The Savannah Music Festival is heading into its final days, and it looks as if the 17-day event is having another impressive year.

The crowds have been generally strong, and the shows I’ve attended have featured stellar production values.

And the SMF’s national and international profile seems to be growing steadily although a couple of the most noteworthy early pieces about the 2016 festival have come from right here in the South.

Charleston’s The Post and Courier recently published “Road trip: Attending Savannah Music Festival on opening weekend.”

“Over the years, I couldn’t help taking note, with increasing wonderment, that the festival lineup was impressively diverse and appealing,” Adam Parker writes in the Charleston daily. “This year, Executive and Artistic Director Rob Gibson and his collaborators put together especially compelling programs of classical, jazz, Americana/folk, dance and world music. We got a taste of it all.”

The lengthy piece notes some of the differences between the SMF and Spoleto, Charleston’s 17-day arts festival that offers larger scale productions and more genres of the performing arts.

Regular readers know I annually take road trips to Spoleto, primarily for dance and other shows that we simply don’t get here. So I spend way more time than I should thinking about the relationship between Spoleto and the SMF.

In many ways, it’s unfair to compare the two festivals, despite the fact they’re the same length, employ a variety of existing venues and take place in stunningly beautiful historic cities in the South.

Charleston, after all, has a much larger metropolitan area population, and Spoleto has a markedly larger budget than the SMF.

Still, it seems pretty clear that a visitor weighing three days at the SMF versus three days at Spoleto might end up feeling torn. Not that many years ago, that assertion might have seemed slightly ridiculous.

The SMF also got a great shout out last week from Southern Living. The magazine included the festival’s Gibson and Ryan McMaken in their list of “Innovators Changing the South.”

Change? Do we want that?

I guess the SMF has changed Savannah, but that change has the aura of authenticity so important to both locals and tourists.

“What sets the Savannah Music Festival apart,” says Southern Living, “and what brings tourists to the city in droves, is the musical diversity of this cross-genre festival: Nowhere else can you see Punch Brothers bluegrass acoustic right after violin virtuoso Daniel Hope, then hear a band from Mali or an opera singer from Sweden. It’s dazzling, and we love it.”

City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.

The 14th annual Candler Clays Charity Shoot and Auction on Feb. 19-20 raised more than $152,000 for cancer care and research in the Savannah region, breaking the previous record of $124,000 set a year earlier.

The event supported the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler.

“The support from the Savannah business community for Candler Clays was simply amazing. It’s clear that they see the benefit of having a health system investing in the latest cancer treatments and technology,” said Ed Hissam, chair of the 2016 Candler Clays Committee. “These funds will make significant advancements in cancer care and in the lives of the patients at the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion.”

Hissam said he expects support for the event to multiply in the years to come.

Candler Clays is an annual two-day event that combines a charity auction of items donated by local merchants and a clay shooting competition at the Forest City Gun Club. This year 280 shooters on 70 teams competed, including shooters and guests from Alabama and Florida.

Each year the event honors a cancer survivor or memorializes someone who died of cancer. This year’s honoree was Monica McGoldrick, who was a patient at the Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion.

To learn more or to make a donation, go to www.sjchs.org/foundations.

DALLAS — More U.S. flights are arriving on time and airlines are losing fewer bags, yet more consumers are complaining about air travel.

Traveler complaints jumped 34 percent last year, to the highest level since 2000. The top frustration is problem flights including cancelations and delays, which is unchanged in 16 years.

“Everything is getting better, but they are still unhappy about the same things,” says Dean Headley, a marketing professor at Wichita State and co-author of an annual report on airline quality. He thinks passengers resent the growth in extra fees for things like checked baggage and changing or canceling a reservation, and that makes them quicker to complain when something goes wrong with their trip.

The annual report by Headley and Brent Bowen, dean of the aviation school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was released Monday. The researchers use publicly available information from the U.S. Department of Transportation to rate the airlines for on-time performance, baggage handling, bumping passengers because of oversold flights, and complaints filed with the government.

Headley and Bowen named Virgin America the winner followed by JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines. The honor for Virgin came the same day that the boutique carrier announced it was being sold to Alaska Airlines.

The report ranked Spirit Airlines last, just ahead of Envoy, Frontier and American Airlines.

Among the other findings in this year’s report:

• ON TIME: The percentage of flights that arrived on time rose to 79.9 percent last year from 76.2 percent in 2014.

• LOST BAGS: The rate of bags being lost, stolen or delayed bags dropped 10 percent in 2015.

• GETTING BUMPED: Fewer passengers were bumped off oversold flights; the rate dropped by 17 percent last year. That doesn’t count people who voluntarily gave up their seats for money or a travel voucher.

• MORE COMPLAINTS: Airline customers filed more than 15,000 complaints with the Transportation Department last year, up from about 11,000 in 2014. Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines, budget carriers that charge lots of fees and had poor on-time records, had the worst complaint rates.

It was the fifth increase in complaints in six years. Still, more than 670 million people flew on U.S. carriers last year, so only a tiny slice bothered to complain to the government. Many more gripe directly to the airline. Frontier CEO Barry Biffle has said that his airline gets about 30 complaints for every one filed with the Transportation Department and it used to be a 90-to-1 ratio.

Complaints to the government topped 20,000 in 2000 but dropped sharply after the terror attacks of September 2001, which resulted in fewer people flying. Complaints didn’t start rising again until 2004.

There are serious students of the airline industry who dismiss reports like the one from Wichita State and Embry-Riddle.

Brett Snyder, who writes the Cranky Flier blog, says the overall rankings don’t tell travelers whether an airline is good or bad at what matters to them.

“It lumps everything together in a way that doesn’t make sense for most travelers,” Snyder says. “You should research what matters to you. If you’re flying a specific route, you can look at on-time performance on that route.”

Each month the Transportation Department lists flights that are chronically delayed and provides on-time figures for each airline at specific airports. But there are shortcomings to the government figures. For one thing, problems on regional outfits such as American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express show up under the contractors that operate the flights — unfamiliar names such as Envoy, SkyWest and ExpressJet — instead of American, Delta and United, which sell tickets on those flights to consumers.

USING US GOVERNMENT DATA,
RESEARCHERS PICK TOP AIRLINES

An aviation dean and a marketing professor ranked the largest 13 U.S. airlines after analyzing 2015 U.S. Department of Transportation figures for on-time flights, lost baggage, bumping passengers off flights, and complaint rates:

1. Virgin America (ranked 1 in 2014)

2. JetBlue (4)

3. Delta (3)

4. Hawaiian (2)

5. Alaska (5)

6. Southwest (6)

7. SkyWest (10)

8. United (9)

9. ExpressJet (11)

10. American (7)

11. Frontier (8)

12. Envoy Air (12)

13. Spirit (n/a)

Source: “Airline Quality Report” by Dean Headley, a marketing professor at Wichita State University, and Brent Bowen, dean of the aviation school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Gas prices stable in metro Savannah

Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have risen 0.9 cents a gallon in the past week to $2.03 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The national average has increased 2.1 cents a gallon in the last week to $2.06, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday in the Savannah metro area were 22.6 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 30.0 cents a gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 24.7 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 33.6 cents lower than this day one year ago.

The current gas-price climate in the region includes:

• Jacksonville— $2 a gallon, down 1 cent from last week’s $2.01.

• Augusta— $1.94 a gallon, down 1.4 cents from last week’s $1.95.

• South Carolina— $1.84 a gallon, down 1.3 cents from last week’s $1.86.

Public invited to grand opening for care center

Memorial Health and AppleCare Urgent Care will host a grand opening for their third urgent care center in Savannah on April 11.

Located at 7205 Hodgson Memorial Drive, the facility will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. followed by an open house and light refreshments until 7 p.m. Participants will include Memorial Health Chief Strategy Officer William “Bill” Lee III and AppleCare President and CEO Chase Finley.

The new facility, with 4,000 square feet, is the 15th urgent care center managed and operated by AppleCare. It’s open seven days a week and provides primary care and walk-in urgent care medical services for individuals ages 6 months to adult, as well as local employer health services.

For more information, call 912-200-3219 or go to AppleCareDoctors.com or memorialhealth.com/urgentcare.

Millennial expert to address learning series

Gabrielle Jackson Bosché, president and founder of the Millennial Solution and author of ‘5 Millennial Myths: The Handbook for Managing and Motivating Millennials,’ will address Georgia Tech-Savannah’s May Learning Series on May 19 on how to hire, engage and retain the next generation of leaders.

Bosché will describe how to create and maximize a multi-generational workforce through attracting, retaining, optimizing, and monetizing millennials. She also is scheduled to share millennial success strategies and help develop a mentoring program.

The session will be held on the Georgia Tech-Savannah campus at 210 Technology Circle with networking and breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the program following at 8-9:30 a.m. Cost is $25. To register or for more information, go to pe.gatech.edu/millennials-sav or call 912-966-7849.

Cecilia D. Scott believes everybody deserves a second chance.

All nine employees at her Kings ‘N Queens Car Wash have served time in prison.

And Scott not only gives them a job, she mentors them.

“The first thing we do: They come in with a correctional ID. We tell them they need to go to the DMV and get a Georgia ID.

“Next we tell them ‘start saving money. If you’re living with someone, you’ve got to contribute. You’ve got to start saving so some day, you can get your own place.

“And you’ve got to learn what you can so you can build up respect — work on keeping your name clean.’”

Plus, she encourages them to find a better paying job

“You cannot feed a family working at a car wash. So we impress on them ‘do more.’ This is just a beginning for them,” said Scott, whose husband Alvin spent time in prison and knows first hand the hard transition to life on the outside.

“We always encourage them to do better,” she said.

Head detailer Bobby Patterson spent 17 and a half years in “every prison in the state of Florida — they transfer you a lot” — for drug sales and drug possession.

“I never used drugs, but I was selling drugs…like crack, powder (cocaine),” Patterson said.

Patterson said he was thankful Scott gave him a job.

“Call Mr. or Mrs. Scott, and they’ll give you a second chance,” he said.

A lot of people won’t hire you because you have a criminal record, Patterson said, but not the Scotts.

“They treat you like family. If you’re honest with them, they want to hire you. You just have to come clean-shaved, presentable for an interview,” Scott said. “I haven’t been in trouble for about 10 years. I’ve been here now for about a year.”

Patterson said he gets paid based on the car he washes — $10 for a wash on a truck, $26 for a wax on a truck plus tips.

“It’s like being a self-contractor. Every day you go home with money in your pocket,” Patterson said. “I teach the guys that come here. I teach them how to buff a car, wash a car. It’s like a school and you have to have the right mentality especially dealing with people.”

Patterson said he has been offered other jobs but has turned them down because he really likes working at Kings N Queens.

The car wash was 2 years old on March 21.

“My husband got the idea,” Scott said.

He had retired as a longshoreman for medical reasons.

“One day, he said, ‘Honey, lets do a car wash,” Scott recalled.

“We were picking up my grandchild from daycare when we saw an abandoned gas station.”

They rented it, renovated it and repainted it. And they settled on prices.

Now it’s $20 for a complete cleaning inside and out, a detailing shampoo for $65, a wax for $65, clean headlights for $25 and clean the engine for $25.

Their customers come from hospitals, a funeral home, nearby businesses — from all over Savannah, Richmond Hill and South Carolina.

The Lord has been good to them, Scott said.

“God put us here in the corner for a reason.”

ABOUT THE BUSINESS

What: Kings & Queens Car Wash

When: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: 1170 E. DeRenne Ave.

Contact: 912-349-7350

DX Marketing opening third office location

in South Carolina

A Savannah-based targeted marketing firm, DX Marketing, has announced it will move its third office location to the ONE Building in downtown Greenville, S.C.

At ONE, DX Marketing will become a charter tenant of a creative services co-working community called Endeavor, which will provide shared office space for a variety of creative services companies with common interests.

Each offers a different marketing expertise, from video production and web development to media planning/buying and events.

“For years, we have served many customers in upstate South Carolina, and we continue to experience growth in that region,” said DX Marketing President Ray Owens.

For more information, go to www.dxmarketing.com.

MacAljon Fabrication breaks ground for new shop on Ogeechee

MacAljon Fabrication has awarded construction of their new state of the art industrial fabrication facility to Omega Construction of Pilot Mountain, N.C. A groundbreaking was held last week at 4526 Ogeechee Road.

The new fabrication shop will be a 30,000-square-foot facility standing more than 50 feet tall dedicated to vessel and structural steel fabrication.

The new facility will allow MacAljon to continue employing the latest technology for in-shop fabrication services, the company said in a news release.

MacAljon, Inc., in business since 1979, is an industrial general contracting firm specializing in mechanical and civil/structural work.

Armstrong State University to host farmers’ market

Armstrong State University’s Department of Recreation and Wellness and Office of Multicultural Affairs will host its third annual Armstrong Farmers’ Market on April 12.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will provide access to fresh and locally grown produce while supporting regional farmers.

This event is free and open to the public.

It will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Armstrong State University in front of the Student Union, 11935 Abercorn St.

Hilton Head-Bluffton leadership program to hold informational coffee meets

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce will host two informational coffees for anyone interested in learning more about the chamber’s leadership program.

Leadership Hilton Head Island-Bluffton is an in-depth educational program that covers the skills and techniques necessary for leadership.

The program runs from September through June and meets one full day each month to focus on the culture, history, environment, economics and civics of the area.

The Thursday, April 7, informational coffee will meet at the Chamber’s Bluffton office from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The April 21 coffee also is scheduled at Chamber headquarters from 9 to 10:30 a.m. RSVP to Hannah Horne at hhorne@hiltonheadisland.org or call 843-341-8373.

Contact Gale Baldwin, Managing Editor/Business Editor at 912-652-0300 or gale.baldwin@savannahnow.com.

On June 24, an amazing something called TEDxSavannah will happen in Savannah. Perhaps you’ve heard of a “TED Talk,” because this term is part of the lingo nowadays. Just what exactly is a “TED Talk” and what is “TEDx?”

A TED Talk is a presentation given by a speaker to an audience at the main TED conference or one of its satellite events around the world. TED Talks are a maximum length of 18 minutes and cover thousands of topics.

TED speakers present new ideas supported by evidence that can be relevant to a broad audience.

TED started 32 years ago when a West Coast architect noticed a pattern: People from dissimilar areas of industry or business were collaborating on projects. The diverse areas of technology, entertainment and design — TED — became an acronym for sharing innovation, affecting change using converging disciplines and exchanging and intersecting ideas.

The architect decided to showcase the “TED” effect with an event, so he gathered a group of business, industry and creative thought leaders together to present to each other in a conference-style format. This conference, sharing “Ideas Worth Spreading,” became TED and “Ideas Worth Spreading” its iconic slogan.

That wildly successful initial TED conference became an annual event. Educators, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, artists, musicians, provocateurs and innovators wanted to speak at TED. For many attendees, TED became one of the intellectual and emotional highlights of the year.

Struck by TED’s power and promise, the nonprofit Sapling Foundation acquired TED several years later and in doing so, applied the not-for-profit model and a determination to stick to the foundational principles that made TED so successful: “. . . the inspired format, the breadth of content, and the commitment to seek out the most interesting people on Earth and let them communicate their passion.”

Soon, demand for access to TED conferences became overwhelming so TED began posting TED Talks online. Within a few months, more than a million viewers had seen a TED Talk on the TED website.

Today, TED Talks are available in more than 100 languages on a huge array of topics — all free. Check out the original six TED Talks posted in 2006 — still powerful and pertinent — here: http://bit.ly/1UEeUKm. Watch 30 years of TED Talks here: http://bit.ly/1W6ZeyZ.

Many famous people have done a TED Talk (Bill Gates, Mike Rowe, Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Bono, Jane Goodall, Stephen Hawking, Arianna Huffington, several Nobel Prize winners and many others), yet none of these are in the Top 10. In fact, two of the Top 10 TEDx Talks were by people who weren’t famous at all — at least before their Talks. Almost anyone can give a TED Talk that could go viral.

Now for the fun part for us in Savannah. With TED’s meteoric rise in popularity, demand for live, local TED events increased. So, seven years ago, TEDx — individually organized, live events in locations all over the world — was born and Savannah got on board.

Of course, it was those groundbreakers at The Creative Coast, supported by SEDA and the city of Savannah, who first licensed “TEDx Creative Coast” in 2009 and produced the first event here. Hard work, passion and the unlimited idea and talent pool in our community have given us a rich history of TEDx Talks of our own.

Last year, The Creative Coast released TEDx from its roster of successful events, and a group of local TEDx supporters and community action heroes formed Inspire Savannah, Inc., a nonprofit, and renamed the event “TEDxSavannah,” with the successful legacy and forward thinking strategies of the past six years of great local “Ideas Worth Spreading” to carry on.

TEDxSavannah debuts on June 24 at the Jepson Center for the Arts. Beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m., it will be a day of 14 dynamic, thought-provoking, inspirational and educational TEDx Talks by local leaders, focused on one theme: “Challenge What Is: Personal. Local. Universal.” Tickets go on sale April 25 at tedxsavannah.com.

Come see TEDx Savannah in action.

In addition to her marketing and outreach role at DIRTT Savannah, Laura Lee Bocade serves as a volunteer board member with The Creative Coast and is a founding member of Inspire Savannah, Inc. Laura Lee can be reached at lbocade@dirtt.net. Go to TEDxSavannah.com for event details and tickets.

Strength of Nature LLC, a Savannah-based firm that manufactures and delivers multi-cultural hair-care products worldwide, has announced an investment by Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GPCL), an India-based consumer goods company with operations in Africa and other global markets.

The announcement said the transaction, which is expected to close this month, will significantly expand Strength of Nature’s ability to meet the evolving needs of multicultural consumers.

Strength of Nature’s management team, led by founder and CEO Mario de la Guardia, will continue to manage the worldwide business, and the company will continue to operate in its current facility in Savannah, according to the announcement.

Existing relationships with retailers, wholesalers, distributors, brokers and suppliers will not change.

“Our vision and commitment is to provide the highest quality, most innovative hair care products that meet the diverse needs of our multicultural consumer worldwide,” said de la Guardia. “While we have made significant strides in achieving this vision here in the U.S., this exciting strategic global partnership with GPCL provides us with a unique opportunity to better serve the huge number of potential consumers outside the U.S., especially in Africa.”

Adi Godrej, chairman, Godrej Group, said the investment is a key piece of his company’s strategy of bringing high quality hair care products to women of African descent, particularly in Africa itself.

“We share the vision of Mario de la Guardia and his management team to drive Strength of Nature and its great brands to worldwide leadership, and look forward to working with them to make this happen through continued innovation and strong consumer focus,” Godrej said.

Charlene Dance, global marketing director of Strength of Nature, said the two companies’ strategic alliance will allow Strength of Nature to better meet worldwide consumers’ needs and to expand their partnerships with media and influencers around the world.

“All of us at Strength of Nature are excited about the global opportunities this will afford,” Dance said.

ABOUT STRENGTH OF NATURE

Strength of Nature, which was founded in 2000 and employs about 250 people in its Savannah manufacturing plant and warehouse, markets a number of leading brands of hair-care products, including Profectiv MegaGrowth, African Pride, Dream Kids, Beautiful Textures, Elasta QP, Soft & Beautiful, Soft & Beautiful Botanicals, Proline and TCB.

Website: www.strengthofnature.com

ABOUT GODREJ CONSUMER PRODUCTS LIMITED

Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) is part of the 118 year old Godrej Group. It is the largest home-grown home and personal care company in India with significant operations in Africa and other global markets.

In late December, Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 — or PATH Act — offering a number of ways individual taxpayers and small business owners can save on their 2015 taxes.

“It’s a little bright spot in everyone’s favorite season,” joked Jeffrey Williamson, whose J.L. Williamson Law Group specializes in taxation issues.

Williamson spoke Tuesday to the Savannah Chamber’s Small Business Council, addressing the PATH Act and the Taxpayers Bill of Rights and what they mean for both individuals and small businesses.

Among its provisions, the PATH Act allows businesses to deduct immediately up to $500,000 in capital expenditures for items like tools, equipment and computers. It also renewed many of the so-called “tax extenders,” a series of provisions that have lapsed and been reinstated, or extended, repeatedly over the years.

“Unlike past extenders, the PATH Act makes many of these savings permanent,” he said,

Those include the deduction for state and local sales taxes, the American Opportunity Tax Credit for college and qualified charitable deduction from an IRA for those over 70 ½.

But not all the extenders were made permanent. Extended only for the next few years were the work opportunity tax credit and the 50 percent bonus depreciation for businesses.

Another interesting provision of the PATH Act requires the tax commissioner to ensure that IRS employees are familiar with and act in accord with the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Never heard of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights? There are actually 10 of them. As a taxpayer, you have the right to:

1. Be informed: You have the right to know what you need to do to comply with tax laws. You are entitled to clear explanations of the law than IRS procedures.

2. Quality service: You should receive prompt, courteous and professional assistance in all dealings with the IRS; to receive clear and understandable communications and to speak to a supervisor about inadequate service.

3. Pay no more than the correct amount of taxes.

4. Challege the IRS’s position and be heard: “First of all, you probably shouldn’t be the one talking to the IRS,” Williamson said. “That’s the job for your CPA or tax attorney. We like to be there before you’ve told them much more than you needed to, not after.”

5. Appeal an IRS decision in an independent forum: “Taxpayers generally have the right to take their cases to court,” he said.

6. Finality: “The IRS cannot keep you hanging on indefinitely,” he said, “You have the right to know how much time you have to challenge the IRS’s position as well as the maximum amount of time the IRS has to audit a particular tax year or collect a debt. You also have the right to know when the IRS has finished your audit.”

7. Privacy: “You have the right to expect that any IRS inquiry, examination or enforcement action will comply with the law and respect all your due process rights.”

8. Confidentiality: “You have the right to expect that any information you provide to the IRS will not be disclosed and you should expect appropriate action to be taken against employees, return preparers and others who wrongfully use or disclose your return information.”

9. Retain representation: “This comes at the end of the list, but the most important thing you need to know is that the time to retain representation is at the beginning of an issue, not when you’re in up to your elbows,” Williamson said.

10. A fair and just tax system: “Does anyone think we have a fair and just tax system?” he asked.

No hands went up.

“I didn’t think so, but I wanted you to know that is your right.”

Plans presented at Tuesday’s Metropolitan Planning Commission meeting for a 70-unit apartment complex on Savannah’s eastside were met with strong resistance from members of the community, who raised issues of on-street parking and the building’s overall design, which they believe to be out of character with the surrounding neighborhoods.

The proposed complex at 1020 E. Broad St. sits on the border of the Victorian and Eastside neighborhoods and was rezoned in September. At that time the mayor and aldermen approved the rezoning with the condition that the visual compatibility standards of the adjacent Victorian District be used in the review process.

“We were very concerned that we didn’t want a building that was very suburban in nature and that would perhaps look like it belonged on the southside of Savannah,” said MPC staff member Charlotte Moore.

MPC staff said they found the development to be visually compatible with the area, but the public disagreed.

“The needs and the quality of life of the people and businesses that are already there must trump development for the sheer sake of development,” said area resident Robin Noll.

“... There is no visual compatibility to anything north, east, west or south of it. That does not look like Victorian townhomes, I’m sorry. It looks like a prison. This thing on the end looks like a guard tower.”

The three-story U-shaped building is about 27,500 square feet and varies in length from 75 to 197 feet along the sides. The corner portion of the building Noll and other residents described as looking like a guard tower would sit at the corner of East Broad Street and East Park Avenue and feature two upper floor balconies and an overhanging roof.

“Those of us who purchased homes in the Victorian District want to maintain the stylistic character and architecture of the neighborhood... If you lived in the Victorian neighborhood, would you agree that it’s compatible with your neighborhood?” neighborhood association president Michael Ambrose said in addressing the commission. He also said the developer had not met with the neighborhood association to address concerns.

Also speaking in opposition was Historic Savannah Foundation president Daniel Carey, who said the building’s mass and hurried development were problematic.

“(The developer) was directed in September by City Council to work with the neighborhood and Historic Savannah Foundation, and they have not,” Carey said.

The historic foundation has a vested interest in the area due to a property on Bolton Street that’s under contract through the foundation’s revolving fund, he said.

“They haven’t reached out to us, not sought review or input from our architectural review committee... We’d like to see the neighborhood character maintained.”

Residents and business owners in the area were also concerned about the impact on parking on the already narrow and one-way streets in the area.

While the complex features gated off-street parking, residents are concerned that future residents would park on the already crowded streets to avoid paying a fee for a reserved space.

Many of them cited numerous wrecks, nearby school crossings and already limited visibility as reasons for their concerns.

Despite the public opposition the commission voted to approve the plan, but developers will have to return at a later date with a specific site plan.

Attorney John Northup, who spoke on behalf of the applicant, Savannah-based GW Investments, said they had held several meetings with neighborhood associations, including the eastside neighborhood, which they felt was the most relevant group given the site location.

“Currently, this property is a vacant lot with a dilapidated building on it... I think a lot of the people in the neighborhood are benefiting from the fact that there is a vacant lot across the street,” Northup said.

The site plans to have 70 off-street parking spaces, he said, and while they don’t anticipate residents parking on the street, it’s something they ultimately can’t control.

Northup also said the developers had been working on the plans for about 15 months, refuting the claim that they were in a hurry.

“It’s not a Disney-fied version of the Victorian District townhomes. It’s a modern interpretation of it, but it draws on inspiration from what’s currently there,” he said.

“... We’ve had to comply with Victorian district visual compatibility guidelines and we’re not in the Victorian District, but we agreed and subjected ourselves to that and staff has said that we’re compliant with those guidelines and we don’t really know what else we can do.”

The land surrounding the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is the highest point in Chatham County, which makes airport property the ideal location for a new Emergency Operations Center, according to airport and area emergency officials.

At Wednesday’s Savannah Airport Commission meeting, airport executive director Greg Kelly said the county, city and airport have agreed to partner to build that new center on airport land.

“We had been approached individually by both the county and the city about the possibility of putting a stand-alone emergency ops center out here.” Kelly said. “We knew we didn’t need two such facilities, so we worked with the Chatham Emergency Management Agency, the county and city to plan one common-use facility.”

A stand-alone emergency center was also part of the airport’s five-year plan, Kelly said, adding that the airport’s emergency ops center is currently housed in the terminal building.

“Ideally, it should be remote,” he said.

CEMA director Dennis Jones agreed, noting that his organization’s location in the old County Courthouse downtown on Bull Street was also less than optimal.

“Right now, we are operating from the basement of a building that is more than 100 years old,” he said. “We definitely need a new facility.”

The airport identified a parcel several years ago that it intended to use for its own center, Kelly said.

“The plan now is to build a new center on that parcel that would be large enough to accommodate the county, the city and airport emergency personnel as well,” he said.

‘A no-brainer’

Assistant county manager Michael Kaigler called the proposal “a no-brainer, something that would benefit the entire community.”

“Pooling our resources makes sense,” he said. “If something were to happen out here at the airport, they would have CEMA, Savannah Fire and police all in one facility close by to provide immediate help.

“Likewise, if there was a major weather disaster in the community — a hurricane or major tornado — support services would most likely be staged at the airport.

“It just makes sense all around.”

Kaigler said the county, which is taking lead on the project, now plans to go back to the drawing board armed not only with CEMA’s needs, but the city’s and airport’s as well.

“What we expect to have is a facility designed to give everyone the space they need with an economy of scale that will save money as well as enhance efficiency.”

Airport commission chairman Steve Green agreed, calling the project “a perfect example of collaboration for the benefit of the entire region” and thanking all involved for their efforts.

A survivable facility

As head of the county’s emergency management agency, Jones sees his job as identifying the challenges and gaps in service and working to resolve them.

One of his biggest challenges has been finding a way out of his basement headquarters.

“We started actually about 10 or 12 years ago, coordinating with the airport and other partners to try and find a place where we could build a survivable and fully functional facility,” he said.

What does that mean?

“We want to build a facility that we can stay in during a Category 5 hurricane,” Jones said. “As it stands right now, we have only one such building in all of Chatham County that meets that criteria.”

With a major storm, not only does the community at large have to evacuate, but all public and emergency services have to get out of Chatham County as well, he said.

“We want our new center to have the latest infrastructure and technology in addition to the ability to withstand a significant tornado or major hurricane.

“Partnering with the airport, partnering with the city of Savannah allows us to have those resources in place to immediately start addressing and coordinating recovery efforts following a disaster,” Jones said.

“While this would have obvious benefits for the airport, the county and the city, it will also benefit each and every citizen in the community.

“The faster we can coordinate the response and recovery efforts, the faster we will get our citizens back in their homes.”

Savannah Tech OKs exchange program for student bakers

Savannah Technical College’s Culinary Institute of Savannah has established a partnership with the Lycée des Métiers Lautréamont through an agreement by the Academy of Toulouse in France to facilitate educational exchange for the school’s baking and pastry arts students.

“We are delighted this partnership will offer elite Savannah Technical College students the opportunity to augment their culinary training in France,” said Savannah Tech President Kathy Love. “We look forward to hosting French bakers and confectioners for baking and pastry arts courses at the Culinary Institute of Savannah.”

The educational partnership includes student and faculty exchanges to enhance baking and pastry arts training including hosting students and faculty, immersion training, mentor companies, educational research tutors and evaluation.

Lautréamont has similar partnerships with institutions in Uruguay, Spain, Ireland, Italy and Portugal.

Women’s accessory store opens outlet on Broughton Street

Spartina 449, a women’s accessory brand based in Bluffton, S.C., is opening a store at 317 W. Broughton St., the third outlet for the firm, which also has stores in Bluffton and at the Savannah Outlet Mall in Pooler.

A grand opening celebration will be held on April 21, beginning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m.

The 3,500-square-foot store will offer a selection of Spartina 449 products, including linen and leather handbags and coordinating accessories, all-leather handbags and accessories, fashion jewelry, an assortment of scarves and one-of-a-kind items.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday,

For more information, go to www.spartina449.com/savannah.

Leadership Savannah applications available for 2016-2017 class

Applications for the 2016-2017 Leadership Savannah class are currently being accepted.

The 2016-2017 class will be limited to 42 people with the selections committee seeking representation from a cross-section of the community.

These leaders and potential leaders will be active in business, education, the arts, religion, government, community-based organizations and ethnic and minority groups and will reflect the diversity of the community.

The programs are expected to consist of monthly interactive sessions led by community experts. Sessions will begin in September 2016 and conclude in June 2017. Applicants will be expected to attend all of the sessionsr to graduate.

All applicants must go through selections, and full program fees will be $2,500, with a limited number of $1,000 scholarships available based on need.

To apply, go to www.leadershipsavannah.org and click on the ‘Apply’ button. Applications will be accepted through June 13. For more information, contact Margaret Mary Russell at MRussell@SavannahChamber.com or call 912-644-6432.

Historically, strategic investment in income producing real estate or non-owner occupied real estate has been a traditional practice used toward building wealth and creating long-term cash flow.

In fact, the idea of owning land to produce wealth dates back for centuries. With that said and with today’s residential and commercial markets thriving, investors are busy looking for new opportunities.

When acquiring any real estate property — whether it’s for a non-owner occupied rental residence or larger purchase like a hotel or retail shopping center — there is always an assumed risk, however low the price may be.

Most real estate investors do not have enough cash sitting around to make outright purchases and must seek funding from an outside source. Despite the inherent risks involved, banks are eager to help facilitate financing for client investments with the appropriate risk mitigating factors.

Typically, a commercial loan is applied for when purchasing real estate investments like hotels, shopping centers, office buildings, multi-family developments and other income-producing real estate properties.

In much the same way as seeking a traditional mortgage loan, the usual credentials are required — proof of income, good credit, experience and positive borrowing track record and available cash necessary to cover the downpayment, closing costs, reserves for maintenance/repairs, and any additional expenses to close on the loan.

However, when it comes to applying for a commercial loan, first and foremost, the borrower must be able to prove positive cash flow of the investment.

I would recommend capturing the vision of the investment in a traditional business plan that breaks down the proposal with any essential information showing proof of potential profit, including a description of the past and current market, neighborhood details and all of the financials to support your claim.

Lenders will appreciate the homework and your due diligence and will better be able to assess the specifics of the investment when putting together a loan application and financial package for the deal.

Also, consider applying for a commercial loan at a community bank where a large part of their success is tied to the success of the local economy and market. In addition, there are distinct advantages community banks can offer such as hands-on service from one point-of-contact, start to finish, and continual in-house servicing of the loan, which can certainly be helpful when securing a financing relationship.

Whether starting a new business or investing in real estate as an alternative revenue stream, positive cash flow is absolutely essential to any successful financial venture. The profits from your investments can not only be earmarked to secure a comfortable retirement and fund future investments, but will ultimately secure your financial freedom.

Jimmy Grayson is the vice president of commercial lending at BankSouth in the Savannah market. He can be reached at 912-373-1761 or jgrayson@banksouth.com.

Authentic Savannah Grey bricks are among the most sought-after building materials in the South, but only by those who can afford to pay upwards of $4 per individual piece as the nearly 200-year-old hand-formed bricks become increasingly rare.

So when Ramsey Khalidi’s Southern Pine Co. advertised a lot of 10,000 Savannah Greys, it was bound to draw some attention.

“We’ve had local calls as well as inquiries from Charleston and Sullivan’s Island,” he said.

Southern Pine, a division of Khalidi’s RK Construction & Development, is dedicated to the preservation of Savannah’s history through the salvage of its vintage building materials for renovation and new construction.

While his primary focus is on old-growth woods, he has collected a sizeable block of Savannah Greys over the last quarter century.

“It’s amazing what people throw away,” Khalidi said, adding that he once found an entire dumpster full of Savannah Grey bricks downtown.

“Clearly, someone didn’t realize what they had.”

Indeed, as newcomers and young people play larger and larger roles in reviving the city’s Historic District, it’s ironically inevitable that some of Savannah’s earliest history gets lost in the process.

A special brick

Take Savannah Greys, as much a part of the fabric of early Savannah as its cobblestones and ornamental iron.

The unique, over-sized bricks date to the early 1800s, where they were hand-formed by slaves at the Hermitage, a plantation on the Savannah River west of the city on a site now owned by International Paper.

The plantation, owned by Henry McAlpin, was situated on a rare type of grey-colored clay, making it less than ideal for growing crops but perfect for making bricks.

The bricks were plentiful and cheap in those early days and were much in demand after a massive fire in 1820 destroyed huge sections of downtown.

By the beginning of the Civil War, production of Savannah Greys had stopped, making them increasingly rare and valuable in the ensuing 150 years. Many were lost before the formation of the Historic Savannah Foundation in the mid 1950s, when buildings were often demolished with no thought to preservation.

Today, examples of the surviving brick can be found in the Historic District and beyond.

The old First African Baptist Church was rebuilt in 1855, using Savannah Greys made by congregation members at the Hermitage.

Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, bought the Hermitage plantation, reportedly for its Savannah Greys, which he later used to build his mansion on the banks of the Ogeechee River in what would become the Ford Plantation.

Far and wide

While the cost of Savannah Greys makes it prohibitive for most to use it in exterior home construction, the bricks are in wide demand from homeowners and builders who want to use them for interior accent walls, smaller outside projects and such.

A homeowner in Charlotte, N.C., recently purchased several pallets from Southern Pine to build a chimney back in a restored bathroom.

“Some builders don’t like them because their irregular size and shape make them more difficult to work with than mass-produced brick,” Khalidi said, adding that they also require a special limestone mortar.

“But the finished product can be truly stunning.”

For a price

Khalidi said he is willing to part with his entire stock of Savannah Greys for $2.50 a brick, or $25,000, which he characterized as “a steal.’ He is also willing to sell them in units of 3,000 or more for $3 a brick.

Trever Wells, owner of Clarkes Block on Tremont Road said his company also sells Savannah Grey when they have them. Wells offers Savannah Greys by the pallet, which is 500, with prices that range from $3 to $4 per piece, depending on the condition of the brick.

“It’s a very special market,” he said. “I’ve sold them to people on Sea Island and the plantations in South Carolina.”

The Savannah Greys can be used in walls, fences, porches, even floors.

“People do use them for floors and they are really beautiful,” Wells said. “But they are porous and must be sealed.

“Also, because they are not uniform in size and shape, builders will often cut them in half, using the smooth side on top to make the floors level.”

The bricks can still be seen in downtown Savannah, from stately mansions to the old cotton warehouses on River Street.

But Savannah Greys aren’t the oldest known brick in the area.

The famed Pirates’ House was built in 1734 on a foundation of brick, while the oldest church in Georgia, the Jerusalem Lutheran Church down the road in Ebenezer, was built primarily of brick in 1756.

Savannah’s apartment market will soon be getting a boost with the completion of The Bowery at 515 Montgomery St.

Choate Construction is overseeing work on the 59-unit complex, which is scheduled to finish in late 2016. Developed by Charlotte-based Lat Purser and Associates, the one- and two-bedroom units will be part of their My Niche Apartment collection, which provides upscale, urban apartments in walkable neighborhoods.

The Metropolitan Planning Commission and Historic Review Board last year approved the plans for the project, which included the demolition of two non-historic metal structures, one built in 1984 and the other in 1940. The four-story building was designed by Beacham Bunce and Manley Architects and will have a footprint of about 67,000 square feet.

Additional features include stainless steel appliances, fitness facility, dog-washing station, private patios and an enclosed courtyard with fire pits.

ON THE WEB

For more information on The Bowery apartments, go to www.mynicheapartments.com/niches/the-bowery

A recent change made to the international Safety of Life at Sea — or SOLAS — treaty is raising concerns among shippers, carriers and terminals as the July 1 implementation date looms.

The new amendment requires that all containers and their cargo must be weighed — and that weight verified — before they can be loaded onto a ship.

The impetus for such a rule has many in the maritime business scratching their heads.

While few deny that incorrectly declared container weights can have a serious impact on the safety and stability of vessels, trucks and terminal equipment, many point out that such a regulation has been in place for more than 20 years.

Since 1994, the International Maritime Organization has required shippers to provide container weight information to vessel operators to ensure the boxes are correctly and safely stowed onboard.

The IMO’s new amendment, however, takes that rule a step further, requiring each container to have a signed document, either electronically or on the bill of lading, listing the “verified gross mass” — or VGM — of the container before it can be accepted on board.

The problem, according to the Journal of Commerce, is that there is a lot of frustration among shippers with the lack of information on how the new requirement is to be enforced, what it will cost and who will do the enforcing.

The issue has raised so many questions that the JOC has created an online “Special Topics” page at joc.com for container weights.

“This is one of the most important developments in maritime transport since the introduction of the container itself and the potential for significant disruption on July 1 — or even earlier in the case of some transshipment containers — is considerable,” John Foord, president designate of the Federation of National Associations of Shipbrokers and Agents, told the JOC.

Foord’s organization recently surveyed members in 50 countries and found at least 18 had issued no guidance on the amendment.

Foord called it “staggering” that, with less than three months remaining until enforcement, so many countries had failed to take action to ensure the required measures were in place.

“The SOLAS amendment has been under development for four years, so it is worrying that, at this late stage, ship agents, forwarders and shippers in many countries still lack appropriate guidance as to how they should comply,” he said.

No agreement

In the U.S., container ports are looking at their options, with no real agreement on what they should — and shouldn’t — do.

Still unresolved, at least in the U.S., is whether the VGM document will be created before the box arrives at the port or when it gets there.

According to the JOC’s Peter Tirschwell, different ports are taking different stances.

The Virginia Port Authority has said that, when the rule takes effect, it won’t accept containers without a VGM declaration, joining all 13 terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in not offering weighing services to shippers.

Others, such as the Port of Charleston, are willing to be more accommodating, with South Carolina Ports Authority CEO Jim Newsome saying they will create the VGM on behalf of the shipper, using the port’s existing equipment and process for weighing export containers.

At Georgia Ports, the fourth busiest container terminal in the country, the jury is still out. Both outgoing port director Curtis Foltz and incoming director Griff Lynch are traveling outside the country this week.

But others in the maritime community have raised the question of how GPA, with some 10,000 gate turns a day, could add another step and maintain its unprecedented efficiency.

“That just doesn’t make sense,” said Rhett Willis, president and CEO of D.J. Powers Co. Inc., an international freight forwarder and logistics provider with headquarters in Savannah.

Willis said he has more than a few questions that have yet to be answered.

“What actual authority does the IMO have within U.S. commerce? Who is responsible for enforcing this regulation? How much is it going to cost? Isn’t there a way this could be accomplished without reinventing the wheel?

“And that’s just for starters,” he said.

“The IMO has taken it upon themselves to impose a sweeping regulation with little consideration of the effects on commerce,” he said.

“Containers can be checked by tweaking required paperwork and methods already in place,” he said. “It doesn’t have to disrupt commerce and place an undue burden on shippers.”

As it is currently written, Willis said, the rule is impractical in application.

“There is no enforcement mechanism, the costs will be high for the perceived benefits and , most importantly, it will disrupt supply chains at ports across the globe.

“I really see no way it can go forward.”

Congress will weigh in next week with a hearing on the impact the rule will have on U.S. exporters.

Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.

Following are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean terminals this week. Schedules are supplied by GPA and are subject to change.

TERMINAL VESSEL ETA

GCT MAERSK WEYMOUTH Today

GCT MAERSK DENVER Today

GCT ZIM HAIFA Today

GCT MSC VANESSA Today

GCT MSC BEIJING Today

GCT MAERSK WINNIPEG Today

GCT SANTA BETTINA Saturday

GCT MSC METHONI Saturday

GCT CAFER DEDE Saturday

GCT MATAQUITO Saturday

GCT HANJIN MONACO Saturday

GCT MAERSK KURE Saturday

GCT YORKTOWN EXPRESS Sunday

GCT NEWLEAD GRANADINO Sunday

GCT CSCL AFRICA Sunday

GCT SPIRIT OF LISBON Sunday

GCT LENA-S Sunday

GCT DEIRA Sunday

GCT CHARLESTON EXPRESS Sunday

GCT HANJIN MIAMI Sunday

OT GRANDE SENEGAL Sunday

OT TULANE Sunday

OT SUPRASTAR Sunday

GCT SEA-LAND CHARGER Monday

GCT MAERSK DETROIT Monday

GCT OOCL ASIA Monday

GCT OOCL MEMPHIS Monday

GCT MAERSK SOFIA Monday

GCT JONATHAN SWIFT Tuesday

GCT ZIM CONSTANZA Tuesday

GCT NYK REMUS Tuesday

GCT MSC KLEVEN Tuesday

GCT YANTIAN EXPRESS Tuesday

OT TIJUCA Tuesday

OT STAR KIRKENES Tuesday

GCT MOL ENDOWMENT Wednesday

GCT AL RAWDAH Wednesday

GCT JPO VULPECULA Wednesday

GCT NYK CONSTELLATION Wednesday

GCT VEGA SACHSEN Wednesday

OT TOLEDO Wednesday

GCT NYK DAEDALUS Thursday

GCT MSC RACHELE Thursday

GCT OCTAVIA Thursday

GCT HELSINKI BRIDGE Thursday

GCT ATLANTIC ALTAIR Thursday

GCT IRENES REMEDY Thursday

GCT MSC LAURA Thursday

GCT MAERSK KOTKA Thursday

GCT HANJIN BUENOS AIRES Thursday

OT OBERON Thursday

Elba Island construction contract awarded to Houston firm

Kinder Morgan Inc. and its subsidiaries, Elba Liquefaction Company and Southern LNG Company, have awarded a contract for the engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and startup of a natural gas liquefaction project at Elba Island to IHI E&C International Corporation, based in Houston.

The approximately $2 billion Elba Liquefaction Project will consist of 10 moveable modular liquefaction system trains using Shell technology.

The new units will connect to Kinder Morgan’s existing re-gasification terminal at Elba Island, which will be modified to receive liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the new liquefaction facilities.

Modifications will include compression for vapor handling and new pumps for loading the LNG on vessels for export.

Shell is the customer for 100 percent of the liquefaction capacity and ship-loading services being developed by the project. When completed, the Elba Liquefaction Project will process and liquefy a total capacity of approximately 2.5 million metric tones per year of LNG.

“We are excited about this next step for our future LNG export project and look forward to working with IHI E&C to bring it to fruition,” said Norman Holmes, president of Kinder Morgan’s Southern Region Pipelines.

Glyn Rodgers, IHI E&C president, said his company is pleased to receive the contract.

“We and Kinder Morgan share the same quality, safety and performance objectives on making this project a huge success,” Rodgers said.

For more information, go to ihi-ec.com or www.kindermorgan.com.

Savannah Bananas, Alpha Media Savannah-Hilton sign deal

Alpha Media Savannah-Hilton Head has announced a multi-year agreement with Savannah Bananas Baseball, which will debut in the Coastal Plain League in May.

Alpha Media will host specialty nights with the team during the season and produce events yearlong with Fans First Entertainment in Grayson Historic Stadium.

“Alpha Media is all about live and local fun. (Bananas owner) Jesse (Cole) and his team are set to bring lots of family fun to our community. It’s a natural partnership that we are very excited about,” said Gigi South, Alpha Media VP/Market manager.

Cole said Alpha Media will “bring so much energy and enthusiasm to our partnership that we know we will be able to do amazing things with them in the years to come.”

Alpha Media, which has headquarters in Portland, Ore., owns or operate 249 radio stations within 52 markets across the United States. Alpha Media also owns performance venues in Portland and San Antonio, Texas.

Allegiant Air adds
two new routes

Allegiant Air on Friday added two new routes — Indianapolis and Pittsburgh — to its service at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport.

The new nonstop flights will operate Fridays and Mondays, expanding on Allegiant’s Savannah service, which already includes Cincinnati, Canton/Akron and Columbus in Ohio. The destination airline will add flights to Baltimore/Washington and Lexington, Ky. later this summer.

Introductory fares start at $58.

Originally set up on an early May through August schedule, the low-cost airline saw heavy demand almost immediately after announcing its initial Savannah flights. In early March 2015 — two months before the first flight — Allegiant extended its Cincinnati route through Oct. 11.

Kroger customers donate to fight muscular dystrophy

Customers and employees in Kroger’s Atlanta Division, which includes 11 stores in the Savannah area, donated more than $323,000 between March 20 and April 2 to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, surpassing the division’s goal by more than $23,000.

The annual initiative encouraged Kroger customers to buy $1 or $5 shamrocks to help the MDA send young patients to summer camps, as well as provide comprehensive health care, medical equipment, wheelchairs, support services and clinics to people affected by more than 40 forms of neuromuscular diseases.

“Kroger is fortunate to have so many generous customers and associates whose kindness helped us exceed our goal,” said spokesman Glynn Jenkins. “Their donations will help inspire hope to all those living with neuromuscular diseases.”

Director of Live Oak Public Libraries resigns

The board of trustees of Live Oak Public Libraries has announced the resignation of library director Christian Kruse, who said he is leaving to focus on personal and family obligations.

The announcement said Kruse joined the library in 2002 and “saw it through many changes, construction and other projects. We appreciate his many contributions over the years and wish him well for his future.”

Kruse stirred controversy in December 2011 when he used $22,900 in library funds to buy Target gift cards for 166 employees.

Jason Broughton, assistant director of public services, has been named interim library director, and the announcement said a search for a new director will be launched in the coming weeks.

Contact Gale Baldwin, Managing Editor/Business Editor at 912-652-0300 or gale.baldwin@savannahnow.com.

It’s one of the most distinctive vehicles ever made, and its owners are quick to tell you they’re more than enthusiasts.

“Oh yeah, we’re fanatics,” said Savannahian Randy Queen. “There is a reason our website isn’t called SSR group or SSR club.” The site is called ssrfanatic.

Some 150 of those fanatics are in town this weekend to share their love of owning and driving the Chevrolet Super Sports Roadster, filling the parking lot of the Pooler Ramada Inn with more than 100 of the shiny, well-cared-for vehicles — the only convertible pickup truck ever to roll off an assembly line.

Not familiar with the SSR? You’re not alone.

“People are always stopping me at gas stations and in parking lots to ask, ‘What is this? Did you build it?’ When they do, I give them the short version of the SSR history,” said Dick Bellville of Clearwater, Fla. “Most are really surprised to find this came off an assembly line in Detroit.”

The SSR is a retractable hardtop convertible pickup manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Chevy/GMC pickup truck. Its design was inspired by the early 1950s Chevy trucks, giving it a retro pickup look with the rear-wheel-drive powertrain of a muscle/sports car — think Corvette and GTO.

Fewer than 25,000 were built, giving it an almost instant cult status.

“The Chevrolet SSR has a knack for attracting attention,” wrote Car and Driver in 2003.

The magazine went on to wax poetic, describing the SSR as “part roadster, part truck and part Van Halen — a retro Yankee wrapped in concept-car spandex.”

It also sported a lot of firsts.

“It’s the first truck Chevy designed by computer and the first to feature sequential vehicle identification numbers, or VINS,” said Bellville, the unofficial historian for the group, adding that his 2004 SRR was the 5,054th produced.

“Ironically, the SSR was originally marketed to a 20-40 age demographic,” Bellville said. “But the sticker price, after dealer add-ins, was too high for most of them.”

The inaugural 2003 model carried a price tag of nearly $42,000 before dealer additions. By 2006, the average price was around $56,000.

“And buyers in Canada and overseas were paying upwards of $80,000,” he said.

Those prices quickly pushed the market demographic to the 55-70 age group, which is well-represented at this weekend’s annual rally.

“I think most SSR owners are like me,” Queen said. “I had my eye on it the minute it was introduced. But, practically, I wanted to wait until I was retired and had the kids out of college before I splurged.”

Michael Roe, who came down from Atlanta, said rally attendees hail from as far away as Pasadena, Calif., Maine and Canada. The club has members all over the globe.

“But we’re not really a club,” Roe said. “How can we be when we have no dues, no meetings and no rules? The best way to describe us is we’re a family.”

No meetings aside, the group has a full weekend of activities planned, from a tech seminar, parts-swap meet and tours of Savannah on tap for Friday. Today the group has been invited to do tour laps at Roebling Road Raceway in West Chatham County. A tour of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum and an awards banquet tonight will wrap up the formal events.

Meanwhile, members have been queuing up all weekend for tune-ups and other work by SSR owner and specialist Jeremy Formato.

“When Chevy built the SSR, there were a lot of little things that weren’t exactly right, that needed tweaking, and our members have done that over the years, making lots of improvements,” Bellville said, adding that it’s rare for an SSR owner to take their car to a dealer.

Queen agreed.

“Most people here know more about their SSRs than Chevy does,” he said.

ON THE WEB

www.ssrfanatic.com

When it’s hot, we sweat. When it’s cold, we shiver. Humans, at even the cellular level, adapt to change. Because of our ability to change to the changing environment, we survive.

It’s no different in business. We must be fluid enough to change our products to what the customer wants.

If you have a business, like this newspaper, you know about adaptability. You can’t offer the same product to your readers that you did more than 200 years ago. That’s why publisher Michael Traynor is unveiling new technologies to their portfolio of offerings. This newspaper is adapting.

So what are you doing in your business to adapt to change?

Some of us love change, and some of us fear it. First, decide who you are. If you like change, you may already be shifting to the customer’s needs. If you don’t like change, use these four points as a jumping-off point to grow your business.

The Harvard Business Review had an article a couple of years ago called “Adaptability: The New Competitive Advantage” by Martin Reeves and Mike Deimler. They offered a plethora of points you can explore.

For me, these four fit our Savannah market. Because I represent tourism, I’ll liken each to tourism businesses. Regardless, you can use these no matter what part of our economy you represent.

Ability to read and act on signals

In this first tip, the authors beg the question: Are you reading the situations and the things that are happening around you? Maybe you’ve noticed people pause at your door step but don’t come inside. Are they potential customers? Do they seem more affluent?

If there is a shift, are you filling those needs? If you want your crowd to be different than what it currently comprises, find out how to reach the people you want.

Trolley companies are good at reading and acting on signals. If the customers aren’t there, they redirect their fleet. If the demand is high, again they redirect. They’re constantly reading what people want and need on a trolley tour. Transportation? OK, we’ll offer stop-and-start trolley service.

Ability to experiment

If you’re having a hard time reading and acting on those signals, then you may want to try a few new things.

For example, if you’re a restaurant, you generally have a set menu. Those menus are printed and set, and the inventory order is the same every week. But you could look around your restaurant and find something to experiment with.

Maybe you could try offering a special with locally sourced food. Several distributors have local products for sale. You could choose something that fits in line with the taste of your restaurant.

Try the dish and make sure it tastes good. Have your servers and staff try the dish. Educate the staff on what’s in it and how it’s different. Set up the special for the night, and see how well it does.

The locally sourced food is good for the environment. It’s what more and more customers are requesting. It may cost more, and that charge can be passed on to the consumer, thus maintaining your bottom line. As an aside, with a higher bill comes a higher tip for the server.

Look at the mavericks

In the Harvard article, the writers also suggest looking at the mavericks — meaning to not only look at the competition around you but also look at the leaders and disrupters in your particular area. What are they doing that you’re not doing?

If you’re in retail, do you need to look at your inventory and offer something different? Strike up conversations with the customer and ask what they need. Look at who they are and what they’re wearing. Maybe you’re trying to sell T-shirts to people who wear button-down shirts. Do you need to update or add to your inventory?

Increase speed

You have to be nimble and ready to act. If you aren’t, maybe you need to look at your organizational structure.

Few are faster at adapting to change than the hotelier. They know that to compete, they have to be ready to change — rates, lobbies and programming.

Figure out how you can be as fast as the lodging properties are to compete and adopt that timeline.

If we aren’t willing to change, no matter what our business, we may be swallowed up by those who are. Get to the heart of business: Look around and see what the customer wants, then provide that service. Sweat when it’s hot, shiver when it’s cold; and be willing to change and adapt your business plan.

Michael Owens is president/CEO of the Tourism Leadership Council, the largest non-profit trade organization that supports and represents the tourism community. Contact Owens at michael@tourismleadershipcouncil.com or by calling 912-232-1223.