Holistic Cancer Coaching with Pam Wilk and BJ Moore by Melissa LaScaleia Pam Wilk and BJ Moore are holistic cancer coaches certified through The Center for Advancement in Cancer Education in Pennsylvania. Together they founded Hope Thru Cancer, located in Murrells Inlet.  Below, the two explain what a holistic cancer coach is, and how they show up for their clients in this capacity, everyday.  Cancer is an illness that today touches almost everyone. Almost everyone, at some point in life, will know of someone who has had it. Today’s statistics show that 1 in 2 American men will receive a cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives, and 1 in 3 women will as well. Both Pam and BJ’s personal stories with cancer have shaped their lives and their passion for what they do and brought them to where they are today. “Patients receiving a cancer diagnosis often search for holistic, integrative, and alternative approaches to improve their quality of life and disease outcome,” BJ explains. “They can become confused and overwhelmed by all the information and misinformation available to them. A holistic cancer coach can help to navigate and guide their choices.” “When my husband was forty-four years old,” Pam says, “he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. That was the beginning of my quest to find out why certain people get cancer and what causes it. When we went to the oncologist and asked what he should eat, he said, ‘It doesn’t matter. Let him eat whatever he wants.’ “I knew that wasn’t right. With our limited knowledge at the time, we changed many things about our diets; he continued multiple rounds of chemo but died at the age of forty-seven. This is why I do what I do. I want others to become empowered to take control of their health and that of their loved ones.” “I met Pam when I was going through chemotherapy ten years ago with my first bout of breast cancer,” BJ says. As a certified health coach, Pam taught me the importance of nutrition and the role it plays in healing. Since then, I have been on a path of change that has helped my body to cope with a recent health challenge, and inspired me to make use of my clinical nursing background and partner with Pam in Hope Thru Cancer.” “My journey as a two-time cancer thriver has been transformational. It has put so many amazing and courageous people in my path.” -BJ Moore —Photo Meganpixels Parker “Everything we offer is highly individualized,” BJ shares. “Our plan is based on how the client embraces what is happening to them. Our intent is to discuss options designed to improve overall health while they are on the path that they have elected.” The duo help their patients to clarify their goals, and work with them to develop a plan to help them achieve those goals. “My journey as a two-time cancer thriver has been transformational,” BJ says. “It has put so many amazing and courageous people in my path. “I want others to become empowered to take control of their health and the health of their loved ones.” —Pam Wilk — Photo Meganpixels Parker “I believe that my positive attitude and energy are gifts that I bring to others in supporting and helping them to face cancer.” “There are many proven lifestyle changes that can reverse cancer or reduce the side effects of treatments like chemotherapy,” Pam says. “Our message is for everyone, not just those coping with cancer. What we do is help people get to a healthier place. That is for everyone. “I like to tell people, that the pain that we’ve experienced has set us on this path, and it has given us purpose for our life, and now that purpose is our passion.”  Hope Thru Cancer Providing educational resources that can help people prevent, cope with, and beat cancer with diet, lifestyle and other immune enhancing techniques.  Services include: individual and small group coaching sessions, workshops, and group presentations. Envelope Facebook Phone Internet-explorer

by Richard Bischoff, owner of Healthy Home As my wife and I move into our new house in The Cottages development, we continue to hear the greeting: “Hello! Welcome to the Market Common!” from our neighbors.  They have all been very friendly and helpful and we are looking forward to this no-car-necessary lifestyle. We love the idea of riding our bikes to go out to one of the many restaurants we enjoy, and then taking a ride through the neighborhoods after dinner. We love the beach, and now with Myrtle Beach State Park just across Business 17, we can even take our golf cart. It’s great to see so many people out walking, running or riding bikes. It’s definitely an active lifestyle. Here, at his rug spa on Hwy 501, Richard applies a pre-treatment which prepares the carpet to be cleaned. — Photo Meganpixels Parker We are Richard and Elizabeth Bischoff and we moved here in 1986 from Toms River, New Jersey and started Healthy Home, a cleaning and restoration company. We moved here with our three children and over the years we had three more, and now we have eight grandchildren.  Our little family owned business has grown to eighteen employees, and we just opened up a rug spa for area rug cleaning just off of Highway 501. Now that I have run the business for thirty-two years and have hit the young age of sixty-six, my son Noah is slowly taking the reins and is the face of the company.  We still believe in old-fashioned values of trust and integrity and doing the right thing by our clients, always. Richard (above) has been running Healthy Home for thirty-two years. His son Noah, is now taking the reins. — Photo Meganpixels Parker Each of our services will help you to have a more healthy home. We’d love for you to give us a chance to earn your trust in taking care of your flooring and furnishing investments. We are happy to give you a complimentary Healthy Home assessment for whatever you may need cleaned, protected, and maintained. It is our mission to give each of our clients an amazing clean, and provide them with the most outstanding service ever, thereby giving them a phenomenal experience— all with a 200% guarantee.  When you trust us to provide you with one or more of our many services, you will receive the Healthy Home Experience— our signature way of treating our customers with thoroughness and consideration.  Healthy Home Open 7am-7pm M-F; Sa 8am-4pm. 24 hour emergency service call.    Envelope Facebook Phone Internet-explorer

Always There, Always Fair by Melissa LaScaleia “I was raised on a dairy farm, outside of Danville, in Virginia,” says Jim Bowdre, the owner of Myrtle Beach Funeral Home and Crematory. “And I learned at an early age, that the easiest way to get out of farming was to get an education. I spent my formative years raising cattle before I got a full ride academic scholarship to attend college at Virginia Tech. I went on to get a master’s degree in education at UVA. “My first love was teaching. Then, a relative introduced me to another profession, the funeral business, and I really liked it.” Jim decided to pursue his interest and attended embalming school, getting a third degree in mortuary science. He became licensed and worked in the industry with his relative for five years then decided to explore the wholesale end of the business.  He went to work for Hillenbrand Industries, the world’s largest casket and hospital bed company, and stayed with them for twenty-seven years as a territory manger, covering NC, SC and GA. He also taught continuing education in North and South Carolina for funeral directors. Jim and his wife, Carole, have three daughters, all of whom live in the Myrtle Beach area. One is a nurse, one is a doctor, and one is a manager at Drunken Jack’s restaurant. The couple had been coming to Myrtle Beach for years to visit their children, and decided to move here permanently in 2004. Myrtle Beach Funeral Home and Crematory offers premier services at affordable prices. They believe in the healing power of the grieving process, and offer counseling and end of life grief support as part of their service to our community. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “I retired early and got involved with playing a lot of golf, and then I was bored,” Jim says. “Then I met a very altruistic gentleman, Greg Everett, who wanted to make funeral costs more affordable. Greg is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. He was trying to come up with a business plan to offer premier service at an affordable price, because the biggest thing that drives people away from a funeral home is the cost.” Greg didn’t have any funeral knowledge, but Jim did. What Greg did have, was marketing expertise.  With Jim’s help, Greg started the Myrtle Beach Funeral Home and Crematory in 2008. With his love of the funeral business, Jim worked for him after retirement, and ultimately purchased it from him in 2011, so Greg could manage his other businesses. Today, Jim and Carole run the funeral home together. “One thing we really promote— is that we offer premier services at affordable prices while still maintaining the highest level of ethical business practices,” Carole says. “We offer everything any other funeral home does, full service, but because we are a smaller facility—7,000 square feet rather than 17,000 square feet, we have lower overhead, and so we are able to offer lower prices.” The facility includes a large dining area, several arrangement offices, a non-denominational chapel which holds 115, a smaller chapel, a family room, and an on-site crematory with a family room attached. They also offer catering services. “A lot of our families tell us that they love the relaxed atmosphere we have here, and the compassion that they feel from our staff,” Carole says. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “The market has shifted and traditional funerals have shifted,” Carole says. “The ceremony is changing now to be more a celebration of life. You need less space, and the popularity of cremations has grown tremendously. The world has changed. Nuclear families spread out all over, and we don’t have family burial plots like we did years ago.” Myrtle Beach Funeral Home and Crematory offers all traditional services for cremations and burials. They accommodate all wishes and all religious preferences. Carole writes a lot of articles about the funeral industry, and how families can navigate end-of-life issues together. One of the topics she tries to educate people about is that of the importance of prearrangement, the action of specifying wishes and planning your funeral while you are healthy. “Prearrangement is one of the greatest gifts that someone can give their family,” she says. “At the time of death, emotions and anxiety are escalated, often family members cannot think clearly, and cannot make decisions. With a prearrangement, it allows family members to follow the wishes of the deceased and relieves a lot of stress.”  Carole has a degree in business and psychology from Francis Marion University. She began her college career as a business major, but enjoyed psychology so much she ended up with a double major. Carole and Jim Bowdre both derive meaning from knowing that they have been supportive and helpful to the families who engage their services during one of the most emotionally difficult times in life— that of the passing of a loved-one. — Photo Meganpixels Parker She has twenty years of hospice experience, counseling families who have lost loved ones and helping them navigate the end of the life process. She is a firm believer in the healing power of the grieving process. “I enjoy helping the families who come to us,” Carole says. “Sometimes I sit and cry with them. It’s rewarding to me to know that in the slightest way I helped them get through this loss.” “My favorite thing about what I do is satisfying families,” Jim says. “When the services are over, and young folks say to me: ‘I have no idea how I could have done this without you all.’ I like hearing that. I like to hear that I’ve been there for somebody. To know that they appreciate my help.” “A lot of our families tell us that they love the relaxed atmosphere we have here, and the compassion that they feel from our staff,” Carole says. “That they feel so at home and comfortable here with us. “It’s meaningful to me to know that at the end of … Read more

We Can Fix What Others Can’t by Melissa LaScaleia Vic Cotoia got started in the plumbing industry twenty years ago when he was living in New York. “I was working in retail management,” he says, “and decided to pick up a trade because I wasn’t happy. We had no plumbers in the family, so I opened the phone book and started reading down the list of plumbers and called to see who would be willing to train me. I literally got hired in five minutes with the offer to apprentice myself out.” Vic went on to work as a plumber for a large outfitter for ten years, learning installation in new construction, as well as service and repair. It was in the latter category that he found his niche passion. “I really liked doing repairs,” he says. “There are so many different types of fixtures, it’s never-ending what you can learn.  “Plumbing is so important. You go into someone’s house and they can’t take a shower because it’s not working. When you’re leaving, the gratitude they have to you is so rewarding. I always liked that.” For the first ten years, Vic found the variety of visiting multiple homes a day each with its own diverse array of plumbing challenges, to be stimulating and fun. “It was always different,” he says of his days. “But as time went on, I moved to Myrtle Beach, I worked for several different large companies, and I found not as many plumbers were as passionate as I was about this work. Rather than doing the detective work of finding the right parts and putting them in, they’d rather just cut it out and put in a new one.  Cascade Plumbing specializes in troubleshooting, diagnosing, and repairing any issues related to gas and tankless water heaters. —Photo Meganpixels Parker “When it’s a large company, you have a revolving door of employees, so it’s easier and cheaper to train someone to replace something rather than fix it. And that way too, they’re making more money geared towards selling. But it’s more expensive for the customer. “My construction background gave me the knowledge of what was happening behind the scenes so I could properly diagnose and repair the problem. And the diagnosis is the most important part of solving any problem. My knowledge and approach was different.” Several years ago, Vic was working for a company, following all the rules, doing exactly what they wanted. He was getting overwhelmingly positive feedback from all of his customers; so much so, that the company was in disbelief, and began questioning his motives.  “That was when I realized it was time for me to go out on my own,” he says.  Vic, with the support of his wife and now business partner, Amber, opened his own small business, Cascade Plumbing, in 2015— specializing in the lost art of plumbing service and repair. “It has hit the ground running,” Vic says. “And my only recipe has been to answer my phone, follow up with someone, and tell them the knowledge I have about their plumbing fixtures.” Vic treats all of his customers equally, with the same service and rates, no matter the size of their home. This clean and professional torch solders joints for copper wires. — Photo Cascade Plumbing “Most people just want to be treated with the same respect that they treat others with,” he says. Vic and Amber are appreciative of their local community and customers for embracing them and what their business offers.  “We try hard to be a classic service,” he says. “The feedback I get from my customers is that I’m always there for them, they can always speak to me. I’m always going to be on the job, even if I’m not doing the work. I do the best I can to communicate to people what specifically they’re paying for, and the value of the plumbing in their house.  “We treat each home like it’s our own. We are straight-up honest with folks when it comes to what we think. And we pride ourselves that 90% of the time, we are able to repair before replacing. Especially people who are on a budget, may just want something to be fixed, rather than replaced.” Vic is very particular about the parts that he uses for his repairs, only purchasing what he knows will stand the test of time. There are only a couple of supply warehouses that he will frequent, because they’re the only ones that carry the quality that he demands. “I hear from people often, ‘Things don’t last the way they used to.’ It’s because of the products that are put out there that we have no choice but to use. Your plumbing, when I fix it, I want it to last like when grandma called the plumber. When I fix something, I want to fix it for good.” Vic is trying to rewrite the code book by example. He uses superior parts and products in all he does so that when he fixes a problem, he does it for good. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “I’m trying to rewrite the code book by example,” he says laughing. “Those supply houses know me and know how particular I am. If they don’t carry exactly what I know will stand the test of time, I won’t use it. The owner of one hired me to do plumbing work in his home— that speaks volumes to me.”  Vic doesn’t charge for every little service he conducts. He doesn’t charge a call out fee—the standard fee that most plumbers charge just for showing up, regardless of the work they do— because he doesn’t ever want his customers to feel like they lost out, if he shows up and discovers there’s no problem to be fixed.  “I don’t look at it like I went out there for nothing,” he says. “I shook their hand and said hello and handed them my business card. And now they have the info that they need. … Read more

Catching Up with Chef Joe Bonaparte by Melissa LaScaleia This month, the Insider took a look at what is cooking and in the works for Chef Joe Bonaparte, executive director of the International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach in the Market Common, and a trailblazer in the arenas of sustainability and food production from farm to table. “We have a lot of things going on that we’re excited about,” says Joe.  “Last August, we started a full-scale recycling program that includes plastic, cardboard, and glass.  We also have hundreds of pounds of compost that we’ve been sending to a compost facility each week that we’re about to get back for our gardens.  From implementing these two things, our waste has been reduced by 70%, which is drastic and a major accomplishment.” Joe is currently working with the James Beard Foundation which has developed a curriculum to reduce food waste by teaching students techniques to utilize the entirety of a food.  It involves things like crisping fish skin, doing something with the fish head, such as cooking the collar or cheek, using pits and peels; some are as simple as making sausage from pork trimmings.  Steven Satterfield, the well known author of Root to Leaf, is one of the program’s major contributors. “There are a lot of things that get trimmed and thrown away, and if you know food, ingredients, and cooking techniques, you know how to use those things,” Joe says.  “It’s another facet of creative cooking that we’re embedding in the curriculum for students; it can be incorporated into current culinary school classes with ease; and it reduces a significant amount of what gets sent to the landfill. Chef Joe Bonaparte (above) is a sought-after chef, lecturer and educator for his culinary knowledge and expertise in sustainability practices. He focusses on the importance of selecting high-quality, chemical and hormone-free foods not only for their superior taste, but also for their positive impact on our environment and economic livelihood. “Sustainability is going mainstream now.  It’s a big step for the James Beard Foundation, to branch out of just doing awards.  I give them a lot of credit.  There are probably around fifty chefs and instructors from around the country that were asked by the foundation to be pilot programs for this.  We’re going to be one of them so we can help make improvements.” The objective of the program is to promote sustainability and reduce food waste.  Composting, while an amazing practice, isn’t the ideal first step for implementing this.  Joe explains why: “When you don’t use the whole animal or whole plant, more has to be raised and grown to produce an equal amount of those items that are consumable. “There is a lot more to a pig than a pork chop, and a chicken than a breast or tender.  If you use more of the raw product, you buy less, and that goes all the way back up the line of the food cycle where we resort to factory farming in this country to meet demand— and it is a major problem with our food chain.  What we produce could be cut in half if we didn’t waste so much.  The answer isn’t modifying vegetables to be drought resistant or spraying them with chemicals, or producing meat like it’s a widget and it’s run through a factory.  It’s just ridiculous because it’s focusing on the wrong end of the food chain.” Joe has developed his personal reflections on food and its production based on his experience of over 30 years in this industry. Indigo Farms at the market “We’ve grown up in this country with abundance and waste,” he says.  “A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council in 2012 found that 40% of food produced in this country is never eaten, while at the same time, one in six Americans struggle to put a meal on the table. “If you’re reducing how many plants, cows or pigs have to be grown or raised, you’re talking about doing things for the environment that help to be more sustainable.  We want to get to the point where composting is the last resort.  Instead of approaching cooking with the mindset that all the carrot peels have to go into the garbage, it is thinking— what can I do with these?  How can I use this as food?  I can make a soup with them, I can fry them and make crunchy garnish, I can make carrot coulis, I can put them in carrot cake. “We’re just a small part of the feedback for this task force, but it’s a big thing for culinary schools nationwide because sustainability hasn’t been a major part of the focus in American culinary education, and it needs to be. There is a strong emphasis on education at every farmers market, to teach culinary students about food sourcing. “Sustainability hasn’t been a major part of the focus in American culinary education, and it needs to be,” says Joe “Culinary education has always been about technique,” he continues.  “But there is so much more to it.  Cooking starts with where we buy our food.  If I buy something that has lived an atrocious life, I might be able to take it and make it taste good and you think it’s great.  But to me, it’s not great for life as a whole.  It reflects a lack of understanding about where our food comes from and a lack of understanding about our planet— thinking that it has endless resources and can endlessly renew itself.  Food, from birth to table, is a really long evolution.  So with culinary education, it’s about adopting more sustainable principles, teaching our students, and then passing those on to restaurants, hotels, and grocery stores which in turn educate consumers.” Knowing where your food comes from is important to Joe; he’s been on the board of the Waccamaw Farmers Market Cooperative since moving here four years ago.  He’s also visited many of the area’s … Read more

Doing Things Right, The First Time by Melissa LaScaleia Since its beginnings in 1997, Conway Builders of Myrtle Beach has taken pride in offering quality workmanship.  The family owned and operated company specializes in interior house restoration and remodeling.  They handle everything from framing, drywall and cabinet installation, painting, flooring, trim, and plumbing. Michael Sokolik, Jr. is vice president of the company and partner with his stepfather, Victor Conway.  Victor has been in this industry since the age of eight, when he would accompany his father and uncle on jobs.  As an adult, he forged Conway Builders of Myrtle Beach with values based on stellar customer service and first-rate artistry. “People go to our website and see our testimonials, so they understand that we don’t play games,” Michael says.  “We do quality work and use quality materials.  And our motto is: quality above quantity.  So what we tell our customers is, we work on a first come first serve basis.  We want each customer to have the same excellent quality as the person before them.  We give our full attention to the project we’re currently working on.” “Our main goal is to make our customers happy,” Victor adds.  “And that’s a lot of hard work and hands-on mentality to achieve it.  We’re a family business, and you’ll always have a member of the Conway family on the job.” A phrase that Victor coined sums up their company’s approach— ‘there’s the right way, the wrong way, and the Conway’— taking care of their customers the right way, the first time. “My stepfather would say, if you can see it, the customer can see it,” Michael says.  “So we look with attention to detail to catch things and take care of any loose ends the first time.  That way, we’re in the clear, and not giving them anything to go looking for.” Michael Sokolik, Jr., puts the finishing touches on a kitchen remodel. –Photo by Meganpixels Parker “We recently had a customer sign a contract with us that was significantly higher than the competition for this particular project,” Michael says.  “He went with us because we understood what he was looking for, number one, and number two, we knew what it was going to take to do the job. “Believe it or not, that is rare in this industry.  A lot of times people think— you take something out, you put something in— but that’s not always the case.  When you’re removing something, you don’t know what is behind there.  So you have to be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best. “I’m willing to sit and spend time with customers to understand what they want and answer any questions.  But what I hear from a lot of people who end up choosing us, is that a lot of companies are just there to take measurements and write up an estimate, not answer questions.” Michael at work. There’s always a member of the Conway family on every job. –Photo by Meganpixels Parker and Latoya Grayson Conway Builders takes the time to give a complete verbal overview of the labor process, so that customers can hear and understand what it takes to do the work, the skill and knowledge needed to execute the project in a timely manner, and a complete price with all the taxes included.  They give accurate and detailed assessments that are clear, transparent, and up-front both about the cost and the time needed to complete the job, and make themselves available to customers to answer any questions. They also give clients a list of products needed for the project and the locations where they can be found, so that the homeowner can select the style, price, and quality of the materials personally. “We try to steer our clients towards using higher quality materials, because those will stand up over time,” Michael says.  “But anybody who can’t afford higher quality materials, we still give them the same level of workmanship. “They have to live with the products, so we’d rather they pick them out.  That way, there’s no question as to what kind of products they’re getting.  They’ve seen it, touched it and they know all about it.  So we’re setting our customer up for success right from the get-go.   A completed kitchen remodel in Cherry Grove– the creative design brought to fruition by the collabora- tive efforts of Conway Builders and the homeowner. This is just one example of the type of design work Conway Builders excels at. –Photo by Meganpixels Parker and Latoya Grayson “And if they choose to use another contractor, we’ve given them an organized form that makes it easier to have a complete breakdown of what they’re buying and for what.” “Just like any other business, we don’t like loosing time and money, but we won’t send a final bill for a project until the client’s entire punch list is completed and the customer says, ‘job well done.’  And if they don’t, we go back and fix it for free,” Michael says. Conway Builder’s incredible attention to practically meeting and addressing customers’ needs earns them grateful and loyal clients as much as their industry and design knowledge: “A lot of people go with our ideas because we know what we’re talking about,” Michael says. “People look at their bathroom or kitchen and say, ‘I want this or that.’  I’m able to create a design for them that is going to get them all the different characteristics of their varying ideas and make it into one final transformation that’s tangible, workable, and solid.” Conway Builders of Myrtle Beach LLC Envelope Facebook Phone Internet-explorer

A Family Owned Business With Good Old Fashioned Values by Melissa LaScaleia Custom Outdoor Furniture is a family owned business in Garden City; and next year they’ll be celebrating their 40th anniversary in business. In an interview with the Insider, the second-generation co-owner, Gregg Holshouser, shares the story of how they got started. “My dad was living in Garden City Beach, just south of Myrtle Beach,” Gregg says, “and one day in 1979 he was driving along Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.  He saw a few chaise lounges out beside a dumpster, and noticed that the frames were in very good shape, and only the straps needed replacing.   He began thinking— there has to be a way to replace the straps and salvage the frames— rather than throw the entire piece of furniture away.” Gregg’s dad, Carrol Holshouser, investigated his idea further, and found contacts in Florida who provided vinyl strapping.  Before long, in his own garage, a block from the beach, he started restrapping furniture from local hotels. The business was born. “Back then, my dad called our business Furniture Restrapping,” Gregg says.  “And it evolved from there over time.  He originally built a little contraption that you could cut the straps on, and you used a mallet and a hand punch to cut the straps by hand.  That’s how basic it was at the beginning.” “At that time,” Gregg continues, “Myrtle Beach was comprised of family-owned, mom-and-pop hotels.  My dad was a very hands-on guy.  He went down the boulevard and got to know everyone who owned the hotels.  And the business kept growing and growing.” Restrapping has saved many a chaise lounge from the trash bin for almost 40 years. Here Gregg Hols- houser (left) and Stevie Nobles (right) give this one an aqua update. –Photo by Meganpixels Parker/Latoya Grayson In the 90s, Carrol began selling new aluminum strapped furniture to go with the restrapping service.  Customers could now choose the color and style frame they wanted, and he would put the color strapping they selected on the lounges and chairs.  There were now unlimited possible color combinations. “It was a good service for the community,” Gregg says, “because if you ordered from a factory, it would take around 4-6 weeks for it to arrive.  But my dad could do it in less than a week.” In the early 90s, they became a stocking distributor of Grosfillex, the premium resin furniture in the world.  The company originated in France and has since reached international acclaim. In 1999, Carrol began constructing the building of their current location in Garden City.  His son-in-law is a building contractor, and together the two coordinated construction of the 15,000 square foot building, which they opened in 2000. “When we moved into this building, we were pretty basic,” Gregg says.  “Restrapping was still a big part of the business.  The new aluminum-strapped furniture and Grosfillex furniture were big parts of the business too, and we were still heavily wholesale.  After we opened our new building, we became more retail oriented.  We transitioned from a very vanilla patio furniture company, to a full-service commercial and retail business.” Carrol passed away in October 2016, the day that Hurricane Matthew hit the South Carolina coast.  He is survived by Gregg’s mother, Jane Holshouser, who was at his side the whole way as the business was growing.  They both poured their heart and soul into it. Tom and Ann Owen look at furniture color options with Olivia Cox (far right). –Photo by Meganpixels Parker/Latoya Grayson Gregg worked in the family business while he was in college, and he’s been permanently with them since 1999.  Today, he and his sister, Sarah ‘Sam’ Cox, are partners. “We are a family-owned business with one location, we’re not a chain— with good old fashioned values,” Gregg says.  “We stand behind our manufacturers’ warranties; we try to do everything on time, and right.  We are always looking out for the customer, no question.  We do everything within any kind of reason at all, to make sure our customers are happy. “In the eighteen years that we’ve been at this location, we’ve had very few unhappy customers.  We really aim to please.” Today, Custom Outdoor Furniture carries a huge variety of art, including metal and beach-themed pieces.  They sell a wide array of patio furniture, including aluminum sling furniture, and the popular poly recycled plastic furniture.  They also have an outstanding line of high-quality wicker, suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Gregg is proud of their long history and their reputation as a quality place to shop for superior patio furniture and accessories.  Their retail store manager, Happy Land (her name), has been with them for ten years.  She is on the board of the International Casual Furnishings Association, a prestigious trade organization which is a global leader in promoting business development and partnerships in the outdoor and casual furnishings industry, and promotes industry growth through professional education, networking and development. “My favorite thing about what I do,” Gregg says, “is seeing our customers pleased with our products, not only immediately, but for years to come.  Our furniture is designed to literally last a lifetime.” “When customers come into our store,” he adds, “they’re surprised by how fun of a store it is.  It’s just a fun, happy place, a half a mile from the beach.  We have a lot of variety here.  We don’t just carry furniture.” Custom Outdoor Furniture Open M-Sa 9am-5pm. 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Keeping Myrtle Beach Clean Goes Commercial by Melissa LaScaleia The existing clients of GermBustMyBins, the Myrtle Beach based trash and recycle bin-sanitizing company, have often inquired about that company’s capability to clean commercial dumpsters; they were unable to say yes…. Until now! “We’ve had a lot of requests to clean dumpsters,” says the owner John in an interview with the Insider.  “Because of the demand, we’ve added a custom-built system that will clean dumpsters in the same way that we clean residential trash bins.” For those who haven’t seen the previous Insider articles (March 2017 & June 2018), GermBustMyBins has been servicing the greater Myrtle Beach area since 2016, relieving Grand Strand residents of the noxious odors and disease-causing grime that lurks in the depths of their garbage cans.  In our hot climate, it’s an essential sanitation practice, as well as a great way to stay on good terms with your neighbor.  They currently provide monthly residential service to over 1200 clients. Here’s how it works.  A truck arrives curbside on the same day that garbage bins are emptied by your trash collection service.  The bin is lifted into the truck which acts like a giant dishwasher— spraying your bin with 200 degree pressurized water inside and out, power-cleaning it with three extreme rotating sprayers, and leaving it clean, deodorized, and 99% germ free.  The rinse water is retained inside the truck which is properly disposed of utilizing the local water treatment system— unlike the contaminated run-off water of do-it-yourself garbage bin cleaners which works its way down the sewers and pollutes our oceans. “Dirty bins and receptacles are not only issues for residences,” John says.  “It’s arguably a much bigger issue on the commercial side when you consider the private dumpsters that serve the tourist industry at restaurants, hotels, golf courses, and day care centers.  This is a huge tourist area.  And typically when tourists are here, it’s the hottest part of the year, and these dumpsters are very dirty. “If you’re on your own with a hose, first of all, who are you going to send to climb into the dumpster and clean that, and secondly, what do you do with all the left-over detergent water and grossness, the accumulated debris at the bottom?  For the people who are in charge of these bins, there’s no sustainable option to get them cleaned.  There’s an obvious need for this service that we can fill.” The current protocol is that a business gets to the point where the dumpster is in a desperate state before placing a call to their trash collector, who eventually replaces it, free of charge.  Businesses will receive one new dumpster per year; after that, it can be over $150 per replacement. The new truck in action with a dirty dumpster. –Photo courtesy of GermBustMyBins “This is an ongoing issue,” says John.  “You need to maintain that sanitary state to prevent the accumulation of bacteria, disease, odors, and the wildlife, roaches, and pests that dirty dumpsters attract.  But because there’s not a good solution, no one is doing it.  It’s not good for the tourist industry.  People are going out to eat, and everywhere they go they’re exposed to unsanitary trash receptacles.” The new GermBustMyBins truck has the capability to lift commercial dumpsters up to 10 cubic yards into it and clean them inside and out. The company offers options for customers to have monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or seasonal dumpster cleaning, because the continuity of the service is what holds all the bacteria and night crawlers at bay. “It’s not just the dumpster,” he says, “it’s the outside, and the dumpster pad around the dumpster.  You have critters crawling around there all night long.” “You need to maintain regular cleanings in order to prevent odors, bacteria, and pests from accumulating in and around the dumpster,” says John. Luckily GermBustMyBins has the solution. –Photo courtesy of GermBustMyBins Technicians will clean up any way- ward trash around the dumpster pad that didn’t quite make it into the dumpster.  Then they use 200 degree water to kill all the bacteria in that area, and rinse it using the same method. In addition to their dumpster service, GermBustMyBins also cleans restaurant and hotel compost and trash bins used in food prep areas. “I think back to my college days when I used to work in the restaurant industry,” says John, “and there aren’t lots of options for a consistent, easy, and sanitary way to get the restaurant trash bin, compost, or recycle bin cleaned.  At the end of the night, they typically drag the bins out to the dumpster, hoist it up, and lean it against the side of the dirty dumpster to empty it, then bring it back inside to the food prep area.  We service these bins just like any other.  And in essence we can provide a more consistent and healthy process for hotels and restaurants and return the bin to a sanitary state.” GermBustMyBins Be on the lookout!  The new GermBustMyBins truck is green and wrapped in their logo.  Flag it down to enroll in commercial or residential service on the spot, or visit our site, call  or email info@germbustmybins.com. Monthly commercial dumpster cleaning from $30-$70/month depending on dumpster size and location.  Bi-monthly, quarterly and seasonal programs as well as bulk discounts available.  Trash, recycle, and compost bins from $7-8 per service.  Call to receive your personalized quote. Residential service: $8.30 a month to have your bin germ-busted; half price for each successive bin that has trash pick up on the same day; no long-term contract necessary.  *GermBustMyBins respectfully requests that solicitors for advertising do not contact them. Phone Internet-explorer At