Independence Air debuts service today from its Washington, D.C., hub to both Greenville and to Charleston.

The company started service to Columbia on June 23, with seven flights daily between the city and Washington Dulles International Airport.

Service to Greenville-Spartanburg starts with six flights and grows to eight Friday.

In Charleston, service starts with six flights and grows to seven Friday.

• Charleston airport to close short-term lot

CHARLESTON — The airport’s short-term parking lot is closing Monday because of construction on a new 1,200-space parking garage.

Customers can use a free shuttle at the Charleston International Airport, which operates daily from 5 a.m. until the last flight arrives.

• Hollings backs bill for fire-resistant rules

Inman Mills, an Upstate textile company, says it could be helped by a bill sponsored by Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., to set fire-resistant standards for a variety of fabrics and other products.

Norman Chapman, head of the company, testified in favor of the bill Wednesday before a Senate committee. His company makes fire-resistant material.

Hollings lost his Charleston house in a 1999 fire. Trade groups for makers of furniture and bedding oppose the bill, according to The (Spartanburg) Herald-Journal.

• Richmond Gear to add up to 40 jobs

LIBERTY — Richmond Gear has completed an expansion that will add 20 to 40 jobs.

The $2.8 million expansion adds 60,000 square feet to the auto parts company’s 125,000-square-foot facility. Richmond Gear is a division of Regal-Beloit, based in Beloit, Wisconsin.

• South Financial grows in Florida

GREENVILLE — The South Financial Group Inc. said it has completed mergers with two Florida banks, giving it 23 new branches in the state.

CNB Florida stockholders will receive 0.84 of a share of South Financial stock for each CNB share. Florida Banks stockholders will receive 0.77 of a share of South Financial stock for each Florida Banks share.

The two banks’ operations will merge into Mercantile Bank, South Financial’s subsidiary in Florida. Mercantile has 56 branches and $4.9 billion in assets.

About two-fifths of South Financial’s assets are in Florida. Its stock closed at $29.10 Friday, up 29 cents.

• In other news

• SCBT Financial Corp. will pay a quarterly dividend of 17 cents per share Aug. 12 to shareholders of record July 30. Stock in the Columbia banking company closed at $27.10 Friday, down 46 cents.

• S.C. Federal Credit Union has reached $1 billion in assets. The 16-branch institution has 136,000 members from the Lowcountry to Columbia.

• John B. Kimbrell is the new president of the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce. He has been vice president of the Anderson chamber.

• Theda Jackson has been named vice president of marketing for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. She had been a vice president of the chamber in Denver.

• Diversco Inc. of Spartanburg has bought the Tampa, Fla., operations of TPG Staffing Inc. Diversco provides contract maintenance and other outsourcing services to 1,500 companies.

From Staff and Wire Reports