Photo: Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt and his wife, Gwen, pictured at the SCEDA Annual Conference.

The South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association (SCEDA) awarded South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt with its Distinguished Service Award during the 2018 SCEDA Annual Conference held at the Sonesta Resort in Hilton Head.

The SCEDA Distinguished Service Award recognizes exemplary efforts in the fields of professional, economic, and community development in South Carolina. The first secretary of commerce to receive the award, it was an opportunity for the economic development community to thank Secretary Hitt for his tireless dedication and effort to making South Carolina a better place since being appointed to his role in 2011.

While accepting the award, Hitt credited the larger ‘family’ of the economic development industry across South Carolina.

Addressing the room of economic development professionals and their collective accomplishments over the past seven years, Hitt said: “We are South Carolina, and we have changed how South Carolina is seen, how we see ourselves, and how the rest of the world sees South Carolina. That’s remarkable, because it wasn’t always this way.”

A testimonial video was included in Secretary Hitt’s award ceremony, highlighting his career and accomplishments. The video, coordinated by the S.C. Department of Commerce, included individuals from several sectors across South Carolina, including: former Mayor of Charleston Joseph P. Riley, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and executives at corporations like BMW.