HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR HONORED
February 24, 2009
Contact: Julie Scott 803-799-4601
julie.scott@scchamber.net
(Columbia, S.C.) – The South Carolina Chamber of
Commerce and the South Carolina State Council of the Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM) honored the 2009 Human Resources Professional of the Year,
presented by Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Greenville,
Columbia and Charleston offices), on February 10 in Columbia. More than 150 were
in attendance as Thyra Austin SPHR, of U.S. Food Services Inc. in Lexington, was
named the 2009 Human Resources Professional of the Year.
Austin’s accomplishments include service on the board of
directors of the South Carolina State Council of SHRM for the past seven years.
In her work at Lamson and Sessions, Austin spearheaded effective safety meetings
and associate, manager and supervisory training. Austin was instrumental in
establishing a South Carolina Diversity Council Board of Directors at the South
Carolina Chamber and served as chairperson of the group in 2007.
In accepting the award, Austin told her fellow business leaders,
“As a young HR professional, I stood in awe of the winner at the Human Resources
Professional of the Year Awards. The blessing is truly in the nomination.”
The evening’s keynote address was given by Jesse Harriott, Ph.D,
vice president of research for Monster Worldwide. In December, Monster broke
ground on a 500 employee facility in Florence, South Carolina.
Harriott told the human resources professionals that even in today’s economy,
there are still 140 million people in the United States working. But, he said,
the global challenge is the need for skilled workers will not be met. In 1955,
workers stayed at a job an average of 27 years. Today, they stay an average of
four years. Focusing on a diverse workforce can increase retention. Successful
companies know they have to create a brand that attracts employees.
Thyra Austin was joined by five nominees for the 2009 HR
Professional of the Year Award:
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Amy Marchbanks, Kravet Inc. (Anderson)
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Teresa Medlin, The Bradshaw Group (Greer)
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K. Michelle Powell, Select Health of South Carolina (North
Charleston)
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Danny L. Rhodes, Ph.D., Anderson University (Anderson)
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Peggy Smith, SPHR, Goodwill Industries of Lower South
Carolina Inc. (North Charleston)
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s first state chamber
Accredited with Distinction by the U.S. Chamber, is the state’s largest
statewide broad-based business and industry trade association representing more
than 6,500 member companies and more than 600,000 member employees, with 90
percent of membership comprised of small businesses. As the unified voice for
business and industry, the Chamber is a catalyst for increasing per capita
income and enhancing the state’s global competitiveness in order to improve the
quality of life for all South Carolinians.