CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS PROFILE

The first speculative distribution facility at the Sandy Run Industrial Park in Calhoun County has been fully leased to a warehousing and fulfillment solutions company before construction is completed. Smart Warehousing, based in ... Read More

Nephron Nitrile, a new company in West Columbia that produces nitrile gloves, held the grand opening of its manufacturing facility on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The ceremony attracted leaders from the Midlands as well as around the s... Read More

The Ritedose Corp., a locally owned and operated pharmaceutical manufacturer, is investing $81 million to expand its facilities in northeast Columbia, a move expected to create 94 jobs. Ritedose products include a wide assortment ... Read More

Palmetto Millworks of the Carolinas LLC, a locally owned and operated manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride columns, is investing $5.5 million to expand its operations to a new facility in Richland County, a move that will create 47 new job... Read More

Flybar Inc., a New Jersey-based sporting toy company that is one of the largest manufacturers of pogo sticks, is investing $8 million to open new distribution operations in Greenwood County that will create 36 jobs. Founded in 191... Read More

Stewart Spinks, founder and chairman of the board of The Spinx Co., received the Order of the Palmetto at the company’s 50th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, Dec. 2 at Fluor Field in Greenville. The award was presented by Governo... Read More

Envision AESC,  a Japan-based major manufacturer of electric vehicle battery technology, will invest $810 million to build a battery cell gigafactory in Florence County. The project will create an estimated 1,170 new jobs and su... Read More

Global Sales and Warehousing, a family-run original equipment golf bag manufacturer and distributor, will be investing $4 million on a new facility in Orangeburg County that is expected to create 35 new jobs.   A sister ... Read More

Peak Drift Brewing Co.,, a new beverage company headquartered in Columbia, is launching its inaugural line of craft beers and seltzers in select Midlands-area bars, restaurants and stores this week. Peak Drift Brewing was founded ... Read More

Krista Hinson of Columbia has been named the new executive director of the South Carolina Retail Association. She was selected by the organization’s board of directors to lead the statewide trade association which represents South ... Read More

Workers seeking out co-working and other flexible work options in Columbia will soon have a new option as IWG, the world’s largest provider of flexible workspaces, recently announced a new work center for the capital city as part o... Read More

The S.C. Department of Agriculture is seeking to improve meat processing capacity in the state with a new $3 million matching grant program. This funding will help local processing facilities thrive and employ more workers, assist t... Read More

Magnus Development Partners recently broke ground on two buildings at 803 Industrial Park in West Columbia, with a third set to break ground in early 2023. The 252,720-square-foot Gateway One and 252,720-square-foot Gateway will d... Read More

The City of Columbia’s Office of Business Opportunities is accepting applications for the 2023 NxLevel Micro Entrepreneur and 2023 FastTrac Growth Venture courses to be held January through March. The FastTrac Growth Venture pro... Read More

Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina is opening a boutique-style store that will offer shoppers designer and trendy items at affordable prices. Auten’s Loft will open at 11 a.m. Dec. 6 in space adjacent to the ... Read More

The Publix grocery store at Trenholm Plaza in Forest Acres will be expanding in the next several months. The 10,634-square-foot expansion will increase the store’s footprint to 48,547 square feet, according to an announcemen... Read More

Trinity Partners recently represented the seller in the sale of a 6,800-square-foot free-standing office building in Lexington, according to a news release. The building at 330 W. Main St. sold for $1.2 million and was sold by KCR Pro... Read More

Columbia City Councilwoman Aditi Bussells was elected to the board of directors for the National League of Cities at the organization’s 2022 City Summit in Kansas City, Mo.  During her two-year term, Bussells will provide s... Read More

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions has launched a pilot program employing area high school students as apprentices at the Savannah River Site. “We have a wide range of career opportunities requiring a technical school degree, ... Read More

A Tennessee-based company that specializes in customized foam packing material has leased a 117,865-square-foot industrial building on 20 acres in Bishopville. EFP LLC, or Engineered Foam Packaging, recently leased the facility lo... Read More

When PIxie Paula Dezzutti was a child, her mother frequently cut her hair in the short bowl style known as a pixie cut. Decades later, someone remembered that signature hairstyle and claimed it suited Dezzutti because “You’re... Read More

The House of Hathor, a store and cultural arts center centered around African and African-American culture, recently held the grand opening for its new location in Northside Plaza at 6319 N. Main St. in Columbia. Mayor Daniel Ri... Read More

Turn90, a nonprofit that helps men find employment after prison, has been named the 2022 Bank of America Neighborhood Champion in the Columbia and Charleston markets. As part of the program, Turn90 will receive a total of $100,000 in ... Read More

Chick Fil-A Supply, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chick-Fil-A, will invest $80 million to establish a new distribution center in Lexington County. The new facility will be located in the Saxe Gotha Industrial Park and create 165 new jo... Read More

South Carolina’s unemployment rate increased to 3.3% in October from September’s estimate of 3.2%, according to data released Nov. 18 by the S.C. Department of Unemployment and Workforce. During October, the estimate of un... Read More

A shop dedicated to showcasing products from Black-owned companies held its grand opening in Columbia on Thursday, Nov. 17. BOPs, which stands for “Black-owned products,” is located inside NoMA Warehouse at 2222 Sumter... Read More

Grants will soon be available for nonprofits and other groups seeking to protect and preserve Richland County’s land and historic places. Beginning Thursday, Dec. 1, nonprofits, neighborhood organizations, governmental agencies,... Read More

Nominations are now open for the Columbia Impact Awards sponsored by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. All nominees must be located within the greater Midlands region and be a Chamber partner in good standing. Nomination forms are ava... Read More

A new West Columbia bakery is a testament to what happens when four friends with a lifelong appreciation for food and cooking decide to follow their dreams. Breads & Such, located at 1220 C Avenue, was opened in late summer by... Read More

A former Walmart at 1326 Bush River Road in Columbia has been sold to a computer wholesale company, Executive Personal Computers, Inc. The company's $9.5 million investment will create 133 new jobs. Colliers South Carolina bro... Read More

Unemployment insurance tax rates will decrease or remain the same for all South Carolina employers in 2023, according to an announcement from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and the governor’s office. The state w... Read More

Small business owners can learn more about how to handle taxes at a workshop being offered by Richland Library’s entrepreneur-in-residence Starlitt Miller from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 at the main branch, located at 1431 Assembly... Read More

The surge of new businesses in Forest Acres has continued over the past week. Fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant Cava has opened at 4844 Forest Drive in the former location of Zoe’s Kitchen. Cava, based in Washington, D.C.... Read More

The S.C. State 1890 Extension Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Program is hosting a holiday farmers market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, in Staley Hall on the campus of South Carolina State Universi... Read More

Something as simple as buying a beer at one Columbia-area brewery could soon help folks get acquainted with the new digital economy. By the end of the year, Columbia Craft Brewing Co. aims to announce its first release of a non-fu... Read More

Trinity Partners of Columbia recently brokered the $6.5 million sale of an investment property in Charlotte. Managing partner Bruce Harper represented the buyer, a South Carolina-based real estate investor. Charles Swanson of Park... Read More

Richland Mall will be sold and demolished and a redevelopment project with an estimated value of $100 million will go up in its place, according to detailed plans released Nov. 9. Southeastern Development of Augusta, Ga., is ... Read More

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp. and New York-based Sharps Technology have formed a new partnership focused on developing and sharing best practices in manufacturing, product development and quality as Nephron prepares to launch i... Read More

Savannah River Mission Completion has partnered with Claflin University to challenge students to improve the method for removing and replacing radioactively contaminated equipment inside the Savannah River Site’s salt waste pro... Read More

Chamberlain Pines, a 132-unit single-family rental townhome community at 1060 Orangeburg Road in Summerville, has been sold. JLL Capital Markets represented sellers Blaze Capital Partners, based in Charleston, and Cross Lake Partners ... Read More

South Carolina’s official  Christmas tree arrived at the State House on Monday, Nov. 7. This year’s tree is a 35-foot-tall Norway spruce from Henderson Tree Farms in Morganton, N.C., and is taller and fuller than usua... Read More

Jushi USA Fiberglass Co. Ltd. recently leased a 105,306-square-foot industrial space at 1010 Second Ave. in Columbia. John Gregory and Bill Lamar of NAI Columbia represented Jushi in the leasing process. The company intends to ... Read More

Lexington Medical Center will host a technical college career fair on the hospital campus in West Columbia on Friday, Nov. 11. The career fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  inside the North Tower of Lexington Medical Cen... Read More

​A Richland County woman has been arrested and charged with assisting in the preparation of a false state sales tax return. Bridgette Frederick, 39, of Blythewood, filed a sales tax return for her husband's funeral home business... Read More

Columbia-based Cypress Development Partners LLC will build five new homes along Valley Road in the heart of Forest Acres.  “We are excited to be delivering these new-construction homes in an infill location with very little... Read More

See Spot dance! That was the phrase of the moment Nov. 3 at the S.C. Manufacturing Conference and Expo in Greenville as attendees got to witness the dance moves of a bright yellow robotic dog named Spot who will soon be the face o... Read More

South Carolina is enjoying one of its busiest years on record for business recruitment, and manufacturing is leading the way, according to Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III. He joined leaders from three of the state&rsqu... Read More

Forum II Village at Sandhill, an 83,139-square-foot shopping center in northeast Columbia, has been sold for $11.7 million in a deal brokered by commercial real estate brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap. Tenants include HomeGoo... Read More

A janitorial company in Columbia and two Charleston-area businesses have received awards for high standards of trust and ethics from the Better Business Bureau Serving Central SC and Charleston. The announcement came Wednesday, Nov. 2... Read More

The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority is offering free rides on its fixed route buses and DART services for those going to vote in the Tuesday, Nov. 8 elections. “We realize how important it is for people to have ... Read More

Two new locations of the Michigan-based coffee chain Biggby Coffee are coming to Lexington. The first location at 1424 Two Notch Road just outside of the Red Bank community will feature drive-thru service only. It will be owned and... Read More

Organizations that offer community-based programs and services will soon be able to apply for financial support through a Richland County grant program. On Tuesday, Richland County Council voted to make $300,000 in community impact gr... Read More

The Columbia area welcomed 15.1 million visitors in 2021, according to a report from Experience Columbia SC, the region’s destination marketing organization. The numbers were revealed Wednesday, Nov. 2 at a special event at the ... Read More

Benedict College’s new ServiceNow Tech Center, which celebrated its grand opening today, aims to broaden the scope of today’s tech workforce pipeline. The center, located inside Benedict’s Business Development Ce... Read More

Images of destroyed, damaged and flooded homes and businesses have been all too common in the weeks after Hurricane Ian ravaged the southwest coast of Florida and then caused damage and flooding along the S.C. coast. Most storm da... Read More

Four defendants have been charged for their alleged roles in a fraud scheme related to the federal Paycheck Protection Program that involved nearly 100 people nationwide, including residents of Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina, a... Read More

Rising interest rates are causing investment in South Carolina’s hotel market to soften, according to a third quarter report from Colliers South Carolina. However, average daily rates and occupancy remain higher than they were prio... Read More

Arts & Draughts is returning to the Columbia Museum of Art from 7 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11. Held twice a year in the fall and spring, the event gives attendees a chance to enjoy live music, food, and art while exploring t... Read More

A new initiative aimed at serving the chronically homeless population in Columbia is on target to launch Nov. 1, according to city officials. Rapid Shelter Columbia is a transitional housing project located on city property at 194... Read More

Popular Columbia children’s store Duck Duck Goose is the latest new retailer coming to Forest Acres. Duck Duck Goose, owned by Sarah Monteith Rama, started as an online retailer and opened its first brick-and-mortar location at ... Read More

Nina Staggers is the new assistant executive director of workforce development for the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. In her new position, Staggers will be responsible for the direction and administrative oversight of fe... Read More

An 88-room Home2 Suites by Hilton is the latest entry in the growing hotel market in Blythewood in northeast Richland County. The new property at 92 Creech Road has already been open to guests and will hold a grand opening event T... Read More

A popular Columbia hair salon has moved to a new location in Five Points. Vivid! Color Cut Style held a relocation celebration and ribbon-cutting at its new space at 910 Harden St. on Wednesday, with Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann a... Read More

A 312-unit luxury garden apartment community is underway on Sunset Boulevard in West Columbia. The 38-acre development will feature one, two and three-bedroom apartments, some with direct access to garages, according to a news rel... Read More

South Carolina’s unemployment rate increased to 3.2% in September from August’s estimate of 3.1%, according to data released Oct. 21 by the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. During September, the state saw a dec... Read More

The city of Columbia is accepting nominations for the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Keeper Scholarship awards, which recognize students’ service to the ideals of human service, social responsibility, political empowerment, dive... Read More

The ColaJazz Foundation is co-hosting “A Shot of Blues, Drink Small: 90 Proof” to celebrate blues guitarist Drink Small’s 90th birthday at the Koger Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26. The celebratio... Read More

Beauty products store Sephora, the first of several new retail tenants coming to Trenholm Plaza in the near future, held its grand opening Friday, Oct. 21. City of Forest Acres officials and Sephora employees held a ribbon cutting... Read More

Construction has started on a new 14,700-square-foot commercial building at 1514 Brentwood Drive in Forest Acres. The building, a project by Cason Development Group of Columbia, is the second phase of a mixed-use project at the in... Read More

Colite City, a new mixed-use development focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, is coming to West Columbia. The project by West Columbia real estate development company Jams and Stark LLC was announced Thursday morning at the... Read More

Plans are underway to redevelop the property that currently houses the hulking, mostly empty Richland Mall at the intersection of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard. Richland County Council on Oct. 18 approved up to $23 million i... Read More

The City of Columbia has hired Kameisha Heppard as director of homeless services and Mackin Wall as homeless services project manager. Heppard will be in charge of developing programs related to the city’s overall efforts to add... Read More

Brian and Kelly Glynn, owners of local landmark Village Idiot Pizza, will be inducted into the Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame in November. The husband-and-wife team met at Village Idiot in their 20s while working in the original res... Read More

The former site of the iconic Yesterdays Restaurant and Tavern in Five Points will soon have a new tenant. The building at the corner of Devine and Harden streets will be the new home of Ruby Sunshine, a New Orleans-based chain ... Read More

Forest Acres residents will soon have added green space to enjoy at a new park being built along Forest Lake Place Drive on the banks of Gills Creek. The park will feature a performance venue, splash pad, space for food truck parking,... Read More

The S.C. Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation recently renewed a lease on 89,284 square feet of office space at Synergy Business Park located in the St. Andrews submarket in Columbia. Allen Wilkerson and Henry Roe of Colliers ... Read More

A historic 1,848-square-foot historic home-turned-office at 2001 Park St. in Columbia has been sold to Holler Garner Law Firm. Colliers South Carolina’s Mary Winter Teaster represented seller Lumbergates LLC. The property... Read More

The operator of a Myrtle Beach gentleman’s club has been arrested and charged with four counts of tax evasion. David Joseph Bean, 68, of Myrtle Beach, operated Seaboard Ventures Inc., doing business as Derriere’s Gentlemen... Read More

Agricultural hemp specialist SC Canna LLC is investing $8.8 million for indoor growing operations in Clarendon County expected to create 37 jobs. SC Canna LLC is a subsidiary of Sirius-A-Bioscience that grows and distributes medical-g... Read More

One of the Midlands’ newest hotels is now officially open for business. Cambria Hotel Columbia Downtown The Vista held its grand opening event Oct. 12, offering attendees a view of the new 144-room, four-story upscale hotel ... Read More

The S.C. Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing will be extending flight training operations for its F-16 Falcon fight gets at Columbia Metropolitan Airport for several weeks. The SCANG moved operations to the airport in Ap... Read More

Specialty glazing manufacturer AGP Group is investing $3.3 million in new Lexington County operations expected to create 35 jobs. AGP eGlass, headquartered in Belgium, provides high-tech automotive glazing to more than 20 automotive b... Read More

Diesel emissions reduction projects can now receive grant funding through the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. DHEC has $299,000 available for fiscal year 2022 to help county, city and local governments, private bu... Read More

Construction on the new Savannah River plutonium processing facility at the Savannah River Site is gearing up to begin by the end of the year. The project moved ahead on Oct. 7 as Savannah River Nuclear Solutions entered into a projec... Read More

Derrick Huggins, the interim CEO and executive director of the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority, passed away unexpectedly on Friday morning, according to a news release from the COMET. “We are saddened at this ver... Read More

Columbia-based general contractor M.B. Kahn Construction has finalized an agreement to acquire McKenzie Construction Corp. of Virginia Beach, Va. The transition will be effective Nov. 1 and allow M.B. Kahn to continue expansion effort... Read More

Blythewood area residents will have the chance to learn more about proposed rezoning of three properties at an upcoming town hall meeting organized by Richland County Councilwoman Gretchen Barron. Barron, who represents District 7, wi... Read More

Benedict College in Columbia has received a $525,000 “Build to Scale” grant to help organize, launch and operate a statewide investment accelerator program for underrepresented groups and minorities who are in the early stage... Read More

Richland Library has a new entrepreneur-in-residence, Starlitt Miller, who will be available for the next few months to work with entrepreneurs and small business owners. Miller’s corporate and educational background is in b... Read More

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Midlands Real Estate is launching Raising Columbia SC, a new residential real estate development division. Columbia native Shayla Riley will lead the effort, joining the team as president of new constructi... Read More

The impact of manufacturing on South Carolina’s economy is being celebrated today and all through the month of October. National and state leaders, community members, students from three Midlands schools, teachers and repres... Read More

An apartment complex off Broad River Road in Columbia will receive extensive upgrades as one of 10 multifamily properties around the Southeast that have been acquired by three real estate firms. Broad River Trace, located at 551 R... Read More

Student athletes at the University of South Carolina will now have the opportunity to lend their name, image and likeness to the support of nonprofit organizations and charities through the Garnet Trust Foundation, founded by the Garnet ... Read More

Karen R. Jenkins, president and CEO of KRJ Consulting LLC, is the new chair-elect of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the first Black woman to serve in that role. She will serve alongside the chamber’s newly elected chair Jo... Read More

Minimum parking requirements for most non-residential buildings in Columbia are now in the past.  Columbia City Council on Tuesday gave second and final reading to an ordinance that will reduce the number of off-street parking sp... Read More

The city of Columbia is accepting applications for hospitality tax grant funding for the second round of 2022-2023 fiscal year and events that will take place in the third and fourth quarters of 2023. This funding is for projects and eve... Read More

An S.C. woman has been arrested and charged with 12 counts of preparing or assisting in the preparation of false state individual income tax returns. Kenishi Lorraine Ingram, 43, of Lancaster, owned and operated MWM Tax LLC, a tax pre... Read More

American SpiralWeld Pipe Company in Columbia recently opened a new pipe-coating facility at its location at 2061 American Italian Way off Shop Road. Production at the new facility started about three weeks ago but an official ribb... Read More

Specialty food services such as bakeries continue to be among the hottest new tenants of rental space around the state, including the Midlands. One recent example is Crumbl Cookies’ lease of 1,414 square feet of retail space in... Read More

A new restaurant, BirdsNest Grille, has opened inside Random Tap in Elgin. The new eatery, which opened in early September, is run by Chapin residents Donald and Chatara Taylor, who bring years of experience in the restaurant indu... Read More