Lowcountry

Lifestyle - Lowcountry - North Charleston, SC

Charleston Business Profile: Black North Charleston Teen Becomes Youngest Store Owner in Northwoods Mall

August 10, 2019 by 0 Comments
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Jordan Jackson is the owner of Birch & Pen Boutique in the Northwoods Mall. He is taking the fashion industry and business world by storm. Just 19 years old, Jordan just closed the deal to open his first retail store location. Birch & Pen will open its doors to the public on Thursday, November 1 and have its grand opening on Saturday, November 3, 2018, 4pm-8pm.

Birch and Pen Boutique is a retail clothing and accessories boutique that specializes in high-fashion, trendy apparel for men and women at affordable prices. The brand choices will constantly evolve and set the standard for pop culture style. The Birch & Pen team will never allow their customers to settle for limited options or the mediocre. They will create experiences that customers can add into their everyday lifestyle. One of the store’s major standards is to encourage customers to always take risks, whether it’s redefining business wear or adding flavor to casual wear. The team will show customers how to confidently look their best ‘selves’ through fashion. Birch & Pen plans to be the trailblazer of the fashion industry, in a way that people would least expect.

Jordan has a strong eye for fashion and design and on weekly basis, he is being sought out for his advice on style and clothing. In addition, he does home-staging, decorating and furniture building/refurbishing. Now this gifted Hanahan High graduate desires to put his energy and experience into operating his retail clothing store. Currently, when clients ask him to help them to choose a wardrobe, Jordan takes them to different clothing stores. He is very excited about having his clients come to his very own boutique.

Being a teenager and an African American male in the North Charleston/Hanahan area could have been seen as a disadvantage to Jordan. However, he used these assets to courageously launch forward into an unchartered territory to become the youngest store owner in the Northwoods Mall. He hopes that his hard work and fearless walk of faith encourages young people to accomplish their dreams.

Birch & Pen Boutique is located in the Northwoods Mall, 2150 Northwoods Boulevard (in Dillard’s wing), North Charleston, SC 29406; Email, birchandpen@gmail.com; Phone, 843-790-3414. Store hours are from 10am-9pm, Monday through Saturday and 12pm-6pm, Sunday. Birch & Pen is also on Facebook and Instagram. For inquiries, please contact Jennifer Simmons by email birchandpen@gmail.com and visit www.birchandpen.com for more information.

Lowcountry

Charleston, SC Based Blackbaud CEO Michael “Mike” Gianoni Named One of the Top 50 SaaS CEOs

August 9, 2019 by 0 Comments
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CHARLESTON, S.C. /PRNewswire/ — Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, today announced that Michael “Mike” Gianoni, Blackbaud’s president and CEO, has been named to the list of Top 50 SaaS CEOs by The Software Report. Gianoni was recognized for his purpose-driven leadership and the company’s accelerated performance alongside CEOs from software companies such as Bitly, Cvent, Gainsight™, Twilio, Workday and more.

The CEOs on this year’s list were selected based on nomination submissions from colleagues, peers and other software industry participants. Nominees were reviewed across a number of key attributes, including integrity, intellect, drive, emotional intelligence, organizational culture and operational skill. They were most closely evaluated based on qualitative and substantive commentary provided on the CEO’s character.

Gianoni took over as CEO of the social good software leader in 2014 and has led the company through significant milestones, including transitioning Blackbaud’s entire solution set to the cloud, issuing the company’s first social responsibility report and guiding Blackbaud through the construction and opening of a new LEED Gold world headquarters. Under Gianoni’s leadership, Blackbaud has claimed spots on prominent lists, including Forbes’ 2019 Best Employers for Diversity for the second consecutive year, Forbes’ 2018 America’s Best Employers for Women, AnitaB.org 2018 Top Companies for Women Technologists and Forbes’ 2019 Best Midsize Employers for the fourth consecutive year.

Since Gianoni became CEO, Blackbaud’s customer base has grown 55 percent; recurring revenue has more than doubled and now comprises 90 percent of total revenues; addressable market has increased by over $4 billion through acquisition and organic product builds; and the company has risen to one of the top 30 largest cloud software companies in the world, according to IDC’s rank of Worldwide Software as a Service (SaaS) and Cloud Software Market Shares. Beyond his business acumen, Gianoni also volunteers and advocates for causes important to him, including animal welfare and veterans’ initiatives. He serves on the board of the International African American Museum breaking ground in Charleston this fall.

The Software Report is a comprehensive source for business news, investment activity and corporate actions related to the software and SaaS sectors. For more information and to view this year’s list of Top 50 SaaS CEOs, visit www.thesoftwarereport.com/the-top-50-saas-ceos-of-2019/.

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, foundations, companies, education institutions, healthcare organizations and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through cloud software, services, expertise and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and CRM, marketing, advocacy, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate social responsibility, school management, ticketing, grantmaking, financial management, payment processing and analytics. Serving the industry for more than three decades, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Inquiries
media@blackbaud.com 

Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding expected benefits of products and product features. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud’s investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

SOURCE Blackbaud

Lowcountry

Charleston Marketing Company Further Design Group Releases SEO Report

August 8, 2019 by 0 Comments
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Summerville, United States – August 8, 2019 /PressCable/ —

In today’s world much of the traffic that is seen for a business comes from internet searches. Other marketing efforts no longer have the same impact as they did five or ten years ago. Showing up on the first page of Google is hugely important in today’s market. Being ranked on page one of Google is the best method for getting traffic to your website. Close to 70% of the clicks to websites from page one of Google go to the entities holding the top 5 positions of a specific searchable term. Most people never even go to page two, therefore a page one result can absolutely transform a business.

Many people think that social media is a great way to get new customers but Further Design Group, a marketing company in Charleston SC, explains that social media is important for staying connected to your target audience but the majority of new customers find a company through search. Getting traffic to a website is not the only goal however.

If a website is not designed to convert searchers into customers then all the traffic in the world will not result in a large ROI. Another fact that many businesses do not realize when just starting out is that much of the traffic sent to a website does not result in a sale or a phone call the first time around.

Alex Radin, owner of Further Design Group explains, ” Retargeting ads are a crucial part of our marketing approach since it allows us to follow up with all the traffic that leaves a website without taking action. Most businesses are letting that traffic go and are missing out on a huge opportunity! These are potential customers that have already declared that they are interested in a company’s product or service by visiting the site to begin with. These potential customers just need to be reminded why they were interested in the company in the first place. Retargeting ads are the answer to this issue.”

When it comes to marketing content is extremely important. With the over-saturation of information it is important to stand out from the crowd and not just look and sound like everyone else. Blending in is a big mistake many businesses make and easy to avoid. Further Design Group goes on to say that figuring out what makes a particular business different from all other businesses is an important way to highlight what makes that particular company unique and also what will help a business stand out.

More information about marketing strategies can be found by visiting the link above.

Contact Info:
Name: Alex Radin
Email: Send Email
Organization: Further Design Group
Address: P.O. Box 51674, Summerville, SC 29485, United States
Phone: +1-843-270-3137
Website: https://furtherdesigngroup.com

Source: PressCable

Lowcountry

Grand Opening Of First Dedicated LGBTQI+ Space In The Lowcountry – Saturday, August 10, 2019

August 8, 2019 by 0 Comments
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On Saturday, August 10, 2019, AFFA, Charleston Pride and We Are Family will celebrate the grand opening of the first – and only – dedicated LGBTQI+ office, retail and community space in the Lowcountry, located at 1801 Reynolds Ave, North Charleston, SC.

The celebration will begin at 4:00pm with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:00pm, and conclude at 7:00pm. The event is free and open to the public, and will feature family-friendly indoor and outdoor activities, Semilla and Street Bird food trucks, and live entertainment with Mix 95.9. 

“Having three of Charleston’s LGBTQI+ organizations in one location is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Nijeeah Richardson, Executive Director of We Are Family. “Together, with Alliance For Full Acceptance and Charleston Pride, we are creating visibility and accessibility for and with our communities in ways that Charleston has never experienced before.”

We Are Family (WAF) began as a grassroots organization developed by the father of a gay son in 1995. Over the past 24 years, the organization has grown its scope of services, community partnerships, and impact, with constant input from and leadership by the youth and young adults it serves. 

“We know that our local LGBTQI+ organizations have even greater impact in the community when we work together, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to also be a part of the vibrant Reynolds Avenue Area Merchants Association, where we can invest in this community and be on the leading edge of revitalization efforts in the area,” said Chase Glenn, Executive Director of AFFA.

Founded in 1998, The Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA) has worked with local municipalities to pass LGBTQI+ protections, conducts diversity and inclusion trainings with law enforcement, healthcare providers and business leaders, and runs an annual media campaign that creates visibility around issues affecting the LGBTQI+ community.

“The possibilities ahead for our organizations and for our community are endless,” said Tony Williams, Chair & Chief Executive Officer of Charleston Pride. “Together, we’ll be able to accomplish even more in one central location and build a stronger, more vibrant LGBTQI+ community in the Lowcountry.”

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2019, Charleston Pride hosts events throughout the year to highlight the uniqueness and diversity of the LGBTQI+ community, including the annual Charleston Pride Parade and Festival. The 2019 Charleston Pride Week kicks off September 7 with 19 different community-based events throughout the week, culminating with the Pride Festival on September 14 featuring headliner Todrick Hall.

For the latest information on the grand opening, please visit the Facebook event page.

Source: Charleston Chronicle

Lowcountry

The UPS Store to Open a New Location in Downtown Charleston, SC This Fall

August 7, 2019 by 0 Comments
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Charleston, SC -–The UPS Store®, is excited to announce the opening of a new location, at 472 Meeting Street, Suite C, Charleston, SC 29403, at the corner of Meeting and Columbus streets, with an expected opening in October or November of 2019.

“As a one-stop shop for residents and small businesses, we offer printing, shipping, postal, and comprehensive small business services. We look forward to serving individuals and local business owners in the Charleston community with our new location on Meeting Street,” said The UPS Store franchisee Michael Cunningham.

“As development on the Peninsula continues to grow, we found that many areas were underserved. By opening on the corner of Meeting and Columbus Streets, our goal is to help people by providing them with the best possible Print and Business Services without having to cross the Peninsula to get them.”

In addition to domestic and international shipping, the new Charleston location of The UPS Store will offer online and in-store printing services (wide format printing, large scale printing, business cards, banners, posters, etc.); black-and-white and/or color copies; full-service packing; presentation and document finishing (binding, laminating, etc.); notary services; custom crating and shipping for large items (furniture, artwork, motorcycles, etc.); mailbox and postal services; office and packaging supplies; and a wide variety of other business services.

With the continued growth of Amazon shipping, The UPS Store on Meeting Street will provide a central location for Charlestonians to bring all their Amazon returns. “We are in the business of saving people time, so The UPS Store has partnered directly with Amazon to make returns seamless. With the Amazon 360 returns program, customers can choose to simply drop the item off with us and have a QR code scanned directly from their device. No need to print your own label or package your item; we handle all of that for you.”

“At the new Meeting Street UPS Store, we have direct pricing from UPS, which means we can offer the lowest UPS retail pricing available. We’re committed to providing convenient small business services with personalized and dedicated customer service to our neighbors on the Peninsula. And, we have free parking!”

For the 28th consecutive year*, The UPS Store franchises have been named number one in the postal and business services category by Entrepreneur magazine as part of their “Franchise 500” ranking, which ranks franchise opportunities based on factors like financial strength, growth rate and size.

The UPS Store in Charleston will be owned and operated by Michael Cunningham, David Fountain and Susan Lee. Cunningham was previously a Territory Manager and Business Coach for The UPS Store in South Carolina and North Carolina, as well as a former The

UPS Store Franchisee. Fountain and Lee own and operate several The UPS Store locations in South Carolina, and Fountain was named the 2018 The UPS Store National Franchisee of the Year. The UPS Store on Meeting Street’s convenient hours of operation will be 8:00am-7:00pm M-F and 9:00am-4:00pm on Saturday. This will be The UPS Store’s 19th location in the Charleston Area.

* 1990-2003 listed under the Mail Boxes Etc. brand

About The UPS Store

With approximately 5,000 locations across North America, The UPS Store network comprises the nation’s largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers. The UPS Store locations in the U.S. are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of The UPS Store, Inc., a subsidiary of UPS (NYSE: UPS). Services, products, pricing and hours of operation may vary by location. For additional information on The UPS Store, visit theupsstore.com. For information on franchise opportunities for opening a The UPS Store location, visit https://www.theupsstorefranchise.com/.

Follow The UPS Store on Twitter at @TheUPSStore and like The UPS Store on Facebook at facebook.com/theupsstore

Lowcountry

Donate2It Surpasses $100K in Funds Raised (Lowcountry Crowdfunding)

August 6, 2019 by 0 Comments
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LOCAL FUNDRAISING PLATFORM DELIVERED MORE THAN 3-TO-1 ROI ON DONATIONS VIA PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MATCHINGFUND
 

CHARLESTON, S.C. (August 6, 2019) – Donate2it, the Lowcountry’s local crowdfunding solution, has reached a significant milestone in its six-month history having recently surpassed $100,000 in funds raised.

“This is an exciting moment in our story,” said Steve Dudash, founder of Donate2it. “I’m thrilled that our platform has been able to facilitate more than $100,000 raised in only six months. Unlike national platforms, each of these dollars will be used to help organizations continue to do the vital work of investing in our local community. Donate2it exists to be the Lowcountry’s crowdfunding solution and this achievement shows we’re on the right track.”

The amount raised during the first six months of 2019 totaled $102,405, and was the result of seventeen campaigns with an average campaign length of just eighteen days. The fundraising milestone was accelerated by $24,000 in matching dollars, which resulted in a more than three-to-one return on the initial donations. The matches were made possible via a unique partnership between Donate2it and The MatchingFund, a 501c(3) organization also headed by Dudash, founded to help philanthropic dollars go farther.  

Notable success stories include $20,000 raised for Housing For All – Mount Pleasant, with a $10,000 match. Donate2it also helped Charleston Moves exceed its $25,000 fundraising goal for Mobility Month in just seven days, including a $5,000 match. Most recently, Donate2it helped Dorchester Paws smash their fundraising need of $3,000, raising $3,668 in two days, including $1,500 in matching funds.   

“Thank you to the organizations that have partnered with us over the past six months,” Dudash said. “We look forward to growing our existing partnerships and we encourage new organizations to give us a try. As evidenced by the more than three-to-one return, there is no better fundraising platform to maximize the impact of your donations.”

ABOUT DONATE2IT

Established in the fall of 2018 by Charleston businessman Steve Dudash, Donate2it was created to give the Lowcountry an online crowdfunding platform that served as a local alternative to big-box programs. Donate2it is an easy-to-setup crowdfunding platform to raise funds for causes and charities. For certified non-profits, Donate2it has partnered with The MatchingFund.org, a 501(c)3 to match donations up to a certain amount. Donors to certified charities will receive a tax receipt from The MatchingFund. The tax receipt can be used, as allowed by law and IRS regulations, for tax-exempt charitable donations. Fundraisers are free to set up and all donor information is secure. For more information, visit www.donate2it.com.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT:

Daniel Monroe

Rawle Murdy Associates

(843) 422-0682

dmonroe@rawlemurdy.com

Lowcountry

Weak and Wicked – Original Poem

August 1, 2019 by 0 Comments
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By Mark A. Leon

It gets harder to breathe without your lifeline

A toast to the night
To our time together
To the sensual touch of your kiss
The lingering taste of your fruit

I lied when I met you
I promised the now, but yearned for eternity
I prayed for you, before our eyes ever met
I yearned for you, before I thrust into the domain of your soul

I dreamed about the forever story, but lived the now or never mind
A fairy tale thought, a realist outcome
A fool I am
An ignorant servant to the hand of the almighty
Weak and wicked

You are a symbol of grace; a classic reminder of the greatest gift bestowed upon this Earth
Mother Nature’s favorite child

With the curves of life’s highway
The soft skin of the nectar that feeds the romanticism of it all
The sensuality of penetration

Deep and slow
Hypnotized
Heat
Sweat
Breathe, control, balance

I woke this morning to the sound of pouring rain
I swore I heard your voice call my name
It was the ghost of a past I could not shake
It’s time to re-awake

Your body is my canvas
The colors of my life
The rich blues and warm greens and the red hot steamy nights

I need to breathe again
That I know
I need your touch
Inside you, I will show

Lowcountry

Charleston, SC Ranked as 19th Best City for Single Men in latest study

August 1, 2019 by 1 Comment
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Lending Tree has just released its ranking of the Top cities for Single Men for 2019. The study ranked 100 metropolitan areas. Charleston, South Carolina came up higher than you may think. Our ranking was #19, putting us in the top 20% of all U.S. cities analyzed.

Top 20 Best Places for Single Men

Worst 10 Places for Single Men

US Demographic Map

Factors in Analysis

For the study, we considered a range of variables to evaluate which of the 100 largest metropolitan areas would be the most friendly to single, working men. We grouped the variables into five categories and evaluated each metro area according to those categories.

  • Demographics: A city that is welcoming to single men will also have plenty of other single adults. We pulled data on the percentage of 20- to 50-year-olds that are single men, as well as analyzed how balanced the gender ratio is between 20- to 50-year-old single men and women. Too many women to men suggests a city less geared to men, while too many men to women suggests slimmer dating opportunities. The best cities for single men would need a close-to-even gender ratio.
  • Economics: We evaluated the unemployment rate, median annual income and homeownership rate for single, working men to determine how good the economic prospects are in each metro area.
  • Well-being: This score was determined by the percentage of people who have access to healthy food, exercise facilities and whether that access is useful enough to result in people participating in a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, since long commutes are often found to add to stress levels, we looked at the percentage of the population with long commutes.
  • Culture and entertainment: We looked at how many bars, restaurants, sports clubs and teams each city had per capita, along with the number of museums and performing arts establishments. The museums and performing arts places were evaluated on both a total and per capita basis, averaging over both measures to create a single arts institution value and a museum value. We used the total number for museums and performing arts institutions because people tend to travel across the city to visit these places, rather than just staying in their neighborhood. Therefore, a higher total number is a plus, as it reflects a greater variety of cultural and entertainment activities.
  • Safety: This score was based on violent crime rate data, which was used to determine how low the crime rate is in each city.

Methodology

LendingTree analysts used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 Five-year American Community Survey to gather the demographic and economic measures, except for the homeownership rate, which comes from the 2010 decennial census.

The gender ratio, one of the two variables used to compose the demographics score, is calculated by comparing the number of 20- to 50-year-old unmarried men to the number of 20- to 50-year-old unmarried women. The smaller of the two numbers is then divided by the larger number to create the ratio.

The health measures and violent crime rate data were pulled from the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program. The culture and entertainment measures come from the Census Bureau’s 2016 County Business Patterns data sets.

Each variable was given a value according to its relative location between the highest and lowest values. The variable values in each category were then averaged to create the category score. The final score is an average over all five category scores.

Lowcountry

Free Weekly Yoga at Beech Daniel Island (Sundays)

August 1, 2019 by 0 Comments
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Join Beech every Sunday morning for FREE yoga on Daniel Island! They’ll be moving their tables out of the sun-filled shop for an hour of relaxation and recharge. No sign-ups are necessary! 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM

Next event: Sunday, August 11, 2019 –

View more information about their açaí, poke, and juice shop here: https://www.thebeech.life

Please bring your own yoga mat to this event.

Official Event Page

Lowcountry

Employment and Population in Charleston County – Breakdown by the Numbers (Report Updated July 19, 2019)

July 31, 2019 by 0 Comments
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The latest employment and population data from the SC Department of Employment & Workforce has been released (July 19, 2019). Here are some of the key trends in our area and the state of South Carolina.

We have also provided a link to the full report.

Complete Report

Source: SC Department of Employment & Workforce – July 19, 2019 Last Update