

4. D

2. Do not add unauthorized words

5. D

3. Do not squeeze

6. D

NOTE: Use of entity signatures must be approved by GHS marketing

The “Southerner” - Fried Green Tomato Rings, Spiced Pecans, Goat Cheese, Apple Cider Vinaigrette www.marketing.ghs.org/branding

116 South Main Street | Greenville, SC 29601 | 864.373.7300 www.thenosedive.com | www.facebook.com/thenosedive Lunch & Dinner, Monday - Friday | Brunch & Dinner, Saturday | Sunday Brunch

30 | PLANNER | DATE Thursday

3/26

Friday

3/27

Saturday

3/28 Tuesday

3/31 Wednesday

4/1 Thursday

4/2 Saturday

4/4 Wednesday

4/8 Thursday

4/9 Tuesday & Wednesday

4/14â&#x20AC;&#x201C;15

EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

UBJ

|

03.20.2015

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Economic Insights Financial experts share expectations and projections for the 2015 financial landscape Speakers: Ron Joelson and Mike Carter, Northwestern Mutual

Greenville ONE 1 N. Main St., Greenville 10:30 a.m.-noon

Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/economic-insights2015

Upstate Women in Technology Brand ME Luncheon A discussion on the value of a personal brand Speaker: Carol Hamilton

City Range 615 Haywood Road, Greenville, 11:30 a.m.

Register: uwitsc.com

La Fiesta Annual celebration of Latin cultures in the Upstate

The Certus Loft at the Peace Center 101 W. Broad St., Greenville 6:30-10:30 p.m.

Cost: Individual ticket $75 Register: LaFiesta2015.eventbrite.com

Spartanburg Angel Network Lunch Topic: Understanding investment term sheets for startup companies

The Iron Yard 151 S. Daniel Morgan Ave., Spartanburg, noon-2 p.m.

Cost: $30 Register: bit.ly/sa-march2015

FYI Friday Lunch Speaker: Allan Smith, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce

The Showroom (HUB-BUB) 149 South Daniel Morgan Ave. #2, Spartanburg; 11:30 a.m.-1p.m.

Cost: Chamber members $15, nonmembers $20 Register: bit.ly/fyi-march2015

Entrepreneurship and Social Good Demo Day Watch 10 Wofford College students pitch businesses or social good projects to win $20,000 in cash and prizes

Michael S. Brown Village Center N. Church St., Spartanburg 5-9:30 p.m.

Cost: Free, includes dinner and cash bar Register: bit.ly/wofford-event2015

Comprehensive Small Business Start-up Workshop Help for entrepreneurs looking to start a business or nonprofit

Hughes Main Library 25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: $69, $25 for students Register: piedmontscore.org/ workshops/register/145

Beer & Napkins Meetup Topic: Exploring Makers Tools

The Community Tap 205 Wade Hampton Blvd.

Greenville, 6 p.m.

More info: bit.ly/beer-napkins-march15

Career Skills Now Training Manufacturing career training for young adults ages 17-24

Capstone Church 601 Fairview St., Fountain Inn 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Cost: Free More info: 864-236-6534 or careerskillsnow.com

DesignThinkers Design Workshop Topic: Workplace Design and the Bottom Line

OpenWorks 2 N. Main St., Greenville noon-1 p.m.

Cost: $10 Register: bit.ly/designthinkers-april2015

Career Skills Now Training Manufacturing career training for young adults ages 17-24

Capstone Church 601 Fairview St., Fountain Inn 5:30-8 p.m.

Cost: Free More info: 864-236-6534 or careerskillsnow.com

Downtown Greenville begins at 10 a.m.

Cost: Free More info: bit.ly/imagine-upstate

Using Tax Incentives to Enhance Your Development Work Speakers: Dan Elswick and Bernie Mazyck

SC Department of Archives & History, 8301 Parklane Road Columbia, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: SCACED nonprofit members $100, corporate and individual members $150, non-members $200 Register: bit.ly/scaced-april2015

TATT Upstate Vision Forum Topic: Overcoming the Failure to Act: Investing in Transportation and Infrastructure Speaker: Former Gov. Ed Rendell

Greenville Marriott 1 Parkway East, Greenville 3-5 p.m.

Cost: $10 Register: bit.ly/tatt-april2015

SC Manufacturing Conference and Expo Manufacturing professionals from across the Southeast discuss the latest manufacturing trends and topics

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville

Register and more info: scmanufacturingconference.com

Main Event

iMAGINE Upstate Festival Celebration and showcase around STEM, innovation, creative and entrepreneurial activity

CONTRIBUTE: Got a hot date? Submit event information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

upstatebusinessjournal.com

A QUICK LOOK INTO THE UPSTATE’S PAST

| SNAPSHOT | 31

In the 1940s new stores were opening in the West End of Greenville. The Syrianborn Charles E. (Charlie) Saad was a respected dealer in Oriental carpets. The Asia Rug Company was first located at 227 Augusta St. and later relocated to South Main Street.

Historic photo provided Photos by Greg Beckner

(top) The building that was the former home of the Asia Rug company on Augusta Street is still there today. (bottom) The importance of the West End to Greenville’s Heritage was recognized in 1993 when the West end Commercial District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historic photograph available from the Greenville Historical Society.​ From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection” by Jeffrey R. Willis

DIGITAL STRATEGIST

IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF UBJ? WANT A COPY FOR YOUR LOBBY?

NEXT WEEK: WHO’S WHO 2015 Meet the latest class of professionals to look out for and look up to.

Emily Price

ART & PRODUCTION PRESIDENT/CEO

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

UBJ PUBLISHER

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin ADVERTISING DESIGN

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Anita Harley, Jane Rogers

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

MANAGING EDITOR

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

INTERNS

Kristi Fortner

STORY IDEAS:

Kate Madden

By sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

Solve. Serve. Grow. Those three words summarize Jackson Marketing Group’s guiding principles, and according to owner Larry Jackson, form the motivation that has kept the firm thriving for the past 25 years.

Jackson graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in video and film production and started his 41-year career in the communications industry with the U.S. Army’s Public Information Office. He served during

Vietnam, where he said he was “luckily” stationed in the middle of Texas at Fort Hood.

He left the service and went to work in public affairs and motorsports at Ford Motor Company in Detroit.

After a stint at Bell and Howell, where he was responsible for managing Ford’s dealer marketing and training, the entrepreneurial bug hit and he co-founded Jackson-Dawson Marketing Communications, a company specializing in dealer training and product launches for the auto industry in 1980.

In 1987, Jackson wanted to move back south and thought Greenville would be a good fit. An avid pilot, he

learned of an opportunity to purchase Cornerstone Aviation, a fixed base operation (FBO) that served as a service station for the Greenville Downtown Airport, providing fuel, maintenance and storage.

In fact, when he started the Greenville office of what is now Jackson Marketing Group (JMG) in 1988, the offices were housed on the second floor in an airport hangar.

“Clients would get distracted by the airplanes in the hangars and we’d have to corral them to get back upstairs to the meeting,” Jackson said.

Jackson sold the FBO in 1993, but says it was a great way to get to know Greenville’s fathers and leaders

>>

2009 Jackson Dawson changes name to Jackson marketing Group when larry sells his partnership in Detroit and lA 2003

2009-2012 Jackson marketing Group named a top BtoB agency by BtoB magazine 4 years running

him going and growing his business over the years. He is passionate about giving back and outreach to non-profits. The company was recently awarded the Community Foundation Spirit Award.

The company reaffirmed its commitment to serving the community last week by celebrating its 25th anniversary with a birthday party and a 25-hour Serve-A-Thon partnership with Hands on Greenville and Habitat for Humanity. JMG’s 103 full-time employees worked in shifts around the clock on October 22 and 23 to help construct a house for a deserving family.

As Jackson inches towards retirement, he says he hasn’t quite figured out his succession plan yet, but sees the companies staying under the same umbrella. He wants to continue to strategically grow the business.

“From the beginning, my father has taught me that this business is all about our people – both our clients and our associates,” said his son, Darrell. “We have created a focus and a culture that strives to solve problems, serve people and grow careers.”

Darrell Jackson said he wants to “continue helping lead a culture where we solve, serve and grow. If we are successful, we will continue to grow towards our ultimate goal of becoming the leading integrated marketing communications brand in the Southeast.”

2011 Jackson marketing Group/Jackson motorsports Group employee base reaches 100 people

2008 2012 Jackson marketing Group recognized by Community Foundation with Creative spirit Award

pro-bono/non-proFit Clients American Red Cross of Western Carolinas Metropolitan Arts Council Artisphere Big League World Series The Wilds Advance SC South Carolina Charities, Inc. Aloft Hidden Treasure Christian School

CoMMUnitY inVolVeMent & boarD positions lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member

APRIL 10: GREEN BUSINESSES How are Upstate companies going green while making green?

David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board, Metropolitan Arts Council Board, American Red Cross Board, Greenville Tech Foundation Board, South Carolina Chamber Board eric Jackson (Jackson motorsports Group sales specialist): Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board

November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21

20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013

AS SEEN IN

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

Order a reprint today, PDFs available for $25. For more information, contact Anita Harley 864.679.1205 or aharley@communityjournals.com

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA

FACEBOOK: TheUpstateBusinessJournal

events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AND AWARDS: UBJ welcomes expert commentary from business leaders on timely news topics related to their specialties.

Guest columns run 700-800 words.

Contact Executive Editor Susan Clary Simmons at ssimmons@communityjournals.com to submit an article for consideration.

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & ACCOUNT STRATEGY

Chairman larry Jackson, Jackson marketing Group. Photos by Greg Beckner / Staff

Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 years

2003 motorsports Division acquires an additional 26,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space

1998 1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court

also one of the few marketing companies in South Carolina to handle all aspects of a project in-house, with four suites handling video production, copywriting, media and research and web design.

Clients include heavyweights such as BMW, Bob Jones University, the Peace Center, Michelin and Sage Automotive. Recent projects have included an interactive mobile application for Milliken’s arboretum and 600-acre Spartanburg campus and a marketing campaign for the 2013 Big League World Series.

“In my opinion, our greatest single achievement is the longevity of our client relationships,” said Darrell Jackson. “Our first client from back in 1988 is still a client today. I can count on one hand the number of clients who have gone elsewhere in the past decade.”

Larry Jackson says his Christian faith and belief in service to others, coupled with business values rooted in solving clients’ problems, have kept

EVENTS:

PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Beckner

Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Lindsay Oehman, Maddy Varin, Emily Yepes

with a majority of them utilizing the general aviation airport as a “corporate gateway to the city.”

In 1997, Jackson and his son, Darrell, launched Jackson Motorsports Group. The new division was designed to sell race tires and go to racetracks to sell and mount the tires. Darrell Jackson now serves as president of the motorsports group and Larry Jackson has two other children and a son-in-law who work there. Jackson said all his children started at the bottom and “earned their way up.”

Jackson kept the Jackson-Dawson branches in Detroit and others in Los Angeles and New York until he sold his portion of that partnership in 2009 as part of his estate planning.

The company now operates a small office in Charlotte, but its main headquarters are in Greenville in a large office space off Woodruff Road, complete with a vision gallery that displays local artwork and an auditorium Jackson makes available for non-profit use. The Motorsports Group is housed in an additional 26,000 square feet building just down the street, and the agency is currently looking for another 20,000 square feet.

Jackson said JMG has expanded into other verticals such as financial, healthcare, manufacturing and pro-bono work, but still has a strong focus on the auto industry and transportation. It’s

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onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com

SALES REPRESENTATIVES

>>

ideas@upstatebusinessjournal.com

Amanda Cordisco, Natalie Walters

MARKETING & ADVERTISING

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

1990 Jackson Dawson acquires therapon marketing Group and moves to Piedmont office Center on Villa.

CLIENT SERVICES

Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com

Ashley Boncimino, Sherry Jackson, Benjamin Jeffers, Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris

jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years

ART DIRECTOR Whitney Fincannon

Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

STAFF WRITERS

UBJ milestone

1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport

1988

Kristy Adair, Michael Allen

Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

UBJ milestone

LINKEDIN: Upstate Business Journal

publishers of

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APRIL 24: QUARTERLY CRE ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.

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Copyright ©2015 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. P.O. Box 2266, Greenville, South Carolina, 29602.

Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $50. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, P.O. Box 2266, Greenville, SC 29602.

Printed in the USA.

581 Perry Avenue, Greenville, SC 29611 | 864-679-1200 | communityjournals.com UBJ: For subscriptions, call 864-679-1240 | UpstateBusinessJournal.com

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