Blackbaud makes Forbes list a 3rd time
The Daniel Island-based company, which develops financial-systems software for the nonprofit industry, made Forbes magazine's list of 200 Best Small Companies in America.
Publicly traded Blackbaud was ranked 73rd based on return-on-equity, sales growth and profit over the past year and the past five years, along with a comparison to its peers in terms of stock performance. This year marked Blackbaud's third time on the Forbes list.
Blackbaud placed 137th in Software magazine's Software 500, a revenue-based ranking of the world's largest software and services suppliers. The company has held a position on that list for more than a decade. John P. Desmond, editor of Software magazine and Softwaremag.com, said the annual compilation is "a quick reference of vendor viability."
Blackbaud's third-quarter financial results are to be released after the stock markets close today.
Clocking in
College of Charleston President George Benson is doing his part to straddle the ivory tower and the factory floor.
Benson, an economist by training, is one of 25 education leaders from across the country named to the Manufacturing Institute's newly formed Education Council, which was created to focus on expanding and enhancing the U.S. manufacturing workforce.
The council's charter members, who held their inaugural meeting last week, are working on issues as wide-ranging as identifying solutions to address the adult literacy crisis, designing regional manufacturing talent-development systems, creating 21st-century career and technical education programs and advancing innovation in the widget-making economy.
The long-term goal is to help developing national strategies to keep the U.S. manufacturing globally competitive and to create more high-paying jobs for American residents. The Manufacturing Institute is the research and education arm of the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Manufacturers.
On board
David G. Jennings, chairman of the Charleston County Aviation Authority for the past few years, has a lofty new title.
The local attorney was recently elected chairman of the Airports Council International-North America's committee of commissioners. Jennings has been involved with the Washington, D.C.-based council for more than 25 years and has spent four years on this particular committee, which is comprised of the boards, commissions and trustees of ACI-NA member airports.
An advocacy organization recognized as "The Voice of Airports," the ACI-NA is made up of 174 airport operators with 366 airports in the United States and 49 airport operators with 180 airports in Canada.
Members of the organization handle nearly all passenger and cargo traffic in North America.
Jennings has been on the local airport authority since 2002. He was elected chairman in 2004, a title he also held while serving on the panel in the 1990s.
A little R&R
'Tis the season for retooling your health care plan.
While it may be draining for a worker to dig through an insurance provider's plans, the work behind the scenes can be just as tricky.
Anticipating the extra workload, Benefitfocus, a Daniel Island-based healthcare benefits software provider, has begun offering wellness and rejuvenation sessions to its employees. The program, called Open Enrollment Relaxation and Rejuvenation, will be offered until the end of the year.
Stressed out Benefitfocus workers can snack on complimentary breakfasts, sweat tension out with Tae Bo or yoga sessions and surrender to 15-minute chair massages. They may even be able to watch their favorite stand-up comedy routines during the noon hour.
"It doesn't cost a lot to let people know you care about them with simple things such as showing comedy DVDs during lunch," said Shawn Jenkins, president and chief executive officer.
Still interested?
The State Ports Authority has put 495 acres of land it owns on Daniel Island up for sale again. And last week it sent letters out to 18 buyers who were interested in the property the last time it was on the market. The SPA owns about 1,300 acres on Daniel Island, where it once planned to build a mega-terminal. It plans to keep most of the property as a dredge disposal site and sell the rest.
Daniel Island property owners offered to buy the 495-acre tract for $25 million and turn it into recreational space, but port officials said that the offer fell far below the appraised market value, a number that has not been disclosed.
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