COLUMBIA - John N. Robbins was honored Sept. 15 as an Ambassador for Economic Development by Gov. Mark Sanford and the Department of Commerce as part of South Carolina's 18th annual Industry Appreciation Week.

Robbins is the senior quality engineer for Timken Co. and is a proven advocate for Union County. He was instrumental in helping to bring LSP Automotive Systems to the county. He effectively promoted Union County and LSP announced a Phase I investment of $48 million and 75 new jobs.

LSP Automotive Systems is a supplier of premium Class A metal and assemblies to the automotive industry, including BMW. The company, the first such supplier to locate in Union County, was founded in 2005 and now employs more than 150 people.

Robbins earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Winthrop University. He is an elder and administration committee chairman at First Presbyterian Church and volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America, serving as chairman of both the District Advancement Committee and the Eagle Scout Board of Review.

“From day one, we have been committed to bettering the business environment to encourage economic growth among existing businesses and attract new investments to South Carolina,” said Gov. Mark Sanford. “Our state's successes could not be achieved without the help and efforts of community and business leaders in every corner of the state and today we say thank you to these ambassadors for economic development for their efforts to create jobs and economic opportunity in South Carolina.”