Lighting Store Showroom Near Mount Pleasant, SC

SC Johnson is relocating 170 employees from its Chicago office to the Racine area by the end of 2026. The phased move will centralize teams at the company’s Mount Pleasant facility, improving collaboration following a recent restructure.

MOUNT PLEASANT — SC Johnson will relocate approximately 170 employees from its Chicago office to its Racine-area facilities by the end of 2026, the company confirmed. The move is part of a long-term strategy to improve team collaboration following a major organizational restructuring.

As part of this transition, employees will move into the former Educators Credit Union building on Willow Road in Mount Pleasant, which the consumer brand company purchased in 2023. The facility is adjacent to two existing buildings and near its Waxdale manufacturing plant, a key hub of the company’s operations.

“This is an important change for our business given some recent organizational changes, and we look forward to welcoming even more SCJ people to the Racine area,” said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “For almost 140 years, we’ve enjoyed being part of the Racine community and proudly call it our home.”

The move supports SC Johnson’s decision, made 15 months ago, to restructure into two main divisions: North America and International Consumer Brands. Company leaders say relocating teams from its Chicago office to Racine will streamline operations and foster better collaboration.

According to SC Johnson, no jobs will be cut as part of this transition. Approximately 100 employees will remain at the company’s downtown Chicago office. SC Johnson will also continue operations at its manufacturing site in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago.

The company’s global headquarters will remain at 1525 Howe St. in Racine.

While SC Johnson bought the former Educators Credit Union property in 2023, it had not previously announced plans for the site. The company has not yet said whether renovations or expansions are planned before employees begin moving in phases through 2026.

Editor’s note: This is a breaking news story. We’ll update the story with more information.

MOUNT PLEASANT — Wings, beer and sports are on the menu in the town's newest restaurant.

Buffalo Wild Wings, known for its 26 sauces and dry rubs, confirmed it will open July 17 in the former Outback Steakhouse space on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.

It’s the fourth Charleston-area franchise for the national chain and seventh in South Carolina. There are two other Buffalo Wild Wings locations in North Charleston and one in Summerville.

The bar and grill is popular among diners for its sports bar atmosphere, casual fare and specials, like bottomless appetizers for $9.99. The company is also known for its often snarky, viral tweets tagging sports celebrities or commenting on news stories with their own menu items to entice diners.

A ribbon-cutting for the location at 715 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. will be held at 10:30 a.m. with the first diners invited through the doors at 11 a.m.

Grube Inc., which owns and operates 74 Buffalo Wild Wings location franchises in nine states, will operate the Mount Pleasant location. It announced plans to take over the location in January.

“Grube Inc. decided on the Mount Pleasant location due to the density of people living in and around the area, along with the thousands traveling on 17,” said Rick Small, director of marketing with Grube Inc. “We also feel that Mount Pleasant has a diverse group of current and future residents.”

Bree Micheal is general manager of the Mount Pleasant restaurant.

The Outback Steakhouse was an East Cooper staple for 25 years before shuttering in March 2024.

The closing came after parent company Bloomin’ Brands of Tampa, Fla., decided in February to shutter more than three dozen financially underperforming restaurants in its portfolio.

MOUNT PLEASANT — A longtime family-owned seafood market on Shem Creek named in a federal lawsuit this month reached an agreement with the South Carolina Shrimpers Association on July 10.

Owned and operated by the Fitch family, Mt. Pleasant Seafood has served the town for over 75 years. The retailer was one of 25 named defendants in a lawsuit filed by the S.C. Shrimpers Association on June 13 that alleges area restaurants are falsely advertising imported shrimp as local or wild-caught.

Gedney Howe, IV, attorney for the S.C. Shrimpers Association said the agreement ends the litigation between the S.C. Shrimpers Association and Mt. Pleasant Seafood, but the exact details of the settlement remain confidential.

The litigation arose following a private research firm's genetic testing study of 44 Charleston-area restaurants. The study, conducted by SeaD Consulting and funded by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, an industry trade organization, alleged the shrimp served at 40 restaurants were imported and likely farm-raised, not a wild-caught product.

Mt. Pleasant Seafood is the second defendant to reach an agreement with the Shrimpers Association.

"We're happy to have this resolution. We've been selling local shrimp since we started. I think we did about 2,500 pounds last month," said Sarah Fitch, vice president of Mount Pleasant Seafood. "Just hoping to keep getting them in and keep selling them, and just happy to keep rolling along."

The seafood market sells both local and imported shrimp. Signage at Mt. Pleasant Seafood previously did not denote whether the shrimp was local or imported, though staff are transparent about its origin if asked, Fitch recently told The Post and Courier.

Going forward, Fitch said the market will be increasing its signage and educating the public as they stop by. On July 11, there were four types of shrimp for sale at the small store on Shem Creek.

"We're just working on finding ways that we could be more clear and ... educating customers about what we've got," Fitch said.

A statement from the South Carolina Shrimpers Association applauded Mt. Pleasant Seafood's "willingness to engage in open dialogue" about labeling their products.

"We are grateful for their support and look forward to continuing to work side-by-side to preserve and promote the South Carolina shrimping industry," the statement from the S.C. Shrimpers Association read.

Mt. Pleasant Seafood's agreement came a week after the owners of a well-known seafood restaurant in Charleston reached a resolution in the lawsuit. Owners for Hyman's Seafood said the restaurant would be committed to transparency and accurately labeling the seafood they serve.

Hyman's Seafood will also be removed from the lawsuit.

Owners of Hyman's Seafood previously told The Post and Courier that an outside marketing team shared social media posts that implied Hyman's was serving local shrimp.

On July 3, the Shrimpers Association announced the update with Hyman’s, whose owners "reaffirmed their commitment to transparency."

"While we understand the concerns raised, we've also listened, learned, and made the decision to do more, because we believe in doing right by our customers, and by our community," owners Victor and Tobias Hyman said in a July 3 press release.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — The South Carolina Shrimpers Association and Mt. Pleasant Seafood announced Thursday a resolution of "all claims" related to the ongoing "shrimpgate" matter.

The involved parties have yet to release details surrounding the resolution to the matter. And this agreement only pertains to Mt. Pleasant Seafood. Other parties implicated and named in "shrimpgate," as businesses that allegedly misrepresented the shrimp they served to customers, are still part of the ongoing legal matters.

"We appreciate Mt. Pleasant Seafood's transparency, responsiveness, and the constructive conversations we've had throughout this process," the shrimp association said through its lawyers. "They have been longtime allies of the local shrimping industry and their willingness to engage in open dialogue and take proactive steps should be applauded."

Mt. Pleasant Seafood, locally owned and operated for 80 years across four generations, was highlighted when members of the state's Shrimpers Association in July named 25 Charleston-area restaurants that allegedly defrauded consumers by claiming they sold locally sourced shrimp.

The "Shrimpgate" saga began in May 2025 when an investigation by SeaD Consulting revealed genetic testing on shrimp dishes from 44 Charleston-area restaurants reportedly showed only 10% of them were selling their shrimp as advertised.

Not long after the list was released, Hyman's Seafood, a classic restaurant in the heart of downtown Charleston, reached a resolution with the South Carolina Shrimpers Association.

Now, Mt. Pleasant Seafood has joined in reaching a mutual agreement.

"We are proud to stand with the Shrimpers Association and our local fleet," the restaurant said in a statement. "We've sourced from these hardworking men and women for generations, and we remain committed to telling their story and selling their shrimp."

MOUNT PLEASANT — Town Council spent nearly two hours discussing a pair of ordinances intended to temper development in certain areas and discourage redevelopment in others, if only temporarily.

Elected officials gave first reading June 10 of a measure providing a temporary moratorium on the acceptance and processing of major subdivisions in historic districts.

The ordinance, if passed, would fall in line with the similar 24-month directive Charleston County passed in July.

"Right now, the ordinance is very broad," Mount Pleasant planning director Michele Reed said at the meeting. "It's county-wide, and so this pause is allowing the county to work with the communities to create more specific guidelines for what these communities want to see."

Mount Pleasant's stand comes two months after the developer of a roughly 3-acre parcel on Hamlin Beach requested to be annexed into the town. The goal was to get around from the building moratorium and allow an eight-home subdivision on the tract.

Ahead of the meeting, six members of Charleston County Council sent a letter to Mayor Will Haynie and Town Council in support of the temporary moratorium. It said said the ordinance is necessary to avoid "hasty decisions that may compromise community character or overwhelm existing infrastructure."

"As development pressures continue to mount, we must take deliberate action to protect these irreplaceable assets from irreversible damage," the county officials wrote.

The letter further stated their ordinance and Mount Pleasant's proposal do "not seek to halt growth but rather provide our planning and preservation professionals the time and space necessary to assess impacts, update relevant ordinances, and ensure future development aligns with the values and long-term vision of our region."

Josh Dix, vice president of advocacy for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, spoke against the town's proposed ordinance, saying "moratoriums don't protect communities."

Dix's trade group worked previously with County Council on its ordinance. He suggested the town look into legally binding conservation easements instead as a way to prevent development in settlement communities.

"That's how you protect property. You do that through deed restriction," he said. "You don't do that by passing a moratorium. Y'all have a long history of annexing properties into this town to close doughnut holes and address consistency of service. This moratorium would kind of fly in the face of that long-standing tradition that the town has."

The first reading of the ordinance passed unanimously and will move to Mount Pleasant's planning committee. One recommendation with it is to put a short and firm deadline on the directive to avoid the fate of Mount Pleasant's last moratorium on apartments that delayed a decision for nearly eight years.

A second lengthy discussion centered on possible action regarding regulations for demolitions and rebuilds or major additions in Mount Pleasant's older neighborhoods — areas where the town serves as the only protection.

Council addressed a specific geographically defined area that has an existing neighborhood overlay district. The sector includes Shemwood, The Groves, Cooper Estates and Bayview.

In the last two and a half years, the area has seen 44 newly built homes and 30 additions, the town said.

"I supported ... amending the agenda and putting these together, because although the neighborhoods are different and the county's not involved in this, the purpose is the same," Haynie said. "And that is to protect neighborhoods that are getting overrun by — it may not be new development, but it's redevelopment — and to find out legally what tools we have to do that in the meantime."

Council also expressed a need to protect residents who purchased property in certain areas where landscapes have changed with huge homes rebuilt around them.

Options for consideration included offering incentives for owners to maintain existing structures and build additions instead of demos or rebuilds, as well as further limiting building coverage and impervious surface coverage.

Council voted unanimously again to send the ordinance to the planning committee.