FLORENCE -- Planning for future economic development in South Carolina's rural communities is the subject being tackled at the 2004 Governor's Rural Summit in Florence.

Being held for the first time outside of the state's capital, the 14th annual event is a chance for economic development officials from rural areas of the state to discuss strategic planning for the future of their areas.

It was evident from the large crowd at this year's event that job creation is at the top of everyone's priority list.

"Rural South Carolina has been hurt by economic changes," Gov. Mark Sanford said. "A lot of folks in South Carolina don't realize how much things have changed."

Sanford said the state's commerce department is concentrating on developing economic conditions to meet the demands of the world economy so that rural areas of South Carolina are not left behind.

"For 50 years we've positioned ourselves as a state with cheap land and cheap labor," he said. "We have seen very significant changes, and the question is, how are we going to react to those changes?"

Sanford used the opportunity to promote his legislative agenda, which includes streamlining governmental agencies and reducing the state's income tax.

Participants in the seminar heard presentations on funding opportunities for their communities, marketing tourism, health care, improving manufacturing and housing.

This is the first year the Rural Summit has been conducted outside of Columbia, and it apparently had a good effect on attendance. Officials from the S.C. Commerce Department said this year's event had the largest enrollment in its history.

Florence County officials
said they were encouraged by the success.

"I was really happy to see so many people here," Florence Mayor Frank Willis said. "I think it makes sense to bring a rural economic event away from Columbia."

For Florence Civic Center officials, the event was just one of several successes in recent months.

The civic center recently announced the S.C. Fire Chief's Association would be meeting in Florence this year for the first time in history.

"We were really happy to get the summit this year and it's going really well," Kendall Wall, general manager of the Florence Civic Center, said.

"People seem to be very happy with the facility."

The Governor's Rural Summit will continue today at the civic center, with updates on new initiatives at the S.C. Department of Commerce and speakers Don Herriott, president of Roche Carolina, and astronaut Charles F. Bolden.