Business Briefs - December 15, 2016
Blondie’s Celebrates First Anniversary on DI
Next week will mark one year since Blondie’s Bagels and Café first set up shop on Daniel Island. According to Anne Turner, who owns the popular eatery with her husband, Jon, there are several raffles and giveaways planned for the week of December 19-23 in celebration of the anniversary. Customers will have an opportunity to win Blondie’s gift cards, travel tumblers, and other promotional items.
According to Turner, their first year in business has been dedicated to getting day to day operations running smoothly.
“We could not have asked for more in our first year,” she said. “The community has been overwhelmingly supportive and has remained patient as we worked through the initial kinks that come with opening any new business. We feel lucky to have gotten to know, on such a personal level, many of our customers who visit us so frequently, many of them daily.”
The business has worked to improve consistency and speed, ensuring customers have a positive experience, added Turner. They introduced daily house-made soups in October and plan to build on their seasonal cream cheeses and coffee menu.
“The next year will be geared towards our catering business, having a presence at island events and getting creative with our lunch specials,” Turner said. “...We (also) plan to improve upon our outdoor seating area. With the amazing weather we get here in Charleston, we want our courtyard to be just as inviting as our interior space.”
Home Telecom launches GigUp Charleston
Home Telecom, an independent telecommunications company, recently announced the official launch of GigUp Charleston, a service that is designed to improve business and residential internet speeds on the Charleston Peninsula by 100 times current standards. The Moncks Corner-based company will phase in the introduction of the new fiber and gigabit service first in the tech corridor of Morrison Drive and East Bay Street in downtown Charleston and then extend the offering along Calhoun Street to the West Edge neighborhood within the first six months of 2017.
“We are excited Home Telecom has made the decision to expand their fiber network onto the Charleston Peninsula,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. “Gigabit internet speed will help grow our knowledge-based and technology businesses, support small businesses and improve the quality of life for all area residents.”
As early as 2004, Home Telecom began offering Fiber-to-the-Premises on Daniel Island and immediately began expanding their fiber network throughout Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley Counties. In 2013, they became the first to begin offering gigabit internet services in the Tri-county with its partnership with Nexton in Summerville. Today, Home Telecom is actively serving over 12,000 homes and 1,000 businesses with fiber currently passing an additional 11,000 addresses in the Tri-county area. Home Telecom began offering gigabit internet on Daniel Island at the end of 2015. To date, the company is providing the high speed service to 71 residents and four businesses on the island.
According to Home Telecom President and COO, William S. Helmly, his company is a member-owner of Spirit Communications, who will collaborate with Home Telecom in the implementation of GigUP Charleston.
“By combining our fiber network and our experience in fiber technology with Spirit Communications’ nearby fiber network, we will be successfully improving broadband connectivity for the Charleston Peninsula area,” said Helmly.
Residents and businesses on the Charleston Peninsula can share their interest in receiving new gigabit internet technology by completing an interest form available on GigUP Charleston’s new website at www.GigUPCharleston.com.
Blackbaud announces surge in online giving on #GivingTuesday
Generosity flowed on #GivingTuesday, a day set aside across the nation to promote online giving for charities. The amount of money raised for non-profits on November 30 as part of the annual observance increased 20 percent over 2015 totals, according to Daniel Island-based Blackbaud, the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good. Additionally, about 33 percent more charities received donations, as compared to last year.
Blackbaud’s systems processed a majority of the online donations made on #GivingTuesday, stated a press release issued by the company, and managed more than $47.7 million from over 6700 organizations that received at least one online donation.
In other news from Blackbaud, the company announced last week that its developer portal, SKY API for Raiser’s Edge NXT and Financial Edge NXT, is now generally available to customers and partners. With the SKY API launch, developers will have access to open, industry-standard REST APIs, allowing them to customize, integrate or extend the functionality of their current solutions. According to a press release, SKY API is changing the game for how organizations contribute to the ecosystem of good. For additional information, visit https://developer.sky.blackbaud.com.