News & Inspiration
The Thrive Beaufort Blog
Stories of people and their businesses thriving in Beaufort County, South Carolina.
Igniting Growth: The Impact of the Don Ryan Center for Innovation
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...
Passing the Torch: BCEDC Board of Director’s Leadership Shifts from Ashley Feaster to Joel Braun
For over five years, Ashley Feaster, Community Affairs and Economic Development Officer for the Palmetto Electric Cooperative, served as the Chair of the Beaufort County Economic Development Board. Ashley Feaster grew up on the gulf coast of Florida and attended...
Angel Kern: A Cybersecurity Trailblazer
It is 2021. What does a community do when it receives a Department of Defense grant for $1.3 million dollars to create a cybersecurity hub? You engage the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) to manage the grant and hire the top cybersecurity professional in...
Jess O’Brien and the Beaufort Digital Corridor: Bringing the Tech Industry to Beaufort
“We moved to Beaufort not for the job. We came for the scenery. We came for the lifestyle. And when we got here, we had to figure out what we were going to do. I knew I wanted to become deeply involved in the fabric of the community and see what I could to make it...
ED Now Feature | From Planning to Prosperity: The Power of Preparation
In today’s economy, marketing missions serve as a cornerstone of economic development. They are strategic ventures that require careful planning, research, and execution, and success in these missions can yield significant investments, partnerships, and growth...
Welcome Brian Warner to the BCEDC Team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation Welcomes Brian Warner as the Newest Addition to the Team Beaufort County, August 26, 2024 - Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce the hire of Brian Warner as their...
A Servant Leader – Mayor Kevin Phillips
As Mayor of the Town of Port Royal, Kevin Phillips knows the importance of giving back to the community in which you live. Growing up in Snellville, just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, Mayor Phillip’s family was all about giving back. “My family was always very involved...
Kelli Brunson Graduates from Institute for Organization Management – A Leadership Training Program Produced by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 3, 2024 WASHINGTON, D.C.— Institute for Organization Management, the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is pleased to announce that Kelli Brunson, IOM, Senior Project Manager, of the Beaufort County Economic...
Mayor Larry Toomer: Preserving the Land for the Next Generation
Meet one of our newest board members the Mayor of Bluffton, Larry Toomer. Larry shares the BCEDC's belief in the strength of small business, environmental stewardship, and scaling developments to each community's expectations. At the close of my recent interview with...