Learning center triples capacity in North Charleston, launches new division

Charleston Regional Business Journal
Andy Owens
March 29, 2010

An information technology training company with locations in North Charleston, Columbia and Greenville is expanding locally and launching a new division headquartered in the capital city.

New Horizons Computer Learning Centers is tripling the number of students it can accommodate in North Charleston, owner and General Manager Jeff Moses said during a visit Friday.

Walking between contractors working on the expansion of the company’s facility at the Trident Research Center, Moses said New Horizons is adding space for classroom instruction, self-directed learning through the company’s on-demand video library and more conference space. Moses said the company has detected a growing demand for high-tech training, certification and health care information management services as the recession turns.

“We feel very confident that Charleston is a growth center in the state,” Moses said. “We just felt like now was the time to step up to the plate and meet the demand.”

After the expansion, New Horizons will have 60 seats in North Charleston to complement its 120 seats in Columbia and 90 seats in Greenville. Moses said those locations work hand-in-hand thanks to digital videoconferencing — which extends its reach beyond the state. Moses also owns a location in Charleston, W.Va., and an interest in a location in California.

“We have a deep bench of instructors,” Moses said. “We have talented folks all over the place that we can bring to the event.”

The technology allows even the smallest of classes in any one location to be held, because it reduces redundancies and costs associated with in-person classes. Moses said this is critical for a business that has to rearrange its schedules to free up employees to receive training.

Classes through New Horizons cover a variety of programming, network certification and software use in addition to security-based training. Education consultant Larry Downey said the company also offers classes in forensic data mining and an “ethical certified hacker” field of study — which trains network professionals to stress test the security of a company’s network. Moses said the next area of demand will be in health care information management.

Most of New Horizons’ customers are business-to-business and defense contractors. Moses said he is planning to push for a consumer-oriented market that would bring individuals seeking certifications into the company’s classrooms.

“We really tap a market that not too many folks have the capability to do,” Moses said.

New directions

The company also has launched a new division to work with S.C. businesses that want to increase their competitiveness using search engine optimization and social media tools.

Ted Bauer, marketing manager for New Horizons, is heading the division, called Clique Inbound Marketing Solutions, which will be headquartered in Columbia and serve businesses across the state. He said the company was inspired to expand in this area after seeing the S.C. Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 report on competitiveness.

“The nature of South Carolina’s business competitiveness doesn’t match up to its regional competitors,” Bauer said.

He said Clique — which is so new it hasn’t launched a Web site yet — will work with businesses that want a do-it-yourself solution. It will teach them how to optimize their search-engine ratings and to use social media to increase their exposure to a greater and more relevant audience. Companies also can hire Clique Inbound Marketing Solutions to handle all aspects of a digital competitiveness strategy.

Moses said the company will match New Horizons’ training expertise with course work for Clique and launch the idea through free seminars. Bauer and Moses said if Clique takes off, it could spread to other markets, but right now the focus is solely on S.C. business.

“I got to look at thousands of business Web sites, not through my eyes, but through Google’s eyes. There was a lot of opportunity for improvement across the board,” Bauer said. “A lot of businesses think they can’t do that. The reality is they need to.”

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