Cutler joins Ameris Bank in Beaufort
Mark Cutler will join Ameris Bank in Beaufort as a business banker. In this role, Cutler will work with local businesses. He will report to Ameris Bank Lowcountry Market President Andy Thomas.
“Mark has shown throughout his career the ability to learn about each of his clients’ needs andmake recommendations that will help them attain their goals,” Thomas said in a news release. “He has a tremendous amount of passion for the Lowcountry, and I believe that pride in his community will be directly reflected as he assists our local businesses.”
Cutler has more than two decades of experience in the banking industry, serving consumers and businesses. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northeastern State University. Cutler is on the board of directors for the Beaufort Chamber of Commerce and the president and chair for Paths to Wholeness, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated women reenter the community through personal and professional development.
“This community has been my home for more than a quarter-century and to have the opportunity to continue assisting Lowcountry businesses is humbling,” Cutler said in a news release. “I am thrilled to be a part of a company that is customer- and team-focused and has a clear and functional purpose that directly aligns with my own.”
Gibson claims 2022 Rotary Bowl
Beaufort resident Frank Gibson, a business executive, retired South Carolina Army National Guard officer, and former NCAA football referee, is the 2022 recipient of the Rotary Bowl, the Rotary Club of Beaufort’s highest honor. It was presented by current Rotary Club of Beaufort President Mandy Burgin at the Club’s June 8th luncheon meeting.
Gibson is the 55th person to receive the Bowl, which was first awarded in 1936. It is not presented every year, but only when the Rotary Club of Beaufort believes they have a candidate who has exhibited significant selfless service.
Since Gibson moved to Beaufort in 1975, he has joined organizations with missions to make the Lowcountry a better place for its residents and has been recognized by many for his significant contributions.
Although Gibson has been affiliated with countless community, regional, state, and national organizations, he considers some especially significant: working with the Beaufort Chamber of Commerce, where he founded the Leadership Beaufort program in 1985; his chairmanship of the Beaufort County Republican Party in 1981; his presidency of The Citadel College Alumni Association in 2012-13; and his appointment to the Board of Visitors/Trustee at his alma mater, The Citadel, as his premier achievements of selfless leadership. Selfless service is the hallmark of Rotary’s motto of “service above self.”
Strange added to BJWSA board
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has appointed David Strange to Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority’s (BJWSA) Board of Directors.
Strange brings to the Board decades of sales and marketing experience in various professional roles. The majority of his career was spent at Skanska USA Building Inc., and Shoemaker Construction Co., both in Pennsylvania. He managed multi-functional processes for client retention and designed and led strategic sales planning process focused on major customer opportunities.
Jimmy Baker is BJWSA’s Board of Directors Chair for fiscal year 2023.
For more information about BJWSA or its Board of Directors, visit www.bjwsa.org.
Coastal Conservation League names new executive director
The Board of Directors of the Coastal Conservation League has appointed Faith Rivers James as the organization’s next Executive Director. She will begin her duties on Aug. 15, and will be based out of the Conservation League’s Charleston headquarters.
James was selected from a field of candidates following a national search led by Koya Partners and a Search Committee comprised of Board members and community stakeholders.
James will succeed Interim Executive Director Denise Schlener, who has led the Conservation League since former Executive Director Laura Cantral’s departure in December 2021.
A graduate of Porter-Gaud, Dartmouth College, and Harvard Law School, within four years of launching her law career in Washington, D.C., James was negotiating the Federal budget as senior counsel to the House Majority Leader. She served as Executive Director of the South Carolina Bar Foundation, where she oversaw grant funding for programs enhancing access to justice and played an instrumental role in launching the Heirs’ Property Preservation Project.
Eventually, a position as Assistant Provost for Leadership and Head of the Department of Leadership Studies at The Citadel lured James back to Charleston, where she recently built a house on property that has been in her family since the 19th century.
SCORE SC Lowcountry offering awards to minority-owned small businesses
Following a successful Minority Small Business Program (MSBP) in 2021 with 11 award recipients, SCORE SC Lowcountry is partnering again with Wells Fargo and Truist banks to bring the 2022 MSBP to the Lowcountry.
Minority business owners in Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton, and Hampton counties can apply for an award up to $2,500 to support direct company operations.
“SCORE SC Lowcountry is pleased to offer awards that help minority small business owners in our local communities grow and otherwise expand their business” Minority Outreach Committee Chair Michelle Gaston said in a release.
The award recipients will be determined by the Advisory Committee.
All required application materials must be submitted online between Monday, Sept. 12 and Friday, Oct. 7 at 11:59 PM to be considered for an award. Application requirements include a simplified business plan and a financial statement.
This year to further assist applicants, there will be orientation workshops – how to complete a simple business plan. Attendance at these workshops either in person or virtually is a requirement of the program.
SCORE mentors will also be available to help. For more details on the programs as well as eligibility requirements and terms & conditions, see our website at https://sclowcountry.score.org/Minority-Small-Business-Program. For more information, workshop schedule and the application, go to www.sclowcountry.score.org/minority-small-business-program.
