GREENSBORO, N.C. –Steve Wiggs, BB&T senior executive vice president, chief marketing officer and lending group manager, is the 2015 Wyndham Championship honorary chairman, the tournament announced today. The 76th annual Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 16-23, 2015.
As the honorary chairman, Wiggs will serve as an ambassador for the PGA TOUR event which provides important economic and charitable benefits for the Piedmont Triad region. As the Wyndham Championship has evolved, the honorary chairmen have led the charge to promote Piedmont Triad regionalism through the PGA TOUR event.
Wiggs, a native of Kinston, N.C., began his banking career in 1979 when he joined BB&T. He graduated from BB&T’s Management Development Program in 1980. He has served in the following roles: business services officer in Goldsboro, Beaufort and Morehead City, N.C.; area loan administrator in New Bern, N.C.; city executive of Cary and Greensboro, N.C.; and regional president of the Catawba Valley and Piedmont Regions; and manager of BB&T’s Wealth Management Division. In 2003, Wiggs joined BB&T’s executive management team. He was named as the Corporation’s first chief marketing officer in February 2005 and assumed responsibilities for the Lending Group in 2009.
“The Wyndham Championship means so much to so many people here in the Piedmont Triad,” Wiggs said. “When you add in the charitable impact through the years and the lives that have been changed for the better, you really start to see how important this tournament is to the economic vitality and viability of our region. It’s truly an honor to accept the role of honorary chairman and continue to share the Wyndham’s story and vision for the future.
“Since the early 1980s when BB&T came to Greensboro, BB&T has supported this tournament. We have grown quite a bit since then and so has the Wyndham Championship. The great thing about this tournament is that so many people feel like they have a personal stake in it, and we’re no different. We are incredibly proud of the elevated status that the Wyndham enjoys with the PGA TOUR, and we hope that everyone in the Piedmont Triad also feels a part of this success.”
“What a thrill it is to have Steve Wiggs in this important position,” Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation board chairman Bobby Long said. “BB&T has been a vital part of the Wyndham Championship for decades, and Steve has played a major role in our tournament’s push to promote our region through our golf tournament. Promoting the Piedmont Triad as a great place to live, work and raise a family will help us create jobs.”
Wiggs joins an impressive list of former honorary chairmen that includes North State CEO Royster Tucker III, Pace Communications founder and CEO Bonnie McElveen Hunter, 2012 co-chairs Shirley and Henry Frye, Louis DeJoy, Chairman and CEO of XPO Logistics, Kelly S. King, Chairman and CEO of BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., 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 executive 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.
Longtime tournament volunteer Carolyn Walters is this year’s Wyndham Championship general chairman, the tournament’s lead volunteer. 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 that area. Walters has been volunteering at the Wyndham Championship for more than two decades.
“As the 2015 General Chairman, I am honored, excited and filled with hopeful anticipation of another great year,” Walters said. “It is definitely a commitment but one that is enjoyable, rewarding and one of the things in life that helps me be my best self – personally, professionally and civically. A few years ago, I received a gift from a colleague in the non-profit sector thanking me for my service. There was an inscription on it that I truly subscribe to and believe: ‘It is when you give of yourself that you truly give!’ Thanks to all who continue to give each year; I am looking forward to making the best – the best yet!”
“Carolyn Walters has been volunteering with our PGA TOUR event for decades, and we’re honored that she is serving as our general chairman this year,” tournament director Mark Brazil said. “Carolyn and her committee are completely dedicated to the Wyndham Championship, and I can’t imagine any other PGA TOUR event has a more experienced group of lead volunteers that we have with Carolyn and her committee. As the tournament gets closer, they treat the Wyndham as a fulltime job, but they do it in addition to their real fulltime jobs. That kind of dedication is unusual, and we are very, very grateful for their dedication, leadership and commitment to excellence.”
Seventeen people make up the all-volunteer tournament committee; members of the 2015 committee are below with the areas of tournament operations they represent and their employers:
2015 General Chairman: Carolyn Walters, Management Services Group LLC
Food & Beverage: Steve Melton, Signature Wealth Management
Player Services: Mark Ingram, Concrete Surface Alternatives, LLC
Operations: Michael Brubaker, BB&T
Operations: Erin Winters, MadeToOrder
First Impressions: Marc Bush, Tournament Hosts Committee of Greensboro, Inc.
Parking/Shuttles: Sam Ayers, Quality Equipment, LLC
Pro-Ams: Will Yearns, Granville Homes, LLC
Security: Mike Ebel, Arcadis, U.S., Inc.
Sponsor Services: Will McPherson, Trust Company of the South
Sponsor Services: Tomeisha Dean
Tournament Liaison: Mike Barber, Attorney/CEO, The First Tee of the Triad
Member at Large: Randy Williard, Williard Technical Services, Inc.
Member at Large: Mike McDonald, Wild Geese Enterprises
Member at Large: Mason McLean, Sunbelt Business Broker
Member at Large: Mark Messick, Messick & Company, Inc.
Member at Large: Lindley Ivey
About the Wyndham Championship: Contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors. Tickets are available at wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide, presenting sponsor BB&T and Premier Partners, Cadillac, Harris Teeter, Lincoln Financial, McConnell Golf, Sunbrella®, Technology Concepts & Design, Inc. 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. Stay connected with the Wyndham Championship through its social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Flickr and YouTube.
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