Junk Removal in Greenville, SC

Greenville County Square employees are gearing up to move into their new and improved Greenville County government/administrative complex.

To Greenville County leaders, the under construction “modern and efficient” building will serve as the catalyst for the growth of County Square and will be home to all government functions, said Greenville County Governmental Affairs Coordinator Bob Mihalic.

At nearly 250,000 square feet, the building will not only be modern, efficient and environmentally friendly but also will act as the “nucleus” for the growth to come around it, Mihalic said.

The plan includes the demolition of the old County Square and redevelopment by Atlanta-based developers RocaPoint. The developers plan to fill the site with class A office space and a concerted effort to get companies to consider making their home in the development along with multifamily residences, restaurants and more. What once was a shopping mall and movie theater-turned county government complex will look completely different.

“I think the key part is development will grow around these new buildings and leaders think they are reflective of the people of Greenville — modern, transparent and forward-looking,” said Mihalic. “It’s a beautiful building, design and function that will serve the county

and its residences.”

The new building will have an attached parking garage with a covered path leading into the building that is split into two towers as well as a connection

between the north and south towers. The south tower is forward-facing and will hold tax offices, courtrooms, planning, zoning and other county government departments, and the north tower will house Greenville County administrative offices.

Mihalic said the design is also ideal for traffic flow and will be easier for citizens to find, with one building and location for county government functions instead of being spread out.

“It doesn’t look like a government building, so the rest of the development to happen in what will be the former County Square will continue that look of modernization,” Mihalic said.

Everything and everyone from the current Greenville County Square will move into the new buildings, which equates to around 500 staff members, except for EMS, said Mihalic.

Partners on the project are RocaPoint as the developers, Foster + Partners as the architectural designers, and Nelson Worldwide as the interior designers and architects. Seamon Whiteside is the civil engineer, DPR Construction serves as construction manager, Fuller Group is the structural engineer and Simes and Rosch will perform mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering.

SC Biz News attempted to reach RocaPoint via email but did not receive a response.

With groundbreaking more than two years ago, the new $65 million county administration and government affairs buildings are projected to be move-in ready this spring, said Mihalic. The project will also provide an additional $25-30 million in tax revenue as former government property moves to private hands, he added.

“Greenville is obviously a growing, wonderful place to be, and there are more exciting things happening in what will be the former County Square site,” said Mihalic. “We are moving out, so they (RocaPoint) can make it better, and it’ll all blend right in when it’s complete. These new buildings are just an example of the blend that will come in around this great piece of real estate we currently sit on."

GREENVILLE — Spring brings with it new energy to the Upstate, and it’s particularly so on Main Street in the downtown Greenville’s West End.

Not only is Greenville Drive minor league baseball season soon underway, but the area will soon get a fresh, new restaurant: The Bellwether Public House, slated to open the first week of April at the doorstep of Fluor Field.

Filling the former Liberty Tap Room space, the much-anticipated restaurant from the team behind Urban Wren promises an experience for all — and food that tells a story, but doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Leading the way for the new restaurant is executive chef Shane McAnelly.

The chef comes from the culinary world in San Francisco and Healdsburg, Calif., by way of Hendersonville, N.C. His passion for local farming and gardening is coursing through his veins and emblazoned on his arms, as his left forearm bears a tattoo of a bounty of colorful vegetables.

“There is eggplant, before it was an emoji,” McAnelly said.

“The challenge for me, which I am embracing,” he said, “is trying to figure out how to stay in the guidelines of something that is family-friendly and approachable but keeping that integrity of what we do in working with high-quality ingredients and cooking seasonally. That’s all really, really important to me.”

That passion will guide the menu at The Bellwether.

While McAnelly and Urban Wren culinary director Taylor Montgomery, who is a close partner in The Bellwether, plan to source much locally, they are still working out the details and logistics.

A good portion, or at least as much as they can get, will come from Montgomery Sky Farm, the farm Montgomery and his wife, Fran, own and operate in Western North Carolina.

Montgomery has been using his own produce at Urban Wren since that restaurant opened its doors in 2020.

Last year, Montgomery Sky Farm supplied over 2,800 pounds of tomatoes for Urban Wren. Montgomery has plans to step up production this year.

The Bellwether will also source from local farms in North and South Carolina. The interconnectivity of farms and restaurants is imbued in both McAnelly and Montgomery. In fact, it was one of the first ties that bound them during the interview process.

Now, they trade tips about tomatoes and share pictures of flowers.

“Just two guys talking flowers,” Montgomery said.

House-made pasta to sliders: What you’ll eat at The Bellwether

But beyond the passion for soil and seed, the two chefs have connected over food. Food is the core of Urban Wren, and it will be at The Bellwether, as well.

While the latter restaurant is outfitted as distinctly more casual and as a space for all — from families to sports fans and from couples to friends — it will maintain a level of quality that has become synonymous with an Urban Wren experience.

What does that mean in a public house-inspired space?

It means you can get house-made ricotta and farm greens gnudi, a New England shrimp roll, sweet and spicy chili glazed crispy cauliflower, and sliders all in one space.

Everything from the breads and buns to the pasta and the sauces are made in house.

Looking for something a little different? Try the pasta nachos. The dish is a perfect example of innovative and fun, with chips made from masa pasta, and topped with pub cheese whiz, jalapenos, avocado and pickled onions.

But, you’ll also find southern-inspired dishes like Colfax Creek pork belly biscuits and fried chicken.

“Shane put the fried chicken in front of me, I tasted it, and I was like ‘so where are you from?‘” Montgomery said. “It was freakin’ awesome. Some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had.”

The menu is designed for sharing. Plates are medium-size, with nothing priced above $20. The idea and hope, the chefs said, is that people order a few dishes and share.

The menu boasts a number of vegetarian options, as well as a devoted kid’s menu, all built on the same principles of quality and local sourcing.

The restaurant, which will also feature a dog-friendly patio, will have a special dog menu. Details are forthcoming, but owners promise the menu will be distinctive in its own right, and a percentage of proceeds from the menu will be donated to local animal rescue agencies.

Beverage director Travis Giarratanna has created a menu that will feature eight beers on draft, along with 24 beers in bottles and cans, a selection of wines by the glass and a fun cocktail menu that will change seasonally.

Those with a sweet tooth are in luck, too, as McAnelly has created homemade soft-serve. Guests will be able to choose flavor, along with accompaniments like doughnuts, brownies, bacon brittle — all scratch-made, to complete their treat.

McAnelly recommends the olive oil and sea salt.

“It’s really meant to be fun,” he said.

A completely different space

As far as the space, those who remember Liberty Taproom will step into a very different restaurant.

The team gutted the entire space, renovating nearly every aspect, from lighting to flooring to the outdoor patio. The result is a much brighter, open and comfortable space.

The bar has also been moved to the Main Street-facing side of the building. It will feature 18 seats and a counter that faces Main Street and has seating both inside and outside.

Another bar in the back of the restaurant will feature seating for 10 at the counter and another 10 at high-top tables.

The back patio will have seating for 72 people (plus dogs), as well as an activity area with yard games. The space will also have a large screen for sports viewing.

While The Bellwether is not a sports bar, those who enjoy watching games will be able to on one of the 17 televisions.

The Drive partnership (the organization owns the Fieldhouse building that houses the restaurant) will be evident but not overwhelming. The Bellwether is not a baseball-themed restaurant, but it is a space where baseball fans will feel comfortable, Urban Wren executive director Nick Lincoln said.

Plans call for collaborating with The Drive to support events at Fluor Field, helping add to the growing entertainment offerings including the new District 365 entertainment district.

But The Bellwether team also hopes that theirs will be a restaurant that is a destination all its own.

“We wanted it to be casual, family-friendly, but we wanted it also to be a standalone restaurant that is not just driven by baseball,” Lincoln said. “Casual does not mean you have to sacrifice quality of food.”

The Bellwether Public House is slated to open at 941 S. Main St. on April 5. Opening hours will be 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

The restaurant won’t require reservations but will accept them for parties of six or more. Reservations can be made by calling 864-520-2355.

For updates on the restaurant, follow @thebellwethergvl or visit www.bellwethergvl.com.

Talk to virtually anyone who knows or who has worked with Greenville’s Dick Riley during his decades of public service and chances are, beyond and above talking about his accomplishments, they will tell you about his fundamental decency, kindness and omnipresent good humor.

At 90, Riley continues to be the undiminished embodiment of these characteristics, which goes a long way to explaining why he still inspires new generations of leaders and encourages such leaders to commit themselves to the cause he has spent a lifetime advocating for: improving public education.

“It’s amazing what a handful of people can do. If you look at anything this big…in our country, the driver of that has to be our state and local schools.” – Dick Riley

The ‘Ted Lasso’ effect

Riley readily admits his success as a leader is based on nothing new or particularly complicated. As an example of one of his core motivating principles, these days he is apt to mention “Ted Lasso,” the star of a runaway hit on Apple TV+ featuring an American football coach who finds himself leading an English football (i.e. soccer) team.

One of Lasso’s seemingly simplistic first moves when he finds himself in unfamiliar territory with a skeptical team is posting a sign above a locker room door emblazoned with the word “Believe.”

Riley explains this belief in the importance of the task is essential to undertaking any great work. It guided him as South Carolina’s first two-term governor when he rallied a disparate coalition of elected leaders, educators, business magnates and countless families to pass the state’s 1984 Education Improvement Act. At the time EIA was hailed as one of the most consequential education-reform measures passed in modern American history.

The EIA led to significant improvements in the quality of public education available to the Palmetto State’s children and prepared the way for Riley to be tapped by President Bill Clinton to become U.S. secretary of education from 1993 to 2001.

Riley says the accomplishments he was able to achieve as both governor and the nation’s top education official were rooted in his belief in not only the work, but in the people doing that work — the nation’s teachers.

“You really have to believe in what you’re doing,” Riley says.

And who you’re doing it with.

The power of partnership

Although Riley acknowledges much has been accomplished over the course of his career, he is equally certain much work remains and the way to accomplish that work is through bringing together a network of willing partners.

The challenges ahead are substantial, he says. While the incremental approach to education reform in the past 50 years has made progress, Riley suggests the times call for a more revolutionary, systemic rethink of how South Carolina, and America more broadly, educate children.

For reference, Riley points to the UK’s Sir Ken Robinson, whose 2006 TED Talk explored how Western education tends to suppress children’s creativity.

Riley says the expanding knowledge economy with its emphasis on innovation and creativity requires an educational system that promotes both essential skills and creative problem solving.

In his decades of striving to understand what works in education, Riley says he has seen systems that manage to strike that balance.

“I’ve been all over the world, and things can be done quite differently,” he says.

Terry Peterson knows what Riley is talking about.

Peterson has worked with Riley on education issues since the early days of the push for EIA in Riley’s first term as South Carolina’s governor and has been a close collaborator in the decades since.

Peterson travels the world frequently learning about what works in other countries. He points to the system in Singapore where teaching children creative problem solving is a priority. The educational system there also emphasizes collaboration, particularly among teachers who develop innovative and effective teaching methods.

Riley says this approach, particularly at the local and state levels, is where meaningful and lasting change will happen in this country.

“It’s amazing what a handful of people can do,” Riley says. “If you look at anything this big…in our country, the driver of that has to be our state and local schools.”

The power of positivity

Riley says another core guiding principle of achieving success is focusing on the positive. In this, he echoes a truth any good teacher knows and employs: students, especially the youngest ones, respond better to positive reinforcement than negative correction.

Coupled with the belief in the value of the work, focusing on the positive impact of that work rather than the challenges that necessitate it is a powerful way to inspire reformers to remain committed to the task.

Peterson adds this dynamic plays out every day in this country’s educational system. The current overreliance on standardized testing, which produces data that is easier for education administrators to track, has created a system which prioritizes improving students’ weaknesses rather than encouraging them to excel in areas where they are strong.

Riley says reversing this trend and producing students prepared for the world they will face once they leave school is an ongoing challenge and will take a new generation of leaders to accomplish.

Producing such leaders is among the chief aims of Furman University’s Riley Institute, founded in 1999 and named in honor of the former governor and Furman alumnus. Riley continues to play an active role at the institute where he is regarded as the “chief inspiration officer.”

Going forward, Riley says continued educational improvement in this country is going to take a renewed movement of teachers, parents, business and elected leaders unified by belief in the work and a positive attitude.

“If you get into that mindset, you can accomplish all sorts of things,” Riley says.

Richard “Dick” Riley fast facts:

Notable achievements, recognitions

Leaders and residents in Greenville, South Carolina had been working for decades to transform their neglected, denuded downtown into a walkable, dynamic place. But the most significant catalyst was the removal of a highway bridge through downtown and the installation of a beautiful pedestrian bridge in 2004, creating a popular new attraction for people and restoring the city’s relationship to the river that birthed it.

Greenville, SC emerged from World War II as a thriving mill town. In the 1950s, this prosperity drove development into the suburbs, replacing the residential neighborhoods downtown with department stores and restaurants. While cars were becoming the primary mode of transportation, people continued to return to walkable Main Street, the hub of retail and social life. Many consider this decade to be the economic heyday of Greenville.

The 1960s brought changes to Greenville, similar to many cities across the United States. Increased sprawl, fueled by nearly free federal money for new highways, drove demand for highway access, and decision makers didn’t think twice about displacing residents and businesses to build infrastructure. Following the conventional wisdom of the day, and plenty of assistance from the South Carolina DOT, Greenville was transformed.

In 1960, the city built the Camperdown Way Bridge, a four-lane highway overpass, across the polluted Reedy River and Falls, the very spot where the earliest settlers gathered and eventually founded the city. Located in the West End section of the city (though technically positioned on the southern end of Main Street), the Camperdown Way Bridge turned this once-warehouse district into “a place you drove through…nothing but derelicts and dilapidated buildings.”¹

In 1968, the Greenville downtown development plan proposed a redesign of Main Street to create “a pedestrian friendly environment” in the name of economic revitalization. Max Heller, the mayor of Greenville from 1971-79, was determined to bring this plan to fruition. Fighting upstream against the prevailing wisdom of the day when it came to accommodating vehicles at all costs, Heller’s vision of Main Street included a lane reduction (four-lanes to two-lanes), angled parking, street trees, lighting, and widened sidewalks suitable for outdoor dining. His government formed public-private partnerships to maximize success implementing the 1968 plan, and downtown began to flourish. While Heller’s continued influence fostered the extension of Main Street into the West End (1981), the neighborhood lagged behind, continuing to struggle for two more decades.

Throughout Greenville’s infrastructure transitions, the Carolina Foothills Garden Club was working on a transition of its own: giving pedestrians, not cars, priority access to the Reedy River and Falls Park and in doing so, restoring the history of the city. But realizing the full fruit of their effort would take decades.

The Club, with support from the City and Furman University, reclaimed the land in 1967. Although still hidden under the unsightly Camperdown Way Bridge, the park began to re-emerge in the 1970s. The shutdown of the mills together with the Clean Water Act (1972) resulted in a much cleaner Reedy River. The following year, 1973, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was just the beginning.

In the 1980s, a group of performing artists set their sights on replacing Greenville’s last industrial complex with a center for the arts. The Peace Center, opened in 1990 on the south end of Main Street, is seen as the link between Greenville’s natural resources and Main Street. Its success inspired the Duke Power Company to fund infrastructure upgrades, carrying the feel of Main Street to the West End. Today, a footpath connects Falls Park, the Peace Center, and the West End.

Efforts to tear down the Camperdown Way Bridge began in earnest during the 1990s. The Greenville Central Area Partnership (GCAP) funded a study of the bridge in 1989, with a clear finding that the bridge “needed to come down. It blocked views of the majestic falls…. It divided the area. It made any potential growth moot.”²

This was quickly followed by a city-funded feasibility study in 1990 with outcomes focused on the chaos that would certainly ensue if the bridge was removed, the exorbitant cost to drivers for fuel (due to rerouting)—not to mention the embarrassment of removing perfectly good bridge paid for by the state. In spite of the latter findings, an independent task force recommended removing the bridge in 1991. But there was still a long road ahead.

In 1995, Knox White was elected mayor of Greenville (1995-present). A former city council member, White was a longtime advocate for removing the Camperdown Way Bridge. He immediately began using his new position to lobby for removal. Together with his ally in the arts, Virginia Ulderick, White gained support from the governor by showing him the falls on a site visit to the future home of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. The opening of the school (1999) clinched the turnaround for the West End, bringing foot traffic back to the area and strengthening the call to remove the unsightly obstacle standing in the way of resurgence. White next welcomed the head of the state Department of Transportation to visit the school and the park, in an effort to convince the state to give the bridge to the city. Then a state senator. Finally, he began to gain ground.

Even following another traffic study (1998) calling for removal of the bridge, there was still dissent. Naysayers were more interested in roads being fixed, traffic increasing, and any risk of stifling development in the West End just as it was getting going. White recognized the need for a “story,” something beyond tearing down a bridge, something that looked ahead, to the future of Greenville. He found exactly that in the decades-old vision of the Garden Club: a pedestrian bridge over the falls. In 2000, the Camperdown Way bridge became part of the Greenville road system. Greenville published the Reedy River Corridor Master Plan, funded through hospitality tax money, and set about the process of removing the Camperdown Bridge, restoring access to the river, and making the once-hidden falls a showpiece attraction once more.

Within five years, the Camperdown Bridge came down (2002) and the Liberty Bridge opened (2004), funded through the city council budget. Foot traffic replaced vehicle traffic. Liberty Bridge quickly became known as an architectural and engineering marvel, meant to emphasize the livable, walkable beauty of Greenville.

Today Greenville, South Carolina is alive with pedestrians. What began with Max Heller’s vision for a walkable Main Street grew to include the beauty of Falls Park. The West End of Greenville is now a thriving mixed-use residential neighborhood, known for its artistic community and proximity to nature. A network of paved trails extends through multiple parks, over Liberty Bridge, around the city, and beyond. While the city is still ringed by plenty of other highways, including another highway viaduct through the heart of the city, downtown Greenville is now a thriving, walkable urban center.

Greenville demonstrates a few impactful lessons for future reconnecting communities projects.

First, leadership and advocacy from the local government can be the driving force of change. Max Heller and Knox White recognized and fought for the potential they saw in Greenville. They used the power of their positions to change the direction of the community, resulting in economic and cultural success.

Second, partnerships go a long way in achieving a vision. The buy-in of public companies helped initiate the redevelopment of Main Street. Their combined vision and advocacy uncovered the natural beauty for which Greenville is now known. Artists also took part in the collaborative work of connecting nature, downtown, and history.

Third, attractions accessible to both visitors and residents foster success. Paved walking paths connect Falls Park and the Peace Center to each other, to the West End, and to Main Street. In a single walk or bike ride you can be in nature, experience art, dine in a local restaurant, and return to your home or a hotel.

Finally, in the words of Knox White, “Find your waterfall!!!” Find what is distinct, what makes your city unique, what features create this “place.” That is the first challenge. Only then can you draw in residents and tourists—who will not just live, work, shop, and dine, but will love this beautiful, walkable, historical (yet innovative), locale.

Urban areas, including but not limited to city centers, grow stronger through investments in walkability (and transit). Urban walkability creates a livable, connected community. Foot Traffic Ahead outlines this concept, using the top 35 largest metropolitan areas as examples. From Greenville, as well as Foot Traffic Ahead, cities can determine which aspects of their predecessors’ paths apply to their own future connected communities.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Erchonia Corp. (Erchonia), a global, laser technology manufacturer, today announced plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to Greenville County. The company’s $6.7 million investment will create 51 new jobs.

Founded in 1996, Erchonia is a world leader in low-level laser technology (LLLT), which uses low-level lasers at specific wavelengths to provide powerful therapeutic effects at the cellular level. Utilizing its LLLT, the company produces safe, effective products designed for physicians, including but not limited to chiropractors, physical therapists, physicians, podiatrists, health clinics and veterinarians, worldwide.

Erchonia is relocating its corporate headquarters from Melbourne, Florida to Greenville County, marking the company’s first South Carolina operations. The company will construct a custom facility in Greenville’s South Chase Industrial Park to serve as its new corporate headquarters.

Operations are expected to be online by October 2023. Individuals interested in joining the Erchonia team should visit the company’s contact page.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project.

QUOTES

“We are looking forward to the completion of our state-of-the-art facility that is being built to our exact specifications. As the location of Erchonia’s new corporate headquarters, Greenville County is centrally located and is ideal for Erchonia’s planned growth and expansion as a world leader in low-level laser technology.” -Erchonia Corp. President Steven Shanks

“We are proud to welcome Erchonia to South Carolina. Their investment will help further drive innovation and generate new economic opportunities for our state and people. We look forward to creating a long-standing partnership for years to come.” -Gov. Henry McMaster

“It’s always great when an innovative life sciences technology company like Erchonia establishes operations in South Carolina. Announcements like this showcase the diverse environment our state has cultivated, and we are excited to welcome this company to Greenville County.” -Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III

“As a booming center of life sciences growth, Greenville County is honored when an industry leading brand like Erchonia chooses to expand here. The company’s well-earned leadership in low-level laser technology supporting both medical and veterinarian markets, and its passion for being good corporate citizens where they operate, fit well in Greenville County, and we wish them success here long into the future.” -Greenville County Council Chairman and Greenville Area Development Corporation Board Member Dan Tripp

FIVE FAST FACTS