April 27, 2018 Upstate Business Journal

INSIDE // PIZZA ON MOHAWK • WOMEN WHO CODE • WHAT’S UP WITH MOBILE WEBSITES • GADC MEETING

APRIL 27, 2018 | VOL. 8 ISSUE 17

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| THE RUNDOWN

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 17 Featured this issue: Charleston-based pizza joint opens in Greenville...................................................4 Women Who Code’s Pamela Browne.........................................................................16 The necessity of mobile websites................................................................................18

WORTH REPEATING “I hate pizza, really.

But I love their pizza.”

Chad Matheny, Page 4 “Women are often just happy to be able to talk about programming and not be the only woman in the room.”

Pamela Browne, Page 16 “Ninety percent of the time a press conference is a waste of time for everyone involved — the media, the client, and the public relations firm.”

John Boyanoski, Page 20

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

A second location of the beloved Charleston pizza joint, D’Allesandro’s Pizza, opened in the newly developed NorthPointe Standard strip center this week.

Photo by Will Crooks

RESTAURANT

Pie Gets Gnarly in Greenville D’Allesandro’s Pizza is now open to the public ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com A year after the planned opening, the much-anticipated D’Allesandro’s Pizza at 17 Mohawk Drive in the newly developed NorthPointe Standard strip center officially opened April 23.

This second location of the beloved Charleston pizza joint was announced in December 2016 as the first tenant in the former Shinola art and antiques store being developed by Rallis Holdings. Greenville residents John Petrich, who lives in the nearby North Main neighborhood, and his stepson Chad Matheny have 4

UBJ | 4.27.2018

partnered with brothers Nick and Ben D’Allesandro to bring their favorite pizza to the Upstate.

“I hate pizza, really,” Matheny says. “But I love their pizza.”

Nick D’Allesandro, who is in town overseeing the opening to make sure everything is just so, says the Greenville location isn’t officially a franchise but is operating under separate ownership with Petrich and Matheny using D’Al’s recipes and overall concept.

The roughly 2,000-square-foot space is designed for families, with seating for 67 inside and as many as the outdoor patio can hold, and interaction with the staff, all of whom are fully

visible thanks to a completely open kitchen.

Delivery will be available within a 3-to-5-mile radius, at this point.

“Definitely don’t want to be losing out on any business,” D’Allesandro says while discussing the proposed delivery area with the general manager, Miguel Rodriguez.

The menu is exactly the same as the original location — catering to omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike — with pies like their most popular Get Gnarly (olive oil, garlic, spinach, balsamic chicken, mozzarella, blue cheese crumbles), the Beetnick (olive oil and garlic base, mozzarella, goat cheese, bacon, golden beets, rosemary), Buffalo Chicken (olive oil,

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

C L E M S O N

D’Allesandro’s chosen location was based on its “neighborhood feel,” says Nick D’Allesandro. Photo by Will Crooks

“...it’s just good, simple pizza, but we use good ingredients, and we care about making a good pizza. I think that’s what people like the most. It’s good, but it’s not super pretentious.” –Nick D’Allesandro

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garlic, mozzarella, buffalo chicken, blue cheese crumbles), and the Chauncinator (a Margherita plus double pepperoni, minus tomatoes).

“Our pizza’s not the fanciest pizza in the world; it’s just good, simple pizza, but we use good ingredients, and we care about making a good pizza,” D’Allesandro says. “I think that’s what people like the most. It’s good, but it’s not super pretentious, and not super fancy, but it’s a neighborhood spot. That’s what we liked

about this location was the neighborhood feel. Community Tap’s a good hangout spot, and it’s going to have that same atmosphere.”

Deliberately remaining open an hour after The Community Tap closes to capture those customers, hours are Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. They will also deliver pizza directly to The Tap, as locals call it.

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NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

LaunchGVL Creating a Talent Pipeline Filling the Jobs of the Future

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Greenville Area Development Corp. to hold annual meeting on May 9 The Greenville Area Development Corp. (GADC) plans to hold its annual meeting and luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on May 9 at The Westin Poinsett in downtown.

The annual meeting will include the presentation of the GADC Chairman’s Award, given annually to an organization for “significant impact on and contributions to the economic betterment and growth of Greenville County,” according to a news release.

It will also include a keynote address by Scott Clark, chairman and president of Michelin North America.

Clark was appointed chairman and president of Michelin North America in January 2018. He previously served as executive vice president of Michelin North

America and COO of Michelin Americas Small Tires from 2007 to 2017. Clark has also served as senior vice president of Michelin in Asia, according to the release.

GADC is a nonprofit organization established by the Greenville County Council to promote and enhance economic growth and development. Since its founding in 2001, the organization’s efforts have resulted in the creation of more than 23,000 new jobs and more than $4 billion in capital investment in Greenville County.

The organization’s annual meeting and luncheon are open to investors and designated guests, according to the release. Advance reservations are required for all attendees. –Andrew Moore

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Southern First Bank expands to greater Triad market Greenville-based Southern First Bank is expanding to the greater Triad market by opening a branch in Greensboro, N.C. The bank plans to open a full-service retail office upon regulatory approval, according to a news release. Joe DePasquale, executive vice president and a veteran Triad market executive, will lead the expansion.

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DePasquale has more than 30 years of banking experience in the Triad market, where he recently served as regional president of First Bank. He is a graduate of Appalachian State University and the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

UBJ | 4.27.2018

Melissa Beane, senior vice president, and Justin Combs, senior vice president, will also join the Southern First leadership team in the Triad market.

Beane is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Banking in Chapel Hill and has over 30 years of banking experience in the Triad market, including commercial and business banking, retail banking, and private banking services. Combs is a graduate of North Carolina State University and has more than 16 years of banking experience in the WinstonSalem and Forsyth County market, according to a news release.

Southern First, the third-largest bank headquartered in South Carolina, operates in nine locations in Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston.

The bank started doing business in North Carolina in 2016 when it opened an office in Raleigh.

Southern First Bancshares, the holding company for Southern First, has assets of $1.6 billion. Its common stock is traded in the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “SFST.” On Tuesday, April 17, Southern First shares were priced at $46.00 apiece. –Andrew Moore

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| NEWS

MANAGEMENT

Alpha Mode Episode 4: With Pamela Evette Upstate Business Journal is pleased to present the fourth installment of Alpha Mode, its new, digital feature that appears each month on upstatebusinessjournal.com, in partnership with QLI International LLC and Alex LaCasse (MTN LLC).

ALPHA MODE This month’s Alpha Mode, “Conversations with Next-Level Leaders,” features Pamela Evette.

She offers her perspective on her leadership approach growing Quality Business Solutions, a startup company in 2000, to a billiondollar company today. During the

interview, Evette also provides insight into different aspects of her life, business, and political ambitions.

“My parents have always been very encouraging and emphasized that I could do and become whatever I want — nothing is easy,” Evette says.

“Women can do whatever men can do; there is no difference!”

Under her leadership as president and CEO, QBS grew from a small startup to earn a prominent spot on Inc. Magazine’s list of fastestgrowing businesses in the nation and one of the best places to work in South Carolina. Evette has long felt the call to public service, so when Gov. McMaster asked her to join the gubernatorial campaign as his running mate, she did not hesitate to answer the call. -Staff Report

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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGIONTO KNOW

ARIEL TURNER | STAFF

aturner@communityjournals.com |

Greenville-based Vista Capital awarded management of 400 units in North Carolina Vista Capital Management Group, headquartered in Greenville with a regional office in Waldorf, Md., has been awarded management of three North Carolina multifamily communities totaling 400 units.

The communities, Cameron Courts Weldon Heights, Linwood Terrace, and Mountain View, are located in Gastonia, N.C. Formerly public housing properties, Vista Capital, which is already established in nearby Hendersonville, will oversee their conversion to low-income housing tax-credit communities.

Vista Capital Management Group manages a portfolio of 2,500 units representing a total asset valuation in excess of $250 million. The property management group provides property and asset management services throughout the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S., including South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana.

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The Spark

Happenings in Upstate Biz with Trevor Anderson The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) celebrated the grand opening of the state’s second Inland Port in Dillon County on Monday, April 16 — a move that has sparked some consternation and maybe even a little confusion about how that facility could impact Inland Port Greer.

First off, it’s no secret that the Inland Port, which is actually located in Spartanburg County, has been a “game changer” for industry in the Upstate.

SCPA recently announced the Inland Port handled 10,612 rail moves in March, bringing its fiscal year-to-date volume to 87,360 moves since July, which is a 3 percent increase compared with the same period of the previous year.

That’s impressive considering the facility completed a record 121,761 rail moves in 2017.

In terms of shipping containers, it means that more than 333 trucks per day are being kept off of the Interstate 26 corridor between the Upstate and the Port of Charleston.

Whole vehicles, tires, chemicals, and a wealth of other products made in the Upstate are more efficiently finding their way to waiting markets across the globe.

The Inland Port is also feeding Upstate manufacturers with the parts and raw materials they need to keep their operations humming.

Why wouldn’t you want that kind of success for another region and for the state as a whole?

Whether it’s driven by competition or a fear of momentum being pulled away from the Upstate, the gnawing questions remain.

Perhaps it's best to take a closer look at the differences between the two facilities instead of trying to compare apples to apples.

LOCATION Inland Port Greer is surrounded by South Carolina’s finest manufacturing and distribution operations and major interstates like I-85 and I-26. Inland Port Dillon is located in the Pee Dee region, which hasn’t yet developed into a magnet for industry.

INTERMODAL SERVICE Norfolk Southern serves Inland Port Greer. Inland Dillon will be served by CSX. Both rail lines feed into different regions along the East Coast and into the Midwest.

USERS When Inland Port Greer opened in 2013, it already had an anchor customer in place — BMW Manufacturing Co. Since then, the facility’s customerbase has grown to include Michelin North America, Dollar Tree, Adidas, Eastman Chemical Co., and others. Inland Port Dillon has an anchor customer in Harbor Freight Tools. SCPA officials hope the facility will also benefit existing port users along the I-95 corridor, which is a major transportation artery, but it isn’t exactly awash with industry.

CAPACITY Inland Port Dillon’s initial annual capacity is 45,000 containers. That is 5,000 more containers than the initial capacity that was anticipated for Inland Port Greer. But in four years, Inland Port Greer shattered the 100,000-container threshold projected for its first five years of operation. With little industry surrounding it, there’s no telling what the arch for Inland Port Dillon will be.

FUNCTION Inland Port Greer has become known as an exportdriven facility. In fact, the facility exports more full containers to the Port of Charleston than it imports.

To maintain a balance, cargo container shippers are sending extra empty containers to the Upstate from other places like Atlanta. SCPA officials expect Inland Port Dillon will be import-driven.

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Is Your Company Ready for the “#MeToo” Movement?

Five Steps to Prevent Workplace Harassment It’s 9:00 Monday morning, and you get a call from your Vice President of Human Resources saying that she received a complaint over the weekend that your Senior Vice President of Sales, Tom, sexually harassed a new sales representative, Julie, at an out-of-town conference they both attended last week. Tom is one of the top producers in the company. You have heard he can be a little too flirtatious with the women on the team, but you have overlooked it because his style gets results, and nobody has complained before.

Julie is 22-years old, this is her first job, and she says that Tom tried to kiss her in the hall outside her hotel room and tried to force his way in.

What do you do?

By Stephanie E. Lewis, Esq. Jackson Lewis, P.C. Do not require the complaining employee to change work schedules or locations, as this may be viewed as retaliation. If the complaint cannot be verified, it is a good idea to remind employees of your Company’s anti-harassment policies.

Step Four – Update Policies Your policies should define harassment, provide multiple channels to report harassment (including anonymous reporting), and emphasize that there will be no retaliation for reporting harassment or participating in an investigation. Your policies should also address whether supervisors can be in romantic relationships with subordinates and what is expected if a relationship develops (e.g., notification to HR, change in reporting relationship, etc.).

STEPHANIE E. LEWIS Step One – Promptly Investigate Step Five – Educate Your Employees Consider who will be an effective and impartial investigator. Many It is important to educate your employees, and especially senior times, this will be your Company HR representative. However, leaders, about the “new norms” of expected behaviors and how to there are times you should engage a third-party to investigate. avoid workplace harassment claims. For example, do your leaders In either event, you should ensure that the matter is handled think that is ok if a colleague is flirtatious, as long as nobody professionally and thoroughly. Every investigation should include, complains? Do your employees know if your company’s harassment at a minimum, interviewing the individual who complained, the policies apply to conferences and other off-site activities? If your person accused, and any witnesses. leaders saw or heard about potential harassment, would they know Step Two – “He Said, She Said” how to respond? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it Employers struggle with “he said, she said.” Many times, there is is time to re-boot your anti-harassment training program. evidence to refute or confirm the allegations. For example, there In this “#MeToo” environment, business owners must be proactive may be text messages, audio or video recordings, or patterns of to avoid harassment claims. These claims can cause substantial similar complaints. In the scenario above, the hotel may have reputational harm and are expensive to defend. The five simple video footage. Because Tom is known to be “flirtatious,” it will be steps above will position your company to ensure a respectful and important to interview other employees to determine if they have harassment-free work environment. seen/experienced anything like this.

Step Three – Correct Substantiated Wrongdoing If harassment is substantiated, employers should quickly correct the behavior and ensure it will not happen again. Depending on the nature of the offense and past discipline, this could be a written warning, sexual harassment training, demotion, keeping the employees apart, or termination of employment.

Stephanie E. Lewis is the Managing Principal of Jackson Lewis’s Greenville office and regularly counsels employers on preventing and defending harassment claims.

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COVER |

THE STATE OF SOLAR IN SOUTH CAROLINA

SOLAR

SOUTH CAROLINA’S

INDUSTRY IS ON THE RISE BUT CHALLENGES COULD BE ON THE HORIZON

WORDS BY ANDREW MOORE

N

ationwide the solar industry is experiencing a decline, with waning jobs and slowed growth that have been largely attributed to a lack of government involvement. But South Carolina is bucking that national trend, and the Upstate is leading the way statewide, both in solar employment and a growing renewable energy portfolio.

The question many are now asking is “How much longer can that last?”.

A new report from The Solar Foundation shows that the Palmetto State’s solar industry experienced a 2.1 percent increase in employment last year. The state now ranks 24th nationwide in solar energy generation, with 2,829 jobs.

Nationally, solar employment declined 3.8 percent, but solar jobs increased in 29 states, according to the report. That includes North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and numerous

12

UBJ | 4.27.2018

other states throughout the Southeast. California leads the nation in jobs, with 86,414, and Massachusetts is a distant second, with 11,530.

Overall, solar accounts for 1.9 percent of the nation’s electricity generation, but the industry is the third highest employer in the energy sector. In South Carolina, Spartanburg and Greenville remain the top counties for solar employment.

The report shows that there were 707 solar jobs in Spartanburg and 486 solar jobs in Greenville last year. A majority of the jobs created locally were in installation, manufacturing, and project development.

South Carolina’s solar industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years, largely due to the Distributed Energy Resource Program Act, according to Sean Gallagher, vice president of state affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association.

The act, which was passed by the House and Senate in 2014, allows the state’s electric utility companies to recover expenses incurred to install solar panels. In 2015, Duke Energy announced that it was offering rebates to South Carolina customers to help offset the initial costs of installing solar on their property.

The program offers $1 per watt for customers who install systems up to 20 kilowatts on their property and for businesses that install systems up to 1 megawatt. More than 750 residential customers and 35 businesses have applied for solar rebates since 2015, creating more than 30 megawatts of solar power and $5 million in rebates.

In 2017, for instance, Glen Raven Inc., a North Carolina-based fabric manufacturing and marketing company, constructed a $2 million solar farm at its Sunbrella manufacturing center in Anderson County. The company should receive a payback in less than

THE STATE OF SOLAR IN SOUTH CAROLINA

| COVER

“ Our state wouldn’t be able to attract some of the big companies we have today if we told them they only had three years to sell their product here. That’s what the solar industry is dealing with now.”

Bret Sowers, chairman, S.C. Solar Business Alliance

five years through the Duke Energy rebate program, said Edmund Gant, sustainable development manager at Glen Raven Custom Fabrics.

Furman University also signed up for the program and built a $1.7 million solar farm on about 6 acres along Poinsett Highway in northern Greenville County. The 743-kilowatt project is the largest solar installation on a college campus in South Carolina. Duke Energy plans to issue a $997,000 rebate to the university.

Duke Energy is now looking to grow its renewable energy portfolio in the Palmetto State from 2 MW in 2016 to at least 110 MW by 2021. “Renewable energy will continue to be a growing part of our generation mix in the future,” said Cari Boyce, vice president of policy, sustainability, and stakeholder strategy, in a news release.

South Carolina is expected to add more than

1,500 megawatts of solar energy to its grid over the next five years, but the state is nearing a 2 percent limit set on peak rooftop solar electricity generation, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Bret Sowers, chairman of the S.C. Solar Business Alliance, said the state could lose more than 3,000 jobs in the coming years if the cap isn’t removed. Failing to remove the cap could also make it more expensive for residents to afford solar panels.

Sowers said South Carolina’s solar industry “has never been provided an opportunity to create a sustainable business model due to the 2 percent cap.”

“Our state wouldn’t be able to attract some of the big companies we have today if we told them they only had three years to sell their product here. That’s what the solar industry is dealing with now,” said Sowers, who is also vice president of development and strategy at

Charleston-based solar company Southern Current.

Earlier this month, the House voted 61-44 in favor of a bill known as the Energy Consumer Bill of Rights Act that would remove the cap, but opposing lawmakers used legislative rules to force a two-thirds final vote, rather than a simple majority. Now, with the bill dead in the House, the chances of similar legislation passing this year are unlikely, according to Sowers.

Sowers and other solar proponents said lawmakers who killed the bill likely did so out of allegiance to Duke Energy and SCANA, the state’s largest power providers. Lawmakers, however, say donations from utilities didn’t affect their decision.

Power companies, their subsidiaries, and their employees have contributed at least $2.6 million to the campaigns of more than 320 South Carolina lawmakers and statewide 4.27.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

13

COVER |

THE STATE OF SOLAR IN SOUTH CAROLINA

candidates, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics.

Duke Energy and SCANA vehemently opposed the bill, arguing that it would force their customers without solar to subsidize homeowners with solar panels. Utilities, however, are also expected to lose more than $1 million a year over the next couple of years to South Carolina’s growing rooftop solar market, according to Sowers.

“The utilities are struggling to figure out how they can compete with solar and still make money with an infrastructure system that’s already built out,” Sowers said. “That’s how this whole thing happened. They don’t know how to control the solar industry.”

He added that utilities make a guaranteed return on infrastructure, which they charge their customers to construct. Solar power, however, reduces the overall demand for electricity and the infrastructure to produce it, causing utilities to lose money.

Duke Energy, which services much of the Upstate, declined to comment on the claim that it donates to politicians to buy influence at the State House.

“Perhaps you should ask the solar industry the same question,” company spokesman Ryan Mosier responded in an email to the Upstate Business Journal.

Solar company executives, in fact, have also donated to South Carolina lawmakers.

The State, for instance, reported last year that Gov. Henry McMaster, who is running for re-election this year, has raised a minimum of $49,000 from solar companies looking to expand access to solar energy on rooftops and in solar farms. That includes Sowers and his business partner, Jon Downey, who have donated $14,000 combined.

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UBJ | 4.27.2018

South Carolina is expected to add more than 1,500 megawatts of solar energy to its grid in the next five years. However, a state governmentimposed cap that limits peak rooftop solar electricity generation to 2 percent is currently in place.

That means: · The state is rapidly nearing its 2 percent limit on solar electricity generation. · Once the cap is reached, the state risks losing more than 3,000 jobs. · Failing to remove the cap could also make solar panels more expensive for residents.

Source: Solar Energy Industries Association

Mosier added that the bill would have required power companies to “offer rooftop solar to customers at a subsidized, anti-competitive rate at the same time it prevented utilities from recovering costs.”

“This is not about utilities protecting profits,” he said. “It’s about having a fair system.”

Mosier said Duke Energy supports “a reasonable path forward to continue to grow solar energy in South Carolina.”

“Let’s create common-sense legislation that is fair and balances the interests of all who call South Carolina home — solar providers, energy companies, and customers who use solar energy and those who do not,” he said.

The solar bill’s failure to pass through the House, however, will likely have immediate effects if an alternative solution can’t be found, according to Sowers. Companies, for instance, may soon have to cut their sales staff or market to other states.

Sowers said companies would likely relocate their sales staff to North Carolina, which is ranked second nationwide in solar generation, or Georgia, which is expected to gain more than 2,000 megawatts of solar energy to its grid over the next five years.

Greenville-based developer Summit Solar, which offers residential and commercial solar services, is considering an expansion to Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, and other maturing markets, according to CEO Josh Williams.

Williams added that the company, which currently offers services in South Carolina and North Carolina, was planning to add about 100 jobs by this time next year. But now it may have to reduce its staff from 40 people to 20 people.

Luckily, a number of bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that may help bolster the state’s solar industry in the wake of defeat, according to Sowers. That includes S.890, also known as the Energy Freedom Act. Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, said the proposed legislation “would require our state’s large utilities to buy wholesale power from independent power producers if, but only if, it is proved that those producers could build the power cheaper, and would require those utilities to then pass on the resulting savings to consumers.”

Sowers said the bill would likely create a significant number of jobs in the solar industry and make South Carolina more attractive to developers like Cypress Creek, which already has about 280 megawatts worth of solar projects in the state.

“This bill would allow companies to sell their electricity into an open marketplace without deregulating the entire state and removing the utilities out of the equation,” Sowers said. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

For more information, visit solarbusinessalliance.com.

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In the state of South Carolina, only 20 hotels received the Four Diamond Award. The Westin Poinsett is the only hotel to receive the award in the Upstate of South Carolina.

“This award is clearly a wonderful recognition of our team’s hard work. Greenville has high expectations when it comes to the Westin Poinsett. We thoroughly enjoy being one of the top meeting places for our Greenville neighbors and we are acutely aware that nothing but consistent and outstanding service will keep us at the top.”

— Fabian Unterzaucher, The Westin Poinsett Hotel General Manager

120 South Main Street, Greenville, SC, 29601 | 888-627-8931 | westinpoinsettgreenville.com

NEWS |

INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW

BREAKING THE

GLASS KEYBOARD Pamela Browne is working to close the tech industry’s gender gap

WORDS BY ANDREW MOORE | PHOTO BY WILL CROOKS

W

hile an increasing number of industries are diversifying their boardrooms, the computer science industry continues to struggle with a growing gender gap.

According to a 2014 study from the National Science Foundation, about 75 percent of employees in computer and mathematical science jobs are male. And more than half of all women in technology jobs leave the industry halfway through their careers, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology.

In fact, since 1990, the percentage of female computing professionals in the United States workforce has dropped from 35 percent to 24 percent, according to a 2016 report from Accenture and Girls Who Code. Unfortunately, if that trend continues, the share of women in the nation’s computing workforce will decline to 22 percent by 2025.

Pamela Browne, however, is on a mission to change those numbers.

Browne is the founder and director of Greenville’s chapter of Women Who Code, a nonprofit “dedicated to inspiring women to succeed in technology careers.”

Founded in 2011, the San Francisco-based organization has established a presence in 20 countries, garnered about 100,000 members, and held more than 5,000 networking and education events around the world, according to Browne.

“Women Who Code focuses on mid-career women already in the tech industry and those looking to switch careers into tech. Both are vital parts of the equation because we need more 16

UBJ | 4.27.2018

women in tech roles to be role models, and we need the women who are already there to stay,” Browne said. “Many are leaving, and it is not surprising because the challenges — from small to large — accumulate over time.”

Browne added that many women throughout the tech industry hesitate to pursue professional development and leadership roles within their companies because they’re often held to unfair standards that are rooted in cultural stereotypes.

That’s why Brown is working to close the tech industry’s gender gap by “creating a welcoming space for women to improve their skills and support each other.”

Women Who Code Greenville meets once a month for networking and education at OpenWorks, a co-working space on the third floor of the Bank of America building.

The sessions, known as “Hack Nights,” are coordinated online through the Meetup community platform and include study groups, discussions, lightning talks, and keynote presentations by industry experts and investors, according to Browne.

“Women are often just happy to be able to talk about programming and not be the only woman in the room,” Browne said.

Browne added that her chapter has grown from 20 members to 423 members since launching in 2015 and represents a wide range of ages and professions, including software engineers, developers, data scientists, and others. That includes Kara Mansel, a quality assurance technician at Greenville-based software development company Fusion Web Clinic, and Emily Wivell, a junior software engineer at Simply Binary.

Mansel and Wivell said they’re both happy with their current companies, but they’ve experienced the negative side of tech culture in the past.

For instance, Mansel, who is the only woman on her engineering team, said she’s often hesitant to ask technical questions in front of her male colleagues in fear of perpetuating gender stereotypes. And Wivell said she’s occasionally felt isolated as one of only two women at the four software development companies she’s worked for since graduating from The Iron Yard’s coding school in 2015.

Women Who Code Greenville, however, has “been a consistent source for various resources, support, and inspiration,” Wivell said.

"Becoming part of this international network of successful and driven women in tech has provided me with priceless insight, advice, and opportunity," she added.

Browne said she hopes Women Who Code will continue to help women working in computer programming and other technology sectors overcome gender bias and become more confident in breaking into male-dominated spaces. She also plans to help more women learn software development skills.

In addition to Women Who Code, Browne is the director of SC Codes, a 12-week program designed by the Greenville County Library System and S.C. Department of Commerce to teach skills such as website development and the development of software and apps for mobile devices.

Students work independently on their own schedule and meet one day each week for two hours at the Hughes Main Library to review

INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW

| NEWS

WANT TO GO? Women Who Code Greenville plans to hold a meeting at OpenWorks (101 N. Main St., Suite 302) on Thursday, May 3, at 6 p.m.

DID YOU KNOW? WWC Greenville officially launched on Oct. 11, 2015, to coincide with Ada Lovelace Day, an annual event named for a British mathematician that celebrates women in science, technology, engineering, and math.

their progress. Students are required to complete at least 10 hours of training each week with various software development projects that expand their portfolios for potential employers.

Prospective students that are 18 years or older and qualify for a library card from the Greenville County Library System are required to submit an application and complete about 35 hours of pre-work to participate in SC Codes, according to Browne.

“Our free, part-time program removes some of the barriers keeping women from pursuing software development skills. Even more exciting is that — like many things that help women — this program benefits all adults facing those barriers,”

Browne said. “In the process of improving tech career pathways for women, we are improving workplace cultures, educational opportunities, and family incomes.”

SC Codes has graduated more than 40 students since launching in 2016, according to Browne.

About two-thirds of the program’s first 20 students were women. One of those students was Greenville resident Bethany Winston.

“I had wanted to learn how to program for years, but as a mom with two small children [and] going back to school, it was not possible,” Winston said.

“When I heard about SC Codes and their free 12-week course, I knew that this class was my

chance to study programming with the help of an instructor. Having a class and deadlines motivated me to learn faster and more consistently than I was able to accomplish through self-study. The SC Codes mentors provided help and encouragement when I encountered problems that I couldn’t solve on my own,” she added.

Other South Carolina cities could soon enjoy those benefits. The SC Codes program is “being developed with the idea of being scalable to other communities,” according to a news release from the Department of Commerce.

4.27.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

17

PROFESSIONAL |

STRATEGIES FOR HONING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Pocketful of Website Unoptimized is your mobile site’s kryptonite

By CHRIS MANLEY CEO, Engenius

You need a mobile website — sounds like old news. This would have been a headline five years ago, when the trend was to have a completely separate "mobile site" that was radically different from your "full site."

Do you remember the experience of going to a watered-down mobile site, not finding what you needed, and having to click on the “go to full site” button at the bottom? That full site was a nightmare to navigate on your small smartphone screen — often leaving you frustrated and unable to find what you were looking for in the first place.

So, what's the deal now? Have websites gotten easier to view? Only some of them.

Businesses are getting smarter about not

18

UBJ | 4.27.2018

needing two separate sites for mobile and desktop. And that's a good thing since more than 69 percent of people's daily media time is spent on a smartphone, and the majority of people will not recommend a business if it is not easy to view on mobile.

But many small businesses are still not prepared — and it is vital now more than ever.

A 2017 study showed that 17 percent of small-business websites were still not optimized for mobile.

Why does this matter?

1

GOOGLE DOESN'T SHOW NONMOBILE SITES

Beginning in November 2016, Google stopped including nonmobile websites in its mobile search results. That's big for two reasons: First, Google powers 96 percent of mobile traffic (NetMarketShare). Second, mobile traffic is more than 52 percent of all internet traffic (Statista).

2

CUSTOMERS LEAVE POOR MOBILE EXPERIENCES

Ever been on a website that didn't perform well or was confusing on your phone? If you quickly clicked away, you're not alone. About 80 percent of users are in the same camp (Ironpaper).

3

REVENUE IS DRIVEN BY MOBILE

Whether you're a brick-and-mortar store or you sell online, mobile is key in commerce.

Thirty-five percent of U.S. eCommerce revenue is from mobile devices (Statista) and is expected to be nearly 54 percent by 2021.

Likewise, 88 percent of people who search for a business on mobile either call or go to that business within a day (SocialMediaToday).

Let's put all of this into context. Say you're a single-store retailer selling high-end clothing. I'm new to Greenville and need some spring clothes. I search on my phone for re-

STRATEGIES FOR HONING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

“I need to be impressed by what I see.

It is very likely I’m going into some store in the next 24 hours, and if you want it to be yours, you’ll make the most of my mobile experience, impress me, and make it easy for me to use.”

| PROFESSIONAL

TOGETHER, A BETTER WAY FORWARD.

tailers. First, if your site isn't truly mobile ready, your store doesn't even show up in Google's search results.

Second, if your site isn't designed with mobile users in mind, I'm going to leave within seconds. Finally, if I do go to your site, I need to be impressed by what I see. It is very likely I'm going into some store in the next 24 hours, and if you want it to be yours, you'll make the most of my mobile experience, impress me, and make it easy for me to use.

It's easy to think that your business's longtime reputation or wordof-mouth marketing will keep customers flowing through the door.

Those days are long past. If you want to continue thriving in the years ahead, you must adjust to how people in 2018 are doing business.

Chris Manley is the CEO of Engenius, a marketing firm specializing in helping businesses navigate digital marketing through strategic web design, search optimization, and digital advertising.

You can contact him at chris@engeniusweb.com or by visiting www.engeniusweb.com.

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PROFESSIONAL |

STRATEGIES FOR HONING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Answering the ‘Why’ Making your press conference mean more begins with one simple question

By JOHN BOYANOSKI president, Complete PR

As a public relations firm owner, I get asked to host press conferences a lot. A lot of press conferences. Way too many press conferences. My first response when asked is, why?

It takes people by surprise, but there is a strong reason. Ninety percent of the time a press conference is a waste of time for everyone involved — the media, the client, and the public relations firm. Most times the information can be sent out faster and more efficiently in the modern age via social media.

Even the current president of the United States rarely holds press conferences.

So, when is that other 10 percent of the time when a press conference is actually needed?

It’s when you have a good story to tell that has a good visual to make it work. Because of that, press conferences fall into five categories.

THE HAVE TO This is the press conference that must be done because people have questions and it will take too much time to answer all of them over and over again. The greatest “have to” press conference of all time came from Steve Spurrier when he announced he was officially resigning as the head football coach at the University of South Carolina a few years back. He started his remarks with the immortal, “Let’s get this over with.” Nothing screams, “I don’t want to be here” quite like that phrase.

And that, my friends, is the “have to.” The only time you do a “have to” is when there are too many questions pouring in and you need to get everything done at once.

THE MAKE-BELIEVE This is the television drama

trope. A room full of reporters armed with cameras. Each one of them has amazing hair.

Each asks shrewd questions, which the person at the microphone dodges with ease and fires back with a dagger that gets the press laughing. And then the magic genie appears. OK, the last part doesn’t happen, but a lot of people feel anything less than that situation at their press conference for the school bake sale is a failure of Hindenburg-type proportions. The amount of media that will show up for a press conference is finite in the Upstate. Remember that.

20

UBJ | 4.27.2018

THE EVERYONE SPEAKS, BUT SAYS NOTHING

This is a favorite of many public relations firms. Get 10 people shuffling to the podium like cattle to talk for 30 minutes and say absolutely nothing of value until the last 30 seconds. It is the inverted pyramid of reporting news gone completely wrong. It is kind of like listening to the latest Nicki Minaj songs in that respect, save the "something of value" part.

THE PHOTO OP This is the press conference where people arrive to get their picture taken doing something like shoveling dirt, blowing up a building, or cutting a ribbon. The speaking part is fluff. The cameras are here to rule the day, and rule they will. So, make their job easy and give them something good to shoot.

Don’t forget to tell the media you have something cool to show them, like shooting a Tesla Roadster into space. They appreciate it — and they are more likely to show up.

THE LATE-BLOOMER The event starts at noon, but the actual speaking part doesn’t start until 12:30? Did you tell the media noon? Are you now wondering why they are giving you dirty

looks? That’s because you told them to show up for something that they have no use for whatsoever and then wasted 30 minutes of their time. Not cool.

Now that I have told you about the kinds of press conferences that exist, don’t they sound terrible? How do you avoid them? The first is to make these things an event where a lot of people are invited to announce something.

The goal is simple. You are sharing information with your key people: employees, board members, sponsors, etc. They are your focus.

Having the media there adds to it. Giving the media a strong visual will get your story out there.

Getting your story out there is the goal. The press conference is a crutch for it. Not the reason.

John Boyanoski is the president of Complete PR, a full-service public relations firm located in Greenville that handles media relations, crisis communications, governmental affairs, and social media.

Learn more at www.completepr.net.

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

HIRED

HIRED

NAMED

HIRED

| ON THE MOVE

SELECTED

ADAM EASTERLING, M.D.

LO THEISEN

MARTIN L. O’GWYNN

TAYLOR WILSON

BETH MESSICK

Has been hired by Clemson Eye. Easterling is a boardcertified ophthalmologist who has been caring for Upstate patients for 11 years. He earned his engineering degree from Georgia Tech and then went on to attend medical school at USC, with a residency in ophthalmology at Duke University.

Has joined Hughes Agency as the sales and experience manager of Avenue, a private rooftop venue located in downtown Greenville.

Theisen is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in public relations.

She previously worked for Bella Flora of Dallas and has also worked in New York City.

Has been named North Greenville University’s new vice president for advancement. O’Gwynn will begin his role on May 1 and brings more than 30 years of experience to the position.

He has previously worked for North Greenville University’s sister institution, Oklahoma Baptist University, for 20 years, as well as Oklahoma City University.

Has joined Crawford Strategy as account coordinator. Wilson previously worked at Charge Marketing in Indianapolis.

Wilson is a graduate of Clemson University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in sports communication and a Master of Arts in communication, technology, and society. In summer 2016, she worked as the digital media intern with the U.S. Olympic Committee during the Olympic Games in Rio.

Has been selected as the executive director of Jasmine Road. Messick is a Greenville native and attended Furman University to study psychology. Messick has over 30 years of experience in advocacy work, specifically helping women and other victims of abuse and exploitation.

VIP DIDI CALDWELL Didi Caldwell has been elected the chairwoman of the board of the Site Selectors Guild (SSG), the association of the world’s foremost professional site selection consultants. She is the first woman to serve this position for the organization. Caldwell has served on the board for four consecutive years, previously serving as treasurer.

Caldwell has 20 years of experience as a site selection professional. She earned her international MBA in 1998 and opened her own consultancy in 2008. Caldwell has a Bachelor of Science in architecture from Clemson University and an international MBA from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

CO-WORKING Endeavor has expanded its membership with the additions of Blumer and Thriveal. Blumer specializes in growth consulting and support for creative service businesses, and Thriveal is a membership-based collaborative community of creative entrepreneurs running CPA firms.

Contribute: New hires, promotions, & award winners may be featured in On the Move.

Send information and photos to onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

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JOIN US TO CELEBRATE SMALL BUSINESS! Cascades at Verdae Ballroom | May 1 | 5:30-7:30 PM Toby Stansell, Thinc.IT 4.27.2018 | upstatebusinessjournal.com

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

THE WATERCOOLER Social Chatter

RE: FORD MOTOR CO. TO SPONSOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICHLE PROJECT AT CU-ICAR

RE: D’ALLESANDRO’S PIZZA IN GREENVILLE OPENS TO THE PUBLIC ON APRIL 23

“Big news indeed”

“Yaas! Shout out to the Chauncinator in this article! Love you guys, and I wish you nothing but success on this 2nd location!!”

Jason Gwardiak

RE: FROM THE GREENVILLE JOURNAL: ORDINANCE CHANGE WOULD ALLOW SPERO’S PETE’S ORIGINAL TOO TO REBUILD “Its his property. He should be able to build anything he wants”

Brandin DuBos

Chris Haddon

“Interesting lighting? Another new pizza place to try!”

Tuesday Tomberlin

1. D’Allesandro’s Pizza in Greenville opens to the public on April 23

E 16

APRIL 20,

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d designe k Porter d firm Jac als foun Greenville phics and visu Tigers’ the gra Clemson . within the tball Complex Foo k Porter Reeves Allen N. provided by Jac to Pho

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EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

PRESIDENT/CEO

DATE

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Tuesday

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Entrepreneurship Small Business Awards

Cascades at Verdae Ballroom 10 Fountainview Terrace 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Cost: $15 For more info: www.bit.ly/2DKBlap; tjames@greenvillechamber.org; 864-239-3728

Hyatt Regency Greenville 220 N. Main St.

Cost: $499 members, $599 nonmembers For more info: www.semda.net/conference/attendee-info/ Cost: $15 For more info: www.bit.ly/2ucYJ0K; tjames@greenvillechamber.org; 864-239-3728

5/1

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

UBJ PUBLISHER

Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Susan Schwartzkopf susans@communityjournals.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Emily Pietras epietras@communityjournals.com

| PLANNER

Wednesday-Thursday SCBIO’s SEMDA’s 2018 MEDTECH Conference

5/2-5/4 Thursday

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Entrepreneurship Small-Business Seminar

Greenville Technical College Northwest Campus 8109 White Horse Road 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

Friday

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Gubernatorial Series Featuring Marguerite Willis (D)

Cost: $25 investors, $50 general Greenville Chamber of Commerce For more info: www.bit.ly/2v7MTWg; 24 Cleveland St. kbusbee@greenvillechamber.org; 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

864-239-3748

Tuesday

5/8

GTC Adjunct Faculty Recruitment/Networking

University Center Greenville Auditorium 225 S. Pleasantburg Drive 6–8 p.m.

Tuesday

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Gubernatorial Series Featuring John Warren (R)

Cost: $25 investors, $50 general Greenville Chamber of Commerce For more info: www.bit.ly/2INCJw1; 24 Cleveland St. kbusbee@greenvillechamber.org; 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

864-239-3748

Thursday

Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards Dinner

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive 5–8 p.m.

5/3

ADMINISTRATIVE EDITOR

Heidi Coryell Williams hwilliams@communityjournals.com

COPY EDITOR Rebecca Strelow

5/4

STAFF WRITERS

Trevor Anderson, Cindy Landrum, Andrew Moore, Sara Pearce, Ariel Turner

MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER

Cost: Free For more info: www.bit.ly/2qoJwVn

Emily Yepes

MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES John Clark, Donna Johnston, Heather Propp, Meredith Rice, Caroline Spivey, Liz Tew

5/15

CLIENT SERVICES

Anita Harley | Rosie Peck | Jane Rogers

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR Will Crooks

5/24

Cost: $85, $60 student admission For more info: www.bit.ly/2FVD3I7; katies@hughes-agency.com; 864-271-0718

LAYOUT

Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGN

Kristy Adair | Michael Allen

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kristi Fortner

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MAY 4 COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ISSUE

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

UBJ milestone jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years 1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport

1988

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

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

>>

JUNE 1 INNOVATION ISSUE

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

Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 years By sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

JUNE 29 LEGAL ISSUE Got any thoughts? Care to contribute? Let us know at upstatebusinessjournal.com/submit.

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

>>

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

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

1998

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

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

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 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

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