The 2007 Annual Meeting will be headlined by a high-energy opening general session highlighting the first year of Hometown, SC and making further connections to the important roles strong cities and towns play in the state’s competitiveness.
“Last July at Hilton Head Island, we launched the Hometown, SC initiative with the long-term goal of increasing the influence of cities and towns with our state’s business leaders, key influencers and policy makers,” said Doug Echols, mayor of Rock Hill and MASC president.
“In the past year, we have started a new dialogue with business organizations such as the state Chamber of Commerce and New Carolina — SC’s Council on Competitiveness,” Echols said. “Plus we have focused our legislative efforts to align with the state’s overall economic development priorities. This opening general session will celebrate our successes this year and also give us insight into the bigger picture efforts going on in the state to raise our competitiveness.”
The keynote speaker at the opening general session will be M. Edward Sellers, chairman of SC’s Council on Competitiveness and chairman and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. The Competitiveness Council and its partners are driving the movement toward a “New Carolina” — a South Carolina with a brighter future and a competitive, winning economy.
The focus is on a strategy to play to the strengths of the state’s core industries, emphasize education, and build an environment that fosters innovation. The road map was developed by Harvard Professor Michael Porter and outlines recommendations for the state to increase its ability to compete regionally, nationally and internationally as the world economy moves away from industrial toward knowledge-based jobs.
“Competition is accelerating around the world,” Sellers said. “The contest forcreation of wealth, for jobs, and for growth is becoming fierce in every state and in nearly every country of the world. We in South Carolina have held our own in the last 15 years. Our per capita income has remained at 82 percent of the national average. But the pace is changing. If we are to increase the wealth and well-being of all South Carolinians, we must change the speed with which we grow, in which we enhance education, in which we attract those who can create growth.”
An essential ingredient in encouraging this growth is strong cities and towns that provide the services, innovative programs and amenities that support the quality of life these workers of the “new economy” will want, Sellers said. But this growth won’t just take place in the larger cities, Sellers emphasized. “Cities and towns of every size and in every geographic region of the state have an important role to play in this long-term approach to making our state stronger.”
Sellers’ speech will focus on the theme for this year’s meeting — “SC Hometowns… Bridges to Success” — to highlight the role of cities and towns of all sizes in building a strong and competitive economy for our state. He will encourage city leaders to choose strategies that will help ensure their cities, regardless of size, can reap the benefits of this new economy.