Registration is Open for the 2022 Emerging Leaders Summer Institute

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The Emerging Leaders Summer Institute is a program designed to generate professional training and development, mentorship, community engagement and recruitment opportunities.

The purpose is to identify, develop and empower “Emerging Leaders”, specifically minorities, small business owners and innovative professionals poised to move into the next level of community and business leadership.

Program Strategies:

  • Communicate with community leaders and businesses
  • Professional and personal leadership development and civic engagement
  • Extensive networking with a diverse group of peers
  • Discovering your strengths and how to apply them as a leader

To find out more, click here.

Caliber Home Loans Joins the Chamber

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Caliber Home Loans celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, May 25 with a ribbon cutting. Joining in the celebration were Chamber ambassadors. Caliber Home Loans is at 653 S. Coit St. in Florence.

Sales Manager Renee Broach opened her storefront location on Oct. 1, 2022. Caliber Home Loans is a mortgage lender for home loans.

Broach said plans are to grow and eventually to purchase her own building.

“I’ll have to grow a little more before having my own brick-and-mortar building,” Broach said. “We are trying to expand our local footprint.” The company has locations in Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Columbia.

To read the full story, click here.

Adore Taxes Holds Ribbon Cutting

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Adore Taxes LLC held a ribbon cutting Monday, April 25th to celebrate joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Cutting the ribbon was owner Tiffanie R. McLaughlin. She was joined by chamber ambassadors, staff, family and friends.

Adore Tax service is located at 604 S. Coit St. in Florence.

McLaughlin started doing taxes in December 2017. After managing a local tax service for several years, she decided to branch out on her own. She opened her tax service in July 2021.

In December, McLaughlin will complete her degree and add accounting and bookkeeping services.
“My plan is to open another office before next tax season,” McLaughlin said.

And her ultimate goal is to franchise her business.

To read the full story, click here.

Housing Authority of Florence Holds Ribbon Cutting For New Location on Palmetto Street

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The Housing Authority of Florence held a ribbon cutting and tour of the facility on Wednesday, April 27th to celebrate the opening of its new location on West. Palmetto Street.

Ambassadors of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce assisted with the ribbon cutting.

In operation for the past 54 years, the Housing Authority moved from 400 E. Pine St. to its new location at 2640 W. Palmetto St., a property it purchased in January 2019. The agency serves people in upper Florence, Chesterfield, Dillon and Marlboro counties.

In the move in October, 2021, all administrative staff members, except for community managers, were brought under one roof.

Before the move, the administrative staff was housed in three or four different buildings. With the transformation of the former Food Lion purchase, the Housing Authority has turned about 15,000 square feet of the facility into office space. The majority of the staff members are now all in one location, which allows them to have meetings in-house, have more events for their residents and provide more resources for them.

To read the full story, click here.

Vibez843 Joins the Chamber and Celebrates with Ribbon Cutting

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Vibez843 bar and lounge celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, April 21st. The lounge is at 104 Kansas Drive in Florence.

Owner Tameka Thomas was joined by her husband, Titus Thomas, and her three children, Tiana Thomas, Morgan Thomas and Jazzmyne Pipkins, in cutting the ribbon. Chamber ambassadors joined in the celebration.

The lounge, which serves a full menu, opened in October 2019 and has undergone a complete renovation.

Thomas said the location was original a nightclub, turned gentlemen’s lounge, and now lounge and bar for a mature clientele.

In the daytime, Thomas said, she serves a full menu that includes honey-glazed salmon, salmon bites, chicken quesadillas, chopped cheese glizzy bun, vegetables, wings and other food. Lamb chops are served on Wednesdays.

To read the full article, click here.

Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Breaks Ground on Florence Location

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Lucky Dog Animal Rescue broke ground on its new South Carolina campus Thursday, April 14th at 2508 N. Williston Road.

Executive Director and Founder Mirah Horowitz joined local team leader Stephanie Moore and others in the ceremonial groundbreaking at the property, just off I-95 in Florence.

Lucky Dog purchased the property last February, Moore said. She said it is a perfect location for them because most of their dogs are transported north on I-95 to their forever homes mostly in the Virginia/Washington, D.C. area.

Moore, who will be in charge of the Florence site, said they are hoping for a fall opening of phase I of the project.

Phase I of Lucky Dog’s campus will include a transfer building to temporarily house rescue dogs before their transfer, a spay/neuter clinic, and an infectious disease ICU to treat puppies and dogs with parvovirus, distemper and other infectious diseases. A building on the property focused on the treatment of cats with ringworm has already been renovated for that purpose.

To read the full article, click here.

LOV3 Celebrates Chamber Membership with Ribbon Cutting

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LOV 3, a digital marketing agency, celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, April 19th with a ribbon cutting in the James Allen Plaza behind the Chamber office.

Owner Adrian Pooler cut the ribbon and was joined by Chamber staff and ambassadors.

Pooler started working while in high school in an effort to help his family generate more income. After high school, he began focusing on improving his skills. He was hired by an Inc. 5000 Tech Company called Compliance Line, where he controlled a marketing budget of $15,000 a month.

Pooler is a young entrepreneur in his early 20s. He has been in business for six years, and in that time, he said he has generated more than “a million social media impressions.”
Some of his clients have been bakeries, hair salons, real estate agencies and other small businesses. He helps businesses with marketing campaigns and social media.

To read the full article, click here.

Florence 1 Schools Investing in Arts Education

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In a continued effort to lead the state in arts education, and improve and expand opportunities for students across the district, Florence 1 Schools is making further investments in all K-12 arts programs ahead of the 2022-23 school year. The investments total approximately $1.5 million, supplemented from various sources including federal and state grants.

To read the full article, click here.

Dancing For Our Future Stars Resumes

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This year’s dancing event will be held on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at SiMT in Florence. The reception begins at 6:00pm and the competition will begin promptly at 7:00pm. The Chamber own, Les Echols, Director of Community and Minority Enterprise, will be one of the dancing participants. The paired couples will square off for a chance to win the coveted mirror ball trophy at the 10th annual dancing competition. Founded in 2000, The School Foundation created the dancing event to support efforts in promoting educational excellence in Florence One Schools through grants for innovative learning and through high-impact initiatives designed to prepare all students for success. You can vote for your favorite dancer by clicking here.

 

DEW Announces Labor Force Participation Task Force

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In recent weeks, the SC Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) announced the creation of a task force that seeks to understand and address the state’s low labor force participation rate. While the state’s unemployment rate is 3.5%, the labor force participation rate is 57.2% which is below the national average of 62.3% and one of the lowest rates in the country. Additionally, the state has over 112,000 open jobs available, indicating strong employer demand for workers.

In announcing the task force, DEW Director Dan Ellzey noted that “A higher participation rate increases the wealth of a state. We need to know the root causes of our low participation rate before truly making any improvements. This is why the Task Force is so critical at this time.”

To read the full article, click here.