Lancaster & Chester's Gedney honored as economic development 'ambassador' in South Carolina

Lancaster & Chester Railroad L.L.C. (L&C) Senior Vice President Steve Gedney recently was recognized as one of 46 "Ambassadors for Economic Development" by the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

Gedney was honored as the 2013 Economic Development Ambassador for Lancaster County. The commerce department selected individuals from each of the state's 46 counties to recognize their contributions to local communities and to economic development in South Carolina. The individuals included local leaders from the private sector representing a variety of businesses and economic development organizations.

Owned by Gulf & Ohio Railways Inc., the 62-mile L&C interchanges with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway. The companies Gedney has helped recruit along L&C's line diversified the economic base of both counties, created more than 4,000 jobs and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, according to the commerce department.

Over the past year, he has served as chairman of the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp. (LCEDC) and helped oversee one of the best economic development years in the county’s history, with 15 project announcements that led to more than $363 million in new investments and the creation of more than 2,300 jobs, LCEDC officials said in a press release. Gedney also was instrumental in the creation and construction of the Lancaster Air-Rail Business Park, they added.

"Steve Gedney has been one of the great leaders in both Lancaster and Chester counties for nearly 30 years," said LCEDC President Keith Tunnell. "His foresight, vision and leadership have placed both counties in a position of competing for and winning major projects."