Briefs
by John Temple Ligon

South Carolina's three largest law firms

The state's largest law firm is Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough with 132 lawyers in Columbia and 220 elsewhere for a total of 352, according to South Carolina Lawyers Weekly. The second largest is Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart with 15 lawyers in Columbia and 245 elsewhere for a total of 260. Third is Nexsen Pruet with 75 lawyers in Columbia, 102 elsewhere, 177 total.

Bank market share

In South Carolina, Wachovia Bank has the largest share of deposits with $11 billion. Bank of America is second with $7.2 billion. Third is BB&T, $5.7 billion.

Gallery 701 sold, again

Last week, Richard Burts and Robert Lewis bought the former Gallery 701 building on Whaley Street with plans for offices and a 400-seat banquet hall.

Quit complaining

Average gasoline taxes per gallon in the U.S., both state and federal, come to $0.40. In Britain, $4.24.

Hybrid-electric fuel-cell transit

Columbia is one of four cities selected to roll a demonstration project in the form of a 37-passenger bus powered by hybrid-electric fuel cells. Don't expect to see it, though, until the spring of 2009 .

Quarterly report

For the third quarter ending September 30, SCANA reported a net income of $89 million, down from $100 million for the same period in 2005.

Early decision dropped

The early-decision admissions process - application by September and acceptance in December - was dropped by UVA , Harvard, Princeton, and elsewhere because low-income and minority students are less likely to use it.

Fat

In Mississippi, 29.5% of the population is obese, the highest rate in the country. In South Carolina, 26.2%, eighth highest.

Income per person

South Carolina's per-capita income was $21,135 in 2005, 41st in the country.

This is your chance

Fifty brightly colored paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet are on exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. The Columbia Museum of Art is home to one Monet.

Good for Greenville

The estate of Joan Kroc, late widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, donated $50 million for Greenville's new Salvation Army community center. Local matching funds come to $15 million.

Charlotte's Bank of America Plaza sold

Behringer Harvard real estate investment trust last week bought the 40-story Bank of America Plaza in Charlotte for $194 million. Construction of the building was completed in 1974. At 887,000 square feet, the building's price was $219 per square foot. Last spring, Columbia's Bank of America Plaza, built in 1990, sold for $143 per square foot.

Puttin' on the Ritz

Downtown Charlotte is getting a 150-room Ritz-Carlton Hotel across the street from Bank of America Headquarters. Under construction at a cost of $65 million, the luxury hotel should open in 2008.

Largest private companies in S.C.

Milliken & Co. of Spartanburg is S.C.'s largest privately held company, a position it has kept for the last 22 years, according to the Grant Thornton 100 list. Second is The InterTech Group Inc. and Affiliates of North Charleston. Third, Springs Global US inc. of Fort Mill.

Top of the heap

The Woodlands Resort and Inn, Summerville, recently retained five-star status for both its inn and its restaurant from the Mobil Travel Guide.

Crossover deaths decrease

In 2000, there were 27 crossover fatalities along interstate highway medians in South Carolina. In early 2001, wire median barriers were installed. In 2005, there were two crossover deaths.

BankMeridian

Main Street's BankMeridian, open for six months, announced last week it had acquired more than $100 million in assets.

That's what transit costs

Charlotte's South Corridor light rail line was estimated to cost $227 million in 1998. Today, costs are coming to $463 million, more than twice the 1998 projection.

Securities trade at First Citizens

First Citizens Bank recently began its own securities operation with more than 5,200 accounts and about $450 million in investments.

Greer moves ahead of Columbia

Greer, S.C., recently committed $17 million for a new city hall in a contemporary design. Presumably Greer's city hall is planned with adequate elevator service, unlike Columbia's