Oconee County Business Leader
Honored by Dept. of Commerce and
Legislative Leaders
COLUMBIA, S.C.
– January 27, 2010 – Jeanne L. Ward
was honored yesterday as an
Ambassador for Economic Development
by the Department of Commerce and
legislative leaders as part of South
Carolina’s 19th Annual
Industry Appreciation Week. The
ceremony took place in Columbia on
Tuesday, January 26 at the
Statehouse and highlighted 48
individuals from 46 counties for
their exceptional efforts to bolster
community and economic development
activities in South Carolina.
“While improving our South
Carolina’s business climate and
developing a skilled workforce have
been priorities for our
administration, these efforts alone
are not enough. The help and efforts
of community and business leaders in
every corner of the state are
critically important and today we
say thank to these ambassadors for
economic development for their
efforts to create jobs and economic
opportunity in South Carolina,” said
Gov. Mark Sanford.
Jeanne Ward is the president and CEO
of Oconee Medical Center, one of the
largest employers in Oconee County.
Ms. Ward has been an advocate for
the economic development in the
county, and her efforts to foster a
project involving the number and
quality of beds in the hospital
resulted in the creation of several
dozen jobs. Ms. Ward has also
successfully in recruited over 40
new physicians, bringing knowledge,
revenue and enabling more patients
to remain in the county. She is a
founder and the current chairwoman
of the Oconee Alliance, an
organization that unites the
private, non-profit and governmental
leaders of the community with local
residents to promote of economic
development. Ms. Ward also serves on
the Oconee County Economic
Development Commission, the Board of
Trustees of the South Carolina
Hospital Association and is the
chairwoman of the Quality Committee
for the South Carolina Hospital
Association.
“Our state’s existing businesses are
one of our most valuable economic
development tools,” House Speaker
Bobby Harrell said. “Job creation
and industry promotion begins on the
ground level and is handled mostly
in the private sector by these
business leaders. I’d like to thank
all our Ambassadors for Economic
Development for their effective
leadership and for proving that our
best resources lie not in the hands
of government but reside in the
private sector.”
“Businesses small and large have
contributed greatly to South
Carolina’s economy with investments,
job creation and community
involvement. This is a week to
recognize the contributions of
businesses and community leaders for
their continued commitment to
growing economic opportunity in
South Carolina. These ambassadors
have dedicated their energy and gone
the extra mile to enhance our
communities and make South Carolina
a better place to live and work. We
congratulate each ambassador and
thank them for their efforts,” said
Joe Taylor, Secretary of Commerce.
Each year the Department of Commerce
joins local communities to thank
businesses for their vital
contributions to South Carolina’s
economy. The Department of Commerce
kicks off Industry Appreciation Week
each year by recognizing individuals
throughout South Carolina as
Ambassadors for Economic
Development. These individuals
include local leaders from the
private sector representing a
variety of businesses and economic
development organizations committed
to securing new jobs and investment
in their communities.
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