Personal Injury Attorney in Central, SC

The Central SC Alliance appointed Annie Caggiano as senior vice president of business recruitment.

In this role, she will lead the organization’s efforts to recruit new industry, drive capital investment and support job creation across the central South Carolina region.

Caggiano brings more than 20 years of economic development experience, including senior leadership roles at the state, regional and county levels, according to a news release. Most recently, she served as director of global business development for the South Carolina Department of Commerce, where she led domestic and international recruitment efforts and oversaw a pipeline of more than 350 active projects. During her tenure, she helped close 149 projects representing more than $17 billion in capital investment and 13,000 new jobs across the state.

“We are very excited to welcome Annie to the Central team,” Jason Giulietti, president and CEO of Central SC Alliance, said in the release. “Her incredible background, depth of experience, proven results and history in the state made her an easy choice to lead such an important role for our organization and region.”

At Central SC Alliance, Caggiano will guide business attraction strategy across Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Richland and Orangeburg counties, as well as the city of Columbia. She will focus on priority industry sectors including automotive, machinery, chemicals and plastics, energy technologies, food and beverage manufacturing and life sciences.

“I am excited to focus my efforts on Central South Carolina and to work alongside our county partners to elevate the region’s competitive position,” Caggiano said in the release. “This region has tremendous assets, including strategic location, talent, infrastructure and a strong collaborative spirit. I look forward to building on that foundation to attract investment that creates opportunity for families and communities across the Midlands.”

Prior to her statewide leadership role, Caggiano served as president and CEO of a county economic development organization in the Upstate, where she managed investor relations, negotiated incentive packages and advised elected officials on economic competitiveness. She also held leadership positions with regional development organizations and a public utility, providing experience in infrastructure coordination, workforce alignment and public-private partnerships.

A graduate of Clemson University with a degree in marketing, Caggiano is a certified economic developer and has completed executive education in negotiation management and project management, the release said. She has been active in economic development trade organizations and workforce initiatives throughout her career.

The Red Cross has responded to dozens of Midlands fires this year, helping families displaced by recent apartment blazes with shelter and supplies.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Over the past few weeks, the Midlands has seen multiple apartment fires that have displaced dozens of families and left many without their belongings.

In the blink of an eye, a house fire can completely unravel someone’s life, forcing families to start over from scratch. Support systems like the American Red Cross are working to make that process a little easier.

According to the Red Cross, the organization has responded to 96 house fires in Central South Carolina since the start of 2026. Two of those fires alone displaced more than 60 apartment residents.

One Red Cross client who lived at the Bent Tree Apartments said she woke up to flames on her balcony and had only moments to escape on February 1st..

She told News 19 she fled with just her two cats, her phone, her keys and the clothes on her back.

“I pretty much lost everything, all my furniture, appliances, my clothes,” she said. “I’m a big reader, so I lost all my books, and then all of my memorabilia stuff, photo albums from my family.

Red Cross leaders say their support goes beyond immediate disaster response. Along with emotional support, the organization provides financial assistance for clothing, basic supplies and temporary shelter when needed.

Denise Teasdell, executive director for Central South Carolina, said case managers stay in close contact with fire victims during the recovery process.

“Our case managers reach out to them while they’re in a hotel, and we may be able to walk them through and also maybe give them some other partners in the community that may be able to assist them,” Teasdell said.

The Bent Tree resident said the outreach made a difficult situation easier to manage.

“Red Cross actually reached out to me (after the fire). They called me and told me, ‘Hey, if you need support or anything, we can set up a meeting with you,’ and it was really easy,” she said.

The Red Cross was able to provide the resident with hundreds of dollars for new household supplies, clothing and medications. With additional help from family and friends, she is now moved into a new home and start fresh.

“I’m very overwhelmed with the amount of support I’ve gotten,” she said. “I would not have done as well after the fire if I didn’t have those support systems around me.”

Officials encourage anyone affected by a home fire to reach out to the Red Cross for assistance.