Published: Tuesday, Jan. 06, 2009 / Updated: Tuesday, Jan. 06, 2009 12:54 AM

Business In Brief - January 6, 2009

York Regional Chamber to celebrate 10th year

The York County Regional Chamber of Commerce will celebrate its 10th anniversary as a regional chamber at its annual meeting on Jan. 15 at the Baxter M. Hood Center in Rock Hill. The annual meeting will be presented by Wachovia Bank.

An open reception begins at 6 p.m. with a dinner buffet, business program and the annual business awards presentation afterward.

Individual tickets are $59 each, and reservations can be made by calling Kara Alexander at 803-324-7500 or e-mail kalexander@yorkcounty chamber.com.

The 2008 Regional Board of Directors chair Wayne Wingate (Durango Bagel) will pass the gavel to 2009 Chair Joe Versen (Versen Appraisals). There will be a review of the Chamber's accomplishments in 2008 and a look toward its goals in 2009. Annual business awards also will be presented.

The 10th annual meeting is sponsored by the following generous supporters: Presenting sponsor, Wachovia Bank; platinum VIP reception sponsor, Piedmont Medical Center; and gold sponsors, AbitibiBowater, Comporium Communications, Founders Federal Credit Union, Outback Steakhouse and Williams & Fudge.

Medical Services opens 15th hospice program

Medical Services of America has opened its 15th hospice program in South Carolina at 197 S. Herlong Ave., Suite 110 in Rock Hill.

Medi Home Hospice served York, Chester, Lancaster, Union and Cherokee counties. The program is Medicare, Medicaid and JCAHO certified.

The office can be reached 24 hours a day at 803-327-5190 or by fax at 803-327-5643.

Counseling services offered in new office

Palmetto Counseling & Consulting Services has opened an office at 454 S. Anderson Road, BTC, Suite 307 in Rock Hill.

Rich Schlauch, a licensed clinical social worker in North and South Carolina, is the director. He's been trained to provide treatment for depression, anxiety, ADD, anger management, trauma, grief, loss and other mental health conditions.

The service offers several session formats include individual, family, marriage, couples, Christian, group, online counseling and life coaching services.

For appointments or more information, call 803-517-9659, or e-mail info@palmetto counselingconsulting.com. The Web site is palmettocounseling consulting.com.

Lawsuit: Football star DeBoer in on pyramid

The federal lawsuit that alleges former USC football star Rob DeBoer was involved in the pyramid scheme is in the hands of a judge.

Testimony recently ended in the case over Burnlounge, a New York online music store operator that attracted many investors from the Columbia area.

The Federal Trade Commission sued Burnlounge executives and top recruiters, claiming the business was a pyramid scheme that rewarded investors for recruiting more people into the business -- not for selling music.

Federal officials have said DeBoer was Burnlounge's top recruiter.

A federal judge in Los Angles is awaiting legal opinions from federal regulators and the defendants, said David Fix, an FTC attorney. A decision in the case could come later this month, he said.

DeBoer declined comment on Monday. The 37-year-old Irmo resident has denied any wrongdoing in the past.

Public comments about nuclear reactors invited

The public will have two chances this month to make comments about the environmental impact of two nuclear reactors proposed by SCE&G.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold two meetings in Fairfield County, where people can suggest environmental issues that need to be analyzed, according to a notice published Monday in the Federal Register. The hearings are part of the commission's process in writing an environmental-impact statement about the reactor.

The environmental-impact statement is one step in the federal licensing process, which can take three to four years.

The meetings will be:

• Jan. 27 -- Fairfield Central High School, 836 U.S. Highway 321 Bypass in Winnsboro; and

• Jan. 28 -- McCrorey-Liston Elementary School, 1978 state Highway 215 South in Blair.

Both meetings will be from 7 to 10 p.m. An informal discussion will be held at 6 p.m. each night, but comments during these meetings will not be part of the official record.

To register to speak, call Patricia Vokoun at 800-368-5642, extension 3470 or Mark Notich, extension 3053.

Comments also may be e-mailed by March 6 to Summer.COLEIS@nrc.gov.

SCE&G wants to build the two reactors at its Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station on 3,600 acres in Fairfield County. The plan would cost $9.8 billion.

Next month, the S.C. Public Service Commission is expected to accept or reject the proposal.

Despite low sales, Greer BMW plant breaks record

BMW vehicle sales again braked sharply in December, following the trend of nearly every automaker selling in the U.S. market.

BMW reported its December sales fell 35.9 percent, while its 2008 volume was down 9.7 percent.

Sales of the X5 sports activity vehicle, built locally, were down 41.9 percent in December and 9.5 percent for the year.

BMW said the X6 sports activity vehicle, launched last year, posted sales of 432 vehicles in December and 4,548 in 2008.

Despite the drop in U.S. sales, BMW's Greer plant produced a record 168,300 vehicles through the week of Dec. 15, up from 157,530 in 2007, according to BMW statistics.

The previous production mark was hit in 2003, with 166,090 vehicles.

About 70 percent of the plant's production is exported, said Bobby Hitt, BMW Manufacturing spokesman. That's up from about 60 percent in recent years.