2009 Profiles in Business. by SC Biz News

2009 | PROFILES

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The experts at Caldwell Commercial offer service you can trust

nowing what to build, when to build and where to build takes someone with an insight for the market and someone with a lot of faith. The experts at Caldwell Commercial offer both. That’s why savvy investors rely on them for all their real estate services. Whether looking to open a new business center or just lease some office space, Caldwell Commercial offers clients advice they can depend on to make the right decisions. “The biggest part is timing. It’s everything. You can’t just build to the market, you’ve got to forecast what the market will be doing,” says CEO Bob Caldwell, whose experience has earned him the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors® (SIOR) designation. “We rely on multiple indicators to give our clients the very best recommendations. There’s a lot on the line, and they need to rely on someone they can trust. It’s all about accountability and treating people the way you want to be treated.” Caldwell learned all about client responsibility when he was seven. That’s when he got his “wheelbarrow license” and rode around with his dad carrying the blueprints for the next construction job. That life lesson carries over into his business. Not only does his company do the right thing, but, as Caldwell says, “We do the right thing, right.” Today, Caldwell Commercial and its team of eight professionals manage more than 600,000 square feet of prime commercial real estate. The company serves approximately 60 tenants from health care to insurance to government defense contractors.

Caldwell Commerical Staff Tecklenburg Professional Centre is the newest project under way for Caldwell Commercial. This office condo development will bring 60,000 square feet to the West Ashley area and the closest ownership opportunity to Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital. Caldwell attributes his success to strong work ethics and Christian values. He is involved with East Cooper Baptist Church student ministries, where Christian values and principles are shared with teens and young adults. He is also part of Lifeworks, a Christian Leadership group devoted to helping Christian professionals find success in both their personal and professional lives.

“We handle the A to the Z, from paying the mortgage to adjusting temperatures,” says Caldwell. “I have an incredible staff that is extremely talented, and if a client needs us, we’re on call 24/7.” Caldwell Commercial prides itself in professional brokerage, property development, marketing and leasing, accounting, property management, and building maintenance and operation. Caldwell Commercial’s projects include the leasing and redevelopment of all 150,000 square feet of the old Montgomery Ward building — working with Verizon Wireless in 2005 to occupy the building, which brought 1,200 new jobs to Charleston County — and the ongoing development of Aviation Business Park, a 35-acre office complex. Other special projects include: office condo sales at Beresford Creek Executive Center; 50,000 square feet of office/retail space at Harrell Square; and the development of 64,800 square feet of flexible office space at North Rhett Executive Center.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

Bob Caldwell, SIOR, President/BIC 2456 Remount Road, Suite 308 North Charleston, SC 29406

Phone:

843-566-1888

Fax:

843-554-8000

E-mail:

info@caldwellcommercial.com

Web Site:

www.caldwellcommercial.com

ECPI College of Technology fuels Charleston’s high-tech industries

ince coming to North Charleston in 2004, the local ECPI College of Technology campus has been preparing students for employment in the fastest growing industries: health care, technology and business. The school plays a major role in developing the region’s high-tech sector by training a highly skilled work force to meet businesses’ demands. It has created a strong work force through its classroom lessons, online learning and business training. “Charleston has benefited from economic growth over the past several years,” said Jim Rund, president of the ECPI College of Technology campus. “We’re proud to contribute to the growing work force demands, but even more so, we are proud our graduates have improved their lives through education.” The local campus has expanded its facility just off of Interstate 26 at Ashley Phosphate Road to accommodate the increased demand for education and skilled workers. The school continuously examines its offerings to meet local work force needs. ECPI is regionally accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and licensed by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education to award Bachelor of Science and Associate of Applied Science degrees. Degrees are offered in Business Administration, Computer Electronics Engineering, IT/Networking & Security, Medical Assisting, and Medical Administration. The Medical Assisting program is also accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools. ECPI programs are career-centered and fast-paced. Classes are smaller in size than most colleges and filled with practical hands-on training. The design is intended to ready students for the workplace.

ECPI students at work • Veterans Administration Letter of Appreciation. • Outstanding Achievement Award by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools. ECPI was founded in Virginia in 1966 to meet the needs of employers for well-prepared data processing specialists. ECPI quickly established a reputation for providing high-quality instruction, while using industry standard equipment and teaching the computer applications and software most in demand by employers. ECPI now has 22 schools throughout Virginia and the Carolinas, as well as an online school. Many other degrees and programs are offered throughout the three states.

“We understand the importance of preparing students with the knowledge, skills and abilities relevant to industry need,” said Kristie Cumbee, career services advisor. The Career Services Department prepares students with job development skills needed to have a competitive advantage in the employment market. With more than 300 affiliated employers, ECPI relies on the relationships it builds with businesses to provide feedback regarding their programs. This is attained through externships, semi-annual advisory board meetings and regular contact with employers. “We want industries to see ECPI as a source for the talent they need to build a successful operation,” Rund said. “Our stakeholders are both the students and the employers. We cannot provide a meaningful service to either if we neglect one.” ECPI has received the following accolades and awards: • Nationally ranked by Community College Week magazine.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone:

Jim Rund, president 7410 Northside Dr., Suite 100 North Charleston, SC 29420 843-414-0350

Toll-Free:

1-866-708-6166

Web Site:

www.ecpi.edu

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Team Trademark: Focusing on slow, steady, strategic growth

ou’ve seen them on television. The Trademark Properties team is famous for finding properties ripe for investment, lining up the necessary repairs and turning a profit with a quick sale. But long before their television fame, the James Island-based company was building a successful, full-service real estate brokerage locally. Trademark Properties continues its work in the Charleston market, providing residential and commercial services along with investment, project work, property management and relocation services. Richard C. Davis created Trademark Properties in 1991 to fill a gap in the market. Davis saw an opportunity following the savings and loan crisis to buy properties priced below value and he quickly realized that understanding value is the key to success in real estate.

“We still have a long way to go to meet our goals on growth,” Davis said, “but we are excited to use this new, challenging market for our future growth.” Davis said Trademark Properties, through its expertise and national exposure, plans to help the real estate market recover. “Trademark has big plans to work with banks, government agencies, private investors and homeowners to help put real people back in the vacant homes that are crowding our marketplace,” Davis said. “We have worked hard to create a grassroots network across the country of people who understand their communities. Fixing the problems in real estate that lay ahead of us will only be done with local people in their communities, and we plan to help make that happen.”

Davis’ business model is built on that philosophy that no matter what the market conditions are, one sector is likely to be undervalued. With a diverse team specializing in various sectors, Trademark is able to succeed in any real estate climate. Teamwork is a fundamental concept for Trademark Properties. All agents and divisions work together to achieve results. The team has spent years researching, following and trending distressed real estate to be prepared for the current market. “Trademark understands distress and value, and both of those elements are key to thriving in today’s marketplace,” Davis said. Trademark Properties’ business plan has stayed the course over the years. When the market was hot, Trademark Properties concentrated on growing production numbers rather than increasing its staff. Growth has been slow and strategic. Trademark’s team has been together for a long time, and few new members have been added over the years. “That was a hard thing to do, but ultimately it was the right decision for us,” Davis said. “We are now in a market where growth is more feasible because we can bring in excellent talent from other sectors of the market.” Davis works to be ahead of each new market trend, and as each market cycle approaches, Trademark has mastered it early and used those cycles to grow the company’s divisions.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone: Web Site:

Richard C. Davis 1175 Folly Road Charleston, SC 29412 843-762-0110 www.trademark-properties.com

EVERY DIVISION WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM INVESTMENTS

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BUSINESS BROKERAGE

PROJECT WORK

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

RELOCATION

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

At Trademark Properties, we feel that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Our strength is that we can provide you with experienced real estate professionals, experts in their respective divisions; who work together as a team toward the best interest of you, our client.

Richard C. Davis

Ginger Alexander Investment Division

Walt Flowers Investment Division

Andy Schryver Investment Division

Brett Spivey Investment Division

Dawn Nosal Project Work Division

Lyla Ambrose Residential Division

Molly Conn Residential Division

Crystal Googe Residential Division

Taylor Hamden Residential Division

Buddy Inabinett Residential Division

Bev Jenkins Residential Division

David Key Residential Division

Carol Newman Residential Division

Shannon Nickerson Residential Division

Lori Nolan Residential Division

Matt Rabon Residential Division

Glenn Rourk Residential Division

Steve Ryan Residential Division

Vance Sudano Residential Division

Amy Causey Property Management

Eboni Thompkins-Webber

Residential Division

Corie Hipp Relocation Division

Sedric Webber Residential Division

Nancy Whitson Residential Division

John F. Davis John Keener Commercial Division Commercial Division The Restaurant Guys

1175 Folly Road • Charleston, South Carolina 29412 Office: (843) 762-0110 • Fax (843) 762-0112 • Toll Free (877) 762-9101

2009 | PROFILES

CEO and Group Publisher - Grady Johnson gjohnson@scbiznews.com • 849.3103 Vice President of Sales - Steve Fields sﬁelds@scbiznews.com • 849.3110

IN BUSINESS

Business Assistant - Erin Henry ehenry@scbiznews.com • 849.3102 Managing Editor - Andy Owens aowens@scbiznews.com • 849.3141 Senior Copy Editor - Beverly Morgan bmorgan@scbiznews.com • 849.3115

A Note From the Publisher hose of you who have been Business Journal readers all of these

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years most likely know this story, but for you newer readers,

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the origin of Profiles in Business bears repeating. Not long after launching the Business Journal in 1995,

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businesspeople began asking us to include stories about their companies in

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

our publication. As journalists, we always

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had to reply, “We can’t do that until you do

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something we can report as news.”

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At the same time, many of those same people were asking if they could hire our Grady Johnson

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CIRCULATION AND EVENTS

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Finally it dawned on us: why not combine the two? And looking at

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the success of this year’s version of Profiles in Business, it seems the marriage has been a happy one.

Contributing Writers - Nike Kern, Heidi Strantz Contributing Photographer - Reneé Lyons Contributing Photographer - Leslie Halpren

I hope these profiles give you some insight into the working lives of the people who make up the Charleston area business community because each and every one has a unique story to tell. Please accept my enthusiastic invitation to read the 2009 Profiles in Business and I

South Carolina’s Media Engine for Economic Growth

hope you will enjoy reading about this sample of Charleston business life as much as I do.

Grady Johnson Publisher

The entire contents of this publication are copyright by SC Biz News LLC with all rights reserved. Any reproduction or use of the content within this publication without permission is prohibited. SCBIZ and South Carolina’s Media Engine for Economic Growth are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Ofﬁce. THE ALLIANCE O F

2 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

A R E A

B U S I N E S S

P U B L I C A T I O N S

FEATURED PROFILES Applied Energy Savings Systems...........................................17

ECPI College of Technology .....................................................1

At Home CAREGivers.............................................................21

Electronic Merchant Systems.................................................32

Avericom ................................................................................37

FitMed Partners ......................................................................34

Blackhawk Logistics...............................................................23

Halls Chophouse ......................................................................8

Bruce E. Miller, P.A. ................................................................29

Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union .......................................14

C&C Warehouse & Distribution Co. ........................................27

Homeowners Mortgage..........................................................16

Caldwell Commercial Real Estate Services.. Inside Front Cover

Liquid Box, Inc. ......................................................................28

Carolina Center for Occupational Health ...............................40

Maybank & Beckham LLC ......................................................38

Cenegenics, SC......................................................................11

Palmetto Surfacing Incorporated. ............................................5

Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery .................................6

The Payroll Department, LLC .................................................24

Charleston Defense Contractors Association ..........................9

Rosen, Rosen & Hagood, LLC ...............................................15

Charleston Trident Association of Realtors ............................39

Ross Printing ..........................................................................26

College of Charleston Graduate School.................................10

Saulisbury Business Machines.................................................4

Comcast of Carolina, Inc ........................................................30

SCE&G ...................................................................................13

Cotton & Company .................................................................35

ServiceMaster of Charleston ..................................................18

Crosby Plumbing Group .........................................................12

Stipkala LLC ...........................................................................25

Davis Air .................................................................................33

Superior Transportation ..........................................................19

Direct Marketers of Charleston ..............................................22

Trademark Properties ................................... Inside Back Cover

DisasterCare Cleaning & Restoration .....................................36

Trident Health System ............................................................31

Dunhill StafďŹ ng Systems ........................................................20

Trident Technical College .........................................................7

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Saulisbury Business Machines continues its 40-year commitment to quality and service

hen Lyles Saulisbury started his own business in 1968, he sold typewriters and calculators to Charleston area businesses and quickly established a reputation for highquality products and customer service. “We still take the same approach to business today,” said Dale Saulisbury, who grew up working in his late father’s business and took over as president of Saulisbury Business Machines Inc. in 1995. “How we treat our employees and our customers is based on his beliefs.” With 35 employees and offices in Charleston, Myrtle Beach and a third location on the way in Beaufort, Saulisbury Business Machines is the largest independent company selling and servicing copiers, scanners, printers and fax machines in the region. They have exclusive rights to sell Lanier and Canon products within the territory that stretches from Interstate 95 to the coast. In addition, they are the only full-line dealer of Canon products on the South Carolina coast. The company also offers a complete line of document management solutions, including an array of hardware and software that can streamline document scanning, storage, printing and distribution, as well as track document costs and generate detailed reports. “We serve the small business just down the street, as well as large businesses, colleges and school districts,” Saulisbury said.

Dale Saulisbury In addition to quality products and top-notch service, Saulisbury said change has also been a key to success. “You have to listen to other people and to their ideas,” he said. “You have to adapt with what’s going on around you and be willing to change when it’s time to change.” Outside of business, Saulisbury and his employees support the community by buying local goods and services, as well as donating time and money to organizations including Crisis Ministries and the Charleston Miracle League.

They have products to match just about every need and price point, from a simple $500 desktop printer to a $150,000 multi-functioning copier. Saulisbury added they do what they can to help small startups, including offering a selection of high-quality rebuilt machines at a reduced price.

SAULISBURY Business Machines, Inc.

Saulisbury Business Machines is also the only company in the region to offer short- and long-term product rental. This offering is popular with local businesses and those who are just passing through, including golf tournaments and movie productions. The company’s commitment to customer service begins with a faceto-face meeting where a representative goes on-site to help determine each client’s needs. “We look at the whole situation, and in today’s economy, it’s important to see how we can make them the most productive and save them money,” Saulisbury said, adding that his sales personnel and technicians attend regular training sessions to stay current with best practices.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

Dale Saulisbury, president 7632 Southrail Road North Charleston, SC 29420

Phone:

843-572-9111

Fax:

843-572-9004

Web Site:

4 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

www.saulisbury.com

Quality products and customer service is the foundation for Palmetto Surfacing’s success

or Kim Clark, it’s simple. His company, Palmetto Surfacing Inc., is about fulfilling visions.

“Each client has an idea in his or her head about how they want the job to look,” said Clark, president of Palmetto Surfacing, the Lowcountry’s source for Corian, Zodiaq, Cambria, and granite and quartz surfaces. “We focus on personalized customer service at every aspect of the job – from picking out the countertop, to the final installation. “But we know the happiest day for the customer is the day we pull out of the driveway,” Clark said, laughing. “They want a nice job and they want you to leave. And we want the experience for the customer to be as delightful as can be.” Clark and his business partner Lex Osterkamp purchased the company — then known for residential countertop installation — from Rice Planter Carpets in 1984. They renamed the business Palmetto Surfacing and were soon courted by DuPont to enter the commercial side of the business. Reaching into both markets, the business expanded quickly and the company has grown to serve South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. With a nod to the personal experience of picking out the perfect surface, the company built a 2,000-square-foot showroom in North Charleston featuring kitchen kiosks. Here, customers can examine the various products and consult with in-house designers regarding colors and edging, as well as sink and faucet choices. Clark also said they keep about 400-450 slabs in stock so customers can personally select the actual surface they want installed. While Palmetto Surfacing boasts an excellent staff of 26, Clark and Osterkamp remain very active in the day-to-day operations. Clark focuses on sales and on-site trouble shooting and Osterkamp spends most days out in the field overseeing installations. The company has been able to maintain a steady stream of work, even in the economic downturn, focusing on commercial work and renovation projects. And while Palmetto Surfacing has grown to a strong, multimillion-dollar business, Clark and

Palmetto Surfacing Staff

Osterkamp insist on making sure customers get the personalized attention and service the company has offered since it first opened 25 years ago. “What stands out, I think, is our dedication to service,” Clark said. “We don’t try to reinvent the wheel, we just try to make it where it rolls better. We’ve surrounded ourselves with good quality products and we have great employees, and I try to make sure people have a great experience when they do business with us,” Clark said.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executives: Address:

Kim Clark, Lex Osterkamp 7645 Southrail Road North Charleston, SC 29420

Phone:

Charleston – 843-569-1131 Myrtle Beach – 843-626-8881

Fax:

Charleston – 843-569-0091 Myrtle Beach – 843-626-8883

Web Site:

www.palmettosurfacing.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery offers complete specialty eye care

harleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, P.A. is a Mount Pleasant-based Ophthamolgy sub-specialty medical practice started in 1999 by David G. O’Day, M.D. When the practice began, it was just Dr. O’Day, a technician and one employee who made the appointments and kept track of patient records. The office offered general ophthalmology services, but was primarily focused on the treatment of cornea and external eye diseases as well as elective refractive eye surgery. Since then, the business has grown into an award-winning practice with five physicians and three locations in Charleston, as well as a satellite office in Myrtle Beach. A physician is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide services, including emergency eye care, to anyone in the Lowcountry.

Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery Staff care to everyone who walks in the door. The patient comes first.”

General eye care remains a large part of the practice, as do traditional vision correction methods, including glasses and contact lenses. “However, we’ve basically broadened our scope of care to everything in the front half of the eye in addition to front-to-back eye exams,” Dr. O’Day said. The range of care includes diagnosis and treatment of cornea and external eye diseases, as well as performance of elective vision correction surgery. The practice has also added cosmetic laser skin resurfacing and other spa-oriented services, including Botox.

In 2009, Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery will celebrate 10 years in existence, and Dr. O’Day’s future goals include sustaining and refining systems and protocols to deliver care in an even more efficient manner. “The success we’ve had will dictate how we proceed in the future. Basically, that involves giving the highest quality of eye care that we know how to give in whatever area that is, whether we are taking care of a child or a senior citizen, fitting a spectacle or contact lens or doing an elective vision correction surgery.”

To offer the best possible care, Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, P.A.’s physicians stay up to date on the latest procedures, and the practice invests in the very latest laser, surgical, diagnostic and pre-op testing equipment available on the market. The physicians have performed tens of thousands of successful surgical and laser vision correction surgeries — Dr. O’Day himself has performed more than 50,000 procedures. “What stands out about our practice is the training and experience I have gone through — we all have gone through — as well as the ethics and the standard of care our practice offers,” Dr. O’Day said. “We evaluate each and every patient individually, and if the person is not a candidate for a certain procedure, we can look at alternatives to help them achieve their objective. “We have a great staff and we want to make sure that we give quality

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

David G. O’Day, M.S., M.D.; founder and medical director 574 Lone Tree Drive Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

Phone:

843-856-5275 888-LASIK-36

Fax:

843-856-8953

Web Site:

6 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

www.charlestoncornea.com

TTC’s Palmer Campus offers quality education at a reasonable price

rident Technical College’s Palmer Campus is a learning enclave in the heart of downtown Charleston that offers experienced faculty and classes that fit the lives of all types of busy students. The campus is conveniently located on Columbus Street and offers students day, evening, weekend and online classes, as well as accelerated formats. “The growth and success of Palmer Campus is attributed to students desiring to take advantage of a cost-effective way to earn a college degree,” said Dr. Louester Robinson, director of the college’s Palmer Campus. The college has deep roots. In 1964, Gov. Ernest Hollings created a statewide education system, which included the BerkeleyCharleston-Dorchester Technical Education Center, to meet the education and training needs of South Carolina.

Dr. Louester Robinson, director of TTC’s Palmer Campus

The center opened with two buildings and 226 students. By 1973, the center had grown so large that it sought to expand, and merged with Palmer College, then a private business college in downtown Charleston.

busy student, many of whom are back-to-school professionals. Student services include admissions, financial aid, orientation, bookstore, a business office and campus safety. Counseling and career development, as well as educational opportunity programs and testing are also offered on site.

The combined Palmer College and B-C-D Technical Education Center became Trident Technical College. In 1982, the college built its Berkeley Campus near Moncks Corner.

Tuition for tri-county area residents is only $146 per credit hour, less than half of what tuition costs at other colleges and universities.

Four years later, the Palmer Campus moved to its current site on the peninsula. The campus underwent renovations in 2001 and 2008 to expand library facilities, labs, classrooms, offices, as well as provide expansion opportunities for the Culinary Institute of Charleston and other programs. Currently, the Palmer Campus is the proud home of the Division of Law-Related Studies, which includes the Paralegal and Criminal Justice programs. Other programs indigenous to the Palmer Campus are Massage Therapy, Emergency Medical Technology, Esthetics, Nail Technology and the Ophthalmic Clinical Assistant program. Students can also earn an associate degree in arts or science (University Transfer programs) at one convenient downtown location. Additionally, Continuing Education offers a variety of training opportunities and certifications at Palmer Campus, and the Culinary Institute of Charleston offers advanced culinary and hospitality training for local industry professionals and food- and hospitalityrelated Continuing Education programs.

Building on its successes, the Palmer Campus will continue to evolve to find new ways to meet the needs of its students, Robinson said. She noted that a recent Palmer Campus Study (2009) was conducted in order to help the college meet strategic goals now and into the future.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone: Web Site:

Dr. Louester Robinson, campus director 66 Columbus St. Charleston, SC 29403 843-722-5500 www.tridenttech.edu

The Palmer Campus strives to serve as a one-stop-shop for the

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Halls Chophouse focuses on family, Southern hospitality and fabulous food

troll down King Street and through the doors of Halls Chophouse, and it’s like coming back home — to the smell of a sizzling steak and familiar company.

Most likely you’ll get a warm greeting from a member of the Hall family, who opened up the restaurant back in March. With more than a half century of combined hospitality experience, the Halls always dreamed of opening up a restaurant with all the elements of a classic American steakhouse but infused with some Southern charm. And after finding the perfect spot nestled in the Upper King District, Bill and Jeanne Hall, along with sons Tommy and Billy, remade it into an ideal place to host friends, and soon-to-be friends, for a great meal. The plush two-story space seats 160 and is full of exposed brick walls, leather banquettes and soft lighting. The first floor boasts a 16-seat African mahogany bar, while a trip up the hardwood staircase takes diners to a 350-bottle wine rack, another unique bar and a private dining room. Live piano music floats through the space on any day of the week. The menu features 28-day aged prime Allen Brothers steaks that can be topped with several different sauces, such as their peppercorn-brandy, blue cheese, onion jam or red wine bordelaise. It also offers a 45-day dry aged New York strip and rib-eye. Halls capitalizes on its proximity to the water by offering fresh, local seafood. Some of the seafood dishes include oysters Rockefeller, pan-roasted grouper and seared scallops. Chef Scott Blackerby emphasizes using local produce and supports local groups like Lowcountry Local First and the Sustainable Seafood Group. The restaurant places a premium on being family operated and goes by the mantra “Always a Hall on duty.” Bill and Jeanne have spent the past 46 years in the hospitality industry, operating hotels and restaurants in Pinehurst, N.C., Hilton Head, Pebble Beach and Napa Valley, Calif., the Cloister Resort at Sea Island, Ga., as well as many Ritz-Carlton Hotels. However, it was always their dream to open their own family restaurant. Tommy, a Clemson graduate, comes to Charleston after his last job as general manager of Del Frisco’s Steakhouse in Dallas, and Billy comes with 12 years working in the NFL, Major League Baseball and college football. The Hall brothers were born in Beaufort.

Halls Chophouse

Although the economic times are tough, the Halls face reality optimistic and determined. “We do not expect to make it to the top of the mountain in one day. Some days we might take one step forward and the next a few steps back. We want to climb the mountain. We do not want to take a helicopter to the top,” Bill said. In the meantime, Halls is bringing a dose of Southern hospitality to the American steakhouse experience, from its Lowcountry ingredients and family-oriented hospitality to its superior service with sophisticated cuisine. Halls is open for dinner seven days a week and is also available for special occasions and private parties for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

AT A GLANCE Address: Phone:

“We are happy to be together as a family and are having fun every day,” Bill said.

Web:

8 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

434 King St. Charleston, SC 29403 843-727-0090 www.hallschophouse.com

The CDCA — serving the military, growing the community

harleston Defense Contractors Association is a nonprofit business league that represents 85 companies in the Lowcountry that provide services primarily to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, a division of the Navy. In addition to SPAWAR’s 3,000 civil servants, the military organization is supported by 12,000 contractors that supply so-called C4ISR services, which stands for command and control, communications and computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The CDCA was created in 2002 to establish an “organized and cohesive” voice for those contractors. It advocates, protects and preserves the economic interests of its membership, its customers and the community, said Mike Resler, the organization’s president. The member companies that make up the CDCA provide a wide range of professional and technical services to its customers. “The CDCA is an industry association that provides a unified conduit that reaches out to our customers and the community,” Resler said. “We make donations to local schools, local programs and local events that are directly related to our mission and provide some value to our membership.” The CDCA’s success is measured by the impact it has on the community and the membership it serves. The organization has been able to maintain growth and overcome challenges by continuing to provide valuable services to its membership. “Our sustained membership is an indicator of the need for and the value of our organization,” Resler said. A goal of the organization is to grow the community’s awareness of the local defense industry. While the majority of the CDCA member companies are headquartered outside of South Carolina, nearly all have offices in the Charleston region.

Charleston Defense Contractors Association Staff “If there is no industry group represented, there’s no way to communicate our interests for BRAC. If there’s no organization to present that response, it’s not so good,” Resler said. By various names, SPAWAR has local roots that date back several decades. Its original mission was to provide electronics equipment for the ship hulls that were constructed on the former Charleston Naval Complex. That base ceased operations in 1996, but the electronics division remained. It officially became SPAWAR Atlantic in October 2008. Today, SPAWAR provides high-tech military solutions for vehicles and other products aimed at assisting the war fighter in combat and preserving America’s military prowess. In 2008, SPAWAR’s total authority was $5.2 billion, with about half of that money directed to contractors represented by CDCA.

The industry represents a substantial chunk of the local employment base and provides many of the area’s high-tech, high-paying jobs. But one of the challenges that the local defense industry faces is in recruiting new hires for this specialized work. That’s why a primary mission of the CDCA is to invest early in S.C. students and introduce them to the industry so that they might choose a job in this field after graduating from college. The organization donates to local elementary and secondary schools for the creation of math and science programs and helps place college students in internship positions at its member companies.

AT A GLANCE

“We’re trying to grow an organic work force,” Resler said. “A lot of these kids are like the general public; they don’t know who we are. But we’re a highpaying, highly skilled part of our work force.”

Top local executive: Address:

The CDCA also hopes to spotlight the importance of the SPAWAR organization to the local community, as well as serve as a strong industry advocate when the U.S. Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission considers military base closures and consolidations.

P.O. Box 61089 North Charleston, SC 29419

Web site:

www.charlestondca.org

Mike Resler

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

The Graduate School of the College of Charleston creates new opportunities for success

s the economic environment evolves, so do the skills needed by employees to keep themselves competitive.

“It’s our job to pay attention to what businesses require and shape our programs accordingly,” said Niki DeWeese, director of information and recruitment at The Graduate School of the College of Charleston. “We find that the way businesses are growing, there is a greater need for interdisciplinary programs,” DeWeese continued. “We hear that call and we intend to answer it.” As a result, the Graduate School has added six new programs since the fall of 2007, including three just this year. In all, the Graduate School now offers 18 master’s degree programs and 10 certificate programs. Highlights include its accounting program, which is one of only 170 programs in the country to be separately accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business; and its Masters of Public Administration Program, one of the few joint programs in the country to be fully accredited by the National Association of the Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. The Graduate School also has developed unparalleled opportunities for its students to work with local, state, national and international businesses and organizations. The faculty is involved with the community — collaborating with other schools, consulting with businesses and conducting research for government agencies — providing graduate students access to professionals who are highly respected in their field. The fact that Charleston is a desirable location for a number of businesses has had a direct impact on graduate programs. For example: • Marine biology students benefit from alliances with the National Ocean Service, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the Medical University of South Carolina. • Students in its bilingual legal interpreting program, the only one of its kind in the nation, gain valuable experience in the context of South Carolina’s growing Latino population. • Historic preservation and community planning students collaborate with the Charleston Museum, the Historic Charleston Foundation, the Preservation Society of Charleston, the American College of the Building Arts and Drayton Hall.

The Graduate School Office staff in front of the College of Charleston’s Randolph Hall explained Amy Thompson McCandless, dean of the Graduate School. “Increasingly, the Graduate School has sought to anticipate needs by keeping abreast of economic, social and environmental trends, not just locally, but globally.” The Graduate School of the College of Charleston was founded in 1972 as a critical extension of the college itself, which was founded in 1770. Since that time, the College of Charleston has been consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 10 master’s-granting institutions in the South. Today, the Graduate School has more than 1,600 students who reap the benefits of small class sizes and a diverse environment that blends a multitude of generations.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone: Web Site:

“The first graduate programs were a response to community requests,”

10 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

P. George Benson, president 66 George St. Charleston, SC 29424 843-953-5614 www.cofc.edu/gradschool

Don’t just age, age well with the help of Cenegenics Carolinas

ince 2002, Cenegenics Carolinas LLC has been offering patients in the Charleston region, and beyond, an effective way to manage the aging process. And now, Cenegenics offers patients even more services to help live a healthier life now, and in the future. Cenegenics Carolinas is a preventative health and age management medical facility in downtown Charleston. It is one of five Cenegenics locations in the country, each owned by an age management physician in partnership with the Nevada-based Cenegenics Medical Institute. The organization was founded in Las Vegas in 1997 and has since established a reputation for its scientific, proactive approach to age management. A patient’s Cenegenics experience begins with a comprehensive evaluation that includes blood work and a full day at the Cenegenics facility meeting with doctors, nurses and nutrition and exercise experts. The latest equipment is available to test bone density and oxygen consumption, fitness and endurance. This extensive assessment gives each patient a clear snapshot of their health, and a baseline to which they can compare their progress. Each patient leaves the office armed with a program that includes a diet and exercise plan. To get the most out of their results, patients are also prescribed a combination of nutraceuticals and, when necessary, bioidentical hormones.

Cenegenics Staff While there are other age management practices in the region, Barber said, “When it comes to experience, we are at the top of our field. In addition to my own experience, my team is very experienced and passionate about what we do. And, I think that we offer a much more comprehensive program over the short and long term.” “Because of our affiliation with the Cenegenics Medical Institute, we have this vast wealth of knowledge and expertise. We have really set the bar,” Barber added.

Patients can now add a second day to their initial evaluation. The second day gives patients a chance to amplify their program by meeting with a combination of experts, from a chef to a yoga instructor, based on each patient’s interests and activities. Always looking to increase and upgrade the services provided to patients, Cenegenics this year began offering adult stem cell collection and storage services. “Cenegenics is the only facility in the Carolinas to offer the service and does so through its partnership with Florida-based Assurelmmune, one of only three companies in the U.S. that collects and preserves adult stem cells,” said Dr. Mickey Barber, CEO and chief medical officer at the Charleston facility. “We are very excited about this because the procedure is not only the wave of the future, it’s important right now.” To help companies in the Carolinas encourage a healthy workplace, Cenegenics is now offering corporate groups a significant discount on services.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

Dr. Mickey Barber, CEO and CMO 211 King St., Suite 310 Charleston, SC

Phone:

843-577-8484

Fax:

843-577-8482

Web Site:

www.cenegenics-carolinas.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Crosby Plumbing’s work is right, reliable and on schedule

eff Crosby is not a plumber who’s looking to pick up one job at a time. Any work that his company, Crosby Plumbing, performs for a contractor is done with an eye toward establishing a longterm relationship. That means the company’s plumbing work is done right, reliably and on schedule. “When I do my first job for you, I expect that I’m going to do your jobs for as long as you’re working,” Crosby said. A longstanding relationship with a national homebuilder brought Crosby Plumbing to South Carolina about 12 years ago. The builder, which Crosby had worked with for several years in Syracuse, N.Y., asked the company to work on its projects in the Greenville area. Since then, Crosby Plumbing has grown from three employees to 57 and has established offices in both Charleston and Greenville. Crosby’s Charleston-based operation has a staff of 28 and offers fullservice plumbing, including new construction and repair work. Crosby Plumbing still works with the homebuilder that brought the company to South Carolina, plus many others, but it has expanded its focus to include commercial projects as well. Recently, Crosby Plumbing won the contract to handle all of the plumbing work in the city of North Charleston’s new four-story, 150,000-square-foot city hall building.

Jeff Crosby where you’re dealing with a general manager who really doesn’t have the authority to make decisions.” After the work is done, Crosby Plumbing remains accessible to handle any follow-up concerns, Crosby said. It all goes back to the company’s commitment to establishing relationships. “We work with integrity, with honesty and with quality,” Crosby said. “Those are the things that set us apart.”

Crosby’s plumbers are experienced in green building practices and can offer clients the latest in energy conservation, including new piping materials, design and pipe placement, water-saving fixtures and Energy Star products. The company visits manufacturers regularly to learn firsthand about green plumbing technology and other innovations. It recently earned a certified green professional designation. The economy has most companies watching their budgets these days, and Crosby Plumbing has responded by ensuring the work it does adds as much value as possible and comes with the best possible price. Crosby Plumbing will offer cost suggestions and recommendations on new designs and equipment to fit each client’s needs. “We’re a family-owned, family-run company,” Crosby said. “We’re onsite owners. You can talk to us every day. We’re not a big corporation

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

Jeff Crosby, owner 506 B Deanna Lane Wando, SC 29492

Phone Lowcountry:

843-284-0286

Phone Upstate:

864-962-8488

Web Site:

12 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

www.crosbyplumbing.com

Proud of its strong history, SCE&G maintains focused on the future

CE&G, the principal subsidiary of SCANA Corp., traces its roots back even before Edison invented the light bulb.

Its history can be traced back to the Charleston Gas Light Co., which was founded in 1846 to manufacture gas. But as technology emerged and the gas, lighting and electric industry evolved along with breakthroughs, so did the company. It went through several forms as utility companies emerged, and then merged, through the 1920s. In 1937, the name was officially changed to South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. Several years later, SCE&G merged with Lexington Water Power Co., which had built a dam on the Saluda River and created Lake Murray. At the time, the 50,000-acre Lake Murray was the largest man-made barrier built for power production in the world. As legislative acts were passed and holding companies were streamlined, the ownership of SCE&G was divested through a stock distribution. In 1946, SCE&G became the first South Carolina corporation to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1959, it joined three neighboring utilities to build the first electricity-producing nuclear power plant in the Southeast. The power plant served as a prototype for larger reactors, like the nuclear plant SCE&G built in the 1970s.

Felicia Rue Howard & Danny Kassis These programs not only help people to be better stewards of the environment, but they help manage energy costs and monthly bills. Looking to the future, SCE&G is predicting a need for base load electric generation around 2016. After conducting research on the best way to meet this need and the type of plant to build, SCE&G found nuclear power to be clean, reliable, efficient and economical. SCE&G is currently working with Santee Cooper to build a nuclear power plant outside of Columbia.

In 1982, SCE&G became the largest natural gas supplier in the state, and in 1984, SCANA was formed. This allowed the corporation to diversify into telecommunications, power plant management, natural gas exploration and other energy-related enterprises. Today, SCE&G provides electricity to around 650,000 customers and natural gas to around 307,000 customers. The company places a premium on customer service and input, and last summer put together a panel of more than 3,200 customers to provide feedback online. After hearing customers express a need to manage and conserve energy, SCE&G developed a plan to enhance its energy efficiency offerings to create a more comprehensive energy efficiency program. Programs currently available include an annual energy campaign to educate customers and create awareness on conservation and energy efficiency, an online tool where customers can track their energy use, and an in-home energy consultation for homeowners who want to proactively manage their energy use. Information about these and future programs can be found online at www.sceg.com/myenergy.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Jim Bryan, Manager, Lowcountry Community/Economic Development & Local Government Address: Phone: Web Site:

1426 Main St. Columbia, SC 20201 1-800-251-7234 www.sceg.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Heritage Trust: People helping people

ith more than 200 employees and a member-focused philosophy, Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union continues to be a perfect alternative to banks in the Lowcountry. What sets Heritage Trust apart from competitors is its consistent, long-term commitment to members and employees. “At Heritage Trust, we take a lot of pride in ensuring our employees have the training and resources that they need in order to deliver superior service to our members,” said Bertie Gaskins, Senior Vice President of Credit Union Development. Heritage Trust is a financially sound organization that has successfully served the greater Charleston community since 1955. Founded on the philosophy of “people helping people,” credit unions exist only to serve members. Since credit union members are the owners of the organization, there are no shareholders to whom profits must be paid. In a credit union, all remaining profits, after expenses, are returned to members in the form of better rates on loans and deposits and lower or no fees on products and services. Heritage Trust is the only financial institution in the Charleston area that has purchased additional, private share insurance coverage on top of the federal amount. This means Heritage Trust’s member accounts are protected up to $500,000. IRAs are also covered up to $500,000. By concentrating on the needs and best interests of its members, Heritage Trust has been able to maintain growth and stability even in the midst of economic downturn. “Heritage Trust’s growth and success can be attributed to our member’s loyalty over the years, embracing change to provide our members with the best technology and products and services available, hiring great employees and consistently serving and supporting our local community,” said President and CEO James McDaniel Sr.

Heritage Trust Rivers Avenue Branch Staff • The credit union’s highly skilled and dedicated professionals are available to assist members every day. • Staff are trained to answer member questions and provide easy access and assistance to product information, loan processing, account information and more. Trust: • In addition to quality products and services, all of Heritage Trust’s accounts are insured by the National Credit Union Administration, an agency of the U.S. government, to at least $250,000. • Since Heritage Trust’s members are its owners, members actively participate in the organization’s future by electing the credit union’s Board of Directors.

Heritage Trust is committed to a three-pronged customer approach. Convenience: • 11 branch locations and more than 36 ATMs in the region. • www.HeritageTrust.org is available for members 24/7 to apply for loans, pay bills, view balances or sign up for e-statements. • Members can also sign up for Mobile Banking for access via their cell phones. • As a participant in the Shared Branching network, Heritage Trust members who travel or relocate can access the services of almost 3,000 credit unions worldwide. Service:

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive:

James McDaniel Sr., President and CEO

Address:

P.O. Box 118000, Charleston, SC 29423

Toll-Free:

800-845-5550

Phone:

843-832-2600

Web Site:

14 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

www.HeritageTrust.org

Rosen, Rosen & Hagood is committed to excellence

osen, Rosen & Hagood is an AV-rated firm, a designation by Martindale-Hubbell that signifies the highest possible ranking for legal and ethical standards. Several members are listed in The Best Lawyers in America and identified in Super Lawyers magazine as among the best lawyers in South Carolina. The firm is a member of Primerus, an international alliance of top-quality, independent law firms that are pre-screened and audited annually for their commitment to excellence. Two of the attorneys have served as president of the South Carolina Bar, reflecting the professionalism and quality of the members of the firm. Alice Paylor is currently serving as the chair of the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates; Alex Cash serves on the Board of the South Carolina Association for Justice; and Richard Rosen serves on the South Carolina Supreme Court Judicial Council. H. Brewton Hagood is a former chairman of the Construction Law Section of the South Carolina Bar. Rosen, Rosen & Hagood specializes in complex litigation involving business and commercial disputes, construction defects, personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability and employment law. The 13-attorney firm also handles divorce and custody matters, as well as complex damage claims involving securities and environmental matters. Rosen, Rosen & Hagood has obtained several multimilliondollar verdicts on behalf of its clients, including an $8 million award for misappropriating the plans and concept of the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s client, a multimillion-dollar asset recovery on behalf of an elderly couple who were victimized by their trusted caregiver and a multimillion-dollar verdict for an injured teenager. The firm has represented a number of governmental entities, including Charleston County School District, Mount Pleasant Waterworks, the Medical University of South Carolina and the Charleston County Aviation Authority. Firm members also represent many local businessmen and businesswomen in contract and commercial disputes. The construction litigation team handles both residential and commercial construction matters and has represented an array of clients including general contractors, subcontractors, materials manufacturers and suppliers, design engineers, architects and

Rosen, Rosen & Hagood attorneys

homeowners. Most recently, the firm represented the property owners association and most of its unit owners in a local condominium development in a construction defect action and was able to obtain a very favorable settlement for the clients. A strong commitment to the community is also important to the company. Rosen, Rosen & Hagood has made a significant impact through its continued support of numerous organizations, most notably, the Trident United Way, the Lowcountry Food Bank and the Special Olympics. In addition, members of the firm frequently contribute to local, regional and national professional seminars and publications.

AT A GLANCE Address:

134 Meeting St., Suite 200 Charleston, SC 29401

Phone:

843-577-6726

Fax:

843-724-8036

Web Site:

www.rrhlawfirm.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Homeowners Mortgage continues to expand its total package mortgage services

ecause of a consistent focus on sustainable homeownership through conventional and government-backed mortgage loans, Homeowners Mortgage has positioned itself for success and stability amid today’s volatile mortgage lending industry. “As other lenders have struggled to learn these products after the disappearance of Alt-A and subprime lending, we have grown our market share because of our expertise in this area, our outstanding customer service and our commitment to sustainable homeownership,” said Jan Hadder-Jones, regional sales manager. Homeowners Mortgage was founded 25 years ago in Columbia and has since expanded to a regional mortgage lender with 120 employees. The company offers loan products for clients acquiring new real estate, renovating or refinancing. “We have now grown to a bank-owned mortgage lender doing retail and wholesale business in 19 states,” Hadder-Jones said. Locally, Homeowners Mortgage is located at 12 Gillon St. in downtown Charleston. The company has been doing business in Charleston for 12 years. A turning point in the company’s history came in 2007, when CoastalStates Bank of Hilton Head Island purchased Homeowners Mortgage. The acquisition brought expertise in jumbo and portfolio loans, and it has allowed the mortgage company to make its own loans instead of relying only on warehouse lenders, Hadder-Jones said. That makes for more timely and efficient closings.

Homeowners Mortgage Office The mortgage company does not try to be all things to all people. Focusing on what Homeowners Mortgage does best, and working hard at it, has brought the company growth and stability. From a staffing perspective, Homeowners Mortgage knows that adding the right people at the right time — a strategy it calls organic growth — will ensure continued success. Homeowners Mortgage has been named S.C. State Housing Lender of the Year several years in a row and has won multiple Regal Awards from the Sales & Marketing Council of the Greater Columbia Homebuilders Association.

“In today’s environment, many mortgage brokers and lenders have had their warehouse lines diminished,” Hadder-Jones said. “For that reason, sometimes they don’t have the money available at closing because they are not in control of that money.” That’s not the case for Homeowners Mortgage.

AT A GLANCE

“We control the whole process from origination through closing,” Hadder-Jones said. “We don’t outsource any of that.”

Top Local Executive: Customer service is a priority at Homeowners Mortgage. Professional staff members get to know customers and their specific circumstances and goals. Each mortgage package is designed with those needs in mind. “We do credit counseling, budget counseling, and we listen to our borrowers to ensure that we are not putting them into loans that they don’t feel comfortable with,” Hadder-Jones said.

Address: Phone: Fax: Email: Web Site:

16 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

Jan Hadder-Jones, regional sales manager 612 St. Andrews Road, Ste. 12 Columbia, SC 29210 803-798-8928 803-771-2672 jhadder-jones@homeownersmtg.com www.homeownersmtg.com

Improving energy efficiency is good for your building, your employees and the environment

1-inch square hole in a 100-square-foot wall reduces your thermal efficiency by 15%! But, if you can prevent unwanted air from getting in and out of your building, you decrease the time it takes to heat and cool that space, increase comfort and above all, decrease your expenses. The key to the efficiency in any building is the air barrier! Bob and Tara Duke of Applied Energy Savings Systems (AESS) are wellversed in this subject and are passionate about the products their company offers to assist in this endeavor. AESS is the industrial arm of Comfort Foam, a business Bob Duke began in 2004 that applies spray foam insulation in new and existing homes to increase energy efficiency. He began Comfort Foam after seeing the difference the foam made in the temperature of an attic space. Before the foam was applied, the temperature in the attic was 145 degrees. After spray foaming, it was 87. “It’s a tremendous material and if applied properly, it works,” Duke said. After watching Comfort Foam grow exponentially in a short period of time, Bob Duke and his business partner and wife, Tara, realized they could bring the same kind of services to the commercial, institutional and industrial markets. And for the past few years, Bob Duke and his work crews have been attending schools and acquiring certifications to allow for the expansion. This year, the Dukes launched AESS. The company is the only one in South Carolina certified by the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) to install all three types of air barriers: spray foam, fluid applied and self adhered. The different applications depend on the specifications of the architect and the desires of the general contractor and building owner.

Bob & Tara Duke “By properly insulating your building, it’s not only great for the building you’re in, it’s also great for the people, great for the environment, great for lowering operating cost and great for the country. It can have a tremendous impact on energy security for our country because we can decrease the amount of foreign oil needed to fuel the utilities we use,” Duke said. The company’s quick growth is tied to two primary factors: “We work with materials and processes that are proven to be effective and we take a very high quality, comprehensive approach to the delivery of those products and services,” Duke said. “That’s what changes the performance of a building. It’s one thing to implement those changes and it’s another to make sure it’s done properly.”

Already, the company has landed customers spanning from Richmond, Va. to Miami, Fla. “It’s the right business for the right time because of the focus on energy efficiency and the tax credits that are being granted,” Duke said. “So much is being focused on green design, green building and energy efficiency and these products are a large part of that.” These energy efficiency products and systems are not only for new construction. The Zerodraft system, which AESS offers, can analyze and retrofit any existing building for more comfort at a lower operating cost. The AESS team begins every job with an audit of the existing building. They plug those findings into software that calculates the amount of space where air is leaking in and out. For each building, the software can also determine how much energy reduction will result from the efficiency upgrade, the payback period on your investment and even calculate the reduction in carbon footprint your building will realize with the application of the Zerodraft system.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executives: Address:

Tara Duke, president; Bob Duke, chief operating officer

636-G Long Point Road, #126, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

Phone:

843-216-6124

Fax:

843-388-8466

E-mail:

bduke1@bellsouth.net

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Home, business, classroom or racetrack — Lawton and Nancy Hayes, and ServiceMaster of Charleston, are disaster ready

awton Hayes and his staff at ServiceMaster of Charleston work with people at some of the worst moments in their lives — after fire has burned a home or water has flooded a business or even after a hurricane has destroyed a neighborhood. For over 22 years, Hayes and the staff of ServiceMaster of Charleston have brought expertise and hope to those distraught families and business owners after a disaster. Hayes, President of ServiceMaster of Charleston, does more than direct staff, technicians and project managers through the property recovery process of hundreds of large and small disasters each year. He is an active participant and supporter of local charities and is a Continuing Education instructor for the insurance industry. “The classes are fun,” Hayes said, speaking about the 25-30 Continuing Education classes he teaches every year to insurance agents and adjustors. “We suit ’em up. We create water and fire damages in the warehouse, and they actually have to do the work we do. It’s a very hands-on education.” With a 1,000-square-foot training center inside their 22,000-square-foot headquarters, Hayes and his team have taught more than 150 classes and trained nearly 3,000 attendees over six years. ServiceMaster is the official sponsor of the yellow caution flag — now known as the ServiceMaster Clean Caution Period — during ISC and SMI race events. These tracks feature the 55 Sprint Cup and Nationwide racing events. “For the next five years, the ServiceMaster Clean yellow trucks will clean up the track after a problem, just like we have been cleaning homes and businesses for years,” Hayes said. ServiceMaster of Charleston recently commissioned the 866RECOVER mobile command center called the “Clean Machine.” The bright yellow 53-foot-long “Clean Machine” is totally self contained and comes complete with sleeping quarters for 24 people. It has 18 satellite driven phone/computer workstations and Internet connections. “If we lose power and phone service at my

building after a disaster,” Hayes said, “we roll it into the parking lot, and we’re on the phone serving customers within three hours.” The Clean Machine was part of the third-annual Tri-County Fireman’s Appreciation Night sponsored by ServiceMaster of Charleston at a RiverDogs baseball game in June. Lastly, Hayes is proud of his staff. They are trained and ready to help people get their lives and businesses back to normal as quickly as possible. “We have 34 employees with a total of 295 years of experience and 82 industry certifications,” Hayes said. His team also values community involvement, donating their time and money to worthwhile charities and causes. “Giving back is what’s important.”

Restoring Peace of Mind

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

Lawton Hayes 3228 Industry Drive North Charleston, SC 29418

Phone:

843-760-0404

Fax:

843-760-0559

E-mail: Web Site:

18 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

nhayes@weclean.net www.smcharleston.com

Superior Transportation: A people business

uperior Transportation celebrated its 11-year anniversary in April.

That’s a worthy milestone for any trucking company operating in this highly competitive industry that is beset by high employee turnover, is at the whim of fluctuating fuel prices, and that struggles with its public image on the road. It’s a particular coup in this current economic environment. Owner Pat Barber credits the success of Superior Transportation to his mantra: “We don’t do business with businesses; we do business with people.”

Superior Transportation Staff That applies to the moving company’s clients and its employees. 40- to 48-foot-long loads that a normal truck can carry. “There’s no way I could have come this far without my people,” Barber said. “In this industry, a truck driver might have four or five jobs a year. A lot of my employees have been with me from the beginning.” Barber said he treats his 45 employees the same way he does his clients: with respect. It’s worth the cost of providing a competitive wage and benefits to keep drivers and management on staff, he said. One of those employees recently handed Barber an invitation to his daughter’s graduation ceremony this spring from the University of South Carolina, from which she will graduate with a degree in biology. “He told me that if he didn’t have this job, his daughter wouldn’t have been able to do this,” Barber recalled.

“We go after work that not many other companies can get at because of the specialized equipment required and the economic barrier to entry,” Barber said. A native of Charleston, Barber started his career in the trucking industry at just 14 years old, working for his father’s heavy-duty towing business. That experience ignited a passion in him for logistics that carried into adulthood. “I love what I do. It’s a challenge every day,” Barber said. “I love the planning and the execution. I love to help people solve problems. And I’ve made a lot of good friends through this business.”

The longevity factor is also important when it comes to safety. His concern is not only for his drivers, but also for the public with whom Superior Transportation trucks share the highways.

TRANSPORTATION

Barber holds his drivers to the highest of safety standards. He consistently reinforces to his employees the message that their behavior on the road dictates the reputation of both Superior Transportation and the trucking industry as a whole. To that end, all of Barber’s trucks include a “1-800” number that motorists can call if they see a Superior Transportation truck misbehaving. “By and large,” Barber said, “most of the phone calls we receive are positive.”

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive:

The 25,000-square-foot Superior Transportation headquarters building is located in North Charleston off Hanahan Road on a sprawling 10acre campus.

Address:

The company specializes in hauling awkward-shaped cargo — wind mills, for instance — that does not fit on a normal semi-truck. Superior Transportation can carry loads up to 200 feet long, compared to the

Web Site:

Phone:

Patrick Barber 1940 Hanahan Road North Charleston, SC 29406 843-740-1840, 1-800-736-9486 www.superiortransportation.us

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Dunhill Staffing connects skilled, motivated professionals with companies seeking talent

ow more than ever, companies large and small need the services of Dunhill Staffing Systems. As our economy recovers from the recession, the investment made in human capital is critical to future success. Dunhill’s proven methods that identify, screen and evaluate talent offer assurance that your critical new hire will be productive from hour one, on day one of their assignment. Dunhill Staffing Systems offers a variety of ways to help you manage your staffing needs. They offer contingency search services, which means you don’t pay until you hire a referred candidate. Their temporary and temp-to-hire program gives you the flexibility to manage your staff quickly as your workload changes, and to evaluate talent before making a long-term commitment. They have even successfully staffed entire departments, including supervisors, with their management outsource program. “We’ve successfully matched candidates to businesses in a number of industries,” explains Neil Whitman, president of Dunhill Staffing Systems. Dunhill serves a nationwide client base of engineering, manufacturing and service companies seeking temporary or permanent employees with technical, administrative, sales, finance and call center backgrounds. Their clients range from local, one-office firms to multinational giants. Dunhill Staffing Systems of Charleston has won numerous national, regional and local awards for service and production excellence. Locally, Dunhill is a two-time recipient of the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s Roaring 20s award and was recently presented with a 1773 Award by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. The first year it was part of the Dunhill franchise system, the Charleston office was the “No. 1 New Office” and produced the “Top Revenue Producing President” and “Rookie Consultant of the Year.” That success continued as the company held a No. 1 national ranking for several years. The year 2005 marked Dunhill’s entrance into temporary staffing and the company quickly became the No. 1 volume office in the country. “This success hasn’t come easily but is the result of the hard work

Dunhill Staffing Systems Staff

my team puts in every single day. I’m indeed lucky to have such a talented and dedicated team,” states Whitman. One day soon, this economy will begin growing again. The demand for talent will outstrip the supply and employers will wonder where to turn for help. “Whether your company needs an administrative person for a day or a CFO for the long term, we’ll find the right person for the job.”

Setting a HIRE Standard…THAT’S THE DUNHILL DIFFERENCE.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone: Web Site:

20 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

Neil Whitman, CPC 1459 Stuart Engals Blvd., Suite 300 Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 843-375-0031 www.dunhillsc.com

At Home CAREGivers provides quality professional care for your loved ones

hat could be more comforting than knowing that the caregiver responsible for your homebound or institutionalized loved one has the credentials and background to safely, effectively and personally care for them? That’s the peace of mind At Home CAREGivers delivers through a comprehensive screening, selection and training process given to each caregiver, relieving family members of the stress and uncertainty associated with such an important decision. “We know that inviting a stranger into your home to care for a loved one can be a difficult decision,” says Neil Whitman, founder of At Home CAREGivers. “We want family members to be assured that we have done our professional best in selecting the perfect candidate to care for that special person.” Caregivers undergo an in-depth personal interview, along with a criminal records check, pre-employment drug screening and reference checks. “The training of our candidates is rigorous and includes understanding the aging process, how to administer personal care, infection control, safety and basic first aid.” All caregivers are bonded and insured and provide full- or part-time services, including 24-hour care. “I had a close relationship to my Grandfather for over 30 years. When I was young, he took care of me and as he aged, I helped him. My promise to my clients is that we’ll treat your loved one as I would my own Grandpa,” says Whitman. At Home CAREGivers provides both Companion Care Services and Personal Care Services. Companion Care includes everything from conversation and companionship to meal preparation, light housekeeping, grooming and dressing guidance, and incidental transportation. Personal Care ranges from bathing, incontinence and oral hygiene care, to transferring, mobility and special diet preparation. In addition, research has found that the companionship of animals can have positive physical benefits and help in lifting spirits. At Home CAREGivers’ companionship dog, Abbey, is available for visits at the request of clients. “As we all know, pets give unconditional love and are non-judgmental,” says Whitman. “People with disabilities and those living in continuing care facilities enjoy having dogs visit them periodically and find it both comforting and uplifting.”

At Home CAREGivers Staff

caregiver and manager. Together, she and Whitman have formed a strategic relationship with Dunhill Staffing to execute their mission of providing top-notch professional care. “As the owner of Dunhill Staffing, I’m leveraging our expertise and experience in the recruiting arena as a powerful resource for At Home CAREGivers,” explains Whitman. “We know how to find the best people available.” The company provides a free comprehensive consultation to discuss the specific needs of each family. Caring service from people who CARE.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone:

Leslie Nelson, At Home CAREGivers’ Operations Manager, has 30 years experience in the senior and hospice care fields as a

Web Site:

Neil Whitman, owner 1459 Stuart Engals Blvd., Suite 300 Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-972-0106 www.AtHomeCG.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Direct Marketers of Charleston creates relationships one customer at a time

ohn and Diane Pauldine never dreamed that what began as a moonlighting venture in their home 15 years ago would turn into the successful business it is today.

A full-service print and mail shop, Direct Marketers of Charleston can tailor the perfect bulk-mail marketing strategy for its clients, from start to finish. All under one roof, DMC offers marketing expertise, in-house graphic design, printing, customizable mailing lists and even Web site design. The company prides itself on a can-do attitude and personable service. Those characteristics, along with consistent performance, have led to its success and steady growth over the past 15 years. Direct Marketers of Charleston now has 12 employees, but it began in 1994 with John and Diane working in their home at night. The couple was working for Diane’s parents, who at the time were the publishers of the Moultrie News. Looking for extra income, John and Diane jumped at the chance to assist a local business with its mailing campaign that targeted newcomers to the area. “Our very first customer was Sofa Super Store,” Diane said. “We picked up 3,000 letters and envelopes that needed to be unfolded, refolded correctly, stapled, labeled, stamped and delivered to the post office. At that time, we didn’t even have a business name or license.” After receiving a check for their work, John went to several banks to try to open a business account for a business that didn’t technically exist. Finding success with a teller on her first day of work, he opened an account and deposited the money. John and Diane then applied for a business license, purchased mailing permits and paid the postage for the job just completed.

John & Diane Pauldine continue to identify and market other consumer products.” Outside of their work, John and Diane are both involved in community organizations. John just completed his sixth year on the board of East Cooper Meals on Wheels, and Diane has served on the board of the Mount Pleasant Business and Professional Association for 12 years. They reside in Mount Pleasant with their two children, Maddie and Luke.

“When it was all said and done, we had $12 left over, but we were in business,” John said. “From that point on, we started creating relationships one customer at a time and buying equipment to fulfill their printing and mailing needs.” As the printing industry has evolved over the past 15 years, Direct Marketers of Charleston has changed its capabilities and products along with it. Recently, the company installed digital printing equipment that enables them to be competitive in short run, fourcolor work and also allows them to offer variable data printing. “Our product mix is a combination of four different disciplines: marketing, graphics design, printing and bulk-mailing services,” John said. “Because we have expertise in those four disciplines, we help our customers navigate through one-to-one communications with their prospects and/or customers. We feel we can deliver a better product and customers have a better result.” Five years ago, John and Diane decided to use their marketing experience in a new business venture. With partner Randy Glenn, they formed Palmetto Moon Mats, which sells specialty doormats to retailers. “Being in the marketing and printing business, we always wanted to market a specific product,” John said. “In the future we will

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executives: Address:

John and Diane Pauldine P.O. Box 113 Mount Pleasant, SC 29465

Phone:

843-884-9147

E-mail:

Diane@itsamailthing.com John@itsamailthing.com

Web Site:

22 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

www.GoDMC.com

Blackhawk Logistics delivers complete logistics and warehousing services

lthough Blackhawk Logistics is less than 4 years old, it has quickly built a reputation as a leading logistics and transportation specialist.

In addition to handling logistics business from the Port of Charleston, the company also handles direct-to-consumer product order fulfillment. Many of the products being sold on television, such as those featured on QVC or in infomercials, are shipped out of the company’s 505,000-square-foot warehouse in Hanahan. Since diversifying into this type of operation in 2007, it has steadily been adding clients and products. Blackhawk currently ships more than 10,000 orders a day from its warehouse, the largest public warehouse operation in the area. These orders vary from retail clothing to fish oil. The company also stores paper, resins, plastics, construction equipment, machinery, lumber and chemicals in the North Rhett Avenue facility. The warehouse boasts 24/7 gated guard service and 24/7 access to a public truck scale. The scale was originally intended to ensure its trucks were properly loaded and weighted to avoid accidents and inspection problems, as well as provide its customers an exact weight and exact cost of transporting their products.

Blackhawk Logistics

This approach, combined with the expert and quality leadership of the company, guarantees success. “We all are hands-on service providers and have at one time or another had every responsibility or job it takes to provide the services we do to our customers,” Ward said. “This makes our solutions work, our learning curves short and our creativity greater.”

But after a fatal semi-truck accident on the Mark Clark Expressway in 2007, Blackhawk President Jerry Ward decided to open up the scales to any company in the area who wants to weigh its trucks. There is a small fee of $5. Ward was hoping this would increase the safety of the trucks traveling in the area as well as help Blackhawk recoup the costs of the scale.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive:

Jerry Ward, president

This reflects the company’s belief in always looking to improve services and think past the first level of customers’ needs to provide additional services.

Address:

5801 N. Rhett Ave. Charleston, SC 29406

Phone:

843-554-7647

And, in a tough economic climate, it’s more important than ever to be more creative and versatile in the type of business we provide to our customers and new customers, Ward said.

Fax:

843-744-8355

Web Site:

www.blackhawklogistics.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

The Payroll Department offers reliable, cost-effective payroll solutions

or Greg Smith and Jane Szorc of The Payroll Department LLC, it’s simple. They want to provide clients with the best payroll services available at the best possible price.

The company was started in 2004 when Smith, a CPA , realized some of his accounting clients were not getting the payroll service they needed from an outsource company. So, the North Charleston native created The Payroll Department LLC to offer clients a cost-effective solution to all their payroll needs. “We believe in giving people an alternative to a higher-priced payroll company,” said Szorc, a Mount Pleasant native who joined the company in 2006. “We believe in giving people a good deal and really, truly providing our clients with good service. We customize our services to meet the needs of our clients, not the other way around.” One thing their clients like best is the all-inclusive pricing structure. Other companies charge for quarterly reports, direct deposit, payment of taxes and W2s. The Payroll Department includes these items as part of their customized service, charging only a flat fee for payroll processing. Another popular service the company offers is a pay-as-you-go worker’s compensation program. The Payroll Department can calculate worker’s compensation premiums and break them down so clients can work the cost into each payroll period rather than having to come up with money at the end of the year.

Greg Smith & Jane Alford Szorc

relief to have Jane take care of our payroll. She is professional, always reachable, prompt and a pleasure to work with.” “I have been a client of The Payroll Department since their inception,” added Peter David Brown, Esquire. “It has always been a huge relief to know that Greg is taking care of my payroll whether I am away from the office in court or on vacation. He and Jane are always there if I need them. I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone who has better things to do than to write check after check on a Friday!”

Smith and Szorc’s partnership allows Smith to concentrate on the technical side of the business, and Szorc, who has an extensive background in banking and residential real estate sales, to focus on sales and customer service. “As we continue to grow, we know we are going to have to hire additional personnel to handle some of the basic duties in our business,” Szorc said. “We are committed to not allowing this to change our strict policy of putting the clients’ needs first and making sure things are done with the same personal touch that we believe makes us special.” “I am so glad that I found The Payroll Department,” said Robyn McBeath, owner of East Cooper Land Surveying. “It is a great

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executives: Address: Phone:

24 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

Greg A. Smith, CPA Jane Alford Szorc 749 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Suite C Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-696-9576

Jeremy Stipkala builds a national patent law firm in the Lowcountry

n 1997, Jeremy Stipkala earned his PhD in chemistry and was poised to help the environment through solar energy research. “I wanted to save the world and abolish pollution,” he says light-heartedly. As luck would have it, the world was not ready, but the patent industry was. At that time, patent lawyers were in high demand, because more patents were being filed and a science or engineering degree is required for patent lawyers. “You can’t take the patent bar examination unless you have a technical major,” says Stipkala. So the newly-minted chemist, Stipkala, was welcomed eagerly into the patent law firm of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner in Washington D.C., which taught him patent law and helped him with law school tuition. Stipkala stayed with Finnegan eight years, knowing he made a great choice. “They became the number one patent law firm in the country,” he says. But in 2005, Stipkala moved south and now heads a thriving patent law firm in North Charleston. Stipkala made his mark in the intellectual property law niche with a straight-forward approach: He prices his services very competitively.

From left: Jeremy M. Stipkala, Michelle N. Koke, Lisa M. Sheehan and Terry B. McDaniel.

require time and money, Stipkala believes it is an excellent investment. “Keep in mind,” he says, “to secure a million dollars’ worth of real estate, you would need at least a million dollars, but to secure a billion dollars’ worth of intellectual property, you probably need a lot less.” Stipkala’s advice for creating a successful career? “Just do good work. Don’t worry about compensation. Concentrate on making your work product the best it can be. It is a far more satisfying approach.”

“I use the American Intellectual Property Law Association survey extensively,” he says. This survey indicates what attorneys are charging, on average, for their services. In addition to competitive pricing, the firm draws clientele with Stipkala’s talented colleagues, Terry McDaniel and Cheryl Liljestrand. McDaniel worked as a patent attorney for Westvaco, now MeadWestvaco, for a total of 31 years before joining Stipkala LLC. Dr. Liljestrand, who works from her office near Houston, Texas, holds a PhD in molecular genetics and specializes in patenting biotechnology inventions. “Given their experience and expertise, we could bill them out at much higher rates than we do,” says Stipkala. “But we focus on our clients’ best interests, not their money.” While obtaining a patent or registering a trademark does

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

Jeremy M. Stipkala 5401 Netherby Lane, Suite 102A North Charleston, SC 29420

Phone:

843-580-9057

Fax:

843-207-8842

E-mail: Web Site:

Jeremy.Stipkala@StipkalaLaw.com www.StipkalaLaw.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Jeremy Ross believes in the magic of printing

eremy Ross says he has ink in his veins, but he also may have a computer chip in his brain. President of Ross Printing, Ross is a third generation printer and knows every aspect of the business, from old-fashioned manual printing methods to the next generation of computers and high-tech digital presses. Ross Printing, with 10 employees including a full-time graphic artist at its North Charleston location, is proud to announce the arrival of the newest “employees.” “We have recently installed a state-of-the-art digital press that can manage a variety of print jobs and deliver products quickly with vibrant, sharp color. It’s the newest technology of its kind in South Carolina, and we can compete with anyone on price,” says Ross. They are also installing a 44-inch wide-format printer that will print full-color posters, mounted presentations and even vinyl banners. This equipment will better serve the growing needs of his clients. Ross also has the expert staff to back up his new technology. With more than 200 years of combined experience, the staff knows how to take an idea and create a high-quality product, while giving the customer the service and support they deserve. “In four days, we produced 500 virtually indestructible, waterproof, tear-proof maintenance manuals that are going serve our troops overseas. How cool is that?” Ross says. Sure, Ross Printing is large enough to handle government defense contractors, major restaurant and hotel chains, and the like, but the staff also specializes in small business and nonprofit customers. “We are a small business and sometimes feel like a nonprofit. We understand the special care all of our customers need,” Ross says. Ross Printing enjoys producing the newsletters for the Lowcountry Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. For Ross, the printing business is a place where he can see dreams become reality. “The magic of printing is that you start with nothing but an idea. The customer may just have a concept of how they want to sell their product or portray their service, but they may not even know what that idea looks like,” says Ross.

Jeremy Ross

“We take that idea through the creative process and put an artistic shape to it. Then we take it through production and give them a professional, useful tool. Something they can give to their customers and help them generate income. All from an idea. After 18 years, that’s what keeps this business fresh and exciting for me every day,” he said. Maybe Ross does have ink in his veins — and a little toner too — but his heart still pumps with a passion to be the best choice for printing in the Lowcountry.

AT A GLANCE Key Contacts: Jeremy Ross, Kim Krebs (customer service), Deidre Ray (graphics) Address:

2416 Air Park Road, North Charleston, SC 29406

Phone:

843-745-0001

Fax:

843-745-4110

E-mail: Web Site:

26 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

jeremy@rsaprinting.com www.rsaprinting.com

Jimmy Connelly personalizes, modernizes port warehousing with a keen eye toward detail

immy Connelly works with big things. Ships, containers, trucks. But Connelly, president of C&C Warehouse & Distribution, also embraces the smaller details within the multimillion-dollar port industry. Connelly, president of C&C for 14 years, came into the family business at 15, when he worked summers for his grandfather, Henry Brock, who owned Brock Moving and Storage. So, Jimmy Connelly has the immeasurable experience of knowing all facets of the warehousing business. With Connelly’s keen knowledge of the ever-changing port industry, he has put in place an efficient and flexible distribution system that gives his customers an edge in moving expensive cargo onto the paying customer. With a fleet of over 15 trucks, C&C can offer a short turnaround time for imported goods, or C&C can pick up cargo and deliver it to the port for export. But the small things matter, too. For example, C&C serves two suppliers in the auto industry with the capability to assemble/manipulate parts and then ship the assembled part to the end user as one completed unit. “We test the assembled part and provide the supplier with a ‘passed’ certificate,” says Connelly.

Jimmy Connelly

are assembling a car or you are listening to a customer’s needs. You fine tune your services for each and every customer.” Knowing that big things require paying attention to the smaller parts has helped build C&C Warehouse and Distribution into a major player at the Charleston port. No surprise, Jimmy Connelly’s business plan is timeless and classic. His advice: “If you listen carefully and listen to the details, then the rest will fall into place.”

When he is not at work, you may find Connelly under the hood of an old model car. Connelly has tinkered with classic “hot rod” automobiles and has seen them turn into efficient 21st-century beauties. “I prefer the retro-rod style,” says Connelly, which means adding power steering and air conditioning to make the car enjoyable to drive. His current project is a 1937 Ford Roaster. He plans to add a Corvette engine, air conditioning, power steering and power brakes once complete. Of course, rebuilding a car is much like building a business. “It’s all in the attention to detail,” says Connelly, “whether you

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Key Contacts: Address:

Jimmy Connelly Greg Cate or Jimmy Connelly 1009 Trident St., Hanahan, SC 29410

Phone:

843-818-2332

Fax:

843-569-3818

E-mail: Web Site:

jconnelly@candcwarehouse.com www.candcwarehouse.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Scott Adams has revolutionized the flexitank industry with accuracy and superior service

our years ago, Scott Adams decided to branch out.

Adams had been working for AM-Cell Trucking, his family’s Charleston-based business that specializes in transporting shipping containers from the Port of Charleston to local and long distance destinations, as well as transporting legal and overweight cargo. But when Adams was introduced to flexitanks, he saw the opportunity to take the business to another level and started a sister company, Liquid Box Inc. A flexitank is a special plastic liner that is installed in shipping containers and used to transport non-hazardous liquids overseas, including latex, molasses, tallow oil, citrus, wine and more. Flexitanks have become very popular because of their many advantages. For one, you can fit more into a shipping container lined with a plastic bladder than you can fit in a typical ISO tank. Flexitanks are also a better deal, offering a 20%-40% savings shipping liquids overseas. Liquid Box immediately took off and Adams’ company quickly earned a reputation for providing excellent customer service. Word of their attention to detail “spread like wildfire” and soon, Liquid Box was attracting business that previously flowed through the ports in New Jersey and New York. “They were doing the same thing up there, but they weren’t doing it the same way,” Adams said. “It’s hard to do it correctly. That’s what we stress. We do it correctly.” In fact, Adams has revolutionized the industry, working with flexitank manufacturers to establish a set of standards for installers to follow. Adams is currently the only certified builder of flexitanks on the East Coast. Liquid Box has been the perfect complement to Adams’ trucking business. Adams already had the staff, resources and the connections in place that allow him to provide “one call” service to his clients. He not only sells and builds the flexitank bladders, he can transload liquid cargo from railcars, pump it into bladders and coordinate shipping the product overseas. He also performs inspections on bladders for other companies and offers environmental cleanup services if there has been a leak at the port. “I’m the only one from Texas to the East that can do all that. One call does it all, and that’s what they need. Everyone else splits up the service. We can do it all in-house,” said Adams, who attributes a lot of his company’s success to his dedicated employees and his wife, Michele, the company’s dispatcher.

Michele & Scott Adams In addition, Adams, who worked as a trucker for 17 years hauling produce from Florida to New York, knows what clients are looking for and is passionate about giving it to them. He recently expanded Liquid Box into Savannah and hopes business at Liquid Box and AM-Cell Trucking stays steady. He said he will always strive to improve upon the already excellent service both companies provide. “I don’t need any plaques on my wall,” Adams said. “Just happy customers.”

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone: Web Site:

28 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

Scott Adams, president and CEO 5175 Virginia Ave. Charleston, SC 29405 843-708-0246 www.liquidbox.us

Private practice allows Bruce E. Miller to provide personalized service at an affordable price

fter more than 24 years of being a member of two Charleston law firms, Bruce Miller has gone into solo, private practice in the heart of historic downtown. Miller’s extensive experience in the fields of employment, construction and commercial litigation is now benefiting his clientele with legal results at an economic value. “My practice is based on my ability to customize the services needed by the client,” says Miller. “I am a problem-solver. I provide a more personal approach to each client, ranging from the amount of time I’m able to provide them to the economic benefits of working with a solo practitioner.” Priding himself with a career built on integrity, commitment, honesty and professionalism, his mission is to provide each client with services that exceed expectations while always watching out for the bottom line. Miller’s clients range from businesses of all sizes to individuals. Working in tandem with his legal assistant of five years, the two are finding an increased ability to efficiently and economically assist their clientele. “The more the two of us grow and develop as a firm, we are able to reduce the effective hourly rate for the client,” says Miller. “Businesses sometimes avoid contacting an attorney because they are worried about the present expense while, in reality, advice on the front end often saves money in the long term.” A Certified Specialist in Employment and Labor Law by the South Carolina Supreme Court, Miller is seeing a lot more clients cutting back employee hours, laying off of staff or both. “I’m also reviewing a lot more severance packages for executives as we face this economic downturn,” explains Miller. Having extensive experience in litigation, his legal career has taken him into the center of several high-profile cases over the years. “I was thrown directly into the fire as a young lawyer,” says Miller. “My career started with a large number of jury trials and appeals. I was always surrounded by older and more experienced attorneys.” Miller believes this early hands-on experience was crucial in making him not only a highly-effective litigator, but also the efficient problem-solver he is today. This experience, combined with the relationships he has developed in the legal community, is now also allowing him to serve clients in serious personal injury and select criminal and family law matters.

Bruce E. Miller, P.A.

As members of James Island Christian Church since its start, Miller and Linda, his wife of 31 years, philanthropically support their church and also give their time to outreach ministries and missionary causes. “My legal mentor always said to remember that what goes around comes around and to treat people the same way you want to be treated,” says Miller. “I always remember this when serving clients regardless of whether I have been their attorney for years or have just met them.”

BRUCE E. MILLER, P.A. AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

Bruce E. Miller, P.A. 171 Church St., Suite 160 Charleston, SC 29401

Phone:

843-579-7373

E-mail:

bmiller@brucemillerlaw.com

Web Site:

www.brucemillerlaw.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Comcast Business Class is meeting their client’s needs with great service and exceptional prices

Comcast Business Services

ith businesses everywhere looking for ways to trim expenses in today’s turbulent economy, Comcast Business Services has dedicated a team of professionals to help local businesses with its one stop shopping for data, voice, video, and more. “We’re meeting the needs of small to medium businesses with our suite of business class solutions,” says Bill Watson, Vice President and General Manager for Comcast in Charleston. “With free long distance, faster Internet and our extensive video services we’re delivering an all-in-one package at the right price.” One of the few local businesses to be ahead of its goals for the year, Comcast Business Services is reaching its clientele with unparalleled services. The company offers faster Internet speeds, a larger local service area, and a team of businesses specialists dedicated to designing and implementing the most effective business solutions for each company served in the Lowcountry.

and video services for individual business needs.” Potential customers can meet personally with a Comcast representative to custom-design their business package free of charge. Comcast Business Services is also serving the Lowcountry through its extensive philanthropic support of local charities. Among these is YEScarolina, which helps young people from communities statewide build skills and unlock their entrepreneurial creativity. Others include the Boys Scouts of America, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and the Lowcountry Food Bank. Comcast is proud to give back to the community. “On Comcast Cares Day, we brought together tens of thousands of Comcast employees, their families and friends across the nation to make a positive impact in neighborhoods across the country.” This year more than 50,000 Comcast volunteers came out to do their part at more than 550 project sites throughout the United States.

“We recently launched an eight-line phone product and this fall we’ll present our Wideband Internet service, which will provide a speed of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speed,” says Watson. With a full-featured voice and high-speed Internet package, Comcast Business Class customers have unbridled features and benefits including unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling; 12 popular calling features, including voice mail; and Internet download speeds of up to 16 Mbps. With Business Service from Comcast, you will minimize network interruptions and exchange data more securely, allowing for less downtime and more productivity. The Comcast team knows increasing a business customer’s ability to communicate efficiently will ultimately result in increased profits and less economic strife. Comcast will handle everything from initial network design to ongoing maintenance and support for a fixed price while providing the ability to efficiently connect branch offices and remote workers through its high bandwidth solutions. “Our product is distinct in the local telecommunications/Internet arena,” states Kim Wright, Commercial Business Manager. “As businesses continue to make tough decisions, we’re the logical choice for getting custom-designed Internet

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Key Contact: Address:

William Watson, VP/General Manager Kim Wright, Commercial Business Manager 4400 Belle Oaks Drive North Charleston, SC 29405

Phone:

843-266-3045

E-mail:

Kim_Wright@cable.comcast.com

30 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

Trident Health System offers quality, consistent care

Trident Health System

t Trident Health System, one of the key values is giving the right care to the right patient at the right time. And for the patients who enter the hospital doors each day, that core value might have lifesaving implications. Trident Health System is a family of hospitals including Trident Medical Center; Summerville Medical Center; and Moncks Corner Medical Center, a free-standing emergency department. The health system is also proposing a 50-bed hospital in Moncks Corner. The 2,500 nurses, support staff and administrators; along with the 800 doctors and allied health professionals who fill the facilities are committed to health care and to ensuring the best patient care possible. Since 2002, Trident Health System has been working diligently to implement core measures, including: Acute Myocardial Infarction (heart attack); Heart Failure; Pneumonia; and Pregnancy and Newborns. The Surgical Care Improvement Project was added in 2006 with Childhood Asthma Care and the Outpatient Prospective Payment System added in 2008. Core measures are sets of evidence-based performance measures introduced by The Joint Commission and Centers of Medicare/Medicaid Services. They are designed as standardized benchmark comparisons for any hospital in the United States.

compare hospitals through an online search tool — Hospital Compare — provided by Medicare. Even though Medicare isn’t currently basing payment on whether hospitals comply with the core measures, Gallati says there is a very good chance that will be the case in the near future. “So all hospitals are seeking perfection, and that’s what we’re doing,” Gallati says. “Since 2005, we’ve been working hard at this. In the past year, we’ve delivered even better care with some of our improvements. We’re hardwired now; it’s part of what we do.” In the first quarter of 2006, Trident Health System achieved about 73% in the areas of heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care improvements and was at about 83% in the area of heart attack. By the second quarter of 2009, those four areas were reaching 97% and 98%. Those figures demonstrate not only quality care but quality care in all key areas. “Our patients want great, compassionate care, but they also want consistency,” Gallati says.

Based on clinical research, core measures are the best practices for treating particular health issues while in the hospital or when receiving outpatient treatment. “Our clinical staff gets together and looks at these requirements, and what you find out are these are the best practices,” says Todd Gallati, president and CEO of Trident Health System. “They’ve been tested and proven.” For example, one of the core measures for a patient having a heart attack is to give an aspirin within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital. Trident Health System patients actually receive an aspirin immediately upon arrival at an emergency facility.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone:

Compliance with these core measures sets a baseline for each hospital and gives consumers a way to rate and compare facilities. Consumers can

Web Site:

Todd Gallati, president and CEO 9330 Medical Plaza Drive Charleston, SC 29406 843-797-7000 www.tridenthealthsystem.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Businesses across the state trust EMS for their credit processing services

lectronic Merchant Systems (EMS) has been in the credit processing business for more than 22 years. That fact makes EMS the second-oldest merchant service company in America. Merchant services is one of the most competitive industries today. For a company to not only survive but grow, it must offer competitive pricing, but more importantly, it must also provide customers with the best computer service and support 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Without it, customers will be gone in a flash. Electronic Merchant Systems came to Charleston and signed its first merchant in January 2001. As of December 2007, EMS has signed more than 12,000 South Carolina businesses. During those years, EMS has seen countless merchant companies and their representatives come and go, as they simply make offers and promises they just can’t keep. A testament to this is that while some merchants have left EMS for another provider, in more than 95% of those cases, within 60 days the merchant comes back to Electronic Merchant Systems. The fact turns out to be the provider just couldn’t deliver or the merchant actually ended up paying more. In 2007, EMS opened a more visible location on St. Andrews Boulevard for its merchants. This move has worked out extremely well for everyone. Existing merchants can visit for paper and supplies, terminal purchases and terminal repairs or to make changes to their accounts. In addition, they can come in and work with EMS to custom tailor their service to meet their clients’ needs for things like Web site development, gift card and loyalty card custom programs. In addition, many new business owners see the facility and just walk in to sign up. That’s always nice: Being visible, accessible and offering a complete line of services to our customers is the EMS way of doing things.

Electronic Merchant Systems Staff

Finally, “giving back” has always been paramount to Electronic Merchant Systems. Over the last eight years, EMS has donated and helped raise more than $1,000,000 for both national and local area charities. On May 5, 2009, the 7th annual Electronic Merchant Systems Ronald McDonald House Golf Tournament was held at The Daniel Island Country Club. This one-day event raised over $100,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Charleston.

electronic merchant systems AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive:

Charles Koci, president, Southeastern division

Address:

1054 St. Andrews Blvd. Charleston, SC 29407

Phone: Web Site:

32 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

843-556-2499 www.smartmerchantsystems.com

DavisAir offers clients essential services without the hassle of commercial airlines

lying since he was 17 years old, Gary Davis knows airplanes. As owner of DavisAir Inc., he is in the business of getting his clients where they need to be more quickly and efficiently through his FAA-licensed charter airline service. “If you want to go somewhere that’s not serviced by the airlines, or need to make multiple stops in a single day, you should call us,” explains Davis. “We provide a service that just can’t be matched by commercial airlines.” For longer trips in air-conditioned and pressurized comfort, DavisAir flies a Beechcraft King Air turboprop aircraft. For shorter trips, DavisAir uses its air-conditioned Cessna fivepassenger station wagon. The company also has access, through it’s sister company, Corporate Air LLC, to a number of corporate jets such as Gulfstreams, Hawkers and Citations, to name a few. In addition to the private air charter service, DavisAir also offers assistance in chartering privately-owned aircraft and assists buyers with the selection, pre-purchase decisions and other details of ownership. For sellers, DavisAir assists with the identification of potential buyers. Davis’ sales consulting and management services include dispatching, addressing maintenance control and FAA compliance. In addition, DavisAir can also help you locate partners and structure a fractional ownership program.

Gary Davis & Neal McCann

destination. “Charter airline travel eliminates time on the road and allows for more actual work time,” says Davis. “We recently took a client to Crossville, Tenn., to visit some stone quarries in Pikeville. We accomplished in several hours what would have taken two days on the airlines or by car.” Charter travel costs are based upon many factors and each trip is quoted individually. “Business aviation, if used responsibly, is as essential as a Blackberry or a laptop computer,” says Davis. “It’s a business tool.”

Interestingly enough, DavisAir is planning to fly into Havana, Santiago and Ciego De Avila, Cuba, when the time comes. Flight time to Cuba in a private jet takes about two hours and Davis is seeing a growing interest from his clientele in making the trip from Charleston. “All of our flights have two professional pilots, except the Cessna Station Wagon, which is flown with a single professional pilot,” says Davis. “Private plane travel may be more expensive, but at the end of the day, you get exactly where you want to go without all the hassle.” Passengers can arrive as close as five minutes to departure and don’t have to make unnecessary connections, making for time-efficient travel. With more than 20,000 airports in the United States, only 600 provide major air carrier operations. For many travelers, that translates to time on the road between the airport and the

DAVISAIR, INC.

Charleston International Airport

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executives: Address: Phone: Email: Web Site:

Gary Davis, president Neal McCann, chief pilot 792 Folly Road, Suite 3 Charleston, SC 29412 843-406-6800 charter@davisair.com www.davisair.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Achieve optimal health with personalized age management, weight management and sports performance solutions from the experts at FitMed Partners

tilizing a comprehensive approach to achieving optimal health, fitness and a healthy body weight, FitMed Partners provides personalized health and wellness solutions focused on age management, weight management and sports performance. Extensive patient profiles combine the latest in clinical research and medical technology to identify risks and manage the aging process as well as optimize health and performance. “Our goal is to implement the latest information from medical research to help clients move beyond simply ‘enduring’ life’s natural phases into optimizing wellness and fitness throughout the aging process,” says Bright McConnell, M.D., founding physician. McConnell’s career spans 30 years as an orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty expertise in sports medicine and human performance. He also holds a certificate in age management medicine through the Cenegenics Education and Research Foundation. FitMed profile assessments employ cutting-edge medical technologies including ArterioVision® for cardiovascular risk, extensive hormonal screening panels, micronutrient testing for customized supplementation and cognitive analysis. FitMed also offers metabolic profiling, which combines VO2max, resting metabolic rate and body composition to determine both sports performance thresholds and markers for metabolic syndrome.

Bright McConnell

FitMed Partners works exclusively with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to restore hormones to clinically optimal levels. “Many studies have shown that most adults will experience lower levels of critical hormones by age 40,” notes McConnell. “If we can safely initiate hormone therapy to stop the progression of diseases like osteoporosis and help prevent diabetes and heart disease, why wouldn’t we?” FitMed Partners is located on Daniel Island in South Carolina.

The FitMed team includes registered dietitians and exercise physiologists providing extensive expertise in both nutritional and fitness analysis as well as sports performance enhancement. “By staying up to date on the latest information in nutritional and exercise science, we can guide our clients with a proactive health plan to optimize health, well-being and physical performance,” says McConnell. “Messages relating to aging and weight management are often contradictory, overwhelming individuals who are trying to decide which nutrition and fitness program will be most effective,” McConnell adds. “This is particularly true when assessing options that deal with declining hormone levels, an area of age management that has seen dramatic, positive change in recent years.”

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone: Web Site:

34 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

Bright McConnell III, M.D. 900 Island Park Drive, Suite 105 Charleston, SC 29492 843-284-5720 www.fitmedpartners.com

Cotton & Company is a catalyst for business success

argaret Cotton believes one of the most important things for a company to invest in is itself.

“If you want your company to be successful, you must allocate money for advertising, public relations, marketing, and staff training and development,” said Cotton, owner of Cotton & Company. The first part of the equation — advertising, marketing and PR — is important for raising awareness about a business and its services. The second part — staff training and development — will make sure a company not only earns a client’s business, but keeps it. With more than 30 years of experience in sales, sales management and corporate training, Cotton’s Charleston-based consulting firm offers businesses along the South Carolina coast services that focus on improving sales and management. Cotton also has an office that serves Georgetown and Myrtle Beach and is willing to travel to serve clients across the country and around the world. Cotton began her career in Pittsburgh in the 1970s teaching speed reading with Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics. She soon branched out to create her first consulting firm, which combined speed reading with other key business skills: memory training, time management, listening and speaking skills, and more.

Margaret Cotton “Selling is a combination of skills, attitude and knowledge,” Cotton said. “You have to know the basics of your field. That is the foundation. Then you have to have the skills and the right attitude to sell an idea to your boss, sell a product to a client, or sell a new process to employees.”

Cotton then worked for Dale Carnegie where she honed her sales skills before entering the media industry. There, she worked in radio, television, newspaper and magazines, finding success first as an account executive and later as a manager heralded for her ability to lead her sales teams to record success.

The impact Cotton & Company can have doesn’t stop at the workplace. “When people can achieve something they never thought they could do, it gives them a huge sense of power. It enters into every aspect of their lives,” Cotton said. “It did for me personally and that’s why I am so passionate about this field. I don’t change people, but I educate, inspire, motivate and provide an environment for them to be able to grow and thus change themselves. And that is the most rewarding thing I have ever done!”

“My passion has always been working with individuals and companies as a catalyst to help them perform better. I thought the consulting firm was a great way to combine the two careers I’ve had in sales and training,” Cotton said. “It’s very natural that all of this experience has come full circle and now I can help others achieve success.”

AT A GLANCE

Cotton & Company’s services include sales and sales management training, as well as training in: leadership, time management, personality profiling for hiring and management, public speaking and presentation skills, speed reading and memory training. Cotton also offers motivational talks, media consultation and buying services, as well as copy writing and graphic design. While you may not think your business is “sales,” sales skills are beneficial no matter what line of work you are in.

Top Local Executive:

Margaret W. Cotton

Charleston:

843-971-1893

Georgetown/Myrtle Beach:

843-546-6977

E-mail: Web Site:

margaret@cottonandcompanyonline.com www.cottonandcompanyonline.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

DisasterCare Cleaning & Restoration – taking care of you

Al Bradham

isasterCare Cleaning & Restoration is more than just a flood and fire restoration service, because its owner understands there’s a face behind every phone call.

“We conduct inspections every day to find moisture and make sure it’s completely gone. If mold grows, it’s not because the building got wet, it’s because it wasn’t dried properly,” Bradham said.

“We help people get a hotel, we’ve loaned them cell phones, called the Red Cross, found them a place to stay, gotten them clothing,” Al Bradham said. “There are a lot of things we do that’s not part of our business, it’s just who we are.”

DisasterCare also assists customers with the documentation they need to provide to insurance companies and, above all, provides top-notch customer service.

DisasterCare evolved out of Bradham’s first business, Carpet Care Services, a one-man residential carpet cleaning company he bought in 1994. Bradham started taking classes and joining professional organizations to network and keep up with the latest techniques. Soon, he was asked to help with minor water cleanups, and word of his expertise traveled quickly.

“We run into people at the worst of times, but you have to go in with the right attitude and let them know we’re going to help them through this,” Bradham said. “We not only take care of your house or your business, we take care of you.” Focused on the future, Bradham will soon open branch offices in Orangeburg and Bluffton.

“Water restoration is a very technical part of our business, and with our background in carpet cleaning, it became a good niche for us,” Bradham said. “We started going to schools all over the nation to learn the best practices and earn certifications. We started buying equipment and making friends in the industry.”

DisasterCare

In 2007, he incorporated DisasterCare, formally making it a sister company to Carpet Care Services. The distinction was important so that potential customers would understand the scope of his services here in the Charleston region, as well as across the nation. Today, DisasterCare boasts 19 employees and thousands of pieces of drying equipment. It has been voted one of the top 10 water restoration companies in the nation for three years in a row by Cleanfax magazine. The company not only enjoys a relationship with large and small local businesses, its reputation has led to jobs up and down the East Coast, down to the Gulf Coast and as far west as Washington. The company boasts 14 trucks, numerous trailers, more than 1,200 fans, many special dehumidifiers and a wide range of instruments that measure moisture. Technicians even use a thermal imaging device to find water in walls and floors quickly and efficiently.

Cleaning and Restoration

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executives: Al Bradham, president and owner; Barbara Bradham, vice president Address: Phone: Toll free: E-mail: Web Site:

36 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

403 E. Fifth North St. Summerville, SC 29483 843-871-9628 1-800-653-9927 al@disastercare.net www.disastercare.net

AVERICOM helps clients reach and influence their target audience online with DocuShow

esearch shows that 73% of all Internet users prefer watching an online video when learning about a business, says Peter Bowman, founder and president of AVERICOM. “The reality is,” he said, “businesses need to seriously begin incorporating video into their online strategy.” Charleston’s AVERICOM, a leading national interactive Internet agency, has developed a unique service called DocuShow, an online business video solution that increases interest, engages online audiences, improves market positioning and builds better online relationships with brief, affordable Web video productions. DocuShow is the latest component AVERICOM has introduced to its comprehensive line of services, which encompasses strategic consulting, production, programming and online management that all enrich and support the overall Internet operations of any business. With all aspects of AVERICOM’s business being developed and implemented in-house, DocuShow is the latest brainchild of Bowman and his staff of 15 who have researched and developed the marketing, production, editorial and online distribution side of effective video solutions over the past five years. Research shows that 50% of Internet viewers will forward video clips to friends or colleagues. “A DocuShow video combines informative journalism with creative branding and the look of a third-party viewpoint,” explains Bowman. “They provide a higher level of credibility — the videos are short and engaging and do not come across as sales segments.” Most DocuShows run between 2 and 3 minutes, are reasonably priced and can be repurposed on multiple sites, including social networking communities like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

The AVERICOM media services team prepares for the shooting of a client DocuShow in downtown Charleston. clients a one-stop solution for leveraging online video,” says Bowman. “There are so many ways to integrate video online, and we feel the DocuShow format is the most effective way to reach and influence an audience.” AVERICOM is expanding its DocuShow program into several key markets nationwide, implementing a network of experienced production professionals. The goal is to have the DocuShow program become the new standard in online video productions for businesses large and small. “DocuShow is a compelling product for any business to increase its online success,” says McCormick, a former news reporter in two top 50 television markets who was recently nominated for an Emmy award. “We take the fear factor out of the entire process and, in the end, we make you and your company look great.”

DocuShow is a revolutionary form of video designed to blend elements of creative storytelling, journalism and brand control. The best part about a DocuShow is that it works for people and companies in every industry. “It’s becoming obvious that consumers do not want to be preached to; they want to be informed,” says Melissa McCormick, director of media services for AVERICOM. “A DocuShow takes online video to a new level by integrating business marketing and journalism in a product that is highly professional, succinct and credible.”

The Internet Performance People

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executives: Peter Bowman, founder and president; Melissa McCormick, director of media services Address:

Video outreach has become a key asset for leading businesses across the globe. With 50% of the leading Nasdaq companies incorporating video in their Web sites, online video is here to stay.

1156 Bowman Road, Suite 200 Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

Phone:

866-910-1980 x 302

Web Site:

www.avericom.com

“We have refined this process from production to distribution, giving

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Outstanding customer service is the hallmark of Maybank & Beckham LLC

ince 1966, David H. Maybank has been a pillar of strength for businesses in the Lowcountry when they’ve needed insurance for a variety of needs. His reputation for business acumen and quality products has kept satisfied customers coming back year after year. “The first group health policy the agency wrote was for a local company, Metal Trades, in the fall of 1966. It was a scheduled policy with major medical coverage up to only $15,000; a doctor’s visit was $5 and a hospital stay was $12 per day with a $300 schedule for surgery. For a 30-man group, the premium was approximately $350 per month,” Maybank said. “Today, the products are much more complicated and require extensive knowledge regarding funding options such as fully- versus self-funding, Health Savings Accounts, HRAs, government regulations and COBRA compliance, to name a few. Successful agencies need to have a thorough understanding of where the industry is going in order to best serve their clients.” Seeking to improve and build upon this success, Maybank introduced Marshall Beckham into the business in 2008 to take the agency to the next level of professionalism and service in today’s highly competitive marketplace. “We build relationships and trust with our clients,” explained long time Maybank & Beckham LLC business partner Jenny Derrick. “By bringing Marshall into the mix, we brought someone who is really forward thinking, shares our ideals and is on top of the industry’s newest products and methods.” Furthermore, his industry track record is extensive. Beckham obtained his B.B.A. in Insurance and Risk Management from the University of Georgia, and during the past 11 years has worked both for an industry leading global insurance brokerage firm as well as a global insurance carrier. During the past year, the company has continued to grow with outstanding success showing clients how to maximize their insurance benefits while minimizing their premiums. Maybank & Beckham LLC is an independent broker that works with companies from two employees to several hundred, while also helping clients in the individual market. They represent only A-rated companies in the insurance business. Their products are focused on group and individual health insurance, life, disability, dental and work site insurance solutions. Maybank, Derrick and Beckham make sure their clients’ needs come first and are proud of their client retention record that has remained over 90% since the agency’s inception.

Marshall Beckham, David H. Maybank & Jenny Derrick helped Maybank & Beckham LLC win recognition as the Top Group and Individual Medical Producer by one of the most recognized General Agencies in South Carolina. In an industry where any agent can quote a policy’s cost to a prospective customer, and competition amongst agencies is intense, the Maybank & Beckham team realizes their experience, industry knowledge, and willingness to go the extra mile sets them apart from the competition. Maybank & Beckham LLC offers businesses group employee benefits and their commitment to excellence is evident when confronting the changing needs of its clientele. “I enjoy helping our clients,” said Beckham. “In addition to making it my personal goal to know the industry up and down, I’ll continue the tradition of offering outstanding customer service — that’s the hallmark of Maybank & Beckham.”

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address:

“We have a company rule that all customer inquiries are addressed in the same business day,” said Beckham, “In addition, once the insurance product is put in place, we continue to personally help the client with enrollment, claims, eligibility services and all the other customer service related issues that may come up.”

C. Marshall Beckham III One Poston Road, Suite 185 Charleston, SC 29407

Phone:

843-766-3393

E-mail:

marshall@maybankandassociates.com

Web Site: This kind of customer service, coupled with far reaching industry expertise,

38 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

www.maybankandassociates.com

Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® is the Lowcountry’s resource for all things real estate

he newest service offered by the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® is a redesigned Web site, CharlestonRealtors.com, which boasts the most current and comprehensive collection of property listings in the Charleston region. The site contributes to the organization’s mission of being the primary source for real estate services in the S.C. Lowcountry while continuing to promote the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, education and technology to its REALTOR® members. “For the past 100 years, this association has served as the ‘Voice of Real Estate’ in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina,” explains Ralph Wetherell, 2009 president of the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS®. “We’re the premier resource for all things real estate in the tri-county and outlying areas, with services ranging from statistical analysis of market conditions to offering legislative advocacy to property owners and the real estate industry as a whole.” Updated every 15 minutes, the new search feature of CharlestonRealtors.com is user-friendly and provides a customized criteria- and map-based search to potential buyers and sellers. The site also includes a Buyer Resources section that discusses many areas of the tri-county real estate market, such as buyer education, mortgages, tax credits and more. “In allowing the public access to so much information, we’re able to help connect consumers with real estate professionals, increasing everyone’s opportunity for success.” said Terry Ketchem, CEO of the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS®. The Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® has approximately 4,000 members and serves Berkeley, Dorchester and Charleston counties, as well as other outlying areas and municipalities. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), the largest trade association in the world, has a total membership of more than 1 million. Not all real estate licensees are REALTORS®; only those who pledge to uphold the REALTOR® Code of Ethics can identify themselves as such. From small agencies to large brokerages, members help people buy and sell residential or commercial properties, vacation homes and land. They conduct appraisals, some even operating outside the United States; others specialize in auctions and still others focus on serving as buyer representatives. Why work with REALTORS®? Because REALTORS® work by a set of professional principles and strive to serve clients fairly. They subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a

Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® Web Site higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. Continuing education is also required, which incorporates training in ethics. “Offering the public access to CharlestonRealtors.com not only increases opportunities for our members, but it also gives us the opportunity to clearly communicate the facts about what’s going on in the market and allow visitors to make an educated decision about becoming a homeowner,” says Meghan Weinreich, marketing and communications director.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone: Web Site:

Terry Hyde Ketchem, CEO 5300 International Blvd., Suite C-105 Charleston, SC 29418 843-760-9400 www.CharlestonRealtors.com

Special Advertising Supplement | 2009 Profiles in Business

Carolina Center for Occupational Health helps Lowcountry businesses stay healthy

ealthy employees translate into a productive workplace and the experts at Carolina Center for Occupational Health understand this.

Dr. Barry Weissglass started CCOH in 1984 to provide occupational medical services to companies in the Lowcountry. CCOH now serves more than 200 companies and more than 14,000 patients a year focusing on prevention, early intervention, medical management and early return to work strategies. Prevention begins with physical exams, drug and alcohol testing, visual and hearing testing. These screenings are performed at the CCOH facility in North Charleston and help gauge the overall health of a patient and flag any problems that may keep an employee from doing his or her job.

Dr. Barry Weissglass

Early intervention involves evaluating and treating employees who are injured on the job. Dr. Weissglass provides urgent care treatment, walk-in service and 24-hour coverage with his privileges at St. Francis Hospital.

but patients mostly come to his North Charleston practice, which includes 10 exam rooms, X-ray, lab, hearing evaluations and other screening services.

Dr. Weissglass also helps patients regain their health after an injury or other health issue and screens them to be sure they are ready to return to work.

“Dr. Weissglass understands that our patients are busy. Patients want a practice that does not make them wait and they want a practice that makes them feel like they have the full attention of the doctor. Dr. Weissglass provides that,” Drayton said.

CCOH offers several online services, which improves communication between the physician and the employer.

Looking to the future, Dr. Weissglass has plans for CCOH to go paperless and add more on-site health screenings.

“We offer employers the ability to track routine exams, injuries and other services online via a secure portal,” said Herbert Drayton, CCOH administrator. “So when a patient is treated, the employer can see and track the care given. The program also provides a trend analysis report. For example, employers can track the types of injuries, as well as the cost and frequency, so employers can modify the workplace to minimize the likelihood of the same types of injuries.” CCOH offers guaranteed online appointment services and will soon begin a monthly breakfast with Dr. Weissglass to discuss health care trends in the workplace and provide an open forum for clients. Dr. Weissglass is also a certified Medical Review Officer. This means he is nationally qualified to compare the test results against the employee’s medical records to determine if there is a legitimate cause for a drug test to be positive or if the positive test indicates illicit drug use.

AT A GLANCE Top Local Executive: Address: Phone: Email: Web Site:

Dr. Weissglass can go to workplaces to perform some screenings,

40 2009 Pr ofiles in Business | Special Advertising Supplement

Barry Weissglass, M.D., M.P.H. 4600 Goer Drive, Suite 205 North Charleston, SC 29406 843-554-1029 customercare@ccohcares.com http://ccoh.webexone.com