The Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Announces Leslie Rohland as Winner of the 2022 Inaugural Women in Business Award
Rohland, Owner of The Cottage Café and Five Other Local Businesses, Honored with Award in Recognition of Longtime Business Leadership and Impact on Greater Bluffton Area
Bluffton, SC, October 14, 2022 – Leslie Rohland, the founder and owner of a number of Bluffton’s most established local businesses including The Cottage Café, Bakery & Tea Room, The Juice Hive and May River Coffee Roasters, has been honored by the Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce with the 2022 Inaugural Women in Business Award. The award was created to recognize women in business who have demonstrated exceptional growth, change and impact in the Greater Bluffton area, and was presented to Rohland at the Bluffton Chamber’s inaugural Women in Business Luncheon on October 13th at Venue 1223.
Nominee applications for the award were vetted by individuals in the Chamber of Commerce industry from Tampa, Florida, Greenville, South Carolina and Lexington, Kentucky. Rohland was selected based on her longtime role in helping to grow, change and impact the Greater Bluffton area, her commitment to “giving back” to the community through her philanthropic works and donations to many local causes – and for her leadership as a woman who embodies a successful entrepreneur and business owner in the Greater Bluffton area. Beaufort Memorial Hospital served as the presenting sponsor of the Women in Business Luncheon, and the Women in Business Award was sponsored by Simply Stated Retired Solutions.
“We are so happy to honor Leslie for her longtime business leadership and commitment to the community, and thrilled to present her with the 2022 Inaugural Women in Business award,” said Natalie Osterman, CEO of the Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. “This event was a true testament to the Greater Bluffton community and we were elated to see so many women and men coming together to connect, support, develop and empower women in the Lowcountry.”
In addition to owning and running the Cottage Café, Juice Hive and May River Coffee Roasters, Rohland is also the owner of the recently re-launched retail shop The Emporium and owns Sidecar Catering – which offers personal catering services featuring her award-winning cuisine. In addition, she will be launching a new store – the Bluffton Pasta Shoppe – in November, further growing the business community and providing exciting new local culinary options.
Rohland has been committed to growing and impacting Bluffton since she first opened The Cottage Café in 2009. At that time, and with no restaurants on Bluffton’s “main drag”, she decided to use her culinary skills to open a unique restaurant – restoring Bluffton’s historic cottage built in 1868 by J.J. Carson, and transforming it into what today is one of Bluffton’s most historic community landmarks. Since 2009, she has employed more than 400 local residents through her growing businesses, and is tied deeply to the community – serving on several Boards and giving back to many community non-profits. In addition, she has won many local and national awards for her cuisine, which has generated positive publicity for the Greater Bluffton Area.
For more information about the Greater Bluffton 2022 Inaugural Women in Business Award, visit www.blufftonchamberofcommerce.org. For additional information about Leslie Rohland and her award-winning local restaurants and businesses, visit www.thecottagebluffton.com, www.thejuicehive.com, www.mayrivercoffeeroasters.com.
