Mortgage Broker in Knightsville, SC

A 14-year-old fitness site that changed brands in 2015 is now dark in Mount Pleasant.

Pivotal Fitness shuttered the 41,000-square-foot gym it operates at 627 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. in the Plaza at East Cooper Shopping Center on Friday, and movers were loading up the workout equipment into large moving vans Tuesday.

Discount grocer Aldi anchors a space near the opposite end of the 102,000-square-foot retail center.

Co-owner Michelle Berrard said the gear is being transferred to Pivotal’s recently upgraded Park West location at 3301 Stockdale St. about 8 miles away in northern Mount Pleasant.

All memberships will be honored at the Park West site, she said.

Berrard pointed to the coronavirus as playing a part in the move along with high rent. She said the gym’s lease was coming up for renewal, so the owners decided to consolidate operations elsewhere to save money.

The facility operated as ECO Fitness after opening in 2007. After Pivotal took over six years ago, the gym expanded into a former retail space next door.

Pivotal operates 24-hour locations in downtown Charleston and in Hanahan and Knightsville. Its other gyms are in Summerville and West Ashley.

A new tenant has not been lined up for the now-empty fitness site, but Steve Radekopf of Radekopf & Associates, who handles leasing for the shopping center, said plans are in the works to create small retail spaces across the front with the possibility of a smaller gym operating in part of the site.

All plans are preliminary and subject to change, he added.

It’s back to the drawing board for Clemson as its Charleston-based architecture and urban design program resumes its search for a permanent home.

The university said this week it has canceled a $12.1 million deal to purchase a 1.12-acre compound in the historic Wraggborough neighborhood.

“Unfortunately, during our due diligence phase on the property, it was discovered that there would be additional significant funds required for the program to work on that site,” it said in a written statement. “After some discussion and negotiation with the seller, Clemson submitted a notice to terminate the contract.”

The university also said it “continues to explore options for the continued success and growth of the architecture program on the Charleston peninsula where we have been for over 35 years.”

In June, the school’s board of trustees approved the acquisition of three properties, including a historic home that had been converted into offices, at 16 Charlotte, 515 East Bay and 102 Alexander streets. The site is a few blocks south of the Clemson Design Center’s existing campus.

The sale was expected to close Dec. 31, after a four-month inspection period.

The property owner is affiliated with the former Charleston-based medical firm NCGS Inc., which used it for its headquarters and put it on the market early last year after the business was sold.

Mark Mizell and Richard Callari of Birchin Lane Realty Advisors, who represents the seller, said the decision to terminate the deal wasn’t “driven by issues discovered about the building” during the inspection period and that it “was not in the best interest of our client to accommodate” Clemson’s “request to keep the property off the market for non-building related issues.”

“The seller, who has close ties to the university, was exceedingly accommodating ... but ultimately had to make the decision not to further extend,” they said. “The uniqueness of this offering and expressions of interest from other prospective buyers necessitated a return to the market.”

With some of the 787 Dreamliner program’s biggest orders now on the books, Boeing Co. is beefing up its labor force at its North Charleston campus where the wide-body planes are built.

The planemaker added 1,399 workers in South Carolina in 2023, the company said in its annual employment report.

That brings the total of Boeing workers in the Palmetto State to 7,864 — the biggest headcount since the company established major operations in the Charleston region in 2009 and a hefty 21.6 percent increase from 2022.

The bulk of Boeing’s in-state workforce is employed at the Dreamliner assembly campus off International Boulevard — the only site that makes the long-range commercial jet. The aerospace giant also has a jet engine factory, a research and technology center and a site that makes interior cabin parts for the 787 at Palmetto Commerce Park, also in North Charleston.

All told, Arlington Va.-based Boeing increased its global workforce by more than 14,000 for a total of 170,688 employees. More than a third of them — 66,797 — are based at the company’s legacy manufacturing sites in Washington state.

“Our investments in engineering and manufacturing roles drove our growth in 2023, while we also simplified our corporate structure to better align resources in direct support of our products and services,” Boeing said in a written statement.

Pent-up consumer demand for long-haul air travel has airlines clamoring for big jets, and that has helped Boeing notch 452 gross orders for its Dreamliner family over the past two years. That includes a record booking for 150 planes from United Airlines and a combined 78 jets for a pair of Saudi Arabian carriers.

The North Charleston plant has ramped up monthly 787 production to five with plans to hit 10 per month by 2025 or 2026. The increased workforce and production level will help Boeing chip away at a backlog that includes 799 unfilled Dreamliner orders.

A North Carolina health system has finalized its acquisition of East Cooper Medical Center and two other coastal South Carolina hospitals, a $2.4 billion deal that expands its footprint into the Palmetto State.

Novant Health of Winton-Salem announced the deal with seller Tenet Healthcare Corp. in November.

In addition to the 140-bed East Cooper Medical, which opened in 1985, the sale included the 93-bed Hilton Head Hospital on Hilton Head Island and the 44-bed Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville.

Tenet said all three were making money last year. They generated a combined $552 million in annual revenue through Sept. 30, or nearly $2 million on a per-bed basis.

Novant also purchased more than two dozen hospital-affiliated physician clinics and other operations, such as two freestanding sites that provide emergency and outpatient services to residents of Beaufort and Jasper counties.

“Novant Health’s long-term vision is to transform the health and wellness of these communities through expanded specialty services and clinical expertise,” CEO Carl Armato said in a Feb. 1 written statement. “We are energized and united behind our cause to create a healthier future together by building connections with patients and clinicians in coastal South Carolina.”

Dallas-based Tenet said in November that it would retain and upgrade the ambulatory units that its United Surgical Partners International division operates in the Charleston, Beaufort and Jasper markets. Another subsidiary will handle the billing, reimbursement and payment collection services for the newly divested hospitals under a 15-year contract with Novant.

The deal gives the North Carolina system its first full-service medical centers in South Carolina. It operates 16 hospitals in its home state, including some in border markets.

Also, Novant is investing $75 million to expand into the Grand Strand and Pee Dee region through a joint venture with Conway Medical Center.

DORCHESTER COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - The Dorchester District 2 School Board announced who will take the helm at the three new elementary schools next school year.

Vernisa Bodison will be the principal for the new Alston-Bailey Elementary School. She is currently the principal at Windsor Hill.

Dr. Eugene Sires Elementary School will be led by Laura Blanchard who is currently the principal at William Reeves Elementary.

Dr. Wally Baird will take on the new Sand Hill Elementary School. He is at Knightsville Elementary right now.

The old schools will see some familiar faces as their new principals as some assistant principals will be stepping up in those leadership roles.

A full list of administrative teams can be found below.

Dorchester School District Two has announced the administrative teams of the three new elementary schools opening in the fall of 2016, along with other elementary school administrative changes. The following administrators were named to take the helm at the three new elementary schools beginning with 2016-2017:

Alston-Bailey Elementary School

Vernisa Bodison—Principal, is currently principal at Windsor Hill Arts Infused Elementary

Assistant Principal—to be announced

Dr. Eugene Sires Elementary School

Laura Blanchard—Principal, is currently principal at William M. Reeves, Jr. Elementary

Dan Farmer—Assistant Principal, is currently assistant principal at Fort Dorchester Elementary

Sand Hill Elementary School

Dr. Wally Baird—Principal, is currently principal at Knightsville Elementary

Annette Roper—Assistant Principal, is currently assistant principal at Knightsville Elementary

The following are additional administrative changes for elementary schools beginning with 2016-2017:

Knightsville Elementary School

Claire Sieber—Principal, is currently assistant principal at Knightsville Elementary

Carey Hodge—Assistant Principal (no change)

William M. Reeves, Jr. Elementary School

Natalie Hayes—Principal, is currently assistant principal at William M. Reeves, Jr. Elementary

Michelle Nicholson—Assistant Principal (no change)

Windsor Hill Arts Infused Elementary School

Robert Neuner—Principal, is currently assistant principal at Gregg Middle

Katie Barker—Assistant Principal (no change)

Fort Dorchester Elementary School

Harolyn Hess—Principal (no change)

Gwyn Brock—Assistant Principal (no change)

Rachel Mahaffey—Assistant Principal, is currently assistant principal at Flowertown Elementary

Copyright 2015 WCSC. All rights reserved.

SUMMERVILLE — Tables begin to fill up just past noon at a restaurant 31 miles from downtown Charleston.

Surrounded by chain eateries in a Publix-anchored strip mall, La Cuisine Du Chevalier — or La Chev, as most call it — has the buzz of an energetic lunch crowd ready for some midday human interaction.

A trio of women attempt to corral four children while dunking grilled bread into large white bowls of bouillabaisse, brimming with mussels, shrimp and white fish, all steeping in saffron broth.

Empty black shells are pushed aside at another round mahogany table, where two friends catch up over mussels and glasses of iced tea.

A man sitting solo at a two-top finishes his meal and tells the server he will be back next week.

These are the sights and sounds of a restaurant that’s become a neighborhood lunchtime favorite less than a year after quietly opening in November 2022.

I would have never found La Chev without a tip from a colleague, but I’m glad I came. That satisfaction extends to residents of the Knightsville and Summerville area, who have thanked owner Jason Tucker for bringing his Southern take on French cuisine to them rather than downtown Charleston.

“A lot of people were confused about why I did it here,” said Tucker, a Summerville resident. “I saw the direction of where the homes are going.”

Tucker struck out on his own after cutting his professional teeth at restaurants in Charleston’s French Quarter. Inside the strip center space that previously housed a Ladles sandwich and soup shop, the Johnson & Wales University graduate is teaming up with La Chev’s chef de cuisine, Jonathan DuPriest, who grew up in Knightsville.

Whether it’s crab dip with grilled bread or seared scallops over French onion cheese risotto, DuPriest is consistently coming up with new daily specials that the restaurant posts on its Facebook page, which takes the place of an actual website.

La Chev boasts separate lunch and dinner menus, but there are several crossovers, including the shrimp and grits, crab croquettes and yellowfin tuna — a dish that stood out after two visits to the restaurant.

The lightly-seared tuna, served cold, rests on a steaming hot medley of chopped asparagus, corn, confit tomato and cubed bacon. A speckled cream sauce pulls the vegetables together, adding sweet smokiness to the fresh but mild fish.

“It doesn’t just play with your taste buds, it plays with the temperature sensitivities of your palate, as well,” Tucker said.

With a nice crust and firm pink center, the tuna hits all corners of my mouth, leaving soft, peppery spice behind. Though served as an appetizer, I enjoyed it as my full meal with an order of duck coq au vin dumplings — a fun riff on a French classic — on the side.

During dinner, the white tablecloths are brought out and topped with larger appetizers and mains that allow for some “Lowcountry liberties,” Tucker said.

For instance, crab croquettes are more petite crab cake than filled-and-fried roll, but the flawed descriptor doesn’t take away from each delicate bite. Paired with a light and bright diced cucumber salad, the patties’ crab-to-filler ratio favors the former.

A trio of cheese-adorned meatballs, floating in tomato ragù and served with small wedges of garlic bread, is another appetizer that satisfies without reinventing the wheel.

The same can often be said for the restaurant’s dinner entrees.

Roasted salmon, stuffed with crab and served atop crisp green beans, is one example of an expertly cooked daily special. On the side, Carolina Gold rice is bound with cheese to form a thick patty, bringing substance and salt to the Southern grains.

Steak, which appears to have been marinated and spent some time in the oven, makes up for a lack of crust with a juicy, tender texture — almost reminiscent of the roasted filet of beef my mother serves at Christmas.

Of the six dishes I sampled at La Chev, each one left me without complaints.

There isn’t much in the way of décor, more noticeable during a Monday night dinner service that saw just two occupied tables between 5:45 and 6:45 p.m. This was a far cry from the crowded lunch service I witnessed weeks before, making me ponder if ownership might consider closing their doors on Monday, typically the slowest dining day of the week.

It also made me wonder if this type of restaurant — a place that skirts the line between neighborhood establishment and one worthy of a special night out — can work in this location.

I remain optimistic.

While it’s just four miles from the town’s top restaurants — Laura, Bexley and La Rustica, among others — it’s less crowded and closer to home for many Summerville restaurants.

And as those who have dined at La Chev have likely realized, there isn’t anything like it in Knightsville.

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Jason Tucker reports that business is booming at the boîte known as La Cuisine du Chevalier, or La Chev, by the locals. The 40-seat restaurant, which translates to “the knight’s kitchen,” garnered rave reviews by online contributors when it opened in November at the former soup restaurant called Ladles in the Shoppes of Summerville.

It only recently held a grand opening celebration.

Tucker, who has lived in Summerville for the past 16 years, is no stranger to the restaurant business.

“My background is extremely diverse and it started back when I was 15-years’ old scooping ice cream in Central Pennsylvania,” he said.

Related content: Charleston rooftop bar, restaurant to renovate, rebrand

Over the years, Tucker has worked in numerous restaurants, from chains like Buffalo Wild Wings, Cracker Barrel and the Hilton, to groups like Charleston Hospitality and more. After bartending his way through college in Virginia, the hard-working transplant accepted a management position from his employer, which took him to Summerville, where he has been ever since.

The father of two boys is also the operating partner at Wine & Tapas in Summerville and was buoyed by the popularity of the business. This inspired him to open a new restaurant, this time with a French flair.

“They call the area the French Quarter, but it lacked a French-themed restaurant, which never made sense to me, especially with the growth we are seeing in this area,” he said.

Tucker said that La Chev was designed to evoke the feeling of walking down the Champs-Élysées.

“It’s a cute café that’s quaint and all about the food and wine,” he said.

It doesn’t hurt that Tucker worked in the wine distribution business and is well-versed on what’s exceptional. He said that his goal is to bring people in by rivaling the quality that a customer would get in downtown Charleston.

“It’s all about the ingredients and there’s a lot of precision and thought that goes into each of our dishes,” he said, adding that chef de cuisine Jonathan DuPriest, who grew up in Knightsville, is Johnson and Wales-trained.

When it comes to dishes, Tucker said that the most popular lunch items that they serve are the French Dip and the shrimp and grits.

“A lot of people judge the quality of the restaurant by their shrimp and grits,” he said.

As for dinner, Tucker offers quite a few specials, ranging from steak dishes, to surf and turf, scallops, crabcakes, and salmon.

“Everyone says that it’s the best salmon served in the Atlantic Coastal area,” Tucker said.

For now, La Chev is taking reservations, except for the bar and outside area, so last-minute plans to dine can be accommodated if guests don’t mind sitting in either area.

Tucker also recently announced that they will be open on Sundays for brunch.

“We’re currently working on the menu which we will implement sometime around the end of July,” he said.

Kurry Seymour was a Ladles customer who was wowed by his first visit.

“This place brings a refreshing vibe to the Knightsville area and I am impressed by the décor, which was converted into a very fine, but very cozy dining experience,” he said.

Reviews like this are music to Tucker’s ears.

“I never thought I’d be in a situation where I’d be running two separate restaurants, but I love the feeling one gets when someone is happy with an experience. Making moments special is the best feeling in the world and having the opportunity to have someone really love what you’re doing, well, it doesn’t get any better than that,” he said, with a smile.

Stefanie Kalina-Metzger is a contributing writer for SC Biz News.

There were smiles, cheers, high-fives and even a few tears as Knightsville Elementary bid farewell to its fifth-graders on May 26 -- the last day of school for Dorchester District Two.

Knightsville Elementary traditionally has its fifth-graders parade through the school in celebration of graduating from elementary school, but this year the school had a special twist on the tradition: they invited back 2017 high school and college graduates -- also Knightsville Elementary alumni -- to return to their old stomping grounds wish the fifth-graders good-luck as they set off for middle school.

Drew Massey, graduating senior at Summerville High, called it nostalgic.

"It's weird to come back 10 years later," she said.

Massey was one of approximately 25 returning graduates who participated in the walk. Summerville High graduates donned their signature green caps and gowns. A handful of Clemson University and University of South Carolina graduates also participated.

The returning students spoke to fifth-graders in their classrooms prior to the parade to offer words of encouragement and students also heard from college professors from Charleston Southern University and The Citadel.

Massey said she wanted to participate because it felt special.

"I saw a lot of them (students) crying," she said. "I think they thought it was special too."

The entire school lined the hallways, along with parents, faculty and staff, to watch all the graduates weave through the building. Younger students awarded the graduates with cheers and high fives along the way while the school played "Pomp and Circumstance" over the intercom.

Teachers wore little graduation caps as well and, if they still had them, they were invited to wear their old graduation robes.

Principal Claire Sieber referred to the returning graduates as the "continuance of the legacy of learning that started here at Knightsville."

"You have empowered our fifth-graders to rise on and continue their education. I'm looking forward to all that the future will hold," she said.

The idea to invite the former Knightsville Elementary students back was Assistant Principal Carey Hodge's idea. Hodge said she had seen a similar event in her former hometown.

Sieber and Hodge said they wanted to have a community connection with the fifth-grade parade this year. With the response they got, Sieber said she anticipates this will be a tradition going forward.

Hodge said their focus for the last couple of weeks has been words of encouragement. She said they have been working on coordinating the event for three months.

Hodge said she thinks the Knightsville Elementary students really enjoyed it.

"I'm seeing tears of...joy and miss -- they're going to miss us. I know it's very bittersweet for them," she said. "But it's always a great thing when kids don't want to leave."

"Above all we just want them to love, learn and lead," she said.