Gov. Mark Sanford told about 300 rural community leaders Monday that there is no magic wand to help fix small communities.

State and federal governments can help, but small towns have to make things happen for themselves, he said during the annual South Carolina Rural Summit conference held in North Charleston.

"It is important to recognize that there's no savior from without," Sanford said. "At the end of the day, rural South Carolina will help rural South Carolina."

Sanford and other leaders spoke about bringing success to small towns through innovative thinking and technological improvements.

Because of globalization and technology, businesses are competing at an international level. Resisting change and using status quo techniques won't pay off in the long run, and the state must find other ways to attract business, Sanford said.

Past strategies haven't always worked, he said, pointing to a 30 percent drop in jobs since 1991. He mentioned the $20 million incentive package that lured the Mack truck plant to Fairfield County in 1986. When the plant shut down five years ago, 760 people were left unemployed and the state began questioning its economic strategies.

"That we embrace change, instead of running from it, is very important," he said, adding that the state is conservative by nature and must become less reticent to change techniques.

He pointed to positive changes the state has made, including the income tax reduction for small businesses and 3,800 jobs that have been added to the state in the last year. Jobs that have been lost have been replaced, and they've been replaced with higher-paying ones, he said.

Implementing better technology, such as broadband Internet services in rural areas, is essential to keeping up on the competitive international level, he said.

Contact Jamie McGee at 745-5856 or jmcgee@postandcourier.com.