482-4418
Wednesday, June 1 3, 2012
50c
/Bunch quits Chamber for Northeast Commission
/ Replacement
search under way
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Richard Bunch, execu
tive director of the Eden
I ton-Chowan Chamber of
Commerce, announced his
resignation after 26 years
at the helm.
In a June 8 hand-deliv
. ered press release to the
Chowan Herald on Monday
morning, Bunch brushed
away questions about the
resignation. Bunch will
move over to the North
Carolina’s Northeast Com
mission, located in Eden
ton and serves a 16-county
region.
Vann Rogerson, presi
dent and chief executive of
ficer of the N.C. Northeast
Commission, said Bunch
will work as a regional
marketing manager where
he’ll assist with industry
recruitment.
“Richard has been work
ing as a regional developer
for 20 years,” Rogerson
said. “He has demonstrat
ed an ability to work with
people and nas
helped a number
of communities.”
Edenton Town
Manager Anne
Marie Knighton
said Bunch’s new
capacity should
prove beneficial
for both Edenton
and the region.
“I’m -"really happy for
Richard and the region,”
Knighton said. “I know
he’ll work hard for the
region. He has such good
contacts and he knows the
Bunch
region well.
Among Bunch’s
Chamber accom
plishments touted
in the news release
include the forma
tion of the Chowan
County Tourism
Authority, the
A.B.L.E. Center,
which led to the present
day College of The Albe
marle, Phase One of the
Airport Industrial Park,
and 25 annual Christmas
parades.
He also served on vari
ous boards, including cur
rent stints on the COA
Advisory Board, Airport
Advisory Board, Destina
tion Downtown Edenton,
and the Chowan Perqui
mans Smart Start.
Bunch shared the Cham
ber’s success with the lead
ership of 24 volunteers that
served as president of the
Chamber of Commerce.
“Our 24 Chamber presi
dents have been the best
group of people in the
world to work for and their
leadership has allowed
for us to accorhplish so
much,” Bunch stated in
the release.
Plans call for an immedi
ate search for a new execu
tive director for the Cham
ber of Commerce.
“Richard will be missed
but the work of the Eden
ton Chowan Chamber of
Commerce will continue,”
said Deborah Lee, Cham
See BUNCH, 2A
Catfish Cleaning
r--- —i -3^HnmnHnH7-:
PHOTO BY RITCHIE STARNES
Sam Pollock, left, of the Edenton National Fish Hatchery, spearheads a lesson in catfish cleaning Saturday near the conclu
sion of the annual Fishing Derby. More than 400 attended the derby designed for kids 14 and youngeiysponsored by the
Chowan Edenton Optimist Club.
Area primary
losers make
endorsements
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Runner-up and third
place finishers in last
month’s Republican pri
mary have joined forces to
defeat the top vote getter in
the race for the GOP’s bid
for secretary of state.
Michael Beitler has of
ficially endorsed Kenn
Gardner in next month’s
Republican runoff against
Chowan County’s Eddy
Goodwin. Meanwhile, not
only has fourth-place GOP
finisher A.J. Daoud en
dorsed Goodwin, but the
Surry County business
man has been stumping for
him as well.
Both Goodwin and Daoud
attended last Thursday
night’s Al-Pam Republican
Club meet
ing in Wil
liamston.
It was
there that
Daoud told
the parti
san crowd
that Good
win would
be the best secretary of
state and where the prima
ry victor told supporters
that Daoud had been sub
stituting for him at vari
ous functions across the
state, a gesture Goodwin
said Beitler has yet to do
for Gardner.
On Monday while en
route to a stump in Ashe
ville, Goodwin questioned
whether Beitler’s endorse
Gardner
See LOSERS, 2A
Jamesville lands business over Edenton-Chowan
Deal includes
free building
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Martin County’s gain is
Edenton-Chowan’s loss.
Edenton was among the
areas in northeast North
Carolina in the running to
land the Marco Company
as its home distribution
base along with 100 new
jobs. Instead, the Texas
based company chose to
erect a facility in James
ville. Among the advan
tages of choosing James
ville over Edenton - a free
building.
“I think the fact that
they got a free building,
wow!” said Anne Marie
Knighton, town manager.
“That was the absolute
difference. A free building
versus having to buy one
here.”
Board of Commissioners
Chairman Eddy Goodwin
agreed that a free building
put Edenton-Chowan at a
disadvantage to the com
petition.
“We didn’t have a build
ing to give them,” Goodwin
said.
During multiple visits
here, Marco executives
looked at the George C.
Moore building that for
merly housed textile man
ufacturing on a 25-acre
site. The 149,000-square
foot building is now locally
owned after it was auc
tioned last November for
$250,000 after an original
listing of $1.2 million.
Last Thursday, Gov. Bev
erly Perdue joined Marco
Company officials in Wil
liamston and announced
that Martin County was
the firm’s choice to become
home to its manufacturing
and distribution facility
for its retail equipment.
Marco Company plans
to locate a new facility in
Martin County. The compa
ny plans to invest $190,000
over the next three years
at the former location of
McMurray Fabrics. The
110,000-square-foot facility
sits on a 39-acre site along
the Roanoke River. It is
estimated that the reno
vated facility will be open
for operation in about six
months.
“The renovation and new
use for this manufacturing
facility will be an excellent
economic re-use project
for Martin County,” said
Lawrence Lilley, chairman
of the Martin County Eco
nomic Development Com
mission.
The Marco Company
began its search early this
year, considering locations
that would enable the pri
vately held firm to serve
its East Coast customer
base more efficiently
• “We looked at everything
from Jacksonville (Fla.)
to Baltimore,” said Craig
Nickell, president and CEO
of the Texas-based Marco
Company.
Vann Rogerson, presi
dent and chief executive
office of the Edenton-based
N.C. Northeast Commis
sion, said landing Marco is
more a victory for the re
gion than a loss for Eden
ton-Chowan.
“They (Marco) had been
looking up and down I
95,” R'ogerson said. “We’re
lucky to get this. They
looked in other states for
sure.”
He also deflected the.
notion that a building at
no expense was the decid
ing factor that eliminated
Edenton as a contender.
"Once they became com
fortable that our region
could support their com
See JAMESVILLE, 2A
Events fill kid’s summer calendar
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Tm bored.”
How many times each
summer do parents hear
their kids say that once
school ends for the year?
But there is a solution.
Local organizations
such as the Shepard
Pruden Memorial Library,
the Chowan Arts Coun
cil, the Edenton-Chowan
Paries & Recreation De
partment, Chowan 4-H and
the Boys & Girls Club of
Edenton/Chowan County
have joined together to
plan some fun-filled sum
mer activities for kids
that are both interesting
and entertaining.
They include:
Free Summer Reading
Programs at the Shepa
rd-Pruden Memorial Li
brary.
Sponsored by the
Friends of the Library
with help from the Chow
an Arts Council and the
Chowan Parks & Recre
ation Department, these
creative Tuesday morn
ing programs designed to
spark the imaginations of
youngsters will take place
at 10:30 a.m. in the meet
ing room at the library.
• June 19 — The North
Carolina Museum of Sci
ence presents “Batma
nia”
• June 26 — A field trip
to the Elizabeth City Plan
etarium to enjoy “Dreams
of Outer Space.” Limited
to 58 participants; sign-up
now under way
• July 3 — No program
scheduled.
• July 10 — Storyteller
Lynn Reuhlmann shares
“Australian Dreamtime”
• July 17 — The Balloon
Lady, Donna Pruett, will
present “Dream Big and
Read”
• July 24 — Pettigrew
State Park staff will
talk with the kids about
“Dream Catchers and Na
CHOWAN HERALD RLE PHOTO
Horticulture Agent Katy Shook, left, talks with Tristan Ander
son, center, and Vivian Kelly, right, during the 4-H “How Does
Your Garden Grow?" workshop at the Chowan Ag Extension
.Building in Edenton last summer. Here, Shook explains how
insect infestations can damage tomato plants.
tive American Indians.”
• July 31 — During the
final program of the sum
mer, mystery guests will
entertain the kids with
a program entitled “I
See SUMMER, 2A
Edenton AARP
disbands charter
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
One year after securing
a club charter, the Edenton
AARP Chapter No. 5443 of
ficially disbanded on Mon
day.
By unanimous vote by
its membership, the chap
ter officially dissolved. The
action ended a two-year ef
fort by president John Cut
ter to kick-start the chap
ter back to life after it came
close to shutting down.
Cutter expressed disap
pointment at the outcome
but said he felt he had giv
en a tremendous amount
of time and effort to de
veloping a thriving, active
chapter locally. In the end,
he said, that just wasn’t
enough to make a differ
ence.
“We have had some
excellent programs and
some wonderful speakers,”
Cutter said. "But we just
haven’t
been able
to get
enough
people in
the com- ipp«
munity in- *# %
volved.” r «
Cutter
said that
in the fall of 2010 when
Cutter
he became president and
announced plans to reor
ganize the local chapter
with a necessary charter,
as well as adopting bylaws
and getting officers named,
the group had 34 charter
members.
When the final vote to
disband came Monday,
there were only 12 mem
bers plus Cutter present for
the meeting at the Chowan
Senior Center. And the
decision capped off an un
successful effort in May
to name a nominating
Seett»,2A
.■ i
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