John Hassell, Interim President and CEO, South Carolina State Ports Authority
March 11, 2009MidlandsBiz:From Board member to CEO. Two very different roles and not an easy task. What is your job description? John Hassell:As Interim President and CEO of the South Carolina State…
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Andy White, Walter Taylor, and Bill Theus, Developers of the Saluda River Club
March 4, 2009MidlandsBiz:Discuss the origins of Saluda River Club. Andy White:We twice tried to buy this property. Initially, we lost out to a national home builder, but when they left town, we…
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Neil McLean, Executive Director of EngenuitySC and Lee Bussell, President of Chernoff Newman
February 11, 2009MidlandsBiz:Talk a little about the history of the hydrogen fuel initiative in this state. Lee Bussell:Five years ago, Mayor Bob Coble announced that Columbia would become a hydrogen city with…
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Jim DeMint, U.S. Senator, South Carolina
January 27, 2009
MidlandsBiz: Name a key event in your formative years. Jim DeMint: Unfortunately, my parents divorced when I was very young so my two bothers, my sister and I were raised…
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Ken Reifsnider, Director of the Future Fuels Initiative
January 21, 2009MidlandsBiz:Why did you come to the University of South Carolina? Ken Reifsnider:This country faces not just an energy problem, but also a more fundamental issue of sustainability. What attracted me…
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Don DiPette, Dean of the USC School of Medicine
January 7, 2009MidlandsBiz:Outline a brief history of the medical school. Don DiPette:At approximately thirty years old, we are one of the new kids on the block when it comes to medical schools. …
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A Conversation with Mike Crapps, President, First Community Bank
December 10, 2008
MidlandsBiz: Where were you born and raised? Mike Crapps: The house where I grew up is literally three miles from our main offices here in Lexington. My Mom tells her…
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Dick Riley, Former Governor of South Carolina
November 25, 2008MidlandsBiz:Where were you born and raised? Dick Riley:I was born in Greenville, South Carolina, in the early 1930s during the Depression. Obviously, I was too young to recall the difficulties…
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Bill Mahoney, CEO of SCRA
November 20, 2008MidlandsBiz:What does SCRA do? Bill Mahoney:Our business model is what we call collaboration management. We pull together multi-organizational teams from industry, academia, and government to solve complex technological problems. We…
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Mike Flack, Executive Director of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport
November 5, 2008MidlandsBiz:What is your educational background? Mike Flack:I have a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kentucky. After college, I spent…
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Morihiko Nakahara, Music Director of the South Carolina Philharmonic
October 29, 2008MidlandsBiz: What is your vision for SC Philharmonic? Morihiko Nakahara: I am charged with raising the artist level of the orchestra. As the fifth Music Director in the 45 year…
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Gregg Robinson, Executive Director, Orangeburg County Development Commission
October 23, 2008MidlandsBiz:Where were you born and raised? Gregg Robinson:I was born in Williamsburg County (Kingstree), South Carolina. My father worked for Greenwood Development Corporation and helped to develop Palmetto Dunes Plantation…
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Gregg Robinson, Executive Director, Orangeburg County Development Commission
October 23, 2008MidlandsBiz:Where were you born and raised? Gregg Robinson:I was born in Williamsburg County (Kingstree), South Carolina. My father worked for Greenwood Development Corporation and helped to develop Palmetto Dunes Plantation…
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Jim Gambrell, Director of Economic Development, City of Columbia
October 1, 2008MidlandsBiz:Where were you born and raised? What is your educational background? Jim Gambrell:I was born into a banking family in Greenwood, SC. My father worked for what was then the…
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Hildy Teegen, Dean of the Moore School of Business
September 3, 2008MidlandsBiz:Where were you born? What is your educational background? What did you do your doctoral work in? Hildy Teegen:I was born in Chicago, and my family moved to the Cayman…
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Secretary of Commerce, Joe Taylor
August 20, 2008MidlandsBiz:Where were you born and raised? Joe Taylor:I was born at Providence Hospital right here in Columbia, South Carolina. I was raised here, went to Wofford College, came back home…
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Katherine Hubbard, Chief Administrative Officer for Lexington County
August 12, 2008MidlandsBiz:What general interest and business books would you recommend? Katherine Hubbard:I loved reading Good to Great by Jim Collins on a lot of different levels – one of the Good…
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Mike Dawson of the River Alliance
July 23, 2008MidlandsBiz:When was the River Alliance formed? Mike Dawson:The River Alliance started as a fallout of a Chamber intra-city visit in 1994. We took two busloads of visitors to the Riverbanks…
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Pamela Lackey, President, AT&T South Carolina Operations
May 26, 2008MidlandsBiz: When did you become state President for AT&T? Pamela Lackey:I took over the leadership role on October 1, 2007. MidlandsBiz:Where were you born and raised? What is your educational…
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Ken Trogdon, CEO of CommuniCare
May 7, 2008MidlandsBiz:What is the big idea behind CommuniCare? Ken Trogdon:CommuniCare takes an entrepreneurial approach in a non-profit world; providing an innovative solution for those who cannot afford the prescription medications they…
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Deepal Eliatamby, President of Alliance Consulting Engineers
April 12, 2008MidlandsBiz:The economy does not seem to be doing well, yet you are hiring engineers. Deepal Eliatamby:Despite what may or may not be happening out there, engineering is part of the…
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Reverend Blaney Pridgen III, Rector of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Irmo
March 25, 2008MidlandsBiz:What is the mission of St. Mary’s? Blaney Pridgen:The mission of any Christian Church is to know Christ and to make Christ known. To know Christ means worship, living in…
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Hunter Howard, President of the South Carolina State Chamber of Commerce
March 8, 2008MidlandsBiz:How has the role of the State Chamber evolved over the past decade? Hunter Howard:We changed our vision three years ago to reflect the evolving dynamics of the economy here…
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Don Tomlin, President of Tomlin & Company
February 5, 2008
MidlandsBiz: You are well known in town, but people don’t seem to know much about you. Do you intentionally try to stay out of the spotlight? Don Tomlin: Luckily I…
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Chuck Beaman, CEO of Palmetto Health
January 23, 2008MidlandsBiz:Describe a key event in your formative years that helped develop your skills as a manager? Chuck Beaman:After completing an undergraduate degree in political science here at USC, I received…
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John Denise of Advanced Automation Consulting
January 9, 2008MidlandsBiz:What is the big idea behind Advanced Automation Consulting (AAC)? John Denise:I’m not so sure that we really had a big idea; it might actually be the oldest idea in…
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Dr. Sonny White, President of Midlands Technical College
November 25, 2007MidlandsBiz:Tell us a little about your educational background. Sonny White:I am originally from York County, just south of Rock Hill. I attended Rock Hill High School and went on to…
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Tobin Cassels, President of Southeastern Freight Lines
November 3, 2007MidlandsBiz:Talk a little about the early history of Southeastern Freight Lines (SEFL). Who started the company? Tobin Cassels:Southeastern was started by my grandfather, Toby Cassels. My grandfather and another man…
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Steve Benjamin of the law firm McAngus Goudelock and Courie, LLC
October 18, 2007MidlandsBiz:Recently you decided to join the law firm of McAngus Goudelock and Courie. Why give up your own practice and join another firm? Steve Benjamin:It’s great to have your own…
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Frank Lourie of Lourie's
September 26, 2007MidlandsBiz:Your oldest son is getting married. Frank Lourie:Yes, my oldest boy is getting married in Alabama. My wife, Susan, and I went down and visited there in July to find…
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Tommy Suggs, President of KeenanSuggs Insurance
August 30, 2007MidlandsBiz:How do you balance the demands of running a business and also being the voice of the Gamecocks? Tommy Suggs:Todd Ellis is really the voice of the Gamecocks since he…
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USC Athletic Director Eric Hyman
August 16, 2007MidlandsBiz: Improvements to the facilities here at USC are an important part of your vision. Why? Eric Hyman: Universities across the country are improving their facilities. You want to make…
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Dr. Karen Woodward, Superintendent of Lexington One
August 4, 2007MidlandsBiz: What is your background in education? Dr. Karen Woodward: I have an undergraduate degree in history and English and education. I have been a teacher, a school administrator, an…
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U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins
July 10, 2007MidlandsBiz:From politician to diplomat. How do you like serving your country as a diplomat? David Wilkins:Being Ambassador to Canada from the United States is a great privilege. It’s been an…
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Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell
June 25, 2007MidlandsBiz: Recently you were named by Southern Business & Development magazine as one the Top 10 People Who Made a Difference. Congratulations. You were also described as a politician who…
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Mayor Bob Coble.
June 24, 2007MidlandsBiz:What is your vision for Columbia? Bob Coble:These are exciting times for Colombia. If I could focus on one thing it would be to have Columbia enter into the knowledge-based…
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Bud Tibshrany of Time Warner Cable
June 11, 2007MidlandsBiz:The General Assembly recently passed a resolution honoring your service to the local community. What was your reaction? Bud Tibshrany:I was surprised and honored. The author of the resolution, Representative…
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Hugh Weathers: The Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture
June 8, 2007MidlandsBiz: Commissioner, what is your vision for the Department of Agriculture? Hugh Weathers:We want to be on par with the other agencies that promote the economy of South Carolina. The Department…
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Venture Capitalist Larry Wilson
May 14, 2007MidlandsBiz: Larry, where does this region need to focus its efforts in order to better compete in a global economy? Larry Wilson:When you look at where Columbia can develop its economic…
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Entrepreneur Mike DuBose
April 26, 2007April 26, 2007 MidlandsBiz: Mike, you are an entrepreneur. How do you define that word? Mike DuBose: Webster defines an entrepreneur as a person who organizes and manages…
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