Workers’ comp premiums expected to spike nearly 10% Workers’ compensation premiums in South Carolina likely will increase nearly 10% on average starting July 1 under an agreement reached in mid-May between the National Council on Compensation Insurance and state officials.
Calendar MAY 27: S.C. Women’s Business Center seminar. 6-8 p.m. at Women’s Business Center, 5900 Core Drive, Suite 104, North Charleston. Topic: How to get a business loan. The seminar covers business loan fundamentals: credit score, collateral, owner’s cash contribution, business plan, projections of performance and more. Cost: $30. Information: 843-740-6160.
Accolades & More Dr. William J. Hueston, professor and chairman of the department of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, has been named an American Council of Education/Bishop Fellow for the 2008-’09 academic year.
People in the News Weichert Realtors Dean-Kelby has added Kenneth M. Ray to its sales team. Ray specializes in residential sales. Prior to real estate, he worked in insurance sales, telecommunications and information technology.
Do you want fries with that roosting chicken? By Bill Settlemyer On a recent trip to Michigan I had the opportunity to visit The Henry Ford. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the name of the sprawling, marvelous museum in Dearborn filled with artifacts from America’s industrial revolution.
Dunkin’ Donuts grabs bigger share of specialty food market from competitors By Dan McCue A sweet transformation is under way in the Lowcountry. If Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees have anything to say about it, in the next two years their coffee- and doughnut-fueled makeover of the specialty-foods landscape could eventually overtake the entire state.
North Charleston butts out of the smoking debate North Charleston is not likely to snuff out indoor smoking anytime soon. Meeting as a committee of the whole, the City Council voted 6-4 on May 14 to squash discussions, at least for the immediate future, about going smoke-free despite the late-March decision by the S.C. Supreme Court upholding municipalities’ rights to pass local smoking ordinances.
Betting an education on the lottery By Scott Miller Without the S.C. Education Lottery, 29-year-old Gilbert Cavazos wouldn’t have graduated from Trident Technical College this year. He wouldn’t have been the first in his family to receive a college education. He wouldn’t be on his way to study accountancy next fall at Rider University in New Jersey. Without that initial associate’s degree, his long-term plan to receive a master’s degree would have been a distant dream.
Drop in permits shows area mired in downturn By Andy Owens St. George doesn’t expect to see a lot of new homes built during any given year. But even the small town of 2,120 has seen a drop-off recently. Compared to the almost daily announcements three years ago for new home developments with hundreds and sometimes thousands of homes, a building permit drop-off across the tri-county has put the brakes on an industry that affects municipalities of every size.
Agreement attempts to reunite ‘children’ of Spoleto founder By Kathleen Dayton If you’re attending or participating in Spoleto Festival USA this year, say “buongiorno.” After 15 years, the two festivals have reunited and once gain intend to share artists and productions in a partnership that began with the founding of Spoleto Festival USA in 1976. That creative partnership also has led to the reaffirmation of a sistership agreement between Charleston and Spoleto, Italy. The agreement has been in place since 1983 but lost its momentum in 1993 when Italy’s Festival of Two Worlds severed ties with Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston.
J.P. Morgan Chase mortgages future in the Lowcountry By Scott Miller J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., one of the nation’s largest banks, has expanded its mortgage business into the Charleston market, despite a downturn in real estate.
Gibbes’ director embodies passion for power of art By Holly Fisher Working at a museum, Angela Mack gets all the standard questions: Is she an artist? Who is her favorite artist? Did she frequent museums as a child? No, she’s not an artist herself. She’s taken some classes to further her knowledge of the mechanics and techniques, but “no one would want to exhibit my work,” she said with a smile.
Economists debate fuel price effect on surging exports By Dan McCue A weak U.S. dollar has resulted in a surge in exports by South Carolina manufacturers, but mounting fuel prices threaten to tamp down that activity by increasing the cost of shipping goods, according to a university economist.
State universities depending on private donations to pave way By Molly Parker South Carolina’s public universities are increasingly turning to the private sector to help bolster their rapidly ballooning budgets after years of nearly stagnant appropriations from the state.
Builders, officials disagree over cost of new building codes By Scott Miller Charleston-area building officials wonder why South Carolina would saddle its homeowners with an extra $5 million collectively in annual flood insurance premiums by delaying implementation of new residential building codes.
Charleston School of Law fosters community involvement By Shelia Watson The second graduating class of the Charleston School of Law walked across the stage at The Citadel’s McAlister Field House and entered the work force this month.
As investors become vigilant, securities litigation rises By Shelia Watson In the 1987 movie “Wall Street,” Gordon Gekko, the character played by Michael Douglas, made a speech to his stockholders in which he declared: “Greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works.” In the two decades since that movie, Gekko’s mantra seems to have been taken to heart by various business executives, resulting in corporate scandals such as Enron, WorldCom and Qwest, and lately by those in the mortgage industry — lenders as well as speculators — responsible for the subprime “mortgage meltdown.”
Roper hospital under way in Mount Pleasant By Molly Parker Several hundred people gathered for the ceremonial blessing of 78 acres in Mount Pleasant’s Carolina Park development on May 15, where Roper St. Francis will build its newest medical complex.
Marketing Matters: Ten marketing tips in a weak economy By David L. Rawle Some years ago, many members of our staff rode bicycles from Charleston to Charlotte, N.C. It was a great experience. Quite obviously, the trip is pretty much uphill. And, when you confront a hill on a bicycle, you have to work a lot harder. You lean forward, pedal harder and faster and spare nothing in your effort to overcome this temporary obstacle.
Carroll on Work: Lessons from part-time rocker, full-time salesman Gene Simmons By John Carroll Rock star and entertainment business mogul Gene Simmons served as a headliner in a different setting recently. I attended a marketing conference where Simmons shared his ideas on business, branding and promotion and life in general.
