Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, took action to block access to the social media platform TikTok from all state government electronic devices managed by the South Carolina Department of Administration. 

The governor made the request in a letter to South Carolina Department of Administration Executive Director Marcia Adams.

“Protecting our State’s critical cyber infrastructure from foreign and domestic threats is key to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of our citizens and businesses,” McMaster wrote in the letter.

“Federal law enforcement and national security officials have warned that TikTok poses a clear and present danger to its users, and a growing bi-partisan coalition in Congress is pushing to ban access to TikTok in the United States.”

The Department of Administration, a cabinet agency, uses shared services and centralization to help agencies efficiently and securely carry out common government functions.

Those efforts include, but are not limited to, internet services, managing mobile devices, computers, and other online devices at state agencies, with a focus on cybersecurity.

The governor has long encouraged state agencies to partner with the Department of Administration to allow the state’s cyber infrastructure to be maintained and managed in a comprehensive and cohesive fashion.

In his letter to Executive Director Adams, the governor requests an accounting of agencies not currently using the shared services: “Unfortunately, there are a number of state agencies who continue to operate in a silo. I ask that you provide my office with a listing of state agencies for whom the department is unable to permanently block access to TikTok.”

Greenville Mayor Knox White announced a $1 million donation to the Honor Tower at Unity Park. The Thomas and Vivian A. Wong Honor Tower will be dedicated to military veterans and first responders, offering a place of reflection and solemnity in the heart of the 60-acre Unity Park.

One of the Greenville park’s largest donations to date, Vivian Wong and her late husband were longtime community philanthropists and entrepreneurs.

Vivian and her daughter Madina Cauthen were honored at an event attended by more than 100 guests and media.

“Being American really meant a lot to them. And I think the vision behind what the Honor Tower stands for was important to them,” Madina Cauthen said of her parents.

“Greenville needs a place where they can honor first responders and veterans, and it will be a place of honor.”

The Wongs moved to South Carolina from Hong Kong almost 60 years ago. Over the years they built a restaurant business from the ground up, starting in Greenville with the first Dragon Den location.

They became successful businesspeople and went on to invest in hotels, industrial projects and international business ventures.

They channeled their success into the community and played a pivotal role in changing the face of downtown Greenville. They have given generously over the decades, including donating the land for the Cancer Survivors Park and the Patewood Medical Campus.

Vivian has served on the Greenville Tech Foundation’s advisory board, supported community-focused charities like Goodwill and served as South Carolina’s honorary trade ambassador, appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley.

The Honor Tower will be constructed just south of the Reedy River, between what used to be Mayberry and Meadowbrook parks. The site location – between the two historically segregated parks – underscores the park’s symbol of unity, city officials said.

USPTO China IP Road Show coming December 15

9am - 4:30pm

Greenville Technical College (Barton Campus) Student Success Center

506 Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville, SC

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s China Intellectual Property (IP) Road Show comes to Greenville, South Carolina, with a free one-day program bringing together experts from the U.S. government, academics, IP attorneys, and local business people to share insights on China and IP issues that will benefit U.S. IP rights holders. Join us to hear from these experts about how to protect and enforce your IP rights in China and the United States. To register CLICK HERE.

Essential Cabinetry Group, a leading cabinetry company, announced plans to expand its operations in Greenville County. The company’s $4.75 million investment will create 156 jobs, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

Essential Cabinetry Group manufactures build-to-order cabinets including stock, custom and semi-custom cabinetry and serves more than 750 kitchen and bath suppliers across the United States.

The company’s brands include Tedd Wood Fine Cabinetry, Executive Cabinetry and Designers Choice Cabinetry.

Located at 2838 Grandview Drive, Essential Cabinetry Group is expanding its existing facility in Simpsonville, allowing the company to increase production to 150,000 cabinets annually, Commerce officials said.

The expansion is expected to be complete by September 2023. Those interested in joining Essential Cabinetry Group should go to the company’s careers page. 

The state’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development awarded a $100,000 Set-Aside grant to Greenville County to assist with the costs of building improvements.

CBRE said it arranged acquisition financing of TradePark East, a four-building, 837,200-square-foot industrial park in Ladson, S.C., just outside of Charleston. The park was sold for $101.5 million.  

CBRE Capital Markets’ Debt & Structured Finance worked on behalf of the borrower, Dogwood Industrial Properties, to secure an $87.8 million loan from Artemis that includes future funding and a phased funding.

CBRE’s Brian Linnihan, Mike Ryan, Richard Henry and Taylor Crowder represented the borrower.

Located along Weber Boulevard just east of Patriot Boulevard, TradePark East features four Class A, high-bay warehouses ranging in size from 145,600 square feet to 343,160 square feet.

From the time CBRE started marketing the debt until it selected a lender, occupancy at TradePark East rose from 29 percent to 100 percent, CBRE officials said. Construction on all four buildings was recently completed.

Charleston’s industrial market is one of the tightest in the country, according to CBRE research, with a vacancy of just 0.4 percent across 72.5 million square feet.

Year-to-date, the area has experienced approximately 6 million square feet of net absorption, only limited by the few existing space options available in the market, CBRE officials said.