SCBIZ_February 2022

2022 SOUTH CAROLINA BUSINESS HALL OF FAME

test the alcohol in their house to make sure no one had stolen a gulp and replaced it with water. At the same time, he believed his word was his bond, and he applied that to his business. “I’ve seen him do things that were not in his best interest because he said he would,” recalled Ben. “He used to say, ‘Your word is everything. Your reputation is everything.’ ” Norman was a man who could speak conceptually about the business but also knew the most minute details. “That went for people as well,” said Ben. “Even though he had hundreds of employees, he knew his people and cared about them.” An account of Norman Arnold’s philanthropic contributions to Columbia, the state and his industry is way too long for a comprehensive list. He served for 28 years as director of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association and multiple statewide task forces appointed by governors, with whom he was friendly. He chaired the American Heart Association Heart Fund and served as trustee for Providence Hospital in Colum-

bia and the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He was a trustee at Oglethorpe University, his alma mater, and supported a string of Jewish causes and organizations. In 1977, he earned a Time Magazine Distinguished Community Service Award. He believed deeply, and imparted to his three sons, the importance of giving back. Norman Arnold was short but tough, strong and indefatigable. He boxed much bigger men in the Navy and never backed down. With a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 1983, when his younger sons Michael and David were months from their Bar Mitzvah, Norman’s doctors told him he wouldn’t live to see it. He told them they were wrong, consulted with a health guru in Boston, and adopted a macrobiotic diet and exercise regimen that led him to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. He lived 33 more years. Said his son Ben, “Norman Arnold belongs in the HOF because he’s setting an example for how you’re supposed to be: You’re supposed to work hard, do well, help other people, and then give back.”

South Carolinas Media Engineer for Economic Growth

“I’ve seen him do things that were not in his best interest because he said he would. He used to say, ‘Your word is everything. Your reputation is everything.’ ” — Ben Arnold

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Trending Now: Automotive Spring 2021

In April, SCBIZ magazine takes a deeper “drive” through the Automotive Industry, the businesses that support it, and growth trends for the future in South Carolina.

Driving toward the future

Clarendon County will be in the Spotlight, along with a Power List of Economic Development Attorneys.

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• County Spotlight: Clarendon • Power List: Economic Development Attorneys

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• Upfront • SC Delivers- Port Impact • The South Carolina You Don’t Know

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County Spo tlight:

SC Biz News 1802 Dayto n St., Suite 101 North Charl eston, SC 29405

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S.C. automa kers push tech advancements, electric pow er