Paul V. Norris, P.E., business owner and engineer, to run for 1st District Seat

xxxx Paul V. Norris, P.E., a small business owner, and resident of Charleston County, has officially announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress representing the 1st District, which includes all or portions of Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown and Horry counties. He is challenging incumbent Henry E. Brown, Jr., in the Republican primary election June 10.
xxxx “The catch phrase ‘change’ in Washington is a political slogan with no backbone,” said Norris, 44, co-founder and president of Southeastern Energy Partners, LLC. “What we must have in Washington is intelligent leadership with definitive ideas to provide analytical thinking with less political thinking to achieve long term solutions to an energy crisis with no end in sight that is crippling our economy and the citizens of SC.
xxxx “Tourism is the economic lifeblood of this great state and high energy prices are the key threat to this industry, as well as a severe economic burden on our citizens. We must have leadership in Washington that is able to recognize, understand, and eliminate this threat and the many others we face in the global marketplace. We must have a national effort to determine a comprehensive energy model that provides cost effective energy solutions for all, in an environmentally friendly manner, that frees us from dependence on unfriendly foreign governments. No more band aides—we need solutions. xxxx “I'm not doing this because I want to be a politician, but because I have the technical ability, the business knowledge, the personal interaction skills, and the character to make a difference in Washington.  If we indeed lose the American Dream one day to the rest of the world, how could I look my grandchildren in the eye when they ask me what happened?  So, for them, I must run.”
xxxx Norris is a licensed engineer with a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Carolina and began his career with SCANA Corp., an energy-based Fortune 500 company headquartered in Columbia. In 1998, he formed G1 Energy, Inc., to help companies comply with federal risk management regulations and a year later formed Love Propane Gas, LLC in York County. In 2003, he sold Love Gas to move back to the Charleston area where he co-founded Southeastern Energy Partners. xxxx Norris, a native of Berkeley County, resides on John’s Island with his wife of 20 years, Melinda, and their two teenage children, Joshua and Jasmine.