Oct. 14, 2016 UBJ

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OCTOBER 14, 2016 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 42

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TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

| THE RUNDOWN | 3

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 42 Featured this issue: Behind the scenes of a winning NCAA bid ......................................................................4 Downtown gateway agreement wins initial approval...............................................7 Recap: Greenville Design Review Board meeting ...................................................22

Abram Pleta, an automotive engineering student at Clemson, was the winner of the third annual Pitch Smackdown sponsored by the Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Clemson University College of Business. Pleta’s pitch for his Silecte water disinfection process won him $10,000 at the event on Monday, Oct. 10. More than $32,000 was awarded overall to seven winners to invest in their businesses. Photo by Emily Agate

WORTH REPEATING “We worked for this. This was something that was well-deserved and it was time for it to be in Greenville.”

Page 4

“It’s a little more special than just a company picnic.”

Page 12

“I don’t think that the traditional 9-to-5 in an office is required anymore to be successful.”

Page 18

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4 | ATHLETICS |

UBJ

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

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10.14.2016

Full-court press Quick feet helped convert NC’s loss of NCAA championships into a win for Greenville

DAVID DYKES | STAFF

ddykes@communityjournals.com A confluence of events led to Greenville’s march to 2017 madness, which city officials and others celebrated last week when the NCAA announced that the first- and second-round Division I men’s basketball tournament will be relocated to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena downtown.

First came the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds in July 2015.

When the flag came down, VisitGreenvilleSC officials sprang into action. They met as a local committee in January to discuss the possible opportunities to host NCAA events.

Chris Stone, VisitGreenvilleSC’s president, traveled to Indianapolis to share with NCAA officials that Greenville was eager and excited about

having the association back in South Carolina.

Robin Wright, VisitGreenvilleSC’s senior sales manager, and colleagues throughout the state followed by visiting NCAA directors in Indianapolis.

Then came the bid cycle for the NCAA events for 2019-22.

Wright; Beth Paul, general manager of the Wellness Arena; Furman University Director of Athletics Mike Buddie; and Geoff Cabe, Southern Conference associate commissioner, returned to Indianapolis in May to attend a symposium and learn more about the NCAA process.

“I’ve been doing this for a quite a few years now and I can tell you all the folks that I knew in the room – there wasn’t one destination, one city that had that sort of crowd at the table,” Wright said. “We were there.

People noticed that we were there.

And I always like to capitalize on that.”

“In terms of seeing credibility and validation of us really wanting to go after this, that was very, very apparent,” said Jennifer Stilwell, VisitGreenvilleSC’s executive vice president and chief strategic officer. “There’s always a series of strategic moves that come into play that ultimately get you in the position to succeed.”

The more immediate opportunity arose when the NCAA announced in September it would relocate several neutral site championships out of North Carolina in response to the state’s so-called bathroom bill, HB2.

With potentially millions of dollars in revenue up for grabs, cities across the Southeast began jockeying to land one, if not several, of the displaced events.

Greenville was all in, with The Well joining forces with Furman, the Southern Conference and VisitGreenvilleSC to bring the NCAA men's

basketball championships back to town.

The championships have the potential to produce 6,200 room nights for local hotels and an economic impact of $3.8 million, Paul said.

From the start, local officials have been optimistic about drawing the NCAA back to Greenville, Wright said.

Bids had to follow NCAA rules and guidelines, and that led to several months of research and work. NCAA officials required information on facilities, budgeting, logistics, security, equipment and hotels. Schematic diagrams and promotional videos could accompany the information.

“They’re asking us, ‘Are our athletes and our fans going to have a worldclass, best-in-class experience in your destination?’

NCAA officials said the bid process for NCAA championships for the 2019 through 2022 seasons closed in

10.14.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| ATHLETICS | 5

NOTHING BUT NET

Greenville stands to score with the NCAA tournament in 2017 Economic impact:

$3.8 Million

Room nights for local hotels:

6,200 August. An announcement on the championships’ locations is projected for spring of next year.

Greenville again is bidding on men’s basketball, women’s regional basketball and Division III baseball.

Cities submitting bids for those championships had to complete an antidiscrimination questionnaire, NCAA officials said.

“I can tell you all the folks that I knew in the room – there wasn’t one destination, one city that had that sort of crowd at the table.”

Robin Wright, senior sales manager VisitGreenvilleSC Furman and the Southern Conference will serve as co-hosts of NCAA Tournament first- and second-round games, scheduled for March 17 and 19, at the 15,000-seat Bon Secours Wellness Arena in downtown Greenville.

“We are thrilled the NCAA has entrusted us to host one of its most celebrated championships and look forward to welcoming the student-ath-

letes, coaches and fans of competing schools to our home next March,” Buddie said. “It’s great to be back in the business of hosting NCAA Championships in our community and state, and we are dedicated along with our Main Street area, Bon Secours Wellness Arena and VisitGreenvilleSC partners to provide an unparalleled, first-rate championship experience.”

Furman, the Southern Conference and Greenville last served as host of NCAA Basketball Tournament firstand second-round action in 2002 when Duke, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Kent State, Notre Dame, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic and Winthrop comprised the eight-team field for six South Region Tournament contests at the BI-LO Center (now Bon Secours Wellness Arena).

“Our community as a whole, but especially the business community, has been tremendously supportive and encouraging of our efforts to host NCAA events since the ban was lifted last year,” Paul said. “This announcement is another example of how Greenville continues to move in a forward direction.”

The 2017 NCAA Tournament Selection Show announcing the 68-team tournament field is scheduled for March 12 and will be streamed live on NCAA.com and broadcasted nationally.

“The NCAA is the elite of the elite and everybody wants to be able to host an event that they have and everybody wants the basketball,” Wright said.

“We worked for this. This was something that was well-deserved and it was time for it to be in Greenville.”

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10.14.2016

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| DEVELOPMENT | 7

Northpointe development agreement gets initial approval CINDY LANDRUM | STAFF

clandrum@communityjournals.com Part of the public improvements

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connected with the NorthPointe development at a downtown Greenville gateway will be paid through a Tax Increment Financing district-type of agreement between the city and the developers.

Under the agreement given initial approval during a Greenville City Council meeting Monday night, the city will use $800,000 out of its economic development capital projects Fund to reimburse Central Realty Holdings for public roadwork, streetscape improvements, streetlights and pedestrian lights in conjunction with the project.

In addition, the city has agreed to pay Central Realty Holdings $2 million out of future property tax revenue from the property over the next 15 years.

NorthPointe is a mixed-use development at the corner of Stone Avenue, North Church Street and Wade

Hampton Boulevard, across from Canal Insurance. Central Realty Holdings, which is owned by the same family that owns Canal Insurance, has been working on NorthPointe for more than two years. The 9.68-acre development is to be anchored by a Harris Teeter grocery store. It also includes multifamily housing, commercial space and a parking deck.

The agreement basically creates a TIF district that includes the site of the $45 million project. TIFs were used to pay for downtown and West End improvement projects over the last three decades.

TIF districts allowed the city to use increased tax revenue that new development in the central business district and West End would bring to finance the cost of the infrastructure needed to support that development. Over the years, the city has issued bonds to pay for taxpayer-funded improvements such as city parking garages, sewer improvements and streetscaping to coincide with private development,

Sto ne Ave nue

Some road improvements, streetscape will be paid through TIF-like arrangement

Rendering by Davis Architects

generating new tax revenue to pay off the bonds and fund more work in the district.

Greenville City Councilwoman Gaye Sprague said the project is important to Greenville. “As we move forward duplicating the success of downtown, we just have to have private partners,” she said. “This is a new day, making

this level of commitment to the city’s corridors.”

Rece Morgan, president and CEO of Central Holdings, said he expects ground will be broken for the project in November. Roadwork will be done late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2017.

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8 | EDUCATION |

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

Hundreds of local eighth-graders visited Spartanburg Community College’s Tyger River campus in Duncan for the second annual Upstate College and Career Showcase last week.

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10.14.2016

Photos by Cheri Anderson-Hucks

SCC hosts career showcase for Manufacturing Week TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com An airless tire, robots and race cars were just a few items used to motivate hundreds of local eighth-graders last Wednesday.

Spartanburg Community College (SCC) hosted the second annual Upstate College and Career Showcase at its Tyger River Campus in Duncan last week.

The event aims to teach students about opportunities that are available to them after graduating high school.

It is a partnership between the South Carolina Department of Commerce, University of South Carolina Upstate, SCC, the Upstate Regional Education Center Board and the Upstate Workforce Investment Board.

Planners said they expected about 4,800 eighth-grade students and 150 high school and college seniors from Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties at the event.

“This is part of our workforce development plans,” said state Rep. Mike Forrester, R-Spartanburg, who serves as director of economic development for SCC. “It is about being proactive and trying to introduce [students] to careers that are available to them in

hopes of getting them on the right path.”

Cherie Pressley, regional advisor for the S.C. Department of Commerce, said the showcase was sponsored by several of the Upstate’s largest employers.

Sponsors included BMW, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Timken, Cooper Standard, Trelleborg, Spartanburg Water, Duke Energy, Kobelco, Toray, Gestamp, Lockhart Power, Broad River Electrical Cooperative, Gestamp, CPM Federal Credit Union, Advance America, Piedmont Natural Gas, Leigh Fibers, AFL, Haemonetics, the Spartanburg County Economic Futures Group and other organizations.

She said about 60 companies set up booths in a 40,000-square-foot warehouse bay that is part of SCC’s Center for Business and Entrepreneurial Development.

The showcase highlights the state’s National Manufacturing Day celebration on Friday and the statewide proclamation issued by Gov. Nikki Haley identifying Oct. 3 through 7 as Manufacturing Week in South Carolina, Pressley said.

“We are so excited about this,” she said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognize some of the great manufac-

turing operations we have in the Upstate and a way for us to connect students with companies that are looking for talented, motivated employees.”

Forrester said one of the challenges facing companies in the region is competition for qualified employees.

He said there is a need for well-educated, well-trained workers, particularly in mechatronics, a field that combines electronics and mechanical engineering.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education will be important to the region’s future economic development efforts, Forrester said.

At the showcase, students were each given a “passport” that included a list of questions they had to ask company representatives as they toured the event hall. The students will use the information they gathered to complete assignments in the classroom.

Pressley said it is important for eighth-graders to be exposed to potential careers as that is the year they will each have to develop an Individual Graduation Plan with help from parents or guardians and school guidance personnel.

Company officials said it is important

for them to be involved in the process in order to attract the talent they need to be competitive.

“It’s an investment,” said Warren Snead, human resources manager for Cooper Standard. “Any company that has a long-term presence anywhere should be engaged in the education process … We are competing against the rest of the world. We need young people who are educated, motivated and committed to this area.”

Jakob Fisher, 18, of Spartanburg was a student at the Daniel Morgan Technology Center last year when he visited Cooper Standard’s local plant.

Snead said Fisher showed promise and enthusiasm, and the company decided to offer him a part-time internship while he was still in school.

On his 18th birthday, Cooper Standard offered Fisher a full-time internship and a full scholarship to study mechatronics at SCC. “My brother showed me how to build stuff,” Fisher said. “I knew it was what I wanted to do … It was great to step out of the classroom and into the real world. I can’t say enough about the tech schools like Daniel Morgan. That’s where you’re really going to get your training.”

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10 | TRANSPORTATION |

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10.14.2016

GSP Airport unveils self-run fixed-base operator TREVOR ANDERSON | STAFF

tanderson@communityjournals.com Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport announced last Tuesday its own fixed-base operator (FBO) that will replace Stevens Aviation in early 2017.

During a ceremony in Stevens Aviation’s terminal at GSP, airport commission chairwoman Minor Shaw told a group of Upstate business and civic leaders last week that the launch of Cerulean Aviation will be “game-changing” for GSP and the region.

The announcement follows the decision by airport commissioners on Sept. 14, 2015, not to renew Stevens Aviation’s 10-year FBO contract, which is set to expire at the end of this year.

“We’re very excited about this opportunity to engage in a new era of service at GSP,” said Dave Edwards, president and CEO of GSP. “Our terminal improvement project will wrap up at the end of this year … This is the fourth leg in the stool for us. It’s

Minor Shaw, GSP commission chairwoman, speaks to Upstate leaders during last Tuesday's announcement.

a milestone in the evolution of GSP.” According to the Federal Aviation Administration, an FBO is a commercial business granted the right by the airport to provide aeronautical services, such as fueling, maintenance, rental, storage and flight instruction.

The company’s ownership has

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changed hands a few times, but Stevens Aviation has been the lone FBO at GSP since the airport opened in 1962, according to GSP commission documents.

Before making their decision, GSP commissioners mulled several options, including renewing Stevens Aviation’s contract, entering into a new FBO contract with another company and partnering with an FBO management company.

In the end, the airport district decided to “exercise its exclusive proprietary right to self-perform” the FBO operation, according to documents.

GSP officials said the self-run FBO could enable the airport to attract more airlines and increase the quality of service to its current carriers and customers.

“We decided to bring [the FBO] in-house,” said Kevin Howell, vice president and chief operating officer of GSP. “We felt that by having direct responsibility of it we could provide a higher level of service and create some efficiencies.”

Howell said GSP plans to hire 30 to 40 new employees for the FBO operation and a cargo service that will operate under the Cerulean Aviation banner.

Shaw said the new FBO’s name is derived from the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains that are visible from the airport.

Howell said 90 percent of the former Stevens Aviation employees who were offered the opportunity to

continue working at GSP chose to do so.

Stevens Aviation’s current setup includes about a 60,000-square-foot terminal and hangar adjacent to an 11,000-foot runway.

The airport plans to construct two new FBO hangars that will total 47,000 square feet, Howell said.

Construction of those facilities could begin next summer.

GSP has plans to renovate an existing 45,000-square foot building at Roger Milliken Field that will serve as a maintenance facility for Dayton, Ohio-based PSA Airlines Inc. County planning documents showed the airport plans to add more fueling capacity near its main terminal.

Leaders in attendance appeared to be happy with the announcement.

Spartanburg businessman Jimmy Gibbs declared the news a “welcomed change at the airport.”

Mark Farris, president and CEO of the Greenville Area Development Corp., said GSP and other smaller airports are important pieces of infrastructure for the region’s economic growth.

He hopes the launch of Cerulean Aviation, completion of the airport’s $125 million main terminal renovation and a new air cargo service operated

by Senator International that is expected to start next month will have a positive impact.

For more information, visit gspairport.com.

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

Construction spending softens, but Upstate looking 'pretty good' DAVID DYKES | STAFF

ddykes@communityjournals.com Total construction spending in the U.S. softened in August, but in the Upstate the outlook is good, according to experts.

Since 2011, construction deliveries and net absorption are up while vacancy rates have declined for office, industrial, flex and retail space, said J. Terrence Farris, a Clemson University associate professor.

“There are going to be infill opportunities in the city. But this is something that’s going to affect retail and office and locations of all kinds of different uses.”

Terrance Farris, Clemson associate professor.

“Things are looking pretty good,” Farris, who focuses on urban renewal history and futures research, said at a recent commercial real estate market forecast luncheon in Greenville.

Developers are building about 1 million square feet of retail space in the Upstate each year, he said.

“As I like to tell our students, that’s like one regional mall a year,” Farris said.

Since 2001, 6 percent of single-family and 70 percent of multifamily permits in Greenville County have been in the city of Greenville,

Terrence Farris

Farris said.

“Single family is still going to be built at the edge [of Greenville],” he said. “There are going to be infill opportunities in the city. But this is something that’s going to affect retail and office and locations of all kinds of different uses.”

Sam Bullard, senior economist with Wells Fargo Securities Economics Group, said that in August, construction spending pulled back for the second consecutive month.

The loss of spending momentum was broad based, with lower readings in residential, nonresidential and public spending, Bullard said.

Following a downwardly revised 0.3 percent decline in July, construction spending fell 0.7 percent in August. Private sector outlays declined 0.3 percent, while public sector spending tumbled 2.0 percent.

Private nonresidential construction, which has been on a roll recently, took a breather in August, led by declines in commercial, power and manufacturing, Bullard said.

While the August report proved soft, construction spending continues to reflect a sector with positive momentum, he said. Through the first eight months of the year, construction spending is up 4.9 percent from the same period in 2015.

“Anticipation for the continuation of the U.S. economic expansion and a low interest rate environment supports our outlook for moderate construction spending gains in the quarters ahead,” Bullard said.

| TRANSPORTATION / CONSTRUCTION | 11

12 | AEROSPACE |

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10.14.2016

How to Avoid HR Nightmares Between clown sightings and Presidential debates, we have enough scary things to deal with this Halloween season. Don’t let Human Resources also turn into a nightmare. There are a few simple practices that businesses need to implement in order to avoid employee issues turning into HR nightmares.

• Worker misclassification can be an expensive problem. Avoid this by classifying employees correctly from the beginning. The FLSA provides clear guidance on classifying employees as exempt or non-exempt for overtime pay. In order to qualify for exempt status, there is a salary test and duties test that must be considered. And remember, the exempt salary level increases on December 1st.

• Misclassifying the employment status of individuals can cause serious penalties as well as possible back pay and taxes. Is a worker considered an employee or independent contractor? The Department of Labor has standards that help employers answer this question. Factors such as who controls the individual’s work and who provides the tools necessary to complete the work are key when determining employment status.

• Don’t mess with pay. Employers sometimes use pay as a leverage to get other things accomplished. For example, a supervisor might hold a paycheck until an employee comes in to sign a document or turn in a uniform. This practice could have serious consequences. Employees are to be paid for the time worked on the designated pay date regardless of personal feelings or a lost uniform shirt.

• Outdated policies are a recipe for disaster. Even worse are policies that are inaccurate and not being followed. Handbooks and policies should be reviewed regularly by experienced HR professionals and/or legal counsel.

Once the policies are in place, they should be communicated to employees and followed by everyone.

• Document properly and often. When issues arise in your daily work, document what is happening. If an employee is consistently late and you have warned them about this, document the tardiness as well as your counseling. Documentation does not always have to be a formal process.

You can write notes on calendars stating the date and time late or send an email to the HR department. Just keep documentation centered on the facts and leave out your personal feelings.

Most importantly, remember that employees are not monsters, they are people. The most important piece of advice to keep away the HR nightmares is to treat employees with the respect they deserve. Listen to their concerns, work to resolve issues, and develop them to become productive employees who make a difference in your organization and for the rest of their career.

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Champion celebrated its nearly 250 employees with an air show.

Champion Aerospace continues to fly high in Liberty RUDOLPH BELL | CONTRIBUTOR

rbell@communityjournals.com Liberty-based

Champion

Aerospace doesn’t release its financials, so it’s impossible for the public to know exactly how the aircraft parts maker is faring. But it was clear Wednesday night, however, that Champion is performing well enough to pay for an elaborate airshow at its plant and headquarters along Highway 93 in Pickens County.

More than 2,000 people — mostly employees and their family members and friends — turned out to watch stunt planes smoke, roll and stall in the sky over the 250,000-square-foot factory, which makes ignition systems for aircraft of all kinds.

The crowd also heard country music star Aaron Tippin perform while munching Chick-fil-A sandwiches.

Children were given styrofoam planes that they waved in the air.

Champion’s main purpose was to recognize its employees, but the company also invited customers and suppliers to the private event.

“It’s a little more special than just a company picnic,” said one customer, Mike Pollack, director of global strategic sourcing for Connecticut-based United Technologies Corporation, or UTC. It buys Champion’s ignition systems to go in the Pratt & Whitney engines that it makes.

Pollack called Champion a “great company” with a “long history in aviation.” “Good products, good people, a best-value supplier for UTC,” he said.

Roger Jones, an executive vice president for Champion’s parent company, Cleveland-based TransDigm Group, said Champion has enjoyed “continued year over year growth,” though the he-

licopter business is down as a result of a decline in oil and gas exploration.

Champion’s Liberty facility houses headquarters functions such as marketing, accounting, engineering and product development, as well as manufacturing. The company employs about 240 people at the site, including 21 engineers.

Chris Alfonso, Champion’s director of operations, said about 25 percent of its products are sold to original equipment makers and the rest into the aftermarket.

“It was a good year for our commercial airline business,” he said as a trio of World War II-era planes flew in formation overhead, growling and smoking.

“That’s the biggest portion of our business and we had a good year there.”

Another Upstate company that’s in the aviation industry, Just Aircraft, hauled one of its SuperSTOL planes to the show as a display. The small business in Walhalla makes kit planes capable of taking off and landing on short, rugged runways in bush country.

Champion’s president, Jason Marlin, said the company likes to put on an airshow every two years as a way to honor its employees.

“We have one of the best workforces in the industry,” Marlin said. “Our average tenure is close to 20 years. So we’re very skilled and everyone is professional in what they do and that allows us to win and have the best products in the market.”

He declined to say how much Champion spent on the show.

“It’s a big investment, but it’s worth it for our employees,” Marlin said.

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14 | NEWS IN BRIEF |

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AEROSPACE

Easley’s ACL Airshop opens four international hubs Easley’s ACL Airshop has opened four international hubs. The company, which is headquartered in the Pickens County city, provides leasing, sales, repair and management of Unit Load Devices (ULDs) and cargo net and strap manufacturing for the aviation industry.

“As we expand our network, now approaching 40 stations on six continents, we become a more valuable business partner for our customers. Airlines, freight forwarders and ground handlers are able to lease our equipment in one location and drop it off at another. This level of convenience is unparalleled in the industry,” said Tony Morgan, president and CEO of ACL Airshop. “As we replicate the footprint, our network grows.”

ACL, which leases about 40,000 ULDs, has established a repair station at Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan. The repair station can perform full repairs and overhaul of ULDs, which are cargo pallets and containers.

About 60 percent of all air cargo in and out of Japan moves through Narita Airport, according to ACL Airshop.

In addition, the company partnered with AirLogistix to open a service hub in Bogota, Colombia. Now, the companies plan to open a second ULD repair station in 2017.

The company also started offering its products and services in Mexico and China.

ACL also made enhancements and added managers to operations at Dallas – Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, Houston Airport System in Texas and Los Angeles International Airport in California.

The expansion comes almost eight months after ACL partnered with Ranger Airshop Holdings, the latest investment platform created and managed by Greenville-based Ranger Aerospace.

Ranger plans to double the company through investments and organic growth, adding technical capacity, geographic expansion and possibly acquiring complimentary companies, according to Steve Townes, founder of Ranger Aerospace and CEO of Ranger Airshop Holdings.

“Our strategic intent is clear: steadily grow the ACL Airshop network for our air carrier clients. We have doubled and even tripled Ranger-owned enterprises before; we intend to do it again,” Townes said. – Andrew Moore

EDUCATION

Clemson financial planning program cited among best in the nation Clemson University’s financial planning

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10.14.2016

program has been featured in Financial Planning magazine’s annual list of the Top 75 programs in the nation.

“Being on this list shows the commitment and priority Clemson University and the department of finance put on preparing students for meaningful and successful careers,” said Josh Harris, department of finance lecturer.

Clemson has made the list before.

However, the publication eliminated certificate-granting programs from its requirements this year and focused on degree-granting programs instead.

Clemson students receive a Bachelor of Science degree in financial management with an emphasis on financial planning, which garners the second largest number of students.

Clemson graduate Lily Fyraud recently received her CFP Board-certified finance program designation and said she felt prepared for the CFP Board exam, which has become an industry requirement for students wanting to practice financial planning in the U.S. “The majority of the educational requirements for the CFP exam were covered in my classes at Clemson,” she said. “Being familiar with some of the topics like retirement funding, bond calculations, financial ratios and types of savings vehicles were a real advantage as I prepared for the exam.”

There are more than 370 registered financial planning programs at 230 institutions in the U.S., according to the CFP Board.

There are about 75,000 certified financial planners across the nation, including nearly 900 in South Carolina.

Clemson’s CFP Board certified finance program is projected to grow in the coming years. In May 2016, the financial department had 22 students graduate with a degree in financial management. Clemson projects that number to grow to 30 in 2017 and more than 40 in 2018.

“There’s a huge movement in the financial planning world to work with millennials and across other generational groups,” said Harris. “Students have recognized the career and income-earning opportunities that exist in this rapidly growing field.”

Winthrop University, which is located in Rock Hill, was the only other South Carolina institution to be listed by the publication. Winthrop’s program currently enrolls about 40 students and offers students a Bachelor of Science in business administration in finance degree with an emphasis on financial planning. It also offers students access to a “state-of-the-art” trading lab with Bloomberg terminals, according to Financial Planning.

For more information, visit clemson.edu/ degrees/financial-management.- Andrew Moore

5thth Annual Annual | 55th Annual 10.14.2016

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Paul Foster

Paul Foster and Rob Victor spent years as wealth management advisors for Greenville’s Northwestern Mutual.

But the two knew they’d one day start a business together.

And they did.

The duo opened Foster Victor Wealth Advisors.

Words by Andrew Moore | Photos by Will Crooks Financial planners Paul Foster and Rob Victor had a decision to make.

Either they could stay at Northwestern Mutual, where they had spent years establishing their own businesses, or they could be their own bosses – together.

In May, the duo resigned and opened Foster Victor Wealth Advisors on South Academy Street in downtown. Since then, the firm has pro-

vided a more holistic approach to financial planning. But the firm started with friendship.

Victor, who was a junior soccer standout and accounting major at Furman University at the time, visited Greenville’s Performance QSA in 2008 for summer conditioning and met Foster, who was in his fifth year as a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual.

The two became friends, bonding over a shared passion for Furman sports. Foster had graduated from Furman in 2002 and was on the basketball team. It wasn’t long before Victor pursued an internship at Northwestern, where Foster became his mentor.

After a year as an intern for Northwestern Mutual, Victor had to choose a career path. Foster persuaded him to pursue financial planning. After graduation in May, Victor accepted a position as a wealth management advisor for Northwestern Mutual.

“My dad, my little sister and my uncle are accountants,” said Victor.

“So everyone stayed that route. But I do want to say my family was very supportive of my decision. But at the time, my dad didn’t think it was the smartest decision – to take a commission based job instead of a base salary.

But having Paul there as a mentor eased his mind a little.”

Foster continued to mentor Victor through his second year at Northwestern Mutual. And throughout the years, the two remained friends but operated their own wealth management businesses under the Northwestern umbrella.

Then Foster and Victor started casually discussing their own financial planning firm in 2014. But the duo tabled the idea for two years until they began discussing it again in May.

That’s when the former student and mentor decided to become partners.

“We had both built separate businesses for years. But we both wanted a partner,” said Victor. “Since he was my mentor, a lot my business ideas and financial planning approaches were similar. So we decided to build something together.”

Both Foster and Victor introduced the idea to their teams of financial advisors. “It wasn’t a recruiting process. This was a consensus thing for the teams. If they weren’t in, then we weren’t going to do it. So we were all in. We’re the principals. But they really run the show on a daily basis,” said Foster. “We couldn’t do this without them.”

Then Kylie Felker, who was named one of Greenville’s “Best and Brightest” in 2014, joined Foster Victor Wealth Advisors as the chief operating officer. And Rand Baughman, a Winthrop graduate, came on board as chief investment officer.

TURNING TO TECHNOLOGY Foster Victor Wealth Advisors, through a team of 10 planners, creates custom financial plans for clients. The process includes a discovery meeting, which the firm uses to learn the financial goals and priorities of clients.

It also allows the firm to find out where clients currently stand in terms

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“Since he was my mentor, a lot my business ideas and financial planning approaches were similar.

So we decided to build something together,” Victor said.

Rob Victor of investments, insurance and more.

The firm then proposes solutions and closes planning gaps as well as creates a comprehensive plan for clients.

“We charge a fee up front. So if a client wants to disengage at the end of the process, they can. But they can hire us to implement our recommendations. Many planners just hand clients recommendations and let them go without ensuring they understand it. We go through our recommendations before a client leaves,” Foster said.

Foster and Victor are using technology to ensure that clients understand their plans. The duo recently hired a technology firm to create a password-protected website and mobile application that allows clients to store, access and monitor financial information.

Both the application and site, called the “client vault” collectively, provide clients with a digital copy of their plan. Clients can then use their plan to help with financial purchases, including insurance plans and investments. But the vault also helps advisors implement the plan wisely should a client hire the firm for consultation services.

“There are three sectors in the financial world. There’s the insurance company, investor and financial

planner,” said Victor. “We continue helping a client after their plan is made to ensure their plan is implemented wisely. So we had the three sectors integrated on this app. And it allows our advisors to see the full picture.”

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors also offers business services, which includes succession planning, executive benefits, key person planning, qualified and nonqualified benefits and client referral services. In addition, the firm offers estate planning, which includes trust services, coordination of tax attorneys and asset distribution services.

Also, the firm offers education planning as well as retirement planning, which includes helping clients develop a distribution strategy for funds. That process includes portfolio reviews that can help clients gauge investments against their risk tolerance and distribution timeframe. The app helps with that process as well.

“We’re leveraging it, because people can see everything live. Without the app, if a client has a 401(k) at a firm or retirement account and let’s say something like Brexit happens again, we won’t know what their balance is and how it’s invested. But now, we can evaluate that balance and ask them if their investments make sense,” Victor said.

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors can then suggest investment strategies and products that suit the long-term and short-term goals clients. The firm also offers various insurance products and services that include long-term care, life, disability, annuities and risk management planning.

So far, the firm has garnered more than 200 clients between individuals and businesses.

“Our client base is pretty vast. And I think it has to do with the fact that both Paul and I built individual businesses at Northwestern over the years,” said Victor. “A lot of our clients left with us because we had formed solid relationships with them.”

PLANNING THEIR FUTURE Despite being a new business, the two principals agree that their experience has limited their struggles.

“We’re young but not green. This is the same business we’ve both been doing for years. This is our passion.

We built our team strategically, and we knew we could do this,” said Foster. “It’s all on rails now, so that’s a good thing.”

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors has continued to grow, garnering an increasing number of clients through its business succession planning services, said Foster. He added that most of their clients are physicians

as “they are in high tax brackets and have to worry about being sued.”

While Foster and Victor help the community plan their financial futures, the duo is also planning theirs. Inspired by the “client vault,” which was introduced by Felker recently, they plan to implement more technology in the near future.

“It really comes back to innovation,” said Victor. “Technology will always outpace itself. So I think the innovative piece of it all is how you implement it. It’s not so much the tech itself. But as new stuff comes out, we’ll have our fingertips on it.”

Victor added that the firm is considering various communication approaches, including a function similar to Skype as well as push updates from the “client vault” and podcast that can replace the firm’s monthly newsletter.

The firm also plans to hold annual round table discussions with clients that would also include their accounting firm and attorneys. “The most productive meeting will happen when an Elliott Davis and Nelson Mullins is sitting down at the table with us so that we can look at the financials with the client from different angles,” Foster said.

For more information, visit fostervictorwa.com.

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Dispelling common misconceptions about millennial entrepreneurs DAVID DYKES | STAFF

ddykes@communityjournals.com About a year and a half ago, Megan Finnern started her own business after working in banking and corporate marketing. Her husband’s job with Proterra Inc. brought her to Greenville.

Finnern, 34, is owner of Finnern Consulting LLC in the Upstate. The independent marketing consultant has two young children.

Finnern enjoys the flexibility and independence of working for herself.

She can carve out time to help with her daughter’s Vacation Bible School and visit her family in Michigan or her husband’s family in Minnesota.

But challenges remain.

“Yes, you have greater choice in the clients you work with and the types of projects you take on, but you don't have a boss or superior to go to when you are faced with a challenge or obstacle,” she said. “You're on your own and this can be incredibly daunting in

a tight-knit business community like Greenville where you know decisions you make today can have lasting effects on your future success.”

Finnern is fortunate to have strong mentors and trusted peers to turn to for advice in challenging situations.

And she plans to run her business for a very long time.

Millennial small-business owners – those born from the early 1980s to around 2000 - are committed to their businesses for the long term and are more willing to take calculated financial risks and incur debt to grow their businesses, according to a Wells Fargo study of millennial small-business owners.

In an online survey of approximately 1,000 U.S. small-business owners conducted earlier this year for Wells Fargo, majorities of both millennial small-business owners and older small-business owners said they started their businesses to control their future and be their own boss, wanting greater flexibility in where, when and

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Megan Finnern is an independent marketing consultant with two young children.

how they work.

Millennial small-business owners place slightly more value on feeling passionate about their work, with 59 percent reporting passion as a motivation for starting their business, compared with 51 percent of older small-business owners.

Contrary to popular perceptions that millennials are focused on the short term and more apt to be serial entrepreneurs, the Wells Fargo study found the generation is gearing up for the long term, seeing their business endeavors as investments in the future, with many looking ahead to the next generations. In fact, 80 percent of millennial small-business owners said they hope to grow their businesses over many years, potentially even passing it down to their children, in spite of most (59 percent) not yet having children. By comparison, 66 percent of older small-business owners say they hope to pass down the business to their children.

“We found that millennial small-business owners have a much longer term horizon for their businesses than many may perceive them to have,” said Lisa Stevens, Wells Fargo’s head of small business.

Sustaining the business, though, means ensuring the work gets done, Finnern said.

“So, you're often working odd hours (early morning and late nights) in order to balance your family life, work and your community commitments,” she said.

In addition “It's pretty difficult to fully disconnect and take a real vacation,” Finnern said. “Most entrepre-

neurs I know, myself included, feel it's important to stay connected, even if it's just checking in a few times a day, to ensure things run smoothly when you're out of the office.”

While most small-business owners surveyed said they are extremely wary of taking on debt (75 percent of millennial small-business owners and 78 percent of older small-business owners), many millennials believe business debt and financial risk are necessary for the future growth of their businesses. About two-thirds of millennial small-business owners said that some amount of business debt is necessary for growth. By comparison, roughly half of older small-business owners hold these views. Additionally, millennial men are more apt to believe that business debt is needed to grow (72 percent among millennial men versus 54 percent among millennial women).

In addition to business debt, many millennial small-business owners have taken on personal debt to finance their businesses (43 percent of millennial small-business owners compared to 33 percent of older small-business owners). That includes carrying a balance or maxing out personal credit cards or opening a personal line of credit.

For Finnern, however, the rewards far outweigh the risks.

“I have never been more satisfied with the work that I am doing for myself, my community and my clients,” she said.

“I don’t think that the traditional 9-to-5 in an office is required anymore to be successful.”

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Don’t underestimate the importance of microbusinesses DAVID DYKES | STAFF

ddykes@communityjournals.com James Bennett’s company is five years old and approaching $1 million in revenue. He started from scratch to fulfill a passion for caregiving. And with the help of a $15,000 loan.

“It was just me out grinding, trying to make things happen,” Bennett, general manager and owner of Upstate Home Health Care Solutions, remembers about his initial efforts in 2011.

The nonmedical home-care agency in Greenville assists older adults with daily living in their own homes.

To get help, Bennett turned to CommunityWorks, a Greenville nonprofit organization committed to building a brighter future for underserved families and communities through financial education, lending and investing. Its efforts include training in such areas as business planning and strategy, coaching in budgeting matters and loans up to $50,000.

Microbusinesses, or those with fewer than five employees, are a vitally important part of South Carolina’s economy, said Archie Johnson, small-business lending manager for CommunityWorks.

As an economic development strategy, microlending creates jobs, increases the sole source of income for a majority of owners and increases net worth, Johnson said. With the 2008 financial collapse, “so many people lost their job and then so many people couldn’t find jobs,” he said.

Johnson considers Bennett one his organization’s success stories.

Bennett’s business background is in food manufacturing and operations, including work with Country Fresh Inc. in Gray Court.

He left that company to start his own business, with a catalyst being his personal experience.

When his father and grandmother were living, they needed help at home.

“We had the family dynamic and resources to help keep them at home,” Bennett said. “My mother was a primary caregiver and, as a family, we would pitch in to help provide care as needed. I understood that we had the family dynamic and resources to do that. But not everybody does.”

James Bennett

Photo by Will Crooks

With a leap of faith, and knowing more of the U.S. population will include aging baby boomers, Bennett started his company.

The CommunityWorks loan of $15,000 – the maximum at the time – helped him connect with a marketing firm that tackled the branding and marketing sides of his business, including a logo and a video and brochures.

87%

Microbusinesses account for 87 percent of all firms in South Carolina.

Nationally, they account for one of every three private-sector jobs.

“I’m operations so I know that part,” Bennett said. “But I’m not a sales person. I’m not a marketing person.”

His caregivers, many certified nursing assistants and others with years of home-care experience, help clients with bathing, meals, dressing, housekeeping and personal care.

The goal is to help those who don’t need facility care remain somewhat independent.

His business has been doubling in size each year and he projects revenue approaching $1 million this year.

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You’ve made the leap – now what?

By RANCE BRYAN Greenville Small Business Development Center

You’ve made the decision to leave the corporate world and you’ve started your own business. It’s time to capitalize on all of the industry experience and knowledge that you’ve gathered over the years.

You’ve got a new Macbook Pro, a business email address and some business cards. Now what?

Typically, panic begins to set in.

One of the benefits of the corporate world is the structure that it provides. But now you are in charge of everything… and I mean everything.

What are some ways that you can begin to bring the structure of the corporate world into your small business?

First I’m going to assume that you have written a business plan and thoroughly vetted your new venture.

I would not advise anyone to leave

their existing employer before a comprehensive analysis of your soonto-be business has been completed.

Writing a business plan is a great first step, because it forces you to organize your thoughts in a coherent manner. It’s easy to tell someone your business idea, but it starts to become real when you actually put words down on paper.

A quick note on business plans. I read multiple plans each week and I’ve seen five-page plans that are great and 50-page plans that are terrible. My advice is to always write it yourself (don’t copy and paste from the internet) and focus on why your business is going to be better, different or more successful than the competition. You should be able to articulate your competitive advantage as precisely as possible. Business plans don’t need to be dissertations, but they should serve as a road map for the beginning stages of your business.

So what are some steps that will help you, the boss, maximize your time and effort in your new business

1. DEVELOP YOUR TEAM. I recommend that every small-business owner have a team with at least three key members. A small-business owner should have a good insurance agent, attorney and bookkeeper/ accountant. Not only does this limit your organizational risk but also it allows you to focus on what you do best – manage and run your business.

I recommend outsourcing as much administrative work as possible. It’s great if you want to spend your evening hours calculating withholding taxes, but that’s time you could be spending setting up new client appointments or closing existing business deals.

2. CREATE A DASHBOARD. Your organization’s dashboard should focus on two, at most three, key performance indicators (or KPIs). Your business' KPIs should be achievable, specific, measurable and results-oriented. An example of a KPI could be “Proposals Submitted per Month.” This indicator would help you understand if your company is getting enough “at bats” on a monthly basis. Your business can’t hit a home run if you aren’t getting into the batter’s box.

3. NETWORK.

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A great benefit of Greenville is that there are a multitude of opportunities to get involved. The hardest part is narrowing down all of the options and choosing which organization or event to join. I always recommend choosing an event that either closely aligns with your business or one that you have a personal connection with.

We recently worked with a client who moved here from another state.

This individual did not have an existing network of friends or business contacts, so she began volunteering at a number of Upstate events and charities. Very quickly people began to recognize how effective she was at her job, and she started to receive referrals for her own small business.

As with any networking event, you typically get out of it what you put into it. So if you are making the effort to attend, get engaged and make the most of the opportunity. A great place to find events that are taking

One of the benefits of the corporate world is the structure that it provides.

But now you are in charge of everything… and I mean everything.

What are some ways that you can begin to bring the structure of the corporate world into your small business?

place is in the calendar of the Upstate Business Journal, or the websites for the Greenville Chamber of Commerce or Ten at The Top.

4. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS. When asked the question, “Who are your customers?” please do not say, “Everyone.” Not everyone shops at Wal-Mart or has an iPhone or drives a Ford. As a business owner, you have to have a sharp focus on who your ideal client would be. Use a bullseye approach to customers. I always recommend starting as specific as possible and then working outwards. I love hearing clients say, “My target customers are 30- to 40-year-old males who live in the Upstate, have an undergraduate degree and attend college football games on the weekends.” Now we’re talking! It’s much easier to develop a business strategy around a specific target.

You’ve made the leap. Now it’s time to go out and execute. Hopefully, the aforementioned steps will help bring some organization to your day and help you achieve your mission. The Small Business Administration states that there are nearly 400,000 small businesses in South Carolina, so you aren’t alone. But do your best to make sure that you can stand out in the crowd.

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NEW FALL 2016

In the next decade, the U.S. manufacturing economy will need an estimated 3.5 million workers.

At the same time, 7 out of 10 executives already report a shortage of workers with adequate technology, computer and technical training skills.

Here, we will help build that next generation of talent.

Meet the new Greenville Technical College Center for Manufacturing Innovation, an environment environment that that gives employers the skilled workforce required for commercial success, while providing students the the tools tools needed to succeed in advanced manufacturing careers. Located on the Millennium Campus adjacent adjacent to to CU-ICAR, this Greenville Technical College center offers students real-world projects with with convenient convenient access to all of our partners.

Learn more at CMIgreenville.com

Register now for professional development seminars and certificates in Lean • Lean Six Sigma • Project Management • Quality Standards, Tools & Auditing Supply Chain (APICS) • Mechatronics & Robotics • CNC • Human Resources & SHRM • Leadership

22 | SQUARE FEET |

DAVID DYKES | STAFF

FRONT ROW

UBJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

ddykes@communityjournals.com |

|

10.14.2016

@daviddykes

Greenville Design Review Board, October meeting

A new office and retail development planned at the edge of Falls Park in downtown Greenville drew concerns from area residents who fear it will disrupt views of the bridge and adversely impact the Reedy River.

But the developer told the city’s Design Review Road he would fine-tune the project to allay public concerns and create a vibrant South Main Street corridor.

Wakefield, Beasley and Associates of Alpharetta, Ga., architect for the project, applied for a certificate of appropriateness from the DRB for an office building at Japanese Dogwood Lane, the South Main Street Bridge and the Reedy River.

Bryan Wood, the city’s zoning administrator for planning and development, told the DRB at its Oct. 6 meeting that staff members had a number of issues that “had not been fully developed” and the applicant agreed to defer the matter until the board’s next meeting.

The board still agreed to hear public comments.

Plans call for a four-story, mixed-use building on privately owned land. The building will be at the edge of Falls Park on property that includes the Bowater parking garage and the former Bowater building that now houses the Nexsen Pruet law firm, MGC Law, the Colliers International real estate firm and others.

Two sides of the building will be predominantly glass.

The building will be seen from Falls Park and its facades would be “very visible,” Wood said. As such, the design “should be carefully considered,” he said.

While the massing of the building is appropriate in general, “the overall design lacks cohesiveness, in our opinion,” he said.

Centennial American Properties is the developer.

Centennial is also developing the Camperdown project on The Greenville News site on South Main Street.

Brody Glenn, president of Centennial American

Properties, told the DRB the project, called the River Building, is part of his company’s effort to create a connection from Main Street into Falls Park.

In addition, it’s not a spec building since he is working with a tenant he hopes to locate there, Glenn said. But no lease has been signed, he said.

“We’re so lucky to have the park that we have,” he said. “We also have a good bit of land in that area that can be redeveloped and help our city grow and become more vibrant.”

He pledged to work with city Renderings by Wakefield Beasley & Associates officials and concerned citizens who a very small space that is completely inappropriate have reservations about his plan. for the overall dimension of this community down Greenville Mayor Knox White has said the River there.”

Building project will be a boost to the underdevelHe added, “To me, from where I live and what I oped Camperdown Way and River Street area. will see, this looks like a giant solar panel. And the Concerned residents told the DRB they aren’t people on the bridge who will be looking at this will opposed to new downtown development, but they be looking back at an entire reflective surface that don't like the plan because it is located so close to will look like the Titanic disappearing down into the the bridge and would obstruct the public’s view. water, just upside down.”

Bob Bainbridge, an East Hillside Drive resident, He urged the project be denied and the city said he knew the area when it was an industrial consider repurchasing the property. wasteland “and what we have now is wonderful.”

DRB members didn’t vote on the project. Board In general, the River Building would be a positive member Mitch Lehde said the building has the ability addition, “but in my mind it crowds the bridge” and to be an “amazing gem.” would obstruct the view of one of its arches, he said.

In response to the concerns, Glenn said he underAnna Kate Hipp, a local resident and a member stood how important Falls Park is to the city’s vitalof the Carolina Foothills Garden Club, said the city ity and he was committed “to get this building right.” needs “to think long and hard” about the plan and He pledged to review the project’s design and look maintaining the character of Falls Park. for improvements and to work “hand-in-hand” with “Consider, carefully, how and what goes in that city officials to increase the size of Falls Park. space,” she said.

“Hopefully, that will help spread things out a little Edgar Norris, a lifelong Greenville County resident bit and make Falls Park more active in a bigger who lives on Riverplace across from the proposed space,” Glenn said. project, said, “The project is being shoehorned into

Developer plans 15,000 SF medical building for Lewis Plaza RUDOLPH BELL | CONTRIBUTOR

rbell@communityjournals.com

A developer wants to modify his plan to remake the Lewis Plaza Shopping Center on August Street.

Developer Tex Small said he’s bought an office building at the site that houses an internal medicine practice called Woodward Medical Center.

Small said he plans to tear down the building along Aberdeen Street

and build a new two-story, 15,000-square-foot building for the doctors that would be incorporated into the remade Lewis Plaza.

“We’re going to build them a brand new facility right across the entryway into Lewis Plaza and then demo their existing building and make it parking for their patients and employees,” Small said.

Small said he’d tear down a 7,500-square-foot retail building to

make way for the new medical office building.

His company, Avtex Commercial Properties, presented the plan to the city of Greenville’s Design Review Board on Thursday night. The proposed modification is scheduled to be taken up by the city’s Planning Commission on Oct. 20.

Small’s previously approved plans for the 68-year-old shopping center call for a 60,000-square-foot Harris

Teeter grocery as the anchor. The developer just completed a 2,900-square-foot building at the site to house a Wells Fargo bank branch.

Including the proposed modification, the shopping center would have a total of 102,950 square feet of office and retail space when completed.

Avtex Commercial Properties has offices in Greenville and Mount Pleasant.

10.14.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

Making the Cut To survive, entrepreneurs need education in business management

By MARY ROCK Cosmetology Program Coordinator, Greenville Technical College

Imagine being someone who has always enjoyed helping other people look their best. You decide, after considering all your career options, that you want to become a licensed cosmetologist, and eventually, to own your own salon.

You go to work in a high-end day spa, and you slowly build a client base. Once you decide to go out on your own, you have a sufficient client roster to keep the income steady. But when it comes to the business side of your operation, you’re unprepared, and it shows. You’re not familiar with marketing, and you don’t know how to handle business finances.

Before long, the salon has shut its doors, and you’re right back where you started, only now you have a lot more debt than before.

This scenario paints a dismal picture, but it’s one that’s all too familiar in the cosmetology industry. In fact, more than 90 percent of cosmetology graduates in our country will either own a salon or become an independent contractor. Yet within five years, more than half of them will fail. An article on entrepreneur.com blames failure of beauty businesses on factors including inadequate cash reserves, failure to clearly define and understand the customer and his or her buying habits, failure to properly price services and products, lack of or improper response to changes in the marketplace and a belief that you can do everything yourself.

When a salon fails, like any business failure, it affects more than just the owners. As the doors close, there is a domino effect. The staff can’t pay their bills, the clients have to go elsewhere, vendors may suffer and the economy is also affected. Because of the high business failure rate, many cosmetology graduates will end up defaulting on their student loans. According to the Department of Federal Student Aid, cosmetology schools have the second-highest student loan default rate in the country.

How can you avoid these problems?

Entrepreneur.com suggests that you learn as much as possible about business management before you open your salon. It’s not enough to learn everything you can about cutting and styling. You

also have to be familiar with finance, accounting and marketing.

One option for learning these business basics is to complete your cosmetology education and then pursue a business degree. A better option for people who want to get an education and get to work is a program that incorporates both the creative skills and the practical ones.

Yet this combination is rare. In South Carolina, cosmetology education must be approved by the South Carolina Board of Cosmetology. Until a few years ago, if business practices were taught as part of the cosmetology curriculum, the board required that they be taught by cosmetology faculty.

In 2013, Greenville Technical College (GTC) approached the board with a different educational model. Since GTC has experienced faculty with MBAs and other relevant degrees teaching accounting, finance and business courses, the college asked the board to consider allowing these faculty members to teach the skills that future salon owners need to succeed as part of the cosmetology program.

The board welcomed this change.

Now, cosmetology students learn business communication, marketing to a diverse clientele, exceeding customer expectations, researching and compiling sales information, developing a client database, making effective sales presentations, establishing financial security, developing a business plan, identifying tax information and much more.

As a result of these changes, implemented in the fall semester of 2014, graduates leave with cosmetology skills and business skills. They can set their sights on opening a business knowing what’s involved. They have the knowledge to make a positive change in the failure rate common to the cosmetology industry.

The job outlook for barbers, hairdressers and cosmetologists is strong, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with employment expected to grow 10 percent from 2014 to 2024.

With a comprehensive education that prepares graduates to assist clients while succeeding in business, the outlook should be even better.

| INNOVATE | 23

Please join us for Commerce Club’s

Industry Networking Night as we welcome LEGAL PROFESSIONALS Wednesday, October 19, 2016 5:30 to 6:30

Mix and Mingle with Greenville’s Best and Brightest!

Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Door prize is sponsored by A. Smith Clothiers.

Complimentary to Members • Guests $5.00

RSVP: 864.232.5600 17TH FLOOR ONE LIBERTY SQUARE 55 BEATTIE PLACE COMMERCE-CLUB.COM

24 | YOUR MONEY |

UBJ

NEWS AND TIPS FOR YOUR PERSONAL BOT TOM LINE

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10.14.2016

How to employ your kids, save on taxes and secure your children's financial future

By JOHN BREAUX CPA

If you own your business and have children, you should definitely consider employing your kids.

It can be a wonderful tax planning strategy because the business can deduct your kids’ wages and your children will have to pay little to no federal income taxes on their earnings. The IRS has accepted that a child as young as 7 years old can be an employee of a family-owned business.

In order to properly do this, you will need to go through every step you normally would for hiring a new employee (such as filling out a W-4, giving them a paycheck, etc.). Your children will need to deposit their wages into their own bank account, and they will need to file their own taxes.

You should claim your children as “personal exemptions” as you normally would, giving you a $4,050 deduction per child in 2016. Since you’re claiming their exemptions, your children will not be able to claim themselves.

However, your children will be entitled to the standard deduction, which will reduce their taxable income by $6,300 for 2016. So the first $6,300 of their wages will end up having no taxes due on them. In addition, the first marginal tax rate is only 10 percent and this on the next $9,275. So you could pay your child $15,575 and they would only owe around $928 in federal taxes. This should be significantly lower than your own marginal tax rate.

If your small business is a sole proprietorship or a partnership (must be family-owned), then the wages paid to the child are not subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes (which equates to saving $15.30 on every $100 you pay them). If your business is an S-corporation, then their wages will be subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Now that we’ve established the basics of paying your children, the next question is what should be done with their earnings? One option is for the child to pay for normal family expenses, like groceries. Another popular option is to have them invest in a Roth IRA ($5,500 is the annual limit).

Your children would contribute their after-tax

earnings into the Roth IRA. The money could be invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. and grow tax-free. They could withdraw up to the exact amount of their contributions (not their earnings) at any time tax-free. Once they reach age 59 ½, they may withdraw as much as they would like tax-free. There also are special tax-free earnings withdrawal exemptions for first-time home purchases and college expenses.

This strategy could incredibly enhance your children’s financial future. For example, if your child invested $5,500 per year from age seven through 18 and nothing after that, and the money earned a conservative 7 percent annually, by age 60 they’d have $1,488,289.57 tax-free dollars available to them.

If they’d like to invest even more every year, they could open their own 529 College Savings Plan, which works similar to Roth IRAs when the money is used to pay for college expenses.

As with all matters of tax planning, it is critical that you make sure you document everything and consult with a certified public accountant.

GODSHALL Professional Recruiting Staffing Consulting

SPONSORED CONTENT

The Only Three Exercises You Need To Get Strong GRANT COX Head Coach at Iron Tribe Fitness, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist

At one point or another, regardless of your walk of life, you probably looked at yourself and decided you needed to get stronger. The tricky part with starting this process though, is that you’ll find solutions to this everywhere. It’s almost too easy to find an answer: everyone seems to have the newest and the best program that is guaranteed to get you strong.

I’m here to tell you it can actually be made incredibly simple. In fact, you only need three exercises to truly get strong—the squat, the kettlebell swing, and the overhead press. Master these and you’ll see strength not just in muscle gain, but in your joint health, your stability, and of course, your strength.

Before writing this, I asked myself, “what if you only need one exercise even?” Enter the Kettlebell swing.

As far as we have seen to this point in human history, the swing may be the closest thing to the fountain of youth other than maybe cryogenics.

I say this because a proper kettlebell swing activates all the muscles in your “posterior chain” (i.e. your back, glutes, hamstrings, even calves) that become dormant from a life of sitting.

Strong muscles here not only look good, but promote (and often fix) better posture, and help to stave off injury—especially in your back. HOW TO: In order to perform a proper kettlebell swings, you’ll want to stand tall with your feet about shoulder width apart, your knees relaxed, and the kettlebell hanging right at your hips. From here, simply send your hips back and then shoot them forward. It is the force from your hips that should send the kettlebell out and up—your

arms are just along for the ride. From there, let the bell float and then fall back into place; absorb it and the use your hips to pop it back up. It should continue like this, in a pendulum-like fashion, for all of your reps.

No program, even one as simple as just three exercises, would be complete without the some form of squatting. We love the squat for a few reasons: 1) it’s a movement we do every day in sitting down and standing up, 2) when done correctly, it works the big muscles in the front and back of our legs and our core, 3) getting strong at the squat gets you strong almost everywhere else. For some of our readers “getting strong” at the squat looks like bumping up your loading of the movement by another 30+ pounds. For others, this just looks like finding the ability to squat fully and often with no weight.

Either way, the squat is an exercise you need in order to get strong. HOW TO: The biggest thing we’re watching why Augusta for withHere’s the squat is that you keep St. members are getting such your feet entirely in contact with the ground—that means not letting those PERSONAL PHYSICAL ASSESSMENTS: ASSESSMENTS: PERSONAL heels rise PHYSICAL up. Feet set at shoulder Before you begin classes, Iron Tribe looks looks at at your medical Before you begin classes, Tribe width, initiate the Iron movement by your medical history, your previous injuries, physical capabilities and your your history, your previous injuries, physical capabilities and sending your hips back and then personal goals.

If you you are are thinking about joining aa gym, gym, and and personal If thinking about joining down,goals. constantly press those knees they don’t do aa personal personal assessment, think twice! they don’t do out.

Fighting to keepassessment, your chestthink high,twice! is a movement pattern you will see sink your hips down until you’ve just all the time outside of the gym, but 30broken DAY BEGINNERS BEGINNERS CLASS: parallel. A painless deep squat 30 DAY CLASS: is also one of the best examples of is a you great indicator of healthy and with When you join join Iron Tribe Tribe Fitness, hips you, along along with other begin-you will find. No legs to When Iron Fitness, you, other beginraw strength will promote strength better than justworkouts ners will be coached coached through 12 structured structured workouts that are ners will be through 12 help that you,are just a tight core, grit, and about anything else. expertly designed to take the most de-conditioned individual expertly designed to take the most de-conditioned individual pressing strength. One significant and gradually gradually increase yourexercise strengthin and stamina over our the biggest concern with the The third and fiyour nal this and increase strength and stamina over the note: course of four fourisweeks. weeks.

Many new members members have dropped dropped 5,with 7, most exercises, is back program our Many standing overheadhave press, as5, course of new 7, even 10 pounds pounds ofthe fat in in the“bang first few few weeks. press.

This is best forweeks. your position. If you find yourself having even 10 of fat the first buck” upper body movement you will to at all lean back to press overhead, find. Having the mobility for a quality ONE-ON-ONE RELATIONSHIP WITH COACHES: COACHES: you’ve compromised the exercise.

ONE-ON-ONE RELATIONSHIP WITH overhead is not a given for when It doesn’t doesn’t takeposition long to to acknowledge acknowledge an expert expert when you see see one one Everything should be straight up and It take long an you everyone qualityattention overhead in action, action, and andthough. with the the A personal you’ll get get from from your down to your truly nail this thing. in with personal attention you’ll position is certainly position Iron Tribe certified certified coaches, one you gain gain measure of of confidence confidence Iron Tribe coaches, you aa measure Learning these movements can anyone ought to strive for (as it’s a you’ve rarely rarely experienced experienced in in aa fitness fitness facility. facility. you’ve take no time at all (you do them surefire sign of healthy shoulders), just about every day anyway), but but can be worked around. Pressing THE MAGIC MAGIC OF OF IRON IRON TRIBE’S TRIBE’S CULTURE: CULTURE: THE becoming truly proficient at these overhead, like our other movements,

New Iron Tribe Fitness coming to Woodruff Rd.

Iron Tribe Tribe members members develop develop meaningful meaningful friendships friendships that that last last aa Iron lifetime. At At least least that’s that’s the the testimony testimony of of hundreds hundreds of of Greenville Greenville lifetime. members who who say say that that there’s there’s something something very very special special about about the the members Iron Tribe Tribe community. community.

Iron

amazing results

movements is what will start to really yield results. Again, “getting stronger” for some could look like just learning how to do these exercises; for others, “getting stronger” means getting back to these basics and truly pouring effort and sweat equity into these giants of the exercise world.

Any complete program would of course expand on what I’ve listed here, but you’d be hard pressed to argue that the person who can swing a 70+ lb. kettle bell, the person who can press their own bodyweight overhead, or the person who squats twice their bodyweight isn’t strong.

“I lost lost 17 17 pounds, pounds, 11% 11% of of my my bodyweight bodyweight and and 14 14 inches inches off off my my “I body. The The whole whole Iron Iron Tribe Tribe Fitness Fitness community community are are winners. winners. body.

They want want you you to to win, win, they they want want you you to to succeed succeed and and they’ll they’ll They push you to improve, all the while having fun.

Come see for push you to improve, all the while having fun.

Come see for IRON TRIBE is a fitness community changing lives in Greenville. We teach all kinds of busy men and women how improve their lives through fitness and nutrition. yourself.” -- Dr. Dr. Donna Donna yourself.”

Our program is challenging,NUTRITIONAL but scalable and GUIDANCE, sustainable forAND anyone.

GiveFOOD: us a call or visit our website to find out if IRON TRIBE is right for you!

REAL FOOD: NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE, AND REAL Iron Tribe Tribe has has taken taken nutrition nutrition to to aa whole whole new new level level to to help help keep keep Iron you on on track track with with your your goals. goals. Not Not only only do do they they give give you you aa food food you journal to to help help keep keep you you accountable, accountable, but but ifif you you choose, choose, they they journal also have have expertly expertly prepared prepared breakfasts, breakfasts, lunches lunches and and dinners dinners also prepared for for you. you. prepared

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NOW OPEN! 2227 Augusta St. Greenville, SC 29605

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UBJ

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10.14.2016

I DON’T UNDERSTAND MY STATEMENT. I NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH I DON’T UNDERSTAND MY STATEMENT. I NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH I’M PAYING. AND I CAN NEVER GET ANYONE ON THE PHONE. I’M PAYING. AND I CAN NEVER GET ANYONE ON THE PHONE. OTHER THAN THAT, I REALLY MY CREDIT CARD PROCESSOR. OTHER THAN THAT, I REALLY MY CREDIT CARD PROCESSOR. We understand. We’re Tandem Payment Solutions. Founded

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Greenville. Designed for Upstate businesses thatFounded want prompt in face-to-face Greenville. Designed forcompetitive Upstate businesses thattheir want prompt service and pricing from credit card processor.

Tandem takes the time to get to their knowcredit your face-to-face service and competitive pricing from operation andTandem tailors a program synced to your volume. card processor. takes theperfectly time to get to know your From EMV totailors mobilea payment here keep your operation and programsystems, perfectlywe’re synced to to your volume. business onmobile the leading edgesystems, of technology From EMV to payment we’reand herecustomer to keep your service.on Want know more? just around the corner. business theto leading edge ofWe’re technology and customer

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10.14.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

HIRED

HIRED

PETE NEEDHAM

ROSIE WORTHEN

Named senior project manager of Spartanburgbased Tindall Corporation’s Georgia division. Needham has more than 22 years of experience in the precast manufacturing industry.

Named public relations and social media intern for the fall with the Greenville Area Development Corporation.

From Simsbury, Conn., Worthen is currently a senior communications studies major and business administration minor expecting to graduate from Clemson University in May 2017.

ENGINEERING The Greenville office of Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. (CEC) recently hired three new employees. Justin R. Kile, a senior CADD designer in the firm’s civil engineering practice, will serve the manufacturing and industrial real estate markets by providing project support and leading any field or site data collection efforts. Brad P. Cain, P.E., project manager III, is a mechanical engineer in the firm’s environmental practice who will support the office’s industrial ventilation, building services and combustible dust clients in the manufacturing market.

Stephanie M. Hoelbling, a staff consultant also in the environmental practice, will provide client support regarding state and federal compliance issues with a primary focus on NFPA and OSHA compliance.

HIRED

HIRED

EMANUEL “MANNY” CLARK

KELLY MENDEZSCHEIB

Joined Smith Moore Leatherwood’s business group in the Greenville office. Clark will focus on the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities matters and corporate law.

Named vice president of human resources of Tindall Corporation of Spartanburg.

In this role, Mendez-Scheib oversees workforce planning and employment, compensation and benefits administration, development and training, employee relations and more.

CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions & award winners may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to onthemove@pstatebusinessjournal.com.

MARKETING Infinity Marketing has hired Shea Jury as marketing coordinator and promoted Rebecca Kennelly to senior marketing coordinator. Jury is a graduate of College of Charleston and the University of Georgia where she earned a master’s degree in sports management. Kennelly manages design teams to ensure that projects run smoothly and achieve client goals. She earned her bachelor’s in marketing from the University of Texas.

NONPROFIT Betty Montgomery of Spartanburg County has joined the Upstate Forever board of directors. Montgomery is well-known for her syndicated garden column and has published a book, “A Four-Season Southern Garden,” illustrated with photographs by fellow Upstate Forever board member Dick Carr. She is a master gardener and a member of multiple prestigious horticultural societies.

REAL ESTATE South Carolina Realtors named Greenville real estate agent and executive vice president of The Marchant Company, Gordon Seay, as its 2016 Realtor of the Year during the association’s annual conference Doing the Charleston at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston. Seay has been in real estate for more than 22 years. He is a National Association of Realtors Region 4 vice president.

VIP

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Furman University professor Brent F. Nelsen, Ph.D., as a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Nelsen was first appointed to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 2013. Nelsen is chair of the South Carolina Educational Television Commission and a professor of political science at Furman, positions he has held since 2011 and 2002, respectively. From 2003-2009, Nelsen served as chair of the department of political science at Furman and has held various teaching positions there since 1990. He is a member of the South Carolina American Political Science Association, where he previously served as president from 2009-2010.

28 | NEW TO THE STREET |

UBJ

THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

|

10.14.2016

Open for business 1

Presented by

1. Mitchell Road Christian Academy recently celebrated the opening of its new Youth Center.

Conversations with Upstate Professionals

Photo provided

650 N. Academy St., Greenville

Wednesday, Oct. 26

2

from 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Network,

RSVP

Network,

to nvite.com/ businessontap

Network

Drop in and network…

first drink is on us.

2. UFC Gym Greenville recently opened at 2435 E. North St., Ste. 1101. This is South Carolina’s first UFC Gym. For more information, visit ufcgym.com/greenville.

Photo provided

TheUpstateBusinessJournal @upstatebiz

@UpstateBiz Upstate Business Journal

#

#businessontap

CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon?

Email information to aturner@communityjournals.com.

10.14.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

Flour Corporation announces two recent transactions Fluor and ABB have formed a global strategic alliance for the execution of large turnkey engineering, procurement and construction electrical substation projects. “Fluor’s new global strategic alliance with ABB targeting the substation market will bring unique synergies to our Power clients,” said David Seaton, chairman and CEO of Fluor. “This approach exemplifies our focus on addressing client needs with our unique integrated solutions offering.”

Fluor also announced that 3Angle B.V. special purpose company, comprised of Fluor, 3i Infrastructure and Heijmans Capital, reached financial close with the Dutch government for the A27/A1 public-private partnership project in the Netherlands. The project is valued at more than $246 million, which includes a 25-year management and maintenance period. Fluor will book its portion of the award in the fourth quarter of 2016. 3Angle is responsible for the financing, design, construction, management and maintenance of the reconstruction of the A27 motorway between Utrecht North and the Eemnes Junction, as well as the A1 motorway between the Eemnes Junction and the Bunschoten-Spakenburg interchange. Fluor and Heijmans will provide engineering, procurement, construction services and operations and maintenance during the operational phase with equal shares.

Scott and Company accountant chosen to speak at annual summit Tony Perricelli, CPA, of Scott and Company LLC, will be a speaker for the ERG Executive Summit on Friday, Nov. 18, in Columbia. The summit is an annual event aimed at helping executives to inspire their team and shape the future of the local workforce.

Perricelli will be a part of a panel of speakers discussing how small-business owners can transform their company and culture as they grow. The session topic will be “How to Create an Awesome Place to Work.”

“I am honored to be invited to speak on the Executive Summit panel,” Perricelli said. “I’m excited to share about my experience as a leader at Scott and Company.

I hope my insight will inspire other leaders to create successful environments in their places of work.”

A member of the tax and advisory services department of Scott and Company, Perricelli has been with the firm since 1998. He holds a master of taxation degree from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Winthrop University. He currently lives in Irmo with his wife and three children.

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| THE FINE PRINT | 29

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UBJ

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

OVERHEARD @ THE WATERCOOLER

> Amanda Linton Caldwell “This could be dangerous for my wallet and hips.”

OCTOBER 7, 2016

Kids incorporated SMART SITTERS

itting

> Adriana Parris Brooks “I’m so very excited about this! Just a couple minutes up the road from us!” > Shanna Jenkins “Something tells me they’ll have parking trouble here too. Seems like a reoccurring theme.”

RE: NEW FARM-TO-TABLE TACO SHOP TO OPEN LATE FALL IN TRAVELERS REST > Alex Reynolds “Taco trucks on every corner for all!” > Kylie Elliott Hassold “Has our names written all over it.” > Barbara Gilbert James “Yum and yay! I love seeing the renaissance of Travelers Rest.”

RE: AMERICAN GROCERY ANNOUNCES SPEAKEASY > Scott Butler “Please tell us they will have reasonable prices.

I’ve had too many disappointing experiences downtown with $9.50-$12.50 cocktails.” > Splash on Main “More great places coming to the West End!”

>> CONNECT WITH US We’re great at networking.

LINKEDIN.COM/COMPANY/ UPSTATE-BUSINESS-JOURNAL FACEBOOK.COM/ THEUPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL @UPSTATEBIZ @CWHaire

@daviddykes

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@melindagyoung

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@clandrum

@jerrymsalley

and the new babys business model

10.14.2016

BIZ BUZZ

Distilled commentary from UBJ readers

RE: SIDEWALL PIZZA TO OPEN NEW PELHAM ROAD LOCATION

|

| VOL. 5 ISSUE 41

DIGITAL FLIPBOOK ARCHIVE >> The layout of print meets the convenience of the Web. Flip through the digital editions of any of our print issues, and see them all in one place. >> upstatebusinessjournal. com/past-issues

>> WEIGH IN @ THE UBJ EXCHANGE Got something to offer?

Get it off your chest.

We’re looking for expert guest bloggers from all industries to contribute to the UBJ Exchange. Send posts or blog ideas to dcar@communityjournals.com.

The Top 5 stories from the past week ranked by shareability score

>> 1,400 1. New farm-to-table taco shop to open late fall in Travelers Rest

>> 1,300 2. Sidewall Pizza to open new Pelham Road locatione

>> 328 3. Greenville gets first two rounds of 2017 NCAA men’s basketball championship

>> 245 4. American Grocery announces speakeasy

RE: A GREENVILLE PLACEMENT AGENCY CAN HELP PARENTS FIND THEIR NEXT SITTER

>> 109

> Anna Bross “You should definitely check out Smart Sitters and see what it can do for you and your family!

It is amazing & this article speaks for itself!”

5. A Greenville placement agency can help parents find their next sitter

> Eliza Bostian “Congrats Smart Sitters LLC!” > Kathy Lemmons “Wow! Wish this has been around when my three were little. The cover girl looks great too… you look wonderful Anna.”

RE: CONSTRUCTION SPENDING SOFTENS, BUT UPSTATE LOOKING ‘PRETTY GOOD’

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAILS Follow up on the Upstate’s workweek in minutes.

> Diane Gutierrez – Pilewski “Such a robust and insulated little bustling town!

Thank you to the supporting industries and great people who keep Greenville’s blood pumping.”

Subscribe to our emails & receive The Inbox – our weekly rundown of the top 10 local biz stories you need to know – as well as breaking news alerts. It’s the best way to stay informed on the go. >> upstatebusinessjournal.com/email

RE: SUMMIT SOLAR AIMS TO HELP THE UPSTATE ADOPT MORE GREEN TECHNOLOGIES

ORDER A PRINT SUBSCRIPTION

> Dean Lawter “And what can one expect this one $26,000 panel to operate in your home? I know I would still need Duke Energy. My guess is I’d never see a return on this.” > Joshua Tyler Williams “Thanks for the article UBJ! It’s exciting to see renewables getting so much attention in the area.”

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10.14.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

DATE Thursday

10/20 Friday

10/21

Tuesday

10/25 Wednesday

10/26

| PLANNER | 31

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Piedmont SCORE Basic Small-Business Start-Up

Tri-County Technical College Pendleton Campus 7900 Highway 76, Pendleton 5:30–8:30 p.m.

Cost: Free Register: piedmontscore.org/workshops

Greenville Furman Business Series Luncheon: Understanding Millennials in the Workplace

The Commerce Club Greenville 55 Beattie Place, Ste. 1700 12–1:45 p.m.

Business attire.

Cost: $20 per person, includes lunch and parking validation Register: alumni.furman.edu or 800-787-7533

EURO Auto Fest

Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: Open House at the BMW CCA Foundation, 190 Manatee Court, Greer.

Cost: $10 per day Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: EURO Auto Festival Register: euroautofestival.com 2016, The Preserve at Verdae Golf Club, 650 Verdae Blvd.

Piedmont SCORE Integrated Marketing Strategies

NEXT Innovation Center 411 University Ridge 6–8 p.m.

Upstate Business Journal Business on Tap

Bon Secours Wellness Arena outdoor patio 650 N. Academy St. 5:30–7 p.m Cost: Free. First drink free.

Guests may park in the VIP lot (Church Register: nvite.com/BusinessOnTap/ec8a Street) and walk into the Sandlapper entrance

Friday-Saturday

10/2110/22

EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

Cost: $19 Register: piedmontscore.org/workshops

CONTRIBUTE: Got a hot date? Submit event information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & ACCOUNT STRATEGY Kate Madden

PRESIDENT/CEO

ART & PRODUCTION VISUAL DIRECTOR

Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com

Will Crooks

UBJ PUBLISHER

Bo Leslie | Tammy Smith

Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com

EDITOR

Chris Haire chaire@communityjournals.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Emily Pietras epietras@communityjournals.com

STAFF WRITERS

Trevor Anderson, David Dykes, Caroline Hafer, Andrew Moore, Cindy Landrum

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rudolph Bell, Sherry Jackson, Ariel Turner, Melinda Young

DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Danielle Car

MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES Nicole Greer, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Lindsay Oehmen, Emily Yepes

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UBJ milestone jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years 1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport

1988

Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGN

1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993

1990 Jackson Dawson

acquires therapon marketing Group and moves to Piedmont office Center on Villa.

LAYOUT OPERATIONS

OCTOBER 28 QUARTERLY CRE ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

UBJ milestone

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with a majority of them utilizing the general aviation airport as a “corporate gateway to the city.”

In 1997, Jackson and his son, Darrell, launched Jackson Motorsports Group. The new division was designed to sell race tires and go to racetracks to sell and mount the tires. Darrell Jackson now serves as president of the motorsports group and Larry Jackson has two other children and a son-in-law who work there. Jackson said all his children started at the bottom and “earned their way up.”

Jackson kept the Jackson-Dawson branches in Detroit and others in Los Angeles and New York until he sold his portion of that partnership in 2009 as part of his estate planning.

The company now operates a small office in Charlotte, but its main headquarters are in Greenville in a large office space off Woodruff Road, complete with a vision gallery that displays local artwork and an auditorium Jackson makes available for non-profit use. The Motorsports Group is housed in an additional 26,000 square feet building just down the street, and the agency is currently looking for another 20,000 square feet.

Jackson said JMG has expanded into other verticals such as financial, healthcare, manufacturing and pro-bono work, but still has a strong focus on the auto industry and transportation. It’s

Chairman larry Jackson, Jackson marketing Group. Photos by Greg Beckner / Staff

Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 years By sherry Jackson | staff | sjackson@communityjournals.com

Solve. Serve. Grow. Those three words summarize Jackson Marketing Group’s guiding principles, and according to owner Larry Jackson, form the motivation that has kept the firm thriving for the past 25 years.

Jackson graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in video and film production and started his 41-year career in the communications industry with the U.S. Army’s Public Information Office. He served during

Vietnam, where he said he was “luckily” stationed in the middle of Texas at Fort Hood.

He left the service and went to work in public affairs and motorsports at Ford Motor Company in Detroit.

After a stint at Bell and Howell, where he was responsible for managing Ford’s dealer marketing and training, the entrepreneurial bug hit and he co-founded Jackson-Dawson Marketing Communications, a company specializing in dealer training and product launches for the auto industry in 1980.

In 1987, Jackson wanted to move back south and thought Greenville would be a good fit. An avid pilot, he

learned of an opportunity to purchase Cornerstone Aviation, a fixed base operation (FBO) that served as a service station for the Greenville Downtown Airport, providing fuel, maintenance and storage.

In fact, when he started the Greenville office of what is now Jackson Marketing Group (JMG) in 1988, the offices were housed on the second floor in an airport hangar.

“Clients would get distracted by the airplanes in the hangars and we’d have to corral them to get back upstairs to the meeting,” Jackson said.

Jackson sold the FBO in 1993, but says it was a great way to get to know Greenville’s fathers and leaders

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2003 motorsports Division acquires an additional 26,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space

1998 1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court

also one of the few marketing companies in South Carolina to handle all aspects of a project in-house, with four suites handling video production, copywriting, media and research and web design.

Clients include heavyweights such as BMW, Bob Jones University, the Peace Center, Michelin and Sage Automotive. Recent projects have included an interactive mobile application for Milliken’s arboretum and 600-acre Spartanburg campus and a marketing campaign for the 2013 Big League World Series.

“In my opinion, our greatest single achievement is the longevity of our client relationships,” said Darrell Jackson. “Our first client from back in 1988 is still a client today. I can count on one hand the number of clients who have gone elsewhere in the past decade.”

Larry Jackson says his Christian faith and belief in service to others, coupled with business values rooted in solving clients’ problems, have kept

2009 Jackson Dawson changes name to Jackson marketing Group when larry sells his partnership in Detroit and lA 2003

2009-2012 Jackson marketing Group named a top BtoB agency by BtoB magazine 4 years running

him going and growing his business over the years. He is passionate about giving back and outreach to non-prof non-profits. The company was recently awarded the Community Foundation Spirit Award.

The company reaffirmed its commitment to serving the community last week by celebrating its 25th anniversary with a birthday party and a 25-hour Serve-A-Thon partnership with Hands on Greenville and Habitat for Humanity. JMG’s 103 full-time employees worked in shifts around the clock on October 22 and 23 to help construct a house for a deserving family.

As Jackson inches towards retirement, he says he hasn’t quite figured out his succession plan yet, but sees the companies staying under the same umbrella. He wants to continue to strategically grow the business.

“From the beginning, my father has taught me that this business is all about our people – both our clients and our associates,” said his son, Darrell. “We have created a focus and a culture that strives to solve problems, serve people and grow careers.”

Darrell Jackson said he wants to “continue helping lead a culture where we solve, serve and grow. If we are successful, we will continue to grow towards our ultimate goal of becoming the leading integrated marketing communications brand in the Southeast.”

2011 Jackson marketing Group/Jackson motorsports Group employee base reaches 100 people

2008 2012 Jackson marketing Group recognized by Community Foundation with Creative spirit Award

pro-bono/non-proFit / Clients lients American Red Cross of Western Carolinas Metropolitan Arts Council Artisphere Big League World Series The Wilds Advance SC South Carolina Charities, Inc. Aloft Hidden Treasure Christian School

CoMMUnitY nit inVolVeMent nitY in olV inV olVe VeMent & boarD positions lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board, Metropolitan Arts Council Board, American Red Cross Board, Greenville Tech Foundation Board, South Carolina Chamber Board eric Jackson (Jackson motorsports Group sales specialist): Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board

November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21

20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013

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