The executive director of the S-C Department of Commerce in Oconee County today said he knew unofficially that there was a likelihood that the Covidien plant near Seneca would be closing, but found out for sure only yesterday—the day that the Massachusetts-based company confirmed the rumors. Bobby Hitt told a luncheon meeting of the Oconee Alliance that his department had been working to try to persuade Covidien to change its mind, but ran into difficulty attempting to make contact with those in charge. Hitt told his audience that what happened is a lesson in favor of the need to establish the kind of communication relationship to be able to work with a company that might be thinking about closing or, as in the case of Covidien, relocating elsewhere.