Leadership Florence Class of 2024 Held Its November Session

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The Florence Chamber’s Leadership Florence class of 2024 held its November session, Healthcare Day.

The 33 member class heard from several local healthcare organizations, which included visits to McLeod Regional Medical Center, Encompass Health, MUSC Health Florence, HopeHealth and The Manor. Each organization had a very informative presentation and tour for the group.

The Chamber wants to thank MUSC for sponsoring breakfast, Mcleod Health Florence for sponsoring lunch, and HopeHealth for providing special gifts for the cohorts.

To view photos from the day, click here.

Top Hat Special-Teas Recognized As Business Of The Quarter

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Congratulations to the Florence Chamber and City of Florence’s Business of the Quarter, Top Hat Special-Teas. Top Hat Special-Teas is a a unique tearoom and dining establishment located in downtown Florence.

Owners Laurie and John Crouse accepted a resolution at the November City Council meeting.

Business of the Quarter is a unique partnership of the City of Florence and the Chamber to recognize local businesses for contributions to community development, growth and civic engagement.

Top Hat Special-Teas is located at 234 West Evans Street in Florence.

Peach Cobbler Factory Is Open For Business

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Jeremy Plowden along with family, staff and Chamber Ambassadors cuts the ribbon to join the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

The Peach Cobbler Factory is a one-stop shop for all things delicious. They offer a variety of Homestyle Desserts including Twelve Flavors of Cobbler served with Complimentary Ice Cream, Twelve Flavors of Banana Pudding, Twelve BIGGER & Better Cookies, Six BIGGER & Better Brownies, Twelve Pudd-N Shakes, Five Flavors of Belgian Waffles, Six Flavors of Cinnamon Rolls, Six Flavors of Churro Stix’s, Sweet Peachy Tea, and Cold Rush Coffee.

All their desserts are perfect for any occasion whether it be to treat yourself, your family, or your friends. They offer catering and a variety of different catering options to meet any occasion whether it’s for Family Dinners, Holidays, or Birthdays. The Peach Cobbler Factory is open Seven Days a week and offers delivery for any late-night last-minute cravings.

To read the full story, click here.

Victors Annual Thanksgiving Eve Block Party Set For Wednesday, November 22

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Join Victors for their Annual Thanksgiving Eve Block Party on November 22nd beginning at 6:00 PM with live music in the James Allen Plaza (109 S Dargan St).  Admission is just $5 and the proceeds will benefit the HopeHealth Compassionate Care Fund.

Ensemble Wealth Featured On ChamberLink Radio

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Wendell Jones and Caroline Toniolo, partners in Ensemble Wealth Planning, were on ChamberLink Radio this weekend to talk about crafting client relationships built on trust and understanding, with a focus on wealth planning.

You can catch the conversations on ChamberLink Radio each Sunday from 12:00-12:30pm on LIVE 95.3FM in Florence, SC.

ChamberLink Radio is brought to you by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and The UPS Stores.

Mac’s BBQ Kitchen Takes Top Wing Honors At Friday’s Kickin’ Chicken Festival

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The Kickin’ Chicken & Chili Festival, delayed by a rainy night in October, played out Friday night in downtown Florence as several chefs and restaurants put their chicken wings and chili up in competition.

The annual event is a key fundraiser for the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s winners in the wing category were Mac’s BBQ Kitchen which took top honors, followed by Duke Energy’s team, Ashley’s Yummy Tummy at third.

In the chili competition Back Porch BBQ took top honors followed by Ashley’s Yummy Tummy.

The event was well attended for the rescheduled Festival with approximately 1,200 pounds of wings sold.

The Chamber wants to thank the Inland Band and all the Chamber Ambassadors that helped with the project, and a very special thanks to Hannah Davis and the Downtown Development team.

This year’s event was made possible by Raines Co. and Synergi Partners along with support from Willcox, Buyck & Williams, Victors, South Carolina Federal Credit Union, MPD Electric Cooperative, Florence Downtown Development Corp. and the City of Florence.

To read the full story, click here.

Sea Moss By M And S LLC Cut Ribbon On Their Chamber Membership

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Sea Moss by M and S LLC owners Kerry Mango and Stephanie Todd cut their ribbon along with Chamber Ambassadors joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Sea Moss by M and S LLC was founded by Kerry Manago and Stephanie Todd in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. They decided to find a way to help themselves and those in our community find a way to heal naturally but also affordably. They researched and found sea moss. They noticed that it has all these great benefits but there was nowhere here to obtain it locally and the prices on the internet were expensive. Sea Moss found a distributor for the raw sea moss, and they make and sell their gel at a reasonable price.

They recently expanded their inventory to include skin care products, hair care products and smoothies, Kerry and Stephanie live and work in Florence and can provide Sea Moss at a reasonable cost to help with your day-to-day health.

To read the full story, click here.

Florence Businesses See Impact Of Sunday Alcohol Sales In Year After Vote For Change

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uying beer and wine 7 days a week in the city of Florence has been a boom for businesses since Florence residents voted for the Sunday alcohol law changes a year ago.

Both businesses and residents across the city weighed in on the fairly new law. Some businesses said it’s a work in progress while the Florence community said they’ve seen a difference.

“It’s been a great convenience, and I think it’s benefited the retailers a lot more than they initially thought that it may,” said President of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, Mike Miller.

A year ago, 71% of Florence voters said “yes” to beer and wine sales on Sundays.

To read the full story, click here.

SC Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates To Decrease In 2024

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Governor Henry McMaster and South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) Executive Director William Floyd announced that state unemployment insurance (UI) tax rates will either decrease or stay the same for all employers in 2024, marking the third consecutive year that UI taxes have been lowered. South Carolina’s UI Trust Fund has a balance of nearly $1.6 billion, which has allowed the state to set the 2024 tax rates to raise approximately the same amount of revenue as 2023 and 2022, lower rates for rate classes 2-19 by an average of 6% (rates for classes 1 and 20 are set by statute and do not change year to year), and forgo a solvency surcharge due to the high balance of the fund.

Tax rate notices will be mailed to businesses on Monday, November 13, but employers can also log into their State Unemployment Insurance Tax System (SUITS) account to see their 2024 tax rate. More information regarding the 2024 UI tax rates can be found here.

To read the full story, click here.

Florence 1 Schools Announces New School Focused On Healthcare

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Florence 1 Schools announced Thursday in a news release that a new school will be coming to the district by January 2025, and its focus will be on healthcare and students who have an interest in working in the medical field, the district said.

The School of Innovation in Healthcare will be housed at the historic Poynor Building which is able to be renovated due to a $10 million dollar grant from the Florence County Legislative Delegation, the release said.

Representative Phillip Lowe, Chairman of the Florence County Delegation, said in the news release that members developed a two-year plan to fundamentally change the entire Pee Dee region.

To read the full story, click here.