GSA Business Report - January 2024

VOLUME 27 NUMBER 1 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM

Part of the

network

EV invests in SC

Tesla to open a regional distribution center in Fountain Inn in Greenville County. Page 6

JANUARY 2024 ■ $2.25

(Photo/Provided)

2023 Health Care Heroes winners.

Page 10.

Upfront

BRIEFS | FACTS | STATEWIDE NEWS | BEST ADVICE

With this budget, I thee wed ...

S

aying “I do” brings hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to South Carolina businesses each year, but the Palmetto State’s wedding market took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020.

The sector has made a strong comeback from that dip that impacted nearly every industry but particularly hospitality and tourism.

The Wedding Report, which tracks and verifies specific information for a long list of data points, including cakes, photographers, venues, and even things like sales data for invitations and tuxedoes, shows that South Carolina saw a 22.1% increase from from 2021 to 2022.

That amounted to more than $787 million in wedding revenue from nearly 36,000 weddings held in the Palmetto State.

Charleston is a well-known wedding destination for a number of reasons, and the metro area is the most expensive place to hold a wedding, but for those looking to save a few dollars and still get that South Carolina feeling, several options can be found across the state.

For example, while a Charleston wedding averaged $31,108 in 2022, you could have have held a wedding in the Florence County area for just under $23,000. But if Myrtle Beach is more to your liking, you’ll still do better at $25,823 and could get in a round of world class golf.

The Upstate has some of the best prices for weddings. You can get married in Spartanburg County for $20,029 on average or the Greenville County area for $25,812.

A lot of these prices depend on options, accomodations and availability. Areas with high demand, frequently cost more because there’s less availability. That’s where the business-to-business aspect of the wedding market comes into focus.

Weddings are big business, and they result in direct and indirect economic impact of hundreds of millions.

If you want to make big bucks in weddings, The Wedding Report’s data show that food, venue and photography are three big areas that result in high dollar individual sales, but don’t discount things like transportation, which was worth $7.4 million and wedding planning and related event coordination services, which pulled in more than $24 million last year.

Don’t forget that every dollar spent has a resulting multiplier impact, making all business important business when it comes to tying the knot in South Carolina.

Wedding prices jump from COVID years in SC metro areas Comparing 2020 data to 2022 show the average price of a wedding increased more than 52% in South Carolina. COVID-19, which landed in the spring of 2020, resulted in shutdowns and cancellations across the hospitality industry and hit the weddings sector particularly hard. Source: The Wedding Report

Charleston metro

Columbia metro

Greenville metro

Lowcountry

$30,000

Wedding prices in the Charleston market increased 52% from 2020 to 2022.

Midlands

$25,000

Myrtle Beach metro

Upstate

Wedding prices in the Greenville metro area increased 51.8% from 2020 to 2022.

Wedding prices in the Myrtle Beach market increased 63.1% from 2020 to 2022.

$20,000

$15,000

2020

2021

2022

Have one wedding or ... Highest-revenue generators for SC weddings 10,650

The annual revenue brought in by South Carolina’s wedding related businesses would cover the sticker price for more than 10,000 of the newest BMWs made in the Upstate.

3.25

You could also buy just over three 787-8 Dreamliners made in the Lowcountry.

1,000,049

Or you could purchase Club Level seating at Williams-Brice Stadium for Carolina football home games for more than 1 million seasons.

Source: SC Biz News

ON THE

RECORD

Five categories of wedding-related spending account for more than 85% of the total revenue generated annuall in South Carolina with event venues taking one-half of the total amount.

Category

Sales 2022

Event Venue ....................................................$397,889,064 Photo/Video ....................................................$91,777,242 Jewelry ...............................................................$82,049,690 Flowers ..............................................................$61,829,109 Entertainment ................................................$42,666,898 Source: The Wedding Report

“I am thrilled to celebrate the signing of the statewide transfer agreement, an endeavor I have wholeheartedly supported for many years, I applaud the institutions of higher education and their leaders for helping this to finally become a reality.” — Murrell Smith, South Carolina speaker of the house

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SC Biz News Briefs Target your market in an upcoming issue of the GSA Business Report

The Citadel, in partnership with Southern Entertainment, will soon launch The Citadel Live Concert Series.

(Photo/Provided)

Charleston

Charleston Regional Business Journal

The Citadel to transform stadium into largest concert venue downtown Johnson Hagood Stadium has been the home of The Citadel’s football program since 1948, but soon it will also be the largest concert venue in downtown Charleston, according to a news release.

The Citadel, in partnership with Southern Entertainment, will soon launch The Citadel Live Concert Series, which will bring internationally known musicians to Charleston and transform the stadium into one of the area’s largest entertainment venues, the release stated.

“We are so excited to be able to offer these opportunities to our campus community as well as the Lowcountry as a whole,” said The Citadel Athletic Director Mike Capaccio in the release. “There aren’t many venues in the area that have the large capacity and convenient location that Johnson Hagood Stadium provides. We hope that The Citadel Live Concert Series will bring more of our neighbors to campus while also enhancing the campus experience for our cadets, students, faculty and staff.”

Winnsboro

FEBRUARY 19

HOSPITALITY/TOURISM

Lists: Hotels, Event Spaces Power List: Logistics

Advertising Deadline: February 5

MARCH 11

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING/ CONSTRUCTION

Lists: General Contractors, Engineering Firms Special: Under Construction

Advertising Deadline: February 26

Columbia Regional Business Report

Construction materials supplier invests $8M in Fairfield County plant Capital Concrete Co., a construction materials supplier, is growing its South Carolina footprint with a new operation in Fairfield County.

The company’s $8.25 million investment will create 17 new jobs, according to a news release from the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

“Capital Concrete Co. is excited to partner with Fairfield County and South Carolina for our continuing expansion plans in the Midlands,” Capital Concrete Co. President Rusty Shealy said in the release. “The site in the Walter Brown Industrial Park is well situated for future growth and will further job creation and investment in the region, and we look forward to being a good corporate citizen in this regard.”

Founded in 2006, Capital Concrete Co. has four existing South Carolina locations providing ready-mix concrete products for all project types, the release stated.

The new plant, located at 355 Commerce Blvd. in Ridgeway, will be the company’s fifth location, giving it closer proximity to serve customers in Fairfield County.

With publications in the Upstate, Columbia and Charleston, SC Biz News covers the pulse of business across South Carolina.

Above are excerpts from our other publications.

APRIL 15

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Lists: IT Services, Security Firms Power List: Manufacturing Advertising Deadline: April 1

For advertising information, contact Ryan Downing at rdowning@scbiznews.com ColumbiaBusinessReport.com

CharlestonBusiness.com

GSABusinessReport.com

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January 2024

South Carolina’s Media Engine for Economic Growth

Donna Bischoff, publisher SC Biz News dbischoff@bridgetowermedia.com 843-804-6093

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Sales

THE BEST ADVICE I’VE EVER RECEIVED

Find a career that you are passionate about, be persistent about achieving your goals, trust yourself and keep your word. Your reputation, integrity and how you treat others are what distinguish you in this world and will be integral to your success in every endeavor.

Ryan Downing, director of sales rdowning@scbiznews.com • 864-867-1928

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Shannon Pollard, multimedia account executive

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE?

My best advice is to seek to serve first and foremost. Be the most professional and knowledgeable person/agent in your market, share what you know and be transparent in all your dealings.

Remember that business is about people — building relationships, fostering trust and being willing to go the extra mile leave a huge and lasting impression.

spollard@scbiznews.com • 843-804-6094

WHAT IS THE STIFFEST CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW? Although the real estate market here continues to flourish, economic uncertainty, fast-moving market dynamics and possible regulatory changes require constant education, evaluation and analysis on the part of agents and brokers, so that we can effectively advise and advocate for our clients.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT ABOUT YOUR COMPANY Wilson Associates is a member of two prestigious international real estate groups: Luxury Portfolio and Leading Real Estate Companies, so we are referred clients from around the country and the world and can help clients find homes anywhere. Although we are a smaller, independent agency, Wilson’s sales volume is consistently among the top 10 in the Greenville MLA, and we are home to several of the market’s highest-performing agents.

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? More than setting sales goals or business targets, my role is primarily to foster and mentor an agency full of individuals my partner and I have handpicked based on their strong work ethic, community involvement and commitment to exceeding client expectations. I love being able to share my knowledge, experience, sphere of influence and connections to help others develop into successful real estate agents and seeing that translate not just into their personal success but better outcomes for our clients.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? I started my career working in a bank and then worked in advertising before falling in love with real estate

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January 2024

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Our “Coffee With…” page features a South Carolina business executive sharing insights about their business, the industries in which they work and the communities in which they live. Where’s the coffee, you ask? Well, that occurs in an accompanying video. We sit down with the executive – over coffee – to see what else is on their mind.

opportunity in the manufacturing space. I held several positions including sales, marketing, business operations, and strategic planning.

I have continued to develop those “lessons learned” throughout the years. I believe that my diverse work experience has been extremely beneficial by exposing me to several best practices, and more importantly, some great people that helped me to grow. Finally, my work ethic was developed from an early age, with my first job coming in 6th Grade, where I made $2.50 per night picking up golf balls at a driving range. Throughout my jobs over the years, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that complacency can Today, we’re “having coffee” with Josh be a death sentence for a business. That is what Fowler, PE, President, Davis & Floyd. drives me toward continuous improvement. In You can check out Josh’s video on SCBIZ TV on YouTube or on one of our two other words, what can we do better tomorrow e-newsletters, Morning Blend or GSA Daily for our clients, our team members, our (Monday – Friday). business, and our Communities.

AS DAVIS & FLOYD’S NEWEST PRESIDENT, WE WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BACKGROUND. WE SEE YOU HAVE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE IN OPERATIONS, BUSINESS GROWTH, AND ENGINEERING. TELL US ABOUT THIS. I have spent most of my career as an Engineering Consultant, primarily in the Water/Wastewater market. I began my career in the construction industry, which gave me a great understanding of how design considerations can impact a project, both positively and negatively. This experience helped me tremendously as an Engineer. In the middle of my career, I received a great

MAJOR ACQUISITION. CATCH US UP. In 2023, we spent a large amount of time on the Andrews Engineering acquisition and integration. Getting this right was critical for success. Our new team members in Beaufort have been great additions to Davis & Floyd, and we will continue to build on the reputation and great work of that team as we look to expand our presence in the Lowcountry even more.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE FOR DAVIS & FLOYD, AND WHAT ARE YOUR LONGTERM GOALS AND VISION FOR THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS?

In 5 years, Davis & Floyd will be celebrating 75 years. Between now and then my vision is to set the stage for the next quarter century, continuing the legacy for the NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN next generation. The most important aspect THE NEW PRESIDENT OF DAVIS of that vision is making sure that all of our & FLOYD FOR ABOUT A YEAR, team members have opportunities to grow, WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED both professionally and personally. We will ABOUT FOR 2024? continue to evolve our client service to meet I’m most excited about building on their needs, and we will look for innovative the momentum generated in 2023, which ways to impact our communities. Finally, included some incredible accomplishments. we will make sure that we provide our team Our team is as strong as ever, and our best days with the tools and resources they need to be are ahead of us. Our team members will have successful. Hitting that century mark will be plenty of opportunities in 2024 and beyond an amazing accomplishment, so my job is to for growth, so I am excited to see how each of ensure the right foundation is in place so that them flourish. we are running toward that mark, not walking.

WE ENDED LAST YEAR’S TALK WITH NEW EXPANSIONS COMING TO DAVIS & FLOYD INCLUDING A NEW OFFICE AND DAVISFLOYD.COM Sponsored Content

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January 2024

EV giant Tesla to open Greenville County distribution facility

By Jason Thomas

jthomas@scbiznews.com

T

esla will open a regional distribution center in Fountain Inn in Greenville County in early 2024, according to a news release from the Greenville Area Development Corp.

The center is believed to mark Tesla’s first major investment in operations in South Carolina, the release stated.

The facility will be located in Fox Hill Business Park — the Class A business and industrial park that came online in 2020 as the first major business park developed in Greenville County in well over a decade, according to the release.

Fox Hill Business Park, located on 172 acres in the city of Fountain Inn, is being developed by The Sudler Cos., a familyand veteran-owned and operated development firm based in Chatham, N.J., according to the release. The Tesla facility in Greenville County will mark the second such venture between Tesla and The Sudler Cos., the duo having announced a similar project near Tampa last year.

“Tesla’s commitment to Fox Hill Business Park in Greenville County is a testament to the continued strength of our company’s partnership with Tesla and to the indisputable drivers that make the park and the Upstate a force in the logistics world,” said Brian Sudler, principal with The Sudler Cos., in the release.

“Access to world-class labor, a friendly business environment, quality of life and proximity to more than 90 million people within one day’s drive combine to make Greenville County the vital and dynamic area it is known to be.”

Tesla’s work in Greenville will focus strictly on distribution of vehicle parts regionally and will not include manufacturing, officials report, the release stated.

Tesla will absorb all of Fox Hill’s Building 3, comprised of 251,100 square feet.

Depending on final development strategies, the Fox Hill Business Park cam-

Tesla’s distribution center will ve located in Fox Hill Business Park, a 172-acre industrial park in the Greenville County part of Fountain Inn. (Image/Provided by Tesla)

Tesla has emerged as the premier brand in all-electric vehicles. The company also is deeply invested in the power-production side of the EV movement. (Photo/Provided by Tesla)

pus can accommodate up to 2.5 million square feet of manufacturing, distribution and warehousing activity across multiple buildings.

Total investment and planned job additions by Tesla have not been made public.

Late in 2023, Tesla posted a hiring notice for a training leader to support and train

employees at the new facility in Greenville County.

A company focused on accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy, Tesla is committed to building a world powered by solar energy, running on batteries, and transported by electric vehicles that charge with clean energy, the release stated. Tesla operates six vertically integrated factories across three continents and employs more than 100,000 employees who design, build, sell and service Tesla products in-house.

The Tesla announcement is the latest major announcement for Fox Hill, which also saw the recent addition of Sage Parts Plus, a global leader in replacement parts for aviation ground support equipment, according to the release. Sage Parts opened new distribution operations in Fox Hill Business Park in mid-2023, leasing a 103,049-square-foot building to accommodate distribution operations along with its new global headquarters that houses its leadership team, purchasing, finance, customer service, HR, product management and other support departments.

The Sudler Cos. are a vertically integrated development firm that includes construction and property management departments and owns and manages more than 12 million square feet of commercial real estate across America, according to the release.

“The addition of the Tesla brand to Greenville’s business ecosystem is another example of the important role that speculative development plays in today’s competitive environment, and exactly why Greenville County was so supportive of The Sudler Companies and Fox Hill Business Park,” said Kevin Landmesser, interim CEO of the Greenville Area Development Corp. “Our market is extremely strong thanks to quality investment by organizations like The Sudler Companies, and we will continue to support site development to attract more high-quality companies to Greenville County.”

Greenville golf venue with Justin Timberlake ties unveils new ‘The Grubhouse’

By Krys Merryman

kmerryman@scbiznews.com

A

new concept in golf entertainment that combines accessible par-3 golf with enhanced hospitality has relaunched with a completely refurbished “The Grubhouse.”

In 2022, 8AM Golf invested in 3’s along with partner Justin Timberlake with the intent of enhancing the popular and successful concept in Greenville, and replicating it in major metro areas across the United States, according to a news release. Timberlake is a songwriter, performer, actor and producer.

“Non-traditional golf experiences are bringing the game to new audiences,”

said Hoyt McGarity, president of 8AM Golf. “We feel 3’s represents the best of what this category has to offer and look forward to rolling out additional 3’s destinations across the nation.”

The golf course features a lighted, 12-hole par-3 golf course with adjacent practice areas and an 18-hole putting course. One loop around the course takes less than 90 minutes. Featuring a “retro-cool vibe,” The Grubhouse offers comfort food, drinks and merchandise in a space designed “to feel like home,” including firepits, Adirondack chairs and music, the release said.

The golf course property is owned by the Greenville Downtown Airport, and James Stephens, Greenville Downtown

Airport director, said they’ve been asked for years why the airport has it.

“What started out for us as a need to protect our aerospace, has developed into what you see today,” he said at 3’s grand opening on Wednesday. “We have had a golf course out here for years, but it’s never been anything like it is now. We are super excited to partner with everyone who has been a part of this and see what the future holds for this facility.”

3’s was founded by restaurant and hospitality entrepreneur Davis Sezna in 2019, with the first location opening in Greenville in 2020.

“The goal for 3’s is to create a relaxed destination with casual golf, to grab a bite and a drink, hang out with family

and friends, and meet new people,” said Sezna.

“We’re trying to make golf easy, fun and affordable for everyone to enjoy and I think we’re accomplishing that every day at 3’s,” he added.

Greenville Mayor Knox White said at the grand opening, “We’ve always had confidence in Davis. He’s such a great visionary, and the idea that he wanted to do something like this in Greenville is just a great compliment to our community.”

The Grubhouse serves as the home base of 3’s. Golf clinics, camps and leagues are offered for golfers of all ages and skill levels.

For more information visit 3s.golf.

January 2024

www.gsabusiness.com 7

$4M renovation begins on 60-year-old Greenville downtown building

By Krys Merryman

R

kmerryman@scbiznews.com

enovations have begun on Greenville’s first “modern” office tower.

The Daniel — also known as the Landmark Building — was also the first big move in the city’s transition to a “white-collar economy,” and Charlie Daniel’s vision of a “headquarters town,” according to a press kit from The Daniel.

“That vision predated downtown Greenville’s arrival as a major Southeastern economic center and urban planning award winner. Just as it heralded a transformation that was to come then, The Daniel today stands poised to lead yet another phase of downtown Greenville’s development.

From its mid-century architecture to its time-capsuled lobby to its sheer size, The Daniel still stands alone,” the press kit stated.

Originally built by Charlie Daniel as a headquarters for his companies, Daniel Construction Co. and Daniel International Corp., The Daniel was built with 24.6 million pounds of concrete, 4.5 million pounds of steel, 420,000 pounds of white Georgia marble, and 103,000 pounds of granite, according to the press kit.

The Daniel broke ground on June

The Daniel has company now but when the building was first built in Greenville, it towered over not only its home city but the rest of the Carolinas as well, the tallest building in two states. (Photo/DP3 Architects)

29, 1964, and was completed in October of 1966. The building first opened on July 1, 1967, and BB&T became the primary tenant in 1989.

The building was renamed the Landmark Building in 1999 and purchased

by Greenville-based ownership group Dunean Capital Management in June of 2022.

“We saw an opportunity to own a great piece of real estate in our home market and to add value to an iconic building that is a huge part of Greenville’s history,” said Gaston Albergotti, president of Dunean Capital Man-

agement. “We knew when we bought the building that we wanted to make improvements that would reintroduce it to the market.”

Back-of-house upgrades to the roof, HVAC system, fire safety and access controls were completed over the last 18 months.

This year, the building is being rebranded to its original name: The Daniel. It has not been made clear yet when renovations of the lobby, exterior plaza and parking deck will begin.

“Having completed those necessary items, we are excited to get started on

the more exciting public-facing projects including the lobby, the exterior plaza and the exterior of the parking deck,” said Albergotti. “We hope the plaza and the Main Street lobby will become spaces people can meet, do business and enjoy the north side of downtown Greenville.”

The ownership/renovation team consists of a group of local investors led

by Appian Investments and Capa Management; the leasing/management is by NAI Earle Furman; and DP3 Architects is the architect of record for the renovations project.

“The decision to rebrand was an easy one,” said Albergotti. “Many locals still refer to it as the Daniel Building while others have adopted the Landmark Building or call it the Windstream Tower. We wanted to simplify the branding but more importantly we wanted to honor the legacy of Charlie Daniel. We will be rebranding the building as ‘The Daniel.’ This building was built by Charlie Daniel to be an inspiration for companies to form and grow in downtown Greenville. In 1964, the groundbreaking symbolized the rebirth of downtown, and we are seeing the fruits of that vision today.

We believe Greenville owes a debt of gratitude to Charlie Daniel, and we are proud to put his name back on his building.”

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January 2024

Seneca plant shows governor how it’s making factories ‘smart’

By Ross Norton

S

rnorton@scbiznews.com

outh Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s footsteps fell on much of a 280,000-square-foot smart manufacturing facility in Oconee County during a recent visit and his eyes scanned most of the rest.

His tour was to see how one of the state’s two Schneider Electric plants has made itself a smart factory and what it’s doing to help other facilities do the same.

Schneider Electric produces low-voltage motor control centers used in equipment ranging from production lines to wastewater plants. The company says their products help ensure resilient and reliable power in industrial, commercial and residential settings. Schneider products are found in 40% of American homes, 70% of commercial buildings and half of all hospitals around the world., according to a Schneider Electric fact sheet.

The products are also found inside the 450-worker Schneider Electric plant in Seneca — not just on the production line, but powering the production line and other parts of the building.

“We really look at that full trifecta — automation, electrification, digitization — because that’s what equals sustainability,” Heather Cykoski, senior vice president of industrial automation in North America for Schneider Electric. “We’re really driving the smart factory and utilizing all parts of our core to ensure that we’ve got the efficiencies. We’re deploying it here at our site; we’re doing it as well across North America.”

Schneider Electric employs about 1,200 in South Carolina, including a Columbia plant and a Simpsonville service center.

The company was a founding member this year of the SC Nexus consortium that supports the state’s efforts to become a hub for advanced resilient energy research and development.

“We’re finding that when we deploy automation with software we’re reducing our energy consumption by 30%, our water consumption by 30%, and our

Jacob Young, plant manager of Schneider Electric’s Seneca campus, gives Gov. Henry McMaster a tour of the plant. (Photos/Ross Norton)

Heather Cykoski, senior vice president of industrial automation in North America for Schneider Electric.

CO2 by 30% so it’s like a third and a third and a third,” Cykoski said. “What I like to say is we’re drinking our own champagne. So what we do for our customers and our partners we deploy as well in our own facilities. And I think it’s even more important here because we have generations that have been a part of this company. … We we have innovation of both the know-how (to) use that skillset that they have brought into the facility and then automation to start to create a safe environment and new ways to deploy our manufacturing in an industrial future.”

With support from several of the state’s public universities and the South Carolina Technical College System, McMaster signed an executive order designed to secure South Carolina’s energy future.

“This is exactly the kind of thing we’re trying to do for our people and our state,” the governor said after his tour of the

confidence in companies like this one. This is what the future looks like and your goals for more efficiency and modernization and digitalization and all of that is exactly the kinds of things that we want to do.”

The governor also predicted the state’s manufacturing growth will not be short lived.

“I think manufacturing is just revving up in the United States,” he said. “I think we realize more and more just how important it is to have what we need inside the country. With these supply line problems there are a lot of serious problems in parts of the world and so we must be self-reliant. That’s one reason that companies are coming here because is a safe place to work. You can invest billions of dollars and you don’t have to worry about the government taking over or other bad consequences that we’ve seen in other places.”

factory. “There are a lot of happy people working in there and like other manufacturers you’re always looking for more and our state, through the Department of Employment and Workforce and the technical college system and everything in between, we are determined to see that our people are trained and educated in order to keep companies like this – this being a worldwide company – to keep them at the top of their game.”

McMaster said the state is supporting education and training efforts from 4K through college to build a workforce ready for the challenges ahead.

“We want to do things better, more efficiently, we are wide open to the future through our emphasis on electric vehicles through all kinds of manufacturing,” he said. “South Carolina is booming and it is because companies like this one have confidence in our people and our people have

Canadian company opens first US manufacturing site in Duncan

By Ross Norton

A

rnorton@scbiznews.com

n Ontario-based manufacturer of sustainable refrigeration has moved into a Duncan facility — its first U.S. manufacturing site — and will begin operations this quarter, the company said in a news release.

CIMCO Refrigeration has moved into the new 42,000-square-foot facility at 150 Parkway W., which the company says strategically positions CIMCO to meet the growing demand for services in the United States.

“This expansion adds significant value for our customers while concurrently creating opportunities within the surrounding community,” the company said in the news release. “With this state-of-the-art facility, CIMCO's U.S. customers can now experience higher quality, faster production and improved safety standards to reinforce our commitment to delivering excellence in our operations.”

A key focus at the site will be manufacturing natural refrigerant, industrial refrigeration components and packages for the food and beverage sector. The

site also will make components and supplies for ice rinks, the release said.

By combining advanced production systems with 3D-engineered designs, CIMCO can prefabricate a large portion of the refrigeration system offsite in their controlled workshop. This minimizes on-site personnel and time, offering enhanced control over deliveries and schedules.

The company did not say how much it is investing in the site, nor how many jobs would be created, but CIMCO did say it’s recruiting welders, fitters, engineers, shop managers and supervisors.

CIMCO Refrigeration designs, engineers, fabricates and installs industrial and recreational refrigeration systems in North America. As part of Toromont Industries Ltd., CIMCO is also the only industrial refrigeration company to be publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the release said.

CIMCO operates across North America with a network of offices, account managers and technicians in Canada and the United States. With a 110-year history, the company has more than 7,000 customers, 1,500 active service contracts, and 1,200 employees, the release said.

January 2024

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California EV company acquires Proterra’s Greenville plant

By Krys Merryman

kmerryman@scbiznews.com

A

n Anaheim, Calif.-based electrification solutions provider for medium-duty vehicles has acquired Greenville’s Proterra Transit business line from Proterra Inc. and Proterra Operating Co. Inc. The acquisition will add heavy-duty transit buses to Phoenix Motor Inc.’s existing product line of medium-duty shuttle and school buses, according to a Phoenix Motor Inc. news release.

"Proterra has a strong position in the full-size, zero-emission transit bus

market, just as Phoenix has in the medium-duty market,” said Denton Peng, CEO of Phoenix Motorcars, in the release.

“Having spent countless hours meeting with Proterra Transit team members and learning more about their business, we are more excited than ever about this acquisition opportunity. We have already identified attractive growth opportunities as we add transit buses to our product offering and we look forward to servicing Proterra Transit's existing customers and developing long-term relationships with them."

The acquisition is a move that will save 290 jobs at Proterra’s Greenville office and manufacturing facility, Proterra spokes-

person Shane Levy confirmed.

Last November, Proterra filed a conditional Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) with the state. The notice informed 290 employees that the company’s location at 1 Whitlee Court would permanently close on Jan. 26, if the acquisition by Phoenix Motor Inc. wasn’t completed, Levy confirmed.

Phoenix was selected as the top bidder to acquire the Proterra Transit business line — which includes the Greenville facility — after Proterra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections last August, said Levy.

Proterra’s Greer battery plant was also

sold to Volvo at auction, Levy said, though that acquisition has yet to be finalized.

Phoenix Motor Inc. designs, builds and integrates electric drive systems and light and medium-duty electric vehicles, and sells electric forklifts and vehicle chargers for the commercial and residential markets. Phoenix operates two primary brands, "Phoenix Motorcars,” which is focused on commercial products including medium-duty EVs (shuttle buses, school buses, municipal transit vehicles and delivery trucks, among others), electric vehicle chargers and electric forklifts, and "EdisonFuture,” which intends to offer light-duty EVs.

Greenville-based automation company acquired

By Jason Thomas

A

jthomas@scbiznews.com

Tennessee manufacturer has acquired a Greenville-based automation company.

Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Card-Monroe Corp. has acquired Everworks Automation in what company officials say is a strategic step forward for both companies, a news release stated.

Card-Monroe Corp. is the world leader in tufting technology, the release stated. Tufting is the modern process by which carpet and turf is manufactured. Founded in 1981 with industry heritage dating back even further, CMC’s tufting influence has captured the soft-surface flooring world with over 2,500 CMC machines in 38 countries. With a wellknown reputation in the flooring industry for innovative, cutting-edge technology, CMC has capitalized on its success to become the premier manufacturer of tufting machines for carpet, rug, and artificial turf producers throughout the world.

The acquisition of Everworks Automation marks a significant milestone in Card-Monroe Corp.'s commitment to innovation, diversification and sustained growth, the release stated. With a solid reputation for precision engineering and cutting-edge technol-

Left to right: Charles Monroe (cofounder, CMC), Jeremy Steiner (president, Everworks Automation), Greg Pawson (CEO, CMC). (Photo/Provided by Card-Monroe Corp.)

ogies in tufting machinery, CMC recognizes the importance of staying at the forefront of industrial automation to meet the evolving needs of its global customer base. It is within the industrial automation industry that CMC is confident it found the perfect match in Everworks Automation.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled with the fit

that CMC and now Card-Monroe Automation are together,” Jeremy Steiner, president of Everworks, now Card-Monroe Automation, said in the release. “This is a decision I did not take lightly as my team here in Greenville is of utmost importance to me.”

Established in 2012, Everworks is a turnkey industrial automation systems company specializing in the design, build and installation of robotic cells and automation equip-

ment, according to the release. Serving the industries of logistics, tire and rubber, food and beverage, automotive, chemical, general manufacturing and more, Everworks’ expertise in defining, designing and implementing smart manufacturing and process automation systems has greatly benefited its customers, of which are many fortune 500 companies, the release stated. Everworks’ unique skills in automation are revolutionizing the manufacturing processes of some of the largest companies in the world.

Steiner built Everworks from his dining room table in 2012 to a now 70-employee team at its Greenville facility.

“Through our due diligence it became apparent that Greg and the leaders at CMC wanted to empower and grow what we are doing here in Greenville by utilizing our unique capabilities and shared strengths, not come in with sweeping changes.” said Steiner. “That is what made this opportunity with CMC unique, it was a perfect fit of company cultures where caring for one another is paramount and moving forward together, growing alongside one another is the aim. I’m confident that with the additional capabilities we now can provide each other we will both be able to better support our customers and push forward into some exciting opportunities.”

Greenville-based biotech company Kiyatec names new CEO

By Jason Thomas

K

jthomas@scbiznews.com

iyatec, a Greenville-based biotechnology company specializing in 3D cell culture technology, has promoted Eric Perreault to CEO. As CEO, Perreault will continue to lead Kiyatec in its mission to revolutionize cancer care by harnessing the power of functional precision medicine with its KIYA-Predict and 3D Predict platforms,

a news release stated. He succeeds Matt Gevaert, who, after more than 15 years as CEO, will remain a member of Kiyatec’s board of directors.

“We are excited to announce Eric Perreault as the new CEO of Kiyatec,” said Gevaert, co-founder of Kiyatec, in the release. “Eric's leadership and extensive understanding of both our technology and industry are assets that will drive Kiyatec's continued growth. We’re confident that, under Eric's guidance, Kiyatec will make

a meaningful and enduring contribution to cancer treatment and drug discovery.”

As president of Kiyatec, Perreault has been an integral part of the Kiyatec team and has played a crucial role in shaping the company’s strategic direction, the release stated. With his industry experience and leadership acumen, Perreault’s promotion to CEO marks a significant milestone in Kiyatec’s journey. In this new position, Perreault will work to propel Kiyatec toward commercial success by driving

innovation, forging strategic partnerships, and expanding market reach.

“In my new role as CEO, my mission is to drive Kiyatec toward truly revolutionizing cancer care, especially for patients battling brain cancer, who haven’t seen any real treatment advances in decades,” said Perreault in the release. “I’m eager to continue collaborating with Matt as a member of our board and tapping into his extensive experience to propel us toward accomplishing this ambitious goal.”

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2023 Health Care Heroes

W

e learned three years ago about a new kind of laborer – the essential worker. Who could be more essential than the people who fix us when we’re broken, cure us when we’re ill, care for us when we hurt and help us avoid all that in the first place?

Presenting

Supporting

The people who work in health care – doctors, nurses, techs, therapists, aides and so on – remain many of the most admired people in the country. And so, this is our way of saying thank you all, whatever your role, for your everyday heroics.

Congratulations to all our 2023 Health Care Heroes honorees!

About MUSC Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highestquality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina.

In 2023, for the ninth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include worldclass faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.

January 2024

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2023 Health Care Heroes

HERO

COMMUNITY SERVICE

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Rebecca McKinney

Dr. Spence Taylor

Community Health Manager, Bon Secour St. Francis, Greenville Over 12 years in her role at St. Francis, Rebecca McKinney has been a whirling dervish of beneficial activity. She has improved health and wellness, and reduced environmental impact, for everyone at and around the hospital.

McKinney has won grants totaling more than $1 million, initiated fresh fruit and vegetable programs, and promoted recycling and conservation. She started neighborhood gardening programs, helped develop neighborhood master plans and overseen senior health education programs. She runs the Healthy Outcomes Program, and a chronic disease education and management program and … so much more.

In her personal life, she serves various community organizations, was named Urban Conservationist of the Year by the county water district and Adjunct Professor of the Year by Greenville Tech. And we’ve just scratched the surface.

HEALTH CARE ENGINEER

Leon Platt

Engineering manager, Roper St. Francis Healthcare Leon Platt doesn’t do much at the hospital system. He just oversees the operation and upkeep of all four Roper St. Francis Healthcare hospitals and other physical plants. Aside from every staff member, clinician, patient and visitor to the hospitals, no one relies on Platt’s excellence in ensuring the safety, proper operation and legal compliance of the physical plant.

In his seven years, Platt hasn’t developed much expertise, unless you count the operational functions of all the system’s buildings and the antiquated legal requirements and accrediting standards the facilities must meet. He led efforts to digitize all facility and maintenance accreditation records, allowing the information to be managed through a single comprehensive dashboard.

There is one standard Leon is always focused on: patient and teammate safety and experience. His leadership consistently brings positive outcomes and helps further the organization’s mission of healing all people with compassion, faith and excellence.

president and CEO, Integral Leaders in Health The first physician to serve as president in the 107-year history of the eight-hospital Greenville Health System, Taylor is former chair of the American Board of Surgery and past president of both the Southern Surgical Association and the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery, among his many, many accomplishments. He has received numerous awards for teaching and has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

At Greenville Health System, now part of Prisma Health, Taylor led the creation of a medical school and nursing school inside Prisma in conjunction with the two state universities. And now, he is on a new quest to improve health care.

Today Taylor serves as leader of a new organization he helped found, which aims to revolutionize medical care to meet the needs of the individual patient by focusing on their outcomes.

HERO

FIRST RESPONDERS

Chris Spencer

Upstate Operations Manager, Thorne Ambulance Service When two ambulance companies exited the Midlands abruptly, Chris Spencer came to the rescue, as only the most amazing paramedic could. He relocated temporarily from the Upstate to help provide coverage to two counties that otherwise had no access to the EMS system. This operation required the certification of six ambulances and hiring of nearly 40 staff in just a month.

It turns out, that’s nothing new for Spencer. He’s been known to assist with emergency responses while off the clock, where his quick actions are the difference between life and death.

A solutions-focused leader who is equally accomplished mentoring others or rolling up his sleeves himself, Spencer is the definition of a team player.

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January 2024

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2023 Health Care Heroes

HERO

COMMUNITY SERVICE

HEALTH CARE ENGINEER

Fun Fins program

Joel Mortimer

Colleton and Dorchester Counties

Manager of off-site maintenance, Roper St. Francis Healthcare

Kelly Bowen, director of PR and Communications at Summerville Medical Center, accepted the award on behalf of the Fun Fins program.

Imagine dragging a 24 foot-long, 16-foot wide, 3-foot deep portable pool, holding 7,200 gallons of water to rural communities in Colleton and Dorchester Counties. Why would you do that? To teach children in rural areas how to swim in the wake of a spate of pediatric drowning deaths.

Reliable transportation, cost and availability are the biggest barriers for families to sign up their children for swimming lessons, even in areas crisscrossed by waterways. So seven community partners collaborated to take action through the Fun Fins program, bringing the swim lessons to the kids. Among these organizations was Summerville Medical Center.

In just four weeks, Fun Fins taught 335 children to swim – and other safety lessons, like how to put on a life jacket. And, after bringing his granddaughter to the lessons, one grandfather signed up for adult swim lessons. Fun Fins is making waves!

A 20-year Coast Guard veteran, Joel Mortimer is a leader who is not afraid to get his hands dirty. By encouraging others to take pride in what they do, he has a knack for drawing out their talents and helping teammates succeed. This approach has fostered a high-performing, cohesive team.

Mortimer oversees the preservation and maintenance of all off-site facilities and construction. He manages five mobile maintenance technicians for facilities throughout the Lowcountry totaling more than 1 million square feet.

By crafting the comprehensive maintenance plan and operational guide for the Roper St. Francis Healthcare Data Center, he ensured stringent upkeep of critical systems. He also orchestrates emergency repairs to ensure as little downtime as possible.

SHARING EXPERIENCES BUILDING SUCCESS

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2023 Health Care Heroes

HERO

FUTURE MEDICAL LEADER

Joshua Kim

Medical student and Design Director, MUSC’s Human-Centered Design Program The idea that Joshua Kim is a future medical leader is, frankly, laughable. Kim is a medical leader now. As an innovator and designer, he has led the development of two dozen healthcare improvement projects that aim to boost the healthcare experiences of both patients and physicians.

He helped develop a medical device start-up company focused on improving CPR outcomes. He helped create patient adjustment systems for pediatric cancer patients receiving proton therapy treatment. He helped invent a 3D-printed mask for alleviating mask shortages during Covid. And most recently he was integral to the development of an external vascular occlusion device to improve cardiac arrest outcomes.

Kim has won numerous awards for his inventions and accolades for his humility, perseverance and grace. And he’s doing all this while in medical school.

HERO

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL

Myra Whiten

Chief Nursing Officer, Pelham Medical; board president, Greer Relief & Resources Agency Myra Whiten’s career is marked by innovation, commitment to people and collaboration.

During Covid’s most challenging days for healthcare providers, Whiten was busy devising plans and caring for the nurses at Pelham.

Then, in the spare time she didn’t have in the midst of a healthcare crisis, she volunteered to implement safety measures at Greer Relief.

This dedication during the most trying times demonstrates a level of commitment that goes beyond the ordinary.

Today, Whiten is guiding the agency through an expansion of services to better care for neighbors in need, again, on a volunteer basis. Says one of her admirers, “her ability to motivate and inspire her colleagues and staff reflects her commitment to fostering a collaborative and driven healthcare environment.”

Prior to advancing to these leadership positions, Whiten was recognized with a nursing fellowship and her healthcare system’s Pediatric Nursing Excellence Award.

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January 2024

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2023 Health Care Heroes

HERO

HEALTH CARE RESEARCHER

Julianne Laura

Research Occupational Therapist in Stroke Tele-rehab, MUSC It is estimated that that about 20% of stroke survivors in South Carolina have rehab needs that remain unmet because of limited available options, particularly in rural areas.

That’s where telehealth comes in.

Even that is limited, so when Julianne Laura created the stroke telerehab program at MUSC, there were few tools at her disposal.

So, she designed, created, and implemented a brand-new program and is now developing a certification training course to expand its availability.

How has that worked out? Here is a typical response from patient surveys: “I would rate telerehabilitation OT with Jule a 15 out of 10!”

And that wasn’t even the patient whose life Laura saved by recognizing the symptoms of an oncoming stroke during one telerehab session and calling 911. Can you get a 20 out of 10?

HERO

INSPIRATIONAL TEACHING AWARD

Taylor Morrisette

Assistant professor of pharmacy, MUSC This is Taylor Morrisette: • A summa cum laude doctor of pharmacy with several post-graduate fellowships and a master’s in public health; • the course coordinator for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Therapeutics; • an instructor in numerous other hard-to-pronounce courses requiring 65 lectures annually, course coordinator for the MUSC Pharmacy Residency Research Certificate.

Morrisette is one of those individuals who can’t be contained in a cover letter.

A top-rated instructor, he has published over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts, contributed to over 85 abstracts and won numerous teaching awards and was honored to speak at the school’s pinning ceremony.

And Morrisette graduated from his last residency a grand total of two years ago. Wait til he gets some experience under his belt.

As you might imagine, the hosannahs pile up from students, summed up by this: “Dr. Morrisette is a phenomenal teacher.”

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL

Julie Anderson

Dr. Myriam J. Sollman

Director of the Quality and Compliance Team, MUSC Health It takes brains and guts to transplant kidneys and pancreases. That’s Julie Anderson, a master’s-prepared nurse with another master’s in public health, transplant certification and a Yellow Belt in LEAN Six Sigma. Anderson served as MUSC’s kidney/pancreas transplant coordinator before her performance got her promoted to her current position. There she provides direct supervision to two quality teams, overseeing three transplant centers.

There’s not a lot of room for error in the transplant business and Anderson is in constant improvement mode. She has authored a number of papers and presentations on emerging best practices.

Her co-workers say she is a mentor who nurtures trusting relationships among team members and promotes a healthy and compassionate work environment.

While she’s leading teams of lifesavers she is also involved with a variety of charitable activities and won a Junior League award for her philanthropic leadership.

Neuropsychologist at Prisma Health Neurology Dr. Myriam J. Sollman works tirelessly to support her patients, as well as her colleagues in the medical profession, and her opinion and advice is sought by medical professionals across the nation.

Because she is one of the few neuropsychologists in the state of South Carolina, her opinion is highly sought by her medical colleagues, and she freely shares her knowledge and expertise.

Sollman serves as a reviewer for several professional journals and has authored or co-authored many peer-reviewed articles, and she also speaks at industry conferences on topics such as Parkinson’s disease.

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Join us in celebrating all Healthcare Heroes.

Congratulations, Dr. Jawahar Swaminathan!

SCBIZ Healthcare Heroes Award 2023 Serving patients of the Irmo community and beyond for more than 20 years, Dr. “Swami” is the lead provider for Doctors Care Seven Oaks in Columbia.

We’re happy to call Dr. Swami our own Healthcare Hero. Congratulations!

Meet all of our caring providers at Doctors Care 50+ Locations in South Carolina

Open late and weekends. | Walk-ins welcome. | DoctorsCare.com

January 2024

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2023 Health Care Heroes

NURSE

NURSE

Callee Hydrick Patro

Kerri Ridlehoover

Cardiac nurse, Roper Hospital

Assistant Director of Nursing and Infection Preventionist, Saluda Nursing & Rehab Center

Devin Patro talks to people every day in his banking career, and every once in a while, he encounters someone who has had the good fortune to have been cared for by his wife, Callee. And they all say the same thing: she’s the greatest.

“Callee is a very dedicated nurse,” says her admiring husband.

“She has a heart for service and goes the extra mile all the time, always putting others, their family and their overall experience before herself. She is often made Charge Nurse and is constantly being asked to train new nurses. Her patients and co-workers love her because she simply cares for people.”

Hydrick Patro has experienced hospital care both as a clinician and as the mother of a prematurely born child. Her now-threeyear-old son was born two months early during COVID and endured an extensive NICU stay. Today the Patros serve as the March for Babies champion family to help bring awareness to birth issues.

Have there been any infections in the last few years that might have kept an infection preventionist busy? If you think work has slowed for infection control since COVID, you haven’t met Kerri Ridlehoover.

In the last couple of years, Ridlehoover has built a computer assessment for urinalysis, created and ran a unit manager boot camp to improve leadership in the unit and developed a new process for documenting infections. It’s kept her so busy that she has sacrificed time with her family, even vacations, all for the good of patients and staff.

This dedication does not go unnoticed by her co-workers. They say she leads by example to promote positivity even during the most difficult times, smiling despite the struggles and offering calm even in times of turbulence.

HERO

HERO

MENTOR OF THE YEAR

Alexandria Ingram

Lung cancer screeing nurse practitioner, MUSC Edgewater Surgery Center Folks in rural Chester and Lancaster counties can’t exactly access lung cancer screening at the corner store. Good thing former ICU nurse Alex Ingram runs a cancer screening program, offering CT scans, educating patients and involving herself in the community to help residents live healthier lives and avoid early death.

Renowned for her patient advocacy, Ingram continues her outreach long after patient visits and pushes those in her care to return for follow-up appointments. The result is better outcomes for patients, even the reluctant and less compliant. For that Ingram was named nurse practitioner of the year at MUSC.

PHYSICIANS

Dr. Jawahar Swaminathan Urgent and primary care physician, Doctors Care

What does it mean when a physician’s children follow him into health care?

Probably that they see the good he does.

Jawahar Swaminathan, or Dr. Swami as he is affectionately known by patients and staff, has provided highquality urgent and primary medical care to patients in the Seven Oaks neighborhood of Columbia for more than 20 years. He also serves as the travel medicine expert, assisting patients across the state to prepare for exotic travel.

Working 70-80 hours-a-week, Dr. Swami mentors younger providers to improve their bedside manner and is constantly on the lookout for patients in need, frequently lending money, giving gift cards, and donating his time. Patients return the affection with praise and gifts.

Says one colleague, “love for humanity is apparent to all who know him.”

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2023 Health Care Heroes

NURSE

Ashley Fullam Nurse, MUSC Health

As with all healthcare hero nurses, the words you hear about Ashley Fullam are dedication, compassion and warmth. With nurses, it’s a Herculean effort to narrow the winners down to four, much less one.

Fullam worked with one patient who was hospitalized with an extremely painful pressure injury and required frequent repositioning. However, the pain made the patient reluctant.

Ashley sat down with her and her family, and with great sensitivity and compassion explained how turning her was the only way to help her recover. She ultimately agreed and the pain subsided over time.

“I watched the patient smile during her worst days,” said a co-worker, “because Ashley was her nurse.”

Congratulations to all the Healthcare Heroes!

You make our community a better place.

HERO

NURSE

Ngozi Eke

Family Nurse Practitioner, Proactive MD Passionate about breaking cultural barriers and helping people address their mental health needs as they do their physical health needs, Ngozi Eke actively educates patients and helps them cut through the stigma that we often place on mental health.

Eke demonstrates exceptional dedication by going above and beyond her standard duties. She is highly involved in the diagnostic and treatment phases, often making critical decisions that have immediate and long-lasting impacts on er patients’ lives.

She is known to follow up with patients during their treatment, a step that extends beyond her role but makes a meaningful difference to patients and their families.

Her passion is to provide holistic care to the patient that encompasses both the body and the soul. She tries to achieve this by listening to her patients and understanding who they are, understanding where they are coming from – not dismissing them or hurrying through to see the next patient.

PHYSICIANS

Dr. Paul Freel

Primary care physician, Bon Secour Paul Freel is a rolling stone; wherever he lays his stethescope is … well, it’s a place where people in need can get care. That’s true whether it’s in Albania, Afghanistan or New York City during Covid. Those are just a few of the mission trips he has taken to provide medical services to those who most need him anywhere on the globe.

Colleagues say medicine is Freel’s life and he treats his patients like family, building relationships and offering his time and a listening ear without constraint. Over three decades, including three years in the Air Force, he has spread health and wellness far and wide.

SummervilleMed.com

January 2024

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2023 Health Care Heroes

PHYSICIANS

Dr. Tallulah Holmstrom Chief medical officer, MUSC Health

Still seeing patients even as the chief medical officer, Tallulah Holmstrom works early mornings and late into the evenings, juggling clinical care with administrative duties. A Camden native and member of the Camden High School Hall of Fame, she went to the big city for school – that is if you consider Clemson and Columbia big cities – but returned to her roots to offer medical care to her hometown area.

The only female chief medical officer in the MUSC Regional Health Network, she is lauded for supporting the needs of providers and serving as a role model for women in health care. A dedicated community volunteer, she serves on numerous boards and won numerous honors, including the Camden Rotary Club Professional Services Award.

HERO

HERO

THERAPY SERVICE ANIMAL

Greg Diehl

volunteer service animal therapy provider, Summerville Medical Center Every Thursday without fail, Greg Diehl and his gentle giant Newfoundlands Nevie, Winston, Ruby and Mercy brighten the days of patients and staff at Summerville Medical.

The canine crew has logged 450 hours of service there, and make the rounds at other local hospitals as well.

A loving lick, tender touch or compassionate gaze is all it takes from these incredible empaths to light up the day of a patient or even staff member having a bad day.

Every week for six years, smiles and laughter follow Diehl and his team.

“I’ve seen tears in the eyes of our ICU nurses as they pet the dogs during the middle of a difficult shift, looking for a moment of peace and happiness,” says one colleague.

VOLUNTEER

VOLUNTEER

Shirley Salvo

Phillip Moss

Volunteer, MUSC

What has 15,000 hours of volunteer service sewing 17,000 pillowcases for pediatric hospital patients over 14 years? It’s not a what, it’s a who – Shirley Salvo. She coordinates the band of tailors sewing 100 pillowcases-a-month – even during COVID – stitching together the materials, sewing machines and talent too.

They’re not just any old pillowcases – they’re whimsical designs that delight children afflicted with cancer and other lifethreatening illnesses. They provide a moment of silliness to offset the pain and sadness.

It’s all part of her ethos to find a need and fill it. Salvo is also the founder of the Sea Island Hunger Awareness Foundation to help low-income citizens of Johns Island access healthy food and clean water.

Volunteer, MUSC

A volunteer in the emergency department for the last dozen years, Phillip Moss assists staff, patients and visitors any way he is needed, but more than anything else, just be being Phillip. A consistent and reliable volunteer, he comes complete with a sweet smile and willingness to help.

Moss is the kind of guy who stops what he’s doing to arrange a ride for a patient lacking transportation to go home. It’s no wonder patients and their families regularly email the hospital telling them what a pick-me-up Moss and his ever-present smile were for them during their stay.

This year, Moss hit 2,000 hours of service and began training new volunteers. That’s 2,000 hours of smiles.

In Focus

NEXT ISSUE’S FOCUS: WORKFORCE/STAFFING

Agribusiness

LIST: Professional Staffing Firms, HR and Payroll

CLOCKING IN

More South Carolina employers could be enforcing back-to-office policies sooner rather than later

By Krys Merryman

N

kmerryman@scbiznews.com

early four years following the COVID-19 outbreak that changed the outlook of remote and hybrid work schedules, employers might be enforcing return-to-office policies sooner rather than later.

An end-of-year study by Resume Builder showed that 90% of companies will return to office by the end of 2024.

“We’ve already seen this trend as accurate,” said Herb Dew, CEO of Human Technologies Inc. “During COVID, everyone went remote, then, depending on the industry, employers were saying that maybe remote work could work in the long run.”

Over the last year, said Dew, companies are finding that there’s a downside to having a fully remote workforce.

“So, how do we return to the office while allowing employees to maintain freedom but don’t lose the collaboration aspect that comes with working in the office, the loss of intimacy of a team?” Dew asked.

The issue of return-to-office policies continues to be contentious, according to Resume Builder. While some studies have found that employees feel more productive and effective in-office, many companies are continuing to receive pushback from employees who would prefer to work remotely, and some employers are regretting their push to return to the office too soon, the study noted.

In order to find out what companies’ plans are for returning to offices this year, ResumeBuilder.com surveyed 1,000 company decisionmakers in August.

Here are the key findings: • Nine in 10 companies with office space will return to office by the end of 2024 • A majority of companies are currently tracking or will track employees to ensure in-person attendance • 72% of companies said returning to the office has improved revenue • 28% of employees said their company will threaten to fire employees who don’t comply with mandates Many businesses gave up their physical office spaces during the pandemic, according to Resume Builder, but the vast majority plan to have them moving forward.

According to the study, 64% of respondents said their company currently has a physical workspace, 20% plan to by the end of 2024, 11% plan to in 2025 or later, and just 4% never plan to have a physical workspace.

When companies were asked if they currently have or plan to have office space by the end of 2024, only 2% of said their company never plans to require employees to work

An end-of-year study by Resume Builder showed that 90% of companies will return to the office by the end of 2024. (Photo/DepositPhotos)

in-person. Fifty-one percent currently require some or all employees to work in-person, 39% plan to by the end of 2024, and 8% plan to by 2025 or later, according to the study.

Companies looking at these metrics are realizing that employees that work from home aren’t quite as efficient as they think they are compared to working in an office, said Dew. “They (employers) are beginning to see a completely remote workforce lacks efficiency,” he added. “I’m seeing more hybrid schedules, but there are also employers that have 100% RTO policies already. But bringing people back 100% to the office when they have adjusted to working from home has increased turnover.”

Kamber Parker, founder of YoPro Know, a consulting group focused on young professionals, said she has seen leaders who think RTO is the only way to “increase productivity,” yet most young professionals feel they are more productive when working from home and not in the office.

“Keep in mind that most GenZ young professionals have never known a workplace that was 100% in office due to the pandemic,” she added. “So, expect there to be some pushback and turnover if something they have always known in the workforce is suddenly gone. I don’t think many senior leaders think of it from that perspective.”

Here are the pros and cons of return-to-office policies

There are pros and cons to forcing return-to-office policies before employees are “ready.”

An absolute con, according to Dew, is that

some companies aren’t communicating the why and how to return to the office or giving employees enough time to get squared away.

“This will cause disruptions in workers’ lives,” he said. “Round table discussions need to happen on how we can make this happen successfully and give workers enough warning. Hear concerns and have people feel heard. Companies I have seen be successful at this are starting with integrating hybrid schedules first. I think employees, for the most part, miss synergy and working with employees through personal interactions, so I think people get hybrid schedules. I think people going from 100% remote to 100% RTO is a hard sell.”

As leaders, if they choose a 100% RTO policy, Parker said they recommend being clear in the job descriptions and during interviews.

“Being honest is a great way to weed out candidates who will leave during the onboarding process, and it will also show you’re not being dishonest during the recruiting period, which shows character,” she added. “Additionally, if returning to the office is inevitable, what other ways can you offer flexibility? Is there an option to offer additional benefits that you are not currently offering? Is there any wiggle room with flex time?

“For any leaders in the manufacturing space or other fields where remote work was never possible, I continue to share this insight: what ways can you be flexible to engage talent?”

What return to office means for performance

According to the study, company leaders

predict that returning to office in 2024 will improve the company in a variety of ways.

Eighty-one percent said it will improve revenue, 81% also believe it will improve company culture, and 83% said it will improve worker productivity.

Among respondents whose companies have already returned to office, 31% said they started requiring workers to come back in 2021, 41% in 2022, and 27% in 2023. Many respondents in this group said they have seen an improvement in revenue, productivity, worker retention and more, according to study findings.

To encourage employees to return to in-person work, 72% of business leaders said the company will offer commuter benefits, 57% will offer childcare benefits, and 64% will provide catered meals. Additionally, 28% said their company will threaten to fire employees who don’t comply with RTO policy, according to the study.

“Companies can threaten to fire employees over RTO policy, but they should keep in mind that this is still a very strong candidate market in many industries,” said Resume Builder Chief Career Adviser Stacie Haller.

“Companies who insist on RTO when employees are resistant may lose workers and struggle to hire talent from a smaller candidate pool.”

A common study that occurs every one to 15 years implies a rule of thumb — that a third of a company’s workforce is in the higher echelon of performance, said Dew. “The fact of the matter is that some peoSee RETURN TO OFFICE, Page 24

January 2024

IN FOCUS: WORKFORCE/STAFFING

www.gsabusiness.com 21

Staffing the fast-growing life sciences industry

By Christina Lee Knauss

T

Contributing writer

he life sciences industry in South Carolina is booming, with companies manufacturing medications, medical devices and other products making up a bigger part of the state’s economy than ever before. Statistics from 2022 show South Carolina experiencing a faster growth in life sciences than any other state in the Southeast, with 1,033 life sciences companies currently calling it home and more likely to arrive in 2024.

It’s a sector that will also likely continue to see growth, fueled by rapid innovation in health science technology as well as an aging population both in the state and nationwide which will demand more and more access to health care.

Sounds like a rosy scenario, but there is a problem. Who will do the work?

This rapidly growing sector, like almost every other one in South Carolina, is facing a hiring crunch fueled by a variety of factors, according to Joey Von Nessen, a research economist with the research division of the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.

“Life sciences has been one of the fastest growing industries in the state over the previous decade, and we anticipate seeing more growth,” Von Nessen said. He cited a recent survey by USC that indicates that more than 70% of life science firms statewide expect to grow at least 10% per year over the next five years.

The labor force problem that will complicate that growth becomes frighteningly obvious, he said, with a look at data from a survey that USC did in conjunction with SCbio, a statewide nonprofit that promotes the life sciences. The data showed that 57% of South Carolina companies surveyed claimed significant challenges finding workers compared to 40% of life sciences companies nationwide. Companies in the research and development side of life sciences report the fewest workforce challenges, but still can’t recruit all the workers they need, he said.

The labor challenges facing life science is just part of an overall labor crunch confronting most industries across the board in 2024, Von Nessen said. The core reason? A rapidly aging population which is especially affecting South Carolina because the state’s population is aging faster than the national average, fueled by a growing influx of residents who are at or near retirement age.

Von Nessen said the lack of available labor is partly being fueled by the rapid departure of baby boomers from

Photo/DepositPhotos

the workforce in 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these workers, especially the older boomers, delayed retirement in the late 2000s because of the hit 401ks took during the Great Recession. When the pandemic hit, the stock market – and 401ks – were doing well, so more of these older workers decided to jump at the chance to retire.

“Rather than have a smooth period where baby boomers were retiring at a steady pace, instead it was all compressed into a short window,” Von Nessen said. “That’s why we’re seeing the labor shortage in South Carolina across most businesses, including life sciences.”

Von Nessen said South Carolina has seen a rise in workers in most age groups except for people ages 20 to 29, and said the state often struggles to retain talent – namely recent college graduates and younger people who leave the military – because it faces competition from other nearby cities like Charlotte and Atlanta, as well as other locations across the country.

The aging workforce is also more of a factor in life sciences’ labor shortage in South Carolina than loss of workers to other areas because in general salaries offered by life sciences companies are much higher than the average wage statewide, Von Nessen said.

“The demand in this industry is

going to be extraordinary, so the industry needs to be making students aware of career possibilities, providing them opportunities to learn about the life sciences and connect them to businesses at a younger age,” Von Nessen said.

Workforce development is one of the major goals of SCbio, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to building and developing the life sciences sector in South Carolina.

“Now more than ever, we must focus not only on recruiting talent but also retaining the talent from the colleges and universities within our state,” said James Chappell, president and CEO of SCbio. “Connecting these students with companies in South Carolina is a critical part of developing our state’s workforce. Our student membership program and student-industry engagement sessions are giving both students and companies a unique platform to get the most out of South Carolina’s life sciences ecosystem.”

The student-industry engagement sessions Chappell mentioned offer college students an important chance to connect with industry leaders. Led by SCbio interns, the sessions enable students to learn more about career paths in life sciences in South Carolina while also getting pointers on improving resumes, interviewing skills and more.

In turn, the leaders get to meet potential members of their future workforces

and market their companies to students before they graduate.

With the free student memberships SCbio offers, students also get a chance to meet industry leaders, tour facilities, secure job interviews and attend industry events.

SCbio is also reaching out to students with two other programs. Its Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturing Pilot Certificate is a four-to-five week course teaching students about the basics of the life sciences industry with a focus on manufacturing, including introduction to quality systems, basic industrial measuring tools, good documentation practices and more.

The organization is also increasing its outreach to middle- and high-school students statewide. One of its initiatives for these students – Rad Lab –is designed to appeal to their love of video games and technology. This free-toplay mobile video game offers information about life sciences careers and offers information about region-specific pathways to enter the life sciences workforce.

In-person job fairs and hiring events are another way life science companies are reaching out to potential employees. These events have been particularly successful recently for West Columbia-based Nephron Pharmaceuticals, See Life Science Workforce, Page 22

22

www.gsabusiness.com

IN FOCUS: WORKFORCE/STAFFING

January 2024

Agreement formalizes credits transfer among South Carolina technical colleges, universities

By Ross Norton

T

rnorton@scbiznews.com

he academic requirements of South Carolina’s technical colleges and research universities were woven together Jan. 11 with a thread that has joined some of the schools in individual pairings over the last several years.

University and college officials joined key state lawmakers to celebrate a statewide transfer agreement between the South Carolina Technical College System and the state’s public research universities, including Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.

The agreement marks a significant milestone in refining the transfer process between the technical colleges and universities, according to a news release. It is “intentionally designed to be dynamic with ongoing assessment and evaluation to optimize student educational opportunities.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, House Speaker Murrell Smith and Sen. Thomas Alexander, president of the Senate, celebrated the agreement with academic representatives that included Clemson University President Jim Clements, Clemson Provost Bob Jones, University of South Carolina President Michael Amiridis and USC Provost Donna Arnett.

Tim Hardee, president of the technical college system, was also there along with all 16 presidents of the technical colleges, according to the release.

The partnership represents a concerted, collaborative effort to streamline the transfer experience to the benefit of student success, the release stated. Its primary objective is to strengthen the seamless transfer of credits from technical colleges to public research universities within the state.

Transfer agreements are not new, but most of them in the past have been hammered out between two schools, such as an agreement last year that smoothed out the transfer process between Midlands Technical College and Clemson’s architecture program.

“I am thrilled to celebrate the signing of the statewide transfer agreement, an endeavor I have wholeheartedly sup-

Life Science Workforce, from Page 21

which produces and manufactures generic inhalation solutions and prefilled sterile syringes through its 503B Outsourcing Facility.

A workforce hiring event the company held in fall 2023 gained Nephron 110 new employees out of about 340 people who attended, according to owner and CEO Lou Kennedy. Prospective

University and college officials, including Clemson President Jim Clements, joined key state lawmakers to celebrate a statewide transfer agreement between the South Carolina Technical College System and the state’s public research universities, including Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. (Photo/ Clemson University)

• Establishment of 30 or more credit

hours of guaranteed acceptance and applicability to the student’s major designed to reduce credit loss at the time of transfer.

• Maintenance of the acceptance of a minimum of 60 credit hours for students completing an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science.

• A reverse transfer credit option enabling credits earned at the university to be transferred back to the technical college for the completion of an associate degree.

• Establishment of annual data sharing in an effort to highlight successes and opportunities for further collaboration to increase transfer student success.

• A commitment to ongoing, regular collaboration through the facilitation of faculty and staff convenings to promote better advising, pedagogy and resources.

State lawmakers taking part in the ceremony included Sen. Greg Hembree and Rep. Shannon Erickson.

employees were given tours of Nephron’s plant and offered comprehensive descriptions of available jobs, ranging from jobs in the sterile filling facility to work in packaging, warehousing and logistics.

The onboarding process for the new hires started the same day as the job fair, and many of them started work the Monday after the event, a quick turnaround almost unheard of in many

companies but one that Nephron takes pride in, Kennedy said.

Holding career fairs is just one of many efforts Kennedy has implemented at Nephron to gain new employees and raise awareness of the life sciences industry. The company regularly offers apprenticeships and internships to students from area colleges and universities, has strong relationships with the state’s technical college system, and

also recruits high-school age interns through the Urban League. Three students a year from the Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics are picked to work on a project at Nephron.

“We love doing this type of thing because it’s not only a way to raise awareness of what we do, but it’s a good way to keep our talent in South Carolina and not lose them to Atlanta or Charlotte,” Kennedy said.

ported for many years,” Smith said in the release. “I applaud the institutions of higher education and their leaders for helping this to finally become a reality. I know that this is a great first step in what I hope will be a continued commitment to making education more accessible, affordable and adaptable to our state’s students.

Key components of the agreement include:

IN FOCUS: WORKFORCE/STAFFING

January 2024

www.gsabusiness.com 23

Professional Staffing Agencies

• •

c. xe

th M

275

10%

40%

10%

10%

10%

864-297-4212 www.newboldservices.com

Ken Thompson, Erwin Carter 1996

200

25

0%

3%

2%

0%

0%

HTI 105 N. Spring St., Suite 200 Greenville, SC 29601

864-467-0330 www.htijobs.com sales@htijobs.com

John Knight, David Sewell, Herb W. DewIII 1999

87 1

-

2%

3%

1%

-

34%

Find Great People LLC 15 Brendan Way, Suite 140 Greenville, SC 29615

864-297-0000 www.fgp.com marketing@fgp.com

Vicki Peek, John Uprichard, Betsy Anthony 1982

75

140

20%

30%

20%

10%

10%

EmployBridge 101 Verdae Blvd., Suite 550 Greenville, SC 29607

864-757-1538 www.employbridge.com client.services@employbridge.net

Laura Moody, Kim Wallace 1992

48

2,800

2%

10%

2%

0%

5%

OpSource Staffing 1600 John B. White Sr. Blvd., Suite 1007 Spartanburg, SC 29301

864-641-7540 www.opsourcestaffing.com bruce.alexander@opsourcestaffing.com

2007

45

750

1%

4%

2%

0%

3%

Phillips Staffing 55 E. Camperdown Way Greenville, SC 29601

864-242-4144 www.phillipsstaffing.com contactus@phillipsstaffing.com

Jonathan Rhodes, Ed Parris, Blanton Phillips 1968

37

750

5%

20%

5%

0%

5%

Godshall Recruiting 310 University Ridge Greenville, SC 29601

864-242-3491 www.godshall.com drew.brown@godshall.com

Julie Godshall Brown 1968

22

150

20%

20%

10%

15%

15%

Recruiting Solutions 124 Verdae Blvd,Suite 103 Greenville, SC 29607

864-234-0072 www.recruitingsolutionsonline.com frontdesk@recruitingsolutionsonline.com

Cam Varner, Debbie Varner 1992

22

78

10%

20%

5%

5%

5%

Southeast Technical Personnel Consultants Inc. 118 Seminole Drive Greenville, SC 29605

864-250-0855 www.southeast-technical.com louie@southeast-technical.com

Louie D. Smith 1997

20

10

5%

5%

20%

5%

15%

Loop Recruiting 100 Dunbar St., Suite 112 Spartanburg, SC 29306

864-542-7936 www.looprecruiting.com jfulmer@looprecruiting.com

Jason Kennedy, Charlie Wall, Jamie Fulmer 2015

15

5

25%

20%

25%

5%

25%

Kester Search Group LLC 25 E. Court St., Suite 301 Greenville, SC 29601

864-243-1673 www.kestersearch.com candidate@kestersearch.com

Lee A. Kester 2013

14

2

0%

0%

5%

70%

25%

Forvis Executive Search 11 Brendan Way, Suite 200 Greenville, SC 29615

864-297-0990 www.forvis.com/services/executive-search

Suzanne Malo, Mark DeVerges, Brad Ledford 2001

14

3

40%

0%

10%

10%

40%

I.K. Hofmann USA 955 W. Wade Hampton Blvd., Suite 11A Greer, SC 29650

864-527-0480 www.hofmannusa.com greenville@hofmannusa.com

Wendy Brooks 1985

12

400

5%

25%

10%

0%

15%

Medustrial 2 51 Concourse Way Greer, SC 29650

888-794-7798 www.medustrial.com info@medustrial.com

Greg Stiltner 2002

11

100

0%

10%

0%

90%

0%

Condustrial Inc. 51 Concourse Way Greer, SC 29650

864-235-3619 www.condustrial.com info@condustrial.com

Harry Batson 2002

9

180

0%

15%

70%

0%

15%

PrideStaff Greenville 609 Haywood Road Greenville, SC 29607

864-987-9006 www.pridestaff.com greenville@pridestaff.com

Gary M. Brons 1978

9

160

5%

10%

0%

0%

5%

Chase Staffing 517 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Suite D Greenville, SC 29607

864-421-0410 www.chasestaffing.com SC02@chasestaffing.com

Melissa Duffie 2000

8

25

25%

41%

2%

5%

2%

MedFirst Staffing LLC 226 Wall St. Piedmont, SC 29673

864-421-0394 www.medfirststaffing.com mfs@medfirststaffing.com

Capers A. Easterby, Julie Eagan 2003

8

150

0%

0%

0%

100%

0%

Perceptive Recruiting LLC Five Creekside Park Court, Suite G Greenville, SC 29615

864-908-0105 www.perceptiverecruiting.com info@perceptiverecruiting.com

Jill Rose 2014

7

12

0%

0%

90%

0%

10%

Spherion Staffing & Recruiting 1200 Woodruff Road, Suite C15 Greenville, SC 29607

864-676-9160 www.spherion.com/greenville craigroberson@spherion.com

Craig P. Roberson, Diane H. Roberson 1988

6

150

5%

20%

0%

15%

5%

Sawyer Staffing Inc. 307 W. Antrim Drive Greenville, SC 29607

864-233-8439 www.sawyerstaffing.com info@sawyerstaffing.com

Randy Sawyer 1991

4

10

1%

4%

0%

0%

10%

The Kidder Group Inc. 6 Timber Lane Greenville, SC 29609

864-414-6744 www.thekiddergroup.com gary@thekiddergroup.com

Gary Tompkins 1998

4

0

10%

0%

5%

0%

85%

Precept Staffing Inc. 328 Hillcrest Drive, Suite 5 Laurens, SC 29360

864-984-1908 www.preceptstaffing.com bligon@preceptstaffing.com

Brenda J. Ligon 1999

4

1,020

1%

15%

0%

2%

2%

Smart Work Network LLC 2431 N Pleasantburg Dr Box 31214 Greenville, SC 29608

864-233-3007 www.smartworknetwork.com sean@smartworknetwork.com

MaryAnn Donahue 1999

3

0

20%

0%

20%

0%

60%

Top Local Official(s) / Year Founded

Labor Finders 1003 Poinsett Highway Greenville, SC 29609

864-235-0188 www.laborfinders.com lynn.ray@laborfinders.com

Newbold Services LLC (Peak Workforce Solutions LLC and Pinnacle Staffing Inc.) 127 Tanner Road Greenville, SC 29607

gm t.

M

5737

Phone / Website / Email

ed ./

IT

Lynn Ray 1975

Company

/T ec

Avg. Workers per Week

Ad m in ./

h.

He

/E

al

Cl er

In-House Staff

Ac

cn tg ./

Fin .

ica

l

Ca r

e

Ranked by in-house staff members

Because of space constraints, sometimes only the top-ranked companies are published in the print edition. For a full list of participating organizations, visit scbiznews.com/buy-business-lists. Email additions or corrections to Listresearch@Bridgetowermedia.com.

Information for this list was provided through survey responses and additional business research. To be considered for this or other future lists, email listresearch@bridgetowermedia.com.

Coverage area includes Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union counties.

1 2023 data 2 A service of Condustrial Inc.

24

IN FOCUS: WORKFORCE/STAFFING

www.gsabusiness.com

January 2024

HR & Payroll Companies Ranked by number of W-2s issued in 2023

• •

Company

Phone / Website / Email

Executive(s) / Year Founded

W-2s issued / % of Business in Payroll

Quality Business Solutions Inc. 280 Hindman Road Travelers Rest, SC 29690

864-834-3985 www.qualitybsolutions.net info@qualitybsolutions.net

David Evette 2000

99,281 100%

Offering integrated PEO/ASO services, including HR, payroll and benefits administration, unemployment management, insurance, WC and tax reporting

Propel HR 669 N. Academy St. Greenville, SC 29601

800-446-6567 www.propelhr.com info@propelhr.com

Lee Yarborough 1996

30,000 95%

Professional Employer Organization (PEO), payroll, benefits, technology, compliance, human resources

Payroll Medics 1201 W. Poinsett St. Greer, SC 29650

864-640-8981 www.payrollmedics.com support@payrollmedics.com

Jennifer Murray 2014

12,152 100%

Our HCM platform offers online payroll services + HR solutions for Upstate businesses to manage the entire employment life cycle - hire to retire

Paysmart Payroll Services LLC 108 Frederick St. Greenville, SC 29607

864-467-0919 www.paysmartsc.com stephen@paysmartsc.com

Stephen C. Stokes 2004

8,900 100%

Payroll services

Cherry Bekaert 110 E. Court St., Suite 500 Greenville, SC 29601

864-233-3981 www.cbh.com kathryn.delia@cbh.com

John Gonella 1947

2,278 5%

Audit and assurance, tax planning and compliance, international tax advisory and transfer pricing, state and local tax advisory, credits and incentive

Greene Finney Cauley LLP 108 Professional Court Mauldin, SC 29662

864-232-5204 www.greenefinneycauley.cpa info@gfc.cpa

Chris Cauley, Larry J. Finney, David Phillips 1996

2,000 12%

Tax planning and compliance, outsourced accounting, advisory and payroll, audits, reviews and compilations, advisory services

Cline Brandt Kochenower & Co. P.A. 145 Rogers Commerce Blvd.

Boiling Springs, SC 29316

864-541-0218 www.cbkpa.com timblake@cbkpa.com

Tim S. Blake 1950

1,000 4%

Auditing, bookkeeping, compilation, review, payroll processing, taxpayer representation, financial planning, estate planning, individual, partnership, fiduciary and corporate tax preparation

Saunders O'Dell P.A. 210 E. Trade St. Simpsonville, SC 29681

864-963-3467 www.saundersodellcpa.com ben@saundersodellcpa.com

Marc Saunders, Benjamin O'Dell 1976

953 11%

Tax, accounting, audit, QuickBooks consulting, reviews, payrolls

The Hobbs Group PA 125 W. Stone Ave. Greenville, SC 29609

864-271-7503 www.hobbscpa.com mark@hobbscpa.com

Mark T. Hobbs 1986

700 25%

Full service accounting firm, specialize in tax, auditing, small business services, litigation support, business consulting and more

Montgomery & Co. CPAs PA 101 Roper Creek Drive Greenville, SC 29615

864-233-8449 www.montgomeryandco.com team@montgomeryandco.com

Joseph F. MontgomeryJr. 1994

400 15%

Bookkeeping, consulting, tax preparation, tax planning, exam representation, compilation, review and information technology for small businesses

Upstate CPAs PA 775 Spartan Blvd., Suite 202 Spartanburg, SC 29301

864-587-0667 www.upstatecpas.com office@upstatecpas.com

Salil Mathur, Bharti Mathur 2010

300 1 10%

Gordon A. Lewis CPA 129 Pastorale Drive Chesnee, SC 29323

864-205-4098 gordonalewiscpa@yahoo.com

Gordon A. Lewis 2005

10 0%

Services Offered

Provide accounting, tax, consulting and audit services for small and medium retail service businesses Income tax

Because of space constraints, sometimes only the top-ranked companies are published in the print edition. For a full list of participating organizations, visit scbiznews.com/buy-business-lists. Email additions or corrections to Listresearch@Bridgetowermedia.com.

Information for this list was provided through survey responses and additional business research. To be considered for this or other future lists, email listresearch@bridgetowermedia.com.

Coverage area includes Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union counties.

1

Company has not done W-2's yet for this year

Life Science Workforce, from Page 20

ple work well remotely, while others don’t,” he said. “That top third can work anywhere and be successful while creating their own structure. They can work 100% remotely and be highly effective. But, then there’s another third of the workforce that is more successful with structure, and then the bottom third is less successful and they need tight constraints to function. Employers are struggling to figure this out, and RTO policies hurt the top third of the workforce, because the other two thirds work better with structure.”

Consequently, technology hasn’t caught up with connectivity between remote work and being in the office, said Dew. “Can you imagine being laid off via email versus being told in person?” he said. “That is proof of lack of personal interactions and the detriment of it. Employers are working through how to make all this work. I think a hybrid approach is where we land, depending on the industry, and this could be permanent, moving forward. But increased face time, even if it needs to be scheduled, is still important, even if just once a month.”

As of 2023, Parker said research with thousands of young professionals (“YoPros”) showed that 68% prefer hybrid work environments.

“In our ongoing surveys, we are not seeing this number change, and have conversations daily with young talent who actively search for companies who offer a flexible work schedule,” she said. “That being said, you will find

Young professionals, in particular, have expressed a desire for a hybrid work experience, spending working at home and at the office. (Photo/DepositPhotos)

most young professionals don’t want to work from home 100% of the time. The key here is they want some flexibility, which to them might mean just one day at home, or even the option to leave work early on Fridays. You won’t know unless you ask your teams.”

What other workforce trends are on the horizon?

According to Dew, there are other workforce trends that may be part of the “norm” over the next couple of years.

“A four-day work week is another topic of conversation in the next five years that

we might see being more mainstream in the U.S. like it is in Europe,” he said. “The loss of a day hasn’t really affected industries who currently enforce four-day work weeks, but rather companies have seen an increase in employee productivity.”

In order to get the best people and retain the most employees, employers must be more flexible and get more creative with benefits as well, said Dew, such as the increase of paid time off policies — some employers have already tested the waters with unlimited PTO. “Some companies have come out with

minimum PTO polices, even, because those who offer unlimited PTO have guilt over taking too much, so they end up not taking enough,” he added.

The new generation of employees joining the workforce is set on having a proper worklife balance, said Dew. If employers only offer the “old school way of doing things” by offering just two weeks off, that will put them at the back of the line, he added.

“It is important to note that I have also spoken to countless members of other generations (experienced professionals: 40+) who also want flexible work environments,” Parker said, “This is not something we are seeing in just young professionals, but I do think the younger workforce is getting a lot of negative press in the media claiming they are the ones ‘not willing to go back to the office.’ It impacts all generations, let’s be clear.”

All these things are interconnected, said Dew. “Companies that start innovating around all these things will have employees say that’s who they want to work for,” he said. “Being creative and being employee-centric, moving away from traditional benefits is key.

Companies are taking more risks and trying new things, and they are succeeding while getting other employers to see these points in a different way. If you’re a company that’s not being innovative, you’re going to have high turnover. You’ll always have people that can go somewhere else.”

At Work

People in the News

Business Digest

CBL gives to Greenville Tech

Habitat dedicates first Bank Bramlett Park home

The CBL State Savings Charitable Foundation said it gave $2,500 to support the African American Male Scholars Initiative (AAMSI) at Greenville Technical College. The donation will fund academic support, mentoring and leadership development to help students succeed in college and beyond.

Jay Gibson will lead the Charlestonn office. (Photo/ Elliott & Painter)

Genetic center receives Amazon grant

Elliott & Painter expands with Lowcountry office

Spartanburg-based firm Elliott & Painter Certified Public Accountants said it has expanded into the Lowcountry market. The firm hired Jay Gibson as partner to lead its new office near the Ravenel Bridge in Mount Pleasant. The office is expected to open in January and will offer tax preparation and advisory services, audit and assurance and outsourced accounting.

From left: Andrew Babb, Lianna Blanton, Geoff Groat, John Bauknight, Ralph Settle, Robert Grier and Alexander Dennis. (Photo/Roadstead Real Estate Advisors)

Real estate brokerage expands to Upstate

Spartanburg-based real estate professionals Andrew Babb, John Bauknight and Ralph Settle have partnered with Geoff Groat Jr. of Charleston to launch Roadstead Real Estate Advisors’ new Upstate office. Groat co-founded Roadstead in Charleston 15 years ago after a career with CBRE. The Upstate office is at 314 S. Pine St., Building 100, Spartanburg. Also joining the Roadstead team is Lianna Saad Blanton, who has 12 years of commercial real estate and property management experience. Robert Grier, a 2018 Clemson University graduate, and Alexander Dennis, a 2023 Wofford College graduate, will join as junior associates.

The CBL team presents a check to Greenville Tech.

(Photo/CBL State Savings Bank)

Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County said Jessica Jones became the first homeowner in its Bramlett Park project.

Nine houses projected to be built on more than 1.7 acres on Sturtevant Street in Greenville as part of the project. The land was donated by Creative Builders and Fitch Irick Corp. in 2021. The companies also agreed to help build four of the nine homes.

A toast is raised to the success of A Toast to Home.

(Photo/Rebuild Upstate)

Rebuild Upstate raises $65,000

Rebuild Upstate, a local nonprofit that works to secure safe and affordable housing for individuals and families in need, said it raised $65,000 through its A Toast to Home event. Funds will be used to repair six homes or complete 26 individual repair projects. Nearly 200 people attended the event, which was sponsored by Southern First Bank, ServPro of West Greenville & Anderson and Furman Capital Advisors.

MPF building capacity in Gray Court

Marsh Bell Construction said it has been awarded a ground-up construction project by MPF Products Inc. in Gray Court. The 6,000 square-foot, two-story wood-framed building will expand MPF’s manufacturing footprint, add offices and increase capacity for finished products and raw materials. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of electrical feedthroughs and viewports.

Greenville Tech named among ‘America’s Top Online Colleges’

Greenville Technical College said it ranked No. 21 in America’s Top Online Colleges list compiled by Newsweek with data firm Statista Inc. The list highlights the nation’s top colleges with online degrees based on a survey of more than 9,000 online learners, as well as research about the institutions.

Dollar General supports literacy education

The Greenville Literacy Association and United Ministries said they were awarded 2023 Adult Literacy Grants from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, a $20,000 investment. Funding will support more than 500 adults with level-appropriate instruction in basic literacy and numeracy, GED preparation, learning English as a second language, digital literacy and workplace and career-ready skills.

Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC) said it has been selected as a winner of a 2023 Amazon Web Services (AWS) Imagine Grant, a public grant opportunity open to registered 501(c) nonprofit organizations who are using technology to solve pressing challenges. The grant will support GGC’s Precision Medicine Initiative to provide a scalable, secure solution to integrate patient data from clinical encounters, laboratory testing and research studies to make it accessible, searchable, and actionable.

Food Lion donates to Converse

Converse University said it received $1,500 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help nourish neighbors experiencing hunger. The Feeding the Hungry grant supports Converse University by purchasing needed food items and creating nutritional education for students on campus.

MD Care, ARCpoint launch telehealth system

MD Care Group LLC and ARCpoint Inc. announced a collaboration to launch a telehealth system called the Application Programming Interface that supports testing for the flu, strep throat or COVID. MD Care provides clients with access to care from board-certified physicians.

ARCpoint provides drug testing, alcohol screening, DNA and direct-to-consumer (DTC) clinical lab testing services. Both companies are based in Greenville.

Through their new platform, patients can log in and connect with a doctor for a live consultation within minutes and receive prescriptions based on the diagnosis.

Additional information is available at ARCpointLabs.com.

Carolina Handling named a ‘veteran friendly’ employer

Carolina Handling was named a veteran-friendly employer by the S.C. Department of Veterans Affairs. The program recognizes South Carolina businesses that actively recruit military veterans and empower and enhance their employment through training and career development opportunities.

ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PR

Lambert

Brown

Crawford hired Bryant Lambert as senior vice president of client relations and promoted Cara Brown to associate account director and Taylor Wilson Wilson to account supervisor.

Lambert previously worked at Ep+Co for 12 years, most recently serving as vice president and group account director. Brown joined Crawford nearly six years ago as an account executive and most recently servrf as senior account supervisor. Wilson joined Crawford in 2018 and most recently worked as senior account executive.

McCarnan

Seth

VantagePoint Marketing hired Joshua McCarnan as senior account manager and Kristin Seth as content specialist. McCarnan will lead the development of marketing communication strategies. Seth will focus on public relations, content marketing and social media projects.

AVIATION & AEROSPACE Jeffrey T. Gold has been appointed to the Greenville Airport Commission to succeed Stanley G. Mays as one of the two Greenville County Gold appointees.

Mays served on the commission for six years. Gold is a commander and check pilot and instructor for Flexjet LLC. See PEOPLE, Page 26

www.gsabusiness.com

26

January 2024

PEOPLE, from Page 25

BANKING & FINANCE Greenwood Capital promoted Kalisse L. Evert to marketing manager. She has worked on the firm’s marketing team since August 2022.

Jamie Kingdom, exchange coordinator at Banker Exchange, was elected to the board of directors of the Federation of Exchange Accommodators, the national trade association for 1031 exchange practitioners and their professional advisors.

Evert

Kingdom

Paul Pickhardt, senior vice president and SBA lending manager for Countybank, has retired. Pickhardt worked for Countybank for more than six years. He will remain Pickhardt affiliated with Countybank in a training capacity in 2024. Chris Jackson, who joined Countybank as senior vice president and SBA division manager in June, will take over SBA division leadership responsibilities

VOLUM E

24 NUMB

ER 9 ■ GSABUSINES

once Pickhardt steps down.

Andy Steben joined Lima One Capital as director of wholesale lending.

Steben previously worked as a senior Steben vice president of sales for Fairway Independent Mortgage.

CONSTRUCTION Trehel named Keith Poole a company partner. Poole will maintain his role as president and COO and become a co-owner alongside CEO Will Huss. Poole Poole began his career at Trehel in 2005 as vice president of resources.

and account management experience.

Erin Thompson, vice president of Messer Construction Co., has been elected to United Way of Greenville County’s board of directors.

EDUCATION René Sawyer has been named dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Greenville Technical College. Sawyer joined the staff at GTC in 1997 as Sawyer an administrative coordinator for the Title III grant and most recently served as associate dean for the School of Arts and Sciences.

Stacey Bevill, owner and CEO of Golden Career Strategies, joined the board of trustees for the University Center of Greenville.

Bevill

ENGINEERING Rankin

Thompson

W.O. Blackstone & Co. Inc. hired Scott Rankin as service sales manager in the Upstate and Midlands. Rankin has more than 20 years of business development

Durham

Bunnell-Lammons Engineering Inc. hired Derrick Durham as a business development representative.

HEALTH CARE Recovery Centers of America named Dr. Dean Drosnes medical director of its Greenville facility.

Dr. Drosnes completed a Fellowship Drosnes in Addiction Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore in 2010 and is board certified in addiction medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

The American Heart Association recognized Dr. Julie Smart as the Upstate 2023-24 Go Red for Women chairperson. The program works to increase Smart women’s heart health awareness.

Greenville native Dede Norungolo, certified rehabilitation counselor and owner/ operator of Reintegrate Counseling LLC, recently earned a Vocational Evaluation Norungolo Forensic Certificate through Auburn University’s College of Education.

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Leading Off SC Biz News ........................

C-Suite ........ Briefs .................. 2 3 ................

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Real LIST: Comm ........................

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VIEWS, PERSPECTIVES AND READERS’ LETTERS

Are the Panthers turning their backs on South Carolina?

S

everal years before my employment began with SC Biz News, I sometimes freelanced for this organization, squeezing in most interviews by telephone after the workday ended at my regular job.

I took a vacation day, though, when tasked to interview Mark Richardson, then the president of the Carolina Panthers. I crossed the Carolina-Carolina border into CharROSS NORTON lotte to conduct the interview at the team offices at Bank of America Stadium, which, incidentally, from the inside seem like any other offices in the country.

Mark Richardson is a son of the team’s founding owner, Jerry Richardson, which meant his behind-the-scenes purview was even deeper behind the scenes than that of many insiders. As a business writer I had little professional interest in draft choices or

A

coaching decisions but did have questions about leadership and strategy. One question that always intrigued me regarded the club name. Why not Charlotte Panthers?

The National Football Leage expanded in the early 1990s, adding the Panthers and Jaguars about a year after Major League Baseball added the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins. Of the four new professional teams, only the one in Jacksonville followed the tradition of including the home city in its name, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

I had assumed the reason for a regional name was to attract a geographically wider fan base. That was right, Mark Richardson told me. But his father’s plan for a Carolina team was more strategic than that. A regional name may attract more fans from across the miles, yes, but his real reason for using “Carolina” was to boost the resume of the Queen City. A lot of cities wanted an expansion team and all of them had to make a case to the NFL that they could fill stadium seats.

So Jerry Richardson drew a big circle around Charlotte on a map — represent-

ing how far he thought people would travel for a game —and included that wider population is selling Charlotte to the NFL. The southern half of that circle is almost entirely in South Carolina. And that territory to the south was special to Jerry Richardson, who attended and played football for Wofford and built a successful fast-food business that included a string of South Carolina addresses.

It’s why Wofford would be home to summer training for the Panthers for the next three decades. It’s why Clemson was home field until the Panthers built a stadium in Charlotte. And it’s why Panther merchandise sells south of the state line. When the Carolina Panthers launched, Charlotte needed South Carolina.

It seems that now, though, the Panthers organization may be less interested in South Carolina than the Palmetto State is in the team. When David Tepper bought the franchise from Richardson in 2018, I think everyone knew camp in Spartanburg was on the chopping block.

When plans emerged for headquarters and practice facilities in Rock Hill, it at

least looked like South Carolina would benefit, even if training camp was moved out of Spartanburg.

In retrospect that deal seems like it may have been doomed from the start. After construction was well underway and millions were spent developing the site, the team and the city of Rock Hill were at odds over who was paying for what. And although the city said it was willing to keep negotiating, the Panthers pulled out, leaving partially built facilities that heightened the next challenge for real estate professionals trying to sell it. With their exit from Wofford, the Panthers’ significant presence south of the state line is finished.

The Florida Marlins started life in the suburb of Miami Gardens and moved into the city of Miami in 2012. If I remember right, the move was part of a deal that included changing to a new name — the Miami Marlins. They didn’t need the ‘burbs anymore.

Makes you wonder how long before we watch the Charlotte Panthers take the field.

Ross Norton is managing editor-content for SC Biz News.

Your guide to a better mindset in 2024

s we kick off the new year, there will be a lot of articles on how to get healthier, how to achieve your career goals, and predictions on the trends to expect for the year ahead. However, there’s one topic that might not be getting the coverage it deserves.

That topic is: your mindset!

Depending on how 2023 shaped up for you, this may be extra importKARIN FREELAND ant. For example, if you recently experienced a layoff or had an illness in the family, you might not be feeling particularly hopeful. Chances are you’ve got a gloomy outlook on life. If you’re glad to put 2023 behind you, a reset of your mind is a great place to start. Negative thinking won’t get you anywhere.

Even if you had a particularly successful year, you may want to rethink how you work and how you show up for your peers and clients. If you’re on the edge of burnout or running your team into the ground to deliver on your priorities, that won’t be sustainable for another year. Again, a fresh take on your mindset will be instrumental to achieve all your ambitious goals in 2024.

So, let’s look at five ways to set yourself

up for success and improve your mindset:

Challenges as Opportunities:

Instead of viewing challenges as obstacles, see them as opportunities for growth and learning. Embracing challenges can help you develop resilience and adaptability.

Challenges are inevitable, but they don’t have to be showstoppers or throw you into a tizzy.

When faced with difficulties, focus on what you can control, and use setbacks as stepping stones toward personal development.

Upgrade Your Circle:

You know the old saying: “You are what you eat.” The same applies to your mindset.

If you’re constantly around negative people steeped in drama, your outlook will likely be negative to match. The key to a more positive mindset is to surround yourself with people who are forward-focused, goal-oriented individuals. If you start to fall into a negative mindset, they’ll be able to pull you of it instead of keeping you wallowing in it. Look for new connections at local networking events, through the gym or hobbies you engage in, or via online communities.

Release Limiting Beliefs:

We all have negative thoughts from time to time. The key is to recognize which negative thoughts are repeatedly showing up and then tune into how they may be

holding you back. For example, if you’re constantly thinking, “I don’t have enough knowledge in a specific area,” it might prevent you from applying for a job outside of your comfort zone. Instead, you can address the knowledge gap and make a plan to acquire the information and skills you need. Another example is the fear there’s not enough success to go around.

“If a colleague succeeds, it means there’s less success available for me.” This can lead to unnecessary competition and jealousy in the workplace, which may tarnish your personal brand. In this instance it can be helpful to look for evidence to the contrary or turn the negative thought around to a positive thought.

Be Present, Not Perfect:

Perfection isn’t a badge of honor to be touted. In my experiencing coaching successful executives, perfection is actually the thief of joy. It robs you of celebrating your accomplishments and feeling valued. This year, aim for something that is far more attainable and needed: being present! Whether it’s time with your family, true connection with your spouse, or really supporting a team member by actively listening, your presence will make all the difference in your happiness and that of those around you. Try making your motto “It’s good enough,” and watch how you free up time and energy to be

present with those that matter most.

Have Fun:

Somewhere along the way, we all forgot just how short life is. You don’t have to take everything so seriously. Look for ways to laugh things off or inject a little fun in the workday. Whether it’s a team building event at a go kart track or a Friday night happy hour, we all need a way to let off a little steam. If you prefer to fly solo, why not seek out a new hobby like martial arts or learning to play that instrument you always wanted to play.

Developing a positive mindset is an ongoing process, so be patient with yourself as you work toward a more positive and resilient mindset in 2024. By making small changes and applying consistent efforts, you’ll see significant changes over time.

Karin Freeland is a certified Life Reinvention Coach focused on helping women transform their lives and achieve their dreams.

She is author of Grab Life by the Dreams and podcast host of “Rock Your Reinvention.”

Learn more at www.karinfreeland.com.

We want to hear from you Write: Ross Norton, Managing Editor-Content SC Biz News 35B Cessna Court Greenville, S.C. 29607 Email: rnorton@scbiznews.com

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