The estate of a late real estate developer and big-time College of Charleston benefactor has handed off the keys to four 1930s-era classic automobiles to an Indiana car museum.
Making the gift that more special, all were built by the same manufacturer in the northeastern part of the Hoosier State.
The estate of Guy E. Beatty Jr. of Charleston made the donation to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum.
“It’s the largest single gift the museum has ever received,” Laura Brinkman, executive director of the museum, told The Star newspaper in Auburn, Ind. “It’s so significant to the museum.”
The cars were built by the Auburn Automobile Co.: a 1931 Duesenberg Beverly Sedan model J-387; a 1934 Duesenberg LeGrande Dual Cowl Phaeton model J-250; a 1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster; and a 1937 Cord Supercharged Phaeton.
They arrived in time for Labor Day weekend, when classic car auctions draw thousands of visitors to Auburn, which is about 20 miles north of Fort Wayne.
“These four are phenomenal,” Brinkman said, according to an Associated Press report. “This is a spectacular gift for us. It fills gaps in our permanent collection.”
Beatty founded Beatty Companies, a Virginia-based real estate development business. He was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, with donations totaling more than $60 million to the College of Charleston. One of his early gifts created the Beatty Center, which houses the School of Business at 5 Liberty St.
Beatty split his time between homes in McLean, Va., and Charleston. He died in October 2013 in Virginia at age 80.
17 and counting
The streak continues.
For 17 years, the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business has held the No. 1 spot in the nation for its International Masters in Business Administration program, per U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” list.
Also, the university ranked No. 52 among all national public universities — up from No. 55 last year — and has 47 nationally ranked academic programs.
Driving it home
Ground transportation is serious business at Charleston International Airport, and its oversight agency is driving that point home with an overhauled policy.
In 2014, just over 150,000 arriving passengers, or 5.2 percent, hailed a taxi. Another 35,000 or so jumped on a shuttle van. The majority, 62 percent, headed to downtown Charleston. Altogether, there were about 91,000 outbound trips from the airport for taxis and shuttles last year. The app-based Uber riding service is new to the airport, so there are no figures for its operations.
The taxi and shuttle industry at the airport earned $2.95 million last year, with the average permit holder taking in nearly $54,000.
Because of the changes in the industry and growth of the airport, the Charleston County Aviation Authority is poised to sign off on an updated ground transportation ordinance Thursday.
The first major overhaul of the ordinance since it was adopted 14 years ago includes rules for all transportation network companies, including Uber; recommends off-site parking companies that shuttle people to the airport pay 8 percent of their revenue to the Aviation Authority; and reduces the fee from $14 to $4 per person for three or more passengers in a taxi. The first two passengers pay a flat fee.
It also increases the amount of insurance all passenger carriers must provide.
Greener cargo shippers
The world’s container shipping lines are making progress toward reducing carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new study by the Clean Cargo Working Group.
The study shows CO2 emissions fell, on average, by 8.4 percent in 2014 compared with the previous year and by 29 percent since 2009.
The study measures the amount of CO2 that a ship produces to haul one cargo container for one kilometer, or about two-thirds of a mile.
The biggest declines were registered on trade lanes using the largest, newest containerships, such as routes within Asia and Europe and between Europe and South America.
Routes between foreign countries and East Coast ports, such as the Port of Charleston, also saw mostly double-digit CO2 emission declines between 2012-14. The rate of decline was less on ships with refrigerated cargo and one such route — East Coast ports to South America — saw a slight increase in emissions.
Membership in the Clean Cargo Working Group is equally divided between cargo shippers and carriers. The group was formed 12 years ago by shipping lines and their customers to improve the environmental performance of its membership, which represents about 80 percent of the world’s container shipping capacity.
Working education
The Greenville-based Spinx convenience store chain is looking for a few good students.
The company recently rolled out a new Business Management Program open to students working toward a degree in business.
The program is designed to provide students with experience and a career opportunity while being employed full- or part-time at Spinx. They can get tuition reimbursement and weekly paychecks while working at the convenience store chain.
Students will develop skills in effective collaboration, critical thinking and decision-making, business and financial analysis, strategy development, economics and leadership.
Participants are eligible for a higher starting wage as well.
Spinx operates seven stores in the Charleston area.
Contact Nicole Logan at nlogan@spinxco.com for details.
Ellevate’s birthday
A group for women in business is holding a breakfast event Tuesday followed by a panel discussion featuring women business executives to celebrate its first birthday.
Ellevate Charleston is part of the bigger Ellevate, a business organization started by former Wall Street executive Sallie Krawcheck, who formerly lived in Charleston and will participate in Tuesday’s event. Krawcheck worked at multiple Wall Street banks.
She was a leader at both Citigroup and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where she was CFO and CEO, respectively, the statement said.
The breakfast event will start at 7:30 a.m. at Hibernian Hall on Meeting Street. The price for nonmembers is $50.
“I am especially happy to celebrate the professional connections initiated and nurtured through this dyna- mic Ellevate Chapter,” Krawcheck said in a written statement.
Tourism conference
A local conference looks to zero in on the impact of African-American tourists.
The Wando-Huger Development Corp. is hosting a tourism conference Sept. 26 at the College of Charleston’s Beatty Center to teach people about African-American tourism.
The event starts at 9 a.m. and lasts nearly all day, Duane Parrish, director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, said in a newsletter.
The cost is $50.
“In South Carolina, the African-American influence is a significant part of our story and it provides a wealth of attractions and experiences that draws visitors from across the country,” Parrish said in the newsletter. “The conference promises a candid conversation on growing tourism in South Carolina.”
There will be a variety of sessions, including a couple geared toward entrepreneurs and nonprofits, and another called “Marketing to the African-American Visitor,” according to a written statement about the event.
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