What’s ‘the Buzz’ with SC Business?
April 14, 2020
By Burnie Maybank
Nexsen Pruet
Today’s dominating business buzzwords are a little different than what we might have thought they’d be a few months ago. “Uncertain times;” “a new normal;” etc. Through a new economic development podcast, my co-host Kara Gormley Meador and I will shift our focus, putting emphasis on words like ‘adaptability,’ ‘innovation,’ and ‘undeterred.’
The Buzz With Burnie brings business and economic development leaders from all sectors and regions of South Carolina together (from a distance!) to discuss our future, and the steps we need to take today to recover in the days ahead.
We launched The Buzz podcast with powerhouse Lou Kennedy, CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals. Kennedy’s insight on how to survive, even thrive, during this current crisis is both challenging and encouraging. She and her husband have invested more than $200 million in their Lexington County site and they are producing drugs to help people infected with COVID-19. They’ve also adapted their facility to produce hand sanitizer and have employed hundreds of teachers to provide them with extra income. That has produced a great sense of patriotism at Nephron. But what startled me the most during our conversation with Kennedy were her facts about the production of prescription drugs in the United States and our country’s dependence on other countries, like China, for critical ingredients needed for that production.
Being informed is part of the path forward for success. So every Wednesday, we’ll publish a new interview on our Buzz website. You can tune in on Spotify, Google Podcasts or watch on Facebook.
The week of April 13th we’ll hear from the current and incoming presidents of The South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association (SCEDA). Economic development professionals across our state are already retooling their efforts to help re-ignite our economic engine. It won’t be easy. Also ahead, we’ll hear from tourism leaders. They too face a big challenge. But I’m optimistic. Together, I’m certain we can overcome whatever faces us. Let’s chat about how, on The Buzz.
Burnet [“Burnie”] Maybank is a two-time director of the South Carolina Department of Revenue. Maybank currently practices economic development and tax law at Nexsen Pruet. The Buzz with Burnie is produced by NP Strategy, a strategic communications subsidiary of Nexsen Pruet.
