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The American Heart Association has named Jennifer Dawson as its National Kids Heart Challenge Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, recognizing her two decades of leadership in promoting heart health, physical activity, and community service to her students. Dawson was one of nine award recipients from across the country recognized. The annual awards celebrate outstanding participants in the Heart Association’s nationwide school programs, Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge, honoring individuals and schools that advance the organization's lifesaving mission. More than 20,000 schools nationwide participate in Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge. Dawson launched the program at Jennie Moore Elementary 20 years ago and has helped raise more than $580,000 for the American Heart Association during that time. During the 2025-'26 school year, Jennie Moore Elementary ranked as the top fundraising school in South Carolina, raising nearly $43,000 with participation from 443 students.
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The Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Health Professions (CHP) celebrated the grand opening of CHP-D, a new six-story facility that reflects the college’s continued growth and strengthens its ability to educate future health professionals, advance rehabilitation research and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. CHP-D is the fourth building in the college’s portfolio. The facility includes flexible learning spaces, simulation and laboratory environments, technology-enabled classrooms, advanced research facilities and collaborative work areas designed to support education, scientific discovery and cross-disciplinary work. The building supports students pursuing careers in occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and health sciences and rehabilitation research. “CHP-D represents an important investment in the future of health professions education and research,” said Zoher Kapasi, PT, Ph.D., dean of the College of Health Professions. “This building provides the space and resources our students, faculty, and researchers need to learn from one another, pursue new ideas, and translate knowledge and discovery into meaningful improvements for patients and communities.”
Obatala Sciences, a biotechnology company, announced it has selected Charleston County for its first East Coast operation. The company’s $656,000 investment will create 46 jobs and training opportunities in biotechnology and related fields. Based in New Orleans, Obatala develops and manufactures biomaterials, stem cells, media, and advanced tissue models to support preclinical medical research. The company’s mission supports America’s ongoing efforts to increase its biomanufacturing and research capacity. Obatala’s new operation, located at Blue Sky Labs in Charleston, will facilitate partnership development, translational research, product development and future scale-up activities tied to its human-derived biomaterials and microphysiological model technologies. O
The Lowcountry Impact Fund has made a $250,000 grant to Charleston's Harbor Entrepreneur Center. The fund, sponsored by Abundance Capital, uses charitable capital for loans and other impact investments that are intended to be repaid and then reinvested into additional Lowcountry businesses, nonprofits, and community projects. Its investment priorities include economic opportunity, attainable housing, transportation, conservation, education, and quality of life. The Harbor Entrepreneur Center is one of the largest nonprofit entrepreneur centers in the Southeast, serving as a hub for innovation, small business development, and economic growth in the Lowcountry.
Hampton County has announced the hiring of Jarvis R. Sims as its new county administrator. Sims began his duties Oct. 15. Sims brings more than 20 years of progressive experience in municipal government to Hampton County. Most recently, Sims served as city manager for the City of Greensboro, Georgia. Before that, he spent a year as interim county manager for Newton County, Georgia. As county administrator, Sims will serve as chief administrative officer of the county. He will oversee daily operations and carry out the policies and directives of County Council. He will also work with local, state, and national elected officials to ensure county departments are operating efficiently and effectively to serve the taxpayers of Hampton County.
Kauhale Health has completed the acquisition of the former Pines at Bluffton, a vacant and delicensed assisted living and memory care community in Bluffton, South Carolina, and plans to invest more than $5 million to transform the property into Kauhale Bluffton, a dedicated memory care community serving up to 50 residents. The redevelopment will include significant capital improvements, relicensing and repositioning of the former 61-unit assisted living and memory care property, which originally opened in 2000. Renovation work is expected to take place over the next year. When complete, Kauhale Bluffton is planned to become the market's only community dedicated exclusively to memory care, creating a specialized living environment for individuals experiencing memory loss and the families who support them.
The board of the Charleston Regional Aviation Authority unanimously elected the following members to office at its September meeting. They are: Helen T. Hill, CEO of Explore Charleston, chairman; Charlie Salmonsen, owner of Salmonsen Realty and Appraisal, Inc., vice chairman; and Ravi Sanyal, owner of the Sanyal Law Firm, secretary-treasurer. An 11-member board governs the Charleston Regional Aviation Authority. The South Carolina House and Senate delegations representing Charleston County each nominate three members (approved by the governor), and one member is jointly appointed by Charleston County Council and the Charleston City Council. The mayors of the City of Charleston, the City of North Charleston, the Town of Mount Pleasant, and the chairman of the Charleston County Council serve as ex-officio board members.
Beaufort County announced that D. Allen Milburn has been appointed as chief financial officer (CFO), effective Nov, 2, 2026. Beaufort County Administrator Michael Moore said, “We look forward to welcoming Mr. Milburn as Beaufort County's next CFO. He brings with him more than three decades of public-sector finance and governmental leadership experience, and I look forward to working with him to meet the needs of our residents while ensuring fiscal responsibility and transparency.” Milburn began his career in 1993 with the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts as a state external auditor. In 2005, Allen relocated to the Charleston area to serve as budget director for Charleston County School District. Most recently, he served Berkeley County Government as chief financial officer.
Mike Gianoni, president and CEO of Blackbaud and chairman of the board at Teradata, has made a strategic investment in Newmoyer Geospatial Solutions LLC (NGS) and joined the company as a strategic adviser. Gianoni has spent four decades leading technology companies across software, cloud, and financial services. For more than a decade he has led Blackbaud, the Charleston-based cloud software company serving nonprofits, schools, foundations, and health care organizations around the world. He is widely recognized for building strong teams and durable company cultures, and for growing software businesses well beyond where they started. Gianoni will work with the NGS leadership team on strategy, growth, and the path from engineering services company to software company at scale.
The Nickel Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, has been awarded a Michelin Key in the Michelin Guide’s 2026 hotel selection. In its announcement, the guide noted the contrast between the hotel’s Wes Anderson-style façade and its Victorian interiors, where each room features French doors or a wrought-iron balcony. The guide also cited the rooftop lounge’s seasonal produce and seafood dishes and the hotel’s location in Cannonborough, a Charleston neighborhood known for its dining scene. Introduced in 2024 as the hotel counterpart to Michelin Stars for restaurants, Michelin Keys recognize hotels that Michelin Guide inspectors identify for the quality of the stay they offer. Keys are awarded following anonymous inspector visits.
Charleston Mayor William S. Cogswell Jr. recently announced that the city has begun drafting an ordinance that would expand the traffic analysis required of developers through the Technical Review Committee (TRC) process. Under the proposed ordinance, developers would be required to show how a project affects the immediate surrounding road network, not just its own entrances and exits. The city previously rewrote its stormwater regulations to be the strictest in the state and is now taking the same approach to traffic. The ordinance will go through the city’s standard public process, including review and a vote by City Council.
The College of Charleston School of Business has been named to Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2026-2027 Best B-Schools list for its full-time, one-year MBA. It is the only program in South Carolina to be included. This recognition highlights the School of Business’ commitment to equipping graduates with the experience, knowledge, and real-world tools to excel as members of the global marketplace. Bloomberg Businessweek bases its rankings on the indexes of Compensation, Learning, Networking, Entrepreneurship, and Inclusion using a user-oriented approach. Graduating students, recruiters, and recent graduates are surveyed on what matters most to them, and how the program meets those needs.
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