A bumpy road By Kathleen Dayton When it comes to tourism, the S.C. Highway 61 corridor is perhaps the most visited part of the Charleston area aside from the downtown historic district.
Much-photographed for its canopies of Spanish moss-hung live oaks, Highway 61 is home to the “Big Three” Ashley River plantations: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Middleton Place and Drayton Hall. The state’s oldest church building, Old Saint Andrews Parish Church, also lies along this former Indian path, and the Ashley River flows parallel to the highway from its headwaters near Summerville in Dorchester County.
However, where tourists see plantations, developers see opportunity.
Health crisis By Dennis Quick Dr. Adebola Rojugbokan knows the meaning of “patient overload.” The Nigerian-born family physician operates the Cross Family Health Center in rural Berkeley County. He sees 500 patients a month.
He is the center’s only doctor.
Rojugbokan’s scenario is far too typical in rural South Carolina, where most of the state’s poor blacks live and where doctors, particularly black doctors, are scarce.
Port proposal easier said than done By Dan McCue Scant weeks after the governors of South Carolina and Georgia met on the site of a proposed cargo container terminal in Jasper County to heal old wounds and agree to work together to make the facility a reality, this much can be said:
There are still many tripping points to overcome before Gov. Mark Sanford and Gov. Sonny Perdue’s good intentions come anywhere close to creating the multimillion dollar facility, and a bi-state authority to run it.
Got milk? By Kathleen Dayton Dairy cows are mooing back to at least one local farm as farmers across the state discover a niche created by the growing demand for organic products.
A city film office could spark local movie industry By Dennis Quick Tupelo, Miss., has one. So does Fresno, Calif. Ditto for Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Stroudsburg, Pa.; and Youngstown, Ohio. Even my former stomping grounds, Buffalo, N.Y., cold and gray as it is, has one.
SCRA under way with Naval Research contracts By Shelia Watson Recent visits from high-profile brass from Washington, D.C., have resulted in high-dollar contracts for the S.C. Research Authority and an enhanced reputation for the state overall.
State’s workers’ comp system needs substantive reform By Harvey S. Peeler Jr. When members of South Carolina’s business community speak, they usually tell elected officials to stay out of their way so they can create jobs and a strong economy. They can’t do that when government imposes a lot of burdensome regulations and unfair taxes.
Developer seeks permission to fill 138 acres of wetlands for Watson Hill development By Dan McCue South Carolina Property Holdings LLC is seeking permission from state and federal regulators to place fill material in 138 acres of freshwater wetlands for the construction of the proposed Watson Hill Plantation development on Highway 61 in Dorchester County.
Google confirms plans; Goose Creek site takes shape After months of cat and mouse, Google Inc. has confirmed that it is behind the swarm of activity on slightly less than 514 acres in the Mount Holly Commerce Park.
Local doctors take a splash in wine business By Dennis Quick Longtime friends Brett Baker and Sam Franklin are doctors. Baker, who lives in Mount Pleasant, studies heart rhythms. Franklin, who lives in Charleston, treats kidney diseases. Both love wine.
Wine buy the glass By Kathleen Dayton How about a glass of wine? Visit a new store on upper King Street and you can get some glass and some wine.
Corridor goes digital on innovators’ race event By Shelia Watson Charleston’s first night road race, the Innovators’ 5K run, will be a blend of business networking, fitness and high-tech when it debuts April 19, according to Kimberly Taylor, program manager at the Charleston Digital Corridor and coordinator of the event.
Long-awaited cargo container cranes arrive By Dan McCue After traveling 15,000 miles from Shanghai, China, a ship loaded with four massive new container cranes costing more than $35 million sailed up the Wando River to deliver its cargo to the Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant.
State politicians work toward property insurance relief By Shelia Watson Several plans for insurance relief proposed recently by state politicians aim to alleviate the high cost of coastal property insurance and protect consumers against cancellation and non-renewal of policies.
WMI launches million-dollar clean water project By Shelia Watson Charleston-based Water Missions International has received $4.6 million from the Pentair Foundation to launch Project SafeWater-Colon, a three-year project that will provide sustainable, safe water access and sanitation to the state of Colon, Honduras.
YEScarolina’s goal to tap into kids' creativity By Dennis Quick In 1998, former state Rep. Jimmy Bailey read an article in Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College in Michigan. The article introduced Bailey to the New York-based National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, and contained a speech by NFTE founder Steve Mariotti.
MUSC endowed chair opens first patient simulation center By Dan McCue He may have moved to Charleston only a year ago, but Dr. John J. Schaefer III, the endowed chair for patient simulation education and research at the Medical University of South Carolina, is already beginning to have an impact on patient treatment statewide.
MUSC VP sees new centers in both educational, economic terms By Dan McCue The patient simulation center that opened in Greenville on March 14 not only put South Carolina on the leading edge of medical education in the country, it also holds the promise of spawning new business opportunities, according to the vice president of medical affairs at the Medical University of South Carolina.
MUSC initiatives reach out to black students By Dennis Quick In 2002, the Medical University of South Carolina implemented a minority-recruitment plan that helped increase the number of black students enrolling in the school.
Conference only a start of ongoing land use discussion By Dan McCue For Gov. Mark Sanford, standing before an audience of developers and environmentalists he jokingly likened to the Hatfields and the McCoys, the issue of the day wasn’t a choice between growth and no-growth, but rather getting people with disparate points of view to concede they have more in common than not.
DaimlerChrysler launches new Sprinter van in Ladson By Dan McCue DaimlerChrysler launched the next generation of its popular Sprinter van on March 27 with comments by S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford, Charleston County Council Chairman Tim Scott and DaimlerChrysler Executive Vice President Wilfried Porth and tours of the former American LaFrance facility that the company has retrofitted over the past seven months to handle assembly-line production.
Councilman: Growth in Dorchester ‘out of balance’ By Lindsay Danzell Residential growth in Dorchester County can hardly be contained. Along with its positive impact on the county’s economy, the county’s exponential increase in population has caused failing water systems, overcrowded schools and congested roads, said several county council members.
Develop a good business plan now and count on earning profits later By Ted Albenesius A good business plan provides the small business owner with a plan of action to build a successful small business. The business plan examines the environment in which a business operates, describes how the business will function and anticipates potential problems and opportunities. The plan suggests solutions to problems and responses to opportunities.
Laughter is great marketing medicine, if it’s used well By David L. Rawle Complete this sentence: “Geico is so simple…” Chances are, you have no problem remembering that “Geico is so simple, even a caveman can do it.” And that evokes a simple, compelling value proposition that has contributed significantly to Geico’s success.
How to handle that request for a raise By John Carroll While there are certain seasons and cycles for specific elements of business, the request for a raise from one of your employees, associates or team members can happen at any time, often without warning.
