Meet the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Vicious Biscuit, George McLaughlin.

In 2017, George McLaughlin embarked on a new culinary venture with partner Michael Greeley called Vicious Biscuit. They opened their first location in Mount Pleasant, three days before Christmas, during COVID. It was an instant success! Skip ahead a few years and this month Vicious Biscuit is opening a location in Columbia, and has ambitious plans for franchising the brand over the next several years.

"Life changing, community changing work". The Excel Center is a tuition-free, in person public charter high school for adults. It’s designed to remove barriers to education, meet the needs of adults, and empower individuals to achieve their goals, and it helps students get ready for life after high school.

It is currently operating the Tri-County area of South Carolina and looking to expand its model to other areas of the state.

Hotel Trundle opened its doors in April 2018 and is located at 1224 Taylor Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina. They have rewritten the rules of Southern hospitality with a unique blend of curated guest experiences and services, good old-fashioned thoughtfulness, and an eclectic, 20s-era Art Deco style.

Recently, Rita and Marcus opened a new block of rooms located on Main Street, just around the corner from the original, flagship hotel, called the Flutter Wing.

Fork and Plough is a local favorite restaurant in Greenville, SC, situated in the heart of Historic Overbrook. Open 7 days a week, Fork and Plough offers dine-in and carry-out options as well as event catering and holiday pre-orders. With ingredients sourced primarily from local and regional producers, their menu changes twice daily so you'll always have something new to try.

Barbara Rackes is often remembered for her years in the women’s apparel industry, where she built a $10 million company doing business in three southeastern cities and employing more than 100 people. She also founded The Rackes Group, a website development and IT company. In 2018, Rackes co-founded SC Women in Leadership (SC WIL). Its mission is to encourage women to step up and lead corporations, boards, and governments.

Bob Moran has spent the last 24 years as a leader in the tennis community. Under Bob's leadership, the Credit One Charleston Open was named the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year in 2022 and 2023. He serves as the America’s representative on the WTA Tournament Council and is a Board Member of the WTA Foundation.

The 2024 Credit One Charleston Open is taking place March 30 - April 7 on Daniel Island.

R&R Resolute Staffing Firm, headquartered in Greenville, S.C., is a woman owned employment agency specializing in contract, contract-to-permanent, and direct hire positions for all types of businesses in Upstate, South Carolina. R&R Resolute Staffing's processes, personnel and customer service deliver the highest quality standards in the industry.

Although this is a young company with a first time entrepreneur, this is a leadership message that needs to be heard!

In March of 2024, Scout Motors announced that were investing a record-setting $2 billion to establish a manufacturing operation in the Columbia, SC region. They will be building all-electric trucks and rugged SUVs in the same tradition that made the original Scout an American icon. The company’s investment into this region has the potential to create 4,000 or more permanent jobs.

We chatted with Dr. Jan Spies, the Chief Production Officer at Scout Motors about their decision to locate in the Midlands of South Carolina and how they are looking to engage and hire talent right here in the Midlands. Spies is leading manufacturing of Scout Motors’ vehicles and is overseeing the launch of its new Production Center.

This conversation ties in nicely with the recent 2024 Elevate Midlands Report that was recently published. The report analyses Columbia, SC's long-term trends and compares them directly to trends in other cities in the Southeast region.

Brice Smith is the founder, president and CEO of Greenville, SC -based InvestiNet, a tech-forward accounts receivable management firm that began developing machine-learning applications over 10 years ago to streamline the collections process. He formed the company in 2011 after noticing that there was a need for a new type of debt resolution provider.

As the executive director of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV), Kevin Shwedo has ABSOLUTELY transformed and streamlined that department. Kevin is also the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, and he is a retired U.S. Army infantry officer (Colonel) among other executive-level leadership achievements.