Class Day #4 was a rainy day but that didn't dampen our
spirits! We began at Santee Cooper and
learned about their extensive operations.
Most think of Santee Cooper solely as a power source, but we learned that they also supply water for areas further inland. We took a tour of their Carolina Forest location
(headquarters are in Mullins) and saw how technology has made finding the
source of power outages much easier. That specific location can run off of generators for up to 4 days if
needed.
After our tour of their
branch, we reconvened for our next leadership training with Eileen Soisson entitled
Choose Your Attitude. We created LGS related scenarios and explored how they differed depending on the variety of personalities on each of our teams; from someone who constantly agrees to
someone shy and quiet, to overbearing types. We saw the benefits of being a "Positive Polly" versus a "Negative Nelly."
Our lunch
break was scheduled to be at the Ocean Club, but that was redirected to a box lunch from Dagwood's Deli in the
Chamber boardroom. This was either a
complete ploy that we were ever actually going there, or a true example of
being able to roll with the unexpected as a leader! J
After our lunch, we headed
around the corner to Cowork MYR and met Paul Reynolds, one of the
founders. Cowork MYR is a unique space
that can be a hub for those without a traditional office and gives them the opportunity to rent a satellite
office and collaborate with other creative minded
professionals. Cowork MYR has a goal of
diversifying and growing the local economy and has begun one start-up company
with envisions of many more. They
encourage an environment of innovation and entrepreneurialism.
Next up, we visited the North Myrtle
Beach Government Complex and heard an update of their future wind energy
plans. There is currently one wind
turbine in North Myrtle Beach and they are looking to expand to much larger
ones that will be placed further out in the ocean.
Lastly, we boarded a bus and went and saw the
new North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex that will be opening March 1st. It is a massive park that includes multiple
baseball and soccer fields, a large playground, huge open space for picnics, an
amphitheater and a building that could host small weddings and
functions. Once it opens, the calendar
for the complex is filled with over 60 events, one even being the Quidditch
World Cup! The entire day was another
informative one that covered miles on the Grand Strand and opened our eyes to new
places, ideas and insights.
*Submitted by Tiffany Doolittle, Class 34 Co-historian