Hilton Head Business

LOWCOUNTRY ATTRACTS REMOTE WORKERS

Advances in technology have made it possible for many professionals to work from almost anywhere. For those looking to keep their jobs but get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, life on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton can look very appealing: shorter commutes, lower costs of living and the slow pace of the Lowcountry lifestyle.

John Taylor, an economist with Black & Veatch Management Consulting, moved to Hilton Head in 2016 after spending most of his career as a remote worker. He said the area suited his desire to create a greater balance between his work and personal life.

OUR CURRENT IMMIGRATION POLICIES’ IMPACT ON THE LOWCOUNTRY

At its heart, the U.S. is a country of immigrants. According to the last U.S. Census, just 3.08 million — or 1% — of the roughly 330 million Americans can claim Native American ancestry. No, almost all of our ancestors came from somewhere else — America truly is a great “melting pot.”

To let us better understand today’s immigration policy, it might be instructive to review how our nation has viewed immigration over the years. For much of our nation’s history, we have encouraged free and open immigration. It wasn’t until the General Immigration Act of 1882 that the United States first blocked or excluded the entry of “idiots, lunatics, convicts and persons likely to become a public charge.” Between 1900 and 1920, we admitted approximately 14.5 million immigrants to help fill the jobs created during the Industrial Revolution. It was during this wave of mass immigration that additional provisions were added, including the requirement that immigrants be able to read and write in their native languages and pass medical examinations. Fast-forward to the post-World War II years and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 — and its amendments in 1965 — which removed racial barriers and promoted reuniting immigrant families, now known as “chain migration.”

Our area is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, with new residents moving in every day. To kick off our annual City Guide issue, Monthly asked the mayors of Hilton Head Island, Bluffton and Hardeeville to share thoughts with them: 

SOUTH CAROLINA YACHT CLUB CELEBRATES ITS ANNIVERSARY IN STYLE

Thirty years ago, a big celebration marked the start an organization that has helped define Hilton Head Island’s way of life.

“What began as a dream with bricks and mortar has taken on a living presence as the crown jewel of Windmill Harbour,” said South Carolina Yacht Club founder J.R. Richardson. “Leslie and I feel as though South Carolina Yacht Club is our child. We were married April 1, 1989, and three months later on July 1,1989 we opened.”

GO INSIDE THE WORLD OF MR. BEN AND HIS AMAZING PET PRODUCTS

From the outside, you’d almost never know it was there. One of a handful of mostly serviceoriented businesses in a low-lying commercial park off of a back road in Ridgeland, the world headquarters of Mr. Ben’s Amazing Pet Products is remarkably inconspicuous from the road. But this nondescript industrial space is the launching point for Benjamin Preisner’s global empire of pet products.

ISLAND DRIVERS BEMOAN TWO YEARS OF REMAINING TOLLS

On summer Saturdays, traffic stretches from the Cross Island Parkway’s toll booths in both directions on Hilton Head Island. The toll will disappear in two years, but for those who drive it every day, this a long time to wait behind drivers who fumble for change and ask the attendants for directions.

FAMILY TIES SUSTAIN ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURING AND CONSULTING FIRM

In 1938, Al Traver Sr. took a gamble on his family’s future that would eventually lead them to Hilton Head Island. With the Great Depression at its peak, he left behind a job as a factory worker to set out his shingle as a manufacturer of electric motors in Waterbury, Connecticut. More than 80 years later, Traver IDC has grown to include 49 employees doing everything from consulting on energy conservation to providing electrical supplies. And just as they did on day one, they still manufacture electric motors.

TEDX GETS LOCALS TO PRESENT IDEAS WORTH SPREADING

Throughout his career in human resources and management, Rex Gale’s easy, approachable style motivated employees. Now’s he’s motivating people on Hilton Head Island to take the stage and share their ideas. Gale presented the island’s third TEDx event last month, and between those who have spoken at the forums and the people who have come to hear them, much of the Lowcountry has taken note.

SAVING FOR RETIREMENT IS STILL POSSIBLE FOR RISING NUMBER OF SELF-EMPLOYED WORKERS

For many looking to cast off the corporate shackles and live in the freelance eat-what-you-kill, work-in-your-PJs wilds of the gig economy, there is one very large incentive keeping them in the 9-to-5. No, it’s not the endless supply of free birthday cakes that seem to pop up weekly in your typical office — although freelancers do miss them from time to time. It’s the chance to invest in your future.