Charleston Regional Development Alliance

Charleston’s culinary reputation continues to earn national attention. 🍽️

Husk Restaurant, one of the region’s most recognizable restaurants, was recently named to People Magazine’s “Best of America” list as Stephen Colbert’s hometown favorite for South Carolina.

It’s another well-earned spotlight for a restaurant that has helped shape Charleston’s place in the national food conversation, with a continued focus on Southern ingredients, regional sourcing, and the kind of hospitality that makes this market memorable.

Recognition like this matters beyond the dining room. Charleston’s food and beverage scene is part of the region’s broader economic story, supporting small businesses, attracting visitors, creating career pathways, and strengthening the quality of place that helps companies and talent choose the Charleston region.

Congratulations to Husk and the many chefs, restaurateurs, growers, makers, and hospitality professionals who continue to put Charleston on the map. 👏

What Charleston-area restaurant would make your “hometown favorite” list? 👇

📸: Husk Restaurant

Collaboration fuels innovation. 💡

This week, Joe Affsprung, CRDA's Director of Global Business Development, is representing the Charleston region alongside our outstanding partners at SCbio and other delegates during the BIO International Convention.

From meeting with global life sciences leaders to sharing the momentum happening across South Carolina, every conversation helps strengthen connections and create new opportunities for our region.

📸: SCbio

The 2026 Charleston Region Innovation Scorecard is here!

Now in its second year, the Scorecard provides a data-driven look at the Charleston region's innovation economy, highlighting key trends in Business Dynamics, Business Profile, Human Capital & Knowledge Creation, Employment & Productivity, and Economic Well-being.

Whether you're a business leader, entrepreneur, investor, educator, or community stakeholder, the Scorecard offers valuable insights into where the Charleston region stands today and where opportunities exist for the future.

📊 Explore the 2026 Charleston Region Innovation Scorecard: www.crda.org/innovationscorecard

🐎 Technology is transforming industries in unexpected places.

Horse Spot , an equestrian technology company, is expanding in Charleston County and creating 11 new jobs.

The company's platform helps manage more than 1,800 horse shows, rodeos, and fairs each year, streamlining everything from event registration and scheduling to payments and results through a single digital system.

📍 With its growing presence on Morrison Drive, Horse Spot is deepening its roots in the Charleston region while bringing innovative technology solutions to the equestrian industry across the Carolinas and beyond.

Congratulations to the Horse Spot team on their continued growth and investment in the Charleston region.

💡 Innovation in healthcare isn't limited to hospitals.

Charleston-based Virtually has partnered with Anuvia Prevention & Recovery Center and AvaSure to launch a first-of-its-kind virtual nursing program designed specifically for residential substance use and behavioral health treatment.

The program provides 24/7 access to experienced nurses for admission screening, medication review, and urgent clinical triage, helping strengthen client safety, support regulatory compliance, and expand clinical capacity in an industry facing nationwide nursing shortages.

🏥 As virtual care continues to evolve, this collaboration demonstrates how innovative healthcare companies are developing new models that improve outcomes while helping providers operate more efficiently.

Congratulations to the teams at VirtuAlly, Anuvia, and AvaSure on this groundbreaking milestone.

🧬 The Charleston region continues to build momentum as a growing hub for life sciences innovation, and we're excited to be part of the conversation at the 2026 BIO International Convention.

Joe Affsprung, Director of Global Business Development at CRDA, will be attending BIO 2026 in San Diego to connect with industry leaders, explore new opportunities, and showcase the advantages driving growth in Charleston's life sciences ecosystem.

If you'll be attending BIO, we'd love to connect and discuss how Charleston can support your company's next chapter of growth.