50 Most Influential People

The Grand Strand region is often cited as one of the Palmetto State’s fastest-growing areas. It is populated with movers and shakers in many industries. B2B: The Grand Strand celebrates another year of honoring the region’s most influential people. The 50 men and women on this list were selected through extensive staff research and nominations from the community. These individuals have done important work in the fields of hospitality, real estate, banking, health care, education, and more in the stretch of diverse communities along the Atlantic coastline.

 

50 Most Influential People of 2025
Tim McGhee
Tim McGhee Theatre of the Republic Executive / Artistic Director Theatre of the Republic Tim McGhee joined the Theatre of the Republic as executive/artistic director in the year 2000, recently celebrating 25 years of service. In 1993, McGhee...
Sean Flynn
Sean Flynn Regional Director Thomas & Hutton A Myrtle Beach native and licensed engineer with engineering degrees from the University of South Carolina, Sean Flynn has dedicated nearly 30 years to serving communities with civil engineering....
Scott Brandon
Scott BrandonCEO EVOQ Group Scott Brandon is an entrepreneur, marketer, and community leader with over three decades of innovation across law, advertising, digital marketing, and real estate. As CEO of The Brandon Agency, he has built a network...
Sandy Davis
Sandy Davis President / CEO Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp Sandy Davis, an Horry County native and Coastal Carolina University graduate, has built her career in operations, finance, and economic development. After 10 years as...
Rob Clemons
Rob ClemonsCEO, Carolina Bays Homes Host, The Leader Mentality Show Rob Clemons is an entrepreneur and founder of Carolina Bays Homes, dedicated to helping people through high-quality homebuilding. A Coastal Carolina University graduate, he...
Patrick Norton
Patrick Norton CMO Brittain Resorts & Hotels Patrick Norton serves as chief marketing officer and partner for Brittain Resorts & Hotels, one of the Southeast’s premier full-service hospitality management companies. Beginning his career...
Natasha Mabry Hanna
Natasha Mabry Hanna Attorney The Law Office of Natasha M. Hanna Natasha Mabry Hanna came to South Carolina to attend Coastal Carolina University, graduating with a paralegal degree in 1994. Hanna practiced at the law firm of Hearn, Brittain...
Meredith Holmes
Meredith Holmes Planning and Zoning Director City of Loris To Meredith Holmes, public service is a family tradition, being a third-generation public servant serving the citizens of the Loris area. Holmes serves as the planning and zoning...
Mayur Jeram
Mayur Jeram President New Horizon Hospitality Mayur Jeram, president of New Horizon Hospitality, began his career in the family’s hospitality business immediately after college, learning the industry from the ground up. Through dedication and...
Matt Pivarnik
Matt PivarnikCEO Myrtle Beach Area Chamber / Visit Myrtle Beach Matt Pivarnik is the chief executive officer of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Visit Myrtle Beach, which includes Partnership Grand Strand, Leadership Grand Strand,...
Marilyn Murphy Fore, Ph.D.
Marilyn Murphy Fore, Ph.D. President Horry-Georgetown Technical College Marilyn Murphy Fore, Ph.D. was born and raised in Ohio and West Virginia. She arrived in South Carolina to begin her career as an educator in higher education nearly 50...
Laurence S. Bolchoz Jr.
Laurence S. Bolchoz Jr. President/CEO Coastal Carolina National Bank Laurence S. Bolchoz Jr. joined CCNB in March 2012 and has been a banker for more than 40 years. He is a graduate of Clemson University, the South Carolina Bankers School, and...
Justin Roof
Justin RoofManager of Business Banking First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Justin Roof serves as a senior vice president and Manager of Business Banking for the SC East Area of First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Roof has more than 19 years of...
Josh Kay
Josh Kay Vice President Mashburn Construction Josh Kay serves as vice president of Mashburn Construction, where he helps lead strategic growth, client experience, and community-focused development across the Grand Strand. Prior to joining...
Jenny Halstead
Jenny HalsteadExecutive Director eMYRge, Inc. Jenny Halstead is a mission-driven leader working to accelerate innovation and economic growth across the Grand Strand. As executive director of eMYRge, she leads the region’s nonprofit Entrepreneur...
Jennifer Walters
Jennifer WaltersPresident / CEO Little River Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center Jennifer Walters leads the Little River Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center, driving community growth, tourism, and economic development. She has...
Jason Greene
Jason Greene President / CEO Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance, Inc. Jason Greene earned a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Southern California in 1995 and completed the Naval ROTC program. He served as an officer in the United States...
Harold "Harry" Cushman
Harold "Harry" CushmanPresident / CEO Dargan Construction Company, LLC Harold "Harry" Cushman is a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, native, and is president and CEO of Dargan Construction Company. Cushman has been with the company since 1982,...
Eileen Fleming-Patonay
Eileen Fleming-PatonayRegional Workforce Advisor SC DEW Eileen Fleming-Patonay serves as the Waccamaw Regional Workforce Adviser for SCDEW, supporting Georgetown, Horry, and Williamsburg Counties. She holds a B.S. in business with a theater minor...
Christy Holder
Christy Holder Chief Executive Officer Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority Christy Holder joined Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority 23 years ago, where she currently serves as CEO. She is a member of the WaterSC Working Group, serves...
Bhumi Patel
Bhumi PatelAttorney Burr & Forman LLP Bhumi Patel represents land developers and business owners in real estate and business transactions, both commercial and residential. Patel also represents the local school board, a regional water/sewer...
B.W. "Rusty" Helm
B.W. "Rusty" Helm Founding Partner / Broker in Charge Keystone Commercial Realty B.W. "Rusty" Helm is a leading figure in shaping the modern Grand Strand landscape, serving as the broker-in-charge and founding partner at Keystone Commercial...
Ashley Work
Ashley Work Town Manager Town of Aynor As the town manager of Aynor, South Carolina, Ashley Work is passionate about fostering community growth, engagement, and opportunity. Throughout her tenure, she has helped strengthen the town’s connection...
Adam Emrick
Adam Emrick City Administrator City of Conway For more than a decade, Adam Emrick has led the City of Conway through one of the most dynamic periods of growth and revitalization in its modern history. Under his leadership, Conway has executed...
Adam Cates
Adam Cates President / Senior Adviser Tradd Commercial of Myrtle Beach Adam Cates, president of Tradd Commercial of Myrtle Beach, leads a full-service commercial real estate firm specializing in sales, leasing, and land development across the...
Barbara Jo Blain-Bellamy
Barbara Jo Blain-Bellamy has been mayor of Conway since 2016, when she became Conway's first Black mayor. She began serving on Conway's City Council in 1993, and she worked as the city's deputy administrator in the early 2000s. Blain-Bellamy, who...
Todd Setzer
Todd Setzer Chief Executive Officer and Partner A&I Fire Water Restoration Todd Setzer has worked with A&I Fire Water Restoration for 15 years, beginning as director of marketing and moving into his current role as CEO in 2018. The...
Bruce Bailey
Bruce Bailey President/CEO Tidelands Health Bruce Bailey serves as president and CEO of Tidelands Health, beginning his career with the organization in 1999 after serving as administrator of Abbeville County Memorial Hospital in Abbeville,...
Marvin Heyd
Marvin Heyd Managing Broker/Managing Partner Berkshire Hathaway Marvin Heyd is broker-in-charge at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Myrtle Beach Real Estate. Heyd previously served on multiple committees and boards and as president of Coastal...
James Winebrake
James Winebrake President Coastal Carolina University James Winebrake, Ph.D., serves as the fourth president of Coastal Carolina University. Prior to his time at CCU, Winebrake served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the...
K. Wayne Wicker
K. Wayne Wicker Chairman/CEO South Atlantic Bancshares and South Atlantic Bank K. Wayne Wicker is a veteran banker with more than 32 years of experience in the Myrtle Beach area and South Carolina. He was a founding director of South Atlantic...
Thomas Bouchette
Thomas Bouchette President The Citizens Bank Thomas Bouchette has more than 35 years of experience in banking. He became president and COO of The Citizens Bank in 2019 after serving as executive vice president and chief banking officer....
Rachel Whitley
Rachel Whitley North Myrtle Beach Market President Synovus Rachel Whitley has worked for Synovus for 44 years and currently serves as the North Myrtle Beach market resident. Whitley has been recognized as a Rotary International Paul Harris...
Jimmy Yahnis
Jimmy Yahnis Owner The Yahnis Company Jimmy Yahnis is co-owner of The Yahnis Company, a beverage distributor operating in 12 South Carolina counties in the Grand Strand, Pee Dee, and Sumter regions of South Carolina. The company sells 4.5...
Victoria Tobin
Victoria Tobin Executive Director Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association Victoria Tobin serves as the executive director of the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association. Over the course of her over 20-year career, Tobin has served as the...
Thomas C. "Buddy" Styers
Thomas C. "Buddy" Styers Executive  Director Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority Colonel Thomas C. "Buddy" Styers is the executive director of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority, which oversaw the...
Jimmy D. Staton
Jimmy D. Staton President/CEO Santee Cooper Santee Cooper President and CEO Jimmy D. Staton is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Santee Cooper’s electric and water utility. Before joining Santee Cooper in 2022, Staton was president and...
Blake Sloan
Blake Sloan Founder and President Sloan Realty Group Blake Sloan, a third-generation real estate professional, founded Sloan Realty Group in 2008 after making a move into the industry at age 18. Sloan Realty Group is deeply invested in the...
Mark Sims
Mark Sims CEO Grand Strand Regional Medical Center Mark Sims has been chief executive officer of Grand Strand Regional Medical Center since 2013, and he worked for the health system’s parent company, HCA, for 20 years prior to assuming the CEO...
John Rutenberg
John Rutenberg Senior Vice President/Market President Truist John Rutenberg has been market president for Truist since 2021, and he has worked as a commercial banker for more than two decades. Prior to embarking on his career in banking,...
Mary Jo Rogers
Mary Jo Rogers Executive Vice President – Chief Lending Officer South Atlantic Bank Mary Jo Rogers is executive vice president and chief lending officer with South Atlantic Bank, and she is a commercial banker and Certified Financial Planner....
Ryan Moore
Ryan Moore President Myrtle Beach Pelicans Ryan Moore joined the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Single A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, in 2008 as a ticket sales representative. Moore rejoined the Pelicans as vice president of business operations...
Carlton Lewis
Carlton Lewis Chief Executive Officer HTC Carlton Lewis, a graduate of Coastal Carolina University and Winthrop University, leads HTC, the largest telecommunications cooperative in the United States. A native of Aynor, Lewis joined HTC in 1998...
Page Kiniry
Page Kiniry President/CEO Brookgreen Gardens Page Kiniry has served as president and CEO of Brookgreen Gardens since 2017. During her tenure, she completed new master and strategic Plans to enhance Brookgreen's facilities and mission-focused...
Cheryl Kilday
Cheryl Kilday President/CEO Destination North Myrtle Beach Cheryl Y. Kilday, CDME is the president and CEO of Destination North Myrtle Beach, and additionally oversees the NMB Chamber Foundation. Kilday also serves on the Waccamaw Advisory...
Clifford Jones
Clifford Jones Superintendent Horry County Schools Clifford “Cliff” Jones became superintendent of Horry County Schools in February 2025. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Jones began his education career in 2001 as a high school social studies...
Radha Herring
Radha Herring Broker/Owner Watermark Real Estate Group Radha Herring founded the Watermark Real Estate Group in 2007. Watermark is a boutique-style firm that covers the 60-mile Grand Strand coastline. Herring’s role as broker-in-charge includes...
Ryan Fabbri
Ryan Fabbri City Manager City of North Myrtle Beach Ryan Fabbri has been city manager for North Myrtle Beach since September 2024, following his tenure as assistant city manager since February 2023. With over 13 years in municipal government,...
Ryan Betcher
Ryan Betcher Assistant Director of Airports Horry County Department of Airports Ryan Betcher serves as the assistant director of airports for the Horry County Department of Airports (HCDA), where he has helped guide the growth and operations of...
Brian Argo
Brian Argo President/CEO Conway Medical Center Brian Argo has been president and CEO of Conway Medical Center since January 2023, a role he stepped into after serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer. His previous...