Garrett Dragano is quick to heap praise on Lexington County, the place he is now tasked with helping to grow.

“I've marketed parts of South Carolina that don't have everything that Lexington County has to offer,” said the man who began his career as a project manager with the South Carolina Regional Development Office, serving as the economic developer for Barnwell, Bamberg and Allendale counties during his time there.

“Lexington County is a great place to do business. Lexington County has put itself in a position that it’s easy to market.”

Dragano will now look to flex the county’s assets to attract new industry and new job opportunities as the recently announced director for the county’s Department of Economic Development.

His predecessor will be a tough act to follow. 

Sarah Johnson, who had served as the county’s economic development director since 2019, left to take a job with the state Department of Commerce in April.

The county was on a tear with her leading the department, with the month leading up to her departure seeing announcements including a warehouse from Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits coming 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 revealing plans to move into the 247,000-square-foot Airport Distribution Center located at the intersection of Platt Springs Road and Colite Drive.

Dragano comes into the job with applicable experience. His previous post was as a project manager and the interim director for the Development Authority in Columbia County, Georgia, which neighbors the unified city-county of Augusta-Richmond.

The population of Columbia County, which is in a similar position relative to Augusta as Lexington is relative to Columbia, has a population of nearly 160,000 as of the latest U.S. Census estimates. Lexington County’s population is just more than 300,000.

“I think the two communities are definitely comparable,” Dragano said. “A lot of the talking points are very similar.”

Asked to elaborate, he said both counties pride themselves on their quality of life, and the business climate is similar in each, though he added that Lexington is a somewhat better place to do business.

When Johnson left her Lexington post, County Council Chair Beth 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,” Carrigg said.

For his part, Dragano said he feels more excitement than pressure in attempting to maintain the success Lexington saw with Johnson in charge of the department.

“She’s very well known. And she's done some great things for Lexington County, and it's almost an honor to be able to follow in her footsteps and continue some of her success here,” he said. “And then even build on that. Sarah has done great things for Lexington County, and I hope to follow in her footsteps and do just as good of things if not even better.”

Dragano said he feels Lexington County is in a great position to continue to attract high-quality business and sustainable jobs to help improve the quality of life, and he emphasized taking a methodical approach to extending the county’s momentum.

“You can't get just tangled up in one particular project or one particular thing,” he explained. “You’ve always got to be thinking steps ahead, so you don't fall behind. As we continue to look forward and work with the county and the administration here, we'll keep looking at future opportunities and making sure not only that we grow but that we grow in a smart, strategic way.” 

Making sure the opportunities he finds represent good, responsible growth for the county involves gathering as much information on the companies he’s courting as possible, which can be difficult, Dragano said, as much of the pertinent info is often confidential.

“[We have to make] sure that the county sticks to what the county wants to see, attracting companies that are going to provide good quality jobs for the citizens and weighing the pros and cons on each project and what you do want to see here,” he said. 

“It's driven by the citizens here as well,” he added, and making sure the companies he attracts are ones they want to be here.

County Administrator Lynn Sturkie gave Dragano a vote of confidence in introducing him at an Aug. 22 County Council meeting.

“Looking forward to having you and the great things he’s going to do for Lexington County,” Sturkie said.