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Wile E. Coyote, Hero

Written on September 1, 2010 at 11:32 pm

I sit here today and write after two stunning business losses in two weeks.  I shouldn’t be surprised because I hate tire kickers. But more importantly, I hate the time I waste on them even after I promise myself I’ll never do it again.

And then, as if by magic or extra sensory perception, a note arrives in my email from Roy Williams about the lessons we learn—not from the Road Runner, but from good old Wile E. Coyote.

“When we were young and fast and invincible, the Road Runner was our hero. Impervious to danger, the Road Runner ran without tiring, scooted without fear and beep-beeped coolly like a blue James Bond.But as I look down now from this creaking tower of years, I see it was the Coyote who deserved my admiration. That TV show was never about the Road Runner.  It was always about the Coyote. The Coyote was determined.”

And here’s how it went:

In September, 1949, the Coyote - Carnivorous vulgaris - built a catapult. But instead of launching him toward the Road Runner, it launched him straight up into a stone outcropping.

The Coyote crawled out of the hole and went back to work.

In December, 1955, the Coyote - Eatibus almost anythingus - waited anxiously for the Road Runner to come around a corner, then lit the fuse of a cannon. But instead of firing the cannonball, the entire cannon - with the Coyote behind it - fired backwards into a mountain wall.

Again the Coyote crawled out of the hole and went back to work.

In May, 1980, the Coyote - Nemesis ridiculii– climbed aboard a rocket, aimed it toward the Road Runner on the opposite side of the canyon and lit the fuse. The fuel and nosecone of the rocket launched out of the rocket hull, leaving the Coyote sitting aboard that empty cylinder. He fell, annoyed, to the canyon floor.

The Coyote climbed out of the canyon and went back to work. See the trend here?

The Coyote – Inevitablius Succeedus - never gives up.

The Coyote is Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea. After 84 consecutive days of not catching a fish, the old man rises before dawn and pulls steadily on the oars until he is far beyond the sight of land.

The Coyote is Quixote, foolishly committed to a questionable quest, paying his pint of blood daily without complaint, never wavering in his enthusiasm, never doubting he will ultimately succeed.

The Coyote was determined.”Determined” is a word much misunderstood.Determination is an unblinking willingness to pay the price as often as it must be paid. Determination is never losing sight of your objective, no matter what comes along to distract you. Determination is endurance.  Determination is Discipline.

As I say on my website:“The spoils don’t always go to the smart but to the disciplined and courageous as well.”How about you? If failure appears without warning and throws you onto the rocks below, will you happily crawl out of that smoking crater and go back to work?

Robbie Butt is the owner of Marketing Performance Group in Columbia, SC.  

21st Century Education - New Brunswick, CDN Style

Written on August 19, 2010 at 10:00 pm

Net Neutrality: What’s all the fuss about?

Written on August 18, 2010 at 10:49 am

Andreas Pouros, COO, Greenlight
18 August 2010
 

Search Engine Google and Verizon, a leading internet service provider and formerly one of the AT&T Bell companies, are close to finalising a deal which would facilitate Verizon’s being able to speed online content to internet users more quickly, if the content’s creators are willing to pay for it. The idea that some sites, through paying a fee (or other) to Verizon, can gain priority and run faster than others has backers. It also has its share of critics and protestors, all of who perceive such an arrangement as going against the ethic of Net Neutrality. Andreas Pouros, Chief Operating Officer at Greenlight, a UK-based independent search and social marketing agency, examines the extent to which it can be claimed that what currently exists is truly in keeping with the ethos of neutrality. According to Pouros, Google has two challenges, one of which is legislative, the other reputational and the search industry is watching….
 
Net neutrality, or Internet/network neutrality is the principle that people simply shouldn’t mess with the magic of the internet and should take a hands-off approach with its administration; more specifically that governments and internet service providers (ISPs) should not place any restrictions on the internet’s content or means of accessing that content – two users should essentially have access to the same content in the same way.
 
According to Google, “network neutrality is the principle that internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the internet. The internet has operated according to this neutrality principle since its earliest days… Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet. The broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online.” (Guide to Net Neutrality for Google Users)
 
However, Google and Verizon have put forward a proposal to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to essentially retain this net neutrality on the public internet but to allow broadband operators and network operators to offer new services that might be discriminate in terms of their price and speed. They are proposing that broadband providers can allocate bandwidth for such discriminatory projects, working with other application or service providers as they see fit. They mention a few specific examples to help illustrate their thinking, examples like health care monitoring, advanced educational services, or new entertainment and gaming options. Essentially, they are proposing they be permitted to create a two-tier system whereby network capacity could be sold to companies willing to pay for that service to in turn provide a higher quality service to their opt-in users.
 
Whilst Verizon has said it has no intention of selling bandwidth from the ‘public’ network, it wants to make certain it could provide dedicated bandwidth-based services to third parties if it wanted to. Verizon CEO, Ivan Seidenberg said:
 
“Verizon is standing tall. We said we agree that there should be no paid prioritization of traffic over the public Internet. Google (and others) will continue to innovate, and we have to feed that cookie monster. All we have asked is that we are allowed to offer services like Fios.”
 
Fios is a bundled home communications service Verizon offers that makes use of an end-to-end fibre optics network, offering internet, telephone and television. Verizon cannot offer it over the Internet, given neutrality requirements, so it is offered as a network separate from the internet.
 
The proponents of net neutrality clearly don’t like this one little bit, as creating a two-tier system, even if it means legislating neutrality in one of the tiers, results in the fragmentation that they fear and still discriminates in their eyes.
 
Given that Google’s unofficial motto is ‘Do no evil’, the backlash in some quarters has been brutal. On the ominous Friday the 13August, internet users from across the Bay Area converged outside Google’s offices in protest. The rally was organized by ColorofChange.org, Credo Action, MoveOn.org, Free Press and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
 
SavetheInternet.com summarised the sentiment as follows:
 
“Google previously had been a champion of policies such as Net Neutrality — the fundamental principle that keeps the Internet open and free from discrimination. Its decision to team up with Verizon, long an opponent of such policies, has drawn the ire of public interest advocates.”
 
So who are pro / against net neutrality legislation?
 
Many Internet giants are proponents of net neutrality, and also supporters of the US government’s involvement in regulating it to ensure the internet stays ‘open’. The likes of Amazon, Craigslist, Google (kind of), Facebook, Sony, IAC, and Twitter fall into this camp. President Obama himself does too:
 
“I am a strong supporter of net neutrality… What you’ve been seeing is some lobbying that says that the servers and the various portals through which you’re getting information over the internet should be able to be gatekeepers and to charge different rates to different Web sites… And that I think destroys one of the best things about the Internet—which is that there is this incredible equality there… Facebook, MySpace, Google might not have been started if you had not had a level playing field for whoever’s got the best idea and I want to maintain that basic principal in how the internet functions. As president I am going to make sure that that is the principle that my FCC commissioners are applying as we move forward.”
 
In the against net neutrality camp are a number of large hardware and telecommunications firms, who would invariably benefit from being allowed to redefine the way the Internet works as they control the means of accessing it. In addition, opponents also include heavyweights such as Bob Kahn (inventor of TCP – “net neutrality is a slogan that would freeze innovation in the core of the Internet”*) and David Farber (Professor - “The Internet needs a makeover”**). Robert Pepper, senior managing director of global advanced technology policy believes all the pro-net neutrality hype, is just that, hype.
 
What does the Law say
 
The law that affects net neutrality differs globally. In the US there is considerable debate around the topic, with the FCC being involved in trying to legislate around this area, and sometimes not by choice. For instance, a court case against Comcast was the first to seriously touch on this aspect, with Comcast was accused of unlawfully throttling BitTorrent traffic in a class action suit. Comcast settled for $16m, with the FCC stating Comcast needed to comply with transparent network management practises.
 
In Europe, there has been a fairly complex process underway to decide whether to legislate in this area and to what degree. In 2006 there were mixed conclusions from a number debates. One, sponsored by AT&T, concluded net neutrality legislation would be unattractive. Other debates at the Royal Society and Institute of Public Policy Research, in the same year, reached conclusions that were in favor of it.
 
In 2009, as part of the Telecoms Package (to be implemented in May 2011 by all EU member states), service providers were to be held to a higher standard of transparency, making it compulsory for service providers to inform customers whether the service they are subscribing to includes any traffic management techniques and what the impact of those would be on service quality or any other restrictions. AT&T put forward 5 revisions to this, of which it successfully achieved 2 of them. The two revisions essentially leave the door open for discrimination against websites and users.
 
Are we truly net neutral today and if so, how long can it be sustained?
 
There are a number of central arguments used in opposition to any kind of net neutrality legislation. Firstly, that the ability to charge users/sites different rates for differing levels of access will provide the revenues to ISPs and other network operators necessary for them to recoup their investments in broadband networks. Verizon has said there is no current incentive for it to develop and deploy advanced, super-fast fibre optic networks if it can’t charge more for access to such networks. Verizon and a number of ISPs have often referred to firms like Google and Skype as ‘freeloaders’ for making money using networks that they have provided at a cost of billions.
 
Secondly, many suggest what we have right now isn’t in fact net neutrality at all. The biggest firms can invest in higher bandwidth deals and server replication to provide faster access for its users in comparison to smaller sites that wouldn’t be able to afford such infrastructure, for net neutrality isn’t even something that exists to uphold.
 
Thirdly, the increase in rich media means infrastructure providers have far more pressures on their resources than was once the case. Bret Swanson of the Wall Street Journal suggests Youtube streams as much data in 3 months than the world’s radio, cable and broadband television channels stream in one year, i.e. 75 petabytes. By extension he believes telecommunications firms are simply not ready for the era of ‘exabyte’ delivery and something needs to give.
 
What next?
 
The ball is in the FCC’s court. Given the FFC is facing powerful and influential pressure on both sides, it won’t be able to please everyone. The next few weeks will be very interesting as we see the debate unfold in the commercial, political, and invariably in the press world. Of further interest to us search people is what impact it may have on Google generally. Wired called Google a “net neutrality surrender monkey” this month, which means it has two challenges, one of which is legislative and the other reputational.
 
 
Andreas Pouros is Chief Operating Officer at Greenlight.He has been involved in search marketing for eleven years, working for some of the biggest and most prestigious blue chip companies in the world. Andreas is responsible for an international team of Search consultants, developers, programmers, and copywriters. In his role, he provides guidance to a multitude of well-known brands, including Santander, Monarch, Vodafone UK, Thomas Cook, New Look as well as a number of government bodies. Andreas is an established search marketing commentator whose opinions have been published in NMA, Marketing, B2B Marketing, Media Week, Investor’s Business Daily, Media Post, Wall Street Journal and Journalism.co.uk. He is also an experienced conference speaker and delivers search marketing training courses with the IDM and NMA, as well as carrying out in-house consultancy.

Dr. George Benson on tuition increases at the College of Charleston

Written on August 15, 2010 at 11:48 am

BY DR. P. GEORGE BENSON

In recent days, there have been several media reports on the increase in tuition at South Carolina public universities, including the College of Charleston. We welcome public scrutiny and careful examination of our tuition policies. However, because some recent articles about the College have been incomplete, I am writing to set the record straight.

First, it has been said the College of Charleston has increased tuition for the next academic year without considering the financial needs of our students. Recognizing that higher tuition poses real challenges for many South Carolina families, our Board of Trustees and senior leadership struggled with the decision to raise tuition. Our commitment of an additional $3 million to need-based and merit-based financial aid for the coming academic year and for future years is meant to partially address the affordability issue. This is a 25 percent increase in the funds the College devotes to financial aid.

A significant amount of press coverage has focused on the percentage of the College of Charleston’s tuition increase rather than the actual dollar increase or the cost of tuition as a whole. The average cost of tuition for the state’s 13 four-year public institutions is $9,958. The College of Charleston’s tuition for in-state students is $10,314. If we exclude the unique undergraduate programs at MUSC, the most costly institution in the state is Winthrop University, with a tuition of $12,176, 18 percent higher than the College’s. The second most costly is Clemson University, with a tuition of $11,908, 15 percent higher than the College’s.

South Carolinians also should consider that some public universities in the state receive a larger percentage of their budgets from the state than others, ranging from a low of 6.27 percent to a high of 21.25 percent. The College falls near the bottom of this range with only 8.5 percent of its budget coming from the state. This disparity helps explain why some universities are better able to hold down tuition increases.

For decades, we have worked to offer a superior education and to make a College of Charleston education affordable relative to our peers. This is confirmed by the latest edition of The Princeton Review, which praised our “relatively low tuition” and the “great value” of the education we offer.

Second, some have said that tuition increases at the College of Charleston have gone beyond the College’s actual losses in state support over the past decade. That’s true, and it’s true for other public universities in South Carolina. But this comparison oversimplifies the complicated financial realities facing universities today. Fixed costs at the College of Charleston have grown at a much faster rate than inflation over the past decade. For example, over the past 10 years, our institutional contribution to our employees’ health insurance has grown by over 72 percent.

Keeping pace with 21st century technology also contributes significantly to our costs. Today’s college students have grown up in wired classrooms, and their future success in our competitive knowledge economy demands that they experience a fast-paced, digital learning environment.

Simply put, as state support of higher education continues to decline and the College’s costs continue to rise, tuition must go up. The alternative is a downward spiral to mediocrity.

Third, it has been written that the College of Charleston has added staff, new buildings, and debt over the past 10 years. The erroneous suggestion is that the College has been purchasing luxuries at the expense of South Carolina students and taxpayers.

A decade ago, the College of Charleston had just completed several years of enrollment growth that increased our student body to about 10,000. (Today, we still have about 10,000 students.) After the enrollment growth of the 1990s, we had to face the fact that our facilities and infrastructure were designed for a much smaller student body. An outside consulting firm documented these very serious deficiencies in a 2003 report. The needed improvements were in the planning stages for years. Fortunately, our facilities and infrastructure are beginning to catch up with the needs of our students.

But, like most public universities in this state, the College has considerable deferred maintenance. Our maintenance is complicated by the historical significance of most of our buildings. We are entrusted with the care of these national treasures, and that duty comes with significant costs.

The College’s unique urban setting in Charleston’s Historic District carries a myriad of building and zoning restrictions that other universities do not contend with. Most South Carolinians don’t realize that the College of Charleston is the largest historic preservationist in Charleston, and we bear this burden for the good of the entire state. Our presence in the Historic District complicates everything we do, by adding to our costs and constraining our ability to grow.

Regarding the size of the College’s staff, the reported comparison between 2000 and 2010 is misleading. Following our enrollment expansion a decade ago, we found ourselves without enough staff in place to adequately serve our students. Our studies of peer institutions in South Carolina and elsewhere still find that the College has a relatively small staff and relatively low salaries.

We appreciate and welcome public scrutiny of our decisions. Discussions about our state’s educational priorities and challenges are beneficial. We ask only that South Carolinians judge us on the totality of the evidence, not on the basis of a few isolated data points. The College of Charleston is eager to be a part of this conversation.

Dr. P. George Benson is president of the College of Charleston.

Penny Proposal Best Option To Move Richland County Forward

Written on August 11, 2010 at 9:14 pm

By Ryan Nevius, Project Director of Sustainable Midlands

Our roads, intersections and bridges in Richland County are long overdue for repair.  We continue to let our public transportation system disintegrate.  We have failed to complete our river walk greenway. We have failed to implement Smart Growth tactics and failed to implement development impact fees.  Our growing transportation problems have become an everyday reminder that we are falling behind. While other regions work to make their communities more livable and their economies more diverse and vibrant, we have failed to act.  

Our residents deserve to protect their property values, their health and their opportunities for good jobs. Traffic backups add to the air pollution that plagues us with increased incidence of asthma and lung disease.  Children have few options to walk safely to school and grow overweight from lack of exercise. We are falling behind. 
Sitting in traffic at congested intersections remind us that we are falling behind.  The demise of our public transportation system reminds us that we are falling behind.  Watching a bicyclist struggle to ride on Shop Road reminds us that we are falling behind.

Falling behind is no longer an option.  We must act.   Richland County must move forward. 

On Nov. 2, voters will have a choice:  Do nothing and let the transportation problem grow, or pass a forward thinking, proactive plan to deal with it. The plan to implement a one-cent local option sales tax to improve our transportation infrastructure is an option that will avoid funding through property and vehicle taxes.  Studies show that sales taxes raise 30% of the revenue from out of county residents!  That money will alleviate traffic congestion, pave roads, fund public transportation, and creates sidewalks, bikeways and greenways.

Progress in these areas will lead to millions of dollars in economic development for Richland County.  It will help recruit new businesses, promote job growth, create educational opportunities and improve our quality of life.  Similar plans have been successfully implemented in Charleston, Horry and York counties. But without this referendum, we face an instant crisis.

We have over 250 miles of dirt roads and it would take over 150 years to improve these roads at current funding levels. We have only eight miles of dedicated bike lanes and will soon have no public transit system.

So voting against this referendum is not an option.  This is the best opportunity we will have to tackle our transportation problem.  If we don’t act now, we may not get another chance.

Let’s keep alive our vision of a Sustainable Richland County. Let’s bring together residents, business, government, non-profits and work together to support this referendum on Nov. 2 and work to plan a better future.

Secrets of Great Leaders: Part I

Written on August 3, 2010 at 1:00 am

By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
Effective leadership is a quality desperately needed in many arenas—for-profit businesses and private non-profits, government organizations and faith community, volunteer organizations…the list goes on. But as Peter Drucker wrote, “While leadership concepts are the same today as centuries ago, modern business leaders are faced with more complex challenges.” Great leaders create a culture where people turn difficulties and obstacles into success. Effective leadership is an endless, evolving journey, and what works today may not work tomorrow.

Like Rome, great leaders and outstanding businesses or non-profits cannot be built in a day. Ask 100 entrepreneurs and leaders what makes them and their organizations successful, and you will get 100 different answers. When it comes to success and effective leadership, no one shoe fits all. Many elements, when combined, help businesses and leaders reach their potential. The key is getting as many of these variables to operate simultaneously as possible.

We will look at many secrets that contribute to great leadership, but let’s first consider the relationships that leaders need to have with their staff and what kind of staff they should seek out. We’ll look at this first, because getting the right people on board and treating them well is an integral part of business success! Then, we’ll discuss the infrastructure elements (like money, strategic planning, and policies) that great leaders practice in their organizations, and, finally, the outlook on life and business that great leaders have. Let’s start by discussing the right kind of people and the successful, respectful interactions with them that great leaders promote:

1) Build a great organization from the top down. In researching his bestseller Good to Great, Jim Collins determined that employees want leaders to be fair, trustworthy, consistent, caring, ethical, direct, honest, and humble. Above all, they should make good, prompt decisions, execute, and lead. We have adopted the servant leader model (which we find to be most effective) at our companies and work quietly behind the scenes to lead our staff. This is a two-way street: when they employ and nurture great staff, leaders can truly blossom in their roles.

2) Emphasize smart work, not long hours! Employees who are given time to enjoy their personal lives outside of work are happier in their jobs and produce higher-quality work. We view employees as family and provide good salaries, profit sharing, generous benefits, and liberal leave. Build a company where employees look forward to coming to work, and they will reward you with high-quality results, increased productivity, and significant profitability.

3) Employ passionate, intelligent, and outstanding people with strong work ethics and place them in the right jobs that fit their skills and passions. Our motto: “Hire tough and slow.” Look for people who not only produce good work, but who have the personalities to mesh seamlessly with the corporate culture.

4) Train, coach, and reward staff who are working as a team. Harmonious teamwork takes your organization to the next level.

5) Define your culture and values with input from everyone. Our employees developed a clear list of the behaviors they desired in themselves, peers, and leaders. We use this detailed document to solicit new employees and show existing staff our expectations.

6) Coach employees who make mistakes according to the principles outlined by Spencer Johnson’s bestseller The One Minute Manager. Leaders should look for things employees do well and reward or publicly recognize them for their efforts. When employees are not performing well or you see problematic patterns, give them specific examples of your concerns (privately and professionally, of course), provide suggestions for improvement, and then monitor their progress with rewards for improvement.

7) Making an effort to do it in a sensitive and legal way, help the wrong employees find other jobs outside the company. Unhappy, unproductive, rule-breaking, or incompetent employees who do not share your vision will drain, aggravate, and distract employees and leaders! Improving your hiring practices can help screen out employees who won’t fit into your workplace environment, and frequent, thorough performance reviews can help change existing staff’s inappropriate behaviors.

8) Perfection is unrealistic, but effective leaders constantly push for high quality standards! According to Jim Collins in Good to Great, “Good is the enemy of great,” so staff should seek constant, consistent improvement. However, don’t push them over the edge with perfectionism, which slows decision-making and project completion.

9) Provide ongoing training to nurture and grow staff, rebuild excitement, and prevent burnout. We developed a “Live and Learn Book Club” with financial incentives at our companies that encourages staff to read professional development books, meet with peers they may not normally get to work with, and discuss what they learned. The club not only teaches new skills and concepts, but also builds teamwork!

10) Express genuine care for your staff and create fun opportunities for them. We started an employee newsletter within our companies that lets everyone know what is going on in each other’s lives to build a family-type relationship. We also established an employee liaison committee to keep us in touch with how our employees feel, promote fun, and ensure that people are happy with their jobs. The committee also arranges frequent socials, games, and other events for staff. 

11) Celebrate success. Most leadership researchers promote celebrating successes both small and large. Leaders should look for opportunities to celebrate, like birthdays, profitable ventures, births, marriages, etc. People need to feel they are part of a caring team that recognizes success, and celebrations can provide momentum as employees march toward accomplishing the mission. Celebrations recharge and energize staff in appreciation for a job well done. They also send the message that the leader cares about staff and appreciates extra efforts that result in lasting success.

12) Avoid losing your temper. There will be times that you will want to tear into an employee, but first, take a day or two to calm down and look for the right moment to talk to him or her about the problem. Be sure to allow the employee to tell his or her side of the story.

13) Build trust (and thus, credibility) with staff. Maintain a reputation of “under-promising and over-delivering” in your comments to them and think carefully about the commitments that you make. What a leader says must match his or her actions. Kouzes and Posner say when it comes to their leader, employees “want to assure themselves that the person is worthy of their trust. They want to know that the person is truthful, ethical, and principled.” Team members need to feel that they can be open with you as a leader and that what you say is reliable over the long haul.

In our next segment, we will discuss the practical matters—like money, infrastructure, strategic planning, and customer service—that are integral to an organization’s success. Great leaders not only recruit and work flawlessly with the best staff, but they also exhibit excellence in the day-to-day details of running an organization. We will discuss these details in our next column, then finish with the mindset and outlook that allow people to become great leaders.

For more information and helpful articles, visit www.duboseweb.com.

Blake DuBose graduated from Newberry College School of Business and is president of DuBose Web Group. You can view our published articles at www.duboseweb.com.  

Mike DuBose has been in business since 1981. He is the servant owner of three debt-free corporations, including Columbia Conference Center, Research Associates, and The Evaluation Group. Mike has completed his book The Art of Building a Great Business. For more helpful articles, visit the nonprofit site www.mikedubose.com.

Katie Beck serves as senior technical writer to the family of companies. She is a graduate of the USC School of Journalism and the USC Honors College.

Affordable housing does not have to look affordable

Written on July 31, 2010 at 3:57 pm

Affordable Housing Doesn’t Have to Look Affordable

Don Oglesby

Community development efforts throughout Greenville County have been heralded over the past 10 years for the vision, energy, collaboration and execution of well thought-out plans. Both the City of Greenville and Greenville County Redevelopment Authority implement the dual role of master-planning communities that need revitalization, and the execution of the plans through partnerships with area non-profit and community-minded for-profit developers and agencies.

Neighborhoods that were on the brink of extinction have been resurrected. The removal of blight, high crime areas and poor infrastructure start the process. The insertion of new housing, rehabilitation of existing housing and installation of street improvements continue the transformation. Finally adding sidewalks, green space and improved walk-ability recapture the neighborhood spirit that existed in years gone by.

Often times, strategies in other areas have forgotten an important element that Greenville is determined not to forget; the importance of good design and quality construction while maintaining affordability.

As President and CEO of Homes of Hope, I sum up the strategy like this, “we don’t build affordable housing with cheap materials; we build it with cheap money”. Since 1998 Homes of Hope, a Greenville, SC based non-profit organization, has developed more than 300 affordable homes for low-income families while also providing job training/mentoring for over 250 men overcoming addictions.  Homes of Hope has largely used contractors for its new construction efforts who also build custom homes in the high-end market. This unique strategy has also become the norm for the other area non-profit housing providers such as—Genesis Homes, Allen Temple CEDC, Greenville Housing Futures and the Upstate Homeless Coalition.

The utilization of architectural firms largely known for their commercial developments and/or high-end residential homes has proven to be a key component in affordable housing development. These firms bring the creativity necessary for quality design and construction with limited financial resources and the mandate to keep the homes affordable for the traditionally low-income families in the targeted neighborhoods for revitalization.

John Edwards with Neal-Prince Architects has worked on several developments with Homes of Hope, most recently a mixed-income development called Chicora Crest. “In recent decades, the construction of affordable housing by infill of vacant lots and parcels within an existing neighborhood context has become a major component of community development activities.  Until recently, this approach was often taken with little attention paid to design - thus often producing architectural results that were incompatible with the community it was intended to serve.” 

Edwards continues, “Homes of Hope’s goal in producing the single-family dwellings at Chicora Crest was to not simply produce homes but to improve lives by reinforcing the architectural character of the culturally vibrant Haynie-Sirrine Neighborhood.   Five key components of achieving this authentic compatibility were 1) designing to enhance the pedestrian orientation of the urban street grid; 2) maintaining the neighborhood’s traditional building setbacks for porches and façade elements; 3) designing to compliment the geometry of the existing homes in the neighborhood and its surroundings; 4) detailing the homes in keeping with the surrounding predominant architectural styles and 5) maintaining a density equal to or slightly greater than the balance of the neighborhood.”

He concludes, “Achieving these character defining qualities is important because, more than any other building type, dwellings possess the power to become mirrors of their occupants.  Thus a home’s physical character is inextricably linked to self-esteem and to community pride.   It is important to avoid poorly designed affordable housing that will always be “affordable” simply because it is unattractive and thus undesirable.   Therefore we collectively sought to build less expensively – but endeavored to do so without sacrificing good architecture and craftsmanship.  Homes of Hope has helped Greenville to give hope to a community in need and has set the stage for neighborhood success instead of simply perpetually warehousing our low to low-moderate income citizens. Truly the unique partnerships between non-profit organizations, whose missions are to assist low-income communities and high-end builders and architects, have made Greenville stand out for its excellence in community development.”

Joel Van Dyke with Freeman & Major Architects is also currently working with Homes of Hope on two developments that will incorporate LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) into affordable housing. He adds “There are many ways to define “affordability” in housing, but a definition that does not include the cost of ownership is deficient.  Poor design and/or construction of the thermal envelope of the house are two key areas where the cost of ownership can be significantly impacted. ”

Van Dyke continues, “Making homes affordable also extends to the design of the home. A well designed home should allow for changing life-styles and life needs by creating flexible space that can be used efficiently in various ways. Rooms should be able to easily “multi-task.” Using the “left over” spaces like stair landings and hallways to also meet other functional needs helps to maximize the use of space. I often extend stair landings an additional 2 to 3 feet and create a built-in reading nook or study area.”

He concludes, “A good building design is only effective if it is constructed properly in a manner that will prevent water intrusion into the building. Water intrusion and condensation inside the wall assembly can destroy a structure very quickly. Therefore, qualified, well trained craftsmen are essential to the long-term affordability equation.”

The bar is set high in Greenville and the definition of success now includes the transformation of “special emphasis” neighborhoods into just “neighborhoods” again, like they were 40 years ago. The vision includes the “de-stigmatizing” of affordable housing and of the families that live in it. Side-by-side, housing would be simply smaller or larger, brick or vinyl, one or two story—and no longer will those who pass by be able to determine a family’s income by the look of their home.

Design standards, energy efficiency standards, and quality construction techniques all combine with the power of the non-profit organizations to attract resources for affordability. Subsequently, this produces an affordable product that looks as good as the market-rate housing nearby, and hopefully, eventually, next door.

Don Oglesby is the President/CEO of Homes of Hope, a Greenville, SC based non-profit organization providing affordable housing for low-income families while also providing job training/mentoring for men overcoming addictions. He has resided in Greenville since 1989. Also an ordained minister, he earned his Master’s Degree in Theology in 2000. He can be contacted at don@homesofhope.org

My Joe Biden moment

Written on July 28, 2010 at 3:18 pm

I attended the opening of the Ernest F. Hollings Library in Columbia, SC last Friday.  It was a well attended event, what with VP Joe Biden in attendance to give the keynote address.  Cool new library, sure, but the chance to catch a glimpse of the sitting Vice President of the United States.  I have to admit I was a little star struck.

If ever anyone needed an overview of the impact that Fritz Hollings has had on South Carolina and United States politics, they needed to be at this event. Joe Biden gave a heart felt speech about how his three decade relationship with Hollings shaped his career in the United States Senate and led to his subsequent successful inclusion on the 2008 Presidential ticket. I thought it was an excellent speech - incredibly laudatory of Fritz Hollings.

Hollings speech took me a little by surprise, but was apparently “vintage Hollings.”  In a classy act of bi-partisanship, he invited Senator Lindsay Graham from the front row to the stage.  He then proceeded to lay into the President about how the United States was in a trade war and needed to enter a period of much stronger protectionism. In front of Harris Pastides, President of the University of South Carolina, he railed against pushing for too much innovation (because it did not create jobs) and how we needed to get back to making stuff (job creators). I am not sure many of the people in the audience agreed with what he had to say, but it sure made for some pretty entertaining moments. 950 people in the audience laughing; Pastides, Biden, and Graham looking like they wanted to crawl under their seats.

I got to shake Joe Biden’s hand and I told him it was an excellent speech. His comment: “Can you image what Hollings would have said if I had been mean to him.”

On the importance of surrounding yourself with creative people

Written on July 28, 2010 at 3:13 pm

I strongly suggest this article from the Economist: http://www.economist.com/node/16638391. It talks about how success in business has increasingly become more dependent on serendipitous encounters with other people.  Approach the right people, get the right people to approach you, and use these relationships to do better things.

This quote validates cities’ attempts to create a creative hub around their research universities: Innovista in Columbia, SC; CU ICAR in Greenville etc.  “The old dream that the internet would allow us to live on some tropical island and telecommute is unlikely to come true. Far from abandoning traditional business centers, creative people cluster together in places such as Silicon Valley, New York, London, Bangalore, and Shanghai.  That way, every social interaction is potentially profitable.”

Graham Concerned About Port of Charleston’s Future

Written on July 22, 2010 at 9:24 pm

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement after the conclusion of the Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the Energy and Water appropriations bill. 
 
The committee did not include a $400,000 earmark request for the Port of Charleston to study deepening Charleston Harbor.  The bill will now be sent to the full Senate. 
 
“I will continue to push for the inclusion of this very important congressional directive,” said Graham.  “The earmark is a relatively small dollar amount in a nearly $3 trillion federal budget.  However, it carries huge importance for the future of the Port of Charleston and thousands of jobs in our state.”
 
Graham noted the Port is responsible for an estimated 260,800 jobs in South Carolina, $11.8 billion in wages, and $1.5 billion in state and local taxes.
 
“A lot has been said and written about earmark abuse and the need for reform,” said Graham.  “I agree and have joined with Senator DeMint, McCain and others to bring about real reform including greater transparency.  However, the decision as to whether or not the Corps of Engineers will be directed to study how to deepen Charleston Harbor must be made now.”
 
“We literally have tens of thousands of jobs across South Carolina and millions of dollars in business riding on this decision,” said Graham.  “We have no recourse.  If we don’t get this done now, the impact on businesses in our state will be devastating.”
 
The harbor was last widened from a depth of 40 feet to 45 feet in 2004.  The State Ports Authority and its customers need it deeper to meet the demands of new, larger cargo ships that are due to come through the Panama Canal in 2014.
 
Graham noted that because of certain sequencing issues related to the Army Corps of Engineers and how they handle dredging projects, if Charleston does not receive the earmark this year, it will put the port at a competitive disadvantage.  Charleston’s East Coast competitors — Savannah, Norfolk, Miami, Wilmington, and New York — will have a leg-up as they have already secured study funding in this legislation where Charleston is currently being disregarded.
 
“The State Ports Authority cannot start the study because they do not have the legal authority to do so,” said Graham.  “Only the Army Corps has the authority.  The $400,000 appropriation is essential this year to ensure we do not fall behind our competitors.  It’s important we give them the green light.”
 
“I will continue to do my part to ensure the port receives the ongoing funding it needs today and in the future to remain competitive and viable in the years ahead,” said Graham.

Electric Utility Industry Can Lead the Way on Energy and Climate Legislation

Written on July 2, 2010 at 6:57 pm

By Eileen Claussen and Jim Rogers

Passing a meaningful energy and climate bill this year will be challenging – but not impossible.It’s time for all of us – politicians, business leaders and environmentalists – to put wishful thinking aside, establish realistic goals and develop a consensus for legislation that can be passed this year.

If that means capping emissions from the utility sector first — so be it. There is growing consensus in the electric utility industry to act now. So let’s move forward.

Duke Energy and other electric utilities are already scheduled to retire and replace virtually all coal and other large power plants with cleaner and more efficient technologies by 2050.A clear and predictable federal energy and climate policy can accelerate these projects and put private capital to work more rapidly. It can also create millions of jobs.

This would not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It will reduce sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury emissions that contribute to acid rain, smog and other health issues. That would improve air quality across the board.

At Duke Energy, approximately 6,000 people are now working on designing and building more advanced power plants. That’s quite an economic stimulus.

When their work is done, permanent jobs would be created, municipal and county tax collections would increase and old and inefficient power plants shut down.

With the right signal from Washington, the company can close roughly 5,000 megawatts of coal plants that are more than 45 years old by 2020.This action will drive greater use of cleaner, domestic energy sources that will enhance our nation’s security and limit pollution.

Sensible policy should include incentives for new emissions-free nuclear power, renewable energy and carbon capture and storage for coal plants. It must also clarify federal emissions regulations so electric utilities can shift to cleaner and more efficient power plants without the uncertainty of patchwork regulatory approaches and the threat of litigation.

Electric utilities have some of the strongest balance sheets in industry. We can now borrow private capital at historically low rates. For example, over the past two and a half years, Duke Energy has borrowed $8 billion at an average rate of less than 5.5 percent.This means lower long-terms costs to electric consumers — with no increase in the national debt and deficit.

But this will all take time. We need to be willing to adopt the three Cs: Commitment, Collaboration and Compromise.

Commitment: We have to be in this together – for the long haul.  Good energy and climate policies will allow the electric utility industry to make sound investment decisions.Electric utilities may be willing to go first. But they are not going to be willing to go alone.

Collaboration: All successful environmental legislation has been predicated on a collaborative and bipartisan approach. The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, designed to reduce acid rain, urban air pollution and toxic air emissions, passed the House by a 401-21 margin, and the Senate by 89-11.That process of working together to find common ground among diverse stakeholders is what we need now.

Compromise: Collaboration only succeeds when there’s a real spirit of compromise. That’s why it’s the cornerstone of our democracy. There must be give and take at every decision point.Current clean energy and climate legislation is not an all-or-nothing proposition. It’s a work in progress that can begin our transition to a clean energy future.  We need to look past our differences and act where there is agreement.

It’s time to get started.

Eileen Claussen is president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Jim Rogers is chairman, president, and CEO of Duke Energy.

My favorite entrepreneurs

Written on July 1, 2010 at 5:52 pm

Entrepreneurship came up a lot in my most recent interview with Don Herriott, Director of Innovista here in Columbia, SC.  The entrepreneurs that license technology out of the universities and spend 5-10 years going though what is called the “Valley of Death” before getting to profitability are uber-entrepreneurs in my book.  Funding from friends and fools, angel investors, high pressured elevator pitches in front of the venture capitalists - it takes a special breed!  Read also our interview with Michael Bolick for an idea of the challenges and hurdles that new world entrepreneurs face.

Just as inspiring for me recently was another entrepreneurial venture - two ofchocolate chip cookies my kids setting up a lemonade stand on the corner of the street, in 100 degree heat,  for 3 hours.  Totally their idea.  Totally their quest for a little spending money.  The only thing that I contributed was the bright idea of putting the chocolate chip cookies, their one lemonade stand innovation, into the cooler with the lemonade.  The lemonade spilled and ruined all the cookies. (Thanks, Dad!). 

Every car that passed by, my 8 year -old son was out of his chair enthusiastically pointing to his promotional sign (now with the chocolate chip cookie part scratched out). 50 cents a lemonade and they netted around $15. My two kids, budding uber-entrepreneurs?

Please share a story about your favorite entrepreneur.

Jon Stewart, have you heard about…?

Written on June 18, 2010 at 1:50 pm

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

So here is the Jon Stewart clip about Alvin Greene.  Or:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-june-14-2010/alvin-greene-wins-south-carolina-primary

Want to increase SEO on your site? Tag these: Jon Stewart. Nikki Haley, Alvin Greene, Joe Wilson, Appalachian Trail, Mark Sanford, Jake Knotts, Nikki Haley, Alvin Greene, Joe Wilson, Appalachian Trail, Mark Sanford, Jake Knotts, Nikki Haley, Alvin Greene, Joe Wilson, Appalachian Trail, Mark Sanford, Jake Knotts…

What can South Carolina do about the constant jabbing from the national press? Once you have a reputation, it’s hard get people to think otherwise. There are so many great things going on in South Carolina, all you can do is laugh it off and say, have you heard about Boeing coming to SC? There will only be three places in the world where a finished airplane comes off an assembly line, and Charleston, SC is one of them. Have you heard about Health Sciences, SC? SCRA? The unbelievable collaboration that is taking place between our research institutions? Are you going to College World Series to see two schools from the same state compete? Have you checked out downtown Greenville?

Share your favorite “Father” memory

Written on June 17, 2010 at 3:53 am

I read the sales article by Jeffrey Gitomer this week about the importance of father’s in our lives.  Similar to Mr. Gitomer, my dad passed on about 11 years ago.  Not so similar was the abrupt way that I heard the news of his passing, the sudden phone call summoning me to the hospital, the feelings that I did not have the chance to say good-bye.

Here are 10 things I want my children to know about their grandfather.  My dad was:

A joker and a practical joker.  He loved to laugh and never took himself too seriously.  He laughed the hardest at his own jokes.  He would ask Auntie Anne to smell the chocolate cake to see if something was wrong, and then not so gently push her face into it.  Or distract my friends with a well thought out comment and place a piping hot spoon on the back of their hands. 

A sailor.  His first home was the water.

A farmer.  His second home was on the tractor at the farm. 

A believer.  He was involved in his church his entire life and read the Bible every day.

A family man. He was proud of his family and was amazing with young kids, particularly babies.  Surveying the kids and the grand kids playing soccer on the front field of the farm: “When I came to this country, I was alone.  Now look at me.”

A reader.  He always had his nose in a book, mostly historical fiction.  He was a speed reader who devoured 1,000 page books by James Michener. If you tried to talk to him when he was reading, he wouldn’t hear you.

A sportsman.  He loved to compete and win or lose, he was a good sport.  He rarely lost at cards, and had an uncanny ability to win at rummy with a dramatic, last second flourish. 

A storyteller.  More often than not, the same story over and over, but wonderful stories all the same.

An entrepreneur.  He raised a family while running his own business.  I am developing a profound appreciation of just how difficult that can be.

An engineer.  He could draw perfectly straight lines - freehand.  He was very good at fixing things.  He loved epoxy, mixing concrete, and puttering around engines with “Uncle” John Hindle.

I will make a renewed effort to share stories of both of my parents with my children.

Please share your own favorite dad story or what you like to do for Father’s day.  

Great Cities

Written on June 11, 2010 at 3:05 am

Back in late March I spent the day in Greenville, SC.  I had been to Greenville several times, but never had the opportunity to walk Main Street, to take the time to enjoy what is arguably one of the most amazing pedestrian experiences in America.  

I also sat down with Mayor Knox White for an interview and asked him, amongst other things, for the key to Greeenville’s success: great public/private partnerships and insistence on good urban design. 

Are there other cool cities in South Carolina that you like and that have these two same qualities? I would like to know about them and possibly do a feature on them. How about other cities across America?