DEW Announces 2023 SC@Work: Photo Contest Winners and Workforce Heroes

Columbia, S.C. – As we near the end of Workforce Development Month, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) proudly announces the 2023 SC@Work: Photo Contest winners and 2023 Workforce Heroes. Five South Carolina businesses and twelve SC Works system employees were honored at the Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Workforce Symposium event on September 19, 2023, held at the William Bryce Stadium’s Founders Club.

The SC@Work: Photo Contest was a brand-new initiative by DEW to celebrate hard work and dedication in South Carolina by showcasing pictures of “SC at work,” in which employers across the state photograph their employees working. Employers submitted their entries throughout the summer.

The State Workforce Development Board and DEW selected the photo contest winners based on the composition and quality of their entries, as well as how accurately the pictures displayed the energy, hustle, and passion of people’s lives at their workplaces. The winning entries are as follows:

Grand Prize Winner and Pee Dee Region Winner:

Taste Lounge of Georgetown

Upstate Region Winner:

Fukoku America, Inc.

Central Region Winner:

The Therapy Place

South Coast Region Winner:

Okatie Construction, LLC

People’s Choice Winner

Pinnacle Veterinary Group

“What an extraordinary job these employers did in demonstrating what makes South Carolina such a great place to work,” said DEW Executive Director William Floyd. “The grand prize winner, the Taste Lounge of Georgetown, proudly displayed the impeccable cuisine and famous hospitality that our state’s restaurants have to offer. All of our category winners did a phenomenal job of presenting the skills, hard work, and spirit of their workplaces. On behalf of DEW, congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you to all South Carolina businesses who took the time to submit entries.”

The full-sized winning photos have been attached separately for the press to circulate. All of the inaugural photo contest winners, along with other photos submitted by employers across the state, will soon be published on the DEW website. Many photos will also be shared with state partners for their respective outreach purposes.

The photos not only celebrate the state’s great employers and workforce, but also will internally remind DEW staff of our core mission to serve employers and jobseekers.

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2023 Workforce Heroes

With support from DEW, the State Workforce Development Board (SWDB) publicly recognized twelve “Workforce Heroes” at the 2023 Workforce Symposium. These are talented individuals nominated by their Local Workforce Development Boards for their significant contributions to the workforce system. Their acts of service have greatly impacted the lives of thousands of jobseekers at SC Works centers across the state and include exceptional achievements, such as helping dislocated workers and disabled veterans find work in our most rural areas.

“Good communication, active listening, empathy, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills are essential in providing excellent customer service,” stated DEW Executive Director William Floyd. “These individuals have mastered these skills and changed countless lives for the better because of it. We refer to the honorees as Workforce Heroes because they have honorably dedicated their careers to understanding a jobseeker’s needs and working hard to provide solutions. Congratulations to these high-performing professionals who are our 2023 Workforce Heroes, and special thanks to SWDB Chairman Thomas Freeland and Vice-Chair Val Richardson for their leadership and exemplary service to South Carolina.”

The honorees are as follows:

Catawba Workforce Development Board: Debra Lindsay

Greenville Workforce Development Board: Stacey McKinney

Lowcountry Workforce Development Board: Charles Meyers

Lower Savannah Workforce Development Board: Stephanie Headrick

Midlands Workforce Development Board: Mia Jones

Pee Dee Workforce Development Board: Wanda Joyner

Santee-Lynches Workforce Development Board: Ray Jackson

Trident Workforce Development Board: Teresa Hawkins

Upper Savannah Workforce Development Board: Patricia Crawford

Upstate Workforce Development Board: Kenneth Taylor

Waccamaw Workforce Development Board: Jared Denz

WorkLink Workforce Development Board: Stephanie Blake

 

To see photos of and learn more about the great work that these twelve honorees have accomplished, please click here.

Members of the press can reach out to communications@dew.sc.gov with any inquiries or interview requests regarding DEW, the SWDB, and SC Works.