Elliott Cooper receives The Order of the Palmetto award

COLUMBIA, SC – Acting Regional Administrator and District Director Elliott Cooper was quite surprised when he was called to the stage by Governor Henry McMaster during the Salute to Small Business event held on 5/3/2017. Governor McMaster presented Mr. Cooper with The Order of the Palmetto. The Order of the Palmetto is the state’s highest civilian honor awarded to citizens of South Carolina for extraordinary lifetime service and achievements of national or statewide significance. The Order of the Palmetto is a once in a lifetime achievement. Cooper indicated that he was humbled by the award and pleased to have had the opportunity to serve the citizens, entrepreneurs, and small business communities of South Carolina.

He has led the federal district office in support of the state’s small business community. “Economic development is the engine that creates jobs, innovation, and self-sufficiency,” said Cooper. Cooper oversees the district office and its capital, contracting, and counseling service lines.

Cooper will be officially retiring at the end of the month after 26 years of service with the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA)-South Carolina District Office. Before joining SBA, he was employed in real estate and banking. Mr. Cooper was raised in Columbia, South Carolina. He graduated from The Citadel and completed Executive Development studies at the University of Georgia and Graduate School of Business at Indiana University.

The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam.