The COVE, Bluffton's new business hub at Buckwalter Place, holds its ribbon cutting 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16. The town put in about $4.1 million.

The Town of Bluffton will cut the ribbon on The COVE, its new building for businesses thinking of moving to town, at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16.

The ceremony and grand opening are at 97 Progressive St., near the Bluffton Police Department in Buckwalter Place. The town announced the date in a news release Oct. 26.

The COVE stands for “Community, Opportunity, Vision & Entrepreneurship.” It is run by the Don Ryan Center for Innovation, the town’s economic development department.

What is inside

The building has 14,400 square feet. The town’s release lists:

  • “landing pad” offices for companies exploring a move to Bluffton
  • a large training and conference room
  • networking space
  • a second location for the Don Ryan Center
  • offices for economic development partners
  • leasable commercial space on the first floor

A child care center on the first floor is already open, the release said.

“Bluffton’s strength has always come from our small businesses, not just one or two major employers,” Mayor Larry Toomer said in the release. “One of Council’s priorities is to support small businesses with resources and a place to land.”

Who paid for it

The COVE is a public-private partnership between the town and Dolnik Properties, the developer. The town owns the land. Once the project is complete, the town owns the building, and the Don Ryan Center runs and leases it.

Contributor Amount What for
Town of Bluffton about $4.1 million infrastructure, utilities and parking
Dolnik Properties more than $7 million construction
Palmetto Electric Cooperative, through the South Carolina Power Team $1 million grant
Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation $130,000 grant
SouthernCarolina Alliance $25,000 donation

The South Carolina Power Team is the economic development group of the state’s electric cooperatives. The release does not say how the grants are split between the town’s and the developer’s costs.

The first of three buildings

The COVE is the first finished building of three. Together they will have about 50,100 square feet of office and light industrial space, the town said.

Buckwalter Place is a 94-acre commerce park. It already holds a regional medical campus, retail centers, culinary education facilities and the Don Ryan Center’s main office.

The building has been in use for some months. The Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation listed “97 Progressive Street, Bluffton (The Cove)” as the venue for its April 30 meeting. The town first announced a ribbon cutting for the building in January. That event was moved to Monday, Feb. 2, because of the weather. The Oct. 26 release now sets the grand opening for Nov. 16.

What it means for you

  • Go to the ribbon cutting: 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at 97 Progressive St. The town’s release lists “members of the Bluffton community” among the guests, along with Town Council, the Don Ryan Center and its partners.
  • Starting or moving a business? The COVE’s landing pad offices and leasable space are handled by the Don Ryan Center for Innovation, which the town runs.
  • Looking for child care near Buckwalter? The first-floor child care center is open now.
  • Other openings are on our new businesses page.

The Beaufort County jobless rate fell to 3.5% in September; read the county’s latest unemployment figures.