JULY 3, 2015 | VOL. 4 ISSUE 27
GOOD FIELD POSITION Greenville Sports Leagues scores major points in the Upstate market and beyond
PHOTO BY JIM PITT HARRIS
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
| TRANSPORTATION | 3
Haley signs bill allowing Uber to operate in S.C. BENJAMIN JEFFERS | STAFF
bjeffers@communityjournals.com Gov. Nikki Haley signed legislation last week that regulates Uber and similar companies operating in South Carolina. The S.C. Public Service Commission in January issued Uber a cease-and-desist order. After strong backlash from the governor and legislators, the PSC then reversed its decision two weeks later and granted Uber a temporary license that was set to expire on June 30. The company’s fate in the state was unclear after the General Assembly ended session at the beginning of June without coming to an agreement on how to regulate the company. However, during special session, legislators agreed to classify Uber and other ride-sharing services as transportation network companies – businesses that use a digital network to connect passengers with drivers. “Uber’s expansion into our state is a win for innovation, the competitive business environment we have fought so hard to create, and it means our citizens will continue to have safe, reliable transportation options,” Haley’s spokeswoman Chaney Adams said in a statement.
“Uber’s expansion into our state is a win for innovation, the competitive business environment we have fought so hard to create, and it means our citizens will continue to have safe, reliable transportation options.” Haley’s spokeswoman Chaney Adams said in a statement. Much of the discussion in allowing Uber to operate in the state centered on how drivers should be insured. While not engaged in a prearranged ride, the driver is required to have liability insurance of at least $50,000 for death and bodily injury per person, at least $100,000 for death and bodily injury per incident and at least $50,000 for property damage. While engaged in a ride, the driver is required to have liability insurance that provides at least $1 million for death, bodily injury and property damage. Uber representatives supported the legislation’s passing, according to the Post and Courier, which published a statement from Michael Black, South Carolina general manager for Uber, calling the new law “a victory for riders and drivers.”
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4 | THE RUNDOWN |
TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK
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07.03.2015
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 27 Featured this issue: Consumer fireworks business is booming $41M in financing secured for Rite Aid center Greer’s Bennett Hospital site may house office, retail
6 8 17
MONEY SHOT: Professionals from Pyrotecnico of Saluda, S.C., set up fireworks for the Fluor Enterprises July 4 celebration last Saturday. Sales of consumer fireworks could exceed $725 million in revenue this year. Read more on page 6. Photo by Carol Stewart.
WORTH REPEATING
TBA
“Uber’s expansion into our state is a win for innovation.”
Trammell Crow has backed out of the purchase of the Greenville News property. The Dallas-based developer was set to go before Greenville’s Design Review Board in June, but pulled the project from the agenda. Word is that Trammell Crow was unhappy with repeated criticism by the DRB.
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“I was like, hey, I love sports, there could be a business here, and let’s see what happens.” Page 12
“It was a purposebuilt building, and it’s served its purpose.” Page 17
VERBATIM
On Obamacare “Today, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the plain meaning of this law in the broadest and most abstract way possible in order to save a broken government-run health care system.” S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, after the court ruled 6-3 last week to uphold Affordable Care Act tax subsidies.
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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
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07.03. 2015
Joey McCrary (right), owner of Joey’s Fireworks in Taylors, says July Fourth is his biggest sales day of the year. Greg Beckner/Staff
Fireworks sales fly upward BENJAMIN JEFFERS | STAFF
bjeffers@communityjournals.com The consumer fireworks industry is booming. Sales of consumer fireworks could easily exceed $725 million in revenue this year, according to Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA). The consumer fireworks industry more than doubled in revenue from 1998 to 2014 – going from $284 million to $695 million, according to the APA. During that time, the only year the industry decreased in revenues was 2012. YEAR
Even during the recent recession, fireworks sales continued to grow nationwide. “This industry is recession resilient,” Heckman said, as when money is tight, people look to other forms of entertainment, like fireworks, instead of travel. Heckman attributes the industry’s rapid growth to the relaxation of fireworks laws nationwide. Only three states – Delaware, Massachusetts and New Jersey – completely ban consumer fireworks. Joey McCrary, who started selling fireworks out of a Dairy Queen parking lot when he was 16 years old, now >>
FIREWORKS REVENUE
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Source: American Pyrotechnics Association
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2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
REVENUE $250 $300 $350 $400 $450 $500 $550 $600 $650 $700 (in millions)
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>> works full-time in the industry that almost exclusively depends on a single day for survival – the Fourth of July. McCrary owns Joey’s Fireworks in Taylors, where rows of rockets, Roman candles, sparklers and other firecrackers line the walls and shelves. He sells fireworks year-round, but Independence Day is the biggest sales day of the year, he said. The average customer will spend about $100-$200 on fireworks at his store, McCrary said. Bill Munley, a vice president at Bon Secours Health System and regular Joey’s Fireworks customer, puts on a fireworks display for family and friends each year and said he typically buys $800-$1,000 worth of fireworks. He said family members from Pennsylvania call him every year asking if he’s bringing fireworks to shoot off for a display. Munley was shopping for his fireworks about a week and a half before July 4, but McCrary said most customers wait until the actual day of the holiday to make their purchases. About 95 percent of fireworks sales occur around the Fourth of July, Heckman said. An interesting trend in the industry, she said, is nonprofits using fireworks sales as a major fundraiser. The trend started in California, where laws dictate that nonprofits are the only groups allowed to sell fireworks, Munley said. Pastor Steve Pinell of Calvary Apostolic Church in Greenville is part of that trend. He said selling fireworks before the Fourth of July is his church’s biggest annual fundraiser. Calvary contracts though TNT Fireworks to sell fireworks at a pop-up stand and keeps 20 percent of the profits. The church runs stands in three Wal-Mart parking lots, and in the week leading up to the holiday, a single stand can raise around $3,000, Pinell said. Even bad weather won’t keep people from their Roman candles and sparklers, he said. “I’ve seen people in down-pouring rain buying fireworks.”
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
| MANUFACTURING & DEVELOPMENT | 7
Scio Diamond total revenue down 49% Company expects future losses due to investment ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com Greenville’s multifaceted gem grower Scio Diamond Technologies Corp. may not be out of the woods quite yet, despite securing $4.5 million funding last December amid substantial business plan changes during fiscal 2015, the company stated in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Though the company improved its net losses by 16 percent to losses of $4.1 million, its total revenue dove 49 percent to $726,193 for the year ended March 31, 2015, compared to the prior period. While company officials attributed revenue losses to falling product and licensing revenues, the company expects to increase investment in technology, infrastructure, research and development in order to “achieve a commercially viable operation.” “We expect future losses,” the company said in its annual report filed Monday. “As a result, we must generate significant revenues to achieve and maintain profitability. We expect that our sales and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses, as well as the continued development expenses
will continue to increase.” After years of financial struggle and board politics, Scio Diamond’s fiscal 2015 included “significant” executive leadership turnover, MCGUIRE a new board and a business pivot toward commercial gemstone products in addition to cutting tools and advanced electronics. In December, the company secured $2.5 million in growth funding to double its manufacturing capacity, closed on $2 million in equity financing and began its first retail sales program in May with Helzberg Diamonds for Scio’s lab-grown pink diamonds, according to a news release. In March this year, Scio Diamond increased the number of total carats produced by 71 percent year over year and the number of total cored carats by 150 percent during the same period. “We knew this would be a challenging year, but we’ve met all of our milestones with one exception,” stated Scio Diamond CEO Gerald McGuire. “We had planned on
revenue from our retail channel development efforts to start materializing sooner than it did. Our customers needed more time to develop their own plans to market lab-grown diamonds. While we have started building a customer and revenue base, we have a ways to go and need to stay focused to build revenue momentum.” Earnings per share improved from losses of 0.10 per share to losses of 0.08 per share for fiscal 2015. Founded in 2009, Scio Diamond holds 36 patents in the U.S. and abroad, including its chemical vapor deposition process. Labgrown diamonds are chemically, physically and optically identical, states the company, except lab-grown diamonds take weeks to form in laboratory environments compared to centuries underground. “Nearly all” of the company’s current production capacity is directed towards the gemstone market, with more than 50 percent of that product sold overseas, stated Scio Diamond in its annual report. The company will require additional funding, but the amount depends on a number of factors, including rate of production capacity increases and the rate of sales and marketing expansions.
Location, schools could win $125M Dollar Tree distribution center for the Upstate ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com South Carolina is holding its breath waiting for a decision about a $125 million investment from Chesapeake, Va.-based discount retail giant Dollar Tree, which is in talks about a 1.5 million-square-foot distribution center straddling Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties. Respective county councils agreed on incentive packages for the 400-job project Monday, paving the way for Dollar Tree’s 11th and largest national warehouse. Dollar Tree did not return requests for comment by press time, but the retailer reportedly confirmed interest in the Upstate Corporate Park earlier this year, according to the Spartanburg Herald Journal. “Every day people leave Spartanburg and go to work in Cherokee, and the same happens for people in Cherokee County working in Spartanburg,” said Spartanburg County Council Chair-
man Jeffrey Horton. “We hope that we fill it up and it helps provide a lot of jobs for both communities, well-paying jobs.” The Dollar Tree center wouldn’t be the first warehouse in the Upstate, which is home to giants such as Amazon, Wal-Mart, Adidas, FedEx and Timken, said Carter Smith, vice president of Spartanburg’s development arm Economic Futures Group. “There’s just a number of things that position us well for distribution operations,” said Smith, noting distributors take advantage of two major interstates, GSP International Airport and the Inland Port in Greer in addition to major rail options. “More or less, all four modes of transportation you can access through here.” All that aside, the No. 1 need for these types of projects is workforce, said Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt, who also serves as chairman of the county’s economic recruitment and development efforts.
DISTRIBUTION CENTERS IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY Adidas – 1.9 million SF Amazon – 1 million SF Rite Aid – 900,000 SF (planned) Timken – 300,000 SF FedEx – 254,000 SF (planned) “Spartanburg Community College has been our ace in the hole,” he said about the five-location college, which he said would be a key in filling the project’s 400 jobs. “It helped us all the way back to BMW … The citizens, we all have put our money in the community college because we know the payback has been more than good. It’s been fantastic.” The college offers certificates and associate degrees in 13 industries to its 5,864 students, according to data from U.S News and World Report, and operates a campus close to the proposed Dollar Tree center.
8 | DEVELOPMENT |
UBJ
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
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07.03. 2015
$41M in financing secured for Spartanburg Rite Aid distribution center SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF
sjackson@communityjournals.com Construction continues on Rite Aid Corporation’s 900,000-square-foot distribution center in Spartanburg, as real estate developer Johnson Development Associates announced this week it has secured more than $41 million in financing through a senior loan from SunTrust Bank for the construction portion of the overall $90 million project. The new distribution center will be almost the same size as the 1 millionsquare-foot Amazon fulfillment center, also in Spartanburg. This is Rite Aid’s first new distribution center in 15 years. It will support about 1,000 stores and is expected to employ about 600 people when fully operational. The new facility will be mostly warehouse with about 45,000 square feet of office space, said Josh Jones, director of development for JDA. “It’ll be a Class A distribution center with all of the amenities you’d expect, such as state-of-the-art fire protection systems and a high level of employee
amenities,” he said. Rite Aid announced plans in 2014 to consolidate three centers in Alabama, North Carolina and West Virginia into one facility. “This is a great opportunity to develop where we live, in our backyard,” said Rob Rain, president of JDA’s industrial division. “As a Spartanburg-based company, Johnson Development is proud to construct a project that will
support hundreds of immediate new jobs right here in our hometown, and anchor the more than 1,400-acre Flatwood Industrial Park that will generate even more jobs and investment in Spartanburg County for the next decade. At full build-out, Flatwood Industrial Park will contain nearly 9 million square feet of speculative and build-to-suit industrial facilities.” JDA also started construction June
8 on a 362,880-square-foot industrial speculative building at Flatwood Industrial Park. “JDA has a reputation for excellence and a long track record of success across the Southeast,” said Lewis Bass, market manager for SunTrust Commercial Real Estate in South Carolina and North Carolina. “SunTrust seeks to partner with established developers like JDA that understand local market dynamics and have the expertise to deliver quality developments that work for the community.” Construction on the distribution center began in March. Site work has been completed and JDA is working on pouring the concrete building slab, said Rain. The building will be a concrete façade with tilt-up concrete panels and will be site-cast, utilizing an on-site batch plant case, which is somewhat unique in the Upstate, he said. “It reduces traffic and impact on the surrounding infrastructure.” No renderings of the building are available. Overall construction is expected to be completed late December 2015 or early January 2016.
Navigating Business and Environment Josh Smith focuses his practice on helping businesses and individuals address and solve issues in litigation. He advocates for clients in both state and federal court at the trial and appellate levels in business disputes, trade secrets and unfair competition cases, employment matters and financial litigation. Josh also assists clients with state and federal environmental regulators in court and beyond. His varied environmental experience includes advising clients on matters arising under CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, and the SC Pollution Control Act.
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10 | WORKING WELL |
UBJ
GOOD HEALTH IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS
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07.03. 2015
Step in the right direction for positive mental health in the workplace By BONNIE BROWN, LISW-CP, LPC, CEAP
Your workplace wellness plan will go in the right direction if you consider the mental health and wellness of your employees as well as their physical health needs. When we do the right thing in this regard, employees will have better lives, and the company will benefit. Positive mental health is a state of well being in which we realize our own potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and are able to make a contribution to others. A plan to promote positive mental health in the workplace includes a variety of supports considering optimal physical and mental health as well as physical and mental illness. Mental health and physical health are interconnected and can be viewed on a continuum from optimal health to illness. Our mental health is im-
pacted by our physical health and vice versa. For example, unmanaged stress, anxiety and depression lead to health concerns such as high blood pressure and ulcers. Serious health issues and mental health issues can occur together. Studies have linked depression to heart attacks, and panic disorders to coronary artery disease. Individuals with depression are twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease, twice as likely to have a stroke, and more than four times as likely to die within six months from a cardiac event. The World Health Organization suggests that by the year 2020, depression will constitute the second-largest cause of disease burden worldwide, and untreated depression is costly. Individuals with untreated depression consume two to four times the health care resources of other enrollees. Mental illness accounts for up to 7 percent of all health
care claims. Untreated mental illness results in higher medical claims, lowered productivity, more workplace tension and poorer employee satisfaction and engagement. Further costs occur when untreated depression contributes to alcoholism or drug abuse or when an employee has a family member with depression. This can disrupt working hours, lead to absenteeism, affect concentration, decrease morale and disrupt productivity. The research connecting mental health concerns to the bottom line is clear. A comprehensive plan to promote mental health will include a variety of interventions. Areas of focus can include strategies to insure access to care for mental health problems, promote awareness and skill-building for health issues across the continuum, facilitate participation in care when it is needed, and promote a supportive culture in the organization. Most importantly, employees need access to mental health care resources.
To do the right thing and go in the right direction, treat mental health problems with the same urgency and consideration as physical health problems.
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Companies should carefully review employee needs and resources, such as those available through the company’s insurance plans. Many companies have employee assistance programs that provide a wide variety of mental health and wellness services in the workplace, including education, counseling and referral to address lifestyle concerns and behavioral health illness. Positive mental health is more than just the absence of mental illness, so workplace plans have provisions for treatment when illness occurs and strategies to encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors over unhealthy ones. And, because mental health and physical health are interconnected, classes and group sessions on positive health behaviors apply to physical and mental health alike – information on eating sensibly, getting regular exercise and adequate sleep, avoiding smoking, adhering to medical therapies, building resilience, and having a positive outlook. Health screens for stress, depression or alcohol and drug misuse may be provided by formal health risk appraisals or through popular >>
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>> online resources. Education on personal and mental health issues, including information on myths about mental health, helps to reduce stigma that keeps people from seeking help. Another area of focus involves the organization’s culture for a supportive management style in day-to-day operations. This may include provisions to help employees with work-life balance or policies that insure support for employees who seek treatment. This often involves training for managers and front-line supervisors on mental health in the workplace, steps to identify performance problems that may indicate employee distress, how to intervene effectively, how to communicate with employees, and support of return to work when leave is needed. It may also include training for all employees on what constitutes positive mental health and how all of us are impacted by our views of mental health and the way we are treated at work. To do the right thing and go in the right direction, treat mental health problems with the same urgency and consideration as physical health problems. Education is the key. Problems with mental health are treatable, and costs are reduced with appropriate care.
GOOD HEALTH IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS
| WORKING WELL | 11
Consider partnerships with experts and resources within your community to identify ways to dispel myths and address stigma. Begin with a focus on common mental health problems (such as stress, depression and substance abuse), signs of distress, and practical tools for employees and managers to get help for themselves and others. Use regularly repeated communications that keep positive mental health and healthy lifestyles in the mainstream. Bonnie Brown, manager of the Employee Assistance Program at Greenville Health System, is a licensed independent social worker-clinical practice, licensed professional counselor, and certified employee assistance professional.
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DRINK UP!
12 | COVER
MAN COVERAGE How a Furman grad and former offensive lineman blitzed the Upstate with competitive adult recreational sports
EMILY PRICE | DIGITAL STRATEGIST
eprice@communityjournals.com
It all started on the gridiron. Football initially lured Greenville Sports Leagues (GSL) president and owner Joe Wilson to the Upstate, where he played offensive line while attending Furman University; though Greenville – and for a while, even sports – weren’t always the end zone. A “big sports guru growing up,” he played several sports since age 5, but got serious about football. After high school and college careers, Wilson said he “tried to play in the pros, but it didn’t quite happen.” Instead, Wilson left the Upstate after graduation and pursued a career in medical sales. But as fate (and fun) would have it, Wilson found himself back in the area seven years ago, where he soon after met his current business partner, John Sharkey, through mutual friends. “We just started hanging out, became best friends, became roommates and ultimately became business partners,” Wilson said. They started playing and organizing pick-up games. “It started growing and growing and growing,” he recalls. “It was 50, 60 then 75 people.” So the two guys started to wonder. “I was like, hey, I love sports, there could be a business here, and let’s see what happens.,” Wilson said. Sharkey reached out to his buddy Philip Steen in Nashville, who had experience launching and running some sports
leagues there. Steen and Sharkey had met when they used to run restaurants and bars for Boulevard Nightlife Group (BNG), one of the largest nightclub companies in the country. The three guys formed a team, and GSL kicked off. Now, four years later, the local, competitive adult recreation league offers an impressive menu of sporting options during all four seasons. Participants have swelled to 10,000 annually and the league has official partnerships with multiple Upstate municipalities. GSL has also expanded into the private corporate league and tournament verticals; tournaments such as bubble soccer and dodgeball are held periodically throughout the year. Read on as Wilson breaks down the GSL business strategy – and explains to UBJ how they’re just warming up.
How long had Nashville Sports Leagues been established before you decided to replicate that model here, and how did that work? NSL has been in business for about 10 years. [Philip Steen] started it there. GSL is going into its fourth year. We originally went to Phil for some help. We were like, “Hey, we want to do a sports league. Since you have the expertise, we would like to bring you in,” and that’s when Phil became my and Sharkey’s partner in the whole endeavor. We’ve branched out as a company, and so Sharkey and I also own Augusta Sports Leagues [ASL], and we are going into some other markets. Probably in the next six months, we’re going into two markets other than Greenville and Augusta. They’re in Alabama and Louisiana. >>
COVER | 13 JOE WILSON COMPANY: President/ owner, Greenville Sports Leagues (GSL); works alongside CFO/co-owner John Sharkey; also partners with Nashville Sports Leagues (NSL) founder and owner Philip Steen EDUCATION: B.A. political science, Furman University (played OL on the football team there) FAMILY: Fiancée Taylor Ludy (will be married Nov. 6, 2015); met through GSL FAVORITE SPORTS TEAMS: Tennessee Volunteers (college football); Tennessee Titans (pros) WORDS OF MOTIVATION/ADVICE: “The Bible verse that keeps me strong and focused – Philippians 4:13”
of Simpsonville, so this is the very first softball league we’re bringing there.
How did GSL get the opportunity to host kickball and softball championships on Fluor Field? Greenville Drive is a partner, too. They’ve put in teams with us as Drive employees. They saw a great opportunity, and so did we as an organization – to partner up, to be able to push and sell tickets for them, to reach our database and our players. In turn, they could host and we’d be able to play our championship games there. It’s pretty simple. And it’s been absolutely awesome. We’re talking 200-300 people there to watch a championship kickball game. It’s pretty wild. We also work closely with K&W beverage – the Budweiser house here – and St. Francis Sports Medicine. They provide athletic trainers out at our fields for if a player has an injury, needs a Band-Aid or a taping, things like that.
Where do see you see yourself and GSL in five years? How have you tracked or seen growth? [It’s been] crazy! First year, we had about 75-100 teams altogether with kickball, volleyball, flag football – that’s what we started with. Now we do basketball, sand volleyball, grass volleyball, indoor volleyball, soccer, kickball, softball, flag football, corn hole … As special tournaments, we run a state flag football tournament, bubble soccer – we ran the first-ever bubble soccer tournament hosted in Greenville, which was a huge success. So we went from 100 teams, to the next year 300 teams, and the following year we jumped up to around 700. Now our goal for our fourth year is 1,000 teams. That’s crazy.
PHOTOS BY JIM PITT HARRIS
How would you explain your core strategy for such successful and consistent growth?
>> How did you identify these opportunities to expand into new markets? ASL has been in business for two years. It was going along, but kind of needed a little bit of a face-lift, and so we came in as GSL and worked out a deal with the current owner down there to where we’re partners now. We’re able to help and guide to allow ASL to grow into the market, because Augusta is just like Greenville – the population down there is great. The downtown seems a little bit different in Augusta, but the population is the same as Greenville. It just made sense for us to partner up and try to build something.
Let’s talk numbers. How many people participate? Between NSL and GSL, you’re probably looking at 30,000 total participants. NSL is about 20,000 and Greenville 10,000.
We’re not adding a ton of sports. Instead, we just open up the sports we know people love to play, and we offer them multiple nights. What we do best is provide options because there’s a ton of young professionals, but there’s also a ton of folks with families and work obligations who need to have those options.
What other organizations are you working with? We have a very, very large partnership with the City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department. That has allowed us to be able to come into the market and offer adult sports. It’s been huge for both of us. Working with those guys is awesome. We have a partnership with the Kroc Center – which has been very vital for several of our leagues – Greenville County, the City of Mauldin, and the City of Simpsonville. We have three softball leagues in Mauldin. We just started working with the City
Obviously I hope we continue our growth and success in Greenville. I would like to have someone as a market manager for Greenville – so that person would take the face of the company. I would like to see my role as more of a regional director more than the daily operations of GSL. I’ll be honest with you; I can’t believe GSL is where it is now. We’ve been crazy blessed. It’s just kind of a whirlwind.
How do you market yourself to registrants? Here’s the thing with sports leagues: It’s not rocket science. The big thing for us is communication, and we feel that nobody does that better than we do. We’re mainly grass-roots marketing. A lot of it is word-of-mouth. We do a lot of social media stuff, but we really don’t spend a ton of money; we feel the best marketing for us is making our current customers really happy. In our culture now, everybody shares everything. Especially with the age groups we have – 25 to 40 years old – if they like something, they’re going to tell everybody about it. That’s kind of how we’ve grown.
What factors have most contributed to GSL’s success? What specifically has made this endeavor a rewarding one for you? Greenville overall has the growth, and the opportunities here are crazy. GSL just brings a sense of community to Greenville. Twenty-one to whatever age – 50, 55, 60 years old – we have a lot of those folks in the league. It’s a sense of community, sense of camaraderie, a chance for young adults to live out their youth dreams again and have a good time – and most of all, meet new people in Greenville, which there are a lot of. I see the teams’ progress from season to season. I’ll come out and maybe be like, “Well, these guys aren’t very good.” And the next season, “Oooh! They’ve been practicing!” Then next they’re competing in the playoffs; then next, winning the championship. It’s fun to see the players, and really, what we promote is fun.
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07.03.2015
TEAMS GSL offers area professionals and companies an unrivalled networking opportunity
PHOTO BY JIM PITT HARRIS
EMILY PRICE | DIGITAL STRATEGIST
eprice@communityjournals.com
When professionals move water cooler conversation to the dugout or the sidelines, organizations win. Greenville Sports Leagues is a unique and effective networking conduit in many ways. It connects local, like-minded individuals – those interested in sports, athletics and fun – from an endless variety of industries. It provides opportunity for companies to form their own teams or even exclusive corporate leagues. Perhaps the most important networking service it provides is for the many folks who relocate to the area for a new job and are looking for a social group outside of their individual organization. Participants can sign up with GSL as a free agent for any sport, and either be placed on a team comprised of other free agents, or get matched with an existing team that has certain player needs or an open spot on its roster. GSL president Joe Wilson and his staff manage all the introductions and logistics up front. “Free agent teams are awesome,” he says. “If you like sports and somebody else likes sports, then that’s a common talking point, especially when you’re meeting someone.”
GSL sand volleyball team that needed a player. He had played the sport before, but never in an organized league. Alston has now played with some form of that original team for eight seasons. “I’ve met fellow teachers, professors. I’ve met an engineer. Those types of connections for me are important as a science teacher,” he says. “There are people from all different walks of life here. You meet a fireman, you meet a bartender, a professional photographer. “There’s something about getting together for a team sport. While it can be serious, you’re really here to have fun, and so that breaks down a lot of barriers that could initially be there. There’s not that misconception of, ‘I need to talk to this person this way because this is what they do.’ I think sports allows that special kind of outlet, that special connection, that camaraderie … It’s difficult to have that same type of connection and break down those barriers at a conference, because it’s all about research, or you have to say this buzzword. I think that’s why I enjoy this so much. It allows you to be free. It allows you to be who you are.”
‘IT ALLOWS YOU TO BE WHO YOU ARE’ Daniel Alston moved from Columbia to Clemson three years ago to pursue his Ph.D. in science education curriculum and instruction. “While I enjoy hanging out with college-aged kids, I needed an outlet where I was away from research, away from publications and all that stuff,” he says. So he looked on Craigslist and saw a post about a
PHOTO PROVIDED
BRINGING EMPLOYEES TOGETHER Real estate agent Sarah Gilley formed one of the first GSL kickball teams with her husband and friends three years ago, and has played on the Coldwell Banker Caine company team, Caine be Ballin’, the past two seasons. “We just wanted to get new agents involved. We wanted everyone to be able to be friends, do things outside of the office.” She says there’s been “tremendous interest” in the team. “I’ve actually heard from management how impressed they are with how excited people are when they come into the office – because they’re talking about the night before and how much fun they had,” she says. “There’s a pretty big age range in our office. So for us to be able to hang out – the younger professionals and the older professionals to come together – it’s pretty neat. Management loves seeing that.”
GSL FALL SCHEDULE All fall season sports listed below begin late August. Sign up or get more info at playgreenville.com/play. COED KICKBALL – Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri COED & MEN’S SOFTBALL – Sun/Mon/Tues/Thurs COED SOCCER – Mon/Wed COED & MEN’S FLAG FOOTBALL – Thurs (coed)/Sun. (men’s) VOLLEYBALL 4S, 3S, 2S – Sun/Mon/Tues/Wed/ Thurs CORNHOLE – Tues (Craft Beer Tour Cornhole League*) COED BASKETBALL – Mon * “We go to all local craft beer brewery sites and play our league.”
Wilson says that GSL does reach out to HR departments to put together company teams. Aside from Coldwell Banker Caine, GSL works with company teams from Fluor, ScanSource, Synnex, Erwin-Penland, RealtyLink and Windstream, to name a few. Organizations that can provide enough teams also have the opportunity to form corporate private leagues, which Windstream has done with its own exclusive sand volleyball league at The Irish Pub. Other than providing the facilities and scheduling, Wilson says that GSL works to create “a great networking community for those guys, a sense of intercommunity within the organization – and obviously we provide fun.”
Watch our exclusive video at bit.ly/GSLinUBJ
u
We explore sand volleyball, dodgeball and flag football, as well as talk to Joe Wilson and other GSL athletes.
upstatebusinessjournal.com
Sidewall Pizza to open in Savoury Corner location SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF
sjackson@communityjournals.com As one Greenville eatery closes,
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
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another opens. The Savoury Corner, a Cleveland Street sandwich shop and staple for the past 30 years, has closed. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” In its place will be a second location – Benjamin Franklin for Sidewall Pizza, a popular Travelers Rest eatery known for eclectic pizzas and unique homemade ice cream Typically achieved with a Lockup,a go home h Typically achieved with a flavors. Lockup, go home generator that provides and wait for the s generator that provides and wait for the The new Greenville location is “in power to a limited number power to return. mb e power to a limited number power to return. a great part of town,” said Andy of circuits. • No revenue of circuits. • No revenue O’Mara, who owns Sidewall Pizza generation • Allows you to save data generation a • Allows you to save data along with girlfriend Loren Frant. “It’s (864)23 • Profitability at risk and shutdown computers (864)2 • Profitability at risk s and shutdown computers off the beaten path and away from the • Missed customer safely PO • Missed customer safely ORDERLY POBOX BO hustle and bustle, but still has a deadlines ORDERLY • No revenue NO Greenv deadlines • No revenue downtown feel and is close to the NOSTANDBY STANDBY Green SHUTDOWN • Security Risk • Potential profits loss SHUTDOWN • Security Risk • Potential profits loss POWER Swamp Rabbit Trail.” POWER • Checkout remaining • Checkout remaining Sidewall will be leasing the customers customers 1,800-square-foot space, which was a Using a generator service station converted to a restauUsing a generator Business operations Business operations that provides power rant, very similar to the Travelers Rest that provides power continue as if there was w a continue as if there was to essential circuits s location, said O’Mara. It will have an to essential circuits no outage no outage so your business open-air feeling with outdoor seating. so your business • Maintain revenue stream e m • Maintain revenue stream can stay open. He said thea food will be very similar can stay open. • Profits are protected • Profits are protected • Business can stay to that found in the Travelers Rest • Business can stay • Gain new customers • Gain new customers open restaurant, but they may put their open • Become known as a LIMITED FULL • Become known as a • Generate revenue “own spin on some unique sandwich LIMITED FULL • Generate revenue reliable business in the e reliable business in the • Profits are protected OPERATIONS options.” • Profits are protected OPERATION OPERATIONS community OPERATION community • Loses are reduced O’Mara said they are planning on • Loses are reduced opening the Greenville location in two or three months after some renovations of the space.
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16 | SQUARE FEET |
UBJ
REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION
|
07.03. 2015
Demolition work begins at Lewis Plaza Construction, including new Harris Teeter, to be complete by early 2017 SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF sjackson@communityjournals.com @SJackson_CJ
Demolition work has begun on the redesign of Lewis Plaza on Augusta Street, which will include a new 53,000-square-foot, two-story Harris Teeter grocery store. Harris Teeter is once again entering the Greenville market after leaving several years ago. The company was purchased in January 2014 by Kroger Co. but maintains the Harris Teeter brand with headquarters in Matthews, N.C. Harris Teeter officials have said the new store will offer all of the amenities that a “super flag or high-end store” offers. A second-floor mezzanine area will have a sit-down wine bar with outdoor terrace seating.
First up in the Lewis Plaza redesign will be the construction of the new freestanding Wells Fargo building located at the corner of Lewis Drive and Augusta Street, said Paul Holder with Avtex Commercial, which owns and is redeveloping the shopping center. Construction on that building will begin this summer. Construction on the plaza and the Harris Teeter grocery store are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2017, he said. Lewis Plaza, which opened in 1948, is considered to be the first shopping center in Greenville. Several businesses have occupied the plaza, most recently an antique store and Earth Fare grocery store where the new Harris Teeter will be. In the redesigned Lewis Plaza, most of the current shop owners will remain, with their spaces getting
a face-lift to match the new look of the plaza. The shops will remain open during construction. The Dollar General Store will be demolished along with the old post office, most recently a Shogun of Kyoto restaurant. Developers will make additional streetscaping improvements, including removing utility poles, along Aberdeen Drive, Augusta Street and Lewis Drive. A new 5,000-square-foot space with an outdoor seating area will be available. Holder said they are negotiating with several restaurants, including national, local and regional chains, but haven’t signed anything yet. Another 6,000-square-foot space will also be open to new tenants, and Avtex is looking for a “mixture of both local and national tenants that suit Augusta Road and its residents.”
Simpsonville apartment complex sold for $11M Greenville-based McCall Capital, a real estate
85
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quality of the community,” said Marcus McCall, president of McCall Capital. “Of course right after we bought the property, the market took a significant downturn, so we adjusted our strategy to
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investment, development, and asset management company, closed last week on the sale of the Enclave at Fairview in Simpsonville, a 120-unit townhome apartment community. The property was sold to Ginkgo Residential on June 24, 2015, for $11 million. The townhomes were originally built in the 1980s as a for-sale product, but instead became a rental community. The community offers large two- and three-bedroom townhomes, a swimming pool, fitness center, playground area, car care center and dog park. “When we purchased the property in late 2006, we wanted to reposition it for later sale, so we rebranded it by establishing the Enclave name, and added a number of amenities and value-add upgrades to the interiors to improve the overall
a very conservative financial approach which allowed us to continue to manage the property successfully during the difficult years.”
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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION
| SQUARE FEET | 17
Office, retail could be next for Greer hospital property City Council votes to demolish former Allen Bennett Memorial Hospital site SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF sjackson@communityjournals.com @SJackson_CJ
Along the south side of Wade Hampton Boulevard, just west of Highway 14, a 10-acre piece of property has sat vacant for the past five years. Now, in an effort to attract developers to the site, Greer City Council voted last week to move forward with demolition of the existing buildings. Once the home of the Allen Bennett Memorial Hospital and the Roger Huntington Nursing Home, the city of Greer has owned the property since 2010, when the Greenville Health System gave it to the city. Greenville County EMS will remain on a small portion at the rear of the site. “GHS was very gracious to gift the Allen Bennett Hospital to the city,” said Mayor Rick Danner. “The council’s philosophy and our No. 1 desire have been to utilize this land to create jobs, expand the tax base and to provide more amenities for our citizens.” A January 2015 market analysis report of the site by Charlotte-based design consulting firm Kimley-Horn and Associates recommended demolition of the 243,000-square-foot buildings, stating that the “analysis forecasts demand for retail and office uses on the property if all of the vacant buildings are removed.” With the ability to reconfigure the parking and refocus the buildings toward Wade Hampton Boulevard, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of retail could be supported at the site, said the report. Considering the site’s location away from I-85 and major employment centers, as well as current hotel vacancy and rental rates in the area, no hospitality users are recommended, according to the report.
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“The council’s philosophy and our No. 1 desire have been to utilize this land to create jobs, expand the tax base and to provide more amenities for our citizens.”
Mayor Rick Danner
“With the location along Wade Hampton Boulevard, it might end up as some sort of retail use, but there’s really no limitation on what the use could be,” said Danner. Several projects have had “starts and stops,” and he believes that with the building on the property that it’s “hard to see the potential.” The study said that residential uses, including an assisted living facility, are “likely feasible” for the site but may not be the highest and best use for the city. It also said that given the configuration and size of the existing structures, if they were not demolished, it would limit the types of users
that can be attracted and that configuring the remaining property around the existing structures is a challenge given the shape and slope of the site. Greer City Council approved Danner to negotiate the contract for demolition with Neo Corporation, not to exceed $790,000. Demolition is expected in January 2016. “It was a purpose-built building,” said Danner, “and it’s served its purpose.” Once the property is sold, the tax benefits and proceeds could be used for projects within the city of Greer that aren’t part of a regular budget, such as a new park, new cultural arts facility, a new senior center, “or any number of things out there,” said Danner.
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55 Beattie Place | commerce-club.com | 864.232.5600 For more information contact Dylan Petrick, Commerce Club General Manager, at dylan.petrick@clubcorp.com
18 | ON THE MOVE |
UBJ
PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS
APPOINTED
PROMOTED
HIRED
HIRED
|
07.03. 2015
HIRED
Eric McDonald
Tony Masters
Evan Miller
Georgia Mueller
Caroline Warner
Named interim president of Spartanburg Methodist College by the board of trustees. McDonald, who has served as vice president of business affairs since 2008, will also continue in his normal duties until a new president can be found for the college. He previously worked at several accounting firms.
Named vice president of procurement at O’Neal Inc. Masters will lead a group that offers purchasing, tracking and expediting services associated with project execution and construction. He joined O’Neal in 2013, and has more than 30 years of procurement experience in the construction industry.
Joins EDTS as a systems engineer. Miller has more than five years of professional experience in networking, support, cybersecurity and systems engineering roles in multiple industries. He previously worked at CB&I Project Services Group, where he served as a global IT support specialist.
Named office manager at Graydon Thompson LLC. Mueller has more than 20 years of experience in office administration, accounting and small business services, and is based in the firm’s Greenville office. She previously worked at several accounting firms and in the engineering and construction industries.
Named marketing and research manager at the Oconee Economic Alliance. Warner previous worked as the marketing coordinator of the SC Festival of Flowers, as well as an independent social media consultant. She will help with marketing for industrial and commercial investment attraction to Oconee County.
ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN DP3 Architects Ltd. hired Lorna C. Anders, AIA LEED AP, as higher education studio leader. Having worked with DP3 18 years ago, she rejoins the team with 36 years of design experience. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and
CREW Upstate, is on the Fountain Inn Symphony Board, and is co-chair of the Building Committee of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church.
DEVELOPMENT O’Neal Inc. has hired James Guffey as process department head and Mike
Hooper as senior engineer. Guffey has more than 20 years of engineering experience, having worked with such consulting firms as Penta and on the client side for pulp and paper and chemical producers. Hooper has more than 15 years of engineering experience, both on the client and EPC consulting sides.
VIP
EDUCATION
CAREER OPPORTUNITY Voted the Best Golf Club in Georgia, Final 4 in the USA 2015, by the National Golf Course Owners Association, the Currahee Club on Lake Hartwell is now seeking a superstar to join our team as
DIRECTOR OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE Minimum of 5 years of food & beverage experience u College degree in hospitality is a plus u Leadership experience in food and beverage management u Excellent customer service skills u Ability to prepare budgets and monitor revenues and costs u Strong technical and organizational skills u Exceptional attention to detail and follow-up u Relocation to our northeast Georgia area is a necessity
Clemson University President James Clements was elected to the executive committee of the Business Higher Education Forum (BHEF), a national organization dedicated to increasing collaboration between the business community and higher education for workforce development and economic competitiveness.
u
FINANCE Stokes & Company CPAs PC hired Linda Lauria as an accountant, and Paige Gillespie earned her title as an enrolled agent with the IRS. Lauria has previous experience in transportation, confidential shredding, administrative duties, payroll processing and accounting. Gillespie, a senior accounting manager, passed a three-part comprehensive IRS test covering individual and business taxes. The enrolled agent status is the highest credential the IRS awards.
MANUFACTURING Apply today by forwarding your resume and salary expectations. Your application will be held confidential. humanresources@curraheeclub.com
One Currahee Club Way, Toccoa, GA 30577 www.curraheeclub.com
Performance Solutions by Milliken hired Jordan Workman and Scott Cochran as directors of client develop-
David Lominack Named chairman of the South Carolina Bankers Association. Lominack is South Carolina market president for TD Bank. He has been with TD Bank and predecessor Carolina First Bank since 1997, and was named South Carolina market president earlier this spring. ment. Workman previously served as market director of several global business units and as business development leader in China for Owens Corning. Cochran most recently worked at Wofford College as dean of The Space, the college’s entrepreneurship accelerator and professional development center. He has more than 20 years of business experience, including serving as a senior vice president at UPS Capital.
CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions & award winners may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com.
upstatebusinessjournal.com
THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE
Open for business 1. The Longarm Network recently opened an INNOVA quilting showroom and training center at 201 Pelham Davis Circle, Suite A, Greenville. Hours are TuesdayFriday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Mondays by appointment. For more information visit thelongarmnetwork.com or call 864-272-3488.
1.
| NEW TO THE STREET | 19
NOSE DIVE $10 WEEKDAY LUNCH
1.
2. Taziki’s Mediterranean Café recently held a ribbon-cutting at 3604 Pelham Road, Suite A, Greenville. The restaurant offers Mediterranean cuisine. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. For more information visit tazikiscafe.com. 2.
Photos provided
CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon? Email information to bjeffers@communityjournals.com.
116 South Main Street, Greenville SC 29601 | 864.373.7300 TheNoseDive.com Lunch and Dinner, Monday - Saturday | Sunday Brunch
20 | THE FINE PRINT |
UBJ
BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS
|
07.03. 2015
Development program gets $35M for tax credit allocation
NHE to manage housing projects across the state
Greenville New Markets Opportunity II (GNMO II), a Community Development Entity (CDE) managed by taxadvantagegroup and Greenville Local Development Corporation (GLDC), received a $35 million allocation of New Markets Tax Credits by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The allocation will help finance select economic development projects in low-income communities within the Upstate. With support from U.S. Senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham and U.S. Representative Trey Gowdy, GNMO II was the only CDE in South Carolina to receive an allocation in this year’s round of funding. The CDFI Fund released $3.512 billion in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) awards nationwide on June 15. The federally funded program seeks to stimulate new investment in distressed communities that would not otherwise occur. David Barnett, chairman of GLDC, said in a release, “Quality job creation with a focus on health and wellness services is still in great need across the Upstate, and GNMO II funds will be a catalyst for this.” Organizations interested in applying for funds should contact taxadvantagegroup President Tammy C. Propst at tpropst@taxadvantagegroup.com to determine eligibility requirements.
Prestwick Companies selected NHE Inc. to provide property management services for new affordable housing developments within South Carolina. Having served two Prestwick properties in Greenville since 2011 – Augusta Heights and Parkside at Verdae – NHE will now oversee seven developments across the state, totaling over $50M in assets and 337 residential units. The new S.C. locations include Greer, Anderson, Greenwood, Summerville and Moncks Corner. “Affordable housing is an important need across the nation, and certainly in South Carolina,” Taylor Davis, president of NHE, said in a release. “Prestwick has launched seven exceptional new-construction developments here in just five years to serve low-income working families and individuals.” NHE has more than 30 years of experience in the management of affordable housing properties, currently responsible for more than 50 affordable communities in S.C. Darien Lee of Prestwick said NHE has “exceeded our expectations in Greenville, and we look forward to expanding our partnership as Prestwick Companies continues to grow.” Prestwick has developed 25 multifamily housing communities since 2008 and secured more than $150M in development and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity.
SCRA accepts Spartanburg company into launch program SCRA Technology Ventures accepted Spartanburg-based company Resiliency Technologies into its SC Launch Program. Resiliency Technologies integrates research from multiple disciplines in prevention to build tools that power healthy minds. Infused apps and trainings seek to broaden the reach of tough-to-teach topics and promote mental well-being in the workplace, school and home. Companies accepted into the SC Launch program have access to mentoring and other support services. These companies may be eligible to receive matching funding or larger investment funds. SCRA also accepted Columbia-based RandomWalk, an education and training company with Web, mobile and wearable tech products and solutions.
ScanSource bolsters mobile POS offerings ScanSource POS and Barcode entered into an agreement with Star Micronics, a supplier of point-of-sale (POS) solutions used in both mobile and traditional POS environments. This new collaboration further strengthens ScanSource’s offering of complete POS and retail solutions for resellers. “It’s a great pleasure to partner with a leader in retail and printing like Star Micronics,” said Brenda McCurry, vice president of merchandising for ScanSource POS and Barcode, in a release. “This relationship provides new opportunities to connect our resellers to valuable markets and product offerings, and we look forward to working together to help our customers grow their business.” Star Micronics products will be available in the U.S. and Canada.
GHS named in top 50 for women, diverse managers Greenville Health System has been named one of the top 50 companies for women and diverse managers to work by Diversity MBA Magazine. Companies included in this ranking have established programs that create access for women and people of color to move into top leadership roles, according to a news release. Diversity MBA Magazine, a national leadership publication, also recognized GHS with a “Best in Class” award, identifying the health care provider as one of the top 10 companies for accountability and board diversity. The ninth annual list of “50 Out Front Companies for Diversity Leadership: Best Places for Women & Diverse Managers to Work” will be published in the magazine’s July 2015 issue.
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22 | #TRENDING |
UBJ
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
|
07.03. 2015
UPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM OVERHEARD AT THE WATERCOOLER Distilled commentary from UBJ readers
BIZ BUZZ
RE: HOTEL COMING TO GREENVILLE’S WEST END
The top 5 stories from last week’s issue ranked by shareability score
“Are you KIDDING me? Just last week it was announced that a **270** unit apartment complex is slated to be built where the Pendleton Baptist Church currently stands (this is only two blocks down from Fluor Field). This will only exacerbate an already woefully inadequate parking situation. Apparently, the city doesn’t have a long-range plan for the (soon-to-be-not-so) historical West End.”
1. Hotel coming to Greenville’s West End – 389
>> Steve Skipwith on site
“I’ll be a little sad seeing that building torn down. The hotel will probably push downtown out more towards Pendleton Street which will be nice for us in Brandon Mill, though.” >> Rachel Ellison Harding via FB RE: THE NORTHPOINTE PROJECT COULD TURN STONE AVENUE INTO GREENVILLE’S MOST VIBRANT CORRIDOR
“Oh!! I hope it is a Wegman’s!!!” >> Kelly on site
WATCH & SEE VIDEO >>
RE: PENDLETON STREET BAPTIST CHURCH TO SELL 3 ACRES TO APARTMENT DEVELOPER
“Parking. Parking. Parking! What is the city’s master plan for the West End? Because right now it doesn’t feel like there is one. In the last year we’ve seen soul less characterless apt. buildings sprout up like mushrooms. Enough! I am gobsmacked. I live in the West End and love it … We need local ownership in this area. That’s what builds strong neighborhoods. NOT 270 more units of transient 20-40 year olds with nothing invested in the community. Walk through this area ANY evening and you will see parking is already maxed out.” >> Susan on site “As far as the value of those old homes, it takes a tremendous amount of work to bring those old houses up to modern codes once any renovation work is undertaken. It’s almost more cost effective, and may be in some cases to demolish the old structures and start over. Lead-based paint, asbestos, etc. are in many old structures and is very expensive to remediate.” >> Brian Bishop via FB
u PRESS PLAY for exclusive video of this week’s cover story at bit.ly/GSLinUBJ. This week we explored sand volleyball, dodgeball and flag football, chatted with GSL athletes and caught up with owner/president Joe Wilson between games. u Miss our live stream of iMagine Upstate’s Transportation Hack-a-thon project pitches at CU-ICAR last weekend? You can still watch the entire broadcast at bit.ly/hackathonpitches.
26 JUNE 26, 2015 | VOL. 4 ISSUE
RE: CERTUSBANK WINDS DOWN BUSINESS WITH BRANCH, DEPOSIT SALES (UPDATED)
“What a case study this would make … Had the world at its fingertips and Greed got in the way. Amazing.” >> Mike on site
2. Iron Yard closes ‘significant’ investment from University of Phoenix owner – 188
UP Manufacturing location with the planned PAGE 16 NEXT looks to its third d to help jump-start startups Center, a space positione
DIGITAL FLIPBOOK ARCHIVE >>
The layout of print meets the convenience of digital: Flip through the digital edition of any of our print issues at upstatebusinessjournal.com/ past-issues.
WEIGH IN @ THE UBJ EXCHANGE Got something to offer? We’re looking for expert guest bloggers from all industries to contribute to the UBJ Exchange. Send posts or blog ideas to eprice@communityjournals.com. Check out the new Final Edit, a weekly blog post from our editors that reviews our week’s work in both UBJ and the Greenville Journal.
3. NEXT looks to its third location with the planned Manufacturing Center – 151
4. NEXT Manufacturing will honor industrial past while looking to future – 79
5. Author Lydia Dishman shares lessons in resilience from entrepreneurs – 61
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INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE
| PLANNER | 23
DATE
EVENT INFO
WHERE DO I GO?
HOW DO I GO?
Tuesday
7/7
Commerce Connect Topic: Hiking, Backpacking
Commerce Club, 55 Beattie Place, 17th Floor, Greenville, 5:30 p.m.
Register: 864-232-5600
Wednesday
High Performance Leadership Series Topic: Successful Teams
Commerce Club, 55 Beattie Place, 17th Floor, Greenville, 7:30-11 a.m.
Register: 248-766-6926
Hispanic Alliance Networking Meeting
McAlister Square, Multipurpose Room, Cost: Free 225 S. Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville, More Info: hispanicalliancesc.com 12:30 p.m.
Commerce Club Conversation Series Topic: Biggest issues facing Greenville
Beattie Bar and Lounge, 55 Beattie Place, Greenville, 5 p.m.
Register: 864-232-5600
Tech After Five Networking for tech entrepreneurs
Pour Lounge, 221 N. Main St., Greenville, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/taf-july2015
SCORE Small Business Start-Up Workshop
Greenville Technical College - Barton Campus, 506 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free Register: piedmontscore.org/workshops
Commerce Club Investment Club Participate in a “Fantasy Stock Market”
Commerce Club, 55 Beattie Place, 17th Floor, Greenville, 5:30 p.m.
Register: 864-232-5600
Greenville Chamber Golf Tournament
Chanticleer Golf Course and Greenville Country Club
More info: bit.ly/golf-aug2015
7/8 Thursday
7/9 Tuesday
7/14 Wednesday
7/15 Thursday
7/16 Tuesday
7/21 Monday
7/24
CONTRIBUTE: Got a hot date? Submit event information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com.
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JULY 24: TRAVELERS REST The small town making big waves.
Kristy Adair 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
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Kate Madden
DIGITAL TEAM Emily Price, Danielle Car
1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993
1990 Jackson Dawson acquires therapon marketing Group and moves to Piedmont office Center on Villa.
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with a majority of them utilizing the general aviation airport as a “corporate gateway to the city.” In 1997, Jackson and his son, Darrell, launched Jackson Motorsports Group. The new division was designed to sell race tires and go to racetracks to sell and mount the tires. Darrell Jackson now serves as president of the motorsports group and Larry Jackson has two other children and a son-in-law who work there. Jackson said all his children started at the bottom and “earned their way up.” Jackson kept the Jackson-Dawson branches in Detroit and others in Los Angeles and New York until he sold his portion of that partnership in 2009 as part of his estate planning. The company now operates a small office in Charlotte, but its main headquarters are in Greenville in a large office space off Woodruff Road, complete with a vision gallery that displays local artwork and an auditorium Jackson makes available for non-profit use. The Motorsports Group is housed in an additional 26,000 square feet building just down the street, and the agency is currently looking for another 20,000 square feet. Jackson said JMG has expanded into other verticals such as financial, healthcare, manufacturing and pro-bono work, but still has a strong focus on the auto industry and transportation. It’s
Chairman larry Jackson, Jackson marketing Group. Photos by Greg Beckner / Staff
Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 years Solve. Serve. Grow. Those three words summarize Jackson Marketing Group’s guiding principles, and according to owner Larry Jackson, form the motivation that has kept the firm thriving for the past 25 years.
Jackson graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in video and film production and started his 41-year career in the communications industry with the U.S. Army’s Public Information Office. He served during
Vietnam, where he said he was “luckily” stationed in the middle of Texas at Fort Hood. He left the service and went to work in public affairs and motorsports at Ford Motor Company in Detroit. After a stint at Bell and Howell, where he was responsible for managing Ford’s dealer marketing and training, the entrepreneurial bug hit and he co-founded Jackson-Dawson Marketing Communications, a company specializing in dealer training and product launches for the auto industry in 1980. In 1987, Jackson wanted to move back south and thought Greenville would be a good fit. An avid pilot, he
learned of an opportunity to purchase Cornerstone Aviation, a fixed base operation (FBO) that served as a service station for the Greenville Downtown Airport, providing fuel, maintenance and storage. In fact, when he started the Greenville office of what is now Jackson Marketing Group (JMG) in 1988, the offices were housed on the second floor in an airport hangar. “Clients would get distracted by the airplanes in the hangars and we’d have to corral them to get back upstairs to the meeting,” Jackson said. Jackson sold the FBO in 1993, but says it was a great way to get to know Greenville’s fathers and leaders
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2003 motorsports Division acquires an additional 26,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space
1998 1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court
also one of the few marketing companies in South Carolina to handle all aspects of a project in-house, with four suites handling video production, copywriting, media and research and web design. Clients include heavyweights such as BMW, Bob Jones University, the Peace Center, Michelin and Sage Automotive. Recent projects have included an interactive mobile application for Milliken’s arboretum and 600-acre Spartanburg campus and a marketing campaign for the 2013 Big League World Series. “In my opinion, our greatest single achievement is the longevity of our client relationships,” said Darrell Jackson. “Our first client from back in 1988 is still a client today. I can count on one hand the number of clients who have gone elsewhere in the past decade.” Larry Jackson says his Christian faith and belief in service to others, coupled with business values rooted in solving clients’ problems, have kept
2009 Jackson Dawson changes name to Jackson marketing Group when larry sells his partnership in Detroit and lA 2003
2009-2012 Jackson marketing Group named a top BtoB agency by BtoB magazine 4 years running
him going and growing his business over the years. He is passionate about giving back and outreach to non-profits. The company was recently awarded the Community Foundation Spirit Award. The company reaffirmed its commitment to serving the community last week by celebrating its 25th anniversary with a birthday party and a 25-hour Serve-A-Thon partnership with Hands on Greenville and Habitat for Humanity. JMG’s 103 full-time employees worked in shifts around the clock on October 22 and 23 to help construct a house for a deserving family. As Jackson inches towards retirement, he says he hasn’t quite figured out his succession plan yet, but sees the companies staying under the same umbrella. He wants to continue to strategically grow the business. “From the beginning, my father has taught me that this business is all about our people – both our clients and our associates,” said his son, Darrell. “We have created a focus and a culture that strives to solve problems, serve people and grow careers.” Darrell Jackson said he wants to “continue helping lead a culture where we solve, serve and grow. If we are successful, we will continue to grow towards our ultimate goal of becoming the leading integrated marketing communications brand in the Southeast.”
2011 Jackson marketing Group/Jackson motorsports Group employee base reaches 100 people
2008 2012 Jackson marketing Group recognized by Community Foundation with Creative spirit Award
pro-bono/non-proFit Clients American Red Cross of Western Carolinas Metropolitan Arts Council Artisphere Big League World Series The Wilds Advance SC South Carolina Charities, Inc. Aloft Hidden Treasure Christian School
CoMMUnitY inVolVeMent & boarD positions lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member
JULY 31: QUARTERLY CRE ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.
David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board, Metropolitan Arts Council Board, American Red Cross Board, Greenville Tech Foundation Board, South Carolina Chamber Board eric Jackson (Jackson motorsports Group sales specialist): Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board
November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21
20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013
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NOVEMBER 1, 2013
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SALES REPRESENTATIVES
1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport
1988
By sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com
CLIENT SERVICES
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MARKETING & ADVERTISING
jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years
ADVERTISING DESIGN
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PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Beckner
UBJ milestone
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Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com Ashley Boncimino, Sherry Jackson, Benjamin Jeffers, Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Robbie Ward
UBJ milestone
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