GSA Technology Council

The Greenville Area Development Corporation, the county-chartered organization tasked with promoting and enhancing the economic growth of Greenville County, announced the reappointment of Chris Riley and Bruce White to new three-year terms on the organization’s Board of Directors, along with the appointment of four Upstate leaders as officers of the Board for 2010-11.

“Both Mr. Riley and Mr. White are well immersed in the Greenville business community and have been active contributors to economic development activities here” said Jerry Howard, GADC President and CEO, in making the announcement. “Their reappointment by County Council brings important experience, stability and insight to the leadership team of this organization.”

Chris Riley

Mr. Riley is South Carolina market president for Regions Bank, which operates 36 offices in markets across the Upstate, Columbia, Beaufort, Hilton Head and Charleston. A veteran banker, he previously established two private investment funds in the Carolinas before joining Regions earlier this year. He is active with the Metropolitan Arts Council and the Student Improvement Council for Hughes Academy, attends Buncombe Street United Methodist Church and is a volunteer with Triune Mercy Center.

Bruce White

Mr. White is president of Bank of Travelers Rest, the oldest bank headquartered in Greenville County, which he joined following his graduation in 1971 from Clemson University. The veteran banker works with associates and customers at nine offices across the Upstate, while maintaining an active civic involvement schedule.

In addition to the reappointments, the GADC’s Howard also announced the election of Jo Watson Hackl as chairperson, Riley as vice chair, Scott Case as secretary, and Robert Howard as treasurer.

Jo Hackl

Ms. Hackl is an attorney with the Greenville-based law firm Wyche Burgess Freeman & Parham, P.A., a Trustee of both the Community Foundation of Greenville and The Children’s Museum, and President-Elect of the Greenville Professional Women’s Forum. Long active in civic causes and a member of the United Way Campaign Cabinet, she is a founder of the SPARKS mentoring program and a Liberty Fellow.

Scott Case

Mr. Case is the current Greenville County auditor, a former member of Greenville County Council, and an active supporter of other economic development organizations serving Greenville County, including the Upstate Alliance and Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce.

Bob Howard

Mr. Howard is executive director of the Greenville Tech Foundation and the former executive director of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. A retired commissioner of the Greenville Water System, he serves on the board of numerous civic organizations including the Community Foundation of Greenville, the Commerce Club and the Rose Ball, and is a past president of the South Carolina Nature Conservancy, Leadership South Carolina and the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation.

“All four of these individuals bring unique assets and have played key roles in helping to attract investments and quality jobs to Greenville County,” said Howard in making the announcement. “They will provide exceptional leadership for Greenville and for this organization.”

The new officers succeed outgoing chairman Mike Buiter and outgoing treasurer Ray Lattimore. Mr. Buiter as well as Mr. Lattimore will remain as board members. Ms. Hackl previously served as vice chair and Mr. Case as secretary. Howard expressed appreciation to the outgoing officers for their service on the Board and to the community. “Mr. Buiter and Mr. Lattimore have played a significant role in helping move forward Greenville’s economic development mission, and for that we are immensely grateful,” said Howard.

Since its inception in 2001, the Greenville Area Development Corporation has announced support of more than 150 major projects representing more than $2 billion in capital investment and creating in excess of 10,000 new jobs in Greenville County. Private sector support of the GADC has also reached an all-time high, with more than 125 investor companies now contributing to the community’s and GADC’s success.

via: GADC

EDTS, LLC, a full-service technology consulting firm, specializing in networking, security, and managed services support solutions for business, has announced the addition of Joe Blanchard as a Senior Network Engineer and Todd Backhuus as a Support Engineer to its rapidly growing team. In addition, Adam Copp was promoted to Network Engineer.

Mr. Blanchard is a native of Greenville, South Carolina and has over thirteen years of experience in the IT industry. A Microsoft Certified Professional, he was previously employed with Trendset of Greenville. Mr. Blanchard will serve EDTS clients across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina from EDTS’s Greenville, SC office.

“Attracting and retaining the most talented employees is crucial for providing the highest level of service to our clients,” said Charles Johnson, EDTS President and CEO. “Professionals like Joe, Todd, and Adam give us the edge to be the premier technology provider in our markets.”

EDTS was founded in 1999 with two employees and has continually expanded its services and capabilities, increasing its staff to 25 in 2010. The combined knowledge of the EDTS team represents more than 175 years of experience in the Information Technology industry.

via: EDTS

AssetPoint, the largest best of breed provider of Enterprise Maintenance Management software announced today that that it has promoted two employees and added two new employees to its growing staff.

Mrs. Jane Black was promoted to Director of Services where she will oversee all professional and technical services for AssetPoint clients. She has over 23 years experience in the Information Technology industry. Mrs. Black previously managed all technical services for AssetPoint clients. Jane graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Mr. Jeromy Risner was promoted to Technical Engineer for AssetPoint. Mr. Risner has over 18 years experience in maintenance including maintenance best practices consulting and preventive/predictive maintenance program development and administration. He is a Certified Maintenance Reliability Professional (CMRP).

Mr. Justin Hull has joined AssetPoint as a senior software development professional. He has over 27 years experience in designing and developing complex application software. Mr. Hull is a Microsoft Certified Professional (CMP) as well as a Microsoft Certified Trainer (CMT).

Mr. Erich Gotthardt has joined AssetPoint as an Account Executive. He has over 23 years experience in software sales and maintenance operations. Mr. Gotthardt is a former Engineering Officer with the Military SeaLift Command and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

“We are continuing to experience significant growth due to increased demand for our TabWare products coupled with our aggressive growth strategy and we are delighted to add these highly talented professionals to our staff.” said Mike Levine, President and CEO of AssetPoint.

via: Assetpoint

S. Hunter Howard, Jr., has been appointed to serve a full term on the board of directors of the Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC) by Greenville County Council Chairman H. G. (Butch) Kirven, Jr.

The GADC is the county-chartered organization tasked with promoting and enhancing the economic growth of Greenville County. Mr. Howard was appointed in 2008 to fill the remainder of Brigadier General Hank Taylor’s unexpired term when General Taylor resigned to accept a position with the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

“With his depth of statewide experience in business and economic growth, Hunter Howard, Jr. adds tremendous value to GADC” said H.G. (Butch) Kirven, Jr., chair of Greenville County Council, in making the announcement. “He will help us to unify the efforts of all of the economic development organizations in our area. We are fortunate to have Hunter and we welcome him to a full term on the Board.”

Mr. Howard offers a distinguished record of business and economic development accomplishments to the GADC board. From 1992-2008, he served as president and CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, a position he retired from in September, 2008. Prior to his work with the Chamber, Mr. Howard served as Chairman of the South Carolina Tax Commission (1986-1992), and as special assistant to the deputy commissioner of the IRS.

Mr. Howard also served his state from 1974-1982 as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and a certified public accountant. He currently serves as a corporate advisory partner with Scott McElveen Certified Public Accountants.

“As an established business leader and advocate of smart economic growth, Mr. Howard brings valued leadership and experience to the table to assist the GADC,” said Jerry Howard, GADC president and CEO. “We welcome his return to the board, and the tremendous value and strength he provides.”

Since its inception in 2001, the Greenville Area Development Corporation has announced support of more than 150 major projects representing over $2 billion in capital investment and creating in excess of 10,000 new jobs in Greenville County. Private sector support of the GADC has also reached an all-time high, with more than 125 investor companies now contributing to the community’s and GADC’s success.

For additional information on the Greenville Area Development Corporation, visit them on the web at www.GoGADC.com or call 864.235.2008.

via: GADC

Jeff Dezen Public Relations (JDPR) selected Leslie Mullinax and Amber Gaffney to join the company’s Executive Management Assistance Program (EMAP), a 14-week internship initiative designed to give college students on-the-job experience in a Public Relations agency setting.

Mullinax is a rising senior at the University of South Carolina pursuing a degree from the School of Mass Communications and Information Studies. Mullinax will be primarily responsible for providing support of media relations initiatives within the sports and lifestyle accounts at JDPR.

Gaffney, a rising senior at the University of South Carolina, is pursuing a degree from the School of Mass Communications and Information Studies. Gaffney will be responsible for supporting the team servicing the Verizon Wireless account.

Clemson University President James F. Barker announced Wednesday that Gerald Sonnenfeld will be the university’s new vice president for research.

“We had an exceptional field of candidates,” Barker said. “We are confident that Dr. Sonnenfeld offers the right combination of skills and experience to take Clemson’s research program to the next level. Our goal is to expand upon the success of increasing research funding and extend the scope of research across the university. We are very excited at the prospect of having him join the Clemson family.”

Sonnenfeld will assume his responsibilities in the fall.

“The opportunity to help lead the research activity at one of the nation’s great universities is exciting and challenging,” he said. “I was very impressed with the high quality of the faculty, students and staff. The desire at Clemson to really foster work that is interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary and to move forward in new areas is very positive. This collaborative approach will help Clemson to find additional funding sources from government and industry.”

Sonnenfeld comes to Clemson from Binghamton University, State University of New York, where he has been vice president of research and professor of biological sciences since 2004.

He received his bachelor of science in biology in 1970 from the City College of New York and his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology in 1975 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed postdoctoral training in infectious diseases and immunology at the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1978. He then became an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and rose through the ranks to professor.

In 1993, Sonnenfeld became director of research immunology in the department of general surgery research of Carolinas Medical Center. From 1999 until 2004, he was professor and chairman of the department of microbiology, biochemistry and immunology and associate dean for basic sciences and graduate studies at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

The author of more than 140 peer-reviewed scientific articles, Sonnenfeld has written numerous review articles and edited two books. He holds two U.S. patents. He is associate editor of the Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research and a member of the editorial board of the Immunological Journal and the Journal of Gravitational Physiology. His research has centered on the effects of stress on the immune system and resistance to cancer and infection. He also has directed multiple pre-clinical studies and has been involved in clinical study development for multiple immunoregulatory agents. He has carried out experiments on the U.S. Space Shuttle and on Russian space program satellites.

“The university owes a great debt of gratitude to the search committee and Provost Doris Helms for leading this extensive and thorough search,” Barker said. “I offer them my personal thanks for their thoughtful and deliberative process.”

via: Clemson University

Immedion, LLC, South Carolina’s first dedicated data center and managed services provider has named Jim Stritzinger to manage their new Columbia location. Jim will play a vital role in developing Immedion’s presence in the Midlands region of SC. He has a proven track record as a business leader in SC and was selected to the inaugural Liberty Fellowship class in 2004.

Before joining Immedion, Jim was the Director of the Carolinas for Tribridge, Inc. where he was responsible for expanding business into North and South Carolina and managed Tribridge’s national Microsoft Dynamics SL practice. Prior to joining Tribridge, Stritzinger served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of SC Public Interest Research for the South Carolina Research Authority. He was heavily involved in the creation of SC Launch!, South Carolina’s seed capital investment program and served as its’ first President. In addition, he previously worked for IBM, Schlumberger, and General Electric before becoming founder and president of ClearView Software. ClearView was eventually acquired by Solomon Software and then later became part of Great Plains Software and then ultimately Microsoft Business Solutions.

“Immedion is a well-respected, fast-growing, knowledge economy company that provides key data center infrastructure for small to enterprise-class businesses” said Stritzinger. “I’m excited to join the Immedion team and look forward to using all of my resources to make the Columbia data center a huge success. It’s a special opportunity to live and work in Columbia – especially when I get to be one of the first InnoVista partners!”

Jim has served on numerous Boards including the SC Venture Capital Investment Authority, Hilton Head-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, SC Biotechnical Incubator, Technical College of the Lowcountry Foundation and the SC Chamber of Commerce. He is currently active on the Philanthropy Committee of the American Red Cross and serves as an Advisory Board member for several Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) at USC’s Arnold School of Public Health. In addition, Stritzinger is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and has served as a coach, mentor and judge for the Palmetto FIRST Robotics
Competition.

“Jim is a valuable asset to our team as we expand into Columbia and the Midlands region” said Frank Mobley, CEO of Immedion. “His experience and his knowledge of the Columbia area will be important for Immedion as we prepare to open our new data center and hire more people to join our team.”

via: http://www.immedion.com/

AssetPoint (www.assetpoint.com), the largest best of breed provider of Enterprise Maintenance Management software and industry best practices consulting, announced today that it has appointed Mike Levine as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Mike has more than 25 years’ experience in senior executive roles with leading enterprise software and technology companies. His experience includes: CEO of RedHawk Communications, Vice President of Field Operations for SAP America, General Manager of BRIO Software, Division President of ADP and President of The META Group.
“I am excited to be a part of such a progressive growth company with a proven product in TabWare and a dedicated staff who are very focused on the success of our customers. TabWare is the leading best of breed EAM/CMMS solution on the market today. Its ease of use, comprehensive functionality and rapid deployment provide quick payback and substantial cost containment for our clients within the manufacturing maintenance marketplace,” said Levine “TabWare is one of the fastest growing EAM/CMMS products in North America and is offered on a Software as a Service (SaaS) basis or as a locally installed option.”
Mr. Levine is succeeding former CEO Eric Miles. “Our product vision and roadmap is now completed and I am happy to turn over the reins to Mike Levine to take AssetPoint to the next level,” said Miles, who will continue to support AssetPoint in an advisory capacity.
Mr. Levine attended the executive program at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, studying accounting and financial analysis, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Miami.

via: Asset Point

Acumen I.T., a Greenville-based technology company, has strengthened its technology management with the addition of three new employees. Clifton Dunaway has joined Acumen as Business Applications Manager, and Kelly Laughton and Stacy Anthony have joined the company as Storage Solutions Consultants.

Dunaway is charged with assisting Acumen’s customers in implementing the most efficient business and industrial applications in order to improve their overall productivity. Clifton brings more than 25 years of experience in the manufacturing and IT industries. Previously, he worked with Synesis International as a Senior Systems Consultant, where he served as the Database and SharePoint administrator and also served as the sole Database Administrator (DBA) for Extended Stay Hotels. He is currently being certified in Activplant, which has helped many industrial plants improve their productivity.

Laughton previously served as an IT sales executive and CIO where she helped to transform organizations using technology as a business driver. She worked as Information Technology Director for Henderson County Government for eight years. Prior to that, she consulted on legal and library automation software and served as a representative for Inmagic Inc. and Summation software, providing sales and services to businesses and law firms throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

Anthony began her career more than 13 years ago with UUNET and has since been a successful business developer driving high-profile sales. Most recently, her position with TW Telecom in the Greenville Market allowed her to cultivate a new market and increase the TW Market Share by 500%.

Laughton and Anthony will work closely with Acumen’s customers to assist them in creating a road map for their business by either revamping their current storage architecture or helping them to implement one from the start.

“The experience and wealth of knowledge our new team members bring to Acumen positions us well for the future as we help our customers grow and enhance their business applications and storage solutions,” says David Pence, president of Acumen. “We’re proud to have them join our team.”

via: Acumen I.T.

SCI Electronics, Inc., a multimedia communications solutions firm headquartered in Greenville, today announced it has selected Richard S. Hardaway as its Director of Sales and Marketing.

Hardaway comes to SCI Electronics with over twenty years’ experience in effectively building sales and marketing teams, improving top line revenue and creating extraordinary customer relationships.

“We are very fortunate and pleased to have someone of the experience level of Richard Hardaway and his well known abilities to maximize sales while being customer focused. It has taken SCI Electronics quite some time to find the right individual, and we know we have found that in Richard” said SCI Electronics President Scott Daniel.

SCI Electronics, Inc. is a Greenville-based multimedia communications solutions firm focusing on customized Audio/Visual Systems, CCTV & Access Control Systems and structured cabling solutions. Founded thirty years ago, SCI Electronics assists specific industry groups that require precise installation practices for superior communications capabilities, customer presentations and electronic security. Current client groups include healthcare, manufacturing, education, financial services and government.

SCI Electronics, Inc. is headquartered at 56B Pelham Davis Circle, Greenville, SC 29615. Telephone number 864-234-7313.

via: SCI Electronics