Planning For New I-95 Pee Dee River Bridges Moving Forward

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Frequent travelers along Interstate 95 in northeastern South Carolina need to prepare for some short-term pain to realize some long-term gain with new, improved, safer and more resilient bridges crossing the Great Pee Dee River between Florence and Dillon counties.

The bridges set for replacement are along an eight-mile section of interstate and include elevated crossings of overflow areas for the river and its associated swamp.

The 12 rural bridges in the study limits are currently at risk due to age, outdated design standards and extreme weather events, jeopardizing safety, efficiency and reliability along the I-95 corridor.

For more on the story at SCnow.com click here.

HopeHealth Welcomes New Provider

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HopeHealth welcomes Paige Wilson, a behavioral health consultant providing integrated behavioral health services to patients at the HopeHealth Medical Plaza in Florence.

She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina. A native of Darlington, she is passionate about her community. Her clinical interests include anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and grief.

First Bank Promotes Knotts & Hires Ham As New Branch Manager

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First Bank is pleased to announce the promotion of Brooke Knotts to a Business Development Officer. Brooke will be focusing on building relationships with businesses in order to help them meet their financial goals, manage their day-to-day finances and sustain and grow. With that transition First Bank additionally hired Clayton (Clay) Ham as the Branch Manager of the Florence location at 2170 Evans Street.

To read the full press release, click here.

Highlighting Local Business Participation in Workforce Development

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The Darlington Progress Team, in collaboration with the Darlington County School District, is actively working to engage students and promote workforce development through programs like Key to Career (Internships), Career Time Tuesday (speaking to 5th graders), and ASCEND (hosting 8th graders at your business). These initiatives are designed to align local business expertise with the educational goals of our schools, fostering stronger partnerships and preparing students for future careers.  A key component of this effort is Career Time Tuesday, where industry professionals present career opportunities across various clusters. These sessions are scheduled at nine elementary schools and represent a fantastic opportunity to showcase the contributions of Florence and Darlington-area businesses to our community’s future workforce. This is a career exploration program with our 5th students.  We are seeking 18 speakers per session, with a particular need for representation in underserved career clusters. Career Time Tuesday – 8:30 AM-10 AM. The program’s format is for us to have a speaker from each field that would engage students for about 20 minutes each. At the end, there would be some activity for the students. Nicki Spears is the contact person for Career Time Tuesday: Nicki Spears – School Counselor nicki.spears@darlington.k12.sc.us

For more information, click here.

Get Your Picture Taken With Santa

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Bring your children and pets to have their free picture taken with Santa this Saturday, December 21st at Raldex Hospitality (780 Woody Jones Blvd) from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.  There will be a food truck available for lunch.

To view the full flyer, click here.

City of Florence Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism Featured On ChamberLink Radio

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Tim Wilson Assistant Director of the City of Florence Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism was the Florence Chamber’s guest this past weekend talking about what is happening with the City Parks and programs. We encourage you to tune-in every Sunday from 12:00-12:30pm on LIVE 95.3FM in Florence, SC.

This program is brought to you by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

You can review past ChamberLink Radio Show interviews by clicking https://www.flochamber.com/events-programs/podcasts/

Leadership Florence Class Participates In ‘Ride A Mile’ Session

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On Tuesday, December 10th, the Florence Chambers Leadership Florence class held their ‘Ride A Mile’ session.

The Ride A Mile program is a simulated society experience in which participants face real-time life scenarios of different socio-economic levels.

A thank you to all partners in the program: Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority, Florence Adult Education, Lighthouse Ministries, Mercy Medical Free Clinic, and Francis Marion University.

To see more photos from the day, click here.

MUSC Health Florence/Marion/Black River Medical Center’s Chief Executive Officer Jay Hinesley Receives W. Stuart Smith Leadership Award

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MUSC Health presented its highest leadership award to MUSC Health Florence/Marion/Black River Medical Center’s Chief Executive Officer Jay Hinesley on December 6.

The W. Stuart Smith Leadership Excellence Award is presented annually for meritorious service to a member of the MUSC Health leadership team. The award recognizes leaders who have served as role models for MUSC Health’s values, have been instrumental in enabling the achievement of the strategic initiatives and/or organizational goals, and have favorably impacted MUSC Health’s image and reputation in the community or state.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to MUSC Health Florence/Marion/Black River Medical Centers Chief Executive Officer Jay Hinesley on receiving the prestigious W. Stuart Smith Leadership Excellence Award,” said Dr. Patrick Cawley, MUSC Health chief executive officer. “This recognition is a testament to his exceptional leadership, unwavering dedication, and steadfast commitment to the values and mission of MUSC Health.”

Under Hinesley’s guidance the exceptional team at MUSC Health Florence/Marion/Black River Medical Centers have not only achieved significant strategic objectives but also strengthened the reputation for delivering compassionate, high-quality care. Their collective efforts continue to shape the future of healthcare for the patients in the local communities.

“On behalf of the MUSC Health family, I want to thank Jay Hinesley for his dedication, passion, and extraordinary contributions. This award is a well-deserved recognition of the impact he and his team have made, and I am confident that his vision will continue to inspire us all,” Cawley added.

W. Stuart Smith, vice president for clinical operations and executive director of the medical center, retired from MUSC in December 2012 after 40 years of dedicated service. Smith, who started at MUSC as a hospital administrative resident in 1973, was instrumental in several of the medical center’s projects, such as establishing the first comprehensive strategic plan and the opening of Ashley River Tower in Charleston. He also worked with the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) to improve quality initiatives and patient safety, as well as state legislators to approve the formation of the Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA).

GSSM’s Dr. Elaine Parshall Named NCSSS Teacher Of The Year

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The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) proudly announces that Dr. Elaine Parshall, an engineering instructor known for her innovative teaching and transformative mentorship, has been named the NCSSS Teacher of the Year by the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools (NCSSS).

Since joining GSSM in 2014, Dr. Parshall has significantly expanded the school’s engineering and robotics programs, from 2 courses to 10 and from 25 to 135 students. Additionally, she has increased the number of robotics teams to four. Under her leadership, these teams have collectively achieved outstanding success, including three state championships and a trip to the World Championships. In 2024 alone, 80 students, nearly 30% of the school’s population, applied to join robotics. Dr. Parshall’s mentorship extends beyond the GSSM campus, as her students also mentor robotics teams across South Carolina, helping to build a robust STEM community statewide.

To read the full story, click here.

Federal Court Blocks A Reporting Requirement For Small Businesses

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This week, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a temporary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Treasury from enforcing the Corporate Transparency Act’s (CTA) beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirement. 

The CTA, which went into effect on January 1, 2024, mandates that companies submit information about individuals who own or have at least 25 percent ownership interest in that company. This information would include their names, dates of birth, residential addresses, and a unique identifying number from a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license or passport, along with an image of the document. A business who did not submit this information would be at risk of fines and criminal penalties.

A lawsuit filed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) argues that these reporting requirements were a harmful invasion of small business owners’ privacy, as well as a misuse of their time. Additionally, the lawsuit suggests that the CTA is unconstitutional as it oversteps Congress’s powers over the states, improperly mandates speech, and disregards the First Amendment right to anonymous association.

For more information, click here.