health insurance agent in Summerville

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The middle of a pandemic doesn’t seem like the best time to try to start a business, yet more and more entrepreneurs are doing just that. They’re leaving their long-time jobs for new opportunities to make more money, find a dream job or simply gain more freedom and flexibility.

Rebecca Collett made the decision to start her own public relations and videography business in Summerville during the pandemic. She says the last two years have been a wake-up call for how important it is to have flexibility at work, especially given the disruption COVID-19 has had on schools.

“Women have so much to offer, especially moms and we shouldn’t be marginalized and cut out of the workforce because we have children to take care of,” Collett said. “You can be a great mom and take care of your children and still contribute to the workforce and that’s what owning my own business has been about.”

Flexibility and the ability to work from home is becoming a more and more desired perk of any job. Collett says she believes there’s a shift in business happening right now that’s creating opportunities for ambitious entrepreneurs.

“I think companies realized they had to change the way they were doing business. Some of the roles that I have secured for myself and for my business were actual positions within companies that now they just contracted out to me,” Collett said. “It is so important that to me that I have the flexibility of working, using my skills set, using my degree and all of my experience but I can still do drop off and pick up with my kids.”

This “great reshuffling” of priorities is leading more people into the workforce, just not back into traditional jobs. Rita Berry, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce in the Summerville area says despite having more people employed than before the pandemic, businesses across almost all sectors are still struggling to get fully staffed.

“It’s not that people are sitting home collecting unemployment,” Berry said. “A lot of people are taking this opportunity to either become entrepreneurs, to work remotely. In addition to that, there’s also been an increase in retirees, a lot of the baby boomers are retiring. And at a much larger pace than they were pre-COVID-19.”

Data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the number of people quitting their jobs hit a 20 year high in 2021. Despite the number of people quitting their jobs, there were more than 5,000 more people in the workforce in 2021 than in 2019 for the Charleston Metro Area. At the same time, the number of new businesses applications has skyrocketed 40 percent.

“Where there’s change, there’s opportunity,” Berry said. “So we’re seeing people who have, perhaps considered doing something on their own, taking this opportunity to reconsider their traditional work schedule, their work environment and take this opportunity to become an entrepreneur and just start their own business.”

The sectors in the economy bleeding the most workers are professional services and hospitality. Berry says businesses can shore up retention and even attract new employees by increasing wages, reducing education requirements and offering sign-on bonuses.

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SUMMERVILLE — Town officials plan to use thousands of dollars in federal COVID relief funding to help low-income residents with home repairs.

The town of Summerville is expected to receive nearly $8 million through the American Rescue Plan. It’s a more than $1 trillion federal stimulus package that’s meant to support economic recovery efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The town has already allocated over $500,000 in ARP funds toward a mental health crisis program and more than $1.3 million for premium pay for essential workers.

During a Jan. 13 Summerville Town Council meeting, officials voted to allocate $225,000 toward home repairs and weatherization in low- and moderate- income communities.

Councilman Aaron Brown said that although Summerville is a great town, there are pockets of poverty. “This is something that we could use this money for,” he said.

Originally, around $125,000 of those funds was intended to be used for a workforce housing program through the town. It was initially pitched as a project that would help town employees with becoming homeowners.

After having trouble settling on a third-party entity to oversee the program, the council voted to allocate the $125,000 to the home repairs initiative instead.

This increased the support for that initiative from $100,000 to the now $225,000.

Brown and other officials saw it as a better decision since they know it’s something a lot of people could benefit from. But the approval of use of those funds is contingent on the town organizing a contract with the Dorchester Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat is a nonprofit that helps low-income families attain homeownership. Ideally, the organization would be the one to oversee the program and decide what families could benefit from the home repairs.

Council members said they didn’t think it would be appropriate for the council to make that decision.

“That would get us in trouble,” said Summerville Mayor Ricky Waring.

If a contract with Habitat can’t be negotiated and a third-party organizer can’t be found, then the money will not be allocated to the home repair program.

Dorchester Habitat for Humanity did not respond to requests for comments.

The council is considering some other projects to fund with the federal aid, including $500,000 to help build a homeless shelter with Dorchester County Community Outreach. It is also weighing allocating around $100,000 toward improvement grants for downtown merchants.

During the Jan. 13 meeting, Daniel Prohaska, the president and CEO of Lions Vision Services, suggested the council use the money to support local nonprofits.

Lions Vision Services is a statewide nonprofit that supports communities in need of access to vision-related health care.

Prohaska suggested using the money to offer grants to nonprofits, for example.

“The nonprofit sector could strongly benefit (from the ARP funds),” he said.

Town officials are still determining how to use the funds. The current plans are for the first disbursement, or half of the nearly $8 million in COVID relief dollars.

The other half is expected to be allocated later this year.

SUMMERVILLE — Dorchester Habitat for Humanity is aiming for at least 200 women to work on one of its upcoming homes.

Every year, around International Women’s Day in March, Habitat celebrates its annual Women Build. It’s typically a daylong or weeklong program where local women volunteers get to work on one of the homes for a Habitat recipient.

The program also acts as a fundraiser, with volunteers paying to participate in the event.

This year, Dorchester Habitat has opted to expand the event by moving it up from March to February and making it a monthlong celebration. Seventy volunteers worked on last year’s house.

“We just blew it out of the water last year,” said Moriah Hollander, development director for Dorchester Habitat for Humanity. “Now it’s a month.”

Habitat for Humanity is an organization dedicated to helping people attain affordable homeownership. Many of the recipients are often single mothers who wouldn’t be able to afford a home without additional support and guidance from Habitat.

Dorchester Habitat has built more than 70 homes in the last 26 years. Before the pandemic, it was averaging about five homes a year. In the last two years, with issues like construction delays, it’s been closer to between one and three.

But in 2021, Dorchester was able to raise around $5,000 through the Women Build event. Hollander said she believes the big turnout had to do with timing.

Many residents had been cooped up in their homes during the pandemic and were looking for opportunities to get out.

She also said the program ends up being a lot of fun for the women involved. She compared it to a girls day out without the shopping. Participants usually end up learning a lot about construction, she said.

“You can ask questions, make mistakes,” she said. “That just makes it a little more fun.”

Amy Hicks, a Summerville resident, caught the Habitat home building bug after attending the Women Build event last year.

She said for years she wanted to volunteer with Habitat but couldn’t due to health reasons. During the pandemic, she got in shape and in 2021 felt healthy enough to participate in the Women Build.

“I enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue,” she said.

She joined a group called the Faithful Few that routinely works on Habitat homes throughout the year. According Hicks, she is one of the only women who is part of the group.

The Women Build event ended up being an opportunity for her to be around other women and learn from them, as well as from Habitat staff.

It was “rewarding” to do something most people think only men can do, she said.

Hicks is planning to get more women involved. This year she invited a friend to go to the event with her.

Beyond that, what really keeps her coming back are the home recipients.

“It’s encouraging to keep working and know that you’re doing this for someone who is in need of affordable housing,” she said.

Those receiving a home through Habitat have to complete more than 400 volunteer or sweat equity hours. So typically volunteers work alongside the future homeowner.

Michele Scibetta’s new home will be the focus for the Women Build. It will be nearly completed by the end of February. Scibetta is a single mother to 7-year-old Joseph.

She learned about Habitat from a friend after realizing she wouldn’t be able to afford a home on her own. Mortgage payments through Dorchester Habitat average around $650 a month.

Having participated in last year’s Women Build, Scibetta said she is excited and grateful that her home will be the focus this year. She said she has learned so much from other women at the event and Habitat staff.

She’s also excited about having her own washer and dryer and seeing her son play in the backyard.

“I’m almost speechless that this is happening,” Scibetta said. “As the steps go on, it hits you.”

This year, Hollander said the goal is to get close to $5,000 again in fundraising while recruiting even more women to participate.

To learn more about the Women Build event, people are encouraged to go the website at dorchesterhabitat.org. If a group of women wants to sign up or a business wants to sponsor, they can email events@dorchesterhabitat.org.

Around 130 women have currently signed up.

“Every time I volunteer, I learn something,” Scibetta said.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – A Lowcountry woman is looking for answers after she said a Walmart gift card she received, ended up being a scam.

Alicia Windham is a mother of three, who lives in Summerville. She said her father gave her a $100 Walmart gift card for Christmas. Windham said the card was purchased at the Walmart located on Saint James Avenue in Goose Creek on December 8^th.

Windham told News 2, she tried to use the gift card the day after Christmas, but to her surprise, she said it had no money on it.

“I got a bunch of stuff because there was supposed to be $100 on the gift card,” said Windham. “Thank God I had some other money on me because the lady slid the card twice and she said ‘Ma’am, this has zero balance.’”

After that, Windham said she went to Customer Service, where they told her the gift card was already been used multiple times in other states. They printed her a receipt with the card’s purchase history.

Windham reached out to Walmart to see what could be done to get the money back.

Windham shared Walmart’s response with News 2. The email from the retailer read:

“We have reviewed your inquiry. Unfortunately, we have determined that your case does not fall under the terms and conditions of a compromised gift card. We are unable to refund or replace this card.”

The email continued, “Walmart is not liable for lost, stolen or compromised funds.”

Bailey Parker with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs said this is one way scammers target gift cards.

“They will actually take the cards and they’ll copy the numbers off the back. They’ll even copy the pin,” Parker explained.

She said after that, the scammers will attempt to use the card repeatedly until it goes through, which is when it has been purchased.

When purchasing a gift card, Parker said there are a few ways consumers can avoid being scammed.

She said to make sure the gift card hasn’t been tampered with. Another tip is to buy gift cards that are behind the counter, if available.

Parker said it’s best to use gift cards sooner, rather than later. She said if they are being purchased as gifts, they should be bought last minute. The last tip is to register the gift card if the option is there.

News 2 reached out to Walmart. While they didn’t provide a statement, they said they would contact Windham.

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Another Charleston-area shopping center recently changed hands at nearly twice the price paid for it eight years ago.

Greensboro, N.C.-based Koury Corp. bought the Harris Teeter-anchored Sawmill Village Shopping Center at 680 Bacons Bridge Road in Summerville on Dec. 16 from Ferncroft Capital of Charlotte for $25.7 million, according to Dorchester County land records.

Ferncroft bought the 13.5-acre retail site in 2013 for $13.46 million, according to property records.

The commercial transaction comes a few days after Stiles Corp. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sold the less-than-three-year-old, Publix-anchored Point Hope Commons Shopping Center in Charleston for almost $29 million.

The buyer of the retail center in the sprawling Cainhoy Plantation development on Clements Ferry Road was an affiliate of Prudential Real Estate Advisors of Madison, N.J., according to Berkeley County land records.

Another newly built Charleston apartment building changed hands in December while a Charlotte firm plans to transform a North Charleston office building after paying more than $6 million for the highly visible site beside Interstate 26.

3: Number of new restaurants now open or on the way in Charleston, North Charleston and Pringletown in Berkeley County.

52: The number of the U.S. highway that runs through Goose Creek and Moncks Corner. The Berkeley County corridor is being studied to form a blueprint for future growth.

111,175: Number of homes sold across South Carolina through November, breaking last year’s record sales in 11 months.

+ Moving on: Brian Hicks writes The Jasper, an upscale project several years in the making on Charleston’s southern peninsula, is open for business and 99 percent occupied as the controversy and legal fight surrounding its construction is in the rearview mirror.

+ Policy shift: North Charleston is reconsidering its short-term vacation rental policy.

+ Law school lawsuit: The Charleston School of Law is suing the city of Charleston, alleging it is holding up a nearly $13 million land sale to a hotel developer.

Slim Chickens is a fast-casual restaurant chain based in Fayetteville, Ark. Franchisees plan to open nine new restaurants in eastern South Carolina, in Charleston, Florence and Myrtle Beach.

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