GREENSBORO, N.C. – In honor of the tournament’s 75th anniversary and its commitment to the entire Piedmont Triad community, this year, the Wyndham Championship is honoring several special people representing different cities in the region as its honorary chairmen, the tournament announced today. The 75th annual Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 11-17, 2014.
The honorary chairman serves as an ambassador for the PGA TOUR event which provides important economic benefits for the entire region and the state. As the Wyndham Championship has evolved, the honorary chairmen have led the charge to promote Piedmont Triad regionalism through the PGA TOUR event.
The Wyndham Championship has been extremely fortunate throughout its 75 years to have many wonderful volunteers in leadership positions. The people who have filled this position over the years have performed a wide array of tournament-related tasks. These leaders are sharing the honor this year while donating their time to enrich the Piedmont Triad’s PGA TOUR event. With its 75th anniversary, the tournament honors several former honorary chairs and one who represents the Piedmont Triad region for the first time.
Representing Burlington, Glen Raven Chairman and CEO Allen Gant, who served as the 2008 honorary chairman, returns to the role this year. BB&T Chairman and CEO Kelly King, who also served in this role in 2009 and ’10, represents Winston-Salem for the 75th anniversary tournament. Representing High Point is a newcomer to the role of honorary chairman. Royster Tucker III, the CEO of North State joins this esteemed group of Piedmont Triad executives this year.
Last year’s honorary chairman, Bonnie McElveen Hunter of Greensboro shares representation of the Gate City with former Greensboro Mayor Jim Melvin. McElveen-Hunter is a former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Finland (2001-‘03), and currently Chairman of the Board of the American Red Cross and the CEO of Pace. Melvin, who was the 1963 general chairman and the 1986 honorary chairman, is currently president of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation.
“We are honoring these people because of the incredible contributions they have made to the Wyndham Championship,” Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation board chairman Bobby Long said. “With our 75th anniversary, we wanted to do something special. For the last several years, we’ve been promoting our entire Piedmont Triad region as a great place to re-locate or expand a business. So why not celebrate some of the people who have been essential to that effort while also celebrating our 75th tournament? Each of these people has made a major contribution to the region, and we are thrilled to honor them with this special recognition.”
Tucker joins an impressive list of former honorary chairmen that includes McElveen Hunter, Shirley and Henry Frye, Louis DeJoy, Chairman and CEO of New Breed 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.
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 that area.
This year’s general chairman is Mark Ingram, co-owner of Concrete Surface Alternatives in Greensboro. Ingram and his company specialize in the preparation and application of specialized surfaces over concrete. Ingram, a native of Guilford County, been volunteering for the Wyndham since 1987 and brings a vast wealth of experience to the tournament committee.
“We are extremely fortunate to have the veteran tournament committee that we have,” tournament director Mark Brazil said. “I really do not think there is a more experienced group of lead volunteers at any other PGA TOUR event. Mark has worked in just about every area of the tournament over almost three decades. He and the rest of his committee are completely dedicated to the Wyndham Championship. 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 2014 committee are below with the areas of tournament operations they represent and their employers:
2014 General Chairman: Mark Ingram, Concrete Surface Alternatives, LLC
Food & Beverage: Steve Melton, Signature Wealth Management
Player Services: Mike Barber, Attorney/CEO, The First Tee of the Triad
First Impressions: Marc Bush, Tournament Hosts Committee of Greensboro, Inc.
Parking/Shuttles: Sam Ayers, Quality Equipment, LLC
Course Management: Will Yearns, Granville Homes, LLC
Course Management: Mike McDonald, Wild Geese Enterprises
Pro-Ams: Thomas Hockman, Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston PLLC
Pro-Ams: Clayton Pressley, Duke Energy
Security: Mike Ebel, Arcadis, U.S., Inc.
Sponsor Services: Will McPherson, Trust Company of the South
Sponsor Services: Carolyn Walters, Management Services Group LLC
Member at Large: Randy Williard, Williard Technical Services, Inc.
Member at Large: Mason McClain, Sunbelt Business Broker
Member at Large: Mark Messick, Messick & Company, Inc.
Member at Large: Lindley Ivey
2013 general Chairman: Erin Winters, Made to Order
About the Wyndham Championship: Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2014 and 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, New Breed Logistics, 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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