Tag: Business

Pamela Evette: South Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor & a TR Local

Lt. Governor Pamela Evette sat down with Lacey Eibert Keigley with Travelers Rest Here. During the interview they discussed Evette’s service to the state, her priorities, her values, her family, and living in Travelers Rest. 

Please find an excerpt below. Access the full story here.

Pamela Evette has served as South Carolina’s Lt. Governor for the past four years (with a recent re-election for four more years) and she lives in Travelers Rest. She and her husband have raised their family on a farm in TR for the past twenty years or so. The family home and farm are next door to their business and when she’s not traveling throughout the state in her official capacity, you can definitely find her at home with her husband and three children and her 94 year old mother who also lives with the family.

“Everybody knows everybody,” Evette shared about TR. “That’s the beauty of small towns.” We joked about the added benefit of raising kids in small towns. “Yes, we really bonded over that,” Evette laughed. “I mean, in a small town, as a kid, all the parents knew one another. If you did something two blocks away, your parents probably knew about it before you got home.”

Her family’s farm is an operating horse farm and Evette said she still enjoys riding. “In fact, not long after I was sworn into office, I rode a horse in the Aiken Christmas Parade.”  We shared a few stories of falling off horses, something we’ve both experienced and would rather not experience again, particularly as women over forty. As far as we both know, she’s the only female elected official in South Carolina to ride a horse in a parade – and, more importantly of course, Evette is the first female Republican Lieutenant Governor in our state of South Carolina. We’re proud she’s a local – and she’s proud to be one too.

Of course, TR continues to grow and to change – and has changed dramatically during the history of both Evette’s family life here and her personal and professional career. “Back when I moved here, downtown wasn’t really a downtown. It’s been so encouraging to see how everything has grown. The wonderful history that wraps around everything,” Evette said.

She believes the growth of Travelers Rest reflects the growth of the entire state. “I think the revitalization of the Main Street here in Travelers Rest is mirrored all over Main Streets in South Carolina.” She’s proud of TR – and we are too. Evette said she frequently talks about our shared small town’s growth and improvements. “The vision of the small shops, the Farmer’s Market – they’ve done a great job going back to their roots and finding their heritage. People are yearning to connect to that. It’s the best last stop before you go to the mountains.”

[…]

I found Evette to be sincere and direct. She cares about South Carolina, its economy, its diversity, its people.

“I want our kids to be proud South Carolinians, to be so proud of being from South Carolina,” she shared. “I talk a lot to people about South Carolina’s fingerprints. Sometimes we can take it for granted – how great this place is. For example, we are building more BMWs than anywhere in the world. That’s our fingerprints. We’re building boats in Charleston. Our fingerprints. We are building planes. Fingerprints of South Carolina. We make pharmaceuticals in the midlands that go all over the world. South Carolina fingerprints. I want to explain to our kids how proud they can be of where they live, how our South Carolina finger prints are all over.”

Grab a Bag SC: Statewide Litter Pickup Challenge Started by Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette

“Litter prevention is about citizens taking ownership of their neighborhoods and making sure that trash is put in its place before it can become litter. But while there is still litter, we must pick it up. Citizens, governments and business industries all have a part to play in changing the culture that leads to litter.” – S.C. Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette

Grab A Bag SC is a statewide litter pickup challenge inspired by South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela Evette’s own experience picking up in her home community and even during her family vacations. 

It encourages South Carolinians to grab a bag, rally friends and family, put on safety gear and head outside for a chance to enjoy the outdoors while making a difference in their communities. The campaign is usually kicked off with an event every spring in coordination with a local Keep South Carolina Beautiful affiliate.

Litter pickup events are a great way to build relationships among families, neighbors, employees and elected officials. This is an inexpensive way to improve the esthetics of neighborhoods because litter is considered a gateway crime that negatively affects quality of life and community safety.

We encourage participants to sign up for Grab A Bag SC in their own community by visiting PalmettoPride’s Events page. Safety precautions are advised. After you’ve picked up your bag, challenge three friends to do the same. Just tag them on your favorite social media platform using #GrabABagSC.

Read the press release from the inaugural #GrabABagSC event in November 2019.

SC Candidates for Lieutenant Governor Debate

By Mary Green, WCSC Live 5 News, October 12, 2022

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) – Two of the candidates every South Carolinian will see on their ballot squared off Tuesday – less than a month before Election Day.

Current Republican Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette and Democrat Tally Parham Casey debated tonight in Columbia – making their cases to earn your vote.

The debate marks the only time the two women vying to hold South Carolina’s second-highest office are meeting on the debate stage – about two weeks before early voting opens across the state and four weeks ahead of Election Day.

Republican incumbent Pamela Evette and Democratic challenger Tally Parham Casey opposing each other for a job that’s main purpose is to be able to step in the governor can’t serve.

Evette – an Upstate businesswoman and South Carolina’s first female Republican lieutenant governor – is seeking to keep her job for another four years alongside Gov. Henry McMaster.

“We’ve made South Carolina better for our children and our children’s children,” Evette said.

Casey – an attorney and the first-ever female fighter pilot in the South Carolina Air National Guard – is on the ballot with former Democratic Congressman Joe Cunningham.

“Joe Cunningham and I want you to have more freedoms, not less,” Casey said.

The two women shared their goals for the limited power the lieutenant governor holds.

“I see the role as lieutenant governor for me as the opportunity to be both an ambassador and an advocate,” Casey said.

“When third-graders come through and walk through the capitol, I love that they see a woman in this position, to let girls know that nothing holds them back,” Evette said.

In the first major election following the overturn of Roe v. Wade – opening the doors for states to decide the legality of abortion within their borders – the candidates were split on what that should look like in South Carolina.

“In 2021, we passed a bipartisan heartbeat bill. We all proudly signed that bill. That bill is something I stand behind,” Evette said.

“If it were up to me, I would go back to the precedent set by Roe v. Wade, which was the law of the land for the past 50 years,” Casey said.

They also explained their campaign’s views on how to respond to the opioid epidemic, support South Carolinians with mental health needs and improve the state’s schools.

“The governor and I are very clear that we stand behind school choice,” Evette said.

“We want to make sure that our public schools are fully funded for the first time. They haven’t been fully funded since the 2007-2008 school year,” Casey said.

And in about two weeks – is the only debate currently scheduled between the two candidates for governor, McMaster and Cunningham.

That’s set for Oct. 26.

Watch the full debate on scetv.org.

DEW and Lt. Gov. Partner Through Youth PSA

Originally posted on SCDEW Website October 10, 2021

S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and Lt. Governor Pamela Evette partner to share the number one thing employers are looking for when hiring and how to learn it

Columbia, SC – The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) in partnership with Lt. Governor Pamela Evette is touting the long-term benefits of softs skills that can be learned by young people through their first jobs. South Carolina employers report that one of the most critical requirements they seek in applicants are soft skills, and the public service announcement released by the Lt. Governor and DEW aims to help parents understand the importance of soft skills and the opportunity for their child to learn them through a first job, while still in school.

“In my time visiting businesses of every size and type throughout the state, I hear the same message over and over – the best employees are the ones that have soft skills, and there aren’t enough of them,” said Lt. Gov. Evette. “People need to have the experience from a basic part-time job as a young person to help them learn these important skills which build the foundation to a successful lifelong career, no matter what field they pursue.”

Soft skills are very different from work skills. Soft skills include things like strong communication, digital literacy, problem-solving, teamwork, the importance of attendance, following rules and more. Work skills are the experience or training in a specific type of job like accounting for financial jobs, driving for trucking, delivery and distribution, or medicine for nursing. Without soft skills, individuals will have a hard time excelling, even with exemplary work skills. Soft skills help a person’s work skills shine.

“The purpose of the PSA is to help parents understand that first-time employment is not all about money. I think people do not realize how many soft skills are learned on a job. As a young person works for a business and is responsible to someone outside of the family, they are accountable for their time management, their appearance and their communication. The skills they learn on a job are invaluable and by learning them at a young age, while in school, they will be better prepared for future employment and success,” said DEW Executive Director, Dan Ellzey.

The PSA also encourages parents to think beyond the common misconceptions of a first job. There are many employers in the state from retail to manufacturing to hospitality to distribution that have flexible schedule options and open positions for people to learn specific works skills on the job. Evette says, “I hear from employers across the state that they are willing to be flexible with students as early as middle school through college. They are willing to train on the job and offer competitive pay.”

SC Works has created a webpage that offers resources and guidance for parents to learn more and share with their children. Parents, teachers and community mentors are encouraged to share these resources with youth in their homes and communities and look at local options for first employment. To see the PSA, visit scworks.org/youth.

DEW is a core partner in the SC Works centers located throughout South Carolina that leverages the state’s workforce system by providing services such as career guidance, job referrals, and testing and training to meet the needs of jobseekers, employers and those looking to further their careers. The professionals in the SC Works centers can connect parents and their children with local employers who are actively hiring young people.

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette visits Anderson and talks education reform

Story by Kirk Brown published in March 4, 2019 edition of Anderson Independent Mail

This story has been updated to identify Pamela Evette as the state’s first Republican woman lieutenant governor.

Pamela Evette, South Carolina’s first Republican woman lieutenant governor, traveled to Anderson Monday to visit the AIM charity, attend a law enforcement appreciation banquet at Anderson University and tout an education reform bill during a speech to the 1st Monday Club of Anderson.

The Republican businesswoman from Travelers Rest is holding elected office for the first time. She and Gov. Henry McMaster were elected in November, the first time that the governor and lieutenant governor ran on the same political ticket.

Here are key takeaways from Evette’s visit.

Pamela Evette says SC’s education reform bill ‘is going to be good for everyone’

Speaking to the 1st Monday Club of Anderson at Master’s Wok Chinese Restaurant on North Main Street, Evette said there has has been an unprecedented level of cooperation in the Statehouse on an education reform bill. The measure is scheduled to come up for debate Wednesday in the state House of Representatives.

“This is a new dawn of a new day where the executive branch, the House, the Senate are working together,” she said. “We know that education is something we have to get better on here in South Carolina.

“This is going to be the year that we help education. It is going to be good for everyone.”

In an interview with the Independent Mail after her speech, Evette said the most important aspects of the House reform bill would provide public school teachers with pay raises and lessen their paperwork burden. She said these steps would help “retain and attract the best and brightest” instructors.

Evette has three children who have attended private schools. She said her daughter attended parochial schools before graduating from Blue Ridge High School in Greer. She said her oldest son graduated from a parochial school and that her youngest son also attends a parochial school.

“I wanted to have faith wrapped around their education because my faith is very important to me,” she said. 

Some, including Greenville County Schools Superintendent Burke Royster, have complained about a provision in the House reform bill that would create a Zero to 20 committee to monitor and recommend ways to modernize the state’s education system. According to the legislation, Evette would lead the committee.

“I’m not looking for another bureaucracy,” Royster said.

Evette said the Zero to 20 Committee would not serve as an oversight panel. Instead, she said, it represents “something new to the approach we’ve taken in education.”

“We’re not just throwing money at something and hoping it’s going to get better,” she said. 

Pamela Evette: ‘I want to be your cheerleader’

In the past, South Carolina’s lieutenant governor presided over the state Senate and oversaw the state Office on Aging. But as result of the changes that took effect after last fall’s election, Evette is forging a new path in an office that no longer has clearly defined duties.

“What I want to do is set a bar for all lieutenant governors to come,” she said.

Evette said she has spent the past eight weeks since taking office “getting out and listening to people.”

She said she wants to call attention to positive things that are happening throughout South Carolina.

“Every day something great happens,” she said. “I want to be your cheerleader all around the state.”

Praise from an Anderson legislator for Pamela Evette

State Rep. Anne Thayer, a Republican from Anderson who accompanied Evette on her visit Monday, had kind words for the new lieutenant governor.

“She’s genuine, she’s sincere, she’s smart,” Thayer said.

Thayer also said that McMaster and Evette make a good team. She said they have shown a willingness to work closely with members General Assembly.

Unlike former Gov. Mark Sanford and former Gov. Nikki Haley, Thayer said, McMaster and Evette aren’t looking to use their positions “as a stepping stone to go somewhere else.”

“This is their destination,” she said. “This is their home.”

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM and email him at

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