Miller 'nose' a little about Charleston

Talk about making a lasting, if less than desirable, first impression.

In an exchange that would have local hospitality officials cringing if they had been tuning in, funnyman and radio-talk-show Dennis Miller took a call Friday afternoon from a woman identified only as "Amy from South Carolina." Amy was responding to a question about the contents of Brunswick stew.

She also happened to mention that she lived in Charleston and, in typical hospitable Southern fashion, urged Miller to come visit. Instead of going off on one of his famous rants, the former "Saturday Night Live" fake news anchor and onetime "Monday Night Football" commentator recalled how his olfactory senses were assaulted by a distinct aroma during a working visit to the Holy City years ago with actor Tim Allen.

Could it have been a Lowcountry shrimp boil? Not even close. Carriage horses? Nope. Pluff mud? If only it were that. "Do they still have a sulphur plant? Or a paper plant?" Miller inquired of the caller.

Yes, we do, came Amy's somewhat sheepish response.

Miller is known for making obscure references, but in this case the culprit was obvious to anyone who's lived and breathed in these parts: the former MeadWestvaco paper mill, which has been generating generations of complaints about its pungent output of emissions ever since it was first cranked up some 72 years ago. It's now owned by Illinois-based KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp., which paid $472 million for the hulking manufacturing operation on the Cooper River last summer.

Miller, whose morning talk show is aired, so to speak, on 1340-AM, didn't hold back before ending the conversation: "The paper plant smelled horribly," he said.

Symbolic gesture

One of the dwindling number of South Carolina's publicly traded companies got its new ticker symbol Friday as its common stock moves to the less-liquid over-the-counter exchange:

Greenville-based Kemet Corp., which had been KEM until Friday, said it now trades under KEME. To see quotes on Web sites such as Yahoo Finance, punch KEME.PK into the search function.

Kemet, an electronic-components maker, was notified Dec. 31 by the New York Stock Exchange that its common stock would be suspended from trading before the market Jan. 9. The reason: The Upstate company was unable to comply with a rule requiring that NYSE-listed companies maintain an average market capitalization of $25 million over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. Market cap is determined by multiplying the number of shares outstanding by the price. Shares of Kemet were trading at about 30 cents Friday, giving it a market cap of about $6.45 million.

Company officials said the move to the OTC market doesn't represent any change in its strategic plan. It also said it will continue to file periodic and other reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission under applicable federal laws.

Poultry in motion

The troubleshooting expert brought in to help American LaFrance emerge from bankruptcy has switched jobs, trading in fire engines for fowl. William Snyder, who had been chief restructuring officer at the Summerville-based emergency vehicle maker, has taken the same title at Pilgrim's Pride Corp. , a big chicken processing company that sought court protection from its creditors last month, partly because of volatile feed costs. Texas-based Pilgrim dwarfs American LaFrance , with its approximately 50,000 employees, 35 processing plants and 11 prepared-foods facilities.

In announcing Snyder's appointment, Pilgrim President Clint Rivers said Snyder "will play an integral role in working with our outside advisers and lenders on a business and restructuring plan that addresses the financial and operational challenges currently facing Pilgrim's Pride."

Sounds as if a successful turnaround would be a feather in Snyder's cap.

Flex time

Businesses with flexible strategies to increase workplace effectiveness can qualify for the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility as part of the nationwide When Work Works program through the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Businesses can apply through March 9. Employers complete one part of the application through an online survey about flexibility programs, policies and culture. A sample of employees completes the second part of the application about access to flexibility programs and the culture.

To participate, businesses must have been in operation at least one year and must have 10 employees who work from or report to a Charleston work site. This does not include contract workers or consultants. Public, private, for-profit and nonprofit businesses are eligible. Go to www.whenworkworks.org.

Penny wise

Want to find out how the 1-cent sales tax Berkeley County voters approved in November to pay for road improvements will work and how soon you will see results? The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a breakfast at 8 a.m. Jan. 30 at the Redbank Club at 2316 Redbank Road in Goose Creek. Cost is $10 for chamber members and $15 for others. Call 761-8238 or 577-9549 or go to www.berkeleysc.org to register.

Follow the leader

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations and applications for the Leadership Class of 2009. The once-a-month program from February through November gives current and future business leaders insight into how the county operates while developing leadership skills.