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Upstate
Business J
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Iron Yard Forges Ahead
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UBJ
Table of Contents
PRESIDENT/Publisher Mark B. Johnston mjohnston@communityjournals.com
Peter Barth, founder and managing director of The Iron Yard.
Senior Vice President Alan P. Martin amartin@communityjournals.com UBJ Associate Publisher Ryan L. Johnston rjohnston@communityjournals.com eXECUTIVE Editor Susan Clary Simmons ssimmons@communityjournals.com MANAGING editor Jerry Salley jsalley@communityjournals.com staff writers Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Charles Sowell SENIOR BUSINESS writer Dick Hughes contributing writerS Jenny Munro, Jennifer Oladipo, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage
18
EDITORIAL INTERNS Shelby Livingston, Casey Dargan
Photo by Greg Beckner
Fe at u r e s
c o l u m ns
departments
Entrepreneur 16 Curb Appeal
Digital Maven 6 Is Your Website Right for a Mobile Society?
4 Worth Repeating 4 TBA 10 Legacy 23 The Takeaway 24 Planner 26 The Fine Print 27 Square Feet 28 On the Move 29 Social 30 Snapshot 31 New to the Street
Cover Story 18 The Iron Yard: In Search of ‘The Next Big Thing’ Create. Innovate. Celebrate. 22 Young Innovators Follow in Janajreh’s Footsteps
Statehouse Report 7 State Making Security Strides, but More Work to be Done
art & production art director Richie Swann photographer Greg Beckner CONTRIBUTING photo EDITOR Gerry Pate PrODUCTION Holly Hardin marketing & advertising Marketing Representatives Lori Burney, Mary Beth Culbertson, Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Pam Putman MarketinG Katherine Elrod Marketing & EVENTS Kate Banner Billing Shannon Rochester Client Services ManagerS Anita Harley, Jane Rogers ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair, Michael Allen, Whitney Fincannon, Caroline Reinhardt IDEAS, FEEDBACK, OPINIONS opinions@upstatebusinessjournal.com HOW TO REACH US 148 River Street., Suite 120 Greenville, SC 29601 864-679-1200
Correction Delta Apparel reported net income of $46,000 in its second fiscal year quarter, not $46 million as stated in an account in our Feb. 1 issue. UBJ also mischaracterized a one-time charge. The charge of $1.2 million in the first quarter was for independent legal and professional fees related to an internal investigation into allegations regarding a year-end financial closing process. Delta’s audit committee found “no evidence to support the issues or corroborate the allegations.” We regret the error.
2 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
Copyright @2013 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal (Vol. 2, No. 3) is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. 148 River Street, Suite 120, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $65. Visit www. UpstateBusinessJournal.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, 148 River St., Ste 120, Greenville, SC 29601. Printed in the USA.
Take your corporate meetings & social events to the
HIGHEST LEVEL Host your event at the Reinvented Commerce Club
Located at the top of One Liberty Square building in the heart of downtown Greenville, the Commerce Club is a comfortable home to more than 1,000 Members. The warm, gracious surroundings of the Club provide an ambiance of distinction and relaxation. Dedicated to providing the highest level of excellence in elegant dining and gracious service in a private club atmosphere, The Commerce Club is a place of fellowship where Members can entertain and relax with family, friends and business associates.
A warm, comfortable home for Members since 1984. You do not have to be a Member to host an event at the Commerce Club. Contact Crystal Moorhouse at 864-232-5600 or crystal.moorhouse@ourclub.com. 55 Beattie Place | One Liberty Square Building, 17th Floor | Greenville, SC tel: 864.558.8180 | email: contactus@commerce-club.com | website: commerce-club.com
UBJ
Worth Repeating | TBA
“There’s a lot of energy that’s created when you put a lot of people in the same space who have a common goal of working with some level of creativity and solving problems.” Iron Yard co-founder Eric Dodds.
“His big thing was being a giver, not a taker. He was a quiet giver. There were some incredible things Frank did to help people.” Brad Halter, on the legacy of his father, Frank Halter.
Join us for the 4th annual Join us for the 4th annual
“If I spend $100 at a local business, $63 stays here. If I spent the same amount at a chain, $43 stays here. If I buy online, nothing stays here.”
Join us us for forthe the4th 4thannual annual Join
Local business “evangelist” Starr Hammond.
Shoe Society Shoe Kickoff Society Kickoff Society
“There is no policy that would have ever kept me from asking her out.”
Red Red Shoe Red Red Shoe Society as we celebrate last year’s successes & thelast exciting as we celebrate year’s plans in store for 2013 ! successes & the as we celebrate last exciting year’s plans in store 2013! as we celebrate last year’s successes & the for exciting successes & the plans in store for exciting 2013 ! Thursday, February 28th p.m. plans | in6:00-8:00 store for 2013 !
Kickoff Kickoff
Thursday, February | 6:00-8:00 p.m. Courtyard by Marriott28th Greenville Downtown Thursday, February 28th | 6:00-8:00 p.m. Courtyard by Marriott Greenville Downtown doorprizes | hors28th d’oeuvres | drinks Thursday, February | 6:00-8:00 p.m. Courtyard by Marriott Greenville Downtown doorprizes | hors d’oeuvres | drinks Courtyard by Marriott Greenville|Downtown doorprizes | hors d’oeuvres drinks Join Red Shoe Society | drinks doorprizes | hors d’oeuvres duringRed the kickoff event & Join Shoe Society Join Red Shoe Society you willthe bekickoff entered into & a during event during the kickoff event & Join Red Shoe Society drawing toentered win tickets you be entered intoato a you will will be into during the kickoff event & our 2013 signature event! drawing to win tickets to drawing to win tickets to you will enteredevent! into a our signature event! our 2013 2013be signature drawing to win tickets to our 2013 signature event!
RSS Members and Friends are all welcome! RSSMembers Members and Business Friends are welcome! Special thanks to Upstate Journal, TOWN Magazine, RSS and Friends areallall welcome! Courtyard Marriott Downtown Greenville, Good Life Catering and Thomas Creek www.redshoesociety.org RSSGreenville Red-Shoe-Society www.redshoesociety.org RSSGreenville Red-Shoe-Society RSS Members and Friends are all welcome! www.redshoesociety.org RSSGreenville Red-Shoe-Society www.redshoesociety.org
RSSGreenville
Red-Shoe-Society
4 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
Blake Smith, managing partner at Parham Smith & Archenold, on meeting his future wife during a summer job at Kmart.
TBA The Beach Company, which is doing the mixed-use project in Haynie Sirrine, is said to be looking at several other projects and properties in the downtown Greenville area… Word is an “epic” hibachi buffet is taking over the vacant Ryan’s Steakhouse in Simpsonville…
Expect a new venue/ event hall to open in the Old Cigar Warehouse on South Main Street across from Fluor Field… Look for some interesting new art and statues to be coming forward for downtown Greenville in the coming year…
UBJ Simpsonville Bond Upgraded to AA By Jeanne Putnam | contributor
in a report issued jan. 28, standard & Poor’s Rating Services has raised the bond rating for the City of Simpsonville to AA with a stable outlook, from AA–. The upgrade reflects Standard & Poor’s assessment of what it considers the “city’s strong financial performance due, in part, to what we regard as conservative budgeting practices, as well as strong financial policies and practices that have helped increase unassigned general fund reserves to, in our opinion, very strong levels.” Bond ratings are used by potential lenders to determine entities’ creditworthiness. They also are a major factor in determining interest rates charged on bonds. For residents, a strong bond rating means their municipality is likely to get a lower interest rate, which reduces the cost of borrowing funds for projects. Standard & Poor’s also noted Simpsonville’s good income and wealth, location, low direct debt and very strong general fund reserves as reasons for the upgrade. In addition, Standard & Poor’s noted “three straight years of operating surpluses,” and does not expect the rating to change for at least two years because of a strong balance of reserves and operational funding. Contact Jeanne Putnam at jputnam@communityjournals.com.
TIGGES Picks ICAR for First U.S. Office tigges usa, a german manufacturer of fasteners and connecting devices, is opening its first North American office in the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville The technical sales office will serve its “core automotive, aerospace and marine industry customers,” said John Ferrell Jr., general manager. The company is investing $1.5 million in the ICAR office and plans to hire five people to staff it. Ferrell said Greenville “provides
brand identification across the European continent,” where it supplies BMW and Bosch, both of which have major plants in the Upstate. “This physical expansion into North America is a vital first step in our global growth and customer service plans,” Ferrell said. The company, the Greenville Area Development Corp., the governor’s office and the Department of Commerce announced the new office. “It’s exciting to see another international company choose to put down
an excellent business environment, a top-notch workforce and exceptional market access.” TIGGES, a subsidiary of privately held Wuppertal, is new to the North American market but has “strong
roots in South Carolina,” said Gov. Nikki Haley. “We celebrate TIGGES USA’s decision to invest $1.5 million and create new jobs in Greenville. Today’s announcement is another indication that more and more com-
BBB: Beware of Scam Artists the better business bureau is warning consumers in the Upstate about a bill-payment scam that targets electric utility customers and could target other utility customers later. The BBB says the scammers call individuals and businesses, saying their electricity will be turned off within hours unless they make an immediate payment by a prepaid debit card. The BBB gives this advice: Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
Never give out personal or financial information to anyone who calls or emails you. Never wire money or provide debit or credit card numbers to someone you do not know. Call the number on your utility company bill to find out if there is a problem with your account. Tom Cunningham, Duke Energy payments manager,
panies from around the globe are seeing South Carolina as the right place to do business.” “The automotive industry continues to thrive and grow in South Carolina,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “It also continues to serve as a wealth and job creator all across the state. TIGGES’ decision to locate new operations here once again shows that we are a leader in the nation’s automotive club.” says Duke has received reports from about 80 customers who have been victimized. Many of them are small business owners, he said. Duke Energy offers customers a number of payment options, including online, by phone, by automatic bank draft, by mail or in person. According to Cunningham, Duke Energy never contacts customers to demand a prepaid debit card payment to avoid an immediate service disconnection. “We urge all of our customers to hang up and contact us directly if they receive such a scam call,” added Cunningham.
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 5
UBJ
Digital Maven
By laura haight
Is Your Website Right for a Mobile Society? just do this for me, real quick: Pick up your smartphone (if you are a business owner and don’t have a smartphone, go get one, then come back), go to the browser and look at your company’s website. Go ahead, I’ll wait. How did it look? If the text was tiny, unreadable and required pinching out and scrolling all over the place, stay with me. If your cool image galleries didn’t work, keep reading. If it displayed perfectly and everything worked well, then you are one of a small percentage on the cutting edge of responsive design. Responsive design has a lot of complex technical elements to it, but what you as a business executive need to know is it involves formatting that is device-aware. It determines what kind of device you are on and then displays a website in a format optimal for that device, automatically adjusting for screen size, orientation and – in some cases – even bandwidth. Don’t confuse this with the old mobile website, which stripped out all the visual elements from a mobile site to make it load faster and eliminate display issues on older cell phones. A slight modification of this con-
cept is adaptive design, which enables touch behaviors when it detects that the user is on a mobile device. The site’s look and feel hasn’t changed, but it lets you interact with the site differently, such as allowing you to swipe to move between pages or scroll through galleries. One site that does this, if you want to see it in action, is mashable.com. Implementing responsive design means relearning much of what we think of as good “design.” Attractive magazine layouts are wonderful for print, but no longer translate to a mobile audience. Even your e-newsletter needs to be rethought – not only so that it displays correctly but so any links point to mobile-friendly assets or pages on your website. To see some examples of websites utilizing responsive design picked by designmodo, visit http://goo.gl/zofIS. With all the other demands on your time and budget, is this something you really need to be focusing on? That depends on how dependent you are on your Web presence to communicate with your customers or clients. Most of us started our websites because we
The ASU Online site (asuonline.asu.edu) is one example of responsive design.
6 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
perceived that was where our markets needed us to be. Today, they need us to be in their pockets. Consider these trends: In 2012, 13 percent of all Internet traffic globally came from smartphones. While that doesn’t seem like a huge number, consider that in 2010, it was only 2 percent. More than half of all the phones in the U.S. are smartphones. Behind that growth is a mobile society that wants to access and consumer information on the move – while I’m on the train, waiting at the doctor’s office or sitting in the park. The fact that we are not tethered to our desktops – or even laptops – anymore is illustrated by the 37 percent of consumers who used to use PCs and are now using mobile devices. (Read the report by market researchers NPD Group here: http://goo.gl/DT2r7) A colleague of mine often uses the phrase, “We don’t know what we don’t know.” We don’t always know what questions to ask and what options are available. So we rely on “experts” without the ability to critically evaluate the information they give us. To be savvier, start by seeing how effective your current site is. Review what it looks like on a smartphone and a tablet and make sure to see it on different types of devices. Whether you are an Apple or Android aficionado, you have to accept the fact that Apple is still the big dog in our mobile yard. The Washington Post reported that between 2010 and mid-2012, Samsung sold 21 million smartphones, compared to Apple’s 85 million iPhones; and 1.4 million
Go Figure: Global Internet traffic from smartphones
2012
13% 2010
2%
(2012: Up from 2 percent in 2010)
>50
Percentage of phones in the U.S. that are smartphones
37% Consumers who used to use PCs and are now using mobile devices
tablets, compared to 34 million iPads. And that’s only U.S. sales. So if your website is Flash-based, you are not accessible to an awful lot of people. Step two: Dig into your analytic reports to identify what devices your visitors are using. If your analytics go deep enough, you may be able to identify the bounce rate – that’s the number of people who come to your site and never go beyond the page they landed on – of your mobile users. If you decide it’s time to redo/ refresh your website, look for Web developers who understand responsive design and have some responsive sites to show for it.
Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (www.portfoliosc.com), a communications company based in Greenville that focuses on harnessing the power of today’s technology to reach new customers, turn customers into loyal clients and loyal clients into advocates. She is a former IT executive, journalist and newspaper editor.
UBJ
Statehouse Report
By Andy Brack
State Making Security Strides, but More Work to be Done four months ago, the state discovered that a hacker broke into the Department of Revenue database and stole the personal information of 3.8 million taxpayers, 1.9 million dependents and 700,000 businesses. To date, it is the largest hack of a government database in the nation’s history. This huge, embarrassing blunder will cause South Carolinians to look over their financial shoulders for the rest of their lives. To make amends, the state is offering one year of free credit monitoring through Experian. So far, only 1,252,802 people have enrolled in the service for which enrollment ends on March 31. So, four months into this mess, how’s South Carolina doing? On one hand, the breach seems to be slowly changing bureaucratic culture. But on the other, a majority of individuals still have not signed
dormant for years until someone uses hacked information to take out loans, get credit cards or buy vehicles. Meanwhile, the elderly, victims to lots of financial scams, may find themselves targeted increasingly. And college students need to be careful that somebody doesn’t use hacked information to take out loans in their names or worse. Carri Grube Lybarker, administrator of the S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs, says her office encourages South Carolinians to take advantage of the financial tools that are available, including the Experian monitoring, and the ability to freeze credit reports and invoke renewable fraud alerts. “The monitoring service is not a silver bullet,” she said. It will minimize security problems for consumers, but it essentially alerts them once some-
“There’s just a culture in government that if you’re not made to do it, you don’t do it. Why the governor didn’t issue an executive order ordering her cabinet to encrypt all data, I don’t understand.” State Sen. Kevin Bryant
up for the credit monitoring service, despite millions of letters, hundreds of thousands of emails, education seminars and stories in the media. Senior state officials rightly worry about three particularly vulnerable populations – children, the elderly and college students. For children, private information may remain
one already has started or tried to use their personal information wrongly. “We are trying to educate people, because if they aren’t aware, they can’t use the tools to protect themselves.” State Sen. Kevin Bryant, RAnderson, emphasized the security predicament: “I’m having a hard time having folks remember that Experian
Protect yourself To learn how you can get free credit monitoring and take other steps to protect yourself, contact the S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-922-1594 or online at consumer.sc.gov.
tells you [that] you are a victim of identity theft.” Bryant, Senate Finance Chair Hugh Leatherman and others introduced a bill a few days back that would create a new agency, a Department of Information Security, to be vigilant continually across all state agencies about computer security. The bill also calls for an identity theft unit at the Department of Consumer Affairs and an income tax deduction for people who pay for credit monitoring after the free year is over. But the state still needs to do a better job to get its house in order to prevent future problems. Bryant said he’d give the state a grade of a “D” so far because security of personal information still doesn’t seem to be taken seriously across state government. “There’s just a culture in government that if you’re not made to do it, you don’t do it. Why the governor didn’t issue an executive order ordering her cabinet to encrypt all data, I don’t understand.” Rob Godfrey, Gov. Nikki Haley’s
spokesman, emphasized that the governor is working to make the state more secure and continues to urge people to sign up for monitoring. “Most recently, we sought to extend the deadline to sign up for protection because we’re focused on providing the people of our state with the best protection available.” William Blume, the retired corporate accountant who Haley appointed to clean up the mess at the Department of Revenue, says his job is to change the agency’s culture and restore people’s confidence in it. “Taxpayer information is a nonnegotiable requirement,” he said this week. “If there is a choice of us having to spend money on business updates or security, security wins out. We’ve got to have security woven into the fabric of what we do, not as just another kind of thing sitting out there.” Bottom line: South Carolinians will be especially vulnerable to identity theft for the rest of their lives, regardless of any monitoring. But at least the state seems to be getting the message to clean up its security act. It’s a shame taxpayers were the bait. Andy Brack is the publisher of Statehouse Report. He can be reached at brack@statehousereport.com.
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 7
UBJ
The Heart of the Matter Office romance: date with destiny or date with disaster? By Leigh Savage | contributor
Joy and Jeff Howle, with their newborn, Dylan
any policy against it,” Roberson said. “We like to make sure that people aren’t in a position where they are reporting to each other, but other than that, the door is wide open.”
Dating the boss
Sugar Snap Photography, sugarsnapin.com
long hours collaborating on projects, chance meetings at the coffee machine, casual after-work gatherings – it’s no wonder that the office is one of the primary places people meet their mates. According to CareerBuilder’s office romance survey, the number of people who have dated a co-worker has remained steady at close to 40 percent for the past five years. Of those relationships, one-third resulted in marriage in 2012. That’s a fairly common scenario at downtown Greenville advertising agency Erwin Penland, where there’s a growing “club” of married couples who met there, began dating, and eventually got married. “I think there are about seven married couples now,” says Jeff Howle, experiential branding account director. “There were more, but a few have left.”
Jeff is married to Joy Howle, EP’s associate media director. Both are taking some time off after the birth of their first child, son Dylan, who was born on Super Bowl Sunday. The Howles are a success story, though they knew there were risks. “It was certainly not something I set out to do,” Joy Howle said, because there is always the awkward scenario of working together after things go south. “But we were friends first, so we were pretty sure it would work out.” Renee Roberson, director of human resources at Erwin Penland, said dating in a large office that includes many younger people is very common – especially a company founded by a married couple. Joe and Gretchen Erwin met (at work), married in 1984 and created Erwin Penland in 1986. “Given that history, we don’t have
“There is no policy that would have ever kept me from asking her out.” Blake Smith, managing partner at Parham Smith & Archenhold, on meeting his future wife during a summer job at Kmart.
8 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
The CareerBuilder survey shows that most people date someone at a comparable level or from a different department, though some have dated someone in a higher position, or even their boss. Blake Smith, managing partner at Parham Smith & Archenhold, a Greenville law practice, says bosses dating underlings is “a terrible idea, for many reasons. It creates the appearance of impropriety.” The underling may not get credit for success, and the superior “is setting himself or herself up for a lawsuit, either from the jilted lover or from someone else who thinks they aren’t moving up fast enough” and blames the relationship. Smith said there is no way to prevent coworkers from dating, and he knows firsthand: He met his wife of 18 years when they both spent a college summer working at KMart. “There is no policy that would have ever kept me from asking her out.” In a corporate setting, Smith said a “cupid contract” between dating employees can be a good idea, especially if one is the boss, because it can prevent discord down the line. But even if a contract is signed, dating among supervisor and supervisee is still a gamble, he said. “We see plenty of evidence that people breach contracts all the time.”
Open-minded Roberson said EP employees know how to separate their professional and personal lives.
“We have such a creative, openminded type of environment,” Roberson said. “With that you get some freedoms you might not get in other types of organizations. But we have been very fortunate and haven’t needed strict parameters, and as long as that’s the case, everyone knows to respect the freedoms they have.” “Joy and I knew we had to be very professional,” Howle said. “We weren’t overly relationshippy at the office. We weren’t hiding it, but her boss didn’t even know we were dating until we got engaged.” Like most people who fell in love at the office, Kara Taylor found it’s important to keep an open mind. To avoid drama and awkwardness, she swore off office relationships in 1997, when she was working in inside sales at Gates/Arrow Distributing. But there is an exception to every rule, which is why she decided to give office dating another try and went out with co-worker Jeff Taylor. Now married 14 years with two daughters, she’s glad she did. “It’s awkward when it doesn’t work out,” she said. “But never say never. It can work out.” Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.
Go Figure: according to a 2012 survey
38% have dated a co-worker 28% have dated somebody in
a higher position
18% have dated their boss
37% kept the office romance hidden Source: CareerBuilder
UBJ “It’s hard to put into words how many lives this will touch.” Keith Miller, president of Greenville Tech.
From left: Anthea Jones, Keith Miller, Mike Byars Photos by Greg Beckner
BI-LO Endows Greenville Tech Scholarships $100,000 will fund academic, career training programs By Jenny Munro | contributor
bi-lo charities presented greenville Technical College with $100,000 for endowed scholarships, available to students in academic or career training programs. Students coming from the BI-LO service area, which includes South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, are eligible for the scholarships, which will be of varying amounts. The endowment will provide about $5,000 a year to be used for scholarships, said Bob Howard, president of the Greenville Tech Foundation. “It’s hard to put into words how many lives this will touch,” said Keith Miller, president of Greenville
Tech. “That’s amazing. Thank you very much from the future students whose lives you will touch.” He added that Greenville Tech is “very fortunate that we can count them as a partner in the effort to improve our area’s job skills and drive economic development.” “Greenville Tech and BI-LO have both played a part in the development of Greenville,” said Mike Byars, chairman of BI-LO Charities. “Greenville Tech provides high-quality learning at an affordable cost, and BI-LO provides high-quality products at a cost people can afford.” Since the early 1960s, “BI-LO has
Keith Miller
employed many of the people who have attended Greenville Tech,” he said. Much of BI-LO Foundation’s charitable activities focus on education, he said. “It is our hope these scholarships will continue the tradition of helping students with training for jobs,” he said. Anthea Jones, BI-LO president, said that communities served by BILO “are important to us. They are the people who make a difference.” The scholarships will fill a hole in the existing current aid packages that can be offered by Greenville Tech, said Cynthia Eason, Greenville Tech’s vice president of corporate and economic development. Federal scholarships and lottery-funded scholarships are available for academic students. However, much less financial aid is available for those obtaining job training but not a degree. “Far too few people who need training in a hurry have access to financial aid,” she said. Howard agreed on the need because enhanced work skills are what many people need to fill available jobs, but they have difficulty finding financial help. The scholarship endowment is funded through the annual BI-LO Charity Classic. It raised more than $5.1 million last year and has raised more than $63 million in the past 29 years. BI-LO was founded in 1964 by Frank Outlaw. It has 206 locations in four states and more than 15,000 employees. In 2012, BI-LO purchased the Winn-Dixie grocery chain, based in Jacksonville, Fla., and moved the corporate headquarters of the merged company to Jacksonville. Contact Jenny Munro at jmunro@communityjournals.com.
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 9
UBJ
Legacy
In the mid-1960s, inside McAlister Square while under construction
“He gave so much time and treasure to the Greenville community. Frank felt strongly that he had a duty to leave his community a better place.” Knox Haynsworth, Greenville attorney and close friend of Frank Halter
the usc school of medicine welcomed its charter class to the new Greenville campus in July, a celebratory event set in motion in part decades ago by the visionary work of Frank Halter and his many friends and associates. It is one of many legacies Halter gave the people of his city and the Upstate in more than 60 years of quiet, tireless and unselfish contributions. As Knox Haynsworth, one of his oldest and dearest friends, put it, “He gave so much time and treasure to the Greenville community. Frank felt strongly that he had a duty to leave his community a better place.” By all accounts, he did. Halter died at the age of 83 on Jan. 29, leaving a lasting presence of an “extraordinary human being” whose life “was centered around his family, his church and his friends,” said Haynsworth. For 50 years, he grew the familyowned Caine Company, including Coldwell Banker Caine, into one of the most successful commercial and real estate firms in the state.
A ‘quiet giver’ Friends of decades knew him not just as a builder and manager of enclosed malls – the first in the state – and of office buildings, industrial parks, housing subdivisions and apartments, but as a builder of a loving family, lasting friendships and of visions to enrich lives. “His big thing was being a giver, not a taker. He was a quiet giver,” said his
Photo provided
Frank B. Halter October 26, 1929 – January 29, 2013 By Dick Hughes | senior business writer
son Brad Halter, president of the family business under his father’s chairmanship. “There were some incredible things Frank did to help people.” That is what Frank Pinckney, retired chief executive of the Green-
10 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
ville Hospital System, cherishes in remembrance of working with Halter for 15 years to “improve the health in this community” and lay the groundwork for what became the Greenville medical school.
“It took years of preparation. You don’t just say, ‘We’re going to open a medical school.’ It doesn’t fall from the sky. You have to have financial resources, facilities, physicians in all disciplines, you’ve got have quality.” As a trustee or chairman of the hospital board or as a friend and volunteer, Pinckney said, Halter gave of his time, money and knowledge to assist him, as well as predecessor CEOs Robert Toomey and Jack Skarupa, in building the hospital system. “Early on, back when we were discussing preliminary possibilities of a medical school in Greenville and what we would need to put in place to start the long process, Frank Halter understood the vision,” he said. Haynsworth, an attorney at Ogletree Deakins, said Halter had a rare ability to bring people together, whether for a joint investment or to support a civic project. “He had that vision, and a way about him – a quiet man who, in talking to other people, they all would agree with him. He got a lot of support from people who may have had the same vision.”
‘He was our rock’ Brad Halter likes to describe his father as “an everyman who was as comfortable anonymously in his pickup truck near his lake house in Clayton, Ga. as he was in a board meeting. He kept the family grounded in this 24/7 continuous news cycle we now find ourselves in. ‘Family, faith and friends’ was his
UBJ mantra. He was our rock.” Frank Halter married Shirley Caine while both were students at the University of Georgia. After leaving the Air Force as a captain in the Korean War in 1953, Halter joined Shirley’s father Robert Monteith Caine, at Caine Co. Shirley Caine Halter died in 2006 and his youngest son, Caine, died a year later. Haynsworth said Halter got through the heavy burden of the loss of Shirley and Caine “with the help of a God that he knew very well.” He become president of Caine in 1968 and grew it from one office with 12 people to seven offices with 45 corporate employees and 180 residential and commercial sales associates. George Zimmerman, who came to work at Caine 47 years ago in his first job and rose to senior vice president of the commercial division, said Frank Halter put together 35 to 40 ventures and partnerships in all aspects of real estate. Very often, he would bring together many of the same friends and colleagues, who, like Haynsworth, grew unquestionably trusting of Halter’s judgment on any given project. “I knew from day one it would be successful, and it was,” he said. But what few people knew, said Zimmerman, was Halter’s unselfishness when it came to allowing his associates to participate in these ventures. “I myself have many times been and am still am the recipient of this generosity,” he said.
“His big thing was being a giver, not a taker. He was a quiet giver. There were some incredible things Frank did to help people.” Brad Halter, son of Frank Halter
Late 1970s at home and on his way to the Cotillion Annual Party
University of Georgia school photo, 1950.
Fishing at Pawley’s Island, about 1972 Photos provided
Breaking new ground The most visible and most newsworthy of the development projects was McAlister Square, which Halter built in partnership with Ned Apperson, a senior vice president at Caine Co. and a member of the McAlister family that owned the property. Opening in 1968, it was South Carolina’s first enclosed mall. And it provided his son Brad with his first job “with a paycheck” at age 13 doing maintenance work. “Frank was as much a developer as he was anything,” said Brad Halter. “You hear about brokers and salespeople, but Frank was a dealmaker.
He literally conceived things, put them together and in some cases saw them through to fruition.” Halter followed development of McAlister in the late 1960s as codeveloper of Dutch Square Mall in Columbia and developer of Myrtle Square Mall. The contractor on McAlister was Robert Yeargin – like most Halter business associates, a lifelong social friend and collaborator in many civic projects over many years. Among the civic organizations Halter was active in were the Peace Center for the Performing Arts, the United Way, the Chamber of Com-
merce, Greenville Hospital System, the YMCA, the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, Greenville Tech, Greenville Little Theater and, most devoutly, Christ Episcopal Church. As Frank Pinckney looked back on Halter’s life, a proverb came to mind: “‘If a community wants to be prosperous for a year, you grow grain. If a community wants to be prosperous for 10 years, you grow trees. If a community wants to be prosperous for 100 years, you grow people.’ All of that comes together in the spirit of Frank Halter.” Contact Dick Hughes at dhughes@communityjournals.com.
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 11
UBJ
Local Vision, Stellar Passion With Southern Starr Promotions, Starr Hammond continues her ‘evangelism’ for local businesses
promoting local businesses is Starr Hammond’s passion – and it’s the focus of her new business. She established Southern Starr Promotions in January and already has seven clients. She provides social media management, events the client can become involved in, and networking groups. “This is my dream,” she said. “My dream is to be a successful businesswoman and, in being successful, help others to be a success. Small businesses struggle. I do customized marketing for them.” Hammond expects her business to break even or better by the end of the year. She said she may hire part-time help for working events by the middle of this year and hopes to start hiring next year. She began her business with local businesses in Greenville County, has moved into Spartanburg County and expects to begin working in Anderson County soon. Eventually, she wants to serve clients throughout the Upstate and in Western North Carolina. The idea for supporting local businesses came from her time as a sales representative for WGVL-AM, a Greenville ESPN Radio affiliate. “I came across so many local businesses that just couldn’t afford standard advertising,” she said. After her radio stint, she bought RelyLocal, a franchise. But people
Image to Impact
By Jenny Munro | contributor
Southern Starr Promotions Facebook: facebook.com/ SouthernStarrPromo Twitter: @StarrGVL
came to her asking for connections to other businesses rather than going to the web directory for which she was paying. Still, the idea was right, she said, and she created cash mobs and a local, lunch bunch. “I knew I had to get the word out who I was, so I’ve joined every networking group known to man,” she said. And that ongoing networking is bringing her clients and helping her connect various businesses and individuals. She also is active in social media because “it works. My strength
is people, and this plays to it.” Eventually, she decided she wanted to go out on her own. “I’m not out to make a killing. I want to make a decent living. But my main goal is to educate people.” Large national chains have a place in the community, but consumers need to understand the importance of local businesses, said Hammond, who has been called an evangelist for local business. When a business or individual buys from a chain, “you are in essence putting your neighbors out of business. I try to shift as much of my spending as possible to local business because it matters,” she said. “If I spend $100 at a local business, $63 stays here. If I spent the same amount at a chain, $43 stays here. If I buy online, nothing stays here.” Her business currently is limited to local businesses, but she may work with larger companies based out-of-state if they need something that connects with local businesses, she said. She also offers a business exclusivity while under contract – for instance, she would accept only one pizza restaurant as a client in Greenville County. She might accept pizza restaurants in other counties and she definitely would accept other types of restaurants. Contact Jenny Munro at jmunro@communityjournals.com.
“I try to shift as much of my spending as possible to local business because it matters. If I spend $100 at a local business, $63 stays here. If I spent the same amount at a chain, $43 stays here. If I buy online, nothing stays here.” 12 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
UBJ
Riverwalk Ready for Tech Entrepreneurs Spaces offer high-profile storefronts for small businesses By Leigh Savage | contributor
With Rick Erwin’s new eatery, Rick’s Deli, slated to open at the Riverwalk by the end of February, pedestrian traffic should pick up even more, he said. Three business have already moved in, including the Adec Group, a Web design company; The Parker Co., a mobile app and real estate business; and an interior designer and photographer. “We love the energy of downtown and the ease of walking everywhere,” said Tim Mesaric, vice president and senior designer at The Adec Group, which moved to Riverwalk @ Riverplace in November. He said the smaller size suits his
team of eight, which operates on a flexible schedule. Drew Parker moved his real estate firm to the site in September. He is also co-owner of Vidaloo, which is developing a mobile app for people to communicate with professional athletes. He said Greenville needs the small spaces “that were once called incubator spaces but are now more of a permanent space. Companies are relying more on technology and don’t need to pay for additional office space, since some workers are remote,” he said. Mesaric and Parker said the shared common space is another draw. Working alongside fellow tech
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entrepreneurs is “a great opportunity to meet and learn from other small business owners who have similar challenges,” Mesaric said. For the remaining two spaces, “we’re trying to get the right mix; it’s a great incubator space for web design or technology,” Peiffer said. Riverwalk @ Riverplace is a mixeduse development consisting of luxury apartments and Class A office space above with the entrepreneurial spaces at street level. Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@communityjournals.com.
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when developing the riverwalk @ Riverplace in Greenville, five small units on the lower level were earmarked for artist’s spaces, though developers quickly realized that the real need was for high-tech entrepreneurial space. “It morphed into that,” said Ryan Peiffer, director of leasing at Hughes Investments. “Greenville has become quite the hub for technology-based groups and we are trying to tap into that.” The 380-square-foot units along Camperdown Way offer a visible storefront for high-traffic exposure along with one-year leases. “These small businesses prefer low rent and short lease terms, and these are allinclusive and ready to be occupied,” Peiffer said.
UBJ
2012 ‘Strong’ Year for Michelin michelin, the global tire company with a major presence in South Carolina, reported “strong” earnings last year despite a lackluster market, particularly in Europe. Net income rose 7.5 percent to $2.1 billion on sales of $28.7 billion. In a statement, the French company said it expects sales volume to be steady in 2013 “in a market environment that is uncertain in mature markets but still expanding in new ones.” The company said its expansion program costing $2.7 billion would bring “new production capacity on stream in the growth regions.” The Upstate is a beneficiary of some of that outlay, with more than $700 million being spent on plant expansion, including a new plant for
earthmoving tires and an expansion of rubber processing in Anderson. Michelin said it expects raw material prices to remain stable for the first half of the year, adding to operating income. It also said a new management system will provide competitive advantages. The company said original equip-
ment sales for passenger cars and light trucks grew 16 percent in North America, “returning to 2007 levels thanks to strong new car sales as buyers replaced aging models.” That market was down 5 percent in Europe. The replacement market in North America “retreated 2 percent as
Michelin expects sales volume to be steady in 2013 “in a market environment that is uncertain in mature markets but still expanding in new ones.”
consumer confidence weakened.” It dropped 10 percent “in a highly uncertain economic environment.” The North American market for original equipment truck tires surged 17 percent in the first half of 2012, but then “slowed precipitously in the second half to end the year with just a 2 percent gain.” The replacement market for truck tires was down 2 percent in North America and 14 percent in Europe. The company said the market globally for tires for earthmoving vehicles “remains buoyant.” Michelin’s expansion of production of earthmoving tires with the new plant in Anderson and an addition to its existing one in Lexington are predicated on growth in that sector.
UBJ
Independence Bancshares to Tap Former AIG Chief The former head of AIG may be the next chairman of Independence Bancshares. in a filing with the securities and Exchange Commission, the Greenville-based parent company of Independence National Bank announced its intention to add Robert B. Willumstad and Alvin G. Hageman to its board of directors, with Willumstad tapped as chairman. Willumstad was CEO of insurance giant AIG in for a brief period in 2008, during its bailout by the Federal Reserve. He became CEO in June 2008, after the ouster of Martin J.
Sullivan, who himself rose to power after the previous chairman, Maurice R. Greenberg, resigned during an accounting scandal. In September 2008, Edward M. Liddy succeeded Willumstad to oversee the company’s government-financed asset sale. According to the Wall Street Journal, Willumstad refused a $22 million severance payment for his three months’ service as CEO. Prior to joining AIG, Willumstad was president of Citigroup from 2002
to 2005, and co-founder of Brysam Global Partners, an equity investment group. Hageman is an executive with MPIB who had spent 25 years at Citigroup, the SEC filing said. The SEC filing also announced Independence Bancshares’ intention to offer holders of their common stock, as of Dec. 30, the opportunity to purchase up to 2,351,250 shares of the company’s common stock at $0.80 per share.
In January, Independence Bancshares announced that it raised $14.1 million in a private sale of stock and named a new CEO for the parent company to replace Lawrence R. Miller, who remains as president and CEO of Independence National Bank, the holding company’s sole operating unit. Gordon A. Baird, an experienced New York-area banking and financial executive, was appointed CEO and director as of Dec. 31, 2012.
CFED Gives State Poor Marks south carolina ranks 48th nationally in the financial stability of its residents, according to the Corporation for Enterprise Development. Nearly half of the state’s residents “are living on the edge of financial disaster with almost no savings to fall back on in the event of a job loss, health crisis or other incomedepleting emergency,” CFED said. Included in this at-risk group, CFED said, are a majority who live below the income poverty line of $23,050 for a family of four. Also included in this “liquid asset poor” are the 19 percent of households with income between $47,593 and $71,580 but with less than three months of savings ($5,762 for a family of four). CFED said 28 percent of South
Carolina jobs are classified as lowwage, the ninth-worst in the nation. The low-wage job trap particularly affects people of color, the agency said. The state ranks 42nd with adults with at least a high school degree, 40th of those with two-year degrees and 41st of those with a four-year degree. Overall, South Carolina is given a grade of “D” in education. South Carolina’s best grade in the Assets & Opportunity Scorecard of
Nearly half of the state’s residents “are living on the edge of financial disaster with almost no savings to fall back on in the event of a job loss, health crisis or other incomedepleting emergency,” CFED said. the CFED was a “C” in housing. The state ranks 15th in homeownership and a 19th in housing affordability. CFED said the housing market is a mixed blessing for “asset-poor” South Carolinians. “On the top side, they are no longer prey to abusive and unscrupulous lenders. On the downside, they are largely shut out of the mortgage market.” CFED’s recommendations for the state to improve its rating include: • Strengthening K-12 education to in-
crease math and reading proficiency and high school graduation rates • Increasing incomes, savings and investment by adopting a state Earned Income Tax Credit, lifting asset limits in its cash welfare and Medicaid programs, and funding a state Individual Development Account program. • Protecting consumers in the financial marketplace from predatory products and improving credit scores by regulating payday, car-title and short-term installment loans.
For the complete report, visit assetsandopportunity.org/scorecard.
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 15
Curb
Appeal
A pair of cousins and a former NFL player team up to drive The Valet’s parking success by B a k e r M a u l t s b y contributor
16 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
Landon Cohen, co-founder of The Valet
e
r ep
UBJ
entrepr e
eneur •
r•
repreneu t n
ur • entr ne
Photo by Gerry Pate
j u mp start
ABOVE: Jeff Dawkins, Landon Cohen, Terence Dawkins; BELOW: Landon Cohen as a Detroit Lion and an Arizona Cardinal
“I’ve had people come up to me, just talking, hand me a tip, and say, ‘Y’all are doing a great job. I don’t need a valet right now, but I like the job you do.’” Landon Cohen, co-founder of The Valet in downtown Spartanburg
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 17
Photo provided by Landon Cohen
“We park for all the businesses” in the Morgan Square area, Cohen said. “I’ve had people come up to me, just talking, hand me a tip, and say, ‘Y’all are doing great job. I don’t need a valet right now, but I like job you do.’” In addition to taking care of parking needs, Cohen and his partners consider themselves to be ambassadors for their community. Since they’re out on the street, they are sometimes asked by out-of-towners for recommendations or directions to local destinations. “I told someone recently how to get to the Beacon,” Cohen said. “We’re a resource for visitors.” The Valet plans to use downtown Spartanburg as a hub to foster business growth. “Everyone comes to downtown at some point,” Cohen said. Company owners and employees hand out cards to their patrons, hoping for followup calls or referrals for corporate jobs and private parties. The Valet is the first business of its kind downtown, and Rothschild says the city and company had to work through some unique permitting issues. Both sides seem happy with the partnership, he said. “This is another positive step in the evolution of downtown as a really great spot.” Cohen is proud to have the opportunity to add to his hometown’s accessibility and appeal. “Spartanburg was a great place to grow up,” he said. “I was able to interact with all kinds of different people. It was a real melting pot. That’s made my life really easy … because of my roots in Spartanburg.”
Photo provided by Landon Cohen
Photo by Gerry Pate
Will Rothschild, communications manager for the City of Spartanburg, believes there is a “misperception” that parking in downtown is a hassle. He noted that there are four parking garages near downtown – all free after 5 p.m. Still, he’s excited that three young men who grew up in Spartanburg have decided to open a valet business in downtown to help put the parking question to rest. The Valet LLC is the concept of cousins Terence Dawkins and Jeffrey Dawkins and their longtime friend, Landon Cohen. Cohen, who works as general manager of the company, was a standout football player (defensive line) at Spartanburg High School who went on to play five seasons in the NFL. “It was a great time playing,” he said. “It was wonderful being able to achieve that goal. I realized anything is possible.” Cohen is happy to be back in his hometown and believes the time is right for a downtown valet business. He said city officials have worked well with the trio through the permitting process and customers seem excited about the service. The Valet has identified a route that provides clients a four-minute turnaround: four minutes to park the car; four minutes to return it. “If you can do that, you’re doing a great job,” Cohen said. The company charges four dollars per car and tips are welcome.
The
In Search of ‘The Next Big Thing’ Group expands to reach entrepreneurs and spread tech message throughout the Upstate By
Jennifer Oladipo
18 cover story Upstate business journal February 8, 2013
Photo by Greg Beckner
Peter Barth, founder and managing director of The Iron Yard.
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 19
At the speed of the digital age, the Iron Yard is expanding its reach, both physically and in terms of programming. The small staff, volunteers and community supporters are attacking the challenge of growing a tech community from any angle available: educating adults and children, reaching to other cities, and anchoring a hub for indie tech/creative culture.
Kate McCarthy, program manager at the Iron Yard’s new location in downtown Spartanburg
Ten startups moved into the Iron Yard last summer to hone their businesses and raise capital during the 13week The Next Big Thing business accelerator program in Greenville. Staring in July, a second program will begin in Spartanburg, focused on jump-starting businesses at the nexus of healthcare and technology. Program manager Kate McCarthy said the expansion to Spartanburg reflects the Iron Yard’s regional outlook. A lease has been signed at a building next to the HUB-BUB arts center and Zarza Restaurant on South Daniel Morgan Avenue owned by John Bauknight of RJ Rocker’s Brewery, also in Downtown Spartanburg. The location will put The Next Big Thing in proximity to HUB-BUB, which pushes Spartanburg’s art scene in much the same way the Iron Yard intends to push its tech scene. The universities, medical school, growing hospitals, and student population are assets that the startups could use to grow their businesses in Spartanburg, McCarthy said. The Spartanburg Accelerator will kick off with a community Start-Up Weekend in June. “It’s kind of like smooshing an accelerator into a weekend,” McCarthy said. People in the community will get to experience an abbreviated process of collaborating; pitching and trying to win prizes such as free legal advice that would help grow their businesses. The full accelerator program begins July 15 in Spartanburg and March 11 in Greenville.
Photo by Gerry Pate
20 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
People at work in The Iron Yard’s current home in the NEXT Innovation Center. The company is relocating to 2 North Main, the former home of Windstream in downtown Greenville.
Photo by Greg Beckner
The Next Big Thing: Spartanburg
The Next Big School
All the small companies that could take off from the accelerators will need the right setting to grow quickly, but Iron Yard co-founder Eric Dodds said the Upstate is not it. Yet. What’s missing are enough Web workers who could fill jobs if companies expand rapidly and rely on complex websites and applications. “We were thinking about the availability of Web developers in Greenville, and the reality is there aren’t any available,” Dodds said. “There’s a deficit. We probably get a few emails a day for people looking for experienced people.” Seven of the companies from last year’s accelerator stayed in Greenville, one of which came from Ohio. Unsatisfied with the idea that companies born here eventually might be forced to leave, the Iron Yard is launching Intensive Code Education School, a three-month adult education program in April. “Don’t know anything about code? Don’t worry,” the website says. The promise is that after three months of 60-hour weeks,
students will be able to build gorgeous websites and digital products. The school is not yet accredited and won’t cover theory, but promises that graduates will be prepared to build on the skills they learn. That is on top of the housing and new Apple laptop included in the tuition price. What’s more, the school promises to refund tuition to those who enroll in a placement program and do not find a well-paying job within six months of graduating. With jobs such as Web developers, computer systems analysts and software engineers topping just about every list of indemand jobs – with salaries in the $55,000-$100,000 range – it might me a fairly safe bet. Two similar schools have started in Denver and Chicago in the last couple of years. The Iron Yard is actively recruiting both students and teachers, hoping to add back-end engineering, mobile development and Web design to its course offerings. Students of all backgrounds are welcome to apply, passion and personality being more important than prior experience, Dodds said. “There needs to be passion for what we’re doing, building The Iron Yard’s conference room table doubles as a pool table.
Photo by Greg Beckner
things on the Internet, technology. And the reason for that is that it’s going to be a lot of really hard work,” Dodds said.
The Next Big Space
Having outgrown its office space in the NEXT Innovation Center at Church Street and University Ridge in Greenville, the Iron Yard is moving downtown. Although they will be underground, the 30,000-square-foot space in the former Windstream Building – across from the ONE project – puts them in a booming location. Dubbed “The Forge,” the space will also house a number of other enterprises that operate in the tech and creative industries. Indie Craft Parade will move its daily operations and annual festival to there. The Iron Yard’s CoWork communal work space will move there from Washington Street and will also expand, as will education and accelerator programs that were housed at NEXT. In addition, a video production studio, architect, electrical engineer, graphic designer and Web development company have already committed to the space. “There’s a lot of energy that’s created when you put a lot of people in the same space who have a common goal of working with some level of creativity and solving problems,” said Dodds. Details of the lease agreement are still being worked out with developer Bob Hughes, but at least two of the occupants will have moved in by the end of the month. The Forge’s goal is to be a major hotspot in the tech “ecosystem” to which tech types so often refer. And just like ecologists, the Iron Yard is focused on introducing key elements to ensure that the ecosystem will thrive for a long time to come. Contact Jennifer Oladipo at joladipo@communityjournals.com.
“There’s a lot of energy that’s created when you put a lot of people in the same space who have a common goal of working with some level of creativity and solving problems.” Iron Yard co-founder
Eric Dodds
NEXT
The Iron Yard
The Forge
CoWork
The Iron Yard Spartanburg
411 University Ridge, Greenville • An economic development arm of the Greenville Chamber • Aims to attract and grow high-impact technology companies by developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem • Opened the NEXT Innovation Center; tenants now include Michelin Development Upstate, Gnoso, EDTS and the Upstate Carolina Angel Network • Current home of The Iron Yard nextupstatesc.org
Currently based at the NEXT Innovation Center • A collaborative of entrepreneurs, investors, developers, artists and teachers • Runs 13-week startup accelerator program • Launching Intensive Code Education School, an adult-education program, this spring • CoderDojo program teaches children tech skills • Created the CoWork collaborative workspace theironyard.com
Set to open at Two North Main in downtown Greenville • The new home of the Iron Yard; moving will begin this month • To be located in the basement of the former Windstream building downtown, across from the ONE development • Sharing that space will be Web designers OrangeCoat, Freeman and Major Architects, the Indie Craft Parade, Coffee & Crema and a new CoWork location
Railside location at 1040 W. Washington St., Greenville • Communal space where independent business owners can work and collaborate on projects • Workers can drop in and use any available space, or upgrade to full-time membership for their own dedicated desks • New CoWork locations opening at The Forge downtown and in Spartanburg in Spring 2013 theironyard.com/cowork
S. Daniel Morgan Ave., Spartanburg • Launching this spring • Startup accelerator program focused on healthcare tech begins in July • Plans a Start-Up Weekend in June • Spartanburg location puts them in proximity to HUB-BUB, RJ Rockers Brewery theironyard.com/ accelerator/fall-program
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 21
UBJ Create. Innovate. Celebrate.
Young Innovators Follow in Janajreh’s Footsteps By Michael Mino
I still remember the surreal Awards are designed to promote and nature of the advisory board meeting support STEM and Computer Scifollowing the massive heart attack that ence education initiatives. took the life of Ibrahim Janajreh. A reThe AndSAM Project was awarded spected member of the board, a devoted $15,000 (one of 26 winners of 400 father of eight, and a valued member of applications) to create and evaluate Michelin’s research team for more than mobile phone applications for use in 15 years, he is sorely missed. classrooms and design a mobile phone Janajreh received an Innovision programming summer camp. Award in 2000 as the project leader for The first Android Programming a tire called the X One. This tire turns Camp was held last summer. “Matt 18-wheel trucks into 10-wheelers by reand I recently published a paper placing two duals with one wide single. documenting the camp experience In 2005, The Ibrahim Janajreh and its results,” Dean said. “Most of the Photo provided students indicated substantially higher Young Innovators Award was established to honor Janajreh. “In addition to being a interest in future computing study. That the paper was AWARD RECIPIENT BASICS brilliant scientist, Dr. Janajreh was an even better human accepted at the 2013 ACM SIGCSE conference – perhaps INNOVISION AWARD being who delighted in espousing Michelin values and the most prestigious conference in the field of computing encouraging young minds to explore and pursue their education – validates the innovative design and impressive Ibrahim Janajreh curiosity for math and science,” said Herb Johnson, direcoutcomes from this new camp.” Young Innovators Award tor of community relations for Michelin North America. Currently, Southside High has two student team projsp onsored by Michelin North America Inc. “Michelin is proud to continue sponsorship of this award ects entered in the Verizon Innovative App Challenge. in his memory.” Winners of the contest will be given professional help RECIPIENT Last November, the Southside Automated Machines in developing their winning application; however, both (SAM) Team received the Innovision Ibrahim Janajreh Southside High teams are already working on developing Southside High School Young Innovators Award for their work and dedication in their own codes. Greenville bringing Android phone power to grades K-12. The project The SAM Team members share their enthusiasm for the Southside Automated started out using Android phones as “brains” for controlling the team, the projects and the learning process itself. “BeMachines (SAM) Team various robots, and morphed into the much more sophistiing a part of SAM team has helped define my future goals cated task of creating applications for classroom use. to study computer science,” explained Samantha Speer, WEBSITE The Android project came about after Southside High co-president of the team. “It’s a fantastic experience!” www.greenville.k12.sc.us/shs School instructor Tom Rogers visited a former student, Teammates Mike Wang and Jake Johnson echoed simiGreg Grothause, at Google. Androids are programmable lar sentiments: “Developing cool technologies and pulling in Java, which Rogers teaches in his computer classes. Grothause sent a few them into the classroom is the norm here.” Androids to Rogers, and the venture took off. Rogers is always on the lookout for Android phones that can be repurposed “The goal of the project is to develop and migrate as many Android applica- into classroom tools. If you would like to donate your old phone, please email him tions as possible for use in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math- (tkrogers@greenville.k12.sc.us). Details are being finalized for the 2013 Android ematics) and computer science classrooms,” Rogers explained. “Smartphones Summer Camp, and will be posted online in the coming months (www.intuitor. are versatile and cost-effective pieces of technology, and Android is the world’s com/student/SAMteamHome.php). Rogers welcomes inquiries via email. most widely used smartphone platform.” Last year, the SAM team started working with Dr. Brian Dean and his Michael Mino is a longtime member of the InnoVision advisory board. He also is Ph.D. student Matt Dabney from the Clemson University School of Comput- CEO of PropertyBoss and teaches innovation management and entrepreneurship ing. The group formed the AndSAM Project and immediately applied for in the Clemson MBA program. To learn more about the InnoVision program and a 2012 Google RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Award. The RISE submitting an innovative project, visit InnoVisionAwards.org.
Upstate business journal 22 • February 15, 2013
UBJ
The Takeaway
Creating ‘Monster Loyalty’—With Help From Lady Gaga On January 29, 100 kindred spirits gathered
for the 2013 Fire Sessions at Genevieve’s at The Peace Center. What started as a way to simply say “thank you” to their biggest fans, the Fire Sessions have become a highly anticipated event for Brains on Fire. With a full day of speakers, the program is designed to invigorate and leave attendees feeling excited and passionate about marketing movements. EVENT: Brains on Fire Fire Sessions 2013 WHO WAS THERE: Marketers, executive directors, communication professionals SPEAKER: Jackie Huba, author and expert on customer loyalty TOPIC: Monster loyalty
Speaker Jackie Huba, co-author of the books “Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message” and “Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force” and co-author of the awardwinning “Church of the Customer” blog, has been named one of the 10 most influential online marketers. Her upcoming book, “Monster Loyalty: How Lady Gaga Turns Followers Into Fanatics,” is set for a May 2013 release. At the Fire Sessions, Huba shared these tips on fostering customer loyalty: Focus on your 1-percenters:
If you have 1 million followers, chances are only 1 percent are creating content and engaging in your conversations. Focus on them and not on obtaining new customers. Lady Gaga’s manager says it best: “It’s more important to have 1 million die-hard fans than 54 million Facebook likes.”
Lead with values:
Whatever it is you believe in, be an advocate for change. Companies that lead with values outperform the market by 400 percent (over a 10-year period). Build community:
Create a platform for your 1-percenters to connect and engage with each other. Something as simple as a meetup group can be very effective.
Give fans a name:
There’s a difference between a fan and a true advocate. Create your own Little Monsters. Build an identity for your community.
Embrace shared symbols:
Create something that your 1-per-
centers know of and others don’t. Think: the Lady Gaga monster claw. Create that exclusivity among your biggest fans. Make them feel like rock stars:
Make your customers feel like the rock stars. Lady Gaga asks her fans for their autographs. Generate something to talk about:
Give your 1-percenters something to talk about with other people. Lady Gaga’s meat dress at the Video Music Awards was not just a dress; it gave her the opportunity to talk about a cause she felt strongly about, thanks to the mass-media attention she received. Taryn Scher is founder and president of TK PR.
Based in Greenville, Brains on Fire helps organizations build movements. Born out of the bond between word-of-mouth marketing and identity development, Brains on Fire is devoted to helping organizations discover and sustain excitement about who they are and why they exist. Best known for their successes like the Fiskars Fiskateers movement, or helping the National Center for Family Literacy bring Wonderopolis to life, the company holds fast to the beliefs that great organizations are rooted in purpose, not just profit, relationships trump transactions, and organizations thrive through movements, not campaigns.
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 23
Professional Speak Out
UBJ
By Anna T. Locke
To get the most value and insight out of your financial reporting, many business leaders need more than just a CPA firm relationship. Because while CPA firms are excellent at preparing taxes and executing audits, their emphasis is on “after-the-fact” analysis. Today, many forward-thinking organizations want to fill critical gaps in accounting and financial data, or seek more personalized insight to grow and prosper. Where to turn? Savvy organizations are turning to outsourced accounting management services, where a skilled team fills multiple roles by providing book-keeping, financial review and analysis, timely reporting and business strategy… all for a fraction of the cost of paying a CPA firm to perform these functions, or – worse -supporting multiple salaried positions within your organization. To help you maximize opportunities while managing risk, you need the data entry skills of a Bookkeeper, the review and analysis of an Accounting Manager, the financial reporting and insight of a Controller, and the strategy of a savvy CFO. With outsourced accounting management services, you get all of these in just the right amounts – which means both expert advice and big savings. For a scalable team that delivers complete accounting support, an inclusive approach to financial management, and ongoing examination of key business issues while remaining savvy to tax consequences, audit considerations, and legal compliance, consider outsourced accounting management services. Your bottom line, and your peace of mind, will be better for it. A.T. LOCKE provides outsourced accounting management services.
Planner
monday, february 18 GCS Roundtable: Fine Tuning Your Interviewing Skills The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Board Room, Greenville; 5:30-6:30 p.m. Informational session about sitting on a board or commission. Open to members of PULSE and the Upstate Network. Refreshments will be served. Call: 864-239-3743 for more information.
tuesday, february 19
Must be a leader in a healthcare provider setting that is a member in good standing with the Greenville Chamber. Prospective Chamber members may attend one meeting as a guest of an HPN Member. Contact: Julie Alexander 864-239-3754
Metro Toastmasters Club Greenville City Hall, Third Floor Conference Room, 206 S Main St., Greenville; noon-1 p.m.
24 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
Cost: $15, no charge for Michelin Development. Register: piedmontscore.org/workshops/
Five Forks Baptist Church, 112 Batesville Road, Simpsonville; 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Boards and Commissions 101
Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Board Room, Greenville 7:30-9 a.m.
C82R
NEXT Innovation Center University Ridge; 6-8 p.m.
Upstate PC Users Group Speaker: Rich Witowski Call: Golden Career Strategies at 864527-0425 to request an invitation.
Healthcare Providers Network
864.908.3062 • atlocke.com
Business Start-Up Basic Info Briefing
Open to all. Contact: 864-350-0044
Open to the public. Discussion of PC problems and solutions.
wednesday, february 20 Handshakes and Hashbrowns at Rolling Green 1 Hoke Smith Blvd., Greenville; 8-9 a.m. Free for members. Contact: Jodi Fortenberry at 864-877-3131 for more information or register at greerchamber.com.
Mauldin Chamber Leads Group Mauldin Chamber of Commerce, 101 East Butler Road, Mauldin; noon-1 p.m. Free to attend. Contact: Don Johnson at dfjj1141@yahoo.com.
The Power of Email Marketing & Social Media Marketing Made Simple Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 105 North Pine St., Spartanburg; 1-4:30 p.m. Speaker: Anissa Starnes, regional development director, Constant Contact. Topic: How email marketing works and to obtain useful email marketing tips
Does your bank work as hard for your money,
Tech After Five – Greenville Carolina Ale House, 113 South Main St., Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free to GSA Technology Council members. Register: techafterfive.com.
thursday, february 21 Small Business Start-Up Tri-County Technical College Pendleton Campus, 7900 Highway 76, Pendleton; 5:30-8:30 p.m. Cost: Free Register: piedmontscore.org. Call 864-271-3638 for more information.
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Cost: $10. Attendees are invited to bring lunch, dessert will be provided. Register: http://scwbc.net/events/ greenvillespartanburg/.
9th Annual OYSTER ROAST The Warehouse, 209 Depot St., Greer; 6-9 p.m. A Pig Pickin’ BBQ will be at this year’s Oyster Roast and Shrimp Boil event. Open to members and non-members. Tickets: $35 for members; $40 for non-members (if purchased before February 18. After February 18, tickets will go up by $10) and include oysters, shrimp boil, pig pickin’ and beverages (soft drinks, beer and wine). Tickets must be purchased in advance. Register: greerchamber.com or call 877-3131.
monday, february 25 GCS Roundtable: Winning Listening Habits for Career Success
Greenville Chamber 124th Annual Meeting
The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m.
TD Center, 1 Exposition Drive, Greenville; 5:30 p.m. reception, 6:30 p.m. program
Speaker: Daryl Wiesman, Ph.D. Call: Golden Career Strategies at 864527-0425 to request an invitation.
Speaker: David T. Seaton, Fluor chairman & CEO. Cost: $75 for Chamber members, $130 for non-Chamber members. Contact: Elise Nichols, Hughes Agency at elisen@hughes-agency.com or 864-271-0718.
95th Chamber Annual Meeting
friday, february 22 Women Managing Women USC Upstate – The George, 160 East St. John St., Spartanburg;
Whether your business is just getting started or is an established part of the Greenville community, we’re committed to helping your business grow. We’ll get to know you and your business before customizing banking solutions to suit your unique needs. Let’s partner for your business success.
Spartanburg Marriott, 299 North Church St., Spartanburg; 5 p.m. cocktail reception, 6:30 p.m. dinner and business meeting Keynote speaker: Dr. Joe Salley, president & CEO of Milliken & Company. Cost: $75 per person for members, $100 per person for non-members. Contact Yvonne Harper at 864-594-5032 or yharper@ spartanburgchamber.com to register.
Growing Greenville 864.335.2200
•
BankGreenville.com
•
499 Woodruff Road
(Located at the corner of Woodruff Road and Rocky Slope Road)
K23A
including email marketing strategies and techniques. Cost: Free for Chamber members; $25 for non-members. Contact: Cindy Teaster at 864-594-5022 or cteaster@ spartanburgchamber.com
as you worked to get it?
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 25
UBJ “A lot of people are trying to find their way through today’s economy. They mostly know where they want to go, but they need a little help navigating. That’s where I can make the greatest contribution. A personal financial plan puts the odds in your favor here to help the obstacles along the way – byI'midentifying you the navigate and ways to get around them.” this complex — Charlton Armstrong III, Financial Consultant financial world.
The Fine Print
Roddey E. Gettys III, Baptist Easley CEO, and Lisa Wear-Ellington, president/CEO of the South Carolina Business Coalition on Health
Tool Maker Expands SC Tool Inc., which has had a location in Spartanburg for nearly two decades, is adding a second and larger plant in Travelers Rest. The company, which makes precision-cutting tools, said it would invest $1.25 million and create 30 new jobs at its Greenville County plant. “This expansion gives us the chance to diversify our offerings as well as increase our market share,” said Jody
reducing hospital readmissions for patients being treated for conditions like pneumonia and heart attack.” Baptist Easley was selected as a top hospital out of nearly 1,200 rural hospitals that participated in Leapfrog’s annual survey. “This award is proof that the care and safety of our patients is our top priority,” said Roddey E. Gettys III, CEO of Baptist Easley.
I'm I'm her her e to e help to h I'm here to help you y navigate navigate youou navigate this this complex complex this complex financial financial world wo financial world.
Whether your investment goals include increasing your net worth, With for so many optionsor creating a comprehensive financial saving retirement available, it's difficult planning strategy thatto includes insurance and estate planning decide which way to go. techniques, Charlton Armstrong can assist you in your journey. You That's where I can help. can count on him to to your financial goals and objectives and Call me for advice to listen set then turn them into actionable strategies. your financial plan on the right course. New Technology “Arm”, as he is known to his friends and colleagues, completed Director his undergraduate work at Duke University and received his MD With With With so Carolina. many so options many so many option o Clemson University’s biomedical degree from the Medical University of South He also Charlton Armstrong III, engineering innovation center in available, available, it'surology difficult it's difficult it's diff Financial Consultant completed specialty work inavailable, general surgery and at theto Greenville has a new director of 630 East Washington Street | Suiteresulting A University of Cincinnati, in Urologywhich board certification. technology development. wa decide decide decide way which to go. which way to Greenville SC, 29601 McRoberts, president. Under the supervision He is Michael J. Gara, who worked in 864-467-0007 | 877-467-0007 of his father, Arm began his parallel interest That's That's That's where I where can help. I thecan I h ca CArmstrong@ hilliard.com He saidwhere the additional capacity pharmaceutical and biotechnology in finance and investing by trading stocks and bonds while still www.hilliard.com would allow SC Tool “to engineer industries for more than 30 years and has in high school. He took courses atCall Duke with for the thought Call Call me me adviceofto setme for advice for advic to unique precision solutions for the managed research programs in biomediSecurities offered through J.J.B.school, Hilliard, and while in medical school completed attending business automotive, medical, aerospace andplan cal engineering at major universities. W.L. Lyons, LLC Member NYSE, your your yourfinancial financial plan on thefinancial pla on power-generation industries.” The center strives to develop and & SIPC 2007 course with Dun and Bradstreet. After completing anFINRA investment SC Tool acquired the assets, includright right right course. course. his training, Arm then served in the US Aircourse. Force as Major, Chief ing machinery and a 30,000-squareGara of Urology, S.W. March AFB in Riverside, California. Arm returned foot building, from an undisclosed Travelers Rest company. home to Greenville, South Carolina where he became a partner Bob Taylor, a director of the with Greenville Urology. He also had staff appointments with and Greenville Area m Development Corp., C ha C r lt ha Charlton Armstrong on r lt III, A on r A st r r m ong st r I o served as Chairman of the Department of Urology at Greenville said SC Tool’s precision-cutting tools Financial inancial Financial Consultant Consultant Consultant Hospital System andF Saint Francis Community Hospital. He retired are “vital to the region’s advanced enterprises.” 630 East 630 630 of East Washington East W |ashington Suite A manufacturing W ashington Street S in August 2008 after three decades service. While it Street is evident The company is hiring for the new Greenville Greenville Greenville SC, SC, 29601 29601 that Arm put much thought, dedication and SC, care 29601 into his medical positions through SC Works offices in 864-467-0007 864-467-0007 864-467-0007 | 877-467-0007 | 877-467-00 | 877-4 practice, he also became a student of the financial markets. And Greenville and Spartanburg. C CArmstrong@ hilliard.com hilliard.com hilliard so, inArmstrong@ September of C 2008, ArmArmstrong@ joined Hilliard Lyons to fulfill his Easley Hospital www .hilliard.com furloughed career aswww a.hilliard.com financial www.hilliard.com professional. Scores Well Call Charlton Armstrong today and see what he can do for you.
Baptist Easley Hospital was the only Securities Securities Securities offered offered through J.J.B. Hilliard, offered through through J.J.B. rural hospital in South Carolina to earn SECURITIES OFFERED THROUGH J. J. B. HILLIARD, W. L. LYONS, LLC MEMBER NYSE, FINRA & SIPC 2007 W .L. W Lyons, .L. W.L. Lyons, LLC Member Lyons, NYSE, LLC L Member LC Memb NY a top performer designation by the FINRA FINRA FINRA & & SIPC 2007SIPC & SIPC 2007 2007 Leapfrog Group, the hospital ranking
201 West McBee Avenue | Suite 401 | Greenville SC, 29601 Phone: 864-467-0007 | Fax: 864-467-9113 CArmstrong@hilliard.com | www.hilliard.com
26 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
organization said. The designation recognizes hospitals “that deliver the highest quality care by preventing medical errors and
UBJ
Square Feet
move “high-impact medical technology and devices for disease management” from bench to bedside. Gara said the Upstate is “nationally known for its high qualify of life and business-friendly environment” and Clemson’s innovation center is a “vibrant constituent of these knowledge economies.”
Polycom Likes ScanSource Polycom, a supplier of communications infrastructure, has named ScanSource its North American distributor of the year. It is the 10th consecutive year the Greenville reseller of communication, point of sale and security products and services has been recognized for its strong sales performance on behalf of Polycom.
Kudos for Training Promo The Upstate South Carolina Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development was given kudos for its December campaign showcasing the link between employee learning and organizational results. The Employee Learning Week promotion at the University Center in Greenville received three awards in the national society’s inaugural Training and Development Award competition. “With the growing skills gap and increased need to compete in today’s economy, organizations must develop a knowledgeable and highly skilled workforce,” said Betty Parker Ellis, Upstate chapter president and owner of Communication Works.
Colliers International announced: > Lyn Tyner represented Mattress Firm in the site search and lease of a 25,600-squarefoot distribution warehouse on Ben Hamby Road, Greenville. The warehouse is scheduled to be open for operation in February. > Lyn Tyner brokered an 8,640-square-foot lease for Dollar Maxx at Hudson Corners Shopping Center, Greer. The store plans to open by February.
> Lyn Tyner represented Rite Aid in a sub-lease deal of 13,824 square feet on Batesville Road, Greer. The space has been subleased by Dollar Tree. > Lyn Tyner represented the seller, Infinity 3 Realty LLC, in the sale of a 10,306-square-foot retail building on White Horse Road, Greenville. An Asian restaurant will occupy the space.
Medical Office Completed
Marsh/Bell Construction Company Inc. recently announced that they have completed construction on the new Greenville medical offices for PartnerMD. This new facility, which is the Virginiabased company’s first in South Carolina, is located at 12 Maple Tree Court, Suite 103. PartnerMD is a concierge medical practice that focuses on prevention care. This 6,500-square-foot custom renovation took Marsh/Bell Construction just six weeks to complete. Mike Ripley was superintendent for the project.
Illinois Firm Enters Upstate
The Covington Group of Sauget, Ill., has purchased two buildings off Augusta Road in Greenville and three off Highway 14 in Greer. The acquisitions represent Covington’s first foray into the Upstate, what vice president Michael Skunda called a “very healthy market.” He’s had his eye on it for four years, the company said. The company said the five buildings total approximately 682,000 square feet of warehouse space. Covington said it completed significant improvements on the buildings and rebranded them Logistics Pointe in both Greenville and Greer. “This is their first step into the Greenville market,” said Petty Major, CBRE senior associate of industrial brokerage services. Covington was attracted by the I-85 corridor and proximity to Atlanta and Charlotte, he said.
Swipe our latest issue today.
UBJ
On the Move
ELECTED
ELECTED
ELECTED
ELECTED
William Munley
Tim Reed
Anne Ellefson
Vice President of Orthopaedics and Professional Services at Bon Secours St. Francis Health System; recently elected Chair of the Advisory Council of the South Carolina Medical Translational Technology (MedTransTech) Program for 2013-2014. The Advisory Council oversees all aspects of the MedTransTech Program and consists of representatives from ten partner organizations. The South Carolina MedTransTech Program is a partnership of academic, healthcare and industry organizations aimed at enabling biomedical innovation, accelerating the transfer of resulting advances to the patient community, supporting biomedical education and outreach efforts, and supporting the regional economy.
Appointed to Verdae Development Inc.’s board of directors. Reed worked in the frozen food industry for 20 years and served on numerous trade association boards. He currently works in a variety of business ventures, including real estate investing, and is a very active volunteer in the Greenville community. Reed is the co-founder and past board chair of UCAN, the Upstate Carolina Angel Network, and is a former campaign chair and board chair of the United Way of Greenville County.
Appointed to the Hollingsworth Funds Inc. board of directors, where she will help oversee the foundation’s holdings, optimizing annual endowment income for maximum return to beneficiaries throughout Greenville County. The managing director of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd in Greenville, Ellefson has served at the firm since 1979 and is the first woman in South Carolina to lead a law firm with more than 100 attorneys. A member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and American College of Mortgage Attorneys, she is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, South Carolina Super Lawyers magazine for real estate, and also has been recognized in Chambers USA.
Elected to the board of directors of the Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands for a two-year term. Johnson previously served on the board from 2006 – 2011. Johnson, an attorney at Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, also serves on the board of directors for the Greenville Tech Foundation. She has been awarded by YWCA as a Dream Achiever; featured by Destiny Magazine as a Woman of Achievement; recognized by South Carolina’s Greater Middleton Chapel AME Church as a Phenomenal Woman; and selected by Greenville Business Magazine as one of the Best and Brightest 35 and Under.
ACCOUNTING/FINANCE: Columbia area tax firm Lowrance Cooper and Company recently merged into fast-growing Scott and Company LLC, one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing CPA and consulting firms, and firm principal Sandy Cooper has been named a member of Scott and Company. Cooper has more than 20 years of experience dealing with corporate and partnership taxation issues, with particularly deep expertise serving auto dealerships, law firms, insurance agencies and nonprofit entities, as well as individual clients.
HUMAN RESOURCES: Marie Sitter, SPHR, was named the 2013 HR Professional of the Year by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina State Council of the Society of Human Resource Management. Since 2000, Sitter has served as vice president of human resources at Span-America Medical Systems Inc. headquartered in Greenville. Sitter served on the negotiating team while Span-America was acquiring a Canadian company, MC Healthcare. She also partnered with Greenville County Workforce Development and Greenville Technical College to develop a special training program, and implemented a “Solutions to Better Health” program.
sub-licensees and distributors representing 10 districts across the United States and Canada.
President Rita Barker, Treasurer Jason Lewis, Secretary Nikki Grumbine, Ben Cox, Ben Geer Keys, Rob Hanley, Jennifer Harrill, Tiffany Massey, Heather Nix, Lauren Pile, Tom Tiller, and Corey Volt.
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT: KeyMark Inc., an award-winning document management solution provider, recently announced the addition of Sharnaz Kondo as a sales engineer and Leah Rice as the company’s newest systems engineer. In her new position, Kondo will be responsible for identifying enterprise content management solutions for existing and prospective customers and creating custom demonstrations. Rice will be maintaining and providing support for KeyMark customers in her new role as systems engineer.
MANUFACTURING: Wilbert Burial Vault of Greenville, operating in ten upstate counties since 1947, recently announced that its CEO, Boyd Anderson, has been named as president of the Wilbert Manufacturers Association (WMA) board of directors. The WMA is comprised of more than 200 licensees and an additional 150
28 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
NONPROFIT: Friends of the Reedy River, a local, grassroots, volunteer-based, nonprofit organization, committed to preserving, promoting, and restoring Greenville’s hometown river, recently announced that Susie Black, registered nurse with Greenville Hospital System; Lynn DeGraff, registered nurse with Greenville Hospital System; Dusty Deming, director of marketing and public relations for the YMCA of Greenville; Salley Gould, project geologist with HRP Associates Inc.; Robert Lloyd, consultant on public management and government relations with offices in Washington, D.C., and Greenville; Karen Martin, retired Greenville resident; Michael Pardue, project geologist with HRP Associates Inc.; and John Simmons, president/owner/consulting arborist for Arbor Source Inc. have joined the board of directors. This new class of 2016 joins the current board consisting of board President Kathryn Moore, Vice
Zandra Johnson
The South Carolina Alliance to Fix Our Roads executive director, Bill Ross, recently announced the appointment of Allen Smith, president and CEO of the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce, as a board member representing the Upstate Chamber Coalition. The South Carolina Alliance to Fix Our Roads is a non-partisan, nonprofit, statewide organization made up of business leaders, associations and chambers of commerce who believe that an efficient, effective and safe highway system is essential to South Carolina’s continued economic growth and social progress. PUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETING: Jeff Dezen Public Relations (JDPR) recently announced Holleigh Alexander and Shane Farmer as the new executive management assistance program (EMAP) interns for spring 2013. They
UBJ
Social
PROMOTED
John D. Montgomery Named vice president of real estate for Pacolet Milliken Enterprises Inc. Montgomery previously held the position of director of land holdings for Pacolet Milliken’s Southeast Real Estate Division. Before joining Pacolet Milliken, he was the Spartanburg Market Executive at Carolina First Bank, the largest South Carolina-based bank. He also served the bank previously as Vice President of Commercial Lending. In 2011, he was elected Commissioner of Public Works for Spartanburg County.
will participate in the three-month program that gives collegians exposure to the field of public relations and hands-on experience in strategic planning, client services and marketing communication. Alexander, a senior at North Greenville University, will graduate in May with a degree in broadcast media. Farmer is a junior at Furman University working towards a double major in political science and sociology and a minor in poverty studies. REAL ESTATE: Prudential C. Dan Joyner Co. Realtors recently announced that Ashley Richardson Behlke and Will Thomason have joined the company. Behlke serves as a sales associate at the N. Pleasantburg Drive office. She worked in outside sales, management and industrial packaging sales for 15 years. Thomason serves as a sales associate at the Pleasantburg office. He has 20 years of experience working in plumbing, mechanical and HVAC sales. The state’s chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management recently an-
The First Annual Greenville Roast, “honoring” Mayor Knox White, was held Feb. 1 at the Hyatt Regency, benefitting Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas and the YWCA. The roasting panel included George Acker with Duke Energy, Bob Howard with Greenville Tech Foundation, Bob Hughes with Hughes Development and Deb Sofield with Executive Speech Coaching. WYFF News 4 Anchor Nigel Robertson served as the emcee for the evening.
nounced the election of Bern Dupree, CPM, Vista Capital Management Group, as vice president. Founded in 1972, IREM South Carolina Chapter 72 is an organization of property managers dedicated to value enhancement of real estate investments and serving chapter members’ needs. As an extension of IREM National, its mission is to promote ethics, professionalism, and public awareness of the industry and to deliver education, quality programs and networking opportunities to its members. TOURISM: The Transportation Museum of the World recently welcomed George Fletcher as a member of the museum’s board of directors. Fletcher joined as museum advisor in 2011. He was the first executive director of New Carolina in 2006 and is currently executive director emeritus.
Photos by Greg Beckner
PROMOTED
Named BMW Manufacturing’s vice president responsible for finance and production control. McCraw, a 20-year veteran of BMW’s plant in South Carolina, has been instrumental in leading the plant’s major expansion investments throughout her tenure. Most recently, she managed the company’s $900 million investment to add 1.6 million square feet to the plant’s 4.0 million square foot footprint. This investment, which was announced in early 2012, will add a new model to the plant and increase the overall annual volume to 350,000 units by the end of 2014. Prior to BMW, McCraw worked as a Material Handling Engineer for Sara Lee Knit Products in WinstonSalem, N.C.
Photo provided
Sherry Coonse McCraw
On Feb. 5, attendees gathered at the Gunter Theatre in Greenville's Peace Center for the Performing Arts for the 2013 Symposium Upstate Real Estate Forecast, presented by CBRE | The Furman Co. Speakers included Jim Costello, managing director for Americas research for CBRE in Boston, and Brian Reed, vice president for client services for CBRE | The Furman Co., Greenville.
February 15, 2013 Upstate business journal 29
UBJ
Snapshot
With Loans & Secure Deposits Since 1907
For over 100 years, CBL has helped local customers realize their business and individual financial goals. Experience the personal service and fiscal soundness of a business that has been a source of financial strength in downtown Greer since 1907. Small Business Real Estate Loans Conventional & SBA Loans – Real estate, Construction and Re-financing Mortgage Loans, FDIC Insured Certificates of Deposits, IRA’s and SEP’s Competitive Savings Interest Rates and Annual Yields
229 Trade Street . Greer, SC 29651 864.877.2054 . www.cblgreer.com
Security. Stability. Strength.
the way it was.. In the 1940s, the northeast corner of Main and Washington streets was occupied by a local merchant. Payne’s For Music was a combination music and appliance store. In a day when many people made their own music, Payne’s sold pianos and offered a large selection of sheet music and band instruments. Also stocked were refrigerators and home washing machines. On the roof, a large lighted sign proclaimed the store’s name.
Photo provided
Serving Small Business
From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs From the Coxe Collection” by Jeffrey R. Willis
the way it is today
FIRST FRIDAY
LEADERSHIP SERIES PRESENTS
GREG SMITH Photo by Greg Beckner
President, Blue Vista Ventures, LLC
“Basement Start-up to Fortune 150 Exit: What I Learned Along the Way” March 1, 5:00 p.m. Clemson at the Falls
55 East Camperdown Way, Greenville
Attending First Friday is free, but space is limited! Register at FirstFridayGSmith.eventbrite.com.
Today, the basement of the site will be the new home of The Forge, The Iron Yard’s newest Greenville location. The Iron Yard is a co-working space. They
pride themselves as a steam engine of creative people, including designers, hackers and teachers to makers, artists and writers.
Got an old photo you’d like featured in Snapshot? Send an image file to snapshot@upstatebusinessjournal.com with a description of the photo and do your darnedest to identify any people in it.
30 Upstate business journal February 15, 2013
UBJ
New to the Street
Gallery Seventeen recently opened at 17 West North St. in Greenville. Its primary focus is to introduce a selection of local, regional and nationally collected artists to Greenville and the Upstate. The gallery specializes in contemporary fine art and sculpture with a focus on established artists. Gallery Seventeen also assists both the new and seasoned collector throughout the entire acquisition process. In addition, they offer consulting services for small- to large-scale corporate and residential projects.
For more information, visit gallery-seventeen.com or call 864-235-6799.
Photo provided
The gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday-Monday by appointment or by chance.
REMEMBER THAT
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT
NO ONE HAS EVER THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE
I SHOULD REALLY WRITE THIS DOWN
ONE-IN-A-MILLION BUSINESS IDEA YOU HAVE TUCKED AWAY IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND?
DUST IT OFF. IT’S TIME. The Clemson MBA in Entrepreneurship & Innovation Info session 2/21 · feb21info.eventbrite.com www.clemson.edu/mba · 864-656-8173