August 25 Board of Directors Notes from Granola Welcome and Tri-Share Child Care Presentation •
Mayor Harry Williams of Hardeeville presented on the Tri-Share child care funding model
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Context: SOLOCO (Southern Low Country Advisory Board) 100th meeting, 9th anniversary o
Nine jurisdictions (2 counties, 7 municipalities) meeting monthly on regional challenges
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Notable past wins: Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust, regional stormwater ordinance, business license reform
Tri-Share Program Details •
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Model splits child care cost three ways: parent, employer, state o
State pilot funding was denied this year (no earmarks/pilots in state budget)
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SOLOCO jurisdictions now self-funding the “state third” to prove viability
Current funding commitments: o
Beaufort County: $12,000
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Hardeeville and Bluffton: $18,000 each
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Jasper County, Hilton Head, Port Royal: still pending (Beaufort declining)
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$18,000 = 6 children; match from nonprofits could double to 12 per jurisdiction
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Employer incentive: 50–75% tax credit on their third
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Target demographic: lower-wage earners (Jasper County median ~$32,000; child care costs ~$20,000/year)
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United Way likely to lead administration; staff hire needed to qualify families and collect payroll deductions
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Ask to the Chamber board: o
Advocate to Hilton Head Town Council to contribute
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Encourage hospitality employers to participate as a recruitment/retention tool
Penny Tax Campaign Strategy •
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Mayor Williams offered advice on passing the Beaufort County sales tax referendum o
Jasper County succeeded by being transparent: roadside signs showing project phases
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Targeted messaging by audience (e.g., Sun City residents heard about Argent Blvd/278)
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Signage critical: “vote yes” signs needed to counter opposition signs
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South of the Broad must vote overwhelmingly in favor to offset north county opposition
Communications team (Heather/Ari) will lead advocacy campaign o
Elected officials staying in the background; Chamber staff will advocate directly
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Key target: women under 55
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Speaker’s bureau planned for Sun City, Margaritaville, and other communities
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Messaging themes: transportation safety, workforce access, citizen oversight committee, visitor participation in the penny tax
Director and Staff Updates •
Departures: o
Mike Tighe (GM, Westin Hilton Head) moving to Ritz Carlton Residences, Tampa
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Cabins Felt (Omni) stepping down from board, returning to Omni as GM in Asheville
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New hire: Olivia Baddley (Communications Manager), 7 days in, formerly of Charter One/Wedgeworth team, Furman graduate
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Beverly Maloney celebrated 30 years at the Chamber
Awards and Recognition •
Montage Hilton Head (Jn McGuann): named to Condé Nast inaugural Triple Crown list (397 hotels worldwide)
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Travel + Leisure 2026 World’s Best Awards:
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Hilton Head Island, Hilton Head Health, and Savannah Hilton Head International Airport all recognized
Six area resorts named among best in South Carolina: o
Beach House, Montage, Palmetto Bluff, Hilton Head Ocean Grand, Disney’s Hilton Head, Westin, Hilton Beachfront Resort and Spa
Programs and Events •
Young Professionals (CYP): council of 9 selected; community connection component added to each event
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Junior Leadership: 63 participants this year; moving to two-semester format (fall/spring) to serve more students and enable two nonprofit projects
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Leadership Hilton Head: retreat September 11th; Jordan from Chamber participating
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Upcoming events:
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SC Manufacturers and Commerce “Vision and Voice” grassroots tour: September 29th, Culinary Institute of the South
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State of the Region (presented by Savannah HHI Airport): October 20th; Suzanne Clark (U.S. Chamber CEO) keynoting
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First Regional Advancement Luncheon: November 17th; Brad Thompson (TS Conductor) and Dr. Karen Wicks (Royal Live Oaks Academy) presenting
Lola Campbell documentary screening: September 16th, First Presbyterian Church
VCB and Tourism Data •
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RevPAR trending up year-over-year: o
Bluffton: $250 → $259; Hilton Head: $216 → $221
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Occupancy slightly down but offset by higher ADR
Q2 accommodation tax disbursements: o
Bluffton: ~$42,000 over budget
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Hilton Head: ~$45,000 under budget ($1.385M)
Montage noted best year ever; benefited from reduced international travel (Mexico concerns, wildfires, low snow in mountain markets)
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MindTrip AI tool: 14,000 users, 2,500+ partner handoffs, 131 itineraries since April soft launch; top 3 in peer group
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STR data tool switched from CoStar to STR for deeper segmentation and forecasting
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Group leads up 50%; closure rate ~32%
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Meetings/groups landing page nearly ready to launch; weddings page refresh underway
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Three trade shows attended since June (Barnsley incentive show: 15 RFPs; two Destinations International Florida shows)
International Air Service, Operations, and Other Business •
Aer Lingus letter received: encouraged by discussions at The Open Championship; no direct SAV service currently but open to future collaboration o
SAV has customs facilities capable of handling 300 passengers
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Non-stop international service remains top ask from hospitality partners
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AV equipment: lightning strike destroyed all AV; replacement quote ~$125,000; insurance claim pending; Stage Front estimates 12–16 weeks (unacceptable timeline)
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Bluffton office: lease signed, occupancy September 1st; ~$1,200 in furniture purchased from prior tenant; SCORE will also operate from the space
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Section 125 cafeteria plan amendment: resolution adopted (effective August 1, 2026); no additional cost to the Chamber
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Bluffton Regional Business Council: restructuring into a subcommittee model; first meeting targeted for late September; Diana to reach out to board members for company representatives
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Business Education Partnership: 17 interview skills videos in production (2 filmed at high school ribbon cutting); project-based college internships launching; next meeting September 15th at TCL Bluffton
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Workforce Coalition updates: o
Housing: engaged new Home Builders Association of Low Country (merged with Charleston HBA); introduced new chief policy officer Christine Durant to regional housing leaders
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Workforce: pitched project-based internships and encore careers (retirees) to Low Country HR Association
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Transportation: test rideshare program, park-and-ride, and ferry service in development
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Concours d’ Elegance: first weekend of November; cars and judges selected
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Mitchelville - New campus building opening: October 28th, 10am (archaeological research facility auditorium); full board and staff invited
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Energy capacity: Palmetto Electric flagged constrained generation and transmission capacity regionally and nationally; AI data centers cited as a growing load challenge
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USCB enrollment: school year off to a strong start following convocation
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May board meeting minutes approved
Next Steps •
Advocate to Hilton Head Town Council for Tri-Share contribution
Target $18,000 commitment; Hilton Head residents on the board are the key contacts. •
Identify hospitality employers to participate in Tri-Share
Employer third can be offset by 50–75% tax credit; workforce recruitment/retention angle is the pitch. •
Launch penny tax speaker's bureau outreach (Heather/Ari)
Target Sun City, Margaritaville, and similar communities; focus on women under 55. •
Distribute quarterly Chamber key messages to board
Fall messages to go out within the next couple of weeks. •
Launch sixth wave of resident survey
Scheduled for September 8th; Hilton Head Island focused. •
Follow up with insurance company on AV replacement claim
~$125,000 replacement cost; pressure Stage Front to compress the 12–16 week timeline once coverage is confirmed.