It took a bit of persuasion to convince Sue Sledz, executive director of Murrells Inlet 2020, that she had been chosen as a “person you should know” on the Grand Strand. The spry 59-year-old has a youthful and confident demeanor saddled with honest humility. While genuinely flattered and appreciative of the selection, she doesn’t want the attention—it’s really “all about our projects,” she said.

Sledz is in her second stint at the helm of the Murrells Inlet non-profit organization. After moving to the area in 1998, she volunteered for Murrells Inlet 2007, a name given to the organization when it first formed in 1997, recognizing a 10-year vision for Murrells Inlet’s revitalization. She was hired as executive director in 2004 and held the post until 2008 when she took two years to create a similar program for Yemassee, S.C. She was rehired as the executive director of Murrells Inlet 2020 in February, and she once again leads the charge in a number of projects, all in harmony with the organization’s ambitious goals: “to promote and advance infrastructure improvements, enhance environmental education, initiate redevelopment of the Murrells Inlet commercial districts and utilize conservation and preservation methods to secure quality wetlands for future generations of residents and visitors to appreciate.” It’s a tall order, but a challenge Sledz seems perfectly fit to help accomplish.

“I never pictured myself here in South Carolina,” she said. “My only recollection [of the state] was when I had to ride [down here] in the back of my parents’ yellow Ford Pinto to watch my brother graduate from Parris Island. I had no idea this part of the state existed,” she laughs. Sledz has three older siblings, and it was a sister who first moved to Murrells Inlet and introduced her to life on the South Strand.

Sledz now has her sights on new Murrells Inlet projects. With the better-than-dreamed-of success of the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk, a creekfront boardwalk connecting restaurants and a variety of businesses along the waterfront, came the challenge for the next big project announced in October: the Jetty View.

Similar in concept to the Marsh Walk, the proposed Jetty View is an estimated $200,000, 640-foot boardwalk of tabby (oyster shells and concrete) and timber designed to enhance the south end of the waterfront district from Morse Park Landing (another Murrells Inlet 2007 project) to the end of the waterfront in front of Nance’s Creekfront Restaurant. The businesses hope for the same accelerated growth that the Marsh Walk business district has enjoyed. “We had more than 100 people attend Chowder Talk [a town-hall styled meeting hosted by Murrells Inlet 2020] in October,” says Sledz, “and they gave their resounding support and approval of the proposed Jetty View.”

Additionally, the organization has several projects on the front burner: a water quality monitoring program in its third and most data-filled year; a master plan to improve bike lanes including off road trails, sidewalks and multi-use paths that will one day connect the waterfront to the Waccamaw River; beautification efforts; and several holiday events.

“I love Murrells Inlet for exactly what it is,” says Sledz, “which includes our residents, bikers, families, tourists and revitalization of the entire community. There’s a big misconception that we’re only interested in the waterfront and the Marsh Walk, but we’re all about all of Murrells Inlet. We have phenomenal community support, and that support will never be an issue as long as we keep producing results.”

Sue Sledz
Executive Director, Murrells Inlet 2020
Age: 59
Community involvement: Integral leadership in the ongoing redevelopment of Murrells Inlet
Proudest accomplishment: “Making my parents proud. I lost them both at a relatively young age. I think they’d be proud of who I’ve become and the work I do.”
Favorite quote: “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. … Make big plans, aim high in hope and work.”—Daniel Burnham, U.S. Architect & City Planner