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Davis & Floyd Inc., an engineering, planning, and landscape architecture firm, has hired Marion Bull as director of business development.

Bull will promote the firm’s strategic plan of focusing on client service and growing its brand across the Southeast, a Davis & Floyd news release stated. He is based in the firm’s Charleston office.

“We are excited to add a business development professional of Marion’s caliber,” Davis & Floyd President Josh Fowler said in the release. “His experience and leadership will be instrumental in helping us drive strategic initiatives while continuing to focus on client service. Additionally, he brings with him energy, creativity, and a collaborative spirit that will permeate throughout our entire organization.”

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Related content: South Carolina Ports Authority starts fiscal year with strong numbers

Bull joins Davis & Floyd with 30-plus years of business development and marketing experience recruiting port-dependent clients to South Carolina, according to the release. While working for the South Carolina Ports Authority, he played a key role in making the Port of Charleston the fastest growing port in the U.S. over the last 10 years.

Instrumental in developing and communicating the unique SC Ports brand of port service, he recruited Fortune 100 and household brand name firms to South Carolina with an emphasis on automotive manufacturing, consumer goods distribution, and cold chain facilities, the release stated. He was actively involved in recruiting industrial capital to the state for the development of industrial parks and speculative buildings. He also coordinated SC Ports’ economic development efforts with SC Department of Commerce, regional and county allies, and private stakeholders.

Bull served on the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association Board of Directors, the release stated. He has decades of involvement with and is past-Chairman of the South Carolina International Trade Conference. He holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising/PR from the University of South Carolina and is a 2002 graduate of Leadership South Carolina.

“I am honored to join the Davis & Floyd family, especially at this time,” said Bull in the release. “Energy, manufacturing, distribution, infrastructure, residential — it is all changing so fast and it is thrilling to be part of this decisive moment. I am all-in on the vision that Stephen Davis, Davis & Floyd Chairman and CEO, and this leadership team have developed to build on the firm’s legacy to drive the innovative, breakthrough solutions our clients need in this new era.”

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pa., I always looked forward to family trips to Bruegger’s Bagels.

At this particular location on hilly Greentree Road, patrons could see inside the production area, where bagels floated in a vat of boiling water. Brushed in egg wash and baked, the bagels that received a cinnamon sugar shower had me rushing to the window in fascination.

A magical sight to behold for a kid with a penchant for sweets.

At the time, it was a bagel. That was only outdone by Panera Bread, another chain that landed in our Western Pennsylvania suburb just after the millennium. With 34 grams of sugar affixed to the top of a chewy roll, this cinnamon-sugar bagel was a parent’s worst nightmare. It also was an 11-year-old’s dream.

I’m not the only one with nostalgic affection for these memory-inducing chains, according to a recent report by Bon Appétit. But as that account concludes, we are now fortunate to have better, locally-owned options across the country.

Of its top 24 U.S. bagel shops, Bon Appétit named destinations in 14 states. None are here.

Despite the snub, Charleston has a few standouts that have opened in the last two years and which are worthy of the spotlight.

Big Apple bagels

New York City has long been the presumed bagel capital of the U.S. Northeasterners who crave those distinct rolls have brought them to Charleston.

Serving New York-style bagels, Greg Odachowski had a feeling his shop at 43 Cannon St. would be a hit. With a clever name like Holey City Bagels, how couldn’t it be after opening in June 2022?

“I kind of got a sense of the demand for bagels,” said Odachowski, who operated a food truck with managing partner Bridget Byrne before debuting the brick-and-mortar location. “I don’t know if I expected the line out the door.”

Their bagels, which have a subtle malty taste and crunchy crust, are offered in up to 15 flavors. “Everything” is the most popular. That seeded, garlic flaked roll works well with Taylor Ham, egg and cheddar, while the rosemary salt is a great option for your lox and cream cheese. (Count Holey City Bagels among those who prefer a heaping serving of cream cheese with their salmon.)

The shop makes between 800 to 900 bagels a day, boiling and baking them off starting at 1 a.m. every morning. It took the bakers a few months of selling out before noon to get production to that point, Byrne said.

“The first few months were all about survival; and after five months, we put more systems in place,” she said. “We really focus on our systems, standards and control.”

On a busy day, Kevin Roach says Ruby’s New York Style Bagels makes 4,500 bagels. Since opening his second Ruby’s in North Charleston last month, the owner of the Mount Pleasant original expanded his capacity by 30,000.

Growing up in Connecticut, Roach always thought the New York-area was the only place to find a good bagel. He eventually started making his own in Charleston, launching a small business that helped him share the fruits of his labor with his neighborhood.

“We are in the midst of this huge growth right now,” Roach said. “We never saw what was going to happen in Mount Pleasant.”

Roach will soon open two additional locations, in West Ashley and North Mount Pleasant, respectively. Ruby’s sells more than 20 varieties, including French toast, cinnamon raisin and bacon cheddar habanero.

The top seller? “Everything.”

Small batch

Small batch bagel options have also entered the Charleston market.

JAMES ISLAND — All 10 barstools were taken when I stopped by The James on a recent Monday in August. According to an employee, that has been a nightly occurrence at the new James Island restaurant, now open at 1939-A Maybank Highway in the former Zia Taqueria space.

With cushioned bar chairs, the globe-lit bar is a nice place to grab a drink or a full meal, though there is plenty of seating inside the large restaurant, part of the Neighborhood Dining Group (Husk, Delaney Oyster House and Minero).

The bar area — which also features four high-top tables and a handful of booths with checkered upholstery — is separated from the dining room by a small partition. In the late afternoon, that portion of the 4,600-square-foot space is brightened by the sunlight that seeps in through a few long windows.

Between the farmhouse-inspired space that has come to define Husk and the classic oyster house aesthetic at Delaney, Neighborhood Dining Group President David Howard has shown he has a knack for conjuring up successful dining venues.

When he first told me about The James, Howard described it as an American grill that patrons might visit for a quality hamburger on a Tuesday before coming back for the prime rib over the weekend. The James’ clean, sharp look tells diners exactly what to expect — a restaurant where quality matters, but the chefs aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. A restaurant where shorts are just as acceptable as a suit.

The food is equally as approachable, with salads, Parker House rolls, tuna tartare and fried shrimp with a trio of dipping sauces among the appetizer options. Judging by my surrounding diners, the salads — far too big for one person — have proven to be a hit, though they might require an extra side of dressing.

Sprinter buyers who want to go green should be prepared to shell out some greenbacks now that the electrified version of the popular commercial vehicle is available for orders.

Mercedes-Benz Vans, which builds the Sprinter for the U.S. market at its North Charleston factory, said the eSprinter will have a sticker price starting at $74,181 including destination charges — one of the priciest models in an e-van market that includes competitors E-Transit from Ford and Volkswagen’s ID Buzz.

The eSprinter is now in production at the automaker’s Palmetto Commerce Park site, as well as at two German plants. U.S. dealers are now taking orders, with the first deliveries scheduled for later this year.

The battery-powered model initially will be sold alongside the diesel version that’s become a popular last-mile delivery option for companies like Amazon and FedEx, but Mercedes-Benz said it will sell only electric vehicles after 2030.

Buyers can choose between a 134-horsepower eSprinter or a 201-horsepower version, both with a maximum range of about 250 miles and top speed of 75 mph. The van is tailored to delivery and commercial uses, but can also be adapted for use as a recreational vehicle for camping.

Customers are growing more accustomed to electric vans, according to the thedrive.com website, but Mercedes-Benz Vans is sweetening the pot to attract wary fleet buyers.

“To address potential concerns about switching to electric drive, Mercedes-Benz is including an eight-year, 100,000-mile battery certificate and a maintenance package that encompasses the first four years of service in the purchase price,” the website reported. “Even if that’s costly in the short term, it could go a long way to offering buyers on the fence that crucial peace of mind.”

Mercedes-Benz Vans said it has invested about $375 million in the electric Sprinter, including roughly $60 million in improvements at each of the three sites that will build the vehicle. The North Charleston plant also sent body shop and production crew members to the company’s headquarters in Dusseldorf for training.

Retail reformed

A West Coast-based clothing retailer that allows customers to touch a screen to send clothes to dressing rooms and ask for new sizes in the try-on areas is almost ready to welcome shoppers to its first South Carolina store in downtown Charleston.

Reformation was set to open Sept. 5 in the 3,000-square-foot space vacated by footwear and fashion accessory retailer Steve Madden earlier this year at 287 King St., the remnants of Hurricane Idalia that passed through South Carolina in late August have caused a delay, according to a spokeswoman.

The store is expected to open one day later this week, said Anne-Marie Albracht.

Customers also can recycle their used Reformation goods such as shoes, denim, sweaters, activewear, handbags and outerwear at any of the brand’s stores for credit toward future purchases.

To help celebrate the opening, the Los Angeles-based retailer has partnered with locally based Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, which will offer the “Raspberry Reformation Biscuit” made with raspberry pepper preserves at Callie’s King Street shop on Sept. 14-15.

Reformation’s Charleston store will be open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. each day except Sunday, when it will be open noon-6 p.m. It’s the company’s fourth location in the Southeast, 32nd in the U.S. and 41st globally.

In addition to its home base, the company has shops in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Honolulu, Miami, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and sites outside the U.S. in Toronto and London.

Exit here for Arby’s

A fast-food chain is looking to join the quick-service dining lineup at a high-traffic corridor in the outer limits of the Charleston region.

An Upstate company has filed plans with state environmental regulators to build a 2,500-square-foot, 40-seat Arby’s in St. George.

The vacant 1.4-acre site at 116 Interstate Drive in the upper Dorchester County seat is just west of the 1-95-Highway 78 interchange. The property previously housed a Huddle House.

The developer is Greenville-based Newberry Restaurant Group, which owns and operates 45 fast-food locations, according to its website.

Currently, I-95 travelers in that neck of the woods with a hankering for an Arby’s roast-beef sandwich or other “We have the meats!” menu choices must go to Walterboro, about 10 miles up or down the road.

Broadband bucks

The S.C. Broadband Office took an initial step to obtain $551 million from federal program to expand affordable internet access.

The agency, housed within the Office of Regulatory Staff, submitted a five-year action plan to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The document will feed a proposal that’s due Dec. 27, which must be filed in order for the Palmetto State to receive its portion of the $42.45 million available through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.

In last week’s filing, the state outlined how it will bring all residents affordable, reliable, basic internet by 2026 and high-speed service by 2028. It also included details about helping users learn the necessary skills to benefit from the technology, said Jim Stritzinger, director of S.C. Broadband.

There are 61,249 unserved and 68,782 underserved locations remaining in the South Carolina, according to state data. Once all locations are connected, any excess money will fund eligible workforce development and other projects related to digital expansion.

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David Wren, John McDermott, Warren Wise and Jodi Shafto of The Post and Courier contributed to this report.

Several Charleston properties and one in the Upstate are finalists for national awards honoring “the world’s finest historic hotels and hoteliers.”

More than 350 nominations from across the country were submitted for Historic Hotels of America’s consideration.

John Rutledge House Inn and Wentworth Mansion, both owned by Charleston-based Charming Inns, are finalists in the best small historic inn/hotel category.

Stacey Bodnar, a spokeswoman for Charming Inns, said the nomination alone is a big deal and a testament to a “commitment to furthering the preservation and celebration of our historic hotels.”

Also, The Dewberry and the Francis Marion, which stand guard on the east and west flanks of Marion Square, were nominated as best historic hotel. The Westin Poinsett in Greenville made the finalist list as well.

The Francis Marion notched a second nomination in the best city center historic hotel. A million-dollar project at the King Street property was completed this year to restore and preserve the historic façade, ahead of its 100th anniversary next year. Owner Steve Dopp also owns the 12-story Westin Poinsett, which was built in 1925 and shared the same architect as the Francis Marion.

A third lodging owned by Dopp, The Middlebury Inn in Vermont, was also named a finalist.

Several of the nominated accommodations recently claimed top spots on Travel + Leisure “World’s Best” lists this year in different categories. Wentworth Mansion earned a spot on the list of best hotels worldwide, while John Rutledge House Inn, Wentworth Mansion and The Dewberry were among the best in South Carolina.

Postponed

While Hurricane Idalia closed many businesses and attractions last week, it also postponed at least two hospitality events.

The grand opening of the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition’s first permanent gallery inside The Charleston Place was put off. The debut, originally set for Aug. 30, has been rescheduled to Sept. 6 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Also delayed was Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum’s opening of its temporary photo exhibit: “The Men Will Always Be There: Edward Steichen and the Naval Photographic Unit.” It was scheduled to open Sept. 2 but will now open to the public on Sept. 9. It replaces the “All Who Served: The Uniforms of World War II” display.

Boat life

Visitors, locals and other landlubbers who want to “live like a sailor” can do so this month at Patriots Point. Operation Overnight Family Weekend is set for Sept. 15 aboard the Yorktown aircraft carrier. The state-owned military attraction offers the sleepover experience to individuals and families one night a year. The cost is $85 per person. The deadline to sign up is Sept. 5.

Last year, 10,622 overnight “campers” bunked down on the Yorktown, including youth scout troops and other groups.