MAY 10, 2013
BIG TIRE
BIG RESULTS
Michelin’s revolutionary X One replaces two standard tires -- and truckers are getting on board
UBJ Table of contents PRESIDENT/PublIShER Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com SENIoR VIcE PRESIDENT Alan P. Martin amartin@communityjournals.com ubJ ASSocIATE PublIShER Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com EXEcuTIVE EDIToR Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com MANAGING EDIToR Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com STAff wRITERS Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Charles Sowell SENIoR buSINESS wRITER Jennifer Oladipo
18
A worker moves tires in Michelin’s production facility.
Cover Photo provided by Michelin; ABOVE: Photo provided by Michelin
F e at u r e s
colu m ns
de pa rt m e n t s
cover Story 18 Michelin’s Big Tire Gains Traction by Dick Hughes
Digital Maven 8 Security, Privacy, Technology by Laura Haight
3 TBA 4 Worth Repeating 24 Square Feet 26 Layout 28 Planner 30 On the Move 32 New to the Street 34 Snapshot
Entrepreneur 22 Mattress Maven by Leigh Savage
Statehouse Report 9 South Carolina May Get More Angels by Andy Brack
Profile 23 ‘Devoted to Community Improvement’ by Charles Sowell
create. Innovate. celebrate. 10 Is Angel Investing Right for You? by J.B. Holeman
coNTRIbuTING wRITERS Dick Hughes, Jenny Munro, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage EDIToRIAl INTERNS Shelby Livingston, Casey Dargan ART & PRoDucTIoN ART DIREcToR Richie Swann PhoToGRAPhER Greg Beckner coNTRIbuTING PhoTo EDIToR Gerry Pate PRoDucTIoN Holly Hardin MARkETING & ADVERTISING MARkETING REPRESENTATIVES Lori Burney, Mary Beth Culbertson, Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Pam Putman MARkETING Katherine Elrod MARkETING & EVENTS Kate Banner bRAND STRATEGIST Austin Hafer bIllING Shannon Rochester clIENT SERVIcES MANAGERS Anita Harley, Jane Rogers ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair, Michael Allen, Whitney Fincannon, Caroline Reinhardt IDEAS, fEEDbAck, oPINIoNS opinions@upstatebusinessjournal.com how To REAch uS 148 River Street., Suite 120 Greenville, SC 29601 864-679-1200
Copyright @2013 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal (Vol. 2, No. 16) is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. 148 River Street, Suite 120, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $65. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, 148 River St., Ste 120, Greenville, SC 29601. Printed in the USA.
2 upstate business journal May 10, 2013
UBJ Opening Remarks | TBA Hello Upstate,
I’d like to say a quick hello to UBJ readers and introduce myself as your new Senior Business Writer. Having been a contributor to the Journal since July, then writing exclusively for UBJ since its launch, I’ve seen how quickly things can change around here. I’m excited to be joining the staff at this time of growth. This is the kind of thing I love, being there at the start and helping shape what’s to come. That reminds me: Give me a call, won’t you? Or send an email. Or let’s chat in person. If journalists
seem smart at all, it’s because we spend lots of time talking with smart people. That includes all of you entrepreneurs, C-suite executives, real estate agents, sales clerks, consultants and thoughtful readers. I have always loved community media because local people make it. And local people make it matter. We all do this together. So I’m looking forward to working with the staff and the community to move UBJ ahead. Dick Hughes has stamped the Journal’s business coverage with keen and thoughtful
reporting, and I hope to work with UBJ Associate Publisher Ryan Johnston to build on that. As you know, there’s a whole team of hardworking staff and contributors whose efforts I’ve come to appreciate for various reasons. It’s great to now have a different role. As with any adventure, I don’t know exactly what to expect. But I do know what is expected of me. We’re aiming for more and better business news coverage; growing UBJ’s community connections; and working toward a dynamic digital presence. I’ve got one or two sectors that I’m eager to see represented better in our pages. I wrote this on the eve of my first day as Senior Business Writer, knowing that I’d have to hit the ground running Monday morning. No doubt by now I’ve got an even better understanding of what that means, wiping a little sweat from my brow. So this is the icebreaker; let’s keep the conversation going. I’m honestly excited to see where it takes us.
TBA Look for an announcement soon about Greenville’s first ever ColorVibe 5K paint run, a footrace where the runners become the canvas… A major economic impact study is in the works for Greenville that looks at everything from colleges to health care… The Upstate soon may be getting 4G coverage through one of the major cell service providers…
Cheers, JeNNIfeR OLADIPO 864-679-1209, joladipo@ communityjournals.com
765 Haywood Road • Greenville • 864.297.6458
May 10, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 3
TA I L O R E D Style Icon Style: elegance or refinement of manners, dress, etc. Icon: a person regarded as a sex symbol or as a symbol of the latest fashion trends (English Dictionary) When you think of someone that is a style icon, who do you think of? A person who becomes a style icon conveys a message that is relatable. Who do you identify with and what is your personal, best-dressed style? Take for instance Cary Grant. Some would say that his style is timeless. He used simple colors and patterns in his dress and made a personal statement. Frank Sinatra’s style was polished and handsome, dapper but comfortable. Mr. Sinatra inspired many to dress up in a crisp white shirt matched with tailored clothing –Sinatra radiated charm and character! Today, designers love to outfit Hollywood stars, musical talent and professional athletes. Some modern day style icons one might include are George Clooney, Justin Timberlake and Tom Brady. Although movie stars of the 1940’s and 50’s come to mind when you think of stylish, well dressed men, the Duke of Windsor was considered the most elegant man of the 20th century. He made history by setting the rules that govern men’s fashion starting from the Dinner Jacket to the Windsor Knot to shirts with the Windsor Collar. His fashion reflected his lifestyle. His love for sports and the social scene made him favor a more relaxed, elegant look rather than a strict, starched, formal look. At a time when wearing a tailcoat in the evening was standard dress, he is credited as the first to wear a “tailless” coat or Dinner Jacket when attending a private dinner. He preferred to wear cuffs on all of his trousers which infuriated his father. He also ignited a worldwide trend of wearing tartan clothing. He wore brown buckskin shoes with his chalk-stripe flannel suits. His influence is still seen in clothes worn by today’s Hollywood icons and fashionable men right here in Greenville! Whomever you admire as a style icon, take note of the way they dress, but develop your own style that matches your lifestyle and personality and enjoy what well-tailored clothing can do for you.
“Purveyors of Classic American Style” 23 West North Street, Greenville, SC 29601 864.232.2761 | rushwilson.com Open Mon.-Sat. 9:30 am – 5:30 pm Wed. 9:30 am – 1:00 pm
4 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
UBJ Worth Repeating “somebody’s going to have to write a new song about that.” Bruce Stockton of Con-Way Freight, noting how Michelin’s wide X One tire replaces two tires on tractor-trailers, turning the 18-wheeler beloved of country singers into a 10-wheeler.
“if you can raise money, you can get in. every nonprofit needs people who can raise money.” Bob Morris, president of the Greenville Community Foundation, on starting a career in foundations.
Oladipo Tapped as UBJ Senior Business Writer jennifer oladipo, a contributing writer to Community Journals Publishing Group’s Upstate Business Journal since its launch, has been selected as senior business writer for the publication. In addition to writing for UBJ, Oladipo most recently worked as a freelance writer, program coordinator for the Upcountry History Museum and consultant for a variety of clients in writing, editing, event organizing and business communication. “We’re very excited to have Jennifer on board,” said UBJ associate publisher Ryan Johnston. “As UBJ continues to invest in the depth of business coverage we provide, Jennifer’s going to play a big part. We’re lucky to have her talent, her knowledge of the local business climate, and her nose for news.” Oladipo is a graduate of J.L. Mann High School, and has degrees from the University of Evansville in writing, the University of Missouri-Columbia in journalism and the University of Louisville in pan-African studies. She has worked for multiple publications, including the Columbus Dispatch, Evansville Business Magazine and the Columbia Missourian.
She was recipient of a Dow Jones Business Reporting Fellowship, an artist enrichment grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women and a continuing coverage award for water issues from the Society of Professional Journalists in Louisville. Following her move back to the Upstate in 2011, Oladipo has also worked as a volunteer for TEDx Greenville and was a member of the planning team for the March 2013 event. “I’ve been able to hear a lot about where the editors and publishers want to take UBJ, so I’m looking forward to being a part of that,” Oladipo said. “With such a young publication, we’ve got a lot of opportunities for how we can cover business in our region.” Oladipo added that she is pleased to be closer to her parents, who live in Spartanburg County, not to mention the proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains. “I didn’t really appreciate them in high school, but then spent 11 years driving through them and realized how beautiful they were,” she said. “We love the great hiking and camping so close by.”
UBJ This Week
Contact Jennifer Oladipo at joladipo@communityjournals.com.
Clemson Receives $9M Space in ONE Building By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer
clemson university announced Tuesday that the Partners of Greenville ONE has gifted the school an in-kind donation of space worth about $9 million in the newly built ONE Building downtown. Hughes Development Corporation and GAB Properties will give four floors to Clemson’s College of Business and Behavioral Science and other centers. The Clemson Center for Corporate Learning, the Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Greenville Branch of the Small Business Development Center will also relocate, making the ONE Building a locus of business and entrepreneurial education. The total gift-in-kind includes 70,000 square feet, which will double the university’s space for those activities. It includes floors five, six, seven and eight and ground-floor space for a welcome center. The renovations are expected to be completed in December, with all of the units moved in and ready to open for the spring semester 2014 in January. Greg Pickett, associate dean of
the College of Business and Behavioral Science and director of the MBA program and Spiro Institute, said the move will bring between 400 and 420 new students downtown, and about 35 staff. Many of the students are expected to be living in the Greenville area, as has been the trend since Clemson began
moving business education to Greenville in 2010. Pickett said Clemson had been looking at various sites for more than a year. “The location and layout of the building are inviting in and of themselves, but it’s the technology and cutting-edge classroom spaces that will have the biggest impact for our students,” Spiro said in a statement. These include cutting-edge distance education and teleconferencing spaces, and classrooms outfitted with “technology pods” to facilitate collaboration. Ten dedicated classrooms will be designed so that they can be broken up into more spaces when needed. There will also be an incubator space intended for start-
ups coming out of the MBA program. Though many students already live in Greenville, their increased presence downtown could also have a positive influence on residential real estate in the downtown area. “Just as the advent of the medical school here in Greenville has galvanized the investor/rental market within shouting distance of the hospital system, the added influx of Clemson students, particularly graduate students, will further stimulate that corner of the market,” said Joan Herlong, owner of AugustaRoad.com Realty. “From the seller’s standpoint, it should create a positive ripple effect, which is a welcome change from the grim market that is finally mostly in our rear-view mirrors.”
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DID YOUR MORNING COFFEE DO MORE THAN WAKE YOU UP?
Photo by Gerry Pate
UBJ This Week
Spartanburg CEO Named SC Economic Development Ambassador By Shandi Stevenson | contributor
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jack mcbride, founder and ceo of Contec Inc., has been named South Carolina Economic Development Ambassador for Spartanburg County. McBride was one of 47 honorees at a recent awards ceremony timed to coincide with South Carolina’s Industry Appreciation Week. Gov. Nikki Haley spoke at the event, now in its 22nd year, and presented the awards. McBride founded Contec in 1986, after working at Milliken. The company, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, manufactures cleaning products for high-tech applications, and for client companies including BMW and Boeing. McBride also serves on the board of the Mary Black Foundation and other local organizations, and supports the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to foster entrepreneurship and business development. Carter Smith, executive vice president of the Economic Futures Group affiliated with the Spartan-
6 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
burg Area Chamber of Commerce, selected McBride for the award. Smith says the award is “a great tool that we have” to highlight the contributions of individuals to the business community, and to recognize those in the private sector who go the extra mile in promoting and supporting business development. Each South Carolina county nominates a recipient of the award every year. The program is an opportunity to publicly acknowledge the contributions of private sector business and industry leaders, says Alex Clark, deputy director of marketing and communications at the S.C. Department of Commerce, and to educate the public about the importance of business and industry to South Carolina, and to the local community. McBride believes the Upstate “is a great business environment,” especially because of its investments in infrastructure and education, and because of its strong and diverse manufacturing base and a
culture of entrepreneurialism. “Big companies need to be serviced,” he points out, so a strong manufacturing base in an area is one of the things that can tempt new companies to move in. McBride believes one of the Upstate’s most valuable investments has been in its technical schools, and in programs promoting trade skills. McBride estimates that in the Greenville and Spartanburg area there are between 5,000 and 6,000 manufacturing jobs going unfilled due to a lack of skilled workers. Reaching out to young people and promoting training in trades is key to the area’s future growth, he believes. McBride’s goals for his own company include expanding further into products for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. McBride is supporting the Iron Yard LLC program to foster entrepreneurship, and the Center for Business and Entrepreneurial Development startup incubation program.
Field Pleads Guilty to 14 Counts By Charles Sowell | staff
former investment firm manager Arthur Field pleaded guilty Monday to 14 counts of criminal conduct related to his business, Easley-based Capital Investment Funding, the state Attorney General’s office said Tuesday. Search crime reports Under the plea, Field admitted to all of the charges against him – 11 counts of securities fraud, two of conspiracy and one of forgery. Field faces up to 23 years in prison, Mark Powell, a spokesman for the attorney general, said. Under the plea deal, the sentence given on the securities fraud counts will be run concurrently, thereby reducing his potential prison time. It will be up to the discretion of the sentencing judge whether the sentences for the conspiracy and forgery counts are consecutive or concurrent, court records show. Field remains free on bond. Circuit Court Judge Cordell Maddox deferred sentencing. The indictment alleged that Field and co-defendant Fredrick Scott Pfeiffer, a Greenville attorney, hid Field’s true business interests in various entities from investors, his partners, the South Carolina Securities Division and others, according to court documents. Pfeiffer is to be tried at a later date, Powell said. Powell said the plea deal is contingent on Field’s cooperation with investigators in determining what happened to the money he took from investors. According to court records, a judge approved a mediated settlement agreement where Field’s company acknowledged a judgment of nearly $38.5 million to hundreds
of note holders. Field also agreed to resign as the firm’s manager. Field was indicted by a state grand jury last year on charges related to the business activities of CIF, which sold promissory notes to investors, the indictment said. Field’s company was formed in 1999. It made more than $105 million in loans to commercial borrowers, Field said in 2008. Court documents show that in that year, in anticipation of a recession, CIF’s directors declared they were shutting down. Later in 2008, the Attorney General’s office asked the State Law Enforcement Division to open a criminal investigation into CIF, saying “potential criminal conduct” occurred in several South Carolina counties and in Bergen County, N.J. In 2006, CIF offered $50 million in senior notes to the public; CIF officials said the company and its re-lenders made short-term commercial loans over one to three years, primarily in the state. Those loans, CIF officials said in their prospectus, generally were secured by mortgages on commercial property.
Arthur Field
Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@communityjournals.com.
May 10, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 7
UBJ Digital Maven
By LAURA HAIGHT
Security, Privacy, Technology The digital version of rock, paper, scissors technology in the news recently raises a lot of questions about privacy and whether we can hold on to our right to it. Does technology trump privacy? Or convenience beat down security? It’s the digital version of rock, paper, scissors. Hey, this is a private call!: Maybe not. After the Boston bombing, we learned that information about our cellphone calls, text messages and voicemails exists in some deep digital vault somewhere, waiting for a federal warrant to bring them to life. No, they aren’t recording your calls, but carriers capture and keep information on every call, including your location, the cellphone towers you connected to, the number you called, the date and time you called and the duration of the call. The American Civil Liberties Union has compiled information on the information that is retained by each of the six major US carriers (goo.gl/FXhfv). Can you really get closer to your smartphone? Sure, you can wear it: The next Under Armour workout shirt you buy may have an app built into it. The company’s new Armour39 biometric band will track your workout stats. It’s just the first step in a move toward wearable technology – the Next Big Thing. Cool, right? Yes, but as with all things digital, there’s a growing privacy concern. As businesses, there’s nothing more valuable to us than data. And wearable tech provides a wealth of
it. The fitness band you wear 24-7 to track your workouts, steps and calories burned, is gathering data on when you sleep, what you eat, where you are, whether your heart rate is up or your blood pressure spikes. These data points can tell marketers a lot about your health and your habits. Through the looking glass – with Google: One of the most intriguing new wearable tech products is Google Glass, a headset with an embedded wearable computer that responds to your voice and interacts visually and audibly with you and others.
Of course, Google Glass is prohibitively expensive and right now only pre-registered beta testers willing to drop a cool $1,500 per pair have them. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt announced recently that open sales would begin in 2014. He wouldn’t spill on a price tag. Is Glass going to be a gamechanger or a white elephant? Who knows? There are already some outstanding examples of its potential (goo.gl/Jc7f1) like the high school physics teacher who takes a class of kids on a bicycle tour of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland through his eyes. A marketer’s dream come true: A blog post this week in AdAge (goo.gl/Xd94S) talked about the marketing opportunities inherent in the coming age of wearable technology. The writer notes that it is too soon to tell whether any of these new concepts will be
game-changers. But he correctly sees the real opportunity and – at the same time – the real problem: The future of computing is generating billions of data points gathered through the ubiquitous tech we use every day. The companies that win will be those that leverage this information, connecting the dots to create pictures of consumer behavior and to customize marketing and product information tailored to each individual consumer. But while you might love the convenience and the opportunities you get with each new technological stride, know that each step leaves your privacy just a little further behind – and there’s no rear-view on Google Glass. Got a question about this or any other tech topic? Go to facebook. com/thedigitalmaven and post it for discussion.
RETENTION PERIODS OF MAJOR CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDERS Data gathered by the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, U.S. Department of Justice SPRINT
NEXTEL
VIRGIN MOBILE
Depends on length of service
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Pre-paid: 2 years; post-paid: 5 years
Pre-paid: varies; post-paid: 5-7 years
18-24 months
18-24 months
2 years
Pre-paid: 2 years; post-paid: 5 years
Post-paid: 5-7 years
18 months (depends on device)
18 months (depends on device)
60-90 days
VERIZON
T-MOBILE
Subscriber Information
Post-paid 3-5 years
5 years
Call Detail Records
1 rolling year
Text Message Detail
1 rolling year
For more, visit goo.gl/FXhfv
AT&T/ CINGULAR
Source: American Civil Liberties Union
Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (portfoliosc.com), a communications company based in Greenville that leverages the power of technology and digital media to communicate effectively with clients, customers and your staff. She is a former IT executive, journalist and newspaper editor.
8 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL May 10, 2013
UBJ Statehouse Report
By ANDY BRACK
South Carolina May Get More Angels it looks like south carolina’s going to get more angels soon – angel investors, that is. The House and Senate this year have approved virtually identical bills that would provide a 35 percent income tax credit to home-grown investors who provide capital to support business startups. Typically, this “angel funding” ranges from $100,000 to $500,000 for new businesses that are more than just a idea and need a nudge in funding to make a proven product or service successful by focusing on sales, production or marketing. “This bill will have two major impacts on South Carolina’s economy,” said Gavin M. McCulley, a Charleston investor who is bringing peers together as a group to take stakes in South Carolina startups. “First, investors are incentivized to put their capital to work in the
ventures that have some risk, more South Carolina businesses – often ignored by Silicon Valley venture capitalists and big investment – could grow beyond the concept stage into real job producers here. The state Senate passed its version [S. 262] of the “High Growth Small Business Job Creation Act” in March by a 39-4 vote. The House voted 96-10 on April 25 to approve its version [H. 3505 ]. Both bills now are in each chamber’s finance-related committees. Because they’re so similar – the Senate bill has two extra reporting requirements on how many investors take the tax credits annually – it’s very likely they’ll pass after being a dream for a few years. In 2011 when the House passed an angel investment bill that didn’t make its way through the legislative process, House Speaker Bobby
“This effort keeps talent and capital right here in South Carolina.” Charleston investor Gavin M. McCulley
startup business space and second, businesses are encouraged to start their job-producing, economystimulating, fast-growing companies here in South Carolina. “This effort keeps talent and capital right here in South Carolina.” In legislative parlance, angel investors are helpful because they encourage development of “early stage, high-growth, job-creating businesses” that “expand the economy of this state by enlarging its base of wealth-creating businesses.” In regular-guy language, that means by giving tax credits to wealthier people to invest in new
Harrell noted the critical role played by entrepreneurs to expand and create jobs in the Palmetto State. “This bill gives South Carolinians an opportunity and incentive to invest in our state’s economy,” he said, adding that the proposal was the brainchild of the late S.C. Rep. Bill Wylie of Greenville. “Adding to our state’s strong pro-business reputation, this measure will make South Carolina a more attractive destination for the type of innovative private sector investment our economy needs to grow and prosper.” Eric Dobson, a former Charleston resident who took a shipping tech-
GO FIGURE AMOUNT INVESTED BY ANGEL INVESTORS IN 2010
$20.1 BILLION COMPANIES THAT RECEIVED AN ANGEL INVESTMENT IN 2010
nology business from startup until it was sold to a larger company, now works as chief financial analyst with Angel Capital Group. It reviews angel projects and presents good ones to its new network of investors, each of whom will bet at least $10,000 each a year on different deals. “If you think of the economy as a ‘food chain,’ the entrepreneurs are the plankton, or the root, of the food chain. They are consumed by bigger fish, who are consumed by bigger fish, and so on, ad infinitum. Angels are the nutrients in the water that give the plankton life. “Angels fund 90 percent of startups,” he continued, referring to the 30,000 deals a year in which angels invest. “Without angels, our economy would collapse. And some of those startup companies go on to become Google or Facebook and other companies. This is only possible through angel investors taking calculated risks for great rewards.” Dobson said that to encourage more recovery in the economy, the country – and South Carolina – has to accelerate the rate of business startups to create more future jobs. Yes, some will fail. But without entrepreneurs having capital to take the risk, no new jobs will be created. “Angel groups simultaneously provide the accelerant for small businesses to grow and create wealth for the entrepreneurs and angels. Angel capital is consistently one of the best performing asset
61,900
AVERAGE CAPITAL RAISED BY U.S. COMPANIES IN 2010
$324,000
AVERAGE STAGE OF COMPANY RECEIVING INVESTMENT
Seed/Startup
Expansion
Early Stage
Later Stage
39.2% 18.5% 40%
2.3%
ANGEL INVESTMENTS BY MARKET SHARE
Healthcare/ Medical
Industrial/ Energy
Software
Retail
30%
8%
16%
5%
Biotech
IT Services
15%
5%
SOURCE: Center for Venture Research, US Small Business Administration, Angel Resource Institute, Angel Capital Education Foundation
classes in the market, regularly outperforming the S&P 500 by a factor of two to three times.”
Andy Brack, publisher of Statehouse Report, provides weekly commentary. Reach him directly at brack@statehousereport.com.
May 10, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 9
UBJ Create. Innovate. Celebrate.
By J.B. HOLEMAN
Is Angel Investing Right for You? are you interested in adding a little financial excitement to your life? All of us seek a diversified investment portfolio. Many experts will say asset allocation is the key to long-term financial success. One asset class that could contribute to portfolio diversification might be “high-growth startup companies.” Those are exactly the types of companies that angels invest in. Every investment involves a degree of risk. Prior to investing, most of us go though some degree of risk/reward analysis. Some do it thoroughly; others much less so. Some are totally risk-averse, while others can tolerate a little more risk if the reward seems worth it. Angel investing is not for the first category, but it may be ideal for the latter. Risk in high-growth startup investments can be significantly reduced by the performance of properly focused due diligence. Due diligence for a startup company is not the same as for an established company. Companies that have been around for a while will have an abundance of actual data (financial statements, contracts, etc). There are also hundreds of books with recommended metrics, plus thousands of financial professionals to help you conduct diligence for those companies. That same type of support for evaluating startups is much more limited. So, What Do You Do? Before I heard about angel groups, I tried to perform my own due diligence. Prior to retiring I had been fairly successful in large engineering and construction businesses. Therefore, I thought with time and in-depth research, I could
do it myself. Now, 10 years later, I clearly see the significant limitations of that approach. Initially I did invest fairly significantly in two high-growth startups – one in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and the other in North Charleston. As of today, one is bankrupt and the other is teetering. I found it stimulating being involved with these types of companies. However, there had to be a better way to evaluate their worth. The director of Clemson’s Spiro
Institute suggested I check out various angel investment groups. I visited groups in Atlanta, Charleston, Asheville and Charlotte. At the time, the Charleston Angel Partners (CHAP) was the only angel group in South Carolina. All of them had pros and cons, but I eventually joined CHAP. The experience was invaluable. Not only did they screen each deal before it reached the full membership, their process for organizing and conducting diligence was excellent. Rather than limiting the due diligence to a single person’s expe-
rience, they put together a team with the appropriate experiences (operations, marketing, financial, intellectual property, etc.) to specifically focus on startups. Also, by this time, the selected CHAP members had learned what to look for in a startup versus a more established company. Branching Out to the Upstate Throughout my years with CHAP, I was frequently asked why we didn’t we have an angel group in the
Upstate, especially with all the entrepreneurial activity going on here. Through a startup opportunity originally presented to CHAP, but based in Greenville, I met Tim Reed. Tim had just led a group of investors to invest more in that Greenville startup than CHAP had invested in its history. After an introductory meeting where Tim discussed processes and goals, we decided to see if we could create enough interest to form an angel group in the Upstate. With tremendous support from the Greenville Chamber, we con-
ducted a series of meetings over the next few months. We had over 700 people attend one or more of those meetings. Based on that response, we started down the organizational path to begin the Upstate Carolina Angel Network (UCAN). One of our first decisions was to select Matt Dunbar as our managing director. Since then, UCAN has invested more than $7 million in 26 companies. Our first liquidity event in 2011 yielded a 2,200 percent return. Today, UCAN is alive and well. We are always there to support and educate accredited investors who may have an interest in this type of investment. So, Is Angel Investing Right for You? The answer may be “yes” if: • You want to play an active role in growing a regionally based high-growth startup. • You want to learn how to conduct due diligence for this particular asset class. • You want to be part of the community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. • You want to mingle and socialize with folks that have that same interest and passion. • You want to add a degree of excitement to your financial life. If you would like to learn more about UCAN and angel investing, please visit upstateangels.org or contact Matt Dunbar at matt@upstateangels.org.
J.B. Holeman, co-founder of UCAN, has been investing in high-growth startup companies since 2002. He currently owns a Greenville-based startup, Oversight Inc, which offers a Web-based service that enables clients to record, store and report the date, time and location where critical activities took place.
10 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL May 10, 2013
DISCOVER
INNOVATE
DEVELOP
ENGAGE
CREATE This year, breaks on the main stage aren’t breaks from the action. Come to InnoVenture booth 309 between speakers to hear the Entrepreneurs of the Clemson MBAe program share their ideas. InnoVenture Conference ∙ May 8 & 9 ∙ TD Center Clemson.edu/mba ∙ Now accepting applications for summer and fall!
UBJ This Week The Spartanburg Chamber’s Blue Wave team brought in over 100 new members during a recent membership drive.
BY THE NUMBERS 206
new members for the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce
1,150
member businesses after the drive
1,100
new jobs that the Chamber helped create last year
$1 BILLION
new investment the Chamber helped attract
$1newMILLION A DAY investment from
Membership Record for Spartanburg Chamber By Jenny Munro | contributor
in just three days, the spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce added 206 new members, increasing its membership to 1,150 businesses. More than 175 Chamber members made up seven recruitment teams, with a friendly competition to win the membership drive, said Meric Gambel, director of the Chamber’s business development. These teams called “folks that they know, that they do business with” to ask them to become Chamber members. “The Blue Wave team dominated,” he said, bringing in more than 100 new members. Sue Schneider, general manager of Spartanburg Water, chaired the team. Other chairs included Doug Moyer, CEO, Mary Black Hospital; John Miller, CEO, Denny’s; Foster Chapman, president of Johnson Development Associates; Russ Weber, president
of Integral Solutions; Steve Wunder, president of Duer Carolina Coil; and Charles Scales, president of GOS. The event in mid-April, organized by Jimmy Cusano and Your Chamber Connection, was the first time The Spartanburg Chamber has held a membership drive over such a short period of time. Also, the Chamber now holds the state record for revenue earned through a membership event. “This approach has left everybody energized,” Gamble said. “The Chamber of Commerce is the business community in Spartanburg,” Cusano said, making membership important to area businesses. Recruiting new members, however, means providing a return on their investment, Gambel said. “Gone are the days when people join just because it’s a good thing to do. Now it’s important to provide a return.”
12 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL May 10, 2013
Members gain generally through the Chamber’s economic development efforts as well as its entrepreneurial programs and its work to develop the Spartanburg workforce, he said. Finding the talent needed to fill positions “is something that keeps employers up at night,” he said. The Chamber continually works to shrink the skills gap between people seeking work and employers seeking workers. The Chamber, through the Spartanburg Economic Futures Group, aided in the creation of 1,100 new
“The Chamber of Commerce is the business community in Spartanburg.” Jimmy Cusano
relocations and expansions in Spartanburg County over the past three years
jobs and $1 billion in new investment last year. Over the past three years, more than $1 million a day in new investment has come from relocations and expansions in Spartanburg County. Members also gain through educational, sales, leadership and networking events. They save through purchasing programs. Members saved more than $52,000 on office supplies, printing and furniture through a partnership purchasing program. They also saved more than $500,000 in health insurance premiums through the Chamber’s Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan. That plan equates to an average savings of $10,000 per member and more than $1,000 per employee. “This event is a demonstration of the strength of the Chamber’s programming and the desire of companies from the Upstate and beyond to be a part of a dynamic business association,” said David Cordeau, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Chamber.
Contact Jenny Munro at jmunro@communityjournals.com.
Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com.
‘Pint Bill’ Could Expand Brewers’ Business By April A. Morris | staff
2014 E350 Sedan
from the brewery for off-premises consumption only. A sticking point for brewers is a requirement of maintaining a liability insurance policy for at least $1 million per occurrence and $10 million in the aggregate. Andrew Watts, who will open Quest Brewing in Greenville this summer, supports the bill, but thinks the insurance restriction is unfair. “There is no liability requirement for bars and restaurants that can sell as much beer as they like, but there’s a limit if we want to sell our own product,” he said. He added that he understands the motivation to have the insurance, which stems from concerns of MADD and law enforcement.
The bill outlines that breweries have to devise a system to monitor the number and types of beer sampled, including having proper training for servers. For beers with an 8-percent alcohol content or higher, the bill limits breweries to selling no more than 16 ounces to consumers for on-premises consumption within a 24-hour period. If passed, the bill could really boost the local economy and tourism, said Watts. Visitors could take a “brews cruise” like the ones in Asheville, stopping in to visit Quest, Thomas Creek and R.J. Rockers, among others, he said. Quest is not considering a restaurant like some breweries in the West, but plans to coincide visits with local food trucks with their
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a bill changing the way that breweries are allowed to offer their product on-site could change the way they engage customers. Passed in the S.C. House in March and moving into the Senate in April, the bill, called the “pint bill” by brewers, would strike the provision that breweries can only serve 2- or 4-ounce samples during tours and allow them to offer up to 16-ounce samples. It also would allow breweries to sell up to 48 ounces for on-premises consumption in a 24-hour period, according to the Senate version. The regulation of the smaller samples is removed, but if the brewery offers them, they count towards the daily total. The bill still requires the beer to be sold in conjunction with a tour. Since a law change in 2010, breweries have been allowed to sell their product
tours to offer food along with their craft brew, he said. Watts said he had heard that some large breweries with production in the western U.S. were looking at building additional breweries in the Upstate because shipping across the country had become so expensive. He noted that New Belgium and Sierra Nevada breweries had announced plans to construct facilities in Asheville and Mills River, N.C., respectively. He added that the large breweries would not consider establishing operations in South Carolina until the pint bill passed. The bill essentially gives brewers “a chance at direct marketing,” said Watts, and control over their product’s quality without having to go through a distributor. Initially there were three senators who objected to the bill, but now Upstate senator Mike Fair is the remaining objector. Fair’s action stalls the bill, as those bills without objections are debated before those with objections. Fair was not available for comment before press time. Watts, who is looking to officially open Quest Brewing in June, was not anticipating the timing of the bill, but if it passes in this summer, “it would be wonderful for us.”
UBJ This Week
$2.2M Settlement for Inland Port Site with a $2.2 million settlement with Nordic Cold Storage, a major obstacle to the S.C. Ports Authority’s construction of an inland port in Greer has been removed. On Tuesday, the SCPA board approved the settlement to purchase Nordic’s lease on a cold storage facility located on the site of the inland port. The SCPA will also spend an additional $1.2 million to purchase the 11 years remaining on Nordic’s 40-year lease, originally signed in 1983. The Ports Authority had been pursuing a condemnation action against the Nordic warehouse, prompting
Nordic to sue the Ports Authority, the Greenville News reported. Ports Authority CEO Jim Newsome told the media that, in November 2012, during the design and planning of the inland port, they had offered Nordic a little more than the $900,000 at which the property was appraised. The inland port will have 552 slots for containers on 40 developed acres. The SCPA estimates the initial capacity will be around 40,000 containers annually with potential to handle as many as 100,000 in five years, taking 40,000 trucks off the highway.
Spartanburg EFG, Upstate SC Alliance ‘Best to Invest’ the spartanburg economic Futures Group (EFG) and the Upstate SC Alliance were recently recognized as two of the top ten Best to Invest performing economic development groups in the U.S. for 2012 by Site Selection magazine, one of the leading economic development publications worldwide. “We appreciate Site Selection and the recognition of our economic development efforts,” said Russ Weber, chairman of the Spartanburg EFG board of direc-
tors, in a statement. “This award serves as confirmation of the success of our strategic plan, Path to Prosperity. As we continue to implement our strategic plan, I would encourage others to become investors in support of the EFG as we look forward to continued successes in 2013 and beyond.” 2012 was a major year for the EFG, including 14 total committed projects, a capital investment of $1.2 billion and the creation of 1,178 new jobs for Spartanburg County.
Take a look at what’s happening during tournament week. TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE May 16-May 18 . Rounds 1-3 Thornblade Club, Chanticleer & The Reserve at Lake Keowee Sunday, May 19 . Final Round Thornblade Club
BIRDIES FOR BEER presented by Michelob Ultra May 16-May 19 Thornblade Club 9th hole Spectators will enjoy special beverage prices for 10 minutes each time a Web.com Tour pro or amateur contestant makes a birdie on this par 3.
PARTY ON THE PLAZA presented by the Clemson Alumni Association May 17 . 7-10pm . Free public event . Graham Plaza (corner of Main St. & Broad St.) Enjoy a rockin’ good time as you watch live-streaming video of The Celebrity Concert presented by Drive Automotive, which will take place just steps away on the TD Stage at the Peace Center. You may even see a few celebrities arrive to the concert! For more information about this event visit the Special Events page on BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM.
PINK ON THE LINKS . May 18 . All courses MIKE CREERY FIRST TEE LOVE FOR THE GAME JUNIOR GOLF DAY May 18 after the 3rd Round Thornblade Club Practice Range Youth are invited to attend this free event and receive golf tips from Web.com Tour pros while hitting shots at the practice range. Youth will also receive free Chick-fil-A, Pepsi, OOBE t-shirts and more. For additional information about this event, including parking details, visit the Special Events page on BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM.
Wear pink to show support for breast cancer awareness!
Visit BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM to learn about tickets, celebrities, playing opportunities, sponsorships, volunteering, charities, course info and more. To purchase a ticket package for the tournament’s exclusive evening events, contact Mike Ivester at mivester@sccharities.org.
facebook.com/bmwcharityproam . twitter.com/bmwcharityproam . facebook.com/bmwcelebritytracker
Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.
Celebrating With Service LS3P rings in 50th anniversary with Day of Engagement By Leigh Savage | contributor
when architecture firm ls3p considered ways to celebrate its 50th anniversary, staff members quickly decided that a big employee-only party didn’t make sense. “We felt like it was important to give back to the community as a way of saying thanks,” said Dave Benham, principal and head of the worship studio in the firm’s Greenville office. On May 1, more than 200 LS3P employees, including more than 30 in Greenville, held a “Day of Engagement,” heading out into the commu-
nity to read to children in area schools. They read a book written and illustrated by LS3P employees Ronn Shank and Brian Wurst called “Lucas the Beaver: His Big Dream for Himself and Others.” The book was inspired by company founder and chairman emeritus Frank Lucas, long an advocate for community involvement. “We’re thrilled to celebrate this significant milestone and take a moment to reflect on our achievements,” said LS3P chairman, president and CEO Thom Penney. “We’re honored to take this time to reflect and look to our future, while giving back to the community.” The employees read at a range of locations, including Plain Elementary, Bright Horizons Child Development Center, East North Street Academy and Brookwood Church Preschool. After reading,
some sketched buildings on whiteboards or had children share their dream careers and sign T-shirts. Jonathan Edens volunteered to go to Calhoun Academy of the Arts in Anderson, where his wife is a kindergarten teacher, and ended up reading to nine classes of kindergarten and first grade students. “Afterward I was joking that I spoke more that day than I normally speak in a week,” said Edens, who is a project manager. “I can see
why teachers lose their voices.” LS3P has six offices across North and South Carolina. The Greenville office was originally Neal Prince Architects and was founded in 1969, said Benham, who has been with the company for 29 years. He was one of three principal owners when the merger with LS3P occurred almost three years ago. Area LS3P projects include the CU-ICAR Autopark, Sandhill Research and Education Center for Clemson University and the Activities and Youth Ministry Center at Greenville First Baptist Church. The company’s new branding includes the slogan “Engage, Design, Transform,” and Benham hopes the Day of Engagement was just the beginning. “We hope to engage in the community, show them what design is all about, and how to design a life and dream,” he said. “Maybe even transform a life.”
Golf. Celebrities. Parties. Pros. May 16 19 . You can’t miss it.
UBJ Industry
Contact Jenny Munro at jmunro@communityjournals.com.
Left to right: Nicole Fowler, Alston Gore, Brian Boughner, Anthony Mahfood and Joshua Foster.
Seeking Clients With ‘a Great Story’ Parallel Financial Partners puts down roots in the West End By Jenny Munro | contributor
a wealth advisor and a portfolio manager, both Upstate residents, recently opened Parallel Financial Partners in the growing West End district of Greenville at The Old Cotton Warehouse, 511 Rhett St., Suite 2. Co-owners and principals
Anthony Mahfood and Brian Boughner, both of whom previously worked in wealth and asset management at BB&T, began the new venture on
March 8 and are now accepting clients. Their practice offers a variety of financial services to Upstate clients, focusing primarily on investment management, financial planning and creative lending for individuals and businesses. “We don’t impose account minimums because we are more interested in building relationships with folks who have a great story where we can grow along with
Work efficiently, close
deals and conduct meetings in the sophisticated, iPad-ready e-lounge and private offices
Connect in the upscale bar with great city
and mountain views; network with Greenville’s top business professionals
them,” Mahfood said. “Our clients consist of business owners, professionals and retirees.” He said the company was established in Greenville because the local economy has benefitted from the manufacturing resurgence in the Upstate. “We chose the West End for our office because of the vibrant growth and ease of access for our clients.” Also, Greenville is “a
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meetings in our dynamic boardroom with hightech business amenities and signature service
UBJ This Week great place to live and raise a family,” he said. Boughner said Parallel Financial strives to stand apart from its competition. “Many of the large banks and Wall Street firms do not invest their money the same way they advise their clients,” he said. “They tell their clients to buy and hold while they invest their own money through complex strategies resulting in a huge conflict of interest. At Parallel, we actually believe the message we preach to our clients and act accordingly.” Parallel Financial maintains a flexible approach that is easy to adjust based on a client’s goal or on opportunities in the market, he said. Even the company’s name is based on the owners’ strategies that are “aligned directly with our clients’ goals. As those goals shift, we shift along with them. We’re always traveling the same route.” Also, Boughner said, “We don’t earn money from transactions or commissions. We feel that if you’re incentivized on transactions or products, there can be a conflict of interest. Parallel has no financial interests in any products we propose and are not constrained by preestablished models and platforms. “We only earn money on the
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as hard as you work with Club events, parties, and mixers designed to help you kick back and relax
annual management fee which keeps the cost for our clients transparent and easy to understand,” he said. Mahfood is a graduate of John Carroll University and received an MBA from the University of Tennessee. With 15 years’ experience in the financial sector, he has focused on listening and adapting to understand the goals and priorities of his clients and design strategies to achieve their goals. Boughner, a graduate of the Florida State University, holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and the Chartered Market Technician designations. He has built his career on the foundation that managing investment returns well during market downturns ultimately determines long term performance. They are also joined by Alston Gore, portfolio manager; Joshua Foster, CFP, IMBA – advisor; and Nicole Fowler, office manager. Gore and Foster also both previously worked at BB&T. The firm has a combined experience level of more than 75 years in the financial services sector. Parallel Financial partners with Charles Schwab, which serves as custodian for client assets. For more information, visit parallelfinancial.com.
Palmetto Expands Team in New Wealth Management Strategy palmetto financial services, The Palmetto Bank’s trust and investment services division, has added three new members to its wealth management team. The move was part of an expanded wealth management strategy announced late last month, in which the bank contracted with two organizations to manage its trust business and brokerage services, according to a statement from Palmetto. George A. Campbell Jr. will serve as the overall market president. A Greenville resident and graduate of Furman University and the University of Georgia School of Law, Campbell most recently served as assistant solicitor for Greenville and Pickens counties. William J. “Bill” Boswell, who was named chief fiduciary officer, “brings over 40 years of trust and financial services experience to Palmetto,” said the statement. He has served as director of many local organizations, including the March of Dimes, the Greenville Museum Association and the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce. Scott C. Cheney, a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and a current enrollee of the Cannon
Financial Institute trust school, will serve as a trust assistant. “Our desire is to invest in and grow our trust and investment services businesses,” said Samuel L. Erwin, Palmetto Bank president and CEO. “By adding leaders the caliber of George and Bill, we believe we have the team to become the premier provider of trust and investment services in the Upstate.” In late April, the Palmetto Bank entered into an agreement to transfer designated trust-related accounts to Thomasville National Bank, a community bank headquartered in Thomasville, Ga. At the same time, Palmetto entered a marketing agreement with Investment Professionals Inc., a brokerdealer based in San Antonio, through which IPI will provide brokerage services to Palmetto’s clients while Palmetto earns a percentage of the ongoing revenues generated from the existing and new brokerage assets managed by IPI. The account transfer to TNB is expected to close in June 2013, and the agreement with IPI should close in August 2013, said Palmetto.
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Michelin’s
Big Tire gains TracTion Fuel savings, lighter weight encourage truckers to replace two tires with a single X One By Dick HugHes | contributor
18
Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
“this is the best product out there from a fuel conservation standpoint.” Randy CoRnell of Con-Way TruCkload
May 10, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 19
“In 2010, we sold the millionth tire, and we will get to the second million a whole lot faster,” said V.M. “Vic” Koelsch, executive vice president of Michelin North America and chief operating officer of Michelin Americas Truck Tires. While X Ones are “still relatively a small part” of the 18wheeler original equipment and replacement market – and of Michelin’s dual tire production – the adoption rate is accelerating in U.S. trucking, and Michelin is finding new long-haul markets. The biggest gain is in new tractors and trailers built with wheels and axles specifically for one wide tire “as opposed to trying to convert an existing dual-based truck,” he said. Designed in Greenville, where Michelin has North American headquarters, the company started production of its X One in its Spartanburg plant in 2000. It later added production in Whitewater, Nova Scotia. It was a bold innovation, and Michelin was alone for many years as competitors sat back to “see what this is going to do. It is a pretty significant change in the marketplace,” said Koelsch.
rewriting 18-wheeler lore
the technical challenge, along with a considerable marketing one, was to create and sell a tire that would turn the most embedded commercial vehicle in American lore, the 18-wheeler, into the 10-wheeler. “Somebody’s going to have to write a new song about that,” joked Bruce Stockton of Con-Way Freight, according to an account by Today’s Trucking. Con-Way is one of the nation’s 10 largest freight haulers. The idea grew out of Michelin’s pursuit of more environmentally sustainable tires and a culture of innovation when “the economic model was not always clear at the time we were developing it,” Koelsch said. “Michelin has been absolutely manically focused on fuel economy for years and years. We’re in the sixth generation of development of fuel-saving tires.” Fuel savings from the X One come from “having one single tread on the road” as opposed to two, reducing the rolling resistance that accounts for up to 35 percent of fuel consumption.
Michelin’s X One
Michelin’s revolUtionary single wide tire to
replace two on big trucks was slow to win acceptance but is gaining traction as fuel and weight savings, along with new regulations and some problem-solving, overcome the inertia of change.
20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
the environmental protection agency estimates that replacing duals with singles reduces fuel consumption, on average, by 10 percent. Testimonials from truck fleets claim higher savings. A weight savings of 700 pounds per truck comes from having a single wheel and less tire casing. Switching from steel to aluminum wheels in a conversion increases the savings to 1,300 pounds. That means extra revenue for fleets because they can add that much cargo weight and stay within weight limits. In early marketing projections, Koelsch said, “that is something we underestimated.” The X One is gaining momentum from significant federal regulatory rules making now-voluntary higher fuel efficiency standards mandatory in graduated levels in 2014 and 2017. Michelin makes an energy-saving dual certified by EPA as a SmartWay pollution-saving tire meeting 2014 standards, but Koelsch thinks that by 2017 “we may be getting into space where low-energy wide-based singles” will be needed to comply. Even now, he said, “If you want to run trucks in California,”
Photos on this page and previous page provided by Michelin
less weight, More cargo
“in 2010, we sold the millionth tire, and we will get to the second million a whole lot faster.” V.m. “Vic” kOelsch of MIChelIn noRTh aMeRICa
you have to meet the SmartWay efficiency test. (Using energy-saving tires is one of many retrofits freight haulers can make to meet SmartWay certification for “clean, efficient and more sustainable” movement of goods.)
no More liMping to trUCk stop
the fuel economy of the x one was not a lot of help early on when diesel was selling for less than $1.50 a gallon. Today’s price, around $4, gets truckers’ attention. Drivers also were slow to accept one tire rather than two because, if they lost one, they could “keep driving to the travel plaza, grab something to eat and get their tire changed,” Koelsch said. That advantage was negated by a 2010 federal regulation making it illegal to drive on a blown tire. Now drivers have to pull over for emergency tire repair, regardless. “Gone are the days when they allowed you to drive around with the tread flapping and a light out,” said Koelsch. When it was new, X One’s availability on the road was a problem, but today, Koelsch said, “we have it available in every major travel plaza and truck stop along the road. That was a big, big deal.” Another concern was availability for retreading, which truck-
ers routinely do as it is significantly cheaper than buying new.
retreading’s a big deal
“about 40 percent of all tires on the market – it might scare people to know this – have been retreaded multiple times. It is not scary if you know it is very safe,” said Koelsch. He said today “a good number” of Michelin’s dealers are equipped and capable of retreading, a niche he believes Michelin has perfected for all truck tires as the best in the industry. A drawback has been that truckers like to start retreads or new tires on the tractor and rotate tires they take off to the trailer, which means if they put wides on the drive they can’t rotate to the trailer unless all are wides. “It really is a system sale. It has to be on the drive unit and the trailers,” said Koelsch. That’s another reason Michelin is concentrating on original equipment on new rigs.
China’s in, eUrope not so MUCh
michelin is also seeing x one growth beyond semis into such vehicles as metro buses and refuse trucks and in new markets overseas, particularly in China where the government is “even more aggressively focused on CO2 emissions than you see in Europe and North America,” Koelsch said. Michelin, which is based in France, doesn’t see Europe as having much potential because “they don’t have the classic 18-wheleler,” said Koelsch, who spent 10 years in France before being assigned to Greenville. “Their average haul is a fraction of what it is here.” Another sign the wide single has moved from niche to mainstream is the “number of competitors” now making them after leaving the market exclusively to Michelin for the first six or seven years. Despite “significant competition,” Koelsch said, “we still have very compelling market share and surprisingly have not lost much.” Even though the wide-based tire “doesn’t have an enormous market share today” relative to duals, it “secured our position as market leader” and that brings additional business to Michelin, Koelsch concluded.
The X One
by the Numbers 10%
Average fuel savings
115 millioN
Gallons of fuel saved
1.2 millioN
metric tons cO2 kept from environment
30%
less rolling resistance
716 pouNds
Weight saved with steel wheels
1,346 pouNds
With aluminum wheels
72%
Amount transportation uses of all domestic fuel consumption
12%
Amount consumed by heavy-duty trucks
6%
Amount of all u.s. greenhouse gases produced by heavy-duty trucks SourceS: Michelin, Doe and DorT
X One Results tRump tRuckeRs’ skepticism When Con-Way Truckload, a major freight hauler based in Joplin, Mo., became one of the first truckers to replace dual tires with a single widebased one, the reaction of drivers and others was typical. “When you make a change like that, we had a period of time when there was a lot of skepticism,” recalled Randy Cornell, vice president of maintenance, in a telephone interview. he compared it to
his dad’s response decades ago when steel-belted radial tires, also a Michelin innovation in the United States, were introduced as a substitute for biasply tires. “My dad said, ‘I’ll never drive a car with radial tires.’ Today, he wouldn’t even consider driving on metallic ply bias tire.” as a supporter of Michelin’s X one wide-based when it was first introduced 12 years ago, Con-Way
was faced with doubters “who hadn’t even seen the tire” but thought it was “not the right thing to do,” Cornell said. Since their introduction, Con-Way has converted all of its 2,600 tractors and 7,000 of its 8,000 trailers from dual tires to X one wide-based tires. “We have 38,000 of these tires on the ground,” Cornell said. he said most of the conversions of tractors were done as they purchased new tractors
Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.
and the trailer conversions were done as they brought them in for refurbishing. “We have been 100 percent on the truck side for five or six years.” The company recently did an efficiency study and found the wides “met our expectations as far as fuel economy is concerned. We felt like the return on investment was there.” The environmental Protection agency estimates wide-based singles reduce fuel
consumption 10 percent on average over the ubiquitous duals. “anything you can do to save fuel to save the company money, plus reduce carbon emissions, is all a plus,” Cornell said. “This is the best product out there from a fuel conservation standpoint.” Cornell said Michelin’s introduction of a single wide tire to replace two on 18-wheelers as well as on other heavy-duty trucks “was a major
change for the industry. Really, the industry is just now stepping up to the plate.” Cornell said ConWay saw the value in the tire’s durability and safety and in the benefits of fuel savings and pollution reduction from the very beginning. “We were very instrumental in their ability to get on the market. They needed somebody to support them, and we were there to help.” – Dick Hughes
May 10, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21
Jay Orders, left, president of Love My Mattress, and John Renew, chief operating officer.
Mattress Maven Photo by Greg Beckner
Orders branches out with Love My Mattress By LEIGH SAVAGE | contributor
jay orders comes from a long line of entrepreneurs, and after earning a marketing degree at Clemson, he knew he wanted to follow in their footsteps – but in his own way. He still works in sales at Park Place Corp., the mattress manufacturer founded by his great-grandfather, James Bethel Orders, in 1931, and where his father, Jimmy Orders, is president and CEO. But he began forging his own path when he, along with two partners, bought Love My Mattress in 2008. While Park Place specializes in standard mattress sizes, Love My Mattress has zeroed in on a hard-to-find niche: mattresses of non-standard sizes, such as those used in recreational vehicles, campers and boats. As president of the company, Orders plans to combine his longstanding industry relationships, his staff’s attention to detail and his interest in e-commerce to take the business to the next level.
How did you decide to buy love My Mattress? At Park Place, we had an employee who owned Love My Mattress, though it was failing, and we ended up buying it from him. The license was set up, so it was a no-brainer. We redid the website, the marketing, and we saw there was a niche for all of these custom-sized beds you can’t buy in retail stores and that most mattress-makers can’t make.
How does making the custom-sized mattresses differ from what your family creates at park place? Instead of mass-producing, we custom-build each one. We cut the corners, we make them so that they fold in different ways. It’s crazy sizes you can’t get anywhere else. Most mattress manufacturers put out 500 or 1,000 mattresses per day, so they can’t stop and measure everything out and be so specific.
How long does it take to make a custom mattress? From start to finish, it might take an hour and a half. At Park Place they might be able to make them in 15 or 20 minutes.
Do customers buy directly from you? Since we bought the company, a lot of time has been spent figuring out
22 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
how to market it. We originally had good results on Google, and if people looked up RV mattress, we were in the top two or three. But they’ve changed their algorithms and we’ve started to drop. I didn’t have the time to put out fresh content to stay at the top, so lately we’ve changed to a wholesale model. We’ve sought out our competitors that weren’t manufacturers and teamed up with them. Most of our business is now supplying people who used to be our competition. They sell them in e-commerce stores.
Do you work directly with rV manufacturers to supply mattresses? No, all of the manufacturers of RVs and campers put in the cheapest mattresses possible. They use terrible mattresses, so people call us to upgrade.
You bought the business right at the start of the recession. Have you noticed business picking up as the economy improves? I spent a lot of time not making money off of it, but it’s finally started growing and I’ve finally started to take a salary. We are acquiring new customers and had our best year ever. We’ve built trust up, we ship fast, we’re very honest and we take advantage of technology, sending Google docs with tracking numbers within minutes of shipping. We’ve been trying to take advantage of our size (seven employees.) We’re flexible because we are small.
What are your future plans for the company? We’ve gotten started on this wholesale model, so we want to grow that and look for new customers. I also want to spend some money on our website and get back some market share in direct sales. I believe in the e-commerce side of business. It’s incredible what people buy and how much they are spending. That’s where my interest lies, mainly. Also we’re moving into a bigger building in a couple of weeks, almost twice as big, so we will be able to take on more manufacturing.
What is the best advice you’ve been given related to business? Sell yourself. That’s what my dad told me. You have to win over trust and build those relationships solidly for it to work. Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.
PROFILE Photo by Greg Beckner
‘Devoted to Community Improvement’ Bob Morris reflects on philanthropy, banking and the value of a liberal arts education By CHARLES SOWELL Staff Writer
Robert Morris
ROBERT “BOB” MORRIS, 53, HAS BEEN PRESIDENT OF THE Community Foundation of Greenville for 13 years. Born and raised in Burlington, N.C., he attended college at Wake Forest University, graduated in 1982, and went on to attend graduate and law school there. After working in banking for 10 years, Morris went on to become vice president for development of the Community Foundation of the Carolinas in Charlotte before joining CFG – a group devoted to enhancing quality of life in Greenville through grants, collaborations and resource development – in 1999. His biggest project while at CFG was a $1 million gift to the Kroc Center. What did you do after graduation at Wake Forest? I stayed at Wake. If you’ll remember, 1982 wasn’t the best time for a liberal arts major in the job market, so I stayed in school to get some extra training. Stayed and got a law degree and a business degree. When I got out, I went into the trust business. There are a lot of lawyers who are in the trust business. Tell us about your banking career. When I went into banking, it was a great time to be in banking. You could get out of school as a liberal arts major or an art major and they would train you. It would be about a year before you saw a customer.
I think that’s very different from banking today. How did you become involved with the Foundation for the Carolinas? For some reason, when I was at Wake Forest, I got the idea I’d like to work for a foundation. That was in my early 20s. Winston-Salem has several large foundations that are a legacy of the Reynolds family. I tried very hard to get an internship with one, hopefully leading to a job, but it didn’t work out. When I was in banking, they had specialty groups that worked with foundations. So I worked my way into a group like that and eventually called on the Foundation of the Carolinas. When I met the president, I asked him what I needed to do foundation work. He told me I needed to be able to work with wealthy families to create charitable gifts. I told him “that sounds cool” and to keep me in mind if they had an opening. About a year later, he called me. I was there about three and a half years. I wanted to run my own foundation, and Greenville needed a president, so I moved down here. It’s been a good match.
Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@communityjournals.com.
What was the first thing you noticed about Greenville when you moved here? I think the power base is much more diffuse in Greenville. I think, when you look at Spartanburg, you have eight to 10 people who are really involved. When you look at Greenville, we’ve got 60 to 80 people. So we’ve got really healthy enterprises. You’ve got the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce and you’ve got the foundation. We’ve got Upstate Forever, the Nature Conservancy and the Arts Council. You’ve really got a broad base of people who are devoted to community improvement. What’s the first thing you’d tell someone who wanted to get into foundation work? The way I got into it is the way a lot of people get into it, by coming in through the planned giving side. Coming into it by the ability to raise
money. If you can raise money, you can get in. Every nonprofit needs people who can raise money. Do you get involved much with nature preservation? We made a $500,000 grant to the Conestee Foundation. As you know, that’s an environmentally challenged area. And there were a group of individuals and the Conservation Land Bank who made donations to help purchase the land. It’s been a real success story. It has made quite an impressive park within about 10 minutes of downtown Greenville. What’s the one question I haven’t asked that you wish I had? That would be my mentor. I’ve had the privilege of working with some very strong people as board chairs during my time as president. But C. Dan Joyner really stands out. He had the ability to see the opportunity in every challenge and … he gave me the confidence to run the foundation. Whenever something came up, he was always able to say some things and provide some insight that made you see things differently. He was an outstanding man.
“You’ve really got a broad base of people who are devoted to community improvement.” May 10, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 23
UBJ Square Feet
Major NY Project Gives Fluor a Boost this week, construction began on one of the largest infrastructure projects in U.S. history, and Fluor Corporation is playing a major part. The company announced in December that it would be part of the $3.9 billion replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York. The design and building of the bridge is undertaken by Tappan Zee Constructors, a Fluor-led consortium. The project is expected to be finished in early 2018. Fluor said in a statement that Tappan Zee Constructors consists of Fluor Enterprises Inc., American Bridge Company, Granite Construction Northeast Inc., and Traylor Bros. Inc. The overall team included in Fluor’s winning proposal included more than 20 firms, said Keith Sommer, director of sales at Fluor. It’s a significant project for the international company, and the five years from now to completion will be important to sustaining Fluor’s Greenville operations, Sommer said. About 200 Greenville employees in Fluor’s infrastructure division will support the bridge project in roles including procurement, human resources and accounting. Most of the design and construction will be completed in New York. Sommer, who led Fluor’s proposal, said Fluor won the competitive contract by being better, faster and cheaper. “They say you can’t get all three but in this case we got all three,” he said. The New York State Thruway
Photos Provided
By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer
Renderings by Tappan Zee Constructors LLC and HDR Engineering Inc. show what the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement might look like after construction.
Authority, which owns and operates the bridge, had estimated that the project would cost $5.2 billion. Fluor was able to beat competitors such as Bechtel Infrastructure Corp. and Kiewit Infrastructure with advantages including shorter construction time and less dredging, and also a streamlined, lightweight structure, Sommer said. Fluor also has the Left Coast
24 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
Lifter, a custom-built crane designed to erect the San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge project in 2012. It has a lifting capacity of 1750 metric tons, comparable to about 12 Statues of Liberty being lifted at once. “Having that kind of equipment really shortens our construction schedule,” Sommer said. New York publications have reported that the construction is long
overdue. The Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge is the longest bridge in New York State at just over 16,000 feet, about three miles. It connects Rockland County to Westchester County in the Lower Hudson Valley (approximately 25 miles north of midtown Manhattan). It is seven lanes wide and was built in 1955 to accommodate up to 100,000 vehicles a day. Today, the traffic is around 130,000 a day, causing regular traffic jams and delays, and an accident rate twice as high as the rest of the 574-mile thruway, according to an NYSTA website. What’s more, it contains no lanes or shoulders for emergency and disabled vehicles. More photos and project updates are at updates at newnybridge.com.
Contact Jennifer Oladipo at joladipo@communityjournals.com.
Companion at Crescent Pointe NAI Earle Furman’s Multifamily Division recently announced the sale of Companion at Crescent Pointe, a 144-unit apartment complex at 1500 S. Oak St. in Seneca. The Class A property, which was built in 2005, sold for $10,325,000 to a group of investors from California along with a Regional Management Company. The property was 95 percent occupied at the time of sale and sold for an undisclosed CAP rate. Tony Bonitati of NAI Earle Furman represented the seller in the transaction. The property had assumable HUD financing in place. The buyers completed the HUD’s Transfer of Physical Asset (TPA) process, and plans to use the A-7 program to reduce the current interest rate.
Azul Baldwin Park Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc., along with Jefferson Apartment Group, recently started construction on what will be the first apartments delivered in the Orlando area
with LEED certification. The project, entitled Azul, is estimated to be completed in December and will be a boutique, luxury-hotel styled apartment community located in the Baldwin Park community, which is less than 3.25 miles from downtown Orlando, Fla. When completed, Azul Baldwin Park will serve as a model LEED project in the community. To seek certification, the project will include a number of elements relating to the Energy and Atmosphere LEED category. They will use a concrete tile roofing product that contains a high solar reflective index value, which will reduce the overall amount of solar energy the building attracts and absorbs, in turn minimizing the Heat Island Effect. Additionally, the water fixtures throughout the building will use forty percent less water than comparable properties. The Water Efficiency LEED category will also be met through the exclusive use of reclaimed water, or greywater, for landscape irrigation. “Jefferson Apartment Group is proud to be the first developer in the Orlando area to deliver LEED certi-
DEALMAKERS NAI EARLE FURMAN ANNOUNCED: Mike Greer and John Baldwin represented the landlord of 846-A North Hwy. 25 Bypass, Greenville in leasing a 19,000 SF industrial space to United Catalyst Corporation. Ken Anderson, Grice Hunt, and Ford Borders represented the landlord of 4133 S. Church St. Ext., Roebuck in leasing a 19,000 SF industrial space to Atlantic Partner, LLC. Alexi Papapieris, Jon
Good, and Earle Furman represented the landlord of 25 Peden St., Greenville in leasing a 5,000 SF retail space to Bike Street USA. Scott Jones represented the landlord of 44 Parkway Commons Way, Greer in leasing a 1,920 SF office space to Priority Insurance, LLC. Dan Dunn represented the landlord of the Corporate Center at 120 Corporate Dr., Spartanburg in leasing a 23,000 SF industrial space to Steward Plastics, Inc.
Glenn Batson represented the landlord of 2615 Hwy. 153, Piedmont in leasing an 18,360 SF industrial space to Arc Labs, LLC. Stuart Wyeth represented the landlord of Greenville Business Center at 181 Johns Rd., Greer in leasing a 4,766 SF office space in Suite C to the Transportation Security Administration. Stuart Wyeth represented the landlord of Eastside Medical Center at 10 Enterprise Blvd., Greenville in leasing a 1,500 SF medical office space to Stephen P. Schoen, DDS.
Rendering of Azul Baldwin Park
fied apartments,” stated Mike Mulhall, Senior Vice President Managing Partner, Florida. “Azul Baldwin Park will offer the highly-desirable mix of luxury living and exceptional amenities in an energy efficient, environmentally sensitive building.”
Clemson Downs Clemson Downs, Clemson’s only fullservice retirement community, is expanding to include two new residentcentered care units, the first of their kind in the Upstate: a new stand-alone 10,000-square-foot memory care unit and a 20,000-square-foot private Stuart Wyeth, Tyson Smoak, and Ford Borders represented the seller of 410 & 424 E. Washington St., Greenville in selling a 12,528 SF office property on .96 acres in downtown Greenville. Earle Furman, Jon Good, and Alexi Papapieris represented Millennium Investments, LLC in purchasing a 1.09 acre land property at 440 W. Warehouse Ct., Taylors. Peter Couchell represented the seller of 1220 Laurens Rd., Greenville in selling the 7,200 SF retail center.
skilled nursing expansion. Clemson Downs is working with Cornerstone Senior Living LLC of Augusta, Ga., to plan and coordinate the development of the project as well as teaming up with FW Architects Inc. of Florence to provide design services. The project is in the early stages of planning. Clemson Downs expects to file the necessary applications and notices with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) within the next few weeks. Upon approval, financing and construction are anticipated to take place later this year with opening slated for late 2014.
the sale of a 111-acre cattle farm in Starr. Scott Jones represented the seller of 439 Congaree Rd., Greenville in selling the 5,878 SF office property.
Rusty Hamrick represented the seller of 3876 West End Rd., Carlisle in selling the 451-acre land property, which includes approximately one mile of river frontage on the Sandy River and a 4,400 SF hunting lodge.
DEAL of the WEEK REALOP FUNDS LLC, with offices in Greenville and Charleston, recently announced the purchase of a 23,000 SF multi-tenant retail center in Charleston and a 11,300 SF retail center in Kannapolis, N.C. The total investment amount was over $4,000,000. The Charleston property will have Ameris Bank, Jimmy John’s and Lifestyle Lifts as tenants, and the Kannapolis property will have Subway, H&R Block and Crickets. RealOp was represented by a third-party broker in both transactions.
John Powell brokered
May 10, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 25
UBJ Layout
Reedy’s Curves Inspire HSB’s Staircase
one of the first things to catch your eye in law firm Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s new office space in the ONE building on Greenville’s Main Street is the interior staircase. The project was a bit unusual, said architect Wayne H. Camas,
AIA, of Charlotte, N.C. Because the normal core of the office is outside the building, HSB has a larger lobby, he said. A big believer in drawing people to the light, Camas used the floating staircase as part of the experience.
26 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
The curves of the staircase draw visitors’ eyes up, so that they realize there is a second level to the location, guiding them to the receptionist. Camas wanted the staircase to float, a traditionally Southern design note.
Camas graduated from Clemson and knew Greenville in the 1970s. The transformation of downtown and the Reedy River’s connection to the downtown area inspired him to create the stainless steel unit near the staircase.
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May 10, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 27
UBJ Planner FRIDAY MAY 10 CHICK-FIL-A LEADERCAST SIMULCAST Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, 200 Buncombe St., Greenville; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Pinnacle Bank is proud to partner with DeHollander & Janse Financial Group In order to expand the services Pinnacle Bank offers, this partnership will provide extended services to our customers, including: • Wealth Management • Retirement Planning • Insurance • Estate Planning • Tax Strategy • Business Planning DeHollander & Janse is an independent financial firm with a focus on growing, protecting and managing clients’ wealth. As advisors of Commonwealth Financial Network, Rob DeHollander and Roy Janse provide expertise as certified financial plannertm professionals. Their firm helps clients reach their financial goals through knowledgeable and objective advice. DeHollander & Janse prides itself on a client-first philosophy that builds relationships with individuals, just like our community banking belief. Through our partnership, we hope to enhance our customers’ banking experience by joining the expertise of DeHollander & Janse with the products and services Pinnacle Bank already provides. Roy Janse*
David Barnett Jim Stewart
certified financial Pinnacle Bank plannertm professional President & CEO
Rob DeHollander*
Pinnacle Bank Senior certified financial Market Executive plannertm professional
For more information call 864.233.6915 or visit www.PinnacleBankSC.com
Investments offered through Commonwealth Financial Network are not insured by the FDIC; are not insured by any federal government agency; are not a deposit or other obligation of, or guaranteed by, Pinnacle Bank; and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amount invested. *Securities and Advisory Services Offered Through Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/ SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. 3515 Pelham Road, Suite 100, Greenville, SC 29615. (864) 770-0220 Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, certified financial planner™ and CFP® in the U.S.
28 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL May 10, 2013
Program features: Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric; Andy Stanley, best-selling leadership author; Mike Krzyzewski, head men’s basketball coach, Duke University and Team USA; John C. Maxwell, best-selling author and leadership expert; Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State (2005-2009). Cost: $49 per person and includes lunch and refreshments. Tickets must be purchased electronically and in advance. There is free parking on site. For more information and to register, visit bsumc.com, or chick-filaleadercast.com. Contact: Carolyn Tomlinson at leadercast@bsumc.com or 864-232-7341
MICROSOFT OFFICE EXCEL 2010/2007: LEVEL 1 Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 105 North Pine St., Spartanburg; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. This course is designed for students who desire to gain the necessary skills to create, edit, format and print basic Microsoft Office Excel 2010 worksheets. Attendees will need to bring their own laptops with Excel 2010 or 2007 installed Cost: $195 for Spartanburg Chamber members,
$249 for non-members, $169 per student in a group of three or more Register at: spartanburgchamber.com Contact: Meric Gambel at 864-594-5030 or mgambel@spartanburgchamber.com
SATURDAY MAY 11 COMPREHENSIVE SMALL BUSINESS STARTUP Greenville County Library, Hughes Main Branch, 25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville; 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Cost: $59.00, includes materials and lunch For more information: Call 864-271-3638 or visit piedmontscore.org
MONDAY MAY 13 GCS ROUNDTABLE The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m. Speaker: Kyle Pertuis Topic: Executive Coaching: What Is the ROI? Call Golden Career Strategies at 864-5270425 to request an invitation.
MAC USERS GROUP Grace Baptist Church, Choir Room, 5020 Old Spartanburg Road, Taylors; 6:30–8:30 p.m. A devoted group of Mac users who meet once a month to share tips, discuss the latest news and enjoy the company of other Macintosh users.
TUESDAY MAY 14 BUSINESS BEFORE HOURS Commerce Club of Greenville, 55 Beattie Place, Suite 1700; 7:30-9 a.m. Open to Chamber members only Cost: $8.50 for those who pre-register online or $12 at the door. Contact: Dot Drennon at ddrennon@greenvillechamber.org if you are a Commerce Club member, Lorraine Woodward at 864-2393742 otherwise.
SMALL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE (SPARTANBURG SBDC) Spartanburg Library (Headquarters/ Downtown), 151 South Church St., Spartanburg; 9:15 a.m.-noon Topic: Financing Your Small Business Cost: Free Register at: workgroups. clemson.edu/SBDC_ Workshops/form.php Contact: Beth Smith at 864-592-6318 or es2@ clemson.edu
LUNCH AND LEARN Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce/History Center, 102 Depot St., Fountain Inn; 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Speaker: Geneva Anderson, professional speaker and communications coach Topic: Five Myths of Public Speaking Lunch will be provided RSVP to: Yancey Epps at yepps@fountaininnchamber.org or 864770-5407 by May 10.
HANDSHAKES AND HASHBROWNS Wood“ruff” Pet Resort & Spa, 70 Concourse Way, Greer; 8-9 a.m. Cost: Free for Greer Chamber members. Register at: greerchamber.com.
AM THINK TANK Chamber Office, 211 N Main St., Simpsonville; 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Event Description: The purpose of this group is to discuss ideas and challenges you might be having within your own business with other members that might have faced the same circumstances and how they got through it. Bring a beverage and a snack if you like. Cost: Free to attend as part of your Chamber membership. Contact: Becky at 864-963-3781 to RSVP.
employment lawyer, Nexsen Pruet law firm Topic: Adieu, Adios, Ciao, Toodle-oo: When and How to Say “Goodbye” with a Severance Agreement Cost: Free for Spartanburg Chamber members, $25 for non-members. Register at: spartanburgchamber.com Contact: Cindy Teaster at 864-594-5022 or cteaster@spartanburgchamber.com
TECH AFTER FIVE – GREENVILLE Carolina Ale House, 113 South Main St., Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Cost: Free to GSA Technology Council members. Register at: techafterfive.com.
THURSDAY MAY 16 ENTREPRENEURIAL READINESS
SALES U
Simpsonville Chamber of Commerce, 211 N. Main St., Simpsonville; 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Cost: $20. Bring your lunch; dessert provided. Register at: http://scwbc. net/events/upstate/
Attendees may bring their own lunch or purchase a catered lunch from Jason’s Deli for $7.50. Beverages will be provided. Contact: Claudia Wise at 864-239-3728
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 105 North Pine St., Spartanburg; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Speaker: Jennie Cluverius, labor and
Costco, 211 W. Blackstock Road,
Spartanburg; 5:30-7 p.m. Cost: Free to attend Contact: Cindy Teaster at 864-594-5022 or cteaster@spartanburgchamber.com
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Webster UniversityGreenville Metropolitan Campus, 124 Verdae Blvd., Suite 400, Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Cost: Free for Simpsonville Chamber members Contact: Allison McGarity at amcgarity@simpsonvillechamber.com
MOORE SCHOOL UPSTATE ALUMNI – GREENVILLE DRIVE EVENT Fluor Field, 935 S. Main St., Greenville; 6:30-9:30 p.m. Admission: $15 per ticket includes light appetizers. There will be a cash bar stocked with wine, beer, soda and water. Maximum capacity of 50 and for people 21 years old and up. Register at: eventbrite. com and search Upstate Alumni – Greenville Drive Event Contact: alumni@ moore.sc.edu, visit mooreschool.sc.edu, or call 803-777-7602
Successful Relationships My husband had foot surgery two weeks ago. It has been a slow and painful recovery. He did not expect to have so much pain nor did he expect to be out of work so long. The doctor gave him crutches and significant pain meds, but my husband did not ask the right questions and did not get clarity. After his surgery, I spoke to the doctor, but LEE YARBOROUGH only about the surgery, not his recovery. The nurse told us what to do that night, but did not tell us how long the pain would last. Basically, we did not ask the right questions and I feel that the medical staff did not provide enough information. This experience made me think about my own business. A mutual understanding between our team and the client is critical. This starts during the sales process and continues with operations. Our sales team must set the expectations to our clients. Not just the services that we will provide, but also the expectation of a partnership. If my husband had known more about the recovery, he would have been a much better patient. If our clients know the expectations, then our business relationship will be successful. We don’t want to promise the moon and then fall short. Sales people have a responsibility to deliver an honest and fair assessment of our services. Once the sale is made, our operations team must deliver. Communication and cooperation are critical. Listen to your clients’ needs and then deliver your communication through multiple avenues. For example, follow up phone conversations with emails. The doctor may have told my husband what to expect, but written information may have worked better for him. Our team must set the tone of cooperation. In HR, we must work as a team to do what is right for the client. We can provide our expertise, but need the client as a cooperative partner for success. Just like the surgery, the medical staff had the expertise but without communicating effectively to us, we were unable to cooperate and work towards the healthiest result. The moral of this story: create an atmosphere of mutual understanding in business and always accompany your husband to the doctor!
CA L E N DA R
GOT A HOT DATE? Contribute to our Planner by submitting event information for consideration to EVENTS@UPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
669 N. Academy Street, Greenville, SC 864.679.6055 | 800.446.6567 | www.propelhr.com M43A
WEDNESDAY MAY 15
May 10, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 29
UBJ On the Move APPOINTED
HIRED
HIRED
HONORED
HONORED
Stefan Kahl
April Riddle Staggs
John Roskowski
Anne Martin
Chris Manley
Appointed by EnviroPure Systems Inc., a world leader in the development of alternative technologies for organic food waste disposal, as national sales manager. Kahn spent the last nine years at the Atlanta division of U.S. Foods. He has a degree in hotel and restaurant management, as well as more than 25 years of sales management experience.
Joined Greer State Bank as vice president and commercial lender. Staggs brings more than 10 years of business development and customer relationship experience to this position. She earned a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in business from the University of South Carolina Upstate.
Joined High Cotton as the executive sous chef. He began his career in software in Charleston, but was drawn in by the local culinary scene. He has worked at The Ocean Room on Kiawah Island and at the Washington Bistro in Cleveland, Ohio, and helped to open Hodges Downtown, where he was the executive chef.
Named by The American Society of Interior Designers as the national faculty advisor of the year. Martin will be honored at the national ASID conference in Los Angeles in June. Student chapters of ASID from across the country nominated their faculty advisors. Last year, Martin earned honorable mention in the same category.
Cofounder of Greenville Web design and development company Engenius; recently named 2013 South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The award honors an entrepreneur under 30 whose company has experienced outstanding growth and demonstrated considerable innovation and community involvement.
We are now your official dealer of
OPEN HOUSE Friday, May 10 • 6:30 - 8:30
Ride in to see the all new Triumph models! Enjoy food and beverages!
Touring Sport
Where excitement, speed, and adventure are a way of life.
1431 Laurens Rd. Greenville, SC 29607
864-232-2269
M53A
touringsport.com
UTILITIES: Glen McManus, director of operations at Renewable Water Resources (ReWa), was recognized at the South Carolina Environmental Conference (SCEC) with the Arthur Sidney Bedell Award, an award which acknowledges extraordinary personal service to a member association.
FLY
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GRAND PRIZE One Airplane Pilot Training Program Includes all the training, books and exams to qualify someone to get their private pilot’s license. Valued at $8,000!
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RUNNER-UP One Discovery Flight Lesson Includes 45 minutes of ground instruction and a 45 minute flight. Valued at $149!
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GREENVILLE
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greenvilledowntownairport.com/LearnToFlyContest.html
L E A R N T O F LY C O N T E S T NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE
EMAIL *Mail or drop off entry during business hours to:
Airwolf Aviation Services, 100 Tower Dr., Unit 8, Greenville, SC 29607 *Entry must be received by 5pm, 05/18/13. Must live and/or work in Greenville or Spartanburg County. Must be 17 by 05/19/13 and winners, if under age 18, must have signature of parent/legal guardian. Must be US Citizen; weigh less then 250 lbs.; capable of passing a third-class flight physical; & sign liability waiver. If Grand Prize winner is unable to accept prize, offer will default to Runner-Up. Training must be completed by May 19, 2014 with at least one lesson per week. Multiple entries accepted. Winners will be notified on 05/19/13 – International Learn to Fly Day!
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RECRUITING/STAFFING: Human Technologies Inc. recently announced that Sarah Best, Sophia Galvan Dopher, Jill Kozak, Steven Sawyer, Chris Turner, and Kristin Whitehead graduated from its internal leadership development program, Tier II. A program that is unique to HTI, Tier II was developed by company president, Herb Dew. Employees are paired with a mentor within the company to gain knowledge and insight on managementlevel activities.
RETAIL: Best Chevrolet of Easley recently announced that Keith Knoerr has been hired as the new general sales manager. Knoerr has spent more than 13 years in the automotive industry, mainly in Georgia.
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NONPROFIT: Catriona Carlisle has been named executive director of Meals on Wheels of Greenville. Carlisle has served as the director of development for Meals on Wheels for the last four years and has more than 12 years of development and nonprofit experience.
RESTAURANTS: Alexandra Hackett recently returned to High Cotton as restaurant manager. Hackett began at High Cotton in Charleston in 2005 and relocated to Greenville in 2007 to help open High Cotton, but left in 2009 to work for Devereaux’s. While there, she received her accreditation as a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers.
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EDUCATION: Anderson University’s Richard A. Williamson, DMA, professor of music, director of choral activities and coordinator of music theory, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach in Peru during the 2013-2014 academic year. Williamson will teach at the National Conservatory of Music in Lima, Peru from March through June of 2014. Wendy Walden has been promoted to associate vice president of executive affairs at Greenville Technical College. Walden is responsible for fostering
INSURANCE: Northwestern Mutual’s Benjamin A. Worley has been awarded a professional degree in the field of long-term care, Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC). The program is independent of the insurance industry and focuses on providing financial service professionals the tools needed to meet their client’s long-term care needs.
Phillips Staffing recently added Jennifer Carey and Megan Saltmarsh to its team. Carey joins Phillips as a client services representative in the Anderson office. As marketing coordinator, Saltmarsh brings a decade of experience in marketing and communications, much of it in the real estate industry. She will be based out of the firm’s Greenville headquarters.
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CONSTRUCTION/ ENGINEERING: O’Neal Inc. has hired Frank McCormack as business development manager. McCormack has more than 30 years of professional experience in business development of process and industrial services. He has experience with Kimball Midwest and McCarter Electric and most recently Southern Industrial Constructors. He earned a bachelor of science from the University of South Carolina. Masburn Construction project superintendent Drew Coleman has been accredited as LEED AP BD+C (LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction) by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Coleman earned his initial LEED AP accreditation in June 2009.
strong alliances with business, industry and education related to accountability of funding at the state and national level.
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Senior administrator for nursing at Greenville Health System; was recently named by the South Carolina Organization of Nurse Leaders (SCONL) as the 2013 South Carolina Nurse Leader of the Year. Moody has been with GHS since 1996 and has held a number of positions, including clinical nursing supervisor of GHS’ Emergency Trauma Center, director of nursing for medicine/oncology and interim chief nursing officer. She is currently senior administrator for nursing at GHS’ Greenville Memorial Hospital.
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Carol Moody
HONORED
May 10, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 31
UBJ New to the Street
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1. Piedmont Natural Gas recently opened its ninth Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station in Piedmont’s three-state service territory at the company’s Spartanburg Resource Center, 501 West Blackstock Rd. The Spartanburg fueling station is open to commercial fleet vehicles and the general public.
32 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
Photo by Amy Clifton Keely
The Grove at Pennington
Photo by Amy Clifton Keely
Piedmont Natural Gas
The Grove at Pennington
Camp Creek Rd
Hwy 101
Jordan Rd
2 Fews Chapel Rd
2. The Grove at Pennington, located at 4031 Pennington Road in Greer, recently opened. The area’s newest premier events and wedding venue, it has been home to the Osbon family for over 30 years. For more information, visit thegroveatpennington.com.
OFFICE
FLEX SPACE
Jack Snedigar
Broker-in-Charge
Serving Greenville business owners and investors for over 30 years RETAIL
OFFICE INDUSTRIAL RETAIL INVESTMENT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Contact us to discuss your commercial real estate needs
INDUSTRIAL
Visit our properties at:
www.SpectrumCarolinas.com Spectrum Commercial Properties
864.335.3030
135 S. Main St., Suite 800 Greenville, SC 29601
Photo by Amy Clifton Keely
New Life Chiropractic
The Grove at Pennington
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M ap le St
W Georgia Rd
3
t in S Ma NE
e Jones Av
SAME DAY SERVICE WITHOUT BODY SHOP PRICING
BEFORE 3. New Life Chiropractic, located at 227 North Main St. in Simpsonville, recently held their ribbon cutting. Dr. Elliot Hirshorn sees patients Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m.-noon and 2-6 p.m., Tuesday 2-6 p.m., and by appointment only on Friday. For more information, visit renewingfunction.com, call 864-757-8500, or email info@renewingfunction.com.
AFTER
COLORS
est. 1995
700 Woodruff Road, Greenville (Near Beck Academy)
extremecolorsgreenville.com 800.985.1778
May 10, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 33
Got an event you’d like to share? Submit your photos to: events@communityjournals.com
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UBJ Snapshot
p q More than 1,200 Greenville County high school students have taken a pledge to Just Drive. The students pledged to not drive distracted. Recently, Michelin held an event for the students who took the pledge at the Greenville Drive game against the Delmarva Shorebirds at Fluor Field in downtown Greenville. t More than 150 wellness professionals attended the first annual Healthy Workplace Expo at the TD Center. The event was presented by LiveWell Greenville, and included a vendor expo, several educational sessions designed to help organizations start and improve wellness initiatives, and the presentation of the 2013 LiveWell Workplace Awards.
Photo by Julie Turner
34 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 10, 2013
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FROM TOP: Main Street, downtown Greenville, 1899 (Historic photograph available from the Greenville Historical Society); Main Street, downtown Greenville, 2013.
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Photo by Greg Beckner
May 10, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 35
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