june 5, 2015 ubj

JUNE 5, 2015 | VOL. 4 ISSUE 23

Automated factories have been here for decades. It’s time to prepare for the age of the smart – even brilliant – factory.

THE FOURTHINDUSTRIALREVOLUTION

NEWS | ENTREPRENEURS | 3upstatebusinessjournal.com

Boozehounds, nighttime athletes and fashionable pets everywhere were the real winners at Clemson Univer-sity’s EnterPrize Awards, the school’s MBA in entrepreneurship pitch contest closing out the students’ yearlong program. While students pitched everything from ice rink booking applications to pocket neigh-borhood developments, first-place winner Standard Ice took home $20,000 to build its soon-to-be-pat-ented craft ice machine concept for bars and restaurants.

The premise is simple, according to the brains behind the company, MBAe student Josh Luetkemeyer and me-chanical engineering student Tyler Curran. If you’re going to pay top dollar for a premium drink, why let fast-melting, bacteria-riddled, cloudy ice ruin it?

“The ice machine is notorious in the industry for failing health inspections,” said Luetkemeyer, who hit upon the idea while working in Moscow for Coca-Cola. Crystal-clear premium ice – as frozen by the machine they’ve spent a year designing – not only melts slower, but it looks better in the glass. That, and bars can charge $1 to $2 more for it per drink, he said.

But a premium ice machine – which

could run between $1,500 and $1,800 each – can be a hard sell if business owners don’t understand the value and growing demand, they said. “It’s a big hurdle for us, and that’s a big part of our sales pitch is how is this going to pay for itself in the long run,” said Luetkemeyer. Despite the higher price, buyers could recoup the cost in as little as six weeks, he said.

The $20,000 from the contest will go directly toward producing Standard Ice’s first prototype by August, which will allow them to begin trials in five key markets around the country, in-cluding New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland.

Second-place winner Matt Brown won $6,000 for his company Get Lit, which produces customizable LED safety wear for athletes, pedestrians and commuters who find themselves navigating in the dark. The LED panel can be attached to the back of bikes, backpacks and eventually shirts, and uses moving arrows and other patterns to help prevent accidents and fatalities by alerting motorists.

Canine bandana manufacturer Ambitious Pet Products took third,

winning $4,000 to put towards making fashionable dog-wear with military-spec fabric. Each bandana sale includes a donation to a nonprof-it that trains rescued dogs for disabled veterans and first responders in the Carolinas, said co-founders Zach Capps and Derek Riker.

The five finalists included first, second and third winners in addition to ice rink booking application Open Ice by Ryan Anderson and gospel music talent development firm iCAn Entertainment by Brittany Williams.

Other student pitches included pro-

ductivity and personal goal mobile ap-plication Climb by Jackson Holt; pocket neighborhood development company Boyleston Creek Homes by James Holmes; event management group-pur-chasing company EventDepartment by Robert Howell; and toy company Ex-tra-Toydinary by Sophia Nichols.

About 45 percent of companies launch in the real world after going through Clemson’s MBA in entrepre-neurship program, and not all of those survive, said Clemson University College of Business and Behavioral Science Associate Dean and MBA Program Director Greg Pickett.

For Luetkemeyer and Curran, Standard Ice would not have been possible without the diverse set of university resources. While they plan to exit the business in three to four years, the entrepreneurial lessons will extend beyond the company, said Luetkemeyer.

“I’ve never wanted an MBA. It’s a piece of paper to me,” he said. “I wanted to learn how to start a busi-ness. That’s what I got out of this program.”

Clemson entrepreneurs win $20K in MBAe pitch contestASHLEY BONCIMINO | [email protected]

“I’ve never wanted an MBA. I wanted to learn how to start a business.”

Josh Luetkemeyer, cofounder, Standard Ice

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Standard Ice cofounders Tyler Curran and Josh Luetkemeyer and Clemson University Senior Associate Dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science Gregory Pickett.

Panelists Gary Elder, Tammy Johnson, Chris Hill, Erica Cannon and Tim Reed listened to student pitches and asked questions before awarding $20,000, $6,000 and $4,000 for the top three startups.

4 | THE RUNDOWN | TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK UBJ | 06.05.2015

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 23

Featured this issue:Smart fabrics bring textiles full circle in Upstate 5CertusBank winds down business 10Michael Kerski is one to watch 17

Angelo’s Greek and Italian Cuisine is set to open soon at the former Travinia’s

location at 1625 Woodruff Road.

t The Boot Barn, a retail Western and work-related apparel, shoes,

accessories and gifts store, will be opening its second South Carolina

location (the fi rst one is in Easley) in the former Pier One

Imports building at Haywood Mall.

TBA VERBATIMWORTH REPEATING

“The ice machine is notorious in the industry for failing health

inspections.” Page 3

“She informed me that I can continue to transfer to places, but

she and the kids are sticking around here.” Page 6

“We have machines that do the same thing over and over again, and

if they were people, we’d say they weren’t that smart.” Page 14

MONEY SHOT: Gregory Pickett, senior associate dean of Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science (left), and a friend prepare to announce the winners of the Enterprize Awards, the school’s MBA in entrepreneurship pitch contest. Read more on page 3.

On leadership

“In this world a man must either be ananvil orhammer.”

HenryWadsworthLongfellow

Angelo’s Greek and Italian Cuisineto open soon at the former Travinia’s

location at 1625 Woodruff Road

t The Boot Barnand work-related apparel, shoes,

accessories and gifts store, will be opening its second South Carolina

location (the fi rst one is in Easley) in the

Imports building at

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | TEXTILES | 5upstatebusinessjournal.com

Textiles come full circleThe industry returns to the Upstate with Beija Flor’s innovative denim fi bers

Decades after the textile industry left the Upstate for more profi table shores, the region’s history brings the industry full circle – not just with the reshoring of manufacturing, but with an added twist presently found in the heart of Greenville.

“Compared to the textiles of yester-day, it’s a whole different ballgame,” said Kathy Moca, designer and co-founder of Greenville-based jeans shop Beija Flor. While Beija Flor might seem like just another jeans shop, this isn’t your mother’s denim, she says. Fibers in each pair are made with bioactive minerals that interact with the skin, absorbing body heat, refl ect-ing back infrared rays that work to improve blood circulation, and – as far-fetched as it sounds – reducing the appearance of cellulite, improving skin elasticity and relieving muscle fatigue, she says.

“To me, it’s the most fascinating part

of our job,” said Moca, who found the fabric in Brazil and says Beija Flor was one of the fi rst companies to use the fi ber in denim in the U.S. “We’re basically a solu-tion-based fashion company.”

Technical textiles and smart fabrics – those designed to be semi-intelligent – can do far more then the average consumer realizes, said North Carolina State University College of Textiles Assistant Professor Dr. Jesse Jur. While some can fi lter pathogens from blood, others feel like tradition-al clothing but can send signals to your phone about everything from hydra-tion levels to blood oxygen levels, he said. The applications are endless.

“I’m not sure even all of our re-searchers and engineers understand the true potential of what we can do,” said Jur, who is currently working on designing sensor-studded electronic fabrics that run on thermal and kinetic

power captured from the body. “There are fabrics that function in response to some kind of change in its environ-ment. … It’s making the fabric do something that it’s normally not adapted to doing.”

While the actual manufacturing of textiles can happen elsewhere, the more recent change for the Southeast is the return of research, development and innovation when it comes to the indus-

try, said Jur. It began on the mainstream level with athletic and performance fabrics around 15 years ago, he said, and the re-gion’s past experience with textiles made it ideal for a revitalization of sorts.

For Moca – who founded Beija Flor with her daughter, Emilie Whitaker, 10 years ago – the fashion industry has been slower than, for example, the athletic performance sector to

begin adopting the next generation of textiles for consumers, but the trend is beginning to pick up steam. At trade shows both throughout the U.S. and abroad, more and more of her colleagues are working to intro-duce fabrics that offer additional consumer value based on technology.

“It’ll open people’s minds to what is going on,” she said. “It’s the technol-ogy that’s going to drive the industry.”

ASHLEY BONCIMINO | [email protected]

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Emilie Whitaker in Brazil at the factory where Beija-Flor jeans are made.

6 | METRO | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW UBJ | 06.05.2015

Pride pays offA positive community image can translate to positive cash flow, experts say

Wandering along Greenville and other Upstate storefronts, parks and neighborhoods, one thing appears constant: community pride.

An informal survey of people through-out the area overlaps with recent findings in a Gallup Poll of the most populous metropolitan statistical areas. The Greenville-Mauldin-Easley MSA ranked second among the 100 largest MSAs nationwide for the percentage of people who take pride in where they live.

Three in four people – 75.1 percent – in the area reported either agreeing or strongly agreeing that they have pride in where they live. Only the Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa, area ranked higher in the poll, showing a 1.4 percent higher degree of pride.

Nearby Asheville, N.C., ranked third highest, while the Scranton–Wil-kes-Barre, Penn., area scored the lowest amount of pride among those included in the Gallup poll.

Greenville resident Rolando Paez said he has a tremendous sense of pride in the area since moving to the Upstate 2 ½ years ago. He said a strong local economy, the opportunity for jobs, a family-friendly atmosphere and affordability make the place a good fit for his family.

“There’s just so much going on,” Paez said as he played with his daughter Isabella, 4, at ONE City Plaza down-town. “It’s almost like having big-city amenities in a small town feel.”

But an area filled with residents who take pride in where they live has tan-gible benefits for places beyond a nice Chamber of Commerce talking point, say financial and economic develop-ment professionals.

“The reality is if someone likes where they live, they’re going to spend money there because they’re going to remain there,” said David Torris, a Greenville resident and SunTrust Bank regional president for the Upstate and western North Carolina.

After transferring to a few other loca-tions, Torris said he has no plans to relo-

cate, a sentiment reinforced by his wife. “She informed me that I can continue

to transfer to places, but she and the kids are sticking around here,” said Torris, who has lived in the Upstate for about 16 years and graduated from Clemson.

High community pride may help the area achieve important economic devel-opment goals set by area leaders. One economic development goal in Greenville is attracting more administrative office space, including corporate headquarters.

Gerald Gordon, CEO of the econom-ic development authority in Fairfax County, Va., which has the second-larg-

est suburban office space market in the nation, has family who live in the Upstate and is familiar with the area. He said a community’s ability to attract a qualified workforce is critical to re-location decisions, as are other import-ant factors such as a reputation for safe communities, successful schools, access to parks and green space, favorable climate and openness to other cultures.

“If you live in a great place, there’s a reason to be proud,” Gordon said. “That becomes almost infectious, particularly when people come to town.”

Even in areas with less wealth, people seem to have confidence in the area’s ability to encourage success. Gospel musician and writer Jermaine Davis, who is homeless, moved to the area a month or so ago after living in New Orleans and said he believes he’ll find employment soon. He said community support and local pride help instill optimism.

“I have my business plan,” said Davis, who has a YouTube channel showcas-ing his gospel singing. “I’m looking to make something happen.”

ROBBIE WARD | [email protected]

COMMUNITIES WITH THE MOST PRIDE

1. Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa – 76.5%

2. Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, S.C. – 75.1%

3. Asheville, N.C. – 74.6%

4. Provo-Orem, Utah – 74.4%

5. Raleigh-Cary, N.C. – 73.8%

Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index

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INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | ECONOMY | 7upstatebusinessjournal.com

Report: Gas savings lead to more dining out

People likely spent more money on food with savings from lower gasoline prices, an economic report released this week from Clemson University economic analyst Bruce Yandle shows.

A typical family saw an average $750 annual savings from lower gas prices, while spending on meals away from home has climbed signifi cantly, according to the most recent quarter-ly economic report released by Clemson University’s Strom Thur-mond Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

Federal Consumer Department data

showed a spike in food bought during the same time periods as lower gas prices.

“In fact, for the fi rst time in the history of the time series, American consumers are now spending as much on meals away from home as they are spending on groceries,” wrote Yandle, interim dean of the Clemson Univer-sity College of Business and Behav-ioral Science and a senior fellow at the Thurmond Institute. “The old motto ‘Help stamp out home cooking’ seems to have taken hold, funded partly with cheaper gasoline.”

The quarterly newsletter provides an analysis of na-tional, regional and state economic trends and activity, as well as updates on national economic trends that can impact the na-tional economic outlook.

As expected, lower gasoline prices also led people to buy more gas, the

report showed, along with increasing demand for vehicles that use more gas, such as pickup trucks and SUVs.

“And this completes an interesting picture,” the report states. “Cheaper gas led to the purchase of larger SUVs and light trucks, large enough for the family to pile in for an evening out at a fun restaurant.”

Yandle also predicted the Federal Reserve is not likely to increase interest rates af-fecting consumer lending until the winter, if at all this year. Federal Reserve Chair-woman Janet Yellen has hinted in recent months at an interest rate hike this

summer as the n a t i o n a l economy con-tinued to grow. However, fl at to weak data on retail sales

mixed with low e m p l o y m e n t

growth, manufac-turing activity,

export sales and less action in the U.S. oil and gas regions suggest otherwise, the report says.

The report associated less econom-ic growth in the United States with infl ation in Europe and diminished economic growth in China and other parts of Asia.

Yandle also holds the title of Clemson Alumni Distinguished Pro-fessor of Economics Emeritus. He is a former executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and served as a member and chairman of the S.C. State Board of Economic Advisors.


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“In fact, for the fi rst time in the history of the time series, Ameri-can consumers are now spending as much on meals away from home as they are spending on groceries. The old motto ‘Help stamp out home cooking’ seems to have taken hold, funded partly with cheaper gasoline.”

Bruce Yandle

$750the average annual savings of a typical family from lower gas prices according to the most recent quarterly economic report

8 | TECHNOLOGY | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW UBJ | 06.05.2015

Hack-A-Thon weekend aims for transportation innovations

Data and software coding pro-grammers will compete in a civic “Hack-A-Thon” June 26-27 to use public information to help improve transportation issues in the Upstate.

Nonprofit organization iMAGINE Upstate will organize the week-end-long competition presented by Robert Half Technology to encourage finding solutions to transportation-re-lated challenges using creativity, technology and public records.

Teams of computer coders and programmers will create projects related to four categories: infrastruc-ture, parking, bikes and trails or public/mass transit. Teams will de-scribe projects to a team of judges the first day of the competition and then present work the following day.

Ryan Heafy, iMAGINE Upstate executive director and founder, said an example of a project could be a smart-phone application showing GPS tracking of downtown trolleys to let potential riders know where to find the vehicles and when to anticipate arrival.

“It’s showing how to be innovative to create civic solutions,” he said.

Each team will pitch projects on June 26 and present work on June 27. A panel of judges will select the winners, who will receive prizes.

Examples of projects created during the Hack-A-Thon could include mobile applications related to provid-ing real-time transportation informa-tion; visualizations showing complex data sets to help the public understand transportation issues; and information graphics showing analysis of different data sets.

The competition is expected to draw

about 100 participants, said Sarah Arbogast, director of marketing and events at iMAGINE Upstate.

The competition will take place at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville. Partners include Commu-nity Code, iT-oLogy, Project Hub, the Upstate Business Journal and The Iron Yard.

Along with the Hack-A-Thon, other related events on site will include a session to introduce kids to software coding and demonstrations of inno-vative technology related to transpor-tation in the area.

iMAGINE Upstate was formed as an effort to create interest locally in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to help create a workforce for high-tech, high-skilled jobs in the region. The organization hosted a festival in April to showcase the blend of Upstate businesses, in-dustry and educational opportunities related to STEM.


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Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27

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JUN 26

“It’s showing how to be innovative to create civic solutions.”

Ryan Heafy

INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | FINANCE | 9upstatebusinessjournal.com

Independence raises $8M for new banking platformSystem will allow for instantaneous

payments, reduce cost and risk

Despite advances in technology, the fastest way to exchange money today is via cold, hard cash, says Gordon Baird, CEO of Green-ville-based nD Bancgroup, holding company of Independence Bank. With a fresh round of tier one capital total-ing $8.4 million, Baird and his team plan to leave that lag time in the dust, cutting down both cost and risk for banks in the process.

“A lot of the infrastructure in the U.S. is still very old and was designed 30 or 40 years ago for the brick-and-mortar branches,” said Baird, noting the U.S. is signifi cantly behind the almost-instantaneous payments in the rest of the world. Those computer systems were designed for the bank’s interaction with the consumer, not a consumer’s interaction with a vendor, he said, forcing an archaic legacy system onto a platform it wasn’t de-signed for and making it ineffi cient both with time and money.

“There is more and more using your smartphone for either buying things at the store or paying for dinner at a restaurant,” he said. “We’re upgrading that infrastructure so when you use your device, it’s really built for that device.”

While the consumer clearly benefi ts from the yet-unnamed platform, Baird said, banks and vendors themselves reap huge benefits through cost savings and signifi cantly lower risk when payment lag times go down.

When money is suspended for a day in transit, that creates counterparty – default – risk and systematic risk for

everyone, he said. Not only that, but straight-through processing and re-al-time payments would reduce system costs, personnel costs and monitoring costs with more effi cient data process-ing and storage, he said.

If all goes well, Baird aims to offer the technology to other banks – locally and even nationally – which could bring relief from increasing regulato-ry burdens by offsetting costs.

“The industry in general is starting to focus on faster payments, so we are not alone, but we think we are one of the companies that is in the forefront of not only thinking about it, but doing it,” he said.

And this isn’t the bank’s fi rst foray into mobile payment R&D. The bank fi led three patents last year related to mobile payments, specifi cally methods and systems for executing mobile currency transactions, mobile curren-cy messaging systems, and creation and use of mobile identities. Baird said the bank’s investment in the project has been “clearly over $3 million” so far, but that the additional $8.4 million in capital will be the next step for nD Bancgroup. While the company plans to expand operations in both Greenville and New York City, the expansions will be focused on pay-ments, which include additional op-erations and technology personnel, as well as data center infrastructure improvements.

“There’s some innovative, for-ward-thinking technology coming through the industry,” said Baird. “We hope to be one of the companies that speeds that up from a consumer side.”

Independence Bancshares – doing business as nD Bancgroup – is the bank holding company operating in Greenville and New York. Founded in 2005, the company operates Indepen-dence National Bank, which operates three physical locations in Greenville, Taylors and Simpsonville.


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10 | FINANCE | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW UBJ | 06.05.2015

CertusBank winds down with deposits, loans, branches sales

Easley-based CertusBank an-nounced plans to wind down business by selling all deposits and all but four of its total branches over four trans-actions by the end of the fourth quarter. The remaining branches in downtown Greenville, Charleston, Columbia and Ponte Vedra, Fla., are slated for closure, according to a news release from the $1.4 billion asset bank.

The planned sales stem from the bank’s “deliberate efforts to review CertusBank’s strategic options in light of its capital challenges and imple-ment a course of action that provides the best available outcome for the bank’s customers, communities, teammates and stakeholders,” the bank said in a statement. Upstate Business Journal contacted the bank’s media representatives to confirm CertusBank’s remaining operations and assets.

“Most CertusBank teammates in the affected branches will be offered jobs with the respective acquiring bank,” according to a news release. CertusBank employed 366 full-time equivalent employees at the end of March this year, according to filings with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

CertusBank sold the remaining seven South Carolina operations to High Point, N.C.-based Bank of North Carolina in a transaction that included $284 million in customer deposits, $210 million in loans and brick-and-mortar branches in Greenville,

Spartanburg, Easley, Greer and Mauldin.

All of CertusBank’s Florida loans and deposits and the majority of its Georgia loans and deposits will be acquired by Atlanta-based Commu-nity & Southern Bank. The transac-tion, slated to close in the third quarter, includes $764 million in deposits and $230 million in loans, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

Dublin, Ga.-based Morris Bank agreed to purchase $61.8 million in customer deposits and $2.9 million in loans and assets alongside Certus-Bank’s Warner Robins, Ga.-based

branch, also slated for third quarter completion.

Louisville, Ga.-based Queensbor-ough National Bank & Trust Co. agreed to take the last of CertusBank’s Georgia operations, including the deposits, loans and branches in Sa-vannah and Rincon, Ga. Upstate Business Journal contacted Queens-borough about the terms of the transaction.

John Poelker resigned last month as CertusBank chairman, president and CEO due to health reasons, and the news follows the bank’s decision to sell $85 million of its assets in North Carolina, its small business finance unit and its wealth management arm in the last seven months. The planned closure of the Columbia lo-cation comes a year after it opened and three years after it opened in Charleston.

ASHLEY BONCIMINO | [email protected] WHO’S GETTING WHAT IN

THE CERTUSBANK SALE

BANK OF NORTH CAROLINA (HIGH POINT, N.C.):

• Seven S.C. CertusBank operations

• $284M in consumer deposits

• $210M in loans

• Brick-and-mortar branches in five Upstate cities

COMMUNITY & SOUTHERN BANK (ATLANTA):

• All of CertusBank’s Florida loans and deposits

• Majority of its Georgia loans and deposits

• $764M in deposits

• $230M in loans

MORRIS BANK (DUBLIN, GA.):

• $61.8M in customer deposits

• $2.9M in loans and assets

• CertusBank’s Warner Robins, Ga., branch

QUEENSBOROUGH NATIONAL BANK & TRUST CO. (LOUISVILLE, GA.):

• CertusBank’s remaining Georgia operations, including deposits, loans and branches in Savannah and Rincon, Ga.

• Terms undisclosed

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MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUPTORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE | INNOVATE | 11upstatebusinessjournal.com

The world’s not flat; it’s spiky. Innovation driving prosperity clumps in local communities like Silicon Valley, Boston and Tel Aviv with top research universities at their cores. For the Upstate to continue our amazing renaissance, Clemson needs to develop as a world-class research university. This is an open letter to Clemson and Upstate leaders about a catalytic project to enhance Clemson as our region’s innovation engine to attract, develop, and retain top talent.

Fifteen years ago, then-Clemson president Jim Barker asked a provoc-ative question: “If Clemson was in Greenville, what would we do differ-ent?” The answer is awe-inspiring:

• The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).

• Clemson graduate business programs in the ONE Building on Main Street.

• The Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC) at Patewood.

• Clemson’s partnership with the Greenville Health System,

including the new IMED campus.

• Lest we forget, Clemson’s 25+ years of

leadership as the largest provider of graduate education at the University Center of Greenville.

While we’re cele-brating, we also need to be realistic. Clem-son’s top 20 status is based primarily on its undergraduate repu-tation. While some top research programs like bioengineering go back over 50 years, Clemson is new to the game and still learn-ing how to be recog-nized as a top research university.

Now Clemson’s new president, Jim Clem-ents, has put another provocative question to the community: “What will Clemson be 10, 20 or 50 years from now?”

We need a sense of urgency around a common problem Upstate leaders are already trying to solve. Corporate research directors and academic center chairs are both working hard to recruit the best talent into their organizations. Aligning their interests

can create pipelines of talent that help both, as well as help recruit R&D facilities and corporate headquarters, and develop startup ecosystems, so top students fi nd their best career opportunities here.

Engage corporations: An Upstate industrial research organization that prides itself on hiring Ph.D. engineer-ing students from the country’s top 10 universities hasn’t hired a Clemson Ph.D. At the same time, Clemson is

producing top graduate students in disciplines from automotive engineer-ing to bioengineering, most of whom have to leave the region to fi nd a job. Clemson can partner more closely with industrial R&D facilities in the region to align research in strategic areas so corporations can employ the pipeline of top graduate students, access faculty with specialized knowledge and facil-ities, and potentially license IP.

By JOHN WARNER,publisher, SwampFox

Corporate research directors and academic center chairs are both working hard to recruit the best talent. Aligning their interests can create pipelines of talent that help both.

Turbocharging the region’s innovation engineWhen Clemson develops into a world-class research university, everyone wins

INNOVATE continued on PAGE 12

Students at the CU-ICAR unveiled Deep Orange 5, sponsored by General Motors, at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, in April.

55 Beattie Place | commerce-club.com | 864.232.5600For more information contact Dylan Petrick,

Commerce Club General Manager, at [email protected]

in the upscale bar with great city and mountain views; network with

Greenville’s top business professionals

Connect

effi ciently, close deals and conduct

meetings in the sophisticated, iPad-ready

e-lounge and private offi ces

Workproductive meetings in our dynamic boardroom

with high-tech business

amenities and signature service

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12 | INNOVATE | MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUPTORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE UBJ | 06.05.2015

entoronday

Each month, UBJ presents an opportunity for the business community to step up, get engaged and start mentoring. We hope our readers will spend some time over the weekend thinking about how they can be ready to jump in next week with Mentor Monday.

GIVE | GET | GROW

OPPORTUNITY: Volunteer for programs geared to prepare the next generation of young people to succeed in the workplace.

ORGANIZATION:Junior Achievement

COMMITMENT: Volunteer to teach school age children the keys to success in the workplace through personal experience accounts.

IDEAL FOR: Adults with a passion for preparing the next generationfor the business world.

WHAT IT’S LIKE: While volunteering to share personal workplace experience, you can help mold a child’s future.

WHY YOU’RE NEEDED: The growing business world is in

constant need of next-generation leaders to step into the workplace adequately equipped for the jobs required of them. They are inneed of training, both inside andoutside of a classroom setting.By volunteering, you will besharing real life applications of scenarios in the business world.

These practical applications are invaluable. Assist the next generation of business leaders today.

LEARN MORE:juniorachievement.org

CONTACT: Connie Lanzl,president of Junior Achievement, [email protected]

Engage economic developers: Top graduate students in the region and deep global relationships in the economic development community are huge assets. Clemson can partner with the economic development community to use this pipeline of talent to recruit industry R&D facil-ities and corporate headquarters. Michelin is a successful case study: We recruited Michelin manufacturing in the 1970s, then the Michelin Americas Research Corporation, and then the Michelin North America headquarters. South Carolina has the highest percentage of workers em-ployed by foreign corporations of any state, so the economic development community has extensive global re-lationships to replicate the successful Michelin model. Where technical college graduates are the magnets that attract manufacturing, Clemson graduates are the magnets to attract R&D facilities and corporate head-quarters.

Engage entrepreneurs: Entrepre-neurship is blooming at Clemson, from the recently announced Spiro Founders Society’s $1.7 million challenge pledge, to the MBAe program in the College of Business and Behavioral Science and The Design and Entrepreneurship Network (The DEN) in the College of Engineering and Science. Beyond programs to educate and coach stu-dents into being entrepreneurs, there is a huge opportunity to partner with faculty who have compelling business ideas based on their research, but are self-aware they have neither the ex-perience nor in many cases the desire to start companies alone. Brian McSharry and I have raised $1.35 million for Concepts to Companies based on this insight, committing to invest most of that in two startups based on Clemson research, Accessi-ble Diagnostics and Recovr.

Engage university researchers: Clemson has many researchers who are preeminent in their fi elds with strong global relationships. The ele-gance of the model proposed here is that academic researchers remain in their comfort zones as academic re-searchers and aren’t expected to

become businesspeople or economic developers. Faculty can collaborate more closely in growing the academ-ic research enterprise with business-people and economic developers who benefi t from the products of academ-ic research: educated students, the faculties’ specialized knowledge and facilities, and intellectual property.

Engage alumni: Clemson’s 80,000 alumni may be the university’s most powerful asset. We need to maintain strong connection to top graduates who do leave the region, especially those who’ve obtained leadership positions in major corporations around the world. The Alumni Asso-ciation has the broadest database of alumni, but their information about any graduate isn’t deep. Academic departments have much deeper in-formation about their graduates, but they often guard it jealously and sometimes the knowledge leaves the university when faculty members do. Having a more comprehensive alumni engagement system should be a top project.

Engage the Legislature: About a decade ago, the Legislature had a burst of initiatives from the Centers of Economic Excellence Act, the University Infrastructure Act, the Life Sciences Act, and the Venture Capital Act. Most current legislators were not in the Legislature when these initia-tives were passed and do not under-stand what they are or the benefi ts the state gets from them. We need to document and celebrate the success-es of these past legislative programs. Then Clemson and its corporate and economic development partners should help the Legislature craft the next set of initiatives to continue to grow the state’s research enterprise.

If we align the interests and combine the extensive global rela-tionships of academic researchers, corporate partners, economic devel-opers, entrepreneurs and alumni in focused areas where we are among the best in the world, our renaissance has only begun.

INNOVATE continued from PAGE 11“What will Clemson be 10, 20or 50 years from now?”

Clemson’s new president,Jim Clements

communityjournals.com

14 | COVER UBJ | 06.05.2015

INDUSTRY 4.0The machines are getting smarter, and factories – and people – are getting more productive

A new industrial revolution is upon us, say manufacturers, heralding cozier relationships with data, the Internet of things and robots that learn.

“We’re collectively entering into the information age in software and analytics, kind of transitioning from the previous industrial age,” said GE Power & Water’s Keith Belsom, who manages what the company has dubbed its “brilliant factory.”

Unlike traditional factories, the fourth industrial revolution is connecting what used to be sepa-rate machine tools, robots, data-bases and analytics software to create the industrial plant of the future, Belsom said. With more sensors and connected data ana-lytics, machines can make predic-tive decisions to operate factories and supply chains in response to customer needs, he said.

“How great would it be for a machine to alert you that in the next six months, this ball screw is going to fail, so you should have one ready?” said Wade Herrin, GE Power & Water Manufactur-ing Engineering and Technology

Center of Excellence leader. Less downtime not only means more line produc-

tivity, but reduces wear on machines worth millions of dollars, Herrin said.

“We have machines that do the same thing over and over again, and if they were people, we’d say they weren’t that smart,” he said. “But now our machines can talk in data with data analytics, make decisions. … It transforms our machines from being a plain machine to being a brilliant machine.”

RISE OF THE MACHINESThe so-called fourth industrial revolution – also

sometimes referred to as Industry 4.0 or the Indus-trial Internet – builds on the idea that shifts in technology bring catalytic and game-changing effects to industries such as manufacturing, starting with the first industrial revolution. The first marked a shift from manual to mechanized work, while the second involved electricity-powered mass produc-tion, followed by the introduction of electronic and

computerized machining with the third.

While predictive machining hovers at the bleeding edge of manufacturing technology, manufacturers as a whole are only just discovering its poten-tial, says Laine Mears, who teaches automation integration in manufacturing as an associ-ate professor at Clemson Uni-versity’s Department of Auto-motive Engineering. Up until now, the lack of high-perfor-mance computing made it im-possible to work at such ad-vanced levels of data collection and analysis, he said.

“Nobody prior to 10 years ago was paying attention to how these data streams could be centralized,” said Mears,


«Workers at BMW’s Greer plant test Google Glass for quality assurance in production.

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who also was a founding faculty member at the university’s International Center for Automotive Research. “We have this convergence of ability to collect data, the ability to plug in data, cloud com-puting and Internet-based computing. … The key is improving quality and productivity.”

HUMAN HEARTSIn addition to reducing downtime, the Industrial

Internet can mean cost savings in different ways, especially when it comes to quality control and re-ducing physical stress on workers, he said. Instead of having a human turn a wrench, we have machines to turn wrenches, which frees up humans to work on different, often higher-level operations, he said.

“People are the heart of manufacturing,” said Mears, who said research is branching out to work on analyzing and improving human processes as well as those of machines. “The real research is in how we support the human. How do we support the decision-maker and how do we make this person’s job easier to do?”

At BMW’s Spartanburg facility, for example, humans already work side-by-side with “collabora-tive” robots that work around humans without the need of protective fencing. The next step has been to implement Google Glass – wearable head-mount-ed technology with a camera and an optical display – for workers to use in documenting and speeding analysis when it comes to identifying potential defects and deviations in finished products.

Rather than working to eliminate workers, the goal is to aid and supplement them to improve

the final product, said BMW Research and Innova-tion Liaison Office Manager Joerg Schulte. Defects can take all sorts of shapes and forms, and having a tool like Google Glass can also help workers more accurately keep up with the latest inspection stan-dards and protocols, he said.

“Another trend that helps with managing all this data is this whole big data, data analytics that has been developing,” he said. “For example, mining product data and manufacturing data … allows us to get new insight into manufacturing operations.”

BMW – which has implemented a plethora of sensors with all of its machines – can also work with data from suppliers to trace defects to their source, which can save time and circumvent future defects, he said. Other uses – tracking and managing energy use, for example – will mean more productivity overall, he said.

OTHER INDUSTRIES PLAYING CATCH-UPAdjacent industries – firms that engineer and

build these new smart factories, for example – will also have to adjust in the wake of the industry 4.0.

“A lot of the equipment these days is outfitted for those types of things,” said Shane Bolding, vice president of industrial manufacturing with Green-ville-based O’Neal. “We talk with equipment people that have an IP

address on each of their machines.” One challenge for manufacturers will continue to

be interoperability, or working with different ma-chines with different operating systems, languages and interfaces to be able to communicate with each other, said Mears. Newer machines may simply have Ethernet ports that can easily integrate with existing

systems. But older machines aren’t likely to have Ethernet ports, and are even less likely to be easy to integrate with other systems if they have a few years on them, he said. Regardless, older machines can represent hundreds of millions of dollars in capital, and are better of retrofitted than thrown out.

“It’s an investment. It’s an expense. But I think it’s well understood that they’re going to need to have their minds around data,” Mears said. “Of

course there will always be small shops that just have manual processes, but I think what

we term as advanced manufacturing … you’re going to see this as a sustained shift. What it leads to, I don’t know.”

«

COVER | 15upstatebusinessjournal.com

Industrial Internet’s contribution to global GDP by 2030Source: GE, Accenture 2015

$15,000,000,000,000

«

“We have machines that do the same thing over and over again, and if they were people, we’d say they weren’t that smart. But now our machines can talk in data with data analytics, make decisions. … It transforms our machines from being a plain machine to being a brilliant machine.”

Wade Herrin, GE Power & Water

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16 | NEW TO THE STREET | THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE UBJ | 06.05.2015

1. Walbrige recently opened a new office at 100 Verdae Blvd., Suite 400, Greenville. The company will concentrate on automotive, manufacturing and process sectors in the Southeast. For more information, visit walbridge.com.

2. Brookdale Greenville recently opened at 1306 Pelham Road, Greenville. The company is

a senior living community. For more information, visit brookdale.com or call 864-421-6814.

3. Interactive Tours recently opened at 101 Falls Park Way, Suite 106, Greenville. The company offers guided walking history tours of Greenville. For more information visit interactivetours-greenville.com or call 864-884-3520.

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isn’t perfect, be we had a committee of 17 people who worked on a consensus process. We reduced the height of single-family homes, required some tree placement and addressed garage location and paving yards for parking.

How did you end up in this fi eld? I was much more into urban planning than archi-

tecture in school. My thesis with a team was a design to knit these neighborhoods back together again in Milwaukee. There were two very nice neighborhoods and they had torn everything down for seven city blocks to build a freeway. Probably not a good idea. So we did our design and the state and federal highway department demapped that freeway and the two neighborhoods are knitted back together. They took our concept plans and built that project.

What qualities contribute to your success? I try to listen to all sides of an issue. People say

I’m too honest. But when you have 17 people – re-altors, homebuilders, architects, neighborhood people, council members – we have to agree on a path forward. So it’s listening to all sides, the staff input, the public input.

What are your next priorities? There is a lot to do. Management and the council

have a big list. Planning is one of the things Green-ville is famous for. One of council’s larger goals is to redo the sign code, so hopefully that will be done in the next year or so.

Michael Kerski is always planning. Even on the weekends, when he walks his four dogs down the Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail, he is checking out homes, apartments and commer-cial properties to assess if they are following code.

“I’ll snap pictures of violations,” he said. It’s all part of his dedication to retaining the “urban

character” that sets Greenville apart. He and his staff processed a record number of applications last year while also developing new guidelines for single-fam-ily residential, multifamily and commercial proper-ties. His team assesses projects to the smallest detail, from height to garage placement to vent location, to ensure Greenville maintains its unique attributes.

“Everyone talks about quality of life, but it’s really quality of place,” he said. “We are trying to make Greenville the best place in the United States. The bar has been raised, and we’re trying to keep the bar level.”

How would you sum up your role for the city? I solve problems. It’s everything from single-family

homeowners to people with sign issues to bigger projects like Main + Stone or the Greenville News site. We currently have 4,300 multifamily units that have been through our approval process and are now at the planning commission or the design review board.

Does each project typically requireextensive changes?

Very few plans we see [don’t require changes]. For example, apartments need to show us all of the vents for bathrooms and dryers – it’s important. Even if we have plans that are pretty good, there may be a building permit issue or something else.

What is your biggest challenge as planning and development manager?

Right now, it’s volume. We’re meeting with indi-vidual residents, neighborhood associations, archi-tects, developers, property owners. Our biggest year was 270 applications, but then last year we had 400. This year is probably going to be more than 400.

How does your staff of seven overseeso many projects?

We have a good staff here. One will focus on single-family permit review and someone else will do the more comprehensive plan work.

Last year, council gave us an enforcement offi cer. The issue was, we would take a set of plans, tell people to make changes, but then we would never see it. So he goes out and makes sure single-family homes are built in the right spot, that setbacks are right, that garages are in the right location.

Does the growth in applications signifyeconomic health in the city?

Yes. For many reasons, everybody wants to be in Greenville. A lot of people are coming from other markets where our housing seems affordable. The biggest apartment project is the Fluornoy project [District West] going behind City Hall. It’s the fi rst on the edge outside of the downtown area, and a major apartment project on the [GHS] Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Have you seen the impact of the trail ondevelopment and applications?

It’s had a huge impact. Now that it’s all connect-ed, it’s been so successful that it probably should have been wider. It’s been much more successful than I ever thought it would be.

What role does your department playin keeping growth strong?

Greenville is known for its quality neighborhoods. Residents want to keep that urban character, with walkable sidewalks, street trees, no garages in the front lawns. We just passed the infi ll design guidelines for single-family homes, new non-residential design standards and new multifamily design guidelines.

What prompted the addition of the infi ll ordinance?We didn’t have an infi ll ordinance, and the neigh-

borhoods were experiencing pressure. The ordinance

ONES TO WATCH: The judges could only choose a handful of winners from the more than 130 nominees for Who’s Who in 2015. Over the next few months, UBJ will introduce you to a dozen more whose work isworth keeping an eye on.

LEIGH SAVAGE | CONTRIBUTOR

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reg

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kner

POINTS OF INTEREST:

FAMILY: Wife Robin; four rescue dogs (three wire fox terriers, one Welsh terrier)

HOMETOWN: Milwaukee

EDUCATION: B.S. in architecture and urban design and Master’s of Architecture, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

YEARS IN GREENVILLE: 6

HOBBIES: “My dogs take up most of my time. I never thought I’d have four.”

Michael Kerski

Planning and development manager, City of Greenville

“Everyone talks about quality of life, but it’s really quality of place. We are trying to make Greenville the best place in the United States. The bar has been raised, and we’re trying to keep the bar level.”

18 | SQUARE FEET | REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION UBJ | 06.05.2015

A groundbreaking ceremony is set for June 10 for 121 Rhett, a 35-unit condo complex at the corner of Rhett Street and Falls Park Drive near Falls Park in down-town Greenville.

The seven-story building will feature on-site private parking, 10-12 foot ceilings, expansive windows, spacious balconies and landscaped common areas. Condos will range from 1,300 square feet to more than 3,000 square feet

and begin in the $390,000 range. Twenty fi ve of the 35 units are already under contract.

A small retail space will also be available, but has not yet been leased.

The property is being marketed by Tracy Bogie of Coldwell Banker Caine.

Groundbreaking set for 121 Rhett

Pelham Place, a 57,158-square-foot grocery-anchored retail shopping center located at 3093 S. Highway 14 in Greer, has been listed for sale.

The shopping center’s 38,003-square-foot anchor space is on a long-term lease but is currently unoccupied. The center is 94 percent leased.

The opportunity for new ownership to lease or sublease the anchor space to a big-box store could increase the value of the center as well as fulfi ll residents’ need for a quality grocery store, said David Duckworth, vice president with Avison Young.

Duckworth, along with Michael Fay, principal

LISTED: Pelham Place

and managing director, Miami; A.J. Belt III, principal; and John Odom, associate – all with Avison Young – will lead the marketing

initiatives and will begin taking bids soon for the shopping center.

Pelham Place was built in 2007 and is in close proximity to several high-income neighborhoods near Highway 14, Pelham and Batesville Roads and is easily accessible via two entry points to the plaza.

“Increased residential development is contributing to the strong demand for a quality grocer in the area which is guaranteed to attract a notable tenant to the available anchor space,” said Fay.

Current tenants include Tropical Grille, Onin Staffi ng, My Salon, Nail Style, Poinsett Medical, Glazing Pot Pottery, Min Hibachi Buffet and Alterations.

Pelham Place is already receiving interest from regional investors looking for immediate cash fl ow and returns. “The property is attracting a high level of interest,” said Duckworth.

ADDRESS: 3093 S. Highway 14, Greer

PROPERTY SIZE: 6.74 acres

BROKER: Avison Young

WHAT: Coldwell Banker Caine to host121 Rhett Groundbreaking Ceremony

WHEN: Wednesday, June 10, 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: 121 Rhett St., Greenville

WHO: Developer Tom Croft; Architect Keith Summerour

DETAILS

SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF [email protected] @SJackson_CJ

REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION | SQUARE FEET | 19upstatebusinessjournal.com

The initials didn’t change, but the name did. This week Greenville construction company Yeargin Potter Shackelford announced it has changed its name to Yeargin Potter Smith.

The company says the new name reflects the addition of industry veteran Sam Smith to the Yeargin Potter Smith family. Smith joined the company in 2014 and brings more than 25 years of construction and project management experience. Previously a president and stockhold-er at Triangle Construction, Smith is executive vice president and partner at YPS, sharing ownership with president and CEO Lynn Yeargin.

“Sam’s arrival has brought a swift and positive boost to the project di-versity of our company,” said Yeargin. “His expertise with multi-family projects and relationships throughout the Southeast are a perfect comple-ment to our reputation for strong industrial and commercial work in the region. We are excited about the

promising future of Yeargin Potter Smith with Sam on our team.”

The company’s roots date back to 1919 when Potter-Shackelford Con-struction was fi rst founded. In 2004, YPS was created through a merger between Yeargin Construction and Potter-Shackelford Construction. At the time of the merger there were no Shackelford family owners, as owner-ship had transitioned out of the Shackelford family.

“We have added Smith to our name to symbolize the continuing evolution of the company and our bright outlook for the future while maintaining a strong connection to our rich heri-tage,” said Yeargin.

Both companies are known for historically significant projects throughout the Greenville communi-ty, including Lewis Plaza, Greenville High School and the former Chamber of Commerce building on Main Street. Since the merger, YPS projects have included Caine Halter YMCA, AMECO

Offi ce, Sterling Elementary-Charles Townes Center and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenville.

Current YPS projects include: Main+Stone Apartments at the corner

of North Main Street and Stone Avenue, and LINK Apartments West End at the intersection of River and Rhett streets, both in downtown Greenville.

YPS announces name changeYeargin Potter Shackelford will now be known as Yeargin Potter Smith

Potter-Shackelford builds Greenville High School

Yeargin Construction Company builds McAlister Square Mall

Lynn Yeargin starts Yeargin Enterprises Construction, Inc.

1984

1919Potter-Shackelford, Inc. founded by F.L Shackelford and W.T. Potter

1937

1968

YPS constructs Sterling Elementary, TD Convention Center expansion, and LSP Automotive Systems

2007

Yeargin EnterprisesConstruction, Inc. changes name to Yeargin Construction, Inc.

1999

Yeargin Construction Company sold to Perini Corporation of Boston

1976

Yeargin Construction Company founded by Bob Yeargin

1959

Potter-Shackelford builds former Chamber of Commerce building on Main Street

1924

2004Yeargin Potter Shackelford (YPS) created by merger of Potter-Shackelford and Yeargin Construction, Inc. led by Kirk Carter and Lynn Yergin

YPS welcomes partner Sam Smith and becomes known as Yeargin Potter Smith

2015

CongratulationsUBS salutes the Parham, Arrowood, Bragdon Institutional Consulting Group for their 2015 accomplishments.

Accolades are independently determined and awarded by their respective publications. Neither UBS Financial Services Inc. nor its employees pay a fee in exchange for these ratings. Accolades can be based on a variety of criteria, including length of service, compliance records, client satisfaction, assets under management, revenue, type of clientele and more. For more information on a particular rating, please visit ubs.com/us/en/designation-disclosures. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and Certified finanCial PlannertM in the U.S. CIMA® is a registered certification mark of the Investment Management Consultants Association, Inc. in the United States of America and worldwide. ©UBS 2015. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. 1.00_Ad_9.25x6_BL0506_ParK

Kenneth Parham and Bert Arrowood have been recognized by Barron’s as Top 1,200 Financial Advisors, Kenneth Parham has been recognized by the Financial Times as a Top 400 Financial Advisor, and William Bragdon has been named as a UBS Top 35 Under 35 Advisor. In addition, Rhonda Barth has been promoted to Wealth Management Associate, one of only 38 in the nation. The superior service the entire team delivers on behalf of their clients sets a high standard for their peers throughout the industry.

Kenneth Parham, CIMA® Senior Vice President–Wealth Management

Bert R. Arrowood, CFP® Senior Vice President–Wealth Management

William G. Bragdon Senior Vice President–Wealth Management

Melissa M. Huff Client Service Associate

Rhonda L. Barth Wealth Management Associate

UBS Financial Services Inc.Poinsett Plaza, 17 West Mcbee Avenue Greenville, SC 29601 864-241-6332 800-726-5222

ubs.com/team/pabicg

CongratulationsUBS salutes the Parham, Arrowood, Bragdon Institutional Consulting Group for their 2015 accomplishments.Kenneth Parham and Bert Arrowood have been recognized by Barron’s as Top 1,200 Financial Advisors, Kenneth Parham has been recognized by the Financial Times as a Top 400 Financial Advisor, and William Bragdon has been named as a UBS Top 35 Under 35 Advisor. In addition, Rhonda Barth has been promoted to Wealth Management Associate, one of only 38 in the nation. The superior service the entire team delivers on behalf of their clients sets a high standard for their peers throughout the industry.

Accolades are independently determined and awarded by their respective publications. Neither UBS Financial Services Inc. nor its employees pay a fee in exchange for these ratings. Accolades can be based on a variety of criteria, including length of service, compliance records, client satisfaction, assets under management, revenue, type of clientele and more. For more information on a particular rating, please visit ubs.com/us/en/designation-disclosures. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and Certified finanCial PlannerTM in the U.S. CIMA® is a registered certification mark of the Investment Management Consultants Association, Inc. in the United States of America and worldwide. ©UBS 2015. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. 1.00_Ad_9.25x6_BL0506



William G. BragdonSenior Vice President–Wealth Management




ubs.com/team/pabicg

CongratulationsUBS salutes the Parham, Arrowood, Bragdon Institutional Consulting Group for their 2015 accomplishments.

Accolades are independently determined and awarded by their respective publications. Neither UBS Financial Services Inc. nor its employees pay a fee in exchange for these ratings. Accolades can be based on a variety of criteria, including length of service, compliance records, client satisfaction, assets under management, revenue, type of clientele and more. For more information on a particular rating, please visit ubs.com/us/en/designation-disclosures. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and Certified finanCial PlannertM in the U.S. CIMA® is a registered certification mark of the Investment Management Consultants Association, Inc. in the United States of America and worldwide. ©UBS 2015. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. 1.00_Ad_9.25x6_BL0506_ParK

Kenneth Parham and Bert Arrowood have been recognized by Barron’s as Top 1,200 Financial Advisors, Kenneth Parham has been recognized by the Financial Times as a Top 400 Financial Advisor, and William Bragdon has been named as a UBS Top 35 Under 35 Advisor. In addition, Rhonda Barth has been promoted to Wealth Management Associate, one of only 38 in the nation. The superior service the entire team delivers on behalf of their clients sets a high standard for their peers throughout the industry.



William G. Bragdon Senior Vice President–Wealth Management




ubs.com/team/pabicg

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2015 CREW Sponsors_UBJ Ad_.25page_070914_bk.indd 1 3/9/2015 3:22:36 PM

When Ray T. Orvin Jr. spoke to about 200 leaders in the clean water industry earlier this month in downtown Greenville, it was about more than just cleaning up after a 2013 PCB spill. It was about leadership when it was needed.

Anyone can lead when things are easy. It is when things get tough that real leadership needs to happen. That tough moment, or what Orvin called “the day our world changed,” happened in 2013, when ReWa along with other utilities in the Upstate were adversely affected by PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) contamination. PCBs were illegally in-troduced into the wastewater collection system from an unknown source and made their way to three ReWa Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs).

Orvin told the story of how this changed the way ReWA, which manages a 300-square-mile area that

has almost 500,000 people in it, looked at its system. There were no long-term affects for users, but it helped ReWa get a better understanding of what it can do better.

“Our goal is to protect the public health and water quality of Upstate waterways while providing the necessary infrastructure to support the local economy,” he said.

PLAN TO RESPOND AND THEN DO ITA big thing that helped rectify the problem was

having a plan in place for such an emergency, Orvin said. A lot of times, agencies fail when they don’t plan ahead or don’t follow their plans. However, looking at ways to better the plan for future events was key.

“We implemented a successful remediation plan to include changes to sewer use regulation, policies and procedures in response to this incident,” Orvin said. “ReWa halted all land application of our bio-solids until no residual PBCs were detected.”

BE OPENReWa partnered with local subdistricts to help

identify areas of concern, implement regulation changes and educate the community on the PCB impact. In addition, it sent out information in bill inserts and in its annual fi nancial report; it made the story part of classroom presentations and talked to community groups; and it addressed the issue in the media.

MAKE CHANGES THAT WORKReWa put in a large system of safety measures

for itself and the groups that use facilities. For example, all hauled waste loads are now inspected and sampled prior to discharge; on a daily basis, all hauled waste loads are segregated until a “clean” result is obtained; all Hauled Waste Regulation was revised to ensure proper manifesting/tracking of waste; and commercial sources of hauled septic waste must be approved prior to acceptance.

“ReWa staff worked diligently to ensure that the PCBs didn’t affect water quality or the land appli-cation sites by halting all land application of bio-solids,” Orvin said. “We went further, though. Preventative testing and source detection activities are currently a part of everyday operations at the affected facilities. Research and coordination of disposal options were arranged by staff. And we executed resilient remediation plans.”

SEEK CHANGE ELSEWHEREReWa has been active in working with its

stakeholders to develop a standard for the state of South Carolina as it relates to land application of PCBs. This includes temporary standards re-garding land application of PCBs that resulted in permanent revisions to the state and federal law to address land application of sludge with PCB residuals. In addition, SCDHEC issued an emer-gency regulation change in response to PCB contamination in 2013.

20 | THE TAKEAWAY | NOTES FROM THE BEST TALKS YOU MISSED

Lessons on leadership in a crisisReWa’s Ray T. Orvin Jr. on what 2013’s PCB crisis can teach leaders

By JOHN BOYANOSKI,Complete Public Relations

UBJ | 06.05.2015

EVENT: The National Association of Clean Water Agencies’ (NACWA) National Pretreatment and Pollution Prevention Workshop, Hyatt Regency in Greenville, May 15, 2015

WHO WAS THERE: Almost 200 clean water agency members.

SPEAKER: Ray T. Orvin Jr., executive director of Renewable Water Resources (ReWa)

THEME:Leadership during a crisis event and how to make lasting changes

“Our goal is to protect the public health and water quality of Upstate waterways while providing the necessary infrastructure to support the local economy.”

Stay in the know.

TheUpstateBusinessJournal

@UpstateBiz

Upstate Business Journal

Photos provided

The Five Foods That You Need To Change Up In Your Diet For Optimum Energy And Performance. By Iron Tribe Fitness

1< ALMOND MILK. Did you know only about 25% of the population can drink milk without any irritation? Keep your digestive system running smoothly by switching over to almond milk. It tastes good and has more calcium than regular milk!

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2. CAULIFLOWER Try substituting your normal starchy rice for caulifl ower rice! This may not sound extremely appetizing for those who do not like caulifl ower, but you can fl avor it however you like and it’s even more convenient than cooking regular rice! Just put the caulifl ower heads into a blender for 30 seconds and then fry it up on the stove in coconut oil!

3. ALMOND FLOUR Instead of pancakes try Paleo pancakes!! You can make them as simple as 2 eggs and 2 bananas or you can substitute almond fl our for normal fl our. This will keep your stomach in good health and give your body great energy!

4. WHOLE MEATSDid you know some of the preservatives used in deli meats are also used in antifreeze? Throw away your processed deli meats, and get back to the basics with whole meats! Slice some chicken and turkey and put it in a lettuce wrap.

5. ALMOND BUTTER The most popular sand which in the world is the peanut butter and jelly. Unfortunately, peanuts contain harmful lectins that can cause damage on your intestinal lining. Try almond butter as a replacement for your peanut butter!

22 | ON THE MOVE | PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS UBJ | 06.05.2015

HIRED APPOINTED PROMOTED HIRED HIREDAPPOINTED PROMOTED HIRED

Sarah LamkinNamed marketing and offi ce coordinator for FinTrust Investment Advisors. Lamkin will provide management of social media and Web activity. She is a graduate of Georgia College and State University with a degree in mass communications. She has worked on projects at GC Human Resources and Adcap Network System.

Wilfredo Leon Named chairman of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Hispanic Committee. Leon is owner and editor of El Latino Newspaper. He serves on the board of directors of the Hispanic Alliance. He has also served on various community organizations working to advance Hispanic culture.

Mia GreerNamed director of health care marketing at Cascades Verdae. Greer will plan, organize and direct the leasing and admission activities such as coordinating move-ins and plan all health care marketing events. She previously served as business services manager for Live Long Well Care at Cascades Verdae.

Lauren D. GreeneNamed a private wealth advisor for the Private Wealth Management Group at NBSC. Greene will work with private clients to understand their unique fi nancial circumstances and personal preferences. She will develop strategies for planning, investing, protecting and passing on wealth for her clients.

Danielle CarJoined Community Journals as the Digital Content Manager. Car will maintain content on UBJ, TOWN Carolina and Greenville Journal, as well as manage social media accounts. She previously worked for the company as a digital strategy intern. She graduated from Furman University in May with a degree in Communication Studies.

COMMUNITYThe Network Journal (TNJ) named

Nika White, Greenville Chamber of Commerce vice president of diversity and inclusion, a recipient of a 40

Under Forty Achievement Award. The awards recognize young Afri-can-Americans who have proven to be exceptional performers in their indus-try and committed contributors to the

development of their community.

Linda Zulli-Trumbauer has been named vice president of develop-ment for Pendleton Place. Zul-

li-Trumbauer most recently served as regional major gifts officer at the American Red Cross. She previous-ly served as senior development manger with the National

Danielle Car

HIRED

>>

1052 North Church St. | Greenville, SC | 864.349.2600 | RoeCassidy.com

TRANSACTIONS | TRIALS | SOLUTIONS

Jim Cassidy leads the banking and corporate litigation team

at Roe Cassidy Coates & Price which focuses on the represen-

tation of banks and corporate clients in workouts, collections,

and various commercial litigation issues. The firm has repre-

sented many banks and corporate clients in the Upstate and

has done so for decades. Jim has been certified as a specialist

in Bankruptcy by the South Carolina Supreme Court and

has been representing clients for 40 years related to general,

business and commercial issues.

Law Meets BusinessCommercial litigation

Business disputes

Workouts

Bankruptcy

Real Estate

PRACTICE AREAS

James H. Cassidy

ROE-1028-UBJ Ad_8.75x5.055_6.5.indd 1 5/27/15 6:06 PM

PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS | ON THE MOVE | 23upstatebusinessjournal.com

Multiple Sclerosis Society and has 20 years of experience in the news-paper industry.

ENGINEERING

SynTerra hired the following individuals: Justin “Judd” Mahan, senior geologist; Samantha Wilkinson, project administrator; Kelly St. Cyr, designer/drafter; Alexandra Lefi tz, hydrogeologist; Erin Black, hydrogeologist; Mike Spacil, senior scientist; Kyle Donovan, technician II; Jess Gilmer, associate scientist.

FINANCENBSC, a division of Synovus Bank,

promoted Mechelle Denise Queen to branch manager of the Spartanburg Main offi ce and Sara Beth Heady to branch manager of the Wade Hampton offi ce. After joining NBSC in 1998 as a part-time teller, Queen was promot-ed to customer service representative and later to assistant branch manager. Heady joined in April 2014 as a per-sonal banker at the Greenville Main offi ce.

RETAILKentwool named Dan Murphy as

president of the company. Murphy

comes to Kentwool from Bridgestone Golf, where he served as executive vice president of marketing and sales. Previous experience includes market-ing for Maxfli, TaylorMade and Dunlop.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Old Cigar Warehouse hired Emily Peck as marketing coordinator/wedding director. Peck previously interned for the company in 2014 and then trained and worked as a closing manager at the venue. A Furman University graduate, Peck served as president and homecoming chair of the Student Alumni Council and di-rector of social events for Delta Gamma Fraternity.

>>

CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions & award winners

may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to [email protected].

David CudaNamed president of the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association. Cuda serves as director of corporate solutions for Colliers International South Carolina. He was one of the founders of the Upstate Alliance in 2000 and has represented national and international companies in real estate and development services.

VIP – APPOINTED

Become a Corporate Member

Today!To learn more contact:

Joelle TeacheyExecutive Director

[email protected]

RECENTLY UBJ REPORTED Hall Management’s purchase of High Cotton and other Maverick Southern Kitchen restaurants. What nobody addressed, though, were plans for the Charleston Cooks! Stores owned by Maverick, which currentlyhas three locations acrossthe state.

UBJ has learned that the Columbia store will close but the Charleston and Greenville stores will remain open as Maverick Southern Kitchen owner Dick Elliott has homes in both areas and can focus his attention on those stores.

24 | THE FINE PRINT | BUSINESS BRIEFS YOU CAN’T MISS UBJ | 06.05.2015

2 winners in Pickens Main Street Challenge chosen

Appalachian Ale House and Morris on Main both won the Pickens Revitalization Associa-tion’s Main Street Challenge.

The challenge is an entrepreneurial startup competition to generate additional retail occu-pancy in downtown Pickens.

“We are very excited to have the Appalachian Ale House and Morris on Main open in down-town and look forward to the positive impact they will have here in Pickens,” Allison Fowler,

executive director of Pickens Revitalization Association, said in a release.

Appalachian Ale House and Morris on Main will receive $10,000 in incentives for startup expenses, taking the form of a potentially forgivable loan. The businesses will open in the old Morris building at 205 E. Main St. in Pickens by fall 2015.

Appalachian Ale House will specialize in local beer on tap, bottled beer, tasting fl ights and growlers.

The Morris on Main Business Center will offer an economical offi ce space environment for small business owners, companies in need of virtual offi ce and area businesses looking to expand into the Pickens area.

Coldwell Banker Cainenamed top a� liate

Coldwell Banker Company named Coldwell Banker Caine its top affi liate in South Carolina, and its Greenville offi ce was the No. 1 Coldwell Banker offi ce in South Carolina for 2014.

The Spartanburg offi ce received the Premier Offi ce Award, and Coldwell Banker Caine received the Chairman’s Circle designation, awarded to the top 6 percent of Coldwell Banker companies worldwide. Only 18 percent of all offi ces in the U.S. and Canada qualifi ed for the Premier Offi ce distinction.

“These accomplishments take a great deal of effort, hard work and dedication by every member of our company,” Stephen Edgerton, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Caine, said in a release. “We applaud the successes of our driven, top-notch agents and their consistency as top-performing leaders in South Carolina and the Coldwell Banker network.”

The Greenville offi ce has more than 90 sales associates and is managed by Brokers-in-Charge Amanda Jones and Amanda Hamet.

Coldwell Banker Caine has about 150 sales associates across its offi ces in Greenville, Greer, Easley, Seneca and Spartanburg.

Simpsonville to host Baptist convention The City of Simpsonville will host the 109th Annual

Session of the SC Baptist Congress of Christian Edu-cation July 12-17 in the Golden Strip.

Jennifer Richardson, director of programming and events for the Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce, said the event will bring about 2,500 attendees to the area.

The convention is encouraging restaurants and stores to create special offers for this group or hang posters in their windows.

VisitGreenville is looking for promotional items to include in the attendees’ bags. Any donations of pens, notepads or other items should be delivered to Reedy Fork Baptist Church July 10.

LS3P wins top design awards

LS3P received six fi rst-place design awards at the 2015 ASID Carolinas Design Excellence Awards Gala. Award-winning projects included Greystar’s corpo-rate headquarters, Le Creuset’s boutique retail store, The Vendue art hotel in Charleston, MeadWest-vaco’s corporate offi ce suite in Summerville, Wando Center for Advanced Studies in Mount Pleas-ant and Trident Technical College’s Nursing and Science Building in

N o r t h Charleston.

LS3P pro-vides architec-ture, interior architecture and planning services nationwide,

with offi ces in Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville and Charlotte, Raleigh and Wilmington, N.C.

Crawford Strategy wins communications awards

Crawford Strategy received six honors for excellence in communications from the international Communicator Awards. The agency was recognized among 6,000 entries.

Crawford Strategy won Silver Awards of Distinction for the design of Green-ville Health System’s MyHealthFirst Logo; the Nachman Norwood & Parrott website design and production; the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association newsletter design; planning and implementation of the Quarter One Campaign for United Community Bank; and video and implementation of a Facebook campaign for United Community Bank Ice on Main.

“We have a great and diverse team here at Crawford who have the expertise to tell a client’s story across all marketing channels,” Marion Crawford, president and CEO of Crawford Strategy, said in a release.

KEMET wins global award KEMET Corpo-

ration won TTI’s Global Operations Excellence Award.

To qualify for the award, KEMET received the Suppli-er Excellence Award in the Americas, Asia and Europe; and the Diamond Award in Asia for the best supplier. Addition-ally, KEMET was a Platinum Award winner in the Americas and Asia, and a Gold Award winner in Europe. >>

upstatebusinessjournal.com INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE | SOCIAL SNAPSHOT | 25

The awards program is centered on quality measurements that include on-time delivery, receiving quality, customer-reported quality, administrative quality, operations and business systems.

“KEMET worked diligently throughout the year to support TTI in all three regions, and the employees of KEMET are to be commended for their outstanding performance,” Melanie Pizzey, TTI vice president of global business operations, said in a release.

Greenville game company launches second Kickstarter

Tantrum House, a Greenville-based board game company, launched a Kick-starter campaign for its game Steam Court.

“We’ve found that Steam Court works really well as a party game” the game’s designer Will Meadows said in a release. “It’s easy to teach, and it’s flexible enough that if players want to drop in or out halfway through it doesn’t mess up the game’s flow.”

In Steam Court, players take on the role of Court Engineers who attempt to catch the eye of the Queen and other high-ranking courtiers by dis-playing their mechanical prowess. Using their dealt hands of gear cards, players try to take tricks with the ultimate goal of being the first to play all their cards.

Tantrum House got its start after a successful Kickstarter campaign last October. “We’ve run one small campaign,” COO Ryan Pilz said, “and have hopes of doing that again on a much larger scale this time.”

Tantrum House publishes concise video reviews of board games on their YouTube channel and hosts monthly game nights at a coffee shop in Greer.

>>

CONTRIBUTE: Got high-resolution photos of your networking or social events? Send photos and information for consideration to [email protected].

GADC SETS FOCUS FOR 2015At its annual meeting last week, the Greenville Area Development Corporation announced that it secured nearly $452 million in investment and more than 1,300 new jobs in Greenville County in 2014. Focus areas for 2015 include more incentive programs for manufacturing operations, increasing site inventory and attracting new office projects.

26 | PLANNER & SOCIAL SNAPSHOT | INSIDE THE UPSTATE’S NETWORKING AND SOCIAL SCENE UBJ | 06.05.2015

CONTRIBUTE: Got a hot date? Submit event information for consideration to [email protected].

DATE EVENT INFO WHERE DO I GO? HOW DO I GO?Friday

6/5Greer Chamber First Friday LuncheonSpeaker: U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy

Cannon Centre, 208 Cannon St., Greer, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Cost: Chamber members $10, nonmembers $15Register: bit.ly/fi rstfriday-june2015

Saturday

6/6US Waffl e Company Job FairTwenty-one open positions available

Global Trade Park, 200 Fairforest Way, Greenville, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

More info: uswaffl e.com

Monday

6/8Upstate Chamber Coalition Presidential SeriesSpeaker: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham

Marriott Greenville, 1 Parkway East, Greenville, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Cost: Chamber member $30, nonmembers $40 Register: bit.ly/prez-series-june2015

Tuesday

6/9Beer & Napkins River Reconnect Idea session onengaging the community on river appreciation

The Community Tap, 217 Wade Hamp-ton Blvd., Greenville, 6-8 p.m.

Cost: $15 Register: bit.ly/rivers-june2015

Saturday

6/13 Comprehensive Small Business Start-Up WorkshopHughes Main Library,25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cost: $69, $25 for each additional participant from same companyRegister: piedmontscore.org/workshops/-register/162

Tuesday

6/16 iMAGINE Upstate 2016 Festival RevealThe Old Cigar Warehouse,912 B South Main St., Greenville, 6-9 p.m.

Cost: $12Register: bit.ly/imaginereveal-june2015

Wednesday

6/17

GSATC Learning Lunch: Sustain Ability. How to Obtain, Sustain and Retain your Top Talent

Embassy Suites 670 Verdae Blvd., Greenville, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Cost: $25Register: bit.ly/gsatc-june2015

Tech After Five Networking for tech entrepreneursPour Lounge, 221 N. Main St., Green-ville, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Cost: FreeRegister: bit.ly/taf-june2015

Thursday-Friday

6/25-26SCMEP Supply Chain Workshops Learn about risk management plans and how to capture total cost ina supply chain

SCMEP Business Learning Center,37 Villa Road, Suite 500, Greenville, 9 a.m.-3 p.m

Cost: FreeRegister: bit.ly/supplychain-june2015

CLOSE MORE DEALS.

Over 100,000 readers look to the UBJ every week to help them

close more business.

DRINK UP!

upstatebusinessjournal.com

Today the site of Camperdown Mill is part of Falls Park.

Organized in 1876, the Camperdown Mill Company suffered from fi re damage and fi nancial instability during its fi rst decade. In 1879, Henry P. Hammett, the highly successful founder of Piedmont Manufacturing Company, bought the company. In the 1880s Camperdown was the second largest mill, after Piedmont, in Greenville County. Camperdown closed in 1956. The building was demolished in 1959.second largest mill, after Piedmont, in Greenville County. Camperdown

Historic photograph available from the Greenville Historical Society. From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs

from the Coxe Collection” by Jeffrey R. Willis

Greg Beckner/Staff

His

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oto

prov

ided

PRESIDENT/CEOMark B. [email protected]

UBJ PUBLISHERRyan L. [email protected]

EXECUTIVE EDITORSusan Clary [email protected]

MANAGING EDITORJerry [email protected]

STAFF WRITERSAshley Boncimino, Sherry Jackson, Benjamin Jeffers, Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Robbie Ward

PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Beckner

MARKETING & ADVERTISING

SALES REPRESENTATIVESNicole Greer, Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Annie Langston, Lindsay Oehman, Emily Yepes

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & ACCOUNT STRATEGY Kate Madden

DIGITAL TEAM Emily Price, Danielle Car

ART & PRODUCTION

ART DIRECTOR Kristy Adair

OPERATIONS Holly Hardin

ADVERTISING DESIGNMichael Allen

LAYOUT & DESIGNKristy Adair, Tammy Smith

CLIENT SERVICES Anita Harley, Jane Rogers

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTKristi Fortner

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

STORY IDEAS: [email protected]

EVENTS: [email protected]

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS, AND AWARDS:[email protected]

UBJ welcomes expert commentary from business leaders on timely news topics related to their specialties. Guest columns run 700-800 words. Contact Executive Editor Susan Clary Simmons at [email protected] to submit an article for consideration.

Circulation Audit by

publishers of

581 Perry Avenue, Greenville, SC 29611 | 864-679-1200 | communityjournals.comUBJ: For subscriptions, call 864-679-1240 | UpstateBusinessJournal.com

Copyright ©2015 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. P.O. Box 2266, Greenville, South Carolina, 29602. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $50. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, P.O. Box 2266, Greenville, SC 29602. Printed in the USA.

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IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF UBJ? WANT A COPY FOR YOUR LOBBY?

Order a reprint today, PDFs available for $25. For more information, contact Anita Harley 864.679.1205 or

[email protected]

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

IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF UBJ? WANT A COPY FOR YOUR LOBBY?

Order a reprint today, PDFs available for $25. For more information, contact Anita Harley 864.679.1205 or

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 Jackson Marketing Group celebrates Jackson Marketing

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-giving back and outreach to non-prof-giving back and outreach to non-profits. 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 opensin 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-proFitClients

/lients

/

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 nitY nit inVinVin olVolVol eVeV Ment& 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

JUNE 19: ENTERTAINMENT, TRAVELAND LEISUREA look at the business of leisure.

JULY 17: TRAVELERS RESTThe small town makingbig waves.

JULY 31: QUARTERLY CRE ISSUEThe state of commercialreal estate in the Upstate.

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