Bobby Hitt

Robert "Bobby" M. Hitt III is a government and business leader in the State of South Carolina. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, he was appointed the state's Secretary of Commerce in January 2011.[1] Prior to leading the state's economic development agency, Hitt served as an executive at the BMW plant in Spartanburg County, South Carolina.[2] Hitt was born to be a journalist as both his father and grandfather were newspapermen. Over nearly two decades, he built a reputation as a dogged journalist for two of South Carolina's most respected newspapers.[3]

Bobby Hitt
South Carolina Secretary of Commerce
Assumed office
January 2011
Personal details
Born
Robert M. Hitt III

(1949-12-27) December 27, 1949
Charleston, South Carolina
Alma materUniversity of South Carolina

Personal life

Family

Hitt was born on December 27, 1949, to Ann Leonard Hitt and Robert M. "Red" Hitt, Jr. of Charleston.[4] A third generation newspaper man, Hitt's father served as the editor of The Charleston Evening Post, which later merged with the Charleston News and Courier to form The Post and Courier. [3] And, his grandfather, Robert Hitt, Sr. was editor of The Bamberg Herald. [5] Today, Hitt is married to Gwen, and they have two sons, Lucas and Robert Paul.[6]

Education

Hitt graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Journalism in 1973. In 1987, as a recipient of the Neiman Fellowship for Journalists, Hitt studied for a year at Harvard University, focusing on the impact of social, political and economic change on the South.[7]

Career

Journalism

Hitt worked for 17 years at The State and the Columbia Record. He served as managing editor of the Columbia Record from 1980 to 1987 and served in the same role for The State from 1988 to 1991.[3]

Industry

In 1991, Hitt left journalism to join Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP as the director of planning and development. In that role, he assisted in the effort to recruit BMW to the State of South Carolina.[3] On June 22, 1992, BMW announced that it had selected Spartanburg County, S.C. for the site of its first North American manufacturing plant.[8] Subsequently, the German automaker hired Hitt to manage public affairs for the plant. [9] He served as manager of corporate affairs for BMW until 2010.[10]

Secretary of Commerce

In January 2011, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley appointed Hitt state Secretary of Commerce.[1] Throughout his tenure, the S.C. Department of Commerce has recruited approximately $30 billion in capital investment and 105,000 new jobs. Additionally, the state has secured significant investments from international brands, including BMW, Boeing, Bridgestone, Continental AG, Giti Tire, LPL Financial Holdings, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Michelin, Samsung, Toray and Volvo Cars.[11]

Additionally, the state of South Carolina has achieved an export sales record in each year of Hitt's tenure. In 2016, the state exported more than $31 billion in products for the first time, leading the nation in the export sales of completed passenger vehicles and tires.[11]

Honors

Throughout his career, Hitt has received several awards and accolades, including:

  • Order of the Palmetto, the State of South Carolina's highest civilian honor [12]
  • Distinguished Journalism Alumni of the Year Award in 2006 from the University of South Carolina[6]
  • Third Annual Welling Collaboration Award from Ten at the Top [13]
  • Roger Milliken Defender of Manufacturing Award from the South Carolina Manufacturers' Alliance [14]
  • Spirit of the Upstate Award from the Upstate S.C. Alliance [15]
  • Public Servant of the Year from the Columbia Chamber of Commerce [16]
  • Distinguished German American of the Year from the German-American Heritage Foundation [17]
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References
  1. "Hitt to continue as SC Commerce Secretary".
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "'A Calling, Not Just a Job' - Upstate Business Journal". 26 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  4. "Ann Leonard Hitt's Obituary on The Greenville News". The Greenville News. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "SJMC: Bobby Hitt". www.jour.sc.edu.
  7. "Twelve American journalists will study for a year at..." Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  8. Montgomery, Bob. "BMW celebrates 25 years in Spartanburg County". Archived from the original on 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "Information and Communications - College of Information and Communications - University of South Carolina". www.jour.sc.edu.
  11. "Robert M. Hitt III - South Carolina Department of Commerce". www.sccommerce.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2017-12-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. Wren, David. "Alliance to honor Commerce secretary Hitt's work boosted S.C. manufacturing". Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  15. "Upstate Alliance - Spirit of the Upstate, Local Economic Developer of the Year Recognized". www.upstatealliance.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  16. "Columbia Chamber Honors Local Leaders at Annual Gala - Columbia Chamber of Commerce". 30 August 2017.
  17. "31st Annual Award and Fundraising Gala ยป German-American Heritage Foundation". gahmusa.org. Archived from the original on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
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