The “hollowing” of the middle class?
January 11, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson We’ll be hearing a lot about the middle class in the coming months. That’s one sure bet for 2016, as both parties compete for votes.…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Obsessed with guns
January 11, 2016
By Kathleen Parker It is axiomatic that congressional Republicans will oppose anything smacking of “gun control,” which may as well be read as “Your mama.” Thus, it comes as…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
The Affordable Care Act brings change for employers in 2016
January 7, 2016
By Molly A. Thomas, RP® Becoming familiar with the proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act and its rules and regulations will help employers understand how the Affordable Care…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: banking-and-finance, headlines, health-care
Grilled Salmon with Balsamic Glaze
January 7, 2016
By Kay MacInnis With the New Year, most of us have a few resolutions that we have set for ourselves. However, more than half of us give up on…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: food, headlines, life
When It Rains, It Pours: Disaster Management Lessons from South Carolina’s Catastrophic Floods
January 6, 2016
By Mike DuBose and Blake DuBose Disasters can happen to anyone at any time. Both organizations and homeowners learned this painful lesson in the first few days of October…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: headlines
Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina to deliver Republican Address following State of the Union
January 6, 2016
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) will deliver the Republican Address to the Nation following the State of…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: government, headlines, on-the-move
Construction in the Upstate – The Comeback Kid
January 5, 2016
By Keith Smith Everyone knows how hard the construction industry was hit by the economic downturn in 2008. Jobs were lost. Companies went bankrupt. Development stalled. It wasn’t just…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: construction, headlines, on-the-move
City Manager’s Spotlight – January 2016
January 4, 2016
By Teresa Wilson The City Manager’s Spotlight provides details about what is happening in the City of Columbia in an effort to keep citizens informed about City operations. The…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: government, headlines, on-the-move
Rising Costs and Limited Options for Columbia Office Tenants
January 4, 2016
Research & Forecast Report Q4 2015 COLUMBIA | OFFICE Key Takeaways The Columbia, South Carolina office market ended 2015 with positive absorption for the quarter and the year, increased…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: construction, headlines, on-the-move
How Trump does it
January 4, 2016
By Robert J. Samuelson Welcome to what I’ve called “the politics of self-esteem.” By this, I mean that increasing numbers of people, on both the right and left and…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Can we talk?
January 4, 2016
By Kathleen Parker When President Obama addressed the nation following the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, he reiterated the call to resist animus toward Muslims. This was a familiar…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Top Ten SC Leaders in 2015
December 29, 2015
By Alan Cooper Publisher, MidlandsBiz The following is a recap of comments that I made on the South Carolina Business Review with Mike Switzer. It has been an…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
‘Liftoff’ at the Fed
December 28, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson Barring an unforeseen calamity, the Federal Reserve will raise short-term interest rates this week. Among Fed watchers, this is known as “liftoff.” The analogy is…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Women in combat put men at risk
December 28, 2015
By Kathleen Parker Crickets. This was the sound of America reacting to news earlier this month that all military positions, including ground combat, will be opened to women. It…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Giving and Receiving: Brightening Minds and the Holiday Season
December 21, 2015
By Dr. Brenda Mack-Foxworth This is the time of year for giving and receiving. At Ridge View High School we are enjoying some fruits of our labor, and we’re…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: education, headlines
9 Tips: Financial safety online
December 17, 2015
By Stephen J. Scott We continue to hear about major retailers and governments having large data breaches. Security threats are growing as we continue to spend more of our…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: banking-and-finance, headlines
Columbia City Council and Junior League Move Ahead on Roy Lynch Park
December 16, 2015
By Temple Ligon Columbia City Council met at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 15. Under the heading “CONSIDERATIONS OF BIDS AND AGREEMENTS” No. 19 was to approve the purchase of…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: government, headlines, on-the-move
Holiday Office Etiquette
December 16, 2015
By Brian Maynor When it comes to mixing work with food and gifts there are some special rules you need to remember. It’s been long established that sharing a…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, headlines
The multinational tax muddle
December 14, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson Whoever wins the White House next year will have to deal with an issue of almost-impenetrable complexity and contentiousness: How to tax multinational companies? On…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
The few, the foolish
December 14, 2015
By Kathleen Parker As the Islamic State amped up attacks around the world, the Pentagon responded by bravely announcing that American women will now be put in direct ground…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Wordless News
December 11, 2015By Maria Fabrizio The story here: Assisted reproduction for dogs may yield benefits for their species and ours Wordless News is a project by illustrator + designer Maria…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, life
16 Customers Whose Business You Don’t Want
December 7, 2015
By Mike DuBose and Blake DuBose Whether you are part of the retail, wholesale, or service spheres, any business leader, owner, or employee who deals regularly with customers knows…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, headlines
Generational warfare, anyone?
December 7, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson An enduring puzzle of our politics is why there isn’t more generational conflict. By all rights, younger Americans should be resentful. Not only have they…
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The pathology of Trump-itis
December 7, 2015
By Kathleen Parker Surely he’s finally gone and done it now. Donald Trump, insulter extraordinaire, was bound to cross a line too far. Two days before Thanksgiving, he made…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
GOD AND FAITH
December 5, 2015
A Review: From Pearl Harbor to Calvary By W. Thomas Smith Jr. A few days before the 74th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks, I was introduced to…
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Wordless News
December 5, 2015By Maria Fabrizio The story here: The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year Wordless News is a project by…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, life
SCDOT reviews flood damage & costs with SCDOT Commission
December 3, 2015
Interim SCDOT Secretary Christy A. Hall reported the damage costs to South Carolina’s Highway System as a result of the 1,000 year flood stands at $137 million. Of that $137…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: government, headlines, on-the-move, transportation
EngenuitySC Midlands Regional Competitiveness Report
December 3, 2015
At a gathering of EngenuitySC board members and stakeholders on Dec. 3, 2015, founding co-chair Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, S.C. and chair Keith Shah, Assistant VP at BlueCross BlueShield…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: headlines, on-the-move
City Council meets
December 2, 2015
By Temple Ligon Columbia City Council last Tuesday, December 1st, held its work session in the afternoon and its regular meeting that evening, both in City Hall. The big…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: government, headlines
Crazy is as crazy does
November 30, 2015
By Kathleen Parker One week, Beirut and Paris; the next week, Mali. The nightmare is young. Where next? The pace and threat of terror seem to have picked up,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Education is Key to Financial Health
November 30, 2015
By Curtis M. Loftis, Jr. South Carolina State Treasurer As State Treasurer, I believe that achieving a strong financial future for our children is crucial to achieving a strong…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: education, government, headlines, op-ed
For thin-skinned students, we have nobody to blame but ourselves
November 28, 2015
By Kathleen Parker It would be easy to call protesting college students crybabies and brats for pitching hissy fits over hurt feelings, but this likely would lead to such…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Why Fannie and Freddie survived
November 23, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson One of the most interesting and uncovered stories these days is the survival of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the giant housing entities created…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
True Trump
November 23, 2015
By Kathleen Parker DES MOINES, Iowa – You can’t drive far in these parts without seeing Ben Carson on a billboard, looking more like a man of the cloth…
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Charles Felsberg of AMCOL Systems receives an award
November 18, 2015
COLUMBIA, SC – Charles Felsberg, Auditing Manager of AMCOL Systems, Inc. has received a LISTEN 2015 Award at the recent LISTEN 2015 conference held in Tampa, FL. LISTEN is the…
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The war against ExxonMobil
November 15, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson If you care about free speech, you should pay attention to the campaign now being waged against ExxonMobil. More than 50 environmental and civil rights…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Bushes unleashed
November 15, 2015
By Kathleen Parker If the truth sets us free, then Bush family members should be warbling from rooftops. At least one Bush, patriarch George H.W. Bush, has been singing…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
National Defense Briefs
November 13, 2015By W. Thomas Smith Jr. NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, military
National Defense Briefs
November 13, 2015
By W. Thomas Smith Jr. NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates,…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, military
5 reasons HR outsourcing makes sense for your small business
November 12, 2015
By Matt Vaadi Your two most valuable resources as a small business owner are time and money. If you are wasting either of these valuable assets, you are doing…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: employment, headlines
S.C.’s military culture and the Oct. flood
November 10, 2015By Brig. Gen. (P) Thomas S. Mullikin Years ago, reading Pat Conroy’s best-selling novel, The Lords of Discipline, I was struck by the single line – “No Southern man…
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S.C.’s military culture and the Oct. flood
November 10, 2015
By Brig. Gen. (P) Thomas S. Mullikin Years ago, reading Pat Conroy’s best-selling novel, The Lords of Discipline, I was struck by the single line – “No Southern man…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: headlines
17 Ways Leaders Ruin Their Teams
November 9, 2015
By Mike DuBose with Blake DuBose When great teams and strong leaders come together, they can produce truly amazing results. Dedicated employees and caring supervisors work passionately toward common…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: advice, headlines
The coming middle-class tax increase
November 8, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson There is no tooth fairy. Republicans and Democrats take note. Taxes will surely continue to play a big role in the presidential campaign. The Republicans…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Clash of the Floridians
November 8, 2015
By Kathleen Parker Soon after Wednesday night’s Republican debate, the phone rang: “Did the fat lady sing?” asked the voice on the other end. “Probably,” I said. Meaning, it…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc Category: headlines, op-ed
Construction firms add 31,000 workers in October
November 8, 2015
Construction Employment Now at Highest Level since February 2009 as Sector Continues to Recover, But Worker Shortages Threaten to Undermine Future Growth, Officials Caution Construction firms added 31,000 workers…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: employment, headlines, on-the-move
Buses
November 4, 2015
By Temple Ligon In early 1990, I announced my candidacy for mayor here in Columbia. My main issue was the bus system, then run by SCE&G under an agreement…
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Debunking offshore drilling in South Carolina
November 4, 2015
By Terry Munson The second worst thing that could happen to Georgetown County on the energy front is to have no oil/natural gas jobs materialize. The very worst thing…
Read MorePosted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz Category: environmental, headlines, on-the-move, op-ed
Grading the budget deal
November 4, 2015
By Robert J. Samuelson Give it a B-minus. The budget deal reached by congressional leaders has much to recommend it. Its biggest virtue, assuming it’s passed by Congress and…
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Richland County Month in Review: October
November 2, 2015
The following are highlights from Richland County Government in October: Unprecedented flooding devastated much of Richland County, and South Carolina, at the beginning of October. Washed out roads and breached…
Read MorePosted in: midlandsbiz Category: government, headlines, on-the-move
