NCCBI News

Attendance Surges at Area Meetings

NCCBI members are coming out in record numbers to attend membership meetings held around the state and reacting favorably to a modified format for the gatherings that reserves time at the end for a question and answer session. The revised format for the area meetings is one of several changes suggested by NCCBI members during the satisfaction survey conducted last spring.

The 315 people who attended the Triangle meeting at the Angus Barn in early September was about normal, but the crowds picked up noticeably at subsequent meetings. Sixty-nine members and guests came out to the Benvenue Country Club in Rocky Mount, compared to 45 last year. At the Asheville breakfast meeting at the Grove Park Inn on Sept. 30, the 85 attended compares with 61 last year. The 147 members who came to the Charlotte meeting at the Marriott City Center on Oct. 1 compares with 93 last year. At the reception at the Salisbury County Club on Oct. 1, the 83 who attended almost doubled the attendance of 42 last year. But the most pleasant surprise was the 93 members and guests who came to the Boone luncheon on Sept. 30, more than three times the 26 people who attended last year.

Attendance figures for the rest of the area meetings held in October will be included in next month’s magazine, along with photos from most of them.

Jim Hyler of Raleigh (left), the First Citizens Bank executive and this year’s NCCBI chairman, said in his area meeting remarks that the General Assembly must do a better job of managing the state’s finances during a difficult time for North Carolina’s economy. He said the state must get spending under control.

“A closer look at the state budget over the past 20 years tells quite a story,” Hyler said. “For fiscal ’83, the budget totaled $3.561 billion, for ’02 $14.309 billion, a cumulative annual growth rate of 7.20 percent. Compare this growth in spending to the average rate of inflation for the same period of just over 3 percent and the average yearly rate of population growth of around 1.6 percent. What you have is the state budget growing at a rate of 2.50 percent greater than inflation and population growth combined. Ladies and gentlemen, to me these numbers do not justify the increases in spending that have occurred.”

Hyler told NCCBI members that the state simply can’t continue that growth in spending. “Our elected officials and state employees need to make some tough choices. They come under intense pressure from special interest groups who believe the only way to provide for the needs of the people is to increase spending. (But) we cannot continue to increase taxes to support these levels of spending. And we in the business community need to provide our elected officials with the support and backing they need to take the tough stands and make the hard decisions.”

Hyler added: “Let me remind you that North Carolina’s corporate tax rate and the top individual marginal rate are the highest in the Southeast. This tax structure places our state in a competitive disadvantage in our business development efforts and hinders the competitiveness of our existing businesses. A lot of elected officials and others in state government are saying there is simply not enough revenue to do all that needs to be done. My guess is there will be a lot of pressure next year to increase taxes. Speaking of next year, we’re beginning to develop an agenda, but be assured that we’ll be sensitive to tax increase proposals.

Member Candidates: We’be been running lists of NCCBI members who are candidates in this months’ general election, and coming across more as we hear of others. In addition to those already mentioned in this space, NCCBI members seeking office include Carolyn Grant, the Republican candidate for the new 13th Congressional District; Harris Blake, R.B. Sloan and Clark Jenkins, candidates for the N.C. Senate; and five members who are running for the state House, Bill Daughtridge, Mary Wells, Wiley Wooten, Bill McMillan and Pryor Gibson.

Wyche Wins Award: NCCBI Vice President of Development Rosemary Wyche recently received her fourth national award in three years from the American Marketing and Management Association, the group composed mostly of membership and development executives at state chambers of commerce. Wyche also was elected to the eight-member executive committee of the organization. The meeting was held in Hawaii in September.

New Members: Following are the new members who joined NCCBI during July, August and September. Along with the name of the company, this list includes the name of the owner or principal of the new member. Access Medical Real Estate, Stephanie Wilson, Raleigh; Advantis Real Estate Services Co., Jim Bendel, Raleigh; American Safety Products, Warren Arrington, Raleigh; Barber Chevrolet Inc., James Barber, Madison; Office of Cherie Berry, the Hon. Cherie K. Berry, Newton; Biscuitville Inc., Burney Jennings, Burlington; Carolina Cookie Co., Gary Smith, Greensboro; Office of Robert Carpenter, the Hon. Robert C. Carpenter, Franklin; The Cato Corp., John Cato, Charlotte; Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc., Melvin Tennant, Charlotte; Choate Construction, Chana Ferrell, Raleigh; Clearscapes, PA, Steven Schuster, Raleigh; William A. Current, DDS, PA, Dr. William A. Current, Gastonia; Office of J.A. Dalpiaz, J.A. Dalpiaz, Gastonia; Office of Walter W. Dickson, the Hon. Walter W. Dickson, Gastonia; Discovery Place, John Mackay, Charlotte; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Leon D. Jones, Cherokee; Ferguson Supply & Box Manufacturing Co., Paige Burgess, Charlotte; First South Bank, Thomas Vann, Washington; First State Bankcorp Inc., James C. McGill, Burlington; Flow Companies Inc., Donald Flow, Winston-Salem; Flow Imports Inc. DBA Flow Lexus, Paul Hummel, Kernersville; Fountain Powerboats Inc., Reggie Fountain, Washington; Richard French & Associates, Rick French, Raleigh; General Electric Co., Trey Paris, Atlanta, Ga; GES – Groundwater & Environmental Services, Tom Raymond, Raleigh; Granite Development, LLC, Craig Hunter, Mount Airy; Grubb & Ellis/Thomas Linderman Inc., John Linderman, Raleigh; International Home Furnishings Market Authority, Judy Mendenhall, High Point; Ramey Kemp & Associates,Inc., Ramey F. Kemp Jr., Raleigh; the little bank, Stuart Lindley, Kinston; Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Jim Reavis, Roaring River; Macon Bank, Everett Stiles, Franklin; MCNC, David Rizzo, RTP; Nader & Associates, PC, Ann Nader, Cary; Nantahala Outdoor Center, Mark Singleton, Bryson City; N.C. State Foundation,Inc., Terry Wood, Raleigh; Gastonia; Clark Plexico Consulting Inc., Clark Plexico, Raleigh; Progressive Business Solutions, Tim Catlett, Raleigh; Rick’s Car Wash, Adam James, Aberdeen; Riverstone Business Park, Stephen McBrayer, Spindale; Scotland County Schools, Dr. Shirley Prince, Laurinburg; Sealy Inc., Jeffrey Claypool, Trinity; Sheraton Raleigh Capital, Suzanne Hinde, Raleigh; Bill Smith Ford, Bill Smith, Southern Pines; Wilbur Smith Associates, Dr. Larry Goode, Raleigh; Smithfield Foods Inc., Larry Johnson, Smithfield,VA; South Asheville Hotel/Hampton Inn Suites, John Winkenwerder, Fletcher; Southern Film Extruders Inc., John Barnes, High Point; Stephenson General Contractors, Durwood Stephenson, Smithfield; Summit Developers Inc., Clay Lindsay Jr., Salisbury; Donnell Thompson Construction Co., Donnell Thompson, Chapel Hill;  Tri Properties Inc., Greg Sanchez, Durham; Tyree’s Cars Inc., Larry Tree, Raleigh; Vandeventer Black, LLP, David Ferrell, Raleigh; Virtual Concepts,Inc., Steve Hicks, New Bern; and The Visiting International Faculty Program, Alan Young, Chapel Hill.


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