2022 Officers and New Directors (#BBBColaChas)

Marlo Kanipe has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the BBB Serving Central SC and Charleston.  Kanipe has served on the BBB Board of Directors since 2016, including Vice Chair and Secretary.  Kanipe is the Owner of Deserved Comfort House Cleaning in Cayce, SC.  She is a native of Columbia, a graduate of the University of South Carolina, and has owned her company for over 35 years.

“It has been an honor to serve the BBB for the last 5 years and I am very excited to lead the board in 2022. It has always been a priority in my own business to have the highest standards and practices, so being involved with the BBB board, staff and customers is very important to me,” said Marlo Kanipe.

BBB Serving Central SC and Charleston is proud to announce the 2022 Officers and Board of Directors:

               Marlo Kanipe, Chair                                    Deserved Comfort House Cleaning

               Edgar Alewine, Vice Chair                            Jim Hudson Automotive Group

               Harris Eckstrom, Treasurer                           Carolina Business Equipment

               Chris Morrison, Secretary                             Terratec, Inc.

               Karan Sorensen, Past Chair                          Sorensen Strategies

               Tom Moses, Legal Counsel                          Southeast IP Group, LLC

               Rick Durkee                                                 Coastal Financial Planning Group, LLC

               Tommy Miles                                               Clark's Termite and Pest Control

               Tom Moore                                                  Edgewater Sports Marketing

               Gwendolyn Rivers                                        Caro-Smart Financial Solutions

               Matt Thompson                                          Splash Ominmedia

Background on Marlo Kanipe

While attending the University of South Carolina in the early 1980’s, Marlo McKelvey Kanipe, simultaneously worked as a banker, a restaurant server and cleaned a few houses to make ends meet.  She came to realize that there was a real need for families and professionals to maintain their homes.  At that time, there were basically no professional cleaning services for hire. So, to fill that need in the community, Marlo, along with her mother, decided to open Deserved Comfort House Cleaning in 1986. Over the years, Marlo’s mother retired and Marlo continued the Deserved Comfort legacy for over 35 years.  What started out as a small 2 employee business with a few clients operating from the dining room table has grown into a larger business with more than 15 employees and over 200 recurring clients.

In 2011, Marlo was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer.  After going through surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, she knew she wanted to help other people who were going through treatments.  So, she partnered with an international charitable organization, Cleaning for a Reason, and since that time, her company, Deserved Comfort, has provided free house cleanings to hundreds of families battling cancer. She feels that she was given a second chance, so she wants to make a difference in people’s lives.

Marlo has received professional certifications in cleaning from the International Institute of Cleaning and Restoration (IICRC), learning the science of cleaning to ensure that Deserved Comfort staff are trained to perform the safest and highest quality of cleaning. She is well-known in the cleaning industry across the US.  She has served as Convention Committee Chair for the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI), has spoken at many events and webinars.  Her company has received many international, national and local awards for excellence over the years.

Marlo is a native of Columbia and currently resides in Cayce with her husband, Ralph, of over 35 years.  She continues to be active in her business and in the community, and her life objective is to give back and to help others achieve their full potential in life.  

Background on Rick Durkee

As the Founder and President of the Coastal Financial Planning Group, Rick Durkee is a recognized leader of the financial services industry in Charleston, SC. Since founding the Coastal Financial Planning Group in 2003, he has served his clients and the community by offering advanced retirement planning solutions for individuals and business owners.

Rick earned his reputation as a strategist in retirement planning and asset management by adopting an approach called income allocation, a financial planning concept that focuses on developing a written retirement income plan to address any income shortfalls that may occur in ones retirement life span, while avoiding some of the biggest risks in retirement including longevity risk, market risk and market sequence of returns risk.

Prior to opening his doors at the Coastal Financial Planning Group, Rick developed his passion as a retirement advisor with recognized investment and insurance firms such as Prudential, New York Life, and MetLife (where he earned his designation as a Life Underwriting Training Council Fellow LUTCF®). His core values for helping people understand their retirement needs and the kind of planning required for meeting those goals is apparent to the listeners of his two informative podcast shows that broadcasts worldwide and are available on the website CFPGroup.biz:  Navigating Retirement & Christian Business Values

Rick is an ambassador for the S.C. Christian Chamber of Commerce. He earned his bachelor's degree in business management/marketing from the University of South Carolina in 1981. Professionally, he holds a Series 65 securities registration, as well as the Life, Health and Disability insurance license for South Carolina along with several other states in which he serves his clients. He and his wife Violet have lived in West Ashley over the last 20 years.

Background on Tommy Miles

Tommy is the Director of Operations for Clark’s Termite & Pest Control, headquartered in Irmo South Carolina. Clark’s has branch offices throughout both North & South Carolina.  He has held this position with the company since joining the team in 2003.  He is also an active investor in local residential rental properties.

Tommy grew up in Lexington, South Carolina, attended Lexington Public Schools, and completed his formal education at Midlands Technical College in Computer Programming. He spent the first 17 years of his career working in the Information Technology field for the Property & Casualty insurance industry, where he held positions as a developer, analyst, network administrator, and IT manager. His lifelong friendship with the Clark family and David Clark influenced him to leave the insurance industry in 2003 and instead focus his talents on the exterminating & home service industry at Clark’s Termite & Pest Control.

Tommy currently resides in Lexington with his wife of over 30 years, LeAnn.  They have 2 children; Jessica, a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch in Columbia, SC and Alex, a boat captain in Miami, FL.

Tommy’s core values include the belief that businesses should treat customers how they expect to be treated; the employees of a company are its single most valuable asset; and there is always room for good, honest competition in any market.

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Original Article: https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/26115-bbb-serving-central-sc-and-charleston-announces-2022-board-of-directors

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