Jay is a South Carolina Certified Economic Developer and has served as President and CEO of the Sumter County Development Board since 2006.  Jay also assists with the Board’s private sector partnership – the Sumter Smarter Growth Initiative.  Over Jay’s career, he has played a pivotal role in helping facilitate more than $2 billion in investment and the creation of over 11,000 jobs.

In this interview, Jay shares his perspective on what it takes to be successful as an economic development professional, how the profession is evolving, the changing role of and challenges with incentive packages, and the emerging issues the profession is facing to remain relevant.

Originally founded in 1957 by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly, the Sumter Development Board has taken on many forms and challenges throughout the years. The Development Board began operating independently in the mid-1990s as the lead economic development organization in the Sumter Community.

Funded by a three-way partnership of Sumter County Government, the City of Sumter and the Sumter Smarter Growth Initiative, the Development Board’s mission is to increase per capita income by creating jobs and luring capital investment to our community.