Criminal Defense Attorney inWoodruff, SC

GREENVILLE — A soon-to-open amusement center on Woodruff Road in Greenville will have arcade games and axe-throwing with a specific audience in mind: adults.

After 16 months of research and development, long-time Upstate photographers and entrepreneurs Stephen and Summer Gossett formed Social Latitude at 1812 Woodruff Road in the same shopping center as Planet Fitness and the new Habitat ReStore. It is preparing to open Dec. 6.

The Gossetts have lived in the Upstate for close to two decades and own multiple photography businesses, FamZing Studios and Noveli Wedding Photography.

When contemplating their next steps on the beach one day, Summer recalled when they had once played an adult-focused game of laser tag. With a longing to “give back to Greenville,” the couple decided to create their own place where adults can play, Stephen said.

While Social Latitude is geared toward an older crowd, the Gossetts have four kids themselves. The center does allow little ones during the daytime, but once the clock strikes 5 p.m., only guests 21 years old and older are allowed.

The offerings at the 9,000-square-foot center include three TopGolf Swing Suites simulators and an arcade with three multicades where games like Galaga, Super Mario Brothers, Pac Man, Street Fighter and more are on one machine. There are three virtual pinball games with 300 board options. Six axe-throwing bays use projectors as targets so players can throw at virtual zombies or play tic tac toe.

A lounge with dozens of chairs and a 40-foot bar offers food, drink and virtual games. The menu focuses on handhelds and appetizers like an adult PB&J with a whiskey peanut butter. Currently under construction is a private speakeasy — a rentable party room for about 20 to 25 people.

This is only the first stop for Social Latitude with the second already in the pipeline. Behind the Warehouse at Midtown on Laurens Road, the former Kimbrell’s furniture store is transforming into a multi-use office and retail complex. By late 2023, the Gossetts plan to bring the next location to the development where they hope to create an adult laser tag facility, the concept that originally launched the idea.

The grand opening of the Woodruff Road location will be Dec. 6 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Daily hours will be 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Pricing and reservation options can be found at sociallatitude.com.

BMW Group broke ground Tuesday, June 27, on a new $700 million, high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff.

The plant will produce battery assemblies for BMW's fully electric vehicles made at Plant Spartanburg.

The new 1 million-square-foot facility, located on a 315-acre former peach farm along S.C. Highway 101, is expected to be operational by 2026. The facility will include a cafeteria, fire department and energy center.

More than 300 jobs are expected to be created at Plant Woodruff, according to BMW.

McMaster, BMW executives speak at Plant Woodruff groundbreaking

BMW executives and South Carolina dignitaries spoke at the groundbreaking including Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing; Gov. Henry McMaster; Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey and Ilka Horstmeier of BMW AG's Board of Management. Other speakers included U.S. Rep. William Timmons, R-4th District; Spartanburg County Councilman Manning Lynch; and Woodruff Mayor Kenneth Gist.

"We are breaking ground for our future," Engelhorn said. "Our work at BMW drives our legacy and builds our future. This is what will drive Plant Woodruff."

Lynch said, "BMW's ongoing commitment is evident, and has made a tremendously positive impact on Spartanburg County."

Gist said, "Today we break ground on a facility that will be transformative to our city. We are a very passionate community with a rich past. But make no mistake, we are ready for the future."

Last October, Germany-based BMW Group announced a $1.7 billion capital investment to begin building all-electric vehicles for the U.S. and world markets at its North America manufacturing plant near Greer in Spartanburg County.

The investment includes $1 billion to prepare the Spartanburg plant for production and $700 million to build a high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff.

BMW plans to manufacture plug-in hybrids, 'highly efficient' vehicles

At the October announcement, BMW Group Chairman Oliver Zipse said BMW plans to continue to manufacture plug-in hybrids and "highly efficient" combustion engine vehicles as well.

Zipse said BMW also entered a multi-year partnership with Japan-based Envision AESC to build a new 1.5 million-square-foot battery cell plant in Florence County. Groundbreaking for the Florence County plant was held on June 7. Production is expected to start in 2026 and add 1,170 new jobs.

Also last October, the new $20 million BMW Technical Training Center opened, where BMW employees are being trained to build fully electric vehicles.

On Tuesday, Engelhorn said battery cells produced at the AESC facility in Florence will be shipped to Plant Woodruff, where the cells will be used in battery assemblies for the fully electric BMW X models at Plant Spartanburg.

BMW: Plant Woodruff will use 100% green electricity

The battery cells to be produced by Envision AESC at its Florence plant will be designed to increase energy density by more than 20% and improve charging speed and range by up to 30%, according to BMW. At the same time, carbon dioxide emissions from cell production will be reduced by up to 60% through the partial use of secondary lithium, cobalt and nickel.

Plant Woodruff will be operated without fossil fuels and will use 100% green electricity with the installation of a rooftop solar photovoltaic system, according to Engelhorn. Carbon dioxide emissions per vehicle across the life cycle will fall by 40% by 2030, according to BMW.

The Woodruff plant will also use LED lighting and sensors with dimming to reduce energy consumption, as well as harvest and use rainwater to reduce water consumption.

Plant Spartanburg already produces three plug-in hybrid electric vehicles – the BMW X3 xDrive30e; BMW X5 xDrive50e; and the BMW XM.

Last year, about 60% of BMW vehicles sold in the U.S. came from Plant Spartanburg. The factory employs more than 11,000 people and has a production capacity of up to 450,000 vehicles a year.

BMW Manufacturing is a subsidiary of BMW AG in Munich, Germany, and is the global producer of the BMW X3, X3 M, X5, X5 M and X7 sports activity vehicles; the BMW X4, X4 M, X6 and X6 M sports activity coupes, and the all-new XM.

Woodruff announced the hiring of former Byrnes offensive coordinator and Chapman quarterback Brett Sloan as its next football coach Tuesday.

"I'm unbelievably excited to get started, and they'll get my best every day, that's my biggest message to everyone around this program, they'll get my best every day," Sloan said at his introductory press conference.

"We interviewed a lot of great candidates, but our committee just felt like he brought a lot of things to the table, from his innovation on the offensive side of the ball, to his work with a youth leagues at Kell to his ties to the area, being a Chapman graduate," Woodruff athletic director Mike Morris said.

Sloan replaces Bradley Adams, who recently stepped down to return to his former role as football coach and athletic director at Georgetown. Adams went 33-22 in five seasons, including 6-6 in 2022.

READ: All-Spartanburg teams | Cross Country | Football | Girls Golf | Girls Tennis | Girls Volleyball | Swimming

Spartanburg County roots

"It's just home," Sloan said of why he's returned to Spartanburg County. "It's where my family is and that's really important to Brittany and me."

Sloan, 39, has spent the last eight seasons coaching in Georgia, most recently as the offensive coordinator at Collins Hill. The previous five seasons he was the head coach at Kell, with an overall record of 35-21.

But his coaching career started in Spartanburg County, spending three seasons at Byrnes as the wide receivers coach, co-offensive coordinator and then as the sole offensive coordinator. He also spent five seasons at his alma mater, Chapman, as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.

Through his time in the Upstate, Sloan developed relationships with some of the area's best coaches and constantly leans on them for advice.

"Coach (Mark) Hodge is someone I talk to a lot ... Coach (Bobby) Bentley, I call a lot," he said. "There's a lot of people that I pick up the phone and give a shout to if I'm ever stuck on something or if I have a big decision."

His relationship with the Spartanburg High coach goes beyond a mentorship. He's literally family; Hodge is married to Sloan's cousin.

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Process and patience

Year 1 for Sloan could be a rebuild, as Woodruff loses 24 seniors to graduation, including core pieces in quarterback Carson Tucker, receivers Anthony Graybill and Nehemiah Cochran, and defensive end/tight end Ty Ellis.

Yet the Woodruff faithful can expect one thing from day one under their new coach, "excellence on and off the field. That's my expectation and we have to figure out a way to get that done," Sloan said.

"The biggest way to do that are those three pillars that I talked about with the guys this morning, we're gonna play with relentless effort, that's non-negotiable. And we're going to have unbelievable accountability and trust in one another."

On offense, Sloan says he'll be calling plays for now. Traditionally, he runs a power spread offense, but is likely to adjust his scheme if his personnel is better fit for a different approach.

On defense, Sloan will need to address a void at the defensive coordinator position but hopes to employ an odd-front scheme that will be aggressive and physical, something he hopes to bring from his time in Georgia.

"Georgia plays a really physical brand of football with ... great defense, and I think that's something that I would really like to bring is just the physicality, the aggressive defensive style. That's something that I'd like to complement with what we do offensively. I think if we could do that, we have a chance to be pretty good," Sloan said.

The BMW Group broke ground for a new high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff, South Carolina. (Earlier post.) The BMW Group Plant Woodruff will produce sixth-generation batteries to supply fully electric vehicles at nearby BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg. More than 300 jobs will be created onsite at Plant Woodruff with the opportunity to grow.

Visualization of the BMW Group Plant Woodruff.

In October 2022, BMW Group announced a new $1.7 billion investment in its U.S. operations, including $1 billion to prepare Plant Spartanburg for the production of fully electric vehicles and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly plant. The Woodruff facility will be about 100 acres in size that includes construction of a technology building and support buildings such as a cafeteria, fire department, and energy center.

We are working consistently to advance the transformation to electromobility. Cutting-edge production facilities for top-performance high-voltage batteries are a decisive factor in this. Close connection of battery production with vehicle production is part of our strategy.

—Markus Fallböhmer, Senior Vice President of Battery Production at BMW AG

As part of the BMW Group’s “local for local” approach, the company will purchase battery cells for its electric vehicles from partner AESC, which is building a new 30 GWh battery cell factory in Florence, South Carolina. They will produce newly developed round lithium-ion battery cells, specifically designed for the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology. The new battery format will increase energy density by more than 20% and improve charging speed and range by up to 30%.

The BMW Group is particularly focused on keeping the carbon footprint and consumption of resources for production as low as possible, starting in the supply chain. Cell manufacturers will use cobalt, lithium and nickel that include a percentage of secondary material, i.e. raw materials that are not newly mined, but already in the loop, in production of battery cells. Combined with the commitment to use only green power from renewable energies for production of battery cells, the BMW Group will reduce the carbon footprint of battery cell production by up to 60%.

As the next BMW iFACTORY, BMW Group Plant Woodruff will also meet high ecological standards. The site will be operated without fossil fuels and will use 100% green electricity. The BMW Group has set itself the goal of reducing CO₂ emissions in its global production network by 80% by 2030 compared to 2019.

Plant roofs are being prepared for the installation of photovoltaic systems. Intelligent LED lighting with motion detectors and an efficient dimming strategy reduce energy consumption and light emissions to a minimum. The high-voltage battery assembly basically requires no water. Rainwater is collected and used for purposes outside production. An innovative technology that involves injecting captured CO₂ into the fresh concrete during the mixing process will be used in the construction of the plant. This sequesters CO₂ permanently at a molecular level and increases the strength of the concrete.

Since 1992, the BMW Group has invested about $12.4 billion in its South Carolina operations. BMW Manufacturing is the largest BMW Group plant in the world, producing more than 1,500 vehicles each day. In 2022, approximately 60% of BMW vehicles sold in the US came from Plant Spartanburg. The factory has an annual production capacity of up to 450,000 vehicles and employs more than 11,000 people.

Question 1: Can you provide an update on the status of the SC 146 (Woodruff Road) Safety Improvements Project in Greenville County? Is construction still on schedule to begin later this year?

Question 2: Could you please provide an update on the road widening project on Woodruff Road in Five Forks? It seems like weeks or months have passed with very little visible progress, and the project is long past due for completion. The traffic delays are torture to those of us who live or commute through here.

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Answers: In response to the first question regarding the Woodruff Road Safety Improvement Project, contractors will start bidding on that work on October 1.

If the bid is awarded in October, a preconstruction conference and Notice to Proceed may be issued in November, state Department of Transportation spokesman Pete Poore said in an email. The contractor’s schedule, and local weather, will determine when construction will begin, he said.

“We’ll have a better idea of the construction start date after the contract award and preconstruction conference," Poore said.

For those unfamiliar with the planned Safety Improvement Project, the focus will be on Woodruff Road from Roper Mountain Road to Bagwell Road.

The improvements planned include the installation of concrete medians in areas with high frequency of angle crashes, ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps, crosswalks, and countdown pedestrian signals at signalized intersections as well as upgraded signal equipment and intersection operations to improve safety.

Regarding the second question, about the widening of Woodruff Road between Scuffletown Road and Bennetts Bridge Road, or State 296, that work is slated for completion next month.

Poore told The Greenville News in December 2020 that the project should be completed in November 2021. In October 2021, he said the project had experienced "an extraordinary number of underground utility conflicts. "

But, weather permitting, it is now scheduled to be completed this October. Poore said concrete work has been ongoing for several weeks, with the contractor on site performing work daily. Paving of the final asphalt surface was set to begin last week.

Do you have a question you want answered? Send it to me at davisal@gannett.com or via mail to Angelia Davis, 32 E. Broad St., Greenville SC, 29601.