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February 18, 2022 - March 3, 2022 Vol. 1, No. 19
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bizfayetteville.com
WEB EXCLUSIVE Ease Plumbing
Company expands to Fayetteville, seeks to revitalize trades bizfayetteville.com
Health Care
HealthKeeperz seeks to benefit communities it serves Page 12
Commercial Real Estate
Company partners with FTCC for maintenance program Page 16
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SWEET VALLEY RANCH
Anita and Fred Surgeon pose for a picture at Sweet Valley Ranch. Across his businesses, Surgeon employs 400 people in three states, and 170 people in specifically the GFBJ footprint.
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Index
Economic Indicators .............................. 3 Publisher’s Notes ................................... 4 The List ............................................7, 19 Achievers ............................................8-9 Health Care .........................................12 In The News .........................................14 Commercial Real Estate .......................16 Technology ...........................................23
Surgeon’s commitment to region, entrepreneurship makes great impact on local community
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By Jenna Shackelford
F
rom a young age, Fred Surgeon remembers having an entrepreneurial spirit. In elementary school, he organized his cousins into teams around the house to complete chores in return for payment – like money, a meal prepared by an adult, or a slightly used toy or game. In college, he began putting candy boxes in stores to make some extra cash. “I realized I could make about one dollar for every candy box. And my brother would laugh because he would say, ‘Hey, you’re making a dollar.’ But what happened was eventually I had 1000 candy boxes out in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina,” Surgeon said. “So I was making $1000 a week … I realized that in any business concept, if you’re
able to replicate it and perfect it, that concept can be used in other things.” And that was just the beginning for Surgeon. “From there, years later when we were doing Papa John’s Pizza restaurants, it was great for me,” he said. “You do one store, you learn it, and you run it well, and then you replicate it. I got involved with franchising to a degree. One of the franchises I’m involved with is Merry Maids, and right now, we’re the largest Merry Maids franchise in the world.” Over the years, Surgeon has held numerous titles in a diverse array of fields. Some of those titles include director of a special education evaluation program in Richmond County, chief finance officer for Southeastern Regional Mental Health, DevelopSee ALL IN, page 11