Bobby Richardson, director of operations at Sealevel Systems, talks to the group from Leadership Pickens County on a tour of the facility.

LIBERTY — Sealevel Systems hosted the Leadership Pickens County class of 2016 on Feb. 2.

The afternoon kicked off with a presentation from John Lummus, president/CEO of Upstate SC Alliance. The 10 counties as a region working together to recruit economic development were Lummus’ core message. Lummus noted that the region has what it takes to be successful.

John Lummus, President/CEO of Upstate SC Alliance, presented the importance of working as a region when recruiting economic development to the Upstate.

“A diverse range of companies are drawn here by our favorable tax rates, market accessibility and the quality and availability of our workforce, he said. “Supporting this is our dedication to research and innovation, including R&D facilities for Michelin, Fuji and General Electric and research centers that support the automotive, life sciences, plastics and photonics industries. And it’s all set in a region where cost of living is about 10 percent lower than the national average and cultural and recreational opportunities cater to a diverse range of tastes.”

The 10-county region of the Upstate SC Alliance has a population of more than 1.4 million, with more than 550,000 total households, and 85 percent of the workforce has a high school education level or higher. The quality of education and work ethic makes the Upstate one of the fastest-growing in the country, Lummus said as he closed his presentation.

Before the afternoon was over, the leadership class was treated to presentations from Sealevel CEO Tom O’Hanlan on what formulate economic development and senior vice president of sales and marketing Earle Foster with an overview of Sealevel products.

Finally, the class toured the facilities hosted by Bobby Richardson, director of operations, and Greg Harrison, senior hardware engineer.