Ronnie Booth gets Spirit of the Upstate award

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Ronnie Booth, former president of Tri-County Technical College, has received the Spirit of the Upstate award from Upstate SC Alliance. Booth received the award during the alliance’s mid-year meeting on Wednesday.

“Dr. Booth has exhibited tremendous appreciation for what can be achieved through collaboration,” Steve Cooper, Upstate SC Alliance chairman, said in a news release. “In addition to leading a technical college with a three-county footprint to establish leading programs in technical education, he served the alliance for six years. His vision: to ensure the fiscal health and longevity of the organization so it can fulfill its mission of building the Upstate’s economy.”

Booth served on the Upstate SC Alliance executive committee from 2012-2018, and as chairman from 2014-2016. He has served on the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Anderson County Economic Development group, as well as the Duke Energy South Carolina President’s Advisory Board, Alliance Pickens, WorkLink and the Oconee Economic Alliance, according to the release.

The Spirit of the Upstate Award is given to individuals “who have demonstrated a significant commitment to the economic growth and prosperity of South Carolina’s Upstate region,” the release said. In addition, the award recognizes qualities in leadership, multicounty collaboration, integrity, dedication and creativity displayed by local business leaders in pursuit of strengthening the Upstate’s position as a prominent economic development entity. 

Charles Dalton, retired president of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, received the award in 2017. Additional Spirit of the Upstate recipients include:  South Carolina Commerce Secretary Robert “Bobby” M. Hitt III in 2011; Chris Przirembel, retired vice president for research at  Clemson University; Carl Flesher, the first associate of BMW Manufacturing Co., and Irv Welling, former chairman of Elliott Davis.