SMART. CLEAN. RELIABLE. We’re already building tomorrow’s intelligent and innovative energy future.
Shifting to smart meters that give you more control.
Using technology to respond even quicker when the power goes out.
Providing access to more renewable energy choices.
Discover what our energy investments mean for you: duke-energy.com/SMARTER
FEATURES 2020 Issue South Carolina Chamber of Commerce 1301 Gervais St., Suite 1100 Columbia, SC 29201 800.799.4601 ASCEND is a publication of the
10 LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE
Off to the Races
19
THE 2019 LEADERSHIP AWARDS
26 THE SC CHAMBER AWARDS 38 A DEEP DIVE INTO SOUTH CAROLINA’S TOURISM ECONOMY
DEPARTMENTS 3 LETTER FROM THE CHAIR 5 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT President & CEO Ted Pitts Executive Vice President of Public Policy, Affiliates & Of Counsel Swati Patel Executive Vice President of Investor Relations Sunny Philips
6 LEGISLATIVE RECAP 17 EDUCATION
32 HUMAN INTEREST
Vice President of Education & Workforce Development Cynthia Bennett
• ASCEND Magazine Published by The Brand Leader Copyright ©2020 by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and The Brand Leader. All foreign and U.S. rights reserved. Contents of this publication, including images, may not be reproduced without written consent from the publisher. Published for South Carolina Chamber of Commerce by The Brand Leader.
John Darby – All in the Family
42 THE CHAMBER FOUNDATION
Vice President of Administrative Services Susan O’Neal
Associate Vice President of Chamber Affiliates & Board Secretary Caroline Donaldson
HBCU Stem Program
SC Property Tax Study
44 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Staying Strong: Nucor Celebrates 50 Years in South Carolina
46 EXPORTS
South Carolina Ports
48 HOMEGROWN BUSINESS
Cyber Secure: Inside the Digital World of Immedion
50 ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA: A ‘GOOD
TOWN’ FLOURISHES INTO A GREAT CITY
53 GIVING PROFILE
Inside the BMW Charity Pro-Am
56 AFTER THE EVENT 64 CHAMBER PAST CHAIRS
S.C. Chamber of Commerce
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE STEVE SPINKS – CHAIRMAN CEO Spinx Company, Inc LOU KENNEDY – PAST CHAIR President and CEO Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation TIM ARNOLD – CHAIR-ELECT & MEMBERSHIP CHAIR President & CEO Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company MIKE SHETTERLY – GENERAL COUNSEL Managing Shareholder, Greenville Office Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. CHRIS STORMER – TREASURER Shareholder Bauknight, Pietras & Stormer, P.A. DAVID LOMINACK – COMMERCE CHAIR SC Market President TD Bank TED PITTS – CEO President & CEO SC Chamber of Commerce RODNEY BLEVINS – CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE President & CEO Southeast Energy Group, Dominion Energy JAMES D’ALESSIO – CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE Vice President of Government Affairs BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina MIKE CALLAHAN – CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE State President, South Carolina Duke Energy KATHY HELMS – EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR Managing Shareholder, Columbia Office Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
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OUR VISION
Make South Carolina the best place in the nation to live, work and do business.
OUR MISSION
To strategically create and advance a thriving, free-market environment where South Carolina businesses can prosper.
MATT MANELLI – MANUFACTURING STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIR Division Controller Nucor Steel – South Carolina TOMMY LAVENDER – ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIR Member Nexsen Pruet, LLC CHRIS BARRAS – TAX COMMITTEE CHAIR Executive Director Ernst & Young LLP THOMAS RHODES – SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE CHAIR President Rhodes Companies CYNTHIA WALTERS – DIVERSITY COUNCIL CHAIR Corporate Director of Inclusion Prisma Health BEN REX – INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION COMMITTEE CHAIR CEO Cyberwoven, LLC SAM KONDUROS – CHAIRMAN’S NOMINEE President & CEO South Carolina Biotechnology Industry Organization
BRYAN HAMRICK – HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE CHAIR Director, Human Resources Zeus Industrial Products, Inc.
DEE DEE HENDERSON – CHAIRMAN’S NOMINEE Chief Operating Officer Agape Hospice
BOYD JONES – LEGISLATIVE AGENDA TASK FORCE COMMITTEE CHAIR Executive VP, Director Middle Market Banking Synovus
ROGER SCHRUM – SOUTH CAROLINA CHAMBER PAC CHAIR Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Affairs Sonoco
Letters
A LETTER FROM THE CHAIR As CEO of The Spinx Company, an organization built on the foundation of “Born here. Raised here,” I am thrilled to serve as the chair for the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Most importantly, I am encouraged by the similar vision we share of enhancing the life, workforce and ultimately South Carolina’s economic development by positioning ourselves for continued success and future growth. As one of the top 10 fastest-growing states, South Carolina continues to be a model for workplace growth, which The Spinx Company can attest to firsthand. As the largest retailer headquartered in South Carolina, we are committed to making life easier by fulfilling the needs of our customers and our communities across the Palmetto State every single day. When my father started our business over 46 years ago, I don’t think he envisioned that we would operate more than 80 locations, 50 car washes and employ over 1,400 associates statewide. This can make Spinx seem like a big business, but that is not how we see ourselves. Instead, we view each one of our locations as a small business employing less than 25 associates who serve a unique community. Spinx was recently recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina. We take pride in creating an environment where our teammates are excited to come to work and are provided a variety of opportunities to grow and develop their careers. Ultimately, this creates increased job retention and keeps our talent within the Palmetto State. As the unified voice of business and the premier advocacy organization in the state, the Chamber is committed to providing the necessary support and resources for our state’s impressive workplace advancement. I am grateful for the support the Chamber has shown organizations like Spinx as we strive to maximize our strategic impact ahead of this upcoming legislative session. The Chamber plays a key role in promoting pro-job and pro-business policy at both the state and federal level. It is imperative that the voices of our companies are heard, and by working together, we can accomplish great things, and ultimately make life easier for all of us this upcoming year.
Steve Spinks CEO of The Spinx Company Chair, South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
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S.C. Chamber of Commerce
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert Alexander
Christian L. Gullott
David Lominack
Roger Schrum
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
SC MARKET PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT OF INVESTOR RELATIONS & CORPORATE AFFAIRS
Coroplast
Steve Argeris VP & GENERAL COUNSEL
Carolina Panthers Tim Arnold
PRESIDENT & CEO
Bryan Hamrick
TD Bank
Randy Lowell PARTNER
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A.
John Harvey
PRESIDENT & CEO
Zeus Industrial Products, Inc.
Stuart MacVean
Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company
PLANT MANAGER
BP America
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC
Chris Barras
Kathy Helms
Dr. Forest E. Mahan
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MANAGING SHAREHOLDER, COLUMBIA OFFICE
Aiken Technical College
Ernst & Young LLP Michael Baxley
SENIOR VP & GENERAL COUNSEL
Santee Cooper
Rodney Blevins
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Dee Dee Henderson
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Agape Hospice
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTHEAST ENERGY GROUP
Mason Hogue
Ben Breazeale
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
SR. DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOR SC
Todd Hyneman
Dominion Energy
Charter Communications Mike Brenan
SOUTH CAROLINA REGIONAL PRESIDENT
PARTNER
PRESIDENT
Total Comfort Solutions, Inc. David Jameson PRESIDENT/CEO
BB&T
Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce
Mike Callahan
Charles Johnson
STATE PRESIDENT, SC
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
Matt Manelli DIVISION CONTROLLER
Nucor Steel - South Carolina Jarrett Martin PRESIDENT
Mar-Mac
Chad McAllister PRESIDENT, TEXTILE DIVISION
Milliken & Company Nick McNeill
The Brandon Agency
EXECUTIVE VP, DIRECTOR MIDDLE MARKET BANKING
James D’Alessio VP OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina John Dampier CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Southeastern Freight Lines Hunter Dawkins
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION
Johnson Development Greg Dickinson
EVP & SC MARKET PRESIDENT
Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation Thomas Komaromi GENERAL COUNSEL
Samsung
Sam Konduros
Aflac Group
Paul Mitchell MANAGING PARTNER
South Coast Paper Steve Mitchell
REGIONAL MANAGING PARTNER
Fisher Phillips Tim Norwood PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT & CEO
Bistro Holdings, Inc.
Tracy Kundey
EXECUTIVE VP FOR BUSINESS AFFAIRS & CFO
South Carolina Biotechnology Industry Organization PRESIDENT/EGM
Oceana Resorts by Wyndham Vacation Rentals
Mike Shetterly MANAGING SHAREHOLDER
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Dave Solano VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER
Enterprise Holdings Paul Sparks RealOp Investments
Paul Patrick College of Charleston Bob Paulling PRESIDENT & CEO
CEO
Hal Stevenson Grace Outdoor Advertising Chris Stormer SHAREHOLDER
Bauknight, Pietras & Stormer, P.A. Woody Swink CO-PRESIDENT
McCall Farms Inc. Greg Taylor MANAGING PARTNER
Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP Jeff Trenning SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT SC COMMERCIAL BANKING
Bank of America Cynthia Walters
CORPORATE DIRECTOR OF INCLUSION
Prisma Health
Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative
Will Whitley
Nexsen Pruet, LLC
Fatima Perez
DIRECTOR OF STATE, LOCAL GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Aaron Lawrence
REGIONAL MANAGER, STATE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Michelin North America, Inc.
Koch Industries
Brad Wright
Zeus Industrial Products, Inc.
Ted Pitts
Burr Forman McNair
Segra
John T. Lay
SC Chamber of Commerce
Terrance Ford
Gallivan, White & Boyd
Aquesta Bank
Steffanie Dohn DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Southern Current Daniel Eskew
VP, ENTERPRISE SALES
DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
Tommy Lavender
NHC Healthcare, Laurens
CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Elliott Davis
MIDLANDS MARKET MANAGER
CEO
Rickie Shearer ADMINISTRATOR
Spinx Company, Inc.
PRESIDENT, AFLAC GROUP INSURANCE, EXECUTIVE VP & COO, AFLAC U.S.
Lou Kennedy
Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company
Steve Spinks
Boyd Jones
ATTORNEY/SHAREHOLDER,
Richard Shaffer SVP, GROWTH MARKETS
Jeremy Migliara
Holt Chetwood
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A.
NextEra Energy Resources
PRINCIPAL, STATE & LOCAL TAX PRACTICE LEADER
Virgil Miller
Synovus
Darrell Scott SENIOR DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE & REGULATORY AFFAIRS
PRESIDENT & MANAGING PRINCIPAL
Corsica Technologies
Joe Clark
Sonoco
INTERACTIVE DIRECTOR
Duke Energy
Wells Fargo
MEMBER
VP OF CORPORATE STRATEGIC PLANNING & BUSINESS ANALYTICS
SHAREHOLDER
AT&T
Lindsay Leonard
Tom Foster
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF STATE & LOCAL, GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
PRESIDENT AND PROJECT MANAGER
Boeing Company
Marc Gombeer
SENIOR VP/REGIONAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE
AECOM
VP MANUFACTURING AMERICAS
Volvo
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Bridgestone Americas
Kevin Lindler First Citizens
PRESIDENT & CEO
Matt Puckett SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Ben Rex CEO
Cyberwoven, LLC Thomas Rhodes PRESIDENT
Rhodes Companies
PARTNER
Letters
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT South Carolina is in growth mode. People and companies are moving to the Palmetto State for many reasons—for some it’s our diverse landscape, for others it’s the economic opportunity, and for still others it is our excellent quality of life. But what makes this state so special is the people. South Carolinians are world renowned for our friendliness and work ethic, and our people are the reason we have had a decade-long run of growth and success. As a state, we have a lot to celebrate—record low unemployment, continuing to be a leader in tourism, growing our manufacturing and healthcare sectors, record port volumes, population growth and even college football national championships. But we still have work to do if we want to reach our full potential. We must improve our education system to align the outcomes with high-needs careers in the industry and we have to address our state’s uncompetitive tax code. 2020 must be the year our policymakers pass real reforms to our education system. We have to do more to address the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, expand career-awareness and training initiatives to fill high-demand jobs, ensure that students read on grade level before they are promoted to the next grade, and hold underperforming school districts accountable. 2020 also must be the year that policymakers tackle the tough issue of reforming our state’s uncompetitive tax code. Our property tax and business license tax systems are broken and unfair, and South Carolina has the highest personal tax rate in the Southeast at seven percent. That is why in 2018 and 2019, the SC Chamber Foundation partnered with the Tax Foundation and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to study the state’s tax code to make reasonable recommendations to improve it. We are hopeful that this work will be a blueprint for the Governor and the General Assembly to make the right kind of changes to improve our tax code. Your state chamber will be pushing our state’s leaders to step up and address both education and tax reform. As we do every year, it is our pleasure to recognize the Chamber award winners with the Business Leader of the Year, Public Servant of the Year and SGT. William Jasper Freedom Awards. This year we are proud to honor Joe Blanchard, President of Blanchard Machinery, as our Business Leader of the Year, Dr. Harris Pastides, who led the University of South Carolina for a decade, as our Public Servant of the Year, and Senator Lindsay Graham with the Jasper Freedom Award. Please join us in congratulating these leaders and thanking them for their contributions to our great state. I hope you enjoy the 2020 edition of ASCEND magazine. It is our honor to be the Champion for the South Carolina business community. We look forward to the year ahead!
Ted Pitts President & CEO South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
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2019
LEGISLATIVE RECAP SOUTH CAROLINA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
TACKLING SOUTH CAROLINA’S UNCOMPETITIVE TAX CODE
In 2018, the South Carolina Chamber and the Tax Foundation released South Carolina: A Roadmap for Tax Reform. The study examines our tax system and identifies policies to improve our 35th worst in the nation ranking for business tax climate. South Carolina has the highest marginal income tax rate in the Southeast, one of the narrowest sales tax bases, inequitable property tax rates, and a complex and costly business license tax system. In the 2019 legislative session, members of the General Assembly introduced tax reform legislation that we are excited to build upon next year. Other victories included raising teacher salaries to address the teacher shortage crisis, reauthorizing tax credits with proven economic benefits, bringing the Carolina Panthers to South Carolina, and stopping third party private companies from collecting business license taxes.
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Legislative Recap 2 0 1 9 COMPETITIVENESS AGENDA RECAP The Chamber Board developed the 2019 Competitiveness Agenda with information from our investor surveys, grassroots meetings in partnership with our local chambers, and dialogue with business leaders. Though there are many other policy issues we take positions on and advocate for or against, the Competitiveness Agenda focuses on the top issues broadly affecting businesses as determined by the South Carolina business community. This year’s top priorities were comprehensive tax reform, meaningful education improvements, and supporting initiatives to improve workforce development.
Taxes 1. Simplify and lower the seven percent personal income tax rate. SC’s top marginal rate is the highest in the Southeast and kicks in at $14,860. In many cases the effective rate is also the highest in the Southeast. 2. Update and modernize the sales tax base to lower other taxes. SC and VA have the narrowest sales tax bases in the Southeast. 3. Make property taxes on commercial, non-owner occupied, and manufacturing property more equitable while addressing education funding disparities. Rural commercial properties face an average effective rate of 2.8 percent in SC, compared to 1.8 percent nationally; urban manufacturing properties in SC face the 4th highest effective rate in the nation. 4. Reform the business license tax structure to eliminate double taxation & create a single payment processor accountable to taxpayers to reduce burdensome compliance costs. This tax is one of the most complex, costly, and burdensome taxes for small businesses in SC.
Workforce 1. Support efforts to effectively address the teacher recruitment and retention crisis in SC. In recent years, the number of students interested in teaching has dramatically declined and the number of teachers staying in the profession is trending downwards. Without an adequate supply of teachers, our future workforce will be at a disadvantage – fewer teachers and high turnover can lead to larger class sizes, fewer classes, less quality instruction and ultimately, lower student achievement. 2. Facilitate workforce development by making housing in high growth areas more attainable. South Carolina is a fast-growing state with an expanding economy, but economic growth in some areas of the state has resulted in a lack of attainable housing for many of the state’s working citizens. 3. Expand career-awareness and training initiatives to fill high demand jobs. Many South Carolinians view traditional trade occupations as low-skilled and/or low-paying careers. In fact, these positions pay familysustaining wages and often require only a post-secondary credential to enter the field, allowing a citizen to accrue less debt and enter the workforce sooner. 4. Make it easier for qualified professionals to be credentialed and certified in SC as healthcare providers, educators, and other professions. Many of South Carolina’s key professions, including teachers and nurses, are approaching critical workforce shortages within the next few years.
2 0 2 0 B I L L S TO WATC H I N 2020 S.203 (Sen. Young) This bill provides that school districts with an average daily membership under 1,500 students located in an economicallydistressed county shall either voluntarily consolidate or be required to consolidate by 2022. With 81 districts in the state, consolidation will present opportunities for collaboration that will lead to efficiencies and generate savings. H.3759 (Speaker Lucas) & S.419 (Sen. Hembree) The General Assembly made education reform a top priority in 2019. These bills are the vehicles for major changes to South Carolina’s K-12 education system and are a work in progress. H.3780 (Rep. White) With over half a million South Carolinians lacking access to reliable broadband internet, this bill creates the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (“GREAT”) Fund to provide state resources for broadband deployment in underserved areas of the state.
H.3998 (Rep. Bannister) The affordable workforce housing bill provides a state tax credit to qualified projects to address severe affordable housing shortages in many urban and rural areas of the state. H.4431 (Rep. Jay Jordan) The business license tax reform bill standardizes the business license system for over 200 municipalities and nine counties which impose the tax; the bill also bases the tax on a business’s net income instead of gross revenue, and it protects the confidentiality of taxpayer information. H.4443 (Rep. Tommy Pope) The income tax reform bill would — beginning in 2021 — eliminate the 7 percent income tax rate and phase in a flat income tax rate of 4.85 percent down to 4.5 percent over five years.
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Legislative Scorecard
SC CHAMBER UNVEILS NEW ONLINE LEGISLATIVE SCORECARD This year the South Carolina Chamber is excited to unveil our new, online, interactive Legislative Scorecard. This new platform will provide information about
Chamber-supported
profiles
of
House
and
bills, Senate
members, and most importantly — a score for each legislator based on how he or she voted on bills important to the business community. Scorecard
will
include
The
scores
tracked from 2015 to the present to give users a historical perspective on a legislator’s voting record. Through this online platform, the Chamber can better inform the business community and the public on where legislators stand on policies that impact South Carolina’s economy and business climate. scchamber.net/legislative-scorecard
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Awards
BUSINESS ADVOCATE AWARD WINNERS Each legislative session, the Chamber tracks roll call votes on key business issues and tallies them to determine an overall score for each member of the General Assembly. This year the Chamber scored votes related to fixing our uncompetitive tax structure, overhauling our broken education system, and continuing to fill the workforce gap.
Nathan Ballentine
Mike Forrester
Brandon Newton
Bruce Bannister
Russell Fry
Weston Newton
Paula Rawl Calhoon
Craig Gagnon
Russell Ott
Gary Clary
Jackie Hayes
Tommy Pope
Alan Clemmons
Lonnie Hosey
Robert Ridgeway III
William Clyburn
Max Hyde, Jr.
Michael Rivers, Sr.
Neal Collins
Joseph Jefferson
William Sandifer
Westley Cox
Jay Jordan
Gary Simrill
Heather Ammons Crawford
Roger Kirby
Leon Stavrinakis
Sylleste Davis
Randy Ligon
Ivory Thigpen
Chandra Dillard
Jay Lucas
William Whitmire
Jason Elliott
Tim McGinnis
Robert Williams
9
Off to the
RACES By Maggie Davis, Jessica Miller, and Chris Zoeller
10
Love Where You Live
A
cross the Palmetto State, you’ll no doubt find some differences. The type of
barbeque, for one, is enough to split households, and of course, there’s always college football. But as much as we are different, there are some things that cross all boundaries, no matter whether you’re from the Lowcountry, the Midlands, PeeDee or Upstate—those things would be sweet tea and steeplechase races.
Love Where You Live
THIS IS RACE COUNTRY:
The Carolina Cup
T
he heavily wooded and peaceful small town of Camden, South Carolina is a lovely place to spend a few days—or maybe a lifetime. There are many historic sites to visit, lots of antique shops to peruse and plenty of parks in which to take a quiet stroll, but mostly, Camden is about horses. Thoroughbred horses. Springdale Race Course is situated just on the outskirts of town, and each spring plays host to the extremely popular Carolina Cup. Interestingly, in a state where pari-mutuel betting is not allowed, more than 30,000 people routinely show up and have a wonderful time at the races. Clearly, going racing in the South is not just about the chance to win a bet. The property is spread across 600 acres and originally belonged to Henry Kirkover and Ernest Woodward, who dubbed it Springdale. The men owned the course until the 1940s, and then sold it to Mrs. Ambrose Clark. The final owner of the property, Mrs. Marion duPont Scott, purchased the property when Mrs. Ambrose passed away. Mrs. Scott’s vision for Springdale was for it to be preserved and maintained by the Carolina Cup Racing Association and operated for equine purposes only. Unbeknownst to most race goers, there are horses training on the property year round. Springdale offers trainers several training surfaces and a mild climate during the winter months. The Carolina Cup is a completely different breed from many of the race meets on the circuit sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association. With a record of 70,000 spectators in attendance, traffic clogs the small towns of both Camden and Lugoff where the interstate exits 92 and 98 take you to the racecourse. The course itself allows the Carolina Cup to stand out from other meets. Built as a proper European training facility, and thanks to the flat landscape of the midlands of South Carolina, the entire race can easily be seen without hills and valleys disrupting the view. Tickets can be purchased into the Grandstand, which sits up above the tailgating tents, giving an even better view of each and every leg of the race. The race comes early in the season, typically the last weekend of March or the first of April. By this time in the South, it is just warm enough to shed cold weather layers and welcome spring. Ladies in hats and men in ties, the race fashion trends are equally, if not more, important than the winning horse and jockey combinations. Patrons plan their outfit, tailgating spread, and race day arrangements months in advance. The Cup office has heard it all, and there are some memorable stories to be shared. There have been many weddings both surprise and planned (complete with ministers) that have taken place in the Infield. Proposals, family reunions, and baby gender reveals: the races are memorable to customers as not just a racing tradition, but as a part of the traditions woven into the fabric of family and friends.
Photography by Ken Maginnis
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Come get a taste of the “First Rite of Southern Spring” and start a tradition of your own at the Carolina Cup. There is no right or wrong way to celebrate “The Cup” as long as you make it your own and have a great time in the process.
Photography by AP Gouge Photography
A TRADITION LIKE NO OTHER:
Aiken Steeplechase
N
estled in the quaint small town of Aiken, South Carolina is one of the largest outdoor sporting events in the state. Twice each year, local residents along with outof-town visitors pour into the town to “See Horses Fly” at annual Aiken Steeplechase Association events. Gathering crowds of approximately 8,000 in October and 25,000 in March, the Aiken Steeplechase is a long-standing tradition within the community that signifies the turn of the seasons each year. The Association was founded in Aiken in 1930 by several influential horsemen. Thomas Hitchcock, Temple Gwathmey and Harry Worchester Smith, all prominent steeplechase race horse trainers at the time, came together and ran the first official race in the Hitchcock Woods along the Aiken Hounds draglines. Over a thousand people gathered to watch along with several hundred children from Aiken Preparatory School (now Mead Hall Episcopal School) and Fermata School who were mounted on their ponies for a better chance at viewing the sport. Aiken has been home to many steeplechase greats and exceptional trainers. Thomas Hitchcock, the father of American Steeplechasing, made Aiken his winter home on 3,000 acres which is now Hitchcock Woods. He built a steeplechase training track on his Aiken property to train the young thoroughbred horses that he was importing from England. The training track, now known as the “Ridge Mile Track,” is where the first steeplechase race was run in Aiken. Singer Sewing Machine heir Ambrose Clark, one of the sport’s greatest players, aided in establishing Aiken as an ideal training center for the sport. Ambrose Clark was a passionate equestrian and wore multiple hats as an owner, rider, and trainer. In 1933, Ambrose’s steeplechase horse, Kellsboro’s Jack, became the third American-owned horse to win the English Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in England. After a twenty-five-year hiatus due to war and civic development, the Aiken Steeplechase Association resumed racing in 1967. The past efforts of Charlie S. Bird, III, G.H. Bostwick, Ford Conger, MacKenzie Miller, Paul Mellon, and Willard Thompson revived the tradition of steeplechasing in Aiken and have left a legacy that the Association now calls upon again to secure the future of the sport. It is the goal of the Aiken Steeplechase Association to continue this legacy started by these sporting gentlemen.
Through the years, the Aiken Steeplechase Association has grown to become a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that hosts two steeplechase racing events sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association each year, the Imperial Cup in March and the Holiday Cup in October. The mission of the organization is to perpetuate the tradition of steeplechasing in Aiken and give back to the community through donations given to local charities. Over the years, the organization has gifted over one million dollars to local charities through a portion of the events’ profits. The organization is comprised of a volunteer Board of Directors as well as community members and other supporters who strive to perpetuate the rich history of steeplechasing in Aiken with the aid of the Aiken SERTOMA Club and other volunteers from the community. Looking towards the future, the Aiken Steeplechase Association will continue to carry on the established traditions for years to come. To solidify its future and longevity within the community, the organization is searching for a piece of property to call its own. The vision of the organization has always been to search for a true steeplechase venue, and now that the time has come, the Board is excited for its future. The events are currently at capacity in terms of the number of tailgate spaces that can be offered for public sale. New property will allow for the organization to increase the number of spaces offered along the race track and patrons up close to the horses as they thunder by. Their hope is with the increased acreage and offerings the events will continue to grow, and out of town visitors will be able to experience the event as honorary “Aikenites”. Community and tradition are two words that resonate with the annual steeplechase events. Awarded “Best Small Town” by Southern Living Magazine, Aiken is a melting pot of generations, and when it comes to the Aiken Steeplechase, generation gaps do not exist. From toddlers to college students, families and retirees, the Steeplechase is an event that is for everyone. Some tailgate spaces have been held by families for generations and the tradition of passing down your space is taken very seriously. Strike up a conversation with any “Aikenite” while you are in town and let their steeplechase memories show you how this event is a tradition like no other.
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Love Where You Live
14
Photography by AP Gouge Photography
Love Where You Live
Photography by AP Gouge Photography
A NEW TALE TO TELL:
Steeplechase of Charleston
A
nd, they’re off! Steeplechase of Charleston returns to the Holy City in the fall, as some of the nation’s fastest horses and most agile riders compete for generous prizes. This quintessential Southern event, taking place at the Racetrack at Stono Ferry just 20 minutes outside of Charleston, will deliver experiential fun with horse races, tailgating, high fashion, local vendors, live music and more. In an interesting twist, ownership of the race has transferred to Evening Post Industries, and the owners of the oldest daily newspaper in the South, The Post and Courier, now preside over one of the most storied sports in the South. The newspaper follows suit with many other media companies by lending its brand and resources to a community event. “Steeplechase celebrates speed, beauty, athleticism, strength, community and more,” said P.J. Browning, publisher of The Post and Courier. “Our aim is to make this a must-do event every year, and one that becomes the signature way to experience Charleston in the fall.” With five races and purse money up for grabs, this last race of the official National Steeplechase Association season, putting a tidy bow on the sport for 2019. Seasoned or new to the sport, it matters not. Steeplechase offers much in the way of see-and-be-seen experiences, and Charleston kicks that all up a notch.
do it as they like, either hauling a beer cooler or laying out the fine china, crystal and flowing champagne. Guests who prefer not to BYOB will find their way to the Vendor Village, full of food trucks, artisan-made foods, specialty cocktails and more. Between races, guests can multi-task there by holiday shopping with the local artisans curated for the day. For fashion aficionados, Steeplechase of Charleston gives guests a chance to put a personal spin on what’s trending for fall. According to leading local stylist and blogger, Andrea Serrano, the key is to dress to be seen. “Rule one: it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed,” Serrano said. Among her tips for women: “If you want the perfect accent for your bold outfit, a fascinator is the way to go.” And, “If you need to pump up your demure dress, then a big, bold hat will elevate your look.” For gentlemen, the races are a splendid excuse to get as dressed up and decked out as the ladies. A wool or straw fedora – even a vintage looking boater – will add instant style to any look. Meanwhile, a classic suit in navy, tan, grey or even pinstripe is a go-to for many. If you want to mix it up, pair a blazer with contrasting pants. (Don’t forget the pocket square.) From all edges of the Palmetto State, you can find a race nearby to take your turn at the fashion, hospitality and fun of a steeplechase; after all, the race is only half the fun. No matter which part of the state you decide to visit for your next steeplechase, you can be sure it will be worth the trip.
But the experience is about more than just horses. Locals bring tailgating to an artform. Each ticket allows guests to
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S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce
Taking the paper out of work and putting the force back in.
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Employers have access to convenient online resources to manage their business. Through the SC Works Online Services system, the State Unemployment Insurance Tax System and the Employer Self-Service Portal, employers have immediate, 24/7 access to customized labor market information, qualified applicants, wage and account information, the ability to respond to wage audits, and much more.
Partnering with the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and SC Works for our hiring needs has greatly enhanced our overall pool of candidates! The job posting process is super easy via the portal, and we’ve been able to reach an entirely new pool of candidates we wouldn’t have been able to find.
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Employer services that support workforce.
Business Resources
Find an Employee • • • •
Post job openings Recruiting assistance Job fairs & hiring events Work skills assessments
• • • •
Employee training Skill assessments for staff Certification programs Tax credits & fidelity bonding
Workforce Data • Number of jobseekers • Education & training data • Economic & workforce trends
All of this information and more can be customized by your industry and your region. To find out more about how the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and the SC Works system can help your business, visit dew.sc.gov/employers.
Education • • •
ANOTHER LEVEL INSIDE THE CHAMBER’S NEW HBCU STEM PROGRAM
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n the efforts to expand South Carolina’s workforce and tap into all the talent the state has to offer, a new program has emerged. A project of the SC Chamber Education and Workforce Foundation, the SC HBCU STEM program began over the 2018-19 school year, in an effort to target junior students at South Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, with the goal to help “build a partnership between SC’s HBCU institutions, their students and South Carolina industry.” In the first year, 21 students—chosen by the President and the Provost of each school—participated in the program, which began in Fall 2018 and continued on through the spring. The group conducted site visits to four businesses across the state— Nephron Pharmaceuticals, Boeing, Blackbaud and Michelin Tire—focusing on jobs and available career paths in science, technology, engineering and math. “This program was designed to give HBCU students training and preparation for the business world—providing them with the necessary skills to create compelling resumes and navigate the job interview process,” said Cynthia Bennett, Vice President of Education and Workforce Development for the SC Chamber. “It was really an opportunity to streamline business access to HBCUs, giving these students exposure to top CEO’s and HR business personnel for these companies.” In the end, 10 of the students secured internships, while two secured full-time jobs with companies related to their respective STEM fields. The program plans to serve 28 students in the 2019-20 school year. “The Boeing Company is proud to support this program.” said Lindsey Leonard, Senior Director for Boeing National Strategy and Engagement. “As the world’s largest aerospace company, we know that having a diverse workforce is key to building the best products. Additionally, we are committed to ensuring that our Boeing teammates truly reflect our communities.”
South Carolina’s HBCU Snapshot
Columbia, SC Founded 1870 • 848 Students • • •
Columbia, SC Founded 1870 • 2,247 Students • • •
Orangeburg, SC Founded 1869 • 2,000 Students • • •
Rock Hill, SC Founded 1894 • 581 Students • • •
Sumter, SC Founded 1908 • 1,020 Students • • •
Orangeburg, SC Founded 1896 • 2,905 Students • • •
Denmark, SC Founded 1897 • 434 Students
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My experience as a participant in the SC HBCU STEM program was positive and beneficial. During the first meeting, I listened to Ms. Valeria Green provide career advice. She also helped tailor my resume to give a more clean, professional appearance that showcased my best attributes. Throughout the program, I used this better version of my resume when presenting myself to the recruitment teams. I was particularly most interested in the tour of Nephron Pharmaceuticals. As a graduating chemistry major from Benedict College, I was intrigued about a company that used water from Richland County and then purified the water to an acceptable standard, as well as the work that happened in their chemistry and microbiology labs. This is a company I could see myself being a part of in the near future. Overall, I believe my time in the program has allowed me to see other careers that South Carolina has to offer to STEM graduates. I am currently working with Dr. Artis of Benedict College and the departments of biology, chemistry, and environmental health science to provide work opportunities for chemistry graduates like myself. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity and I hope that more students will get to see first-hand what career options are available for HBCU STEM students in South Carolina.
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— Tamia Brice Benedict College graduate Now a Formulation Technician with Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
PRESENTING the
2 0 1 9
Leadership Awards
by Jordana Megonigal
2019
Business Leader OF THE YEAR
JOE BLANCHARD President, Blanchard Machinery
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Day after day, Joe Blanchard sits in his West Columbia office, behind an office desk made out of an engine block taken from a wheel loader. Behind him hangs a wall display of Cat equipment and machinery—the signature yellow familiar to anyone who has ever come across construction work in process. Decades after his father brought Blanchard Machinery Company to South Carolina, Blanchard stepped into the President’s role in 1996. “I worked in it from a pretty young age. I grew up in Florida, where we had another Caterpillar dealership, and I worked there both before and after attending college,” Blanchard says. “Then, the family decided to buy out all the non-active shareholders, so my dad sold the business in Florida, and kept the one in South Carolina. Being that I didn’t have a job anymore, I moved to South Carolina in 1987.” Then in his mid-20s, Blanchard started off in sales, eventually moving into parts and service, and then becoming the general manager. At that time, the only shareholders were his father, him and his siblings, and in 1996, Joe was given the title of President. “I was the only one here, so I guess out of the choice of one, I was the best option,” he says with a laugh. “But in all seriousness, I think my family was comfortable with me being the leader of this part of our family business.” It was a big moment for Blanchard, who had always loved the family business. But he soon rose to the challenges in front of him to not only run—but to grow—the business he loved so much. “It was a big moment; it was a lot of responsibility at a relatively young age, and I made a fair number of mistakes as I was learning the business and growing it,” he admits. “The thing that I came to realize is you can’t agonize over the mistakes you make. If 51 percent or greater of the decisions you make in dollar terms are right, then you’re a successful businessperson, so don’t get hung up on the 49 percent that didn’t work.” Since that time, the company has weathered some rather significant storms, including the recession that hit the company hard in 2008. But the team at Blanchard Machinery has continued to grow in spite of the trends and challenges around them. In the case of the recession, as an example, Blanchard expanded the offerings to include a school bus dealership. “The skillset that our technicians need to work on a truck is applicable to a school bus, because they have the same power train system,” he explains, noting that the shift was a strategic move to build stability. “The school bus business is a business that has a pretty consistent revenue stream. Our state has an ever-increasing number of students, and the students will go to school regardless of the economic conditions.” Over the years, the company made other strategic shifts to meet the overall trends in the industry—like expanding the equipment rental business (which now represents the majority of the company’s assets), and focusing on equipment used in
warehousing and logistics industries to mirror the growth across the state of South Carolina. More recently, the company has shown growth in their electric power generation business, taking on governmental contracts to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Defense. Additionally, Blanchard notes, a focus on the internal culture of the company—and the intrinsic value of its employees— has shown significant impact on the health and growth of the company. “We are a family business; we are not a business with high turnover. We have people that come and join us and stay, care about who they work with, and care about the customers we serve,” he says. “Having that work environment, where people like what they do, like who they do it with, and like who they do it for is a very positive competitive advantage and one that we spend a great deal of time nurturing.” Although he says that it’s a “conscious effort,” and one that he strives to keep in place even as the company expands, the things he has put in place to support this corporate culture aren’t complicated. “I know our folks on a first name basis, and they know me on a first name basis. We have teams at each of our locations to get together and make suggestions and do problem solving jointly, so it’s not just a top down approach of ‘You go do what I tell you to.’ We ask our folks, “What do you think it is we ought to do?” They feel like they are part of the decision-making process, and course setting and direction and driving improvements in the company,” says Blanchard. The trick to making it last, he says, is to be willing to accept whatever comes from these open doors and open communications with members of the company. “A lot of people will actually say they’re going to do this, but when push comes to shove and it becomes uncomfortable, and they are hearing things they don’t necessarily want to hear, they don’t want to hear it anymore,” he says. “I always view it as if someone’s telling you something that concerns them, they’re telling you because they care.” Today, with 11 locations across South Carolina, and around 650 employees, Blanchard Machinery is thriving, as is the state in which it serves. And when it comes to the future, Blanchard only sees this continuing. “I think South Carolina’s got a great future ahead of it, and I think we’ll continue to see South Carolina be a very positive business climate,” he says. “And in terms of the future for the company, I have two of my three next generation kids working in the business, and they’re taking on ever increasing levels of responsibility. At some point, I hope that one of them, or the both of them, are qualified to run it, and I can give them the opportunity that my dad gave me.”
The South Carolina Chamber’s Business Leader of the Year is chosen based on leadership in South Carolina and the embodiment of personal success. Other criteria include a business record based on ethical conduct and corporate responsibility, public service, contributions to the preservation of South Carolina’s government and commitment to creating a positive business climate to improve the state’s economy.
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2019
Public Servant OF THE YEAR
H A R R I S PA S T I D E S
Former President, University of South Carolina
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It may have been Governor Henry McMaster that summarized Dr. Harris Pastides’ tenure at the University of South Carolina best. “Under Harris Pastides’ leadership, the University of South Carolina has achieved 217 years worth of ‘firsts’ in just one decade. It has been an era of unparalleled success,” McMaster tweeted in late October 2018. “His enthusiasm is infectious, his vision bright and bold, his passion and energy transformative, and his heart as big as the horseshoe. Carolina stands taller than ever on the national and worldwide stage because of Harris Pastides.” It’s hard to argue with this sentiment for a number of reasons, not least of which is the evidence that in the past decade the school has grown exponentially—in attendance, in footprint, and in stature. The first in his family to go to college, Pastides’ goal at that early stage in his life wasn’t solely about finding a job, but instead was about finding himself in the process. “In my time, college was the pathway to a better career for me,” he says. “And not only financially, of course, in getting a job, but also being a productive member of society and developing my own values.” And so it was that the pre-med student-turned-epidemiologist ended up taking a path that led more to education than lab work, starting as an associate professor and working his way up until that path led him into the Dean’s seat of the School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, and his wife, Patricia, and he moved South. The rest, as they say, was history. “We fell in love with the state and with the campus, and with the school,” he says. “From there I had an opportunity to become Vice President for Research, where I got involved in a lot of economic development activities and really was in charge of helping USC partner with South Carolina businesses and industries and commerce more broadly for the betterment of the state.” By then, a mere “stone’s throw” away from the presidency, Pastides was approached to take the helm of the university completely. “Really,” he jokes, “I think the trustees liked Patricia more than they did me.” Handed the keys and the president’s desk in the middle of the largest economic recession in a generation, Pastides and his team were able to capitalize on market shifts and make early decisions that allowed the school to thrive, regardless of what was happening around it. They invested in the physical infrastructure of the school, emboldened by the availability of the very low interest rates at the time. They allowed more out-of-state students into the school (contrary to popular belief, he notes, they “never diminished the number of in-state students”), and in spite of almost 18 percent budget cuts mid-
year, pulled the school together to rally for growth instead. During that time, he says, he learned more than ever before. “I learned that leadership isn’t only about the decisions you make, but about whether people trust you and believe in you,” he says. “And, I learned that, you know, being a university president is like being a CEO of a business, including making hard decisions.” Because of those hard decisions—alongside all of the strategic ones—the University was able to end the recession in the positive. “We did make it and then slowly coming out of the recession to see South Carolina with what I believe is among the brightest futures of any of the 50 States was very rewarding to me.” Over the next years, Pastides and the rest of his organization would continue that level of leadership with the creation of the online Palmetto College, and the Gamecock Gateway transfer program. The school partnered with companies of all sizes across the state to provide expertise and consultation. They tackled issues of racism, of student safety and of student communication openly. In fact, Pastides notes, it is his relationship with the students that most marks his tenure at the University, and the thing he will most miss now that he has retired. “You know, before attempting it, I thought that being a college president was more of the CEO making important strategic decisions wisely, and you’ll be rewarded for that. It is that, but it’s also very, very much about developing a culture of communication and respect.” Whether it was in times of growth or success or even in times of crisis, Pastides acknowledges that the organization was able to, above all, stick together. “You know, we always hung together when many organizations and institutions tend to crumble at certain times. I think part of that was because I listened, and I think people said, let’s give him a chance. I mean, I don’t think they gave me a free pass, but at least they were willing to go through it all together.” And that culture—that one of communication and respect— is what he hopes will continue on, long after he is gone from the University campus, but also that it will spread to other parts of life, as well. “I think that’s the same in a business. I think that’s the same in the state. I think that’s the same in the country. And I think that’s what we all want—for our state and our nation to have that notion of, you know, ‘We’re all South Carolinians; We’re all Americans.’ We don’t agree all the time. Maybe we don’t even agree much, but we need to recognize how lucky we are and to work to pull ahead together.”
The South Carolina Chamber’s Public Servant of the Year award recognizes an individual who has served, or currently serves, as a key official in state government and has contributed to the overall well-being and health of the state as a whole.
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2019
Sgt. William Jasper FREEDOM AWARD
LINDSEY GRAHAM United States Senator
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The fascination with politics began early for Lindsey Graham— as a young boy in Central, South Carolina, just after the country lost President Kennedy. “I remember when President Kennedy was assassinated. I was in the third grade and I saw my grandmother cry, and I remember the funeral,” he remembers. “I was moved by the fact that somebody that she didn’t know she felt attached to, and the power of political office to affect average everyday people.” That “power of political office” was something that resonated with him, even as he grew up, when he told his freshman civics teacher he wanted to be governor someday. “Now, I might have started imagining in the ninth grade doing something interesting with my life, but I don’t really think I had a political career in mind that early in my life,” he recounts in his book, My Story. “I think I had just wanted to say something that would get my classmates’ attention and make them laugh. Although that’s just the sort of thing a politician would want to do.” Eventually, Graham was accepted into the University of South Carolina, where he joined the Air Force ROTC—primarily out of his desire to become an Air Force pilot. He would never see that dream realized, due to a loss of hearing after a minor surgery on his inner ear, but he would end up in the Air Force—albeit in a much different position. While he did become a commissioned officer in the Air Force, his path instead took him to law school, and eventually to defense council at Shaw Air Force base in Sumter, and on to Rhein-Main Air Base near Frankfurt, Germany. When his time with the Air Force was done, he joined the S.C. Air National Guard, and then the U.S. Air Force Reserves. During his time in the Air National Guard, Graham also worked as an Oconee County attorney. It was there that the political bug finally hit hard, as a relationship with a fellow colleague—who just happened to be the SC House Representative for that district—soured. Graham decided to run against him—and won.
“If you have strong opinions and you want to make the future happen a certain way, one of the ways is to get into politics. It’s not the only way, but I think it’s the highest and best use of my talents in representative government,” he said. Eventually, Graham would take his years in service in the South Carolina Statehouse and transfer them to Capitol Hill, when he won the 3rd Congressional Seat in the House of Representatives. After eight years there, he then won election to the Senate, where he has served for 16 years. In all that time in public office, Graham has had a number of opportunities to effect change—both across the state of South Carolina and beyond. “What I’ve tried to focus on are the engines of the South Carolina economy,” he says, referencing his efforts on projects like the Port of Charleston (something he says has been “a top priority of mine for almost a decade now”), and protecting the Department of Defense’s footprint in South Carolina— something on which he believes the economic return to be “immeasurable.” On a federal level, Graham has played part in legislation that also directly impacts the veteran and military communities, such as the VA MISSION Act, which passed in 2019 and expanded healthcare options for veterans and their families (the bill was first introduced through the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, of which Graham is a member.) He also played a significant part in the Troops-to-Teachers program, which injects veterans into our school systems as educators. Through it all, Senator Graham has maintained his outlook on growing South Carolina, but has never forgotten his roots, nor his passion and commitment to the military community. “The State Chamber, and every local chamber, has a strong partnership with our military facilities; that’s one of the reasons that South Carolina’s footprint is growing,” he says. “When it comes to veterans, they make the best employees possible and South Carolina’s efforts to hire veterans is much appreciated.”
The SC Chamber’s Sgt. William Jasper Freedom award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the freedom of South Carolina and the nation.
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P R E S E N T I N G the SOUTH CAROLINA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
State Chamber AWA R D S
Throughout the year, the SC Chamber of Commerce recognizes a number of people and companies throughout the state for industry excellence. From our Human Resources awards to recognizing top companies in our sector, we are honored to see those persons and companies on the following pages continually representing our great state.
DIVERSITY
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HUMAN RESOURCES
VETERANS
2019 State Chamber Awards
Excellence in Workplace Diversity AWA R D
The Excellence in Workplace Diversity Award recognizes companies for their significant contributions to the advancement of South Carolina through diversity initiatives and inclusion efforts. Criteria considered in selecting the winners include diversity initiatives, effectiveness and applicability/replicability. All South Carolina companies are eligible to apply.
20 19 AWA R D W I N N E R S Presented at the 40th Annual Summit, November 21, 2019
SMALL EMPLOYER
MEDIUM / LARGE EMPLOYER
Spartanburg Community College is dedicated to changing the lives and building the futures of our students and citizens and developing the economy of the Upstate. Each year SCC serves approximately 7,000 to 10,000 credit students through classroom, hybrid and e-learning courses leading to associates degrees, diplomas and certificates designed for direct job placement, as well as associates degrees designed for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. In addition, approximately 5,000 students are served annually through Corporate & Continuing Education Programs that include professional and career development programs for business, industry, manufacturing, health care, nonprofits and governmental agencies. The College is led by diverse and experienced educators, including SCC President Henry C. Giles, Jr., who recently celebrated 50 years of service to the college.
Benefitfocus unifies the entire U.S. benefits industry on a single technology platform to protect consumers' health, wealth, property and lifestyle. Our powerful cloudbased software, data-driven insights and thoughtfully designed services enable employers, insurance brokers, carriers and suppliers to simplify the complexity of benefits administration and deliver a world-class benefits experience. With its main office headquartered in Charleston, SC and an additional hub in Greenville, Benefitfocus employs more than 1,000 associates in South Carolina.
(Fewer than 1,000 employees)
(1,000 or more employees)
Learn more at www.benefitfocus.com.
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POWER TO SUCCEED
Thanks to Santee Cooper resources like low-cost, reliable power, creative incentive packages and a wide-ranging property portfolio, South Carolina shatters the standard for business growth. In fact, since 1988, Santee Cooper has helped drive more than $15 billion in investment and helped bring nearly 78,000 new jobs to our state. It’s how we’re driving Brighter Tomorrows, Today.
www.poweringSC.com
2019 State Chamber Awards
Human Resources Professional O F T HE YE AR
The Award for Professional Excellence in Human Resources Management recognizes creative approaches and consistently high performance that benefits the nominee’s company or organization and the business and professional community. The person selected is the “best” in the human resources profession. The annual award is a joint venture of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina State Council/ Society for Human Resource Management. In 2019, the Chamber presented the 2nd annual Human Resources Rising Star award. This award is given to an individual with fewer than 10 years' professional experience in human resources who has already made an impact.
2019 H R P R O F E S S I O N A L O F T H E Y E A R
2019 H R R I S I N G S TA R
Kelly Mendez-Scheib
Ricaye Harris
VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES T I N DA L L CO R P O R AT I O N
D I R E C TO R O F D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N M I L L I K E N & CO M PA N Y
Kelly Mendez-Scheib graduated with a Master of Science, Industrial Relations and Human Resources, as well as a Bachelor of Science, Labor Studies and Industrial Relations from the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University. She serves as the Vice President of Human Resources at Tindall Corporation which includes overseeing workforce planning and employment, compensation and benefits administration, development and training, employee relations and more. Kelly has performed numerous duties within Human Resources, and brings with her a host of professional certifications, including the Senior Professional in Human Resources certification (SPHR) awarded by the HR Certification Institute, Senior Certified Professional certification awarded by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP) and is a Registered Corporate Coach (RCC). In her spare time, Kelly also enjoys volunteering in the local community, teaching as adjunct faculty at local universities, serving as a foster mother, and spending time with her family and five children.
Ricaye Harris joined Milliken & Company in 2005 and is currently the Director of Diversity & Inclusion. She began her career as a Process Improvement Specialist at Milliken’s Gayley Manufacturing Plant. Following that role, she held various roles within Milliken’s Manufacturing and Corporate HR team, ranging from HR Employment Manager, Change Management Coordinator, HR Generalist, and Corporate Recruiter to her current role today. While recruiting, Ricaye had a Performance Momentum goal to research and benchmark other diversity programs across the Upstate, as she’s always had a passion for people and ensuring they feel valued and included. It quickly grew from there and she has been leading the efforts to create the strategy and implement the program company-wide, in addition to creating and leading the 16-member Diversity & Inclusion Council who champion the program. The key initiatives for the program will focus on Recruiting & Internships, Onboarding & Mentoring, Education & Awareness, and Data Driven Processes. Ricaye graduated from Wofford College with a B.S. in Computer Science in 2005. While at Wofford, she was on the Women’s Basketball team and continues to enjoy playing basketball, tennis, and running in her spare time. She has completed two halfmarathons and will not do any more.
T I N DA L L CO R P O R AT I O N :
The corporation, now known as Tindall, got its start in 1932 as a small concrete manufacturing business based in Spartanburg, SC. When the Lowndes family purchased Tindall in 1963, it had six employees and primarily manufactured concrete utility pipes. Today, Tindall Corporation is one of the largest precast, prestressed concrete product manufacturers in the nation, with facilities in South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas – and projects spanning across the United States, Canada, and Cuba. The small shed where Tindall got its start still stands at the Spartanburg facility.
M I L L I K E N & CO M PA N Y :
Since 1865, Milliken & Company is a diversified industrial manufacturer headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina. With more than 40 manufacturing facilities and more than 7,000 associates across the globe, the company supports 13 countries and is a leader in research and development—having accumulated over 5,500 patents since 1927.
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2019 State Chamber Awards
Boeing Veterans Leadership AWA R D
South Carolina has the 8th largest population of active duty military and 18th largest population of veterans. They experience unique challenges as they transition from military to civilian life. Veterans bring a unique set of skills and thought diversity to the workforce. The Boeing Veterans Leadership Award program is designed to highlight a non-profit organization that has shown an outstanding commitment to South Carolina's veterans and their families.
20 19 I N AU G U R A L AWA R D W I N N E R Presented at the 40th Annual Summit, November 21, 2019
Upstate Warrior Solution Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS) is a community-based, nonprofit organization that generates quality of life solutions for Upstate veterans, active duty, National Guard, and Reserve warriors and their families. UWS services span the following counties in the Upstate: Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens. The UWS model is built on face-to-face outreach to the warrior community. Service lines include Mentorship, Healthcare and Benefits, Education and Training, Housing, and Employment. The model does not facilitate handouts. The warrior walks alongside his or her peer mentor, program manager, or social worker in a team environment to generate goals and an actionable solution. UWS follows the Four Step Plan of Community Integration for serving the warrior community:
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Connect
Advocate
Locate and link warriors and their families to the UWS network of resources.
Ensure warriors receive the support they’ve earned via peer & social work care coordination.
Educate
Collaborate
Inform warriors of services and opportunities available to them.
Work with partners on all levels in the community to facilitate total warrior care.
Committed to our customers — and our communities We offer our insurance benefits to every worker with a family and future to protect. And a helping hand to the communities where we work and live. See what we can offer you.
INJURY | ILLNESS | DENTAL | VISION | LIFE
ColonialLife.com Insurance plans are underwritten by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, Columbia, SC. Š2019 Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company. All rights reserved. Colonial Life is a registered trademark and marketing brand of Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company. 10-19
Human Interest
JOHN DARBY
All in the Family When the Beach Company originated in 1945, its main purpose was to provide affordable housing for veterans on the Isle of Palms coming back from the war. That first land purchase was a signal of what was to come, as over the next few decades the organization snapped up coastal lands and built small communities.
As John Darby was growing up in Charleston, being a part of the family business wasn’t in the forefront of his mind. A good football player, he was offered a scholarship to the Citadel, which he took, and then graduated in 1985. Afterward, he moved to Greensboro, bouncing around to Charlotte and Winston Salem in the financial industry, before moving down to Orlando and then back up to Columbia. It was at that time that the Beach Company started making a substantial shift—while until that point it had been primarily focused on smaller developments, they had just purchased Kiawah Island, and needed someone to come manage the other projects under the company umbrella. So when they called Darby back home, he eventually went.
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Human Interest
“Honestly, at first I wasn't sure, and I took a year to make the move,” he says. “I'm glad I did, because now here I am.”
Beach Company. While much of his free time is spent with family (“Our family is 76 members; you could fill your entire week, weekends and holidays with just family,” he says), there are a number of causes he is passionate about.
But while he was coming home to the family business, he was not, at that time, coming in at a senior level. He had to work his way up just like everyone else.
The arts play a huge part in his life, with historic reason—his great-grandfather used to own all the theaters up and down King Street. Darby notes that the arts have been “in the DNA of the family” for a long time. And like that long-lived connection, others exist: his father founded the Children’s Hospital in Charleston—a cause that the company has supported for more than 30 years.
“I didn't come in and just become president; I would say I was a junior associate at best, and it wasn't until years later that we had a succession plan,” he says. When it was time to make that succession plan, they didn’t take the challenge lightly. “We didn't have a formal succession plan and we formed a board with outsiders on the board. We did this strategic plan and there was a lot of discussion about succession, not so much that it had to happen, but it was a system in place. It forced the board and the family to decide, ‘Okay. Who would be the likely one to run the company one day and when would that happen?’” Eventually, they decided, it would be Darby. He would be the fifth generation in the family business and would serve as President and Chief Executive Officer. Since that point, The Beach Company has experienced incredible growth. The company grew from 18 employees to well over 200. Each year saw new developments and more construction as the footprint expanded across the Southeast. Today, with some employees hitting 50 years of tenure with the company, which now includes resorts, residential properties, office spaces, shopping centers and large plots of land. One would think that overseeing that kind of growth would keep Darby more than busy, but he’s instead purposefully made room for institutions beyond the boundaries of The
More recently, Darby serves as co-chair to the Emanuel Nine Memorial, currently in the fundraising stages with hopes to see it built in 2020. “The night it happened and the day after, a fair amount of shareholders called me and said, ‘What can we do as a group? As a family?’ and it transitioned into this,” he notes. “We reached out and asked, ‘What can we do to help?’ About a year went by and we kept in touch and then we started seriously talking about the memorial and where it would go.” It seems like everything he does—from the business he runs to the causes he celebrates and everything in between—has a similar focus: they are long rooted in the family line that has for so long called Charleston home.
“We talked a lot about founder DNA—you see a lot of successful companies that don't get to five generations because they forget how they got there. Maybe, that’s why we're successful.”
Representatives from the Beach Co. breaking ground on another new development.
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Web Strategy, Design, and Development
cyberwoven.com
1634 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
803.376.8899
Business Week 2019: Big Changes Mean Big Growth For more than 32 years, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the state’s unified voice of business has been encouraging high school students to dream big for themselves by enabling them to lead companies during the annual South Carolina Business Week youth camp.
This year the event was held July 21-26, 2019 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, in conjunction with the Darla Moore School of Business. Through a new program that focused on a business canvas model to look at building a successful Food Truck business as an example, Business Week 2019 offered more than 100 bright, young adults the unique opportunity to interact with real business leaders (Company Advisors) and their own peers to learn about decision-making and the ins and outs of running a company.
2019 Business Week Award Winners Congratulations to the best of the best! The following four scholarships were awarded at the conclusion of 2019 South Carolina Business Week.
Jalen Canada
Molly Brackett
2019 graduate of Airport High School in West Columbia, SC. —
Rising senior at Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, SC. —
S. Hunter Howard Jr. Scholarship $5,000
Mechanical Contractors Association of South Carolina Scholarship $2,500
Zakarra Brown
Ronald King II
Rising senior at Wilson High School in Florence, SC. —
Rising senior at Fort Mill High School in Fort Mill, SC. —
Ron McNair Leadership Award $5,000
Chelse Ward Elliott Scholarship $2,000
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A SPECIAL THANKS
to those who make Business Week possible. Programs like Business Week—and others like it—wouldn’t be possible without the financial and volunteer support of our state’s business community. Thank you to these sponsors and Company Advisors for all of their support for this program. AFLAC First Quality Tissue SE, LLC SC Chamber of Commerce Education & Workforce Foundation Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC SC Department of Education Friends of US Military Families Dominion Energy Sonoco Products Company Ogletree Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Duke Energy Corporation (Columbia) Colonial Life SC Chamber of Commerce Diversity Council Southeastern Freight Lines Warehouse Services, Inc.
Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc. Coastal Area Mechanical Contractors Ernst & Young Midlands Area Mechanical Contractors Pee Dee Area Mechanical Contractors South Coast Paper Upstate Area Mechanical Contractors Agape Hospic AT&T BB&T Columbia Urban League Don Herriott First Citizens Bank Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands GrandSouth Bank Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA
Honda of SC Mfg., Inc. InterTech Group Foundation, The Kaydon Corporation Larry E. Weidman MAU Mark J. Kington Metal Chem, Inc. Michelin North America, Inc. Nan Ya Plastics Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation SC Student Loan Corporation Select Health of SC Synovus Bank Total Comfort Solutions US Silica Company Walker Emulsions USA Inc.
2019 Program Volunteers Company Advisors
Speakers & Presenters
Alan Jones (Lead Company Advisor) – Michelin North America, Inc. Mike Adams – Goodwill of Upstate & Midlands Marcus Backman – Meeting Street School Pam Barton – Walker Industries Adam Caldwell – Michelin North America, Inc. Chase Clelland – Grow Financial Federal Credit Union Beth Conaster – UofSC – Darla Moore School of Business Dre Dantzler – Colonial Life Flavia Eldemire – Allen University Clarence Hair – Michelin North America, Inc. Shonita Montford – Edisto High School Susan O’Neal – SC Chamber of Commerce Brandon Punch – Century 3, Inc. Tony Riley – Food Lion Judy Spencer – Centerra – Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Peter Stone – Spartanburg Community College Erika Williams – Sumter Economic Development Daniel Wise – Colonial Life
Deborah Hazzard – Darla Moore School of Business Dean Kress – Darla Moore School of Business Tasha Jenkins – Darla Moore School of Business Ashley Bailey-Taylor – Darla Moore School of Business Georgia Doran – Darla Moore School of Business Joel Stevenson – Darla Moore School of Business Bobby Hitt – South Carolina Department of Commerce Gerald Lin – Wurst Wagen Sam Johnson – Nexsen Pruet Courtney Worsham – Darla Moore School of Business Brian Shelton – Darla Moore School of Business Anita Murphy – Grow Financial Arieal Humphries – Grow Financial Melissa Dunn – United Way Bill Harmon – Colonial Life Virgil Miller – Aflac Richard Miller – Mechanical Contractors Association Lessie Price – AECOM Tony Elliott – Dominion Energy Charles Marshall – Dominion Energy
We are constantly looking for businesses across the state of South Carolina to serve as Company Advisors, or to sponsor Business Week in the future. If you are interested in serving in either of those capacities, please contact Cynthia Bennett at cynthia.bennett@scchamber.net.
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Do you know a hero-in-the-making? Today’s heroes don’t wear shining armor. They’re everyday people who take on real issues. At Grant Thornton, we call these people Purple Paladins. Help us find our next Purple Paladin. Nominate at gt.com/paladin
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A DEEP DIVE INTO
TOURISM ECONOMY by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism
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outh Carolina’s beauty, great weather and culture have been attracting visitors for decades— even before the U.S. interstate system was built in the mid-20th century. Technology has changed the way we plan and book travel, but traditional images of visitors driving a few hours to beach cottages for summer vacations, filling up park campgrounds, attending family reunions and spending time in picturesque downtowns still reflect much of the tourism activity in the state. More than half of South Carolina’s approximately 34 million U.S. visitors come from either South Carolina or North Carolina with other nearby states such as Georgia, Florida and Virginia each contributing less
than 10 percent of the total. The remaining 30 percent of visitors come from all over the United States. It’s not surprising that most of these visitors hail from the Southeast, since nearly nine in 10 (88 percent) drive to South Carolina and less than one in 10 (8 percent) arrive by air. “We know our primary visitors live in cities, towns and suburban areas near interstates along the Eastern Seaboard,” said Duane Parrish, Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. “These travelers tend to return to the vacation spots they enjoyed as children or shake things up a bit by exploring off-the-beaten paths they discovered while planning their trips.”
"...travelers tend to return to the vacation spots they enjoyed as children or shake things up a bit by exploring off-the-beaten paths they discovered while planning their trips."
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Recent traveler survey data from OmniTrak indicates that the single largest reason for traveling to South Carolina is visiting friends and family, with nearly 40 percent indicating that as their primary trip purpose. Other leisure related trip purposes such as entertainment and outdoor recreation combine to account for another 27 percent. Almost a third of visitors to South Carolina go shopping (32 percent) or visit the beach (30 percent). Between 10 percent and 20 percent of visitors participate in other popular activities like fine dining (16 percent), visiting historic sights and churches (13 percent), and rural or urban sightseeing (about 10 percent each). Activities such as playing golf, touring museums, visiting state parks, monuments and recreation areas, and visiting old homes or mansions each draw between five percent and 10 percent of South Carolina’s visitors. South Carolina offers an activity for every taste with a vast and diverse array of options from kayaking to visiting distilleries drawing smaller but significant numbers of visitors each year. Three quarters of South Carolina’s travel (73 percent) is overnight, where visitors spend an average of 4.1 nights and $958 per party per trip. Day visitors spend $166 per party per trip. Due to the prevalence of trips for visiting friends and relatives and leisure, hotels and private homes are the most popular forms of accommodation.
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Nearly 40 percent of travel to South Carolina occurs during June, July or August due to the popularity of South Carolina’s beaches and the traditional summer school break. However, the state’s temperate weather encourages year-round visitation with more than a quarter of travel (27 percent) occurring during the spring and winter and fall each contributing nearly 20 percent. Visitation during these colder seasons are also boosted by outdoor recreation, golf travel, a long fall leaf season, and major festivals and events, such as the new NCAA post-season tournaments. Well known for its hot summers, NOAA estimates that South Carolina’s average daily spring and fall temperature are in the 60s with many surpassing 70°F or 80°F. The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism has recently launched a fall campaign with the tagline “A Cooler Summer” to remind travelers of the beautiful fall weather. “Our visitors have helped us build this vibrant industry into one of the state’s largest,” Parrish said. “They keep coming for the memories, the affordability and the growing range of travel options. One out of every ten South Carolinians is employed due to its $22.6 billion tourism industry.” For a more complete profile of the South Carolina traveler and more travel and tourism business indicators, visit www.SCPRT.com/research.
PERCENT OF TOTAL DOMESTIC TRIPS TO SOUTH CAROLINA Accounts for less than 1% of trips to SC Accounts for 1% to 4.99% of trips to SC Accounts for 5% or greater of trips to SC
TOP STATES OF ORIGIN FOR DOMESTIC TRIPS TO SOUTH CAROLINA
SC 30%
40% OF TRAVEL
TO SOUTH CAROLINA OCCURS DURING JUNE, JULY OR AUGUST
NC 23%
GA 7%
FL 5%
VA 5%
38%: Visit Friends/ Relatives
19%: Other Pleasure/ Personal
15%: Entertainment/ Sightseeing
14%: Business
12%: Outdoor Recreation
4%: Other
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Property Taxes in SC A
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When Act 388 passed in 2006, it was done so in an effort to protect mostly coastal homeowners from rapidly rising home values. Ironically, in 2008 the Great Recession began, the housing bubble burst and those rapidly rising property values sank. To lower homeowners’ property taxes, Act 388 eliminated property taxes to be used for school operations on owner-occupied residential properties, shifting the costs of increased school operations to commercial and industrial properties, vehicles and second homes instead. Act 388 also increased the sales tax rate by one cent to provide additional revenues for schools. Unfortunately, the outcome of this plan was less than ideal for many, putting a greater burden on renters and business owners alike, and lending to a tax structure that was one of extremes: while the state has extremely low property taxes for owner-occupied property owners— the second lowest in the country, in fact—it also has some of the highest property taxes for industrial manufacturers, and for commercial property owners. Prior to Act 388, there was a basic understanding: property taxes go to pay for local services, and in particularschools. And in reality, property taxes on everything other than your home still do pay for our schools. But while apartment renters or already-burdened business owners are working to pay their higher taxes, the remainder of missing tax base has to be covered elsewhere—usually by the state budget. In response to this challenge, last year, the South Carolina Chamber Foundation partnered with the South Carolina Realtors® and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to study the state’s property tax system and impacts of Act 388 with one overarching purpose: to make reasonable recommendations to improve it. When the study is completed in full at the end of 2019, it will set about to do a number of things:
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• Compare South Carolina to Other States. By comparing the Palmetto State with others across the nation, we can further understand how we rank so we know where we are on the spectrum of different types of property tax systems around the country. • Identify Who Bears the Burden. Understanding how different types of property owners are impacted by the property tax is key to reforming the system to achieve better equity. The study compares property tax rates among counties, and determines how the assessment cap impacts equity among residential and commercial property owners, and how much tax burden has been shifted from residential to business taxpayers. • Impact of Act 388 on School Budgets. Act 388 fundamentally changed how schools are funded; this study examines impacts to school district budgets and state aid to schools. • Reform Recommendations. Finally, the Lincoln Institute will provide options for reforming South Carolina’s system, according to all the data received. It will identify the weaknesses and the flaws of the current system, then provide several options for reform which include varying degrees of equity and fairness. In the end, the South Carolina Chamber Foundation will be armed with information on what is working (and not working) in the property tax system of South Carolina. With the end goal to provide a fair and equitable system, they will be able to further provide guidance in reform discussions and a podium for advocacy on behalf of all South Carolinians.
Comparison of Regional Property Tax Rates, 2018 0.025
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0 Industrial: $1 Million
Charleston, SC Rate Charlotte, NC Rate Atlanta, GA Rate
Commercial: $1 Million
Apartment: $600,000
Note: Median home values vary across states. The median home value for Charleston was $344,600; the median home value in Charlotte was $215,500; and the median home value in Atlanta was $299,400.
Homestead: Median Source: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence 2019.
What We’ve Found • Charleston*, South Carolina ranks 4th highest in the nation for effective property tax rate on manufacturing. (These estimates of effective property tax rates do not take into account the state’s extensive use of fees-in-lieu of taxes (FILOTs) to promote economic development.) • South Carolina is one of only two states that systematically tax industrial property at a higher rate than commercial property (the other is Wyoming). • South Carolina is the only state which does not levy property taxes on primary residences for the purposes of financing school operating costs. • Charleston, South Carolina ranks 51st lowest in the nation (including Washington D.C.) for effective property tax rate on median valued homesteads. • Charleston, South Carolina ranks first in the nation for the ratio of effective property tax rate for apartments to that for owner occupied homes. *Rankings are based on property tax data in the most populous city in each of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
What is Act 388? • The Swap Removed school operations millage from owner-occupied residential property and replaced with increased sales tax rate from 5 to 6 percent. • The Hard Cap Placed a cap on millage increases. • Assessment Value Cap Placed a 15% cap on assessment increases. • Point of Sale Removed assessment value cap at point of sale of home.
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Member Spotlight
STAYING STRONG: Nucor Celebrates 50 Years in South Carolina
By Doyle Hopper, Vice President & General Manager
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his summer, Nucor celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Nucor Steel—South Carolina. The event marked not only the 50th year of the Nucor mill in Darlington, but also the very moment when Nucor got into the business of making steel. The story starts back in 1946, when Sanborn and Madge Chase founded an industrial steel business in Florence. The business got off to a successful start, but the company’s projects were always being delayed by the shipment of steel joists. Tired of being at someone else’s mercy, Chase decided to make his own steel joists. By 1962, this steel joist company–Vulcraft–had become a $6 million business. But in the midst of this success, Sanborn Chase passed away, and his wife, Madge, stepped in to run the company. Two years later, she sold it to a struggling business conglomerate, Nuclear Corporation of America—or as we know it today, Nucor. Vulcraft had just 250 employees when Nucor hired Ken Iverson to be the general manager of this newly
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acquired steel products company. Vulcraft continued to be successful, but Iverson wanted to make his own steel to supply Vulcraft for making joists. To do so, Nucor introduced the first mini-mill for steelmaking in the United States—in Darlington, South Carolina in 1969. The mini-mill used an electric arc furnace, or EAF, to melt scrap metal to make new steel—a nonconventional way to make steel in the United States back then. There were plenty of skeptics who didn’t think it was possible to build a steel company using EAFs. But Nucor’s mini-mills would revolutionize the steel industry in America, and the EAF became the key driver of Nucor’s expansion and success. That is not to say that things got off to a smooth start in Darlington. When the first steel was poured from the EAF at the South Carolina mill, the process didn’t go exactly as planned. Steel broke out and hot metal crashed down through the casting machine, welding the rollers together. Brand new steelworkers— who were more used to working in a field than in a steel mill—ran from the building, convinced that the furnace was going to explode. They weren’t accustomed to the sparks and fire created when you
Member Spotlight
make steel. But they soon returned and got right to work figuring out what went wrong. It wasn’t long before Nucor Steel-South Carolina was making steel bar for the Vulcraft plant in Florence. Those early challenges both tested and shaped the Nucor culture. Nucor Steel-South Carolina teammates learned from those early mistakes. Their can-do attitude embodied the spirit of continuous improvement that still defines Nucor today. Those Nucor teammates also helped establish Nucor’s culture of innovation. In 1969, Nucor was at the forefront of making steel in a new way, and the company has continued to be a leader in new steelmaking technologies over the past 50 years. Many industry observers believed EAFs would be capable of making only the most basic steel products, but today Nucor makes steel in EAFs that meets some of the most
rigorous quality standards required for markets like automotive, energy and transportation. From that first steel mill in Darlington firing up in June of 1969, Nucor has grown into America’s largest steel producer and the largest recycler in North America, recycling over 22 million tons of scrap last year. Nucor now has more than 26,000 teammates at over 300 facilities, who generated over $25 billion in sales in 2018, earning the company a rank of number 120 on the Fortune 500. And Nucor’s presence in South Carolina has also continued to grow. Today, the company employs almost 2,100 teammates in Nucor’s seven South Carolina facilities. The steelmaker recycles more than 4 million tons of steel across the state. Nucor explains that because South Carolina has made it a priority to provide the infrastructure that manufacturers like it need to be successful, the company has been able to invest nearly half a billion dollars in its South Carolina facilities in just the last decade. These investments include the expansion of Darlington’s special bar quality (SBQ) production capabilities and the addition of vacuum degassing so the mill can produce engineered bar products that meet some of the most demanding quality specifications in the industry to serve energy, automotive, heavy truck and heavy equipment manufacturers. Nucor is also expanding Nucor Building Systems in Swansea, to offer more fasttrack, customized solutions for customers looking to build structures up to more than a million square feet. Nucor’s sheet mill in Berkeley was upgraded to have the lightest hot-rolled gauge capability of any sheet mill in the southern U.S., allowing the mill to produce thinner, high-strength steel grades for lightweight automotive applications and to gain new business in a range of end use markets, including metal buildings, railcars, water heaters, automotive, heavy equipment, and water transmission pipe. Nucor expects to continue its long history of investing in South Carolina for many years to come. John Ferriola, Nucor’s Chairman, CEO and President, spoke at the anniversary celebration and congratulated his Darlington teammates: “I truly appreciate your commitment to our company. I know that Nucor Steel—South Carolina has another tremendous 50 years ahead of it.”
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S O U T H
C A R O L I N A
P O R T S
By Liz Crumley, S.C. Ports Authority’s Corporate Communications Manager
When Jim Newsome assumed the helm of South Carolina Ports Authority in 2009, he saw a significant opportunity to increase market share and position S.C. Ports for future success. SCPA diversified its cargo base, increased the number of containers and ships coming through the Port and invested heavily in infrastructure to handle the mega container ships calling on Charleston Harbor—all of which worked to double cargo volumes
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over the past decade. SCPA handled 210,542 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) at container terminals in July, a 106 percent increase from July 2009. Additionally, imports are up 92 percent and exports are up 121 percent over the past 10 years, data show.
Exports “SCPA operations drive growth statewide, generating a $53 billion annual economic impact and creating 187,200 jobs,” Newsome said. “South Carolinians see the positive impact of port-reliant companies moving into the state or expanding existing operations and creating new jobs.” The Southeast’s population, which is the fastest-growing in the country, boosts imports as more residents move to the region and demand consumer goods. South Carolina’s strong business climate and growing manufacturing sector drives exports. Automotive manufacturing continues to expand throughout the state, resulting in increased cargo volumes as finished vehicles and parts move through the global supply chain. As it has for years, South Carolina leads the nation in tire exports and now boasts three automotive plants. BMW’s Greer operation has been a strong importer and exporter through the Port of Charleston for nearly 25 years, while the expansion of Mercedes-Benz Vans’s manufacturing site in Ladson and the opening of Volvo Cars’s automotive campus in Berkeley County also boosts vehicle volumes; those firms began exporting S.C.-made vehicles at the Port of Charleston in 2018. SCPA has seen impressive growth in other business segments as well. From 2010-2018, refrigerated cargo business increased 78 percent for all loaded containers. Synthetic resins are also a growing business for the Port, with exports up 55 percent since 2011. Companies are setting up facilities in the Charleston region to handle these products. The Port is also seeing an increase of consumer-goods imports with more than 72 million consumers living within 500 miles of the Port of Charleston. The Southeast’s growing population drives increased consumption and distribution center expansions. DHL Supply Chain is investing $100 million into building a 1.7-million-square-foot industrial complex in Dorchester County, set to open in 2020, while TradePort Logistics is moving into a 200,000-squarefoot warehouse on the Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant to handle cargo for global retailers. SCPA’s growing inland port network also brings in more cargo from around the Southeast and Midwest. The inland ports in Greer and Dillon both saw record volumes handled in fiscal year 2019, spurring growth in the Upstate and Pee Dee. "The Southeast remains the best place to be in the port business as it continually attracts more residents and industry, driving imports and exports at S.C. Ports,” Newsome said. “We remain focused on growing our cargo volumes, operating terminals efficiently and investing in crucial infrastructure projects to handle future growth.”
Investing Big in Infrastructure The Port is in the midst of the largest capital spending plan in its history, ensuring it is equipped to handle the mega container ships being deployed and the increased cargo moving through the Southeast. SCPA is investing more than $940 million over the next several years to improve terminal infrastructure, buy new cranes, enhance technology and build a new terminal, an investment that comes on the heels of $500 million spent in recent years. These significant, strategic investments equip the Port with the capabilities it needs to thrive in the era of big ships and deep harbors. SCPA is currently building the Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal; the container terminal’s first phase will open in 2021 with 700,000 TEUs of capacity. At full buildout in 2032, the three-berth terminal will double current Port capacity. The Leatherman terminal is a crucial component to SCPA handling the influx of cargo moving between the Southeast and global markets. Its opening coincides with the anticipated completion of the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project in 2021. The $550 million deepening project—which is jointly funded by the state and federal government—will yield the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet. Dredging work to deepen the entrance channel to 54 feet is well underway; up next is dredging from the lower harbor to the Wando Terminal. This 52-foot depth, combined with widened harbor channels, will allow two 14,000-TEU-and-above ships to easily pass one another without tidal restrictions. Future dredging work involves deepening from the lower harbor up to the future Leatherman terminal. The project achieved a big milestone earlier this year when President Donald Trump allocated $138 million in his budget for the federal share. “Our harbor deepening project is vitally important to ensuring long-term growth at the Port and throughout the Southeast,” Newsome said. “In 2021, we will have the deepest harbor on the East Coast and a new container terminal open in North Charleston.” SCPA also continues modernization efforts at Wando Welch Terminal, the state’s busiest container terminal. A three-year renovation project strengthened the terminal; future work involves densifying and optimizing existing terminal space and buying new cranes. By 2020, the terminal will have 15 155-foot-tall ship-to-shore cranes and the capacity to handle three 14,000-TEU ships simultaneously. The terminal will also be able to accommodate a 19,000-TEU vessel. “Our investments will ensure that the Port is the preferred choice among the top 10 U.S. container ports and that it remains competitive for decades to come,” Newsome said.
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CYBER SECURE: Inside the Digital World of Immedion By: Jenny Skipper
O
ver a decade ago, Upstate entrepreneur Frank Mobley was working for a data center in Charlotte when he stumbled upon an idea. The “born and bred” South Carolinian realized that there was no data center provider in the Palmetto State when a local customer called to inquire about local space. That initial spark soon became a fire as Mobley fleshed out that idea—to provide data center cloud and managed IT services to clients in South Carolina. So in 2006, he went out on his own, founding Immedion in Greenville, S.C. The company was structured with the highest level of security for company data, with everything from uninterruptable power supplies and diesel generators that makes sure the power stays on all the time, to multiple connections to the internet to make sure the internet stays on all the time. Additionally, Immedion provided services to help companies run those systems; to make sure they're backed up and secure from a network perspective. The start up wasn’t easy. Only a year or so before the economy started spiraling into recession, Mobley needed capital—and a lot of it. “What we do is not cheap; we are a capital-intensive type organization,” Mobley says. After an initial round of capital from a Rock Hill-based communications company was used to build the Greenville data center, the challenge shifted to finding what Mobley refers to as “a critical mass” of customers. “The first prospective customers who walked into one of our data centers…we toured them around and it was empty. It's really hard to gain a company's
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confidence that ‘Hey, this company's going to be around tomorrow,'” Mobley remembers. Still, with a single customer and five sole employees, they were able to move forward. “We were able to land an anchor customer very early on, and that enabled us to gain other customers' confidence that we were going to be around.” That initial customer was the first of what would be many for Immedion, and a confidence booster for Mobley. “I even looked at our guys and I said, ‘You know what? We're gonna make it.’" Fast forward to 13 years later, and Immedion is one of South Carolina’s greatest entrepreneurial endeavors. Now with nine data centers in eight cities, including one in North Carolina, two data centers in Cincinnati, and a data center in Columbus, Indiana, Immedion boasts 150 employees today. The company has also been honored with numerous awards and accolades, including a Roaring Twenties Top 40 company, one of South Carolina’s 25 Fastest Growing Companies, and the Emerging 30 Award by the Northern Kentucky Chamber, but there are a few honors that stand out to Mobley. “The biggest one to me, even to this point, was when we were named Small Business of the Year here in Greenville, in 2010. That was still very early and that meant we had made an impression here in the Upstate,” Mobley says. “That one—it wasn't just about growth—it was about the things we had done, and I think we had done well. And so being recognized for that was certainly, that was really cool.”
Homegrown Business
The other accolade that Mobley places above the others is their status as one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina. “That one's good as well, because that means the folks who work here like working here, and certainly we wouldn't be here without the people who work for Immedion and their dedication,” Mobley notes. “We run a 24/7 business, so if one of our customers has a problem on Christmas Day then we're going to be here to help them fix that, because computing nowadays is a 24/7 business. And, I think that's unquestionably the most challenging part of what we do.” Mobley points out that the commitment to service that keeps the employees on their toes is the same commitment that works for customers who need access to their information, no matter what. “Every time a big thunderstorm rolls through or every time we have hurricane warnings and things like that, we are on alert and on edge, and that can be taxing on a group of people,” Mobley says. “So to those people who help us and who maintain that level of alertness, I can't say enough about the team that works for Immedion.”
“The whole idea of internet of things is that the computing infrastructure is going to have to be out closer to the users,” Mobley says. “You're going to see smaller data centers in smaller markets to get out closer to the users to meet the needs of IoT, and certainly we're there. We're continuing to build on our cloud platform, which probably has been over the last two or three years, I expect we've sold more cloud resources than anything else.” As the industry changes and grows and technology further integrates into all aspects of our lives, it’s true that Immedion may have room to grow. Still, as one of South Carolina’s homegrown companies it is holding its own across the state and beyond. “The customers who have trusted us over this time— especially those in the early days, they've been great to us and we try to do the same for them,” Mobley says. “I don't see us competing with the Amazons and the Microsofts of the world, but I certainly see us adding a valued alternative around them.”
While Mobley and his team don’t have any specific intentions of growing Immedion in the near future (“We've always approached that in an opportunistic kind of way,” Mobley says), he is acutely aware of the fast-paced nature of what he does, and how important it is to stay ahead of the competition for the benefit of his customers. “Certainly the industry is changing, and if we sit still then we'll be left behind, so we'll continue to be as innovative as we need to be to keep pace with the industry—especially cloud computing,” he says. The other thing, he notes, that is transforming his industry is the widespread application of the IoT, or Internet of Things, that connects everything we do in our lives to applications or databases.
“
The whole idea of internet of things is that the computing infrastructure is going to have to be out closer to the users.
- Frank Mobley
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ROCK HILL SOUTH CAROLINA
Mike Geddings, Board By: Chairman, York County Regional Chamber ofCommerce 50
A ‘GOOD TOWN’ flourishes into
A GREAT CITY
F
rom 1912 until 1952, Rock Hill was proudly referenced in the motto of the local chamber of commerce as “A Good Town.” Having obviously outgrown that motto, Rock Hill has a rich history, diverse neighborhoods, vibrant cultural district, and bustling sports tourism industry. After the decline of the textile industry, Rock Hill struggled to find a new identity, so the municipality invested in business parks and sports venues to encourage new employment centers and establish a tourism foundation. Because of visionary leaders looking toward the future, Rock Hill blossomed into a city ripe with development and growth. Old manufacturing sites have become ideal locations for affordable housing developments, and Old Town’s textile mills, once vacant reminders of a bygone era, are now a source of beauty, pride, and economic progress. The urban core is being transformed into Knowledge Park—a blend of districts spanning from historic Winthrop University to Fountain Park, a true community showpiece. New developments like Fountain Park Place, Main Street apartments and the upcoming University Center complement repurposed historic places such as the McCrory’s building, the Gettys Center and the Citizen’s Bank building. Business parks are at 97 percent capacity, home to a variety of manufacturing, distribution and technology industries, and sports tourism, a major catalyst for a new era, continues to flourish. Since Cherry Park was constructed in 1985, Rock Hill is also now a world-class destination fueled by sports tourism venues. The Rock Hill Tennis Center, Manchester Meadows, Piedmont Medical Center Trail, Giordana Velodrome, BMX Supercross Track and Criterium Course have all opened in the time since 2005. The upcoming Rock Hill Sports & Event Center will fill the void for indoor sports, and ensure sports tourism is truly a year-round venture. In addition to our notoriety as the amateur sports hub of the Carolinas, the city will also be expanding into pro sports with the recent announcement of intentions to construct a stateof-the-art NFL team headquarters and practice facility in Rock Hill. Rock Hill’s reputation preceded itself, leading to discussions with team officials, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster
and state legislators. That investment won’t stop with team buildings, but also likely will include infrastructure improvements, orthopedic and medical facilities, hotels, restaurants, and more. In the end, the Carolina Panthers presence in Rock Hill will further transform the city and truly make us “Two States, One Team.” Rock Hill is a destination…the place to be for major events, with something for everyone, where friends and families gather to celebrate sports, music, art, and a sense of community. Commitment to our young people can be seen in the superb educational opportunities with state-of-the-art schools, and teachers who are dedicated to growing our children’s knowledge and character. Higher learning opportunities are available at distinguished institutions to prepare students for any career or ambition that drives them and help them reach their highest potential. This summer, Rock Hill was recognized as one of 10 All-America City award winners. The National Civic League presented this honor to recognize Rock Hill’s work in inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stronger connections among residents, businesses and nonprofit and government leaders. As an example, Rock Hill gets the entire community involved with initiatives such as Impact York County, a coalition that collaborates to maximize the effectiveness of county-wide health interventions; Miracle Park, a park designed for people with special needs; and Knowledge Park, a downtown revitalization action plan. Furthermore, the city actively involves residents in determining the community’s future through a citywide strategic planning process and citizen engagement opportunities. In fact, it was through those processes that public transportation was identified as a need to provide greater access to services and amenities. On July 1, 2019, The City of Rock Hill, in partnership with Winthrop University, Piedmont Medical Center and Family Trust Federal Credit Union, started a new, fixed-route transit system called My Ride Rock Hill. The fare-free, all-electric service operates four routes along key corridors in Rock Hill seven days a week, and uses Proterra Catalyst® 35-foot buses, assembled in Greenville, S.C. Outfitted with free wi-fi, mobile charging ports, infotainment screens and bike racks, the buses are also ADA compliant, with features such as wheelchair ramps, automatic voice annunciation system, destination and route signs, and priority seating with a wheelchair securement system. True to the city government’s innovation, it is the first transit system in the country to start using all-electric vehicle technology. Our community is committed to creating the right circumstances for our residents and businesses to succeed. City and Chamber leaders are taking bold steps in new directions to ensure ALL the people of Rock Hill reap the benefits of our shared prosperity. Today, Rock Hill is strong and energized, continuing to reinvent itself at every turn, with the best yet to come. People from all over the country and world are discovering the advantages Rock Hill has to offer, and our “Good Town” is flourishing into a great city.
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I CONNECT
“I started my career with AFL in the co-op program while studying Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University. Following graduation, I was hired full-time as an Applications Engineer responsible for providing technical support for the electric utility market and for supporting our sales and R&D teams. Throughout my six years with AFL, I have enjoyed working in the fastpaced and rapidly-growing fiber optics field. Outside of my personal career, I enjoy volunteering alongside my coworkers and find AFL’s genuine commitment to our community refreshing.” - Carson, Applications Engineer
AFL provides industry-leading solutions, products and services to the energy, service provider, enterprise and industrial markets as well as oil & gas, medical, transportation and more.
1,000+ 5,300+ ASSOCIATES
IN UPSTATE, SC
ASSOCIATES WORLDWIDE
www.AFLglobal.com
On the Driving Range at the BMW Charity Pro-Am
20 Years of Giving Back: Inside the BMW Charity Pro-Am By Max Metcalf, Manager of Government and Community Relations, BMW Manufacturing, Co., LLC
BMW Manufacturing has been a part of the Upstate community for 25 years. Our associates, together with our suppliers, have produced more than four million vehicles for customers worldwide. As our manufacturing plant continues to grow, so does our economic impact on South Carolina. To date, the BMW Group has invested more than $10.6 billion dollars in our Upstate facility with an expansion underway that is going to create further jobs and investment over the next few years. As a responsible corporate citizen, our manufacturing plant generates an impressive social and cultural impact on the region as well. Over the last two decades, we have donated more than $40 million to educational, cultural and civic programs across the Upstate, as well as a number of local and state-wide organizations. The spirit of our team members is also felt throughout the region by way of their commitment to volunteerism and financial giving. At BMW Manufacturing, we believe that every partnership is
an instrument of change, and each contribution is a reflection of our principles and commitment to responsible action. For this reason, we like to support programs that have a long-term, sustainable impact on our community. One of our most visible community initiatives is the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2020. The Pro-Am was created to showcase the beauty of the Upstate and the hospitality of its citizens to the world; to create an event that brings the Upstate a fun and entertaining week centered on professional athletes and world-renowned celebrities; and to raise money and awareness for South Carolina charities.
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Since 2001, the tournament has distributed more than $13 million to charities. This is in large part thanks to the hundreds of companies who participate in the Pro-Am each year. Their sponsorship affords them the opportunity to not only support local charities but to network with potential clients, host their employees, and for many, to put their clients or employees on the field as amateur golfers alongside the pros.
Brett Favre of Green Bay Packers fame gathers an audience
"The BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation is a strong example of an industry giving back to the community. In addition to raising funds for Upstate charities, the event creates an opportunity to welcome visitors to the region, and it raises public awareness for the Upstate's rich business presence while creating opportunities for leaders to connect and build relationships,” said John Lummus, president and CEO of Upstate SC Alliance. Another critical component of the tournament is volunteers. Our volunteers get to enjoy a front-row seat to all the action, while earning money for charity. Recent tournament charities include the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital–Upstate, Roper Mountain Science Center, Mobile Meals of Spartanburg and Cliffs Residents Outreach. “Prisma Health Children’s Hospital–Upstate is grateful to be a beneficiary of the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation and to the many volunteers who support the work that makes it possible,” said Robin LaCroix, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and medical director of Prisma Health Children’s Hospital–Upstate. “Our Pediatric Pain Medicine Program provides modalities to treat pediatric pain such as biofeedback, virtual reality imaging and neurocognitive therapies. Funds raised from the tournament have allowed the implementation of these alternative treatments to move away from pharmaceutical modalities to relieve pain in children.” In addition to the Pro-Am, BMW Manufacturing supports dozens of other programs that have a long-term, sustainable impact on our community. These programs typically fall into one of four categories: STEM education, sustainability, road safety and cultural engagement.
As part of our commitment to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, BMW works with schools to develop and expand STEM learning programs, especially among females and minorities, to help develop and train the manufacturing workforce of tomorrow. STEM education is critical to meeting this need because the workforce of tomorrow must possess a high level of expertise and critical thinking skills, as well as an ability to innovate and adapt to changing technologies. Along with STEM, we support a number of sustainability initiatives that focus on preserving green space and protecting the natural environment. We also support road safety initiatives that promote safe and sustainable mobility journeys both now and in the future. Because the freedom to be creative is equally important for the field of art as it is for ground-breaking innovations in business, we support a number of local arts councils, museums, theaters and festivals. On top of these many initiatives, we have a strong corporate giving program. Each year, our more than 11,000 team members raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the United Way of the Piedmont. They also donate school supplies and reading books to hundreds of underprivileged children in our community and participate in tree plantings at local schools. BMW also felt that more attention and appreciation needed to be directed towards our state’s K-12 educators, so along with other partners, we took a leadership role with the state’s annual Teacher of the Year program. We have offered up our financial resources and our product to provide a new BMW X model to the winner, who drives the vehicle during their one-year tenure as South Carolina’s public education ambassador. And, speaking of education, one of the initiatives founded in South Carolina that is now being replicated in other states is Call Me MISTER® (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models). This initiative has offered BMW a great opportunity to support young men of diverse backgrounds in becoming educators in some of the more disadvantaged and at-risk schools.
Volunteers of the BMW Charity Pro-Am gather together
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As we look ahead to the next 25 years, the BMW Group’s commitment to South Carolina remains strong. BMW Manufacturing is proud to reside in the Upstate and to support non-profit organizations in the communities where our associates live and work. We are proud to do this in partnership with so many other companies around the state to ensure South Carolina remains a great place to live, work and play for generations to come.
After THE Event The South Carolina Chamber is known for its exceptional events designed to unite the business community on issues and topics of concern, including federal issues, manufacturing, infrastructure, healthcare, energy, the environment, education, workforce, workplace safety, diversity, human resources and loving where you work. Many of the events hosted for the Chamber’s members are designed to be listening forums and grassroots meetings, elevating regional concerns to the capitol.
for more information on upcoming events, visit: scchamber.net/events
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After the Event
Chamber President and CEO Ted Pitts, presents the awards to the winners and finalists for the annual Excellence in Workplace Diversity Awards at the Summit luncheon. Honorees included winner Starbucks Coffee Company— Sandy Run Roasting Plant and finalists South Carolina Federal Credit Union and Aunt Lauries in the Small/Medium Employer Category and winner Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and finalists Clemson University and SCANA Corporation in the Large Employer Category.
November 26-27, 2018 | Kiawah Island Joseph Von Nessen, Ph.D., Research Economist at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business, Jared Walczak, Senior Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation, and John Murphy, Senior VP for International Policy at the US Chamber of Commerce discuss current economic trends and forecasts for the upcoming year.
39TH ANNUAL SUMMIT The Chamber’s annual meeting and signature event, presented in 2018 by Ogletree Deakins, is the premier gathering of the state’s top business leaders. The Summit awards luncheon recognized the winners of the Public Servant of the Year Award, the Excellence in Workplace Diversity Awards and Business Week Scholarships. The Summit banquet recognized the Business Leader of the Year. Save the Date: 41st Annual Summit, November 16-17, 2020, The Sanctuary at Kiawah
2018 SC Business Leader of the Year, Kim Wilkerson, South Carolina State President, Bank of America South Carolina Market Executive, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, poses with her Bank of America team at the Summit Banquet.
SC Chamber of Commerce Chairman and President and CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation Lou Kennedy celebrates in the hospitality suite with former Chamber Chairmen Barbara Melvin and Mike Brenan.
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After the Event
SC Chamber Chairman and President and CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Lou Kennedy moderates the tax reform panel with panelists Senator Sean Bennett (R-38), Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-66), and Representative Tommy Pope (R-47).
SC Chamber Legislative Agenda Task Force (LATF) Chairman and Special Counsel and Director of Diversity at Parker Poe Sydney Evering moderates the Caucus Leadership panel. House and Senate leaders - Senator Shane Massey (R-25, Senate Majority Leader), Senator Nikki Setzler (D-26, Senate Minority Leader), Representative Gary Simrill (R-46, House Majority Leader), and Representative Todd Rutherford (D-74, House Minority Leader) - spoke about their priorities for the upcoming session.
January 22, 2019 | Columbia
BUSINESS SPEAKS
Business Speaks is the Chamber’s annual legislative session kick-off, which includes a town hall with key SC Senate and SC House members, a briefing on the Competitiveness Agenda, and a networking reception for attendees to meet and greet key legislators and staff.
Chamber leaders and advocates pack the room for the House Freshmen, Tax Reform and Caucus Leadership legislative panels.
Save the Date: January 28, 2020, Columbia
Lieutenant Governor Evette and First Lady Peggy McMaster join Chamber members and staff at the Business Speaks reception at the Palmetto Club.
SC Chamber President and CEO, Ted Pitts visits with Representative Bill Whitmire (R-1) and Senator Thomas Alexander (R-1), Chairman of the Senate Labor Commerce and Industry Committee.
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After the Event
February 7, 2019 | Columbia
SPOTLIGHT ON AGRICULTURE & FORESTRY
Key members of SC’s Agribusiness community network with leaders in the industry at the Spotlight on Agriculture and Forestry event.
Agriculture is one of the top industries in our state and it is an important area of focus for the Chamber. This annual event is a partnership between the SC Chamber of Commerce, the SC Farm Bureau, and the Forestry Association of South Carolina. Representatives of SC agribusiness - from vegetable producers to canners to foresters came together in this premier networking event for their community. Save the Date: February 20, 2020, Columbia
Agricultural leaders including South Carolina Department of Agriculture Commissioner, Hugh Weathers, open the event by discussing key issues for agribusiness for the 2019 year.
First Lieutenant Patrick C. “Clebe” McClary III, USMC (Retired), the luncheon keynote speaker, kicks off the event at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center talking about his experience and lessons learned in safety and leadership.
March 28, 2019 | Columbia
SAFETY AWARDS
Team Michelin poses with their 2019 Safety Award.
The Safety Awards luncheon honors companies that demonstrate exemplary workplace safety records. Winning companies had a commendable Lost Workday Case Rate during the 2018 calendar year; 136 company locations were honored at the luncheon Save the Date: March 26, 2020, Columbia
SC Chamber Safety Committee Chair, Beth Partlow, and SC Chamber Executive Vice President of Public Policy, Communications & Of Counsel, Swati Patel, presented the safety awards to the teams attending the luncheon.
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After the Event
Salute to Small Business provides a guided networking event that connects small businesses with procurement officers from large private sector companies and public sector organizations.
May 1, 2019 | Columbia
SALUTE TO SMALL BUSINESS SC Salute to Small Business is the state’s annual National Small Business Week event. Hundreds of small business owners and advocates attended the 15th Annual Salute to Small Business, connecting with procurement officers from across the state in matchmaker sessions. 14 awards were presented by the Small Business Association South Carolina District Office to a variety of small businesses and lenders.
The packed luncheon kicks off the awards presentation portion of the program.
Save the Date: May 6, 2020, Columbia
Chamber member, TD Bank, accepts one of the Small Business Administration’s South Carolina 7(a) Lenders of the Year Awards.
The Cybersecurity Summit brings IT professionals together from across the state to discuss key issues confronting businesses.
May 16, 2019 | Greenville
CYBERSECURITY SUMMIT CyberSC presents its annual Awards of Excellence at the Summit.
Co-hosted by the SC Chamber and Cyber SC and presented by Immedion, this annual conference was designed with both small and large businesses in mind. Strengthening small and mid-size businesses cybersecurity programs is crucial when it comes to protecting South Carolina businesses. The speaker line up consisted of industry experts as well as extensively trained federal law enforcement officials. Save the Date: 2020
Attendees meet with other IT professionals and learn about recent innovation and products during the networking session.
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After the Event
This was the first year that Business Week was held at the University of South Carolina in Columbia!
July 21-26, 2019 | Columbia
SOUTH CAROLINA BUSINESS WEEK Over 100 students total took part in the six-day program for aspiring business leaders at the USC Darla Moore School of Business.
South Carolina Business Week’s mission is to develop tomorrow’s business leaders today. For the first time, Business Week was held at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. More than 100 students participated, learning about personal finance, branding, community planning and development and how to make executive decisions. Four students received scholarships, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. Save the Date: July 11-17, 2020, Columbia
As part of the week, students participate in a community service project in conjunction with United Way of the Midlands – stuffing over 750 backpacks with reading materials and inspirational messages for young children.
Props and theme dressing are encouraged at this unique event! The T-Mobile team went all out this year!
August 1, 2019 | Columbia
BEST PLACES TO WORK IN SOUTH CAROLINA The SC Chamber, the publishers of SCBIZ, and the Best Companies Group joined for the 14th consecutive year to produce the Best Places to Work in South Carolina program. This initiative is dedicated to identifying and recognizing South Carolina’s most innovative and top-notch employers. The 75 companies selected as 2019 “Best Places to Work” were honored at an awards dinner, presented by Colonial Life. Winners included Edward Jones (#1 Large Employer) and Scott and Company, LLC (#1 Small/Medium Employer).
Team spirit is HIGHLY encouraged! Our Best Places To Work Event is always fun and memorable!
Save the Date: August 6, 2020, Columbia
75 companies (35 of them Chamber members) gather to celebrate their workplaces and learn their final rankings on the Best Places to Work list on August 1, 2019.
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After the Event
Chamber members from across the state come to Columbia to hear from members of South Carolina’s federal delegation on issues that affect business.
August 22, 2019 | Columbia
WASHINGTON NIGHT
SC Chamber Chairman and President and CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Lou Kennedy and SC Chamber Legislative Agenda Task Force (LATF) Chairman and Special Counsel and Director of Diversity at Parker Poe Sydney Evering introduce the 3 panelists: Congressmen Joe Wilson, William Timmons, and Ralph Norman.
Washington Night, presented by Parker Poe, is part of our federal event series. Businesses from around the state participated in a modified town hall with members of South Carolina’s federal delegation including Congressmen Joe Wilson, Ralph Norman and William Timmons.
Chamber members mingle with key legislators and their staff at the reception.
Governor Henry McMaster attends the reception and hears from Chamber members and business leaders. He is pictured here with 2019-2020 SC Chamber Chairman, Steve Spinks.
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After the Event
September 10, 2019 | Greenville
The Disrupt HR event featured the presentations of the 2019 HR Rising Star and HR Professional of the year awards.
DISRUPT HR GREENVILLE
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Anderson University cohosted the 2nd annual DisruptHR Greenville. Disrupt is an information exchange designed to energize, inform, and empower people in the HR field. The event featured 14 speakers whose presentations provoked new thoughts and ideas to change the landscape of Human Resources. This year, the event featured the presentation of the HR Professional of the Year and the HR Rising Star Awards. These awards honored the top seasoned professional and HR “young gun” in South Carolina. The 2nd annual Disrupt HR Greenville event featured HR professionals from throughout the state speaking on a variety of topics of importance to the Human Resources field.
The SC SHRM State Conference kicks off with a pre-conference workshop led by Jeff Nischwitz of The Nischwitz Group on two hot topics – workplace culture and artificial intelligence.
September 25-27, 2019 | Myrtle Beach
Attendees from throughout the state gather in Myrtle Beach for networking and educational sessions – many of them for SHRM continuing education credit – throughout the three-day conference.
2019 SHRM STATE CONFERENCE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SC CHAMBER The SC Chamber and SC Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) partnered for the first year to host the State HR Conference. The conference featured in-demand human resources hot topics including cultivating leadership, managing generational differences and leveraging HR skills to drive company return on investment. Over 300 people attended the conference. Save the Date: September 23-25, 2020
Old and new friends gather for a networking cocktail reception, buffet dinner, and live party music!
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SC Chamber of Commerce
PAST 37 YEARS OF CHAMBER LEADERSHIP Lou Kennedy
2018-2019 Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Jack Sanders 2017-2018 Sonoco
Barbara Melvin
2016-2017 South Carolina State Ports Authority
John Uprichard
2015-2016 FGP International, Inc. dba Find Great People
Mikee Johnson
2014-2015 Cox Industries, Inc.
Pamela Lackey 2013-2014 AT&T
Michael Brenan 2012-2013 BB & T
Jim Reynolds
2011-2012 Total Comfort Solutions, Inc.
Dick Wilkerson
2010-2011 Michelin North America, Inc.
Joseph Salley
2009-2010 Milliken & Company
William C. Boyd
2008-2009 Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.
James Micali
2007-2008 Michelin North America, Inc.
Harris DeLoach, Jr.
1992-1993 Carolina Eastman
Emerson Gower, Jr.
C. Ronald Coward
2005-2006 Progress Energy
1991-1992 Coward-Hund Construction Co., Inc.
Mack Whittle
William L. Mazilly
W. Lee Bussell, APR
Tommy Gregory
2004-2005 Carolina First Bank
1991 Fluor Daniel, Inc.
2003-2004 CNSG
1990 Gregory Electric Company, Inc.
Don Herriott
John Settle
2002-2003 Roche Carolina
1989 Home Federal Savings Bank
Hayne Hipp
James Shoemaker, Esq.
2001-2002 Liberty Corporation
M. Edward Sellers
2000-2001 BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
Paula Harper Bethea
1998-2000 Bethea, Jordan & Griffin, P.A.
Bill Amick
1997-1998 Amick Farms
Paul Campbell
1996-1997 Alumax of South Carolina, Inc.
Joe Anderson 1995-1996 Southern Bell
Hugh Lane, Jr.
1994-1995 Bank of South Carolina
James Morton, Jr.
1993-1994 Michelin North America, Inc.
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John Beckler
2006-2007 Sonoco Products
1988 Wyche, Burgess, Freeman & Parham, P. A.
Frank Smith
1987 Colonial Life & Insurance Co.
Leonard Fulghum, Jr. 1986 Ferguson Fulghum, Inc.
W. Mat Self
1985 Greenwood Mills, Inc.
John Boatwright 1984 NCNB Carolinas
John Huguley 1983 Huguley Co.
George Dean Johnson, Jr.
1982 Johnson Development Associates
IMPACT.
With a more than $10 billion investment in South Carolina, BMW Manufacturing is where engineering perfection for the X-model family of products begins. It’s a place where the philosophy of BMW thrives and the Ultimate Driving Machine is built. Learn more at bmwusfactory.com.
FEARLESS IS FINDING A BETTER WAY
Fearless is stepping outside your comfort zone and breaking new ground. Everyone has a Live Fearless story. Tell us yours at LiveFearlessSC.com. Fearless is within us all.