Coast Brewing Co.’s HopArt IPA flows freely from the tap at Evo Pizzeria in North Charleston’s historic downtown district. “It’s our biggest seller, for sure,” said Brendan Sweeny, the restaurant’s general manager. Other establishments in Charleston, West Ashley and Mount Pleasant reported the same. The local brewery, just 1 year old, is so popular its makers can’t keep up with demand. >>
Charleston County’s first contract submitted as part of a program attempting to bring together businesses of different races or genders was deemed too expensive and has been put on hold by County Council. >>
Darla Moore is known for her business acumen, Southern charm and philanthropic spirit. Now she’ll be known for helping transform Charleston’s parks and public spaces. An avid gardener and plant lover, Moore recognized that, though Charleston’s historic buildings were carefully preserved, the same attention wasn’t given to the city’s 120 public parks. >>
VIEWPOINT Ecologically sound practices good and good for business A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of playing Emcee for our annual Innovators awards at the newly renovated Memminger Auditorium in downtown Charleston. Having grown up on Wentworth Street with a back window that looked into the Memminger schoolyard, it was a thrill to see the old auditorium transformed into a world-class performance venue. The leadership of Spoleto Festival USA deserves a round of applause for having the vision and civic entrepreneurship to take on a project of such complexity to add a venue of this quality to the community.
MARKETING MATTERS Your customers are talking -- are you listening? Brian Finkelstein came home and found a Comcast technician asleep on his couch. The technician had fallen asleep waiting for Comcast’s customer support line to answer the phone. Finkelstein videotaped the sleeping technician and posted it on YouTube. Within hours, the video was viewed by more than half a million people. Needless to say, the video dealt a real blow to Comcast.
CAREER COACH Manage your cycles of career renewal I know the weather forecast is still calling for high temperatures, but no one can convince me that it isn’t fall. I’m one of those people for whom the first of September is a line of demarcation. It’s the beginning of the new school year, the final month for many fiscal and corporate calendars and the time when my heart begins to pull itself up out of the sticky molasses I’ve been mired in all summer.
STRATEGIC STAFFING Retaining top performers means listening to them Recently I talked with an executive who expressed shock at the unexpected departure of two productive and valued employees. He had recently talked with each, explained that their future was bright and felt good about retaining them. Why was the departure such a shock and what could have been done to avoid being blindsided by the resignations? If you don’t want to be the company that loses talented people, you must take steps beforehand.
Cyber schools put public education online The solution to the state’s teacher shortage might be on the Internet. The World Wide Web could ease the pressure on overcrowded classrooms as well as reduce the need to spend millions of dollars to build more and larger schools.
Birds of prey on display The Center for Birds of Prey, tucked away in rural Awendaw, has existed for 17 years as a medical and educational facility. But this summer, the home to roughly 100 majestic raptors such as peregrine falcons and bald eagles set out to transform itself into a big-time tourist attraction.
'Ecotourism’ too slippery a term to measure Ecotourism attractions that focus on the environment, such as The Center for Birds of Prey, are big business for South Carolina. That’s according to Marion Edmonds, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Problem is, no one seems to know how big. Most say that’s because defining what qualifies as ecotourism is too difficult.
Sense of duty drives chamber chairman Bobby Collins has few regrets in life. One is not having served in the military. But his sense of duty has led him to service in other ways. He recently became chairman of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, for example.
Investing in the future of the past Charleston just lent $734,500 to a college that hasn’t graduated anyone or received accreditation. Mayor Joe Riley, with the backing of City Council, said he believes strongly in the importance of the American College of the Building Arts.
