Ballard served as the board's chairman during 2011, and he will replace Karen Shore, who resigned in September after five years with the Chamber.
"Kirk has done a remarkable job leading the Chamber in a time of transition and economic challenges," said Randy Marion, owner of Randy Marion Chevrolet and chairman of the chamber's search committee, in a prepared statement. "Kirk is capable of leading the membership and helping the Chamber become a regional partner that will benefit stakeholders and the entire community."
Ballard has 20 years experience in the insurance industry and 10 years real estate experience with Allen Tate Realtors in the Mooresville and southern Iredell County region. He serves on the Mooresville Beautification Committee, where he has been instrumental in the development of the Community Gift Catalogue.
A Mooresville resident since 1979, Ballard has been a part of the Chamber since 2004.
"Kirk Ballard has led the Chamber with proven integrity, strength, and leadership qualities that inspired renewed interest and participation in the MSI Chamber in 2011," said Incumbent Chairman of the Board, Tom McCrea. "His insistence upon transparency in Chamber operations is well documented. Kirk's ability to build and maintain strong relationships and partnerships is evident."
An accomplished artist with several works of art displayed at the Mooresville Library, Ballard serves on the Arts and Science Council. He has been a sponsor for the Teacher of the Year program for the Mooresville Graded School District for the past seven years as well as a member of the Top of the Lake Rotary Club.
For more information on the chamber, visit www.MooresvilleNC.org.
Resolve to give or get work in the new year
If your New Year's resolutions include finding a job or adding to your staff, start the year off with Joe and Terri Carbon of Good Old-Fashioned Auto Repair in Huntersville, as they sponsor a job networking fair.
Called Helping Others Help Themselves (HOHT), the Carbons will be joined at the HOHT fair by co-sponsors Vickie Stevens of "Along Came Vickie" and Heather Valeri of Flair Creative Group on Tuesday, Jan. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 9820 Northcross Center Court in Huntersville. The fair is designed to connect Lake Norman-area employers with job seekers.
For more details, send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Seats in high demand for MSI chamber event
The Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce will host its 2012 "Celebrate Business Luncheon & Annual Community Excellence Awards" Friday, Jan. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event's primary sponsors are Duke Energy and the Randy Marion auto group.
This year's keynote speaker will be Pat McCrory, the former seven-term Charlotte mayor who recently said he was "100 percent committed" to a run for N.C. governor in 2012.
Due to demand, the event has been moved from its previous location at the Charles Mack Citizen Center to The Cove Church, 197 Langtree Road in Mooresville. The chamber leadership will pass the gavel to its new incoming chairman as well as name the winners of its community excellence awards. The event's beach theme will be complemented by a non-alcoholic Tiki bar and a steel drum band from Trinidad.
Seats are $45 each and can be reserved by calling 704-664-3898 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
LKN Habitat project gets Wells Fargo boost
In a cooperative effort between the Our Towns Habitat for Humanity chapter and the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce, plans were recently announced to build a project home set to begin early next year.
Called "Business Build 2012," Kevin Mahl, chairman of the chamber's community affairs committee, said in a recent statement the fundraising is now under way for the $71,500 project, which has been given a significant boost out of the starting blocks by a $50,000 grant from Wells Fargo Bank. Mahl says $30,000 of that has already been directly committed, with the remaining amount to be funded by $20,000 in matching contributions by the community.
Mahl says Wells Fargo will match a series of 20 $1,000 sponsorships by area businesses or private contributions made between now and the end of January 2012. At least five of those 20 sponsorships have already been filled.
Since 1988, Our Towns Habitat for Humanity (on North Main Street in Cornelius) has built affordable homes in Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville and Mooresville, providing families in need with a "hand up," not a "hand out." Families selected to receive a Habitat home must commit to performing several hours of "sweat equity" in their own home as well as those of others, in addition to attending a variety of home ownership classes.
To contribute, as well as donate time and energy to the actual build (scheduled for March 10 through June 10), visit www.ourtownshabitat.org/donate.html and click on the "Business Build" button.
Hall of fame nod for AXA's Woody
Local resident and Cornelius businessman Norris Woody, a financial professional with the local office of AXA Advisors, LLC (19900 West Catawba Ave., Suite 207), has been inducted into the company's Hall of Fame. The announcement was made by K. Mark Poulton, a divisional executive vice president for AXA Advisors and manager of its South & Western Carolinas office.
"Induction into the Hall of Fame is a testament to Norris's skills and is in recognition of his success," says Poulton. "He is a highly regarded financial professional who has been continually recognized for his personal commitment to clients, professional leadership and outstanding sales performance."
Entry into the company's Hall of Fame requires qualifying for AXA Advisors' National Leaders Corps for 10 years of nationally ranked honors.
Woody graduated from High Point University with a degree in pre-law and is past president of the alumni association. He received a Certificate in Retirement Planning for completing the AXA Equitable At Retirement program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Woody is active in professional and community organizations, including the executive committee for the Boy Scouts of America and the Town of Cornelius Planning Board. He is a board member of Global Evangelism Ministries in Charlotte, and has been a member of the National Ski Patrol for 39 years where he is a member its board of directors.
Marketing vacancy filled at MSIEDC
Mooresville resident Jessica Rivers has been named the new existing industry and marketing manager at the Mooresville-South Iredell Economic Development Corp.
After graduating from the University of South Carolina, Rivers moved to the Charlotte area where she held customer service and sales positions, and will now be responsible for business retention and expansion as well as general marketing at the agency.
The position Rivers fills has been vacant since March, when Robert Carney was promoted to the MSIEDC executive director slot.
MSU local campus signs deal with DOD
Mountain State University, with a campus in Mooresville, has signed a formal agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense that makes university degree programs more accessible to service members in all branches of the military, MSU President Charles H. Polk announced recently.
"This agreement, known as a memorandum of understanding, opens our doors to hundreds of thousands of our brave men and women serving in the military," Polk said. "We take great pride in being a military-friendly institution, and this MOU takes our long-standing relationship with the military to the next level."
Mountain State belongs to the Service members Opportunity Colleges consortium and has earned designation as a "Military Friendly School" by G.I. Jobs magazine for several years in a row.
MSU offers nearly 300 courses to military personnel, giving them the opportunity to earn college degrees, sometimes without ever setting foot in a traditional classroom. Active duty military, reservists and National Guard members are eligible for discounted tuition rates and financial aid.
"This agreement specifies that Mountain State provides college credit for military training, for example," Polk said. "With this agreement, MSU has made a commitment to participate in such services as the Air Institute Portal (Air Force) and GoArmyEd (Army), making it easier than ever for service members to access MSU programs."
About eight percent of Mountain State's students serve as members of the armed forces.
For information about MSU academic programs, call 866-367-6781 or visit www.mountainstate.edu.
LNRMC brings two new execs on board
Lake Norman Regional Medical Center has announced the addition of Jeffrey Mullis and Annie Brawley Craven to its administrative team.
Mullis, the new assistant chief financial officer, joins the hospital from Novant Health, where he was corporate director of logistics. Previously, he has held management positions in finance, accounting, distribution, logistics and operations for IBM Corp. and Solectron Technology, both in Charlotte. Mullis received his undergraduate degree in finance and accounting from Wingate University, and his MBA from Pfeiffer University. A lifelong resident and native of Concord, Mullis is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Institute of Internal Auditors, and serves on the board of directors for the Girls and Boys Club of Cabarrus County.
Craven is LNRMC's new director of rehabilitation services. A native of Mooresville, she is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is certified in functional capacity evaluations and has received extensive leadership training from the Studer Group. Prior to joining Lake Norman Regional, Craven held the manager of rehab services position at Davis Regional Medical Center for 18 years in Statesville.
Local race teams ink new partnership
Red Horse Racing in Mooresville has signed an agreement to participate in Huntersville-based Joe Gibbs Racing's engine program for its NASCAR Truck Series teams beginning with the 2012 season. As part of the agreement, JGR will also provide the Red Horse Racing program with additional technical support.
JGR's engine program provides engines for NASCAR Truck Series and Nationwide Series teams. JGR has been one of NASCAR's most dominant teams in the Nationwide Series over the past four seasons with three owner's championships to its credit (2008-2010). Over that four-year span, JGR has won 59 races, with 143 top-five and 205 top-10 finishes.
"We're honored to have Red Horse Racing participate in our engine program," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. "Everyone in our Nationwide Series program has done an outstanding job over the past several years and certainly our engine program has been a big part of that success. We look forward to helping teams elevate their programs in both the Truck and Nationwide series through our engine program and added technical support."
Red Horse Racing enters its eighth year of Truck Series competition in 2012. Thus far the team has amassed five wins, 46 top-five and 99 top-10 finishes, establishing itself as one of the premier Truck Series operations in the garage area.
"We are thrilled to announce we are making the move to use Joe Gibbs Racing engines and receive technical support from such an outstanding organization," said Red Horse Racing Managing Partner Tom DeLoach.
"JGR has established themselves as the leading Toyota team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. As we look toward our new relationship in 2012, our goal is for Red Horse Racing to put Joe Gibbs Racing engines in victory lane for the first time in the Truck Series and to compete for the 2012 Truck Series championship.
"We are very excited about this opportunity to grow Red Horse Racing and we feel that this new technical and engine relationship combined with the people we have in place is the combination we have been looking for."
Founded in 2005 by DeLoach, a former Mobil Corp. executive, and NASCAR veteran Jeff Hammon, Red Horse Racing has five victories and six poles in its brief existence. DeLoach and Hammond also own Performance Instruction Training (PIT) in Mooresville, the number one pit crew training center in the world that also has many corporate training options that include team-building, lean manufacturing, motorsports demonstrations and more.
— SpeedwayMedia.com
