MTC board member Jim Reynolds awarded Order of the Palmetto

Award presented by Senator John E. Courson

COLUMBIA, SC – Jim Reynolds, CEO of Total Comfort Solutions and longtime Midlands Technical College Foundation Board of Trustees member, has been awarded the Order of the Palmetto from the Office of the Governor of South Carolina. The award is the state’s highest civilian honor awarded for extraordinary lifetime achievement and service to the state. SC Senator John E. Courson, on behalf of SC Governor Nikki Haley, presented Reynolds with the honor on July 16, 2014, at the Midlands Technical College Beltline Campus.

“Over the past decade, Jim Reynolds has led statewide efforts that have dramatically improved public education and workforce development,” said Dr. Marshall (Sonny) White, Jr., MTC president. “Through his efforts and leadership, he has improved the quality of life for generations of South Carolinians to come.”

Pictured left to right are: SC Senator John E. Courson, CEO of Total Comfort Solutions Jim Reynolds, and MTC President Dr. Marshall (Sonny) White, Jr.

Since 2005, Reynolds has co-chaired the New Carolina Education and Workforce Development Task Force, the only statewide forum that looks at comprehensive collaborative solutions to South Carolina’s education and workforce challenges. This task force was an instrumental partner in the implementation of the Education and Economic Development Act of 2005. Reynolds’ service on the act’s Coordinating Council helped establish 12 Regional Education Centers (RECs) across the state to connect the business community to the education community, which he continues to nurture today.

Todd Hyneman, Total Comfort Solutions president, said, “Originally seeking a business need to find qualified technicians for our company, Jim became active in local organizations. His involvement transformed into a passion for workforce development which will benefit our state for many years into the future. We couldn’t be prouder of Jim Reynolds and the work he’s done in South Carolina.”

Reynolds is a consistent advocate for SC’s business community and served as the South Carolina Chamber chairman in 2012. Reynolds’ leadership within the South Carolina Chamber and New Carolina led to the creation of Apprenticeship Carolina, which since 2008 has registered an average of one new employer-sponsored apprenticeship program per week and increased the number of apprentices tenfold in the state. Reynolds was selected as the chamber’s 2010 Business Leader of the Year based on his outstanding public service leadership.

Reynolds is a past chair of the Midlands Technical College Foundation Board of Trustees and has served on the board for more than 14 years. Reynolds holds a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College and an MBA from the University of Virginia. He and his wife, Judy, have one daughter, Kathryn.

About Midlands Technical College

Midlands Technical College (MTC) is a comprehensive, multi-campus, public, two-year college serving Richland, Lexington and Fairfield counties of South Carolina. The fifth-largest provider of higher education in South Carolina and the largest provider of transfer students to four-year colleges and universities in the state, MTC enrolls approximately 18,000 credit students annually. The college’s Corporate and Continuing Education program, one of the largest and most comprehensive in the Southeast, annually has 30,000 enrollments and provides continuing education to hundreds of area businesses each year. www.midlandstech.edu

About Total Comfort Solutions

Total Comfort Solutions is a regional firm specializing in Building Performance.