FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brandon Charochak
Phone: 717.315.9850
Email: Brandon.Charochak@myscmc.org
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce (SCMC) today announced the 2026–2027 class of the South Carolina Manufacturing Leadership Program (SCMLP), welcoming 22 rising leaders from across the state’s manufacturing community.
Led by SCMC and SC Future Makers in partnership with the Executive Education Center at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, SCMLP is an immersive, cohort-based program that prepares high-potential manufacturing professionals for greater leadership roles within the industry. Participants learn from Moore School faculty, business executives, and manufacturing experts while studying global growth, organizational strategy, emerging technologies, supply chain management, corporate culture, leadership, and personal development.
“We are incredibly excited to celebrate this SCMLP cohort,” said SCMC President and CEO Sara Hazzard. “Through this immersive experience and partnership with our friends at USC’s Moore School, participants will gain executive-level insights from around the industry, tackle real-world business challenges in a classroom setting, and build a statewide network of manufacturing leaders for the future. When this cohort graduates, they will be equipped with tools that strengthen their teams and lift up their co-workers and, ultimately, boost the economic development landscape of our state.”
Launched in 2023, SCMLP has graduated 59 manufacturing professionals who are applying their skills to strengthen companies and communities across South Carolina.
SCMLP is made possible through the support of industry partners, including The Boeing Company, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, and Sage Automotive Interiors.
The fourth cohort includes professionals representing a range of manufacturing sectors and companies across South Carolina. The 2026–2027 SCMLP participants are:
- Joseph Barbarito, William Barnet & Son
- Jonathan Flores Cortes, Volvo Car USA
- Mikkel Gimena, Milliken & Company
- Daniel Grant, Nucor Steel Berkeley
- Timothy Groch, Duke Energy
- Aly Hall, Nucor Corporation
- Aaron Hefner, AFL
- Vanessa Lindenberger, Mercedes-Benz Vans
- Megan McQueen, Sylvamo
- Ryan Motes, William Barnet & Son
- Justin Mullis, Sage Automotive Interiors
- Anthony Nowik, CHG/Pioneer Frozen Foods
- James Pennisi, JTEKT
- Wayne Perkins, A. O. Smith
- William Rapp, Milliken & Company
- Nicholas Samios, Mercedes-Benz Vans
- Joerg Schannath, BMW Manufacturing
- Charlene Stanley, Michelin
- Jerry Stepp, AFL
- Dwayne Stukes, Boeing
- Ericka Suber, BMW Manufacturing
- Robert Wingard, American Honda South Carolina Manufacturing
A photo of the cohort can be found here.
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