Contributor Samuel L. Erwin is chairman and CEO of The Palmetto Bank.
The Palmetto Bank has the distinct pleasure of sponsoring the inaugural Who’s Who event hosted by the Upstate Business Journal.
As a 107-year-old institution, The Palmetto Bank has a long legacy of serving the Upstate and today stands as one of the largest community banks in South Carolina. The Palmetto Bank has grown as the Upstate has grown, and we take seriously our responsibility to provide leadership and invest in the ongoing progress of the Upstate. As a result, we have a great appreciation for the leaders who have made the Upstate the vibrant and healthy region that it is today. It is our honor as part of Who’s Who to recognize a group of leaders who have given so much to enrich our community and make it a better place to live, work and play.
So what can we learn from this year’s Who’s Who leaders, and what can we learn from their commitment and actions that will enable us to build upon what they have already done to continue the momentum of moving the Upstate forward?
These leaders come from different professions and backgrounds, and have accomplished uniquely different things. They committed themselves to lifelong learning to distinguish themselves as experts in their chosen fields. They made personal and professional sacrifices and worked with perseverance through the ups and downs of economic cycles. They took risks along the way to articulate and then achieve their dreams, and their success has become our success.
Above all else, their personal success was achieved in the context of serving the rest of us through community dedication and involvement – with achievement of their personal goals significantly contributing to the Upstate becoming a better place to live, work and play. For the Upstate, the collective success of the Who’s Who class has created a rising tide that has lifted all our boats.
The magnitude of their collective achievements has had a transformative impact not only on our communities in the Upstate, but also on our state and our country. As the benefactors of their success, we should not only be inspired by what they have accomplished, but we should also join with them in their efforts to continue the progress of the Upstate. To continue building on their strong legacy, as those who claim this community as our home, we must remain committed to continuing to cultivate a collaborative environment so energetic, so engaging and so receptive to positive change that we are the fertile field upon which new businesses and individuals are seeded, cultivated and grown.
We must continue our investments in education, ensuring that the generation of today is equipped to flourish in the future, whether through a specialty two-year associate’s degree, four-year college degree, or advanced professional degree. We must continue to engender a positive business and living environment to entice young professionals and entrepreneurs to make the Upstate their home to start a business and a family.
We must continue to draw foreign investment by providing the right incentives, educated workforce, commitment to the arts, and quality of life to position the Upstate as a diverse and cultured region to do business. And we must continue to provide support and guidance to those striving to make a better life for themselves and contribute to the Upstate through productive employment. By excelling at these things, I have no doubt our Upstate tide will rise and we will collectively continue to thrive.
The inaugural Who’s Who class members have given of themselves to ensure their families and their communities are better today for their efforts; and that we have a bright future ahead of us. The challenge for each of us who call the Upstate home is to be similarly engaged, committed and passionate about our personal contributions to this wonderful region called the Upstate of South Carolina.
