There is a new President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber.
He is a familiar face.
Health Taylor will step into the role on February 1. Currently President and CEO of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, Taylor is no stranger to the CSRA.
He served as Vice President of the Columbia County Chamber and Vice President of Business and Community Development for the Aiken Chamber of Commerce.
“Love the fact that he’s coming in here already knowing the community, has ties in the community, and already has relationships with the leaders in the area, both business and political,” Neil Gwynne, 2025 Chair of the Chamber, told ABD.
The Columbia County Chamber just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Gwynne believes Taylor will guide the organization into the future.
“He has shown success in his past in building the chamber and allowing the chamber to influence and persuade the business community and the legislative community based off of the members’ needs and desires,” said Gwynne.
In the news release announcing his selection, Taylor is quoted as saying he is honored to return to Columbia County to serve the community.
“Columbia County has a strong foundation and a clear vision for the future, and I look forward to working alongside the Board, internal team, and members to support continued growth and opportunity, he said.”
Taylor will work with the chamber’s board of directors, members, and community partners to advocate for the county’s priorities locally, in Atlanta, and on the national level.
Gwynne said Taylor’s familiarity with local needs and challenges means he can hit the ground running from day one.
“He understands the issues that are going on within Columbia County, from Harlem to Grovetown to Evans and Martinez,” he said. “He understands all of those different areas and what those issues are and can really step in and have the chamber support the business growth in the area, both from small businesses and large.”
Additionally, Taylor’s time with the Aiken Chamber of Commerce means he understands the need for Columbia County to work cooperatively with other municipalities to grow both as a county and across the region.
“We, Columbia County, and I think the entire CSRA, really need to work together, because as we do that, we grow the entire community,” observed Gwynne. “You can’t do things in Columbia without an impact in Richmond. Our neighbors in North Augusta and even up in Aiken have big influences on each other, and the more we work together as a region, the better off everybody is going to be and the more we’re all going to succeed.”
Taylor will take over the position from David Jameson, the former President and CEO of the Aiken Chamber, who has served as interim president in Columbia County since early September, replacing Russell Lahodny, who served for five years.
Gwynne said Jameson was the right man at the right time.
“I cannot thank David enough. He has really made a big impact in a short period of time,” said Gwynne. “He came in at a time where there were a lot of question marks, and he has been able to pull the staff together, pull the community together, and really start us off in a direction where Heath can hit the ground and really make a big impact on day one.”
