august 30, 2013
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city
WITh mIllIonS In PoTenTIAl eConomIC ImPACT, bIkeS ARe beComIng SeRIoUS bUSIneSS In The UPSTATe
Plans to locate megachurch near CU-ICAR stirs controversy
FaItH-OFF
Invert Action Sports looks out for the environment
ON BOaRD
Tom Dillard crafts success with several local companies
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By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com
i wish i could lock you all in a room together. Last week UBJ focused on one type of diversity – racial – but that’s only part of what I get to see while digging into the business of business. I can’t tell you how many days I’ve gone from an office in one industry to an office in another and thought of how much they could learn from each other. One day it’ll be how infrastructure could benefit from the user focus that’s hardwired into the Web development world. Then I’ll talk with the CFO of a growing automotive supplier who can tell me precisely what they do, for whom and why. Some of those younger Web developers could benefit from a sitdown with that sort of person. I know from experience that nonprofits could definitely learn a lot
Illustration by Ryan Kelly
I can’t tell you how many days I’ve gone from an office in one industry to an office in another and thought of how much they could learn from each other.
Jennifer Oladipo
from a stint in a newsroom where deadlines rule. After talking with Robbin Phillips at Brains on Fire for a Q & A this week, I’m even thinking about cramming everyone’s customers into the room as well. I’d like to take everyone whose focus is primarily downtown Greenville on a field trip… away from downtown Greenville. There’s more to the city and more to the Upstate than that, even with all the highly visible success. That’s a challenge I’ve put to myself as well. The more we journalists can tell the story of our community’s complexity, the better – but it seems like that could be a good practice for you, too. Who knows what kind of ideas and changes would come from a community sequestered in that big, imaginary room? Actually, forget that. You’re already in that room together, but you’re only talking to the people who came with you. I realize getting into other people’s business is a rare job perk for journalists and a few others, but anyone can take genuine interest in what somebody else has to teach. It’s not always easy to reach out, but in my opinion, it’s much more fun that way.
Clothes don’t make the man – they make the difference.
Let’s keep the conversation going. We’ve got room at upstatebusinessjournal.com, facebook.com/TheUpstateBusinessJournal, or on Twitter @UpstateBiz.
530 HAYWOOD ROAD • GREENVILLE, SC • 864.297.5610 August 30, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 3
Volume II, Issue XXXIV
August 30, 2013
WORTH REPEATING
TBA
“If you’re not having fun in what you do, then you need to evaluate what you’re doing.”
Word is that the coming update to the Bank of America building will include new LED lighting atop the building that will change color based on what’s happening around town…
Matt McClain, founder of Invert Action Sports. “The Great Recession shifted how we think about the work we do in the world. It’s got to have meaning. You let your customers into your life and you will be changed.”
Gringo’s on Camperdown Way has filed for a special permit to keep the deck portion of the restaurant open until 2 a.m… The owner of Corner Spot market in Taylors is seeking a commercial rezoning from the county in hopes of adding a liquor store…
Robbin Phillips, co-author of “The Passion Conversation.”
Dan Gliatta, managing partner at the Cargo Agency, which published a study saying that marketers waste nearly half their efforts for small businesses. “I needed to do my own thing. I look at my boss and said, ‘I’m going home.’” Builder and entrepreneur Tom Dillard, on deciding to strike out on his own while attending a meeting of 3,000 salespeople.
16
Allan Christensen with Pedal Chic works on a new bike at the Greenville store.
TransTech is making plans to build another 40,000 to 50,000 square feet of light manufacturing next to its current facility on Augusta Arbor Way…
VERBATIM
On Where to Shop Now… “Take a break from this month’s Euphoria food festival to get a taste of the city’s stylish offerings.” Southern Living magazine, putting Monkee’s of the West End, Rush Wilson Limited, Dark Corner Distillery, Augusta Twenty, Cocobella Boutique and Postcard from Paris on its “Where to Shop Now” list for Greenville. Read it at bit.ly/wheretoshopnow.
4 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL August 30, 2013
Photo by Greg Beckner
“Small business isn’t sexy. Big agencies don’t put the big ideas into small business.”
UBJ NewS Proposed Church Location Near ICAR Prompts Stir
World-Class Lawyers. Deep Local Roots.
By Sherry Jackson | staff sjackson@communityjournals.com
a new 1,400-seat megachurch is creating controversy over its proposed location next to Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) on the Millennium Campus in Greenville. Clemson officials said in a written statement that while they “certainly support NewSpring’s expansion into Greenville, it seems that this location might not be the best fit.” The statement explains that Clemson “believes that all parties are obligated to comply with the agreed-upon covenants for development that apply to both CU-ICAR and Millennium Campus. We have many partners and investors, including the city and state, who expect the site to focus on education, research-driven economic development and job creation.”
NewSpring Church, which has several locations across South Carolina including its main campus in Anderson, averages 22,000 people during weekend services at multiple campuses, according to the church website. The church has been holding its Greenville services in the TD Convention Center. “Since we launched multi-site, we’ve gone from 7,300 to right now averaging right under 26,000 people a week,” Head Pastor Perry Noble told WYFF-TV. Developer Trehel Corporation submitted plans for the new church along I-85 that will include not only the 67,000-square-foot church but also future plans for two additional 16,000-square-foot office buildings on the property. (continued on page 13) The site plan for the proposed new Greenville location of NewSpring Church.
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UBJ NEWS
Local Agency: Much Marketing Is Ineffective New study says marketers waste nearly half their efforts for small businesses By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com
Handshake by handshake. Block by block. That’s how we’ve done business in the Upstate for 80 years. Working together, thinking ahead, treating customers like family - because an Upstate family name is on the door.
the greenville-based cargo Agency released the results of a study last week that showed large companies are missing the mark when marketing to small businesses nationwide. The survey of businesses around the nation found that 43 percent of marketing efforts were ineffective, and many of them are actually off-putting. That’s better than last year’s findings, when respondents reported that 52 percent of efforts were for naught. But the problems remain similar. The survey asked about the brands of large corporations, not small businesses marketing to each other. In general, business owners and leaders said too many of these
don’t know who they’re talking to, and don’t seem to care. Respondents said marketers commonly make the mistake of not understanding their needs or making no effort to do so. That, coupled with messaging that is condescending, vague or overwhelming, paints a frustrating picture for small-business owners. Dan Gliatta, managing partner at Cargo, which focuses on marketing to small and medium-sized business, said part of the problem is that large corporations and marketing agencies tend to put markedly less effort into courting small business than they do larger companies. “Small business isn’t sexy. Big agencies don’t put the big ideas into
Q: WHAT ARE THE COMMON MISTAKES BRANDS/COMPANIES MAKE WHEN MARKETING TO YOU AND YOUR PEERS? Poor customer service Don’t understand my needs Tries to sell me vs. talk to me No effort to understand my business Lack of product/service support Messaging talks down to me Messaging and information is vague Difficult to implement/use product Overload me with too much information Not a scalable solution Not flexible Information not available when I need it Messaging is too technical for me
6 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL August 30, 2013
small business,” Gliatta said. They also don’t bother to apply some of the most basic proven marketing tactics, such as knowing and targeting the different demographics that would buy their brands. Cargo partnered with research company Toluna to prospect and prescreen and ensure respondents reflected the true demographics of small businesses, both in terms of industry and owner demographics. Business size was between five and 250 employees. Gliatta said sole proprietors were excluded because their spending habits are more like those of consumers. “Big brands treat all small businesses the same,” Gliatta said. “They don’t do that in the consumer world. If they’re marketing to Gen Y, they’re specific. [Business owners] take that personally. For small business owners, their life is their business or their business is their life.”
Fed, Courts Fight Over Debit Fees By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com
retail businesses could find relief – and banks a major loss of revenue – if the interchange fees for debit cards are reduced. A federal judge ruled earlier this month that the Federal Reserve did not meet its obligation to reduce those fees. In response, the Fed appealed the court’s ruling on Aug. 21. Congress had moved to limit the fees, known as interchange fees, which banks and other institutions can collect for debit card transactions. The Federal Reserve was given responsibility for setting a
cap on the fees, but a Washington, D.C., district court judge ruled that the fee cap was too high to satisfy Congress’s intentions. A 2011 fee cap mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law had already reduced debit fees by more than half. The current cap is about $0.21 per transaction. The Fed may be forced to lower the debit card fees further if the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon stands. At a hearing earlier this month, Leon said he would delay action and gave the Fed a week to determine whether
it could write an interim rule that would reduce the current cap temporarily. He also suggested at the hearing that financial institutions might have to reimburse merchants for fees that should not have been collected. But the Fed appealed the ruling, and requested that fees stand as they are until the matter is settled in court. Debate continues about how the changes might benefit consumers. Business owners have said they would pass savings on to customers, and some merchants such as gas stations have already been offering discounts to customers who pay with cash rather than cards. Banks have argued that the changes would only improve merchants’ bottom lines, and hurt their own business.
UBJ INNOVATE
By GAIL DEPRIEST
Lending a Hand
At the Clemson University Leadership Summit, participants constructed artificial hands for amputees around the world, using the Build-a-Hand kits from Odyssey Teams.
Sometimes you go to a conference and come home with a binder and lots of inspiration, but building a hand for someone in need – that’s an experience that you will never forget. with a group of four or five team members building a prosthetic hand from a box of parts containing thirty-odd pieces of plastic and metal. As they work their way through the process, reading instruc-
tions and helping each other place parts, they begin to see a robotic hand emerge. Some team members work on assembling the hands while more artistic team members decorate the container that will hold the
hand when it is shipped to the recipient. In about 45 minutes a hand is assembled and members of the teams begin to realize they are about to change the life of someone halfway around the world. Sometimes you go to a conference and come home with a binder and lots of inspiration, but building a hand for someone in need – that’s an experience that you will never forget. Matt Foster of M33 Integrated Solutions attended the Summit this year and said, “Building a hand was a gratifying experience knowing that we can help make a difference. Our team had this opportunity to send something out into the world that would change a life, potentially giving someone hope, more confidence and the possibility of working again.” Pat Parker of the Triune Mercy
Gail DePriest is the director of corporate relations and leadership development for Clemson at the Falls. Having previously served as senior vice president and corporate director for a global talent management consulting firm, she has advised Fortune 500 companies and top-ranked business schools. She lives and works in downtown Greenville.
8 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL August 30, 2013
Photos provided
imagine for a moment that you have lost the use of a hand. All the things you take for granted every day like writing, brushing your teeth, holding a book or riding a bike are no longer possible for you like before. That is the experience of over 2,000 land mine victims who lose the use of one or both hands each year. For this reason alone, hundreds of thousands – more than 300,000 globally – are in need of prosthetic hands. Most victims are not able to afford the cost, which can be as much as $10,000 in developing countries. As you can imagine, people with no opportunity to obtain a prosthetic hand become heavily dependent on others for the rest of their lives. Enter Clemson University Leadership Summit. Every August in downtown Greenville, 24 leaders from local and international organizations arrive at Clemson at the Falls, where they will spend five days listening to local leaders, developing their own leadership styles and networking with regional organizations. They become involved in a community impact project and at the end of the week they present solutions to problems that organizations like United Way of Greenville face. Many summit attendees indicate this week is life-changing for them, giving them a new perspective as they move forward. Without a doubt one of the highlights of Leadership Summit is the Helping Hands project. The leaders don’t even know what is coming, when suddenly they find themselves
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Center commented, “I really enjoyed being part of a team where everyone used their different talents to build something life-changing. It was absolutely powerful.” In the past several years, members of the Clemson Leadership Summit classes have built and donated hands to many waiting individuals. Clemson partners with the Odyssey Team Organization, which
provides the Helping Hand kits. Odyssey believes that many people have forgotten the purpose or the reason of their work. Odyssey’s goal is to wake people up to their purpose every day, to help people see things from a different perspective. At the Clemson University Center for Corporate Learning, that is our goal as well.
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SC Legal Action Pushes Nuclear Storage Debate By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com
earlier this month a federal appeals court said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was “flouting the law” and ordered the agency to resume a stalled permit that would turn Nevada’s Yucca Mountain into a nuclear waste storage site. The state of South Carolina, Aiken County and Washington State sued the U.S. Energy Department last year to force the NRC to resume license review. Senator Lindsey Graham praised the decision to move forward. If the permit is approved, it could relieve South Carolina of 4,000 metric tons of nuclear waste currently stored at the nearby Oconee Nuclear Station, the Savannah River Site in Aiken County, and other locations. The radioactive waste would move to the Yucca Mountain site about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The Obama administration had halted the project in 2009 amid objections from U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. Shoshone Indians in the area also protest that the mountain is a sacred site. Meanwhile, utilities companies have collected some $21 billion
in surcharge fees to fund the project, which would help the federal government fulfill its responsibility to safely dispose of nuclear waste. Experts say the matter of safe nuclear waste storage grows more important every year as more nuclear power plants hit the 40-year-old mark when they must be decommissioned. Nuclear waste is currently stored at the plants. Although the NRC has been ordered to revisit the matter, the outcome remains uncertain, as the NRC might or might not approve the license.
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UBJ FORWARD
By RUSSELL STALL
the greenville we know today is an award-winning place that continues to hit the Top 10 lists almost weekly. In just the last few weeks, Greenville was named one of Outside Magazine’s Best Towns and one of Forbes’ 10 Transformed Neighborhoods, and Falls Park showed up as one of TripAdvisor’s Top U.S. Parks. It’s hard not to be proud of Greenville, not just because of our continued presence on Top 10 lists, but because we get to enjoy the amazing quality of life we offer, every day. The reasons Greenville lands on so many lists – the great downtown, municipalities and villages; the private/public partnerships that spur business success; the burgeoning, welcoming neighborhoods; the vibrant economy; the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail – didn’t happen by accident. Nope, Greenville’s success is not accidental. It did not just happen. In 2002, a visioning process initiated by the Greenville Chamber of Commerce created a list of goals for Greenville County that were thoughtfully planned and carefully developed. Over 1,000 volunteers participated in the process, using the expertise of experts and leaders, reliable demographic and historical data, and the valued input from the general public to generate ideas about what our cities, county and region could look like and function like in the generations to come. Those ideas became the Vision 2025 and were launched almost 10 years ago. Among the goals are items that are more challenging to reach than others. The Vision needed a shepherd to take these bold and aggressive goals, and to hold the community accountable
Some said that Greenville County, located in the Deep South, could never be progressive and attract businesses from all over the world. Look at us now. for making them happen. And that’s where Greenville Forward came in. Greenville Forward, a nonprofit organization, is charged and challenged with tracking, measuring and facilitating Vision 2025. As a community catalyst that creates connections, inspires conversations and develops leaders, we have been able to see some of those big, challenging items on the list of goals for Greenville become real. We have certainly come a long way and are checking off Vision successes continually. Some people said a pedestrian bridge over the Reedy River Falls was not necessary. Taking down the bridge would make commutes longer. Look at the Liberty Bridge and Falls Park now. Some people said that tearing up the abandoned
rail lines between Greenville and Travelers Rest was a waste of money and would invite crime and blight. Look at the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail now. Some said that our governments would never talk with one another or collaborate. Look at them now. And, some said that Greenville County, located in the Deep South, could never be progressive and attract businesses from all over the world. Look at us now. Greenville is the envy of communities from all over the world, and in the words of one of the communities who have visited us, we have moved from “mill town” to “will town.” But despite Greenville’s successes, we are not done yet. We cannot just sit back and celebrate our success. Everything must
evolve, including Vision 2025. As part of our role of as the facilitator of the Vision, we are continually looking at the gaps and identifying the issues most important to Greenville and Greenvillians. For example, a survey conducted by Greenville Forward showed that half of the college students from the Upstate would like to leave the area. Students didn’t think Greenville was creative or progressive enough. Now that we know that, we’re working on the next steps to encourage our community to keep young talent from leaving. As we work to make sure Greenville is learning, green, healthy, creative, connected, inclusive and innovative, we understand the need for tools and resources to empower our residents. That’s why if you want to make a difference in the future of Greenville, you can volunteer at one of the gardens in our Gardening for Good network, learn more about the needs of Greenville’s most vulnerable populations on the Greenville Indicators website, or join the conversation at our monthly Momentum events. If you simply want to submit your idea on how we can improve Greenville, visit Whatifgreenville.com or join us on Thursday, Sept. 19 for REFRESH, an annual event that tracks Greenville’s progress. Bring your ideas and your enthusiasm, because we’ll need your help making that very intentional push to move Greenville forward. We should challenge ourselves to embrace Greenville’s next great projects that will continue to make us the envy of the rest of the world, and to find the inspired leadership to make it happen. We cannot do it alone, and Greenville never has. Get involved. Give us a call.
Russell Stall is executive director of Greenville Forward. Greenville Forward’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for greater Greenville by engaging all citizens in continually updating, promoting, and facilitating a community vision for 2025 and beyond.
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Photo by Greg Beckner
We Cannot Rest on Our Laurels
UBJ News New Greenville-Clemson Greenlink Route Planned
Photo provided by Greenlink
By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com
In response to Clemson University’s growing presence in Greenville, the school has partnered with the city to launch a new bus route that will connect the two via mass transit starting Sept. 9. Greenville Transit Authority (GTA) said riding the bus would be cheaper than driving. Service is slated to run weekdays only for the first year, though the GTA board discussed adding a special ride for the only weeknight Clemson football game scheduled this season. Costs associated with the new route will be funded by Clemson University and state mass transit funds, and federal grants that are part of Greenlink’s normal operating budget, said Mark Rickards, GTA transit director. He estimated that about $160,000-$180,000 of those funds would be used annually. The university will fund the rest, requiring no direct cost to the city or county. The primary cost is labor, followed by fuel and maintenance. “The more passengers that we get who pay a fare, plus any reduced expenses on
the other end, we may be able to spend less. But fuel prices are also a factor,” Rickards said. Rickards was unable to provide numbers for potential ridership, but said Clemson officials are “very optimistic.” “We do expect the number of students to be significant,” he said. Clemson students, faculty and staff with Clemson I.D. will have the fare pre-paid through student fees that are the primary funding source, Rickards said. The annual cost to the university is about $400,000. On Monday the GTA board approved fees for the general public of $1.50 to ride between Easley and either end of the line, and $3 for the full route from one end to another. The board also discussed challenges that will arise as bus drivers on the route could be required to
A new bus route will soon connect Clemson University with Greenville.
act like train conductors or intercity bus operators, making sure passengers only ride the leg of the trip for which they’ve paid. GTA is estimating about $10,000 in revenue from those fares. “The agreement is for one year, but we hope that the service is provided for many more years as it depends on ridership and continued support of the university and
other grants,” Rickards said. Greenville-area stops include Clemson at the Falls, University Center, the International Center for Automotive Research and the Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus at the Greenville Health System Patewood Campus. Easley bus stop locations are still being considered, and surrounding areas such as Anderson have expressed interest in connecting to Greenville, GTA officials said.
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UBJ Q & A “We have to take off our marketer hat and put on our human being hat. but we’re born human, so we know how to do this.”
More than you’d think, says Robbin Phillips, co-author of “The Passion Conversation” By Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer joladipo@communityjournals.com
word-of-mouth marketing evangelists Brains on Fire just released a new book, “The Passion Conversation,” which says the customer-client relationship is all about love. Co-author Robbin Phillips talked with UBJ about how love fits into business and marketing today. Love seems like such a nonbusiness concept, so how do you get your clients to wrap their minds around that? I think that once people allow themselves to get so close to their customers they realize there’s a lot there to love. When you think about it, listening is an act of love. It’s such a weird time for marketers right now. So many people are in meetings where people are talking
about stupid things like Facebook likes and Twitter strategies. So those things aren’t… It’s another tool, like the telephone or email. But we’re looking through the wrong end of the telescope, as my friend Ed Keller says. We need to figure out how these tools are going to help us get closer to people. One of my pet peeves is to hear people say, “We want to use our brand ambassadors to spread our message.” Well, that’s just crazy. Why? Because that is not the place to come at anything! If we were friends and my intention coming at you was, “I really need to get you to talk
12 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal August 30, 2013
But do you have to love your customers? Isn’t it enough to just really want to meet their needs? Companies that don’t are missing something. The Great Recession shifted how we think about the work we do in the world. It’s got to have meaning. You let your customers into your life and you will be changed. You have to believe that this world is full of people that you want to get to know better. Does this work across industries, products and services? I think it works for anyone who feels that they have a nobler conversation to bring into the world, or perhaps they’re fighting some injustice. Most companies are started to right a wrong. Somehow that goes by the wayside as the work gets harder and the company grows. It’s time to rethink this thing called marketing. It has always been something that we do at customers, but love and passion are usually shared. We weren’t put on this earth to find more Facebook fans. That’s
the injustice I’m fighting [laughs]. That’s interesting at a time when everything across industries is moving to being driven by data. We’re data people, too, but we look more for qualitative information, for the conversation that no one has noticed, a place where we can jump in. Then you can get credit for it as an organization, participate or benefit from it. So what happens inside when companies start talking about loving people? That’s the big opportunity. A complete cultural shift in thinking about what it is that you’re doing when you start understanding that people are using your products for a passion. The guys who make Liquid Wrench and Gunk are jumping into a conversation about tinkerers. It’s a product that’s been on the shelf for ages, yet people who use it are very passionate about what they’re doing with their products. It’s pretty interesting to watch. Each organization goes at its own pace. What’s the biggest challenge in getting your clients down to that emotional level? Some people don’t want to be realistic about their customers. The best brands respect who they serve and don’t delude themselves. That goes back to believing they’re great people you really want to know.
Photos provided
What’s Love Got to Do With It?
on my behalf and help me find more friends,” you would run from me every time you see me! But if we developed a genuine bond, I wouldn’t need to ask you to do that. People do things for each other out of love. You can’t not use that word. It’s disruptive. That’s a good thing. We have to take off our marketer hat and put on our human being hat. But we’re born human, so we know how to do this.
UBJ News PRT Is on the Table for County Region to include personal rapid transit PRT in transportation study By April A. Morris | staff amorris@communityjournals.com
greenville county council voted recently to help include personal rapid transit (PRT) in the Greenville County Economic Development Corporation’s (GCEDC) 2010 Multimodal Transit Corridor Alternatives Feasibility Study. The study focuses on researching high-capacity transit between Greenville, Mauldin, Simpsonville and Fountain Inn along an abandoned railroad right-of-way. The GCEDC requested a total of $20,000, $12,000 from the county’s grant-matching account and $8,000 from Greenville Pickens Anderson Transportation Study’s (GPATS) account. Council opted to approve $2,000 (continued from page 5) Clemson officials aren’t commenting on the development activities, saying that “Clemson University isn’t responsible for the development of the Millennium Campus or city zoning pertaining to the property, so as this is not a university matter, we do not plan to comment beyond what we have said previously.” Original master plans on the Rosen Associates Development Millennium Campus website show the proposed area identified as parcel A, lot 6 and 6a having six office buildings with up to 12 stories with adjacent five- and eight-story parking decks. Larry Estridge, attorney for Rosen Associates Development, says that the church is a good “companion” to the other businesses, in that it will have the most traffic on Sundays
out of the community grantmatching fund and Councilor Fred Payne said he would help make up the $10,000 difference with his community grant fund and other sources. The GPATS plan calls for rapid transit use in the Upstate by 2030. PRT systems use vehicles that travel on guideways, often carrying several people at once in “podcars.” The vehicles are often electric and run on rubber wheels rather than tracks. Heathrow Airport in London currently uses a PRT system for transportation of passengers. A system with larger vehicles has been used at West Virginia University since the 1970s. when other businesses are closed. Estridge also says that the covenants put in in place on the property do not prohibit a church, and a contract with NewSpring is under way. NewSpring has also submitted an application to Greenville’s Board of Zoning Appeals for the Sept. 19 meeting, asking for a code variance to allow more than 20 percent of the total parking space in the front. The application states that the property is surrounded on three or four sides by streets that make it impractical to comply with the code section and that the ordinance is in place to avoid large fields of asphalt. The application says NewSpring intends to situate its building and parking to avoid such an expanse and include appropriate landscaping. The church is also looking for properties in Clemson and Greer.
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August 30, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 13
READY for ACTION Matt McClain gets on board with the environment at Invert Action Sports
Photo by Greg Beckner
By APRIL A. MORRIS | staff amorris@communityjounrals.com
14 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL August 30, 2013
“I really got into recycling and looking at what was going into the landfill, looking at what’s washing up on the beach … I don’t want to be a part of that, I want to be part of the solution.” Matt Mcclain
Upstate entrepreneUr Matt Mcclain Has dabbled in everytHing
from retail and brand development to surfing and carpentry. But in the last two years, his foray into the paddleboard business with Invert Action Sports has been nothing short of “explosive,” he says. How did you get into the outdoor adventure business?
My first business was selling plus-size dresses wholesale. For about a year, I would buy factory overruns, fill a U-Haul trailer and travel around from little town to little town selling them. I sold dresses to the wife of the director of human resources at Perception [Watermark] kayak company, and she said I was a great salesman and needed to interview. She saw I had a trailer full of dresses and I had a kayak on top of my car. I got a job and went up the ladder at Perception, working in brand development. I always wanted my own business and that led me to start Ground Industries in 2003, which sold mountain boards [off-road skateboards]. I launched Ride Garden in 2010 and Invert in 2011.
How did the invert action sports store come about?
We opened the storefront [with partner Andre Emery] in 2011, and basically feature the things that we like. We are board sports-oriented: skateboarding, longboarding and now paddleboarding. We have skateboards, clothing, shoes, hats, glasses, bags, watches and more, but the real core is the paddleboard business.
How did the paddleboard business evolve?
People were asking for the products and I had my roots in the action sports industry. I had a friend who said he was setting up a paddleboard manufacturing facility and that since I had such experience in board sports, I should design paddleboards. And our Ecolicious boards, made in California, are different in that they are ecologically responsible. In the surfboard industry the traditional approach is super-toxic to the environment. Our approach is to eliminate those negatives and replace those materials with post-consumed materials. We use all recycled foam – we’re the only manufacturer taking this approach on a large scale. The resins are also toxic, not only to the person making the board, but they also go right into the atmosphere. The Ecolicious boards are made with nontoxic, plant-based resins called Super Sap. We reduce
Fast Facts Outdoorsman: A Missouri native, McClain spent ages 9 to 13 in the Caribbean, where he developed his love of board sports. alma mater: Spartanburg Day School and Western Carolina University
the fiberglass content by using other materials like an organic vector net that offers structure similar to carbon fiber. Our fin boxes are also bioplastic. It’s been powerful for us to get into the industry and see how explosive it is and then recognize the impact that that explosion is potentially going to have on the environment.
What’s exciting in your industry right now? The most exciting thing for me is producing products that people love. Nothing makes me happier than to see a picture of one of our customers out on our boards with a smile on their face. The joy that it brings is really what motivates me from a product standpoint.
Ultimate recycler: McClain and his children go out the day before trash pickup for “scrapping”: picking up everything from refrigerators to lawnmowers, sorting and recycling or reusing them. He also uses reclaimed materials to construct tree houses.
What was a game-changing moment for you?
Recreational gardener: McClain designs bike parks through his other business, Ride Garden, and is working on a project in Pickens.
If you’re not having fun in what you do, then you need to evaluate what you’re doing. Life’s too short to put yourself in the quagmire that is traditionally how people live – day in and day out – just doing the daily grind.
Family man: wife, Mercedes; children Isabella, 8, and Jack, 6. Invert: The company’s name reflects how McClain and his team want to pursue a new way of doing things.
When Ground Industries ran into some problems. Having to stop for a moment and reassess what I was doing – having a little bit of downtime and realizing that opportunities are everywhere. It was when I really got into recycling and looking at what was going into the landfill, looking at what’s washing up on the beach … I don’t want to be a part of that, I want to be part of the solution.
What is a piece of advice that you keep coming back to?
What’s next?
We’re going to the Surf Expo trade show in September and will be unveiling in a big way our Ecolicious construction techniques. We’re going to be glassing boards in our booth, which is the first time ever it’s been done at a trade show in an open-air environment. Other people will be glassing boards, but they are in a glass box with a big HVAC system and gas masks – we’re trying to draw a comparison. I’ve done this show 10 times, but this upcoming show is what I consider the pinnacle of our achievement as a company.
August 30, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 15
COVER STORY
WHEEL
SUCCESS
The Upstate’s popularity as a cycling destination is the starting line for a multimillion-dollar industry By SHERRY JACKSON | staff sjackson@communityjournals.com
Cyclists head onto the Swamp Rabbit Trail after a stop at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe And Grocery.
Allan Christensen with Pedal Chic works on a new bike at the Greenville store.
Pedal Chic in Greenville.
and you’ll see swarms of people riding bikes, especially on the popular Swamp Rabbit Trail. Hard-core cyclists practicing their skills share the road and trails with moms, dads and kids out for a Sunday ride. Greenville is a bike-friendly town. But beyond the recreational aspect of biking are the nuts and bolts – or chains and gears – of a thriving local industry. Businesses such as Boyd Cycling, Pedal Chic and Hincapie Sportswear are just a few of the cycling businesses that sell to customers all over the world and have chosen Greenville as home. According to Steve Baker, president of the Greenville Spinners Bicycle Club, more than 30 cycling-related businesses operate in the Upstate, equating to over 150 jobs and more than $23 million in annual gross sales directly from cycling. Then there’s the indirect impact of the cyclists who visit and spend money in restaurants, hotels and retail stores. As more people migrate from the suburbs back to the city, alternative modes of transportation are becoming more popular, says Robin Bylenga, owner of Pedal Chic, a downtown Greenville
cycling shop geared towards women. As a bike shop owner, “you’ve got to be passionate about cycling,” and hope the money follows, she says. Bylenga’s was the first women-only bike shop in the country. After a divorce, cycling became her outlet and social time with her girlfriends, she said. Her body and mind grew stronger as she cycled. Bylenga says her customers, who aren’t just women, are like-minded, many of them living here and moving here specifically for an outdoor lifestyle. People who would never have considered climbing onto a bicycle are riding the Swamp Rabbit Trail because they feel safe.
The Path to Cycling Paradise
Quietly over the years, Greenville has been growing into a burgeoning cycling destination. The region’s climate and topography is naturally suited to the sport: moderate weather and
16 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL August 30, 2013
mountain grades. Trek Travel, which provides premier cycling vacations around the world, developed ride camps in the Greenville area about two years ago with help from two local guides. Mark Thomsen, marketing manager, says the company chose Greenville for the “close proximity to the mountains and famous climbs in the area. It’s a secret cycling paradise.” Thomsen says the company conducts trips weekly in October and November and from February through May. “We don’t do many East Coast trips, but Greenville has been a bright spot for us,” he says. International cycling competitor Rich Hincapie and his brother George moved here because “it’s one of the best areas in the country to train on a bicycle,” Rich said. The brothers generate millions of dollars in revenue with Hincapie Sportwear and a professional development cycling team. They also sponsor corporate cycling events such as the Grand Fondo and are owners of the newly opened Hotel Domestique, where they host highend cycling and triathlon camps and retreats.
Photos by Greg Beckner
LOOK ANYWHERE IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE ON A NICE DAY good biking terrain with flat trails and steep
GO FIGURE more than
more than
over
cycling-related businesses in the upstate
jobs
million in annual gross sales
30 150 $23 400 $4.5 athletes expected for the para-cycling world championships
million estimated economic impact
“It’s a secret cycling paradise.” Mark Thomsen, marketing manager of Trek Travel
Photos by Greg Beckner
Pedal Chic owner Robin Bylenga.
Kennly Utsey with the Nicholtown Spinners Youth Cycling Club rides down the Sliding Rock Creek Trail spur of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
“Greenville is well on the path to becoming a well-known, sought-after cycling destination,” says Jennifer Stilwell, chief marketing manager of VisitGreenvilleSC. “We have seen success and traction with past events” such as the USA Pro Cycling Road National Championships “as well as future cycling events such as the Para-Cycling World Championships.” A few city employees and council members have been in Canada this week to get a firsthand look at the Para-Cycling World Championships Greenville will be hosting in August 2014. This will be the first time since 1998 that the event has been held in the United States, and Greenville beat out venues throughout the world for the honor, says Angie Prosser, director of public information and events for the city of Greenville. More than 400 athletes are expected, says Prosser. USA Cycling predicts the area can expect to benefit from an estimated $4.5 million economic impact for the world championships, based on data from the event in Canada in 2010.
Open Lanes to the Future
So what can the city do or continue to do to keep
A row of new bicycles for sale at Pedal Chic in Greenville.
Greenville as a top biking destination? More bike lanes and infrastructure are the most needed, experts say. Both Hincapie and Bylenga would like to see more bike lanes, and more bike stands would be helpful around the city as well. Hincapie says awareness is also important from both motorists and cyclists. According to Stilwell, Greenville needs “a continued presence of hosting and supporting signature, marquee cycling events.” A continued investment in infrastructure, a high-profile business component, elevated notoriety and credibility, and continued high-profile cycling events are four core pillars of growth in the quest for mecca status, she says. Programs such as the B-Cycle stations, a bikeshare system sponsored by Upstate Forever and other partners that offers six stations and 28 bikes, continue to increase Greenville’s awareness as a bike-friendly community, experts say. Bikeville is another new initiative designed to increase ridership, encourage bicycle use, expand bicycling facilities, and provide useful educational resources to cyclists and motorists
to share the road. A Bicycle Master Plan adopted by Greenville City Council in 2011 presents a framework to help strategize the expansion of the existing bikeway network, complete network gaps, and provide greater transportation connectivity while educating and encouraging bicycling throughout the city. The new Complete Streets Policy reinforces Greenville’s commitment to improving travel conditions and travel choices for people of all ages and abilities. According to the city’s website, “the City of Greenville is now committed more than ever to providing appropriate accommodations for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders … while promoting safe operation for all users.” The Complete Streets Coalition cites one study that “found that 43 percent of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended activity levels, while just 27 percent of those without safe places to walk were active enough.” “We have a very healthy cycling community,” says Baker, adding that cycling in the Upstate is every bit as important to our area as the beach is to coastal South Carolina.
August 30, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 17
UBJ PROFILE
Building Recovery Tom Dillard has crafted success with Dillard-Jones Builders and a number of other Upstate businesses By JENNY MUNRO | contributor jmunro@communityjournals.com
Photo by Greg Beckner
Tom Dillard with Dillard-Jones Builders.
18 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL August 30, 2013
Tom DillarD,
owner of Dillard-Jones Builders, took some years to find his career direction, but a decade ago he discovered it as a homebuilder and entrepreneur. Since then he has helped establish several Greenville-based businesses. After surviving the real estate industry’s collapse – although his company didn’t fall as far as many – he now helps craft the recovery in the Upstate as the economic recovery gains strength. “I think the market has recovered to normal,” Dillard said, adding his worst year was 2010 when he built only four houses. Currently, demand for housing outstrips new supply. Dillard said another sign of the housing recovery in the Greenville area, which has seen 31 consecutive months of improvement, is that the out-of-state builders who fled when the industry plummeted returned to the Upstate. On any given day, he has 300 people working his projects. Many of those are not employed directly by him but by his subcontractors. The Upstate real estate recovery began with starter homes and has moved up to custom-built housing, said Dillard, 43. But he sees a difference – baby boomers building a new home want it smaller than they did in the early 2000s, but they demand as much quality as ever. “That’s more challenging” than finding room for all their desires in a bigger house, he said. Dillard partners with others to establish some of his businesses because, he said, “I’m a bigpicture person. I need somebody to help with the details.” But other companies belong solely to him. The Greer native, a mechanical engineering graduate of Clemson University, spent years working in sales in corporate America, often handling capital projects. But he kept changing corporations – he worked for GE, Schlumberger and WestPoint Stevens, among others. Nothing was really the right fit for him, he said. But he learned from those jobs. For example, “when you’re in textiles, you have to learn a little bit about everything,” he said. Finally, he was in Austin, Texas, for a meeting.
The room was full with 3,000 sales people “just like me,” Dillard said. That’s when he decided. “The problem was me. I needed to do my own thing,” he said. “I look at my boss and said, ‘I’m going home.’” The boss was shocked, but Dillard had made his decision, deciding to go into homebuilding – something he had started exploring with a friend. They opened Dillard-Jones around 2002. The company has work in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, he said. He had been around construction as a kid; his engineering knowledge helped and his corporate work often involved capital projects. But “I had a meandering path” to find the right career, partly because he had no examples of entrepreneurs in his family. When the two began, they had $50,000 – and bought a lot for $49,900 to build a speculative house in a Greer neighborhood, he said. Fortunately, back then banks were lending money readily to builders. So they were off.
“i’m a big-picture person. i need somebody to help with the details.” The business grew and as it did, it changed. In 2005, Dillard-Jones hired a designer and made the move from speculative houses to custom-built houses, where the house to be built has an owner before construction. By that time, the company was building houses in the $500,000 range. Currently, his houses range in price from $300,000 to $3 million to $4 million. Another big move for the company, owned by Dillard since 2008, has been its association with Southern Living magazine and its showcase housing program. Dillard has built six houses in that program over the years. The first house brought in 2,300 visitors and was the beginning of a strong association. Kathy Vass, owner of Vass Marketing, “really
moved this forward for us,” he said. But all has not been easy. During the recession and the downturn in new-home building, DillardJones Renovation helped keep the doors open, he said. “That’s one of the ways we got through,” he said, adding that another was the location. “We’re lucky to live in Greenville. People always wanted to move here,” Dillard said. Dillard listens to his clients and what they want. At a show house in the recent past, “about 100 people came up and said, ‘I love your homes, but I want a smaller one.’” Those comments led to the creation of The Cottage Group, launched last year in a Verdae community. The houses, which usually are built to already-existing designs, are marketed to baby boomers in their 50s, 60s and 70s who want quality houses that are a little smaller than the houses Dillard-Jones typically builds. Other changes in Dillard’s companies have included a shift to more design-build work. “We picked up some really good people from other companies” and now have two full-time designers. He also built an All-American House, with 97 percent of its products made in the United States. He likes the idea of American-made resources for his industry. If builders used only 5 percent more U.S.-made products, it could generate an additional 250,000 jobs, Dillard noted. This year, Dillard and Vass have partnered on Blu-Sky, a marketing company that works with builders to showcase their homes. In addition, he partnered with an account to form Edge IT Professionals. The all-american showcase cottage
Photo by Greg Beckner
The Basics: Tom dillard homeTown: Greer
occupaTions: Founder and president of Dillard-Jones Builders
educaTion: Clemson University, degree in mechanical engineering
Founder and president of The Cottage Group Managing partner of Blu-Sky Group Managing partner of Edge IT Professionals
honors: In 2006, Southern Living magazine selected Dillard-Jones to be its exclusive representative in the Greenville area. Dillard-Jones was named Southern Living’s Custom Builder of the Year in 2009 and 2011 – the only company in the 20-year history of the program to win the award twice.
August 30, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 19
UBJ Square Feet Trailside Development to Spotlight Energy Efficiency addison homes, a custom home builder specializing in energy-efficient homes, has launched its first foray into the subdivision home market with a new 16-home development named Trailside. The homes will be Greenville’s first community built according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s rigorous Challenge Home standards and the first in the entire country built to ActiveHouse standards. “Zero Net Energy homes are designed to create as much energy as they use,” explains Addison Homes president Todd Usher, who builds all of his homes to Energy Star, EarthCraft House or DOE Challenge Home standards. “There have been so many intriguing advances in ZNE construction of late, moving it from theory into mainstream possibility. Zero Net Energy and NearZero Net Energy homes can now be affordable, cost-effective and, of course, attractive.” A Zero Net Energy home begins with “ultra-efficiency” – via energysavvy design, green construction techniques and high-performance
products and systems – to reduce utility consumption, then adds an external energy source, typically solar, to produce sufficient electricity to meet or exceed the home’s minimal remaining energy needs. “From the outside, a Zero Net
20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal August 30, 2013
Energy home looks just like any other,” Usher says, “but within that mainstream exterior is a means to forego excessive, and expensive, consumption. Zero Net Energy lets you avoid unnecessary utility costs – no more worries about sudden energy price spikes, no more guilt over carbon emissions – so you can focus more of your own energy on pursuing an active, healthy lifestyle.” And while several home builders tout their homes as being Energy Star-efficient, Usher says they are usually referring to appliances, which are just one component. Addison Homes is Energy Starcertified and includes additional items such as thermal enclosures, water/moisture control, HVAC systems and lighting. Homes will include hardwood floors, granite countertops, pocket offices and outdoor living spaces. Prices are expected to begin in the $250,000s, but Usher says the “total cost of home ownership is less” than
other homes in this price range due to the energy efficiencies and durability of materials used. There’s also the intangible benefit such as an improvement in indoor air quality. Trailside is located off Watkins Bridge Road along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, which is the community’s main amenity. Plans include a community garden, and a vacant lot also owned by Addison Homes could turn into a parking area for the trail or a “health stop” offering benches to rest or a cycling flat-tire repair station, the builder says. The community is also located near Furman University so residents can take advantage of recreational, educational and cultural amenities the university has to offer and is only 5.5 miles from downtown Greenville. Addison Homes will break ground on Trailside in mid-September and pre-sales are under way now. For more details, visit trailsidecommunity.com.
Renderings provided
By Sherry Jackson | staff sjackson@communityjournals.com
By sherry Jackson | staff sjackson@communityjournals.com
Rendering provided
The Reserve at Lake Keowee Plans Expansion in what experts call a sign of vacation home sales improvement, The Reserve at Lake Keowee will launch a second phase of its Village Point community this fall, opening a model home within the Village Point neighborhood and breaking ground in two new neighborhoods. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), vacation home sales rose 10.1 percent from 2011 to 2012 and accounted for 11 percent of all purchase transactions in 2012. NAR’s chief economist Lawrence Yun attributes “a strong stock market recovery” and “attractively priced recreational property” as the main drivers behind the increase in
second-home sales. With 45 percent of vacation homes last year being purchased in the South, Rutledge Livingston, The Reserve’s director of sales, sees the opportunity in the numbers. “With the increase in vacation and second-home sales in the past year, we want to meet the market demand and continue promoting the Village Point neighborhood,” Livingston said. Created in 2000 by Greenwood Communities and Resorts, The Reserve at Lake Keowee is a residential community spanning 3,900 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with 30 miles of shoreline on Lake Keowee. The
community includes a 200-slip marina, Village Center, Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, and more than 1,400 acres of parks, preserves, trails and green spaces. Village Point is a marina-front neighborhood offering lakeside homes within a short walk or golf cart ride to The Reserve’s Market and Post Office, pool pavilion, Orchard House clubhouse and golf practice facility, and the fitness and tennis center. Since the announcement of Village Point in August 2012, 11 of the 13 Phase One homesites have sold, and seven homes are currently under construction. Phase Two will offer an additional 17 homesites in the
Location. Convenience. Value. Park East. • • •
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neighborhood. Home and site packages are expected to start in the mid$700,000s, with three home plans available ranging from 2,650 square feet to 3,750 square feet. These can be customized by adding an optional third floor or guesthouse. In addition to introducing its second phase of homes within Village Point, The Reserve at Lake Keowee is seeing new home construction The Cottages at Laurel Pond and High Grove. “We believe that these neighborhoods offer the best of what The Reserve is known for – beautiful architecture, scenic views and state-ofthe-art amenities – with layouts and pricing that cater to a range of second-home buyers,” Livingston said.
DEALMAKERS Langston-BLack ReaL estate Inc. announced: tim allender and chuck Langston recently assisted the seller, Greer State Bank, with the sale of a 28,000 sF building situated on 14 +/- acres located at 15 Beverly Road, Greenville. MHG Properties LLC was the purchaser. The building and land will be the new home for a local landscaping company. spectRum commeRcIaL pRopeRtIes announced: Rob Brissie recently represented the landlord, BBG Management Services LLC, in the lease of an executive office suite at Greer Business Center, 104 Trade St., Greer.
Office Space for Lease
Park East
For Leasing Information: Alexi Papapieris tel 864 232 9040 alexi@naiearlefurman.com 101 E Washington Street Suite 400 Greenville, South Carolina 29601 864 232 9040
naiearlefurman.com
UBJ THE FINE PRINT Upstate Outdoor Media Acquired by National Company upstate outdoor media llc in Greenville has been acquired by Out of Home America Wilkins Media (OOHA Wilkins). At the time of sale, Upstate Outdoor Media had a single employee, Patrick Spadafora, who will stay on with the company. The acquisition of Upstate Outdoor marks OOHA Wilkins’ fourth acquisition in 18 months. Out of Home America Wilkins Media, founded in 1965, was formed through the merger of Out of Home America, Wilkins Media and Outdoor First. Spadafora said in a statement that he is excited to partner with OOHA Wilkins to bring his clients the industry-leading capabilities of OOHA Wilkins to further increase their brand awareness and presence in the metro Greenville market. “We’re looking to build a staff in Greenville,” said Jon Selame, CEO at OOHA Wilkins. “One of the reasons that we bought Upstate Outdoor is because of our confidence and excitement
in the Greenville market and the growth of that economy.” Upstate Outdoor’s portfolio of about 45 clients included local brands and large national brands. The company creates billboards, posters, subway, bus and digital ads outdoors and in other locations. Out of Home America employs 21 people in seven offices around the country. “Hiring would probably be local, so right now we’re having our team from Atlanta help with the Greenville clients,” Selame said.
SC HELP Prevents 5,876 Foreclosures since its launch in 2011, the South Carolina Homeownership and Employment Lending Program (SC HELP) reported that it has dispersed $72,735,095 in funds that helped 5,876 people pay mortgages and keep their homes. The program is administered through the nonprofit SC Housing Corp. Initiated through funding by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and a program of the South Carolina State
Seminar to Provide Legal Tips a seminar next week aims to offer business advice that would keep attendees out of court. “Tricks of the Trade: Lessons to Keep Your Company Out of Court” is sponsored by Collins & Lacy P.C. and the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. Among other topics, the seminar will discuss new regulations that make it mandatory to mediate almost all workers’ compensation claims before a hearing will be sched-
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Housing Finance and Development Authority, SC HELP provides assistance to people who fall behind on mortgages due to circumstances such as unemployment, underemployment, catastrophic illness, divorce or death of a spouse. A 2013 midyear report released last month by RealtyTrac put South Carolina in the top 10 states with the highest foreclosure rates at 0.8 percent.
uled. Small business owners will learn how much insurance is needed to comply with the State Workers Compensation Commission, and risk managers and HR professionals will learn about coverage issues that relate to subcontractors and other contracted professionals within a larger company. Business owners, safety and risk managers, business managers, benefits professionals, and human resources professionals are invited to attend. The breakfast seminar will be Sept. 4 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Greenville.
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ScanSource Reports Fourth Quarter Losses in its aug. 26 annual filing, ScanSource Inc. reported losses of $13.3 million for the fourth quarter ending June 30. Net sales totaled $712.7 million, down 5.5 percent from $754.5 million in the same quarter of 2012. Net sales for the entire year were $2.88 billion, down from $3.02 billion the previous year. Excluding the non-cash impairment charges, operating income for the quarter was $28.4 million, a slight increase from $28.3 million the previous year. “We saw record quarterly sales in our North America Communications and Security business units,” said CEO Mike Baur in a statement. “The lack of big deals in our POS and barcode business units, however, led to lower than
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expected fourth-quarter sales. Despite lower sales, our return on invested capital increased to 17.2 percent, excluding the impairment charges, driven by higher margins, better working capital management, and our focus on value-added growth.” In June ScanSource announced a change in its management structure and reporting segments to enhance its worldwide technology markets focus. As part of this new structure, ScanSource created two technology segments: Worldwide Barcode & Security and Worldwide Communications & Services. The Greenville-based technology products distributor has about 1,400 employees in North America, Latin America and Europe.
Biopharmaceuticals Generate $2.4B in SC
the medical university of South Carolina (MUSC) announced on Tuesday the results of a study of the economic impact of clinical trials and the biopharmaceutical industry in South Carolina. The report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) focuses on clinical trials being conducted by biopharmaceutical research companies and local research collaborators throughout South Carolina. The biopharmaceutical industry supported more than 18,000 jobs in South Carolina, and directly generated $2.4 billion in economic output in the state and supported another $1.8 billion in products and services through its vendors and suppliers. The 4,800 employees working directly for the biopharmaceutical sector alone accounted for $352 million in pay and benefits, resulting in more than $56 million
in tax money for the federal and state governments. There are currently 5,332 clinical trials in South Carolina, according to the National Institutes of Health. The report shows that from 1999 to present, South Carolina’s biopharmaceutical companies are conducting or have conducted more than 3,200 clinical trials of new medicines in collaboration with the state’s clinical research centers, university medical schools and hospitals, according to a release. Nearly 1,700 have targeted the nation’s six most debilitating chronic diseases: asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mental illnesses and stroke.
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UBJ ON THE MOVE AWARDED
HIRED
HIRED
REELECTED
Judy Bishop
Norm Kirkwood
Dr. Robert Stinson
H. Mills Gallivan
Earned the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Financial Officers Association of the United States and Canada. Bishop is the finance director for the City of Simpsonville.
Joined First Citizens Securities as financial advisor and vice president for the Anderson area. Kirkwood previously worked at SunTrust as vice president of investments. He also served as assistant vice president of investments at Wachovia Securities, now Wells Fargo.
Recently joined Spartanburg Methodist College as a microbiology, anatomy and physiology faculty member. Stinson most recently taught at Barstow Community College in California. Previously he taught at Community College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas.
Reelected as a senior director of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. Gallivan will serve a one-year term as a senior director of FDCC, beginning this year. He manages Gallivan, White & Boyd P.A.’s Workers’ Compensation practice.
Atlanta and Stewart Engineering in Raleigh, N.C. Smith has more than 20 years of professional experience in structural design. The Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc. (GMC) Environmental Engineering Division recently relocated its regional vice president and environmental department head Jof Mehaffey to the firm’s Greenville office.
Metzel as its first executive director. Metzel brings almost 30 years of experience in the world of ministry to GreenvilleConnect, an organization with the goal of building and unifying the area’s Christian community.
HIRED
JAMES ALBERT (JIMMY) KIMBELL BANKING/ FINANCIAL SERVICES: Barry Blakely has joined First Citizens Securities as a sales assistant. Blakely comes to First Citizens from SunTrust, where he served as a sales assistant for more than five years. He graduated from Clemson University with a degree in marketing. A. T. Locke recently announced the addition of Vicki Bell as a client services coordinator and Beth Campbell as an accounting specialist. Bell has served as both an accounting manager and operations manager in prior roles. Campbell studied interior design at Winthrop University and architecture at UNC-Greens-
Named the new Anderson market president for Park Sterling Bank. Previously, Kimbell was president and CEO of Bank of Anderson. He has 25 years of banking experience. A native of Clemson, Kimbell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in financial management from Clemson University in 1987.
boro before her accounting career. Greenwood Partnership Alliance recently announced that Heather Simmons Jones will succeed Mark Warner as CEO. Jones is CEO of Opus 3 LLC, a Columbia-based economic development consultancy. Her economic development career has included leadership roles for Allendale, Beaufort and Anderson counties. CONSTRUCTION/ENGINEERING: O’Neal Inc. has hired Chris Partin as structural designer and Jonathan Smith as senior engineer. Partin has more than 15 years of structural design experience with Bennett & Pless in
24 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL August 30, 2013
EDUCATION: Legacy Charter School recently announced the addition of LaCheryl Smith as assistant athletic director and parent/Title 1 coordinator for the school’s middle and high school Parker campus. Smith joins Legacy with 17 years of athletic coaching experience, most recently at Furman University. HOSPITALITY: Marriott Greenville recently announced that Niki Parris has come to the Upstate to lead the sales team. Parris has been with JHM Hotels since 2011 as the director of sales at the Charlotte Plaza Uptown Hotel. NONPROFIT: GreenvilleConnect has hired Harold
LEGAL: The South Carolina Bar Foundation recently announced the addition of Chet Chea to its board of directors. Chea is director of supplier diversity and small business development at Michelin North America Inc. MEDICAL: Bon Secours St. Francis Health System recently welcomed physician Travis Greer, MD, of Palmetto Pulmonary & Critical Care to the Bon Secours Medical Group (BSMG). Greer’s specialty is pulmonary medicine. TECHNOLOGY: SynTerra recently welcomed Matt Huddleston as a senior technical expert. Huddleston holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology from Eastern Kentucky University and a Ph.D. in environmental toxicology from Clemson University.
UBJ New to the Street
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w 1. epic Buffet recently held their ribbon cutting at 3940 Grandview Drive in Simpsonville. The restaurant features Asian dishes with a hibachi bar and sushi bar. For more information, call 864-962-9888.
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2. Shear envy recently cut the ribbon at 107 N. Main St. in Simpsonville. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/shear.envy.79 or call 864-963-3300.
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Batesville rd
dru ff
Five Forks rd 3. Papa Murphy’s has opened its fourth store in the Greenville area at 2603 Woodruff Road in Simpsonville. For more information, call 864-281-7900 or visit papamurphysupstate.com.
rd
3 Scuffletown rd
4. Forrest Briggs Photography recently opened, offering fullservice photography – from executive headshots to product photography to architectural shoots. For more information, contact Forrest Briggs at forrest@forrestbriggs.com or 828-756-0888 or visit forrestbriggsphotography.com.
August 30, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 25
UBJ PlANNER TuESDAy SEPT. 3 SPARTANbuRG hEAlThcARE NETwoRk Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 105 N. Pine St., Spartanburg; 10:30 a.m.-noon Speaker: Richard Schultz, CEO Spartanburg Rehabilitation Institute contact: 864-594-5000
ToASTMASTERS bIlINGüE University Center, Auditorium Room 204, 225 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville; noon contact: jeff@ alfonsointerpreting.com
NoN-PRofIT AllIANcE Greenville Chamber, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; noon1:30 p.m. cost: Free for members, $20 for non-members.
Must register to attend and lunch will be provided. Register at: greenvillechamber.org contact: 864-242-1050
SuccESSful ENTREPRENEuR lEcTuRE SERIES University Center of Greenville, 225 South Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville; 6-8 p.m. Speaker: Joe Erwin, Erwin-Penland cost: Free, but participants must register.
NETNIGhT Hyatt Regency Greenville, 220 N Main St., Studio 220, Geenville; 6-8 p.m. cost: $15 at the door contact: 864-242-1050
wEDNESDAy SEPT. 4 TRIckS of ThE TRADE: woRkERS’ coMPENSATIoN lESSoNS To kEEP youR coMPANy ouT of couRT
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 851 Congaree Road, Greenville; 7:30-10 a.m. Topics: New Mediation Regulation, Proper Coverage, and Employment Issues that arise in Worker’ Compensation Speakers: Mike Pitts, managing partner, Collins & Lacy; Rebecca Kirkland Halberg, president, Kids’ Chance South Carolina; and Tom Bacon, shareholder, Collins & Lacy Register at: greenvillechamber.org contact: 864-242-1050
MANufAcTuRERS RouNDTAblE Greenville Chamber, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Speaker: U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy cost: Free to members of the Chamber’s Manufacturers Roundtable, $11 for guests Register at: greenvillechamber.org contact: Darlene Parker at 864-239-3706
ThuRSDAy SEPT. 5 PublIc PolIcy luNch SERIES The Kroc Center, 424 Westfield St., Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Speaker: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham Topic: Washington Update cost: $25 for Greenville Chamber members and includes lunch. Register at: greenvillechamber.org by Sept. 3 contact: 864-239-3748
REPoRT To ThE buSINESS coMMuNITy
Simpsonville; noon-1 p.m. Speaker: Tracy Wilde, PT, OCS with SSI Physical Therapy Topic: My Middle-Aged Body and What to Do About It cost: The cost of lunch Register at: simpsonvillechamber.com contact: Allison McGarity at amcgarity@ simpsonvillechamber.com
2013 TEN AT ThE ToP uPSTATE VISIoN foRuM SERIES CU-ICAR, AT&T Auditorium, 4 Research Drive, Greenville; 3-5 p.m.
Piedmont Club, 361 E. Main St., Spartanburg; noon
Topic: The important role of transportation and infrastructure contact: Meredith Boaz at 864-283-2317
Speaker: U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy contact: 864-594-5000.
PulSE coNNEcTS: GREER PublIc ART cRAwl
woMEN’S buSINESS NETwoRk
Stomping Grounds, 208 Trade St., Greer; 6:15 p.m.
Stella’s Southern Bistro, 684C Fairview Road,
cost: $12 with registration, $15 at the door and will include a drink at each pub along
the route Register at: greenvillechamber.org contact: Lindsay McPhail at lmcphail@ glsllc.com
fRIDAy SEPT. 6 fIRST fRIDAy luNchEoN Greer City Hall, 301 E. Poinsett St., Greer; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Speaker: John Uprichard, president and CEO, Find Great People cost: $10 for Greer Chamber members, $15 for non-members Register at: greerchamber.com contact: jennifer@ greerchamber.com
fIRST fRIDAy lEADERShIP SERIES Clemson at the Falls, 55 E. Camperdown Way, Greenville; 5-7 p.m. Speaker: Davis Senza, CEO, Cliffs Clubs Partners cost: Free Register at: firstfriday sezna.eventbrite.com
GoT A hoT DATE? Contribute to our Planner by submitting event information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com
STAff wRITERS Sherry Jackson, Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris
PRESIDENT/PublIShER Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com ubJ ASSocIATE PublIShER Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com EXEcuTIVE EDIToR Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com MANAGING EDIToR Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com
MARkETING & ADVERTISING
SENIoR buSINESS wRITER Jennifer Oladipo
SAlES REPRESENTATIVES Lori Burney, Mary Beth Culbertson, Kristi Jennings, Annie Langston, Donna Johnston, Pam Putman
coNTRIbuTING wRITERS Dick Hughes, Jenny Munro, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage
MARkETING & EVENTS Kate Banner
INTERN Keith Sechrist ART & PRoDucTIoN ART DIREcToR Richie Swann PhoToGRAPhER Greg Beckner PRoDucTIoN Holly Hardin
26 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal August 30, 2013
DIGITAl STRATEGIST Emily Price 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.
how To coNTRIbuTE SToRy IDEAS: ideas@ upstatebusinessjournal.com
EVENTS: events@ upstatebusinessjournal.com
NEw hIRES, PRoMoTIoNS, AwARDS: onthemove@ upstatebusinessjournal.com
UBJ SNAPSHOT TALENT
Pitmaster Samuel Jones Chef Trevor Higgins Chef Phillip Bryant The Piedmont Boys BEVERAGES
BottleTree Deutsch Family Wines and Spirits Eppa SupraFruta Sangria Georges Duboeuf Sierra Nevada Six & Twenty Distillery Slow & Low: Rock and Rye Whiskey SUPPORTED BY
The Cunningham Building was constructed in 1925 on the northeast corner of East Coffee and Spring streets. The eclecticism of the 1920s led to a revival of interest in the Tudor style of architecture. Because this style was especially popular for larger homes, it became known as “Stockbroker Tudor.” It is no wonder that this little building was an architectural gem, as it was designed by architects as a home for architects. Brothers Frank Harrison Cunningham and Joseph Gilbert Cunningham designed the Coffee Street building as a home for their design firm. The Cunningham Building was demolished to make way for the widening of Spring Street from two lanes into four lanes in the 1970s.
TOP: Photo provided by the Greenville Historic Society; BOTTOM: Photo by Greg Beckner
From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection,” by Jeffrey R. Willis Spring Street and a parking lot now occupy the place where the Cunningham Building once stood. The site has been chosen as the home for the new federal courthouse.
Upstate Business Journal ROOST
EATS
2 Fat 2 Fly Asada Food Truck Henry’s Smokehouse Kona Ice The Chocolate Moose BEVERAGES
BottleTree Camarena Tequila Dark Corner Distillery Nelson’s Greenbrier Distillery New Belgium Brewing Shellback Rum Sierra Nevada Six and Twenty Distillery Thomas Creek Brewery Tito’s Vodka SUPPORTED BY
CB Events Upstate Business Journal House13 Events Liquid Catering
August 30, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 27
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