City Manager, Randy Osterman Addresses Florence Business Leaders at Chamber’s Legislative Breakfast

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Florence City Manager Randall Osterman detailed the location of the new station during a presentation at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast on Friday, September 18th at the Florence Center. Osterman said growth in the western and northwestern portions of the city create the need for the city to build a new fire station and to relocate the Ben Dozier fire station.

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2020 Pee Dee Grassroots Meeting

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and the Hartsville Chamber joined to present the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Annual Grassroots Tour on Wednesday. This year’s meeting was held virtually through Zoom, because of the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.
Each fall, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce partners with regional and local chambers across the state on the chamber’s annual Grassroots Tour. The tour allows the state chamber to hear from businesses from around the state on issues they are facing. The feedback received from the meetings from around the state will help shape the state chamber’s 2021 Competitiveness Agenda and set the chamber’s priorities for the 2021 legislative agenda.
Usually, the Florence and Hartsville chambers host their meeting at a large luncheon venue with about 150 area business leaders attending, said Mike Miller, president of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

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Virtus Academy Celebrates Opening with Ribbon Cutting

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Virtus Academy of South Carolina held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday in front of its new facility. The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce participated in the event.  The charter school moved into its new, permanent facility at 2407 Pisgah Road in August. For its first two years, the school was housed in temporary quarters. The opening came just in time for the students’ return to the classroom for the start of the 2020-21 school year. Students will return to school on Monday, September 28th.

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FDTC’s Ed Bethea Receives Inaugural Public Servant of the Year Award

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Florence-Darlington Technical College Interim President Ed Bethea received the inaugural Public Servant of the Year Award at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Outlook Luncheon on Thursday, August 27th. Francis Marion University President Fred Carter presented Bethea the award in the ballroom of the Florence Center.

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Drew Chaplin Named Chamber’s Small Business Person of the Year

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Drew Chaplin Jr. was nervous about speaking Thursday, August 27th after being named the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year until he reached the third step of the stage in the ballroom of the Florence Center. Chaplin is the Managing Partner and Broker In Charge of Palmetto Commercial Real Estate. As is the tradition of the award, Chaplin had no idea that he was going to be named the Small Business Person of the Year until Dedicated Community Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Ivey read some biographical information during the Chamber’s outlook luncheon.

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McLeod Health Opens New Physician Office Building

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McLeod Health held a ribbon cutting with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday at the new McLeod Physician Associates office location and physician practice, McLeod Family Medicine South. The new office is at 611 Second Loop Road in Florence. Chamber staff and ambassadors were on hand for the ribbon cutting, along with the doctors, staff and members of the McLeod Real Estate and Construction teams and representatives of FBi Construction.

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Southern Shores Real Estate Celebrates Joining the Florence Chamber with a Ribbon Cutting

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Southern Shores Real Estate Group celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, August 25th. Chamber staff and ambassadors joined the celebration. Linda Strauss opened the first Southern Shores in Florence in 2017. The company is based in Charleston and has been in business since 2006. Strauss said she had owned her own environmental company and decided on a new career path as a real estate agent. Strauss said she started out in a warehouse she owned on Floyd Circle for approximately two years, establishing herself and acquainting the Florence Community with Southern Shores.

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Emerging Leaders Graduation

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce held a graduation ceremony for its 5th annual Emerging Leaders Summer Institute on Thursday, August 20th.

The program is designed to generate professional training and development, mentor-ship, community engagement, and recruitment opportunities.

The goal is to help small business owners and other professionals become leaders in the community. “Part of the point of this program was to implement a diverse group to make sure we have a diverse group that could, therefore, be leaders, more diverse leaders, in our community,” said Les Echols, Director of Community & Minority Enterprise for the chamber.

Because of the pandemic, the six-session class was completely virtual.

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Grace Outdoor Celebrates Joining Florence Chamber With A Ribbon Cutting

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Grace Outdoor Advertising celebrated joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting Monday, August 17th at the Chamber. Chamber ambassadors joined in the celebration. Josh Madsen from Grace Outdoor was on hand to cut the ribbon.

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Integrative Health Solutions Celebrates Chamber Membership With A Ribbon Cutting

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Integrative Health Solutions is a new chiropractic office in Florence that opened in late June. A grand opening with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce was held on Monday, August 10th. Chamber ambassadors assisted in the celebration with a ribbon cutting. Dr. Berek Oldenkamp and Dr. Kristin Hieshepper are the two doctors currently in the office. Both have been practicing chiropractic medicine for more than 15 years. Oldenkamp recently moved to Florence from Kentucky, and Hieshepper is from Michigan.

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