Countywide economic development group gets to work

Beaufort County leaders have long touted the importance of growing business here.

A group of some of the most powerful government officials in the county began laying fertilizer for that growth Thursday afternoon.

The newly formed Beaufort County Economic Development Corp. met for the first time to begin the nuts and bolts process of creating a quasi-governmental entity aimed at helping develop new enterprises, supporting existing firms and bringing new companies to the area.

Serving on the corporation’s board of directors — at least temporarily, while bylaws and permanent membership nominations are ironed out — are Beaufort County Commission Chairman Paul Sommerville, Hilton Head Island Mayor David Bennett, Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka, Beaufort City Councilman Stephen Murray and former Port Royal Town Councilman Joe Lee.

In addition to attracting and expanding businesses in the county, the group’s goals include promoting education and workforce training, fostering local relationships with state agencies, and identifying potential regulatory reform opportunities, according to the corporation draft by-laws.

There are currently several public economic development corporations operating in Beaufort County, including one on Hilton Head Island and one in Bluffton.

The draft bylaws of the county’s corporation were “partially borrowed from the Hilton Head Island Economic Development Corp. because they were very well-written,” assistant county attorney Allison Coppage said Thursday.

Beaufort County administrator Gary Kubic said the temporary board of directors will have the opportunity “to go back and review (the bylaws), modify it and make suggestions” over the next month.

As the corporation continues to take shape over the coming months, it will have the backing and resources of Kubic and his staff.

“We will ensure that all ideas (generated by the temporary board members) will be exchanged with the whole body,” Kubic said Thursday.

The board, once fully constituted, will be made up of one member appointed by the Beaufort County Council; four members each individually representing Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, and Port Royal; and two at-large members appointed by the board itself.

Whether these permanent board members will be elected government officials or members of the business community remains up in the air.

Sulka said she thinks Bluffton Town Council is “very confident that people in the private sector may be able to get things done a little bit faster and better” than government officials.

She suggested the council may opt to appoint a member of the Bluffton Public Development Corp. to represent the town.

Bennett said he would prefer to keep his options open to both government officials and private Hilton Head Island residents.

Murray said regardless of whether a board member is an elected official, the nominees should have a diverse background in economic development.

The temporary board members plan to bring lists of nominees to the corporation’s next meeting, tentatively set for July 13.

This story was originally published June 9, 2016 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Countywide economic development group gets to work."