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Magazine taking a closer look at the many positive attributes of Henderson and Vance County
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ENVISION VANCE2013
&&• NORTH CAROLINA •
A Community Moving Forward
Henderson VanceHenderson Vance
progress-energy.com
WE DELIVER ELECTRICITY TO HOMES – and share our energy with the community.
ENERGY HELP l community service
At Progress Energy, we put our energy into more than electricity. Each year, our company and our employees give millions of dollars and countless hours of community service. It’s all part of the Energy Help we bring to you and the community every day.
©2011 Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc.
Martin R. – Lineman
A1 EV12 MAG
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1-85 and NC 39 • Henderson
ADDRESS BUSINESS NAME ......................................................................... PHONE NUMBER946-H A-1 Travel Agency .................................................... 438-3552946-H Advanced Therapeutic Massage ............................. 430-7020941-A African Hair Braiding ............................................... 430-8700946-A-2 All State Ins. (Jeff Ayscue) ...................................... 438-2299945-B Angie’s Dance Academy ......................................... 438-5037941-K Baldie’s Barbershop ................................................. 430-4405946-R B-1 Bingo .............................................................................................943-K-1 Beltone Hearing Center ....................................800-510-6220943-O Boys & Girls Club Offi ce .......................................... 430-1871946-H Center of Attention Hair Salon ................................ 738-0555946-F Children’s Developmental Service Agency ............. 430-3805943-L,M Crawford Properties Offi ce ..................................... 492-0185946-G Crossroads Family Restaurant ................................ 572-2772943-H Daymark Recovery Services ................................... 431-0061 945-C Diana’s Tax Service ................................................. 572-2439941-F Diamond Sweepstakes ........................................... 762-0042946-B Direct General Insurance Agency ............................ 433-0029941-L Divine Styles ............................................................ 430-0547945-H Employment Security Commission ......................... 438-6129939-C Fastax ...................................................................... 433-9555941-E Geter’s Barber College ........................................... 430-1633941-D Happy Nails & Spa .................................................. 430-7700941-G Healthy Treats .......................................................... 430-0893946-S Henderson Business Center......................................438-3717943-K2 Holly Hill Mobile Crisis ..............................................................946-J Home Credit Corp. Offi ce ..........................................433-8022
ADDRESS BUSINESS NAME ........................................................PHONE NUMBER944-A Home Credit Inc. ........................................................492-5599 945-I Home Town Hardware ...............................................492-3166946-C Insurance Partners of NC ..........................................431-9100946-X In Touch GPS .............................................................430-7781943- A,B K Discount Beauty Supply .........................................492-7483943-J KARTS ........................................................................438-2573946-W Lincare Medical Supply .............................................433-8801946-A Little River LP Gas Co. ...............................................430-0900 Mini Storage ..............................................................492-0184945-A Nails To Tails Pet Grooming .......................................430-0570941-H National Finance Co. .................................................436-2274945-E NC Dept of Correction ...............................................430-1203946-D NC License Plate Agency ..........................................438-3528946-A-1 Parham’s Western .....................................................438-4614946-Z Pete Smith Lube & Tire .............................................431-0497941-B REW (Medical Uniforms, Tanning, Jewelry) ..............438-4031939-A RHA Howell Supported Employment ........................430-1434 946-V Salon 31 ...................................................................438-3131945-D St. Mary’s Health Services .................................... 430-6873946-Y Steve Decillis, Attorney ........................................... 492-9982946-P Sun Medical Supply ..................................................438-4360946-H The Attic ....................................................................430-7020939-B Trinkets ......................................................................................946-A3 United Home Care .................................................... 438-1030946-U Vance County Tourism .............................................. 438-2222945-G Vance Job Link Career Center ................................. 438-7324
Who’s who in Henderson & Vance County? All of the Chamber’s members are here in the directory in the center of this edition. To find new members, go to www.hendersonvance.org.
A2 INDEX OF ADS
Membership Directory
4 Tourism = Big Business in Vance County
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Located (Near movie theatre)895 South Beckford Drive, Henderson, NC
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7 Students, Community Rally for Sirocco
9 MPMC Stronger with Duke LifePoint Merger
10 Ashland’s Special Placein American History
15 Henderson-Vance Chamber: 75 & Growing
17 Verallia Retooling, Building, Going Strong
18 Pete Burgess Has Love for Growing Things
19 VGCC Degree Can Mean More in Earnings
20 Wildlife Enthusiast, Vet Team to Rescue Eagles
23 New Foundation Prepares to Give Grants
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at a glance
A3 TABLE OF CONTENTS
124 Main Street
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Welcome to this 2013 edition of Envi-sion Vance!
On these pages you find just a few of the great stories that we have to tell of a grow-ing and thriving community of concerned citizens.
If you are considering relocation to Henderson and Vance County or if you have lived here all of your life, we hope you will find something new and exciting in this magazine that will validate ours as “A Community Moving Forward.”
The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and its 400-plus members want this community to be an even greater place to live, work and play.
Our greatest attributes are numerous!Besides our great people, in Henderson and Vance County you’ll find the
largest retail center between the Triangle and Richmond. A 50,000-acre lake offers varieties of activities and attracts more than a million people each year. First-class medical facilities, a full-service YMCA, a strong community college, a wealth of housing choices and virtually no congestion — all of this and more is found right here at home in Henderson and Vance County.
Your Chamber of Commerce has proudly served the business interests of the community for more than 75 years through the support of its members.
With Chamber membership, a business, industry, civic organization or individual sends a strong message that you believe in and care about your community. Your membership demonstrates a profound recognition that prosperity is achieved through all of us working together in a committed part-nership with the shared common goal of growing our economy. Our collective dedication, drive and sense of purpose will create a better quality of life for all of the community.
Through your membership, we can help you market your business in a va-riety of ways. We offer management and business development opportunities. We can help you with networking with others in the business community.
As our mission statement states, “The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of the business community in matters that affect the ability of local businesses to prosper and grow, and the ability of Henderson and Vance County to attract new business.”
Come grow with us!
JOHN BARNES, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President
Move forwardwith your Chamber
Tourism=BIG BUSINESS
in Vance County
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What Nancy Wilson does by “nature” has turned into a revenue stream of tens of
millions of dollars for Vance County businesses and government.
“I’m an organizer by nature,” said Wilson, executive director of the Vance County Tourism Development Authority.
During any year the TDA will sponsor two events, help at least three organizations market their events and host fishing tounaments at Kerr Lake. The TDA maintains three web sites — one each for tourism, the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and Kerr Lake — and a Facebook page for each. Her office will produce brochures and work with media on campaigns to market Vance County. In addition, Wilson will attend about a dozen trade shows and show off the benefits of a visit to Vance County.
Interestingly, the TDA is only a two-person operation, Wilson and Norman Dickerson, a communications specialist.
And all of it at no cost to taxpayers. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
“We don’t spend local tax dollars,” Wilson said.
Travelers sleeping over at motels in the county pay a six percent occupancy tax — a “heads in beds” tax Wilson calls it — that provides the TDA with a $350,000 to $400,000 budget for marketing Vance County.
Wilson points to travel and tourism numbers for 2011, the last year for which results are available, for the return on the county’s investment in marketing.
According to the N.C. Department of
Commerce, revenue amounted to $41.7 million, nearly an eight percent increase over 2010. Travel and tourism accounted for 280 jobs and a payroll of $5.4 million. State and local taxes amounted to $3.6 million. By contrast, travel and tourism revenue 20 years ago — when Wilson came to her job — was only $26.2 million, state records show.
Tourism, which is the state’s second largest industry, is “the purest form of economic development,” Wilson said.
Every dollar spent is a “new dollar.”“Tourism is a big business in
Vance County, wouldn’t you say?” said Wilson, a Vance County native.
Wilson had been an office manager and, in an earlier life, a drag racer — a life that would eventually birth the TDA’s signature event.
“County commissioners 20 years ago realized they needed someone to market Kerr Lake,” Wilson said. She applied and got the job.
The next year the TDA began its sponsorship of one of its two annual events, Independence Day fireworks at Kerr Lake.
The second event would come to life later as the Show, Shine, Shag and Dine and East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and Reunion, both the result of a gap in downtown events and a gathering of Wilson’s friends from that earlier life in drag racing.
Wilson and her husband, Charles, some 14 years ago, invited friends from drag racing days to their home for a reunion. The guest list grew so large they moved the reunion to a community center.
The opportunity for the event opened up when a downtown fall
festival was discontinued.“What about a car show?” Wilson
recalled asking the TDA’s 12-member board of directors. “You know I can make something out of this.”
Make something, indeed.The 12th annual show is scheduled for
Oct. 18-20.The first Show, Shine, Shag and Dine
in 2002 attracted fewer than a hundred cars. Now the event brings as many as
See TOURISM On Page 6
Former drag racer Nancy Wilson is now Vance County’s director of tourism, bringing fishing tournaments and an immensely popular car show and reunion to her native county each year.
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Marketing Kerr Lake as a venue for fishing tournaments has brought national acclaim to Vance County.
This Chevy is one of 1,500 cars on display at the annual Show, Shine, Shag and Dine car show in downtown Henderson. Upwards of 40,000 people come to reminisce as they view the vehicles on display.
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COnTInUed fROM Page 4TOURISM1,500 cars to the city, along with a crowd of 40,000-plus.
“They keep on coming,” Wilson said, and from as far away as California, Arizona, Nebraska, Michigan and Canada.
They come, too, for the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and Reunion, which Wilson founded the same year the car show began.
Wilson was racing at age 19. “I always loved cars” and was “fascinated with the ability to make them run faster. I was interested in the engine. I needed to know how to make horsepower.” Wilson said she was “probably the first woman in the area” to race dragsters, which she did for 10 years. “It was not common” to find a woman behind the wheel.
The hall of fame was also a way to mirror on the East Coast the way race drivers were honored on the West Coast.
Media coverage of the show helped drive its popularity. “We’ve got outstanding TV coverage,” she said. After the first few years and every year since, one network or another — including ESPN — has filmed and broadcast the show.
The downtown crowds, though, are dwarfed by the number of visitors to Kerr Lake, which, Wilson said, is the county’s biggest draw. Annually from 1.2 million to 1.4 million visitors come to just the North Carolina side of the lake, she said.
“The county’s efforts definitely increase our visitors,” Bryce Fleming, park superintendent at the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, said.
In addition to campers and boaters, Fleming said Kerr Lake hosted 10 fishing tournaments last year and eight are scheduled for this year.
About tournaments, Wilson said: “It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what we needed.... One was bringing in fishing tournaments, which, when she started her job, were “all held on the other side of the lake” in Virginia.
Tournaments are sponsored by corporations and clubs, she said, and the TDA’s role is as host, arranging locations for meetings, registrations and weigh-ins.
Marketing Kerr Lake as a venue for tournaments led in 1997 to a milestone event and national publicity.
See Tda On Page 13
&
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Northern Vance students, from left, Ray Cheever, Nick Sharpe, Dylan Grissom, Justin Care and Amber Stevenson show off their trophy.
Students Community RallyThe N.C. State University Emerging
Issues Prize for Innovation technically was all about a product.
High schools from across the state were challenged to come up with “an innovative design or product that would bring social benefit to their community,” Randy Woodson, the NCSU chancellor, said.
Beyond the product, however, was voting to be done online by the public.
Perhaps no matter how good the product was, a community had to rally to support the young innovators in order to win the Emerging Issues honor.
With five finalists, four other high schools from across the state had larger community bases from which to draw support, but that didn’t deter Northern Vance High School.
When the vote was counted, of about 12,000 votes cast, Northern’s Sirocco project racked up half to take the prize.
Over a span of four months, the five students involved in the project from Jeff Arthurs’ honors engineering class campaigned in Vance County, encouraging citizens to vote for their innovative computer cleaning mechanism.
Sirocco started as a 3D image developed on a computer program called Solid-works. It was designed to dislodge
dust from a computer’s critical functioning parts, with the goal of lowering malfunction rates, while also saving money typically spent on computer repair.
In January the students marched ahead of other competitors, developing a prototype with the help of Bob Esquivel, owner and operator at Salare Inc. of Henderson, manufacturer of a variety of laboratory equipment and custom products.
As winners of the competition, Arthurs’ team received $5,000 for further production of their prototype.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Arthurs. “I’m so proud, proud of these guys most of all.”
Students involved in the project included Justin Care, Dylan Grissom,
See SIROCCO On Page 8
NORTHERN VANCE STUDENTS WIN STATE
AWARD WITH INNOVATIVE COMPUTER PROGRAM
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N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory, third from right, and Jeff Arthurs, right, celebrate at the Emerging Issues forum at N.C. State University.
Amber Stevenson, Ray Cheever and Nick Sharpe.
“Four months of hard work finally paid off,” said Grissom, who will attend N.C. State this fall with plans to major in sports management. “We’re going to try to come up with a business and sell it.”
Sharpe, also a senior, plans to major in engineering at UNC Charlotte in the fall.
“That’s the next step, prototyping and starting a business,” Sharpe said.
The focus of the two-day Emerging Issues Forum was high-wage, quality jobs available in manufacturing today, and how communities throughout North Carolina can seize the opportunities it presents.
Gov. Pat McCrory, who was on hand for the forum and celebrated with students from Northern Vance as they filed on stage after being announced winners, emphasized Vance County as an area where employers abound for the manufacturing industry.
“I want to sell that skill set in Vance County to potential industries,” McCrory said at the 28th annual forum.
While McCrory said he believes Vance could be considered an ideal home for future manufacturers, with Sirocco it proved to be an area that currently cares about community.
The accolades have continued. The students have been honored by the Vance County Board of Commissioners with the Vance County Community Hero Award.
Arthurs was overwhelmed with emotion as he conveyed his gratitude for the support. “I’m just so proud of Vance County,” he said.
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Maria Parham Medical Center has begun its second full year as a Duke LifePoint Hospital.
In November 2011, MPMC joined forces with two prominent healthcare organizations,
Duke University Medical Center and LifePoint Hospitals.“The unique relationship of a world-renowned teaching
hospital, a successful national hospital system and a strong, community-based medical center has strengthened Maria Parham’s position as the region’s healthcare leader,” said Bob Singletary, MPMC’s chief executive officer.
Formed in January 2011, Duke LifePoint Healthcare is a joint venture that was the evolution of a longstanding, successful relationship between Duke and LifePoint,
both of which shared an interest in collaborating with hospitals, physicians and patients to bring quality, innovative healthcare services to communities.
Duke and LifePoint formed the joint venture to build a regional network of hospitals, physicians and other healthcare services that would transform healthcare and enhance the service available to the people in North Carolina and the surrounding region, noted Singletary.
“The essential element of an excellent hospital is its people, and MPMC has assembled an outstanding team of nurses, technologists, therapists, business and support personnel to complement an expert medical staff of more than 140 physicians trained in more than 30 specialty areas,” said Singletary. “Working together, we have the expertise and commitment to provide high quality, compassionate care.”
Maria Parham’s services include emergency medical care, intensive care and progressive care units, medical and surgical services, a cancer center, care for women and infants, orthopedic care, rehabilitation services, radiology and digital imaging, a cardiovascular lab, a heartburn treatment center, sleep and neurological disorders and regional home health.
“Quality and patient safety are at the forefront of everything we do here at MPMC,” Singletary said. “This focus has allowed us to not only meet, but exceed, the stringent healthcare standards set forth by local, state and federal regulatory and governmental agencies.”
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The Henderson-Vance Chamber’s 75th anniversary banquet in January marked a special milestone in the life of Dr. Bev Tucker, who ran a family medical practice in Henderson for 35 years. He was honored as the 2012 Citizen of the Year.
“The 2012 Citizen of the Year epitomizes that simple yet very powerful Rotary Club motto,” said Randolph Wilson, the leader of Rebuilding Hope, the 2011 award recipient. “The 2012 Citizen goes above and beyond in the volunteering of time, talent and resources and greatly exceeds the high stan-dard of putting service above self.”
After retirement, Dr. Tucker devoted a great deal of time as chairman of the board of MPMC and was critical to the suc-cess of the new joint venture with Duke LifePoint.
“Due to the visionary leadership of Bev Tucker and the board, Maria Parham Medical Center’s future is secure and the hospital is poised for continued growth and development,” observed Bob Singletary, MPMC CEO.
Dr. Tucker has also been actively involved in his church’s Sunday school, its music ministry, deacon board and youth program. He has provided leadership for the Henderson Fam-ily YMCA and the Vance County Public Schools Foundation, and he participated in the North Carolina Senior Games.
Joining Forcesfor Better Healthcare
FORMER MPMC BOARD CHAIRHONORED AS CITIZEN OF YEAR
MARIA PARHAM STRENGTHENS WORk IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
DUkE, lIFEPOINTHospital CEO Bob Singletary, left, with Dr. Bev. Tucker, while Tucker was chairman of the MPMC board of trustees.
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Daniel Boone, one of the most famous frontiersmen
in U.S. history, is not a name usually associated with Hen-derson and Vance County.
But Boone’s greatest achievement — blazing the Wilderness Road that opened up the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains to new settlements — was actually conceived and financed by Richard Henderson, one of Vance County’s best-known historical figures.
Henderson was the second of 11 children born to Samuel Henderson, a wealthy Virginia tobacco farmer, and his wife, Elizabeth. The couple moved their family to North Carolina in 1740, when Richard Henderson was five years old.
The Hendersons were the first of a series of families from Virginia to move across the border into North Carolina and inhabit land along the creeks leading into the Roa-noke River. They settled along the largest of them, Nutbush
Creek, named for the abundance of hazelnut bushes in the area.Richard and his siblings spent their childhood growing up on
the family’s tobacco plantation. Ashland, Henderson’s childhood home, still stands on 53 acres off Satterwhite Point Road in northern Vance County.
Richard pursued a career as both a colonial lawyer and judge, but he is best known for a business partnership that led to his hiring of Boone.
Daniel Boone’s greatest achievement conceived by Richard Henderson
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How the West was begun
See WeST On Page 12
In August 1774, Henderson formed a land speculation company with a number of other prominent North Carolinians. Their intention was to purchase land west of the Appalachian Mountains from the Cherokee Indians, who had control of the region. The investors hoped to establish a lucrative British colony in the area. Henderson and his fellow investors moved forward with their plans despite the fact that King George III had closed the door on westward expansion with the royal Proclamation of 1763. The proclamation, which prohibited the spread of colonial settlements beyond the Appalachian Moun-tains, had been issued to calm Indian fears of further colonial expansion after the French and Indian War.
In March 1775, Henderson met with more than 1,200 Cherokees at Sycamore Shoals, near present-day Elizabethton, Tenn. In the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals (sometimes known as the Treaty of Watauga), Henderson agreed to purchase 20
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Located on Satterwhite Point Road near Kerr Lake, Ashland Plantation is Richard Henderson’s childhood home. A colonial lawyer and judge, Henderson is best known for hiring Daniel Boone to blaze the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap, leading to expansion to the West. The photo at top right is of the drawing room with paintings and exhibits of the history of Vance County. The photo at right is the main hall from the staircase landing.
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How the West was begun
million acres of land lying between the Cumberland River, the Cumberland Mountains and the Kentucky River, comprising an area half the size of present-day Kentucky and including land in Tennessee surrounding the present-day city of Nashville.
Henderson hired Boone to blaze what would become known as the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap and into central Kentucky. He followed Boone’s initial expedition with one of his own, further clearing the path so that wagons could be brought through to Boonesborough, the town Boone established on the Kentucky River.
Although Henderson and his group of investors petitioned the newly formed Continental Congress seeking to have the sparsely settled region accepted as the 14th colony, their efforts failed and their claimed jurisdiction over the region was eventu-ally declared void. As compensation, Henderson and his inves-
Richard Henderson’s childhood home, Ashland Planta-tion, is one of North Carolina’s most historic sites. Located on Satterwhite Point Road in northern Vance County, the house is owned today by local lawyer and
historian George T. “Tem” Blackburn II and his sister, Anne B. Almand.
Blackburn’s father, George T. Blackburn, joined forces with a group of other investors in 1973 to purchase the property with the hope of developing the site. The elder Blackburn purchased the house and the 53 acres surrounding it and the property was passed to Tem and his sister.
The original house consisted of two main rooms on the first floor and two smaller rooms on the second floor with hallways in front of the rooms on each floor running along the south front of the structure. The attic was essentially unfinished. Hand hewn roof beams in the attic have Roman numerals where they are joined by wooden pegs to their cross beams. The wooden
lathing to which the plaster adheres on all the interior walls of the house is unplastered along the stairwell into the attic.
Subsequent own-ers removed the origi-nal porch on the south side of the house and added the large Greek
revival addition. This reoriented the house to the east with the front door of the old house located in the main hallway of the new addition. The new wing provided a main hall and a large ballroom, which boasted a fine chandelier.
Blackburn has lived at Ashland since 2009 and has also provided space to house exhibits from the former Vance County Historical Society.
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tors were granted 400,000 acres of land by the governing authorities of Virginia and North Carolina.
Despite the fact that he failed to realize his personal dreams of wealth, Henderson succeeded in opening up the door to the West that would eventually lead to the expansion of the boundaries of the United States from coast to coast.
So why is Henderson’s name absent from most accounts of westward expan-sion? George T. “Tem” Blackburn II, Vance County’s unofficial historian, be-lieves Daniel Boone’s popularity overshad-owed Henderson’s contribution.
“At the time, Boone was world famous as the embodiment of the romantic ideal of the wilderness man,” said Blackburn. An early pamphlet written about Boone and some of his earlier exploits on the new frontier had made him a popular hero.
“Even though Henderson was the ar-chitect and paved the way for the Wilder-ness Road to be built, Boone still received most of the attention,” Blackburn noted. “But astute historians do give Henderson proper credit.”
COnTInUed fROM Page 11WESTThe opening words of The American Heritage History of The Great West, shown below, illustrate the role of Richard Henderson in the opening of the American frontier. His childhood home still stands. He grew up in Ashland, off Satterwhite Point Road in Vance County.
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Daniel Richardson-AgentMatthew Todd-AgentTim O’Geary-AgentJimmy Twisdale-LUTCF-Agency Mgr.Gene Richardson-AgentScott Grissom-LUTCF-Agent
A stop on what was known as the FLW Tour offered a $100,000 first place prize — the first time that large a prize had ever been offered anywhere, Wilson said.
In a story about the fishing tournament industry in a nationally-circulated newspaper, the event at Kerr Lake was recounted, and the tournament returned to the lake the next year.
Tournament-goers purchase camping and boating supplies, tackle and gas; they patronize restaurants, need lodging and go shopping. “Spending new money here,” Wilson calls it.
Marketing “brings attention to broader markets,” Fleming said, resulting in visitors from “all up and down the East Coast and midwest.” Vance County tourism ads appear in regional and national media.
“I market (Vance) as a vacation spot and also for holding fishing tournaments,” as well as the use of community buildings and picnic areas, Wilson said. “People were traveling close to home, and we were able to maintain our numbers.”
Smaller events sponsored by local organizations add to the mix.
Wilson said she’s aware of another “big plus” — Interstate 85 and other highways like U.S. 1, U.S. 158 and N.C. 39 that bring thousands of cars through Vance County each day.
“Tourism has complemented the other parts of our economy,” County Manager Jerry Ayscue said. “As the economy turned down, tourism has kept our hotels, stores and restaurants at a higher level than they otherwise would have enjoyed.”
Tourism is a “very significant part of our economy,” Ayscue said. “Henderson and Vance County are traditionally a retail center and now also a distribution
center. Tourism has brought people into Vance County, primarily Kerr Lake” and “they do spend money here.”
Officials are eager to credit Wilson with the county’s marketing success.
“Tourism is where it is because of Nancy Wilson,” said Tommy Hester, chairman of the board of commissioners and an ex-officio member of the TDA board. Hester, a former member of the tourism committee, the forerunner of the TDA, said, “She’s moved tourism forward. It’s come a long way.”
“She’s constantly looking for ways to improve,” Ayscue said. “The amount, and particularly the quality (of events), have really been amazing.”
The quality hasn’t gone unnoticed.Marketing of both the car show
and the Independence Day celebration have been recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as Top-20 events in the southeast.
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Since the times when tobacco, cotton and
textiles were the area’s bustling industries, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce has acted as the central outlet for promoting economic prosperity.
Three quarters of a century later, with solar energy, new technologies and a bustling retail environment on the economic horizon today, the Chamber celebrates a milestone anniversary with a renewed emphasis on helping Henderson and Vance County thrive.
“Our Chamber of commerce has an immensely rich history of service to this community,” observed John Barnes, the president who became its leader more than a year ago. “It is an honor and a privilege to work with a team of dedicated employees and incredible volunteers toward a common goal of making Henderson and Vance County a strong and vibrant community.”
In late January, hundreds of local business leaders used the occasion of the Chamber’s annual membership meeting and banquet to celebrate the 75th.
A representative of today’s new technology in Henderson and Vance County delivered the keynote address for the banquet.
“Seventy-five years ago a group of men and women had the vision to make their community a better place to live and work,” Joe Carr, the chief executive officer for Semprius, told the crowd of more than 400. “After 75 years, that humble beginning is what you see around you today. The intelligent forethought to help businesses connect, share what works and, just as
importantly, share what doesn’t work, to build an engine of progress, it happened by converting vision to reality. What a triumph this is.”
Carr, who encouraged his audience to have a strong vision and plan for success, played an instrumental role in the design and innovation of patented cell technology being used by his company. Semprius is a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that produces high-efficiency solar
modules.The establishment of a Chamber in 1938 was actually the
third time the community had worked to organize a Chamber, historical records show. The first was in 1912 and the effort was instrumental in bringing several businesses to Henderson, but World War I led to its disbanding. A second effort ceased to function in the paralyzing years of the Great Depression.
Records show that the efforts to revive the Chamber began in 1936, and the first annual report of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce was issued in 1938 when a citizen’s committee was formed to sell memberships.
Currently in Vance County, more than 400 businesses rely on the Chamber as a way to network, formulate business initiatives and market their products and services.
That number has grown substantially since the mid-1980s, when former board chair Michele Burgess remembers starting
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75 Years& Growing
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See CHaMBeR On Page 16
Henderson-Vance Chamber staff, from left, Connie Ragland, Sylvia Edwards, John Barnes, Annette Roberson and Sheri Jones stand ready to help Henderson and Vance County’s business community prosper.
campaigns to boost membership.“There were 250 to 300 business
members when I started membership campaigns using volunteers,” Burgess said. “We got our membership up. It’s always been a growing organization.”
“The Chamber has been very proactive in promoting Henderson and Vance County as a place to do business.”
Greg Griggs, Chamber president from 1998 to 2003, a time when Henderson and Vance County saw significant retail growth, remembers initiatives being made to support new businesses in the area.
“Over the years there have been great local business leaders who have served, and I think it’s really a testament to all the people who have volunteered their time that it’s reached 75 years,” Griggs said.
Former Henderson mayor of 24 years, R.G. “Chick” Young Jr. acted as an ex-officio board member at the Chamber. He still actively encourages new members.
“I always encouraged businesses to join,” Young said. “It’s a great
organization, and the beauty of it is, it’s committed to small business here in Henderson and Vance County.
In his presentation at the annual banquet, Hal Muetzel of Express Employment Professionals, current chairman of the board, noted the similarities between the economic, political and environmental conditions that the founders of the Chamber faced, comparing them to those that we face today.
“When our Chamber was founded,” he said, unemployment, war, polio and a drought were among the challenges.
“Through it all, our founders persevered and even thrived for the next several decades in Henderson and Vance County,” Muetzel said. “It was the spirit of entrepreneurism of our members and community that was critical to our success then and it is that spirit that will navigate us through these tough times.”
He added, “I have witnessed firsthand what this community can do when it puts its mind to it.”
George T. “Tem” Blackburn II, board chair in 1981, the centennial year for
Vance County, recognized the Chamber’s continual mission for economic success through business development.
“It’s the central agency for businesses to contact each other on issues of common interest, particularly in promoting things that would lead to economic growth,” Blackburn said. “That has always, of course, been the number one priority of the Chamber.”
Carr, in his remarks at the banquet about leadership and planning, concluded, “Leadership is the glue that binds a strong vision with a solid plan. Good leadership always maintains integrity, encourages teamwork, persevers and acknowledges grace.
“Today’s visions, actions, plans — all driven by this leadership — will be tomorrow’s history,” he said.
“Seventy five years from now, what will they be saying about us?”
If the first 75 years are any indication, the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce — its staff, volunteers and member businesses and industries — will be ever-striving to make ours a stronger community.
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Building,Retooling ...
...Verallia Still Going Strong
Verallia North America last year rebuilt one of two furnaces at its Henderson plant.
The “multi-million dollar” project enabled a change in the manufacturing process that leads to fewer emissions, according to plant manager Stephane Jean.
A change in other processes beyond the furnace will speed up manufacturing and conserve energy, he said. Furnaces, because of the extreme heat needed in manufacturing, are replaced every 10 to 15 years.
“There is no definite date but we will rebuild furnace number two in the next few years,” Jean said.
The rebuild is another chapter in the story of “the glass plant,” which opened in 1960 and has undergone a number of name changes over its 50-plus year history.
Jean, who has been plant manager for two years, said the operation has “changed a little bit” over the years but is “still pretty stable as far as what this plant has been producing. There are slightly more liquor bottles coming to the plant. The tendency in the liquor business is trying to separate (from competitors) by shape and color (of containers).”
The plant operates 24 hours a day — every day of the year — with 290 employees who turn out a million containers each day for customers who
package, in addition to liquor, pickles, jelly, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and other items. The plant serves about 50 customers, including Bicardi, Mt. Olive and Bay Valley.
“We’ve had new customers in 2011 and 2012,” Jean said. “The good news is this plant is full.”
The 758,000-square-foot plant on 72 acres on Facet Road has had about a dozen name changes and different owners over the years, but it began production in May 1960 as Laurens Glass Works. Ball Glass Container Corp. was among the owners, and, in 1995 it began a joint venture with current owner Saint-Gobain Containers LLC. Saint-Gobain the next year purchased Ball’s interest in the operation, and, in 2010, changed the name to Verallia, “a new international brand dedicated to the manufacturing activities of glass bottles and jars.”
Saint-Gobain is an international industrial group based in Paris, France, and its Verallia North America brand is
the largest glass manufacturer in the world.The plant has weathered economic
storms. During the early days, when production was focused on the carbonated beverage business (decorated returnable and then non-returnable containers), the plant employed more than 1,000 people who operated five glass furnaces and 12 production lines.
However, as the demand for glass bottles in the carbonated beverage industry eventually declined, the plant retooled to service other businesses and markets with a mix of products. At one time during the transition, the Henderson facility was down to one furnace and only three production lines.
“The dedication of our people is key to this business,” Jean said. “There is a lot of pride. They need to be proud of themselves. They make it happen by keeping the plant running.”
The employees and the “customer base is why the plant has been here for 50 years. And the plant is running well,” he said.
Glass products have been running off the production line at Henderson’s Verallia plant since May 1960.
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A Love for Growing Things
Pete Burgess’ heart has never wandered very far from the Vance County farmland where he grew up.
As a boy, he saw how hard his father worked as a tobacco farmer, so Burgess took the opportunity to get a college degree, studying agricultural engineering at N.C. State University.
He helped pay for his education, he earned an ROTC scholarship and then spent two years serving on active duty in
the U.S. Army before returning home.“When I got back home, I thought I’d
swing by the university and see what kind of jobs they had posted for agricultural engineers,” Burgess said. “There were only two. One was with the John Deere Company in Moline, Ill., and the other was with an insurance company in Charlotte. Illinois just seemed too far from home, so I applied for the job in Charlotte with the insurance company.”
With his wife, Sylvia, by his side, Burgess worked for 12 years as a safety
engineer. The couple moved around North Carolina and South Carolina, even venturing as far as Shreveport, La., adding three children to their family along the way. But it wasn’t long before the call to return home became too strong.
“Sylvia’s aunts had inherited Sylvia’s grandparents’ 130-acre farm and they contacted us to see if we’d be interested in buying it. They knew I’d always wanted to get back to farming,” he said.
With the help of his wife’s parents, who owned a farm nearby, the couple returned home in 1968 to find that farming had changed dramatically from the days when Burgess worked alongside his daddy with tractors replacing mules and new technology for curing.
“It was a whole new world, but I never once regretted coming back to the farm,” said Burgess, who is now retired. “I’ve always liked growing things, and a farm is a good place to raise a family.”
The Burgess’ son, Talmadge, has taken over the farm operation on N.C. 39 south of Henderson, and tobacco is no longer the king of crops that it was. Hay is the biggest crop on the farm now, along with soybeans, wheat and rye grown for use as landscaping straw. The Burgess Farms
Pete Burgess, now retired, says hay is biggest crop on farm now being run by his son, Talmadge.
Pete Burgess may be retired from farming, but he’s using his knowledge and resources to help pave the way for a new generation of farmers.
As chairman of the Farmers’ Market Committee and a member of the Vance County Farm Bureau’s board of directors, Burgess is helping spearhead efforts to build a new farmers’ market facility for the county off Beckford Drive in Henderson.
In a county with 250 farms and more than 160,000 acres of farmland producing $12 million in products each year, Burgess is convinced that the new farmer’s market facility will be a valuable addition to the area and an important component in the restoration of the local and regional economy.
“We’ll need to train growers in how to sell and educate the public about how to shop there, but the market will provide an opportunity for future small producers to have a place to sell their farm produce and other products.”
MARkET TOPS BURGESS AGENDA
BURGESS RETURNED TO VANCE TO GROW CROPS & A FAMIlY
See BURgeSS On Page 22
Education can be a major in-
vestment of time and money. Even though Vance-Granville Com-munity College is an affordable option for anyone seeking higher education and training, it is still important that such an invest-ment produce the desired results.
A report issued earlier this year by Economic Model-ing Specialists In-ternational found that for every dollar students invest in their education at VGCC, they receive a cumulative $7.70 in higher future income over the course of their working careers.
If they complete a two-year degree, graduates earn $318,500 more through their careers than they would have if they had only completed high school diplomas.
VGCC students enjoy a 24.5% rate of return on their investments of time and money.
These real-world results indicate that the education provided by the college is of excellent quality, notes Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC.
Educational excellence is necessary for student success, and is one of five areas that Dr. Williams, who became president in 2012, has charged VGCC’s faculty and staff with concentrating on as they develop a new five-year strategic plan.
“Since 1969, Vance-Granville Community College has been in the business of making higher education and training accessible to the people of Vance County, as well as those in Granville,
Franklin and Warren counties,” the president said.
“We’ve done a great job of that by delivering services conveniently and efficiently. Of course, once students have ‘access,’ the focus needs to shift to ‘success’ — making sure that students can achieve their goals, complete a certificate, diploma or degree, and move on to either additional education or straight into a rewarding career.”
VGCC’s strategic plan will call for enhancements to the college’s curricula and instructional methods, as well as support services for an increasingly diverse student population and community partnerships that will empower students.
“Educational excellence benefits all of our students, of course, but it also benefits
the community,” Dr. Williams added.
The EMSI study also found that because education and training make workers more valuable and businesses more productive, the accumulated credits achieved by former VGCC students translated to an estimated $271.3 million in added income for the college’s four-county service area in 2011-2012.
When VGCC is compared to its sister community colleges across the state, the local institution shines again.
In the state’s most recent Critical Success Factors report, VGCC was one of only 16 North Carolina community colleges receiving recognition for “Exceptional Institutional Performance.”
One reason for the honor was that 95% of former VGCC College Transfer students had a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher after two semesters at public universities.
That percentage was higher than stu-dents who had started at the universities as freshmen.
In addition, those students completed up to half of a bachelor’s degree at a frac-tion of the cost of attending the four-year university from the start.
“Thanks in part to our experienced faculty and small classes, including online options, our students are outperform-ing their peers at the universities and are poised for success when they leave VGCC,” Dr. Williams said.
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Two-year degree can mean$318K more in pocket
Students process towards Vance-Granville Community College’s gazebo for their commence-ment exercises.
SURVEY SAYS VGCC STUDENTS ENJOY 24.5%
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Dr. David Conde, veterinarian with his own Mobile Veterinary Service, left, and Frank Newell, founder of the Newell Farms Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, have twice worked together to help Kerr Lake eagles in need of surgery.
Barks, wagging tales and meows are what usually greet Dr. David Conde as he makes the rounds of Vance, Franklin, Granville and Warren
counties as part of his mobile veterinary care practice. But occasionally an unusual creature shows up at his door in need of emergency medical care.
Twice in recent years, bald eagles from the Kerr Lake Recreation Area in northern Vance County have ended up as patients on Conde’s surgical table. In both cases, the birds were brought to him by Frank Newell, founder of the Eastern Bluebird Rescue Group and the Newell Farms Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in nearby Warren County.
The bald eagle population, while still protected by federal law, has flourished to where eagles are no longer considered an endangered species, said Newell. “Eagles are getting more numerous around Kerr Lake where we have a substantial population now.”
Other predatory birds, including red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks and ospreys are also seen soar-ing overhead. Barred owls, great-horned owls and
County Commissioners ........................... 738-2120County Administration ............................ 738-2001Register of Deeds ................................... 738-2110Tourism Promotion.................................. 438-2222Animal Control ........................................ 492-3136Economic Development .......................... 492-2094Board of Elections ................................... 492-3730Cooperative Extension ............................ 438-8188Solid Waste ............................................. 492-3036Planning and Development ..................... 738-2080Senior Center .......................................... 430-0257
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Progressing Toward New OpportunitiesCounty of Vance
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Wildlife enthusiast, vet worktogether to rescue eagles on Kerr
See eagLeS On Page 21
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screech owls are often heard under the cover of darkness.
But with more birds comes more chance of injury.
“The first bald eagle that Frank brought to me had gotten caught up in a power line during an ice storm and broken its wing,” said Conde. Conde has a special interest in avian and exotic animal medicine, hav-ing completed two externships during his residency training at N.C. State University Veterinary College with vets who special-ized in those areas. He was excited by the challenge of helping the wounded eagle.
Conde surgically inserted a pin in the bird’s wing bone and placed the wing in a splint to hold it immobile until the bone could heal. Conde and his assistants cared for the bird for about two weeks, feeding him live mice daily. He was able to hold and touch him without any difficulty. “Eagles are at the top of the food chain in the avian world, so they’re not really natu-rally afraid of any other predators,” Conde said. “He was a pretty calm bird.”
After treatment, the bird returned home
with Newell, who was able to release the eagle back into the wild once it had healed. “Eagles mate for life so when one of the pair is injured like that, they are under a lot of stress until they can get back together,” he said.
The second eagle that Newell brought to Conde was not as fortunate. That eagle had been shot and his wing was badly broken. Conde was able to repair and splint the wing, but could never coax the bird to eat. He eventually died. “I think he was a fairly young bird and that’s probably what made the difference,” Conde said. “The first eagle was older and better able to adjust.”
Over the past decade, in addition to the eagles, Newell has also asked Conde for medical assistance with injured hawks, owls and even an osprey. Conde donates his medical services when a wild bird or animal is injured. “It’s one way that I can give back to the community,” he said.
Enjoying up-close encounters with bald
eagles, hawks and other majestic members of the bird population is one reason that Kerr Lake attracts more than 1.2 mil-lion visitors each year. It’s the third most
popular recreation area in the state of North Caro-lina’s parks and recreation system.
Bird species are numer-ous and bird-watching is a favorite pastime for many visitors. Songbirds include indigo buntings, red-eyed vireos, northern cardinals, prairie warblers, eastern kingbirds and Carolina chickadees. Wading birds such as great blue herons
and egrets can be found along the shoreline as they hunt for fish in the shallows.
Other “fishermen” found above and on the lake include the belted kingfisher and double crested cormorant. In the winter, the common loon and pied-billed grebe can also be observed at the lake. Addition-ally, Canada geese and mallard ducks are frequently seen on the water and along the shore.
COnTInUed fROM Page 20EAGLES
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Acceptingg NeNew Pw atiennts AAt t AAAlll ll ThrThrThrThrThree e LocLocatia ons
Beckford Medical Center, PA176 Beckford Drive • Henderson, NC 27536
Phone: 252-492-2161
Beckford Warren Medical Center816 US Hwy 158 Bus. W., Suite 102 • Warrenton, NC 27589
Phone: 252-257-6213 Beckford Medical Center, PA
6010A NC 561 Hwy. • Louisburg, NC 27549Phone: 919-340-0284
FAULKNER
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ALAN FAULKNER45 Faulkner Town Road
PO. Box 2258 • Henderson NC 27536email: [email protected]
• Office 252-492-7703 • Cell 252-430-9525
SINCE 1987
P.O. Box 590158 By-Pass West Gwynn Lane
Henderson, NC 27536
West Hills Veterinary C E N T R E
Clinic HoursMon. - Fri. 8:00am - 5:30pmSaturday 8:00am - 12 noon
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greenhouses are still filled with tobacco seedlings, but they are grown to supply other growers.
And even though he loves the life, Burgess is well aware that it’s getting more and more difficult to farm for a living, resulting in fewer young people choosing agriculture as a way of life. “The current generation of farmers is growing older and there are very few new farmers coming along to take their place,” he said.
Farmers face a number of challenges these days, Burgess readily admits. “Finding labor has always been a struggle. Migrant laborers from Mexico have been an invaluable resource to American farmers, but immigration regulations and reform remain a concern for farmers.”
Despite all the challenges farmers face, Burgess still believes that a life working the land is one of the best. “I read recently that by 2050, we will need to double the production of food in this country to keep up with the population demand. That’s quite a opportunity for the next generation of farmers,” he said.
A23 EV
205 Toyota Lane, Henderson, NC 27537 HOURS 9:00am-8:00pm Mon.-Sat.
(252) 438-2181 www.toyotaofhenderson.com
We Discount Toyotas Everyday!
We welcome the opportunity for You to worship with us!
Sunday Service Schedule: 8:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist - Rite I
10:30 a.m. - Holy Eucharist - Rite II Religious Education at 9:30 a.m.
Every Sunday at 12:30La misa - Servicio
Service in Spanish. Rector:
The Rev. Donald Lowery www.churchoftheholyinnocents.org
Church e-mail: [email protected]
210 South Chestnut St. • Henderson NC 27536-4223
Church Offi ce: 252-492-0904
Our Mission Statement We Christians, in the Episcopal tradition,
reach out to share the Love of God.
The Church Of The Holy InnocentsEpiscopal
23 EN ISIONVanceUntitled 2 - Page 1 - Composite
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Val Short, the TNHF executive director, in her office on Garnett Street in downtown Henderson.
Since Triangle North Healthcare Foundation changed its name from Maria Parham Healthcare Founda-tion in November 2011, its Board
of Directors has been methodically moving the organization from a fundraising arm of the hospital to a regional healthcare grant-making organization.
“This has been quite an eventful year and a half,” said Val Short, the foundation’s executive director, although most of the work has been done behind the scenes by board members and committees.
“At last, we are almost where we want to be in order to begin giving grants to organi-zations that can help us fulfill our mission,” she said.
That mission is, according to Short, “To encourage, support, and invest in quality efforts that measurably improve health in the Triangle North Region.” This region includes Vance and Warren counties, which See TRIangLe On Page 24
have been designated as Tier One coun-ties, in addition to Franklin and Granville counties.
Since Short’s arrival as executive director in March 2012, the foundation has made a number of changes, including relocating from Maria Parham Medical Center to its present office location on Garnett Street in downtown Henderson.
“We wanted to have a visible loca-tion downtown in a building that could also serve as a meeting place and resource center,” said Short. Other changes for the foundation during the last year include establishing a new logo and business forms, mission and vision statements, as well as policies and guiding principles for grant-making.
“The transition from fundraiser to grantmaker requires more than changing forms and logos,” said Short. “This requires
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation prepares to give grants
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Bridget Waters, DVM
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629 W. Rockspring St. Henderson, NC 27536Henderson-Institute.org • (252)430-0616
Henderson Institute Historical Museum“Our Past...Is Our Future.”
Hours of Operation:Wed. & Sat. 1:00 - 4:00 pmAlso open by appointment
Free Admission (Contributions are Accepted)
Josep V. Feliú, CP, CPed, PTAOffering local, individualized Prosthetic & Pedorthic Care
Ph 252.430.8778 Fax 252.430.8770
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New Patients Welcome. Call for
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24EN ISIONVanceUntitled 2 - Page 1 - Composite
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lots of communication and education to change the assumptions and expectations of the community.”
Although the foundation will no longer be raising funds for the hospital, it will continue its two flagship fundraising events in the future: an annual golf tournament in September and the Gala, which is held every five years. Those events will benefit community non-profit organizations,
specified by the Board, that have the need but also have the potential for impacting health and wellness locally.
“The community really showed its sup-port for this idea, judging from the success of our golf tournament last September,” said Short,
“We generated $9,000 in profits that was presented to the local ACTS (Area Christians Together in Service) for their food bank and feeding program.”
Funding for the foundation and for its mission will come from the endow-
ment that was established after the sale of Maria Parham Medical Center to Duke-Lifepoint. “This foundation board has been given the awesome honor, privilege and responsibility of investing the proceeds of this endowment into the health and well-ness of the current residents of our region and ultimately, future generations. I am so very proud to be a part of it!” said Short.
Information for those seeking grants is available on the foundation’s website — www.tnhfoundation.org — or by contacting Short at 252-430-8643.
COnTInUed fROM Page 23TRIANGLE
Our Mission: To encourage, support, and invest in quality efforts that measurably improve health in the
Triangle North Region.
Our Vision: To live in a healthy community.
Triangle North Healthcare Foundation is a grantmaking organization that will support evidence-based, sustainable, and collaborative programs that
will have a measurable and long-lasting impact on the health and wellness in
the region, including Vance, Warren, Franklin, and Granville counties.
Funding priorities for the current year will be:Chronic Disease Prevention
Reproductive HealthNutrition and Physical Fitness
Mental Health and Substance AbuseSuccess in School as it Relates to Health & Wellness
If you are part of a non-profi t, school, or governmental organization seeking grants that will
meet these priorities, please visit our website for details…
www.tnhfoundation.orgor call us at 252-430-8643!
Formerly Maria Parham Healthcare Foundation
2013Edition
Envision Vance is an annual publication ofthe Henderson-Vance Chamber of Com-merce and The Daily Dispatch, distributed
throughout Vance County and to interested parties outside the area.
Don Dulin, Linda Gupton,Allie Rae Bentley, David Irvine, Martin
Fisher, Alan Wooten, Andrew Beal,Val Short & James Edwards
WritersMark Dolejs
PhotographerHenderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce
Marketing Committee and StaffContributors
Christopher Burwell & James EdwardsSection Designers
Sylvia EdwardsMembership Directory
Desireé Brooks, Nicole Brooks,Denise Edwards, Stacey Reams,Dana Parham & Deborah Tuck
Advertising sales and designClassic Graphics
Printer
414 S. Garnett St.P.O. Box 1302, Henderson NC 27536
Phone: (252) 438-8414 • Fax: (252) [email protected]
www.hendersonvance.orgChamber staff:
John Barnes, [email protected]
Sylvia Edwards, Office [email protected]
Annette Roberson, Directorof Membership Services
[email protected] Jones, Communications Consultant
[email protected] Connie Ragland, Workfirst Coordinator
www.hendersondispatch.com©2013 The Daily Dispatch, 304 S. Chestnut Street,
Henderson NC 27536 (252) 436-2700All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be repro-
duced in whole or in part without written consent.
EN ISIONVance
566 Ruin Creek Road Henderson, NC 27536 (252) 438-4143
QUALITY | EXPERTISE | COMMITMENT
For more information, contact The Cancer Center at Maria Parham Medical Center(252) 436-1148.
I VISIT MY DUKE CANCER SPECIALIST IN DURHAM
Find-a-Physician Listing of Hospital Services Employment Opportunities Health Information Health/Risk assessments Drug Information Medical Dictionary Interactive Tutorials Healthy Recipes Personalized eNewsletter Hospital Information Hospital Telephone Listings
www.mariaparham.com has a lot to offer