MARCH 18, 2016 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 12
.the-tech-issue {
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hot-jobs: of tech; tech-workforce: development; data-centers: attracting tech; biotech: roundup; cool-tech: innovations; internet-of: things;
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
Top state CEOs talk retention, millennials ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com Building a business is hard, but it helps if you have good people – and can avoid those not so fit for your company, according to CEOs of some of the state’s fastest-growing companies. “Most people focus only on EBITDA … but there are so many other aspects that add value to your business,” said Chad Odom, CEO of Greenville-based Encore Container, which ranked sixth in SC 25 Fastest Growing Companies. “I’ve let people go because I dread going into the office.” Great employees are one of the most important elements in a thriving business, said Pamela Evette, president and CEO of Quality Business Solutions in Travelers Rest. The human resources company made the most recent Inc. 5,000 list with annual revenue growth of 49 percent to $905.6 million, and Evette said their largest client had around 48,000 employees. “For us, it’s not just on the resume,” she said to a room of about 40 business leaders at the George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and Economics in Spartanburg. “I don’t want somebody that won’t help out. … Nobody’s job is more important than anybody else’s.” Much of the panel circled around the growing millennial workforce, which has different approaches, expectations and attitudes toward the companies they work for, according to panelists. Evette’s daughter, for example, was disappointed with a $45,000 salary offer fresh out of college because her college counselor pegged entry-level pay at around $60,000, she said. “I think what we’re seeing is they’re getting this from the colleges they’re coming from,” she said. “We kind of look for older,
New Spartanburg hotel to showcase influential art
more established people, and they tend to have more reasonable salaries and realistic expectations.” Job-hopping and company loyalty are Odom also concerns when it comes to millennials, said Odom, which leads him to hire people he knows well and won’t be surprised with. “The people coming Evette out of school … they job-jump every two to three years. There’s absolutely no loyalty,” he said. “I go through them like changing clothes, and it’s not because I don’t have Houser enough. … It’s hard to put your time and effort into training someone when you know they’re going to leave.” Employee turnover is extremely costly to a business, said Greenville-based Green Cloud Technologies Founder and CEO Shay Houser. “Employee attrition is brutal. It kills you,” he said. “As long as the employees know you’re passionate … they’re not going to leave.” Greenville-based Creative Builders Inc. founder Will McCauley said despite the Upstate’s good economic climate, hiring good people was still “extremely tough.” “Not only do you see those who don’t want to work, but we’ve seen a major demographic shift,” he said. “Without those right people, there is no value in your company.”
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| LEADERSHIP / HOSPITALITY | 3
LETY GOOD | STAFF
lgood@communityjournals.com The new AC Hotel by Marriott coming to downtown Spartanburg in September 2017 will feature influential selections created by students and faculty from the historic Black Mountain College. The current plan design for the hotel, which may change as the design is translated to reality, will showcase approximately 70 works drawn from The Johnson Collection (TJC), which include paintings, prints, sculptures and textile art, said Lynne Blackman, PR and publications coordinator for TJC. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Black Mountain College, an experimental liberal arts college, was owned and operated by the faculty. During its existence from 1933-1957, the college eliminated normal curricula and integrated a more hands-on approach to learning, where everyone participated in maintaining the community. The progressive college housed artists who would later become some of the most influential in the modern art world, according to Erin Corrales-Diaz, TJC curator of the Black Mountain College collection. The Black Mountain College selections will be displayed in
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the hotel’s public spaces showcasing a modern aesthetic with a Southern connection, Blackman said. Robert Rauschenberg, Kenneth Noland, Robert Motherwell, Elaine de Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, Ilya Bolotwsky, Ruth Asawa and Esteban Vicente are among the artists whose work will be featured. The Johnson Collection Gallery in downtown Spartanburg sponsors regular rotating exhibitions dedicated to fine art of the American South from the private collection. There are currently about 25 objects created by Black Mountain College students and faculty on display at the gallery. “A Process of Learning” is on view through the end of May, Blackman said. Construction for OTO Development’s AC Hotel Spartanburg is underway and expected to open in 2017 at the corner of West Main Street and Daniel Morgan Avenue.
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4 | THE RUNDOWN |
UBJ
TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK
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03.18.2016
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 12 Featured this issue: PIQUE professionals meet in Greenville Pick one: privacy or security Toby Stansell is One to Watch
Coming soon to Furman University: a Finance and Business Analytics Lab. The school shared the news on the NASDAQ video tower overlooking Times Square in New York City last week. Photo provided
WORTH REPEATING “The next time I use my bath towel, I’ll think, ‘An awful lot of work went into this.’” Page 6 “Sometimes I get asked, ‘Would you put your family in that vehicle?” Page 16 “You need to avoid design that’s so cutting-edge that it makes users look like jerks.” Page 22
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On cities that work “People in Greenville and Fresno and Dayton and Duluth and Allentown and central Oregon ... can learn from what each other are doing and get greater strength.” Journalist James Fallows, who, with his wife, Deborah, is reporting on “Cities That Work” in a collaboration between “PBS NewsHour” and the Atlantic magazine. Watch their report from Greenville at bit.ly/252Rim0.
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03.18.2016
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
| NETWORKING | 5
PIQUE draws 300 for an unconventional development event ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com It’s rare to hear deafening, crowd-wide cheers at a business development event, but nearly 300 young professionals shook the walls of the ONE building six stories above downtown Greenville last week at Ten at the Top’s inaugural PIQUE event. One presenter instructed the throng to pull out their phones for an impromptu selfie with their neighbor. Most, if not all, jumped at the occasion. Attendees sat in on seminars about building their social media brands and how to serve on a board, and had the opportunity to meet executives at sector-specific networking tables lining the room.
“One of the biggest feedback items we got from young professionals was that they wanted access to executives,” said event organizer and Ten at the Top Community Manager Ashley Downing. “A lot of executives want to do that, but they either don’t have the time or don’t have the opportunity.” PIQUE aims to engage young professionals across the 10-county Upstate region and begin building the connections, skills and ideas needed for the next generation of leaders. After this first event, Downing said wheels are turning for another next year, and she’s already looking for individual or partner help. “We’re not trying to create a new group,” she said. “It’s another venue to bring those groups together.”
6 | TEXTILES |
UBJ
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
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03.18.2016
Union plant to help produce 5.6M pounds of textiles for Marriott ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com Once an abandoned textile mill, a revived plant in Union is growing again, this time with a deal to produce 5.6 million pounds of towels and bath mats for 3,000 Marriott hotels nationwide. Hospitality legend Bill Marriott made his first-ever manufacturing tour while visiting Standard Textile’s Union plant to announce the deal last week, which will eliminate more than 300 ocean-going container shipments per year. The deal is part of Marriott International Inc.’s “Made In USA” initiative to furnish every one of their guest bathrooms with towels and bathmats made with 100 percent cotton fiber products grown in the country. “We believe our guests will appreciate knowing that even simple items they use every day in our hotels represent progress for the U.S. economy,” said Marriott, who serves as executive chairman for Marriott International.
“We also hope this sends a message to other businesses that buying locally can make business sense.” Standard Textile leaders and Marriott Executive Chairman Bill Marriott visited plants in Thomaston, Ga., and Union County, where Standard Textile will produce 100 percent local bath towels for the international hospitality brand. The company committed to producing 2.6 million bath towels and 4.9 million hand towels in the first year, or as much as 5.6 million pounds of textiles that would stretch more than 4,300 miles if laid end-to-end. That equates to the entire area of land between Washington, D.C., Miami and Los Angeles, said Heiman. The 150 new jobs for Standard Textile will include 15 in its Cincinnati, Ohio, headquarters, with the remaining 135 split between its Thomaston facility and its Union County facility. The South Carolina facility currently employs around 100 people across 150,000 square feet of >>
The Standard Textile plant in Union plans to produce towels and bath mats for 3,000 Marriott hotels nationwide.
03.18.2016
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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
upstatebusinessjournal.com
>> space, which includes the 2014 announcement of a $5 million expansion that added 39,000 square feet and 35 jobs. “I’m quite confident we will be doing further expansions,” said Standard Textile President and CEO Gary Heiman, who said he expects to grow production along with new Marriott brands and locations. “There’s a great interest in made-in-America.” Marriott said he didn’t truly understand the complicated process behind textile products until he toured the Standard Textile plant in Georgia. “The next time I use my bath towel, I’ll think, ‘An awful lot of work went into this,’” he noted. Union County attracted $27.8 million in capital investment associated with 175 jobs in 2015, according to an Upstate Business Journal report. Standard Textile has a 10-year history with Marriott International and is one of the most significant customers among Standard Textile’s “thousands” of other accounts, said Heiman. The company made changes to its supply chain process to accommodate the full-range of the ‘Made in USA’ products. The first towels and bathmats of the initiative have already arrived at Marriott locations. “We already had the business, it was just a matter of moving production,” said Heiman. Marriott International President & CEO Arne Sorenson was not present at the event in Union, but said in a statement that Marriott was “proud to be the first hospitality company to commit to providing our guests with ‘Made in USA’ bathroom towels in our U.S. hotels.” “This was a shuttered textile plant,” said Standard Textile Senior Vice President Edward Frankel. “That’s part of the joy, to buy something that was literally dead and bring it back to life.” Founded in 1940, Standard Textile operates 23 manufacturing plants and distribution facilities in 23 countries. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based company holds more than 70 patents. Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) operates more than 4,400 properties in 87 countries and territories, and reported more than $14 billion in revenues for fiscal 2015. The Bethesda, Maryland company operates and franchises hotels and resorts under 19 brands, including the Ritz-Carlton, BVlgari, Renaissance Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Courtyard and Residence Inn.
| TEXTILES | 7
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8 | MANUFACTURING / DEVELOPMENT |
Auto supplier to invest $2.7M in Cherokee County ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com Automotive supplier Essex Weld Solutions will invest $2.6 million in Cherokee County, creating 70 jobs for a 15,000-square-foot Gaffney facility. The company’s subsidiary, Essex Weld USA Inc., will produce custom and standard automotive racking products from Cherokee. Cherokee County drew $58.2 million in capital investment associated with 235 new jobs in 2015, Spencer according to an exclusive report by UBJ. The Essex Weld Solutions announcement follows Daimler’s pledge to invest $22.7 million to build a logistics center and expand its Cherokee operations. “We would like to welcome Essex Weld USA Inc. to Cherokee County,” said Cherokee County Council Chairman Tim Spencer. “We believe we are uniquely situated to meet the needs of Essex Weld USA Inc. with our highly experienced workforce, and we look forward to working with the company leadership to ensure great success.” Essex Weld USA also provides
UBJ
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
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03.18.2016
Greenville County reveals firm behind $12.5M ‘Project Jewel’ NY machining firm plans to create 50 jobs
professional engineering services and certifications for shipping and storage containers to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements. “We are thankful for the support we have received from the State of South Carolina and the Cherokee County team,” stated Essex Weld Solutions President John Friesen. “We look forward to adding local design and manufacturing support for our customers.” Essex Weld Solutions manufactures custom and automotive racking products for a variety of industries out of its facilities in South Carolina, Michigan, Canada and Mexico. Company products include metal baskets, racks, custom automotive steel packaging and engine transmission racks. “Congratulations to Essex Weld USA Inc. on announcing their new Cherokee County operations,” said SC Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “It’s exciting to see companies continue to embrace South Carolina’s diverse manufacturing base and select our state as a destination to do business.
ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com
A New York machining firm plans to invest $12.5 million and create 50 jobs in Greenville for an Upstate facility, according to Greenville County Council documents. Ushers Machine & Tool Co. Inc., previously codenamed Project Jewel, awaited a third and final reading on Tuesday for a fee-in-lieuof-tax ordinance that would greenlight the deal. Ushers is a supplier for a local company, and will move into an existing 70,000-square-foot building on Pelham Road, according to Greenville Area Development Corp. president and CEO Mark Farris. A fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement is an economic development incentive for counties to encourage capital investment and job creation for expansions and new operations. The proposed ordinance will ultimately reduce Ushers Machine & Tool Co.’s real and personal property taxes by 43 percent by cutting the typical manufacturing tax rate from 10.5 percent to 6 percent over the next 30 years. The tax incentive is contingent on Ushers fulfilling its commitment to investing $12.5 million and creating
50 jobs within the first five years. Ushers offers precision machining, testing, welding, assembly, and special processes for the power generation, automotive, agriculture, aerospace, construction, electronics, medical and transportation industries, according to its website. Ushers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The county council ordinance was slated for a third reading on Tuesday evening, which follows a public hearing for the project. By the time a company appears in county council documents, often requesting approval for capital investment incentives, the deal is very likely to come to fruition.
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
Clemson launches international exchange program
ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com Clemson University will launch a student exchange program as part of the school’s effort to boost students’ career prospects and build a global engagement infrastructure. While research indicates most engineering jobs will remain in the United States, companies are looking for candidates who can operate seamlessly across borders, according to the school. Clemson University and Tecnológico de Monterrey plan to launch the exchange program this summer with 10 engineering and science students from each university. Students will split into groups and work partly in Clemson, partly in Monterrey, Mexico, on an industry-provided project. “These companies are looking for good engineers, but also for cultural understanding,” said Didier Rousseliere, director of Clemson’s Global Partnerships and Initiatives, in a statement. “Bringing together students from the two nations will provide them with the experience that more and more employers are seeking in their job candidates.” South Carolina has made headlines as a top state for foreign direct investment, and is home to around 1,200 international firms in its borders representing more than 115,000 employees. Tecnológico de Monterrey sits 150 miles south of the Texas border, and has more than 95,000 students across 91 campuses in Mexico. “The Monterrey area of Mexico and South Carolina’s Upstate a have
number of similar economic activities,” said Clemson University Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte. “Both universities and their alumni act as economic engines for their regions. Several companies have operations in both areas. To name a few, they include Kemet, Meritor, AFL and Schneider Electric. Both universities are in NAFTA countries, so we see several long-term opportunities.” The program could also boost Clemson’s University’s ability to attract and retain a more diverse student body, faculty and staff, said Mark Leising, who will be dean of the new College of Science at Clemson. “The similarities between Clemson University and Tecnológico de Monterrey make for fertile ground to expand a collaboration that can enhance cultural understanding on both sides of the border,” he said. “We look forward to showing the delegation all that Clemson has to offer and setting the stage for growth.” The Clemson group guiding the visiting delegation includes Martinez-Duarte and Hugo Sanabria, an assistant professor of biophysics at Clemson Sanabria. Both are alumni of Tecnológico de Monterrey. The Latin American school’s delegation will include Julio Noriega Velasco, dean of the School of Engineering and Information Technology, who toured Clemson’s Advanced Materials Research Lab and the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research last week.
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| EDUCATION | 9
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10 | GAMES |
UBJ
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
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03.18.2016
Local video game developer strikes big with Kickstarter LETY GOOD | STAFF
lgood@communityjournals.com After his first big break into the online
Video game developer Thomas Brush
www.CarltonMB.com | 2446 Laurens Road, Greenville, SC 29607 | (864) 213-8000
gaming world with “Coma” and “Skinny,” Thomas Brush, a Greenville video game developer, has hit it big with a Kickstarter page to finish his new 2-D adventure game, “Pinstripe.” Within a day of going up, the crowdfunding page exceeded Brush’s original goal of $28,000 for final funding of the game. Brush said he was hesitant to begin a Kickstarter because of the negative stigmas associated with it, but “it was either start a Kickstarter page or let it fizzle out.” Now, two months after its creation, the Kickstarter page has tripled and has over $95,000 pledged by over 3,000 backers who will receive rewards for their contributions. Funding for specific amounts raised is broken up into different tiers such as a bonus level for reaching $38,000 and a mobile version of the game for reaching $75,000, among others. >>
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>>
“I always feared if I wanted to do something great I would have to move to Seattle or San Francisco, but what I’ve learned is, nowadays you can do anything remotely and people really love the idea of a small-town kid making something from his heart,” Brush said. It all started when Brush was watching cartoons as a child. He would try to figure out how to recreate animations from his favorite show and prove to his older brothers that he could do it. He soon began illustrating and working with animation programming as a sixth-grader. “I had always wanted to do film and direct movies, write scripts, whether that was through film, animation or games,” he said. Brush continued to make small games and animations that won small awards. As a high school senior, he
created “Coma,” and saw great success. Within the first month, the game went viral and got 10 million plays, he said. Brush continued his journey at Clemson to pursue a graphic communications degree. During those years, he spent most of his time in his room making games, while also attending school full-time and having a full-time job, he said. That’s when he began working on “Pinstripe,” the game that would eventually allow him to start working full-time from home. Brush’s third adventure game is about an ex-minister who goes to Hell in search of his daughter. However, the primary focus of the game is the emotion, he said. “It’s a blank canvas for players to express themselves … a very deep emotional story in a playful adventure game.” He said his influences for the storytelling element of “Pinstripe” came
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from movie director David Lynch’s abstract and emotional style. For illustration detail, he pulled from Tim Burton’s unique visual style. Musically, Brush said he drew a lot of inspiration from classical music such as Chopin and Claude Debussy, and the “Legend of Zelda” games melodies. Brush believes there were many factors involved in the success of the “Pinstripe” Kickstarter project. After the game was featured on Game
| GAMES | 11
Grumps, a YouTube channel edited by Brush’s former coworker, the Kickstarter gained momentum, Brush said. “The channel was the fuel.” “Pinstripe” has received award nominations at IndieCade’s E3 Showcase and SXSW 2016, among others, according to the Kickstarter page. The game for PC and Mac platforms is expected to release late this summer, and months after for iOS and Android.
12 | SQUARE FEET |
UBJ
REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION
SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF
sjackson@communityjournals.com |
|
03.18.2016
@SJackson_CJ
Drayton Mill continues construction, move-ins
As construction continues on Drayton Mill in Spartanburg, new residents have been slowly moving in and more things are still to come. The first part of the 16-acre redevelopment project has been the 500,000-square-foot 289-unit luxury apartment community called Drayton Mill Lofts. “It’s been a hustle and bustle around Drayton Mills Loft since our first move-ins began on Dec. 1,” said Tara Sherbert, developer of the apartment project at Drayton Mill. “To date, we already have over 70 residents who have signed on to live and be a part of the history being made here.” Apartments include exposed wood and steel, solid maple flooring, 12- to 19-foot ceiling heights and detailed replica historic windows. Many of the amenities have also been completed, including a 60-foot lap pool with cold jets, expansive outdoor gas fireplace, high-end stainless steel outdoor kitchen and dining areas, a two-story stateof-the-art fitness center, expansive community rooms and walking trails. A few weeks ago, construction began on an additional 55,000 square feet of commercial space which includes the former company store and warehouse buildings on the property. These buildings are being converted into 16 suites for office, retail and restaurant use.
Clockwise from top left: Drayton Mill today; Drayton Mill conceptual plan; interiors of residences
John Montgomery of Montgomery Development Group is developing this portion of the property and said he is hoping to attract a brewery into a space that overlooks the pond. He’s also recruiting businesses who might need office space. And while no leases have been signed yet, he’s also talking to local restaurateurs and small retailers including a hair salon, home accessories store and an art gallery. “We’re creating a true mixed-use village,” he said. “We’re complementing the live component with the work-play component.”
Montgomery said he is hoping to have the site work completed by the end of July and start moving tenants in by September. Drayton Mill has also garnered some national attention. The converted mill property served as the site of the season premiere of “Salvage Dawgs” on the DIY channel. The TV show taped at Drayton during the initial stages of construction, said Sherbert. “They enjoyed finding historic pieces of the equipment for repurposing.”
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03.18.2016
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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION
upstatebusinessjournal.com
SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF sjackson@communityjournals.com |
Some things just get better with age.
@SJackson_CJ
Spartanburg apartment complex sells for $13M
RollingGreenVillage.com
For information, call 987-4612
Whispering Pines Apartments,
104 S. Hudson Street
|
Greenville, SC
|
29601
|
864.561.4031
|
info@parkplaceonhudson.com
www.parkplaceonhudson.com
a 312-unit complex located at 408 Abner Road in Spartanburg, has sold for $13,050,000. The purchaser, New York-based Cedar Grove Capital, plans to renovate and hold the property. Tony Bonitati, Kay Hill and Bern DuPree of NAI Earle Furman’s Multifamily Division represented the seller, Southwood Realty.The purchaser had no broker representation. This transaction is the NAI Earle Furman’s Multifamily Division’s fourth representing Southwood Realty. “Value-add deals of this size are becoming exceedingly hard to come by in the Upstate,” said Kay Hill, shareholder and NAI Earle Furman multifamily broker. “We were happy to represent Southwood once again in a sale and are equally excited to see what Cedar Grove makes of this well-positioned opportunity.”
| SQUARE FEET | 13
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14 | DIGITAL MAVEN |
UBJ
THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF BUSINESS
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03.18.2016
Encryption: A modest proposal By LAURA HAIGHT president, portfoliosc.com Dear U.S. Citizen: Effective immediately, your government is taking additional steps to protect your safety and ensure you can have what the Constitution promises – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, to protect you, a few things will have to change. On the upside, some of these changes may actually relieve you of the burdensome responsibility of your own security. First and foremost, you no longer have to worry about strong passwords. Under our new federal rules, no password longer than six alpha characters will be permitted. Those of you still using your dog’s name and adding 1, 2, 3, etc. to it, will be pleased with this change. This will make it far easier for law enforcement agencies to access the phones, tablets and digital assets of the small percentage of the population that is criminal and the even smaller percentage that are on the terror watch list. Of course, this is critical if we are going to be able to adequately protect you from crime or terror attacks.
Is a communication like this in our future? Reflexively, we say “No! Of course not.” But the battle over encryption of data on mobile devices is just the first salvo in a civil rights struggle that can have long-standing implications. What do we want more: privacy or security? Apple’s Tim Cook says, “We’re America, we should have both.” I agree. Despite the fear-mongering warnings of the FBI and others, minimizing personal privacy rights is not the only path to security. First, we should take a look at how this came to be such a crucial issue in the first place: A bungled combination of two government agencies acting at cross-purposes apparently caused the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone to become locked and, eventually, automatically wiped, a standard security measure. (goo.gl/eeoKcI). Facing a snafu, fueled by a lack of communication and coordination, the FBI deflected. Now it is Apple’s
fault that terrorists lock their phones, use highly secure passcodes, and encrypt their messages. We should all be doing this. Advocates of forcing Apple to crack into this specific iPhone say “We’re not asking for the moon, just this ONE PHONE!” I am not a programmer and I am certainly not an Apple engineer. But I know there is no such thing as developing something for one-time use and never being asked to use it again. Once they know it is possible, the FBI and federal judges will be ordering Apple to crack into iPhones right and left. If we even think there might be something suspicious, we’ll be creeping in the back door. And that back door could be yours if you liked the wrong thing on Facebook or dated someone who did, or were a Muslim living in the U.S. And who knows what other potential reasons could expose you to unbridled scrutiny? We don’t need to go back more than a few years to the NSA cellphone listening scandal to see this in practice, but if you want a really good lesson in the corruption of the Constitution born out of fear, refresh yourself on the House Un-American Activities Committee and the age of McCarthyism in the mid-1940s. Beyond the privacy issues, opening that back door won’t be enough as most of the apps running on the iPhone, especially those that encrypt texts and email messages, are not created by or owned by Apple. And while we’re on this subject, let’s not forget the Android Marketplace and Windows Store, where there are almost no controls on app developers. So, what are we ultimately saying? A
A window with dozens of tiny little cracks will eventually break. The more back doors we create, the more likely it is that information will leak to hackers, cybercriminals and, yes, even terrorists. window with dozens of tiny little cracks will eventually break. The more back doors we create, the more times we use them, the more likely it is that information will leak to hackers, cybercriminals and, yes, even terrorists, who can then turn our own efforts against us, even as they find new tools to block us. The fact is we are more secure for the long haul with unbreakable end-to-end encryption in use everywhere, as former CIA director and four-star general Michael Hayden said recently. Finally, let’s ask ourselves two questions: 1. Are we at least as smart if not smarter and more innovative than we were in World War II when the German’s Enigma Code – the unbreakable communication method of its day – was broken? 2. What would the FBI have done if the court had not ruled in its favor? Would the agency have thrown up their arms in surrender? Unlikely. No, the terrorists don’t win. We have brilliant minds and innovative spirits. There is, as your mother and mine always used to say, more than one way to skin a cat. It is time we stopped chipping away at privacy and technology innovation in the name of security. We’re America, we can have – and should demand – both.
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03.18.2016
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
STRATEGIES FOR HONING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
The self-made influencer rules social media
| PROFESSIONAL | 15
Simpsonville’s Best Kept Secret
town wining and dining enough that National Public relations associate, Geographic gave a nod and Complete Public Relations the New York Times took notice. As a community, we created awareness and influenced a Most every American dreams of S PRI N G S new audience to fall for Greenville, T H E being extraordinary, but when you NEW Independent Living Cottages just like we did. break the concept down, extraordinary a t S i m p s o n v i l l e • Reasonable monthly rates The ability to influence the tourism is just being ordinary with a voice. a t S i m p s o n v i l l e • No large upfront entrance fee market put Greenville on the map. InT H E S P R I N G S And in the modern age, everyone • Spacious, open-concept apartment turn, this unprecedented development can have a voice via social media. That T H E S PRI N G S homes with a variety of floor plans called for more hotels, restaurants and runs the virtual gamut from the a t S i m p s o n v i l l e • Inviting kitchens with modern parking in downtown Greenville. Twitter kings and queens to the appliances Social media had the power to influYouTube sensations to the Snapchat • Outdoor spaces with pond views ence growth. It gave WYNIT Distri-T HH EE SSP PR RI IN NG SG S superstars. OK, so that last title doesn’t • 24-hour monitored emergency S PT RaHIreason EN GSto SP move R I Ntheir G Sinterresponse system exist yet, but you get the picture.T H E bution a t S i m p sa ot n Sv i i m l lp e s o n v i l l e national headquarters to downtown. T H The average person has more lever• 3 Chef-prepared meals in our P R I N G S HT EHHEEE SSSS P R I N G S P PR RI IN N G S G S gracious dining room age than ever when telling their story, • Scheduled local transportation but how can they do that and learn to • Weekly housekeeping and succeed in business? That is where the linen service idea of the self-made influence stems • Library and activities area from. What is the tipping point for this • Day spa with hair styling, title? How does one become a power EEN G S G S T HH EE SBeing SP PTR RIHaHINself-made GSPSPR RIinfl IN uencer N G S manicure and pedicure stations influencer without fame and glory? Is requires you to be much www.thespringsatsimpsonville.com • Exercise classes daily it all who you know? In reality, being more ordinary in nature than a self-made influencer requires you to 864-962-8570 214 East Curtis Road, Simpsonville, SC 29681 extraordinary. be much more ordinary in nature than extraordinary. As a member of a public relations As I waste time catching up on the firm known for creating buzz, we are last eight hours of tweets, pictures and often asked, “How can we help create posts every morning, I find myself enthe next big thing? How do we make grossed in the words and visuals of some ordinary into extraordinary?” self-made power influencers on social The answer is by being ordinary. It media. Men, women and even businessis one thing to explode on social media. es find a platform in the digital world The real thing is it takes times, work to make their agenda heard, and the rest and patience. Ordinary things. Conof us are eating it up – joke’s on us. sistency creates a consensus and shows When you contemplate this concept authority through knowledge. If you a little more close to home you can deem yourself an expert, you simply consider how Greenville uses social have to prove it. A company or person media to influence. Perhaps without that has authority over their audience even realizing it, Greenville residents continually shares knowledge on that were able to put a social media influparticular topic. This leads to consisence cycle into play. Without the help tency. Followers will know what to of social media, it is possible that the expect from you and continue to listen sleepy Southern town of Greenville, to you. You will become synonymous South Carolina, would not have with your area of expertise when you become a top travel destination in cross their mind. 2015. Greenvillians wanted to be heard From there consensus is built, an and their message was simple; the interest has been piqued and the ormagic and charm of their town was dinary social media follower has the worth seeing. Three simple words – desire to follow your lead. How do they “Yeah, that Greenville” – paved the follow your lead? They share, like, way for residents and visitors to share repost and retweet. Before you know their love for all things Greenville. it, you’re reaping the benefits of Over the past few years, users of influencer power, your following is Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have Call (864) 990-2020 to get your first week for free. growing and your clout is increasing. highlighted Liberty Bridge, Falls Park, Well done. the Swamp Rabbit Trail and down-
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16 | COVER |
UBJ
THE TECH ISSUE
{ In our backyard }
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03.18.2016
Resiliency Technologies
Cool tech you might not have heard of in the Upstate ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com There’s a lot of innovation going on in the Upstate, much of which you’ve read about in UBJ and some of which may be new to you. Here’s a look at four up-and-coming tech companies that might be under your radar.
Video Smartbooks The problem: Booklet fatigue – it’s harder and harder to make impressions with print advertising The tech: Customizable video screens and speakers built into traditional media How it happened: In the world of advertising, it’s all about standing out. Tom Whitesell of Greenville-based TopSpin marketing calls it “the recall factor.” “People are going to pay a lot more attention to video than text,” says Whitesell, who launched his venture Video Smartbooks about a year ago. The concept is simple, he says. Combine three powerful mediums – text, video and physical – by embedding a high-definition screen and speakers into a print product, and customers are guaranteed to keep it around. “They’re impressed by it. They’re going to remember it. They’re going to share it with their colleagues,” says Whitesell, who started his career at Disney where he helped bring VHS tapes mainstream through innovative customer education tactics. “It’s a way to almost guarantee that you’re not going to end up in the wrong file.” Whitesall can make sizes ranging from 2-by-3.5-inch video business cards ($25 apiece) to high-resolution 10-foot diagonal screens ($70 each). Other features include quality speakers, headphone jacks, interactive buttons and a mini USB port to charge and change the device’s files. The largest device – 8GB – can hold hours of movies, another aspect that encourages users to keep it around much longer than a booklet. “In this case, they can’t resist opening it and watching it,” he says. “This is going to pick up in the next three years, from 99 percent unaware to 70 percent unaware in the target market.” Web: videosmartbooks.com
The problem: Scattered, disjointed programs to deliver mental health resources The tech: One technology platform for mental health content tailored to specific users using artificial intelligence How it happened: Schools, cities, state agencies, hospitals, nonprofits and corporations have a plethora of programs to get mental health resources into the right hands. The problem, say Tim Farrell and Robyn Hussa Farrell, is these programs are disjointed and offer few options for tracking and customization. Their patent is still pending, but this summer they plan to release their mobile and desktop platform that delivers mental health resources specific to the user, location and situation. Students, for example, may have a button for resources on handling stress. Professional therapists can point patients to resources between visits. Parents can get educated on childhood depression. Pediatricians can press a button for an on-demand mental health specialist. “There’s a lot of good work going on out there,” says Tim Farrell. “Bringing that all together and making it more effective and efficient is saving something really precious.” The pair plans to incorporate artificial intelligence to help improve resource delivery and customize each user’s suggested content. The project is funded so far by advertising revenue on existing tests in a handful of schools and medical organizations, but larger organizations have already expressed interest in purchasing a white-label version, they say. “These agencies and organizations only have so many resources, and we want to make sure they’re optimizing them,” he says. Web: bresilient.co
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03.18.2016
upstatebusinessjournal.com
ISO 26262 Two-Day Training
THE TECH ISSUE
| COVER | 17
Onsite Training Suitable for Practicing Engineers & Managers Familiar kVA with Development Programs
Designli.co TRAINING The problem:
SUMMARY
App development is infamously expensive and arduous for startups The tech: This two-day training session covers the full ten part
ISOdevelopment 26262 standard for functional safety of automotive A la carte app
systems, with an emphasis on the standard’s impact on engineering processes and products. The training is Building apps can bankrupt startups before they begin, says Keith Shields, appropriate for product development engineering, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Greenville-based Designli builds apps reliability, personnel and their specificallyquality, for startups, countingsafety up the assurance hours required for each module that managers. lets entrepreneurs add or subtract elements based on their budgets. How it happened:
While Designli works on projects individually today, co-founder and CEO Shields says theOne: next phase is an OpenDesk-like matchmaker program, Day Codesuite.co, where entrepreneurs Backgroundpost andprojects scopeand of are ISOpaired 26262with vetted developers and designers best suited for the project. Designli then acts as a Key definitions of terms moderator through the built-in project management platform, where the Concepts functional safety company can ensure project ratesof don’t change from initialmanagement estimates, Hazard Analysis & Risk Assessment (HARA) customers are always 100 percent satisfied and developers have a fair market for their services, he says. Functional Safety Concept “Our platform helps developerSafety break that project down into different the Technical Requirements features… so they can realistically price the project,” says Shields, who says Designli is self-funding development based on its ongoing projects. Day Two: Designli’s work spans numerous industries and sizes, he says, from an app Software and Hardware Requirements that lets gas station owners order new gasoline from oil companies to Practice exercise Single-point & Latent Fault Greenville-based memory-saving platform for Arkivr. Hardware Metrics & Failure Rate Classification “A client comes to us with their needs, and we’ll basically form a team around Freedom from Interference that project,” says Shields. “We’re going to be evolving into something of a product offering.” Tool Qualification Web: designli.co
ASIL Decomposition Safety Element out of Context (SEooC)
TRAINING LOGISTICS
The problem: Increasingly advanced, connected cars mean new security challenges
Training is delivered on-site at the client’s premises. The session is delivered by one or more of kVA’s experienced senior-level Functional Safety Certified Automotive Engineers. kVA’s trainers are knowledgeable in the practical application of ISO 26262, and in the engineering processes and analyses required to successfully implement ISO 26262. Multiple interactive examples are also utilized throughout the training, to demonstrate the key concepts of ISO 26262 implementation.
The tech: Using advanced analyticsTO to ensure security standards with some of the COMMITMENT SAFETY
world’s premier automakers
HowAll it happened: of kVA’s consulting engineers are Functional Safety Certified Automotive knew Engineers withWith the rise of For years, auto manufacturers how to(FSCAEs), build safe cars. the Internet, connected vehicles as andautomotive car-to-car communication real-world experience product – not to mention self-driving – manufacturers are rising to the challenge, engineers. Asvehicles a certified independent safety expert, often with the help of Greenville-based kVa. The 15-person team works with offers independent reviews and audits up to worldwide, the I3 six ofkVA the top 10 automakers and five of the top 10 auto suppliers independence level (the highest level as specified in with the aim of helping companies meet and exceed increasing security standards and troubleshoot potentially dangerous conditions, says Bill Taylor, ISO 26262-2.6.4.7) managing partner. The training duration is approximately 16 hours total, divided equally between the two days. Time for “We built as much expertise as we could as early as we could, betting on this… and that’s really paid off,” he says, noting that auto complexity as it Q&A is reserved at session breaks and at the FOR MOREcould INFORMATION relates to security multiply tenfold in the next decade. “Sometimes I get conclusion of the second day. All participants will asked, ‘Would you put your family in that vehicle?’ which is a very serious receive a professionally bound hard-copy of the question. We want to always say when we walk away that we would This two-day presentation slides as a part of the training fee. absolutely do that.” training session can be combined with kVA’s half-daytechnical executive training upon Please kVa off ers consulting, services, software andrequest. training, which in a emailitsall inquiries to sales@kvausa.com. A representative way seeds own competition in the name of safety, says Taylor. Driverless vehicles mean new liability, ownership, insurance, and safety and from kVA willquestions respondabout to provide more information cybersecurity, but quotation. ultimately will drastically reduce the mortality rate arrangehe a says, formal for car accidents overall. “Our mission really is to spread the ideas and techniques for safety,” he says. an autonomous future, andI that’s what drives us.” 1708-C Augusta Road, Suite 3, Greenville, SC 29605 “We I see Phone: 864-630-5373 sales@kvausa.com
kVA = engineered safety
Web: kvausa.com
18 | COVER |
UBJ
THE TECH ISSUE
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03.18.2016
{ Upstate strategy to recruit data centers still ongoing } ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com
Defined Data center: A large group of networked computer servers typically used by organizations for the remote storage, processing or distribution of large amounts of data.
When Facebook, Apple and Google decided to invest hundreds of millions in North Carolina for new, sprawling data centers, South Carolina paid attention. Both states had the cheap land and cheap, abundant power required, but North Carolina had something its southern neighbor did not: tax incentives. “We were at a disadvantage on sales tax, on income tax compared to North Carolina,” said Greenville Area Development Corp. Senior Vice President Kevin Landmesser, who has been working on recruiting and pre-approving sites for data centers for the last several years. “We were really cut out in terms of being considered.” Thus began South Carolina’s campaign for data centers, beginning with 2012 legislation eliminating the electricity sales tax for data centers involving
Data centers energy consumption nationwide Year
End-use energy (kwh)
Elec. bills
2013
91B
$9.0B
2020
139B
$13.7B
2013-2020 increase
47B
$4.7B
Source: 2013 National Resources Defense Council report
$50 million in investment and 25 employees. The law also exempts data centers’ computer equipment, hardware and software purchases from the state sales tax, which legislators hoped would be enough to get in on the multibillion-dollar industry. Today, the Upstate is home to dozens of data center firms and services, including Immedion, ArmorRack, Windstream, Qutera, Ahold Information Services, Integral Solutions Group and BMW’s Information Technology Research Center, among others. “The next logical place” “Incentives have definitely been an asset to those states that have an aggressive incentive for data centers, and South Carolina has that,” said Stu Heishman, Duke Energy’s vice president for economic development, who partners with economic development entities across the six-state Southeast region. The utility company helped recruit more than $1.2 billion in capital investment and 3,200 jobs to South Carolina in 2015, according to the company. Since 2005, Duke helped recruit $12 billion and 33,000 associated jobs. “I would say that data centers are one of the most energy-intensive that we focus on. That, and automotive,” said Heishman, who said his 27-person team also works on site-readiness, business recruitment and project management when recruiting companies. “We’ve got a very strong collection of large data centers in North Carolina, then another cluster in the Atlanta market. The Upstate is clearly a part of that corridor that should be the next logical place for a data center to look.” While incentives play a big part, data centers have unique needs when it comes to utility, space, location and price – needs such as reliable power, redundant fiber infrastructure and utilities, a low risk for natural disasters and a location outside of flight paths. One recruitment strategy is to fast-track the process with site-readiness measures, which complete due-diligence processes that reassure potential companies that a suitable site is available.
Need for speed As is true with nearly every IT vertical in the majority of markets, workforce is a constant struggle. “The overriding issue is that there’s just not enough quality, skilled workforce, so there’s a lot of ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ going on,” said Rob Moser, Greenville-based third-party provider Immedion’s co-founder and COO. “We work with technical schools so that our requirements are communicated to them… but specifically in the Upstate where the market is so dynamic, we’re seeing the biggest challenges.” Immedion chose Greenville nine years ago because of the growing business climate, he said, and now operates in Columbia, Charleston, Rock Hill, Asheville and, most recently, Cincinatti. Moser says the current focus is on integrating Ohio, but envisions further market expansions in the future. “To have multiple options in terms of Internet carriers in the region is absolutely key… and then there is demand,” he said, noting that most of Immedion’s 600 customers are no more than 40 miles away. “As companies are looking to relocate in the Upstate, especially larger companies, having an enterprise-class data center in the market is an asset.” But the data center industry has changed significantly since South Carolina’s 2012 legislation, according to Landmesser. For one, enterprise centers from big names such as Facebook and Microsoft made waves, but demand slowed down and was replaced by the need for co-location and third-party operations that housed multiple firms. That, and there’s the persistent upheaval that comes with new technology, driving down technology costs and space requirements. “Obviously they’re becoming more efficient… but that said, there’s this insatiable appetite for speed,” said Heishman. “Between media streaming and game time and all that, I think the average consumer spends more than six hours a day online. … The appetite for speed is what’s driving energy use even with the increase in efficiency.”
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03.18.2016
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
THE TECH ISSUE
| COVER | 19
{ 10 Upstate biotech players } ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF
aboncimino@communityjournals.com Biotechnology is a fast-growing, high-potential industry in the Upstate. Here are just a few of the rock stars already thriving here. Kiyatec (Greenville)
Cancer diagnostics firm for more accurate predictions of patientspecific responses to treatment. kiyatec.com Selah Genomics (Greenville)
Advanced molecular and genomic diagnostic services to help drug development, clinical trials and regulatory processes before treatments go to market. selahgenomics.com
Norgenix (Spartanburg)
Develops and distributes pharmaceutical and medical devices addressing challenges with female fertility. norgenixpharma.com Orbis Health Solutions (Greenville)
Accessible Diagnostics (Greenville) Develops and distributes low-cost glucometers and inkjet-printed test strips for glucose monitoring. facebook.com/AccessibleDiagnostics ResMed (Spartanburg)
Immunotherapy treatment for cancer based on a patient’s unique tumor. orbishealthsolutions. com CreatiVasc Medical LLC (Greenville)
Develops in-body medical devices for dialysis patients that allows shorter periods of blood diversion to avoid clotting. creativasc.com
Glytec (Greenville)
resmed.com
Patient interfaces, ventilators, humidifiers and accessories for sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders.
Capsugel (Greenwood)
Reduces the frequency, risks and costs of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia in patients with computerized insulin dosing algorithms and monitoring. glytecsystems.com Rockwell Medical Technologies (Greer)
Develops products and services to treat end-stage renal diseases and chronic kidney disease by treating iron deficiency anemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism and hemodialysis. rockwellmed.com
Provides hard capsules for the pharmaceutical, health and nutrition sectors, as well as design, development and manufacturing services for capsules. capsugel.com
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20 | COVER |
UBJ
THE TECH ISSUE
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03.18.2016
{ Hot IT jobs in the Upstate } SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF
sjackson@communityjournals.com As technology continues to advance and move businesses forward, IT professionals are in as much demand as ever in the Upstate. “We’re definitely seeing a need for more IT professionals in Greenville,” said Josh Morris, Greenville division director for Robert Half, a technology staffing firm. “Deskside support, help desk analysts and network administrators are the top jobs in demand right now.” Morris said that Upstate companies are growing and able to bring in full-time IT professionals, when in the past they may have not had the budget to do so. Network security is a huge priority for most companies and it takes technical, hands-on IT people. “Upstate companies are willing to pay for top talent,” said Morris. IT salaries are increasing and counteroffers are becoming more common to try to keep existing employees. “On a national level, we’re seeing a 5.3 percent increase in IT salaries,” he said. “The Upstate is about 92 percent of the national level, but it’s still very competitive.” While Morris couldn’t provide specific numbers, he said Robert Half has “a lot of IT positions open” and there is a shortage of IT professionals. “There are a lot of options. It’s a great time to be in technology in the Upstate,” he said.
Top three IT jobs in the Upstate with salary range Desktop Support Analyst $45K-70K
Help Desk Analyst (Tier 2) $42K-57K
Network Security Administrator $95K-135K
Candidates should have extensive experience with desktop hardware, software applications, operating systems and network connectivity. They must be customer service oriented and proactive in anticipating and resolving problems while maximizing efficient use of computing resources.
Excellent problem-solving, communication and interpersonal skills, along with patience, a customer-friendly attitude and the ability to work in a team environment. Tier 1 is typically entry-level. Tier 2 positions typically require 2-4 years of experience and may require a bachelor’s degree or two years or equivalent experience in a help desk setting.
Strong technical background, including working knowledge of network management protocols, networking architecture, authentication practices and security administration. It is important that candidates keep abreast of industry security trends and developments, as well as applicable government regulations. They also should have excellent trouble shooting and communication skills.
Typical duties: • Maintaining an inventory of installed software, managing software licensing and creating policies and procedures for upgrades • Working with hardware and software vendors to verify timely product delivery and ensuring that new equipment is installed and ready to operate on schedule • Analyzing and making recommendations for hardware and software standardization • Creating user accounts and managing access control based on company policies
Typical duties: • Resolving more complex issues requiring detailed systems and applications knowledge; these issues have been escalated from Tier 1 • Deciding whether to generate a trouble or work-order ticket for issues that will require a visit to the user’s PC or workstation
Source: Robert Half
Typical duties: • Implementing network security policies and procedures • Administering and maintaining firewall • Managing, monitoring and updating malware prevention systems • Monitoring security advisory groups to ensure all necessary network security updates, patches and preventive measures are in place • Preventing and detecting intrusion • Performing intrusion detection analysis
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03.18.2016
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
THE TECH ISSUE
{ Report: Tech growth in South Carolina better than national average } BENJAMIN JEFFERS | STAFF
bjeffers@communityjournals.com South Carolina’s growth in the tech industry outpaced that of the national average last year, according to a recent report. The U.S. tech industry grew 3 percent last year, according to a Cyber report released in February by CompTIA. South Carolina’s tech industry, according to the report, grew by about 4 percent. By comparison, neighboring state North Carolina was one of the top five states for employment growth in the tech sector with a 4.5 percent change over last year. Georgia and Tennessee had 3.7 and 1 percent growth, respectively, the report said. South Carolina has more than 60,000 workers employed by the tech industry and an additional 12,000 self-employed or self-proprietor tech workers. According to the report about 3.7 percent of South Carolina workers are in the tech industry. The state has about 6,000 tech business establishments. Neil Burton, executive director of the Clemson University Center for Career and Professional Development, said each year about 50 percent of Clemson
graduates with a tech-related degree got employment in the state as opposed to getting tech jobs in other states. Last year about 47 percent of graduates with a tech-related degree stayed in the state to work in the technology field, Burton said. The previous year about 54 percent stayed in the state, he said. “Anecdotally, I’ve spoken with numerous Clemson alumni who are anxious to return to the area after having worked a few years in other states.” He said South Carolina has several technology clusters, but Greenville and Charleston seem to be the most entrenched. Burton said the state has “much to offer both workers and companies in the knowledge economy” and he’s “glad this news is spreading beyond our fair borders.” The average wage in the South Carolina tech industry is $74,000 – about 85 percent more than the $40,000 average yearly private sector wage in the state, according to the CompTIA report. The average tech industry wage in North Carolina is $91,000, more than double the state’s private sector wage of $45,300. The average tech wage in Georgia is $90,000 and more than $76,000 in Tennessee.
| COVER | 21
Make it Happen CPAs & Advisors with Your Growth in Mind
Where do you turn for growth advice? It takes new ideas and a committed partner to grow in today’s climate. Cherry Bekaert gives you the power to innovate and energize your business.
Tech average annual wages vs. private sector wages in 2015 Rank State
Avg. Tech Sector Wages
Avg. Private Sector Wages
1 California $149,335 $59,491
Wage Differential 151%
2 Idaho $90,415 $38,378 136% 3 Washington $129,359
$55,045
135%
4 Oregon
$105,263 $46,487
126%
5 Virginia
$109,038 $52,879
106%
Find out how we can be your guide forward
Greenville 201 West McBee Ave. Suite 200 Greenville, SC 29601 864.233.3981 cbh.com
7 North Carolina $91,363 $45,251 102% 21 South Carolina $74,309 $40,202 85% 22 Georgia $90,175 $49,019 84% 38 Tennessee $76,333 $45,569 68% Source: CompTIA 2016 Cyberstates report
Atlanta | Charlotte | Greenville | Hampton Roads | Miami Raleigh-Durham | Richmond | Tampa | Washington D.C.
22 | COVER |
UBJ
THE TECH ISSUE
{ A roadmap to success in the Internet of Things revolution} By MICAH BRANDENBURG VP Client Engagement, Worthwhile
The Internet of Things revolution is here. Is your business ready to profit or will it be left behind? The Internet of Things (IoT) is technology that connects something that’s not a computer so it can communicate with a network. That something could be your refrigerator, your car, your prescription medicine bottle or your shoe. Pretty much anything can now be linked to a network to gather data or give people remote control. It’s clear that the Internet of Things is a revolution. Just look at the popularity of connected devices like Nest thermostats and of wearables like the Fitbit. Or look at analysis from Harbor Research that predicts there will be more than 8 million connected devices by 2020 (four times what existed in 2015), resulting in $1 trillion in IoT-related revenue. As IoT has changed technology, it has also changed your customers’ expectations. Much as the smartphone completely transformed user behavior and expectation in the last 8-10 years, connected devices and wearables will change the way people live and interact with just about every product. Your users already expect more and more devices to connect. If your business doesn’t offer this service, you will lose customers and market share. You’ll be a Blackberry in an iPhone world. Of course, being connected isn’t going to be enough. Your device needs to provide benefits that users want, in a way that’s intuitive and helpful. Otherwise you’ll quickly be gone from the market. You’ll be Google Glass in a Fitbit world. The IoT revolution is coming, and it’s inevitable. This means your business needs to start to prepare now by upgrading technology and understanding users. First, upgrade your technology stack. Here are four areas of focus. 1. API An API (application program interface) is a powerful tool for connecting software together. An API can also integrate with hardware to create connected devices. Gigoam Research Analyst Kin Lane puts it unflinchingly: “IoT hardware is not the end game: The profits, margins, and innovations will come from the new products and services built on open, flexible APIs.” Your current software needs read/write API that is flexible for a variety of connections, including IoT applications. You need to know that this API exists, and you need to have full control to make new connections and needed updates.
We’ve heard too many stories of companies whose software developers hold API hostage with exorbitant change fees or code charges. That kind of situation creates a huge barrier to entering the IoT world. That’s why we create RESTful read/write API stubs with every piece of software we build, standard, as a future-proofing step. 2. Network Your business hosting network will be tested when you add connected devices, because the volume of data you must handle will increase dramatically. If you’re not ready, you’re not alone. A 2015 Harbor Research survey indicated that 30 percent of networks are already bursting at the seams, before the proliferation of IoT data. Your network will only be more stretched by an IoT addition, so you must be proactive in upgrading your technical infrastructure. 3. Data Your IoT strategy may also require your business to manage data from different types of connected devices. At a recent conference, we heard a railroad company talk about the challenges of integrating data from new IoT sensors with data from older, wired sensors and even manual reporting. While the data from these sources is collected in very different ways, it’s going into the same database, and it needs to be stored consistently in order to create user-friendly reports and business intelligence. You need to take proactive steps to ensure your online database is flexible and versatile enough to grow with your business and IoT solutions. 4. Framework At this point, there is not a standard framework for IoT solutions. You can find options from A to Z (Artoo to Zetta), but none has gained true prominence yet. This is good news, because it gives your business flexibility no matter what platform your current technology stack is. But this flexibility also creates danger. You need a wise internal team and/or a trusted software partner to recommend a platform that will stand the test of time so that your technology isn’t obsolete in a year or two. Next, understand your users. Here are five important questions your business should ask and answer. 1. What do users want? Customers have already proven they will purchase and use connected devices because they deliver data solutions, like fitness trackers, or remote control, like programmable thermostats and home security systems. If your planned functionality fits in these categories, make sure your solution fits a felt need. If not,
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you need to ask potential customers if they will actually use what you’re planning to make. 2. How will it make users feel? One of the driving forces behind the adaption of smartphones is the cool factor. The status users get from taking an iPhone out of a pocket or explaining their Fitbit band drives adoption. This drives home the fact that user-focused IoT devices need compelling design. At the same time, you need to avoid design that’s so cutting-edge that it makes users look like jerks. Wired coined the term “Bluedouche” to talk about how Bluetooth earpieces fail this test.
Your users already expect more and more devices to connect. If your business doesn’t offer this service, you will lose customers and market share. You’ll be a Blackberry in an iPhone world. 3. Do you need to build the hardware? In the earliest days of the IoT revolution, offering a solution meant building hardware. This meant a company needed significant capital to initially reach market. Now that big companies like Apple and Samsung have product offerings, you can create a wearable IoT product by developing an app, instead of creating a physical product. This approach can allow you to get to market more quickly and to be more nimble in adjusting to user feedback. If your product offering is right, either approach can be valuable. So you need to strategically identify which tactic your users will actually buy. 4. What makes your IoT solution better? Any product entering the market needs to be both unique and valuable. These are fundamentals to any product launch, for IoT and anything else. Uniqueness speaks to what makes your product distinct. What problem are you providing a solution for? How is your solution different or better than what’s currently available? What’s distinct about the way you deliver the solution, or the service you provide alongside it? Viability speaks to what makes your idea work. It’s important to determine your minimum viable product (MVP) so you know the bar you have to clear to start making sales. Viability requires both functionality and the features users demand before making a purchase. By starting with an MVP, you can enter the market quickly, begin getting real user feedback you can use to iterate, and begin drawing revenue at the lowest possible investment. The bottom line is this: The Internet of Things is here, whether you’re ready or not. Now is the time to make sure you’re ready to serve your customers in this revolutionary time.
O H W y r S o t ’ a r b e l e O l a e C v e H R W
e h t e v a S
E T DA
N E V E S G N I R O N E H HO T F
O
st
rs
ge n a h
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ame g ers k a em s i o n
UP
S ers ' E T art STA k spar
Thursday April 28, 2016 at 5:30pm United Community Bank 306 East North Street, Greenville
Judges Panel: Host Committee:
Michael Bolick, Co-founder and CEO, Selah Genomics Megan Riegel, President and CEO, Peace Center Jo Hackl, Corporate Attorney, Wyche Law Firm Joe Erwin, President, Erwin Creates Nancy Whitworth, Director of Economic Development, City of Greenville
Sam Erwin, United Community Bank Chad Domonoske, Century BMW Mark Cooter, Cherry Bekaert Dave Edwards, GSP Airport District Herb Dew, Human Technologies Neil Grayson, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP John Tripoli, Northwestern Mutual Ryan Johnston, Upstate Business Journal
Limited block of tickets available. Contact Kate Madden for information. 864.679.1254 or kmadden@communityjournals.com Attire: Business Best
WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE YOU NEED TO KNOW
TOBY STANSELL COO, AcumenIT LAURA HAIGHT Contributor
You might be inclined to label Toby Stansell, COO of AcumenIT, as a technology guy. But you would be missing a lot. Stansell has many passions, including education, leadership development, global cultural awareness and an abiding sense of fairness. In a wide-ranging conversation, we struggled to keep up. You seem to be involved in a lot of things, from civic organizations to training and leadership education. Most of it is not connected to your field. Why? Your legacy of leadership is not what you do or accomplish, but what others become, do or accomplish as a result of any influence you might have in their lives. It’s not about you. Three things hold the key to having a better life, and they are inexplicably linked together: quality of health, quality of education and economic prosperity. A lot of my civic responsibilities have revolved around those things. Many of your activities involve education. Is that Greenville’s area of greatest need? There is a level of discomfort between academia and the commercial world, when there really ought to be a dovetailed connection. The path to economic prosperity does not begin when you get your first full-time job. It begins in preschool. You lived abroad for many years. What did it teach you? We think the world is like we are, that it thinks like we do, values the same things we value. The world is way more diverse. [While on business assignment] I began to go to all these countries and got fascinated with going to places where I didn’t know the language, didn’t know how to get around and I didn’t know anything about the food.
TOBYISMS “I think I am a 60-year-old hippie. More and more I appreciate all that comes from someone who is willing to think in an unconventional manner.” “Learn to relish the state of ignorance.” “It’s always been the hard things in life, the people who have been honest with me, who have changed my life. If I’m failing, let me know. I’ll fix it.” “America started to go to hell in a handbasket when we stopped keeping score in T-ball.”
POINTS OF INTEREST • Former president of OOBE, the Greenville-based apparel company. • Born and bred Greenvillian, Clemson graduate. • Is writing a book, currently titled “What Not To Do.” A collection of “crazy vignettes about what not to do.” And I decided, if it isn’t going to kill me, I’m going to try it. It changed my life. I believe you are well served by having a natural intellectual curiosity and interest in everything. Don’t say, “I don’t like those kind of people, I don’t like that kind of food, I don’t want to go to those kind of places.” The reason we don’t learn any faster than we do is that we stop things at the door and say, “I don’t like that.” You do not seem like a typical IT guy. Are you? I’m not an IT guy, I’m an industry specialist. We’re not selling technology; we’re selling business performance improvement. Technology just happens to be the tool. We have to express what we sell. Other people sell the technical gimmick of the week. We’re selling a new way of life. We have to do things that business executives care about: reducing risk, reducing cost, improving productivity.
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ONES TO WATCH: The judges could only choose a handful of winners from the more than 130 nominees for Who’s Who in 2015. Throughout the year, UBJ has been introducing you to a dozen more whose work is worth keeping an eye on.
Who inspired you? Several people had a big impact on me. But the three who shaped my career certainly didn’t know they had that impact on me. [An IBM manager] who made me do what I wouldn’t make myself do; Greenville’s R. Hunter Park, who knew how to push my buttons and get more out of me (even if it left me crying in a parking lot sometimes); and [one of my first IBM accounts] who could have had me fired, but used the moment to teach me instead. It changed my career. With so many interests, committees, organizations, speaking engagements and a demanding job, what keeps you going? Everything in life follows this pattern: Believe, think, do and teach. No battle plan survives unscathed first contact with the enemy. There’s a huge thirst out there for people to understand frameworks that can be successful in developing into an authentic person and then into an authentic leader. People are starting to say, “How do I do that?” There are models out there that you ought to learn. That’s what I’m passionate about.
“Your legacy of leadership is not what you do or accomplish, but what others become, do or accomplish as a result of any influence you might have in their lives.”
Photo by William Crooks
24 | WHO’S WHO: ONES TO WATCH |
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THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE
| NEW TO THE STREET | 25
Open for business 1
2
1. Sunbelt Transformer recently opened at 208 Old Fork Shoals Road, Greenville. The company provides new and reconditioned transformers and electrical equipment for commercial and industrial markets. For more information, visit sunbeltusa.com. CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon? Email information to lgood@communityjournals.com.
2. Carolina Active Health recently opened at 16 Mills Ave., Suite 3, Greenville. The chiropractic practice provides holistic and customized care for patients. For more information, visit carolinaactivehealth.com.
Business Home Auto Life Health
Patrick Rawlins, Tom Bates, Michael Herlong, and Curtis Taylor
864.527.0424 | www.HBBINS.com 28 Global Drive, Suite 102 Greenville, SC 29607
26 | ON THE MOVE |
UBJ
PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS
AWARDED
HIRED
HIRED
HIRED
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APPOINTED
Angelo Sinopoli
Brendan Gower
Jordan Truesdale
Karen Roughton
J. Richard Medlock Jr.
Named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of 100 Hospital and Health System CMOs to Know. Sinopoli is the VP of clinical integration and CMO for Greenville Health System. He also serves as president of the Care Coordination Institute and on the Guiding Committee for Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network.
Joins Cushman & Wakefield as director of property services at the firm’s Greenville office. Gower has over 11 years of experience in the real estate industry, as well as four years of sales experience and six years of management experience. He is also a member of the National Association of Realtors.
Named project manager with Triangle Construction. Truesdale has more than six years of experience in commercial health care construction and commercial electrical work. He is a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in construction science.
Joins Greer Community Ministries (GCM) as the Meals on Wheels coordinator. Roughton previously worked at GCM on a grant project for the Meals on Wheels program. She has experience in the banking industry working at Southern Bank of Greenville and has recently served on the board of Greer Relief and Resource Agency.
Named president and CEO of Greer Bancshares Inc. and its subsidiary Greer State Bank. Medlock will also serve as a member of the board of directors for both entities. He previously served as an internal auditor and CFO for 23 years with Greer State Bank and most recently as interim president and CEO.
COMMUNITY Clemson Eye hired Victoria Gaston as vision correction coordinator and added Shelly Ahmed to the provider’s medical aesthetics practice at its new
visual health and surgery center in Greenville. Gaston was previously a United Airlines flight attendant for 10 years. Ahmed is a licensed medical aesthetician and an active volunteer
with the Special Olympics. The City of Fountain Inn named Naomi Buckmire as the new city clerk. Buckmire will replace retiring city clerk
Sandra Woods after 30 years of service. Buckmire most recently served as accounting specialist with the city and is also a board member and treasur>> er for Little Steps of Greenville.
A co-work space should make a difference, not just a profit. We believe the greatest success stories—in business and in life— come from passion and diversity. We invite you to co-work with not-forprofits, for-profits and passionate local leaders and entrepreneurs who want to make a difference. If you’re interested, spaces are going fast. Visit textilehall.com today.
Village of West Greenville - Downtown 582 Perry Ave
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
RETIRing George Acker The VP of government and community relations for Duke Energy South Carolina will retire after 35 years of service. Acker has been with Duke since 1981 serving in several positions such as office manager and district manager throughout the Carolinas. He also serves as Duke’s lobbyist principal for the state and on the AnMed hospital board. He has been active in a number of organizations including chairing the Upstate SC Alliance and formerly chairing the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities and Greenville Chamber.
>> FINANCE Carolina Alliance Bank was named to the 2016 OTCQX Best 50. The OTCQX Best 50 is an annual ranking of the top 50 U.S. and international companies traded on the OTCQX market. Ranking is calculated based on an equal weighting of one-year total return and average daily dollar volume growth in the previous calendar year.
MARKETING/PR Infinity Marketing won three 2016 American Advertising awards from the Greenville chapter of the American Advertising Federation. Two Silver Awards were awarded to Infinity for
social media campaign and copywriting work with client Café Enterprises, and another Silver Award for the Infinity Marketing website.
NOW HIRING
REAL ESTATE Avison Young was selected by CoStar Group Inc. to receive a CoStar Power Broker Award as top sales firm for the Greenville/Spartanburg market. The annual award recognizes the “best of the best” in commercial real estate brokerage by highlighting the firms and individual brokers who closed the highest transaction volumes in commercial property sales or leases in 2015 within their respective markets.
CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions & award winners may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to onthemove@upstatebusinessjournal.com.
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COMMUNITY JOURNALS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
28 | THE FINE PRINT |
UBJ
BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS
Michelin launches tire for large harvesting equipment
Michelin North America, headquartered in Greenville, introduced the new M i c h e l i n VF520/85R42 CFO 177A8 CerexBib tire at the 2016 Commodity Classic. The Very High Flexion (VF) tires from Michelin Agricultural Tires include a class of agricultural tires designed to handle bigger and heavier farm equipment that has the ability to flex under increased loads than standard radials. Designed expressly for large combines and grain carts, the new CerexBib is one of the first VF tires for today’s heaviest harvesting equipment. “This new CerexBib offers a massive load capacity, up to 21,960 pounds, and has a giant footprint of approximately 486 square inches,” said James Crouch, Michelin farm segment marketing manager. “It is built with Michelin Ultraflex Technology, which enables tires to operate at up to 40 percent lower air pressure than standard radial tires. This results in a considerable reduction of ruts and compaction, and higher yield potential.” CerexBib is now available at Michelin AG tire dealers in the U.S. and Canada.
GHS recognized with national supply chain award
The Greenville Health System (GHS) supply chain management department is one of 12 in the U.S. being nationally recognized for demonstrating excellence in overall spending management and for adopting best practices in its processes, according to a release.
Congratulations to our award winners! Rising Star
Lindsey Myers McCallum Sweeny Consulting
Michelle Gaillard SunTrust Bank
Best Interiors Project
McMillan Pazdan Smith and CBI for Millennium Cancer Treatment Center, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System Leadership / Career Advancement for Women – Individual
Debbie McDonough Cherry Bekeart
Leadership / Career Advancement for Women – Company
McCallum Sweeney Consulting
www.crewupstate.org
2016 Awards WinnersUBJ Ad_031516.indd 1
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ECRI Institute is recognizing GHS as part of its fifth annual Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Awards. The nonprofit researches medical procedures, devices, drugs and processes that improve patient care. “It’s an honor to receive this recognition and a testament to how our supply chain team, nurses, physicians and other clinicians collaborate to reduce costs while ensuring the best quality of care for our patients,” said Chad Richard, GHS system director of procurement and strategic sourcing. The winning organizations were chosen out of almost 3,000 hospitals and health systems that participate in ECRI Institute’s PriceGuide and SELECTplus supply and capital procurement advisory programs. Each winner was recognized for a high level of dedication to improving health care quality and reducing costs by leveraging the full range of their ECRI Institute membership services.
Verizon launches distributor program with SYNNEX
Verizon Enterprise Solutions added a distributor program for the company’s enterprise technology services, including global networking and security business communications, IT solutions and managed services. SYNNEX Corporation, a technology solutions distributor, is the first value-added distributor to offer the new distribution model and will include Verizon’s Rapid Response Retainer in the portfolio of connectivity, security, cloud and collaboration services they provide their network of solution providers. Verizon is able to reach new customers through SYNNEX, and customers are able to access Verizon’s IT services while continuing to work with their IT services advisor. “We are focused on providing fast and efficient ways for customers to access our products and services, and expanding our global reach,” said Adam Famularo, VP of global channels for Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “SYNNEX was an ideal choice to be a Verizon value added distributor given their large network of partners and customers and our success working with them in the past.”
Performance Bicycle to open in Greenville
Significant Achievement
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Performance Bicycle, a cycling retailer, is expanding to South Carolina with the opening of its first store in the state at 535 Haywood Road, in the Gallery Shopping Center across the street from the Haywood Mall. Set to open in late spring/early summer, the new location will increase Performance’s national network to 106 stores and will serve the local community as a one-stop resource for cyclists, according to a release. The new Greenville location will carry more than 3,000 items and offer 24/7 access to a tool and inflation station outside the store. Performance Bicycle’s Spin Doctor Service and Repair department will offer cyclists professional services from minor repairs and installations, to complete overhauls. “We’re thrilled to open our first South Carolina store in Greenville,” said Chris London, Performance Bicycle’s community relations manager. “We look forward to becoming an integral and active member of the Greenville cycling community by helping and encouraging cyclists through our Great Ride Series group rides, and partnering with local clubs to grow the already vibrant cycling culture and get more people on bikes.”
03.18.2016
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upstatebusinessjournal.com
INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE
| SOCIAL SNAPSHOT | 29
COUNTYBANK FOUNDATION DONATES TO GHS CANCER INSTITUTE At an event in downtown Greenville hosted by Countybank’s family of companies, friends, families, cancer survivors and associates of GHS Cancer Institute gathered to celebrate progress toward integrated, cutting-edge cancer treatment in Greenville. The Countybank Foundation revealed an additional $15,000 donation for this year’s Dragon Boat Upstate Festival, the Institute’s primary fundraising event. Photos provided
CONTRIBUTE: Got high-resolution photos of your networking or social events? Send photos and information for consideration to events@ upstatebusinessjournal.com.
HEARING LOSS AND DEMENTIA It is affecting many of our family members.
Alisa S. McMahon MA, FAAA
Marcy W. Stowell MA, FAAA
Licensed Audiologist
Licensed Audiologist
Join us March 24 from 1:30 - 2:30 for this important discussion. Bring a friend or family member. Tanya Carter from the Alzheimer’s Assoc. Greenville office will be our guest speaker. RSVP 864-509-1152. Like us on
We offer financing thru Healthiplan and are accepting TruHearing clients. 12 Waite Street, Suite B-2, Greenville, SC 29607 • Phone 864-509-1152
864.509.1152 hearingsolutionsbymarcy.com HS-1-4p-ColorAd-Marcy/Alysa.indd 1
8/21/13 11:28 AM
30 | #TRENDING |
UBJ
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
OVERHEARD @ THE WATERCOOLER RE: RETAILERS SEE CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES FROM DOWNTOWN GROWTH
> Nicole Martin “I personally don’t care for the chain stores. I’d rather see more local small businesses...soon there will be no difference from us or another city. And places tripling their rent to move those that took a risk on downtown isn’t cool. Maybe I’m not seeing this the right way but to me downtown is losing part of the draw it once had on me.” > @Galley99 “#yeahTHATgreenville needs a @MoonPie General Store!”
RE: UNION PLANT TO HELP PRODUCE 5.6 MILLION POUNDS OF TEXTILES FOR MARRIOTT > @ashleyboncimino “First trip to Union, great to hear good news! .@ StandardTextile”
RE: FRONT ROW: GREENVILLE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD URBAN PANEL > Kari Edmunds “Yay! Perfect for my commute”
>> CONNECT WITH US We’re great at networking. LINKEDIN.COM/COMPANY/ UPSTATE-BUSINESS-JOURNAL FACEBOOK.COM/ THEUPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL @UPSTATEBIZ @ashleyboncimino
@theladylety
@SJackson_CJ
@jerrymsalley
@BenDavidJ
@clandrum
MARCH 4, 2016
JOE ERWIN’S NEXT ENDEAVOR + PLUS:
Progress report on
03.18.2016
BIZ BUZZ
Distilled commentary from UBJ readers
> John Boyanoski “I think it is better than the average Greenvillian realizes downtown. There is a mantra/mindset that it doesn’t exist, but look at the big anchors down there. Something is working.”
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From ad space to a office space: Creating on culture for creatives Main Street - pg. 3
e Initiative
Spartanburg's Northsid
| VOL. 5 ISSUE 10
DIGITAL FLIPBOOK ARCHIVE >> The layout of print meets the convenience of the web: flip through the digital edition of any of our print issues at >> upstatebusinessjournal. com/past-issues
>> WEIGH IN @ THE UBJ EXCHANGE Got something to offer? 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 eprice@communityjournals.com. > Tails on the Trail “We like gardens. We like community. We like this.”
The top 5 stories from the past week ranked by shareability score
>> 233 1. The West End’s next chapter
>> 180 2. Front row: Greenville Design Review Board Urban Panel
>> 176 3. One to Watch: Julie Godshall Brown
>> 175 4. The Iron Yard partners with the White House in Opportunity Project
>> 81 5. Clemson launches international exchange program to boost student career prospects
> Michael Badeaux’s Engineering Upstate Real Estate “Love new age thinking in my city of Greenville” > Mike Hart via upstatebusinessjournal.com “I noticed that one person in the meeting stated the overall height of the project at Camperdown is too massive? Greenville now has a metro population of nearly 900,000 people. It’s time we start to see the expansion of downtown, and buildings that support the cities growth….I personally think Greenville is over due for a building in the neighborhood of 30-35 floors.” > Galley via upstatebusinessjournal.com “I agree. They will soon be running out of prime real estate for such a development.”
RE: WE’VE GOT WALKERS > @MissingCogs “Just imagine how many more people could fit if they didn’t allow driving on downtown main street.”
RE: PURE BARRE OPENS FIRST INTERNATIONAL STUDIO IN CANADA > @Pure_Barre “@UpstateBiz thanks for the shout out. We are beyond excited about our first international studio!”
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAILS Follow up on the Upstate’s workweek in minutes. 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
ORDER A PRINT SUBSCRIPTION Style & substance are not mutually exclusive. Our print issues look great in waiting rooms, lobbies and on coffee tables (where they age well, too). Order a year of UBJ in no time, and we’ll deliver every week. >> upstatebusinessjournal.com/ subscribe
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03.18.2016
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EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR
| PLANNER | 31
DATE
EVENT INFO
WHERE DO I GO?
HOW DO I GO?
Saturday
The Citizens in Action Palmetto Panel 2016 Conference A citizen-led conference on important issues and upcoming legislation in the state
Madren Conference Center 230 Madren Center Drive, Clemson 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Cost: $45 Register: palmettopanel.com
Basic Small Business Start-up Workshop
NEXT Innovation Center 411 University Ridge, Greenville 6-8 p.m.
Cost: Free Register: piedmontscore.org/workshops/ register/240
Simpsonville Chamber Annual Banquet Keynote speaker: Elizabeth Davis, president of Furman University
Holly Tree Country Club 500 Golf Club Drive, Simpsonville 5:30-8 p.m.
Cost: $50 before March 7, $65 after March 7 Register: bit.ly/banquet-jan2016
Pulse Young Professionals Leadership Luncheon Learn about local government
Hilton Greenville 45 West Orchard Park, Greenville 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/pulselunch-march2016
UWIT March 2016 Luncheon: Fighting Back Against Fraud and Cybercrime
City Range 615 Haywood Road, Greenville 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $17.50 Register: uwitsc.com
Business Golf for Women Workshop Learn to develop networking skills using the game of golf
Commerce Club 55 Beattie Place, Greenville 8-10:30 a.m.
Cost: $39 More info: mongolf2013@gmail.com
3/19 Monday
3/21 Wednesday
3/23
Thursday
3/24
CONTRIBUTE: Got a hot date? Submit event information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com. ART & PRODUCTION
IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF UBJ? WANT A COPY FOR YOUR LOBBY?
ART DIRECTOR
APRIL 15 INVESTING 101 Funding and finance.
Whitney Fincannon 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
PHOTO COORDINATOR/LAYOUT PRESIDENT/CEO
Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com
UBJ PUBLISHER
Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com
STAFF WRITERS
Ashley Boncimino, Lety Good, Sherry Jackson, Benjamin Jeffers, Cindy Landrum
CONTRIBUTING WRITER Melinda Young
DIGITAL TEAM
jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years
1988
Holly Hardin
ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair, Michael Allen
1997 Jackson Dawson launches motorsports Division 1993
1990 Jackson Dawson acquires therapon marketing Group and moves to Piedmont office Center on Villa.
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with a majority of them utilizing the general aviation airport as a “corporate gateway to the city.” In 1997, Jackson and his son, Darrell, launched Jackson Motorsports Group. The new division was designed to sell race tires and go to racetracks to sell and mount the tires. Darrell Jackson now serves as president of the motorsports group and Larry Jackson has two other children and a son-in-law who work there. Jackson said all his children started at the bottom and “earned their way up.” Jackson kept the Jackson-Dawson branches in Detroit and others in Los Angeles and New York until he sold his portion of that partnership in 2009 as part of his estate planning. The company now operates a small office in Charlotte, but its main headquarters are in Greenville in a large office space off Woodruff Road, complete with a vision gallery that displays local artwork and an auditorium Jackson makes available for non-profit use. The Motorsports Group is housed in an additional 26,000 square feet building just down the street, and the agency is currently looking for another 20,000 square feet. Jackson said JMG has expanded into other verticals such as financial, healthcare, manufacturing and pro-bono work, but still has a strong focus on the auto industry and transportation. It’s
OPERATIONS 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
APRIL 29 WHO’S WHO Meet the latest class of game-changers in the Upstate.
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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