Vacations allow us to reframe and refresh - especially when spent in a paradise where the air is clear and the scenery breathtaking. I always return to work with renewed vigor and fresh ideas on how to better serve our clients. August is usually not as frantic and allows us time to slow down, reflect and refocus. The TMS team is ready to help with your next project – whether that means managing stakeholder expectations or opening doors for you at the county or municipal level. Give us a call and let’s get started.

Colleen Hackett leads our South Carolina office, managing our regional public engagement efforts. Her business development skills support outreach strategies for transportation and infrastructure projects. TMS has operated in South Carolina since 2022, located in Little River. We are active members of both the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation. Through these affiliations, we have had opportunities to connect with a wide network of professionals across municipal and county governments, and many private sector businesses. Both rely on expert public involvement support for their projects. The relationships Colleen is building lead to meaningful business collaborations and lasting friendships. Lunch & Learn sessions allow us to introduce our services to prospective clients at their offices in a casual, informative way to demonstrate our valuable expertise. We tailor each public outreach engagement to support complex or high-visibility projects across a variety of industries.

We are currently supporting ICE Engineering on two project teams. For the Jasper County Program Manager Transportation Tax project, we are leading Public Involvement efforts—engaging the Board of County Commissioners, County staff, elected officials, the Transportation Sales Tax Advisory Committee, stakeholders, and the public. We are also providing Public Involvement services for ICE’s team on the Charlotte County Engineering Services & Transportation Committee, focusing on outreach to stakeholders, the community, and elected officials.

Why South Carolina, you may ask? South Carolina continues to foster an attractive climate for business growth and economic development.

• Ranked #8 nationally in economic strength for 2025.
• Firm growth rate of 17.2% — well above the national average of 11.9%.
• Payroll growth of 73.5%, outperforming the national average of 50.8%.
• Existing businesses are expanding rapidly.
• Average annual growth rate of 11.6%

Wow! Just wow! Mom said I was going to have fun on my staycation, but I did not know it was going to be THIS good! There were hose monsters to chase, sprinklers that tried to tickle me as I ran through them, a giant splashy bowl (the hoomans called it a pool), and a whole pack of new furry friends to wrestle and zoom around with. I was this close to staying for…. but then I saw Mom at the gate. My tail went turbo-mode, and suddenly nothing smelled better than home.

Cam