Your First Choice for Scratch and Dent Appliances in St. George

A familiar roadside name is making a return trip to the Lowcountry’s competitive convenience store and fuel-stop industry after a lengthy absence.

Atlanta-based RaceTrac Inc. announced it’s expanding into the Charleston region with what it called its “largest travel center format” near a busy crossroads in St. George.

It’s also entering the Greenville market with a new retail location featuring extra diesel services to accommodate truck drivers.

The company didn’t give specific opening dates. It told an industry trade publication it was hoping the new Palmetto State stores would ready by Dec. 29. Each will require about 40 workers.

The newly built 8,700-square-foot St. George store is near Interstate 95 and West Jim Bilton Boulevard in upper Dorchester County. Its features include “a large, easily maneuverable lot with additional spacious high-flow diesel lanes, overnight truck parking” as well as scales to weigh truck loads, according to the company, which will compete with a nearby Flying J Travel Plaza and Pilot Travel Center, among other food-and-fuel stops.

The new Upstate store is near I-85.

“We have put a great deal of thought and research into the selection of these new locations, based on their proximity to city centers and the needs of professional drivers through the state,” a RaceTrac official said in a written statement.

The company traces its roots to a Missouri business that was started in 1934. It adopted the RaceTrac name and moved its headquarters to Atlanta in 1976. CSP, an online news outlet that covers the industry, said it ranked RaceTrac as the 15th-largest convenience store chain in the country based on its 800 locations.

New archives show the chain operated at least three retail sites in North Charleston and Goose Creek decades ago, from around the mid-1980s to until at least the early 1990s.

United Airlines is adding another daily flight between the Lowcountry and Houston.

Currently, the Chicago-based airline flies between Charleston International and the Texas metropolis once per day, but that will change at the end of March.

The additional seasonal nonstop is part of a rollout of more than 40 new flights being added at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

According to United, the expansion is part of a broader initiative to connect “top outdoor North American destinations.”

A spokesperson for the carrier said demand for travel between the Bayou City and Charleston is high and that a second daily flight gives passengers more options and flexibility.

AAA rating

One of the newest boutique lodgings south of the City Market in downtown Charleston has joined the AAA’s list of Four Diamond accommodations.

The 45-room Palmetto Hotel was the only property in the state to be added this year. Formerly called The Saint, it reopened its doors last spring under a new name, new ownership and new look. The hotel finished its penthouse suite renovation late last year.

The Palmetto also secured a nod from Condé Nast Traveler in 2023 as one of the best places to bunk down in the Holy City.

The list of AAA Four Diamond recipients in the U.S. includes 16 hotels in the Charleston region and seven others across South Carolina. They include the Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina in Mount Pleasant, The Westin Poinsett in Greenville and the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach.

One of the most influential and well-known figures in global finance received a round of applause as he approached the reception line — what the assembled group of employees at Meeting and Market streets termed “the tunnel of love.”

And then, after the introductions, JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon opened the floor for the next 25 minutes, fielding an array of questions ranging from the role of artificial intelligence at the nation’s biggest bank to his kitchen skills.

“We’ve been doing it for 10 years,” he said of AI.

“And some of it’s behind what you’re already doing. You just don’t see it,” Dimon added, while also noting the technology is still at “the tip of the iceberg” stage.

As for his culinary acumen, he’s most comfortable in front of the grill.

“I’m not a chef, like fine-tuned, but I do all the barbecuing,” he confided.

The blunt-spoken New York-bred Wall Street veteran has been at the helm of JPMorgan as chairman and CEO since 2005, making him the longest-tenured chief executive among the nation’s biggest financial institutions.

Dimon swooped into Charleston on Tuesday to meet with clients and to chat with workers at the bank’s flagship downtown location at 177 Meeting St. The short Southeast swing included a follow-on trip to Jacksonville, Fla.

About six years ago, Dimon spearheaded JPMorgan’s fast-paced expansion into areas it didn’t serve, including South Carolina, with the company’s Chase consumer bank brand leading the charge.

The plan called for the opening of least 400 retail branches around the country that would extend the New York-based financial titan’s reach to the 100 largest U.S. markets and 93 percent of the population.

“I think when we started were in 25 states,” he said after Tuesday’s employee Q&A session. “Now we’re in 48, other than Alaska and Hawaii. And it’s doing very well.”

In all, Chase has opened nine branches in the Charleston region and 10 more statewide since its 2018 debut, with several more coming this year. Last summer, the bank announced it would grow to 100 locations across the Carolinas over two years, more than double its original goal of 40.

Dimon also hinted at a new “rural strategy” in the works at JPMorgan that he described as “slightly different.”

“We haven’t rolled it out yet, but we are working on one,” he said.

The branch expansion — Chase now operates nearly 5,000 U.S. brick-and-mortar locations — is a “physical manifestation” of a broader-based and localized flood-the-zone strategy, Dimon said.

“The investment bank came down here, the private bank has a good share .. So it’s all of JPMorgan Chase, it’s not one thing,” he said.

Still, the walk-in storefronts remain an important part of the business. Dimon estimated that about a million customers visit a bank branch every day in the U.S. and that traffic is “very consistent.”

“That’s why,” he said.

The difference is the modern-day office setup is smaller and staffed less by tellers and more by “advisers,” such as mortgage lenders, wealth managers and small business bankers.

“So the people need advice, that’s what they need. The financial world looks kind of complex, and they want to talk to someone,” he said.

JPMorgan itself is a complicated organization. The financial services behemoth manages loans and other assets totaling $3.9 trillion as of Dec. 31 and it has a stock market value of $508 billion. Dimon steered the company through the financial crisis 15 years ago and last May he helped seal the takeover of the troubled First Republic Bank.

For the moment, the CEO and Wall Street statesman isn’t too worried about the broader economy, though he’s “a little more of a skeptic” about whether the Federal Reserve can avoid a recession by pulling off a so-called soft landing in its war on inflation. He’s encouraged that the labor market is strong and wages are climbing “at the low end for the first time in years.”

“And all that’s good, you know, because consumers are in pretty good financial shape,” he said. “While debt has gone up, it’s still nowhere near what it was as a function of your net worth or your income as it was before. So if we would go into recession, we’re in pretty good shape. Companies have been in pretty good shape.”

Dimon, 67, said his biggest worry isn’t whether interest rates rise or fall or if the economy heads south. It’s “the state of the world” that weighs on his mind, including the Israel-Gaza conflict, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Red Sea terrorist attacks.

“That’s the stuff that matters,” he said. “I don’t like even talking about the economy in the same breath because it almost diminishes the importance.”

Dimon also pointed to the threat of “autocratic” regimes — “so think of China, Iran, North Korea, Russia — wanting to damage the western democracies, and in particular America.”

“So I look at that .. as that’s the frontline for us,” he said.

At the same time Dimon stressed he’s bullish on the U.S. and its knack to constantly innovate, grow and prosper.

“People look at Silicon Valley, but we took a bus trip this summer in Boise and Spokane and Bozeman. It’s everywhere. ... I mean, it’s really amazing the vibrancy of this country and the freedom, the power of freedom,” he said.

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Rosenwald Schools helped educate Black students in segregated South. Could a national park follow?

ST. GEORGE, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - A part of history in St. George that was set to be bulldozed now has a bright future.

The Rosenwald School in St. George was a building many people may never have been aware of, but it was one of thousands across the south that educated black children during segregation. It opened in 1925 and closed in 1954, eventually falling into an extreme state of disrepair with a caving ceiling, deteriorating floors and chipped, peeling walls.

But a group of former students got together and came up with a plan to save their historic upper Dorchester County school. The newly renovated St. George Rosenwald School will officially become a museum and community center.

It was in schools like the Dorchester County site, and nearly 5,000 others built in the American South a century ago, that Black students largely ignored by whites in power gained an educational foundation through the generosity of a Jewish businessman who could soon be memorialized with a national park.

They are now called Rosenwald Schools in honor of Julius Rosenwald, a part-owner and eventual president of Sears, Roebuck and Co., who teamed up with African American educator and leader Booker T. Washington to create the program to share the expenses of schools for Black children with the community.

There was no public transportation for the school’s students so most had to walk to school except for the lucky few, like Ordie Brown, who caught a ride on a donated bus.

“My father was fortunate enough to buy an old school bus and by getting that bus, I was able to drive that bus from the St. Mark community, bringing children from there, here to this school,” Brown said.

Rosenwald School historian Andrew Feiler says every county in the state had at least one Rosenwald School. Some had up to five. With no public transportation, attempts were made to place the schools in central, accessible locations.

Rosenwald gave $1,500 to each school; the remainder of the cost of each school had to be split between the Black community and local governments. For the Black community, cash, land, material or labor could count as their contribution, Feiler said.

“The leaders of this program reached out to the Black communities of the south and they said, ‘If you would contribute to the schools, because we want you to be a full partner in your progress.’” Feiler said.

Ralph James attended first and second grade at the school and now serves as chairman of the group of seven responsible for restoring the school to repair a caved ceiling, decayed floor and chipped, peeling walls.

“It’s a center of hope. It’s a center of encouragement,” James said. “It inspired us in spite of the odds and challenges we faced.”

The 76-year-old retired municipal judge has made it his life’s goal to restore his old school.

“Education has always been the key to success. Julius Rosenwald gave us that key,” James said.

The six-classroom building will now serve as a museum, historic site, field trip venue and community gathering place for years to come. When visitors walk inside, they will see some of the original floors and some of the original student desks.

The building will feature memorabilia from the school including yearbooks, homemade band uniforms, major red uniforms, and pictures of graduating classes.

State Sen. John Mathews secured $65,000 in state funding while the group raised around $4 million for the project on their own.

“This community came together in a great way to make this project work,” U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn said. “This is the kind of thing that brings people together, and I’m so pleased that they are preserving this history.”

The St. George school was one of the larger ones with six classrooms and an auditorium. Most schools only had one or two classrooms. More than a third of America’s Black children in the first half of the 20th century were educated in a Rosenwald school.

Other Rosenwald schools have been converted into senior centers, town halls, special event venues or restaurants. Many remain recognizable by the careful plans Rosenwald approved. Tall windows oriented to the east and west assured an abundance of natural light and ventilation in rural areas where electricity often didn’t reach until after the Great Depression.

In St. George, the vision isn’t just restoring the school, but providing a sense of the thriving African American neighborhood surrounding it during segregation. Businesses including a grocery store, barber shop and pool hall benefitted the Black community.

Inside the restored school, two classrooms look almost as they did 70 years ago. Another classroom is a public meeting room. The auditorium has been turned into a multipurpose space and will have exhibits detailing the school’s history and hands-on science displays, James said.

“You can feel what it was like just like I did,” he said.

A grand opening is planned for September.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Convenience-store retailer RaceTrac is opening its first two stores in South Carolina. The Greenville store, located north of Interstate 85 at 1705 White Horse Road, will feature an extended diesel offering and the St. George location, near Interstate 95 and West Jim Bilton Boulevard, will be the brand’s largest travel center.

The St. George travel center is tentatively slated to open on Dec. 28 and the Greenville c-store on Dec. 29, RaceTrac told CSP.

“We have put a great deal of thought and research into the selection of these new locations, based on their proximity to city centers and the needs of professional drivers through the state,” said Justen Giambalvo, vice president of construction, engineering and special projects at RaceTrac. “As we expand our locations in South Carolina, we hope to meet the demand for clean and convenient facilities for fleet drivers and commuters alike as they fuel up and get whatever they need to get them going.”

Both stores will offer motorists everything they need to refuel and recharge, RaceTrac said, while serving the needs of small to mid-size fleet drivers and construction vehicles with an added high-flow diesel canopy and diesel exhaust fluid at the pump.

The travel center features a large, easily maneuverable lot with spacious high-flow diesel lanes, overnight truck parking and CAT scales to meet the needs of professional drivers, RaceTrac said.

Typical offerings in RaceTrac c-stores include grab-and-go pizza and sandwiches, fruit and salads, Swirl World frozen treat station, freshly ground and brewed “Crazy Good Coffee” with toppings and creamers and roller grill favorites. Customers can also expect a clean, well-lit parking lot and a chance to earn rewards through RaceTrac Rewards.

Each new South Carolina location adds about 40 new jobs to the community.

RaceTrac is expanding to other geographies as well. It was also slated to open its first Indiana store in December. It’s also eyeing Ohio.

RaceTrac has more than 570 locations in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee. RaceTrac President Natalie Morhous was CSP’s 2023 Retail Leader of the Year.

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The chain is set to open its first two stores in the state — one extended Diesel offering (EDO) and one travel center.

RaceTrac has announced that it will enter the South Carolina market with two new locations — one EDO in Greenville and the brand’s largest travel center format in St. George.

Both store formats will offer motorists the offerings they have come to expect, while serving the needs of local small to mid-size fleet drivers and construction vehicles with an added high flow diesel canopy and DEF at the pump. The St. George travel center features a large, easily maneuverable lot with additional spacious high flow diesel lanes, overnight truck parking and CAT scales to meet the needs of professional drivers.

“We have put a great deal of thought and research into the selection of these new locations, based on their proximity to city centers and the needs of professional drivers through the state,” said Justen Giambalvo, vice president of construction, engineering and special projects at RaceTrac. “As we expand our locations in South Carolina, we hope to meet the demand for clean and convenient facilities for fleet drivers and commuters alike as they fuel up and get whatever they need to get them going.”

Inside, RaceTrac stores offer a wide selection of on-the-go food and beverage favorites, including:

The company has noted that South Carolina guests can expect a clean, well-lit parking lot and a chance to earn rewards through the RaceTrac Rewards program and mobile app.

RaceTrac Rewards allows members to earn points with each purchase, in-store and at the pump. Points can be redeemed for food, drinks and even fuel. Members can redeem exclusive coupons to save on their favorite in-store items daily.

The RaceTrac Rewards + Debit Card can save customers seven cents per gallon and earn them rewards points when tied to their bank account.

Each new location adds approximately 40 new jobs to the community. RaceTrac offers both full- and part-time employees access to medical, vision and dental benefits, as well as access to RaceTrac’s 401(k) matching plan.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., family-owned RaceTrac has been serving guests since 1934 and now operates over 580 convenience store locations in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee.

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Not one, but three pine trees fell on a house in St. George when severe thunderstorms rolled through Monday night.

"So, it’s a lot to take in, and then thinking about the process that we have to go through to get the work done is something else too," said Shawn Calvin.

St. George family recounts moments trees fell on their house during Monday night's storms (WCIV)

Calvin and her husband, Frederick, have owned their home on Davis Terrace for about 15 years. They are devastated and overwhelmed by the mess.

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"About 9 o'clock is when the weather started to shift," she said. "It started raining really heavily, and the wind started blowing, and then by 10 o'clock is actually when it got really bad. So at that point, I was in the den talking to my sister and my husband was in bed."

She told her sister she was going to put the dog up in the other room and get ready for bed. That's when the ceiling came crashing down.

"I noticed that the middle part of the ceiling in the den fell in, and rainwater was coming in at that point," she said. "When I went down the hall to grab my purse, I noticed some of the insulation was coming down in the hallway."

They just finished remodeling the home, so the damage hit hard, but they are still grateful.

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"Well I’m full, but blessed because nobody was injured," Calvin said. "The dog and my husband, we all got out safely, but it’s just a lot to take in because we have had the house newly renovated. We haven’t been back here a year."

Now, they will find someplace to stay until they know if it’s safe.

"We’ll stay with relatives until we know the plan for repairs or what our next steps are," Calvin added.

But in the meantime: "So, we’re hoping that they can get it repaired in a few months or less, and we’ll move back in, prayerfully. Until then, we’ll just reside with relatives," Calvin said.

According to the National Weather Service in Charleston, there were 18 reports of wind damage across Colleton and Dorchester counties.