A Conversation with Pamela Eyring, Owner & Director of the Protocol School of Washington
September 28, 2009MidlandsBiz: What’s your background? Born and raised? And how did you come to Columbia? Pamela Eyring:I was born in Ottawa, Ontario; my father was in the military and worked for…
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Sonya Kosta Di Nova, President of Transcon Trading Company
September 1, 2009MidlandsBiz:What is the core business of Transon Trading Company? Sonya Kosta Di Nova: Transon opens distribution channels for U.S. manufacturers looking to sell their high quality products in various marketplaces…
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John Darby, President and CEO of The Beach Company
August 26, 2009MidlandsBiz:Discuss the origins of the company. John Darby:The Beach Company was founded in 1945 by my grandfather, JC Long. It all began with the purchase of the Isle of Palms. …
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John Darby, President and CEO of The Beach Company
August 23, 2009LowcountyBizSC:Discuss the origins of the company. John Darby:The Beach Company was founded in 1945 by my grandfather, JC Long. It all began with the purchase of the Isle of Palms. …
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Dr. Jay Moskowitz, President & CEO of Health Sciences South Carolina
August 11, 2009MidlandsBiz:What is your educational and professional background? How did you become President and CEO of Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC)? Jay Moskowitz:I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Queens…
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Dr. Jay Moskowitz, President & CEO of Health Sciences South Carolina
August 6, 2009MidlandsBiz:What is your educational and professional background? How did you become President and CEO of Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC)? Jay Moskowitz:I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Queens…
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Dr. Jay Moskowitz, President & CEO of Health Sciences South Carolina
August 5, 2009MidlandsBiz:What is your educational and professional background? How did you become President and CEO of Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC)? Jay Moskowitz:I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Queens…
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Cheryl Holland, President of Abacus Planning Group
July 28, 2009MidlandsBiz:What is your educational background? Cheryl Holland:I was raised in South Carolina and did my undergraduate work in economics at Bryn Mawr, a liberal arts, women’s college in Philadelphia. MidlandsBiz:Why…
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Cheryl Holland, President of Abacus Planning Group
July 22, 2009MidlandsBiz:What is your educational background? Cheryl Holland:I was raised in South Carolina and did my undergraduate work in economics at Bryn Mawr, a liberal arts, women’s college in Philadelphia. MidlandsBiz:Why…
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Jeff Becraft, Executive Director of Youth Corps
July 13, 2009MidlandsBiz: What is Youth Corps? Jeff Becraft: Youth Corps is a leadership development experience for high school students here in Richland & Lexington Counties (the Midlands). Each year, thirty-six outstanding…
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Leighton Lord, Chairman of Nexsen Pruet
June 4, 2009BY: Alan Cooper, Publisher, MidlandsBiz MidlandsBiz:How is the economy affecting your law firm and law firms in general? Leighton Lord:As a whole, Nexsen Pruet is doing well. Some practice areas…
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Leighton Lord, Chairman of Nexsen Pruet
June 2, 2009MidlandsBiz:How is the economy affecting your law firm and law firms in general? Leighton Lord:As a whole, Nexsen Pruet is doing well. Some practice areas are down, but others are…
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Tammy Ferris, President of Gene Love Plumbing, Air & Electrical
May 20, 2009MidlandsBiz:Where were you born? What is your educational background? Tammy Ferris:I was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina and attended university where I earned a degree in something totally different from…
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Terry Brown, CEO of Edens & Avant
April 22, 2009LowcountryBizSC:What is your core business? Terry Brown:We are a national shopping center company with a focus on large urban markets along the Eastern Seaboard. LowcountryBizSC:What is the business model? Do…
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A Conversation with Representative Nikki Haley – Accountant, Business Owner
April 9, 2009Interview October 2007 MidlandsBiz: Speak a little about the the history of Exotica International, Inc. Nikki Haley: My parents came here from India – my father with a PhD and…
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Mike Briggs, President & CEO of the Central SC Alliance
April 1, 2009MidlandsBiz:What is the mission of the Alliance? Mike Briggs: We are in the business of attracting jobs and capital investment to the center part of the state of South Carolina. …
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John Hassell, Interim President and CEO, South Carolina State Ports Authority
March 31, 2009LowcountryBiz: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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Scott Middleton, CEO of Agape Senior Community
March 25, 2009MidlandsBiz:What is your educational background? Scott Middleton:I completed an undergraduate degree in accounting at Winthrop before going to seminary and doing a Masters of Divinity at Emory. I preached at…
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Jim DeMint, U.S. Senator, South Carolina
March 24, 2009MidlandsBiz: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 basically raised by…
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Dr. Harris Pastides, President of the University of South Carolina
March 16, 2009MidlandsBiz:You came on board as President last summer at the beginning of all the news in the national economy? How is the university being affected by the economic downturn? Harris…
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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, Exective 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…
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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, 2009MidlandsBiz: 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, 2008MidlandsBiz: 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, 2008MidlandsBiz: 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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