Media Contact: Casey Pash

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Casey.pash@ja.org

Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina will Induct

Three New South Carolina Business Hall of Fame Laureates

2022 inductees commitment to service, leadership, personal excellence

COLUMBIA, S.C. [March 7, 2021] –  Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina is pleased to announce three new Laureates to be inducted to the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at the Pastides Alumni Center at University of South Carolina. Being inducted to the Business Hall of Fame is a distinction which honors lifetime achievements for those who have made a positive impact on South Carolina. Giants in their respective industries and champions of free enterprise, this year’s inductees are the late Norman Arnold, former President and CEO of Ben Arnold Company; Dr. George Greene, III, founder and former CEO of General Engineering Laboratories; founder and Executive Chairman, Water Mission; and Mr. Jack McBride, CEO of Contec, Inc.

Established in 1985 by Junior Achievement, the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame honors leaders who have left their mark on our state by exhibiting and personifying four core values: integrity, leadership, respect and excellence/history of civic achievement.

Norman Arnold

Over the course of 5 decades, Mr. Arnold was actively involved in his family business, Ben Arnold Company. When his father passed away in 1963, he became the president and CEO of the company. Under his leadership the company grew and was selected by the University of South Carolina as one of the model companies for study by management students. During his time in the wine and spirits business, he served as the director of the Wine and Spirit Wholesalers of America for 28 years. While Mr. Arnold was extremely successful in business, he had  a major impact on the Columbia community. He was a founder of the Columbia Zoological Park, chairman of the Heart Fund and a trustee for the Medical University of South Carolina. Mr. Arnold gave of his time and resources, making a $17 million gift to the University of South Carolina to finance an endowment supporting teaching, research and public education efforts for University of South Carolina’s School of Public Health, which now bears his name, The Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health. Through his commitment to the Midlands, he inspired others to do the same.

Dr. George Greene, III

Always thinking of how to improve things, Dr. Greene is a process design engineer. After working for large corporations in both Germany and the United States, he left the corporate community to being his own engineering firm in 1981, General Engineering Laboratories (GEL). Under his leadership, the firm became one of the largest privately held environmental laboratories in the US. On a visit in the late 90s to Honduras to help with Hurricane Mitch relief, Dr. Greene was part of a team that constructed emergency water treatment systems. After this transformational trip, Dr. Greene sold GEL to two executives in the company and began his global ministry, Water Mission, in 2000. A Christian engineering nonprofit, Water Mission has more than 430 employees and has provided safe drinking water to more than 7 million people in 57 countries. Dr. Greene’s dedication has allowed him to impact the lives of millions of people globally.

Jack McBride

Hard work, a sharp mind and an entrepreneurial spirit led Mr. McBride to start one of South Carolina’s leading manufacturing companies, Contec. After being educated at Duke University and receiving his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. McBride began his career at Millken. Six years later, tapping into his entrepreneurial mindset, he helped create Contec – a global leader in critical cleaning products for the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries. Now in its 31st year, Contec employs more than 700 people with two manufacturing sites – one in Spartanburg SC and one in Suzhou China. While building Contec, Mr. McBride has stayed active in the Spartanburg community participating as a trustee on the Mary Black Foundation and is a board member of the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare Foundation and the United Way of Piedmont. Mr. McBride is a valued community servant and continues to be recognized by public officials, publications and foundations for his tireless dedication to his community.

“As visionary business leaders with a strong commitment to their communities, these South Carolina Business Hall of Fame Laureates serve as role models to current and future generations, inspiring them not just to excel but to give back,” said Junior Achievement of Greater S.C. President and Chief Executive Officer, Casey Pash. “We look forward to our in-person event on Thursday where we will honor these three outstanding Laureates. Our 37-year history of the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame will continue to recognize the best leaders in business who inspire the future.”

The South Carolina Hall of Fame 2022 will occur on Thursday, March 10th at the Pastides Alumni Center at the University of South Carolina. Sponsors of the event include BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Planned Administrators Inc., Publix Supermarket Charities and Truist.

About Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina® 

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provides relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JAGSC reaches more than 33,000 students per year in 43 counties in South Carolina. For over the last 53 years JAGSC has impacted over 800,000 youth. JAGSC is a member of JAUSA. Please visit https://greatersc.ja.org/ for more information.

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