11 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com I love all of our covers – admittedly, some a little more than others – but this one is right up there at the top of my list. It captures what Mount Pleasant Magazine has always been about: community. Communities come in all shapes and sizes, like magazines. In my mind, the number one ingredient in a vibrant community is the people who call it home. That’s also what makes a magazine special. It’s what’s between the front and back covers – the stories, the people, the ideas and the experiences – that give it meaning. Think about Mount Pleasant for a moment. Our community is filled with highly educated residents, award-winning schools and strong families. But there’s something else that keeps showing up when we talk with people about why they chose to move here: the coastal lifestyle. For some, the connection started years ago. Maybe their children attended the College of Charleston, and somewhere along the way they discovered the Lowcountry lifestyle. Others vacationed here, visited family or friends or found Mount Pleasant while looking for a place where they could work remotely and enjoy more sunshine and a better quality of life. There are ample reasons people move here, but the common thread seems to be the same: our active coastal lifestyle blended with our distinctly Southern way of living. Of course, growth brings opportunity – and challenges. As more people discover Mount Pleasant, we need to improve infrastructure, plan thoughtfully and make sure our community continues to thrive. The same is true for Mount Pleasant Magazine. As our community grows and changes, so should the magazine that tells its story. Our goal is to continually improve the content between these covers; to introduce you to interesting people, share meaningful stories and highlight the businesses, organizations and ideas that help make Mount Pleasant such a special place. With that in mind, I’m excited to introduce our new managing editor, Mary Bell, who has already jumped right in to help organize and strengthen our editorial efforts, along with other members of our publishing family: production manager Bethany Long and designer Dana Coleman. We’ve also launched a new annual women-focused section, Leading Ladies, beginning on page 25 and continuing through page 52. This special section celebrates women entrepreneurs and leaders in health and wellness, real estate and mortgages and beyond. We hope you enjoy meeting the women whose stories are helping shape our community. For more than 35 years, we’ve had the privilege of telling the story of Mount Pleasant, first in print as East Cooper Magazine, and later evolving into Mount Pleasant Magazine, with our digital edition at readMPM.com. That’s more than three decades of stories, photographs and people and plenty of paper! While the technology has changed, our mission really hasn’t: to celebrate the people and places that make Mount Pleasant home. So, we’re starting with an awesome cover. Thank you to everyone who contributed and helped bring it to life. Now let's turn the page. We hope you’ll find that what’s between our front and back covers is every bit as interesting, welcoming and vibrant as the community in which we’re fortunate enough to reside. Thank you for being part of it. Bill Macchio Publisher • Publisher@MountPleasantMagazine.com from the publisher VOL. 16, ISSUE 5 • Fall Edition 2026 PUBLISHER BILL MACCHIO PUBLISHER@MOUNTPLEASANTMAGAZINE.COM MANAGING EDITOR MARY BELL ART DIRECTOR DANA COLEMAN COPY EDITOR COLIN MCCANDLESS PRODUCTION MANAGER BETHANY LONG BRAND AMBASSADOR STACEY MCLOUGHLIN STACEY@MOUNTPLEASANTMAGAZINE.COM DIGITAL MANAGER ALLYAH HARRAR ALLYAH@MOUNTPLEASANTMAGAZINE.COM DIGITAL/WEB EDITOR GEORGE CONKLIN AD DESIGNERS BETHANY LONG KIM HALL WRITERS MARY COY • ANGIE COLYER DUPREE LAURA FOGARTY • ALLYAH HARRAR • BELLA HARRAR CARI LAWSON • COLIN MCCANDLESS SARAH ROSE • BROOKE WATSON PHOTOGRAPHER MARK STAFF ADMINISTRATION & BOOKKEEPING GINGER SOTTILE ALISON REED BOSS DOG REGGIE DISTRIBUTION/DIRECT MAIL U.S. POST OFFICE • HARRIS TEETER • CVS Mount Pleasant Magazine is published locally by a team of independent contractors. Mount Pleasant Magazine is published locally six times per year by Media Services, Inc. 1013 Chuck Dawley Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 Copyright © Media Services 2026. All rights reserved. Reproduction electronically or in print format without the expressed written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited and a violation of U.S. copyright laws. Inquiries to: Mount Pleasant Magazine P.O. Box 22617, Charleston, SC 29413 843-881-1481 Celebrating Our Community
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1