Minor Mickel Shaw

South Carolina Business Hall of Fame

Minor Mickel Shaw has made a tremendous impact on the state of South Carolina, through her current position as chairman of The Daniel-Mickel Foundation, as president of Micco, as trustee of the Duke Endowment, the Hollingsworth Funds and the Belle Baruch Foundation, and in her extensive involvement in the community.

As the common investment vehicle for the Mickel family, Micco was created by Minor’s parents to help her and her brothers learn about business and investing. “Micco really served to educate our family,” says Charlie Mickel, Minor’s brother. “It helped us learn how to successfully run and conduct business, while also allowing us to make investments in companies, such as Delta Apparel. We are very proud of those efforts.”

Always Strive To Do Your Best In Anything You Do, and Always Treat Everyone With Respect.

And being a Laureate in the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame truly does run in the family. “Our father, Buck Mickel, and great uncle, Charlie Daniel, were both Laureates,” adds Charlie. “And we’re delighted that Minor has been named to this esteemed list, as she has worked very hard and has been heavily involved in so many facets of the community and the state. She has done this consistently, without taking a break, and deserves to be recognized for her efforts. Junior Achievement and the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame were very important to our father. He would be very pleased with Minor’s accomplishments.”

Minor’s board representation is a testament to her commitment to growth and economic development, with seats on the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts Foundation, The Palmetto Institute, BlueCross BlueShield of SC, Piedmont Natural Gas and Columbia Mutual Funds. She is a former board member of C&S National Bank of South Carolina and Interstate Securities. She also served as a founder of the Roper Mountain Science Center and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities year-round school – two staples of the Upstate community bringing great value to students and awe to children and families.

Gene Cochrane, president of The Duke Endowment, has seen first-hand the value that Minor can bring to an organization. “Minor Shaw represents South Carolina very well and always reminds us about the interests and capabilities of South Carolina,” says Gene. “As a trustee, she covers so many areas in a very articulate manner – she can speak to investments, higher education, economic development, children’s issues, health – she covers a wide spectrum of what we do. Minor touches so many communities, but even more importantly, she has such a great impact on the organizations that serve those communities. She has made the organizations she works with work even better and more effective – just like she has with The Duke Endowment.”

Minor also serves as chair of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission, and she was instrumental in bringing Southwest Airlines to South Carolina. Her ability to focus on the big picture is evident. “I think today’s leaders should be well informed, not only about their business or their community, but also the broader world around them,” she says. “They need to be able to understand the impact of their actions.”

Regardless of How Hard you Work, you Must Have a Good Team Working with you to be Successful.

And Minor’s impact has been immeasurable. She has been recognized as Volunteer of the Year for the YMCA of Greenville, Citizen of the Year of the Greenville Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants and a Woman of Distinction of the Greenville area Girl Scouts Council. She was also named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential” by the Greenville News. Minor’s dedication to South Carolina also garnered her the honor of the Order of the Palmetto Award, the state’s highest civilian honor, awarded by the Governor. But Minor is modest when it comes to all of the accolades. “I have been very fortunate during my life to have a wonderful family, friends, business associates and some great mentors,” she says. “It is important to realize that regardless of how hard you work, you must have a good team working with you to be successful. And the success I have had in business or in the community has been the result of a great team working together towards a common goal.”

But even more than that, Minor believes in hard work and respect for others. “I think you should always strive to do your best in anything you do,” she says. “And always treat everyone with respect and, as the Golden Rule says, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’”

Your Word and Your Handshake Are Your Bond.

Minor is married to Dr. Harold E. Shaw, Jr., who she describes as a wonderful partner in all of her endeavors. They are the proud parents of three children and seven grandchildren (with one more on the way). “Family is the most important part of my life,” she says.

Minor Shaw and her family were taught that your word and your handshake are your bond. She has held fast to that principle throughout her life – no doubt adding to her level of success while raising the bar for those around her.

«  back to issue