In The Know
Hope Ball Returns In Spring
The Hope Ball will celebrate its 40th year in Greenville on April 26.
The glamorous gala is held every other year and organized by 30 volunteers from Neighborhood Cancer Connection, formerly The Cancer Society of Greenville County.
The event will be at The 405 Venue, 405 Westfield Street in Greenville, with catering by Table 301. More than 600 people are expected to attend.
The Hope Ball aims to raise $750,000 to support the Neighborhood Cancer Connection’s operating budget for two years. It is the organization’s largest fundraiser. Proceeds go toward financial aid, counseling, nutrition, equipment and other support services for local cancer patients.
“Cancer can be an incredibly lonely and difficult experience,” said Lisa Colby, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Cancer Connection. “We wanted to create a service that blends practical and emotional support and to make sure that support was available right around the corner.”
“The Hope Ball will be an evening filled with laughter, comradery, and a sense of purpose,” said Brandi Ariail, Hope Ball Chairperson. “Every dollar raised, every gesture of kindness and every moment shared allows the Neighborhood Cancer Connection to continue its good work.”
Gastroenterology Associates is the presenting sponsor. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For additional information, call the Neighborhood Cancer Connection at (864) 232-8439 or go to www.nccgreenville.org
Spinx Co. Named A Top Place For Women Workers
Spinx Co., headquartered in Greenville, has been ranked seventh on the list of Great Places to Work in the United States for women.
Earlier this year, Spinx was certified as a 2023 Great Place To Work award. The award is based on surveys of current employees. Companies must be certified through Fortune; enough women must respond to the survey; and they must give positive responses.
Great Place To Work assesses workplace culture, employee experience, leadership, employee retention and innovation.
“We are very proud of this high ranking through Great Place to Work,” said President and CEO, Steve Spinks. At Spinx, 56% of the team is female, and 46% of the management team is female, he said.
Spinx was founded in 1972 in Greenville. It operates more than 80 convenience retail stores across the Carolinas.
Greyrock Accounting Firm Names New Shareholder
Greyrock Accounting in Greenville has promoted Elizabeth Campbell from Senior Director of Tax Services to Shareholder.
Campbell is a registered CPA. She has more than 12 years of experience in the accounting industry. In her five years with Greyrock, Campbell has played an integral role in the firm’s growth and its tax services team, according to a statement.
Founded in 2008, Greyrock offers accounting, tax, and financial advisory services to individuals and businesses.
“Elizabeth’s leadership, personality, heart for our people and our clients, and her work over the past five years have made it obvious that … she is more than deserving of this promotion,” said Scott Wigginton, Greyrock’s founder and President.
Share Warmth Of Winterwear At Mast General, Greenville
The Mast General Store in Greenville is partnering with Columbia Sportswear for this year’s Share the Warmth campaign.
During November, Mast Store is collecting gently used coats, jackets, sweaters and blankets. Columbia has already donated to the 18th annual effort.
“Making the switch from summer to winter, I always find a jacket or two that is in perfectly good condition, but may not ‘spark joy,’” said Lisa Cooper, President of Mast Store.
Mast General is working with local organizations to give that item of clothing to someone who needs and appreciates it. Children’s and youth sizes and larger adult sizes (XXL and larger) are most needed. But all sizes are accepted. Clean jackets, coats, sweaters and blankets can be dropped off at the Mast Store in Downtown Greenville, 111 North Main Street.
Mast Helps Friends Of Reedy
Mast General Store in Greenville recently provided funds to Friends of the Reedy River. A donation of 10% of one day’s sales was made.
For 30 years, Friends of the Reedy River has worked to improve the health of the river and its watershed by reporting pollution and failing streambanks and promoting floodplain improvements, environmentally sustainable urban development, and volunteer-driven river cleanups.
Richmond Auctions Presents John Wayne Family Collections
Richmond Auctions in Greenville will hold its Firearms & Sportsman’s Auction on Nov. 18. The event will include the one-of-a-kind John Wayne Family Collection. Each of the firearms bears a unique serial number corresponding to John Wayne's children.
The auction will include hunting, fishing and shooting advertising; antique fishing lures; engraved shotguns, rifles and handguns.
“Being the first to bring an original John Wayne family-issued Colt 3 revolver set to market is extremely exciting,” said Jordan Richmond, owner and founder of Richmond Auctions.
Detailed information and high-resolution images of the auction items are available for review on the Richmond Firearms website (richmondfirearms.com). This event will be open to both in-person and online bidders. Bidders are encouraged to register in advance on the Richmond Firearms website to streamline the bidding process.
Jordan Richmond has over 10 years of experience in the antique advertising business.
KIND Of The Upstate Adds The Rock It! CEO To Board
KIND of the Upstate has added Leah Stoudenmire of The Rock It! Co. to its board of directors.
KIND of the Upstate is a nonprofit dedicated to teaching young children to accept and nurture their peers who may have differences and disabilities. The organization provides educational material to schools to start conversations among children, parents and educators about the importance of being kind to others and to understand that everyone has different abilities.
Stoudenmire founded The Rock It! Co. in 2014. The marketing and events agency plans and manages in-person conferences, virtual conferences, sales incentive trips and experiences for companies. Rock It! added a Greenville office this spring.
Stoudenmire’s father, who spent decades in education as a teacher and principal, was honored with the Order of the Palmetto for his work.
Rock It! Adds Events Manager
The Rock It! Co. in Greenville has hired Jennifer Cheung Cline as its events manager.
For the past 12 years, Cline has been with a national firm, Destination Management Co., where she planned and managed thousands of events.
From startups to large corporations, The Rock It! Co. has partnered with companies nationwide to deliver marketing solutions, content, email marketing, social media, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, product launches and website design.
Carolina Handling Recognized
Carolina Handling has been named a Top Overall Sales Organization by RepVue and received seven Reppy Awards for the second half of 2023.
RepVue is an online platform for B2B sales professionals and collects data from almost 20,000 users. Companies that score well are eligible to receive Reppys.
Carolina Handling was recognized for Top Overall Sales, Top Overall for Professional Development, and its Incentive Comp Structure. It also was named a Top 20 organization for Culture and Leadership, Product-Market Fit, and Inbound Lead/Opportunity Flow.
Carolina Handling is the exclusive provider of Raymond lift trucks in the region. Founded in 1966, the company is a provider of material handling solutions.
Headquartered in Charlotte, the company has offices in Atlanta, Birmingham, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Greenville. It has an equipment distribution center in Piedmont. The company has more than 750 associates.
November Well Walkers Dates
Bon Secours St. Francis Health System and the Bon Secours Wellness Arena have announced November dates for their Well Walkers program.
Dates are Nov. 16, Nov. 28 and Nov. 30.
The arena concourse will be open those days from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each loop around the concourse is a quarter mile. Well Walkers is free, and no registration is required. Free parking for Well Walkers is provided in the VIP lot at the arena, located off Church Street.
Books for Less Opens Facility
Books for Less, a wholesale book distributor, will open a warehouse distribution operation in Oconee County. The $3.9 million investment will create 20 jobs.
Headquartered in Bridgeton, New Jersey, Books for Less sells deeply discounted overstock books from publishers and bookstores. The company is repurposing a 190,000-square-foot facility. Operations are expected to begin in early 2024. Books for Less has an existing warehouse distribution facility in Easley.
Trammell & Mills Law Firm Hosts ‘Tigers For Tatas’ Event
Trammell & Mills Law Firm in Anderson, in partnership with WCCP 105.5 The Roar, recently sponsored a “Tigers for Tatas” fundraising event for breast cancer awareness and prevention.
Donations will benefit cancer research through Dabo and Kathleen Swinney’s All-In Team Foundation.
“We’re honored to host this annual event to raise funds for breast cancer research and prevention,” said Ernie Trammell, founding partner at Trammell & Mills. “This is personal for my law partner, Trey Mills, and me because we’re both cancer survivors.”
Trammell founded the Trammell Law Firm in 1996 to provide representation in personal injury and workers’ compensation claims. He hired Mills in 2005, and they formed Trammell & Mills Law Firm LLC in 2011.
Businesses Asked To Take Survey
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and the S.C. Chamber of Commerce conducts a monthly Palmetto Business Barometer Survey that allows large and small businesses to share their opinions with state government leaders and policymakers. The survey is brief and easy to submit.
Owners or managers can fill out the survey. Answers are confidential. Go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NovemberPBBSurvey.
Ground Broken For Affordable Housing
The Greenville Housing Fund, Schaumber Development and Douglas Development have broken ground on an 88-unit affordable apartment community.
The Riley at Overbrook, located on Lowndes Hill Road, is available to renters earning less than 60% of the area's median income. Nineteen of the units will be affordable to households earning 30% or less of the area’s median income.
Housing vouchers make the level of affordability possible, said Bryan Brown, President and CEO of the Greenville Housing Fund. A three-member family earning under $25,000 annually will be able to afford an apartment at The Riley, he said.
Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months.
The Greenville Housing Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for affordable neighborhoods across Greenville’s diverse communities. Private sector partners in the Riley project are Schaumber Development and Douglas Development.
BASF Converse Aids Spartanburg Vikings
The BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions site in Converse has made donations to the Benjamin E. Mays Community Center and the Spartanburg High School Vikings Football Team.
The site donated $1,000 to the Spartanburg High School Vikings REFINED program. REFINED stands for Redeemed, Empowered, Finish, Integrity, uNflinchable, Embolden and Deliberate. The program provides mental, physical, academic, professional, personal and psychological support to young athletes.
The site also donated $1,500 to Pacolet’s Benjamin E. Mays Family Resource Center, which supports education; workforce training; wellness; and families.
BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions works with automotive, aerospace, indoor air quality, semiconductors and hydrogen industries.
CFP Honored By Forbes
The Greenville Northwestern Mutual office has announced that Jay Hatten, a certified financial planner with McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors, has been named one of Forbes’ 2023 Top Financial Security Professionals Best-In-State for the second year in a row.
The list is comprised of high-performing insurance professionals.
Other partners in the business are Thomas Willcox, Mark Clary and Dave Ellison. Hatten began his career in the Greenville Northwestern Mutual office in 2002 and joined McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors as Partner and Private Wealth Advisor in 2020.
Candidates for the honor are nominated by their firms; each nominee is vetted, interviewed, and assigned a ranking by SHOOK Research.
Northwestern Mutual Names New Director
The Greenville Northwestern Mutual office has promoted Claire Bray to Growth and Development Director for the firm’s Greenville and Spartanburg offices. Bray also serves as the Executive Director of Recruitment.
She will also be responsible for recruiting financial representatives and mentoring advisors.
Bray joined Northwestern Mutual’s Greenville office in 2017 as a recruiter. She was named Northwestern Mutual’s 2022 Recruiter of the Year. She is also a member of United Way of Greenville County’s Young Leaders Society and the Women United Council.
Builders, Landowners Help Habitat Greenville
Teams from Fitch Irick Corp. and Creative Builders Inc. continued work recently on several houses in a neighborhood being created by Habitat for Humanity of Greenville.
The homes on Sturtevant Street in the Bramlett community sit on 1.7 acres donated in 2021 by Fitch Irick and Creative Builders.
“Land donation is one of the keys for future growth and keeping housing prices down,” said Monroe Free, President and CEO of Habitat Greenville. Land prices are an obstacle for Habitat Greenville and other affordable housing advocates, he said.
Fitch Irick and Creative Builders donated the land after developing The Assembly Apartments, said Hollis Fitch, CEO of Fitch Irick Corp. One parcel of land was not used and was donated to Habitat.
Both firms also agreed to help build four of the nine houses in the Habitat neighborhood. Creative Builders is a long-time Habitat Greenville supporter.
Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County was founded in 1985 to bring families, community partners, and volunteers together to construct affordable, energy-efficient homes for families that need them. Habitat Greenville has completed 405 homes.
Creative Builders was founded by William H. “Billy” McCauley II in 1971 as a general contractor in Greenville. The company is now licensed in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee. It has offices in Greenville and Charleston.
Fitch Irick Corp. was formed in 2014 by Hollis Fitch and Charlie Irick to develop affordable housing in the Southeast. The firm now also manages property and assets.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: In The Know
