Tag Archive for: meeting

McCormick Small Business Night Success

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Sally Caldwell, Communications Coordinator

August 26, 2015

MCCORMICK — The town of McCormick was excited to host its first Small Business Night, and even more excited to see its success. Many people gathered together last Thursday night in McCormick Middle School’s cafeteria to listen to speakers, ask questions, and strategize the growth of the town.

The meeting opened up with talk about the need for a central hub for tourism in McCormick, as well as other ideas that could promote tourism.

Small businesses must decide what their market is and understand how rural tourism applies to them.

Visitors look for entertainment, excitement, and education, and McCormick could easily produce all of these for rural tourists.

Southern hospitality was then discussed as the secret to tourism in South Carolina. No other place is known for being as courteous and familial as the communities in South Carolina, a trait that must be continued and embraced by the McCormick community.

Signage was also brought up as a factor that could change the face of rural tourism in McCormick. Signs drawn attention, keep attention, and guide onlookers to where their attention may be transformed into entertainment, excitement, or education.

Lauren Ponder then took over the meeting, promoting SC Great Outdoors, a website that is dedicated to preserving and promoting the historicalness of our counties, facilitating grants, and creating a sense of place. As Lauren said, “Development will happen, you just have to plan it.”

Lauren discussed potential changes that would enhance McCormick, such as new lighting, multimodal transportation, and more.

Next on the agenda was speaker Matt Wiggins. Matt talked about how to put small businesses on the map worldwide, primarily through web services. Matt said that “online presence is key,” and he offered his website skills to everyone at the meeting.

McCormick’s Small Business Night was a smashing success; now, the community eagerly awaits to see the fruits of this productive meeting.

Whether augmenting the structure of the town, creating new local businesses, or putting current businesses on the map, McCormick is on the brink of becoming a successful county of rural tourism.

The community of McCormick County excitedly discusses the potential of local businesses and how to improve McCormick through new local businesses and new strategies of promotion.

The community of McCormick County excitedly discusses the potential of local businesses and how to improve McCormick through new local businesses and new strategies of promotion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growers Alliance Meeting

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Sally Caldwell, Communications Coordinator

July 29, 2015

ABBEVILLE — On Thursday, the Freshwater Coast Community Food Alliance (FCCFA) held a meeting featuring guest speaker Mike McGirr, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Feed & Seed in Clemson, South Carolina.

The purpose of this meeting was to brainstorm ideas about how to enhance growers’ businesses and increase agriculture in the Freshwater Coast.

Mike McGirr spoke about the progress that he has made with Feed & Seed and with the food hub in Clemson. “We want our farmers to be profitable so that our farms remain in place,” McGirr noted regarding the future of agribusiness in the area. A high potential of productivity exists in the area, and the multiple acres of open pasture encourage advancement.

Mike McGirr leads discussion on agricultural enhancement of the Upstate with Lee Logan, Matt Wiggins, Stephanie Turner, Penny Parisi, Frank Love, Tim Hall, and others during the Growers Alliance Meeting.

Mike McGirr leads discussion on agricultural enhancement of the Upstate with Lee Logan, Matt Wiggins, Stephanie Turner, Penny Parisi, Frank Love, Tim Hall, and others during the Growers Alliance Meeting.

Organizations such as Ten at the Top and the Regulatory Services division at Clemson support agricultural growth and may be used for the benefit of the quality of life in Abbeville and McCormick counties and the Starr-Iva area of Anderson.

The meeting discussed options that would enhance the area, such as group GAP certification, the need for auditors, a food hub, a new farmer’s market system, a food truck, and a community event dedicated to locally made food and products.

The meeting concluded with forming new committees dedicated to making progress happen and following up on new ideas. The meeting determined that Growers Night will be on August 27th at 6:00 p.m.

Exciting things are happening in the community of business owners and farmers, and the FCCF looks forward to sharing these progressive steps with the entire Freshwater Coast community.

FCCF Hosts Growers Alliance Meeting

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Sally Caldwell, Communications Coordinator

June 16, 2015

ABBEVILLE — The Freshwater Coast Community Food Alliance (FCCFA) recently held a meeting in which they discussed the possibility of a golf cart rental business in Calhoun Falls, a farm rental business, and what the future of farming looks like for Abbeville County.

Jason Ashley, a livestock farmer, attended the meeting and provided valuable discourse about what is required in order to maintain successful farming and also the various obstacles that are presented to local producers. Many growers are beginning to sell their products at their farms rather than in the market or through a processor in order to ensure that the customers get what they want and can pay up front. After purchasing the meat at the farm, the buyer then takes the meat to a processor and the buyer pays the processing fee rather than the grower.

The meeting discussed details of livestock farming, such as essential slaughter dates, slaughter houses, and the need for more local meat processors.

Growers Meeting Media

Will Ferreira, Cody White, Amanda Morgan, Jenny Mountford, Tim Hall and Jason Ashley discussing strategies for agribusiness project implementations in the Freshwater Coast Community.

 

The FCCFA was encouraged by the progress made by the feasibility studies and research on local farming. Once these studies are finished, the FCCF will make them available on its website www.freshwatercoastcommunity.org to promote potential agricultural business opportunities.

They also discussed the need for identifying local byproduct buyers as well as training for local butchers. This training would teach butchers how to cut meat well and ensure that the customers get exactly what they order.

Farmer’s market strategies were also discussed, such as the need for a meat market and a certification process required in order to sell at the farmer’s market.

As discussed in the meeting, the Freshwater Coast Community Foundation is taking even more steps to improve agribusiness in Abbeville County, McCormick County, and the southern area of Anderson County.