Leadership Florence Class Participates in Education Day

Leadership Florence had its March session (Education Day) on Tuesday, March 8th. The group visited Florence-Darlington Technical College and Luther F. Carter Center for Health Sciences.

The class also got to hear from and visit many of the many educational institutions in our community. The day included presentations from: TKA, Poynor Adult and Community Education, Trinity Collegiate School, SC Florence One Schools, Coker University and the Department of Commerce.

An additional thank you goes to Florence-Darlington Technical College for providing breakfast for the group.

To see pics from the session, click here.

Joe King Announced as the 2022 Public Servant of the Year at the Chamber’s Outlook Luncheon

Joe W. King received the Public Servant of the Year Award presented at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Outlook Luncheon on Wednesday, March 16th at the Florence Center for his service to the community.

King is Executive Director of the Florence County Economic Development Partnership.

“Joe’s tireless dedication to Florence County for over four decades has changed the landscape of the County as we know it,” said Dr. Fred Carter, president of Francis Marion University.

King said the award came as a shock.

“It is a very humbling feeling,” he said. “I am very honored and thankful for Dr. Carter and the Chamber.”

To read the full article, click here.

Diana Murphy-Eaddy Announced as the Recipient of the Chamber’s 2022 Small Business Person of the Year Award

Diana Murphy-Eaddy, owner and publisher of Diversity Works, a quarterly magazine promoting diversity in the community, received the 2022 Small Business Person of the Year award on Wednesday at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Annual Outlook Luncheon held at the Florence Center.

The award, presented annually, is sponsored by Dedicated Community Bank and given by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Jim Ivey, President and CEO of Dedicated Community Bank, made the presentation. He said the bank recognizes that small businesses are the engines of the local, state, and national economy.

To read the full article, click here.

Maceo Nance Addresses Sold Out Crowd at Chamber’s Outlook Luncheon

A South Carolina Department of Commerce official said Florence County’s decision to issue bonds to purchase land and develop four spec buildings in the county will help the county attract additional economic development opportunities.

Maceo Nance, director of targeted rural strategy and special projects for the department, told the people attending the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Outlook Luncheon that companies looking to grow were looking first at three factors: risk, time and speed. More than 425 local business and community leaders attended the Luncheon.

“Companies are risk averse and they are going to eliminate as much risk as they can,” Nance said. “Time here may be a little bit different from the time that you have in your mind. From a company’s standpoint, time means going from spending money to making money… Speed is speed to market. How quickly can we get this product to our suppliers, to our customers and can we beat the competition in getting it there?”

Florence County is already well positioned, according to Nance’s definition of speed. The county lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95, which provide easy access to the Southern United States and the Eastern Seaboard and nearby are the port facilities in Charleston, Dillon and Georgetown. Also, three major airports, in addition to the Florence Regional Airport, are located within two hours: Charlotte, Columbia and Myrtle Beach.

Nance delivered the address Wednesday in place of Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey III who was called to testify before the South Carolina General Assembly.

To read the full article, click here.

Young Professionals Lunch & Learn Scheduled for March 17th

Join us on March 17th for our March lunch and learn! We will have 3 professors from the FMU School of Business that will be speaking about graduate opportunities available for Young Professionals in the area!

For more information, click here.

Registration Open for City of Florence Spring Break Camp

Register now to attend the City of Florence Spring Break Camp scheduled for April 18 – 22.  Camp will take place from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Youth & teen camps available. $26 covers the week long camp as well as breakfast & lunch.

For more information, click here.

Downtown Florence Blood Drive Set for April 26th

To help address the extremely critical need for blood donations, we have partnered with the American Red Cross of South Carolina, Victors, and the Greater Florence Chamber to host a blood drive in Downtown Florence at Victors on April 26th.

You can go ahead and sign up for your time to donate now at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results….

HopeHealth Partners with TogetherSC in Lake City

Through an initiative made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act, HopeHealth, and TogetherSC recently launched a series of conversations with community leaders to address partnership needs and identify the critical social determinants of health conditions impacting the people they serve.

After several Zoom gatherings, more than 50 nonprofit representatives recently gathered at the Bean Market in Lake City for meaningful conversations about how we can best serve the citizens of Lower Florence and Williamsburg Counties.

To read the full story, click here.

SC Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Penalize Russia

Both bodies of the South Carolina General Assembly introduced legislation this week that penalizes Russia following last week’s invasion of Ukraine and continued military operations against the Ukrainian people. Members of both the House and Senate filed legislation that would divest the state’s public retirement funds from any assets owned or controlled by Russia and prevents the SC Retirement System from investing in any assets that are owned or controlled by Russia. Sen. Minority Leader Brad Hutto (D-Orangeburg), who also introduced a bill condemning the invasion, was quoted as saying “We can’t stand by and watch this take place without speaking up.”

The House bill also prevents the South Carolina Department of Commerce from offering or rewarding economic development incentives to any company that is at least 50% owned by an entity that is a subsidiary of the Russian Government. Members of the House also introduced legislation that would prevent retailers from selling any liquor that was manufactured or produced in Russia.

South Carolina joins a growing list of states that have taken action to divest their pension funds from Russian assets, to ban Russian alcohol and other Russian goods, and to assess other financial penalties.

Lighthouse Ministries BBQ Fundraiser Set for Week of March 21st

Lighthouse Ministries 22nd Annual BBQ Fundraiser will be held the week of March 21st through March 25th from 11:00 am – 8:00 pm at Holt Bros BBQ in Florence. BBQ plates can be enjoyed by picking up, dining in, or driving thru at Holt Bros BBQ in Florence.

This week long event helps to raise funds to help families in Florence County who are struggling to meet their basic needs. Tickets are $10 and include BBQ, sweet potatoes, green beans, slaw, and hushpuppies.  

Tickets can be purchased on our website at lighthouseflorence.org/events or at Holt Bros BBQ in Florence the week of the event.