April 18, 2014 UBJ

APRIL 18, 2014

TRANSFORMING

TEXTILES Developers are reinventing landmarks of the Upstate’s past into part of a vital economic future

Like many old mills across the Upstate, Greenville’s Monaghan Mill has thrived after redevelopment – in this case, into loft-style apartments. Photo by Greg Beckner

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UBJ HEALTH CARE

GHS, Oconee Medical Center Closer to Merger Boards approve non-binding agreement APRIL A. MORRIS | STAFF

amorris@communityjournals.com Oconee Medical Center has taken another step in the process to become part of Greenville Health System (GHS) after both boards approved a non-binding Letter of Intent last week. In January, the two systems approved a Memorandum of Understanding to study opportunities to collaborate and develop a specific agreement.

Oconee Medical Center had met over several years with regional nonprofit health care organizations and for-profit companies seeking ways to affiliate, but was comfortable with a South Carolina-based partner, said Oconee president and CEO Jeanne Ward.

After the memorandum’s approval, a consulting firm studied the

potential benefits of a merger and reported to a task force of two administrators and three board members from each health care system.

The preliminary agreement, which is due to be considered by both boards in June, could be a long-term lease of at least 50 years and full integration of Oconee Medical Center into GHS, according to a statement. Oconee would continue to have its own medical staff.

Oconee Medical Center and GHS have previously collaborated on a program that links cancer patients to GHS research, a stroke telemedicine program and a cardiac care program.

“This agreement follows more than two months of analysis and discussion between our two organizations about whether and how to move forward,” said Rick Phillips, board chairman of Oconee Medical Center, in a statement. “We are pleased to take this

important step toward enhancing the delivery of high-quality local health care services to the people of Oconee County and surrounding communities.”

Mike Riordan, president and CEO of GHS, said, “Moving forward, we believe that health systems are going to have to deliver health care in a very different way in order to ensure that the right care is delivered at the right place at the right time.”

Riordan said the “most successful health systems will develop multi-community integrated delivery systems that focus on keeping people

healthier over their entire lives.

The old episodic way of treating patients simply isn’t working anymore and too often results in fragmented or insufficient care.”

Oconee Medical Center operates a 169-bed hospital and has a staff of more than 120 physicians, while GHS currently has six campuses and 1,358 beds. GHS took over the operations of Laurens County Health System in 2013 and maintains a 50 percent partnership to run Baptist Easley Hospital. GHS is the largest employer in Greenville County and largest health care system in the state.

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UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Volume 3, Issue 16

April 18, 2014

WORTH REPEATING “I know what questions to ask, but I clearly don’t have all the answers.”

John Poelker, interim president of CertusBank, appointed last week after the termination of three top executives.

“When I was going to school, we used slide rules. I still remember buying my first handheld calculator for $300; now you can get them for less than $10 at the drugstore.”

Ronnie Gray, founder of Gray Engineering Consultants, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month.

“That’s what you see in places like Silicon Valley or Austin, Texas.

It started with people investing; companies grow, exist, then they stay and start new companies. It’s a cycle.”

MONEY SHOT: Harrison Brookie emcees the 2014 TEDxGreenville conference, held last Friday at the Kroc Center. The daylong event, themed “Unzipped,” featured 18 presentations covering technology, entertainment and design. Photo by Ian Curcio.

TBA Look for a new fitness concept for the region coming to Laurens Road. RevUp Indoor Cycling should be opening in June…

Word is the next QuikTrip is coming to Woodruff Road and Hendrix Drive, where the former End Up Furniture was located…

Michael Bolick, chairman and CEO of Selah Genomics, which this week announced its purchase by a UK company for $75 million.

4

VERBATIM

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

April 18, 2014

On a Haven for Cyclists…

“This almost Provençal scene feels a bit incongruous in rural Greenville County, where roadside fruit stands compete for business with a dilapidated general store, but that’s part of the quirky appeal of this new 13-room boutique operation.”

Men’s Journal, naming the Hincapie brothers’ Hotel Domestique one of “21 Hotels That Are the Destination.” (bit.ly/hoteldomestique)

UBJ MANUFACTURING

sc.edu

Greer-Made BMW Models Recalled JOE TOPPE | STAFF

jtoppe@communityjournals.com Defective bolts in the six-cylinder engines of luxury cars and SUVs made by BMW has led to the automaker’s recall of more than 156,000 vehicles sold in the United States, including the X3, X5 and X6 models made in Greer.

Worldwide, the recall will affect nearly a half-million automobiles manufactured between 2010 and 2012 while encompassing other models such as the 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series, 5 Series Gran Turismo, Z4 and the 2012 6 Series.

“This is part of a global, voluntary quality measure,” said Sky Foster, department manager of corporate communications at BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg County.

“BMW is taking the precaution of checking the bolts on the VANOS unit in selected vehicles, and depending on the results, the bolts or the VANOS unit will be replaced.”

The VANOS unit is an automotive variable valve timing system produced by BMW. A statement issued by the company outlined rare cases of the defective bolts failing to hold the VANOS unit housing by coming loose or breaking.

During such cases, the driver would • More than 156,000 vehicles sold in the UNITED STATES, including the X3, X5 & X6 models made in Greer, were recalled.

• WORLDWIDE, the recall will affect nearly a half-million automobiles manufactured between 2010 and 2012 while encompassing other models such as the 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series, 5 Series Gran Turismo, Z4 and the 2012 6 Series.

more honors Whether it’s the 47 programs nationally ranked by U.s. news & World report or

“BMW is taking the precaution of checking the bolts on the VANOS unit in selected vehicles, and depending on the results, the bolts or the VANOS unit will be replaced.”

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be notified of the issue by the check-engine warning light. If not repaired, the problem could lead to stalling and engine damage.

A report filed by the car company with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration detailed that the problem began two years ago in China leading to the automaker replacing the bolts in the affected automobiles there.

Although similar issues were reported elsewhere, BMW did not replace the defective bolts in the United States due to the very low rate of occurrence.

However, following additional stalling reports made in China, a safety recall has been initiated there this month.

BMW has now decided to begin a recall in the United States replacing the four bolts suspected of causing the problem.

April 18, 2014

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

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UBJ BIOTECH

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UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

April 18, 2014

Photos by Greg Beckner

Laboratory scientist Shawna Fulcher loads a sample onto a Selah Genomics PrecisionPath chip used in the genomic sequencer at the Greenville Health System’s ITOR lab.

UK Company Buys Selah Genomics for $75M JENNIFER OLADIPO SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER

joladipo@communityjournals.com Selah Genomics, provider of advanced molecular and genomic diagnostic services, inked a deal this week that makes it one of the major exits in the Upstate’s biotech industry. UK-based point-of-care diagnostics firm EKF Diagnostics will acquire Selah for $40 million initially through the issue of new EKF shares and an additional deferred consideration of up to $35 million,

valuing Selah at about $75 million.

Chairman and CEO Michael Bolick said the company had not planned to sell, but it was the right move and brings the advantage of growing with a publicly traded and better capitalized parent company.

“We were excited about running on our steam for a while, but had the responsibility to look at [the offer’s] potential for investors and to listen.”

Selah’s management team will be retained as is and will report to the EKF group. The relationship with EKF will allow Selah to hire a

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UBJ NEWS >>

national sales force to sell PrecisionPath technology, which assesses biomarkers in tumors.

Bolick said the company will be hiring primarily out of the Upstate.

“The nice thing about life science is that we have a hard need for scientists, but also hire folks from technical schools to run machines,” Bolick said. He said the biotechnology training program at Greenville Technical College is “really impressive” and will be a source for building the technical staff that can fulfill tasks such as building hundreds of sample selection kits Selah uses to provide its services.

The plan is for the Selah Genomics brand to remain intact, Bolick said.

That brand has gained a significant amount of cachet since the company was founded in January 2013. It was one of the first companies in the nation to move into next-generation sequencing, bringing important

erformance. or seduction.

A Selah Genomics PrecisionPath chip.

clinical trials to Greenville. By November 2013, the Greenville Health System Institute for Translational Oncology Research started using Selah’s PrecisionPath technology to molecularly profile tissue from individual cancer patients.

Bolick said the company has seen significant revenue growth related to direct metabolism testing. A person’s ability to metabolize a drug depends on genes, and metabolism testing

allows health care practitioners to know which patients respond to which drugs. “That book of business has grown for us significantly and we expect that to continue to grow,” said Bolick.

The company also recently completed an agreement with Barcelona, Spain-based pharmaceutical company Ferrer Company focusing on corporate wellness programs using tests to more accurately identify individuals incorrectly assessed as having a low risk of heart disease when genetic markers show they are in fact high-risk.

Bolick said South Carolina’s bioscience companies are now starting to see the benefit of investments made in growing the industry over the last several years as several companies are being pursued for acquisition. A decade ago there were no concerted resources for supporting such companies, but since then or-

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ganizations such as the Upstate Carolina Angel Network and SC Launch have helped spur growth.

“We were one of the first companies that SC Launch invested in, in serial [rounds], and now we’re making the return,” Bolick said. Early and especially mid-stage support from homegrown investors leads to the big exits, he said. “That’s what you see in places like Silicon Valley or Austin, Texas. It started with people investing; companies grow, exist, then they stay and start new companies. It’s a cycle.”

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UBJ UTILITIES

Duke to Expand Gas, Solar Power JENNIFER OLADIPO SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER

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April 18, 2014

approval last week from the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to build a natural gas plant in Anderson County, one of several pieces in the company’s plan to diversify its energy platform. The company is also reviewing proposals for solar power projects in the Carolinas.

Earlier this month Duke had also announced jointly with Piedmont Natural Gas a request for proposals for a natural gas pipeline to North Carolina. The pipeline would service a planned natural gas-powered plant at Lee Station in Anderson County, currently powered by coal, in addition to several more gas plants in North Carolina.

The two companies seek an initial natural gas pipeline capacity of as much as 900 million cubic feet per day, with a target in-service date of late 2018. They expect to select a proposal by late 2014.

“Duke Energy’s increasing reliance on natural gas to generate electricity, coupled with Piedmont’s growing customer demand, warrant investment in a new pipeline that would bolster reliability and diversity of natural gas supplies,” the companies said in a statement.

Currently, the Carolinas are served primarily by a single major wholesale interstate natural gas pipeline that runs through both states. Carolina Gas Transmission operates it.

Last week Duke announced a “strong response” to a different RFP for solar power projects that closed at the end of March. Spokesperson Ryan Mosier said Duke would not release information about bidders or projects as the competitive process was still underway, but that there

were solar projects in South Carolina that were eligible to bid.

Two environmental groups – the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and the Coastal Conservation League – had asked the PSC to require Duke to make approval of the Anderson County gas plant contingent upon a large solar power farm being built as well, but the commission declined.

The RFP asked for turnkey asset purchase proposals from projects greater than 5 megawatts, with a preference for turnkey constructed projects greater than 20 megawatts. They must have made requests with their public service regulatory agencies to be in service by Dec. 31, 2015.

The utility is “excited” about promoting a bill in the state Senate that would require utilities to provide a certain amount of solar power by 2021, Mosier said.

“Rooftop solar, community solar and large-scale solar are all options that we can consider if this bill passes,” Mosier said. However, critics, including solar providers who would want to move into the South Carolina market, say the bill favors ownership by large utilities while shutting out private companies and homeowners. Among the bill’s supporters is the South Carolina Solar Business Alliance, which was scheduled to meet with the PSC Wednesday to discuss solar potential in South Carolina.

Mosier said large-scale or utility-scale solar is twice as cost-effective as rooftop solar. “However, in some cases, that’s not what customers want to see. We’ll look at all the factors

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UBJ UTILITIES

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and consult with stakeholders before we pursue an option.”

He said the bill’s update requiring utilities to report net energy metering costs would ensure fair compensation to consumers who install solar panels, as well as to retail electricity providers and their other consumers.

It would also require utilities who chose to “opt in” to a Distributed

Energy Resource plan to make programs available that support the development of solar on sites owned by tax-exempt entities, such as houses of worship and schools.

“We are very interested in diversifying our program offerings around solar, but in the absence of the public policies outlined in this bill, it’s very difficult,” Mosier said.

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UBJ BANKING

CertusBank’s New Head Asking, Listening Interim president Poelker looks for best way forward for troubled bank

JENNIFER OLADIPO SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER

joladipo@communityjournals.com The new interim president at CertusBank, John Poelker, spent his first several days “out and about meeting an awful lot of our employ-

ees,” he said. His mission in the first few weeks is fact-finding and research to determine the troubled bank’s true state of affairs and best way forward.

The 40-year banking veteran was appointed last week after Milton Jones, Walter Davis and Angela Webb

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April 18, 2014

were terminated from their respective posts as executive chairman, CEO and president.

He said the board assured him that customer-facing operations are “solid.”

“I know what questions to ask, Robert Wright (left), chairman of the board of directors at Certus, but I clearly don’t with John Poelker, the bank’s newly named interim president. have all the answers,” Poelker said – but he has heavy investment in branch locations a strong reputation for finding those “absolutely” needed to be addressed. answers.

“The challenge that we have is that He has taken the helm of several the infrastructure, including investtroubled banks, getting credit for ment in real estate, was built to what he was able to accomplish even accommodate a much larger bank when some of those banks eventual- that was in the original plan. ly failed. His most recent executive Whether we can accomplish that post was as CFO of State Bank Fi- remains to be seen.” nancial in Atlanta, which successfulLarge charitable commitments ly executed the kind of troubled have been another highly visible bank-buying strategy that was Certus’ expense, and though Poelker said he original plan, and which he has ac- is still learning what all of those are, complished more than once. “challenges and earnings issues “I’ve seen every iteration of what should have very little impact on our needs to be fixed, so I have this sort commitments to our communities.”

He said it was too soon to discuss of playbook,” he said. “It’s important leadership plans. to know how do you find the priorities, find what to focus on absolutely, “My commitment to the board was, what you have to leave alone.”

I’ll be here as long as it makes sense.

Five days into the job at Certus- The focus over the next three months Bank, Poelker had identified some is to make sure I and the board unmajor issues. He said there was derstand exactly what needs to be already intense focus on assessing addressed and help the board deterthe quality of the bank’s loan portfo- mine long-term needs in terms of lio in order to stem the tide of credit management structure.” losses and avoid surprises.

Poelker said he created a video Moreover, “there’s clearly an message to employees over the expense structure here that is very weekend.

“My message to our employees is high, lots of expense relative to the current level of income in the orga- that essentially my job here is to move nization.” He said he favors looking forward toward objectives we’ve had at each line of business and each since the beginning. They need to market over across-the-board focus on their day-to-day work. I’ve clearly sent the message that I need expense cuts.

He acknowledged that the bank’s to hear from them.”

UBJ EMPLOYMENT

Online Assessment Offers Resource for Employers JOE TOPPE | STAFF

jtoppe@communityjournals.com Companies interested in gauging the strengths of potential employees or those already in place are increasingly turning to online assessment tools.

One Greenville company, Godshall Professional Recruiting and Staffing, now offers such a talent assessment resource, designed to ensure companies hire the best candidates or develop in-house talent by retaining valuable employees.

The 15-minute online assessment identifies an individual’s personality tendencies in the workplace and creates a customized report. The subsequent report provides insight into the candidate’s strengths through graphs and non-clinical discussion.

The assessment is made up of ques-

tions measuring common behaviors such as assertiveness, persuasiveness, impatience, consistency, focus, energy, perspective and intensity, said Mary Wray Connor, director of talent assessment resources.

The resource tool is manufactured to highlight a person’s natural strengths by showcasing their capabilities within the scope of their work, she said. “Companies come to us and utilize this tool so they can better identify where the employee or potential employee is best suited for success.”

Companies ranging from fewer than five employees to more than 1,000 have utilized the talent assessment, Connor said.

There is no set model for what type of company may participate in the assessment: “It’s for anybody with an interest

in placing people in a position to reach their maximum potential,” she said.

Connor points to relative research as proof of the assessment tool’s viability.

Statistics show an average of 90 percent of businesses name “people issues” as their No. 1 ongoing business strategy struggle, according to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review.

The Carnegie Institute found that only 15 percent of job success was due to technical skills, while 85 percent of success was due to people’s ability to deal with others.

Paulette Dunn, director of Loaves and Fishes, utilized Godshall’s assessment resource for a new hire and to evaluate the organization’s current employees and board members.

Dunn said the assessment tool helped her choose the right candidate

and gauge the strengths of current employees while helping board recruitment for the following year.

Elizabeth Cobb, vice president of human resources for Southern Management Corporation, said the assessment resource helps evaluate job candidates by narrowing the job search.

The evaluation can be used for positions across the board and is available to any industry or business, although each assessment is modified to suit the appropriate position, Connor said.

Businesses seeking a better understanding of the talent they plan to hire or the talent they have to manage remains the lone criteria for the tool, she said.

More information on online assessments is available at sccareersearch.com.

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UBJ TECHNOLOGY

Nanotubes Hold Powerful Promise Clemson researchers have high hopes for particle-sized technology JOE TOPPE | STAFF

jtoppe@communityjournals.com A new particle-sized technology at Clemson University is playing the lead role in a four-year research project at the school’s Nanomaterials Center. At 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, carbon nanotubes could one day power industrial tools, run consumer electronics and help to reduce carbon emissions.

The tube-shaped molecules are used with graphene sheets no thicker than an atom to construct capacitors capable of lighting small electronics.

By joining an array of materials such as aluminum foil, a byproduct of papermaking and a high-tech material called “buckypaper,” scientists at the center hope to one day use the technology to capture solar and wind power.

Apparao Rao, R.A. Bowen professor of physics, said the concepts were proven during the first year of study and that researchers are now trying to duplicate the results on a larger scale while looking for industrial partners.

Researchers at the university are attempting to use the new materials for storing energy, he said. Combin-

ing the new materials with the of energy that releases current industry standards quickly,” Rao said. will produce a better synergy.

Although Rao’s team is Although many of the nanocurrently harnessing the materials used in the research technology to power induscome from coal, a material trial tools, adapting the tied to greenhouse gases when technology to the automoburned, the new technology tive industry while making does not respond the same. capacitors on an industrial Rao said the new materials, scale remains a key focus. much like coal, have carbon Beginning with a thin sheet of nanotubes called atoms as a basic building block. buckypaper or by growing Materials such as diananotubes on a sheet of alumonds, coal and pencil lead minum foil in a roll-to-roll also contain carbon atoms as process, the scientists coat a component, but each mathe sheet with a byproduct terial is stitched together in of the papermaking process, a very specific way to called lignin. promote a very specific propThe sheets are then rolled erty, so they cannot be comup with other necessary components to make the pared in terms of performance, he said. capacitor.

While the new technology Assistant professor of could be many years from chemical engineering Mark Photo Provided creating commercially availRoberts said the buckypaper Clemson professor Apparao Rao explains how his team uses nanomaterials to build capacitors. able capacitors, it has cleared and foil act as a highway to some obstacles limiting recarry electrons, while the newable energy. technology, capacitors cannot store lignin provides a cheap ma“We are at the very tip of the much energy but can release it terial for energy storage. iceberg,” Rao said. quickly. Making renewable energy “Our capacitors have their value, The long-term goal of the new inexpensive means storing unused and they have their limitations, but technology is to store energy using energy until it’s needed to light homes they’re non-toxic, environmentally affordable resources. and power businesses. friendly materials that can fill a role Under the restraints of current “We envision storing a high amount in our energy landscape,” he said.

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UBJ THE TAKEAWAY

Rethinking Power You say you want a metropolitan revolution? The Brookings Institution’s Bruce Katz explains how companies can step in where the government has failed The vice president of the Brookings Institution, founding director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and co-author of “The Metropolitan Revolution,” Bruce Katz regularly advises federal, state and regional municipal leaders on policy reforms that advance the competitiveness of metropolitan areas. Katz congratulated those in attendance at the Upstate SC Alliance Annual Meeting on the tremendous progress made in the Upstate and urged everyone to continue making progress. He hailed the Upstate SC Alliance as one of the “premier public-private partnerships in the United States” and explained how important it is to be globally oriented in economic development.

A PIVOTAL DECADE Katz explained that the aftermath of the Great Recession left a severe

need for jobs, as well as a need to shift our thinking from pre-recession consumption to post-rec e s s i o n innovation, including preparing the workforce for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) future. Katz said that in the next decade, the role of the government will also drastically shift because of the aging population, turning the U.S. government into “a health insurance company with an army.” Katz feels it is the responsibility of companies to step in and do what the government used to do.

THE METROPOLITAN REVOLUTION The U.S., as a federal republic, is better set up for a “metropolitan revolution” than other countries, said Katz. He explained that cities and metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Denver, New York and Portland are becoming global hubs by using their strengths, assets and commodities

and capitalizing on post-recession innovation. “These are stories not about the government, not just stories about the private sectors,” said Katz. “They’re about all these different sectors coming together to collaborate and compete.” For Katz, the metropolitan revolution is about “metros that connect by trade” – who can specialize and work together.

HOW TO START A REVOLUTION The first step in beginning a metropolitan revolution is to “do what [the Upstate SC Alliance] is doing – create a network. This is a model for a good portion of the rest of the country.” Formulating a distinct vision that incorporates an export strategy will focus on producing and selling things that the rest of the world wants.

The final step for Katz is “finding your game changer – a significant intervention that fundamentally alters your economic profile and/or performance.” He explained that every metropolitan revolution experiences a game-changing intervention that is fundamentally transformative.

EVENT: Upstate SC Alliance 2014 Annual Meeting at the TD Center WHO WAS THERE: Community leaders and members of the Upstate SC Alliance TOPIC: “The Metropolitan Revolution” SPEAKER: Bruce Katz, VP of the Brookings Institution

FOSTERING THE REVOLUTION Katz left the audience with what he perceives as the current challenge facing all Americans. He said that at a time when the federal government is basically shut down, it is up to all of us to do the things that will grow our economy and benefit our citizens.

We must rethink power, letting metros lead the way. States can then follow suit to revitalize their economies, because as Katz pointed out, “When you come together cross sector, cross discipline, you can do grand things.”

APR

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COFFEE & CONVERSATION ON DUKE ENERGY’S SOLAR ENERGY INITIATIVES 8-9 a.m.

Information: upstatescalliance.com

The Upstate SC Alliance, formed in 2000, is charged with marketing and branding the Upstate of South Carolina for global business recruitment. It receives funding from member counties and cities as well as private investors in the Upstate business community. Its private-sector investors total more than 170 companies and organizations.

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April 18, 2014

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

13

UBJ INNOVATE

By JOHN RILEY

Learning Across Borders Study abroad programs give students new perspectives on their world – and themselves Our world has become a much smaller place within the past decade.

With the boom of the Internet, smartphones, and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, we are able to reach out and learn about other people in ways that would not even have been conceivable in the past. While these websites and gadgets have greatly helped us to gain knowledge at blazing speeds, another more traditional method for learning about other people (as well as about ourselves and the world in which we live) has been through study abroad programs.

The benefits of study abroad programs can range from the tangible to the intangible. For one thing, having studied abroad can be an added advantage on a person’s résumé when searching for a job. Job applicants who have a linguistic and cultural competence in a second language, such as Spanish, could be more sought after in such in-demand professions as health care and education than those who do not possess these skills.

Another benefit of studying abroad is that it broadens a student’s academic experience. For example, what better way to learn another

Greenville Tech students and instructors during their study abroad trip to Peru earlier this year.

language than to visit a country where it is spoken? In addition, studying a second language in a different country exposes students to new cultures and ways of life,

allowing them to compare and contrast these other cultures with their own.

Meeting new people and personal growth are two other advantages of

participating in a study abroad program. By meeting and interacting with people from other countries, you learn not only about them, but about yourself as well. A great way to

Growth and improvement in every direction.

A land-use program committed to the legacy of carefully considered, responsible, sustainable, and environmentally sensitive growth and development.

Learn more...www.GSP360BeyondtheRunway.com 14

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April 18, 2014

Photo Provided

>>

UBJ INNOVATE >>

meet people them to Peruvian while abroad is to culture – both participate in a serpresent and past.

The program itself vice-learning project. consisted of daily By volunteering your Spanish-language time, you can increase your personal and classes in the mornprofessional growth ings. Students then exponentially while participated in afterhelping others. noon and weekend Study abroad provisits to pre-Columbian sites (in particgrams have already been offered at fourular those of the Inca), as well as year colleges and uniSpanish colonial versities for many years; however, stusites. Evenings were dents at two-year generally left open for students to community/technical colleges can benefit explore and learn in an unstructured enfrom such programs as well. Fortunately, vironment. The exsome of the technical perience proved to be colleges in South invaluable for all.

Carolina have begun Not only were they to see the benefits of given the opportunioffering this valuable ty to learn another opportunity to stulanguage and culture, dents; even so, much but they also learned remains to be done. to appreciate little things that they Greenville Technical College has realwould normally take ized the importance of for granted in the study abroad – and United States. has acted upon it.

As our world conFrom March 13-23 of tinues to become a this year, a group of 15 more global commuGreenville Tech stunity and students dents, faculty and staff become more aware participated in an of other peoples and 11-day study abroad their cultures, the program that took need for study abroad them to Lima and opportunities such as Cuzco, Peru. Although the one to Peru will former GTC study only continue to inabroad programs had crease. Having these types of programs in taken students to different locations place will only help to Source: StudentUniverse around the world, this prepare our students was the first time for our students to participate more fully in, and to be active members of, the world in to travel to South America.

The purpose of the program was which they live. twofold: 1) to give students the opportunity to learn Spanish in a John Riley is the department head natural environment with native for humanities at Greenville Spanish speakers, and 2) to expose Technical College.

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UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

15

UBJ YOUR MONEY

Avoid the Noise of the News

Bad news in the headlines doesn’t necessarily mean bad news in the market The Fiscal Cliff, Government Shutdown, Bombing Syria?, High Unemployment, Fed Tapering, and the Health Care Rollout Debacle were just a few of the gloomy headlines that consumed the media during 2013. These were stories of epic events that carried negative implications about whether our economy could operate effectively.

With the pessimistic tone of these headlines, why in the world would you consider investing your money in the financial markets when all you read about was the next world crisis that was exploding? There is no way the stock or bond market could do well if the horrible things the media were reporting were ac-

tually happening. Right?

Well… in 2013, the stock market was up about 30 percent.

News-driven events typically affect the market in the short term, typically a week to a couple of months.

Only rarely have we seen a headline event affect the market over a longer period of time. Consider the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The S&P 500 closed at 1,092 on Sept. 10, 2011. Immediately after the attack, the market dropped 12 percent. A month later, it was back to the 1,092 level. One of the most tragic events to happen on U.S. soil, and it only took a month for the market to rally back. Keep in mind this was also during a bear market in stocks.

“Investing for the long run but listening to market news every day is like a man walking up a big hill with a yo-yo and keeping his eyes fixed on the yo-yo instead of the hill.”

Alan Abelson

Can you remember a time when a significant downturn in the market was preceded by headlines predicting that it would happen? Think back 14 years ago to 2000. The New Millennium. The New Economy.

Were headlines warning you that tech stocks had become completely overvalued and were trading at unrealistic levels? How about the real

estate bubble in 2007? Was the media reporting that all these bad mortgages were failing and in the process would take the entire financial system down with them? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding “no.”

Rarely does the stock market act in line with what the media is reporting. However, many investors

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The Vendor Expo will give attendees a chance to connect with local organizations that are ready to help with your wellness planning.

Our noon luncheon will include a healthy lunch, a presentation from Dr. Joel Bennett on Creating a Healthier Work Climate, and the presentation of our 2014 Healthy Workplace Awards!

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THURSDAY - APRIL 24, 2014 8:30am-1:30pm at Greenville’s TD Center Register: www.livewellworkconference.eventbrite.com 16

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

April 18, 2014

AT WORK

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UBJ YOUR MONEY >>

continue to make important decisions about their finances based on what is being reported in the news.

Even worse, they think that a negative geopolitical event will somehow tank the market into oblivion, so they hold back from entering into the market out of fear. Or when all of the headlines are reporting positive news, they feel good and decide to buy into the market and usually enter near the top of a bull cycle.

So if news-driven events are not a good indicator of stock market health, what is? The answer unfortunately is not as simple as you would hope. The market reacts more strongly to forces like the business cycle, macroeconomic trends, significant changes in monetary and fiscal policy, the amount of debt and leverage in the economy, historical valuation of corporate equity and debt, and global flows of capital in

By BRIAN BOUGHNER

and out of countries and asset classes. These forces are sometimes very large, ambiguous and complex to understand. They don’t simply turn on a dime to where the wind is blowing, and many times turn in the opposite direction to what the news is reporting. But in the end, they usually trump any event or headline that intuitively may seem to affect the market.

If you don’t have the time and resources to track these forces to determine your market exposure, then it is important to consider hiring an advisor to do so. And if you do, make sure the advisor fully understands how to analyze the markets and make informed decisions when it comes to your money.

Here are a few questions to ask your advisor to help ensure this: • How will you manage my account

through a 20 percent or more decline in the stock market?

• What do you evaluate to determine the health of the markets?

• How will you manage my fixed income investments in a rising rate environment?

• How are you compensated based on the performance of my account?

If your advisor’s answers to these questions sound more like news bytes instead of a sound system and analysis, there is a good chance your account balance will ride the waves of volatility.

The late financial journalist Alan Abelson summed this up best by saying, “Do you know what investing for the long run but listening to

market news every day is like? It’s like a man walking up a big hill with a yo-yo and keeping his eyes fixed on the yo-yo instead of the hill.”

Timing the market successfully may be a fool’s game; however, avoiding the short-term noise and understanding the underlying forces that are contributing to the market’s health will help you determine how to manage your risk exposure and ultimately your ability to build wealth over time.

Brian Boughner, CFA, CMT, is a principal and portfolio manager at Parallel Financial Partners (parallelfinancial.com), a family wealth office that specializes in managing investments for individuals and business owners in the Upstate. He can be reached at brian@parallelfinancial.com.

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UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

17

Joel Van Dyke, left, and Marc Bolick with Design Thinkers Group.

The two were standing with some of the Post-it notes they used during a recent workshop.

THINKING

PHOTO BY GREG BECKNER / STAFF

DESIGN DesignThinkers Group pioneers human-centered design in S.C.

F

By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer | joladipo@communityjournals.com

FOUNDED IN 2012, DesignThinkers Group US is among the first organizations bringing design thinking to South Carolina.

Partners Joel Van Dyke and Marc Bolick started an independent firm affiliated with the Amsterdam-based DesignThinkers group, which applies human-centered design

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UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

April 18, 2014

principles to solving problems in non-design businesses. It is one of 13 worldwide. Van Dyke is also a partner at Freeman & Major Architects, and Bolick maintains his tech marketing and business development consultation, DMarc8 International. >>

>>

DTG’s process, which relies on giant sheets of paper and copious Post-it notes, is refreshingly tactile and colorful. Workshops help organizations better serve their customers and internal stakeholders.

How did you come to work with a Dutch firm?

JVD: The original connection was made through social media. The economy tanked and hit architecture really hard, and by late 2009 I realized it was not turning around. I was looking for any avenue that would enhance [Freeman & Major] marketing and for services we can offer

that people would still need during a recession. I felt like architecture’s creative problem-solving could apply to other avenues.

After a Greenville Chamber small business event about marketing where I learned about Twitter and LinkedIn, I set out to make meaningful face-to-face connections through Twitter. I started following people who were talking about design and connected with Arne Van Oosterom [partner, DesignThinkers in Amsterdam]. I met up with him at a small conference in Berlin with well-known people in the design thinking field in 2011. I was the only American in attendance.

We met again and Skyped frequently. When I was ready to launch a design thinking consultancy in May 2012, Arne asked that it become DesignThinkers US.

“Problems are less cyclical or tied to economic ups and How did Marc get involved? downs, because when there’s a JVD: I connected with Marc at a downturn you have small launch event I had. The difference between Marc’s backgrounds new problems and mine has proven to be a really to solve.” good thing in that we complement Joel Van Dyke

each other.

A recent workshop the Design Thinkers Group conducted at Open Works in Greenville.

Photos Provided

to help them work out and explain their needs.

How is the business structured?

MB: We have two more strategic partners in Charlotte. There’s no employment relationship with them, which is a common model with DTGs around the world. Our goal here is to expand the number of people who are part of the company, but we’re doing that through these strategic partnerships.

How does the global affiliation affect the business?

JVD: It has been of huge value.

Each DTG group comes from a different background, and we might get a project similar to what Jorge in Spain has done or somebody in Tel Aviv has done, and we can get on Skype and pick their brains about it, and that is a huge plus.

How does DTG work with your other businesses?

MB: I’ve become much more of a coach, facilitator or mentor, as opposed to, “I’ll go out and do it for you.”

JVD: It has allowed us to transform some of the services that we offer to our architecture clients. We had a Web design company looking to relocate, and used things like bottles, pipe cleaners and magazine clippings

April 18, 2014

Do you only work with businesses?

MB: We’re working with Fort Mill Church in Clemson on a master plan for their facilities. With a group of 50 people from throughout the church we created “personas” to explore how different people experience the church as they move through the building. Personas are a powerful tool used in Web design.

JVD: That was a learning process for us. We knew some people could be possibly frustrated with the workshop because it didn’t overtly focus on their building issues. It was more about their needs, and out of that we identified a lot of facility related issues that needed to be addressed. But the feedback was that this was so much more meaningful because now we understand where our buildings are helping us and where they are hindering us and where they need to be changed.

Did you get that economic payoff you originally sought?

JVD: Yes. Problems are less cyclical or tied to economic ups and downs, because when there’s a downturn you have new problems to solve.

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

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30 UBJ MILESTONE YEARS

‘We Did It on Faith’

Members of the Gray Engineering Consultants Inc. team with founders Ronnie and Joyce Gray, center.

Loyalty and quality mark Gray Engineering Consultants’ 30 years in business

By Joe Toppe | staff jtoppe@communityjournals.com

It was on Tax Day 30 years ago that Ronnie Gray’s lifelong fascination with construction and a desire to make a place for a family business culminated in Gray Engineering Consultants in Greenville, S.C. Growing up in Valdosta, Ga., Gray, an accomplished Eagle Scout, enjoyed working with his hands, either building things with Lincoln Logs and Erector Sets or taking things apart. The young builder also enjoyed crafting model airplanes and imagined a future working with aircraft until a conversation with his high school guidance counselor changed his career path.

“I wanted to be in aeronautics, but she identified a talent in me for civil engineering,” Gray said.

Following high school, Gray spent four years in the Air Force photomapping recovery ranges around the world for NASA Apollo astronauts, doing it all while completing courses in civil engineering through the International Correspondence School.

Following his time in the service, Gray returned home to marry his future business partner, Joyce, and take his first job at Lockwood-Greene in Spartanburg, where he worked from 1965 to 1970.

After five years in Spartanburg, Gray moved west to Greenville and joined Enwright Associates while

Gray Engineering Consultants Inc. office in Greenville

attending night school at Greenville Technical College and Clemson University to become a licensed professional civil engineer.

With the help of his friend Paul O’Neal, Gray

“My wife and I talked about it for several years and I believe we did it on faith. But we didn’t draw a salary or eat very much in those first few years.”

Ronnie Gray

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April 18, 2014

passed his professional exam in 1977 and registered to practice civil engineering in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. Over time, Gray began to recognize an opening in the market for site engineering, and along with his wife and three children opened Gray Engineering Consultants in April 1984.

“I had a dream of being in business for myself,” Gray said. “I wanted a family business they could all participate in.”

Gray Engineering Consultants specializes in site work engineering and environmental design.

“My wife and I talked about it for several years and I believe we did it on faith,” Gray said. “But we didn’t draw a salary or eat very much in those first few years.” >>

UBJ MILESTONE >>

For less than $10,000 and with furniture and equipment built by family members, Ronnie and Joyce opened Gray Engineering on Washington Street in downtown Greenville.

“Ronnie had a dream and I wanted to be part of it,” Joyce Gray said. “I am proud to be a part of it all.”

The company did not hire its first professional engineer other than Ronnie Gray until its second year of business, but the 1980s saw a variety of breakthrough projects, including the Waccamaw Pottery shopping center and the Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg.

“Things really got rolling and the doors kept opening,” Ronnie Gray said. “The Upstate is a Mecca for engineers and architects.”

A project for the Outboard Marine Corporation in Western North Carolina demanded growth for the engineering company in 1985, leading Gray Engineering and Consultants to expand from three full-time employees to seven, he said.

The company continued to grow through the 1990s and 2000s, to more than 30 employees with a variety of projects in residential design, real estate, big-box retail and industrial. It was during this time that the Grays’ son and former part-time “coffee fetcher,” Rodney, began to take a larger role with the company.

The younger Gray had worked for his dad during high school, cleaning the office and replenishing the coffee cups for $5 an hour. Since then, he has graduated from Clemson University and assumed the role as president of the company.

“I’ve always enjoyed being around the people of construction, and I have learned a lot from my dad,” Rodney Gray said.

His sister, Rhonda, and little brother, Jeff, have also played key roles in the history of the

GRAY ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS TEAM Ronnie O. Gray, P.E., founder and CEO: 30 years Joyce W. Gray, office manager: 30 years Rodney E. Gray, P.E., president: 30 years David J. Graffius, P.E., vice president: 30 years Zach D. Johnson, P.E., project manager: 9 years W. Alex Converse, P.E., professional engineer: 1 year Craig J. Rathke, senior project designer: 14 years Chris F. Przirembel, project designer: 10 years David I. Fralick, staff engineer: 1 year David W. Nichols, project engineer: 1 year Jeff R. Gray, surveying coordinator: 10 years Lynda E. Birdsong, accounting manager: 20 years Rhonda G. Hilderbran, business manager: 30 years TOTAL COMBINED YEARS OF SERVICE: 216 YEARS

SOME OF GRAY ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS’ PROJECTS

family business.

Rhonda Gray “started the first day we opened in 1984 as a babysitter for our younger brother, Jeff,” she said. “When Rodney was promoted, I became the cleaning lady.”

Gray Engineering’s first large project was the Waccamaw Rhonda Gray later attended Winthrop Pottery factory store in Spartanburg in the mid-1980s.

College and became a mother before reThe former pottery store is now home to Restoration Church turning to the family business as an account and the Spartanburg Expo and Event Center. manager in 2009.

During the recession of that same year, the company’s founders stopped drawing a salary and were forced to reduce the staff from over 30 to six employees.

“We held on to everyone’s jobs as long as we could, praying something would change fast,” Rodney Gray said. “It was hard to let good people go with a family and it is something I wouldn’t wish on anybody.”

Draexlmaier in Duncan Two large projects in 2011, the Johnson Development in Spartanburg and the German automotive supplier Draexlmaier, began to lift the company out of the doldrums of the economic slump.

Project Manager Zach Johnson was let go by the company during the lowest point of the recession, but remained loyal to the team until the economy’s restoration allowed his return.

“Zach is such a great and loyal person,” Magna Drive Automotive in Greenville Rodney Gray said. “He understood what was going on and would visit frequently during the recession because he did not want to work for anyone else.”

Johnson said he knew Gray Engineering was where he wanted to be and understood the economy was to blame for his brief departure.

“Rodney asked me on a Friday in June of 2010 if I wanted to come back, and I was back at work that Monday,” he said. “The Fluor Field in Greenville Grays have their employees’ backs and want them to be successful.” erized automation, Ronnie Gray said.

Longtime employee David Graffius shares the same loyalty as his fellow employees and hopes “When I was going to school, we used slide rules,” to finish his career inside the Gray family of engineers. he said. “I still remember buying my first hand-held “I have been here for 16 years because it is a calculator for $300; now you can get them for less family business, and I can’t see anything better than $10 at the drugstore.” than working right here,” he said.

For all of the changes made to both the industry’s The company is now located at 132 Pilgrim Road regulations and technology, Gray said the company in Greenville with a staff of 11 outside of its found- motto has remained the same for 30 years and ers, Ronnie and Joyce. expects that sentiment to continue.

Over the last three decades, Gray Engineering “We need to be the best site engineers possible has continued to evolve to meet the demands of by providing a responsible, responsive and profesthe field’s progressive and ever-changing technol- sional service,” he said. “If we practice quality ogy. Engineering is now conducted with comput- engineering, our clients will be successful.”

April 18, 2014

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

21

BRANDON MILL

COVER STORY

MILL MADNESS

MONAGHAN MILL

Once the historic centers of economic activity, textile mills are finding new life in the Upstate

By Sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com When talking about real estate revitalization projects in the Upstate, most conversations eventually come around to old textile mills.

These massive buildings stood abandoned for years after the outsourcing of jobs overseas transformed the textile industry in the late 1900s.

Once a catalyst for the communities that stood in their shadows, the mills that once helped write an important chapter in the Upstate’s history sank into dilapidation and disrepair. They needed to be transformed.

“Textile manufacturing began in South Carolina before the Civil War, but it became important to the economy of the state after the war,” wrote Paul A. Horne Jr. in “South Carolina: The History of an American State.”

“By 1880, the industry was producing almost $3 million worth of goods a year,” he wrote. “For many years, textile manufacturing was measured by the number of spindles, or rods on which thread was gathered, in a mill.

In 1880, South Carolina had 18 textile mills operating with 95,983 spindles.

22

About one-half of those spindles were located in Aiken County. Most of the remaining spindles were in the upper Piedmont counties of Anderson, Greenville, Oconee and Spartanburg.”

Spinning the Future

Rehabbing these properties is an expensive undertaking, costing about

30 to 40 percent more than traditional construction, said Pace Burt, a Georgia-based developer who has already rehabbed several mills in the Upstate.

Luckily, several state and federal programs exist to aid developers as they take on the massive effort involved in transforming these pieces of textile history.

Some property transformations have already taken place. In Greenville County, properties such as Mills Mill on Church Street in Greenville and the Woodside Cotton Mill in Simpsonville have been converted to high-end condos. Monaghan Mill in Greenville and the Arcadia Mill in Spartanburg have been turned unto loft-style apartments. The Spartan

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

April 18, 2014

Mill in Spartanburg now serves as the home of the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM).

Other former mills have been converted to offices, such as the Southern Bleachery, a.k.a. Taylors Mill, which houses small businesses, entrepreneurs and craftsmen, according to its website.

Still others remain true to their roots, purchased by companies for similar uses.

Safety Component Fabric Technologies, a maker of high-tech, high-performance fabric for first responders, the military and outdoor use, has been manufacturing textile fabrics

for more than 100 years at the Dunean textile mill in Greenville. The Judson Mill, also in Greenville, is now owned by Milliken and Company, and is still operational, spinning raw cotton into yarn.

The latest mill revitalization projects announced include Drayton Mill in Spartanburg by Pacolet Milliken Enterprises, the Brandon Mill redevelopment in Greenville

by Pace Burt, and Conestee Mill in Mauldin owned by Hyman Brand. Developer Bogue Wallin, a partner with Good Wall Properties, also recently filed paperwork with the city of Greenville to redevelop the former Steel Heddle textile factory on McBee Avenue.

“It’s important to take Breathing Life Into Drayton Mill these existing buildings John Montgomery, vice president of real and to repurpose them. estate with Pacolet Milliken Enterprises, South Carolina is very said that of the 13 closed textile plants the fortunate in that we have company inherited, “Drayton Mill was the the textile revitalization only one we saw for re-use.”

The 16-acre property consists of five credits. People are really separate buildings and 550,000 square feet starting to understand of space. Pacolet Milliken also owns the the benefit.”

230 acres surrounding Drayton Mill.

John Montgomery, VP of real estate, Pacolet Milliken Enterprises

“It’s a very well-located property and community that has stood still for many

MILLS MILL

STEEL HEDDLE

years,” said Montgomery. “We really want to breathe some life into this community.”

The former spinning mill will become 123 apartments – mainly two-bedroom flats – lofted with exposed brick. The former weaving mill, just north of the spinning building, will become 166 apartments, most with one bedroom, Montgomery said.

For the old warehouse building, he said that while they won’t drive any specific users into the space, he would love to see “a coffee shop, business office space and maybe a restaurant/bar.” Montgomery also hopes to see the former company store building turned into either event space or a restaurant.

“It’s important to take these existing buildings and to repurpose them,” said Montgomery. “South Carolina is very fortunate in that we have the textile revitalization credits. People are really starting to understand the benefit.”

Montgomery is hoping to begin construction on the two-year project at Drayton Mill by the end of the summer. Pacolet Milliken has teamed up with Tara Sherbert, managing member of the Sherbert Group, a Charlotte-based CPA, tax and investment firm. Sherbert will act as the developer for

Drayton Mill.

“We believe in Drayton Mill and we believe that it was beautifully maintained over the years,” said Sherbert. “We are very, very picky on what we put our ownership capital into and Drayton Mill was a top pick.

It’s in a great market and great location.”

Help From the State

Burt, who has tackled several mill redevelopments, including the Mayfair Lofts at the Arcadia Mill site in Spartanburg and The Lofts of Greenville at Monaghan Mill, said federal, local and state historical tax credits are vital to the process, since these properties are so expensive to renovate.

Some credits can even be sold back to investors to offset their income taxes.

“The actual cash value of the tax credits [for Monaghan Mill] was around $6 million,” which was used to offset the extra cost of rehabbing the historical textile mill, Burt said. The property is currently 98 percent leased with only two apartments available. “Monaghan Mills’ [rehabilitation] wouldn’t have happened without the tax credits,” he said.

A major incentive in transforming these

textile titans is the South Carolina Textiles Communities Revitalization Act, signed into law in 2004 and amended in 2008. The act provides financial incentives for the “rehabilitation, renovation and redevelopment of abandoned textile mill sites located in South Carolina,” according to the State Historic Preservation Office’s (SHPO) website. “Abandoned” is defined as when “at least 80 percent of the textile mill has been closed continuously to business or otherwise nonoperational as a textile mill for a period of at least one year immediately preceding the date on which the taxpayer files a ‘Notice of Intent to Rehabilitate.’”

According to the legislation, an eligible textile mill site offers two types of credit options: a 25 percent credit against real property taxes, or a 25 percent state income tax or corporate license fee credit. Both credits are calculated on rehabilitation expenses, which are “expenses or capital expenditures incurred in the rehabilitation, renovation or redevelopment of the textile mill site,” states the SHPO website. The credits are based on the final costs, which must fall within 80 to 120 percent of the estimate of the rehabilitation expenses.

“This tax credit is really more focused on mill sites in general and not necessarily a historic structure. You can take the building down,” said Sherbert.

The Textile Revitalization Act does not require properties to be on the National Register of Historic Places in order to be eligible for the program, but other programs do, said Brad Sauls, supervisor for surveys, grants and registration at SHPO. Some tax credits stipulate that the property must operate as multifamily apartments for five years, after which they can be sold as condominiums. Because of this stipulation, “the historic tax credits work for apartments and retail, but they don’t necessarily work for condos,” said Sauls.

In addition to the South Carolina textile revitalization credits, a 20 percent federal rehabilitation of historic property credit may also be available under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. To qualify for this one, the property must be on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition, a state historic tax credit for rehabilitation incentive

April 18, 2014

allows a 10 percent state income tax credit for properties that qualify for the 20 percent federal income tax credit for the rehabilitation of historic income-producing properties.

The Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act that went into law last year has a 25 percent state tax incentive that can be stacked with the federal and state rehabilitation credits, but cannot be stacked on top of the textile credit, according to SHPO officials.

There are definitely areas where these tax credits would overlap, said Sauls, as well as “the potential to layer multiple tax credits.”

“You Take a Risk”

Another helpful incentive is the Bailey Bill, which local cities and municipalities must adopt via an ordinance that provides property tax abatement on the prehab-assessed value of the property for up to 20 years.

Simpsonville City Council just passed the first reading of this bill for the Woodside Cotton Mill apartments last week. Burt has used it for both the Monaghan and Arcadia mills projects and hopes to use it for the Brandon Mill project.

Sherbert said her company uses the textile and the state historic credits the most often. “They work the best together,” she said, and there is another New Market Federal Program that could be used in some cases. The New Market program is “really geared to bring in capital to low-income communities and most of these mills are often good candidates for the program.”

The most important thing is to “carefully coordinate” with local and state government and “get them on board early in the process,” Sherbert said.

Of the hundreds of mills across the state, only about five have been renovated, Burt said. “These mills are in blighted areas and they are a tremendous risk. I’ve had some sleepless nights – but you take a risk. Where else can you get 18-foot-high ceilings, 10-foot-high windows, exposed brick and a piece of history?”

more information online To view additional photos and information on Mill Madness, visit upstatebusiness.com

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UBJ THE FINE PRINT Sen. Tim Scott Sponsors Apprenticeship Legislation U.S. Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Cory Booker of New Jersey recently introduced The Leveraging and Energizing America’s Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act, which provides a tax credit to employers to help increase the number of registered apprenticeships in the U.S. to put more people to work and help fill the 4 million job vacancies across the United States.

“In South Carolina we’ve been able to develop an effective apprenticeship program, one built on public-private partnerships for students along with a tax credit for job creators,” said Scott in a release.

“Because of our balanced approach, we have seen international companies like Boeing and BMW, as well as many smaller businesses across the state, begin to use the program and provide new employment opportunities for

individuals. I am pleased to work with Sen. Booker on this important piece of legislation because the LEAP Act will build on South Carolina’s already successful model at the federal level.”

The LEAP Act includes a federal tax credit for hiring new apprentices that are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency; offers a tax credit of $1,500 for apprentices under 25 and $1,000 for apprentices over 25; and will be fully paid through an offset by cutting printing waste by barring the federal government from producing publications that are available online with an exception for seniors, Medicare recipients, and communities with limited Internet access.

For more information, visit scott. senate.gov/opportunityagenda.

High Schoolers to Compete in JA Challenge On April 24, high school students across the Upstate will compete for scholarship money in the Junior Achievement Titan Business Challenge at the Clemson University MBA Campus located in The ONE Building in downtown Greenville.

According to a news release, the competition makes the students act as business partners as they complete challenges using an online, real-world, interactive business simulation. The students act as CEOs and react to changing economic landscapes and make key decisions about pricing, production, research and development, capital investment and market-

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ing. The top three teams will win scholarships at the end of the challenge.

All of the participants have received a seven-lesson program in their classrooms taught by corporate volunteers that introduced them to critical economics and management decisions.

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April 18, 2014

Healthy Workplace Conference Set for April 24 LiveWell Greenville will host its second annual Healthy Workplace Conference at the TD Center in Greenville on April 24 from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

The conference, which includes six educational sessions and a vendor expo, will also feature a luncheon with keynote speaker Dr. Joel Bennett and the announcement of LiveWell’s 2014 Healthy Workplace Award winners.

“We want to help companies create a work environment that makes it easier for their employees to make healthier choices, to improve each individual’s quality of life, and to help companies control some benefit-related costs,” said Sally Wills, LiveWell Greenville’s executive director, in a release. “Ultimately our goal is to make Greenville County one of the healthiest places to live, work, pray and play in the nation.”

“The conference is designed to

help businesses learn, connect and celebrate with regard to workplace wellness,” said Richard Osborne, LiveWell workplace consultant, in a release. “Our awards not only celebrate the efforts of winning organizations, they show other local businesses there is a positive ROI associated with comprehensive initiatives. It helps them realize the cost of doing nothing.”

The Vendor Expo and educational sessions are free to attendees and open to the public. Luncheon registration and more information are available at livewellhealthyworkplaceconference. eventbrite.com.

SCRA Wins $2.8M Army Contract The U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command Aviation Development Directorate recently awarded a two-year contract worth $2.8 million to the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) Applied R&D. The contract was awarded for a combined research effort on composite structures planned for the future of vertical takeoff aircraft. Along with Aurora Flight Sciences and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a research team led by SCRA will

develop composite structures that would meet weight and structural requirements for the aircraft.

“The contract builds upon extensive work the Applied R&D sector has accomplished and shows our value to the Department of Defense,” said Chris Van Metre, SCRA Applied R&D president.

SCRA provides technology to both federal and corporate clients with three areas of coverage including technology ventures, applied research and development, and research and development.

UBJ THE FINE PRINT Ameris Bank Opens Downtown Greenville Branch people.

Ameris Bank also has a location at 1614 Woodruff Road in Greenville and has more than 70 other full-service banking and mortgage locations throughout four Southeastern states.

Ameris Bank announced the opening of its new location in the Landmark Building in downtown Greenville this week. Located at 301 N. Main St., this is the first central business district site for the bank, which will initially employ up to eight

“These Greenville-area locations will give the bank ample market coverage in two major retail areas of the Upstate,” said Laurens Nicholson of Lee & Associates-Greenville, who represented Ameris Bank in this 3500-square-foot-office lease.

Engenius Announces 2014 Grants Competition

Photo Provided

VOM FASS Announces First South Carolina Location VOM FASS, an international brand of fine oils and spirits, recently announced its first South Carolina location will be at The Point on Woodruff Road, next to Whole Foods in Greenville.

The 14,000-square-foot location, which is set to open in the summer, will feature glass amphoras, ceramic casks and various glass bottling options for its products.

“Our new home on Woodruff will carry on the brand’s historic tradition of providing worldly sampling experiences along with customer theatre,” said Bill Martin, chief flavor officer for the VOM

Engenius is now taking applications for its 2014 Grants Competition, which offers Upstate nonprofits the opportunity to get a new website for free. The company will select two nonprofit organizations to receive a fully developed website, a marketing strategy, and access to trainings and workshops, as well as ongoing hosting and support.

Organizations located and serving within Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Greenwood, Laurens, Spartanburg and Greenville counties are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is April 30 and the winners’ new websites will be announced in early fall.

“Effective marketing is crucial to the success of nonprofits in

today’s world,” said Chris Manley, Engenius’ managing partner, in a release. “However, this specialized expertise is typically expensive and beyond the reach of many local nonprofit organizations.”

The 2013 winners were Shalom House Ministries of Anderson and Ronald McDonald Charities of the Carolinas. For more information, visit engeniusgrants. com.

THE INBOX FASS Greenville team, in a release.

“We will offer daily samplings of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic products and are excited to elevate the complete sensory experience for the emerging ‘foodie’ culture of the Upstate.”

Stay in the know with UBJ’s free weekly email.

Sign up today: UpstateBusinessJournal.com April 18, 2014

UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL

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UBJ SQUARE FEET

Reserve at Lake Keowee Adds 2 New Neighborhoods

By Sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

Two new waterfront communities, Peninsula Ridge and Edgewater Park, are holding their grand opening this month at the Reserve at Lake Keowee.

The two neighborhoods encompass The Reserve’s last available pieces of contiguous waterfront property in the community’s master plan, each with premium homesites showcasing views of Lake Keowee.

Peninsula Ridge features 16 estate-sized homesites with elevated lake and mountain views. These homesites will offer a private, retreat-like atmosphere within a 15-minute drive to Clemson University and within an hour to Greenville. Each homesite has open water views, gently sloping topography and private boat dock capability. A water taxi service from Peninsula Ridge to The Reserve’s community-centric Village will be available for homeowners.

Edgewater Park is located near The Reserve’s Village center and has 12 planned homesites – each permitted for a private boat dock. In addition to access to The Village and its amenities, homeowners will

have access to a 12-acre community park, the Woodland Trail System, open water views and native hardwood trees.

Buyers will have the option to choose six home concepts by architect Brad Wright, or they can elect to build a custom home. The architectural guidelines, unique to Edgewater Park, will require setbacks designed to protect view corridors and privacy. A 4,000-square-foot Idea Home within Edgewater Park is in the planning stage and will break ground soon.

Created in 2000 by Greenwood Communities and Resorts, The Reserve at Lake Keowee is an award-winning residential community that spans 3,900 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with 30 miles of shoreline on Lake Keowee. The community includes a 200-slip marina, Village Center, Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, and more than 1,400 acres of parks, preserves, trails and green spaces.

Homesites at both Peninsula Ridge and Edgewater Park will begin in the high $400,000s.

PENINSULA RIDGE

EDGEWATER PARK

Renderings and Photo Provided.

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UBJ SQUARE FEET

Clemson MRED Celebrates 10 Years SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

sjackson@communityjournals.com Clemson University’s Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program celebrated its 10-year anniversary on Saturday, April 12, at the ONE Building in Greenville. The milestone coincided with the program’s early spring move to the ONE Building, its new permanent downtown location.

The celebration gala joined together alumni, current students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Advancement Board for Real Estate Development and other real estate industry leaders, to recognize the program’s achievements over the past decade.

During the ceremony, a special presentation was made to the program’s founding director Dr. J. Terrence “Terry” Farris, often referred to as “the big tuna” by past alumni, for his contributions to Clemson University, the program and the real estate profession.

more online To view additional photos from the MRED celebration, go to www.upstatebusiness.com

An annual award was also established in his honor. The Dr. J. Terrence “Terry” Farris award will be provided annually to a second-year student who has demonstrated a strong interest in public/ private partnerships and exhibits a strong sense of community. To date, more than $14,000 has been raised for the award.

“No person has put as much heart and soul into the MRED program than its founder, and the program is honored to present Dr. Farris with a legacy through a new MRED student award in his name,” said Robert Benedict, MRED program director. “The 10-year anniversary celebration was a great time to recognize Dr. Farris’ commitment to the program over the past decade, while reunite with alumni and supporters of the program.”

Clemson is one of approximately nine universities that offer a Master of Real Estate Development degree. The two-year, full-time program is distinctive with a curriculum that crosses six disciplines

Photo Provided

including real estate development, MBA, city and regional planning, law, architecture and construction science.

The program was founded in 2004 by Dr. Farris with six students in the original class. The highly competitive and selective program now caps admission at 20 new students per year.

Luxury Apartments Planned for Church and Broad SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

sjackson@communityjournals.com Proffitt Dixon Partners, a Charlotte-based multifamily investment and development firm, has submitted plans for a new luxury apartment community at Church and Broad streets in downtown Greenville.

The project is still in the early planning stages but the five-story buildings are expected to have approximately 200 units, said Stuart Proffitt, managing principal at PDP. He isn’t sure what the mix of bedrooms will be yet.

Amenities at the complex will

include a resort-style pool and courtyard, outdoor grills and TVs, a commercial-quality fitness center, upscale club areas and a rooftop deck.

“Greenville’s job growth story is very compelling,” said Proffitt when asked why the firm chose Greenville for this development. The site also has excellent walkability to entertainment and jobs, he said.

PDP focuses on the development of Class A apartment communities across the Southeast and has developed more than 5,300 multifamily

units in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and California.

Proffitt says they hope to start construction in the fourth quarter of 2014. Construction is expected to take about 16 months.

The project will go before the design review board in May.

April 18, 2014

PROJECT PARTNERS ARCHITECT: The Housing Studio, Charlotte CIVIL: Site Design Inc., Greenville CONTRACTOR: Creative Builders Inc., Greenville

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UBJ ON THE MOVE APPOINTED

HIRED

HONORED

PROMOTED

Robert Siegel

Kevin Tinsley

Melinda Davis Lux

Steven H. Crump

Appointed Oncology Program Medical Director for Bon Secours St. Francis Health System. Siegel is a graduate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and received his hematology and medical oncology training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham & Women’s Hospital of Harvard University.

Joined Creative Builders Inc. as a superintendent. Tinsley brings more than 20 years of construction management experience to the position. He previously owned and operated his own business as a residential contractor before switching to the commercial sector. He has worked on several projects with Creative Builders as an independent contractor.

Named the 2014 South Carolina Women in Business Advocate of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. This award honors an individual who has provided outstanding support for the state’s female entrepreneurs through outreach, education and advocacy efforts. Lux is an attorney at Wyche.

Named associate vice president and controller of Clemson University. He succeeds Charles Tegen, who has been controller for 25 years and with the university 35 years. Crump, a 1978 Clemson graduate, joined the university staff in 1990 after working in public accounting.

He has been associate controller since 1992.

CONSTRUCTION/ENGINEERING: Creative Builders Inc. recently announced the addition of Tyler Civils to the company in the role of project engineer. Civils has more than seven years of experience in the construction field and has previously held positions as a construction superintendent, project manager and business development manager.

CA RD FT RD GIFT GICA

Administrative Professional’s Day is Wednesday. April 23

4949 5959

O’Neal Inc has hired Gary Boettner as senior project manager. Boettner has more than 39 years of EPC experience, having worked with CH2M Hill in Greenville. His industry focuses have included process chemical, industrial manufacturing and energy.

MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS: OpenOpen 7 Days: 7 Days: M-F 8am-10pm, M-F 8am-10pm, Sat 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 1am-8pm Sun 1am-8pm

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Cargo recently hired Lisa Papenfus as a client engagement manager and Stephen Miracle as a developer responsible for programming digital marketing tools. Papenfus recently served for four years as an adjunct marketing instructor at Greenville Technical College.

She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marketing from Clemson University. Prior to joining Cargo, Miracle served as a project manager for a large website development company in Florida. He also owned an online custom design shirt company for six years at which he was responsible for developing, designing and programming the entire e-tail site.

MEDICAL: Bon Secours St. Francis Health System recently welcomed physician Byung Choe, MD, and the new Bon Secours Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, to the Bon Secours Medical Group (BSMG). Choe received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada. He completed his internship at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y., his family medicine residency at JFK Family Practice in Edison, N.J. and his physical medicine & rehabilitation residency at the University of Buffalo.

New hires, promotions & award winners can be featured in On The Move.

Send information & photos to onthemove@ upstatebusiness journal.com.

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1. Swamp Rabbit Brewery and Taproom recently opened at 26 S. Main St. in Travelers Rest. The business features an onsite beer garden and is open Monday-Wednesday 4-8 p.m., Thursday 4-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-9 p.m., and Sunday 1-6 p.m. For more information, call 864-610-2424, or visit swamprabbitbreweryandtaproom.com.

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3. TAZ Boutique celebrated the opening of its downtown Greenville store at 101 N. Main St., located on the first floor of the Bank of America building in the former Camille’s Restaurant location, with a grand opening reception. Faye Altman, owner of Taz Boutique, also owns and operates the first store location on Pawleys Island.

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2. Lily Pottery recently opened its second location at 220 E. Coffee St. in Greenville.

For more information, visit lilywikoff.com or call 864-607-4381.

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Bon Secours Wellness Arena

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GOT A HOT DATE?

UBJ PLANNER FRIDAY APRIL 18 NORTH GREENVILLE ROTARY CLUB The Poinsett Club, 807 E. Washington St., Greenville; 12:30-1:30 p.m.

COST: Free to attend, lunch $16 CONTACT: Shanda Jeffries at 864-968-2319 or sjeffries@flynnwealth.com

MONDAY APRIL 21 COMMUNITY VIBRANCY TASK FORCE MEETING Ten at the Top, 124 Verdae Blvd., Suite 202, Greenville; 10 a.m.-noon FOR INFORMATION: tenatthetop.org CONTACT: Kirbie Crowe at 864-283-2313 ROTARY CLUB GREENVILLE EAST MEETING CityRange, 615 Haywood Road, Greenville; 12:30-1:30 p.m.

FOR INFORMATION: facebook.com/ GreenvilleEastRotary

Contribute to our Planner by submitting event information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com

CONTACT: president@ greenvilleeastrotary.org

REGISTER: greenvillechamber.org

START-UP BASIC INFO BRIEFINGGREENVILLE

INNOVENTURE

NEXT Innovation Center, 411 University Ridge, Greenville; 6-8 p.m.

COST: $15 per person, free for Michelin clients REGISTER AT: piedmontscore.org

TUESDAY APRIL 22 ACE LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM TD Convention Center, 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville; 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

SPEAKER: Anita Garrett, Weathers Group; Charles Weathers, Weathers Group; and Brett Carter, senior vice president and chief distribution officer, Duke Energy TOPICS: How Not to Be a Victim and Produce Results and The Truth about Coaching and Managing Minorities CONTACT: Nika White at 864-2393727 or nwhite@ greenvillechamber.org

Clemson Madren Center, 230 Madren Center Drive, Clemson; 3-7 p.m SPEAKERS: Breanne Przestrzelski, Hobey Tam, Jiro Nagatomi, Kayla Gainey, Suzanne Tabbaa, Jeremy Mercuri, Narendra Vyavahare, Lindsey Sanders, Mike Gara, Ken Webb, Lee Sierad, Larry Dooley, Tom McLean, Michael Bolick, Becky DeLegge, Sam Konduros, Lisa Perpall, John Ballato, Thomas Mefford, Laxmikant Saraf, Terri Bruce, Andrew Hurley, Mark Roberts, Srikanth Pilla, Apparao Rao, Ken Marcus, Scott Husson, Chris Desozia, George Wofford, Lewis Gossett, Claudio Bizzaglia, and Bethany Acampora.

TOPICS: Bioengineering and Advanced Materials COST: Free to attend, but registration is required REGISTER: clemson. innoventureconference. com

CONTACT: John Warner at johnwarner@ innoventure.com BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Spartan Centre Plaza, 101 W. St. John St., Spartanburg; 5:30-7 p.m.

COST: Free to attend CONTACT: 864-594-5022 REGISTER: spartanburgchamber.com FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES – GREER Greer Development Corporation, 111-B S. Main St., Greer; 6-8 p.m.

SPEAKER: Curtis Harper, franchise broker COST: Free REGISTER: clemson. edu/sbdc CONTACT: Beth Smith at es2@clemson.edu or 864-592-6318

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23

Suite 202, Greenville; 2-4 p.m.

FOR INFORMATION: tenatthetop.org CONTACT: Kirbie Crowe at 864-283-2313 YOUNG PROFESSIONAL TOASTMASTERS Commerce Club, 55 Beattie Place, Greenville; 6 p.m.

COST TO VISIT: $5 to cover meeting space and one drink at the bar FOR INFORMATION: visit yptm. toastmastersclubs.org

THURSDAY APRIL 24 UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING FOR WOMAN OWNED CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP G.F. League Company, Inc., 2200 Poinsett Hwy., Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

HUMAN POTENTIAL TASK FORCE MEETING

SPEAKER: Janet Christy, business counselor for the SC Women’s Business Center

Ten at the Top, 124 Verdae Blvd.,

COST: $50 per person with materials on each

certification provided, including such things as the application and a list of required documents.

Attendees are asked to bring lunch, and dessert will be provided.

REGISTER: c4women.org/events/ action~agenda/cat_ ids~14 SMALL BUSINESS START-UP Tri-County Technical College-Pendleton Campus, 7900 Hwy. 76, Pendleton; 5:30-8:30 p.m.

COST: Free to attend REGISTER: piedmontscore.org BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Eagle Zone Golf Improvement Center, 8000 Pelham Road, Greenville; 5:30-8:30 p.m.

COST: Free to attend CONTACT: Jennifer Richardson at jrichardson@ simpsonvillechamber.com REGISTER: simpsonvillechamber.com

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2/23/2012 2:18:27 PM

UBJ SNAPSHOT

Historic photos available from the Greenville Historical Society.

From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection,” by Jeffrey R. Willis

Before the advent of the chain supermarket, smaller grocery stores served consumers with a variety of goods. Advertising “Fancy Meats” and “Fancy Groceries,” the Basketeria was one of the largest of Greenville’s downtown grocery stores. First located on North Laurens Street, the store relocated in 1946 to the south side of the 200 block of East Washington Street.

Today the site of the Basketeria is a parking lot.​

PHOTO PROVIDED

STAFF WRITERS Sherry Jackson, Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Joe Toppe CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jeanne Putnam PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Beckner PRESIDENT/CEO Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com UBJ PUBLISHER Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com MANAGING EDITOR Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER Jennifer Oladipo

MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Lindsay Oehman, Pam Putman MARKETING & EVENTS Kate Banner DIGITAL STRATEGIST Emily Price ART & PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR Kristy M. Adair OPERATIONS Holly Hardin ADVERTISING DESIGN Michael Allen, Whitney Fincannon CLIENT SERVICES Anita Harley, Jane Rogers

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.

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PO Box 2266, Greenville, SC 29602 Phone: 864-679-1200 | communityjournals.com Copyright @2014 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.

April 18, 2014

events@ upstatebusinessjournal.com

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AWARDS: onthemove@ upstatebusinessjournal.com

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