No doubt about it: Port of Charleston honcho Bernie Groseclose has this Friday, Dec. 15, circled prominently on his calendar.

That's when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to release its final report outlining all of the potential environmental consequences of the $600 million new container terminal he and the rest of the State Ports Authority have been pushing to build on the old Navy base in North Charleston.

The thick document will include a dozen sections that delve into all sorts of areas, from endangered species to pollution to noise. The public will have 30 days to comment on the findings, all of which will be factored into the final decision.

The Corps of Engineers is expected to issue what it calls a "decision of record" about the SPA's delayed port expansion plan, essentially a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, in April.

There are some key differences between the draft report issued more than a year ago and the updated version. For instance, the new document identifies the route of a dedicated, yet still unfunded, port access road. Also, the SPA's environmental mitigation plan, pegged at $4.5 million in the original document, also has been revised to include, among other items, funding for the high-profile Morris Island preservation effort, according to the Corps of Engineers.

The expansion is a must if Charleston wants to keep pace with its East Coast rivals, supporters of the project have said. They point to results from the past fiscal year that show the Port of Charleston, which is running short of real estate, isn't keeping pace with Savannah and Norfolk, Va. The SPA hopes to open the first phase of the proposed 286-acre terminal in North Charleston around 2012.

Copies of the Army Corps' final report, known as an environmental impact statement, will available for review Friday in 11 locations, primarily local public libraries. It also can be downloaded that day from www.PortEIS.com.

Checking in

The Raleigh-based Soleil Group has sold the 289-room Sheraton Hotel in North Charleston to American Property Management Corp.

The new owner, from San Diego, used to own the pink Holiday Inn on Folly Beach, now known as Charleston on the Beach. It said in a statement that this was the third time it tried to buy the Sheraton.

The hotel fetched $20 million, according to Charleston County property records, or $69,204 a key. APMC snapped the Sheraton up in mid-November for roughly the same amount that developers spent on building the property in 1982.

The Goer Drive lodging has changed hands at least five times over the years. Soleil bought it for $7 million in 2003 and reportedly spent $5 million on renovations, which no doubt helped with the premium that they realized on the deal last month. APMC said it will throw another $2 million into improvements.

Most of APMC's 45 hotels are in the Southwest.

A million and counting

A North Charleston air- compressor manufacturing plant is feeling all pumped up.

The Wabco production facility on Leeds Avenue recently turned out its one millionth unit, which was presented this month to one of the company's biggest customers, Cummins Inc.

The first locally made Wabco compressor rolled off the assembly line in 1998.

"It was a Cummins model and the start of a successful customer partnership," said Randolph McLain, business leader for Wabco's North Charleston operations. "So it's quite fitting and a testament to our excellent record of growth that, eight years later, the one millionth compressor again is a Cummins model."

The compressors are used in braking systems on trucks and other commercial vehicles.

Cummins and Piscataway, N.J.-based American Standard Companies Inc. set up Wabco in North Charleston through a $20 million joint venture in 1996. It is now part of American Standard's vehicle control systems business.

Enlistment bonus

The soldiers who cruise mine-riddled war zones in Force Protection Inc.'s armored vehicles could end up coming full circle and working for the Ladson-based manufacturer some day.

That's the gist of partnership the company has forged with the U.S. Army.

Called Partnership for Youth Success, the program is designed to give soldiers a foot in the door with a cross-section of U.S. businesses and public-sector employers. It was developed to help the Army attract soldiers who want to serve their country and secure post-military future careers.

Under the agreement with Force Protection, new recruits can sign a statement of intent to work for the company upon completion of their service. As they near the end of their enlistment, soldiers will have the opportunity to interview with Force Protection for any openings.

Rock on

Theme park fans can breathe easy. The sale of Hard Rock International to the Seminole Tribe of Florida won't affect a planned $400 million Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach. So says the chief executive of the firm that is developing the new attraction. Steve Goodwin told the Sun News that his company has an agreement with Hard Rock International that would stay in place in the event of a sale. Hard Rock, which owns 124 restaurants across 45 countries, changed hands Thursday with the sticker price of $965 million. The planned Grand Strand theme park will be in Fantasy Harbour and will feature 70,000 pieces of rock 'n' roll paraphernalia.