New Florence restaurant to offer ‘Mediterranean with Southern hospitality’

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“FLORENCE, S.C. – The name Zoë in Greek translates to the word “life.”

In Zoës Kitchen, the Mediterranean way of life is embraced to the fullest with a family-recipe-inspired menu using fresh ingredients. The Zoës Kitchen franchise has more than 214 locations in 20 states with its newest store set to open in mid-May at 2100 W. Evans St. in Florence.

Zoës Kitchen features a variety of Mediterranean cuisine highlighting not only Grecian food, but also food from other countries including Spain, Italy and Tunisia. Guests can choose from appetizers, salads, and entrees including classic chicken or steak kabobs, pita sandwiches or hummus plates. The fast-casual restaurant also offers vegan and vegetarian options.

Each item is prepared with lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, olive oil and fresh herbs. With no microwaves and no fryers, Zoës Kitchen staff members prepare each food from scratch. Regional operator Keith Beaulieu said Zoës Kitchen will offer a fresh, healthy food option not readily available in to Florence residents.

“It definitely struck me as there not being something that we offer in this area,” Beaulieu said. “The balance of the healthy lifestyle as well as our hospitality and the food, I didn’t see anybody else doing that over here so that really spoke to me as to why we needed to be in Florence.”

Along with its dine-in services, Zoës Kitchen also offers take-out and catering options. Beaulieu said a large percentage of their business is driven through catering so he expects the Florence location to have a high volume of catering requests, especially with the continued development of downtown.

“This is an up-and-coming area,” Beaulieu said. “Having a district down there with so many options that we can cater to was definitely a good option for us to be here. I’m excited about this town.”

Fresh, Mediterranean-inspired food isn’t the only priority for Zoës Kitchen, according to Beaulieu. Establishing a new business also means creating more jobs for the local community and Beaulieu said Zoës Kitchen makes sure that not only the customers are satisfied but also the staff members are too.

“Having come to work for Zoë’s it’s definitely a different environment in the way that we take care of our guests and our people,” Beaulieu said. “Not only is it a great place to come and eat but it’s a great place to work and provide a lot of opportunities for our employees.”

James Blease is the general manager of the Zoës Kitchen in Florence and he has 15 years of experience. Blease said the core values of the company are what drew him to apply for the position and said Zoës’ mission to put people first sets it apart from the other restaurants he has worked in the past.

“The whole culturel and vibe here is totally different,” Blease said. “We’re going to bring a lot of things to Florence that people aren’t going to be used to. People are going to be amazed at the level of service we have.”

“We’re Mediterranean with Southern hospitality.”

Zoës Kitchen is hiring for all positions. Those interested in applying can visit careers.zoeskitchen.com.”

SCNow Web Article – New Florence restaurant to offer ‘Mediterranean with Southern hospitality’

Administrative Professionals Day Luncheon

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and the Darlington Chamber of Commerce held their annual Administrative Professionals Day Luncheon at SiMT on Wednesday, April 26th. Nearly 400 people came to hear speaker Laura Hamilton talk on the topic of SuperWoman: Are You Invincible? Those in attendance also saw 150 prizes given away. The program was sponsored by Duke Energy, SPC Credit Union and AT&T Mobile.

Business After Hours: The Mandy Simpson State Farm

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The Mandy Simpson State Farm hosted a Business After Hours event with the Florence Chamber on Thursday, April 27th. Guests enjoyed live music by Sideswiped, door prizes and networking with the local business community. Mandy Simpson State Farm is located in the Huntington Plaza at 204 Second Loop Road in Florence.

Picture credit: Jessica Imbimbo, Morning News

Florence is the newest South Carolina Cultural District

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Florence is the newest South Carolina Cultural District

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“The South Carolina Arts Commission has named downtown Florence as the newest state-recognized cultural district. A cultural district is an easily identifiable geographic area with a concentration of arts facilities and assets that support cultural, artistic and economic activity. The cultural district designation was created by the S.C. General Assembly and Gov. Nikki Haley in 2014.

The City of Florence and the Florence Regional Arts Alliance worked with local leaders and Arts Commission staff to develop a map of cultural assets and a strategic plan for the district. City officials will use the cultural district designation to attract visitors and residents to downtown and promote the area as a hub of arts and culture.

“This cultural district designation from the South Carolina Arts Commission is a tremendous honor,” said Florence City Council member George Jebailey. “This designation recognizes the hard work done over the last 17 years by a community committed to a unified vision to create a detailed master plan establishing a purposeful clustering of multiple arts venues in downtown Florence. Through the collaboration of the many public-private partners working together on this unified vision, we have seen the master plan become a reality leading to this important designation. We anticipate that many new opportunities will now be available for us to promote both the City of Florence and the entire Pee Dee Region as an important destination for arts, culture and entertainment.”

“Receiving the S.C. state recognition of a designated cultural district will assist in our ongoing marketing of downtown Florence as a tourist destination,” said Florence Downtown Development Manager Ray Reich. “The Vision 2010 Initiative that was created in 2000, as well as the 2010 Downtown Master Plan, envisioned downtown as a place featuring a string of cultural pearls. The first pearl in the string was the library, followed by the Florence Little Theatre, and then the FMU Performing Arts Center, followed by the new museum, as well as many other cultural amenities that have been developed in recent years in our beautiful and historic downtown. This designation affirms that we are well in our way to achieving the vision of a string of cultural pearls. However, this is just the beginning, and while we have created an outstanding foundation, the work will not stop as we continue to work together as a community to live up to our new community brand of being a community full of life and moving full forward with more amenities.””

Read the rest of the article at the link below.

SC Arts Hub Web Article – Florence is the newest South Carolina Cultural District

Ribbon Cutting: Lane’s Professional Pest Elimination

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“FLORENCE, S.C. – Lane’s Professional Pest Elimination, the largest privately owned pest-elimination service in the state, was honored at a ribbon cutting Wednesday afternoon after joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Lane’s Professional Pest Elimination has been in business since 1985 and services countless residential and commercial structures from Georgia up to North Carolina. In the Florence area, Lane’s keeps unwanted pests from ravaging popular businesses and restaurants including Red Bone Alley and Town Hall.

Roy Snowden, account service liaison for Lane’s Pest Elimination, said becoming a part of the Greater Florence Chamber is a welcome step for both him and the company.

“There’s dozens and dozens of places that we service here,” Snowden said. “We do a lot with hospitality and restaurants in the commercial department. It (the chamber) gives them more exposure to people like me that offer services that they can use.”

Lane’s continually educates its technicians and provides training using advanced pest management techniques and products. The company also offers long-term pest-management plans that can be arranged on a one-time, monthly, quarterly or seasonal basis.

Snowden has worked for Lane’s for close to a year and said the company does an exceptional job remaining competitive with its nationally recognized counterparts.

 “A lot of people think that the national brands are the best way to go but that’s not always the case,” Snowden said. “The national branded pest-elimination companies base their prices on national averages. Our pricing is usually more on point with the area.”

Snowden added that the company has a reputation not only for reasonable prices and outstanding results, but also for emphasizing the importance of first-rate customer service.

“Our service is second to none,” Snowden said. “When Lane started this company his first priority was customer service. Second was service. And we still hold true to that.”

SCNow Web Article – Lane’s Professional Pest Elimination joins Chamber

Florence County growth lauded in Columbia on Legislative Day

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Article/Photo Credit: Joshua Lloyd, Morning News

FLORENCE, S.C. – Every year for the past 16 years business leaders and politicians from Florence County have converged in state’s Capitol for a legislative day that entails a statehouse tour and a talk with politicians about current affairs. This year the progress of major industry in Florence County was the hot-ticket item.

Twenty-five stories above Columbia at the Capitol City Club, Gov. Henry McMaster addressed the movers and shakers of Florence County, and had nothing but positive remarks for the county’s progress.

“Right now Florence County is going off the charts,” McMaster said. “I’ve been going to Florence since I was a child and it’s inspirational to see the changes happening now. The people have always been great but now the performance is catching up with the vision.”

McMaster said Florence is growing right along with places like Charleston and Greenville, something that’s good for the Pee Dee region as a whole. He said business expansions in the county, like GE’s upcoming $40 million project and Honda’s $45 million expansion, are pushing the state’s economy forward.

“We have all the assets in this state to go straight to the top, but the question is what we will do with it,” he said. “We have the vision. We have the institutions. We have the people.”

In addition to McMaster, some of Florence County’s House delegates attebded the event.

Democratic Rep. Roger Kirby said the county is positioned to see even greater growth in the coming years.

“We’ve got the infrastructure. We’ve got the higher education. We’ve got industry. We’ve got solid leadership,” he said. “All the pieces are there. Plus we have a team effort, which will go a long way. We’re quickly becoming a part of the statewide conversation.”

Republican Rep. Phillip Lowe echoed that sentiment.

“The pace that we’re setting with growth is unbelievable,” he said. “Great things have been happening, and I think some more major things are going to happen in the next few years.”

Attendees wrapped up the day with a reception at the Columbia Museum of Art, where state officials got a chance to meet with Florence County businesses.

The Florence County legislative day is funded by Florence County, the city of Florence and Florence County Progress.

SCNow Web Article – Florence County growth lauded in Columbia on Legislative Day

 

Wendell E. Jones Jr. Named Small Business Person Of The Year

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Article/Picture Credit: Jessica Imbimbo, Morning News

“FLORENCE, S.C. — Wendell E. Jones Jr. was named the Small Business Person of the Year on Thursday afternoon during the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce 2017 Outlook Luncheon at the Florence Civic Center.

Jones is a financial advisor for Edward Jones Investments whose office is located at 602 S. Coit Street in Florence.

Jones said he was completely surprised when he heard his name announced as this year’s award winner.

“My wife had made up a story that it was for our school our kids went to,” Jones said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ Totally blew me away.”

Jones has worked for Edward Jones Investments for more than 20 years. He serves as both a financial advisor for his clients and a regional leader working alongside other advisors in 60 offices throughout the Pee Dee and surrounding counties.

Prior to his career in finance, Jones worked as an engineer for ABB and served in the U.S. Navy as a surface war officer in Operation Desert Storm. Jones earned a degree in electrical engineering and a Master’s in industrial management from Clemson, all while taking finance-related courses when his schedule allowed.

Jones volunteers extensively within his church at First Presbyterian Church where he is a deacon, elder and mentor for his confirmation class. As an Eagle Scout, Jones gives back to the scouting program by volunteering as an assistant scout master and merit badge counselor.

Jones named chamber’s Small Business Person of the Year
In the past, Jones has served as chairman on the board of trustees at All Saint Episcopal Day School and the Florence Symphony.

The Small Business Person of the Year award is sponsored by Dedicated Community Bank and was presented to Jones by the bank’s executive vice president Jim Ivey. Ivey recognized Jones as not only a successful business person and community leader but also a philanthropist and loving husband and father.

“Along with advising numerous client in financial matters and giving of himself throughout his community, Wendell makes family a priority,” Ivey said.

Jones thanked his wife Margaret, and his three children Caroline, Palmer and William, along with the many others in attendance for recognizing him with such a distinguished honor.

“We’re very fortunate. The lord has blessed us to be here and raise a family and build a great business,” Jones said. ” When we came here it was a small community. And now to see what’s going on and to see all the businesses in the downtown area it’s exciting.”

“It’s a whole bunch of people who have all come together. We’re just glad to be a part of it.”

SCNow WebArticle – Wendell E. Jones Jr. Named Small Business Person Of The Year

Lucky Shamrock Festival

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For those that haven’t experienced downtown Florence, you’re missing out. Fortunately, you have more chances to enjoy the fun throughout the coming months.

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For more pictures from this event, click here.