Executive Committee to Meet
on Sept. 7
On
the Agenda: Successful Membership Drive,
Remarks by Lieutenant Governor Candidates
The NCCBI Executive
Committee will hold a quarterly meeting on
Thursday, Sept. 7, in conjunction with the
Triangle Area Meeting at the Angus Barn
restaurant between Raleigh and Durham. The
meeting begins at 10 a.m. After the meeting, the
NCCBI Executive Committee members will
participate in the Area Meeting, which is
expected to attract more than 300 people.
The Executive Committee will hear a report on the
annual membership drive, which is under the
direction of Second Vice Chairman Jim Hyler of
Raleigh. The First Citizens Bank executive is
expected to report that more than 300 new member
companies have joined the association since April
1, the most successful drive in memory.
Hyler and his team at First Citizens, led by Alex
MacFadyen, had brought 353 new members into NCCBI
as of Aug. 30. The bank's Eastern Region folks
alone are responsible for 73 new members, and the
First Citizens' Sales Finance people also are
doing a great job. Fred Thomas and his team in
Sales Finance have sold 38 memberships, including
18 by Rusty Lee and 10 each by Mark Blevins and
Vann McKee.
The second phase of Hyler's plans for the
membership drive now kicks into gear. He is
expected to tell the Executive Committee that a
push will begin for NCCBI Board members, with the
assistance of NCCBI staff, to recruit two new
members each before the end of the year. Hyler is
stressing that the best way to do that will be
for Board members to bring prospective members to
the upcoming Fall Area Meetings
Four NCCBI board members have met or exceeded
their goal of bringing in two new members --
Marvin Musselwhite, Bob Wright, Mac Everett and
Gordon Myers.
Chairman Mac Everett will stress the importance
of NCCBI Board members responding to a letter he
sent them earlier asking them to submit the names
of their prospects so those individuals could be
invited to the Area Meetings. Board members
should send those names to NCCBI Director of
Development Rosemary Wyche (919-836-1413 or rwyche@nccbi.org)
All NCCBI members are encouraged to bring a
prospective member to the Area Meetings.
The Republican and Democratic candidates for
lieutenant governor are scheduled to give brief
remarks at the Executive Committee meeting and
the Small Business Advisory Board meeting. On the
program are GOP Sen. Betsy Cochrane of Advance
and Democratic Sen. Beverly Perdue of New Bern.
Throughout this election year, NCCBI has created
opportunities, such as this one, for association
leaders to meet and brief candidates for
statewide office from both parties.
Bevacqua Rises in
Lobbyist Rankings
The new rankings of
lobbyists working in the General Assembly are out
and NCCBI has two in the Top 10, an unheard
achievement for a nonprofit membership
organization. Coming in at seventh place is
Leslie Bevacqua, NCCBI's vice president of
governmental affairs, followed by association
President Phil Kirk at eighth out of the 830
lobbyists plying their trade in the General
Assembly.
Bevacqua, who ranked 12th the last time the
rankings were compiled, is now the highest-ranked
woman lobbyist in Raleigh, according to the N.C.
Center for Public Policy Research. The rankings
are based on the center's survey of legislators,
legislative liaisons, lobbyists and capital news
correspondents.
“Obviously we are pleased to be the only
association with two lobbyists ranked in the Top
50,” said Kirk, who noted that the Top 50
list of lobbyists is dominated by “hired
gun” private firms that represent several
clients.
Zeb Alley, a private lobbyist who represents
CP&L, Dimon Inc., Duke Energy and several
other large firms, remains the state's top-ranked
lobbyist, followed by Roger Bone, Don Beason, Al
Adams, John Bode and Mike Carpenter.
“We have a team effort -- it's not just
Leslie and me,” Kirk added. “Our newest
lobbyist, Director of Governmental Affairs Julie
Campbell; Steve Tuttle, who writes our excellent
weekly Legislative Bulletin; Kela Lockamy, our
valuable legislative assistant -- all have
contributed to our overall ranking, as well as
other staff members.
“But I can't say enough about the important
role which our 2,000 members play at the
grassroots level,” he continued. “Their
personal relationships with their legislators
make our job in Raleigh easier and enables us to
be more effective.”
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