Cynthia South

We are the South Company and we have the strategy for your company’s success. You know your business, we know ours... and we know the south. If you are trying to reach the CSRA then we can help.

WHAT IS A BRAND?

A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan. The word branding began simply as a way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. A legally protected brand name is called a trademark. The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass identity - it affects the personality of a product, company or service.

The South is Cynthia’s specialty, having marketed companies and organizations in the Carolinas and Georgia over the past 30 years. She draws upon her knowledge of the region, team of talented multi-media specialists, and business connections to develop and implement marketing and public relations plans that ignite brand awareness and grow market share.

With offices in Columbia and Aiken, SC, The South Company serves clients in a variety of industries, including automotive, healthcare, pharmaceutical and finance. The company excels in helping family-owned businesses build on their strengths and position for the future as they transition to the next generation of leadership.

Cynthia has personal experience in creating a family-owned statewide radio talk show network and transitioning leadership to her son. Upon securing the initial investors, Cynthia became vice president of marketing for the 10-station South Carolina network , including investor, affiliate and advertiser relations; and sales and promotion over eight years.

With a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina focusing on health care administration, Cynthia’s prior work concentrated on healthcare marketing. She was the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, SC, and held similar positions at Greenville Hospital System and the University of North Carolina Hospitals. In those positions, she managed multi-million-dollar budgets, departmental staff and ad agencies to achieve marketing goals.

Cynthia made the move to healthcare after opening the new University of South Carolina Medical School as part of her responsibility as Assistant Director of the USC News Bureau. At USC, Cynthia managed the public relations staff, producing radio, television and print advertising and promotion. Working with international media, she helped broaden awareness of USC’s research accomplishments as well as world leaders and celebrities visiting the university.

Recruited to South Carolina by the textile industry, Cynthia became the assistant editor of Bobbin International Magazine, a trade publication published in English and Spanish. She also marketed the annual Bobbin International Trade Show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

A journalism graduate from the University of Missouri, Cynthia’s career began at the Columbia Missourian morning newspaper as reporter, photographer, editor and designer. She still maintains her journalism roots as a member of the USC School of Journalism Partnership Board, and is a member of the American Advertising Federation, Augusta Chapter.

Active also in shaping her community, Cynthia is a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Columbia program, has been appointed to the City of Columbia Tree and Appearance Commission, and is secretary of her downtown neighborhood association. She consults regularly with her son, Mike Thomas, who is a marketing manager for Global Spectrum at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center, an Ambassador of the Aiken Chamber of Commerce and Business Networking International, and a member of a variety of civic organizations in the CSRA.