ICYMI: Kennedy Praises McMaster’s Selection for S.C. Commerce Secretary

Harry Lightsey, Gov. Henry McMaster’s nominee as the next secretary of the S.C. Department of Commerce, brings a background in two industries — telecommunications and automotive — that both men believe will be key to continuing the state’s business recruitment and manufacturing momentum.

 “I’ve spent my entire career being part of businesses that have shaped our modern lifestyle,” said Lightsey, introduced today as McMaster’s nominee to succeed Bobby Hitt, retiring this fall. “My career in telecommunications spanned the dawn of wireless communications and the internet. My time in automobile manufacturing has seen the beginning of a technological shift that leaders like Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors, have described as unparalleled since the days of Henry Ford.” …

“The guy’s got the resume. He said the right things,” Kennedy, whose company’s $215.8 million expansion was part of the $4 billion in capital investment South Carolina attracted in 2020, told the Columbia Regional Business Report. “I see nothing but upwardly mobile trajectory. … The whole thing was music to my ears, especially talking about innovation. We’ve been smack in the middle of Bobby’s 10 years, and I feel like, let’s help bring the next 10 along. With any luck, we’ll have another big announcement that we can deliver for the new guy.”

To read the entire story, visit the Columbia Regional Business Report.