Could you imagine going through life every day with near-debilitating, chronic back pain? Back pain is one of the most common ailments in America - it's estimated that 8% of all adults, or 16 million people, suffer from chronic back pain in the U.S. every year. If you've never experienced a back injury or pain, be thankful. Chronic back pain affects every aspect of a person's life, from participating in sports to limitations with everyday activities, like cooking dinner. In fact, many people with chronic back pain can't even make a reliable living and put food on the table. Almost 83 million workdays are lost every year due to choric back pain.
The inability to work and provide isn't just a physical issue - it can become an emotional one too. Many people suffering from chronic back pain also suffer from depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, in the past, chronic back pain sufferers wanting to avoid addictive medications and invasive surgeries had few viable relief options. However, if you're suffering from a chronic back issue like sciatica, a pinched nerve, or a bulging disc, pain relief may be closer than you think.
Modern chiropractic care and, more specifically, a spinal decompression chiropractor in North Charleston, SC, may be the long-term solution you need for chronic back pain.
A common misconception is that chiropractors only adjust your back and neck when, in fact, they treat the whole body with all-natural treatments. Here at Elite Healthcare, our doctors focus on your overall health, not just pain. We want to find and address the underlying causes of your symptoms. If you're unfamiliar with an integrative approach to medicine, this strategy may seem new. Our chiropractic care is less about putting a band-aid on the problem and more about finding a natural, long-term solution to your pain.
Fortunately, our experienced chiropractors provide the best in natural pain relief. Prescription and over-the-counter pain medications mask the symptoms you're experiencing versus getting to the cause of your pain. Pain is often the result of your spine being out of alignment, which leads to nerve issues. Once your spine is back in alignment, the nerves function correctly again.
Because our chiropractic center offers a combination of different therapies and non-surgical treatments, we provide a comprehensive approach to healing. Depending on the extent of your back problems, spinal decompression therapy may be the answer to your chronic pain problems.
Initially developed in 1985 by Dr. Allan Dyer, spinal decompression has been used by chiropractors for years. Unfortunately, spinal decompression is often passed over as a viable treatment, despite its numerous benefits.
In the past, patients suffering from chronic back pain issues like herniated discs were usually prescribed powerful medications. They were instructed to refrain from physical activities, referred to a physical therapist, and sent on their way. While physical therapy has an important role in back pain recovery, some back conditions need a more comprehensive treatment approach. For those patients, surgery seemed like the only option.
Today, patients with chronic back pain have many more options to consider. One of the most effective treatments for serious back pain is spinal decompression. This proven therapy, provided by Elite Healthcare, has been shown to significantly reduce pain and help patients live a normal, even active lifestyle once again.
Spinal decompression, also called Lumbar Cervical Decompression Therapy (LCD Therapy), is a very effective non-surgical solution to chronic back pain problems. If you're like most patients, your back pain is caused by disc issues related to your spine. This type of therapy uses computer technology and a spinal decompression machine in cityname, state, to stretch your spinal column slowly and gently, relieving abnormal pressure on the discs in your back, which sit in between your vertebrae.
This precise stretching action causes negative pressure to form inside the discs in your back, making them retract. With time, this negative pressure causes a reverse vacuum of sorts that actually draws your protruding discs into place. When pressure is removed from the disc segments in your spine, you experience much-needed pain relief.
The primary purpose of spinal decompression therapy is to provide you with immediate pain relief while creating a healthy environment to heal your spinal disc condition. Some of the most common conditions that spinal decompression therapy treats include:
This happens when spinal discs in your back are pushed outside of the spinal canal. When pushed outside of their usual space, these discs can put pressure on the nerves in your spine, resulting in localized pain and pain throughout your body. If a bulging disc is left untreated, it has a high chance of rupturing, which can necessitate surgery and longer recovery time.
Herniated discs are discs in your back that fracture or crack and leak fluid. The fluid or gel that leaks from a herniated disc may irritate the nerves in your back. When this happens, you may experience an intense burning sensation that shoots up and down your lower back and legs.
As you grow older, joints in your body, like your knees and hips, begin to wear away with time. The same thing can happen to the discs in your back. Often caused by heavy lifting or a family history of spine problems, degenerative discs are painful and can lead to serious situations. In advanced cases, bone spurs can form and affect the nerves of your spine.
When a herniated disc or bone spur begins to put pressure on the nerves in your back, it often causes sciatica. Sciatica is a common back problem that causes pain to radiate from your lower back down your legs via your sciatic nerve. Sometimes, this pain is only felt in one of your legs.
This condition is similar to arthritis of your spine, where the cartilage inside your facet joint breaks down and becomes inflamed. The result is often intense neck and back pain. It's most often caused by degenerative changes in the joints located between the bones of your spine.
This painful condition manifests when the space in your backbone is too small. When this happens, pressure impacts your spinal cord and the nerves that travel through it. Like other conditions treated by a spinal decompression therapy cityname, state, stenosis is caused by wear-and-tear in your back, which forms arthritis.
This term is often used to classify a range of back problems, most often caused by a pinched nerve root in your spinal column. This pinched nerve root may occur in different locations down your spine, like the lumbar or thoracic areas. Usually caused by a narrowing of the space where your nerve root leaves the spine, symptoms of this condition include pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness.
If you're looking for a safe way to relieve your chronic back pain, spinal decompression should be on your list of treatments to consider. This painless procedure is backed by research showing higher success rates in many patients when compared to spinal surgery. Unlike many medications, spinal decompression from Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine is designed to correct the condition you're facing while also minimizing costs and eliminating recovery and downtime.
Some of the most popular reasons why patients choose spinal decompression over surgery and other treatments include:
Invasive procedures, like back surgeries, often leave the patient racked with pain, long recovery times, and complications. Sometimes, the surgery doesn't work as intended, leaving the patient responsible for a therapy that didn't work correctly. As a non-invasive treatment, spinal decompression therapy can treat back and neck pain without needles, incisions, or harmful manipulations of the spine.
Getting back pain relief from surgery is far from guaranteed. However, because spinal decompression targets the underlying causes of your back pain, it's a much more effective long-term treatment. Spinal decompression is not a quick fix. When coupled with positive lifestyle changes like losing weight, you can maximize the pain-relieving benefits of spinal decompression.
Surgery of the back and spine requires the patient to be bedridden and uncomfortable for days and even weeks. Recovering from back surgery is no easy feat and often requires strong pain medications to help. Sometimes, back surgeries don't go as planned, causing complications and worse scenarios. Spinal decompression, on the other hand, is very effective and doesn't require much recovery time at all. Once your spinal decompression session is over, you'll probably be able to drive yourself home from our office.
One of the least talked about issues with back pain medications is that they only treat the pain, not the underlying causes. For many patients, relying on meds to relieve back pain fosters dependency on pain pills. Pain pill addiction is a very serious issue in the U.S., often leading patients down a dark path. With spinal decompression, you won't have to worry about taking pills for pain relief. That's because the root causes of your back pain are addressed, not just the symptoms.
If you were to look at the cost of surgery and subsequent years of prescription medication, you might be shocked. When compared to spinal decompression, surgery is a much more expensive treatment to consider. You've got to take the cost of surgery into account, but also the fact that you'll be forced to take time off work. By choosing spinal decompression therapy, you're choosing a safe, non-surgical treatment that doesn't require any time off work.
Spinal decompression relieves pressure on disrupted discs, causing them to retract back into place. This revolutionary treatment also lets oxygen, fluids, and nutrients re-enter your spinal discs, which provides additional healing.
By now, you probably have a better idea of how spinal decompression can help rid your life of back pain. But spinal decompression treatment does more than help with bulging discs, herniated discs, arthritis, and more. It has also been shown to provide patients with important quality-of-life benefits.
As mentioned above, harsh surgeries leave you bedridden and unable to work for long periods of time. Spinal decompression allows you to jump right back into the workforce, so you can continue providing for your family. Plus, reducing your back pain naturally increases your mobility since you won't be stressing about hurting yourself while moving. Instead, you'll be living in the moment.
One of the worst symptoms affecting people with back pain is the inability to sleep well. Sleeping with back pain can be horrible, causing you to toss and turn to find a comfortable spot. As soon as you find one and get settled, your back starts to hurt again. It's a vicious cycle, but adjusting your spine and relieving pressure with spinal decompression will help you get a good night's rest.
Did you know that when your spine is decompressed, it helps fluids circulate throughout your body? These fluids actually flush your lymphatic system, which helps support your overall immune system. Better circulation also benefits your brain and can help boost concentration and memory. The improved circulation from spinal decompression may also distribute oxygen and nutrients to your skin, creating a multi-benefit effect.
We are happy to answer your questions, and help you find the services you need. Please message us to get started.
At Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine, we practice an integrated approach to pain relief and chiropractic care. Our goal is to restore your spine to its proper alignment, which speeds up your recovery time and prevents additional injuries. If chronic back pain has taken over your life, it's time to visit our chiropractic office for a thorough evaluation.
Ask yourself this: Have you been suffering from headaches and sleepless nights due to muscle strain? Is your ability to work and put food on the table compromised due to a pinched nerve? No amount of over-the-counter pain medication can provide a long-term fix for such an issue. Thankfully, our chiropractors have years of experience providing relief to patients just like yourself.
After a comprehensive exam, our doctor will create an individualized treatment plan tailored to your body. That way, we can address the full scope of your symptoms by correcting any root causes of your back pain.
From minor chiropractic adjustments to spinal decompression treatment, we'll find the solution that your back and body need to heal correctly. If you're ready to get back on the road to better health, we're here to help every step of the way. Contact our Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine today to get started.
The former Navy Base in North Charleston that closed back in 1996 is finally on its way to adding new construction, including both single and multi-family homesNORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - New ownership brings new developments. The former Navy Base in North Charleston that closed back in 1996 is finally on its way to adding new construction, including both single and multi-family homes.Since the base closed its doors in 1996, the city had an original master plan that was created in 2004 for this redevelopment. Now, the city ...
The former Navy Base in North Charleston that closed back in 1996 is finally on its way to adding new construction, including both single and multi-family homes
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - New ownership brings new developments. The former Navy Base in North Charleston that closed back in 1996 is finally on its way to adding new construction, including both single and multi-family homes.
Since the base closed its doors in 1996, the city had an original master plan that was created in 2004 for this redevelopment. Now, the city has a revamped plan, known as the “Navy Base Redevelopment District” that they say is going to help bring even more connectivity to this area.
The city of North Charleston says the “Navy Base Redevelopment District” will include areas south of Virginia Avenue, areas around Noisette Boulevard, and Reynolds Avenue as the main focus. Megan Clark, the city’s planning and division director, says they are renovating two buildings on the base. One for residential and one for offices and retail.
Clark says other buildings could be hotels or strictly office buildings.
“All of that’s permitted,” Clark said. “The only development that we have proposed right now is just reused to those two buildings for the multi-family and office and retail.”
The city owns a lot of the property surrounding the base, such as the Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge, the Admirals House and Riverfront Park. Clark says they do not have a set number of how many people will be able to move to this area as they preserve the historic district.
“There’s a height district surrounding the historic buildings, so we maintain that character along Noisette,” Clark said. “But beyond that, there isn’t a height district. Potentially, you know, if you can park the facilities then you can put as many units as can fit.”
The city says they have nothing budgeted for this because they won’t have to pay if a property is privately owned. However, they can join an agreement with someone if they wish to do so.
The city’s planning commission will have two public hearings on Monday, Jan. 9. The first will be about the proposal of this new plan and the second will be approving the rezoning of the actual property. From there, it will need to go through city council readings in order to officially move forward.
Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – ...
COLUMBIA, S.C. – FlexCold, a leading cold storage warehousing and logistics company, today announced plans to establish operations in Dorchester County. The company’s $49.9 million investment will create 59 new jobs.
Headquartered in Charleston, FlexCold specializes in cold storage warehousing and logistics by providing customers with personalized cold storage expertise and targeting strategic locations that are advantageous to today’s evolving food supply chain. The company focuses on storing, handling, and distributing poultry, seafood, meat, packaged goods and frozen produce.
Located on Patriot Boulevard in North Charleston, the Dorchester County facility marks FlexCold’s first cold storage location in South Carolina and second facility in the United States. The new operations will include a highly modern, cold food storage facility to accommodate a diverse customer base with a focus on receiving a substantial amount of imported goods. Operationally, FlexCold will provide import and export services, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration inspections, labeling and repacking, and cross-docking services.
Operations are expected to be online by late summer 2024. Individuals interested in joining the FlexCold team should visit the company’s careers page.
QUOTES
“We are thrilled to be expanding our footprint by establishing operations within a modern cold storage facility strategically located close to the Port of Charleston. We’re proud to further add to the economic development of the area in a meaningful and tangible way by helping meet the need to accommodate critical import and export business, specifically seafood.” -FlexCold Co-Founder Jeff Manno
“We are proud to announce another innovative cold storage chain locating in South Carolina. It’s companies such as FlexCold that will continue to enhance our supply chain by providing profound ideas and cutting-edge talent. We welcome FlexCold and look forward to the positive impact that they will make in the state and the Dorchester County community.” -Gov. Henry McMaster
“We welcome FlexCold to Dorchester County and celebrate the new opportunities that the company will create. South Carolina’s business-friendly climate, talented workforce and efficient infrastructure network make it the perfect location for FlexCold to establish new operations.” -Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III
“SC Ports has significantly upgraded its refrigerated capabilities to efficiently handle more frozen and fresh products for the growing Southeast consumer base. FlexCold’s investment will complement these efforts and further enhance the cold chain in South Carolina. This innovative facility will expand the ability to move more frozen products, such as seafood, through the Port of Charleston.” -SC Ports President and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Melvin
“We are excited to welcome FlexCold as the newest company in North Charleston and Dorchester County, as we know the large capital investment and new job opportunities will certainly have a positive and lasting effect on our community. The city of North Charleston proudly commits to remain business-friendly and attentive to the needs of FlexCold and all our local industries.” -City of North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey
“Cold storage is a fast-growing segment of the logistics and distribution business at the Port of Charleston, and Dorchester County is excited to welcome FlexCold. It’s encouraging to see such a dynamic company establish operations in our community. We thank FlexCold for their investment and look forward to their success.” -Dorchester County Council Chairman Stuart T. Friddle
FIVE FAST FACTS
NORTH CHARLESTON — A new motel, barbecue restaurant and coffee shop are slated to be the newest businesses in the Chicora Cherokee neighborhood where once-vibrant Reynolds Avenue is now a focal point for revitalization.“Our goal is to not be King Street,” said Ed Sutton, developer and president emeritus of the Reynolds Avenue Area Merchants Association, emphasizing the need for the North Charleston strip to attract locally owned business as opposed to chain restaurants.But there’s another problem that af...
NORTH CHARLESTON — A new motel, barbecue restaurant and coffee shop are slated to be the newest businesses in the Chicora Cherokee neighborhood where once-vibrant Reynolds Avenue is now a focal point for revitalization.
“Our goal is to not be King Street,” said Ed Sutton, developer and president emeritus of the Reynolds Avenue Area Merchants Association, emphasizing the need for the North Charleston strip to attract locally owned business as opposed to chain restaurants.
But there’s another problem that affects the downtown Charleston business corridor that those living near North Charleston’s Reynolds Avenue are hoping to keep at bay: flooding.
The Chicora Cherokee community, a hot spot for new development and also a target for affordable housing and new businesses, is one of six neighborhoods that have been targeted for drainage improvements. Though residents and community leaders welcome the improvements, the city’s recent decision to move forward with a flooding study in Chicora was met with mixed reactions.
City Council voted Dec. 15 to pay civil engineer Reveer Group $146,510 to lead the Chicora Drainage Study. The study will analyze existing flooding conditions and evaluate remedial action in the form of maintenance or drainage improvements that will reduce or eliminate future flooding.
Reveer, a North Charleston-based firm, will also develop alternatives that will increase the capacity of the stormwater system and reduce the flooding potential in Chicora.
Chicora will be the first of six neighborhoods to undergo drainage studies using funding from grants awarded last year by the South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program to help cover more than $14 million worth of drainage improvements. Other neighborhoods that will see flooding solutions are Union Heights, Accabee, Read Street, Midland Park and the Northwood/Bentwood area.
The city still needs to secure additional funding to implement the recommendations from the study, Councilman Michael Brown said.
AJ Davis, president of the Chicora neighborhood, said any improvement that seeks to alleviate flooding is welcomed. But the infrastructure improvements are to be expected, given the economic interests in the city’s south end, he said.
Development is trickling southward from the Park Circle community, an eclectic district of residences and restaurants. Businesses have stretched south along Spruill Avenue and along Reynolds Avenue into the predominantly Black Chicora neighborhood, where housing affordability and gentrification remain a concern.
Some expected that incoming development would “trigger” infrastructure improvements, Davis said.
“In my opinion, this is less about truly addressing infrastructure issues for the people there and more so about aligning with a development trajectory that we’re all pretty much seeing,” Davis said.
Union Heights, located a few miles south of Chicora, is also slated to see drainage improvements.
Skip Mikell, neighborhood president, said he was unaware of the $14 million being invested in southern end neighborhoods. He also said the city should have considered the number of grassroots organizations that have for years been examining environmental issues in these neighborhoods.
In 1980, North Charleston studied the Chicora Drainage Basin, which spans over 400 acres and covers the neighborhood, and concluded that a new box culvert and outfall to the Cooper River was needed. The study also concluded that the pipes upstream of the retention areas were undersized and only provided up to 50 percent of the required stormwater conveyance capacity.
Soon after, the city constructed the recommended saltwater retention. In 2007, the Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority built a new box culvert though the former Charleston Navy base and a new outfall to the Cooper River.
While drainage has improved, flooding has continued to impact the community, which includes several homes, nonprofits, businesses, schools and churches.
“You have flooding to where folks can’t get to their houses,” Brown said. Brown added that the problem hasn’t gotten better over the years, even as new infrastructure projects have made way, such as the four-lane Cosgrove overpass that was replaced several years ago.
Evie Palmisano lives at the corner of Arapahoe Street and Captain Avenue, located in the adjacent Nafair neighborhood. She bought her home in 2019. Since then, her yard has flooded at least 10 times, she said. In 2021, Palmisano lost her car after the vehicle was flooded during heavy rainfall.
“I’m tentatively hopeful,” she said in hearing about the city’s new Chicora drainage study.
Rexton Street, a strip that stretches off the up-and-coming Reynolds Avenue, is also frequently under water. This impedes current plans to transform the strip into community-oriented space that includes an amphitheater, cafe and plaza. But proper infrastructure will need to be in place for those plans to be successful, Sutton said.
CHARLESTON S.C. (WCIV) — Wonderful things can happen when a community comes together.Lowcountry non-profit, Metanoia SC, is listening to the people who live in North Charleston's Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood.Over the past 20 years, Metanoia has been implementing programs to meet residents' needs to generate positive changes.Shawn Saulsberry is the Board Chair of Metanoia."It's a huge responsibility because Metanoia is literally s...
CHARLESTON S.C. (WCIV) — Wonderful things can happen when a community comes together.
Lowcountry non-profit, Metanoia SC, is listening to the people who live in North Charleston's Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood.
Over the past 20 years, Metanoia has been implementing programs to meet residents' needs to generate positive changes.
Shawn Saulsberry is the Board Chair of Metanoia.
"It's a huge responsibility because Metanoia is literally serving the area that I grew up in," Saulsberry said.
Saulsberry remembers growing up in what's known as "Charleston Heights," or the "Heights" in North Charleston.
The community played an important part in his childhood.
"I didn't have the organization that we have today, but somehow I ran across those metanoia-type people who saw me, and they invested in me."
His grandfather taught him the importance of entrepreneurship.
"My grandfather taught us to work hard at an early age. He would let us rent the lawnmower from him, and we would go and cut grass in the community, and we would get to keep the profits," Saulsberry said.
Now, as a Senior Manager at the accounting firm Ernst & Young, Saulsberry uses his background of a strong work ethic to encourage the youth in the neighborhood.
Metanoia serves as a youth leadership pipeline.
"I'm not the smartest or the brightest, but I do know how to work hard, and I also know how to have endurance and not stop and just encourage them. If you do those things eventually, you're gonna find what you love. You're gonna find what you want to do in life, and it's gonna work well for you," said Saulsberry.
Metanoia was launched in 2002 by a coalition of churches across South Carolina.
By definition, Metanoia certainly works well with the community it serves.
"It means to make a positive transformation, kind of take upon a positive change of direction," explained Metanoia CEO Reverend Bill Stanfield.
Rev. Stanfield and his wife Evelyn live in the Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood with their two teenage sons.
Before Metanoia's founding, the couple spent one year getting to know their neighbors and listening to their concerns.
"We really do believe people closest to communities know the solutions to their own problems," said Stanfield.
Stanfield saw this as an opportunity to build on the positive community members saw in their neighborhood.
And Metanoia did just that.
In addition to building leaders, it's the non-profit's mission to also establish quality housing within Chicora-Cherokee.
"We build new homes for some home buyers. We also build new homes for affordable rental, all within the community where prices are going up, and people are finding it hard to afford a place to live," said Stanfield.
The organization also invests in neighborhood assets. They support black businesses on Reynolds Avenue and have a partnership with a local manufacturing company to create jobs in the community.
"There's a systematic way of listening to the community and understanding what the community needs and then coming alongside the needs of the community and becoming an advocate for what the community wants to do," said Saulsberry.
If you'd like to nominate an individual or organization for a prestigious 'Jefferson Award, email your nomination to ABC News 4's Tessa Spencer.
One of the few remaining manufacturing facilities on the Charleston peninsula is scheduled to shut down before the new year as The Post and Courier shifts printing operations to a new location and a newer press in North Charleston.The two gigantic presses in the former newspaper building at King and Columbus streets, an assemblage of machinery three stories tall and nearly the length of a city block, are expected to print their last editions in December.The move to a new 48,000-square-foot facility and Evening Post Publishing&r...
One of the few remaining manufacturing facilities on the Charleston peninsula is scheduled to shut down before the new year as The Post and Courier shifts printing operations to a new location and a newer press in North Charleston.
The two gigantic presses in the former newspaper building at King and Columbus streets, an assemblage of machinery three stories tall and nearly the length of a city block, are expected to print their last editions in December.
The move to a new 48,000-square-foot facility and Evening Post Publishing’s related purchase of a 2008 Goss Magnum Single Width Press is “a big deal,” said Tom Harmon, the company’s director of facilities and manufacturing. “There are not a lot of companies that are investing in printing presses.”
Newspapers are increasingly focused on online subscriptions, which suit modern reading habits while avoiding the costs of printing and distributing papers, but The Post and Courier still delivers printed newspapers to more than 30,000 readers in the greater Charleston area each weekday.
The company will print most of the other 10 South Carolina newspapers it owns at the North Charleston site, as well as print publications it does not own and commercial printing jobs.
Evening Post Publishing Chairman of the Board Pierre Manigault said many community publications would have very limited printing options but for the company’s new press.
“I think a lot of the products that people in the Lowcountry are used to seeing are printed by us,” he said. “I think that, just like we are doing the Uncovered series and helping smaller community newspapers that don’t have the resources, we are trying to boost journalism in South Carolina.”
He said the press will also help the company diversify its revenue through commercial printing jobs.
“It is a pretty big investment, and we think it will pay for itself,” Manigault said.
Harmon said the newer press will do the work of the older two presses it is replacing more efficiently and with higher quality.
“In South Carolina, we are one of the main printers,” Harmon said. “That’s kind of our niche right now.”
Up close, the newer printing press is an imposing piece of machinery, 130 feet long and 40 feet wide. It consumes ink by the barrel and can rapidly turn a huge roll of paper into tens of thousands of printed, collated and folded newspapers, ready for delivery.
The former Post and Courier building in downtown Charleston has two older and larger presses, currently performing their final weeks of service. Replacing them at the World Trade Center industrial park in North Charleston is the newer press purchased from a seller in Sweden, which made its way to Charleston in multiple shipping containers.
Just creating a foundation for the machine in its new location involved eight truckloads of concrete, said Harmon.
“We’ve added a lot of upgrades and redid all the controls, and all the newest bells and whistles,” he said in November. “Right now, we’re at the stage where the press has been completely assembled and we’re going through the test process.”
A newer press in a new location is just one of many changes that followed the 2021 restructuring of Evening Post Industries, a company that traces its roots to The Courier newspaper founded in 1803.
More than 200 years later, the family-owned company was a multi-state business with interests in television stations, multiple newspapers, extensive real estate holdings on the Charleston peninsula, a forestry company, pharmaceutical company, a chain of hospices and a book publishing operation.
In recent years, those holdings were trimmed down, the television stations were sold off and so were the hospices. And in 2021, Evening Post Industries was split into three companies. Today, The Post and Courier and 10 other papers, along with book publishing, commercial printing and White Oak Forestry, are run by Evening Post Publishing Inc.
A different company, Evening Post Industries, owns about 12 acres of real estate on the Charleston peninsula, which is slated for a redevelopment called Courier Square. Those holdings include much of the land between King, Spring, St. Philip and Line streets, as well as the former newspaper building along the east side of King Street between Columbus and Line.
Previously, the company leased vacant land that it owns at Meeting and Columbus streets for the development of the $100 million The Guild apartments and the $38 million headquarters of Greystar, an international real estate manager and developer.
Evening Post Industries CEO Ron Owens said the company has received permission from Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review to demolish the block-long newspaper offices and manufacturing facilities at King and Columbus streets.
“We’re not going to tear it down right away because we don’t know what we’re going to build there,” he said, adding that plans will be worked on over the next year with input from community and civic groups.
The more immediate plans involve a large surface parking lot on the west side of King Street and surrounding properties owned by the company, where the company has received conceptual approval from the BAR for retail businesses, apartments and a senior living facility.
“If everything goes as planned, we should break ground late next year,” Owens said.
The Post and Courier is South Carolina’s largest news organization and has been expanding statewide, with reporters in Beaufort, Bluffton, Charleston, Columbia, Hilton Head, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill and Spartanburg.
“All of the expansion is digital, so that doesn’t affect the printing press,” Manigault said.
The Post and Courier is available in print and online in the greater Charleston area, and online elsewhere. Weekly editions of The Post and Courier are published in print for Columbia and Georgetown. Evening Post Publishing also publishes the daily Aiken Standard and weekly printed editions of the Moultrie News, Kingstree News, North Augusta Star, Summerville Journal Scene, Berkeley Independent and Goose Creek Gazette.
“We’ve been looking at this whole thing since the split-up of Evening Post Industries a year ago, and we’re really looking at it (Evening Post Publishing) as a startup company,” he said. “It’s a little bizarre, looking at it as a 200-year-old startup, but that’s how it is, and we’re looking for the best ways a media company can operate in this era.”