Often times when people think of mental health facilities, their minds automatically jump to psychiatric hospitals. Gateway House, the premier mental health resource for the Greenville community, is unique. This local non-profit follows the proven Clubhouse Model of rehabilitation; the basis of this model being that people living with mental illness can lead productive, happy lives. Since 1984, Gateway House has been providing adults with mental illness opportunities to work, continue their education, live independently, and restore the dignity in their lives that may have been lost due to their illness. Gateway House continues to help those living with mental illness to lead productive lives in the community, and out of the hospital. To better understand what they do let’s meet Gateway House Founding Executive Director, Phil Emory, as he explains more about the program.

360: What has been your involvement with Gateway House?

Phil: I’ve been involved with Gateway House from the very beginning. I was hired in April of 1984 by the Board of Directors to start Gateway House, so I’ve been involved for almost 33 years, from starting the program to maintaining the program here on Rutherford Street.

360: What makes Gateway House stand out as a mental health resource in our Greenville community?

Phil: Gateway House is the only accredited Clubhouse program in South Carolina, and we take a different approach; we don’t focus on treating mental illness, but instead we help people with serious mental illness to be able to live as independently and productively in the community as possible. We provide housing, employment, and education opportunities. Helping to improve the quality of life for people living with mental illness is our primary mission. Gateway House is a training base for the Clubhouse Model as well, which means people from all over the world travel to Greenville to learn how to have a program like ours in their own community. We’ve trained over 2000 colleagues from 40 different states and 17 different countries on how to run a Clubhouse.

360: Do you have a favorite memory of Gateway House?

Phil: Gateway House started in one room of the Earle Street Baptist Church in 1984, so probably one of my favorite memories is when we moved from that one room in the church where we started to our current Clubhouse on Rutherford Street. That was a big day for us. We had a grand opening and it was a lot of fun.

360: What’s the next big thing for Gateway House?

Phil: We’re beginning a capital campaign to raise funds to build a larger Clubhouse facility across the street from our existing Clubhouse. Presently we have a 10,000 sq. foot Clubhouse, and we’ll be building a 20,000 sq. foot Clubhouse. That will enable us to double the number of people that we’re able to serve every day.

360: Thanks, Phil! We appreciate everything you and Gateway House have done for individuals in Greenville.

To find out more about Gateway House and how you can get involved by sharing your time, talents, or resources, click here. You can also follow Gateway on Twitter @gateway_inc and Instagram @gatewaysc.

The job of a mom is tough, but someone has to do it. The job of a business owner is tough, but someone has to do it. So to better understand what locally based Greenville business Your Milk Shoppe is all about, we wanted to chat with the first mom behind it at all. Let’s meet Your Milk Shoppe owner & mom, Amber Michaels.

360: How did you start Your Milk Shoppe? Tell us your story…

Amber: Great question! As a new mom, I was tired and terrified. During that first month with my daughter, I remember asking myself, “How do women do this, and how do they not completely fall apart at the seams?”. I put so much pressure on myself to be the mom that I and those closest to me always thought I would be. The pressure was overwhelming, and it prevented me from authentically coming into my own as the mom that would actually work best for myself and my daughter. I was very quick to assure everyone around me that I was fine, when I actually wasn’t. We were living in Atlanta at the time with a limited support system, and my husband did the best that he could, but he went back to work after one week of staying home with us, and worked long hours and sometimes weekends. I wanted better for my parenting experience, I wanted to enjoy it, and I wanted to gain my confidence back, but I just wasn’t sure of how to go about doing it. I began journaling about my struggles, and it was extremely therapeutic. I began taking long walks outside, pushing my daughter in her stroller, and I could not believe how helpful the fresh air was. I also began to ask for help when I needed it, and did not feel bad allowing people close to me to hold my daughter while I took an extra-long shower, or even snuck in a cat nap every now and again.

How Amber started continued…

Amber: In that first year, I realized that it was all about self-care, and leaning on others when you need to. But what about those other moms? What about the moms that couldn’t figure it out? The moms with no one in sight to ask for help, who had little resources- what in the heck did they do, and how in the world did they survive? I wanted to provide the support that they needed in order to keep their heads above water. I wanted to be the milk that kept the moms alive throughout their parenting journey. I wanted to make sure that any mom out there knew that there was this amazing resource out there for them, and that all they had to do was call. Not long after deciding that I truly wanted to help my fellow mamas, Your Milk Shoppe was named and my life’s mission began.

Photo by Ashley Brown Strategy

360: Walk us through your services… how does a mom decide?! Any advice?

Amber: Our services are very much based on each individual client’s needs. We offer baby planning which helps busy moms plan for what the baby needs during that first year of life. It can be anything from researching and stocking the nursery to deciding which baby gear makes the most sense for the baby and parents in their household. Going green in a nursery has become super popular, and Your Milk Shoppe knows how to make that happen, and what products will accommodate it. We also offer a lot of concierge services such as errand running, and food prep and delivery.

Services continued…

Amber: One of our biggest services in the Greenville area is nanny placement. We work with numerous families in helping them find their forever nanny, Our process is extremely thorough so that when the family meets with the final 3-5 candidates, they know that they have a clean background check, excellent relevant references, and are CPR/First Aid certified. We will be launching a Preparing for Baby and Preparing the Nursery series of classes in the new year, and are excited to add-on that extra layer of value to our mamas!

360: It seems like you’ve collaborated with a lot of local businesses. Which stand out to you the most?

Amber: I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many women who own and operate their own small businesses. Any woman that takes the leap to pursue their own business all while raising their children, is an absolute goddess to me! It is such hard work, but it is also so fulfilling because you are living your truth. Many of us start a business because we refuse to throw ourselves back into corporate America; we want the flexibility, and the option to be with our children when they need us. The flip side of that is our hours can be all over the place, and many of us are working during naps, and after our families are tucked in bed for the night. It is exhausting, and you must be mission driven. It has been an absolute gift to meet these like-minded women, to witness their passion and drive, and their warmth and loyalty to both their business and their families.

Photo by Ashley Brown Strategy

360: What’s next for Your Milk Shoppe? Anything you can share with us?

Amber: So much is going on behind the scenes for Your Milk Shoppe! We are beyond excited for 2017. What I can tell you is that we are expanding our brand and will be in cities all over the country. You will have to follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@yourmilkshoppe) in order to stay in the know, as we will be announcing everything through social media.

360: What’s your favorite place to go and eat in Greenville? Go!

Amber: I absolutely LOVE American Grocery. I lived in New York City during most of my 20’s and the restaurant reminds me so much of the local eateries there, particularly in the West Village. Every time I eat there, the food and service is amazing and I am reminded of a city that I hold very near and dear to my heart. If you haven’t been, GO! : )

360: Thanks, Amber! We appreciate your time, explaining more what Your Milk Shoppe is all about and learning a little bit about you.

To find out more info about Your Milk Shoppe you can check out their website and blog by clicking here. You can also follow them on Facebook & Instagram:  @yourmilkshoppe.

The origin story of Escape Artist Greenville is as simple as boy meets girl. Owners Kim and Will Rutherford married on September 29, 2012 and after experiencing the escape room concept a few years ago they knew had a special attraction they could establish together in Greenville. Lets go meet the Escape Artists that are here to stay.

360: How did the Escape Artist idea come to life? 

Will: I’ve been a fan of amusement parks and attractions my whole life. I’ve even worked for Universal Studios in Orlando, FL and Europa Park in Rust Germany. It had always been a dream of mine to open my own attraction at some level. When we first stumbled upon this escape room concept a couple years ago we loved it! It fit our interests and skill set perfectly and Kim convinced me to take a chance with her and open this business.

Kim: Will and I had always loved creating immersive experiences. For years we designed and built a haunted house in our garage, mud room, backyard and screened-in porch. We worked on this haunted house for months and spent way too much money for one night of having it open. A few years ago we went to a haunted house convention in Columbus, OH and attended a seminar about escape rooms. I honestly didn’t think anything of it but on the ride home Will nervously broached the subject. He asked me what I thought and without hesitation I responded that we had to do it. So then over the next year we planned and designed and went through several terrible ideas before landing at 217 East Stone Avenue with Dr. Fratelli’s Cabin. The designing and building came fairly naturally to us… I won’t say easily, but it seemed to just fit our personalities and creativity.

360: Being a married couple running a business how is it working together?

Will: Being married makes this possible. There’s no way just one of us could spend this many hours on Escape Artist if the other wasn’t there as well. With that said, we definitely had to learn to schedule times to put Escape Artist away, and just spend time doing anything else with each other.

Kim: It’s really not that much different from any other project we’ve tackled since being married. Pretty quickly after our wedding we bought a fixer-upper and spent months renovating our home all DIY. Then we started designing our haunted houses. In between haunted houses we built entire sets to transform our living and dining room into a wild west saloon for a murder mystery party. It’s not always easy and we are both just figuring things out as we go, especially with some of the little details that go along with owning and running a business, but in the end we always say that if it at any point seems like too much for us then we will give it up. We love what we’re doing but it would never be worth sacrificing our marriage for. But fortunately we work well together and complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses so we have no plans on giving it up any time soon.

360: What’s your favorite part of the Escape Artist experience for you?

Will: The amazing responses from customer! Seeing their joy and pride that comes from working together to accomplish a goal. Hearing their laughter down the hall as they leave our experience. And then improving as game designers to ensure the next room is even better than the last.

Kim: I love the designing period. This is when Will and I get the most excited. I sometimes get a little too obsessive and want to talk about it all the time. But it’s so much fun. Typically we come up with our theme and run with it. We always come back to “What would exist in this world?” and design our puzzles around that. Our brainstorming meetings are a blast. I love the creativity that goes into designing these rooms. And when we’ve finally figured out puzzle and how it should be done it is so exciting. It’s an adrenaline rush.

360: Where do most of your influences come from? 

Will: Anywhere and everywhere. When I come across a book or a movie with a really fun moment, I try to see if I can accomplish something similar in our attraction. When we’ve picked a theme such as a psychologist’s cabin or doomsday prepper’s shelter, we go to as many places as we can that we might be able to get more inspiration for the things that would live in that space. Oh, and of course we love to experience other escape rooms and immersive attractions to help plant more idea seeds.

Kim: Everyday life. We look for inspiration everywhere. We even look back at the games and puzzles we loved as children. It’s always fun when you start with a general idea or inspiration and get to watch it grow into something unique and incredible.

360: What’s next for the Escape Artist?

Will: We want to continue to build our fan base. There are still lots of people in Greenville that have yet to experience Escape Artist. We are currently designing new rooms. And I think they’re getting better every time.

Kim: Ha! Growing and improving I hope! We would eventually like to have 3-4 escape rooms up and going but since we are a small, local company we are taking things slowly. Honestly we don’t want to rush into a situation that may result in a bad, rushed product or something that is more than we can handle. We’ve just recently hired 4 AMAZING people who are making it possible for Will and I to design as they handle most of the day-to-day tasks. We really got lucky with them and trust them to make sure that every experience is a blast.

360: If you could eat and do one thing in Greenville what & where would that be? Go!

Will: Anywhere I can ride my bike to. We love cycling in Greenville. The fact that I can walk out my front door and ride to mountains, then the Swamp rabbit trail, then to tons of great restaurants and breweries is one of my favorite things to do.

Kim: I would eat Crepes at Tandem in Travelers Rest (haha not Greenville I guess) after riding our bikes on our 25 mile loop. A beautiful ride with delicious crepes isn’t a bad way to spend a day. The part of the ride coming back home after stuffing ourselves with crepes is a little tough but totally worth it.

360: Thanks Kim and Will. Hopefully next time 360 experiences Escape Artist we’ll be able to escape within the hour…

You can reserve your Escape Artist experience by clicking here. And follow them daily via Instagram and Facebook.

In this week’s Q&A feature we got the chance to interview Downtown Greer’s expert in the cooking class world. We got to the chance to discuss everything from how they started, their new 2nd location and more. We present you our Plate 108 Interview with President/CEO Wendy Watkins. Go ahead, meet Wendy.

360: How did the idea of Plate 108 become a reality? Tell us a little bit about the history.

Wendy: Being a dietitian for 30 years and owning my own business for 17 years I began to see my patients wanting more from their nutrition counseling sessions. They wanted to learn how to cook healthy & tasty meals. From that, Plate 108 was originally created for that reason. As word got out of what we were offering, we had a great interest from the general public wanting to learn more. We restructured our business and we have become what we are today. We recently had the addition of our 2nd location, so now we can host bigger groups.

360: What makes Plate 108 different than most cooking class experiences?

Wendy: I think there are a lot of different things that set us apart from other cooking venues. One main thing is that I’m a Registered Dietitian that can be in a cooking class or a private party to answer any nutritional questions our patrons may have. It’s not something that is part of every cooking class or even requested much, but it is available. Also, we are not a retail store. We wanted to keep it strictly cooking, so patrons can come in learn from their experience and not feel they are being overwhelmed by the pressure of retail.

What makes Plate 108 different continued. 

Wendy: Lastly, our classes are designed to be very hands on, so our patrons get that one-on-one experience with our chefs. We do keep most of our classes small to accommodate this, which does cause our classes to fill very quickly. We do lots of variety of classes, so there’s always a class to sign up for. We want our guests to feel like they’re cooking in a family member’s kitchen and cooking a feast together.

360: What do you love most about your job & what Plate 108 brings to the table? 

Wendy: Food brings people together and when I see our patrons in a class and they are laughing and talking, cooking and experiencing it truly makes me happy to see the joy in their faces. Especially our kids cooking classes. I see it building confidence in the children and to see that sense of accomplishment at the end of the cooking class or camp, I know we’re right where it needs to be.

360: What’s on the horizon for Plate 108?

Wendy: Just continuing to be a success! To continue putting out great cooking classes and camps. With the New Year quickly approaching my team and I are looking forward to introducing some new things to the general public and with the opening of our 2nd location in Greer it’s not ruled out you may see another location in Greenville in the near future.

360: There’s so many great things about Downtown Greer. What do you love about it? 

Wendy: Greer is a small thriving city that has grown a lot over the years. It was a good choice for our base of operations and have been very welcomed by the community. It’s been really exciting to be a part of that expanding community!

Thanks, Wendy! Keep up the delicious work and we’ll see you at a cooking class soon.

For more info on Plate 108 you can visit their website here. You can also follow them daily on Instagram & Facebook. Bon appetite!

Attention men with beards, men without and prospective women gift shoppers, but there’s a new entrepreneur in town. Please welcome Greenville native David Pendergrass of The Blessed Beard. David brings a fresh perspective in maintaining the perfect beard with own locally made oils. We recently had the pleasure of meeting David to chat about how he started, his amibtions and more. Without further ado we present you The Blessed Beard Interview…

360: Why beard oil? What was the inspiration?  

David: I got my inspiration from many many months of working with essential oils. I had been using them to attack a dandruff issue I was having, and thought – what if I could make my beard itch go away?? It was a slow build, but it became what it is today! I researched other companies, recipes, oil pairings, etc… but I’ve always wanted a business of my own. Something I could build up from the ground. I enjoy sales and  I enjoy helping others see my passion. Beard oil is just the beginning, as the saying goes.

360: Without giving away any trade secrets… what goes into your oils?

David: Well in my process to design the best beard care in the Upstate, I scouted the competition. Many other, most others honestly, beard care companies rely on blends of one or two essential oil pairings. Occasionally you will see pairings of three or four, but that is uncommon or part of a more expensive collection. When making my blends I sought a different approach, a symphonic approach. My blends don’t just strongly remind you of one or two scents. When you pick up Sweet Cheeks you don’t just smell citrus and peppermint. It’s a full body aromatic experience. You find high notes, you find low notes – and on occasion you find a hidden middle note.

Beard making process continued…

David: As it burns off throughout the day, you are greeted with different aromas! That’s how I make the blends, but the ingredients are all natural. Organic carrier oils, natural, geographically sourced essential oils, pure butters, and locally sourced beeswax. I want to have both the best scents and the best feel. Additionally I’m always improving and listening to feedback. The aromatics shouldn’t change, but the carriers may be subject to alteration as business grows and customers correspond with me. I’m still a small operation, but have big things in the works. I’ve partnered with Six & Twenty distillery too! They were very interested in me using their 5-Grain bourbon in a signature line, and I was happy to have a chance to play with it! The 5-Grain for the Man’s Mane smells phenomenal! It’s bourbon and cedar, citrus and sandalwood. Sweet, but very much a liquor scent. I love it! I’m also borrowing essential ingredients from other South Carolina industries to build what will become a strong signature collection. So, keep an eye out there!

360: Talk about the different oils you offer. What’s your favorite oil?

David: My collection includes Bearded Gentleman, Sweet Cheeks, Evening, 5-Grain for the Man’s Mane, Beard Brew, and Bare Bones (the unscented one). Those aromas come as conditioning oils, and as beard balms. My favorite fluxuates between Bearded Gentleman and Beard Brew, but 5-Grain for the Man’s Mane is amazing too! I use Evening every night before bed to nourish my face, and keep it from drying all night – plus the eucalyptus in it opens up the sinuses, to allow the lavender to soothe you!

360: What’s next for The Blessed Beard? 

David: We are going to be in Garner’s Natural Life here very soon! Which is incredibly exciting! Other retail options have been scouted as well, to allow more and more men see the necessity in such a product!    But as for product, I literally have a list of potential options 20+ items long! Solid cologne, lip balm, pomade, full body wash, and many others are in my sights! However, I’m being cautious about releasing a lot of new options at once. You can’t over inundate the customer base with too much. I want to garner a following based on my premium beard care and move forward when things are going swimmingly!

360: Sorry for the stereotypical question, but where do you see The Blessed Beard in 5 years?

David: I see The Blessed Beard in a major retail chain. I see it on shelves, in social media, competing with the big names! I predict it will be a serious opportunity for my small family to find support, and that it will be a way for me to provide a future for my kids! I see it being a blessing to my family, and an opportunity to bless others through my earnings. I’d like to partner with a non-profit down the road to give back to Greenville!

360: What do you love about Greenville?

David: The atmosphere. This is the perfect place to start a small business. We are surrounded by caring individuals who want to see you succeed. I’ve encountered so many on my journey so far! We are close to multiple markets, and have an ability to reach such a plethora of demographics for my company! Downtown is quaint. Simpsonville is great. It’s just been the perfect place to start and raise my family!

360: That’s awesome, David. Thank you for a few minutes and best luck on your bearded oiled venture. We’ll talk to you again soon.

If you would like to try or buy David’s beard oils or just meet him, he will be at Garner’s South Pleasantburg location this Friday, September 8 from 4-6pm and Saturday, September 9 at the Woodruff Road location from 4-6pm.

For more info on The Blessed Beard and where to find these oils, you can visit www.blessedbeard.com and follow him daily @theblessedbeard via Instagram.

As you might have already heard, Cantina 76 is one of Downtown Greenville’s newest food spots. Coming from a delicious track record in Columbia, SC, it seemed like the logical next step that they would expand to Greenville and create another home. Behind-the-scenes they are lead by four friends, so we thought what would make for a better feature than to interview the Fantastic Four themselves. Please welcome Rob, Craig, Chad & Jeb. We present you 360’s Cantina 76 Interview…

360: How did you guys meet? Do you remember your first impressions of each other?

Rob: I met Chad and Craig while in college at the University of South Carolina; we were in the same fraternity. My first impression of both was that we had a lot in common, especially our senses of humor, and that they were fun guys to hang out with. I have known Jeb since childhood as we grew up in the same neighborhood and went to school together. That’s been so long ago that there is no telling what my first impression was of Jeb!

Craig: I met Rob and Chad in college 25 years ago. I don’t recall first impressions, but we definitely spent a lot of time together in college. Post-college, the three of us lived together in Atlanta for several years – and ate many tacos together at several hot spots. We met Jeb years later through Rob.

Chad: I met Craig in our first gathering as pledge brothers of our college fraternity. I don’t remember much beyond his light blue sports coat, but somehow we became fast friends. Rob came in as a pledge the next year. We all pretty much started hanging out right away. We met Jeb years later on return trips to Columbia. I think I first hung out with Jeb at a party at his house. Makes sense.

Jeb: Rob and I grew up together, and I met Chad and Craig via Rob. We all had some good laughs from the beginning.

360: What influenced you to make Cantina 76 Mexican-inspired cuisine?

Rob: Similar concepts [to Cantina 76] in Atlanta were places that we dined quite often and were quite successful. We felt this type of cuisine would do well in Columbia given that the area is a mix of college students and young professionals – and a city that we knew well, having either grown up there, gone to college there, or a combination of the two.

Craig: We all really love that style of food. As I mentioned, in Atlanta we ate lots of tacos. I was probably eating tacos or Mexican food 3-4 times per week. I like not only the flavors, but that when you have a taco, you can order 2-3 and get several different flavors in one meal.

Chad: I always thought about doing some kind of bar/restaurant, and believed in the simplicity ­– yet great taste – of the taco concepts we experienced in Atlanta.

Jeb: I was thinking about opening a bar with some other friends when Rob, Craig and Chad mentioned a taco joint in Atlanta they liked, so we thought of combining the two concepts. The four of us drove to Atlanta, and started eating.

360: Why Greenville? What do you love about it so far?

Rob: Great city; great downtown, great mix of families, young professionals, college students. It’s a city that’s growing in general and becoming more and more of a destination for travelers, all of which is important for restaurants that rely on a diverse mix of patrons. I’d say it’s much like Columbia in that I like the general friendliness of those who live here.

Craig: Greenville has a lot of great things going for it. The biggest thing I liked about Greenville was the revitalized downtown. We were committed to finding the right location, and we believe we found it. Also, Greenville is a big (and growing) center of industry and with world-class companies like BMW and Michelin located nearby, it’s a great place for young professionals. Obviously we have spent a lot of time here over the past few months getting the restaurant ready to open, and I can personally say that Greenville exceeded my already high expectations. The downtown merchants and residents have been great; so many stopped by prior to opening to welcome us and learn more about Cantina 76. The local press and food bloggers were very proactive in reaching out to us and welcoming us to town. I have also really enjoyed the local restaurants – too many great restaurants downtown to mention them all.

Chad: It is just a great downtown, and our location, in particular, cannot be much better. The activities constantly going on downtown and the surrounding parks, mountains, and lakes make Greenville a great destination.

Jeb: Since opening the first Cantina 76, I heard from many people that Greenville would be a great place to expand. Rob and I drove up there and from what we saw, it made sense. The last time I had been to Greenville was when I went to Clemson, 20+ years ago, and it’s changed a lot, but in good ways.

360: Who’s the best cook in the group? 

Rob: There is not one… Kidding, probably Jeb. Though Chad makes a mean chili.

Craig: Best cook?? Thankfully we knew our weaknesses and made a concerted effort to find a great chef seven years ago while we were developing Cantina 76. David Grillo is the genius behind the food. All I will say for myself is that my 6-year-old son Jake says I make the best grilled cheese ever!

Chad: No clue, but probably Jeb by a slim margin. My skills are certainly limited, unless you like fried bologna sandwiches.

Jeb: I probably am the best cook, which doesn’t say much. I’ve had some good meals at Chad’s before; while I have never eaten anything Rob or Craig have made, which is probably for the best.

360: You have to choose one last meal ever from the Cantina 76 menu – what would it be?

Rob: The Quesadilla. No doubt.

Craig: Dirty Queso, Roasted Chicken Enchilada with red beef chili, Peruvian Shrimp taco and a BBQ Pork taco.

Chad: Dirty Queso, Fried Chicken Taco, Chicken Teriyaki taco, a few secret combos, and the habanero hot sauce… topped off with a Casamigos Cantina Margarita, of course.

Jeb: Dirty Queso, hard shell traditional taco, Chicken Teriyaki taco and Surf and Turf special.

360: Thanks guys for the quick chat and welcome to Greenville! We look forward to seeing and tasting how Cantina 76 evolves into the foodie community.

For more information on Cantina 76 you can visit their website: www.cantina76.com and follow them daily here: @cantina76

 

REEDY RIVER FARMS INTERVIEW

July 21, 2016

Did you ever think of what it would be like to be a farmer? Well it’s ok if you didn’t, but if you did you’re in luck. We recently met the founder and co-owner of Reedy River Farms and got the behind-the-scenes scoop from Greenville’s upcoming farm on how they started, day-to-day, what they farm and more. Here’s the exclusive Reedy River Farms Interview with the owners, George Dubose and Chris Miller.

360: Tell us about the history of Reedy River Farms. How did it all get started?

Chris: George and I worked together at Mountain Harvest Organics, a sustainable farm in the mountains outside of Asheville, NC. We became good friends and had talked about one day running a farm together. After our 8 month apprenticeship there, George went to work at Greenbrier Farms. I worked at a farm in Chicago and then a farm in Grand Rapids, MI during the day and farm to table restaurant in the evening. Meanwhile, George had the idea of starting an urban farm in downtown Greenville and found the property we are currently farming. He broke ground in February of 2015 and I came down from Michigan in September to help run it.

360: What’s your favorite part of being a farmer? Why farming? 

Chris: My favorite part of being a farmer is getting to eat the most fresh and delicious food on a daily basis. I love being able to develop relationships with chefs, growing the food they want and growing unique and obscure varieties of vegetables and just being a part of the local food scene and if at all possible helping to facilitate the rapid progression of the food scene.

360: What’s your favorite thing to grow and eat?

Chris: My favorite thing to grow is any variety of vegetable that maybe not many people have heard of and to get people to taste something new and different. I love peppers, from super sweet to super hot and everywhere in between.

 
360: Can you walk us through a little bit of your day-to-day.

Chris: It changes so much every day and throughout the seasons.  Seeding, planting and harvesting vegetables. Scuffle hoeing, raking and flipping beds preparing them to be seeded. Building trellises and greenhouses, fencing and irrigation. George is basically a plumber, electrician, and mechanic now, on top of being a farmer.

360: Last question. What do you love about Greenville so far? 

Chris: I’m new to the area, but I love all the people and the rapid escalation of the local food movement and especially all the talent in the restaurants. It’s also nice to be able to grow year round.

360: Thanks, Chris. Really appreciate your time and what you and George are doing for the community and the restaurants of Greenville. Keep up the great work.To find out more about Reedy River Farms you can head to their website: www.reedyriverfarms.com and the follow them on social media here: @reedyriverfarms

 

GREENVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY INTERVIEW

July 2, 2016

Cherished and respected as one of Greenville’s most important organizations since 1930, The Greenville Humane Society has been helping the four legged animal community find the perfect home. As an important pillar of our community, it was our duty to find out more about the Greenville Humane Society.  We figured it was best to start at the top with the Executive Director, Kim Pitman. The floor is yours, Kim…

360: Tell us about the upcoming advancements for Greenville Humane Society via the Capital Campaign. 

Kim: In the past 5 years, the Greenville Humane Society has grown to be the second largest No Kill facility in the southeast—just behind Atlanta. Folks in Greenville have great hearts and are smart–they “get it” that shelter pets make great pets, yet they also want value: affordable adoption fees and high quality, low cost medical services to ensure their new pet stays healthy. This is why our Vaccine and Spay and Neuter Clinics now operate 5 days a week. Folks in Greenville tell us how important it is that we provide the same preventative services as their vet but at lower prices.

Advancements coming soon to Greenville Humane Society continued… 

Kim: To keep up with this community demand, we are expanding by building a new Medical Center; we break ground this summer. Not only will this give us more space for public spay neuter and vaccine services, but the new building enables us to house more animals—pulling them from high euthanasia shelters in SC, thus helping the entire Upstate become No Kill.

360: What are you most excited about? 

Kim: The Greenville Humane Society has become a destination for animal lovers. Customers travel from VA, OH and FL to adopt a pet because they have heard of our reputation for high quality animals, clean facility and bright, vibrant building. Other shelters have traveled from as far away as NY in order to tour our shelter and replicate it in their community. Our team thinks it is amazing that we have become a best in class example for cities much larger in size.

360: Tell us about your career and how it lead you to becoming the Executive Director of Greenville Humane. 

Kim: I have worked in Corporate America my entire career including GE, Bank of America and SunTrust. At GE, I managed the Marketing Department for a $3 billion division. When we moved to Greenville 10 years ago, it was the opportune time to leverage my business management skills in order to give back to the community. Plus I love change. I run the Greenville Humane Society as if it is a business. We have grown it to be an organization with a $3 Million budget and almost 50 employees.

360: What is your favorite part of your job? 

Kim: Actually, I have two favorite things. First, it is so rewarding to be a “matchmaker” for adoptive parents and their pets. We are good at knowing our pets’ personalities and matching them to a family or person’s lifestyle. Believe it or not, we only have a 5% return rate which is unheard of in this industry. Second—I love growing our team and challenging them to learn new skills/take on more responsibility and see them succeed. We would not enjoy the success we have today without the smart, fun and “totally all in” team we have at the humane society.

360: What do you love most about Greenville? 

Kim: It has everything! I moved from Richmond, VA where you had to travel 45 minutes to get into the city. Here I can be in the city in 10 minutes and enjoy Falls Park, the Peace Center, fabulous restaurants; at the same time, I can be in the mountains hiking with my dogs at numerous state parks that are so close by.

360: Lastly, do you have any advice for perspective adoption parents? 

Kim: Make sure you understand a pet’s personality before adopting by spending time walking  and playing with him. If he is joining a family with another dog, bring your dog in (we need vaccine records) to meet the new pet in neutral territory. If you want a dog to live with a cat you currently own, we can test how a dog reacts to cats here. And know it is true—a shelter pet truly understands he has been given a second chance—you will not get a pet who is more loving or dedicated to you and your family.

Thanks, Kim. We appreciate your time very much. Keep up the great work!

For more information on the Greenville Humane Society and how you can help, please feel free to check out their website: www.greenvillehumane.org.  You can also stop by for a visit at305 Airport Rd. Greenville, SC 29607 or give them a call at (864) 242-3626.

Dr. Mary Frances Duncan officially opened her doors to Simply Southern Chiropractic at 922 North Church Street (right before Wade Hampton) in October 2015. Since then she has treated all types of people from career driven professionals, athletes, babies and even Earle (her skeleton and mascot.)

Here’s what Dr. Duncan had to say when we get the 360 scoop about her practice, chiropractic care and more!

360: Why chiropractic care?

MFD: I didn’t know what I wanted to do right away. I went to Furman (University.) I thought maybe I would go to law school being a Political Science Major, but then I began working at a pharmacy and realized I wanted to do something with health care. I would always think back to when I was younger and I enjoyed going to the chiropractor. Just leaving the chiropractor I would always feel better right away. I would go to the doctor, be sick and just never felt great after leaving. But with the chiropractor I always felt great afterwards and that’s why I choose this profession. I really liked seeing happy people come in and out my door.

360: Why did you want your own practice?

MFD: I wanted to do things a little different. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t hurting patients. I did a internship for another doctor in Florida and there were so many patients going in and out the door that I didn’t feel like were getting the right care they needed. So then I figured why not open my own place. A place where I could do things the way I wanted and do the different types of adjustments and therapies that I have seen personally work. I also wanted to make sure we had  flexible hours so anyone could see me.

360: What’s your favorite part of your job?

MFD: I think my favorite part is when I have patients that are back surgery candidates and within two months of seeing me they are completely out of pain and no longer need surgery. That part makes me most excited. That’s my favorite of the job.

360: What is quick chiropractic advice for the readers?

MFD: I tell people pain is the last thing to show up and the first thing to go away. Pain is a warning sign our body gives off. If you’re in pain you need to do something about it, go see a specialist, a doctor and don’t let the pain go on. Most cases the pain won’t go away. If you can get in while first in pain is the best. Simply Southern Chiropractic Center is not a pain clinic, it’s a wellness clinic. So getting treated even when you don’t hurt is the best way to go because we can get rid of disfunction before pain. I always say come in, get checked and we adjust kids here. It’s good to start the young for prevention. That’s my advice.

360: What’s your favorite part of Greenville, places to eat etc?

MFD: My favorite part of Greenville hmmmm. For food I would say Brick Street Cafe. Of course I really love Furman (University.) Love Travelers Rest! I just love all the green around here. The flowers and trees everywhere. It’s so beautiful. *

More info about Dr. Mary Frances Duncan and Simply Southern Chiropractic please head to www.simplysouthernchiropractic.com, call (864) 501-2360, email info@simplysouthernchiro.com or visit at 922 North Church Street Greenville SC 29601.

Let us paint a picture for you… the latest project by Centre Stage in Downtown Greenville, The Addams Family which just wrapped on April 10th. Immediately after the final performance ended, the audience cleared and the clock began to tick away before the birth of their next production, A Party to Murder,  which opens tomorrow Thursday, May 5th.

As a not-for-profit theater, Centre Stage operates on a razor thin budget and has limited stage space in their 285 seat theater. So they simply just have to get creative!

We were lucky enough recently to sit down with their Technical Director, Thom Seymour Jr. where we discussed the process of creating the new stage setting, budget and of course time table for A Party to Murder.

Here’s our exclusive interview with Centre Stage‘s Technical Director, Thom Seymour. Enjoy!

360: Walk us through the process of a production, how and where does the process begin?

Thom: For A Party to Murder our Executive Artistic Director, Glenda ManWaring designed the set, so we sit down of course months in advanced and for this particular project we wanted to use a lot of same structure for the next show, The Explorer’s Club which due out in mid-June. It made it more effective to plan out both sets together. Then for July’s show, Sister’s of Swing we’ll take everything down and start fresh! It’s a really quick turnaround and we only have a certain amount of time with this tight schedule.

The process continued…

We always start talking about what is possible with our limited budget and personnel. More so limited resources. Pretty much all the sets are built by me with of course part-time help as needed. So the project and process has to be reasonable. We have to assume I will be building it myself. My work also includes doing the sound and helping with the hang work and lighting designer in hanging the lights. We have a small staff, so everyone here is doing everything. It’s a oversimplified way of describing it.

360: On a production such as this with many moving parts, how do you keep everything on schedule and so carefully timed?