Small Business Owners Share Your  Experiences from the Past Year

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The Federal Reserve’s 2026 Small Business Credit Survey is now open. Owners and key financial decisionmakers of for-profit businesses, please share your recent experiences.

Your input matters. By participating in this survey, you can provide confidential insights into your experiences and challenges, financial conditions you encounter, need for credit, and other relevant information. Answers to these questions contribute to data that directly inform federal government agencies, service providers, policymakers, and others through reports like this—a common good ultimately benefiting your business and others in the community.

Take the 10–12-minute survey by clicking here.

Did You Know That Royall  Elementary School Is Top 10 In SC?

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Royall Elementary here in Florence, SC has been named one of the top ten elementary schools in South Carolina, according to a new ranking from the U.S. News & World Report.

The student population of Royall Elementary is 512. At Royall Elementary, 79% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 84% scored at or above that level for reading.

The student-teacher ratio is 13:1, which is the same as that of the F1S district.

Congrats to Principal Chris Rogers and school staff.

To read the full story, click here.

Sapphire Room Now Booking Christmas Parties

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Community Broadcasters Holds Business After Hours

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Last Wednesday night, Community Broadcasting in partnership with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business after Hours.

The event included a DJ, food and beverages, nice prizes, and the opportunity to understand the inner workings of radio in the Pee Dee. The gathering had substantial attendance of business leaders and community leaders showing their support for our local broadcast stations at Community Broadcasting. The participants got to meet the people who make the programming work as well as personally meet the owners of the Community Broadcasting. Overall, it was a great turnout for a local media broadcaster.

To see more photos from the event, click here.

Kick Cancer 3rd Annual 5K Cancer Walk

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Join Pee Dee Mental Health at 145 E Cheves St. on October 25th at 8:30 AM (Eastern Time) for a day filled with hope, unity, and support. Lace up your sneakers, bring your friends and family, and let’s walk together to show our solidarity in the fight against cancer. Together, we can make a difference and bring awareness to this important cause. Let’s walk, let’s talk, and let’s make a difference. See you there!

To view the full flyer, click here.

Heritage Digital’s Feed Hope Food Drive Returns

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Heritage Digital is proud to announce the return of our Feed Hope Food Drive supporting Florence-Darlington Technical College students through September 8, 2025. Last year’s inaugural drive brought together over 20 businesses and community organizations from South Carolina and North Carolina, culminating in a celebration attended by Senator Mike Reichenbach and then-Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin. The impact was immediate – daily care packages were consistently taken by 11 a.m., weekend distributions continued through December 2024, and complete Thanksgiving boxes supported student families.

This year, we’re expanding our goal to provide food security support for FDTC students throughout the entire academic year (September 2025 – May 2026). As Paula McLaughlin from the college shared, “When you can’t eat, you can’t learn.”

Click here to find out how you can help.

South Carolina Legislative Update

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Last week, members of the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate returned to Columbia to begin the 1st regular session of the 126th South Carolina General Assembly. There were 32 new faces amongst the 170 members of the House and Senate, as lawmakers in both bodies hit the ground running talking about various issues.

Notable actions taken this week include:

  • Comprehensive Tort Reform Act of 2025 (S.244)
  • Reduce the “Tort Tax” and Cost of Living:
  • Strengthen Personal Responsibility:
  • Balance Liability in Alcohol-Related Cases:
  • Education Scholarships (S.62)
  • South Carolina Energy Security Act (H.3309)

SC Emergency Management for Businesses

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South Carolina Department of Commerce has a team dedicated to providing business resources in response to COVID-19. Please click here for more information.

 

Leadership Florence visits Locked Inn, builds teamwork skills

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Leadership Florence visited Locked Inn – A Live Escape Room Experience as a part of their two-day team building retreat.

The class split into four teams and participants competed in a live action adventure game where they were “locked in” a room and had to use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles to escape.

Thank you to the Locked Inn team for hosting Leadership Florence!