Gov. McMaster, Other Leaders Mark Major Milestone For Pee Dee Mental Health Facility

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Gov. Henry McMaster was among local leaders, state leaders and area business leaders who marked a major milestone for an upcoming mental health facility in the Pee Dee.

The governor was part of a “topping-out” ceremony for the Medical University of South Carolina’s Jean and Hugh K. Leatherman Behavioral Care Pavilion on Wednesday, May 22nd. The ceremony celebrated the finishing of the building’s structure, with the final beam being signed by officials before being placed.

The facility is partially named for the late South Carolina Sen. Hugh Leatherman, who backed the project prior to his death in 2021.

His wife, Jean, was at Wednesday’s ceremony and spoke highly of the process.

The facility is expected to open in October 2025.

For the full story, click here.

Magic City Rollers To Host Bike Rodeo In Partnership With Naturally Outdoors

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Join the MCR team for a fun day of finding out what NICA is all about. Come and get information about the upcoming season and enjoy team member led rides down the trail. Skills courses, group rides, a yoga class, and a bike maintenance class.

To see the full flyer, click here.

Leadership Florence Holds Graduation Ceremony

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The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Florence Class of 2024 held a graduation ceremony last Tuesday night at MUSC Health Florence.

The commencement speaker was Stephanie Grosick, Vice President of Business Development with Florence County Economic Development.

Patrice Williams of GE Healthcare was voted Outstanding Participant by the class. 2013 Outstanding Participant Nicole Echols was on hand to present the award.

Congratulations to all the amazing cohorts of Leadership Florence Class of 2024!

To see more photos, click here.

Fellows in Education Holds Graduation

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Congratulations to the 2023-24 Class of Fellows in Education as they enjoyed their graduation luncheon on Monday, sponsored by Duke Energy.

The class of 27 local civic and business leaders shared Florence 1 Schools experiences over the last 10-months to witness and share a behind the scenes look into several F1S schools. It was an opportunity to see firsthand what is occurring in the district each day as we educate our children.

Fellows In Education is a joint program between Florence 1 Schools, the School Foundation and the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s class included the following individuals:

Charlie Abbott, Kirby Anderson, Amber Bendle, Swapna Bharadwaj, Stephanie Bishop, Jason Cox, Brian Davison, David Fountain, Brittney Gadd, GE Hinson, Celeste Johnson, Thomas Kennedy, Rachel Lane, Chaquez McCall, Chief Thomas McFadden, Carolyn Pearce, Dr. Justin Pearson, Jennifer Powers, Temple Robinson, Gregg Robinson, Melissa Scott, Alyssia Smith, Kyle Srimoungchanh, Malorie Steadman, Brad White, Kevin Yokim

To see more photos, click here.

656 New Homes Are Coming To Subdivisions In West And South Florence

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The Florence Planning Commission greenlit 656 homes in two separate subdivisions in west and south Florence as the city continues to grow.

The commission approved a plan for a 365-home subdivision off of Bannockburn Road at its May 14 meeting. It also approved the expansion of a subdivision off of Hoffmeyer Road. That expansion paves the way for another 291 homes.

The 365-home subdivision, named Bruce Tract Homes, sits on a 137-acre parcel of agricultural land. The city recently annexed the property at the corner of Bannockburn Road and Green Acres Road.

Derek Johnston, a planner with the city, said the homes would be mostly on 6,000-square foot lots. They will be single-family detached homes.

The commission also approved the expansion of Magnolia Farms, a previously-approved subdivision bounded by Hoffmeyer Road and Anderson Farms Road.

To read the full story, click here.

St. Anthony Catholic School Students Shine In National Spanish Language Competition

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Five St. Anthony Catholic School students demonstrated excellence on the 2024 National Spanish Exam (NSE) and secured gold, silver, and bronze medals. Alex Finianos and Eli Seif secured gold medals, Oliver Thomas secured a silver medal, and Bianka Acaylar and Gia Hieshetter secured bronze medals. The achievement of earning a medal on the National Spanish Exam is a testament to the dedication and hard work of these students.

To read the full press release, click here.

Sword of Truth Cuts Ribbon On Chamber Membership

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Bishop Brown along with family, attendees and Chamber Ambassadors cut their ribbon joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

The Sword of Truth (SOT) was established in 2007 by Pastor R. Chris Brown (he would later become “Bishop” Brown) and his wife, (Lady) Trena Brown. At its start, the ministry was concerned with the restoration and equipping of those in need in Marlboro County. A nonprofit extension, O2PS (Operation Outreach Processed Systems) was established in 2009 to provide programs that answered those needs. O2PS was re-branded as The W.I.N. (Walking Into Newness) Agency in 2013. The mission of the W.I.N. Agency is to be a multifaceted, problem-solving organization that equips members of our community with the tools to build sustainable, healthy lives. In 2016, SOT Enterprises was established to provide a legal structure for several for-profit ventures designed to provide not only jobs, but a revenue stream to sustain our numerous outreach programs.

In June 2022 Bishop Brown wanted to re-locate The Sword of Truth to Florence, SC. In February 2024, they acquired the building on 1125 W. Evans Street, Florence SC. Now The Sword of Truth has its’ foot firmly planted in the city of Florence.

To read the full story, click here.

Leadership Florence Class Holds Last Session, Business and Industry Day

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Last Tuesday, the Chamber’s 2024 Leadership Florence Class had their last session of the year, Business and Industry Day.

The class started with breakfast and a full tour of Honda. Next, the class visited the campus of Florence-Darlington Technical College, where they toured SiMT and the Gould Business Incubator.

The day concluded with lunch and an informative tour courtesy of GE HealthCare.

To see more photos from the day, click here.

Mr. P’s Pools Hosts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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Keith & Christina Poston, owners of Mr. P’s Pools along with family members, staff and Chamber Ambassadors cut their ribbon joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. P’s Pools and Supplies has been in business for 8 years in Dillon, SC and now has opened a store in Florence.

Since their beginning, Mr. P’s Pools and Supplies has offered premium pool services and supplies in Dillon and now the Florence area. They offer unparalleled quality and expertise in pools and pool supplies including sales and installation of high quality above ground pools and maintenance and cleaning for all pools. They also offer professional pool leak detection and outdoor lighting solutions to enhance your pool area. Additionally, they offer the opening and closing of pools.

To read the full story, click here.

Helping Florence Flourish To Host GLS, Global Leadership Network’s Global Leadership Summit

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Helping Florence Flourish will host GLS, Global Leadership Network’s Global Leadership Summit in Florence on August 8th-9th. Participants will be challenged by world class speakers such as * Mike Krzyzewski “Coach K,” Erwin Raphael McManus, Craig Groeschel, Dan Owolabi, Joni Eareckson Tada, and more! Helping Florence Flourish will host this virtual event at First Presbyterian Church, 700 Park Avenue in Florence. Greater Florence Chamber member will be offered a discount for the conference.

To learn more about this event, visit globalleadership.org/summit

The discounted rate is $179 which is a $40 discount. Tickets must be purchased before July 18 to receive this discount.  Discount code is PRTNGLS24.

If you have questions email Chris Handley, HFF Executive Director, at chandley@helpingflorenceflourish.org.