TheState.com: C. Grant Jackson

Business exhibitors sought for summit

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:49 EDT

Columbia Opportunity Resource is seeking business exhibitors for its second annual Impact Columbia Summit 2008.

The event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. April 29 at 320 Senate St.

Tables are available for 20 businesses and 20 nonprofits. The summit targets business professionals between ages 25 and 45.

For information, call (803) 446-7906, or e-mail info@ourcor.org.

Manufacturer to add 120 jobs in Upstate

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:58 EDT

DUNCAN — Master Precision Global LLC will locate its new Southeastern manufacturing and distribution facility here.

MP Global is a Michigan-based company that makes plastic/electronic assemblies, injection-mold tooling and lighting innovations.

The company will invest $7.25 million and create 120 jobs in Duncan. It will partner with Spartanburg Community College and will use 42,000 square feet of manufacturing space in the new Tyger River Accelerated Business Center.

Small-business salute set for April 1

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:55 EDT

Workshops, awards and a reception for small businesses will be the focus of Columbia’s fifth annual Salute to Small Business.

The event will be from 1 to 7 p.m. April 1 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Workshops include government contracting, lending and the Workforce Investment Act.

To register, call (803) 604-9141, or e-mail mstiles@sc.rr.com.

-- From staff reports

Owens-Corning plant to close; 50 to lose jobs

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:49 EST

About 50 workers in a Fairfield County plant will lose their jobs by mid-year as the fiberglass fabrics plant’s third owner in five years moves the work to other U.S. plants.

Owens-Corning is closing the Ridgeway plant because it overlaps production at its other U.S. locations, said Jason Saragian, a spokesman at its headquarters in Toledo, Ohio. Work from Ridgeway and a 120-employee plant in New Braunfels, Texas, will be moved to plants in Brunswick, Maine, and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Ridgeway, which makes fabric used to reinforce circuit boards and other products, was one of about 20 plants Owens-Corning bought from Saint-Gobain of France last November for $640 million.

Gividi, an Italian company, opened the plant in 1997, but closed it in mid-2003. Saint-Gobain bought the plant in August 2003, and reopened it.

Briefs | Michelin, Clemson unite on tire project

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:16 EST

GREENVILLE — Michelin North America will invest $6.8 million in a three-year research partnership with Clemson University to make tires more fuel efficient. Michelin wants to reduce rolling resistance by 50 percent in the next 15 years. Rolling resistance takes energy from the engine every time a tire turns. The company said it chose Clemson and its International Center for Automotive Research after a competitive process.

• Relations firm to help Force Protection

LADSON — Force Protection Inc. has retained Integrated Corporate Relations Inc., an investor relations firm. ICR, based in Westport, Conn., will assist Force Protection in its communications with investors, public relations and digital media. On Monday, Force Protection gave two work orders worth a combined $44 million to its partner General Dynamics. The contracts are for spare parts and other work. Shares closed Monday at $4.80, up 18 cents.

• American LaFrance files bankruptcy

SUMMERVILLE — American LaFrance has filed bankruptcy and will close its plants in Hanahan and Jedburg to reduce debt. The company, which builds fire and rescue vehicles, is $84 million in debt. The company manufactures chassis in Jedburg and has a parts distribution center in Hanahan. It will consolidate its S.C. operations into its 50,000-square-foot Summerville facility, which also serves as the manufacturer’s headquarters. Under the bankruptcy plan, American LaFrance will assume $27 million of its debt. The bankruptcy court is expected to approve the disclosure statement on March 3.

'20 under 40' members fulfilling their promise

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:19 EST

They are the kinds of people that Creative Class guru Richard Florida says a city needs if it is going to be successful.

With the Class of 2008, The State newspaper’s annual “20 Under 40,” a list of rising business stars in the Midlands, now has 100 alumni.

But rising stars might be something of a misnomer. The 20 Under 40 aren’t simply young business and professional people who are full of promise, rather they are actually fulfilling their promise.

These aren’t just people who can do, they are people who are doing.

Many have founded their own companies or are leading companies. In almost every instance, they are providing not only business leadership but also community leadership.

Young professionals invited to party

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 01:49 EST

The Columbia Young Professionals Alliance hosts its second annual holiday party on Wednesday.

The party begins at 6 p.m. at the Columbia Museum of Art. Admission is one unwrapped gift or a $10 donation to the Toys for Tots program. The public is invited and reservations are not required.

The alliance is a group of nine of Columbia’s leading membership organizations.

• Career fair Wednesday

Thirty-six businesses will be searching for employees Wednesday during Columbia’s largest job fair.

Expert: Think broadly when implementing tax system

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 07:54 EST

If South Carolina is going to compete in the global economy it needs a right-sized tax system, said William Fox, director of the center for business and economic research at the University of Tennessee.

“Taxes play a key role in a state that is competitive for the future,” Fox said Monday.

Fox spoke to USC’s 27th Annual Economic Outlook Conference. His keynote luncheon address — “Sound Tax Policy for a Competitive Economy” — followed morning forecasts by USC economists. They believe the state’s economy will likely grow more slowly in the coming year, but fall short of going into a recession.

The goal of tax policy should not be just to be a low tax state, Fox said.

“If you want to be the discount store of the U.S. that certainly is an option. But it is not the way to create a rising income relative to the U.S. and the rest of the world.”

S.C. basking in good reviews

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:37 EST

South Carolina’s business climate has grabbed some attention of late. Take a look at a series of reports released over the last couple of months:

GOOD FOR SMALL BUSINESS

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council ranked South Carolina eighth best on its Small Business Survival Index.

According to SBE Council President and CEO Karen Kerrigan, South Carolina benefits from: no death tax, no individual and corporate alternative minimum taxes, being a right-to-work state, low unemployment taxes, a fairly low number of health insurance mandates, a very low gas tax, and a fairly positive rating on eminent domain legislation.

Among the state’s negatives, Kerrigan said, are a “high personal income tax rate, high worker’s compensation costs and a high crime rate.”

Caterer plans a fresh home

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 09:29 EST

Tronco’s Special Events Catering will leave the State Fairgrounds to operate a new conference center on Garners Ferry Road near I-77.

Tronco’s president David Martin said he hopes to be in The Medallion conference center by April. The center is being developed by Columbia hotelier Rick Patel in the old Bi-Lo grocery in the former Eastmont Square shopping center.

Work on renovating the facade of the old grocery store is beginning this week, Martin said. The interior renovation, which won’t be affected by weather, will follow.

Tronco’s has been at the fairgrounds for nine years. With a year left on its lease, Martin said it was time to move.

They moved to the fairgrounds to be close to Williams-Brice Stadium. “One of our largest contracts is with the USC Athletic Department. We do the South End Zone, all the catering for home games.” Martin said.

Business leaders gather for summit

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:51 EST

Immigration reform, tourism and tax reform top the agenda as the state’s business community gathers in Myrtle Beach through Friday for the annual meeting of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce.

The 28th Annual Summit attracts several hundred business leaders statewide.

Immigration reform is expected to be one of the major issues before the General Assembly when it returns in January.

The state chamber last month announced it would support a S.C. Senate immigration reform bill. During the last legislative session, the chamber opposed to state action in favor of the federal government enacting reforms.

The chamber maintains that immigration is a federal issue, but the failure of Congress to deal with reform led the chamber to endorse state action.

Farmers market planned for Lexington

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:39 EST

A private-public partnership plans to build a new State Farmers Market on 160 acres in southern Lexington County.

The market on U.S. 321 near I-26 would replace plans for a market at Shop and Pineview roads in Richland County that hit a snag when costs escalated and wholesale vendors pulled out this year.

The deal will be announced formally today.

Private investment in the project is expected to be about $32 million initially. The S.C. Department of Agriculture would put in about $12 million for relocation.

The market would add new features — including stores, a restaurant and an amphitheater — to attract customers and bring about 700 jobs to Lexington County.

In the Loop | Eat More Tees on the move

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:25 EST

The iconic Columbia T-shirt company Eat More Tees plans to move its West Columbia operation into a building being vacated by Pope-Davis Tire Alignment and Brake across from the State Fairgrounds.

Kevin Schumacher, co-owner of Eat More Tees, said he hopes to move into 1227 Rosewood in January. He will be buying the building under a lease-purchase arrangement, he said.

Schumacher has about 16 employees in the West Columbia store and factory at 7447 Meeting St., which he currently leases.

Schumacher and partner Russell Kossalso recently opened another outlet in Lexington.

Screenprint Express is at 4884 Sunset Blvd., near the Lexington Pavilion. The shop sells custom screened T-shirts and golf shirts, specializing in a two-day turnaround.

S.C. economy to be in spotlight

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:26 EST

Will 2008 bring a continued economic expansion or a recession?

Economists from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina will read their tea leaves next month at the school’s annual Economic Outlook Conference.

Paulo Guimaraes, a research economist for the Moore School, will give the state economic forecast. Guimaraes replaces research economist Don Schunk, who had given the forecast for the past eight years. Schunk left USC for Coastal Carolina University early this year to join the BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development.

Guimaraes is a clinical associate professor at the division of research in the Moore School. He earned his doctorate in economics at USC in 1992.

Doug Woodward, professor of economics and director of the division of research, will give the broader economic forecast “from global to local,” which will include economic indicators for South Carolina, the United States and the world.

Briefs | Food tax relief begins today

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:57 EDT

Starting today, the 3 percent state sales tax on unprepared food will be eliminated.

That means lower prices for everything from cans of corn to bags of chips .

What’s not covered: alcohol, tobacco, prepared foods, vitamins and pet food.

County local-option sales taxes, such as the 1 percent levied in Richland and Lexington, still will be charged.

• S.C. trade group names new director

Costs of illness sicken S.C.

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:32 EDT

The economic impact of treating chronic disease in South Carolina is a staggering $20.8 billion annually — including $16.8 billion in lost workdays and lower productivity.

Nationally, the most-common chronic diseases are costing our economy more than $1 trillion annually, a figure that could reach $6 trillion by 2050, according to a recently released study by the Milken Institute.

Health care and the costs associated with treating chronic disease are a huge issue in South Carolina, where more than 2.5 million cases of the diseases were reported in 2003. The rate of obesity, a major risk factor for chronic disease, is skyrocketing. The percent of obese South Carolinians has gone to 29 percent in 2005 from 14 percent in 1990.

The study estimates current and future treatment costs and lost productivity for seven common chronic diseases: cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, pulmonary conditions and mental disorders.

But the study found that just reasonable improvements in health-related behavior and treatment, such as reducing smoking and obesity, could save $1.1 trillion a year nationally by 2023 and $19.3 billion in South Carolina.

Australia meeting to miss key player

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 09:32 EDT

When the S.C. Department of Commerce’s first official trade delegation lands this weekend in Brisbane, Australia, the man responsible for bringing the two state’s together will be most noticeable by his absence.

Peter Beattie, who nurtured the relationship through three S.C. governors, stepped down last month as premier of Queensland.

Beattie resigned Sept. 13 to make way for his successor Anna Bligh, the deputy premier.

Beattie also had served as minister for trade as well as premier, and had used the offices to promote connections with South Carolina going back to conversations with Gov. David Beasley.

Andrew Craig, the new commissioner for Queensland trade and investment for the Americas, said Bligh absolutely shares Beattie’s “enthusiasm for pulling Queensland up” and that its relationship with South Carolina will remain important.

$50,000 prize enriches Liberty Fellowship’s impact

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 07:22 EDT

Hayne Hipp is at it again.

The former chairman and CEO of Liberty Corp. is pushing another effort toward making South Carolina a better place.

The Liberty Fellowship, the statewide leadership program launched in 2004 by Hipp, has announced it will award a $50,000 annual Liberty Prize to one of its fellows’ class projects.

Hipp, The Aspen Institute and Wofford College started the Liberty Fellowship program to inspire value-based leadership among S.C. leaders ages 25-45.

“We now have 80 fellows actively putting the principles they’ve learned into practice through community leadership projects,” Hipp said. “As the impact of these projects reverberates across South Carolina, we want to raise the bar even higher by offering a prize (that) serves as both reward and incentive for fellows and that has a profound impact on one of the many deserving projects.”

S.C. defends job training

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 07:23 EDT

State officials are standing behind the quality of training provided workers at the Vought and Global Aeronautica plants in North Charleston in the wake of Boeing’s decision to delay delivery of the Dreamliner aircraft by six months.

Workers at the plants are building the two aft sections of the new Boeing aircraft.

Those parts — along with wings from a factory in Japan, a horizontal tail section from Italy and the forward fuselage and crew section from a plant in Kansas — are then flown to Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Everett, Wash., for final assembly.

The Dreamliner is the first commercial aircraft made almost entirely of composite materials. On Wednesday, Boeing delayed the initial deliveries of the aircraft to late November or December of 2008, blaming problems in its global supply chain. The first delivery — to All Nippon Airways — had previously been set for next spring.

Some media reports — noticeably the Wall Street Journal — have indicated the relative unfamiliarity of the workers in North Charleston with aircraft manufacturing and the need to supplement their training are at least partially responsible for the delay.

Economy guru pushes creative economy

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:44 EDT

South Carolina and Columbia’s biggest challenge is to create a knowledge-based economy that serves all its citizens, new economy guru Richard Florida said Wednesday night.

Florida brought his message of developing a creative economy through technology, talent, tolerance and a fourth T — territorial assets — to the annual meeting of EngenuitySC, the strategic council focused on building Columbia’s knowledge-based economy.

He challenged his audience: “As you build this creative, prosperous, competitive economy, it has got to be one economy.”

That was the most important part of the charismatic economist’s message, said retired steel executive Samuel Tenenbaum.

Tenenbaum has been a disciple of Florida’s work for several years and has provided copies of Florida’s best-selling book — “The Rise of the Creative Class” — to much of the local and state leadership.