2012 SC Biz 4 by SC Biz News

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Winter 2012

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Table of

Contents COVER STORY 16 2013 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR S.C.

Strong manufacturing growth leads the way, but construction’s recovery is essential, analysts say.

Cover and table of contents photo by Darrell Snow: Workers assemble vehicles at the Freightliner Custom Chassis manufacturing facility in Gaffney, which expanded operations this year, adding employees and products.

FeatureS

2012

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TWENTIES

South Carolina’s fastest-growing companies — 20 large companies and 20 small companies — receive honors.

Where are the Best Places to Work in South Carolina? Forty companies are winners in the 2012 competition.

Pullout magazine

RecyclonomicsSC, supporting the recycling industry in S.C.

Departments 4 Bill Settlemyer’s Viewpoint

10 Spotlight: Aiken County

5 Upfront

54 S.C. Delivers

64 1,000 words

President and Group Publisher | Grady Johnson gjohnson@scbiznews.com

From the

Vice President of Sales | Steve Fields sfields@scbiznews.com Accounting Department | Vickie Deadmon vdeadmon@scbiznews.com

PUBLISHER

Dear Reader,

Senior Copy Editor | Beverly Barfield bbarfield@scbiznews.com

Welcome to the winter issue of SCBIZ. Since we serve the state’s business community with our biweekly newspapers, the Charleston Regional Business Journal, the Columbia Regional Business Report and GSA Business, and daily email news alerts from each of them, we use SCBIZ each quarter to take a more thoughtful and analytical look at some of the biggest stories impacting the state’s economic landscape. As you can see from the size of this issue, we have a lot going on inside. We have two recognition programs with a lot in common, Best Places to Work and the Roaring Twenties. Both programs highlight 20 small companies and 20 large ones. And both programs are about performance rankings against other participating companies. Each year we team up with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce to survey and highlight the Best Places to Work in S.C. This year we also took the annual Roaring Twenties program we have been doing in the Charleston region for more than a decade to a statewide level. The Roaring Twenties program celebrates the highest performing revenue growth companies in the state. So, that’s profiles of 80 high performing companies that you should keep an eye on. Plus we feature a special publication for the recycling industry, a look at some amazing growth in Aiken County as well as a forecast for our economy in 2013. Whew! South Carolina has done pretty well in the manufacturing Grady Johnson is the sector in 2012 by attracting new companies and expanding President and Group existing operations with about a third of all jobs added coming Publisher of SCBIZ from manufacturing. Our panel of economists all seem to agree News which publishes that the state can’t sustain growth on manufacturing alone and SC Biz magazine, must have a recovery in the construction industries to really get Charleston Regional us in gear. Oh, how I long for the sound of swinging hammers. Business Journal, This issue is actually a publication within a publication. The Columbia Regional S.C. Department of Commerce and New Carolina have done an Business Report and excellent job of organizing and supporting the state’s cluster of GSA Business. recycling businesses, and we teamed up with them to produce a magazine called RecyclonomicsSC. You will find it in the center of this issue. Normally, two magazines would be distributed together inside a plastic bag. That seemed pretty wasteful to us, so our printer devised a nifty way to bind it into the center of SCBIZ using a single staple. So you can leave it there, or if you wish, grab it by the front and back covers and it should pull right out. We saved about 20,000 plastic bags and it was cheaper. I’m loving it. We were all blown away by how much economic impact these industries have on the state, and more to the point, how much potential there is left yet untouched. We just have to divert more trash away from landfills into the raw material streams of these businesses. It’s an economic development no-brainer that is good for the planet. How cool is that? Enjoy.

Special Projects Editor | Licia Jackson ljackson@scbiznews.com Staff Writer | Chuck Crumbo ccrumbo@scbiznews.com Staff Writer | Scott Miller smiller@scbiznews.com Staff Writer | Matt Tomsic mtomsic@scbiznews.com Staff Writer | Liz Segrist lsegrist@scbiznews.com Staff Photographer | Leslie Burden lburden@scbiznews.com Contributing Writers Mary Jane Benston, Holly Fisher Creative Director | Ryan Wilcox production1@scbiznews.com Senior Graphic Designer | Jane Mattingly production2@scbiznews.com Graphic Designer | Jean Piot production3@scbiznews.com Director of Business Development | Mark Wright mwright@scbiznews.com Account Executive | Bennett Parks bparks@scbiznews.com Event Manager | Kathy Allen kallen@scbiznews.com Audience Development & IT Manager Kim McManus kmcmanus@scbiznews.com The entire contents of this publication are c opyright by SC Business Publications 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.

Mailing address: 389 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Suite 200 Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 Phone: 843.849.3100 • Fax: 843.849.3122 www.scbiznews.com SC Business Publications LLC A portfolio company of Virginia Capital Partners LLC Frederick L. Russell Jr., Chairman

Corporate & Commercial Publishing Division

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Managing Editor | Andy Owens aowens@scbiznews.com

Bill Settlemyer’s

Viewpoint Lessons for S.C. from German manufacturing

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n a recent column I wrote about “the creative destruction of the middle class,” describing the devastating impact of technology and outsourcing on American middle-class jobs. Among the many threats to traditional middle-class jobs, one is the rapidly increasing sophistication of robots capable of performing what had been thought of as work that only humans could perform. As an example, I referred to a news article describing the coming impact of robotics on distribution centers and the large numbers of workers they employ. Well, the ink was barely dry on my column when Amazon.com announced the purchase of a robotics company that could help improve the efficiency of its many distribution centers around the country, including South Carolina. Of course, it’s hard to fault any company for trying to make their business more efficient, and when technologies like advanced robotics offer that opportunity, how can they say no? I suppose we could have a Luddite revolution and smash all the machines, but that’s not realistic. But neither is it realistic to just assume that our country can easily stem the hemorrhaging of stable middle-class jobs brought on by technology and outsourcing. A future of low-paying semi-skilled or unskilled service jobs does not bode well for the future of the middle class or the country.

As wage rates rise in developing countries, some manufacturing is returning to the U.S., but it’s in the form of a new model highly dependent on specialization, automation and proximity to markets. We need to build on this glimmer of hope by encouraging this trend through private-public partnerships, as they do in Germany. The German system of “dual training” is the envy of other developed nations. Young people get apprenticeship training both in technical colleges and in the workplace at the same time. This system is pervasive in Germany and produces a steady stream of superior workers for the country’s manufacturing powerhouses. What’s more, it’s not just about giant companies like BMW. Within Germany, a whole layer of smaller manufacturers referred to as the “Mittelstand” (meaning middle class) provides 60% of the country’s jobs. These companies are the opposite of the “go-go” look-to-the-next-quarter model of much of corporate America. They avoid debt and prefer slow, steady and sustainable growth with a diversified customer base. They survive and they prosper. They provide specialized products tailored to customers’ needs and don’t have to worry as much about competitive pressures due to their status as superior performers in smaller manufacturing niches. Which brings to mind one company in the Charleston area that may well personify

Subscription Information SCBIZ reaches thousands of South Carolina’s top decision-makers. Add your name to the list by ordering a print subscription to SCBIZ. Your subscription also includes SCBIZ

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the “Mittelstand” model. I’m talking about UEC Electronics, headed by Rebecca Ufkes and her partner/husband, Philip. The company was founded in 1995 and has enjoyed strong growth over the years. It employs well over 100 employees and had $23 million in revenue in 2011. In 2010, Ms. Ufkes was named South Carolina Small Business Person of the Year and last year was honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” for her efforts to create jobs and save money and energy through innovation. UEC is by no means the only company in the Charleston area or in the state that fits this “Mittelstand” model. The question is whether we are doing enough in terms of the state’s economic policies, its support for education, and sustained efforts to innovate in ways that support the growth of specialty manufacturers. I would say that we are doing a number of things right, but could do much more with more coordination and an all-out commitment by state government to partner with the private sector to encourage programs like Germany’s dual training system. For my money, if it’s good enough for BMW and the other strong German companies that do business in South Carolina, it’s good enough for me!

Bill Settlemyer bsettlemyer@scbiznews.com

New subscribers Subscribe online at www.scbizmag.com or call 843.849.3116.

Current subscribers Change your address online at www.scbizmag.com or call 843.849.3116.

UPFRONT

regional news | data

Icy forecast for S.C. cities

D Skaters en

joy Green vil

reaming of an evening skate on the ice beneath sparking holiday lights? You won’t have to head north this year to skate under the stars. Two cities, Greenville and Columbia, have temporary outdoor ice rinks that opened up just in time for the festive downtown shopping season. Greenville’s Ice on Main is in its second year, featuring special visits from the Road Warriors hockey team and TUBACHRISTMAS. Columbia’s Main Street Ice is new in 2012, on Boyd Plaza at Main and Hampton streets. Both rinks are open daily for skating, but only until Jan. 6 (Columbia) and Jan. 21 (Greenville). Want to check out the action? Greenville’s Ice on Main has a live skate cam on its website, www.iceonmain.com.

le’s rink. (P hoto/Ice o

n Main)

FAST FACTS | ECONOMIC IMPACT

U.S. housing starts hit bottom, begin to rise 1,500 1,000

South Carolina-based banks are holding fewer loans. Some have gone out of business. Others have reduced their portfolios to rid themselves of bad assets and heighten capital ratios to meet new federal regulations.

1,801 1,355 906

587

609

872*

950*

500

Year Loans and leases held 2008 $42.1 billion 2009 $39.5 billion

0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 *2012 2013* * 2012 figure is an annual rate based on starts through September. * 2013 figure is the prediction of S.C. Economist Bruce Yandle. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

2010

$24.9 billion

2011

$23.3 billion

2012

$22.6 billion Source: Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

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554

Page 16

Bank lending in decline

Figures are in thousands and represent new construction of privately owned residential units

2,500 2,068 2,000

Cover Story

Upfront

Gadgets – we all love gadgets The holiday season is on the way, no doubt about it. If there’s an executive on your gift list, you might want to check out the latest gadgets. We’ve compiled a list of what’s new and hot, with the help of Jennifer Barnett, manager of the Brookstone store in Charleston: Scanner for iPad: Scan something, dock the iPad into it, and it goes right to the screen as a jpg. iPhone 4 or 4s projector: Slide your iPhone into it and it projects images from the phone on a screen. There’s an app similar to PowerPoint to help you save presentations. Also use it to watch movies! Pro keyboard for tablet computers: It comes in a premium leather case. RIP writing tablet: It saves what you hand write to a computer.

Bluetooth speakers: If you’re using the iPhone projector, sync to Big Blue Live for room-filling sound. Power cup: Put it into the cupholder in your car, plug into your cigarette lighter, and it becomes a charger with one USB port and two regular plugs.

And a few more for fun:

N’ice Cubes: non-toxic filled food-grade stainless cubes that can be frozen and used in drinks. Won’t dilute the drink – impress your clients! Full line of massagers: All executives must deal with stress from time to time. Fun yet scary: HD video pen that can record a meeting, surreptitiously or not.

NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Announcements made since Sept. 1, 2012 Company

Investment Jobs

Borg Warner...........................................N/A......... 30 Sempra U.S. Gas & Power.....................N/A......... 40 Con-Pearl North America...................$14M...........51 Georgia-Pacific...................................$30M........100 Watson Engineering........................$6.37M..........85 Shutterfly................................................N/A........N/A McEntire Produce................................ $5M..........85 Bondex................................................$6.4M...........13 Drive Automotive................................$50M......... 60 Industries of America Henry Molded Products....................... $5M.......... 18 South Carolina Plastics LLC..............$12M.........119 MAPAL Inc............................................. $3M......... 30 Shimano American Corp........................N/A........N/A McGill Environmental Systems.............N/A..........25 Crescent Dairy & Beverages LLC......... $30M...........60 Pro Towels......................................... $2.5M......... 50 Oppermann Webbing Inc...................$2.1M......... 20 INVISTA...............................................$20M......... 50 AFL......................................................$8.6M..........95 MW Industries........................................N/A.......... 10

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Siemens Industry Inc.............................N/A........N/A

More than just a business loan – agility, flexibility, expertise, stability Columbia, SC 803-461-3831

Charleston 800-756-4353

Greenville, SC 864-232-3674

www.bcilending.com

Charlotte, NC 704-301-7777

Physicians Choice............................$24.1M....... 364 Laboratory Services Domtar Corp.......................................$30M........N/A Servosity.................................................N/A......... 30 Honda of S.C. Manufacturing........... $27M..........65 W. Lee Flowers & Co.........................$6.5M...........15 Source: S.C. Department of Commerce

Upfront

S.C. Airports Ranked by Tower Operations

Phone / Website

FAAID

2011 Tower Operations

Latitude / Longitude

Owner / Manager

843-767-7000 www.chs-airport.com

CHS

108,213

32.89864 -80.040528

U.S. Air Force Susan M. Stevens

843-448-1580 www.flymyrtlebeach.com

MYR

96,126

33.67975 -78.3928333

Horry County Mike Lapier

864-242-4777 www.greenvilledowntownairport.com

GMU

64,869

34.84794 -82.35

Greenville Airport Commission Joe Frasher

803-822-5000 www.columbiaairport.com

CAE

59,789

33.93883 -81.119528

Richland & Lexington counties Dan Mann

843-248-1201 INP

CRE

57,674

33.81175 -78.723944

Horry County Mike Marlowe

864-989-0788 www.gspairport.com

GSP

49,349

34.89567 -82.218861

Greenville/Spartanburg ACMSN David Edwards Jr.

Hilton Head Island Airport 120 Beach City Road Hilton Head Island, SC 29926

843-255-2950 www.bcgov.net/departments/ transportation/hhi-airport

HXD

36,592

32.22436 -80.697472

Beaufort County Paul Andres

Donaldson Center Airport 126 Club Loop Greenville, SC 29605

864-277-8184 www.donaldsonjetcenter.com

GYH

28,197

34.75831 -82.376417

Greenville County Peter Cevallos

Florence Regional Airport 2100 Terminal Drive Florence, SC 29506

843-669-5001 www.florencescairport.com

FLO

17,705

34.18536 -79.723889

Pee Dee Regional Airport Authority Hartsell Rogers

Company Charleston Air Force Base / International Airport 5500 International Blvd. Charleston, SC 29418

Myrtle Beach International Airport 1100 Jetport Road Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

Greenville Downtown Airport 100 Tower Drive Greenville, SC 29607

Columbia Metropolitan Airport 3250 Airport Blvd. West Columbia, SC 29170

Grand Strand Airport 3174 Terminal St. North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582

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Greenville Spartanburg International Airport 2000 GSP Drive Greer, SC 29651

Source: Federal Aviation Administration. INP=Information not provided. View this list online at www.scbiznews.com/data. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to lists@scbiznews.com, fax to 843-849-3122 or go to www.scbiznews.com/data and click "Add Data."

Researched by Elizabeth Fonte

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county spotlight

AIKEN

Downtown Aiken beckons visitors. (Photo/Economic Development Partnership)

Aiken county Industry is putting the Aiken area on the map – again

W www.scbizmag.com

illiam Gregg was business-friendly before business was cool. Nearly two decades before the Civil War, the South Carolina jeweler began urging Southerners to build more factories. The state’s political leaders would have none of it, preferring to stick with their agrarian way of life. Undeterred, Gregg used $300,000 to establish the Graniteville Co. in what is now Aiken County. It was one of the South’s first large-scale textile mills. In recognition of his vision and leadership, Gregg was among the first historical figures inducted into the S.C. Business Hall of Fame in 1985.

Special Advertising Section

County Spotlight: Aiken

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Today business history is being made again at Graniteville, in Sage Mill Industrial Park, where Bridgestone is expanding a passenger tire plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capacity by 50 percent and building a second plant to manufacture giant radial tires for earthmovers. The $1.2 billion going into the projects is the largest single capital investment by a company in South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history, and this time the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political leadership, now decidedly businessfriendly, celebrated the announcement. While Aiken County has the welcome mat out for new companies, it also has a keen appreciation for existing businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big plus for us, when companies that are here keep investing in the community,â&#x20AC;? County Administrator Clay Killian said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We recognize thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where most of our investment comes from.â&#x20AC;? Established industries account for as much as 80 percent of economic expansion, he said. In addition to Bridgestoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expansion and new facility, other current developments include: â&#x20AC;˘ A $40 million investment by Tognum America Inc. to expand its diesel engine plant at Sage Mill and add 20 new jobs over two years. â&#x20AC;˘ A $3 million expansion at the Center for Hydrogen Research. The county created the center, adjacent to the Savannah River Site, to foster research into ways for industry to use hydrogen technology. Government, academic and private researchers have labs there.

Trains, horses and nukes Expanding Your Business.

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South Carolina St yle

We have a good thing going here in the Palmetto State. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of room to grow, unmatched recreational opportunities, a low cost of living, a willing and able workforce, an unbeatable business climate and South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Power Team. The Power Team is composed of Aiken Electric Cooperative, 19 other South Carolina electric cooperatives, and Santee Cooper. Together, we are committed to building strategic partnerships with smart, forward-thinking businesses. And we back this commitment by delivering quality service and reliable electric power at some of the lowest rates in the nation. So when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to expand, ask yourself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why do businesses and industries that already call the Palmetto State home decide to expand here?â&#x20AC;? The answer is: they have it made in the shade in South Carolina. To fi nd out more, visit www.scprimesite.com.

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Aiken began in the 1830s as a depot for a railroad line connecting Charleston and Hamburg, on the Savannah River. The new community was named for William Aiken Sr., president of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Co. The county was created a few decades later, carved out of parts of Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington and Orangeburg counties. Greggâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Graniteville plant and other textile mills grew up in Horse Creek Valley. They provided employment for area residents for more than 100 years, until foreign competition overwhelmed them. The last remnants of the former Graniteville Co. mills were closed only in 2006, after a deadly

County Spotlight: Aiken

train wreck and chlorine gas spill. After the Civil War, wealthy Northerners were lured to Aiken. They established a winter colony, building grand “cottages” and enjoying equestrian sports. Another kind of war, the Cold War, shook things up in the 1950s. The federal government built a massive facility, known locally as “the bomb plant.” The Savannah River Site produced nuclear materials for weapons. Aiken County’s population soared to 81,038 in 1960, from 53,137 in 1950. Today, the “railroad town” and textiles are history, but the polo ponies still gallop across the fields. The mission at the Savannah River Site has evolved, but it is still the area’s biggest employer, with about 8,300 workers. And a variety of other industries dot the landscape. Major U.S. companies with a presence in Aiken County include Kimberly-Clark Corp., Carlisle Tire & Wheel, Emerson Electric, Campbell Soup Co. and Owens Corning. International businesses have parent companies in Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Sage Mill Industrial Park, where Bridgestone is expanding, has grown to 2,000 acres. (Photo/Economic Development Partnership)

The groundwork In 1984 Aiken County established a development board, and in 1988 Aiken and Edgefield counties entered into their Economic Development Partnership. “Our organization was the first regional economic development organization in the state,” Will Williams, EDP director, said. “We were experiencing regionalism before

it became in vogue.” Aiken County Council Chairman Ronnie Young said, “It’s kind of unique, the AikenEdgefield partnership, because we are not really in competition with one another. There are just certain industries that fit better in Edgefield, and others fit here, and we support one another.” Young, who has been a member of

www.scbizmag.com Special Advertising Section

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County Spotlight: Aiken

Langley Pond, in the old textile area, has become a popular rowing facility. (Photo/Economic Development Partnership)

County Council since 1990 and chairman since 1994, said, “At county government we try to prepare this county for industry by being very business-minded, supportive of their needs. All the companies that come here come because they want to come. They like it here. They like the amenities here, and it’s a good team effort between the county and new industry.” County government and EDP officials offer a substantial list of amenities: • Sage Mill Industrial Park. The county began developing the site in the mid-1990s. It has grown from 1,145 acres to about 2,000 acres. “We bought the land for an average of $900 an acre. Today it’s probably valued at $25,000 or $30,000 per acre,” Young said. • Wastewater treatment plant. Built in the late 1970s, the facility has a capacity of about 20 million gallons a day. “With the loss of the textile industry we’ve got, I suppose, a blessing and a curse at the same time,” Killian said. “We did lose a lot of flow into the plant, which changed the revenue stream, if you will, to that plant. On the flip side of that we gained a whole bunch of capacity, so we could tell anybody that wants to come to Aiken County, ‘You don’t have to worry about your sewer needs. We can take care of that.’” Only about half the capacity of the plant is in use. “The best part about it is we can actually expand the plant to 26 million gallons a day for about a $1 million investment.” • “Tremendous amounts of water, which a lot of places don’t have,”

Special Advertising Section

Young said. • Landfill. A nine-county consortium has a solid waste landfill with 80 to 100 years of capacity left. Methane gas is captured from the landfill and piped 17 miles to help power KimberlyClark’s mill at Beech Island. • Electricity. Two electric companies supply the Sage Mill site. “So that competition also helps,” Young said. • An appealing business climate. A manufacturers’ council, sponsored by EDP, brings plant managers together regularly, Young said. “It’s just a good thing to have that kind of relationship between all the companies.” • Education and training. Aiken County has the state’s fifth-largest public school system, plus eight private schools and a campus of the University of South Carolina. “A good educational system, Aiken Technical College and the relationship we have with them for workforce development make us, I think, a very attractive spot,” Killian said.

Sold on Aiken John Stewart, manager of the passenger tire plant at Graniteville, came to Aiken County for the Bridgestone startup. The first tire was produced in August 1998. He said the company’s experience has been so positive that when it was looking to expand passenger tire manufacturing, “they looked at Aiken County, they had a formula for success, and they decided to exploit that again.” And when Bridgestone was looking for a place to put its only plant for giant earthmover tires outside of Japan, it chose

Aiken County again. About $350 million of the $1.2 billion investment will expand Stewart’s plant, ramping up passenger tire production from a capacity of 25,200 tires a day to roughly 37,750. Aiken County’s business-friendly environment is attractive, and “the government, the local businesses, the schools, all are very cooperative in terms of helping you to find whether it’s the right place for you or not,” Stewart said. The EDP does a good job of “giving companies a good reason to be here,” he added. “But also there’s a real good workforce here. You’ve got generally a very good work ethic among the people that live in this part of the country. You’ve got people that grew up in and around textile mills and other manufacturing plants, where there’s a high expectation to work hard. We embrace that, and that’s worked out well for us here. Those people have come to work for us, and their friends and relatives, and that’s helped us out as well,” Stewart said. “The other thing is you’ve got a good school system generally in the local area, especially a good technical college, and even university-level support with USC Aiken and, a little farther away, the University of South Carolina and Clemson as well.” For the 3.1 million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark mill at Beech Island, the winning formula involves employees and logistics. “Aiken County has been a very good location for our company, with a strong talent pool to draw from, a great place to live to attract talent and a good distribution position to ship product to customers,” John Pownall, the mill’s manager said. “Our company has been in Aiken County since 1968. Since that time, the plant has seen regular investment and growth with significant investment in the site.” There were 550 employees when the plant was dedicated in early 1969, and today there are 1,250 Kimberly-Clark and 600 contract employees, Pownall said. The Beech Island mill is the company’s largest facility in North America and currently the county’s second largest employer, behind SRS. It produces many K-C brands, including Kleenex tissues, Cottonelle bathroom

tissue and moist wipes, Scott towels and bathroom tissue, and Huggies diapers.

The amenities required by Aiken’s “horse industry” can be a bit out of the ordinary. Killian recalls being welcomed to the area by a neighbor shortly after he became administrator in 2001.The neighbor lived on a dirt road. “I knew what he was going to say: He wanted us to pave that road. He said, ‘As long as you’re our county administrator I want you to promise that you will never pave our road.’ … You’ll see that happen a lot in this county.” Equestrian sporting events — including polo, horse shows, races and hunts — still abound in picturesque areas, attracting visitors from all over the world. There are about 40 polo fields. The horse culture has an economic impact of $75 million to $80 million a year and creates a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Meanwhile, in the old textile area, Langley Pond has become a significant rowing facility. Managed by the county’s parks and recreation department, the pond “is a

Looking ahead Gary Stooksbury, the chairman of the Economic Development Partnership, said, “Will Williams and the staff at EDP are doing a great job of positioning us for new jobs and projects as they come. There are

some in the pipeline that we are dealing with,” Stooksbury said, “but one of the challenges that we are addressing right now is workforce development.” “The Economic Development Partnership works with Aiken Technical College and the University of South Carolina at Aiken to make sure that we’re developing the workforce not only that BridgestoneFirestone needs, but Kimberly-Clark and others in the area,” said Stooksbury, who has served on the EDP board for 17 years, including three years as chairman. The CEO of Aiken Electric Cooperative, Stooksbury considers economic development “important not only for our business but also to improve the quality of life and the communities we serve. We take economic development very seriously. It is something that we have a passion for, to make sure that we continue to have jobs for our folks.” He commended the county for creating the Center for Hydrogen Research and developing infrastructure to serve future industries. “We’re ready for ’em,” he said.

County Spotlight: Aiken

Riding, rowing, retiring

small lake, really,” Killian said. It was used as a training facility by several international teams during the Atlanta Olympic Games and is the home facility for the University of Georgia rowing team. In addition to the rowing course, the pond has a swimming area, and eventually there will be boathouses and other amenities. Trails and picnic shelters will be in the surrounding green space. “Again, it’s another one of those quality-oflife things that makes us kind of unique,” Killian said. “Also, we’re a bit of a retirement destination,” Killian said. Retirees’ disposable income helps support amenities such as restaurants, recreation and golf, which make for a good quality of life for everyone. “I think Aiken County has become a very attractive place for a lot of different kinds of facilities,” Killian said.

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COVER STORY

Waiting game Georgia-Pacific, which completed construction on this Clarendon County plant in 2011, will begin production there in 2013. (Photo/Georgia-Pacific)

Eyes on construction for 2013’s forecast By Scott Miller, Staff Writer

eorgia-Pacific has waited two years to launch production at its South Carolina mill. “We’ve been sitting, waiting, looking at the market,” said spokesman Eric Abercrombie, pointing to national data showing an 18% annual rise in housing starts heading into 2013. “We think first quarter 2013 is the right

www.scbizmag.com

Top 5 Industry Job Growth

The manufacturing and trade idustries have added the most jobs over the past year, though the information, health and education sectors are growing at a faster rate. SOURCE: S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, September employment report

time,” he said. The Atlanta-based construction supplier acquired an unfinished wood mill in Clarendon County in 2010 from Grant Forest Products. Georgia-Pacific completed construction on it in 2011 and sat on it throughout 2012. Production will begin the first quarter of 2013 to supply composite wood build-

ing materials to the residential construction industry. The company is hiring 140 people. The construction industry is in the spotlight as economists look for steady job growth to spark economic improvement in 2013. And even though Georgia-Pacific is launching operations in South Carolina, it still has idle mills in West Virginia and Virginia, Abercrombie said. The company

Industry jobs added in 2012

– Year-over-year change 6,600

3.0%

Education, health services

5,500

5,200

2.5%

1.5%

Manufacturing

Trade, transportation and utilities

4,600

2.2%

Leisure, hospitality

4,100

1.2%

Government

7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0

Cover STory As exports grew, BMW began work on a plant expansion to increase production of three models, begin production of the X4 and add 1,000 jobs by the end of 2014. (Photo/Liz Segrist)

will continue to monitor market demand in anticipation of beginning production at those locations. The importance of construction is affirmed by economists. “We can’t get back to the level of employment in December of 2007 until the construction industry gets back on its feet,” said economist Bruce

Yandle, an emeritus professor at Clemson University. “Construction is the albatross around the neck of the economy.”

Difficulty projecting what 2013 will bring Several factors are clouding efforts to forecast the 2013 economy, said Joey Von

Nessen, an economist with the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. The European economy, the so-called “fiscal cliff” at the end of 2012 when several federal tax cuts and breaks for individuals and businesses are set to expire, and the health care law have created economic uncertainties that can paralyze business investment, Von Nessen said. The Moore School, which forecasts economic growth each year, will release its economic forecast for 2013 in December. Von Nessen said he expects more of the same from the economy — slow growth. The school predicted 1% employment growth in 2011 and was right. It predicted 2% this year. Nonfarm employment in South Carolina was up 1.64% as of September, according to the latest figures from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. That’s an addition of 30,000 jobs. Stress in the European economy is of particular interest locally because a large portion of South Carolina’s exports go to Europe, Von Nessen said. South Carolina’s top export market is Germany at $4 billion. That accounted for more than 16% of $24.6

Take Your Place Among South Carolina’s

Finest Manufacturers Nominations Open for the Silver Crescent Award for Manufacturing Excellence

If national media recognition, increased sales, improved customer loyalty, an edge in recruiting, and greater employee engagement appeal to you, read on.

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The Silver Crescent Award is the most prestigious award that a South Carolina manufacturer can receive, recognizing exemplary South Carolina companies for their Performance, Customer and Employee Engagement, Community Citizenship, Innovation, Environmental Stewardship and Growth.

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803.657.6183

Small, medium and large manufacturers will be honored next spring in front of hundreds of industry leaders at the Salute To Manufacturing Awards Luncheon. Nominees and winners also attend a private Best Practices Forum immediately preceding the luncheon. Nomination is simple and free, and may be submitted by companies directly or by third parties. Details and entry forms are online at www.SaluteToManufacturing.org. Don’t delay… act today. Nominate a worthy manufacturer now by submitting your Intent To Apply form. Deadline is November 15, 2012.

Looking for capital to invest Many of the capital investment and job growth announcements that South Carolina has witnessed have come from large corporations with their own capital to invest, Yandle said. The economy has been much harder on smaller businesses that depend on credit to expand, he said. South Carolina-based banks reported $22.6 billion in net loans at the end of June â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 85% of which were in real estate â&#x20AC;&#x201D; down from nearly $40 million three years ago, according to data from the Federal Deposit

Insurance Corp. Loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration topped another record in the 2012 fiscal year, but lending spiked under a temporary Jobs Act program that expired in September. Lending under the SBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flagship 7(a) program for business expansion dropped 12.7%. New federal regulations are making it harder for banks to lend and for borrowers to qualify, Yandle said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Banks donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want excess reserve. They want to invest,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now, the

Cover Story

billion in South Carolina exports in 2011, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Canada was a close second, purchasing more than $3.7 billion in madein-South Carolina goods. China remained at No. 3 in 2011, purchasing more than $3 billion. Rounding out the top 10 export markets in 2011 in order of rank were Mexico at No. 4, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Brazil, Japan and Saudi Arabia. During the first half of 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the period for which the most recent data is available â&#x20AC;&#x201D; South Carolina merchandise exports rose 4% to $13 billion, according to the U.S. Commerce Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Trade Administration. The stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s firsthalf export sales outpaced 2011 figures for the same period to many top destinations, including Iraq, up 61%; Japan, 55%; Brazil, 23%; Saudi Arabia, 10%; and Canada, 10%. The stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s export markets are particularly important, Von Nessen said, because they affect the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top job-growth sector.

The leader in job production

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The majority of post-recession employment growth you have seen in South Carolina has been in manufacturing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; durable goods manufacturing, auto manufacturing,â&#x20AC;? Von Nessen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That will continue to drive employment in South Carolina.â&#x20AC;? Over the past year, the manufacturing, trade, transportation and utilities sectors have added 10,700 jobs in South Carolina, accounting for about a third of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total job production. Since January 2011, South Carolina has recruited more than $7 billion in capital investment and more than 18,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce. Many of those job openings have yet to be filled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we want to see more aggressive growth in the economy, we need to look to more than one industry,â&#x20AC;? Von Nessen cautioned. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manufacturing can lead the way, but we really need more growth across the board.â&#x20AC;? TD Bank economists wrote in a recent report that manufacturing growth in South Carolina is poised to slow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A recessionary Europe and federal defense cuts are two other risks to growth in South Carolina,â&#x20AC;? the bank wrote.

COVER STORY

banking system has $1.4 trillion in excess reserves. That can be converted into loans as banks begin to be optimistic and a more creditworthy borrower shows up.” Banks may have returned to a state where they are able to lend again. Through June, South Carolina-based banks reported aggregate net income of $85 million, compared to a loss of $17 million in the prioryear period, FDIC data show. About 18% of South Carolina banks remain unprofitable, according to FDIC data, but that’s down from 45% two years ago and 33% in 2011.

Perhaps businesses aren’t ready to invest Yandle and Von Nessen again discussed the effects of the European economy and the so-called “fiscal cliff” when discussing business investment. A recent survey of small business owners by the National Federal of Independent Businesses showed that more businesses see this as a good time to expand and more expect the economy to improve over the next six months. Still, “most owners reported no inter-

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Because it ma ers how you’re treated. Copyright © 2012, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. All rights reserved. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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een nt

And it’s for the be er.

est in a loan,” the NFIB wrote. “Only 8% complained that they didn’t get all the credit they wanted. Two percent say credit is their top business problem compared to 21% each citing taxes, regulations and red tape, and poor sales. Sales and profit trends were negative with little sign of improvement in the third quarter.”

Building an economic foundation for growth Housing data is showing signs of increased investment and income growth, and Yandle and Von Nessen both view the construction industry as a key economic indicator going into 2013. “One sector to watch in 2013 is construction,” Von Nessen said. “For the first time since 2008, we actually saw house prices bottom out and saw appreciation in 2012. The Charleston market is really leading the way in house appreciation.” With that has come an increase in residential building permits and housing starts. National housing starts reached an annual rate of 872,000 in September, their highest figure since 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “Home building is still in the cellar, even though we had a really nice piece of data for September,” Yandle said. Yandle expects continued improvement that will trickle through the economy, though housing starts won’t reach what he called normal levels of 1.7 million a year for another five years. He expects housing starts to reach 950,000 next year. “There is good news being generated along the way but it is a long road,” Yandle said. “Commercial construction will be more of the status quo,” Von Nessen said. “Credit is still a problem, particularly for the construction industry,” he said, also again mentioning the fiscal cliff and the European economy. “One of the keys to the economy is to restore business confidence. It’s good to get to the point where we know what’s coming, what the policies are going to be. Uncertainty is paralyzing. “The economy is still very fragile.”

FEATURE

TWENTIES

he Roaring Twenties recognizes the 40 best-performing companies in South Carolina: 20 small companies and 20 large companies. To qualify for Roaring Twenties consideration, companies had to be nominated by a third party or through self-nomination. Companies must be headquartered in South Carolina; only for-profit companies are eligible. The nominated companies provided financial information to SC Biz News, which was sent to the accounting firm Dixon Hughes Goodman for verification. Company size was determined by gross revenue: small categorized as $10 million and under; large, more than $10 million. Small companies must have had revenues of at least $500,000 per year for 2009, 2010 and 2011. A formula was applied that determines the dollar growth year over year, as well as percent increase year over year. Both of these criteria were added together to create a score, with percent increase used as a tie-breaker if needed. The companies were then ranked by score, with the highest score being the fastest-growing. The No. 1 company in the large company category for 2012 is Yeargin Potter Shackelford Construction of Greenville. The top company in the small category for 2012 is Marabu North America of North Charleston. All 40 companies were honored at an event in Columbia on Oct. 25. The companies and their profiles are presented in this issue of SC BIZ. We hope you enjoy reading more about them.

Presented by

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Sponsored by

In Partnership With

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

State of Recycling from Commerce

Letter from New Carolina

more than 450 recycling

businesses and an estimat-

cling Reflex.” His opening

ed 20,000 jobs created by

paragraph was:

he green industry is strong in the

n July 25, 2012, the New York Times ran

Palmetto State. With

an article by David

Borstein called “The Recy-

this sector, environmental sustainabil-

“What if there were something

ity is proving to be good for business

that could create 1.5 million new

in South Carolina.

jobs, reduce carbon emissions equal

As the state’s recycling businesses

cut dependence on foreign oil, in-

choose South Carolina as the perfect

crease exports, save water, improve

place to go green and make green, we

air quality and reduce toxic waste?

are well-positioned to support and

What if it were low-cost and readily

promote this industry.

implemented? Wouldn’t everyone do

The state’s success and increas-

Bobby Hitt

S.C. Secretary of Commerce

to taking 50 million cars off the road,

continue to grow and new companies

ing reputation in the recycling sector show that we are on the right track:

George Fletcher Executive Director Emeritus

it? At a time of wildfires, droughts and persistent unemployment, wouldn’t it be a centerpiece of the presidential campaign? Well, there is such a thing.

•

In 2011, the recycling industry announced $333

South Carolina currently has more than 450 recycling

jobs with 15 new or existing companies investing in

companies. Since 2006, the state has announced $4 billion

South Carolina.

in investments and 6,000 jobs, according to the S.C. Depart-

South Carolina has four times more jobs in recy-

ment of Commerce. Many of these jobs are in rural areas.

cling per capita than California or Massachusetts, •

•

It’s called recycling.”

million in capital investment, a creation of over 800

In 2011, the state recycled only 27.7% of the potential

both of whom are leaders in recycling

material. Every 10% increase beyond this 27% represents

State recycling programs and initiatives divert

2,000 jobs and another billion dollars in investment. If we

thousands of tons of materials from landfills and

could reach the RecyclonomicsSC goal of 70%, we would

recycle them for productive functions

be looking at another 8,000 jobs and $2.4 billion in invest-

Local governments, commercial businesses and

ments. This is an enormous opportunity.

recyclers alike have access to an abundance of recycling markets in South Carolina. Recycling and responsible material management make

RecyclonomicsSC is currently generating a menu of policy options that could be adopted, including: •

bans on specific materials to landfills

•

pay-as-you-throw strategies that provide economic

a difference. Engaging in recycling ensures that these products go to recyclers close by. The benefit is direct – companies grow, resulting in more local jobs and tax revenues. South Carolina’s green state of mind is further demonstrated by Commerce’s Recycling Market Development Advisory Council and staff’s combined efforts to attract and develop businesses in our state. From entrepreneurs who provide new recycling busi-

incentive to recycling •

financial and/or non-financial incentives for becoming a zero waste facility

RecyclonomicsSC will hold their annual legislative day on Feb. 20, 2013. RecyclonomicsSC has contracted with New Carolina to provide management and executive director services. I will be serving as their executive director from New Carolina’s

ness options to flagship companies that convert recycled

Greenville office. The entire New Carolina team looks for-

materials, South Carolina’s recycling industry is leading

ward to working with RecyclonomicsSC and growing this

the way in the green economy.

dynamic business.

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

RecyclonomicsSC boosts greening of South Carolina

ruly nothing could be finer than Greening of Carolina, and there is no better example of green than RecyclonomicsSC. RecyclonomicsSC, an initiative of

the S.C. Recycling Council, is a new business-oriented organization in the state focused on recovery of recyclable material for industry growth. While many groups have been singing the environmental praises of recycling for years, RecyclonomicsSC

packaging containers, and materials to recycle. South

is helping companies in South Caro-

Carolina’s recycling rate of 27.7 percent is low compared to

lina to lead the charge in recycling

many other states and the national average of 34.1 percent.

with resounding bottom-line benefits.

So, how can we all sing from the same sheet of music?

Businesses recognize that the small

RecyclonomicsSC will work with its partners in recycling to

changes made by subscribing to the

help raise the recycling rate by:

lean, clean and green mantra of recy-

•

cling lead to big returns for them and

Tina Green Huskey

RecyclonomicsSC

their communities. RecyclonomicsSC

about recycling’s economic value •

businesses then download economic benefits from recycling made up of en-

•

Working with universities, industry and other partners to identify technical solutions to roadblocks

creation, avoided emissions, and corporate sustainability.

hindering growth in recycling •

a national leader in the recycling industry in terms of job creation, investment and providing sustainable markets

Promoting policy to raise South Carolina’s recycling rate

ergy savings, material reuse, green job The RecyclonomicsSC vision is for South Carolina to be

Educating businesses, people, and elected officials

Addressing supply chain gaps and recruit industry to the state

•

Fans of RecyclonomicsSC recognize that recycling

for recyclable materials. So, how are we doing on the vi-

not only creates new opportunities, but it also sup-

sion quest?

ports local governments and commercial business-

On the job creation, investment, and markets front, South Carolina has other states beat. •

20,000 jobs in recycling

•

$4 billion in investment since 2006;

• •

es by providing access to an abundance of recycling markets. From the greening of the environment to the greening

$333 million of that in 2011

of corporate bottom lines, RecyclonomicsSC is the per-

4 times more jobs in recycling per capita

sonification of South Carolina’s ability to harmoniously

than California or Massachusetts

assemble people, industry, academia and ideas with a posi-

475 recycling businesses

tive economic outcome. I welcome you to make a small

What is the issue, then? We are doing great in recycling, right? No, not exactly. Despite the fact that we have a ro-

change today and join us for a big return to the quality of life we all enjoy in South Carolina!

bust industry, South Carolina is at a recycling cliff for available recycled material supply, where materials destined for

Tina Green Huskey, Chair

the landfill dwarf those destined for recycling. Companies

RecyclonomicsSC, an initiative of the

are facing a critical shortage of recycled bottles, cans,

South Carolina Recycling Council

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Upfr nt Recycling is not only smart: It is huge in South Carolina. More than 475 companies, large and small, make recycling their business. About 20,000 South Carolinians work in recycling every day. Here are a few facts about why recycling is important.

$11 billion

1.4 Pounds

Estimated total economic impact of

of MSW recycled per person per day in S.C.

recycling in S.C. for 2011 Source: The 2011 S.C. Solid Waste Management Annual Report

385,856,726

S.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recycling efforts have resulted in an environmental impact equivalent to conserving this many gallons of gas.

Source: The 2011 S.C. Solid Waste Management Annual Report

Recycling 1 glass bottle will save enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours.

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

Recycling defi

Municipal So

lid Waste (M

nitions

SW) The combine d residential and commercia waste genera l solid ted in an area . MSW include cans, bottles, s paper, food scraps, ya rd trimmings items. Indust and other rial process w aste, agricultu mining waste ra l waste, and sewage slu dge are not co MSW. nsidered Recycling Rate

The measure ment of activ ities by which materials are discarded collected, sorte d, processed an verted into ra d conw materials an d used to mak products. e new

Recycling 1 aluminum can will run a computer for 3 hours.

Source: Aluminum Association

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Total Solid W aste (TSW

) Includes not only MSW bu t construction tion debris, pr and demoliocess waste an d any other m that is genera aterial ted. Source: S.C. De partment of He alth & Environ Controlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office mental of Solid Waste Reduction & Re cycling

Recycling... Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we do.

We see waste as a potential resource and create opportunities for recovery that reduce cost, increase profit and decrease environmental impact.

Corporate Office Ninety Six, SC 864-543-9912

CU-ICAR Office Greenville, SC 864-214-7127 www.mumfordindustries.comwww.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Upfr nt

Retro recycling As it turns out, one of our country’s older charities was into recycling more than 100 years ago. Goodwill Industries was “organized to save material waste and turn it into human well-being,” wrote its founder, the Rev. Edgar Helms. A few numbers: In the Upstate and Midlands, 39 million pounds of goods were donated last fiscal year. In the Lowcountry in 2011, 13.5 million pounds of recyclables were kept out of the landfill. “Our goal is to keep maximizing the value of anything

Wear your support on your car You can show your support for recycling with a special South Carolina vehicle license plate. The Reduce Reuse Recycle plate is available to all state residents for $30 plus

that has use,” says Crystal Hardesty, director of marketing and public relations for Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands S.C. As an example, Goodwill gets lots of T-shirts donated, Hardesty says, and some just don’t sell. So employees use an industrial cutter to transform the old shirts into 12-inch squares, repackaged as GoodWipes cleaning cloths. They’re big sellers at $1.29 per pound. Goodwill stores in South Carolina and across the U.S.

the regular registration fee. A portion of this fee supports

partner with Dell on computer recycling. Donated com-

the S.C. recycling industry, providing education and

puters are stripped of any parts that contain personal

increasing awareness.

information, and everything else – plastics, metals, glass – is recycled by Dell.

Grinding of the Greens When the holidays are over, the life of your Christmas tree is not quite ended. Many communities in South

A more recent addition to the Goodwill business model is shopgoodwill.com. Stores from all over post items for sale on this auction website.

Paper or plastic? Neither! The family grocery bag legacy lives on in Kristen Brown

Carolina collect the castoff trees and turn them into

of Pawleys Island. Her father, Gordon Dancy, invented the

mulch. In the Midlands and in Greenville, the Grinding of

plastic grocery bag, which went into use about 1980. Now,

the Greens is a well-established custom.

the plastic bag’s time has run out. To offer an alternative

Residents can drop off their Christmas

that is more fun, Brown invented MY ECO, a reusable shop-

trees at a number of points, starting the

ping bag system.

day after Christmas. Around the sec-

The bags are made of recycled polypropylene, the

ond or third weekend in January, the

plastic used in yogurt containers. The four-bag set has an

trees are ground into mulch, which

insulated tote for cold items, and one each for glass bottles

is given away free. But you’d better

and jars, produce, and dry items and boxes. The four hold

get there early! Other places that

a week’s worth of groceries for Brown’s family of four, and

have been recycling holiday trees

when full they fit neatly into a shopping cart.

are Beaufort, Horry, Kershaw and

Brown has a program with schools to sell bags as a

Oconee counties, and the city

fund-raiser. They can also be purchased from her website,

of Florence. Contact your local

www.getmyeco.com, at a cost of $24.95 per set.

government to find out about plans for this year.

“We’re headed toward zero waste,” said Brown, a recycling and waste reduction consultant. “I’ll do anything I can do to make it easier.”

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Upfr nt

Economic Development Announcements Related to Recycling, 2012 Company

Investment

No. jobs

County

$900 M

300

Spartanburg

N/A

Darlington

$3.5 M

Spartanburg

BMW Nucor Corp. Pratt Industries

$16 M

Jasper

Michelin

Lowcountry Biomass

$750 M

500

Anderson, Lexington

Diversified Plastics

$2.5 M

Dillon

Grace Plastics

$1.2 M

Greenville

US Fibers

$5.5 M

Edgefield

Encore Container

$3.9 M

Greenville

PyroTec Inc.

$10 M

Charleston

$7 M

Spartanburg

eCycling

$23 M

Allendale

Con-Pearl North America

$14 M

Greenville

$5 M

Anderson

N/A

Berkeley

Polydeck Screen Corp.

Henry Molded Products Inc. McGill Environmental Systems

Source: S.C. Department of Commerce

S.C. can do

BETTER 1.2 million tons

$171 million

of easily recyclable material â&#x20AC;&#x201C; paper, cans,

statewide net loss in unattained revenues and paid

plastic and glass bottles went to S.C. landfills,

disposal costs, as well as the missed opportunity for

2009-2011.

jobs and investments by recycling businesses and manufacturers, 2009-2011. Source: S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

s. Tires are shred proces fore the first be g, in eslie Burden) cl /L cy to into Viva Re pment.. (Pho e ui m eq co g ey in th dd age the shre checks tires as at could dam Ricky Jackson her debris th ot d an s m ri checked for

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Jobs

Recycling means paychecks in S.C. By Mary Jane Benston

arty Sergi sees enormous opportunity for job cre-

ager for recycling market development, says an additional

ation in South Carolina’s recycling industry, and

5,000 jobs have been added over the last five or six years,

he is helping it happen in Berkeley County.

counting jobs that were announced only through Com-

Sergi’s company last year established a tire recycling

and rubber products manufacturing facility in an existing

merce. Evaluating the impact of the industry in 2006, the econ-

plant in Moncks Corner. After retrofitting

omists estimated that for every recycling

the plant and moving a manufacturing

job in South Carolina, an additional 1.4 jobs

business there from China, Viva Recycling of South Carolina has 53 employees and plans to add about 100 by the end of 2013. Sergi plans to move beyond tires into other lines of recycling. “South Carolina’s recycling (rate) is one of the lowest in the country, so the opportunity is enormous. There are literally thousands if not tens of thousands of jobs that South Carolina does not have because

“South Carolina’s recycling (rate) is one of the lowest in the country, so the opportunity is enormous.”

were created though the ripple effect of

Marty Sergi Viva Recycling of South Carolina

economists concluded the recycling jobs

spending by firms and employees. At the time, there were 340 firms listed in Commerce’s directory of recycling businesses. The firms ranged in size from 1 employee to 553, and the average salary reported in the industry was $32,229. The were “relatively good jobs in a state where the average salary (was) reported to be

it’s landfilling most of its waste streams,”

$31,940 for all occupations in all indus-

he said.

tries.”

The S.C. Department of Commerce “conservatively” esti-

“Recycling makes jobs and brings paychecks to South

mates there are 20,000 recycling jobs in the state. In a 2006

Carolina,” said Ronnie Grant, chairman of the state’s Recy-

study, economists at the College of Charleston estimated

cling Market Development Advisory Council.

there were 15,600 jobs attributable to recycling activities.

What’s the potential for South Carolina to gain jobs

Chantal Fryer, the Commerce Department’s senior man-

in recycling? Grant and other leaders in the industry say

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Jobs

Recycled rubber products can be used for mulch in landscapes and on play areas. (Photos/Viva Recycling) Viva Recycling processes shredded tires into mulch for playgrounds. (Photo/Leslie Burden)

that the success of recycling businesses depends in large part on the recycling efforts of households, businesses and governments.

landfills rather than going back into production.” Grant, a senior account representative for Sonoco, has over 40 years’ experience in recycling. The industry has

Recycling is like a “field of

20,000

dreams,” subject to the proverbial “If you build it they will come,” says Grant. “If the volume is there, they will come.” Unfortunately, however, in South Carolina recycling vol-

That’s how many jobs the S.C. Department of

says, and “hopefully, it can get bigger now with single-stream coming on line versus sortedat-the-curb.” In single-stream recycling, materials are mixed

Commerce “conservatively” estimates there are in when they are collected, and

ume is not what it could be. In a 2010 strategic plan prepared

the recycling industry.

for the recycling industry, the framers noted, “While technological innovation is increasing the recycling capabilities and applications well beyond imagination, there is a wealth of material being lost to

had a large growth capacity, he

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

then they are separated at materials recovery facilities (MRFs, pronounced “murfs” in

the industry). Municipalities converting from recycling bins to roll-cart collections usually have a 40% to 45% increase in collec-

smart Jobs

Tires are ground to the landscape mulch size, prior to being colored. (Photos/Leslie Burden)

tions, Grant says. Residents find it easier to get recyclables to the curb, and municipalities find them easier to collect.

Gerry Beauford inspects playground material as it is being made.

ing them into fiber. Commerce puts the number of recycling companies at

“It makes everybody’s life better,” Grant says.

more than 475 now. While the concentrations of recycling

If more recyclables are collected, MRFs could expand

operations are greatest in the populous Charleston, Colum-

their hours. And there would be more PET plastics, carpet,

bia and Greenville regions, numerous plants are scattered

aluminum, steel cans and paper going to the S.C. firms that

across the S.C. landscape, providing employment in the

crave those materials.

outskirts and rural communities as well.

And South Carolina could see more jobs. The education levels required for jobs in the recycling industry can range from high school to college degree-plus, Grant says. “There’s a lot of technology involved in these

In the Lowcountry tire recycling plant where Viva is operating now, employment was down to only six workers when Sergi, president and COO, arrived last year. “There was a trend where our scrap tires . . . were being

MRFs now.” The same is true in the processes that reuse

exported to China to make products from the rubber that

the materials, such as shredding plastic bottles and turn-

was recycled out of the tires to literally sell that product

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Jobs

Marty Sergi of Viva Recycling says recycling Chris Misner fabricaties a catch-all plate for the first shred process at Viva Recycling. succeeds when it is driven by the private sector.

back on the shelves of Lowe’s and Home Depot, etc.,” Sergi

a training course that was tailored for the Viva jobs. The

says.

same hiring and training system will be used as the plant

“We started here again with the help of Commerce, bought all new equipment and retrofitted, plus brought the

expands, Sergi says. About 2 million scrap tires, mainly from South Carolina,

equipment from China to make the products that we’re

come into the plant now. The goal is to take that total to 5

making now.” The Moncks Corner facility and other plants

million when an upcoming expansion is completed.

use recycled rubber to manufacture PermaLife products,

Sergi says recycling is successful when driven by the

which are found in gym flooring, playground surfaces, ath-

private sector, with the public sector just helping. It can’t

letic fields, sidewalks and asphalt additives.

be based on government subsidies, he says. “Government

The S.C. Technical College System’s workforce training

subsidies ultimately don’t work. It eventually falls apart.”

program, readySC, helped Viva put employees in place by

“Recycling, wherever it’s given its fair chance and is

advertising a job fair and by assisting with interviews and

based on economics . . . then you usually can have a win-

the selection process. Trident Technical College sponsored

ner and you can produce a lot of jobs.”

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Entrepreneurs

Recycling startups grow economic footprint while treading lightly on environment By Holly Fisher

mart entrepreneurs have the forethought and vision

DwellSmart offers a line of building products, including

to recognize an industry on the verge of growth.

wood, paint, lighting, plumbing, tile and carpeting. Plus, it

That’s the case with startups around South Carolina

showcases recycled countertops from fellow Charleston

who saw the potential of the recycling market and jumped in with both feet. Some have been around several years and others are just getting started, but all see what a pivotal role recycling, reducing and

green business, Fisher Recycling. Every product sold by DwellSmart must meet one or more of its core criteria: sustain, protect, conserve, reduce and share.

reusing play in our economy, culture and

DwellSmart has also partnered with na-

marketplace.

tional company TerraCycle, which recycles

The following South Carolina busi-

those often hard-to-reuse products like

nesses are turning trash to treasure,

drink pouches, yogurt cups and chip

providing recycling equipment and

bags. TerraCycle turns that trash into

helping homeowners and business-

a variety of products from lunch boxes

es take another step toward sustain-

and notebooks to totebags and jewelry.

ability.

DwellSmart is the official online retailer for TerraCycle, stocking and selling its

DwellSmart

products.

Charleston | www.dwellsmart.com

As recycling becomes more main-

Five years ago Mary Gatch start-

stream, a company like DwellSmart

ed DwellSmart with a mission of

fills an even larger need – especially in

providing products that not only

the green building industry.

improved the health of customers but

“Trends in recycling have been

were good for environmental health

driven by LEED certification and

as well. With a large showroom plus an online store, DwellSmart is meeting its mission. Products include gifts, toys, cloth-

that’s a really good thing,” Gatch said. DwellSmart partners with TerraCycle to sell its products made of recycled chip bags and drink pouches. (Photo/DwellSmart)

“As people are trying to build LEED houses or buildings, they are trying to get the points for using recycled

ing, baby items, personal care products, jewelry, office

content. We’re seeing more and more products that are

supplies and cleaning supplies. The company also sells

coming out and available.”

organic mattresses, home décor and gardening items.

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Entrepreneurs

Becker Complete Compactor Inc. Columbia | www.beckercomplete.com When Keith and Cassandra Becker relocated to South Carolina from Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s, they were used to sorting their trash and recycling. But in South Carolina they found recycling was almost unheard of, Cassandra Becker said. So it made sense to focus their business on repairing roll-off and front-load container vehicles. But as time went on, they couldn’t shake the idea that, even though recycling wasn’t common, the companies that did have recycling equipment would have a real need for repair work. Keith Becker and his son went through a training program with recycling systems manufacturer Marathon Equipment to learn how to repair compactors and balers. That side of the business grew, and soon the Beckers decided to turn all their attention to the recycling side of their company. They sold off the other piece of the business and have been solely focused on Becker Complete Compactor for three years. In addition to doing equipment repairs in the Carolinas and parts of Georgia, they also sell used equipment and parts online to buyers all over the country. The company stays on top of new developments in the industry, such as the Bayne’s BEST Lift System that lifts and dumps a trash can into a larger trash bin. This device cuts down on workplace injuries caused by employees lifting heavy trash cans. The Beckers are also looking into a digester product that can turn food waste into water. These products that can save businesses money are

Fisher Recycling has added a reuse component with its recycled glass countertops, part of the GlassECO line. (Photo/Fisher Recycling)

quickly gaining ground in the recycling industry. “Busi-

Fisher Recycling

nesses will spend money for things that will save them

Charleston | www.fisherrecycling.com

money,” Cassandra Becker said.

Over the last two decades, Fisher Recycling has been collecting glass bottles as well as paper, plastic and old electronics as it helped Charleston-area businesses reduce their carbon footprint and eliminate trash from the landfills. Fisher Recycling educates its customers, helping them become more environmentally conscious, while creating a customized plan to help them reduce waste. “Tailoring each business to meet its optimal recycling program is our specialty and our goal,” Chris Fisher said. In recent years, Fisher Recycling has maintained its focus on recycling while adding a reuse component with the addition of its GlassECO line of products. This line includes recycled glass countertops and crushed glass used www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Entrepreneurs

for landscape cullet for driveways and other decorative

its products in the United States, further reducing environ-

landscaping projects.

mental impact. Not even 3 years old, MantraMeds is work-

With sustainability at its core, Fisher Recycling also has a dedication to the community through local entrepreneurship and philanthropy. The company offers franchise opportunities in the Southeast with two franchises – Hil-

ing with hospitals and businesses that have a commitment to sustainability and green practices. “We love the local story,” Miller said.

ton Head/Savannah and the Grand Strand – celebrating

Earthspun Apparel

more than two years in business.

Greenville | www.earthspunapparel.com

SustainTex / MantraMeds

soda bottle or beer bottle after it’s tossed in the recycling

Greenville | www.mantrameds.com

bin? At Earthspun Apparel, those bottles become short-

Ever wonder what happens to that plastic water bottle,

Who knew medical scrubs could change the world? Jack

and long-sleeved T-shirts. But more than using the recy-

Miller and Jerry Wheeler did. With backgrounds in textile

cled goods to create fiber for clothing, the shirts also reflect

and supply chain operations, they saw how the textile

the color of their source material.

industry was changing and yet wanted to remain a part of

Available in Soda Pop Green, Beer Bottle Brown, X-Ray

the story. They combined their expertise to create scrubs

Gray, Water Bottle Blue and Food Tray Black, Earthspun

that are functional, fashionable and, most importantly,

Apparel clothing goes a step further in the recycling pro-

made with the environment in mind.

cess. By not using dye to create the color of the shirts, the

The company philosophy centers around the F.A.S.T Footprint approach – fair, accountable, sustainable and transparent – coupled with a desire to transform the U.S. textile industry.

Miller. “Plus it tells a really neat story,” he said. The company’s signature T-shirt contains the recycled plastic equivalent to more than six 20-ounce bottles. The

By offering scrubs, along with lab coats and surgical caps, MantraMeds’ objective is to use fashion and quality to create

shirts are made in the United States – part of the company’s commitment to do as much business locally as possible. In business less than two years,

a product that is also

Earthspun Apparel is still growing its

price competitive,

market and finding its niche among

Miller said. At lot of

green-minded consumers. Earthspun is

people think that be-

working with the college market on co-

cause something is green, it doesn’t have the per-

branded T-shirts and with the surfing community. Miller said his company is

formance

learning that as a startup it’s

of regular

best to connect first with that

stock and

green market. “Before, we

that’s just not

were taking green apparel

the case, he

to the conventional market

said.

and it’s taken us a year to

MantraMeds uses certified Texas organic cotton and recycled

company is also saving water and energy, said partner Jack

decide let’s focus on the green market. Let’s focus on the people who want green products because in the

polyester. The com-

conventional market it’s all

pany manufactures

about price.”

smart Web

Your recycling guide online

here’s a new place to go online to get information

Visitors to the website can find out about recycling

about recycling in South Carolina. An innova-

events, the latest recycling business news and the eco-

tive website, www.recyclonomicssc.com, has tips for

nomic impact of the industry in South Carolina.

manufacturers, businesses and consumers.

Tips for businesses and manufactur-

The site is the home for RecyclonomicsSC,

ers include conducting a waste audit and

an initiative of the South Carolina Recycling

looking for markets for recyclable items. For

Council. The cluster of recycling businesses

consumers, suggestions include learning

began meeting in 2007, and Recyclonomics-

about your community’s recycling pro-

SC was incorporated in January 2012.

grams, finding out where to take your re-

The new website went live on May 8,

cyclables, and buying products made from

2012, said Chantal Fryer, senior manager of

recycled materials.

Recycling Market Development at the S.C

The website also shows the state’s re-

Department of Commerce. “Its focus is on the economic value of recycling.”

cycling specialty license plate for vehicles, www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

It’s a part of carrying out the mission of Re-

and it helps businesses find ways to team up to recycle their waste products.

cyclonomicsSC: to grow South Carolina’s recycling econ-

Another online source for information about the re-

omy by promoting policy, building networks, developing

cycling business is through the S.C. Department of Com-

markets and increasing recovery of recyclable materials.

merce’s website, www.recyclinginsc.com.

Call Ecopreneur Elizabeth Garrison Rasor for a complimentary recycling consultation for your business.

Ever-Green Recycling is a woman-owned business specializing in commercial recycling services for offices, restaurants, hotels, manufacturing facilities, apartment complexes, and more. Ever-Green recycles paper, plastic, cardboard, bottles, cans, glass and electronics. We also offer educational training for companies on how and what to recycle.

Reducing Upstate Waste Since 2007.

(864) 230-9800 | ever-greenrecycling.com www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Collaboration

Turning waste into treasure By Mary Jane Benston

outh Carolina companies are teaming up to keep

to a plant in Florence County, where the carbon fiber is

waste out of landfills, often while helping their own

reclaimed and reused in other products.

bottom lines.

In BMW’s collaboration with the ball manufacturer, the

Manufacturers that are looking for “green” ways to

automaker collects waste plastics from its assembly pro-

dispose of waste sometimes find that other manufacturers

cess and turns them over to Stee-Rike 3, which carefully

are quite willing to take those materials and use them to

blends them with fresh materials to produce hard plastic

make new products.

training balls for baseball players.

In one such partnership, the Upstate’s BMW plant, wide-

“We have quite a bit of plastics coming out of this plant

ly known for its green ways, supplies plastics to a Colum-

on a monthly basis,” says Wes Westbrooks, BMW waste

bia company that makes whiffle balls.

specialist. There is a demand for certain types of plastics,

In another collaboration, Boeing and other manufacturers who use carbon fiber composites are sending scrap

he says, but some types are “very hard for us to get rid of on-site.”

“Think about a Boeing 787. The material is used in that plane for, say, 30 years. Instead of it going to a landfill, we can reclaim the fibers, and then we can put them, let’s say, into a Corvette car for 20 years, and then let’s say when the car’s ready to see its end of life we could put it into a Trek bike, so you get multiple uses of a very good, advanced material called carbon fiber.” Jim Stike president and CEO, Materials Innovation Technologies

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart

Collaboration

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The BMW plant recycles 95% of waste generated. When Stee-Rike 3 in Columbia needed plastics for its practice balls, the automaker gladly provided them.

The BMW plant recycles 95% of the waste generated, so

t 3FDZDMJOH 3FDMBJNJOH /PO )B[BSEPVT 8BTUF $BSECPBSE t 1MBTUJD t 5FYUJMFT t F8BTUF t $SBEMF 5P (SBWF )B[BSEPVT 8BTUF %JTQPTBM 4PMWFOUT t "DJET t "TCFTUPT t -FBE t 4BMWBHF 1VSDIBTF PG 0VUEBUFE 0Ä&#x152; 4QFD 1SPEVDUT t -PHJTUJDT BOE 4UPSBHF t 8BTUF "OBMZTJT BOE $IBSBDUFSJ[BUJPO t 4JUF 3FNFEJBUJPO t %FNPMJUJPO 4VSWFZJOH 4BMWBHF For More Information Contact: 492-A La Mesa Road, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 843.886.3596 | info@caroinc.com | www.caroinc.com 3URXG &RPSDQLHV RI 7KH 7LGHV (QWHUSULVHV

when David Jones of Stee-Rike 3 contacted BMW about his need for more plastics for his product, the automaker was â&#x20AC;&#x153;happy to oblige,â&#x20AC;? Westbrooks says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;BMW has been wonderful,â&#x20AC;? says Jones, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to take a waste product that did fit our strict terms of quality in the plastic and make a very usable product out of it.â&#x20AC;? Stee-Rike 3 products â&#x20AC;&#x153;teach kids how to hit baseballs,â&#x20AC;? he says. They are used by college and pro teams and are sold by national stores. The arrangement with Stee-Rike 3 is a testament to BMWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental consciousness, in Jonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; view. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody thinks recyclingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an easy thing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To keep it clean and usable takes an effort. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier to throw it in the landfill.â&#x20AC;? BMW workers handle the plastic well â&#x20AC;&#x153;because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re professionals in everything they handle,â&#x20AC;? Jones says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to buy it at a price cheaper than the virgin prices, quite frankly.â&#x20AC;? The carbon fiber recycler, MIT-RCF, opened in Lake City in 2010. Jim Stike, president and CEO of parent company Materials Innovation Technologies, says manufacturers collect their scrap in reusable containers for shipment to the plant. Two of the main sources are Boeing, which sends material from Seattle operations as well as from its Charleston facility, and Trek Bicycles, which is in Wisconsin. Stike calls the solution â&#x20AC;&#x153;three shades of green.â&#x20AC;? The first shade is waste elimination, to the tune of 1.5 million www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Collaboration

Trek bicycle frames are recycled at the Lake City facility of MIT-RCF. (Photo/Materials Innovation Technologies)

pounds. “Before we started our company in South Carolina,

goods back into production. On its website, the state

people were just throwing this in dumpsters and throwing

Department of Health and Environmental Control helps

it in the landfills.”

match companies that want to get rid of a material with

The second shade of green is really where the environ-

companies that need that material.

mental benefit occurs, Stike says. “It takes

For BMW’s Westbrooks, the collabora-

96% less energy to reclaim carbon fiber than it does to manufacture virgin carbon fiber, so if we can put a million pounds of carbon fiber back into the supply chain, that is a million pounds of carbon fiber that you do not have to produce from raw materials.” The third shade of green is sustainability. “Think about a Boeing 787,” Stike says. “The material is used in that plane for, say, 30 years. Instead of it going to a landfill, we can reclaim the fibers, and then we can put them, let’s say, into a Corvette car for

tions that help him find homes for waste

“Before we started our company in South Carolina, people were just throwing this in dumpsters and throwing it in the landfills.” Jim Stike president and CEO, Materials Innovation Technologies

20 years, and then let’s say when the car’s

and byproducts can result from referrals or the occasional sales rep who’s just driving by the plant and stops in. Many of the arrangements develop from connections within the recycling industry, however. “Because the recycling and waste field is such a small field, everyone kind of knows everyone else, so your name is usually given out,” he says. Westbrooks is a member of the state’s Recycling Market Development Advisory Council, whose members share ideas on a regular basis. “It’s a nice network we’ve created. We

ready to see its end of life we could put it

have connections ranging from South

into a Trek bike, so you get multiple uses of a very good,

Carolina going all the way to California.” For BMW it’s a

advanced material called carbon fiber.”

win-win, enabling the green-conscious manufacturer “to

Recycling trade groups and state government agencies try to encourage and facilitate efforts to put reclaimed

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

find homes and outlets for a lot of our hard-to-recycle products.”

smart

Collaboration

TOMATO PALMS® provides recycling solutions for in-office & curbside recycling services

You need it, we have it

n online “matchmaking service” is aimed at reducing waste by helping businesses exchange reusable materials.

The South Carolina Materials Exchange is available on

the website of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. Businesses, nonprofits and governments are invited to list “materials available” and “materials wanted” on the site, www.scdhec.gov/scme. Items from A to Z (abrasive bristle to Zep truck and trailer wash) are listed as “available,” while the items on the “wanted” side range from A to nearly Z (acoustical ceilings to white paint). The listings include electronics, glass, metal, paper, pe-

Our recycling program is simple, convenient and affordable.

Facility Walk-Through & Free Consultation.

Recycling Bin Placement Plan.

Flexible Pick-Up Schedules.

Tomato Palms provides long-term recycling solutions that are convenient, easy & affordable.This innovative approach offers recycling services for your offices, break rooms, kitchens and cafeterias.

Who we serve:

troleum, plastic, rubber, textiles and wood. Don’t see what you want? There are links to similar exchanges in Georgia and North Carolina. The S.C. exchange shows a “date listed” for each item. While some materials were recently added, many appar-

803.331.6626 | www.TomatoPalms.com

ently have been listed for several years. In some cases items stay on the list because the firms have ongoing needs. Staffers regularly contact the companies to ensure that their listings are current, says Mark Plowden, DHEC’s communications director. Anyone wanting to add a material may click on the “submit a listing button” and follow the directions. Listings are usually posted no later than the next day, Plowden said. Assistance is available at 800-768-7348. Information on the actual number of exchanges that users have accomplished is not available. However, the S.C. Department of Commerce communicates

CUTTING COSTS? Let’s start with your

– TRASH. –

to recyclers about the materials available through its electronic newsletter, “Recycling Newsbits.” The exchange can help users find valuable materials for free or less than the cost of new materials. Other benefits that are

CWS is a waste reduction and recycling resource firm. Our objective is to reduce waste cost through recycling efforts. With 15 years’ experience in the waste and recycling industry, we can design a waste and recycling plan specifically for the needs of your company. Stop paying trash companies to haul items to the landfill that other companies can reuse or recycle. Call us today!

touted include savings in waste disposal costs, profit from sale of surplus materials and conservation of

843-395-0373 | www.carolinawastesolutions.com

natural resources. www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Asphalt milling and recycling

Cold in-place reclamation

Ashmore Bros. Inc.

ost people don’t realize how much re-

cycling goes on in the asphalt industry.

recycle roofing shingles into asphalt, a practice that is now commonplace thanks to the efforts of Ashmore

1/2 H ADVERTISER NAME

Upstate highway contractors Ashmore Bros.

Inc. introduced asphalt recycling procedures to South

Carolina years ago, and the company continues to

Bros.

The company also works with Clemson University

to grind up old tires, turning them into premium-

grow its efforts by recycling asphalt, concrete, tires,

grade asphalt. Ashmore Bros. brought that process to

and roofing shingles.

the state in 1992.

“Asphalt is 100 percent recyclable,” said David Ash-

The company’s recycling efforts not only benefit

more, executive vice president. “It’s America’s most

the environment, they also create a valuable product.

recycled product.”

“We’re looking for something that enhances the prod-

Ashmore Bros. was an early adopter of a technique that allows for in-place asphalt recycling, introducing

uct and doesn’t just get rid of it,” David Ashmore said. Ashmore Bros. crushes concrete from the demo-

the concept to South Carolina in 1991. Through this

lition of curbs, gutters and sidewalks, turning that

process, a reclaimer grinds up the road, reshapes it

concrete back into usable materials for new jobs.

and then a byproduct of asphalt cement is added to the base.

The company, which does private commercial and industrial work as well as state projects, also recycles

The grinding and reshaping is all done right on the

asphalt for driveways and parking lots. Any dirt

road, explains Mark Ashmore, company president.

filtered out of the recycled asphalt goes back into the

Rather than taking the old road pieces and hauling

roadways to build up highway new shoulders.

them off to a landfill, they take the existing materials and reuse them. The company also was the first in the state to

“We don’t throw any materials away,” David Ashmore said. “There’s no waste. A generation ago, it would have been dumped in a landfill.”

PO Box 529 Greer, SC 29652 864-879-7311 www.ashmorebros.com

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Special Advertising Section

Community leaders and residents kick-off the Coca-Cola Recycle & Win program with the giant bottle toss.

A local resident places the Coca-Cola Recycle & Win sticker on her recycling bin.

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated

fter you finish a bottle or can of a refreshing Coca-Cola product, we want you to “Give It Back!” All of us at Coca-Cola are looking

win gift certificates for groceries when they recycle. The program is fun and easy. Residents receive a brochure in the mail with an opt-in sticker explain-

for new and creative ways to ensure that all of our

ing the rules. To participate, they put the sticker

packages get recycled.

on their recycling bin, place recyclables inside and

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (CCBCC)

place the bin by the curb on recycling day. The

believes recycling is a rewarding experience, so in

Recycle & Win Prize Patrol randomly visits neigh-

partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, we cre-

borhoods and rewards people for recycling the right

ated the “Coca-Cola Recycle & Win” program to en-

way.

courage our neighbors to experience it themselves. We partnered with cities and counties throughout

We continue to expand the program to new cities and towns across the Southeast. The Recycle & Win

our territory, including South Carolina, to promote

Prize Patrol could be visiting your neighborhood

awareness of good recycling practices. We teamed

soon – be on the lookout! In the meantime, practice

up with great retail partners like Harris Teeter,

recycling in your town. It’s good for the planet, and

Kroger and BI-LO, so residents in these areas can

that’s a winning strategy – no matter where you live.

Website: www.CokeConsolidated.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/CokeConsolidated Twitter: www.twitter.com/CokeCCBCC

Special Advertising Section

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Nucor Darlington Mini Mill

Nucor Steel

1/2 H N ADVERTISER NAME ucor Steel - Darlington is a premier producer

120 pounds of limestone

of angles, channels, flats, rounds, rebar and

and 1,705 kilowatt hours of electricity.

hexagons. We are located in Darlington,

Take the 22 million tons of steel Nucor made in

South Carolina. Since beginning operations in 1969

2007. That’s enough electricity saved to power over

as Nucor Corporation’s first bar mill, Nucor - Darling-

6.5 million homes for a year.

ton has grown to become the largest bar producer in

While conservation of natural resources is by itself

the Southeast. We have a state-of-the-art 160-ton DC

an environmental benefit, it pales in comparison to

electric furnace supplying two highly efficient rolling

the benefits brought about by the reduction of criteria

mills. We produce special bar quality, merchant bar

pollutants released into the atmosphere. (Think about

quality, and reinforcing bar products.

all that coal we no longer need to burn.) Compared to

As the name implies, Nucor mini mills are small.

the blast furnace, the mini mill’s arc furnace releases

But their small footprint on the land is just one ben-

86 fewer pounds of pollutants into the air for every

efit to their very environmentally friendly nature.

ton of steel made. In a year’s time, that has the effect

For starters, a mini mill’s electric arc furnace requires much less in the way of natural resources. In fact, compared to the traditional blast furnace

of reducing particulate matter emissions by over 2 million tons. It all starts with recycling. By cleaning up our land

process, every ton of steel made the mini mill way

of scrap steel, we’re able to reduce mining waste by

eliminates the need for:

97 percent, air pollution by 86 percent and water pol-

2,500 pounds of iron ore 1,400 pounds of coal

lution by 76 percent. It’s a win-win situation.

www.nucor.com

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Special Advertising Section

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Recycling Center is a direct-from-thepublic and commercial collector of aluminum cans, scrap metals, insu-

lated wire and lead acid batteries in Columbia. Their values have always been honesty and integrity and their goal is to be good stewards to the environment and their community. In

1/2 H ADVERTISER NAME

2008, they were awarded the “Best Small Recycling Business” honor from the S. C. Department of Commerce and RMDAC. Since 2001, A Recycling Center has more

than doubled the size of their business, staff and facilities. In 2011, ARC paid out over $1

million dollars into the local economy proving

A RECYCLING CENTER

BUYERS OF SCRAP METALS FOR RECYCLING South Carolina’s Best Small-Sized Recycling Company - 2008

that green business is good for South Carolina. We would love to help you with your scrap metal needs.

$ 5(&<&/,1* &(17(5

1009 Fontaine Road Columbia, South Carolina 29223 803-786-6690

1/2 H ADVERTISER NAME SC Tire Processing Facility

ot Tires? SC Tire Processing helps you get rid of your bulk waste and scrap tires in an environmentally friendly way. Our tire processing facility is designed for your convenience, security

and safety. We accept all types of tires to feed the renewable energy plant. It harnesses the energy to create clean power -- destroying the tires. Our team is ready to provide reliable, regular bulk tire pick-up at a competitive price. Our facility also accepts bulk drop-off of all types

19562 Atomic Road

of tires whether you have one or more loads. We are always hungry for

Jackson, SC 29831

tires. For more information call 855-259-3593.

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Special Advertising Section

he challenge of meeting the needs of tomorrow’s marketplace is effectively addressed by building sustainability into your strategy,

business practices, operations and products. Understanding the complex issues that sustainability raises takes expert knowledge and experience across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) is a consulting firm dedicated to building solutions for our clients and their communities. We create value for our clients by understanding and bringing innovative solutions to

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ties rely upon us as a resource for financially sound,

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effective and efficient implementation plans for their sustainable strategies.

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asteZero® is the nation’s leading provider of proven and practical municipal waste reduction programs. WasteZero Trash Meter-

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1/2 H ADVERTISER NAME

money, increase recycling, and reduce waste 44% annually on average. Approximately 800 communities have diverted more than 3 million tons of waste and saved

WasteZero makes all of their plastic bags in South Carolina from recycled material. Above, blue plastic film in the manufacturing process.

$200 million in waste disposal costs with WasteZero. We tailor best-in-class and turnkey solutions to meet

any community’s needs—from program design to resident education and communication. And because we manufacture 100% of our supplies in our state-of-the-art facility in South Carolina, we know we deliver only the highest quality custom trash bags available. For more than 20 years, WasteZero has been work-

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Special Advertising Section

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Excellence Through Innovation

e specialize in polyester recycling and staple fiber manufacturing. Proudly made in the United States, our fibers are

1/2 H ADVERTISER NAME

in demand throughout North America and around

the world. Our vision is to be one of the world’s premier companies; innovative, distinctive and successful in everything we do.

Recycling is the world’s responsibility. At US Fibers, it is our way of life.

Various markets we serve: Automotive Home Furnishings Geotextiles Filtration Nonwoven Industry

30 Pine House Rd | Trenton. SC 29847 803-275-5023 www.usfibers.com

VLS Recovery Services

or VLS Recovery Services LLC, offering high quality, value-added services while employing exceptional ethical, safety, and envi-

ronmental standards is business as usual. That’s

1/2 H ADVERTISER NAME

because VLS is committed to being the most reliable, efficient, and cost-effective waste management and railcar cleaning service provider. With

facilities in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee,

VLS is committed to being the most reliable, efficient, and cost-effective waste management and railcar cleaning service provider.

and Texas.

VLS uses its extensive residual management

and recycling program to help generators find a more efficient use of every ounce of their plant residuals. VLS offers a multitude of recycling and reuse options as well as used oil and waste-to-

energy programs, wastewater treatment, solidification for landfills, handling of universal and electronic wastes, site work services, and in-plant vlsrs.com

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

management services.

Special Advertising Section

CONNECTING BUSINESS in South Carolina SC Biz News is the premier publisher of business news in the state of South Carolina. We publish the Charleston Regional Business Journal, Columbia Regional Business Report, GSA Business and SCBIZ magazine.

Connect your business to our statewide audience. For information about statewide advertising, call Steve Fields at 843.849.3110.

cover Story

New goal: Zero waste to landfill By Ross Norton

Recycling is smart for many reasons, both economic and environmental. Corporations are taking on the challenge as their social responsibility. And now, some of the largest manufacturing companies in South Carolina are no longer sending any waste to the landfill. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right: zero waste. On the following pages, find out how they did it.

At Sonoco Recycling, newspapers are gathered for recycling. (Photo/Jeff Blake)

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

cover Story

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

cover Story

Workers sort through recyclables at Sonoco Recycling in Columbia. (Photo/Jeff Blake)

The arrival of BMW Manufacturing in South Carolina’s

It was a massive project that took buy-in from the top

Upstate in the early 1990s brought mostly jubilation, but

down with strategies ranging from puppet shows and

there were some who worried about the environmental

pizza parties to a “waste sort,” where each assembly team

impact of a large auto assembly plant. Today, more waste

dug through its own garbage to see what should have been

goes into the landfill from residences than from the vast

recycled. And in their opinion, virtually all of it should.

BMW plant.

In 2009, BMW measured its waste at 8.97 kilograms per

By the time the assembly line fired up in 1994, BMW had

vehicle produced. In August of this year, when the last

strict environmental policies in place and recycling efforts

landfill shipment took place, the ratio was down to 1.92

were part of the plant’s culture from the beginning. But in

kilograms per vehicle produced. That’s 4.2 pounds of land-

2011 those goals got lofty.

fill waste for each BMW that rolls off the line — about the

Lisa Pirwitz, section manager, led a plantwide effort to

weight of a half-gallon of milk. Since then, the assembly,

reduce waste destined for the landfill. As she researched

paint and body sections of the facility are operating at zero

what other manufacturers were doing, she ramped up the

waste to landfill.

goal to attain zero waste to landfill. For a plant with 4 mil-

“I think it was very exciting to see that it can be

lion square feet of space and 7,000 employees, it was a tall

achieved and it was fun to do,” Pirwitz said. “It was actually

order.

a wonderful feeling.”

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

cover Story

March 7, 2013 Baxter Hood Center at York Technical College 452 S. Anderson Road, Rock Hill, SC 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Enjoy morning and afternoon sessions on innovative and sustainable techniques, local field trip, exhibitors, breakfast and lunch! For information on attending, exhibiting or sponsoring visit:

yorkgreenbizconference.com

Top: Recycled newspapers are checked over by Sonoco employees. Bottom: Cars that do not meet BMW’s quality specifications are crushed and sent to a scrap metal facility for recycling. (Photo/BMW)

“Zero waste to landfill” is a goal catching on among industry leaders. It’s an ideal featured proudly on company websites and literature. Fruit of the Loom’s Palmetto Distribution Center in Summerville recently attained its landfill-free goal. Distribution Center Manager Jay Medlin said the impetus to keep waste out of precious landfill space comes from the top at Fruit of the Loom. “Corporate social responsibility — we’ve always done that,” Medlin said, so at his plant it wasn’t the corporate hierarchy that had to be sold. It was the employees. “We had to get them involved to take pride in it. Once they got involved, it was pretty easy,” he said. In 2010, the distribution center sent 67,000 pounds of waste to a landfill and recycled 1.16 million pounds. A year later, only 28,620 pounds went to landfill. By August of this

Why do more businesses choose Charleston Steel over the others?

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“The LowCountry’s Leader in Metal Recycling” www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

cover Story

A Sonoco Recycling employee watches over plastic jugs. The company collects materials worldwide. (Photo/Jeff Blake)

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

cover Story

BMW’s Green Team searches through employees’ own garbage to find items that could have been recycled. (Photo/BMW Manufacturing Co.)

year, nothing else was going to landfill, and more than 1 million pounds of waste had been recycled. For Fruit of the Loom, the effort to get buy-in from

The company now diverts 99 percent of all waste away from landfills and toward reuse and recycling, according to the Milliken website. Again, the company relies on its

employees at work spilled over into the community. The

employees to get involved in the effort and find solutions

distribution center also provided materials for employees

to waste problems.

to take home to encourage recycling there, too. Fruit of the Loom was recognized by Sonoco Recycling

A relative newcomer to the state’s manufacturing base, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation of Gaffney staked

of Hartsville as a gold-tier Sonoco Sustainability Star for

a claim at being the nation’s first chassis manufacturer

going landfill free. A subsidiary of packaging giant Sonoco,

and first company within the trucking industry to achieve

Sonoco Recycling is a big player in the recycling movement

zero waste to landfill status.

worldwide. The parent company works toward zero waste

The company was sending 250,000 pounds of waste per

to landfill in its own facilities and developed the Sonoco

month to the landfill when they set a zero-waste goal in

Sustainability Star program to encourage the same from its

2007. By October of 2009, the goal was reached.

customers. Worldwide, Sonoco Recycling annually collects more

Freightliner “was able to achieve these results by the continued efforts and diligence of all employees within

than 3 million tons of corrugated containers, paper, metals

the company, and we continue to seek ways to reduce

and plastics, according to spokesman Robin Montgomery.

our environmental impact in our facility and through our

Milliken, one of the state’s most venerable companies,

products and alternative fuel efforts,” said Roger Nielsen,

was out front early in the zero waste movement, even be-

COO at Daimler Trucks North America, parent company of

fore terms like “zero waste to landfill” were being bandied

Freightliner Custom Chassis.

about. A manufacturer of textiles and related products, the

Zero waste to landfill, while relatively new, is on the

company adopted an environmental policy in 1990 that

horizon for many companies as part of their sustainability

established a goal of zero waste.

efforts. www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Joe Renwick, co-owner of Midlands Biofuels, takes a sample from a water purification system at the facility in Winnsboro. The biodiesel is washed with water. (Photo/Jeff Blake)

smart Thinking

‘Good to be part of the solution’ By Ross Norton

o a fry cook, it’s one of the final tasks of a long shift — disposing of a vat full of overused cooking oil,

waste. Midlands Biofuels is one of a growing number of

often with remnants of batter and food. The smelly

companies finding ways to make good use of challenging

oil can’t go down the sink or in the trash because it’s lousy

recyclables. Finding ways to reuse an aluminum can was

company for septic systems and landfills.

relatively easy. But other products were difficult: old mat-

But the bane of a fry cook’s day is gold for Midlands Biofuels and its customers. Since 2008, the Winnsboro company has converted spent cooking oil into biodiesel fuel. Their product so far has replaced more than 2.5 million gallons of petroleum diesel with a product once considered

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

tresses, oil filters and dead fluorescent lights, for example, weren’t easily spun into another product. For Midlands Biofuels co-owner and founder Joe Renwick, the magic came in the challenge. “It feels good to be part of the solution,” he said. “That’s

smart Thinking

A living roof tops a building in Charlotte. At right, sections of green roofing add to energy efficiency of a home. (Photos/Green Roof Outfitters)

what we are all about — solving fuel problems and waste

try,” he said. “We have partnered with nurseries across the

problems.”

country so if our customers want them grown out, they

The first step in the fuel-making process — collecting the oil — alleviates a problem for restaurant operators. It also created another avenue to service the restaurant

can get them grown out there, so it’s greener and much more cost effective.” One old idea — recycling oyster shells — is now a much

industry. Midlands Biofuels provides cleaning and mainte-

better organized effort, and instead of using the shells as

nance of waste oil receptacles at restaurants. The company

building material, they’re going back to the environment.

has created 15 jobs for the state and has built a second plant. Midlands Biofuels sells directly to the public from its

Restaurants such as Pearlz Oyster Bar in West Ashley collect the shells until they’re retrieved and secured by Fisher Recycling of North Charleston. The state Depart-

downtown Winnsboro location or provides fuel by the

ment of Natural Resources eventually returns the shells to

truckload to large users.

a marine environment for habitat restoration.

Another company putting a dent in the need for petroleum is Green Roof Outfitters of Charleston. The company uses recycled plastic to manufacture con-

“We think it’s very important,” said Emmy Teague Scott, marketing director for Pearlz Oyster Bar’s parent company. “We’ve been doing some kind of recycling as long as we

tainers for green roofs — modules that hold soil and living

have been in business. It’s important to us to give back to

plants on the rooftop, with benefits ranging from reduced

the communities that nurture us.”

water runoff to energy savings and pollution reduction for the building’s owner. Owner Michael Whitfield designed his whole company

Oyster recycling is a challenge because of the odor and weight, but Fisher Recycling owner Chris Fisher says reusing the shells can reduce a restaurant’s waste stream by

around green concepts, from practices in the shop to his

25 percent. The cooperation of restaurants, recyclers and

philosophy of doing business. Unlike other green roof sup-

state and federal agencies are making it work.

pliers who require customers to buy the complete system,

Others tackling tough recycling challenges include

he will sell the lightweight components to far-away cus-

Diversified Recycling of Rock Hill. The company, with a

tomers who can buy the growing media closer to home.

second location in West Columbia, takes on some of the

The modules that hold the plant life are made in the Upstate from recycled plastic once bound for a landfill. “It’s not as green to ship heavy plants across the coun-

messiest challenges in recycling such as used oil, antifreeze, solvents and fluorescent bulbs. Diversified recycles about 3,600 tons of material annually, according to a report

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Thinking

An old idea comes full circle A hundred years ago, South Carolinians knew what was required to maintain oyster beds along the coast. In the 1930s, 16 canneries produced thousands of gallons of shucked oysters that were sent, often by ice-cooled railway cars, to New York and other metropolitan areas. The shells left behind were planted back on the stateleased oyster beds in the summer to sustain the fishery. Shell is crucial to the oyster’s life cycle as cultch, a place for oyster larvae to attach and begin forming their own shells. After a few months, an oyster may grow to be as large as your pinky fingernail; in two to three years, the oyster will be around 3 inches long and ready to harvest. The state’s last oyster cannery closed in 1986, due to labor shortages and competition from canned oysters imported from the Far East. South Carolina’s market changed to an inthe-shell product largely consumed at backyard oyster roasts. Instead of being stockpiled at the canneries, the oyster shells were widely dispersed and found their way into landfills, road beds and craft projects. Recognizing that without planted shells, South Carolina would soon have no oysters, the Department of Natural Resources started its own oyster seed planting program in the 1980s. To address a chronic shortage of shells, DNR initiated a recycling program in 2000. Since then 192,618 bushels of shell have been intercepted and recycled, and 408,898 bushels have been planted on shellfish grounds. (Some of the shell comes from sources other than the recycling program.) As recycling awareness grows, DNR has been able to reduce its dependence on out-of-state vendors and long-range transport. Recycling now provides more than half of the planting needs. The Oyster Shell Recycling and Planting Program has set up 27 oyster shell recycling drop-offs in coastal counties, and DNR picks up shells from caterers on a regular basis.

by the S.C. Department of Commerce. Company founder Don Burnette Sr. saw a growing problem in used oil filters and developed a crusher that ex-

they are designed to spring back, mattresses are particularly greedy consumers of landfill space. Bogan opened Nine Lives Mattress Recycling in Pampli-

tracts the oil and creates a briquette. Steel companies then

co in 2006 and recycled more than 126 tons of mattresses

extract the metal from the briquette, most of which finds

and box springs in the first year. He calculates that to date,

its way to a new life in rebar, according to Don Burnette Jr.,

his company has saved 50,000 cubic yards of landfill space.

who helps run the company his father started. On another front, previous hotel and furniture store

That first year’s haul of mattresses produced 33 tons of metal, and many tons of recyclable wood, cotton and foam,

experience gave Ralph Bogan insight into the difficulties

reducing the original 126 tons of landfill waste to 21 tons,

associated with disposing of used mattresses. Because

according to Bogan.

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

OYSTER SHELL RECYLING By the numbers

192,618

Number of bushels of oyster shells reclaimed

QUALITY

and recycled in S.C. since 2000

408,898

Number of bushels of oyster shells planted

RELIABILITY PERFORMANCE

on S.C. shellfish grounds since 2000

Number of oyster recycling drop-off points in S.C. coastal counties

Number of state and public shellfish grounds where recreational harvesting is allowed

SERVICE

Quality, Reliability, Performance, & Service have been the tenets of Wellman Plastics Recycling (WPR) throughout its 40-Year history and this dedication has allowed the company to grow into one of North America’s leading compounders and suppliers of engineering and thermoplastic resins.

Wellman Engineering Resins offers a diverse selection of Nylon, Polyester and Polypropylene resin products built to fit any material need. Wellman Plastics Recycling, via its EcoLon® Product Line, is the only Resin Compounder on the market to offer a 100% Post-Consumer Recycled product. Not tied to the fluctuating price of oil, yet still meeting all of your nylon product specifications, EcoLon has quickly found a niche in the thermoplastic marketplace as the perfect raw material solution for the customer who desires to make a product that is: • Cost-effective • High quality • Eco-friendly Learn more about all of our innovative product lines at www.wellmaner.com

Your media source for statewide business news.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

The desire to keep waste out of landfills drives a lot of companies and has led to an industry of people motivated to help the rest of us live more waste free. Companies like WasteZero in Murrells Inlet partner with municipalities across the country to create savings and sometimes produce revenue by reducing waste. WasteZero provides waste reduction programs that increase recycling. Programs include customized plastic trash bags that allow users to created a color-coded system of recycling.

For information about advertising in SCBIZ, call Steve Fields at 843.849.3110. www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Resources

RECYCLING MARKET DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL Members appointed by the governor represent various interests in South Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recycling business. Paper Industry Representative Ronnie Grant, RMDAC Chair Sonoco Recycling Email: ronnie.grant@sonoco.com

Glass Industry Representative Kira Roff Fisher Recycling â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Grand Strand Email: kira@fisherrecycling.com

SC Department of Commerce Representative Wes Westbrooks BMW Email: wes.westbrooks@bmwmc.com

Municipalities Representative Ed Marr, RMDAC Vice-Chair Greater Greenville Sanitation Commission Email: emarr@ggsc.gov

Solid Waste Industry Representative Norman Chandler Republic, Inc. Email: nchandler@republicservices.com

Petroleum Industry Representative Eddie Hook Safety-Kleen Corporation Email: eddie.hook@safety-kleen.com

Plastics Industry Representative Phil Ammons Plastics Provider, Inc. Email: philammons2@yahoo.com

Tire Industry Representative Dan Chuy Michelin North America, Inc. Email: dan.chuy@us.michelin.com

Higher Education Research Representative Donna London Clemson University Jim Self Center on the Future Email: dlondon@strom.clemson.edu

Aluminum Industry Representative Larry McCaskill Alcoa Mt. Holly Email: larry.mccaskill@alcoa.com

County Government Representative Vic Carpenter Kershaw County Email: vic.carpenter@kershaw.sc.gov

Recycling Industry Representative Glenn Odom Wellman Plastics Recycling Email: glenn.odom@wellmanplastics.com

General Public Representative Kristen Brown MY ECO Email: kristen@thewastesolution.com

Board of Directors Tina Green Huskey, Chair Recycling and Waste Specialist for Mumford Industries Ronnie Grant, First Vice-Chair Senior Account Representative for Sonoco Elizabeth Garrison, Second Vice-Chair President of Ever-Green Recycling Kristen Brown, Treasurer President of MyEco

Nancy Ogburn, Secretary President of Tomato Palms, LLC Steve Zagorski Vice President of US Fibers Donna London Jim Self Center on the Future Gerry Fishbeck Vice President of United Resource Recovery Corporation

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Parris Hicks Marketing and Advertising Manager for Leigh Fibers George Fletcher, RecyclonomicsSC Executive Director Former Executive Director of New Carolina

smart Resources

Other resources Asphalt Rubber Technology Service

www.ces.clemson.edu/arts Habitat for Humanity ReStores

S.C. Recycling Council Members

www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx Keep America Beautiful

www.kab.org

ACI Plastics Adams Scrap Recycling, LLC Alcoa Alfa Enterprises USA Inc. Carolina Interior Demolition Specialties Inc. Carolina Waste Solutions Inc. Cedar Green and Associates Ceres-SC, LLC Davco Steel Inc. Ever-Green Recycling Greater Greenville Sanitation Commission Horry County Solid Waste Authority Clemson University – Jim Self Center on the Future Johnson’s Garbage Service Inc. Mumford Industries Inc. Plastics Provider Inc. Recover Inc. Republic Services

Palmetto Pride

www.palmettopride.org S.C. Business Network

http://sccommerce.com/sc-business-network S.C. Department of Commerce

www.sccommerce.com S.C. Department of Commerce Recycling Market Development Program

www.recyclinginsc.com S.C. Department of Commerce Recycling Directory

www.recyclinginsc.com/directory S.C. Department of Health and Environmental ControlOffice of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling

www.scdhec.gov/recycle S.C. Materials Exchange

www.scdhec.gov/scme S.C. Recycling Market Development Advisory Council

www.recyclinginsc.com/rmdac

Resource Recycling Systems S.C.’s Council on Competitiveness S.C. Department of Commerce Southeastern Plastics Recovery Inc. Southpaw Marketing Group Tomato Palms, LLC Total Product Destruction United Resource Recovery Corporation

S.C. Smart Business Recycling Program

www.scdhec.gov/environment/lwm/recycle/smart_business/index.htm Sustainability Index

www.scdhec.gov/environment/admin/CES/cesindex.htm Solid Waste Association of North America – SC Chapter

http://scswana.org S.C. Energy Office

U.S. Fibers

www.energy.sc.gov

Viva Recycling of South Carolina, LLC

S.C. Biomass Council

WasteZero

www.scbiomass.org S.C. Green Building Directory

www.scgreenbuildingdirectory.org

Recycling Businesses in S.C. For a list of businesses involved in the state’s recycling efforts, go to www.recyclinginsc.com/directory and follow directions there.

S.C. Sustainability Institute

www.sustainabilityinstitutesc.org U.S. Green Building Council – SC Chapter

www.usgbcsc.org U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

www.epa.gov www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

smart Product What happens to all those plastic bottles South Carolinians recycle? At least some of them are turned into REPREVE, a fiber made from recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic bottles. The fiber is then used to make high quality fabrics and other products. Here are some of the cool products made with REPREVE. (Photos/REPREVE)

By using REPREVE, Ford saved over 2 million bottles from the landfill. REPREVE was chosen for the 2012 and 2013 Ford Focus Electric and a number of the 2013 Fusion models.

A fleece jacket from the durable, soft PolartecÂŽ 300 series is made with more than 70% REPREVE content and uses 40 bottles in each garment.

This year, more than 760,000 grads from nearly 500 schools turned the tassel in green gowns made with REPREVE.

Lauren Conradâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s XO(eco) line by Blue Avocado marks the first celebrity portfolio designed with REPREVE and includes nearly 20 food-on-thego, travel and cosmetic storage accessories.

www.RecyclonomicsSC.com

Excellence through innovation

US Fibers

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S Fibers diverts everyday waste like water

fiber, so companies are interested in purchasing a

bottles into fiber that can be used for filtra-

recycled product, he said.

tion, home furnishings and the automotive

For example, US Fibers recycles off-color materi-

industry. The company purchases waste, scrap and

als, creating both light and dark fibers. So customers

off-grade materials and then recycles those into us-

in the automotive industry will take the black fiber,

able fiber.

blend it with white and make a felt material to line

The company started as a broker for compos-

trunks, Zagorski explained. That product – which

ite materials, expanded into recycling and now is

started out as a water bottle – is a less expensive op-

growing into a fiber manufacturer. “Our company is

tion for auto makers.

evolving,” said Steve Zagorski, vice president of new business development.

Recycled fiber is also used for landscaping fabric, as mattress and furniture stuffing, and turned into air

Since President Edward Oh founded the busi-

filters.

ness in 1994, it has grown significantly and this year

What would help companies like US Fibers grow

announced plans to expand its polyester recycling

even more is a higher rate of recycling among the

operation in Trenton, South Carolina, creating almost

general public. “There’s a lot of competiveness in

50 new jobs.

buying materials,” Zagorski said. “If we can get the re-

The company doubled its capacity in 2010 both in terms of employees and a facility expansion and is doubling again in 2012, Zagorski said.

it helps everybody.” He pointed out that 75% of water bottles end up in

Much of the growth can be attributed to the fact recycled fiber is simply less expensive than virgin

cycling rates up and more materials for the industry,

landfills, but those make a “wonderful raw material for us. They have excellent properties for turning into fiber.”

30 Pine House Rd Trenton. SC 29847 803-275-5023 www.usfibers.com

速

1 Roaring twenties Winners: small Companies

Marabu North America, LP Winner: Small Companies

2460-A Remount Road • North Charleston, SC 29406 www.marabu-northamerica.com Total number of local employees: 26 Top local executive: Bob Keller, General Manager Product or service: Specialty inks (screen print, pad print and digital) and liquid coatings Year founded locally: 2007

How has your personal approach to leadership changed as your company has grown? We have found ourselves more reliant upon our very capable staff as our daily activities and challenges increase. What changes do you see ahead in your industry and how are you reacting to them? There is a slow and steady shift from analog decorating technologies to digital. Marabu GmbH has invested heavily in digital development and manufacturing to get ahead of this trend. We will leverage our relationships with current analog customers to introduce our new digital technologies. What sets your company apart from the competition? We have the highest quality, which we couple with the best customer support in the industry. If you were giving advice to business owners or managers, what would be the three most important tips you would include? 1. Go to great lengths to hire the right people. 2. Refuse to accept mediocrity. 3. Hold yourself and your team accountable for results.

www.scbizmag.com

Company bio: Marabu is a leading global manufacturer of screen, digital, and pad printing inks. The company is headquartered near Stuttgart, southern Germany – a region renowned for its pioneering technology and engineering prowess. Marabu’s track record of innovation stretches back more than 60 years, featuring many industry-first solutions for both industrial applications and graphic design. Marabu North America became the U.S. subsidiary following a merger with Clearstar Coatings, LP and Autoroll Print Technologies. With over 26,000 square feet of warehousing, manufacturing and lab space in North Charleston, Marabu North America is rapidly expanding sales and support throughout the U.S., Canada and Central America. Marabu’s operations include a sales office near Boston and regional sales representatives in Chicago and Los Angeles. Sustainable business practices are key to Marabu’s vision – and have been implemented through a number of initiatives with concrete results – and the company is committed to maintaining this course of action in future.

What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Consolidation of operations in the North Charleston location, improving inventory levels, product availability and service.

Roaring twenties Winners: Small Companies

Structures Building Co.

Dunhill Staffing Systems

P.O. Box 2267 • Mount Pleasant, SC 29465 • Structures.net Total number of local employees: 12 Top local executive: Steven Kendrick, owner Product or service: Custom home building and renovations Year founded locally: 1999 Company bio: Steven Kendrick founded Structures Building Co. in 1999, going solo with his love for fine architecture and building. The company was one of Charleston’s first purveyors of the green building movement. Adopting the LEED certification standard provides economic, environmental, and health benefits of sustainable homes. They build to the highest standard in the industry to ensure the best construction quality. What is behind this year’s revenue growth? In addition to building in some of Charleston’s finest communities, at the core of our business is taking great care of our clients, architects and agents.

1459 Stuart Engals Blvd., Ste. 300 • Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.dunhillstaff.com Total number of local employees: 60+ Top local executive: Neil G. Whitman, CPC Product or service: Contingency recruiting for technical, admin, finance and sales professionals. Temp and temp-to-hire staffing for aircraft, admin, finance and engineering positions. Year founded locally: 2001 Company bio: The company started in 2001 as a franchisee of Dunhill Staffing Systems, a nationally recognized staffing services provider. Its initial service offering was contingency recruiting for sales, engineering, finance and administrative professionals. In 2005, the company added temp and temp-to-hire staffing, and in 2010, purchased the Dunhill trade name. If you were giving advice to business leaders, what would be the three most important tips? Become prayerful, watch your pennies, be involved.

Ameris Bank

&RQJUDWXODWHV Energy One

for being selected as one of the

“Roaring 20’s” companies for 2012.

www.scbizmag.com

Ameris Bank is focused on creating a distinctly different way of helping customers manage and make the most of their money. We offer all the convenience and expertise of a large bank, with the personal attention that can only be found at a community bank.

amerisbank.com Treasury Services | Business Lending | Wide Range of Checking Options Investment Solutions | Employee Benefits Ameris Bank has locations throughout South Carolina. For a complete list of locations visit us online at amerisbank.com.

Energy One America 454 Jessen Lane • Charleston, SC 29492 www.EnergyOneAmerica.com Total number of local employees: 30 Top local executive: Clint Allen, president and CEO; John Guffey, owner Product or service: Spray foam insulation, conditioned crawl spaces and mold prevention. Markets include both new construction and existing homes or structures. Year founded locally: 2008 Company bio: Founded in 2005 in Claxton, Ga. Purchased by John and Monique Guffey in 2008 and moved to Bluffton. Expanded in 2009 with purchase of U.S. Home Protect in Charleston. What do you think sets your company apart from the competition? We are well capitalized and have the largest fleet of equipment on the East Coast. We also have a highly trained workforce in all positions.

49 Immigration St., Ste. 201 • Charleston, SC 29403 www.berenyi.com Total number of local employees: 13 Top local executive: Tony A. Berenyi Product or service: Architecture, engineering and construction Year founded locally: 1989 Company bio: Berenyi Inc. is a veteran-owned company. Tony Berenyi, president and lead structural engineer, opened the office in 1989 as a structural engineering design firm. The company has expanded as a construction management firm and as a general contractor with an unlimited license. By combining strengths and experience as both a design and construction firm, Berenyi has the unique ability to manage large construction. What are your personal leadership values? We have a repeating simple thought: “Treat our clients like we would treat our best friend if we were doing business with them.”

At Wells Fargo, we take time to get to know Low Country businesses wellsfargo.com

Roaring twenties Winners: small Companies

Berenyi Inc.

Growing your business is easier when you have a dedicated team

Alliance Consulting Engineers Inc.

EDTS, LLC

P.O. Box 8147 • Columbia, SC 29202-8147 • www.allianceCE.com Total number of local employees: 50 Top local executive: Deepal Eliatamby, PE, president Product or service: Civil and environmental engineering services Year founded locally: 2004 Company bio: Alliance Consulting Engineers Inc. was founded on the concept that its clients want in-depth personal involvement for today’s complex projects. The company’s hands-on approach guides the client from conceptual planning through final design, permitting, and construction. Alliance Consulting Engineers provides construction services, grants assistance, industrial, land planning and site design, solid waste management, stormwater management and water and wastewater services. The company is headquartered in Columbia and has locations in Bluffton, Greenville and Charlotte. The Greenville office is newly opened in spring 2012.

11 University Ridge, Suite 205, Greenville, SC 29601 www.EDTSolutions.com Total number of local employees: 47 Top local executive: Charles Johnson, CEO Product or service: A full-service technology consulting firm, EDTS specializes in networking, security and managed services support solutions for businesses. Year founded locally: 1999 Company bio: Founded in 1999, EDTS was recently named to the 2012 Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America for the third consecutive year, and has grown to a staff of nearly 50 professionals serving clients 24/7/365 across the Southeast from offices in Augusta, Ga., and Greenville. What are your personal leadership values? Integrity, commitment, consistency, quality.

www.scbizmag.com

Roaring twenties Winners: Small Companies www.scbizmag.com

Ross Printing

The Indigo Road Restaurant Group

2139 N. Boland Circle • North Charleston, SC 29406 www.rsaprinting.com Total number of local employees: 25 Top local executive: Jeremy Ross Product or service: Printing and direct mail services Year founded locally: 1989 Company bio: Ross Printing is a third-generation veteran-owned small business, with over 225 years of experience among 12 employees. Starting from a simple stationery shop in New York City in 1946, the company has changed and grown tremendously with the advent of new technologies and printing methods. What changes do you see ahead in your industry and how are you reacting? The industry changes technologically, but the product and service remain much unchanged. We have to be the best at what we do and look for the products and services that our customers want.

17 Broad St. • Charleston, SC 29401 • www.theindigoroad.com Total number of local employees: 130 Top local executive: Steve Palmer, managing partner Product or service: Restaurants and hospitality consulting and ownership Year founded locally: 2009 Company bio: The Indigo Road specializes in restaurant and hotel consulting services providing customized solutions. The company has a proven track record for creating above industry standard profitability. With a highly integrated approach and hands-on involvement, Indigo Road delivers exciting and functional products for each project. The company specializes in turn-key restaurant and hotel food and beverage solutions. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Growth was driven by the expansion of our restaurants and our practice of promoting from within for loyal team members.

360clean

SANDLAPPER Securities, LLC

3255 Landmark Drive, Suite 103 • Charleston, SC 29418 www.360clean.com Total number of local employees: 4 in corporate office; 80 including employees of franchisees Top local executive: Barry Bodiford Product or service: Janitorial services and 360clean franchise opportunity Year founded locally: 2005 Company bio: 360clean, a privately held company, is the innovative leader of the commercial cleaning industry. 360clean specializes in providing hygienic janitorial service to medical offices. Through a network of owner-operators, 360clean delivers quality service to office, building and property managers. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? The JaniMed cleaning system and our national expansion. Our goal is provide a clean, yet germ and infectious free environment. This provides for the safety of our clients, their customers and employees.

101 N. Main St., Suite 207 • Greenville, SC 29601 www.sandlappersecurities.com Total number of local employees: 10 Top local executive: Trevor L. Gordon, founder and CEO Product or service: Securities investment firm Year founded locally: 2005 Company bio: SANDLAPPER Securities, LLC, is a full service independent broker dealer and dealer manager of investment products. The firm’s representatives tailor strategies, make recommendations and construct portfolios to meet the needs of individual investing clients. Established to serve as the “managing broker dealer” or “dealer manager” for Greenvillebased real estate investment firm TIC Properties’ tenant-in-common syndicated programs, SANDLAPPER was the compliance and distribution engine for assets acquired nearing a billion dollars in value nationwide. Today, SANDLAPPER also aligns with independent broker dealer community representatives, giving them access to products, services and support.

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Roaring twenties Winners: Small Companies

IKON Financial Group

Immedion

1022 Carolina Blvd. • Isle of Palms, SC 29451 • www.ikonfg.com Total number of local employees: 53 Top local executive: Jason Myers and Chris Young, co-founders and principals Product or service: residential and commercial mortgage products and services Year founded locally: 2008 Company bio: IKON Financial Group is a full-service financial services firm with offices throughout the Southeast and expanding nationally. IKON specializes in residential lending and consumer protection products and services. With a dedicated staff of loan officers, production assistants, loan processors, and compliance specialists, IKON serves a diverse customer base. IKON has secured a wide network of lenders that provide priority service, which enables the firm to meet client needs more efficiently.

78 Global Drive • Greenville, S.C. 29607 • www.immedion.com Total number of local employees: 45 Top local executive: Frank Mobley, CEO Product or service: Data center, cloud and hosting services Year founded locally: 2006 Company bio: Founded in November 2006, Immedion LLC is South Carolina’s first enterprise-class dedicated data center services provider. Immedion’s objective is to keep customer business-critical data and applications available 100% of the time 24x7x365. The company accomplishes this by coupling four world-class data center facilities and a strategic array of managed services developed to deliver the highest degree of reliability at a very competitive price. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Immedion’s growth in South Carolina has mainly been organic and attributable to Immedion’s outstanding team and focus on customer service.

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Advantage Media Group

65 Gadsden St. • Charleston, SC 29401 advantagefamily.com Total number of local employees: 16 Top local executive: Adam Witty, founder and CEO Product or service: Publishing, online learning, marketing Year founded locally: 2005 Company bio: Advantage Media Group is an international publisher dedicated to entrepreneurs, business leaders and professional speakers. The company helps clients write, publish, monetize and market their books and content to grow their businesses. How has your personal approach to leadership changed as your company has grown? I’ve learned to be a better delegator. I’ve also learned, with more people, leadership is as much about the “tone” you set and the “example you lead” as it is about the actual amount of work you do.

Roaring twenties Winners: Small Companies

Modus21, LLC

Pain Specialists of Charleston, P.A.

503 Wando Park Blvd., Suite 100 • Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.modus21.com Total number of local employees: 46 Top local executive: Peter Woodhull Product or service: Business and technology consulting Year founded locally: 2004 Company bio: Modus21 founders Dan Neason and Peter Woodhull began working together in early 2001 on joint defense projects focused on Semantic Technology and semantic mediation. They developed an approach that coupled semantic technologies with integration, service orientation, security, process and business intelligence. In 2004, they formed their own professional services group, Modus21, using a process-centric approach to IT and Service Oriented Architecture. How do you build your team? We hire the best people we can find and then we invest heavily in making them better.

2791 Tricom St. • Charleston, SC 29406 www.PainChas.com Total number of local employees: 32 Top local executive: Edward M. Tavel Jr., MD, founder, medical director and CEO Product or service: Healthcare – interventional pain management Year founded locally: 2009 Company bio: Pain Specialists of Charleston, P.A., treats approximately 20,000 patients annually. Lowcountry patients are offered comprehensive, non-surgical pain solutions including spinal injections, Neurostimulation, Rhizotomy, medical management, medical massage therapy and access to the latest medical advances through clinical trials . What sets your company apart from the competition? Our commitment to quality is what sets us apart. We are a private, physicianowned practice and quality is personal.

Congratulations to the Modus21 team for our third straight award

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TWENTIES 843.958.8900 Modus21.com info@modus21.com

Ishpi Information Technologies Inc.

Rhythmlink International

496 Bramson Court, Suite 160 • Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.ishpi.net Total number of local employees: 120 Top local executive: Noah T. Leask, chairman, CEO and president Product or service: ISHPI provides services specializing in Information and Cyber Dominance and C5ISR Engineering and Technical Services. ISHPI has core ID capabilities in Information Operations, Information Warfare, Information Assurance, Electronic Warfare, Cybersecurity, and Cyberwarfare with C5ISR E&TS core capabilities in System Engineering and Integration, Intelligence Support Services, Enterprise Architecture, Acquisition Management, Logistics Support Services, Training Services, and Information Technology Services. Year founded locally: 2006 About the company: ISHPI has operations in Charleston; San Antonio, Texas; Tidewater, Va., and the national capital region.

1140 First Street South • Columbia, SC 29209 Rhythmlink.com Total number of local employees: 28 Top local executive: Shawn Regan, CEO, CNIM Product or service: Medical device manufacturer Year founded locally: 2002 Company bio: Rhythmlink International is a medical device company which manufactures and distributes neurodiagnostic and polysomnography devices. Rhythmlink also provides custom packaging, private labeling, custom products and contract manufacturing solutions. Based in Columbia, Rhythmlink is owned and operated by Shawn Regan, CEO, and Michael O’Leary, COO. If you were giving advice to business owners or managers, what would be the three most important tips you would include? Move quickly and aggressively. Work hard and demonstrate persistence. Set high standards and hold others accountable to those standards.

Roaring twenties Winners: small Companies

www.scbizmag.com

Roaring twenties Winners: Small Companies www.scbizmag.com

JMC Charleston

Charleston Imaging Products, Inc.

2220-B Old School Drive • North Charleston, SC 29405 www.jmccharleston.com Total number of local employees: 5 Top local executive: Mitchell Crosby Product or service: Event production and design; destination management services Year founded locally: 2004 Company bio: JMC Charleston is a full service event production and design company offering destination management services, located in Charleston. Founded in 2004 by Mitchell Crosby, JMC in its first year produced the 1,000-person gala dinner for the Patriots Point Foundation atop the flight deck of the USS Yorktown during the Ravenel Bridge Fireworks celebration and the opening of the Lacoste Charleston store. JMC Charleston has designed events for national corporations such as IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Amica Insurance.

1315 Ashley River Road • Charleston, SC 29407 www.charlestonimaging.com Total number of local employees: 28 Top local executive: Sean P. Mummert Product or service: Digital signage, MFPs, print management, network integration, data management, office furniture and service engineers Year founded locally: 2004 Company bio: Charleston Imaging Products has locations in Charleston and Orangeburg. The company has made three acquisitions over the last 10 years beginning with Advanced Cartridge Technology. Next was JBN office equipment in 2008, for copier repair and other office equipment service. The most recent in 2012 was Automated Business Systems Inc., with concentration in office furniture and equipment. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Innovation with digital signage solutions and networking multiple devices to work together.

Welcome

Best Places to work

BEST PLACES TO WORK

2012

est Places to Work in South Carolina is a multiyear initiative to encourage the state’s companies to focus,new measure andBest moveCompanies their workplaces toward excellence Group, assisted by ModernThink LLC, a Best Places to Work in South Carolina is an exciting in the hope that they will attract and keep talented employees. workplace excellence consulting firm, conducts a simple yet initiative between Setcom Media Inc., publisher of SCBIZTM Recognizing the Best Best Places to Work in South Carolina is anof initiative between thorough assessment participating companies. and the Charleston Regional Business Journal, and SC Biz News – publisher of the Charleston Regional Business Journal, the Columbia Regional Companies Group dedicated to finding and recognizing South The assessment is a two-part process designed to gather Business Report, GSA Business and SCBIZ magazine detailed – and the data Southabout Carolina Chamber of each participating company. In part one, Carolina’s best employers. In addition to the positive effect Commerce. the employer completes a questionnaire and in part two, the award has on employee relations and recruitment, the The companies participating are surveyed by Best Companies Group, an independent employees of the company complete an employee survey. driving force for companies to join in the program is the research company. The research is a two-part process. In part one, the employer completes remarkable impact that workplace improvements can have on a questionnaire about employee policies and procedures, among other information. part assessments will be The collected information fromInboth xciting newtheir bottom Best Companies Group, assisted by ModernThink LLC, a line. two, employees answer a 65-question employee survey. combined to produce a detailed set of data enabling the workplace excellence consulting firm, conducts a simple yet er of SCBIZTM expertsisatused ModernThink Theofcollected information from both sets of questions to determineto thedetermine strengths the strengths and thorough assessment participating companies. nd Best The program is open to all South Carolina organizations participating ModernThink is aopportunities two-part process designed to gather of each participating company.opportunities The workplacesofarethe then ranked basedcompanies. on ecognizing South The assessmentand that meet the eligibility requirements. To be eligibleInfor detailed data about each participating company. part one, ranks the workplaces based on this data and then creates this data. positive effect consideration, companies musta meet the following criteria: the employer completes questionnaire and inreceive part two, theAssessment Assessment Findings Reports that are returned to each ruitment, the All participating companies an individual Findings Report that not employees of the company complete an employee survey. • Be a for-profi t, not-for-profi t business, or government entity gram is the participating company. only summarizes and sorts employee feedback, but includes South Carolina benchmarking • Beona publicly or privately business ents can have data forheld comparison. collected information from both assessments will be • Have aThe facility in the state of South Carolina Thethe goal ofofthe Best Places to Work Eacha participating company pays athe fee that covers cost research, the survey and in South Carolina combined to produce detailed set of data enabling • Have aexperts minimum of report. 25 employees in state of South campaign toanalysis raise the bar forindeour state’s employers and at ModernThink determine the strengths andwould have Thetocost an the individual company to pay ifisthe were done ganizations Carolina create the kind of excellence and employee satisfaction in the opportunities of the participating companies. ModernThink pendently would be considerably more. Economies of scale apply when Best Places Group ligible for ranks the workplaces based on this data and then creates • Must be in business a minimum of 1 year workplace that will attract talented people for years to come. conducts a survey with a large number of companies from the same state. owing criteria: the Assessment Findings Reports that are returned to each We are convinced that the real value of participating in the program is not whether a vernment entity participating company. company wins an award but in the employee survey feedback. The report will enable a coma develop and implement the strategic steps necessary to create a great workplace and The goal of thepany Bestto Places to Work in South Carolina te of South campaign is to continue raise the bar for our state’s employers of and to improve the performance their business. create the kind of On excellence and employee satisfaction in Best the Places to Work in South Carolina for 2012. the following pages, we present the workplace that will attract talented people for years to come.

Deadline is May 11, 2007!

or Best Places to WorkSPONSORED 2007! BY:

ne is May 11, 2007! SPONSORED BY:

Visit our website www.bestplacestoworksc.com for more information.

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Sponsored by

Best Places to work

Large companies winner: Life Cycle Engineering

Family-friendly focus helps work-life balance at Life Cycle Engineering By Holly Fisher

aking care of employees at Life Cycle Engineering also means taking care of their families and ensuring employees are able to tend to their responsibilities outside the office. The company offers a flexible work schedule, and employees can start their work day at a time that’s convenient for them as long as they put in their eight hours. Employees also can opt to work nine-hour days and then take every other Friday or Monday off, said Marie Shomo, marketing coordinator. “Everybody has families and we want to make sure they are working hard and getting things done. If they don’t have that work-life balance, employees won’t be happy and as engaged,” Shomo said. “Those values trickle down from the top. We care about our employees as people and we care about their life outside of work because that

comes first.” Life Cycle Engineering – which has appeared several times on South Carolina’s Best Places to Work list – also hosts family friendly events such as a Lowcountry boil, Christmas party and a holiday art contest for employees’ children. The 175 employees at the Charleston

headquarters enjoy food trucks for lunch once a month during a company meeting. They even set up the corn hole boards for lunchtime entertainment. The consulting, engineering and technology firm continues to grow and hire, See LIFE CYCLE, Page 46

Small/medium companies winner: Geocent LLC

Geocent finds best people, sets them up for success By Holly Fisher

www.scbizmag.com

A 44

t software development companies, amenities like free snacks, an open floor plan and a ping pong table have become the standard. So Geocent LLC, which does software development and engineering for the government and commercial clients, is going beyond ping pong and M&Ms, said Ryan Lemire, who leads the company’s North Charleston office. “One of the things we focus on having is the best people and the best teams,” he said. To encourage referrals, employees are rewarded with a cruise or $1,000 should their referral be hired on at Geocent. They also get a $25 gift card for a referral who applies and $100 gift card if the person makes it to the interview process. Geocent has 200 employees in four states, with its headquarters in Louisiana.

Ryan Lemire

The North Charleston office opened in October 2011 and has 15 employees. Lemire has been impressed with the company’s commitment to R&D and the opportunity

employees have to innovate and work on new projects. Susan Seip, the human resources manager at the home office near New Orleans, said the company is keenly focused on employee development. While employees are expected to give 150%, they are given the tools and skills to do just that. Geocent creates processes that help employees advance, rather than giving them reviews that simply state if they are doing a good or bad job, Seip explained. Plus, they help employees move up within the company structure and groom them for advancement. “We make sure they understand where they are in our organizational chart and what would be required for them to move up or cross over to another leg in our chart,” Seip said. “Where are we going with you? See GEOCENT, Page 47

Our win is our customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; benefit. Colonial Life is proud to be named one of the best places to work in South Carolina. Again.

We work hard to create a great working environment with the right combination of people and policies. When employees enjoy where they work, customers reap the benefits time and time again. At Colonial Life, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re market leaders in providing voluntary benefits for employees and their families through the workplace with exceptional personal service. To learn more visit www.ColonialLife.com.

Best Places to work

Here are some of the ways these companies have earned their way onto the Best Places to Work list

Coffee bistro and terrace

Offshore fishing excursions

Halloween costume contest

EDENS

C.F. Evans

Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union

is hired, the employee is given $2,000 and, even if the person is not hired, the employee is entered into a drawing for $500. “We love our employees here and want to hire more people like the ones we have here,” Shomo said. “A good number of our employees come from referrals.” While Life Cycle Engineering focuses on creating a great place to work for its employees, the company also recognizes the importance of community involvement. It works with Trident United Way and the Red Cross and employees participate in fundraisers like the Lowcountry Race for the Cure, Shomo said. Employees also can take advantage of the Life Cycle Institute, a training component for clients. Employees can benefit from that

expertise, taking such courses as change management. Keeping workers happy in the consulting and government contracting world is key. It’s easy for employees to migrate from firm to firm. Within the overall consulting industry, Shomo said there’s a 25.9% turnover rate. Last year, Life Cycle Engineering reported 11% turnover – significantly less than the average in their business, she said. “As our talented family continues to grow, we take great care to evaluate employee needs and introduce benefits and programs that provide individuals with rewarding opportunities, work/life balance and long-term career fulfillment while creating exceptional value for our clients,” said President Bob Fei.

LIFE CYCLE, from Page 46 especially in the area of its applied technology group that works at SPAWAR. To accommodate that growth, the company has renovated its office building, adding more space and creating an open work layout to foster collaboration. There’s also a gym where employees can work out before or after work or at lunchtime. In keeping with the family theme, the company has siblings and couples who work for the business. Shomo’s husband works in the human resources department. “We encourage people to have their family and friends join our team,” she said. Life Cycle Engineering offers a referral program for existing employees. If a referral

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Disney trip for top customer service providers

Paid entry fees for runners in local races

SPARC

Colonial Life

McAngus Goudelock & Courie

GEOCENT, from Page 47 What do you want? What are your aspirations? How can we help you work to get there?” In keeping with its focus on relationships, Geocent recently started a “stay interview,” an annual one-on-one conversation with employees to discuss what they like and don’t like about working at the company as well as what they like or don’t like about their team members, managers and clients. In the first year of the program, Seip said they found the majority of employees are happy with their jobs. But a few problems came to the surface, giving the company an opportunity to work with employees and

deal with those issues. “You learn so much about people through this process,” Seip said. “It’s conversational and not a review. It’s not shared with everyone. It’s for the manager and employee to work through.” And the issue may be something like frustration with a commute that results in the employee being able to work at home one day a week, she noted. These programs serve as retention tools in an industry where employees will easily leave for another company that offers other opportunities, Seip said. “Turnover in technology is always high and we need to think outside the box,” she added.

Best Places to work

Bring your dog to work Fridays

$1,000 annual vacation allowance Human Technologies

We work for you.

bankNBSC.com | 800-708-5687 NBSC is a division of Synovus Bank. Synovus Bank, Member FDIC, is chartered in the state of Georgia and operates under multiple trade names across the Southeast. Divisions of Synovus Bank are not separately FDIC-insured banks. The FDIC coverage extended to deposit customers is that of one insured bank.

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Our customers’ financial success is a top priority. And making you happy makes us happy. Which is why we were recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in SC.

Best Places to work

2012

LARGE COMPANIES 1. Life Cycle Engineering

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 176 Industry: Engineering Services/Consulting www.LCE.com LCE provides consulting, engineering, applied technology and education solutions to private industry, government and the military.

2. Edward Jones

City: Louisville Employees in S.C.: 484 Industry: Financial Services www.edwardjones.com Edward Jones works with clients to understand personal goals -- from college savings to retirement -- and create long-term investment solutions.

3. Elliott Davis, LLC

City: Charlotte Employees in S.C.: 263 Industry: Accounting www.elliottdavis.com Elliott Davis is one of the largest accounting, tax and consulting services firms in the Southeast.

4. Continental Tire the Americas

City: Fort Mill Employees in S.C.: 387 Industry: Manufacturing - Automotive www.continentaltire.com Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide, supplying tires, brake systems, electronics and systems for powertrains and chassis, as well as other parts.

5. McAngus Goudelock & Courie

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 207 Industry: Legal www.mgclaw.com MG&C has the experience and resources to provide clients with the best possible representation and to deliver smart, strategic, forward-thinking legal counsel in all areas of practice.

6. Safelite AutoGlass

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 114 Industry: Services safelite.com Safelite AutoGlassÂŽ has grown from a single store in Wichita, Kan., to a national auto glass provider, serving more than 4.4 million customers per year.

7. Total Quality Logistics

City: Cincinnati Employees in S.C.: 41 Industry: Transportation www.tql.com Total Quality Logistics is the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second largest freight brokerage firm, specializing in arranging the transportation of full truckload shipments for thousands of companies across the country.

8. SYNNEX Corporation

City: Greenville Employees in S.C.: 541 Industry: Distribution http://www.synnex.com/us.html SYNNEX Corp. is the third-largest distributor of computer and IT products in the world.

A Great Bank. A Great Place to Work. First Citizens is proud to have been named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina.

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Visit our website to learn about career opportunities at First Citizens.

MEMBER FDIC

FirstCitizensonline.com/careers

9. MARS Petcare

10. Colonial Life

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 807 Industry: Insurance (non-healthcare) coloniallife.com Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Co. is a market leader in providing benefits solutions in one neat package.

11. Palmetto Health

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 8,449 Industry: Healthcare - Provider www.palmettohealth.org Palmetto Health is the region’s largest, most comprehensive locally owned nonprofit health care resource.

12. Sage Automotive Interiors

City: Greenville Employees in S.C.: 845 Industry: Manufacturing www.sageautomotiveinteriors.com Sage Automotive Interiors develops and manufactures innovative automotive bodycloth and headliners preferred by automotive manufacturers around the world.

13. Blackbaud, Inc.

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 1,276 Industry: Technology www.blackbaud.com Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations.

15. Select Health of South Carolina

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 285 Industry: Healthcare - Insurance/ Services www.selecthealthofsc.com Select Health serves more than 230,000 members across South Carolina through its First Choice health plan, the state’s first and largest Medicaid health plan.

16. InterContinental Hotels Group

14. Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 79 Industry: Legal www.wcsr.com A full-service business law firm, Womble Carlyle serves a wide range of regional, national and international clients in many industries.

City: Salt Lake City Employees in S.C.: 529 Industry: Hotel Lodging www.ihg.com InterContinental Hotels Group offers more than 4,500 hotels in 100 countries worldwide.

17. NBSC, a division of Synovus Bank

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 465 Industry: Banking www.bankNBSC.com Although NBSC belongs to one of the strongest and most capable regional banking networks in the U.S., its associates consider themselves first and foremost members of their community.

18. First Citizens Bank

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 1,742 Industry: Banking www.firstcitizensonline.com First Citizens serves customers in South Carolina and Georgia through an extensive network of branches and ATMs.

19. Charleston Water System

Best Places to work

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 98 Industry: Manufacturing - Food www.mars.com Mars Petcare is one of the world’s leading pet care providers and employs more than 33,000 associates across 50 countries.

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 432 Industry: Water and Wastewater Utility www.charlestonwater.com Charleston Water System is a public water and wastewater utility serving the Greater Charleston community.

20. Benefitfocus

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 500 Industry: Technology www.benefitfocus.com Benefitfocus provides employers, members, insurance carriers and government entities cloud-based technology to shop, enroll, manage and exchange benefits information.

Since 1936, Palmetto Citizens has been providing a solid foundation for our members’ financial success. Combining personalized attention and a full range of services, we can help you or your small business reach your financial goals. As a not-for-profit credit union, we offer our members lower loan rates, higher savings rates and fewer fees. Contact us today and see why more people in the Midlands are choosing Palmetto Citizens for all their financial needs.

www.palmettocitizens.org

12 Midlands Locations & 35 ATMs

Palmetto Citizens is honored to have been selected as one of the 2012 Best Places to Work in South Carolina and voted Best Credit Union by readers of The State Newspaper.

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(803) 732-5000

This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. Subject to membership eligibility.

SMALL COMPANIES Best Places to work

1. Geocent LLC

City: North Charleston Employees in S.C.: 15 Industry: Information Technology and Consulting www.geocent.com Geocent is a technology company dedicated to finding the right solution.

2. SPARC LLC

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 153 Industry: Technology www.sparcedge.com SPARC specializes in enterprise software design and mobile application development.

3. VC3 Inc.

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 66 Industry: Technology www.VC3.com VC3 provices a full range of IT services to private and public sectors.

4. Clarke & Company Benefits/McLaughlin Smoak & Clarke Benefits

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City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 18 Industry: Healthcare - Insurance/ Services

clarkebenefits.com Clarke & Co. Benefits LLC currently provides benefits to over 250 corporate clients throughout the Southeast

5. Benefit Controls

City: Greenville Employees in S.C.: 16 Industry: Healthcare - Insurance/ Services www.benefitcontrols.com Benefit Controls helps design and manage employee benefits. Its mission is to develop a partnership with clients, to work together to conserve costs and enhance benefits while ensuring quality.

6. Human Technologies Inc.

City: Greenville Employees in S.C.: 97 Industry: Employment Agency www.htijobs.com Human Technologies is a human resource recruiting firm that provides professional recruiting, industrial staffing, human resource consulting and other services.

7. Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 233 Industry: Banking www.palmettocitizens.org

Palmetto Citizens is a not-for-profit institutition offering better loans and savings rates and fewer fees than profit-driven banks, with personalized service.

8. EDENS

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 132 Industry: Real Estate www.edens.com EDENS develops, owns and operates community-oriented shopping places in primary markets on the East Coast.

9. SCRA

City: North Charleston Employees in S.C.: 164 Industry: Services http://www.scra.org/ SCRA is an applied research company with over 28 years of experience growing S.C.’s Knowledge Economy.

10. O’Neal Inc.

City: Greenville Employees in S.C.: 151 Industry: Engineering www.onealinc.com For over 35 years, O’Neal has been successfully delivering capital projects, integrating overall project planning, design, and construction.

11. Rhythmlink International LLC City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 28 Manufacturing www.rhythmlink.com Rhythmlink is a medical device company which manufactures and distributes neurodiagnostic and polysomnography devices.

12. Comatrol

City: Easley Employees in S.C.: 209 Industry: Manufacturing www.Comatrol.com Comatrol, a member of the SauerDanfoss Group, is a leading source for cartridge valves and hydraulic integrated circuit (HIC) solution needs.

13. Environmental Express Inc.

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 48 Industry: Manufacturing www.environmentalexpress.com Environmental Express is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of environmental laboratory equipment and consumables for laboratories worldwide.

14. C. F. Evans & Company Inc.

15. Scott and Company LLC, Certified Public Accountants

City: Columbia Employees in S.C.: 18 Industry: Accounting www.scottandco.com Scott and Co., an accounting firm, offers a full complement of advisory, consulting and assurance services.

We can’t be the best… Without the best. Congratulations and thank you to everyone at Rhythmlink. Ranked #11 of Best Places to Work in SC.

Best Places to work

City: Orangeburg Employees in S.C.: 72 Industry: Construction www.cfevans.com C.F. Evans specializes in multi-unit residential construction and builds throughout the Southeast.

16. Rosenfeld Einstein

City: Greenville Employees in S.C.: 51 Industry: Insurance (non-healthcare) www.rosenfeldeinstein.com Rosenfeld Einstein, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC company, is dedicated to re-inventing and re-defining the world of insurance and financial planning.

17. First Reliance Bank

City: Florence Employees in S.C.: 114 Industry: Banking www.firstreliance.com First Reliance Bank is commited to making its customers’ lives better, as well as providing associates with an incredible work experience.

18. CMT Inc.

City: Greenville Employees in S.C.: 47 Industry: Industrial Supplies Distribution www.cmt-tools.com CMT Inc. offers premium cutting tools and abrasives from the best manufacturers and is dedicated to providing leading-edge services to help businesses run more efficiently and profitably.

PHONE 866.633.3754 [803.252.1222]

FIND US ONLINE AT Rhythmlink.com twitter.com/Rhythmlink facebook.com/Rhythmlink

Proud to be named one of the

Best Places to Work in SC

19. Barling Bay LLC

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 86 Industry: Technology www.barlingbay.com Barling Bay provides expertise in the areas of systems and software engineering, information assurance, research and development, and program management.

20. Levelwing

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LLC

www.scbizmag.com

City: Charleston Employees in S.C.: 60 Industry: Advertising/Public Relations/Marketing www.levelwing.com Levelwing creates business analytics + intelligence solutions, mining and analyzing data to help businesses market and operate with greater clarity and profitability.

Best Places to work

GROW HAPPY

Three S.C. companies win both awards for high growth and employee satisfaction

By Holly Fisher

Human Technologies Inc.

Levelwing

Recruiting and staffing company Human Technologies Inc. in Greenville has been experiencing major growth since 1999. Like many, it hit a small slowdown in 2009, but even that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dent steady growth. Human Technologiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; customers are scattered about the Southeast. Manufacturing and automotive customers are the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bread and butter, and before entering a new market, the company ensures itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good fit, said Nat Banks, director of sales. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We work with customers that are a good fit for us and treat our people the way we treat them,â&#x20AC;? Banks said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our president is very focused on corporate culture and really cares about the people in our group.â&#x20AC;? Human Technologies is primarily a recruiting firm focused on selecting and matching associates, but also provides project management services for its customers.

Steve Parker Jr., co-founder and managing partner at Levelwing, admits managing fast company growth while maintaining a positive corporate environment has been a struggle. Three years ago, Levelwingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture was not as good as it is today, he said. A business analytics and digital marketing firm, Levelwing opened its Charleston office five years ago. Since then, Parker has also had two children, built a house and grown his business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would never recommend that,â&#x20AC;? he said of so much change at once. But it has helped him learn to set priorities and shift his focus from 18-hour workdays. Now, he takes a more critical thinking approach to the company culture. Levelwingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employees work in an open, 2,000-square-foot facility that encourages communication and collaboration. Employees are given time off to volunteer.

ast growth or open communication? More clients or charitable causes? New hires or staff development? These ideas can often be at odds with each other in a company that is growing quickly. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not easy to meet the challenges that come with growth while maintaining a corporate culture that values its employees and the greater community around it. Yet for three South Carolina firms that choice isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t â&#x20AC;&#x153;either/orâ&#x20AC;? but rather â&#x20AC;&#x153;both/ and.â&#x20AC;? Three companies appeared on both the statewide Roaring Twenties list of fastgrowing firms and the list of Best Places to Work in South Carolina, demonstrating they have been able to keep their employees happy while hiring staff, adding clients and developing new products and services.

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Rhythmlink International LLC

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For Shawn Regan, CEO of Rhythmlink International LLC in Columbia, and his partner, COO Michael Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Leary, heading up their own business gives them the freedom to create the kind of company culture thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important to them. Rhythmlink manufactures, designs and distributes a variety of neurodiagnostic accessories for numerous applications, including operating rooms, rehabilitation and clinical settings. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founders have made a conscious effort to create a place where people enjoy coming to work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You hear it all the time that if your employees are happy they will be productive and they stay with you for a long time,â&#x20AC;? Regan said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone kind of knows that, but putting it into practice and doing that is the trick. I think we have done a good job of it.â&#x20AC;? Regan said the main role for him and his partner is to give their employees the tools, experience and resources they need to do their jobs while also taking seriously their ideas about the direction of the business.

Connect your business to our statewide audience. For information about statewide advertising, call Steve Fields at 843.849.3110.

S.C. DELIVERS

Ports, Logistics & Distribution

Michelle Rau of Anamar Environmental Consulting analyzes sediment pulled from the bottom of Charleston Harbor. The sediment sampling is one of several projects that starts the post-45 harbor deepening study. (Photo/Leslie Burden)

Ports authority faces great opportunity if challenges can be met, CEO says

www.scbizmag.com

By Matt Tomsic, Staff Writer

he S.C. State Ports Authority faces challenges in harbor deepening and recapturing cargo lost since 2009, said ports CEO Jim Newsome, but the port has seen increased cargo growth and positive developments in its harbor deepening project.

Newsome spoke to a record crowd at the Charleston Convention Center for the 2012 State of the

Port, addressing the portâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress during 2012 and its challenges beyond this year. See PORT AUTHORITY, Page 58

S.C. Delivers

Exports

S.C. exports to South Africa on the rise

www.scbizmag.com

By Liz Segrist, Staff Writer

frica is the world’s fastest-growing continent, and South Carolina has begun to capitalize on the growth. The Palmetto State’s exports to South Africa from 2010 to 2011 are up by 77.5%, valued at $279 million, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. South Carolina was among the top exporters to South Africa of lawn mowers, pneumatic tires, lightning arrestors, terephthalic acid, tractor-trailers, roller bearings and wood pulp, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Commerce. “We have continued to see an increase (in exports), but it’s not yet where we would like it to be because the disposable income there needs to rise first,” said Sonya Kosta di nova, president and CEO of Transcon Trading Co., a Columbia-based export management company that has been exporting U.S. products globally since 1979. Transcon began exporting to South Africa in 2006. Kosta di nova said growth in exports to South Africa has been particularly strong for the company’s line of equine products and nutritional supplements, as well as human personal care consumer products. Africa’s economies are expected to be the fastest growing of any continent over the next five years. The continent houses seven of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies and its population is expected to double midcentury, according to the International Monetary Fund. A continent often known for its rich natural resources, sheer size and extreme poverty, war and political uncertainty could now be headed for an era of growth stemming from retail commerce, manufacturing, transportation and telecommunications, according to the African Development Bank. “Since the advent of independence for most African countries, the African continent has struggled with a seemingly endless array of development challenges, from civil

S.C. exports to South Africa

By the numbers Top 10 countries for S.C. exports

$279 million in 2011 export value

No. 17

as a destination for S.C. exports

Top S.C. exports to South Africa U.S. rank $3.5M in lawnmowers..................................No. 1 $37.9M in pneumatic tires...........................No. 1 $2.1M in lightning arrestors.........................No. 1 $55.1M in terephthalic acid,........................No. 1 which is used in making polyester resins $114M in tractor trailers..............................No. 1 $7.5M in ball or roller bearings....................No. 2

This list includes the top 10 countries for S.C. exports based on 2011 dollar value, along with South Africa at No. 17. % Change 2011 Value 2010-2011 1. Germany........................ $3.99B...............35.8% 2. Canada........................... $3.76B...............17.9% 3. China.............................. $3.00B...............39.1% 4. Mexico........................... $1.76B...............33.5% 5. United Kingdom.............. $1.41B...............25.6% 6. Australia......................... $758M...............23.7% 7. India............................... $619M...............26.2% 8. Brazil.............................. $616M.................8.1% 9. Japan............................. $611M...............37.1% 10. Saudi Arabia................. $606M.............121.9% 17. South Africa............ $279M.............77.5%

Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau

war and political instability to epidemic disease, chronic food insecurity and pervasive poverty,” according to an African Development Bank report. “However in recent years, Africa has experienced an economic resurgence.” The African Development Bank suggests that both the GDP and GDP per capita will continue to increase, starting in 2010 and continuing through 2060, eliminating extreme forms of poverty. Africa is expected to increase consumer spending from $680 billion in 2008 to $2.2 trillion by 2030 as much of its population climbs to lower-middle and middle-class, according to the African Development Bank report. Emerging economies of Brazil, India, South Africa and China have recognized Africa as a potential investment and

resource-rich destination, according to the African Development Bank, and the U.S. sees opportunity as well. U.S. exports to South Africa also increased from 2010 to 2011, up by 28.88% at a value of $7.3 billion. South Africa is ranked No. 37 as a destination for U.S. exports and No. 17 as a destination for S.C. exports. The anticipated increase in consumer spending in Africa could continue to enlarge a market and increase opportunities for exporting. Africa still has its challenges to overcome, including a volatile world market and needs for significant investment in education, training and the infrastructure required for growth, according to the African Development Bank. But the report predicts that progress is on its way.

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connecting the Lowcountry to the Upstate and to a major rail investment in Charlotte, N.C. “A state with a great port will prosper The port has also hired new personnel to disproportionately and become a visible continue growing its cargo and services. player in the global marketplace,” Newsome Newsome said John Wheeler joined said. “It is up to those of us in this room to develop and maximize that opportunity. Co- the ports authority to lead its carrier sales. Wheeler previously worked at operation is key, and we have no the Georgia Ports Authority. At time to waste.” the October ports authority board Newsome said the port’s first meeting, the port promoted Jack priority is to get back the business Ellenberg to senior vice president it lost because of the economic for economic development and downturn and its declining port projects. Ellenberg previously brand. The port is growing cargo, worked at the S.C. Department of he said, and it logged the highest Commerce and was involved in quarterly container volume for the Boeing project. the past four years during the Newsome “The port business is a longfirst quarter of fiscal year 2013. cycle business,” Newsome said. The port forecasts handling “Things happen over the course of years, nearly 900,000 containers during FY13, a not months. Progress is slow as port choice milestone on its path to 1 million containis more strategic in nature, but we are laying ers, a volume that hasn’t been seen since a strong foundation and seeing significant fiscal year 2007, when the port handled 1.08 progress.” million pier containers. Newsome also highlighted the inland port in Greer, where the ports authority and Bigger ships, deeper harbors Norfolk Southern will operate a rail yard, Ocean carriers are building larger ships,

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S.C. Delivers

PORT AUTHORITY, from page 54

which offers fuel savings for them but stresses harbors that don’t have the depth to accommodate them. Newsome said an 8,000 20-foot-equivalent-unit, or TEU, ship has 48 feet of draft when fully loaded and requires a harbor depth of 50 feet. The Port of Charleston can handle those ships now on high tides, but the harbor needs to be deepened, Newsome said. The Army Corps of Engineers is studying the impact of the harbor deepening now and has said the harbor could be deepened by 2020 if it gets funding and approvals from Congress. Newsome said today the harbor needs to be deepened by 2018, and the port is confident it can be done thanks to the progress made during the past two years. President Barack Obama selected the harbor deepening as one of five priority projects, Newsome said, and the state Legislature set aside $300 million to cover the project’s entire cost, which is normally split between federal and state governments. Newsome said the state would be reimbursed for the federal government’s share if that money is spent.

Challenges S.C. Delivers

Despite the progress, the port still faces challenges, Newsome said, including uncertain growth of world economies and trade, strong competition between ports in the Southeast and large investments that are required of port projects. The Southeast has four ports within 400 nautical miles of each other, and those ports all serve the same region of the United States. “Clearly, not all four ports will be able to thrive and prosper,” Newsome said. “In our view, the starting point to be a future player in the mainstream container segment is to be a top-10 U.S. container port. The ability to grow will be governed by the achievement of untidally restricted deepwater harbors and supporting inland infrastructure to reach markets efficiently.” The Georgia Ports Authority is also deepening its harbor and is nearing construction. Newsome said that Savannah’s, Wilmington’s or Jacksonville’s harbors will not be deepened before 2017, though, because of each project’s status and potential legal challenges.

An Anamar Environmental Consulting Boat waits for a container ship to pass. (Photo/Leslie Burden)

“Lines cannot wait for this and will have to gravitate to a port like Charleston, which offers a significant draft advantage today and relatively unrestricted passage,” Newsome said. Newsome said there are reasons to be optimistic, including projections that global container handling will grow at 6% each year and port throughput will reach 1 bil-

lion TEUs by 2020, an increase from the throughput of 600 million TEUs today. “Our port is the major economic development engine for our state,” Newsome said. “And economic development is about jobs. I am constantly reminded that we do what we do ultimately to create good jobs and economic prosperity for our state.”

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S.C. Delivers

Commerce

By Chuck Crumbo, Staff Writer

Commerce chief hints at deals on the horizon

outh Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt says a number of economic development projects are waiting to be announced. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have more projects queued up at the Department of Commerce than anyone can remember,â&#x20AC;? Hitt said at the 2012 Central Carolina Commercial Real Estate Market Forecast in Columbia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re simply waiting for a board to vote. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a question of where, but when.â&#x20AC;? Companies were waiting for some indication of which way the country is headed after the presidential election and whether Congress will decide to do anything about the impending â&#x20AC;&#x153;fiscal cliff.â&#x20AC;? South Carolina, though, appears poised for growth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The good news is that South Carolina is not in the same situation as the other 49 states,â&#x20AC;? Hitt said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have gained our

Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt, here with Gov. Nikki Haley, says S.C. is taking the right steps for growth.

momentum in South Carolina.â&#x20AC;? As an example, Hitt noted that back in January 2011 when Gov. Nikki Haleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

administration took office, the Commerce Department was handling about two dozen requests for information a month. Now, the

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“We are the state that takes action. We’ve told the world we will be ready.” Bobby Hitt South Carolina Commerce Secretary the Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District is studying the environmental, economic and engineering impacts of deepening the harbor. Ports officials have said 50 feet is the depth needed to accept larger post-Panamax ships that will have better access to East Coast ports after the Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2015. The harbor deepening could be completed by 2019. Hitt said the state still faces the challenge of developing its workforce to provide labor to sustain companies that have operations in South Carolina. “We’re very good in South Carolina at the point of sale,” Hitt said. “We can make it happen generally in record time,” he

added, noting Boeing Co. cranked up its 787 Dreamliner assembly plant in North Charleston six months ahead of schedule. However, the state has thousands of jobs, primarily in manufacturing, that go unfilled because many people who are out of work don’t have the necessary training and skills, Hitt said. According to a survey of The Conference Board Help Wanted Online, South Carolina had 58,000 job openings in September. The state, though, is working on the problem with an initiative to pull together South Carolina agencies like Commerce and the Department of Employment and Workforce to work with businesses to find out what type of training and skills they need in new employees. Still, because of worries about federal government actions, most companies are holding off on investing in expansions and new facilities, Hitt said. “There is $10 trillion sitting on the sidelines doing nothing,” he said. “People don’t know what’s going to happen.” Staff writer Matt Tomsic contributed to this report.

S.C. Delivers

agency is receiving more than 40 requests. The department’s staff also has been working to “rebuild” relationships with key manufacturing groups and site consultants. “For many decades a lot of these site consultants have been walking past South Carolina. They didn’t even give us a look,” Hitt said. “Now, we’re getting a look. It’s the same as in sales — the more looks you get, the more chances for sales you get.” South Carolina also is gaining a reputation for being the state that takes action, Hitt said. One example he cited was the Legislature’s decision to set aside $300 million to fully fund the deepening of Charleston Harbor in the event the federal government doesn’t share in the project’s costs. “We are the state that takes action,” Hitt said. “We’ve told the world we will be ready.” The state’s allocation of the funding for harbor deepening is unprecedented in the United States, said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the S.C. State Ports Authority. The project will deepen the harbor beyond its current level of 45 feet. Now,

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S.C. Delivers

Aerospace

By Chuck Crumbo, Staff Writer

USC McNair Center director anticipates working with Boeing Co.

www.scbizmag.com

aving Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner assembly plant just a couple of hours down the road in North Charleston helped land Zafer Gurdal at the University of South Carolina. “This is one of the reasons why I’m moving here,” said Gurdal, who was introduced Oct. 25 as the new technical director for USC’s McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research. “This is an area that’s going to be booming in the next 10 years.” Scientist Zafer Gurdal will serve as the new technical director of USC’s McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research. Gurdal’s work focuses on developing and optimizing composite materials for use in the construction of airplanes. In the Dreamliner’s case, Gurdal will be interested in developing the technology to automate the manufacturing process so that Boeing can increase production of its Dreamliners, which feature fuselages made of composite materials. “They have such a huge backlog of planes that something has to be done — it’s ridiculous,” Gurdal said. “I cannot image how Boeing will continue produce 3.5 planes a month” at its North Charleston plant. “They certainly need to improve that number substantially to meet their demands.” Boeing also produces another version of the 787 at its Everett, Wash., assembly facility. Together, the facilities are producing about 10 planes monthly. Back in June, the aerospace giant reported a backlog of 843 unfilled orders for the Dreamliner, which sells for about $228 million. Gurdal, who expects to be on the Columbia campus around the first of January, said he’ll continue to work part time for the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Gurdal added that he believes the two schools will benefit and he still has some unfinished work in the Netherlands. “I have

“We certainly would like to educate students, we’d like to educate engineers that go to companies, but I think it is rather important that we also push the technology transfer.” Zafer Gurdal technical director, USC’s McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research 25 Ph.D. students who’ll be graduating in the next two to three years,” he said. Since 2004, Gurdal has headed an effort at Delft to better align the aerospace program with what students need to succeed, both in academia and industry. A native of Ankara, Turkey, Gurdal served about 20 years on the faculty of Virginia Tech developing a research program with expertise in designing and optimizing composite materials. He still holds the title

of professor emeritus at the Blacksburg, Va., university. Gurdal said he believes a university should use its knowledge and research to drive economic development. “If we can create technologies that can be transferred to industrial applications, then you’ve made it,” Gurdal said. “We certainly would like to educate students, we’d like to educate engineers that go to companies, but I think it is rather important that we also push the technology transfer.” At Delft, professors are measured by how many startup companies they have created with their students and how many patents they have achieved, as well as the quality of their academic research and teaching, Gurdal said. “I think that it’s rather important that we do that, otherwise we’ll always be accused of being in our ivory towers and doing research that nothing comes out of it,” he said. One of the challenges for the McNair Center, Gurdal said, will be attracting investment. The center was established in 2011 through a $5 million pledge from USC alumna Darla Moore in honor of Ronald McNair, a fellow Lake City native who died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. The university also announced that Anita Zucker, chairwoman and CEO of North Charleston-based The InterTech Group, pledged $5 million to the center to support innovation in aerospace education and workforce development. Zucker’s gift will endow the Zucker Institute for Aerospace Innovation and the McNair Chair, a new professorship in USC’s McNair Center, the university said. “This is an area that really requires large investments by the state, by private institutions, and by universities,” Gurdal said. “These things don’t happen automatically.”

Staff Report

Automotive

he National Association of Foreign Trade Zones has named BMW Manufacturing “Exporter of the Year.” In addition, the association recognized BMW as the recipient of its Export Achievement Award for being the member that showed the most improvement in value. BMW’s plant in Spartanburg has steadily increased its export activity. According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, based on the 2011 value of BMW exports from South Carolina, the company’s Spartanburg facility is the largest automotive exporter from the U.S. BMW’s S.C. plant currently produces more than 1,000 vehicles each day and is the exclusive exporter of X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the X6 Sports Activity Coupe through the Port of Charleston. This year, the plant is projected to produce more

Photo/Leslie Burden

than 300,000 vehicles and will ship 70% of those cars to more than 130 global markets. “We are very proud of our accomplishments,” said Sky Foster, manager for corporate communications at BMW Manufacturing. “I wish to thank our associates, tier 1 suppliers and the South Carolina Ports Authority for their support in our shared success.” Lewis Leibowitz, the association’s chairman, said the foreign trade zone program

S.C. Delivers

BMW keeps title as No. 1 vehicle exporter in U.S. has “proven to be especially successful to ensure the U.S. remains a strong global competitor. BMW’s plant in South Carolina continues to be a leader in the passenger vehicle segment and we applaud their results.” The plant originally began vehicle production in 1994. In the last 18 years, BMW Manufacturing has produced more than 2 million vehicles. Earlier this year, the company announced another $900 million expansion to increase capacity to 350,000 units by 2014 and will bring a new model to its Spartanburg operation. The plant shipped 192,000 vehicles through the Port of Charleston last year, a 75% increase compared with 110,000 vehicles in 2010. Its exports were valued at $7.4 billion in 2011, compared with $4.4 billion a year ago.

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1,000 WORDS

You know how thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a moment when you really feel the holiday magic? That moment could come when you stroll through the lights at Marion Square in Charleston. (Photo/Ryan Wilcox)