When people think about economic development, they often picture large factories or corporate headquarters. Bluffton has taken a different approach.
Here, our economy is built from the ground up – powered by entrepreneurs, small businesses, and local innovators who choose to live, work, and grow right here at home.
The Don Ryan Center for Innovation (DRCI) serves as the Town of Bluffton’s economic development department to support a business community composed of numerous small businesses.
And now, with the opening of the COVE – short for Community, Opportunity, Vision, and Entrepreneurship – Bluffton has added a major resource in its economic development toolbox. The COVE is located in Buckwalter Place, between the Bluffton Police Department and DRCI’s first building. The first one houses the center’s staff and resources for businesses and the second building, the COVE, is a “landing pad” for prospective companies whose owners want to explore locating to Bluffton.
The new facility provides office space for companies exploring Bluffton, training and conference rooms, and shared space where entrepreneurs can collaborate and connect. In short, DRCI’s services offer both space and support – two things small businesses often need most.
Few communities offer hands-on business assistance and dedicated workspace under one roof. Bluffton now does. Together, they both assist businesses to move from the idea stage to operation and give companies space to consider relocation or expansion.
To understand why the COVE matters, it helps to look back at how the Don Ryan Center began.
In 2012, Bluffton was emerging from the recession. Town leaders recognized that relying solely on regional industries wasn’t enough to ensure long-term stability. Bluffton needed a stronger, more diverse local economy – one that supported startups, attracted new businesses, and helped existing companies succeed.
Working with Clemson University’s Technology Villages model, Bluffton launched what would become the Don Ryan Center for Innovation. Don Ryan, an early supporter who relocated his health care management company to Bluffton, helped lay the foundation for this effort, and the center was later named in his honor.
Over the past 12 years, DRCI has advised and supported more than 600 companies, guided more than 100 through formal programs, helped generate nearly $40 million in new investment, and maintained an 84% business survival rate – well above national averages. Today, most of the center’s clients are Bluffton businesses, and many are women- or minority-owned.
DRCI also invests in our future workforce, partnering with local schools, colleges, and organizations to train students and business leaders, including programs focused on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. By preparing people early, the town, through DRCI, strengthens the pipeline of talent that keeps our economy competitive.
Bluffton has grown significantly over the past two decades, but the town’s goal remains the same: Balance growth with the character and sense of place that make this town special.
Please contact the Don Ryan Center for Innovation if you want to explore its services or opportunities at the COVE.