Express Employment Professionals will hold a grand opening and job fair 4-7 p.m. June 11. The event, in the parking lot behind the office at 29 Plantation Park Drive, Suite 504 in Bluffton, will adhere to social distancing guidelines. EEP supports local business owners who want to improve their recruiting and hiring strategies, and job seekers who seek better opportunities. 

South Carolina African American Heritage Commission (SCAAHC) is documenting the impact of the coronavirus through the African American perspective. The organization has opened a portal called Black Carolinians Speak: Portraits of a Pandemic and invites African American South Carolinians to chronicle the personal impact of the pandemic through stories, photography, video, art work, poetry, and other forms of expression. This an opportunity to provide future generations with knowledge as to how people persevered through a time that altered a sense of normalcy.

The Don Ryan Center for Innovation has been appointed by the town of Bluffton as the DRCI Small Business Concierge. The DRCI will help businesses through the economic challenges produced by the COVID-19 pandemic by offering a free annual DRCI membership and free rent at The HUB – the new home of the Don Ryan Center for Innovation that offers flex space and business-building services. Additionally, the DRCI and the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation have created a comprehensive COVID-19 resource guide, which provides business owners a list of resources and explanations of federal and local programs. For more information, visit www.donryancenter.com.

The town of Hilton Head has relaxed enforcement of the temporary sign regulations. All businesses are allowed to install temporary signs on their properties to announce openings. A permit is not required but the following guidelines should be followed: - each business is permitted to have one sign per street frontage - each sign should be no larger than 18” x 24” - each sign must be located on the same site as the business The town of Hilton Head has also relaxed enforcement of its single-use plastic bags ordinance due to the possible contamination reusable bags could pose. 

The town of Bluffton partnered with the American Legion Post 205 to create the Veterans Memorial, which is in the Buckwalter Commerce Park. The park is closed because of the coronavirus, but memorial bricks at $100 for three lines of text, 14 characters per line, are being sold for the park. For more information, contact Kay Ranta at kayranta1135@gmail.com or 843-757-7918.

At Pinnacle Medical Group, Dr. Audrey Klenke, plastic surgeon and principal of Pinnacle Medical Group, and her staff have expanded their services to support local hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis. Pinnacle Medical Group reached out to Beaufort Memorial, Hilton Head and Coastal Carolina Hospital to offer to treat minor skin injuries including lacerations (cuts that may require stitches) and burns. 

The Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head Island has been closed since March 16 as a result of COVID-19, but is set to reopen its doors on June 15, 2020, to a limited number of members for summer camp. 

DJ throws dance parties for Bluffton

DJ Gary Lucca of JLK Events and All American Mobile Entertainment gave Bluffton neighborhoods Hidden Lakes, Woodbridge, Westbury Park Palmetto Pointe and Rose Hill free outdoor dance parties during the stay at home orders. Families got their groove on at the end of their driveways or socially distanced in community open spaces.

Gov. Henry McMaster announced May 11 that close contact service providers including salons and barber shops, fitness and exercise centers, and public pools throughout South Carolina will be able to open in a limited capacity on Monday, May 18. He also lifted restrictions on recreational facilities and activities.