Business Upstate
DECEMBER 14, 2012
JOURN A L
How employers handle an increasingly connected workforce
Working
SMART Page 12
Angela Webb takes on the tough jobs page 4
Local tourism outperforms U.S. page 6
Hub City Co-op meets The George page 8
UBJ 9
10
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16
Statehouse Report
Upstate International Month celebrates area’s global transformation
Rick Erwin clears the air
Jump Start
By Dick Hughes senior business writer
By April A. Morris staff
State needs to set priorities to effect change By Andy Brack contributor
By Dick Hughes senior business writer
Sibling Synergy
Hub City Co-op joins forces with The George. See complete story on page 8.
The Hub City Co-op and USC Upstate’s George Dean Johnson College of Business and Economics are joining forces to jumpstart the feisty startup in downtown Spartanburg. Here, Tom Moore, chancellor of USC Upstate (center), stands outside of the Hub City Co-op building that is to be renovated.
Photo by Gerry Pate
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Getting Fit2Lead
Create. Innovate. Celebrate.
Efforts to sell Liberty Square continue
Digital Maven Who Likes you, baby?
By Dick Hughes senior business writer
By Laura Haight contributor
By Leigh Savage contributor
Get to know some local angels By Matt Dunbar contributor
2 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
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UBJ focus: profile
‘Be really good at what you do’ ▲
CertusBank president Angela Webb loves the tough jobs most
By Cindy Landrum | staff
Conversations change quickly once people Angela Webb meets at business functions find out her role at CertusBank. Many initially assume the 49-year-old is the wife of one of the members of the bank’s executive team. Then they find out she is the bank’s president.
Certus Bank president Angela Webb.
4 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
Photos by Greg Beckner
Instantly, “the depth of the conversation changes,” she says. Webb has never let gender get in her way – whether it is leading a regional bank headquartered in Greenville with assets of $1.8 billion or outshooting all the guys the first time she tried skeet shooting at a bank retreat. In an industry that tends to be maledominated at the top, “the most important thing is to be really good at what you do,” Webb says. “If you know your craft, are highly skilled and very competent, gender and race tend to go away.” And tough assignments didn’t scare her. “During my career, I always got the tough job nobody else wanted, the tough deals that nobody else wanted because they had a lot of hair on them,” she said. “Those were the ones I loved the most.” Webb didn’t set out to get into the banking industry. She wanted to be a psychologist, but also had an affinity toward business – an interest cemented by two years of internships with a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based oil company. An industrial psychology degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte allowed her to do both. An acquaintance told Webb she should try for the Wachovia Bank managementtraining program, and she got in the same day she interviewed. “Where I come from, if you were able to work for Wachovia, it was a point of pride,” she said. Webb worked with Wachovia and its predecessors for more than 20 years in human resources and management. She was responsible for managing a team of HR professionals who provided strategic and consultative leadership and tactical execution to more than 20,000 employees in 39 states and three countries. “Even today, I think of myself as a solution provider for customers,” she said.
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Now, Webb is responsible for providing strategic direction for the core businesses and infrastructure of CertusHoldings Inc. and CertusBank N.A., a bank with a strategy of becoming a regional force through acquisition of failed and distressed banks in South Carolina and Georgia. Greenville native Walter Davis is co-CEO along with Charles Williams, a former Bank of America executive. Milton Jones, another former Bank of America executive, is CertusBank’s executive chairman. “The cool think about our team is all of our different backgrounds collectively create a formative team,” she said. “There’s not a piece of a bank that we haven’t run, and these are trillion-dollar banks.” Webb said moving to Greenville has been the easy part of helping build a regional banking presence. “It’s been one of the most delightful things I’ve ever done,” she said. “The people here are special, genuine and welcoming.” Webb has been married for 26
the basics occupation:
President of CertusBank
HOMETOWN:
Winston-Salem, N.C.
education:
B.A. in industrial psychology from UNC-Charlotte
previousLY:
Senior vice president and head of mortgage and retail credit human resources at Wachovia Corporation
family:
Married for 26 years to Tonie Webb
years to Tonie, a fire captain in Charlotte. “He has the important job,” she said. “He saves lives. I make loans.” Webb, who stays on the go, has “no children, no pets, no plants.” She loves sports. She plays golf and loves football, baseball and basketball. She is a Carolina Panthers
season ticket holder. Webb calls herself a tomboy and she credits that to her father. She recalls going out into the woods and shooting a double-barrel shotgun with her father. Shooting the gun left her bruised, but she didn’t care. “It didn’t matter if the bruise lasted forever. I was with my
father.” Webb is very competitive – an attribute that has served her well in a field in which the upper echelon is dominated by men. “I’m only a girl when I want the door opened,” she said. Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@communityjournals.com.
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UBJ
‘Travel Barometer’ shows fair tourism weather for Greenville ▲
The city outperformed the country and the region – and is gaining on Charleston By Dick Hughes | senior business writer
Greenville outperformed the nation, the Southeast and all but Charleston in South Carolina in travel and tourism during the first nine months of 2012, according to the Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Let’s just say, the ‘on’ switch is in the upward position, and I mean Greenville is ON! in comparison to the U.S.,” Jennifer Stilwell, chief marketing officer, wrote in the CVB’s third quarter Travel Barometer. Key indicators of visitor activity – hotel occupancy, restaurant sales, retail sales, airport traffic and hospitality tax records – all are better than those for the nation, region and state, according to the report. “In June, we had the highest (hotel) occupancy ever on record, and we actually beat Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head in a peak summer month. That’s amazing,” Stilwell said in an interview. For the nine months ending
Sept. 30, Greenv i l le County’s room occupancy rate was 66.5 percent. The rate for the nation was 63 percent, 62.7 percent for South Atlantic states and 59.3 percent for South Carolina.
Leisure visitors on rise The rate was higher than all local destination competitors, including Savannah, with the exception of Charleston, which edged out Greenville slightly at 67.2 percent. For September, collection of the state accommodation tax in Greenville County was up 40 percent to $299,551 from September 2011. For the first three months of the fiscal year, collections were up 18.3 percent to $996,664. For
the state, collections were up 10.8 percent for September and 9 percent for the quarter. While conventions and business meetings such as the ScanSource marketing conference – which filled between 500 and 600 rooms in September – are healthy contributors, one event “doesn’t drive numbers to that extent,” Stilwell said. “Where the growth is really coming from is from transient businesses, the leisure traveler.” The growth in tourism represents a maturing change, Stilwell said. With its lively downtown and strong business community, Greenville historically held its own as a site for business meetings and, though less so, for conventions, but was not viewed – and didn’t picture itself – as a leisure destination.
‘Neck and neck’ with Charleston That is changing as word spreads of the city’s unique offerings – urban attractions as well as “plentiful natural attractions throughout the county, whether that be
the park system to whitewater rafting to hiking to the Swamp Rabbit Trail,” Stilwell said. “It’s a community that offers the best of both worlds, and not a lot of communities have that,” she said. “That definitely bodes in our favor.” That Greenville is “running neck and neck” with Charleston – ranked by Conde Nast Traveler as the No. 1 tourist city in the world – tells Stilwell that Greenville is on the right track. “We really haven’t even touched the surface,” she said. “We are what I call an emerging destination. There is great power there in terms of being able to fill more rooms and from the benefits of more spending.”
Visitors spend and spend Stilwell said coastal communities are and will continue to be the state’s “bread and butter” tourism venues, but “the potential here is really significant. Part of the challenge we have is educating the community about the value of tourism as an economic engine and catalyst for our community.”
Graphs and illustrations courtesy of Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau.
6 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
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Hotel and airport revenue is “almost entirely” dependent on tourism, she said. Visitors account for 30 percent of restaurant revenue and 50 percent of attraction receipts. “Retail benefits, real estate benefits, construction benefits” from this spending, she said. Visitors annually spend $875 million and generate more than 9,000 jobs and payroll expenditures of $230 million, according to the CVB. “If we didn’t have the spending level of visitors, [each resident] would be paying $350 more annually in taxes,” Stilwell said. The Greenville CVB remains woefully underfunded in terms of tourism promotion dollars relative to “our competitor set with comparable destinations thorough the Southeast,” she said.
Promotional spending lags
Photo by Greg Beckner
The industry benchmark for promotional spending is dollars per hotel room. Greenville
County has 8,500 rooms. “We are close to about 75 percent underfunded compared to our competitors,” Stilwell said. “Where we are spending $225 per room, another destination might be spending $550 to $600 per room in terms of overall budget.” The state’s accommodation tax of 2 percent is also “well under the national average,” and each year the Greenville CVB is in fierce competition with special events for the county’s share. Another barometer is the total 10 percent tax paid at checkout – 5 percent sales tax, 2 percent state accommodations tax and 3 percent local accommodations tax – against a national average of 13 percent with some communities charging 19 to 22 percent. Stilwell said increasing the hotel tax “is not going to happen in the foreseeable future because our Legislature is not pro raising taxes. We have to keep that in mind and look for alternatives.” One new revenue source is a special grant fund administered by the S.C. Department of Tourism, whereby the state matches 50 cents
“Let’s just say, the ‘on’ switch is in the upward position, and I mean Greenville is ON! in comparison to the U.S.” Jennifer Stilwell, chief marketing officer for the Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau
for every dollar raised privately by a certified destination marketing organization, which the CVB is.
Some hoteliers ‘not receptive’ Greenville has enlisted 11 hotels out of 82 in the county to impose a $1 per room, per night surcharge for the fund. This year, CVB anticipates hotels will collect approximately $477,000 from that source. In addition, CVB expects an additional $238,000 in state match, which is included in the bureau’s $2.6 budget. “We try to go out and increase participation with our hoteliers, explaining the benefits of the program, the joint benefits for the community, but some hoteliers are not receptive as yet,” Stilwell said. The biggest challenge is to raise awareness of Greenville regionally and nationally as a leisure destination and having the funds to be able to do that, Stilwell said. “A lot of people here think, ‘Oh, everybody knows about Greenville.’ We are all that and then some (in local perception), but we are not well known outside our local community. “Those people who discover us find we are absolutely delivering on the promise of that experience. We are experiencing heavy word of chatter, basically.” Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@ communityjournals.com. DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business 7
UBJ
Hub City Co-op joins forces with The George By Charles Sowell | staff
The Hub City Co-op and USC Upstate’s George Dean Johnson College of Business and Economics are joining forces to jumpstart the feisty startup in downtown Spartanburg. The partnership between the two organizations, which are located across east St. John Street from one another, is a natural extension of USC Upstate’s longterm commitment to helping Spartanburg grow, said Tom Moore, chancellor of the school. “In addition to preparing our graduates to enter and succeed in a variety of business careers in an expanding global environment, the Johnson College also seeks to provide pre-startup and incubation support of small business,” said Frank Rudisill, interim dean of the business school. “We welcome the Hub City Cooperative to The George and look forward to the opportunities this collaboration offers to our students, the Co-op and the local economy.” As a business incubator, The George will provide office space for the co-op as their new store is renovated. The building was once a car dealership and a tire store. Architectural design has been finished and work should begin soon. The school’s 102-member marketing class will also
Photos by Gerry Pate
Tom Moore, chancellor of USC Upstate, stands outside the Hub City Co-op building that is to be renovated.
help the co-op in the period leading up to opening. “The Hub City Cooperative is a natural fit to use incubator space at The George. The co-op is a community-wide new business and the incubator was created to provide a supportive home for emerging and growing business,” said Erin Ouzts, co-op startup board chair. The 7,800-square-foot space will focus on local and regionally produced foods and grocery items. As the building is
refurbished, plans call for 5,000 square feet to be used for retail space, cafe-deli, salad bar and coffee areas. “I had 102 students working on these projects and they generated real ideas, budgets and marketing plans for the Hub City Co-op,” said Alan Duesterhaus, instructor of nonprofit leadership at The George. “The exciting thing about collaboration like this is that students are working on a real project with a real client.” The students will get to pitch their ideas as their final exams. For more information about the co-op visit www.hubcitycoop.org. Information about The George may be found at www. uscupstate.edu/johnsoncollege.edu. Contact Charles Sowell at csowell@communityjournals.com.
8 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
Frank Rudisill, interim dean of The George, with an artist’s rendering of the finished Hub City Co-op.
UBJ statehouse report
State needs to set priorities to effect change Sometimes the truth is bitter to swallow. But after almost 11 years of writing weekly about South Carolina government, the conclusion is undeniable: Many of South Carolina’s leaders don’t really want good government. They just want cheap government. How else can one explain the continuing reluctance of the majority in the Legislature to make fundamental changes that will make real differences in South Carolinians’ lives? How else can one explain $20 billion in unmet needs for roadways, continuing education challenges and the paucity of investment in common-sense computer security to keep the private information of 3.8 million South Carolinians from being hacked? Instead of focusing on how to make things better, most lawmakers seem obsessed with cutting government. They’ll say it’s for “waste, fraud and abuse,” but after 10 years of the Mark Sanford-Nikki Haley austerity diet, there’s not much waste around. What there is not a lot of is vision. There’s not a statewide plan for what the future can be. There’s not a set of legislative priorities that Democrats and Republicans are working to accomplish. Instead, they focus on cuts when less money isn’t going to solve the festering problems of South Carolina’s institutions. So we again offer Palmetto
Priorities, our updated annual list of policy objectives first outlined four years ago as a map for all legislators to use to make significant changes for a better South Carolina.
“Many of South Carolina’s leaders don’t really want good government. They just want cheap government.” ETHICS REFORM (new). Overhaul state ethics laws. Otherwise, we will keep having snafus like those that kept hundreds from running for office in 2012. Live transparency and accountability. Don’t just talk about it. JOBS. Develop a Cabinet-level post to add and retain 10,000 small business jobs per year. Unemployment is down and there’s been a lot more work to bring in big companies. But there still is no real plan to grow small business jobs, generally cited by politicians as a backbone of the state’s economy. SAFETY. Cut the state’s violent crime rate by one-third by 2016. The state has jumped to second most violent for women in 2011 and still has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country. Try a new approach.
EDUCATION (updated). Cut the state’s dropout rate in half by 2020. This priority originally was set for 2015, but little progress has been made. The state’s graduation rate in 2011 was 73.6 percent, according to press reports.
tax breaks being awarded annually by the Legislature, it’s time to rein in breaks and make reforms to income and property tax systems. By Andy Brack
HEALTH CARE. Ensure affordable and accessible health care that optimizes preventive care for every South Carolinian by 2015. There is real progress with this objective, but not thanks to state government. With President Obama’s reelection, a lot of poor South Carolinians will get access to health care through a federal program. The state will not be a player because Gov. Nikki Haley is dead set against having a statewide health exchange. ENVIRONMENT. Adopt a state energy policy that requires energy producers to generate 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. While there’s little state policy progress, the private sector is making inroads in reducing energy consumption. TAX REFORM. Remove outdated special interest sales tax exemptions as part of an overall reform of the state’s tax structure to be completed by 2014. We had hoped this would be done in 2012, but legislators punted. With $3.1 billion in special interest sales
ELECTIONS. Increase voter registration to 75 percent by 2015. No progress yet. Instead of making voting more open, lawmakers continued efforts in 2012 to chill voter participation. More voters mean better democracy, not worse.
CORRECTIONS. Reduce the prison population by 25 percent by 2020 through creative alternative sentencing programs for nonviolent offenders. No substantive progress. ROADS. Strengthen all bridges and upgrade all state roads by 2015. Time is running out on this priority. Best solution: Raise the state’s low gas tax to levels of neighboring states, which could add $400 million a year to fix roads and bridges. POLITICS. Have a vigorous two- or multi-party political system of governance. Voters want leaders to work together, not become more partisan and pull apart. Be nicer at the Statehouse. Andy Brack is publisher of Statehouse Report. He can be reached at brack@ statehousereport.com.
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2/23/2012 2:18:27 PM9 DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business
UBJ
Upstate International Month will celebrate area’s global transformation The International Center of the Upstate, Michelin and Clemson University are planning a series of events to recognize and celebrate the transformation of the Upstate economy from homegrown textiles to an international hub for business. The announcement to devote March for the inaugural Upstate International Month was made in the lobby of Michelin North America, one of the first international companies to plant roots here. Today, more than 230 international companies are located in the Upstate, making it the nation’s largest region for foreign investment per capita. Whitney Walters, executive director of the International Center, said a monthlong series of events starting March 1 would pay tribute to contributions by international residents that “make the area so rich and dynamic.” The activities will include concerts, dance performances, language classes, food tastings, art exhibits, lectures and festivals recognizing the diverse world cultures represented in the Upstate. The events will be held at many different locations. “Here at Michelin, we see firsthand the positive impact international residents have on our
communities, our economy and our way of life,” said Pete Selleck, chairman and president of Michelin North America. “The Michelin family, in planting their own personal roots here, exemplifies our international investors have not just invested capital in the region, they immersed themselves in our culture and have made lasting investments of human capital.” He said residents from more than 100 different countries “contribute every day to South Carolina’s success and to our prosperity.” He added, “Just as they benefited from the best we have to offer in the form of a highly skilled workforce, a pro business environment, welcoming communities and a tremendously high quality of life, so has our community benefited from the different perspectives and expanded vistas our international residents have brought to us.” In the early 1970s, Francois Michelin, looking for a place to build a U.S. plant for radial tires, made the unlikely choice of the Upstate, then in early stages of the decline of the textile economy from cheap imports. The benefits of Michelin’s choice are obvious today, Selleck said, but at the time no one could have foreseen “that this region would someday become such a high impact hub for global business activity.”
Pete Selleck, chairman and president of Michelin North America.
10 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
A large crowd was on hand for the announcement of Upstate International Month.
In 1975, Michelin opened plants in Greenville and Anderson; a third in Spartanburg followed three years later. It moved its North American headquarters from Lake Success, N.Y., where it had been since 1955, to Greenville in 1988, and today nearly half of its U.S. workforce of 18,000 is employed in South Carolina. “Today, the state is the largest exporter of cars and largest exporter of tires in the nation, and we are poised next year to become the largest manufacturer of tires in the country,” Selleck said. Leon Wiles, chief diversity officer of Clemson, said the university’s International Center for Automotive Research has become a magnet for international students. The International Center was founded 13 years ago with instrumental support from Michelin. Its mission is “to welcome people of all nations into this region to gain knowledge, establish friendships and share their culture and traditions.” The International Center conducts language classes, sponsors book clubs, discussion meetings and other social activities, and assists newcomers in getting through all the bureaucratic hoops residents take for granted – getting driver’s licenses, opening bank accounts,
finding and buying houses, filing taxes, and enrolling kids in school. A nonprofit, the center is supported by private and corporate donations, grants, fees for classes and services and individual memberships. For more information, go to www.upstateinternational.org. Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@ communityjournals.com.
Photos by Nate Smith, courtesy of Michelin
By Dick Hughes | senior business writer
A member of the Legacy Charter School World Percussion Ensemble performs.
UBJ
Rick Erwin clears the air By Dick Hughes | senior business writer
Rick Erwin’s Deli and Market, on the street level of the RiverWalk apartments on Camperdown Way, will have a scrubber to remove grease and cooking odors before exhausting air into the neighborhood. The equipment removes the offensive matter from the kitchen at 4,000 cubic feet per minute, solidifies grease and smoke, removes the odors and then exhausts clean air outside. Erwin said that municipal code does not require the extra technology to exhaust clean and odor-free air from his kitchen, but “it is the right thing to do. I am a good neighbor.” Gary Cox, owner of Air Scrubbers Inc., which makes the equipment, was on site Tuesday with Erwin as workers were installing the equipment. Cox said restaurants typically install these scrubbers because they are required to by local ordinance, “but Erwin is doing it because he wants to be environmentally responsible and respectful of his neighbors.” Erwin said the equipment and labor adds $100,000 to the cost of the restaurant but is worth it because he and developer Phil Hughes – “a partner in the decision with me” – want to make sure “we don’t bother anybody” with offensive kitchen exhaust. Erwin expects the deli and market to open around Feb. 1. The 3,000-square-foot space was originally planned for retail, but Erwin and Hughes agreed a restaurant-deli was “the right thing to do here.” Cox said using scrubbing technology to cleanse grease and
Photos by Greg Beckner
Workers are in the process of installing a Power Clean pollution control unit in the new Rick’s Deli. First of its kind in South Carolina, the unit, installed above the grill at the restaurant, cleans 4,000 cubic feet of air per minute.
The control panel of the Power Clean.
odors before being exhausted has been slow to catch on in the Southeast. The equipment at Erwin’s deli is the first he has installed in South Carolina, although he has a contract for a unit at the University of South Carolina at Columbia. For the last four or five years, he said, most urban municipalities have been requiring scrubbing for com-
mercial kitchens, but communities in the Southeast have been slow to it accept it as mandatory. Air Scrubber is based in Sanford, N.C., where it makes its scrubbers. Cox said he has been in the air pollution business for 35 years, mostly on the industrial side. Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.
DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business 11
UBJ cover story
Holding the line on online distractions ▲
Upstate employers try many methods to keep wired workers productive
By April A. Morris | staff
In an office full of workers, how many are surfing the Internet, checking the stock exchange or watching YouTube videos instead of performing their jobs? In addition to watching the bottom line, employers are also faced with figuring out ways to get the most productivity out of their uber-wired (and potentially distracted) workforce. According to the market researcher International Data Corporation, 30 to 40 percent of employee Internet activity is nonwork-related. So how does an employer keep his staff on task? For some, it’s keystroke-recording software, monitoring every IP address visit or a pop-up, check-in screen to ensure their workers are at their stations. For others, it’s allowing surfing at will as long as the project gets completed. And the approach of Upstate businesses runs from strict to nonchalant.
Don’t expect privacy
12 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
Charged with being good stewards of the taxpayer’s dollars, the City of Greenville has a very clear Internet user’s policy. Internet usage and email are to be used for city business, according to the policy, and employees cannot set up their personal email on city computers or phones. They may access personal Web mail, however. “Brief personal use” of the Internet and email is allowed if it does not interfere with work. The city stresses that employees
have no expectation of privacy and their files and email can be inspected at any time, says Phil Robey, director of the Office of Management and Budget and supervisor of the city’s IT department. “As a public entity, we have a heightened sense of responsibility in how our employees use technology,” he says. The IT staff will let a supervisor know if an increased usage trend is emerging and what type of sites an employee visits, whether it be commerce or social media, he says. Department heads can determine how much is too much time spent online. If a supervisor requests, IT can report on a higher level of detail, like specific addresses and how long a user spends at that site, says Robey. According to the policy, if a city employee is found to be using the Internet excessively, he can lose his Web and email privileges, be put on probation or suspension, or be terminated. Technology use is also a bandwidth issue for the city, says Robey. “If we have a lot of people downloading videos on YouTube, you’re diminishing the capacity of the system.” During the Olympics, news reports picked up the story of City of Los Angeles IT staff asking employees to stop streaming sports coverage for fear of melting down the city’s computer system. Athena Miller, human resources manager for the city, says the city has identified a “laundry list” of sites that are blocked from access, including shopping and social media. The practice is flexible for departments that need to shop for event supplies or for law enforcement staff who need
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UBJ cover story
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to have access to sites focusing on guns or gambling. And the policy is never far from employees’ minds, says Miller; they are reminded of it every time they log into their work computers. Mike Jann, the city’s IT manager, says there is a “good balance” between the technological solutions and the policy that allows city workers to get the job done. And about the safeguards, he says, “If you can’t get to it, it’s not a problem.” Rather than limiting the use of technology by staff, Mediasation, a Web hosting, content and design company in downtown Greenville, puts the latest and greatest into the hands of its developers and social media experts, says Ryan Beck, company president. A few years ago the company bought iPhones for all staff and recently outfitted them with iPads, he says. Because they have to recommend certain apps and interfaces to their clients, firsthand experience pays off, Beck says: the ultra-connected are the type of folks his company is looking for. There are no formal rules on personal technology use and the only monitoring software blocks inappropriate websites, Beck said. However, the company’s project management software records time and tells managers how much time is spent on each project. “We usually have good insight on what our resources are doing each day.” Employees are given the freedom as long as the project is completed. “We are fortunate to have a group of great people who have the freedom to act as such,” Beck said, and overuse hasn’t been an issue to date.
technology is essential to the everyday work of his fellow employees, says Barry Finkelstein, director of public relations at Erwin Penland. The advertising and public relations firm “embraces and encourages” social media because it “benefits our clients,” Finkelstein said. The firm sees it as a “quality of life” feature for employees. For a company that allows dogs to come to work every day, Erwin Penland is also pretty liberal about the personal use of technology, he says. “Some people think it prohibits production, but we think it’s liberating.” Finkelstein cited a phenomenon that counts workers being distracted from their jobs because they’re worried about what they’re missing out on. If they’re able to make a quick check of whatever conversation is out there, employees can get right back to their tasks, he says. Erwin Penland does monitor Internet usage, but only for anything illegal or offensive rather than for excess usage time. Renee Roberson, Erwin Penland’s human resources director, says, “We have a written policy, but it’s not part of our daily environment.” The company culture is built on mutual respect, she said, “and no one is willing to jeopardize that. I don’t have to police. In four years, I’ve spoken to no one [about overuse].” For a workforce whose second nature is to be plugged in, unfettered access can impact productivity in a positive way, Roberson said. Finkelstein adds that he ends up seeing what the company’s staff is up to when he checks on the daily news and latest post on the TweetDeck application. “We follow each other on Twitter.”
Social media is ‘liberating’
‘The world is changing’
Keeping workers connected
Social media may be cited as one of biggest time wasters any time of day, but this sort of
69 % 6 8% 57% 20%
Spartanburg Water must embrace potentially distracting technology to keep its field workers safe and monitor operations, says Sue Schneider, general manager. In offices, Internet usage is monitored and employees see a policy reminder when they sign on to their computers.
SOCIAL MEDIA MATTERS
So urce: So cie ty for Hu ma n Re so urce Ma na ge me nt, “Res ea rch Sp ot lig ht: So cia l Me dia in the Wo rkp lace 2012 .”
However, checking email or using smartphones during lunchtime and breaks is allowed, she said. “You do want to encourage as much productivity as you can – as the world is changing.” The company blocks certain sites, like social networking sites, though there are exceptions for sites run by professional organizations, she says. So far there have been no problems with abuse, she adds. For the workers who work out of the office, Spartanburg Water must stay on the cusp of the latest communications technology because of the number of staff working in rural locations and responding to emergencies, says Schneider. Where her staff once used UHF radio channels and pagers to communicate, they now use phones with push-to-talk capabilities, especially if they are working in the field. Approximately 150 employees get mobile phones, but few get smartphones, she says. A select few have texting capability to receive crucial messages from their service partners like Duke Energy. Schneider sums it up: “With all of these tools, we try to strike a balance with how to use them and make us more productive rather than less productive.” Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com.
Companies not tracking employee’s use of social media. Employees currently using social media at work.
Companies not blocking access at work. CEOs using LinkedIn.
DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business 13
WORLDCLASS TRAVELERS
entrepreneur UBJ entrepreneur
sibling Synergy 16 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
UBJ entrepreneur
Jump Start Entrepreneurship is everywhere
▲
Two Sisters Embroidery takes personalization to a new level By April A. Morris | staff
Sisters Riley and Langdon Haskell are not close in age, but since 2010, they’ve been close business partners in Two Sisters Embroidery and Design. And though the sisters ran lemonade stands when they were younger, their latest business was not planned. Riley, 25, had just completed her degree in early childhood education and was taking courses to prepare her for a physician’s assistant degree when she was sidelined by an accident and traumatic brain injury in late 2009. Riley couldn’t return to school and fell back on sewing, a skill she learned in high school during what she and Langdon call “granny camp,” when grandma Betty Farr would expose them to a variety of summer pastimes. In the beginning, Riley was stitching personalization and designs onto items that clients brought. In April 2010, she launched the business. “I prayed it would take off and I could do it as a career,” Riley said. Soon Langdon, 16, was helping out after school and is now the business’s marketing department, handing out business cards and spreading the word at school.
And after purchasing a six-needle embroidery machine, the duo began to offer their own items for personalization, including baby clothes and burp cloths, T-shirts, scarves, jewelry cases, lingerie and shoe bags, Dopp kits and duffel bags. During the day, Riley spends her time in the new converted garage studio in Greenville, filling orders, taking orders and designing. Langdon comes in almost every day after school to stitch designs, pack orders and deliver to clients. And though her father is an entrepreneur, says Riley, he didn’t pull any strings for her in the business formation. She adds that she was surprised at the many facets
details www.twosistersembroidery.com 116 Wembley Road, Greenville 864-430-3576 On Facebook at: Twosistersembroideryanddesign
Riley Haskell at work in the Two Sisters Embroidery and Design shop.
of business management, but has learned along the way. Two Sisters Embroidery has built up a loyal customer base and many will just “leave it up to us,” says Riley, emailing a price range and who the gift is for, never laying eyes on it before it is shipped off. Riley says she hopes to build the business into her sole source of income. She’s had firsthand experience with some of her own baby products: for the past three years she has also worked nights as a nanny, often to twins or triplets. The orders ebb and flow with the seasons, with Christmas being big for gift giving and the spring for orders for camp gear like monogrammed pillowcases. “And there’s always a baby being born,” she says. The two sisters’ designs go beyond just interwoven letters, including applique depicting everything from fire trucks and pirate hooks
to bunnies and peace signs. With her computer connected directly to the embroidery machine, Riley says she can build designs and produce them seamlessly. She enjoys doing custom work for her clients and creating personalized items for customers in more than 10 states. A new item the sisters have created is the Remember Me bib, an adult-sized terrycloth bib that covers the lap, designed primarily for Alzheimer’s disease patients. The person’s name is stitched at the top, but also at the bottom, so when the patient looks down, he sees his own name. The business also donates ten percent of the sales of the bibs to the local Alzheimer’s Association. “No matter what stage of Alzheimer’s you’re in,” says Riley, “your name is your name.” Riley and Langdon have been entrepreneurs since they created their own lemonade stand as kids, they say. “I’ve always been the boss,” jokes Riley. And as they ramp up production for Christmas crunch time, Riley says she’s thankful for the new direction her life took just a few years ago. “God had a different plan for me, and it was a good one. I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat. I love working for myself,” she says. Contact April A. Morris at amorris@communityjournals.com.
riley and langdon haskell – the two sisters of two sisters embroidery and design Photos by Greg Beckner
DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business 17
UBJ
Getting Fit2Lead Program designed to improve fitness from the top down David Sudduth, Greenville’s mayor pro tem, has a busy schedule. “Like most everybody else, I’m really good at coming up with excuses and not making the time to get the exercise I need,” he said. But that’s about to change By Leigh Savage thanks to Fit2Lead, a new contributor program sponsored by Proaxis Therapy, Greenville Hospital System and TeamKattouf. Fit2Lead is bringing together executives, community leaders and others to participate in a free 12-week health and fitness competition. Individual testing at the beginning and end of the program will show participants how much they improved their health – and will also help name the fittest executive in Greenville as well as the most improved, according to Ashley Pastore, who is overseeing the program for Proaxis. “CEOs are bombarded with people saying that working out reduces absenteeism, raises morale and lowers insurance costs. They know endorsing it is a good thing,” Pastore said. “But no one has said, ‘Set the example.’ If you do it yourself, you can allow that energy to trickle down to the rest of the company.” Stan Healy, administrator at Roger C. Peace Rehabilitation Hospital, is on the GHS Fit2Lead team, as is GHS CEO Mike Riordan. “He wants to lead by example in his healthy lifestyle,” Healy said. “And I commit to exercising and watching what I eat, and I try to foster that environment in my employees.” Healy is an avid cyclist and often heads over to the Life Center during his lunch hour. “Sometimes I feel guilty and think I should be at work,” he said. “But then I remember that this is very important. People don’t take the time, and that’s why obesity is a problem. We have to make the time. We can’t feel guilty about saying healthy living is important.”
A HEALTHY WORKFORCE
BEGINS AT THE TOP!
18 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
Images courtesy of Proaxis Therapy
While Healy is one of the participants who is already active and fit, other participants will have very minimal experience with healthy nutrition and exercise. “Some people may only need some tweaks in their routine,” says Pastore, a runner and triathlete. “Others will be starting at ground zero and just need to do something. We’re going to make sure we focus on both types.” Sudduth says he and his teammate, City Manager John Castile, are more on the “starting from ground zero” side. “We joke that we are not yet ‘fit to lead,’” he said. “But this struck a chord with me. It’s something I’ve been looking for. I want to establish habits to be healthy.” In addition to functional movement expertise from Proaxis, a physical therapy clinic, and assessments and gym memberships from GHS’ Life Center, the program will be overseen by Rick Kattouf, a coach and author with clients around the world. “We’ll do a comprehensive health and fitness assessment to identify risks and create a customized report,” Kattouf said. Then he and his team will put together a 12-week plan incorporating strength and cardio workouts as well as
a meal plan. “The biggest cherry on top will be our teleconferences with Q&A,” Kattouf said. “These people will not be left out there for 12 weeks. We’ll be there to help them.” He says he was drawn to the program because it is not a weight-loss contest, but about changing people’s bodies and minds. “They can get on a healthy lifestyle for their lifetime,” he said. “If we can get these executives to embrace health and wellness and nutrition, imagine how that can bleed down to their employees. It can help the entire organization, and that’s a worthy goal.” In the spring, when the 12-week program is complete, teams will be treated to a gala and celebration at La Bastide, where an awards ceremony will laud participants for their accomplishments. Pastore says there is room for about 80 people to participate, and she has signed up about 30 so far, including individuals as well as teams of two, three and four. For more information, visit www. proaxistherapy/fit2lead. Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@ communityjournals.com.
UBJ create. innovate. celebrate.
Get to know some local angels Do some good. Have some fun. Make some money. In the fall of 2010, an aspiring Greenville entrepreneur was on the verge of abandoning his dream. He had worked several years to try to bring an innovative new product to market, but had not been able to find the resources he needed to manufacture the first batch of inventory. So, with options limited, he sought out a position in his former industry, and headed out of state for a job interview. But a funny thing happened on the way to Wisconsin. He got a call from the Upstate Carolina Angel Network. Now, two years later, Evan Solida, founder of Cerevellum, is busy this Christmas season selling his Hindsight product – a first-of-its-kind digital rear-view mirror for cyclists. After he received that call from UCAN inviting him to pitch
his startup plans, the group took a strong interest in his company and ultimately invested the capital and expertise needed to help Evan bring his product to market. In that story lies the purpose and power of UCAN: do some good. Have some fun. Make some money. UCAN members are local investors who invest in startup companies for all three of those reasons. They do good by sharing their experience, insights and capital with entrepreneurs to help them achieve success, ultimately doing good for the Upstate economy by helping create the jobs and companies of the future. The angels have fun by reviewing new technologies, sharpening their business skills, and interacting with other savvy investors and energetic entrepreneurs. And in the end, with patience and diversification, UCAN members make money, much of which will be recycled back into new opportunities and promising entrepreneurs. (UCAN’s first
those willBy Matt Dunbar ing angel investors came together nearly five years ago, thanks to the efforts of local business leaders J.B. Holeman and Tim Reed. Since UCAN’s inception in early 2008, the group has invested $6.5 million in 24 companies, which now support over 250 jobs. From high-tech products like the Hindsight, to unique business models like the New York Butcher Shoppe franchises, UCAN seeks out highgrowth potential companies from across a wide array of industries. The group is comprised of about 50 members with a highly diverse set of backgrounds, giving them the depth of talent and experience to evaluate companies from nearly any industry – including one at the cross-section of consumer electronics and outdoor sports, where in Hindsight, Cerevellum can see the power of angels.
liquidity event in 2011 yielded a 2,200 percent rate of return.) Over the last three decades in the United States, all net job growth in the economy has come from startup firms less than five years old. However, the entrepreneurs who launch those firms face a severe shortage of early stage capital in the “valley of death” prior to reaching sustainable cash flows. While many entrepreneurs successfully bootstrap their way to success, many others need outside funds to survive, particularly those with very high growth potential. Traditionally, venture capitalists played that role, but in recent years the venture industry has undergone extensive changes, leaving fewer firms investing at later stages when deals are less risky. Into that void have stepped private individuals (known as angel investors since the Depression era when they funded Broadway productions) who invest their own capital in promising startups. Whereas U.S. venture capitalists invest in 3,000 companies each year, angel investors provide capital to more than 60,000, filling an absolutely critical gap in the capital marketplace. In the Upstate, some of
Matt Dunbar is managing director of the Upstate Carolina Angel Network. To learn more about becoming an angel investor, visit www.upstateangels.org, or send an email to matt@upstateangels.org.
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UBJ commercial development
Efforts to sell Liberty Square continue There’s more at play in the marketing of Liberty Square in Greenville than the sale of two high-rise office buildings. An important element in the marketing by CBRE | The Furman Co. is the appeal of Greenville as place for investors to put their money – in this case, a whole lot of it. “One of the telling things about this asset will be how the investment community at large sees downtown Greenville,” said Craig Stipes, vice president of the firm’s investment properties group. Thus far, “feedback has been very, very positive. Now that we are coming out of a recession and are seeing more velocity in the transaction market, it will be interesting to see how the investment community now underwrites Greenville.” CBRE Furman sent Liberty Square marketing packages to the “investment community at large” on Nov. 19 and since has had “a lot of very strong interest,” and has been busy conducting tours of the properties. Stipes and his CBRE partner Matt Covington said most of the interest is coming from hedge funds, family trusts and institutional capital in the Southeast, New York and West Coast. But, they said, the property is getting “some exposure” from international investors, as well. The typical sales process takes three or four months, and they expect to have a buyer identified very early in the first quarter of 2013, Covington said. In its tax and deed records, Greenville County puts a market value of $48.6 million on the two buildings, plus connecting garage, but the true contemporary worth will be determined by what investors are willing to pay. “Bids will move ahead of fair value,” said Kimberly Macleod, speaking for Lehman Brothers Holdings, which owns the buildings. In developing a prospectus, Stipes
“Feedback has been very, very positive. Now that we are coming out of a recession and are seeing more velocity in the transaction market, it will be interesting to see how the investment community now underwrites Greenville.” Craig Stipes, vice president of CBRE | The Furman Co.’s investment properties group
said, CBRE Furman used four models: an “instantaneous snapshot of value” based on cost versus return, the discounted cash flow, the price per square foot and return on equity from cash return year over year. Among those closely watching the Liberty Square sale are legions of creditors owed money under the bankruptcy liquidation of Lehman Brothers, the Wall Street investment firm that collapsed in 2008 and started the worldwide credit collapse. Under the court-approved liquidation, Lehman is selling off some $10 billion in real estate assets, including Liberty Square, for cash to repay creditors. Lehman took ownership of Liberty Square in November 2011 in foreclosure proceedings against FRI Properties of West Palm Beach, Fla. Lehman had financed FRI’s purchase of the buildings in 2006. CBRE Furman assisted, with other CBRE partners, in the foreclosure proceedings, and Lehman hired it to manage the buildings after it took ownership. As it had done with other properties across the nation, Lehman sought to build occupancy and make improvements at Liberty Square “to improve value and attract core institutiona l buyers,” said Macleod. T h e elevator cabs in One Liberty
20 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
were completely redone, bathrooms upgraded and a fitness center added. When CBRE Furman took over management 12 months ago, the combined occupancy rate of the two Liberty Square towers was “very low,” said Charles Gouch, vice president for brokerage services. “It was 40 percent vacant when we got
it. Today, it is 18 percent vacant.” One Liberty was built in 1983. It is 17 stories and has 248,563 square feet. Two Liberty was built in 1986. It is 13 stories and 185,658 square feet. Both underwent renovation in 2005. The original owner was U.S. Shelter Associates, which no longer exists. Metropolitan Life Insurance was listed as owner in 1986. According to county records, Liberty Property Ltd. Partnership bought the towers in 1997. The price was recorded at a little less than $46 million. FRI bought the properties in 2006 for a combined price recorded as $54 million. Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.
Photos by Greg Beckner
By Dick Hughes | senior business writer
UBJ commercial development dealmakers KDS Commercial Properties announced: • Larry Webb represented the purchaser, Greenville County Drug and Alcohol Commission, in the purchase of 130 Industrial Blvd., Greenville. The seller, Stone Harper et.al., was self-represented.
Big plans for Westgate Pines NAI Earle Furman’s Multifamily Division recently closed the sale of Westgate Pines, a 96-unit Class C apartment complex located at 1480 W.O. Ezell Boulevard in Spartanburg. The property was sold for $2,375,000 to the CRE Strategic Opportunity Fund LLC. Tony Bonitati, Kay Hill, and Gwinna Cahal of NAI Earle Furman’s Multifamily Division represented the seller in the transaction, which marks the third acquisition by the Fund in Spartanburg and the second acquisition this year with NAI Earle Furman. The Fund has partnered with property management firm N&H Enterprises and general contractor Creative Builders Inc. and plans significant upgrades and improvements for the property.
“Westgate Pines is consistent with the Fund’s strategy of finding assets that are well located and will benefit from capital investment and proactive property management,” said Paul Aiesi, a member of the Fund’s management team. “The Fund has targeted Spartanburg and Upstate South Carolina because of the economic growth and the continued creation of new households which support the Fund’s investment to acquire and improve quality multifamily housing.” The property will be renamed Park Square and will feature upgrades such as updated interiors, exterior improvements including refreshed landscaping, and a remodeled clubhouse.
• Brad Doyle represented the landlord, Hipp Investments, in the leasing of 1,200 square feet of office space at 17 College Street, Suite D, Greenville, to Greytree Partners. The tenant was self-represented. • Brad Doyle also epresented the landlord, Hamberis & Zaharis, in the leasing of 5,000 square feet at 207 W. Antrim Drive, Greenville, to tenant Equilibrium Zen Gym. The tenant was selfrepresented. • Frank O’Brien represented the seller, DEP Properties LLC, in the sale of 700 E. North St., Suite 13, Greenville, to purchaser Mark Tomaszek. The purchaser was represented by NAI Earle Furman. • Frank O’Brien also repre-
sented the landlord, Eugene Watson, in the leasing of 204 Coffee St., Greenville, to tenant Scott Lariviere. The tenant was self-represented and has opened a restaurant at this location. • Frank O’Brien represented the seller, Anchor Financial Planning and Assets, in the sale of 700 E. North St., Suite 5, Greenville. The purchaser, GETJR LLC, was self-represented. This ±1,400-square-foot space is now available for lease. • Jamie McCutchen represented the tenant, Leafguard of SC, in the leasing of 4011 Pelham Court, Greer. The landlord, Talfrom Pelham LLC, was represented by Larry Webb, also of KDS Commercial Properties. • Mike Kiriakides represented the landlord in securing a new fifteen-year lease for 8110 White Horse Road, Greenville, with Flowers Baking Co. KDS will also be managing the construction to expand the facility of 16,975 square feet. Scheduled completion is the second quarter of 2013.
Dentists know the importance of a great smile.
We know the importance of a great location. Dental real estate is our expertise: in 2012, NAI Earle Furman has represented more dental practice real estate transactions in the Upstate than any other firm. Call us today to discuss your real estate needs. 864 232 9040 EarleFurmanHealthcare.com DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business 21
UBJ new to the street
Journey Hospice recently celebrated the grand opening of their North Academy Street location in Greenville. Greenville Mayor Knox White and Greer Mayor Rick Danner attended the ribbon cutting and toured the new facility. Journey Hospice provides care for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of patients with a life-limiting illness – as well as supporting services for the family.
Doctors Express, a state-ofthe-art urgent care center open seven days a week, recently opened at Cherrydale Shopping Center on N. Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville. The Cherrydale location is the second Doctors Express office to open in Greenville in the past two years. The centers provide urgent care for adults and children, with X-rays and lab work performed on site for quick test results. No appointment is necessary and most insurance is accepted.
Merry Christmas from the Lowdergroup
Vestique is a women’s clothing store that offers trendy dresses, tops, skirts, shoes and accessories, all for under $100. The boutique recently opened in McDaniel Village on Augusta Street in Greenville. Left to right: Karen Heaps, Drew Brannon, Melody Reid, Milt Lowder, Jackie Thompson, Stephen Fleming, Sharon Furniss, Christian Sims, Carrie McClenaghan, Kelly Kemp, Melissa Furniss
May the Peace & Joy of Christmas be yours throughout the year!
NOW SEEING PATIENTS! Call 864-239-4110 for appointment. 86 Villa Road – Suite B, Greenville SC 29615 www.lowdergroup.com 22 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
UBJ on the move
hired
hired
honored
honored
elected
Dana F. Spadafora
Tim Lincolnhol
Erwin Maddrey
James David Sigmon
Jil M. Littlejohn
Joined Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) as human resources manager. Spadafora has almost 20 years of experience in the human resources field. Prior to joining ReWa, Spadafora’s experience included roles as human resources manager, consultant, generalist and benefits analyst providing consultation to prominent organizations in a variety of industries.
Appointed senior vice president of Greer State Bank, where he will serve as director of business development and director of specialized lending. His career includes 22 years in banking. Lincolnhol serves as a board member at Greer Relief, a member of the Appalachian Development Corporation’s Loan Committee and the Greer Chamber of Commerce.
The first recipient of the Welling Award for Regional Collaboration. Maddrey is the treasurer and an Executive Committee member with Ten at the Top and has been actively involved in many organizations across the Upstate. The Welling Award for Regional Collaboration was named in honor of Irv Welling III, the first Chairman of Ten at the Top.
Of Coldwell Banker Commercial Caine; was recently awarded the Certified Commercial Investment Member designation by the CCIM Institute. The CCIM designation is awarded upon successful completion of an intensive analytical curriculum and presentation of a portfolio of qualifying experience demonstrating concept mastery through real-world success.
Appointed president and CEO of the Urban League of the Upstate effective Jan. 14. Littlejohn is currently executive director of the YWCA of Greenville and very active as a community leader. She also represents District 3 as a member of the Greenville City Council. Prior to joining the YWCA she worked in financial positions with World Acceptance Corporation and Milliken and Company.
CONSTRUCTION/ENGINEERING
• Custom Landscaping and Design Inc., a landscape architecture and design business, recently announced Traci Miller has joined the team to work in client relations, support homeowners/property owners through the build/remodel process, act as company contact and outreach for builders, engineers and architects, implement marketing programs and manage social media and the website.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
• Greenville Deputy City Manager Nancy Whitworth was recently awarded the Novogradac Community Development Foundation (NDCF) 2012 Public Executive of the Year Award. NDCF is a private not for profit entity that addresses the issues of community and economic development, housing and the preservation of America’s neighborhoods.
nonprofit
• American Leprosy Missions, the nation’s oldest and largest Christian anti-leprosy organization, recently announced Darren Schaupp as director of program operations. His nonprofit experience also includes six years as program director and regional networker for Eastern Mennonite Missions. • Appalachian Development Corporation, a nonprofit economic development lending corporation, recently
announced that Jamal Thompson has joined the organization as assistant vice president/micro loan officer in ADC’s micro loan program. • The Mary Black Foundation has announced the election of Dr. Colleen Perry Keith to a four-year term as a trustee beginning January 1. Keith has been president of Spartanburg Methodist College (SMC) since 2009. Prior to SMC, she served as executive director of development at Ohio University in Athens. The Foundation also announced that Robert L. Wynn was elected to serve another four-year term as trustee and named its officers for 2013. Ruth L. Cate, attorney at The Cate Law Firm, was elected to serve as board chair. William A. Coker, SC Bank & Trust Wealth Management Group senior relationship manager, will serve as vice-chair. Jack McBride, CEO of Contec, will serve as treasurer, and Molly Talbot-Metz, director of programs and interim president of the Foundation, will serve as secretary. In addition to these officers, Doris H. Tidwell and D. Byrd Miller, III will serve on the Foundation’s Executive Committee.
public relations/marketing
• Erwin Penland recently hired Scott Cole, Dana Galloway, Mitchell Loftis, Ethan Mullis, Jason Neal, Tracy Olson, Pamela Rockwell, Shannon Ross and Brandon Walters. Cole joins as an associate
creative director from fashion brand Fossil, where as creative director of communications he also worked with such brands as adidas, Burberry, DKNY and Michael Kors. Galloway joins as accounts payable supervisor from SYS Constructors, where she served as controller. A technical support analyst, Loftis is a CompTia A+ certified computer technician with a degree in computer network administration from Greenville Technical College and a certificate in Cisco router and switch configuration. Mullis joins as a userinterface designer from Gnoso, a boutique web design firm where he specialized in user interface design for applications and other websites. Neal is joining the agency fulltime as an interactive developer working on Advance America and a number of other clients. Olson joins as a senior account executive on Erwin Penland’s Shopper Marketing team. Rockwell will be working as a senior account executive on the Verizon Communications team, managing client requests and overseeing various projects. Ross has previously worked as a graphic designer she worked at mcgarrybowen, supporting such accounts as Chase, Reebok and Marriott, as part of the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program. Walters returns to Erwin Penland as a copywriter after stints at Henderson Advertising, IMI Resort Marketing and, most
recently, as owner/creative director of his own creative consultancy.
REAL ESTATE
• The Marchant Company recently announced the addition of Jolene Wimberly as a Realtor. Wimberly brings 38 years of local real estate experience. • Prudential C. Dan Joyner Co. REALTORS recently announced that Tammy Zuraw has joined the company as a sales associate at the Greer office and Pam Childress has joined the company as a sales associate at the Pelham Road office. Zuraw has worked in the real estate industry for five years and has earned designations as Accredited Buyer Representative and Short Sales & Foreclosures Resource. Childress has worked extensively in both the public and private sectors with her real estate career beginning in 2000. • Coldwell Banker Caine’s Greenville office recently welcomed Chase Inabinet as a residential sales agent. Chase was previously employed by The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyard as well as Southern Tide.
movers and shakers New hires, promotions, award-winners, or stand-out employees can be featured in On The Move... send information & a photo. onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com
DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business 23
PLANNER Monday December
17
UBJ social
PULSE ANNUAL REPORT
GCS Roundtable: Why Leaders Fail The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m. Speaker: Myles Golden Call Golden Career Strategies at 864-527-0425 to request an invitation.
Business Start-Up Basic Info Briefing NEXT-Innovation Center-University Ridge, Greenville; 6-8 p.m. Cost: $15, free to Michelin Development clients. Register online at www. piedmontscore.org. Call 864-271-3638 for more information. Tuesday December
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Healthcare Providers Network Greenville Chamber of Commerce Boardroom, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 7:30-9 a.m. Open to health care provider leaders who are members of the Greenville Chamber. Contact Julie Alexander at 864-239-3754 or www. greenvillechamber.org. Business After Hours Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free to attend and open to Chamber members. Contact: rstallpmr@gmail.com.
Upstate PC Users Group Five Forks Baptist Church, 112 Batesville Rd., Simpsonville; 7:30-9:30 p.m. Free to attend. Contact: rstallpmr@gmail.com. Wednesday December
19
Tech After Five – Greenville Carolina Ale House, 113 South Main St., Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free to GSA Technology Council members. Register at www.techafterfive.com. Thursday December
The 2012 PULSE Advisory Council.
Engenius search engine optimization SEMINAR • Chris Manley (right), managing partner of Engenius, speaks at the seminar on search engine optimization hosted by Engenius. • Scott Whelchel (right), area manager of the Greenville Area SBDC, speaks at the seminar on search engine optimization hosted by Engenius held at Clemson by the Falls.
Former Governor Richard Riley, PULSE 2012 Chair Tammy Johnson, 2013 Chair John Boyanoski, 2014 Chair Berri Hicks, Chamber President Ben Haskew, 2012 Chamber Board Chair Mike Riordan.
Greer Chamber Board member Anna Locke, Greenville Chamber President Ben Haskew, Greer Chamber President Allen Smith, Greer Chamber Vice President Mark Owens and Pulse 2013 Chair John Boyanoski.
Photos by Greg Beckner
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Women’s Business Network O’Charley’s, 671 Fairview Road, Simpsonville; noon. Free to attend. Each person is invited to bring a gift card to be donated to Pendleton Place of Greenville. Contact: Allison at amcgarity@simpsonvillechamber.com.
Former Secretary of Education and SC Governor Richard Riley.
PMI Palmetto Chapter Meeting Greenville Marriott, 1 Parkway East, Greenville; 6-8 p.m. For more information, visit www.palmettopmi.org Meet and Greet The Springs at Simpsonville; 214 E. Curtis St., Simpsonville; 4:30-6:30 p.m. Free to attend. RSVP to Becky at bklaus@ simpsonvillechamber.com or members. simpsonvillechamber.com
Submit your event: events@upstatebusinessjournal.com
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Spartanburg Healthcare network meeting Photos courtesy of Spartanburg Regional
Greenville Forward’s Russell Stall.
UBJ digital maven
Who Likes you, Baby? In the words of the very reputable compaestimable Bette Midler: nies use them. “You gotta have friends!” Still, amassing large Or in the case of your numbers of Likers business and mine, doesn’t guarantee a Likers. Facebook Likers, real “engagement” with that is. them. For that, they By Laura Haight Or do you? have to get actively inIf your business has a Facebook volved in your page—reading and page, you probably check with some sharing your content, bringing degree of regularity to see how many their friends to your page, and Likers you have. It’s a slow and posting content of their own— arduous process, because you aren’t photos, videos, updates. selling widgets here, you are buildSo who decides where you land ing relationships. And what good are in the coveted news feed? To some 1000 Likers if they don’t have a true degree the user, but mostly it’s affinity for your business or service? Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm, Gaining Facebook Likers is which determines the relevance, inlike dating—without the movies terest and importance of posts and and meals. positions them accordingly in each So before you go out and hire a users’ feed. Bald-faced marketing marketing firm that promises to ploys (“Like my page and get $1 off bring you 1000 Likers, be warned your next cup of coffee”) are identithat there is an army of inexpensive fied and treated like email spam. labor around the world ready to hire So your content needs to be more on to like pages all day long. But interesting and relevant to keep you that doesn’t make them a customer, at the top of the food chain—even client or advocate for your business. once you get a Liker. For some types of businesses, On average, Facebook says any Facebook Likes make sense, giving post you place is likely to reach only you a ready pool of interested con- 16 percent of your fans. In May, it sumers you can direct-market to. instituted promoted posts, which Retail shops, restaurants, bars and they spin as a way to reach more of coffee shops all come to mind. For your target market. It’s also a way for business-to-business brands, the the now-publicly traded Facebook to value of a Liker is less immediate monetize its massive audience. and a bit harder to quantify. Some small businesses (see the According to Facebook, there were Wall Street Journal article for this 42 million pages as of March 2012. info: http://goo.gl/2Jp6Q) say this The average Facebook user likes 4-6 has put them at a disadvantage with pages each month. When someone bigger competitors boasting larger likes a page, its postings are autobudgets. What used to be “free” matically added to their news feed. (excluding, of course, the time you That’s good and bad. Because as the put into maintaining it) is now a user likes more things, you are comreal-dollar marketing expense. peting for position in his news feed And what is the real value of a with more and more pages—many Liker? The Ritz-Carlton’s (167,000 of which may be competitors. Likers) Chris Gabaldon, chief Like-gates — campaigns that marketing officer, admitted to offer coupons but require a Business Week that “direct revenue Like to pass through to access (gained from social media) is still it—are popular methods of getting undetermined.” However, some numbers up, but how committed companies, like Diamond Candles are those Likers to your business of Durham, N.C. (204,000 Likers), or product? To some businesses, have used sophisticated metrics to these are sleazy bait-and-switch track social activity against Web trafschemes, but some very large and fic and revenue to reveal the ROI of
go figure
4-6 16 42 million 1,000,000,000 The number of pages the average Facebook user likes each month.
The average percentage of fans who will see any given (nonpromoted) business post.
Facebook pages as of March 2012
Facebook’s estimated massive monthly active user base…
social marketing. In their case, they found each Like was worth a penny, but each “advocacy”— where a Liker recommended a product—was worth $1.07. In their first year, owner Justin Winter has said, they did $1 million in revenue with no paid outbound marketing and a combination of sponsored reviews, Facebook and other social media. So, is Facebook worth the effort? A qualified “yes.” You have a spot in the largest single Internet hangout in the world. But of itself,
that’s not enough. You are putting time and effort into developing content and making posts. Make sure your Facebook page is part of a business and marketing strategy, that you know what you want to get from it and are tracking your results on a regular basis to see if your efforts are paying off. Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (www. portfoliosc.com), a communications company based in Greenville. She is a former IT executive, journalist and newspaper editor. Connect with the Digital Maven on Facebook/theDigitalMaven and share ideas, comments, and suggestions.
DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business 25
UBJ snapshot how it was
SHRIners hospitals for children ® ® The Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children opened in 1927 in a Georgian-style building with an elliptical porch at the entrance. W.W. Burgess contributed $350,000 to fund the construction, but the Shriners took over the operating expenses. The hospital took children under 14 years of age with an orthopedic condition as well as those who could not pay their expenses. In 1957, an outpatient clinic was added, and in the early 1970s, the hospital moved to its current location on Grove Road next to Greenville Memorial Hospital.
how it is
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Business JOURN A L
HOW TO REACH US 148 River Street., Suite 120 Greenville, SC 29601, 864.679.1200 Copyright @2012 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal (Vol. 1, No. 6) 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. Visit www.UpstateBusinessJournal.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, 148 River St., Ste 120, Greenville, SC 29601. Printed in the USA.
26 Upstate business | DECEMBER 14, 2012
PRESIDENT/Publisher Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com Senior Vice President Alan P. Martin amartin@communityjournals.com UBJ Associate Publisher Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com eXECUTIVE Editor Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com Assistant editor Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com
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UBJ the fine print
Chemical firm likes Gaffney Royce Associations, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of industrial chemicals, is establishing a new production plant in Gaffney and is expected to create 25 new jobs. The company said it would invest $1 million in the expansion. “Gaffney is a perfect fit for Royce,” said Harry Anand, president of Royce International. “Geographically, it makes a lot of sense with our current and future customer base.” The company acquired and is upgrading a 48,000-square-foot building on a 14-acre site on Peachview Boulevard for the Cherokee County production and distribution facility. It is expected to be operational by the end of the year.
Plumbing auto insights The South Carolina Automotive Council will hold its second annual Automotive Summit Feb. 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville. Lewis F. Gossett, president and CEO of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, said the summit would provide “insights into the future of the automotive industry in South Carolina.” Topics include growing investments in the Southeast, workforce development and the economic outlook for the auto industry. The keynote speaker will be Jochen Etzel, CEO of Continental Tire of the Americas. Executives of Bosch, Bridgestone, Daimler and General Dynamics and Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt will lead sessions. For more information and registration, visit www.scautomotivecouncil.com.
Doing good work? Apply Applications for Silver Crescent Awards for
Manufacturing Excellence in South Carolina are due by Dec. 31. The annual awards recognize excellence in small, medium and large companies in seven categories: citizenship, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, environmental stewardship, innovation, financial performance and commitment to longevity in South Carolina. Judging is by outside experts. The winning companies will be honored at a luncheon March 21 at the TD Convention Center, Greenville. The recognition is sponsored by The Silver Crescent Foundation, SCRA, CPM Federal Credit Union and SC Biz News. For more information, application guidelines and forms, go to www.SaluteToManufacturing.org.
Young professionals unite The young professional groups of Greenville and Greer are joining forces. PULSE, the affiliate of the Greenville Chamber, and IGNITEGreer, the affiliate of the Greater Greer C h a m b e r, announced the merger last week. G r e e r Chamber members between the ages of 22 and 39 will be eligible to join PULSE and PULSE will hold events and become more active in Greer. “Greer offers so many opportunities, and we are very excited about our members becoming more active in this community,” said John Boyanoski, PULSE chair. The announcement of the merger was made last week at PULSE’s annual meeting that featured Richard Riley, former S.C. governor and U.S. Secretary of Education, as speaker.
Wedding fairy godmother Becky Bourland’s wedding was “a bit of a disaster,” so she learned from it, helped others through the paces, wrote about it and now has a company to walk couples through the paces “every step of the way.” Bourland opened Fairy Godmother Weddings in Spartanburg to specialize “in full wedding planning,” including decor consulting, calling vendors, planning honeymoons and
“everything else.” She said the company grew out of her own experience with planning her own wedding, which was “a bit of a disaster.” She started “helping friends and relatives avoid the mistakes I had made, as well as fix new problems that come up. Over time, it just blossomed into what it is today.” She said Fairy Godmother Weddings primarily serves Spartanburg and Greenville but has vendor connections from Charlotte to Charleston. Her website is www.fgweddings.com.
DP3 honored for firehouse design DP3 Architects has received recognition from fire prevention professionals and firefighters for design of the Parker District Fire Station No. 1 in Greenville. The award for excellence in fire station design and construction was presented by the Fire Industry Equipment Research Organization in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs. This is the second consecutive year DP3 has received the award.
Postcard from Paris featured in Luxury Home Quarterly Luxury Home Quarterly will feature the interior design of a residence at The Cliffs at Keowee that was done by Linda McDougald Design | Postcard from Paris. The home will be showcased in the publication’s winter issue available at the end of December. The home was designed to meet LEED Home Silver certification. Linda McDougald said the design was done in partnership with architect Johnston Design Group, builder Tutman Group and landscapers Seamon Whiteside and J. Dabney Peeples. Postcard from Paris has retail shops in Greenville’s West End and at The Shops at Greenridge on Woodruff Road.
DECEMBER 14, 2012 | Upstate business 27
UBJ