The Grand Strand wouldn't be as grand, and tourism might not be South Carolina's top industry if it weren't for Ashby Ward, business leaders said Monday.

Known as "Mr. Myrtle Beach," Ward first put his feet in Grand Strand sand three decades ago. His career as president and chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce would transform this area from a cluster of cottages into a major vacation destination on the East Coast.

His name would become synonymous with tourism, not just along the Grand Strand but throughout South Carolina, helping shape policies that would lead to road building and accommodations tax allocation.

If a tourism leader in any part of the state needed advice about South Carolina's top industry, Ward was the first, and sometimes only, person they called.

On Monday, leaders throughout the state joined the Grand Strand in mourning Ward, who was found dead in his Surfside Beach home after not showing up for work, a clear sign to his staff that something was wrong.

Ward typically beat the chamber's employees to the Oak Street office each morning and stayed long after they left.

By midmorning Monday, the chamber's flags were at half-staff as leaders tried to comprehend the loss of the man credited with making Myrtle Beach what it is and wondering where it would go in the future.

"Nothing that I say would be big enough," said Martha Hunn, chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association. "This town is his. We are what we are because he has given his life to it."

The chamber hasn't had formal discussions about who the next president will be, but leaders say that person will have big shoes to fill.

"I think we are all still in shock with what happened," said Dennis Wade, the chamber's chairman. "Obviously, it is a tremendous loss for Horry County and the state of South Carolina.

"The chamber will definitely go on, but he was kind of the rudder for the ship," Wade said.

Ward's knack for organizing will make the transition easier, said Vernie Dove, past chamber chairman.

"It's going to be difficult. But he left this chamber so strong ... it won't skip a beat because of him," he said.

Ward has been a Myrtle Beach icon, area leaders say, by handling whatever hurdles tourism faced and guiding it into a $5 billion local industry.

Through the years, Ward created advertising campaigns after hurricanes to ensure vacationers knew the beach was open, helped write the current state Accommodations Tax Act, lured airline service to Horry County and weighed in on debates about ocean pollution tests.

"He's an icon of Myrtle Beach tourism," said Mickey McCamish, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. "Without him, we just simply would not be at the level we are at. There is no way you can replace a person of his stature."

Ward's creative marketing strategies helped put Myrtle Beach on the tourism map. Hotels soon replaced the quaint cottages, more amusements opened and the season grew longer than the traditional 90-day summer.

A few thousand visitors annually has blossomed into nearly 14 million each year.

"It truly did go from a sleepy little seaside town to a premier resort destination on his clock," Hunn said. "Everywhere we look, we are going to see his dedication and his love for this community."

As the destination grew, so did its reputation throughout the state. The Grand Strand now generates about a third of the state's $14.4 billion tourism industry.

"Ashby is one of the reasons tourism in the state of South Carolina is the No. 1 industry," said Helen Hill, executive director of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"If there was a big tourism issue in the state, everybody wanted to know what Ashby thought."

Despite urgings from friends and family to retire, Ward didn't even slow down.

He still would show up at the chamber on weekends and frequently traveled the state pushing the industry's agenda, most recently campaigning for later school starts.

"I wish he would have taken retirement earlier so he could enjoy it," said Frans Mustert of Patricia Resorts, who had known Ward for 28 years. "He's been such a staple for us. I wish we could have picked his brain for another 10 to 15 years."