VOLUME 25 NUMBER 17 ■ GSABUSINESS.COM
Part of the
OCTOBER 3-OCTOBER 16, 2022 ■ $2.25
network
Volvo readies for EX90 with Upstate plants
Bicycle bridges
City expects bridges to link wider user group to trail. Page 9
By Krys Merryman
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Protecting troops Pendleton company developing material to combat chemical agents. Page 8
THE GRAND BOHEMIAN
Hotel mixes nature and art in downtown Greenville By Krys Merryman
CommunityWorks leadership change New CEO is a verteran of community development. Page 5
Vodka venture
After establishing awardwinning reputation, company plans retail site. Page 3
INSIDE
Leading Off .......................... 2 SC Biz News Briefs ................ 3 C-Suite ................................ 4 In Focus: Education & Workforce Development ..... 13 LIST: Postgraduate degree porgrams ........................... 18 BONUS LIST: Private schools .............................19 At Work ..............................22 Viewpoint ...........................23
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kmerryman@scbiznews.com
ichard Kessler said from the beginning — which was nearly eight years and $100 million ago — that the hotel he had in mind for Greenville would be a destination for locals as much as travelers. And in the days since the Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville opened with a ceremony on Sept. 15, a steady stream of Upstate visitors suggests he was right. The lodge is the first of its kind for hospitality developer The Kessler Collection. Grand Bohemian hotels are part of the Marriott Bonvoy Autograph Collection, specifically the Kessler Portfolio. From start to finish, it has been nearly eight years since Kessler, chairman and CEO of The Kessler Collection, first saw the site with Greenville Mayor Knox White. “As soon as I saw the location on the river, I knew there was no question this would be the site of the hotel. We couldn’t do a typical hotel, it’s too precious of a site in this park. We had to do something special, and this is really an opportunity for us to add something beautiful for the community,” Kessler said. The lodge is a located right on the Reedy River with views of downtown Greenville
and Falls Park. Whether you are a guest at the hotel or its restaurant or want to read a book on the porch overlooking the river, this is a destination for anyone, said Mark Kessler, president and COO of Kessler Collection Design and Development. “It’s already created a lot of excitement for the business and social club scene in Greenville as a social center. This is something new to Greenville that could not be replicated,” he said. The Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville was a large investment, embarked upon not as an investment to flip but for longevity, with expectations to be the managers and owners of the location for years to come, said Mark Kessler. With 187 luxury suites and guest rooms, the lodge also features the tranquil Poseidon Spa, Between The Trees contemporary cuisine restaurant with a Michelin Star chef, Nicolas Abello, and bourbon bar Spirit & Bower. Guests can enjoy an intimate or group dining experience around one of the four fireplaces in the upscale dining space, in the 1,000-bottle wine room or private dining room featuring an exterior glass wall that opens to views and sounds of nature. Overlooking the Liberty Bridge and the waterfalls, Sprit & Bower is an upscale bourSee BOHEMIAN, Page 10
Cyber Security
Programs combatting shortage in cybersecurity workforce. Page 13
kmerryman@scbiznews.com
olvo Cars USA’s bid for tax breaks for some Upstate investments is part of the company’s efforts to prepare its Ridgeville plant for building its new and fully electric flagship SUV. Volvo CEO Jim Rowan says the EX90 ushers in a new era for safety for Volvo drivers and passengers. “Born electric, born with lidar. The start of a new era of electrification, technology and safety,” Rowan said in a video presentation at the end of September. All Volvo EX90s will come with a combination of the latest technology powered by an understanding of the car’s outside environment and the person driving the vehicle, the company says. “We’re yet to achieve our safety vision: that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car. To continue our journey toward zero, we’re introducing innovations that will change how we all see safety,” Rowan said. Rowan promises in the video that this next-generation SUV is beyond any of its Volvo predecessors. “With the state-of-the-art technology, made up of cameras, radars, ultrasonic sensors and, key, a lidar in the roofline, which is a precision light-enabled radar system that measures distance with pulsed laser, all of which combined will give us more time to act and avoid collisions,” he said. Ordinances authorizing the execution and delivery of the FILOTs — fees in lieu of taxes — between Volvo Cars USA and Greenville and Spartanburg counties were unanimously approved by the counties’ councils in late September, moving the proposals forward for final votes at upcoming meetings. The final votes are anticipated within the next few weeks. Volvo Cars USA plans to invest upward of $62 million in existing businesses that supply See VOLVO, Page 11