Pilot Travel Center Celebrates Remodeling with Ribbon Cutting

Pilot Travel Center in Florence has undergone a complete renovation just in time for Labor Day weekend. The store is off I-95 on North Williston Road.

The event was celebrated with a ribbon cutting with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and its ambassadors on Friday, September 2nd. The Pilot Company also presented a $20,000 check to Florence 1 School District for its video game design course and robotics program.

Chris Rogers and Greg Hall were on hand to accept the ceremonial check during the ribbon cutting for the school district. Rogers is director of STEM education for Florence 1 Schools. Hall is assistant superintendent of Florence 1 Schools.

Rogers said the contribution from Pilot Company will help with the robotics program at Williams Middle School, providing robotics kits. Some of the funding will be used to start a new video design course in the high schools, he said.

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Donnie’s Clearing and Grading Company Joins Florence Chamber

A ribbon cutting was held in the James Allen Plaza Dargan Street to celebrate Donnie’s Clearing and Grading Company joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Donnie Fulton is owner, and he cut the ribbon on Thursday, September 1st while he was joined by family, friends, chamber staff and ambassadors.

Fulton has been in this type of business for more than 20 years. He primarily clears trees for housing developments and other businesses. He is based in Florence but works mainly in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area.

Fulton works alone but is hoping to grow his business in the Florence area and hire more employees.

Fulton was in the construction business when he decided he wanted to go into business for himself. Fulton said he was tired of 12-hour shifts and wanted to be able to spend more time with his six children.

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HopeHealth Offers Free Grief and Stress Seminars

HopeHealth’s behavioral health department is offering free seminars on grief and stress, providing outlets for participant support and discussion. The courses function in an educational style, rather than as a support group; participants are not required to share personal feelings.

Both classes are led by Georgann O’Quinn, LPC, NCC, BCC. Pre-registration is required, with seating limited to 20 attendees. COVID-19 precautions continue, with masks required and social distancing observed.

The Good Grief seminar is a 3-hour educational course for anyone dealing with the transition of death, chronic illness, terminal illness, trauma, divorce, job loss, career change, retirement, and/or relocation. The seminar may prove helpful for individuals dealing with grief directly, as well as for those supporting others through the grief process. Good Grief features an informal classroom-style lecture setup, with handouts provided and time allotted for questions and answers.

The next Good Grief seminars will be held at the HopeHealth Medical Plaza (360 N. Irby Street) in Florence on Wednesday, September 14 from 2-5 pm, as well as Monday, September 19 from 9am-12pm, and Saturday, October 1 from 2-5 pm.  The seminar will also be held at the HopeHealth on Pine Needles Road location (3380 Pine Needles Rd.) in Florence on Friday, October 7 from 1-4pm.

To register, or to receive additional course dates, call (843) 413-3245 and ask for Hannah McCutcheon.

Florence and Hartsville Chamber Members Voice Their Concerns at Grassroots Luncheon

The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce joined to present the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Annual Grassroots Tour on Wednesday, September 7th.

This year’s luncheon meeting was held at the Darlington Raceway Media Center and engaged those attending in a survey.

Each year, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce partners with regional chambers of commerce throughout state to present the S.C. Chamber’s Alliance Grassroots Tour to share a state legislative update for area businesses.

The interactive luncheon offers the state and local chambers an opportunity to hear from local business and industry around the state regarding state legislative issues and business concerns.

The State Chamber’s Director of Government Affairs, Will Frierson, said they have made nine stops so far. Before the tour is over 46 local chambers will be heard from at 23 stops.

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Governor Declares September Workforce Development Month in South Carolina

On Wednesday, September 7th, Governor Henry McMaster joined the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (SCDEW), the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance (SCMA), and Michelin North America at the Michelin Tire Plant in Lexington, SC, to officially declare September as Workforce Development Month in South Carolina. SC Chamber President and CEO Bob Morgan spoke on the state’s workforce challenges and future at the proclamation press conference.

SCWORKS and SCDEW are hosting and promoting events for job seekers and employers throughout the month of September in honor of Workforce Development Month. Visit their pages to check the events available to you.

View an excerpt of his remarks here.

“Wage Inflation” and “Job Switching” Remain Challenges for Employers

As employers continue to face a tight labor market, “wage inflation” and “job switching” continue to impact employers’ ability to recruit and retain employees. Recent quarterly data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that total wage and benefits costs for employers in the Southeast rose by 5.8% from 2021 levels.

Additional data published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta showed that while overall total wage growth rose by 6.7% in July 2022, wage growth for “job switchers” grew by 8.5% compared to 5.9% for “job stayers” which is the largest gap in decades. The data underscores the challenge employers face in the current labor market as both job-seeking individuals and existing employees have high levels of leverage when negotiating wages or requesting raises, given the record number of job openings in the United States and South Carolina. “Job switching” remains high in both the U.S. and in S.C., with data showing that nearly 4.2 million U.S. workers left their jobs in July, and nearly 82,000 S.C. workers left their jobs in June – the second highest number on record.

For more information, click here.

Free Seminar: Doing Business with Local Government

Join the City of Florence as they host a Doing Business with Local Government Seminar on Thursday, October 20th beginning at 9:00 AM at the City Center.  The purpose of this event is to increase minority participation in the local government procurement process. Kindly RSVP by October 14th.

For more information or to register, click here.

Young Professionals of Florence to Host Lunch & Learn – This Thursday

Join the Young Professionals of Florence as they host their next Lunch and Learn this Thursday, September 15th, from 12:00 – 1:00 PM at the Hyatt Place. Enjoy a delicious taco bar while Regi Armstrong with Armstrong Wealth talks about inflation to the group.

To register or for more information, click here.

Blessings Beyond Blessings Joins Florence Chamber

Blessings Beyond Blessings Homecare celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, September 8th with a ribbon cutting. Owner Iris Robinson cut the ribbon. She was joined by family, friends, and Chamber staff and ambassadors.

A home health care service, Blessings Beyond Blessings is in the Gould Business Incubator Center Room 137 at SiMT, 1951 Pisgah Road.

“I love people, I am excited for this moment,” Robinson said. “I thank God. With God you can do anything.”

Robinson said she encourages other not to give up on their dream or their passion.

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Protect Your Period Joins Florence Chamber

Protect Your Period held a ribbon cutting in the James Allen Plaza on Wednesday, September 7th celebrating joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. Tonya Goines, product awareness ambassador, cut the ribbon. She was joined by Chamber staff and ambassadors.

Since February of this year, Goines has been a retailer for Reign Premium Sanitary Napkins. Goines said the product offers women a not-toxic alternative that may help reduce infections, cramps and clots. Reign pads are infused with “graphene.”

As a retailer for the company, Goines said she wants to introduce her product to Florence and the surrounding area and to sell the Reign product to companies, nonprofits and individuals. She said this product is not sold in stores but online.

“I would like to serve retailers and all women and girls,” she said.

To read the full story, click here.