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Making A Move: Growth Drives KeenanSuggs Insurance to Relocate to Landmark Downtown Columbia Building

City gains high profile resident, more than 70 employees

COLUMBIA, S.C., August 9, 2010 - - It’s the kind of good news Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin likes to receive. A growing South Carolina company relocating to the city’s downtown business district and bringing more than 70 people—potential customers of the growing number of restaurants and shops along Main Street—and the potential of additional future jobs.

The source of Mayor Benjamin’s smile is KeenanSuggs Insurance. After more than a decade on Huger Street in Columbia, the independent insurance firm headed by former University of South Carolina football standout Tommy Suggs, has moved to 1330 Lady Street.

“By moving their offices to Lady Street, KeenanSuggs Insurance is both showing confidence in Downtown's promise and helping fulfill that promise,” says Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin. “Their more than 70 employees will shop with Downtown merchants and eat at Downtown restaurants helping create a ripple effect of growth.”

The move to the landmark office building at the corner of Lady and Marion Streets was necessitated by growth. Since 2000, KeenanSuggs has more than tripled the number of employees and diversified its business solutions. In addition to commercial and personal insurance, KeenanSuggs also offers employee benefits, supplemental insurance benefits and risk management consulting.

KeenanSuggs President Tommy Suggs is bullish on the future of his company and South Carolina’s long-term business outlook. “Even in these challenging times, KeenanSuggs has grown. I attribute this to the values of our firm: service excellence, relationships and professionalism. To fulfill these on a day-to-day basis for our clients, we need our employees to work in the best environment possible. We will occupy the first two floors which provide the room and the environment to continue to be our best for our clients,” he says.

The building, which is also home to Collins & Lacy Law Firm, will undergo significant exterior and interior revitalization. The building itself will be cleaned and, the grounds re-landscaped. Temporarily housed on the third floor, KeenanSuggs will eventually occupy the first and second floors, which are being transformed into a progressive corporate headquarters and interactive workspace.

The new, larger location allows all of KeenanSuggs’ operations to be in one, highly accessible location. “What this does,” explains Suggs, “is allow KeenanSuggs BowersElkins to be in the same building with KeenanSuggs as up until now, we’ve been across town from each other. Co-locating enables us to better serve clients looking to us to provide fully integrated insurance solutions for their businesses and personal lives.”

Attorney Joel Collins, a tenant and part owner in the 1330 Lady Street Building, is pleased to welcome KeenanSuggs. “ As one of the owners of the building, I recruited Tommy Suggs like a coach would recruit a star quarterback, which he is. Tommy has been my friend for many years. He is a great businessman, admired and respected by everyone. We are proud to have his firm as our neighbor,” Collins says.

Suggs also is pleased to be part of downtown Columbia’s renaissance. “I’m the type of person who likes to be in the thick of things. Downtown is home to government, the University of South Carolina, law and accounting firms, arts and entertainment, and retail. I am also comfortable that the business community and government are addressing the homeless issue and that the City is committed to maintaining the downtown areas as a safe place to work and live.

The KeenanSuggs move was completed July 31. All phone numbers and emails remain the same.

About KeenanSuggs
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., KeenanSuggs is an independent insurance firm that provides insurance, employee benefits, and risk management solutions to businesses, banks, healthcare clients, school districts, and individuals across the Southeast. For information, visit www.keenansuggs.com .

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