Building Business w/ the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce

A toy store doesn’t end up in the Hall of Fame by accident. When Christine Osborne walks into a room, she brings the kind of energy that makes people say yes, show up, and feel like they belong and that same spirit turned Wonderworks Toys into one of Mount Pleasant’s most loved small businesses. Christine joins us to share how she built “magic” with smart retail fundamentals, relentless community...

You can feel it when a local team isn’t just playing games, it’s building a community calendar. From the floor of a bustling expo, we sit down with Keith Millick from the Charleston RiverDogs to talk about what happens after a season ends and how a club keeps its momentum rolling into the next year. The 2026 schedule is out, and Keith makes it clear they’re not going anywhere.  We get practical ab...

A single sentence can flip your whole career. Jennet Robinson Alterman heard it in a TV newsroom: “I’m never going to give you a raise. You’re just going to get married.” She quit without another job and kept moving forward, eventually building a decades-long record of women’s rights advocacy that ties together Charleston history, South Carolina politics, and real, measurable policy wins. We start...

A school district doesn’t just educate kids, it builds the future workforce, the local economy, and the fabric of a community. We’re joined by Dr. Luke Clamp, deputy superintendent of the Charleston County School District (CCSD), to share what’s driving momentum across Charleston County and why CCSD is leaning into big, measurable goals instead of small promises. We talk teacher recruitment and re...

Local news doesn’t just report on a town, it helps a town recognize itself. We sit down with Amy from Moultrie News to talk about what a true community newspaper looks like today, why local journalism still matters in Mount Pleasant, and how readers and organizations can play a real role in shaping what gets covered. Amy breaks down the day to day reality of serving a fast-growing area: balancing...

If you’ve ever stared at your phone in disbelief because it’s sunny at your house and storming five miles away, you’re not imagining things. We’re joined by Rob Fowler, Storm Team 2’s chief meteorologist and a familiar voice in the Charleston area for decades, to explain what makes Lowcountry weather so tricky and why “local” still matters when the forecast is on everyone’s screen. We talk through...

A routine traffic stop. Flashing lights. A terrified autistic teen trapped in fight-or-flight. That moment could have ended in tragedy and instead it became Rio’s Law, a first-in-the-nation autism/neurodivergent identifier license plate designed to help first responders slow down, reduce sensory triggers, and keep everyone safe. We’re joined by Layla Luna, founder of Just Bee (JustBeBeeTheChange.c...

The best local marketing advice rarely comes from a textbook, it comes from the people who physically put the magazines on the racks and watch what disappears first. We’re live at the Chamber expo with publisher Bill Macchio, talking about how community magazines and local podcasts are built from the ground up in Mount Pleasant and across the Charleston area. If you care about small business growt...

Starting a business can feel like you’re carrying the whole thing alone, and that’s exactly the problem the Harbor Entrepreneur Center is built to solve. We sit down with Grady Johnson, Executive Director of the Harbor in Mount Pleasant, SC, to talk about their mission of creating “collision” moments where entrepreneurs meet, swap real stories, and slowly build something more valuable than a conta...

Shelters don’t have to feel bleak. They can be bright, smartly designed hubs where families learn, kids dream about becoming vets, and animals get a real shot at life. Sitting down with Kay Hyman from Charleston Animal Society, we trace the full journey from intake to adoption and spotlight the systems that make lifesaving scale: free adoptions for dogs one year and older during capacity crunches,...

Ready to sell your business without derailing the company you built? We sit down with Michael Purcell, senior advisor at Viking Mergers and Acquisitions, to map out a practical, three-phase path from early planning to a confident close. We talk plainly about what buyers actually value, how to price to the market instead of emotion, and why asset purchases dominate in the lower middle market. If yo...

The room buzzes like a power line—sold-out booths, rapid-fire intros, and a hum of deals waiting to happen. We’re on the floor at the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce Community and Business Podcast Expo with the mayor of Mount Pleasant, digging into what makes a local economy both magnetic and humane: policy that protects small shops, partnerships that actually show up, and a tech strategy built...

Joy can be a business strategy. We sit down with Emilie, the host and executive producer behind Palmetto Life on Live 5, to unpack how a positive, community-first lifestyle show became an Emmy winner and a real engine for Charleston’s small businesses and nonprofits. From law firms and roofers to restaurants and health pros, Emily shows how a conversational format turns “ads” into stories people a...

Ever wonder why a TV station would set up shop at a business expo? We’re here to show how broadcast has evolved into a full-funnel growth engine for local brands. With guest Delaney Keppner of Live5, we break down the modern media mix—connected TV, OTT, Google Ads, retargeting, and geofencing—and how each piece works together to turn scattered attention into steady demand. We talk through the big...

What does it take to turn a $7,000 trailer and a first client into a catering company trusted by universities, wedding venues, and 40,000‑person music festivals? We sit down with Robert Patterson, CEO of Top Shelf Catering, to trace the journey from Marine Corps grit to five‑star service standards, and how those values fuel growth without sacrificing flavor or accountability. Robert shares the piv...

The right shade can change a room, but the right partner can change a business. We sit with Luis Ferioli of Bumblebee Blinds to explore how smart window treatments, outdoor enclosures, and thoughtful design turn hot, bright spaces into calm, livable rooms. From porches that finally feel good at noon to bedrooms that darken at the tap of a button, we unpack the details that make comfort immediate a...

The room buzzed at the Mount Pleasant Expo, and that spark set the stage for a focused conversation on building real momentum: turning LinkedIn from a static profile into a pipeline, using AI as a practical tool, and leaning on community to move faster with less friction. We sit down with Trio Solutions’ marketing director to unpack what works now for small and midsize businesses that want measura...

Want the real playbook for getting a project built in the Lowcountry without losing your mind or your margin? We sit down with eighth-generation Charlestonian and contractor Adam Ferrara to unpack the journey from spark to occupancy, why Charleston isn’t Charlotte, and how to grow without sacrificing the canopy, character, or coastline. We start with the truth behind timelines: rezoning, design re...

A growing city doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built decision by decision, space by space, and win by win. We sit down with Mount Pleasant’s economic development lead to unpack a playbook that’s surprisingly simple and very effective: attract the right kinds of companies, give them plug-and-play space, and clear the small policy hurdles that block adaptive reuse. Along the way, we spotlight new ar...

The room lights fade, the mic clicks on, and a familiar rink-side voice guides the crowd. That same calm command powers a 200+ event DJ company and a community leader who helped steer a chamber through the hardest year in recent memory. Shane Griffin joins us to share how a local entertainment brand scales without losing its soul. We dive into the craft behind great events: reading the room, pacin...

Some stores sell product. M. Dumas & Sons sells want—crafted through people, place, and a century of smart reinvention. We sit with co‑owner Gary Flynn to explore how a 1917 military uniform shop became Charleston’s menswear destination, why customers still cross town for an in‑store experience, and what it takes to keep a legacy brand modern without losing its soul. Gary traces his path from...

What if your entire marketing workflow—social posts, emails, texts, analytics, and approvals—lived in one tab and actually made sense? We sat down at the Mount Pleasant Expo to unpack a practical way to run multi-channel campaigns without drowning in logins, spreadsheets, and “who has the code?” messages with Rachel Backal, Engagement Manager from Pollen Social. From agencies juggling a dozen clie...

What does it look like when a local business treats community impact as the real bottom line? We sit down with Ken French of Crews Subaru at the Mount Pleasant Business and Community Expo to unpack a hands-on approach to giving that runs deeper than sponsorship logos and ad copy. Ken shares nine years of presenting sponsorship with the Chamber Expo, the roots of a family-driven dealership, and the...

A city can shape a designer, and Charleston does it with flair. We welcome Mary Welch Fox—interior designer, HGTV host, and founder of a woman-led studio—to unpack how place, personality, and process turn houses into homes people can’t wait to live in. From crossing a bridge and feeling the style shift to honoring each client’s taste without falling into copycat trends, Mary shares the mindset tha...

From the soccer pitch to the boardroom, Tanner Clay's journey with the Charleston Battery exemplifies how sports can build bridges between businesses and communities. As a former College of Charleston soccer player who parlayed his passion into a leadership role with America's longest continuously running professional soccer club, Clay offers a refreshing perspective on sports marketing...