The SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy (SC NEXUS), South Carolina’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hub (Tech Hub), named Cristina Paredes the tech hub’s inaugural executive director Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. An accomplished economic development professional, Paredes brings over two decades of experience in leadership and consulting to the advanced resilient energy consortium.

On Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, S.C. Commerce and SC Nexus leadership welcomed Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Cristina Killingsworth and other U.S. Economic Development Administration staff to South Carolina for a multi-city junket as part of the federal agency’s “Great American Tech Hubs Tour.”

Tag der Industrie (TDI), also known as the “Day of German Industry,” is Germany’s most prominent celebration and gathering of the European nation's industry leaders, business executives and economic policymakers. 

Hosted by the Bundesverband der Deutchen Industrie (BDI), or Federation of German Industry, June 24-26, 2024, in Berlin, South Carolina was featured prominently at this year’s event. Governor Henry McMaster presented a keynote address in addition to participating in a panel discussion on the importance of maintaining transatlantic partnerships

On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) named the SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy (SC NEXUS) one of 12 tech hub recipients of the agency’s implementation funding round. SC NEXUS will receive $45 million from the federal agency, divided among four of the six projects included in S.C. Commerce’s phase two funding application.

South Carolina’s business success stories are not limited to global manufacturers or household names. 

The Palmetto State is the new home of American innovation, and its small businesses are among the proven leaders in embracing change to enable sustained growth.