• Local Pool Scouts franchisee Ray Marinaccio was recently recognized at the brand’s annual conference and awards banquet as recipient of the Pool Net Award.

The Pool Net award honors the franchisee with the most new customers recruited.

Originally an attorney for 18 years, Marinaccio decided he wanted something different after moving with his wife to South Carolina a few years back to be closer to their children in college.

When he first considered opening a business, he was spending time cleaning his own pool, which led to a revelation: pool maintenance might be something he would want to do for a living. After talking to a franchise broker, Marinaccio discovered Pool Scouts and bought a franchise.

Marinaccio’s territory covers a wide and diverse area serving Bluffton, Savannah, Beaufort and Hilton Head.

• Bluffton’s Deputy Town Manager Scott Marshall has been selected to participate in the 2019 International City-County Management Association (ICMA) Gettysburg Leadership Institute to be held in mid-May.

Marshall will be one of up to 30 senior ICMA-credentialed government managers chosen to engage in a unique opportunity to join colleagues in an exploration of personal leadership, organizational effectiveness, and the lessons of history.

The leadership lessons on the Battle of Gettysburg, the leadership styles of those in command as well as those on the battlefield, and the aftermath of disaster recovery of the town of Gettysburg after the battle in 1863 form the core of this site-specific leadership institute offered in conjunction with the Gettysburg Foundation.

• Susan Bolinger has been hired as the new director of college counseling at Hilton Head Preparatory School.

Bolinger comes to the area from Knoxville, Tenn., with 18 years of progressive experience in the education field. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with minors in education, business and economics. She also has a Master’s Degree in education from Vanderbilt University and an Ed. S. in school counseling from the University of Tennessee.

Her professional experience includes working as assistant director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Tennessee as well as advising in the UT College of Arts and Sciences. She was responsible for the recruitment of high ability students and programming while at UT.

Bolinger has also worked with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Sciences.

For the past eight years, Bolinger has been the director of college counseling at Farragut High School in Knoxville. At Farragut, she served as the AP coordinator, services for sudents with disabilities coordinator for the College Board, and was the scholarship and National Merit coordinator.

While she was at Farragut High, the Class of 2018 earned more than $38 million dollars in scholarships. Bolinger has served on several college admissions advisory boards, presented at statewide and SACAC (Southern Association for College Admission Counseling) conferences, and was a recipient of the 2015 Yale Educator Award.

She and her husband Todd have two sons, Harris and Nicholas.

• Nida Gataveckiene, CPA, an accountant with Cassidy CPA on Hilton Head Island, attended the S.C. Governor’s Opportunity Zones Summit on Jan. 25 in Columbia.

As part of the tax reforms, opportunity zones provide a way for investors to improve identified areas while gaining certain tax benefits. Cassidy CPA is committed to being at the cutting edge of tax reforms, and opportunity zones are a unique way for taxpayers to invest under the new tax laws.

For more information about opportunity zones in South Carolina and how you could benefit, contact Cassidy CPA at frontdesk@cassidycpa.net or visit cassidycpa.net

• The annual Business Golf Classic, an event presented by the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, will be held March 11 at Atlantic Dunes in Sea Pines Resort, beginning with 10 a.m. registration.

Atlantic Dunes is the oldest course on the island, and has recently been reconstructed.

Entry is $195 per player in the shamble format event. For more information, visit HiltonHeadChamber.org.

• Save the date for the annual Golden Oyster Awards, to be held from 5 to 8 p.m. April 27 at Seaquins Ballroom in Bluffton. The event is presented by the Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.

The event includes business professionals, community supporters and leaders gathering to honor the outstanding business people and others who have contributed to the community with an awards ceremony and presentation of the Golden Oyster Awards.

For more information call 843-757-1010, email Jessica@blufftonchamber ofcommerce.org or visit BlufftonChamberofCommerce.org.