I sat on a panel on Friday at the Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation’s annual retreat with

• Dr. Anthony Digiorgio, President of Winthrop
• Matt Dosch, Executive VP at Comporium
• Lee Gardner, CEO of Family Trust Federal Credit Union
• Joe Lanford, Rock Hill City Manager, Retired
• Bud Dark, Owner and CEO of Start Marketing
• Gary Williams, Owner and CEO of Williams and Fudge
• Me, doer of stuff and speaker of words

We talked about the city’s efforts to recruit knowledge economy jobs to Old Town Rock Hill. In this context, we talked about the pending street car from Winthrop through the textile corridor to downtown, the Hive, the Clemson University technology incubator set to open and co-locate with the Hive, cowork, Winthrop’s infusion into the city, and more.

The point I most wanted to make, I guess, was that the recruitment and retention of talent is key. Economic Development used to be about bringing the companies, because they brought the people. Now it’s about keeping the people, because they will bring (or create) the companies.