COLUMBIA – A federal judge has issued an order that dredging opponents say carries out the South Carolina Supreme Court’s cancellation of a permit a South Carolina agency issued last November.

“One of the key issues here is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been threatening to short circuit the process and ignore South Carolina’s review,” Chris DeScherer, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said Monday.

“This provides an opportunity for the parties to mediate a dispute, but it also ensures that the challenges brought by (environmental groups and the S.C. Savannah River Maritime Commission) will be heard and resolved in a timely fashion.”

Mediation involving former S.C. congressman John Spratt had been postponed ahead of the state Supreme Court decision, which was issued Friday.

In that decision, the court sided with environmental groups when it said the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control had no power to issue a 401 water quality certification to the corps last November. The certification refers to its section of federal Clean Water Act.

Friday’s decision came with plenty of warning.

When arguments were heard in June, S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal told the DHEC attorney his agency had “disobeyed” state law, adding, “I think everybody agrees with that.”

On Friday the state high court said the Savannah River Maritime Commission, a panel created by the S.C. Legislature in 2007 — not DHEC — wields the authority to award dredging permits on the river.

South Carolina lawmakers have attacked Georgia’s dredging plans on the grounds that it will put the Port of Charleston at a competitive disadvantage, damage the environment and eliminate the need for a shared Ga.-S.C. Jasper Ocean Terminal planned for a few miles closer to the ocean than the Savannah harbor.

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit, alleging the corps was supposed to obtain a permit under the S.C. Pollution Control Act in order to dump dredge spoils containing cadmium in Jasper County, S.C.

“Because the S.C. Supreme Court has ruled that no Clean Water Act certificate has now been issued, this court anticipates that the S.C. Pollution Control Act permit issue may be of some secondary importance at this time,” wrote U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel in the District of South Carolina Beaufort Division, in Monday’s order.

“These developments, which may both clarify some issues and raise new and difficult legal questions, suggest that this may be a propitious moment for the parties to sit down,” and try mediation, wrote the federal judge.

Gergel also told the corps to be forthcoming about its activities.

In a letter dated Oct. 26, days before the Supreme Court’s decision, the corps told U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, that it is seeking an exemption from South Carolina’s 401 water quality requirement, “to prevent inappropriate delays” stemming from lawsuits.

In Monday’s order, Gergel told the corps to keep the court informed of such attempts. The judge ordered the corps to tell the court about any current and future submissions to Congress, seeking exemption from state permitting requirements.

In its Oct. 26 letter to Boxer, the corps had also said that if Congress authorizes the project or appropriates money for its construction, that amounts to an exemption.

Gergel’s order also directs the corps to share its funding picture with the court. He is calling for the corps to send a status report on federal appropriations for the $650 million deepening and to “promptly” update that report with any developments in the future.

The Georgia Ports Authority has been trying to deepen its channel from 42 feet to 47 feet, to get ready for larger ships traveling through the expanded Panama Canal in 2014.

“The project has been developed after more than a dozen years of expert study and analysis by multiple federal and state agencies,” Curtis Foltz, executive director for the Georgia Ports Authority said. “We remain confident that the project will move forward in accordance with all applicable authorities.”

On Monday evening, a corps spokesman said the agency is still reviewing the judge’s order.

Dean Peterson, sustainability manager at IKEA’s Port Wentworth Distribution Center, presented a check for $9,000 to Emergent Structures, a Savannah nonprofit organization that is building an educational greenhouse for special-needs high school students.

The structure will be built from materials reclaimed from various sites around Savannah.

Also present were Ramsey Khalidi, owner of Southern Pine Co.; Scott Boylston, president of Emergent Structures and program coordinator of SCAD’s Design for Sustainability program; Meagan Hodge, Emergent Structures project manager, founder of Design for Ability and SCAD Design for Sustainability alumna; Dean Peterson; and Stephen Hartley, Emergent Structures board member and director of Savannah Tech’s Preservation Technology program.

Firm reports bump in home prices

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a financial data reporting service, reported Tuesday that home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 5 percent in September over the same month in 2011.

This change represents the biggest increase since July 2006 and the seventh consecutive increase in home prices nationally on a year-over-year basis

In Savannah, home prices, including distressed sales, increased by 6.1 percent in September 2012 compared to September 2011. On a month-over-month basis, home prices, including distressed sales, decreased by 1.1 percent in September 2012 compared to August 2012.

Excluding distressed sales, year-over-year prices increased by 6.1 percent in September 2012 compared to September 2011 and increased by 4.3 percent in August 2012 compared to August 2011.

McDonald House volunteers to be honored

Ronald McDonald House Charities will honor its Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Room volunteers today from 5-7 p.m. at Byrd Cookie Bar & Bistro, 6700 Waters Ave.

Volunteers will be treated to hor d’oeuvres prepared by Byrd Cookie Bar & Bistro, along with a special drink “The Volunteer” created just for the evening’s celebration.

Six volunteers will be inducted into the Volunteer Hall of Fame established in 2009 to honor volunteers who have gone above and beyond the “call of duty” to help Ronald McDonald House’s children and families. Inductees include Carol Boyd, Deborah Dawe, Cindy Goldberg, Amy Henderson, Dan and Desi Koci and Linda Vissicchio.

For more information about volunteer opportunities, contact Lucy McLaughlin at 912-350-7641 or lucy@rmhccoastalempire.org.

For more information about the event or Ronald McDonald House, contact Nikole Layton at 912-350-7641 or nikole@rmhccoastalempire.org.

Breast cancer awareness draws donations

Kroger’s Atlanta Division customers and employees donated more than $450,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and more than $286,000 to Kroger’s “Giving Hope a Hand” campaign – a total of $736,000 in donations benefitting breast cancer awareness, treatment and research – from Sept. 30 to Oct. 27. This year’s Susan G. Komen fundraising efforts surpassed the original goal of $400,000 by more than $50,000.

“With the help of our generous customers and associates, we are one step closer to finding a cure for breast cancer,” says Glynn Jenkins, with Kroger’s Atlanta Division. “These donations reflect our community’s drive and dedication toward helping thousands of women across the country and around the world defeat this deadly disease.”

Kroger has 11 stores in the Savannah metro area. For more information on Kroger’s involvement in breast cancer awareness, go to kroger.com.

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers posted fewer job openings in September after advertising more in August than first estimated. The report suggests hiring will likely remain modest in the coming months.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that job openings dropped by 100,000 to 3.56 million, the fewest in five months. August’s openings were revised up to 3.66 million.

The number of available jobs has jumped about 63 percent since July 2009, one month after the recession ended. It remains well below the more than 4 million jobs a month advertised before the recession began in December 2007.

The job market remains very competitive. With 12.1 million people unemployed in September, there were 3.4 unemployed people, on average, competing for each open job. In a healthy economy, that ratio is roughly 2 to 1.

Employers filled fewer available positions in September than in August. And the number of people who quit fell to the lowest level in 10 months. That’s a bad sign for the job market, because it suggests workers see fewer opportunities to move to a better job. Workers tend to quit when they have other job offers.

One positive sign in the report: Layoffs fell.

Hiring looked a little better in October, according to the Labor Department’s employment report released Friday. Employers added 171,000 jobs last month and hiring in August and September was better than first estimated.

The unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent last month from 7.8 percent in September. But that was because more Americans began searching for work, likely reflecting increasing optimism about their chances.

The employment report measured net hiring and unemployment, while Tuesday’s report looked at total hiring, layoffs and quits.

Job openings fell in manufacturing, construction, hotels and restaurants, and in government. There was also a big drop in openings in professional and business services, which includes both high-paying jobs such as architects and engineers, as well as temporary services.

NEW YORK — Major stock-market indexes climbed Tuesday as investors waited for the finish of a closely fought U.S. presidential election.

“We’re on pins and needles,” said Phil Orlando, chief equity strategist at Federated Investors, a money management firm. Orlando, who backs Republican Mitt Romney, said he thought the stock-market’s gains reflected optimism that Romney could win.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 133.24 points to close at 13,245.68.

Companies that investors believe would benefit under a potential Romney administration surged ahead. They included United Technologies and Boeing, which do substantial business with the Defense Department.

Four financial companies — Travelers, American Express, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America — ranked among the 10 biggest gainers in the 30-stock Dow average.

Other investors say that they simply want the election behind them. That will allow Wall Street and Congress to shift their attention to the so-called fiscal cliff, a package of tax increases and government spending cuts scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.

In other trading Tuesday, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 11.13 points to 1,428.39, while the Nasdaq composite index gained 12.27 points to 3,011.93.

The price of crude oil jumped $3 to $88.71 in New York as reports suggested that Superstorm Sandy caused a drop in gasoline supplies. That also helped lift stocks in petroleum refiners. Tesoro Corp and Phillips 66 each rose 5 percent.

In the market for government bonds, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose to 1.75 percent. That’s up from 1.68 percent late Monday.

Donations from Savannah area credit unions totaling $12,000 were presented to the Children’s Miracle Network on Tuesday. Georgia Heritage Federal Credit Union donated $5,500, and the Coastal Empire Credit Union Chapter donated $6,500.

Left to right are Phoenicia Miracle, vice president of Memorial Health Foundation; Dale Taratuta, president/CEO of Georgia Heritage FCU; Dr. Eric Pearlman, medical director of The Children’s Hospital; and Don Hill, president of the Credit Union Chapter and CEO of Memorial Health FCU.

When I was a kid, one of my parents would always take me with them on voting day. I remember at least one instance when I arrived late to school because my father and I were voting. Well, I wasn’t exactly voting, but he was and I was standing by his side.

My grandmother has always been passionate about politics and history. She lives by a certain election year credo: Vote early and vote often. Not bad for a woman in her 90s.

I remember the polling places of my youth. The flags, men in suits and ties, the quiet hum of the fluorescent lights above, the smell of old coffee and plates filled with glazed doughnuts.

Neighbors would greet one another warmly, cast their votes in private and continue on with their day like normal, except that day, Election Day, warranted a sticker on one’s chest. “I voted,” the sticker pronounced.

As I have mentioned in this column before, I grew up in Ohio. That doesn’t count for much except in November every four years. My county in Ohio is Hamilton, and our closest major city is Cincinnati. Every four years, the pundits hone in on the county, essentially promising victory to the candidate that wins there.

I write this having just voted. I like voting as a Georgian. It is kind of mysterious.

The next four years are going to present us with enormous challenges. I would like to discuss one here today: Education.

We have a choice. We can stand by and watch as our counterparts around the world continue improving their childhood education systems or we can join them.

Joining them would mean creating an education system on our shores that challenges students, focusing on science, technology, engineering and math. Real subject matter that prepares our future leaders for 21st century jobs.

Re-engineering our school systems is the biggest challenge we will face, for one simple reason. The students currently enrolled in K-12 will develop, deploy, consume and create the systems of the future. They will work in industries that don’t yet exist. These industries don’t exist because these students haven’t created them yet.

We have no concept of what cars, computers, homes or the food we consume will look like in 30 years. And we have absolutely no idea what companies will be around in 30 years to produce the goods we will consume. Our current K-12ers are that industry, and we as community have the opportunity now to ensure success for future generations.

Classroom reform is overdue. Everything is tied to the education of our youth. Literacy, salary, crime and poverty. Statistics reinforce what seems obvious: Failing students struggle to become successful adults. It’s that simple.

Our future is tied to educating our youth.

This isn’t a Savannah problem. This isn’t a Georgia problem. This is a national epidemic. Change our education system, empower and educate our youth, and the work will pay dividends for years to come.

When I arrived late to class after my father and I had voted, I remember him signing me in at the principal’s office. I wasn’t scolded for being late that day. The folks in the office understood what my father was doing. He was looking out for his future.

Now is the time that we as a nation do the same thing.

Jake Hodesh is the executive director of The Creative Coast, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the creative and entrepreneurial community within the region. Jake can be reached at 912-447-8457 or jake@thecreativecoast.org.

Enviro Vac founder learned lessons from coaches

Kevin Jackson, high school freshman, could drop out of school provided he meet his father’s one condition: Find a job.

Until he found employment, his father told him, Jackson was to stay in school. In staying in school, he stayed with football. And football put him in contact with coach Curtis Kell, who one day in 1978 informed Jackson he could be a “generation changer.”

“I didn’t understand then what he meant — that I could end up changing life for the following generations of my family,” Jackson said. “My dad’s dad had made him drop out of school at age 14 to work in a textile mill, and I was on the same path.

“I’d be dyeing carpet right now if not for one guy.”

Instead, Jackson runs the region’s largest industrial cleaning and environmental service company. Jackson shared his life story and the business philosophy that has made Enviro Vac into a $48 million business over the last 14 years during a BiS Forum on Wednesday at the Savannah Morning News auditorium.

Jackson peppered his presentation with lessons learned from his high school football coach as well as his better known college mentors: Coaches Vince Dooley and Erk Russell.

Jackson played for Dooley and Russell at the University of Georgia in the early 1980s.

Dooley’s preaching on stability and Russell’s “hands-on” leadership would become the pillars on which he would build his business career.

“Leadership is the art of getting somebody to do something they don’t like to do and get them to like it,” Jackson said. “I learned that on the football field.”

Jackson also learned to take advantage of opportunities, and he recognized one in a fortuitous meeting with a family friend, Dave Hailey, in 1998.

Hailey was the plant manager at what was then known as Union Camp and called Jackson soon after he had left a sales job with a British bondings and adhesives manufacturer.

Hailey recognized a need for an industrial cleanup service provider.

He drove Jackson around the Union Camp campus on a golf cart and explained the potential.

“Let me show you something about industrial cleaning,” Hailey told Jackson.

Jackson went home and went to work on a business plan.

He started the business not long after with one vacuum truck, one hydro blaster, three employees and two clients: Union Camp (now International Paper) and Kemira (now Tronox).

Today, Enviro Vac operates one of the largest fleets of mobile cleanup equipment in the Southeast and boasts 477 employees and more than 40 clients in five states.

“You beat 50 percent of the people in life by hard work, and you beat another 40 percent with honesty and integrity,” Jackson said. “The last 10 percent is a dog fight.”

The biggest fight for Jackson and other Savannah business leaders these days is to help develop an educated workforce with a personal and professional work ethic that will work smart.

He noted he currently goes through 100 applications to find a single hirable employee.

“As community leaders, we must bridge that gap,” Jackson said.

Attorneys offer free advice to military, others

In honor of Veterans Day, attorneys at Smith Barid, LLC will offer free health care directives the week of Nov. 12 to active or retired military personnel, veterans, police, fire and other first responders.

Attorneys will be available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at the firm’s offices at 315 Commercial Drive, Suite C-1.

They’ll offer advice on how to pick an advance directive to legally document medical and/or end-of-life wishes and appoint someone to manage your affairs and communicate with doctors on your behalf in case of an emergency or incapacity.

“While we can never repay them for their service, we can certainly offer ours to make life easier for them and their loved ones in the event of a medical crisis,” said Smith Barid co-founder Richard Barid.

For more information, call 912-352-3999, email info@smithbarid.com or go to www.smithbarid.com.

Grand opening set for Levy’s new store

Levy Jewelers will celebrate the grand opening of their new flagship store at Bull and Broughton streets at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Levy Jewelers president Lowell Kronowitz, the fourth-generation owner of the jewelry business that has been in operation since 1900, will cut the ribbon and invite attendees to tour the new 20,000-square-foot retail location.

The new building features dedicated David Yurman, Rolex and Pandora boutiques, a full-service jewelry and Rolex-certified watch service center as well as expanded giftware lines. The event is free and open to the public.

Levy Jewelers has two locations in Savannah and one in Jacksonville, Fla.

For more information, call 912-233-1163 or go to www.levyjewelers.com.

Savannah Law School to hold open house

Savannah Law School, a branch of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, invites traditional and non-traditional students who are interested in pursuing a career in law to an open house and luncheon on Saturday.

The open house, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the law school at 516 Drayton St., is designed to give prospective students an in-depth look at the law school. Professors, students and staff will be on hand to answer questions on everything from financial aid to the admissions process.

Prospective students also will experience a mock class taught by a law school professor.

If you would like to attend the open house, email admissions@savannahlawschool.org or call 912-346-1657. For more information about the school, go to www.savannahlawschool.org.

Attorneys offer free advice to military, others

In honor of Veterans Day, attorneys at Smith Barid, LLC will offer free health care directives the week of Nov. 12 to active or retired military personnel, veterans, police, fire and other first responders.

Attorneys will be available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at the firm’s offices at 315 Commercial Drive, Suite C-1.

They’ll offer advice on how to pick an advance directive to legally document medical and/or end-of-life wishes and appoint someone to manage your affairs and communicate with doctors on your behalf in case of an emergency or incapacity.

“While we can never repay them for their service, we can certainly offer ours to make life easier for them and their loved ones in the event of a medical crisis,” said Smith Barid co-founder Richard Barid.

For more information, call 912-352-3999, email info@smithbarid.com or go to www.smithbarid.com.

One of the interesting things about the Web is how the lines blur between the categories of “useful” and “novelty.” These lines blur in two directions. First, some people find things to be useful that others find superfluous and unnecessary. And second, something can be both of those things at the same time.

It is in this light that I hold the social networking add-on called Timehop.

Timehop is easily one of my favorite things on the Internet. The concept is simple. You sign up (free, of course) with your Facebook, Twitter, etc. credentials.

After that, Timehop will email you your status updates from a year ago.

Who cares, right? It seems like a novelty at first glance, but I’ve found it to be incredibly rewarding and valuable. If I put something online last year, I’m reminded of it today, good, bad or indifferent.

I get sent pictures of my daughter when she was a year younger. I get the joy (or agony) of that Georgia Bulldogs game from a year ago. I get to see the political discussions play out while I already know the results.

Timehop puts this all on auto-pilot. I don’t have to update my settings, profile or anything else. I sign up once, and they work in the background, collecting and distributing my memories in annual intervals.

Beyond their main value, I really respect how Timehop handles their member interaction. They really only email me when they have something of value for me, and they can be assured that it’s valuable since I’m the one who created the content.

While I roll my eyes at Groupon emails, I’m actually excited to get a Timehop email.

Timehop can pull from Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, or even your text messages if you give them permission. They also have an iPhone app, but I’m an Android guy so I haven’t tried it out. I prefer the auto-pilot email approach anyway, but I’m sure the iPhone app is great, too.

When I overthink it (as I often do with things), Timehop is an example of how technology can actually help us in the real world. In a world full of daily deal email coupons, Timehop stands out as bridging the gap between our physical and digital selves.

It’s so easy for a Facebook post to get lost in the ether a few days after it goes up, but that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable later. It was something you created. It shouldn’t be lost.

I encourage everyone I speak with to sign up for Timehop. It’s free, it only takes a few seconds and it can give you a unique perspective on the social tools that have become so embedded in our lives. Their pitch line “A time capsule of you” is a real departure from the rest of the “next big things” out there.

Jesse Bushkar is the CEO of Sysconn New Media Inc. He can be contacted at 912-356-9920 or jesse@sysconn.com.

More than 1,500 Gulfstream employees attended the company’s military appreciation day, held Wednesday, to recognize employees who have been members of the U.S. armed forces.

As part of the event held in Hangar 1 adjacent to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, the company awarded a $60,000 scholarship to the Sentinels of Freedom, a nonprofit organization that dispenses aid to benefit veterans who have been severely injured in the line of duty. Scholarship recipients U.S. Army Lt. Jake Murphy and U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Josiah White were on hand.

The event also included the American Legion Post 184 Color Guard based in Thunderbolt.

Gulfstream has approximately 2,500 veterans in its overall workforce, including about 1,800 at its Savannah headquarters. The total number of employees is more than 12,500.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A South Carolina Supreme Court ruling that no state water quality certification has been granted for deepening the Savannah River shipping channel may raise difficult legal issues in an ongoing federal court dispute over the $650 million project, a federal judge said.

In an order this week, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel asked all the parties in the federal suit “to participate fully and in good faith in court-ordered mediation.”

The suit before Gergel concerns whether a South Carolina state pollution control permit is needed for the work.

Deepening the river on the border between the states been long sought by Georgia so its ports can handle larger containerships that will routinely call when the expanded Panama Canal opens in 2015.

The project would deepen the river and harbor entrance channel from its current 42 feet to 47 feet.

But the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled last week the Department of Health and Environmental Control violated state law in certifying a needed federal clean water permit for the project. The court ruled the state Savannah River Maritime Commission, not DHEC, has authority over river activities.

In granting the certification last year, the DHEC board reversed a decision by its own staff which said the dredging would harm endangered sturgeon in the river and fragile South Carolina wetlands.

When the environmental groups later sued over the state pollution permit — they argue toxic cadmium will be deposited on the South Carolina shore — the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Georgia ports argued that no permit was needed because the water quality certification had already been issued.

Under the Supreme Court ruling, that argument is now moot.

“These developments, which may both clarify some issues and raise new and difficult legal questions, suggest this may be a propitious moment for the parties to sit down and attempt to resolve through mediation these complex and difficult issues,” Gergel’s order said.

He had earlier ordered mediation directed by former South Carolina U.S. Rep. John Spratt, although that was delayed until the Supreme Court ruled. Now it will be rescheduled.

Gergel’s order also gives the corps 10 days to provide all submissions it’s made to Congress seeking an exemption from a South Carolina water quality certification. He also wants a status report on federal funds for the deepening.

Last month the corps notified Congress it wanted an exemption to prevent what it called “inappropriate delays” in the project.

A letter seeking the exemption was sent to U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Cal. and chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, by Jo-Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the Army for Public Works.

“Be advised that if Congress authorizes this project or next appropriates funds for construction” it would be providing an exemption, she wrote the senator.

Savannah Law School to hold open house

Savannah Law School, a branch of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, invites traditional and non-traditional students who are interested in pursuing a career in law to an open house and luncheon on Saturday.

The open house, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the law school at 516 Drayton St., is designed to give prospective students an in-depth look at the law school. Professors, students and staff will be on hand to answer questions on everything from financial aid to the admissions process.

Prospective students also will experience a mock class taught by a law school professor.

If you would like to attend the open house, email admissions@savannahlawschool.org or call 912-346-1657. For more information about the school, go to www.savannahlawschool.org.

Savannah has pulled off a pair of convention coups.

Two large trade associations will bring their annual conferences to town, Visit Savannah announced Wednesday. The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia made a four-year commitment to keep its convention in Savannah through 2017 while the Airborne Law Enforcement Association will hold its 2016 meetings and trade show at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.

The ACCG deal was a “great save” for Savannah, said Joe Marinelli of Visit Savannah, the local convention and visitors bureau. The conference brings together more than 1,100 commissioners and staff from Georgia’s 159 counties for training and meetings and has been held at the Savannah Civic Center since 2004 and every other or every third year in prior decades.

The association had told Savannah officials it probably would move its conference once its current contract expired in 2013 because of deteriorating conditions at the Savannah Civic Center. The group had long resisted offers to relocate to the larger and more modern facilities at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center because it is located outside of downtown Savannah on Hutchinson Island.

“We fit very well in the Civic Center; the ballrooms and meeting rooms were just the right size and the arena was perfect for our vendors,” said Carol Baker, ACCG's meeting planner. “Our members were comfortable with it, and with a lot of spouses coming in for the meeting, it was convenient to be downtown within walking distance of shopping and dining.”

The ACCG was considering taking its business to the new Jekyll Island convention center. But the hotel to be built in conjunction with that facility has been beset by delays, and Savannah officials were able to coax the ACCG into staying in Savannah for at least four additional years.

“Our members and their families enjoy the vibrancy and history of the downtown area, and we think that the move to the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center is ideal for us at this time,” said Ross King, executive director of the ACCG.

As for the Airborne Law Enforcement Association, the group landed in Savannah in part because of a modification made to the trade center in 2012. Officials added a hangar-style door to the facility at the request of the National Agricultural Aviation Association.

The group wanted to display its crop-dusting planes inside the convention center and agreed to hold its 2012 and 2014 conferences and trade shows in Savannah if the door was installed.

The door and related improvements has proven a wise investment at $134,000, according to Marinelli. Several groups, including the U.S. Special Operations Command, have utilized the access.

“ALEA is one of many groups that can now look at Savannah and the trade center as an attractive option for industry trade shows needing inside accommodation for aircraft, as well as large farm and construction equipment,” said Bob Coffey, the trade center’s general manager.

The ALEA conference will draw more than 750 public safety pilots and other personnel to Savannah in July 2016. The group’s 2012 conference was held in Reno, Nev., and the 2013 event is scheduled for Orlando.

COMING SUNDAY

The opening of new convention centers at Jekyll Island and other places around the state were supposed to hurt Savannah’s convention business. It hasn’t.

The leadership of First Chatham Bank hailed the bank’s “continued progress and improvement” in a letter to shareholders sent Wednesday.

The Savannah-based community bank reported its first quarterly profit in more than two years in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, according to a report filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The bank remains approximately $2.5 million in the red for the year although declining delinquencies and pending sales of repossessed properties should whittle that loss down further during the current quarter.

First Chatham’s pending sale of its small business lending arm, Quadrant Financial, will further bolster its financial situation, the letter said.

“This deal creates more capital for the bank, increases shareholder value and allows us to focus on our coastal markets,” reads the letter signed by First Chatham President and CEO Brian Foster as well as the bank’s chairman, Benny Curl, and the bank holding company’s chairman, Steve Green.

First Chatham, like most community banks in the area, suffered significant losses during the recession and the slow economic recovery. Banking regulators issued First Chatham a consent order in August 2010, demanding the bank improve its performance and placing restrictions on its loan practices.

The majority of First Chatham’s loans are tied to real estate, and falling property values and delinquencies resulted in more than $18 million in losses in between 2009 and June of this year. The bank began to see progress as property values stabilized earlier this year, and First Chatham has liquidated more than $6 million in property this year with another $7 million under contract.

“Many of these properties are being sold with only small losses and even some with gains,” First Chatham’s shareholder letter read. “That means we may have already taken most of the large markdowns on collateral values, which have been the biggest contributor to our past losses.”

First Chatham is also seeing gains in its deposit base and other non-loan activity.

The improvements boosted First Chatham’s capital ratios, which are closely watched by regulators and had been in a gradual slide since the onset of the economic downturn. The bank remains well below “well-capitalized” designations set by regulators, but the third quarter ratios do not include the capital First Chatham will reap from the Quadrant sale, which won’t close until Dec. 31 at the earliest.

LMI reports improved sales in third quarter

LMI Aerospace, Inc. (Nasdaq:LMIA), a St. Louis-based company with an operation in Savannah, announced sales of $70.6 million in the third quarter, up 9.1 percent from $64.8 million in the third quarter a year ago.

The company said gross margin increased significantly at both Aerostructures and Engineering Services with income from operations at $8.5 million or 12.1 percent of sales.

Net income for the third quarter was $5.6 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, compared to $4.1 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2011.

LMI provides design engineering services and supplies structural assemblies, kits and components to the aerospace, defense and technology markets.

Business after hours in Pooler

The Pooler Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, Inc. will host a business after hours networking event Thursday, Nov. 15, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Royal Cinemas, 5 Towne Center Court in Pooler.

For this event, the chamber is extending its member rate to members of BNI, NuBarter, Lion’s Club, Professional Network Connections and Rotary Club.

Register and pre-pay by Nov. 12 and the cost is $12 for Pooler Chamber members and listed networking organization members. It’s $15 for non-members. After Nov. 12, add $3 per person.

For more information, email office@poolerchamber.com or call 912-748-0110.

Bank sponsors ‘phone home’ drive

The Coastal Bank, a community bank serving coastal Georgia, has launched a its third annual community-wide initiative to raise money for the USO’s Operation Phone Home, which provides pre-paid phone cards to deployed military personnel to enable them to call loved ones during the holiday season.

USO Operation Phone Home kicked off Wednesday and will run through Nov. 30.

“Our goal is to put at least one phone card in the hands of every soldier and service member in our area who is deployed during the holidays,” said Jim LaHaise, acting president and CEO.

Members of the public are invited to help. A $5 donation will provide a soldier with a phone card, and they will be given in December to deployed members of the U.S. Army, Army National Guard, Air National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Naval Reserve.

Anyone who donates $5 or more will be entered into a drawing to win a free year of free Chick-fil-A – one free sandwich a week for a year. Two winners will be announced at the end of the campaign.

Phone cards can be bought online at www.phonehomesav.com or at any Coastal Bank location.

Long before container ships put Savannah on the maritime map, another kind of ship had a huge impact here — not only for our ports but for a country at war.

On Nov. 20, 1942, the SS James Oglethorpe “slid down the ways” at Southeastern Shipbuilding in Savannah, marking the launch of the first Liberty Ship built in Savannah.

Liberty Ships — the name given quickly constructed wartime freighters designed to bring supplies and equipment overseas — are widely credited with turning the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II.

The Oglethorpe sailed the following March, sent across the Atlantic in a large convoy. Several months into her voyage, she was attacked by German U-Boats and sunk.

With the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic approaching next year, retired master mariner Nick Farley and fellow Brit Robert Baugniet have joined forces with the Maritime Bethel at Savannah to pay tribute to all those who served in the Liberty Ship effort — in the shipyards and on the water — with two scale models of the Oglethorpe to be displayed here and in London.

The exhibits, planned for next year, will be displayed in a special floating museum aboard the Royal Navy sloop HMS Wellington, which is moored in London, and here at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.

Cost of the project is estimated at $50,000.

“Few people today are aware of the intensity and importance of the Battle of the Atlantic as the Allies struggled to keep the vital supply routes open for food, equipment and men in one of the most serious engagements of the war,” said Farley, a native of London who served in the British merchant navy.

At its height from 1940 through 1943, the battle pitted German U-boats and aircraft against Allied merchant shipping. Considered a strategic victory for the Allies in that the German blockade failed, the six-year battle exacted a huge toll. Nearly 3,000 merchant ships were sunk and 50,000 mariners gave their lives.

Donations will be accepted through the Maritime Bethel, a 501(c)3 Georgia charity that Farley calls “a fitting partner.”

“The Bethel is dedicated to advocating for the spiritual, physical and emotional support of seafarers who are far from home,” he said. “This project is a way to memorialize those seafarers whose efforts helped turn the tide of the war.”

For more information on the project or ways to donate, go to www.maritimebethelatsavannah.org.

East Coast ports back in business

Logistics operations along the East Coast are recovering this week from the shutdowns caused by Hurricane Sandy, as other ports are experiencing higher than normal volumes due to last week’s delays.

At the Port of New York/New Jersey — the East Coast’s largest — longshoremen began unloading a variety of cargo Sunday at the Maher and APM container terminals along Newark Bay in Elizabeth, working ships for the first time in almost a week since the massive facility had been swamped by Sandy’s surge.

The Port Newark terminal in Newark and the Global terminal in Jersey City opened their gates Monday morning, anticipating the first vessel’s arrival that evening, the Port Authority said.

The ports of Baltimore and Norfolk reopened on Halloween day.

The Port of Savannah, while never closed, also experienced the effects of Sandy, with more than a half-dozen ships delayed the week following Sandy’s landfall — a volume the port made up for last week in additional sailings.

It’s been estimated Sandy caused about $1 billion in damages to the cargo industry in the Northeast.

Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.

SHIPPING SCHEDULE

These are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean Terminals in the next week. Sailing schedules are provided by Georgia Ports Authority and are subject to change.

Terminal Ship name Arrival

Ships through 11/15

GCT HOECHST EXPRESS Today

GCT MUSTAFA DAYI Today

GCT HANJIN IRENE Today

GCT EVER DECENT Today

GCT CSCL VANCOUVER Today

GCT MAERSK ROUBAIX Today

GCT MSC TEXAS Today

GCT HANJIN MALTA Today

OT GRANDE MAROCCO Today

GCT MSC FLORENTINA Saturday

GCT APL CYPRINE Saturday

GCT STOLT SURF Saturday

GCT FSL NEW YORK Saturday

GCT YORKTOWN EXPRESS Saturday

OT HARBEL CUTLASS Saturday

GCT LONDON EXPRESS Sunday

GCT PUSAN EXPRESS Sunday

GCT HLL BALTIC Sunday

GCT NYK ROMULUS Sunday

GCT NYK LAURA Sunday

GCT CMA CGM FIGARO Sunday

GCT HANJIN OTTAWA Monday

GCT YM KEELUNG Monday

GCT E. R. MELBOURNE Monday

GCT NYK KAI Monday

GCT BOX TRADER Monday

GCT AL ABDALI Monday

OT AMORITA Monday

OT ATLANTIC ELAND Monday

GCT IBRAHIM DEDE Tuesday

GCT MOL EFFICIENCY Tuesday

GCT MAERSK MERLION Tuesday

GCT ZIM QINGDAO Tuesday

GCT DALLAS EXPRESS Tuesday

GCT NYK CLARA Tuesday

OT SAFMARINE SUMBA Tuesday

GCT FOUMA Wednesday

GCT MOL PARADISE Wednesday

GCT APL QATAR Wednesday

GCT APL SPINEL Wednesday

GCT SEA-LAND RACER Wednesday

GCT ARSOS Wednesday

GCT HANJIN WILMINGTON Wednesday

OT ANIARA Wednesday

OT ORANGE ISLAND Wednesday

GCT MAERSK VIRGINIA Thursday

GCT MSC TORONTO Thursday

GCT UASC SHUAIBA Thursday

GCT YM MOBILITY Thursday

GCT ISLANDIA Thursday

GCT OOCL OAKLAND Thursday

GCT NYK DAEDALUS Thursday

GCT MSC INGRID Thursday

GCT ZIM HAIFA Thursday

GCT UASC SHUAIBA Thursday

The Westin Savannah Harbor won two awards — best entree and best food item — during the 12th annual Taste of Savannah that drew more than 600 people to the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center Thursday night.

Click here to view a photo gallery from the Taste of Savannah and here for a slideshow.

The 2012 winners were:

• Appetizer award winners:

First Place:

Crisped Local Oysters with Dilled Shallot Aioli 45 bistro

Second Place:

Duck Confit Tostada StayInSavannah.com

Third Place:

Seafood Pot Pie Johnny Harris Restaurant

• Entrée award winners:

First Place:

Sautéed Scallops with Duck Fat, Tomatoes and Basil The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa

Second Place:

Braised Beef Short Rib with Stuffed Cannelloni of Mustard Greens and Roasted Acorn and Butternut Squash

The Olde Pink House

Third Place:

Grilled Quail with Muscadine BBQ Sauce & Stone Ground Grits Garibaldi

• Dessert award winners:

First Place:

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Leopold’s Ice Cream

Second Place:

Fig Swirl Cookie with Candied Bacon Ice Cream The Olde Pink House

Third Place:

Chocolate Bread Pudding The River House Seafood Restaurant

• Best Novelty Food Item:

Pumpkin Pie Martini Savannah Riverboat Cruises

• Guests’ Choice Award: Best Booth Decoration:

The Olde Pink House

• Guests’ Choice Award: Best Food Item:

The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa

Judges included Jesse Blanco of Eatitandlikeit.com; Chef Jean Yves Vendeville, culinary department head at Savannah Technical College; Carl Lewis, digital media manager at savannahnow.com.

The event sponsored by the Tourism Leadership Council, Savannah Riverfront and U.S. Foods grossed more than $60,000.

The money will be used to support council programs, including scholarships for students pursuing hospitality careers, work-force development initiatives, professional networking opportunities, educational seminars for food-industry workers and an emergency fund to help member organizations and individuals in crisis situations.

Levy Jewelers, the family-owned business that has served Savannah for more than 112 years, held a grand opening Friday at its new flagship store at the corner of Bull and Broughton streets in the heart of downtown Savannah.

With help from Mayor Edna Jackson, Chatham County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis and other dignitaries, Levy Jewelers president Lowell Kronowitz cut the ribbon and invited more than 100 attendees to tour the 20,000-square-foot mid-century modern style building.

“It’s a joy to bring this landmark building back to life and make it a

retail anchor once again on Broughton Street,” Kronowitz said. “We invite everyone to experience this exciting new retail space.”

Kronowitz thanked all those who helped with the design, planning and construction of the new store and added he was especially proud that the project was 90 percent locally built.

Levy Jewelers’ move from 101 E. Broughton St. to 2 E. Broughton St. doubles its sales floor space. The new store features dedicated David Yurman, Rolex and Pandora boutiques, a full-service jewelry and Rolex certified watch service center, as well as expanded giftware lines.

The 5,000-square-foot retail level, with its dramatic wrap-around plate glass windows, also features such top designers as John Hardy, TAG Heuer, Mikimoto, Ippolita and Marco Bicego.

The store offers comfortable new seating areas outfitted with a flat-screen television for customers, a refreshment bar and a children’s play area.

“We have expanded our jewelry lines and can now showcase our merchandise in a more spacious and comfortable environment,” said Kronowitz, who is the fourth-generation owner of the business.

“My great-grandfather Aaron Levy, who originally founded Levy Jewelers in 1900, would be proud of this beautiful new retail space and pleased with our continued commitment to downtown Savannah,” said Kronowitz. “We look forward to exceeding our current and future customers’ experience from our new location in the heart of this great city.”

ABOUT LEVY JEWELERS

Levy Jewelers is Savannah’s only fourth-generation family-owned jewelry business, serving Savannah customers since 1900. With two locations in Savannah and one in Jacksonville, Fla., Levy Jewelers offers diamonds, watches, jewelry and giftware, as well as insurance appraisals. Levy Jewelers has two master jewelers on staff as well as a Rolex-certified watchmaker.

The company employs 50 people at its three locations: Downtown Savannah, Oglethorpe Mall and the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville.

For more information, call 800-237-LEVY or 912-233-1163 or visit www.LevyJewelers.com.