NEWS

Newberry College students, faculty and staff packed the Alumni Music Center Recital Hall on Sept. 11, 2014, to hear South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond share his perspective on entrepreneurship. Hammond was the kick-off speaker for the Colleges 2014-2015 Corporate Lecture Series sponsored by the Department of Business Administration and its business club, Phi Beta Lambda.

His topic, themed Simplifying Business Services, covered a broad range of topics, including efficiency, accountability and customer service. Hammond used as examples his efforts to stem telemarketing abuse and the formation of SC Business One Stop to make it easier for current and start-up businesses to file for permits, licenses, registrations or pay taxes.

Hammond has been South Carolinas Secretary of State since 2003 and has devoted much of his political career to making the state a business-friendly environment. He was responsible for implementing SC Business One Stop, seizing more than $26 million in counterfeit merchandise which resulted in the arrest of more than 325 people, and continuing the annual Scrooges and Angels list, which reports the percentage of revenue charitable organizations use for charitable programs.

Hammond is a Newberry College alumnus who earned a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science in 1986. He shares an affinity for Newberry College with his son, Matthew, who is a current student at the College.