Chamber Ribbon Cutting Marks Talus’ Arrival in Florence

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With the quick snip of a pair of scissors the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce celebrated the addition of Talus Pay to the pantheon of Florence-area businesses on Wednesday, January 5th.

Wade Crawford and Raymond Davis, both solution consultants for the company, will work out of Florence to help businesses reduce the cost of doing business and to streamline their operations.

So far, the company has signed up two businesses and is working on others, said Crawford, who previously worked in alcohol sales.

“It was time to find something else to do and these guys took a chance on me and flew me down to Dallas and it was a first-class organization,” Crawford said of his career change. “I’m working for some great people. It’s a new field, a lot to learn, which is daunting but it’s interesting.”

Talus has been around for about 15 years and was purchased by venture capitalists more than three years ago, said Robert M Faias, Regional Sales Leader for the company.

Talus assists businesses through card service solutions, data collection and organization and offers a program to eliminate card fees for merchants, said Faias.

To read the full article, click here.

Slim Chickens Restaurant Coming to Florence

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Another chicken restaurant is coming to Florence.

QSR, a magazine serving the food-service industry, recently reported that uncle and nephew Larry and Jody Chandler would be bringing nine Slim Chickens restaurants to the Palmetto State including a location in Florence.

The Chandlers are franchisers of several Firehouse Subs locations in South Carolina and North Carolina.

The article does not list a Florence location for the restaurant or a timetable for construction and opening of it.

Slim Chickens was founded in 2003 in Fayetteville, Ark. It has around 150 locations in the United States with more locations in the United Kingdom and Kuwait. The restaurant specializes in various chicken items including wings, tenders, sandwiches and chicken and waffles.

Florence is home to several chicken restaurants including KFC, Zaxbys, Chick-fil-A, Maryland Fried Chicken, BTJ’s Wings, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

There is also a Wingstop to be located next to Five Guys at the Florence Mall.

To read the full article, click here.

Pee Dee Commerce City Industrial Park to Expand Across SC 327

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Development of the area around the intersection of I-95 and S.C. 327 continues to heat up.

Marlboro Development Team, the economic development arm of the jointly managed Marlboro and Pee Dee Electric Cooperatives, recently expanded the Pee Dee Commerce City industrial park west across S.C. 327 to include 174 additional acres. The development team is also expected to complete construction of a 117,180-square-foot class A industrial speculative development in the new part of the park by the fourth quarter of the year.

“Marlboro Development Team has a strategic development plan to construct new speculative product in targeted growing markets and Florence County certainly qualifies,” said William Fleming, President and CEO of Marlboro Development Team. “We focus on communities and willing partners that are fully vested in economic development and in the belief that these type investments result in better paying jobs and opportunities for their citizens.”

To read the full article, click here.

MUSC Business Health presents Virtual Lunch & Learn: 2022: Smoke Free Is for You!

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Over 16 million Americans have at least one disease caused by smoking.  In South Carolina, approximately $1.9 billion was spent on healthcare costs due to smoking in 2009.  Approximately 21.1% of adults use cigarettes and 30.5% use e-cigarettes in Charleston County.  The Midlands and Pee Dee regions of South Carolina have some of the highest numbers of tobacco users.

The good news is that 7 out of 10 smokers want to quit smoking!  Please join our expert speakers, Stephanie Stansell, PhD, Emily Ware, PharmD, and Cassie Frazier, DNP, as they share information about the tobacco treatment program at MUSC and the MUSC Lung Cancer Screening Clinic.  This informative session will give tips and tools for being tobacco free in the new year.

The virtual lunch & learn will be held on January 12th from 12:00-1:00 PM

For more information, click here.

Young Professionals of Florence Kick Off 2022 with Networking Social

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Join the Young Professionals of Florence for their 2022 kick off social on Thursday, January 20th beginning at 5:30 PM at SPC Credit Union (1312 Celebration Blvd)! Come grab a snack and a drink and meet new people in the community! Special thanks to SPC for sponsoring us this month. Everyone is looking forward to a great event!

To view the Facebook event, click here.

Florence County Received Nearly $97.35 Million in New Investments

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As a 2021 year review, Florence County received nearly $97.35 million in new investments and 689 new jobs during the year.

Innovative Construction Group recently announced that it would establish a location at the Touchtone Energy Pee Dee Commerce Park that would result in a $35.6 million investment and 179 new jobs.

QVC has indicated it plans to invest $27.5 million and create 360 new jobs at its facility on TV Road.

Additionally, Pee Dee Electric Cooperative announced it would invest $13 million in Florence County to build a new headquarters and Santee Electric Cooperative is planning a $10 million expansion in lower and mid-Florence County.

And, Performance Food Service has indicated it would invest $11 million and create 150 new jobs in a Florence County expansion.

There could be more economic development ahead for the county. Projects Longshot and Star remain before the county council and the Buc-EEs project is scheduled to open during the first quarter of this year.

Pictured above is Innovative Construction located at 2570 Florence Harllee Boulevard in the Pee Dee Touchtone Energy Commerce City industrial park.

To read the full story, click here.

Progress Made on the New Florence Sports Complex

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Progress has been made on the new Florence Sports Complex. The grass for the Carolina Bank Field, the new home of the Florence Flamingos Coastal League team, has already been placed and construction on the new city track facility is also underway.

The first-ever pitch at Carolina Bank Field is slated for right around 7 p.m. on May 28, as the Florence Flamingos begin their inaugural season in their new friendly confines.

And by all accounts, the 1,400-seat facility will be up and running on time when the home plate umpire shouts “Play ball.”

To read the full story, click here.

Systel Business Equipment Celebrates Chamber Membership with Ribbon Cutting

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A ribbon cutting was held Wednesday, December 8th at Systel Business Equipment, 1512 Second Loop Road in Florence. The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and its ambassadors participated in celebrating Systel’s joining the Chamber.

Systel is a family owned independent dealer of office automation equipment in the Southeast that is headquartered in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

“We focus our efforts on working with manufacturers who are developing industry leading technologies that are designed to help effectively and efficiently manage businesses,” said Jacqueline Smith, vice president of marketing and business development at Systel. “In addition to being a copier and lease service provider, we have found great success in managed printing services, managed network and IT, as well as document workflow software and solutions. We also have various production devices such as wide format/plotters, digital production print systems, and other office equipment for handling all of your business needs.”

To read the full article, click here.

The Latest on Vaccine Mandate Lawsuits and What Employers Need to Know

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As you know, the White House announced sweeping vaccine mandate requirements for large employers over the summer.  The ETS issued by OSHA has been litigated recently in the courts.  Here’s the latest on where those court rulings stand:

  • On December 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reinstated the OSHA ETS requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated by January 4 or allow employees to submit weekly negative test results. This was a reversal of the previous stay by the Fifth Circuit.
  • On December 22, the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled oral arguments for the ETS to occur on Friday, January 7.
  • To account for the litigation uncertainty, OSHA updated their enforcement policy stating that it “is exercising enforcement discretion with respect to the compliance dates of the ETS.” It will not issue any citations before January 10 and will not enforce the vaccine or testing requirement until February 9 “so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard.”

To read more about the OSHA ETS, Federal Contractor Mandate and CMS Rule click below.

https://www.uschamber.com/employment-law/courts-are-ruling-on-vaccine-mandates-what-employers-need-to-know

ArtFields Jr. is Looking for Student Artists

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ArtFields Jr. Art Competition submissions are open! The competition is open to SC students in grades 1-12. Select pieces will be displayed during the month of April and final judging takes place during ArtFields. Submissions are open until February 11.

https://www.artfieldssc.org/artfields-jr/competition/