Issuu

T RE N DS GMA celebrates 120 years

Vol. 39 • No. 2 • March 2026

n 1906, downtown Greensboro store owner J. M. Hendrix gathered fellow merchants together and formed what we now know as the Guilford Merchants Association. The original organization, called the Greensboro Merchants Association, started with 97 merchants. Today, GMA has more than 800 members across the Triad. The organization supports member companies and their employees in various ways, from networking events to information sessions about downtown to training. GMA also gives back to the community in ways both big and small, with much of its support given without public fanfare. “GMA continues to make a meaningful impact on local employers through its programs and initiatives, while also supporting companies

Three men work in the first downtown office of the Greensboro Merchants Association, which was formed in 1906. The organization is now known as the Guilford Merchants Association.

nationwide through the services of FirstPoint,” said 2026 Chair Anita Bachmann of UnitedHealthcare of NC. As GMA marks 120 years, it’s good to look back at how it all started — with one merchant determined to get businesses to work together. The first goal of the fledg-

ling association in 1906 was to build relationships. The second — to share information about customers. In those early days, consumer information was tracked by assigning each customer a rating from A to D. An “A” meant the customer paid promptly. A “D”

L OO K I N SI DE

meant they were a credit risk. As commerce and trade expanded in the early 1900s, the association grew as well. GMA’s archives hold some wonderful stories. In 1937, GMA formed a special committee to address store hours. Members voted to change weekday hours

to 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with Saturday hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The lone holdout was department store S.H. Kress & Co. GMA sent Ruth Schiffman to persuade them to support the change. And she did. In 1938, members complained that south of Washington Street it was difficult to find parking on Greene Street. Parking had shifted from angled to parallel — cutting spaces in half. A traffic committee was formed to address the issue. In the decades that followed, GMA focused on drawing shoppers downtown — hosting fashion shows, sponsoring train trips to Greensboro, and marketing the downtown experience. By 1947, demand for credit and collection services had grown so much that GMA added 10 phone lines Continues on page 4

Networking after hours

225 Commerce Place Greensboro, NC 27401

RISERS.................... 2

An advertising supplement to The Business Journal

Board members....... 3 New member............ 5 Annual Dinner......... 6 6 Questions............... 7 Snapshots................. 7 Trends is a publication of the Guilford Merchants Association.

Tony Villier, Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels (left) and Taji Vanhook, Allegacy Federal Credit Union, pose for a photo at the Feb. 17 After Work Network at Dynamic Quest in Greensboro. See more photos from GMA events on Page 7.

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

Name: Aidan Jensen Hometown: Chapel Hill, N.C. Residence: Greensboro, N.C. Age: 28 years old Education: B.A. Sport Management, High Point University, 2019 Business: Greensboro Regional REALTORS® Association Role/title: Director of communications and marketing Responsibilities: In my role, I serve as the primary person in charge of communications at our association. I market our association events through our tri-weekly newsblast and four social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), while consistently searching for additional, relevant content to our thousands of members. I manage our social media channels, posting several times a week and interacting with our followers, who in turn like/reshare our content. Once a year, typically in September, I am the point person in charge of organizing “REALTORS® R Rebuilding.” This is an annual project in which myself, our two Housing Opportunities Task Force co-chairs, several REALTOR® volunteers and local organization Community Housing Solutions come together and help fix up a home in the community. I helped start our association’s podcast, REAL TALK, in which my boss, our association president and myself

professional, plus it affords me the opportunity to make both friends and connections alike. Sometimes, the two are synonymous with each other. Through GMA, my work gained a couple new event sponsors, plus people tell me – at networking events – that they want to get plugged in more with the real estate community. GMA is a great resource Greensboro is lucky to have – and it keeps everyone connected, even if they’re not in the same industry.

host guest speakers, to discuss topics relevant to our real estate industry. I write press releases throughout the year, including invitations to our association events, big news in the housing market and showcasing our local, monthly and quarterly market statistics. I connect news outlets with a REALTOR® representative when they want to discuss a relevant topic. When our association hosts events – whether a monthly luncheon, educational offering, fundraiser or something else – I assist with setup and teardown. This involves moving chairs and tables in/ out of our ballroom, plus extensive vacuuming to ensure the floors are clean. On occasion, I am asked to help secure sponsorships and guest speakers for our events. On GMA: I originally joined GMA because my association is one of its member companies – and my boss thought it could be a great way for me to build business connections. GMA has helped me grow more confident in my role as a business

On GMA benefits: The amount of benefits GMA offers to its members is amazing. There seems like an endless list of options, whether through lunches, the business network, Teach Me Tuesdays, lunch meet-ups, that make me eager to attend the next meeting There is a GMA benefit for everyone, whether you are a new or veteran member. It’s difficult to pick just one benefit I enjoy participating in, but my favorites are the lunches. It’s nice getting a lunch break where I can connect with my friends and fellow, like-minded professionals. On Risers: I love Risers because it allows me to build solid connections in the business community, whether solely work-related or developing friendships. Risers helped me gain some of my closest friends through GMA. I joined Risers becuase I am still somewhat new to Greensboro (moved here in November 2022) – and I get to learn a little bit about what each of my Young Professional colleagues do for work. My favorite parts of belonging to Risers include the monthly lunch meet-ups, Risers socials and the ability

to build instant connection with others. What piece of advice have you received that has helped you as a young professional?: If there’s one single piece of advice I want to pinpoint that helps me as a young professional, it’s that it’s okay to not get everything done in one day. If I prioritize what needs to get done first, then complete those tasks, everything else flows much smoother. Also, no matter where I am, whether for a business lunch or out at a social event, don’t be afraid to strike up conversations with strangers. You never know where that connection may lead. Personal: I am a huge animal lover, massive sports fan, avid traveler, video game enjoyer and – new in the last year – I have an immense passion for line and country swing dancing. I am the proud dad to two fur babies, my 7-year-old flat-coated retriever, Georgie and my 2-year-old shorthaired black cat, Charlie. Right now, I have nine animals in total: seven cats, one dog and a hermit crab. My mom, dad and sister are my greatest supporters and best friends. My favorite sports team is the Cleveland Browns, though locally, I also love attending Greensboro Grasshoppers and Gargoyles games. Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia is my favorite place to travel to! Aidan Jensen Greensboro Regional REALTORS® Association 336-223-4754 (direct) 336-854-5868 ajensen@grra.org

Upcoming events

Here’s what’s coming up: President & CEO

G. Mark Prince

Vice President

Michelle Bolick

Membership Development

Sharon Smith

Program/Events Manager

Stacey Speight

Administrative Assistant

Melinda Thomas

Operations Assistant

Timera Poteat

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.

March 17 — Teach Me Tuesday, noon-1:15 p.m., GMA, 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro. Registration begins at 11:45 a.m. Lunch provided with registration. March 25 — Meet & Eat, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Grapes & Grains, 2001 Yanceyville St., Greensboro. April 14 — Center City AM Briefing, 8 a.m.-9 a.m., GMA, 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. Breakfast provided with registration. April 23 — Digital Marketing Institute - Digital That Delivers, noon-1:15 p.m., GMA, 225 Commerce Place, Greensboro. Registration begins at 11:45 a.m. Lunch provided with registration. Registration for events is required. Register at www.mygma.org.

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

GMA Board of Directors / 2026

Immediate Past Chair

Chair

Anita Bachmann

UnitedHealthcare of NC

Kathy Haines

Kathy Haines Homes

Past Chair

Vice Chair

David Parrish

Gray Sherrill

New Page Capital

John Thomas

M.G. Newell

President/CEO

Treasurer

Scott Baker TowneBank

IDeACOM

Avery Hall

Atlantic Union Bank

Megan Oglesby Carolina Core FC

Jay Harris

Piedmont Trust Company

Dede Potter

MI-BOX Triad, Inc.

Hank Henning

Kevin Sasser

Duke Energy

Weaver Investment Co.

Mark Prince

Guilford Merchants Association & FirstPoint, Inc.

James E. Himes Jr.

Pete Kidd

WGHP/Fox 8

Alison Schwartz All Pets Considered

Kontoor Brands

Brandon Shanahan The Resource

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Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

Anniversary Continued from page 1

to keep up. Two years later, in 1949, the credit reporting division became its own entity — the Credit Bureau of Greater Greensboro. And then came the 1950s. Greensboro experienced tremendous growth. Families moved to the suburbs and businesses followed. In the early 1970s, merchants once again recognized the need for a common bond — a way to unite businesses economically and legislatively for their mutual benefit. And so GMA evolved. Businesses from across the Triad joined — representing retail, hos- Hendrix pitality, consumer services, manufacturing, nonprofits and government. Together, they formed one of the strongest merchants associations in the entire Southeast. In the 1980s, GMA and the Credit Bureau of Greater Greensboro moved to their current home on Commerce Place. In 1987, Mike Bumpass joined GMA as president and CEO. For the next 25 years, he led a remarkable period of growth — expanding the Credit Bureau and Collections operations through strategic mergers and acquisitions, while also developing new products and services to meet the changing needs of customers. Under his leadership, GMA flourished as well — with increased programming, expanded events and deeper community involvement. In 2001, as the internet transformed the credit and consumer information industry, the organization adapted once again. The Credit Bureau became a new company — FirstPoint. Today, FirstPoint is a leading information resources company with four distinct divisions: collections, call center services, background screening and association management. Each 4

Members of what was then the Greensboro Merchants Association gather for a banquet at the O. Henry Hotel in 1933. In 2008 the organization joined with the High Point Merchants Association to form the Guilford Merchants Association. Today, GMA has more than 800 members across the Triad.

division is accredited within its industry, and the overall company employs more than 200 people. In 2008, Greensboro Merchants Association and the High Point Merchants Association joined to become one entity — Guilford Merchants Association. The combined organization continues to put on the popular High Point Holiday Festival Parade in November. In 2012, Mark Prince became president and CEO of GMA and FirstPoint. He’s only the fifth person to hold that title. Under his leadership, FirstPoint has continued to flourish. That success has Prince enabled the organization to significantly increase the philanthropic and economic development contributions back into the community. In 2016, the GMA/FirstPoint Foundation was established to further

GMA gives back in big ways to our local community. Recently a check from the GMA/FirstPoint Foundation Fund was presented to the Greensboro Firefighters Foundation. These dollars help support our firefighters with physical and mental health programs, recognition, and community education and outreach. Pictured from left: Greensboro Fire Chief Jim Robinson, GMA President/CEO Mark Prince, Greensboro Fire Foundation President Patty Potter, GMA Immediate Past Chair John Thomas, and GMA Past Chair David Parrish.

support those efforts. Through those funds — along with FirstPoint’s profits — more than $15 million has been reinvested back into the community over the past decade.

Through economic shifts, suburban growth, the internet revolution and decades of change, one thing has remained constant — the power of business owners coming together.

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

New member wants to ‘make good connections’ NEW F MEMBER or David Ruck, a financial adviser with Edward Jones, the Guilford Merchants Association offered a chance to branch out. “I knew I wanted to meet more people in person, because there’s no substitute for an in-person conversation,” he said. “Zoom and the phone is handy, but it’s hard to get that relationship off the ground in the same way as if two people are sitting at the same desk talking about something.” The social Ruck aspect of GMA also drew him to join, he said. “I want to know more people in Greensboro, more of the people who are contributing to the economy, who are building their business, who are providing services,” he said. Ruck said he moved to Greensboro

a little over 10 years ago. “I want to start to sink roots, make good connections. And part of what I do is working with people to get clarity on their finances and their goals, and I figured a good way to do that is go out and meet people,” he said. In his role with Edward Jones, Ruck likens himself to a quarterback. His job is to help people get their finances organized, identify their goals, and keep them on track, which means adapting as life changes. That also means he works on a team, which usually includes a legal professional and a tax professional, and sometimes a business banker. “I help people find out what they can accomplish, how best to accomplish that, and how to protect what they have built,” he said. He’s seen how lack of prepara-

tion can affect a family’s finances. Someone who had built a business in Georgia sold it as part of their retirement plan. But it was seller-financed and the new owner ran the business into the ground, so the family never got the balloon payments they were expecting.

“GMA has really found a secret sauce for those networking events with the sticker game,” he said.

“It keeps me going because I know what we do is important. It’s clarifying, and it can help people get to a better spot,” he said.

“For people who are looking to build their network, to find people they can help, or find people who can help them, there need to be events where people gather together with an express purpose of building that circle of influence, finding those people who could complement what they’re doing,” he said.

While he’s only been with GMA for about two months, Ruck has attended several events. He said he really enjoyed the January Teach Me Tuesday session on business loans because he had questions about that topic as he explores buying his own office space. He also likes the update from city officials and organizations about what’s going on downtown. And, like many new GMA members, he loves the networking options.

Ruck said he has already found the organization to be a great way to connect with people, to find clients and to add people to his “center of influence.”

“I hope to find people that I can help and who can help me. I want it to be a give and a take,” he said. David Ruck 336-855-6467 david.ruck@edwardjones.com www.edwardjones.com/us-en/ financial-advisor/david-ruck

Member Orientation GMA welcomed new members and new employees of member companies at orientation on Jan. 21. Seated, from left, are: Michelle Bolick, GMA; Brittany Miric, Degree Wellness; Alison Huber, Dynamic Quest; Lindy Fuller, Summit Credit Union; Brandon Shanahan, The Resource Co. and Dane Robertson, The Reserves Network. Standing, second row, from left: Stephanie Ward, Print Plus; Sarah Lanse, SnapShift Strategies; Nancy Green, Anchor Travel Experts; Sandy Eaton, New Day Organizing; John Hudson, Bull City Epoxy; Angela Moran, United Realty Group; Lauren Britton, BeLocal; Nancy Vega, The Reserves Network and Mark Podolle, Wireless Ventures. Third row, from left: Kathy Langfield, Special Olympics NC; David Wehmeyer, Greenlight IT Services; Jane Hudson, Bull City Epoxy; Rick Dodson, RD5 Business Advisors LLC; Adam Lindsay, Champion Health; Joshea Singleton, Empower Excellence LLC; Tate Davis, Champion Health; Hunter Neal, Special Olympics NC and D’Andre Clayton, Clayton Financial Solutions LLC. 5

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

Tebow shares message on success, significance Former NFL quarterback, speaker and entrepreneur Tim Tebow headlined the Guilford Merchants Association’s Annual Dinner on Feb. 25 at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel/Koury Convention Center. The event serves as the only official meeting of the organization’s members.

Annual Dinner At right, 2026 Chair of the GMA Board of Directors Anita Bachmann, United Healthcare of NC, hands a plaque to Immediate Past Chair John Thomas, IDeACOM of Central NC Inc.

Tim Tebow, a former NFL quarterback-turned-sportscaster, speaker and entrepreneur, talks to GMA members at the Annual Dinner on Feb. 25.

GMA’s C.A.N. Networking Group showed up for C.A.N. member and Immediate Past Chair of the Board John Thomas. Pictured from left are: Gene Dolan of Culinary Visions Catering and his wife, Tracy; Lisa Whitestone and her husband, Rob Whitestone, of Cottman Transmission; Dan Tucker of Triad Boat Detailing and his wife, Jana; and Dawn Moser and her husband, Mark, of The Davidson Group.

Greensboro Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter poses for a picture at the Annual Dinner.

D’Andre Clayton, Clayton Financial Solutions (left) and Adam Lindsay, Champion Health, take a break from the festivities to get their photo made at the Annual Dinner. 6

Nike Roach, Solutions Afoot, gets his picture made at the Annual Dinner.

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

A passion for pets — and a good true crime podcast Question: What are you passionate about and why? Answer: PETS! No really, I have always been passionate about dogs and cats (and all things furry). As a young child, I was the one bringing home random strays and begging to keep them (even did that with a rabbit). I would sneak my dog into my bed at night to sleep amongst my stuffed animals. I think my passion comes from a deep seated love for that connection that you get with an animal. Their unconditional love and devotion to their person. It has indeed been what led me to my career at All Pets Considered where I am not only passionate about pets but also about making sure that pets are kept healthy and live longer lives! Q: What did you want to be when you grew up? A: I honestly had no idea! When I went to college I first majored in Biology, then childhood education — but nothing truly gave me joy like my love for animals. Being a vet was out of the cards because I faint at the sight of blood — but I knew I always felt like doing something with animals felt

6Questions with ...

Alison Schwartz Owner, All Pets Considered like the best direction. In my mid-20s I started rescuing dachshunds which led me to All Pets Considered as I hosted rescue fairs. That connection started a friendship with the founder, Kristine Godfrey. When I started seeking a part-time job while my son was in preschool, I turned to All Pets Considered. What started out as a few hours weekly quickly ignited a passion that quickly took off. Q: What are three words to describe yourself? A: Extrovert, enthusiastic, adventurous. Q: Who is your favorite author? Why? A: Harlan Coben is my favorite author. I do not often get a lot of time to read (between work, rescue and my

Alison Schwartz, owner of All Pets Considered, also rescues dachshunds.

family) but I make sure to read every single Harlan Coben book that gets released. I guess I love the mystery in each book, the break for me from every day! I also love True Crime podcasts so the detective piece of reading mystery books also I find exhilarating. Q: What is your biggest regret? A: Not taking any business classes or accounting classes in high school or college. I think I would have been better prepared for business owner-

ship had I taken at least beginner classes. Q: What is a piece of advice for someone new to the workforce? A: Find what ignites your passion. When you find a job that awakens your soul then it is never work.

Alison Schwartz 336-540-1400 https://allpetsconsidered.com

Snapshots

Scenes from GMA events in January and February

Teach Me Tuesday From left are: Will Chappell, Bankers Life; Gerald Hutchinson, ActionCOACH; and Oleg Gorianskyi, United Way of Greater Greensboro, share a laugh during the Jan. 13 Teach Me Tuesday, featuring speaker Scott Baker, TowneBank.

RISERS Members of RISERS, which is GMA’s young professionals group, gather for a photo at Sarah’s Kabob Shop in Greensboro on Feb. 11 for a lunch meet-up.

Noontime Network From left: Steve Taylor and Josh Sammons, Solace IT Solutions, share information about their Kernersville company at the Jan. 15 Noontime Network at Doubletree by Hilton (Airport) in Greensboro. 7

Trends – Published for members of the Guilford Merchants Association

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gma-march2026-shfbnwnc.pdf

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