(FLETCHER, N.C.) July 16, 2009 – Macon County businessman Thomas K. “Tommy” Jenkins has been re-elected chairman of the 19-member board of directors of AdvantageWest, the regional economic development commission serving the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina. A broker for Nikwasi Real Estate Group, Jenkins is a founding member of the AdvantageWest board and will serve a second two-year term as chairman.
Wanda Proffitt, of Carolina Mountain Realty Inc., in Yancey County, was elected to the office of 1st Vice Chair, while Mike Fulenwider, of Fulenwider Enterprises, in Burke County, was elected 2nd Vice Chair.
W. Thomas “Tom” Alexander, business development manager with Taylor & Murphy Construction Co., in Buncombe County, was re-elected treasurer, a post he also held during an earlier period as a founding member of the AdvantageWest board, 1994 – 2001. Dr. Connie M. Haire, of Southwestern Community College, in Jackson County, was re-elected secretary.
Chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1994, AdvantageWest is a non-profit, public-private partnership. Members of the board of directors are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the N.C. Senate.
Major job creation programs of AdvantageWest are Blue Ridge Advanced Manufacturing Initiative, Blue Ridge Food Ventures, Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council, the Certified Entrepreneurial Community(SM) program and the green-collar jobs initiative, AdvantageGreen. Other AdvantageWest programs are the Creative Commerce Commission, which includes the WNC Film Commission, and the international tourism marketing program, MountainSouth USA.
About the board elections, AdvantageWest CEO Scott Hamilton said: “We are incredibly fortunate to have such a strong and active board of directors to help guide AdvantageWest’s efforts to create jobs in our 23-county region. The members of the AdvantageWest board have shown enormous dedication and commitment to the people of Western North Carolina as demonstrated by their support of our program of work. The AdvantageWest staff and I are grateful for their service.”
For more information about AdvantageWest, visit advantagewest.com or call 828- 687-7234.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kathi Petersen
828.712.1286
