The 14th annual Governor's Rural Summit will be at Florence Civic Center, sponsored by the S.C. Department of Commerce.
The primary purpose of the summit is to educate, motivate and inspire leaders in the state's rural communities about ways to promote economic development.
"We've got to empower our Commerce Department and our rural economic development leaders with the tools they need to do the job we've asked them to do," Gov. Mark Sanford said in a press release issued late Tuesday. "Namely, to bring jobs, capital investment and higher income levels to South Carolina."
The two-day conference has grown over the years to more than 300 attendees representing town, city and county councils, school boards, economic development boards and other individuals who are key to economic growth.
Sanford uses the summit as an opportunity to push for his proposed reduction in the state's income tax. He said one of the biggest roadblocks to bringing higher-paying jobs to South Carolina is high income taxes.
"That starts with targeted tax relief that's focused on economic growth," he said. "Specifically lowering our state's income tax so that we're more competitive as a state in recruiting business to South Carolina as well as growing business from within South Carolina."
For commerce department officials, the summit is a way to discover the biggest challenges rural communities face. The theme of this year's summit is "Capitalizing on Opportunities and Assets."
"The commerce department's community and rural development staff are dedicated to helping the leaders of our rural areas better their communities and improve their quality of life," Commerce Secretary Bob Faith said in the press release. "This summit is a manifestation of that dedication."
Among the highlighted speakers will be Judy Randall, president and chief executive officer of Randall Travel Marketing, who will explain how to market tourism in rural areas.
Charles Bolden, a former astronaut who will apply personal stories and space program examples to reflect on his own life's challenges.
In addition, long-time Mullins Mayor Wayne George is scheduled to talk about several successful downtown revitalization projects as well as the development of the S.C. Tobacco Museum.
Anyone interested in attending the Governor's Rural Summit can find more information and register online at www.sccommerce.com/GRS2004, or call (803) 737-1876.