Spartanburg Methodist Launches New Bachelor’s Degrees, Adds Online Version of Associate Degree for Fall 2024 

Spartanburg Methodist College (SMC) continues to expand its academic offerings, launching bachelor’s degrees in sport management and professional writing and digital communications in fall 2024.

The SMC Online program is also growing with the addition of a religious studies associate degree. 

“These new fields of study will help our students pursue careers in two fast-growing, popular career paths,” said Curt Laird, Ph.D., SMC provost and executive vice president.

Laird added, “Combined with our Camak Core professional development program, our graduates get the education and hands-on experience they need to enter the workforce with the skills and confidence to succeed.” 

Sport management is an expanding field of study attracting students interested in sports careers.

SMC’s Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management will teach the intricacies of the business of sports, providing the basis for careers in team management, facility oversight, player representation, and more.

Students will learn the concepts of contracts, event management, liability and risk, and communications in sports. The Sport Management degree will be offered both on campus and online. 

Officials said growth of the digital information landscape has opened numerous opportunities for professionals with writing, digital publishing, and online communication skills.

The Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and Digital Communications opens doors for SMC graduates to be leaders in this expanding career path.

After graduation, students can pursue careers in news and publishing, social media content creation, and technical and speech writing. The new degree is an on-campus program. 

More students are pursuing a degree in a non-traditional manner, and SMC is adding another option to its online academic menu. The Associate in Religious Studies is the online equivalent of the college’s current on-campus degree.

Officials said providing an online version will give returning, working, and other students who can’t attend classes in person the chance to earn their associate degree.

The religious studies program can help graduates find opportunities in missionary work, religious and charitable organizations, local churches, and more. 

Located in Spartanburg, S.C., Spartanburg Methodist College is a private, liberal arts college open to students of all religious and non-religious backgrounds.

The college serves approximately 1,000 students and offers six associate degrees, five bachelor’s degrees, and 11 100-percent online associate and bachelor’s degree options.

Woodings Industrial Corporation and Affiliated Companies Acquire Superior Machine Company of South Carolina, Inc.

Woodings Industrial Corporation and affiliated companies have acquired 100 percent ownership of Superior Machine Company of South Carolina, Inc., an experienced name in time-critical, turnkey upgrades and revamps of electric arc furnaces and associated melt shop equipment through design, engineering, project management, manufacturing, and field service expertise.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Founded over 50 years ago, Superior Machine has production facilities of approximately 128,000 square feet in Florence, S.C.

Superior Machine also has an engineering and sales office in Cleveland, Ohio.

The company offers engineering, manufacturing, repair, and installation of all types of melt shop and associated equipment, including furnace shells, tilt platforms, gantries, water-cooled equipment, roof systems, ductwork, ladles, transfer cars, and electrode arms.

Superior Machine also provides continuous casting and secondary refining equipment from ladle turrets through cooling equipment.

Superior Machine's Field Services group provides turnkey project management and a variety of other services, including demolition, upgrades, modifications, and planned and emergency response maintenance repairs.

Officials said Superior Machine will continue to operate independently under the Woodings Industrial group of companies, maintaining its brand identity and leadership team.

The acquisition is in line with Woodings Industrial’s growth strategy, and it will enhance its position in the North American market for engineering, design, maintenance, and repair of melt shop equipment, the officials said.

Staged Vehicle Accidents Top Fraud Trend in South Carolina

A new report on South Carolina fraud trends shows staged vehicle accidents as the top fraud issue in the state.

The analysis, released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the nation's leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to combatting and preventing insurance crime, ranks South Carolina as 13th in the nation in terms of questionable vehicle-related insurance claims.

This is significantly higher than states with similar populations, such as Alabama, Kentucky, and Louisiana.

"Staged vehicle accidents are one of the most significant fraud issues facing South Carolina," said Eric De Campos, director of Strategy, Policy and Government Affairs for the National Insurance Crime Bureau. 

De Campos added, "The impact on residents includes both a financial cost and a safety risk. Residents are not only faced with the costs from the damage done to their vehicles, but also risk serious injury and possible death as a result of vehicle accidents deliberately caused by fraudsters."

Recognizing staged vehicle accidents as a significant fraud trend in South Carolina, NICB conducted an analysis of questionable vehicle-related insurance claims by city spanning from 2020 through 2022.

NICB's analysis identified the city of Columbia with the largest number of claims in South Carolina, accounting for 13 percent of the state's total. Columbia is followed by Greenville with 5 percent, and Florence with 4 percent. 

North Charleston and the city of Sumter both recorded 3 percent of claims from 2020 through 2022.

An analysis of questionable claims by county was also conducted and showed that Richland County ranked above all other counties in South Carolina with almost 15 percent of claims followed by Charleston County and Greenville County with 7 percent each.

NICB provides assistance to review and investigate fraud cases to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which investigates a yearly average of 2,650 questionable claims filed in the state.

Officials said various tactics are often utilized to commit these crimes. For example, criminals may use fraudulent information, such as inflated medical billing, in the aftermath of a staged accident in order to influence settlements from insurers during mediation.

Staged accident rings with complicit passengers involved in the conspiracy may visit multiple health clinics and often receive a myriad of treatments for alleged soft tissue injuries that cannot be verified through medical imaging.

Officials said the fraudulent injuries and medical services aim to inflate the insurance claim and thereby further enrich the conspirators.

Advanced Technology International Signs Partnership Intermediary Agreement with Naval Surface Warfare Center - Indian Head Division

Summerville, S.C.-based Advanced Technology International (ATI), a catalyst for research and development innovation, has entered into its first Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD).

The PIA establishes a nationwide energetics-focused Collaborative Ecosystem that will facilitate solutions and improvements to: Basic and Applied Research, Manufacturing, Industrial Base Diversification, Workforce Development, Contracting, and Physical Location.

Officials said the agreement supports NSWC IHD's aim for technological solutions to address current and future security threats in the surface, subsurface, littoral, and expeditionary environments.

ATI, a public-service nonprofit, builds and manages collaborations that conduct research and development of new capabilities to solve our nation's most challenging problems.

Supported by a community of experts from industry, academia, and government, ATI expedites innovation to help the federal government quickly identify and acquire novel technologies and solutions.

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