COASTAL BUSINESS

GRAND STRAND

SCORE chapter finalist in contest

The Grand Strand chapter of SCORE was one of 10 finalists throughout the nation in the Chapter of the Year contest.

The Service Corps of Retired Executives is a nonprofit group that aims to educate entrepreneurs and help form and grow small businesses.

It does this by teaming up retired businesspeople with small-business owners for coaching. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration and has 389 chapters.

The local chapter was founded in the early 1970s, according to Harold Swanner, a counselor with the local chapter. It has 25 counselors that serve Horry and Georgetown counties and won the state Chapter of the Year award in December.

The number of participants in SCORE classes grew by 40 percent locally during the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year, Swanner said. "I feel like we basically are in the early stage of our growth cycle," he said.

The Atlanta SCORE won the top national award, according to SCORE's Web site.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Bank opens branch at Little River site

Conway National Bank has opened a branch in Little River at the intersection of S.C. 9 and Highway 57.

The full-service office will be open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday .

The bank has 14 offices on the Grand Strand and holds about 11.7 percent of market share.

NORTH CAROLINA

Economic panel to meet Thursday

The Brunswick County, N.C., Economic Development Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the commission's conference room in Bolivia, N.C.

From staff reports