Darlington County economic board meets director candidates

By Candace Jarrett
Morning News Reporter
Published: August 20, 2008

Board members of the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership had a chance Wednesday to meet the two final candidates for the new county economic development director.

The partnership includes municipal and county government officials, as well as with residents.

“The reason for the session today was to allow the board and the community to be able to meet with the candidates so that we (the committee in charge of finding a new director) can get their feedback and see what they thought of each, before we make our final decision,” said Roger Schrum, staff vice president for Sonoco and a partnership board member.

Schrum also is in charge of the partnership’s director search committee.

Both candidates stood in front of community members as they, along with partnership members, asked both candidates questions about their qualifications. The questions ranged from asking about the candidates’ plans for reviving economic development in the county, to what they think will be the hardest part about the job.

Goz Segars, chairman of the partnership, said the process has taken some time but that it should end on a positive note.

“Personnel can be a very difficult job,” he said. “We have not had the opportunity to go through a process quite like this before, and we started out with a big group, but now we feel that we have the best two.”

Columbia-based States Lee Clawson is one of the candidates the partnership is considering. Clawson is the senior community development planner for the S.C Department of Commerce’s Division of Community and Rural Development.

His résumé includes 27 years of economic development experience that began with working for the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding macro-economic issues.

Robert D. Long, the second candidate, is the assistant director of the Aiken, S.C. Economic Development Partnership.

His résumé notes the successful attraction of more than $1.5 billon in capital investments and the creation of more than 4,100 jobs, since 2000. It also states that he was the project manger for the Aiken allocation of Bridgestone-Firestone and the UPS Customhouse.

Gordon McBride has stepped in as interim director of economic development since the later part of 2007, when the county decided to redesign its economic development initiative. The partnership was created at that time.

Former Darlington County Economic Development Director Dave Bailey resigned concurrent with the formation. He’d been slated to retire the year prior.

Schrum said the partnership would most likely decide on a candidate by Labor Day.

In other news, the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership also decided on the theme of its membership levels, which will go hand-in-hand with what the county is known for —Darlington Raceway.

The membership levels can be as basic as an ambassador membership for out-of-town individuals and goes up by tier to the pole position membership, green flag membership, then checkered flag membership. The winner’s circle membership is the top level of membership, at a rate of $25,000. Board member Charles Hardin announced Sonoco was the first company to sign up for the winner’s circle membership.