3/30: John Darby. The Beach Company

March 30, 2021

Our speaker this week was John Darby, CEO of the successful local development company The Beach Company. John gave us an overview of the history and various businesses and developments The Beach Company is involved and, and provided insights into the challenges and ultimate completion of the Jasper building downtown. In other news, volunteers are still needed for Rotary Ready vaccination program, and our March Madness pool comes down to the wire.

John Darby of the Beach Company joined us on Tuesday to talk about how the Beach Company has been an integral part of the development of the Charleston Region.

The Beach Company was founded in 1945 by J.C. Long. After purchasing 1,300 acres of land on the Isle of Palms in 1944 for about $100,000, former South Carolina state senator and attorney J.C. Long founded The Beach Company as a premier resort and single-family development company. The company introduced paved roads, new bridges, and new homes to the area but also provided necessary services to the island like trash collection, water and streetlights. Long’s vision and legacy includes transforming the Isle of Palms into a resort destination and pioneering the affordable housing sector. 

During the early post-war stages, he connected his passion for affordable housing to the soldiers returning home from war with the very first HFA deal in the state, which we know today as the Sergeant Jasper. Some of the most coveted neighborhoods in our area today were a result of his work, including Byrnes Downs, Wagener Terrace and Brookgreen Meadows. Byrnes Downs featured 347 single family houses on curving streets, with their own yards and driveways, which were novelties for city residents. 

The neighborhood was touted as, “one of the most complete developments in the county – with paved sidewalks and streets, storm drains, sewers, and city water.” Dozens of other development projects followed, and the company expanded through the state and eventually into other states in the Southeast. 

The company currently employs over 300 people and is in its fifth generation of family ownership. The businesses include Beach Residential, Beach Real Estate Funds and Gulf Stream Construction.  Gulf Stream is one of the largest construction companies in the state and has worked on important projects around the region, including the raising of the sea wall along the Battery. The Beach Company’s real estate interests include diverse holdings, including residential and resort properties, office buildings, shopping centers, industrial parks and marinas across the Southeast.

Beyond the innovations in development, the Beach Company has brought to Charleston, corporate giving is a cornerstone of giving back to the community and has included Dorchester PAWS, MUSC Kids, and The Emmanuel Nine Memorial among many other contributions. 

John concluded with an overview of the challenges in developing The Jasper and the process they went through to make it a reality. The Beach Company’s work with local authorities, preservation groups and neighborhood associations was instrumental in helping change some of the development standards in Charleston.

Submitted by Don Baus  Chairman, Keyway Committee

IN OTHER MEETING NEWS  

• • • • Amy Riley gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.  
      • Joseph Tecklenburg introduced our visiting Rotarians & guests.    
      • President Lisa presented Health and Happiness.
      • Tom Leonard introduced our guest speaker, John Darby of The Beach Company, who discussed “How The Beach Company makes our region even better”.   

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY

April 6, 2021  |  Issue 5002  President:  Lisa Van Bergen

COMING EVENTS 

• • • April 6 – John Warren, President/Kiawah, PGA Championship (ZOOM ONLY)
    • April 13 – Catherine Brack, The Gaillard / 11am Board Meeting
    • April 20 –  Sam Konduros, SCBio, “The Life Sciences Industry in SC” 
    • April 27 – NETWORKING
    • April 29 – Happy Hour Social @ Baker & Brewer, 5-6:30pm

    May 4 – Matt Martin “Community Banking” (ZOOM ONLY)

NEWS BRIEFS

 

IMPORTANT:  4/6 Meeting is ZOOM ONLY

Our meeting this Tuesday, April 6th is only being offered on ZOOM.  Do NOT go to 5 Faber as we will NOT be there.  The ZOOM link is below. 

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://turnerpadget.zoom.us/j/82109042157?pwd=dlFZMWlkekxBeS9KN0tJanV4dmpBdz09

Meeting ID: 821 0904 2157

Passcode: 151031

One tap mobile:

+14702509358,,82109042157#,,,,*151031# US (Atlanta)

8884754499,,82109042157#,,,,*151031# US Toll-free

 

COVID:  In-Person Reminder

As we go back to attending meetings in person, we wanted to again share the below from the District. Members are asked to keep this in mind. 

It has come to my attention that we need to set some ground rules for dealing with Rotarians who contract COVID-19 and how we deal with this in our clubs.  First, for the Rotarians themselves. We MUST maintain absolute confidentiality for ANYONE who tests positive for COVID-19 unless they give us permission to share their information.  That said, we MUST also ask, even require, that any Rotarian who has been to an in-person Rotary meeting or other function and later suspects they have COVID-19 report this to their Club President as soon as possible.  This could be due to being in close contact with a person who tests positive or that they show symptoms. And, they absolutely must let the Club President know immediately if they test positive.  Then, keeping confidentiality, the Club President MUST let all who attended that event know that there was someone at the event or meeting who came down with symptoms or tested positive.  This will, at least, give all those notified the option of being tested immediately.  And, it gives them a warning that maybe they should limit their contact with others until it is proven that they are not infected.

 

James Simons Educator and Student of the Month Recognized

Once again our club showed its support for education by recognizing the Rotary Student of the Month and Educator of the Month at James Simons Elementary for the month of March.  Kani Grant was the Student of the Month and was joined by her mother and grandmother.  Kani was recognized for being such a focused student who also helps the younger students.  The Educator of the Month was Jessica Wilson who was accompanied by her husband David.  Her classroom is a beautiful and peaceful environment which helps so much to calm students anxious about moving up in grades at the school.  Representing the school was Rev. Clifford Brown who is the parent advocate for James Simons.

 

Community Impact Award – EMS

Sergeant Brandon Darby was awarded the Community Impact Award this past Tuesday.  He is the Paramedic of the Year (2020) of the Charleston County Emergency Medical Services.  In his 5 years with EMS, Brandon has risen through the ranks, and serves as a Field Training Officer.  Earlier this month, he and his partner won the prestigious statewide paramedic competition at the annual SC EMS Symposium.

 

Charleston 50

The Historic Rotary Club of Charleston is blessed to recognize each quarter someone who has made a difference in our community with The Community Impact Award. Congratulations to Brandon!

Charleston 50

We made it!!  We are at 100% of our goal of 50 donors by our goal date of March 15!  Thank you to our inaugural class of the Charleston 50 for their generous support.  This special group of 48 Rotarians and 2 community donors committed to contribute $500 annually to the RCCF, which funds our club’s community and international projects and grants. The Charleston 50 was a wonderful alternative to a fundraiser during these COVID times and will serve the club well in the future.  Thank you to Phoenicia Miracle and Jeanne Jamme for all their efforts in making this such a success. We can continue to do our good works into the 2021-2022 year!

 

March Madness Fundraiser

MARCH MADNESS continues with the Final Four being held this weekend.  $400 has been raised for the RCCF and $400 will go to the top 3 winners.  Our current leaders through the Elite Eight are Alan Uram in first, David Burt in second and Karl Brady in 3rd. Alan is in the 99th percentile nationwide! What a fun way to support our club’s foundation!  Thank you to Joseph Tecklenburg and Digit Matheny for coordinating!

 

April Social at Baker and Brewer

All members and their guests are invited to join us for our monthly Happy Hour on Thursday, April 29th from 5pm-6:30pm.  In April, we will be visiting Baker and Brewer, 94 Stuart Street. This will be another wonderful opportunity to catch up with fellow Rotarians over a cold beverage. If you know that you are planning to attend, please RSVP to the Evite, so we can have a rough idea of how many people to expect.  An RSVP is not mandatory, so if you find at the last minute you can join us, please do!

 

PR Committee Seeking Volunteers

Our club’s PR Team is looking for additional members to join their committee. Specifically, volunteer photographers are needed to take photos at our meetings. If you are interested in serving on the PR committee and helping in this role, please email Mike Sottak at [email protected]. Fancy cameras are not required, an iPhone will do! It would be wonderful to have a couple of volunteers alternating the weekly duty. 

 

Support The CART Fund

It is easy for club members to make individual contributions and support The CART Fund electronically. The CART Fund has a new portal www.mycartfund.org, which you can easily access. As a Rotarian and a DACdb user, you automatically have an account already set-up in your name. Your user name and password are the same as it is for the DACdb.

 

Support the Rotary Foundation

The District 7770 Million $ Campaign and dinner will be held on May 5th 2021 at the Francis Marion Hotel. Our own Sandy Morkel is the Chair for that event.  $10,000 spread over 3 years or a Bequest gets you an invite.  

And do not forget your opportunity to be recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow.  Eighty-five dollars a month gets you there.  Please reach out to Karl Riner, Club Foundation Chair, to sign up or ask questions. You can also donate to Rotary’s efforts to end polio now: https://endpolio.org/donate.

 

Our Club is on Social Media

Members are encouraged to follow all of our social media channels and share posts with their followers too!  We also need members to send us pictures of anything they do that relates to Rotary – service projects, meetings, events, etc.  We would love to keep our accounts full of smiling Rotarians! Photos can be sent to Mike Sottak, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected].

 

MEMBER NEWS

It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of former long-time Rotarian, Curtis Worthington.  Curtis passed away at Bishop Gadsden at the age of 95 this past Saturday.  He served our club as a Board Member and was a Paul Harris Fellow.  He was predeceased by his wife and is survived by his son, daughter and grandchildren.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

Proposed New Member

The following membership candidate has submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:

Hugh Lane, III – sponsor:  Past President Conrad Zimmerman; classification: Banking

In the event you know Hugh, please tell a member of the Board how she/he will serve the ideas of Rotary.

 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Rotarian:  Edward Phipps “Eddie”

• • • JOINED: 12/8/20
    • SPONSOR: President-Elect Rob Dewey
    • MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: New Member
    • CLASSIFICATION:  Law/Criminal/Civil/Business
    • PROFESSION: Attorney at Law, Phipps Law Firm
    • SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF:  I am the President of the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce / Former Police Officer for the TOMP from 1993-to1999 / Been Practicing Law in Charleston for over 20 years         

    .

Birthdays

• 47 – Alex Dallis

 

By the numbers

• • Attendance on March 30, 2021 (In-Person and Zoom):  78
  • Not in attendance. Allen, Baus, Berry, Bini, Brack, Ceccato, Clark, Coghill, Cole, Cook, Crouch, Coxe, DeGraff, Diminich, Donaldson, Dopp, Drafts, Echols, Fason, Finniff, Galazia, Gill, Hanger, Holmes, Howard, Husser, Imam, Jones, Jones, Kaynard, Kaufman, Loredo, Lucy, Miracle, Moore, Moring, Morelli, Oswalt, Palmer, Patrick, Peters, Plotner, Ravenel, Reynolds, Rust, Seguer, Shahid, Smith, H., Strickland, Taylor, Vanek, Wackym, Walters, Ward, Weston, Williams
  • Out of Town Make-ups: None

WELLNESS TIP

Floss your teeth

Floss your teeth daily for good dental health and overall health. Not only does flossing daily protect your teeth and gums, but good dental health is also important for immunity and heart health..

 

ARE CLUB MEETINGS

Mondays

• Summerville – Oakbrook: 7:30 a.m., Monday, Westcott County Club, 5000 Wescott Club Drive, North Charleston
• North Charleston: 12:30 a.m., Monday, Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd, North Charleston.
• Summerville Evening: 5:30 p.m., Monday, Montreux Bar and Grill, 127 W. Richardson Ave., Summerville

Tuesdays

• East Cooper Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Cooper River Room at Waterfront Park, Mount Pleasant
• Charleston: 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber, Charleston
• Goose Creek: 12:45  m. Tuesday, Gilligan’s, 219 St. James Ave., Goose Creek

Wednesdays

• Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
• St. John’s Parish (John’s Island): 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, 2817 Maybank Highway, Unit 1, John’s Island
• Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Harbor Breeze Restaurant, 176 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant
• Summerville: 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sticky Fingers, Summerville

Thursdays

• North Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Embassy Suites, 5055 International Blvd., North Charleston
• Moncks Corner: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Gilligan’s Restaurant, Moncks Corner
• St. Andrews (West Ashley): 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Bessinger’s BBQ, 1602 Savannah Highway, Charleston.

Fridays

• Charleston Breakfast: 7:30AM Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber, Charleston

SOCIAL MEDIA 

Our Rotary club actively uses social media — and we encourage you to interact with us through social media.

• We’re on Facebook.  Take a look at our page and be sure to “like us”.
• We’re on Twitter.  You can follow us @chasrotaryclub.
• We’re on Instagram.  You can follow us @ChasRotaryClub.

ABOUT THE KEYWAY 

The Keyway has been published weekly as a newsletter for the Rotary Club of Charleston for more than 90 years.

• President: Lisa Van Bergen
• Keyway editor: Don Baus [email protected]
• Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, [email protected]
• Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029, Charleston, SC 29413-1029
• Copyright 2018, Rotary Club of Charleston. All rights reserved