MELINDA WALDROP PROFILE

Mason Crowson spent Saturday evening passing out water bottles to protesters and police officers alike. Crowson owns The Aristocrat, a cocktail bar and music venue located at 1001 Washington St., close to Columbia Police Department he... Read More

Open again after COVID-19 concerns led it to close its doors for a month, Hotel Trundle is sharing its happiness with the community — in the form of toilet paper. The downtown boutique hotel at the corner of Sumter and Taylor st... Read More

Steve Spinks has heard the questions from business owners much like himself. As S.C. businesses begin to reopen under new guidelines put in place to deal with COVID-19 health concerns, uncertainty remains. “The business owner... Read More

JoAnn Turnquist admitted to being a little worried. As annual Midlands Gives charitable challenge approached last week, Turnquist, president and CEO of host nonprofit Central Carolina Community Foundation, didn’t know how the gl... Read More

It’s business as usual these days at Phoenix Specialty Manufacturing in Bamberg — for the most part. There is a greater urgency in the making of small, precision components necessary to build complex machines for industrie... Read More

Beginning today, S.C. restaurants will be allowed to reopen for limited dine-in services. Establishments will have to follow several guidelines (.pdf), including only allowing 50% of posted occupancy and spacing tables six to eight fe... Read More

Shirley Bannister received the call at 6 a.m. Bannister, nursing department chair at Midlands Technical College, answered the phone to find a former student on the line and in a panic. “Her plight was, ‘I have no mask,&... Read More

A tongue-in-cheek coping mechanism that got some movie characters through a zombie apocalypse is not an option for craft beer fans dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In the horror/comedy Shaun of the Dead, the titular character, play... Read More

Editor's note: A previous version of this story has been updated to include FDA approval of an additional Nephron production line. West-Columbia headquartered-Nephron Pharmaceutical Corp.’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemi... Read More

Hunter Mottell, director of manufacturing operations at mattress manufacturer Sleep Number’s Irmo plant, was, like a lot of people, feeling a little helpless in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, a four-organization partne... Read More

Beer and baseball. Is there a more perfect combination? Midlands-area fans of both will get a chance to test that tasty theory when Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant opens at the BullStreet District next summer. In early March, th... Read More

The shuttering of nonessential businesses in response to the new coronavirus threat has had an obvious effect on restaurants, bars and other establishments that rely on enticing people through their doors. Perhaps less evident but equ... Read More

While construction companies soldier ahead in the COVID-19 crisis, a new industry study is sounding alarm bells about potentially rougher roads ahead. An Associated General Contractors of America study conducted from March 23-25 and r... Read More

In the year and a half his restaurant has been a part of the Blythewood business community, Trippy Phillips has done his part to contribute. McNulty’s Taproom has been serving up cold beer and hearty fare since November 2018 whi... Read More

Coping with COVID SC Biz News is speaking with small businesses and community leaders about the impact of the new coronavirus on business and industry, and how this is changing how they operate. Contact Melinda Waldrop, mwaldrop... Read More

Coping with COVID SC Biz News is speaking with small businesses and community leaders about the impact of the new coronavirus on business and industry, and how this is changing how they operate. Contact Melinda Waldrop, mwaldrop@scbi... Read More

Coping with COVID SC Biz News is speaking with small businesses and community leaders about the impact of the new coronavirus on business and industry, and how this is changing how they operate. Contact Melinda Waldrop, mwaldrop@scbi... Read More

If there’s a silver lining to present worries for Doug Aylard, it’s that some folks find wine to be an effective stress reliever. “Being sequestered for going on 14 days now … it’s a true test of a relat... Read More

In two short weeks, the new coronavirus has changed the way Americans and people around the world live, work and communicate.  We're self-quarantining and social distancing, staying in our homes as much as we can as all aroun... Read More

This past weekend, Hossein Haj-Hariri, dean of the University of South Carolina’s College of Engineering and Computing, got a phone call. On the line was Majorie Jenkins, M.D., chief academic officer for Prisma Health-Upstate an... Read More

FoodShare South Carolina’s mission has become even more critical. The Columbia-based nonprofit has been delivering healthy fruits and vegetables to Midlands residents since 2015. But COVID-19 concerns that have shuttered area re... Read More

Coping with COVID SC Biz News is speaking with small businesses and community leaders about the impact of the new coronavirus on business and industry, and how this is changing how they operate. Contact Melinda Waldrop, mwaldrop... Read More

Coping with COVID SC Biz News is speaking with small businesses and community leaders about the impact of the new coronavirus on business and industry, and how this is changing how they operate. Contact Melinda Waldrop, mwaldrop@scbi... Read More

Coping with COVID SC Biz News is speaking with small businesses and community leaders about the impact of the new coronavirus on business and industry, and how this is changing how they operate. Contact Melinda Waldrop, mwa... Read More

Coping with COVID SC Biz News is speaking with small businesses and community leaders about the impact of the new coronavirus on business and industry, and how this is changing how they operate. Contact Melinda Waldrop, mwa... Read More

Coping with COVID: SC Biz News is speaking with small businesses and community leaders about the impact of the new coronavirus on business and industry, and how this is changing how they operate. Contact Melinda Waldrop, mw... Read More

In response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, West Columbia-based Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp. has asked the Food and Drug Administration for permission to add up to six filling lines to ramp up its production of sterile respiratory me... Read More

Beer, cheesecake and a good cause. Midlands residents who enjoy quaffing a cold beverage, sampling a sweet treat and contributing to their community have an opportunity to combine all three activities later this month. On March 25 ... Read More

A new quarterly program will deliver an up-close look at Columbia's charms while helping the city recruit and retain professional talent, organizers hope. Crash Course Columbia, a joint initiative of nonprofit organization Co... Read More

Dominik Mjartan is a man on a mission, a banker with a belief. Mjartan become president and CEO of what would become Optus Bank, an organization with a historic but rocky past, in September 2017. The bank, founded in 1921 as Victory S... Read More

Ben Adams’ life revolves around books, just like he always imagined. But the details have changed a bit. Adams, 35, opened Odd Bird Books in the downtown Arcade Mall building at Main and Washington streets this week. The Columbi... Read More

While the gangbusters growth craft breweries experienced at the turn of the century has slowed, the overall health of hops remains strong, industry participants and observers say — and the Columbia suds scene bears out that belief.... Read More

While it may have been an unusual sight to see a bank doing business on a federal holiday, Optus Bank had a purpose for opening its doors on Monday. As crowds celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. a block away at the S.C. ... Read More

The thirst has been quenched in Irmo. Popular downtown tap room and bottle shop Craft and Draft is now open for business at its second location at 7583 St. Andrews Road in the Irmo Village Shopping Center. The shop held a soft opening... Read More

The head in the car came as a surprise. The process of renovating historic buildings can often produce unexpected finds. But an Upstate spinning mill that Columbia-based Lambert Architecture and Construction Services is transforming i... Read More

Cam Powell’s vision doesn’t yet have a home, but it does have quite a bit of buzz. Powell, an area entrepreneur and 2014 journalism graduate of the University of South Carolina, along with business partner and local videog... Read More

Arcade bar Transmission has a home and a food partner and is eyeing an opening date early next year. Transmission will be located at 1712 Main St. next to jazz and tapas bar The Joint. Owner Cam Powell has been working to get the spac... Read More

Seated on the green brocade couch in the eclectic lobby of the downtown hotel she co-owns with her husband, hair swept into a casual updo and an oversized sweater providing defense against the breath of autumn in the Columbia air, Rita P... Read More

Five Points business and neighborhood leaders are calling on the city of Columbia to implement a 10-point plan that they believe will revitalize the downtown enclave. The plan calls for streamlining the permitting process for new busi... Read More

Brenton Bullard has been in kitchens his whole life. Growing up, the Columbia native helped his grandmother make Sunday dinner. Now working at the vaunted Vista restaurant Motor Supply Co., Bullard wanted an official stamp to mark his... Read More

The NCAA men’s basketball regional held in Columbia in March brought a direct economic impact of $11.3 million to the capital city, a study by University of South Carolina sport and entertainment management professor Tom Regan foun... Read More