Celebrating Service

The beginning of our year is when we have several of our internal conferences to update each other on progress, review goals and celebrate successes.  As a group, our teams work all over the state, but with so many of them moving around, it has always been nice for us to celebrate each other this way whenever we are together.  

Celebrating 20 years of service or more is usually a good indicator that you have been successful and had the opportunity to work with people from all over South Carolina.  These employees have guided us through so much the last few decades, and though a few retired this year, many are still going strong.  I want to start this month by recognizing these employees who celebrated work anniversaries this past year and have contributed so much to the success of the Park Service.  

If you know them, you know how lucky we are to have each of them.

20 years of service                                                      

Kevin Palmer – Kings Mountain                           

Troy Crider - Myrtle Beach                                  

Chris Flowers – Cheraw

Joy Raintree – Sandhills Region                                

Cathy Taylor – Paris Mountain                              

Robert Dinkins - Lake Hartwell

Michael Trotter – Table Rock

25 years of Service

Brenda Magers – Huntington Beach

Robert Lenehan – Myrtle Beach

Chris Waddell – Cheraw

Jason Hege – Paris Mountain

Cheryl Gray – Hickory knob

30 years of service

Ted Betchler – Huntington Beach

Michael Walker – Huntington Beach

Al James – Landsford Canal

Mark Powell – Lower Coast Maintenance

John Toby – Central Maintenance

One of the other categories we love to recognize our team on is the exceptional customer service they provide to our visitors. We even have one award for the team member that has served our team exceptionally well this year.  They are the face of our parks for so many visitors and set the bar high for how to take care of customers.  These people are the ones we get emails about, the people whose attitude and practices inspire us all to be better.  

This year’s recipients are:

John Boyd – Paris Mountain                                       

Bridgett Scott – Devils Fork

John Hiatt - Charles Towne Landing                      

Tina Zorn – Givhans Ferry

Niesha Williams – Cheraw                                          

Chris Priolo – Huntington Beach

Toni Rivers – Santee                                                    

Daylene Pitts – Dreher Island

Marina Wolfe – Lake Wateree                       

Maria Thompson – Hickory Knob

Ted Sbardella – Information Technology

These people and many others just like them are what makes this such an incredible place to work and to visit.  Every step of my career I have been surrounded by talented and passionate people. As Director, I get to see how many of our team members are giving their all every day to ensure that South Carolina State Parks are the best they can be today and are prepared for tomorrow. 

Make sure to congratulate all of these folks the next time you see them!

Paul

January 2023