Sun-News from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina • D1

MYRTLE BEACH If you ever need a shot of positive, go see Kelley Clarke at Southern Shores. Clarke, a Realtor, refuses to look at the negative side of anything, including her seven-year battle with cancer. When she was diagnosed she was given two weeks to live, and so she has earned the right by this time to thumb her nose at those who fall into the oh-poor-me syn- drome. And as far as her prognosis now, prognosis-schmognosis. Nobody has any guarantees.

could be hit by a car she said. Clarke has not missed a day at work, despite ongoing chemotherapy, and she was among the Realtors who kept one of the Grand money machines go- ing through the dark days of the recession. Realtors are the first line of contact for many of those planning a move to the Grand Strand. Without their work, the ar- development would be very limited, said Trina Dusenbury, senior vice presi- dent and mortgage banking manager for Coastal Carolina National Bank. Bankers hear from potential buyers af- ter the buyers have talked with Realtors.

get calls every day from people who are ready to Dusenbury said. With a home purchase, there is a poten- tial boost to the home construction indus- try and the impact of the day-to-day mon- ey spent by new residents, which can translate into new jobs. The importance of real estate, both sales and rental, to the Grand Strand economy is significant, according to Rob Salvino, an economist at Coastal Carolina University. He said that real estate has represented 28 percent to 30 percent of the near- ly $10 billion gross domestic product for more than a decade. Clarke and her husband, Jeffrey Clarke, moved to the Grand Strand 18 years ago when he opened his financial services office in Murrells Inlet.

The cou- ple lived in northern West Virginia, where Kelley worked as a children and family mental health therapist and a hospice di- rector. Growing up, she and her family va- cationed in Myrtle Beach and so it was an easy choice for a destination. always loved it she said. have the seasons. You have the hometown MAKING THE GRAND STRAND WORK PHOTOS BY CHARLES SLATE Kelley Clarke, a Southern Shores Realtor, refuses to look at the downside of anything, even her seven-year battle with cancer.

Below: Clarke talks with Kristin Hardee in their office Thursday morning. Realtor preaches positive Note This is another in a series of stories about workers who help make the Grand Strand run. Check out other stories in the series at MyrtleBeachOnline.com BY STEVE JONES See CLARKE Page 3D Money Opinion MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA MyrtleBeachOnline.com/MONEY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2013 SECTION ne of the devel-opers of the failedHard Rock Park theme park is reflecting on the project five years after its first and only summer season, saying the large debt and faltering economy led to its demise. But despite ending up as what park mas- termind Jon Bin- kowski joked was a cataclysmic failure of the in- dustry, still the project most proud of and would love to be part of again, he said during a recent podcast. is one of the most awesome disasters in the theme park industry as far as something closing down, but also it is one I am most proud Binkowski said in the podcast recorded earlier this month.

something I point to and I am proud of now if you were to walk the park, it is just really well put together. It is still a great concept. I still love it and I still believe strongly in it. jump back in with both But the future of the park in Fantasy Harbour off U.S. 501 in Myrtle Beach is still up in the air.

The park failed twice in two years, first as Hard Rock Park in 2008 then under new ownership as Freestyle Music Park, which opened and closed in 2009. It has sat unused since. An attorney for the park has declined to comment on the future, and a The Sun News staff Here is a look at the pulse of Horry lodging industry for Sept. 1-7: ROOMS FILLED 6.2% from same week last year Weekend TOTAL REVENUE FORECAST Source: Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism at Coastal Carolina University 7.8% from same week last year Midweek 7.6% from same period last year 6-week average (July 28-Sept.

7) Revenue per available unit change from last year The Brittain sample of 27 properties consisted of 11 hotels, 15 condo-hotels and 1 campground property. 63.6 percent occupancy for week of Sept. 14-20 60.1% 79.4% 78.6% 9.4% Park developer reflects on failure DAWN BRYANT Tourism Talk See TALK Page 3D INSIDE BUSINESS PULSE 2D PERSONAL FINANCE 3D OPINION 4-5D TECHNOLOGY Early Christmas? Gadget makers reveal lineups PAGE 2D Elizabeth Hohauser thought she had understood the Afford- able Care Act pretty well. But the small-business owner re- cently discovered that she would need to provide employ- ees with an official notice about the new health insurance mar- ketplace as of Oct. 1.

not sure what it is supposed to be said Ho- hauser, 42, who owns the CPR Cell Phone Repair store in Shel- by Township, Mich. The franchise holder, who opened for business in Decem- ber, said she is talking with the parent company and doing re- search to make sure things are done correctly. The business has two full-time employees, in- cluding Hohauser, and three part-timers. These days, many business owners and consumers are dis- covering that they need to pay attention to all sorts of moving parts relating to the Affordable Care Act. On the business side, ac- countants and others are tell- ing employers to be aware of the Oct.

1 deadline for providing required notices to employees about the availability of the new health insurance marketplace mandated by federal law. On the pocketbook side, con- sumers need to watch out for potential ACA scams in the coming weeks, too. First, the business alert. If a business is subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the em- ployer still must focus on an Oct. 1 deadline to give a notice to all existing part- and full- time employees.

true re- gardless of whether the compa- ny is offering a health plan. And beginning Oct. 1, the no- tice must be provided to new employees when they are hired. Rob Fowler, president and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan in Lansing, said he is still hearing from small busi- ness owners who say those no- tices apply to their com- panies. He tells them Health Care Act befuddles Small businesses voice big questions BY SUSAN TOMPOR Detroit Free Press See ACA Page 2D U.S.

Marine Corps veteran Nolan Crawley always wanted a Harley-Davidson motorcycle while growing up in Milwaukee. was the Milwaukee factor, living here my whole life and taking pride in my city. I want- ed to get an American-made Crawley said. So a few months after his five-year stint in the Marines ended earlier this year, the 27-year-old veteran bought his first motorcycle: a 2007 Harley- Davidson Sportster that had been kept in storage for five years and had only 1,000 miles on it. nothing like being on two wheels.

an awesome Crawley said. Many young motorcyclists have no allegiance to Harley- Davidson because grown up with foreign-made bikes and cars. Not satisfied to look in the rear-view mirror at aging customers, Harley has taken steps to attract a youn- ger, more diverse crowd. In 2012, the largest manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles was the No. 1 seller of new street bikes to U.S.

adults ages 18 to 34, according to R.L. Polk Co. market re- search data. It was the fifth consecutive year Harley could make that claim. The company also was the top seller of street bikes to white males, ages 35 and older.

But sales to young adults, wom- en, African-Americans and Hispanics grew at more than twice the rate of sales to white males 35-plus years old, Harley said. In 2012, the company sold nearly twice as many new street bikes to young adults as its nearest competitor, the Polk data shows. Among many efforts to at- tract a younger crowd, Harley- Davidson sponsors Ultimate Fighting Championship events. A lot of UFC fans are motorcy- Harley targets younger riders BY RICK BARRETT Milwaukee Journal Sentinel See HARLEY Page 3D.