Ivan Puglisi, a professional diver with a successful diving business in Italy, wanted to start a similar business in the United States. After vacationing on Hilton Head Island, he decided that the Lowcountry was the perfect location for his business. Puglisi said, “My investment in Hilton Head resulted from a vacation to the area in 2011. Having started and built a similar, successful business in Italy, I knew that I could expand and start the same business in the coastal are

Melissa Gladden started her career in the staffing industry after graduating from Winthrop University in Rock Hill. She had great success working with staffing companies, but as one company cut pay and another downsized Gladden began to consider going out on her own. “I didn’t know if I would fail or not, but I thought it better to believe in myself enough to try. I knew about the Small Business Development Centers from being a Winthrop student. I’d seen the sign. So I made a