Event marks a decade of building Beaufort’s tech economy, touts past achievements, new leadership, new podcast studio
Staff reports
The Beaufort Digital Corridor (BDC) will mark 10 years of growing the region’s tech and startup economy with a milestone anniversary celebration on Thursday, Aug. 27, at the BDC’s BASEcamp facility in downtown Beaufort.
The event will bring together members, alumni, city leaders, and community partners to reflect on a decade of growth and to look ahead under new Executive Director Arthur “AJ” Jackson III.
Jackson, a former tech startup co-founder and UNC Chapel Hill graduate, took over as Executive Director in May 2026, succeeding Jess O’Brien, who led BDC from 2021 to early 2026. Jackson steps into the role as BDC executes its 2025 to 2028 Strategic Plan, expanding programming and deepening regional partnerships.
One of the clearest signs of that next chapter is BDC’s new community podcast studio, funded in part by a $7,500 grant from Sparklight’s Charitable Giving Fund awarded to the Beaufort Digital Corridor Foundation in December 2025.
The studio, five years in the making, officially opened this spring with a ribbon cutting alongside the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce and an all day Podcast-A-Thon. The studio’s mission is to help residents, small businesses, and nonprofits build digital skills and amplify local voices.
BDC’s membership base reflects that same momentum. Members include Edify, which uses AR technology to help museums, educational institutions, and cultural landmarks in historically rich, under-served areas connect with modern audiences; and Nexvelo, a boutique Salesforce consulting and AI solutions firm that partners with public sector, higher education, telecom, and regional enterprise clients while staying rooted in local development initiatives. Other members include Lowcountry Games, currently developing an AI-driven game tied to America’s 250th anniversary, alongside a growing roster of tech, marketing, and creative businesses calling BASEcamp home.
The O’Brien years
Much of what BDC is celebrating traces back to the nearly five years O’Brien spent as Executive Director. O’Brien, who joined BDC full time after serving as a volunteer board member, secretary, and treasurer, is credited by the organization with building much of the operational foundation AJ Jackson now inherits.
Under her leadership, BDC:
● Launched the community podcast studio project and secured the Sparklight grant that funded it, seeing the studio through from initial concept to its ribbon cutting this spring;
● Grew the Google Career Certificates program to 500 scholarships across six workforce tracks, expanding access to tech careers for local residents;
● Established the Beaufort Digital Corridor Foundation, the organization’s 501(c)(3) arm, to advance economic growth and social equity in tech;
● Secured a $65,000 Relentless Challenge grant from the South Carolina Department of Commerce Office of Innovation;
● Grew the Run Forrest Run 5K into an annual fundraiser drawing hundreds of runners, part of the Beaufort Triple Crown Race Series benefiting local nonprofits; and
● Was personally recognized with a Buzzworthy Award at the 2023 Civitas Award Reception for her contributions to the Beaufort tech community.
O’Brien stepped away from BDC earlier this year, with Rich Conte serving as interim point of contact ahead of Jackson’s appointment.
How it all started
The Beaufort Digital Corridor launched in 2016 after city leaders and local advocates, including founding catalyst and former City of Beaufort City Councilman and Mayor Stephen Murray, studied the Charleston Digital Corridor’s model and set out to build a similar hub for tech talent and entrepreneurship in Beaufort.
What began as a handful of coworking desks has grown into BASEcamp, a full coworking and event space downtown, along with programs including TECHconnect networking events and CODEcamp and Game On youth tech camps.