Acting Comptroller of Currency tours Lowcountry towns, businesses
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Michael Hsu, who serves as the Acting Comptroller of Currency, visited several locations throughout Charleston County Friday, where he spoke with local administrators and business owners about financial needs in the Lowcountry.
“To come here and to really talk to folks directly,” Hsu said, “makes a really, really big difference. That’s really, really impactful.”
The Comptroller is talking money with Lowcountry leaders, including Hollywood’s mayor.
“He was just kind of talking through both some of the pressures and the opportunities in Hollywood,” Hsu said, “and how they’re thinking through it, which is interesting because there’s some growth there, which is good. And balance that with growth in Charleston, which you can see everywhere.”
He also met with the owner of Boogie Barbeque regarding the challenges his business faced during the pandemic.
“He was talking through getting the funding to build his dream from a food truck to that establishment,” Hsu said, “and then of course, there’s the pandemic. Just kind of dealing with all of that and having partners help him through that.”
Hsu’s final tour stop was Estuary Beans & Barley on Johns Island.
“The decision makers in D.C.,” Estuary Beans & Barley owner Scott Harrison said, “a lot of times they don’t get the full story and the information, and really the ground truth of what’s happening for local businesses. So, it was great to be able to talk one-on-one, and for his staff to ask any questions that came to mind.”
Many of those questions centered around Harrison’s resolve to open his establishment during the pandemic.
“We knew that when we started this,” Harrison said, “we weren’t going to give up no matter what the economy threw at us. So, we just buckled down and worked hard.”
The Comptroller says he sees great potential for the Lowcountry moving forward. “There’s a very dedicated group of folks who are all kind of talking to each other,” Hsu said, “trying to figure this out.”
