Kay Still is Named 2015 SC Economic Ambassador for Barnwell County

At a statewide reception held at the Governor’s Mansion on April 2, Kay Still was honored by Governor Nikki Haley, Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt and the South Carolina Department of Commerce as the 2015 South Carolina Economic Ambassador for Barnwell County.

A former Senior Vice President with Regions Bank, Kay Still played a pivotal role in recruiting both businesses and families to the Barnwell area through her personal efforts, as well as in her professional role as a leader in the banking community until her retirement in 2007.

Ms. Still’s efforts continued throughout her career and well after retirement.  Shehas remained a leader in building economic development efforts in the county, working through numerous civic efforts and organizations, including serving as Chairman of the Barnwell County Economic Development Commission, Chairman of the Barnwell County Chamber of Commerce and later as Chairman of SouthernCarolina Alliance Board of Directors (2007-2009).

An advocate for workforce development, the successful implementation of a regional WorkKeys® certification pilot program was implemented under her leadership in the region from 2007 to 2009.  The program certified more than 3,700 individuals in a 24-month period in a very rural region; at the conclusion of the program, all of the major industries in the region were utilizing WorkKeys® in their hiring process, and all but one high school in the region had implemented the WorkKeys® testing program in their school system. Today, the WorkKeys® certification program is a mainstay in evaluating the emerging and current workforce.

Ms. Still was also a key leader in brokering the historic collaborative effort that formed a multi-county revenue sharing agreement among the counties of Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell and Hampton, to bring shared prosperity and cooperation to the citizens of the area, while providing an additional incentive to industrial prospects.

Under Kay Still’s leadership, several critical economic development projects were won, including the Crane Dixie Narco expansion, which saved hundreds of jobs in 2009 during a time of manufacturing plant consolidations across the country.

For more than a decade, Ms. Still has contributed her time as a volunteer traveling around the world, personally meeting with prospects and community leaders on behalf of Barnwell and her sister counties, to bring home projects.  She continues to serve as an advocate for her community and a highly respected voice of reason in finding solutions to economic development challenges in the rural county of Barnwell.