CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug 30, 2017 — Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas (JACC), a premier organization dedicated to educating the state’s youth on financial literacy, entrepreneurship and workforce readiness skills, will be inducting four new laureates into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame.

This year’s inductees are:

• Scott Custer – President of Live Oak Bank

• J. Bradley Wilson – President & CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

• Thomas M. “Tim” Belk – Retired Chairman & CEO of Belk, Inc.

• John R. Belk – Retired President & COO of Belk, Inc.

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, MD, M.Div., Senior Vice President of Community Wellness & Education for Novant Health and recent co-chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force, will be awarded the Inaugural Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas’ Golden Pillar Award.

Scott Custer is president of Live Oak Bank in Wilmington, NC. Prior to joining Live Oak Bank, Mr. Custer served as a director and Chief Executive Officer of Yadkin Bank and Yadkin Financial Corporation beginning in July 2014 until the merger of Yadkin Financial Corporation into F.N.B. Corporation in March 2017. Before that, Mr. Custer served as a director and Chief Executive Officer of Piedmont Community Bank Holdings, Inc., beginning in 2010. In November 2011, he became a director and Chief Executive Officer of VantageSouth Bancshares, Inc. and VantageSouth Bank, until the merger of Yadkin, VantageSouth and Piedmont. Under his leadership, Yadkin and its predecessors grew from a start-up bank in 2010 to assets of approximately $7.5 billion before its merger with F.N.B. Before joining Piedmont, Mr. Custer served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RBC Bank (USA), a position he held since 2004. While he was CEO of RBC (USA), the bank grew from $15 billion in assets to $30 billion in assets.

Brad Wilson, President & CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, has brought to the organization a passion for health care, a deep commitment to community involvement and expertise in business and public policy. As president and CEO of the state’s largest health insurer, with 3.8 million customers, Wilson is dedicated to improving North Carolina’s health care system, making health care more affordable and helping BCBSNC adapt in a changing health care environment. His work continues in North Carolina, where he chairs the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation — an independent charitable organization that has invested nearly $100 million in community-based health and wellness efforts. He is also a board member of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and a past chair of the University of North Carolina Board Of Governors. He was recently named a co-chair of the North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice, appointed by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin.

Wilson, who joined BCBSNC in 1995, held a range of senior-level positions before being tapped to lead the organization in 2010. Previously, he practiced law and served as general counsel to Gov. Jim Hunt, directing the governor’s legislative strategy and heading his legal department. A lifelong North Carolinian, Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree from Duke University and law degree from Wake Forest University.

Tim Belk Jr. served as chairman and chief executive officer of Belk, Inc. He joined the company in

1981 as a management trainee in the Belk store at Eastridge Mall in Gastonia, N.C., and subsequently was named buyer of boys and young men’s merchandise for the Matthews Belk group of stores, and manager of the former Belk store at Dixie Village shopping center in Gastonia. In 1985, he joined the Belk Charlotte group as merchandise manager and assistant store manager at the Belk store in Concord, N.C. Over the next four years, he served as divisional merchandise manager for men’s and boys, vice president and director of sales promotion, and vice president of human resources for the Charlotte group. Mr. Belk was named vice president of real estate, Belk Stores Services, Inc., Charlotte, N.C. in 1991, and subsequently became senior vice president of human resources. In 1997, he was elected president of stores and real estate, and the following year was named president of store divisions and real estate of Belk, Inc. He served as president of store divisions, human resources, real estate and visual presentation of Belk, Inc., before his election to chairman and CEO in May 2004.

The Charlotte, N.C., native is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics, and received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981. Tim serves on the board of Carolinas HealthCare System, St. Andrews School and The Orvis Company. He was the 2009 Chair of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he is a member of the board of directors and a past president of the Boy Scouts of America – Mecklenburg County Council, and is an Elder at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.

John R. Belk is the retired President and Chief Operating Office of Belk, Inc. He joined the company in 1983 and held a number of merchandising and store management positions until his appointment in 1992 to senior vice president of store and group operations for Belk Stores Services, Inc. He subsequently became president and chief operating officer of Belk Stores Services, Inc. in 1997, president of finance, systems and operations for Belk, Inc. in 1998, and was named president & COO in May 2004. Prior to joining Belk, Mr. Belk was employed with Irving Trust Company for two years.

John serves on the board of trustees of Novant Health and the board of directors of Ruddick Corporation. He served on the board of Alltel Corporation based in Little Rock, Ark. from 1996 to 2007. He also served on the Bank of America board from 2001 to 2004. The Charlotte, N.C., native is a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., with a Bachelor of Arts degree in honors economics and political science, and received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

John and Tim Belk are the sons of the late Thomas M. Belk, longtime president of Belk stores, and Katherine McKay Belk Cook. Their grandfather, William Henry Belk, founded the company in 1888 in Monroe, N.C. Their father was inducted into the NC Business Hall of Fame in 1998; their uncle, John M. Belk, was inducted in 2000; their grandfather was inducted into the very first Hall of Fame class in 1988.

Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, SVP of Community Wellness and Education at Novant Health and a board-certified family practitioner, has touched the lives of thousands of patients from Charlotte, her home since 1980. Dr. Garmon-Brown has a bachelor’s degree in biology from North Carolina Central University and a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She did her residency in family medicine at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. In doing so, she became the first African-American female resident in Family Medicine. She became the Medical Director of all Presbyterian Urgent Care Centers in 2000 and Medical Director of Presbyterian Company Care in 2001. In 2007, she was promoted to Vice President of Business & Community Partnerships as well as Novant’s Community Benefit Department. In 2012, she was promoted to SVP of Physician Services. Dr. Garmon-Brown also served as team physician for the Charlotte Sting.

In 2003, Dr. Garmon-Brown returned to school to obtain a master’s in divinity. She graduated from the Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education in fall 2007. Dr. Garmon-Brown is a leader in the community serving as Medical Director of the Charlotte Community Health Clinic, a free clinic for the poor and uninsured; former Medical Director of the health clinic at the Salvation Army’s Women’s and Children’s Shelter; and volunteers at the Charlotte Pregnancy Care Center. Beyond helping those across the Charlotte region, Dr. Garmon-Brown travels the globe as a missionary delivering free care to those in need. Through her leadership in Kenya, where she has traveled numerous times over the past 11 years, she set up a mini-health clinic. She also has done medical mission work in Uganda, South Africa, Guyana, Jamaica and other locales in the United States.

Hosted by Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas, The North Carolina Business Hall of Fame was established in 1987 to recognize business leaders who significantly contributed to building this state’s economy and who provided outstanding community and statewide service. The North Carolina Chamber selects the laureates each year.

QUOTES:

“We are beyond excited to welcome our four new laureates into the Business Hall of Fame,” said Sarah Cherne, president and CEO of JACC. “This year is particularly exciting, as it is the 30th anniversary celebration of the NC Business Hall of Fame. All of the accomplishments by our inductees have made such an impact on the state of North Carolina. We are also especially thrilled to present the Inaugural Golden Pillar Award in recognition of an individual who has made a significant and lasting contribution toward moving the local economy and community in a better, stronger direction, has put service above self, demonstrated leadership in civic service, created positive change, and inspired others to strive for success.”

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ABOUT JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF CENTRAL CAROLINAS (JACC):

Junior Achievement (JA) is the world’s largest organization dedicated to providing young people in grades K-12 with the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for the future, and make smart academic and economic choices. Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas (JACC), headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, operates offices in Asheville, North Carolina, and Rock Hill, South Carolina, and serves nearly 45,000 students annually through its experiential educational programs. Delivered by corporate and community volunteers, JA programs provide relevant, engaging experiences that educate and empower students in the areas of financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. For more information, visit http://www.jacarolinas.org/.

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