Center Manufacturing SC announces expansion in Greenwood County
May 21, 2009
The South Carolina Department of Commerce and Greenwood Partnership Alliance today announced that Center Manufacturing SC will expand its facility in Greenwood County. The company will invest $2.4 million and create at least 65 new jobs.
“We are pleased to move forward with our expansion plans in Greenwood. South Carolina provides a strategic position to expand further in the commercial vehicle, all-terrain, construction and agricultural markets. The state has provided us with a positive business environment and the skilled labor force we need to meet our customer demands. We appreciate all the support we’ve received from state and local officials as well,” said Robert Jackson, president and chief executive officer of Center Manufacturing SC.
Center Manufacturing SC currently employs 100 workers at its Greenwood facility. The company plans to move an existing production line, equipment and operations into the Greenwood facility. Center Manufacturing SC also plans to install additional production equipment in the Greenwood plant in 2010.
“Center Manufacturing SC has become an industry leader in the manufacturing of metal components, and this announcement reaffirms the company’s commitment to our state. Center Manufacturing’s decision to expand in Greenwood speaks positively to the strength of our workforce and the importance of the state’s business-friendly environment. It is these qualities and the company’s success here that made South Carolina an ideal location in which to grow. Thanks to the team effort by state and local officials, Greenwood County will benefit from this investment,” said Joe Taylor, Secretary of Commerce.
“We are excited that Center Manufacturing SC is expanding its operations in Greenwood County. This is some much needed good news during a tough year for employment opportunities. We are committed to working with businesses as they seek to grow or locate operations in Greenwood County,” said Mark Warner, interim executive director of Greenwood Partnership Alliance.
“Finding new investment for Greenwood County and building on the success of our current industry are top priorities,” said Thornwell Dunlap III, board chairman for Greenwood Partnership Alliance. “This is a great example of existing business development done very well.”
The company has started taking applications for the new positions and is working with the local One-Stop Center. Anyone interested in employment opportunities with Center Manufacturing SC should contact the Greenwood County One-Stop at 864-223-1681.
Center Manufacturing SC Inc is a full-service metal fabricating company. The company’s services and product line includes metal fabricating, metal stampings, metal finishing, assembly, special packaging, design and engineering assistance, prototyping and tool design and engineering. Center Manufacturing SC is an affiliate of Center Manufacturing Inc, which is based in Byron Center, Mich. For more information, please visit www.centermfgsc.com.
Local School Honored by State
May 20, 2009
C/O Index Journal
Merrywood Elementary School has been named a Red Carpet winner for the 2009 school year — one of 41 winners from more than 200 applications.
The Red Carpet Award is given out annually by the state Department of Education to schools that excel at creating a family-friendly environment and providing excellent customer service.
“Schools that are parent-friendly, schools that have strong customer service, are more likely to be supported by their communities,” Rex said. “Community involvement can play a big part in a school’s academic success. This year’s Red Carpet winners understand and strive for that.”
Merrywood principal Debra Green said the award recognizes the effort all of the faculty and staff put into communication with each other, parents and the community.
“We are so ecstatic,” she said. “We work hard at making sure our customers, which are our parents and students, are satisfied with everything we do here.”
One primary school, 30 elementary schools, six middle schools, two high schools, one charter school, one technical school and one learning center for special needs brought home the award this year. Merrywood was the only one in the Lakelands to receive the honor.
The process starts with a lengthy written application that includes the school’s communication plan, family-friendly philosophies and the tools and methods used to self-evaluate the process.
Merrywood teachers Tara Ramsey and Noonie Fennell, who were instrumental in preparing the application, said the school has a number of tools to reach out to parents and the community. Parents receive newsletters from the school and individual teachers, each teacher has a Web site that stays current with important classroom information, and there is an internal e-mail system to keep faculty and staff on the same page.
Green said she also solicits donations from area businesses, including gift cards and other treats to use as rewards for student and teacher performance, which makes companies feel invested in the school.
“The whole process was very self-reflecting,” Fennell said.
Schools that passed the written application phase were then screened by independent judges, who rated how telephone callers and visitors were treated. Judges did not identify themselves during telephone calls or site visits, and site visits were not announced in advance.
Green, Fennell and Ramsey said they don’t know who their judge was, but it doesn’t matter because every visitor to the school is treated the same way.
“Research shows parent involvement in the school is critical to a students’ success … We want them to buy into what we’re doing,” Fennell said.
In the end, excellent customer service is in the students’ best interest, Ramsey said.
“The way we look at it, this is a public school and we take everyone that comes through the door and every child is important. … We have a genuine interest in seeing that student succeed,” she said.
Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in top 10 percent
May 15, 2009
C/O Index Journal
Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, a 46-bed acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital, ranked in the top 10 percent of 813 inpatient rehabilitation facilities that qualified to be ranked in the IRF database of Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation in 2008.
“Top 10 percent in the nation is an accomplishment that we are very proud to have achieved,” said Tim Kagle, chief executive officer. “Our team of healthcare professionals has been extremely focused on providing a wonderful patient experience, while maximizing our patients’ functional outcomes. The real beneficiaries of this accomplishment are the greater than 900 patients that received care at our hospital last year. The singular patient focus of our employees and physicians has resulted in this wonderful recognition by UDSMR.”
This is the third year that UDSMR has issued these awards and the first year that Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital was eligible to participate.
“As medical director, I am very proud of this accomplishment. I am pleased that the Greenwood community has access to the highest quality rehabilitative care right here in our own backyard,” said Dr. Clifford Monda, medical director for Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital.
The PEM Report Card was developed as part of a proactive solution to the Institute of Medicine’s 2006 recommendation to Congress that every Medicare provider be reimbursed on a pay-for-performance basis. The data used for this report was based on 12 months of 2008 data, drawn from both Medicare and non-Medicare patients.
