MELINDA WALDROP PROFILE

The total solar eclipse of Aug. 21 got more than a million and a half people moving to or within South Carolina, generating an estimated economic impact of $269 million, a study commissioned by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Rec... Read More

Long-time Columbia real estate agent Beronica Whisnant knows her way around the city. She’s enjoying showing off a part of it not many have seen yet as part of her role as the on-site head of sales and marketing for the Commons at ... Read More

While two high-profile downtown development projects have lost a bit of momentum, industry insiders remain confident that Columbia’s overall growth picture is a vibrant one. Last week, both The Edge high-rise apartment build... Read More

Business is booming in the senior living industry, and that trend is likely to gather speed as an aging baby boomer population enters the picture.  On June 8, a ribbon-cutting ceremony heralded the latest area entry into the Midlan... Read More

From Dec. 5-18 print issue of Columbia Regional Business Report Three years after it began collecting taxes, and a year after running afoul of the S.C. Department of Revenue, Richland County’s Transportation Penny Program soldie... Read More

Growing up near the Greenview area of North Columbia, Tamala Lathan has childhood memories of vibrant business communities. She’s now one of the reasons the metropolitan footprint around her old neighborhood is looking decidedly... Read More

In her 12 years as executive director of the Columbia Museum of Art, Karen Brosius hopes she’s helped change the public’s perception of an art museum. “My ultimate thing I think about a lot is I want art to be part o... Read More

Whenever Mickey Layden looks at a chair in her kitchen, she will think of Cathy Novinger. Every time JoAnn Turnquist makes an introduction, she will remember Judy Davis. The Midlands lost two influential business leaders and humani... Read More

Mayor Steve Benjamin and City Councilman Sam Davis turned out for a ribbon-cutting ceremony showcasing the renovated Gable Oaks Apartments in the Eau Claire community on Tuesday morning, but they weren’t the only civic dignitaries ... Read More

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley has accepted President-elect Donald Trump’s offer to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “Last week, President-elect Trump asked if I would meet with him to discuss those challenges, whi... Read More

Along with a celebration of food and family, Thanksgiving weekend has become an economic barometer driven by Black Friday, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year. “It’s supposed to be a really good weekend, and... Read More

Cinema and art collide with fascinating results in the Columbia Museum of Art’s new exhibit, “CUT: Costume and the Cinema,” which opens Friday. Karen Brosius, CMA executive director, said this is the first costumer/f... Read More

Six years ago, Rita Patel and Marcus Munse began a partnership in the hotel business that reached new heights on Monday. Patel and Munse, Columbia residents who’ve been married seven years, were announced as the investment partn... Read More

Columbia College, already considered a national value, will reduce its annual tuition by $9,400 to $19,500 for full-time undergraduate students beginning in the 2017-18 academic year, the private college announced. “Too many stu... Read More

As the U.S. financial market calmed after a tumultuous night sparked by Donald Trump’s victory in Tuesday’s presidential election, experts said more time and information would provide a clearer picture of the effect of a poli... Read More

An adaptive pre-use plan for the former Army Navy store at 1621 Main St. unanimously passed as part of the City of Columbia’s Design/Development Review Commission's consent agenda on Thurday. Developer Agape Senior, Lam... Read More

It can seem like an everyday occurrence. Another sign goes up, another set of plans is drawn up. But though a decided recent trend of developers taking advantage of historic tax credits to renovate downtown buildings shows no signs of... Read More

When Columbia architecture firm Studio 2LR needed a new home, its search took it from the Vista location it had been renting to an up-and-coming neighborhood with distinctive charm that fit its budget. 2LR’s relocation to the No... Read More

As fallout from the proposed merger of AT&T and Time Warner ripples through the communications industry, at least one local media expert says that regardless of the outcome of the deal, area cable customers will see few changes in th... Read More

The Columbia Regional Visitors Center may soon be getting room to grow. The Columbia Design/Development Review Commission approved a request at its Thursday meeting by the vistors center for new construction on a 40-foot long bri... Read More

Opening festivities for the Bakery at BullStreet, postponed by Hurricane Matthew this past weekend, have been rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 21. A noon ribbon cutting will celebrate the renovation of the historic building, built in the ... Read More

It looks as though the Vista will be getting another microbrewery. The City of Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals granted an exception to establish a drinking place to the proposed Columbia Craft Brewing Company, to be located at the co... Read More

Columbia greeted news that Greenville has been selected to play host to the relocated 2017 NCAA men’s basketball regional tournament with satisfaction and optimism. The NCAA awarded first- and second-round games to Bon Secours W... Read More

The next time you settle in for a refreshing cold one at your local brewery, you may have John Seppamaki to thank. Seppamaki, president of Aqua Products Company, Inc., in Newberry, has been chilling for 23 years. His company make... Read More

With kickoff for the South Carolina/Georgia game resolved after days of speculation, area hotels stayed busy dealing with football fans and hurricane evacuees. The Southeastern Conference and the University of South Carolina announced... Read More

With the University of South Carolina’s football faceoff against Georgia in limbo, downtown Columbia businesses played the waiting game today. Luke Fusetti, assistant general manager at Hyatt Place in the Vista, said the hotel h... Read More

Downtown Columbia’s housing boom still has room to grow, but that growth will need to be backed up by retail underpinnings to ensure long-term success, a leading real estate expert said Tuesday. KC Conway, senior vice president ... Read More

Despite findings of communication breakdowns and “an unacceptable potential” of exposing workers to radiation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission expressed confidence in the Westinghouse nuclear fuel plant’s response to ... Read More

A September stroll down Main Street is a strikingly different experience these days. Backpacks with University of South Carolina logos hitch rides with students hurrying through crosswalks. Bodies crowd sidewalk tables at restaurants ... Read More

Decades ago, Jack Van Loan had never heard of Five Points. Now, he’ll be a permanent part of the historic residential and commercial district in downtown Columbia.   The Five Points Association broke ground today on Centenn... Read More

Before Chappelle Auditorium opened its doors to show off its $3 million in painstaking renovations, it gave Jerome Simons a private concert. Simons is a project architect at Columbia architecture, engineering, design and construct... Read More

Saying that requesting site plan and design approval before securing a zoning ordinance approving parking measures was “putting the cart before the horse,” the Columbia Design/Development Review Commission on Thursday denied ... Read More

A panel of education and business leaders discussed how to best match qualified candidates with jobs during today’s 2016 Power Breakfast Series forum, hosted by the Columbia Regional Business Report at the Columbia Marriott. ... Read More

A proposed 12-unit, four-story apartment building at 933 Main St. will be considered for new construction approval at Thursday’s city of Columbia Design/Development Review Commission meeting. The brick apartment building, ar... Read More

A founder of the Stop the Blank Check coalition supports a settlement filed with the S.C. Public Service Commission in regard to S.C. Electric & Gas Co.’s request for an additional $852 million for the construction of two nucle... Read More

Amazon donated more than $10,000 in school supplies to Claude A. Taylor Elementary in Cayce on Wednesday. During the summer, Taylor Elementary principal Mary Lance Garrison put together a school supply wish list based on feedback from... Read More

Tim Storey loved being a Marine, but he knew a lifelong military career was not for him. So, after seven years of service, Storey began searching for his next passion. That search led him to Amazon. After joining the online ret... Read More

Approximately 8,000 South Carolinians will have to shop for new health insurance plans after Aetna announced it will exit the Affordable Care Act marketplace. The move leaves S.C. customers who rely on the federal law for coverage wit... Read More

Columbia’s Westinghouse nuclear fuel fabrication plant has received a list of corrective actions from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after an annual inspection found an excessive amount of uranium-bearing material in an air scru... Read More

Two historic downtown renovation projects and a planned high-rise apartment building got green lights from the Columbia Design/Development Review Commission on Thursday. At its July 14 meeting, the commission delayed a vote on a certi... Read More

Parking spaces were at a premium and a steady stream of shoppers filed in and out of Costco’s first Columbia location during the retail club’s grand opening today. The 153,000-square-foot warehouse, located at the intersec... Read More

Local architect Scott Garvin has designs on the former Hennessy’s restaurant building at 1649 Main St. Garvin, president of Columbia’s Garvin Design Group, has submitted plans detailing proposed renovations for approval, a... Read More

State business leaders banded together Wednesday to emphasize the need for more seasonal and temporary workers in South Carolina, citing a just-released report to appeal for larger visa quotas and a more streamlined application process t... Read More

Graduate students looking to further careers in computer science may soon have another, cutting-edge option at the University of South Carolina. A proposed new Master of Science in information security has been approved by the school&... Read More

Breanna Moore first traveled to Ghana in 2012 for a summer internship. Several things from that trip made a lasting impression, including the bright textiles in the clothes worn by locals and the country’s need for economic develop... Read More

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has denied renewal of a permit that would have allowed Carolina Water Service’s Interstate 20 wastewater treatment plant in Lexington County to keep discharging into the Salud... Read More

Senior living facilities both currently under construction and on the drawing board in the Midlands reflect key national trends as the assisted living market races to serve a rapidly aging Baby Boomer demographic. The Blake at Woodcre... Read More

Lexington County is searching for a new director of economic development. Chuck Whipple, who held that position since 2006, is now the director of Midlands Technical College’s Enterprise Campus, a state-of-the-art industrial par... Read More

Spirit Communications Park, the $37 million home of the Columbia Fireflies, has been named the 2016 Ballpark of the Year by Ballpark Digest. The award from the national magazine continues a remarkable inaugural season that has already... Read More

Graduate students looking to further careers in computer science may soon have another, cutting-edge option at the University of South Carolina. A proposed new Master of Science in information security has been approved by the school&... Read More

Graduate students looking to further careers in computer science may soon have another, cutting-edge option at the University of South Carolina. A proposed new Master of Science in information security has been approved by the school&... Read More

The Casual Pint craft beer market will celebrate its new franchise location in Columbia’s Vista with a grand opening on Friday. The 807 Gervais St. location is the company’s first in South Carolina and the first of six pla... Read More

South Carolina continues to make strides in becoming a friendlier state for renewable energy, though some supporters were disappointed when a bill that would have accelerated solar expansion efforts bogged down in the Legislature. The... Read More

Albany Road Real Estate Partners has purchased 1333 Main St., a property located in Columbia’s Central Business District consisting of a 203,307-square-foot multi-tenant office building, an adjoining surface parking lot and a parki... Read More