Award comes with some strings

Anyone who owns a business already know it's a "best of" in one way or another, but it's always nice to have someone else notice, too. However, some awards received recently by companies in the Charleston area and across the nation may have strings attached.

A few local companies have told The Post and Courier they were contacted by e-mail with announcements that they had won "Best of Charleston" awards for their industry from the U.S. Local Business Association. And for a modest sum, they could receive a nice plaque that would let them show off their achievement.

However, it has proven impossible to find out anything about the USLBA.

Here's what the Better Business Bureau has to say:

"Companies report receiving an e-mail notice of an award as a local business. They are asked to link to the group's Web site to obtain a plaque commemorating the award. There is a cost for the plaque, but that fact is not part of the e-mail notice. Once the firm links to the Web site, it can be routed to the information about costs. It is unclear if a company can opt out of the award cost, once it gets that far. The only means of contacting USLBA is via e-mail.

"The (Washington, D.C.) address of the firm is a known mail receiving/forwarding address. The BBB is attempting to determine if the entity has a real presence locally. We have no current phone listing for the USLBA, which indicates on its Web site ... that it is a business membership association. ...

Further research shows that the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has no record of any company or organization by that name being registered there.

I used a form on the USLBA Web site to ask some questions about the association, such as where they're legally domiciled and under what name, and whether they're a for-profit or a nonprofit. The Web site said the group would respond, "usually within 24 hours." That was last Tuesday; as of Friday, I hadn't heard back from them.

New and improved

A new banking name made its official debut in the area Friday. Palmetto Heritage Bank and Trust held the grand opening of its Mount Pleasant branch, the second location for the Pawleys Island-based company.

The new office, which held a "soft opening" in June, is at 3102 U.S. Highway 17.

Scheduled to open Thursday is a relocated Johns Island branch of First Federal Savings and Loan. Like the existing Johns Island branch, which will close Wednesday, it's actually on the mainland side of the Stono River, at 3628 Savannah Highway next to the Publix supermarket at the intersection with Main Road.

Reach Michael Buettner at 937-5553 or mbuettner@postandcourier.com.