Riding high amid a series of big recent economic development announcements, Lexington County must now find a new person to take charge of keeping that activity going.

Sarah Johnson, who had served as the county’s economic development director since 2019, is leaving her post to take a job with the state Department of Commerce, County Council Chair Beth Carrigg announced during the body’s April 11 meeting.

Johnson has worked in the county’s economic development for about seven years, starting as a project manager in 2016 before her 2019 promotion.

The county has been on a tear when it comes to Johnson’s area of responsibility.

Last month alone, the county saw announcements including a forthcoming warehouse from Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits to an 85-acre site in Saxe Gotha Industrial Park, Mattress Warehouse becoming one of two tenants to sign on to fill space at the new 803 Industrial Park near the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, and CEEUS, which supplies products to the state’s electric cooperatives, revealing plans to move into the 247,000-square-foot Airport Distribution Center located at the intersection of Platt Springs Road and Colite Drive.

Carrigg told the Chronicle she would attribute “95% [of the county’s recent economic development success] to Sarah and her hard work and her recruiting, her contacts.”

“I think that she played a very large role in our growth of economic development and industry that's come here to work, live and play,” the chair said.

By this same token, Carrigg said finding the right replacement for Johnson will be crucial, saying the task is in the hands of County Administrator Lynn Sturkie.

“It is going to be immensely important for us to find the right person,” Carrigg said. “That is a key position in our county and we can't grow appropriately without the right person to be in that job to lead us.”

Angelle LaBorde, president and CEO of the Lexington Chamber and Visitors Center, had a similar outlook on the work Johnson did and its importance to the county.

"Sarah worked tirelessly for Lexington County to advance job growth and protect our local economy and she will certainly be missed!" LaBorde said, noting Johnson's local roots as a graduate of Gilbert High School. "Her love for Lexington was evident.  As an enthusiastic and credible advocate, she could easily explain why Lexington County is a phenomenal place to live, work and raise a family.  She should know – she was raised in Gilbert, attended Lexington County public schools, and achieved so many economic development professional certifications."

The chamber president added that Johnson was able to attract and identify "companies that uniquely fit within Lexington County’s priority industry sectors."

"The role of an economic developer is important in ensuring Lexington’s future economic prosperity," LaBorde said. "New jobs allow us to remain competitive, but just as important is job retention and expansion.   Sarah was able to accomplish both of these during her tenure."

Johnson spoke to the importance of economic development in the county last month during an interview with the Chronicle.

“I think economic development is at the center of our community,” she said. “It's at the center of infusing jobs for our citizens, helping our citizens thrive in our community, as well as supporting the tax base, supporting our school systems and supporting our local economies, and also our small businesses.”

Johnson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment about leaving her post with the county.

The economic development director is the second highly visible employee to which the county has said goodbye in the span of a week, though the other departure came under different circumstances.

Council voted April 5 during a special called meeting to dismiss Brittany Shumpert from her position as clerk of council. 

This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.