Jack Cecil to represent Buncombe on North Carolina Economic Development Board

Here’s the press release from the office of Gov. Pat McCrory:

Raleigh, NC– Governor McCrory announced the following appointments today:

North Carolina Economic Development Board

Governor McCrory has appointed John Lassiter as chair of the board and Jim Whitehurst as vice chair.

John Lassiter (Mecklenburg County) – Lassiter is president of Carolina Legal Staffing LLC. His company has been honored as a top-300 small business in the Southeast by Business Leader Magazine.

Jim Whitehurst (Wake County) – Whitehurst is president and chief executive officer of Red Hat, a worldwide software company. Prior to his time at Red Hat, Whitehurst served as chief operating officer for Delta Airlines.

Jack Cecil (Buncombe County) – Cecil is president of Biltmore Farms, LLC, a commercial, home and hotel building company. Cecil is a member of the National Advisory Board for the Institute on Emerging Issues. He will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Vimal Kolappa (Beaufort County) – Kolappa is principal of East Coast Builder’s Group and manager of Ayyappan LLC. Kolappa also began his own hospitality company, East Coast Hospitality LLC. He will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Charles Creighton (Chowan County) – Creighton is the CEO of Colony Tire Corporation, one of the country’s largest regional tire dealerships. Modern Tire Dealer Magazine named him Tire Dealer of the Year in 2007.
Creighton will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Terry Hutchens (Cumberland County) – Hutchens is a lawyer at the firm Hutchens, Senter, Kellam & Pettit P.A. He is a recipient of the Long Leaf Pine Award, one of the highest state honors. Hutchens will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Jeff Turner (Duplin County) – Turner is executive vice president of Murphy Family Ventures LLC. He also serves as a director for Vidant Health Inc. Turner will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Chuck Swoboda (Durham County) – Swoboda is the president, CEO and chairman of Cree Inc. He has served as president since 1999 and CEO since 2001. Swoboda will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Eric Pike (Forsyth County) – Pike is the chairman, CEO and president of Pike Electric Corporation. He is a third-generation leader of the company. Pike will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Madhu Beriwal (Durham County) – Beriwal is president and CEO of IEM Inc., a homeland security and emergency management company. She founded the company and has more than three decades of experience in disaster management. Beriwal will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Bob Singer (Guilford County) – Singer is a partner at the law firm Brooks Pierce. Singer is on the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Center for Banking and Finance of UNC-Chapel Hill. Singer will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Melanie McNamara (Guilford County) – McNamara is the owner of Absolute Style Furniture, a furniture manufacturer that supplies assisted living facilities. McNamara previously worked at Weiman/Preview. She will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Bill Shumaker (Iredell County) – Shumaker is CEO and chairman of the board at Kewaunee Scientific Corporation. Shumaker recently relinquished his title as president. He will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Fred Smith (Johnston County) – Smith is a former state senator and founder of the construction firm Fred Smith Company. He is also CEO of C.C. Mangum, a road building company. Smith will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Glenn Sherrill (Mecklenburg County) – Sherrill is president and COO of SteelFab Inc., a steel fabrication company. SteelFab is a family business that was founded by Sherrill’s father. He will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Pat Corso (Moore County) – Corso is a franchisee/partner for Pinehurst Donuts, LLC (Dunkin Donuts). He previously helped start Moore County Partners in Progress and now serves as its executive director. Corso has been appointed to a seat designated for a county economic development representative.

Thomas Skains (Mecklenburg County) – Skains is chairman, president and CEO of Piedmont Natural Gas. He is the second-vice chair of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. Skains will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Harry Smith Jr. (Pitt County) – Smith is chairman and CEO of Flanders Corporation, an air filtration company. Smith held several positions within the company before becoming CEO. He will serve as an at-large member of the board.

Bill Graham (Rowan County) – Graham is a partner at the law firm Wallace & Graham, P.A. He serves on the Catawba College Board of Trustees. Graham will serve as an at-large member of the board.

John Kane (Wake County) – Kane is chairman and CEO of Kane Realty. He is a member of the Chief Executives Organization. Kane has been appointed to a seat designated for a county economic development representative.

Kelly King (Forsyth County) – King is the CEO and president of BB&T Corporation, a holding company of BB&T Insurance Services Inc. He is chairman of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, a nonprofit economic development organization. King has been appointed to a seat designated for a representative of a nonprofit organization involved in economic development.

Thomas Looney (Wake County) – Looney is vice president and general manager for Lenovo North America. Prior to his time with Lenovo, Looney spent more than three decades with IBM. He will serve as an at-large member of the board.

The mission of the Economic Development Board is to provide economic and community development planning for the state, as well as recommend economic development policy to the secretary of commerce, the General Assembly and the governor. The governor’s appointees serve four-year terms.