COLUMBIA – It was announced in The Voice last week that Fairfield Economic Director Ty Davenport had left Fairfield County. He has since been named Deputy Director of Economic Development for Richland County.
Davenport was hired by Fairfield County in June, 2016, when the unemployment rate in the county was 14 percent and had been in double digits for years.
During his five plus years with the county, Davenport helped recruit five industries that brought in $90 million in investment and 1,000 employees. During his tenue, the employment rate dropped to 3 percent prior to COVID.
Prior to coming to Fairfield County, Davenport owned Charles T. Davenport Investments, LLC, a commercial real estate company. Prior to that he was the national accounts manager for Nucor Corp. in Columbia, and spent 1996-1998 as the Economic Development Representative for the SCANA Corporation.
He began his career in economic development as the Senior Project Manager with the Central Carolina Economic Development Alliance.
It was while he was with the Alliance that he first became acquainted with Fairfield County, when he helped recruit both Isola and Lang Mekra to the Walter Brown 2 Industrial Park.
Davenport is the eighth top county official to leave the county’s employ in the last year.
Jeff Rubble, Director of Richland County Economic Development is out of the country and could not be reached for comment.