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Charleston Business

#YeahTHATAgenda: Wooing Road Warriors, Greenville Container Home Co Goes to DC, Milliken Expands, Charleston's Hotel Task Force, New Coke is Back

May 22, 2019 04:45PM ● By Chris Haire
The S.C. Asphalt Pavement Association (SCAPA) launches ad campaign Asphalt Works! in anticipation of increased roadwork in South Carolina: Palmetto State roadways have long been a source of frustration for drivers on our highways and interstates. Even the one-time head of Michelin North American intimated that the economically important firm may leave the Upstate if the roads weren't fixed.

However, with the passage of the 2017 Road Bills, state government finally decided to do something about the state's rotten roadways. There was one problem: more laborers were needed to work on all the projects on the docket. 

The solution: the S.C. Asphalt Pavement Association and Columbia-based PR agency Flock and Rally have come up with an ad 
campaign to encourage more South Carolinians to join the asphalt industry.

Launched last week, the campaign targets TV, radio, social media, and billboards, and has both printed and online components explaining the benefits of being in the industry and offering personal testimonials. 

“Family is at the heart of the asphalt industry,” Ashley R. Batson, Esq., SCAPA’s executive director and campaign founder, said in a statement. “Our campaign aims to educate and inspire our workforce. We want workers to know that when you commit to asphalt, asphalt commits to you.”

“The asphalt industry is booming. Asphalt companies are hiring people with and without experience. These are good jobs, with good pay, comprehensive benefit packages, a family atmosphere, and job security that comes from a growth industry,” Dan Ellzey, executive director, S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, noted in the statement. “The Asphalt Works! campaign does an excellent job of telling the story of this growth and describing the jobs that are available across the state. I look forward to watching the success of this campaign.”

You can view the campaign website and connect with available jobs at www.asphaltworkssc.org.

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Greenville-based container home company Piedmont GREEN selected to appear at the inaugural Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
: A housing shortage has long been a problem in major U.S. cities, but today even smaller cities like Greenville and Charleston are experiencing a lack of affordable housing for its residences. Enter Piedmont GREEN, an Upstate firm with eyes on bringing low-cost, container-style homes to the masses.  

The June 1-5 housing showcase will allow Piedmont GREEN to show off "a building system that constructs shipping container houses which meet all building requirements, and offer a faster construction rate. These factory-made homes often can be prefabricated before being installed on-site, resulting in less mess, hassle, and construction," HUD notes.

Although Piedmont GREEN has a vision for how they'll bring clean, energy-efficient container homes to the market, they haven't begun manufacturing their container homes, a company representative said, also noting that the company will not be using previously used shipping containers.

“Our business model implements rapid housing deployment of low-cost core steel structures, cutting-edge thermal insulation systems, energy star appliances, and green best practices for our veterans, hard-working families, and those in natural disaster crises," Gene Hamel, founder of Piedmont GREEN, said in a statement from HUD.

Spartanburg's outdoor biergarten Fr8yard was built largely out of re-purposed shipping containers, while the currently under-construction Gather GVL will be a similar endeavor; it is located near Fluor Field in downtown. Outside of town, Swamp Pizza operates out of a converted shipping container at the home of Swamp Rabbit Cafe. 
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Greenville County Council reaffirms support for $1B redevelopment project downtown (Greenville News)

Boeing SC announces change in leadership on 787 operations team (Live 5 News)

Dressbarn will close all of its stores, including 28 in the Carolinas, company says (The State)

$80 million ‘Dockside’ development proposed in Clemson (Greenville Online)

Charleston hotel task force pitches ordinance changes ‘with more teeth’ (Post and Courier)

Milliken breaks ground on Blacksburg plant expansion (Herald-Journal)

That potential Panthers site in Rock Hill? It isn’t technically in Rock Hill - yet. (The Herald)

Greenwood puts Kitson Mill up for sale (Index-Journal)

State worker bonuses, teacher pay raises. How SC will spend $9 billion (The State)

Second Round of Opportunity Zone Proposed Regulations Clears the Way for Many OZ Investments (National Law Review)

Uber seeks approval for San Diego drone deliveries (Freight Waves)

Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service (Reuters)

Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Creator Craig Wright Files US Copyright Registrations for BTC White Paper (Cointelegraph)

The Wire
A2b Fulfillment Adding New Facility In Edgefield County

Tri-County Electric Cooperative Unveils Tri-County Global Industrial Site

Mashburn Construction Dedicated More Than 220 Community Service Hours In April