December 2020 Features

• BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Earns 19th Consecutive A+ Rating from AM Best

  December 18, 2020

  Demonstrating consistency of excellence in its core competencies year after year, once again BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina was awarded AM Best’s A+ rating. This time for the 19th consecutive year.

• First-ever Statewide Class Graduates from Riley Institute Diversity Program

  December 18, 2020

  Upon graduating from the Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI) inaugural statewide class on December 17th, 46 leaders from across the state have new tools and perspectives to help leverage diversity to improve organizational outcomes and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina.

• Deloitte: In Wake of COVID-19, 61% of Executives Now Focused on Transforming Work, Double Pre-Pandemic Levels

  December 18, 2020

  Amid unprecedented workforce disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations are enacting radically new ways of working and operating – and the C-suite is taking action to reimagine the future of work with human capital issues at the top of their agenda.

• Tidelands Health Administers First COVID-19 Vaccinations to Health Care Workers in Georgetown County

  December 17, 2020

  Cheers erupted in a conference room at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital on Wednesday after the first COVID-19 vaccine went into the arm of a front-line health care worker.

• Governor McMaster Tours SC's only Refrigerator and Vaccine Freezer Maker

  December 17, 2020

  South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster was able to tour Horizon Scientific Incorporated in Summerville who is producing vaccine refrigerators and freezers.

• SC Department of Employment & Workforce: The Best Present for the Holidays? Employment.

  December 16, 2020

  On December 26, 2020, federal unemployment benefits will expire. In the meantime, employers have approximately 80,000 jobs posted on the SC Works Online Services job database at jobs.scworks.org.

• South Carolina Public Health Officials Provide COVID-19 Vaccine Update

  December 15, 2020

  The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) today announced that South Carolina received its first COVID-19 vaccine. Today through Wednesday, the state is receiving its first allocation of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; nearly 43,000 doses are anticipated by Wednesday.

• Senator Scott's Bill To Strengthen Partnerships Between HBCUs & Federal Agencies Headed To White House

  December 14, 2020

  The United States Senate passed the HBCU Propelling Agency Relationships Towards a New Era of Results for Students (PARTNERS) Act, introduced by U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.). If signed into law, this legislation will strengthen partnerships between federal agencies and the country’s more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

• SC to Prioritize Elderly, Food Workers for COVID-19 Vaccine

  December 11, 2020

  Prisoners and poultry plant workers will follow soon after frontline healthcare employees in South Carolina's COVID-19 vaccine plan, Gov. Henry McMaster said Wednesday.

• As Companies Opt for Stability Amid Pandemic, 2020 Could Be Record-Low Year for CEO Turnover

  December 11, 2020

  Once the economic fallout from COVID-19 began, CEO turnover in the Russell 3000 began seeing a marked slowdown as boards opted for continuity. For this reason, 2020 could shape up as a record-low year for CEO turnover.

• SC Ports’ Community Giving Program Supports 55 Charitable Organizations Across SC

  December 10, 2020

  South Carolina Ports Authority awarded $61,000 in grants to 55 S.C. charitable organizations through its annual Community Giving Program.

• South Carolina Capital City Mayor to Head US Diplomacy Group

  December 09, 2020

  The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) announced Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, as new incoming co-chair of the Center for U.S. Global Leadership Board, the organization’s education arm, effective January 1st.

• SC Ports Hits Record for November Volumes

  December 08, 2020

  As global trade continues to rebound, South Carolina Ports’ container volumes show strength with a record November.

• The 15th Annual Myrtle Beach International Film Festival December 8th to 12th

  December 07, 2020

  The 15 th Annual Myrtle Beach International Film Festival (MBIFF), billed as “The East Coast’s answer to the Sundance Film Festival, has set this year’s Festival dates for December 8 th to 12 th, 2020.

• Walmart Breaks Ground on Distribution Center in South Carolina

  December 07, 2020

  Walmart broke ground on its nearly 3-million-square-foot Walmart Ridgeville Import Distribution Center in Dorchester County, South Carolina.

• SC Home Sales up 19% Compared to This Time Last Year, Demand High

  December 04, 2020

  South Carolina REALTORS released its October 2020 statewide real estate market data. Despite the pandemic, Realtors continue to set sales records with a 19% increase in closed sales throughout the state compared to this time last year.

• Online Retailers' South Carolina Sales Tax Tops $311.5M in Past Year

  December 03, 2020

  According to the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR), remote sellers and online marketplace facilitators reported collecting more than $311.5 million in South Carolina Sales and Use Tax

• Clemson Joins 59 Institutions in a $111 Million Public-Private Partnership to Drive Cybersecurity in Manufacturing

  December 02, 2020

  As manufacturing lines are transformed through connecting more components to the internet, manufacturers see increases in energy efficiency, productivity and cost savings, however, it also creates new vulnerabilities – manufacturers must also protect their advanced manufacturing systems from cyberattack.

• Community Foundation of the Lowcountry Awards $211,500 to Four Local Organizations

  December 01, 2020

  Community Foundation of the Lowcountry has awarded more than $211,500 to four local organizations as part of their twice-a-year competitive grants process.

• ‘Grow with Google’ Launching SC Program to Help Black and Latino Small Businesses

  December 01, 2020

  Tech giant Google is launching an initiative in South Carolina on Monday aimed at helping Black and Latino small businesses succeed.