McMaster presents Order of the Palmetto award to man behind creation of Market Common
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Gov. Henry McMaster was in Myrtle Beach Monday afternoon to recognize retired Air Force Col. Buddy Styers with an Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor.
McMaster presented Styers with the award at Horry-Georgetown Technical College’s Crabtree Lane campus.
News13 photo: Alec Daniels News13 photo: Alec Daniels News13 photo: Alec Daniels News13 photo: Alec Daniels News13 photo: Alec Daniels News13 photo: Alec Daniels
“I try to go to these and do these myself as often as I can because I think it’s very important to recognize people who have contributed over the Palmetto,” McMaster said.
Styers was named executive director of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority, overseeing its day-to-day operations and managing public infrastructure and facility renovations through 2008.
“He was highly recommended and we always review those and are very careful about that and he met that very high standard,” McMaster said of Styers. “As you can tell from the people there, they’re very proud of him and very appreciative of what he’s done for this community.”
In 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency recognized Market Common as one of the most successful Air Force base redevelopment projects in America.
The $160 million upscale shopping, dining and living district opened in 2008 and today generates more than $100 million a year in tax revenues for the city.
Styers played a key role in pushing for the district’s recreational opportunities, including Market Common’s lake and parks. Styers Way, a road in The Market Common, is named for him.
Created in 1971 by then Gov. John C. West, the Order of the Palmetto was established “as a means of recognizing outstanding service to the state and industrialists who had located facilities in South Carolina,” according to the state Department of Archives and History.
* * *
Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
