Jennifer Noel to Lead S.C. Department of Commerce’s Global Business Development Division
July 14, 2011
COLUMBIA, SC – July 13, 2011 – The South Carolina Department ofCommerce today announced that Jennifer E. Noel will lead the agency’sGlobal Business Development division, the group that spearheadsCommerce’s business recruitment efforts.
Noel comes to the S.C. Department of Commerce from the Upstate Alliance,where she was the executive vice president, a position she held sinceDecember 2002. During her time at the Upstate Alliance, Noel secured andadministered $2 million in grant funding for the organization andchampioned the organization’s award-winning “I Was Blown Away” brandingcampaign. Previously, she had worked at Erwin-Penland Advertising Inc.and the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce.
“Jennifer Noel has a wealth of experience in the state’s economicdevelopment arena and will be a real asset to Commerce in our businessrecruitment efforts,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce. “She has astrong track record with the Upstate Alliance and the experience shebrings will help us continue to succeed in our economic developmentefforts.”
This is not her first time at Commerce. Noel first worked in Commerce’sDivision of Research and Communications as an industry database manager,starting in January 1995. She later became assistant manager for RuralDevelopment.
Noel holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University ofSouth Carolina, and is a graduate of the Economic Development Instituteat the University of Oklahoma. She is a 2006 graduate of LeadershipSouth Carolina and is a member of the Board of Directors for the SouthCarolina Economic Developers Association.
About S.C. Department of Commerce
The S.C. Department of Commerce works closely with economic developmentprofessionals throughout the state to recruit new jobs and investmentsand help existing businesses grow. In 2010, Commerce recruited a record20,453 new jobs and $4.1 billion in capital investment. Commerce won theGold Shovel Award and the Deal of Year Award in 2011 from AreaDevelopment magazine. Trade & Industry Development magazine selectedtwo projects recruited by Commerce and its allies in 2010 for themagazine’s annual Corporate Investment & Community Impact Award.Commerce’s efforts have resulted in the successful recruitment ofnumerous world-class companies such as Boeing, Monster.com, Heinz, ZFGroup, BMW and Google Inc. In addition to job and investmentrecruitment, the agency provides a range of business support servicesand offers grants for community development and infrastructureimprovements. For more information, visit www.SCcommerce.com.
