ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AWARDS BANK OF AMERICA PLAZA ENERGY STAR CERTIFICATION
For the fourth year in a row Bank of America Plaza on Main Street in Columbia, SC earned the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star certification.
The EPA introduced this program in 1992, as a way to help citizens save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. Currently, the Energy Star label is on over 60 product categories including major appliances, office equipment, lighting and home electronics. The EPA recently extended the label to cover new homes, commercial and industrial buildings. This year over 200,000 commercial buildings received the Energy Star certification.
NAI Avant handles all property management and leasing for the 303,156 square foot office building.
About NAI Avant
NAI Avant’s commercial real estate business is one of the largest in the Southeast. With over 65 professionals, the firm provides comprehensive brokerage, leasing, development, property and project management services. For nearly three consecutive decades, the group has had more of its brokerage professionals recognized as top producers or recipients of the top awards than any other firm in South Carolina. As a member of the NAI Global Network, NAI Avant is affiliated with over 350 offices and 5,000 professionals in 55 countries across the globe. NAI Global is the largest independent commercial real estate service provider worldwide and a wholly owned subsidiary of C-III Capital Partners. NAI Avant’s Property and Project Management Group currently manages a multi-million square foot portfolio of properties across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Through its Avant Healthcare Division, the firm provides comprehensive services to hospitals, clinics, and physician groups. NAI Avant, founded in 1966, is headquartered in Columbia, SC with an office in Charleston, SC. Find out more about NAI Avant and its services at www.naiavant.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NAI Avant and like us on Facebook.
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FREE BBQ Informational Event For New School Opening: Imagine Columbia Leadership Academy
Former South University Site to Become School of Choice
Imagine Schools, one of the nation’s largest charter school organizations, is pleased to host a FREE BBQ for the entire community, where elected officials, community leaders, parents and students will be able to receive information regarding Columbia’s newest free school of choice. The former South University location will provide a safe, high-quality learning environment for Columbia’s children.
WHAT: FREE Informational BBQ Event Open to the Public
WHO: Suezan Turknett, Principal, Imagine Columbia Leadership Academy
Diane Beatty, Executive Vice President, Imagine Schools
Dr. Cecil Taliaferro, Board Chair, Imagine Columbia Leadership Academy
Columbia Chamber of Commerce Representatives
Other community and business leaders, parents, and students
WHEN: Saturday, April 14 from 12pm to 4pm
WHERE: 3810 North Main Street, Columbia, SC 29203
FOR INFORMATION: Contact Suezan Turknett, Suezan.Turknett@imagineschools.com
MEDIA NOTES: Media are welcomed and asked to check-in upon entry to event.
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Columbia Design League presents a Columbia Museum of Art community gallery installation featuring 2011 Runaway Runway designers
The Columbia Museum of Art showcases the Columbia Design League’s 2011 Runaway Runway event in a community gallery installation featuring 11 outfits from 9 designers: Alexis Doktor, Susan Lenz, Liz Melendez and Kirkland Smith, Miles Purvis, Deana Rennick, Lani Stringer, Kyle Taylor, and The Real Housewives of Crystal Pines. The installation is on view Friday, April 6 – Sunday, June 3, 2012.
From a bubble wrap gown to a Mad Hatter spin-off, these creations feature post-consumer materials, range in theme and materials and are wild eco-friendly fashions! Learn about the conceptual and construction process behind each outfit through this installation, with an opportunity to meet and speak with the designers at a free Meet the Designer Reception on Friday, April 6, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.
The Columbia Design League’s Runaway Runway is a unique fashion competition that raises design and environmental awareness through post-consumer materials constructed into wildly fantastic wearables, and to, “Strut your Junk” down the runway. While the entire world is serious about being green, this event proves going green can be fun, fabulous, and fashionable. The competitive fashion show features outfits created by individuals and groups using items destined for the landfill.
Columbia Design League
The Columbia Design League is a membership affiliate of the Columbia Museum of Art. The mission of the Design League is to promote passion for design excellence and understanding of design’s broad impact on our community.
Community Gallery
The purpose of the David Wallace Robinson, Jr. Community Gallery is to offer support to organizations that include the arts in their outreach programs, but whose mission is not primarily the arts. The Columbia Museum of Art is pleased to be able to offer this venue to encourage participants in these organizations and as a means of supporting our community.
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Palmetto Payroll Solutions is pleased announce that it can now serve the local business even better! With our new QuickBooks interface, clients can easily and seamlessly upload payroll information into their bookkeeping accounts through a file sent to them each payroll period. This service will save the client time and money. In addition, Palmetto Payroll Solutions offers simple and cost effective time and attendance solutions for those clients who desire either time clock or online timekeeping.
Palmetto Payroll Solutions is proud to be a long time member of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce. Always locally owned and operated, Palmetto Payroll Solutions is located in downtown Columbia and primarily serves the greater Columbia metro area, including the Irmo, Lexington, West Columbia/Cayce and Chapin areas. In addition to providing complete and efficient payroll services at competitive prices, Palmetto Payroll Solutions strives to build long-standing relationships with each of their clients.
Palmetto Payroll Solutions has been providing payroll services to local business for over 16 years and understands the unique needs of the small and mid-size company. Every employee at Palmetto Payroll Solutions lives, works, and shops locally; and encourages their clients to do the same. Customer service and client satisfaction is a paramount priority at Palmetto Payroll Solutions.
Palmetto Payroll Solutions is constantly looking for innovative ways to save their clients time and money. To this end, they have developed several local business partnerships which will allow them to connect their clients to other payroll related services such as HR services, 401k, health and property insurance, workers compensation, and more. By continuing to focus specifically on payroll yet developing relationships with these partners, Palmetto Payroll Solutions becomes your one stop, full service, local payroll solution! For more information, visit our website at http://www.palmettopayroll.com or contact Sharon Czeresko by phone (803)422-5503 or e-mail SharonC@palmettopayroll.com today for a no cost, no obligation, evaluation of your current payroll needs.
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NAI AVANT BROKERS 12,000 SQUARE FOOT INDUSTRIAL WAREHOUSE LEASE
IN WEST COLUMBIA, SC
NAI Avant’s Lee Marsha, III, Senior Broker, recently consummated 12,000 square feet of Industrial Warehouse space at 3275 Sunset Boulevard (Highway 378) in West Columbia, SC. Gold Cross Ambulance Service, LLC will occupy the space. Marsha represented the landlord in the 7 year lease transaction
With over 20 years of commercial real estate experience, Lee Marsha focuses much of his attention on office, industrial/manufacturing and development properties. He is also actively involved in land sales for investment and development providing site selection services for both regional and national clients.
About NAI Avant
NAI Avant’s commercial real estate business is one of the largest in the Southeast. With over 65 professionals, the firm provides comprehensive brokerage, leasing, development, property and project management services. For nearly three consecutive decades, the group has had more of its brokerage professionals recognized as top producers or recipients of the top awards than any other firm in South Carolina. As a member of the NAI Global Network, NAI Avant is affiliated with over 350 offices and 5,000 professionals in 55 countries across the globe. NAI Global is the largest independent commercial real estate service provider worldwide and a wholly owned subsidiary of C-III Capital Partners. NAI Avant’s Property and Project Management Group currently manages a multi-million square foot portfolio of properties across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Through its Avant Healthcare Division, the firm provides comprehensive services to hospitals, clinics, and physician groups. NAI Avant, founded in 1966, is headquartered in Columbia, SC with an office in Charleston, SC. Find out more about NAI Avant and its services at www.naiavant.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NAI Avant and like us on Facebook.
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1×1 Design Announces the Addition of Anna Gray to the Team
1×1 Design is pleased to announce that Anna Gray, IIDA, LEED AP ID + C has joined the team. Anna is a Columbia native, earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree with a concentration in Interior Design from Winthrop University in 2005. Anna received her NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualifications) Certification in 2008 and became a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional in 2009.
Anna brings nine years of project experience, ranging from masterplanning to interior renovation and upfit projects, as well as historic preservation and new construction.
“I am thrilled to have Anna as the second member of the 1×1 Design team,” states Asheley Scott, firm President. “She brings a fantastic set of skills to the firm, both broadening existing areas of expertise and creating new opportunities for the firm. Being a young firm, everything is constantly in motion, yet Anna has already proven that her flexibility and attitude will be an asset to the firm and to our clients.”
In the community, Ms. Gray is active in many organizations. She led the IIDA Columbia City Center in a variety of community activities including teaming with HomeWorks of America to complete home renovations and the Epworth Children’s Home BBQ Cookoff to raise money for the Children’s Home.
Ms. Gray is engaged to be married in May 2012.
For more information, visit www.1x1design.com or stop by and see us at our new location, 221 Pickens Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29205.
About 1×1 Design:
1×1 Design provides design and planning services for a range of residential and commercial clients, focusing on innovative design and delivery services, strong client relationships and the development of the professionals which it employs.
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Columbia Museum of Art Contemporaries host
Artist of the Year Soirée and Silent Auction on Friday, April 13
annual event honors emerging artists in South Carolina
The Columbia Museum of Art Contemporaries host the ninth annual Contemporaries’ Artist of the Year Soirée and Silent Auction on Friday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. The event, established in 2004, is designed to increase awareness of and support for nearly 60 emerging artists in South Carolina. Tickets for the CAY Soirée and Silent Auction are $30 / $15 for Contemporaries members and includes food, drinks, music and a performance by members of the USC Opera. To purchase tickets, visit columbiamuseum.org.
This year, the jury includes – Executive Director of Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston, SC, Janie Askew; Professor of modern art history and theory, Brad Collins; Museum curator of decorative arts, Brian Lang; and Assistant Director and Chief Curator at the Sumter County Gallery of Art, Frank McCauley. The jury selects the artwork to be in the silent auction and also selects one winner, the Contemporaries’ Artist of the Year, based upon the following criteria: originality of concept, technical execution, consistency, professionalism and the degree to which the work was aesthetically interesting.
The CAY award is generously supported by Anne and Alex Postic and a matching gift from the Contemporaries. The winner receives a cash prize of $2,500. Event guests vote on the People’s Choice award, and the winner is presented with an award and a cash prize of $300. Jasper Magazine is sponsoring the “State-of-the-Art” award, which includes a $200 cash prize and a feature in an upcoming issue of Jasper.
About the Contemporaries
The Contemporaries mission is to provide an opportunity to support the Museum through: promoting the Museum and its programs, diversifying the Museum’s membership, and leading the next generation of Museum supporters. A portion of the proceeds from the Artist of the Year Soirée goes toward the Contemporaries’ Art Acquisition Fund, designed to acquire a significant piece of art for the Museum. For more information about Contemporaries’ membership, visit www.columbiacontemporaries.com or call 803.343.2197.
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Fifteen McNair Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in South Carolina Super Lawyers 2012
McNair Law Firm, P.A. is pleased to announce that fifteen attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in South Carolina Super Lawyers 2012® including two that were selected as South Carolina Rising Starts 2012®. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers®. With areas of practice, those selected in McNair’s Columbia office are:
In its Columbia Office
Michael M. Beal – Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights
Elizabeth M. Crum – Health Care
M. Craig Garner, Jr. – Health Care
Celeste T. Jones – Health Care
Richard J. Morgan – Employment & Labor
Jane W. Trinkley – Health Care
About Super Lawyers®
Super Lawyers® undertake a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes statewide survey of lawyers, independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check. For more information about South Carolina Super Lawyers®, visit www.superlawyers.com.
About McNair
McNair Law Firm, P.A., is a full-service law firm serving businesses, government and individuals from eight offices in South Carolina and one in Charlotte, N.C. For more information about the firm, see www.mcnair.net.
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RVSoft, Inc Stages Ribbon Cutting
RVSoft, Inc. Technology Solutions will hold a ribbon cutting at their new offices on April 12, 2012 at 10AM. The business is located at in Suite 1-7 in the Benedict College Business Development Center, located at 2601 Read Street in Columbia. Members of the Chamber and the business community are invited to attend. (Refreshments will be served and there will be a drawing for a free website.) We hope to see you here.
RVSoft, Inc. was established in 2011 as a subsidiary of the Real Value group of companies. Our corporate headquarters is in Columbia, but we have offices and clients around the world. We offer cutting edge technology in software development, database and website design, integrated information systems, e-commerce, research and technology. We have designed software products specifically for church organizations, educational systems, the medical profession, small businesses and corporations, including website design and computer support.
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April is Autism Awareness Month and new reports by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to be released as early as tomorrow are expected to show autism rates are on the rise.
Over two years ago, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported alarming autism rates of one in every 110 births overall and one in 70 among boys, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. An estimated 1.5 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide are affected by autism.
What is Autism?
As described by Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome.
Autism appears to have its roots in very early brain development. However, the most obvious signs of autism and symptoms of autism tend to emerge in children between two and three years of age.
Autism in South Carolina
The Medical University of South Carolina, which participated in collecting data for the CDC study, indicates that prevalence statistics in South Carolina are in line with national averages. With growing rates of diagnoses year after year, services, support and resources for affected families are scarce. Lorri and Dan Unumb, Midlands parents of an 11-year-old, autistic son, Ryan, know this all too well.
In June 2007, joined by diligent parents, families and other concerned citizens, the Unumbs were instrumental in the passage of Ryan’s Law in South Carolina, legislation (named for the Unumbs’ son) that mandates insurance coverage for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for the treatment of Autism. The legislation, which became effective in 2008, requires insurance companies providing fully-funded policies to cover ABA therapy from the time of diagnosis until age 16, up to a maximum of $50,000 per year. Although certain restrictions in the legislation limit its applicability, it has made a tremendous difference for many South Carolinians now able to afford quality treatment.
Lorri Unumb, who is the Vice President for State Government Affairs for Autism Speaks, has helped pass similar legislation in 28 other states.
“I am grateful to the legislators in South Carolina who, in a bipartisan fashion, enacted real relief for families struggling with the costs of autism. Ryan’s Law has served as a catalyst for autism insurance reform all across the country. For the past several years, it has been my honor to work full-time with Autism Speaks in ensuring access to quality intervention for all children who need access to care. These children can make remarkable improvement, many of them becoming indistinguishable from their peers and others making significant gains in quality of life and independence,” said Unumb.
An Answer for Autism in the Midlands
Although there is presently no cure for autism, with proper treatment, many individuals show radical improvement, like Ryan Unumb.
Ryan attends The Autism Academy of South Carolina (AASC), in northeast Columbia, where he receives intensive, individualized treatment using ABA therapy outlined in Ryan’s Law. Since Ryan started AASC last September, the Unumbs have witnessed his astounding progress, including learning to ride a bike, reading, communicating with an iPad, playing games with his peers, completing academic tasks independently and expressing himself through text.
“We know that customizing an intervention program to meet the needs of children like Ryan is the key to their improvement,” says AASC Director Matt Wood. “We work with every family to set individual development goals for their child, then record their daily progress towards reaching those goals. Daily communication between our staff and parents helps everyone work together to promote consistency between home and school.”
Wood said the center is seeing enormous gains in progress, with a year or more of individually projected developmental goals being accomplished in six months.
AASC offers a year-round program for individuals between the ages of three and 21 with a medical diagnosis of ASD. The center’s mission is to help those with autism acquire the abilities, skills and behaviors necessary to become fully capable members of their communities, ultimately able to prosper without the need for intensive intervention.
Raising Awareness about Autism
The first annual Blues in the Night Autism Awareness Gala will be held Saturday, April 28 at The Palmetto Club in downtown Columbia to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sponsored by the Autism Academy of South Carolina (AASC), the event will honor South Carolinians who have made significant contributions to the autism community. This year, the gala recognizes seven legislators who stood up for autism families by creating the Pervasive Developmental Disabilities Medicaid Waiver and passing Ryan’s Law:
- Representative Nathan Ballentine
- Representative Kenny Bingham
- Representative Skipper Perry (retired)
- Senator Thomas Alexander
- Senator Dick Elliott
- Senator Joel Lourie
- Senator David Thomas
For more information about attending or supporting the Gala or to learn more about AASC, please visit www.autismacademyofsc.com or call (803) 790-7997. Also join us on Facebook.
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NAI AVANT CONSUMMATES RETAIL LEASE TRANSACTION ON KING STREET IN CHARLESTON, SC
Hudson Rogers with NAI Avant’s Charleston Office, recently consummated a lease transaction at 335 King Street in downtown Charleston, SC. The space is the new home of Shoes at Surrey, LLC. NAI Avant represented the landlord in a five year lease term.
About NAI Avant
NAI Avant’s commercial real estate business is one of the largest in the Southeast. With over 65 professionals, the firm provides comprehensive brokerage, leasing, development, property and project management services. For nearly three consecutive decades, the group has had more of its brokerage professionals recognized as top producers or recipients of the top awards than any other firm in South Carolina. As a member of the NAI Global Network, NAI Avant is affiliated with over 350 offices and 5,000 professionals in 55 countries across the globe. NAI Global is the largest independent commercial real estate service provider worldwide and a wholly owned subsidiary of C-III Capital Partners. NAI Avant’s Property and Project Management Group currently manages a multi-million square foot portfolio of properties across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Through its Avant Healthcare Division, the firm provides comprehensive services to hospitals, clinics, and physician groups. NAI Avant, founded in 1966, is headquartered in Columbia, SC with an office in Charleston, SC. Find out more about NAI Avant and its services at www.naiavant.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NAI Avant and like us on Facebook.
