(Photo Courtesy of Indexx)

The Printing Industry of the Carolinas (PICA) announced that Indexx, Inc., of Greenville, South Carolina, is a winner in the 2024 PICA Awards Competition.

The announcement was made April 12, 2025, during the 2024 PICA Awards Banquet held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The PICA Awards competition is celebrating its 59th season and continues to be one of the largest printing contests in the  nation.

This year, the PICA Awards attracted 505 entries from 28 printing companies, along with 165 entries  from eight graphic arts high schools and four college graphic arts programs from across the Carolinas. 

Indexx, Inc., won 37 Best of Category awards and 16 Special Judges awards and six Awards of Excellence.

Only one “Best of” may be given in each category. One or more Special Judges Award or Award of  Excellence may be given in each category, limited to no more than one third of total entries per  category. 

Indexx, Inc., won the Wikoff Color Best Process Color Award. 

A panel of out-of-state judges with extensive experience in printing and print production examined the work.

Each entry was judged on its own merit in a category with similar printed pieces. 

The judging criteria included: registration, crossovers, clarity and neatness, sharpness of halftones and  line drawings, richness and tonal qualities of color, paper and ink selection, ink coverage, difficulty of  printing, effective contrast or softness, finishing, bindery, and overall visual impact. 

Indexx Inc. is a commercial printer serving South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, as well as customers throughout North America. 

Indexx offers everything from offset, digital and grand format printing to design, binding, mailing, and fulfillment services. 

Its family of businesses includes Growll, which provides online printing to its members – printers, print brokers, graphic designers, advertising agencies, photographers and PR professionals – and BURCO, which prints golf scorecards and marketing and print products in the hospitality industry. 

It also includes Integrated Media Publishing, which publishes Greenville Business Magazine, Columbia Business Monthly, Charleston Business Magazine, B2B: The Grand Strand, and B2B: Pee Dee Business.

 

The Charleston market saw several quarters of increasing demand culminate in its highest absorption in a year at 90,244 square feet, Colliers said in a 25Q1 Office report.

Downtown and Lower North Charleston Class A and B spaces captured the bulk of new absorption, emphasizing the attractiveness of the market’s core as tenants seek to maximize amenities over commute times in a push towards return-to-office, Colliers said.

The full-service commercial real estate firm said buildings offering attached parking and renovated spaces performed best in a competitive environment in which rents have declined slightly from an aggressive peak, but vacancy remains relatively elevated.

Suburban submarkets such as Daniel Island, in which 37 percent of space remains vacant, still face significant challenges, but several notable leases signed in the Faber Place office park provide a boost, Colliers said.

It said abundant sublease availability is still suppressing rents, but sublease deal activity is on the rise.

Class A asking rates continued to moderate, averaging $32.92 per square foot, while a second straight quarter of net absorption was strong at 90,244 square feet, Colliers said.

Vacancy fell significantly to 15.45 percent while total inventory remained flat at 11,683,130 square feet as one building delivered.

 

 

The Newberry Opera House family announced the passing of Deborah Smith, who served as executive director from 1997 to 2015 and led the venue’s historic reopening and renaissance after four decades of closure.

Smith passed away on Saturday, leaving behind, officials said, a legacy of transformative leadership, community revitalization, and unwavering devotion to the performing arts. 

Under Smith’s guidance, the Opera House was reborn in 1998, quickly becoming one of America’s most acclaimed historic theaters.

Her vision ignited an economic and cultural renewal in downtown Newberry, South Carolina, drawing world-class artists to the community and helping reinvigorate local businesses.

“Deborah’s unwavering passion for the arts was matched only by her commitment  to our community,” said Anne Pinckney Smith, executive director of the Newberry  Opera House. “She believed deeply in the power of live performance to unite  people, and her leadership continues to guide us today.”

“Thanks to Deborah’s steadfast determination, we see the Opera House not merely  as a building, but as a beacon for arts, culture, and community engagement,” said Susan Wessinger, chair of the Newberry Opera House Foundation Board.

Wessinger added, “Her impact extends far beyond these walls, and we will honor her legacy by sustaining  the spirit of creativity and connection that she so lovingly fostered.” 

 

If you haven’t filed your 2024 South Carolina Individual Income Tax return, don’t stress about it.

Remember – due to relief granted in the wake of Hurricane Helene, the deadline for South Carolina filers is May 1, not the usual April 15 deadline.

Some quick reminders:

* If you are required to file a return in another state, check to see when that state’s deadline is.

* Two other South Carolina deadlines were also postponed until May 1:

2023 Individual Income Tax returns for taxpayers with a valid extension, originally due October 15, 2024.

2025 estimated payments, originally due April 15, 2025.

If you don’t think you’ll be ready to file by May 1, you may consider requesting an extension.

 

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