The Florence Chamber of Commerce wants to congratulate Art E. Justice, Attorney at Turner Padget Law Firm, as the Chamber’s 2026 Business Person of the Year. The award was presented by Brian Fast and sponsored by First Citizens Bank.
To see more photos, click here.
The Greater Florence Chamber’s Annual Membership Luncheon on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at the Florence Center with 475 area business representatives in attendance.
The Chamber luncheon guest speaker was Duane Parrish, Director for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT).
Mr. Parrish addressed topics focused on the state of South Carolina parks & recreation and the financial impacts of our state and local tourism growth. He shared that Florence County visitor spending in Florence County was 13% higher in 2025 that in 2021 for total of $492 million.
To see more photos from the event, click here.
General Manager, Tom Callahan, and the Director of Community Relations & Ticketing, Phillip Bourque of the Pee Dee IceCats were the Florence Chamber’s guests this past weekend, sharing information about the IceCats upcoming season and hockey in general. You can’t miss this one!
We encourage you to tune-in every Sunday from 12:00-12:30pm on LIVE 95.3FM in Florence, SC.
This program is brought to you by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, MUSC Health Florence Medical Center and LIVE 95.3FM.
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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce invites your company or organization to participate in the 2026 Florence Christmas Parade! The parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 5th at 11:00am. The parade will begin near the intersection of Sunset Drive and Evans Street and will continue down Evans toward Dargan Street. Performances will be judged in front of the Florence City Center. Have some fun and share your organization’s holiday spirit with the community. Deadline to enter is November 24th.
For more information, click here.
The FMU Board of Trustees held its quarterly meeting last Thursday afternoon, approving the naming of two university facilities in honor of longtime Trustees.
The Kenneth W. Jackson Lecture Hall, located in the Hugh and Jean Leatherman Medical Education Complex in downtown Florence, will be named for Trustee Ken Jackson (`84). Jackson has served on the FMU Board of Trustees since 1998, providing nearly three decades of distinguished leadership to the university. During his tenure, he has served as board chair, vice chair and secretary.
The George C. McIntyre Training and Fitness Center in the Smith University Center will be named for Trustee George McIntyre (`78). McIntyre has served on the FMU Board of Trustees since 1999, holding the positions of chair, vice chair and parliamentarian.
To read the full story, click here.
According to the American Heart Association, 9 in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital do not survive, and more than half do not receive bystander CPR. CPR, especially when performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
To help improve cardiac arrest outcomes across the Pee Dee region, James Harrell, president of Global Industrial Paper Packaging (IPP) at Sonoco, will serve as chair of the 2026 Pee Dee Heart Walk, leading a year-round effort to engage businesses and community leaders in raising critical funds, expanding CPR education and supporting the mission of the American Heart Association.
The walk will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center (201 S Dargan St). Event Opens at 9:00am and the walk begins at 9:45am.
For more information, click here.
Francis Marion University President Fred Carter highlighted the university’s continued growth and financial strength during its’ most recent Board of Trustees meeting.
FMU’s enrollment increased 3.1% this fall, exceeding projected growth rates across the university. The university added two new undergraduate programs in forestry and social work and the two newest doctoral programs –- the Doctorate in Psychology and the Doctorate in Occupational Therapy –- will graduate their first cohorts of students this year.
FMU boasts $41 million in unallocated resources, while the FMU Education Foundation has an investment corpus exceeding $62 million.
To read the full story, click here.
The Leadership Florence Class of 2027 kicked off their year of community sessions with a fun and informative 2-day retreat.
Gina Trimarco Klauder of Pivot10 Results facilitated a discussion of leadership principles and strategies on Monday, followed by a dinner and a beachside reception for the 45 class participants.
Day two consisted of team building exercises at WonderWorks at Myrtle Beach.
Leadership Florence is a comprehensive nine-month program designed to identify, cultivate and motivate leadership in the Pee Dee Area. Participants increase their knowledge of the region and enhance their involvement in community while further developing their leadership skills.
To see more photos from the event, click here.
An Oktoberfest-inspired beer tasting featuring a selection of seasonal brews, food catered by Kirby Anderson, Flavor Town Eats and Events and a fun night of community and celebration! Participation will support The Mcleod Foundation’s breast cancer programs. Each year, Micky Finn’s raises money during the month of October to help The McLeod Foundation fund programs to help with mobile mammography units and other breast cancer programs. All proceeds from this event will be donated. Tickets are limited to 50 people.
To purchase tickets, click here.
The Pee Dee REALTOR® Association will host a Homebuyers Seminar & Expo on Thursday, October 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will provide information on fair housing, down payment assistance programs, mortgage qualifications and other homebuying resources. Local vendors and housing professionals will also be available.
Registration is required. Call 843-665-2242 or scan the QR code on the flyer to register. Only 50 spots are available.
