Hilton Head Business

n the likely event that you embarked on your personal Hilton Head Islander adventure as tourist, and if that journey began around or prior to the early 1980s, you surely recall that U.S. 278 – “The Gateway to Hilton Head Island” – beared little resemblance to the bustling corridor we see today.

Itwas a bit of an adventure in and of itself, navigating your way to 278 from I-95 because Exit 8 had yet to exist. Relying on crude paper maps (remember those?) and a few scattered directional signs that you might miss if you blinked, you finally turned eastward filled with anticipation and visions of golf courses, beaches - a veritable sub-tropical paradise - swimming around in your head.

Group 46, A new Bluffton-based marketing group looks to use its national and local experience,  innovation and unique talents to offer businesses an all-inclusive stop for all their marketing and advertising needs.

A group of local professionals have joined forces to create Group 46, located at 1323 May River Road, at the corner of the four-way stop in Old Town Bluffton.

Group 46 is a team of creative professionals with more than 100 years of combined experience in all facets of communication and marketing including website design, content development and the creation of innovative and unique advertising and branding campaigns for print, TV, radio and digital.

Greg Critchley helps LOCAL TALENT broaden their reach

With a local music scene that is growing ever more professional, it’s no surprise a producer with a national presence would consider setting up shop on Hilton Head. As local acts step up their game by working hand-in-hand with bar owners, enhancing their live shows with better sound and lighting, and promoting themselves more than ever, they are finding a lucrative career right here. In the past, hungry to make it big or to get their music heard, they often found it necessary to travel to places such as New York City, Nashville or Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Greg Critchley, a producer, songwriter and musician working in New York and Los Angeles, noted the evolution during his frequent visits to Hilton Head over the past 15 years. With the music business changing and becoming increasingly Internet based, Critchley found himself in a career that no longer required him to be in L.A. or New York. He decided two years ago to move here for a three-month trial period to see what the island and its music had to offer.

He liked what he heard and decided to set up shop here permanently, opening The Sound Recording Studio and Music Production at 119 Arrow Road.

GUYS AT JOHN’S MUSIC GO ABOVE AND BEYOND TO HELP LOCAL MUSICIANS SOUND THEIR BEST

Self-proclaimed local living legend Jevon Daly, one of the few instructors working out of John’s Music, has been teaching for more than 20 years. He is well known for his chameleon-like talent on a number of instruments, as well as playing in a diverse set of bands ranging from the bluegrass roots of Low Country Boil, a local delicacy, to the outrageous ‘80s hair-band of Silicone Sister.

Daly wears many faces and wears them proudly, teaching his pupils to keep an open mind to all types of music.

Some of his former students are also well known in the scene, stellar rockers such as Luke Mitchell and Kevin Early of Rowdy Cloud, Tyler Dejean of Wrong Way Up, and the young and uber talented Hannah Wicklund of the Steppin’ Stones.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend my 25th annual Mid-Winter Housing Finance Conference. The “Mid-Winter” is an invitationonly gathering of senior federal policy makers, regulators and housing finance industry leaders that has been in existence for more than 40 years.

As I think back on my 25 years of participation, I cannot help but reflect on the changes that have occurred since my first meeting. It all started with savings and loan banks controlling the dialogue, then to the larger mortgage banks, then to the government-sponsored enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), then to the subprime lenders and Wall Street types.

This year’s meeting could not have come at a better time as it coincided with the announcement of the Johnson-Crapo GSE reform bill. This bill provides a pathway for the eventual wind down of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and suggests a mechanism to continue the federal role in residential mortgage finance.

Where is the intersection of money and golf, and even more specifically, the long-term financial impact on our local economy of an event like the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing?

Did you know that the first Heritage Classic was played 45 years ago on Nov. 27-30, 1969, and offered a $1,000 purse with $20,000 going to its winner, Arnold Palmer? Today’s purse of $5.8 million and winner’s share of over $1 million have certainly kept up with inflation.

With the success of the tournament, its economic impact on our community has grown as well.

Aerial Adventure Hilton Head will become Hilton Head Island's newest attraction when it opens April 1 at Broad Creek Marina. The unique, two-hour attraction features 50 in-the-tree challenging activities on six different ability courses, easy to hard, designed to accommodate various levels of physical fitness. As a confidence and team morale building experience, this is pure self-guided fun where the harnessed and helmeted participants are hooked to the cable continuously throughout the journey.

There was a time in business when the big corner office — the one with the ergonomic chair, the L-shaped desk, the credenza and the nameplate on the door — was the crown jewel of the workplace.

The plan was simple: Work hard, pay your dues and then get the reward of a big office.

For many of today’s professionals, that plan is no longer sustainable.

The Sea Pines Resort set the precedent for resort communities both locally and nationally in the 1950s. Now more than 50 years later it is revitalizing its wellestablished name, while honoring its celebrated heritage.

The unique and beautiful design of Sea Pines is still admired and emulated today, however many of the original facilities were in need of renovation after welcoming generations of travelers.