City of Florence Announces Water System Improvements

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The City of Florence is pleased to announce a $2.3 million investment to improve its water system. This project will involve the construction of 22,585 linear feet of new waterline, along with site work and connections to the existing infrastructure. It is designed to enhance water pressure, reliability, and resiliency for areas west of Interstate 95.

This project is funded through the South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program (SCIIP), a statewide initiative aimed at improving water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. These improvements are made possible by federal funds allocated through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.

For more information, click here.

Teacher Recruitment Fair Just Around The Corner

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Be sure to save the date of February 8th for Florence 1 Schools Teacher Recruitment Fair at West Florence High School – 221 North Beltline Drive in Florence from 10:00am to 12:00 noon. Make your plans now to attend this chance to join Florence 1 Schools as a dynamic, innovative district with opportunities available in a variety of positions and academic areas. Registration is open now at https://lnkd.in/guEe9CqP

Florence MSA Helps Lead South Carolina Employment Growth

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The Florence MSA (metropolitan statistical area) helps lead South Carolina employment growth this year. Every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases employment data for each state and MSA.

From October 2023 through October 2024, South Carolina added 61,000 jobs, a 2.6 percent annual increase. This was the third highest increase in the nation reported during that period. Idaho took first place with an increase of 3.2 percent, followed by Missouri at 2.8 percent.

For more information, click here.

Ship With E’s Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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Erin M. McDaniel, owner of Ship With E’s, along with family, friends and Chamber Ambassadors cuts her ribbon joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce

In Downtown Florence, a new business venture is emerging, aimed at addressing quick convenient office and business services in the area. With numerous hotels, apartments, and businesses nearby, the need for accessible services, especially during lunch and rush hours, has become evident. While managing business demands, has prompted the decision to establish a service that offers office supplies, quick printing, laminating, notary services, packaging, shipping, fingerprinting, personal/ business mailboxes, and more. This new business is positioned as a valuable addition to the growing downtown Florence area.

To read the full story, click here.

Fellows In Education Visit Florence 1 District Offices

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The 2024-2025 Fellows In Education Class enjoyed a very informative session last week at the Florence 1 School district offices. The group heard from a variety of district administrative leaders regarding happenings at various schools across the area. It was great to hear about all the wonderful things offering growth and high-level learning throughout the F1S system.

The class of 30 local civic and business leaders will visit 8 different Florence 1 Schools over an 8 month to showcase what is being done each day educating our children.

Fellows In Education is a joint community project between Florence 1 Schools, the School Foundation and the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

To see more photos from the day, click here.

Diversity Works Magazine Featured On ChamberLink Radio

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Diana Murphy Eaddy, CEO & Publisher of Diversity Works Magazine was the Florence Chamber’s guest this past weekend sharing the story of this popular magazine here in the Pee Dee. 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/

South Carolina Manufacturing Ranks 2nd In Nation

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Site Selection Group, LLC recently unveiled its annual Best States for Manufacturing list, ranking South Carolina at #2.

The Palmetto State’s business-friendly climate is just part of the equation – a highly trained workforce, strategic East Coast location and a strong partnership network allow manufacturers of all sizes to succeed, from launch to legacy.

For more information, click here

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.