Charleston Gov. Mark Sanford has appointed an Upstate textile executive to the State Ports Authority Board.

The S.C. Senate must approve J. Richard Dillard, 51, director of public affairs for Spartanburg-based Milliken and Co. He will serve on an interim basis beginning at the SPA's next monthly meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

Dillard would replace James Micali, president of Michelin North America in Greenville.

Sanford previously appointed Harry J. Butler Jr. of Georgetown and Carroll A. Campbell III, son of the former governor.

Greenville hospital hires new leader

Bon Secours St. Francis Health System has hired a former Oklahoma hospital president after a six-month national search.

Valinda Rutledge comes to the 319-bed hospital from St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, Okla., where she had served as president since 1997. She replaces Richard Neugent, who led the Bon Secours system for more than 20 years.

Clemson names department leader

CLEMSON Clemson University has named Ken Glenn as interim department head for the Department of Plant Industry.

He succeeds H.B. "Jack" Jackson, who retired.

Glenn has worked at Clemson for more than 20 years.

The Department of Plant Industry provides services for the ornamental horticulture industry. It also serves nurseries, greenhouse growers, turf and sod producers and plant imports.

S.C. tobacco markets will open July 29

South Carolina's 2003 flue-cured tobacco markets will open July 29.

South Carolina has six flue-cured tobacco markets. Four are in Lake City, one is in Mullins, and one is in Loris.

Only two sets of buyers will bid for this year's leaf, well below the eight bidders in 1999.

Last year, big tobacco directly bought from growers 51 million pounds of S.C. flue-cured leaf at an average $1.81 per pound, or $92.6 million.

By comparison, farmers last year put 23.2 million pounds of leaf up for auction at an average $1.69 per pound, for $39.2 million, said the Tobacco Market News Service in Florence.

From Staff and Wire Reports