Business

CLEAR VISION: Leadership program turns 25

By Matt Matteson, Published: March 25, 2022

Nearsighted, farsighted or 20-20, vision is different for everyone.

When it comes to getting to know the greater Hendersonville community, joining a network of up-and-coming business, government and political leaders and learning the details of public water treatment and distribution, Vision Henderson County is the lens through which leaders see. Seeing how things work up close and from 20,000 feet, program graduates with a clearer vision of greater appreciation for the community.
“Without Vision you would never have a personal conversation with a government official,” said Jessica Collins, class of 2017.
A sheriff’s deputy assigned to Mills River, Jim Player III credits Vision for turning him onto social media. “I wasn’t on Facebook until we started; that’s how our class assignments were passed down,” he said. “Today I’m on it daily for the work I do for my church.”
Lyndsey Simpson, who owns the graphic design company LS Creative, was already eyeing elective office when she joined the leadership program in 2018. The tipping point for her came during a group discussion on drug addiction when she disagreed with a classmate’s point of view.
“It was while in a Vision class that I solidified my decision and decided to run,” she said. “It was in that moment that I knew I could help reshape the perception of individuals suffering from addiction.”
Simpson, who became the second highest vote getter in the 2019 Hendersonville City Council election, praised the Vision program under current director Ruth Birth, who facilitates the program as a combination camp counselor, tour guide and emcee. “It was such a wonderful experience and well worth the time and monetary investment,” said Simpson.
The September-to-May program costs $355, and scholarships are available.

* * *

A partnership between Blue Ridge Community College and the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Vision Henderson County is actually the second-generation of a similar program that began in 1984 as Leadership Hendersonville. WHKP radio station owner Kermit Edney, Nancy McKinley and Lynn Killian helped found the program, which UNC-Asheville facilitated for nine years.
Today’s Vision was launched 25 years ago to recruit the best and brightest in the community, connect them to elected and administrative leaders of the county and introduce them to the Big Four of the local economy — tourism, farming, industry and retirement.
The agenda has changed little since the pioneer class of 1997. After a fall kick-off retreat, classes, usually 25 strong, meet once a month for a day full of activity. Speakers and field trips are arranged and team projects assigned.

A bit like Duke or Carolina basketball, Vision Henderson County has enjoyed success and continuity under just two “head coaches.” Founding director John Boyd led the first 18 classes. Birge, the former Times-News publisher and United Way director who has led the past seven, hands the Vision reins to Gary Heisey after this year’s class graduates in May.
“It’s the best networking in the county,” said Birge, who attended the program herself in 2016. “Vision prepares people for leadership by both observing and hearing about leaders.”
Birge has been impressed by the diverse backgrounds of class members, ranging from young people just out of college to older folks already in retirement. She recalls that a few times scheduled speakers have shown up late. “I’ve had to tap dance a time or two,” she said. “So we improvise, but it gives us time to network.”
Heisey, who owns Branddoor.com marketing company and directs the business accelerator program at BRCC, praises the program he is about to take over.
“Vision opens the eyes of classmates as to how things work in the community,” said the 2007 graduate. “There’s a richness woven into each class. Class members get to meet the people behind the scenes who make things happen. They learn how a police department functions or what happens when you turn on your water tap.”

* * *

“We were the first class — we set the bar,” said Terri Wallace, a 1997 graduate who is coordinator of the Lifelong Learning Center at BRCC. Wallace remembers her class’s opening night dinner at the Woodfield Inn and a field trip up on a long winding narrow road to see the Hendersonville water system’s Mills River watershed. She praised Boyd for his work as director.
“They were strict with us,” she said. “You had to make a total commitment.”
Mike Gordon (1997), co-owner of Norm’s Minit Marts, is also an alumnus of the inaugural class.
“Our orientation was at a camp in Tuxedo,” he said. “It was October and we froze in those cabins. But the field trips were great — Chimney Rock, Pardee Hospital and Kimberly-Clark.”
When he became Chamber of Commerce president, Bob Williford recognized that the program would be an efficient way to learn a lot fast.
“Getting into Vision was an easy decision for me,” the 1998 grad said. “I came from Tennessee and I needed to quickly meet the leaders in the community. John Boyd was awesome. It would take someone ten years to learn what we learned. And who’s going to take you to the wastewater treatment plant?”
Kimbela McMinn (2001) keeps her framed Vision certificate on her office bookshelf. “I moved here from Georgia,” said McMinn, a banker with First Citizens. “The course really helped me get to know the community, particularly the local history with speakers such as Louise Bailey.” McMinn stays in touch with classmates. “Just recently I connected with Scott Hamilton on Linked-In,” said McMinn. Hamilton, the former Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development director, is now president and CEO of the Golden LEAF Foundation, the powerhouse industry recruiting agency based in Raleigh.

* * *

“Let’s see, we had Toby Linville, Eric Cannon, Fair Nabers Waggoner,” recalled Mark Warwick (2006), reeling off the names of fellow class members. Repeating what’s become a running boast by graduates of every class, he added: “Yes, we were the best Vision class ever!”
Warwick, a radio personality and owner of WTZQ, said the Vision program is unique because classes get to see business people in a relaxed atmosphere rather than in a business-to-business setting. “Just before each class graduates, they have a media day and I get to speak to the grads,” he said. “Many are up-and-coming leaders.”
Brittany Jones Brady (2012) attended Vision when she was in charge of marketing for the Partnership for Economic Development.
“Field trips weren’t as eye opening for me because I work with industries on a daily basis,” said Brady, who has since moved up to president/CEO of the Partnership and is scheduled to deliver the keynote talk at this year’s Vision graduation. “We try to tell our community about the impact that industry has, but until you see a product being made it doesn’t always hit home. Visiting Van Wingerden and Kimberly Clark with my Vision class brought me a sense of pride.”
Dan Poeta, president of Horizon Heating, had just rolled off as Chamber president when he joined the Vision program in 2012.
“It was an ‘aha moment’ for me,” he said. “We learned a lot and I made some great business connections.” Poeta’s revelation may have gone beyond what he learned in class. “John Boyd gave us a group exercise to go out on the street and report back on what needed fixing,” he said. “All we came back with was minor stuff like more green space and traffic lights. That was it. We found that we lived in a very safe community with solid schools and good services.”

* * *

“It was great,” said Allen Combs (2014). “I have lived here most of my life and I saw things I never knew existed.” The executive director of Vocational Solutions, Combs said he uses his Vision contacts to recruit his board members.
Lee King (2016), a native who traces his roots in the area to before Henderson County was formed, started Vision after he had already been elected Henderson County’s Register of Deeds. “I thought I knew a lot but until you go through it, you don’t think about how important a diversified economy is.”
“I got a better idea of what makes up the community,” said Seth Swift (2005), who heads the county health department’s environmental health regulations. “They talked about the ‘big four’ — agriculture, tourism, retirement, and industry — and that sometimes they were competing forces. I came away with a better understanding of what makes this county function.”

* * *

Jessica Collins (2017) remembers trips to Tri-Hishtil to see watermelon grafting and a visit to GE’s new “clean room,” where workers make LED lights. She also spoke of an informative stop at the Visitors Center to hear how the Tourism Development Authority markets Hendersonville and Henderson County as a vacation destination. Collins, a physicians liaison at Pardee in her day job, chairs the Henderson County Education Foundation.
Collins class was a “split” class of 57 — the largest ever. M.C. Gaylord, a program specialist at BRCC handles administrative duties for Vision, said the split classes were great for make-ups but not for class bonding. The class of ’22 is a manageable 27 members.
“The Vision program is huge,” said Amy Lynn Holt (2019), a three-term member and former chair of the School Board. “Bill Lapsley was one of our presenters,” she said. “I didn’t know water and sewer could be that interesting.” Holt was upbeat about the sessions on agribusiness. “I came out with a new respect for our farmers,” she said. “I’m not against growth but I want to see us do more so farmers can keep their land.” Holt is hoping for a chance to pursue farmland preservation. She is running for county commissioner.
“One of the most surprising things we did was tour the Sheriff’s Department and the detention center,” said current Vision participant Brooke Alexander (2022), a landscape architect with Watermark. “We learned that some of the law enforcement issues facing Buncombe County were not the same here. And that many Buncombe deputies were applying for Henderson County jobs.”
Each class adopts a project for the betterment of the community. Alexander’s class project is raising money and doing volunteer work for the Ecusta Trail.

* * *

“One of my favorite memories of Vision was history day. Ruth Birge brought in several local historians,” said Joseph Knight (2018), director of the Hands On! Children’s Museum. Knight was intrigued by how Henderson County developed and is excited about what lies ahead for preserving our history. His Main Street museum is adding a new wing to showcase local culture and highlight Walk of Fame honorees.
County native Joyce Biddix (2011) was impressed that a field trip to Main Street revealed secrets most people aren’t aware of.
“We toured the underground hangout under the sidewalk in front of Postero’s restaurant,” she said. “It was a place where young people could eat and play arcade games. It once had a stairway on Main Street.”
Biddix works at Morrow Insurance, the more than 100-year-old company that has sent many employees through Vision. “Our management encourages volunteering and sitting on boards,” she said. “We believe in giving back.”
Craig DeBrew (2015), who handles community relations for Duke Energy, gained insight from the session on government led by Steve Wyatt.
“He talked about the ‘Dillon’s Rule’ principle of local governance,” said DeBrew. “It really helped me understand that a local municipality’s power to govern is limited to those powers expressly granted by the state.” North Carolina is one of 39 states governed by Dillon’s Rule, which limits what services local government can provide.

* * *

Steve Orr (2010) is one of Vision’s biggest cheerleaders. Now Saluda’s city manager, Orr feels that the program must have a balanced class and that education is critical. “If you care about your community you should learn about it. Vision does that,” said Orr. “In order to be a leader you need to know what’s going on.”
“I was in the sixth Leadership Hendersonville class,” said retired banker Ken Swayze. “Our kick-off was at Kanuga. Then we hit the high ropes course at Highland Lakes for a team-building exercise.” I remember Jody Barber spoke to us about ‘your home town.’ He was great.”
The Baker-Barber collection of 45,000 photos is now archived under the auspices of the Community Foundation and Henderson County public library and managed by librarian and Mark Burdette, Vision class of 2000.
(Point of personal privilege: That 1991 class attempted a 30-year reunion at Dry Falls Brewery just before covid hit. Only Swayze, retired city finance director Jim Rudisill and this reporter showed up.)
Over the 25 years of Vision, the women grads vastly outnumbered the men. This did not surprise Judy Stroud (2016). “I’ve referred many people to the program which I myself found informative and insightful.” she said. Stroud balances her day job at State Farm insurance, helping with the Athena program that emphasizes leadership and empowering women, and her other lifelong pursuit — supervising basketball officials for two major college conferences.
Susan Mangrum (2003), an agent at Penny Insurance, said Vision work more by showing leadership than classroom teaching it.
“The class didn’t really ‘teach’ you leadership,” she said. “But you met the leaders and the future leaders. Just look at those who came through the class.
“I always try to get Chuck McGrady to speak,” she added. “He’s our best on leadership.”

* * *

Ten Vision grads have tossed their hat in the political ring, including Chuck Edwards (2003), a state senator since 2016 and current candidate for Congress.
“Vision, without question, was a pivotal impetus to lead me to serve,” he said. “For me, it built my confidence and allowed me to step out of my comfort zone.”
Classmate Les Boyd of Boyd Chevrolet remembers Edwards from class. “He ran a restaurant franchise business and still took the time out of his busy schedule to do Vision,” said Boyd, who has maintained a friendship with Edwards.
Unlike many civic clubs in town, a Vision class is usually stocked with more working people under 50 than retirees in their 70s and 80s.
“I was easily the oldest guy in my Vision class,” said Ron Stephens (1999). “They kept asking me why I wasn’t retired yet.” He added that classmate Beau Waddell introduced him to all his “young friends.”
“Steve was a magnet of attention,” said Kieran Roe (2004), speaking of classmate Steve Caraker, a historic preservation activist who was elected to the City Council three years after his Vision graduation.
“He had a charisma about him but I never thought that he would go from plumbing inspector to City Council,” added Roe, who heads Conserving Carolina, the very active land conservancy that now owns the rail corridor that will become the Ecusta Trail. Caraker would serve four terms before his defeat in 2019. Carraker, who died of cancer in 2021, was known for pushing tirelessly pushing issues he cared about, such as preserving the Grey Hosiery Mill building, revitalizing the Historic Seventh Avenue District and even public rest rooms downtown.
Kristin Dunn (2016) was a Vision classmate of Alison Alexander, who was then the town manager of Laurel Park. “Now I’m on the Laurel Park Town Council,” said Dunn, who directs operations for Thrive, the nonprofit that provides mental health services. “There’s no coincidence.”
Graduate Sarah Leatham (2017) also has a connection with Alexander. The two hiked to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for the Rotary Club.
Jennifer Capps Balkcom (2017) is a mortgage loan officer and a current candidate for the open state House District 117 seat.
“I’m a native so I particularly enjoyed the history,” she said. “It was like, ‘Hey, I know that person. I’m related.’” Balkcom’s job as a financial advisor piqued her interest in the county’s budget process and she recalled Tommy Thompson’s talk on government. Balkcom said Vision played a large part in her decision to run for office.
Third generation car dealer Jay Egolf (2000), who runs Egolf Ford in Brevard during the day, can be found on the second Monday of the month in his seat on the School Board. “Vision is about forging relationships, but that really wasn’t why I ran for School Board,” he said. “I did that to help solve some of the problems the schools have been dealing with.” Egolf admitted that some of those issues have been worked out since he was elected in 2018 but not enough to keep him from running for a second term this fall.
Only a few classmates remembered Will Haynie (1997), the Citadel graduate who once worked at BRCC and was known locally as conservative newspaper columnist for the Times-News. Haynie’s dabbling in politics grew after leaving Vision and returning to the South Carolina coast. Today he serves as mayor of Mt. Pleasant, a city of 90,000 connected to Charleston by the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.

* * *

Jeremy Wilde (2020), AdventHealth’s business development manager shared a Covid story.
“It was March 2020,” he recalled. “We were at the Health Sciences Building and Jay Kirby was talking about Pardee and Wingate. Kirby casually mentioned something about some virus that was in the news. Our class never met again.” They did all however receive completion certificates.
The Vision year of 2020-2021 was surreal. “We went through the whole year during Covid,” said Travis Bonnema (2021), an owner of the Echo Mountain Inn. “Our class was spread out in Thomas Auditorium.” But he liked the fact that the speakers Ruth Birge arranged were the one who actually make the decisions. Travis’s wife, Becky Bonnema, is in the current class.
Classmate Cindi Stringer Sthreshley (2021) echoed the chagrin. “We were hampered due to covid. We didn’t get to go to the off-site places,” she said. “But the program gave me a chance to decide on where I wanted to do volunteer work and that led me to the Council on Aging.”
Sthreshley works with husband Fitz Sthreshley (2008), a realtor with Keller Williams.

* * *

Boyd, the founding director of the Vision program, and the late Vanessa Mintz (2000) started the Vision Alumni Association a dozen years ago.
“It’s a great way to connect with anything you need to know,” said Lee Henderson-Hill (1997), who guided the alumni group for four years until 2014, when Steve Orr became chair. Quarterly gatherings were well attended — usually with a speaker on a topical subject. Today the alumni list exceeds 500.
Chris Scruggs (2019), a Keller Williams real estate agent, followed Orr as the new chair of Vision Alumni.
“Our last event was held at the Flat Rock Playhouse,” said Scruggs. “We invited our local wineries to talk about the Crest of the Blue Ridge label.” Attendees learned about a marketing initiative that promotes those wines produced from specific grapes grown in the lower elevations of the Blue Ridge. “Our next alumni gathering will be at the Cascades Resort in April when we will celebrate Vision’s 25th year.”
The Vision program advertises four tenets: leadership, networking, critical thinking and furthering economic development. In its 25-year history, it has cranked out 837 leaders, doers and influencers supported by an alumni group that keeps the fire burning. Those graduates demonstrate that Vision Henderson County has fulfilled its mission.