Serving Those Who Serve Us
There are almost 22,000 active, prior service, retired military and First Responders in the Beaufort County region.
Our HEROES Initiative caters to them.
WHAT IS IT?
Supporting Military and EMS Workers Who Innovate
The Don Ryan Center for Innovation (DRCI) is providing specialized support for the large population of Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, Veterans and First Responders (police, firefighter and EMT) in South Carolina.
Know someone who can benefit? Contact DRCI to learn more or get started immediately!
WHY WAS IT CREATED?
The DRCI has provided entrepreneurial support since 2012 and has the resources, contacts -- and proven results -- to help our HEROES become successful entrepreneurs.
Takes high-tech business growth to the next level by addressing two important service gaps:
A direct approach in helping our “HERO” segment (a largely underserved segment of the Beaufort County population) become active entrepreneurs
Addresses the lack of resources currently available to produce prototypes efficiently, affordably and quickly
·Currently, our local and regional economy is reliant on retail and service sectors, offering few high-tech opportunities. The HEROES Initiative was created to help diversify the economy by growing more technology-based businesses of all sizes.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
Most HEROES’ careers have a very strong technical basis, yet they may not have been exposed to the concepts of business ownership. DRCI tailors resources to focus on these HEROES to enable them to become entrepreneurs.
This growth produces a more robust economy that is not as reliant on service/retail sectors – with an increase in higher paying jobs and an enlarged tax base creating more trickle-down growth.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Learn about Marine Matt Gulick and his STARTUP
Read the article on pages 12-13 in LocalBiz