How Chamber Networking Turns Into Real Community Growth w/ Keith Lovas of Graze Craze

How Chamber Networking Turns Into Real Community Growth w/ Keith Lovas of Graze Craze

A lot of “networking” feels like walking around with your pitch loaded. Live from the Mount Pleasant Chamber Expo, we talk with Keith Lovas, a local entrepreneur and dad, about a different approach: build trust first, help other businesses, and let the growth follow. Keith shares why the Mount Pleasant Chamber became a key part of launching Graze Craze and how showing up consistently creates the kind of community connections you cannot buy with ads. We get into the practical side of community-based marketing: supporting schools, donating for teachers, running give-back months, and saying yes to local events because it creates real goodwill and real visibility. Keith breaks down why a genuine post recommending another local business can be more powerful than a “salesy” promotion, especially when it’s tied to authentic stories about who you are, where you live, and why you care. If you’re focused on local SEO, word of mouth, and five-star reviews, this conversation connects the dots between relationships and discoverability. Keith also shares the personal pivot behind the brand, leaving a lucrative corporate construction career because it lacked happiness and joy. We talk about running a two-person operation, protecting a high-end standard, and balancing long days with family boundaries. Plus, we cover what goes into premium charcuterie boards, why quality ingredients drive price, and how corporate gifting can be more memorable than another basket of crackers and mustard. If you like conversations about small business growth, community partnerships, and doing work you’re proud of, subscribe, share this with a local owner, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. This is a grounded guide for founders, contractors, agency owners, manufacturers, and service leaders across Charleston and beyond who want a no-nonsense path to an exit. We share red flags that can sink deals, the role of local market knowledge, and how Viking’s success-based model aligns incentives. Join us, get practical next steps, and walk away knowing exactly how to make your future sale smoother. www.vikingmergers.com Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce [https://www.mountpleasantchamber.org/] Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions [https://charlestonradiogroup.com/] Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions [https://vikingmergers.com] Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪ [https://www.youtube.com/@PollenSocial]Pollen Social‬ [https://pollensocial.com/] Production Sponsor: RMBO.co [https://rmbo.co/] Design Sponsor: DK Design [https://www.designdkd.com/] Interested in Sponsorship? Click here [https://canva.link/an5n4zvm49q6u8t]. Committee: Kathleen Herrmann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-herrmann-6bba4472/] | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre Mike Compton [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecomptonproducer/] | Co-host | Podcast Committee | RMBO.co Rebecca Imholz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-imholz-3b14b727/] | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director  Amanda Bunting Comen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabc/] | Co-host | MPCC Marketing & Communications Benjamin Nesvold [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-nesvold-cfp%C2%AE-aams%E2%84%A2-65bb73a6/] | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones

How Wonderworks Built A Community-Famous Toy Store w/ Christine Osborne

A toy store doesn’t end up in the Hall of Fame by accident. When Christine Osborne walks into a room, she brings the kind of energy that makes people say yes, show up, and feel like they belong and that same spirit turned Wonderworks Toys into one of Mount Pleasant’s most loved small businesses. Christine joins us to share how she built “magic” with smart retail fundamentals, relentless community care, and relationships that compound over decades. We get into the real origin story: leaving a career in occupational therapy, pitching a science and nature store idea, and getting turned down until the moment the right banker understood the vision and wrote the check. From there, Christine explains how independent retail grows through vendor partnerships, product testing, and honest feedback loops that help brands improve. She also challenges the usual idea of competition, describing how local shops refer customers to each other because serving people matters more than “winning” a single sale. Some of the most moving moments are about impact. Christine tells the story of Harper, a young cancer patient who pushed for thousands of toys for the children’s hospital and how a simple social media promise became a massive community-powered delivery. After selling Wonderworks to a dedicated team member who spent 26 years learning the business, Christine keeps paying it forward as entrepreneur in residence at the College of Charleston, mentoring students, promoting boards of advisors, and helping founders learn from mistakes without getting stuck in them. If you care about entrepreneurship, independent retail, small business marketing, and Charleston community leadership, hit play. Then subscribe, share this with a local business owner, and leave a review so more people can find the show. This is a grounded guide for founders, contractors, agency owners, manufacturers, and service leaders across Charleston and beyond who want a no-nonsense path to an exit. We share red flags that can sink deals, the role of local market knowledge, and how Viking’s success-based model aligns incentives. Join us, get practical next steps, and walk away knowing exactly how to make your future sale smoother. www.vikingmergers.com Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce [https://www.mountpleasantchamber.org/] Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions [https://charlestonradiogroup.com/] Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions [https://vikingmergers.com] Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪ [https://www.youtube.com/@PollenSocial]Pollen Social‬ [https://pollensocial.com/] Production Sponsor: RMBO.co [https://rmbo.co/] Design Sponsor: DK Design [https://www.designdkd.com/] Interested in Sponsorship? Click here [https://canva.link/an5n4zvm49q6u8t]. Committee: Kathleen Herrmann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-herrmann-6bba4472/] | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre Mike Compton [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecomptonproducer/] | Co-host | Podcast Committee | RMBO.co Rebecca Imholz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-imholz-3b14b727/] | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director  Amanda Bunting Comen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabc/] | Co-host | MPCC Marketing & Communications Benjamin Nesvold [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-nesvold-cfp%C2%AE-aams%E2%84%A2-65bb73a6/] | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones

Charleston RiverDogs Season Preview: Live at the MPCC Expo

You can feel it when a local team isn’t just playing games, it’s building a community calendar. From the floor of a bustling expo, we sit down with Keith Millick from the Charleston RiverDogs to talk about what happens after a season ends and how a club keeps its momentum rolling into the next year. The 2026 schedule is out, and Keith makes it clear they’re not going anywhere.  We get practical about offseason engagement and what the RiverDogs ballpark can be beyond minor league baseball. Think social media updates that actually tell you what’s happening, plus real event options at the stadium like the Segra Club for weddings, seminars, and business meetings. Keith even shares how groups have rented the whole stadium for creative team days, proof that this venue can flex for Charleston corporate events and community gatherings.  Then we shift to the on-field pipeline and the bigger baseball ecosystem. Keith breaks down the RiverDogs’ role as a Low-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and why the MLB draft is a yearly spark for new talent and new storylines. We also talk about what fans really come for: entertainment, traditions, family-friendly nights, and a ballpark experience that keeps attendance strong across the Carolina League.  If you’ve been looking for a reason to plan a RiverDogs night, or a new place to host your next group outing, this conversation points you in the right direction. Subscribe, share this with a Charleston friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s your favorite minor league ballpark memory? This is a grounded guide for founders, contractors, agency owners, manufacturers, and service leaders across Charleston and beyond who want a no-nonsense path to an exit. We share red flags that can sink deals, the role of local market knowledge, and how Viking’s success-based model aligns incentives. Join us, get practical next steps, and walk away knowing exactly how to make your future sale smoother. www.vikingmergers.com Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce [https://www.mountpleasantchamber.org/] Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions [https://charlestonradiogroup.com/] Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions [https://vikingmergers.com] Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪ [https://www.youtube.com/@PollenSocial]Pollen Social‬ [https://pollensocial.com/] Production Sponsor: RMBO.co [https://rmbo.co/] Design Sponsor: DK Design [https://www.designdkd.com/] Interested in Sponsorship? Click here [https://canva.link/an5n4zvm49q6u8t]. Committee: Kathleen Herrmann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-herrmann-6bba4472/] | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre Mike Compton [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecomptonproducer/] | Co-host | Podcast Committee | RMBO.co Rebecca Imholz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-imholz-3b14b727/] | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director  Amanda Bunting Comen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabc/] | Co-host | MPCC Marketing & Communications Benjamin Nesvold [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-nesvold-cfp%C2%AE-aams%E2%84%A2-65bb73a6/] | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones

From Charleston History To Modern Advocacy Wins w/ Jennet Robinson Alterman

A single sentence can flip your whole career. Jennet Robinson Alterman heard it in a TV newsroom: “I’m never going to give you a raise. You’re just going to get married.” She quit without another job and kept moving forward, eventually building a decades-long record of women’s rights advocacy that ties together Charleston history, South Carolina politics, and real, measurable policy wins. We start local with a story every Charlestonian should know: the Pollitzer sisters raising $3,000 to help make the College of Charleston coeducational in 1918, pushing back on the idea that women didn’t belong in serious academic spaces. From there, Jennet shares how theater training shaped her public speaking, how being one of ten women at Davidson College exposed hidden barriers, and how discrimination becomes impossible to ignore when it shows up in your paycheck. Then the lens widens. Jennet talks about joining the Peace Corps and landing in Afghanistan, working with midwives and witnessing how a society’s rules around women ripple into health, safety, and opportunity. Back in South Carolina, she breaks down the Equal Rights Amendment fight, the long shadow of misinformation, and why organized advocacy still matters right now. We also dig into the Charleston Commission on Women, paid family leave, the legacy of the Center for Women, and the work of the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN), including how to get involved at scren.org and details on the October 23 summit in Charleston. If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. This is a grounded guide for founders, contractors, agency owners, manufacturers, and service leaders across Charleston and beyond who want a no-nonsense path to an exit. We share red flags that can sink deals, the role of local market knowledge, and how Viking’s success-based model aligns incentives. Join us, get practical next steps, and walk away knowing exactly how to make your future sale smoother. www.vikingmergers.com Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce [https://www.mountpleasantchamber.org/] Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions [https://charlestonradiogroup.com/] Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions [https://vikingmergers.com] Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪ [https://www.youtube.com/@PollenSocial]Pollen Social‬ [https://pollensocial.com/] Production Sponsor: RMBO.co [https://rmbo.co/] Design Sponsor: DK Design [https://www.designdkd.com/] Interested in Sponsorship? Click here [https://canva.link/an5n4zvm49q6u8t]. Committee: Kathleen Herrmann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-herrmann-6bba4472/] | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre Mike Compton [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecomptonproducer/] | Co-host | Podcast Committee | RMBO.co Rebecca Imholz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-imholz-3b14b727/] | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director  Amanda Bunting Comen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabc/] | Co-host | MPCC Marketing & Communications Benjamin Nesvold [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-nesvold-cfp%C2%AE-aams%E2%84%A2-65bb73a6/] | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones

How Charleston County Schools Recruit Great Teachers And Fund Student Success w/ Dr. Luke Clamp

A school district doesn’t just educate kids, it builds the future workforce, the local economy, and the fabric of a community. We’re joined by Dr. Luke Clamp, deputy superintendent of the Charleston County School District (CCSD), to share what’s driving momentum across Charleston County and why CCSD is leaning into big, measurable goals instead of small promises. We talk teacher recruitment and retention, including the district’s high-energy hiring event that drew more than 1,000 candidates and a compensation strategy designed to keep great educators in classrooms. Then we get specific about Vision 2027: the commitment that every student will exit elementary school literate and reading on grade level. Dr. Clamp explains why CCSD insists on 100%, how the district supports students in poverty, multilingual learners, and students with IEPs, and how weighted student funding gives principals the flexibility to put resources where they matter most. We also explore outcomes-based contracting for high-dosage tutoring, plus the real-world value of CCSD’s career and technical education (CTE) and Centers for Advanced Study (CAS), where students can earn certifications in fields like health science, welding, and engineering and still keep college options open. Finally, we tackle AI in education: the new policy guardrails, the focus on student data privacy and safety, and the parent reality check about screen time and the work kids produce. If you care about strong public schools in Mount Pleasant and across Charleston County, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a parent or business leader, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. This is a grounded guide for founders, contractors, agency owners, manufacturers, and service leaders across Charleston and beyond who want a no-nonsense path to an exit. We share red flags that can sink deals, the role of local market knowledge, and how Viking’s success-based model aligns incentives. Join us, get practical next steps, and walk away knowing exactly how to make your future sale smoother. www.vikingmergers.com Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce [https://www.mountpleasantchamber.org/] Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions [https://charlestonradiogroup.com/] Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions [https://vikingmergers.com] Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪ [https://www.youtube.com/@PollenSocial]Pollen Social‬ [https://pollensocial.com/] Production Sponsor: RMBO.co [https://rmbo.co/] Design Sponsor: DK Design [https://www.designdkd.com/] Interested in Sponsorship? Click here [https://canva.link/an5n4zvm49q6u8t]. Committee: Kathleen Herrmann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-herrmann-6bba4472/] | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre Mike Compton [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecomptonproducer/] | Co-host | Podcast Committee | RMBO.co Rebecca Imholz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-imholz-3b14b727/] | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director  Amanda Bunting Comen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandabc/] | Co-host | MPCC Marketing & Communications Benjamin Nesvold [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-nesvold-cfp%C2%AE-aams%E2%84%A2-65bb73a6/] | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones