#YeahTHATAgenda: Home Prices Up, Production Down at BMW, SCANA Sells, Plastic Straws Aren't the Problem
Dec 24, 2018 08:22AM ● By Chris Haire
Home prices in South Carolina continue to climb: According to the Richmond Fed's December Snapshot, home prices in the Palmetto State were up 5.25 percent, year to year, while in Greenville prices were up 6.41 percent, Charleston 4.51, and Columbia 4.01. Median home sale prices were up across all three major metros, year to year, with Greenville at 5.64 percent, Charleston at 8.43 percent, and Columbia at 7.69 percent. Of those three areas, Greenville was the only one to experience a quarter to quarter decrease, with a drop of 2.83 percent.
SCANA to sell off property to pay ratepayer settlement (Herald-Journal)
Why BMW production was down for the second straight year in 2018 (Greenville News)
Antebellum Charleston mansion sells for $5.6 million after being listed for $12.95 million (Post and Courier)
These Charleston tech firms raised the most money in 2018 (Post and Courier)
Plastic Straws Aren’t the Problem: Skipping straws may be hip. But there are much better ways to fight pollution. (Bloomberg)
How to Predict a Bear Market: Readers Weigh In (WSJ)
The Wire
Ascend Performance Materials Growing Greenwood County Operations
Director Sara Goldsby To Continue Leading S.C. Department Of Alcohol And Other Drug Abuse Services
Nexsen Pruet Joins ABA Well-Being Pledge & Campaign
Columbia College Ranked In The Top 50 Best Small Colleges For 2019
Benefitfocus Announces $200 Million Convertible Notes Offering
25 Fastest Growing Companies
No. 11: Source Ortho
What are your firm’s biggest challenges and how do you plan to overcome them?
SCANA to sell off property to pay ratepayer settlement (Herald-Journal)
Why BMW production was down for the second straight year in 2018 (Greenville News)
Antebellum Charleston mansion sells for $5.6 million after being listed for $12.95 million (Post and Courier)
These Charleston tech firms raised the most money in 2018 (Post and Courier)
Plastic Straws Aren’t the Problem: Skipping straws may be hip. But there are much better ways to fight pollution. (Bloomberg)
How to Predict a Bear Market: Readers Weigh In (WSJ)
The Wire
Ascend Performance Materials Growing Greenwood County Operations
Director Sara Goldsby To Continue Leading S.C. Department Of Alcohol And Other Drug Abuse Services
Nexsen Pruet Joins ABA Well-Being Pledge & Campaign
Columbia College Ranked In The Top 50 Best Small Colleges For 2019
Benefitfocus Announces $200 Million Convertible Notes Offering
25 Fastest Growing Companies
No. 11: Source Ortho
Year Founded: 2012
Founder: Elizabeth Gush
Headquarters location: Mt. Pleasant
Number of employees (start): 1
Number of employees (present): 13
Source Ortho was founded in 2012 by owner Elizabeth Gush to supply the ever-growing need for medical supplies and equipment in the U.S. Located in beautiful Charleston County, our vision is simple; provide great products with cordial and intelligent customer service, the most user-friendly website, and the best possible prices.
What are the keys to your company’s rapid growth?
Elizabeth Gush (Owner and CEO): The rise of ecommerce coupled with the change in the insurance market of medical supplies. We were fortunate to hit the market during a disruption in the business cycle for medical supplies.
What’s in store for your company?
We have doubled our staff this year and are trending toward a 20 percent growth over 2017. We are working with an HR consultant to organize our staff structure and job duties. For the first few years we were an all-hands-on-deck business model, but as we have grown, we can no longer sustain this model.
What are your firm’s biggest challenges and how do you plan to overcome them?
Competition from other online retailers and Amazon. Our marketing team works diligently to manage our Google spend to maximize our advertising costs. We utilize fast shipping methods to compete with the Amazon expectations that customers have of orders shipping same day and being received in two days.
What trends and innovations do you see down the line for your industry?
Our market will continue to change at a fast pace and we will have to evolve constantly to meet those changes. We are always looking for the next big products to hit the market and gain access to distributing those products.
What word of advice, if any, has shaped your career and who gave it or where did you read it?
There has not been one piece of advice, but I’ve built our business and my leadership style on learning things from many teachers/mentors over the years. In my former life (before starting this business), I was a stay-at-home mom to four kids. Over the 13 years I was home with our children, I was an avid volunteer in numerous organizations (support groups, swim team, preschool board, schools). During my years of being a mom, volunteering, and now running a business, my leadership style has changed some, but the core of putting people first (customers and staff) has remained the same.
What are you doing to make sure your company sticks around for the long haul?
Fast growth is great, but it has its downfalls. We feel like this year we are finally catching our breath and planning for growth instead of just responding to the growth. We are putting in place strategies to keep our customers coming back to us on a regular basis. We have launched a sister site to our business, Source Fitness. We have also launched a complementary site, SourceCBD. We have plans for one to two more sites to launch in the next year that will continue to broaden our customer reach.