Chamber Adjusts to Limited Staffing for Two Weeks Over COVID-19 Concerns

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce will be operating under minimum staffing for at least the next two weeks in keeping with efforts to minimize Coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. We plan to be open normal business hours Monday through Thursday and will be closing at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. However, when trying to contact us by telephone, please be patient since we may not be able to answer as quickly as normal. If there is no answer, please leave a message and someone will return your call as rapidly as possible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during the coming weeks.

SC Governor Orders Closure of All Schools Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

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South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced temporary closures for schools across the state as more cases of coronavirus continue to emerge.

This impacts all schools, pre-K through high school, colleges and technical colleges.

McMaster was joined by public health officials for the announcement. He also suspended non-essential business travel by state employees.

“It is time to impress upon our children how important social distance is,” he said.

“We are going to get through this, and we are going to get through this as we have gotten through other things, by using common sense.”

Like North Carolina, South Carolina received a federal grant allowing the state to provide students with meals with their summer feeding program.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control announced nine new South Carolina cases on Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 28.

On Friday, McMaster issued a State of Emergency, and closed schools in Lancaster and Kershaw counties, citing community spread of coronavirus.

Copyright 2020 WBTV. All rights reserved.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Florence BNI Chapters Join Chamber

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by Ardie Arvidson

During a special area-wide Business Networking International breakfast on Wednesday morning at Victors in Florence, a ribbon cutting was held as the three chapters joined the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber ambassadors joined in the celebration.

Five chapters of Business Networking International (BNI) were represented at the meeting. They were BNI Pee Dee, Florence — Wednesday breakfast (7:30) at Victors, BNI Business Builders, Florence — Thursday breakfast (7:30) at Bazen’s, BNI Palmetto Business Referrals, Florence — Monday lunch (12:30) at The Peddler, BNI Business and Networking Group (BANG), Sumter — Wednesday breakfast at Central Carolina Tech; BNI Soaring to New Heights, Hartsville — Tuesday breakfast at Cobra Club Room in DeLoach Center at Coker University.

These five chapters have a combined membership of about 180 members. About 200 people attended the event.

The ribbon was cut by BNI Pee Dee Chapter President David Fountain. Presidents of the other two Florence chapters are Ashley Klynstra of Palmetto Business Referrals and Susan Evans of Business Builders.

The mission of BNI as stated on its website, www.BNI.com, “is to help members increase their business through a structured, positive and professional referral marketing program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals.”

Worldwide, there are more than 9,400 chapters. It is one of the largest referral organizations worldwide.

Fountain said he joined BNI to network and grow his business. He wanted people to know that UPS does more than shipping. He joined for printing.

Fountain said he made a promise to himself to do something different in 2018, and he joined BNI. He said only one profession in a category is represented in each chapter.

One member attending on Wednesday, Charles Saverance of BNI Soaring to New Heights Chapter in Hartsville, and director consultant for BNI Pee Dee and BNI BANG, said “I have been a member for eight years (actually got my eight-year pin today).” He said joining the chamber offers these chapters greater opportunities to network.

The area director is Kay Kennedy-Niziol from Murrells Inlet.

For more information about BNI visit www.BNI.com.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Spann Roofing Joins Florence Chamber

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by Ardie Arvidson

The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting Tuesday at the chamber office for Spann Roofing and Sheet Metal.

A three-generation, family-owned business, Spann Roofing is based in Conway. The business was started in 1957, said James M. “Jimbo” Spann IV.

He said the company was already doing business in the Florence area when it decided to open an office here about a year ago. Josh Boykin is the territory sales representative for this area. His office is at 6 S. Santiago Drive.

Spann said they do primarily commercial business but have branched out into residential roofing and gutters. They also do service and maintenance work for homes and businesses, all to prolong the life of the roof and gutters.

“We have always done work here in this area and thought it was time to give back to the community,” Spann said. “My wife and I both have roots here.”

Spann said he wants to stress that they are a full-service repair and maintenance business.

Spann Roofing employs about 75 people.

For additional information, visit www.SpannRoofing.com or call 843-283-6115 or 843-656-9808 in Florence or 843-347-2220 in Myrtle Beach area.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Leadership Held Education Day

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Leadership Florence held its March session (Education Day) on Tuesday, March 10. The group visited Florence-Darlington Technical College and Luther F. Carter Center for Health Sciences.

The class heard from and visited many of educational institutions in our community. The day included presentations from: The King’s Academy, Poynor, Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate School, Girls University, The School Foundation and Coker University.

An additional thank you goes to Florence-Darlington Technical College for providing breakfast, and several schools, (including TKA, Wilson High School and Trinity Byrnes), for providing lunch.

Junior Leadership Participates in Their State Government Day

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Junior Leadership Florence County enjoyed a fantastic day in Columbia for their State Government Session Tuesday, March 10. The Students were able to network with the Florence County Legislative Delegation, Lt. Governor Evette, and JLFC Alumni! Special thanks to Senator Leatherman and AT&T for making the opportunity possible for our youth. We would also like to thank JLFC Advisory Board Members, Celia Urquhart and Neal Vincent, for their help chaperoning the trip.

Eggs Up Grill Celebrates Joining the Chamber with a Ribbon Cutting

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by Ardie Arvidson

Eggs Up Grill joined the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and held a ribbon cutting on Monday, March 9 with the Chamber and its ambassadors. Eggs Up is located at 250 N Beltline Drive in Florence.

Dean Patel is the franchise owner. He opened the breakfast and lunch grill in August 2018. This is his second location. He also owns the Eggs Up in Sumter. Patel lives in Sumter.

Patel said he decided to open in Florence because the chain started in Pawley’s Island and has a big following in this direction. The first Eggs Up was started in 1997 by Chris Skodras.

Patel said he chose the franchise because it is family-oriented.

“Our staff is what makes Eggs Up so good,” Patel said. “It is a good workplace.”

He said the staff enjoys the fact that the restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they get to spend the rest of the day with their families.

Patel said he has a staff of 15 employees.

Patel said he is a member of the chamber in Sumter and saw what it did for his business. He wanted to be a part of the community of Florence.

“It is not just about serving breakfast; it is about helping the community,” Patel aid. “We want to get to know the community and to help.”

The restaurant serves traditional breakfast food with its own twist.

“Our new best seller is the Texas Farmhouse omelet,” he said. “It is huge. It takes up the whole plate.”

Other items include steak and eggs, buttermilk pancakes, French toast, waffles, eggs benedict and more. Lunch menu items include salads, pimento cheese burger, bacon cheddar burger, BLT. reuben, wraps, soup and other sandwiches.

The restaurant has a seating capacity of 98.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Woodforest National Bank Celebrates Opening in Florence

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by Ardie Arvidson

The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce welcomed Woodforest National Bank into its membership on Friday, March 6 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The bank is located within the Walmart Supercenter on North Beltline Drive in Florence. Chamber ambassadors joined the staff for the celebration.

Woodforest opened its first account on Thursday, February 13. Friday, March 6 was its official debut for the Florence and Hartsville locations, said Takiyah Sheppard, Branch Manager of the Florence location.

“We are a full-service bank,” Sheppard said.

Sheppard said the bank offers seven-day-week banking. The bank is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. It has two ATMS with one full service ATM that accepts deposits.

Sheppard said the bank offers direct deposit with pay a day earlier.

The bank has a staff of four.

Sheppard said plans are to open a branch in the Walmart Supercenter on Irby Street in March 2021.

Woodforest is also in Dillon, Marion/Mullins, Cheraw, Conway and Myrtle Beach, she said.

The bank is based in Texas and operates in 17 states with more than 800 locations, Sheppard said. There are 46 branches in South Carolina. Sheppard said all are located in Walmart except for some in Texas.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Fellows in Education Hear South Florence High School’s Dream

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by Lauren Owens

The Fellows in Education got to experience South Florence High School’s dream during their visit to the school Tuesday, March 3.

Lisa Suggs, assistant principal, told the fellows that dreams do come true.

“Last year we dared to dream, and we’ve seen things, successes this year, and that’s why we are here to tell you it can happen in a short amount of time,” Suggs said.

During the meeting, the fellows heard a presentation from a few administrators and teachers.

Suggs, during her presentation, said South Florence High imagined being a school where the arts flourished and students are encouraged to think creatively.

Suggs cited several areas in which the school in the past year has seen great growth, including the addition of a new piano lab and broadcast studio and the renovation of the auditorium, library and several classrooms.

Jackie Shuler, assistant principal, spoke to fellows about the newly created arts magnet program at South Florence High.

The school has been an arts school for several years, but for a long time the school wanted to become an arts magnet school. The creation of the arts magnet program allowed students from across the district to apply to the arts program at South Florence High.

Last year, the school received its first group of students to the arts magnet school program.

“When we all started at South Florence, it was not all blank pages,” Shuler said. “It was actually an outline of where we wanted to go, and what we’ve been able to do with Dr. O’Malley and the arts is we’ve been able to color in the pages.” (Richard O’Malley is the district superintendent.)

After sharing South Florence’s dream and what it has accomplished, Erick Figueras said the school is beyond grateful for what it has received, and it is going to keep moving forward.

“So we dared to dream, we accomplished some of our dreams, but we are not going to be satisfied,” Figueras said. “We are going to continue to dream.”

South Florence High wants to continue to upgrade its facility, including a dance studio, new gym with an athletic training facility and new instructional space for band and percussion.

After the presentation, the fellows toured the school’s dance class, visual arts class and the distance learning classroom. The fellows also heard an algebra class sing a song to remember the quadratic formula and another class play “Stand By Me” on guitar.

The Fellows in Education is a program that offers Florence business leaders a chance to see what takes place in schools. The program, which is in its fifth year, is sponsored by Florence One Schools, The School Foundation and the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

The next Fellows in Education meeting will be April 14 at Briggs Elementary School.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.

Mailroom Barber Co. Joins Chamber

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Staff Reports

The Mailroom Barber Co. hair studio in downtown Florence downtown has joined the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

The company is expanding and is expected to soon cut the ribbon for their West Palmetto Street location, which will be more of a barber shop.

The downtown location at 116-B S. Irby St.will be a full-service hair salon and cosmetology studio.

The company also is going to open a shop in Taylors in Upstate South Carolina.

To read the full article on SC Now, click here.