• Junkluggers of the Lowcountry will hold a ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m. March 7 in front of the Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, 217 Goethe Road.

Trevor Hess, owner and president of the local franchise, opened Junkluggers of the Coastal Empire last October and recently expanded his services to the Bluffton and Hilton Head area.

The company offers an environmentally friendly and caring alternative to traditional junk removal. Junkluggers hauls away items people no longer want or need and strives to donate and recycle as much as possible with the goal of keeping items out of landfills. Customers receive a tax-deductible receipt for anything the company is able to donate on their customers’ behalf.

For more information, please call 912-712-0227 or visit www.junkluggers.com.

  • Jim Thayer has been named chief operating officer at Peacock Automotive.

As the company’s new COO, Thayer oversees the daily operations of Peacock Automotive dealerships in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Thayer has more than 30 years of experience in the retail automotive business. He was most recently the retail operations manager for Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, one of the largest automotive dealer groups in the country.

Thayer, a native of Michigan, will relocate to Bluffton from Dallas with his wife, Julie.

For more information, visit peacock automotive.com.

Jennifer Brewer has joined Downtown Catering Company. She brings more than 20 years of experience in management, customer service, event planning, community relations, and food and beverage – both in restaurants and food education.

Brewer previously served as community relations manager of the Asheville, N.C., market for Earth Fare, a healthy and organic supermarket chain.

Brewer has been a part of the local food and beverage scene for the past four years as a server, a baker and a manager.

She is also a certified yoga teacher and has classes at Jiva Yoga and the Sonesta Resort.

For more information, visit downtown cateringcompany.com.

  • Hilton Head Solar recently recently held a three-day training session with the Bluffton Township Fire District to teach firefighters more about solar electrical systems, or solar panels.

With the number of homes increasingly outfitted with solar panels, safety considerations are also increased.

The firefighters learned about the various components of a system, how they integrate into a home, and how to deal with them during fire or storms.

The training was intended to lower risks of injury and damage in homes with solar panels.

Jessica M. Gower, D.M.D. of Palmetto Dental Arts in Bluffton has been named president of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine Alumni Association. Dr. Gower will serve as president for a two-year term.

The annual Alumni Weekend April 13-15 will be her first event over which to preside. All MUSC dental alumni are welcome to attend.