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Issue
1.28 |Monday, Feb. 16, 2009 |
Happy Presidents' Day! |
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FEEDBACK THE
LIST GOOD
NEWS ALSO INSIDE ___::
CALENDAR: Coming events |
ABOUT US CharlestonCurrents.com is a new online twice-weekly publication that offers insightful community comment and good news on events. It cuts through the information clutter to offer insight and news on the best of what's happening locally. More. |
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TODAY'S
FOCUS FEB. 16, 2009 -- A few years ago when we were consulting with a client, we suggested that the best marketing he could do was to think like his clients - and give them what they wanted before they asked for it. Meaning: Provide real service. As a service-based business, the company was counseled to call to set appointments, call to confirm appointments, call to say the service tech will be there in 15 minutes, and then call within a few days to get follow-up remarks. The business owner was incredulous. He said, "Do you know how much time that would take? I can't afford the people to do all that." Our question: "How could you not?"
Indeed, how can we not? What is our best tactic in these trying economic times? As business owners, we might sell meals, screws or automobiles, but what we really sell is "stuff that works." Our clients and customers want value for their increasingly hard-earned dollars. We want to maximize our profit, keep our margins low and get the best return on investment. Ninety percent of businesses in the Charleston area are small businesses, and the majority of those are service-based businesses. Most small businesses can't afford large advertising budgets on television, radio and in print. Small business owners are often frustrated, feeling that really great advertising is beyond their reach. What many overlook is the opportunity to use customer service as their major marketing tactic. There are some area businesses that have thrived from this stance, such as Royall Hardware in Mount Pleasant. A recent study titled "Giving Customer Voice More Volume," released by the CMO Council, spotlights chief marketing officers' responses to questions about how corporations are faring when it comes to incorporating customers' thoughts and experiences into their marketing and corporate development. Only 29 percent of the 480 responding CMOs rate highly their ability to handle and resolve customer problems or complaints. According to the study, "Most companies treat customer interactions around service situations and incidents in isolation and merely as a problem requiring a quick resolution." This is a telling statistic about how corporations view customers. Over the last decade there has been a sea change in the nature of information control. The old push style of product development and marketing is gone. Today, savvy corporations listen to their core customers, develop products that customers desire and innovate around this insight. They co-create. The rise of the Internet and the ability to self-publish, rate and share information about products has put customers in the driver's seat. The companies that include the customer's insights as part of product development will prosper. Companies that share information with customers in an open, transparent way thrive. Secretive consumer-focused companies are suspect. Companies that celebrate their relationships with their customers are the real winners. Zappos, an online-only shoe store, has an exemplary culture. The company has deliberately created a place where people want to work and are valued for their work. Zappos only hires passionate people who demonstrate a zeal for some aspect of life. Through training, employees take that passion into their work, creating a culture of customer care. This is Zappos' primary marketing tool, not the shoes that they sell - and they do sell just about every major brand. As a result, they are lauded and have vast expansion plans to build on their growing dominance in customer service. There is a delicate balance to achieve between dealing with customers who genuinely want to resolve problems and customers who just want to vent. Most companies have had their share of the venting ones, but what if the venting customer has great insight into an issue that the company could change and, by changing, grow their business share? One will never know until one really sees things from the customer's perspective. Admittedly, not every disgruntled customer wishes to have his situation resolved, but most do. They are our users. We must realize that we prosper when we listen to them, include their insights in the development of our policies and products, and when we serve them. To get our economy humming, we must all work to provide real service. Focus on your core customers and treat them like gold, because they are. Cheryl Smithem is the CEO of Strategic Marketing & Charleston PR, which provides marketing communications services to small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Carolinas.
CURRENTS
FEB. 16, 2009 -- It's not likely that lots of tourists take the Romney Street exit off Interstate 26. Why? This exit is only available to people heading west toward Columbia. By the time tourists even realize there's an exit, they're most likely heading out of town after a visit.
But what if they took the exit? What do you reckon they'd think of our city if they glimpsed the building above that's easily seen on the right of the exit ramp? Or if they saw the boarded-up house (photo below) that's just around the corner at the end of the ramp? More than likely, they'd have proof of all sorts of cliches about the 19th century still being alive today in our South. About the only worse thing that might happen would be if when trying to figure out how to get back on the Interstate, they ran across a replica of the Dukes of Hazzard's General Lee race car at the light when Romney crosses Meeting. We all know Charleston's preservation rules are tough and steeped in tradition. But it seems like something ought to be done about some of the unslightly places around town. Not every shack has to be preserved. Not every decrepit crack house needs to have a fuss made over it.
Our community just might be better off if some of these places were torn down or removed, in part, in an effort to reduce crime and drugs on the streets. Over the next few weeks, we encourage you to send photos of challenging places, trashy areas or settings that need to be cleaned up. Please include the date and location of the photo and why you think something needs to be done. (Please also only send only three photos at a time so you don't crash our email program!) It's one thing for tourists to seek the "real Charleston." It's another when that reality turns out to be something you wouldn't want to brag about at all. Andy Brack is publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com. He can be reached at: publisher@charlestoncurrents.com FEEDBACK To the editor:
I had to comment on Ann Thrash's candy map story. Too funny! I've never heard it called that either, but it's is one of my all-time biggest pet peeves when a box doesn't list that information. I knew the basics, like a square ought to be a caramel, but as a fussier candy eater, I've been burned before when an innocent-looking square ended up containing something like licorice liqueur. Yuck! The Straight Dope has also long been one of my favorite Web sites, along with The Onion. Good stuff!
SPOTLIGHT
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents.com to you at no cost. This issue's featured underwriter is Horne/Guest, a local employee benefits consulting firm that's home to Charleston's best workforce engineers. Horne/Guest is poised to fill this demand by offering greater flexibility, service and expertise. Innovative employee benefit plan design ideas, state-of-the-art employee benefit plan communication techniques and up-to-date compliance information is what makes us unique. Horne/Guest is sensitive to every opportunity in which we can help our clients improve their employee benefit plans. To learn more about Horne/Guest and its Applied Wisdom Advantage™ , visit the company online at: www.horneguest.com.
New park to feature commemorative bricks honoring vets The town of Mount Pleasant has announced a commemorative brick program to honor veterans at the town's new Memorial Waterfront Park at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge. Friends and family members of service men and women, living or deceased, can be honored, town officials said.
"The Memorial Waterfront Park will open during the Fourth of July weekend. Any veteran may be honored with the purchase of a brick and a commemorative inscription stating the rank and name, branch of service, and conflict(s) served," said Jana Mize, community development and tourism assistant for the town. The bricks will be used in pathways leading to a war memorial that will feature a sculpture, a reflective pool and a granite wall that memorializes the names of Mount Pleasant soldiers who died in combat. Bricks cost $60 and may be paid for by check, money order, credit card or online registration. An additional $2 convenience fee will be applied to credit-card orders. April 15 is the deadline to order a brick. The Community Development and Tourism Office says it reserves the right to deny any order that it deems inappropriate, and does not take responsibility for verifying information provided by those who purchase bricks. For more information, contact Mize at 884-8517 or e-mail bricks@townofmountpleasant.com. Food + Wine Festival to raise Kids Café funds at preview bash The BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival is offering local residents a chance to get a sneak preview of the festival while raising money for the Lowcountry Food Bank's Kids Café program.
The preview food and wine tasting is planned for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Renaissance Charleston Hotel, 68 Wentworth St. Guests can get the inside scoop on the upcoming festival while enjoying hors d'oeuvres from Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q and wine from Whole Foods Market. Tickets will be $15 at the door, cash or check; reservations are not needed. Kids Café is an after-school program that provides low-income students with hot, healthy meals and academic assistance. The Lowcountry Food Bank operates 15 Kids Café sites in coastal South Carolina. In 2007, the Food Bank provided more than 104,000 hot, nutritious meals through the program For details on the Food + Wine Festival, go to http://www.charlestonfoodandwine.com. For more on the Kids Café program, go to http://www.lcfbank.org. The Lowcountry Food Bank is a nonprofit partner of CharlestonCurrents.com. Chamber begins annual campaign to help local initiatives The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce recently kicked off its 10th annual Total Resource Campaign, a 12-week effort designed to raise money in support of Chamber initiatives. "The
programs and initiatives of the chamber significantly contributed to this
region's prosperity in recent years, and what the chamber does can help
reverse the current business downturn," says 2009 TRC Chairman Dick
Elliott of Maverick Southern Kitchens. "Every business is facing
hard decisions about allocating limited resources. Providing resources
to the chamber is a wise investment in a program of work that positively
impacts the Charleston business climate for everyone." The program's goal, over the next three months, is to raise $2,275,772 through memberships, sponsorships, donations and advertising sales. "Obviously, we are sensitive to the fact that many businesses are struggling in this economic climate and acknowledge that this is an aggressive campaign goal," says Charles Van Rysselberge, Chamber president and CEO. "That is why we have set the goal only $1 over the amount raised last year and (decided) not to take a step back but rather to keep moving forward in our efforts to serve as the catalyst for advancing our region's economy, improving our quality of life and enhancing our members' success." For more information on the campaign, contact Janet Newham at 805-3025. Energy-saving wall outlet
wins New Ideas contest The winning idea comes from Richland County resident Mike Switzer, who came up with the concept of installing electric wall outlets in new construction and replacement markets that would eliminate wasted energy. Essentially, if an appliance isn't in use, the outlet would shut off. Switzer won $5,000 seed money, a scholarship to FastTracSC entrepreneurial training programs, and access to a team of mentors to help cultivate his idea. The New Ideas contest is sponsored by several organizations around the state that promote creative business ideas, including the New Ideas Dream Team, a coalition of representatives from SCRA's SC Launch! Program; New Carolina, South Carolina's Council on Competitiveness; FastTracSC; and ThinkTEC. Winners were chosen in four categories based on the idea's viability, innovation/vision and profit/revenue potential. There was also a wildcard category that was judged by comedian Bill Murray, a co-owner of the Charleston RiverDogs, and RiverDogs President Mike Veeck. Each category winner received $2,500 to cultivate his or her idea and a scholarship to FastTrac. The honorable mentions in each category received $1,000. Winners and honorable mentions from the tri-county area were:
REVIEW
HISTORY
SPOTLIGHT Wells was born in Charleston, the daughter of Scottish immigrants Robert Wells and Mary Rowand. Her father was a successful Charleston bookseller and newspaper publisher. Although she received no formal education, Wells was raised in the privileged atmosphere of Charleston society. Her father espoused the cultural life of the city. He was an accomplished Latinist who wrote poetry. He was also an outspoken Loyalist who published his views in his newspaper. By 1775 he had earned the enmity of the Charleston community, and in 1777-1778 he responded by moving his family to London. Helena never returned to the land of her birth. Nevertheless, in her writings, her attitudes appear to have been shaped by her experiences growing up during the Revolutionary War period as a young female member of the Charleston merchant class. Not long after settling in England, the Wells family fell upon hard times and Helena was forced to seek employment. During the 1780s she worked as a teacher and perhaps as a governess and opened a boardinghouse for "young gentlewomen of fortune" with her sister. Wells also turned to writing, possibly to supplement her meager income. Although strongly conservative in her views, she sought to convey the somewhat revolutionary idea that gentlewomen should be schooled for employment as well as for marriage. She believed that to succeed, however, they had to remain within the norms of society, never surrendering their integrity, modesty, or virtue, no matter what the cost. The two novels Wells wrote played on this theme. The first, "The Step-Mother: A Domestic Tale from Real Life," was published in England in 1798. A second edition, identifying the author as "Helena Wells of Charles Town, S.C.," was published in Charleston the next year. The book was well received at the time, although later critics found it to be didactic and overly sentimental. It was followed in 1799 by "Letters on Subjects of Importance to the Happiness of Young Females," cautionary letters written to impressionable young female pupils and imploring them to keep their emotions in check by avoiding excessive novel reading and by using proper English. The letters also stressed the importance of upright manners and sound religious principles and warned against luxury, laziness, godlessness, gossiping, uncleanliness, and snobbery toward, or familiarity with, servants. In 1800 Wells published a second novel, "Constantia Neville: or The West Indian." More than one thousand pages long, this work of fiction, like her earlier novel, was well received by contemporary reviewers but later criticized by twentieth-century scholars for its thin plot, weak characterization, and cloying sentimentality. In 1801 Wells married Edward Whitford and bore four children in quick succession. In 1809 she published Thoughts and Remarks on Establishing an Institution for the Education of Unportioned Respectable Females, in which she proposed a teacher-training school that would provide young gentlewomen with academic training, proper health care, and spiritual guidance while expecting them to help maintain the premises and charging them according to their ability to pay. This last work received little critical attention. Ahead of her time in her views on educating and supporting single or widowed women without means, Wells faded from public view and died in London on July 6, 1824.
CREDITS CharlestonCurrents.com is provided to you twice a week by:
© 2008-2009, Statehouse Report LLC. All rights reserved. CharlestonCurrents.com is published every Monday and Thursday by Statehouse Report LLC, PO Box 22261, Charleston, SC 29413. |
As part of his Southern tour, George Washington visited Charleston for one week, May 2-9, 1791, during which a number of grand festivities were held in his honor. In honor of Presidents' Day, here are the top six Washington-related items in the collection of the Charleston Museum.
QUOTE "When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained."
'To Kill A Mockingbird': Feb. 11-28, Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain St., Charleston. Charleston Stage production of Harper Lee's moving novel is directed by Julian Wiles. Tickets: $15-$29. For show dates and times, visit Charleston Stage online. Winter Golf Classic: Feb. 16, Wild Dunes Resort's Links and Harbor courses, Isle of Palms. Sponsored by Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, with 60 teams and plenty of chances to network. Following the event, there will be a Business After Hours at the Sweetgrass Pavilion. Sponsorships still available. Tournament cost: $650 per team, or $200 per individual. To register or learn more, click here. For sponsorship info: Laura Kate Whitney, 805-3113. Entertaining with Nathalie: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 16 through Feb. 20, Culinary Institute of Charleston, Palmer Campus, 66 Columbus St., Charleston. Join internationally known cookbook author and Charleston resident Nathalie Dupree for "Entertaining With Ease," a week's worth of classes on the art of entertaining, including recipes, ideas and tips for preparing ahead. Each day's class includes a brief talk and demo followed by hands-on cooking with Nathalie. The week concludes with dinner at Nathalie's Charleston home on Feb. 20 featuring the menu prepared that day. Cost: $899. Click here to register (it's course number is XPOC 657-501) or phone 574-6152. Web 2.0 Workshop: 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Feb. 18, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 2750 Speissegger Drive, Suite 100, North Charleston. The workshop, "Making Sense of Web 2.0 - How Facebook and Other Interactive Media are Changing Business," will help business people get a handle on Facebook, podcasts, YouTube, wikis, social bookmarking and similar tools that have become vital to staying competitive and creating a workplace that can recruit and retain tech-savvy talent. Cost: $15 for Chamber members, $30 for nonmembers. To register. visit the Chamber online. An Evening in the Orient: 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 21, Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting St., Charleston. Annual fundraiser sponsored by Friends and Needed Supporters (FANS) of the Charleston Museum. Far East food, culture and items from the museum's Asian collections are showcased. George Read of Sotheby's will preside at an auction, with items including vacations, jewelry, Charleston silver, a 100-person oyster roast, a quail hunt, and artwork by local artists. Tickets: $60 members, $70 nonmembers. To register: 722-2996, ext. 264, or http://www.CharlestonMuseum.org. (NEW)
Plant
Your Memories: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 22, John Rutledge House
Inn, 116 Broad St. Sponsored by the Charleston Parks Conservancy, the
free event invites residents to bring new or old photos, videos and stories
about any local parks to be compiled into the first Charleston parks wiki.
Conservancy volunteers will digitally scan photos and type in stories.
Event also includes a free tour of the historic inn, which was built in
1763. More
info. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON Sea and Save: Throughout February, S.C. Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston. Reduced admission fee of $10 for all South Carolina residents during the month, a savings of $7 off regular adult admission. Proof of residency required. More info online or at 577-3474. 'Uptown in Downtown Charleston': Throughout February, Saul Alexander Gallery, Charleston County Library Main Branch, 68 Calhoun St. Watercolors by artist Andrea Hazel, a native Charlestonian, will focus on the neighborhood people, corner stores and small businesses that becoming harder to find in downtown Charleston. The paintings are part of an ongoing series that reflects Hazel's love for her hometown and the streets where locals live and hang out. BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival: March 5-8, various venues. The fourth annual festival highlights Charleston's distinctive restaurants, culinary history and cuisine while allowing guests to meet stars of the food world from around the nation, including chefs, authors, wine makers and pitmasters. Events include dinners, a gospel brunch, tastings of food and wine, cooking demonstrations (including a burger demonstration with Food Network star Bobby Flay) and more. MUSC's Children's Hospital is the signature charity for the festival. Details, tickets and more info: click here. (NEW) RiverDogs Job Fair: 9 a.m. to noon March 14, Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Apply for game-day working positions, including ushers, ticket-takers and Kidz Zone staff, with the RiverDogs, the Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. More info: Jake Terrell, 723-7241. Photographing Your Baby: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 15, Charleston Center for Photography, 654 King St., Suite D, Charleston. Portrait photographer Julia Lynn will lead this workshop, giving demonstrations and teaching students how to choose the right location for shooting, properly position the baby and get a great exposure every time. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO and lens selections will be discussed as well. Cost: $125. Register here. Nature Photography Workshop: March 18-March 21. Through the Charleston Center for Photography, nature photographer Kenny McKeithan will lead a workshop called "Nature of the Lowcountry." Participants will travel around the greater Charleston area photographing various sites. Sessions include hands-on instruction for each student along with critiques. Cost: $300. Details/registration: http://www.ccforp.org or 577-0647. Penguins 'n' Pajamas Family Sleepover: 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. March 20, S.C. Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston. Sleep with the penguins at the aquarium on the night that the new Penguin Planet exhibit opens. Family sleepover will offer special chances to watch the penguins dive underwater, learn about penguin colonies and discover what makes them march. One adult required per two children attending the event. Reservations and advance payment required. Cost: $30 per member child, $40 per member adult; $40 and $50 for nonmember child and adult, respectively. Reservations: 577-3474. More info. (NEW) Mom to Mom Sale: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 21, National Guard Armory, 245 Mathis Ferry Road, Mount Pleasant. Sponsored by three Mount Pleasant MOMS clubs (Moms Offering Moms Support), the sale will offer new and gently used children's, baby and maternity items from 80 different consigners. Ten percent of proceeds will go to Windwood Farms, a local group home for boys ages 5 to 16 who have been removed from their homes because of unstable family situations. Cost: $1 entry fee for sale. Details. In this section, we offer a list of good reads that you might want to consider reading:
FOCUS ARCHIVES 8/20:
Yarian:
New local music CD THRASH ARCHIVES 8/20:
Good,
bad, spineless BRACK ARCHIVES 8/17:
RIP
to old clunker LIST ARCHIVES 8/20:
You
know you're from... SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
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