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Charleston Business

Best in Business 2023

Jan 19, 2024 04:51PM ● By Donna Walker

We’re celebrating our second annual South Carolina Best in Business 2023 Awards, which recognize the best companies and individuals from around the state that bring success and attention to South Carolina’s business community.

Readers nominated their favorite businesses and individuals in categories ranging from Best Woman-Owned Business of the Year to Best Jewelry Store to Best Chief Financial Officer of the Year. After narrowing the list to those that received the greatest number of nominations, we opened the voting to readers to determine the top choices in 146 categories as the “Best” in the state of South Carolina.

And we encourage you to support the Palmetto State’s homegrown businesses.

To add your name to the email list for next year, please contact Michael Evans at [email protected].


Advanced Manufacturing and Assembly Company

  1. BASF

  2. Fitesa

  3. Protego

Advanced Materials and Plastics Company

  1. BASF

  2. Fitesa

  3. International Plastics

Automotive Manufacturing/Supplier Company

  1. Michelin North America

  2. Mercedes-Benz Vans

  3. Griffin Thermal Products, Inc.

Aviation & Aerospace Company

  1. Lockheed Martin

  2. BOEING CHARLESTON CO

  3. ACL Airshop

Environmentally Responsible Company of the Year

  1. Planet+Purpose Solutions, PBC

  2. SC Solar Project

  3. Palmetto Commercial Services

Family Owned Business of the Year

  1. Grant Business Advisors, LLC

  2. Sun Belly Cafe S

  3. THE HOBBS GROUP, P.A.

Food and Beverage Company

  1. Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery

  2. High Spirits Hospitality

  3. Hyman's Seafood

Information/Technology Company of the Year

  1. DRIVE Law Firm Marketing

  2. Digital Thinker

  3. Carolina Business Equipment

Large Company of the Year (500+ Employees)

  1. Bon Secours St. Francis Health System

  2. TD Bank

  3. First Bank

Logistics and Transportation Company

  1. Paveway Express

  2. Logisticus Group

  3. Swafford Transport & Warehouse

Manufacturer or Exporter

  1. Michelin North America

  2. LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION

  3. Indexx, Inc.

Medium Size Company (100-500 Employees)

  1. Blue Haven Pools & Spa’s

  2. A&E Engineering

  3. Find Great People

Minority Owned Business of the Year

  1. White Wine & Butter

  2. Fit Columbia

  3. Comal 864

Non-Profit Organization of the Year

  1. Greenville Humane Society

  2. Defenders for Children

Packaging Company 

  1. International Plastics

  2. Anro Packaging

  3. Kontane Logistics

Pharmaceutical & BioTechnology Company of the Year

  1. Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation

  2. Ritedose Pharmaceuticals, LLC

  3. Vikor Scientific

Regional Airport

  1. Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)

  2. Columbia Metropolitan Airport

  3. Greenville Downtown Airport

Research and Development Company of the Year

  1. Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation

  2. Broadstreet Global

  3. Aptus Bio Reactors

Small Size Company (1-99 Employees)

  1. DRIVE Law Firm Marketing

  2. Ballentine Capital Advisors

  3. guHRoo

Start-up Company

  1. PROOF Hard Ice Cream (Liquorem Holdings)

  2. Serenity Spa Essentials

  3. How Are You? Brand

Woman Owned Business of the Year

  1. Kate Furman Jewelry

  2. Adrenaline Dance Fitness LLC

Chief Executive Officer of The Year

  1. David Haskins, Drive Law Firm Marketing

  2. Bryan Ballentine, Ballentine Capital Advisors

  3. Joshua Trout, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Greenville

Chief Financial Officer of The Year

  1. Jason Martin, Integrated Power Services

  2. Hal Singley, Fitesa

  3. Craig Holderman, Maynard Nexsen

Chief Marketing Officer of the Year

  1. Monique McDaniels, Goodwill

  2. Nisha Patel, N Patel Communications

Chief Operating Officer

  1. Anthony Colancecco, Jr., Ballentine Capital Advisors

  2. Jeanean Petoskey , Finkel Law Firm LLC

  3. "Mimi Edwards, Wagner Wealth Management, LLC

Diversity And Inclusion Officer of the Year

  1. Krista McFarland, High Spirits Hospitality

  2. Shalanna Pirtle, Parker Poe

  3. Tyler LaCorata, Beyond Distilling Company

General Manager

  1. Joe Kush, Blue Haven Pools & Spa’s

  2. Beth Paul, Bon Secours Wellness Arena

  3. Cordell Brown, Cool Care Heating, Air, Plumbing & Refrigeration 

Human Resource Officer of the Year

  1. Margaret "Maggie" Driscoll, Blackbaud

  2. Beth Medley, Canal Insurance

  3. Devona Price, Lexington School District One 

Non-Profit Executive

  1. Monroe Free, Habitat for Humanity

  2. Kassy Alia Ray, Serve & Connect

  3. Toni Clark, Defenders for Children

Sales Manager

  1. Matthew Placito, NVR Mortgage

  2. Whitney Dang, Emeline

  3. Tate Salley, Pollock Company

Best Hotel/Resort

  1. Grand Bohemian Lodge

  2. Hotel Hartness

  3. Auro Hotels

Best Wine Shop

  1. Wine House

  2. Foxcroft Wine Co.

  3. The Gypsy Wine Bar

Boat Dealership

  1. Palmetto Boat Center

  2. MarineMax

  3. Greg Eagle Trader Marine

Day Spa

  1. Spa at West End

  2. MG's GRAND Day Spa

  3. Fortified Wellness Studio

Fitness Center/Gym

  1. Adrenaline Dance Fitness LLC

  2. BaseCamp of Columbia

  3. METHOD Training

Golf Course

  1. Greenville Country Club

  2. Sea Pines' Harbour Town Golf

  3. Country Club of Charleston

Hair Salon/Studio

  1. WOW! Salon CO.

  2. Artistic Cutters salon&spa

  3. Ivy Salon Downtown

Jewelry Store

  1. Kate Furman Jewelry

  2. Jewelry Store Hale's Jewelers

  3. Jewelry Store Diamond Jewelers of SC

Luxury Automotive

  1. Carlton Motorcars Inc.

  2. Greenville Luxury Motors

  3. Genesis of Greer

  4. Land Rover Columbia

Medical Aesthetics Spa

  1. Sculpted by WH Aesthetics

  2. Bare N Beautiful LLC

  3. Carolina Vein Care

  4. Refined Skin and Body

  5. Sculpt Skin Solutions

Men's Clothing Accessories

  1. Rush Wilson Limited

  2. Smith & James

  3. M. Dumas and Sons

Private School

  1. Saint Joseph's Catholic School

  2. Heathwood Hall

  3. Hammond School

Restaurant for Lunch Meeting

  1. Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery

  2. White Duck Taco

  3. Two Chiefs Eastside

Restaurant for Power Breakfast Meeting

  1. Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery

  2. Capital City Club

  3. Comal 864

Sporting Event to take clients

  1. The Greenville Drive

  2. Columbia Fireflies Baseball

  3. Greenville Triumph and Liberty SC

Upscale Restaurant

  1. Halls Chophouse

  2. Topsoil Restaurant

  3. Urban Wren

Women's Clothing & Accessories Store

  1. Monkee's of the West End

  2. LiLi + KoKo

  3. Splash on Main

Cardiology Group

  1. Upstate Cardiology - Greenville

  2. Prisma Health Cardiology

  3. Lexington Medical Heart and Vascular Center

Chiropractic Facility

  1. Pillar Holistic Living

  2. Chiropractic of the Carolinas

Company for Employee Benefit Brokers

  1. AFLAC South Carolina Office

  2. The Insurance Source

  3. Southern Benefit Systems

Cosmetic Surgery Center

  1. Carlin Plastic Surgery

  2. O'Neill Plastic Surgery

  3. Rich Plastic Surgery

Counseling/Therapist

  1. Greenville Transitions Recovery Center

  2. Riner Counseling LLC

Dentist Office

  1. ProGrin Dental

  2. Greg Ayers, D.D.S.

  3. WILD SMILES CHILDREN'S DENTISTRY

Fertility Clinic

  1. Prisma Health Fertility Center of the Carolinas

  2. Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology Group

  3. Coastal Fertility Specialists

Health & Accident Insurance Provider

  1. AFLAC South Carolina Office

  2. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

  3. Southern Benefit Systems

  4. The Insurance Source

Holistic Health Care Practice 

  1. Holistically Healthy

  2. Pillar Holistic Living

  3. Upstate Natural Health

Home Healthcare Agency

  1. Interim Health Care

  2. Carolina Health Care

  3. Amedisys

Hospital

  1. Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Greenville

  2. Prisma Health

  3. Bon Secours St. Francis Health System

Obstetric/Gynecological Practice

  1. Upstate OB_GYN

  2. Parkside OB-GYN

  3. Dr. Amy H. Picklesimer,MD

Oncology Group

  1. SC Oncology

  2. St. Francis Cancer Center

  3. Gibbs Cancer Center

Optometry/Ophthalmology Practice

  1. Clemson Eye - Vision Center and Surgery (Eye Health America)

  2. Jervey Eye Group

  3. Greenville Eyecare Associates

Orthodontic Practice

  1. Boyd Orthodontics

  2. Ashby Park Family Orthodontics

  3. Summers Orthodontics

Orthopedic Group

  1. Piedmont Orthopaedic Assoc

  2. Midlands Orthopaedic

  3. AnMed Orthopedics & Sports Med

Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation Center

  1. Ascent Total Performance LLC

  2. Onward Physical Therapy

  3. BenchMark Physical Therapy

Primary Care Practice

  1. Proactive MD

  2. PartnerMD

Retirement/Assisted Living Community

  1. Harmony at Five Forks

  2. TerraBella Greenville

  3. Waterstone on Augusta

  4. Commonwise Home Care

Urgent Care

  1. Prisma Health Urgent Care

  2. AFC Urgent Care

  3. Doctors Express Urgent Care

Accounting Firm

  1. Stokes & Company CPAs

  2. THE HOBBS GROUP, P.A.

  3. Elliott Davis

Ad Agency/PR/Marketing Firm

  1. DRIVE Law Firm Marketing

  2. Ghost Brands

  3. Flock and Rally

  4. Hughes Agency

Barber Shop

  1. Regal Lounge

  2. Barber Lab GVL

  3. The Board Room Grooming For Men

Business Insurance Broker Firm

  1. South Carolina Insurance Brokers

  2. AFLAC South Carolina Office

  3. NFP

Business Insurance Company

  1. Blue Cross Blue Shield

  2. AFLAC South Carolina Office

  3. HUB International

Catering Services Company

  1. Liquid Catering

  2. Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens

  3. Reeves Catering

College/Univeristy

  1. University of South Carolina

  2. Furman University

  3. Anderson University

Commercial Lender

  1. First Citizens Bank

  2. First Bank

  3. First Community Bank

Commercial Real Estate Law Firm

  1. Hammond Law, LLC

  2. Bradley K. Richardson, P.C.

  3. Carimi Law Firm, LLC

Community Bank

  1. United Community Bank

  2. First Community Bank

  3. First Reliance Bank

Corporate Law Firm

  1. Buxton & Collie, LLC.

  2. Maynard Nexsen

  3. Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte

Credit Union

  1. Greenville Federal Credit Union

  2. SC FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

  3. Spero Financial

Cybersecurity Company

  1. Carolina Business Equipment

  2. ANC Group

  3. Barricade Cyber Solutions

  4. McLeod Information Systems LLC

Employment Law Firm

  1. Burnette Shutt & McDaniel, PA

  2. Maynard Nexsen

  3. Bloodgood & Sanders

  4. Law Office of W. Andrew Arnold, P.C.

Hospitality Business

  1. Hotel Hartness

  2. High Spirits Hospitality

  3. Auro Hotels

Human  Resources Benefits Company

  1. guHRoo

  2. Propel HR

  3. Willis HR

Industrial Staffing Company

  1. MAU Inc.

  2. Carolina Industrial Staffing, Inc.

  3. HTI

Intellectual Property Law Firm

  1. Maynard Nexsen

  2. Burr & Forman LLP

  3. Nelson Mullins

Investment Banking Firm

  1. The Capital Corporation

  2. UBS Financial Services

  3. LPL Financial

Law Firm

  1. The Clardy Law Firm

  2. FINKEL LAW FIRM LLC

  3. Ogletree Deakins

Life Insurance Company

  1. Colonial Life

  2. AFLAC South Carolina Office

  3. Anderson Insurance Associates

MBA Program

  1. Darla Moore School of Business - University of South Carolina

  2. Coastal Carolina University

  3. College of Charleston School of Business

Meeting Venue

  1. High Spirits Hospitality/Events at Judson Mill

  2. Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens

  3. Greenville Convention Center

National Bank

  1. TD Bank

  2. First Citizens Bank

  3. First Bank

Office Supplies & Equipment

  1. GOS

  2. Brooks Office Equipment

  3. Carolina Business Equipment

  4. Herald Office Supply

Payroll Services Company

  1. Paysmart Payroll Services

  2. Charleston Payroll

  3. Southern Payroll

  4. guHRoo Payroll and HR

  5. Payfluence HCM

Printing Company

  1. Indexx, Inc.

  2. Salt & Paper Press

  3. PIP Marketing, Sign, Print

Professional Coaching/Mentor

  1. Grant Business Advisors, LLC

  2. ED Speaks Global, LLC

  3. Horton Consulting, LLC

  4. Digital Thinker

Professional Staffing Company

  1. Find Great People

  2. Godshall Recruiting

  3. TM Floyd & Company

Recycling Company

  1. Sonoco Recycling - Greenville

  2. Republic Services of South Carolina

  3. Mumford Industries

Sign Company

  1. Indexx, Inc.

  2. FASTSIGNS of Greenville

  3. Broome Sign Company

Tax Law Firm

  1. Womble Bond Dickinson

  2. Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd

  3. Merline & Meacham, P.A.

  4. Maynard Nexsen

  5. The Brooker Law Firm, P.A.

Technical College/Trade School

  1. Greenville Technical College

  2. Midlands Technical College

  3. Trident Technical College

Telecommunications Provider

  1. AFL

  2. Carolina Business Equipment

  3. Segra

Tourism Business

  1. VisitGreenvilleSC

  2. Experience Columbia SC

  3. Beyond Distilling Company

Wealth Management Company

  1. Ballentine Capital Advisors

  2. Hobbs Group Advisors, LLC

  3. R&R Financial Advisors

Web Development Company

  1. Greene Street Designs

  2. Ghost Brands

  3. GiraffeWeb

Architectural Firm

  1. DP3 Architects

  2. Garvin Design Group

  3. Quackenbush Architects + Planners

Best Storage/Warehouse Facility

  1. Sunland Logistics Solutions

  2. Warehouse Services Inc.

  3. Benore Logistics Systems, Inc.

Commercial Construction Company

  1. Trehel Corporation

  2. Hood Construction Company

  3. M. B. Kahn Construction Co., Inc.

Commercial Interior Designer

  1. In Site Designs

  2. ID Studios Interiors

  3. Panageries

Commercial Landscape Company

  1. Cochran Landscape Management

  2. Hay Hill Landscape Architect & Design Services

  3. Graham Kimak Landscape Design

  4. Granite Hills Group

Commercial Property Management

  1. NAI Earle Furman

  2. Blackstream | Property Management

  3. COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL

Commercial Real Estate Firm

  1. Lee & Associates

  2. SVN Blackstream

  3. Berkshire Hathaway Commercial Division

Construction Supply Company

  1. New South Construction Supply, LLC

  2. ABC Supply Company

  3. Promason Construction Company

Engineering Firm

  1. A&E Engineering

  2. Alliance Consulting Engineers, Inc.

  3. Clayco

Flooring Company

  1. Floor & Decor

  2. Michael's Flooring & Cabinets

  3. All About Flooring

Flooring/Carpet Cleaners

  1. All About Flooring

  2. Palmetto Commercial Services

  3. Floor Pro

  4. Rainbow Restoration of Greenville SC

Foundation Repair

  1. Crawlspace Medic of the Upstate

  2. Cantey Foundation Specialists

  3. RamJack South Carolina

General Contractor

  1. Trehel

  2. Hood Construction Company

  3. M. B. Kahn Construction Co., Inc.

Heating & Air Company

  1. Carolina Heating Service

  2. Cool Care Heating, Air, Plumbing & Refrigeration

  3. Holy City Heating and Air

Janitorial Service Provider

  1. The Budd Group

  2. Palmetto Commercial Services

  3. Summit Janitorial Services

Mechanical and Electrical Company

  1. Hill Electric Company

  2. Evans Industrial Construction

  3. W.O. Blackstone

Mortgage Lender

  1. Southern First

  2. First Community Bank

  3. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation

  4. Synovus

Office Furniture Company

  1. Young Office Supply

  2. GOS

  3. McWaters Office Furniture

Plumbing Company

  1. Dipple Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air

  2. Cool Care Heating, Air, Plumbing & Refrigeration

  3. Ken's Plumbing

Residential Builder

  1. Dillard-Jones Builders

  2. Dan Ryan Builders

  3. J Francis Builders

Residential Real Estate Firm

  1. Coldwell Banker Caine

  2. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner, REALTORS

  3. Hartness Living

  4. BlackStream Christie's International Real Estate

  5. Jeff Cook Real Estate

Roofing Company

  1. Grier Roofing

  2. Lanier Roofing

  3. B&F Roofing

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