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 Governor Sanford presents Darron Kirkley the 2006 South Carolina Hospitality Employee of the Year Award. Also pictured is Jayne Scarborough, Executive Director of the Olde English District. 
Article courtesy of John Davis - Pageland-Progressive Journal The state’s top hospitality employee works in a storefront office right beside Pageland Town Hall.
Pageland
Chamber of Commerce part-timer Darron Kirkley received the state’s
hospitality employee of the year award during the 41st Annual
Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Travel.
His
head spinning from a surge of spur-of-the-moment job offers during the
Feb. 7 award banquet at Kiawah Island, the 21-year-old University of
South Carolina college student now finds himself at a crossroads.
As
an education major, Kirkley’s initial post-college objective was to
move back to Pageland to teach. But, with his work with the Pageland
Chamber earning a statewide honor early in his career, Kirkley may be
reconsidering his future plans.
As
a part-time and sole Pageland Chamber of Commerce Employee, Kirkley
enjoys organizing annual events — Watermelon Festival, golf tournament
— and now could see himself in a full-time role.
“This
makes life a whole lot more complicated — I’m not sure what I want to
do,” he said.
He
does know Pageland has got to make a bigger impact with festivals
reaching a broader audience outside the county — a goal he would like
to see through.
“The
whole area struggles compared to the rest of the state. We’re inland
with no mountains or coastline. We have to focus on other aspects to
bring people in,” he said.
That
aspect being quality of life, he said.
Watermelon
Festival — the biggest with the county and one of the larger events in
the region — is in a position to attract well-known regional music
groups taking the first steps growing into a major event.
Ultimately,
a chamber’s function is to market its area to businesses and
industries, which is something chambers of commerce far, far larger than
Pageland can accomplish.
That’s
shouldn’t stop the Watermelon capital from trying, he said.
Kirkley
served as de facto chamber director since he was 18 while as a high
school senior after his first gig designing www.pagelandchamber.com,
which put his foot in the door for his current position.
He
received the Olde English District hospitality employee of the year Oct.
28 — an organization spanning seven counties.
Kirkley
juggles a 3.97 GPA at USC, police dispatching and chamber duties.
Click here
for the official press release from the South Carolina Department of
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