SNOW HILL — Trudy B. Hardy is next in line to head the Greene County Chamber of Commerce. Larry and Rebecca Pate will be leaving their roles as co-directors Dec. 31.
Hardy officially begins Jan. 1. She is retiring from U.S. Cellular after more than 20 years and will gradually be closing out of her position as retail store manager over the next couple of months.
“I am extremely excited to begin my role as the Greene County Chamber of Commerce director,” she said.
Rebecca Pate said Hardy’s personality, familiarity with the county and corporate and small business owner background make her a good candidate for the position.
“We’re just very fortunate to have that caliber of a person that wants to be the director,” Larry Pate said about Hardy.
The Chamber Board of Directors entered silent votes for four candidates held in an open meeting following interviews by the board’s president, Mike Sugg. Eight of the nine members voted.
“The Greene County Chamber of Commerce is very excited with the selection of Trudy B. Hardy as its new chamber director,” Sugg said. “We were very fortunate to have four well-qualified candidates to apply for the director’s position.”
Hardy’s first job was administrative assistant with the Greene County Development Commission after graduating from Greene Central High School in 1966.
She worked at Nora’s, a clothing retail store, for five years until the owner retired. She then opened Trudy B. Hardy’s store in its place and ran it for more than seven years.
In 1991, she began working for U.S. Cellular as an outside sales representative and worked her way up into managing sales teams in the region, and later managing in particular retail stores as the new company experienced growth.
“I started with a sales team of nine and built it up to 22,” she said.
During her career, she traveled all over Eastern North Carolina and, at one point, her region included Virginia and South Carolina. Today, she works out of the two Kinston offices.
“I’ve had a journey with U.S. Cellular,” she said, “but it’s been wonderful.”
More recently, her mother, Litha Mae Britt, suffered a stroke. With Hardy being the only child, the Greene County native said she’d like to be closer to home.
“As soon as I learned Larry had resigned, I looked to see what I could do,” she said. “It couldn’t be more perfect. No. 1, because it’s something I know I will enjoy, and I’ve always had a real interest in businesses in Greene County.”
Hardy said she understands the challenges of owning a small business. Her agenda includes getting a handle on what’s taking place with the businesses in the county and finding out what direction the Chamber board would like to take.
“Certainly, my vision would be that it would be a thriving downtown,” she said about Snow Hill, adding she is just as interested in Walstonburg and Hookerton.
Hardy carries numerous accomplishments behind her, including being selected to serve as interim area sales manager in Portland, Maine, for three months in 2007 where she hit 100 percent of her sales goal in the first month and ranking in the top 10 in outside sales nationwide in the 1990s.
She was one of 20 who received national recognition by Jack Rooney, U.S. Cellular’s CEO, out of about 1,300 leaders in early 2000, and recently she was the first recipient of the Dynamic Organizations Award, a plan based on values, in Eastern North Carolina.
She will be following in the footsteps the Pates left after taking the membership from zero to more than 100.
“We were very pleased with (the Pates’) accomplishments,” Sugg said, “and they were very instrumental in leading our group.”
Sugg said his vision is for the Chamber to grow the membership, assist local businesses and increase fundraising.
Hardy said an active Chamber and growing and expanding business is “critical.”
“I am committed to build upon the foundation and strengths of the Chamber to continue promoting local Greene County businesses,” she said. “I am honored to serve the board in this position, but most especially to serve the businesses in Greene County, diligently working toward our future as a business community.”
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com.