By: Lauren Owens
FLORENCE, S.C. – Leaders of three educational institutions told a breakfast audience Wednesday that they are moving forward with initiatives to improve education in the Pee Dee.
Francis Marion University President Fred Carter, Florence-Darlington Technical College Interim President Ed Bethea and Florence One Schools Superintendent Richard O’Malley spoke on the status of education in Florence at the 2018 Greater Florence Legislative Breakfast.
With just under 4,000 students enrolled at Francis Marion and the addition of multiple programs in the past year, the university is serving the Pee Dee region as it was created to do, Carter said.
“Within the last 15 years, we’ve grown with the region and we’ve served the Pee Dee, and for the last three decades, we’ve tried to meet the needs, the demands and expectations of the state and most especially all of you,” Carter said. “If you’ve liked what you’ve seen so far, you’re going to love the next 20 years.”
Carter talked about new programs the university has started in the past few years, such as a master’s of teaching in education, sports management, sports marketing and a doctoral degree in nursing.
Carter also talked about a 154-acre land donation that will be announced in the next six months that will house a fresh water ecology center for the university
The center will give ecology and environmental sciences a chance to start looking at real water issues with in the Pee Dee River Basin, according to Carter.
Carter said the growth of the university has been made possible by partnerships within the community, such as the university’s partnership with the city of Florence and the Doctors Bruce & Lee Foundation for the downtown portions of campus. He also said local legislative representatives have played a part in this growth as well.
Bethea, who has worked for Florence-Darlington Technical College for nearly 30 years, said he wanted to be an action-oriented interim president.
“I’ve spent most of my life and work at Florence-Darlington Technical College,” Bethea said. “Because of that I was uninterested in house-sitting the president’s job. I just didn’t want to merely try to keep the seat warm for the next guy.”
Bethea said he brought the college back to focusing on fiscal responsibility, strategic planning and being a workforce-development and technical-education institution.
Florence-Darlington Technical College is looking at ways to ensure students have all of the training they need to succeed after college and a mentoring program to improve student retention.
The college is actively working on grants to help fund programs to further educational programs, Bethea said.
Florence-Darlington Technical College also is working on partnerships with companies, such as Wyman Gordon for internships and Clemson University for a virtual reality simulation that could decrease the use of pain medications.
O’Malley, who has been in Florence One Schools for just a few months, talked about the growth of the district and the new initiatives this year.
“As we begin to set this path of where we want to go as a district, we see our future is bright as well,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley said that moving forward the district has set its vision to improve on communication, student achievement, security and better pay for faculty and staff.
The district has already started moving toward this vision, O’Malley said.
Recently, the district announced a grant for $3 million for art education, as well as an inclusive model for special education. The district also hired Doug Nunnally as the director of school safety and security, to ensure the schools are adequately secured.
On Nov. 12, the district will launch Imagine Forward, the 1-to-1 technology initiative that will give each student access to a personal technology device. O’Malley said the initiative will be complete in the next three years.
Locked Inn offers guest an ‘escape experience’ in Florence
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News, Ribbon Cuttings /by Mandy HowleBy: Andrew Boardwine
FLORENCE, S.C. — Locked Inn- whose website describes it as “a Live Escape Room Experience” – moved locations in March and has enjoyed its new space with which it has expanded its offerings.
The business began with a 1,000-square foot space with two rooms inside the Gould Business Incubator on the campus of Florence-Darlington Technical College.
Last week, Locked Inn joined ambassadors from the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce to hold a ribbon cutting for its new location at 214-A Dozier Blvd.
For a birthday celebration, brother and sister Maureen Allen and Gavin Smith went to Charlotte, where they tried out an escape room. Allen said she fell in love with the idea and asked her brothers to join in on the venture of bringing an escape room in Florence.
“This has been a great family adventure for us as our whole family has come together to give new ideas and scenarios for the business,” Allen said. “It’s such a fun and exciting time for folks to enjoy.”
Escape rooms are live adventure games in which players are “locked in” a room and have to use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles to escape.
With the new location, Locked Inn has expanded to four themed rooms. Each room is fully interactive and players use their intellect to find clues and solve puzzles in an attempt to escape in 60 minutes.
The rooms include Lakewood Lodge, Submerged, Bellingham Asylum and Sacred Ruins.
Locked Inn hosts both corporate and group events. Those interested can book a room ahead of time at the business’s website- lockedinnsc.com. The business also has a party room that can be rented out for birthdays, anniversaries and other types of celebrations.
For more information, contact Locked Inn at 843-621-8942 or email them at lockedinnsc@gmail.com.
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Leadership Florence class participates in Health Issues Day
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News /by Mandy HowleOctober 13 was Health Issues Day for the Leadership Florence class of 2019. The day was filled with scenarios, information and tours of some of our local healthcare facilities.
The class visited and learned about McLeod Health, Florence Family YMCA, HopeHealth, Carolinas Hospital System and The Manor.
People’s Choice award winners for Kickin’ Chicken announced
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News /by Mandy HowleBy: Staff Reports
FLORENCE, S.C. – The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Kickin’ Chicken and Chili Festival was held Oct. 19 and drew residents from Florence and even tourists from Indiana to downtown Florence.
Part of the event included online voting for a People’s Choice award. Voting for that closed on Oct. 20 with more than 300 votes cast.
Winners of those contests are Jay Phillips of Clayton Homes, who was the Best Wing winner, and David Gowdy with Vivid Network Solutions. He was the Best Chili winner.
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David Lowe Insurance joins Florence Chamber
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News, Ribbon Cuttings /by Mandy HowleBy: Andrew Boardwine
FLORENCE, S.C. — David Lowe Insurance joined ambassadors from the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday to celebrate the business’s new chamber membership with a ribbon cutting.
David Lowe Insurance, at 507 W. Cheves St., has been in Florence for more than 40 years and at its current location for more than 30 years.
“Florence is home,” Lowe said. “It’s a great atmosphere to raise a family and a good business climate.”
Lowe said the company, which was established in 1979, primarily focuses on health insurance, but also does several other types of insurance for both individuals and groups.
Lowe said he has enjoyed getting to work with his son, Derek, for the past four years at the agency.
“He’s doing a great job,” Lowe said. “His first year, he was a top 20 producer of BlueCross BlueShield individually for the state. I’m very proud of him.”
Lowe said joining the chamber will give the business a chance to meet more businesses and gain more exposure.
“Derek was point man on that,” Lowe said. “It gives us a chance to get more exposure and to work with other businesses around the area. The Florence Chamber is primarily geared toward businesses and that’s a big part of our business, as well.”
For more information, contact David Lowe Insurance at 843-667-1315 or visit the agency’s website at loweins.com.
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Heaven’s Hope aims to build a special home for children
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News, Ribbon Cuttings /by Mandy HowleBy: Andrew Boardwine
FLORENCE, S.C. — Heaven’s Hope joined ambassadors from the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday to celebrate the organization’s new chamber membership with a ribbon cutting.
Heaven’s Hope, a Pee Dee based nonprofit organization, is looking to construct a home that specializes in the treatment of medically fragile children, which would be the first of its kind in the state of South Carolina.
Rachel Lee, executive director of the organization, said families with medically fragile children in South Carolina are forced to make a decision: Either learn to operate all the intricate equipment that their child needs to live or let their child live in a hospital.
Heaven’s Hope wants to give families an alternative option.
“I would love it for children to have a safe place,” Lee said. “These children are exposed to so much pain and so many unknowns. I would love to create this home where this is their happy spot. It’s a place where they can blow bubbles and put stuff on the walls of their room. A place where they can just be a kid.”
The mission for Heaven’s Hope is “to provide a loving place for medically fragile children to call home that meets their emotional, spiritual, medical, physical, social and educational needs.”
Lee said being a part of the chamber will help the organization network with other businesses and organizations in the Pee Dee.
“In the past, we have seen the chamber of commerce do some events and we’ve seen the benefit of what the chamber has to offer to local businesses and even small nonprofits like us,” Lee said. “We made the decision that this was something we wanted to be a part of. It’s something bigger than ourselves.”
The organization will host a fund-raising event on Saturday, Nov. 17, called the “Swamp Fox Highland Games and Celtic Festival.” The festival will take place at The Columns Plantation and all funds will go toward the initial start of the home.
Lee said the festival is a celebration of Celtic culture and history. There will be kid’s activities, vendors, cultural demonstrations and athletic events.
For more information, visit heavenshopesc.com or follow them on social media.
https://www.scnow.com/news/local/article_b2af0d0a-e22d-11e8-a7a8-53f05cdd7f90.html
Florence Junior Leadership students participate in Business & Industry Day
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News /by Mandy HowleStudents in Junior Leadership Florence visited GE, Honda and Otis on Tuesday, Nov. 6, as part of their Business & Industry Day. We would like to thank these businesses for their hospitality and educating the students. We would also like to thank JLFC Advisory Board member, Lauren Stanton, for coordinating the day.
South Carolina students surpass national average on SAT and AP exams
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News /by Mandy HowleBy: Briana Rivas
(WPDE) — South Carolina students surpassed the national average on SAT and Advanced Placement exams, according to the College Board.
The results were released Thursday, showing that South Carolina students scored 15 points above the national average on the SAT and “exceeded the nation” on eight out of the top 10 tested subjects of Advanced Placement exams.
“These results illustrate the importance of an education system that is based off multiple measures, said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “While there is still work to be done in other areas, the data from these two rigorous national assessments prove that South Carolina students can surpass their peers nationally and that our schools are moving in the right direction.”
Keep reading for more specific statistics from the College Board:
SAT
Advanced Placement (AP)
• The number of students taking exams increased 5.7% to 32,641.
• The number of exams increased 6.6% to 52,115 exams.
• The number of AP exams with scores of three or higher increased 10.1% to 30,427 exams.
Click here for all South Carolina test results.
https://wpde.com/news/local/south-carolina-students-surpass-national-average-on-sat-an-ap-exams?fbclid=IwAR2dvXkqZyADoQCLyX2we4TEQLUNCJSmLDCEXptXnmgsB_WAJ3S8oD_k0TU
Education leaders speak at Florence Chamber breakfast, see improvements ahead
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News /by Mandy HowleBy: Lauren Owens
FLORENCE, S.C. – Leaders of three educational institutions told a breakfast audience Wednesday that they are moving forward with initiatives to improve education in the Pee Dee.
Francis Marion University President Fred Carter, Florence-Darlington Technical College Interim President Ed Bethea and Florence One Schools Superintendent Richard O’Malley spoke on the status of education in Florence at the 2018 Greater Florence Legislative Breakfast.
With just under 4,000 students enrolled at Francis Marion and the addition of multiple programs in the past year, the university is serving the Pee Dee region as it was created to do, Carter said.
Carter talked about new programs the university has started in the past few years, such as a master’s of teaching in education, sports management, sports marketing and a doctoral degree in nursing.
Carter also talked about a 154-acre land donation that will be announced in the next six months that will house a fresh water ecology center for the university
The center will give ecology and environmental sciences a chance to start looking at real water issues with in the Pee Dee River Basin, according to Carter.
Carter said the growth of the university has been made possible by partnerships within the community, such as the university’s partnership with the city of Florence and the Doctors Bruce & Lee Foundation for the downtown portions of campus. He also said local legislative representatives have played a part in this growth as well.
Bethea, who has worked for Florence-Darlington Technical College for nearly 30 years, said he wanted to be an action-oriented interim president.
“I’ve spent most of my life and work at Florence-Darlington Technical College,” Bethea said. “Because of that I was uninterested in house-sitting the president’s job. I just didn’t want to merely try to keep the seat warm for the next guy.”
Bethea said he brought the college back to focusing on fiscal responsibility, strategic planning and being a workforce-development and technical-education institution.
Florence-Darlington Technical College is looking at ways to ensure students have all of the training they need to succeed after college and a mentoring program to improve student retention.
The college is actively working on grants to help fund programs to further educational programs, Bethea said.
Florence-Darlington Technical College also is working on partnerships with companies, such as Wyman Gordon for internships and Clemson University for a virtual reality simulation that could decrease the use of pain medications.
O’Malley, who has been in Florence One Schools for just a few months, talked about the growth of the district and the new initiatives this year.
“As we begin to set this path of where we want to go as a district, we see our future is bright as well,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley said that moving forward the district has set its vision to improve on communication, student achievement, security and better pay for faculty and staff.
The district has already started moving toward this vision, O’Malley said.
Recently, the district announced a grant for $3 million for art education, as well as an inclusive model for special education. The district also hired Doug Nunnally as the director of school safety and security, to ensure the schools are adequately secured.
On Nov. 12, the district will launch Imagine Forward, the 1-to-1 technology initiative that will give each student access to a personal technology device. O’Malley said the initiative will be complete in the next three years.
O’Malley said Florence One School will be the first district to do a comprehensive pre-K-12 1-to-1 initiative. He said the initiative won’t be just putting a device in the student’s hands, but changing the way students are taught.
https://www.scnow.com/news/education/article_62e7c448-dd72-11e8-8b69-5b8e72c8db45.html?fbclid=IwAR0ah4R5A3jKNI1KHgAdzbWsAw8mgvFhZwbGmo85z1qVgmHCzasm7-DjT7k
Mobile Communications extends reach to Florence
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News, Ribbon Cuttings /by Mandy HowleBy: Andrew Boardwine
FLORENCE, S.C. — Mobile Communications America joined ambassadors from the Greater Florence Chamber on Tuesday for a ribbon cutting.
Michael Johnson, general manager, said Mobile Communications America acquired Myrtle Beach Communications on July 2.
“It was a natural fit,” Johnson said. “Mobile Communications just continues to grow. Our focus in Florence will be on video surveillance, in particular.”
Mobile Communications America is the largest service provider in the country for mobile two-way radios and public safety accounts. The company has 40 locations in the Southeast and provides a number of services, including equipment repair, engineering services, maintenance contracts, system management, FCC licensing and more.
The company handles commercial accounts and does video surveillance and warning sirens for school districts, governmental bodies and large commercial businesses, including factories and plants.
“I’m excited about the community,” Johnson said. “As large as they are, Mobile Comm still gets community. They want to be a part of the areas they are in and look for places where they can get involved.”
Johnson said he was excited to extend to the Florence market. He said school districts, new construction sites and major plants are the company’s core customers. Mobile Communications focuses on commercial business.
“The big change for us is the resources,” Johnson said. “We have engineers on staff and the transition has been good for us. We think chambers of commerce are important to the community and with us coming to Florence, we felt it was important to join the chamber.”
For more information, call 843-444-1199 or visit CallMC.com.
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Event showcases new Staybridge Suites hotel in Florence
/in Frontpage Article, Images, News, Ribbon Cuttings /by Mandy HowleBy: Andrew Boardwine
FLORENCE, S.C. – Hundreds of business and community leaders gathered at Staybridge Suites on Thursday to celebrate the hotel’s grand opening in conjunction with a Business After Hours event.
Staybridge Suites, at 150 Westpark Drive near the Florence Center, opened about two month ago.
Robin Osborne, general manager of Staybridge Suites, said she was excited to show off the new property to the Florence community.
“It’s exciting,” Osborne said. “We’ve been here for two months, so we’ve gotten to see how beautiful it is, but we just wanted to have the opportunity to show Florence. Although, we don’t book a lot of room for locals, we have the meeting and banquet space that will interest locals in the community. We’ve got Christmas parties coming up and we’ve already booked some weddings and receptions.”
The hotel is owned and managed by Raldex Hospitality under a license agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns nearly 5,400 hotels and 800,000 guest rooms in almost 100 countries.
Raldex Hospitality owns and operates Holiday Inn Express, Hilton Garden Inn and two Hampton Inn & Suites in Florence.
Osborne said Staybridge Suites is Raldex’s first “extended-stay brand hotel.”
“It’s a whole different market that we’ve never been a part of,” Osborne said. “There are corporate travelers that have stayed a couple of weeks, a month, two months. We have got somebody staying here now for four months. They become like family to us. It really is more of a family atmosphere than your normal hotel.”
The new property has 112 rooms, which include a mix of deluxe studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom/two-bathroom suites with communal living spaces. Guests will be able to enjoy kitchens with a full-size refrigerator, microwave oven, cooktop and a dishwasher.
The hotel offers several amenities, including a daily hot breakfast buffet; a den for socializing, playing board games or reading; an outdoor pavilion that includes two custom-built infra-red grills; and evening receptions four nights a week with wine, beer and customized entrees.
Additional conveniences include internet, a zero-entry outdoor saline pool, complimentary guest laundry room, guest storage room, a 24-hour business center, a fully equipped fitness center and a 2,600-square-foot meeting space with a capacity for 225 people, making it the largest hotel ballroom in Florence.
For more information, visit staybridgesuites.com or call 843-519-5200.
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