The Times and Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina • 8

tmtfl 1 11 enrotrat Exotica: Family business expanding and moviing 5 The unique-looking new building under construction at 2874 Columbia Road is nearly complete. It will be home to Exotica International which is returning to Orangeburg. Exotica was established in Bamberg in May 1976 by Dr. and Mrs. Ajit S.

Randhawa. The initial inventory consisted of gift items from the Far East. However, with the apparent need for quality apparel, Exotica moved into a store. Raj Randhawa's philosophy of personal service, quality and selection proved to be a successful business strategy. The Bamberg location twice was twice expanded.

Exceptional Companies! Exceptional People! "Capital will go where It Is welcome, and stay where it is well-treated. Walter Wriston, former chairman, Citicorp September 18 will kick off the state's sixth annual observance of South Carolina Industry Appreciation Week with the theme "EXCEPTIONAL COMPANIES! EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE!" In 1994, industrial companies invested $2.9 billion in South Carolina. Of that amount, 56 was invested by our existing firms. These firms already doing business in South Carolina added 9,500 new jobs. And the trend continues.

In the first six months of this year, South Carolina firms have invested $1.8 billion, 58 of total investment, and have created 1,721 new jobs. Recent headlines have touted the possible selection of Orangeburg as a location for a new 150-person plant. This is cause for headlines as such a facility would certainly have a positive impact on Orangeburg County. What does not make headlines as often, however, is the continued expansion of our existing firms. Orangeburg County is blessed to be home to growing companies American Koyo, Cox Wood Preserving, Gulbrandsen, Zeus Industrial Products and many others.

These EXCEPTIONAL COMPANIES provide leadership at the local, state and national level. They produce innovative, quality vision (M) in 0 peration Desert Storm. I tejoining the business as oj jerations manager, he and his wife Sonya have ma de their home in Ora ngeburg. They have three children: Nicholas, Alys sa and Hunter. Simran P.

Sii agh is a fashion design gr; aduate of the Fashion Ins titute of Technology. SI le has gained experien through working with interna-tiohnal firms am i designing her own lint Rajee'. For several years she appeared as fashi on commentator on Jon es Inter-cable's Orangeb mrg InsideOut. In addi tion, she has authored a ook entitled "Eurofashion jUnleas-ing the Designei to You" that has been sol nationally. As marketing manager, she is actively involved in consumer at isistance and buying.

Simr an is the wife of G. Rid Singh, D.M.D. Nikki Randh lawa, a graduate of Clem son University in accoun ting and 1 1 products. They act In 1984, an opportunity came to explore the retail atmosphere of the newly developed Prince of Orange Mall. Exposure at the mall brought Exotica into the lives of many people that had not taken the time to visit Bamberg.

Although the mall store was a success, the atmosphere of a mall setting and the -k urff-. A-- Development dialogue Exotica's new location at 2874 Columbia Road is nearing completion. The contractor for the project is Cleckley and McGee of Orangeburg. photo by Ken Tyler) as key members of our sales team when selling Orangeburg County to other corporations. They employ, train and develop EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE our families, friends and neighbors.

Orangeburg County, from its County Council to its conscientious citizens, expresses appreciation to our existing industries for your a II I finance, is curre ntly the senior account xecutive forFCR in Charlotte, NC. Sh has remained active in the busin ess and written the monthly newslette for the past 10 years. Charan Ajit S. Randhawa i headed for the Art Institute of Atla nta this fall and is very active in the Dmputer operations of the company. Raj Randhawa added, his is a very exciting move for us.

The I support that the community has alrea dy given us through cards and letters i greatly appreciated. We look forward I to serving the people of Orangeburg I and the surrounding communities. It i a pride for me to do something that I love so much, have my family beside me, and feel so much at home in a pi ace that has become our home. We ope that our new home on Columbia toad will be as much a pride for Orang eburg as it is for us." I the needs of out-of-state clientele. The Shoe Salon opened in 1991.

Quality designer footwear from Spain, Italy and Brazil offer diversity, high fashion and style reflective of European houses. The Gentleman's Quarters, the most recent addition, was added in 1993. Raj Randhawa said, "Men that came in with their wives wanted the same calibur of apparel offered to them. We have researched the men's market to reflect a selection of high quality, rich textiles and dignified, 'sensible' fashion for men in the surrounding conimunities." Exotica President Dr. Ajit Randhawa received his master's degree in India and his Ph.D from University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

He is the chairman of the division of natural sciences, math and computer sciences with high recognition as Dun- long hours had takenf away the "at-home" feeling that was so characteristic of Exotica. That's when the decision was made to consolidate the two stores and eventually build the free-standing store currently under construction in Orangeburg. Exotica Intl. has expanded into housing four different specialty stores. Ladies Finery offers quality designer apparel sizes 2 through 30.

Due to customer referrals, the clientele is representative of South Carolina and 11 other states. Raj Randhawa said, "Our wardrobing services, careful buying, attention to detail, and most of all, personal service has enabled us to develop a devout clientele that has become more friends than customers. It is for them that we strive to offer service, quality, selection, and fashion." A shipping service has been set up to cater to forth Scholar and among the Governor's Distinguished Professor of the Year. Raj Randhawa, vice president, has a bachelor's and law degree from India. She received her master's in the United States and taught seven years in the Bamberg public school system.

She is, and has been, an active supporter of civic organizations. Her background is an echo of the high taste level she possesses and is reflected in the selection of quality merchandise offered at Exotica. Dr. and Mrs. Randhawa have four children, Mitti, Sim-ran, Nikki and Gogi.

Harmit S. Randhawa (Mitti), a Wof-ford graduate, served nine years in the Chemical Corps of the U.S. Army. He was Company Commander of the 91st Chemical Company, 24th Infantry Di many contributions. But we want to do more than say thank you.

We want to show our thanks. This is why Orangeburg County, through this Development Commission, is building its program around our existing industry. In September, you will be invited to a luncheon and seminar featuring a nationally-known industrial psychologist. You will be featured in a special supplement in The Times and Democrat. You will be profiled in a series of news articles.

In October, you will be updated on the latest assistance programs from the state, which apply to existing and new firms alike. You will be the subject of a 12-page glossy brochure markeig the county. In November, you will have the opportunity to learn the latest in workforce development and training techniques. You will be invited to guide us in our marketing efforts. And just wait til you see our plans for next year! It has been said, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Year in year and year out, this organization spends a majority of its time working with industries already located here.

Counties across the state report the same activity. Since January 1994, over $1.5 million dollars in mostly state assistance has been provided to Orangeburg County firms for expansions. We will work to continue that growth. We will improve our business climate. We will incorporate industry even further into the community.

For we believe in you Orangeburg County's EXCEPTIONAL COMPANIES! EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE! Paul H. Grossman Jr. is executive director of the Orangeburg County Development Commission. Roses introduces network advertising campaign HENDERSON, N.C. Roses Stores Inc.

has launched a network television advertising campaign promotion that will be seen by 5.9 million viewers during the peak fall and winter selling periods. The ads, which started airing Aug. 1 and will continue during specified weeks through mid-January 1996, will be aired exclusively on network affiliate stations NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox in most Roses market areas. With an emphasis on the value and convenience of shopping at Roses, the campaign positioning line will be The Easy Way to Save The Company plans to air over 7,800 TV and radio spots throughout a14 week campaign. Broadcast radio will air in certain single store markets.

The TV campaign will use 20 different creative spots featuring products from many of the company's key suppliers of quality brand name products. This campaign is a major opportunity for Roses and one we are very excited about," said Shelia Moffitt, vice president of marketing. These commercials complsment our chain's weekly circular program, which continues to be a favorite shopping tool for our customers." Roses is a discount merchandising chain offering a variety of apparel, housewares, small appliances, health and beauty care, toys, electronics, and sporting equipment. Headquartered in Henderson, N.C, Roses operates 106 stores throughout 1 0 southern states. Larry Lyles elected chairman of board of S.C.

Beer Association Larry Lyles, president of Carolina Beer Co. of Anderson and Edisto Bever- Behind every door is a story age of Orangeburg, has been elected chairman of the board of the South Carolina Beer Association. He was formally installed, along with the 12 other newly elected board members, at the association's recent joint convention with the Alabama Wholesale Beer and Wine Association at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef, St Thomas, U.S.V.I. Lyles, a native of Anderson and graduate of T.L. Hanna High School and Erskine College, is a member of the advisory board of NationsBank, member of the board of Anderson Memorial Hospital's Healthy Futures Trust, member of the Board of Trustees of Coastal Carolina University and member of the Anderson College Board of visitors.

The six directors chosen to represent each of the congressional districts in the state include Murray Baroody Jr. of Orangeburg Distributors for the 2nd District Jay Dahlgren, Edisto Beverage, Orangeburg, was elected one of three oJ-rectors-at-large. The South Carolina Beer Association is a trade association that represents the 37 beer wholesalers in the state. The SCBA is a policy making organization for the state's beer industry, an industry that contributed $70 million in excise taxes to the state's general fund last year. South Carolina to join fuel tax agreement South Carolina truckers will find life a little easier when South Carolina becomes a member of the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) in January.

IFTA is designed to bring conformity to laws governing motor carriers in all states, and is intended to reduce the number of regulations and the amount of paperwork motor carriers face in their base-states and the states in which they work. Under IFTA, motor carriers will be required to have to hold only one license, display one set of decals and obey one set of rules. In the past, motor carriers may have had to deal with different rules and regulations in each state. Federal law requires all states to become members of IFTA by Sept 30, 1996. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are members of the Regional Fuel Tax Agreement and are not required to participate in IFTA.

To introduce South Carolina-based motor carriers to the IFTA program, the South Carolina Department of Revenue, in conjunction with the South Carolina Departments of Transportation and Public Safety, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Highway Administration, will hold a series of IFT A workshops throughout the state in September. The workshops are free but it is necessary to register with the Department of Revenue to attend. To register call the SCDOR at (803) 737-6620, or write to Motor Carrier Services, SCDOR, P.O. Box 1498, Columbia, S.C. 29216-0027.

Dates, times and locations of the workshops are: Columbia, Sept 5, Midlands Technical College, Airport Campus, Lexington Avenue, 9 a.m. -1 pm; Spartanburg Sept 7, Spartanburg Technical College, Led-better Building, Room 253, 1-85 and New Cut Road, 9 a.m.-1 pm; Charleston, Tues. Sept 1 2, Trident Technical College, Palmer Campus, 66 Columbia Street 1-5 pm; Pendleton, Sept 14, Tri-County Technical College, Oconee Hall Auditorium, U.S. Highway 76, 1-5 p.m.; and Florence, Wed. Sept 20, Rorence-Dartington Technical College, Building 400, U.S.

Highway 52, 1-5 p.m. Local business joins DTNiron network Imagine an implement lot with inventory stretching from Virginia to California, where a dealer can shop for the precise piece of equipment a customer needs, yet not leave the office. Thafs precisely what is coming to Calhoun County since Guess Farm Equipment of St Matthews, S.C, has joined the DTNiron network. DTNiron is a satellite network of over 935 implement dealerships across the country. Each dealer lists equipment for sale, or equipment wanted, complete with many details about each Item: everything from operating condition and number of hours used to a wholesale asking price.

The beauty of the system is it is a dealer-tc-dealer network In the past if a dealership did not have the exact piece of equipment a customer needed, if may have seen some business go down the road. Now, that business may stay at home," Charles Trauger, DTNiron Product manager, says. 1ve act as a clearinghouse of information." The information is broadcast by satelitte and is updated hourly. Member dealerships have 24-hour access to all the listings and can place an many listings as they want on the network; most are sending in 10-15 listings. When a dealer locates a piece of equpment on DTNiron, he calls the listing dealership and pursues a deal.

Data Transmission Network Corporation is an information and communication services company with more than 85,000 subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to DTNiron, the company has products for the agricul ture, automotive, electrical, energy, financial and mortgage industrie s. MCI, First Union join forces for Internet access CHARLOTTE, N.C. In an unprecedented alliance to jump-sta It virtual banking activity on the Internet, First Union Corp.

and MCI Commui wations Corp. are joining forces to offer a turn-key software and service pad nage to provide First Union customers simple and convenient access to the Inti arret In an 1 8-month market test, the two companies will put the pow er of the Internet directly into the hands of First Union's retail and commercial ustomers by providing them personal computer software disks that connect custi )mers directly into a custom-designed First Union Internet home page. From there, customers will be able to access a wide variety of 3rst Union banking applications, information and the bank's virtual shopping mi all by simply pointing and clicking on individual icons. Using Netscape Communications Corporation's most advance! 1, secure navigational tool, Netscape Navigator (TM), which was customized lor First Union by MCI, bank customers will be able to make secure transact ions directly over the Internet with full confidence that their account and credit ca rd numbers are safe from electronic eavesdroppers. The software package will i also enable bank customers to easily and quickly browse the Internets World We Web, the fastest growing portion of the Internet, using point and click techi nology.

"For many customers and businesses, the Internet remains a rr rystery looming somewhere out of reach," said Fred M. Winkler, First Union seru or vice president and head of Card Products. "First Union and MCI are solving hat mystery by providing the software that makes virtual banking and Internet na vigation simple and convenient." SCNet now available in Calhoun County South Carolina's locally owned and operated long distance carri er, South Carolina Net is expanding in the Greater Columbia region. SCNefs economical and personalized long distance services ar now available to businesses and residences served by Alltel Telephone in all )f Lexington County and much of Calhoun County. "We receive a tremendous amount of exposure in the greater 0 olumbia area, and I'm sure thafs one reason we have seen such an increasi ng demand for SCNefs services in these regions," said James Thompson, vice president for network and customer services at South Carolina Net Thompson said it took about 60 days to complete the technical i equire- ments for making SCNet available to businesses and residences th; it get their local phone service from Alltel.

As of June 30, South Carolina Nefs expanded service area indi jded all businesses and residences with the following telephone number pre fixes: Lexington 356, 359, 951 957. St. Matthews 655, 874. Cameron 82; I. Creston -826.

Smith hosts U.S. Chamber town meeting via sa tellite Michial Smith, the Edward D. Jones Co. investment represent ative in Orangeburg will host a live satellite broadcast Friday, Sept 1 5. The pro gram will consist of a town-hall style meeting at the U.S.

Chamber of Commer ce in Washington, D.C., and will feature Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, l-Ga Gingrich will discuss the status of Medicare and the current debate over proposed changes to the system. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to sit in on this discussi jnatthe U.S. Chamber of Commerce," Smith said. The debate on Medicare has a lot of people confused and wondering where the system is headed. This coadcast gives us a chance to hear from someone at the center of the debate In addition to the program being live, it will also be interactive.

A bl-free number will allow members of a nationwide audience to call in and rssent questions to Gingrich. For more information on the Sept 15 broadcast or to reserve a at contact Smith at 803-534-5247. SprintUnited cuts some long-distance rates Beginning Sept 1 SprintUnited Telephone-Southeast will cut to g-distance calling costs for its customers in South Carolina. The state Public Service Commission has approved a 12 percer il rate reduction requested by SprintUnited Telephone. Reduced rates will ap )fy to long distance calls between points in the same calling area, or LATA.

(Tht Call Guide at the front of SprirrtUnited Telephone's directories describes LATAs. "Our 100 percent digital network is very efficient" explained Tom i Mien, SprintUnfled's community relations manager. "As a result, we can address our customers' desire for reduced calling rates." Customers who have any questions about SprintUnited Telephc le bills and services may contact their local business office at 1-800-733-90-fc 5. ByPAULNOWELL AP Business Writer MATTHEWS, N.C. Criminals have used them to store illegal drugs or cars involved in fatal wrecks.

Police have used them to store vehicles used in undercover investigations. Rock bands use them to practice their music at earsplitting decibels. Artists rent them to create in solitude. And, of course, some people actually keep furniture or other belongings in mini-storage warehouses. "People come to us during different events in their lives," said Stephen Benson, president of Morn-ingstar Mini-Storage, the largest self-storage company in the Caroli-nas.

"We provide a service when a student goes off to college, or when someone is retiring and moving from the big house to the town house. Or when someone dies," Benson said The Matthews-based company has more than 2 million square feet of rental space at 28 sites, including Charlotte, Raleigh, Hickory, Lexington, Wilmington and Winston-Salem in North Carolina. In South Carolina, Morningstar has storage units in Columbia, Florence, Greenville, Spartanburg and Sumter. Morningstar's total square footage has nearly doubled since 1990, when it was just over 1 million square feet. The company recently opened a new foot facility in northeast Charlotte.

Its no coincidence the business Mom and Pop operations that are not very professional." Morningstar tries to set itself apart from the competition with better service. All of its self-storage facilities have 24-hour access, computerized security, closed-circuit television surveillance and bright exterior lighting. The storage units are located in masonry biiMngs that feature gabled roofs and attractive landscaping. Three out of four customers are individuals who use the units to store things like old cars, boats, furniture and other personal items. To get past the locked iron gates, they need to know a security code.

"When someone comes in at 7:30 p.m. in November they want to know they are secure, said vice president Neville Christie. The units themselves range from 5 by 5 feet to 20 by 30 feet and larger. Rental fees vary from about $20 to more than $300 per month. The company also provides 5 percent of its storage space to charity.

In Charlotte, Catholic Relief Services used a unit to collect furniture for 30 families who were arriving from Southeast Asia. Company officials also have a funny bone. Every Sunday night, Christie and Benson come up with a new slogan for the signs outside all Morningstar facilities. One of the most popular sayings was: Let Tommy Toot His Tuba Here." That brought in a rush of aspiring musicians. has grown along with the Carolinas.

The Southeast is one of the nation's fastest growing regions. "People are moving so much more than they did in the past and changing careers," Benson said. "And we re there for people if they get caught up in corporate downsizing." Privately held, Morningstar does not disclose its profits. But chief financial officer Phyllis McArthur said the company will post more than $10 million in revenues in 1995, up from $5.5 million in 1992. "There's been some lean years," said Benson, who started the company 14 years ago with three partners.

"Nearly all of our profits have gone back into the company to buy real estate." Listed among the nation's top 21 operators by "Inside Self-Storage," the North Carolina company is dwarfed by industry giants such as Public Storage Management which has 65 million square feet of rental space in 1,110 facilities in 38 states and Canada. U-Haul International Inc. has 16.7 million square feet of rental space in 758 facilities in all 50 states and Canada. By the time the list gets down to No. 5, Storage Trust Realty, which has just over 5 million square feet of rental space, it's apparent that it is a fragmented industry.

"We believe the real big companies are more focused on their investors than their customers," Benson said at the company's headquarters. "The smaller companies are i'.