Greenville entrepreneur, CEO Velda Hughes presented Order of the Palmetto

Velda Hughes has spent her career promoting and marketing, getting the word out about her clients and her company.

She has used her time and connections to raise tens of millions of dollars for numerous projects and organizations in Greenville and the Upstate.

Most recently, she and her company, the Hughes Agency, spearheaded the private fundraising for Unity Park and for the 125-foot-tall Honor Tower that will be its centerpiece, raising more than $20 million.

Want to assist Greenville nonprofits?Want to assist Greenville area nonprofits? Here's how through the Holiday Sunshine Fund.

Thursday afternoon, she and about 200 guests were attending the annual TD SYNNEX Share the Magic check presentation event at Avenue in downtown Greenville. As TD SYNNEX's philanthropy arm presented more than $1.6 million in grants to local charities, Hughes got a presentation of her own.

Gov. Henry McMaster gave her the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor.

“Velda pours her heart into things that help others,” McMaster said. “She has impacted the lives of thousands of people throughout South Carolina by creating programs, championing organizations and elevating others.”

Hughes is owner and CEO of the Hughes Agency, the Greenville public relations, marketing and advertising agency she founded in 2001.

Spreading the word and serving the community are in Hughes’ DNA. She is the daughter of a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper publisher and a journalism graduate of the University of North Carolina.

She began her career in the newspaper business with The Greenville News, before making the move to work as a partner at one Greenville agency and then starting her own.

Through the Hughes Agency’s work with Clemson University, she has been a key leader in the establishment and growth of the Men of Color National Summit. The annual event at the university, first held in 2018, focuses on showing African American and Latino high school-age young men a path to higher education. Hughes’ work as a champion for the YMCA of Greenville helps provide the organization with resources to serve families and individuals across Greenville County.

Over the years, Hughes has spearheaded many fundraising campaigns including one that raised $14 million to build The Children’s Museum of the Upstate and fundraising initiatives for BI-LO Charities. She has given her time to The Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, The Peace Center and Greenville Technical College.

Hughes has received numerous awards for her continued community engagement including Greenville Business Magazine’s 50 Most Influential, the Greenville Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Leadership Award, Greenville Technical College Foundation Entrepreneur’s Forum, TD SYNNEX Share the Magic Hero Award, and the YWCA Women of Achievement Award for Business.

“No one person does anything. It is a team. And for the past 39 years I’ve had the joy to work with all of my team members,” Hughes said, looking out at her staff of 20 among the crowd. “They mean the world to me. And they are why I’ve been able to do a lot of what I do.”

Order of the PalmettoJudge Chuck Simmons Honored For Service To Community

She thanked her husband of more than 40 years, her three adult children and grandchildren. “All of you have been the purpose of my life. I thank each one of you.”

Gov. John West established the Order of the Palmetto in 1971 and it is South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, presented as a lifetime award for extraordinary achievement, service and contributions to the state or nation.

TD SYNNEX Share the Magic is a year-long fundraising effort that includes golf tournaments and other events in the Upstate and across North America. It culminates each year with the celebration, where grants are presented and benefactors honored.

Hughes leads the fund-raising and logistics for the far-flung network of Share the Magic events each year.

Since its beginnings in 2011, Share the Magic has raised nearly $20 million to fund programs for children who suffer from life-threatening illnesses, abuse, neglect or developmental delays. The beneficiaries are: A Child's Haven, Clement's Kindness Fund, Make-A-Wish South Carolina and Pendleton Place Inc.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Entrepreneur, CEO Velda Hughes presented with Order of the Palmetto