Lexington County business leaders and a former senator have joined the AccelerateSC task force.
Gov. Henry McMaster has formed the 30-day task force of 29 volunteers to create strategies for reopening the state’s economy.
Members include Lexington residents Lou Kennedy, CEO and owner of Nephron Pharmaceuticals and Ted Pitts, CEO of the SC Chamber of Commerce.
Also, Bobby Williams, CEO of Lizard’s Thicket Restaurants and chairman of the SC Restaurant and Lodging Association and former state Sen. Greg Ryberg who represented Lexington County in the Senate and serves on the National Association of Convenience Stores board.
“Realistically, some of these small businesses, when you force them to shut their doors, you are basically putting them out of business,” Pitts said. 
“We need to find ways the mom-and-pops can operate on a limited basis like the big-box retailers.
“If there’s a company that started making PPE (personal protection equipment) because there was a shortage, we want to make sure they aren’t a target for unnecessary lawsuits. Or a business allowed to stay open and has done so in a safe manner, that they aren’t a target for the trial bar.”