With 2020 now in the rearview mirror and vaccine distribution on the horizon, the year ahead holds promise for our Lowcountry economy. 

We continue to navigate a unique time in history, and in the Lowcountry we’ve once again risen to the challenge. We’re proud of our community and how we supported each other throughout 2020. 

DON RYAN CENTER EXPANDS OPPORTUNITIES FOR STARTUPS AND GROWING BUSINESSES

When Louise R. Hodges entered the inaugural class of Bluffton’s Don Ryan Center for Innovation in 2012, it was like taking Business 101, she said.

The lessons paid off for Hodges’ Greenbug, Inc., and now the business owner is back with DRCI as a member of the Growth Program for businesses seeking assistance in the growth phase.

When we are young, we are taught that setting, monitoring, and achieving goals is a key factor in finding success in life.  

As we grow into adults our goals change and evolve. They become increasingly difficult to define and monitor as we begin juggling a full-time job along with family responsibilities. Many of these goals also have a price tag attached.   

A financial planner will help you define, prioritize, and simplify the process of achieving your goals by constructing a comprehensive financial plan. They will analyze your situation and develop solutions that will help you achieve your goals in a financially responsible manner. 

A question that is likely on all small business owners’ minds lately is this: How do you capture the limited attention of your target consumer through marketing when they are constantly being bombarded with more advertising and distractions than ever before? 

Also, how do you compete with established corporations that have seemingly unlimited resources?  

The answer is not in marketing, but instead through best-of-breed branding.  

LOWCOUNTRY CELEBRATION PARK DESTINED TO BE A HILTON HEAD ATTRACTION

Located on the south side of Pope Avenue between Circle Center Shopping Center and Coligny Beach parking lot, the much-anticipated Lowcountry Celebration Park is destined to be a sought-after attraction.  

The park includes a sprawling lawn, a small pavilion on a lake, a stage for events, walking trails, exercise stations, boardwalks and The Sandbox Children’s Museum.

THAT PERSEVERES DURING TOUGH TIMES

These past few months have been a very challenging period for all of us. Our health has been threatened, our freedom restricted, and our activities diminished.

However, in the category of silver linings, many people report that this period has also caused them to rethink and reprioritize what really matters in their life. Spending quality time with family members in a home you enjoy is an old-fashioned recipe for happiness that seems to have made a big comeback during the pandemic. Hopefully, there have been some silver linings for you and your family as well.

WHY RELATIONSHIPS ARE CENTRAL TO SUCCESS

Are you thinking of finally starting your own business or pivoting an existing one?

Whether your pursuit is traditional —like my husband, who’s launching a veterinary practice — or more out of the ordinary — like my business supporting modern mothers — one thing remains: relationships will be central to your success.

EXIT 3 PROJECT EXPECTED TO BE ECONOMIC BOON TO LOWCOUNTRY

Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams will tell you — in clear, certain terms — that a ballyhooed Exit 3 off I-95 is not just another off ramp to a busy highway.

Williams — and others across the Lowcountry — are thinking bigger. Much bigger.

Recent investment and development projects along the I-95 corridor in Jasper, Colleton and Hampton counties will soon deliver positive impacts to all seven counties, including Beaufort, in the SouthernCarolina Alliance region.

With the September announcement that Boeing will move all 787 Dreamliner production to Charleston, our region is seeing even more interest from aerospace suppliers not only located in the Washington state area, but from around the world.