GSA Business Report - September 20, 2021

VOLUME 24 NUMBER 18 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM

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Chemical engineer Teresa Curvin teaches advanced technology for design and mechatronics to ninth graders. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

Designing Greenville

Effort afoot to preserve the parts of town that make it special.

Page 6

In Focus

Back to the Future

Lawyerly advice on vaccines

Attorneys provide guidance on dealing with shots and workers.

Page 8

We were ready for some football College football fans ready to fill the seats.

Page 2

New face at the podium

Employee No. 4 retiring from BMW. Page 29

INSIDE

Leading Off........................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs................. 3 C-Suite................................. 4 In Focus: Education & Workforce Development......23 LIST: Colleges & Universities........................26 LIST: Technical Colleges & Trade Schools.....................27 At Work...............................29 Viewpoint............................ 31

High school reimagines opportunities in advanced manufacturing See story on page 23

Upstate-born minority business cohort programs pick up speed

By Molly Hulsey

A

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

t the end of 2020, Greenville was one of six cities in the country to have a chamber-led minority business accelerator underway.

It will now be one of eight, thanks to Bank of America’s footprint in the Palmetto state.

With a $500,000 grant from the bank, the Charleston and Columbia chambers of commerce will join forces with the Greenville Chamber to institute a stateSee BUSINESS, Page 10

Mandate spurs on workforce fears

By Molly Hulsey

S

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

outh Carolina’s largest businesses are scrambling to make sense of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employers of over 100 people.

After Biden ordered the Labor Department to require the vaccination or weekly testing of employees at large companies on Sept. 9, Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement on Twitter that his office would fight “to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.”

SC Biz News spoke with several large employers across the state on the topic. All were still wrangling the details and implications of the order with no decision on the table as of Sept. 14.

September 20 - October 3, 2021 Executive branch employees have 74 days to receive a vaccination, according to a state-

Banking power

The first Power List explores some of the most influential people in S.C. banking.

Page 11

ment from the White House, but the U.S. Labor Department had not yet issued the mandate for the private sector at the time of publication.

“BMW Manufacturing is currently evaluating the proposed rule that President Biden announced late on Thursday,” BMW spokesperson Steve Wilson said in a statement Sept.

14. “No decision has been made at this time. We continue to follow CDC guidelines and strongly emphasize to all associates and contractors that they should get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The plant offers the COVID vaccine onsite to associates and contractors. We continue to practice the common-sense precautions that we have followed throughout the pandemic.”

Following the White House’s mandate for COVID-19 vaccination of staff in all Medicare and Medicaid-certified health care facilities, the www.charlestonbusiness.com 17

See VACCINE, Page 7

2021 BANKING

POWER LIST

Leading Off

BRIEFS | FACTS | STATEWIDE NEWS | C-SUITE

A LA CARTE

Yes, we’re ready for some football

I

t’s still hot, and we’re still in the middle of a pandemic unwilling to let us go back to living our normal lives, but that doesn’t mean we’re not ready for college football. Like a lot of college fans, the ebb and flow of football signals the actual change of the seasons. When the Tigers, Bucs, Gamecocks, Bulldogs, Paladins and the mighty Terriers take to the field, we’re fully expecting the temperature to instantly drop 10 degrees as our hearts skip a beat.

When we read that Coach Lane Kiffin was crowing about getting his team at Ole Miss 100% vaccinated against the coronavirus, we knew one thing: That dude was using the vaccine as a strategy. Regardless of your thoughts on the vaccines, apparently this is one coach who understands that you can’t really play football if you’re not on the field.

Like many things, we just want to forget about 2020, so we grabbed data from the NCAA’s attendance to see what we might be in for in terms of attendance at South Carolina home games. We don’t expect the numbers this year to be the same as two years ago, but you have to start somewhere, and first and 10 on the 50 yard line isn’t a bad place when you’re playing at home.

S.C. college football attendance 2019 College

Home attendance

Average

Clemson University

566,074

80,868

University of S.C.

545,737

77,962

Coastal Carolina

90,112

15,019

South Carolina State

62,035

10,339

The Citadel

56,066

9,344

Furman University

35,883

5,981

Wofford College

25,867

4,311

Charleston Southern

17,762

3,552

Presbyterian College

11,810

1,687

S3P was honored with 10 awards from the International Interior Design Association Carolinas Chapter at their recent annual DesignWorks Awards event in Charlotte. Eight of the awards recognized project design and two were individual accolades.

Digital marketing agency Engenius

Source: NCAA, Division I programs

partnered with Clemson University‘s

Top 5 conferences by attendance

Center for Career and Professional De-

Conference

Attendance

Average

Southeastern Conference

7.4 million

72,723

Big Ten

6.3 million

65,065

Atlantic Coast Conference

4.5 million

48,243

Big 12

3.8 million

57,467

Pac-12

3.6 million

46,080

velopment office and Next, a Greenville entrepreneurial support organization, to offer Clemson’s students internships with small, high-growth companies to expand a students’ professional skills and connections to the business world.

Source: NCAA, 2019

ON THE

RECORD

“We have outsourced to other parts of the world.

We need to pull it back. We need to get into manufacturing again.”

Waypost Marketing has been recognized on the annual Clutch list of top B2B marketing vendors in South Carolina.

— Knudt Flor, former president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Co.

This year, Waypost was recognized for exemplary work in content marketing.

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

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SC Biz News Briefs

South Carolina plans to use $360 million from American Rescue Act funding to accelerate expansion plans on Interstate 26 to alleviate highway traffic between Charleston and Columbia. (Photo/File)

CHARLESTON

Teri Errico Griffis, Charleston Regional Business Journal

State takes steps to speed up road Improvements along Interstate 26 The state is taking steps to improve travel between the Holy City and the Capital City.

Statewide traffic has increased by nearly 30% in the last decade, with more than 22 million vehicles per year traveling Interstate 26 between Columbia and Charleston.

To alleviate congestion, South Carolina is accelerating plans to widen key portions of highway between the two cities, allocating $360 million from the state’s share of American Rescue Act funding, Gov. Henry McMaster said.

“Interstate 26 was built more than 60 years ago,” S.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Christy Hall said in a statement. “Since that time, traffic has increased and this segment of South Carolina’s interstate network has become plagued with congestion, delays and accidents on a routine basis.”

Original plans projected widening 30 miles in various phases through 2029 and 2030, Hall said. Funding access has allowed the state to push the project up by six years.

COLUMBIA

Melinda Waldrop, Columbia Regional Business Report

City of Columbia implements policy requiring vaccinations for employees The city of Columbia unanimously voted to require city employees to be vaccinated

by Nov. 1, with Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin saying there is a need to protect vulnerable citizens from the coronavirus.

With 20,767 COVID-19 cases reported in South Carolina during the first week of September, Benjamin said action must be taken to battle a surge in infections of the contagious delta variant, especially for children under age 12 who are too young to receive a COVID vaccination.

Benjamin cited S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control data showing that more than 17,000 children under age 10 have been diagnosed with COVID since S.C. schools reopened in late July, with children under 10 making up 12% of all new COVID cases in the six weeks through the first week of September. Those numbers have led to four dozen schools temporarily transitioning to full virtual learning, Benjamin said, citing S.C. Department of Education statistics.

Building with Integrity

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

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

Above are excerpts from our other publications.

Greg Tedder joins Hussey Gay Bell.

PAGE 29

CURTAINS UP!

VOLUME 27 NUMBER 19 ■ CHARLESTONBUSINESS.COM VOLUME 14 NUMBER 12 ■ COLUMBIABUSINESSREPORT.COM

Back in full swing

Part of the

HOSPITALITY SOS Recovering industry still in need of workers

S.C. State Fair returning with emphasis on satefy.

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network

Immigration changes could pave path to workforce growth

By Melinda Waldrop

F

Nephron mandate West Columbia company requiring vaccinations.

Page 6

Place of refuge

University of South Carolina named Anne Frank partner.

Page 7

City of Women

Columbia project adds nine honorees to ranks.

Page 9

INSIDE

Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 In Focus: Human Resources ............. 12 List: Executive Recruiting Firms ................................. 14 Bonus List: Industrial Staffing Agencies ........................... 15 At Work .............................. 17 Viewpoint .......................... 20

By Christina Lee Knauss

T

Contributing Writer

he popular Midlands restaurant chain Lizard’s Thicket closed its Beltline Boulevard location in recent weeks.

There’s nothing wrong with the building and the chain isn’t giving up on the location — it’s a temporary shutdown because there isn’t enough staff to keep it open.

The locally owned chain joins many restaurants around the state in facing a labor shortage, happening despite recent statistics that show the unemployment rate in South Carolina falling overall and the hiring rate in many industries, including leisure and hospitality, increasing.

Ending a statewide labor shortage was a goal of S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s directive to end federal pandemic unemployment benefits starting June 26. South Carolina was one of 26 states to withdraw federal benefits before they ended nationwide on Sept. 6.

While some industries, hospitality in particular, have seen employment numbers increase, they are still not attracting enough workers to operate at normal, pre-pandemic levels.

“The hospitality sector was experiencing staffing challenges before the pandemic began, and COVID-19 exacerbated the problem,” said Duane Parrish, director of See HOSPITALITY, Page 13

mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

rank Knapp sees one straightforward solution to the labor shortage facing many industries as the nation continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic: Make more workers available.

Three pieces of legislation currently before the U.S. Senate can help accomplish that goal, said Knapp, president and CEO of the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce. The bills, including the bipartisan Durbin-Graham Act of 2021 co-sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, would provide a path to legal status for three key groups of potential laborers: immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, known as Dreamers; recipients of Temporary Protective Status; and farmworkers.

“If we’re going to do anything about immigration reform, let’s take care of the people who are here working, contributing, paying their taxes,” Knapp said. “This is the time to do it. We have an economic need for them to contribute more.”

In February, Graham, a South Carolina Republican, and Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, introduced for the third time the Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students without lawful status brought to the U.S. as children to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. Dreamers, granted work permits and freedom from deportation under DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, would have to meet educational and work requirements and have not committed a felony, among other stipulations.

Immigration reform efforts could also be addressed more sweepingly in a $3.5 trillion budget resolution that has passed the Senate and moved forward in the U.S. House of Representatives last month. The resolution, to be voted on again in the House on Sept. 27 before returning to the Senate, would allocate $107 See WORKFORCE, Page 13

Helping hand

General operating grants provide boost to seven Midlands nonprofits.

Page 11

ColumbiaBusinessReport.com

Traffic jams

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After nearly 18 months of lost revenue and stalled shows, Charleston’s theaters are ready to return to the stage with health and safety protocols in place. Page 6

South Carolina invests $360 million to widen congested sections of I-26.

Page 8

Leadership changes Robert Engelhorn replaces Knudt Flor as BMW CEO and president in South Carolina.

Page 10

Tech savvy

Small businesses embrace digital tools to help them survive the pandemic.

Page 13

Musicians Christian Zamora, Justin Parrish, John Holenko and Thomas Norris warm up at rehearsals for Charleston Stage’s production of “Bright Star.” (Photo/Teri Errico Griffis)

In the kitchen

Soft skills a key indicator for employee retention

INSIDE

D

Culinary expert Jenni Ridall helps revive local kitchens.

Small Business Spotlight, Page 4

Upfront ................................ 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 Small Business Spotlight ....... 4 In Focus: Information Technology ......11 List: IT Services and Networking Companies ...... 14 At Work ..............................29 Viewpoint ........................... 31

By Teri Errico Griffis tgriffis@scbiznews.com

illon Lesniewski majored in history at Clemson University. He never expected his education to transfer to a successful career at a tech company, but after nearly five years of promotions, he is now a product owner at BoomTown, a software company in Charleston.

Lesniewski said people often judged his course of study, assuming he’d work at a museum or something artistic and unstable. But history is an underrated major, he said. During his four undergraduate years, he researched, wrote, debated and questioned in ways that translated well into the professional world.

So what if he didn’t know the technology?

Lesniewski knew he had the skillset to learn it, and that is what set him above the rest of the candidate pool — even those with relevant occupational skills.

“People try to make a big deal that I didn’t study software, that I can’t code a website or build an API, but I don’t need to know everything,” Lesniewski said. “I just need to know what brings me to the table and recognize my own strengths, like interpersonal skills, patience and empathy. Those are what earned my seat there.”

More and more, workforce experts are finding that soft skills have become critical indicators of individuals who can not only attain employment, but retain it.

Technology companies like BoomTown and Blackbaud on Daniel Island know occupational skills can be taught, but flexibility, problem solving and whether an employee brings kindness and passion to their daily role cannot, said Stephanie Walker, Blackbaud’s vice president of talent acquisition “Organizations have grown to recognize that soft skills and higher emotional intelligence lead to greater success,” Walker said.

“It’s not just about completing the task.”

Blackbaud Senior Director, Leadership and Culture Monica Mutter said the focus starts in the interview and whether the candidate can tell a story.

Coming Soon:

See SKILLS, Page 5

Power List: Banking pros Professional in banking and finance across South Carolina.

Special Section begins Page 17

CharlestonBusiness.com

SCBIZmag.com

Samuel J. Cadden Chapel

Clemson, SC

4

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

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lot of them, but the best was “the best way to

story that much harder.

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basis, but that is my core job every day.

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Here, red tape is replaced with a green light.

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We cooperate. We share. Competitors cheer each other on. Those who want to make a positive difference – make that difference. Greenville works because it works like no other city. It’s inclusive. It’s visionary.

It’s everything a business needs to succeed.

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

Greenville stands out for startups but for how long?

By Molly Hulsey

E

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

conomic developers in Greenville are seeking out ways to keep that special sauce that attracts startups.

Five of the eight North and South Carolina-born companies that proceeded as finalists to the next stage of Venture Pitch Carolina in August hailed from the Upstate. Greenville’s stakes among the 85 applicants: 6 AM City, Stark RFID, TestedHQ and Zylo. Williamston’s Bubble Paper, a manufacturer of recyclable paper packaging, lies about five miles west of the Saluda River that cleaves Greenville and Anderson counties.

It is the entrepreneurial spirit of this ilk that the city of Greenville’s economic development team will tap into for its newest marketing campaign, “From Here You Can Change the World,” announced at a launch ceremony at the Greenville One Center on Sept. 2.

“Looking at the branding efforts of many other cities, they’re all pretty much making the same promise, the same claims about what they are and what they offer,” Greenville City Manager John McDonough said at the event. “We wanted to do something different, so we chose a more personal approach, storytelling,

Alex Estevez reads off the names of Venture Pitch Carolina finalists at the launch of Greenville’s economic development campaign, “From Here You Can Change the World.” (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

and you’re going to see a lot of that this morning. We made the entrepreneurs the stars of the show. Our brand will speak to the heart of what motivates founders: the chance to leave their mark and to build something that’s bigger than themselves.”

On the campaign’s web site and social media platforms, as well as throughout the event, entrepreneurs ranging from Silicon Valley executive Alex Estevez of Accel and Base CEO Paige McPheely to Jon-Michial Carter, CEO of ChartSpan, touted the city’s open access to capital, pro-business tax

structure and lower housing costs in comparison to more dense venture hotbeds.

“We all know Greenville is a really unique community,” McDonough said.

“We’ve got a great quality of life. It’s a great place to live, work, do business, to grow your family, and we’re blessed with superior cultural and educational resources here, a convenient location, a great climate and a low cost of living – all the things that lead into opportunities for businesses to come, grow and thrive.”

But as founders from farther afield move to the Upstate in ever increasing numbers, how will the world change Greenville?

Merle Johnson, director of economic and community development for the city, and McPheely — a former Austin, Texas resident — spoke to GSA Business Report on what can be done to prevent Greenville from becoming just like the cities those entrepreneurs have left behind.

“I think it’s a combination of what you see the county doing and the city already doing. It’s smart growth,” Johnson said.

He cited the GVL 2040 Comprehensive Plan and a new land management ordinance as major proponents of sustainable expansion, which has economic development as its backbone.

“We bring the companies, we bring

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the entrepreneurs, we help those entrepreneurs that are here grow, those that should be growing,” he said. “That’s how we’re going to do it. But it’s collective: roads, water, sewer — all the infrastructure is embedded in there [the plan].”

McPheely and her husband, Matt, founder of Chapel Greenville, made the jump to Greenville because they were tired of Austin’s oversaturated market, cutthroat competition for capital and untenable housing market. They wanted to live in a city that was tight knit, where they could be more than just a cog in the machine.

“If we’re going to not fall into those old traps, we need to be trying to make money — because that can lift everybody up, like a rising tide that lifts boats — but we need to be conscious of who are we impacting in the making of this money,” said McPheely.

“That has not always been the case in the development of cities.”

She hopes conversations about the city retaining its quality of life and character become more normalized.

“That’s going to make this place a really special place where people want to move their families while we grow,” she said. “It already is a really special place but we run the risk of losing who we are.”

September 20 - October 3, 2021

VACCINE, from Page 1

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said on Sept. 9 that it is developing an interim final rule that will be issued in October.

Prisma Health said in a statement that it has encouraged vaccination for everyone eligible throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so.

“Prisma Health is committed to complying with all federal requirements, including those that were recently announced,” the health care system said in a statement.

“We are working to understanding the full scope of these new requirements and will be implementing the appropriate protocols for compliance as necessary.”

But as a New York hospital was forced to turn away expectant mothers after staff walked out in protest of a vaccine mandate, New York workforce officials expressed fears about a mandate’s impact on the region and its workforce, a concern felt from Upstate New York to Upstate South Carolina.

“I think that’s going to send a lot of our employers to contract labor through temporary agencies,” Spartanburg’s Ann Angermeier, CEO of the Upstate Workforce Board, told SC Biz News. “I think that’s going to create more of a labor issue because people tend to want to be on the payroll of their employer.”

Employers close to the 100-person mark may find it more viable to lay off employees on the payroll in order to evade the sticky wicket created by the mandate, according to Angermeier.

“I don’t know that employers want to get into that tracking, get into that verifying with people getting ill about it and getting upset, so if you can throw it off to someone else to have to do, you can wash your hands of it and just keep doing what you do as an employer,” she said.

Others might struggle to keep the employees they have as staff from resigning and jumping ship to companies not under the mandate. Especially in a majority red state with a current vaccination rate of 49.7%, according to Sept. 14 data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

At a job fair for Cooper Standard on Sept. 9, the board saw more than 100 candidates step forward to apply — the highest numbers they have seen since March 2019. But Angermeier and Johnnie Lynn Crosby, the board’s business services representative, expect this momentum to slow to a crawl in the months ahead. At least for employers under the mandate.

Crosby has seen job notices promoting that all employees are required to be vaccinated, but others advertise that recruiters are on the hunt for candidates who have not been vaccinated and don’t want to wear a mask at work.

Counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards, already proliferating the market, are also a concern, Angermaier said, as are the economic repercussions of a labor market where employers are offering $500 bonuses for employees who sign on to

www.gsabusiness.com 7

work a month. She expects that employers will try to pass the cost of weekly COVID-19 testing off to the employee, which may also prompt resignations.

Lines of waiting cars at SCDHEC’s free testing sites like at Greenville’s University Square stretch over two miles at a standstill on most days. The supply of rapid tests available also presents a concern, according to Crosby.

“Not only do you have the whole issue of the employer tracking, but from a cost standpoint, no matter which way you go, you’re talking about losing a certain percentage of your workforce and that’s creating a cost in recruitment retention,” she

told SC Biz News. “Plus, if they’re having to pay employees for the time it takes to become vaccinated or tested, when you talk about implementing that on a wide scale with all these companies over 100, it’s going to create a backlog for the health care industry, which is going to require that those individuals be out of work longer, which is going to cost the employer more.”

The board, which works closely with employers across the Upstate and Midlands, had not heard any feedback by Sept. 10 from their partners in Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties on the issue, but a few smaller employers had chosen to launch their own vaccine man-

date prior to the executive order.

One small enterprise in Union County recently mandated the vaccine with the desire to protect her family and “company family” after several employees had addressed her with concerns about contracting the Delta variant from unvaccinated coworkers, according to Crosby.

“Some local companies have started requiring the vaccine, mostly small businesses that we’ve seen so far, and they are losing employees because of that,” Crosby said.

Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter.

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

Lawyers help employers navigate vaccine mandates in S.C.

By Teri Errico Griffis

T

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

he Food and Drug Administration’s approval for the Pfizer vaccine has removed a major legal hurdle for companies looking to mandate COVID-19 immunizations as a condition of employment.

Until Aug. 23, the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were only approved for emergency use authorization, giving further reason for people to stronghold their opposition, said David Dubberly, an employment and labor law group leader at Nexsen Pruet.

Dubberly expects more businesses to create mandate policies, especially as Moderna is on its way to approval as well. Dubberly, along with S.C. Chamber of Commerce President Bob Morgan and other top labor lawyers in the state, came together on Aug. 26 to advise employers on what to expect should they mandate COVID-19 inoculations and how to respond — or not respond.

Mike Carrouth, a lawyer at Fisher Phillips LLP in Columbia, said employers should prepare for medical and religious exemption requests, protests

Photo/File

and, most severely, people withholding labor.

Employers could potentially lose between 10% and 20% of their workforce, with people who feel strongly about the vaccine leaving a company or going to work for a competitor.

Carrouth counseled that employers should be careful, remain calm and not discharge someone for their actions given potential issues under the

National Labor Relations Act and the Protected Concerted Activity.

“You can’t consider the employees’ actions to be inappropriate or insubordinate or in violation of a policy simply because you question the reasonableness of their opposition,” Carrouth said.

If an employee opposes a vaccine mandate, they have the right to leave.

“If they’re not going to continue

working in those conditions, that’s their choice. That’s what the law allows them to do,” Carrouth said. “However the law does not allow them with this PCA to come to work and disregard your mandatory vaccination policy.”

Kathy Dudley Helms, lawyer at Ogletree Deakins in Columbia, said the reason employers are able to mandate the vaccine, mask wearing, testing policies and other protocols are because the nation is in a pandemic and therefore under a direct threat, per the Americans with Disabilities Act. This could change when we come out of the pandemic, she added.

For now, companies like Nephron Pharmaceuticals LLC and S.C. hospital systems like Medical University of South Carolina, Tidelands Health, Roper St. Francis and East Cooper Health have all mandated that employees get vaccinated.

More than 150 other health care systems around the U.S., as well as AT&T, Google, Bank of America and more, also have similar directives.

Since June, cases in the U.S. have increased from 12,000 a day to 130,000 as of Aug. 23, which Dubberly said is alarming and about half as bad as at the peak in January when cases reached

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

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250,000 cases daily.

In late August, 62% of U.S. adults were fully vaccinated, putting the country in a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the Center for Disease Control said. That number is 47.5% in South Carolina, data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control show.

The three main vaccines, with two others in the pipeline, work against the four discovered variants of COVID-19.

The rush to get as many vaccinated as possible comes amid the fear that a new variant could be stronger.

Should employers want to move forward with a mandate, which the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission gave the green light to do in May, Helms advised having a policy in place and communicating clearly with employees why you’re enforcing a mandate and why you think it’s important, in case employees push back, particularly with exemptions.

Employers have a legal obligation to provide an exemption for people who have disability-related reasons for not taking the vaccine or a sincerely held religious belief against getting vaccinated.

Unlike the flu shot that is egg-based and could see exemptions because of allergies, Helms said medical exemptions for COVID-19 should only be applicable to the smallest number of

people.

“I’ve looked and looked and looked at this, and there really are no conditions where a person is prevented,” she said. “A lot of people said they couldn’t wear masks because of asthma, but if you pay attention, a lot of what you’re hearing is because of medical conditions. Physicians are saying go, go now and get a vaccination.”

Helms recently worked with an employer with had a 1,000-plus team members and saw zero medical exemptions and 20 religious exemptions,

Helms said. Employers are required to give religious exemption unless it causes direct threat, meaning it could cause harm to someone or undue hardship, such as having to relocate all staff members.

“Just because you don’t agree with someone and think their reality isn’t something to hang your hat on, you still go through the process,” she said.

Once an employee identifies they need an accommodation, they can start the interactive process of getting forms from their physician and discussing if

“You can’t consider the employees’ actions to be inappropriate or insubordinate or in violation of a policy simply because you question the reasonableness of their opposition.”

Mike Carrouth attorney, Fisher Phillips LLP

which she said speaks volumes.

“The religious exemptions are where everyone’s gonna go,” she said.

Religious exemptions come from Title VII, and state laws that can have further impacts.

For religious exemption, a “strongly held” belief doesn’t have to be an exact tenant of a church or even something an employer recognizes as a charge,

they can be reasonably accommodated without causing an undue burden.

Accommodations include substitutions such as facemasks, social distancing, frequent testing or remote work.

But Helms stresses that the employee does not get to choose their substitution and can’t take it upon themselves to work from home indefinitely to avoid the mandate.

Though it’s really hard to question a sincerely held belief, Helms added that it’s logical to look into questionable exemptions given situations like the preacher in California who has been writing religious exemption letters for anyone who asked.

“As you consider whether or not do to a mandate or some other kind of approach, you want to think through the messaging, you want to think through if you’re requiring a vaccination, who’s going to keep track of proof of the vaccine, how confidentiality is maintained,” Dubberly said.

For now, Dubberly imagines most companies will institute a hybrid model with vaccination requirements or incentives combined with mask wearing and other protocols.

The downside of a mandatory approach is the risk of losing employees, while the downside of the hybrid model is extra paperwork, he said.

“Employers have the ability to mandate vaccination. They have the right to require proof of vaccination in almost every state,” he said. Montana is the only exception.

Helms suggests employers visit www.eeoc.gov and read section K of the article, “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws.”

Reach Teri Errico Griffis at 843-849-3144.

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wide minority business accelerator.

The program, based off the Interise StreetWise “MBA” curriculum and led by an instructor at each chamber, includes six-month intensive training for participant entrepreneurs and consulting opportunities with mentors, coaches and peers on three-year plans for strategic growth during the last six months of the program.

The minority business accelerator supports and scales high-potential firms by providing targeted training and access to large corporations, according to a news release.

The program is open to socially or economically underrepresented businesses including those that are minority-owned, woman-owned or veteran-owned. Participants must have at least one other full-time employee and must also be headquartered in South Carolina.

Recruitment for program participants will begin this fall, with the three programs set to launch in January, according to the release.

The $500,000 grant from Bank of America to fund the program expansion is part of the bank’s $1.25 billion, fiveyear commitment to help advance racial equality and economic opportunity in local communities.

“Together with the Charleston, Columbia and Greenville chamber organizations, we are working to do our part to support minority-owned businesses, and we hope to encourage others as well,” Kim Wilkerson, president of Bank of America South Carolina, said in the release. “Here in South Carolina, Bank of America remains focused on creating opportunity in the areas of jobs, training and workforce development as these areas are where systemic, long-term gaps have existed and where significant change is required to achieve sustainable progress.”

After completing the StreetWise MBA program, participants from across the nation have experienced a 35% growth

Justin Jenkins, CEO of Paveway Express and a Greenville Chamber MBA program graduate, receives the Minority Business of the Year Award.

(Photo/Molly Hulsey)

rate in revenue, created jobs four times faster than the private sector average and see a $2.4 million increase in new contracts per firm, according to the Greenville Chamber.

“We understand the importance of and are focused on increasing educational attainment, specifically for working age adults, to ensure that we’ve got the talent that our communities need to grow and businesses need to succeed,” Carlos Phillips, CEO of the Greenville Chamber, said at an event earlier this month.

He added that more than 100 minority and women-owned businesses employing an estimated 300 employees have graduated from the program and raised millions in revenue following their tenure in the program.

Members of the 2021 Greenville Chamber class include Shameka Argo of Points of Origin, Willie Benjamin of Printing-Opportunity, Madeline Hawkins of Bloom Behavioral Therapy, Summer Lee of Palmetto Breakfast

Club dba Flying Biscuit Café, Michael Mance of Mance Multimedia, Lauren Rogers of IB Construction and Development, Dorothy Shain of Dorothy Shain Fine Art and Larandas Yeargin of Silo Media Group.

Another minority-centric cohort based in the Upstate, Village Launch, an incubator housed under the umbrella of the faith-based nonprofit Mill Village Ministries, is stretching its wings on the local level.

In partnership with Community Works and the Greenville Local Development Corp., the group has expanded its Business Entrepreneur Academy to the city’s special emphasis West Greenville neighborhoods, which include Southernside, Sterling, Haynie-Sirrine and the West End. Village Launch provides holistic business training through its 10-week institute program and fine tunes participants’ business plan through the Co.Starters Canvas program, according to the program’s website. Graduates and participants have a regular presence at the city’s Third Thursday Market at Poe West.

According to Merle Johnson, the city of Greenville’s economic and community development director, since the group’s creation in 2014, more than 150 entrepreneurs have graduated from the program. Seventy percent of the graduating ventures are owned by minorities; 92% are owned by women.

“Just last week I got to attend their latest graduation: 10 more entrepreneurs graduated with two of them being awarded $5,000 loans,” Johnson said in early September.

Past graduates include Jennifer Spears of The African Violet, Jonathan Leveille of Hanging Garden Farm, Nathan Freystaetter of BeeHive Waffle Co., Tyler Kelley of the Emerald Plate Experience and Dominique McKnight of Small Books Bookkeeping.

Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter.

September 20 20 -- October October 3, 3, 2021 2021 September

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2021 BANKING

POWER LIST

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

PRESENTING THE 2021

BANKING POWER LIST

By Andy Owens

A

aowens@scbiznews.com

ccess to capital. Those three words have always represented the lifeblood of small businesses in South Carolina and across the U.S. Nothing became more important during the first phase of the pandemic than cash flow. Our reporting on the Paycheck Protection Program rollout and the extraordinary role that bankers of all sizes played in ensuring that small- and medium-sized businesses in the Palmetto State stayed operational led the editorial team at SC Biz News to launch our Power List project with banking and financial sector professionals.

In the following pages, you’re going to see the people we picked from across South Carolina as the key power players in the banking sector. These individuals represent small clients as well as billions in assets and investment capital.

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One question we’re sure to get asked is how did we select these individuals?

Our editorial team across the state consulted with businesses and trade associations and looked at data points to assemble this list.

The key ingredient to picking the Top 5 for our Power List: Banking Professionals is a commitment to the business community and an understanding that access to capital, regardless of circumstance, drives the economy and culture of South Carolina. All of these bankers are extraordinary, and we felt the Top 5 distinguished themselves as economic ambassadors for our state and their sector.

This is a list of eternal optimists who sit across from small business owners and entrepreneurs, showing them the options they have and a path to achieve their goals for their businesses, families and communities.

Please join me in congratulating these individuals in print and online.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. MICHAEL C. “MIKE” CRAPPS

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2. DAVID E. ANDERSON

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3. SHARON W. BRYANT

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4. ERIC WALL

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5. K. WAYNE WICKER

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HONOREES CONTINUED

MICHAEL C. “MIKE” CRAPPS

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urrently CEO and director of First Community Bank, which he helped found in 1995, Mike Crapps has led the company through four banks and two lines of business acquisitions. First Community Bank is now the fourth-largest bank in South Carolina and the largest headquartered in Columbia, with 21 offices, more than $1.5 billion in assets and three major lines of business.

The bank’s focus has always been on serving local businesses, organizations and professional practices. First Community Bank serves three primary markets in the Midlands and Upstate of South Carolina and the Augusta region, handling three lines of business, commercial and retail banking, residential mortgage loans and financial planning/investment advisory.

Crapps has served in a variety of leadership roles, including on the boards of the S.C. Bankers Association, Business Develpment Corp. and Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Past community leadership roles include serving on the boards of the

Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Saluda Shoals Park Foundation, American Cancer Society, Second Century Society and Columbia Clemson Club.

Crapps currently serves on the Clemson University Foundation board of directors, Clemson University IPTAY board of directors, Midlands Business Leadership Group and Business Development Corp.

He has been recognized for his achievements throughout his career, from being named 1997’s Young Banker of the Year and one of the 50 Most Influential in the Midlands multiple years. He has also received the American Cancer Society’s St. George National Award in 2003. In addition, First Community Bank has been recognized multiple times as Best Bank, Best Mortgage Lender, a Best Place to Work in South Carolina and a best SBA lender.

Crapps earned a bachelor’s in economics from Clemson University and an MBA from the University of South Carolina. He is a graduate of the Louisiana State University Banking School of the South.

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POWER LIST

DAVID E. ANDERSON

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avid E. Anderson, president and CEO of Anderson Brothers Bank in Mullins since 1993, leads by example — in his bank, in the Pee Dee, and in the state’s banking industry. Having been in banking since 1981, his career illustrates the advantages of, and need for, the local hometown bank. This was especially exemplified by his innovative leadership with the federal Paycheck Protection Program during the pandemic. By encouraging staff and loan officers to actively seek local area businesses that were unable to get answers or assistance in applying for these loans with their own financial institutions, Anderson’s approach resulted in many business being able to operate successfully during a time when many others were shutting down.

“We originated more than $92 million in Phase I and more than $45 million in Phase II loans,” Anderson said. “This obviously kept local retailers from having to lay off any staff and helped sustain the economy until they could begin operating fully.”

Midyear 2021 S.C. Bank Performance Report showed Anderson Brothers Bank as No. 1 for Return On Equity and No. 1 in Net Interest Income.

Anderson says his philosophy is to hire the best in a field and then empower them to use their talents without interference. Or, to quote his grandfather, bank founder E.L. Anderson, “The secret to success is to hire proper management and keep them.”

Anderson is a 1979 graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he earned his Bachelor of Finance and Economics. He attended the S.C. Bankers School in1983; Graduate School of Banking of the South in 1986 and College for Financial Planning in 1986.

He served as vice president of Anderson Brothers Bank from 1981 to 1993 and has served as president and CEO from 1993 to present. He has been director of Anderson Brothers Bank since 1981 and served as director of Anderson State Bank from 1986 to 2000, when it merged with Anderson Brothers Bank.

RE ACHING YOUR BANKER SHOULDN’ T BE A RE ACH. We know what it’s like to put heart and soul into the success of your venture. That’s why we focus on partnering with local business owners and professionals. And being a true partner means unrivaled accessibility and sophisticated financial solutions delivered with a customer-first attitude.

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POWER LIST

September 20 - October 3, 2021

SHARON W. BRYANT

W

ith more than 30 years of banking, fiduciary and investment services experience, Sharon W. Bryant is First Citizens Bank’s S.C. Regional Executive Vice President, responsible for retail, business and commercial banking in South Carolina, Northeast Georgia, Augusta and Savannah.

Bryant first joined the company in 1999 as executive vice president and director of human resources. She served as executive vice president and division executive from 2001-2010. In 2010, she assumed the dual roles of regional executive vice president for Central South Carolina and director of the Bank’s Wealth Advisory Group — a division with more than $2.7 billion in assets under management — while continuing to serve as president of First Citizens Securities. In 2012, she was named South Carolina banking executive prior to being named South Carolina regional executive vice president in 2014.

Bryant also has served in many leadership roles outside of banking. Currently, she chairs the Central Carolina Community Foundation, is vice chair of City Center Partnership and serves on the boards of the Palmetto Business Forum, Business Development Corp., Riverbanks Society, S.C. State Museum Commission and the Palmetto Club. Past service includes the boards of Home Works, Midlands Business Leadership Group, Greater Columbia and S.C. State Chambers of Commerce, S.C. Bankers Association, S.C. Arts Foundation, Midlands Technical College Foundation and S.C. Student Loan Corporation, to name a few.

Bryant earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of the South at Sewanee and is a licensed securities representative and principal. She is a recipient of the Girl Scouts of America’s Women of Distinction award, the YWCA’s Tribute to Women in Industry award, a winner of the Chamber of Commerce’s Athena award, a 1995 graduate of Leadership Columbia, a founding member of Women in Philanthropy. Bryant is also a Junior League sustainer, a recipient of First Citizens Chairman’s Circle Award and the Junior League of the Midlands Lifetime Achievement Award and, most recently, a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto.

firstcitizens.com

Forever strong. Forever First. ®

Choose a bank you can count on to help you look after your money. And your future.

There’s one essential rule about banking: Money needs to be protected, nurtured and grown. Because looking after your money is looking after your future. At First Citizens Bank, we believe in creating smart, steady and stable growth. For our company. And for the customers who count on us to stay by their side through the years – and generations – to come. First Citizens Bank. Forever First.

Member FDIC

September 20 - October 3, 2021

Congratulations to Senior Vice President and Marketing Director, Eric Wall for being named to SC Biz’s financial services Power List, recognizing the most influential bankers throughout South Carolina.

Eric’s commitment to the Bank of Travelers Rest family and his community is second to none. Congrats, Eric. Well deserved!

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POWER LIST

September 20 - October 3, 2021

ERIC WALL

E

ric Wall’s approach to marketing is a blend of creative thinking backed by strong analytical data. He keeps a finger on the pulse of the community and works to match the right ideas to help further connect the bank to the customer, the customer to the community and the community to the bank.

Wall is a banker known for his ability to connect organizations within the community and for his focus on ensuring those in the financial services industry operate as good neighbors within their communities. Whether it’s connecting nonprofits with mutually beneficial relationships or helping fellow bankers invest their passion and skill in civic groups, Wall is constantly working to forge partnerships.

Nowhere can his work be better seen than in his careerlong commitment to Mental Health America. Through meager years, he solicited financial support to ensure the agency could continue to meet the needs of its clients, many of whom have chronic mental health issues. He is a champion for the organization, specifically for its work to provide housing, financial assistance and representation for some of the community’s most vulnerable populations. Wall describes his efforts as, “Whether you find yourself needing situational mental support or living with a debilitating mental illness, you deserve an ear to listen and an agency that meets you where you need us.”

Wall has earned a variety of certifications, including Certified Credit Union Executive, an intensive three-year program.

He also has completed ABA’s Bank Marketing School and is preparing to test to become a Certified Financial Marketing

K. WAYNE WICKER

K

Professional.

Wall strives to increase financial literacy within the community, including in schools, community groups and at local events. His efforts put a face on the Bank of Travelers Rest brand, and he has a can-do attitude that is summarized by one of his favorite sayings: “I may not have the answer, but I’ll stick with you until we both get what you need.”

. Wayne Wicker serves as chairman of the board and CEO of South Atlantic Bancshares Inc., and South Atlantic Bank. He is a veteran banker with more than 30 years of experience in Myrtle Beach and other South Carolina markets.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from The Citadel and has completed The Graduate School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University and the S.C. Bankers School at the University of South Carolina.

Wicker serves on a variety of state and local boards, including his recent election as chairman of the S.C. Bankers Association. In 2018, he was appointed by the governor to serve as a board member of the S.C. Board of Financial Institutions. He currently serves on the membership committee of the American Bankers Association.

In addition to his professional service, Wicker devotes his time and expertise to a number of state and local civic organizations. He serves on the boards of the S.C. Young Bankers Association, the Myrtle Beach Area and North Myrtle Beach Chambers of Commerce, and is a member of the City of Myrtle Beach Recreation Advisory Committee.

Wicker is a Gulf War veteran and member of the S.C. Air National Guard.

September 20 - October 3, 2021

POWER LIST

MARY D. GARCIA

DAVID LOMINACK

A

C

Pinnacle Financial Partners banker with more than 35 years of experience in the Charleston market, Mary Garcia’s responsibility as regional president of Pinnacle Financial Partners is to strategically grow the firm and brand in the South Carolina Coastal market. Her career began in 1986 as a commercial bankerwith First Federal of S.C. In 1994, she went to work for SouthTrust Bank as a Commercial Banking Team Leader, followed

by CresCom Bank, where she served as senior lender. Garcia joined Pinnacle (BNC Bancorp.) in 2012 as city executive for the Charleston Market and became S.C. Coastal Market regional president in May 2019.

www.gsabusiness.com 17

TD Bank

urrently TD Bank South Carolina Market President David Lominack earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Presbyterian College and is a graduate of the Stonier National Graduate School of Banking and the American Bankers Association’s Commercial Lending School. With more than 24 years of banking experience, he has served in a number of roles, including branch manager, commercial loan officer, private banking and regional retail banking executive. Lominack became market president for the Upstate and Midlands regions in 2011 with the acquisition of Carolina First by TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®.

SCOTT WOODS

S.C. Federal Credit Union

S

cott Woods is the president and CEO of S.C. Federal Credit Union and has been in this role since 2004. Previously, Woods was S.C. Federal’s CFO. Throughout his career, he has served as CFO of SRP Federal Credit Union, CFO of S.C. Telco Federal Credit Union and as a senior financial institution auditor with KPMG CPAs. Woods received a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Charleston and an MBA in finance from Auburn University. He is a graduate of the Southeast Regional Credit Union Management School and the Credit Union National Association Financial Management School. Woods holds certificates as a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor and Chartered Global Management Accountant.

ART SEAVER Southern First

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1986 graduate of Clemson University with a degree in financial management, Art Seaver’s career started with C&S Bank in 1986 and also included an executive role with Greenville National Bank. Seaver started Southern First Bank in 2000 by raising $11.5 million in initial capital. Today, the $2.7 billion bank operates in eight Southeastern markets with a market capitalization of more than $400 million. The company ranks in the top 10 of all banks in the country in terms of valuation appreciation (increase) over the past 10 years. Seaver serves on the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and the Phillis Wheatley Community Center in Greenville. He is a past member of the board of the St. Francis Foundation, past board chair for the S.C. Bankers Association and the past chair of the United Way of Greenville County Board of Trustees.

He also has worked with many community organizations.

CONGRATULATIONS,

SCOTT WOODS 2021 POWER LIST HONOREE

SC Biz News has confirmed what we’ve known since the early 2000s — Scott Woods tops the list of influential leaders in banking and finance.

Under Scott’s leadership, South Carolina Federal Credit Union has grown to more than 165,000 members, exceeded $2.3 billion in assets, moved into three new markets, and so much more. He is passionate about helping people achieve financial wellness and bringing the credit union philosophy of “people helping people” to life.

scfederal.org

Insured by NCUA

Scott Woods President & CEO

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www.gsabusiness.com

THOMAS BOUCHETTE The Citizens Bank

T

h o m a s Bouchette is president and COO for The Citizens Bank in Florence, a role he assumed in 2019 after serving as executive vice president and chief banking officer since 2015. During his 35-year career, he has risen from a lending officer with Pee Dee Farm Credit Bank, to various roles with SCN/Wachovia and The Citizens Bank.

In 2000, Bouchette led the creation of SunBank and Sun Bancshares in Murrells Inlet, where he served as president and CEO, and director until 2005, when the bank was sold to SCBT. He then became regional president and executive vice president for SCBT from 2005 to 2010, and S.C. president and executive vice president for BNC Bank from 2010 to 2015.

September 20 - October 3, 2021

POWER LIST LYNN HARTON

United Community Bank

L

ynn Harton earned a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and began his career at BB&T, serving in various roles as the company expanded across the Southeast. Following 20 years there, Harton held various C-level roles at Union Planters in Memphis, Tenn., Regions Bank in Birmingham, Ala., TSFG in Greenville, and TD Bank in Cherry Hill, N.J. He joined United Community Banks in 2012 and has helped the company expand from 105 locations and $6.8 billion in assets to 160 locations with $17.8 billion in assets at the end of 2020 (pro-forma $22.5 billion in assets with pending acquisitions). The company’s performance has improved significantly, and United has been named to Forbes list of America’s Best Performing 100 Banks for eight consecutive years.

LEONARD “LEN” HUTCHISON III JAMES R. FOWLER JR. FNB

Countybank

eonard “Len” Hutchison III joined FNB in 2019, bringing with him nearly 40 years of financial services experience serving consumers, businesses and communities in the Charleston area and South Carolina. Hutchison leads the development and execution of FNB’s Corporate Banking strategy throughout its markets in South Carolina. He also oversees the integration of FNB’s cross-functional business model in the region. A lifelong resident of South Carolina, Hutchison received a Bachelor of Science in industrial management from Clemson University and an MBA from The Citadel.

urrently executive vice p r e s i d e nt , director of commercial banking and strategic initiatives for Countybank, James Fowler Jr. has served in a variety of important roles in banking and in the community, serving as president, president-elect, treasurer and member of legislative committee of the Independent Bankers of South Carolina. A graduate of Wofford College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, he attended the North Carolina School of Banking at UNC Chapel Hill and the Campbell University Trust and Investment School. He holds a Wealth Management Specialist Certification and is a S.C. Licensed Insurance Agent. His leadership has resulted in increased and improved community development, stakeholder opportunities, and educational pathways that promote community and economic development.

L

C

Expand?

Grow?

Diversify?

Business is Our Middle Name!

Business Loans www.thecitizensbank.cc mobile app: TCB 2 GO

The Citizens Bank

Business Journal half page horizontal. PDF 10 x 6 RGB.

Solid Traditions. Smart Solutions.

September 20 - October 3, 2021

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#1 in Customer Satisfaction

+ #1 in Trust =

#1 in Customer Satisfaction with Consumer Banking in the Southeast, 7 out of the last 8 years, and Most Trusted Consumer Bank Learn more at ucbi.com/why-united

Award-winning service starts at the top.

Congratulations to our Chairman and CEO, Lynn Harton, for being recognized as one of the 30 most influential bankers in South Carolina.

Member FDIC. © United Community Bank 2021.

For J.D. Power 2021 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards

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JUSTIN HAWKINS Wells Fargo Bank

J

ustin Hawkins is the region bank president leading Wells Fargo consumer banking operations across South Carolina. Through his role, he leads a team of 870 employees in 94 bank branches.

Wells Fargo Bank holds the No. 1 market share position in South Carolina at $19.5 billion. An 18-year company veteran, Hawkins previously served as the area president of the Upstate market, and prior to that role, he held multiple leadership positions within Wells Fargo, including financial center manager, service leader, district manager and regional sales and marketing manager for South Carolina, supporting both consumer and business banking.

POWER LIST NICHOLAS WODOGAZA

Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union

W

ith 40 years in the forefront of the South Carolina credit union movement, Nicholas Wodogaza now serves as president and CEO of Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union.

He has helped develop the organization from a $100 million Columbia Teachers Credit Union to a $1.2 billion credit union serving more than 100,000 consumers in 14 offices throughout Columbia. He is the current vice chairman of the Carolinas Credit Union League Board of Directors. Wodogaza also serves on the Advisory Panel for Credit Union Brokerage Services of Cuna Mutual Group. A graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance, he is a Certified League Executive and a Credit Union National Association Credit Union Development Educator.

IT’S TIME TO BINGE BUSINESS What’s New and What’s Hot!

Check out our new content as well as our trending videos on this ever-changing playlist.

Recognition Events

With events like Women of Influence in the Upstate, Icons and Phenoms in the Midlands and Health Care Heroes in the Lowcountry, SC Biz News honors the movers and shakers across the state.

September 20 - October 3, 2021

JAMES A. BENNETT First Citizens

J

ames Bennett is currently Firs Citizens Bank’s Mid-South Area Executive, which serves the Columbia, Camden, Aiken and Augusta markets. In his 37-year career, the last 27 of which have been with First Citizens, Bennett has served in a number of important roles in the banking industry and the greater community.

Named Young Banker of the Year by the S.C. Banker’s Association in 1998, he has also served that organization as a board member and as chairman. He serves on the board of a variety of organizations, including Prisma Health, Claflin College, Dominion Energy, Midlands Business Leadership Group and Columbia Urban League, to name a few. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and a graduate of the S.C. Banking School.

KIM WILKERSON Bank of America

K

im Wilkerson is South Carolina president for Bank of America and South Carolina Market executive for Bank of America Private Bank, serving as the bank’s enterprise leader and providing business, civic and philanthropic leadership across the state.

Her many community leadership roles include Palmetto Business Forum, Leadership SC Advisory Board and the Federal Legislative Committee of the S.C. Bankers Association. She is the first woman to serve as chair for Clemson University’s board of trustees and is the first woman to be named a lifetime trustee. She is the incoming chair of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, a past chair of the Columbia Chamber and is a member of Women in Philanthropy. A 1979 graduate of Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in financial management, she has a Six Sigma Greenbelt and is a NASD Registered Principal with Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 securities licenses.

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

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Congratulations A vibrant community depends on its members. Bank of America recognizes the 2021 Power Players in Banking, including South Carolina President Kim Wilkerson. Thank you SC Biz News for honoring Kim as one of the 30 most influential bankers in South Carolina.

Visit us at bankofamerica.com/local.

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

red Green has served as president and CEO of the S.C. Bankers Association since 2012.

Prior to joining SCBA, he enjoyed a 33-year career within the South Carolina banking industry, starting with a role at Citizens & Southern National Bank. In 1991, Green joined the National Bank of South Carolina as executive vice president, and while there, he later became president, CEO and chairman. In 2003, after NBSC was acquired by Synovus, he moved to Georgia to serve as president, COO and vice chairman for the fivestate bank holding company. Green, now a Columbia resident, previously held the role of director of the Federal Reserve Bank and served on its Federal Advisory Council for the 5th and 6th District Banks.

Truist Financial Corp. hen he f i r s t entered the banking industry in 1975, Mike Brenan started out as a management trainee. In 1988, he became president and CEO of Bank One, Portsmouth. Six years later, he was named chairman, president and CEO of MainStreet Financial Corp. In 1998, BB&T Corp. acquired MainStreet and Brenan has served as regional president in South Carolina since 1999.

He was later named regional president for the S.C. region of Truist Financial Corp. in 2019. In almost five decades of banking, Brenan has led teams through several mergers, including the most recent BB&T and SunTrust merger, creating Truist, the sixth largest bank in the U.S.. He has served with many community organizations and is currently the Governor’s appointee to the S.C. State Board of Education.

C.W. “CHUCK” GARNETT Synovus

C

huck Garnett joined NBSC in 1993 as vice president, senior commercial lender.

Following Synovus’ acquisition of NBSC in 1995, he was promoted to senior vice president and upstate regional executive.

This role this was expanded to multi-region executive. In 2003, Garnett was promoted to president and CEO of NBSC until the bank rebranded to Synovus in 2018. He currently serves as S.C. Division CEO. Prior to joining NBSC/Synovus, Garnett held various management positions with C&S National Bank of South Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from University of South Carolina and an MBA from the University of Puget Sound. He is a graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Banking. Garnett has served with many organizations and is currently chairman of the USC Business Partnership Foundation. He is on the boards of the Midlands Business Leadership Group and SC Economics, and is a member of the Palmetto Business Forum.

Chuck Garnett Division CEO

Congratulations!

We applaud Chuck Garnett for being named as one of the Power Players in the Banking Industry for 2021. Being recognized as one of the 30 most influential bankers in South Carolina is quite an honor, but it comes as little surprise to those who know him. His professional accomplishments are certainly worthy of recognition, and we’re proud to have Chuck as part of our Synovus team.

1-888-SYNOVUS | synovus.com Synovus Bank, Member FDIC.

In Focus

EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LIST: Colleges & Universities, Page 26 BONUS LIST: Technical Colleges and Trade Schools, Page 27

NEXT ISSUE’S FOCUS: Residential Real Estate

Back to the Future: High school reimagines advanced manufacturing opportunities

By Molly Hulsey

K

mhulsey@scbiznews.com

nudt Flor asked a roomful of high schoolers a rhetorical question.

“Who loves gaming?”

The former BMW Manufacturing CEO admitted that most parents gathered in BMW’s Zentrum to watch daughters and sons sign on to an apprenticeship with the manufacturer probably weren’t thrilled with their children’s gaming habits.

“Sorry,” he said. “We need these people.”

He went on to describe a Plant Spartanburg beyond his tenure, one built around virtual reality, the internet of things, drone inspections and 3D printers able to make replacement parts onsite in lieu of shipping them in from afar with a six-week wait.

“You work together with the robots,” he told the high school seniors at the August event. “Hand in hand, day by day … the robot talks to you. You talk to the robot.”

This is how the U.S. will stay competitive on the global stage, he said, during a time when some industry leaders advise moving BMW’s U.S. facilities to Mexico, Nicaragua or China.

“No! This is completely the wrong strategy,” he answered, adding that BMW is one of the largest global exporters in vehicles because it sells to China, which, in his words, is much more fun than the other way around. “The jobs are here, the education is here, the people are here.”

People like the ninth graders in Teresa Curvin’s advanced technology for design class, who were dismantling household objects like Christmas lights and researching what goes into the making of them on a Friday afternoon in early September.

These students are members of Fountain Inn High School’s inaugural class and pioneers of the school’s sparkling new Automation and Engineering Institute, the first in Greenville County.

Shared career centers and vocational tracks have

Only the ninth grade class is at the Automation and Engineering Institute this year. Introductory classes will hone in on safety practices and concepts before moving on to machine-use in the weeks ahead. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

long been a part of high school curriculum.

Rows of lathes and mills and a Kuka robotic arm à la Plant Spartanburg are something unique to the $84 million school.

See HIGH SCHOOL, Page 25 (Right) Students will learn how to program a Koga robotic arm similar to the one used at BMW’s Plant Spartanburg. (Photo/Molly Hulsey)

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IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

September 20 - October 3, 2021

HIGH SCHOOL, from Page 23

Principal Maureen Tiller said the institute is a sprocket in the county’s shift away from segregating ‘career-focused’ students and ‘college-bound’ students, the technical and the academic.

“For years, it used to be that students would get placed into a track and almost feel like they were stuck there,” she told GSA Business Report. “So, they would either have to select college-bound or career-bound.”

Sometimes even before knowing much about what either option entailed.

“They were pretty much ‘locked in’ until they graduated,” she said.

With the institute’s presence on campus, ninth graders can take Mechatronics I as an elective alongside their band and computer science courses. They don’t have to wait until career center opportunities open up in 10th grade – classes that often take students half a day away from their primary campus and are not always accessible to those with a hefty AP or honors load.

“We do have something special with the Institute of Automation and Engineering, which is like a smaller learning community where students can not only take classes in academics and the arts and the languages, but also focus on areas of automation and engineering that will really support advanced manufacturing.”

Career pathways offered at the institute include machine tool technology, Project Lead the Way engineering, Project Lead the Way computer science, Project Lead the Way biomedical, informatics, integrative production technology and media

“For years, it used to be that students would get placed into a track and almost feel like they were stuck there. So, they would either have to be collegebound or career-bound.”

Maureen Tiller principal, Fountain Inn High School

technology.

Career ‘pathways’ are a more flexible replacement to the ‘tracks’ of yore, she said.

Tracks don’t always cross, and it’s hard to go from one parallel line to another.

Pathways allow students to explore the junctions, crossovers and forks of various disciplines and careers. Especially now that advanced manufacturing needs assistance from innovative minds now more than ever.

The pathways were forged by the interests of upcoming students and an advisory board of local industries including ZF Transmissions, ABB and Bosch, joined by the Fountain Inn Chamber, Greenville Technical College and other groups.

In February, ZF announced plans to invest $200 million in its Gray Court plant by 2023 with the expectation to add 500 jobs to its 2,200-person workforce as it ramps up the production of an eightspeed automatic transmission able to be used in plug-in hybrid vehicles and commercial vehicles.

“We’re looking to attract some high school students here that have the top-tier talent that we’re looking for and to bring them to ZF,” Consquela Thomas, human resources specialist at the BMW supplier, said in a statement on the first day of school in Fountain Inn. CNC machinery will enter the scene eventually at Fountain Inn High, but these industries wanted students to learn the basics first, according to Tiller.

“They were seeing a group come into the workforce that they were training on CNC machinery but didn’t understand the background of why they were coding the machines that way,” she said.

“For example, you can know how to use a calculator, but unless you understand the algorithms behind why you’re doing that, it’s very difficult to use it correctly.”

The school will continue to receive

www.gsabusiness.com 25

feedback on local industry’s workforce needs through its advisory board. Especially as Tiller and the Greenville County School District expect that Fountain Inn’s institute is the first of more to come in the county.

Once the inaugural class reaches tenth grade – only the ninth grade is at the school now – students will have the option to take complementary classes at the Golden Strip Career Center, as well as dual enrollment courses at Greenville Tech. These pathways can feed into technical certification and undergraduate and graduate courses at Clemson University and University of South Carolina, among others.

The institute’s courses also dovetail with apprenticeships and internship opportunities at local industries, like those introduced by Flor in August before his retirement at BMW. “The pathway doesn’t just stop at the 12th grade,” said Tiller. “It goes directly into Grades 13 and 14, and there’s an alignment all the way up. Those courses that are laid out for them go all the way through tech school. And they could go straight to tech school or they could go straight into a four-year degree. It’s college and career ready. You don’t have to choose one over the other.”

Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1222 or @mollyhulsey_gsa on Twitter.

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IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

September 20 - October 3, 2021

Colleges & Universities Ranked by Spring 2021 Enrollment

•

Company

Phone / Website / Email

Executive(s) / Year Founded

Enrollment

Faculty / Total Employees

Clemson University 105 Sikes Hall Clemson, SC 29634

864-656-3311 www.clemson.edu cuadmissions@clemson.edu

James P. Clements, Robert Jones 1889

18,682

Greenville Technical College 506 S. Pleasantburg Drive Greenville, SC 29607

864-250-8000 www.gvltec.edu inforequest@gvltec.edu

Keith L. Miller 1962

University of South Carolina Upstate 800 University Way Spartanburg, SC 29303

864-503-5235 www.uscupstate.edu

Lander University 320 Stanley Ave. Greenwood, SC 29649

Public / Private

Top Three Undergraduate Majors, by Enrollment

1,562 5,392

Public

Engineering, Business, Biological Sciences

9,125

327 753

Public

Associate in Science, Associate in Science-Jumpstart, Associate in Arts

Jessica Blais, Kim Jolley, Derham Cole 1967

5,307

461 905

Public

Nursing, Business Administration, Criminal Justice

864-388-8000 www.lander.edu admissions@lander.edu

Richard E. Consetino 1872

3,096

159 446

Public

Business, Nursing, Psychology

Bob Jones University 1700 Wade Hampton Blvd.

Greenville, SC 29614

864-242-5100 www.bju.edu info@bju.edu

Stephen Pettit, Gary Weier 1947

2,864

178 857

Private

Business Administration, Nursing, Kinesiology

North Greenville University 7801 N. Tigerville Road Tigerville, SC 29688

864-977-7000 www.ngu.edu admissions@ngu.edu

Gene C. Fant 1892

2,479

226 807

Private

Health Science, Sport Management, Biology

Anderson University 316 Boulevard Anderson, SC 29621

864-231-2000 www.andersonuniversity.edu webmaster@andersonuniversity.edu

Evans P. Whitaker 1911

2,300

169 935

Private

Nursing, Education, Business

Wofford College 429 N. Church St. Spartanburg, SC 29303

864-597-4000 www.wofford.edu marketing@wofford.edu

Nayef H. Samhat 1854

1,773

143 492

Private

Business, Biology, Economics

Southern Wesleyan University 907 Wesleyan Drive Central, SC 29630

864-644-5000 www.swu.edu admissions@swu.edu

William C. Crothers 1906

1,027

55 269

Private

Business Administration, Human Services, Early Childhood and Family Studies

Spartanburg Methodist College 1000 Powell Mill Road Spartanburg, SC 29301

864-587-4000 www.smcsc.edu admiss@smcsc.edu

W. Scott Cochran 1911

850

51 155

Private

Science, Arts, Business

Converse College 580 E. Main St. Spartanburg, SC 29302

864-596-9000 www.converse.edu admissions@converse.edu

Krista L. Newkirk 1889

699

91 233

Private

Psychology, Child and Family Studies, Biology

ECPI University 1001 Keys Drive, Suite 100 Greenville, SC 29615

864-288-2828 www.ecpi.edu webgrv@ecpi.edu

Karen Burgess 1999

450

40 70

Private

Nursing, Electronic Engineering Technology and Mechatronics, Computer and Information Science and Network Security

University Center of Greenville 225 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Suite A7 Greenville, SC 29607

864-250-1111 www.greenville.org davidataylor@greenville.org

David A. Taylor 1987

350

50 9

Private; Public

BS Nursing, BS in Business, BA in Education

Erskine College 2 Washington St. Due West, SC 29639

864-379-2131 www.erskine.edu communications@erskine.edu

Robert E. Gustafson 1839

147

45 240

Private

Biology, Business Administration, Sports Management

Webster University - Greenville Metropolitan Campus 124 Verdae Blvd., Suite 400 Greenville, SC 29607

864-676-9002 www.webster.edu/greenville bethbarker66@webster.edu

Beth Vivaldi, Ciera Kilgore 1915

25

15 1

Private

Psychology, Management

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. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to research@scbiznews.com.

1 Or graduate, if no undergraduate courses offered

1

Researched by Business Report staff

IN FOCUS: EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

September 20 - October 3, 2021

www.gsabusiness.com 27

Technical Colleges & Trade Schools Ranked by Spring 2021 Enrollment School

Phone / Website / Email

Administrator / Year Founded

Greenville Technical College 506 S. Pleasantburg Drive Greenville, SC 29607

864-250-8000 www.gvltec.edu inforequest@gvltec.edu

Keith L. Miller 1962

Tri-County Technical College 7900 U.S. Highway 76 Pendleton, SC 29670

866-269-5677 www.tctc.edu info@tctc.edu

Piedmont Technical College 620 N. Emerald Road Greenwood, SC 29648

Enrollment / FT Faculty / Employees

Public / Private

Top Three Programs by Enrollment

9,125 327 753

Public

Associate in Science, Associate in Science-Jumpstart, Associate in Arts

Galen DeHay 1962

5,174 150 367

Public

Associate Degree in Business Administration, Mechatronics Technology, Nursing

800-868-5528 www.ptc.edu info@ptc.edu

Hope E. Rivers 1966

4,340 119 270

Public

Associate in Business, Associate in Nursing, university transfer

Spartanburg Community College 107 Community College Drive Spartanburg, SC 29303

864-592-4600 www.sccsc.edu admissions@sccsc.edu

Michael Mikota 1963

4,113 130 342

Public

Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Mechatronics, Management

Southern Wesleyan University 907 Wesleyan Drive Central, SC 29630

864-644-5000 www.swu.edu admissions@swu.edu

William C. Crothers 1906

1,027 55 269

Private

Business Administration, Human Services, Early Childhood and Family Studies

The Packaging School 640 S. Main St. Greenville, SC 29601

864-412-5000 www.packagingschool.com info@packagingschool.com

Drew Felty 2015

1,000 24 9

Private

Automotive Packaging Certificate, Certificate of Mastery in Packaging Management, Certificate of Packaging Science

ECPI University 1001 Keys Drive, Suite 100 Greenville, SC 29615

864-288-2828 www.ecpi.edu webgrv@ecpi.edu

Karen Burgess 1999

450 40 70

Private

Nursing, Electronic Engineering Technology and Mechatronics, Computer and Information Science and Network Security

Sherman College of Chiropractic 2020 Springfield Road Spartanburg, SC 29316

864-578-8770 www.sherman.edu admissions@sherman.edu

Edwin Cordero 1973

414 44 105

Private

Doctor of Chiropractic (only degree offered)

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. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, errors sometimes occur. Email additions or corrections to research@scbiznews.com.

Researched by Business Report staff

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

Soft skills are key indicators for employee retention

By Teri Errico Griffis

Target your market in an upcoming issue of the GSA Business Report

OCTOBER 4

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

List: Residential Real Estate Firms Advertising Deadline: September 20

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good match for Blackbaud, and vice versa, that Blackbaud is a good match for the candidate,” she said. illon Lesniewski majored in hisPrior to his product owner role, tory at Clemson University. He Lesniewski worked in BoomTown’s cusnever expected the skills he tomer service department and eventually learned to transfer to a successful career at became a team lead, hiring often for the a tech company, but after nearly five years constantly rotating team. He ascribed to of promotions, he is now a product owner the same process of candidate evaluation. at BoomTown, a real estate software com“If conversation flowed easily, whether a pany in Charleston. person was talking about their life or their Lesniewski said people often judged his skills, I knew that would translate to somecourse of study, assuming he’d work at a one who could hold a conversation well museum or something artistic and unsta- with clients,” he said. ble. But history is an underrated major, Of a pair of candidates Lesniewski he said. During his four undergradu- hired, one came from a strong customer ate years, he researched, wrote, debated, support background, but lacked interpermemorized and questioned in ways that sonal skills, while the other transitioned translated well into the professional world. from food and beverage but was extremely So what if he didn’t know the technolo- congenial. The team expected the candigy? Lesniewski knew he had the skillset to date with hard skills to flourish, but instead, learn it, and that is what set him above the she quit within a year. The food and beverrest of the candidate pool — even those age worker has since thrived and become with relevant occupational skills. a respected member of the company. He is “People try to make a big deal that I still with BoomTown three years later. didn’t study software, that I can’t code a Never underestimate the power of a website or build an API, but I don’t need simple conversation, Lesniewski said. to know everything,” Lesniewski said. “I Even when he’s making lunch in the office just need to know what brings me to the kitchen, talking to someone about their table and recognize my own strengths, like dog or weekend plans, it’s work. He’s buildinterpersonal skills, patience and empathy. ing personal connections with coworkers.

Those are what earned my seat there.”

He’s no longer a random name in an email, More and more, workforce experts are but a connection that someone trusts. The finding that soft skills have become critical same goes for conversations with clients. indicators of individuals who can not only “The things that I bring to the table, othattain employment, but retain it. ers don’t, and it’s important to recognize Companies like BoomTown and Black- what you’re there for, versus what others baud on Daniel Island know occupational are there for,” Lesniewski said. “I can put skills can be taught, but flexibility, problem myself in the shoes of a 65-year-old real solving and whether an employee brings estate agent way better than our developkindness and passion to their daily role ers can. I know how to make a decision and cannot, said Stephanie Walker, Blackbaud’s how clients will react.” vice president of talent acquisition This summer, the S.C. Department of “Organizations have grown to recognize Employment and Workforce started a that soft skills and higher emotional intelli- certification program to recognize six gence lead to greater success,” Walker said. essential soft skills in the workforce: com“It’s not just about completing the task.” munication, digital literacy, problem solv Monica Mutter, Blackbaud senior ing, professionalism, teamwork and time director for leadership and culture, said the management. Workers can self-lead or focus starts in the interview process and attend an instructional training to earn the whether the candidate can tell a story.

S.C. Essential Soft Skills Certificate, said “We ask candidates to describe how Michelle Paczynski, assistant executive they’ve handled different situations in the director for DEW. past and to share more about themselves “In a place where many companies still and their interest,” Mutter said. “We look don’t know a year from now where they at how they articulate that. It’s our chance will be and how they are going to operate, to get to know the candidate beyond the soft skills have become front and center for resume.” a candidate to be considered for employRegardless of the candidate’s back- ment opportunities,” Paczynski said. “To ground, Walker listens for whether some- us, soft skills are the behavioral skills that one is passionate about helping customers are transferrable to most positions and are or not, if they’re creative and work well indicators of whether a candidate could with teammates or if they’re goal-oriented. succeed with a company.”

“These types of soft skills are paramount to ensuring that the candidate is a Reach Teri Errico Griffis at 843-849-3144.

D

tgriffis@scbiznews.com

At Work

BUSINESS DIGEST | PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Business Digest

sound studios, acoustical components and industrial silencers. The company is located at 208 Old Fork Shoals Road in Greenville.

Credit union building new branch Carolina Foothills Federal Credit Union said it broke ground on a new branch in Mauldin. The branch will be located behind the CVS Pharmacy at the intersection of West Butler Road and Ashmore Bridge Road and is set to open in early spring 2022.

From left: Kelly Wilkins of the American Heart Association, Catriona Carlisle of Meals on Wheels and Triva Smith of New Horizon Family Health Services

Flourish wins dotCOMM Awards

Nonprofits launch health program

Flourish said it received 10 dotCOMM Awards for its work related to web design and digital communication. Administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), the dotCOMM Awards is an international competition honoring excellence in web creativity and digital communication.

The American Heart Association, Meals on Wheels and New Horizon Family Health Services have launched a blood pressure monitoring program for community members living with hypertension. The Heart Association worked with Harper Construction to provide health resources, including blood pressure cuffs, to New Horizon Family Health Services patients who have been diagnosed with hypertension. New Horizon will work with these individuals to help them monitor and manage their blood pressure from home. Individuals will also be provided healthy meals through the Meals on Wheels delivery service.

BASF donates to first responders Tindall opens new facility

Tindall Corp. expanded its utility division with the opening of a new facility at 2877 Fairforest Clevedale Road, Spartanburg.

Tindall said the facility features state-ofthe-art automation and will increase its production capacity, facilitate the creation of custom solutions and streamline the process of manufacturing standard precast components. Tindall said the expansion will create 20 jobs.

Mecart to locate in Greenville

Greenville Area Development Corp.

(GADC) announced that Mecart Inc. plans to establish operations in Greenville County. The $2 million investment is expected to create 50 jobs, GADC said.. Founded in Quebec, Canada in 1974, Mecart designs, engineers, manufactures and installs modular buildings for industrial applications, including cleanrooms, control rooms and offices for harsh environments, operator booths,

BASF said its site in Converse recently donated $15,000 to community first responder agencies. The Converse Fire Department, Spartanburg Police Department and Spartanburg County Sheriff ’s Office each received a $5,000 donation, the company said.

Colleges sign transfer agreement

Greenville Technical College said it is joining The Citadel in a mutual effort to provide enhanced engineering education opportunities for non-cadet students who want to elevate their two-year program to a full, four-year undergraduate engineering degree. Through the agreement, academically qualified students at Greenville Technical College will be able to transfer all relevant credit hours into five engineering bachelors of science degree pathways at The Citadel. The Citadel’s undergraduate degree transfer programs like this one are administered by The Citadel Graduate College. They are non-cadet, evening or online programs.

After serving the company in France, Nathalie Bauters takes over the role of head of corprorate communications and public affairs for BMW Manufacturing, replacing one of the plant’s original employees, Sky Foster, who retires after almost three decades. (Photo/Provided)

BMW Manufacturing has new communications chief Staff Report

B

gsanews@scbiznews.com

MW Manufacturing has named a successor to its chief communications officer, who is retiring after being at the plant since it opened almost three decades ago.

Nathalie Bauters, head of corporate communications and public affairs for BMW Group France, will become the new head of communications at BMW Manufacturing in Greer. Bauters will replace Sky Foster who will retire later this year. Foster was the fifth person hired by BMW Manufacturing in 1993.

“During her 13 years with the BMW Group, Nathalie has gained a wealth of experience in international communications,” Adam Sykes, vice president of government affairs and corporate communications for the Americas, said in a news release. “She knows the company well, and her skills with corporate communications and engagement with multiple stakeholders will be highly valued as we continue to promote BMW’s largest plant in the world to our internal and external audiences.”

Bauters joined BMW Group of North America in 2008 as manager of Mini communications and will celebrate 13 years with the company this year, the news release said. She started her career in the automotive industry

in 1996 at Chrysler Europe LLC in Brussels. Six years later, she went on to represent the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands in the global sales and marketing division at DaimlerChrysler, which is known today as Stellantis.

Most recently, Bauters served as head of communications and public affairs for BMW Group in the Netherlands and in France, where she worked on the development of the company’s reputation, both at brand and corporate level, addressing the media, dealers, consumers and employees. She has both Belgian and American nationalities, according to the release.

Not only was Foster one of the first people hired locally for Plant Spartanburg, she played a key role in hiring those who came after her. She was part of the start-up team recruiting the first employees. Foster spent her first two decades at BMW in human resources, holding several roles managing compensation and working structures, benefits and strategic planning, talent acquisition, and training and recruitment. She became department manager for BMW Corporate Communications in 2012.

BMW Group Plant Spartanburg is the largest BMW Group plant in the world, producing about 1,500 vehicles each day. The South Carolina factory exports more than two-thirds of its models to 125 global markets.

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

People in the News ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PR

BANKING & FINANCE

Infinity Marketing promoted Matthew Schwartz to media buyer, Micah Inafuku to data analyst, Kendall Nicholson to media lead and Darian Villalobos and Erin Pappas to senior media buyers.

Davis

Candor hired Hope Davis as senior manager. She previously worked at Dixon Hughes Goodman with the firm’s healthcare consulting practice.

Countybank hired Brent Parris as senior vice president. Parris most recently served as plant manager for Eaton Hydraulics Group.

Parris

Webb

First Reliance Bank hired Chris Laughridge as senior vice president and relationship banker for its downtown Greenville branch. Laughridge most recently worked as a senior vice president for a large community bank.

ENGINEERING

Infinity Marketing hired Heath Parish and Ryker Webb as Media Coordinators.

Parish is a graduate of Bob Jones University. Webb has prior experience creating advertising campaigns with Hand to Hold.

ARCHITECTURE

Tiberia

DP3 Architects Ltd. hired Cristian Macias to its hospitality studio. He is a graduate of Clemson University.

Macias

Langebeeke

SeamonWhiteside named Hassan Ismail its water resources project manager. He is a registered professional engineer and scientist.

Ismail

McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture promoted Anthony Tiberia to community studio director. He has been an architect with the firm since 2005.

DP3 Architects Ltd. hired Stefan Langebeeke. His previous work experience includes a focus on exterior site planning and the healthcare industry.

NONPROFITS

Caggiano

LAW

First Reliance Bank hired William Jones as branch manager of its downtown Greenville branch at 500 E. Washington St. Jones comes to First Reliance with more than two decades of experience in retail and business banking.

Parish

cialist. Caggiano previously worked for the Cossio Insurance Agency.

HEALTHCARE Carolina Nephrology hired Dr. Carlos Zayas. Prior to joining Carolina Nephrology, he worked as a nephrologist at the Medical University of South Carolina and was medical director of the three Georgia Renal Adult Programs at Emory University, Piedmont Healthcare and Augusta University Medical College of Georgia.

INSURANCE Countybanc Insurance announced that Tammy Hendrix, personal lines sales representative and account manager for Countybanc Insurance Services Hendrix in Greer, earned her Certified Insurance Service Representative Elite designation.

Maryanna Caggiano joined The Insurance Source as a first impressions spe-

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd announced that Meg Scoopmire has been elected to serve on the University of North Carolina School of Law’s Center for Banking Scoopmire and Finance Board of Advisors. A co-leader of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s real estate team, she focuses her practice on commercial real estate transactions and financing.

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A. added William Crum McKinney as a shareholder and member of the firm’s state and local government, economic development McKinney and business litigation practice groups.

He rejoins the firm after serving for nearly five years as general counsel to the governor of North Carolina and before that as special counsel to the attorney general of North Carolina.

MANUFACTURING Jerome Kirkland, site manager for BASF’s Converse manufacturing facility in Spartanburg County, has been named to the Upstate Workforce Investment Board.

Kirkland Board members are certified by the governor every two years.

McConnell

Lucas Systems Inc. promoted John McConnell to project manager of integration, which oversees production, repair and parts fulfillment areas.

Paige Stephenson accepts her Order of the Palmetto certificate from state Rep. Max Hyde

United Way of the Piedmont President and CEO Paige Stephenson received the Order of the Palmetto. The Order of the Palmetto is South Carolina’s highest civilian honor and recognizes a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service, and contributions on a national or statewide scale.

Hillstock

Better Business Bureau serving Upstate South Carolina announced that Laurie Hillstock has been named to its board of directors.

Hillstock is the owner and CEO of Hillstock & Associates.

TECHNOLOGY Mailprotector named Mark Glowacz vice president of partner success and Greg Aiken vice president of marketing. Kimberly Avinante was hired as an operational intelligence analyst.

Hunter Kuykendall and Clay Young were hired as partner engagement managers. Morgan McBride was promoted to senior partner identification manager. Jazmin Montoya was hired as a senior accountant. Matt Snyder was hired as a partner growth manager. Kurin Quintavalle was promoted to marketing manager.

DeLozier

ScanSource Inc. named John DeLozier president of Intelisys.

DeLozier has worked with ScanSource for more than 20 years as both a partner and a supplier.

ScanSource Inc. promoted Tony Sorrentino to president of North America.

Sorrentino previously served as president of North America sales.

Submit items using our online submission portal: www.GSABizWire.com. Publication is subject to editorial discretion.

Viewpoint

VIEWS, PERSPECTIVES AND READERS’ LETTERS

Substantial legal hurdles remain in sexual harassment cases

S

exual harassment allegations against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, including at least three from current or former aides, are a reminder of just how commonplace unwanted touching, propositioning and other inappropriate behavior is in the workplace.

My recent research explores the prevalence of JOSEPH A. SEINER toxic work environments – like the one described in Albany, New York – and just how startlingly common sexual harassment at work is.

I discovered that even when women try to find justice by suing their alleged abusers, their cases rarely see a courtroom.

An all-too-common experience

My own extensive review of numerous studies, surveys and reports shows that sexual harassment at work is a very common occurrence for women, regardless of age or income level.

The numerous studies and surveys reveal that the share of women who experience sexual harassment at work could be as low as 25% or as high as 75%.

The actual numbers varied considerably, depending on industry, location and how the question was worded, but they were generally quite high.

This kind of unlawful conduct occurs across all sectors of the economy, but recent studies show a high prevalence of sexually hostile conduct associated with workers in the gig economy and the fastfood industry.

Winning claims gets harder

Perhaps most troubling is the perception – and unfortunate reality – that engaging in this conduct will result in no real consequences. Indeed, among women who have experienced unwanted sexual advances in the workplace, almost all reported that male harassers usually go unpunished.

My review of case law and data bears this out.

The vast majority of sexual harassment claims are pursued through the civil courts and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unlike prosecution under criminal law, civil plaintiffs may sue for damages, and the burden of proof is lower in these cases.

Additionally, criminal cases typically

Photo/file

require more egregious conduct, such as a sexual assault, though some claims may proceed in both courts.

Under Title VII, harassment victims may sue their employer for sexual conduct that is deemed unwelcome, severe or pervasive, and when the employer has failed to properly act.

Supreme Court raises the bar

But, as the Supreme Court has become increasingly conservative under Chief Justice John Roberts, it has added additional procedural hurdles for all employment discrimination victims, including those pursuing sexual harassment claims.

Most notably, in cases brought in 2007 and 2009, the Supreme Court articulated a rigid new standard for bringing civil claims – that the plaintiffs must allege a “plausible” claim for relief, which makes it far harder for workplace victims to bring them.

The plausibility standard is particularly difficult for employment discrimination plaintiffs to satisfy. These claims often require a showing of discriminatory intent, which can be difficult to establish early in a case.

The court also made it harder for women to aggregate their discrimination claims after it raised the threshold for all class-action lawsuits in a 2011 case involving Walmart. This raised the bar for women who sue their employers alleging pay and promotion discrimination. The same higher standard now applies to class-action sexual harassment claims as well.

It’s often easier for a victim to prevail when a supervisor is involved in the unlawful conduct because, where a hostile work environment is established, the burden of proof shifts to the employer

to show that it acted responsibly. But in 2013, the court changed who counts as a supervisor in the workplace, limiting it to someone with the power to hire, fire, promote or otherwise tangibly affect the accuser’s employment.

An analysis found that this quickly resulted in 43 case dismissals.

Claims of sexual harassment with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency established to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination, have remained quite consistent over the past decade. Of the 6,500 to 8,000 or so cases each year, only about 3% to 6% ever make it to a jury trial.

What happens to the thousands of other cases is less clear because of the many variables and mixed reporting standards. Cases may be dismissed early in the case, during discovery or even right before trial. Compiling this data in any meaningful way can be difficult, if not impossible.

To add to this problem, many other cases are settled, often pursuant to a nondisclosure agreement, which means the parties can’t talk about what’s in it, so the exact outcome in these cases may never be publicly known. Indeed, many potential claims may even be settled before a case is ever filed, further skewing any case data in this area.

Rejected claims

My analysis of some individual harassment claims is still quite revealing and shows that the courts are – in many instances – failing to give these claims the attention they deserve. These courts seem to be requiring an almost impossible level of detail by the plaintiffs early in the case.

For example, in one recent case, a federal court dismissed a claim in which the alleged victim, a customer service agent and administrative assistant, asserted in part that her co-worker touched her inappropriately. In rejecting the claim, the court found the allegations insufficient, concluding that the victim “fails [to] offer sufficient factual detail that would allow the court to reasonably infer the frequency in which [the co-worker’s] actions occurred over the course of her employment with [the employer].”

Another court dismissed a claim in which the alleged victim, who worked as a janitor at a manufacturing facility, maintained that she was instructed by a manager not to speak with other workers without permission “because she was a married woman” along with other sexualized language. The court held that the worker did not allege enough detail in the complaint to provide sufficient “facts to raise her right to relief above the speculative level.”

And in a case in which a prison worker alleged that she was required to observe while an intimate moment between a female visitor and an inmate and overheard lewd language, the court found that there was not “a plausible hostile environment claim,” at least partially as a result of the court’s belief that the worker could not establish that any of the conduct occurred “because of Plaintiff ’s sex.” In reaching this decision, the court specifically relied on the newly rigid plausibility standard adopted by the Supreme Court.

Given the difficulty women have prevailing on these claims, it may not seem surprising that Cuomo mounted a defense and resisted calls to resign from not only his Republican rivals but members of his own Democratic Party as well. He has since resigned from the governorship.

Until employers and others are held to account in court for this type of unlawful harassing conduct, I believe that there will not be any relief for thousands of victims of sexual harassment.

CRBJ

Joseph A. Seiner is an Oliver Ellsworth Professor of Federal Practice & Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina. This column originally appeared in The Conversation and is used with permission. Read more at theconversation.com.

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September 20 - October 3, 2021

2021 | SOUTH CAROLINA

MANUFACTURING CONFERENCE AND EXPO PRESENTED BY:

SAVE THE DATE: NOV. 10 - NOV. 12

GREENVILLE CONVENTION CENTER | GREENVILLE, SC

To view the agenda and to register, visit www.scmanufacturingconference.com

Join Manufacturing suppliers and innovators across all industry verticals at South Carolina’s most significant manufacturing event of the year.

The 2021 conference will include:

• An exhibit hall the equivalent of three football fields • Leadership Training (SHRM/HRCI credits earned) • Implementing Industry 4.0 Technology • Driving Change: The Future of Electric Vehicles in South Carolina • 2022 Economic Outlook: Auto, Aerospace, Biotech • Women in Manufacturing: Leaders and Influencers • SCMEP Manufacturing Excellence Awards • The South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) will conduct training courses

PRESENTING SPONSORS:

#NotYourAverageJanitor

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For questions about exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Melissa Tomberg at (864) 720-1220 or mtomberg@scbiznews.com Visit scmanufacturingconference.com for the latest updates.