For prominent CEO, moving back to Lexington County ‘was the best decision of our lives’

A proud Lexington High School Wildcat, I grew up right here in the Midlands.

I moved away after graduating from the University of South Carolina, eventually becoming CEO of Orlando-based Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation. I assumed I would never come back.

But thanks to a confluence of circumstances, and the outstanding economic development recruiters of Team South Carolina, my husband and I re-located Nephron to Lexington County almost a decade ago.

It was the best decision of our lives.

Why?

Because the future has never been brighter for Lexington County – and for our company.

One of the fastest-growing counties in the state and region, Lexington County is full of unlimited potential – world-class corporate citizens, talented employees and rich natural resources.

Moving Nephron from Orlando to West Columbia was a no-brainer once we came to understand the only boundaries constraining company growth are our own dreams.

I love being back home, I love watching the transformation happening around me, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Part of what made moving to Lexington County appealing is the talent.

The high schools, technical colleges and, of course, the flagship university right down the road, provide a recruiting base of hard-working and talented employees who power the creativity, innovation and ingenuity that make Nephron great.

Health care and life sciences are exploding in South Carolina.

Lexington County, in many ways, is ground zero for the explosion.

For example, Lexington Medical Center is known locally for providing care to those who need it.

We have announced expansion after expansion, including this summer’s big news that we are going to do our part to help shore up the domestic supply chain for PPE, by building a nitrile glove manufacturing plant.

Lexington County is not only a great place to work; it is a wonderful place to live, raise a family and play.

There is bountiful farmland and beautiful areas to hunt.

We continue to invest in the arts, as critical investment in the future as a community can make, and we benefit from the three rivers that converge here. Lake Murray, where I live, is a jewel.

I challenge the leaders of Lexington and Richland counties to come together and work with the business community on riverfront development.

I commend the work that has gone into improving the greenway around the Saluda Shoals area; it illustrates the positive impact of investing in things people love.

Events, such as the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner, prove that we can make the riverfront shared by our two counties a destination people come from all over to take advantage of, and that would be an economic boon for the Midlands.

I would be remiss if failed to mention one thing: I believe Lexington County – located at the intersection of three major interstates, and a short distance from the Port of Charleston – lags behind other parts of the state when it comes to strengthening infrastructure.

While we have the talent and schools to support our growth, we do not have the support for fixing our roads. I hear it everywhere I go.

From Lexington to Columbia, and beyond, state leaders must work together to invest in Lexington County infrastructure, as well as the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

There is no reason, with the kind of investment we saw from state leaders in the Upstate and Lowcountry over the last quarter century, that Lexington County cannot become known, as it should be, as an internationally recognized life sciences center and tech hub.

Future growth depends on it.

Lou Kennedy is CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation in West Columbia.