| Santee Cooper releases reform plan, 2020 budget details The utility presented details a day after consultants hired by the S.C. Department of Administration to write a report recommending options for Santee Cooper’s future presented their conclusions to state legislators. Essex Homes acquired by Stanley Martin Homes Essex Homes, based in Columbia, was founded in 1985. Stanley Martin Communities, founded in 1966, has developments in Washington, D.C., Raleigh, Charleston and Atlanta. | 