Winter 2015
Fields of
green
S.C. economy wins big with sports
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County Spotlight: Greenwood | Roaring Twenties Winners | Recycling in S.C. | S.C. Delivers
Table of
CONTENTS FROM THE COVER: THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS From youth sports to college to professional, there’s money to be made in the business of sports in South Carolina. The big football games played at Clemson and USC on fall Saturdays mean millions to the state’s economy. Youth sports bring in visitors who spend money in hotels and restaurants. And even though South Carolina has no big league professional teams, our greens, diamonds and asphalt translate into dollars for many communities. 24 The big game: Football is ‘golden goose’ for college budgets, regional economy 30 Paying to play: Youth sports pump money into local economy 34 Diamonds, greens and asphalt: S.C. has no big-time pro teams, but events bring in dollars Cover Photo: A young player prepares to pass a soccer ball at Saluda Shoals Park in Irmo. (Photo/Jeff Blake)
Photo/Jeff Blake
SPECIAL SECTION
FEATURE
SPECIAL SECTION
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36
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RECYCLING IN S.C.
DAYS OF DESTRUCTION
Meet the winners for 2015
Bottles mean jobs
Floods impact state’s economy
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DEPARTMENTS
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6 Bill Settlemyer’s Viewpoint
12 Partnership in Education
7 Upfront
14 Spotlight: Greenwood County
10 Business Accelerator
60 S.C. Delivers
64 1,000 words
Editor - Licia Jackson ljackson@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7546 Associate Editor - Jenny Peterson jpeterson@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3145
From the
LOWCOUNTRY NEWSROOM Managing Editor - Andy Owens aowens@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3142
EDITOR
Senior Copy Editor - Beverly Barfield bbarfield@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3115 Staff Writer - Liz Segrist lsegrist@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3119
Dear Reader,
Staff Writer - Ashley Heffernan aheffernan@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3144
Who could have imagined the devastation South Carolina would suffer during the month of October 2015? Many people in our state experienced the power of flood waters first hand, and nearly everyone else knows someone who lost a business, home, auto or all three. The damage to infrastructure is immense. We have a long way to get back to anywhere close to where we were on Oct. 1, before the rains came. Thankfully, that is just part of the story. As they always do, South
Research Specialist - Melissa Verzaal mverzaal@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3104 Associate Editor, Special Projects - Jenny Peterson jpeterson@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3145 Senior Graphic Designer - Jane Mattingly jmattingly@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3118 Graphic Designer - Andrew Sprague asprague@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3128
Carolinians have joined in to help each other. Helpful people have
Assistant Graphic Designer - Emily Matesi ematesi@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3124
come from all over the U.S. to begin the process of clearing out and
MIDLANDS NEWSROOM
cleaning up. When we couldn’t drink our water, truckloads of bottled
Editor - Chuck Crumbo ccrumbo@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7542
water rolled in. Food was cooked and served. Shelters were opened for
Staff Writer - Chris Cox ccox@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7545
those who needed a place to sleep. Disaster recovery centers began the
Research Specialist - Brandee Shepherd bshepherd@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7544
work of filing applications for aid. Licia Jackson Editor, SCBIZ Magazine
Editorial Assistant - Steve McDaniel smcdaniel@scbiznews.com • 843.843.3123
We will get through this, but it is going to take time and patience. In the meantime, it’s important to be kind and understanding to each other. As for this issue, our focus is on the economic impact and business of sports. I don’t know about you, but over the years, I have spent
many a fine Carolina evening watching my daughter play softball or my son play soccer. My family has paid a lot for this privilege, but I consider it money well spent. My children learned basic sports skills and how to play the game, but it was much more than that. They learned the importance of working with others, the strength to be found in a well-oiled team. We take a look here at the economic effects of youth sports, as well as the powerhouse that is college sports in South Carolina. And though we don’t have big league professional teams here, pro sports do bring in some cash for our communities. Be sure to check out the Roaring Twenties winners in this issue. This vibrant group of companies, 20 large and 20 small, were honored recently by SC Biz News as the fastest-growing companies in the state. Our County Spotlight falls on Greenwood County. Don’t miss The Greenwood Promise! As always, there’s much more to read about here. We hope you enjoy this issue.
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Bill Settlemyer’s
VIEWPOINT Change, but not enough
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t has been 20 years since I founded the Charleston Regional Business Journal, now a part of a family of South Carolina business publications doing business as SC Biz News. Although I sold the Business Journal and retired back in 2008, it’s still gratifying to know that the successor company continues to serve the Lowcountry as well as the entire state. In the years prior to the launch of the Business Journal in 1995, things were looking grim in the Charleston area. The Navy had announced the closing of the Navy Base, an economic blow that many feared would knock the Lowcountry flat on its back. But not so fast – Nucor Steel soon announced a half-billion-dollar investment in a new plant outside Charleston, and that was followed by a steady stream of new business announcements rolling off the presses of our regional development alliance. Dramatic change was already in the works in the Upstate, where BMW had announced plans to build its first and only U.S. plant in Greer. The continuing success of the BMW facility is a tribute both to an extraordinary international manufacturer and to the workers, business and political leaders and educational resources in the region that have supported BMW’s efforts. BMW was preceded in the Upstate by Michelin, which also continues to enjoy success on South Carolina soil. For a state and
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region losing traditional jobs in the textile industry, it was a real shot in the arm, and it helped put us on the map for both U.S. and foreign manufacturers. Back on the coast, more dramatic change followed in Charleston when Boeing selected Charleston as the site of a new plant to produce the 787 Dreamliner, making Charleston one of three places in the world where wide-body commercial jets are made. On top of that signature development, momentum has been growing in Charleston’s tech sector, further transforming the demographics of the region’s workforce and economy. So what’s not to like? Despite the warm glow of such successes, South Carolina still bears “the curse of the Deep South.” As a recent article in the Washington Post noted, “Poverty rates in the South spiked higher in the aftermath of the recession and have been far slower to recover, rising to levels last seen three decades ago ... In 2000, the states of the Deep South — Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina — all had child poverty rates worse than the national average, but they were spread loosely among the bottom half on a list of all states. Now, those five states have sunk to the bottom.” Why? The history of intergenerational poverty has roots in the South’s history of racial division and discrimination and its aversion to investing in its own human
capital as well as its infrastructure. In the global economy, countries, and states in our country, prosper when they invest at all levels in their own people, to make it possible for them to thrive through education, adequate housing and medical care and other resources that facilitate a successful life for middle class and low income workers. In this environment, you either go “all in” to invest in your people, or you fail to measure up to competing economies in other states and other countries. In South Carolina, as elsewhere in the Deep South, we consistently fight our competitive battles with one hand tied behind us. Failure is an option, and too often the voters and their elected leaders chose to fail instead of making the commitments that will lead to greater prosperity. In much of the American South, the struggle between progressive thinking and the old ways continues year after year, decade after decade. When (if ever) the momentum shifts fully in the direction of going “all in” on creating real opportunity for all South Carolinians, this state will finally have the future its people deserve.
Bill Settlemyer bsettlemyer@scbiznews.com
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UPFRONT
regional news | data
F
ootball, baseball, basketball, golf or tennis: People all over the country are drawn to compete in these sports and many others. Those who don’t play cheer from the sidelines. Nowhere do Americans connect more intimately with sports than in their hometowns. “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America,” a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museums on Main Street program, is now on display in Manning. This is the final stop for the exhibit, which has visited six South Carolina communities, in cooperation with The Humanities Council SC. The exhibit, a collection of photos and memorabilia from teams across the U.S., will be at Weldon Auditorium in Manning through Dec. 13. Earlier, it visited Denmark, Gaffney, Belton, Georgetown and Slater. Each community was selected
Celebrating Hometown Teams
S.C. native Althea Gibson shattered racial barriers in tennis and golf. She won both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 1957 and 1958. Later, in 1964, she became the first African American to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association . (Photo/Provided)
by The Humanities Council SC to host Hometown Teams as part of the MoMS program, a partnership that brings exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. The planning team in Manning has been preparing to host the exhibit for
two years, said Nancy Cave, archivist at the Clarendon County Archives and History Center. They worked on special collateral events, including a local exhibit and student-led documentary project. For more information, contact The Humanities Council SC at 803-771-2477.
FAST FACTS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S IMPACT Full Stor y
Page 24
USC’s annual athletic budget
$6.2 million
value of USC’s contract with Under Armour
$77 million
economic impact of Clemson’s seven home games on the Upstate region
$784,177
state government revenue from each Clemson home game
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$105 million
Sources: Regional Dynamics and Economic Modeling Laboratory, Clemson University; Tom Regan, University of South Carolina
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UPFRONT
Flood impacts
The flood waters that washed across South Carolina in early October affected many aspects of life:
AGRICULTURE
OYSTERS
TOURISM
Early estimates put direct crop losses from flooding at more than $300 million, said Hugh Weathers, commissioner of the S.C. Department of Agriculture. Low lying farmland adjacent to river systems and creeks was most severely impacted. The crops affected include peanuts, cotton, fall vegetables, soybeans and some timber. Livestock and poultry assessments were being made in impacted areas. Long-term, this disaster will cause an income loss for local farmers and the rural counties of South Carolina, Weathers said.
Two days after oyster season opened Oct. 1, DHEC shut down harvesting in many of the oyster beds in the Charleston and McClellanville areas due to pollution from flooding waterways and streams. Flooding poses a bacterial risk to the shellfish. At the end of October, some beds were still closed.
Hotel occupancy across the state dropped 20% during the first weekend of October, as tourists canceled trips ahead of flooding predictions. The occupancy rate would have been even lower if not for the Clemson-Notre Dame football game played that Saturday in the Upstate, said Duane Parrish, director of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. No hotels reported significant damage from the flood, but some lost water service.
RAILROADS
DAMS
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The failures of 36 dams across the state has led to overdue scrutiny of the state’s regulation of private dams. Fewer than a half-dozen Department of Health and Environmental Control inspectors have been responsible for checking 2,500 dams statewide. DHEC is assessing dams and has ordered water levels reduced and repairs made. Some of the destroyed dams may not be replaced.
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Full Sto
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S.C. Army National Guard helicopters provided sandbags Oct. 7 to help stem the flow of water causing dam breaches and flooding across the Columbia area. (Photo/Airman Megan Floyd for the S.C. Air National Guard)
The S.C. Ports Authority experienced some cargo disruption in October as flooding destroyed portions of rail lines. The Norfolk Southern rail line that transports cargo between terminals at the Port of Charleston and the S.C. Inland Port in Greer was halted when a rail bridge in Columbia was damaged from flooding. Many companies turned to trucking operations to move cargo.
New Economic Development COMPANY
COUNTY
INVESTMENT JOBS
COMPANY
COUNTY
INVESTMENT JOBS
Auriga Polymers Inc.
Spartanburg $35M
N/A
Asten Johnson Inc.
Laurens
$32M
N/A
A&R Bulk-Pak Inc.
Berkeley
$7.5M
25
SeaPac LLC
Charleston
$32M
250
Alkane Truck Co.
Dorchester
N/A
300
Mitsubishi Polyester Film
Greenville
$100M
N/A
Cypress Creek Renewables
Calhoun
$34M
N/A
Suzhou Glacier Import & Export Ltd. Greenville
$24M
109
Poly America
Chester
$100M
300
DC Machine
Dorchester
$5.3M
17
Sutera USA
Greenville
$2M
20
Worksman Cycles
Horry
$2.5M
50
ScanSource
Greenville $6M
100
DRAXLMAIER Group
Spartanburg $35M
94
Cypress Creek Renewables
Hampton
$66.8M
N/A
Pro Towels
Abbeville
$1.7M
50
AS/R Systems Inc.
Jasper
$2.5M
N/A
Kirschner Konstruktionen
Greenville
$1M
30
Nupi Americas Inc.
Hampton
$4.9M
37
Aran USA Inc.
Greenville
$5.2M
63
Enstar US
Richland
$500,000
60
Total Quality Logistics
Richland
$565,000
100
Cypress Creek Renewables
Florence
$15.5M
N/A
Cypress Creek Renewables
Lexington
$20.4M
N/A
Cypress Creek Renewables
Darlington
$10M
N/A
OMP Mechtron LLC
Lexington
$2.9M
20
Magna International
Greenville
$50.8M
153
Shaw Industries Inc.
Lexington
$45M
50
Haemonetics
Union $20M 40
Mogul
Laurens $17.6M 38
UPFRONT
Here are announcements made in South Carolina since Aug. 26, 2015.
Source: S.C. Department of Commerce
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BUSINESS ACCELERATOR
Business Accelerator
Hartsville applies lessons learned from larger cities By James T. Hammond, Contributing writer
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artsville is a small South Carolina town with big ideas, aiming to foster new businesses by local entrepreneurs with a formula that has worked in larger cities like Columbia and Greenville. What remains to be seen is whether the formula for subsidies to startups in communities with many mature businesses and universities can work in sparsely populated rural areas with smaller populations and a limited pool of potential entrepreneurs. “We are taking ideas that have been tried before, said Kathryn De Ridder-Vignone, director of the Duke Energy Center for Innovation. “We want to see what works here. My primary role is consulting with local companies, and with entrepreneurs to see if we can turn an idea into a new business.” That free service is augmented by competitions and programs to build on existing entrepreneurial activities. Last year, under former director Ben Chastain, the center graduated its first business, FME Nuclear Solutions LLC, a developer of software applications for industrial clients. “We are planning a coding camp in the spring, aimed at getting more women to learn to write computer code,” De RidderVignone said. In addition, Hartsville can provide micro-loans for startups. Recipients must take classes in entrepreneurship. Another project aims to create “maker space,” or co-working spaces where startups can access tools such as 3-D printers. De Ridder-Vignone is planning a series of “pop-up” maker space demonstrations to introduce the idea. De Ridder-Vignone took over at the Duke Energy Center in July. Previously she was assistant professor at James Madison University in its Department of Integrated Science and Technology. She also was a
The Duke Energy Center for Innovation welcomes entrepreneurs interested in starting businesses in Hartsville. (Photo/Duke Energy Center for Innovation)
post-doctoral researcher at Arizona State University. She earned her doctorate in Science and Technology Studies from Cornell University and received her bachelor’s degree from the S.C. Honors College at the University of South Carolina. “Kathryn is the right person at the right time as we enter a new phase in the development of our technology center,” Community Foundation for a Better Hartsville Chairman Curtis Lee said. “Her education and experience in science, technology and entrepreneurism are a perfect fit as we expand our collaborative networking and programming support for our local entrepreneurs.” The incubator at 145 West Carolina Ave., in a former storefront, is named for one of the city’s partners in the experiment. The Duke Energy Center for Innovation has room for eight to 12 businesses, depending upon their space requirements. It currently houses seven startups.
De Ridder-Vignone also is available to entrepreneurs who have their own work space to advise on business practices and other issues important to success. She acknowledges that practices developed in larger cities may be difficult to implement in smaller towns. In non-metro areas, “this scale is difficult,” she said. Among South Carolina’s small towns, Hartsville may be the best suited to make the experiment work. The Robinson Nuclear Station, a Duke Energy property, supports a large presence of professional people. “One of my jobs is to make clear that we do have resources that we can call upon,” De Ridder-Vignone said. Other assets and partners include the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics; Coker College; global packaging giant Sonoco; Florence-Darlington Technical College; Clemson University; the Community Foundation for a Better Hartsville; the Byerly Foundation; and the
Raising the Roof in ORANGEBURG COUNTY
BUSINESS ACCELERATOR
Hartsville business community. The Duke Energy Center’s eight board members have local business and development experience. The center also is part of Clemson’s Building the Technology Village program, a statewide network of technology-oriented business incubators. A competition, Start-Up Hartsville, made its first awards last spring. Handmade accessory boutique Seersuckergypsy as well as Retrofit sip-n-seat, a repurposed furniture boutique and wine bar, are setting up shop with $12,000 each in cash plus incentives after winning the Start-Up Hartsville competition. The two startup businesses, which were scheduled to open in Hartsville’s downtown in October, were selected from eight that entered the contest in February. De Ridder-Vignone said the startups that competed but did not win the big prize benefitted as well. “Being in the competition just gave them new motivation and public exposure,” she said. The big question after identifying promising startups and entrepreneurs, she said, is “how do you make people want to stay here?” She cites one examples of an entrepreneur who already has decided to stay. Bob Brown started a robotics company, Integrated Systems, and now employs 25 people in the Hartsville-based business.
www.OCDC.com 1.888.761.OCDC(6232) GKN Aerospace, recently announced a new facility (GKN Aerospace II) to manufacture inlet lip skins for the Boeing 737 MAX and 777X. This takes the ceiling height to over 50 feet. Clearly, the sky is the limit in Orangeburg County.
BY THE NUMBERS 1 of 5
Technology Village Incubators in South Carolina
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Current clients
Cost of consulting services
10 months
Length of our Start-Up Hartsville Competition Source: Duke Energy Center for Innovation
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$0
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PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION
Partnerships in Education
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City Year: Young people changing the world By Licia Jackson, Editor
I
s idealism contagious? Can enthusiasm and hope be shared? These are some of the questions the organizers of City Year must have been asking when it was founded in Boston in 1988. “There was this program with an energetic, idealistic, diverse group of young people doing community service,” explained Gail Wilson-Giarratano, executive director and vice president of City Year Columbia. Then the next idea was: What if idealistic young people from privileged backgrounds were put together with at-risk youth for the summer to tackle community needs? That was the genesis of City Year, which has grown from being a Boston program to 25 cities across the United States and international affiliates in England and South Africa. About 10 years ago, the concept changed to focus on education. Young people, ages 17 to 25, give a year of full-time service in schools with high-risk students. Participants must have at least a GED or high school diploma. Columbia was the first site outside Boston, largely because of the persistence of a young woman named Marie-Louise Ramsdale. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Ramsdale learned about City Year while she was a law student at Harvard. She wrote a business plan and got financial backing to bring the program to Columbia in the summer of 1993. “City Year was the original Americorps program,” Wilson-Giarratano said. “Now our corps members are recruited from across the United States.” City Year Columbia — the only site in South Carolina — puts 24 corps members in three schools in Richland and Lexington counties: Heyward Gibbes Middle School, Hyatt Park Elementary School and Sandhills Elementary School. The City Year workers are “near peers” — older than the students
City Year Columbia corps members,, above, help students at Heyward Gibbes and two other schools. At right, cheering students as they come to school is part of the day. (Photos/City Year)
but younger than their teachers — and they can engage the students in a different way. Trained in the summer before school starts and all through the year, the corps members use the research-based Whole School Whole Child model, Wilson-Giarratano said. The focus is on ABC: attendance, behavior and course performance. The target age group is third through ninth grades. Third grade is one of the first academic checkpoints, and if a student is still on track by ninth grade they are more likely to graduate. “Our long-term goal is to impact 50 percent of the off-track students in the communities we serve,” Wilson-Giarratano said. Each corps member works with 10 to 12 students. City Year has the data on how many students are struggling in the schools served, so it knows how many corps members are needed. Their days start by welcoming the students to school, sometimes applauding them
or high-fiving them as they walk in. They help the teacher, tutor students in math and language arts, lead after school homework programs and run after school clubs and service projects. City Year tracks the number of hours spent with each student, and uses the school’s data on attendance and grades to measure impact. The corps members receive a small stipend, and at the end of their 10 months of service they receive an education scholarship of just under $6,000, which many use for study abroad or graduate school. Recently, City Year corps members went to the shelter at A.C. Flora High School to help those evacuated during flooding. They set up cots, led activities for children and distributed clothing.
About City Year City Year’s work in Columbia
Nearly a quarter of students in Columbia drop out before high school graduation. The consequences are real: Students who drop out are eight times more likely to become incarcerated and three times more likely to be unemployed. When a student drops out of school it has a lasting effect on our communities.
PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION
The model: Whole School Whole Child
City Year’s school-based model is called Whole School Whole Child. Corps members tutor students, serve as an additional resource for teachers in classrooms and lead after school programs and schoolwide initiatives to improve student achievement and school culture. As near peers (younger than teachers but older than pupils), corps members are uniquely positioned to form a strong bond with students to help them succeed. City Year works in partnership with school staff to regularly monitor student performance on these early warning indicators: • Attendance monitoring and student engagement • Behavioral support and developmental progress • Course performance in math and English
Research shows that these indicators can identify students at risk of dropping out as early as sixth grade.
By the numbers 24
Number of corps members
210
Number of students being helped
3
Number of schools
90%
Percentage of teachers who agree or strongly agree that City Year Columbia corps members hav e improved the overall academic performance of students
40,000
Number of students helped in Columbi a area since the program started in 1993
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With 24 corps members, City Year Columbia is the smallest site. “Our goal is to grow. We need to build partnerships,” Wilson-Giarratano said. Some of the corporations partnering are CSX, which funds a team in every City Year site where its tracks run; BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina; and Boeing. Bain Capital provides $50,000 per year to each City Year site and sponsors the annual dinner. City Year has three equal funding sources. The school district served pays one-third; Americorps pays a third; and the remaining third is raised from the local community. A local board helps connect City Year Columbia with the business community. Among the Columbia corps members, about half are from South Carolina and half are from elsewhere, Wilson-Giarratano said. “It’s very powerful to have a corps member who went to that school. And it’s powerful to have a corps member from New Hampshire. It’s good for the students to be exposed to people from other parts of the country.” Last year, she said, one of the corps members was homeless. “She rode her bike every day to the school.” The young woman felt strongly that she could show the children that homelessness should not prevent a person from helping others. After serving with City Year, the corps members follow different paths. Some go to medical school, some go into business. About a third go into education and some move into jobs with the City Year organization. Some will stay in South Carolina. “We want them to stay here,” WilsonGiarratano said. “Especially if they are going into education.” Some City Year sites have partnerships with universities that give corps members a break on tuition because of their service. Wilson-Giarratano is hoping to work out university partnerships in South Carolina. City Year Columbia has been able to demonstrate true bipartisan support for improving education, Wilson-Giarratano said. “The folks in Boston look to us. We know how to come together and do the right thing in South Carolina. I’m honored that City Year is part of that.”
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county spotlight
GREENWOOD
An aerial view shows Uptown Greenwood. (Photo/Danny Byrd)
GREENWOOD COUNTY
Small-town charm, lots of amenities and a ‘promising’ workforce
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here’s something exciting happening in Greenwood County. Situated in the South Carolina foothills about an hour south of Greenville, the county is set to launch The Greenwood Promise, a program that will offer every student who graduates high school the opportunity to receive an associate’s degree from Piedmont Technical College. It’s a first-of-this-magnitude initiative in South Carolina to develop a talent pipeline that will provide the highly skilled, welleducated workforce necessary to fill jobs for existing industry and relocating companies.
Special Advertising Section
Greenwood Co by the numbersunty Median home price in the city of Greenwoo d.................. $89,20 0 Source: Sperling’s Best Places Leading Employer s..... # of employee s Self Regional Healt hcare...................2, 300 Greenwood County School Districts....1,96 0 Eaton Corp............... ........................... 1,2 35 FUJIFILM Manufac turing U.S.A....... 1,0 00 Carolina Pride Food s............................9 30
County. Students would be eligible for free tuition for real-world job training that supports the local industries in Greenwood County such as chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Other focuses are health care, biosciences, technology, and industrial manufacturing. To match educational needs with local jobs, business leaders will meet regularly to discuss jobs and positions needed as well as the associated training required. Technical college classes can be tailored to meet those needs, Simmons Jones said. “Through our industry council, industry leaders are helping us identify the hard-tofill jobs,” Simmons Jones said. With the Clemson University Center for Human Genetics under construction in the Greenwood Research Park and the existing Greenwood Genetic Center, “We’re not looking with a purely manufacturing or industrial focus for our students,” Simmons Jones said. As the endowment grows, the program could expand to include funding for the last two years of postsecondary education or bachelor’s degree program. Lander Univer-
sity is the county’s four-year university in the city of Greenwood; it currently enrolls more than 3,000 students and includes a strong nursing program. Piedmont Technical College will work with Lander University to make sure technical school classes and credits through The Greenwood Promise are transferrable, Simmons Jones said. The Greenwood Promise hopes to attract more companies to the county with its commitment to educating and providing a local workforce. Stakeholders also hope it has a trickledown effect. “The security of knowing their child can attend school and obtain a two-year education at no cost will encourage young families to move to the area,” Simmons Jones said. Greenwood School District 50 Superintendent Dr. Darrell Johnson said, “This is one of the most exciting initiatives that I have ever been a part of, and it will be a game changer for every child in the system. We’re providing hope and the ability for all children to have the same educational opportunities.”
COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: GREENWOOD
The Greenwood Promise, in a public/ private partnership, will cover the costs of tuition as an educational endowment, which has been set up through a 501(c) (3) foundation with the county’s economic development organization — Greenwood Partnership Alliance. Pending a fundraising goal of $5 million, The Greenwood Promise could go into effect as early as 2016. Supporters have raised nearly $3.5 million for the initiative. “We asked: ‘What are creative ways which we can make our area unique and make us stand out around the world?’” explained Heather Simmons Jones, CEO of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance. “The Greenwood Promise is modeled after existing programs around the country. Not only is it a great way to meet our workforce needs, but it also educates our greatest asset—our people.” The Greenwood Promise would be open to all high school graduates in the county, whether they attended public or private high school, or an accredited home school. The scholarship award is based on a sliding scale of years of residence in Greenwood
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COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: GREENWOOD
Employees at the FUJIFILM Manufacturing U.S.A. headquarters in Greenwood. The company is one of the county’s largest manufacturing employers, with over 1,000 people. (Photos/provided)
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Target industries Greenwood County’s rich history in the manufacturing industry remains a vital economic force. Some of the largest manufacturers in the county include long-time employer FUJIFILM Manufacturing U.S.A., Inc.; Capsugel; Ascend Performance Materials; SPF North America; Eaton; Velux; and UTC Aerospace Systems. Health care is a robust industry in Greenwood County with Self Regional Healthcare employing 2,300 people, and the Greenwood Genetic Center, where physicians and scientists advance the field of medical genetics. An emerging biosciences and genetics sector has taken hold in the county. Clemson University’s Center for Human Genetics (CHG), a research and education building, is currently under construction in the Greenwood Research Park and will open its doors for graduate and doctoral programs in 2016. This will increase the need for more students who are educated in life and biosciences. Over the past two years, Greenwood County has celebrated 397 new jobs and $368.5 million in capital investment, with announcements of Colgate-Palmolive, as well as Colombo Energy—an industrial company that converts forest matter into wood pellets. Simmons Jones said that food processing is another target industry. Already, Carolina Pride processes pork, chicken, turkey and beef products and SPF North America
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manufactures pet food flavoring. Simmons Jones said that Lake Greenwood’s more than 11,000 acres of water along the borders of Greenwood is a solid benefit for the food processing industry.
Infrastructure abounds Situated close to all major Southern markets, Greenwood County offers many advantages for employers and their employees. It is served by CSX with direct rail to the ports of Charleston and Savannah, with a modern county airport and two major fourlane highways providing quick access to interstates I-26 and I-85. It’s just hours away from both the mountains and the coast. Greenwood County Council Chairman Steve Brown said the business-friendly climate includes top-notch public utilities with services at a lower rate than surrounding municipalities. “We have a wonderful water supply and a great sewer system — both key areas when we talk about industrial expansions,” Brown said. “Another big incentive is that the county owns the lake and water rates are some of the lowest in the state.” The 144-acre Greenwood County North Industrial Park, situated along four-lane highway U.S. 25, provides a strategic location for manufacturing companies that need quick access to Interstate 85. It recently completed certification through the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Greenwood County East Rail Park is 512 acres with rail that offers direct lines to
the Port of Charleston and Savannah. The Titan International building is over 120,000 square feet with close proximity to the county airport. A fiscally responsible county that carries no debt, Greenwood County provides a “one-stop shop” for all permitting and utilities that a business needs, Brown said. “From getting a permit, engineering to review plans, inspections, building codes and zoning ordinances, we are always looking for ways to improve that service delivery,” Brown said.
Quality of life Greenwood offers a friendly, small-town experience with all the amenities found in large cities. The city of Greenwood – the largest in the county – is the 17th largest in South Carolina with a population of more than 23,000. Highlighted by a picturesque lake, lush rolling hills and a mild climate, the western Piedmont community is unparalleled as a mecca for a wide range of outdoor and leisure activities. A number of campgrounds and parks line the lake for swimming, boating, fishing, biking, hiking and picnicking. State and national parks, trails, gardens and dog parks are offered throughout the county. The lake is undergoing a resurgence as it embarks on a master plan process outlining key elements for the future, including recreation, tourism, development, and infrastructure.
COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: GREENWOOD
The Stoney Point golf course has views of Lake Greenwood. (Photo/Julie Miner)
Top notch educational opportunities continue with new offerings. Superintendent Johnson said the district will open a technology center and outfit teachers and students with Dell Chromebooks. The district offers a number of STEM classes aimed at technology, engineering and math. “The Greenwood Promise will add to that quality of education and quality of life for families all over the county,” Johnson said.
“It will result in infinite possibilities for Greenwood County students,” he said. “We always tell children,‘If you make good grades and do well in school, you can go to college,’ but the barrier for many has always been financial.” He adds, “The Greenwood Promise removes those barriers and invokes hope. When you can talk to a classroom of kindergartners and promise that they will be able to go college, you create hope for everyone.”
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Simmons Jones said leaders are looking to get more retail opportunities and dining opportunities around the lake as well as other developments such as a hotel. “Completing a master plan for Lake Greenwood will address how to make it more viable and pedestrian-friendly and expand services,” Brown said. New communities are already being developed in and around Lake Greenwood, offering more opportunities to take advantage of the rich resource. Greenwood’s Main Street and Uptown area, lined with large oak trees, is home to a variety of specialty shops offering men’s and women’s clothing, jewelry, books, furniture and fine art. With over 100 restaurants in the Greenwood area, an active community theater and several museums, there’s something for everyone. Uptown Greenwood plays host to a charming and eclectic mix of events all year long. One of the most widely known is the award-winning South Carolina Festival of Flowers, held each June, with nearly 100,000 in attendance each year. Thirtynine topiaries are displayed around the square in uptown Greenwood, based on Disney World’s “Festival of Flowers.” Greenwood has seen growth among retirees. Wesley Commons Retirement Community, built in the 1970s, is a masterplanned, full-service continuing care retirement community located on 130 wooded acres within the city limits. New communities attracting additional retirees around Lake Greenwood include Grand Harbor, Harborside, Palmetto Crossing, Stoney Point and Summer Pointe. Golf enthusiasts can take advantage of more than 15 golf courses, including a Davis Love III-designed course at Grand Harbor, and the Links at Stoney Point, host to the SYMETRA Tour, a qualifying tournament for the LPGA. According to the website Best Places To Live In South Carolina, Greenwood County recently ranked No.1 as the best place to live price wise. Land prices in the area are 15 percent lower than the U.S. average — making it even more appealing.
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RECYCLING IN S.C.
“YOUR BOTTLE MEANS JOBS”
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Both Carolinas team up to boost plastics recycling rate
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T
By Licia Jackson, Editor
he next time you empty out a plastic bottle or jug, take a good hard look at it. In that water bottle, milk jug or detergent container lies the potential to add jobs for your fellow South Carolinians. In fact, if every household in the Carolinas recycled just two
more plastic bottles per week, the result would be 300 new jobs in the plastics recycling industry, according to a new two-state campaign, “Your Bottle Means Jobs.”
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RECYCLING IN S.C.
Bottles by the numbers The value of a bottle that is thrown into the garbage
$48 + $270 =
per ton to dispose
per ton market value
$318
value per ton saved from the trash and into the recycling bin
So, if each household in the Carolina’s recycled just 2 more bottles a week...
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X
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With the recent flooding disaster making public water undrinkable for days, truckloads of bottled water were brought into South Carolina. If all those empty bottles could be recycled, the result would go a long way toward meeting the demand of S.C. and N.C. companies for reusable plastic. “We can use every pound that is recovered,” said Steve Zagorski, vice president of new business development at US Fibers in Edgefield County, a recycler of PET post industrial and post consumer materials. “With current recycling rates, we have to buy from Latin America and China. We want the jobs here.” US Fibers provides materials for such industries as automotive, furniture, nonwoven and filtration. The company makes material for Unifi in North Carolina, which uses it to make REPREVE, a recycled fiber with many uses including sports apparel. At least 15 companies in the Carolinas need recycled plastics, with 750 million tons of capacity, said Blair Pollock, a solid waste planner with Orange County, N.C., Solid Waste Management. Yet more than 70% of plastic bottles are thrown into the landfill rather than being recycled. The joint campaign of North and South Carolina to boost plastics recycling is focusing on job creation rather than the usual save-the-earth message. “The environment is not what’s on people’s minds,” Pollack said. “Jobs and the
Households in N.C. & S.C.
=
$10,000,000 gain in value and potentially create
300 new jobs
economy are way up there.” The public does not receive the message from industry that their bottles are needed, campaign materials point out. There is the hope that connecting recycling directly to economic impact and job creation will increase recycling rates among consumers. The “Your Bottle Means Jobs” campaign, to begin in spring 2016, will focus on the markets of Greenville, Raleigh and Charlotte initially. Local fundraising in North Carolina for the effort has come from Charlotte and Raleigh. And Greenville was selected because it is going through conversion from recycling bins to roll carts, said Chantal Fryer, senior manager, Recycling Market Development at the S.C. Department of Commerce. Initially “Your Bottle Means Jobs” will have three parts: billboards, radio ads and Facebook, Twitter and website. The website, yourbottlemeansjobs. com, has stories of real people who got jobs because others recycled. There’s Jermaine Allen, a foreman at US Fibers, who got his job there after being laid off from a small refrigeration company. Another success story is Annie Padilla, a line leader at Sonoco Recycling in Columbia. As the campaign progresses, events will be added to promote the message. Bottles have already meant jobs at US Fibers. “In the last eight years, our company has had tenfold growth to 210 employees,” Zagorski said. An old plant was resurrected
to house the new business, bringing jobs to the rural community of Trenton in Edgefield County. Combining the two states’ efforts to encourage recycling makes a lot of sense, Zagorski said. His company buys waste streams and bottle flake from North Carolina but is located in South Carolina. “It made a lot of sense to work together,” he said. “We can share best practices and improve recycling rates in the Carolinas.” Most plastic bottles are noted as 1 (PET) or 2 (HDPE) for recycling purposes. They are taken by a processing plant and turned into a pellet or flake that can be used by industry. The material might be used for yarn that can be made into a coat and sold by a retail store. The value chain is long, Pollack said. “There’s job creation impact all along the chain.” Many companies are making a push to be sustainable, he said. Automotive companies have goals of using as much recycled content as possible, and plastic components help reduce vehicle weight and contribute to meeting mpg targets. Recycled materials are used in making door trim, consoles and other interior components. “Your Bottle Means Jobs” is truly a grassroots campaign, Pollack said. “We’re doing it for the greater good. If people want to check the website, it’s easy to go. We’re putting the economic message in the forefront.”
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RECYCLING IN S.C.
Edisto Beach received a grant to add more recycling bins. (Photo/File)
GRANTS HELP FUND
BEACHFRONT RECYCLING By Jenny Peterson, Associate Editor
W
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hile sunbathing or relaxing at the beach, most people don’t realize that many items brought with them can be recycled right there: cans, plastic flotation devices, water bottles, beach umbrellas, magazines – even glass, despite its being prohibited at most beaches. Many beach communities have an on-
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site recycling program to collect these items, but recycling collection can be a challenge. Research has found that bins attached to trash cans are the most effective at capturing recycling. In addition, bins need to be large, properly labeled and animal-proof as well as accessible by truck for unloading. Thanks to recycling grants from the South Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control, more recycling bins will be added to four coastal area parks and beachfronts: City of North Myrtle Beach, the City of Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach and Edisto Beach. The “Twin-the-Bin” recycling grant program pays for bins to be placed in oceanfront areas next to trash cans. Kathryn Madden, county recycling coordinator with Beaufort County, where Edisto Beach is located, said the grant will cover the cost of 24 new metal containers that will be placed alongside existing trash cans in Hunting Island and Edisto Beach State Park day-use areas. “We picked those areas because they are gateways to the ACE Basin,” Madden said. She added that the recycling cans will arrive in early 2016. The City of Myrtle Beach will use its DHEC grant to place a total of 450 recycling cans throughout the 10-mile stretch of beach by summer 2016. A pilot program for 50 recycling carts was successful in capturing recyclable materials, said Richard Kirby, parks superintendent with the City of Myrtle Beach. “We were pleasantly surprised at the material that came off of the beach,” Kirby said. “The grant allows us to complete our goal for providing recycling from one end of the beach to the other,” he said. The grant will pay for 440 additional double bins for the entire stretch of beach. Surfside Beach will also use its DHEC grant to add more dual trash can and re-
Educating the public
A Twin Bin — a recycling bin paired with a trash can — is the latest in coastal recycling efforts. (Photo/Surfside Beach)
A challenge in beachfront recycling is to spread the word about recycling to tourists. While additional grant money is being designated to promote beachfront recycling through the RecycleMoreSC campaign statewide, cities are looking to tailor recycling messages specifically to their
communities. Signage with recycling information will be posted at beach access points in several coastal communities. In North Myrtle Beach, where there are many vacation rentals in the summer months, Blayton said the city will reach out to rental companies about including recycling information in check-in packets or creating refrigerator magnets with recycling information to be placed in the rental houses. “We have to educate an audience – an audience that changes every week,” Blayton said.
RECYCLING IN S.C.
like to have a can for each lot and even acquire cans for direct placement on the beach itself.” The goal is to add 100 cans to the nine miles of beach access, he said.
cycling bins to its fleet. John Adair, public works director, said the need for increased recycling is certainly there. “We pick up between 15 to 20 tons of recycling during the summer,” Adair said. The grant will fund three new recycling cans. In the city of North Myrtle Beach, a previous recycling grant helped purchase a recycling trailer and collection equipment. This year’s grant will add the double bins to the beach, said Kevin Blayton, director of public works with the City of North Myrtle Beach. “We’re concentrated on having recycling cans at all access points and all public beach parking lots,” Blayton said. “We have more than 50 beach parking lots, and we would
Twin-the-Bin The Oceanfront Twin-the-Bin Recycling Grant program was established by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to assist local governments in efforts to achieve the state’s recommended municipal solid waste recycling goal of 40% by 2020. Below is a breakdown of 2016 grant funding by community.
TOTAL: $114,435
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OCEANFRONT TWIN-THE-BIN RECYCLING GRANT AWARDS Beaufort County: $40,000 City of Myrtle Beach: $40,000 City of North Myrtle Beach: $26,735 Town of Surfside Beach: $7,700
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Football is ‘golden g
24 THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
THE B
THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
BIG GAME
goose’ for college budgets, regional economy By Matthew Clark, Editor of GSA Business
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Williams-Brice Stadium , home to the USC Gamecocks, added a 36-foot scoreboard in 2012. (Photo/USC Athletics)
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THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
S
ay what you will about the state of football in South Carolina, but communities from the Upstate to the Lowcountry and places in between can count the dollars generated from Saturdays in the fall. With Clemson University in the Upstate and the University of
South Carolina in the Midlands, it’s the Lowcountry that doesn’t have
a major college football program to get behind. There is The Citadel, which is a draw, but W. Tommy McQueeney, a Citadel graduate, hopes to change the
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college football landscape in 2016.
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McQueeney, chairman of the Medal of Honor Bowl, recently announced the game would feature two Football Bowl Subdivision teams beginning in 2016. That deviates from its prior All-Star game format imposed due to a ban on postseason activities in the state by the NCAA. The ban had been placed because of the flying of the Confederate battle flag on the grounds of the Statehouse in Columbia. After lawmakers voted to remove the flag, that opened the door for the Medal of Honor Bowl to become a true bowl game – the first of its kind in South Carolina. “My attempt is to bring the entire state behind this as a legitimate game that matters,” McQueeney said. “People from across the country will watch this game, which adds tourism and has a definite economic impact.” Last year, the game drew 12,500 fans to The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium. McQueeney said it drew more fans than any
of The Citadel’s home games that season. Money generated from the game assists the national Medal of Honor museum, currently located at Patriot’s Point on the USS Yorktown. Plans are to move the museum into its own location, presumably at Patriot’s Point. He estimated the economic impact of the game in 2014 to be around $3.5 million back to the Charleston area. That estimate increased to around $8 million for the game in January 2015. McQueeney said now that the game will feature two teams with a traveling fan base, that number should be even larger when the first game is played in December 2016. With the NCAA’s blessing, McQueeney said the process of developing television rights, corporate sponsorships and the all-important conference affiliations kicks into high gear. The conference affiliations determine which conferences may potentially send teams to the game. Because of
Clemson University home football games draw an average of more than 78,000 enthusiastic fans. (Photos/Dawson Powers (right) and David Platt (top), Clemson University)
THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
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The other hot college football ticket in South Carolina rests in the small hamlet of Clemson, where the nationally ranked
Staff writers Chris Cox and Bill Poovey contributed to this report.
THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
The Clemson experience
Tigers have developed a large following that generates millions for the area. A recent report by the Regional Dynamics and Economic Modeling Laboratory estimated Clemson’s seven home games bring in approximately $77 million in economic impact. That includes $580,000 to local governments and another $784,000 to the state. The figures are based on average game attendance at Memorial Stadium of more than 78,000. It includes weekend spending on meals, souvenirs and hotel rooms. The Strom Thurmond Institute lab report shows each Clemson home game nets $211,824 in local government revenue for Greenville County; Anderson County, $109,122; Pickens County, $99,493; Oconee County, $42,793; and $579,842 statewide. State government net revenue from each game totals $784,177. Residual effects include private residential and commercial developments in and around the city of Clemson. Most recently, the Clemson City Council approved plans for a commercial and apartment development estimated to cost between $40 million and $44 million. The Fendley-Earle project will consist of commercial space and a multilevel apartment complex with an attached six-level parking deck. There is also the $30 million Grandmarc mixed-use development planned for the old Clemson Center along U.S. Route 76. That project includes 20,000 square feet of commercial development and a 494-bedroom residential space targeting Clemson University students. On campus, construction of Douthit Hills, a $212 million residential village, has started with an estimated completion date of summer 2018. Tracking back to football, the Clemson University Board of Trustees recently approved issuing $19.5 million in athletic facilities revenue bonds to help fund a new football operations building. Athletic success of football has spilled over to benefit other parts of the athletics department. The university is in the midst of replacing Littlejohn Coliseum at a cost of $67 million, and plans are on the table to upgrade Doug Kingsmore Stadium for baseball.
Gamecock Walk is part of many improvements surrounding USC’s Williams-Brice Stadium. (Photo/Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina).
those details needing to be worked out, there won’t be a game this season. “We are in discussions with all of that,” McQueeney said. “We want to make sure that what we bring to Charleston and the state of South Carolina is something sustainable for years to come.”
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The Spurrier connection
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At the University of South Carolina, the economic impact has not been measured as much by its football team as by its coach. The October resignation of Steve Spurrier affects the economy in the city of Columbia and the Midlands. University sports and entertainment professor Tom Regan said Spurrier’s impact was nearly impossible to quantify, but that his value to not just the Gamecocks’ athletic department but the region could not be undersold. Some of the upgrades for the Gamecocks and their fans are: • A $17 million indoor practice facility behind the 50-acre, $30 million Gamecock Park tailgate hub • The 36-foot high scoreboard added to Williams-Brice Stadium in 2012 • A $5 million upgrade to the S.C. State Fair’s 40-acre parking lot from a dirt lot to a green space with an underground drainage system • A $14.5 million project to surround
the football stadium with tree-lined walkways, which was completed before the start of the 2015 season. The athletic department budget has ballooned from $19 million in 1991 to nearly $105 million today. An additional $31 million comes from television rights through the Southeastern Conference. Between its SEC Network, bowl game payouts and other contributions, the league has paid out a record $455.8 million during the 2014 season. USC also has its apparel contract with Under Armour, valued at $6.2 million through 2017, which makes for a nice chunk of change to the athletics department budget. Then, there are the private residential developments such as Carolina Walk Condominiums, The Spur at Williams-Brice, Stadium Village Lofts and The Gates at Williams-Brice, which all came to fruition between 2005 and 2007. “Without football, the viability of an athletic program at the University of South Carolina is not sustainable,” Regan said. “I’ve often said football is the golden goose, and it is. And it has to be taken care of.”
THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
Paying to play Youth sports pump money into local economy
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By Chris Cox, Staff Writer | Photography by Jeff Blake
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college kids themselves. Until, of course, they start carting heaps of paraphernalia to sporting events. “We’re lugging these chairs and these coolers, I’ve got the bag full of bug spray, baby wipes and all this stuff,”
THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
N
o matter how fast their children seem to grow, Whitney and Trey McCarley are convinced they are still young, hip,
Whitney said, laughing. “I’m like, ‘OK, yeah, I’m the old lady now because I’m lugging around BenGay and face wipes.’”
Life is full tilt in the McCarley house, rarely a dull moment. Daughter Erin, 11, and son Liam, 7, keep their parents busy with
year-long sports schedules that require their share of time and investment. There are no off-seasons for this family of four. “But you know what?” Whitney asks, eager to give the answer she’s undoubtedly given countless times before. “When you have kids, you want them to be involved and to experience so much. Trey and I feel like it doesn’t matter how much it may cost. We’re going to do it.” A rainstorm catches teams Dynamo and Galaxy early in a game at Saluda Shoals Park in Irmo on a late October evening. The players are in the 10-12-year-old division of the Midlands’ Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission League.
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THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS www.scbizmag.com
Children usually begin playing on recreation department teams and may progress to travel teams as their skills develop. Here, Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission League players compete in a soccer game.
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These parents are among many just like them, ready to go the extra mile for their children to participate in youth sports. The sheer number would be daunting to count, just as the industry’s overall economic impact is often difficult to quantify. Across the state, organizations are tallying up just how much a given youth tournament is pumping into their local community. A nice, round number can be tough to pin down – there are simply too many events and not enough resources to determine each one’s impact. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a big number. Far from it. “If you add them all up across the state, then it does compete with University of South Carolina or Clemson football, or the race at Darlington or the golf tournaments across the state,” said Scott Powers, executive director of the Columbia Regional Sports Council. “You’re talking every weekend throughout the year in pretty much every community in the state. It’s putting people in hotels, heads in beds, and then generating restaurant visits that otherwise wouldn’t happen.” The S.C. Sports Alliance, a statewide collaborative associated with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, has
just under 30 members across the state’s 46 counties, Powers said. With many counties having multiple members, he estimates the 15 biggest counties likely pull in between $5 million and $10 million from youth sports, meaning anywhere from $75 million to $150 million total statewide in a given year. It’s not an exact science, and the range is vast, but it does offer some perspective on just how powerful the industry can be for South Carolina communities. “There’s no doubt it makes a difference, but I’ve never seen any work done on it,” said Tom Regan, a USC professor often hired to do similar economic impact studies. “There’s no question when they come in and have those tournaments people from out of town come. You see an uptick in it.” There is data on individual events to help reinforce these estimates. In July 2012, a girls’ fast pitch softball tournament brought in $6.2 million in a cooperative event put on by Greenville and Spartanburg counties, where 16,900 unique visitors took part with an average travel party size of 3.34 people. That same year, a youth soccer tournament in Greenville, which featured around 200 teams, generated $4.8 million for the community, thanks in large part to the more than 10,000 combined hotel room nights it
accumulated. And in 2014, a two-day soccer tournament brought in $90,000; a two-day baseball tournament brought in $241,000; and a 70-team, two-day lacrosse event totaled $1.1 million for the community. A swim meet at the relatively new Westside Aquatic Complex had an impact of $830,000 for the Greenville area, and a 50team baseball tournament capped 2014 with an estimated $230,000. These events may not attract the same interest a Saturday night college football game in Clemson’s Death Valley does, but its influence on Greenville is nevertheless felt. “Professional sports or college sports are certainly more high-profile,” said Jeff Poole with Greenville County Parks, Recreation and Tourism, which has partnered with Clemson for the last eight years on these economic impact studies. “They get a lot more media coverage. It’s more sexy.” In Columbia, the top 10 largest youth events from the last fiscal year generated a total $5.1 million in direct economic impact, Powers said. That includes: • $855,744 from the Class 3-A and 4-A high school football championships • $702,605 from the St. Patrick’s Day Cup soccer event • $673,244 from the USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championship • $640,0913 from the high school basketball championships. Typically, girls’ sports generate more revenue for the community than boys’ sports do, Powers noted, as females are more likely to travel with bigger party sizes. Parents are less inclined to leave a daughter with a coach, he said. Cheerleading, girls’ volleyball and both boys’ and girls’ soccer tend to be the biggest financial draws. Youth sports have long been the “bread and butter” of the Columbia Regional Sports Council, Powers said, noting it was one of the few things that stayed flat during the economic downtown. Without it, his organization would not exist. And Powers isn’t alone in appreciation of the youth effect. In Charleston, Kathleen Cartland didn’t truly realize how lucrative the business was until speaking with local hoteliers, who kept urging her to bring in
Manchester Meadows Back in 2006, the city of Rock Hill completed Manchester Meadows, a top quality sports facility with fields, parking, concessions, trails and pavilion. Open to residents and visitors, the facility provides for year-round recreation and leisure through athletic programs and offers spaces for community festivals and events. Another major role for Manchester Meadows is hosting local, regional and national sporting events. Soccer tournaments, lacrosse events and in 2015 the Quidditch World Cup have been held there. The estimated direct economic impact for sports events at Manchester Meadows in 2014 is $10.8 million.
THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
Build it and they will come
Source: City of Rock Hill
Photos/City of Rock Hill
we had a facility near Tanger Outlet.’” One positive, though, is that the challenge allows her team to focus on events others can’t host, particularly water-oriented sports. And there are unique Charleston facility options on hand, such as the Carolina Ice Palace, or professional venues such as the Charleston Battery’s MUSC Health Stadium. As for the McCarley family, they have not had to travel out of town much just yet, but the parents knows that point is looming. Erin’s tennis matches and Liam’s baseball games are year-round, and it’s only a matter of time before out-of-town travel begins. Whitney and Trey McCarley are fine with supporting their children – and maybe unknowingly contributing to economic impact, too. “There’s so much out there for the kids to do,” Whitney said. “Let’s let them do it. They’re enjoying it.”
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similar sporting events. The executive director of the Charleston Area Sports Commission said the city has about 300 events on tap this year, with well over half of those of the youth variety. She did not have any data on their financial impact readily available. Of greater concern for Cartland is making sure her community stays competitive in the game. One of the area’s biggest problems, she believes, is the lack of new facilities being built by municipalities. Highprofile tournaments are instead flocking to new state-of-the-art fields ready to handle large numbers of participants. She called it a nationwide issue which constantly comes up at industry conferences. “We just haven’t had anybody come on board to do it,” Cartland said. “I don’t know why. We need a municipality like North Charleston to say, ‘Hey, we could really bring in more people to stay in our hotels if
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THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
Diamonds, greens and asphalt
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S.C. has no big-time pro teams, but events bring in dollars By Chris Cox, Staff Writer
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teve Wilmot may not ever forget what that 2011 Heritage was like. It remains part of an almost nightmarish memory he likely would not wish on anyone. “I would never want to have that experience again,” the PGA Tour event’s tournament director said. “We were at the 12th hour. That Sunday of the event in 2011, I had no idea what our future held.” The tournament had humble beginnings in 1969, when Arnold Palmer took home the inaugural tartan jacket and a modest $100,000 purse. Since then the tournament has morphed into the lifeblood of the Hilton Head Island community, and now infuses more than $96 million annually into the state, according to a Clemson University study. But that economic impact wasn’t always
a sure thing. When Brandt Snedeker edged Luke Donald in a playoff on that Sunday in 2011, the Heritage’s future was anything but certain. The event had lost title sponsor Verizon the year before, and played without one the following year thanks to financial reserves and public dollars. But before it could fold, Gov. Nikki Haley and fellow state officials, as well as outspoken PGA Tour members, rallied to preserve one of the most cherished stops on tour. Royal Bank of Canada pledged to become the title sponsor with a $6 million, five-year contract, and Boeing followed with a $1 million deal through 2016. The collaborative effort of these groups showcased the importance the tournament had to the Lowcountry – and the overall impact professional sports has on South Carolina, despite its lack of any particular
Kids hang out before a Greenville Drive ba seball game at the city’s Flu or Field. (Photo/Prov ided)
franchise. “We don’t compete with the NBA, NFL, MLB or hockey,” Wilmot said. “We do have a unique story in that respect, in that people around aren’t watching our team play every Sunday or an NBA team playing 81 games.” Just a short drive up U.S. 17, Kiawah Island helped usher in an estimated $193 million for South Carolina when it welcomed the 2012 PGA Championship. In 2021, the 103rd edition of the event will return to the Charleston area, bringing in even more dollars. The championship tournament’s economic impact study, completed by the College of Charleston School of Business and PGA of America data, said more than 50,000 out-of-town visitors flocked to the Lowcountry for the week. More than $92 million was spent by these fans, the study said, which in turn produced $26 million in labor income and supported 832 jobs. The tournament was estimated to generate more than $75 million in media exposure during 154 hours of TV coverage that was watched in 580 million households, PGA of America said. “We expect to build on that success in 2021, with the only all-professional major that features the strongest field in golf,” president Derek Sprague said. “It promises to be another milestone in the enduring history of this great championship.” Elsewhere in Charleston, the annual Family Circle Cup has an estimated economic impact of $25 million, according to the Charleston Area Sports Commission. The tennis tournament took a big step forward earlier this fall when Volvo Cars of North America stepped up as the title sponsor. But the quiet environment surrounding
Spectators watch golfers near the clubhouse at the Heritage tournament in Hilton Head Island. (Photo/Heritage Classic Foundation)
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The Charleston Riverdogs have been drawing record crowds to Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park, also known as “The Joe.” (Photo/Provided)
THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
the state’s golf and tennis events aren’t the only sports source pumping in dollars. In the Pee Dee region, the roaring engines of cars at the Darlington Raceway contribute an estimated $54 million to South Carolina, according to a 2009 study. The track, affectionately nicknamed “The Lady in Black” is home to NASCAR’s Bojangles’ Southern 500. And while no big franchise calls the state home, South Carolina does house a quartet of Single-A Minor League Baseball teams. Charleston has the Riverdogs, Greenville has the Drive, Myrtle Beach has the Pelicans and, beginning next May, Columbia will welcome the Fireflies. Fireflies owner Jason Freier says these clubs spur economic impact through the surrounding development they encourage, the jobs they create and the tax effect the stadium has. His Bull Street stadium is at the epicenter of the redevelopment of the largest undeveloped property in downtown Columbia, a parcel that might still be untouched had the team not opted to relocate from Savannah. “If we didn’t have a project like this going on, nobody would be coming on the Bull Street site,” Freier said. “The ballpark hasn’t even opened and you’re already seeing activity on the site. … That kind of stuff wouldn’t happen without the ballpark as a catalyst.” And though out-of-town fans don’t account for much, visiting teams still bring 30 players each on 70 different nights during a given season. Though there may be no big professional franchise, the Lowcountry greens, Pee Dee asphalt and minor league diamonds still play their parts in the health of South Carolina’s economy.
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DAYS OF
DESTRUCTION Flooding leaves South Carolinians looking for way to recovery
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By Chuck Crumbo, Editor of Columbia Regional Business Report | Photography by Perry Baker Photography
he reckoning of the damage from one long weekend of rain in South Carolina will be with us for a long time to come. Early in October, a 1,000-year storm fed by Hurricane Joaquin dumped more than two feet of rain over some parts of the state, causing widespread flooding. By the end of the month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had approved 24 of the state’s 46 counties for individual assistance and 34 of them for public aid. As the waters rushed over the state, 550 roads and bridges were closed and 36 dams failed. More than 40,000 people lost water service, 26,000 lost power, and Department of Natural Resources officers performed more than 175 water rescues. Twenty-six shelters took care of displaced residents. Untold numbers of South Carolinians had major damage to homes and cars. Some lost everything. Although much of the news reporting focused on the Columbia and Charleston
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areas, many other parts of the state were inundated. Parts of interstates 95, 20, 77 and 126 were closed. Some areas in Florence, Williamsburg and Clarendon counties were cut off by flood waters. Georgetown and Horry counties were flooded by rains and then were threatened by water moving downriver from other parts of the state. As the costs of repairs and replacements mount, it looks like South Carolina will need plenty of capital. “I’m convinced that this event is far beyond a billion dollars,” said U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. “Whatever it is we know it’s far beyond the capacity of these local communities to respond and we plan to give them the federal assistance that is necessary.” The aid from Washington will come in the form of grants and low-cost loans through the Small Business Administration and FEMA. The SBA, which had its first disaster team on S.C. soil less than 48 hours after President Obama’s disaster declaration on
Oct. 5, had received more than 1,600 loan applications and approved 110 for a total of $2.5 million, said SBA Chief Maria Contreras-Sweet during an Oct. 21 visit to South Carolina. “But we know there are a whole lot more folks out there and sometimes our pride holds us up,” she said. “I want people to know that the SBA is here for them at this time. They did not choose this situation. It came to them. And I want them to feel that we understand.” FEMA reported Nov. 2 – nearly a month after the flooding began – that it had doled out nearly $120 million in aid to households, individuals, and public agencies. FEMA also said that it had approved more than 18,600 applications for assistance. Meanwhile, Kim Stenson, director of the S.C. Emergency Management Division, reported to a state Senate committee that 1,400 houses around the state had sustained damage exceeding $10,000 and another 30,000 residences had repair bills
On the morning of Oct. 4, Columbia residents woke up to massive flooding caused by as much as 15 inches of rain . As waters damaged homes, businesses and autos, many were forced to evacuate by any means possible.
under $10,000. Additionally, local and state agencies have spent millions to repair roads and bridges along the interstate highways as well as two-lane blacktops in rural areas. The City of Columbia, with the aid of the S.C. National Guard and several private companies, had to rebuild a dike on the Columbia Canal and make extensive repairs to the public water system. That repair bill and subsequent replacement is expected to costs millions, officials said. The FEMA and SBA figures don’t include private insurance claims filed for damage to homes, businesses, and cars. The S.C. Department of Insurance, which issued a data call seeking information about claims from private carriers, was in the process of crunching numbers. Because much of the damage to buildings was caused by flood, it’s possible out-ofpocket costs could be substantial because few businesses and homeowners in the disaster areas have flood insurance. As of July 31, the state had 199,540 policies through the national flood program in force covering $50.8 billion in property and contents. In Richland County, which sustained the
most extensive flooding, there were 1,279 flood insurance policies in force, according to FEMA records. The injection of capital will be key to putting some steam back into the local economy, Contreras-Sweet said. “You have to see how quickly people are restored and brought back to business and working,” she said. “That will limit and sort of contain the situation.” The first measure of the flooding’s impact on the state economy will be reflected in the weekly report on initial claims for unemployment insurance, said Joey Von Nessen, research economist at the University of South Carolina. “That should give us the first real picture of what disruption was caused to the economy,” Von Nessen said. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, South Carolina had the largest increase in initial claims for the week ending Oct. 17 with an increase of 2,156. With the economic lessons of Hurricane Hugo in 1989 serving as a guide, the state will likely see a decline in activity in the fourth quarter, Von Nessen said. Major disruptions to the economy could be the result
of people not being able to get to work and businesses unable to reopen their doors. The next phase will likely see the economy improve as the area shifts from recovery to reconstruction. Money will be spent on repairs, new equipment, appliances, and furniture. Another measure of the storm’s economic impact will be the effect it has on personal wealth because some will have to pay out of pocket for repairs. “Though there’s a boost in construction, that tends to mask the loss of wealth,” Von Nessen said. “I think that the long-term effect on the economy will be temporary.” Recovery is a process, Gov. Nikki Haley reminded residents a few days after the flooding began. “We are going to take every single person in every single county through that process. Our goal is to make sure that the resources are available, our goal is to make sure that the safety is there and our goal is to make sure that we recover and we come out of this stronger than we started. I have no doubt that South Carolina is stronger today than we were yesterday.” Staff Writer Ashley Heffernan contributed this report.
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companies and 20 large companies. To qualify for Roaring Twenties consideration, companies had to
ROARING TWENTIES WINNERS: LARGE COMPANIES
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he Roaring Twenties recognizes the 40 fastest-growing companies in South Carolina: 20 small be nominated by a third party or through self-nomination. Companies must have a physical presence in South Carolina and can be a for-profit entity or a nonprofit organization (except
for government entities and charitable organizations, including 501(c)3 organizations. These are not eligible.) The nominated companies provided financial information to SC Biz News, which was sent to the accounting firm Cherry Bekaert 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 2012, 2013 and 2014. A formula was used that awarded points based on both dollar and percentage increases in revenue generated from South Carolina operations from years 2013-2014. Both of these criteria were used 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. All 40 companies were honored at an event in Columbia on Oct. 28. The companies and their profiles are presented in this issue of SC BIZ. We hope you enjoy reading more about them.
This event took place on October 28, 2015 at the Marriott Columbia Emceed by: Chris William, Series Executive Producer and Moderator
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Event photography by Jeff Blake
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ROARING TWENTIES WINNERS: LARGE COMPANIES
Photos from the event
Chris William, Emcee
Networking at company displays
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Reception dishes are cooked to order.
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Charles Johnson of the Carolina Panthers and Jan-Pro
ROARING TWENTIES WINNERS: LARGE COMPANIES
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Creative Builders Inc.
AM Conservation Group Inc.
Winner: Large Companies 200 East Broad St., Suite 150, Greenville, SC 29601 www.creativebuilders.net
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Total number of local employees: 45 Top local executive: Will McCauley, president; Jim White, CFO; Dexter LeCroy, COO Product or service: General contractor Year founded locally: 1971
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Company bio: Creative Builders Inc. was established in 1971 by William H. McCauley II and is licensed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Since its inception, Creative Builders has been involved in major residential, multi-family, commercial, interior upfits, light industrial and health care construction and renovation. What sets your company apart from the competition? We facilitate a true team approach that enhances the lines of communication between constructors, designers and engineers. We provide valueengineering input early during the design phase, where costs can be impacted the most. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Overall, our employees have been the main driver of this year’s growth through their ability to serve and exceed the expectations of our clients. Their hard work has allowed us to form deep and lasting relationships with our customer base, which in turn has led to bigger opportunities in the current marketplace.
What are your personal leadership values? We believe in traditional conservative values and an employee focused environment. During the downturn in the economy, we did not have company layoffs. We take a lot of pride that some of our longest tenured employees are carpenters. We believe strongly in maintaining company morale in hopes that a happy employee is an integral part of becoming a productive employee. What key piece of advice would you give to someone starting out in your field? Learn as much as you can every day from your superintendents/peers. Although every job is different and unique, the traits you need to succeed in construction can be learned from those in charge of running the project. Be safety focused in all aspects of the job and never be afraid to ask questions/express concerns if a problem arises. What changes do you see ahead in your industry and how are you planning for them? We are concerned with possible interest rate increases and an overbuilt economy – particularly in the multi-family sector. Through our conservative model of minimal debt and strong liquidity, we believe we can adjust to interest rate hikes. Through our 18-month forecasting model and diversification of our revenues, we believe we can adjust when we face another economic downturn.
AM Conservation Group Inc.
2301 Charleston Regional Parkway, Charleston, SC 29492 www.amconservationgroup.com Total number of local employees: 71 Top local executive: Todd Recknagel, CEO Product or service: Water and energy saving products Year founded locally: 2005 Company bio: Established in 1989, AM Conservation Group Inc. is a leading provider of products and services to utilities and municipalities. Founded on principles of customer service and energy conservation, the company provides each and every client with personalized service. AM Conservation Group develops, manufactures and distributes professional-grade products for the conservation industry, including energy efficient LED lighting, weatherization products, water saving showerheads, faucet aerators and toilet tank devices as well as managing utility program services.
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Ishpi Information Technologies Inc.
401 Seacoast Parkway, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.ishpi.net Total number of local employees: 12 Top local executive: Noah T. Leask Product or service: Federal services contractor Year founded locally: 2006 Company bio: ISHPI was born a cyber services company supporting U.S. Armed Forces personnel and other direct defenders of the homeland with a heavy focus on emerging asymmetric Information Operations. We have grown from a small handful of employees to over 320 employees. Our focus on cyber-related services has held steady while our client base and functional capabilities expanded exponentially to envelop essentially all cyber impacted components of modern warfare. What sets your company apart? A corporate culture built on caring for our employees and customers as if they were family.
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MAU Workforce Solutions
7993 Pelham Road, Greenville, SC 29615 www.mau.com Total number of local employees: 134 Top local executive: Randall W. Hatcher, president Product or service: Staffing, recruiting, and outsourcing solutions Year founded locally: 1987 Company bio: MAU Workforce Solutions develops innovative workforce solutions for staffing, recruiting and outsourcing needs. MAU is a family-owned minority company serving the U.S. and 30 countries. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? With MAU’s primary focus in the manufacturing industry, the growth in this segment and the increased demand for workforce solutions greatly impacted the company’s success. How are you planning for change? We began the MAU Skill School in Greenville to provide solutions to the problem of the growing skills gap.
Sabal Homes LLC
421 Wando Park Blvd., Suite 230, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.SabalHomesSC.com Total number of local employees: 29 Top local executive: R. Matthew Jones, Jason E. Simpson, W. Todd Ussery Product or service: Homebuilder Year founded locally: 2005 Company bio: Named for the sabal palmetto, the state tree of South Carolina, Sabal Homes offers the combined expertise of three Carolina natives: Matt Jones, Jason Simpson, and Todd Ussery. With extensive backgrounds in land acquisition, product development, construction and customer service, Sabal Homes delivers unsurpassed value and quality to the new home buyer in the Charleston market. The Sabal Homes approach emphasizes appealing streetscapes and exteriors combined with modern, functional floor plans. From home design to closing, Sabal Homes’ staff listen and respond to customers’ needs.
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Crescent Homes
OTO Development
100 Dunbar St,, Suite 402, Spartanburg, SC 29306 www.otodevelopment.com Total number of local employees: 55 Top local executive: Corry Oakes, CEO Product or service: Hospitality Year founded locally: 2004 Company bio: OTO Development is an award-winning, rapidly growing hotel development and management company. Its industry leadership position is anchored by a portfolio of great hotels managed by exceptional people. In the past 10 years, OTO Development has developed over 60 hotels and currently operates portfolios of hotels for a publicly traded REIT, private equity firms and high net worth individuals. Today, the company continues its impressive growth with more than $1 billion in urban new development projects in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Manhattan, south Florida and Washington, DC.
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Quality Business Solutions Inc.
280 Hindman Road, Travelers Rest, SC 29690 qualitybsolutions.net Total number of local employees: 30 Top local executive: Pamela Evette, president/CEO Product or service: Payroll, human resources and benefits Year founded locally: 2000 Company bio: Quality Business Solutions Inc. provides a wide and comprehensive range of benefits and services that can be tailored to meet your company’s individual needs. A 100% woman-owned business, QBS is a cost effective outsource solution for non-core business functions. Our integrated PEO/ASO services include payroll administration, unemployment management, insurance, benefit administration, human resources, workers’ compensation, tax-reporting and more. What sets your company apart from the competition? QBS offers the advantages of a payroll company and benefits provider under one roof.
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572 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407 www.crescenthomes.net Total number of local employees: 55 Top local executive: Edward M. Terry Product or service: Residential home builder Year founded locally: 2009 Company bio: Crescent Homes is a local, flexible home builder committed to providing quality and timeless homes and neighborhoods throughout the Charleston area. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Our average price point increased, which served as a main driver in our revenue growth along with an increase in number of units sold. What sets your company apart from the competition? Our ability to be innovative and flexible with everything we do puts Crescent Homes in a class of its own.
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105 N. Spring Street, Suite 200, Greenville, SC 29601 www.htijobs.com Total number of local employees: 135 Top local executive: Herbert W. Dew III Product or service: Human resource services, staffing, outsourced manufacturing solutions Year founded locally: 1999 Company bio: Human Technologies Inc. is a multifaceted human resource advisory firm providing professional recruiting, industrial staffing, human resource consulting and logistics/warehouse management services. HTI is one of the Southeast’s most innovative and versatile human resource firms. The company develops and delivers custom-designed programs built on accountability and quality to provide exceptional workforce management services, including recruiting, contracting, outplacement, consulting and testing.
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Human Technologies Inc.
Kelly Services
3032 W. Montague Ave., North Charleston, SC 29418 and 5900 Core Ave., Suite 400, North Charleston, SC 29406 www.kellyservices.com Total number of local employees: 11 internal; 1,100 field-based locally Top local executive: John Meekins Product or service: Workforce solutions including contract, contract to hire and direct hire Year founded locally: 1967 Company bio: Founded by William R. Kelly in 1946, Kelly Services has provided workforce solutions to customers in a variety of industries. Kelly’s range of workforce solutions and geographic coverage has grown steadily over the years to match the needs of its customers. Its traditional expertise began with office services, call center, light industrial, and electronic assembly staffing. Today, Kelly also offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services.
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Kudzu Staffing
108 Clair Drive, Piedmont SC 29673 www.kudzustaffing.com Total number of local employees: internal 30, external 900 Top local executives: Will Jones and Sean Thornton Product or service: Staffing Year founded locally: 2006 Company bio: Kudzu Staffing was established in 2006 by friends Will Jones and Sean Thornton. Sean, who worked for two different staffing companies over six years, shared the business model that would make their dreams reality. Founded upon communication, honesty, sales ability and commitment, Kudzu has grown to five locations and a stand-alone medical division. Revenues have grown to $24 million and a workforce of over 900 employees. What sets your company apart from the competition? Kudzu’s staff of highly skilled recruiters, employee benefits and personal relationships.
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Scout Boats Inc.
2531 Highway 78, West Summerville, SC 29483 www.scoutboats.com Total number of local employees: 300 Top local executive: Steve Potts Product or service: Boat manufacturing Year founded locally: 1989 Company bio: Scout Boats was founded by South Carolina resident Steve Potts in 1989 and he continues to this day to be on the shop floor daily working on the models. From the first 14-footer to the now expansive offering of more than 20 class-leading models ranging from 17 to 42 feet, what sets Scout Boats apart from other manufacturers is product quality. Year after year, the research and development team creates stunning new models. Scout has introduced more than 20 new models in the previous five years alone. They are the most innovative, attractive and highest performing models in their class.
GBS Building Supply
11 Geneva Court, Greenville, SC 29607 gbsbuilding.com Total number of local employees: 122 Top local executive: Bob Barreto, CEO Product or service: Distributor of building materials to residential and commercial construction markets Year founded locally: 1972 Company bio: GBS Building Supply is an employee-owned company founded in 1972. Builders, remodelers, architects, and homeowners choose GBS because of its knowledge, wide spectrum of products, prompt service, and attention to detail. In addition to a full-service lumberyard, GBS supplies windows, doors, decking, cabinets and countertops, roofing, siding, installed stone, insulation and house wrap, locks and hardware. The company’s specialties include green products, cabinetry design services and commercial applications.
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A3 Communications Inc.
EDTS
411 University Ridge, Suite 205, Greenville, SC 29601 www.EDTSolutions.com Total number of local employees: 65 Top local executive: Charles Johnson Product or service: Managed IT and security services Year founded locally: 1999 Company bio: EDTS is a regional technology consulting firm that specializes in providing managed IT services, network security and advanced infrastructure solutions to organizations across the Southeast. Founded in 1999, EDTS prides itself on remaining current with the latest in emerging technologies, attracting top talent and increasing clients’ profitability by reducing costs associated with information technology. EDTS serves clients in the health care, manufacturing, distribution, education, nonprofit, governmental and professional service industries and launched a Security Operations Center this year.
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Master Power Transmission
201W. McBee Ave, Suite 303, Greenville, SC 29601 www.master-pt.com Total number of local employees: 112 total; 10 in South Carolina Top local executive: Michael Cinquemani, CEO Product or service: Industrial gear reducers Year founded locally: 2010 Company bio: Master Power Transmission manufactures an exceptional line of high-quality, durable gear reducer products. Gear boxes are fully manufactured from raw materials in the U.S. and shipped all over North America, Europe and Asia. What sets your company apart from the competition? Master Power Transmission is smaller and more nimble with an incredibly talented and dedicated staff. The company’s deliveries are much faster and its products are more durable. Master Power Transmission focuses on person to person relationships both internally and externally.
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1038 Kinley Road, Irmo, SC 29063 www.a3communications.com Total number of local employees: 80 Top local executive: F. Joseph Thomas, chief executive officer and Brian Thomas, president Product or service: Systems integration/information technology Year founded locally: 1990 Company bio: In 1990, F. Joseph Thomas established A3 Communications. Only years later, A3 Communications’ services expanded from software development to data networking and security. A3 adopted VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) early, while still fulfilling traditional digital voice solutions. In 2001, A3’s fiber and cabling division was formed, and in 2008, they launched the surveillance and access control division. A3 is an all-inclusive communications and Information Technology (IT) provider servicing every aspect of technology infrastructure.
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Total Beverage Solution
421 Wando Park Blvd., Suite 200; Mount Pleasant, SC, 29464 TBSBrands.com Total number of local employees: 18 Top local executive: Dave Pardus, CEO Product or service: Importer and supplier of beer, wine and spirits Year founded locally: 2002 Company bio: Started by industry veterans, Total Beverage Solution is a fast-growing, fully-integrated importer and supplier with a highly selective portfolio of wine, beer and premium spirits. From the world’s oldest brewery, Weihenstephan, to Scotland’s smallest distillery, Edradour, TBS’s portfolio is composed of products made all over the world that have intriguing heritage and innovative spirit. Total Beverage Solution is a five-time Beverage Industry Top 100 company and has earned a reputation for its all-inclusive business model, diverse portfolio of quality brands and commitment to providing exceptional products.
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Find Great People
15 Brendan Way, Suite 140, Greenville, SC 29615 www.fgp.com Total number of local employees: 58 Top local executive: John Uprichard, president and CEO Product or service: Professional and technology staffing, executive search and human resources consulting Year founded locally: 1982 Brief company bio: FGP International (Find Great People) is a nationally recognized recruitment and human resources consulting organization that specializes in multiple functional areas across industries throughout the United States and internationally. FGP has been in business since 1982, serving as career partners for organizations and professionals. With the majority of its business coming from repeat clients, FGP’s goal is to develop a long-term relationship built on performance and client satisfaction that transcends any one specific hire or project.
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South Atlantic Bank
630 29th Ave., North Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 www.SouthAtlantic.bank Total number of local employees: 75 Top local executive: K. Wayne Wicker, chairman and CEO Product or service: Financial services Year founded locally: 2007 Company bio: Founded by a group of Grand Strand business leaders to meet the needs of small to medium businesses and their owners, South Atlantic Bank has grown to six full-service offices – five along the Grand Strand and one in Mount Pleasant. The bank’s services menu includes a mobile banking app and remote deposit capture and cash management services. The bank offers traditional personal and business products, including checking, savings, money market accounts, mortgages, loans and lines of credit. Its philosophy emphasizes credit quality, sound banking practices and exemplary customer service.
Contingent Resource Solutions
337 Spartangreen Blvd, Duncan, SC 29334 www.crshireright.com Total number of local employees: 425 Top local executive: Debbie Gentry Product or service: Staffing Year founded locally: 2012 Company bio: Contingent Resource Solutions started with a friendship between two women, Debbie Gentry, CPA, and Jaime Boling, CGMA and former manufacturing CFO. Jaime and Debbie used their complementary skills, knowledge and expertise to build a customer-service driven staffing company. CRS provides staffing for light industrial and construction. Positions filled span management to general labor. Programs can be customized for direct hire, temp to permanent or temporary employees. CRS’ core belief is that flexibility will benefit the client, including providing out of the box solutions that address turnover, employee benefits and training in partnership with its clients.
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ROARING TWENTIES WINNERS: SMALL COMPANIES
Photos from the event
Attendees visit before the awards ceremony.
Grady Johnson, president and group publisher, SC Biz News
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Sparkling glasses are part of one display.
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Delectable desserts at the reception.
ROARING TWENTIES WINNERS: SMALL COMPANIES
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Dunhill Staffing System
AM Conservation Group Inc.
Winner: Small Companies
1459 Stuart Engals Blvd., Suite 300, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.dunhillstaff.com Total number of local employees: 7 permanent staff and 100+ contract employees Top local executive: Neil Whitman, CPC Product or service: Staffing agency providing executive search and hourly staffing services Year founded locally: 2001
What sets your company apart from the competition? First and foremost is a staff of high-performance individuals who do their jobs well each and every day. The average tenure of Dunhill’s staff is over seven years, which far exceeds industry averages for recruiters.
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Company bio: Dunhill Staffing Systems provides executive search and hourly staffing services for private sector clients in engineering and professional services, manufacturing, finance and logistics as well as federal, state, and local public sector clients. The Charleston office opened in 2001 as a franchisee of Dunhill Staffing Systems, founded in 1952. In 2010, Dunhill was added to Boeing’s list of national staffing agencies supporting the 787 project in Charleston. That same year Dunhill of Charleston became an independent operation. Dunhill’s awards includes: No. 1 new franchise, No. 1 producing owner, Charleston Chamber Small Business award, and six-time Roaring Twenties winner.
What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? The largest contributor was the significant growth of the local aircraft industry and its need for skilled talent. Just as important is that the staff of Dunhill is actively engaged in the local community in numerous organizations that offer networking, as well as opportunities to give back. Finally, Dunhill has developed a client base that, pleased with our services, continues to engage us as a source for critical talent resources.
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11216 Waples Mill Road, Suite 105, Fairfax, Va. 22030 www.metronomeusa.com Total number of local employees: 2 local; 100 total Top local executive: Jennifer Virga, chief executive officer; Virgil Virga, chief operations officer Product or service: Professional services for the government Year founded locally: 2011 Company bio: Metronome delivers mission-critical professional services to the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community with inimitable results. Metronome set out to be a culture-driven company from the start and today is a vibrant organization that employees love to be a part of and customers enjoying working with. Passion, teamwork and a welcoming family environment can be felt as soon as you walk in the door.
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Metronome
Sandlapper Capital Investments
Sandlapper Financial Center, 800 E. North St., 2nd Floor, Greenville, SC 29601 • www.sandlappercapital.com Total number of local employees: 10 Top local executive: Trevor L. Gordon, founder and CEO Product or service: Capital investment firm and sponsor of alternative investment offerings. Year founded locally: 2011 Company bio: Sandlapper Capital Investments was created to take advantage of opportunities brought about through the dynamic and ever-changing economic landscape. The company’s experienced team has the skills, tools and resources necessary to identify, analyze and act upon timely opportunities. They include packaged product analysis, commercial real estate equity and debt, tax credits and shelter programs, oil and gas and related industries, equipment leasing, corporate and municipal debt, debt obligations and portfolio asset management.
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TSWR Development
Sandlapper Financial Center, 800 E. North St., 2nd Floor Greenville, SC 29601 Total number of local employees: 6 Top local executive: Trevor L. Gordon, managing member Product or service: Investor, developer and sponsor of salt water disposal operation interests in the robust oil and gas sector. Year founded locally: 2011 Company bio: TSWR Development was created to take advantage of timely saltwater disposal (SWD) operation development opportunities throughout the oil patch of West Texas specifically for an affiliated investment fund. Since then, the company has grown into a principal investor and development partner with its preferred operating partner in the region, as well as a sponsor of alternative investment programs for individual accredited investors to acquire undivided fractional working interests in the SWD leaseholds and improvements.
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PhishLabs
P.O. Box 20877, Charleston, SC 29413 www.phishlabs.com Total number of local employees: 55 Top local executive: John LaCour, founder and CEO Product or service: 24/7 cybersecurity and anti-fraud services Year founded locally: Founded in 2008. Moved headquarters to Charleston in January 2010. Company bio: PhishLabs is the leading provider of 24/7 cybersecurity services that protect against threats that exploit people. The company is trusted by top organizations worldwide, including four of the five largest U.S. financial institutions. PhishLabs combines proprietary technology, intelligence and human expertise to rapidly detect, analyze, and stop targeted cyberattacks before they impact organizations. Additionally, the company provides robust threat intelligence that strengthens existing cyber defenses and optimizes threat prevention.
Blue Acorn
145 Williman St., Charleston, SC 29403 www.blueacorn.com Total number of local employees: 117 Top local executive: Kevin Eichelberger, founder and CEO Product or service: eCommerce design, development and optimization Year founded locally: 2008 Company bio: Blue Acorn is an eCommerce agency dedicated to helping retailers and brands achieve revenue growth through data-driven design, development and optimization. Blue Acorn is a Demandware LINK Solution Partner and a Magento Gold Solution Partner. Committed to making decisions backed by data, the company maintains certified partnerships with Google Analytics, Monetate and Optimizely. Blue Acorn delivers innovative eCommerce solutions to clients such as Everlast, Le Creuset, Rebecca Minkoff and Ticketmaster from its office in Charleston.
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Escapada Living
Shelly Leeke Law Firm
3614 Ashley Phosphate Road, North Charleston, SC 29418 www.leekelaw.com Total number of local employees: 23 Top local executive: Shelly Leeke Product or service: Personal injury law firm Year founded locally: 2007 Company bio: For almost a decade, the attorneys at the Shelly Leeke Law Firm have provided injury victims with the support and guidance crucial to their financial and emotional well-being. The firm represents victims suffering from injuries arising from many different types of accidents or causes. The attorneys take an individualized approach to represent each client, learning the details of each accident and injury as well as the challenges the client is facing. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? A new location, a strategic advertising campaign and community involvement.
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Website Pipeline Inc.
555 N Pleasantburg Drive, Suite 214, Greenville, SC 29607 www.websitepipeline.com Total number of local employees: 60+ Top local executive: Brian Seidel, CEO Product or service: ERP-integrated e-commerce websites Year founded locally: 1999 Company bio: Website Pipeline builds, hosts and maintains e-commerce websites integrated with ERP systems. A profitable, debt free company, Website Pipeline has funded its growth solely off its own revenue. The company is currently expanding into a 12,000-squarefoot office space near downtown Greenville. This will accommodate its staff of more than 60 full-time employees. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? The company’s revenue growth last year was the result of eight years of laser focus on one niche market.
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543 Long Point Road, Suite 103, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.escapadaliving.com Total number of local employees: 26 Top local executive: Natalia Castillo, founder and CEO Product or service: Women’s apparel and resort wear Year founded locally: 2009 Company bio: Escapada Living is a women’s apparel and resort wear brand inspired by the vibrant, effortless culture of the islands. Escapada’s colorful designs are sold in more than 2,000 boutiques worldwide, online, and at the Escapada Signature Store in Mount Pleasant. This is the brand’s second year in a row on the Roaring Twenties list and the Inc. 500/ 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Escapada launched its first e-commerce website in 2015, and that has been a great source of revenue growth this year.
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2220 Old School Drive, Suite A, Charleston, SC 29405 www.eventhausrentals.com Total number of local employees: 40 Top local executive: Matt McKeown Product or service: Event rentals Year founded locally: 2009 Company bio: Entrepreneur Matt McKeown noticed a gap in the marketplace for event rentals and in 2009 started on his journey to become the premier rentals provider in the region. McKeown first opened EventDRS, an event rental company, and later in 2012 started Haus, a business primarily focused on providing tenting solutions for events. In 2014, EventHaus was born out of the merger of these two existing Charleston companies. EventHaus offers the widest range of products in the Southeast for weddings, parties, festivals and corporate events. EventHaus provides clients with unrivaled service, selection and style.
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EventHaus
Novus Architects Inc.
900 Johnnie Dodds Blvd, Suite 200, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 www.novusa.com Total number of local employees: 27 Top local executive: Tommy Smith, AIA Product or service: Architecture, development consulting, construction Year founded locally: 1992 Company bio: Novus Architects is a service-oriented architecture firm with several long-term clients that form the basis of the firm’s success. The firm recently purchased a similar firm in Asheville to augment regional presence and has diversified into development and construction. What changes do you see ahead in your industry and how are you planning for them? Technology will drive changes to how the firm delivers services. Clients are looking for problem solvers, so becoming a one-stop shop or creating strategic alliances with firms that can augment Novus Architects’ services will be more critical as time goes on.
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The Office People
3129 W Montague Ave, North Charleston, SC 29418 www.theofficepeople.com Total number of local employees: 36 Top local executive: Sean Mummert Product or service: Office furniture, copiers, printers, digital signage and monitors, as well as office services like IT, MPS and interior design. Year founded locally: 1992 Company bio: From humble beginnings in Ravenel, The Office People has created a name for itself in Charleston as one of the community’s largest printing technology solution providers. For the last 20 years, the company has evolved and grown, with several other operations under its wings, including Charleston Imaging Products, Automated Business Systems, Collins Office Furniture and more. The company combines outstanding customer service with state-of-the-art technology to deliver efficient, affordable, and reliable workflow solutions.
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360clean
670 Marina Drive Suite 101, Daniel Island, SC 29492 www.360clean.com Total number of local employees: 6 in corporate office; 175 including employees of franchisees in South Carolina. Top local executive: Barry Bodiford Product or service: Janitorial services (specializes in medical offices and other commercial facilities that desire a specialized/hygienic office cleaning); also offer franchises of 360clean. Year founded locally: 2006 Company bio: 360clean is the innovative leader of the commercial cleaning industry. 360clean provides services to a large number of industry types, including a specialization in providing medical grade office cleaning services. Through an expanding network of expertly trained owner operators, 360clean delivers consistent and health focused cleaning service to office, building and property managers.
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Sandlapper Financial Center, 800 E. North St., 2nd Floor Greenville, SC 29601 • www.sandlappersecurities.com Total number of local employees: 13 Top local executive: Trevor L. Gordon, founder and CEO Product or service: Full service independent broker dealer Year founded locally: 2005 Company bio: SANDLAPPER Securities is a full service broker dealer and dealer manager of investment products. Its best-in-class personnel and representatives tailor strategies, recommendations and construct portfolios “designed” to meet an individual’s investing needs. SANDLAPPER was the compliance and distribution engine for assets acquired nearing a billion dollars in value nationwide. Today, the firm has grown beyond its singularly focused roots to align itself with some of the independent broker dealer communities’ top representatives, giving them access to the products, services and support they need.
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SANDLAPPER Securities
Davis Supply
2210-B Technical Parkway, North Charleston, SC 29406 Total number of local employees: 5 Top local executive: Davis Weed Product or service: Supplier of foundation material – residential and commercial Year founded locally: 2012 Company bio: Locally owned company started in 2012. Davis Supply has a combined 42 years of experience in the masonry/concrete supply industry. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Strategically partnering with industry leaders. What sets your company apart from the competition? Davis Supply is locally owned and decisions are made immediately. What are your personal leadership values? Customer service. Being flexible for the customer.
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Tandem Innovative Payment Solutions
728 N Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC 29607 www.tandempayment.com Total number of local employees: 11 in SC Top local executives: Larry Feniger and Evan Black Product or service: Credit card processing, custom loyalty programs, gift cards and merchant card processing equipment Year founded locally: 2009 Company bio: Tandem Innovative Payment Solutions provides cutting edge technology and expertise to small and mid-size business customers. At the heart of its mission is a longstanding dedication to the communities it serves – to explain how credit card processing works, how you are being charged, and to make recommendations based on business needs. Tandem has the most educated team in S.C., with several certified payment professionals. The company takes pride in making sure its clients understand how the industry works.
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The Protocol School of Washington
132 Stonemark Lane, Columbia, SC 29210 www.psow.edu Total number of local employees: Six Top local executive: Pamela Eyring Product or service: Education and training Year founded locally: Founded in 1988 in Virginia, acquired by Pamela Eyring in 2005 and moved to South Carolina in 2006 Company bio: The Protocol School of Washington has earned an international reputation as the global leader in protocol, business etiquette and cross-cultural awareness training. With more than 4,000 graduates from over 70 countries, the school is renowned for its expert trainers from the White House, the Disney Institute, the military, international academia and corporate America. The school is the leading educational institution on cross-cultural communication, business etiquette, etiquette intelligence and protocol-related training.
The Cassina Group
309 Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464; 132 E. Bay St., Charleston, SC 29401; 69 Morris St., Suite 101, Charleston, SC 29403 www.TheCassinaGroup.com Total number of local employees: 32 Top local executive: Robertson Allen, Jimmy Dye, Owen Tyler Product or service: Real estate Year founded locally: 2006 Company bio: The Cassina Group was founded in 2006 with a vision of doing real estate differently. By balancing traditional real estate models with unique marketing and emerging technology, The Cassina Group has created a cutting edge and innovative company that serves as a leader in the Charleston market. What is the main driver of this year’s revenue growth? Hardworking, knowledgeable, full-time agents and a strong, loyal client base have helped The Cassina Group succeed this year.
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Knowledge Capital Group
7 Radcliffe St., Suite 302, Charleston, SC 29403 www.knowledgecapitalgroup.com Total number of local employees: 8 Top local executive: Anthony Powell Product or service: Management consulting Year founded locally: 2008 Company bio: Knowledge Capital Group is a boutique consulting firm that helps organizations create value and drive performance through a highly engaged, data-driven and direct approach. KCG’s style is collaborative, hands-on and results-oriented; its staff members are accustomed to complex situations and believe in fast track actions. What sets your company apart from the competition? KCG doesn’t just provide assessment or studies, it actually partners with its clients to implement change and drive performance.
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CodeLynx
4937 Fargo St., North Charleston SC 29418 www.codelynx.com Total number of local employees: 60+ Top local executive: Beth Heatley, president Product or service: Software engineering, application development, and electronic security service solutions. Year founded locally: 2003 Company bio: CodeLynx is a software engineering and electronic security services provider. A women-owned small business, CodeLynx provides custom software solutions, web development and a wide range of electronic security and audio visual services for both government and commercial customers. CodeLynx has been recognized as one of the 20 best-performing small companies in S.C. by SC Biz News in both 2014 and 2015, and has been named to Inc. 500 |5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies for the past three years.
S.C. DELIVERS
Ports, Logistics & Distribution
UPS workers handle packages at the company’s regional air hub at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. (Photo/Jeff Blake)
UPS, AMAZON RAMP UP HIRING FOR THE HOLIDAYS By Chuck Crumbo, Editor of the Columbia Regional Business Report
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ith the holiday shipping season about to hit full swing, employers are looking to fill hundreds of seasonal jobs in the Midlands. UPS, which operates a regional air hub at Columbia Metropolitan
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Airport and a major ground terminal nearby, has 266 job openings for seasonal
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work, said Dan McMackin, spokesman for the Atlanta-headquartered carrier. See HIRING, Page 63
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S.C. DELIVERS
Port
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By Matthew Clark, Editor of GSA Business
Ports chief projects potential inland port expansion
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iting the potential to expand to a capacity of 200,000 containers at the S.C. Inland Port, S.C. State Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome said he hopes to be able to expand the facility in Greer as part of the authority’s fiscal 2017 budget. Newsome also mentioned the possibility of adding a second inland port in South Carolina. During an event in the Upstate, Newsome said adding new clients such as the Dollar Tree distribution facility under construction in Cherokee County could be part of a larger rationale to expand the 47-acre port adjacent to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. “I believe there are more Dollar Trees out there,” Newsome said. Newsome’s thoughts came on the heels of an economic impact study conducted by Joey Von Nessen of the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. In the study, Von Nessen, a research economist, said the estimated statewide economic impact of the ports is $53 billion. He said that impact “corresponds to 187,206 jobs and over $10.2 billion in labor income for South Carolinians that would not exist otherwise.” The $53 billion is approximately 9.3% of the state’s total annual gross state product. The report said the ports generate economic activity “that brings in over $912 million in tax revenue annually for the state of South Carolina.” The study indicated that, of the overall impact, 51% of that is directly attributed to the Upstate region. He said there is a total of $26.8 billion in economic output and nearly 95,000 jobs and $5.2 billion in labor income as a result of the Upstate’s contribution to the ports. That has a lot to do with the automotive industry centered in the region, Von Nessen said. “If you look over the last five years, the automotive cluster has been the driver for growth here,” Von Nessen said. It is that growth that Newsome hopes to parlay into an expansion of the inland port.
A crane at the S.C. Inland Port in Greer moves a container to a waiting truck. The S.C. State Ports Authority may plan to expand the 47-acre facility as part of its fiscal 2017 budget. (Photo/File)
Von Nessen said of the $912 million in state tax revenue, nearly $461 million is attributed to Upstate activity supported by the ports. He said the strong automotive cluster was just a part of other clusters starting to grow, not just in the Upstate, but in other parts of South Carolina. “Another impact to take note of is once these clusters are in a location, they rarely leave that location,” Von Nessen said. Von Nessen also reported that the average labor income for jobs supported, either directly or indirectly, by the ports, was more than $54,000 per year, or 39.4% higher than the average labor income in the state. Additionally, Newsome spoke of the possibility of creating a second inland port somewhere in South Carolina, although he was not specific about location. “I have a place solidly in mind, but I am not willing to divulge that right now,” Newsome said. Newsome did not give the cost of an expansion of the inland port in Greer, but said it could expand another 25 acres on the property it currently owns. The inland port has capacity for 120,000 containers, and it made 7,214 rail moves in September. During its last meeting, the ports authority board of directors approved the purchase of
The economic impact of the port • The total economic impact resulting from all activities associated with the ports on the state is estimated to be nearly $53 billion. • Approximately 51% of the statewide economic impact associated with the ports is concentrated within the Upstate. • The $53 billion in total economic impact is approximately 9.3% of the state’s total annual gross state product. • Approximately 4,900 new jobs and $742 million in new economic activity were announced in South Carolina by companies likely to use a port. • The average labor income across all jobs supported directly or indirectly by the ports in South Carolina is $54,532, or 39.4% higher than the average labor income in the state. Source: Joey Von Nessen, S.C. State Ports Authority Economic Impact Study
a new fork lift for the inland port to accommodate the facility’s growing cargo volumes. Newsome would not discuss specific businesses that use the inland port outside of those already identified, such as BMW. He did say that the automobile manufacturer with its plant in Greer now accounts for less than 50% of the volume at the inland port.
HIRING, from page 60
“Many of our seasonal hires are invited back after the holidays, and as we promote almost strictly from within, a permanent position can be a stepping stone to a career. I started out loading trucks during the holidays 37 years ago.” Dan McMackin UPS spokesman
UPS in March 1974 while studying business, said the job was a way to pay his way through college. One of UPS’s e-commerce customers, Amazon, operator of a 1.25-millionsquare-foot fulfillment center at Saxe Gotha Industrial Park in Lexington County, plans
S.C. DELIVERS
“Those jobs include drivers, driver helpers and part-time package handlers. Wages range from $10.10 an hour to $18.75,” McMackin said. “We are hiring immediately and applicants must apply on line at www. upsjobs.com.” The breakdown of jobs at UPS’s West Columbia operations includes 134 helpers, 122 loaders, and 10 drivers. Statewide, UPS has 1,247 openings for seasonal work. Across the country, UPS expects it will hire between 90,000 and 95,000 seasonal employees to support the anticipated increase in package volume driven by e-commerce that begins in November and will continue through January. “Many of our seasonal hires are invited back after the holidays, and as we promote almost strictly from within, a permanent position can be a stepping stone to a career,” McMackin said. “I started out loading trucks during the holidays 37 years ago. And our CEO (David Abney) also started out loading trucks part time.” Abney, who worked the night shift at
to create 100,000 seasonal jobs across its U.S. network. The Seattle-based company plans to double its hiring of temps at the Midlands facility to 8,000 workers from 4,000, said Amazon spokesman Aaron Toso. “Seasonal employees play a critical role in meeting customer demand and we’re excited to be adding thousands of jobs in South Carolina,” Toso said. The additional hires are the result of the company’s response to local needs resulting from October’s disastrous flooding, he said.. In March, the company announced plans to expand the workforce at the local fulfillment center by 500 positions. When Amazon made the announcement, it had about 1,500 workers at the Midlands facility, which opened in 2012. In the United States, Amazon has about 90,000 full-time employees at its more than 50 fulfillment centers and 20 sortation centers. To meet customer demand and prepare for the 2015 holiday season, Amazon said it has hired more than 25,000 full-time employees since August.
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1,000 WORDS
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A helicopter from the S.C. National Guard helps lift equipment into place to begin repairs on a dam at the Columbia Canal, which was breached by flooding on Oct. 4. The repairs were critical to restoring clean water to many Columbia area residents, as a major water treatment plant is located on the canal. (Photo/Perry Baker Photography)
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