Just as the fourth class of Florence 1’s Project Search program is set to graduate; a second partner site is being added. Raldex Hospitality will join McLeod Regional Medical Center as a host site for this award-winning Transition-to-Work program for Exceptional Education students. School districts across the country participate with local partners to offer Project Search. Florence 1 is the first district in South Carolina to have two partner sites.

Florence 1’s Project Search program began in 2019, as an expansion of the employability program already in place in the district. Non-diploma track students learn job skills in areas such as housekeeping, food service and surgery prep that will help them gain employment after high school. With the addition of Raldex Hospitality, more students will be able to take advantage of the program.

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Have you visited the High Hill Creek Mountain Bike & Run Park located at 2502 Prosperity Way in Florence SC? You might put this park on your visit list today. It has more than four miles to bike and run and is alongside Interstate 95. Very scenic and fun trail to enjoy. Check it out.

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Tax season will be here sooner than you think! If you have tax questions, we have tax answers. This live Q&A session with certified CPA and small business tax expert Micah Fraim will take place on Wednesday, February 9th at 1:00 PM.  Get your tax-related questions and concerns answered and receive tax advice you can implement throughout the year. Live online event.

For more information, click here.

As the Federal Reserve increases its effort to cool inflation and the economy, American small businesses have seen a surge in hiring. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, small companies (those with fewer than 250 employees) have been responsible for all the net job growth in the United States and currently account for nearly four out of five available job openings. Starting February 2020, these small establishments have hired over 3.6 million more people than have been laid off or who quit, while larger companies have cut a net 800,000 jobs during that same time.

Small businesses accounted for 78 percent of the U.S. job listings in November 2022, and 91 percent of the post pandemic increase in job openings. While many big companies have laid off workers and/or ordered hiring freezes in recent weeks, small businesses have continued to hire workers at a rapid rate, although many are unable to fill open positions.

However, central bankers have pointed to the labor market as a primary driver of high inflation. The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates seven times last year, bringing U.S. interest rates to their highest level since the global financial crisis, and has plans to continue to increase rates this year to slow the economy. These rate increases are making it harder for small businesses to find outside funding, including personal and small-business loans.

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