may 17, 2013 ubj
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Upstate Business Journal published for the Upstate of South Carolina. Designed and created by Community Journals.TRANSCRIPT
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may 17, 2013
tee timeBig changes are par for the
course at Holly Treepage 4
Lucky 7Finalists compete in Spartanburg’s
Main Street Challengepage 12
getting thereEntrepreneurs aim to revolutionize
the logistics industrypage 20
Copyright @2013 BY COMMUNITY JOURNALS LLC. All rights reserved. Upstate Business Journal (Vol. 2, No. 16) is published weekly by Community Journals LLC. 148 River Street, Suite 120, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601. Upstate Business Journal is a free publication. Annual subscriptions (52 issues) can be purchased for $65. Postmaster: Send address changes to Upstate Business, 148 River St., Ste 120, Greenville, SC 29601. Printed in the USA.
PRESIDENT/PublIShER Mark B. Johnston [email protected]
SENIoR VIcE PRESIDENT Alan P. Martin [email protected]
ubJ ASSocIATE PublIShER Ryan L. Johnston [email protected]
EXEcuTIVE EDIToR Susan Clary [email protected]
MANAGING EDIToR Jerry [email protected]
STAff wRITERS Cindy Landrum, April A. Morris, Charles Sowell
SENIoR buSINESS wRITER Jennifer Oladipo
coNTRIbuTING wRITERSDick Hughes, Jenny Munro, Jeanne Putnam, Leigh Savage
EDIToRIAl INTERNS Shelby Livingston, Casey Dargan
ART & PRoDucTIoNART DIREcToR Richie Swann
PhoToGRAPhER Greg Beckner
coNTRIbuTING PhoTo EDIToR Gerry Pate
PRoDucTIoN Holly Hardin
MARkETING & ADVERTISINGMARkETING REPRESENTATIVES Lori Burney, Mary Beth Culbertson, Kristi Jennings, Donna Johnston, Pam PutmanMARkETING Katherine ElrodMARkETING & EVENTS Kate BannerbRAND STRATEGIST Austin HaferbIllING Shannon RochesterclIENT SERVIcES MANAGERS Anita Harley, Jane Rogers ADVERTISING DESIGN Kristy Adair, Michael Allen, Whitney Fincannon, Caroline Reinhardt
IDEAS, fEEDbAck, [email protected]
how To REAch uS148 River Street., Suite 120Greenville, SC 29601864-679-1200
20F e at u r e s
cover Story18 Buying In to Branding by Jennifer Oladipo
Entrepreneur20 Jump Start: Big Cargo by Leigh Savage
colu m ns
Digital Maven8 Who’s Paying for Wi-Fi? by Laura Haight
Statehouse Report9 Redistricting Shenanigans Guaranteed Sanford Victory by Andy Brack
create. Innovate. celebrate.10 In Search of Innovation by Michael Mino
depa rt me n ts
3 Verbatim3 TBA22 The Fine Print24 Square Feet26 On the Move28 New to the Street29 Planner30 Snapshot
Photo Provided
UBJ Table of contents
2 upstate business journal May 17, 2013
A specialized trailer is used to move the oversized part of a
wind turbine to the project site.
coRREcTIoN:An article in the May 10 UBJ, “Michelin’s Big Tire Gains Traction,” featured a quote from Bruce Stockton that should have identified him as a former executive of Con-Way Truckload. Further, Michelin’s Canadian plant is in Waterville, Nova Scotia, not Whitewater.As clarification, Michelin claims their X One tires save up to 10 percent in fuel consumption. The wording in the story and accompanying graphic suggest a definitive 10 percent savings.
Another article, “Oladipo Tapped as UBJ Senior Business Writer,” misstated the academic background of Jennifer Oladipo. She attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and has degrees from the University of Evansville in writing, and the University of Louisville in pan-African Studies.
We regret the errors.
May 17, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 3
UBJ Verbatim
530 Haywood Road • GReenville, SC • 864.297.5610
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On Free Things to Do in a Great City…
“The last thing a person expects to see in the middle of an urban area is a roaring waterfall. Yet that’s exactly what surprised visitors find in beautiful down-town Greenville. People happily while away hours strolling across the city’s striking pedestrian-only Liberty Bridge, which looks down upon the Reedy River’s inspiring reclaimed waterfall. … You’ll never lack for things to do in Greenville.”
USA Today, citing Greenville among a list of 10 great cities with free activities. Read the entire article at goo.gl/942wr.
Expect an announcement this summer from KDS Commercial Properties about a major project at one of Greenville’s most iconic developments of the past decade…
A 1920s speakeasy-style bar is being proposed for 520 Rutherford Road. Music lovers can expect jazz, blues and rock, plus
space for private parties…
A dueling pianos restaurant dubbed Jack n’ Diane’s is hoping to open at 115 N. Brown St., where the Brown Street Club was located before it “closed for remodeling.” A special exception is required; the city Board of Zoning and Appeals hearing is in June for this and the above speakeasy…
TBA
In Good CompanyOthEr grEAt CitiES liStEd wErE:
Boulder, Colo.
ChiCago
las Vegas
london
Myrtle BeaCh, s.C.
new orleans
san FranCisCo
saVannah, ga.
VanCouVer, B.C.
4 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 17, 2013
UBJ This Week
Growing Greenville
864.335.2200 • BankGreenville.com • 499 Woodruff Road(Located at the corner of Woodruff Road and Rocky Slope Road)
Does your bank work as hard for your money,
as you worked to get it?
Whether your business is just getting started or is an established part of the Greenville community, we’re committed to helping your business grow. We’ll get to know you and your business before customizing banking solutions to suit your unique needs. Let’s partner for your business success.
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holly tree country club has served the Upstate golf community for 40 years, and at an upcoming golf tournament, members and guests will see how the Simpsonville facility has prepared for the future.
At the Holly Tree Member/Guest Golf Tournament, slated for May 31-June 2, members and their guests will get their first look at the updates to the clubhouse, which was overhauled with a new design.
The updates to the golf course, in-cluding a short-game area, a skills course area and practice range, should be complete this fall, said Chip Davis, president of the board of governors.
The short-game area is adjacent to the first tee box. “It creates a won-derful practice facility for better golfers or folks that can’t play nine or 18 holes,” Davis said. “They can work on their short game, the high irons. There’s nothing like it in the marketplace.”
This section includes 7,500 square feet of practice green and two practice bunkers with fairway and rough surrounds.
The nearby skills area has 12,500 square feet of target greens plus bunkers, fairway and rough set out on a short course. It can be played as a par-3 or a variety of other setups, and provides an alternative for those brushing up on skills.
The changes come courtesy of Greenville’s Beau Welling Design, which has worked on more than 90 golf courses around the world.
In addition to the short-game area and skills area, the plan includes upgrades to the driving range and overhauling the practice green, with greater curb appeal and a larger, more level teeing area. More parking will be added, as well as a practice fairway bunker.
Camille Wingate, principal at Pal-metto Purchasing Group and an inte-rior designer, oversaw the clubhouse renovations, which were designed to make the club more appealing and more flexible for uses ranging from bridge club gatherings to casual family meals to formal dining.
Holly Tree Country Club has more than 600 member families.
Holly Tree Tees Up ChangesWelling adds short-game area and skills
course to open in the fallBy Leigh Savage | contributor
The piazza at the Holly Tree Country Club. Live entertainment
fills the piazza every month.
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May 17, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 5
UBJ This Week Professional Speak OutBy Anna T. Locke
There’s nothing quite like hearing a group of musicians play completely in sync with one another: each instrumentalist using their unique skill to turn a sheet of black and white notes into a beautiful symphony. In the accounting world, many companies get by with a single accounting professional to manage their financials. While this solo CFP or CPA may get the job done, they can become so bogged down in income statements and financial reports that they forget to translate this vital financial information into everyday business terms. They forget to relate their findings to the big picture goals of their business.Oftentimes, a single CPA might provide a heady financial report that might take an average business manager a long time to decipher. Their information could be accurate, but isn’t written in terms of the company’s overall strategy. This is where a team approach comes into play. Savvy companies realize it takes a team of experienced accountants working in concert with business strategists to go beyond crafting an income statement. These external accounting teams are made up of expert accountants who work alongside business owners and executives to provide a holistic view of a company’s financial health in order to map out strategic goals for the future. In this team setting, routine financial reports are completed by professional accountants, then “translated” by business specialists into everyday terms that relate to your company’s goals. Just as an orchestra features a diverse set of sounds and instruments, a winning accounting team draws from a wide range of skill sets and strengths to bring a would-be lifeless accounting statement to a complete and harmonious financial plan for achieving success.
864.908.3062 • atlocke.com
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AtLocke_hlfV_0517.indd 1 5/10/13 1:22 PM
More than 40 lawyers from Upstate law fi rms have been added to the 2013 list of South Carolina Super Lawyers and Rising Stars. Fewer than fi ve percent of lawyers in each state are selected for the Super Lawyers list, which is an indepen-dent lawyer rating service that selects attorneys using a multiphase rating process, including peer nom-inations, evaluations and third-party research.
Rising Stars are also selected by peer nominations, but eligible can-didates must be attorneys age 40 or below with 10 years or less of legal experience.
Each year’s winners are published in Super Lawyers Magazine.
FROM HAYNSWORTH SINKLER BOYD:
Thomas H. (Tom) Coker, Jr., David W. Conner, Anne S. Ellefson, H. Sam Mabry III, W. Francis (Frankie) Marion, Jr., Moffatt G. (Mott) McDonald, G. Dewey Oxner, Jr., H. Donald (Don) Sellers and Christine (Chris) Gantt-Sorenson were named South Carolina Super Lawyers. The fi rm’s Bonnie A. Lynch, Christopher B. (Chris) Major, Joshua D. (Josh) Spencer, Charles M. Sprinkle IIIand Sarah P. Spruill were named Rising Stars.
FROM CARTER, SMITH, MERRIAM, ROGERS & TRAXLER:
Partner Thomas W. Traxler was selected as a Super Lawyer in the area of business litigation and as one of the Top 25 Lawyers in South Carolina.
FROM COLLINS & LACY P.C.: Jack Griffeth and Mike Pitts were
named Super Lawyers and Suzy Boulware-Cole and Ross Plyler were named Rising Stars.
FROM SMITH MOORE LEATHERWOOD:
Michael Bowers, William Dennis, Steven Farrar, Michael Giese, Tod Hyche, Natalma McKnew, Robert Moseley Jr. and Kurt Rozelskywere named Super Lawyers. Farrer is on the Top 25 list, which represents the South Carolina lawyers who received the highest total points for the year. In addition, Michael Hickerson, Jason Maertens, and Fredieric Marcinak III were named Rising Stars.
FROM WYCHE:
Eric Amstutz, Mark Bakker, Greg English, Ted Gentry, Cary Hall, Wallace Lightsey, John Moylan, Henry Parr, Troy Tessier, Jim Warren and Marshall Winn were named Super Lawyers. Parr was selected for the cover of the 2013 South Carolina Super Lawyers Magazine. In addition, the magazine named Lightsey to its list of the top 10 lawyers in South Carolina. The fi rm’s Rita Bolt Barker, Natalie Russell Dunham, Melinda Davis Lux, Maurie Lawrence and Matthew Richardson were named Rising Stars.
FROM GALLIVAN WHITE & BOYD:
W. Howard Boyd Jr., Deborah Casey Brown, H. Mills Gallivan, Phillip E. Reeves, T. David Rheney and Daniel B. White were named Super Lawyers. W. Duffi e Powers and Thomas E. Vanderbloemen were named Rising Stars.
Upstate Attorneys Named ‘Super Lawyers’
6 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL May 17, 2013
UBJ Industry
‘Community Vibrancy’ Focus of TATT Workshopsten at the top (tatt) will host a series of four community workshops throughout the Upstate on May 22-23. The work-shops on May 22 will take place in Spartanburg and Greenwood. Clemson and Greenville will have workshops on May 23.
The workshops are offered through a partnership between the Ten at the Top Community Vi-brancy Task Force and urban policy and planning classes at USC Upstate. According to Ten at the Top, “for two semesters, classes under the direction of Dr. Abe
Goldberg identifi ed communities that have created local vibrancy through initiatives focused on their neighborhoods, downtowns, arts and culture, parks and recreation or programs and events. The result of the project is a Community Vi-brancy Great Ideas list of nearly 50 examples that include communi-ties of all population sizes.”
The workshops will feature leaders from community programs in South Carolina, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas and Califor-nia. They will give a brief overview of each project and attendees can
speak one-on-one with leaders whose projects interest them.
“Compiling a list of examples is great,” said Dean Hybl, executive director of Ten at the Top, “but rather than just reading about what others have done, we felt like it would be more valuable if we could make the great ideas come alive by bringing to the Upstate some of the people who have created suc-cessful community programs.”
Hybl feels that communities face the “some of the same chal-lenges and problems” when working on a project and that
through these workshops, people throughout the Upstate will feel inspired to fi nd a project they can do in their own community.
The workshops are open to all and free to attend, but attendees are asked to register in advance at tenatthetop.org. For more infor-mation, contact Ten at the Top at 864-283-2313.
one of the fastest growing seg-ments of the South Carolina economy are the clean energy sectors, which provide about 17,292 full-time equivalent jobs at 269 fi rms concentrated around Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, reports the S.C. Clean Energy Business Al-liance, an industry advocacy group.
Clean energy companies that participated in the 2011 Renewable Energy and Energy Effi ciency In-dustries Census reported $726 million in annual gross revenue, said Tom French, executive director of the South Carolina Clean Energy Business Alliance.
“We apply an economic impact factor of three to the reported annual gross revenue, which results in approximately $2.17 billion in economic impact in South Carolina in 2011,” he said.
The coalition has been going full steam since its 2011 launch – a short
time compared to North Carolina’s business alliance, which has been operating for more than 25 years, said Andrew Epting, program manager for the SC alliance.
“There is plenty of room for growth within the industry,” he said.
According to the 2012 NC Clean Energy Industries Census, North Carolina’s clean energy industry includes more than 1,100 compa-nies generating at least $3.7 billion in annual revenue, wrote Aaron Nelson, president and CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, in the (Raleigh) News and Observer.
“In other words, the North Caro-lina renewable energy sector is booming,” he wrote.
South Carolina’s clean energy sectors are concentrated in en-ergy-efficient design and con-struction; energy-efficient ret-rofitting; solar energy; and
Clean Energy $726M Business for SC
By Charles Sowell | staff
AT A GLANCESouth Carolina’s clean energy sectors account for approximately
17,292 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in 2011 and 269 fi rms.
The majority of employees working in clean energy are employed in fi rms with the primary business type of Education, Services, and Consulting.
The clean energy sectors with the largest number of fi rms are those concentrated in:
ENERGY-EFFICIENT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
SOLAR ENERGY
ENERGY EFFICIENT RETROFITTING
BIOMASS ENERGY
SOURCE: S.C. Clean Energy Business Alliance. View the entire report at scceba.biz.
biomass energy, Epting said.“South Carolina is heavily in-
vested in conventional, fossil fuel energy sources that are risky and costly, funneling billions of dollars out of the state each year,” wrote the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in its rating of South Caro-lina’s clean energy programs. “With the second-highest percentage of nuclear power of any state in the country, South Carolinians face rising electricity prices and water-intensive energy production.
“Although several local govern-
ments and some members of the General Assembly are beginning to take action, more leadership is needed from South Carolina’s elected offi cials.”
J.R. Regalbuto, who holds an endowed chair at the USC College of Engineering, said the potential for biomass energy production in South Carolina is tremendous.
“In fact, all over the South, you have vast sustainable supplies of biomass for energy production both for vehicle fuels and for electric production,” he said.
Contact Charles Sowell at [email protected].
May 17, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 7
UBJ This Week
this august, upstate residents can become “aerial ninjas” when Gravitopia, the state’s first extreme trampoline park, opens at Brook-field Oaks Industrial Park off 385 and Butler Road.
The 27,000-square-foot facility will feature 10,000 square feet of trampolines, including a trampoline dodgeball stadium, an aerial ninja obstacle course and massive foam pits with more than 25,000 cubes of foam – the ideal landing area after trying out the trapeze, said devel-oper Case Lawrence.
“We’ve had our eye on Greenville, given its demographics and growth,” said Lawrence, who will co-own Gravitopia with local operating partners Scott and LaDawn Burley.
The park will be the eighth for Law-rence, who is based in Park City, Utah, and has opened parks in California and New Mexico. He has recently turned his focus to the Southeast, with parks opening in Birmingham, Ala., and Richmond, Va.
He said there are almost 50 tram-poline parks in the U.S., bringing in almost $100 million, and the trend is growing. “The reason this is sweeping the country is the breadth of age participation,” he said. “It’s something for kids that
parents can do with the kids, and that’s really rare these days.”
Instead of being elevated like at-home trampolines, the park has a false floor for bouncing at ground level, along with plenty of padding.
While drop-in playtime and birth-day parties are popular at his parks, he said adults also enjoy the ob-stacle courses, exercise classes and dodgeball tournaments, including some just for ages 14 and up com-plete with $1,000 cash prizes.
Gravitopia will also host Club Gravity, special weekend club nights with laser lighting and music.
The challenge for the parks is finding the right venue, since they require large square footage, high ceilings and a minimal number of beams. Lawrence said he found just that at Brookfield Oaks, which also offers a central location, good visi-bility and plenty of parking.
“We found a truly unique building for this concept,” he said. “Gravitopia will be one of the nicest and largest trampoline parks in the country.”
Lawrence began his career in real estate development but branched out when the market crashed in 2008. He discovered extreme tram-poline parks and opened his first, in Fresno, Calif., in 2011.
Defying GravityState’s first “extreme” trampoline
park to open in AugustBy Leigh Savage | contributor
Contact Leigh Savage at [email protected].
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8 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL May 17, 2013
UBJ Digital Maven By LAURA HAIGHT
the growing acceptance of emp-loyees using their personal devices at work – particularly smartphones and tablets – has several advantages for both employer and employee. But the burden of paying for service is shifting to the employee.
Recently, iPass, the nation’s largest commercial Wi-Fi network, released its Q1 2013 mobile workforce report. It points out some interesting trends that can impact business behaviors and have the potential to add un-planned expenses for employees. (Read it: goo.gl/syzeh)
• In Q1 2013, the average mobile worker carried three devices. That’s a decrease from 3.5 in 2012, which is attributed to an increase in BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) accep-tance. Workers last year were often carrying two smartphones: one to access work resources and one for personal use. As BYOD grows, mobile workers are able consolidate to one device. That trend is coupled with a signifi cant drop in the number of workers taking laptops with them, as tablets and iPads become more full-featured with more secure apps.
• As more employees use their own smartphones, they’re more aware of their data usage. In 2012, 30 percent of mobile workers said they didn’t know or didn’t care how much data they were using. In the fi rst quarter of this year, that number is down to 17 percent. The risk for businesses is that employ-ees are less responsive or nimble as they watch data tick up and worry about overage charges.
• Seventy-fi ve percent of the mobile workforce say they have access to
Wi-Fi 11 hours or more each day. That’s great, although it’s often an expensive proposition: In airports and hotels, Wi-Fi can cost up to $15 a day. At many facilities, free Wi-Fi is offered, but it’s ratcheted down considerably, making it barely functional for basic email. Businesses may fi nd their mobile
workers having to increase data plans to offset the cost, availability or quality of public Wi-Fi.
The evolving issue with data is who is paying for it: the employee who wants the convenience of using his own device, or the employer whose work requirements may force
much greater data usage? How will we determine how much of the data throughput has been streaming “Sons of Anarchy” at the airport or downloading client reports?
There are some ways to reduce the amount of data you use and also make it easier for your potentially mobile recipient to handle incom-ing information more easily.
• Skip attachments. All the “dolling up” that we used to do to make documents pretty and printable just gets in the way of getting to the data. Unless your corporate culture demands it, put full text in emails, and don’t include images unless they truly are necessary to provide information.
• Write better subject lines. Be clear about what your email is about and how urgent it is. Subject lines like “Stuff,” “Follow up” or “Interesting story” force the recipient to open the message to see if it is something important. If that message has 10 photos of the weekend at the beach, you are both using a lot of data on something better done at home.
• Don’t send digital fi les – video, audio, photos – over email. Consider whether your recipient needs to see it or keep it. Use in-app uploads to YouTube, DropBox or other locations and provide a link only. A mobile recipient can view what he needs and wait until he is back in the offi ce to download. Make it possible for the receiver to choose the best method and timing.
Who’s Paying for Wi-Fi?Mobile business shifts behaviors – and costs – back on employees
Has your company got a plan for BWTD policy? It’s the next evolution of BYOD. Stay tuned
for more. Got a question or comment about this or any
other tech topic? Go to facebook.com/thedigitalmaven
and post it for discussion.
Laura Haight is the president of Portfolio (portfoliosc.com), a communications company based in Greenville that leverages the power of technology and digital media to communicate effectively with clients, customers and your staff. She is a former IT executive, journalist and newspaper editor.
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
.5
0
Tablets Laptops/Notebooks
Smartphones Mobile phones
Netbooks/Ultra
Other Total
How many of each mobile device do you personally use for work?
SOURCE: iPass Q1 2013 Mobile Workforce Report
2011 2012 2013
May 17, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 9
By ANDY BRACKUBJ Statehouse Report
if state democrats want to winbig elections like the one they lost last Tuesday on the coast, they’re going to have to get busy and retake control of the state Senate.
Why? Because the outcome of Tuesday’s election was practically determined two years before the special contest between GOP former Gov. Mark Sanford and challenger Elizabeth Colbert Busch. Why? Because constitutionally-required redistricting to even population changes after the 2010 census made it tough for any Democrat to win.
In the First Congressional Dis-trict, for example, voting-age blacks comprised just 18.2 percent of voters. “Huh?” you might wonder. On the coast where African-Amer-icans comprise 30 percent of Charleston County, 26 percent of Dorchester County, 25 percent of Berkeley County and 20 percent of Beaufort County?
It’s because of how congressional district lines were gerrymandered by the General Assembly. An adja-cent district – the so-called “black district” – of U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn fi nds blacks comprising 55.2 percent of the voting population. If, for example, Clyburn’s district were made of only 45 percent of black voters (which still all but guarantee his victory) and the First District
were drawn in such a way to have 28 percent of black voters, Colbert Busch probably would have won.
It’s the same story all over the state, a story brought to you by Re-publicans who carved district lines in state House, Senate and congres-sional districts to maximize the number of Republicans elected. [To be fair, Democrats did little different when they were in charge.] Reap-portionment is the political equiva-lent of the fox guarding the hen-house, because the very people who
redraw the lines are those in offi ce.In the late 1980s, Gov. Carroll
Campbell actively persuaded Dem-ocratic House members to join the GOP. By the early 1990s when it was time for redistricting, an em-boldened GOP approached black Democrats and made a deal that guaranteed them a higher percent-age of black voters in their district, thereby making it easier for them to win reelection. In turn, the GOP got whiter “white districts.”
Just look today at the 124 House
seats. Some 30 districts have black voting percentages of greater than 50 percent. All are Democratic. Just fi ve are represented by white Demo-crats. Six other districts have black voting percentages of at least 40 percent; two are represented by blacks. There are 10 House Demo-crats – all white – who represent districts with less than 40 percent of black voters, from Leon Stavrinakis of Charleston (23.2 percent black) and Beth Bernstein of Columbia (26.4 percent black) to Jimmy Bales
of Eastover (39.5 percent black).It’s not much different in the state
Senate where nine of 46 districts have a black voting-age population of more than 50 percent. Sen. John Scott (D-Columbia) has a district that’s 63.8 percent black, while an adjacent district for Senate Presi-dent Pro Tem John Courson (R-Columbia) is 18.7 percent black.
If Democrats want to have more
of a chance in the Statehouse – which would make the whole gov-ernmental system more competitive and vigorous – then they’re going to have to have more of a say in the redistricting process. To do so, they have to win at least one of the two chambers. The House is so over-whelmingly Republican that it would be tough, but a switch of six seats in the Senate would return it to Democratic control.
Furthermore, what needs to happen in the next redistricting process is for black districts to get less black and white districts to have more people of color. If that were to happen, political races would be more competitive, which would mean more vigorous debates and a step away from predetermined policy solutions that skew Republican.
The effect that all of this has had on our political system is truly spec-tacular and depressing. A majority of Republicans and Democrats in offi ce run for re-election virtually unopposed because the numbers are in their favor to win. Turnover of seats tends to happen when someone retires, dies or decides to run for something else.
That needs to change.
Redistricting Shenanigans Guaranteed Sanford Victory
Reapportionment is the political equivalent of the fox guarding the
henhouse, because the very people who redraw the lines are those in offi ce.
Andy Brack, publisher of Statehouse Report, provides weekly commentary. He can be reached directly at [email protected].
10 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL May 17, 2013
UBJ Create. Innovate. Celebrate. By MICHAEL MINO
it was a classic case of the inno-vative spirit at work. A transplant from the Washington, D.C., area took an idea from her previous habitat and transformed it in her new home.
The quarterly Washington Tech-nology magazine highlighted the most innovative companies in the area each year. Amy Robichaud, a senior manager with Deloitte & Touche, sought to reach beyond just a list of companies; she wanted to celebrate, promote and foster in-novation and collaboration in South Carolina. With the support of De-loitte and the cooperation of other leading local companies, multi-national corporations, and educa-tional institutions, the InnoVision Technology Awards Program was founded in 1999.
The fi rst step was to recruit a diverse advisory board that repre-sented the various communities and organizations within the ten coun-ties of the Upstate. Volunteer board
members were tasked with identi-fying sponsors, determining award categories and defi nitions, soliciting applications, building a website, organizing monthly InnoVision Forums, determining an appropri-ate judging process, and recruiting independent judges.
Many of the board members have served for more than a decade. Amy believes that the program has suc-ceeded due in equal parts to the dedication of a hard-working and deliberate board, and to the unique mission of the awards program.
“It is the deep relationships that I have made with other board members as much as the mission of InnoVision that sustains my involvement,” says Richard Nelson, an original advisory board member. “This is a working board, where everyone makes a con-tribution.”
“One of the joys in life is helping other people to succeed,” says board member Gary Tompkins. “The board of InnoVision fi lls that niche; they help companies and individu-als to succeed. In return, companies and individuals that are successful grow our community, which in turn grows the region, and eventually the state. As they say, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats.’”
By 2008, it became clear that
expanding the reach of the organi-zation was the next natural step. Chairwoman Robichaud and board member Doug Kim discussed the possibility of having The McNair Law Firm take on the primary spon-sorship role. McNair has offi ces in each of the major South Carolina cities and was a natural progression. Doug took on the role of chair and began the long-range planning process. This year, as InnoVision celebrates its 15th anniversary, the board voted its approval to expand award applications statewide.
This year’s geographical expansion is a signifi cant change that has been applauded by companies statewide.
“South Carolina is quickly trans-forming,” says Blaine Childress, open innovation manager at Sealed Air Corporation. “Technical innova-tions are accelerating, startup com-panies are emerging and major technology corporations are locat-ing here. Good science should be celebrated wherever it happens.”
Being an InnoVision Award recipient meant a great deal to Steve Johnson, CEO of Creati-Vasc and the 2012 recipient of the Dr. Charles Townes Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Ninety-fi ve percent of the startup tech fi rms these days experience a
lack of needed capital, and Creati-Vasc was no exception,” Johnson says. “However, over the last three months, we have been very success-ful linking to a major capital source that will be key to CreatiVasc achieving its goals over the next three years. This connection was made possible because of the rec-ognition that CreatiVasc received from our relationships with the FDA, SCLaunch and InnoVision. These three organizations added credibility to our work and vali-dated our opportunity to compete as a viable high-tech fi rm within our target market.”
InnoVision Technology Award entries are accepted through early July. Applications from South Carolina businesses, individuals, governmental entities and educa-tional institutions are sought for awards in the following categories:
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT:Recognizes an organization for the development of a new or improved technology, resulting in a product, process or service that may be utilized for internal purposes or commercial use.
TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION:Recognizes an organization for the innovative application of an existing technology for a product, process or service that may be utilized for internal purposes or commercial use.
EDUCATION:Recognizes an organization for the innovative application or develop-ment of technology to provide
In Search of Innovation
INNOVISION BASICSCALL FOR ENTRIES:
May 1, 2013 thru July 8, 2013
AWARD CATEGORIES:Technology Development, Technology Application, Education, Community Service, Sustainability,
Small Enterprise
15th ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER:November 14, 2013 TD Convention Center
WEBSITE:innovisionawards.org
Michael Mino is a longtime member of the InnoVision advisory board. He also is CEO of PropertyBoss and teaches innovation management and entrepreneurship in the Clemson MBA program. To learn more about the InnoVision program and submitting an innovative project, visit InnoVisionAwards.org.
“Good science should be celebrated wherever
it happens.” Blaine Childress, open innovation manager
at Sealed Air Corporation
Pho
to P
rovi
ded
UBJ This Week
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products or processes that impact education in South Carolina.
COMMUNITY SERVICE:Recognizes an organization for the innovative application or develop-ment of technology that improves the quality of life within the state.
SUSTAINABILITY:Recognizes an organization for development or innovative applica-tion of technology to provide products or processes that support environmental stewardship. Technologies should promote the protection of Earth’s natural resources including: renewable energy, renewable materials, reduced energy consumption or reduced waste.
SMALL ENTERPRISE:Recognizes an organization with fewer than 50 full-time employees
or less than $20 million in revenue, for the innovative appli-cation or development of technol-ogy to provide products, processes or services for internal purposes or commercial use.
IBRAHIM JANAJREH YOUNG INNOVATOR PROGRAM:Recognizes existing, successful programs that engage, encourage and acknowledge young people in the areas of science, technology, math and innovation.
DR. CHARLES TOWNES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT:Honors an individual who exhibits an exceptional commitment to the advancement of technology and the community through his or her contributions to technology. Such contributions may be business, civic and/or educational in nature and must benefi t the state.
proterra, the greenville-based maker of battery-powered buses, has a new CEO.
The company’s board of direc-tors has selected Garrett E. Mikita, a former executive with Honeywell Aerospace, to replace David Bennett. Bennett, who had been CEO since 2011, is resigning to pursue other interests, a company spokesman told reporters.
Mikita began work as Pro-terra’s president and CEO Monday, May 13.
At Honeywell, Mikita served as president of the defense and space business unit, which pro-vided products and services to the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and international minis-tries of defense, according to a company statement.
Mikita has an MBA from the University of New Haven and a
Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Central Con-necticut State University.
“This is an incredible opportu-nity to work with our team to leave a lasting legacy for the environ-ment and the American taxpayer,” said Mikita in the statement.
Proterra electric buses are on the road or soon will be in Seneca and Columbia in South Carolina; Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Pomona, Burbank and Stockton, Calif., and Tallahassee, Fla.
Seneca announced plans last year to buy four Proterra EcoRide buses with the help of federal grant money, to be operated fare-free by Clemson Area Transit (CAT) to serve both the city and Clemson University students.
Mikita Chosen to Lead Proterra
Garrett E. Mikita
12 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 17, 2013
UBJ This Week
with empty storefronts dot-ting Spartanburg’s Main Street, Patty Bock, the city’s economic development director, went in search of “out-of-the-box” ideas for filling them with new retailers.
The result, the Main Street Chal-lenge, attracted 58 entrepreneurial retailers in a competition that will award a year’s worth of subsidies to three of them to fill storefronts on Main.
On May 22 at The Showroom, the seven finalists make their final pitches to the judges in a public presentation.
Each of the three winners receives a rent stipend of $1,000 a month for 12 months and an estimated $10,000 for operational services such as tax, accounting and legal services, telephones, Internet, website design and office supplies.
The services are being donated by local businesses that feel it is important to reach out by taking “a few worries away” during that first year of establishing a new business, Bock said. “It is like a welcome gesture.”
The selected property sites also will be announced. The stipends for rent will be made in the names of both the business and the property owner, Bock said, “to make sure the landlords get paid.”
After the judges announce the three winners, the Showroom audi-ence will choose a crowd favorite from the four remaining contes-tants. The crowd’s choice will receive all proceeds from the $5-a-ticket price to attend the event.
Forty-one of the 58 entrants were from Spartanburg and eight from Greenville. The rest were single entrants from several places, in-
cluding Knoxville, Tenn.She said the vetting process that
narrowed the 58 applicants to 19 and then to seven for final consid-eration sharply focused on appli-cants’ financial wherewithal.
“We are doing no one a favor if we were to award this to a business that hasn’t been able to get financ-ing or doesn’t have enough capital to make it,” she said.
Bock said Eddie West, a volun-teer mentor with Piedmont SCORE, a Small Business Admin-istration-sponsored assistance program, and Elizabeth Smith, a business consultant with Clemson, “have been invaluable” in helping the contestants develop business plans and working through the hoops of creating a business.
Bock expects that, aside from the three winners, another three or four entrepreneurs will plant roots somewhere in the city.
Two are entrants for whom store-fronts on Main– a contest require-ment – “were not the best locations for them,” she said. “They are going to go somewhere else. They may not have done that if it had not been for the Main Street Challenge.”
The competition “also highlighted properties in our downtown, and that has created more looking and a lot more inquires,” Bock said. “It created a little buzz that Spartanburg is a great place to open a business.”
The $36,000 for the rent subsidy for the three businesses is provided from a county fund allocated to the city “specifically for economic de-velopment purposes. It is not really taxpayers’ money, only in an indi-rect way,” she said.
Steven Hahn, chair of the multi-agency Spartanburg Entrepreneur-ial Resource Network (SERN), said it is critical that the winning entre-preneurs get ongoing consulting
and professional help. “It is in our best interests to make sure the first batch of winners succeeds and is profitable,” he said.
Bock intends to stay in contact with “every single one” of the con-testants to help them turn their ideas into new businesses in Spartanburg.
“It might not be a year from now, but they may come back in two years. They may know somebody and say how great it was to work with the City of Spartanburg even if they were not able to do what they wanted to do.”
Finalists Named in Spartanburg’s Main Street Challenge
By Dick Hughes | contributor
Main STreeT CHallenge FinaliSTS
MoTTe & SonS BooTlegging a distillery, Michael & Eugenia
Motte of Spartanburg
THe loCal Hiker hiking and backpacking store, Michael & Kathy Silverman,
Woodruff
TorToiSe & THe Hare running specialty store,
Teresa Hrubala, Roebuck
Pink BuTTerFlieS children’s salon/spa,
Sheila McClesky, who has one in Simpsonville
HauTe MaMa maternity specialty store,
Sara Mclean Riddle, Spartanburg
THe ViBe Tea HouSe tea and desserts, Cindy Ball,
Marlanda DeKine and Antonio Mack, Spartanburg
enDeaVor ForeVer college/Greek apparel,
Krystal Borsch and Jessica Cole, Spartanburg
Patty Bock, Spartanburg’s economic development director, visits one of the storefronts at stake in the Main Street Challenge
Contact Dick Hughes at [email protected].
Pho
tos
by G
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Pat
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UBJ This Week
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the goal of the main street Challenge is to fi ll storefront vacancies on Spartanburg’s Main Street.
Along a route from the rail-road tracks on the west to Dean Street on the east, there are 94 storefront properties with 16 vacant, or 17 percent.
Patty Bock, the city’s eco-nomic development director, said that if the Main Street Challenge is successful in fi lling five of them – three with winners of rent stipends and two other entrepreneurs who have indicated strong interest – the vacancy rate will be down to 11 percent.
From a square footage view, the situation is more challeng-
ing with 60,000 square feet, or 25 percent, vacant.
Three large properties account for 43 percent of the square-footage vacancy: the former Montgomery Ward building (9,024 sq. ft.) at 111 E. Main, the Kress Building (10,368 sq. ft.) at 115 E. Main and the former Blood Bank (6,120 sq. ft.) at 186 E. Main. These properties were not in-cluded in the contest.
“After the Main Street Chal-lenge and should our purpose become reality, we expect to have only 20 percent remaining; and with a couple of pending projects outside the contest, we could see that reduced to around 16 percent in the next 12
months,” Bock said.She added that the fi gures
provided are only for storefront vacancies and not total building vacancy. “That is another chal-lenge we are working on, but it is costly to fi nish the older vacant buildings.”
The largest space committed by property owners in the contest is a “long and skinny” 2,400 square feet. The smallest is around 1,000.
One of the challenges in bringing small retailers to downtown is there are too many large and too few small available spaces, Bock said. “I think we could fill 800 to 1,000 square-foot spaces day and night.”
Competition Aims at Filling Storefronts
UBJ This Week
Golf. Celebrities. Parties. Pros. May 16 19 . You can’t miss it.
Take a look at what’s happening during tournament week.
facebook.com/bmwcharityproam . twitter.com/bmwcharityproam . facebook.com/bmwcelebritytracker
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
May 16-May 18 . Rounds 1-3Thornblade Club, Chanticleer &The Reserve at Lake Keowee
Sunday, May 19 . Final RoundThornblade Club
PINK ON THE LINKS . May 18 . All courses
Wear pink to show support for breast cancer awareness!
BIRDIES FOR BEER presented by Michelob UltraMay 16-May 19Thornblade Club 9th hole
Spectators will enjoy special beverage prices for 10 minutes each time a Web.com Tour pro or amateur contestant makes a birdie on this par 3.
MIKE CREERY FIRST TEE LOVE FOR THE GAME JUNIOR GOLF DAYMay 18 after the 3rd RoundThornblade Club Practice Range
Youth are invited to attend this free event and receive golf tips from Web.com Tour pros while hitting shots at the practice range. Youth will also receive free Chick-fil-A, Pepsi, OOBE t-shirts and more. For additional information about this event, including parking details, visit the Special Events page on BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM.
PARTY ON THE PLAZA presented by the Clemson Alumni AssociationMay 17 . 7-10pm . Free public event . Graham Plaza (corner of Main St. & Broad St.)
Enjoy a rockin’ good time as you watch live-streaming video of The Celebrity Concert presented by Drive Automotive, which will take place just steps away on the TD Stage at the Peace Center. You may even see a few celebrities arrive to the concert! For more information about this event visit the Special Events page on BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM.
Visit BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM to learn about tickets, celebrities, playing opportunities, sponsorships, volunteering, charities, course info and more.
To purchase a ticket package for the tournament’s exclusive evening events, contact Mike Ivester at [email protected].
UBJ_May 2013.indd 1 4/26/13 1:53 PM
the greenville area development Corp. (GADC) announced Monday that President and CEO Jerry Howard resigned from his position effective immediately in order to pursue personal interests. Vice Pres-ident Kevin Landmesser will succeed him as interim president. There will be no timeline set for replacing Land-messer if he is replaced at all, said Greenville County Councilman Butch Kirven, who serves on the GADC board of directors.
At a media briefi ng, Howard said the decision to step down had been made after a long period of consid-eration and talking with his team.
“Conversations started about a year ago in trying to fi gure out if
of Commerce, fi rst as industrial manager and later as vice president for economic development.
He said he had accomplished the goals he had when he took leader-ship of GADC.
“The fi rst thing I wanted was col-laboration [among economic de-velopment groups]. There was very little, if any,” Howard said. “In fact,
there were more mountains to scale, if I was going to stay here another fi ve years,” he said.
Howard was GADC’s inaugural president when the organization was formed in 2001, serving for 12 years. He previously had been direc-tor of economic development in Anderson County. He also spent 12 years with the Greenville Chamber
I would say there was animosity.” He said today the groups work well together and have carved out their niches, though there is more work to be done so that their efforts are strategically aligned.
Howard said workforce develop-ment had been his other major goal. He cited three initiatives as exam-ples of success in that area: Green-villeWorks, a partnership of local, state and federal organizations; retention efforts; and the Greenville Regional Workforce Collaborative, which brings nonprofi ts and busi-ness together to fi ll skills gaps.
Howard was not ready to offer specifi cs about what he might do next, saying only that he had one
Contact Jennifer Oladipo at [email protected].
GADC Founding CEO Steps DownBy Jennifer Oladipo | senior business writer
LEFT: Jerry Howard
departs;
RIGHT: Kevin Landmesser serves as interim
president
Golf. Celebrities. Parties. Pros. May 16 19 . You can’t miss it.
Take a look at what’s happening during tournament week.
facebook.com/bmwcharityproam . twitter.com/bmwcharityproam . facebook.com/bmwcelebritytracker
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
May 16-May 18 . Rounds 1-3Thornblade Club, Chanticleer &The Reserve at Lake Keowee
Sunday, May 19 . Final RoundThornblade Club
PINK ON THE LINKS . May 18 . All courses
Wear pink to show support for breast cancer awareness!
BIRDIES FOR BEER presented by Michelob UltraMay 16-May 19Thornblade Club 9th hole
Spectators will enjoy special beverage prices for 10 minutes each time a Web.com Tour pro or amateur contestant makes a birdie on this par 3.
MIKE CREERY FIRST TEE LOVE FOR THE GAME JUNIOR GOLF DAYMay 18 after the 3rd RoundThornblade Club Practice Range
Youth are invited to attend this free event and receive golf tips from Web.com Tour pros while hitting shots at the practice range. Youth will also receive free Chick-fil-A, Pepsi, OOBE t-shirts and more. For additional information about this event, including parking details, visit the Special Events page on BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM.
PARTY ON THE PLAZA presented by the Clemson Alumni AssociationMay 17 . 7-10pm . Free public event . Graham Plaza (corner of Main St. & Broad St.)
Enjoy a rockin’ good time as you watch live-streaming video of The Celebrity Concert presented by Drive Automotive, which will take place just steps away on the TD Stage at the Peace Center. You may even see a few celebrities arrive to the concert! For more information about this event visit the Special Events page on BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM.
Visit BMWCHARITYGOLF.COM to learn about tickets, celebrities, playing opportunities, sponsorships, volunteering, charities, course info and more.
To purchase a ticket package for the tournament’s exclusive evening events, contact Mike Ivester at [email protected].
UBJ_May 2013.indd 1 4/26/13 1:53 PM
the s.c. house voted last week to amend some parts of a bill that would allow beer breweries to serve larger amounts of alcohol on their premises. Sen. Mike Fair of Greenville had placed an objec-tion on the bill, largely at the behest of the advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
The amendments to the bill would allow brewers to sell 48 ounces (three pints) of beer to a customer within a 24-hour period, and fi nes were added for businesses that surpass the set limits. The beer could be con-sumed in samples, pints or a combination of both. The original proposal had set the limit at 64
ounces. Currently, only 4-ounce samples are allowed.
Beers with more than 12.5 percent alcohol content could not be consumed on the premises, though they could be sold un-opened for home consumption. Each customer is allowed to consume only 16 ounces of beer that is 8 percent ABV or more. The bill still carries a provision that brewers must carry a $1 million insurance policy plus $10 million in the aggregate.
Tom Adams, owner of Thomas Creek Brewery and member of the South Carolina Brewers As-sociation, said he was glad to hear Sen. Fair’s objection had been
lifted, and that 48 ounces is “well within a reasonable amount.” The insurance mandate, however, still seems unfair, he said.
“As a group, we have decided that’s hopefully not going to stand because it’s really over and above,” Adams said. “There are no other like entities that are required to have liquor liability insurance.”
Brewers have said increased consumption allowances would help them take advantage of in-creased beer-centered business and tourism in the region. The bill now moves to the Senate, with just under three weeks left in this legislative session.
or two solid opportunities through connections he had made over the course of his career. He confi rmed that his next move would remain within the economic development fi eld, which he said is his passion. He will continue to assist GADC with strategic planning and product development, Landmesser said.
Landmesser has been vice presi-dent at GADC since its founding. As interim president, he said he had only short-term goals at the moment, focused on a smooth tran-sition from Howard to him.
GADC operates with a staff of seven people and a budget of about $1.1 million, about $150,000 of which comes from private inves-tors. Greenville County provides the rest. Among area economic development agencies, its work in recruiting and project manage-ment for large manufacturing en-terprises is most notable.
‘Pint Bill’ Compromise Reached
16 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 17, 2013
W O R L D C L A S S T R A V E L E R S
May 17, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 17
W O R L D C L A S S T R A V E L E R S
18 • May 17, 2013
cover story
Buying In to
It’s more than a logo: Upstate businesses are embracing and leveraging the power of their visual identity
By Jennifer OladipO | senior business writer
last week, one company’s branding efforts looked like this:
Greg Lee flies in from Chicago to spend the afternoon at the Commerce Club. But he can’t see the 17th-story view from a room where curtains are drawn, bright light shines in his
face and staff from Redhype record him with three different video cameras at once. Using sports metaphors, he pretends to talk to an audience of executives. A large screen to his left echoes the logo on his crisp black polo and the cover of the “Playbook for Success” for new owners of his franchise. This mock presentation is for YouTube, where he hopes to reach a whole new audience.
All of this – the message, the image, the method – makes up the brand for Greg A. Lee and Associates.
Hot Iron on a Cowthe origin of branding is the stamp that ranchers would apply to their animals using red-hot iron. Many branding companies work in this vein, delivering a unique and consistent visual identity from logo to website to packaging.
All branding experts agree that visual elements are highly important. John Moore, chief operating officer at Brains on Fire, said details matter and he often judges a restaurant by its “please wait to be seated” sign.
“If a small business has just bought it out of a catalog, I say that’s a missed opportunity,” Moore said.
There are countless “touch points” that branding experts say make a difference. Jennifer Sutton, executive director of client services and strategic management at Jackson Media Group, points out that a company’s Web presence is becoming more complex because people use many different devices.
“Creating a website that looks the same and acts the same on a mobile device as it does on your work computer is something that companies need to start thinking about,” she said in a recent company blog post (jacksonmg.com/blog).
A brand is how you would describe a company if it were a person, said Sutton in an interview. It could be fun, old-fash-ioned, highly feminine or any number of descriptions.
Drew Harkins, brand strategist at Redhype, said a lack of uniformity dilutes an organization’s message. Still, those who
May 17, 2013 • 19
have been in the business for a while agree that a logo is only a part of the brand. Clients often are not aware of this nuance, said Marie Dunn-Blough, Redhype’s owner and creative director. “I typi-cally have to explain that, but it doesn’t take long before they agree with me or my team.”
Moore said he views a brand “as being a com-pany’s reputation. Simple as that.” It matters how people feel and think about a company; why they believe it exists. When that reputation is poor, customers will be cautious and skeptical when dealing with the company, Moore said.
From the Topdunn-blough suggested new businesses create their logo, theme and message early with potential audiences in mind. Her colleague, Harkins, said the best possible scenario for a branding company is to be able to give input, even at the product development stage.
Despite all the thought that goes into a solid brand, Moore said the great brands we all know never intended to be great brands. Favorable hap-penstance occurs when a company is focused on being profitable and keeping people happy, he said.
“What a lot of folks don’t realize is the importance of employees and making them happy, because brand is also company culture,” Moore said. “Those employees go out and talk about the company.”
Sutton said new businesses need to put quality controls in place early for how they will maintain consistent branding into the future. As businesses grow, making sure the brand is represented con-sistently from person to person and across all com-munications becomes more complex.
You Might Need a Faceliftfor established organizations, there are several times to consider rebranding. Greenville Health System changed its name and logo in March, as did VisitGreenvilleSC, formerly the Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Both cited a shift in their identities.
“We were becoming more and more an inte-grated delivery system, but didn’t present like one,” said GHS marketing services director Sally Foister. The former Greenville Hospital System knew it was time for a change when customers were becom-
ing confused by more than 30 visual identities associated with the health system.
Jennifer Stilwell, chief marketing officer for Vis-itGreenvilleSC, said dropping the outdated word “bureau” was among the motivations for the change. She said the group also wanted “a proactive, action-oriented welcoming name that quickly communi-cates the business we are in – tourism!”
Times of growth or change, such as offering new products or services, might require rebranding, experts say. Moore said a logo change can also be an easy way for new executives to make their mark.
Other more subtle changes may call for a company to consider re-branding. Sometimes clients recog-nize they lack a good story to tell about themselves, or they have lost what made their enterprises special. Failures prompt reevaluation, but so should stagnation after a period of success, he said.
“You might need a facelift, or potentially radical plastic surgery,” he said.
Brand strength can be difficult to assess, but de-termining Net Promoter Score (NPS) through surveys can help. An NPS gives a numerical indication of how likely customers are to recommend the brand. Still, Moore encourages some face-to-face input. Custom-ers will be flattered and eager to help, he said. After all, that’s who is going to keep you in business.
Ask customers and clients for advice about your brand. They’ll be honored, and helpful.
Don’t ditch your heritage. Older,
established companies need to know what has
engaged customers over the years.
“Green,” “extreme” and anything with an “i”
in front of it is out.
Anything “artisanal” or “hand-crafted” needs a darn good backstory to keep those terms from ringing hollow.
If you find yourself saying, “a customer will
never notice that,” chances are they will.
Tight budget? That’s okay. It might spur creative approaches
that help set your brand apart.
Don’t be too literal. A bank doesn’t need
dollar signs in its materials. Focus on
the feeling you want to evoke.
An old logo might not hurt, but it might
indicate that leadership isn’t thinking ahead.
Real change comes from the inside out.
New visuals won’t fix deep problems.
Web designs that go against users’
expectations can damage their first impression of your
brand. Keep it user-friendly, and study how people surf your site.
“I view a brand as being a company’s reputation. Simple as that.” JOHN MOORe, COO of Brains on Fire
Contact Jennifer Oladipo at [email protected].
Evaluate Your Brand
Advice from UpstAte brAnding
experts mArie dUnn-bloUgh, drew hArkins,
John moore And Jennifer sUtton
Greenville Health SystemLogo Transformation
20 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 17, 2013
BigCargo
Logisticus group helps clients transport super-sized loads
By leigh savage | contributor
after a decade with ge, most recently as health and safety leader for the Energy Division’s global logistics operation, William Stephan launched Logisticus Risk Management in January 2012 with the desire to change how the logistics industry approaches super-load cargo.
Vikash Patel worked at GE as well, as senior global logistics leader in the Power and Water division. When Patel considered going out on his own, he
and Stephan realized that having two companies under one roof could be mutually beneficial. “Will had the brand, and we always worked really well together, with the same priorities,” Patel said. Now, Stephan remains owner and president of Logisticus Risk Management, while Patel is owner and president of Logisticus Projects Group, both operating under the Logisticus Group name and both with an eye on safety, quality and growth.
May 17, 2013 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal 21
“YoU can’t Underestimate the additional work YoU do when YoU do it YoUrself.” William Stephan
Contact Leigh Savage at [email protected].
what does each side of the business focus on?patel: Most of our customers are looking for services from both. On my side of the business, we are physically moving this large energy cargo, and Will’s people are in the field, coordinating that movement from a feet-on-the-ground standpoint.
who are your main clients?patel: We work with all of the primary energy companies, both from manufacturing as well as the developer standpoint. We are also working in oil and gas and infrastructure, meaning the big beams that go through buildings and in large bridges. One of our flagship projects right now is the LBJ Expressway, which is roughly a 20-mile stretch from Dallas to Fort Worth. We’ll be transporting bridge beams for the next three years to build that expressway. It’s the largest infrastructure project in Texas.
what does your company bring that sets it apart from other logistics providers?patel: Our value proposition is the intense focus on the quality and safety aspect of moving this extremely large cargo. Our relationships with departments of transportation across the country give us a unique ability to do planning that’s far more in-depth than the industry is currently used to. As a result, we’re able to provide a service with less defects and less risk of damage to the cargo.
stephan: Related to our experience, having worked at GE for 10 years, we got the best training we could have. We talk to our customers and we can say, “We have been there, we understand.” Having leadership posi-tions at GE also gave us a unique ability to deal with the largest cargo volumes. Now we bring that same mentality to smaller customers and create a product that is equivalent to what GE would see as the norm but that smaller companies would not be able to find.
how does location affect your business, and is it beneficial to be located in Greenville?patel: We’re not tied to any specific location. We can work anywhere there’s a laptop and cellphone. But living in Greenville provides a really great environment to recruit potential managers, because there’s a wealth of young professionals. It’s a great city.
how many employees do you have now, and do you plan to hire more locally?patel: We have three here in Greenville, two in New York, and based on when the business in the energy sector peaks midway through the year, we push out hourly staff. Last year we got as high as 17 people. We do see significant growth coming in the wind sector and oil and gas.
what have been the biggest challenges in launching your business?stephan: The biggest challenge is the amount of time and effort it takes to take care of the small details it takes to run a business. We know the services we offer, but you can’t underestimate the additional work you do when you do it yourself. It’s rewarding, but it’s easy to underestimate.patel: Another challenge is the changing policies that drive growth in certain energy sectors, keeping up with that and staying ahead to understand which sector is going to be booming.
any specific plans for the future?patel: In the next five years, we’d like to have a stronger brick-and-mortar presence in South America. We see that as our preferred foreign market, given the proximity, and we have history and experience there, whereas Europe and Asia are somewhat saturated with companies of our like. Within the next two years we will have an office there and staff.
what advice do you have for people considering going out on their own?stephan: As a small business owner, you are always focused on cost, but I think it’s important to know when to spend money on professional assistance, whether that’s legal or accounting. Leave those subjects to the experts so you can free up your own time to build your business.patel: Also, what’s most important is trying to understand a company’s needs and ensuring that you are providing a service that meets their needs and not fitting them into your definition of the service you are providing.
Vikash patel
William Stephan
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UBJ The Fine Print
From left: Clemson President James F. Barker; Scott Mason, the Fluor Endowed Chair in Supply Chain Optimization and Logistics; and
David Seaton, chairman and CEO of Fluor, at the gift announcement.
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Fluor Gives $1.5M to Clemson Engineering
clemson announced last week that the Fluor Foundation will give the university $1.5 million to support industrial engineering research. The funds will establish the Fluor-Clem-son International Capital Projects Supply Chain Partnership Endow-ment, benefitting the Master of En-gineering program in capital project supply chain and logistics within the industrial engineering department.
A statement issued by Clemson said the endowment will fund re-search focused on India, China and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. It will expand the supply-chain program, which is currently focused
on the United States. In 2007, Fluor established the
school’s Fluor Endowed Chair of Supply Chain and Logistics. David Seaton, chairman and CEO of Fluor Corporation and chairman of the Fluor foundation, said in a state-ment from Clemson that now the backlog of the company’s supply chain work is overseas.
“This initiative will enable stu-dents to gain a greater understand-ing of supply chains on an interna-tional level, which will make their educational experience more rele-vant in global business — and more valuable to their employers,” he said.
Meyer Center Receives $6,500 From Sandlapper Conference
sandlapper securities pre-sented a donation of more than $6,500 to the Meyer Center for Special Children on Wednesday, May 8. The donation was a com-bination of $2,500 from Sandlap-per and an additional $3,500 from conference attendees. Sand-lapper said in a statement two days later that donations were continuing to come in. A different charity is supported each year as part of the conference.
Musican Edwin McCain was the keynote speaker, and Meyer Center was chosen as this year’s charity because it is a favorite charity of his.
The three-day conference was
held at the Hyatt Downtown, and the check presented at the reception. Contributing compa-nies in attendance included Greenville-based Serrus, United Reality Advisors, which has offices in Greenville, and ICON Investments of Atlanta.
Sandlapper Securities is a national broker-dealer and dealer-manager of investment products with 25 offices in 10 states. Its first corporate retail branch is scheduled to open late summer when the company and its three other affiliated compa-nies move into a new Sandlap-per Financial Center on North Main Street in Greenville.
State Forms R&D Partnership With Israel
Carolina and Israel was announced last week. SC Department of Com-merce Secretary Robert Hitt and Israel’s Economic Minister to North America Nili Shalev announced the bilateral agreement, which will strengthen collaboration between companies and universities in South Carolina and Israel.
The agreement will be executed a new funding stream for r&d collaborations between South
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Herlong Bates Burnett Nominated for
Best Practices Study
herlong bates burnett in-surance has been nominated to participate in the 2013 Best Practices Study conducted by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA).
According to the IIABA website, the study looks at leading agencies and brokers across the country in order to provide its members with mean-ingful fi nancial and operational benchmarks. The study has been undertaken since 1993.
Although the study is released annually, nominations are re-quested once every three years from state association and
by SCRA and MATIMOP, the Israeli Industry Center for R&D, on behalf of the Offi ce of the Chief Scientist of Israel’s Ministry of Economy.
SCRA has committed $1 million over the next two years, and the Israeli government has promised to match that commitment, said Micki Howard, spokesperson for SCRA. Funded research projects
will contribute to six sectors pri-oritized by the SC-Israeli collab-orative: biomedical, materials, sustainable systems, transportation, defense and health IT. Requests for proposals will be issued as priority projects are identifi ed.
The announcement was made at the U.S.-Israel Neurotechnology Business Exchange May 7-8 in
Charleston, organized by the South Carolina-Israel Collaboration of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce-Southeast Region, Israel Economic Mission N.Y. and the BIRD Foundation, in conjunc-tion with Israel Brain Technologies. It was hosted by the Medical Uni-versity of South Carolina.
Smithworks Supports Diamond-Producing Countriessmithworks fi ne jewelry ofSpartanburg signed on to the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s (DEF) Diamonds for Good Mem-bership Program at the recent annual meeting of the American Gem Society (AGS). The mem-bership highlights jewelers’ goal of giving back to communities that supply diamonds for the worldwide jewelry industry.
Louis Smith, owner of Smith-works and president-elect of AGS, said he was moved when he learned of the lack of opportu-nity for higher education for many students in diamond-pro-
ducing countries. He said his company has joined in order to contribute to some positive out-comes in the diamond industry, and he hopes to see students who attend universities abroad return to their communities to lead positive change.
The New York-based DEF was started in 2007 to support educa-tion initiatives for students in diamond-producing countries of Southern, Central and West Africa. Many people in these countries do not have access to the wealth generated by their country’s natural resources.
company partners. Of the nomi-nees who choose to participate, the top agencies in six revenue categories are included and deemed “Best Practices Agencies.” Among the criteria are frequent customer contact, effi ciency and revenue growth. In the previous round in 2010, 224 of about 1,200 nominees were chosen.
“This is quite an honor to be recognized by our industry for this study,” said owner Michael Herlong. “The agencies that are nominated are ones that are be-lieved to be among the better, more professional agencies in the industry.”
Herlong Bates Burnett is an independent insurance agency located at the Global Trade Center in Greenville.
24 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 17, 2013
UBJ Square Feet
A New Look for Piazza Bergamo
Renderings from Civitas, an urban design, urban planning and landscape architecture firm based in Denver, Colo., show plans for the redesign of downtown Greenville’s Piazza Bergamo. One prominent feature is a 25-foot-tall, 125-foot-long overhanging metal structure, meant to provide shade to the area. The $4 million project is ex-pected to be completed in late June. The plaza is at the center of much development along North Main Street, including the ONE development. A major renovation is also planned for the Bank of America building, and word is there could be a new high-rise built at the intersection of Washington and Richardson streets.
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The Upstate’s leader in Commercial Real Estate.
Celebrating 27 Years
101 E Washington Street Suite 400 Greenville, South Carolina 29601864 232 9040
naiearlefurman.com
3 offices. 36 brokers. 600 deals completed in 2012.4 million+ SF under property management.
Lee & AssociAtes Announced:
Randall Bentley represented Sworn Plastics LLC, a plastic recycling/brokerage company in a +/-24,000 sF industrial lease transaction for the company’s relocation to 1224 Old Stage Road, Suite A, Simpsonville.
spectRum commeRciAL pRopeRties Announced:
Rob Brissie recently represented Riddle Properties in the lease of office space at 302 Trade St., Suite 207, Greer, to a local event- and wedding- planning service.
Rob Brissie recently represented the Braasch Building Group in the leasing of two office suites in the Greer Business Center, at 104 Trade St., Greer.
Brent Freeman recently represented Fleetwood LLC in the leasing of 4,500 sF
for an urgent care practice to be operated by Donna Marling at 109 Fleetwood Drive, Easley, just across the street from the hospital.
Brent Freeman recently represented the Gigante Family in the sale of 9 acres on Poplar Drive, Greenville, near the intersection of Verne Smith Parkway, to Ashmore Brothers Paving to be used as an asphalt storage and recycling center.
LAngston-BLAck ReAL estAte inc. Announced:
Jeff Howell and david Black recently represented Pinnacle Properties of Greenville LLC in the sale of their townhomes located at 236 Rhett Street- The Brownstones, units 204 & 205, Greenville.
kds commeRciAL pRopeRties Announced:
mike kiriakides represented the landlord in the leasing
of 5,300 sF of retail space at 1042 Woodruff Road, Greenville, to Charter Communications.
Brad doyle represented the tenant, Air Compressor Services, in the leasing of 5,000 sF of warehouse space at 3 Custom Mill Court, Greenville.
mike kiriakides represented the landlord in the ground lease of 1038 Woodruff Road, Greenville. The tenant, Chuy’s Restaurant, will open its first location in South Carolina this year.
Frank o’Brien represented the landlord in the leasing of 1,750 sF of retail space at 301 The Parkway, Greer.
mike kiriakides represented the landlord in the lease of 1,235 sF of retail space located at 75 E. McBee Ave., Greenville. The tenant, St. Francis Physician Services, was represented by Larry Webb. St. Francis plans to open its first downtown express care operation at
this location.
Larry Webb represented The Hincapie Group in the acquisition of the former La Bastide Country Inn located in Travelers Rest. The 29-acre property will be re-opened later this summer as Hotel Domestique.
Jamie mccutchen represented the seller in multiple lots at The Reserve at Green Valley in Travelers Rest.
Brad doyle represented the buyer in the acquisition of 6806 State Park Road, Travelers Rest.
Brad doyle represented the purchaser, Brooks Berry Haynie & Assoc., in the acquisition of a 16,060 sF office/industrial property located at 4900 Sirus Lane, Charlotte, N.C.
mike kiriakides and Brad doyle
represented the seller, Woodruff Properties, in the sale of 1.5 acres located at 428 Woodruff Road, Greenville. The purchaser, Legacy Academy, will construct its second location in Greenville there.
Larry Webb represented the buyer in assembling multiple properties in Liberty, S.C. for the development of a new CVS to be located at 102 W. Main St.
mike kiriakides represented the seller, CDI Holdings, in the sale of a 1.4-acre parcel located on Pete Hollis Boulevard, Greenville.
cRoss cReek ReALty, LLc Announced:
steven smith represented the Hanks Family from Lexington, S.C., in the sale of 106 acres on the Enoree River in Spartanburg County.
DEALMAKERS DEAL of the WEEK
Larry Webb represented the seller, Pinnacle Bank, in the sale of 20 Lowery Drive, Greenville. This includes a 47,730 sF industrial property on 6.3 acres.
magnolia park recently added three new retail tenants: BlueCross BlueShield, Golfsmith and Jared Jewelers.
Jared Jewelers is set to open later this year and Golfsmith is antici-pated to open in 2014.
BlueCross BlueShield moved into its 2,200 SF Greenville location on May 6, but will have its ribbon-cutting June 7 and grand opening celebration June 8.
“Greenville was always on the top of the list because BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina started in Greenville in a Main Street store-front and the area has a large popu-lation of both our customers and non-customers,” said Stephanie DeFreese, director of retail strategies.
BlueCross BlueShield got into retail due to its belief that a shift in the industry is necessary in the real world, said DeFreese. “With changes in insurance, the market needs to be business-to-consumer instead of business-to-business and that’s why retail stores have opened.”
DeFreese said the insurer also wanted to “be there to explain and be face-to-face with customers.”
The Greenville location is the company’s second store after opening one in Mt. Pleasant almost five years ago and operating an in-formation kiosk in the Columbiana Mall in Columbia.
New Tenants for Magnolia Park
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UBJ On the Move
Eric Isenbarger
Joined T&S Brass and Bronze Works, a manufacturer of plumbing and food-service equipment, as Southern regional sales manager. Isenbarger will oversee accounts in 10 Southern states. He is a graduate of Texas A&M with an MBA and 15 years’ experience in the plumbing and industrial manufacturing arenas.
Logan N. Berry
Joined commercial real estate fi rm Lee & Associates – Greenville as a new broker. Previously, Berry worked as a project manager for a consulting fi rm in Greenville, and as the South Carolina state director for T. Boone Pickens’ plan to reduce dependency on foreign oil. Berry was the youngest state director in all 50 states.
Becky Rollins
Joined O’Neal Inc., a Green-ville-based integrated design and construction fi rm, as senior project manager. Rollins has more than 20 years of professional experience in industrial construction management and estimating. She previously worked for O’Neal from 2005 to 2012, and returns to O’Neal from Day & Zimmermann in Greenville.
Maceo Nance
Director of small business and rural development with the S.C. Department of Com-merce; recently received the S.C. Economic Developers’ Association (SCEDA)’s Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes exemplary efforts in the fi eld of professional, economic and community development.
Dennis Raines
Mayor of Mauldin; has joined the board of directors of Connector 2000 Association, a group of volunteers that is the governing body of the Southern Connector, a 16-mile toll road. Raines is serving his fi rst term as Mauldin mayor, and previously served six years on City Council. He is the business administrator of Mauldin First Baptist Church and Mauldin Christian Academy.
HIRED HIRED HONOREDHIRED APPOINTEDHIREDHIRED APPOINTEDHIRED HONORED
System’s Amanda Hightower re-ceived the Nursing Practice Award and Elaine Payne received the Nursing Leadership Award at an awards ceremony at Bon Secours St. Francis-eastside on May 8, during National Nurses Week. Hightower is a registered nurse at St. Francis eastside in OR Pre-As-sessment. Payne is a clinical nurse specialist and lead nurse educator at Bon Secours St. Francis.
REAL ESTATE:Lee & Associates – Greenville re-cently welcomed Bryon Culbert-son as a new broker. Previously, Culbertson was the founder and president of fi nancial planning fi rm Investment Concepts Inc. He has also developed and implemented Excellence in Business (EIB), a training program to help small businesses achieve success.
Henry “Hal” Johnson III, president and CEO of the Upstate SC Alliance, was recently named the S.C. Economic Developers’ Association’s (SCEDA) Local Developer of the Year. He joined the Upstate SC Alliance as its president and CEO in 2005. In 2013, the Upstate SC Alliance was recognized with the “Achievement in Public Private Partnership Award” as “Best in Class” from Business Facilities magazine, a national publication oriented to the site selection process. Johnson was selected as Economic Developer of the Year by the National Rural Economic Developers Association in 2003.
president and CEO of the Upstate SC Alliance, was recently named the S.C.
Developer of the Year. He joined the Upstate SC Alliance as its president and CEO in 2005. In 2013, the Upstate SC Alliance was recognized with the “Achievement in Public Private Partnership Award” as “Best in Class” from Business Facilities magazine, a national publication oriented to the site selection process. Johnson was selected as Economic Developer of the Year by the National Rural
HONORED
“Buy from your local office supplier and see that GOS provides more competitive prices and more
personalized service than our national competitors.”
- Charles Scales, GOS CEO & President
864.233.5346 / www.gos1.com
gos
office supplies / toner & inkjet cartridges / printing / furniture / promotional products / coffee service / cleaning & breakroom supplies / managed print services / germshield
nounced the appointment of Mikel H. Williams as CEO and president of the company. Williams succeeds Michael Fulbright, who resigned from his post on April 30. He most recently served as president, CEO and a director of DDi Corp., a pro-vider of electronics manufacturing services, from November 2005 until the sale of the company in May 2012. JPS also announced that Jack L. Howard has been appointed
chairman of the company’s board of directors. Howard is the presi-dent of Steel Partners Holdings L.P., which, together with its affi li-ates, owns a 39.3 percent interest in JPS. Alan B. Howe, John J. Quicke and Robert J. Capozzi were all elected as directors.
HEALTH CARE:Greenville Health System recently announced that Lynn Ethridge, a pharmacy informatics manager, has been given the title of Fellow by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Fellows have successfully demonstrated sustained commitment or contributions to excellence in practice, contributed to the total body of knowledge in the fi eld and been actively involved in and committed to educating prac-titioners and others.
Bon Secours St. Francis Health
BANKING/FINANCE:First Citizens recently announced that Kelly Worth has been promoted to retail sales manager of the company’s Parkway branch, located at 300 The Parkway. Prior to her promotion, Worth worked as a personal banker and as a relationship manager at the bank’s Parkway location.
MANUFACTURING:JPS Industries Inc. recently an-
28 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 17, 2013
UBJ New to the Street
1. Alisa Marie Fine Lingerie, located in the Augusta Commons Shopping Center at 2222 Augusta St., Suite 11, in Greenville, is a lingerie boutique that caters to women. The store offers bra fittings and carries bras, corsets, panties, shape wear, hosiery, pajamas, robes, teddies, baby dolls, chemises and accessories. Store hours are Monday thru Friday 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Alisa Malinski at 864-252-4880 or [email protected].
2. Upper Cervical Health Centers recently opened at 2099 S. Pine St., Suite F, in Spartanburg. The practice will feature Dr. Scott Baker and Dr. Donald Thomas. For more information, call 864-804-6886 or 864-583-5252 or visit uppercervicalcare.com/Location/62/Upper-Cervical-Health-Centers.
S Pine StUnion St
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May 17, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 29
FRIDAYMAY 17
LUNCH AND LEARN
I Declare’s “The Parlor”, 107 N. Main St., Fountain Inn; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Topic: A look at the Fountain Inn Kid Enrichment CenterContact: Yancey Epps at [email protected].
MONDAYMAY 20
GCS ROUNDTABLE
The Offi ce Center at the Point, 33 Market Point Drive, Greenville; 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Speaker: Paul BarberTopic: The Essentials of LeadershipCall Golden Career Strategies at 864-527-0425 to request an invitation.
SMALL BUSINESS FORUM
TD Convention Center, 1 Exposition Dr., Greenville; 8:30-11 a.m.
Speaker: Aman Devgan, vice president of marketing at Web.comCost: Free, breakfast included.Register at: sbfgreenville.eventbrite.com
BUSINESS STARTUP BASIC INFO BRIEFING
NEXT Innovation Center, University Ridge, Greenville; 6-8 p.m.
Cost: $15, no charge for Michelin Development clients.For more information: Call 864-271-3638 or visit piedmontscore.org.
UBJ Planner
TUESDAYMAY 21
LEADERSHIP GREENVILLE CLASS 39 GRADUATION
Embassy Suites, 670 Verdae Blvd., Greenville; 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $40For more information: web.greenvillechamber.org/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=3999
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS NETWORK
Greenville Chamber of Commerce, boardroom, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 7:30-9 a.m.
Open to: Greenville Chamber members who are leaders in in a health care provider setting. Prospective Chamber members may attend one meeting as a guest of an HPN Member.Contact: Julie Alexander at 864-239-3754
WOMEN AT WORK BREAKFAST
Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce, 102 Depot St., Fountain Inn; 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Hosted by: Mary Sigmann, certifi ed professional organizerTheme: Mother’s Day Refl ectionsRSVP to: Charlene Knight at [email protected] or 864-862-2586
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
American HomePride, Inc., 284 Rocky Creek Road, Greenville; 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Open only to Chamber members.Cost: Free to attend.
Contact: Lorraine Woodward at 864-239-3742
RETAIL SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
Greer Development Corporation, 111-B S. Main St., Greer; 6:30-8 p.m.
This seminar explains how to use data about your business (and customers) to analyze what is working (or not working). You will learn techniques in merchandising and pricing that will enable you to yield more revenue from your existing operations.Cost: Free. Register: workgroups.clemson.edu/SBDC_Workshops/form.phpContact: Beth Smith at 864-592-6318 or [email protected]
UPSTATE PC USERS GROUP
Five Forks Baptist Church, 112 Batesville Road, Simpsonville; 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Description: A small informal PC users’ group that helps cut through the confusion of today’s computers and software with real-world information and answers.
WEDNESDAYMAY 22
MAY COFFEE AND CONVERSATION
Upstate SC Alliance, 124 Verdae Blvd., Suite 202 ,Greenville; 8-9 a.m.
Investors only. Discussions from Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).
If interested in becoming an investor, call Clay Andrews 864-283-2300. RSVP at: [email protected]
“FMLA TO Z”
The Ogletree Building – Lobby Level, 300 N. Main St., Greenville; 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Speaker: Mike ShetterlyCost: $99 per person, includes breakfast, lunch, and materialsRegister at: ogletreedeakins.comContact: Robin Holder at 864-240-8281 or [email protected]
GSATC LEARNING LUNCH
Embassy Suites, 670 Verdae Blvd., Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Speaker: Jim Bottum, CIO and vice provost of computing & information technology at Clemson UniversityTopic: How to build a team of IT ninjasCost: $25 for members, $26.62 for non-members, $30 at the door. Includes lunch.Register at: eventbrite.com, search for gsatc lunch.
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS’ FORUM
Greenville Chamber of Commerce, 24 Cleveland St., Greenville; 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Topic: Small Business Driven!Open to: Greenville Chamber members who are small business owners only. Free to attend. Attendees may choose to purchase a boxed lunch from Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe onsite for $8 or bring
their own lunch; drinks will be provided. Contact: Claudia Wise at 864-239-3728.
METRO TOASTMASTERS CLUB
Greenville City Hall, 3rd Floor Conference Room, 206 S. Main St., Greenville; noon
Open to all to attendContact: 864-350-0044
SOUTH CAROLINA NATURAL GAS IN TRANSPORTATION SUMMIT
Milliken & Company, 920 Milliken Rd., Spartanburg; 1-5 p.m.
More information: sctrucking.org/event-registrations
TEN AT THE TOP COMMUNITY VIBRANCY WORKSHOPS
Locations throughout the Upstate
Cost: Free and open to the publicContact: Alissa Ritzo Duncan at 864-283-2313
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TOASTMASTERS
Greenville Commerce Club, One Liberty Square, 55 Beattie Place, Greenville; 6 p.m.
Cost: $5 to cover meeting space and one drink at the barFor more information: yptm.toastmastersclubs.org
THURSDAYMAY 23
9TH ANNUAL UPSTATE DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP AWARDS DINNER
TD Convention Center, One Exposition Drive, Greenville; 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Baxter Wynn, minister of pastoral care and community relations, First Baptist GreenvilleTopic: On Being Part of the FamilyContact: 864-239-3731 or visit greenvillechamber.com
CAPEHART CONCEPTS PRESENTS “DR. KIM’S FACEBOOK & LINKEDIN BOOT CAMP”
P. Simpson’s Hometown Grille, 111 N. Main St. Simpsonville; 6-8 p.m.
Speaker: Kim L. Capehart, MBA, PhD(c)Topic: Dr. Kim’s Facebook & LinkedIn Boot CampCost: $50 includes a formal three-course dinner in private room at P. Simpson’s Hometown Grille, Simpsonville, and is limited to 18 entrepreneurs. Send a check made out to KC Business Solutions Inc. for $50 per attendee and mail to PO Box 80005, Simpsonville, SC 29680.Contact: Kim Capehart at [email protected]
MAY 21
LEADERSHIP GREENVILLE CLASS 39 GRADUATION
Embassy Suites, 670
GOT A HOT DATE?Contribute to our Planner by submitting event information for consideration to
30 Upstate bUsiness joUrnal May 17, 2013
UBJ SnapshotGot an event you’d like to share?
Submit your photos to: [email protected]
The Greater Mauldin Chamber of Commerce recently held their Business After Hours event at Babb & Brown Law Office in Greenville.
DiD You GueSS RiGht?These are the distinctive Upstate brands that helped make up the headline on page 18.
BMW Fluor GreenvilleRoad Warriors
Denny’s GreenvilleDrive
Michelin Milliken Greenvillehealth System
May 17, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 31
Historic photo available from the Greenville County Historical Society. Let “Lean Lite” Off set the
Costs of ObamacareDoes your business need to cut lead times, double inventory turns, increase productivity, improve gross margins, reduce ser-vice provider response time, decrease accounts receivable days outstanding or perhaps o� set the costs of Obamacare? If so, your business needs the Lean Transformation, a well documented, cut-ting edge process and one of the cornerstones of our Risk Abate-ment Strategy. � is fundamental building block is now o� ered as a stand-alone service for Upstate Businesses.
Lean Transformations are frequently executed with marginal ef-fectiveness in America partly because a successful transformation requires a consultant who will strip away the marketing � u� and help you concentrate on the essence of the process.
� e consultant should steer you away from: • Connecting Lean with Six Sigma
• Embarking on a scavenger hunt for di� erent kinds of waste
• Focusing on Just-In-Time Inventory control
• Believing Lean is just a manufacturing strategy
• Becoming entangled in a labyrinth of culture changing activities
Our process is called “Lean Lite” which is, in fact the Essence of Lean. Implementation has two steps.
Step 1 is a preliminary assessment which allows you to decide whether or not to go forward with the transformation process. We will:
• Study the Value Stream activities of your enterprise and identify those which fail to add value
• Suggest how non-value-adding activities can be eliminated
• Conduct training on the Lean Transformation
Step 2 is the implementation of “Lean Lite” if you decide to move forward and transform your business.
B. McLaughlin, ScD, MInstPRegional Managing Director
864.430.2695 (phone) | 864.469.9940 (fax)www.lifetimereliabilitysolutions.com | www.lifetime-reliability.com
B. McLaughlin, ScD, MInstP
May 17, 2013 UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL 31
p The Deluxe Diner. Located at 336 N. Main St. and operated by James A. Tzouvelekas, the Deluxe Diner was between the Carolina Theater and Mackey’s Mortuary. In this photo from the 1940s, the Carolina parking lot is to the right of the diner, with the Ottaray Hotel in the background. Serving complete lunches and dinners, the Deluxe advertised itself as the “Home of the World’s Best.”
From “Remembering Greenville: Photographs from the Coxe Collection,” by Jeffery Willis
q Today, the site of the old Deluxe Diner is a parking lot for the Ogletree Building. The Carolina Theater, Mackey Mortuary and Ottaray Hotel buildings are also gone.
Photo by Greg Beckner
Photo Provided
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT • RELOCATION • REAL ESTATE GALLERIES • DEVELOPMENT SERVICES • MORTGAGE • CONCIERGE SERVICES
Handshake by handshake. Block by block. That’s how we’ve done business in the Upstate for 80 years. Working together, thinking ahead, treating customers like family - because an Upstate family name is on the door.
Visit us online at cbcaine.com.
From residential to commercial we’ve taken Upstate Real Estate
personally for 80 years.