ABOUT

MY STORY

My name is Ellis McKenzie Creel. I was born in 1982 in Hemingway, SC - a real "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" kind of town.  I experienced a lot of love there, a lot of nature, and a lot of great people.  My parents let me lope around the woods and build tree forts, and out of all the things they taught me, the most important of them was a love of learning, fellowship, and charity to others. 

I grew up hunting, fishing, and generally just "getting out of the house" and into the woods around where my parents lived, while attending the public school nearby.  Despite living out of the way (by some measure), my parents had a large collection of books, so I did a lot of reading between outdoor excursions. At 13, I asked my parents for an unusual gift - I wanted "A Pattern Language," which was an out-of-print book that talked about city planning. They scraped together enough dollars to get me a copy, and I read it back-to-back many times. I attended the Governor’s School for Science and Math, which only fueled and fostered my keen interest in how cities operate. I graduated early and returned to home, but the itch to see a "big city" persisted. 

Some twenty years ago, I moved to Columbia. I lived with my brother briefly, but shortly after moved Forest Acres. I almost immediately fell in love with this area. Between courses at Midlands Tech and USC, I worked at the Richland Fashion Mall as a manager in Bath & Body Works, sold suits at Gentleman's Closet in 5 Points and represented the eastern seaboard selling custom suits for Ambassador Clothing. Quite a change for someone who used to hunt squirrels! I also worked in IT for USC for 5 years and ran their Student Health Department for 2 years.

It was about then when I realized my calling, and it all had to do with meeting a country girl. Rebecca Poston – despite also being from Hemingway, we had never connected until then. I took her on a tour of Forest Acres at the request of my grandmother.  While we didn't set horses right away, it was not long after that we decided to spend our lives together. We found an old farmhouse on Dalloz Road and have been working on it ever since. We have been married now for 14 years, and our son Francis, at age 9, has never known any other neighborhood than Forest Acres. I have been employed with Palmetto Computer Consulting as a Head I.T. Consultant for the last 15 years now. I work with great people, and my position has allowed me to branch out and help the city that I love by growing in a leadership role on the Planning Commission.  

Join me in this next step and help me serve our wonderful city. It's time.