Striving for excellence

Entrepreneur Tom Militello declined a six-figure job offer in another state in 2002 because of the economic potential he saw in South Carolina’s newly created endowed chairs program. The state-funded university research program hasn’t caught every fish it’s gone after, however. Unlike Militello, Steven Laken left the state to pursue his fortunes in Massachusetts, taking research from the Medical University of South Carolina with him. >>

SCSU audit alleges misuse of public funds

Santee Cooper negotiating contract for biomass energy

EDITORIAL
Watch out for straw men and red herrings
Some of my faithful readers (OK, both of you, probably) will remember that I used to write a great deal about the ongoing crisis in the cost and availability of health care in this country. Well, it’s time to saddle up and take another crack at it. As the presidential election approaches and partisans in Congress wrestle over funding, Republicans and their media allies are hard at work trying to confuse the public about health care issues.

CAREER COACH
Manage your castle with love, service and authenticity
One of the routine challenges that winds up affecting virtually everyone’s career somewhere along the line, regardless of what they do, is the question of how to deal with “The Management.” I love that term. I can always tell when a client has had it with his boss, because in the stories he relates, that person ceases to be an individual with a name and a persona and becomes a generic enemy referred to simply as “The Management.”

SALES PITCH
Getting to the truth
When talking with someone, did you ever get the feeling that he or she was not being 100% honest and upfront with you? Many people tell me they have felt this way, whether they’re talking with a business owner, manager, parent, co-worker, coach or consultant, but I’m often told they really don’t know how to handle it.

MARKETING MATTERS
Marketing Matters: E-mail essential in today’s world
We launched a Web site recently for a company that had been in business for just shy of three decades — without a Web site on the horizon for even one of those successful years.