Sonoco announces major investment

News was exciting to read yesterday as Sonoco announced its intention to invest more than $100 million in new infrastructure (biomass-fed boiler) at the Hartsville plant site.

We have to be in the Future Business

Am currently reading a new book by former President Clinton and the one line that is the theme of the book is the need for us to be in the future business.

Almost every day in Hartsville I am talking with someone about how we can grow our small city of Hartsville and why we need to grow our small city of Hartsville. The answer is that We have to be in the future business. A couple of days ago I met the Mayor who was having a late lunch and we talked about this idea of being in the future business by reflecting on some of what we are seeing today --

In Hartsville we need to be in the future business and we are fortunate that there are those within our area who are working to help Hartsville move to that future. We need more of those efforts and people behind those efforts. There are businesses and people who are not in our community who often tell those who are seeking to build that we are too old, too small, too isolated. But, much like our small, private college that has been home in this community for more than 100 years (we find if they visit they often catch the vision.) Word is there is a developer who is working aggressively to find a way to make a new hotel a reality. Word is that the Winn Dixie store will not be vacant for much longer. Eyesight tells you that First Citizens sees the future of Hartsville with their new bank, which is right across from Heritage Community Bank, which is just about right across from a modern office building that is soon to become the home of the Malloy Law Firm. Senator Malloy and his staff are looking forward to taking possession of this state-of-the-art office.

Those offices show proof that people in Hartsville are in the future business. And, when speaking of financial institutions in that business we should not forget that Wachovia is now Wells Fargo with an enlivened presence in downtown Hartsville and during a resurgence of downtown a few years back SPC Credit Union set the standard in future thinking. Mutual Savings is not exactly downtown but their thoroughly remodeled building was a forerunner of some of the current growth.

There is real proof that Hartsville is in the future business and word is that some additional formal announcements coming this week from the big company in town will underline some of this discussion.

And, when you really want to look at being in the Future Business the Governor's School for Science and Math could be the new Standard Bearer. How great was it to see an ad in the Sunday paper looking for new, high-quality faculty members to fill NEW positions at the expanding school. GSSM is creating jobs in Hartsville whose main goal is teaching some of the best and brightest high-school age students that South Carolina has to offer-- our FUTURE.

Just up Second Avenue from GSSM, Coker College is continuing on planned growth path that is adding new programs, (the recently announced Masters Degree in College-Sports Management for example); new students, new faculty and a growing commitment of partnership with its host community. This is being in the future business.

Being in the future business is hard work that requires nerve, energy, investment, vision, leadership and collaboration. Being in the future business means pulling together, creating a team ready and willing to build. Being in the future business means listening and then MAYBE, responding with something like -- How could we make that happen -- rather than, No, no way that can work.

Look at the resources we have in this community. As we move close to this new year let's all work to remind ourselves that if we are going to have the tomorrows we want, we have to be in the future business today.


(author's musing -- Hope some of that makes sense. I am going to look at it as sort of a first draft because there are lots of things I have left out and probably many things that still need saying. Guess it goes without saying that I would love to have some of your thoughts and comments as we all work to make Hartsville one of the best places in the world in which to live, work, study and play.)

STATE Newspaper has excellent story on Charlie Coker

Charlie Coker is one of the business legends in South Carolina. Here The State newspaper provides an interesting overview of a long career building a company and a community. Charlie's efforts continue today. I think you will enjoy reading this story from The State newspaper on the influence Charles W. Coker has had on the State of South Carolina, Sonoco and Hartsville.

How does a small community create jobs?

One of the major questions that some people in Hartsville have been discussing over the past several months is "How does a smaller community like Hartsville engage in economic development and create needed jobs."

One idea that is being discussed is finding a way to infuse more new and niche businesses into the Hartsville retail community, taking advantage of the amazing downtown ambiance that many of us seem to take so much for granted. But, as this idea is being discussed, we also hear of some of those same nice, niche, new businesses that we have considering closing their doors because business is just not good enough to pay the bills.

In fact, one of our major communication businesses is moving from their home and for a number of weeks they had problems finding a location in the rental-price range they were needing to pay.

So, as this question of how to create jobs is being discussed, one idea is that we find a large retail space in downtown that could be subdivided into smaller stores that could give a new business enough space to create their "SPACE" while keeping rent low enough to be affordable for a start-up enterprise. If you were going to give a name to such a business, it would probably be incubator -- at least that is what Mayor Pennington calls this space when he is thinking about what might work. A retail incubator could be an idea with merit. There are certainly some major questions. How would a building owner recoup investment? Would it be possible to add to the downtown-loft apartments that have been built the past couple of years and get enough rent from those to make some money on the building, which might now even be able to get enough retail floor rent to pay bills. Would a public passage from the parking lots on College Avenue to the store fronts on Carolina Avenue be a incentive for more shopping in the downtown. Would such a building area be available at price that could make the dream a possibility.

There are many people I have spoken with who say they would like to open a business but looking at space costs of more than $800 a month give them a great deal of pause. But, they would love to be in a downtown area that looks like Hartsville's downtown -- if they could afford it.

So, this might be one idea for creating opportunities for people to open new businesses in Hartsville. And, new businesses can create jobs. What other ideas are there for creating jobs in a community like Hartsville?

"Old Geezer" is nearly a month into eight year of not missing a day of running

He’s one of the fastest old geezers you are ever going to know

For the past 2,570+ days Robbie McLendon has been pounding the pavement for at least three miles and in the past three days he has logged 47 miles, including a marathon distance of 26.2 miles. For those who are not much into math, or even basic arithmetic, that is seven years without missing a day as of August 29, 2011. The 56-year-old self-proclaimed “old Geezer” is on a streak of every day running that puts him in some rare company. Robbie is not only consistent, he is fast. He is fast not just for a 56-year-old, he is fast. This past March, at the 2011 Myrtle Beach Marathon he finished in 3:11:4, placing 65th among more than 3000 runners.

Is there a reason for all this running?
So, what is it that will make someone keep running and running and running. “Welllllll,” said Robbie who was trying to come up with a reason, “If I do it every day, I don’t have to worry about starting back.” In our current era when obesity is a major health concern in the American population and chronic illness like diabetes sidelines hosts of people from active living, Robbie knows he does not want to there…again.
Exercise as a life style
In this age when we have a culture fighting against obesity, chronic illness and disease and a sedentary, sit-in-front-of-the-screen lifestyle, Robbie McLendon shows there are other ways to live.
Daily running streak began in 2004
The running streak began August 29, 2004 about three days after he got out of the hospital with a high blood sugar count that almost put him in a coma. He has always been active and at another time in his life, in his 30s, he was a runner. Back in 1986 he ran a 2:40:05 marathon and finished the famous Charleston “Bridge Run” in 34:45 for the 10-K (6.2 mile) event. He knew what it was like to be in shape. He knew what it was like to be super healthy but then things like work began to take the toll on working out. He was employed with Wellman Industries outside of Darlington. “It was a good job, paid well and was challenging. But, it was not unusual to work 12 and 13 hour days and not get home until midnight or after.” The running and exercising became something he used to do, not something he did.

Eye-opening hospital stay
That day in August 2004 it caught up to him. At the time he was hospitalized, Robbie says he was about 240 pounds and he was carrying most of it in stomach. “I have a small frame, so that was a lot of weight in the middle,” he said. He decided a change was needed and went out for a run and that first run went three miles. He did not record the time but he remembers it being 10 or 11 minutes a mile. He jotted the time and the distance down in a journal and that journal is still where he keeps the daily running record.

One day, then another, then another
The August 29 run led to the August 30 run to the August 31 run and before he knew it, Robbie had a year of running without missing a day. “I started back running to lose the weight, to get back being healthy and it worked,” reflected Robbie as he thought back to that first year. “Then it became a competition and I did not want to stop.”

Running for health
Today, Robbie weighs in at about 160 pounds. He has been off insulin for years and his blood-sugar chemistry is where both he and his doctors like it to be. Once he beat the illness he found he had developed a new drive. Turns out that Robbie is not only a runner, he is one of the most active physical fitness gurus around. His daily workouts at the Hartsville Family YMCA include heavy weight training, usually 30 to 45-minutes ab work, and even occasional classes in P90-X or some of the other programs that are popular. In 2008 it became a little easier for him to expand his workouts as he lost his job with the closing of Wellman. There were not a lot of other jobs available at the time. He didn’t sit around; he got into even better shape. Several months ago he did land a part-time job at the Hartsville Y as a building manager. That is afternoon and night hours and it doesn’t get in the way of his runs his lifting or one of his new-found enjoyments – Yoga. “I started yoga in P-90 X and it not only helps me stretch better, I find it relaxing.”
"Have to run faster..."
And, relaxing is not an adjective that you often hear associated with the old Geezer, who this past week recorded 77 running miles in the journal as he gets ready for the Savannah Rock and Roll Marathon that will be run in November. And, relaxing is not something you associate with someone whose September 22 Facebook post described a workout day that included three (3) mile repeats, 4-200 meter repeats, 10-100 meter repeats…all with a resistance parachute strapped to his back. He uses that type of resistance and repeat training to build up other muscle groups that he hopes will aid him in his continuing quest to win, not just place, in the race.
He loves the thrill of the chase
The old Geezer competes just about every weekend. If he hears there is a starting line and a finish line he is on his way. “Lately, a 52-year old from Sumter has been beating me and I want to get him. I really do love the competition.” His major goal now is to run the Savannah Marathon in 3:05 or less. “I think I can do it,” he says with jaw-set determination. He will continue his 70+ miles a week training for another couple of weeks before he begins his tapering down process where he will reduce those miles to 50 or 60 as the race gets closer.

Easier to run than to stop
On those long runs he does often wonder why he is doing it. He says even today, with all these miles behind and so many yet to go, “It is a love hate type of relationship. I do like the way it makes me feel but it is always hard getting started but then I hate to stop.”

Writer note: I included this story in the Community Building blog because I think people who are doing notable things in our community are examples of how we continue building community. A community of runners and exercisers has been established in our Hartsville area and Robbie McLendon is right in the center of that community. Would love to have you post some of your "Robbie" snippets to this blog.

Hartsville in the news

The Oakdale Neighborhood has long been an important part of the city of Hartsville. For decades the majority of the residents worked at the Milliken textile mill and the Mill Village moniker was part of the lore of Oakdale. The mill went the way of of the American textile industry -- away.

In the mill's place is one of the testaments to South Carolina's creativity, ingenuity and cooperation -- the South Carolina residential Governor's School for Science, Mathematics and Technology. The school is home to some of South Carolina' brightest high school students, who spend their junior and senior years in Hartsville preparing to become tomorrow's leaders. Next to the GSSM is Oakdale, again in the shadow of a crucial Hartsville institution.

Oakdale is currently the focus of some redevelopment and some of that is noted this evening in a story on WMBF's web site and television station. And, the city has put in a grant that would give an even bigger lift to this neighborhood if it is awarded. These are things that bring communities back to life and that we call home. This is another and the city is fortunate that one of America's Marine Corps warriors,who worked civil affairs in tours of Iraq and Afghanistan is leading the effort.

Rebuilding a sense of community is priority

This past weekend Coker College joined in the Service Day that was part of the commemoration of the events of September 11, 2001. Nearly 300 students and a few faculty and staff headed off to work on a variety of service oriented programs from cleaning up school yards to painting at a Boys and Girls' Club. Coker College is working hard on a goal of building even stronger community with Hartsville, the host community of the college for these past 100-plus years.

And, at lunch this noon in a conversation with Hartsville's City Manager the question of some particular projects needing assistance in our community was one of the discussion items. She mentioned an old cemetery in the South Hartsville area that has again become overrun with weeds and bushes and stuff. She mentioned renovations that are taking place at a park that could use additional volunteer assistance to make happen more quickly. My guess is these projechttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifts can and will happen once people are made aware of the need. One former Hartsville mayor is fond of saying that in Hartsville there are a lot of people who will complain that the trees need watering and then will go and get buckets and water those trees. Some things need government assistance and some things need people assistance and most of the team we get a great deal accomplished when it all works together.

But, as Rich Harwood notes in his recent blog , much of what is going on in areas of our country is not allowing solutions. He calls the politics of today "toxic." The Harwood Institute is working with communities around the country in community building efforts and Rich is a recognized authority in this area. What follows are two paragraphs from his current blog that I think speak to how we can begin chipping away at the problems and finding some solutions:

Harwood says: "Instead, it is everyday citizens – you, me, and others – who ultimately will place the nation on a better trajectory. The task before us is to “rebuild” the nation – but not solely by constructing new memorials and buildings at Ground Zero and elsewhere. For bricks and mortar are not the most important building blocks for this rebuilding.

The first and most fundamental need is to “signal” each other that we are ready to step forward and join together. To achieve this, we must embrace and spread small public acts and rituals that get people out of their homes and demonstrate a sense of connection and compassion for one another – acts such as helping a neighbor, painting a local school, singing public-spirited songs together, and displaying the flag, among others. I am not advocating make-work volunteer efforts, or superficial initiatives, but small acts grounded in a sense of common purpose and accomplishment and the greater good."

Last night People to People in Hartsville held a "Meet the Chief" gathering to further the conversation about law enforcement in our city. I heard that one person stood up and discussed the importance of neighbors joining neighbors and taking back control of their neighborhoods - now -- not later. There is a will that is emerging in cities like Hartsville that we must hope flows across communities and becomes a tipping point of community building before it really feels too late to make a difference.

Masterful 9-11 Commemoration at Coker College

A 9-11 college and community event called "9-11-2001 A Community Remembers" could be a textbook case history for how to build and execute a meaningful, memorable gathering of forces to honor both memory and community. Will Carswell, who had the idea and chaired the planning, demonstrated a leadership that we need much more of throughout this country of ours.

The focus of this 9-11 remembrance was how the performing arts can translate, transmit and transform emotions. The mix of artistry was, by itself, awesome from targeted choral selections, to modern chance choreography,, to poetry, to readings, to a Brass Quartet, to piano and horn to a short story ending in a solemn Tolling of the Bells.

In addition, this was a combined Coker College and community event with the Hartsville Middle School Magnet Chorus under the direction of Kim Roberts and the Hartsville Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Anna White Hill.

Short comments from Dr. Carswell, Dr. Robert Wyatt, Coker's president, Mel Pennington, mayor of Hartsville and the Reverend Phil Thrailkill, who led the totally filled auditorium in the "OUR FATHER" began the program.

The memory of 9-11-2001 will remain and now we can put "adjacent" to that horrible day the splendor of arts helping in the attempt to make sense of it all.

The Watson Theater was filled and many people were unable to attend because of safety and fire regulations preventing standing in aisles. The capacity crowd is another proof of the needs communities have to honor, to remember and to engage.