SC Commerce Director Bobby Hitt receives SCEDA Distinguished Service Award
June 20, 2018
The South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association (SCEDA) awarded South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt with its Distinguished Service Award during the 2018 SCEDA Annual Conference held in May at the Sonesta Resort in Hilton Head.
The SCEDA Distinguished Service Award recognizes exemplary efforts in the fields of professional, economic and community development in South Carolina. The first secretary of commerce to receive the award, it was an opportunity for the economic development community to thank Secretary Hitt for his tireless dedication and effort to making South Carolina a better place since being appointed to his role in 2011.
Visibly shocked while accepting the award, Hitt credited the larger ‘family’ of the economic development industry across South Carolina.
Addressing the room of economic development professionals and their collective accomplishments over the past seven years, Hitt said: “We are South Carolina, and we have changed how South Carolina is seen, how we see ourselves, and how the rest of the world sees South Carolina. That’s remarkable, because it wasn’t always this way.”
A testimonial video was included in Secretary Hitt’s award ceremony, highlighting his career and accomplishments. The video, coordinated by the S.C. Department of Commerce, included individuals from several sectors across South Carolina, including: former Mayor of Charleston Joseph P. Riley, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and executives at corporations like BMW.
Pictured at the SCEDA Annual Conference are (L-R): Sara Hazzard, South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance; Jeff McKay, North Eastern Strategic Alliance; George B. Wolfe, Nelson Mullins; Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt; Jennifer Fletcher, SC Department of Commerce; and Carter Smith, Spartanburg Economic Futures Group.
Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt and his wife, Gwen.
About SCEDA
Since 1965, the S.C. Economic Developers’ Association has served as the Voice of Economic Development in the Palmetto State. A professional trade association of more than 600 members, with representation from all 46 counties, SCEDA includes local and regional economic developers, as well as officials from municipal, county and state government agencies, construction and engineering firms, utility companies, attorneys, consultants, financial institutions, and higher education. To learn more, visit www.SCEDA.org.
