By the numbers: SERG Group surges to be biggest island employer
Local restaurant dynasty SERG Group quite literally surged to the top of the list of Hilton Head Island's largest businesses over the past two years.
The group employed 764 people in 2015 across its 10 island restaurants, including the Black Marlin Bayside Grill, WiseGuys, Poseidon and the Skull Creek Boathouse.
Those numbers easily top former leader Sea Pines Resort's roster of 622 employees on the list of Hilton Head's biggest employers, compiled each year in the town's comprehensive annual financial report.
SERG Group's lead this year and last changes the long-standing dynamic of the list that's typically led by the island's largest resorts. But it still underscores tourism as Hilton Head's bread and butter.
The ranking even surprised SERG Group owner Steve Carb.
"Oh, I didn't realize it, actually," Carb said Friday. "I knew we were up there but didn't know we're the biggest."
"I think the restaurant business is deceptively labor intensive, so it requires more workers to get the job done," he said. "There's a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes ... in the back of the house."
The island's traditional resorts, such as the Westin Hotel & Spa and the Hilton Head Marriott Golf and Beach Resort, still land on the town's list of top 10 biggest employers but have slid deeper into its bottom half.
The employer rankings are not the only hidden gem in the 155-page financial report, though. Some of the numbers about who pays the most taxes and just how much income island residents made last year are surprising, too, said Susan Simmons, chief financial officer for the town.
It's no contest when it comes to who pays the most property taxes on Hilton Head, according to the report.
The more than 800 condos and timeshares across Marriott Vacation Club's eight island properties -- including the Grande Ocean, Barony Beach Club and Surfwatch -- cost the company almost $20 million in property taxes last year.
All of the island's 40,039 full-time residents might not sweat that bill if they took it together, though, Simmons said. They collectively made more than $1.8 billion in total personal income last year, according to the report.
"Some of this stuff really will surprise you," Simmons said. "And making $1.8 billion ain't bad."
Top 10 Biggest Employers
1. SERG Group Restaurants: 764
2. Sea Pines Resort: 622
3. Hilton Head Regional Medical Center and clinics: 547
4. Marriott Vacation Club International: 500
5. Beaufort County School District: 445
6. Cypress of Hilton Head: 360
7. Salty Dog: 350
8. Westin Hotel and Resorts: 266
9. Hilton Head Marriott Golf and Beach Resort: 245
10. Town of Hilton Head Island: 243
Top 5 Biggest Taxpayers
1. Marriott Ownership Resorts Inc: $19,917,510
2. Palmetto Electric Co-op Inc: $5,406,580
3. Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa: $4,764,090
4. Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa: $4,260,000
5. Sea Pines Resort: $3,240,360
Cash and Credit
The island's 40,039 residents made a combined $1.85 billion -- yes, that's a "b" -- in personal income last year.
That's more than $637 million more than islanders made in personal income a decade ago and works out to be more than $46,000 per person.
That almost makes the $95 million in total outstanding debt the town is paying off look like chump change. If the town asked residents to help pay it all back tomorrow -- which won't happen, town chief financial officer Susan Simmons promises -- they'd have to pony up $2,387 each to pay it down.
That number shrinks about $637 per person if the full-time residents make sure to include all the summer part-timers, Simmons teased.
Follow reporter Zach Murdock at twitter.com/IPBG_Zach and on Facebook at facebook.com/IPBGZach.
Related content:
- Hilton Head Island Mayor David Bennett still adjusting as he finishes his first year in office, Dec. 19, 2015
- Technical College of the Lowcountry cooking up new courses for Hilton Head, Sept. 13, 2015
This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 5:59 PM with the headline "By the numbers: SERG Group surges to be biggest island employer."