You say you want a resolution?

Not to undermine the importance of financial and investment planning during the other 11 months, but for the most successful investors, January is the month to really step up your game. The hardest part is narrowing down the full width and breadth of fiduciary possibilities to the most important goals. If that’s the case, consider the following a “goal mine” of resolutions to get you off to a profitable 2012.

Read more: You say you want a resolution?

Into the frame: Station 300

With the opening of Station 300 this month, Bluffton doesn’t just get a place to hurl a few rocks. In the short term, it gets an entertainment mecca that pumps money into the local economy. In the long term, it gets the chance to establish itself as headquarters to a new chain of entertainment megaplexes.

After three years of planning, a $7.3 million entertainment facility is opening this month on Buckwalter Parkway. And while Station 300’s emphasis may be pinned on bowling, the owners have a broader game plan.

“This is not your father’s bowling alley,” said managing partner Gary Trimm. “The idea is to have more than bowling.”

There will be plenty more, and, yes, dad is invited too.

In addition to “high-tech” bowling, the 33,000-square-foot facility at Buckwalter Place will have a large arcade, a sports bar, an upscale dining area with indoor and outdoor seating and party rooms.

And the owners have spared no details to make the experience an interesting one.

From “Cosmic Bowling” — where balls glow beneath black lights and a light show is set to pulsing music — to large flat-screen TVs at each station, odds are bowlers haven’t seen anything quite like it. While there are about 6,500 bowling centers nationwide, only about 120 have these high-tech toys and this one will be a first for the Lowcountry and surrounding region, Trimm said.

He’s hoping it will draw customers from across Beaufort and Jasper counties and the Savannah area, bringing an estimated $3 million into the town each year. It will employ seven to nine full-time workers and 40 to 50 part-timers, with an annual payroll of about $750,000.

Generating an income is what inspired Trimm and another partner, Gary Brust, to get rolling in the first place. Shortly after retiring to Hilton Head Island, Trimm felt the economy slipping into the gutter and he needed a new venture to secure his future, one not tied to the stock market.

He was intrigued with the growing popularity of high-tech bowling and thought such a center would be perfect for Bluffton’s demographics of retirees, families and college students. Brust helped find other partners.

The center will be open 365 days a year and, with so many local retirees, Trimm hopes it will stay busy during the afternoon while attracting adults at night and children and families on the weekends.

And that’s just the start. Eventually, the owners would like to work with other developers to expand the complex into an entertainment district.

They also hope this is the first of several bowling centers they will open in coming years, with their headquarters in Bluffton.

“Right now our focus is getting this one up,” Trimm said. “We think we can replicate it in a number of areas.”

Station 300’s grand opening is Jan. 20-22, but its doors open Jan. 7 to give the staff time to work out any bugs before the official launch.

For more information, visit www.station300bluffton.com or call 843-815-BOWL.

On the Move: Dec. 2011

HIRES / promotions

MacMillan

Robert MacMillan has joined Jarrett Bay Yacht Sales and is working out of the Charleston office with a focus on servicing the Hilton Head Island and Savannah boating communities. He joined the marine industry after a successful career on Wall Street, where he played a major role as a senior vice president and wealth management advisor for 25 years. 

Read more: On the Move: Dec. 2011

On the move: November 2011

Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa names Cox new GM

Kristine Cox has been named the new general manager at Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa. Originally from Myrtle Beach, Cox has been with Columbia Sussex for the past nine years.

In 2006 during the takeover of new ownership, Cox was the rooms division manager and helped extensively with the renovation and takeover and soon after became assistant GM.

In 2007 she was was promoted to general manager of the Ft. Lauderdale Hilton Airport hotel. After three years she returned to the Myrtle Beach Marriott at Grand Dunes.

She became GM of Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa in August.

Read more: On the move: November 2011

Stumpmate: Getting elected? There's an app for that

When President Obama was elected in 2008, much of the credit went to his campaign’s use of youtube.com, online social networking, email, text messaging and other technologies to reach out to voters.

Now, a Hilton Head company, Jester Communications, has created a way for politicians to bring all of those technologies to supporters in one simple app called “Stumpmate.”

Read more: Stumpmate: Getting elected? There's an app for that

New Faces New Places Oct. 2011

NEW FACES, 
NEW PLACES

Tapas Restaurant has moved to a new location in Port Royal Plaza, 95 Mathews Drive B5, Hilton Head Island. Chef Ardis Matthews has been featured in Bon Appetit magazine. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner. 843-681-859, www.tapashiltonhead.com

Read more: New Faces New Places Oct. 2011

On the Move Oct. 2011

HIRES / promotions

Holly Mlodzinski, MS, RD, LD, has been named health promotions coordinator for Hilton Head Hospital. In her new role she will focus on community outreach, wellness, prevention and integration of hospital services. 843-682-7369.

Read more: On the Move Oct. 2011

New Faces, New Places: September 2011

Jessica Shefsick has opened Skinzin Special Event Makeup, specializing in on-location wedding day airbrush work. The Skinzin studio is located inside the International Spa Institute in downtown Bluffton. 843-368-2660, www.skinzinmakeup.com

Read more: New Faces, New Places: September 2011