The Post and Courier Greenville

Countybank announced that Andrew Bond has been appointed Vice President by the Board of Directors.

Bond joined Countybank in May of 2023 as a Commercial Relationship Manager and was appointed Assistant Vice President in 2025. With more than a decade of experience in commercial lending and financial consulting, Bond brings a strong foundation in relationship-based banking.

In his role, Bond serves as a primary point of contact for commercial clients across the Upstate, providing strategic financial solutions to support a wide range of business needs. As a trusted financial advisor and lending partner, Bond delivers tailored lending and treasury solutions, including credit facilities and cash management services designed to meet the evolving needs of business owners.

Based in Greenville, Bond serves businesses across the Upstate in industries including manufacturing, professional services, transportation, construction, healthcare, and automotive, offering a full range of commercial products, including equipment financing, lines of credit, real estate construction financing, acquisition, and refinancing, supporting clients at every stage of growth.

“Andrew is a key member of our commercial banking team and this promotion is well deserved,” said David Tompkins, Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Manager. “He’s dedicated to helping business owners navigate their financial needs and is committed to delivering exceptional service to his clients.”

Bond is a graduate of Clemson University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Financial Management with a minor in Accounting and an emphasis in Corporate Finance.

Bond resides in Greenville with his wife and daughter and is an active member of Buncombe Street Methodist Church. Outside of work, he enjoys playing golf, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Bond also serves on the board of Greer Community Ministries as Vice Chair of Finance.

Greenville, S.C. – Infinity Marketing (“Infinity”), a strategic and client-focused integrated marketing agency, is pleased to announce the promotion of Erica Gregory to Director, Web Performance.

“Erica has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, strategic thinking, and a passion for helping both our clients and our team succeed,” says CEO/President Bo Rogers. “Her ability to combine technical expertise with a collaborative leadership style has enhanced our web performance program and driven significant business results for our clients.”

In her new role, Gregory will oversee Infinity’s web performance strategy team, leading the agency’s SEO and GEO, conversion rate optimization, and web performance initiatives to deliver measurable business growth for clients. She will continue pursuing growth and curiosity-led innovation, while fostering collaboration across departments, leveraging data-driven solutions that strengthen website performance and improve user experiences.

“Erica’s leadership, curiosity, and commitment to delivering results have made a lasting impact on our team and our clients,” says VP, Agency Delivery, Kari Lynch. “This promotion reflects the confidence we have in her ability to continue driving innovation and growth.”

About Infinity Marketing

Founded in 1993, Infinity Marketing is a results-focused integrated marketing agency in Greenville, S.C., offering a spectrum of services that can be blended in customized ways to help our clients achieve their goals.

GREENVILLE, SC – Clay Koch, a wealth manager with Wagner Wealth Management, was recently honored as one of the leading young professionals in South Carolina.

Previously known as Forty Under 40, SCBIZ’s Emerging Leaders Under 40 is the next evolution of one of South Carolina’s most respected professional recognition programs. What was once a regional program is now statewide, creating a broader platform to recognize exceptional professionals under 40 who are driving business success, innovation and meaningful community impact across South Carolina.

Koch’s career in the financial services industry began in 2015, while he was pursuing his degree in International Business at College of Charleston. He joined the Wagner Wealth Management as a wealth advisor in 2024. In addition to his work. Koch is involved with First Tee, a non-profit organization that aims to make the game of golf affordable and accessible to children of all backgrounds. 

Dan Wagner, Founder and CEO of Wagner Wealth Management, praised Koch’s skills and abilities.

“We are incredibly proud to see Clay recognized as one of South Carolina’s Emerging Leaders,” Wagner said. “Since joining Wagner Wealth Management, Clay has demonstrated not only exceptional financial expertise but a deep, genuine dedication to serving our clients and strengthening our community.”

About Wagner Wealth Management:

Wagner Wealth Management specializes in helping individuals and companies reach their personal and professional goals. Wagner Wealth Management currently advises on more than $2.5 billion in client assets; their experience is diverse, exceptional, and solution driven. The firm has offices in Anderson and Greenville. Learn more at www.wagnerwealthmanagement.com.

Securities offered through Arkadios Capital. Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services through Wealth Management Advisors, LLC. Arkadios Capital and Wealth Management Advisors, LLC are not affiliated through any ownership.

A bed to sleep in, dishes in the kitchen and cleaning supplies under the sink may seem like ordinary household items, but for families leaving homelessness behind, they can mean the difference between simply being housed and truly feeling at home. Thanks to a new grant from Greenville Women Giving, Greenville Together will provide that feeling for 25 new households.

Greenville Women Giving, a special initiative of the Community Foundation, awarded the $25,000 grant to support 25 “Welcome Home” supply kits that include furniture, housewares and other basic necessities such as kitchen items and cleaning supplies. The kits are designed to help individuals and families served by Greenville Together establish a safe, stable and comfortable home environment as they begin a new chapter.

“We are incredibly grateful to Greenville Women Giving for this generous investment in our work and the people we serve,” said Cody Carver, director of Greenville Together. “Housing is more than simply having a roof overhead. A home is a place of comfort, dignity and belonging. These funds will transform empty spaces into welcoming homes for 25 households who have worked hard to overcome homelessness and begin again.”

The grant supports Greenville Together’s overall mission to address homelessness and housing instability in Greenville through collaboration with local nonprofit organizations, government agencies and community partners.

“This investment demonstrates the power of community partnerships,” Carver said. “When we come together to remove barriers and provide the resources people need to succeed, we can functionally end homelessness by making it rare, brief and non-recurring.”

For more information about Greenville Together and its efforts to end homelessness in Greenville, visit greenvilletogether.org.

MOA Architecture, Inc. announced the addition of Nylah Stover as an architectural designer. Stover brings experience in community-centered and sustainable design that aligns with the firm’s work on higher education, civic and community projects across the Southeast.
Stover holds a master’s degree in architecture from Hampton University and is a LEED Green Associate. Her academic work and professional interests center on community-informed design, an approach that aligns closely with MOA’s emphasis on stakeholder engagement and designing spaces that reflect local needs.
Her portfolio includes higher education facilities, a research center designed to address sea-level rise and a community center developed in partnership with a municipal planning office. Across these projects, she explored how architecture can respond to user input, environmental conditions and community aspirations.
“We are thrilled to welcome Nylah to MOA. She brings exactly the kind of thoughtful, community-minded design sensibility that defines our work, and a genuine curiosity about how architecture can serve both people and place,” said Michael Allen, founder and CEO of MOA Architecture. “Her portfolio reflects a designer who listens first and designs in response, which is precisely how we approach every project and every community we’re privileged to work alongside.”
“I’m excited to join a firm whose work is so deeply rooted in community,” said Stover. “MOA’s commitment to designing with and for the people it serves reflects the values I care about most as a designer, and I’m looking forward to contributing to projects that make a meaningful difference across the Southeast.”
In her role, Stover will support design and production efforts across MOA’s higher education, civic and community projects, contributing throughout the design process.

Countybank has been named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina by SC Biz News, ranking 8th in the mid-sized business category for organizations with 50 to 249 employees. This is the second consecutive year Countybank has received the award.

Presented annually, the Best Places to Work in South Carolina award recognizes organizations that are dedicated to fostering positive workplace cultures and exceptional employee experiences. Winners are determined through an independent, comprehensive evaluation of company practices and confidential employee feedback.

The recognition reflects Countybank’s commitment to supporting employee growth through professional development opportunities including ongoing training and education, enrollment in courses and schools for career development, a robust employee orientation program, and an internal leadership academy. The bank also strongly encourages its employees to actively serve their communities through participation in local chambers of commerce and philanthropic boards.

The organization encourages community involvement, with employees contributing thousands of volunteer hours each year in support of local nonprofits, schools, and community organizations throughout the Upstate, making a positive impact on the communities the bank serves.

“We’re honored to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina for the second consecutive year,” said Amber Price, Human Resource Director at Countybank. “This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects the voices and experiences of our employees. It speaks to the culture created across Countybank each day, one built on teamwork, support, pride in our work, and a shared commitment to serving our customers and communities.”

Countybank employs more than 170 people across the Upstate and serves individuals, families, and businesses through a full range of banking, mortgage, trust, insurance, and investment services.

Legendary Exits selects JDPR as agency-of-record
JDPR to provide strategic communication support for the Greenville-based exit planning advisory firm.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (Sept. 15, 2026) – Legendary Exits, a Greenville-based exit planning and growth advisory firm for business owners, has named strategic marketing-communications agency JDPR as its agency of record. JDPR will lead strategic planning, media relations and communication support as the firm expands its presence in local, regional and national markets.

“Every business is heading toward an exit — by default or by design,” said Micah Brandenburg, founder and president of Legendary Exits. “We design the exit around the owner’s life, not the owner’s life around the exit, and then we stay and build it with them for years before the deal. We chose JDPR because they take the same posture with their clients that we take with ours.”

Only 20 to 30 percent of businesses that go to market actually sell, according to the Exit Planning Institute, and 75 percent of owners who do sell regret it within a year — usually not because of the price, but because no one designed what came next. Legendary Exits works years ahead of that moment. Its Exit Architects start with the life the owner wants on the other side of the business, design the company to fund it, and lead the build alongside the owner’s existing CPA, attorney and wealth advisors rather than replacing them. Clients average a three-to-five-times increase in enterprise value over five years.

The firm’s Legendary Advisor division extends the same methodology to wealth management. Through The Legendary Advisor Framework, financial advisors nationwide learn to lead exit planning conversations with their business owner clients.

“Legendary Exits chose us as their strategic communication partners because we share the same approach to proactively guiding our clients with sound insights and a white-glove approach to service,” said Matt Lochel, president & CEO of JDPR. “M

The Center for Developmental Services (CDS) will host its 15th annual Eggs Benefit on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at The Poinsett Club in Downtown Greenville. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m., with the program running from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
The Eggs Benefit is CDS’s largest annual fundraiser and helps provide the programs, services and support that make a difference in the lives of more than 8,500 children and families in our community. Funds raised through the event help CDS continue its mission of helping children and individuals with developmental delays and disabilities reach their full potential. This year special guest speakers Dr. Desmond Kelly and Marc Metcalf will share their connection to CDS and how CDS has positively impacted the community and their family.
CDS is grateful to John I. Smith Charities, the 2026 Presenting Sponsor, and to WYFF4 / CBS Carolina and Prisma Health, this year’s Sunny Side Up Sponsors, for their generous support of the Eggs Benefit and CDS’s mission.
Reservations are required to attend. To RSVP or learn more, visit www.EggsBenefit.com. For more information about the event, contact Joy Blue at 864-331-1314 or Joy.Blue@cdservices.org.
About CDS
CDS is the largest multi-disciplinary treatment facility in the Upstate for children with disabilities and developmental delays. In one location, children receive services in therapy, evaluation, diagnosis, audiology, day care needs for the medically fragile, early intervention, case management, and a family support network. The partnership is comprised of Project Hope Foundation; KidVentures of Thrive Upstate; and five programs of Prisma Health – Upstate: Audiology, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Kidnetics, The Wonder Center, and Prosthetics and Orthotics. CDS and its partners serve
over 8,500 children and their families each year on property donated by the First Presbyterian Church of Greenville at 29 North Academy Street in Greenville, SC.

Greenville, South Carolina — September 14, 2026 — Red Oak Developers is pleased to announce Andy Kern, PMP, as its new Director of Land Development. Kern joins the company as Red Oak continues to expand its land development platform and services to regional and national homebuilders throughout the Upstate South Carolina market.
Kern brings a strong background in residential land development and a comprehensive understanding of the entire lot delivery process, including feasibility, entitlements, engineering, permitting, infrastructure, construction management, budgeting, final approvals, and lot delivery. His career includes land development leadership with Smith Douglas Homes and Toll Brothers, as well as project management with Metro Connects, where he managed major sewer infrastructure projects and coordinated with contractors, consultants, municipalities, and other stakeholders.
In his new role, Kern will help Red Oak Developers expand its finished-lot delivery and fee-development services, increasing the company’s capacity to pursue new opportunities and provide regional and national builders with a reliable development partner from land acquisition through finished lot delivery.
“Andy is an excellent addition to the Red Oak team and comes at an important time in our growth,” said Brad Skelton, Owner of Red Oak Developers. “As a veteran, Andy brings discipline, leadership, and a problem-solving mindset that fits extremely well with our company. His knowledge of land development and understanding of every facet of the lot delivery process will strengthen our ability to take on more projects and deliver greater value to our builder partners.”
Kern’s addition supports Red Oak Developers’ continued growth as a trusted land development partner for regional and national builders, with a focus on quality execution, strong relationships, and successful project delivery throughout the Upstate.

About Red Oak Developers
Red Oak Developers is a Greenville, South Carolina

A $595,000 Google grant is helping the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics train teachers to use AI in classrooms. On Sept. 24, GSSM President Danny Dorsel will join leaders from Google and InnovateHR for an i4Series panel on what schools are preparing students for as AI changes the workforce.

“Hired for What, Exactly? AI, Education, and the Workforce SC Is Building” is part of Tech Week Greenville, Sept. 20-26, and will be held at Greenville Technical College’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation on Thursday.

The three-year grant funds GSSM’s AI Faculty Fellows program. Each year, seven GSSM faculty members train in AI and how to teach it, then run a summer institute for 50 K-12 teachers from around South Carolina.

Dorsel said, “This partnership represents a significant investment in GSSM and in the future of South Carolina’s students and educators.”

Lilyn Hester, Google’s regional lead for community and workforce development, and Paula Fulghum, founder and president of InnovateHR, will join Dorsel for the discussion. Doug Kim, IP attorney and founder of Kim, Lahey & Killough Law Firm, will moderate.

Event details
When: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Where: Greenville Technical College Center for Manufacturing Innovation, 575 Millennium Blvd., Greenville
Cost: Free, registration required
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hired-for-what-exactly-ai-education-the-workforce-sc-is-building-tickets-1997724953112

About i4Series
i4Series is a Greenville-based innovation networking group that connects startup founders with leaders from established companies. Cherish Benton has run it since 2019. i4Series has hosted 30+ events with 1,300 registrations. Founding sponsors include Kim, Lahey & Killough Law Firm and SCRA.

About Tech Week Greenville
Founded by Nick Dennis, Tech Week Greenville is a week of talks, workshops and networking for the Upstate tech and startup community, Sept. 20-26, 2026.