Senator Danny Verdin, Darla Moore Named SC Advocates of the Year

COLUMBIA, SC – August 19, 2009 – At the South Carolina Advocates for Agriculture annual meeting on August 13, 2009 at the Palmetto Agribusiness Council Headquarters in West Columbia, president Ronnie Summers presented the 2009 Advocate of the Year award to Senator Daniel B. “Danny” Verdin, Dist. 9, Greenville and Laurens Cos. and to Darla Moore, Vice President of Rainwater, Inc. and founder and chair of the Palmetto Institute, a nonprofit think tank aimed at bolstering per capita income in South Carolina.

Senator Verdin, a life-long resident of South Carolina, is an avid supporter of agribusiness. He and his wife, Kim, own and operate Verdin’s Farm and Garden Center in Laurens, a family-run agribusiness he founded in 1991. Prior to establishing his own business, Danny served in Governor Carroll Campbell’s administration as the agricultural and natural resources policy advisor. So, his roots run deep in the agricultural community.

Senator Verdin received his BA from Bob Jones University in 1986 and was first elected to the State Senate in 2000, representing Laurens and Greenville counties. Re-elected in 2004 and 2008, he has served as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and in 2008 was named the Majority Whip for the Senate Republican Caucus.

Having grown up on the family farm, Darla Moore still calls her farm in Lake City home. She has a passion for her agricultural roots and the Palmetto State, and through the Palmetto Institute, she has led the charge in looking for ways to improve South Carolina’s economy, especially in rural areas. As a result of that commitment and her financial support, the Palmetto Agribusiness Council was able to commission an economic impact study which revealed that South Carolina’s number one economic industry cluster is agribusiness.

Senator Danny Verdin, 2009 SC Advocate of the Year

Darla Moore

2009 SC Advocate of the Year
 
Ms. Moore has been at the forefront of creating and hosting the Agriculture Summit, which is now an annual event held in Charleston. The Summit is designed to bring together government leaders and representatives from the state’s business and agricultural communities to explore the critical role of South Carolina agriculture in the face of looming economic and global changes.

Ms. Moore said, “This [award] is really an honor for me. I only wish my father could be here to share in this special occasion.” She added, “We have opened the door for agribusiness in South Carolina. Now, we have to knock down that door to continue the momentum to grow the economy of this state.”

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Moore also holds an M.B.A. from George Washington University. In 1998, the University of South Carolina business school was named the Darla Moore School of Business, the first such school in U.S. history to be named for a woman.

Hugh Weathers, Commissioner of Agriculture, said, “Senator Danny Verdin and Darla Moore are truly passionate about South Carolina agriculture and forestry and are always willing to support agribusiness. We are proud to call them friends and ‘advocates’.”

For more information, call Ronnie Summers, South Carolina Advocates for Agriculture president, 803-268-2481.