The sixth-annual CONVERGE Lowcountry Economic Development Summit will be held on Friday, January 17, 2025, at Sun City’s Pinckney Hall. The event will feature two respected leaders, Harry Lightsey, Secretary of Commerce at the South Carolina Department of Commerce (S.C. Commerce) and Susie Shannon, President and CEO of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness.

“We are thrilled to welcome Secretary Lightsey and Susie Shannon to our annual CONVERGE Summit. Aligning with the State’s priorities is crucial for our partnership. At the same time, it allows us to address the unique needs of Beaufort County and the region effectively.” – John O’Toole, Executive Director of the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation

The Summit will also include updates from county and local municipalities including Beaufort, Bluffton, Hardeeville, Hilton Head Island and Port Royal.

At the Summit, S.C. Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey will discuss what makes South Carolina an attractive destination for businesses looking to relocate or expand. His answer will be clear:

• South Carolina is the state that truly partners with companies to help them achieve success from launch to legacy. As a business-friendly state, it is nimble and able to adjust quickly to a company’s needs. With its East Coast location, South Carolina allows companies to reach multiple markets in a day’s drive or less.
• South Carolina is built for the new economy – you can work where you love. From the mountains to the ocean, South Carolina has the places where people want to live and work.
• When you invest in South Carolina, you grow as a company, a person and a community.

According to S.C. Commerce, there are several key industries that are currently thriving in South Carolina. Life Sciences is one of the state’s fastest growing industries with 1,033 life sciences related companies making the state their home. In fact, 42 of the 46 counties have life sciences companies. The state has three major research universities along with the right climate to foster research and innovation in this industry.

More recently, the SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy Technology and Innovation Hub (SC NEXUS), which is a consortium of more than 50 members including the state’s research universities, Savannah River National Laboratory, and companies working in the advanced energy space, was designated as a “tech hub” by the United States Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Agency (EDA). In July 2024, the EDA awarded funding to four SC NEXUS projects to further build out the tech hub’s capacity to quickly commercialize new energy technologies, as well as raise awareness of advanced energy employment opportunities. SC NEXUS is one of only 12 tech hubs across the nation to receive the EDA’s implementation grant funds

“We know that the ability to meet commercial energy demands will be vital to South Carolina’s long-term sustainability as a place for industry to launch and grow. SC NEXUS, which is focused on advancing grid resilient technologies, will create the right environment for companies to bring new grid technologies to market quickly, efficiently and securely.” – Secretary Lightsey

The South Carolina Department of Commerce greatly values its relationships with counties and local communities. In South Carolina, economic development is a team sport. Working together ensures that the citizens who call this state home ultimately win with increased opportunities that will advance their future.

With reference to Beaufort County, Secretary Lightsey stated:

“S.C. Commerce recognizes the value and balance between economic development and protecting the state’s natural resources. Just like we would with impacts to the local workforce and other factors, we work with state and federal partners to understand what economic development would mean to resources in the respective development area. We want to ensure a sustainable future not only in terms of the types of companies we work to attract and the types of jobs they can bring, but to also minimize impacts to the environment.”

Another organization working to make South Carolina a competitive state to do business in is the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, or SC Competes. This is a nonprofit organization that works to build a collaborative framework with the public, private and academic sectors – working together to develop and advance the state’s long-term competitiveness. Susie Shannon has served as President and CEO of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness “SC Competes” for over 7 years. She ensures the organization works as a collaborator, convener and connector between the state and regional and local players.

“We are here to help South Carolina win, whether it’s recruiting or retaining a competitive, globally skilled workforce, and helping our industries to grow and expand,” – Susie Shannon

The three main pillars that guide SC Competes strategy are:

• To support industry clusters, primarily aerospace, logistics, tech and cyber.
• To provide actionable research for both exploration and application.
• To further education and workforce development.

SC Competes continues to be called upon to vet, establish, and incubate industry clusters as they navigate the industry-changing dynamics that come with technology and innovation; it produces and provides research studies that allow business leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to make informed decisions; and its tireless advocacy and support for iterative change in approaches to education and workforce development remain impactful. The resulting inter-cluster business environment fosters innovation. Innovation, in turn, spurs new business ventures.

As to the future goals of SC Competes, Shannon shares this:

“We look forward to continuing what we can do to help support South Carolina’s current industry in diversifying our economic base. We stay extremely interconnected with industry players and forecasters, not only across the country, but around the world. Even though we work on a statewide mission, we do it with boots on the ground with grassroots local and regional economic development leaders. I look at how can we be the bridge along that continuum with what the state’s overarching priorities are and what’s happening on the ground. That’s where the magic happens! It is only together, that we can raise SC industry’s presence, productivity, and economic impact. I look forward to being in the Lowcountry and speaking at the CONVERGE Summit to share our perspective on the amazingly bright future we have as a region and state.”

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to join us at the sixth-annual CONVERGE Lowcountry Economic Development Summit on January 17th.

“We’d like to thank our sponsors and community partners for their continued support of economic development within Beaufort County. Without you, this work would not be possible.” – John O’Toole.

About the Speakers

Secretary Harry Lightsey was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster to serve as Secretary of Commerce in June 2021. He has served as the president of BellSouth Telecommunications for South Carolina prior to the company’s merger with AT&T. After that, he became president for AT&T’s Southeast region. Following 26 years in the telecommunications industry, Secretary Lightsey joined the General Motors Corporation where he directed the legacy automaker’s federal government affairs operation.

Susie Shannon has served as President and CEO of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness for over 7 years. Previously, for 13 years, she served on a senior strategic team overseeing the work of a network of organizations seeking to transform local areas into economically vibrant communities. She also worked as Director of Research for Palmetto Institute, an independent research foundation whose issues included Teach for America, The Benefit Bank® of South Carolina (now SC Thrive), tax reform, commercialization, agribusiness, entrepreneurship training, and workforce quality. Susie practiced for many years in the Columbia office of McNair Law Firm, P.A. (now Burr Forman). She also served in the US Army Reserves and is a combat Veteran of the Gulf War.