Ruiz Foods Awards $7,815 to Teachers in Florence 1 Schools

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Ruiz Foods has awarded a total of $7,815.69 to Florence 1 Teachers who submitted innovative classroom grant ideas in the Ruiz Program Mini-Grants for Teachers Program. Funding priorities included are Basic Needs – essential materials required to carry out curriculum work and meet the basic needs of all students in the classroom; Impact – potential to improve student achievement, potential for continuation/replication, potential to enhance instructional skills; Innovation – creativity of the project, innovative approach, academic objective with curriculum context;  Planning – clear plan for project implementation, teacher capability, cost effectiveness and a realistic budget.

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Buc-ee’s Holds Ground Breaking Ceremony

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South Carolina and Texas now share more than a love of football and their state flags. Ground was broken Thursday, November 19th by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, state Sen. Hugh K. Leatherman Sr., House Ways and Means Committee Chairman G. Murrell Smith Jr., Buc-EEs founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin, Florence County Council Chairman Willard Dorriety Jr., Florence Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin, and Florence County Councilman Waymon Mumford for the Buc-EEs being constructed off Exit 170 on Interstate 95. Buc-EEs is considered something of a Texas institution and was founded in the state. The company also has locations in Alabama and Georgia. The Florence Buc-EEs will be the first in the Palmetto State.

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Debbie King of Magical Vacation Planner Celebrates Chamber Membership with a Ribbon Cutting

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Magical Vacation Planner Debbie King celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, November 12th at the chamber office. She was joined by family and chamber ambassadors. King joins more than a thousand agents around the country who are Magical Vacation Planners. She is the third in Florence. King said the company was started in 2006, but she became an agent in January 2020.

Gateway Realty Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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Gateway Realty Group held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, November 9th with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. Owner and broker-in-charge Samantha Murray cut the ribbon with staff and chamber ambassadors participating. The realty company is located at 612 S. Coit St. in Florence and has been open approximately two weeks.

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The DYI Place Celebrates Chamber Membership with a Ribbon Cutting

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday, November 17th at The DIY Place in downtown Florence. The “Do It Yourself” shop is located at 157 W. Evans Street. The owners, Aimee and Cornelio Monjarrez, were joined by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and its ambassadors for the celebration. DIY Place will hold its grand opening on Saturday. “We create projects where people can come in and customize it themselves,” Aimee said. “We provide the materials, the skills and teach them how to create their projects.”

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American Red Cross Transitions Into United Way of Florence County Building

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The Red Cross of Eastern South Carolina held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, October 29th  as it transitions its operations to the United Way of Florence Joe B. Durant Building, located at 1621 W. Palmettos St.  The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce assisted with the ribbon cutting. Chamber ambassadors joined staff, board members and members of the community for the celebration.

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FMU Shows Off Honors Center Ahead of Students Moving In

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FMU President Fred Carter showed off the second of two new buildings Tuesday, October 20th that the university will move into for the spring semester: the university’s Honors Center on the main campus. The other new building is the old federal courthouse/post office in downtown Florence. The new honors center occupies the last vacant spot on the campus as it was originally envisioned. The new building will be home to the Honors Center, the university’s international programs and the Robert McNair Center for Research and Service, Carter said.

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Stephen Wukela: The City’s Growth Not A ‘Zero-Sum Game’

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The cooperation that helped the city of Florence revitalize its downtown area needs to continue when the next mayor takes office, Mayor Stephen J. Wukela said Monday, October 19th.  Wukela spoke at the weekly meeting of the Florence Rotary Club at Victors.  “We have spent conservatively about $250 million in downtown Florence over the last decade,” said Wukela, who is finishing his third term as mayor but is not running for reelection. “The [Francis Marion University] Performing Arts Center, the [Francis Marion University Luther F. Carter] Health Sciences facility, the museum, the Little Theater, the Waters building, the Kress building, the Hyatt, University Place, Rainwater building, Carolina Bank, you just continue to go down the list.”

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Scott Named SC Chamber Public Servant of the Year

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The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Public Servant of the Year award goes to U.S senator Tim Scott as an individual who has served as a key official in federal or state government contributing to the overall well-being and health of the state as a whole. The photo here is of Senator Scott speaking at a legislative meet-and-greet event at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce office earlier this year.

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City of Florence Moves Forward With Plans For Stormwater System Improvements

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Florence City Council passed, the second reading of an ordinance that outlines several sites that are now in line to get stormwater system upgrades on Monday, October 19th. “Anybody that’s been in Florence during a heavy rain and sees all the streets flood knows that stormwater infrastructure is absolutely critical,” city councilman George Jebaily said. The ordinance outlines just over $5.6 million in improvements across a dozen sites in the city.

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