SunTrust branch unveils ‘Teller Connect’

The SunTrust Bank drive-thru on Abercorn Street has added a “Teller Connect” machine that allows customers to do self-service banking with access to a live employee.

Teller Connect machines offer two modes: ATM and ITM (Interactive Teller Mode), which provides more specialized options, including video conference call with a remote teller to ask questions or complete a transaction even after the branch is closed.

“As a result of our clients’ desire for more flexible banking options to fit their busy schedules, SunTrust is offering the new Teller Connect machines,” said spokesman Brad Miller. “Teller Connect allows more choices and greater convenience, while also ensuring access to experienced tellers who can offer a personal touch.”

Teller Connect machines are expected to be added to five SunTrust in-store locations and 15 drive-thru locations by the end of 2015.

Publix to sponsor for Hilton Head festival

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — The Hilton Head Wine & Food Festival has announced Publix will be its presenting sponsor for 2016.

“We are pleased to partner with such a prestigious and impactful event that focuses on fine wines and delectable cuisines that will satisfy the taste palettes of all,” said Publix regional director Tana Welch.

Publix also served as the presenting sponsor for the 2015 Savannah Food and Wine Festival, which concluded on Nov. 15.

The Hilton Head Island Wine and Food Festival will be March 7 through March 13 at The Sea Pines Resort. To buy tickets or review the schedule, go to www.hiltonheadwineandfood.com.

Green Power EMC, Silicon Ranch dedicate solar facility

HAZLEHURST — Green Power EMC, participating EMCs and Silicon Ranch Corp. had a dedication ceremony for a 20-megawatt solar generating facility in Jeff Davis County near Hazlehurst.

Officials recently finished construction on the ground-based solar facility, which is on a 135-acre tract and includes about 87,000 solar panels, making it one of the largest solar generating facilities in Georgia.

The full output of the facility is being sold under a 25-year contract to Green Power EMC, a renewable energy provider owned by 38 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs). Twenty-seven EMCs are receiving power from the Hazlehurst project.

The solar facility is expected to produce more than 43,000 megawatt hours of clean, renewable energy annually, enough to offset 30,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Silicon Ranch and Green Power EMC are also planning a second solar facility in Jeff Davis County. That 52-megawatt facility is expected to go into service in 2016.

A downtown fixture since 1902, Friedman’s Fine Art, will soon be closing their shop at the corner of State and Whitaker Streets and re-locating to a shopping center in midtown Savannah.

Fourth-generation owner Julian Weitz said with the recent increase in building prices and construction downtown, he decided to put his building at 28 West State Street up for sale.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the new iteration of our building,” he said.

Weitz said he’s excited about the gallery’s new venture at the Eisenhower Square shopping center at the corner of Eisenhower Drive and Waters Avenue but will miss the atmosphere of downtown and Broughton Street, recalling early childhood memories of his mother donning white gloves and a hat for shopping trips along the historic corridor.

“It’s just been a great journey because we’ve seen changes in our business, and we’ve certainly seen the up-and-down swings as far as the city is concerned, Broughton Street in particular,” he said.

“Even though we’re half a block off Broughton Street, we’ve always considered ourselves as Broughton Street merchants and the ups and downs of Broughton Street pretty much affect the whole downtown area.”

In the early 1970s after Oglethorpe Mall opened and business shifted away from Broughton Street, Weitz said, his father encouraged him to purchase a couple of buildings on the street while prices were low, but he balked at the idea.

Now with Broughton Street returning to its glory, Weitz said, it’s important not to give up when conditions change.

“(My father) was just talking out loud and said, If I was a younger man, if I were you I would buy two of those buildings on Broughton Street... You could rent them to someone and it would help you pay the mortgage. The city is not going to let its main street go out of business,” he said.

“With the shortsightedness of youth I told him I wouldn’t take two buildings on Broughton Street if they gave them to me,” Weitz said. “Now, of course, at the other end of the spectrum, with Ben Carter buying all the real estate on Broughton Street and buildings going for one or two million dollars, those two buildings would have been a genius play at the time. So you really can’t give up on Broughton Street or certain business conditions you have to have a longer term view.”

Space challenge

One of the biggest challenges for the gallery will be space. The current building, which was built in 1866, is about 9,000 square feet; the new store is only 1,850 square feet.

Weitz said they’ll scale down the gallery space, archive many of the items and focus primarily on picture framing services. On the upside, he said, they’ll have plenty of free parking and they’ll offer more pick-up and delivery service to customers.

“It’ll be quite a change, but we’ll have easy access there. If you live downtown or in The Landings, you can get on the Truman Parkway and come right out to us... It’s easy access, and it’s in a very busy area of town,” he said.

“We’ll be able to focus better and do a good job with (framing) as we always have done.”

Aside from framing services and gallery pieces the company has worked on a number of local and national projects including art installations nationwide for South University and the Mansion on Forsyth Park, which he said was the most interesting and challenging project he’s encountered.

“Each job is often like that.You have very big challenges. We had some big pieces used in the Mansion bar area that had to be trucked in on a flat-bed truck and we used paintings that we had to make sure were measured and manufactured to exact specifications, so it was very interesting,” he said.

The gallery has been operating since S.K. “Bessie” Friedman founded the store in its original location on Telfair Square in 1902. The store moved to its current location at 28 W. State St. in 1925 before Friedman died in 1936, and the Weitz’s aunt and uncle purchased the business in 1940.

Weitz spent much of his childhood in the store and in 1975 he and his wife, Jean, officially joined the business. He now works alongside the fifth generation of his family, his son-in-law, Adam Fins.

Weitz said the generational aspect also spans their customer base, and often times pieces will come in to be re-framed and have vintage Friedman’s stickers on the back. Weitz is able to determine when the piece was framed based on the shape of the sticker.

In 2010 Weitz had a bit of “sticker shock” himself after buying a painting by Savannah artist Hattie Saussy from a seller in California only to discover a sticker from his gallery on the back.

“When he sent it, it still had the sticker on it from the 1950s. It was like it had come home,” he said.

It’s the family feeling along with one-on-one customer service that keeps generations of customers coming back, Weitz said,

“We were part of the downtown community for many, many years and we’d see people on the streets or at restaurants or banks and then they became customers and we’d see them again. You develop these business relationships that are also personal relationships,” he said.

“I think that’s been the key to our success for many, many years. My father, who was with the business for so many years, just developed these great relationships.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The humming is constant; a low-pitched drone from 155 miles of conveyer belts racing packages in every direction. Boxes shift from one belt to another and bump into a metal wall. Thud. Thud. Thud. In the background, trucks beep and jet engines roar.

Forget jingling bells and ho-ho-hos, these are now the sounds of the holidays.

As more gift-givers shop online, there are more packages to ship. Online sales now account for 10 percent of all shopping and 15 percent during the holidays, according to research firm Forrester. That leaves FedEx and UPS with a combined 947 million packages to deliver between Black Friday and Christmas Eve — up 8 percent from last holiday season’s forecasts.

For UPS, the key to getting all those last-second orders delivered on time is Worldport, a massive sorting facility located between the Louisville airport’s two main runways. On a typical night, 1.6 million packages pass through. Just before Christmas, there can be 4 million, peaking on Monday night.

(UPS plans to deliver about 36 million packages today, its busiest day of the year, up from 35 million last year. That includes all of Worldport’s shipments plus those traveling by truck.)

Standing next to the runways just after midnight, jet headlights can be seen lined up miles away. Every 60 seconds another plane lands on one of the two parallel runways and pulls up to the facility — the size of 90 football fields — to unload its goods.

If everything goes right, the packages are just touched twice by humans: first when pulled out of large aircraft shipping containers and then again at the end of their journey through the conveyors and into a new bin and another jet.

The past two years have been rough for express shippers.

In 2013, they underestimated American’s growing fervor for online shopping. Throw in bad weather, and deliveries backed up. Some gifts didn’t arrive in time for Christmas. UPS and Fedex spent heavily last year to ensure better performance, but still had some major hiccups. Staples, Toys ‘R Us, Best Buy, Crate & Barrel, J.C. Penney and Kohl’s were among the retailers who missed delivery to at least one part of the country, according to industry tracking firm StellaService.

To prevent similar mishaps, UPS and FedEx have been working with major retailers to hone their forecasts and have scheduled their extra holiday workers to better meet the shipping spikes right after Thanksgiving and the weekend before Christmas. Some third-party tracking services have signaled a few issues with 2015 deliveries but UPS spokesman Mike Mangeot said last week that more than 96 percent of packages are being delivered on time in December and that UPS expects packages to arrive by Christmas.

“In many cases customers are receiving the packages earlier than promised as we are advancing deliveries to make sure the network remains ready for any spikes as last-minute Christmas shipping approaches,” says Mangeot.

At first glance, Kentucky doesn’t seem like the epicenter of holiday shipping.

After all, Louisville isn’t the geographic center of the U.S. And this city of 600,000 people is hardly the largest in the country. Best known for its wooden baseball bats and being home to the Kentucky Derby, the city does, however, have relatively good weather and a geography that is perfect for shipping. (FedEx has a similar operation in Memphis, Tennessee.)

“It’s just an ideal location for us,” says Gary Kelley, manager of the UPS next day shipping division at Worldport. “We are within two hours (flying time) of 75 percent of the population and within four hours of 95 percent.”

And when you are rushing packages overnight, that proximity to the country’s largest cities matters.

A plane from Seattle might be carrying overnight packages bound for New York, Miami or Chicago. It will stop in Kentucky. All the boxes and envelopes are unloaded, likely by college students pulling the ultimate all-nighter — they make up 70 percent of the employees here.

Next, the packages go onto conveyers where red lasers scan labels and then the system automatically sorts the boxes and directs them to new shipping containers. UPS has 38,000 such containers and they typically hold about 400 packages. Workers load them back up and then drag the heavy containers across a floor of rollers back onto various planes that head out around the globe.

Up to 416,000 packages can be processed each hour.

Typically, it only takes 13 minutes for a package to travel the web of belts and chutes. In a five hour period, 130 planes have landed, unloaded, reloaded and returned to the skies. In another part of the complex, 300 trucks do a similar dance.

The only thing faster: Americans purchasing a new round of goods online.

Gas prices down slightly in metro Savannah

Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have fallen 0.8 cents a gallon in the past week to $2.02 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The average has fallen 1.6 cents a gallon in the last week to $1.99, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Gas prices in the region include:

Jacksonville, $1.95 a gallon, down 1.3 cents from last week’s $1.96.

Augusta, $1.93 a gallon, up 2.4 cents from last week’s $1.90.

South Carolina, $1.77 a gallon, flat from last week’s $1.77.

Prices Sunday in metro Savannah were 32.5 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 5.3 cents a gallon lower than a month ago. The national has decreased 8.4 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 39.4 cents lower than one year ago.

Hargray announces first fiber-to-the-home community

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Hargray has announced that its first residential fiber overbuild will be in Hilton Head Plantation. Construction is slated to begin Jan. 15 and is expected to be completed by the spring of 2016.

Hargray’s announcement said the firm has been working since June with several communities to gauge their interest in the technology and Hilton Head Plantation acted quickly to secure residents; commitments.

The improvements are expected to increase Internet speeds to 100 times faster than the national average, according to Hargray.

“This will make Hilton Head Plantation one of the most technologically advanced communities in the country,” said Peter Kristian, general manager of Hilton Head Plantation.

Hargray said discussions with several communities on Hilton Head Island are ongoing and the firm expects construction to begin in a second community before the end of 2016.

For more information, visit www.hargray.com/lowcountry-broadband.

West Broad Sreet YMCA draws support, donations

Seacrest Partners recently teamed with the West Broad Street YMCA to support their annual holiday event “Miracle on May Street” by collecting and distributing books, toys, games and winter clothing.

The event, held on Dec. 12, drew more than 90 families, including 273 children.

The West Broad Street YMCA hosts numerous community events and partnerships to serve the downtown Savannah community and provides an early learning center, after school programs, summer enrichment programs, job training, nutrition and athletic opportunities.

“Seacrest Partners is honored to make a difference in the lives of multiple families during this holiday season,” said David Paddison, president of Seacrest Partners.

For more information, visit www.westbroadstreetymca.org/.

Savannah’s historic homes feature some of the most beautiful ornate woodwork in the South on the walls and under your feet in the historic hardwood floors.

Now one local artist is bringing that history to everyday people with just the flick of a switch.

Omar El-Khalidi founded Sterling Builders & Restoration Inc. in the late 1980s. The company specializes in historic restoration and preservation and has worked on numerous projects around the city, including various monuments and notable buildings such as The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Juliet Gordon Low House and Mercer House.

And it was through his restoration work that Longleaf Lighting, which creates one-of-a-kind lamps crafted from antique heart pine, was created. In the early 1990s, while doing beam work beneath a historic home, El-Khalidi kept catching a glimpse of something shiny out of the corner of his eye and decided to investigate further.

“I turned off all the lights, so it was pitch black except for a spot about the size of a quarter that was a beautiful ruby red, and I immediately knew what it was,” he said of discovering an old heart pine floor and recognizing its potential for illumination by a small ray of sun that was filtering through the cracks of the floor above him.

He realized if the sun could illuminate such beautiful colors, so could a light bulb.

Over the next couple of years El-Khalidi worked to refine the lamp-making process, testing different thicknesses of wood and glass as well as varying styles of bases and shades.

For shades, the wood is cut just thicker than a sheet of paper, placed between two thin pieces of glass and finished off with the Tiffany method of metal in-between each piece. Once it’s finished, it glows in shades of soft red, yellow and orange.

“To me, the connection with the structures really make it unique. It’s uniquely Savannah, and a lot of buildings have a real history,” he said, adding that the wood he works with can range from 350 to 500 years old and is un-salvageable, such as the damaged end of a beam that would otherwise be thrown out.

El-Khalidi catalogs and documents each lamp to record which home the material came from.

“Once it hits my shop, it really becomes 100 percent recyclable. That’s what I really love about it, and I love that it’s original growth heart pine,” he said, meaning that it was cut and put straight into a home, preserving the growth rings and any flaws it might have including termite holes, minor traces of old cut nails and various grain patterns.

“It (shows) the stains of the trees that were here when the settlers got here... Each one is singularly unique,” he said.

“It’s the most difficult wood to work with. It clogs up every saw in the shop... But from something so massive to get something so delicate it really is amazing.”

From cutting the wood and glass to the metal work, each lamp is handmade by El-Khalidi in his studio. A simple lamp can take 50 to 60 hours to complete. More complicated designs can take hundreds of hours, and the process of working with wood takes about three times longer than creating a traditional stained glass lamp, according to El-Khalidi.

“The thing I like the most is the connection with Savannah and the specific homes,” he said.

“This lumber was just going to end up in the dumpster, and that coupled with how old it is and its connection with the original colony is just this perfect storm of coolness.”

ON THE WEB

For more information on Longleaf Lighting, go to www.longleaflighting.com or call 912-234-4464.

NEW YORK — Investing is becoming more of a grind. Expect it to stay that way.

Analysts, mutual-fund managers and other forecasters are telling investors to expect lower returns from stocks and bonds in 2016 than in past years. They’re also predicting more severe swings in prices. Remember that 10 percent drop for stocks that freaked investors out in August? It likely won’t take another four years for the next one.

The good news is that few economists are predicting a recession in 2016. That means stocks and other investments can avoid a sustained slide and keep grinding higher, analysts say. Next year is expected to look more like this year, with gyrating stock prices on track to end close to where they started, than the bull market’s euphoric earlier years like 2013 and its 32 percent surge in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

“You have to be realistic and think the outsized runs we’ve had — in 2013, for instance — are pretty unlikely,” said Mike Barclay, portfolio manager at the Columbia Dividend Income mutual fund. “Trees don’t grow to the sky.”

The list of reasons for muted expectations is long. Economic growth around the world remains frustratingly weak, and earnings growth for big U.S. companies has stalled. Stock prices aren’t cheap when measured against corporate earnings, unlike the early years of this bull market. The Federal Reserve also just lifted short-term interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade. Besides making all kinds of markets more volatile, higher rates could also hurt prices of bonds in investors’ and mutual funds’ portfolios.

The investment-bank Barclays gave this succinct title on its 100-page outlook report for 2016: “Curb your expectations.”

While it’s worth knowing the general sentiment on Wall Street, it’s also worth remembering financial forecasters have a spotty record for accuracy.

Analysts cite a long list of risks that could upend their forecasts. Investments could tank if an unexpected spike in inflation rips through the global economy, for example, or if the slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy, China, ends up even more severe than feared.

But there is some comfort in the subdued forecasts — they are a sign that the greed and mania characteristic of past market peaks, such as the dot-com bubble, may not be a problem.

“We think investors will be rewarded over the next five to 10 years with decent inflation-adjusted returns,” said Joe Davis, global head of the investment strategy group at mutual-fund giant Vanguard. “That said, they will likely pale in comparison to the strong returns we’ve had over the last five.”

Here’s a look at how analysts see investments shaping up in 2016:

U.S. stocks

Corporate profit growth hit a wall this year, as plunging prices of oil and metals slammed energy and raw-material producers, the stronger dollar hurt exporters, and economic growth remained tepid. Analysts expect profits to stabilize next year, but companies across many industries are groping for revenue growth amid the still-slow global economy.

Stocks in the S&P 500 are no longer cheap relative to their earnings, the most common gauge of stock prices. The index is trading at 17.2 times its earnings over the last 12 months, higher than its average of 14.5 over the last decade. A measure that looks at price and longer-term earnings trends popularized by economist Robert Shiller, a Nobel prize winner, is also more expensive than its historical average.

These already high stock prices leave little room for them to rise further without some impetus from the economy or better profits.

Investors should also brace for dips. The market’s big drop in August was so rattling because it hadn’t happened since October 2011, an abnormally long time. Since World War II, investors have been hit with drops of at least 10 percent every 19 months, on average.

Goldman Sachs strategists are forecasting the S&P 500 will end 2016 at 2,100, which would be a 4 percent rise from Monday’s close of 2,021. Barclays expects the index to rise 9 percent, and Deutsche Bank expects it to rise 11 percent.

All would be a step down from past results. The S&P 500 gained 15 percent annually on average from 2009 through 2014, not including dividends.

Foreign Stocks

Investors have a strong yen for foreign stocks. They poured a net $208 billion into international stock funds in the last year, while pulling $56 billion from U.S. stock funds.

One reason for the migration is that investors want to make their portfolios look more like the broad market. Foreign stocks make up about half the world’s market value but are often just a sliver of 401(k) portfolios.

Also, central banks in Europe, Japan and elsewhere are pumping stimulus into their economies to drive growth, when the Federal Reserve is moving in the opposite direction.

And earnings growth in Europe and other regions looks to be accelerating more strongly. Dale Winner, portfolio manager at the Wells Fargo Advantage International Equity fund, expects profits for European companies to grow in the neighborhood of 15 percent. For U.S. companies, meanwhile, he’s expecting close to zero growth.

Investing in foreign stocks, though, can introduce new risks. Changes in the value of currencies can skew returns, and growth from country to country can be uneven. For example as China shifts its economy toward consumer spending and away from heavy industry, it is hurting Brazil and others that produce the commodities that China used to be so voracious for.

Bonds

One of bond investors’ biggest fears has arrived, now that the Fed’s raising rates again.

Prices of bonds in mutual-fund portfolios drop when rates rise, because their yields are less attractive than those of newly issued bonds. But analysts say Armageddon isn’t arriving, even though critics have long warned about a “bond bubble.”

Most importantly, the Fed plans to increase short-term rates slowly and by very small increments. “Lower for longer” has become a mantra among bond investors. Longer-term rates, meanwhile, depend not just on where the Fed is heading but also inflation, and many investors don’t see it getting out of hand.

Higher interest rates also mean bond investors will eventually be rewarded with higher income. Many analysts say that those rising bond income payments could offset the gradual decline in bond prices enough to produce positive — albeit modest — total returns.

New dental practice opens on Abercorn Street

A new Aspen Dental practice has opened at 7805 Abercorn St., Suite 29B, with services that range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration.

Dr. Monica Dawson, who received her doctor of dental surgery degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, is the lead dentist at the Savannah office, which is one of 21 Aspen Dental practices in Georgia.

According to a study conducted in 2013 by Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management, each new Aspen Dental practice contributes more than $1.3 million in positive economic impact through job creation and capital investment.

For more information, call 850-238-3326 or go to www.aspendental.com.

In 2014, Aspen Dental-branded practices, with more than 500 locations in 33 states, recorded more than 3.4 million patient visits and welcomed nearly 750,000 new patients.

Annual chamber meeting to feature best-selling author

The Richmond Hill/Bryan County Chamber of Commerce will host its annual meeting and dinner banquet at 6 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Richmond Hill City Center, featuring best-selling author, educator and entrepreneur Stedman Graham as the keynote speaker.

Graham is chairman and CEO of S. Graham & Associates, a management and marketing consulting company that specializes in the corporate and educational markets. Clients include Gulfstream, Wells Fargo, The Apollo Group, Monster.com, Manpower, Full Sail University, the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor and others.

The business of the year and ambassador of the year awards will be presented, the chamber’s 2015 board of directors will be recognized and the 2016 board will be introduced.

Tickets are $35 for members and $45 for nonmembers. RSVPs are required by Jan. 15.

For more information, go to www.RHBCchamber.org or contact Brianne M. Yontz at 912-756-3444 or byontz@RHBCchamber.org.

New Parker’s store opens in Hardeeville, S.C.

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — Parker’s convenience stores have opened their 41st retail location in Hardeeville, S.C., just off Interstate 95, Exit 5.

The new store at 16319 Whyte Hardee Blvd. features a hot deli serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Highlights include a full breakfast bar as well as Southern fried chicken tenders, mac ‘n’ cheese and other favorites.

Parker’s offers the same hot foods in Hardeeville as the company’s flagship store in downtown Savannah.

“Our customer base is expanding rapidly in South Carolina,” said Greg Parker, company president and CEO.

Parker’s currently operates South Carolina locations in Bluffton, Port Royal, Okatie and Pritchardville. Over the next several months, the company plans to open stores in Hilton Head Island and Okatie, S.C., and in Claxton and Statesboro.

Storage company’s parent sold to Utah firm

Salt Lake City-based Extra Space Storage Inc., an owner and operator of self-storage properties, has bought SmartStop Self Storage Inc., which owns a storage facility in Savannah.

SmartStop stockholders, who have approved the transaction, received $13.75 per share in cash, which represents a total purchase price of approximately $1.4 billion.

In addition to Savannah, Extra Space acquired SmartStop storage facilities in Buford, Ellenwood, Sharpsburg, Austell and Smyrna, along with 159 other stores and will assume the property management of 43 stores previously managed by SmartStop.

“We are excited about the merger of these two great companies and the expansion of our national portfolio and operating platform,” said Spencer Kirk, chief executive officer of Extra Space Storage. “The additional scale increases our presence in existing markets, and should enhance our ability to source customers online.”

Thirteen area organizations will receive grants from the $64,500 net proceeds after the 2015 Critz Tybee Run Fest. This brings the total grant donations since the inception of the Critz Tybee Run Fest to more than $440,000.

Each year the Critz Tybee Run Fest gives back to the community by donating all profits raised through sponsorships, advertising and race entry fees to area nonprofit organizations. The 2015 grants will support school programs, college education, healthy lifestyles for kids and teens, and other education and health-related causes.

“Our goal of the Critz Tybee Run is to put on a great race and support healthy living and education in our community,” according to Dale Critz Jr., founder and main sponsor of the two-day race event.

Registration for the 2016 race events are open and organizers hoping to raise more money this year to increase distribution of proceeds. For more information, go to www.critztybeeerun.com or go to www.facebook.com/critztybeerunfest.

Mock Plumbing employees donate to nonprofits

The employees of Savannah-based Mock Plumbing decided to forgo personal gifts at the company’s annual Christmas party this year to help local charities in need.

The company’s employees selected The Living Vine, a residential program for pregnant women in crisis, and The Treutlen House, a community-based ecumenical ministry for children and families dealing with personal crisis, as the focus of their holiday spirit.

In a matter of days, Mock’s employees donated $1,600 in cash, and the company matched the amount for a total contribution of $3,200. Gift items were purchased for the clients of each organization as well as operating supplies for the charities themselves.

For more information, go to www.thelivingvine.org and www.treutlenhouse.org.

Memorial Health Inc., the parent corporation of Memorial Health University Medical Center Inc., Provident Health Services Inc., and MPPG, Inc. d/b/a Memorial Health University Physicians agreed to pay $9,895,043 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false and fraudulent claims for Medicare reimbursement based on prohibited referrals by physicians whose financial relationships violated federal law.

The settlement is the largest civil health care fraud recovery in the history of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.

“This settlement demonstrates the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s continued commitment to ensure that health care providers do not violate the Stark Law and all medical decisions are based strictly on the best interests of patients, not the financial interests of providers,” U.S. Attorney Edward J. Tarver said.

The settlement resolves allegations that were originally part of a federal lawsuit filed under the whistle blower provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private citizens with knowledge of false claims to file suit on behalf of the government and to share in the recovery. As part of this settlement, Memorial entered into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with the Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services.

“Let this settlement act as a reminder to health care providers, large and small, that the Office of Inspector General is committed to pursuing allegations of Stark Law violations,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General in Atlanta. “Financial incentives for referrals should never come into play for health care providers when they are determining the best course of care for our nation’s citizens.”

In its comment Thursday, Memorial Health officials said, “In order to bring conclusion to a whistle blower lawsuit brought about by former CEO Phillip Schaengold relating to specific physician employment agreements from 2008 to 2010, Memorial Health has agreed to terms with the government to settle the case.

“Memorial has cooperated fully with the government and acted in good faith. Memorial expressly denies allegations in the lawsuit and believes that its processes have been, and continue to be, compliant with all legal and regulatory statutes. Memorial is committed to serving the community and providing the highest quality care for our patients.”

The government action stemmed from claims filed under seal in 2011 by Phillip Schaengold, former Memorial Health Inc. president and CEO beginning in June 2009. He was abruptly dismissed by Memorial’s board on Jan. 5, 2011.

The government’s civil case, filed in U.S. District Court in Savannah, cited violations of the False Claims Act and laws designed to curb overbilling for Medicare services by physicians who refer patients to facilities in which they have a financial interest.

It contended Memorial’s leadership, recognizing they were facing financial problems in 2007, pursued primary care referrals and sought to entice primary care physicians to address dwindling patient volume. It contained allegations that Memorial recruited Dr. Paul S. Bradley and his Eisenhower Medical Associates, an internal medicine group of three doctors, and paid them salaries and compensation packages in excess of market benchmarks.

Neither Bradley nor his medical group nor individual partners were named as defendants in the suit. Their relationship with Memorial ended in February 2011.

Memorial’s attorneys called allegations in the lawsuit “a simple story which is fundamentally untrue.”

They denied recruiting or enticing physicians with Eisenhower Medical Associates, but said they were approached by the group after they decided to leave the St. Joseph’s/Candler medical system.

Memorial also denied that their financial relationship with Eisenhower Medical Associates was inappropriate.

It’s a multi-million-dollar company that was essentially started by accident.

Brothers Tyler and Danny Merritt, both Army captains, wanted to do something to help raise funds for Eddie Kline, one of Tyler’s West Point classmates who had lost three limbs in Afghanistan.

Danny, a military police officer just coming off active duty at Fort Hood, Texas, moved to Savannah. Tyler was already here. A helicopter pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Night Stalkers, he was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield. He remains on active duty, currently stationed at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

“We started in Tyler’s garage, designing and printing patriotic and military-themed shirts to send to Eddie’s family to sell to help with his rehab,” Danny said. “To our surprise, they were selling them faster than we could make them.

“That got us thinking maybe we could start a clothing company and donate a part of the proceeds to help lots of wounded veterans like Eddie.”

So they did, pooling their savings in 2012 to open Nine Line Apparel. The next year, as Nine Line began to produce revenue, they created a 501(c)3 nonprofit they called the Nine Line Foundation, dedicating a portion of every sale to the charity.

Growing exponentially

When they decided to start their company, the brothers wanted a brand that would resonate with service members, veterans and patriotic Americans.

“In combat, a ‘Nine Line’ is an emergency medevac request, often the difference between life and death for the most severely wounded,” Danny said.

The fledgling company started operations with three employees — Danny, Tyler and Tyler’s wife Angela. Before the end of 2013, they had added a half-dozen more, including artist and Savannah College of Art and Design graduate Miles Burke, who designed the iconic Nine Line logo.

By 2014, there were 15 employees designing, printing and shipping Nine Line shirts, jackets and specialty items around the globe.

Today, that employee number has grown to 100 and Nine Line’s two buildings on East President Street are literally bursting at the seams.

Why so successful so soon?

“We have the best, hardest-working, most innovative employees around,” Tyler said Tuesday from New York. “Nothing happens without them.

“I also think it has a lot to do with the values we hold, such as the advocacy of American exceptionalism and veteran initiatives.

“That’s something that resonates with both our employees and our customers.”

Danny agreed.

“We pride ourselves on hiring veterans and veteran’s spouses — they are the best employees anyone could ask for.

“We also have women in practically every leadership position and they kick butt.”

How it works

Nine Line operates on the “just in time” manufacturing principle.

“We don’t make anything that we haven’t already sold,” Danny said. “All our products are created here in Savannah. When an order is placed, it normally takes 3-5 business days for it to be produced and shipped out. During the holidays, volumes are heavier and the window expands to 5-7 business days.”

The exception to that rule is something called “pre-order/limited-time specials.” These are designs created and offered for a very limited time, usually two weeks. When the time is over, the order window closes, the items are made in bulk and shipped on a pre-determined date.

The company now employs five designers, most of them SCAD graduates, producing product designs it describes as “relentlessly patriotic.”

One shirt incorporates the Pledge of Allegiance into a flag design, another features a bullet and suggests “Share a round with ISIS.” All sport the American flag somewhere, whether it is on the sleeve or part of the larger design and most carry the Nine Line logo of a line dropping from a hovering helicopter.

The designs clearly resonate with consumers.

“Sales have gone through the roof,” Danny said. “We are moving anywhere from 600 to 2,000 packages a day out the door, with sales volumes averaging $50,000 a day. We have three shifts working 24/7 just to get it all done and we have nowhere else to grow.”

What’s next?

The brothers are working with the Savannah Economic Development Authority to find the right location to build new production facilities.

“We estimate we’re going to need at least 50,000 square feet of space with room to grow,” Danny said.

“Right now we do all our own printing, embroidering, packing and shipping - everything but actually making the shirts. When we have the space, we’d like to add a cut/sew factory so we could start with the raw fabric,” he said, adding the company hopes to be in its new home by this time next year.

“We’re pretty maxed out space-wise right now,” he said. “But we need to keep growing.

“The more we grow the more we can help our severely wounded combat vets.”

Feeding the foundation

While both brothers are still fairly stunned at the magnitude of their success, both agree they get the most satisfaction from the Nine Line Foundation.

“It’s a 100-percent nonprofit, run by volunteers,” Danny said. “Every penny that goes into the foundation goes to the recipient.”

The foundation selects one severely wounded service person at a time, he said.

“We determine what that person is going to need and we concentrate on providing that. It’s not a quick in-and-out thing.” he said. We set a start date, but no end date until we have taken care of all that family’s needs. Only then do we move on to the next person.”

The foundation is currently helping its fifth candidate, he said, adding that all have been amputees.

While they are proud of their success, they are committed to the foundation.

“Everyone who works here is very dedicated to the cause,” Danny said. “There is a real sense of purpose in knowing we’re helping the people who have given up so much for us.

Both brothers have been deployed and experienced first-hand the devastation of war and its effects on soldiers and their families.

“For us, it has to be about more than the bottom line,” Tyler said.

“It’s personal — it means something to all of us.”

ON THE WEB

To learn more about Nine Line Apparel, go to www.ninelineapparel.com. To learn more about the Nine Line Foundation, go to www.ninelinefoundation.org.

ABOUT THE SERIES

As 2015 comes to a close, the Savannah Morning News, Business in Savannah and savannahnow.com continue the tradition of profiling companies and organizations that made major contributions to the local business environment during the past year.

The Business in Savannah staff chose the honorees from a list of nominees submitted by local business and community members, utilizing broad criteria — from growth and success to philanthropy and community involvement.

• Today: Newcomer of the year

• Friday: Manufacturer of the year

• Saturday: Business advocate of the year

• Sunday: Entrepreneurial business of the year

• Tuesday: Retail business of the year

• Wednesday: Small business of the year

Urgent care office opens on Mall Boulevard

EXPERCARE Urgent Care, an urgent care service founded in Richmond Hill in 2009, will open a location in January in Savannah to offer urgent care, occupational medicine and other health services.

The new office will be on Mall Boulevard and Hodgson Memorial Drive next to Dick’s Sporting Goods in the Kroger Shopping Center. They will begin seeing patients at 8 a.m. seven days a week with no appointments needed.

EXPERCARE was founded as The Urgent Care Center of Richmond Hill by Savannah native Catherine Corish Grant along with partners Lori B. Gaylor and Robert A. Mazur.

“When we opened our doors in Richmond Hill, we focused on offering exceptional medical care along with outstanding customer service,” Grant said. “Since we are locally owned, we understand the community and are personally invested in its total well-being.”

EXPERCARE is in-network with most major insurance companies and is certified by the Urgent Care Association of America.

Armstrong named top performed for minority students

The Education Trust, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that focuses on reducing achievement gaps, recently named Armstrong State University a top performing school for underrepresented minority students.

In the trust’s new report “Rising Tide: Do College Grad Rate Gains Benefit All Students?” Armstrong is identified as one of 26 top performing universities nationwide.

In recent years, Armstrong has implemented measures to raise graduation rates for minority students and has experienced significant gains, particularly for African-American students,” said Armstrong Provost Robert Smith.

New Parker’s store opens in Hardeeville, S.C.

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — Parker’s convenience stores have opened their 41st retail location in Hardeeville, S.C., just off Interstate 95, Exit 5.

The new store at 16319 Whyte Hardee Blvd. features a hot deli serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Highlights include a full breakfast bar as well as Southern fried chicken tenders, mac ‘n’ cheese and other favorites.

Parker’s offers the same hot foods in Hardeeville as the company’s flagship store in downtown Savannah.

“Our customer base is expanding rapidly in South Carolina,” said Greg Parker, company president and CEO.

Parker’s currently operates South Carolina locations in Bluffton, Port Royal, Okatie and Pritchardville. Over the next several months, the company plans to open stores in Hilton Head Island and Okatie, S.C., and in Claxton and Statesboro.

Just 20 miles east of Savannah, Pooler has been one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia for quite a while.

An increasing number of new businesses select Pooler as their destination each year, drawing employees and their families to create roots and establish Pooler as their home.

All indicators — past, present and future — point to that growth continuing.

Pooler’s economic growth is a testament to Georgia’s 2015 Forbes magazine ranking as the 11th “Best State for Business.” Conveniently located near Interstates 95 and 16, Pooler is in an economically fertile landscape and is surrounded by established companies and agencies such as the Georgia Ports Authority, Gulfstream Aerospace, JCB, Mitsubishi and the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

Still, Pooler is not focused only on large companies and big businesses as its officials work side by side with the Pooler Chamber of Commerce to encourage and promote local business growth and development.

This is exemplified through the many locally owned shops and restaurants thriving within the city. And, although Pooler is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, the effort to revitalize the Highway 80 corridor in “Old Pooler” demonstrates a strong desire to retain the city’s history, original structures and small-town persona.

As an active member of the Pooler Chamber of Commerce, I have seen how this organization has encouraged development by working with international corporations, retailers and restaurants and locally owned companies. Collaborating as a community, the chamber serves as a platform for all business owners who have a stake in Pooler’s ever-expanding growth.

As businesses grow, so does the housing industry, including the construction of residential housing and the purchase of new property. Subdivisions have popped up throughout the city and its surrounding area.

Many of the new residents who fill those homes work for companies such as Gulfstream and Mitsubishi, but there is also an influx of military families stationed at either Fort Stewart or Hunter Army Air Field.

Families may initially choose Pooler as their home because of its proximity to their workplace, but they choose to stay and create their homes here because of the strong sense of community.

According to Trisha Cook, a Realtor with Keller Williams, there has been an increase in home sales over the last year. More than 650 homes have been sold in Pooler during 2015, and the city has 260 residential listings for sale.

Pooler is an attractive market to potential buyers because of its central location, low crime rate and small-town appeal. Individuals are attracted to Pooler because of the balance between business opportunity and a sense of community for their entire family.

As a business banker, I focus on the Pooler market and have seen firsthand how this exponential growth has positively affected our thriving city and charming community.

Not only has this growth benefited the citizens of Pooler, it has made a positive impact on the entire region. It is exciting to see where Pooler has been, but it’s even more invigorating to see where it’s going.

Marcus McBride is a business banker with Ameris Bank. He can be reached at 912.201.4920 or marcus.mcbride@amerisbank.com.

Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate for November was 4.9 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point from 5.3 percent in October, the Georgia Department of Labor announced today. The rate in November 2014 was 6.1 percent.

At 4.9 percent, Savannah’s rate is at its lowest point since May 2008 when it also was 4.9 percent.

The rate declined as employers created 1,000 jobs in November, partially due to holiday hiring. The number of jobs increased to 173,900, or 0.6 percent, from 172,900 in October. Most of the increase came in professional and business services and retail trade, transportation and warehousing.

Over the year, Savannah gained 4,000 jobs, a growth rate of 2.4 percent, up from 169.900 in November 2014. Most of the job gains came in professional and business services and trade, transportation and warehousing.

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22, or 2.8 percent, to 814 in November. Most of the increase came in administrative and support services. Over the year, claims were down by 33, or 3.9 percent, from 847 in November 2014.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.2 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 6.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for November was 5.6 percent, down from 5.7 percent in October. It was 6.7 percent in November 2014.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.

International Paper’s Savannah Containerboard Mill is hiring but not necessarily because business is growing — although it is. It’s also not creating new positions.

Instead, it’s filling upcoming gaps in its workforce of 600-plus, gaps that were created nearly 20 years ago.

To understand where the Savannah mill is today, you have to understand something of the cyclical history of modern paper making.

“The industry was expanding in the decades of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s,” said mill manager David Castro. “Then we went through a decade where the market was saturated and we began a period of contraction in the ’90s — not just here in Savannah and not just at IP, but throughout the industry.”

Hiring ground to a halt.

“We didn’t do any new hiring because we wanted to hold on to our experienced people,” Castro said. “We reduced our workforce through regular attrition.

“In the early 2000s, we looked ahead and saw that things were really starting to pick up. But by that time, we had a gap.

“Now that gap is coming home to roost as some of our most skilled folks are retiring, taking with them 30, 40, even 50 years of experience.

“It’s been a fairly steady stream since about 2010, and we don’t see it ending in 2015,” he said.

One thing that has come about as a result of those retirements has been a change in the way the company hires and trains new employees, he said.

“So we’ve been hiring. And, as we bring people in, we have to get them trained fast.

“There was a time when we had 10 years for someone to learn the trade and work their way up. But we don’t have that kind of time anymore, so we’re having to put systems and programs in place that will help train our new hires at a lot faster rate,” he said.

A steeper learning curve

That task has fallen to Karen Bogans, former mill communications manager, whose new title is Mill Learning Leader.

“The company recognizes the need,” Bogans said. “We have a global initiative to bring folks in and immediately get them acclimated to our safety culture, our safety processes, our production processes and everything about the mill.”

In the last 18 months, all hires have gone through that new hiring process, Bogans said.

“They get information on all aspects of the mill — from the first stage all the way to the finishing stage — so they will be more knowledgeable and safer employees.

“Needless to say, this is not a one-day process.”

Jody Little, human resources manager for the Savannah mill, said the biggest push right now is in the hourly ranks.

“Those are the jobs we’re really pushing hard right now, because we see the retirements on the horizon,” she said. “From the salaried perspective, we haven’t been hit quite as hard yet, but we see those coming up and we’re trying to hire ahead.”

IP recruits engineers throughout the country, Castro said.

“We have a lot of engineers from North Carolina State, which has a paper science engineering degree.”

What it does

IP’s Savannah mill makes linerboard — unbleached kraft paper used to make boxes. The linerboard is then shipped to box plants located closer to the customers.

“Because it makes more sense to ship the dense linerboard to the box plants than it does to make boxes and ship them all over, IP has 16 containerboard mills in the U.S. that make paper-based packaging for about 190 box plants and converting operations,” Castro said.

While linerboard comprises about 75 percent of IP’s local production, the mill also has a specialty machine that produces what is known as saturating kraft — unbleached paper made specifically for such high-pressure laminate products as countertops, shelving and furniture.

Most of the Savannah mill’s product is exported, primarily across the Atlantic, Castro said.

“We have customers all over the world, but Europe is definitely our largest.”

The mill runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even on holidays.

“We only close down for one period a year for maintenance and upgrades, usually one to two weeks, depending on what needs to be done,” Castro said.

Upgrades and new equipment installation are a major part of the shutdown every year, he said.

“Ours is a capital-intensive industry. We’re always looking to operate a safe facility, reduce our costs and improve our products and processes.

“So every year, we’re either putting in new equipment or upgrading our current equipment,” he said. “It’s pretty much a continuous thing. Like any mill, if we want to stay competitive we have to put money back into the operation to keep it up-to-date.

“And, because safety is a major focus for us, we’re always looking for ways to make our equipment and processes safer.”

A rich history

The containerboard mill on West Lathrop Avenue has perhaps the richest history of any company in Savannah. It was widely credited with pulling the area from the depths of the Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929 had thrown the country into an economic tailspin.

Indeed, Union Bag and Paper Co.’s announcement in 1935 that they would build a pulp and paper plant on the old Hermitage Plantation tract along the Savannah River was music to locals’ ears. When it opened a year later, it was considered such a big deal that Savannahians sent family and friends picture postcards touting it as the largest facility of its kind in the world.

Almost immediately, the plant’s 500 employees and their $1 million payroll injected much-needed cash into the area’s flat-lining economy. By 1939, the company’s local payroll had grown to $2.2 million and, over the next couple of decades, it seemed as if every other child’s father worked at the plant known simply as “the Bag.”

In its heyday, the mill provided more than 5,500 employees with good-paying jobs and benefits. Even the mill’s acrid odor — a by-product of cooking wood into pulp — became synonymous with prosperity.

Locals called it the smell of money.

Today, the smell is mostly gone, technology innovations have honed the plant’s workforce to its current level and “the Bag” has become part of corporate giant International Paper.

But, just as lots of things have changed over the past 80 years, others have stayed the same.

The Savannah mill continues to be a major player in the area economy, last year producing nearly one million tons of linerboard and saturating kraft. And the tradition of community involvement that Union Bag began eight decades ago remains strong, as the company and its employees give both time and money to a number of local programs.

ABOUT THE SERIES

As 2015 comes to a close, the Savannah Morning News, Business in Savannah and savannahnow.com continue the tradition of profiling companies and organizations that made major contributions to the local business environment during the past year.

The Business in Savannah staff chose the honorees from a list of nominees submitted by local business and community members, utilizing broad criteria — from growth and success to philanthropy and community involvement.

Thursday: Newcomer of the year

Today: Manufacturer of the year

Saturday: Business advocate of the year

Sunday: Entrepreneurial business of the year

Tuesday: Retail business of the year

Wednesday: Small business of the year

In a departure from tradition, the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s annual meeting on Jan. 8 will not focus on the past year’s accomplishments and the coming year’s goals. Those were outlined in a special called meeting earlier this month in order to clear the decks for Mike Abrashoff’s keynote speech.

Abrashoff’s best-selling book “It’s Your Ship” chronicles one of the most impressive modern day stories of organizational transformation, a story that inspires people to think differently about organizational culture and how they lead.

At the age of 36, he was selected by the U.S. Navy to become commander of the USS Benfold, a guided missile destroyer considered among the worst-performing ships in the navy’s Pacific fleet.

At the time he was the most junior commanding officer in the Pacific fleet on a ship that was plagued by low morale, high turnover and abysmal performance evaluations. His goal was to get to average, although few in the Navy’s high command thought the ship could improve even that much.

Yet just a year later — and with the same crew — the Benfold was ranked No. 1 in performance for the entire fleet.

Abrashoff said the lessons he learned while commanding the Benfold ring true for many companies.

“I didn’t turn the ship around. My crew did that,” he said. “What I did was to reinvent my leadership style and create an environment where they felt safe, empowered and supported.

“When they came to me with a problem, I’d say ‘It’s your ship — how would you fix it?’

Abrashoff will share his methods for changing his crew’s attitude, which changed the ship’s culture — something he calls the ultimate competitive weapon for any organization.

IF YOU GO

What: SEDA annual meeting

When: 8 a.m., Jan. 8

Where: The Westin Savannah ballroom

Tickets: $25 each

More info: www.seda.org or 912-447-8450

NOTE: Has mug of Abrashoff

NEW YORK — Kiddie tablets have grown up.

Tablets designed just for kids are getting more sophisticated as they face increased competition from regular tablets. The new products also have better screens, speedier chips and fashionably slim bodies. They let older children do more, yet hold their hands until they’re ready for unsupervised access.

Although many of the tablets were originally conceived as educational toys for kids as old as middle schoolers, they’ve been more popular with younger children. Older kids have been apt to reject them in favor of their parents’ tablet or smartphone.

That shift has prompted companies to focus more on preschoolers and kindergarteners, as they create super-durable products that can withstand repeated abuse and develop games and apps that teach reading and math.

But now, some of those companies are looking to take back some of the sales to older kids that they’ve lost over the years, offering premium products — most with price tags of over $100 — that look and perform less like toys and more like the ones adults use.

LeapFrog, maker of the toy-like LeapPad, released its first Android tablet this year. And Kurio is branching out to Windows 10 and includes a full version of Microsoft Office in a new tablet-laptop combination.

The use of Android and Windows software, in place of the more basic, custom-made systems used in toy tablets, allows for more sophisticated apps and games and a range of content from standard app stores.

Monica Brown, LeapFrog’s vice president for product marketing, said the company aimed to “create something that was kind of sleek and more tech forward for kids who were looking for something that felt like their parents’ tablet.”

But parents still want educational content and safety features that come with a tablet designed purely for kids. LeapFrog’s Epic, along with the other new tablets for kids, are attempts to bridge that gap.

The Epic looks like a regular Android tablet, but comes with a removable bright-green bumper. It is much faster than a LeapPad and can run versions of popular Android games such as “Fruit Ninja” and “Doodle Jump.” There’s access to the Internet, but it’s limited to about 10,000 kid-safe websites (though parents can add others). Parents can also limit and track how much time a child spends watching videos, playing games or reading.

Lynn Schofield Clark, a professor of media studies at the University of Denver, said kids tablets are a tough sell these days.

“Kids are always aspirational in their ages, and they’re always interested in what older kids are doing,” Clark said, pointing to the fascination that many preteens have with smartphones as a prime example.

Meanwhile, most parents won’t spend money on kids-only gadgets unless they believe they offer significant educational benefits.

“If they’re just looking for something to entertain their kid, then why wouldn’t they just hand over their smartphone?” she asked.

Kurio aims to answer that question with the Smart, a device that let kids do things they previously might have needed their parents’ laptop for, such as typing up and saving their homework online or playing video on their TV through an HDMI cable. The Smart is a Windows 10 laptop with a detachable screen and comes with a free year of Microsoft Office.

Eric Levin, Kurio’s strategic director, said kids using children’s tablets are getting younger, as older kids gravitate toward adult products. Four years ago, he said, most Kurio users ranged from ages 6 to 12. Now, half of them are 3 to 5.

Although older kids may be ready for adult tablets, the shift has left those 8 to 12 without age-appropriate devices, Levin says. The Smart tries to fix that.

Other makers of kids tablets have also gone high-end this year. Fuhu bills the Nabi Elev-8 as a premium, 8-inch tablet. But the company ran into financial problems early in the holiday season, and its products have been tough to find.

Nonetheless, adult tablets remain popular with kids.

Amazon touts its Fire tablet as something the entire family can use, eliminating the need to buy something just for the kids.

“While I appreciate that might have led other companies to adjust their products, we’re upping our game based on what customers want in the best kid experience,” said Aaron Bromberg, senior manager of product management for Amazon Devices.

The tablet’s FreeTime app lets parents set up profiles for each kid, with access to only the content they approve. It also lets parents limit the amount of time spent on different kinds of content such as videos or apps. For an additional fee, Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited service offers more than 10,000 books, apps, games and videos geared toward kids ages 3 to 10.

Nonetheless, Amazon is selling a kids’ edition tablet for $100. It’s essentially Amazon’s bare-bones $50 Fire tablet packaged with a colorful protective bumper and a year’s subscription to FreeTime Unlimited.

It also comes with a two-year guarantee: If your kid breaks it, Amazon will replace it

Jobless rate drops to 4.9 percent in metro Savannah

Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate for November was 4.9 percent, down from 5.3 percent in October, the Georgia Department of Labor announced this week. The rate in November 2014 was 6.1 percent.

At 4.9 percent, Savannah’s rate is at its lowest point since May 2008, when it also was 4.9 percent.

The rate declined as employers created 1,000 jobs in November, partially because of holiday hiring. The number of jobs increased to 173,900, or 0.6 percent, from 172,900 in October. Most of the increase came in professional and business services and retail trade, transportation and warehousing.

Over the year, Savannah gained 4,000 jobs, a growth rate of 2.4 percent, up from 169.900 in November 2014. Most of the job gains came in professional and business services and trade, transportation and warehousing.

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22, or 2.8 percent, to 814 in November. Most of the increase came in administrative and support services. Over the year, claims were down by 33, or 3.9 percent, from 847 in November 2014.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.2 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 6.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November was 5.6 percent, down from 5.7 percent in October. It was 6.7 percent in November 2014.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.georgia.gov.

Local consulting firm celebrates 10th anniversary

Atlantic Coast Consulting Inc. recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary at the Westin Savannah Harbor.

The firm was started by Savannah natives Murray K. Griffin and Richard Deason in October 2005 in Roswell. Soon afterward, ACC opened its Savannah office.

The firm provides consulting services in solid waste design; permitting; construction administration engineering; construction quality assurance; environmental monitoring; operations and maintenance; and general civil engineering.

For more information, go to www.atlcc.net.

‘Noon year’s eve’ celebration planned for kids

Savannah Monkey Joe’s will host a “noon year’s eve” celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31.

The event, billed as a “kid friendly party” will feature a dance party with Monkey Joe, a prize wheel and a bubble wrap stomp and countdown at noon. Customers can buy a pizza slice, small fountain drink combo for $2.

The children’s entertainment center at 311 Eisenhower Drive includes indoor jumps, slides and obstacle courses and a Mini Monkey Zone for toddlers.

For more information, go to www.monkeyjoes.com/locations/savannah or call 912-349-2528.

As a kid, Charles Bowen was drawn to movies such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Inherit the Wind” and although the Savannah lawyer admits he didn’t know he would practice law later in life, it seems as if the thought was never far from his mind.

“I always felt like it was something that I would be good at and that I would enjoy... It resonated with me, and I’ve never regretted doing it,” said Bowen, who celebrated his 20th year of practicing law in late October.

“People always ask me ‘if you weren’t a lawyer what would you do?’ and that’s a very difficult question for me to answer because I feel like I’m doing what I’m meant to do, what I’m good at and what I enjoy.”

After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center Bowen worked for a general practice firm, then managed the Savannah office of an Atlanta-based firm, but when that firm merged with another he decided to go out on his own to focus on commercial and business law, founding The Bowen Law Group in 2012.

“It’s really one of the few areas of law that people can work together and find solutions where everyone is happy. In a divorce or criminal case it’s always one side against the other, but when you’ve got someone forming a new business and trying to make sure it’s successful, everybody has the same goal. It’s not a constant fight,” he said of practicing corporate and business law.

Bowen said a large part of his work is working with new businesses, one of his favorite things to do. And there’s been no shortage of that this year. Bowen estimates he’s worked with more start-up businesses in 2015 than during the last five years combined.

“I like to build that relationship with companies from the very beginning and then you have that level of trust and as they grow so does our business relationship,” he said.

“Some of our biggest clients are people that I helped them start their business 10 or 15 years ago, and it’s very rewarding to have that kind of long term relationship.”

Bowen has worked with numerous companies around Savannah from banks and real estate firms to chemical companies and Tybee Island hotels.

“My representation touches on all areas of corporate practice, from initial formation to intellectual property to mergers and acquisitions to complex litigation,” he said.

Despite his busy schedule, Bowen finds time to give back to the Savannah community by speaking to local civic organizations, volunteers as an executive consultant, mentor and speaker for the Savannah chapter of SCORE and sits on numerous boards, including S Bank, Chatham Area Transit, the Shoestring Theatre, which he helped found in 2014, and he often offers in-person pro bono services along with free resources on his website.

Bowen also practices entertainment law and took his passion for entertainment and helping Savannah’s economy further this year by forming the Savannah Film Alliance, which helps connect local industry professionals.

Georgia ranks third in the nation for filming, but Bowen said Savannah only sees about one percent of that revenue, so he created the alliance to try to bolster not only the film and television work here but partnerships between government, educational and professional entities.

“We’ve already seen the entertainment industry in Savannah exploding and really continuing to grow... I believe while it will never eclipse the port and tourism, the entertainment industry can be right up there with those two in terms of the future success of the Savannah economy,” he said.

For Bowen and his staff the passion runs deeper than their pockets, instilling the value of personal service and excellence not only in his practice but in his clients’ businesses, too.

“To us, it’s never been about ‘let’s bill people and try to make as much money as we can,’” he said.

“My goal is to be the best attorney and counselor I can be, I want to be of service to my clients, and if those are my goals, the other successes will follow. When the goal is to make money, it’s obvious, and it’s off-putting and that’s not how you build a successful business of any kind.”

ABOUT THE SERIES

As 2015 comes to a close, the Savannah Morning News, Business in Savannah and savannahnow.com continue the tradition of profiling companies and organizations that made major contributions to the local business environment during the past year.

The Business in Savannah staff chose the honorees from a list of nominees submitted by local business and community members, utilizing broad criteria — from growth and success to philanthropy and community involvement.

• Thursday: Newcomer of the year

• Friday: Manufacturer of the year

• Today: Business advocate of the year

• Sunday: Entrepreneurial business of the year

• Tuesday: Retail business of the year

• Wednesday: Small business of the year

Armstrong receives $100,000 donation to food fund

A local family, who wishes to remain anonymous, has donated $100,000 to establish the Armstrong Emergency Food Resource Fund at Armstrong State University. The family includes a faculty member and two generations of university alumni.

According to a study led by University of Wisconsin at Madison professor Sara Goldrick-Rab, one in five students went hungry in the last month and one in 10 students has been homeless.

“Many students are now non-traditional, supporting families and working full-time while attending college,” said Armstrong president Linda M. Bleicken. “This generous donation … will help to support students’ nutritional and educational needs.”

The donors made their gift after reading news stories about university students being distracted from their studies or dropping out of school because they could not afford to feed themselves or their families.

Through this gift, Student Affairs has received $15,000 to establish a food resource program and an additional $85,000 has been placed in an endowment. In addition, Student Affairs has begun a food drive to help stock the shelves and Sodexo, Armstrong’s catering service, has offered its support.

Armstrong is the fifth Georgia university to join the College and University Food Bank Alliance, a network of more than 240 institutions working to address food insecurity.

Donations are being accepted at the Office of Student Life in Memorial College Center Room 201 or can be coordinated by calling 912-344-2504.

Savannah State, accounting firm sponsor tax conference

The College of Business Administration at Savannah State University will host a tax conference on Friday, Jan. 22, on the second floor of the Student Union.

Sessions during the one-day conference run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are presented in collaboration with Hancock Askew & Co.

The conference is designed to update tax preparers and others in accounting, legal, business and government sectors on changes to the tax code. Certified public accountants, certified financial planners, attorneys and other similar industry positions are encouraged to attend.

Topics will include: independent contractor versus employee, how to develop a successful exit strategy, economic update with focus on Southeast U.S., tax credits, what you didn’t learn in law school and more.

The conference qualifies for a maximum of eight hours of continuing professional education credits for CPAs and CMAs or six-and-a-half hours for licensed Georgia attorneys.

Online registration is available at savannahstate.edu/coba.

Although there are only a few days left until the end of the year, there is still time to consider year-end giving and to maximize the tax benefit from our deductible charitable contributions.

For those who are able to itemize, charitable giving can significantly increase the tax benefit of your donation. This ‘win-win’ situation creates a better world around us as we donate our financial resources to credible non-profit organizations and, in turn, we personally receive a more favorable tax situation.

Here are some ways to make the most of your year-end charitable giving.

First, consider any changes to your income over the upcoming year. If you expect to have an increase in income, it may be advantageous to wait and give following the year’s end in order for charitable giving to offset the year in which you have the highest amount of tax.

While the best way to maximize your charitable contribution deduction for the current year is to give generously throughout the year, you still have until Dec. 31 to make 2015 contributions. For last-minute donations, consider using your credit card to make donations. While these donations are payable following year-end, they are deductible in the current year upon the charge of the donation.

With charitable giving, it is always important to keep proper documentation. The documentation required by the IRS differs depending on the type and amount of the donation.

For donations less than $250, a record such as a receipt, canceled check, or bank statement is adequate, but for donations exceeding $250, a statement from the charity itself is required.

Cash donations without a receipt are no longer deductible. Keep all your charitable contribution documentation in one place as this will be needed when your tax return is prepared.

Non-cash donations also qualify for the charitable contribution deduction.

The most common types of non-cash donations are gently-used clothing and household items donated to your local thrift store.

Taxpayers with appreciated securities can also consider the tax-advantages of donating securities held longer than a year to a qualifying non-profit organization. For donated securities, no tax is due on the appreciated value, and the taxpayer may include the fair full market value as a charitable contribution.

There are additional documentation requirements, including an appraisal, for non-cash donations (except publicly traded securities) valued in excess of $5,000. And there are special rules for donating cars or boats. Please consult your tax advisor or the charity if you need help with a non-cash donation.

Nonprofit organizations understand the opportunity taxpayers have to maximize year-end giving. There are numerous opportunities around the holidays to give and to help local, national and global organizations, bbut please be aware that most contributions made directly to foreign charitable organizations are not deductible. Check with the charity before donating.

Unfortunately, there are also numerous opportunities to donate to charities who spend more on fundraising than on services or to outright scams. You can make certain that the charity you are considering is eligible to receive tax-deductible donations by checking the searchable data base on the IRS website at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/.

(Remember that churches can choose to register with the IRS but are not required to do so, so they may not be listed even though they are eligible. You can view the tax returns of many non-profit organizations on websites such as Guidestar (http://www.guidestar.org/Home.aspx).

You can see how much they spent on their various programs and check to see how much is spent on fundraising and management versus the programs of the charity.

If you are looking to maximize the tax benefit from your charitable giving, and particularly if your itemized deductions are about the same amount as the standard deduction, you should consider all of your itemized deductions for the year.

With proper tax planning, itemized deductions, especially charitable contributions, can be bunched together in order to maximize the itemized tax deduction. If you have been making charitable contributions all year, consider making as many of next year’s contributions as possible before year-end. Then wait until January of 2017 to again contribute.

You can often do the same thing with real estate taxes, elective medical expenses (typically medical expenses must exceed 10 percent of your Adjusted Gross Income to be deductible) and fourth-quarter state estimated tax payments.

By bunching expenses into alternate years, you may be able to itemize in one year and take the standard deduction in the other, thus maximizing the value of your itemized deductions. You may want to consult your tax advisor to see if this strategy would make sense for you, including evaluating the potential impact of alternative minimum tax.

When you give, your donations become part of something bigger than yourself and can help make the world a better place. In addition to the psychological benefits, your financial resources can truly go to causes and organizations that you find important.

To make the most of your charitable giving, it is important to not only choose the right organization(s), but to also understand your current and future financial situation in order to achieve the best tax outcome.

Lastly, tax planning aside, it is truly better to give than to receive, so I encourage you to give generously this year end regardless of your personal tax benefit.

Amy Koran is a member of the tax department at Hancock Askew & Co., LLP. She can be reached at 912-527-1325 or by email at akoran@hancockaskew.com.