Joe Blanchard

Joe Blanchard is President and CEO of Blanchard Machinery Company, the Caterpillar dealership serving the state of South Carolina. During his tenure as President and Dealer Principal, Joe has seen the company grow from 240 employees to over 600 employees in 12 locations.

Joe has long been active in civic, economic and cultural affairs in the community.

Among his awards are the Columbia College Medallion Award, the Columbia Museum of Art’s John Richard Craft Leadership Award, the Central SC Outstanding Philanthropist Award and the Lexington County Ambassador for Economic Development. In 2015 Joe was inducted into the SC Business Hall of Fame and in 2019 he was named Business Leader of the Year by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

Joe graduated from Oxford College of Emory University as well as Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

He is married to Melissa Blanchard and has three children, Rozier, Boyd (Emilie) and Katherine (Davis Whittle), and one grandchild Harper. With all three children earning degrees from the University of South Carolina, Joe and Melissa had the pleasure of frequently hosting them and their friends for Sunday evening dinners.