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Palmetto Corporation Growing South Carolina Footprint With New Operation In Fairfield County

$1.5 Million Awarded to Expand Outdoor Tourism, Sustainable Aviation

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded $1.5 million to fund four projects that will bring together over 40 regional partner organizations to boost growth in the outdoor tourism and aviation industries across north, central and southern Appalachia.

The grants, awarded through ARC’s Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE), are:

$500,000 to Ohio University to collaborate with partners on a plan to integrate new, less expensive and more flexible electric aviation technologies at regional airports in Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio.

$450,000 to Conserving Carolina to work with partners on a plan fora 31-mile Saluda Grade Trail project connecting North Carolina and South Carolina.

$400,000 to The Nature Conservancy to map and inventory nature-based tourism and needed infrastructure updates with partners in the Cumberland-Pine Mountain region of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.

$196,200 to The Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy to create a strategic plan with partners to guide maintenance of the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage trail that connects Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Impacting four counties, Conserving Carolina will use ARISE funds to continue collaboration with nearly two dozen partners to plan for a 31-mile rail-to-trail extension of the Saluda Grade Trail, connecting Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina.

Partners will also develop a number of comprehensive plans, including an environmental assessment, a property survey, a strategic community engagement plan, and regional economic and marketing plans.

Conserving Carolina and its partners bring a combined $550,000 in matching funds to this project, which will serve six communities and create six plans to ultimately strengthen the economic impact of the Saluda Grade Trail in both states.

“ARC’s ARISE initiative continues to serve as a model for the positive growth that can happen in our region when Appalachians work together,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin.

Manchin added, “I congratulate this newest group of ARISE grantees and look forward to seeing the economic impact of these investments on Appalachia’s growing outdoor recreation and aviation industries.” 

In addition to last month’s ARISE award to East Tennessee State University to plan for regional healthcare workforce growth, today’s announcement brings ARC’s total ARISE investment to $70.8 million in 28 projects.

Made possible through support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ARISE drives large-scale, regional economic transformation through multi-state collaborative projects.

The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region, which includes South Carolina.

Greenville Pro Soccer Deepens Ownership Group With Addition of Three Industry Veterans

Greenville Pro Soccer said it added three industry veterans to its ownership team.

Rick Pennell, part-owner and president/CEO of Metromont Corporation; Wallace Cheves, founder of Skyboat Gaming; and Jim Casey, co-head of Global Investment Banking at JP Morgan, join the group that operates the Greenville Triumph and Greenville Liberty soccer teams.

A graduate of the University of Georgia, Pennell worked his way up through the ranks of the company founded by his grandfather that now has more than 1,500 associates and six manufacturing facilities in four states. 

A Greenville native and Wofford College graduate, Cheves has experience across various industries including real estate, beverage and gaming. Cheves serves on multiple boards and is principal of Cheves Capital.

He was instrumental in developing Two Kings Casino for the Catawba Indian Nation in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

Casey co-runs JP Morgan's corporate debt businesses. Casey's career includes tenures at Drexel Burnham Lambert, Kidder, Peabody & Co., Paine Webber, and CS First Boston.

Casey previously made a significant donation to the Triumph and Liberty Foundation.

“We are thrilled to have Rick, Wallace and Jim join our team, and deeply appreciate the breadth of their knowledge, experience and business acumen,” said Joe Erwin, chairman and owner of the Greenville Triumph SC. “Their addition marks a significant step forward and reinforces the team’s commitment to excellence both on and off the field.”

In addition to Erwin, other owners of Greenville Pro Soccer are his wife, Gretchen Erwin, as well as William M. Webster IV, Doug Erwin and Shannon Wilbanks.

Duke Energy Offers Tips To Save Energy, Money As Temperatures Rise In Carolinas

With weather forecasters predicting high temperatures across the Carolinas this week, Duke Energy has tips to help you take control of your energy use while keeping you and your family cool.

Set your thermostat to the highest comfortable setting or use a smart thermostat. You can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7-10 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours a day from its normal setting. 

Keep in mind: Your system will run longer the hotter it is outside – even if your thermostat setting never changes. And, run heat-producing appliances during cooler morning hours for additional savings.

One of the easiest things customers can do for cooling efficiency is to change air filters regularly. A dirty air filter makes cooling systems work harder, which uses more energy and can increase costs. 

Replacing a dirty, clogged filter with a clean one can lower your air conditioner's energy consumption by 5 percent to 15 percent.

Close curtains and blinds during warm, sunny days to help prevent the sun from heating your home.

Operate ceiling fans in a counterclockwise direction in the summer, which pushes cooler air back down into the room. If you use air conditioning to cool your home, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4 degrees, typically with no reduction in comfort.

Make sure cool air isn’t escaping by checking windows, doors and vents for air leaks. Caulk, seal and use weatherstripping to block leaks, which can help save 10 percent to 20 percent in cooling costs.

There are two ways to reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes – use less water and use cooler water. Switching your temperature setting from hot to warm can cut a load's energy use in half.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies.

The company’s electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity.

Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

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