march 4, 2016 ubj
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Upstate Business Journal published for the Upstate of South Carolina. Designed and created by Community Journals.TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 4, 2016 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 10MARCH 4, 2016 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 10
From ad space to off ice space: Creating a culture for creatives on Main Street - pg. 3
JOE ERWIN’S NEXT ENDEAVOR + PLUS: Progress report on Spartanburg's Northside Initiative
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03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com
We have a plethora of thriving creative agencies already, and there are many co-working spaces in Greenville. Why do we need another one?
One of the things we know is that all these younger companies, many of which are achieving success … are doing it in places where they could have more visible success. … It’s [Endeavor] where education and opportunity come togeth-er, and that’s what Endeavor is going to be about. We have one job. We’re a lean startup in a great space, but our role is simply to help create more success for the members of our community.
The hardest thing about co-works is getting the numbers to work, breaking even. What’s your plan?
The business plan is changing and evolving every day, and I think the
business plan will change and evolve over the year. For us to take the leap of faith in leasing 20,000 feet, it’s expen-sive, it will take a toll. This is the joyous next phase of my professional life. I have the ability and the resources to fund a good run, but I’m not Bill Gates. We’ve got to look at our business plan and make sure it’s sustainable, and we believe we can achieve sustainability in a relatively short period of time.
What happens if this works?
We do want to grow responsibly, but we’re open to the idea of expansion, because this is such a growth-oriented community that we live in. I think we would be doing our membership a disservice if we see after a year or two years, “Oh, this place is kind of full up, do we just put the ‘closed’ sign out?” No. I think we look at another campus in the community. We may look at other cites in the region. That’s not currently in our plan, to be really clear
about it, but I’ve been asked about it. This is a new ride for me, and we’re going to let it go.
How has the creative services space changed since you bought Penland Adver-tising 29 years ago?
When I entered the industry and moved to New York … the business was not collaborative. Every agency clung to its special sauce. It’s always been a com-petitive business. But because of what clients want, what brands want, if you
ask chief creative officers at creative brands, they will tell you they don’t care about the old term “Agency of Record.” They get put out, frankly, with agencies that are still totally consumed with “We have to be the AOR.” What brands want is the best of everything. They need people to help solve their problems. They want collaboration among differ-ent areas.
But competition for talent is still fierce – are you worried about brain drain?
There’s nothing worrisome in my opinion with brain drain from Green-ville. I know there are a couple of companies that have left and all, but I just see so much opportunity. People will leave for whatever … but listen, people come here for a cup of coffee and they stay. It’s collaboration that changed it. We’re not worried about people leaving. We’re worried about people coming, and do we create the right opportunity for them to get there.
The vacated CertusBank space has once again led to new business opportunities, freeing up 20,000 square feet downtown for what will be the largest co-working space in Greenville, Endeavor. Three months after ending his 29-year career at Erwin Penland, Joe Erwin plans to cut through the already-crowded co-working market by focus-ing on the creative services industry.
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | ENTREPRENEUR | 3
‘Where education and opportunity come together’Ad guru Joe Erwin makes a space for creatives with Endeavor
*Annual Percentage Yield. APY is accurate as of March 1, 2016. **Membership required. Members who deposit $50,000 - $99,999 into a 24 or 48 IRA Certificate will receive a $200 incentive transferred into their savings account at the time of certificate opening. Members who deposit $100,000 or more into a 24 or 48 month IRA Certificate will receive a $300 incentive transferred into their savings account at the time of certificate opening. Incentives apply to new money only - IRA and 401k transfers or rollovers. Early withdrawal fees could reduce earnings on the account. Limited time offer to begin March 1, 2016. Offer subject to change without notice. Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.
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Q & A WITH JOE ERWIN “THIS IS AN IDEA FOR A REGION WHOSE TIME HAS COME.”Joe Erwin
ERWIN continued on PAGE 5
UBJ | 03.04.2016
Lockheed Martin is developing the T-50A trainer aircraft for the Air Force’s Advanced Pilot Training (APT) competition. The company would add more than 200 new positions to its Greenville facility at the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center if it wins the Air Force contract. Read more on page 8. Photo provided
4 | THE RUNDOWN | TOP-OF-MIND AND IN THE MIX THIS WEEK
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 10
Featured this issue:What you missed at SC Auto Week 6Hibr founders go to the mattresses 101,416-acre industrial park underway in Spartanburg 14
WORTH REPEATING
“Students don’t know that their skills and talents are employable.
Nobody tells them.”
“It’s kind of like moving from shower stalls to a group shower.”
“Fail fast and fail spectacularly.”
Page 6
VERBATIM
On fixing the roads
“We can’t get there if the senators can’t vote on it.”
Jerry Smith, chairman of the S.C. Trucking Association. Smith joined
several other statewide business leaders in a visit to the Statehouse this week to
urge action from the state Senate.
03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | ENTREPRENEUR | 5
“When you look around not only in Greenville, but around the region and the country, you see the models changing,” said Doug Erwin, Joe Erwin’s son and a partner in his platform company Erwin Creates. “A lot of times a 300- or 400-person agency isn’t the most nimble. That’s why in the past few years I think you’ve seen the rise of smaller agencies or freelancers, because they can be dedicated and quick reacting to one client.”
Endeavor aims to help agencies adapt and grow, both with physical co-working space that facilitates collaboration and business development support. Erwin Creates is renovating the fourth floor of the ONE building, which will accept its first members in mid-April. The space includes six lockable offices, around 12 private desks and open space for up to 50 people. Membership rates are undetermined, but will range from 24/7 access to five-days-per-month drop-in passes. Members will have access to presentation equipment, conference rooms, the gym, community spaces and Joe Erwin himself, including his network of business contacts and industry resources.
Joe Erwin is financing the whole project, which relieves the pressure of filling the space immediate-ly to make the numbers work, he said.
“We expect to eventually have hundreds of members coming and going in a single day, but that will not be the case right at the beginning,” said Shannon Wilbanks, managing partner for Erwin
Creates. “We genuinely believe that this is going to build business for all of these indi-vidual entrepreneurs.”
Endeavor will also build the creative service industry’s workforce pipeline through another Erwin Creates entity, the Erwin Center for Brand Communications at Clemson Univer-sity. Founded by Joe Erwin and his wife, Gretchen, in 2012, students will find intern-ship, experience and work opportunities through the Endeavor community, according to Lori M. Pindar, who works with students in the center.
ERWIN continued from PAGE 3
Top: From left: Joe Erwin, Lori M. Pindar, Doug Erwin, Shannon WilbanksBottom and page 3: Artist’s renderings of the planned Endeavor space
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UBJ | 03.04.20166 | TRANSPORTATION | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
Hundreds of automotive professionals gathered at the fifth annual SC Automotive Summit in Greenville this week for industry insights, cutting-edge trends and, of course, the opportunity to go 120 mph in some of most advanced cars on the market. We listened in and cut through the jargon to get you the latest.
What you missed at SC Auto Week
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES“Google’s in this business. Tesla’s in this business. I can name three startup companies that we’re working with and they all have self-driving cars.” KPMG Partner & National Automotive Sector Lead Gary Silberg
“In our autonomous world, it is unlikely that we will see a future of crashes the way we see them today. Will we spend our time making vehicles as safe as we do today when they never even touch each other? I don’t think we will.” Local Motors co-founder and CEO Jay Rogers (Highway-ready 3D printed car manufacturer)
“The issue, as with any sort of system like this if you have the vehicles working together, is what happens if one of the vehicles is not properly maintained ... and how do you design around that?” Richard Brooks, Ph.D., Clemson University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
“If the safety application requires information from an instant that is going to happen in half a second, you probably don’t want to wait [on a slow network].” Clemson University School of Computing Associate Professor Jim Martin, Ph.D.
ELECTRIC & EMISSIONS“If we don’t follow global emissions standards, we could become a technolo-gy island. Nobody would want to buy vehicles from us.” IHS Managing Director Michael Robinet
“One of the issues that the electric market needs to deal with is being able to sustain volume and growth without the incentives.” LMC Automotive Senior Vice President of Forecasting Jeff Schuster
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT “In athletics it’s easy – we see the professional athletes, we know what you need to do… students don’t know that their skills and talents are employable. Nobody tells them.”STEM Premier Co-Founder & COO Casey Welch
“That’s the millennials. They have a casual approach to authority but they do ‘coop-tition.’ They learn from each other while they’re competing. They want to win, but they want to have fun.” Local Motors Co-Founder and CEO Jay Rogers
INNOVATION“We shouldn’t let the folks on the left coast lead the plant. The right coast, the folks in South Carolina, should lead these innovations as well.” BMW Manufacturing Co. Vice President of Project Integration Rich Morris
“Industry 4.0 is coming and it’s here … and I sometimes think it’s similar to ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ … It’s kind of like moving from shower stalls to a group shower.” SC Department of Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt
“[With Proterra] South Carolinians opened up their wallets and pulled together a round, around $30 million. ... That shows you we’re valuable. We can do it. We can pull the money together when we need to.” South Carolina Research Authority Executive Vice President and SC Launch Zone Manager Mark Housley
“Fail fast and fail spectacularly.” SC Automotive Council Executive Director Catherine Hayes
TRENDS“Who on purpose is going to spend $34,000 on an asset that, the minute you buy it, will lose 11 percent in value … and that asset is idle 97 percent of the time? ... Arguably it’s not a very smart idea.” KPMG Partner & National Automotive Sector Lead Gary Silberg
“What we see is more and more companies want to produce ‘Made in America.’ … Look at the spike in sales for Volvo cars just when they announced they were going to produce here.” SC Gov. Nikki Haley
“The plants we built in China are only supplying to a few markets. This plant will supply worldwide, and that is something we haven’t done in a long time.” Volvo Car USA Vice President of Purchasing & Manufacturing Katarina Fjording
Hot topics:
CAR LINGOConnected vehicle: A car that can send and receive data among other vehicles, infrastructure and passengers’ personal communication devices
Hybrid manufacturing: A method aimed at increasing quality and efficiency by combining additive, subtractive, transformative, joining and dividing manufacturing processes
Industry 4.0: The idea of integrating data with manufacturing processes, or implementing an Internet of Things approach that allows proactive and intelligent manufacturing decisions
Autonomous vehicle: Also known as a self-driving or driverless car; a computer-controlled vehicle that uses sensors and software to make driving decisions without a human operator
Vehicle electrification: The global trend of moving from traditional propulsion methods such as fossil fuels to cars powered by electric means
Rapid prototyping: Producing prototypes using three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) data, often with 3-D printing technologies
Additive manufacturing: Manufacturing that prints layers of material rather than traditional methods such as casting or welding; this process can produce some parts and shapes that traditional methods can’t
V2V communication: Wireless communication between vehicles, often discussed as a key component to developing driverless cars
Visible light communication: Data transfer and using certain frequencies of light, which allows high-speed communication
Collaborative robots: Automated machines, often without safety cages, that can work alongside employees to maximize the use of human-specific skills
New vehicle cadence: The frequency with which automakers release completely new vehicle models
ASHLEY BONCIMINO | [email protected]
03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com
$1.05 billion2015 corporate venture investment in the U.S. auto sector
$206 million2015 angel investment in the U.S. auto sector
75%The 3-D printed portion of Local Motors’s LM3D, the world’s fi rst 3-D printed car
$27.1 billionEconomic impact of SC’s automotive industry (latest data – 2008)
12,000number of parts in a BMW vehicle
21.1 millionestimated 2016 light vehicle sales in North America
54.5 mpgaverage fuel effi ciency requirement for U.S. auto fl eet by 2025
2 millionestimated US Manufacturing workforce shortage by 2025
INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | INVESTMENT | 7
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UBJ | 03.04.2016
Allen Smith, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, said he and John Kimbrell have wanted to work together for years.
When Kimbrell moved over to the Spartanburg Chamber from the Greenville Chamber last week, that desire became a reality.
The Spartanburg Chamber named John Kimbrell as executive vice president, a similar position to the one he held in Greenville.
“I’ve been in this business 11 years and I’ve always been impressed with the results that John has gotten over the years,” Smith said.
He met Kimbrell at the Greer Chamber of Com-merce as Smith was joining the chamber and
Kimbrell was leaving to take a different position.
The Spartanburg Chamber announced Kimbrell’s hiring a day after the Greenville Chamber announced that it had chosen W. Carlos Phillips to replace retiring president and CEO Ben Haskew.
Smith said he started seriously recruiting Kimbrell to move over to the Spartanburg Chamber several weeks ago and getting him to join “when you look at the fact that we are coming off a year of record economic growth.”
“Words cannot express my excitement to join the leadership team at the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce,” Kimbrell said in a state-ment. “Spartanburg is moving forward fast and the
Chamber is setting the pace.”In Spartanburg, Kimbrell’s re-
sponsibilities will be to lead initia-tives that will enhance the econom-ic vitality and quality of life of Spartanburg County.
During his time at the Greenville Chamber, he developed a new three-year strategic plan, created an innovative membership invest-ment schedule and led a new marketing and branding strategy.
He has also worked as president/CEO of the Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce in Gastonia, N.C.; as president/CEO of the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce; and as vice president of special projects and events at the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce.
“John’s proven record of results, innovation and leadership are welcomed in Spartanburg as we press for accelerated growth and change,” Smith said. “The implementation of his ideas will be of tremendous benefit to our members and the community at large.”
8 | AEROSPACE / CHAMBERS | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
Lockheed Martin would add more than 200 new positions to its Greenville facility at the South Carolina Technol-ogy and Aviation Center (SCTAC) if it wins the Air Force contract for a new trainer aircraft fleet, according to Communications Director Rob Fuller.
The company is developing the T-50A for the Air Force’s Advanced Pilot Training (APT) competition. Fuller said he expects the contract to be awarded next year.
Company officials announced earlier this month that they would build the T-50A in Greenville if they win the contract. The facility current-ly employs 475 people who do struc-tural work, maintenance, upgrades and overhauls on aircraft, Fuller said.
Lockheed faces competition from a Boeing/Saab team, a Northrop-Grum-man-led coalition, Textron AirLand
and Alenia Aermacchi, according to Defense News.
The Lockheed aircraft is a joint venture with Korea Aerospace Indus-tries to replace the aging T-38 fleet and will train pilots to fly the F-16, F-22, F-35 and other Air Force fight-ers and bombers.
The aircraft will be an upgraded version of the T-50 that is used in South Korea and has flown more than 100,000 hours and trained more than 1,000 pilots.
The upgrades include a fifth-gener-ation cockpit, in-flight refueling capa-bility, embedded training system that allows downloading of different air-craft systems depending on which aircraft the pilot is training for and open architecture that allows the software to be modified.
“The problem is the current trainer – the T-38 – is over 50 years old and must be replaced soon, very soon,” said Michael Griswold, director of T-50 business development for Lockheed.
“We believe that the offer we put to-gether for ATP … is the right choice at the right time to help America’s Air Force train the way they fight.”
Because the T-50 already exists, Griswold said, Lockheed won’t have to build a prototype, thereby lessening risks and potential for cost overages.
“This trainer is a giant step forward,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said. “I hope and pray it comes to Greenville.”
Graham said he is going to write a
letter with the South Carolina delega-tion to the Air Force secretary on behalf of Lockheed Martin.
“Today is important because we are letting the world know that we are ready now with a workforce that is capable, able to adapt, committed, sacrificial and we do excellent work,” U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy said. “So we’re ready now and that will be our message to Washington. … So let’s keep our fingers crossed that they make the right decision.”
Lockheed Martin Air Force contract would bring 200 jobs to GreenvilleBENJAMIN JEFFERS | [email protected]
Watch the T50-A in action at upstatebusinessjournal.com.
Greenville’s loss, Spartanburg’s gainJohn Kimbrell moving from Greenville to Spartanburg Chamber
BENJAMIN JEFFERS | [email protected]
“I’ve been in this business 11 years and I’ve always been impressed with the results that John has gotten over the years.”
Allen Smith, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce
Kimbrell
03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | REAL ESTATE | 9
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Leasing concierge company makes apartment hunting easier
Maggie Maher created her business plan for a concierge leasing company in 2005, but decided to put it on the back burner while pursuing a career in property management and waiting for the Greenville market to gain momentum. In September 2015, she dusted off that plan and launched Dwell Greenville.
Maher says she fills a unique niche because no other concierge leasing service exists in Greenville. Her closest competitor (and frequent collaborator), Apartment and Relocation Ser-vices, focuses on a much broader market encom-passing South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, while Dwell Greenville focuses solely on the Greenville area. With this focus, Maher says she is able to “dig into what a client is really looking for” in a property.
The company provides a one-stop-shop for people looking to rent a condo or apartment in Greenville. Maher provides services ranging from prop-erty reviews, guided tours of the area and full relocation services for com-panies. A majority of her clients are relocating to the area and need guidance on where to live. Dwell Greenville charges an hourly fee, based on the type of service requested.
So far, she has gained business via word of mouth from realtors with clients who need temporary housing while building a new house or selling an ex-isting one, companies that are relocating staff, and existing rental properties looking to attract more tenants.
Maher says she’s been quietly building her brand since last year’s launch and seeing how the market would react to her services. It’s just been a one-woman shop until now.
A launch party held this week marked the official debut of
the company, along with a
new website.Future plans for the
company include establish-ing Dwell as a brand of living, says Maher: “What life is like, what it’s like living here, a complete lifestyle brand.”
She also wants to create an MLS database of rentals in Greenville, a roommate pairing service and a resi-dent party/event planning service. Maher is currently training three people who will act as independent contractors for the company, partner-ing with local businesses to offer complimentary welcome packages for those who sign leases to help them get to know the area.
The company is also producing a Greenville’s Finest List, showcasing businesses voted “Greenville’s Finest” by local residents. Maher crowd-sourced this list in late 2015 and will be publishing the results in late March.
>> Learn more at dwellgreenvillesc.com
SHERRY JACKSON | [email protected]
Maher
Fish
Eye
Stud
ios
UBJ | 03.04.201610 | STARTUP | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
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Shopping for a mattress is right up there with car shopping when it comes to dreaded retail experiences, but it doesn’t have to be that way, according to Erick Arbe.
“You shouldn’t lay on something for 15 seconds and make the decision right there in the store,” said the Greenville entrepreneur, who runs Web devel-opment fi rm AO Studios with business partner Nick Ondrako. “Especially something that you’re going to have for the next eight years of your life.”
The solution, he said, was to build a better mattress and sell it online. Their startup Hibr (previously Fohm) is one of many beginning to disrupt the mattress industry. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, only 26 percent of consumers preferred to buy furniture online, but Arbe is banking on a growing familiarity with e-com-merce to make the numbers. Bypass-ing the middleman along with brick-and-mortar costs is better for everybody, he said.
“There’s a host of things that go along with a retail location that we don’t have to deal with,” said Arbe, who said they were able to bootstrap the company and now work on an all-cash basis. “We save money by not having all of that additional overhead – space, employees, rent, electricity, health care.”
Hibr started with a conversation about mattress quality, and how little attention is focused on what we sleep on despite a plethora of sleep research, said Arbe. The pair launched a Kickstart-er campaign in 2014 to develop what they called the most
technologically advanced pillow ever made. Pillow sales – which really took off when they started selling through Amazon Prime, he said – supported two years of high-tech mattress devel-opment, and after cycling through a handful of suppliers, they were ready.
Arbe said the mattress adapts to different body shapes, weight and movement, which bolster better quality sleep when paired with the two-inch cooling technology top layer.
“The days of soft or fi rm bed, and judging the bed simply by that … that’s really how people shouldn’t judge a bed,” he said. “It should honestly be how you feel when you wake up in the morning. If you’ve had a good night’s sleep, that should be a good judge.”
Prices vary by size – there are six of them – and the whole thing fi ts into a 20-by-21-by-40-inch box, about the size of a mini-fridge. The mattress expands in about a minute, Arbe says.
While some might raise an eyebrow at an $875 queen (or $950 king) mattress without a jump test, Arbe says consumers are increasingly comfortable buying online. The free shipping and 100-night guarantee don’t hurt, he added.
“The industry is shifting to the e-commerce platform, and if you look at the price cost between us and what Tempur-Pedic calls middle-of-the-road, we’re drastically better,” said Arbe. “These big-box mattress fi rms … are still in business, but as millen-nials get older and move out of the house, they’re looking to buy online.”
Building a better mattress: Hibr disrupts sales, not sleepASHLEY BONCIMINO | [email protected]
what they called the most
Inset: Hibr co-founders Nick Ondrako (left) and Erick Arbe.
Five Reasons You Aren’t Seeing Results From Your Workouts. By Iron Tribe Fitness
1< YOUR DIET DOESN’T MATCH YOUR GOALS. A bad diet cannot be outworked. At the most basic level, weight control is simply calories in vs. calories out. Exercising to justify a bad diet only slows weight gain and poor body composition. Realistically, most people are much more consistent with the justification of unhealthy foods than a daily exercise routine. The other end of the spectrum is also true, attempting to gain muscle by lifting weights is for naught if calorie intake (specifically protein) is not increased. There is no secret recipe or secret exercise that will transform your body. Consistent balanced exercise with a consistently smart diet is the formula that yields the best results.
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2. YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE. The body needs to be taken out of its physical comfort zone for changes to occur. Your body is smart. There is a point in every workout when muscles send signals to the to brain to rest, to slow down, to put the weight down. This is the body reaching its limit on what it’s capable of doing comfortably. When it goes beyond that point is when a more intense discomfort immediately follows. This is a necessary process. This triggers the body to adapt to this new stress.
3. YOU DON’T EXPRESS FULL MOVEMENT PATTERNS. Humans are designed to move every joint to its full range of motion in every plane that the joint is capable of moving in. Not doing so prevents the body from accessing its full potential and leads to tight tissues, achy joints, and restricted movement. Full movement patterns can be common movements done to their full range of motion (squats, push-ups, pull-ups, etc.) or specific mobility exercises that target key areas.
4. YOU DO THE SAME ROUTINE. The body is smart and it adapts to whatever stress is placed upon it. When the same stress is placed on the body over and over again it adapts to that stress and has no need to adapt any further. Regularly presenting the body with new variables in exercise keeps the body constantly adapting to new stressors. The most beneficial program for the general population is a balanced program between weightlifting, bodyweight movements, and cardiovascular endurance training. A balanced program with constant adaptation is manifested in increased muscle growth, tissue mobility, cardiovascular endurance, bone density, fat loss, and energy levels.
5. YOU NEGLECT KEY MUSCLE GROUPS. The entire body is meant to be used. Neglecting specific muscles or groups of muscles causes muscle imbalances that can lead to joint pain, poor posture, restricted movement, and injury. Examples of common neglected muscle groups are triceps, biceps, shoulders, glutes, and the upper torso for high volume runners and triathletes, quads and hamstrings for gymnasts, and all of the above for the sedentary.
UBJ | 03.04.201612 | REVITALIZATION | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
‘A dynamic place to live’After fi ve years, Spartanburg’s Northside Initiative makes real progress toward revitalizing a neglected area
Five years ago, in the depths of the recession, Spartanburg leaders began raising funds for a radical revitalization plan.
So began the Northside Initiative, an ambitious vision to transform a 400-acre crime-ridden food desert into a vibrant, sustainable, opportunity-rich swath of Spartanburg.
The catalyst was a new branch location for the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, which started classes in 2011 on the old Spartan Mill site and represented a welcome shot of energy and in-vestment. Five years of redevelopments later – in-cluding a food hub with job training, housing builds for a model block on Brawley Street and near-com-pletion for a recreation center – violent crime has fallen 81 percent since 2011, according to leaders.
“Part of this transformation is that the Northside is safe, that crime is reducing as a result of what we’re dong here,” says Tammie Hoy Hawkins, president of Northside Development Corp., which spearheaded the project along with the City of Spartanburg and the Spartanburg Housing Author-ity. “The neighborhood did come upon hard times
with the mill closure and then the recession, but the public-private partnerships that have come togeth-er are really transforming that.”
The Northside Initiative has led to Harvest Park, which is home to the Hub City Farmer’s Market, The Butterfl y Foundation, the Monarch Café & Fresh Food Store and an urban garden. Other projects underway include the state-of-the-art T.K. Gregg Recreation Center funded by a $6 million city com-mitment; an early childhood development center; the teardown and redevelopment of the decaying Oakview Apartments; and the second phase of the Brawley Street Model Block. Hoy Hawkins is in the process of relocating and providing case management for Oakview residents, and hopes to fi nish the two- and three-bedroom market rate and affordable model block by the end of the year.
“The Northside Initiative is the most comprehen-sive community redevelopment project in this city’s history, and I would venture that it’s the most comprehensive redevelopment project that’s ever happened in South Carolina,” said City of Spartan-burg representative Will Rothschild. “It’s focused almost entirely on housing, and that’s a huge thing.”
These projects fi t into Northside’s 400-page rede-velopment road map, completed late 2014 and funded
by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhoods Program. The master plan included input from all the major public and private players in the Spartanburg area, including existing Northside community members, said Hoy Hawkins. The buy-in has made all the dif-ference, she says.
“In many cases, cities come in, say, ‘We’re going to transform this neighborhood. Here’s how we’re going to do it. Here’s the resources we have,’” she said. “The Northside has been quite a bit different in that it’s been very grass-roots, taking time and being very transparent to create a transformation plan with everyone’s voice.”
Though the search for more partners and addition-al public and private funding is always ongoing, 2016 will be a year for nailing down ongoing projects and cataloguing further results.
“I think fi ve years from now, this area will be a dynamic place to live, a safe place,” said Bill Barnet, Northside Development Corp. CEO and board chair and former Spartanburg mayor. “All the things that you either today or someday will want for your family, we’re trying to create.”
ASHLEY BONCIMINO | [email protected]
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Top left: Project leaders envision a safe, walkable community.
Bottom left: A gateway sign at a park on Howard and Magnolia streets welcomes visitors to Northside.
Right: The 400-acre project has garnered more than $40 million to date.
03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW | REVITALIZATION | 13
“All the things that you either today or someday will want for your family, we’re trying to create.”
Former Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet
Top left: Beautifi cation plans include a vertical creek and other trails.
Top right: The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine graduated its fi rst Spartanburg class last spring.
Middle: The Brawley Street Model Block will help transitions out of public or subsidized housing into homes and mixed-income rental units.
Bottom left: Spartanburg B-Cycle program promotes active living and eases transportation challenges.
Bottom right, top: New homes feature clean lines, energy-effi cient details and a minimal maintenance design.
Bottom right, bottom: The Healthy Food Hub features an urban garden to address ongoing food desert challenges.
Photos by Ashley Boncimino/ Renderings provided
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UBJ | 03.04.201614 | SQUARE FEET | REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION
SHERRY JACKSON | STAFFSHERRY JACKSON | [email protected] | @SJackson_CJ
1,416-acre industrial park underway in Spartanburg
In Spartanburg County, a large tract of land is taking shape in what is set to become a large, best-in-class in-dustrial park.
The 1,416-acre Flatwood Indus-trial Park is one of the few remaining large pieces of land in the Upstate near I-85 and Highway 221, a prime location for industrial uses. The first building, a 900,000-square-foot distribution facility for Rite Aid, is set to be completed in the next couple of weeks and will serve as the park’s anchor tenant. Another 362,774-square-foot indus-trial spec building will also be com-pleted in late spring.
Spartanburg-based Johnson Devel-opment Associates purchased an initial 1,395 acres of former farmland in 2012 with a vision to create the industrial park. In 2015, the company acquired 17 additional acres. “It’s one of the last large mega-sites within our state,” said Josh Jones, JDA director of development, industrial division. The direct access to I-85 and close proximity to the Charlotte Douglas
International airport, BMW and the Inland Port is what attracted the company to the site, he said.
Since then, JDA has been creating roads and bringing in sewer and other utilities to form the industrial park. A master plan has been created showing at least 10 additional large industrial buildings that could be build-to-suits and additional speculative buildings. JDA is actively trying to attract large distribution and manufacturing users and is very pleased with the level of interest and leasing activity in the spec building so far, said Rob Rain, presi-dent, JDA, industrial division. “Given the healthy industrial absorption levels in the Upstate and the continued demand for speculative space, we are excited about our long-term develop-ment plans,” said Jones.
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03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com REAL ESTATE DEALS AND DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE REGION | SQUARE FEET | 15
SHERRY JACKSON | STAFF [email protected] | @SJackson_CJ
New mixed-use project coming to downtown SpartanburgA new mixed-use project is coming to downtown Spartanburg, which will include 30 new apartments and 3,000 square feet of retail or restaurant space at the northeast corner of Daniel Morgan Avenue and West Main Street.
Developer Royce Camp says the new project, called 198 Main and Morgan, will be a modern, contemporary design. “It will be something new and something different for Spartanburg,” said Camp.
The project will be fi ve stories plus an underground parking level for residents. The apartments will be a mixture of studio and one- and two-bedroom units, and will be similar in décor, but a little larger, than Camp’s Wall Street project, also in Spartanburg. There will also be a parking lot for resident overfl ow parking and for retail/restau-rant patrons.
A walkway bridge on the second fl oor will connect the building Camp owns next door, which currently houses Carriage House Wines, to the new project, so occupants can use a
shared elevator. The existing building has fi ve addition-
al apartments.
For the retail space, Camp said that he expects to have one sit-down restaurant and one boutique retail space, but it’s still too early in the project to say for sure. It could end up being two or three restaurants or more retail, he said.
Construction is expected to begin in July 2016 with completion in the third or fourth quarter of 2017.
Camp’s Wall Street project, also in Spartanburg. There will also be a parking lot for resident overfl ow parking and for retail/restau-rant patrons.
building has fi ve addition-al apartments.
retail, he said.Construction is expected to begin
in July 2016 with completion in the third or fourth quarter of 2017.
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What if there was a vibrant, new living experience in Greenville’s coveted West End District? A place at once steeped in the history and charm of old Greenville, and yet thoroughly forward-thinking in its conception and vision for the future. A place that celebrates all that has come before in this storied downtown setting, and also points the way to a dynamic, one-of-kind-lifestyle that’s altogether unique. This is the best of both worlds: a rich heritage and a modern living experience, all bound together by a collection of 24 thoughtfully designed, original townhomes.
A new living experience in old Greenville.
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104 S. Hudson Street | Greenville, SC | 29601 | 864.561.4031 | [email protected]
What if there was a vibrant, new living experience in Greenville’s coveted West End District? A place at once steeped in the history and charm of old Greenville, and yet thoroughly forward-thinking its conception and vision for the future. A place that celebrates all that has come before in this storied downtown setting, and also points the way to a dynamic, one-of-a-kind-lifestyle that’s altogether unique. This is the best of both worlds: a rich heritage and a modern living experience, all bound together by a collection of 24 thoughtfully designed, original townhomes.
A new living experience in old Greenville.GRANITE COUNTERTOPS | HARDWOOD FLOORS | GARAGE PARKING
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Renderings and Plans presented are illustrative and shall be used for general information purposes only. Actual layout, room dimensions, window sizes and locations and steps to grade vary per plan and are subject to modification without notice.
www.parkplaceonhudson.com104 S. Hudson Street | Greenville, SC | 29601 864.561.4031 | [email protected]
UBJ | 03.04.2016
A significant debate has been churning in the U.S. about the “skills gap” – the difference between the skills a job may require (primarily technical) and the skills potential applicants have.
Some question is if it’s a real issue or whether business leaders are just whining. Some argue that businesses have consolidated job descriptions and now have posts that require not neces-sarily compatible skills, such as media relations skills and graphic design falling under a big umbrella of “Marketing” or “Communication.” Others blame universities for not doing their jobs, while universities blame public education for sending students unprepared to do college-level work.
As older workers have left the workforce, whether through layoffs, buyouts or other “right-sizing,” com-
panies have been banking on replacing them with more technically astute millennials. Projections
pointed to millennials, a generation weaned on technology, comprising 50 percent of the workforce by 2014.
Technology is not a discipline, it’s a tool. And there is a skills gap in applied technology: not just feeling comfort-able with applications and under-standing how to work your way around a GUI, but how to use the technology to identify a business issue, deploy a strategy, accomplish a business goal or evaluate the results.
It is hard to expect staff – even millennials weaned on the Internet – to take on more advanced skills if they don’t have a good grounding in basic knowledge and applied skill sets. So here are a few questions, drawn from a number of different disciplines, that assess a general understanding of some basic applied technology skills. Let’s give it a whack, shall we?
Basic Applied Technology Skills
Microsoft Offi ce: Job descriptions routinely describe Microsoft Offi ce skills as a “basic” requirement for pretty much every job. The question is what constitutes “basic.”• In Microsoft Excel, can you write a
formula based on an “if, then” equation?
• In Microsoft PowerPoint, can you set up a master template for your business, controlling the logo, the color palette used, the presentation of the logo in the footer, and other basics? Do you know when to use Hex, RGB and CYMK and what those terms mean?
• In Microsoft Word, can you take two documents edited by two dif-ferent people, and using the func-tions within the application, compare the differences and apply the changes you want to accept?
• In Outlook, can you convert an email message into a meeting, identify employees in your company you want to invite, determine the best time for all of them, invite them and put the item on a group calen-dar? (Timed test: this should take under 5 minutes.)
Google Analytics: According to Google, 55 percent of businesses don’t have a website. Of those that do, 56 percent of them use Google Analytics to monitor performance and make strategic decisions. Only 11 percent of businesses with a website say they don’t use Google Analytics at all. With such wide adoption, these questions should be easy.• Can you determine from your ana-
lytics report how many of your visitors are using mobile devices vs. desktops? If yes, what other dimensions would you use to make strategic decisions based on that information?
• Which of your marketing channels are most effective in driving traffi c to your website?
• What measures do you use to de-termine what pages or products on your site are most successful in engaging readers?
• Are your analytics set up to measure conversion rates? Do you have a strategic plan setting levels that you
expect to achieve to consider the effort successful?
Data: Big Data is the defi nition of a buzzword! You hear it everywhere, but are you ready to capitalize on its advantages? Let’s look at a few basic skills that involved “little data” fi rst.• Do you know how many of your
systems collect and maintain ele-ments of customer information? If there are more than one (hint: probably), how do you bring the databases together?
• Do you regularly monitor databas-es for updates, changes, deletions, duplications?
• Do shadow databases exist in your organization? How are they recon-ciled with the main DB and have you assessed the risk of allowing them at all?
• Common databases most companies may have are email marketing and customer relationship management. Do you have an established taxon-omy within your company that works with your CRM communica-tions, your email marketing and/or blog to provide customers with customized communications, whether as simple as using their name in mass marketing messages, or sending them a special offer on their birthday, or more complex such as emailing them when you have new information on a subject they have expressed interest in?
Only you can determine how much any of this matters in your business, but these are the sorts of “basic skills” that more advanced technology builds upon. There’s no shame in not knowing; many won’t. But the danger comes in assuming that “everyone knows” something. Honestly assess your team’s tech profi le; then you can build on it.
What’s your technology profi le?Before you embrace advanced technology, you’ve got to have these basic skills
16 | DIGITAL MAVEN | THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF BUSINESS
By LAURA HAIGHTpresident, portfoliosc.com
It is hard to expect staff – even millennials weaned on the Internet – to take on more advanced skills if they don’t have a good grounding in basic knowledge and applied skill sets.
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03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com
Since November 2015, I’ve served the commu-nity as the executive director of the Greenville Technical College Center for Manufacturing Inno-vation (CMI), which will be open for business this fall. One of the main goals of CMI is to offer students, parents and teachers a glimpse into the world of engineering and advanced manufacturing.
CMI will be an exciting and engaging space where students can learn about the technology and pro-cesses of modern manufacturing; however, we know that true passion for building things or businesses typically starts at home. From Harley-Davidson motorcycles to Hewlett-Packard computers, many of the most iconic brands and products of our time were founded by tinkerers working in their garages, often without the initial intent to start a business at all, but rather pursuing their personal curiosities. In this article, I’ll share a few resources for students and parents to pursue their own interests and build marketable, real-world skills at the same time.
The digital worldIn the workforce development and education fi eld,
we hear a common refrain that students of the Millennial and Z Generations are, almost by birth-right, well-suited for technology entrepreneurship because they are coming of age as digital natives. While they may have been exposed to the funda-mentals of operating a computer or building a basic webpage, most students have spent their youth as consumers of technology rather than creators of it. In the same way that eating cake doesn’t make you a good baker, neither will playing video games or posting on Facebook make you a software develop-er. A few resources for future developers, young and old alike:
Code.org: Offers a variety of resources and classes, intended to introduce kids to coding.
KhanAcademy.org: Offers an introduction to programming and selected courses in more advanced topics, in Khan Academy’s well-known blackboard format. Free for all users.
Codecademy.com: An interactive site that guides students through lessons on a number of the more popular languages. The site provides real-time feedback and guidance on how to construct pro-grams. Free for all users.
TeamTreehouse.com: A more in-depth resource, guiding students step-by-step through a wide range of computer programming languages and projects allowing students to dig deeper into the topics and begin developing their own applications. Free to start; $25 per month fi rst month.
Greenville Technical College: Offers a wide range of credit and non-credit courses, certifi cates and degree programs in database programming, mobile application development, web design and other IT topics.
The physical worldAs the physical and digital worlds come together
in the digital revolution of connected devices, or the Internet of Things, the technical demands of budding entrepreneurs extend beyond the virtual to the physical. Students will need exposure not only to programming and software integration, but also manufacturing and human-machine interaction to develop the cutting edge products of tomorrow. A few resources for future makers:
Arduino.org: The popular Arduino microcon-troller is an easy way to start building internet-con-nected devices, including motors, displays and lights. Starter kits start around $80.
RaspberryPi.org: Similar to Arduino, but allows for more advanced programming and requires greater knowledge of system integration for a fully functioning connected device. Around $35.
Educational toys: A wide variety of educational toys have come to market, including GoldieBlox, Mindware Keva block sets, and Lego Mindstorms. These toys, along with a plethora of new consum-er-grade 3-D printers, provide an excellent intro-duction to engineering and connected devices.
The business worldUnfortunately, there is no online resource or short
course that prepares students completely for the challenges of entrepreneurship. Fortunately, the high school years are the best time to start a business, with the low opportunity cost of students’ time. Moreover, starting a business or creating a product gives students an outlet for creativity that prepares them for higher education and future careers.
The local Small Business Development Center (clemson.edu/centers-institutes/sbdc), the Green-ville Chamber’s NEXT initiative (nextsc.org) and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (piedmont-score.org) all provide valuable resources, mentors and networks to ambitious entrepreneurs.
Scaling upAs we make plans for the fi rst year of The Center
for Manufacturing Innovation, a few features of our program will particularly interest future makers and entrepreneurs when they are ready to graduate from their garages to become commercially scalable. First, we will offer hands-on training in many of the dis-ciplines critical to the design and manufacture of products, from machining and robotics to project management and computer-aided manufacturing. Second, CMI will offer access to state-of-the-art 3-D printing, machining and other prototyping services to growing manufacturing fi rms. Third, CMI will offer a limited amount of offi ce space to incubate growing fi rms in the advanced manufacturing sector.
While these resources will provide a great start to future manufacturing and technology entrepreneurs, we look forward to welcoming them to The Center for Manufacturing Innovation this fall to continue learning and build profi table businesses.
By DAVID CLAYTONExecutive director, Center for Manufacturing Innovation
Innovation starts at homeResources to build real-world skills in the digital, physical and business worlds
MOVERS, SHAKERS AND DISRUPTORS SHAPING OUR FUTURE | INNOVATE | 17
In the same way that eating cake doesn’t make you a good baker, neither will playing video games or posting on Facebook make you a software developer.
UBJ | 03.04.2016
It’s time to turn the roads debate
Issues like repairing our roads don’t come around very often. It’s one of those debates that will boost economic growth and make the next generation of drivers safer. It’s one of the big chal-lenges we ask our elected leaders to solve.
Let me repeat: “We ask our elected leaders to solve.” The people of our state, the businesses of our state, and the community leaders of our state have asked our elected leaders to fi x our decrepit road system during this legislative session.
So what are we waiting for? We’re 28 weeks into a 40-week legislative session and the people of South Carolina are still waiting for our leaders to take action.
We have 46 senators working to fi nd a compromise that has few easy solutions. Our elected leaders are struggling despite the fact that new funding for roads is supported by a broad local coalition that includes a majority of South Carolinians, a majority of tea party voters, a majority of business leaders, and a majority of small business owners. But the debate is stalling because we have a group of out-of-state billionaires dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into this state in an effort to short-circuit our solutions.
Americans for Prosperity – funded by the Koch brothers and other wealthy, unknown donors – are only concerned about furthering their national po-litical power. They will say anything to do so. Since they don’t have facts on their side, they throw up red herrings, false dilemmas and the good old post hoc ergo procter hoc arguments. They hold themselves up as the last defenders of conservative ideals, despite the fact that conservative icons Ronald Reagan and Carroll Campbell signed gas tax increases that laid the foundation in the 1980s that would jump-start our economy.
Americans for Prosperity makes many claims despite clear facts to the contrary. We’ve seen this story before: Rich out-of-state billionaires with an agenda throw money into our politics in an attempt to raise their national profi le. A decade ago, it was
over education. Today, it’s about infrastructure.These campaigns are similar because both
groups threw hundreds of thousands of dollars to spread falsehoods in the public debate in a desper-ate effort to achieve an end that is against the will of South Carolinians.
Those two campaigns are also similar in that the out-of-state special interests won’t win.
We don’t need more politics. We need solutions. Luckily, there are solutions at hand. The governor, the House, the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Republican Caucus, a bi-partisan working group of senators, and even a fi libustering conservative senator, have proposed real plans that deserve con-sideration. All of these plans are being put forward by South Carolinians, for South Carolinians, and with the future of our great state at the heart of the matter.
We have smart, good people on both sides of this debate who all agree that our roads are a disgrace and need an immediate solution. In the latest polling from Winthrop University, 63 percent of South Carolinians support raising the gas tax to repair roads, and even 53 percent of self-identifi ed con-servative tea party voters support raising the gas tax.
It’s time for our leaders to buckle down and fi nish this debate so we can move forward to the critical workforce, edu-cation, public safety, public health and ethics issues that still await debate. It’s time for all of us to sideline the out-of-state special interest provocateurs intent on throwing elbows in our family argument.
So, what else can you do? Go to upstatechamber.org or
scstatehouse.gov and get the
contact information for your state senator. Then call your senators and tell them we need a solution now that fi xes the roads that are costing the lives of nearly 1,000 of our neighbors each year. Tell them we need a solution so our hard-working entrepreneurs can get their goods to market. Tell them enough is enough and compromise is not a dirty word.
Time is running out. There are 12 weeks left.
By JASON ZACHERVice President, Business Advocacy, Greenville Chamber
18 | OPINION | VOICES FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, HEARD HERE
What are we waiting for? We’re 28 weeks into a 40-week legislative session and the people of South Carolina are still waiting for our leaders to take action.
Representatives of South Carolina businesses visited the Statehouse this week to urge the S.C. Senate to take immediate action on a comprehensive road-funding package bill.
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03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com FINE PRINT / SOCIAL SNAPSHOT | 19
SC AUTO WEEKHundreds of automotive professionals gathered at the fifth annual SC Automotive Summit in Greenville this week. Read our full coverage on page 6. Photos provided
CONTRIBUTE: Got high-resolution photos of your networking or social events? Send photos and information for consideration to [email protected].
Michelin launches latest version of line-haul steer tire
Michelin Americas Truck Tires, a division of Greenville-based Michelin North America Inc., recently launched the Michelin X Line Energy Z tire for line-haul steer applications.
The tire features a new, fuel-efficient casing and dual-energy compound tread. Its top layer controls tread stiffness and stress to reduce irregular wear, while the bottom layer provides fuel efficiency and retreadability to minimize internal casing temperatures for low rolling resistance and extended casing life, accord-ing to a release.
“Michelin is known for providing industry-leading mileage and even wear. The Michelin X Line Energy Z continues that evolution, while also increasing fuel efficiency, so fleets get the best of both worlds,” said Adam Murphy, VP of marketing for Michelin Americas Truck Tires. “Allowing fleets to get the most out of their line-haul steer tires is what the new Michelin X Line Energy Z tire is all about.”
InTech Aerospace Achieves AS-9110 Quality Certification
InTech Aerospace LLC, a subsidiary of Green-ville-based Ranger AeroSystems, achieved full certification to AS-9110 aerospace quality stan-dards in Feb. 2016. Houston-based InTech Aerospace performs a variety of overhaul, repair and retrofit chores on aircraft interiors and related components on fixed-wing planes.
“We consistently seek to raise the bar on quality in each of our subsidiaries; that’s a steady pattern over the years in multiple successful aviation enterprises under Ranger,” said Steve Townes, Ranger Aerospace founder and CEO of Ranger AeroSystems. “We’re proud to support InTech Aerospace on these quality-centered initiatives.”
The AS-9110 aerospace standard is based on AS9100 and the fundamental principles of ISO-9000 and other quality management doctrines, but adds specific requirements that are critical for the maintenance of commercial, private, and military aircraft.
This standard includes additional criteria for maintenance repair and overhaul facilities serving the aircraft industry.
Areas of emphasis in the standard include detecting and preventing counter-feit and suspect unapproved parts, human factors, safety management systems, technical data, project management and risk management.
Pure Barre opens first international studio in Canada
Spartanburg-based Pure Barre officially opened its first international location, which is in Toronto.
The company announced last year that it planned to expand internationally in Canada.
Pure Barre’s Canadian expansion continues with two Vancouver locations set to open later this year.
“Pure Barre is an entirely new fitness concept for the Canadian market. As the leading barre company in North America, we are constantly innovating our technique. As a result, Pure Barre’s popularity continues to spread because of the incredible transformations that happen in our studios,” said Michelle Kluz, CEO of Pure Barre. “In addition to becoming stronger and leaner, clients walk out of our studio doors each day with more confidence than ever.”
SCRA Wins Contract for Navy Center of Excellence
SCRA Applied R&D was selected to lead the Navy’s Metalworking Center.
The Metalworking Center is a U.S. Navy Manufac-turing Technologies (ManTech) Center of Excellence, chartered by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The award is for an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract.
SCRA Applied R&D will operate and manage the center in partnership with Ohio-based EWI, an engineering and technology organization that will provide technical expertise and support the center’s project development and manage-ment activities.
“SCRA Applied R&D is proud to continue its support to the Navy’s manufac-turing technology program through the Navy Metalworking Center of Excellence,” said Marty Ryan, SCRA VP and director of the new center. “The SCRA/EWI team will support the Navy and its warfighters by joining with the industry’s best technology providers to reduce acquisition and life-cycle costs, improve capabilities and deliver exceptional value to the Navy.”
20 | ON THE MOVE | PLAY-BY-PLAY OF UPSTATE CAREERS
Katie L. CarrollJoins DP3 Architects as an architect. Carroll has experience in commercial projects and will be working with DP3 Architects’ community studio. She received her Master of Architecture from Syracuse University and Bachelor of Arts from William Smith College.
Michael CooperNamed deployment director of the New Markets Tax Credit Program for TD Community Development Corporation. Cooper has over 14 years of experience in the banking industry and will continue to serve as senior middle market lender for TD Bank. He is also a volunteer for Mentor Greenville.
Tony WilliamsNamed as a recipient of the Silver Medal Award by the Greenville American Advertising Federation chapter. Williams is the CEO, president and founder of Infi nity Marketing. He was recently elected to the Greenville Tech Foundation board of directors and also serves on the Greenville Chamber advisory board.
Carter R. HallNamed associate fi nancial advisor at Nachman Norwood & Parrott Wealth Management Consultancy. Hall has been with the company since 2011 providing portfolio management and client planning support. He is a graduate of Furman University and is a Certifi ed Financial Planner professional.
Kate KilcoyneNamed as an associate accountant to Scott and Company’s assurance and advisory services team. Kilcoyne is a graduate of Wilmington University and is a member of the South Carolina Association of Certifi ed Public Accountants. She has experience in corporate and public accounting.
HIRED APPOINTED AWARDED PROMOTED HIRED
Katie L. Carroll
HIRED APPOINTED AWARDED PROMOTED HIRED
COMMUNITY
The South Carolina Association for Volunteer Administration (SCAVA) awarded Jaclyn Pinkham
the Volunteer Administrator of the Year Award. Pinkham is the volun-teer coordinator for Miracle Hill Ministries and currently serves as
the SCAVA secretary and vice chair for the Upstate chapter of SCAVA. The annual award is given to a SCAVA member who demonstrates
exemplary service to their commu-nity, agency, the profession of vol-unteer administration and to SCAVA and its affiliates. >>
GODSHALLProfessional Recruiting
StaffingConsulting
Godshall Professional Recruiting and Staffing specializes in executive recruiting, career placement and consulting for businesses and job seekers in South Carolina. Our healthcare services team has more than 20 years of combined experience in placing qualified candidates in clinical, dental and front office positions. Let us find the perfect fit for your employment needs.
We’ve already metyour nextemployee.
Hannah BarfieldHealthcare Recruiter
sccareersearch.com • 864-242-3491Professional • Finance • Technical • Healthcare
03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com
CONTRIBUTE: New hires, promotions & award winners may be featured in On the Move. Send information and photos to [email protected].
1. Wagner Wealth Management recently opened at 3 Legacy Park Road, Greenville. The firm specializes in wealth management services for high-net-worth individuals and companies. For more information, visit wagnerwealthmanagement.com.
Open for business
CONTRIBUTE: Know of a business opening soon? Email information to [email protected].
1
2
2. Fairview Park Assisted Living recently opened at 544 Harrison Bridge Road, Simpsonville. For more information, visit springparksc.com.
THE FRESHEST FACES ON THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE | NEW TO THE STREET | 21
EDUCATION
Furman University and Wofford College hired Melissa M. Nichols as the Title IX and Americans with Dis-ability Act (ADA) coordinator to serve both campuses. Nichols previously served as crisis and compliance direc-tor and legal counsel to the Julie Val-entine Center. She will be responsible for the implementation of state and federal civil rights requirements for the institutions.
ENGINEERING
Aerie Engineering hired Kris Belia-koff as operations manager. Beliakoff previously worked with Ashy Companies where she developed systems and pro-cesses to help the organization standard-ize, plan and grow. She has a background in science, technology, business admin-istration, nonprofit management and professional photography.
LEGAL
Carson Bacon Penney joined Gallivan, White & Boyd’s Greenville office. Penney will practice as a member of the firm’s business and commercial litigation group and workplace practice group. Her legal practice focuses on the representation of clients in employment issues related to federal and state employment laws.
TECHNOLOGY
CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, named four Greenville Synnex Corporation executives to its 2016 Channel Chiefs list: Eddie Frank-lin, VP of sales, public sector and verti-cal markets; Bob Stegner, senior VP of marketing in North America; Sandi Stambaugh, VP of product manage-ment, and Reyna Thompson, VP of product management.
>>
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UBJ | 03.04.201622 | #TRENDING | INFORMATION YOU WANT TO KNOW
RE: BUSINESS ON TAP NETWORKING EVENT
> Ryan Heafy via FB“Awesome new business networking event in #yeahTHATgreenville!”
> Joanna Searcy Reese via FB“Jessy Segal! This looks like something you would love.”
> Erin Halperin via FB“Sounds fun!”
> Ruta Fox via FB“Sounds good”
> Joanna Searcy Reese via FB“Anthony Reese you wanna go?”
> Anthony Reese via FB“Heck yes!”
> MESH Community Solutions via FB“Upstate Business Journal has a new monthly networking event scheduled at Aloft Greenville Downtown! Sign up now!!”
> Katie Weaver via FB“Nice!”
RE: STUDY: DOWNTOWN CONVENTION CENTER NOT RECOMMENDED FOR GREENVILLE> Hope Dameier Taylor “Thank goodness, seems like this is just common sense.”
> Phil Evatt “I could have saved them a lot of money and told them the same thing over lunch.”
> Marnie Schwartz-Hanley “Come on down to Simpsonville with it.”
> Tim Sterr “Thousands of additional people in downtown... I don’t recommend it either :) build towards GSP… Add tra� c to Pelham... ;)”
> Hundan Strategic Partners “A very interesting assignment. I hope Greenville can seize the moment and create a new compelling project!”
RE: GREENVILLE CHAMBER NAMES NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO> Pulse Young Professionals “We are excited and eager to begin working with the new CEO of the Greenville Chamber!”
> Mike Pennington “Just announced! New Chamber CEO! Looking forward to the leadership and growth he will bring.”
> Ryan Heafy “Welcome to #yeahTHATgreenville Carlos!”
BIZ BUZZ The top 5 stories from the past week ranked by shareability score
1. Construction beginning for new type of doctors’ o� ce
2. Greenville Chamber names new president and CEO
3. UCB ‘completes’ Palmetto Bank acquisition
4. Leasing concierge company makes apartment hunting easier
5. ‘LinkedIn for students’ pairs with state fi rms to launch STEM initiative
OVERHEARD @ THE WATERCOOLERDistilled commentary from UBJ readers
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>> WEIGH IN @ THE UBJ EXCHANGEGot something to o� er? Get it o� your chest.We’re looking for expert guest bloggers from all industries to contribute to the UBJ Exchange. Send posts or blog ideas to [email protected].
DIGITAL FLIPBOOK ARCHIVE >>
The layout of print meets the convenience of the web: fl ip through the digital edition of any of our print issues at >> upstatebusinessjournal.com/past-issues
FEBRUARY 26, 2016 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 9
What began in 1916
with a group of mill
owners has evolved
into today’s Rotary
Club of Greenville
Century of progress
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03.04.2016 | upstatebusinessjournal.com
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STAFF WRITERSAshley Boncimino, Lety Good,Sherry Jackson, Benjamin Jeffers, Cindy Landrum
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MARKETING & ADVERTISING
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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
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
MARCH 18THE TECH ISSUELocal technological innovations and revolutions.
APRIL 15INVESTING 101Funding and fi nance.
APRIL 29WHO’S WHOMeet the latest class of game-changers in the Upstate.
Got any thoughts? Care to contribute? Let us know at [email protected].
UP NEXT
EVENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR CALENDAR | PLANNER | 23
CONTRIBUTE: Got a hot date? Submit event information for consideration to [email protected].
DATE EVENT INFO WHERE DO I GO? HOW DO I GO?
Saturday
3/5The Makers SummitA creative small business conference
Clemson One Building1 N. Main St., 7th Floor, Greenville9 a.m.
Cost: $265 Register: makerscollective.org/themakerssummit
Monday
3/7Ten at the Top The Pique Workshop and networking event for young professionals
Clemson One Building1 N. Main St., Greenville1:30-5 p.m.
Cost: $26 Register: nvite.com/thePIQUE16/14mzyd
Tuesday
3/8
SCMEP Executive Peer Council Hear from manufacturing executives about the struggles and rewards in the business world
SCMEP37 Villa Road, Suite 500, Greenville
More info: contact Scott King at [email protected]
MESH NewFarm: Exploring the World of AgroInnovation Hear from professionals about growing sustainable agriculture in the Upstate
Carolina Bauernhaus115 W. Federal St., Anderson6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cost: $16.37 Register: bit.ly/mesh-march2016
Thursday
3/10Greenville Swamp Rabbits Business Power PlayA night of hockey and networking for Upstate businesses
Bon Secours Wellness Arena650 N. Academy St., Greenville
More info: Contact Maddy Varin at [email protected]
Tuesday
3/15Greenville Chamber Multicultural Business and Community Open House
Greenville Chamber24 Cleveland St., Greenville5:30-8 p.m.
Cost: Free Register: bit.ly/multibizcom-feb2016
AN ENTREPRENEUR?AN IDEA MAKER AND TRAILBLAZER
A COMPANY?THAT’S GROWING LIKE A WEED
A WILD CARD?CHOSEN THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
A LEGEND?AN INDIVIDUAL WITH IMPACT ON UPSTATE BIZ
A CLOSER?A DEALMAKER
A YOUNG GUN?AN UP & COMER
A BOSS?A LEADER
Nominate one now. It’s as simple as submitting a name.
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