Category: Press Release

YMCA of Greenville Staff Announcement

GREENVILLE, S.C. (April 24, 2024) – YMCA of Greenville announced today the positional changes of leadership team members Jarrod Covington, Cory Harrison, Julie Hollister, Lindsey Sease and Brian Vest as they accept additional responsibilities in association strategic initiatives to continue strengthening the Greenville community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

Jarrod Covington will serve as vice president of operations. Covington will lead all Advancing our Cause Committees to guide strategic growth, planning, program implementation, outreach, collaboration, and staff development for all branches. He will continue to oversee all aspects of the Prisma Health Family YMCA, including the planned expansion of this facility.

Cory Harrison will serve as vice president of overnight camping. Harrison will advance and implement strategic growth, planning, fundraising and development for YMCA Camp Greenville. Harrison will oversee the overall operations and growth of Camp Greenville, including overnight camping, family programs, adventure guides, Symmes Chapel (Pretty Place), endowment board, alumni development, programs, volunteer and staff development, financial development, community relations and collaborations with community agencies. In this role, Harrison represents the YMCA of Greenville on a national level with the American Camp Association and Y-USA Camping committees and leadership involvement.

Julie Hollister will serve in the position of vice president of youth and family services. Hollister will ensure the successful operation of all facets of youth and family programming including quality improvements and the development of new program initiatives, including process improvements, ensuring best practices in operations, participant experience, curriculum, quality standards, outcomes and measurements, staff leadership and development/training, volunteer recruitment, financial development, community relations, collaborations, partnerships and policy at the state and local level, budgeting, and financial results. Hollister will continue to be responsible for leadership of the Association Childcare programs, which include onsite Afterschool Programming, Day Camp, Sports and Aquatics Camps, Child Watch programs and RECESS.

Lindsey Sease will serve as vice president, marketing and communications for the YMCA of Greenville. Sease will continue to lead association-wide strategic development, creation, and execution of all membership, marketing and engagement activities. She will oversee the design and implementation of communication and public relations plans intended to position the YMCA of Greenville as the county’s preeminent charity of choice. Sease will focus on driving growth, innovation and quality improvement in all areas of membership and association engagement.

Brian Vest will serve as vice president of operations. Vest will oversee the overall operation of multiple branches including membership, marketing, programs, volunteer and staff development, financial development, community relations and collaborations with community agencies. Vest will steward the Y’s strategic priorities of all wellness initiatives across YMCA of Greenville branches bringing leadership and programmatic and administrative oversight to support the Branch Executives, Operational Directors and Wellness Director, aimed at ensuring excellent program quality, program offerings and establishing agencies.

YMCA of Greenville offers professional growth opportunities to its high-achieving leadership. With a long-standing policy of promoting from within whenever possible, the organization will continue to benefit from the staff’s years of experience and knowledge, helping the YMCA of Greenville advance its mission and improve the overall impact the Y has on all communities it serves.

To learn more about the YMCA of Greenville and the projects, programs, and services it supports, visit https://www.ymcagreenville.org/.

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About the YMCA of Greenville, SC

The YMCA of Greenville is a cause-driven non-profit organization. Our mission is, following the example of Christ, to build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. With a focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y nurtures the potential of every youth and teen, improves the health and well-being of our community and provides opportunities to give back and help support our neighbors. Founded in 1876, the Y serves more than 70,000 people annually through programs that include afterschool care, resident and day camps, aquatics, youth and adult sports, and health and wellness. Programs are offered though four family branches, as well as the Verdae YMCA, Y Camp Greenville, YMCA Judson Community Center and Hollingsworth Outdoor Center. The Y is also home to Y Teen Services and the SC Youth in Government programs.

For more information about the YMCA of Greenville, visit ymcagreenville.org, or call (864) 412-0288.

Marketing & Brand Strategist Anna Waters with Ballentine Capital Advisors recently had the opportunity to bake cookies for families at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas! Take a look at these Saint Patrick’s Day-themed cookies, which include Shamrock Pretzel Pops and Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas helps keep families with sick children together and near the care and resources they need.
About Ballentine Capital Advisors:
At Ballentine Capital Advisors, we seek to serve our clients’ wealth needs through providing premier advice and service in wealth management. We seek to passionately and empathetically provide the highest standard of fiduciary care, always putting our partner’s clients’ best interests before our own. Ballentine Capital Advisors is built on the philosophy that “We succeed when our clients succeed.” Our wealth management firm, through our years of experience and professional credentials, specializes in a focus on retirement, retirement income, and wealth planning. Visit ballentinecapital.com for more information.

For the 33rd year in a row, Carolina Handling has been named a Dealer of Distinction (DOD) by The Raymond Corporation, a global provider of best-in-class material handling equipment and intelligent intralogistics solutions.

The DOD award is given annually to the top performers among Raymond Solutions and Support Centers throughout North America. Carolina Handling, the exclusive Raymond Solutions and Support Center for the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Florida’s Central time zone territory, is among only seven Raymond dealers to receive the designation for 2024.

Being named a Dealer of Distinction is based on points scored in categories covering virtually all areas of the business including sales, service, parts, rentals, leasing, power and intralogistics solutions. The award signifies strength in the marketplace and operational excellence that drives growth and continuous improvement.

“Carolina Handling’s DOD performance year after year is an endorsement of the elite level of service and support that we provide our customers,” said Carolina Handling President & CEO Brent Hillabrand. “The top scores consistently received in so many different areas of the business are a testament to our associates and the teamwork that allows us to achieve a high level of success, even as the material handling industry continues to evolve.”

A continuing U.S. labor shortage and customer demands to meet an ever-growing consumer thirst for online shopping have spurred exponential growth in the warehousing and distribution segment, with an emphasis on new technology and automation to move products faster and more efficiently.

As the material handling industry evolves, Carolina Handling continues its evolution from a forklift-only provider to an end-to-end intralogistics solutions company offering a broad range of consulting, connected technologies, material handling equipment and service to support the growing and changing needs of the industry.

A leading material handling equipment supplier in the Southeast, Carolina Handling this past January received the 2024 Most Valuable Partner (MVP) Award from the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA), a recognition achieved by fewer than 10 percent of MHEDA’s 600 members.

ABOUT CAROLINA HANDLING

Founded in 1966, Carolina Handling is one of the Southeast’s leading integrated material handling solutions providers and the exclusive Raymond Solutions and Support Center for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida’s Central time zone. The company provides lift trucks and automation solutions for manufacturers, warehouses and distribution centers, along with parts and a full range of warehouse equipment.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Carolina Handling operates branch offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama, Greensboro, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina, and an Equipment Distribution Center in Piedmont, South Carolina. The company has more than 790 associates. For more information, visit carolinahandling.com.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Award-winning author Karin Freeland’s latest book, Grab Life by the Dreams, recently won First Place in the Non-Fiction, Self-Help > Motivation category in The BookFest Spring 2024 contest.
Grab Life by the Dreams: The Essential Guide to Getting Unstuck and Living Your Purpose is Freeland’s sophomore book, designed to help readers get unstuck, discover their true purpose, and create an actionable plan to achieve it.
The book is available here. The audiobook version is also available on Audible, which is narrated by Freeland herself, as well as the Official Companion Workbook & Reflection Journal, the perfect tool to implement everything readers learn in the book.
Dedicated to empowering women to reinvent their careers and achieve unprecedented levels of success, Freeland is a recovered corporate workaholic with a passion for guiding women toward realizing their aspirations. She employs her innovative coaching programs and proprietary EDIT™ Methodology to equip them with the tools and strategies to overcome obstacles, live their purpose, and create a balanced, fulfilling career.
She now runs Karin Freeland Coaching & Consulting and is the host of the Rock Your Reinvention Podcast. In addition to her coaching and speaking engagements, she shares her wisdom and expertise with a broader audience through her regular Monthly Mindset segment on the local news station, providing tips and actionable strategies for personal growth and success.
“This award is such an honor to receive because I set out to create a book that would motivate readers to believe in themselves,” said Freeland. “It really is possible to change your life, and anyone wanting to grab their life by the dreams should check out my book.”
About Karin Freeland:
Karin Freeland is a certified Life Reinvention Coach focused on helping women transform their lives and achieve their dreams by using the lessons she learned in her 15 years in the corporate sector. She is an award-winning author, and was recognized by Entrepreneurs Herald as one of the Top 20 Life Coaches To Look Out For In 2021. She was named a Woman of Influence by the SC Biz Journals in 2024. Learn more about her and her company Karin Freeland Coaching & Consulting, LLC at www.karinfreeland.com

Power:Ed, the philanthropy of SC Student Loan Corporation, awarded the Greenville Chamber Foundation a $40,000 grant in support of TalentRiseGVL, the Greenville Chamber’s program that increases education attainment for Greenville County’s working-age adults by assisting their efforts to earn a certification, credential or degree.

The Greenville Chamber has spearheaded an effort to ensure that 60% of Greenville County adults aged 25-64 have a high-quality, post-secondary certificate, credential, or degree tied to meaningful employment and economic mobility. Under the banner TalentRiseGVL, this work officially launched in 2023. TalentRiseGVL serves and assists adults in navigating barriers to education and career transitions by helping them understand their post-secondary options and developing a plan to obtain a certification, credential or degree.

Greenville County currently sits at 50.6% of adults with an associate degree or higher. Power:Ed’s funding will support TalentRiseGVL in executing strategies to connect employers, incumbent workers and other adults seeking educational opportunities.

“Power:Ed is proud to support Greenville Chamber’s TalentRiseGVL program for its second year! Boosting educational attainment for workers is critical to boosting their economic mobility and expanding their career opportunities,” said Power:Ed Executive Director Claire Gibbons.

“The work that Power:Ed is funding will have a transformative and lasting impact on lives across our region,” said Cheryl Garrison, Greenville Chamber Foundation Executive Director. “Equipping individuals with the skills needed to succeed in our increasingly global economy will further strengthen our workforce and bolster our local economy.”

In FY2023-24 Power:Ed will award $1,000,000 in grants to South Carolina education and career readiness nonprofit organizations. In its fiscal third quarter, Power:Ed has awarded five grants, including this grant to the Greenville Chamber. Grants are administered quarterly, and the next grant funding deadline is July 1, 2024.

Carolina Handling, one of the Southeast’s leading integrated material handling solutions providers, has named Joe Perkins its Chief Operating Officer.

Perkins has served as executive vice president of operations at Carolina Handling since April 1, 2020. He joined the company in 2012 as a sales representative, moving up to sales manager, corporate warehouse solutions manager, director of warehouse products and solutions, and vice president of operations before being named to the executive team. Under his leadership, Carolina Handling received the 2021 award for Best Service Performance among all dealers in The Raymond Corporation network.

“Joe has shown incredible leadership as a member of our executive team, working tirelessly to not only elevate our organization in the material handling space but also to help individual associates develop and realize their career goals,” said Carolina Handling President & CEO Brent Hillabrand. “I’m delighted to announce his well-deserved promotion to Chief Operating Officer.”

As COO, Perkins is responsible for the company’s service, power management, continuous improvement, distribution, rentals, parts and quality assurance teams. He also will oversee the Intralogistics Solutions Group as Carolina Handling continues its evolution from a forklift-only provider to an end-to-end intralogistics solutions company offering a broad range of consulting, connected technologies, material handling equipment and service to support the growing and changing needs of the material handling industry.

“This is an exciting time to be in material handling and I look forward to helping Carolina Handling continue to strengthen its brand as an experienced and reliable integrated solutions provider and employer of choice,” Perkins said. “Our goal is to be a problem solver for our customers, helping them accomplish their goals in the most effective manner.”

A native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, Perkins is a graduate of the University of Mt. Olive in Mt. Olive, North Carolina. He resides in Denver, North Carolina, with his wife and three children.

ABOUT CAROLINA HANDLING

Founded in 1966, Carolina Handling is one of the Southeast’s leading integrated material handling solutions providers and the exclusive Raymond Solutions and Support Center for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida’s Central time zone. The company provides lift trucks and automation solutions for manufacturers, warehouses and distribution centers, along with parts, racking, storage, lighting and dock and door equipment.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Carolina Handling operates branch offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama, Greensboro, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina, and an Equipment Distribution Center in Piedmont, South Carolina. The company has more than 790 associates. For more information, visit carolinahandling.com.