22nd annual Rural Summit awards leaders making an impact in rural South Carolina
March 5, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – March 5, 2012 – Governor Nikki Haley and the SouthCarolina Department of Commerce gathered leaders from across SouthCarolina for the 22nd annual South Carolina Rural Summit for a programthat challenged attendees to improve local communities. The Summit washeld at the Jon Holloway Sundance Gallery in Greenwood, S.C.
“Economicdevelopment in South Carolina is a team sport. This is especially truein rural communities. But it also requires leadership, especially fromthe local level,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “These awardshelp recognize the people who have risen to the challenge and had impactin areas outside of South Carolina’s major cities. Congratulations tothe winners.”
Rural community leaders, economic developers and state officialsshared ideas, experiences and practical knowledge to improve rural SouthCarolina. Governor Nikki Haley spoke at this year’s summit about hervision for the state’s rural areas.
“I challenge individuals to drive through their communities and take alook at the areas that need change. Let’s then join together to makethat change, so we can attract industries to our communities,” said Gov.Nikki Haley at the event.
At the summit, Governor Haley presented awards for Rural Leadership,Rural Education, Palmetto Partnership and Rural Development Service.
Rural Leadership – William L. Bethea Jr.
The Rural Leadership award recognizes an individual who has demonstratedeffective leadership skills and has addressed issues of both short andlong-term significance to community growth.
William L. Bethea Jr. has been an advocate for the Marion, Marlboro andDillon areas for more than 40 years. Bethea’s work has run the gamutfrom education, healthcare, commerce and trade, to industrial sitedevelopment. He partnered and cooperated with three rural countiesthroughout the development process of the I-95 Gateway Industrial Park.
Rural Education – For “The Business and Industry Showcase” andpresented to Todd Bennington with BorgWarner; also recognized DanRobbins of BorgWarner and economic development directors Burris Nelsonof Anderson County, Jim Alexander of Oconee County and Ray Farley ofPickens County
The Rural Education award recognizes those who have improved SouthCarolina’s rural education system either through volunteer efforts ordaily commitments.
“The Business and Industry Showcase” connects youth to business andindustry sectors to consider as potential career choices. This regionalcollaboration has reached more than 5,000 8th and 9th grade students inAnderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. The showcase specifically helpsstudents make decisions related to their Individual Graduation Plan aspart of the Education and Economic Development act.
Todd Bennington of BorgWarner in Seneca was a part of the originalIndustrial Showcase started in Oconee County and has been instrumentalin helping pull together the three-county Business and IndustryShowcase. Dan Robbins, special projects manager for BorgWarner, was alsorecognized, as were Burris Nelson, Jim Alexander and Ray Farley fortheir roles in making the showcase a success.
Palmetto Partnership Award – For the “Teens After School Centers + Plus”program – Mayor Sharon P. Brownlee and Chief of Police Robin Morse ofthe City Laurens; Mayor Bill Young of the City of Walterboro; MargaretBarber, director of the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice
This year’s Palmetto Partnership Award recognizes the collaborationbetween three partners who have worked to provide additional structureand assistance to at risk youth. Teen After-School Centers +PLUS(TASC+PLUS) is an after-school and summer employability skills trainingprogram for at-risk high school students developed by the Department ofJuvenile Justice in close collaboration with the City of Laurens and theCity of Walterboro.
The two new TASC+PLUS sites in these communities take the traditionalTASC to the next level by adding job readiness training and communitywork experience components to their existing services. Data related torecidivism, suspension, grade point average and truancy were assessed tomeasure program effectiveness: 90 percent of youth served by TASC didnot re-offend while participating in the program, and 86.8 percent ofyouth served by TASC were not suspended from school.
2012 Rural Development Service Award – Andre LeBlanc
The Rural Development Service Award recognizes the South CarolinaCommerce project manager who has helped generate the most investment andjobs for rural communities during the past year.
Andre LeBlanc began his career with the S.C. Department of Commerce in2005, and within two years was assigned as manager of the Department’sCanadian office until 2009. He currently serves as senior projectmanager with the Global Business Development Division. During 2011,LeBlanc’s work resulted in over 1,700 new jobs and $526 million ofcapital investment in rural South Carolina communities. From Marlboro toSumter to Barnwell, Andre’s efforts have contributed to the economicviability and self-sustaining capacity that comes through the creationof jobs and capital investment.
