April 15, 2016 UBJ

APRIL 15, 2016 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 16

WHAT’S YOUR BACKUP PLAN? How much would eight hours of downtime cost your business?

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Rocky Creek Vet

The Upstate of South Carolina is a beautiful area home to many businesses. It is also home to severe thunderstorms in the summer and ice storms in the winter. As the weather warms up, as memories of recent winter storms melt away, it’s tempting to forget the cold, hard dread that the lights might Scott Kelly go out.

President Carolina Heating Service Most of the Upstate felt Serving Greenville the effects since 1981 of no power due to ice and wind.

But the potential for storm related power outages is a year-round sleeping trigger. While you cannot prevent power outages, you can prepare for them. As a business owner I know just how important having power is to stay profitable and keep that competitive edge, so do the folks at Rocky Creek Vet here in the Upstate. After losing power for nearly 18 hours caused by a car that had crashed into a utility pole several blocks away, they quickly learned they needed backup power ASAP. Virtually every function of their business is dependent in some way on a power source. From the call takers to the employee access to web tools, from the kennel housing that needs lighting and Air Conditioning and the power to sustain surgical procedures, everything needs power.

In a competitive world, assuring their clients continued convenient service provides Rocky Creek Vet an advantage over many of their competitors who would be at the mercy of their local power grid. Any loss of power takes them out of communication with their clients and their employees. And power is needed to keep computer servers up and running. As peace of mind Carolina Generators installed an 80KW Generac Generator on location. And Rocky Creek Vet plans to install generators at any future locations.

Power your peace of mind by installing an emergency generator.

Contact Carolina Generators today.

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04.15.2016

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| DIVERSITY / STARTUP | 3

Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator makes an impact ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com Selling people on the value of diversity isn’t hard, says Toby Stansell, business leader with the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. The challenge is getting them to do something about it.

That’s why, he says, he and other Greenville leaders launched the Minority Business Accelerator program through the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, aimed at supporting the growth, development and capacity of minority-owned enterprises in the region.

Two years and two cohorts later, the program is still going strong, bringing in $3.4 million in additional contract opportunities and creating 67 jobs in the last year alone. Part of that is due to an in-depth business assessment and action plan that would help any type of small business, says program participant James Jordan, president of Jordan Construction Co. in Greenville. Another part relied heavily on getting to know people, and letting them get to know you.

“Our business is really built on relationships. ... Construction companies, for the most part, can be very similar,” says Jordan, who moved to Greenville around 2012 from Atlanta.

Jordan says it took more than a year to build the right relationships in the area. A chance introduction to Greenville businessman Rich Hagins, an MBA mentor, led him to the program.

“Contracting officers just want to do business with known entities,” Jordan says. “Their workflow is just so heavy that it’s hard to break in.”

There are a number of reasons minority-owned businesses face different, hard-to-overcome challenges when it comes to thriving in local communities, says David Willis, a Charlotte area consultant brought in by the Greenville chamber to develop and implement the MBA program. While African-Americans make up a large percentage of the minority population around Greenville, they own a much smaller percentage of businesses than other minorities, he says.

“They’re not on par with their population share,” says Willis. “We want Greenville to be a colorful place, and include different thoughts and ideas. … This is a model to embrace because these populations are global.”

The chamber’s program is one of only a few in the country, says Greenville Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Nika White. Other programs include a minority business accelerator in Cincinnati, a similar program in Philadelphia and another example in Charlotte, but no one program will fit every community, she says. White, who joined the chamber in 2012, says the challenges facing majority-owned businesses come down to momentum and access.

“Many of these entrepreneurs have not had the same opportunities to see

The Minority Business Accelerator’s Q1 Leadership Session took place at Greenville Technical College.

Stacy Smith, Smit’n Photography

“We’re trying to create an open door of access so that at some point, it doesn’t matter who is at the table.”

David Willis, consultant for the Minority Business Accelerator what are sound business practices,” she says. “A lot of these minority business owners are first-generation entrepreneurs.”

Corporations and federal agencies have played a big part in supporting minority-owned enterprises, says Willis, but not through straight subsidies or unfair competition. Spend goals, he says, are meant to encourage decision-makers to seek out minority-owned businesses that might be

under their radar, but can be as qualified as others in the bidding pool.

“We’re trying to create an open door of access so that at some point, it doesn’t matter who is at the table,” he says. “If I’m sitting in front of someone that’s open, and has their business ears on … I better be able to communicate my value proposition.”

One challenge Hagins faced while starting his business in the early 2000s was finding a bank for a particularly large contract of his.

“Getting bankers to believe that the risk was worth it, and not knowing a lot of people, it was very difficult to get cover for a job that could transform my business,” said Hagins. “I think a lot of companies have challenges with that today.”

Startup aims to educate global packaging industry ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com You might not realize it, but if there’s one thing our consumer-driven economy will always need, says Greenville entrepreneur Andrew Hurley, it’s packaging.

At $500 billion a year, the global packaging industry is one of the world’s largest, he says – and yet very few in its workforce hold formal degrees in the complex subject.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

With only a handful of formal education programs available, Hurley and his team are building another option from downtown Greenville:

The Packaging School, an online education platform based on hundreds of short videos, quizzes and modules. The idea is to provide helpful, applicable skills and information based on the specific level and need of each student, he says.

“Even the best packaging companies only have a handful of people with degrees in packaging,” says Drew Felty, co-founder of the school and CEO and co-founder of Greenville consulting firm Package InSight.

Rather than have packaging professionals earn an entire degree, he says, they can brush up on topics and STARTUP continued on PAGE 6

Andrew Hurley films a class for The Packaging School.

4 | THE RUNDOWN |

UBJ

TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK

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04.15.2016

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 16 Featured this issue: Iron Yard: Viva Las Vegas...................................................... 9 First Look: Sidewall Pizza’s new Greenville digs........10 Recap: April Greenville DRB meeting......................... 18

This week, the sixth concept car in CU-ICAR’s Deep Orange series was unveiled at the Society for Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit. The all-electric uBox was designed for the young car buyers of “Generation Z,” with features like a versatile interior that can be rearranged for various activities, and design elements that can be customized and made on 3-D printers. The “urban utility, activity concept vehicle” may reach the market by 2020. Get up close with the uBox at cuicardeeporange.com.

WORTH REPEATING

TBA

“So as an organization, we’ve gone from everybody’s wearing 10 hats to – well, everybody’s probably still wearing nine hats.” Page 8

Lidl, a Germanybased global discount supermarket chain, is getting ready to enter the Upstate market.

Several properties have been purchased, including the latest in Spartanburg at 2200 E. Main St. and 8081 Warren H. Abernathy Blvd.

“We have hospitality in our DNA. We’re looking for people who have that same gene.” Page 15 “The last thing we want to see as people come into downtown is the back of a building.” Page 18

VERBATIM

On the “Bathroom Bill” “This legislation simply opens a contentious debate on a problem we do not have here in our state.”

Carlos Phillips, president and CEO of the Greenville Chamber, on state Sen. Lee Bright’s proposed bill (S. 1203) which would assign the use of bathrooms based on “biological sex” instead of gender identification. A similar law has caused controversy in North Carolina.

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STARTUP continued from PAGE 3

Building a Strong Foundation for Growth in Real Estate & Construction

acquire new skills at their own pace, according to what they want to learn.

“This curriculum is more holistic and has something to offer for everybody,” Felty says.

And packaging professionals are hungry for this kind of education, says the program’s director, Sara Shumpert. The group contacted 600 packaging professionals worldwide and found some were interested in everything from going through the course themselves to requesting a custom training for the rest of their employees, she said.

“We build on topics, but all of these can be consumed on their own,” she said. “We want to build what people want … and what is actually applicable to their daily life that can make their job better.”

They plan to launch the first certificate course on May 1, which will cover 12 different topics, each with between 50 to 100 short learning videos. The certificate will be licensed through Clemson University’s packaging program, and start out at $2,950. Students can go through courses at their own pace, but have the option of contacting instructors, participating on leaderboards and earning badges, among other engagement tools.

After launching the first certificate course, The Packaging School plans

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04.15.2016

THE PACKAGING CERTIFICATE COURSES Packaging Foundations Paperboard Cartons Corrugated Containers Glass Packaging Metal Packaging Polymers in Packaging Packaging Machinery Package Printing Package Distribution Packaging Regulations Sustainable Packaging Design Strategy to add courses, modules and options for different industries, levels and settings. The key, says Hurley, is providing a tool that not only elevates students’ knowledge of the industry, but begins to build a common core language around the often-nebulous packaging industry.

“It’s very different when you’re educating working professionals versus students,” he says. “I’ve been trying to do this at Clemson for over five years.”

Hurley, Shumpert and Felty currently operate in downtown Greenville’s West End, where they will continue to develop content and record modules for the school.

Tucanos Brazilian Grill opening on Woodruff Road

Greenville 201 West McBee Ave. Suite 200 Greenville, SC 29601 864.233.3981 cbh.com

Atlanta | Charlotte | Greenville | Hampton Roads | Miami Raleigh-Durham | Richmond | Tampa | Washington D.C.

UPDATE

Find out how we can be your guide forward

Tucanos Brazilian Grill, a churrascostyle eatery, will open its first South Carolina location April 28 at Magnolia Park on Woodruff Road. The new restaurant will be in front of the Regal Cinemas.

In Brazilian BBQ, servers bring a parade of flame-grilled, seasoned meats, vegetables and fresh pineapple to the table, slicing portions off skewers directly onto the guest’s plate.

In addition to grilled items, Tucanos offers a salad bar, featuring 70 Brazilian and American specialties, including fresh tropical fruits, gourmet salads, lobster bisque, stroganoff, feijoada (a traditional black bean stew) and new Brazilian features each month.

For more information, visit tucanos.com/greenville or facebook.com/TucanosGreenville.

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‘Lots of things in the works’ for Iron Yard Peter Barth talks about expansion plans here and abroad ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com Nearly five years ago, entrepreneur Peter Barth helped launch an accelerator program to grow and support startups from Greenville.

Today, Barth’s separate but related company The Iron Yard has graduated thousands of software engineers, operates 22 campuses and has plans for more.

Upstate Business Journal caught Barth at The Iron Yard headquarters downtown to take a look back and ahead.

How many locations do you have in the works at any one time?

Oh, very few. … We’re on pace of something like 10 to 12 a year, but we’re probably working on 10 new cities in regulatory [department] right now. We’ve grown up in the last year, so we’ve got a formalized regulatory department that works on approvals, and then we’ve got a formalized real

estate team for new market assessments and a data research team that does new market research. There’s lots of things in the works.

Growing up – what does that mean to you?

A year ago, there was very little corporate overhead. Basically, all the employees were at a campus. I did a lot of the functional roles directly, and Eric did the rest of them. At this point, we’ve brought in a CFO and COO. We’ve got a finance team. We’ve got a regulatory team. We’ve got a real estate team, and we’ve got someone dedicated to PR, we’ve got somebody dedicated to social media. So as an organization, we’ve gone from everybody’s wearing 10 hats to – well, everybody’s probably still wearing nine hats, but – there’s a lot more bodies who have dedicated responsible areas.

I don’t think we’re a big-boy company yet, but yes, we’ve definitely gone through that transition from

those 10 people that do a little bit of everything to very specific areas.

You made your first international moves last year with London – what’s next?

International is really in the stage of due diligence, so there’s nothing immediately in the works internationally. It’s a much longer lead time in terms of what it looks like in that country, legally, regulatory, business wise. … I’ve had conversations about South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. We’ve looked in Australia.

For the most part, we’ve looked globally. I mean, we’re not looking to go into China or any of those places, but we’ve talked about doing business in most of the big cities in the world.

How has the coding education industry changed since you started?

There’s a lot of code schools, so there’s a lot of noise around the space.

I would still say, though, our compe-

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04.15.2016

tition is not really other code schools.

The typical student is looking at really doing nothing, or going into traditional education. In cities like New York or Austin where there’s 10 code schools, they might be comparing them, but in most of our cities we’re the only code school, or there might be one or two small ones.

This is one of the reasons we’re in places like Cincinnati and Minneapolis. Obviously there’s a huge number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in those kinds of cities, but they don’t have the same kind of talent volume hat you’d see in New York or San Francisco.

Demand for developers is still on the rise. What does that mean for your graduates?

I think companies are becoming more receptive. They’re more willing to go out on a limb and take a risk because there’s more demand. I mean, we’ve talked to employers where they say the average is 93 days to fill an open position for a developer, which is a long time if you need help. That kind of need. You see it more in markets where we are where >>

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CURRENT IRON YARD CITIES Atlanta – Downtown Atlanta – Perimeter

| ENTREPRENEUR | 9

Iron Yard Ventures launches Vegas hospitality accelerator

Austin Charleston

>>

they’re not necessarily tech hubs.

There is a longer process. They’re recruiting them across country to come into the community. As a necessity, they have to look at other options.

Do you have any plans to relocate in the foreseeable future?

No, I’m here long-term. I have five kids in the school system. And we’re a distributed company already, so when you look at us, Greenville is headquarters. I’m here, Eric is here, Mason is here. But human resources is in Raleigh, and our COO is in Kansas City, and our CFO is in Chicago.

Stacy’s in D.C.. Our team is very distributed. We’re all over the place in that regard, so it’s not a centralized hub that would ever pick up and move someplace.

ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

Charlotte

aboncimino@communityjournals.com

Cincinnati

Greenville-based Iron Yard

Columbia

Ventures will debut its Las Vegas accelerator this fall, focusing on the hospitality industry with a topsy-turvy model aimed at explosive growth in one of the country’s largest cities.

The three-month program will pair traditional accelerator elements with front-end research that could boost participant results in a real way, says recently-hired managing director Ryan Negri. The key, he says, is figuring out what companies want on the front end and building solutions, not vice versa.

“It’s a different model, and I think this will yield more successes,” says Negri, who will develop the program and build investor and industry partnerships leading up to the October launch. “We will have an immediate path for almost everything that we bring in.”

Founded in 2012, Iron Yard Ventures started with a Greenville-based education technology accelerator, followed by a digital health accelerator in Spartanburg and a life sciences accelerator, HubX, in Arkansas. The company shuttered its Spartanburg accelerator this year, and is no longer accepting applications for its first two projects. The company helped launch companies such as Chartspan, Moon Clerk, RidePost, Resiliency Technologies and Recovr, among others.

Negri plans to include eight to 10 companies within the first cohort, each of which will get between $25,000 and $50,000 in seed funding, intense mentorship and working space. Iron Yard Ventures will hold six to 10 percent equity in each company, but he aims to expedite additional investments and contracts by the end of the program. Las Vegas Hospitality Accelerator will be located in downtown Las Vegas, which is similar to Greenville when it comes to cost of living.

Applicants can be entrepreneurs with existing ideas to individuals who want to be a part of a burgeoning company, Negri said. The idea is to take existing industry pain points and build solutions that can get immediate traction.

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“Finding the needs is not a problem, because this space is wide open… You go into any lobby and ask, ‘Why is there not a mobile check-in?’” he says.

“There’s gaps everywhere in hospitality and food and gaming, so there’s not a shortage of pain points or ideas, but there’s a shortage of integration.”

Hospitality companies have generally struggled to innovate internally, says Negri, putting together teams that come up with great products that can take too long to implement.

By the time they reach consumers, they’re obsolete.

“I think they’re thinking too big.

They’re thinking as a corporation rather than a startup, ad that’s why that’s so much of a need here,” he says.

“We can actually form a team around them that can start working right away… and produce things at a rapid pace.”

Applications are due Sept. 1. Negri plans to hire on a program manager to build the program.

“This is an exciting new phase for Iron Yard Ventures as this is our first full Iron Yard Ventures Accelerator program in a city with an already established Iron Yard Academy,” according to an Iron Yard Ventures announcement. “We are excited to be working with local startups and entrepreneurs as well as some of the largest companies working to transform the hospitality and gaming industry in the heart of Las Vegas.”

Iron Yard Ventures has invested in more than 50 early-stage technology companies that have raised more than $70 million in follow-up capital, according to the company. It spun out of Greenville-based The Iron Yard, an international coding school with 22 campuses that attracted investment from University of Phoenix owner Apollo Education Group.

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04.15.2016

Sidewall enters Greenville with makeover of Savoury Corner

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29601

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864.561.4031

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info@parkplaceonhudson.com

Chu rch

St

Cleveland St

Beech Company Development

McDaniel A ve

www.parkplaceonhudson.com

elers Rest eatery known for its eclectic pizzas and unique homemade ice cream flavors, had a soft opening this week at its new Greenville location.

Located at 99 Cleveland St. where the former Savoury Corner sandwich shop served up lunch for more than 30 years, the space looks completely different now. Three roll-up doors, a bar that opens to the outside, a large outdoor patio and a bright, cheery décor are awaiting patrons in the 1,800-square-foot space, which was once a service station. A bike rack will

Greenville, SC

Sidewall Pizza, a popular Trav-

be added soon for those stopping off on the nearby Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Andy O’Mara, who owns Sidewall Pizza along with Loren Frant, said the second location will open slowly, similar to the way they opened in Travelers Rest. Hours will be limited and increase as staff gets in place.

Eventually the Greenville location will be open for lunch and dinner. For the lunch crowd, O’Mara said they plan to add some sandwich items to their menu.

O’Mara suggests checking the restaurant’s Facebook page (facebook. com/sidewallpizza) or website (sidewallpizza.com) for updated hours.

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sjackson@communityjournals.com

104 S. Hudson Street

SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

Cleveland Park

University Ridge

Sirrine Stadium

xperience in old Greenville.

rience in Greenville’s coveted West End District? A place at once steeped in the

thoroughly forward-thinking in its conception and vision for the future. A place

s storied downtown setting, and also points the way to a dynamic, one-of-kind-

best of both worlds: a rich heritage and a modern living experience, all bound

igned, original townhomes.

A new living experience in old Greenville.

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www.parkplaceonhudson.com 104 S. Hudson Street | Greenville, SC | 29601 864.561.4031 | info@parkplaceonhudson.com

What if there was a vibrant, new living experience in Greenville’s coveted West End District? A place at once steeped in the history and charm of old Greenville, and yet thoroughly forward-thinking its conception and vision for the future. A place that celebrates all that has come before in this storied downtown setting, and also points the way to a dynamic, one-of-a-kind-lifestyle that’s altogether unique.

This is the best of both worlds: a rich heritage and a modern living experience, all bound together by a collection of 24 thoughtfully designed, original townhomes.

Renderings and Plans presented are illustrative and shall be used for general information purposes only. Actual layout, room dimensions, window sizes and locations and steps to grade vary per plan and are subject to modification without notice.

04.15.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

New build-your-own-pizza concept coming to Clemson

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

| RESTAURANTS | 11

MBAe ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION

One year of transformation SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

sjackson@communityjournals.com Your Pie, a new build-yourown pizza franchise, is slated to open in Clemson on April 22 at 111 Earle St. Local franchisees Doug and Denise Zirbel looked at several other pizza concepts before settling in on the Your Pie restaurant.

“Fast-casual is growing at a very rapid rate, and the pizza portion is the fastest-growing segment,” said Doug Zirbel.

Proximity to the company’s headquarters in Athens, Ga., and a visit to several locations convinced the Zirbels to take the leap.

High-quality ingredients and the ability to get something fresh and fast is what sets Your Pie apart from other pizza chains, said Zirbel. Patrons will love the ability to customize their pizza with white, wheat or gluten-free dough, a variety of different sauces and more than 40 toppings, he said.

Paninis, salads, gelato and 10 craft beers on tap will also be available. The restaurant will be able to seat 87 diners inside and another 18 or so on the outdoor patio. Big-screen

TV’s throughout the restaurant will feature Clemson games.

Clemson was the perfect place for the Zirbels’ first location. They live in nearby Seneca and believe the “downthe-line brick oven pizza” will go over well on the college campus. The couple has plans to expand across the Upstate with at least three to five restaurants.

Grand opening activities on April 22 will include free pizza to the first 100 guests, pizzas priced at $3.14 (pi) and giveaways, including free pizza for life.

The existing Your Pie location on Woodruff Road in Greenville is owned by a separate franchisee.

Your Pie Clemson, just a half block off College Avenue, will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. For more information, visit yourpie.com.

The Full-Time Clemson MBAe is designed for individuals who want to launch a startup, owners of existing small businesses seeking to expand their entrepreneurial knowledge and recent graduates who have decided not to pursue careers in corporate settings. APPLY NOW FOR 2016!

www.clemson.edu/mba

12 | FUNDING |

UBJ

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

04.15.2016

Seed fund brings road show to Greenville

HOME

VACATION

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Small Business Innovation Research program takes outreach cross-country

RECREATIONAL

ASHLEY BONCIMINO | STAFF

aboncimino@communityjournals.com “America’s largest seed fund”

AUTO

WEDDING

BABY

MEDICAL

DEBT CONSOLIDATION

is on an 18-state campaign tour, and plans to stop in Greenville this month to connect local entrepreneurs, researchers and small businesses with potential funding.

The campaign is a national outreach effort by two government programs, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology and Transfer (STTR) programs. Together, the two make up “America’s largest seed fund,” according to the campaign, and provide access to $2.5 billion in seed capital each year.

The combined fund has awarded more than $40 billion in total to ameliorate risk and commercialize technologies for firms such as Qualcomm, iRobot, Symantec and Genzyme.

The road tour will stop at CU-ICAR’s campus on Friday, April 22, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees can meet with the managers of 11 funding agencies, including the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, among others.

ENGAGE APR

Greer State Bank offers competitive rates and terms on a variety of consumer loan options. Give us a call, or stop by your local branch to find out how we can best meet your financial needs.

22

SBIR Road Tour

When: Friday, April 22, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Where: CU-ICAR Campbell Center AT&T Auditorium Who: Entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers and small technology business owners Why: Learn about seed capital opportunities for technology development sbirroadtour.com

04.15.2016

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

upstatebusinessjournal.com

Hub City Co-op opens doors

| RETAIL | 13

PETER MILLAR TRUNK SHOW Friday, April 15 Saturday, April 16

After years of planning, Hub City Co-op will open its doors Friday, making it the first consumer retail food cooperative in the state.

The full-service retail grocery store will sell local produce, dairy, refrigerated items, beer, wine and other products from its location at 176 N. Liberty St., a historic 1940s building

in downtown Spartanburg.

The $2.7 million project is funded by around 1,400 co-op owners; more than 140 individual investors and donors; a matching loan and grant from the City of Spartanburg; and a loan from the North Country Cooperative Development Fund.

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14 | RETAIL |

UBJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

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04.15.2016

National retailer opens Lou Lou Boutique downtown LETY GOOD | STAFF

lgood@communityjournals.com Virginia-based Lou Lou Boutique recently opened a new shop at 201 North Main St., Greenville. The 1,828-square-foot location is part of the former Ayers Leather space. The company now has 27 stores nationwide with plans to open additional locations in South Carolina.

The independent retailer offers jewelry, handbags, scarves, hats and sunglasses, as well as a range of gifts and three signature lines exclusive to Lou Lou: TDW, Kiki in Paris and LOU, a new men’s line, developed by owners Ben and Tara Wegdam, that features accessories and lifestyle items.

“We choose items so women can access trends and create the same look they see in high fashion photos, but for a fraction of the cost of designer pieces,” Tara Wegdam said. “Lou Lou simply offers customers more options to create the look.”

Each year, Lou Lou Boutique supports a charity by donating a portion of its proceeds from all stores on Lou Lou day, an annual charitable event. For the past two years, the recipient has been Dress for Success, with Lou Lou donating more than $25,000 toward job training, mentoring and outfitting women getting back into the workforce.

For more information, visit loulouboutiques.com.

Lou Lou Boutique offers exclusive accessories for women and men in its new location on Main Street.

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04.15.2016

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

upstatebusinessjournal.com

| FIRST LOOK | 15

Everything about Kitchen Sync is green, responsible, sustainable

Kitchen Sync will feature an open-air dining room with front roll-up garage doors, an indoor bar, a community table with views into the kitchen and a large outdoor patio in the rear.

“It has all of the components for a great neighborhood place,” said Kevin.

The restaurant will specialize in local, sustainable farm-to-table fare in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere and feature menu items such as pizza, burgers, sandwiches, salads and an “eclectic small plate list.” Menu items are expected to change frequently as local foods are in season and will

SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

sjackson@communityjournals.com As construction continues, UBJ got a sneak peek at what the owners hope can become Greenville’s first green-certified restaurant. Located at 1609 Laurens Road near South Pleasantburg Drive, Kitchen Sync is a locally owned, full-service neighborhood grill and pizzeria opening in mid-to-late May. It’s a “soulful” restaurant and family endeavor, co-owned by longtime Greenvillian Kevin Feeny; his sister, head chef Karin Feeny; and her husband, John Farrell.

The Feenys grew up in nearby Gower Estates, and Kevin Feeny held his first job at local pizza chain Frodo’s Pizza.

All three co-owners have had careers in the restaurant and food service industries and a variety of experiences including gourmet catering, fine dining, fast-casual dining, personal chef, and Culinary Institute of America graduate. In addition, Farrell and Karin Feeny have 15 years of combined work experience at Whole Foods.

The three wanted to put those skills T H E and experience to work in a sustaina t S i ably responsible way. The idea has been in the works for years.

“We’ve taken it from a back-of-thenapkin concept to neighborhood reality,” said Kevin.

The 4,000-square foot freestanding restaurant, home to the Coble Dairy T HH EE creamery 80 years ago, has undergone extensive renovations. Reclaimed and repurposed items make up the restau-

feature dishes drawn from the owners’ collective life experiences in South Carolina, California and New York.

Craft beers will be sold in cans since glass is no longer recyclable in the city.

Kitchen Sync is hiring now for about 30 front- and back-of-the-house positions for service-minded people.

“We have hospitality in our DNA,” said Kevin. “We’re looking for people who have that same gene.”

Kitchen Sync will be open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.

For more information, visit kitchensyncgreenville.com.

Simpsonville’s Best Kept Secret

Kevin Feeny, Karin Feeny and John Farrell at the bar in their new restaurant, Kitchen Sync.

rants urban-chic décor: brick from a South Carolina mill, repurposed barn T H E S PRI N G S NEW Independent Living Cottages wood on a bar top designed by local S i m p s o n v i l l e • Reasonable monthly rates artists, and concrete and beams from a t a t S i m p s o n v i l l e • No large upfront entrance fee the original building. Two large storage T H E S PRI N G S • Spacious, open-concept apartment containers were also repurposed and T H E S PRI N G S homes with a variety of floor plans built into the restaurant to provide a t S i m p s o n v i l l e • Inviting kitchens with modern additional storage space. appliances In keeping with the low-impact, • Outdoor spaces with pond views responsible theme, booths were T HH EE SSP PR RI IN NG SG S • 24-hour monitored emergency S PT RHI EN GSS R I N Goodwill G S purchased from aPnearby response system and m p chairs sa ot n from Sv i i m l alpHabitat e s o n vfor i Humanl l e • 3 Chef-prepared meals in our G S T HHT EHHEEE SSSSP PPR RPI RIN RNGI SGINS N G S ity store. Some of the kitchen equipgracious dining room ment and plates came from the • Scheduled local transportation Greenville Country Club, which is • Weekly housekeeping and linen service undergoing renovations. Garden areas in the rear will handle rainwater, • Library and activities area appliances are Energy Star-rated when • Day spa with hair styling, I EEN GSPSPR RI N I N G S SSP PT R RIHHN G S G S manicure and pedicure stations possible, and a portion of the restauwww.thespringsatsimpsonville.com • Exercise classes daily rant’s energy needs will come from rooftop solar panels.

864-962-8570 214 East Curtis Road, Simpsonville, SC 29681

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A TRIBUTE TO OUR LONG-LASTING ENTERPRISES

UBJ

|

04.15.2016

‘The jewelry business is a people business’ Hale’s Jewelers has been on the cutting edge of the gem trade for 160 years SCOTT PFEIFFER | CONTRIBUTOR

Lucian Lee, owner of Hale’s Jewelers, is a man who loves his job. You can see it in his eyes when he talks about falling in love with the beauty of the gemstones he sells. You can hear it in his voice when he describes his visit to London and the De Beers sorting house. Most of all, though, you can feel it when he describes his customers, and the privilege of being a part of their celebrations.

“The jewelry business is a people business,” Lee says.

“Here, we get to participate in our customer’s joy.”

Early days Hale’s Jewelers wasn’t Hale’s yet when James Hunter Randolph opened a small shop on Main Street in Greenville in 1856. Greenville itself was only 25 years old that year, having been renamed Greenville (after Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Greene) in 1831. Vardry McBee, the “Father of Greenville,” was still alive, and was in the process of creating the city. The town’s first railroad, the Greenville and Columbia, had just been funded. Randolph opened his watch and jewelry shop in a Greenville that was brand new.

Growing with Greenville: A Timeline

1856

James Hunter Randolph opens a store engraving and selling watches and fine jewelry in a wooden structure on Main Street.

1887

Randolph’s grandson, William Randolph Hale, takes over the family business, renaming it Hale’s Jewelers.

1910

William Randolph Hale Jr. installs the famous Hale’s Clock, a community timepiece and landmark which served as the standard time for the residents of Greenville.

It wasn’t until after the Civil War that the jewelry shop changed its name to Hale’s.

Randolph’s grandson, William Randolph Hale, took over the business in 1887 and renamed it after himself. The business prospered as Greenville prospered. Greenville had been spared most of the devastation of the war, and grew rapidly in the years that followed.

In 1910, William Randolph Hale Jr. installed the famous Hale’s Clock – a Greenville landmark for the new century.

The new clock was on the cutting >>

1923

Hale sells the business to Hewlett Sullivan Sr., who later opens a new store at 12 S. Main St.

04.15.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

A TRIBUTE TO OUR LONG-LASTING ENTERPRISES

| MILESTONE | 17

Lucian Lee, current owner of Hale’s.

Carol B. Stewart

>> edge, like the new Greenville. The clock was so accurate even the railroads were said to set their watches by it. The clock, which now runs on electricity instead of hand-winding, now sits in front of Hale’s store on Haywood Road.

Surviving tough times World War I and the 1920s roared in Greenville.

The Army came to town for training and the Poinsett Hotel opened. Hale’s grew as well. In 1923, the Hales sold the thriving store on Main Street to Hewlett Sullivan Jr., who moved it to a new, larger location on Main Street. In the early 1940s, Hales began importing watches from an as-yet-unknown Swiss watchmaker, Rolex. Not only did Sullivan’s leadership allow Hale’s to survive the market crash and the Great Depression, the business grew and thrived in the postwar economy.

Sullivan’s sons Heyward and Hewlett took over the business in the 1960s, and Hale’s continued to grow along with Greenville. Cities in America were becoming more suburban, and Hale’s followed Greenville’s growth, first to McAlister Square Mall in 1969 and later to Haywood Road, near Haywood Mall, in 1982, where it remains today.

In 1973, a young Clemson graduate named Lucian Lee came into Hale’s to buy an engagement ring. As

1940s

Sullivan begins importing watches from Europe, making Hale’s Jewelers one of the first businesses in the entire U.S. to offer the Swiss watches that would soon come to dominate the market.

he puts it, he left with a ring and a job, which became a career.

“The Sullivans were great teachers,” Lee remembers. “They taught me that integrity is everything.

You have to build trust with your customers, and that takes time.”

Lee understood that lesson and in 2000, the Sullivans trusted Lee enough to sell him the business.

Changes with a conscience The 2000s brought a new kind of customer to the jewelry business. The Internet and the 24-hour news cycle created informed, socially conscious customers.

The new customer demands not only low prices, but to know that their money isn’t going to fund war, exploitation or environmental damage.

In 1999, a UN investigation revealed that Jonas Savimbi and his UNITA movement were using uncut diamonds to purchase weapons. Further investigations revealed the use of “conflict diamonds” to fund revolutions and civil unrest throughout Africa. In response, the diamond industry worked with the UN to make changes in how it bought and sourced diamonds.

Consumer concerns over fair trade with local businesses, reinvestment in diamond-producing third-world nations and environmental concerns

1962

Hewlett’s sons, Heyward and Hewlett Jr., take over the business after their father’s death. Responding to increasing suburbanization in Greenville, they soon open a second location at the McAlister Square Mall.

1982

over diamond and gemstone mining practices led to changes in industry practice.

In response to these pressures, De Beers created the Forevermark program, which provides costumers with assurances that the diamonds they select are not only conflict-free, but also that they come from mines that benefit the people, community and country where they are located.

When Lee learned about the Forevermark program, he jumped at the opportunity to become the exclusive dealer in Greenville.

“When you make a promise to your customers that you follow ethical business practices, you have to take the time to back that up,” Lee says. “Our customers trust us, so we look for partners we can trust.”

Lee says the Forevermark program is just a step on the way to a future where each customer will be able to track their diamond’s history from the mine to the cutter to the store, and see each step along the way. It’s the cutting edge of business, where Hale’s has been for 160 years. And where it is likely to stay.

“Hale’s became successful by being a part of the community,” Lee says, “and Greenville is a great community to be a part of.”

Hale’s moves to its present day location; a free-standing location on Haywood Road.

2000

Lucian Lee buys Hale’s from the Sullivan family. An employee of the business for 27 years, Lucian walked in to Hale’s in 1973 to buy a ring, walked out with a job to help pay for his purchase, and hasn’t left since.

18 | SQUARE FEET |

SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF

FRONT ROW

UBJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION

sjackson@communityjournals.com |

|

04.15.2016

@SJackson_CJ

Greenville Design Review Board Urban Panel, April meeting

New renderings of the proposed Northpointe mixed-use project at Stone Avenue and Wade Hampton Boulevard were reviewed at the April DRB meeting.

Only one item was on the regular agenda for the April Design Review Board Meeting-Urban Panel. But the board also reviewed two informal items – including a plan to combine streetlights with cell towers downtown.

SIGN EXCEPTION AT DUVALL DRIVE This application is to install a 20-foot pylon sign with a 48-square-foot sign face at 107 Duvall Dr. Sonic Automotive plans to redevelop the former Greenville motel site adjacent to I-85 and is looking for a larger sign than is allowed in the sign ordinance.

The applicant said the sign would be “more of a monument-type sign” and at the board’s request it would be repositioned closer to the highway. The board agreed the request was reasonable and approved the application.

NORTHPOINTE During the informal review session, the board reviewed new renderings for the Northpointe mixeduse project. Northpointe plans include a 53,000-square-foot Harris Teeter grocery store, 285 multifamily units, 30,000 square feet of commercial space, 100 surface parking spaces and

a six-story, 665-space parking deck along Stone Avenue and Wade Hampton Boulevard.

While the design is greatly improved from initial ones, with a larger variety of materials and a “different but similar” look to the buildings, city staff said additional work needs to be done on the back side of Harris Teeter, specifically along Wade Hampton Boulevard where the back of the grocery store will be visible to the street.

“The last thing we want to see as people come into downtown is the back of a building,” said DRB member Carmella Cioffi.

Railings on the apartments were reworked and stairways were redesigned. A plaza area at Harris Teeter was added for outdoor dining. A two-story entrance to the grocery store and a glass elevator were also added. More windows included in the design will give the store more natural lighting.

Additional discussion took place regarding height modulation and vertical variation of the buildings and the grade of the site. After board member Danielle Fontaine said the entrance to the project along Wade Hampton Boulevard looked like a church, the DRB advised that the design be care-

fully reviewed for “symbolic” representation.

The board’s comments will be reviewed by the planning commission, which is expected to take a formal vote at its April 21 meeting. After that, it will go before City Council.

CELL TOWERS DOWNTOWN The board informally reviewed an application to replace existing streetlights downtown with a new combination streetlight and cell tower to accommodate the growing concentration of people and cellphone usage.

The city is looking at several locations within the central business district, on Main Street and on side streets. The new combo cell tower/light has a larger base and is taller than existing streetlights. The vendor (an independent telecom provider whose name was not given at the meeting) said the new poles will be custom-designed to look as close as possible to the existing lights. Cioffi said as long as the lights match and have the same quality, she’s fine with the plan. No formal vote was needed and the board was generally in favor of the application.

City staff will review.

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Thursday April 28, 2016 at 5:30pm United Community Bank 306 East North Street, Greenville

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Limited bLock of tickets avaiLabLe. contact kate madden for information.

864.679.1254 or kmadden@communityjournaLs.com attire: business best

2016 Class of Who’s Who:

The Legend

Minor Shaw

The Entrepreneur

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The Boss The Young Gun The Company The Closer The Wild Card

Pamela Evette Robert Hughes, III Scansource John Warren TODD HORNE

20 | INNOVATE |

UBJ

MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUP TORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE

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04.15.2016

Local groups collaborate to help Tech students overcome barriers

By STEVE HAND Director, Quick Jobs with a Future, Greenville Tech

By some estimates, there are 50,000 people in Greenville County who do not have a high school diploma. Some of them dropped out of school and started working, others began raising families, and some came to this country legally but found that the high school education completed in another country wasn’t recognized here.

Whatever the reason for that missing educational credential, it’s something that holds people back. They find that they don’t qualify for jobs, that the skills that once allowed them to work aren’t adequate as the job market has changed, or that they’re stuck in a deadend job with few options for moving forward.

When you’re barely earning enough to cover your expenses, even when you recognize the need for change, there may not be enough money left over to find a path to improvement. So even though you want to prepare for the GED and take steps toward a better future, money is a barrier that combines with that missing diploma to hold you back.

Five of Greenville’s Rotary Clubs saw this need and found a way to assist, joining with the Greenville Literacy Association and Greenville Technical College (GTC) to identify strong candidates for skills-based, hands-on training that could be completed while preparing for the GED and improving basic reading, writing, and math skills. Greenville Literacy tests the individuals, provides case management, and meets their needs at the appropriate level to prepare them for high school completion while improving their literacy. The Rotary Clubs provide scholarship money so struggling students can also receive job skills training at the same time.

Greenville Technical College’s Quick Jobs with a Future program gives the students focused, in-demand skills quickly, so that they can begin work or advance as they continue to learn.

Thanks to this partnership, five students were identified for the pilot program, which began earlier this year.

Yelsima, originally from the Dominican Republic, was interested in health care and was matched with the Certified Nursing Assistant program, a three-anda-half week pathway to basic health care skills. Staying after class to read her textbook and practice her skills while working with a tutor, she successfully completed classroom, lab and clinical components and is now equipped to begin work while she continues to study with Greenville Literacy to improve her English skills and complete GED preparation.

Jermaine was a high school dropout who decided to make a change. Already working as a CNC machine operator, he entered the CNC program and, by using immersive technology software coupled with hands-on machining projects, has now earned the credential to combine with his experience to advance in his field. Highly motivated, he spends two nights

a week in CNC training and another two studying for the GED with Greenville Literacy. Thanks to the Rotary funding, financial barriers to success have been removed, and he’s excelling in his educational endeavors.

Magaly came to the U.S. from Bogota, Colombia, bringing a high school education that doesn’t translate into the equivalent in this country. As she prepares for the GED, she’s completing the Medical Interpreter program at GTC. Her goal is to help others like herself who are new to our area, so she studies on Friday nights and all day Saturdays to complete the four levels of training required.

Currently at level three, she’s engaged in what she’s learning and thankful for the opportunity to gain job skills that will help her succeed while benefitting others.

Turkessa and Patricia always wanted to be in the health care field, but without a high school education, found themselves shut out of the opportunities.

As they work with Greenville Literacy to prepare for the GED, they’re enrolled in the Medical Physician Practice Clerk program at GTC, sitting side-byside on the front row of the classroom, and working hard to complete the program’s academic and clinical requirements.

These five students, once held back by language, lack of a diploma, and financial barriers, are now moving full steam ahead toward a better life. While they and their families will benefit, the community will benefit as well. Their success is due to a strategic partnership designed to assist those who otherwise would not be able to participate in traditional education and training programs.

Next year, more students will benefit as the number of Rotary clubs involved has grown from five to 11, and the level of funding has increased from $7,500 to $15,000. Partners in this program, combining their efforts and talents, are building skills, removing barriers and providing a better future for motivated students to overcome the obstacles that once held them back.

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04.15.2016

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upstatebusinessjournal.com

THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF BUSINESS

| DIGITAL MAVEN | 21

Deadly wires Recycling electronics helps stem illness and death for thousands around the world

By LAURA HAIGHT President, portfoliosc.com

Every business has one. The junk closet or storage area piled high with old computers, boxes of outdated phones, keyboards with missing e’s or broken space bars and box after box of tangled cables and cords.

If your company doesn’t have one of these areas, chances are you do one of two things regularly: throw your old equipment out in the trash or participate in a certified e-waste recycling program. I hope it’s the latter, but fear it is not.

If you are throwing your electronics away in regular garbage you are violating a number of state and federal laws, contributing to global warming, polluting the environment significantly and contributing to the illness and death of thousands throughout the world who live and work in landfills, pulling apart electronics and selling the recyclable parts.

The United Nations estimated that 41.8 million tons of e-waste, a broad term that encompasses anything with an electrical cord or a battery, were dumped globally in 2014. Of that only 6.5 million tons was recycled and properly disposed of. The U.S. contributed the most to this global problem, dumping 7.1 million tons and recycling less than a million tons.

If you have been part of this global problem, you can turn over a new leaf next weekend when Greenville holds one of its two annual E-Waste Recycling Days. Get information and details here: goo.gl/Ijgq2r Electronics ranging from computers to refrigerators contain a wealth of recyclable components and metals that can be reused in manufacturing. In March, Apple unveiled Liam, a robotic device that deconstructs iPhones, separates elements and extracts parts that can be repurposed. It’s pretty cool (watch it: youtu.be/AYshVbcEmUc) but technology companies providing recycling methods is not new. Dell has had a robust recycling program since 2004, recycling over 176 million pounds of waste. The Dell Reconnect

program accepts any computer from any manufacturer, as well as just about any peripheral that attaches to a computer. The company partners with Goodwill and you can find a location near you here: goo.gl/K2VifD. What’s in a computer?

Why is this important? Is it just overfilled landfills and not enough area for new ones? No, it’s not the amount of e-waste, but the quality of the e-waste that makes electronic recycling important.

In China, now known as the world’s largest e-waste landfill, families live and work on piles of discarded electronics, with everyone from toddlers to grandparents pulling apart cables, wires, chips and motherboards in search of the small bits of gold, copper and silver that they will resell. Sounds enterprising, right? After all, that’s what Dell and Apple, among others, are doing.

But they aren’t sitting in it, breathing it, they don’t wash their clothes in it, or cook their food in it. Apple and Dell are deconstructing these devices in clean rooms, with robots doing the work as much as possible, because they know the dangers of the chemical

E-WASTE NUMBERED

41.8M TONS e-waste dumped globally in 2014

6.5M TONS recycled and properly disposed of

7.1M TONS contributed by the U.S.

< 1M TONS recycled by the U.S.

Source: “The Global E-Waste Monitor 2014,” United Nations University

Women picking through wires torn out of computers. The wires are sorted by day and burned by night in this village. The families live right in the burnyards. Cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins will result from burning wires made from PVC and brominated flame retardants.

Flickr | Basel Action Network

waste. (Not convinced? Read more: goo.gl/sdJaNS).

Electronics are a synthetic soup of lead, beryllium and cadmium. Primitive recycling techniques, like burning cables to recover the copper within, “expose adult and child workers to a range of hazardous substances,” notes the World Health Organization.

“E-waste-connected health risks may result from direct contact with harmful materials such as lead, cadmium, chromium, brominated flame retardants or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), from inhalation of toxic fumes, as well as from accumulation of chemicals in soil, water and food. In addition to its hazardous components, being processed, e-waste can give rise to a number of toxic byproducts likely to affect human health,” the organization reports.

And China is not the only country facing a critical health issue due to e-waste dumping and recycling. Most of the e-waste from the U.S. and other developed nations ends up in the dumps of developing countries where families subsist on a few dollars a week in income. In addition to China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the Philippines handle from 50 percent to 80 percent of the e-waste dumped in the world.

What can you do?

It doesn’t take much for us to become better citizens of the world. If you’re a consumer, take your old devices to next Saturday’s recycling event right here in Greenville. But if you miss it, you can go any day to a participating Goodwill, where they will be properly recycled and repurposed by Dell. That may have the added advantage of making your next device cheaper.

If you’re a business, be a responsible one. Look for an R2-certified company or a company with the e-Steward designation to be sure they will safely deconstruct and dispose of the components of your electronics and keep chemicals and heavy metals out of the waste stream.

ENGAGE APR

23

Shredding & E-Waste Recycling Day

10 a.m.-1 p.m.

TD Convention Center, Crosrol parking lot goo.gl/Ijgq2r

22 | OPINION |

UBJ

VOICES FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, HEARD HERE

|

04.15.2016

Keeping an eye on the sign regulators

By JASON ZACHER

compelling interest in regulating signs. Banning any signs because someone thinks they look like clutter is not necessarily a compelling Starting a business in America government interest. and trying to grab your piece of the It is highly unlikely that our American Dream can be as easy as county would impose any outhanging a shingle. right ban on the temporary signs You craft your logo, agonize over that promote open houses, new your name and hunt for the best locareal estate development or a tion. Your shingle is the most basic grand opening of your business. way you announce your presence as a However, during the first business. It’s the first way that many meeting of the Task Force, staff people hear of you. It’s your first imcompared local, legal signs to pression and how you stand out in a the very strict International very crowded capitalist marketplace.

Code Council’s sample code – a Government has good reason to code that, if ever implemented, regulate signs to ensure safety and would seem draconian to thoupromote a “positive visual environsands of county businesses. ment,” as the Greenville County sign (County staff expressly stated in ordinance currently states. Governthe second meeting it had no ment also has a good reason to change intention of implementing the those regulations as it sees abuses or ICC code but was only using it changes to the legal climate (the ordias an example.) nance has been amended 25 times Banning any signs because someone thinks The Sign Ordinance Task since it was enacted in 1986). they look like clutter is not necessarily a Force has at least six more compelling government interest. meetings in the next few months. The Greenville Chamber, the Greater Greenville Join Greenville for the porary signs advertising religious Association of Realtors and the greenville services than other text. The town cited Home Builders Association of making the healthy choice the easy choice a church for putting up temporary Greenville, among several local busisigns to advertise its services (since ness represented on the task force, T.D. Convention Center, Greenville the church had no building and moved will be watching to ensure reasonable throughout the town).

Wednesday, May 4 • 1:30-6 pm commercial speech and advertising Supreme Court watchers have is protected.

LiveWell Greenville’s Healthy Workplace Seminar provides criticized Gilbert as opening new Local business owners, and the educational opportunities for employers and HR directors fronts for litigation and the First chamber, don’t want unregulated junk to establish and maintain a healthy work environment.

Amendment. The Court has long signs littering every inch of highway. held that commercial speech can be But they need to be able to get their 1:00-1:30pm: Registration Check-In regulated, and when we’re discussing 1:30-4:30pm: Educational Breakout Sessions names out there with the one piece of misleading advertising and false 4:30-6:00pm: Networking Reception & Awards Presentation advertising that doesn’t cost them an claims, that regulation is wellarm and a leg.

Light hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages provided. deserved.

It’s a good reminder during this The question before code enforceelection season to watch what our To register, go to: ment officials across the country now public officials are doing. Justice 2016healthyworkplaceseminar.eventbrite.com. is whether Gilbert can be used to Thomas wrote in his opinion in For more information: dramatically restrict signs and the Gilbert: “Innocent motives do not Call Catherine Puckett at 864-238-5304. messaging on signs. Justice Thomas eliminate the danger of censorship … wrote such restrictions must survive as future government officials may one “strict scrutiny” – the highest level of day wield such statutes to suppress legal scrutiny in our country. Justice disfavored speech.”

Presented by Greenville Health System Brand Signature: Basic Guidelines Elena Kagan, in a concurring opinion, We agree, and we hope that when Signaturestrict System wrote that was concerned GHSsig1: 2 color on white GHSsig3: White on darkshe background considering any sign changes, our The GHS brand signature combines the symbol scrutiny meant the Supreme and name,Court set in customized type,county’s in a special leaders will weigh First configuration that never changes. Reproduce only from authorized files available could become the “Supremesignatures Board of Amendment rights and the needs of from GHS marketing.

Sign Review.” small business owners to pursue their making the healthy choice the easy choiceGHSsig4: Signature Colors Gilbert no way – changes the 2 color on – darkin background GHSsig2: Black American Dream. making the healthy choice the easy choice fact that government must have aBLACK PMS 361 Vice President, Business Advocacy, Greenville Chamber

The first proposed change by county staff to the ordinance at a recent Sign Ordinance Task Force meeting in Greenville was to delete language that stated the sign ordinance was to “afford the business community equal and fair opportunity to advertise and promote its products and services without discrimination one over the other.”

Since it’s an election year, the proliferation of temporary political signs, and their haphazard removal after the election, is enough to make anyone want tighter restrictions.

Some of this attention builds off of the Reed v. Town of Gilbert U.S. Supreme Court decision from 2015, where the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision penned by Justice Clarence Thomas, held that the town of Gilbert, Ariz., couldn’t impose content-based restrictions on speech.

Gilbert had a sign ordinance that placed a tougher restriction on tem-

4TH ANNUAL HEALTHY WORKPLACE SEMINAR

greenville

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04.15.2016

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PROMOTED

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS

PROMOTED

AWARDED

HIRED

| ON THE MOVE | 23

HIRED

Coleman Edmunds

Janice Addington

James Brown

Susan Greene Lockwood

Matt Rogers

Named executive vice president and retail banking officer at Carolina Alliance Bank. Edmunds has been with the bank since it opened in Spartanburg and has 22 years of banking experience in the Spartanburg market. He also volunteers for the March of Dimes and Mobile Meals of Spartanburg.

Named senior vice president of human resources and marketing at Carolina Alliance Bank. Addington has been with the bank for nine years and has 33 years of banking experience. She is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Spartanburg and the S.C. Bankers Association Human Resources Committee.

Named a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) for 2016. Brown is an agent for New York Life in Greenville. He is also a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. MDRT membership represents the top life insurance and financial service professionals worldwide.

Joins Sandlapper Securities as a financial advisor.

Lockwood has 25 years of financial advising experience.

She most recently served as a financial advisor with Certus Securities Inc. and has previously worked with Spire Securities LLC, EPS Advisors and American Securities Group Inc., among others.

Named search engine marketing specialist with Fuel.

Rogers has several years of experience in both search engine marketing and optimization, as well as analytics reporting. He previously worked at Erwin Penland. In his new position, Rogers will lead digital marketing and lead generation efforts for Fuel’s clients.

ENVIRONMENT

VIP Patrick W. Pritchard Named executive vice president and senior operations officer with BNC Bank.

Pritchard has more 20 years of experience in the finance industry. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned an MBA from Appalachian State University.

COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT

The Center for Developmental Services added Brian Stewart and Joe Pazdan to its board of directors.

Stewart is the mission and outreach pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. Pazdan is a partner with the McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture and Planning firm.

The Oconee Economic Alliance added Janet Hartman as manager of the Destination Oconee strategy.

Hartman recently worked as the downtown development manager for Blairsville, Ga.

The Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce hired Audrey Sperry as director of member experiences.

Sperry previously served as the active lifestyles coordinator at Partners for Active Living in Spartanburg and a health educator at Reach Upstate.

Automation Engineering Company hired Tim Cobb as controls engineering manager. Cobb has more than 10 years of experience and is a licensed professional engineer. He is a graduate of Clemson University and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech.

viously worked with United Community Bank and served as the president and CEO of SolVerus Banc.

HRP Associates Inc. promoted Tad Goetcheus to executive vice president, Shaun Malin to regional office manager of the South/Midwest region and Jackie Baxley to corporate director of environmental health and safety compliance services at the firm’s Greenville office. HRP also added Scott C. Anderson as a project manager.

TOURISM The Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau hired Kevin Stiens as director of parks and recreation for Spartanburg County. Stiens has more than 15 years of experience working in local government. He most recently worked with the City of Greenville where he served as the business administrator and assistant parks and grounds administrator.

FINANCE Fairway Mortgage added Krista Smith as a mortgage loan officer. Smith has over 16 years of experience in the mortgage banking industry. She pre-

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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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UBJ

BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’ T MISS

Michelin launches travel guide series for tourists

Michelin will be publishing an all-new series of travel books that are designed to help people quickly pinpoint their locations at their destination cities and discover the best attractions in the vicinity.

Michelin’s Map and Guide series books are pocket-sized guides with 25 pages.

The book is organized by neighborhoods, with each represented by a single-fold atlas-quality map that is indexed to orientate travelers to their immediate surroundings and what they can enjoy nearby, according to a release. The books also offer “must-see” attractions, Michelin travel editors’ favorites, notable restaurants, cafes and bars, shopping and nightlife. The books are now on sale at major booksellers for $9.95.

“This is a very practical, no-nonsense travel guide,” said Cynthia Ochterbeck, editorial director of Michelin Travel Partner. “The maps are designed to be very easy to read so that you can easily orient yourself in new surroundings and find out what there is to experience around the corner.”

Scio Diamond reports full production restoration

Greenville-based Scio Diamond Technology Corp. has returned to full production following its December shutdown.

TREESGREENVILLE

ReLeaf Party THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS PRESENTING SPONSOR

PLATINUM

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SILVER Christoper Trucks Concepts to Companies forum Keys Innovative Solutions

Mary Lou & Lewis Jones Schneider Tree Care Whole Foods Market

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04.15.2016

“We are pleased to report that our Greenville, S.C., factory has returned to full growing capacity following the December water line break. All growers have been repaired and are back in production,” said Gerald McGuire, president and CEO of Scio Diamond. “Our team, equipment suppliers and insurance company have worked seamlessly and tirelessly together to bring us back to full production in a remarkable amount of time. We are very appreciative of their efforts.”

The company experienced a water line break in its facility on Dec. 12, 2015, causing damage to its diamond growers and a significant interruption in production. The factory was partially operating again within a number of days, and is now restored to full capacity. The company expects to show significant increases in output in March and April as the diamonds from the restored growers complete their growth cycle, according to a release.

Chicken Salad Chick opens third location in Greenville

Alabama-based Chicken Salad Chick, one of the nation’s only Southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concepts, will be expanding in South Carolina with its third location in Greenville.

The new restaurant will open on Tuesday, April 19, and is located at 15 Garlington Road, Suite 100, Greenville. This location is owned and operated by franchisee team Michelle Singleton and Julie Beville of Sing Bev Hospitality LLC and marks the seventh Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in South Carolina.

“We’re thrilled to be opening our third Chicken Salad Chick in Greenville,” said Beville. “The Chicken Salad Chick experience has been received so positively in our local community and the demand keeps growing, which is why we decided to open a third location in Greenville.

We have been so pleased that the community has loved our fresh, homemade recipes and we look forward to serving more people at our new Garlington Road location.”

RMF adds second facility in Greenville County

Columbia-based Roy Metal Finishing (RMF) is expanding its current operations by building a second facility in Greenville County. Having added more than 100 jobs since its 2011 expansion, the new $16 million investment is expected to generate at least 40 new jobs over the next two years.

RMF, one of the largest metal finishing company on the East Coast, currently operates three facilities in Greenville County, and serves many of the I-85 corridor’s automotive, heavy truck and industrial equipment suppliers. Founded in 1961, RMF focuses on automated processes and chemical controls, introducing environmentally friendly corrosion protection for aluminum and steel stampings, extrusions, castings and forgings.

Construction on the new facility at Greenville County’s Matrix Business and Technology Park is expected to be complete by June 2016 and will provide an additional 85,000 square-feet.

“The region’s automotive, heavy truck and industrial equipment manufacturers continue to drive our growth,” said John Pazdan, RMF president and CEO. “We are seeing increased demand in our core businesses of electroplating, electro coating and powder coating, as well as growth in warehousing, supply chain management and third party inspection. We continue to innovate to offer unmatched comprehensive solutions for assembly operations throughout the Southeast.”

04.15.2016

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INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE

| SOCIAL SNAPSHOT | 25

NWM’S MARCH MADNESS Northwestern Mutual, a strong partner with the NCAA, hosted their third annual March Madness Viewing Party on March 17 at American Roadside. Northwestern Mutual advisors, clients, and friends enjoyed a night of high-scoring games and rival upsets.

LET’S ADD A DIPLOMA TO THAT

PURPLE HEART

WE OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CERTIFICATES AND DIPLOMAS THAT CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO JOBS FOR THE BRAVE SOLDIERS WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY, SO THAT THEY CAN PURSUE THEIR DREAMS. IF YOU KNOW A VETERAN WHO NEEDS A HELPING HAND, HAVE THEM CONTACT US TODAY. IT’S YOUR TURN TO HELP.

For more details, contact: CONTRIBUTE: Got high-resolution photos of your networking or social events? Send photos and information for consideration to events@upstatebusinessjournal.com.

steve.hand@gvltec.edu 864.250.8249 AD APPROVED BY THE MILITARY ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART

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UBJ

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW

OVERHEARD @ THE WATERCOOLER > Lindsey Lustig “Cory, shall we get pizza for dinner tonight?!” > Christopher David Burch “Not to crash your party, but did someone say something about pizza?!” > Suzi King “Looks amazing!!!”

APRIL 8, 2016

| VOL. 5 ISSUE 15

New guy in town

the lead Carlos Phillips takes r at the Greenville Chambe

Page 14

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

> Kelly Langley “Let’s go!!” > Caitlin Heys “Pizza for dinner tonight?!?” > Sandra Freedman “Welcome to the hood!”

04.15.2016

BIZ BUZZ

Distilled commentary from UBJ readers

RE: FIRST LOOK: SIDEWALL PIZZA

|

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. > Elizabeth Platt Henry “We went for Opening Night tonight. Delicious and great neighborhood atmosphere! Had fun running into friends there!”

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

>> 1,663 1. Cantina 76 taqueria to take over Rare space downtown

>> 739 2. First Look: Sidewall Pizza Greenville

>> 450 3. New retail announced at Main+Stone as first residents move in

>> 143 4. Lofts of Greenville construction underway – but may soon have new name

>> 119 5. Meet the new boss

> Hank Hyatt “Looking forward to having a new neighbor!!” > Anita Quiros Harley “LOVE THEIR PIZZA!”

RE: CANTINA 76 TAQUERIA TO TAKE OVER RARE SPACE DOWNTOWN > Candance Kay Stephens upstatebusinessjournal.com “Someone mentioned that Harris Teeter will be opening as well? Any truth to this rumor?”

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

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> Jim Ciallella upstatebusinessjournal.com “This is more Local Taco, than it is “Mexican”. If it’s as good as the one in Columbia, SC then you’ll like it.”

RE: ROOTS SMOKEHOUSE MOVING TO NEW SPACE > Renee D. Lean upstatebusinessjournal.com “Can’t wait! Amazing food!”

RE: SPINX TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF; ADDS CHARGING STATIONS > Kerry Lightner “They are getting their butts handed to them

by QT right now.”

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DATE

EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR

| PLANNER | 27

EVENT INFO

WHERE DO I GO?

HOW DO I GO?

Spartanburg Chamber Doing Business Better: Growing Your Business Through Acquisition workshop

Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce 105 N. Pine St., Spartanburg 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Cost: $20 Chamber members $40 nonmembers Register: bit.ly/dbb-april2016

Tech After Five Networking event for tech entrepreneurs and professionals

Pour Lounge 221 N. Main St., Greenville 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/taf-april2016

Greenville Chamber ACE Leadership Symposium

TD Convention Center 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

More info: bit.ly/ace-april2016

Piedmont SCORE Basic Small Business Start-Up workshop

Tri-County Technical College: Pendleton Campus 7900 Hwy 76, P

Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/bsbs-april2016

Our Upstate Vision Forum: The Upstate’s Untapped Workforce Keynote speaker: Randy Lewis, former Walgreens VP

Greenville Marriott 1 Parkway E., Greenville 3-5 p.m.

Cost: $10 Register: bit.ly/tatt-april2016

Wednesday

4/20

Thursday

4/21 Tuesday

4/26

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 29 WHO’S WHO Meet the latest class of game-changers in the Upstate.

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

UBJ milestone

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

Tammy Smith

1988

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 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.

>>

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

>>

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

1998 1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CoMMUnitY nit inVolVeMent nitY in olV inV olVe VeMent & boarD positions lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member

MAY 6 QUARTERLY CRE ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.

David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board,

Metropolitan Arts Council Board, American Red Cross Board, Greenville Tech Foundation Board, South Carolina Chamber Board

eric Jackson (Jackson motorsports Group sales specialist): Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board

November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21

20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013

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