The Town of Bluffton is a key partner to Beaufort County Economic Development – specifically through the Don Ryan Center for Innovation (DRCI).
Originally, DRCI began as a partnership between Clemson University and the Town of Bluffton. Clemson, as a land grant university, aimed to boost economic development in South Carolina, noting that areas like Greenville, Spartanburg, Columbia and Charleston were doing well, but others needed assistance. This led to the creation of the Clemson Technology Incubator Program, which worked with local municipalities to form public-private partnerships to help new businesses start and grow.
In 2011, Bluffton was the first community to sign up with the plan to become the Bluffton Technology Incubator. One of the major proponents of the initiative was Don Ryan, a local businessman, who started a large healthcare benefits company that sold to Cigna. At the time, Ryan said, “Hey, I’m a bootstrap entrepreneur. I will give you space in my building. I’m all in.” After his unexpected passing, the incubator was renamed in his honor – the Don Ryan Center for Innovation.
Clemson eventually had five incubators around the state; however, it was the DRCI that emerged as the most successful and effective. When Clemson began to shift its focus, Bluffton decided to continue the center as the economic development arm of the town to help new business grow and thrive.
“At that time, in 2012, Bluffton was dominated by retail, hospitality, and construction, and the town wanted other types of businesses that weren’t so reliant on those three industries. I came along in year two. I had a dot-com company in Atlanta that provided video-streaming services to the marketing research industry. The technology enabled Fortune 500 companies to view their focus groups in real time over the internet. I sold it back in 2007 and decided to move down to Bluffton where I figured I’d never find a job for a retired tech entrepreneur and behold, I found the DRCI!” – David Nelems, current DRCI CEO
David Nelems served in the roles of Executive Director and CEO of the DRCI from 2012 – 2018. In 2018, he left for a short-term contract to join another startup, but then returned to the organization in early 2020. During both tenures, he helped the Bluffton-based incubator launch and grow over 320 of today’s most successful local businesses
“We really wanted to focus on companies that were doing something different or somewhat unique. It had to be a business that could scale outside of Beaufort County. We wanted to do something that was bigger. Regardless of whether someone has this great idea and writes it down on a cocktail napkin or has been in business for over a year and is trying to get traction, we will work with them using our customized approach based on what their needs are.” – David Nelems
Along with his team, Paul Arvantides, Director of Innovation Services and Kristin Ling, Director of Operations, the DRCI offers two programs that businesses can use to get their start or to revitalize their business. The “STARTUP” program is for brand new or relatively new companies that are still trying to find their footing and grow into a viable business. While enrolled in STARTUP, the DRCI helps facilitate access to needed resources, which includes a network of mentors, scheduled bi-monthly meetings, and a 12-month plan that uses a tailored curriculum to teach the client what it takes to bring a new product or service to market, begin generating sales, and work towards positive cash flow. Nelems shared, “almost 80% of the companies we have worked with from the beginning are still in business after five years, which is much higher than companies that don’t work with an incubator.”
A “GROWTH” company is an existing business that is cashflow positive and is trying to go to the next level, whether it’s introducing a new product or adding new locations. Companies like Custom Audio Visual, Barbers of the Low Country, Bluffton Electric, and Delta Roofing are all businesses that have been around Bluffton for a long time and felt it was time to take their business to a new level. These companies were not always sure as to what the level was or how to get there. The DRCI came along to provide support to help these companies grow and diversify. For example, the DRCI worked with Custom Audio Visual, a company that had been around for 20 years in the audio and visual business. They have now rebranded to CAV Integrated Home, adding many in-home high-tech services, such as lighting and design and home integration and automation. Among many others, DRCI has worked with:
- GreenBug uses an all-natural pest control solution in conjunction with a customer’s lawn sprinkler system.
- CrossFlight Sky Solutions flies drones to survey various properties.
- ESA – Elite Support America contracts with NATO and the Armed Forces to train pilots to fly the US fighter jet, the F-35.
Within the last year and a half, Nelems has personally spent a lot of time studying Artificial Intelligence.
“Because of my extensive tech background, we’ve been using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for about a year and a half now. It’s the future in a lot of ways for all types of applications. DRCI wants to be recognized as an organization that is a thought leader in this ever-evolving technology. It is one of the DCRI’s strategic initiatives – to make people aware of AI, what it can do, good and bad, best practices and how to use it.” – David Nelems
Nelems has been all over the region presenting on the topic to businesses, nonprofits, clubs, chambers and schools teaching them how to use AI effectively. First, he reviews the nuts and bolts of AI and then walks the participants through an online demonstration showing how AI can help build a company from the ground up from the name and logo design to a full-blown marketing strategy – all in just a few short minutes. “I do remind everyone that AI should be used as an assistant, a tool, not as the authority,” Nelems stressed.
The Don Ryan Center partners with many organizations, including the Beaufort County EDC, the Hispanic Business Association, the Town of Hardeeville, SCORE, the South Carolina Department of Commerce, local Chambers of Commerce and the Southern Carolina Alliance.
“In particular, we have a great relationship with the BCEDC. They have office space in our building here at The HUB at Buckwalter, and we’ve worked on several projects together. Sometimes they’ll bring us a potential prospect that’s either a STARTUP or most likely a GROWTH company. On the other hand, sometimes people will come to us, and we find out what they really need is to talk to the BCEDC about space or property. The BCEDC has also given the DRCI several grants to help some of the companies we are working with.” – David Nelems
As we look to the future, DRCI remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering an environment where businesses can thrive and flourish. BCEDC Executive Director, John O’Toole, shared “By prioritizing sustainable growth and nurturing a dynamic economic landscape with the help of DRCI, we are not only building a robust economy but also enriching the lives of those who call this region home.”
