Jan Pinnington used to be a harried mother wrapped up in the nonstop demands of raising a family. Often, family meals were pre-packaged or from a drive-thru. One day, Pinnington had the realization that her 11-year old daughter couldn’t cook. The girl had never even learned to crack an egg! Jan suddenly understood that not only she had denied her daughter basic cooking skills, but also the special gift of time spent together. Jan invited her daughter and several of her school

Jim Giffin of the Sumter was recently recognized as South Carolina’s State Star by the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC). In a ceremony at the national ASBDC convention in New Orleans, Giffin joined other stars being honored for their significant contributions to the economic development of their states. Giffin’s role with the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers (SC SBDC) network was expanded in 2011 to include managing the Veterans Busin