Furman Athletics Announces Major Renovations To Timmons Arena

Furman’s Timmons Arena, the basketball home of the Paladins for nearly three decades, will undergo a major renovation and reopen in the fall of 2025, Furman Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Donnelly announced Feb. 20, 2024, at a news conference on campus. 

University officials said the $40 million donor-funded renovation will transform Timmons Arena into a first-class, state-of-the-art facility that will dramatically enhance the game day experience for Furman’s loyal fans and students and stand among the best arenas in college basketball at its size and scale.

The renovations are scheduled to begin in April 2024 and include: a reimagining of the arena’s entrance and lobby, upgrades to seating options, the addition of premium and luxury box seating, improved audio and visual components, enhanced box office support, a children’s play area, new visiting team locker room and new administrative offices.

There will be premium access to eight private suites and two party suites, a hospitality deck, courtside seating and a private VIP lounge, and enhanced concessions, including “Grab & Go” options. 

The capacity of the renovated arena will be 2,750 and feature 360-degree concourse access to lower-bowl seating. 

University officials said the signature capital project of the Clearly Furman  Campaign represents the largest donor-funded project in Furman history and is headlined by a cornerstone $10 million gift from philanthropist and businessman Ravenel B. Curry III ’63.

His lead gift is supported by more than 200-plus donors, including ten seven-figure gifts and 31 six-figure gifts. 

University officials said the investments represent a significant step in advancing the strategic priorities outlined in Inspiring Greatness , Furman Athletics’ Strategic Plan, which emphasizes philanthropic support for athletics facilities, endowment, and operational support for all 19 varsity teams. 

“Thanks to our generous donors, Timmons Arena will be the showplace for college basketball in our conference and one of the best arenas in the country,” said Furman University President Elizabeth Davis.

Davis added, “Timmons will be a jewel on campus for all our students, faculty and staff, and it will continue to be a place for the Upstate and Furman communities to gather for basketball, Furman Engaged, graduation, and other student events.”

The interior and exterior renovation represents Phase Two of a comprehensive donor-funded plan to improve Timmons Arena following the September 2022 completion of Phase One, which features the renovation and expansion of basketball offices, locker rooms, and film rooms for the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

Fundraising is ongoing and naming opportunities are available.

“The reimagination and renovation of Timmons Arena is a transformational moment for Furman Basketball and the entire Greenville community which shows a commitment to maintaining one of the most competitive programs in mid-major basketball,” said Furman head men’s basketball coach Bob Richey.

During the renovation, Furman’s men’s basketball will play the majority of its home games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in downtown Greenville, while the women’s team will play the majority of its home games at North Greenville University. 

Both squads will practice in Alley Gym. The programs will return to the newly renovated arena in the fall of 2025.

“We are so appreciative to all who contributed to this project,” said Furman head women’s basketball coach Pierre Curtis. “This renovation will be a game changer for our program and student-athletes and is another example of how Furman continues to set ourselves apart from other universities.”

Ken Betsch of Betsch Associates is the lead architect on the renovation and whose recent projects include the College of Charleston’s TD Arena and the University of Texas Event Center. 

Greenville’s Harper General Contractors, currently overseeing Furman’s South Housing project, Converse College’s Fleming Hall and Clemson University’s Soccer Complex at Riggs Field, will serve as the contractor. 

Furman's NCAA Division I athletics program includes 19 varsity programs and over 350 student-athletes.

A member of the Southern Conference since 1936, Furman has claimed 248 league team championships and made 133 appearances in NCAA Tournament competition.

Among the university's 173 All-Americans are basketball's Frank Selvy, soccer's Clint Dempsey, golf's Brad Faxon, Dottie Pepper, and LPGA Hall of Famers Betsy King and Beth Daniel.

Century Aluminum Joins with SC Governor, USC Economist to Unveil Findings of Economic Impact Study

Leaders from Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ: CENX) on Feb. 20, 2024, joined with South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and economist Joseph Von Nessen, Ph.D., of the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina to unveil the results of a study conducted by USC that examined the economic impact of Century’s Mt. Holly facility on the local and state economy.

In particular, the study documents the substantial economic impact Mt. Holly has on the state of South Carolina, where the average wage among all direct jobs supported by Century Mt. Holly is $102,302.

“We are proud of the significant role that Mt. Holly plays in the economy. This new study finds that the annual economic impact of Mt. Holly is over $770 million, which is a significant contribution to the state of South Carolina,” said Century CEO Jesse Gary.

Gary added, “Because of our outstanding workforce, strong federal support of this critical industry and the critical leadership of Governor McMaster, Century has continued investing in South Carolina, and is poised to grow.”

“We pride ourselves on creating an economic climate that allows businesses to provide the best economic opportunities to our citizens. Mt. Holly has been instrumental in creating hundreds of good-paying family sustaining jobs,” McMaster said.

He added, “Century Aluminum’s Mt. Holly plant is clearly a unique economic driver for South Carolina.” 

“Century Mt. Holly is generating a higher return on employment for the state than many other businesses of comparable size. For every 10 jobs that are created by Mt. Holly, another 22 jobs, on average, are created elsewhere in South Carolina,” said Von Nessen. “These high wage jobs also support a diverse employment base.”

According to the report, Mt. Holly:

* Contributes $772.9 million annually to the state’s economy.

* Creates and sustains 1,439 jobs for a total annual labor income of $112.9 million.

* For every 10 jobs created in Mt. Holly, another 22 are created elsewhere in South Carolina (for a total of 32 jobs).

On average, according to officials, all jobs supported by Mt. Holly (directly or indirectly) pay $78,457 per year, which is 46 percent higher than the average wage in South Carolina.

Moreover, the average wage of the Mt. Holly facility's direct employees is almost 90 percent higher than the state's average wage, the officials said.

Despite the already sizable economic impact that Mt. Holly maintains on both the Charleston tri-county region and the state of South Carolina, Century is actively reviewing the opportunity to increase its production an additional 25 percent to reach full production levels.

The Economic Impact study reveals that if Century were to reach its full capacity, the total direct economic impact of the smelter would increase from $772.9 million to approximately $877.0 million annually.

Century Aluminum was established in 1995, with Mt. Holly being one of its initial facilities.

In the nearly 30 years since its inception, Century has significantly expanded its operations to include both domestic and international locations.

In South Carolina, primary aluminum and metal production has been a part of the state's manufacturing industry for a long time.

Census Bureau Releases New Brief About Travel to Work Since Pandemic’s Onset

The U.S. Census Bureau on Feb. 20, 2024, released a brief highlighting the latest available statistics on commuting behavior in the United States and Puerto Rico from the 2022 American Community Survey (ACS).

The brief, Commuting in the United States: 2022, shows changes in the way people travel to work since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic along with several key commuting characteristics, including means of transportation to work, travel time to work, and time of departure from home to go to work.

Highlights:

* Almost 140 million people in the United States routinely commuted to work in 2022, and more than 20 million worked from home.

*Among U.S. workers, 15.2 percent worked from home in 2022, down from almost 17.9 percent in 2021 but still far higher than the 5.7 percent that worked from home before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019.

Among workers in Puerto Rico, 5.9 percent worked from home in 2022, down from 7.4 percent in 2021 but more than twice the 2019 share of 2.4 percent.

* The share of U.S. workers driving alone to work was 68.7 percent in 2022, about 7 percentage points less than the 75.9 percent in 2019. In Puerto Rico, 82.7 percent of workers drove alone to their place of work in 2022, compared to 84.3 percent in 2019, a decline of less than 2 percentage points.

* Public transportation commuting in the United States remained well below the 2019 share of 5.0 percent of workers at 3.1 percent in 2022. This represented an increase from the 2.5 percent of workers commuting by public transportation in 2021.

In Puerto Rico, less than 1 percent of workers commuted by public transportation in 2021 and 2022, compared to 1.2 percent in 2019.

* In each of seven U.S. metropolitan areas with the most public transportation commuters, more workers commuted by public transportation in 2022 compared to 2021. However, public transportation commuting did not rebound to 2019 levels in any of these seven metro areas. In the New York metro, there were roughly 700,000 fewer transit commuters in 2022 than in 2019.

* Average one-way commuting time among those who traveled to a workplace increased by almost 1 minute from 25.6 minutes in 2021 to 26.4 minutes in 2022, still well short of its historic high of 27.6 minutes in 2019.

* With more than 20 million people working from home in 2022, about 9 million fewer commuters departed their homes for the workplace during the core commuting hours of 6 a.m. to 8:59 a.m. in 2022 than in 2019.

IRS: Many Farmers, Fishers Face March 1 Tax Deadline

The Internal Revenue Service reminded farmers and fishers who chose to forgo making estimated tax payments by January that they must generally file their 2023 federal income tax return and pay all taxes due by Friday, March 1, 2024.

IRS officials said the special March 1, 2024, deadline allows farmers and fishers to avoid any estimated tax penalties.

Though several tax-payment options are available, a taxpayer can use a quick, easy and free option to pay from their bank account by using their Online Account or schedule payments in advance using IRS Direct Pay.

The special March 1, 2024, deadline applies to anyone who qualifies as a farmer or fisher and didn’t make an estimated tax payment by Jan. 16, 2024.

Those who made a qualifying payment by Jan. 16, 2024, can wait until the regular April 15, 2024, deadline to file and still avoid estimated tax penalties. See Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax, for details.

The deadline is April 17, 2024, in Maine and Massachusetts.

For this purpose, a farmer or fisher is anyone who received at least two-thirds of their gross income from farming or fishing during either 2022 or 2023.

Paying online is safe, fast and easy

Online Account allows individuals to make same-day payments from a checking or savings account. Taxpayers can also see their payment history, balance and payment plan information, and digital copies of certain notices sent from the IRS.

Taxpayers can use IRS Direct Pay to schedule a payment from their bank account with no registration or login required. Those who need to pay business taxes through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) can also choose to use this system to make their individual income tax payments.

For more information about these and other payment options go to IRS.gov/payments.

Forms and publications to use

Farmers

Use Schedule F (Form 1040), Profit or Loss From Farming, to report income and expenses.

Use Schedule SE (Form 1040), Self-Employment Tax, to figure self-employment tax if net earnings from farming are $400 or more.

See  Topic No. 554, Self-Employment Tax, Publication 225, Farmer's Tax Guide, and Agriculture Tax Center for more information.

Fishers

Use Schedule C (Form 1040), Profit or Loss from Business (Sole Proprietorship), to report income and expenses.

Use Schedule SE (Form 1040), Self-Employment Tax, to figure self-employment tax if net earnings from fishing are $400 or more.

See Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business, for commercial fishers who file Schedule C.

Related items

For farmers and fishers operating as a partnership or corporation see Publication 541, Partnerships, or Publication 542, Corporations.

For information on estimated tax, see Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax, and Topic No. 416, Farming and Fishing Income.

Publication 5034, Need to Make a Payment?, (English and Spanish).

Allow us to tell your company's Business Narrative. Send your press release to David Dykes or for more information email [email protected]