The head of Columbia County’s development authority is leaving the post to lead a nonprofit dedicated to fostering a diverse, thriving economy in communities around Savannah River Site.

Robbie Bennett spent his last day Friday as executive director of the Development Authority of Columbia County and has accepted the position of president and CEO of the SRS Community Reuse Organization, based in Aiken County.

He’ll be replacing Rick McLeod, who is now the founder and principal of Atomic Advice, a consultancy offering guidance in strategic planning and project management.

Bennett is the immediate past chairman of SRSCRO’s board of directors, which governs the nonprofit.

"It has an economic development mission, in that it’s to support capacity-building regionally and to promote economic development through that capacity-building,” he said.

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Bennett held posts at the South Carolina Department of Commerce, the Greenwood (S.C.) Partnership Alliance and the Augusta Economic Development Authority before becoming the DACC’s executive director in 2013.

During his DACC tenure, he supported economic development teams that brought manufacturing to Columbia County, and jobs to the Augusta area, through companies such as Amazon, Club Car, John Deere and Georgia Iron Works.

But he’s especially proud of his role in helping establish the county’s White Oak Business Park near Appling, now anchored by Amazon and Club Car facilities.

“It’s exciting, as we went through a period where we didn’t have product, we didn’t have opportunity. And while we had great population growth and small business and retail were growing through the rooftops, we needed quality jobs as well,” Bennett said. “Being able to support our existing industries, to be able to support new, growing opportunities, has been such a blessing.”

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Development executive leaves Columbia County to lead SRS nonprofit