GREENSBORO, N.C. – Kelly S. King, Chairman and CEO of BB&T Corporation, is returning to the Wyndham Championship as the honorary chairman, it was announced today. The 71st Wyndham Championship begins Monday at Sedgefield Country Club.
King held this same position in 2009. A recognized community leader in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, King is the third consecutive Honorary Chairman from outside Guilford County, emphasizing the Wyndham Championship’s increasing regional impact. King is the chairman of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, a body created to unite the Piedmont Triad region.
As the honorary chairman, King is serving as an ambassador for the PGA TOUR event which provides important economic benefits for the entire region and the state. As the Wyndham Championship evolves, the honorary chairman leads the charge to promote Piedmont Triad regionalism through the PGA TOUR event.
King joins an impressive list of former honorary chairmen that includes Allen Gant, president and chief executive officer of Glen Raven, Inc. in Burlington, N.C., Paul Fulton, Chairman of Bassett Furniture Industries in Winston-Salem, N.C., Mackey McDonald, former Chairman and CEO of VF Corporation, Dennis Glass, president and chief operation officer of Lincoln Financial; Jim Melvin, president of Bryan Foundation and former mayor of Greensboro; Charlie Reid, former chairman of United Guaranty and Fred Starr, former chairman of Thomasville Furniture.
While the honorary chairman serves as a tournament ambassador, the general chairman heads the tournament committee, the lead group of volunteers that oversees each area of tournament operations. Each Wyndham Championship area is supported by a staff member and a tournament- committee member who leads the volunteers in each area.
This year’s general chairman is Lindley Ivey, radio communications specialist with Creative Communications, a company that specializes in on-site event communications. Ivey is also a former NFL referee who now officiates high school football. He began volunteering for the Piedmont Triad’s PGA TOUR event in 1988 and has been a part of the tournament ever since.
“We are very fortunate to have the people who make up our tournament committee involved with the Wyndham Championship,” tournament director Mark Brazil said. “I really don’t believe there’s a better or more experienced tournament committee at any other PGA TOUR event. These people are dedicated to making our PGA TOUR event the absolute best it can be, and we couldn’t present the Wyndham Championship without them. I thank them for their loyalty and commitment to excellence.”
Seventeen people make up the all-volunteer tournament committee; members of the 2010 committee are below with the areas of tournament operations they represent and their employers:
2010 General Chairman: Lindley Ivey, Creative Communications
Concessions: Steve Melton, Signature Wealth Management
Contestant Services: Mike Barber, Attorney
Course Management: Randy Williard, Williard Technical Services, Inc.
Course Management: Will Yearns, Yearns Properties, Inc.
First Impressions: Marc Bush, Greensboro Sports Commission
Media: Heather Hirschman, Atlantic Coast Conference
Parking/Shuttles: Sam Ayers, Southeast Buswerks, Inc.
Pro-Ams: Thomas Hockman, Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC
Pro-Ams: Clayton Pressley, Duke Energy
Security: Mike Ebel, MACTEC Engineering & Consulting
Sponsor Services: Erin Winters, Made to Order
Sponsor Services: Will McPherson, The Trust Company of the South
Member at large: Chuck Pinnix, Buckner Miscellaneous Iron
Member at large: Jim Ahrends, Kitchen Cabinet Worx
Member at large: Mason McClain, Sunbelt Business Brokers
2009 General Chairman: Eric Richardson, Oxner Thomas + Permar, PLLC
The 2010 Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 16-22 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. Tickets are available at wyndhamchampionship.com, through the tournament office or at any Piedmont-Triad Harris Teeter location. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide and Premier Partners, BB&T, Flow Automotive, Harris Teeter and VF Corporation for their continued support. Additional tournament information, including ticket packages and sponsorship information, is available at wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570. For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.