Previous Coverage: The Search for Tom Sponseller

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “He is a guy who has been around the block, he understands the legislative process, he is a very strong advocate for the things he believes in,” says Hal Stevenson, CEO of Grace Outdoors. Grace Outdoors CEO, Hal Stevenson says he is taken back by Tom Sponseller’s disappearance “I’m just kind of still in shock, I think a lot people are, we just don’t know what to think, is it foul play, did he do something and didn’t let people know?,” says Stevenson. The veteran leader of the South Carolina Hospitality Association has been missing for nearly 4 days now, it seems he’s vanished without a trace. “I think when something like this happens ti’s so unusual you think well, what could I do? You can send out an email to your friends, I have digital billboards, we have the ability to change them quickly,” says Stevenson. Hal Stevenson says Tom Sponseller’s picture is on at least 7-8 billboards between Columbia and North Carolina, 6 of them in Columbia alone. “A picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes people hear things and they don’t really know, but when they see a face, sometimes you can connect that to something you’ve seen,” says Stevenson. Sponseller was last seen this past Saturday around midday at his office on Lady Street. That’s less than a block from where family and friends are expected to gather to pray for him. “I’m just kind of anxious, I’ve been praying for him and his family and his safe return,” says Stevenson. Wednesday’s candle light vigil is planned for 6:00 p.m. at the state house.