Granite Countertops in Westcott, SC

ROCHESTER — Vivica Bretton contemplated making a move down south for her college basketball career. She has relatives in South Carolina and Georgia.

Turns out that she is going east instead. Just 50 minutes east, but east nonetheless. The Lourdes senior verbally committed to Division II Winona State University on Thursday.

Bretton, a 5-foot-9 guard/forward known for her superb defense and an ever-growing offensive game, is thrilled with her choice.

“I loved the campus when I visited and I loved the basketball program,” Bretton said. “They recently got a new head coach (Ana Wurtz, a former WSU star player and Warriors coaching assistant), and she is amazing. She is super nice and a great communicator. Plus, when I went there for a workout (Wednesday), I just saw how their players responded to her and how they all worked together, both on defense and offense.”

Bretton, who’s been a member of the Lourdes basketball varsity team since her freshman year when she played a key role on an Eagles team that was ranked No. 1 in the state, has been kicking around the idea of college basketball since sixth grade. It was her freshman and sophomore years, though, when she knew for sure that she’d want to play at the next level.

“It was then that I thought, ‘I don’t want my basketball career to be done in four years,’” said Bretton, who averaged 10 points per game on nearly 50% shooting last year. “I didn’t want that countdown to begin.”

Still, she is facing some countdowns. One is to the middle of November, when the Lourdes girls basketball season begins. The other is a countdown to putting on a Winona State uniform for the first time.

Bretton will go into this high school season depended upon once again to be the Eagles’ best defensive player. With the ideal mix of strength and quickness, that has forever been her calling card. But Bretton is also ready to mix in more offense for a team that graduated its best player a year ago, point guard C.J. Adamson, who is now playing at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Bretton says she has put time into pretty much everything basketball related the last number of months. That definitely includes her offensive game.

“With CJ having graduated, I am going to have to step up as a senior,” Bretton said. “I am going to be counted on for multiple points per game. That’s what I focused on a lot this summer, such as how can I take whoever is guarding me one-on-one to the basket. I feel like this is the year that I’ll really start to do that.”

The WSU women's basketball team was just below .500 the past two years but went 17-11 in 2019-20.

Pat has been a Post Bulletin sports reporter since 1994. He covers Rochester John Marshall football, as well as a variety of other southeastern Minnesota football teams. Among my other southeastern Minnesota high school beats are girls basketball, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls track and field, high school and American Legion baseball, volleyball, University of Minnesota sports (on occasion) and the Timberwolves (on occasion). Readers can reach Pat at 507-285-7723 or pruff@postbulletin.com.

Pennsylvania-based Brewery and Restaurant Group Taps Seasoned Restaurant Professional to Lead Operations

Featured Image for Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

EXTON, Pa., Feb. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iron Hill Brewery recently announced Kathryn Henderson as the new Chief Operating Officer. Henderson will oversee the individual restaurants' day-to-day operational team, as well as continue to strategically position Iron Hill as a premier brewery and restaurant group throughout the Eastern seaboard.

"I am thrilled to announce Kathryn as our new COO," says Iron Hill CEO Chris Westcott. "The experience she is bringing to our organization will ensure that our operations continue to adapt as we grow, further elevating our reputable service and hospitality."

Most recently, Henderson served as the Senior Divisional Vice President of Earl Enterprise, which she began in 2020. Prior to this, she climbed the ranks of the industry, starting as the regional director in the Sullivan's restaurant group, where she was responsible for over 40 restaurants. She has also worked with McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks, Bravo Brio Restaurant Group and Rosa Mexicano, all within the operational division. She holds a BA from Old Dominion University.

"I am honored to be joining Iron Hill, a leader in the restaurant and brewery scene for over 25 years," says Henderson. "The experience that guests receive at Iron Hill is deeply rooted in the daily operations, and I am very excited to see how we can push the boundaries and continue to reimagine how we do things."

"Kathryn's track record in restaurant operations is impressive, and the strength of our team will benefit from her knowledge and experience," says Kevin Finn, Chairman of the Board and one of Iron Hill's founders. "A strong operational foundation is instrumental in our success, and with Kathryn leading the operations team, we're poised for exciting years of growth ahead."

# # #

ABOUT IRON HILL BREWERY & RESTAURANT

Founded in Newark, Delaware, in 1996 by Kevin Finn, Mark Edelson and Kevin Davies, Iron Hill is among the most enduringly successful restaurants and craft brewery concepts in the United States, with 20 locations in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Georgia, and 25 years of award-winning recognition at national and international beer competitions. Each Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant boasts its own kitchen and brewery, allowing the creativity to pair the freshest ingredients with the highest quality grains and hops mere steps away from the table. For more information, visit www.ironhillbrewery.com.

Jaclyn Daley Director of Marketing

This content was issued through the .

Two weeks of no-excuse-needed early voting kicks off Oct. 24 at more than 100 locations statewide, giving South Carolinians more options than ever for casting a ballot with hopefully little to no wait.

It’s South Carolina’s first general election under a Statehouse law signed by Gov. Henry McMaster in May which directed each county to open up to seven early voting sites for 12 days through the Saturday before Election Day.

All locations must open to voters from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in all 46 counties from the coast to the mountains.

The exception is Oct. 30, as the law forbids Sunday voting.

Early voters can choose whatever site is most convenient for them within the county where they’re registered, whether that’s close to home, work or shopping. They aren’t limited by their home address.

“Early voting is a big deal for South Carolina,” state Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said. “It gives a lot more access, more options for busy people to go vote. That’s the biggest benefit.”

It also should reduce stress on poll workers and give them more time to fix problems as they arise, which in turn also benefits voters, he said.

“Whatever line you’ve had before will be better,” Whitmire said.

The 111 early voting sites statewide represent a 35 percent increase from the total that opened before the June primaries, when election officers had less than three weeks to put the new rules into practice.

Nineteen of South Carolina’s rural counties are still offering a single location, usually at their main election office.

Some of the most-populous counties are providing several additional options. For example, Lexington went from one to five. Charleston County, which also offered a single site in June, is among three counties opening the maximum seven.

Greenville and Horry counties are the other two with seven.

Voting sites for every county can be found on the S.C. Election Commission website at scvotes.gov/voters/early-voting. By law, each county election office must also post local locations on its own website.

Voting absentee by mail is also underway. Those who qualify include people who are 65 and older, have physical disabilities, or work a job that doesn’t allow them to vote in person during the two-week early voting window. Applications must be in by Oct. 28. People returning a mailed ballot in person must show identification.

Charleston County, which has opened satellite offices since 2016 under prior law that required an excuse for voting early, has planned since January to open seven once the legislation passed. But when the final version didn’t allow for mobile sites as intended, the county reverted to one, but only for the primaries, said Isaac Cramer, director of the Charleston County Board of Elections.

Local sites for this election include four libraries and two churches spread out from Hollywood to Mount Pleasant, with the largest site being the North Charleston Convention Center. That was a popular spot for voters in November 2020, Cramer said.

Amid the pandemic, legislators passed a temporary law allowing no-excuse-needed in-person absentee voting for that election only. One problem was that access varied widely across the state. Even so, it marked the first time that more South Carolinians voted early than on Election Day.

Two years later under the new law requiring options with standardized hours, Charleston County has added sites on James Island, Johns Island and Hollywood.

“We wanted to expand to areas with population growth and rural areas so people across the county would have shorter distances to travel,” Cramer said.

The more than 150 additional workers hired specifically for early voting began weeklong training sessions Oct. 17. They’re prepared for busy, 12-hour days. They’ll stay on through Election Day at $15 an hour, which becomes $22.50 hourly for required overtime, he said.

In the Upstate, Greenville and Spartanburg counties each hired dozens of additional poll workers for early voting.

Staffing concerns are partly why Spartanburg went with three offerings for its first election with multiple sites, said its elections director, Adam Hammons.

Since turnout is generally lower for midterm elections than in presidential contests, “starting with three early voting centers that are fully staffed and ready for voters was our decision,” he said.

It’s among 10 counties opening three locations.

Others include nearby Pickens County, Dorchester County in the Lowcountry, and York County south of Charlotte, as well as rural Barnwell and Hampton counties along the Georgia line.

Georgetown and Beaufort counties are each operating four sites.

Georgetown officials didn’t see a reason to open the max, said elections director Aphra McCrea.

There was an obvious need for a location in the Waccamaw Neck, a peninsula east of the Waccamaw River that is where most voters live. The county office made sense as it’s already equipped to handle early voting. The other two were put in locations convenient for rural residents, McCrea said.

Lexington and Richland are the only counties offering five locations.

Richland County has had more shakeups at its long-troubled election agency in the last few months, to include the resignation of its director. But interim director Terry Graham, who also submitted a resignation letter before agreeing to stay through the elections, insisted the county is prepared for the election and early voting.

County officials considered expanding to six but decided it lacked sufficient workers and money for an additional site, he said.

“Money always is a deciding factor. If we could do more, we would do more,” he said. “We didn’t want to spread ourselves too thin by adding more people and more locations.”

Spencer Donovan contributed from Greenville. Leah Hincks contributed from Columbia. Mike Woodel contributed from Georgetown. Nicole Ziege contributed from Myrtle Beach.

Pennsylvania-based Brewery and Restaurant Group Taps Seasoned Restaurant Professional to Lead Operations

"I am thrilled to announce Kathryn as our new COO," says Iron Hill CEO Chris Westcott. "The experience she is bringing to our organization will ensure that our operations continue to adapt as we grow, further elevating our reputable service and hospitality."

Most recently, Henderson served as the Senior Divisional Vice President of Earl Enterprise, which she began in 2020. Prior to this, she climbed the ranks of the industry, starting as the regional director in the Sullivan's restaurant group where she was responsible for over 40 restaurants. She has also worked with McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks, Bravo Brio Restaurant Group and Rosa Mexicano, all within the operational division. She holds a BA from Old Dominion University.

"I am honored to be joining Iron Hill, a leader in the restaurant and brewery scene for over 25 years," says Henderson. "The experience that guests receive at Iron Hill is deeply rooted in the daily operations, and I am very excited to see how we can push the boundaries and continue to reimagine how we do things."

"Kathryn's track record in restaurant operations is impressive and the strength of our team will benefit from her knowledge and experience," says Kevin Finn, Chairman of the Board and one of Iron Hill's founders. "A strong operational foundation is instrumental in our success, and with Kathryn leading the operations team, we're poised for exciting years of growth ahead."

# # #

ABOUT IRON HILL BREWERY & RESTAURANT

Founded in Newark, Delaware in 1996 by Kevin Finn, Mark Edelson and Kevin Davies, Iron Hill is among the most enduringly successful restaurants and craft brewery concepts in the United States with 20 locations in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Georgia, and 25 years of award-winning recognition at national and international beer competitions. Each Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant boasts its own kitchen and brewery, allowing the creativity to pair the freshest ingredients with the highest quality grains and hops mere steps away from the table. For more information, visit www.ironhillbrewery.com.

Contact Information: Jaclyn Daley Director of Marketing jaclynd@ironhillbrewery.com

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Image 1: Kathryn Henderson

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Iron Hill Brewery has laid out “a pretty aggressive growth plan” for the coming years as the Wilmington company looks to ramp up its presence in existing markets while also expanding into new states, CEO Chris Westcott said.

Part of Westcott’s strategy since stepping in as CEO last October has been an emphasis on growing the 20-location brand into additional territories, positioning it to “become a bigger player” in the hospitality industry, he said. Northern Virginia, Maryland and Columbus, Ohio are top of mind.

The goal is to open about five new locations per year for the next five years, he added. The first couple would be full-service restaurants, while the following few would be the company’s more fast-casual TapHouse model that got its start last year in Exton.

Iron Hill Brewery is using “a hub and spoke model” to actualize that growth, Westcott said, meaning the brand plans to enter new territories by opening a full-service restaurant and then “sprinkle in” some of the smaller-version TapHouses in the surrounding area. The idea is to increase brand awareness in a new market with the full-size product before branching out. In already established markets, the brand can dive right in to rolling out new TapHouses.

For example, a few years ago Iron Hill Brewery opened a full-service outpost in Greenville, South Carolina. It’s now looking at several sites in Greenville, Spartanburg and up into Charlotte, North Carolina, for potential TapHouses because the original Greenville outpost “is tucked in close to those other communities,” Westcott said.

Iron Hill Brewery currently has a location under construction in Columbia, South Carolina, and a year after its opening would look to debut TapHouses “in other pocket areas of Columbia,” Westcott said. The same is true in Atlanta, where Iron Hill Brewery currently operates two locations.

The expansion model takes extra planning as the company grapples with ongoing labor shortages and supply chain issues, Westcott said. Items that used to arrive in 12 to 16 weeks now come in 40 to 50 weeks, meaning you have to think a year in advance, he said.

“That just gets costly because you have requirements to open in a certain time from the point where you sign your lease,” said Westcott, who was formerly CEO of restaurant chain Rosa Mexicano. “So it's more stressful, it's more expensive. Cost is out of control.”

Westcott also sees “plenty of room” to build additional TapHouses in Pennsylvania “without cannibalizing” Iron Hill Brewery’s existing full-service restaurants. The brand is similarly eyeing additional space in South Jersey, where Westcott noted liquor licenses can go for three times the cost in Pennsylvania — which is already known to be hefty versus other markets.

New locations will largely begin launching in 2023. While the Covid-19 omicron variant dealt another blow to the hospitality industry at the start of this year, Iron Hill Brewery decided to spend 2022 focusing on revamping its existing fleet, which includes 20 locations throughout Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Georgia.

Special attention is being paid to refreshing Iron Hill Brewery outposts that are at least 15 years old, Westcott said. Many such locations have outdated layouts, including separated dining spaces that date back to former smoking and non-smoking sections.

Investments are ranging from $150,000 to $325,000 for improvements at existing locations, he added.

The Ardmore outpost is on the cheaper end of that scale, for example, while Lancaster is on the upper level because the brand looks to remove separation between dining areas, expand the bar, modernize design while moving away from the “older steakhouse-looking furnishings,” and revamp floor coverings.

Such investments will better bridge the older Iron Hill Brewery locations with the new forthcoming outposts, Westcott said.

As Iron Hill Brewery works to expand its reach, the company is also focusing on finding new ways to connect with customers.

One method is via an upcoming quarterly subscription program dubbed “The Craft Beer Society,” where members would have access to exclusive brews. Membership costs $40 per quarter and includes two 16-ounce cans of four beers.

Iron Hill looks to launch the program in time for Father’s Day.