An entrepreneurial spirit is in full force inside the home of Tonya and Nick Rintye.

The couple started a new online business in February called The Hipster Hound, which specializes in homemade, natural, chemical-free pet treats and cleaning products. And Tonya makes everything herself in their home.

And while you’re in their home, you may get a lick or two from her friendly pups — one of which is the face of The Hipster Hound, Rex. The hound was supposed to be a foster pet but quickly turned into another rescued family member.

When asked if she was that child who would show up on the doorstep with a stray, she quickly said, “Yes, and so was my husband. … And I’m still the kid that brings home strays, and so is my husband. We love dogs.”

And Tonya also loves to bake.

“I love to get in the kitchen... So one day, I decided to make cookies for the dogs,” she said.

With the help of her 7-year-old daughter, Lucy, she made sure those cookies turned into healthy dog treats.

While loving to bake helps start a business like The Hipster Hound, Tonya also had another force push her into healthy treats.

“I noticed that the dog treats we were feeding our dogs were getting recalls and were not made in America and made with all these chemicals,” she said. “I thought, ‘How hard is it to make something good for my dogs?’ I mean, they can eat a lot of the same foods we can.”

The Rintyes gave their homemade treats to friends, and the rave reviews gave Tonya and Nick another idea. Armed with a background in marketing, Tonya made calls to see if there was a need for people wanting to feed their dogs healthier treats.

The response was a resounding yes.

“I made a call to the Wilmington Island Farmers’ Market, and they said they have been wanting to find someone who was licensed to sell pet treats,” she said.

So she began the tedious process to get her business license and to get a Georgia Department of Agri

culture Feed License.

“You have to mail in the forms because they don’t do email,” she said. “I had to have all my recipes tested for a guaranteed analysis to create my labels. You are required by law to put a label on all treats. Then I had to have them tested by a third party, and I had to put in the recipes with labels for approval.”

She got her approval in February and quickly jumped into the business.

Ruff recipes

In her recipes, Tonya uses real fruit, locally sourced honey and bacon and gluten-free flour so all products are without grain and soy.

“You can eat them yourself,” she

said. “It’s all human-grade ingredients with no chemicals.”

She cuts each dog treat, bakes them and then puts them in the dehydrator, so she doesn’t have to use any chemicals to preserve the treats.

“It’s a long process,” she said with a laugh.

She has four varieties of The Hipster Hound Bites: Bushel of Bacon, which is made with fresh apples, local Savannah River Farms bacon and local honey; The Great Pumpkin, made with pumpkin and organic peanut butter and organic coconut oil; Mix’d Up Mutt, made with carob, pumpkin and organic peanut butter; and HoundDog, made with banana, organic peanut butter and local honey. The name is a tribute to Elvis Presley, who loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

“I like to try to do things that are tasty but are also good for dogs like pumpkin and coconut oil,” she said.

She also makes iced cookies in a variety of shapes and colors, and she decorates the cookies with special dog-approved icing made from dehydrated yogurt.

And if your dog likes more than just a cookie-type treat, The Hipster Hound also offers Mutt Cakes and Pup Cakes, which are similar to cupcakes. And she makes birthday cakes that local clients can order, too. She also has frozen yogurt treats that use organic Greek yogurt.

Products and sprays

Another aspect to the business is the chemical-free cleaning products and sprays for dogs.

“We went chemical-free in our home a while back,” she said. “So I make our own shampoos, cleaners, stuff like that and realized we should do this for our dogs, too. I went to a pet store the other day and there is hardly anything made in America, and the products are full of so many chemicals that I cannot even pronounce.”

Tonya uses essential oils for these products, and she researched ways to use these products for dog grooming. She has sprays and powders to help with everything from itchy spots to smelly coats and to help repel insects. She even has a spray for hyper dogs that helps calm them down.

The couple currently sells products at Canine Palace, Local Farmbag, Polk’s on the Go, Polk’s farmers’ market locations, TailsSpin, Savannah Food Coop and Wilmington Island Farmers’ Market. The online store also features dog accessories such as clothing and leashes.

And if baking treats and dog cakes, creating sprays, labeling products and shipping them wasn’t enough, the couple recently added pet-sitting to their services.

“After meeting so many customers at farmers markets, people would say they feel like they know us and would ask if I was willing to watch their dog,” she said.

So, in typical Tonya fashion, she took on her new venture by the book and she obtained her pet first-aid and safety license and added “Pet Sitter” to her resume.

“My long-term open goal is to open up a cage-free boarding facility with a boutique,” she said.

IF YOU GO

For more information on The Hipster Hound, go to www.hipsterhound.net.

You can also see Tonya and Nick at their booth at the Dog Days of Summer event at Rousakis Riverfront Plaza on River Street today and Sunday.

Human society director retiring

Lynn Gensamer, executive director of the Humane Society for Greater Savannah, plans to retire this fall after nine years in the position, the organization’s board of directors announced Friday.

Gensamer joined the humane society in September 2006. In 2010, she was recognized as a “Savannah Star.”

The board’s announcement said her accomplishments include significantly increasing the number of animal lives saved, changing the organization’s internal culture and public perception — which has led to increased donations and volunteers — and gaining national recognition and respect for the organization by winning financial awards in ASPCA $100K Challenges in 2011 and 2013.

“I have been privileged to work with many outstanding people, especially HSGS staff and board member,” Gensamer said. ”Together, we have enriched the lives of so many pets and people in our community. Our Operation New Hope and Nuzzle Buddies programs clearly demonstrate how pets can improve lives.”

The board of directors is conducting an executive search for a candidate to succeed Gensamer.

“As a result of her leadership and commitment, HSGS today is strong, professional, financially viable, and better able to serve our community,” said board President Kathryn Williams.

‘Upcycled’ furniture store opens in Richmond Hill

Reclaimed Furniture and Home Décor, which features vintage upcycled furniture, has opened in Ford Plaza in Richmond Hill.

A grand opening took place Aug. 1 at 46 Edsel Drive.

Owner Mecca Chester has offered local carpentry and upholstery services for four years and has more than 15 years of experience.

“Reclaimed started as a hobby, creating furniture and home décor out of recycled and repurposed furnishings,” Chester said.

The store also will offer custom services for restoring antique and vintage furniture.

Store hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, go to reclaimedgeorgia.com and facebook.com/ReclaimedGeorgia.

Richmond Hill named safest city from severe weather

The city of Richmond Hill has been named one of Georgia’s safest from severe weather by HomeownersInsurance.com, an insurance marketplace.

Richmond Hill, the only coastal Georgia town named in the top 15, ranked 12th overall because the city had the second lowest lightning score on the list as well as low hail and tornado scores.

“While we’re pleased the city of Richmond Hill was named one of the safest in the state, severe weather can strike anywhere, any time,” said Mayor Harold Fowler. “It is imperative that our citizens do not become complacent and have a severe weather preparedness plan in action for their home.”

The full report can be viewed at https://homeownersinsurance.com/blog/georgias-safest-cities-from-severe-weather/

Welcome to the tourism community. You might work in the hospitality industry whether you realize it or not.

In fact, we’re a community made up of unexpected hospitality professionals who are masters of customer service. After all, we are the “Hostess City of the South.”

I see the unexpected hospitality worker all the time, whether she works in a bank or whether he works at a gas station. They’re in hospitality.

Recently, some of the captains and deckhands from the Savannah Water Belles ferry took a customer service class at the Tourism Leadership Council office. These captains and deckhands felt they were unexpected tourism professionals — and in a way they are.

They’re tasked with safely transporting people across an active river on a 100-ton boat. Their primary task is safety, and they have that skill down.

They came to my office to learn the soft skills of customer service. They shared a recent story that we can all apply in some way to our workplace environment.

When the ferry pulled up to the City Hall ramp, an irate passenger came barreling down the floating dock in a huff. He was angry the ferry was late and was going to make him late to his meeting.

The deckhand responded to the passenger: “Stop. You cannot come down the ramp right now.” This made the man even angrier.

Once the ferry was securely in place, the man marched down to the deckhand and started yelling. The deckhand said: “We’re not late. We’re actually right on time according to the schedule.”

The man insisted on speaking to the captain, making the situation even more drawn out.

We used this scenario in class to unpack three tips when faced with someone who’s angry. Perhaps you’ll find these tips helpful in your life as well:

Listen

You want to make sure you recognize the situation. Listen and summarize the problem in your head or aloud, making sure you correctly understand what has happened to the person. Beginning with “I understand that you’re late” would let the passenger know you’re listening to the problem.

Apologize

Apologizing is the next step — no matter whose fault it is. An apology for an inconvenience can go a long way. Saying “you’re absolutely right. I am sorry that you are late for your meeting” could help bring the person back to reality while also letting him know you’re concerned about his well-being.

Remember, an apology is not always an acceptance of blame or liability. Sometimes, it simply diffuses the situation and shows that you can empathize.

Offer help

After this, make sure you offer to help. Since the person was late to a meeting, assure him you’ll be leaving the dock shortly. Then help him find out where the meeting is and offer the best route to the destination. Taking the extra initiative will show him you’re genuinely concerned with his problem.

It’s a lot easier said than done. Customer service is a skill that is best practiced over and over. No one is born with these skills.

Think of a situation right now where you may have experienced a miscommunication or you may have been the one who miscommunicated. Take these three steps and change the way people respond to you. Solving the problem before it gets blown out of hand will lead to increased job satisfaction, lower stress for you and a more positive work environment.

No matter what your profession, the next time you are faced with a bad situation, remember to listen, apologize and offer help. Doing this each time will isolate the problem so it is solved quickly and efficiently.

Michael Owens is president/CEO of the Tourism Leadership Council. Contact Owens at michael@tourismleadershipcouncil.com or by calling 912-232-1223.

By Michael Owens

It could either have been a big success or a complete failure. But brothers Kirit and Anil Patel were willing to take that risk.

As the founders of HOS Management, a Savannah-based hotel management and development company, Kirit and Anil launched the Cotton Sail Hotel last year in the Historic District. It is an award-winning luxury and full-service boutique hotel that has taken the area by storm.

“It was definitely a hit or miss,” said Kris Patel, son and nephew of the founders and CFO of the company. “My father and uncle decided to take the risk because they had a prime location, and if they did everything right with the construction, it could stand out.”

Starting with a nearly 200-year-old cotton warehouse, the Patels faced the task of renovating the aging building and transforming it into an upscale hotel with a rooftop restaurant and bar.

“It took some time,” Patel said. “Renovating the building and then salvaging the 200-year-old heart pine and going back into the building and using it as our hardwood floor was tricky.”

Cody Tharpe, owner of Tharpe Engineering Group and engineer for the project, said the Cotton Sail was one of his most challenging projects.

“There were a lot of constraints on the building because it is so old,” he said. “We were on a tight schedule for it, and in order to stay on schedule we constantly had to come up with solutions to make things work, which required changing the plan from time to time.”

A great deal of masonry and timber repair work had to be done as well as testing on the materials and on its foundation, Tharpe said. He said the structural design for the building’s rooftop bar and restaurant took months of planning.

Although its renovations proved difficult, the Cotton Sail’s transformation has grabbed the attention of the Savannah community.

It was recently awarded with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Excellence in Rehabilitation award, the 2015 HSF Preservation Award, and the IAHA Independent Hotel of the Year Award from the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.

“The Cotton Sail really displays the Patel’s creativity as entrepreneurs,” said Joe Marinelli, president of Visit Savannah. “The Patels are making a strong statement about offering a fresher lodging experience in the Historic District through this building.”

Michael Owens, president and CEO of the Savannah Area Tourism Leadership Council, agreed.

“The Cotton Sail is a spectacular asset for the tourism industry,” he said. “It’s a knock out of the park in terms of its location, services and amenities. It’s a success story that will build on other success stories in the future.”

Such a risk-taking and tenacious attitude, as seen in the opening of the Cotton Sail, is nothing new to the Patels and is arguably the defining feature of HOS Management.

Attention to detail

The company began nearly 30 years ago when Kirit and Anil left India for the United States in hopes of starting a hotel management business. Once in the U.S., they saved enough money to buy their first independent motel, named the Benton Motel, in 1985.

“It all started from there,” Patel said. “Their first motel purchase eventually led to the purchase of a couple more hotels ­— one in Michigan and one in Savannah.” Kris and his brother Riki, the vice president of the company, followed in their father’s and uncle’s footsteps.

The Patels then focused on expanding their brand by opening and developing hotels in Savannah, Richmond Hill, Brunswick and in St. Augustine, Fla.

As a management company, HOS owns, develops and operates its acquired hotels. The Patels oversee the development of their properties and say they maintain close relationships with their employees and customers.

“We develop all of our properties from the ground up and focus on their day-to-day operations, such as making sure that every guest is taken care of the way he or she should be,” Patel said.

The business is family owned, so the Patels take the same family-based approach toward their hotels.

“We all grew up in this business,” Patel said. “Day in, day out, working together and having that support from one another enables us to do what we’re doing.”

While there are other similar family owned hotel management companies, Patel said HOS Management distinguishes itself by its attention to detail.

“There are a lot of larger companies who, as they expand, their focus on day-to-day operations with any individual business goes down,” Patel said. “We try not to do that. Even as we expand, we focus closely on each individual property. I like to be involved and figure out what’s going on at the hotels, making sure the revenues are there, and making sure that we’re progressing year after year instead of the other way around.”

Such attention to detail is apparent even in the company’s name. Nearly three years ago the Patels owned several properties but felt they lacked a specific identity. They created the name HOS, which is short for hospitality, because it tied into their desire to provide customers with a personalized experience at each of their properties.

“The Patels are very involved in their community, and they keep a close and open relationship with their employees,” Owens said. “Their managing style is very family oriented.”

In terms of hurdles, Patel cited the recent recession as one of the biggest setbacks.

“We weren’t able to expand as aggressively just because the financing markets were really tight,” Patel said. “But we weren’t in a bad situation unlike a lot of people who lost their businesses. My dad and uncle’s business model and just their overall mentality kept us from having to struggle during the recession.”

The Patels want to establish an effective corporate structure that enables them to stay in tune with each of their businesses as they expand. Patel admitted that it’s difficult to do so but said it’s what distinguishes them in a relatively undistinguished business.

Right now, they are busy expanding their brand name throughout the Historic District.

The Fairfield Inn & Suites with a parking garage, Aloft Hotel and Cambria Suites are set to open within the next three years. A Brunswick-based Hilton Garden Inn is also scheduled to open within the next couple of years.

“We’re looking to put deals in the pipeline and carry out those visions,” Patel said.

The Wyld Dock Bar opened in April, but I just made my first visit there recently. Between trips out of town and the disruptions of stormy evenings, I somehow let more than three months slip by.

A friend and I arrived at The Wyld — it’s at the end of Livingston Avenue in the spot formerly occupied by Bonna Bella Yacht Club — at 7:30 p.m. on a recent Tuesday. The parking lot was nearly full, but there were a couple of empty tables visible on the north side of the restaurant.

I expressed a preference for a table on the back deck. The hostess told me it was full, but literally within seconds a table was free.

All the outdoor seating at The Wyld has commanding views of the marsh, but the back deck always feels like a truly special place to me. As soon as we walked out there, I was kicking myself for not getting to The Wyld sooner.

We apparently had arrived at the end of the dinner rush. As the evening wore on, and as we kept ordering more dishes from the flavorful tapas menu, one table after another emptied.

I know that people have different schedules and like to eat dinner at different times, but I was puzzled that so few people arrived after we did. After all, the air was just cooling down, and the marsh is at its most beautiful just before sunset.

No doubt The Wyld stays busy later on weekends, but if you want to see the setting at its most serene, you should swing by just before sunset on a weeknight.

We embraced The Wyld’s tapas concept and ended up sharing eight dishes — way more than enough food — off the eclectic menu. Including four alcoholic drinks, our bill was right at $100. The friendly, attentive service felt perfect for the setting.

Anyway, how was the food?

The quail and rabbit sausage ($12), which is served on four small pieces of bread, has an especially rich flavor. I loved the freshness of a side dish of sliced, slightly blanched cucumbers with charred Vidalia onion and feta ($5).

The tuna tartare ($12) was good too, but it would have been better on a cooler night. The fried catfish ($13) wasn’t as easy to share as some dishes, but it was beautifully prepared, as was a roasted corn on the cob ($4) with brown sugar aioli and cayenne pepper.

I’d recommend saving room for dessert at The Wyld. The fruit brulee ($5) — sliced fresh fruit quickly seared and served with a scoop of ice cream — is enough for two.

The Wyld has menu options that would work if you’re looking for a more traditional dining experience — “this is my food, that is your food” — but many dishes are obviously meant to be shared, just like the beautiful view.

The Wyld Dock Bar is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Off-street parking

Should new development on MLK have off-street parking requirements?

Thrifty Supply Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is a Savannah institution, but it will be closing in the near future. The new owner of that building and several adjacent lots has plans to renovate the historic structures for both commercial and residential uses.

I was surprised to see that the Metropolitan Planning Commission’s staff report on a rezoning request recommends that surface parking be required for the new development.

It’s worth noting that a number of businesses in the immediate area, including in the block immediately south, have no off-street parking.

Also consider that the city of Savannah plans to build the new Cultural Arts Center three blocks north of the Thrifty site. That building will include a theater that will hold more than 400 people, but the site will have no surface parking for the public.

The city-owned Liberty Street Parking Garage is put to pretty good use on weekdays, but it closes at 9 p.m. each night and is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Once the I-16 flyover is removed, we can also reclaim a significant number of on-street spaces in the immediate area.

If applied to other under utilized properties in the corridor, a surface parking requirement would depress both future density and future land values. At the same time, off-street parking requirements would probably also drive up the cost of new residential units.

It will be interesting to see how the debate plays out.

City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, Ga. 31401.

United Way earns top charity rating

United Way of the Coastal Empire has earned Charity Navigator’s highest level four-star rating for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability for the seventh consecutive year.

Only 2 percent of the charities evaluated by Charity Navigator have received at least seven consecutive four-star evaluations.

Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health and accountability and transparency of our nation’s largest charities.

Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that United Way of the Coastal Empire adheres to good governance and other best practices and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, according Charity Navigator’s standards. To view United Way’s complete Charity Navigator profile, visit www.charitynavigator.org.

For more information about United Way of the Coastal Empire, see www.uwce.org.

Club’s grant will support Early Learning College

Rotary Savannah South Club has given the Savannah Early Childhood Foundation a $7,395 donation to support the expansion of its Early Learning College at the Parent University program.

The contribution was made up of proceeds from a recent golf tournament and concert as well individual member donations.

“Our Rotary Club strives to make a real difference in our community, which is why we are proud to continue our support for SECF’s innovative approach to breaking the cycle of crime, poverty, poor educational outcomes, teen pregnancy, truancy and juvenile delinquency,” said club president Anne Cordeiro. “Early intervention to help parents succeed versus spending resources to deal with these problems down the road just makes sense.”

Michael O’Neal, executive director of the Early Childhood Foundation, said Early Learning College has hosted 26 sessions and “provided more than 480 local parents with access to proven techniques for helping their children succeed in school and in life — and we know it’s making a difference.”

Business after hours scheduled in Richmond Hill

The Richmond Hill/Bryan County Chamber of Commerce will have its next Business After Hours from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, hosted by Robin Lance Realty at 3766 Highway 17, Suite 105-106 in the Village on the Hill plaza.

Chamber members and guests are invited for networking, food — compliments of Notch 8 BBQ

— and drinks. There will be door prizes from Flowers by Rose, Milan Salon, Optimum Water Solutions, Robin Lance Realty, Safetouch Security and Village Dental.

The event is free to chamber members.

For more information, go to www.RHBCchamber.org or contact the chamber at 912-756-3444 or info@rhbcchamber.org.

NEW YORK — Companies have learned to use Facebook, Instagram and other social media to drum up business and now they’re finding ways to exploit two new apps, Periscope and Meerkat.

The apps allow users to stream live video using just a smartphone. Fast-food company Wendy’s used streaming for the first time in June to spotlight its summer beverages. Snack maker Frito-Lay used its first streams to introduce viewers to its Doritos Roulette chips.

This form of social media is in its infancy. Periscope and Meerkat were both launched in March. Periscope is owned by short-messaging service Twitter and Meerkat by startup Life on Air Inc. Meerkat’s investors include cable and entertainment company Comcast.

Ordinary attention seekers use the apps to show friends what they’re doing — going to the beach, walking their dogs, hanging out at home. Companies, however, are using them to connect with social media-savvy customers. When businesses plan a stream, they give a heads-up on other social media like Twitter and Facebook, and when the stream starts, tweets automatically go out to their followers.

Wireless phone company T-Mobile had a light-hearted stream last week with CEO John Legere. He showed T-shirt clad company executives preparing for a conference call about T-Mobile’s earnings report. T-Mobile also has almost daily Periscope streams, including some starring its product manager, Des Smith, who demonstrates new phones and other devices.

“Video is really what consumers are looking for and long for, and now you’re able to give it to them in real time,” says Peter DeLuca, T-Mobile’s senior vice president for marketing.

Plunging In

Wendy’s streams on June 18 showed the comedy duo Rhett & Link chatting with Periscope viewers. More than 4,400 people visited a website advertising the event and the hamburger chain’s iced tea drinks, Wendy’s said. The company had more than 1,200 posts on social media the day before and the day of the event. That’s the kind of attention Wendy’s

wants, says Brandon Rhoten, vice president of digital experience.

Based on viewers’ reactions to Rhett & Link, Wendy’s is thinking about more streamed events.

“People liked the fact they could get a glimpse behind the curtain with these guys,” Rhoten says.

Frito-Lay streamed video six times on June 30, staging a game show that gave viewers a chance to win prizes and the company an opportunity to publicize Doritos Roulette, a mix of regular and spicy chips. The company, which counted a total of more than 15,000 viewers, is also considering more streamed events, according to Ram Krishnan, chief marketing officer of Frito-Lay North America.

New twist on an old idea

Companies have used live streaming for years with video conferencing, online services and smartphones. But by linking it to social media, they can instantly reach their hundreds, thousands or millions of followers.

Marcus Lemonis, who appears on the CNBC program “The Profit,” streamed as he toured Wal-Mart Stores Inc. headquarters in June, carrying his phone in front of him as he chatted with employees. Lemonis, who gives viewers a look inside small companies on “The Profit,” wanted to do the same at Wal-Mart, where he was giving a presentation.

“Why not have people be able to experience it with me?” he says.

It costs little or nothing to stream, but expenses can pile into the thousands of dollars or more when a company stages a big publicity event.

Marketing successes with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram have encouraged companies to try the apps.

“Any time you can stay ahead of the curve on technology, it’s important,” says Toby Srebnik, social media director at Fish Consulting in Hollywood, Florida. The marketing company has used Periscope to stream events for clients like Dunkin’ Donuts and interviews with its own staffers.

Like commercials during the Super Bowl, many streams aim to get people talking about a product or service. Some companies, particularly those with corporate customers, stream events like seminars and speeches.

“We want to communicate with them in the way that they prefer,” says Hannah Grove, chief marketing officer with State Street Corp. The financial services company has streamed from meetings and news conferences.

The learning curve

Because live streaming is in its early stages, companies are still figuring out the most effective ways to use it. The audiences can be quite small — State Street had 33 viewers during one recent event — but companies still see value. They expect viewership to increase as Periscope and Meerkat become more popular. Some post videos on YouTube where they can be seen again. Neither company would say how many users they have, or how many of them are businesses.

There are some technical challenges, for example, the fact that streaming makes a smartphone battery run down quickly, says David Gerzof Richard, president of BIGfish, a marketing company in Boston and a social media professor at Emerson College. That can limit how much streaming can be done without a power source.

But Gerzof Richard doesn’t expect that to deter companies.

“We’re in a changing media landscape, and it’s almost at a fever pace right now as companies small and large get their arms around the new marketing tools,” he says.

Healthcare Reform Refresher Course

Date:

Aug. 11

Time:

9:15-11:45 a.m.

Location: Georgia Continuing Ed Center, 305 Fahm St.

Speaker: David Smith, Vice president of Ebenconcepts

Subject: This course will explain what you need to know about healthcare reform and the current impact on your business. Explanation of the new 1094 and 1095 forms will be a highlight of this program.

Cost: Free

Register:

RSVP to dmrubnitz@ebenconcepts.com

Savannah Logistics Lunch

Date:

Aug. 18

Time:

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Location: Embassy Suites, Savannah Airport, 145 W. Mulberry Blvd.

Subject: Presented by the Center of Innovation for Logistics and HunterMaclean, this event will offer regional, in depth focus from the Georgia Logistics Summit and will include a panel of experts from throughout the state of Georgia. Go to huntermaclean.com/forums-events/

Cost: $15. Space limited.

Register:

http://bit.ly/LogisticsLunch

RHBC Chamber Coastal Region Commission Lunch & Learn

Date:

Aug. 18

Time:

1:30 p.m.

Location:

Chamber office, 2591 Hwy 17, Suite. 100 in the Crossroads Center

Subject: Forum on Coastal Region Planning

Cost:

Free to RHBC Chamber members; $15 for non-members.

Register:

Advance reservations are required and seating is limited. Reserve your space by Aug. 14 by calling 912-756-3444 or e-mail info@RHBCchamber.org. Drinks provided; bring your own lunch.

NAWIC Wine Social

Date:

Aug. 19

Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Location:

Savannah Wine Cellar, Twelve Oaks Plaza, 5500 Abercorn St.

Subject: The Coastal Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) invite guests (women and men) to join us as we sample wines, enjoy complimentary finger foods and build valuable business relationships.

Cost:

Guests are responsible for purchasing a wine tasting card. Go to savannahwinecellar.com for more information.

Register:

RSVP to cforkner@pioneersavannah.com

RHBC Chamber Business After Hours

Date:

Aug. 20

Time:

5:30-7 p.m.

Location:

Robin Lance Realty, 3766 Hwy. 17, Suite 105-106

Cost: Free to Chamber members. Business professionals that are interested in joining the Chamber or learning more about the Chamber are also welcome.

Register:

For more information, go to www.RHBCchamber.org or contact the Chamber at 756-3444 or info@rhbcchamber.org.

ONGOING

Castle Toastmaster Club

When:

First and Third Thursdays

Where:

124 Barnard Street, GSA Building #2, 3rd Floor, Conference Room 2

Time:

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

BNI – Business Network International

Local chapters:

• Referrals Have Power: 8:30-10 a.m. Tuesdays, GoodWill Industries, Richmond Hill

• Savannah Business Connections: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Hilton Garden Inn Southside, off Abercorn

• Crosstown Connections: 8-9:30 a.m. Wednesdays, Hampton Inn Southside off Abercorn

• Island Business Networkers: 8-9:30 a.m. Thursdays, Johnny Harris Banquet Hall, Victory Drive

• True Givers Increase Financially: 8-9:30 a.m. Fridays, Troy University, Hodgson Memorial Drive.

Information: Sarah Westcott, sarah@bni-scga.com.

Toastmasters Club

When: Noon each Tuesday

Where: Saint Leo University, Room 3, 7426 Hodgson Memorial Drive, Suite A

Info: Call 912-844-9139 or go to www.toastmastersclub.org.

Toastmasters Club of Richmond Hill

Date: First and third Friday of the month

Time: 8-9 a.m.

Location: Magnolia Manor, 141 Timber Trail, Richmond Hill.

Information: For more information, call 912-927-4607 or email 1168191@toastmastersclubs.org.

Pooler Business Network

When: 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. every first and third Thursday

Where: Western Sizzlin, U.S. 80 in Pooler

Information: RSVP to Jason Torres at jasonjtorres@gmail.com

TANIS WALKER, DVM

New Job Title:

Associate veterinarian

Company:

Case Veterinary Hospital

Duties:

Walker will join four doctors in serving patients in a general practice setting.

Related Work Experience:

With more than 16 years of experience, Walker has owned her own equine practice, worked as a relief veterinarian and has more than six years in emergency medicine.

Education:

Walker is a graduate of Atlantic Veterinary College in Canada.

SHAYNA ANSLEY BOWEN

New Job Title:

Healthcare attorney

Company:

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP

Related Work Experience:

Bowen has extensive experience advising healthcare clients including hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory surgical centers, physician and dental practices, durable medical equipment companies and laboratories.

Education:

She earned her J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She has a B.S. in psychology from Washington & Lee University.

CHRISTINE RYAN

New Job Title:

Associate, Real Estate Practice Group

Company: HunterMaclean

Related Work Experience:

Ryan served as a law clerk for the U.S. District Judge Callie V. S. Granade of the Southern District of Alabama, and she worked with the Real Estate Capital Markets Practice Group at Goodwin Procter LLP in New York.

Education: A 2004 graduate of Amherst College, Ryan graduated from the Fordham University School of Law in 2009.

CRYSTAL HARMON

New Job Title:

Assistant district attorney

Company:

Chatham County District Attorney’s Office

Duties:

Harmon will handle all truancy cases along with domestic violence cases in Recorder’s Court and Magistrate Court.

Related Work Experience:

Harmon was an ADA with the Dougherty Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office in Albany, Ga., handling misdemeanor cases in State Court, and she was responsible for domestic violence cases in Superior and State Court.

Education: Harmon received her Juris Doctorate from Florida A&M University’s College of Law. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice.

COL. RAINER GOMEZ

New Job Title:

Wing Commander

Company:

165th Airlift Wing, Georgia Air National Guard

Related Work Experience:

Gomez has served as the vice wing commander since 2012. In addition, he has deployed numerous times in support of the global war on terrorism as a C-130H navigator.

Education: Gomez graduated from The Citadel in 1983 where he received his commission through ROTC.

ED PULKINEN

New Job Title:

Church relations and ministry development coordinator

Company:

UW Sports Ministry

Duties:

Pulkinen will cultivate relationships with local churches to enhance their youth and children’s ministries through sports camps, sports leagues and sports-focused mission trips. He will also be responsible for developing regional offices and establishing Ultimate Frisbee as the newest sport for the 200 church-based UW Sports camps.

Related Work Experience:

Pulkinen was the area director for Coastal FCA, serving the Savannah and Hilton Head area for seven years. He and his wife Cathy have hosted High Tide, the world’s largest Ultimate Frisbee Tournament, for 20 years.

Education: Pulkinen earned a B.S. in hotel, restaurant, and tourism administration from the University of South Carolina.

LT. COL. SHELDON B. WILSON

New Job Title:

Squadron Commander

Company:

165th Airlift Wing, Georgia Air National Guard

Related Work Experience: Wilson has served as the deputy of operations for the 158th Airlift Squadron since 2014 and has deployed numerous times in support of the global war on terrorism as a command pilot.

Education: Wilson graduated from the Citadel in 1997 where he received his commission through ROTC.

LT. COL. JAMES P. MARREN

New Job Title:

Vice Wing Commander

Company:

165th Airlift Wing, Georgia Air National Guard

Related Work Experience: Marren served as the commander of the 158th Airlift Squadron and has deployed numerous times in support of the global war on terrorism as a command pilot.

LEWIS SOWELL JR.

New Job Title:

Designer

Company: The Design House Interiors Group of Savannah

Related Work Experience: Lewis has 35 years of interior design experience.

Education:

After graduating from the Ft. Lauderdale School of Design, Lewis started his company Sandpiper Interiors in 1981.

JONATHAN MELTON

New Job Title:

Civil designer

Company:

Thomas & Hutton

Related Work Experience:

He gained valuable experience in various roles related to the graphic communications field as well as the construction industry.

Education: Melton earned two bachelor of science degrees from Georgia Southern University, most recently in civil engineering.

CATHERINE CARELLA

New Job Title: Civil designer I

Company:

Thomas & Hutton

Related Work Experience:

Carella briefly taught outdoor education in the Rockies before obtaining her master’s in environmental engineering at University of Colorado-Boulder. For the last two years, she worked at Jones & DeMille Engineering in south central Utah.

Education: She received her B.S. in civil and environmental engineering at Florida State University.

MATTHEW FRAZIER

New Job Title:

Designer, Environmental Department

Company:

Thomas & Hutton

Education:

He earned a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky and worked for two years at a small environmental contracting company doing in-situ remediation.

KEITH MORGAN

New Job Title:

Client services manager

Company:

Georgia Emergency Associates

Duties: Morgan will coordinate employer-focused occupational health services and workers’ compensation medical services at St. Joseph’s/Candler Immediate Care in Savannah, Garden City, Hinesville, Pooler and Bluffton, S.C. and South Georgia Immediate Care Center.

Related Work Experience: Morgan is a DOT-certified drug tester, registered Pulmonary Function Technologist and Breath Alcohol Testing instructor.

Education:

He is a member of DATIA, AARC, NBRC, and CAOHC.

Odom on board for Emmaus House

The Emmaus House announced the appointment of Thomas Odom as a new member of its board of directors. Odom will have the shared responsibility of all board members to promote and sustain the work of the Emmaus House, which serves 150-180 clients each day.

Cohen named to American Traditions board

Daniel C. Cohen was named co-president to the board of directors for The American Traditions Competition.

Vaughn named Consultant of the Year

James C. Vaughn, Jr., vice president and regional manager for the Savannah Office of Stevenson & Palmer Engineering, Inc., was named as the American Public Works Association (APWA) – Georgia Chapter 2015 Consultant of the Year. The APWA GA Chapter Awards Program recognizes outstanding public works individuals, groups, projects and awareness efforts representing the best achievements in the public works profession in Georgia.

Bethesda Academy announces board members

Bethesda Academy announced the addition of four new members to its board of governors.

New board members include:

• Ellen Bolch, president and CEO of The Healthcare Alternative Group

• Ryan Chandler, vice president of business development at Colonial Group, Inc.

• Diane Ingram, retired CFO and part owner of Indianapolis-based returnable/recyclable packaging company

• Quentin Marlin, partner at Ellis, Painter, Ratterree & Adams, LLP

• Jim Trolinger, president at Swagelok Northwest (US)

Cobb named Resident of the Year

Savannah native Dr. Carmen Cobb Wallace was recently named the resident of the year for the state of Wisconsin in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics. She is a senior resident at the Medical College of Wisconsin and plans to return to Savannah to practice medicine.

Urban Hope names new board members

Urban Hope announced their new board members: Crista Waggoner, Doug Carroll, Travis Thomas, Renay Evans and Nicholas Lee.

NEW YORK — As a campaign to raise the minimum wage as high as $15 has achieved victories in such places as Seattle, Los Angeles and New York, it has bumped up against a harsh reality: Plenty of scofflaw businesses don't pay the legal minimum now and probably won't pay the new, higher wages either.

Some economists, labor activists and regulators predict that without stronger enforcement, the number of workers getting cheated out of a legal wage is bound to increase in places where wages rise.

Estimates on the size of the problem vary, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics said that in 2014, roughly 1.7 million U.S. workers — two thirds of whom were women — were illegally paid less than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.

Other studies put the number higher. A report by the Department of Labor in December estimated that in New York and California alone, there are 560,000 violations of the law every week, representing $33 million in lost income.

Those figures represent workers like Celina Alvarez, who came to the U.S. from Michoacan, Mexico, four years ago and took a series of poorly paying jobs as a cook after settling in New York City.

At the first two restaurants, Alvarez worked 12 hours per day, six days a week for a flat weekly wage of $350. That comes out to about $4.86 per hour. There were no tips and no overtime pay. Some weeks, Alvarez said, she and other women in the restaurant didn't get paid at all. Managers didn't care if they quit. They'd just hire someone else.

"We were dispensable to them," she said.

The U.S. Labor Department investigates those types of violations and is already doing a brisk business in enforcement cases. During the last federal fiscal year, it said it recovered $270 million in back wages for 270,000 workers.

But the agency's roughly 1,000 investigators, who police 7.3 million businesses employing 135 million workers, don't enforce state and local wage laws, for the most part. That means that cities and states that hike their minimum wage above the federal rate of $7.25 are on their own.

That's causing some concern that, without a robust enforcement mechanism, many workers could wind up being left behind.

"A lot of states are facing that challenge now," said David Weil, administrator of the U.S. Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division. "It is very important to pass those minimum wage increases ... Then, how do we make sure workers really receive them?"

Twenty nine states now have a minimum wage higher than the federal rate, but anti-poverty activists have been campaigning hard for municipal lawmakers to bypass both Congress and their state legislatures and set wages much higher.

Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco and its Bay Area brethren, Oakland and Berkeley, have all begun phasing in a minimum wage that will hit $15 per hour within the next few years. Labor groups in California are trying to get a measure on the ballot increasing the rate to $15 statewide.

A regulatory board in New York took the unorthodox step last month of hiking the minimum to $15 for fast food workers.

Other, less expensive cities have been shooting slightly lower. Chicago and Kansas City, Missouri, are both raising the rate to $13. Albuquerque, New Mexico, and, Portland, Maine, are both raising rates to just under $11. Most of these raises are being phased in gradually over several years.

Those measures have been strenuously opposed by many corporations and entrepreneurs, who say that many businesses with thin profit margins will be forced out of business or fire workers to stay afloat.

Tia Koonse, a researcher at the UCLA Labor Center, said there is no question that some employers doing things legally now might be tempted to start breaking rules.

"If there is not a credible threat of a compliance check, then what happens?" she said.

Some municipalities that have raised wages have talked about following the example of San Francisco, which created its own labor standards enforcement division.

The head of that unit, Donna Levitt, said the number of complaints about wage violations did not go up when the minimum wage stepped up to $12.25 in May. But she said that doesn't necessarily reflect what is really happening.

"There are a lot of reasons that people are fearful of coming forward and asserting their rights, even if they know the minimum wage has increased," Levitt said.

Seattle's Office of Labor Standards says that in the three months after the city's minimum wage law took effect in April, it opened 25 investigations into complaints that companies weren't complying.

Celina Alvarez, 51, said that when she first came to New York, she knew that she was being paid less than the legal minimum, but felt she had no option but to take whatever work was offered. She's uneducated and doesn't speak English, and a job paying the New York state hourly minimum of $8.75 seemed impossible to find.

"Nobody pays that salary," she said. Most workers like her, she added, are unlikely to complain. "They are scared of losing their jobs."

Manuel Santiago, a Mexican laborer in New York City, said when he had a wage dispute a few years ago at a deli that was paying him $300 per week, for 78 hours of work, the boss threatened to call immigration officials and have him deported.

Instead, Santiago filed a labor law complaint and eventually recovered all the money he was owed, plus penalties.

Cheated workers also have the option of filing a civil lawsuit. Michael Faillace, an attorney who helps underpaid workers file lawsuits to recover back wages, said there were more than enough potential clients to go around.

"Pick any street in Brooklyn and any street in Queens. Go into any restaurant. And there are no documented workers. None of the delivery guys are documented. Probably none of the kitchen staff are documented. And they are all getting less than minimum wage."

___

Associated Press writer Claudia Torrens contributed to this report.

Average retail gasoline prices in metro Savannah have fallen 5.0 cents a gallon in the past week to $2.42 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The national average has fallen 5.4 cents a gallon in the last week to $2.60, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday were 88.0 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 20.2 cents a gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 16.2 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 87.9 cents lower than a year ago.

“The powerful combination of declining crude oil prices and robust production from U.S. refineries continues to pummel retail gasoline prices nationwide, and it’s a trend we expect to continue,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy. “With West Texas Intermediate slipping to $43.75 per barrel on Friday and refineries exceeding 17 million barrels per day in each of the past four weeks, a level that hasn’t been reached since the Energy Information Administration began publishing the data in 1990, that explains why the national average price of gas shed six cents per gallon in the past week.”

Gas prices down five cents in metro Savannah

Average retail gasoline prices in metro Savannah have fallen 5.0 cents a gallon in the past week to $2.42 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The national average has fallen 5.4 cents a gallon in the last week to $2.60, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday were 88.0 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 20.2 cents a gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 16.2 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 87.9 cents lower than a year ago.

“The powerful combination of declining crude oil prices and robust production from U.S. refineries continues to pummel retail gasoline prices nationwide, and it’s a trend we expect to continue,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy. “With West Texas Intermediate slipping to $43.75 per barrel on Friday and refineries exceeding 17 million barrels per day in each of the past four weeks, a level that hasn’t been reached since the Energy Information Administration began publishing the data in 1990.”

TailsSpin picked as pet retailer of year

Pet Product News International, a pet industry magazine, has chosen TailsSpin Pet Food and Accessories as its 2015-2016 Pet Retailer of the Year.

TailsSpin has stores in Savannah, Pooler and a new location on Whitemarsh Island.

Ellyce Rothrock, editor of Pet Product News, said TailsSpin was an easy choice because it “embodies the best of small business: offering a carefully curated product selection, educating customers to give pets their best life, giving back through a deep commitment to community, treating staff with generosity and inclusion and so much more.”

TailsSpin co-owner Jusak Yang Bernhard called the award “an amazing honor.”

‘America’s Got Talent’ stars headed to mall

The Savannah Mall will host Emil and Dariel Rock Cellos, stars of “America’s Got Talent,” for a public performance at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday. YouTube drummer Casey Cooper will join the rock duo at Savannah Mall’s Center Court for an appearance.

Both performances are free and open to the public.

The teenage rock cello duo gained worldwide exposure on the NBC-TV syndicated program “America’s Got Talent” in 2014. Their live performance of “Purple Haze” went viral and garnered more than 3 million views on YouTube.

The boys finished as finalists and became a part of the program’s live shows in Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas.

When Art Rise Savannah launched the monthly First Friday Art March a few years ago, I was skeptical that the event would take hold.

By that point, it was clear the gallery scene in the downtown area was struggling to regain ground lost in the deep 2007-09 recession. Sure, the First Friday Art March had a solid home base in the Starland area, but would folks really start visiting those spaces and other galleries in significant numbers?

And would anyone really “march”?

I’m glad that my initial skepticism turned out to be so far off.

A friend and I began August’s First Friday Art March at Stephen Milner’s wonderful photo exhibit about the Ogeechee River at Jelinek Creative Spaces on Fahm Street just off West River Street.

If you haven’t checked out Milner’s show, which is sponsored by the Ogeechee Riverkeeper, the gallery at Jelinek is open during typical business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday). The photos will be there till Aug. 21. Jelinek is also home to a variety of artists and artisans, so you might want to spend a little time exploring.

Next stop was the opening of “Tall Tales: Works by Raymond Gaddy” at the city of Savannah’s gallery at the Department of Cultural Affairs on Henry Street. Then we dropped by the “Goodbye, Hello” group show at Non-Fiction Gallery on Bull Street and then finished the evening at Sulfur Studios for the exhibit “Wanderland.”

Under the name Non-Fiction, the gallery has displayed work by 191 artists, but the current ownership team has turned the space over to Art Rise Savannah. The organization had for years tried to make do with a tiny gallery on Desoto Avenue, so the acquisition of Non-Fiction represents a major step forward for the ambitious nonprofit.

Sulfur Studios leases individual studio and office space but also has a larger common gallery in the center. In addition to art exhibits, the gallery has hosted a variety of performances in Sulfur’s short existence.

A confession: we didn’t march. Since we began our evening down by the river and since we were running late, we drove between those four venues.

But there were plenty of others walking up and down Bull Street, much to the astonishment of a longtime neighbor who was taking his dog for a walk.

For what it’s worth, I don’t think the current gallery offerings yet rival the gallery scene in the early years of this century, but the rise of shared spaces and the rise of Art Rise itself suggest that we are witnessing something special.

City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.

Savannah Technical College unveiled the naming of its executive boardroom in memory of J. Richard Henry Jr. on Friday. Henry, who died in January 2015, was a longtime treasurer of the Savannah Technical College Foundation.

“Richard’s tireless efforts for nearly 20 years as a member of the board helped to shape the foundation into the organization it has become,” said Savannah Tech President Kathy Love. “He was an accountant by training and practice — a courageous, dedicated, leader who gave of his time and expertise to see that the foundation was on solid footing through its early years and was proud of its growth and evolution.”

Henry was born in Swainsboro and graduated from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor of business administration in accounting. In recent years, he served as a member of the GSU School of Accountancy Advisory Board.

Henry was a founding partner of Holland, Henry and Bromley LLP and his colleagues have established the Richard Henry Accounting Scholarship in his memory for Savannah Tech accounting students who have completed 20 hours of study with a 3.0 grade point average.

Preference will be given to a student who is active in the community as a volunteer. The first award will be made during the 2015-16 academic year.

Last week, Georgia officials started work on a rail-truck terminal in the northern section of the state, which will become the second inland port shipping goods to the Port of Savannah.

Augusta should be in line to get one too, as the Georgia Ports Authority wants four more intermodal transfer points to make it easier for commerce to use the port as well as reduce truck congestion on highways.

The trouble Augusta faces is that an ideal location, where CSX and Norfolk Southern rail intersect, is wetlands or the swamp.

“We need to find the right site. That’s been the thing that’s slowed us up,” said Walter Sprouse, executive director of the Augusta Economic Development Authority. “We need to find a piece of property that will work and fit for both of them, or else, we’ll go with one of the two rail companies.”

Sprouse said there have been discussions with state and rail officials about the possibility — something that is a priority for the development authority.

Curtis Foltz, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, confirmed that Augusta is “on the radar” for an inland port.

An inland port is an extension of the port system, a rail link to a terminal, sometimes hundreds of miles away, where trucks can unload goods that are ultimately meant to be loaded on ships in the port. So instead of “driving to Savannah with five trucks a day, they’re driving down the street,” Sprouse said. “It saves time, can produce more product and it saves wear and tear on the roads.”

Will Williams, executive director of the Aiken-Edgefield Economic Development Partnership, said there has also been talk on the South Carolina side of the Central Savannah River Area about an inland port.

“Its been tossed around with Norfolk Southern, but I don’t know that it gained any real traction other than just discussion,” he said.

Most of Aiken County is served by Norfolk Southern, but CSX has some track near the river, Williams said.

Williams said an inland port would “serve our area well.” Bridgestone, for example, could export tires through an intermodal facility.

“Companies don’t see geopolitical boundaries,” he said. “The Port of Savan­nah benefits Aiken County just as much as the Port of Charleston. We’re equidistant to Savannah and Charleston.”

The port in Charleston, S.C., has an inland port in Greer, near Spartanburg, that’s 2 years old. Georgia began building inland port access two years ago, starting in Cordele between Albany and Warner Robins.

The Appalachian Reg­ional Port in Chatsworth will have the capacity to take 50,000 trucks off the highway by 2018.

The rail-truck terminal will serve shippers in north Georgia and neighboring states with a more convenient route to the port of Savannah 350 miles away.

Foltz said Network Georgia identified six areas in Georgia where intermodal facilities are being targeted. Two are done and four more to be identified.

“These are centers of economic development when you put them in place,” Foltz said. “It gives manufacturers access to the world.”

With 10,000 trucks a day driving into the Garden City Port in Savannah, the largest one there, it is an incentive to reduce truck traffic by having cargo arrive by rail. Foltz said 80 percent of goods headed to the port is through truck.

Besides providing an alternative to existing freight, the rail network is also envisioned as a lure to manufacturers. Gov. Nathan Deal said the Chatsworth terminal, and the potential jobs it could bring, is part of the payoff that legislators were promised when they voted to appropriate $266 million in bonds to fund the state’s share of deepening the shipping channel of the Savannah River.

“The message we delivered to legislators who really did not, perhaps, know what the port of Savannah did for our state was this: the port of Savannah is the key to prosperity for the entire state of Georgia,” he said.

NEW YORK — Verizon is doing the unthinkable: Starting Thursday, the nation’s largest wireless company will eliminate two-year service contracts, along with the practice of offering discounted phones at prices of $100 or $200.

Although this has already been an option with major phone carriers, Verizon joins T-Mobile in dropping contracts and discounted phones entirely for new customers. Under the new system, people will buy phones outright, with the option of paying the full retail price in monthly, interest-free installments.

This will be better in the long run. Although it’s nice to get a $650 phone for $200 with a contract, you pay for it in higher monthly fees for voice, text and data services. Here’s the rub: You keep paying those higher fees even after your contract is over.

The contract system largely benefits those who upgrade right at the two-year mark, even though many people wait longer if the old phone’s still working fine. The contract system also rewards buyers of the most expensive phones. With the change, you keep the savings when you opt for a cheaper phone with all the features and performance you need.

But contracts might still benefit you in the short run. With Thursday’s changes looming, should you rush to get a discounted phone, or wait for the new plans? Here are four things to consider:

Upgrade now if you don’t need the latest model

If you’re already with Verizon, you can keep your current plan. What’s not clear is whether you’ll still be able to get a discounted phone after Wednesday. Verizon Communications Inc. hasn’t responded to requests since Friday for clarification.

If you’re ready and eligible for a new phone, it’s safer to do so by Wednesday, before the new plans kick in.

That said, there’s been speculation that Apple and Samsung will come out with new models soon. The older models tend to go down in price then. An iPhone 6 now goes for $200 with a contract and will likely drop to $100 when its successor comes out. But saving $100 might not be worth the risk of having to pay full price — about $650 now, but likely to drop to $550 when the new model is out — if Verizon doesn’t offer discounted phones to existing customers.

New plans might give you more than you need

Even after paying full price for the phone, you might still break even or save money under the new plans. In general, service prices for voice, text and data are going down by about $20 a month, offsetting the value of the subsidy you’re losing on the phone under contract.

There are variations, though. For a single line, you’re paying $60 a month under the current plan for 1 gigabyte of data, but $19 of that is the value of the subsidy for the phone. You’re really paying just $41 for the service part. Under the new plan, the monthly price for service goes up to $50, not counting the monthly installment you could be paying for the phone. For 3 gigabytes, you’re now paying $71 after subtracting the subsidy. The price goes down to $65 under the new plan.

The 1 gigabyte plan might be cutting it close, especially if you use cellular data to snack on video. An hour or two will eat up your allotment. Because the price goes down at 3 gigabytes, the new plans might seem better. However, many individuals now have just 2 gigabytes. It’s $56 a month after subtracting the subsidy. The 2-gigabyte option won’t be available under the new plan, so you’ll be paying $9 more to get 3 gigabytes — when you need less.

Couples and families sharing larger buckets of data might also see price cuts under the new plans, but choices will be limited to 1, 3, 6 and 12 gigabytes. If you have something in between, think twice before switching. Verizon will let you keep your current plan indefinitely, but once you leave it, you likely won’t be able to switch back.

Some employers reimburse for service, but not the phone

If your company pays for all or part of your phone service, but not the phone itself, the new plans will hurt. All these years, the service fees had been inflated because phone companies had to recoup the costs of the phone subsidies. Prices under the new plans will better reflect actual costs, but that also means less service fees to reimburse.

You might want to game the system for another two years by getting a discounted phone now.

No contract doesn’t mean leave anytime

Unless you want to pay for the full price of the phone up front, you can typically spread your payments over two years, interest free. In that case, your two-year service contract gets replaced by a two-year phone installment plan. So you’re still stuck with Verizon.

Don’t switch to a new plan simply to avoid the contract. Many rivals will pay any penalties anyway if you have to break your contract to switch.

BEIJING — China’s surprise move Tuesday to devalue its currency has intensified concerns about a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy, whose growth rate has reached a six-year low. It is also fanning tensions with the United States and Europe, whose exports could become comparatively costlier.

China’s central bank said the yuan’s devaluation was a result of reforms intended to make its exchange rate more market-based. The yuan is linked to the dollar, which has jumped in the past year. Tuesday’s move will mean the yuan will more fully reflect market fluctuations, Chinese officials say.

A close peg between the dollar and the yuan has hurt Chinese exporters by keeping their goods expensive overseas, thereby threatening jobs in key manufacturing industries. Exports in July plummeted by an unexpectedly steep 8.3 percent from a year earlier. A cheaper yuan will lower the prices of China’s exports.

“The move signals that (China) is willing to use all available tools, including a weaker currency, to prop up exports and its domestic economy,” said Eswar Prasad, an international economist at Cornell University.

Yet many economists cautioned against seeing Beijing’s move mainly as an

effort to benefit its exporters at the expense of overseas competitors. They note that China’s currency, left to market forces alone, would have declined in value in recent months.

“It is a small step forward to accommodating market forces,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at the California State University’s Smith School of Business.

China’s currency move unnerved global investors. U.S. stocks tumbled Tuesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing down 212 points.

The yuan, also known as the renminbi, is allowed to fluctuate in a band 2 percent above or below a rate set by the People’s Bank of China based on the previous day’s trading.

The bank said that starting Tuesday, the daily target will be based on where the yuan closed the previous day, a change that gives market forces a bigger role in determining the currency’s level. The center of Tuesday’s trading band was set 1.9 percent below Monday’s level. The yuan quickly fell 1.3 percent against the dollar and was down 1.9 percent by afternoon.

China’s economic growth has slowed to an annual rate of just 7 percent — healthy for most countries but far below the double-digit pace it has enjoyed for decades. The country’s leaders fear that growth below that pace will raise the unemployment rate and possibly lead to social unrest.

Still, China’s action Tuesday sparked complaints in Washington, where members of Congress have long complained that Beijing manipulates its currency to gain a trade advantage.

“For years, China has rigged the rules and played games with its currency,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. “Rather than changing their ways, the Chinese government seems to be doubling down.”

The Treasury Department’s response was more measured.

“While it is too early to judge the full implications of the change... China has indicated that the changes announced today are another step in its move to a more market-determined exchange rate,” a department statement said.

China becomes the third major economy to act to lower its currency value. Initiatives by Japan and the European Union over the past two years depressed the yen and euro.

Those moves contrast with action foreseen from the Federal Reserve, which is expected to boost the short-term interest rate it controls later this year. A Fed rate hike would likely raise the value of the dollar, which has already jumped about 14 percent in value in the past 12 months against a basket of foreign currencies.

The rising dollar has hurt U.S. exporters by making their goods costlier abroad, and China’s move to devalue its currency could further complicate the Fed’s decision on when to raise rates. By making Chinese goods comparatively cheaper in the United States, a weaker yuan would push already-low U.S. inflation even lower.

The Fed wants to be “reasonably confident” that inflation is returning to its 2 percent target before raising rates. Inflation has risen just 1.3 percent in the past 12 months.

Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan Chase, suggested that the dollar’s rise poses a concern for some Fed officials, known as doves, who have been reluctant to raise rates. Should the U.S. economy stumble in the coming weeks, “dollar strength would only further embolden the doves at the next meeting” in September, Feroli said.

Still, Feroli said, “we think this a minor stumbling block for a September” rate increase.

USB economist Tao Wang said Beijing would likely move cautiously, but investor expectations of further weakening “could quickly become entrenched” and cause the yuan to “depreciate quite quickly and significantly.”

She said that would represent a “sea change in China’s exchange rate policy” but would help to support flagging economic growth.

___

Rugaber contributed from Washington. AP Economics Writer Paul Wiseman in Washington and AP Writer Teresa Cerojano in Manila contributed to this report.

DALLAS — If you get on a Spirit Airlines flight, there’s a 50-50 chance that your flight will be late.

Perhaps then it is no surprise that Spirit has the highest complaint rate of any major U.S. airline.

Spirit, a low-fare, high-fees carrier with a clientele of mostly leisure travelers, had by far the worst on-time performance in June among 14 airlines tracked in a government report. Only 49.9 percent of its flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, which is the government’s definition of being on time.

It was the worst on-time performance by a major airline in 10 years.

Spirit declined to make an executive available for an interview. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, spokesman Paul Berry blamed canceled flights on bad weather, which he said had an outsized impact on Spirit “because of where these storms hit, our fleet size, and our network.”

Spirit had the second-highest rate of canceled flights in June. Berry wrote that with better weather lately, “our operations are back to normal.”

United Airlines had the second-worst on-time rating, at 66.3 percent. “It wasn’t the performance we like to provide for our customers,” said spokesman Charlie Hobart. He said maintenance issues and bad weather — thunderstorms at one of United’s hub airports on 25 different days, he said — contributed to the delays.

Overall, airlines covered by the U.S. Department of Transportation report operated 74.8 percent of their flights on time in June, up from 71.8 percent in June 2014.

Hawaiian Airlines, which benefits from many short flights in mostly good weather, finished on top, with 90.5 percent of its flights landing on time, followed by Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Virgin America, all three of which beat 80 percent.

Spirit performed poorly at nearly all airports it serves but was worst in Philadelphia, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and Detroit, where on-time percentages were in the 30s. Nearly one-fourth of Spirit’s flights were late at least 70 percent of the time in June.

On six routes, the Spirit delays averaged more than two hours.

Spirit’s on-time rating was the worst since June 2005, when Alaska Airlines posted a 49.8 percent mark.

The overall rate of complaints against airlines jumped 45 percent from June 2014, but Spirit alone was responsible for more than half the increase. It wasn’t big enough to be included in the government reports last year.

According to the government, 284 passengers filed complaints about Spirit. That’s small compared with the number of passengers — about one in 5,200. But the Miramar, Florida-based company had by far the highest complaint rate of the 14 airlines covered in the report.

Spirit passengers were 43 times more likely to file a complaint than passengers on Alaska Airlines, which had the lowest complaint rate. More than half of the complaints against Spirit dealt with flight problems, with a smattering for refunds, baggage and customer service.

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David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter

Magazine’s fastest-growing list includes Parker’s

Parker’s, a Savannah-based chain of convenience stores, has been included on the Inc. 500|5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States for the fourth consecutive year.

Inc. released the complete list of honorees today and will recognize winners in the September 2015 issue of the magazine and at the 2015 Inc. 5000 Conference and Gala from Oct. 21-23 in Orlando.

“Only a tiny fraction of the nation’s companies have demonstrated such remarkably consistent high growth, particularly in the difficult economic environment of the past few years,” said Eric Schurenberg, Inc. president and editor-in-chief.

To make the cut, companies needed to achieve significant sales growth between 2011 and 2014.

Parker’s, which operates 38 stores, has opened eight new retail locations over the past year and has plans for more.

“We’re preparing for explosive growth and plan to open 10 stores within the next year,” said Greg Parker, president and CEO of Parker’s. “We’re excited about the future and about our potential for smart, strategic growth.”

National ranking for GSU graduate program

STATESBORO — The Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University was recently ranked one of the top public health graduate programs in the nation by GraduatePrograms.com, the graduate school guide created by and for students.

The guide ranks graduate programs on ratings and reviews from current or recent graduate students on ongraduateprograms.com. Program rankings encompass reviews posted by more than 70,000 students participating in more than 1,600 graduate programs nationwide.

“We’re especially honored to be recognized by a student organization as one of the top public health graduate programs in the country,” said Greg Evans, dean and professor of environmental health sciences in the College of Public Health.

Georgia Southern sales education draws kudos

STATESBORO — The Georgia Southern College of Business has been recognized as one of the top universities for professional sales education in the country by the Sales Education Foundation.

In the ninth edition of the foundation’s annual magazine, SEF listed Georgia Southern as one of the programs that provides a university sales education while preparing and placing future talent in professional selling roles.

In SEF’s annual survey, the College of Business sales program distinguished itself through offering a specialty area, participating in a sales competition, offering a sales lab for students and having a 100 percent job placement rate.

“We are gratified to see the collaboration of seasoned programs providing insight and support to these dedicated academics with a vision to deliver quality sales education to their committed students,” said SEF Executive Director Sally Stevens.

As children gear up for school this fall, The Creative Coast is bustling with activity, too. This is the season for attracting investors to local entrepreneurs and startups. It takes four events, many collaborating organizations and an army of dedicated volunteers to successfully pull it off.

First, one of my favorite events is StartupLounge, which takes place Oct. 1. This is an invitation-only event that consists of an intimate conversation between real investors and real startups and entrepreneurs. This is not a crowded networking event of job seekers and service providers but a select group of 70 or so pre-qualified entrepreneurs and investors.

Participating entrepreneurs have worked hard to develop their ideas and business plans and are ready to talk confidently with approved angel investors. These investors are often people whose day jobs are law, medicine, business and even retired professionals from these fields.

They are passionate about building jobs in our region, and they know that the innovative economy is one of the best ways to make that happen, so they put their money where their mouths are and stand ready to write checks for a piece of the most enticing entrepreneurial pie. These checks can range from $10,000 to $50,000 in equity

investments.

We expect to receive more than 50 applications from entrepreneurs throughout the region for this year’s StartupLounge. We generally select 24 participants who will each have a chance to mingle with investors in a casual, relaxed environment and showcase their product or service on a tabletop display.

Here’s where we created the second event. Out of the 24 participating entrepreneurs from StartupLounge, we will select 10 stellar investment opportunities and give each a chance to present to a handpicked group of professional investors from Atlanta, Charleston, Greenville and beyond on Friday, Oct. 2.

Unlike StartupLounge, where we maintain a low pressure environment, this event involves presentations more the reality show “Shark Tank.” The entrepreneurs have less than five minutes to capture investor interest and make their mark by sharing essential details about market size, innovative solutions, their team, investment need and exit strategy.

Running simultaneously to both of the above events is what we call “investor weekend.”

Through the generosity and collaboration of TAG (Technology Association of Georgia), SEDA (Savannah Economic Development Authority), ATDC (Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center) and SCAD, we bring 10 experienced and committed investors to Savannah for two days, and they are exposed to local entrepreneurs as well as the local community.

In addition to mingling with entrepreneurs at Startup Lounge and listening to selected investor pitches the following day, we also take these investors on tours of SCAD and the Georgia Ports Authority. The more these investors know about our community, the more likely they are to make investments here.

Being exposed to this caliber of investor is a great experience for budding entrepreneurs and an incredible door opener for Savannah. Collectively, this group has invested in more than 300 companies and seen more than 100 successful exits: That means they made money on their investment.

A side benefit of the lounge is the chance for local angel investors to invest alongside these professionals.

As a lead-up to Startup Lounge, ATDC — along with Ariel Southeast Angel Partners — conducts a three-part investor readiness class throughout September for all entrepreneurs. While the classes are open to the public, they are required for the top 10 entrepreneurs we select to present to the investor panel.

Here’s the fourth event in our investor attraction season.

As a bonus for the participating entrepreneurs, five of the top 10 finalists will be selected to present at Geekend’s Pitch Circus on Oct. 15. ohn Burke, True Ventures investment group founder, will serve as ringmaster for this year’s Pitch Circus, which is exciting news.

As one of the highest profile investor groups in the tech industry, True Ventures has made more than 175 seed investments in startup companies, including FitBit and MakerBot.

Let the investor season begin. Entrepreneurs are busy people, so we coordinate all of the above for them in an efficient and streamlined manner. Only one application is needed for all three entrepreneur opportunities, and The Creative Coast will make the rest happen like clockwork.

Download your application from The Creative Coast website at www.thecreativecoast.org. Investors interested in participating can contact me direct by email at bea.wray@thecreativecoast.org.

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

By Bea Wray