Local organization reaching out to Maersk

Wade Spees
The Post and Courier

The newly formed Citizens Related to the Port of Charleston is aminng is aiming to bring together frontline workers on the waterfront — including longshoremen, stevedores and truckers — and port officials. A community forum that the group plans to hold next week will surely address Maersk Line’s plan to ship out of Charleston within the next two years.

A newly formed organization hopes to deliver a maritime message of unity to Maersk.

To do so, the group, Citizens Related to the Port of Charleston, is organizing a community forum. The event is set for Jan 5. at the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium. It gets under way at 6 p.m.

One of the leaders, Benjamin Flowers Jr. , said one goal of the forum is to bring together those who work at the port — including longshoremen, stevedores and truckers — and port officials.

The group emerged in the wake of Maersk Line's threat to pull out of the Port of Charleston by the end of 2010, with hefty reductions coming within the next few months. The world's largest shipping line and the port's biggest customer, Denmark-based Maersk accounts for 20 percent of Charleston's container volume.

"The aim is to send a message to all the shipping companies that we've got it together in Charleston," said Flowers, who credited Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and state Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, for helping to organize the meeting.

Foodstuff

Hilton Head Popcorn Co. is moving to the Charleston area. Mount Pleasant-based Charleston Nut Co. Inc. recently acquired the quarter-century-old gourmet popcorn and snack producer and will move the last of the production facility to Mount Pleasant in February, said Michael J. Porcaro, partner in The Tides Commodity Trading Group Inc. , parent of Charleston Nut Co.

Gregory Zaccaro is also a partner in the The Tides Commodity Trading Group Inc., which has been in business in the Charleston area for about 3 1/2 years.

Former Hilton Head Popcorn Co. owner Tom Bastek of Hilton Head Island will maintain 10 percent ownership in the company and become director of sales in southern coastal South Carolina and Georgia.

The move will add five employees to The Tides' family of food companies. Three of those will work locally and two will be in sales, Porcaro said. The Tides' family now has 25 employees.

The Tides also has added three more traders for its globally sold commodities for a total of nine, Porcaro said.

He added that the food business is somewhat insulated from what is occurring in the depressed economy, allowing the company to grow.

"In this tough economy, a specialty company is reaching $1 million in sales and has been received well by such places as Publix, Piggly Wiggly and the gifting world," Porcaro said.

The Charleston Nut Co. distributes to some supermarkets, high-end restaurants, corporate gift givers and nicer hotels and resorts which offer specialties to VIP guests.

Tots and taxes

Babies who arrive before Jan. 1 could save their parents thousands on their 2008 taxes. With that in mind, tax services giant H&R Block plans to present gift baskets to families of the last babies born before the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve at Roper Hospital downtown and Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley.

Better mousetrap

The New Ideas for a New Carolina statewide business ideas contest has pulled in celebrity support to judge the Wildcard category.

Co-owner of and "director of fun" for the Charleston RiverDogs baseball team, actor Bill Murray, and team president Mike Veeck, will select the Wildcard category winner. Residents of South Carolina can vote for their favorite Wildcard business idea until today at www.NewIdeasSC.com.

Out of the top five chosen, celebrity judges then will choose the winner, which will be announced at the awards ceremony on Feb. 11 at the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit in Charleston. Last year's winner was Julie McWerther who created the Azula, a fashionable mat that keeps women's swimsuits from snagging when sitting on the edge of a pool.

The winner of the Wildcard category will receive $2,500, tickets to the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit and a scholarship to a FastTrac entrepreneurial training course. They also will be eligible for the grand prize of $5,000 for their business idea and a Dream Team of Mentors to help cultivate their idea.

In its fourth year, South Carolina's New Ideas for a New Carolina Business Idea Contest consists of the New Ideas Dream Team, a coalition of representatives from SC Launch!, New Carolina-SC's Council on Competitiveness, FastTracSC, ThinkTEC and other organizations around the state.

Ideas are judged by South Carolina leaders from angel capital groups, businesses, non-profits, government entities and educational institutions.