You can believe Bryan Cole when he tells you he built his business, because that’s exactly what he did. In 1994, long before Mount Pleasant grew to become the fourth largest municipality in South Carolina, Cole surveyed a cinderblock building on Highway 17 and had the vision that it could become the site of a successful restaurant. Paying no attention to advice from friends … [Read more...]
“Let’s Be Exclusive” Dennis Walczuk Bonds with his Customers
Dennis Walczuk of Exclusively Bimmers fell in love with the BMW brand before it was cool. “Back in 1976, my brother and I started a BMW repair business in Los Angeles,” he said. “No one really knew what they were; they had not gotten popular yet. I worked with my brother’s business until about 1981, and during that time I developed a life passion for BMW.” Walczuk moved to … [Read more...]
Mikell Law Firm: Getting People To A Better Place
For Jason Mikell, being a lawyer is about giving his clients his full attention and helping them through a difficult time in their lives. Those values aren’t something Mikell learned in law school at the University of South Carolina. They are the product of “the way my parents raised me,” he said. He gives his clients 100 percent of his attention – whether it’s a minor … [Read more...]
A Bump in the Road: Experience Makes a Difference
Everyone encounters inconveniences as they travel down the highway of life, from unexpected visits to the dentist to major appliances that no longer work right to minor traffic accidents. The experienced staff at Mount Pleasant Collision can’t make your teeth stop hurting or convince your refrigerator to hang on for a few more years, but they can make sure your trip to the body … [Read more...]
Hudson’s Import Service: Mount Pleasant, SC
As spring engulfed the Lowcountry in 1978, Jimmy Carter was well into his second year as president of the United States, the Dallas Cowboys, led by Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett, were the reigning Super Bowl champions, a gallon of regular gasoline cost in the neighborhood of 63 cents and Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was still little more than a dot on the map along Highway … [Read more...]
East Cooper Entrepreneurial Women – Meals on Heels
Heard of Charleston Women in Business? In these days of “Desperate Housewives,” “The Real Housewives of (insert city)” and “The Bachelor,” it is hard to imagine a group of women getting together without some of them bursting into arguments, catfights and tears. However, we have just such a group here in Mount Pleasant. East Cooper Entrepreneurial Women is a cohesive, … [Read more...]
Canaroo – Online Reverse Shopping
Have you ever gone online to make a simple purchase and ended up spending hours trying to find exactly what you were looking for? How many times have you heard someone ask, “Does anybody know someone who has a good used car for sale?” At Canaroo.com, you can tell the world what you’re looking for and how much you’re willing to pay. Canaroo’s creators spent a lot of time trying … [Read more...]
Hay Tire Named Top Shop Finalist
For the second time in three years, Hay Tire Pros has been named a Top Shop Finalist by Tire Review magazine, an industry trade publication. In 1981 Henry Hay founded his company on three core values: integrity, truth and hard work. David Hay, Henry’s son and current company president, describes the company’s customer service philosophy by stating, “We believe that if you … [Read more...]
Year-End Tax Planning Save by Assessing Your Situation
It’s time to close one tax year and make plans for the next. While this is a busy season for everyone, there is still time to save by assessing your unique situation. So here is your first Christmas gift: nine year-end tax planning tips that can save money and put more presents under the tree. 1. Take Deductions Now Pay your tax-deductible expenses (real estate taxes, … [Read more...]
Mount Pleasant Business Association (MPBA): Helping Businesses Prosper
Is the Mount Pleasant Business Association a group of community leaders who get together once a month to socialize, eat lunch, listen to a speaker, network and discuss ways to grow their businesses? Or is it a philanthropic group that gives back to the community by donating money to local charities? Maybe MPBA’s focus is education; after all, the group awards up to $5,000 … [Read more...]