Blythewood Medical Park is located at 230 Redhawk Way.
BLYTHEWOOD – As Blythewood continues to grow, Lexington Health is moving in to meet the rising demand for local medical services. The health system officially opened the doors to its new Blythewood Medical Park last week, located at 230 Red Hawk Way.
The 21,300-square-foot facility currently serves as the home
of Blythewood Family Medicine, a primary care practice designed to serve both
children and adults.
“This area continues to experience tremendous growth, which
significantly increases the need for primary care,” said Tod Augsburger,
president and CEO of Lexington Health. “By bringing these services closer to
where people live and work, we can improve access, reduce wait times, and help
residents manage health care costs.”
The practice is currently staffed by Dr. Jarvis J. Johnson,
Dr. Trevor Morris, and family nurse practitioners Chanelle Jackson and Stacy
West. The facility offers a wide range of on-site capabilities, including
laboratory services, X-rays, general ultrasounds, and advanced cardiac
diagnostics, alongside routine preventive care and same-day sick appointments.
While primary care is the anchor of the new park, more
specialized services are on the horizon. Lexington Health confirmed that the
park will expand in 2026 with the addition of Lexington Women’s Care Blythewood
and Lexington Health Physical Therapy.
Blythewood Family Medicine is open Monday through Thursday
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday until noon. The practice is currently
accepting new patients. For more information or to schedule an appointment,
call (803) 419-4949 or visit LexHealth.com.
Representatives from Hibbett presented a check for $50,000 to (center, kneeling, from left) boys head coach Trent Robinson, Principal Tameka Nicholson, Athletic Direc- tor Garrett Knight, girls head coach Gregory Bauldrick.
BLYTHEWOOD – “I cannot put my excitement and gratitude into words,” Westwood High School Principal Tameka Nicholson said Wednesday, following a surprise ceremony honoring the school’s basketball teams. “This is how you change the trajectory of a student’s life.”
The Redhawks’ basketball programs received a major boost during the ceremony – a $50,000 check from First String, a philanthropic initiative launched last year. Nike and Hibbett chose Westwood as one of only four schools nationwide selected for this year’s award.
The two teams gathered in the school gym for the surprise presentation. Hibbett regional representatives Michael Jaworski and Terrance Matthews awarded each team $25,000 to support their upcoming season, along with new duffel bags and $15,000 in gift cards—$500 for each player—to purchase team shoes and gear.
“First String is all about supporting local high school boys and girls basketball programs and laying the foundation for your future,” Jaworski said.
“From training over the summer to performing academically and athletically, we recognize the work you’re putting in as student-athletes. We understand that both the girls and boys programs made it to the third round of the playoffs last season, and we want to help you guys go even further this year,” he said.
Tameka Nicholson
Nicholson praised the students for their dedication and
leadership.
“The students being honored today are leaders. They’re
leading on the court. They’re leading in the hallway,” she said. “They weren’t
expecting this. They didn’t apply for it, but someone saw the excellence in
them and chose to honor them.
“It sends a message not only to our teams, but to all of the students who watched today,” she said, “and my hope is that they will always understand that putting good into the world can bring back good tenfold.”
In addition to the donations, one senior from each team will
receive a $20,000 college scholarship—$5,000 per year for four years—along with
the opportunity to join Hibbett and Nike’s connected internship program at the
company’s Birmingham headquarters.
“This generous support from Hibbett and Nike will have a
lasting impact on our student-athletes and their continued success both on and
off the court,” Dr. Garrett Knight, Westwood’s Athletic Director said.
Noting the award’s broader message of excellence and
gratitude, Nicholson praised Hibbett’s efforts to invest into Westwood’s school
community.
“It’s not just about this moment. It’s about everything that’s still yet to come. Greatness is in this building. Greatness is happening at The Castle. This recognition is a reminder to always demonstrate excellence with purpose.”
Fairfield County Deputies Lt. Alan Cox, left, and his dog Dano; Cpl Andrew Ellison and Gaia; and Cpl. Everette Ernst and Rayden were presented oxygen kits and water showers from Vice President of Fairfield County K-9 Friends Megan George and her dog Fury at a ceremony at MlilyUSA. The donations were made on behalf of HealthcareSC’s parent company, MlilyUSA.| Contributed
WINNSBORO – HealthcareSC presented K9 Pawprint Oxygen kits and water showers to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office’s K9 Unit during an informal ceremony Wed, July 23 at the MlilyUSA’s manufacturing facility in Winnsboro. MlilyUSA is the parent company of HealthcareSC.
The presentations were made by Megan George, vice president
of Fairfield County K-9 Friends, to Fairfield County deputies and their K-9
partners: Lt. Alan Cox and Dano; Cpl Andrew Ellison and Gaia, and Everette
Ernst and Rayden.
The donated Pawprint Oxygen kits and water showers are
lifesaving equipment especially designed to support K-9 officers during fire
and smoke situations, but can be helpful in other situations as well.
“We appreciate all of the support and care from the team at
HealthcareSC and their dedication to ensuring the K-9 units have lifesaving
equipment on hand,” George said.
The Fairfield County Sheriff’s office launched its K-9
program in March with two dog handles and their K-9 partners. That launch was
precipitated when Cox, a longtime expert at working with law enforcement’s
dogs, came to work for the Fairfield office.
“We’ve been able to do this at very low cost because of Sgt.
Alan Cox, who is actually heading up this program for us. He has a very broad
background in this and is very professional, very experienced in law
enforcement K-9 programs,” said Chief Deputy Brad Douglas.
Through Cox’s professional contacts, he says, the sheriff’s
office was able to get trained dogs at relatively low cost, and a nonprofit
sheriff’s foundation helped with some of the money that was needed to get the
program started.
SC Governor Henry McMaster joins state and county officials to break ground at the new site. | Fairfield County
RIDGEWAY — On Tuesday, June 25, Fairfield County officials joined executives from FAYAT Group to break ground on a new distribution center.
The ceremony, held at FAYAT Group’s new site in Ridgeway,
celebrated the start of construction on a facility that will support FAYAT
Group’s North American operations by improving logistics, streamlining parts
distribution, and enhancing customer service capabilities.
“FAYAT Group’s decision to expand its operations here in
Ridgeway represents not only a major investment in infrastructure, but also a
reaffirmation of faith in this community—its people, its potential, and its
future,” said Fairfield County Council chair Clarence Gilbert.
The new FAYAT distribution center will expand FAYAT Group’s
footprint, allowing the company to more efficiently deliver equipment and parts
across the continent. It will also support the company’s long-term strategy of
centralizing its North American operations at its Ridgeway headquarters.
“FAYAT moved its BOMAG North American headquarters to
Fairfield County just over 10 years ago to leverage several strategic benefits
– being close to port of entry, proximity to an air hub for spare parts
distribution, and offering the opportunity for year-round sales and service
training – for the purpose of being closer to and better serving our
customers,” said Rob Mueckler, General Manager of FAYAT North America.
“FAYAT Group’s $13.7 million expansion once again proves
that South Carolina provides existing businesses with the resources needed to
find continued success. We’ve built a culture that supports businesses every
step of the way, because we know thriving companies like FAYAT build vibrant
communities” Said Governor Henry McMaster.
The FAYAT Group was founded in 1957 in Libourne, France, and
has grown to become the largest independently owned construction company in
France. FAYAT group has more than 230 subsidiaries in 170 countries. With this
latest expansion, FAYAT Group continues to demonstrate its commitment to
innovation and operational excellence in the North American market.
Scout CEO Scott Keogh presented the vehicles during a reception at 701 Whaley.
COLUMBIA – Scout unveiled its two Scout vehicles to South Carolina Friday night – The Traveler SUV and The Terra truck – before a crowd of about 150 state, county, and local elected officials, including Blythewood’s County Council Representative Derrek Pugh, Blythewood Mayor Sloan Griffin, Blythewood Councilwoman Erica Page, Fairfield County Senator-elect Everett Stubbs and Blythewood Chamber of Commerce Chairwoman Deb Dollarhide.
Scout CEO Scott Keogh presented the vehicles Friday night during a reception at 701 Whaley in downtown Columbia.
“This is a substantial endeavor,” Keogh said of bringing back the Scout.
“We will move quickly. We want to know that 200,000 cars and the factory construction is on time – three million square feet of building going up as we speak: the parts shop, body shop and assembly shop. Ideally, we’ll get all these shops sealed in the first quarter and start putting equipment in next year. Come see the plant,” he said. “It’s magical what’s happening there.” That was the first of several references Keogh made to Disneyworld.
“We want to build a cool experience – call it Disneyworld, Scoutville or Scoutland – we want America to come here, drive these cars, take them off road, take them everywhere. We want to deliver these cars out of here and show them the Scout magic,” he said.
Keogh talked about the size of the operation – 1,100 acres of facilities. But he said the most important thing is the jobs Scout will create – 4,000 real jobs directly in the plant, with real benefits: health care, child care, and access to 21st century training for jobs that he says will transfer in the future.
“On top of that we have 5,000 jobs coming from the supply base,” he said. “We anticipate a big portion of these suppliers will be in South Carolina.”
Keogh said he wants to put Columbia and Blythewood on the map.
“We want the world to see us as a really cool company doing really cool things in a really cool state.”
With that, the black covers were pulled to reveal the two vehicles to the cheers and applause of the crowd.
Keogh also talked about the addition of a gas generator to Scout’s EV SUV and truck.
“We’ve been listening to the market and took on this super idea. First and foremost, you will get both these vehicles as electric vehicles with a 350-mile range. There’s a market for that,” he said. “Second, keep the dry unit battery, shrink it a little, and add a super cool engine off the rear axle.”
The optional extended range system, called Harvester, will include a small gas-powered engine that will recharge the vehicle’s high voltage battery when needed, extending the 350-mile electric power range to more than an estimated 500 miles. That means drivers can refuel anywhere they can find a pump or a plug, without losing the packaging and performance benefits of a 21st-century electric vehicle.
“You get everything you want in a Scout, off road and no compromise, and you still keep the EV,” he said.
“No matter which way the future tides flow, we can go in either direction,” Keogh said. “We won’t be stuck if there’s a shift.”
Following the presentation, those attending swarmed the two vehicles, snapping selfies standing next to them and behind the wheel.
The vehicles were on display at the USC/Missouri game on Saturday.
Read more about the vehicles unveiled Friday night in the Nov. 21 issue of The Voice.
BLYTHEWOOD – New proposals concerning road widening and new road and rail extensions to the Scout Motors development were shared with the Blythewood Planning Commissioners at their regular monthly meeting on Monday night.
One proposal, explained by Brooks Bickley of the S.C.
Department of Transportation, is to relocate the Boomer Road entrance to U.S.
21 about 150-200 feet towards the Town of Blythewood, then re-route U.S. 21
from that new Boomer Road intersection southwestwardly through the former
Google property, to just past the Fairfield Electric power station where it
would tie back in to U.S. 21.
Under that proposal, Farrow Road would also be realigned to
intersect with the re-routed U.S. 21. The newly proposed connector road from
the Scout plant would then pour into a point along the rerouted section of U.S.
21 where additional turn lanes would be added, according to Bickley.
“The rail spur that’s going to feed the Scout development
was originally proposed as an at-grade crossing on U.S. 21,” Bickley said. “In
order to avoid an at-grade crossing there, one alternative is to take the
re-routed section of US 21 over the rail.
The new connector road that will be coming from the Scout
plant, over the newly proposed Exit 26 interchange on I-77 (between Exit 24 and
Exit 27) would then tie in to the rerouted U.S. 21.
“Another part of this project for S.C. DOT would be the
widening of I-77 northbound,” Bickley said. “That widening would start just
north of Exit 24 where it actually necks down from three lanes to two lanes in
the northbound direction. We would continue that third lane north to give
additional capacity to I-77.”
The proposal also calls for the rerouted section of U.S. 21
to be widened to 3 to 5 lanes.
Thomas and Hutton is contracted by Richland County to do the
widening work on Blythewood Road between Syrup Mill Road and Muller Road, with
an extension of work (turn lanes primarily) to continue a short distance on
Muller Road. Thomas and Hutton are also contracted with the county to widen
Community Road to four lanes and to construct the new county road from the
Scout plant east across the proposed I-77 interchange to U.S. 21.
The County’s Penny project includes the current installation
of a new roundabout at the Community and Blythewood Road intersection.
“So this is going to be the new north axis that the county
will own,” Bickley said. “We don’t have a lot of details on the proposed Exit
26 interchange yet, but Norfolk Southern will be installing the new rail line
which will come from the other side of Highway 21 down across and into the
site,” Bickley said.
“We’re in the process of doing a traffic study right now
that should be to us in the next couple of weeks,” he said. “Once we have that
traffic study it can give us final recommendations of what actual improvements
need to be done and where.”
Bickley said the traffic count was finished before school
ended and that S.C. DOT is just waiting on the calculations to be finalized.
BLYTHEWOOD – A proposed $2 billion automobile manufacturing
facility would potentially negatively impact over 111 acres of wetlands,
according to a recently published public notice by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
The proposed 1,600-acre facility that Scout Motors wants to build near I-77 and Exit 27 would impact 73.6 acres of wetlands, 38 acres of ponds and 38 thousand linear feet of tributaries, the notice states.
Those details and more are part of the document filed in
support of a permit Scout is seeking to discharge fill material in the vicinity
of Beasley Creek. The creek is located on nearly 2,600 acres south and east of
Blythewood Road.
Comments are being accepted for 30 days from June 1, the
date the notice was issued.
“Written statements regarding the proposed work will be
received … from those interested in the activity and whose interests may be
affected by the proposed work,” according to the notice.
The Army Corps of Engineers will issue a decision based on
public comments, evaluating potential impacts, and compliance with federal and
state guidelines.
“All factors which may be relevant to the project will be
considered, including the cumulative effects thereof,” the notice states.
“Among those are conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental
concerns, wetlands … and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people.”
A subsidiary of Volkswagen, Scout wants to start
construction next year and complete the facility sometime in 2026. Advocates of
the new facility tout the 4,000-plus jobs Scout has promised to create, as well
as road improvements Scout has pledged to complete in the Blythewood area.
To compensate for the affected wetlands, Scout has proposed
buying stream mitigation credits from several locations, including from the
Mill Creek in southern Richland County.
The Environmental Protection Agency defines a mitigation
bank as “a wetland, stream, or other aquatic resource area that has been restored,
established, enhanced, or (in certain circumstances) preserved for the purpose
of providing compensation for unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources
permitted under [federal law] or a similar state or local wetland regulation.”
Essentially, developers can buy mitigation credits elsewhere
to replenish credits expended when damaging or destroying wetlands.
Mitigation maps place Scout’s proposed Mill Creek mitigation
site about 10 miles southeast of downtown Columbia.
In addition, Scout says it plans to take the following
actions to minimize environmental impacts:
Use appropriate erosion and sedimentation controls
Take steps to prevent oil, tar, trash, debris and other pollutants
Complete construction in an “expeditious manner”
Follow proper procedural and seasonal protocols when clearing wetlands
Properly place pipes to avoid/minimize scour and permit upstream passage of aquatic life
Use clean fill materials
Build multiple storm water detention ponds to minimize effect of impervious surfaces.
The Army Corps’ public notice did not rule out impacts to
endangered wildlife.
A review of Scout’s plans said there would be zero impact on
the Canby’s dropwort and rough-leaved loosestrife, two herbs found in the
county.
However, the project “is not likely to affect” the
red-cockaded woodpecker or smooth coneflower, the notice states.
The woodpecker remains endangered, however the coneflower
was recently down-listed from endangered to threatened, according to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Public comments can be submitted via email to
Jeremy.M.Kinney@usace.army.mil or snail mail to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Attn: Regulatory Division, 69A Hagood Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina
29403-5107. Correspondence should include the following notice/file number:
SAC-2023-00690.
BLYTHEWOOD – In preparation for the upcoming Fairfield
Electric Coop’s annual meeting, the Board of Trustees met March 28 to
discussing discontinuing the health/life/dental benefit package for new Trustees
beginning with the May 20 election. The vote to do so was unanimous.
The package, valued at about $19,000, has always been free
to Trustees, except for paying the taxes for the value of the benefit. According
to a Trustee who was present at the meeting, only three Trustees currently take
the package and will be allowed to continue to do so, but most have other
insurance benefits available. That Trustee said the discontinuance of the
benefit will be a big savings for the Coop.
On April 11, the Board held a special called meeting to
discuss the disqualification of Larry Sharpe, Jr. who was nominated on March 14
for an at-large Trustee position.
Sharpe was running against Tim Hopkins of Lugoff who
currently holds the at-large seat.
According to the Board minutes, Hopkins recused himself from
the discussion and the vote which was unanimous.
At issue was the eligibility requirements for Trustees,
according to attorney Jay Bender who presented information on the issue.
Act 56 of the 2019-20 General Assembly, Bender said,
prohibits Trustees from having a business relationship with the cooperative
separate from membership in the cooperative. The Coop’s bylaws also prohibit a
“direct business relationship,” between a Trustee and the cooperative.
Bender said Sharpe, Jr. is associated with Blythewood Oil
Co., and as recently as March of this year had met with cooperative employees
to discuss fuel purchasing procedures.
Over the past 25 months, Bender said Blythewood Oil has
received payment from the Cooperative of more than $10,000 per month for
purchases. Bender added that the company has received in excess of $1 million
over the past five years.
The context of Act 56, Bender noted, is to eliminate
self-dealing between cooperatives and the trustees of the cooperatives.
Others nominated for the May 20 election of Trustees include
incumbent Keith Lewis (Dist 1); incumbent Cynthia Able and first-time nominee
Dan Ruff (Dist 2); incumbent Mitch Rabon (Dist 3); incumbent Tim Hopkins
(at-large); and new nominee Bruce Honecutt (Dist 9).
WINNSBORO – The Fairfield Providence Emergency Room awoke to a new name on Monday. It will now be called MUSC Health Fairfield Emergency and Imaging.
The purchase of the Fairfield health care facility in June
was part of a $75 million dollar deal in which the Medical University of South
Carolina purchased four health care facilities in the midlands.
The Charleston-based MUSC is rebranding each of those
facilities with new names.
On Monday, ceremonies were held at each of the hospitals,
which will now be known as:
MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown (formerly Providence Health on Forest Drive in Columbia)
MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast (formerly Providence Health Northeast on Corporate Boulevard in Columbia)
MUSC Health Fairfield Emergency and Imaging (formerly Providence Health — Fairfield in Winnsboro)
MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center (formerly KershawHealth in Camden)
The Providence sale includes the hospital’s main campus — on
Forest Drive – plus its 74-bed full-service hospital near Farrow Road and I-77
and its Winnsboro emergency room that opened in 2018.
The acquisition by MUSC gives the health care system a
larger footprint in South Carolina and in the Midlands region, where it will
join Prisma Health and Lexington Medical Center.
“Incorporating them into our regional hospital network is
another step toward fulfilling MUSC’s charge: to provide the right care in the
right place at the right time to every patient and family that we encounter,”
Dr. Patrick J. Cawley, the CEO of MUSC Health and vice president for health
affairs for the medical university, said during opening ceremonies at the
Fairfield facility on Monday.
Cawley said the 2,000 LifePoint Health employees at the
hospitals were offered to stay once MUSC took control, the Post and Courier
reported.
The MUSC medical school includes a teaching hospital along
with six colleges that, combined, have more than 1,800 faculty members who
educate and train around 3,000 students and 800 residents each year.
MUSC, one of the oldest medical schools in the South, was
founded in 1824 as a small private college.
MUSC doctors and other dignitaries traveled to each of the
four newly purchased facilities for ceremonies to speak to the change and what
MUSC will bring to each community where these four facilities are located.
Joining them in Fairfield were Dr. Roger Gaddy, an MUSC alum
and primary care physician in Fairfield for the last 40 years, Mayor John
McMeekin, and Fairfield County School Superintendent Dr. J. R. Green.
Also speaking were Dr. James Lemon, chairman of the MUSC
board, Dr. David Cole, president of MUSC and Dr. Patrick J. Cawley, CEO of MUSC
Health and vice president for health affairs.
“We are all seeing a transformation across health care,”
Cawley told the 50 or sitting under a tent in front of Fairfield’s emergency
facility. “This transformation is upon us. It is being demanded by patients, by
families and by those who pay for health care. They are demaning high quality
care in its broadest definition – some of what Dr. Gaddy mentioned to us today.
“We’re also looking for health care to be less expensive. We
at MUSC fully embrace that,” Cawley said. “We know that quality health care is
about safety, effectiveness, efficiency, equity and patient consideration. We
want to be part of that transformation. But more than that, we want to lead
that transformation. That’s who we are.”
Dr. David Cole, MUSC president, said one of the goals of
MUSC is to “improve the lives of those we touch in the communities we serve.
“We do that,” he said, “by working with the communities and
by putting a plan together to deliver whatever care that community needs – from
primary care to specialty care. That’s what we do.”
Cawley told the audience that, as a not for profit
organization, “We will invest our resources back into the community. We are
leaders, innovators and educators. We are community focused and that’s what
MUSC promises.”
Mayor John McMeekin said, on behalf of the community, that
he is very thankful to have the number one hospital in South Carolina now in
Fairfield County.
Also attending from Fairfield County were County Councilman Clarence Gilbert, Midlands Tech President Ron Rhame, former board member for Fairfield Memorial Hospital Randy Bright, Interim County Administrator Brad Caulder, Winnsboro Community Services Director Chris Clausen and Fairfield resident Karen Chapman who is the Public Relations Director at MUSC Lancaster.
From left, Superintendent Dr. J. R. Green; Dr. James Lemon, Chairman of the MUSC Board; Dr. Patrick J Cawley, CEO of MUSC Health; Dr. David Cole, President of MUSC, Dr. Roger Gaddy and Mayor John McMeekin
Lebanon resident and PR Director for MUSC at Lancaster Karen Chapman
Winnsboro Mayor John McMeekin
Dr. Roger Gaddy
County Councilman Clarence Gilbert, Randy Bright and MTC president Ron Rhames
A chance meeting of doctor & patient 11 years later
WINNSBORO – When Fairfield County’s Interim County Administrator Brad Caulder received a phone call Tuesday morning to be at a ceremony at the Fairfield Providence Emergency Room where MUSC hospital officials were to celebrate MUSC’s purchase of the ER, he got in his car and drove over.
Brad Caulder and Dr. David Zaas
Little did he expect for the event to reunite him with the doctor who had, 11 years ago, helped prepare Caulder for a double lung transplant – a lifesaving procedure – at Duke Medical Center in Raleigh.
Dr. David Zaas, who for 20 years was an integral part of the
lung transplant program at Duke, is now CEO for the MUSC Health Charleston
Division, Chief Clinical Officer for MUSC Health and an associate professor of
medicine at MUSC.
After bumping into each other unexpectedly during the
ceremony, both expressed surprise and happiness at seeing each other again
after the many years since Caulder’s transplant.
“It was a nice surprise,” Zaas said. “Especially after 11
years. I had the privilege of being his pulmonologist prior to the transplant
to help prepare him for the surgery,” Zaas said. “I was part of the team that oversaw his
health care over about four years.”
Zaas became part of the MUSC system just over a year ago, he
told The Voice.
“It brought back a lot of memories,” Caulder said. “It was really
nice to see him again.”
WINNSBORO – The County and Town governments are looking to fund e-commerce sites for the county’s businesses as a way to help them survive the restrictions ordered during the Time of Corona.
In a presentation Monday night during the County Council
meeting, County Administrator Jason Taylor said the two governments are
considering providing funding for the Chamber to pay for the creation of
e-commerce websites for the county’s small businesses.
“We’ve kicked around several ideas,” Taylor said. “One idea
is a way to bring our businesses into the 21st century as far as how they
market themselves to the public. The concept is to help them with their web
presence – not just a website that says, ‘We’re here, located on Main Street,’
but one that has a point-of-sale feature so someone can go on it and not only
see what products are available, but be able to also purchase those products,
then go to the store and pick them up,” he said.
Taylor credited Sarah ‘N Geo’s pizza restaurant in Ridgeway
for taking the initiative to incorporate an e-commerce website into their
business.
“This restaurant was struggling after COVID hit. They went
online with a point-of-sale website and were booming after that,” Taylor said.
“That’s a model that worked for them, so we said, let’s see if we can follow
that.”
Taylor said e-commerce sites are a way to help the small
businesses long term, not just temporarily.
“I think we can assist businesses with this better than giving them a one-time grant. A one-time grant is a Band-Aid. With this [e-commerce site], I think they could come out of the pandemic even stronger,”
Taylor said.
Stephens agreed, saying that the pandemic had completely
shut some merchants down from doing business due to the government restrictions
put in place.
“Our restaurants were struggling, and the merchants were out
of business. They had no way to pull in any kind of income because they didn’t
have any kind of economic commerce capabilities at that time,” Stephens said.
To that end, Stephens would like to see Fairfield have a
virtual component that encompasses not only the businesses but tourism and
other things.
“When someone visits a town, one of the first things they do
is google the places they want to see and eat at. Most of our businesses and
restaurants don’t have websites. They just have Facebook. But if they don’t
have a website, they don’t have a Google rating,” Stephens said.
“We are partnering with Retail Systems, Inc., out of
Columbia, to connect with each of these businesses to create an internet
presence,” Stephens said. “The company will deal with each business
individually to customize their site to fit their needs. They will also offer
guidance on logistics, video monitoring services and credit card processing
services.”
Stephens said he’s contacting 30 businesses and restaurants
initially to offer them the opportunity to have an e-commerce site.
“This is a proposal to be able to basically bring our
businesses up to code,” Stephens said. “Once our businesses start doing this,
then we can start working on creating a virtual Fairfield.”
“The county is paying for the sites to be built and the
first three months of maintenance,” Stephens said. “Thereafter, the merchant or
restaurant will pick up the $50 monthly tab.”
For more information about the e-commerce sites, contact
Stephens at 803-635-4242.
