Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce 2019 Annual Report

A N N U A L R E P O R T

2019

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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

2019 Annual Report

Your Chamber

of Commerce

01.

02.

03.

04.

05.

Accolades

& Awards

Membership & Small Business Services

Chamber Champions

Visitor & Convention Bureau

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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

2019 Annual Report

06.

07.

08.

09.

10.

Public Relations

Advocacy

Communications

Leadership

11.

Finance

Connect

& Grow

Mission

Envision and advocate the common interests of our partners and stimulate the regional economy while enhancing the quality of life for all.

Vision

Leading the Hilton Head Island Region, community and partners collaboratively in effective education, advocacy, and innovative programming ensuring tourism development and sustainable growth.

Values

The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to serving as a professional, accountable and innovative organization for the community and our partners by being:

Professional

Accountable

Innovative

Pragmatic

Visionary

Fair-minded

Ethical

OUR MISSION, VISION & VALUES

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Serve as a voice and advocate for the business community
Maintain the highest ethical standards in all we do
Work to preserve and enhance the prudent growth, quality of life and character of our region
Develop collaborative partnerships only in areas where the partnership can accomplish that which our organization cannot do alone
Develop and implement programs and services that benefit the economic well-being and common interests of our members
Initiate programs for which there is funding and staffing resources
Make decisions based on long-term perspective

Guiding Principles

Membership

1,600+ Members strong
5 Star accredited Chamber of Commerce (One of the top 3% of chambers nationwide)
3-Time National Chamber of the Year
Over 80 events each year
Networking opportunities
Business exposure
Seminars and workshop opportunities to learn and grow

Education

Seminars, workshops and programs
SCORE offers free and confidential business advice for new and existing businesses
Leadership program - developing our community leaders for over 30 years
Small business toolkit - learn online about marketing, cash flow and how to hire and retain great employees

Advocacy

Advocate on the local, state and federal level for business-friendly policies
Write letters and meet with lawmakers on the behalf of membership
Formulate a Legislative Agenda annually that guides our advocacy efforts

Connecting the Community

Helping Businesses Succeed

Working on your Behalf

our five pillars

Tourism

2.62 million visitors in 2018. Economic impact on Beaufort County from tourism spending is approximately $1.4 billion
15,786 jobs on Hilton Head Island generated by Hilton Head tourists in 2018 and represents 14.4% of all jobs in Beaufort County
2.26 million website visitors in 2018 with 810,982 website conversions to partners
$31.5 million net local revenue impact including hospitality tax, ATAX and beach renourishment fee

Research

One-stop-shop keeper of economic impact indicators for our region
ThinkHiltonHeadIsland.org
ThinkBluffton.org
STR Monthly Reports
Destination Metrics / Inntopia Reports
Partnerships with: USCB / LRITI Clemson / Regional Transactions Concepts, LLC and College of Charleston

The Backbone of Our Economy

Planning & Results

our five pillars

Source: Regional Transactions Concepts, LLC & USCB Lowcountry and Resort Island Tourism Institute, VERB Interactive.

BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2019

Hargray Communications

CHAIRMAN

CHRIS MCCORKENDALE

Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN

JAY WIENDL

McGriff Insurance

VICE CHAIRMAN,

BLUFFTON REGIONAL BUSINESS COUNCIL

STEVE STAUFFER

Hilton Head Regional Healthcare

VICE CHAIRMAN,

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

JEREMY CLARK

Retired

VICE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERSHIP

RAY WARCO

Faces DaySpa

VICE CHAIRMAN, SMALL BUSINESS

PATRICIA OWEN

Park Lane Hotel & Suites

VICE CHAIRMAN,

WORKFORCE & EDUCATION

SUSANA COOK

McNair Law Firm

GENERAL COUNSEL

DAVID TIGGS

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton

Chamber of Commerce

PRESIDENT & CEO

BILL MILES, CCE, IOM

Island Time Hilton Head

VICE CHAIRMAN,

VISITOR & CONVENTION BUREAU

DRU BROWN

Palmetto Dunes POA

VICE CHAIRMAN, FINANCE

Andrew Schumacher

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2019

Hilton Head Area

Association of Realtors

JEAN BECK

The Sea Pines Resort

STEVE BIRDWELL

Prudential Insurance

CHRIS CORKERN

Shelter Cove Towne Centre

RONI ALLBRITTON

Savannah / Hilton Head

International Airport

GREG KELLY

Montage Palmetto Bluff

CASEY LAVIN

Burr Forman McNair

WALTER NESTER

Retired

TIM FREISEN

First Citizens Bank

JUSTIN RICE

Weichert Realtors Coastal Properties

KAREN RYAN

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

JEROME SMITH

University of South Carolina - Beaufort

DR. AL PANU

NAI Carolina Chapter

BAKER WILKINS

SERG Restaurant Group

ALAN WOLF

Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort

WARREN WOODARD

Coastal Plains Insurance

TERRY TADLOCK

YOUR CHAMBER TEAM

President & CEO

BILL MILES

Executive

Assistant to the President

CONNIE KILLMAR

Vice President, Communications

CHARLIE CLARK

Communications

Communications Manager

HALLIE MARTIN

Public Relations Coordinator

SHELBY WIELGUS

Controller

RAY DEAL

Finance

Assistant Controller

KELLY MCCALLISTER

Information Specialist

LINDA LANIER

Information Specialists

Information Specialist

RAKENYA SIDERS

Information Specialist

KATHY WININGS

Vice President, Public Policy & Programs

HANNAH HORNE

Membership, Workforce & Education

Senior Membership Executive

BEVERLY MALONEY

Events Manager

KELLI BRUNSON

Special Events & Project Manager

CATHY HAVENS

Membership Coordinator

JOAN DELOZIER

Workforce & Education

Program Assistant

LAURA HIGGENS

YOUR CHAMBER TEAM

Visitor & Convention Bureau

Vice President, Visitor & Convention Bureau

ARIANA PERNICE

Director of Sales

JACK REED

Senior Marketing Manager

KAYLA BOYTER

Senior Sales Manager

WES KITASHIMA

Sales Manager

KIM NELSON

Multi Media Sales Manager

ZACK SHEDD

Creative Manager

ALYSSA WHITEHOUSE

Research & Digital Marketing Coordinator

CRISTIAN SLATON

If there is one word that could describe 2019 in the Lowcountry, it’s “upward.”

Our reputation as American’s Favorite Island™ continues to rise. Hilton Head Island was named the No. 1 Island for the fourth consecutive year in the Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, for the third consecutive time in Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, and for the second time in a row in Southern Living’s Best of the South awards. We were also featured to millions of viewers on the Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race” and HGTV announced that Hilton Head Island will be the location for the 2020 Dream Home.

Bluffton continues to be a community success story. Managing its growth with its quality of life is the hallmark of the community. The town won a municipal achievement award for its streetscape projects, and Montage Palmetto Bluff continues to win awards for its accommodations. In a testament to its growth, Bluffton got its own destination social media pages (@exploreblufftonsc).

We flew upward. The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport added new routes and received a $4.2 million grant to expand its customs facility while its passenger numbers continue to soar. The Hilton Head Airport experienced triple-digit growth this year as it welcomed Delta Airlines and United as well as non-stop routes to Atlanta, New York, Washington DC, Chicago and more.

Our resilience was strengthened. Hurricane Dorian spared us physical damage, but the Hilton Head Island tourism sector alone had an estimated $19.5 million economic loss. We invested crisis marketing funds to let the world know that we are open for business. It speaks volumes that we continue to see a strong tourism sector, we’ve been named the No. 1 Island four years in a row, and businesses continue to grow and invest in our community.

We continue moving upward in finding solutions to our workforce issues. We have a seat at the table on the Hwy 278 Corridor expansion project and hosted another successful Unite Summit on workforce housing with experts who are respected nation-wide for facing this challenge head on.

We’ve celebrated business openings and ground-breakings as entrepreneurs and organizations invested millions into doing business in the Lowcountry. Our events and communication efforts continue to help you stay connected and informed.

As you will see in the following pages, it was another banner year for our members and our community. Upward!

Upward!

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WILLIAM G. MILES, IOM, CCE

President & CEO

Hilton Head Island - Bluffton Chamber of Commerce

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CHRIS MCCORKENDALE

Chairman of the Board

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ACCOLADES

& AWARDS

02.

ACCOLADES & AWARDS

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Travel + Leisure No. 1 Island in the Continental United States 4th Year in a Row

Southern Living’s “South's Best Beach Town” 2nd Year in a Row

Condé Nast Traveler’s No. 1 Island in the U.S. 3rd Year in a Row

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Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport named among

Top 10 Domestic Airports

- Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2019

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Montage Palmetto Bluff named among

Top 10 RESORT HOTELS IN THE SOUTH

- Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2019

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Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport named among

THE BEST AIRPORTS

IN THE U.S.