Business Briefs - July 20, 2017
Student Transportation Inc. celebrates two decades of service
Student Transportation Inc., an industry leader in safety and North America’s largest independent provider of student transportation services, is celebrating its 20th year since its founding by Chairman and CEO Denis Gallagher.
Gallagher, a Daniel Island resident since 2007, was accompanied by several members of the Company’s Executive Leadership Team in May to participate in a NASDAQ Closing Bell Ceremony at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City’s Times Square.
“What began at my kitchen table 20 years ago with a supportive wife, four young kids, and a wing and a prayer has grown into a family of companies with over 175 locations throughout North America, some 15,000 employees who I encourage each day to respect and treat each other like family, and to treat our passengers with compassion and respect,” stated Gallagher. “Our family-like culture is a huge part of our success.”
STI’s presence on Daniel Island began in 2009 with a moderate office of two employees handling supportive functions and internal organizational development. Since that time, the team has moved to and outgrown three separate office spaces and is now comprised of more than 30 employees, functioning as the Company’s southeast headquarters supporting the communications, marketing and technology departments of Student Transportation Inc. (STI).
While the company does not provide home-to-school service directly for any South Carolina Public Schools, since that service is operated by the State using its own fleet, STI has established its first South Carolina bus facility in North Charleston for SchoolWheels Direct, a member of the STI family of companies, which provides transportation directly to parents with students at Charleston-area private, charter and magnet schools. STI and School Wheels are very active in the Daniel Island community providing shuttle transportation service for many of the island’s events including the Susan G. Komen Race, the Southern Ground Music & Food Festival, the Volvo Car Open Tennis Tournament, and numerous concerts held at the stadium throughout the year.
STI has an extensive non-profit organization, the STI Cares Foundation, which has provided many scholarships to Charleston-area high school students and is the host sponsor for the JDRF Walk for the Cure to help fund research for juvenile diabetes. Additionally, 2017 marks STI’s sixth year of partnership with Denis, Denny & Mark’s Pro-Am Jam, a celebrity charity music and golf event held in October on Daniel Island and led by Gallagher and friends, NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, and Hootie & the Blowfish songwriter and musician, Mark Bryan. Since its inception, the Pro-Am Jam has raised close to one million dollars for the community and local charities it serves.
“Over these 20 years, STI has grown tremendously and we’ve added a lot of great people to our family whom I love working for,” Gallagher said. “We’ve demonstrated leadership and corporate responsibility which is needed today. The safety of our passengers is crucial to our success. We continue to invest in our people, new equipment, new technology, and our communities. I started this company with the idea to build a business to last with people who care and love what they do. We are industry leaders by design and I am pleased with where we are today and where we are going, to remain ahead of the curve.”
Charleston Metro Homes Real Estate expands
Charleston Metro Homes Real Estate is growing and has added many new agents to their office.
According to a press release, the company has put together “a team of Charleston’s most established agents, best contractors, finest interior designers and most trustworthy lenders.” Charleston Metro Homes offers residential, land, commercial, rentals, and property management services. The company is owned by Daniel Island residents Steve and Debbie Smith.
New agents joining the Charleston Metro Homes Team this year include Trey Allen, Jo Mahoney, Laura Hunt, and Larry LaRoche.
Trey Allen has spent the last six years as a USFF Soccer Referee in the tri-county area, raising his family and enjoying the great outdoors. A graduate of Lees-McRae College, he comes to the company representing sellers and buyers in the Charleston area and beyond for the last 12 years; covering 14 counties as a residential and land realtor. He also has an extensive background representing buyers and sellers of farms, which include agricultural, timber and recreational land. Additionally, he is on the board of directors for Realtors Land Institute for North and South Carolina and is a South Carolina Master Naturalist. Trey has also achieved the CIPS Certified International Property Specialist Designation and the SRES Senior Real Estate Specialist Designation.
A native of Windham, New Hampshire, Jo Mahoney spent the majority of her life braving the cold New England winters. A graduate of the University of Tampa, she previously worked in pharmaceutical sales in Florida, excelling in her territory and ranking third in the company in her first year. She returned to NH and took time off to raise her son, Finn, before deciding to settle down on the coast of South Carolina and start a career in real estate. A Daniel Island resident, Jo loves “everything greater Charleston offers, especially the parks, beaches, and restaurants,” stated the release.
Laura Hunt brings 10 years of real estate experience with her to her position as sales associate with Charleston Metro Homes. She began her real estate career in Fairhope, Alabama with Coldwell Banker Reehl Properties in 1996. After moving her family to Mount Pleasant, she began working as a realtor for Keller Williams. Laura took a break from sales for a few years to pursue another passion of hers - earning a baking and pastry degree from the Culinary Institute of Charleston, where she taught in the Pastry Department for several years upon graduation. She has since returned to real estate as an agent with Charleston Metro Homes.
After visiting Charleston with his family, Larry LaRoche “fell in love with the Lowcountry lifestyle,” stated the press release, and made a decision to relocate to Charleston from another historic city, Alexandria, VA. Larry had been a successful real estate consultant and entrepreneur in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC real estate market for over 16 years. He has a proven sales track record, selling 98 percent of the homes he has listed. He and his wife, Becky have been married for over 40 years and have two grown sons.
Visit http://www.charlestonmetrohomes.com or call (843) 278-1600 to connect with any of the Charleston Metro Homes Real Estate sales agents. Their office is located at 652 Coleman Blvd. Suite 102 in Mount Pleasant.