People News and Notes: TowneBank celebrates opening of Greenville center

TowneBank and Towne Insurance have officially opened the doors to their new Greenville Financial Center at Red Banks Road and Arlington Boulevard, the companies announced. The 30,000-square-foot, two-story building houses banking and mortgage on the first floor and Towne Insurance and Towne Benefits on the second floor.

The opening comes after a two-year construction project with Hudson Brothers Construction as the general contractor, E.R. Lewis Construction as the site work contractor and HBA Architects as the designer. PC&A Business Environments put the Towne finishing touch on the interiors.

The full-service office features a remote drive-through with a Towne24 ATM lane and a meeting room available to community groups. The front entrance fountain includes a sculpture of two herons in flight, created by renowned sculptor David Turner of Virginia's eastern shore. Work by North Carolina artist Richard Fennell procured through City Art Gallery is featured inside. A TowneBank clock is located on the street corner.

TowneBank Greenville President Greg Steele shared his enthusiasm in the company announcement that the Towne family in Greenville has finally moved into its permanent professional home.

"We've had such a warm welcome since TowneBank opened in Greenville in 2019," Steele said. "We look forward to welcoming all of our Greenville community through the doors of the new TowneBank Greenville Financial Center, where you will find the friendly faces of your local bankers, insurance advisors, benefits consultants, and mortgage loan officers waiting for you."

Jim Clement, president of Towne Insurance for the Carolinas, said of the move, "Since we brought Towne Insurance to Greenville in 2013, we have nurtured our expertise in this market and enjoyed welcoming our mortgage, bank and wealth management partners. We continue to provide a broad scope of insurance products and services including commercial property and casualty, personal lines, contract and surety bonding, group and individual health and employee benefits, and various life insurance products.

"I am most heartened by our community partnerships with local service organizations and as the official bank of ECU Athletics," Clement said.

The Greenville center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, with the drive-through open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Greenville residents are invited to come in to say hello, the announcement said. As a welcome, the center is offering personal and business specials for a limited time. Visit townebank.com/greenvillespecials for more details.

Founded in 1999, TowneBank operates 50 banking offices throughout Hampton Roads and Central Virginia, as well as northeastern and central North Carolina.

NCDOT Appoints Highway Division 2 Engineer

The N.C. Department of Transportation's Division 2 is entering 2024 under new leadership.

Jeremy Stroud has been appointed as the new Division Engineer for Division 2, following the retirement of former Division Engineer, Jeff Cabaniss.

Cabaniss, who retired on Jan. 1, served the Department for 32 years.

Stroud graduated from N.C. State University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and subsequently began his career with NCDOT the same year.

Stroud has made steady advancements throughout his ongoing career with the Department. Over the last 17 years, he has served Division 2 as a transportation engineering associate, assistant resident engineer, division bridge maintenance engineer, Pitt County maintenance rngineer, assistant division maintenance engineer, division maintenance engineer and most recently as deputy division engineer.

As the new division engineer, Stroud will be leading the efforts for ongoing projects happening in Division 2, which consists of Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Pamlico, and Pitt counties.

This includes the highly anticipated Havelock Bypass scheduled to be completed in late 2024. Travelers will now have a high-speed alternative to U.S. 70 in Havelock, leading to better traffic conditions and improved freight movement along the corridor.

E.B. Aycock teacher finalist for state award

A Pitt County Schools educator is among 27 teachers from across North Carolina to be selected as a finalist for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching 2024 Empower NC Beginning Teacher of the Year Award.

Camryn Story, an exceptional children's teacher at E.B. Aycock Middle School, is one of the finalists the NCCAT announced last month.

The NCCAT Beginning Teacher of the Year process was developed to honor beginning teachers and to retain teachers who show promise as excellent teachers and education leaders in North Carolina public schools and public charter schools.

Finalists will participate in a week for professional development at NCCAT February 12-16, 2024. The winner, to be announced Feb. 15, will receive a $5,000 cash prize and participation in a GoGlobal N.C. trip in 2025.

"NCCAT is thrilled to have the chance to honor this exceptional and worthy group of educators," Executive Director M. Brock Womble said. "Each finalist has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to their practice, and in a short period of time made a profound impact on their students, families, schools, and communities. Thank you to the school districts they come from for their commitment to student success with quality teachers."

Pitt awarded Distinguished Budget Presentation

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded Pitt County Government its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.

The award represents a significant achievement by Pitt County Government. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.

In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as:

A policy documentA financial planAn operations guideA communications device

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

There are more than 1,700 participants in the Budget Awards program. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

To learn more about GFOA, visit gfoa.org/pafr-award or visit pittcountync.gov/financialservices for Pitt County budget and financial operations.

ECVC receives Hire Vets Medallion Award

U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su recognized Eastern Carolina Vocational Center as one of the 859 recipients of the 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during a virtual award ceremony presented by the U.S. Department of Labor. ECVC earned its fifth consecutive gold award after applying earlier this year. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire, and retain veterans.

"ECVC's commitment to our veterans continues as we have been awarded the Department of Labor's HIRE Veterans Gold Medallion for our fifth straight year. Our practices of hiring veterans over the years have become a culture normalcy here at ECVC and we are well aware of the contributions Veterans make to an organization. As a veteran myself, I am also honored to be part of an organization that naturally supports our veterans," said Darone Dancy, Vice President of Workforce Operations.

ECVC joins 859 other companies from 49 states and the District of Columbia that have shown a commitment to hiring veterans and ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service.

Recipients of the 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages; availability of veteran-specific resources; leadership programming for veterans; dedicated human resource efforts; pay compensation and tuition assistance programs for veterans. More than 1,600 employers have earned a HIRE Vets Medallion Award since 2018.

Pitt County Government presents service awards

Employees with Pitt County Government were presented with awards for five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of service. Honorees were:

FIVE YEARS

David Anderson, sheriff's 0fficeHeriberto Calles, buildings and groundsChantel Campbell, detentionAngel Corpening, social servicesAquilia Dail, social servicesVincent Gallardo, detentionDavid Goltermann, tax administrationMallory Norris, social servicesLaquita Richardson, social servicesTroy Scheller, sheriff's officeSteven Tomlinson, detention

10 YEARS

April Biggs, social servicesTomika Bryan, social servicesRhonda Dawson, social servicesShelia Dixon, social servicesJonathan Joyner, management information systemsSidney Wainwright, sheriff's office

15 YEARS

John Maynard, solid waste and recyclingHelen "Merle" Overton, social servicesRandy Patterson, management information systems

20 YEARS

Tammi Corbitt, social servicesNikki Dolenti, sheriff's 0fficeEric Gooby, planningJohn Madigan, detentionMichael Stroud, sheriff's officeCandace Teel, social services

25 YEARS

Sandra Andrews, human resourcesLisa Nichols, register of deedsMonica Ponds, management information systemsSonya Scott, social services

Pitt County announces staff retirements

Pitt County Government has announced the retirement of several employees. Leaving service to the county are:

William "BJ" Pittman retired after 18 years and three months. At the time of his retirement, Pittman was a real property appraiser at Pitt County Tax Administration.Edward "Chad" Suggs retired after 27 years and 10 months. At the time of his retirement Suggs was a captain at the Pitt County Sheriff's Office.Marilyn Russell retired after 21 years and five months. At the time of her retirement, Russell was a master detention officer at Pitt County Detention Center.Jocephus Toler retired after 21 years and four months. At the time of his retirement Toler was a master detention officer at the Pitt County Detention Center.Grayson Coward retired after 28 years and two months. At the time of her retiremen, Coward was a income maintenance caseworker II at Pitt County Social Services.Kathy Small retired after 19 years. At the time of her retirement, Small was a system analyst with Pitt County Management Information Systems.Wanda Nobles retired after 19 years and four months. At the time of her retirement, Nobles was an administrative assistant I at Pitt County Tax Administration.Tammy Harris retired after 16 years and seven months. At the time of her retirement, Harris was a real property specialist with the Pitt County Tax Administration.

Chamber hosts membership celebration

The Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to the 2024 Annual Membership Celebration, presented by ECU Health Medical Center, from 6-9 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the Hilton Greenville, 207 S.W. Greenville Blvd.

Members are invited to attend as the program highlights the past year's accomplishments and celebrates the 2023 award recipients.

Scheduled to be honored are:

Legends Award: Dr. Jasper Lewis,

Eastern Orthodontics & Pediatric DentistryCitizen of the Year:

Ethan Lenker

, Pitt County SchoolsAmbassador of the Year:

Doug Rifenburg

, 5th Street Hardware Restaurant & TaproomYoung Professional of the Year:

Carly Moore

, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Tickets are $100 for individuals, $185 per couple and $800 per table and can be purchased at www.greenvillenc.org/events/2024-annual-membership-celebration.

RSVP by noon on Feb. 2. For more information, contact Aileen Peacock at 752-4101, Ext. 2223.