Brenan to be honored by Columbia Chamber of Commerce

Listen to this article

Longtime Midlands banking executive and community leader Mike Brenan will be honored as the Columbia Chamber of Commerce’s Ambassador of the Year next month.  

Brenan, regional president for the South Carolina region of Truist Financial Corp., began his banking career in 1975. Named chairman, president and CEO of MainStreet Financial Corp. in 1994, he became regional president in South Carolina for BB&T Corp. in 1999 after that organization acquired MainStreet. He was named to his current position in 2019. 

Brenan serves on various boards, including SCBIO, Midlands Business Leadership Group, the SC Philharmonic, TransformSC and the South Carolina Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation. He is the governor’s appointee to the state board of education and has received the S.C. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Leader of the Year award, the United Way of the Midlands’ Humanitarian of the Year award and the University of South Carolina’s Distinguished Service award.  

 “The annual gala allows the Chamber to recognize individuals who make a positive impact in the business and local community,” Carl Blackstone, Columbia Chamber president and CEO, said in a news release. “There are very few that have had as much influence in our area as Mike Brenan. A dedicated steward of the Midlands, Mike recognizes the importance of being a good public servant. Mike makes sure that he, personally and through his work with Truist, tirelessly puts the advancement of the Midlands first.” 

Brenan will be honored at the Columbia chamber’s 118th annual gala on Oct. 7.   

Past recipients of the Ambassador of the Year award, sponsored by Colonial Life, include Pamela Lackey, former president of AT&T South Carolina; University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley; Bill and Lou Kennedy, founder and owner, respectively, of Nephron Pharmaceutical Corp.; and Harris Pastides, former and interim president of the University of South Carolina.   

“Mike’s tireless advocacy for our community and focus on the betterment of the region is tremendous,” Tim Arnold, Colonial Life president and CEO, said. “His passion for our community is evident in his leadership and involvement in so many causes, including education, housing, healthcare and commerce. Colonial Life is honored to support Mike’s recognition as Ambassador of the Year.”