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Hitt to continue as S.C. Secretary of Commerce

Staff Report //December 6, 2018//

Hitt to continue as S.C. Secretary of Commerce

Staff Report //December 6, 2018//

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Bobby Hitt will continue to serve as S.C. Secretary of Commerce in Gov. Henry McMaster’s second term, McMaster’s office announced Thursday.

Then-governor Nikki Haley appointed Hitt in 2011. During Hitt’s eight-year tenure, South Carolina has seen more than $29.5 billion in capital investment that has created more than 106,000 jobs, according to a news release. Since January 2017, the state has announced more than $8.1 billion in capital investment and 25,105 new jobs.

Bobby Hitt (center) will continue as S.C. Secretary of Commerce in Gov. Henry McMaster's second term. “Secretary Hitt has been a highly effective partner in South Carolina’s economic development efforts for two governors, and I am grateful that he will continue to work with me in building on the successes our state has experienced and take those efforts to even greater heights,” McMaster said in the release. “Every job we’re able to announce makes a difference in someone’s life, and that will always motivate Secretary Hitt and I to work every day to bring companies, big and small, to our state, and take care of them when they get here so they can thrive and grow here.”

During Hitt’s tenure, companies including BMW, Boeing, Continental, Michelin, Samsung and Volvo Cars have invested in South Carolina, enabling the state to exceed $32 billion in total export sales for the first time in 2017, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce.

“I am extremely proud of the work that Team South Carolina has done to bring opportunities to every corner of the state,” Hitt said. “When I accepted this position in 2011, I did so with the belief that every person who wants a job should have one. And everyone who wants a better job should have that opportunity as well. I still believe that today.”