Lowcountry Local First Grows Team with 3 New Staff Members

Dodd

Press Release

Lowcountry Local First, a nonprofit that cultivates an economy anchored in local ownership, recently welcomed Lydia Dodd, Jocelyn Patterson and Erika Grimes to its staff. The growth in team members comes at a critical time in the organization’s path as the local business community continues to face significant hurdles and threats from global impacts and competitors. The additional staff capacity also supports the rapidly growing Good Enterprises Initiative, a newly expanded coworking space and the ongoing needs of its 400+ certified local business members.

“We are so grateful to be in a place where we can grow our team and ensure that we are well-equipped to best serve the needs of our local-independent business community and rising entrepreneurs,” said the organization’s Executive Director, Jacquie Berger. “These three individuals – Lydia, Jocelyn and Erika – bring a wealth of experience and passion to their roles and to our team and we cannot wait for the community to get to know them.”

Lydia Dodd joins as the Coworking & Office Coordinator, providing administrative support to the organization and managing the organization’s coworking space, Local Works. Lydia’s professional background includes running a Spanish language interpreting & translation business for 10 years and working in the tech sector on language-related technologies. She worked out of Local Works Coworking Space for several years before joining the team at LLF. She knows first-hand the value of coworking and loves sharing that with others. Originally from South Carolina, she has also lived in Arizona and South America. When not working, Lydia can be found with her husband and daughter at one of the parks, playgrounds, and libraries in the Charleston area.

Patterson

Jocelyn Patterson joins as the Program Coordinator, working closely with the Program Director for Good Enterprises Initiative. Jocelyn brings her strengths of networking, strategic planning, creative development and more to her role, ensuring the programs of the Good Enterprises Initiative run effectively and create the biggest impact possible. As a graduate from the first cohort of the Community Business Academy in the Fall of 2019, she continues to build her own company and uses her experience to encourage and assist other entrepreneurs along their journeys. An alumna of Clark Atlanta University, Jocelyn lives out the school’s two mottos of “find a way or make one,” and “culture for service,” bringing determination and compassion to everything she does. When not helping to create a diverse local economy, you can find Jocelyn traveling, spending time with family and friends and furniture thrift shopping.

Erika Grimes joins as the Membership Engagement Coordinator, working closely with the organization’s 400+ business members and sharing their stories. Born and raised in the Charleston area, Erika loves and appreciates all things local. She has worked in communications at MUSC and Atlantic South since graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Public Relations in 2018. Currently, she is a master’s candidate at the online Newhouse Journalism program at Syracuse University, where she is learning how to foster her love of storytelling. During her personal time, she enjoys writing, spending time with her loved ones, anything music-related and exploring the dining scene in Charleston.

More information about the staff and board of directors for Lowcountry Local First can be found at lowcountrylocalfirst.org/about-us/.

Grimes

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