Habitat for Humanity Hosts Groundbreaking

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A groundbreaking was held for our newest Partner Family on Friday, August 28th, marking an exciting first step on their journey toward a safe, affordable and stable place to call home.

There is something incredibly meaningful about watching a home take shape from the ground up. A place that will soon be filled with laughter, memories, family dinners, celebrations, and countless moments that make a house a home. Most importantly, it will be a safe and stable place for this sweet family to grow in and create memories that will last a lifetime.

We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, Board of Directors, community leaders, volunteers, and everyone who joined us to celebrate this special milestone. Your generosity, partnership, and continued support make moments like this possible and allow Greater Florence Habitat for Humanity to continue building homes, strengthening communities, and creating hope for local families.

To read the full press release, click here.

Jason Cox Named CEO of MUSC Health Pee Dee Division

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The Greater Florence Chamber wishes to congratulate Jason Cox on being named CEO of the MUSC Health Pee Dee Division.

Jason has served with MUSC Health for 5 years and was named interim CEO of the division when Jay Hinesley left to become CEO of Tidelands Health, a MUSC partnership.

Jason will now lead MUSC medical centers in Florence, Marion and Black River, as well as the Jean and Hugh K. Leatherman Behavioral Care Pavilion on Dargan Street in Downtown Florence.

Jason is also a member of the Greater Florene Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is currently serving as Chair-Elect of the Florence Chamber Board.

Rev Up For The 2nd Annual Bethea Cruise-In

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Shine ’em up and cruise on over to Bethea for an evening of classic cars, hot rods, muscle cars, vintage rides, live music, food, fellowship, and fun!

Bring your favorite ride to show off—or simply come out to admire the classics, swap stories, and spend time with our Bethea residents and fellow car enthusiasts.

The event will take place on Thursday, October 22 from 5:30–7:00 PM
at 157 Home Avenue, Darlington, SC 29532. Live Music by The Emeralds!

Bringing a car is not required, everyone is welcome!

For more information, call April or Susie at 843-395-4402.

To view the flyer, click here.

Mark Your Calendars! Chamber’s 2026 Fall Community Breakfast Set For November 6th

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce is holding the 2026 Fall Community Breakfast on Friday, November 6th at The Florence Center, 3300 W Radio Dr.

This year’s program will be presented by the city of Florence. City officials and presenters will talk about Telling Our Story: Why Choose Florence? And the answer is – Because sometimes the best things happening in our community are the things we don’t hear enough about.

A great deal is happening every day in our great city and sometimes we are not aware of the significant accomplishments we have made as a city over recent years. Join us as we find out all the city has been up to and what is brewing in the future years.

The Chamber’s Community/Legislative Breakfast is an informational gathering held twice each year. Topics range from state and local representatives providing legislative updates to local concerns centered on government, community safety, health care, and education. The breakfast is open to business and civic leaders as well as the public.

The doors for breakfast will open at 7:30 a.m. and the program begins at 7:50 a.m.

Registration is required to attend: $30 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members. Special reserved tables of 8 are available for $260.  The breakfast is made possible by Signature Wealth Group and First Reliance Bank.

7-Eleven Cuts Ribbon on Chamber Membership

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7 Eleven announced its grand opening on September 18th with a ribbon cutting that welcomed them to the Greater Chamber of Commerce. Cutting the ribbon were store manager Dallas and dignitaries from 7 Eleven along with Chamber Ambassadors.

The new store is located at 6550 East Palmetto St. The bright new store offers the convenience of food and gas in one location. 7-Eleven in the sells Slurpee drinks, and Big Gulp beverages. Other products include: 7-Select private-brand products, coffee, fresh-made daily sandwiches, fresh fruit, salads, bakery items, hot and prepared foods, gasoline, dairy products, carbonated beverages and energy drinks, juices, donuts, financial services, and product delivery services.

The chain was founded in 1927 as the Southland Ice Company, operating an icehouse storefront in Dallas. Owned by the Southland Corporation, the chain expanded its convenience stores and renamed them Tote’m Stores between 1928 and 1946. The Southland Corporation changed the stores’ name to 7-Eleven in 1946 to reflect their expanded hours of operation (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.).

To read the full story, click here.

Voice of Small Business Social Scheduled for October 8

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Join the Florence Chamber for a PRISM/Voice of Small Business Social on Thursday, October 8th, 2026, between 5:30 PM and 7:00 PM.

This social gathering of entrepreneurs, small business owners and executives will be held at the Clubhouse of 250 West Apartments, located at 250 West Dunbarton Drive in Florence.

Join us for an evening of food, fun and networking. Register here.

Author, Eric Swanson Coming To Florence on October 1

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What could happen if Florence’s churches, nonprofits, businesses, and neighbors worked together to address the needs of our city?

Helping Florence Flourish is inviting the community to explore that question at To Transform a City: An Evening with Eric Swanson on Thursday, October 1, at 6:30 p.m. at New Ebenezer’s SHEREC. Eric will join local leaders, like Chief Angela Green and Carl Humphries, on a panel for a conversation about working together to help Florence flourish.

The evening is open to everyone, and we hope people from across Florence will be part of the conversation. Guests are encouraged to RSVP to reserve a seat; the details are on the attached flyer.

Art E. Justice Recognized as the 2026 Business Person of the Year

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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.

Annual Membership Luncheon – Last Wednesday

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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.

Pee Dee IceCats Featured on ChamberLink Radio

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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.

Looking for past ChamberLink Radio Show interviews? Click here:

https://www.flochamber.com/events-programs/podcasts/