NCCBI News

Membership Campaign Hits High Gear
Also: Small Business Board Gains New Leadership

The six corporate membership campaign teams are working hard, and the results are beginning to come in, NCCBI Vice President of Development Rosemary Wyche said in discussing the current campaign to bring in $180,000 of new revenue for the organization.

Under the direction of Second Vice Chair Steve Miller of Asheville, Wyche has trained campaign volunteers from Sprint, Bank of America, SouthTrust Bank, North Carolina Electric Cooperatives, PSNC Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas in a series of training sessions across the state.

Through Miller’s efforts due to his many contacts in the tourism industry, among the incentives secured thus far include Delta Airlines, two round-trip coach class tickets to anywhere in the continental United States; Angus Barn, $100 gift certificate; Ballantyne Resort, golf, lodging and spa package; Kelso Associates, two Great Smoky Mountain Golf Trails coupon books for 2003 season; Chimney Rock Park, two annual passes; Mountain Aire Development, golf for four; Battleship North Carolina, four admission tickets; the Grove Park Inn, two day spa passes; Summit Hospitality Group, package at Landfall Park Hampton Inn and Suites; Linville Caverns, admission for four; Atlantis Lodge, two nights stay at Pine Knoll Shores; Fairfield Mountains Resort, three nights lodging; Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel, two nights stay and dinner for two at Seven Sisters Restaurant; Roanoke Island Festival Park, two admissions; HandMade in America, two books; Tweetsie Railroad, four general admission tickets, Tweetsie dollars, CD; Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen CVB, one night at Hampton Inn, two rounds of golf, polo shirt; Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, complimentary pass for two adults; N.C. Department of Transportation, gift basket with seven gifts; Fayetteville Area Visitors and Convention Bureau, two nights lodging at Holiday Inn Bordeaux, two nights lodging at Holiday Inn, I-95 and at Motel 6; Winston-Salem Convention and Visitors Bureau, gift basket; Reed Gold mine, 50 admission tickets.

Gary Gore of Bank of America won the first grand prize for bringing in a $2,000 member, Polo Ralph Lauren.  His prize from Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club included four rounds of golf at Pine Needles.

Team captains are Ken Reece, Bank of America; Dale Hewitt, Piedmont Natural Gas; Jerry O’Keefe, PSNC Energy; Nelle Hotchkiss, NC Association of Electric Cooperatives; Brenda Dougherty, Sprint, and Robert Dunn, SouthTrust Bank.

“Each team has a goal of $30,000 and we are confident they will all meet their goals,”  NCCBI President Phil Kirk said.  “The enthusiasm of our volunteers is contagious and their efforts are much appreciated.”

Kirk Addresses Burke County Leaders: NCCBI President Phil Kirk urged Burke County leaders “to think big, to think smart, and to work together” in his keynote remarks to the Burke Education Summit on Sept. 15 in Morganton. Sponsored by the Burke County Chamber of Commerce, Burke County Public Schools, Burke Alliance for Youth, Families and Education, and Western Piedmont Community College, the summit brought together 250 educators, public officials, and business leaders for seven hours of speeches, breakout sessions, and networking.

Other speakers included Bill Friday, president emeritus of the University of North Carolina; John Dornan, president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina; Howard Haworth, chairman emeritus of the State Board of Education and former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce; Karen Ponder, executive director of the N.C. Partnership for Children; and Allison Ormond, North Carolina’s teacher of the year.

Kirk called for a greater emphasis on more education for all in Burke County, citing the growing use of technology and critical thinking skills in jobs that formerly did not require even a high school education.  “Of course, not everyone needs a four-year degree, but there are few jobs which do not require at least two additional years of education in the community college system.”

“Having a successful education system does not happen by chance or luck. It requires hard work and educators alone cannot assure successful schools. It takes everyone in the community.”

He encouraged businesses to offer internships and apprenticeships and urged the schools to provide more career counseling, especially in middle grades.

Business Hall of Fame: NCCBI Chair Sue W. Cole will be the emcee at the annual Business Hall of Fame dinner in Charlotte on Nov. 13 at the new Westin Charlotte hotel. This year’s laureates are Annabelle Fetterman, former CEO of Lundy’s Packing in Clinton; Lewis R. Holding, board chairman of First Citizens Bank in Raleigh; Leon Levine, founder of Family Dollar Stores in Charlotte; and Ed O’Herron, former CEO of Eckerd Drugs in Charlotte. To make your reservation or for more information, please contact Shannon Martin of Junior Achievement of the Carolinas at 704-563-4855.


Small Business Board Gains New Leadership
A new chair and vice-chair have been named to lead NCCBI’s Small Business Advisory Board for the next two years. Rosemary Wyche, vice president of development and staff contact for the board, has announced that Pickett Council, vice president of Council Tool Co. in Lake Waccamaw, will serve as chair and Linda Staunch, president and CEO of Linda Staunch and Associates in New Bern, will serve as vice-chair.

The Small Business Advisory Board was organized several years ago and is composed of 50 small business owners from across the state. It meets twice a year and advises NCCBI on various small business issues and interacts with business and governmental officials who present programs at their meetings.

Council previously served as vice-chair of the board and moved up when Steve Zaytoun, founding chair, became the treasurer of NCCBI. A native of Lake Waccamaw, she graduated with a B.A. in business management from North Carolina State University.  She served as director of marketing for ABC Corporate Services, a travel service and travel publishing consortium in New York City.  In 1995 she returned home to join the family business founded by her great-grandfather in 1886. Council Tool is believed to be the only remaining domestic manufacturer of striking tools. She is the president of the Carolina-Virginia Ramblers, a trade association; director of the N.C. Museum of Forestry, and a member of the NCCBI Board of Directors.

Staunch was a member of the senior executive team at Craven Regional Medical Center before establishing her own business in 1995. She serves as a board member of the New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce, the Craven Community Foundation, American Heart Association for Craven County, Centura Bank, and the New Bern Military Alliance. She is president of the Craven County Affiliate of the North Carolina Community Foundation. She is a graduate of Peace College and UNC-Chapel Hill and has a master’s degree from East Carolina University. She is also a member of the NCCBI Board of Directors.

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