• The Technical College of the Lowcountry Center for Business and Workforce Solutions will offer a free workshop, “How to Market Your Business with Social Media,” in October at its three locations.
Area businesses, big and small, are invited to this hour-and-a-half interactive workshop.
Attendees can discover the industry’s best tips and tricks for maximizing a business through social media. Hear from two locals who have helped many small businesses get the most out of their social media channels.
The three options for the workshop are:
• Oct. 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the TCL Beaufort Campus, 921 Ribaut Road, Building 12, Room 104
• Oct. 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Hampton Campus, 54 Tech Circle, Varnville, Room 119
• Oct. 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the New River Campus, 100 Community College Drive, Bluffton, Room 125
Space is limited. RSVP at tcl.edu/bizu or contact Melanie Gallion at 843-525-8224 or mgallion@tcl.edu.
• The Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce will hold a Coffee Networking Event from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Sept. 25, co-hosted by the Town of Bluffton at Town Hall, 20 Bridge St.
Networking with coffee and refreshments will begin at 8 a.m.
At 8:30 a.m., Chamber staff will welcome guests and allow around the room introductions from guests about their businesses. A representative from the Town of Bluffton will present local information and updates. A question and answer session will be held, followed by tours of the new government building.
The event is open to the public, with a $5 cost for non-Chamber members. Attendees are encouraged to bring business cards for sharing.
For more information contact Jessica Kitzmiller at 843-757-1010 or jessica@blufftonchamberofcommerce.org.
Missy Yost of Century 21 Diamond Realty has earned the C2EX Commitment to Excellence endorsement from the National Association of Realtors. The program was designed to increase an agent’s skills and professionalism above and beyond the code of ethics to ensure a Realtor provides the best possible service to each other and their clients.
Yost completed the required 10 areas of core competencies, including real estate law, code of ethics, advocacy and customer service.
This endorsement demonstrates that Yost has made a significant commitment to increasing her level of service and professionalism.
Melanie Smith, program manager for Destinations DMC, recently earned her designation as a certified meeting professional (CMP). An internationally recognized program, the CMP promotes the status and credibility of the meeting profession and advances uniform standards of practice.
Smith began her event planning career while at the Wharton School of Business, where she earned a degree in marketing and operations management in 2016. After graduating, she joined the team at Montage Palmetto Bluff as a concierge.
Following an intense seven-month period learning the local area, she joined the destination management world in an operations role for Destinations DMC. In 2018, she took on the role of program manager, overseeing operations for all Destinations DMC’s clients.
• Dr. Tom Dorsel has opened his new practice, Sport Psychology of Hilton Head. He will serve as the company’s director.
Dorsel has 35 years of experience in sport psychology. His clients have included teams, coaches and players, some of whom have made it to the NCAA, the PGA Tour, Wimbledon and World competitions.
The practice will offer assessment and consultation, playing lessons, group presentations, and special hands-on demonstrations to individuals, sport academies, athletic departments, country clubs and resorts, as well as other businesses and professional organizations.
Dorsel has appeared 10 times on ESPN’s “Inside the PGA Tour”; published three books, the latest being “Golf: The Mental Game”; and authored more than 100 articles for Golf Illustrated, Golf Magazine, Golf Digest and Golfweek.
Beyond golf, Dorsel has also been a sport psychology consultant to the University of Notre Dame, working with all 24 teams in the university’s athletic department.
Dorsel’s education and professional work has been in both experimental and clinical psychology, with a 35-year specialty in sport psychology. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, earned his Master of Science degree at the University of Kentucky, and his Ph.D. at the university of New Mexico, with a clinical psychology internship at the University of California-Davis Medical Center.
Dorsel was a tenured professor at both Western Carolina and Francis Marion Universities, and he was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus of Psychology upon his retirement from academia. He is a life member of the Golf Writers Association of America and a past president of the South Carolina Psychological Association.
Dorsel can be contacted at tom@dorsel.com, 843-618-4653 or via Dorsel.com.
Attorney Erica Ellis has joined Mikkelson Law Firm LLC, adding estate planning to the firm’s portfolio of services.
Estate planning involves the preparation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, and other life and business planning documents.
Ellis worked for seven years at other firms prior to opening her own practice. She graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2010. She was a Moot Court Bar member and won the CALI Award (American Jurisprudence) in Criminal Procedure.
Ellis received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and philosophy also from the University of South Carolina in 2007.
Orthopedic surgeon Kent Woo, MD has expanded his practice and will see patients at Optim Orthopedics on Hilton Head Island, beginning Sept. 18.
Woo is board certified and fellowship trained, specializing in total joint replacement of the hip and knee. He joined Optim Orthopedics in 2000 and has been practicing at the Bluffton office since then.
With more than 25 years of experience, Woo has long been considered one of the most skilled and well-respected orthopedic surgeons and total joint experts in the region. He uses the latest innovations, including robotic technology, and the most minimally invasive surgical and non-surgical approaches.
Woo graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and completed his internship and residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss. He completed his fellowship at the Institute for Bone and Joint Disorders in Phoenix, Ariz.
Woo will see patients on Hilton Head on Wednesdays. The Optim Orthopedics office is located in The Medical Pavilion, 25 Hospital Center Blvd., Suite 100. For more information, call 843-705-9401 or visit optimorthopedics.com.
• Little Island Preschool of Hilton Head is under new ownership and accepting enrollment for ages 6 weeks to 5 years for its day program and ages 5 to 12 for the afterschool program.
The program is open Saturdays for ages 6 weeks to 12 years.
The new owner is Debora Bernal, who had worked for the previous owner for three years. Jordan Ockovcin is the new director.
The preschool provides a safe and educational environment for children to learn and grow. Teachers provide a weekly curriculum theme and do crafts with each classroom at least three days a week.
Little Island Preschool is located at 77 Arrow Road on Hilton Head Island. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (through October).
For more information, call 843-689-5437 or email littleislandpreschoolhh@gmail.com.
Stephani Johnson, NHA, CRCA and Mabe’l Cline, BSN, RN, have founded Integrity Home Care, an in-home, private health care service in the Lowcountry.
Johnson and Cline each have more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare profession.
The new company offers non-medical in-home care to support clients in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Services are customized to every individual’s needs, with a variety of other services including a hurricane package.
Johnson is a licensed nursing home and assisted living administrator who owned a home health care agency in California for 12 years. She has more than 25 years experience in the industry altogether.
Cline, who will serve as director of clinical operations, has more than 25 years of experience as a registered nurse, including serving as director of nurses for skilled and assisted living, and as a clinical manager in home health.
Every member of their caregiver team is thoroughly screened, insured, bonded and are seasoned professionals with years of experience in the industry.
Integrity Health Care offers a myriad of services, from certified nurses assistants who provide personal care, including assistance with bathing, dressing, toileting; to companions who provide household care, including light household chores, transportation to and from appointments; arranging for at-home physician visits, palliative and hospice care.
Integrity Home Care will also offer a “Hurricane Evacuation Assistance Plan” for their clients.
For more information, call 843-715-2107 or visit integrityhomecaresc.com.
• Jacqueline Orak has been hired as department chair and instructor at the Culinary Institute of the South at Technical College of the Lowcountry
Orak has more than 20 years’ experience throughout the Southeast serving as a chef, pastry chef, banquet manager, event planner, sommelier and general manager.
Orak attended the highly acclaimed Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, where she earned associate degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry and a Bachelor’s Degree in hospitality management. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration degree in global business marketing from the Providence campus of Johnson & Wales.
Orak is an American Culinary Federation Certified Working Pastry Chef and has worked in some of the finest bakeshops in the country including The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., Highlands Country Club in Highlands, N.C,, and the five-star, five-diamond Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina.
Living in Charleston for more than 25 years has furthered Orak’s appreciation for Southern hospitality, which is reflected in her approach to serving others through food.
For more information, visit tcl.edu/culinary.
