Charleston chamber is on the go — again

Folks at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce are packing their computers, office supplies and econometric models into boxes this week as they prepare to move into temporary new office space.

The group will shut down its operation starting Friday as it prepares to reopen April 1 at 4500 Leeds Ave. in North Charleston, a few miles from its temporary location in the former

Baker Hospital on Speissegger Drive. There, they'll share space in an office complex with other major companies such as Cummins Turbo Technologies, Behr and Limestone College.

The chamber, which employs about 30 people, will take up space on the first and second floors.

The location is temporary until the economy stabilizes.

The group sold its longtime Charleston office at 81 Mary St. in 2004 in search of a more central location. It then formed a committee of business leaders to make recommendations. The search even triggered a tiff between the mayors of Charleston and North Charleston, which submitted competing proposals for the group's headquarters.

Regardless, the prospect of raising the necessary funds for the new site during a recession was daunting enough that the plan was shelved. The chamber then signed a lease for the Leeds Avenue space.

Moving on

And as if preparing for a major move isn't stressful enough, the Charleston Metro Chamber also is staging one of its biggest events of the year this week: Its 2010-2011 Economic Outlook Conference is set for 11:30 a.m-2 p.m. Wednesday at the Charleston Area Convention Center.

The luncheon — $95 for members, $150 for others — will feature an expanded look at the trends that will shape the local and national economies. The forecast is developed jointly by the College of Charleston and Center for Business Research. Presenters are Dr. Frank Hefner, an economist at the college, and Mary Graham, the chamber's senior vice president for public policy and regional advancement.

Highlights this year include an 18- to 24-month look ahead at what's in store for the region's key economic sectors, such as the housing industry, tourism, airport and

Port of Charleston. The national overview and outlook will be delivered by Matthew Martin, senior vice president and Charlotte regional executive for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Also on the list of speakers is the usually provocative P. George Benson. The College of Charleston president's topic this year: the challenges facing South Carolina as they relate to the state's ability to compete in the global economy.

Up to speed

Comcast is lacing up track shoes for a new broadband service. The cable giant recently launched its 'Wideband' high-speed internet service for residential and business customers in the Charleston area. The new offering includes download speeds of up to 50 megabytes per second.

'With this next generation of service, our customers' online experience has been dramatically enhanced,' said Bill Watson, vice president and general manager of Comcast's Charleston market. 'Best of all, this service enables Comcast to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed internet customers.'

Wideband uses Comcast's fiber optic network that is already in the ground. It includes two premium speed tiers: up to 50 megabytes per second for about $100 per month and up to 22 megabytes per second for about $63 per month for residential customers.

The higher tier means a customer can download a high-definition movie in about 16 minutes, a standard movie in five minutes and a standard television show in seconds, according to Comcast officials.

Social engagement

Berkeley Electric Cooperative is looking to polish its social skills, as in social media.

A recent query explains why. A Berkeley Electric customer groused in a message to The Post and Courier recently about not being able to find information about outages in real time on the utility's Web site. The person also expressed frustration over the inability to reach a warm body at the co-op recently after an equipment failure on a recent Saturday evening put about 1,300 customers in the dark near Jedburg.

The Moncks Corner-based utility said it doesn't post updates on electric outages to its Web page because, as spokesman Eddie McKnight noted, many affected customers typically don't have power to sign onto a computer (through owners of WiFi-enabled, battery-charged laptops might beg to differ).

However, because many people still can access the Web via mobile devices, such as BlackBerry or iPhone, the utility is considering social media to help get the word out to customers.

McKnight said customers can call 888-253-4232 toll-free to report an outage. They won't get a live person but will hear a recording asking for telephone and address information so the co-op can pinpoint the trouble. He explained that there's no way that utility employees can field several thousand phone calls when there's a major outage, such as the one during the February snowstorm.

The Post and Courier tried to contact the person who broached the issue in the first place, but he could not be reached by either phone or e-mail.