SC Federal announces first Gen Y spokesperson
Apr 24, 2009 SC League Review
Summerville man wins 50 percent of votes in state’s first Young & Free South Carolina spokesperson search
(N. CHARLESTON, S.C.) – The search is over for the voice of South Carolina’s 18-25-year-old crowd and the public’s top pick is a Summerville man.
Josh Sutherland, 22, is the winner of South Carolina Federal Credit Union’s ultimate job search and the first Young & Free South Carolina spokesperson.
"Josh is dynamic, likable and definitely comfortable with the Internet, so it’s no surprise that he’s captured the attention of the 25 and under crowd,” said South Carolina Federal President and CEO Scott Woods. “By working with Josh, we hope to better understand the financial needs of 18-25 year olds."
As the spokesperson for Young & Free South Carolina, Sutherland becomes a salaried employee of South Carolina Federal for one year. He will serve as a reporter and advocate for his age group, attending events and creating regular online videos and blogs to keep content fresh at YoungFreeSC.com.
“In this role, I want to help my peers and young people everywhere save money and avoid too much debt,” Sutherland said. “My goal is to educate, primarily in an entertaining way,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland is a 2008 graduate of the University of South Carolina Honors College. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business with a major in marketing and minor in advertising and public relations.
He was informed of his winning status at a surprise gathering of family and friends, where he accepted the official job offer from Woods.
In the race to become the official spokesperson for Young & Free South Carolina, Sutherland faced fierce competition from finalists Kelly Gaskins, 24, of Bonneau, and Kyle Whitcroft, 25, of Goose Creek, S.C. All three finalists mounted broad social networking campaigns to gain public votes at YoungFreeSC.com. The site received thousands of votes during the voting period and Sutherland took fifty percent in the final tally.
South Carolina Federal has exclusive rights to Young & Free in the state of S.C. It is the third credit union in the world to hold a Young & Free franchise after Servus Credit Union in Alberta, Canada, and Texas Dow Employees Credit Union in Lake Jackson, Texas.
