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50 Most Influential People

B2B: Pee Dee Business is pleased to present our inaugural list of the 50 Most Influential People for the Pee Dee region. The 50 men and women on this list were chosen through many hours of staff research and nominations from the area, named for the historic Native American Pee Dee tribe and dominated by the Great Pee Dee and Little Pee Dee river systems.

The individuals profiled here are making an impact in their community in the fields of energy, education, health care, nonprofit, government, and more.

 

 Mike Cruskie, Ph.D.
Mike Cruskie, Ph.D. VP/General Manager Thermo Fisher Scientific Mike Cruskie has been vice president and general manager of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Florence location since 2021, but he has more than a quarter-century of experience in contract...
Johnathan Munn
Johnathan Munn, Ph.D., joined the Francis Marion faculty in 2008.  He teaches Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, International Economics, and Intermediate Microeconomics.   His research interests include...
Kevin Yokim
Kevin Yokim County Administrator Florence County Kevin Yokim has been the county administrator for Florence since 2023, a position he moved into after spending 3½ years as assistant city manager for the city of Florence. Yokim, who has a...
Linda Weatherford, left, with her children’s book, "The Best Dogs Wear Pink." She's donating proceeds from the sales of the book to support the HOPE (Helping Oncology Patients Everyday) Fund.
Linda Weatherford
Linda Weatherford President/CEO SPC Credit Union President and chief executive officer of SPC Credit Union in Hartsville, Linda Weatherford has more than 35 years of experience in the credit union arena. She has said that she’s passionate about...
Lonnie Thompson
Lonnie Thompson President SOPAKCO Inc. Lonnie Thompson has been president of SOPAKCO Inc., a world leader in processed foods that was founded to provide rations for Allied troops during World War II, for more than 20 years. SOPAKCO has expanded...
Henry and Marion Swink
Henry and Marion Swink Co-Owners and Co-Presidents McCall Farms Brothers Henry and Marion Swink are the owners and co-presidents of McCall Farms, one of South Carolina’s largest agricultural producers. McCall Farms, based in Effingham, expanded...
Paul Seward
Paul Seward Regional Executive First Bank Paul Seward has served as First Bank’s regional executive, managing the commercial banking teams in the Columbia, Florence, Dillon, Orangeburg, and Charleston markets, since 2024, but he first joined the...
William Schofield
William Schofield President Carolina Enterprises Inc. William Schofield, president of Carolina Enterprises, oversees three companies: two real estate firms and a family-owned supply store. Carolina Enterprises, founded in 1952, owns and manages a...
Rick Saunders
Rick Saunders Founder/CEO First Reliance Bank Rick Saunders has spent his career in the banking world, holding positions with Pee Dee State Bank and Centura Bank before helping to organize First Reliance Bank in 1998. He is now the bank’s chief...
Madie Robinson
Madie Robinson Executive Director/CEO Pee Dee Healthy Start Madie Robinson has been with Pee Dee Healthy Start, the organization that works with parents and young children to provide education and connect them with community resources, for more...
Mike Reichenbach
Mike Reichenbach State Senator South Carolina State House Mike Reichenbach was elected to the South Carolina State Senate in 2022 after the 2021 death of incumbent Sen. Hugh Leatherman. Reichenbach, who represents Florence County District 31, won...
Scott Olsen
Scott Olsen Executive Plant Manager GE Healthcare Scott Olsen has worked for GE Healthcare for more than 18 years, starting as business team leader and moving into his current position as executive plant manager in 2023. A 2025 report by GE...
Murphy Monk
Murphy Monk President Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce Murphy Monk has been president of the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce since January 2019. She previously served as the chamber’s membership development coordinator. Monk, a...
Zach McKay
Zach McKay Executive Director Marion County Economic Development Commission Zach McKay has been executive director of the Marion County Economic Development Commission since 2021. A graduate of The Citadel, where he was a pitcher for the baseball...
Jill Lewis
Jill Lewis Chief Development Officer Signature Wealth Strategies Jill Lewis is chief development officer in Florence for Signature Wealth Strategies, which specializes in financial planning, wellness planning, and risk management. Lewis began her...
Ann Lewis
Ann Lewis  Chief Executive Officer CareSouth Carolina Ann Lewis is CEO of CareSouth Carolina, a nonprofit community health care provider that serves 38,000 patients in 10 rural communities. Lewis is chairperson of the South Carolina Primary...
Joe Koehling
Joe Koehling President/CEO ACS Technologies Joe Koehling is president and chief executive officer of ACS Technologies, a company that provides church management software and service solutions. Koehling stepped into the role in 2020 after serving...
Donna Isgett
Donna Isgett President/CEO McLeod Health Donna Isgett has been president and CEO of McLeod Health since 2021, when she became the first woman to lead the health care organization, which has seven hospitals in the region. She has been with McLeod...
HopeHealth Chief Executive Officer, Carl Humphries, MSW
Carl Humphries
Carl Humphries CEO HopeHealth Inc. Carl Humphries has been CEO of HopeHealth Inc., which provides integrated health services for individuals in Aiken, Clarendon, Florence, Orangeburg, and Williamsburg counties, since 2000. He began his career as...
Jay Hinesley, CEO Pee Dee Division, MUSC Health
Julian "Jay" Hinesley
Julian "Jay" Hinesley CEO MUSC Health Florence  Julian “Jay” Hinesley has been chief executive officer of MUSC Health’s Florence Division since 2021. Hinesley previously served as CEO of Vanderbilt Health’s Wilson County Hospital, a 245-bed...
www.sweetephotography.info
Kyle Gunter
Kyle Gunter President FBi Construction Kyle Gunter, president of FBi Construction, has been with the company, whose services range from general contracting to construction management, since 2000. Gunter, a graduate of The Citadel, worked as an...
Jason Freidenberger
Jason Freidenberger Vice President/General Manager Nucor Steel Jason Freidenberger has been the vice president and general manager of Nucor Steel since 2023. Previously, he rose in position at Vulcraft, a division of Nucor Corp., from design...
Ron Freed
Ron Freed Business Operations Manager for Strategy & Planning American Honda Motor Co. Inc. Ron Freed is business operations manager for strategy & planning at American Honda Motor in Timmonsville. The Timmonsville plant produces Honda all-terrain vehicles. Freed has been promoted...
Jermaine Ford, Ed.D.
Jermaine Ford, Ed.D. President Florence-Darlington Technical College  Jermaine Ford, Ed.D., was named president of Florence-Darlington Technical College in 2021, becoming the college’s fifth president. He has spent most of his career in...
Dr. Eddie Floyd
Dr. Eddie Floyd Retired Physician Dr. Eddie Floyd spent his career as a heart surgeon. The Lake City native was born into a family of tobacco farmers who prized education, and Floyd became the fourth generation of his family to graduate from the...
Daniel Dorsel
Daniel Dorsel President South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics Daniel Dorsel came full circle when he stepped into the role of president of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics in 2021. He was a...
Howard Coker
Howard Coker President and CEO Sonoco Howard Coker has been president and CEO of Sonoco since 2020, but he has held several positions since joining the company 35 years ago, including plant manager and senior vice president for global...
Rick Beasley
Rick Beasley Chairman/CEO Carolina Bank Rick Beasley has worked in the banking industry for more than 50 years, and he serves as chairman and CEO of Carolina Bank, which his grandfather founded in 1936. The bank has branches around the Pee Dee,...
Lethonia Barnes
Lethonia Barnes Mayor City of Florence Lethonia Barnes was elected mayor of Florence in 2024. Barnes, a graduate of South Carolina State University, is a longtime business owner who for 28 years owned and operated a beauty salon and barber shop...
Kay Andrews
Kay Andrews President and COO PGBA, LLC Kay Andrews has worked with PGBA, LLC, a provider of administrative services for government and industry partners, for 40 years, the last six as president and chief operating officer. The company’s...
Keon Aldrich
Keon Aldrich Owner/Broker-in-Charge Pee Dee Elite Realty Keon Aldrich has worked in real estate for the past 20 years, and she is now owner and broker-in-charge at Pee Dee Elite Realty. In January 2025, she was elected president of South Carolina...
Stephanie Shaw
Stephanie ShawEconomic Development Director Darlington County Stephanie Shaw is a long-time resident of Hartsville, South Carolina. She is a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in management. After a 10-year stint with Sonoco Products...
Sheryl Love
Sheryl LoveExecutive Director Florence Darlington Technical College Educational Foundation Sheryl Love serves as the executive director of the Florence-Darlington Technical College (FDTC) Educational Foundation, bringing more than 20 years of...
Robby Hill
Robby HillFounder and CEO HillSouth IT Solutions Robby Hill is an entrepreneur, civic leader, and technology innovator dedicated to strengthening the Pee Dee region through business growth, modern infrastructure, and community partnerships. As...
Natalie Harder, Ph.D.
Natalie Harder, Ph.D.President Coker University Natalie J. Harder, Ph.D., serves as the 17th president of Coker University, beginning her tenure in June 2020 and becoming the first woman to lead the institution in its more than 115-year history....
Mindy Taylor
Mindy TaylorDirector, Government and Community Relations Duke Energy Mindy Taylor is the director of government and community relations in South Carolina for Duke Energy Progress. Here, Taylor oversees strategy for government and community...
Michael Miller
Michael MillerPresident Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce Michael Miller spent nearly 40 years in the media business with newspapers and television. He started his career as marketing director of several Thomson/Reuters-owned newspaper...
Ken Jackson
Ken JacksonPartner PLC Commercial Real Estate Ken Jackson, CCIM, a partner at PLC Commercial Real Estate in Florence, is a veteran Realtor and developer. Jackson has led the South Carolina Association of Realtors as president and was named the...
Darlington Raceway Track President, Josh Harris.
Josh Harris
Josh HarrisPresident Darlington Raceway Josh Harris has served as the president of Darlington Raceway since Jan. 1, 2024. Prior to his appointment, he served in various capacities at Daytona International Speedway and the NASCAR Southeast...
Joette Dukes
Joette DukesExecutive Director Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments Joette Dukes is executive director of Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments (PDRCOG). She has 33 years’ experience, serving in various capacities in her organization. From...
Jeff McKay
Jeff McKayExecutive Director North Eastern Strategic Alliance Jeff McKay, the executive director of the North Eastern Strategic Alliance (NESA), is a veteran of economic development in the Southeast. Holding both undergraduate and graduate...
Jean Leatherman
Jean LeathermanPresident ERA Leatherman Realty, Inc. Jean Leatherman is the president and owner of ERA Leatherman Realty, Inc. in Florence, a company she established in 1995. Before venturing into real estate, Leatherman gained experience as a...
Gregg Robinson
Gregg RobinsonCEO Florence County Economic Development Partnership Gregg Robinson serves as the chief executive officer of the Florence County Economic Development Partnership (FCEDP), a role where he spearheads strategies for substantial...
George D. Jebaily
George D. JebailyManaging Partner Jebaily Law Firm George D. Jebaily, managing partner of Jebaily Law Firm and lead personal injury attorney, has served as an at-large member of Florence City Council since 2014. Raised in Florence, he holds...
Fred Carter, Ph.D.
Fred Carter, Ph.D.President Francis Marion University Fred Carter, Ph.D., has served as the president of Francis Marion University since 1999. Previously, he served as the chief of staff to Gov. Mark Sanford, the executive director of the South...
Debbie Jones
Debbie JonesPee Dee Regional Workforce Advisor South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce Debbie Jones serves as the Pee Dee Regional Workforce Advisor, where she leads efforts to connect education, business, and community partners to...
Cameron Campbell
Cameron Campbell President United Way of Florence County Cameron Campbell joined the United Way of Florence County in March of 2021. She grew up in Florence County, graduated with honors from Francis Marion University, and went on to earn her...
C. Pierce Campbell
C. Pierce CampbellChief Executive Officer Turner Padget As CEO of Turner Padget, C. Pierce Campbell has strengthened a legacy nearly a century in the making while preparing the firm for the future. Campbell's leadership extends well beyond the...
Brad Beadles
Brad BeadlesExecutive Director Florence Regional Airport Brad Beadles is a Marine Corps veteran with 15 years in the aviation industry. Beadles, an Accredited Airport Executive (AAE), has built a distinguished career in airport management and...
Amy Urquhart
Amy Urquhart CEO WebsterRogers As CEO of WebsterRogers, one of the region's largest accounting and advisory firms, Amy Urquhart is proud to lead her team in delivering guidance to businesses across the Pee Dee and beyond. Urquhart has had the...
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