701 Whaley
Lee Ann Kornegay
Filmmaker Lee Ann Kornegay didn’t set out to become 701 Whaley’s chief advocate. She just saw a great story to tell. She started documenting the restoration of the historic building and talking to people in the Olympia neighborhood — and a relationship was born. Her documentary, 701 Whaley, airs frequently on ETV, and she moved from uncovering the building’s past to becoming an integral part of its future. Today, she helps manage the space, supports public relations, marketing and social media, and curates shows in “the hallway,” a community gallery. In 2006, she was one of the original group behind the creation of the 701 Center for Contemporary Art, a critically acclaimed visual art center. Now, she’s a project leader for Phase Two, the renovation of the old pool and gym. “The activities of past and present in this building are intriguing, always interesting,” she says, “and they occasionally keep me up at night!”
Allstate Insurance
Kevin Powell
You’re in good hands with Kevin Powell, who works with Allstate as a Field Sales Leader. Consulting with local Allstate agency owners to help them succeed, he understands the importance of providing strong customer service and exceptional value. In addition to working with existing business owners, Kevin is actively recruiting entrepreneurs looking for a new business opportunity. Allstate hopes to continue growing in South Carolina this year and attract even more entrepreneurs who want to make a career out of helping people protect what matters most to them. “I believe opening an Allstate agency is the best small business opportunity in America,” Kevin says. “In 2012, Allstate donated $49,000 to SC non-profit organizations where Allstate agents volunteer in their local communities. We truly live up to our Good Hands commitment and support our agency force in the work that they do as business owners and community leaders.”
Andrews Auto
Matt Riley
Andrews Auto is a family owned and operated business for three generations, and they pride themselves on honest, quality work. “We feel that building a solid relationship with our customers is paramount and helps us build and grow our business,” says owner Matt Riley. “We rely on the latest technology and the expertise of our technicians to diagnose and repair problems in a timely manner.” Vehicle repairs can be complicated and hard to understand, so prioritizing, educating and giving the customer choices helps when making decisions on repairs that need to be completed. Customers should demand that a repair facility diagnose a problem completely and repair the vehicle properly using quality parts, while charging a fair price in a clean and neat environment. With decades of experience, Andrews Auto will strive to meet those goals.
Corporate Concepts
Bruce Fewell, Rutledge Davies
Corporate Concepts is proud to be the oldest Knoll furniture dealership in the Southeast, having opened its doors in 1986. With Knoll’s distinguished reputation for quality and design, it is only fitting that Knoll and Corporate Concepts have been synonymous for more than 20 years. “Our mission continues to be the best provider of office furniture and services in the markets we serve,” says Rutledge Davies, president. “Quality relationships require time, effective communication and commitment. By engaging the client, architect, designer and project manager, we take a team approach to providing excellent service.” Able to assist its clients from planning to installation, Corporate Concepts is a full-service contract office furniture dealership. “We strive to maintain our reputation for uncompromising excellence in the service we provide, the product we sell and the people we employ.”
Doctors Wellness
Paul Lomas
Doctors Wellness Center combines the expertise of traditional medicine with the ethereal elements of wellness. With programs utilizing lifestyle as medicine, Doctors Wellness offers solutions to individuals trying to lose weight and improve fitness, patients working to prevent and reverse chronic diseases such as diabetes, and corporations attempting to lower rising healthcare costs and improve employee health. Program design is based on evidence demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes can prevent and reverse chronic diseases such as diabetes. Unlike traditional healthcare, which only addresses symptoms (medications which reduce blood sugar do not treat the underlying cause of diabetes, etc.), Doctors Wellness offers programs that treat the cause of chronic disease. And unlike commercial programs, including Weight Watchers, medical weight loss centers and gyms, Doctors Wellness programs are comprehensive with experts in the fields of exercise physiology, nutrition and physical therapy. Program components include nutritional counseling, behavior modification, supervised exercise and physical therapy.
Doctors Wellness emphasizes total body wellness, and participants receive a holistic approach that produces superior clinical outcomes at a fraction of the cost of traditional healthcare, creating great value. Housed in a family friendly facility with excellent customer service, Doctors Wellness delivers on its motto: “We Make Your Life Better.”
Garvin Design
Scott Garvin
Scott Garvin is president of Garvin Design Group, an architectural firm that just celebrated its tenth year in business. Scott, along with partners Mark Timbes and Terry Buchmann and a host of talented coworkers, has been involved in the design and management of many notable projects in South Carolina, including the Olympia Mills, 701 Whaley, Mast General Store, USC’s Honors College and Patterson Hall, Coastal Carolina University’s Recreation Center and the Peace Center for the Performing Arts. One of their specialties is historic renovations, and Scott helped spearhead the redevelopment of the AIS Building at Lincoln and Gervais streets to include their office space, along with other retail and office tenants. To celebrate its tenth year, Garvin Design Group has rebranded its corporate identity, which was designed in-house and reinforces the unique and dynamic nature of the firm, as well as its commitment to providing collaborative, creative design solutions.
Gwen Rawls
Gwen Rawls
Gwen Rawls believes that a woman’s wardrobe is created from the ground up. “An elegant shoe serves as the ultimate foundation for fashion, and I firmly believe there’s nothing more elegant than a finely crafted Italian shoe,” says Gwen. “More than any other part of a wardrobe — or from any other part of Europe — Italian shoes elevate a woman’s sense of style and give her the utmost of confidence to step forward in fashion.”
A South Carolina native with a love for European fashion, Gwen has traveled extensively but always found herself returning to Milan, the world’s fashion capital. Influenced by the Italian expression passo con passione, “to step with passion,” she has forged relationships with some of Italy’s most desired shoe designers including Roberto Cavalli, Loriblu and Luis Onofre. She is now sharing that passion and her connections with Columbia via Gwen Rawls, an Italian shoe boutique in Trenholm Plaza. In addition to shoes, the boutique also carries a collection of handbags, specially chosen to complement the shoe inventory. All items are limited in quantity to ensure a customer can build her own signature look. The boutique offers an upscale but very relaxed atmosphere, and Gwen and her staff seek to develop long-term relationships with customers with the goal of sharing a new product as soon as it arrives from Europe.
Shane Harpham, DDS
Shane Harpham, DDS
Dr. Shane Harpham, “Dr. Shane,” completed his undergraduate studies with honors at East Tennessee State University in Biological Sciences before attending the West Virginia University School of Dentistry. He was recognized there for his accomplishments in academics as well as his care for persons with special health care needs. He continued his education at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan for two years as he completed his residency in pediatric dentistry, where he served as the chief resident. This specialty training involved education in general anesthesia, emergency medicine, cardiology, pediatric medicine, cleft lip/palate, conscious sedation, orthodontics, oral surgery, growth and development, and operating room dentistry.
Dr. Shane is a documented community leader and is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the South Carolina Dental Association.
Kinard and Jones, LLC
Ashby Lawton Jones
Ashby Lawton Jones is a founding member of Kinard and Jones, LLC. Her practice is devoted to Family Law and serious Plaintiff’s litigation. Member Murry Kinard’s practice is devoted to the areas of Criminal Defense, serious Plaintiff’s litigation, Eminent Domain and Family Law. Ashby is a 1995 magna cum laude graduate of Presbyterian College, where she received a bachelor of arts in Business Administration. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina in 1998. Ashby has appeared in many South Carolina Circuit Courts, several Federal Courts, and Family Courts in the counties of Richland, Lexington, Aiken, Newberry, Kershaw, Calhoun and Greenville. Ashby resides in Lexington County with her husband, Bret, and their two children, Maggie and Houston. When she is not practicing law, Ashby enjoys spending time with her family and serving as a regular columnist for a local Lexington magazine.
Main Street Home
BJ Smith
Main Street Home — formerly Consignment 1st — is Columbia’s most unique furniture and home décor shopping experience. “Four Cs best describe what we offer,” says owner BJ Smith, “Classic to Contemporary, Closeouts and Consignments.” Each week, a 53-foot trailer of new closeouts and samples arrives from some of America’s best manufacturers, in addition to more than 2,000 consignments each month that reflect the unique history and collections of people’s lives. There’s something new every day. “It’s like a great, big treasure hunt,” BJ says. “We changed our name to better reflect who we are and what we strive to be, which is much more than just a consignment store. We are a place where people find treasures to make their homes more comfortable. We love the Midlands, and we intend to stay. That’s why we purchased property for Main Street Home instead of leasing. We want our customers, who have become our friends, to know we plan to be neighbors for years to come.”
Mashburn
Harry Mashburn
Founded in 1976, Mashburn Construction is a full-service construction company providing construction management, design-build general contracting and preconstruction services. For more than three decades, the company has exemplified “Building with Integrity” by providing superior service and quality to clients in the healthcare, historical renovation, hospitality, industrial, institutional and church construction markets.
“Our focus is on longterm relationships versus short term profit,” says Harry Mashburn, CEO. “We have developed business relationships with architects, engineers, subcontractors and vendors. We take a bold vision for a facility, partner with creative designers, provide open book competitive pricing and deliver quality craftsmanship.”
Headquartered in Columbia, Mashburn also has offices in Charleston and Greenville.
Mid-Carolina Chimney
Steven Lantry
“At Mid Carolina Chimney Service, our primary goal is to help people add warmth and comfort to their homes by making sure their fireplace and chimney are safe and ready to use,” says owner Steven Lantry. “Cindy, my wife, and I love being a local company helping friends and neighbors across the Midlands.” Steven holds certifications with the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the National Fireplace Institute and takes pride in using his advanced skills to provide the best service to every client. “We feel very blessed to serve our community by helping people with a critical part of their home. We are always ready to serve you.”
Rice Creek Family Dentistry
Angela Schweiger, DMD
A personable, outgoing and enthusiastic board-certified dentist, Dr. Angela Schweiger is passionate about ensuring that her patients develop and maintain excellent oral health. This approach to dentistry has enabled her to open three dental practices in just four years – Rice Creek Family Dentistry and Rice Creek Pediatric Dentistry in Northeast Columbia, and South Lake Family Dental in Lexington. Dr. Schweiger relishes embracing the challenges and opportunities that each new day in dentistry brings, and she works tirelessly so that her patients can feel healthy, satisfied and confident whenever they flash a smile. As a new mother and experienced children’s dentist, Dr. Schweiger strives to make all components of the dental visit exciting, fun, educational and as painless as possible for her younger patients. After graduating from Georgetown College with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Dr. Schweiger received her DMD degree from the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. She continues to enhance her knowledge of dentistry and stays abreast of the latest developments in her field by regularly attending continuing education courses throughout the country.
Roper Staffing
George Roper
Thirty one years ago, George Roper had a vision to provide Midlands businesses with innovative staffing solutions that no other service offered. Over the years, he has assembled a team of dedicated staff employees that average more than 12 years of experience. Roper’s services include traditional staffing, direct hire placements with access to the full labor market, and special project work at a business’s own site or at Roper’s location.
“We do not use a cookie cutter method of hiring to fill your openings,” George says. “Each client is unique, and we hire accordingly.”
With offices in Columbia, Sumter, Newberry and Laurens, no staffing need is too small, too large or too unique. Roper’s solutions go well beyond temporary, and the entire team looks forward to serving you.
Southern Way Catering
Brittany Stevenson Wingo
It all began more than 30 years ago. Jimmy Stevenson and his family started a small company with deep Southern roots and a philosophy that demanded the best. That sentiment continues today and is undoubtedly why Southern Way is one of the largest, most successful and most sought after catering companies in Columbia.
Continuing in the tradition of family, Southern Way has announced Brittany Stevenson Wingo, Jimmy’s daughter, as the newest member of the management team. Brittany grew up in the catering business but started as a full time event coordinator in early 2012. Her new position as operations manager will allow her to continue to coordinate events for loyal customers and new customers, as well as oversee the day-to-day operations of the company.
Spherion
Georgia Meeks
Service and excellence – two simple words that led Georgia Meeks to join locally-owned Spherion of Columbia in 2003. At the time, she was a client of Spherion’s client. She was attracted to Spherion because of its proven commitment to quality, which matched her personal high standards for delivering skilled talent to meet complex business challenges.
Since joining Spherion, Georgia has served as a recruiter, on-premise supervisor, operations manager, and now her current roles as Columbia branch general manager and general manager for on-site client management teams. Through her experience, she has found that just as her needs were unique when she was a Spherion client, so are the needs of each of her clients.
Georgia remains committed to ensuring that service excellence is the uncompromising standard that defines the way that Spherion does business and is evident in every aspect of Spherion’s business.
The Haven in the Summit
Marsha Clayman
At The Haven in the Summit, comfort and compassion are merely the start. Memories may fade, but the spirit and essence of the person behind those memories never diminishes.
Nestled in the prestigious master-planned community of The Summit in Columbia, The Haven’s nationally-recognized Bridge to Rediscovery memory care program brings vibrancy back to the lives of individuals with early, middle and late stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia. All staff – caregivers, dietary, housekeepers and management – are trained in the innovative program. Working together, they stimulate memories and maximize the independence of every resident. The planned design of the community – set like a town square with different neighborhoods – encourages independence and triggers memories. Residents can wander freely and safely in a community setting that feels familiar, while maintaining the dignity and sense of self that everyone deserves.
YMCA of Columbia
Bryan Madden
The YMCA knows that lasting personal and social change comes about when everyone works together. That’s why, at the Y, strengthening community is their cause. Every day, the Y works side-by-side with its neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. With a mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all, the Y’s impact is felt when an individual makes a healthy choice, when a mentor inspires a child and when a community comes together for the common good. Today, the YMCA of Columbia includes five branches across the Midlands and the Palmetto Center for Women. From the tens of thousands of children who have been impacted by quality childcare, camps and afterschool programs, to the countless adults whose lives have been strengthened through healthier lifestyles, the Y continues to have a positive impact on the community.
