June 21, 2013 UBJ

JUNE 21, 2013

Purchasing Power

MIXED REACTION TO NEW UNION LAW PAGE 7 FLUOR LOOKS FOR A FEW GOOD VETS PAGE 12 PR FIRM FOCUSES ON GLOBAL RELATIONS PAGE 14

Business owners in the Upstate are still finding a market for big-ticket items

An oblong table by custom furniture maker Michael McDunn.

Customers for his handmade pieces want to own something unique that can be handed down, he says.

UPSTATE HOME SALES CLIMB IN MAY PAGE 22

Volume II, Issue XXIV

June 21, 2013

Worth repeating “We’re buying a chunk of this guy’s life that he put into this piece.”

an example of the work of custom furniture maker michael mcDunn. customers often save up for his unique heirloom pieces, says mcDunn.

Photo provided

16

Custom furniture maker Michael McDunn, describing his customers’ appreciation for his work.

Word is palmetto bank is going to be expanding in the Greenville market…

Another Quiktrip is expected to open on Butler Road in Mauldin in August…

“We are all indebted to someone who gave us a chance in life. Now be that someone to another person and pay it forward.”

A meat-and-three restaurant is coming soon to the former Arby’s location in Mauldin.

Reportedly, it will be a sarah’s Kitchen previously located on Augusta Road…

Greer Mayor rick Danner on the importance of mentors.

Interviews have begun with companies that could buy the name for the soon-to-be former bi-lo Center…

“Greenville is so hungry to get there, and I love it. I see companies that want to understand it. How do we reach audiences that are different than us?”

Latest word is the opening date for Moe joe Coffee on South Main is early August…

olivia de Castro, founder of A Public Affair PR, on multiculturalism

correction An item in the “On the Move” section in the June 7 UBJ listed a name incorrectly. Nonnie Wright has been named by ProSource of Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg and Hendersonville as showroom manager in Anderson. We apologize for our error.

tba

Verbatim

On our legendary Southern courtesy…

“It seemed as if Southern manners extend to the highways. Drivers would wait patiently behind our group, sometimes as we rode along oblivious to their presence. Once we noticed them, we’d move to the side and try to wave them on. They’d wait. It was almost a politeness standoff.”

Canadian Cycling magazine, which sent a group from Ontario and Quebec to bike around the foothills for a week this spring. Read more at cyclingmagazine.ca.

2 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal June 21, 2013

UBJ News Passerelle Bistro Opens at Falls Park

Photo provided

Louisiana Firm Acquires Trendset afs, a transportation cost management solution company based in Shreveport, La., announced this week that it acquired Greenville-based Trendset Information Systems through a Section 363 bankruptcy transaction.

According to AFS, Trendset will be renamed and reorganized as part of AFS. Trendset, which focused on freight audit and payment, managed more than $10 billion in freight spending in 2012.

The purchase comes just months after Julie Greene Tucker, a former employee of Trendset, was sen-

indoor seating more than they had in the previous restaurant.

The restaurant will be run by Chef Teryi Youngblood, who had previously served as chef of the Overlook Grill. Before that, she had been pastry chef at Soby’s.

Table 301 operates Soby’s, The Lazy Goat, Nose Dive, Devereaux’s, Soby’s on the Side and Table 301 Catering. The company recently announced that Devereaux’s would be closing this fall. Offices are set to fill the space afterward.

tenced in April to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release after embezzling money from the company’s bank accounts.

Tucker’s husband, James Tucker, was also sentenced to eight months of house arrest and five years of probation. Both pleaded guilty in November 2012 to two counts of filing false tax returns and Julie Tucker to one count of wire fraud.

AFS performs specialized consulting and analytics services to increase profitability and efficiency, according to the company. This acquisition will make AFS one of the largest freight payment companies in the U.S. with more than 1,200 clients, according to AFS. The company plans to continue operations in Greenville and “retain the valuable employees who work there,” according to a statement.

Passerelle Chef de Cuisine Teryi Youngblood and sous Chef Drew erickson talk with Table 301 executive Chef Michael Kramer.

© d. yurman 2013

after a soft open monday, the new Passerelle Bistro officially opens today in the park-side space that previously housed the Overlook Grill. The restaurant overlooking Falls Park in downtown Greenville will offer French-inspired fare for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

“Without doing a ton of structural work, they’ve made some pretty significant changes,” said Gina Boulware, spokeswoman for Table 301 Restaurant Group, which owns the restaurant. The space now features an open kitchen with a nine-seat chef’s bar. An awning was added for protected seating outside, and a bathroom was also added inside. Previously, the Overlook Grill had used nearby public bathroom facilities. Boulware said the new design is intended to encourage customers to take advantage of

The Classic®

765 Haywood Road, Greenville 864-297-6458

20250 DY-GeissSons_NLC50.indd 1

6/12/13 2:23 PM

June 21, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 3

UBJ NEWS

80 years of masterpiece artwork on the refrigerator. of the Caine Companies have always known real estate is about more than buying, selling or leasing houses and buildings.

It’s about helping people come home—which we’ve been doing for the past 80 years. Let us help you find your dream home—visit cbcaine.com

4 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL June 21, 2013

Downtown Diners Get a Taste of Honey tupelo honey café opened on June 18 in Greenville on the ground floor of the ONE building next to Anthropologie. The restaurant is the fourth location in the Southeast for the Asheville, N.C.-based chain.

Tupelo Honey’s Greenville location seats approximately 140 and features the restaurant’s signature performance kitchen – which allows patrons to watch their food being cooked – and a full bar called The Pickled Okra. Outdoor patio seating will be available upon completion of Piazza Bergamo.

Tupelo Honey Café is known for New South flavors. Regular table service hours are Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday: 9 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday: 8 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sunday: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. with breakfast available all day. A grab-and-go breakfast option is available 7:30-

9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition, Tupelo Honey Café is supporting Mill Village Farms, an organization in the Upstate that seeks to grow food and jobs. The restaurant is also partnering with eight Greenville County elementary schools to promote healthy eating.

Executive Chef Brian Sonoskus and his culinary educators will visit each school twice in the 2013-2014 school year and incorporate chef demonstrations with the school’s established curriculum to teach thirdgraders math, science, social studies, and health and safety standards.

In addition to the new Greenville location, plans are also underway to open additional Tupelo Honey Cafe locations in Johnson City and Chattanooga, Tenn.

For more information, visit tupelohoneycafe.com.

Rendering provided

The real estate professionals

Cherry Bekaert Hires Mark Cooter cherry bekaert announced last week that Mark Cooter has joined the accounting firm as managing partner of its Upstate practice. He focuses on the tax and growth needs of real estate and construction companies and middle market corporations.

Cooter was previously a shareholder and chair of the real estate team at Elliot Davis. Tim Cherry, a partner with Cherry Bekaert, said the hire is part of a larger restructuring effort the firm began a couple of years ago, moving to a national platform with a focus on middle market companies “The firm then looked at the importance of Greenville as a marketplace and South Carolina as an opportunity,” Cherry said.

Cooter’s areas of expertise include manufacturing and distribution; real estate and construction; and technology and life sciences. His service experience includes complex

tax matters, due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, partnership taxation and growth advice for closely held corporations.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to join a large, national accounting firm with an impressive depth of resources and specialized talent,” Cooter said in a statement.

Cherry Bekaert is one of the largest accounting firms in the United States with 21 offices.

Mark Cooter

Photo provided

Bon Secours Consolidates Financial Services, Adds Jobs bon secours health system will be consolidating some of its patient financial services from locations throughout the country to just two in Greenville and Richmond, Va. Specifically, the billing, followup, credit management and denials management roles will move to the Greenville processing center. That Central Billing Office will be staffed by 130 employees. The company said 70-80 of those positions would be new hires or external candidates. Employees who have been fulfilling these services at other locations were offered the option to move to Greenville.

The move is part of a process of reorganizing the health system’s various revenue-related functions.

RevConnect, as the initiative is branded, will divide local systembased services from shared services.

Patient check-in/check-out, onsite customer service, charge entry, scheduling, registration, point-ofservice collections and financial counseling will remain in the local systems. The processing centers will handle other financial services. Insurance verification, pre-registration, customer service and cash posting will be processed in Richmond.

The planning and implementation processes are expected to occur in 2014.

The nonprofit’s entire system includes 19 acute-care hospitals, 14 home care and hospice services, five nursing care facilities, four assistedliving facilities and a psychiatric hospital. The system includes the Greenville-based Bon Secours St. Francis Health System.

The new facility will be located in the Golden Strip area.

Professional Speak Out

By Anna T. Locke

There’s nothing quite like hearing a group of musicians play completely in sync with one another: each instrumentalist using their unique skill to turn a sheet of black and white notes into a beautiful symphony.

In the accounting world, many companies get by with a single accounting professional to manage their financials. While this solo CFP or CPA may get the job done, they can become so bogged down in income statements and financial reports that they forget to translate this vital financial information into everyday business terms. They forget to relate their findings to the big picture goals of their business.

Oftentimes, a single CPA might provide a heady financial report that might take an average business manager a long time to decipher. Their information could be accurate, but isn’t written in terms of the company’s overall strategy. This is where a team approach comes into play.

Savvy companies realize it takes a team of experienced accountants working in concert with business strategists to go beyond crafting an income statement. These accounting teams are made up of expert accountants who work alongside business owners and executives to provide a holistic view of a company’s financial health in order to map out strategic goals for the future. In this team setting, routine financial reports are completed by professional accountants, then “translated” by business specialists into everyday terms that relate to your company’s goals.

Just as an orchestra features a diverse set of sounds and instruments, a winning accounting team draws from a wide range of skill sets and strengths to bring a would-be lifeless accounting statement to a complete and harmonious financial plan for achieving success.

864.908.3062 • atlocke.com

C53R

June 21, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 5

UBJ News

Spinx to Launch Mobile App

spinx customers will soon be able to complete an entire gasoline transaction using only their mobile phones. The company partnered with Duluth, Ga.-based NCR Corporation to create the ConvenienceGo (C-Go) app and become one of the few convenience stores using mobile payment.

NCR specializes in point-of-sale and other software in industries including banking, travel and retail worldwide. The app will be available at 57 of Spinx’s 69 gas stations and convenience stores in the Carolinas. Forty of them are located in the Upstate.

Jim Weber, chief marketing officer at Spinx, said the process of customizing the C-GO program to fit Spinx’s needs took about six months. In addition to allowing users to complete gasoline transactions on their phones, the app will also be connected to the company’s Spinx Xtras loyalty program, automatically logging purchases. It will replace the plastic key fob normally used by those in the loyalty program.

“Mobile technology is the next frontier in convenience shopping and is enabling today’s consumers to get what they want quickly and easily,” said Jimmy Frangis, NCR’s vice president and general manager of grocery and convenience stores, in a release. “Spinx is at the forefront of mobile shopping with its innova-

6 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal June 21, 2013

tive C-Go deployment. As shoppers embrace the technology, Spinx will be well positioned to reap the benefits of increased shopper loyalty and more repeat visits.”

Indeed, as gas stations move to apps, those with purchasing capabilities are not yet widely in use.

Most apps currently help consumers locate gas stations, and some are tied to loyalty programs. Kangaroo Express, based in Cary, N.C., will soon launch an app specifically for a promotion coming this summer.

The use of mobile point-of-sale (POS) systems is on the rise, though experts say it is largely seen as a complement to traditional registers, only serving as a full replacement in small businesses. The mobile POS market will surpass $2 billion in hardware/software sales in North America in 2013, and 28 percent of North American retailers plan to adopt mobile POS in some form by the end of 2013, according to a report published last month from IHL services, a retail and hospitality research firm.

Spinx’s app could potentially impact sales, though the company says that was not the impetus.

“The program was not developed specifically to garner incremental sales, but rather to add another convenient service for our customers,” Weber said.

But at least one company has shown that a similar app can increase sales.

Cumberland Farms, in Framingham, Mass., recently reported an increase in transaction levels from users and up to an 86 percent retention rate on an app launched in spring of 2012, Mobile Commerce Daily reported in February. Its program has the option of automatically deducting payments from users’ checking accounts. Those who

Photo provided

By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer

Contact Jennifer Oladipo at joladipo@communityjournals.com.

choose that option receive a 10-centper-gallon discount. The company says it is passing on savings from reduced processing costs for the gas station. Cumberland’s app was developed with PayPal. Spinx declined to comment on

whether its app would be similarly linked to bank accounts or give details about other features.

Weber said the company was in the final stages of planning the rollout phase and expects to implement the program in the next few months.

Law Restricts Union Contracts on Public Construction

By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer

unions may find it harder to gain a foothold at statefunded construction sites because of a bill passed by the legislature and signed by the governor this month.

The bill prohibits contractors on government projects from being required to sign PLAs, or project labor agreements. Detractors take issue with such agreements’ common requirement that contractors must recognize a union as the representative of all employees working on a given project, even those who are not union members. They say it discourages competition.

Non-union contractors are not excluded from bidding on the projects, but they would be subject to rules negotiated by a union if union representation is part of the agreement. Other common terms of PLAs include such territory as work hours, wages, and dispute resolution rules. Unions usually agree not to strike or slow down work during the project duration.

Proponents argue that PLAs contribute to a stable work environment and help to address a decline in construction wages.

Various estimates show PLAs can add anywhere from 12-18

percent to project costs.

PLAs are not currently in use in South Carolina, but the bill is a preemptive move, said Doug Carlson, president of Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas.

“This was born of a proactive, aggressive measure on our part,” Carlson said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen five, 10 or 20 years down the road. This is to protect the taxpayers in the future.”

Carlson said the lack of an existing or imminent issue with PLAs was part of the challenge for getting the bill through.

ABC Carolinas is the local chapter of a national group that has challenged PLAs in several states. Carlson stressed that the bill is “not so much an anti-union bill as what we call an open competition bill.”

Sixteen other states have passed similar laws. About a dozen of those occurred within the last two years. They are all in the South, Midwest and Mountain areas of the country.

The group has helped move a similar bill through the North Carolina House of Representatives; that bill was set to move to the Senate this week.

Bon SecourS expreSS care iS noW open! doWntoWn greenville | 864-241-5199 75 eaSt McBee avenue | greenville | 29601 Mon - fri: 8aM - 8pM | Sat: 9aM - 6pM | Sun: 10aM - 6pM

downtown greenville now has access to boardcertified family Medicine physicians 12-hours a day, as well as on the weekend. no appointment necessary.

Simply walk-in or use our call-ahead service to reserve your appointment with one of our Bon Secours Medical group physicians who will assess your needs and conduct tests if needed.

Important: Bon Secours Express Care provides treatment to injuries or conditions that are non-life-threatening. If you have an emergency, call 911 or proceed directly to the emergency room.

June 21, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 7

UBJ DIGITAL MAVEN

By LAURA HAIGHT

Serving Up Hashtags and Other Terms You Should Know There are dictionaries in every language and for hundreds of disciplines – there’s Newton’s Telecom Dictionary, architectural dictionaries and dictionaries for drugs and diseases.

For centuries, we’ve been struggling to understand each other by creating language and the reference to understand it. But language is a living thing and every year new words make it into our reference materials. In 2012, for example, we added sexting and cloud computing, among others.

And yet in the fast-paced world

of social media, the common lexicon remains a mystery to many smallbusiness owners. When confronted with our marketing reports on hashtags, click-thrus, memes, content marketing, meta tagging and taxonomies, you may get that look on your face that your pets have when you talk to them (the quizzical but loyal “I am listening to you, honest” head tilt).

This week, Facebook implemented support for hashtags (#). I see that head tilt again. Actually, it’s a pretty big step that brings rich content searches to Facebook and starts to

Close to Downtown Greenville

Brent Freeman Broker-Associate

Historic Pettigru District

100% Leased Investment Property

Over 30 Years Experience Helping Landlords & Tenants in Upstate South Carolina

OFFICE RETAIL INVESTMENT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Contact Brent to discuss your commercial real estate needs

Spectrum Commercial properties 864.335.3030 135 S. Main St., Suite 800 Greenville, SC 29601 www.spectrumcarolinas.com

8 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL June 21, 2013

make meaningful content connections between Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and other social platforms that support hashtags.

Facebook users will be able to search for and click on hashtags – as represented by the traditional # symbol – to see a stream of images, posts and links all tagged with a given phrase. Aggregators like Flipboard, Storify, paperli and others will be able to pull content from across platforms that match the #.

And your own company’s posts, when using #’s to enable searching and analytic tracking, will be able to be posted to more than one service using an aggregator. Write once, post to many. That was less feasible before since the # really didn’t translate on Facebook.

Of course, hashtags are not the only mystery. Here are a few others to learn so you can wow your social media team.

Content marketing: This is the term of the year. It appears everywhere and is used by everyone, and yet few can really explain it. It’s simple: We used to call this “blogging.” It is the act of creating informative content that provides information to readers while at the same time elevating you – and by extension your company – as an expert.

Blogging, video blogging, mobblog (blogging on a mobile device) and microblogging (posting on Facebook or Twitter) are all content marketing. Note that it is not content marketing if your posts are about this week’s sale or any other naked sales pitch.

Meme: (rhymes with “team”) Originally coined to describe a self-replicating unit,

an Internet meme refers to something such as an idea or concept that has gone viral for no apparent reason being spread from person to person through social, email, or other technologies. A lot of memes are grunge humor or cultural curiosities, but there are deeper ones as well. The Internet, social media and mobile communications have the ability to identify and spread cultural shifts in near-real time.

Squeeze page: While I haven’t heard this term used too much, it describes a common data-capture technique: It’s an intervening Web page where a user is required to submit some information before they are allowed to access additional content. Like giving up your name and email address before you can download a white paper or view a video.

I have actually used this many times, for Portfolio and for clients – I just didn’t know it had a name. I guess we are squeezing information out of people.

Crowdsourcing: Using collective intelligence to gather data, solve a problem or contribute content. This is what news media are doing when they ask people who rescued their pets to contact them to be interviewed for a story. Not to be confused with crowdfunding like Kickstarter that uses small contributions from everyday Joes to fund startup products and businesses.

Twitter-specific: #FF is Follow Friday – the day when your Tweeps massively push out recommendations to their followers. This is one way to get a lot more followers, and you are generally expected to respond in kind.

HT or h/t is the social media equivalent of tipping your hat to someone: A Twitter acknowledgement of a good post or expert info. Handle – c’mon, good buddy, you know this one.

Follow me @portfoliosc – that’s my handle – and don’t forget me on #FF. Got a question or comment about this or any other tech topic? Go to facebook.com/thedigitalmaven and post it for discussion.

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.

A STEP AHEAD It is possible. And it is easier than you think to earn your MBA at Clemson University. With all of Clemson’s MBA courses located at our beautiful downtown Greenville campus, you can take classes full time, attend classes in the evening after work or even explore turning your entrepreneurial spirit into reality in our new blended learning program, beginning Summer 2014.

Clearly, whatever MBA is right for you, there’s one best place to earn an MBA your way. Clemson.

Now accepting applications for full- and part-time programs. clemson.edu/mba ∙ 864-656-8173

UBJ INNOVATE

No Toga Required InnoVision Forums address a variety of issues impacting the future of technology, business, and the economy

By Blaine Childress

technical innovation occurs when scientific insights are applied to produce new products, processes or services. It is the intersection of science and commerce. With the exception of universities, nowhere do science, engineering and business converge more frequently than InnoVision Forums. InnoVision Forums provide educational topics and enhance collaboration among individuals, business leaders, educators, and community leaders.

So, what is a Forum?

InnoVision created the Forum series to provide an opportunity for the South Carolina technical business community to assemble and discuss contemporary issues shaping our future. Forums provide busi-

nesses and individuals a no-cost, professional development opportunity to stay informed about leadingedge technology trends, regulatory influences and business methods.

Forums typically feature brief presentations from a cross-functional panel, followed by a collaborative, discussion-friendly environment.

Panels often comprise past InnoVision technology award winners, finalists, sponsors and board members, but more recently have featured technology leaders, educators and invited national experts.

Past InnoVision Forums have included the real-life stories of both accomplishments and failures of inventors and entrepreneurs who have advanced technologies and

By BLAINE CHILDRESS

UPCOMING INNOVISION FORUMS June 19 Rapid Prototyping and 3-D Manufacture

expanded businesses in South Carolina, and featured experts such as Chief Judge James D. Smith of the U.S. Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. Forums truly play an important part of any profession’s continuing education. It is safe to say there is something for everyone. There is no cost to attend, but you must register to attend, as seating is limited.

The following list of Forums provides a sense of the span of subjects that have been addressed: • Innovation in Manufacturing Series 1. Competing in a Global Marketplace 2. Client Centric Manufacturing • Risk Mitigation for Entrepreneurs • RFID Innovations • Enhancing Your Creativity

“With the exception of universities, nowhere do science, engineering and business converge more frequently than InnoVision Forums.”

• Sustainability Practices • Innovation in Business 1. Winning and Keeping Business with an Innovative Workforce 2. Harnessing the Power of Social Media • Computer Hacking Liability: Are You at Risk?

• Advanced and Engineered Materials • Intellectual Property Series 1. What Is IP and Why Protect It? 2. Strategies for Protection 3. Extracting Value From IP • Accelerating Technological Advance with Open Innovation • Driving the Business of Healthcare: BMW’s Innovative Healthcare Facility

Forums have included speakers from Milliken, McNair Law Firm, Immedion, Sealed Air, Michelin North America, Mojoe.net, BMW, TTI Group NA, Greenville Tech, A.T. Locke, MetLife of the Carolinas, Deloitte, Electrolux, OVO Innovation, Clemson University Research Foundation, Nottingham-Spirk, St. Jude Medical, OpTek Systems, Automation Engineering, United Resource Recovery Corporation, Upstate Forever, Furman University, ScanSource and ICON Business Associates.

So, whether you’re interested in professional development, new technology, business practices, marketing strategies, or just an opportunity to interact with some of South Carolina’s game-changers, InnoVision Forums should be on your calendar. And if you have a topic for an upcoming InnoVision Forum please email us at info@ innovisionaward.org.

Blaine Childress is a longtime Advisory Board member of InnoVision Awards. He is the global open innovation manager for Sealed Air Corporation’s R&D Technology Scouting.

Sealed Air Corporation is the sponsor of the InnoVision Awards’ Sustainability Award.

10 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL June 21, 2013

UBJ NEWS

Contact Jennifer Oladipo at joladipo@communityjournals.com.

City Eases Food Truck Rules

FOOD TRUCK RULES FAST FACTS One-year permits now available Ice cream trucks can stop only to make a sale Food trucks can operate between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., with possible extension to 1 a.m.

2014 E350 Sedan

Application requires 10-year background and driving record checks Trucks allowed in areas zoned C1, C2, C3, C4, RDV and S1 City considering designated space Subject to Department of Health rules and inspections Liability insurance, trash can required

That is welcome news to small businesses that have been frustrated or deterred by the rules.

Previously, trucks were only allowed to park in one spot for 30 minutes and forced to wait several hours before returning to that spot.

Owners also needed an individual permit for every location they chose to operate, and were banned from downtown altogether. In effect, food truck owners had been regulated under city

rules for ice cream trucks until the city formulated specific rules to suit this type of business.

The new rules allow truck owners to park on public property if the spot is so designated by the city or approved as part of a special event. On private property, food trucks must remain 250 feet away from brickand-mortar restaurants unless the restaurant owner agrees in writing to closer proximity.

Rules apply to mobile vehicles used for either food preparation, sales, or both, but not conces-

The Look of a Leader Redesigned for 2014

sion-style food trailers that remain in one place. Trucks are still regulated under the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The food truck rules also apply to mobile food markets that sell unprocessed produce.

Greenville’s food truck scene – which now has two trucks in regular operation – is poised to expand.

Henry’s Smokehouse will soon be adding a food truck for events, and Mill Village Farms just launched its Good To Go mobile produce market in partnership with Loaves and Fishes in the Greater Sullivan and West Greenville communities.

CARLTON MOTORCARS

www.CarltonMotorcars.com 864-213-8000 | 800-801-3131 2446 Laurens Road, Greenville, SC 29607

M43A

food truck owners are welcoming the new city ordinance that will simplify food truck operation in Greenville and allow the industry to grow.

The ordinance the City Council approved last week will repeal and replace previous rules for “Mobile Food Vendor Vehicles” in order to bring Greenville up to speed with other communities when it comes to food trucks.

The biggest change is a new permit that provides a windshield decal that is valid for the calendar year.

“Our current ordinances predate the rise in the success of food trucks across the country,” the ordinance says. “Recognizing their popularity, it is important to provide a mechanism that gives reasonable structure to how they and other mobile food vendor vehicles operate in the City of Greenville.”

Photo provided

Photo by Greg Beckner

By Jennifer Oladipo senior business writer

Reaching Out to Vets Fluor gains skilled employees by recruiting former military men and women

By Jenny Munro | contributor

Fluor has hired more than 3,000 veterans over the past five years (all offices including projects) with 9 percent of all full-time Fluor employees being military veterans.

military veterans often have the skills that Fluor looks for in employees – leadership, knowledge of engineering and logistics, ability to work with a diverse group of people, a strong work ethic and the ability to think on their feet.

As far as Fluor’s big objectives go, “the military population is beneficial. They have

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

the experience in logistics that we need,” said Steve Lamb, director of human resources of Fluor Government Group.

The company, a member of the Veterans Employment Advisory Council, is ranked among the top military-friendly employers in several listings.

But many veterans separating from the military have difficulty finding employment, according to “Veterans Employment Challenges,” a report released last year by Prudential. Tens of thousands of young people are searching for new careers, many after returning from multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, employment has not yet picked up to the level it was before the 2007 recession.

About one in five of the veterans surveyed for the report were unemployed but seeking employment.

However, the unemployment rate for veterans as a whole has dropped below the general unemployment rate, although younger military veterans and those with less education face higher unemployment rates.

In May, the unemployment rate for veterans who enlisted after 9/11 was 7.3 percent, down from 7.5 percent in April and 9.2 percent in March. That’s better than the 7.6 percent unemployment rate for the general population.

One reason for the drop, experts said, is the big push over the past several years by the government and private industry to encourage the hiring of veterans.

Another help is the general improve-

Host productive

meetings in our dynamic boardroom with hightech business amenities and signature service

Photo provided

UBJ CAREERS

Contact Jenny Munro at jmunro@communityjournals.com.

Photos provided

ment in the employment sector. But they warn that an influx of younger, perhaps less-educated veterans will be seeking work as the force is drawn down in Afghanistan.

“Veterans offer a unique set of skills, experiences and leadership abilities developed and honed during their years in the military and in the crucible of combat, yet unemployment rates highlight the difficulties returning veterans are facing in their search for new careers,” according to the report.

One major challenge, the report said, is that veterans may have trouble explaining how their military job skills can translate to the civilian workforce. They also are searching for jobs that are meaningful to them.

Fluor’s affinity with veterans is historic, but over the past five years, Fluor has hired more than 3,000 veterans, most of them in the corporation’s Government Division, said Luke Hardaway, a veteran himself and a military recruiter with that group. The company actively seeks veterans in fields such as engineering, logistics, project control, contracts, craft jobs, procurement and safety.

About 9 percent of Fluor’s total workforce is made up of veterans, said Fluor spokesman Brian Mershon,

Play

as hard as you work with Club events, parties, and mixers designed to help you kick back and relax

GO FIGURE

12.1%

of Iraq and Afghanistan vets were unemployed in 2011

64%

of surveyed veterans reported a difficult transition to civilian life

69%

said finding a job was the greatest challenge Luke Hardaway

with about 200 veterans employed in the Greenville operations.

Hardaway said that the majority of employees with a military history have served overseas prior to joining Fluor, “most in a leadership position.” Also, they’ve worked with a diverse group of people, including fellow military, contractors and incountry natives.

Many Fluor employees do the same, most of it in support of Department of Defense projects, particularly with the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, Lamb said. The military experience adds value to customer satisfaction.

Despite the fact that some veter-

Steve Lamb

ans face a difficult time finding employment, Hardaway said many companies actively search for them as employees. He left the military around 2006 and thinks the Department of Defense now “has improved tools needed to aid the transition from the military to the workforce.” Plenty of resources are available to help any veteran who needs help, but sometimes that can be a problem itself – too much choice can create difficulty in figuring out where to go.

Fluor and other companies often work with potential employees during the last year they are serving in the military. Recruiters attend military-oriented job fairs and work with veterans on skills like resume writing and interviewing.

They may also help direct them to other resources.

For the past seven years, GI Jobs

56%

said they felt they were ready to transition to civilian life Source: “Veterans Employment Challenges,” Prudential study

has listed Fluor as among the top 100 military-friendly companies in the United States. CivilianJobs.com considers Fluor a most-valued employer.

The company finds its veteran employees in many ways. Some find their way to Fluor through traditional job fairs or through knowing someone at the company. Fluor holds job fairs on military bases throughout the year. It works through jobs groups such as Military.com and Monster.com with the joint Hiring Our Heroes program. Other smaller programs may also link up with Fluor or other companies seeking veteran employees.

“We use a lot of different tools,” Hardaway said.

Celebrate exciting accomplishments with family, friends or co-workers in your choice of private dining rooms

55 Beattie Place | commerce-club.com | 864.232.5600

A PUBLIC AFFAIR PR FOCUSES ON GREENVILLE AND THE WORLD

BY JENNIFER OLADIPO

14 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL June 21, 2013

Photos Provided

GLOBAL RELATIONS

tHey’re in tHe bUsiness oF HelpinG clients rise above tHe Fray,

but PR firms also need to make a name for themselves in a competitive field. Olivia de Castro started A Public Affair PR four years ago and has made a name for her small company in Miami and then Greenville, including projects for Community Journals. The company also targets Asian and South American markets, and international communities inside the United States. De Castro recently took a moment to tell UBJ part of her own story amid the business of telling so many others.

How many employees do you have in Greenville and Miami?

In Greenville, in addition to myself, I have a killer team of five full-time interns who are studying public relations, business and event management at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

In Miami, I had a full-time employee and a parttime employee and two interns.

As a graduate of Furman University, I’m a big believer in engaged learning and internships.

They learn from me and I learn from them. I feel a huge sense of responsibility to give interns real experiences.

How is your time divided between offices?

Photo provided

In the beginning, it was a lot of back and forth, traveling every couple of weeks. Trying to be in two places at once was a challenge, but I managed to pull it off. With time, I’ve gotten into a rhythm with my clients in Miami. Most of them are international, usually traveling around the world, which has allowed me to concentrate a lot more on the Greenville market in the past year.

Now I go back to Miami every few months to check in. My husband and I call Greenville home and intend to continue living here full-time.

From the way you present yourself and your business, you obviously see multiculturalism as an asset to be touted.

Well, it’s who I am: Cuban, first-generation American. Everyone had a knack for something.

For me, my talent has always been languages and understanding and uniting communities.

“it’s a process, establishing and maintaining real relationships with communities you’ve never interacted with before. it’s so exciting to see the results, the unity. that’s what it’s all about.”

Obviously, in a city like Miami, with such a prevalent mix of communities, it’s easier to connect with specific audiences due to the sheer strength in numbers.

Greenville is so hungry to get there, and I love it. I see companies that want to understand it.

How do we reach audiences that are different than us? I’m blessed to have a real knack for helping companies answer those types of questions. It’s a process, establishing and maintaining real relationships with communities you’ve never interacted with before. It’s so exciting to see the results, the unity. That’s what it’s all about.

Do you find other Upstate companies embracing multiculturalism as a business advantage?

I really do. I see great efforts and, most importantly, successes from organizations like the International Center of the Upstate, the Chamber of Commerce and the corporate leaders like Greenville Health System, Furman University and of course BMW. I could go on and on. It’s growing stronger and stronger and I just want to continue to be a part of it all.

Contact Jennifer Oladipo at joladipo@communityjournals.com.

What are the biggest challenges in pr today?

PR continues to be confused with so many other areas of expertise in the marketing and advertising world. It’s not unusual for people to lump all of the skills together and even ask if we do graphic design work.

Social media obviously has given us the ability to easily reach markets that were so out of touch before. It’s a wonderful thing, really. However, it grows and transforms so fast that it’s difficult to keep up with, especially for clients that are focusing on other priorities. Confusion only leads to misuse. It can be so overwhelming for companies to figure out how to control it all. That’s when it’s best to call us in for support and strategy. We can slow it down and get the root of our goals and go from there.

What’s the next big goal on your company’s to-do list?

To continue to grow our business in Greenville.

There are so many wonderful PR firms in Greenville and many of them led by capable and superb women. We all have our specialties, which is great because it keeps us from stepping on each other’s toes.

I focus on helping companies in the health, private and nonprofit sectors build and maintain community and client relationships. That’s usually through strategic planning, events and communication strategies. I want to help Greenville companies reach those audiences and help them fall in love with one another. My goal hasn’t changed because we aren’t there yet – we’re closer, but we can’t stop here.

June 21, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 15

COVER STORY

Why and how consumers choose to lay down the big bucks

By APRIL A. MORRIS | staff

16 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL June 21, 2013

LEFT: Woodworker michael mcDunn in his Greenville wood shop.

RIGHT: owner/designer Llyn Strong of Llyn Strong Fine art Jewelry.

Fast Fact

Whether it’s a new handbag or new boat, big-ticket purchases fulfill a need.

It could be status, recreation or fashion, but the reasons behind purchasing items beyond the life essentials can be many. So why do consumers spend the big bucks, and how have recent market forces affected buying trends?

also makes layaway agreements on a case-by-case basis, calling it “a good two-way street.” Some clients who just went through the process of building a house initially dismiss the furniture cost after dealing with a string of contractors, he added.

Sweet Emotion

Trends

For jewelry designer and manufacturer Llyn Strong, who draws on 25 years in the business of bling, the purchase of her work is based purely on feeling. “Jewelry is a very emotional purchase, good or bad,” she said. Strong creates custom pieces for both longtime customers and walk-ins.

“I have some men who want to make someone happy and some who just want to give a gift right away,” she said. “People attach so many memories to jewelry. It goes back as far as recorded history.”

Michael McDunn, custom furniture maker for more than three decades, said customers for his handmade pieces want to own something unique that can be handed down.

According to the Luxury Institute’s 2013 State of the Luxury Industry report, consumers with a net worth of at least $5 million say they plan to spend more on travel, dining out and wine while reducing spending on jewelry and handbags. Over the last few years, Strong said she has witnessed some changes, too, including the disappearance of small galleries.

At the height of the downturn, people weren’t spending, she said.

“At first people were scared, they weren’t buying or they wanted to deal,” she said. “The middle has gone away,” she added, and Strong has responded by increasing lowerand higher-end pieces.

McDunn experienced the same effect. “People who could afford it weren’t buying,” he said. These days, customers are looking for higher quality, less quantity: buying smaller homes and filling them with nicer pieces. “People are looking for an heirloom to pass

Photos by Greg Beckner

Sticker Shock For some without a lot of disposable income, attaining a desired bigticket item may take saving or serious consideration. McDunn said that his customers pay up front, but others “save up.” And for a piece that may cost thousands of dollars, there’s a justification process that a customer has to reach, said Strong.

Both Strong’s and McDunn’s customers pay up front or on a credit card. Strong doesn’t extend credit, but will lay away. McDunn

“i don’t have needy customers. i don’t sell needed items.”

Jeweler and designer Llyn Strong on luxury purchases

along to family,” he said.

An Investment Beyond emotion, some buyers wish to purchase as an investment. The Art Investment Council calls the “complex, opaque and unregulated” art market difficult to navigate and recommends getting advice before purchasing. Strong advised that if you invest in precious stones, be prepared to spring for something large and hold on to it for 20 years.

And as far as investing in furniture, it can endure for generations, said McDunn: “It can potentially show up on ‘Antiques Roadshow.’”

Cultivating Relationships Purchasing big items can spring from relationships. According to the Luxury Institute, making the customer feel special and injecting humanity into the experience is essential.

Strong agreed, adding that she consults with customers before beginning a design and offers complimentary beverages. “It’s all about the experience,” she said. “Many of my good friends started out as customers.”

Adding education or a unique experience is also a hallmark of building lasting relationships.

Strong offers gemstone roundtables that allow customers to handle and learn about stones valued from $300 to $500,000.

In the past, McDunn conducted classes, many attended by some customers. Once they learned the process of creating custom furniture, said McDunn, they understood, “We’re buying a chunk of this guy’s life that he put into this piece.”

Llyn Strong once created a commissioned piece for Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan: a charm in the shape of the Indy track that read “speed, luck, health and happiness.”

big ticket items

$256,900 approximate cost of a new 42-foot recreational vehicle with leather furniture, cherry cabinetry, 450-horsepower engine, home theatre and central vacuum.

$250,000 cost of a lana marks cleopatra clutch purse featuring diamonds and gold

$3,178 cost for a night in a suite at Paris’ Shangri-La Hotel

the word HENRYs (High Earnings, Not Rich Yet) those who make $100,000 to $249,999 per year PENTamILLIoNaIRE net worth of $5 million and making at least $200,000 in annual household income SuPER-RIcH net worth of $500 million or more Source: Luxury Institute, Unity Marketing, Forbes

June 21, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 17

UBJ THE TAKEAWAY

By Jennifer Lowe Cobb, Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce

It’s Not Luck, and We Don’t Live in Gurrr Rick Danner: when folks pronounce Greer as “Gurrr” and when the growth and success of Greer is attributed to “sheer luck.” Danner, who is currently serving his fourth term as mayor of the City of Greer, addressed the business community on June 4 at the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce First Friday Luncheon. Danner took to the podium to debunk the myth that the growth and success of Greer is due to little more than the rub of a rabbit’s foot.

In an address filled with humor, insight and plenty of shared life experiences, Mayor Danner challenged the crowd with four tonguein-cheek ways to lead a luckier life.

1. BE PROACTIVE. In the first week of his freshman year at Clemson, Danner and a few of the EVENT: First Friday Luncheon, sponsored by Greenville Health SystemGreer Memorial Hospital, Greer State Bank and Frame Warehouse WHO WAS THERE: Over 160 area business leaders SPEAKER: Rick Danner, Mayor, City of Greer TOPIC: “Horseshoes, Rabbits’ Feet and FourLeaf Clovers: Being Lucky is Hard Work”

guys decided to play basketball where “all the college boys typically play ball… next to the girls’ dormitory.” Eager to score a blind date, Danner contacted a friend from high school who was also a new student at Clemson and implored her to find him a date for the weekend. That persistence and determination not only landed him a date for the weekend, but it was a date with the girl from Greer whom Danner would eventually marry. “If you don’t see an opportunity, be proactive and create one,” states Danner. “We only fail when we don’t try.”

2. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES. Early in his career, Danner was pushed by a business mentor to join the Greater Greer Chamber of

Greer Mayor Rick Danner

Commerce and become immersed into the business community. That same year he was also approached to join the inaugural class of Leadership Greer. Despite a busy career and growing family demands, Danner said that he is grateful that he took advantage of “new and different” opportunities placed in front of him.

3. BRING SPECIFIC PEOPLE INTO YOUR LIFE. Downtown development proponent Peter McCord and former Greer State Bank CEO/President Dennis Hennett were two early mentors in Danner’s life. In fact it was during frequent lunch meetings with McCord and Hennett that the three would discuss various books and life philosophies. It was these two mentors who eventually encouraged Danner to run for mayor of the City of Greer during one of their frequent lunch meetings. Referring to those early

lunch days with McCord and Hennett, Danner said, “We are all indebted to someone who gave us a chance in life. Now be that someone to another person and pay it forward.”

4. NETWORKING MAXIMIZES OPPORTUNITIES. Networking not only maximizes your chances for opportunity, but it also causes you to be open to other people. Though Danner stressed that successful people must first learn to cultivate humility when dealing with other people. “You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in others than in two years of trying to get them to be interested in you.”

In conclusion, Danner admitted that he finally has the comeback for those who approach him attributing the success and growth of Greer to luck. “The next time I think I’ll tell them, ‘Being lucky sure is hard work.’”

Jennifer Lowe Cobb is the marketing and special projects coordinator for the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce. The Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary nonprofit organization that represents approximately 675 businesses in the Greer area. The mission of the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce is “to champion economic prosperity for our members and the Greater Greer community.” For more information, call 864-877-3131 or visit greerchamber.com.

18 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL June 21, 2013

Photo by Gerry Pate

THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT REALLY BUG

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in others than in two years of trying to get them to be interested in you.”

TheThe Upstate’s Body Shop Alternative The Upstate’s Upstate’s Body Body Shop Shop Alternative Alternativ The Shop Alternative Alternative The Upstate’s Upstate’s Body Shop

UBJ PLANNER MONDAY, JUNE 24 CREW EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, ONE North Main St., second floor, Greenville; 8 a.m.

GCS ROUNDTABLE The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Speaker: Daryl Wiesman Topic: “Setting Goals, Achieving Goals” Call Golden Career Strategies at 864-5270425 to request an invitation

TUESDAY, JUNE 25 BUILDU PM - SOFT SKILL SESSION Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Boardroom, 211 North Main St., Simpsonville; 5-6 p.m.

Speaker: John Furnell, president & CEO of KeyPoint Training & Development Topic: “Teams That Get It.” Light snacks and beverages will be provided. Space is limited for this event.

Cost: Free to Simpsonville Chamber members, $5 for non-members.

Contact: Allison McGarity at amcgarity@simpsonville chamber.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26 JUNE COFFEE AND CONVERSATION Upstate SC Alliance, 124 Verdae Blvd., Suite 202, Greenville; 8-9 a.m.

Discussions about Spartanburg’s Main Street Challenge.

If interested in becoming an investor, call Clay Andrews 864-2832300. RSVP at RSVP@ upstatealliance.com.

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS’ FORUM Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Topic: “Finding New Customers” This event is open to small-business owners only.

Cost: Free to attend.

Attendees may purchase a boxed lunch from Camille’s Sidewalk Café for $8 or bring their own lunch. Drinks will be provided.

Contact: Claudia Wise at 864-239-3728

RISKY BUSINESS SEMINAR (SC WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER) University Center, 225 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Speaker: Nancy Hellstrom, president of Eckert Insurance Agency Cost: $20 Attendees are asked to bring their lunch and dessert will be provided from Chocolate Moose.

Register at: sccwbc.net/ events/upstate Contact: Janet W. Christy at 864-2444117 or janet@leverage anddevelopment.com

BACKUP AND DISASTER RECOVERY WORKSHOP Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 105 North Pine St., Spartanburg; noon-1 p.m.

Speaker: Liz Richardson, Beowulf Technologies Cost: Free Attendees are asked to bring their own lunch; beverages will be provided by the Chamber.

Contact: Cindy Teaster at 864-594-5022 or cteaster@spartanburg chamber.com

PULSE SOCIAL

1 Day Service • Bumper Repair 1 Day Service • Bumper Repair 11Day 1 Day Service Service • Bumper • Bumper Repair Repair Day& Service • Bumper Scratch Chip Repair • FreeRepair Estimates Scratch & Chip Repair • Free Estimates Scratch Scratch &&Chip & Chip Repair Repair Free •ExtremeColorsGreenville.com Free Estimates Estimates Scratch Chip Repair ••Free Estimates 700 Woodruff Road, Greenville

Mac’s Speed Shop, (Near Beck Academy) Road, Greenville 700 Woodruff 700 Woodruff Road, Road, Greenville Greenville 930 S. Main St., 700 Woodruff Greenville; 5:30 p.m.

(Near Beck (NearAcademy) (Near Beck Academy) Beck Academy)

864-283-0633 ExtremeColorsGreenville.com ExtremeColorsGreenville.com ExtremeColorsGreenville.c 864-283-0633 864-283-0633 864-283-06

Contact: 864-239-3743

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL TOASTMASTERS The Commerce Club, One Liberty Square, 55 Beattie Place, Greenville; 6 p.m.

Cost: $5 to cover meeting space and one drink at the bar For more info: visit yptm. toastmastersclubs.org

THURSDAY, JUNE 27

Business Leadership. Productivity.

Sales. Company Culture.

Motivation. Entrepreneurship.

Developed for small business owners around the Upstate, GrowWithCountybank.com digs up great articles and insights every week.

Log on, recharge and grow!

CREW BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Wyche, 44 E Camperdown Way, Greenville; 8 a.m.

Greenville • Greenwood www.GrowWithCountybank.com

GOT A HOT DATE? Contribute to our Planner by submitting event information for consideration to EVENTS@UPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

Investors only.

June 21, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 19

UBJ Square Feet Former Crossroads Apartments Get a Makeover

By Sherry Jackson | staff sjackson@communityjournals.com

By Sherry Jackson | staff sjackson@communityjournals.com

things are looking up in the Greenville-Spartanburg industrial real estate market. Liberty Trust is developing the first speculative industrial building since 2008, with a 156,000-square-foot multi-tenant warehouse.

“We have one building at Caliber Ridge [in Greer] that is totally leased. We own 850,000 square feet of industrial space in the area and have reached 100 percent of occupancy,” said Brian Blythe, Liberty Trust di-

rector of leasing for the Carolinas. “The whole GreenvilleSpartanburg market has had significant absorption over the past months. We need available products ready.”

The warehouse will be located at Caliber Ridge Industrial Park, 100 Caliber Ridge, Greer. A.L. Industries, a manufacturer of auto filters, has already signed a lease for 52,000 square feet and will be moving in the beginning of 2014 when their space is completed.

New residents began moving into the two currently finished buildings about five weeks ago. The apartments are 36 percent pre-leased as of now and offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units with balconies, some with screened-in porches. Construction is expected to be complete in September.

The Bristol offers rental prices from $775 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,110 for a three-bedroom. Most prospective residents are families, young professionals and others who want the convenience of living close to downtown Greenville but without the high cost, said Fillner.

“They’re coming here because of the location or because of the price,” she said.

Photos provided

Liberty Trust Announces Spec Building

the former crossroads apartments complex on Cleveland Street – once an eyesore with derelict buildings and frequent police activity – has been transformed into The Bristol, an attractive residential community with plentiful amenities.

Earlier this week, Davis Property Group LLC unveiled its final renovation plans for the apartment homes with the completion of a new clubhouse. Amenities still to come include a saltwater pool with cabana area, two dog parks and an outdoor fire pit and grilling area.

Davis, a Greenville-based real estate development firm specializing in multifamily properties, purchased the property in the fall of 2012.

“We saw both a need and opportunity to redevelop the area in a way that rehabilitates a property in serious decline into an asset for the surrounding community,” said Russ Davis, owner and managing partner.

The firm relocated existing residents and began an extensive renovation that stripped the units down to the studs.

“The surrounding community has been very supportive, as the previous property was an area of concern,” said Courtney Fillner, community manager of The Bristol.

Decades of Trust. Confidence in the Future.

1993

1995

864.467.0085 WWW .M ARCHANT C O . COM

1997

2002

By being recognized as a Small Business of the Month

by The Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Marchant Company is also nominated for the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year award.

2013

New Augusta Rd. Facility for North Hills Automotive north hills automotive recently started construction on its new 4600 SF building at 1428 Augusta Road in Greenville, which is where its Augusta Road location was originally.

The building is set to open later this year or early 2014 with D & C Builders in charge of the project.

The new structure will be built

from using bricks from a building built in 1871 across from the current location of the Army Navy Store in downtown Greenville.

“You can actually see the thumbprints from the bricklayers because the bricks were still warm while they were being set,” said Emily Bishop, community relations director for North Hills Automotive.

DEALMAKERS Spectrum commercial propertieS announced:

Photo provided

rob Brissie recently represented the landlord in the lease of a retail space at Classic Corner, 1624 Woodruff Road, Suite 8, Greenville, to Bare Essence, an electrolysis hair removal center. rob Brissie recently represented the tenant in the lease of an 11,700 SF retail space at 30 Ray E. Talley Court, Simpsonville, for an ACE Hardware. rob Brissie recently represented the landlord

in the lease of a retail space at 100 E. Main St., Easley, to Chic Chapeau II, a millinery specialty store. collierS international announced: William nelson recently brokered a 3,250 SF lease renewal for The Pompous Pig in the Anderson Commons shopping center located at 3320 North Main St. Nelson represented the landlord, Anderson Commons LLC, in the transaction.

KdS commercial propertieS announced:

larry Webb represented Bon Secours Health System and Bon Secours Medical Group in the lease negotiations of 35,750 SF at 1200 Brookfield Parkway, Greenville. This facility will be the location of a new Bon Secours Health System Billing Center along with the administrative offices for the local Bon Secours Medical Group.

Spencer HineS propertieS, inc. announced: andy Hayes served as listing agent for Tietex International Ltd.’s property at 160 Lincoln School Road, Spartanburg, and leasing agent for ThyssenKrupp Industrial Services NA Inc. The facility features 104,000 +/- SF of

warehouse space with 4,264 +/- SF of office space, and 214 +/- SF of truckers’ office space as well. Also featured are 12 dock-high doors and one drive-in door with three-phase power and five natural gas blowers.

This warehouse is also 100 percent sprinkled.

Dillard-Jones Builders LLC recently moved its home office to 115 N. Brown St. in downtown Greenville and opened a second office at 1 Page Avenue in downtown Asheville.

The company was founded in 2004 and has been located on the east side of Greenville since its inception. They are licensed to build in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.

Dillard-Jones Builders specializes in high-

performance, luxury custom homes ranging from the $500,000’s to more than $2 million.

The company has been a member of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program since 2006 and The Cliffs Signature Services program.

They are building the 2013 Southern Living Inspired Home at Currahee Club on Lake Hartwell near Toccoa, Ga., which will be open for public tours September through December.

KBS Legacy Partners

Apartment REIT Inc. recently acquired the Millennium Apartment Homes, a 305-unit apartment community in Greenville, for $33.6 million.

The property consists of 36 two-story buildings, which were at 93 percent occupancy when the transaction took place. The community was built in 2009 and includes a clubhouse and 76 garages.

It covers 303,131 rentable square feet across nearly 33 acres.

DEAL of the WEEK WindSor/augHtry company inc. announced: rob Howell represented Graycliff Capital in the purchase of the 160-unit extended stay complex of Azalea Hills Suites at Verdae for $9.1 million.

NAI Earle Furman

Industrial Services

Wonder what your property is worth?

Our 15 industrial brokers specialize in sales, leasing and opinions of value for industrial properties. Contact us today for a discussion of your real estate needs: 864 232 9040 industrial@naief.com

101 E Washington Street Suite 400 Greenville, South Carolina 29601 864 232 9040 naiearlefurman.com

Commercial Real Estate Services, Worldwide.

UBJ SqUARE FEET

By Sherry Jackson | staff sjackson@communityjournals.com

GREENVILLE

SPARTANBURG

CL OSED S A L ES 1000 800 600 400 200

Ma y‘ 12 Ju n ‘12 Ju l ‘1 2 Au g‘ 12 Se pt ‘12 Oc t‘ 12 No v‘ 12 De c‘ 12 Ja n ‘13 Fe b‘ 13 Ma r‘ 13 Ap r‘ 13 Ma y‘ 13

0

MEDI A N PRICE $180K $160K $140K $120K $100K

Ma y‘ 12 Ju n ‘12 Ju l ‘1 2 Au g‘ 12 Se pt ‘12 Oc t‘ 12 No v‘ 12 De c‘ 12 Ja n ‘13 Fe b‘ 13 Ma r‘ 13 Ap r‘ 13 Ma y‘ 13

$80K

summitmedia llc announced last week that Karolyn Mulvaney is its new vice president and market manager in Greenville.

Mulvaney was most recently general sales manager of the company’s Greenville stations.

She had previously served as local sales manager and senior account manager.

“As a passionate broadcaster and loyal fan of our incredibly talented team, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to step up to this new challenge,” Mulvaney said in a statement.

Carl Parmer, SummitMedia CEO, added, “We are extremely happy to have Karolyn lead our outstanding Greenville team and are confident they will prove quite successful serving the Greenville community, our listeners, and our clients.”

Mulvaney replaces Steve Sinicropi, who resigned as Cox’s market manager for Greenville and moved to Entercom/Greenville in the same role last month.

AV ER AGE DAYS ON M A RK E T 200 160 120 80 40 0 Ma y‘ 12 Ju n ‘12 Ju l ‘1 2 Au g‘ 12 Se pt ‘12 Oc t‘ 12 No v‘ 12 De c‘ 12 Ja n ‘13 Fe b‘ 13 Ma r‘ 13 Ap r‘ 13 Ma y‘ 13

in some markets, purchase agreements are being written up directly after a showing, and there’s an imbalance between strong demand for homes and constrained supply. That’s according to the May Statewide Market Report the South Carolina Realtors Association (SCRA) released on June 14.

The report states that new listings in South Carolina have increased 8.6 percent to 9,648 and pending sales were up 18 percent to 6,120 compared to May 2012. The median sales price of a home also increased by 3.9 percent to $160,000. The average number of days a home was on the market was down 14 percent to 120 days and the overall number of units (including single-family homes, condos and villas) shrank 8.6 percent to 47,191.

The report shows that the Greater Greenville area is up 39 percent from last year at this time with 955 homes sold during May 2013 compared to 687 in 2012.

Spartanburg is up 38 percent with 316 homes sold. Median prices also increased in our area with Greater Greenville at $157,340, an 8.7 percent increase from last year, while the average number of days a home was on the market dropped 16.9 percent to 89 days.

In Spartanburg, the median home price was $118,000, an increase of 2.2 percent, with the average days on the market dropping a slight 4.5 percent to 143 days compared to 150 in May 2012.

According to SCRA the differences are “mostly the result of an improving job market, which is a good thing for real estate.”

Summit Media Names New VP

22 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal June 21, 2013

Karolyn Mulvaney

Photo provided

New Home Listings Up 8.6 Percent

UBJ THE FINE PRINT

Photo provided

Erwin Named to National Advertising Board

joe erwin, president and cofounder of the Erwin Penland marketing firm, has been named to the 2013-2014 board of directors for the 4A’s, the leading advertising industry association.

Erwin will represent the 4A’s Southern Region on the 27-member national board, and serve as vice chairman of the Southern Region.

According to custom, he will likely become chairman the following year.

“It’s a tremendous privilege to be asked to help guide an organization that does so much for our industry,” said Erwin in a statement. “Whether it’s helping individual agencies face the challenges of an evolving communications landscape or representing the interests of our industry to government and other stakeholders, the 4A’s provides vital support to more than 1,200 agencies that employ over 65,000 professionals and place more than 80 percent of this country’s advertising.”

Among its work, the 4A’s has addressed public policy issues such as data privacy regulation and antipiracy measures. It has also influenced marketing guidelines for “vice” industries such as cigarettes and alcohol, and encouraged more diversity in the marketing field.

Founded in Greenville, Erwin Penland has 400 employees in offices in Greenville, New York and Detroit.

Upstate Companies Win DHEC Smart Business Recycling Program Mitsubishi Polyester Film Inc. in Greer and AnMed Health in Anderson were recognized in the S.C. Smart Business Recycling Program run by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

Mitsubishi Polyester Film Inc. in Greer was honored for its Reprocess program as well as its recycling policies and efforts. The facility recycles or repurposes items such as plastic, pallets, cardboard, aluminum cans, used

motor oil, electronics and fluorescent lamps.

AnMed Health in Anderson was recognized for its recycling program that generated savings of more than $56,000 in 2011 and 2012 by avoiding disposal costs and selling used equipment, cardboard, operating room surgical kit packaging, plastic and scrap metal.

AnMed Health also recycled other material including paper, plastic bottles, steel cans, glass bottles, electronics, hard drives,

batteries, light bulbs, cooking oil and pens.

“These 2012 winners exemplify how businesses and organizations can lead by example in protecting the environment and conserving resources while also improving their bottom line,” said Elizabeth Dieck, DHEC’s director of environmental affairs, in a statement.

“The impact of these efforts helps strengthen South Carolina’s economy by creating recycling businesses and jobs.”

Clemson to Host Summer Innovation Series Dillard Jones Opens Asheville Office dillard jones builders has opened a new office in downtown Asheville.

The company also moved its Greenville office to Brown Street in downtown Greenville.

The company specializes in highperformance, luxury custom homes ranging from the $500,000’s to more than $2 million. The company is now building the 2013 Southern Living Inspired Home at Currahee Club on Lake Hartwell, which will be open in the fall. It is also one of the preferred builders for the Cliffs Communities. Dillard Jones is licensed to build in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.

Starting Monday, the Clemson University Alumni Association will host a series of talks during the summer months highlighting technological innovation at the university. Three talks will take place 5-7 p.m. at the University Center of Greenville.

Monday’s featured speaker will be John Ballato, professor and director of the Center for

John Ballato

Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET), who will discuss “light manufacturing,” which refers to both the use of light and weight reduction.

In July, Michael Gara, director of technology management at the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC), will discuss high-impact medical technology and devices for disease management and technology transfer.

Finally, the series will close with Gregory Pickett, associate dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science. He will discuss the MBAe (Masters of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Innovation).

The MBAe is a one-year, intensive, experiential entrepreneurship graduate program.

(Reprinted with correction.)

June 21, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

UBJ ON THE MOVE HIRED

HIRED

APPOINTED

HONORED

Carol Yochem

Bryan Finch

Cody H. Owens

Sally Wills

Annie Yukish

Joined TD Wealth as senior vice president and regional wealth leader for the Metro Carolinas Region. Yochem spent 18 years in executive positions with SunTrust Bank in Tennessee. She is a past member of the American Bankers Association Wealth Conference Advisory Board and a former executive committee member of the Trust Management Association.

Joined HAJOCA Corporation, a wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating and industrial supplies, as a business development leader.

Finch recently served as president of the Piedmont Chapter of the Mechanical Contractors Association of South Carolina.

Joined Chapman Cultural Center as a marketing apprentice. Owens is a recent graduate of USC Upstate and works under the direction of marketing director Steve Wong. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications studies with a Spanish translation/ interpretation minor.

Named director of LiveWell Greenville. Wills brings over 12 years of public health and management experience working to create healthier communities. In this newly established position, she will be providing oversight of coalition initiatives, project management and staff supervision.

Of Think Up Consulting; was named by Training magazine as a 2013 Emerging Training Leader. Yukish is featured in the May/June 2013 issue of Training magazine and on its website, trainingmag.com.

She received her BA in speech and communication studies and MA in professional communications from Clemson University.

THE ALL NEW NEARLY NEW WHITE DIAMOND

2013 BUICK ENCORE 2012 LACROSSE MSRP $34,335

PREMIERING NOW AT SITTON BUICK! NOW ONLY

25,990

$

LUXURY SIZED TO FIT YOUR LIFE.

MSRP STARTING AT

$24,995 SITTON’S SEE IT TODAY AT

PRE-OWNED SUPERSTORE!

SEE IT TODAY AT

SHOP IN INDOOR COMFORT! SITTON BUICK (864) 288-5600 • 2640 Laurens Rd. • Greenville, SC Visit the showroom that never closes at www.sittongm.com

BUICK – THE NEW CLASS OF WORLD CLASS.

Photos Provided

HIRED

APPOINTED

THOMAS RIDDLE Recently appointed as Shannon Forest Christian School’s new vice president and Upper School administrator. Riddle comes to Shannon Forest from Greenville County Schools, where he served as a K-12 social studies curriculum specialist

BANKING/FINANCE:

Countybank recently promoted two employees to the position of vice president. William (Bill) P. Jenkins III has served as marketing director since joining the organization in 2007. He has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and fifteen years in the financial services industry. Angelia V. Simpson, who joined the organization in 2005, has led human resources since 2007. She achieved her Professional Human Resources certification in 2008, and her Integrity Solutions Certification in 2012.

United Community Bank recently announced that Lynn Harton has joined as chief operating officer.

Harton brings 30 years of executive experience to his role of directing overall operations for United Community Bank. Michelle Seaver has joined as Greenville president.

Formerly with TD Bank and Carolina First Bank, Seaver will be responsible for introducing United Community Bank to the Greenville market and overseeing its growth

and as a coordinator of Freshman Academy and singlegender education programs. He was a project leader for Phinnize J. Fisher Middle School as well as an adjunct professor in the education department of Furman University. He also served as a freelance education consultant for Lucasfilm Ltd. in his work with “Adventures in Learning with Indiana Jones.”

He established and served as principal of the Freshman Academy at Mauldin High School, where he also had experience as a classroom teacher and coach in both varsity football and track.

in the area. Charles Chamberlain has joined as senior vice president, head of corporate banking. Chamberlain will develop new middle market and corporate relationships for the bank and will lead bankwide corporate banking support areas. Lisa Shelnutt has joined as senior vice president, commercial real estate relationship manager.

Shelnutt has 26 years of experience as a real estate banker, lending professional and financial specialist. She comes to United Community Bank from TD Bank and Carolina First Bank. Matt Williams has joined as vice president and branch manager. Williams joins United Community Bank from TD Bank, where he served as branch manager at the Greenville Main branch for six years. Jennifer Abate, a 20-year banking veteran, has joined as senior portfolio manager, and Tricia Lukanic has joined as office manager.

COMMUNITY:

GreenvilleConnect, an organization with the goal of building and

unifying the area’s Christian community by being a resource to facilitate collaboration, recently added Dean Sinatra, a co-founder and partner in Enterprise Partners; the Rev. Tom Capps, the director of missions for the Greer Baptist Association; and David Wagner, a district sales representative for Pfizer, to its board.

INSURANCE:

Rosenfeld Einstein, a South Carolina-based insurance agency, brokerage and consulting firm, recently welcomed Upstate human resources and benefits administration professional Amber McGaha as assistant benefits account manager. McGaha joins Rosenfeld Einstein with prior experience in human resource and insurance administration roles with the Pickens County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs and with a regional plumbing and HVAC solution provider.

MEDICAL:

Bon Secours St. Francis Health System recently welcomed Carolyn D. Fields, Robert G. Johnson Jr. and Arvin Raheja to the ever- growing Bon Secours Medical Group (BSMG). Fields is a family physician certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. She is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina. Johnson is a family physician certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. He is a graduate of Bob Jones University and the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine. Raheja specializes in women’s health care. He is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

a graduate of Rush Medical College and Auburn University.

REAL ESTATE:

Blu-Sky Group LLC recently announced that Jessica Smith has joined as a sales agent in the firm’s Greenville office. Smith has owned Upcountry Concierge since 2009, working with clients in luxury communities throughout the Upstate.

Her experience also includes office manager and selections manager positions with two custom homebuilders in the Upstate.

Coldwell Banker Caine recently recognized its top-producing agents in property sales and listings from each of its five offices – Easley, Greenville, Greer, Seneca and Spartanburg – for May. The top-producing agents from each office are ranked by the total volume of business closed last month and include: Carol Walsh, Susan McCoy and Melissa Hall of Easley; Jacob Mann, Sharon Wilson and Virginia Abrams of Greenville; Faith Ross, Charlene Panek and David Glenn of Greer; Pat Loftis, Jere duBois and Reg Tatum of Seneca; and Annette Starnes, Francie Little and Kaye McIntyre·of Spartanburg. Top listing agents in each office are recognized for listing the highest total volume of residential properties last month and include: Lori Brock, Susan McCoy and Kathy Gallamore of Easley; Jacob Mann, Sharon Wilson and Helen Hagood of Greenville; Alicia Waynick, Shelbie Dunn and Linda Wood of Greer; Pat Loftis, Jere duBois and Connie Williams of Seneca; and Francie Little, Annette Starnes and Beth Beach of Spartanburg.

New hires, promotions and award winners can be featured in On the Move.

Send information and a photo to ONTHEMOVE@UPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM.

June 21, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 25

UBJ New to the Street

rutherford rd

2

1 e ad w

pt m a h

on

vd Bl

1. New Mind health and Care (NMhC) recently cut the ribbon at 3400 Rutherford Road Extension, Suite E, in Greenville. They are a nonprofit offering services for people involved in the criminal justice system, with the goal to ensure successful re-entry, re-integration and stabilization back into their communities. They are open Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information, contact Caroline Caldwell, Ph.D. (ABD), at 864-509-1014 or c.caldwell@reflight.org, or visit newmindhealthandcare.org or reflight.org. eXeCutIVe eDItor Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com

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

MANAGING eDItor Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com StAff wrIterS Sherry Jackson, Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris SeNIor BuSINeSS wrIter Jennifer Oladipo CoNtrIButING wrIterS Dick Hughes, Jenny Munro, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage

26 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal June 21, 2013

wade hampton Bl vd

Memo rial Dr

tanner rd

Dr

N Main St

2. twist Salon, located at 215 W. Wade Hampton Blvd. in Greer, recently held its ribbon cutting. They offer a range of services including cuts, color, perms, waxing, smoothing treatments and corrective color.

The salon also offers nail services including OPI gelpolish and Creative Nail Shellac. Products offered will include Joico, Kenra, Goldwell, Redken, shampoos, conditioners and styling products. For more information, call 864-879-2262 or email twistsalson215@yahoo.com.

eDItorIAl INterNS Cynthia Partridge, Keith Sechrist Art & ProDuCtIoN Art DIreCtor Richie Swann PhotoGrAPher Greg Beckner 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 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.

Photos Provided

hig hla nd

UBJ SNAPSHOT

Photo Provided

p The Bruner Home for Children on Rutherford Street was operated under the auspices of the Salvation Army’s Women’s Social Service Department but as a separate program from 1917 to 1949. The children’s home concentrated on the care and nurturing of children who were orphaned, discarded or otherwise without adult support.

Historic photograph available from the Greenville Historical Society q Today the land is home to the Salvation Army Waldo Leslie Service Center, right, and the Salvation Army Church on the left. Other buildings on the property behind these two are used for social services, emergency shelters and administrative offices.

SEEN YOURSELF OR YOUR COMPANY IN THE UBJ?

Call 864-679-1200 for reprints or copies.

Photo by Greg Beckner

June 21, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 27

Start Small. Dream Big. Your business is growing. We’re ready with the financing solutions you need to increase inventory, purchase property, start construction, or buy equipment.

Let’s turn dreams for your business into reality. Visit your local branch to learn more.

CertusBank.com/DreamBiggerBusiness CertusBank, N.A. Member FDIC.

Equal Housing Lender © 2013 CertusHoldings, Inc. All rights reserved. CertusBank is a trademark of CertusHoldings, Inc.