Chamber Inducted Seven Individuals and Families into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame
CHAMBER INDUCTS SEVEN INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES INTO THE CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO BUSINESS HALL OF FAME
Chapel Hill, NC – The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce honored seven individuals and families at its annual Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Celebration on Thursday, November 6 at The Carolina Inn.
“The Chamber created the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame to honor individuals with a record of achievement that demonstrates excellence in business management; entrepreneurial and courageous thinking and action; inspiring leadership; community impact; and whose time as a business leader made a substantial, positive and lasting impact on the greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro communities. Our success today is built on our inductees’ hard work, dedication, and vision,” said Aaron Nelson, President & CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber recognized the following individuals and families into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame:
Eva Barnett, Eva’s Beauty Shop
Stephen Edwards, Midway Barber Shop
The Hogan Family, Lake Hogan Farm
Jean Holcomb, Viking Travel
Eddie Mann, Orange Federal Savings & Loan
Ted Seagroves, Seagroves Insurance Agency
John Woodard, Sutton’s Drug Store
Stephen Edwards and Ted Seagroves were being inducted into the Business Hall of Fame posthumously. Citation readers included Braxton and Barbara Foushee; Margot Lester of The Word Factory; former UNC Athletic Director; Dick Baddour; Bob Saunders, partner with Brooks Pierce; Hall of Fame selection committee chair Bob Woodruff of The Cedars; State Farm agent Pam Herndon, and Marc Pons of Chapel Hill Tire & Car Care Center. The Ringtones, Michelle Coley, and UNC Department of Music students entertained guests with musical selections, both before and during the ceremony.
Full citations of these individuals service are listed below. For photos of the 2015 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame, visit the Chamber’s Flickr account at http://bit.ly/1M2c2R5. Please give photo credit to Susan P. Murray.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame is sponsored by The Europa Center, East West Partners, The Word Factory, Chapel Hill Country Club, The Cedars, Pam Herndon - State Farm, and Preservation Chapel Hill.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro (NC) Chamber of Commerce is a business leadership organization serving the greater Chapel Hill, NC community. The Chamber serves and supports the business interests of its more than 1,100 members and helps create a sustainable community where they can thrive. Chamber members employ more than 80,000 in the Research Triangle region.
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Eva Barnett, Eva’s Beauty Shop
Miss Eva Barnett provides much more than salon services at her West Rosemary Street beauty parlor. In addition to exceptional haircare and beauty services, Miss Eva is a certified nursing assistant and offers keen insights and a helpful hand to community members. Born and raised in Carrboro, Eva Barnett graduated from Orange County Training School in 1946 and from Shavers Beauty System the following year. Eva Barnett opened Eva’s Beauty Shop in 1970 at 704 West Rosemary Street in the Midway neighborhood and she continues to operate it today, forty-five years later. Miss Eva’s long tenure as a business leader has made her a true role model for enterprising young women. Eva’s Beauty Shop is the oldest business owned by an African American woman and is the second-oldest business in the Midway district. Her faith guides her service to others, whether sharing a compelling Bible verse or providing hair care to the ill and infirm. Eva Barnett is well-known for her honesty, her integrity and her willingness to both teach and listen. Eva is a sister to her brothers Arthur James and Riley Jr. and to her sister Alice Ruth Scott. For her service to the community and the for the example she has set for women in business, we are proud to induct Eva Viola Barnett into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
Stephen Edwards, Midway Barber Shop
Stephen Junior Edwards was not just an excellent barber. He was a savvy businessman and an economic development leader. Mr. Edwards turned his post-War dream into the foundation of a community. A strong community leader and one-man catalyst for business development, after returning home from World War II, Mr. Edwards worked in Durham and Chapel Hill barber shops before moving to Carrboro to construct one of the central buildings that form the Midway business district to house his barbershop. Mr. Edward’s 707 West Rosemary Street is still home to his Midway Barbershop, which he opened in 1952 making it the oldest African-American owned business in Carrboro. The Midway Barber Shop building also provided commercial space for other minority-owned enterprises, a place to spend the night for travelers in the segregated south, and now houses a diverse array of ventures, continuing to spur business formation and job growth. From behind his barber chair, Stephen Edwards would hold court. Stephen was a role model for African–American business owners, advising other entrepreneurs and encouraging civic engagement. For building a sustainable small business hub, serving the community, and creating economic opportunity for African-Americans we are proud to induct Stephen Edwards into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
The Hogan Family, Lake Hogan Farm
Centuries before Orange County was internationally known for its local foods and agri-tourism, the Hogan family was laying the foundations of our current community as they farmed the beautiful land north and west of Chapel Hill. Residing in our area for nine generations, early family members were integral in establishing our strong University, creating a faith community, and nurturing our agricultural economy. Brothers Glenn, Jack, Henry and Hubert Hogan established Lake Hogan Farm in 1930. Glenn’s work with animals and masonry; Jack’s interest in energy and building; Henry’s vision, organization, and community connections; and Hubert’s knowledge of crops, equipment and innovative technology combined to help them build a strong, successful farming business. From acquiring the first rural electrification grant in the nation that ultimately brought power to over 1,600 Orange County farms, to the Hogans serving 74 consecutive years on the Orange County Soil and Water District Conservation Board, to caring for the University’s blue-horned ram, Rameses, since 1924, the Hogan family has made a long and lasting contribution to the economy of Orange County. For their leadership in shepherding rural Orange County into the modern era, their agricultural legacy, and their contributions to the community, we proudly induct the Hogan family into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
Jean Holcomb, Viking Travel
Named a Town Treasure by the Chapel Hill Historic Society in 2010, Ellen ‘Jean’ Holcomb was a an active member of the Orange County community for two decades before founding her travel agency in 1979 and adding ‘business leader’ to her list of accolades. Whether working with local Girl Scouts, welcoming newcomers to Chapel Hill, or assuming leadership roles with organizations like Chapel Hill Preservation Society, the YMCA, and the Public Private Partnership, Jean brought energy, knowledge and enthusiasm to everything she did. Only the second woman to chair the Chamber’s board of directors, she led the growth of our business community as she grew her own Viking Travel. Jean was a pioneer for professional women and remembers being told that she would not be successful in business because she was a woman – and she so very much enjoyed proving them wrong. While known to us as a local business leader, Jean is recognized throughout the travel industry and served on the board of a host of national professional associations including the American Society of Travel Agents. Through tectonic shifts in the travel industry, Viking Travel continues to adapt and thrive due in large part to Jean’s leadership and personalized service. For her success as a business owner and her tireless volunteer work, we proudly induct Ellen Jean Holcomb into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
Eddie Mann, Orange Federal Savings & Loan
From his early days working with his father in residential construction to leading Orange Savings & Loan into a major institution and generous community benefactor, Carrboro native Eddie Mann has been a dynamic force in developing resilient businesses and empowering home ownership. Eddie helped create the Home Builders Association of Durham and Chapel Hill and served as its first president as well as serving as a founding board member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce and one of its first board chairs. In 1964 Eddie became the Treasurer for Orange Savings and Loan and was named CEO in 1980. Guiding his organization through the extraordinary banking reforms of the early 1990s, Eddie oversaw its Orange Saving’s acquisition by Centura Bank ensuring stability for employees and customers. Eddie also helped lead the Orange Water and Sewer Authority in expanding the local water supply, leading OWASA’s effort to acquire hundreds of acres of farm land, without condemnation, that were needed to create the Cane Creek Reservoir. Extending his reach beyond Orange County, Eddie was the founding director and first CEO of the Community Affordable Housing Corporation that helps build housing for low income residents throughout the southeast. For his essential and influential role in creating a strong foundation for our local community and providing sound leadership during turbulent times, we are proud to induct Edward “Eddie” Mann Jr. into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
Ted Seagroves, Seagroves Insurance Agency
Born in Durham and a Chapel Hillian by choice, Ted Seagroves was a pillar of business and civic life in Chapel Hill and Orange County. As an insurance agent he helped people protect what was important to them - and as a volunteer and community leader, he enriched our community with his service and support. After returning from military service in Vietnam, Ted joined Nationwide Insurance in 1972 and just two years later purchased the agency in Chapel Hill and eventually expanded to Mebane, Pittsboro and Raleigh. Ted learned and taught others that the key to building a business was community involvement and strong relationships. His enthusiastic and unwavering support of local and national causes and institutions—including The North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center, his East Chapel Hill Rotary Club, and the Chamber—deeply enriched our community and our State. During his forty years in business, Ted received multiple awards and recognitions from Nationwide and today his children Pete and Amy continue the agency’s work and their father’s legacy.
For his dedication to caring for local residents and businesses, and his unbridled support of many important organizations in our community, and his exceptional business leadership we proudly induct Theodore B. Seagroves Jr. into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
John Woodard, Sutton’s Drug Store
Pharmacist John Woodard didn’t plan on owning Chapel Hill’s longest running business; but when given the opportunity, the Carolina grad leapt at the chance to become the third owner of Sutton’s Drug Store in 1977. As pharmacist and proprietor, John grew the business into an enduring enterprise that’s as dear to its daily patrons as it is to visiting alums and tourists. John did both little and big things that made Sutton’s so special to so many of us. For example, in the early 1980s John posted a photo of a group of breakfast regulars and that small gesture caught on as more and more people asked for and got their pictures taken and hung on its now well-pictured walls. John presided over the business from the pharmacist counter at the rear of the store filling prescriptions and dispensing advice and living what so many merchants shared with him early in his career – that the secret to building a sustainable business was to be there in person to show people how much you appreciated them. For his leadership and his devotion to our community and for his growth and careful guardianship of a Chapel Hill landmark, we proudly induct John Vernon Woodard Jr. to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.