O’Neill joins Economic Futures Group

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Katherine O’Neill has been named the executive vice president of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Futures Group. O’Neill replaces Carter Smith who announced his retirement earlier this year, although he remains with the organization as the part-time director of special projects.

Currently the COO of The Palladian Group, O’Neill brings three decades of executive, human resources, economic development and leadership experience to the Spartanburg chamber and Economic Futures Group teams, according to a news release.

“Economic wins happen in dynamic communities with stakeholders who work closely together. With the strength of our public and private partnerships, our success will continue,” O’Neill said in the release. “I look forward to collaborating with all of our allies, investors and staff to continue the momentum.”

From 2012 to 2018, O’Neill served as the Spartanburg County administrator. During her tenure, she was responsible for a budget in excess of $200 million. While in that role, O’Neill facilitated negotiations for more than $5 billion in new economic development announcements including the recruitment and expansion of multiple international and domestic companies such as Toray, Keurig-Dr. Pepper, BMW, Auriga, Michelin, Albis Plastics, Plastic Omnium, Ritrama and Kobelco, the release said.

“Since 2012, Katherine’s leadership has guided almost every economic development announcement in Spartanburg County. She has established local, state and national relationships in the public and private sector which will serve us well, as we work with our partners to strengthen our reputation as a national leader in manufacturing and broaden our scope to capitalize on white collar recruitment opportunities,” Allen Smith, Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Futures Group president and CEO, said in the release.