Myrtle Beach Tech Boom Brings New Jobs Beyond Tourism

Myrtle Beach is getting a makeover, and it doesn't involve another mini-golf course.

Two tech companies just won approval to expand into the city's Arts and Innovation District, bringing jobs in software engineering, language translation, and customer success roles to a town better known for beach umbrellas than innovation hubs. Cocoflo, a software technology company, and TransPerfect, a language translation firm, received first-reading approval from the Myrtle Beach City Council this week to lease office spaces along 9th Avenue.

Cocoflo founder Bernie Florido says his company is already working with the city's Parks and Recreation Department and is ready to grow. The expansion means hiring engineers, product developers, and implementation specialists over the coming months.

"So naturally with that growth we're going to need some more support," Florido said. His team has been operating out of the HTC Aspire Hub and is now moving into larger quarters as business takes off.

The Ripple Effect

For Myrtle Beach, this expansion represents something bigger than two companies setting up shop. City leaders see it as a blueprint for economic transformation.

Brian Tucker, assistant city manager, says businesses like these create "employment opportunities outside the tourism and hospitality industry." That matters in a coastal town where jobs have long been tied to seasonal tourism cycles and service sector wages.

The Arts and Innovation District was designed specifically to attract this kind of growth. Tucker points to the district as a "job generator" in the innovation space, offering residents career paths they might not have imagined in their hometown.

Florido says staying in the district was an obvious choice. "There's a lot of forethought and planning into what this district is going to become," he noted, praising the ongoing construction and vision for the area.

The opportunities on 9th Avenue mean young professionals and experienced workers alike can build tech careers without leaving the Grand Strand. For parents, that could mean staying close to family while pursuing ambitious career goals. For recent graduates, it means hometown opportunity instead of mandatory migration to Charlotte or Atlanta.

The City Council still needs to pass a second reading before the leases and sales become official, but the momentum is already building.

Myrtle Beach is proving that beach towns can be tech towns too.

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