OCEDC’s Blackwell earns Advanced Accreditation

The Oconee County Economic Development Commission, the county-chartered organization tasked with promoting and enhancing the economic growth of Oconee County, announces that Richard Blackwell has earned South Carolina Certified Economic Developer (SCCED) status by completing the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Advanced Symposium. This is a partnership of the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the South Carolina Economic Developers’ Association. The course is designed to provide an advanced education experience in theory and practice of economic development.  A range of topics are covered including Workforce and Leadership Development, Product and Infrastructure Development, Negotiation and Deal Structuring, and Marketing and Communications. Testing is conducted on each topic presented, and execution and presentation of a project to a team of peers is required to graduate. To be eligible, professional economic developers must have at least five years of full-time experience or three years with graduation from the Economic Developers Institute.  Graduates of the Advanced Symposium earn the South Carolina Certified Economic Developer designation (SCCED). It is the only state certification program for economic developers in the country and currently, there are less than 100 people in South Carolina that have this designation. “This is great news for Richard and Oconee County,” said Hank Field, Chairman of the Oconee County Economic Development Commission. “The SCCED certification reflects his continued commitment to expanding his talents and supporting the pursuit of better jobs and a brighter future for our community.”