Governor McMaster, South Carolina Business Leaders Discuss Role of Digital Tools in Helping South Carolina Rebound

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA (August 31, 2021) – Governor Henry McMaster, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette, and other influential business leaders in South Carolina participated in a discussion about the role technology platforms and digital services play in bolstering the state’s small and local businesses as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Tech Forward Webcast: How Technology is Fueling South Carolina’s Recovery & Growing the Economy” was hosted by Jake Ward, president of the Connected Commerce Council, a non-profit membership organization representing digitally empowered small businesses.

Governor McMaster spotlighted South Carolina’s economic success, low unemployment, and the role digital services have played in the state’s recovery: “South Carolina is open for business. South Carolina and her people are as resilient as ever and digital tools continue to improve the quality of service, quality of business, and quality of life for South Carolina. With new innovative technology, South Carolina is even more resilient, and it’s no surprise how quickly our state’s businesses have bounced back following the pandemic.”

Pamela Evette, South Carolina Lieutenant Governor, discussed the vital role small businesses play in South Carolina: “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy here in SC. Advancements in technology with digital tools that are affordable to the small business help to keep communities connected and keep our expanding economy thriving through innovation and collaboration.”

Representative Jay West, Assistant Majority Leader of the South Carolina House, used his unique experience as a business owner, business developer, and a statewide representative to show how digital tools have transformed his experience: “The past year and a half has been not only challenging, but life-changing for many businesses. A business is a person’s livelihood and whenever that changes, so do they. Digital tools have provided solutions to help mitigate the growing pains from these changes.”

Mimi Striplin, Owner of The Tiny Tassel in Charleston, SC, sang the praises of how digital technology and tools helped her small business during the pandemic and how resilience became an integral part of her business model thanks to these digital tools: “We rely on access to digital tools in almost every part of our small business. The usage of digital tools internally and externally has helped us survive throughout the last year. It’s allowed us to reach customers and suppliers that we otherwise would not have been able to. It’s so important for small businesses to have access to digital tools at all stages of their business because the resources are crucial to anyone who is just beginning, or trying to survive through a global pandemic.”

Harold Hughes, Founder and CEO of Bandwagon, discussed how digital resources not only impacted his business during the pandemic, but rather, how they will continue to impact his business as a whole: “Digital tools and resources have drastically changed the way I conduct my business. These tools and resources have introduced a new sense of resilience and efficiency to our business model as we reach the other side of the pandemic; these tools are here to stay.”

Carl Blackstone, Columbia Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, discussed how the Columbia Chamber adapted to help their members, integrating digital tools and resources: “The goal of the Chamber is to advocate for the success of the local business community. We saw that in full force as we had to rethink how we brought ideas to the table during the pandemic. With the implementation of technologies that allowed face-to-face meetings and educational seminars to take place, we were able to continue growing and doing work on behalf of the Columbia region.”

Jimmy Gray, Director of Government Affairs for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber, also commented on the longevity of these resources as we recover from the pandemic in South Carolina: “Businesses of all sizes learned to adapt and overcome challenges in 2020. These lessons, methods and technologies are here to stay.”

Susie Shannon, President and CEO of South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, echoed the praise of digital services and noted how her business and clients have leveraged recent digital innovations to their advantage. “Across all of the existing industry programs we manage today — aerospace, logistics, technology/cybersecurity — digital resources underpinned keeping our companies open for business and competitive in the marketplace.”

To view a recording of the webcast, https://youtu.be/rnD2qWxIChQ