Palmetto Bluff to begin using international workers and interns, buys hotel to house them
Starting next year, Palmetto Bluff will be using international workers and interns to fill empty positions, and house them at the recently acquired Fairfield Inn and Suites in Okatie.
With the large growth of Beaufort County in recent years, South Street Partners, the owners of Palmetto Bluff, knew that affordable housing for their workers was going to be a challenge. On top of that, South Street has been struggling to find locals to work in the community, according to Rob Duckett, South Street’s president of operations.
Next year, South Street will be using two visa programs to bring in seasonal workers and interns to help fill needed positions in food and beverage as well as golf course management.
“Finding people within our market is more and more difficult every day because we’re all fighting for the same people,” said Duckett. “Being able to reach out to other markets and bring people into our market is the best strategy, and that’s where the housing comes in.”
Indeed, where are they going to live?
Palmetto Bluff is Bluffton’s largest private residential community with a golf club and resort totaling 20,000 acres in the south of Bluffton. In order to provide housing for the incoming workers, South Street acquired the Fairfield Inn & Suites off Interstate 95. The hotel, which is 11 miles away from Palmetto Bluff, will continue to operate as normal while providing nightly lodging for Palmetto Bluff’s local and international workers.
South Street will utilize J-1 visas, a student training program. Essentially an overseas internship, foreign students on J1 visas come to get experience in their field of study. In the case of Palmetto Bluff, they’ll be studying the hospitality industry.
Palmetto Bluff will work with the schools to develop a training plan for the students. J1 visas can last up to 18 months, but people working for South Street will typically stay for a year, according to Dixie Norris, South Street’s VP of Human Resources.
“The program is really great for them because they kind of get to get immersed in U.S. culture all the while learning the trade that they’re studying in school,” said Norris. “It’s great for us because we have extra help.”
South Street also will use H-2B visas, which allow for international workers to fill temporary, non-agricultural jobs in the U.S. These workers will only be brought in for Palmetto Bluff’s busy season, which typically runs from April through October.
International workers won’t be replacing anyone in Palmetto Bluff, just filling in where workers are needed, according to South Street.
“If we could fill all of our positions with locals, then we wouldn’t have a need for the international program,” said Norris. “This is in no way taking anybody’s spot.”
South Street says it anticipates employing around 45 more domestic and international workers in 2023.
“As we continue to grow and add amenities to Palmetto Bluff, we will also increase the number of full-time employees on our team,” Norris said.
The Fairfield hotel was constructed in 1999 and renovated in 2018. South Street has identified some improvements it hopes to make, like expanded laundry facilities and expanded opportunities for dining. The rooms are “in pretty good shape,” according to Duckett.
The name of the hotel will not change.
