January 2024 Trends

T RE N DS

Vol. 37 • No. 1 • January 2024

David Parrish to lead GMA board in 2024 He hopes to use his background as a former city leader to help GMA grow membership, maintain programming

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reensboro native David Parrish led the city as it recovered from a tornado in 2018 and, two years later, as it learned to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He brings those leadership skills and more to his role as chairman of the Guilford Merchants Association and FirstPoint for 2024, leading the board of directors for both organizations.

While he starts work this month as the board chairman, the official “passing of the gavel” takes place during the annual dinner in March.

Before becoming a board member in 2022, Parrish used to help organize the monthly Center City AM Briefings starting when he was an assistant city manager for the city of Greensboro. He said it was one of his “more enjoyable times,” during his nine-year tenure with the city, which culminated in a three-year stint as city manager before he resigned in 2021 to work in the private sector.

Parrish, 45, is an operating partner with New Page Capital, serving as president of two separate companies

within the organization.

We sat down with Parrish recently to talk about his new role as board chairman.

What do you see as the top issues facing GMA in 2024?

2024 could be an uncertain year for many of our members as we will have a Presidential election, interest rates uncertainty, international conflicts, etc. But our member base is strong, diverse, and resilient.

Having our GMA leaders stay focused on serving our members and continuing the tradition of listening to their needs and responding with a program, seminar, or connection point will be critical for the coming year.

What are your priorities as chairman?

Our attendance at programming has been strong and even growing in 2023. I would like for us to continue growing our membership base and steadily offering a variety of programs that make a real impact.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I would say more of a

David Parrish, operating partner for New Page Capital, is the 2024 board chairman for GMA and FirstPoint. As board chairman, he would like to see GMA continue to grow its membership and maintain the quality and depth of programming offered to members.

mix between a servant and participative style leader. I like working with people and developing their skills and having others be involved.

What experiences have shaped you as a leader?

What has shaped me the most is service. I grew up as a preacher’s kid at a smaller church and we did a lot of work to help the church; cleaning, mowing, stuffing envelopes, etc. It showed me that one needs to be willing to be a servant to be a good leader. Having worked at

Get to know the new board chairman Name: David Parrish Age: 45 Education: Bachelor of Science from UNCG, master’s degree from UNCChapel Hill.

Previous jobs: Arc of Greensboro, WellSpring, various municipalities including with the city of Greensboro where he served as the city manager for three years.

Volunteer work: Coaching youth sports, serving as a mentor with Campus Greensboro, and volunteering at his church.

Family: Wife, Heather, and three children: Carter, Luke and Avery.

Continues on page 6

L OO K I N SI DE

Perfecting their parade wave

Happy 2024 ............. 2

225 Commerce Place Greensboro, NC 27401

New FirstPoint VP... 2

An advertising supplement to The Business Journal

Year in Pictures....... 4 New Member........... 5 Networking.............. 6 Meet & Eat............... 6 Trends is a publication of the Guilford Merchants Association.

Richard Beard (left), 2023 Board Chair for GMA/FirstPoint, and Mark Prince (right), President/CEO of GMA/FirstPoint wave during the High Point Holiday Parade in November.

GMA produces the parade, one of many events from 2023. See more GMA photos from 2023 on page 4.

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

Milone named VP of FirstPoint Collection Resources, Call Center

L

inda Milone recently joined FirstPoint as vice president of Collection Resources and the Call Center.

She has a long history in corporate operations, including 28 years at American Express in a variety of roles.

She most recently spent seven years at hotel chain Hilton Milone Worldwide where she was senior director of reservation sales and customer care in the Americas. She led the call center team in the U.S. and Mexico.

Milone said she applied for the position with FirstPoint because its connection to the Guilford Merchants Association was appealing. FirstPoint is the evolution of the former credit bureau, which back in 1948 spun off from the merchants association so GMA could be a nonprofit. The two remained connected though, with FirstPoint supporting GMA’s community efforts.

Milone said her work had a global focus, but it took her away from community efforts.

“The appealing part to me was tying my everyday work with doing something good for my community,” she said.

It also brings her back to the

Greensboro area. Although a native of Youngstown, Ohio, Milone has been in and out of the Greensboro area for about 30 years.

In her role at FirstPoint, Milone oversees the collections division, which helps clients recover debt that is owed to them, and the call center, which provides inbound and outbound support.

“We have a well-established collections division that we will continue to look to grow,” she said. “That’s our area of expertise.”

They’ll also be looking at ways to grow in the call center space and to maximize FirstPoint by cross-utilizing connections between divisions, she said.

Milone, who has a Bachelor of Arts from UNCG, originally wanted to be a history teacher. However, she fell in love with her first job out of college, working for American Express.

She has served as a board member for Second Harvest Foodbank and volunteered with Junior Achievement, the food bank and her local church.

In her free time, Milone loves to travel. Her children are spread out, living in Florida, Virginia and even Scotland.

Milone lives in Kernersville with her husband, Billy. They have three adult daughters.

Upcoming events Here’s what’s coming up: Jan. 17 — Risers Meet Up Lunch, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Black Powder Smokehouse, 302 E.Main St. Jamestown. Note: Attendees responsible for own checks.

Jan. 24 — New Member Orientation, noon-1 p.m. Registration at 11:45 a.m., GMA, 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro. Lunch provided with registration.

President & CEO

G. Mark Prince

Vice President

Michelle Bolick

Operations/Special Events Coordinator

Monzi Jimenez

Membership Development

Sharon Smith

Administrative Assistant

Melinda Thomas

In 2023, GMA held multiple focus groups made up of members to get feedback on programming, activities and events. Taking part in one of the focus groups are, from left: Scott Graham, Alpha Omega Financial; Nikki Corbett, Precise Creative; Summer Wall, NXT Level Construction; Alison Schwartz, All Pets Considered; D’Andre Clayton, Clayton Financial Solutions; Micah Carmony, PrimePay LLC; Beth Livingston, Triad Web Advisors; Russ Fields, Allegacy Federal Credit Union; Jody Clayton, Kisco Senior Living; and Sue Falcone, Remarkable! A Speakers Bureau.

Focus groups help GMA with planning for 2024 Happy 2024!

Last fall, GMA staff met with over 100 members in six separate focus group meetings to gain feedback on programming, activities and events for 2024. We are so fortunate to have Bolick such an active and engaged membership.

As GMA is an event-driven and member-driven association, input from members is crucial to staff as we provide the resources, benefits, and opportunities for our member businesses to thrive.

While we did hear affirmations and appreciation for what we have been providing, there is always room to im-

plement improvements, changes and experiments! GMA is able to pivot, especially in today’s work atmosphere, to quickly provide solutions in a rapidly emerging environment.

Our doors are always open and together with our members, we will work to provide a strong foundation for employees of member companies.

Whether you need professional development, leadership opportunities, networking platforms, mentorship, training, social outlets, fun activities, or industry experts, GMA can be the outlet for your needs.

We treasure all of our members and anticipate another incredible year at GMA! — Michelle Bolick, GMA vice president

REMEMBER WHEN ...

Group has a CAN-do attitude

TRENDS is published for the members of the Guilford Merchants Association.

Publication Coordinator – Michelle Bolick Phone (336) 378-6350 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro, N.C. 27401 www.mygma.org The Guilford Merchants Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1906.

The Association is a business membership organization focused on supporting member companies with educational programming, lead generation activities, marketing opportunities, and overall enrichment while serving as a catalyst for community growth and prosperity.

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The GMA Competitive Advantage Networking (CAN) group that meets on Friday mornings will celebrate 30 years in 2024. Pictured is the group from 2002. CAN, which started in 1994, is the oldest of GMA’s three networking groups.

Read more about the networking groups and how to join on page 6.

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

For stitch-FX founder, helping community is key Tinker Clayton says GMA’s work to support the community was a big draw for him

W

hen stitch-FX started selling promotional items, founder Tinker Clayton finally got a chance to flex his marketing degree.

“I did not realize how much I was going to like that,” he said.

Tinker started stitch-FX in 1993, using what he’d learned about graphic design and embroidery design from a previous job. Today, stitch-FX has a production facility on Patterson Street in Greensboro and a storefront downtown on South Elm Street. The company specializes in custom decorated apparel, embroidery, screen printing, and promotional products.

It wasn’t until 2004, at the urging of a friend and fellow business owner, that Tinker started selling promotional items. That same year, stitch-FX joined the Guilford Merchants Association, and started sponsoring the After Work Network events.

“What I found with the promotional stuff is, I like being an extension of other people’s marketing efforts,” he said.

When discussing a client’s needs, he asks himself, “Would I buy that?

Would I use that?”

“If I wouldn’t buy it, if I wouldn’t use it, I will generally tell someone that and see if there’s a way we can spend their money more wisely,” he said.

Two of his children work with him at stitch-FX. His oldest handles anything related to graphic design and the print shop and takes on special assignments, such as updating the website. His youngest handles all the

Tinker Clayton founded stitch-FX in 1993. When he started selling promotional items in 2004, he joined GMA and has sponsored the After Work Network ever since.

LOYAL

MEMBER social media and also takes on special projects as needed. Tinker credits his family, friends and teammates for the succcess of stitch-FX due to their dedication and hard work throughout the years.

The company also likes to help out the community by supporting local nonprofits. They’re getting ready to add several nonprofits to the list of groups they help. They’re all local, have fairly small annual budgets and could use some marketing assistance.

“We’re going to try to provide the marketing that they perhaps can’t afford, or that they’re constantly seeking sponsors to pitch in and take care of,” he said.

That community-mindedness is something stitch-FX shares with GMA, he said. GMA donates money and provides support to a variety of

community programs and organizations.

“They’re interested in their community and supporting local businesses and supporting each other. And that was very attractive to me,” he said.

When Tinker joined GMA, he also joined the Competitive Advantage Networking (CAN) group. It’s one of GMA’s three networking groups.

He enjoys the networking events the most because he gets to talk to people and hear their stories. He said GMA “feels a little more like family.”

“The GMA, in comparison to most other organizations I’ve visited, is far superior when it comes to their efforts to simply get people to connect to each other,” he said.

When he first joined GMA, “the connections were fast and furious,” he said. Now, after two decades, it’s about deepening relationships. So, someone he met months or even years ago but formed a relationship with may reach out to stitch-FX when one of their clients needs something.

Today, stitch-FX has a production facility on Patterson Street in Greensboro and a storefront downtown on South Elm Street.

And some of the relationships go even deeper.

“Some of the people I’ve met through GMA are lifelong friends at this point,” he said.

Tinker Clayton stitch-FX 336-379-7929 tinker@stitch-fx.com www.stitch-fx.com or sfxpromos.com

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Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

20 January

The year in photos

23 April

Here’s a look at some of the events from 2023.

March

Members of RISERS kicked off 2023 with a lunch at Wicked Burgers Tacos Brews in Greensboro. The young professionals group is geared toward GMA members under 40, but any GMA member can attend the group’s events.

Football legend, businessman and entrepreneur Emmitt Smith speaks at the 117th Annual Dinner.

Kimberly Vaughan, The Original Relocation Guide-Triad (left), shakes hands with Peter Graham, Alpha Omega LLC (right) as Holly Holliday, Holliday Creative Marketing (center) looks on during a Noontime Network event.

June

May

July

Joe Novara, Growth Academy Coaching (left) collects a business card from Colleen Biedny, Carolina Cookie Co., at a Teach Me Tuesday event.

October

Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson speaks during the Police & Community Annual Banquet, an event presented by the police department and GMA.

August

Dick O’Donnell, Man in Green, enjoys a night out at the ballpark with other GMA members. The Grasshoppers beat the Winston-Salem Dash 13-2.

November New GMA members pose for a photo after going through orientation.

At front, Karen Robertson, Hilton Garden Inn Greensboro.

First row from left: Susanna Albright, Rent A Home of the Triad Inc.; Omar Rivera, Aurora Pro Services; Lisa Hmiel, Home Helpers; Michele Walker, ProActive Therapy and Wellness; Brandin Bennett, Rent A Home of the Triad Inc. Second row from left: Michelle Bolick, vice president of GMA; Kevin Slate, CST Carolina Services; Jennifer Fernandez, Dragonfire Communications; Rome Clinard, Sir William Financial Group; Annette Hayes, Meridian Convention Center; Jawa Muniyandi, Meridian Convention Center.

GMA members gathered for the After Work Network at The Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship.

Pictured are: Carmen Falcone (front row center), Remarkable! A Speakers Bureau; Taji Vanhook, Allegacy Fderal Credit Union; Gene Dolan, Culinary Visions; Shante’ Kirlew, Transform Greensboro; and Peggy Hickle, Transform Greensboro.

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At right: Members of the Competitive Advantage Networking Group pose for a photo during the CelYOUbration event. Front row from left: Tracy Dolan, Culinary Visions; Alison Schwartz, All Pets Considered; and Scottie Springer, A Cleaner World. Back row from left: Peter Uber, City Pub Piedmont Publications; Michelle Bolick, GMA; and Gene Dolan, Culinary Visions.

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

GMA member helps make websites shine Triad Web Advisors audits websites, then helps businesses with what they need to fix.

L

ooking to spruce up your website? That’s Beth Livingston’s specialty.

Livingston spent many years as an IT business analyst in the financial sector for various companies.

She left the corporate world to start her own business, which she rebranded about a year ago as Triad Web Livingston Advisors to focus on local clients.

“Right now I’m focusing on helping people by doing audits of their site and then helping them with what they need to have fixed,” she said.

Sometimes, that can be as simple as helping someone improve what is called search engine optimization, or SEO. It is a way to use keywords in text to make your site more easily found in online searches.

“It’s more like a public service thing to let people know hey, I don’t know if you know this, but not only is your website really hard to navigate, but it doesn’t have a privacy policy … or terms and conditions. It’s not accessible,” she said.

“There’s just lots of stuff like that.”

She does most of the work herself, but also uses contractors for specialty work, such as transferring a website from an old platform to a newer one or handling federal accessibility requirements.

She recently redesigned the website for Colfax Furniture. And she’s helping another client build a blog to tell her family and com-

NEW

MEMBER “The programs are great. …But the networking alone is worth the price of admission for sure.”

— Beth Livingston munity’s history.

“I’m one of those super geeky people that I enjoy the more complicated projects,” she said.

She has a knack for being able to explain things to non-technical people.

“My other superpower is figuring out how to straighten out what’s messed up on a website,” she said.

After she rebranded, Livingston joined the Guilford Merchants Association. A longtime GMA member she has known for a while encouraged her to join. She’s been a member for about a year now.

“The programs are great. …But the networking alone is worth the price of admission for sure,” Livingston said.

Making those connections is important because you are building relationships, she said.

“People do business with who they know, like and trust. So you gotta get that trust going and you have to be likable also,” she said.

The annual fee for GMA is totally worth it, Livingston said.

“I’ve had enough fun to quantify that much money,” she said. “I learned things and met new people, and learned about other businesses that were in the community that I didn’t even know about.”

Beth Livingston Founder, Triad Web Advisors 336-416-4232 beth@triadwebadvisors.com www.triadwebadvisors.com

“Tulip” the T-Rex, the latest addition at the Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum, takes part in the annual High Point Holiday Festival Parade on Nov. 24. The Guilford Merchants Association produces the parade.

New job includes acting as company’s GMA liaison ‘It’s been great for networking,’ says new sales rep for Superior Mechanical

J

ohn Schilling moved to North Carolina a year ago this month to work for longtime GMA member Superior Mechanical Inc. He’s an HVAC maintenance sales representative for the familyowned, commercial HVAC and building Schilling automation company.

He also serves as the company’s liaison to the Guilford Merchants Association. He goes to all of the meetings and events and shares any leads and information he gets with his company.

“When I moved here, I knew nobody. So I mean, it’s been great for networking,” he said.

He even got recruited into BIZ-Links, one of GMA’s weekly networking groups.

“We try to feed each other leads and it’s just great to meet people. A lot of the people in that group are independent business owners,”

PARTICIPATION

=SUCCESS he said.

But you have to be fairly involved to benefit from belonging to GMA, he said.

“I probably went four or five months before I ever really met somebody that would help me in the business side of things,” he said.

He’s met interesting people at GMA events, Schilling said. At CelYOUbration in November, he met Marion Hofmann, who told him about her Travel Like a Local business. She conducts tours of both Greensboro and her hometown in Austria, two cities she knows very well.

“It’s just people you would never meet otherwise,” he said.

Before he moved to North Carolina, he was doing the same kind of work for another company in Zanesville, a town near Columbus, Ohio.

Schilling said he had “open to work” on his LinkedIn profile, and was recruited to Superior Mechanical. He and his wife had been looking to move South, either to the Carolinas or Florida.

Previously, he worked in retail for many years — first

in appliances and electronics, then in furniture, including five years where he and his wife owned their own furniture company.

“All of our kids were teenagers so they all worked for us. Taught a little bit of work ethic, made a little bit of money, and they all are good productive citizens now since we taught them young,” he said with a laugh.

For his job in Ohio, he joined the Chamber of Commerce for several counties where his company did business. But he has done much more in his one year with GMA. “They’re definitely one of the more active groups I’ve ever been involved with,” he said of GMA. “You can meet a lot of people that can help you both professionally and personally. Everybody I’ve met’s been great, no matter what business they’re in,” he said.

Another perk, he added: “They always feed you, which is great.”

John Schilling Superior Mechanical Inc. 336-962-1740 jschilling@supmech.com www.superiormechanicalinc. com 5

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

Networking groups can help you make connections

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MA manages three weekly networking groups.

Members of these category-exclusive groups share information and exchange sales leads and referrals. The groups encourage strong relationships.

Networking Gurus meets from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. on Mondays.

BIZ-Links meets from 7:45-9 a.m. on Thursdays.

This group focuses on business-to-business referrals; the members of the group primarily do business with other companies, as well as

Chairman

Continued from page 1

the Arc of Greensboro with people with disabilities also taught me to appreciate and understand people and learn how to communicate and get the most out of people. My municipal experience taught me to gather as much information as practical, be open and listen to all sides, rely on staff, utilize data, and ultimately come to an informed decision. My connections and knowledge of what was going on in the city was helpful for coordinating the Center City AM briefings.

And I believe it’s been helpful so far as a board member and then, hopefully, it will continue to be helpful as I serve as chairman.

What have you learned in your time on the GMA board?

Just how much GMA actually does for the members and for this community.

The impact is tremendous.

I knew GMA was involved in a lot and was very active in the community, but the amount of hours this staff and its volunteers contributes to our community is amazing.

Michelle and her team do so much, from serving meals to our first responders, to facilitating a digital marketing course, offering

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with consumers.

The Competitive Advantage Networking (CAN) Group meets from 7:45-9 a.m. on Fridays. CAN, which started in 1994, is GMA’s oldest group.

Each week, members share information about their company and product or services. There are also opportunities to give more in-depth presentations to the group each year.

Contact GMA at 336-3786350 for more information, to schedule a visit to the group of your choice or to apply to join a group.

employee retention tips, to hosting a downtown briefing; the impact of GMA is remarkable.

GMA members chat during the Dec. 1 Meet & Eat at the Guilford Merchants Association office in downtown Greensboro.

The free meal provided by GMA was catered by Pepper Moon Catering.

Dec. 1, 2023 at GMA

What other boards have you served on/are you serving on?

I currently serve on the board with Greensboro Urban Ministries and the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority. In the past I have served with the Greensboro Chamber, Downtown Greensboro, and the Guilford County Partnership for Children.

What is something people may not know about you?

Pepper Moon Catering served up a delicious mix of main dishes and sides for the Dec. 1 Meet & Eat at the Guilford Merchants Association.

I coached my kids as they were younger in a variety of sports — basketball, baseball and soccer. I really enjoyed that and still would enjoy it, but I don’t have little kids anymore. As my kids got older, I retired from coaching. I have more pictures of that (being a coach) in my offices still.

What do you do in your down time?

I really enjoy spending time with my family and going to my kids’ activities — cross country, piano, baseball, dance and golf. For myself, I enjoy running and playing golf.

David Parrish New Page Capital dparrish@newpagecapital. com

Haley Morgan, Fox 8, (left) and Kelsey Fields, Fox 8, grab some food.

Interested in becoming a sponsor for a GMA event?

Email Michelle Bolick at mbolick@mygma.org.

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

Center City AM Briefing

GMA members enjoy a free breakfast while they listen to updates from city officials.

From left, Madison Carroll Snyder, The Carroll Cos.; Desmyne Gaines, The Carroll Cos.; and Joe Rieke, Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum, listen to a speaker at the Dec.12 Center City AM Briefing at the Guilford Merchants Association office in downtown Greensboro.

The monthly Center City AM Briefing is open to GMA members and anyone who lives, works, or supports the downtown Greensboro area.

City officials share information on developments, activities, growth and more.

Carla Banks, communications and marketing director for the city of Greensboro, was the featured speaker at the Dec.12 Center City AM Briefing at the Guilford Merchants Association office in downtown Greensboro.

Betty Cone, philanthropist and longtime advocate for downtown Greensboro, listens to a response from city officials during the Dec. 12 Center City AM Briefing while Bonnie Georgette Hamlett, Carolina Theatre, looks on.

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Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

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SHFB_GMA_July.pdf

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You can make a difference in the lives of neighbors and life in our community!

Reconnect with team members, as you lend a hand. #FeedingCommunity Learn more and sign up at SecondHarvestNWNC.org/volunteer 8