CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS PROFILE

A Pelion man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for defrauding investors out of more than $3 million. Samuel Sturkie Jackson Jr., 51, of Pelion, has been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison followed by three years... Read More

The owner of a new boutique in Five Points hopes to offer Columbia women a wide variety of clothes at affordable prices. Unis Boutique, located at 616-I Harden St., held its grand opening Monday morning. The store is located ... Read More

Georgia-based Queensborough National Bank and Trust Company opened its first location in South Carolina Thursday in downtown Columbia. The office, located at 522 Lady St. in the Congaree Vista, District will provide commercial lendin... Read More

The popular Asian/Southwest fusion restaurant Takosushi has opened a new location in The Arcade building at 1332 Main St. in downtown Columbia. The new location opened in mid-July and has been drawing large crowds showing up for the e... Read More

Lowes Foods will hold a virtual vendor summit on Sept. 28 in order to find new local products to feature in its stores. During the online meeting, local entrepreneurs will be able to meet with decision makers from the chain who purcha... Read More

Temperatures outside may be in the 90s right now, but investors in the world of cryptocurrency are weathering a very different kind of season. The digital currency world is experiencing a downturn those in the field refer to as a &ldq... Read More

Hotels around South Carolina experienced a revenue boost during the second quarter, according to a market report from Colliers South Carolina. A steady stream of travelers is helping to alleviate the woes of staffing problems and increas... Read More

Jackie Bowers has been promoted to director of operations for the Central Midlands Regional Authority. She previously served as customer experience and contract compliance manager. Bowers will oversee the day-to-day-operations of the ... Read More

A hair salon known for both luxurious hair care and a welcoming atmosphere has come to Columbia’s Congaree Vista District. Metropolis Salon opened for business at 1215-A Wayne St. Tuesday morning, marking the event with a gr... Read More

A new eatery in Five Points is serving up all-day breakfast and a positive vibe with a side of homemade apple butter. The Flying Biscuit Cafe, located at 936 Harden St., opened its doors at 7 a.m. Monday and celebrated its grand o... Read More

Big changes are coming to a building on Columbia’s Main Street which houses multiple businesses. The first floor at 1624 Main will see one change in tenants, according to an announcement from LTC Hospitality Services, a Colu... Read More

When Bohemian Home closes its doors at the end of August, Columbia shoppers will lose a source for one-of-a-kind furniture and artwork, and Devine Street will lose one of its legacy businesses. Owners Bruce Schultze and Denise Cel... Read More

South Carolina residents seeking workforce training will get a boost from an additional $25 million investment in the Workforce Scholarships for the Future program announced this week by S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster. The scholarship ... Read More

Two well-known national chains will be moving into Trenholm Plaza in Forest Acres in the near future. Home furnishings and accessories retailer HomeGoods and Sephora, which specializes in beauty products, will be moving into space... Read More

Adair Ford Boroughs was sworn in on Tuesday as United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina. She was nominated by President Biden on June 6 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 21, according to a press release from th... Read More

Business owners can learn about grants available to them through a free webinar, “The 411 on Grants for For-Profit Businesses,” scheduled for 10-11:15 a.m. Aug. 11. The event is sponsored by the cty of Columbia Office of B... Read More

The S.C. Department of Revenue has discovered that publishing the names of top delinquent taxpayers is a great way to get them to pay up.  For the second year, SCDOR has published lists of the state’s top 250 individual and... Read More

Plans for a new seven-story hotel in the Vista moved closer to becoming a reality after approval by the City of Columbia’s Design/Development Review Commission at its July 21 meeting. The commission unanimously approved plans fo... Read More

A new restaurant in the Vista offers diners the chance to enjoy Pan-Asian cuisine in an upscale atmosphere. Boku Kitchen and Saloon, located at 916 Gervais St., has been open since February, but its grand opening on July 21 attrac... Read More

The Jam Room Music Festival will return to Columbia’s Main Street on Oct. 1 for the first time since 2019. The festival will feature two stages, one on Main Street and one on Hampton Street in front of the Columbia Museum of A... Read More

Leaders and innovators from around South Carolina were honored Thursday at the 2022 Icons and Phenoms luncheon presented by SC Biz News. The event was held at the Doubletree by Hilton Columbia. For the first time, the event recognized... Read More

The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Dominion Energy co-hosted a “signing day” Tuesday where Columbia resident Justin McElveen announced he will begin his career in Dominion Energy’s full-time apprentice lineman p... Read More

Columbia International University is introducing a new online Doctor of Business Administration program at its Cook School of Business, specifically designed to meet the development needs of working business professionals. The new pro... Read More

Richland County Council is taking steps to reintroduce a vision for a sustainable tourism economy in Lower Richland. At its July 12 meeting, council accepted the Lower Richland Tourism Plan conceptually. As a result, the plan will now... Read More

Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann is one of 40 mayors from around the world selected to take part in the sixth class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. The year-long education and professional development program aims... Read More

Rising inflation might be battering both the wallets and the attitudes of many consumers, but so far the upward surge in prices for food, gas and everything else has not put a damper on the retail real estate market in South Carolina, ac... Read More

One of the hottest real estate markets in South Carolina involves buildings that do not even have specific occupants yet. Known as speculative buildings, they are built to provide ready-to-occupy space for companies looking for a ... Read More

SC Biz News has named its 2022 Forty under 40 honorees in the Lowcountry and will feature them in a special Sept. 5 edition of the Charleston Regional Business Journal. The honorees will also be feted at a special recognition even... Read More

A new Columbia business offers customers a way to improve both health and beauty through exposure to extremely cold temperatures. John and Jennifer Hooks of Columbia recently opened Icebox Cryotherapy in a 1,726-square=foot facility a... Read More

Minimum parking requirements for many nonresidential buildings in Columbia could be a thing of the past later this year if proposed changes to zoning regulations are approved. At its Thursday meeting, the City of Columbia Planning Com... Read More

Richland County Council has approved an ordinance to keep the current 2005 Land Development Code in place until a revised text and map are adopted. Council made the decision at its July 12 meeting. The LDC regulates land use, growth a... Read More

Alaska’s top education official is returning to his South Carolina alma mater to serve as the new associate dean at Columbia International University. Michael Johnson’s first day at CIU will be Aug. 1. He has been Alaska&r... Read More

Benedict College will participate in a Clemson University-led statewide effort to prepare students as medical reserve corps volunteers. The Clemson University School of Nursing received an award of more than $2.7 million to develop a ... Read More

Would-be Columbia entrepreneurs now have a new space right in the middle of Five Points where they can network, learn about starting a business and set up workspace to begin meeting their goals. City leaders, business owners and m... Read More

Eli Brightbill honored his family’s four-generation tradition of entrepreneurship when he chose the name Lyons’ General Store for the business he started in North Carolina four years ago. Now the store, named after one hi... Read More

Two people were injured when a freight train derailed around 8:20 a.m. Monday in a wooded area near Longwood Drive off Shop Road in Columbia. The derailment caused a gasoline fuel spill that has since been contained, according to Colu... Read More

Richland County’s Planning Commission has set a tentative schedule for additional work sessions to discuss rewriting the 2021 Land Development Code. The work sessions will be open to the public and offer opportunities for commun... Read More

High-quality office space is in demand in the Columbia area by both employers and employees as more people return to office work after two years away because of the pandemic, according to a market report from Colliers’ Columbia off... Read More

  A former Internal Revenue Service employee who lives in Columbia has pleaded guilty to multiple tax fraud charges, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorn... Read More

The University of South Carolina board of trustees announced on Thursday a new phase in a growing public-private partnership between the university’s College of Nursing and Lexington Medical Center. A 50,000-square-foot stat... Read More

Shoppers around South Carolina can save on purchases during the state’s annual 72-hour sales tax holiday, which begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5 and runs through midnight Sunday, Aug. 7, the South Carolina Department of Revenue ... Read More

A federal grand jury in Florence has returned a 10-count indictment alleging charges related to wildlife trafficking and money laundering against five people, according to a press release from the office of U.S. District Attorney Corey F... Read More

A Sumter County man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving a Sumter nonprofit, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. Rodney Ellis, 71, of Sumter County, pleaded guilty to ... Read More

People who want to get in the patriotic spirit and celebrate America’s birthday a couple days early can head to Lake Murray on Saturday, July 2, for the 34th annual Fourth of July Celebration on Lake Murray. The Capital City/La... Read More

Four people pleaded guilty on Tuesday to obtaining nearly $5 million in fraudulent loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Ca... Read More

Lori Wicker is likely one of the only people you will ever meet who regularly shows up at public schools with a helicopter or an airplane in tow.  As executive vice president and director of science, technology, engineering a... Read More