The 29-year history of Total Environments Garden Center mirrors the life cycle of a plant: beginning with the seed of an idea, nurturing a growing business, enjoying maturation and preparing for the eventual fade and fall of the blossoms.
While plant life cycles typically reoccur naturally, this is the last growing season for the Goldenhersh family business. After expanding to a business with 15 employees and taking over adjoining property, Total Environments could not survive the recent spread of mega-store competitors, its founder’s death and, finally, the recession.

Brothers Nathan and Jon Odle, the principals of Trittenbach Development, are best known for their medical office buildings in Columbia, but they’ve wanted to build a mixed-use structure downtown for years. Their goal: to elevate building standards as well the city center’s skyline.

Ben and Kendy Berislavich thought they’d done everything right when they paid for a pre-purchase…

Nick Peckham moved to Columbia from Pennsylvania 35 years ago to teach architecture at Stephens College. Although the architecture program didn’t work out, Peckham has given the entire community practical lessons on sustainability and environmental stewardship in architecture.

While businesses everywhere are struggling to survive the worst economic conditions in decades, and accounts of bankruptcies and factory layoffs are commonplace, one local manufacturer is continuing to experience exponential growth.