Archive for year: 2023

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program announced last week that Jermaine Ford, president at Florence-Darlington Technical College, was selected for the inaugural class of the Aspen Presidents Fellowship.

This program, made possible with support from JPMorgan Chase, focuses on developing a sustainable and comprehensive reform agenda that advances excellence and equity in student outcomes at scale.

This class of fellows represents the diversity of the nation’s community colleges. They lead institutions across 14 states that collectively educate more than 280,000 students in varied settings, from a rural college of 700 students to an urban one with enrollment of more than 24,000. The incoming class of Presidents Fellows is 56 percent women and 44 percent people of color.

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Former Mayor Joe W. “Rocky” Pearce Jr. — whose fingerprints are on much of Florence’s development from the past 40 years — was honored for his accomplishments at the annual School Foundation Gala for Florence 1 Schools.

Hundreds gathered to raise money for The School Foundation and to celebrate Pearce, whose resume includes being the youngest mayor in Florence’s history, chairing the county’s economic development board and running a national insurance agency, among many other things.

Jean Leatherman, who introduced Pearce, said the longtime civic leader dedicated himself to his community and has “woven a tapestry” of service over the years.

In his remarks, Pearce said receiving the honor of being this year’s Florence 1 Schools Distinguished Graduate wasn’t in the cards when he graduated from McClenaghan High School in 1970.

The night included Pearce’s remarks, a short play sketching out his story and speakers from across the country who congratulated Pearce in a video message.

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CLT is the fifth most connected airport in the country for domestic services, according to OAG’s 2023 Megahubs index.  OAG, the leading data platform for the global travel industry, ranked airports with the highest ratio of possible scheduled connections to the number of destinations served by that airport.

The top five airports for domestic connectivity, according to OAG, are: 1. Chicago O’Hare International (ORD), 2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL), 3. Denver International (DEN), 4. Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) and 5. Charlotte Douglas International (CLT).

Florence Regional Airport offers service commercial air service by American Airlines with direct flights to Charlotte International and the more than 1,000 different city connections.

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The Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce teamed up to present the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Annual Grassroots Tour last Tuesday.

This year’s luncheon meeting was held at The Edition at the Hartsville Museum. Bob Morgan, president and CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, led the program. The catered lunch was sponsored by Sonoco Products.

Each fall, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce partners with regional and local chambers across the state on the annual tour, which allows the S.C. Chamber to hear from businesses from around the state on issues they face that they would like addressed. The feedback received from the meetings will help shape the S.C. Chamber’s agenda for 2024 and set the chamber’s priorities for the legislative agenda. This year’s tour was sponsored by S.C. Blue Cross-Blue Shield.

Murphy Monk, President of the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce, said she was pleased with the turnout for the sold-out event. She and Mike Miller, President of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, were joined by members from both chambers.

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One of the Pee Dee’s most important businesses is the availability of great medical and healthcare services.

Our area healthcare providers are constantly undergoing changes in the platforms they work with and the way they deliver healthcare. These trends were further accelerated by COVID-19, so what does the future look like for healthcare, and how can providers stay one step ahead?

To find out what’s new in our healthcare future, join the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce’s Community Breakfast which will focus on current and future medical trends. The breakfast event will be held on November 3, 2023, at Florence Center. Breakfast begins at 7:30am and the program starts at 7:50am.

Speakers for the Healthcare Breakfast at the Florence Center will be Carl Humphries with HopeHealth, Will McLeod with McLeod Health and Jay Hinesley from MUSC Health Florence Medical Center.

Tickets are $225 for a reserved table or $25 for individual registration.

For questions about the program or registration, please call the Chamber at 843-665-0515.

To register online, click here.