Spartanburg chamber hires inclusion coordinator

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The Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce has hired Terrance Hawes as talent and economic inclusion coordinator. In the newly-created role, Hawes will work alongside the Spartanburg chamber’s Inclusion Council, the OneSpartanburg Talent Action team and the chamber’s vice president of talent and economic inclusion, Betsy Neely Sikma.

Hawes, a native of Spartanburg’s northside community, is cofounder of B.A.R.S. Academy, a community-driven creative arts and music mentoring program launched through the Start:ME business accelerator, according to a news release.

“Terrance is deeply committed to Spartanburg,” said Sikma, in the release. “He is driven to give back and desires to build bridges between diverse communities to create a more cohesive Spartanburg. This complements the mission of the Inclusion Council and the goals of OneSpartanburg, making him a perfect fit for our team.”

Hawes formerly served as assistant manager for the financial institution Best Cash LLC. He earned his B.A. in Music Business from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla. in 2015.

Hawes’ hiring is the latest step forward for the chamber’s Talent and Economic Inclusion initiative, which was developed based on feedback from the business community, according to the release.

Along with Sikma, Hawes will work to create and implement a strategic plan to ensure economic inclusion and to develop, attract and retain talent.