Saundra Price, Executive Director, Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce

In an interview with Invest:, Saundra Price discussed the Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s focus on leadership development, workforce alignment, advocacy, and regional growth. The conversation highlighted the chamber’s junior leadership program as a major accomplishment, along with its role in “…connecting businesses, schools, industries, local governments, and communities to strengthen the regional economy.” “Our people are our advantage,” Price said.

Looking back over the past year, what accomplishments best demonstrated the chamber’s impact in the regional business community?

Our biggest accomplishment over the past year was launching our Junior Leadership Program.It focuses on juniors in high schoolWe chose to focus on high school juniors because it gives students time to discover career opportunities, develop leadership skills, and make informed decisions before graduation..

We expose them to industry and policymaking, and it has been a real eye-opener for us. The response has exceeded our expectations. Because of the interest from schools, students, and parents, we’re expanding the program this year.We have six local high schools in our area.

We also have an adult leadership class that provides leadership development to our businesses in the area, but junior leadership was a big accomplishment over the past year.

How are you partnering with educational institutions and industry partners to support workforce development?

Our region has a strong manufacturing base, but workforce development requires everyone to work together.We are partnering with schools, technical schools, and industries across the region to bring those groups together for collaboration. The goal is to understand what industry needs, what employers are looking for in their workforce, what the schools are teaching, and how we can improve that alignment.

As the needs of businesses change, what role do you see the chamber playing in shaping the region’s future?

We are a convener, putting people together for topics of conversation. Networking is still important, but today’s Chamber is also focused on advocacy, workforce development, leadership, and bringing the right people together to solve regional challenges.

That could be workforce development, child care availability, affordable healthcare, or other topics. Being a convener of those conversations is highly important. We don’t try to solve every challenge ourselves. We bring together the people who can make a difference.

What makes the Tri-County region a compelling place to do business, and what advantages set it apart?

Our people are our advantage.People genuinely want to see each other succeed here. Businesses, local governments, schools, and community organizations work together, and that’s one of our greatest strengths. We’re also in a unique location. We’re close enough to Charleston and Summerville to benefit from that growth while still offering the advantages of doing business in a rural community.

I would say our people are the strongest thing.

We are growing, and we are one of the fastest-growing areas in the state right now. South Carolina as a whole is growing, too. We are outside of Charleston and Summerville, and we are rapidly growing. Trying to balance all that with what businesses need and the pace at which we are growing is a top priority.

As you engage with members across industries, what challenges or priorities are they bringing to the chamber today?

The top issue is probably workforce development. I think that is statewide and nationwide. Everybody needs a qualified workforce.

But the workforce isn’t just about finding employees anymore. It’s also about housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, and infrastructure. Those issues all affect a company’s ability to attract and retain employees.When you have conversations with businesses, it is workforce, healthcare, infrastructure, and affordable housing.

What policy priorities are you focused on today?

We poll our members every fall before the session starts, and the businesses decide on the policies we advocate for. Most of it is pro-business policy. If there are tax credits or anything that would benefit our small businesses in the area, that is something we look at.

Infrastructure is also a priority. Being in rural South Carolina, the last several years, especially since COVID, have made everybody realize how much infrastructure we were lacking. Internet, roads, water, and sewer have all been priorities.

All of our little towns in the surrounding area are rural, and many had old water systems. We have 11 of them, so getting those systems up to date and getting everything ready for the growth we are seeing is a top priority.

We also do a video series when sessions end to keep our members updated. Business owners do not have time to follow everything or be at the State House all the time, so we put out a weekly video series that keeps members updated on what is happening at the State House and what may affect them here in our area.

Small businesses are a critical part of any regional economy. What initiatives or services have been particularly effective for them?

Relationships still matter. One of the greatest values a Chamber provides is connecting people and businesses.Advocacy is also especially important for our small businesses. They do not have the resources to hire someone and pay them to go to Columbia to share how they feel about a certain issue, whether it is good for business or bad for business. That is a huge resource for smaller businesses.

The leadership classes we put on are also important, as are job fairs. We partnered with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (SCDEW) recently for a really successful job fair. Having those types of resources and events available is valuable because small businesses cannot necessarily put them on by themselves.

Looking ahead, what are the chamber’s top strategic priorities over the next three to five years?

Over the next several years, our priorities are to continue growing our leadership programs, strengthen workforce partnerships, expand our advocacy efforts, and help prepare the region for continued economic growth.It is also about listening to our members. You do not know what is going to come up in three years that may change the way business looks. We need to be ready and able to adapt to whatever their needs are.