The Mike Kelly Law Group is excited to announce the addition of Melissa Delldonna to the Myrtle Beach team. She is a very experienced paralegal and excellent with client service. She is quickly fitting into the Mike Kelly Law Group family and we are glad to have her!

She is a native of Connecticut and attended the University of Connecticut – Go Huskies! When she is not pushing the ball forward for the Mike Kelly Law Group, she enjoys spending time with her family, hanging out at the beach, or watching baseball – especially her beloved Red Sox. We look forward to Melissa spending a long tenure as a Mike Kelly Law Group family member!

I spent most of the last two weeks in our Myrtle Beach office. My time was mainly spent on working, but I was able to do a little golfing, enjoying the beach, and other fun activities. On Tuesday I attended a Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce event along with our resident Attorney, Joseph Scibelli. We really enjoyed getting to know the members and learning about all the benefits that being a Chamber member has to offer. This is a sizable chamber with businesses from Calabash, NC to Georgetown County. While my favorite, the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, operates for the benefit of commerce and quality of life where there are approximately 22,000 residents. Gene Stephens, President and CEO, along with his team of Susan Yenner and Dillon Pullen do an excellent job of promoting everything Fairfield County has to offer from the Palmetto Trail to the Farmers Market as well as downtown Winnsboro, Ridgeway, and the beauty of Lake Monticello. They do an outstanding job making Fairfield a better place to live, work, shop, and play. Support your local Chamber of Commerce especially the good people in Fairfield County.

This week I am going to highlight a long-time close friend, Larry Needle. Larry practices law in Columbia, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach, Lawrence J. Needle, P.A. He is a Charleston native and has a very impressive resume! Larry is a graduate of both Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Law Center and previously practiced law in Houston, Texas. He is an active member of numerous associations in the field of immigration. Larry is an extensive writer and public speaker in his area of expertise. He is as experienced and competent as any immigration lawyer in the nation. Larry is passionate about doing his job and in helping his clients; whether they be corporate, such as hospitals, medical clinics, or just individuals who have immigration issues.

I recently had the pleasure of spending most of the day with Larry. We both enjoy practicing law side by side when we are in our Myrtle Beach office. Larry is an avid tennis player and is most passionate about his wife and three daughters.

I am glad to have him as my friend and cohort. If anyone in KellyGram land ever needs an immigration lawyer, Larry is your man!

As I have reported before, I serve on the Richland County Airport Commission. Myself and two of my fellow members met with Dr. Carolyn Donelan, Lead Flight Director, of the Challenger Learning Center on Monday. We were thoroughly impressed with the facility as well as the programs available for students, both for Richland District One and other school districts as well. The center is operated adjacent to W. A. Perry Middle School and C. F. Bolden Stadium, a Richland County School District One sporting event venue. Carolyn has done a remarkable job expanding this program since she took helm. I got to take a sneak peek at two of the summer camps that were taking place while I was visiting. The Center has programs on robotics, hands-on science explorations, an aerospace education laboratory, an e-Planetarium, and continuing education programs for adults. They serve 7000 to 8000 students per year. There are even students coming from adjacent states. If you have children or grandchildren who may have the slightest interest in a career in aerospace – then this is the place to whet their appetite!

The Richland County Airport Commission which oversees Jim Hamilton – L.B. Owens Airport is exploring opportunities to assist the Challenger Learning Center and hopefully generate in the younger generation an interest in a career in aviation.

Although it has felt like summer for some time here in South Carolina the official kick-off for Summer 2021 was Sunday, June 20th. At my stage in life, I am thankful for all four seasons, but I especially love the fun of summer! I love anything around the water and plan to spend as much time as feasible in my Myrtle Beach office so I can take advantage of everything the Grand Strand has to offer. I have resumed playing golf and I am trying to work on my game in my spare time (it needs lots of work – LOL).

Since I have an inside job anything that gets me outside to enjoy summer, I take advantage of. I enjoy walking on the beach, golfing, and walking in my neighborhood in Columbia. These all remind me of God’s awesome creation for us here on earth. I hope to see you at one of the many attractions in Columbia and Myrtle Beach.

The Kelly family had a blessed event last week in the birth of my grand-nephew, Parker James Team. He is so adorable, and I hope by the time this KellyGram reaches your inbox I will have made my personal visit to pay homage to the latest member of the Kelly family! Parker James is the son of proud parents, Kelly Calamas Team, my niece and her husband, Ryan Team. I have already begun making plans to have him as a loyal disciple of Gamecock Nation. Although there will probably be a civil war in his household, and I wholly suspect his dad will prevail! I am rooting for you Kelly to do what you can to assist me in welcome him with open arms into Gamecock Nation. Seriously, I look forward to watching this young man grow and develop. Parker truly is yet another blessing in my life!

Every year around this time, I get excited and hopeful for the new graduates whether it be high school, college, or graduate school! There is something very liberating about receiving a graduate degree. We are so proud of this year’s graduates.

I would like to feature a member of the Mike Kelly Law Group family today who is graduating from Spring Hill High School, Reece Moorey. He has completed his high school career as an honor student in the engineering program. He is the son of our chief litigation paralegal, Michelle Moorey, who originally started working for me when she was 17 years old. She and her husband, Nate, are excellent parents and role models. They are raising two fine children. Reece plans to continue his formal education at South Georgia Technical College focusing on diesel technology. We wish him all the best in his future.

Congratulations Class of 2021!!!

Tuesday was a very special birthday for me. It was not a “milestone” birthday, but one is right around the corner! My birthday week started early with my office staff giving me a wonderful gift and celebrating with me before I left for a week at the beach. Then on my “born” day, I had an outpouring of best wishes on social media like I never have before!

While I have always dreaded birthdays, I was choked up by all the show of love and affection for me. I am so blessed by God above that I have lived this long. Even though I have had two serious health challenges in the last twelve months, I am still able to work and enjoy life like never ever before. Thanks be to God for this time here on earth!

May we all take the time to be thankful for all the blessings we have in life.

Earlier this week, I took my car in for a day’s worth of routine services at my dealership, Classic Ford. Ordinarily, I’d say that car maintenance is a mundane fact of life and certainly nothing to write home about, but this time around was quite the experience! My good friend, Dean Ray, is the Service Lane Manager at Classic Ford, and he asked if I needed a loaner car for the day. When I told him sure, Dean said he had a real treat in store for me, and he was not wrong! He took me out into the parking lot and set me up with a Mustang Mach-E that had recently arrived at the dealership. I must say, I’ve never had a more pleasurable driving experience than the 24 hours that I had that car!

The Mustang Mach-E is a first-class, all-electric vehicle that excelled across the board! I was impressed by its handling, acceleration, and amenities; the center monitor was truly state-of-the-art technology, and it didn’t hurt that the sound system was HD Dolby quality! Simply put, I fell in love with that car!

For anyone looking to buy a car, I’d highly recommend checking out electric vehicles. The Mach-E has a range of about 270 miles between charges, and its owners will not only save thousands of dollars in fuel costs over the lifespan of the car, but they will also reduce their carbon footprint. After this experience, I am sold on electric vehicles, and my next car is going to be all-electric for sure!

At the end of last year, I mentioned that throughout 2021, I’m going to periodically feature businesses I admire in the KellyGram. Several weeks ago, I lauded Nick’s House of Pizza for its delicious food and welcoming environment, and this week I want to talk about my appreciation for the folks at United Community Bank.

Through my good friends Chris and Doug Millar, Mike Kelly Law Group developed a banking relationship with United Community Bank at the beginning of last year, and we have been extremely impressed with their client service. We started off working with Market President of the SC Coastal Region, Christie Manning, and Vice President of Relationship Management, Nate Rohler, and continue to be very satisfied in our dealings with those two outstanding individuals.

Late last year, United Community Bank announced that it would be expanding its operations to Lexington and Forest Acres, and yesterday we were honored to attend the ribbon cutting of the Forest Acres location. We are delighted to be working with United Community Bank Midlands President, Shannon Stephens, Regional Banking Manager, Morgan Leath, and their first-class team in the Midlands!

I cannot emphasize enough the exceptional customer service that the folks at United Community Bank have shown to our firm. I highly recommend their services, but in case you don’t want to take my word for it, JD Powers has voted them best in customer satisfaction 7 out of the last 8 years!

Thanks to our friends at United Community Bank for such an exceptional customer experience!