Hilton Head Monthly Voice Voice of the Lowcountry 
BMW TOP EXECUTIVE SAYS PALMETTO STATE’S A WINNER
When the judges convene at the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance, they’ll represent decades of automotive experience. Whether they’ve spent years judging similar car shows around the world or simply amassing their own collections of vintage vehicles, they know exactly what they’re looking for in terms of style, design and overall beauty.
“HOW TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY” IS ONE THE MOST COMMON GOOGLE SEARCHES — AND A QUESTION I AM OFTEN ASKED.
In fact, there is not a single person I encounter who doesn’t want to know how to get more out of their time. Because we all get the same amount of time to work with, there are two options: work smarter or work longer.
Not many people willingly choose the latter.
WHETHER BULLION OR BARS, ADDING GOLD COULD BENEFIT MOST PORTFOLIOS
It will never be said that old Elihu is a “gold bug” but in times like these, one should be thinking about putting at least some percentage of their portfolio in this commodity. Who could have guessed that market and geopolitical events would have unfolded the way they have? To recap, in recent months we have experienced another terrorist attack in the subways of London and demonstrations by the far right and counter-demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, while North Korea continues its reckless activities in Asia. The United States equity and fixed income markets continue to perform nicely, but concerns have crept into the market. The VIX Index, which is a measure of expected volatility, has swung wildly over the past 30 days.
If you were in a sunny spot during August’s solar eclipse, you probably watched in awe as the moon stole the sun’s light for a minute. In just an hour, the energy generated by the sun is strong enough to power the needs of the planet for an entire year. And yet solar power makes up only a sliver of our total energy production.
Here in the Lowcountry, postcard-perfect vistas and oak-lined roads suggest a life exempt from modern concerns. But for some homeowners, the financial and environmental benefits of solar power have made high-tech solutions attractive. Because many communities are private, homeowners in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton may have to confront bureaucracy to install environmentally friendly technologies. While the solar industry keeps improving in efficiency and aesthetics, community covenants have been slow to adapt.
CANCER PATIENTS CAN RECOVER IN A NICE CLEAN HOME THANKS TO A LOCAL BUSINESS
When you’re not feeling well, housework can seem like an insurmountable chore. But it’s one cancer patients in the Lowcountry don’t have to worry about thanks to Christopher and Kety Gomez.
The couple, who own and operate HH Cleaning Services on Hilton Head Island, are excited to donate their services to the national nonprofit Cleaning for a Reason — helping out at the homes of women fighting cancer, they say, was the least they could do to help community members in need.
AS SOON AS HURRICANE IRMA STARTED HEADING TOWARD THE LOWCOUNTRY, THE CREW AT HILTON HEAD BOATHOUSE STARTED PREPARING FOR THE WORST.
During his regular operating season, the boathouse stacks boats on on top of the other inside its massive dry stack storage barn, all the way up to the ceiling. But during named storms, the boathouse also shelters the boats of the North End Charter Fleet and other customers who keep their boats in the water and don’t have trailers or other ways to get the vessels out during dangerous weather.
When I was first introduced to macroeconomics in 1967, the most extensively used economic textbook was written by Paul Samuelson and it was our bible. Samuelson taught us about the most basic economic laws. The most prominent ones were the law of supply and demand, the law of competition, and the law of self-interest. Adam Smith might have been the one to originally coin those ideas, but Samuelson was the one who explained them to generations of students.
FOUR NEW BUSINESSES HAVE JOINED THE SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS AT COLIGNY PLAZA, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS HILTON HEAD ISLAND’S DOWNTOWN. HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER ON YOUR NEXT VISIT TO COLIGNY:
Do you ever find yourself waiting for your computer to download information, frustrated at the slow speed of the internet? Dave Dobbin, senior vice president of technology and engineering at Hargray Communications, has a solution: gigabit internet speeds for your home.
An average household typically runs around seven internet-ready devices constantly and that number is steadily on the rise. By 2020, homes are predicted to have an average of 50 devices connected to the internet, interfacing with everything from the refrigerator to tools that track health.
Wood + Partners Inc. shapes the Lowcountry
A good land planner should love the earth and the people who will live on it for generations to come.
Underneath a developer’s plans to turn a profit or a town’s wish for more soccer fields, the land has history and characteristics that beg to be recognized. Like a parent or a tattoo artist, land planners know that what they do is pretty much permanent.
