BY DEBBIE PAGE
The Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce celebrated local businesses, organizations, and community leaders at its 2024 Community Awards lunch, presented by Mooresville Ford, on Thursday at the Mooresville High School Performing Arts Center.
Richard Petty was the keynote speaker for the event, sharing stories of his family’s 75-year stint in NASCAR racing. The King greeted attendees in the lobby, graciously shaking hands, posing for photos, and signing autographs.
BUSINESS STATS
After Chamber President Kirk Ballard presented outgoing MSI Chamber Board Chair Grant Shoe an appreciation plaque for his endeavors over the past year, Ballard introduced incoming chair Brad Harvey, owner of Brad Harvey Creative.
Harvey expressed his appreciation to businesses for providing the jobs that support families, serving and donating to community organizations, and driving the economic engine of southern Iredell County.
About 80 percent of chamber members are businesses with 15 or fewer employees, Harvey revealed.
Though many in Mooresville are not natives to the area, Harvey pointed out that these newcomers are having families here, and Mooresville will be the hometown to this new generation.
The Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber is there to serve all businesses, whether large or small, newcomer or old-timer, young or old, or minority-owned, Harvey said. The organization can mentor startup owners or help established and experienced businesses to expand to new heights.
Ballard next presented statistics about the business climate in North Carolina, including a No. 1 ranking for business for the second year in a row by CNBC. The number of businesses formed in 2021 was 178,300, am all-time high, with 172,000 formed in 2023, the second highest number ever for North Carolina.
In Iredell County, 2,515 businesses opened. About 11 percent of these new business owners started a business after experiencing job loss, with 55 percent acting on a new opportunity.
In Mooresville/South Iredell, 371 businesses opened last year. The chamber welcomed 133 new members and performed 85 ribbon cuttings, along with over 100 podcasts featuring local business owners.
The chamber also posted 600 job openings for members, shared 7,000 business and community posts, and had 9,000 daily Facebook encounters with visitors wanting to learn more about Mooresville.
The chamber is also a participating in the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, including support for hydrail, short for hydrogen rail, an emerging class of rail-based transportation technology that uses cleaner hydrogen as fuel.
AWARDS
The Sara Haire Tice Women in Leadership Award honors a woman in leadership and her accomplishments in the Mooresville-South Iredell area. Mooresville Town Commissioner Lisa Qualls presented the award to the 2023 recipient, Feed NC’s Chief Executive Officer Lara Ingram.
Ingram thanked the donors, volunteers, and FeedNC staff that show “how people care about other people in this community.” She loves seeing people come back to serve the organization that once helped them get back on their feet.
“I would never choose to be anywhere other than here,” Ingram said. “I feel like that I have been given just the opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of such an amazing thing.”
She also thanked her husband for being her partner at home, which allows her to strive in her career, as well as the donors who during a pandemic made FeedNC a reality to provide community access to healthy food, workforce education, and many resources.
“Together, we made something really big happen,” she said.
Ingram also expressed her gratitude for having the “opportunity to lead an organization with such a rich history that gives all of us a way to show compassion for other people.”
The Mooresville Ford Business of the Year award recognizes a merchant, industrialist, service representative or any person doing business in the Mooresville-South Iredell area for their outstanding achievement in their chosen field. Mooresville Ford’s Grant Shoe presented the 2023 honor to Dan Breuer, president of Trackhouse Motor Complex.
Breuer emphasized Trackhouse’s desire to draw people to Mooresville and to encourage visitors to support local businesses during their time here. “For us to be successful, I need you to be successful.”
Breuer shared a story of a family bet at a NASCAR race in 1979 at Daytona. He chose Richard Petty as the race winner, but with one lap to go, he handed his dollar to his father because Petty was in fourth place.
However, Petty pushed the pedal down and fought to the front, taking the checkered flag.
Breuer’s dad returned his money and said, “Son, the first thing you better learn is that it’s never over. Why did you give up on the white flag lap? Why did you quit? Mr. Petty didn’t quit!”
“What I learned in that very moment is that it’s never over until you say it’s over. In business, you have bad days. You get up the next day and say, ‘You know what? Today we are going to fix things, we’re going to work harder, and we’re going to do better.’ ”
Breuer’s dad told him if he ever met Petty, he should share half his winnings, so Breuer handed Petty $2 as his share as the crowd of about 500 cheered.
The Mitchell Community College Entrepreneurship Award honors those in the community who deserve a unique spotlight for their innovative and effective work in a privately owned, independent enterprise. MCC President Tim Brewer bestowed the 2023 recognition to Brawley Seed Company and Garden Center’s third generation owners, Adam and Kari Brawley.
Adam thanked their parents Bob and Mindy Brawley for their guidance, their hardworking staff getting ready for spring planting season, and the community for supporting the company for decades.
The Duke Energy Service Award recognizes the commitment to help others and create efforts that bring community members closer as a community and nation. Duke District Manager Joe Crapster presented the honor to the South Iredell Senior Center, located at the Charles Mack Citizen Center.
In addition to providing social opportunities, classes, and resources, Executive Director of the Iredell Council on Aging Jennifer Barraclough said the center removes the stigma of aging.
Her staff looks for “creative solutions to ensure we can all thrive as we age. Aging is a dynamic process, and with the help of the Senior Center, participants are able to obtain new skills and knowledge to share with those around them and to guide them through the process,” Barraclough said.
“The tools that we provide them not only help them age in place but to help them feel valued, to feel loved, to feel heard and accepted, and to give back to their community.”
“Growing older is a privilege; it’s an art, it’s a gift, it’s a luxury not afforded to all. Now is our opportunity to destigmatize aging. It’s time to draw inspiration from the experiences and lessons we have have collected and embrace each phase of life.”
Barraclough also thanked her staff, volunteers, Board of Directors, and their participants.
The 2023 Citizen of the Year recognition honors the contributions of an individual for years of service and deep involvement in the community. Brad Harvey presented Jeff Shoe with the honor, who said his dad was his role model for serving the community and town, Mooresville Graded School District, and organizations such as the Christian Mission, Hope of Mooresville, and FeedNC.
Shoe shared that he writes in a journal daily, including the things he’s grateful for each day such as his healthy family, his caring and inspiring parents, his three precious grandchildren, and his wonderful staff and friends at Mooresville Ford.
He also expressed his appreciation for the Mooresville community that offers new opportunities each day, an award-winning school system, caring nonprofits that deliver hope to those in need, supportive churches, and the elected officials and the MSI Chamber that push for the betterment of the community each day.
The Color Guard for the event were veterans Ralph Dagenhart, U.S. Army Sergeant; Dave Phillips, U.S Navy Master Chief; and Dieter Kramer, U.S. Marine Corporal Sergeant.
Ballard thanked supporting sponsors for the event, including Mitchell Community College, Town of Mooresville, and WHIP radio. Special thanks was given to caterer The Smoke Pit, Lake Norman Party Rentals, David Edwards Photography, Mooresville High School, and Brad Harvey Creative, who created videos on each award winner.
“THE KING”
John Dodson, VP of Universal Technical Institutes and a former Petty Racing employee, interviewed Petty about his family’s rich history in NASCAR. Petty was at the first NASCAR stock car race in 1949, held in Charlotte, watching his dad Lee race.
Petty recounted his dad servicing a borrowed car, slapping a number on the side, and heading off with the family to watch Lee race a truly “stock” car. After Lee wrecked the car, the family had to catch a ride home with an uncle.
The Pettys were the first family that set out to make a living from NASCAR racing, with mom Elizabeth handling the finances and travel, Lee and Richard driving, and brother Maurice building the engines.
The brothers were forced to run the business on their own in 1961 after Lee suffered serious injuries at Daytona and spent four months in the hospital. Petty Enterprises, funded with race winnings in the early days before sponsors entered the arena, employed many in Level Cross.
“Racing now is so professional. People now don’t understand how crude it was at the time, but it wasn’t crude because everybody had the same thing.”
“Over a period of time, they kept modifying them to make a safer race car, a faster race car. In the last couple years, they just forgot about even being stock — it’s just a NASCAR car now. It’s so technical.”
All the early guys worked out of their backyards and raced to earn sponsorships, but newer entrants like the Hendricks and Gibbs made business deals that pushed the early racers out of the winners circle.
“Now it’s strictly a business instead of a sport.”
Kyle told his father “the only thing about racing that’s the same is the green flag at the start and the checkered flag at the end. Everything else is different.”
Petty won seven championships and Daytona 500s and had 200 wins, but The King said that a team of people was responsible for his success. “There’s no such thing as ‘I.’ I by myself can do nothing. It’s the people around me that make me do stuff.”
In the past, Petty said teams made the cars from scratch and figured out how to make them better. Now the teams get the parts from NASCAR and must stay within the organization’s rules, making the cars very even.
Petty recounted the generations of racing leaders, from Fireball Roberts in the early days to Jimmy Johnson in the past decade. “Right now, I don’t think that we have anyone that’s really dominating to be the leader. Somebody will come out of the crowd. We just have to wait to see who it’s going to be.”
Dodson said he and four brothers were all products of what is called “Petty College,” working their way up at Petty Enterprises and soaking up the knowledge of these legendary engine and car builders and drivers. “So many successful people won championships after they left “Petty College.’”
Petty said his cousin Dale Inman spotted talent and moved them up the ranks to build the cars or handed off others to Maurice to learn engine building.
“Now they aren’t engine builders,” said Petty. “They’re engine overseers because it’s so technical that one man can’t do all the work.”
“Now they take all the guesswork out — they put it (data) into the CNC machine and make it.”
Petty advises businesses to think about their customers’ wants and needs to sell their product or service. “Would you buy what you’re trying to sell? Always put yourself in the other guy’s shoes.”
When a customer walks in the door, Petty said that person “is the most important customer you’ve got.” Every customer, whether they buy or not, is important because they will advertise their experience in a business by word of mouth in the community.
Petty said he wants to be remembered not for his racing accomplishments but for his philanthropy, including the Petty Family Foundation and Victory Junction organization, now in its 20th year.
Petty believes that Victory Junction will be his family’s greatest accomplishment. The camp allows children with serious illnesses to experience life-changing, exciting and empowering camping experiences, while providing excellent medical care, at no cost to children or their families.
“I’d rather be remembered that way than all the racing accomplishments we’ve ever done,” he said.
After his interview, Petty also presented a veteran, retired Marine Corps Staff Sergeant and six-time Bronze Star recipient John J. England, with a 75-year Petty Enterprises commemorative coin, one of only 300 made, to help celebrate England’s 100th birthday.
Photos
