Staff Report
Published Aug. 22, 2012

Greenville’s George Fletcher, who has led New Carolina: South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness since 2005, will step down as executive director Oct. 1, and will be succeeded by Columbia businessman Neil McLean.

Fletcher, 68, said he "decided it was time to slow down a bit."

George Fletcher

Neil McLean

New Carolina Chairman M. Edward Sellers told board members and others in an email Tuesday that Fletcher will remain on a part-time schedule. Sellers said Fletcher will continue to promote New Carolina clusters and also serve as executive director for RecyclonomicsSC.

Fletcher said a portion of his job will be to organize a cluster oversight committee in the Upstate, similar to those already organized in the Midlands and Lowcountry.

"I think the transition will be seamless," Fletcher said.

New Carolina is a private, nonprofit organization that seeks to boost South Carolina’s economic competitiveness by enhancing clusters of similar economic activity, and by creating new ones.

“We owe George a great debt of gratitude for his leadership since May 2005,” Sellers said. “Without his efforts, we would be nowhere near where we are on cluster development or volunteer involvement; nor would we have the stellar reputation that we have both here in South Carolina and across the nation. George has been a tireless champion for economic growth and improvement in South Carolina, and we recognize the significance of his efforts and accomplishments.”

McLean currently is the executive director for EngenuitySC. He received a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina. He also served for 21 years as an officer in the S.C. Air National Guard.

Columbia-based EngenuitySC is a public-private partnership focused on attracting new business to the region.

McLean said Wednesday that EngenuitySC will announce his replacement in the next few weeks.

Sellers noted that McLean “is no stranger to New Carolina as he has already been devoting half of his time to cluster management through ItsSC and the TDL Council.”

“Neil and our newly minted Deputy Director Laura McKinney, who joined us June 1, have met many of you already and will continue to reach out as they begin the next chapter at New Carolina,” Sellers said in the email.