Blue Chip Development, LLC is the developer and consists of a team of Florentines who have roots in the community and want to create a special place to call home for its residents and businesses. Marva Smalls, Scott Collins and Ken Jackson each bring a unique perspective to the project and have a vision to create not only a special place but to also honor the history of Dargan Street.
Marva Smalls
Marva is a Florence native and grew up on North Dargan Street where her family had various businesses over the years. These days she divides her time between Manhattan and Charleston but she maintains a home in Florence where she spends a lot time visiting hometown friends and family. Marva is the Global Head of Inclusion Strategy at Viacom and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs & Chief of Staff at Nickelodeon. Marva has more than three decades of leadership experience in the public and private sectors, and is widely recognized as one of the most influential leaders in media. As Global Head of Inclusion Strategy, Marva reports directly to Viacom’s CEO to drive Diversity & Inclusion worldwide. Her role includes implementing strategic initiatives that support innovation and business results, while creating the next generation of leaders. She has established Viacom’s Employee Resource Groups globally and has expanded key partnerships in international markets. At Nickelodeon, Marva collaborates closely with the President in managing day-to-day operations, as well as overseeing all corporate responsibility initiatives and relationships with external advocates and regulators. Under her leadership, Viacom has garnered top recognitions by GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, NAACP and Working Mother, among others. Marva’s commitment to inclusion and positive social change has been honored by numerous national organizations including NAMIC, The National Action Network, and the T. Howard Foundation among others. She established the Marva Smalls Endowment and has awarded more than $1 million to programs providing opportunities to youth and families, along with an endowment for the University of South Carolina’s Ronald McNair Center which offers scholarship and support to engineering students from the under-represented populations. Smalls is a founding member of the Black Economic Alliance and serves on numerous boards including the American Theatre Wing, the International African American Museum, the James Beard Foundation, and Synovus Bank/South Carolina.
Scott Collins, AIA
Scott Collins is a Florence native and has lived here for all of his life except for his years at Clemson and for several years as a young architect in Atlanta. As Managing Principal with Collins Almers Architecture and other firms, Scott has been involved in over 300 projects involving a broad range of building types. Some of the more recent and notable projects include FMU's Medical Education Complex (Old Post Office), McLeod Health's Consolidated Service Center (80 year old bread factory), 155 North Dargan Street (107 year old mercantile building), City of Florence (Sanborn Chase House/Museum renovation) and City of Florence (Soccer and Tennis Centers).
Scott has been involved in numerous leadership positions in the community including Chairman of the Florence Downtown Development Corporation, Chairman of the Florence County Construction Board of Appeals, Member of the City of Florence Design Review Commission and Graduate of the McLeod Foundation Fellows Program.
Ken Jackson, CCIM
Ken Jackson has been a developer and top producing real estate broker in Florence since 1990. He is a native of the Pee Dee having grown up in Dillon and he has fond memories of shopping trips to Downtown Florence during his youth. Ken has been involved with numerous activities and organizations over the years and has been recognized for leadership in his profession, his community and his alma mater.
Ken is a past President of the South Carolina Association of Realtors and was recognized as the 2013 South Carolina Realtor of the Year. He has been involved in the National Association of Realtors where he served on the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the NAR Smart Growth Advisory Board. He has also served as President of the Florence Board of Realtors and was named Realtor of the Year. Ken has been recognized multiple times as Best Realtor in the Pee Dee by readers of the Florence Morning News. He has been actively involved in local growth issues over the years and served for many years as Chairman of the Florence Municipal-County Planning Commission where he got a close-up view of the challenges faced by property owners and developers. For his community leadership, Ken was recognized by the Florence Chamber of Commerce as the 2007 Business Person of the Year. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Florence County Economic Development Partnership and is Past Chairman of the Florence Chamber of Commerce.
He is a strong education advocate and has been very active with his alma mater, Francis Marion University, where he is a longtime board member and recently completed his second term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He has also served as President of the FMU Alumni Association and was named FMU's Distinguished Alumni of the Year as well as the FMU School of Business Alumni of the Year. Ken has also served on the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education which is the regulatory agency over higher education in South Carolina. In recognition of his leadership, Ken was presented the "Order of the Palmetto" which is South Carolina's highest civilian award.
Ken has long been a supporter of the redevelopment of Downtown Florence and has been involved as a developer in several Downtown projects including the 50,000 SF historic Kress Corner project and the Joseph Nofal building at 155 N. Dargan Street.