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Career Fair News Story

Coastal Carolina Career Services is hosting a Career Fair for students to network with employers on Wednesday, March 1 from 2-5 p.m. in the Williams Brice Physical Education Center.

 

A Career Fair is a networking, internship or job search, and hiring event for employers, graduate schools, CCU students, and CCU alumni. The fair provides a space for students and employers to network and discuss jobs, internships, and graduate school options. Career Fairs are beneficial for students who are exploring future employment positions and students and alumni who are looking for jobs, says Verne Walker, Director of Career Services.

 

Coastal Carolina students should prepare for the Career Fair by updating their resume and having a Career Services counselor review it before the event. Career Services offers various workshops prior to the event related to resumes, interview preparation, graduate school preparation, and preparing for the Career Fair. Students are encouraged to bring copies of their resume, a rehearsed, and natural flowing elevator pitch, and a few questions to ask employers of interest as they prepare for the fair, says Walker. 

 

“Career Services actively recruits employers to attend the fair who will have jobs and internships of interest for all majors,” says Walker. 

 

They’re expected to be 88 employers attending the Career Fair. Walker says that students and alumni should go to Handshake, which is a job search website, where they can register to attend the fair, upload their resume, and ensure their profile is up-to-date. Once students register, they can research the employers attending, who have jobs and internships posted for various majors. 

 

Elizabeth McCrea, CCU student, says that she will be attending the Career Fair to hopefully find a job for after graduation in May. She is a biology major with a concentration in cellular, molecular, and genetic biology. McCrea says that she is looking for more local employers such as Tidelands Health or Conway Medical Center, but also others in the area like the Medical University of South Carolina. She says she’s going to prepare for the Career Fair by looking at the different job positions that each employer has posted on Handshake. McCrea says that her dream job is to become a dermatologist because it’s something she’s always been interested in.

 

“The Career Fair gives students opportunities to network with people, which is how I can build connections with employers especially in different areas of expertise,” says McCrea. 

 

Walker says he has experienced positive energy from students, alumni, employers, and CCU faculty, staff, and administrators who stop by to check out the fair. This event creates a space for student/employer conversations that sometimes lead to on-the-spot interviews. The CCU radio will be attending to interview employers to learn more about their opportunities. The CCU Marketing and Communication team will also be attending to video the event, post photos on social media, and take headshot of students. 

 

“Students have had very positive experiences at the fair that include meeting future employers, receiving interviews during the fair, and setting interview appointments for after the fair,” Walker says. 

 

Students should register for the Career Fair by going to Handshake.

New Teal Nation Store at Broadway at the Beach

Coastal Carolina University has opened their first official merchandise store, off-campus, at Broadway at the Beach. 

 

Travis Overton, Vice President for Executive Initiatives says the name of the store is Teal Nation. Overton says that Coastal Carolina opened this store to create a presence in the Myrtle Beach area. The universities hope is to be able to provide service and visibility to individuals all throughout Horry County and tourists who visit Broadway at the Beach. 

 

He says that this provides an excellent location for people to come, visit and experience Teal Nation while they’re here in Myrtle Beach. 

 

“Our hope is to be the hometown university for Conway, but also for Horry County which is the area in which we serve as a university,” says Overton.

 

Overton says that they’re hundreds of thousands of individuals that visit Broadway at the Beach each year. He says that being able to create that opportunity for people visiting Myrtle Beach to see Coastal Carolina there at Broadway is really important for the university as a whole. 

 

“People who visit Broadway at the Beach may have never heard of Coastal Carolina University, so by having this store at Broadway creates exposure on a wider level,” says Overton.

 

He says that individuals who may be looking at going to school or go back to school will have the opportunity to learn about the university and the admissions process for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Overton says that the physical store location will have information about admissions, such as a monitor that gives information about the university for people to be able to watch and view. He says there will also be brochures and packets about Coastal Carolina that individuals can pick up to learn more about the university. 

 

Allison Chapman, Surfside Beach resident says that the location at Broadway at the Beach is a perfect location for Teal Nation because a lot of people visit down here in Myrtle Beach specifically at Broadway, so it will definitely attract more students and families. 

 

“I think it’s a great location that they picked and it’s fun to stop in and look at stuff and to be able to learn more about admissions and sporting events,” says Chapman. 

 

Chapman says that she thinks the participation in our athletics and arts will increase due to more people being exposed to our university.

 

Overton says that this is the first retail store off-campus and that it will attract individuals who are not traveling to campus to be able to feel connected to Coastal Carolina while they’re doing a bunch of different shopping at Broadway. He says it’s a place to get goods and merchandise while learning about the university.

 

Cameron Guyer, Teal Nation customer says that she was walking around Broadway when she saw Teal Nation and she was curious to see what it was about.

 

“I think the store is a great idea to help bring more interest to Coastal Carolina University among a wider variety of people,” says Guyer.

 

Overton says that the same person who runs the store at Hackler Golf Course, also manages the Teal Nation store at Broadway.

 

He says that there is a new Tiger Woods concept restaurant named Pop Stroke, that is located geographically right in front of Teal Nation. Overton says that this will allow individuals who are there visiting that restaurant to also be able to learn about Teal Nation. 

 

Overton says that the merchandise store will be selling clothing, hats, accessories, bags, and more. He says the most popular selling item is men’s hats. 

 

Teal Nation is located at Broadway at the Beach next to The Hangout restaurant. 

Construction of the New Surfside Beach Fishing Pier

The Surfside Beach Fishing Pier has delayed their opening again after being destroyed seven years ago by Hurricane Matthew.

 

In 2016, the Surfside Beach Fishing Pier endured extreme damages that resulted in over 50% of the pier being destroyed to where it was beyond repair. Rob Clemons, Interim Town Administrator says that they pier was originally scheduled to open in the fall of 2022. Clemons says that they started planning the pier during COVID-19, which caused major delays with materials and supplies not coming in on time.

 

He says another reason for the delayed opening was that there was a redesign that took place during COVID-19 along with other small problems that contributed to the delay.

 

“It’s just like any other project there’s times that you have this beautiful scope that you think you want to follow but as you start to work on it you change these things here and there by the architect, the design team and then the town so that’s caused some delays,” says Clemons.

 

He says the residences of Surfside Beach are not paying for the pier in their taxes. Clemons says most of the pier is being paid for by grants and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

 

Clemons says the pier was originally about $8.5 million. He says then there was a redesign that took place, which caused it to increase to $14 million and now the town is estimated to spend $20 million on the new pier due to the effects of COVID-19.

 

He says back in 2015, the pier generated $500,000 which was a significant income stream for the town. He says the revenue from the pier is combined with the restaurant, obtaining a fishing license, renting fishing poles and paying a $2 fee to gain access to the pier.

 

Clemons says there are is total of 4,300 regular residents that live in the town of Surfside Beach. He says when the town gets into the height of their season, they’re looking at 30,000 to 50,000 people that visit the pier each week. Clemons says that the financial loss isn’t impacting the town budget, but it is affecting the hospitality fines.

 

“It does affect the hospitality fine because we don’t have any of that the revenue stream coming in from the pier so we have not been able to do certain things no, we’re still finding those things, but once the new pier is built, we’re going to have that increase in revenue, which is going to allow us to do more for the citizens,” says Clemons.

 

Clemons says that the pier is hugely important for the locals. He says that it’s an identification marker in the town and people come here for the fishing. Clemons says the pier is going to have more restaurants and live music for locals and visitors to enjoy.

 

McKinley Chapman, Surfside Beach resident says tourists may be especially disappointed if they didn’t realize the pier is still closed.

 

“I think people who are coming to visit Surfside may be a little upset that the pier hasn’t opened yet because people like that access to fishing especially when you’re visiting and you don’t have a boat,” says Chapman.

 

Chapman says that the construction of the pier doesn’t affect her daily routine because she doesn’t go to the beach very often. She says the only negative thing about the construction is that it’s really loud when you’re sitting on the beach during the day.

 

Clemons says that the town doesn’t hear many complaints from the visitors, but more from the locals. He says most of the complaints are more residences expressing their frustration about the delays. Clemons says once we communicate to them what’s going on, they seem to feel more at ease.

 

Chapman says that she isn’t that upset that the pier has been delayed again because it’s going to look really good when it’s done. She says the projection that they have on the pier looks exciting, and that she’s looking forward to when it opens.

 

The Surfside Beach Fishing Pier sits in a popular location among well-known restaurants. River City Café is an iconic burger restaurant in Surfside Beach that has oceanfront views. The restaurant is located directly next door to the pier. Cody Walsh, River City Café manager says that the construction of the pier hasn’t affected their business, but it has caused a parking issue.

 

“Parking has always been an issue here, but since the construction has begun, we’ve lost almost all of our normal parking, which has made it more difficult for customers to find a parking spot to come in and dine with us,” says Walsh.

 

Walsh says that River City Café is a staple in Surfside Beach and that it’s the busiest location they have. He says that they expect them to be pretty busy when the pier eventually opens up.

 

Clemons says that they just shifted the date for 95% completion from last month to the middle of May. He says that the town takes ownership for the delays, along with everybody working on it.

 

Lauren Myers, Surfside Beach visitor says that she came down here with friends and was shocked at how inconvenient the construction noise was during the day. She says she knew that the pier was under construction when planning their trip, but didn’t expect it to be that loud.

 

“I’m upset that the pier isn’t opened yet because I expected it to be done earlier, but I understand that their taking their time to make it a good quality pier,” says Myers.

 

Myers says she’s most excited about the new restaurants and shops that are going into the new pier. She says she is also looking forward to being able to fish and observe the ocean views.

 

Clemons says that the town has pushed the completion date to the middle of May and admits that they may be looking to push it further. He says COVID-19 brought in a lot of unexpected obstacles that is extending the construction process. For more information on the Surfside Beach Fishing Pier visit https://www.surfsidebeach.org/212/Surfside-Beach-Fishing-Pier.

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