dec. 7, 2012 ubj

Following signsMilking proFits Funding ideas

BusinessUpstate

J o u r n a l

deCeMBer 7, 2012

page 6 page 16 page 22

QuikTrip chain makes aggressive move in the UpstateQUICK GROWTH

Page 14

2 Upstate bUsiness | DECEMBER 7, 2012

UBJ

SmartState investment pays off

By Dick Hughes senior business writer

4

Holiday Fair draws merry crowd

By Leigh Savage contributor

5

Statehouse ReportCharleston trying to hoodwink

state into paying for road

By Andy Brack contributor

8

Nonprofit MattersCharitable reflections on branding

By Debbie Nelson contributor

9

County tax incentive may aid Michelin

expansionBy Dick Hughes

senior business writer

10

Guest ColumnFour simple rules for a

good website

By Chris Manley contributor

11

Jump StartSuccess is Divine and tasty

By Laura Haight contributor

12

Greenville says happy birthday to businesses

with license rebatesBy Cindy Landrum

staff

18

Greg Beckner/Staff

A cow feeds at the trough at the Happy Cow Creamery.

See complete story on page 6.

DECEMBER 7, 2012 | Upstate bUsiness 3

UBJ worth repeatingYou dont go in and build as many sites as

we have unless there were a lot of great sites available, and we grabbed them.

Mike thornbrugh, an executive with QuikTrip, the convenience store and gas chain that has spread aggressively through the Upstate.

We need to fill the back end, growing them. They are seedlings. They are not yet trees.John Moore, executive vice president of the Greenville Chamber, on the Accelerate

economic development organizations investments in entrepreneurs.

If a company has proven itself, it should be helped. Id like for small

business to get a break.andrea goodjoin, owner of Divine Desserts by Andrea.

I tell people, Do you think you could love that cow? How about for 60, 70 or 80 hours a week?

Happy Cow Creamerys tom trantham, on the unique demands of dairy farming.

200 East Broad Street Greenville, SC 29601 864.242.3370 www.elliottdavis.com

We are home to some of the bestreal estate advisors in the business.

2

012

Ellio

tt D

avis

LLC

2

012

Ellio

tt D

avis

PLL

C

Chaired by Mark Cooter, CPA, our full-service real estate

accounting and advisory practice handles everything from the

front end to the successful closing of a deal. We add value

throughout your transaction by assisting with entity and

investment structuring, strategic planning and projections, as

well as tax minimization and financial reporting advice. Our

clients include commercial brokerages, property managers,

investors, developers, hotels, syndicators and real estate funds.

Mark Cooter, CPAReal Estate Practice Chair

$77,000Average annual salary of 8,000 jobs created in association

with the SmartState program twice South Carolinas annual per capita personal income.

10% Discount on Greenville business license fees given to

businesses that have been operating in the city for 20 years.

382Vendors at the 42nd Annual Holiday Fair, up from 360 last year. Attendance this year was 11,762, up from just over

11,000 last year.

10thRank of QuikTrip in a list of corporate-run convenience stores

published by Convenience Store News.

www.marchantco.com100 W. Stone Ave. 864.467.0085

The Marchant Company Proudly Announces New AgentJolene Wimberly, ABR, CBR, CRS, GRI Realtor , joins The Marchant Company with 38 years of Greenville Real Estate

experience. A graduate of the Real Estate Institute and a

consistent top producing agent, Jolene has extensive knowledge

in sales and represents both buyers and sellers.

Jolenes approach to real estate is as easy as ABC: Attention to Service, Beyond what is expected, and Commitment and Communication. Give Jolene a call today and work with a realtor who will be your partner in buying or selling your home.

Here is a unique and little known fact about Joleneshe

attended Ronald Reagans First Inauguration, the Inauguration

Ball and the First Ladies Luncheon!

Jolene WimberlyABR, CBR, CRS, GRI Realtor

[email protected]

[email protected]


uBJ

Return on investment7:1

SmartState inveStment payS off

The states temporary investment of lottery funds in state universities to encourage and support high-tech start-up companies produced $1.4 billion in new or pending economic activity, seven times the lottery contribution.

That is the conclusion of the 2012 annual report submitted last week to the legislature by the SmartState Review Board.

The board said 8,000 jobs related to the SmartState program were created with an average annual salary of $77,000 twice South Carolinas annual per capita personal income.

Nearly 1,100 of these new jobs are in the automotive sector, but energy and biomedical industries also were major job creators, the board said.

Of the $1.5 billion investment the program attracted, $1.1 billion is in place in working capital, and $300 million is committed investments scheduled for the near future, according to the annual report.

Such a wellspring of corporate and philanthropic investment in public academic research demonstrates that the private sector believes South Carolina is ready to sit at the table as a major player in the global knowledge economy, said Regan Voit, SmartState Review chairman.

SmartState was launched after the Legislature approved diverting a portion of lottery funds to the public research universities at Clemson, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina to establish centers of economic excellence to advance the states economy.

Between 2002 and 2008, $180 million was allocated. No funds have been allocated since 2008. Each seed dollar had to be matched with non-state funding.

Under the program, the three universities created 48 unique research centers led by one or more world-class researchers.

In addition to match funding, SmartState research teams secured more than $715 million in grants from industry and the federal government. BMW invested $11 million, and the Duke Endowment and Health Sciences South Carolina combined to invest nearly $30 million.

The SmartState board said the program is helping keep students in the state to study and to stay after being graduated.

The impact from graduate students who stay in South Carolina following mentorship under SmartState endowed chairs annually is $4.2 million, according to USC research.

The SmartState board cited a recommendation by Huron, a Washington, D.C., consultancy firm that called SmartState a best-in-kind program that is, or should be, the envy of other states.

Contact Dick Hughes at [email protected].

By Dick Hughes | senior business writer

smartstate programstartup companiesAdvanced Photonic CrystalsFibroTherapeutics, Inc.FirstString ResearchHydrogen Hybrid MobilityImmoMod, Inc.Palmetto Fuel Cell

Technologies, LLCMagAssemble LLCMicroVideMitoChem Therapeutics, LLCMitoHealth, Inc.NextGenEn, Inc.NXTParallel Permeation, Inc.ProtaraRegal Solutions, LLC*SC Science Solutions, LLCSchnellGen, Inc.SemiAlloGen, Inc.SimTunes, LLCSpecialty Custom FibersTetramer TechnologiesVortex Biotechnology* In FY 2012, USC appointed Dr. John Regalbuto as SmartState Endowed Chair for the Catalysis for Renewable Fuels Center of Economic Excellence. His startup company, Regal Solutions, LLC, already has one invention disclosure, for which it has applied for a patent.

American Titanium WorksBMW ITRCCADFEM U.S. *CephosClean EnergyCooliemon Technologies *Dreamweaver *Fields Group, LLCFocus Chemicals *Greenway EnergyInnoventure *Intec U.S. Inc.JTEKT TCMallet Technology *Mumford Industries *ProterraSage Automotive Interiors *Senex BiotechnologySimpack, Inc.ThermoPur Technologies *Trulite* In May 2012, CU-ICAR opened the doors to the Center for Emerging Technologies (CET) facility, its first multi-tenant building. CET provides office, administrative, and laboratory space for the transportation, technology, and energy sectors, including companies like Sage Automotive Interiors and others footnoted above. These companies have positioned themselves on the CU-ICAR campus to be close to the four SmartState Endowed Chairs and their research teams.

smartstate corporate relocations

by the numbers

Source: SmartState 2011-2012 annual report

has been awarded to create 48 Centers of Economic Excellence.

$191.6million

Endowment Accrued Interest (2003-2008)

$11.6million

corporations have made non-state match investments of $500K or

more, for a total of

26

$55millionThis includes companies

such as BMW, Michelin, Timken, Smith & Nephew, General Atomics, Westinghouse, Fluor, and many

others.

12 CENTERS15 SMARTSTATE CHAIRS



$180millionState investment (2003-2008)

foundations and non-profit organizations have made non-state

match investments of $500K or more, for a total of

17

$55.6million

This includes organizations such as BlueCross BlueShield of SC

Foundation, the Duke Endowment, Health Sciences South Carolina, Kellogg Foundations, and others.

External investment

$1.4billion

A best-in-kind program that is, or should be, the

envy of other statesHuron, a Washington, D.C., consultancy firm

uBJ

Holiday Fair draws merry crowdAttendance up at 42nd annual event

* Excludes all options, taxes, title, registration, $905 transportation charge, and dealer prep fee.

A soul you can see.* Excludes all options, taxes, title, registration, $905 transportation charge, and dealer prep fee.

2013 C250 SPORT SEDAN starting at $35,350* MSRPwww.CarltonMotorcars.com864-213-8000 | 800-801-3131

2446 Laurens Road, Greenville, SC 29607

CARLTONMOTORCARS

M122A

At the 42nd Annual Holiday Fair held at the TD Convention Center Nov. 29-Dec. 1, holiday spirit was up and so was attendance, according to show coordinator Anita Venable. The total number of attendees was 11,762, up from just over 11,000 last year, she said. The number of vendors climbed to 382 from last years 360.

Its up and down every year, but this year was an increase in ven-dors, Venable said. Vendors were very pleased, and some have already turned in their applications for 2013. Some have been with us for more than 20 years. Its just a tradition.

One vendor who has made the fair an annual event is Angel Rice, owner of Under the Carolina Moon, a gift shop in Easley. She opened her store in 2006 and participated in her first fair that year.

When we started, the H o l i d a y F a i r rea l ly

helped us become more public, Rice said. This was the first event we did, and its been neat. Weve adopted three children since we started, and people come to see pictures of our kids and they know what they are supporting.

At her shop, online and at the fair, her most popular products are custom T-shirts, along with custom Tervis Tumblers and other personalized items. December sales typically double those of any other month, she said.

Participating for the seventh year, she said she cant miss a year because too many customers and fellow vendors expect her there.

Customers who come in to the store wont even buy their shirts they want to come buy at the fair because its a tradition, she said.

Mike Trotter of Carolina Survival was participating in his first Christ-

mas show after selling his items, in-cluding bracelet kits and fire starters, at hunting and gun shows. After los-ing his job as an engineer two years ago, he turned his hobby making survival items into a full-time job.

I still send out resumes, he said. This is something to keep me busy for the time being.

His bracelets are made from strong cord, and in an emergency, can be unraveled and used to secure belongings, repair equipment or set up shelter. Trotter only sells at shows, and says the Greenville Holi-day Fair had better attendance and more buyers than many.

Ive been to shows where people are just looking. So far this one has started out fairly well, he said.

Pam Hale of CityStory was at the fair to try to spread the

word about her t wo -ye a r- o ld

business, which creates Greenville-specific gift items that are sold in retail shops like Postcard from Paris and are also used by companies and organizations for recruitment and economic development.

This is our first time in a trade show environment, she said. We want to promote some of our small items and let people become familiar with the concept. Were hoping people are looking for Greenville gift items.

Many attendees were stopping to flip through her companys book about Greenville as well as orna-ments featuring landmarks such as the Furman Bell Tower and the Liberty Bridge.

There was also lots of traffic at the Blue Ribbon Concessions booth, where Richard Myers was handing out samples of warm pecans in a sweet coating, among other offerings.

I do 40 festivals per year, says My-ers, who makes the products himself in

a commercial kitchen. This is a good Christmas show. I like these shows

because everybody is in a good mood, so everybody is happy.

Contact Leigh Savage at lsavage@community-

journals.com.

By Leigh Savage | contributor

Photo courtesy of Holiday Fair.


Tom Trantham has been a farmer for 44 years, but his big breakthrough came in 1987 actually, his cows big breakthrough.

That April, just as Trantham was facing foreclosure and bankruptcy, his cows jumped the fence and started grazing on what Trantham had considered weeds. After their milk production rose sharply, Trantham let the cows out again and realized they wanted fresh plants, not chemically treated grain from the silo, and they wanted to eat just the nutrient-dense top half.

Since that fateful day, Trantham has transformed his view of dairy farming, putting an end to chemicals and fertilizers and allowing his 90 cows to graze freely on 29 individual paddocks at his 100-acre farm in Pelzer. Hes also found success he never expected, with school children coming for tours and regular customers driving hundreds of miles for the fresh milk and other products at his harvest store.

You recently celebrated 10 years as Happy Cow Creamery. How is business these days?

Every year was better than the year before. Ten years straight. Weve been blessed unbelievably here. Were estimating for December, but we could see a 20 percent sales increase over last year. We bottle about 500 bottles of milk per day.

On Oct. 1, we had our 10-year anniversary, and we had 3,500 to 4,000 people here. We had seven acres of parking and ran out. There were great bands and pony rides, and samples of all kinds of stuff.


miLK manTrantham finds key to success is happy cows >>

Tom Trantham, owner of the Happy Cow Creamery, with some of his cows.Photos by Greg Beckner

focus: made here


uBJ focus: made hereWhat do you consider the

reason for your continued success when many farms are struggling?

Its our standards we set and the way we do business. People appre-ciate it. We have the finest quality, and that is No. 1. We guarantee everything in our store.

We had someone from a business school come and analyze our busi-ness, and they said we probably didnt need three or four people working behind the cash register. But I said no, thats our service. We can explain anything you want, talk to you, carry your groceries to the car. Thats part of our success.

Your grazing program, Twelve Aprils, has been successful, and the U.S. Department of Agri-culture has distributed a video about it to universities around the country. (Trantham plants alfalfa, oats, rye and other grasses, offering his cows a fresh 2.5- to

3.5-acre paddock to graze in each day of the month. By doing this, he can replicate fresh April growth for his cows every month of the year.) Have you been trying to spread the word about it?

I travel sometimes to talk to groups. I went to the University of Florida to talk to 40 dairymen there, and they were so excited. Theyve been e-mail-ing me ever since. They had grass, but grass plays out in a few months. They needed more than one April.

What does it take to make a living as a dairy farmer?

You have to have a passion for it. Cows are the most unbelievable animals. I tell people, Do you think you could love that cow? How about for 60, 70 or 80 hours a week? I used to work 16 hours a day every day. Now my daughter, Tammy, my son, Tom, his wife, Ashley, and my wife, Linda we do everything together. I work 10 to 12 hours a day and I am

off every other weekend. Now, I herd my kids instead of just cows.

What products to you offer and what sets them apart?

Our milk is made in an old-timey vat pasteurizer at low temperature. When you ultra-heat milk, you pretty much destroy the enzymes. People think they are lactose in-tolerant, but they can drink ours, because it has the enzymes that are the neutralizer for milk. There was a woman who hadnt had milk in 40 years, but she can drink mine.

Then there is no chocolate milk like ours. We use the finest choco-late made plus pure cane sugar and our milk. And our strawberry is doing quite well too. We sell egg-nog every November and Decem-ber, plus in July, and people drive from miles around for it.

Our shop also sells locally made soap that uses Happy Cow milk. We have butter, cheese, sausage, chicken, organic fruits and veg-etables and more.

Where can people find Happy Cow products?

People come from Florida and Georgia to our store. There is a group from Charlotte that comes once every five weeks. We offer a bag of ice at no charge, so people can bring their cooler. People can also find it at Whole Foods, Earth Fare, the Fresh Market, the Sweetery in Anderson. There is a long list on our website (www.happycowcreamery.com).

What do you think of the state of dairy farming in South Carolina?

I would love to see 300 or 400 dairy farmers back in South Carolina. There used to be 500 dairy farms and now there are less than 80 in the state. There used to be more than 40 in Greenville and Pickens, and now Im the only one left. So there wouldnt be competition; there is room for a couple hundred more dairy farm-ers. Instead of thousands of cows in one area, they could have 70 or 80 cows each, with each farmer owning his or her own equipment, and the revenue spent right here in South Carolina. If they use the Twelve Aprils model, the quality of the product would be the best ever.

Contact Leigh Savage at [email protected].

>>

There used to be 500 dairy farms and now there are less than

80 in the state.The Happy Cow Creamery store and bottling plant. The store features a variety of creamery products and a drive-up window for customer convenience.

Happy Cow employee Matt Chasteen puts labels on milk jugs to be filled inside the cream-erys bottling plant. The plant was constructed inside a former grain silo. Since the cows at the farm are no longer grain-fed, they graze on 70 acres of land, negating the need for a silo.


uBJ

People across the Palmetto State ought to be just plain mad at how some folks in Charleston are trying to railroad state highway dollars for the areas selfish use.

At issue: Interstate 526 and its long-anticipated extension.

The 19-mile road currently forms a semicircle around Charleston from U.S. Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant through North Charleston and to U.S. Highway 17 in West Ashley. As originally envisioned, the road was to continue through Johns and James islands to connect at the James Island Expressway at Folly Road. But be-cause the Interstate has been built in segments, the final seven-mile section never was built.

Over the last few years, the project has been bounced around more than a tennis ball.

In 2004, Charleston County voters approved a half-cent transportation sales tax. Officials used some proceeds as a potential local match to apply to the State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) for millions of state tax dollars to complete the highway, which the SIB approved in June 2006. A year later, the state Department of Transporta-tion (DOT) and Charleston County signed an agreement for the DOT to manage the project.

But then with a draft Environmen-tal Impact Statement (EIS) by the DOT, things started to go wrong. In 2009, the DOT presented six road

proposals. The preferred alternative ended up be-ing a $489 million, four-lane parkway with traffic lights and speeds limited to 35 mph to 45 mph. At five public hearings, speakers overwhelm-ingly opposed the project.

In April 2011, Charleston County Council said no to the roads completion, despite a questionable threat that it would owe $11 million for work up to that point. In January 2012, the SIB reassigned responsibil-ity to the DOT. But throwing a wrench into everything, the DOT board voted in September to not take the project, now projected to cost $558 million, and instead sent it back to the county.

So its dead, right? Nope. In No-vember, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley strong-armed city council to try to get the project sponsorship moved from the county to the city. And now, Riley, House Speaker Bobby Harrell, a host of Chamber of Commerce types and big money are putting the full-court press on Charleston County Council to let the city take over the project despite the fact that no city reportedly ever has completed an Interstate.

Despite the fact that with deals being quietly cut to add overpasses and potentially reduce neighborhood impacts on Johns and James islands, the road would cost much more than $558 million.

statehouse report

Charleston trying to hoodwink state into paying for road

Despite the fact that the state DOT does not believe I-526s completion is of state-wide significance since it hasnt ranked its comple-tion as a statewide priority and the project is only 15th in the Charleston area road priority list.

Despite the fact that reductions in travel times a major argument by sup-porters are not projected to be signifi-cant. The draft EIS suggests reductions from 34 seconds up to 5.6 minutes. The Environmental Protection Agency also says claims of safety improvements did not justify environmental or commu-nity impacts of the road.

Despite the fact that a federal agency says hurricane evacuation also used as a reason for completion by supporters should not be consid-ered as part of the rationale because initial increased mobility would be counteracted by more development (leading to more cars).

And despite the fact that the state Department of Natural Resources recommended no action because of

e n v i r o n -mental im-

pacts identified in the draft EIS.

Bottom line: Regard-less of all of the political

arm-twisting in the world, ex-tending Interstate 526 isnt a state

priority and wont relieve congestion significantly. It will negatively impact the environment and destroy historic communities. Lots of alternatives ex-ist to improving traffic flow without building expensive new bridges and parkways so that rich folks on Kiawah and Seabrook islands can get to Costco five minutes quicker.

Quite frankly, the $558 million in state dollars targeted to this Charleston road can be much better used across the state to fix ailing bridges, potholed roads and bottlenecks that need atten-tion. Charleston County Council will decide Dec. 13 what to do next. Let members know how you feel about the tomfoolery of state dollars being fun-neled into this Charleston pet project.Andy Brack, publisher of Statehouse Report, can be reached at [email protected]

By Andy Brack

We can answer any controller or comptroller question.

For example, whats the difference between a controller and a comptroller?

864.908.3062 atlocke.com

12AT

L 45

60


uBJ

Some of the most beautiful cities in the world are known for their fountains. I believe that Greenville is indeed one of those places. I am also quite smitten with Rome and its Trevi Fountain so much so that I named our family cat Trevi.

As you gaze into a fountain and listen to the soothing sound of running water, do you ever wonder where all of those wistfully thrown coins go? Id like to believe that our lucky coins are going to support some important charitable cause. To this point, some years ago I helped retrieve the coins from the fountain at Haywood Mall for the Greenville Humane Society. And what a heavy load that was; small change quickly added up to big dollars for our four-legged friends.

As we celebrate this holiday season, please dont lose sight of the signifi-cance of your financial support to the sustainability of the nonprofits in our community. Each year fundraising professionals employ a wide variety of strategies to reach their budgetary goals, from collecting childrens pen-nies to hosting exquisite galas and visiting with potential donors.

All of these activities are impor-tant. However, to ensure success, organizations must FIRST build community awareness and under-standing of their missions. Without a strong organizational brand, much time and energy will be wasted.

In short, branding is the answer to this question posed by my friend Ellen at the annual Leadership South Carolina luncheon:

What is the significance of the chang-ing rainbow of colors in the fountain located on South Main Street at the entrance to Falls Park? Over the past months I have noticed water flowing in teal, pink and purple.

Ellen T.

Ellen, each of these colors boldly represents an important cause that may touch your life or the lives of your friends and family members.

Teal Ovarian Cancer Awareness Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Purple Pancreatic Cancer Awareness

Recently I had the opportunity to be part of the press conference held by the South Carolina Ovarian Cancer Foundation at the brink of this land-mark fountain as it turned teal. It was a moving expe-rience to see the survivors and families on this day of recognition. One of my c o w o r k e r s was brought to tears. I want to express my sincere appreciation to the City of Greenville for allowing this great opportunity to build awareness about ovarian cancer. And a special thank you to Mayor Pro Tem David Sudduth, who shared some remarks about his personal connection to this devastating disease.

Branding is essential for all nonprofit organizations. An effective brand communicates mission, builds trust, raises awareness and impacts long-term sustainability. By turning the water on Main Street to representative brand colors, these organizations are creatively expressing their identities.

So the next time you walk past a fountain or sit on a bench to watch the giggling toddlers as they dodge the water drops, think about a cause that is near and dear to your heart and cast a penny.

Until next time,Debbie ([email protected])

By Debbie Nelson

Charitable reflections on branding

nonprofit matters

Debbie Nelson is the president and founder of DNA Creative Communica-tions, a public relations firm that part-ners with nonprofit and government organizations in the education, human services and sustainability sectors. Each year DNA offers its Live Here Give Here pro bono program and Shine the Light on Your Nonprofit workshop series.

MeG HAweS, executive director of the SC Ovarian

Cancer Foundation

Buy Local and Look GreatYour support of local businesses in Greenville when you shop for your holiday gi s has a much larger impact than you might think. Spending your money in Greenville at independent businesses has a ripple e ect on the local economy. e money you spend is reinvested in the community by the owners and employees of those businesses.

Shopping locally means a lot at Rush Wilson Limited. Our collection of clothing lines includes a number that are headquartered right here in Greenville: Southern Tide, Coast, F A MacCluer, and Kent Wool Socks. Buying products from these companies at local businesses really insures that your money stays in Greenville!

Southern Tide, founded by Allen Stephenson, a native of Greenville, features sportswear that focuses on comfort and t in styles that are fashionable, functional and distinctive.

Coast, founded at Pawleys Island by Greenvillians Blaine Henderson and Chad Odom and headquartered in Greenville, embraces a relaxed style, an easy going attitude and a passion for living. Coast is classic sportswear that will put you in that coastal frame of mind.

F A MacCluer, founded in Brooklyn, NY in 1922, and moved to Belton, SC in 1992, started out making quality, private label shirts for the most prestigious stores in America. Operated by brothers, John and Bob Ru alo, FA MacCluer produces beautifully tailored dress shirts and sport shirts with classic styling and traditional t.

Kent Wool Socks, created by Mark Kent, CEO of Kent Wool, is perhaps the Worlds Best Golf Sock. Made of a proprietary blend of Super ne Merino Wool, the socks promote wicking and comfort and reduce friction, abrasion and muscle fatigue. Available in a lot of fun colors and styles, it is the perfect sock for golf, tennis, jogging, hiking or whenever you are on your feet for hours at a time.

Reinvest in Greenville this Holiday Season.

by the Purveyors ofClassic American StyleTailored by the Purveyors ofClassic American StyleTailoredTailored

23 West North Street, Greenville, SC 29601864.232.2761 | www.rushwilson.com

Open Mon.-Sat. 9:30am - 5:30pmWed. 9:30am - 1:00pm

J112


uBJ

The Greenville County Council is developing an in-lieu property tax incentive to expedite an expansion project in the county by Michelin North America.

While we have no formal announcement at this time, these incentives make Greenville an attractive place to invest, said Brian Remsberg, public relations manager of Michelin.

Michelin is constantly exploring potential investment opportunities, he said.

Michelin applied for tax incentives in connection with the potential expansion of certain manufacturing and related facilities at one or more locations in the county, according to the countys notice of public hearing,

which was held Dec. 4.Greenville County council

chairman H.G. Butch Kirven said the county hopes the project materializes, but it is not definite. The in-lieu property tax incentive is a factor in helping the company make some strategic decisions that are yet to be made.

Michelin, which has had its North American headquarters in Greenville since 1988, has been in expansion mode in South Carolina.

In April, it announced commitment to spend $750 million to build a plant adjacent to its Starr rubber processing plant in Anderson County to make giant earthmover tires for the global market.

It will be Michelins third Anderson facility. It also has a rubber processing plant in Sandy Springs.

The company expects to employ 500 workers when production of the earthmover tires is under way at Starr.

Michelin is also expanding its existing earthmover tire plant in Lexington County, and it completed a $200 million expansion of its light truck and

passenger tire plant in Lexington this fall.

The Starr plant will be Michelins ninth manufacturing facility South Carolina and its 19th in North America. It is the largest manufacturing employer in the state.

Contact Dick Hughes at [email protected].

County tax incentive may aid michelin expansionBy Dick Hughes senior business writer

a factor in helping the company make some strategic decisions that are yet to be made. Greenville County council chairman H.g. Butch kirven about the countys hopes for Michelins expansion project

THE IN-LIEU PROPERTY TAx INCENTIVE IS

864-281-3820 | 743 Congaree, GreenvilleOpen Tues. - Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-5

K122Swww.clothesmakethemanllc.com

ne mens clothing that personi es style,sophistication and elegance

A better read on local business.

Submit story ideas to: [email protected]

Advertising Information: 864.679.1200

Every Week.

Everywhere.


uBJ

For many people, the holiday season smells of evergreen. We put up lights and spend time with family and friends sharing stories of the past year and enjoying well-loved company.

The holidays often prove to be a time of re ection and remembrance of the past years successes and failings; such as how our kids were once smaller and what they did those years when they got up too early on Christmas morning. We remember the smiles and laughter and feeling of excitement. We dont generally remember the times when we worked weekends and missed the kids performances.

The experiences with those we care for most are the real joy of the holidays. You wont nd them in any store and you dont need a coupon code.

Most of us will work hard for decades. Some of us will take the time to re ect and consider what is most important to us, and some will take some action to enhance and affect what it is we care for. Some of us will put one foot in front of the other and walk along like the proverbial gerbil on a wheel, only looking up when circumstance requires.

Financial planning is bene cial to de ning goals and giving meaning to the work we do. Maybe you are committed to sending the kids to college without debt. Maybe you are looking to reach that place of nancial independence that allows you a little more time to travel. Maybe youre trying to just get a little bit ahead. Good planning takes into account who and what we love the most.

We remind you this year to love those closest to you and take a moment without the cell phone or tablet to listen and be present with each other. These connections are what your family will remember just as you remember your childhood family holidays.

So if youre playing Santa this year, enjoy it; but remember, its the time, the love, and the listening that build the connections. Stuff is just stuff. Your kids might have more fun building forts out of the boxes if you play too.

Christopher A. Brown, CPA, PFS is the COO of Family Legacy, Inc. and has been helping people plan and save for the future since 1995. You may visit us online at www.falegacy.comor call us at 864-233-0808.

What Matters Most

I want a flash website. That is one of the things I hear

when meeting someone about de-signing and building a website for the first time. Why do they want flash? Because somewhere they heard that flash makes things move around on a website and thats cool.

Its also a misnomer because Flash is a specific product that doesnt translate to most (OK, almost all) Apple products, which means that a companys website wont function on most platforms. What the customer wants are things moving, but the only way they can describe it is by saying flash.

Its a minor frustration, but a symptom of what many small busi-ness owners face even as we move quickly toward 20 years of the word website being part of the American vocabulary. They know terms like SEO, Flash, social media and the like, but dont quite have the time, energy and tools to make it all work.

And it is a reason that as an own-er of a company that specializes in Web design, I sometimes (OK, often) cringe when I see a lot of the websites out there. Many harken back to the mid-to-late 1990s era of designs, which is akin to trying to play an MP3 on a record player. Something will happen, but not what you expect or really want.

A bad website sends up a warn-ing sign to potential clients. Image is the most important thing to remember when creating a website. People make a judgment on some-one in about five seconds when meeting them for the first time. It is less time when looking at a website. Everything about a business can be summed up in the human mind in the time it takes most people to sneeze. Scary.

So what can a small business owner do to make their site look like it wasnt created by Fred Flint-

stones programmer cousin using some slate and a chisel?

Keep updating. Most people get really excited about a new web-site, but then lose interest in a few months, which means things dont get updated. When things dont get updated, it makes it look like your business is out of business.

Tweak the site often. Just like a car tune-up, making small changes every few months to the colors, styles, and pictures will let people know you are active.

Plan social media. You have Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Good. Do you have a plan to use them? No? Then maybe you should rethink your time doing social me-dia. Posting the same items with no response or posting nothing at all is often a negative as opposed to a positive when it comes to social media. I think every company can benefit from social media, but only if they have a strategy.

Drive people to the site. A website is a window into your business, but not a door. Find ways to get people looking for your site. Use e-mail campaigns and other techniques to get people looking for your business online.

That sounds easy, but many small business owners dont think about those basic rules when developing their Web presence. Not surpris-ing, considering all of the issues and challenges one faces each day when running a business but it doesnt have to be that way.

A website should be a tool that makes your business better, not hinders your progress. Think about that the next time you go looking at websites.

Four simple rules for a good website

guest column

By Chris Manley

Chris Manley is the manager partner of Engenius, a Greenville-based firm that specializes in strategically serving busi-nesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs through results-focused web design, mo-bile apps, and online marketing. Learn more at www.engeniusweb.com.


uBJ entrepreneur

Jump StartentrepreneursHip is everywHere

By Jenny Munro | contributor

Andrea Goodjoin built her business one cupcake at a time

Andrea Goodjoin is making her

mark on baking in Greenville through Divine Desserts by Andrea just as she once successfully navigated careers in corporate America and in fundraising for nonprofit organizations.

Divine Desserts is top of the line, she said, adding that she bakes old-fashioned cakes and cupcakes using some of her grandmothers recipes.

Goodjoin, the youngest of six chil-dren and one who has baked since she was a child, sold her first cake on Val-

entines Day in 2007 and incorporated the business in 2008. Initially, she was baking in her house. Over the next few years, she moved to a Project Host kitchen, then to a shared commercial kitchen and then again to Project Host. At that time, she established a cupcake cart in Haywood Mall and now is in a storefront bakery/cupcake cafe on Woodruff Road.

This is the best thing Ive ever done, she said. It gives me more visibility. Eventually she would like to hire >>

SuCCeSS iS divine and taSty

andrea goodjoin owner of divine desserts

Pho

tos

prov

ided

.


uBJ

more employees and lengthen the hours of operation.

Her next major goal is to expand her cake shipping business. Shes on the way, recently shipping a cake to Germany. She also ships throughout the United States.

This is a stepping stone, she said of the attractive cupcake cafe, painted in restful colors and filled with paper lanterns, fresh flowers and cupcakes many of them from recipes she created. She bakes in a kitchen behind the retail area.

Goodjoin signed the lease on her present location a year ago and moved into the space in April. She now has one full-time employee who helps run the business, but the cupcake cart had to be shut down.

I loved it. I miss it, she said, adding she could not handle two locations.

Starting a business just as the economy tanked took a lot of cour-age, but people enjoy our products, Goodjoin said. She said she knew from the beginning that she wanted customer service to set Divine Des-serts apart from other bakeries.

She also went after funding, obtaining a loan from Michelin Development Upstate. The organi-zation, funded by Greenville-based Michelin North America, provides loans to small business to help them create jobs through their entrepreneurial activities. The as-sistance allowed her to buy the cart she used in Haywood Mall.

Credit is still tight, she said. Its been frustrating.

She added that local, state and federal agencies need to help small businesses get started and survive. If a company has proven itself, it should be helped. Id like for small business to get a break.

Goodjoin markets her cakes and cupcakes by word-of-mouth advertising, online and through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, all social media sites.

Its a great way to market our-selves, she said of social media. It gets people to share informa-tion and their thoughts about our products.

Contact Jenny Munro at [email protected].

>>

If a company has proven itself, it should be helped. Id like for small business to get a break.

Andrea Goodjoin of Divine Desserts gets a new batch of cupcakes ready for the oven.

entrepreneur

Its about

the cuisine,

the ambiance

and all that Jazz.

864-242-BLUE | 300 River St., Ste 203, Greenville

Opening Soon andrea goodjoin

Since its first South Caro-lina store opened 13 months ago in Boiling Springs, QuikTrip, a convenience store and gas chain with locations in 11 states, has gone on a building blitz, opening its 16th Upstate location last week in Gaffney. Spokespeople say the aggressive growth will continue

into 2013, with 17 stores under construction in the Carolinas.

Three stores are under construc-tion in Greenville, according to Mike Thornbrugh, manager of public and government affairs: Augusta Road and Woodruff Road locations set to open in January and a Grove Road store slated to open in February.

The Oklahoma-based chain

has built across the Upstate, with three stores already operating in Greenville, four in Spartanburg and five in Anderson, plus outposts in Easley and Greer.

Thornbrugh says the sudden growth in the Carolinas is not typical for his company or for the industry. Opening 16 stores in just over a year is us coming in and be-ing very aggressive, he said. When we got to the Carolinas, there were lots of A-plus properties that were not utilized. You dont go in and build as many sites as we have un-less there were a lot of great sites available, and we grabbed them.

He said local officials involved

with zoning and other details have been helpful, allowing the company to develop the properties more rapidly.

an urBan legendWhile QuikTrip does use a

formula to decide where stores will be built, Thornbrugh declined to discuss how sites are selected. Obviously our competitors would love to know, he said.

He isnt sure why so many pre-miere sites were available in the Upstate, but said the reason for the sudden surge in stores has nothing to do with Greenville-based Spinx Co. or any former agreements be-tween QuikTrip and Spinx to stay out of certain territories. He calls the rumor an urban legend, that is not only inaccurate but violates federal law.

Melodie Hudson, a spokesper-son for Spinx, declined to com-ment on QuikTrips growth in the area and Spinxs growth plans, but said, There is not a deal and there was never a deal to stay out of each others area.

top 10In a 2011 report by Convenience

Store News, QuikTrip was ranked No. 10 on a list of corporate-run convenience stores. The chain has 638 stores in 11 states, Thornbrugh said.

Forbes Magazine recently ranked QuikTrip No. 26 on a list of the largest privately held


uBJ

Convenience and gas chain has opened 16 stores regionally in one year with more to come

cover story

>>Photo

s co

urte

sy o

f Qui

kTrip

Quiktrip builds across upstate



uBJ cover story

companies in the U.S., with 12,929 employees and total revenue at $10.77 billion.

Gas stations with convenience stores bring in $332 billion annual-ly in the U.S., according to an IBIS Market Research report released in Sept. 2012. There is potential for growth as the economy gains steam and more people travel by car. The report cites the Southeast as the top gas-consuming region, with 26 percent of all retail gas sales.

next generationEach Upstate location is what

QuikTrip calls a Generation Three design, with a larger footprint and a redesigned interior with six points of entry and exit instead of the previous two.

Its easier to traverse, and since the stores are busy, it spreads traffic and flow, Thornbrugh said.

Previous locations were 4,600 to 4,700 square feet, while the new locations are 5,700 square feet.

The stores also have more of a restaurant look, since many people go to QuikTrip not just for gas but

also for the food offered inside. The company sells 2 percent of all gas sold in the U.S, and the majority of profits come from the gas portion of the business, Thornbrugh said. But after focusing on improving food and drink offerings, QuikTrip has increased inside sales and now sells 3.5 to four times more snack foods, meals and drinks than any of its competitors, he said.

People say, How can you have fresh, quality food in a gas station? And we understand that, but weve overcome that in a lot of ways, Thornbrugh said. We have quality

control we make it, transport it and sell it. Its fresh, competitively priced and it tastes good.

The increased focus on food is relatively new to QuikTrip, which first tested bakery items, sandwiches and wraps five years ago in Tulsa.

It was obviously successful, because we changed the design of our stores to accommodate it and built kitchens in Atlanta, Tulsa, Kansas City, Dallas and Phoenix, Thornbrugh said. It was a big investment of capital and labor, but now everything is in place.

The distribution center and kitchen in Jefferson County, Ga., was another key factor to the rapid expansion in the Upstate, since food can be quickly distributed via I-85, he said.

Each Upstate store employs at least 15 people and represents a minimum $3.5 million investment, Thornbrugh said. In the year since the company arrived, QuikTrip has hired approximately 300 employ-ees in South Carolina, including a division office, real estate profes-sionals and facility support.


>>

669 N. Academy St., Greenville, SC864.679.6055 | 800.446.6567

www.propelhr.com

December is here and Santa is busy making his list. What about you? Have you made your HR checklist to get ready for 2013? Here are some items to add to your list:

If your company had more than 250 W-2s last year, then you must report the value of employer-sponsored health coverage on the 2012 W-2.

Any year end or holiday bonuses must be reported and taxed at the supplemental tax rate.

Gather any fringe benefits data and disability statements to make W-2 reporting easier.

Verify employees correct name, address and social security number for W-2s.

Prepare for 2013 taxes. Look for SC Unemployment rates in the mail. SC Unemployment tax will be assessed on the first $12,000 in wages for 2013.

Beware of what is happening if the fiscal cliff occurs. Payroll taxes may be affected, and as the employer, you need to watch for this.

For plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, salary reduction contributions for health flexible spending accounts (FSA) will be limited to $2,500.

2013 401(k) contribution limits will be $17,500 up from $17,000.

Prepare for Health Care Reform; dont wait until 2014.

o Go to www.healthcare.gov

o Do you have more than 50 full-time employee equivalents?

o Properly classify part-time and full-time employees. If your workforce is made up of variable employees whose hours vary each week, the IRS issued guidance on look back periods to evaluate their status. Look back periods will begin in 2013.

o Meet with advisors and decide if you are going to Pay or Play.

o Meet with your CPA to discuss potential tax credits.

Review the company handbook. Does your current practice follow your written policy?

Review PTO policies and balances if your paid time off is based on a calendar year.

December is more than holiday parties; it is an essential time for a company to prepare for the new year and to review past practices. With new challenges such as Health Care Reform, employers must be even more vigilant. Like Santa, check your list twice!

Preparing for2013

LEE YARBOROUGH

M122A

>>

Founded in 1958 by Chester Cadieux and Burt B. Holmes in Tulsa, Okla.

638 loCAtioNS in the South and Midwest, including 16 StoReS in the Upstate

12,929 employees

Total revenue at $10.77 billion

Sells 2 percent of all gas sold in the U.S.

Q u i k F a C t s :

Opening 16 stores in just over a year is us coming in and being very aggressive. When we got to the

Carolinas, there were lots of A-plus properties that were not utilized. You dont go in and build

as many sites as we have unless there were a lot of great sites available, and we grabbed them.

Mike thornbrugh, manager of public and government affairs


UBJ

High-impact entrepreneurs must be part of the Upstates economy if the region expects to continue growing and Accelerate, an eco-nomic development investment organization with about 100 members, is supporting some of these businesses.

The ultimate goal for Accelerate, affiliated with the Greenville Chamber, is to increase Greenville and the regions per capita income, said John Moore, the Chambers executive vice president. Currently, that metric continues to inch down Greenville County is now about where it was in the mid-1980s relative to the rest of the country.

Were growing, just not growing as fast as the rest of the country, Moore said. He likens the per capita income measurement to a pulse or blood pressure. It doesnt tell whats wrong. It tells you whether youre healthy or not.

Economic development experts said Acceler-ate is on the right track.

I think they have an aspiration model, said Bruce Yandle, dean emeritus of Clemson Universitys College of Business and Behavioral Science. It gives focus to a number of key activi-ties that reinforce making progress on that goal of raising per capita income.

To reach its goal, Accelerate focuses on recruiting and growing world-class talent, im-proving business conditions and supporting the growth of high-impact entrepreneurship. In the first three years of its five-year existence, the or-ganization has invested an average of $323,450 a year. It annually spends $50,000 to reimburse the Chamber for start-up costs, $40,000 for a diversity program and $15,000 for the Economic Scorecard. That leaves nearly $218,000 a year to support Accelerates other goals.

The organization, made up of large and

small businesses, is a segregated effort, with dedicated funding sources, for specific projects, Moore said.

Accelerates biggest single project is the NExT Innovation Center, which began operating full-time three years ago and receives about 57 percent of Accelerates budget.

NExT is about 96 high-technology compa-nies considered high-impact entrepreneurial companies with the potential to grow. Member companies are based in the region, own intellec-tual property and have or plan to have a market outside the Southeast. The requirement that company headquarters be local will allow the region to grow its own headquarters operations after losing many to changes in the economy over the past two or three decades.

We need to fill the back end, growing them, Moore said. They are seedlings. They are not yet trees.

Accelerate aims to boost the Upstates per capita income

FUNDING

THE BIG IDEA

By Jenny Munro | contributor

>>

Photo by Greg Beckner

Touring Sport

1431 Laurens Rd.Greenville, SC 29607864-232-2269

bmw.touringsportbmw.com

Where excitement, speed, and adventure are a way of life.

2012 BMW R 1200 GS | $18,790.00 MSRP | 48 mos./$259* per mo.*Based on SC Sales Tax. No Money Out of Pocket For Quali ed Buyers.

ELECTRONIC SUSPENSION HEATED GRIPS CHROME EXHAUST PIPE ON BOARD COMPUTER SADDLE BAG MOUNTS HAND PROTECTION INTEGRAL ABS ll BRAKES

M112A

uBJWhile these high-impact

businesses are small, they are different from traditional small businesses, many of which are content to remain relatively small and slow-growing, he said.

Small business is essential, he said. These folks, however, have different needs. As they grow, they will be customers of traditional small businesses.

NExT is seeing results, growing and having an impact, he said.

In the past 12 months NExTs 96 companies added an additional 168 new jobs for a total of 662 full-time direct jobs. The average salary is $68,580, 172 percent of Greenville County average wages. The companies reported a total payroll of $43.34 million in full-time direct jobs.

Also, the companies economic impact includes a total of 1,654 full-time jobs, including both direct and indirect jobs, Moore said. The companies employed 104 interns during the past 12 months and raised $34.445 million in capital.

After just a few short years, the support and infrastructure projects led by NExT are producing substantial results, said Pe-ter Waldschmidt, NExT advisory board chair and CEO of Gnoso. The outstanding capital investment and job growth numbers re-ported for the past 12 months dem-onstrate that high-growth t e c h n o l o g y ventures can f l o u r i s h here.

NExT is one of several Upstate activities that fit the regions transition to a high-knowledge economy, Yandle said. Others include the Clemson MBA for entrepreneurs program based in downtown Greenville, Clemsons International Center for Automo-tive Research, the new medical school and expanded hospital sys-tem and the Angel Network system for raising capital.

They all fit perfectly, he said. Greenvilles economy also supports the transition from high-volume, relatively low-value, companies to high-value companies, some of which are still high-volume.

Some of the Upstates manu-facturers, such as Sage Interiors, BMW, Michelin, GE and others, fall into that category, he said.

Accelerate retains about 6 percent of its budget for catalytic projects, Moore said. One exam-ple was the successful regional effort to woo Southwest Airlines to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. Another example that was envisioned and mostly completed before Acceler-ate existed is Falls Park.

Who could have known how Falls Park changed Greenville?

>>

he said.That funding is for big ideas

either a threat such as air pollution or an opportunity such as South-west, he said. One such idea is the Enterprise Campus proposed at Greenville Technical College. That facility would train and educate workers for advanced manufactur-ing jobs and provide an incubator for start-up companies that fall into the high-impact range.

Accelerate, NExT and

other organizations are playing a long-run game, Yandle said.

The short-time fix would be what South Carolina does now build industrial parks, install sewer and rail lines and recruit industry to the region to build a plant and hire a couple of hundred workers.

By looking to the long-run and seeking more wealth-building that will remain in the region, the or-ganizations are using leadership muscle, he said.

We are trying to build a whole new foundation, a whole new footing, for the county that is complementary to what is here now, Moore said.

He said the Upstate is facing a transition from traditional manu-facturing to a knowledge-based economy just as it did when it tran-sitioned from agriculture to indus-trial. Agriculture still remains as part of the states economy and manufacturing will continue to be an important part of the economy as knowledge-based companies be-gin driving the regional economy.

Contact Jenny Munro at [email protected].

-

by the numbersIn the first three years, Accelerate

has invested an average of

$323,450 a year...

$50,000 to reimburse the Chamber for start-up costs

$40,000 for a diversity program

$15,000 for the Economic Scorecard

approx. $218,000 remaining, annually, to support

Accelerates other goals.

-

=

-


UBJ

Some Greenville businesses could soon be getting unexpected but welcome birthday gifts from the city.

Tucked inside more than 100 pages of revisions and additions to the citys code of ordinances is an anniversary discount on business license fees on some resident businesses.

There are abatements to entice new businesses into the city, said Jodie Dudash, revenue administrator in the citys business license department. This is to reward existing businesses.

Resident businesses will remit their annual business license fees as they now do, but in years

when business license fee revenue equals or exceeds the previous years revenue, the city will refund anniversary discounts to businesses that have reached longevity milestones, Dudash said.

Resident businesses that have been operating in the city for 10 years will receive a 5 percent discount, businesses operating for 15 years will get a 7.5 percent discount and businesses operating for 20 years will get a 10 percent discount. Businesses will continue to receive a 10 percent discount in each five-year increment after that.

The anniversary discount is capped at $10,000.

Dudash said if business license revenue is lower than the previous

years revenue the anniversary discount wont be given and the businesses would have to wait until their next five-year increment.

I dont foresee that happening, she said.

Businesses that qualify for an anniversary discount wont have to do anything to get their money. After verifying the businesses that qualify Dudash estimates about 500 businesses will qualify for discounts in 2013 the city will mail out checks.

In addition, the city will offer early payment discounts of 2 percent to businesses that pay their business license fees by the end of January.

Contact Cindy Landrum at [email protected].

Greenville says happy birthday to businesses with license rebatesBy Cindy Landrum | staff

READ IT.

KNOW IT.

GROW IT.

uBJUpstate

bUsiness JoUrnal


UBJ digital maven

Theres a lot of new technology coming out right now geared at building fourth-quarter sales and capitalizing on (for business) the end-of-year smart buying spree and (for consum-ers) the holiday shopping season.

Heres a look at two recent tech-nology developments and what they may mean to your business.

Microsoft releases windows 8 with its Metro live tile interface

Is this an exciting new develop-ment? Apparently not. According to the research firm NPD, in the first four weeks of Windows 8, PC sales dropped 21 percent over the same period last year. Laptop sales were off even more 24 percent.

Why? Speculation abounds about Microsoft and where it is go-ing. But from a business perspec-tive, I am leery of an OS where the first descriptive terms in marketing materials are Vibrant and Beauti-ful. The Metro interface with live tiles updating with social media, email and other live connections is appealing to a consumer market, but less so for business.

Three things to consider before upgrading to Windows 8 for your business:

The learning curve for staff. Most businesses have spent a lot of time, money and effort getting their

gumbies and grumpies to adapt to new systems. Windows 8 is a major departure from anything familiar. Consider how youre going to adapt your staff before you plop it down on the desk.

Getting the bugs out. If you are a small business without an IT team, you may also want to steer clear of buying something new and cool that has just been released. New and cool often come hand-in-hand with their friends buggy and unstable. If you have limited IT support in-house, you might want to wait a release or two.

Playing well with others. If your business uses any special software outside the major suites like Adobes Creative Suite or MS Office make sure it will run on a new operating system. Roll-ing back to a previous OS when you learn some critical piece of software doesnt work on the new one is a ton of work lost time, productivity and revenue.

apple vs. the worldWe are often divided by

psychographic preferences and allegiances: Are you a Republican or Democrat? A smoker or non-smoker? A pink-packet person or any other flavor of artificial sweetener? And, of course, Apple products or anything else.

New data released last week

shows that for the August-October 2012 period, Apples operating sys-tem regained its lead over Googles Android as most popular in the U.S. iPhones held 48 percent of the market share over Androids 46.7 percent. Researchers Kantar World-panel ComTech project Apple will beat its previous record-high share over the rest of the year and through the critical holiday sales period.

If you are considering adding smartphones to your team or bringing in some tablets, should this Apple vs. Android sales race play into your decision? No way.

There are three things you should be looking at, though:

Apps. Which platform has the apps you need to put in the hands of your staff? If there are tools you use in the office, look to see which ones have mobile app versions and which functions they offer.

Management capabilities. When you give your employees a smartphone or tablet, you have to accept the fact that they will send some personal emails or take calls from their spouses every now and then. But you may not want them downloading Instagram, Angry Birds or Spotify. Several third-party vendors have mobile management suites for devices that let you control the software that is installed, implement a standard software set and deploy it quickly to each new device, and institute policies that limit downloads and

browsing similar to controls you currently have on your desktops. If you want to learn more about mo-bile device management, theres a good informational webinar here: http://goo.gl/SrAxO. (Fair warn-ing: This is from a company that sells a device management suite, but the general information is still well presented).

Interoperability. Basically, the ability of your mobile devices to communicate and integrate with your other systems. Company contacts, CRM, shared calendars, cloud servers or local data via secure connections. Which mobile devices have the best apps and OS to make those connections easy and seamless for users on the go?

The Gartner Group conducted a survey in April that showed 58 percent of all enterprises were planning to make Apple their primary mobile platform in 2013. Twenty percent were planning to standardize on BlackBerry and only 9 percent were choosing An-droid. The reason? Weaker man-agement support. That may change over time, but for now, its an issue to consider. Read the report: http://goo.gl/z6HdH.

With new tech products, its buyer beware

By Laura Haight

Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (www.portfoliosc.com), a communications company based in Greenville. She is a former IT executive, journalist and newspaper editor. Connect with the Digital Maven on Facebook/theDigitalMa-ven and share ideas, comments, suggestions and your input on the weekly question.

VS.


uBJ new to the street

Acorn & Arrow recently opened in the Stones Point shopping center on Wade Hampton Blvd. and specializes in unique found objects, antiques and a variety of other discoveries ranging from ornate candlesticks to original oil.

UrbanDigs recently opened in the Stones Point shopping center on Wade Hampton Blvd. and features a variety of unique home decor as well as local and regional art, antiques and refurbished pieces.

Quest Brewing Company will begin production of American and B e l g i a n - s t y l e craft beers in 2013 from their 55 Airview Drive location in Greenville. The 5 3 0 0 - s q u a r e -foot facility will house a 25-barrel

brewing system used to make several ales for distribution in the regional area. QBCs building will also feature a stylish tasting room used for growler fills, live music, weekly tours and numerous special events.

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC, and are: not deposits, not insured by FDIC or any other government agency, not guaranteed by the financial

institution, Subject to risk, may lose value. Raymond James is not affiliated with the investment center or the financial institution.

Please consult a tax advisor before implementing any tax strategy.

12PA

L588

8

You cant avoid paying taxes, but you may be able to avoid paying more than you have to. Let us help you determine if you can reduce the amount you owe the IRS, and pay yourself instead.

The Palmetto Bank Trust and Investment Group is here to help make sure more of your money stays where it belongswith you.

Remember, you only have until April 15, so call us today to speak with one of our financial advisors.

A division of The Palmetto Bank




12PA

L588

8








12PA

L588

8








12PA

L588

8






uBJ commercial development

Keith Jones and Scott Jones represented the landlord of 1615 Wade Hampton Blvd., Suite A, Greenville, in leasing a 2,050 SF office space to Stair & Co., CPA, PA.

David Feild and tyson Smoak represented the landlord of 105 N. Spring St., Greenville, in leasing a 2,070 SF office space to Resort Custom Homes, LLC.

Hunter Garrett and John Staunton represented the landlord of 2355 Hwy. 101 S. (Lakeside Business Center), Greer, in leasing a 3,000 SF flex space to ROFA Technology, LLC.

ted lyerly and Jimmy wright represented the landlord of 3093 S. Hwy. 14 (Pelham Place Shopping Center), Greer, in leasing a 2,400 SF retail space to Min Hibachi.

Keith Jones and Scott Jones represented the landlord of 3453 Pelham Rd., Greenville, in leasing a 1,814 SF office space to Creative Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc.

David Feild and tyson Smoak represented the landlord of 511 Rhett St. (The Old Cotton Warehouse), Greenville, in leasing a 2,193 SF office space to InvestiNet, LLC.

Dan Dunn represented the seller of 233 S. Pine St., Spartanburg, in selling a 13,000 SF office investment property. The Investment Services Group of NAI Earle Furman represented the buyer in the transaction.

Glenn Batson represented the seller of 6235 White Horse Rd., Greenville, in selling a 3,600 SF industrial property.

dealmakers

Krispy Kreme is putting up its first new-concept doughnut shop on Woodruff Road.

Construction is expected to be complete in early January with an opening in mid-month.

This is the first of a new prototype building done as a result of some consumer research, said Lafeea Watson, corporate spokeswoman for Krispy Kreme in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Weve opened up our shop windows more, emphasized our red and green colors more and created an outdoor seating environment. New space-efficient equipment will be used to bake doughnuts.

The new Krispy Kreme Factory will have 2,400 square feet of interior space and will include a drive-through

Hot doughnuts soon

NAI Earle Furmans Greenville and Spartanburg offices recently teamed up to bring a seller and buyer together on the sale of an office investment property. The Wells Fargo and Ward Law Firm Building located at 233 S. Pine St. in Spartanburg was listed by Dan Dunn of NAI Earle F u r m a n s Spartanburg o f f i c e . NAI Earle F u r m a n s Greenville office was the procuring broker. The property sold for $1.3 million.

service window. It is located at 1215-B Woodruff Road.Krispy Kreme said it plans to hire 50 full- and part-time

employees. Applications must be done online at www.sweetplacetowork.com.

RealtyLink of Greenville is the developer; Colliers International of Columbia is handling the lease.

Chuck Langston of Langston-Black Real Estate Inc. represented the Forrestor Estate in the sale of an 18-acre horse farm on Pennington Road in Greer. The purchaser was represented by Johnny Phillips of Home Express Real Estate.

$1.3 million office property sold


UBJ

Pho

to b

y R

andy

Had

away

People have admired Tamra Glenns moves, discussed her on Facebook and even dressed up like her for Halloween. She certainly didnt expect such local fame when she started working at Greenville Gold & Silver on Woodruff Road as a sign holder.

Area businesses on busy thoroughfares are hiring people often called sign spinners or human billboards to grab attention, increase name recognition and drive store traffic.

Bill Maxey, a manager at Greenville Gold & Silver, said customers tell him every day that they came in because of the We Buy Gold girl.

People go by places like this with a sign person, and they go by a few times, Maxey said. Then theyll start to have recall. It doesnt happen on the first trip. But traveling Woodruff Road every day, they become acquainted with her, like they know her. Theres that touch of personal service you are getting subliminally.

I plant seeds, Glenn said as she donned her trademark hat, glasses and earbuds to begin a six-hour shift dancing and waving the sign.

Thats exactly what Dan Hilliard wanted when he hired Glenn for the opening of his business eight months ago. People feel a loyalty to her, being out there on the road, he said. They realize there is a gold place there. In a month, if they need to sell precious metals, theyll remember that place.

For a while, a mannequin took Glenns place, along with a moving mechanical sign. Not only did people notice Glenns absence, but county code enforcement officials told Hilliard the mechanical sign was too distracting for motorists.

I guess a person is not as distracting, Glenn said.

Dr. Sean ORourke, a professor of communications studies at Furman University, said this form of advertising is effective because of the natural connection made between human beings.

People note that a person is willing to stand there for a product or service, he said. And as you are sitting in traffic, there is an interest generated, and a humor value that is important.

Hilliard said one of the reasons Glenn has become well-known in the area is her longevity. I thought shed last a week or so. Its a hard job.

Chris Morris, who also works on Woodruff Road, has been in the sign-holding business for more than seven years.

Its guerilla marketing, said Morris, who works for The Buyer,

which buys gold, platinum, diamonds and silver.

Holding signs increases business. I attract a lot of attention, he said, saluting and waving to the passing cars. On this day, hes sporting a curly wig and a shirt with a colorful target. The stupider you act, the more attention you get.

ORourke speculated that certain businesses, such as precious metal buyers and pizza shops, use this form of guerilla marketing because they operate on a small margin. Paying for ads on TV or radio wont allow them to hit their margin, he said. Sign holders are a more cost-effective way to make an impression on the target audience.

A representative of The Buyer, who requested anonymity, says the precious metals business is very competitive, which is why so many of them use sign holders.

You just have to try and get an edge, he said. Its more effective than just a standing sign, because its something that will attract your attention. We track it, and it seems fairly effective.

Morris has previously held signs for Liberty Income Tax and Dominos Pizza, in the heat of summer and during snowstorms.

Liberty Tax Service, which has 4,100 offices in the U.S. and Canada, has been using sign spinners usually dressed as the Statue of Liberty since 2000, and its been so effective, they now hire thousands of seasonal workers per year.

For Glenn, its a job that allows her to get outside and bring in business while getting in shape. Her six-hour shifts, six days per week, have helped her shed about 40 pounds.

I have schoolkids that love me, Glenn said. People either love me or hate me. But either way, she makes sure they know she is there.


Signs, signs, everywhere a signHuman billboards boost awareness, business


Tamra Glenn waves a We Buy Gold sign to passing motorists on Woodruff Road.


UBJ

Banking South Carolina Bank and Trust recently announced that Chris Ward has been promoted to senior vice president. Ward joined SCBTs Greenville office in 2008 as assistant vice president and private banker. He was later promoted to vice president, leading to his current promotion as senior vice president.

ConstruCtion/engineering Goodwyn, Mills, and Cawood, Inc., recently announced that Kev-in Laird, PE, has been selected for the 2013 class of Leadership South Carolina. The statewide leadership program, sponsored by Clemson Universitys Institute for Economic and Community Development at the Sandhill Research and Educa-tiont Center, examines education, healthcare, economic development, and environmental initiatives for a deeper understanding of how policies affect South Carolina and impact its quality of life.

Fuller Consulting Engineers, Inc. recently announced that Jamison W. Hupp, Assoc. AIA received the GBCI LEED AP for Homes credential. The company also added Kimberly Brookshire as executive administrator and Clinton D. Rob-erts, Assoc. AIA, as intern architect. Hupps new credential comes from the Green Building Certification

Institute and was created to denote practical knowledge of the LEED for Homes rating system. Brookshire has over 20 years of experience in office administration, marketing and finance within the architecture, engineering and construction indus-try. Roberts has worked in landscape construction management and as an intern architect at CainRash West Architects in Kingsport, Tenn.

ONeal Inc., a Greenville-based integrated design and construction firm, recently added Brian Neal as senior estimator and Al Pepper as controls design specialist. Neal has more than 25 years of project management and estimating experi-ence and comes to ONeal from SYS Constructors Inc. where he served as chief estimator. Pepper returns to ONeal having previously served several roles with the company from 1996-2006. He most recently served as senior systems programmer with Global Automation Partners. Pepper has more than 30 years experience in the automation business.

Tommy Sinn, vice president and general manager of Five Star Plumbing Heating Cooling, re-cently received the Building Analyst Professional certification from the Building Performance Institute. He is currently the only HVAC profes-sional in the Upstate holding this

certification. It allows him to per-form comprehensive, whole-home assessments to identify construction defects in houses and prescribe solu-tions based on building science.

entrepreneursHip Ruta Fox of DivineDiamonds.com was named one of Mo.coms Top 10 Entrepreneurs Over 40. Rutas chal-lenge when starting Divine Diamonds was actually lack of experience in her new field, but she used her expertise in marketing and PR to grow and gain publicity for her new venture, which gained her placement on The O List in O, The Oprah Magazine.

HealtHCare Interim HealthCare of Upstate SC recently announced that Amanda McHugh Stilwell was awarded the designation of Certified Senior Advisor from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA). Stilwell had to meet the stringent requirements established by the SCSA Certification Council by passing an exam, back-ground check, requirement of contin-ued education, and commitment to serve the seniors in the community.

legal Gallivan White & Boyd P.A. recently announced that Amity S. Edmonds has joined the Greenville office as an associate on the firms workers compensation team.

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A. has added William C. McKinney to the firms Greenville office as a member of the firms business liti-gation and financial services teams, where he will be representing clients in complex business, commercial and financial litigation matters.

real estate Allen Tate Realtors announced that Judy Patrick has joined the Greenville office. She brings a unique perspective due to her vast experience in assisting corporations relocate their transferees all over the world.

teCHnology Green Cloud Technologies, a Cloud technology solutions provider headquartered in Greenville, has hired Dave Hopper as dealer sales manager in Charleston. Hopper will be based out of Green Clouds Charleston loca-tion, which opened in early July. Prior to joining Green Cloud, Hopper served as a director of account management at Windstream (formerly NUVOx), where he was responsible for leading a team of account managers with over 2,500 customers and $2.4M in monthly recurring revenue

Joel Jones Joined Renewable water Resources (Rewa) as its new pretreatment program manager. Jones began his career with ReWa in August 1993 as an operator trainee, where he gained experience in the laboratory, pretreatment and operations departments and was named the west operations manager.

Gary Cohen Named General Manager of Hyatt Regency Greenville by JHM Hotels. Cohen came from Charleston, where he spent the last five years serving as the General Manager of the Market Pavilion Hotel. He has also served as the General Manager of the J.W. Marriott Hotel at Lenox in Atlanta, and the Columbia Marriott.

Nika whiteGreenville Chamber Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion; was invited to serve on the SC Commission for Minority Affairs Minority Business Development Program Advisory Committee. The committee seeks to help guide and direct policies relevant to the Commissions Minority Business Development Program.

Michael tuohey Appointed as chief financial officer for SANDlAPPeR Securities llC. Tuohey joins SANDLAPPER from First Midwest Securities Inc., where he was senior vice president and CFO. He has also held roles in Bankers Retirement Solutions and First Dominion Capital Corporation.

hired hired selectedMichael AllenProject manager at Goodwyn, Mills, and Cawood; has been selected as a 2014 liberty Fellow. The prestigious statewide program honors leaders committed to the challenges and potential of South Carolina. Liberty Fellows attend four rigorous seminars over a two-year period designed to promote leadership and service in South Carolina.

honoredhired

on the move

New hires, promotions, award-winners, or stand-out employees can be featured in

On The Move... send information & a photo.

movers and shakers

[email protected]

uBJPLANNER

Friday December

Monday December

Tuesday December

Wednesday December

Thursday December

First Friday Leadership Series Clemson at the Falls, 55 E. Camperdown Way, Greenville; 5:30-7 p.m. Speaker Pete Selleck, chairman & president of Michelin North America. Free & open to the public. Contact Pris Foster [email protected] or 864-656-5802.

Launch Pad competition Clemson at the Falls, 55 E. Camperdown Way, Greenville; 2-4 p.m. Information at www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/spiro/launchpadsc/index.html

Annual SYP Christmas Party Main Street Pub, 252 W. Main St., Spartanburg; 7-9 p.m. Free & open to all SYP members & guests. Please bring items to donate to the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen. For information contact [email protected].

First Friday Luncheon Greer City Hall, 301 E. Poinsett St., Greer; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Speaker: Michael Cogdill, WYFF 4 News Anchor. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register at www.greerchamber.com

GCS Roundtable: Transitioning Your Skills The Office Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Dr., Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m. Speaker: Perry Farr. Request invitation from Golden Career Strategies at 864-527-0425.

Holiday Member Social Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce, 105 North Pine St., Spartanburg; 5:30-7 p.m. No cost to attend. No reservations required. Please bring an item to donate to a local food pantry.

Business Before Hours Commerce Club of Greenville, 55 Beattie Place, Ste. 1700, Greenville; 7:30-9:30 a.m. Open to Greenville Chamber members only. Cost: $7 for pre-register, $10 at the door, or $5 if also Commerce Club member. Contact Dot Drennon at [email protected] or Lorraine Woodward at 864-239-3742.

Diversity Connections CityRange Steakhouse, 774 Spartan Blvd., Spartanburg; noon-1:30 p.m. Guest speaker is Asha McMillian of MAU. The event is open to members & guests. Contact Doug Gregory at 864-594-5062 or [email protected].

THE LAST GSA Technology Council Learning Lunch Embassy Suites Hotel, 670 Verdae Boulevard, Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Includes lunch. RSVP required at http://www.GSTAC.org.

Dynamic Presentations Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 105 N. Pine St., Spartanburg; 2:30 -5p.m. Dale Carnegie Trainings Business Social Media workshop. Open to the public. Free to Chamber members & $45 to nonmembers. Contact Meric Gambel at 864-594-5030 or [email protected].

The Greater Mauldin Chambers Annual Womens Christmas Luncheon Ryan Nicholas Inn, 815 Holland Rd., Simpsonville; 11:30 a.m. Open to all Mauldin Chamber ladies, their co-workers & friends. Cost: $25 per person (due by Dec. 10) to Greater Mauldin Chamber of Commerce. Call 864-297-1323 or email [email protected] for information.

Business After Hours Hampton Inn, 3934 Grandview Dr., Simpsonville; 5:30-7:30 p.m. Open to Simpsonville Area Chamber & Mauldin Chamber members. Contact Selena Kelly 864-963-9292.

7 social

Submit your event: [email protected]

10

11

13

atHena leadersHip syMposiuM(Counterclockwise, from above)

Greenville Chamber Board of Directors Chair-Elect Luanne Runge introduces the keynote speaker for the Athena Leadership Symposium, Sharon Decker.

A large crowd was on hand for the Athena Leadership Symposium at the Poinsett Club.

Sharon Decker, CEO of The Tapestry Group, speaks to the crowd gathered for the Athena Leadership Symposium.

Greenville Chamber Board of Directors Chair Mike Riordan, CEO of the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, makes a few remarks at the Athena Leadership Symposium held at the Poinsett Club.

Minor Shaw, president of MICCO LLC, makes closing remarks at the Athena Leadership Symposium.

12

Pho

tos

by G

reg

Bec

kner


UBJCable maker acquires Canadian firm

AFL, the Dun-can-based maker and servicer of optic cables and components, has acquired ALTA Group, a Canadian-based telecommunications management and services provider with op-erations in North America, the United Kingdom and Europe.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.Jody Gallagher, president and CEO of AFL,

said ALTA broadens AFLs capabilities and al-lows it to significantly expand our offering into the Canadian market.

ALTA puts AFL more completely into the telecommunications serv

dec. 7, 2012 ubj

Documents