LOWCOUNTRY HUMAN RESOURCES HOLDS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The Lowcountry community is no stranger to the labor shortage seen across the country. Businesses that are struggling to find and keep qualified employees should consider attending the Lowcountry Human Resources Association’s annual conference, titled “Recruiting and Retaining Employees in a Tight Labor Market.” The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 1 Cooperative Way, Hardeeville. Business owners, managers, HR representatives and recruiters are welcome to attend. Registration is required by Sept. 9. Cost is $25 and includes lunch. For more information, call 843-816-4985.
JARDINIÈRE EVENTS OPENS ON HILTON HEAD
Jardinière Events, a new event design company, has opened on Hilton Head Island. Co-owners Dakotah Terrace and Terry Simmons have more than 30 years of combined experience in event planning and floral design. Jardinière’s offers a consultation showroom, reception, office and studio workroom. The company offers services on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton, Beaufort, Mount Pleasant and Charleston, as well as the greater Savannah area.
HILTON HEAD REGIONAL HEALTHCARE NAMES NEW CSO
Sondra Smith has been named the new chief strategy officer for Hilton Head Regional Healthcare. In her new role, Smith will use data to analyze market dynamics, trends and competition. She’ll then implement strategies to advance the system’s growth, patient experience and physician alignment. Smith will also be responsible for leading innovative ideas to improve practices that are currently in place at Hilton Head Hospital, Coastal Carolina Hospital, the Bluffton Medical Campus and the Bluffton-Okatie Outpatient Center. Previously, she served as vice president of strategic planning for Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, for more than 10 years.
PEACOCK COLLISION CENTER EARNS CERTIFICATIONS, EXPANDS
Peacock Automotive has recently earned new manufacturers’ certifications and completed building renovations at its Collision Center on S.C. 170 in Okatie. Specializing in all types of collision repair from frame straightening to suspension, Peacock CollisionCenter’s 36,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility features precision equipment and computerized paint-mixing systems. To achieve the certified status with manufacturers, the company has worked to maintain its current equipment while investing in new equipment and technology. Other recent improvements include renovations to the customer lounge and employee lounge. New individual desk spaces were also added to the adjusters’ area.
ART LEAGUE ADDS GALLERY ASSISTANT
Kristin Griffis has joined the staff at the Art League of Hilton Head as its new gallery assistant. She will provide administrative support in the gallery, working alongside the general manager.
HILTON HEAD PREP ADDS NEW STAFF
Hilton Head Preparatory School welcomes Darcie Patrick, Ben Kozik, Melanie Williams and Louise Goodman to the staff for the 2018-19 school year.
Patrick will serve as the director of college counseling and has years of experience guiding students through the college admission process. She is a retired teacher and former head of school, with a bachelor’s degree from Elon University and a master’s degree from Indiana University.
Kozik will serve as instructor of physical education and assistant football coach. He formerly was the director of athletics and physical education at Sea Pines Montessori Academy. He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Syracuse University, where he played football.
Williams will teach upper school physics. She has been a physics teacher for the past 18 years and a science teacher for over 20 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Susquehanna University and a master’s degree in bioengineering from Penn State University.
Goodman will teach world languages in the upper school, where she also will be a department head. Previously, she has taught in Brazil and Peru and has worked for the U.S. Department of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She has a bachelor’s degree in history and modern languages from Clemson University and is working toward her doctorate from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
BLUFFTON AESTHETICS NOW OPEN
Bluffton Aesthetics celebrated its grand opening in July. The business is owned and operated by Ingrid Nivens, and is co-located with her husband's medical clinic, Charles J. Nivens, MD Spine Medicine. Bluffton Aesthetics provides aesthetic services with state-of-the-art, laser-based treatments, specializing in hair removal, tattoo removal, acne, fine lines and wrinkles, age spots, scars, rosacea, spider veins, stretchmarks, and vaginal health such as vaginal dryness, stress urinary incontinence, and chronic UTI.
TD BANK WELCOMES NEW MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICER
Catherine Oomens has joined TD Bank as a mortgage loan officer. Oomens brings more than 16 years of experience in real estate financing, banking and financial planning to her new position. She was previously with Wells Fargo Private Mortgage Banking. Oomens is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and has been involved in the Lowcountry community for 24 years.
TRUEFIT WELCOMES NEW PERSONAL TRAINER
Rachel Cantore has joined the team at TrueFit Pilates and Training Center. Cantore is a certified personal trainer and health coach, born and raised in Chicago. She holds degrees from University of Illinois at Chicago in movement sciences and nutrition and is certified through NASM, Metabolic Effect, Precision Nutrition, NESTA, and IDEA. Cantore has over 10 years of experience in the health and fitness industry, specializing in fat loss, hormone balance, and behavior modification and mindset as it relates to health, lifestyle and one’s goals.
BRAGG MEDIA MERGES WITH UNITED WEBWORKS
Bluffton-based marketing and public relations agency Bragg Media has merged with United WebWorks, a long-standing website development and digital marketing company in Savannah with an eight-person staff of marketing specialists, designers and developers. Bragg Media, owned by Heather and Mike Bragg, recently opened a Bluffton studio near Old Town Bluffton in the same complex as Bluffton Pharmacy.
COASTAL GASTROENTEROLOGY ESTABLISHES APPRENTICESHIPS
Coastal Gastroenterology recently became the first medical practice in the Lowcountry to establish a state-registered apprenticeship. The apprenticeship trains medical assistants to become assistant office managers. The South Carolina apprenticeship program is an “earn while you learn” training model that combines structured on-the-job training, job-related education and a scalable wage progression. Participating businesses earn an annual tax credit for each employee in the program.
OLIVETTI, MCCRAY & WITHROW WELCOME NEW ATTORNEY
Jill R. Kroamer has joined the team at Olivetti, McCray & Withrow law firm on Hilton Head Island. In her new role, Kroamer will play an integral role on the firm’s established probate and estate planning team. She will handle probate litigation, beneficiary representation, trust administration, guardianship and conservatorship cases and provides support in real estate-related matters. Previously, she served as an attorney at The Law Office of Michael J. Howell on Hilton Head.
MICRO HOSPITAL MOVING FORWARD IN BLUFFTON
Bluffton is one step closer to being the site of South Carolina’s first-ever micro hospital. Micro hospitals are acute-care hospitals that meet all federal and state licensing and regulatory requirements. They focus on treating low-acuity patients with a higher level of service, providing ambulatory and emergency services while leaving more complex surgeries and service lines for their associated full-service hospitals. The hospital will be built and operated through a joint venture between Beaufort Memorial Hospital and the Medical University of South Carolina, and will offer a wide range of acute-care services, including orthopedics, cardiology, general surgery, lab and imaging, as well as emergency services. Plans for the facility include a 15-bed emergency room and 20 beds for acute care, with approximately 125 employees serving both adult and pediatric patients. The hospital is expected to open in Bluffton in 2022 at an estimated cost of $44 million.
PALMETTO DUNES WELCOMES PICKLEBALL INSTRUCTOR
Sarah Ansboury has joined Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort as its pickleball touring professional and director of pickleball instruction. A nationally ranked tennis player, Ansboury discovered pickleball in 2014 and was instantly hooked. She entered her first national pickleball tournaments in 2015 and earned gold and silver at the September 2015 Tournament of Champions. The USA Pickleball Association and Professional Tennis Registry have formed a strategic alliance to grow the sport of pickleball. Ansboury has been tapped to design the new subsidiary’s curriculum and certification programs.
RELICS ESTATE SALES WELCOMES TWO
Dawn Vosbury and Angela DeCaire recently joined the staff of Relics Estate Sales and Consignments in Bluffton. Vosbury, a Lowcountry resident since 2007, will handle administration duties and help Relics' growing online sales system. DeCaire has been hired as an e-commerce specialist. She has an extensive background in eBay sales and is an artisan jewelry designer as well as a licensed property and casualty insurance agent in Georgia and South Carolina.
