Jeremy Nails
Morgan County, Ala. EDA

Frank Newman
Alliance Consulting Engineers; South Carolina Department of Commerce 

Frank now works for our long-time advertiser and SEDR supporter, Deepal Eliatamby, at his company, Alliance Consulting Engineers, which is also located in the 1201 Main Street building in
Columbia. 

Deepal has done an amazing job with his outstanding company since he arrived in Columbia, S.C., on a Greyhound Bus over four decades ago. Born and raised in the island nation of Sri Lanka, Deepal got on an airplane by himself at the age of 17, got to New York, and then took his first and last Greyhound Bus trip to Columbia, S.C. After working his way up the corporate ladder at his previous company for 14 years, Deepal started Alliance Consulting Engineers in 2004. “I was going through a Midlife Crisis,” he said. “Some of my colleagues who were also going through a Midlife Crisis got a new sports car or a new spouse. I could not afford either one of those. So, I started an engineering consulting firm. We have completed over 2,600 projects in seven states totaling over $47 billion that created over 36,000 jobs in the past 21 years.”

Here is one about Frank Newman and it is a good one!

Mark Sanford was elected governor of South Carolina and served from 2003 to 2011. An outstanding writer of ours,
Trisha Ostrowski, lived in Columbia back then. Trisha previously worked for the South Carolina Department of Commerce in the marketing
department. 

She and others in the state said I needed to visit Columbia (see previous Margaret Tompkins Bass story) and they convinced the interim Chief of Staff or Secretary Scott somebody to invite me. I forgot his last name, but I do remember he was a banker. Scott called and asked if I could visit. I did, on my dime. 

Well, on the same day I arrived at the 1201 Main Street building, U.S. Senator Strom Thurman’s funeral procession (yep, big funeral parade with the oxcart/hearse, flagged coffin, whatever, and horses, the whole bit like something out of the Middle Ages) ran right through town on Main Street. It was January 15, 2003. And yes, I was again at the 1201 Main Street building in Columbia.

As Scott the banker (interim secretary) and I were looking down on Strom’s funeral procession, he asked me for some help on what was essentially an uprising. He knew that I had already invested enough of my time to meet just about every local economic developer in the state. In fact, in 2003, most locals were supporting our journalism with advertisements. Many still do. 

Yup, the economic development natives were restless on the same day that Gov. Mark Sanford took his oath of office a day or two before I got there, or the same week as Strom’s funeral. If I recall, Strom’s funeral was on a Thursday and Sanford was sworn in that Tuesday. Yes, it was a big week in “Cola Town” aka “Soda City.”

You see, Mark Sanford (“Appalachian Trail Mark,” look it up) wasn’t just frugal. Mark Sanford was cheap. I mean, the dude wore a frayed sport coat when he took the oath. He told his kids to drink water with their Happy Meals. “No, you can’t have a Sprite!” That was the way Sanford said he would govern, including how he would practice economic development, as in zero incentives. Huh? 

In fact, he told everyone in the Palmetto State that he was going to “govern with my Walmart smock on,” even though his wife, Jenny Sanford, was rich as Midas. She was the granddaughter of the founder of the power tool maker Skil Corp. 

Back to Mark Sanford’s alleged stinginess. Look, the guy proudly drove a 1983 Honda as governor, even though they essentially lived on a plantation and had a pricey place on Sullivan’s
Island. 

I mean, was that a Tea Party thing? 

Well, the “Walmart smock” statement freaked out the entire economic development community from the Upstate to the Pee Dee to the Low Country to the glowing Savannah River Site. I fielded call after call from the locals and simply said to all, “Good luck with that strategy, dudes and dudettes. Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina are going to eat your lunch!” 

So, as I am discussing the situation with “Scott the banker,” in walks Frank Newman, the big deal maker himself from SC DOC, all Wayne Sterling-trained-and-bred! You know the type, golf cleats attached to the bottom of your industrial park boots just in case the groundbreaking runs late? 

Frank opens the door and tells me and “Scott the banker” this —
Frank: “Well, I am gone.” Scott the banker: “Okay, Frank, good luck!” Confused, I said, “You going to lunch, Frank? I’ll take you out to lunch, if this Gothic Strom Thurman funeral will hurry up and end.” Frank: “No, Randle, I am gawwwwn,” he said as he slammed the door. Frank quit SC DOC right there and then!

I didn’t see Frank until a few years later. All I know is he is still fishing, whether it is on the lakes around the Midlands, down in the Low Country or in the Bahamas. Frank is also still working for Deepal Eliatamby, founder and president of Alliance Consulting Engineers. 

Sanford did one good thing. He took his Walmart smock off for one big deal. Near the end of his last term, SC Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor, Jack Ellenberg and the outgoing governor captured one hell of a 787 airliner plant in Boeing in the fall or late summer of 2009. From what I heard, the total value of that incentive package topped $900 million with $270 million provided upfront by the state. 

I bet Mark and Jenny’s kids got their Sprite after that one. 

Jeff Noel
Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development

As Secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Jeff Noel has done a marvelous job, even during the Great Economic Development Recession of 2025. Last time we saw leadership like this in Kentucky was from former Secretary Larry Hays. 

Keith Norden
Team Volusia (Fla.); Tampa Hillsborough EDC; Tampa Committee of 100; Hampton Roads EDA

Ken Novak 
Alabama Power

Clint O’Neal
Arkansas Economic Development Commission

Duane O’Neil
Great Jackson Partnership (Miss.); Denison, Texas Chamber

Katherine O’Neill
OneSpartanburg,Inc.; The Palladian Group

Keith Patridge and “Nancy”
McAllen, Texas EDC 

I visited Keith Patridge way back, probably around 1995. I got off the plane, dressed in a suit, and by the time I walked 100 yards to my rental car, the entire suit was soaked in sweat. I have never been to a hotter place in the South than when I landed in McAllen, Texas. Midland South Carolina in August would be a solid second. 

After meeting with Keith and his marketing director, Nancy (I don’t recall her last name), I set off from the border north to Corpus Christi and San Antonio to sell more advertisements and learn about South Texas. 

I was warned by Keith that Kenedy County, just north of Hidalgo and Cameron Counties on the border, was as desolate as a county can be. There was some kind of big game preserve in that county, but I did not see any lions or tigers. 

Well, Keith was right, as Kenedy County is third-least populous county in Texas and fourth-least populous in the United States. Well, that fact just made me want to see it that much more. 

Keith warned me to get gas before I hit Kenedy County. And there it was, the “Last Chance for Gas” sign, so I pull in. The gas station wasn’t more than a trailer and some old gas pumps that you had to crank. No credit card taken at the pump there in about 1995. It was cash or no gas. 

Over on the side of the trailer were a couple of large, boiling cauldrons. I thought, “Hmm, I wonder what they are boiling over there and why such large vats,” as I shooed a few pigs out of the way. 

So, I walk into the trailer and a Latino family greets me. I asked the dad, “Whatcha boiling out there.” He understood the word “boiling.” He said “pieles de cerdo.” I didn’t know what that was, but he led me to an old popcorn machine that lacked the plastic glass. He picks up a large, paper grocery bag and shows me the largest pork rind I had ever seen. I thought to myself, well, if I have a flat in Kenedy County, I could use that pork skin as a spare tire it was so big. 

I buy the gas and the pork skin (singular) and with great anticipation, I place the bag on the passenger seat. Now, I love well-seasoned pork skins, especially when driving. So, I reach in the bag and pull out the giant pork skin. The back of it still had pig hair on it!

Lisa Payne
LG&E and KU Energy

Barbie Peek
Port of Huntsville

Jeff Peoples
Alabama Power

Ross Perot Jr.
Hillwood, AllianceTexas; Perot Field Fort Worth 

Jeff Pipkin
Russellville, Ark. Chamber; Arkansas Valley Alliance

Robert Pittman
Janus Institute for Community & Economic Development; Lockwood Greene Engineers, International Development Research Council

Scott Poag
Yates Construction

Bob Portman
Southern Industrial Constructors

Dave Porter
Williamson County, Texas EDP; Orlando Economic Partnership; Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce

Dave is an outstanding economic developer and one of the most creative thinkers in the business. Leading the way in places like Austin and Orlando will do that to you. He has taken his creative ideas to Williamson County in the Austin metro today. Williamson is probably the hottest county in the country in big deals from 2023 to today. 

Samsung Electronics is building a large semiconductor plant in Taylor, Texas, which is located in Williamson County. The facility is a major investment of at least $17 billion, with plans to expand to $45 billion and is designed to manufacture next-generation chips for technologies like A.I. and high-performance computing. 

Michael E. Porter
Economist; author; businessman; Harvard Business School and professor at Harvard. 

Michael Porter was the inventor of the “cluster theory” in economic development. The Michigan-born, Harvard-educated economist had a gig in the early 2000s where he would sell and implement his cluster theory to state economic development agencies here in the South for $400,000 or so. 

So, he came down South and I believe the first state he sold the cluster theory to was Louisiana. Next thing I know, Louisiana Economic Development (I believe just prior to Michael Olivier becoming Secretary of LED; 2004-2008) suddenly had 14 different “directors” one for each industry sector. 

There was a “director” for aerospace, oil and gas, petrochemicals (you would think those two could be paired under one “director”); automotive, agribusiness, digital, financial services. . .I could go on-and-on. Yes, 14 directors. 

So, if I am correct, because it was 25 years ago, Olivier became Secretary of LED and asked me, “Randle, what am I supposed to do with all these directors?” If the cluster plan was confusing to me, you know it was confusing to prospects. 

I told Olivier, “Way too many chefs in your kitchen, Olivier! You’ve got some work to do to straighten that out. You know, getting someone from Harvard to teach us economic development here in the South is like getting someone from Wyoming to teach us surfing.” 

Sam Powers
City of Asheville, N.C. Economic Development; Transylvania County, N.C. Economic Alliance; AdvantageWest, N.C.

Diane Reid
Chatham County, N.C. EDC

Diane helped lay the groundwork for Michael Smith in Chatham County, located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina. And, ta-da, they landed Wolfspeed’s semiconductor plant. 

Isabelle Rodriguez Renault
St. Johns Chamber

David Rhoades
North Carolina Department of Commerce

Craig J. Richard
Tampa Hillsborough EDC

Steve Rieck
Nassau County, Fla. EDB; Clayton County, Ga. Chamber; Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism

Austin Rouse
North Carolina Department of Commerce

Sarah Carabias Rush
Greater SATX Regional Economic Partnership

Gregg Robinson
Florence County, S.C.; Greenwood S.C. Partnership; Orangeburg County, S.C. Development Commission 

Thom Robinson
Tullahoma, Tenn. Area EDC; Morristown, Tenn. Area Chamber, Southwest Louisiana Economic Alliance

Thom has had one of the longest careers I have ever known. I think he got his CED when he was 18. 

Jack Roddey
Duke Energy/Duke Power

Jack Roddey, Jim Rogers and Richard Wiley (all legends from Duke) should be added to the “Godfathers of Economic Development in the South” list. Unfortunately, for some reason, I never met a single one of the three. 

Jim Rogers
Duke Energy/Duke Power 

A guest commentary from Jim Rogers:

This email was personally sent to me, and as you can see near the end of the message, Jim thought Jack Roddey had passed. Note his correction. It appears that the first volume of the Hall of Fame brought those two together, which is simply outstanding!

Here is the email from Jim Rogers in May that he sent me after the first volume of the “Southern Economic Development Hall of Fame” was published and delivered. 

“Michael, good morning. We have never met: guess it was two ships passing in the night. 

“My claim to fame is that I was Director of Economic Development for Duke Energy, South Carolina before I retired from Duke in 2006. Richard Wiley was my counterpart in NC. I put ‘Director’ in caps because everyone seems to be “director” of something these days.

“Looking at your (Volume 1) Hall of Fame, the person missing is Jack Roddey, economic development, at Duke Energy for many, many years. I didn’t give him a title because darned if I ever knew. He was just economic development at Duke Power then Duke Energy. 

“I worked for Jack, never officially, just worked. He knew governors and kings and even good guys like your friend Bob Goforth. Can you say ‘BMW,’ the key company to what is now going on in the South? That was Jack Roddey. 

“Did you know that Duke bought the site for BMW and held it until SC could come up with the money for it? That was Jack Roddey. He was a quiet and unassuming man, a good guy. Don’t even know when he retired. Sad to say he’s gone now but his son Steven Roddey is still around (Central SC in Columbia). My suggestion: Jack Roddey should headline your hall of fame. Many there owe a lot to Jack.
“Liked your editorial this issue, what a disaster is going on in Washington these days!”

-Jim Rogers, P.E. Creek & Rogers 
Global Consulting, LLC

Jim’s addendum: “Michael, I stand happily corrected. Jack Roddey is still with us and is his ‘Jack Roddey’ self at age 95! As a result of his nomination, I had a wonderful, long phone chat with him yesterday! It has been years since we had spoken. He lives in Rock Hill, S.C., just south of Charlotte, N.C.”

Mike Rosa
Dallas Chamber of Commerce

I haven’t gotten the chance to meet Mike. Maybe I will. Like Thom Robinson, he has been working at the Dallas Chamber forever. 

Jonathan Sangster
Georgia Power; The Jonathan Project

Carlton Schwab
Texas EDC

Jim Searcy
Economic Development Association of Alabama

Dr. Megan Selman
Russellville, Ark. Chamber; Arkansas Valley Alliance

Kent Sharp
Sherman, Texas EDC; Shamrock, Texas EDC; Development Corporation of Abilene, Texas; Gainesville, Texas EDC; Big Spring, Texas EDC

Rachel Shields
Louisiana Economic Development

Beth Shockney
Limestone County EDA 

Limestone County, Ala., has been hot as a firecracker for almost a decade now. It started with a TVA certified megasite right on I-65 that was available, then it wasn’t, then it was. (Maybe the next-door farm?) Being adjacent to Huntsville-Madison County, Ala., is the real deal. Now, if the Space Command is a real deal, then off in space North Alabama goes again. 

Mark Simmons
Parker Poe Consulting

Greg Sims
Greenville, Texas Economic Development; Texas Economic Development Council; Garland, Texas EDP

Kelly Smallridge
Business Development Board of Palm Beach

Allen Smith
OneSpartanburg, Inc.

Carter Smith 
OneSpartanburg, Inc.

Deborah McGill Smith 
EGS Commercial Real Estate; Prattville Area Chamber

Jan Smith
AEP (Oklahoma)

Julie Snyder
Richardson Chamber of Commerce

Bill Sproull
Richardson, Texas EDP; Bill Sproull & Associates; Greater Dallas Chamber

Steve Stout
Athens-McMinn, Tenn. ECD

Stout contributed as well to the book, You Might Be a Southern Economic
Developer If. . . 

You might be a Southern economic developer if you don’t call for a wetlands assessment because you know that renting a backhoe is cheaper. 

(If you would like to receive a copy of You Might Be a Southern Economic Developer If. . .” then send me $10 in the mail to 8086 Westchester Place, Montgomery, Ala., 36117, and we will send you one). 

Wes Stucky
Ardmore, Okla. Development Authority

Ron Starner
Site Selection Magazine

David Stewart
MidAmerica Industrial Park (Mayes County, Okla.)

Elizabeth Suarez
McAllen, Texas EDC; McAllen Chamber; City of McAllen Aviation

Frank Tamberino
Pensacola, Fla. Chamber (now FloridaWest); Harrison-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce

Audrey Temple
St. James Parish Economic Development

Becky Thompson
Arkansas Economic Development Commission

Becky has practiced for as long as I have published, it seems. 

Clarke Thompson
South Carolina Department of Commerce

Clarke Thompson and Frank Newman are characters and longtime fixtures in economic development in the Palmetto State. Clarke is the deal maker for South Carolina Department of Commerce and Frank Newman was the deal maker at SC DOC before Clarke. And Jack
Ellenberg was the big deal maker between them if I have the timing right. 

Trip Tollison
Savannah, Ga. EDA

I wonder how Trip is handling the Hyundai arrests? Bless his heart. A total disaster.

Norris Tolson
North Carolina Department of Commerce

Anthony Topazi
Alabama Power

I will tell you a touching story about Anthony Topazi, who died in 2018. We published a special section in the winter issue of 2018 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Alabama landing the prestigious Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in 1993. 

I called my buddy Steve Sewell at the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama to ask who I should for sure interview for the Mercedes section, given limited print space. Steve told me to give Anthony Topazi a ring. 

So I called him at home since he was retired. At the time, Anthony was waging a long and courageous battle with ALS. His wife Patsy answered the phone and she remembered me. 

I asked for Anthony after some chit-chat and she laughed and said, “Michael, I will go get him. He is playing with some of the grandchildren outside.” 

So, I asked Anthony about the Mercedes deal, how it went down and what was his role in recruiting the German automaker. His memory was spot on, however, he was having trouble talking. I kept asking questions and Anthony kept answering them, but was clearly frustrated in his inability to speak correctly. 

Then Anthony started crying, right there, while we were on the phone. I didn’t know what to do, so I just said, “It is going to be alright, Anthony. It is going to be okay.” He stopped crying. 

He wasn’t crying for any other reason than he was irked that his speech had essentially escaped him. But I heard clearly and documented every word. I even wrote a sidebar on him for the Mercedes promo.

Five months later, in July, Anthony Joseph Topazi passed away at age 68. The South lost a good one that day. 

Gary Troutman
Greater Hot Springs, Ark. Chamber; Hot Springs Metro Partnership

Tom Troxler
Rankin First (Miss.)

Bob Turk
City of Sanford, Fla. 

Ted Turner
Turner Enterprises; CNN; TBS; Turner Advertising; Atlanta Braves; Atlanta Hawks; philanthropist

I don’t really know Ted Turner. But I met him twice, once at a party in Birmingham and once at a Braves game, where he had his dip and spit cup and I had mine. 

His second wife (before Jane Fonda) was Jane Shirley Smith from Mountain Brook, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham, where I grew up. I knew one of their kids somehow and got invited to a party and Jane and Ted Turner were there. I never got to talk to him, even though both of us have been accused of being the “Mouth of the South” over the years. 

Yet, if anyone doesn’t agree that Ted Turner greatly assisted in bringing the South to the forefront of the world, they are dead wrong. 

Wayne Vardaman
Selma and Dallas County EDA

Anna Vega
Tampa Hillsborough EDC

Jennifer Wakefield
Greater Richmond Partnership

Scott Waller
Mississippi Economic Council

Alvah Ward
North Carolina Department of Commerce

Richard Wiley
Duke Energy/Duke Power

Nancy Windham
Texas Forest Country; Frisco, Texas EDC; Southern Economic Development Council; Southern Industrial Development Council

Nancy has been SB&D’s friend, colleague, even staff member and family of sorts, and her career is a remarkable one. She supports just about everything we do and we support her as well. Nancy
is just a wonderful lady, mother and grandmother.

She is currently the CEO of the Texas Forest Country Partnership and has been an advocate of economic development in the South — specifically its rural regions and rural East Texas — for decades. She truly made her mark as the President of the Southern Economic Development Council in the 1990s and that is when we first began working with her.

Our thanks to Nancy for being a friend, an outstanding developer and one of our favorite Hall of Famers of all time.

Forrest Wright 
Shoals, Ala. EDA

William “Bill” Yates, Jr. 
The Yates Companies (Miss.)

William Yates, III
The Yates Companies (Miss.)

Mark Young
Greater Jonesboro Chamber