july 17, 2015 ubj
DESCRIPTION
Upstate Business Journal published for the Upstate of South Carolina. Designed and created by Community Journals.TRANSCRIPT
COMPLIMENTARY
JULY 17, 2015 | VOL. 4 ISSUE 29
‘I LIKE TO BUILD’
GHS’ Sam Konduros has a long history cultivating relationships,
making connections, and getting things done
Page 12
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Celebrating 75 Years ofMaking ConnectionsThat Succeed…
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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | 3upstatebusinessjournal.com
APRIL A. MORRIS | [email protected]
This week, Dollar Tree Inc. announced that it will make a $104.4 million investment and create 400 new jobs over the next five years as it establish-es a new distribution operation in Cherokee and Spartanburg counties.
According to the SC Department of Commerce, the operation will be in a new facility in the 500-acre Upstate Corporate Park near Interstate 85. Con-struction is expected to begin on the 1.5-million-square-foot facility this month, and hiring to begin in early 2016.
Dollar Tree will be able to take advantage of Greer’s Inland Port for transporting import goods, according to SC Ports Authority presi-dent and CEO Jim Newsome. “The port’s investment in infra-structure to support Dollar Tree operations will be returned through significant volumes over the coming years, and we look forward to serving their import logistics needs,” said Newsome in a statement.
Dollar Tree CEO Bob Sasser said in a statement, “We have been very impressed with the busi-ness-friendly approach and support that the State of South Carolina and counties of Cherokee and Spartanburg have provided. This project demon-strates our commitment to the Upstate area by creating hundreds of jobs in the region. We are proud to become a bigger part of the local community.”
Dollar Tree received a $1.5 million Set Aside grant
from the Coordinating Council for Economic De-velopment to help with the cost of property improve-ments. It also received job development credits, according to the Commerce Department.
Headquartered in Chesapeake Bay, Va., Dollar Tree operates more than 13,600 stores in 48 states and in Canada under the names Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Deals and Dollar Tree Canada. There are more than 100 stores in South Carolina, according to the company.
Dollar Tree to open new Upstate distribution center $104.4M investment could create 400 news jobs in Cherokee, Spartanburg counties
BY THE NUMBERS:
$104.4 million investment
1.5 million – square-foot facility
400 new jobs
5 years to achieve
On success
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”
Vince Lombardi
TBA
4 | THE RUNDOWN | TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK UBJ | 07.17.2015
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 29
Featured this issue:MoonClerk bootstraps itself into orbit 10Sam Konduros gets it done at GHS 12‘Adult playground’ coming to West Greenville 16
VERBATIM
WORTH REPEATING
“It’s like the bank is open and we can go through the drawers of the bank to see if
we can find any gold nuggets.”Page 5
“When you work for an agency whose mission is protect and promote the public
health and environmental integrity of South Carolina, it doesn’t get much better than
that … on what gets your employees out of bed in the morning.”
Page 6
“The more indispensible you try to make yourself, often the more
dispensable you become.”Page 12
MONEY SHOT: A $6 million grant will help a Clemson University research team advance the breeding of sorghum, a crop that could be a source of renewable energy. Both the stalk and seed of sorghum can be used in the production of biofuels. Read more on page 5. Image provided by Clemson University.
Java Fix Coffee and Deli has opened at 1225 Pendleton St. in the Village of West Greenville. The new location will serve lunch along with Leopard
Forest coffee. This is the second location for Fix, which is located on Wade Hampton Boulevard
near The Community Tap.
Look for Kung Fu Cantina, a new Asian fusion restaurant, to
open soon in Clemson at 101 Keith Street.
Word is The Donut Experiment, a create-your-own donut shop,
will open in early September at 2123 Augusta St., near Zoe’s
Kitchen and Starbucks.
Strong local knowledgeand talent
National perspectiveand resources
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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | AGRIBUSINESS | 5upstatebusinessjournal.com
ASHLEY BONCIMINO | [email protected]
A $6 million renewable fuels grant for Clemson researchers will fund a three-year project that could not only help farmers, but could accelerate future research by funding new sensory robots and systems that speed up the testing process, according Stephen Kresovich, project lead and director of Clemson University’s Institute of Translational Genomics.
“We’re trying to replace slow, cumbersome tech-niques with high-efficiency measurements of the process,” said Kresovich, who said his team of re-searchers are partnering with The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, the Danforth Plant Science Center and Near Earth Autonomy. “What we’re really doing is trying to advance the science of genetics and engineering simultaneously.”
The project is titled “Breeding high yielding bio-energy sorghum for the new bioenergy belt,” and is focused on maximizing energy from sorghum, a hardy plant currently used largely as feedstock.
But research on this level can be slow, as samples need to be taken manually, transported to the lab, dried and ground before they can be tested.
That’s where robotics comes in, he said. The grant
– one of six from the U.S. Department of Energy – will fund the design, development and engineering of both ground-based and aerial equipment studded with sensors that make measuring progress quicker and more precise. The new tools will also include machine learning platforms to help researchers comb through reams and reams of data to find gold nuggets of useful information, said Kresovich.
“In some instances it could be a Mars rover type of thing. In other instances it will be a flyover,” he said. “With the complexity of what we’re trying to do, it’s probably at the cutting edge, but science is steps in a process.”
With 30,000 genes in each unique sorghum plant,
Kresovich said researchers are focused on discovering how those networks of genes affect photosynthesis, which can affect how fast or how energy-rich a plant becomes. The time-intensive nature of this kind of research has held sorghum exploration back, he said, to the point where only around 20 percent of the 40,000 different plant varieties have been explored.
“It’s like the bank is open and we can go through the drawers of the bank to see if we can find any gold nuggets,” he said.
Progress for the three-year project will depend on how fast useful genes are discovered and developed and how quickly sensory systems and robotics can be designed and engineered, Kresovich said. The testing sites for the sorghum will be in South Caro-lina, primarily near Clemson and tentatively near Florence.
The Department of Energy awarded a total of $30 million in grants via its ARPA-E agency. Other projects included $8 million to Donald Danforth Plan Science Center in Missouri, $3.3 million to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washing-ton, $6.5 million to Purdue University in Indiana, $3.1 million to Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Texas and $3.1 million to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Illinois.
Clemson combines genomics, robotics research$6M renewable fuels grant aims to maximize energy from sorghum
“What we’re really doing is trying to advance the science of genetics and engineering simultaneously.”
Stephen Kresovich, director, Clemson
University Institute of Translational Genomics
6 | GOVERNMENT | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW UBJ | 07.17.2015
APRIL A. MORRIS | [email protected]
Former general counsel at Elliott Davis Decosimo and Duke Energy president Catherine Heigel was re-cently confirmed as the new executive director of the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). She talks with UBJ about motivating employees and making them feel valued.
Heigel gave a copy of “Drive” by Daniel Pink to many staff members. The book suggests that people are motivated by feeling part of some-thing bigger than themselves, by having the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to some-thing that matters and feeling valued in what they do, she said.
“When you work for an agency whose mission is protect and promote the public health and environmental integrity of South Carolina, it doesn’t get much better than that … on what gets your employees out of bed in the morning,” she said.
But it is also important to thank staff and let them know they are valued. “If you don’t take that time to reaffirm people’s value in that greater cause, then you miss a huge opportunity. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not something that’s intuitive for a lot of people,” said Heigel.
“[We need] dedicated resources
for recruitment … also dedicated resources to training and develop-ment,” she said. “It includes career mapping and succession planning.”
Much of that planning currently happens on an ad hoc basis, Heigel said. “It’s really ingraining in the culture, just like a business, that … every manager is required to put forth names of people who could assume their role now, in one to three years or three to five years. And determine the training or experience to get them there.”
More research is needed, Heigel said. “We need to quantify the cost of churn [in the workforce] of train-ing people, to have positions vacant, to recruit, interview and onboard people,” she said. “If we can quantify that, I would much rather spend those dollars in salary to keep these people than have organizational in-terruption and service interruption.”
Leading the agency New DHEC director Catherine Heigel talks
about the human element
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Matthew Foster, AAMS®
Financial Advisor
Pat Fitzsimmons, AIF®
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Karen AlexanderSales Associate
quoted
“If you don’t take that time to reaffirm people’s
value in that greater cause, then you miss a huge
opportunity. It’s not rocket science, but
it’s not something that’s intuitive for a lot
of people.”
Catherine Heigel, executive director, SC DHEC
For the complete interview with Catherine
Heigel, see this week’s Greenville
Journal.
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The value of social capital, such as Facebook friends and Twitter followers, is fast be-coming an important asset for many early-stage companies valuing their businesses in connection with capital raising and merger transactions.
When Yahoo acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion in the summer of 2013, more than $750 million (nearly 75 percent) of Tumblr’s purchase price was attribut-ed to its “goodwill.” As many were quick to point out, Yahoo had essentially plunked down three-quar-ters of a billion dollars for the “cool factor.”
Regardless of whether Yahoo’s purchase ultimately proves a sound business decision, the transaction demon-strates how social media assets have come to represent an integral part of a company’s goodwill valuation.
GOODWILL AND SOCIAL MEDIABusiness goodwill is a complex and subjective
concept. To quote Yahoo following the Tumblr ac-quisition, “Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired.”
Yahoo’s definition of goodwill may appear tech-nical, but it is open-ended enough to capture mul-tiple factors that comprise goodwill valuation, such as a company’s brand name and recognition and, more importantly, its customer base and the quality of customer relations.
By the end of 2014, Tumblr’s micro-blogging platform had managed to capture the attention of 420 million users. Essentially, Yahoo purchased ready-made access to these users. This transaction demonstrates the importance of social media assets and supports the principle that these intangible assets can, in many cases, represent an important aspect, if not the most important aspect, of a com-pany’s pre-money valuation.
VALUING SOCIAL MEDIA ASSETS AT THE PRE-MONEY STAGE
Pre-money valuation refers to the valu-ation of a company or asset prior to an in-
vestment of external capital. In other words, pre-money valuation is the value you will attri-
bute to your startup when shopping for capital in-vestments from venture capitalists and angel inves-tors. VCs and angels will use the pre-money valuation to determine how much equity in your company they will require in return for their investment.
So, how exactly does a startup value its WordPress, Medium, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook or other social media account and how does this value manifest itself in the context of pre-money valuation? To be sure, valuing social media assets is more art than science, but if your company is seeking an investment of external capital you should immediately begin gathering hard data on all social media accounts. Data capture will ensure that you are prepared to qualify your company’s social media accounts as valuable business assets when courting prospective VCs and angels.
Your company should be able to quantify the following for potential investors regarding your various social media accounts:
• The number of users or followers attributed to a certain account.
• The demographics of users or followers ascribed to a certain account.
• The rate at which new users or followers subscribe to a certain account.
• Unique user or follower views of each account.• The frequency, quantity and quality of interaction
with users and followers.
• The number of users and followers that respond to the content your company publishes to its various social media accounts.
• The frequency with which users and followers respond to your company’s content.
• The prevailing tone of your company’s interac-tions with users and followers through social media: positive or negative?
• The number of users and followers who initiate interaction with your company through social media accounts and the frequency with which users and followers initiate such interactions.
• The valuations of comparable companies with comparable social media assets.
Valuing a company’s goodwill is a complex and subjective practice, but consistent data can speak loudly in this context, offering hard numbers to support a valuation. Your company’s ability to demonstrate the quality and quantity of interactions with customers or users across a number of social media platforms can drive your valuation and make your company more attractive to investors. It is yet another opportunity to demonstrate real value in the way your company creates and cultivates mean-ingful dialogue and relationships with its customers and users.
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8 | YOUR MONEY | NEWS AND TIPS FOR YOUR PERSONAL BOTTOM LINE UBJ | 07.17.2015
By MIKE JOHNSON AND WILL GIBBS,Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Goodwill huntingSocial capital has proven high value – for Tumblr on down to local startups
Valuing social media assets is more art than science, but if your company is seeking an investment of external capital you should immediately begin gathering hard data on all social media accounts.
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Scholars and GE Apprenticeship program are introduced, and pathways to strong careers in STEM fields are mapped out with the academic pro-grams offered at GTC.
The CoderDojo club plays a strong role in improving the pipeline of qualified job seekers for employers. A 2012 SC Department of Education survey of students in grades eight through 12 showed career interest in information technology ranked 11 out of 16 cluster choices, while manufac-turing was ranked even lower at 14. This illustrates just how critical it is to South Carolina’s advanced manu-facturing industry, which leads our economy, for young people to be en-couraged to pursue careers in this area, so that future jobs will be filled and the skills gap can be narrowed.
CoderDojo will introduce students and families to the often unfamiliar world of advanced manufacturing, where information technology and robotics rule the production floor, and workers have a solid foundation in STEM skills. It will change misper-ceptions about these careers, which are often more pronounced among women and minorities, and it will allow low income and disadvantaged students to see opportunities for success beyond the familiar.
When I was encouraged to enter a math field in the late 1970s, the STEM acronym didn’t exist. Today, many people are familiar with the abbrevi-ation for Science, Technology, Engi-
neering and Math, but they may not realize how rich the op-portunities are or how to get there. CoderDojo will show middle school students the importance of education, im-pacting their futures and the Upstate’s eco-nomic well-being.
I grew up in Winnsboro, La., one of 10 children. I was encouraged by my mom to attend college, but had no idea what to major in or which career path I should choose. My ninth-grade math teacher changed all that. Seeing that I was good at math and enjoyed the subject, he told me that computer science had a strong future. From that point on, I knew where I was headed.
I attended Southern University, an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), in Baton Rouge, La., and majored in computer science with a minor in mathematics. I became the first in my family to graduate from college and realized that my math teacher had been right about the op-portunities. I quickly found work as a computer programmer analyst and eventually moved to Greenville, where I became a relational database con-sultant at Michelin.
After many years, I realized that I also wanted an opportunity to posi-tively influence others in the same way that my math teacher had influenced me, and I entered the field of education at Greenville Technical College (GTC) in 1999.
I enjoy working with college stu-dents as assistant dean for the Business and Technology Division, and my underlying motivation remains strong:
impact students before they begin making career decisions so that they can do so with a better knowledge of the possi-
bilities that are open to them. Thanks to a gift from the Duke Energy Foundation, I will be able to play a more direct role in doing just that.
With the foundation’s support, Greenville Technical College will in-troduce middle school students to computer programming and advanced manufacturing through a CoderDojo club. This free program is in place worldwide, with 550 clubs in 55 countries including 115 U.S. locations.
Students will learn coding, and then they’ll put their skills into practice, completing a project that impacts their daily lives, like creating a program to open and close window blinds or to turn water faucets on and off.
The club will begin meeting this fall. Activities will be supervised by faculty and volunteer coaches, creating a ratio of one coach for every two to three students. A total of 280 middle school students are expected to learn the basics of coding, develop websites and explore technology in the first two years of this informative, creative and fun-filled activity.
As students learn about STEM fields, their families will get involved, too. Parents and siblings will see the computer programming project in place at home. Parents will also be invited to attend a club session, where opportunities such as the BMW
By MARY LOCKE, assistant dean, Greenville Technical College
MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUPTORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE | INNOVATE | 9upstatebusinessjournal.com
CoderDojo will open kids to STEM possibilities
While the local real estate market is more robust than it has been in years, the last things you want as a home seller is for your home to sit on the market any longer than it should. Many factors in� uence the speed in which a home will receive o� ers, but there are several things a home seller can do to make sure it sells quicker and for top dollar.
First, improve your curb appeal. Many sellers overlook the importance of curb appeal. In real estate, appearances mean a lot so make sure the exterior has a fresh coat of paint or a good pressure washing. Neatly manicured landscaping and a few seasonal � owers will make a big di� erence too.
Second, clear out the clutter. Potential buyers should be able to picture themselves living in the home. It is imperative to remove all clutter before listing photos are taken and the � rst showing occurs.
Last, price it right. � is could be a whole column itself, but the importance of pricing a home correctly cannot be understated. Savvy buyers know which homes are overpriced and will avoid even looking at them. Remember, you will not only need to sell the price to potential buyers but to their bank too.
Our team can help guide you through the process of getting your home on the market and sold quickly for top dollar. We’ve already helped over 130 families buy or sell this year. You could be next.
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Tips for a Quick Home Sale in the Upstate
Dan Hamilton
Students will learn coding, and then they’ll put their skills into practice, completing a project that impacts their daily lives, like creating a program to open and close window blinds or to turn water faucets on and off.
Many a startup has bemoaned a lack of investment, but Greenville startup MoonClerk says taking fundraising out of the equation – and refusing $20,000 in seed capital right out of the gate – ulti-mately helped them survive.
“If you’re a CEO, until you’ve gotten the money, fundraising is generally a full-time job,” said MoonClerk cofounder and CEO Dodd Caldwell, who, with co-founder and CTO Ryan Wood, was a part of The Iron Yard accelerator’s first cohort three years ago. Much of the accelerator’s benefit stems from mentorship, access to beneficial networks and good publicity, but the hallmark of any such program is seed funding.
Yet MoonClerk was one of two companies that turned down the $20,000 offer, Caldwell said. “When you get funding, you hear about software startups where you just kind of wait until you run out of money. We boot-strapped, so we were forced to make it profitable.”
The result was a laser-focus on lean startup funda-mentals such as the minimum viable product and paying customers out of the gate, said Caldwell, who also fields customer service calls and requests in addition to being CEO.
“We started having paying customers after six months,” he said, noting his previous startup attempt had taken 18 months to get to the same point. “It’s not launching with what you want to have, but what you need to have.”
Even so, not every business model lends itself to bootstrapping, especially those offering initially free services or that need a critical mass for success, Caldwell said.
“We had a business model that we were able to start charging our customers from day one,” he said. Another difference could be potential for growth and huge returns, which could make startups such as MoonClerk less attractive for investment, he said. “We’re not on a growth trajectory that would impress a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, but we have a viable business.”
MoonClerk helps businesses use a popular payments service called Stripe to set up one-time and recurring payments online, but Stripe isn’t an “out-of-the-box” usable service, he said. All MoonClerk users need to
do is add a link to their website and they can start accepting payments, which opened the door for Caldwell and Wood to begin carefully adding other
value-added services that would build out their revenue. “We didn’t have the funding to build
out a really big development team,” said Caldwell. “It really forced us to take the rifle
approach and really target in to wisely add features.” Caldwell says MoonClerk hit 2,000 paying custom-
ers last month, and passed the profitability mark about a year ago. The firm’s customers include small to medium-sized businesses all over the world, but that’s where the similarities end. MoonClerk helps nonprof-its, churches, media outlets, attorneys on retainer, e-commerce sites and subscription businesses, among others, he said.
“It’s a crazy business that we really didn’t even know that was happening,” Caldwell said, adding he hit upon the idea through his own nonprofit experience running Spartanburg-based RiceBowls. “Our niche is really providing flexibility for different, crazy use-cases.”
While Caldwell doesn’t expect wild growth, he says new customers and transactions have been growing at a faster pace than before. He recently hired a devel-oper out of the code school – Matt Bertino – and hopes to continue growing despite the increasingly crowded digital payments space.
“There are markets that are kind of zero-sum games where only the leader and one other company is going to make it … I think the payments space is different,” he said. “It’s similar to pizza places. It’s not like you can have in Greenville only one pizza restaurant.”
10 | JUMPSTART | COMPANIES BLAZING A TRAIL IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP UBJ | 07.17.2015
ASHLEY BONCIMINO | [email protected]
MOONCLERK’S RISING TIDE
Iron Yard payments startup bootstraps its way to profitability
MOONCLERKFounded: 2012
Founders: CEO Dodd Caldwell (top), CTO Ryan Wood (middle; also pictured: developer Matt Bertino)
Headquarters: Greenville
What they do: MoonClerk lets anyone immediately and inexpensively set up branded, embeddable and linkable recurring online payment forms without any technical skills.
Customers: More than 2,000
moonclerk.com
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“It’s not launching with what you want to have, but
what you need to have.”MoonClerk cofounder and
CEO Dodd Caldwell
Upstate economic development leader and business owner Sam Konduros, 52, has been a part of landing multiple economic development projects for the region, including BMW, CU-ICAR and Southwest Airlines. He sat down with UBJ to talk about his role as executive director of Greenville Health System’s Research Development Corporation and being part of something even bigger.
12 | C-SUITE | WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE YOU NEED TO KNOW UBJ | 07.17.2015
wired forFamily: wife Aphrodite, a S.C. Court of Appeals judge, and two dogs, Turbo and Lucy
“We first met at 11 years old at Columbia Greek Orthodox Church. We met again in law school and became the best of friends before dating. We’re kind of the consummate career couple.”
Off the grid: Konduros unplugs while at his place on the coast and enjoys everything from hiking to motor-cycling. “I really will break out of the work mode when I’m not there.”
Screen time: A lover of movies, Konduros also confesses to following “Downton Abbey” in addition to decompressing to HGTV and the Food Network.
Reading: “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership” by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman and Kaley Warner Klemp
Tapping into the architect: “My wife and I have owned six houses in Greenville. We like houses. We enjoy creating the living space…enjoyed taking homes that were good and making them great, really putting our stamp on them. We now have a place at Verdae and I got to do my HGTV fantasy and knock out some walls with a sledgehammer.”
On faith: “The spiritual journey has been a very important part of my life—plugging into something more important. Being part of something bigger than myself has become important to me.”
SAM KONDUROS
>>
APRIL A. MORRIS | [email protected]
Sam Konduros has helped land several big Upstate projects – and has his eye on more growth with GHS’ Research Development Corporation
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Where did you grow up? I was born in Alexandria, Va., while my father
worked in Washington, D.C. for Sen. Olin D. John-ston. He was recruited back to South Carolina to serve on the staff for Gov. Robert McNair. I grew up in the Columbia area and I graduated from Lexing-ton High School.
Did you father’s career in law influence your choices?
I knew there was a chance I would go to law school after watching my father help found a law firm, but I have a real creative side and wanted to study ar-chitecture. At Clemson University I started as an architecture major. I did well, but it wasn’t what I
wanted to do. I felt law school was a good platform for multiple opportunities.
How did you know that you wanted to pursue economic development?
I went to work for the Depart-ment of Commerce and I absolutely fell in love with economic development. I felt very privileged to be a young man, from a state that I loved, getting the chance to recruit some of the largest companies in the world into South Carolina. [I] ended up having an unusually engaged role at a relatively young age.
What is a memorable moment from your time with the Dept. of Commerce?
My classic “Forrest Gump” moment was when we were recruiting BMW and two executives quietly flew in to have the final meeting of the minds session with Gov. Carroll Campbell and our commerce secretary. And I picked them up from the airport and took them to the Governor’s Mansion. I sat at the other end of the mansion while they did the famous deal on the napkin. It’s like an urban legend, but it’s true how they made the decision that day—literally signed a napkin. I drove them back, but we got stuck in traffic. I ended up having an engaging conversation about what just happened. That was kind of a magical moment. I had no idea then the impact that the decision that day had on our state, our region and on my life.
How did you come back to Greenville?I worked with a BMW supplier [Alfmeier] and
liken it to the dog that chased the car, caught it and then didn’t know what to do with it. I had worked with Alfmeier on a site study and their CEO offered me head of U.S. operations at a dinner meeting. That is what brought me to Greenville in 1994.
What did you learn in that challenging environment?
As a young man [at 30], I became so acutely aware of what I didn’t know and that I needed some experts around me quickly. It forced me to become a pretty fearless delegator and forced me to get comfortable with the idea that I needed to hire the best and the brightest people and surround myself with people who knew more than me in certain areas, people who I could learn from as well as them learning from me. Suddenly I was in charge of a seven-day a week
operation, many people and a complex product – so you grow up quickly.
What part of economic development appeals to you?
I like to build things. I think after about five years and something becomes more steady, other people enjoy the tweaking process and fine tuning. I seem to gravitate to more of the heavy lifting on the front end and the creative portion.
What is new about your work with the Research Development Corporation?
It has pushed me to learn a lot more about health-care and industry innovation. It’s like being in a brand new career with an exciting learning curve. It allows me to exercise a lot of the muscles that fit well with my career and experience: innovation, economic development, public-private partnerships and build-ing relationships with industry. It’s a natural outflow of what I’ve done at every part of my career. This role has unlimited opportunities for growth.
Describe a challenge that you faced. In 2010, my wife, Aphrodite, and I both had health
issues. She went through a breast cancer diagnosis and I also had health problems. That was a very pivotal time and ‘transformative’ is not an under-statement. While she was wrapping up radiation treatment, I had a preliminary cancer diagnosis that turned out to not be cancer, all while I was business development director for the Cancer Research In-stitute at GHS. I think I needed to be slowed down by all of that. In some ways, I think the challenges we went through either saved what you could call the second half of our lives, or definitely made it sweeter. Any sense of entitlement vanished, you just reach a point that you know life is a gift—good health is a gift. It was more important than any of the cool projects I worked on if you get down to what really impacts you.
How do you unwind? We have a place at Seabrook Island. We go kaya-
king in the tidal creeks and take the dogs on the beach. I also ride my BMW R1100 RSL motorcycle. I took it on an 8,000-mile, cross-country trip during a career
transition. You’re really thinking about the road, temperature and how the air feels—it’s the same as going down a mountain on skis. I call it ‘God time.’
Is there a time when you were sure you would fail? The fear of failure has been fuel in my life. I was
sure I was not going to pass the bar exam—that was one sleepless night.
What is good advice you have received? From David Martin, he has really helped me get
comfortable with this idea of not being overly focused on yourself and your own needs--striving to be more of an instrument to be used and part of a bigger plan. Also Todd Mitchell, who could call me out during a very stressful time at Alfmeier. He told me I was usually an encourager, but that day was a discour-ager. I always want to encourage those around me – that echoes still.
What advice do you give? The more indispensible you try to make yourself,
often the more dispensable you become. The more willing you are to open yourself up and share all the information and knowledge you have – not controlling it and overprotecting it – the more indispensible you become. If you’re willing to help others succeed it makes you more magnetic, more approachable, more trusting, and people want to be around that.
What keeps you up at night? My wheels are turning rapidly these days during
one of those major launch phases. When you’re doing something new like this [Innovations in Medical Economic Development, or IMED], you’re assembling the airplane while flying it. It’s not driven by stress, but the multitude of initiatives that are going on.
Who is a mentor? Dr. Chris Przirembel. He worked with SK Strategies
and now is a coworker [with RDC]. My dad has had a profound impact on me and we are closer than ever. Also a group of friends that I met through church and we have a group called Iron Men who come together every two weeks or so. They are very transparent about their lives and talk about how to integrate faith into work. My wife is my partner in life.
You have never practiced law; how has your law degree helped in your career?
I keep up my license but have never practiced law. It helps when reading legal documents and I some-times will sketch out memorandum of understand-ings or joint development agreements for a lot of our collaborations and will hand that framework over to general counsels.
Tell us about starting your own business.I knew at some point I had to take the shot at
being my own board of directors and starting my own company. Standing in the surf in my favorite spot at 40 years old…I was comfortable at Upstate Alliance, but made the decision to start SK Strategies. I got to delve more into my creative side because I got to help with things like recalibrating a company’s mission statement and changing brand architecture. Kent Manufacturing was a great client and I helped them transition into Kentwool.
WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE YOU NEED TO KNOW | C-SUITE | 13upstatebusinessjournal.com
>>
GROWTH“You just reach a point that you know life is a gift—good health is a gift. It was more important than any of the cool projects I worked on.”
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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION | SQUARE FEET | 15upstatebusinessjournal.com
A small shopping center located directly across from South Ridge, the new 350-unit mixed-use apartment community on Church Street and University Ridge, is set to get a facelift and new tenants.
Existing tenants on the property at 860 S. Church St. include a laundro-mat, liquor store and dry cleaner. Those businesses are currently on short term leases and will be moving out soon, making way for three or four new businesses. A total of 6,429 square feet is available with spaces from 1,053 square feet.
Once new tenants are signed, the entire shopping center will get a much-needed makeover.
No leases have been signed to date, but the property owner hopes to attract a coffee shop, bakery, dry
cleaners or possibly a nail salon, said David Sigmon, broker with Coldwell Banker Commercial Caine, who along with Pete Brett and Matt Vanvick will be leasing
the property.“We’re trying to tap into services
that South Ridge residents will be able to utilize,” said Sigmon. Those resi-dents have access to the shopping center via a pedestrian tunnel that runs under Church Street.
No timeframe for construction has been set.
Church Street shopping strip to be redevelopedSHERRY JACKSON | STAFF
[email protected] @SJackson_CJ
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Opportunities continue to sprout up in the West End along the Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail and the proposed new Greenville City Park. A five-acre parcel of land at 25 Peden St. is now home to a 13,000-square-foot Swamp Rabbit Cross Fit facility and 5,000-square-foot bike store, Free Hub bicycles.
In progress at the site are a new massage therapy space, a 5,000- square-foot yoga studio called Soul Yoga, and a new restaurant/café and event venue space.
Once home to a used furniture store, the large existing building is being redeveloped into an “adult play-ground,” says owner William Timmons. Timmons, an entrepreneur and an attorney with the 13th Circuit Solicitor’s office, owns Swamp Rabbit Cross Fit, and along with business
partner Krish Patel, owner of Wireless Communications, is creating Soul Yoga, a
new 5,000-square-foot yoga studio which will feature aerial and Baptiste-inspired fusion hot power yoga. Soul Yoga is expect-ed to open Sept. 1. A small massage therapy space is also under construction.
“It will be a place for wellness to your mind, body and soul,” said Patel. “A destination where it can be a place of Zen or be a place of challenge and pushing limits to the exercise of your body.”
A little later this year, the two expect to open a new restaurant/café in the building. The 5,000-square-foot space is already being used as an event venue and will continue, sharing space with the new restaurant.
Preliminary plans for the new restaurant/cafe include a full bar and a place to grab a sandwich or drink
after working out or as a stop along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, said Timmons. A large 20,000-square-foot outdoor patio will become a beer/wine garden of sorts with water features
and fire pits, he said. “We want people to come and stay
awhile and focus around an experi-ence,” he said.
“When combining all of the ele- >>
16 | SQUARE FEET | REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION UBJ | 07.17.2015
SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF [email protected] @SJackson_CJ
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‘Adult playground’ planned along GHS Swamp Rabbit TrailFitness studios and restaurant/café in the works in West End
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REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION | SQUARE FEET | 17upstatebusinessjournal.com
ments- the swamp rabbit trail, Swamp Rabbit Cross Fit, Soul Yoga and our café, it will be a destination you can call your home away from home,” said Patel.
Hedging bets that the new city park will be built in a few years, Timmons hopes to eventually develop condos on the r e m a i n d e r o f the property.
Park Place on Hudson moves forward
With a new name and launch party in the works, Park Place on Hudson, a 24-unit townhome devel-opment at 104 S. Hudson Street, is moving ahead after receiving all necessary city approvals.
The townhomes will be located on 1.5 acres and will range from 2,040 square feet for a 2 bedroom, 2.5-bath unit to 3,200 square feet for a 4 bedroom, 3.5-bath home. Amenities will include granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, 10-foot ceilings, balconies and one or two car garages. Homes prices will begin at $425,000.
Units at Park Place on Hudson have more square footage and a lower price point than some of the other downtown projects.
“We’re excited to bring a develop-ment that is able to attract and expand the demographic of downtown living,” said developer Bobby Barreto with Asterisk Development. “It’s a new living experience in old Greenville.”
The launch party for the new devel-opment will be held July 30 and is open to the public. A couple of the town-
homes have already been sold and pre-orders are being taken now with special incentives available for those who purchase at the launch party.
Owners will get to choose from a list of interior design choices including paint color, cabinetry, countertop color and flooring. Floor plans have been designed to include the option for an elevator. If an elevator is not chosen, the shaft will be converted into addi-tional closet space. Purchasers also will have an option to extend the floor plan on larger units to include an extra bedroom and bathroom.
Groundbreaking is expected in mid-August for phase one of the development. For more information, go to www.parkplaceonhudson.com.
What: Park Place on Hudson launch party
Where: FUEL 25 E. Court St Suite 100 (valet parking will be available)
When: July 30 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
If you plan to attend, RSVP to: [email protected]
SO YOU KNOW:
Rendering Provided.
>>
Photo Provided
Steadfast Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust has acquired Arbors at Brookfield, a 702-unit apartment community in Mauldin. The $66.8 million purchase marks Steadfast’s entry into the South Car-olina market.
The apartment community is cur-rently 94.9 percent occupied with an average rent of $766 per month.
Arbors at Brookfield sits on 50 acres
and was constructed between 1989 and 1997. It is comprised of 35 two- and three-story buildings, in addition to multiple clubhouses, a fitness center, three swimming pools, sand volleyball court, business center, tennis courts, dog park and a media room. Stead-fast plans to upgrade the units with new appliances, countertops, flooring, plumbing fixtures, hard-
ware and new doors and cabinet boxes. In addition to interior upgrades,
moderate enhancements will be made to the model unit, leasing office, vol-leyball court, tennis courts and fitness center. The REIT will also convert one of the clubhouses into a resident rela-tions center.
With this transaction, Steadfast has invested more than $687 million in 18 apartment communities in nine states.
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SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF [email protected] @SJackson_CJ
HIRED PROMOTED HIRED HIRED APPOINTED
Reba Childers Named a member of the Small Business Services group at Graydon Thompson LLC. Childers has 30 years of experience providing accounting and small business services. She previously operated a consulting business and held related positions in commercial property management and retail organizations.
Veronica MackeyNamed lead associate advisor for Mark Clary’s Wealth Management Team at Northwestern Mutual. Clary recently passed the exam to become a Certified Financial Planner. She has more than 10 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Jan GeyerNamed financial manager for Good City Architects. Geyer will monitor the company’s stewardship of client and consultant agreements and services. Her experience includes working at KPMG, James E. Woodside & Co. and The McCraw Corporation.
Cara HarrisNamed marketing coordinator at LS3P. Harris has experiences as a designer, freelance writer and creative director at firms in both North and South Carolina. Her skills include writing, content marketing, digital advertising, social media management and branding.
Brian Powell Named as the Field professor in Nuclear Environmental Engineering and Science at Clemson University. Powell is overseeing a $5.25-million research project to find the safest ways of remediating legacy nuclear waste sites and storing nuclear waste. He is an associate professor of environmental engineering and Earth sciences.
ARCHITECTURE/DESIGNAdam D. Roberts, AIA, successful-
ly completed the requirements of the Architect Registration Exam in the state of Maryland. As an architect for DP3 Architects Ltd., Roberts will continue to be responsible for design services for restaurant concepts.
DEVELOPMENTO’Neal Inc. hired Stacy Pirrone as
electrical engineer and Ryan White as distribution systems planner. Pirrone has more than 19 years of experience in electrical engineering, previously working at DeVita & Associates. White has more than five years of experience in warehouse automation, previously working at ITW.
Douglas F. Dent was appointed as general counsel for the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority. Dent closed his private law firm of 40 years.
Harper Corporation hired James Medders as a controller, Bill Gordon as a project manager, David Fey as a project manager and Andrew Skiles as an environmental systems division project manager. Medders has more than 30 years of experience in finance. He previously held positions at Metro-mont Corporation and the Industrial Bank of Japan. Gordon has more than 30 years of experience in commercial construction as an estimator and project manager. He previously worked for Hardaway Construction. Fey pre-
viously held positions with Shelco, Able Constructors and Zirklelbach Construc-tion. Skiles has more than nine years of experience. He previously served as a project field engineer and an associ-ate project manager in Texas.
EDUCATION Christ Church Episcopal School hired
Kahu David Jackson as senior chaplain and Mary Ann Scott as Achievement Center director. Jackson previously spent five years as chaplain of Seabury Hall in Maui. He serves on a committee that will select the new Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Scott previously served as the director of student support services and the Learning Project, as well as a school psychologist, at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis.
HEALTH CAREGreenville Technical College hired
Renée Rubner as a program coordi-nator in the Environmental, Occupa-tional Health & Safety department within the Corporate & Career Devel-opment division. Rubner has more than 25 years of experience in education and training. She previously worked with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Inc. for 14 years, first as staff educator and most recently as administrative data support secretary.
HUMAN RESOURCESRecruiting Solutions promoted
Michelle Heil to senior staffing coor-
dinator and Kelsey Moore to recruit-ing assistant and hired Bennett Saunders and as a business develop-ment manager, Shanon Glenn as a recruiting assistant and Hayley Powell as a direct hire recruiter. Heil previ-ously served as a staffing coordinator for the company’s industrial division. Moore previously served as a staffing assistant. Saunders has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Presbyterian College and a master’s degree in athletic administration from Coker College. Glenn was previously a marketing assistant for a Simpsonville company. Powell previously served as an executive recruiter in the medical device industry.
ITMichael Harmon, a senior systems
engineer with TSAChoice, Inc., earned his Professional 5 Data Center Virtu-alization Certification through VMware. The certification requires completion of a authorized training course and hands-on experience with VMware technologies.
MANUFACTURINGRoy Metal Finishing Co., Inc. pro-
moted Cecelia Miller to quality manager and ISO/TS management representative. Miller will have quality oversight of all facilities. She has more than 26 years of quality and metal fin-ishing experience with certifications in quality auditing and quality technology.
MARKETING/PRVantagePoint Marketing won hon-
orable mention at the 2015 Social Media Icon Awards for work done for T&S
Brass and Bronze Works. The campaign earned recognition in the Facebook – Best PR Campaign category. It resulted in a 35 percent increase in Facebook likes and an increase in overall engage-ment in the span of nine months.
Stephanie Thorn, marketing coor-dinator for VisitGreenvilleSC, was recognized by Destination Marketing Association International as a 2015 “30 Under 30” outstanding destination marketing expert. Thorn is the only recipient from South Carolina.
CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions & award winners may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to [email protected].
VIP
Brian GratzNamed head coach of the Greenville Road Warriors. Gratz served as the club’s assistant coach during the 2014-15 season and has been the interim director of hockey operations since April 16. He has six years of head coaching experience at the professional level.
PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS | ON THE MOVE | 19upstatebusinessjournal.com
20 | THE FINE PRINT | BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’T MISS UBJ | 07.17.2015
Worldwide Vacation Network expanding to Greenville
Global Connections Inc. (GCI), a travel club fulfill-ment and service provider, is expanding its outside sales distribution network to Greenville.
Doing business as Worldwide Vacation Network and led by Tony Pennisi as its director of sales, the new office will offer GCI’s Global Discovery Vacations (GDV) travel club product.
The 3000-square-foot sales center is located at 355 Woodruff Road and is staffed with eight sales and administrative professionals.
“This is an organization we are proud to represent and are looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship,” Pennisi said in a release. “Intro-ducing these vacation opportunities to a whole new group of folks is proving to be a terrific opportunity for all involved.”
According to Tom Lyons, president and CEO of GCI, “our business model is structured in such a way to maintain close relationships with distributors like Worldwide Vacation Network. Our fulfillment centers in Florida and Kansas City service our more than 150,000 members providing condo vacations, cruises, tours and numerous other vacation and leisure benefits.”
GCI is based in Overland Park, Kan., and serves more than 150,000 members at over 700 North American resorts, according to Lyons.
Beverage company building $10M distribution center in Greer
Tampa, Fla.-based Cott Beverages plans to build a 190,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center next to its existing facility in Greer, where the company produces fruit and vegetable juices and beverages. The $10 million expansion is expected to alleviate local roadway traffic in Greer by cutting down on trac-tor-trailer trips by 30 per day along Wade Hampton Boulevard between Greer and Taylors, S.C., according to a news release.
Cott Beverages plant manager William Wise said the expansion plans at 1990 Hood Road in Greer began two years ago and enlisted the help of local public safety entities in the process.
“We would like to express gratitude to the administrative offices of the City of Greer, Greer CPW and Greer Fire Department on Hood Road for their support throughout the development and construction period,” he said. “This project is the result of a joint effort by many individuals and is a testament to the City of Greer and its
culture of supporting the economic prosperity of its businesses and citizens.”Cott Beverages is the U.S. subsidiary of Cott Corporation, which employs
9,000 people through its 60 manufacturing facilities and 180 distribution fa-cilities worldwide. The beverage company also develops and manufactures concentrates for export to 50 countries.
“Greer continues to be a hub of choice for enterprise-sized companies. Our city’s physical location in the center of the I-85 corridor is a big appeal for companies like Cott Beverages, offering quick and easy access to East Coast customers,” said Greer Mayor Rick Danner in a news release. “We see this ex-pansion and organic growth from established area businesses to be a good in-dication of the overall thriving business climate in the area.”
Google and Spartanburg partner to help small businesses
Google is partnering with the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Spartanburg for Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map to help small businesses grow their presence online.
The program kicked off this week, and the ongoing partnership will allow businesses to sign up for workshops to learn how to succeed on the Internet.
Shea Dent, marketing and design strategist for the Spartanburg Chamber, said dates for the workshops will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Four out of five consumers use search engines to find local information nearby, yet only 37 percent of businesses have claimed their listing on a search engine,” Soo Young Kim, Google’s head of small business engagement, said in a release. “Small businesses are the engine of local economies and when they flourish, their communities do as well.”
Spartanburg Chamber president Allen Smith said Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map will help promote Spartanburg County as a destination for business and tourism.
Businesses can learn more about the program at spartanburgchamber.com.
KBR acquired by Illinois company, changes name
Illinois-based Pernix Group Inc. acquired KBR Building Group, which will now operate under its original name, BE&K Building Group.
BE&K offers a variety of construction management services and project delivery methods nationally to clients in the advanced manufacturing, commercial/mixed-use, health care and institutional sectors. Its headquarters will remain in Greenville.
The company also has full-service regional operations in Charleston; Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Washington, D.C.; and Houston, Texas.
“This extraordinary opportunity allows us to continue providing world-class
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construction services to our clients, leveraging Pernix’s agility, commitment to safety, quality control, and worldwide presence,” Mac Carpenter, BE&K president, said in a release. “The biggest difference is that our new family gives us the ability to expand our reach and follow our clients throughout the world.”
BE&K has executed building programs for American Honda Motor Company, BASF, Boeing, Duke Medicine, DuPont, General Mills, Ferguson Enterprises, Gulf-stream Aerospace, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Sysco Foods and Triumph Group.
Woodlands launches in-home serviceThe Woodlands at Furman is launching a new
in-home companion care service.The in-home model of care is for seniors who need
limited assistance but want to maintain their independent lifestyle. Companion care services will include assistance with light housekeeping, grocery shopping, pet care, meal preparation, medication reminders, and bathing and dressing.
“Companion care is a natural extension of our work at the Woodlands at Furman,” said Kevin Parker, executive director, in a release. “This in-home service is an opportunity to provide exceptional personal care to someone who may need it in a different way than what we currently offer on our campus.”
Services will be provided within a 10-mile radius of the Woodlands campus, located at 1500 Trailhead Court, Greenville. Services will be available 24/7, but must be provided for a minimum of two consecutive hours.
TRPC joins Alliance Benefit GroupThe Retirement Plan Company (TRPC), an inde-
pendent record keeper with operations in Greenville, joined the Alliance Benefit Group national network.
Alliance Benefit Group added The Retirement Plan Company LLC (TRPC) to its national network.
TRPC’s open architecture recordkeeping platform combines custom account management tools with investment research and retirement planning software to serve 1,100 defined contribution plans with over $3 billion and 47,000 par-ticipant balances.
“TRPC has made impressive usage of its software engineering team, which has created a number of automation tools not available elsewhere in the mar-ketplace,” Don Mackanos, president of Alliance said in a release. “One set of automation tools in particular has enabled TRPC to build and manage a sub-stantial offshore business unit.”
THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE | NEW TO THE STREET | 21upstatebusinessjournal.com
Open for businessWorkout Anytime recently opened at 1818 Woodruff Road, Suite 1812, Greenville. The business is a 24-hour gym and fitness club. For more information, visit workoutanytime.com/locations/greenville-sc or call 864-288-0247.
CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon? Email information to [email protected].
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KEMET introduces capacitors to endure extreme conditions
KEMET Corporation introduced new capacitors for extreme environments.
The Industrial Grade High Temperature X7R Dielectric capacitor is suited for a variety of applications in extreme environ-ments such as down-hole oil exploration, aerospace engine compartments, geophys-ical probes, industrial process control, heavy commercial and specialty vehicles and construction equipment.
The devices can utilize the full rated voltage at 175 degrees Celsius and has a flexible termination system.
The company also introduced the T591 High Performance Automotive Grade Polymer Electrolytic Series, which delivers stability and endurance under harsh hu-midity and temperature conditions.
They can be used in transportation, telecommunications, industrial and avionics.
Cristina Mota Caetano, KEMET technical product marketing director, said the T591 delivered high reliability when tested to 500 hours in 85 degrees Celsius, with 85 percent relative humidity and while voltage is applied. «
«
22 | #TRENDING | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW UBJ | 07.17.2015
UPSTATEBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
“Gotta share this awesome success story about Joe Wilson and John Sharkey, great, hardworking guys who deserve every bit of this success! Congratulations!” >> Eric Murphy via FB
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BIZ BUZZ The top 5 stories from last week’s issue ranked by shareability score
1. Lowes Foods announces first Upstate location - 566
2. The science of service (John Monarch, CEO of Direct Outbound) - 343
3. Camperdown development proceeding after national developer pulls out - 87
4. River’s Edge hopes for luck of the Irish - 63
5. County board halts automated transit bid process - 56
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JULY 10, 2015 | VOL. 4 ISSUE 28
The rules for overtime pay for full-time employees are about to change – with a big impact close to homePage 6
CLOCKWATCHING THE
RE: COUNTY BOARD HALTS AUTOMATED TRANSIT BID PROCESS
“Glad to hear they are still going to try and continue the project.” >> Daniel Cloy via LinkedIn
“A chance at progress… hopefully this will pick back up at a later date.” >> Thomas J. Tucker via FB
RE: LOWES FOODS ANNOUNCES FIRST UPSTATE LOCATION
“Congratulations! Great location choice!” >> Wyatt Brothers Financial LLC via FB
“I love that place! When I lived in Winston-Salem I worked long shifts at the pharmacy. You could order your groceries online and just for $5 you pull up and click the buzzer and they bring them out to your car! It was a godsend.” >> Nina Gibbs via FB
“Excited to see Lowe’s Foods moving into the Greenville market.” >> Gap Creek Gourmet via FB
“Awesome article from @UpstateBiz on GSL founder Joe Wilson! Check it out: ow.ly/PsmzC” >> @gslsports via Twitter
“Thank you to the GSL staff for sharing this! Doing this was a ton of fun! Our social athletes are amazing and we want to thank you for your unbelievable support! Emily Price, thank you for the awesome article!” >> Joe Wilson via FB
“Congrats, Joe, on your businesses success and positive community impact!” >> Vikash Patel via FB
“I remember those original teams, just trying to get to On the Roxx :-) Couldn’t be more proud of you guys Joe Wilson & John Sharkey. What a great article, Emily Price!” >> Katy Grinstaff via FB
“Congrats, Joe Wilson. Greenville wouldn’t be the same without GSL. It’s allowed me to stay active, meet a boat load of people, and gives me something to look forward every week. Appreciate it, brother!!” >> Matt Mitchum via FB
RE: HOW A FURMAN GRAD AND FORMER OFFENSIVE LINEMAN BLITZED THE UPSTATE WITH COMPETITIVE ADULT RECREATIONAL SPORTS
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20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal November 1, 2013
UBJ milestone
Solve. Serve. Grow. Those three words summarize Jackson Marketing Group’s guiding principles, and ac-cording to owner Larry Jackson, form the motivation that has kept the firm thriving for the past 25 years.
Jackson graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in video and film production and started his 41-year career in the communications industry with the U.S. Army’s Public Information Office. He served during
Vietnam, where he said he was “luckily” stationed in the middle of Texas at Fort Hood.
He left the service and went to work in public affairs and motorsports at Ford Motor Company in Detroit. After a stint at Bell and Howell, where he was responsible for managing Ford’s dealer marketing and training, the entrepreneurial bug hit and he co-founded Jackson-Dawson Mar-keting Communications, a company specializing in dealer training and product launches for the auto indus-try in 1980.
In 1987, Jackson wanted to move back south and thought Greenville would be a good fit. An avid pilot, he
learned of an opportunity to purchase Cornerstone Aviation, a fixed base operation (FBO) that served as a service station for the Greenville Downtown Airport, providing fuel, maintenance and storage.
In fact, when he started the Green-ville office of what is now Jackson Marketing Group (JMG) in 1988, the offices were housed on the second floor in an airport hangar.
“Clients would get distracted by the airplanes in the hangars and we’d have to corral them to get back up-stairs to the meeting,” Jackson said.
Jackson sold the FBO in 1993, but says it was a great way to get to know Greenville’s fathers and leaders
Jackson Marketing Group celebrates 25 yearsBy sherry Jackson | staff | [email protected]
>>
Chairman larry Jackson, Jackson marketing Group. Photos by Greg Beckner / Staff
November 1, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21
UBJ milestone
with a majority of them utilizing the general aviation airport as a
“corporate gateway to the city.”In 1997, Jackson and his son,
Darrell, launched Jackson Motor-sports Group. The new division was designed to sell race tires and go to racetracks to sell and mount the tires. Darrell Jackson now serves as president of the motorsports group and Larry Jackson has two other children and a son-in-law who work there. Jackson said all his children started at the bottom and “earned their way up.”
Jackson kept the Jackson-Dawson branches in Detroit and others in Los Angeles and New York until he sold his portion of that partnership in 2009 as part of his estate plan-ning.
The company now operates a small office in Charlotte, but its main headquarters are in Greenville in a large office space off Woodruff Road, complete with a vision gallery that displays local artwork and an audi-torium Jackson makes available for non-profit use. The Motor-sports Group is housed in an additional 26,000 square feet building just down the street, and the agency is currently looking for another 20,000 square feet.
Jackson said JMG has expand-ed into other verticals such as financial, healthcare, manufac-turing and pro-bono work, but still has a strong focus on the auto industry and transportation. It’s
also one of the few marketing com-panies in South Carolina to handle all aspects of a project in-house, with four suites handling video production, copywriting, media and research and web design.
Clients include heavyweights such as BMW, Bob Jones University, the Peace Center, Michelin and Sage Automotive. Recent projects have included an interactive mobile appli-cation for Milliken’s arboretum and 600-acre Spartanburg campus and a marketing campaign for the 2013 Big League World Series.
“In my opinion, our greatest single achievement is the longevity of our client relationships,” said Darrell Jackson. “Our first client from back in 1988 is still a client today. I can count on one hand the number of clients who have gone elsewhere in the past decade.”
Larry Jackson says his Christian faith and belief in service to others, coupled with business values rooted in solving clients’ problems, have kept
him going and growing his business over the years. He is passionate about giving back and outreach to non-prof-its. The company was recently awarded the Community Foundation Spirit Award.
The company reaffirmed its com-mitment to serving the community last week by celebrating its 25th an-niversary with a birthday party and a 25-hour Serve-A-Thon partnership with Hands on Greenville and Habitat for Humanity. JMG’s 103 full-time employees worked in shifts around the clock on October 22 and 23 to help construct a house for a deserving family.
As Jackson inches towards retire-ment, he says he hasn’t quite figured out his succession plan yet, but sees the companies staying under the same umbrella. He wants to continue to strategically grow the business.
“From the beginning, my father has taught me that this business is all about our people – both our clients and our associates,” said his son,
Darrell. “We have created a focus and a culture that strives to solve problems, serve people and grow careers.”
Darrell Jackson said he wants to “continue helping lead a culture where we solve, serve and grow. If we are successful, we will continue to grow towards our ultimate goal of becoming the leading integrated marketing communications brand in the Southeast.”
jackson Marketing Group’s 25 Years1988 Jackson Dawson opens in Greenville at Downtown Airport
2003 motorsports Division acquires an additional 26,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space
1998 Jackson Dawson moves to task industrial Court
1997 Jackson Dawson launches
motorsports Division
2009-2012 Jackson marketing Group named a top BtoB agency by
BtoB magazine 4 years running
2012 Jackson marketing Group recognized by Community Foundation
with Creative spirit Award
2009 Jackson Dawson changes name to Jackson
marketing Group when larry sells his partnership
in Detroit and lA
1988 19981993 2003 2008
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
1990 Jackson Dawson acquires therapon marketing Group and moves to Piedmont
office Center on Villa.
2011 Jackson marketing Group/Jackson motorsports
Group employee base reaches 100 people
pro-bono/non-proFit Clients
American Red Cross of Western Carolinas
Metropolitan Arts CouncilArtisphere
Big League World SeriesThe Wilds
Advance SCSouth Carolina Charities, Inc.
Aloft
Hidden Treasure Christian School
CoMMUnitY inVolVeMent & boarD positions
lArry JACkson (ChAirmAn): Bob Jones University Board chairman, The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center board member, Gospel Fellowship Association board member, Past Greenville Area Development Corporation board member, Past Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Recruiting Committee member, Past Greenville Tech Foundation board member
David Jones (Vice President Client services, Chief marketing officer): Hands on Greenville board chairman
mike Zeller (Vice President, Brand marketing): Artisphere Board, Metropolitan Arts Council Board, American Red Cross Board, Greenville Tech Foundation Board, South Carolina Chamber Board
eric Jackson (Jackson motorsports Group sales specialist): Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board
>>
AS SEEN IN NOVEMBER 1, 2013
JULY 24: TRAVELERS REST The small town making big waves.
JULY 31: QUARTERLY CRE ISSUE The state of commercial real estate in the Upstate.
AUG. 14: BIZ HACKS Filling out your work/life toolbox.
Got any thoughts? Care to contribute? Let us know at [email protected].
UP NEXT
DATE EVENT INFO WHERE DO I GO? HOW DO I GO?
Tuesday
7/21
Commerce Club Investment Club Participate in a “Fantasy Stock Market”
Commerce Club 55 Beattie Place, 17th Floor, Greenville, 5:30 p.m.
Register: 864-232-5600
MauldinEdge Community based idea session moving the Mauldin Crossroads forward
All Occasions Celebrations 108 N. Main St., 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cost: $15 Register: bit.ly/mauldin-july2015
Women at Work Breakfast Training Series Topic: The power of negotiation
Hilton Greenville 45 W Orchard Park Drive, Greenvile, 8-10 a.m.
Cost: Chamber member $25, nonmember $35 Register: bit.ly/women-july2015
Wednesday
7/22Women Mean Business Monthly Meeting Networking for businesswomen
Charleston Cooks 200 N. Main St., Greenville, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free Register: [email protected]
Thursday
7/23Networking with a Twist Monthly speed networking event
Commerce Club 55 Beattie Place, 17th Floor, Greenville, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Cost: Members Free, Nonmembers $10 Register: bit.ly/twist-july2015
Friday
7/31FYI Friday Speaker: Danny Morrison, president of the Carolina Panthers
Country Club of Spartanburg 2500 Country Club Road, Spartanburg, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Cost: Chamber members $15, nonmembers $25 Register: bit.ly/fyi-july2015
Thursday
8/13Iron Yard Ventures 2015 Demo Day Presentations from nine digital health and wellness tech startups
Indigo Hall 190 Ezell St., Spartanburg, 5-7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/iron-aug2015
Monday
8/24 Greenville Chamber Golf Tournament Chanticleer Golf Course and Greenville Country Club
More info: bit.ly/golf-aug2015
