NCCBI News

Kirk shares tips for success with college graduates
Spring is time for college commencements, and NCCBI President Phil Kirk has spent lots of time speaking to graduates in the past few weeks. Here is a sampling of the advice he has shared with them.

Speaking to the graduates at Lenoir Community College, Kirk told the audience that “much of life is about choices, and education at LCC has hopefully given you the ability to make the right choices.”

He urged the graduates not “to be afraid to rock the boat. Do not accept the status quo. Look for better ways to do things.” He also said, “Take the time to live so that when your family and friends think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.”

Speaking to 250 graduates at his alma mater, Catawba College, Kirk talked about leadership. “Leaders are not born with all the traits necessary to become leaders although family genes and early life experiences can help. A leader develops goals and a vision. Armed with a strong sense of values and high morals, an effective leader motivates and pushes and encourages.”

Quoting Dwight Eisenhower, he said, “I’ll tell you what leadership is. It is persuasion and conciliation and education and patience. Leadership is also the ability to hide your panic from others.” He encouraged the students to develop a sense of humor and to never give up.”

Kirk spoke to 4,000 persons, including 680 graduates, at the graduation exercises for Guilford Technical Community College in the Greensboro Coliseum. He urged the graduates “to work hard and work smart to be successful. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. That is how you grow as a person.”

While stating that academics are very important, he added, “A positive attitude-something not easily taught nor easily learned — will go further in bringing you success and happiness. Remember attitude determines altitude. How high you fly, how much you succeed in life is by and large determined by you.”

Kirk urged all three audiences “to use your ability. Don’t let life be a passive experience. Take time to reach out to those who are in need and take time to serve others.  Be a volunteer!”

Speaking to the North Carolina Community College Trustees Association, Kirk said challenges facing educators in North Carolina require tough decisions, strong leadership, and effective communications.

He pointed out that all aspects of public education in North Carolina face similar challenges—exploding enrollments, real budget reductions, low salaries, and lack of funding for equipment, repairs and renovations, and new facilities.

 Kirk urged the trustees from across the state to continue to involve their graduates, faculties, staffs, and trustees in telling the “fantastic success stories” to public officials. “Put a human face on all the statistics you use. Your programs are the primary tool our economic developers use to sell North Carolina.”

Kirk is now an honorary alumnus of East Carolina University. In a banquet presentation on May 10, the East Carolina University Alumni Association recognized Kirk for his “outstanding advocacy and dedication to the mission of East Carolina University.”

Layton Getsinger, vice president of the ECU Alumni Association, made the presentation, along with Margaret C. Ward, president of the association, and ECU Chancellor Bill Muse.

Kirk was thanked for his service to East Carolina University through his service on the ECU Board of Visitors, his keynote speech at Founders Day, and his advocacy for business and industry throughout eastern North Carolina. He was also praised for his service as chairman of the State Board of Education, a position he relinquished on May l after five and one-half years.

In another ceremony on May l at the State Board of Education meeting, Richard Swartz and Mary McDuffie, representing the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Western Carolina University, announced the creation of the Phil Kirk Endowed Educators Scholarship at NCCAT. A minimum of $25,000 is required for a scholarship.

Greenville Section Unveiled: The Greenville-Pitt County community profile, which appears in the May issue of the North Carolina magazine, was officially unveiled at a Community Leaders Breakfast on May 8 at the City Hotel and Bistro in Greenville.

Jordan Whichard III, publisher of the Daily Reflector, and a member of the NCCBI board, welcomed the 75 business and community leaders to the breakfast. He thanked NCCBI for the profile and urged those present who are not members to join the state chamber of commerce.  Jimmy Garris, Pitt County Commissioner, gave the invocation.

Kirk saluted Pitt County for its “positive, can do attitude.” He emphasized several factors that go into selecting communities for profiles in the North Carolina magazine, including  strong support for education at every level, co-operation among the various groups in the community, and an emphasis on public service and volunteer activities.

He paid particular tribute to the health care industry as the main factor in Greenville and Pitt County’s progress, which included a 7l percent growth in population in the past 20 years.  He mentioned East Carolina University, the Brody School of Medicine, Pitt Memorial Hospital, and the University Health Systems of East Carolina.



New members: Companies that joined or rejoined NCCBI in March and April of this year, along with the name of a key executive at each company include:

 Ad Pro, John Murphy, Raleigh; Aramark, Joseph Neubauer, Philadelphia, Pa.; Belmont Abbey College, Carol Brooks, Belmont; Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, Joe Satterfield, Young Harris, Ga.; Boise Cascade Office Products Corp., Brion Blais, Charlotte; Business North Carolina, Ben Kinney, Charlotte; The Capitol Group, Don Beason, Raleigh; Charlotte Regional Sports Commission, Jeff Beaver, Charlotte; Collett & Associates, John Collett, Charlotte; Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog, L.L.P., Patricia Holland, Raleigh; Craven County Committee of 100, James T. Davis, III, New Bern; Duke Management Co., Thurston B. Morton III, Durham; Duke/Raleigh/Durham Hospitals, William Donelan, Durham; Duke Realty Corp., Andrew Kelton, Morrisville; Fidelity Investments, Wayne Douglas, Raleigh; First Health of the Carolinas, Charles Frock, Pinehurst; H & M Diversified Investments Inc., John McConnell III, Raleigh; InoVision Inc., Robert Hall, Matthews; Institute for Defense & Business, William T. Powell Jr., Chapel Hill; Invest UK, Gayle Sellman, Atlanta, Ga.; Jackie’s Cleaning Service, Martin L. Banks Jr., Raleigh; JDavis Architects, PLLC, Jeffrey Davis, Raleigh; R.A. Jeffreys Distributing Co., Leigh Jeffreys Fanning, Greenville; Joe Gibbs Racing, Dean Noble, Huntersville; JRS Properties Inc., T. S. Royster, Oxford; Lexmark International Inc., Patrick Brewer, Lexington, Ky.; Office of John Martin, Hon. John C. Martin, Raleigh; Mountain Top Ventures, Chuck Strum, Franklin; Novozymes North America, Lee Yarbrough, Franklinton;  Nyberg Fletcher & White Inc., John White, Greensboro; The Orr Group, Glenn Orr Jr., Winston-Salem; Petra Leadership Solutions, John Grinnell, Chapel Hill; Red Hat, Tom Rabon, Raleigh; Office of Carl W. Repsher, Carl Repsher, Salisbury; Richmond County Government, Ronald Munnerlyn, Rockingham; Rock Barn Golf & Country Club, John Hemmings, Conover; Sandhills Area Chamber of Commerce, Joy Clayton, Southern Pines; Scotland Memorial Hospital, Gregory Wood, Laurinburg; Scottish Food Systems Inc., Charles Mullins, Laurinburg; SELEE Corp., Mark Morse, Hendersonville; Smith Moore LLP, Danielle Adams, Greensboro; Stabilus, Dave Richardson, Gastonia; Static Control Components Inc., Charles Taylor, Sanford; Superior Seeding Inc., Joe D. Carpenter Sr., Gastonia;  Teague, Campbell, Dennis, & Gorham, LLP, George Pender, Raleigh; Troutman Motors, Wayne Troutman, Concord; Turner Construction, Bill Caldwell, Charlotte; TWT Distributing Inc., Thomas Tyree, Charlotte; Tyson Commercial Properties, John Tyson, Fayetteville; VF Corp., George Derhofer, Greensboro; Wagner Murray Architects, David Wagner, Charlotte;  and Wilmington Machinery, Russ LaBelle, Wilmington.

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