3 iredelllivingjan14

IREDELL LIVING • JANUARY 2014 1

ComplimentaryJanuary 2014

Living the Good Life

Primary Care & Wellness Then and Now

2 IREDELL LIVING • JANUARY 2014

January 2014

Iredell Living the Good Life


LIVNG

I from the publisher

Myron T. GoughPublisher, Iredell Living

Welcome to the January issue. Happy New Year! The calendar has now turned to 2014

and it is time to set new year's resolutions again.

I haven't really made any resolutions this year. Sure, I

would like to lose a little weight, but have actually been

pleased not to have gained weight over the holidays. As

I have gotten older, I have found it harder staying on task

and I don't usually make any firm resolutions.

However, the one thing I want to do in the coming year is

volunteer more. I always receive much more than I could

ever possibly give when I volunteer. If you're interested in

giving of your time, there are many worthwhile, non-profit

organizations in our community that could use your help.

Ask around or check with your local church to find ways

you can be of service.

Here's wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and

prosperous new year! Thank you for reading the January

issue of Iredell Living Magazine!

Follow us on facebook–IredellLivingMagazinehttp://twitter.com/IredellLiving

W W W . I R E D E L L L I V I N G M A G A Z I N E . C O M

Mailing Address - 1670 E. Broad Street, Suite #195 Statesville, NC 28625 704-873-7307E-mail - [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSKristie Darling • Kirk Ballard • David Bradley

Meredith Collins • Kathy WheelerStacey K. Hinman • April Dellinger

COVER PHOTOGRAPHYShane Greene Photography

COVER STORYIredell Health System

Editorial stock photography, unless otherwise noted, is from ThinkStock.com

Iredell Living reserves the right to deny any advertisement or listing. Submissions are welcome, but unsolicited materials are not guaranteed to be returned. Iredell Living assumes no responsibility for information, products, services or statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

Myron T. GoughPublisher/[email protected](704) 873-7307

Kathy WheelerArt Director/[email protected](828) 238-3224

Bob [email protected](336) 686-7271

Linda B. [email protected](704) 657-0237

Heather [email protected](704) 962-8080

To advertise, please call one of Iredell Living Magazine's sales representatives or

contact us at (704) 873-7307.

Iredell

Follow us on facebook–IredellLivingMagazinehttp://twitter.com/IredellLiving



LIVNG

I content

January 2014

8

18

8 • Keeping Those New Year's Resolutions

10 • Making Time For Quality Time

12 • Iredell Health System: Primary Care And Wellness Then And Now

18 • Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A.: Your Vision Is Your View To The World

20 • Giving That Saves Lives

25 • What's Cooking?! Vanilla-Orange Cheesecake With Cranberry Swirl

26 • A Word From The Statesville Chamber: The Leader In Me Program Empowering Students

28 • A Word From The Mooresville- South Iredell Chamber: The Business Of Staying Connected25

self-improvement | food | home | local business


By Kathy Wheeler

Keeping Those New Year's Resolutions

Have you made resolutions for 2014? Many of the top resolutions are directed

toward living a healthier lifestyle, and the basic thread through most resolutions

is about bringing balance to your life. Here are some of the most popular:

Approximately 50% of the population

makes resolutions each year, and only

about 8% succeed in keeping those

resolutions. So what are we missing?

In my opinion we are missing a plan.

Instead of looking at your resolutions

as an all or nothing thing, break them

down into smaller goals. Replace bad

habits with good habits. Change your

routine, so your automatic responses

are disrupted.

For instance, when trying to eat health-

ier instead of changing your whole

diet, start with a healthier breakfast and

build on that. Start adding a piece of

fruit a day or an extra vegetable at din-

ner. Buy organic when you can.

Instead of quitting smoking completely,

try putting yourself in a position where

you can’t smoke, or replace part of your

day with electronic cigarettes instead of

always reaching for tobacco. Work to-

ward quitting completely one cigarette

at a time.

To lose weight, why not cut out any-

thing white, like rice, potatoes, bread,

or pasta, for say two or three days a

week. Replace white rice with brown,

white bread with whole grain, and look

for other healthier replacements.

To get more exercise, instead of going

to the gym which would take a mini-

mum of an hour commitment, maybe

take a 20 minute walk or do a 15 min-

ute workout video per day.

Once you’ve mastered the first step,

add another goal that will bring you

closer to reaching your resolution.

Drastic changes are hard to adhere to

and failure brings feelings of defeat,

killing motivation. Small changes add

up to huge benefits and are easier to

reach and maintain. By accomplishing

one small step, you are motivated to

keep moving toward conquering the

larger goal. Neither bad habits nor good

habits are developed overnight, so be

patient with yourself and don’t give up.

With some thought and a little plan-

ning, you can prepare for those times

when you would normally react with

the old habit by replacing it with a new

response.

• Lose weight • Eat healthier • Exercise more • • Quit smoking • Quit or cut back on drinking •

• Spend more time with friends and family • • Save money • Get out of debt • Travel more •

• Get organized • Cut stress • Go back to school •• Get more sleep • Volunteer •

mabe123 | iStock | Thinkstock



If you’re a working parent, you know how important it is to spend quality time with family. Time is the most valuable non-renewable resource we have, so we must try not to waste it. Instead, we should save every last bit of it for those who are nearest and dearest to us.

But how can parents – who juggle the stress of finding bal-ance between work and family every day – make sure they spend the right amount of time on the right things? Since time is finite, we can’t control the quantity we have; how-ever, we can control the quality. Here are some tips to help you make time for quality time:

Organize. Find a scheduling method that works for you and your family, whether it is a calendar, planner or smart-phone, and plan ahead! Organize your work activities around important family milestones and events, like your child’s first day of school, birthday or ballet recital. This will

About the author:

Stacey K. Hinman is the owner of Primrose

School of Lake Norman located at 173

Raceway Drive, Mooresville. For more

information call 704-658-0460 or visit

primroselakenorman.com

Making Time for Quality Time

By Stacey K. Hinman

help ensure you don’t miss out on those special moments and other family activities when you spend quality time together.

Set Routines. Jo Kirchner, president and CEO of Primrose Schools, suggests reading with your child before bed each night. “Not only is this a great bonding time, but your child will develop early language and literacy skills to foster a lifelong love of reading,” says Kirchner. Establishing a bed-time routine like this will also help ensure that you spend quality time with your children each and every day. If your children are older, you may make it a family habit to go for a walk after dinner each evening, or have a weekly family movie night. Find a time that works for your family, choose an activity, and repeat! Once that routine is in place, you naturally won’t schedule anything during that special block of time each day.

Relax. When you are stressed at work or otherwise, the anxiety is felt by everyone in your household. Try to set aside regular time for yourself to relax and rejuvenate. The way you do this is completely up to you; some people prac-tice yoga or exercise, while others enjoy a cup of tea, listen to music or take a bubble bath. Allotting this special time for yourself every day is important because a few quality minutes spent on you each day can go a long way!

Unplug. When you’re not working, avoid answering work emails and phone calls. While this can be especially difficult in today’s world where information is constantly at our fin-gertips, your phone can take quality time you could be shar-ing with your family. If it’s impossible for you to completely unplug for the whole night, at least wait until your children have gone to bed and avoid checking emails right before you turn in for the night, as studies have shown this can interfere with sleep and increase stress at a time when you should be resting your body to prepare for the following day.

Prioritize. Your work should fit in with your life, not the other way around! Always make quality time with family a priority, and remember that you can have it all, just not all the time. Determine what needs to be done immediately and what can wait so that you don’t miss out on the precious moments that you will never get back.



LIVNG

I cover story

By Kristie Darling

Photos: On the cover–Dr. Emily Nabors, FAAFP, of Iredell Family Practice has relocated to 544 Brawley School Road, Iredell Health System’s new medical facility. Photo by Shane Greene Photography

Pictured–Jerry Sintay, director of the J. Allen Knox Radiation Therapy at Iredell Memorial Hospital with the True Beam linear accelerator, the very latest in cancer treatment technology.

Opposite page–Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville

Primary Care & Wellness Then and Now



You may have heard, the face of health-care is changing. And no, I’m not talking about health insurance; I’m looking at our health providers and how they perceive their role in our lives. “We’re living at a time of transition in health, probably more than we’ve ever seen in healthcare,” explained Ed Rush, Iredell Health System’s president and CEO. “As an industry and country we won’t be successful if all we do is treat sickness. Fortunately, at Iredell Health System and Iredell Memorial Hospital, that focus on wellness, education, and prevention was written into our founding charter.”

Iredell Health System is the parent non-profit corporation that, in 1954, opened Iredell Memorial Hospital, named by its local board of trustees in memory of all military service men and women who gave their lives defending our country. What started 60 years ago as a 100-bed hospital that charged $8.50 for a semi-private room, is now a 247-bed, state-of-the-art, comprehensive medical center that employs 1,600 people with 264 physicians on staff who care for well

over 105,000 patients each year. But that patient number is deceiving. The number of people and families reached by all of IHS’s Centers of Excellence, including Prevention and Wellness, and Women’s and Children’s Services, among others, and its extensive medical depart-ments is vastly more. “There’s no ques-tion that our lifestyle, with health risks rooted in behavior and environment, can be changed by individuals and fami-lies when they understand prevention and wellness,” Rush continued. “We’ve always been good at treating people when they are sick, and my vision at our 60th celebration is to take healthcare management to the next level.”

SERVICES FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING“If you ask 25 people, most would know that certain behaviors can improve their health: better eating habits, not smok-ing, reducing stress, increasing exercise and buckling up when they get in the car,” Kelley Daspit told me. Kelley is director of planning and community re-lations. “You would also get 25 different

reasons why they don’t do these things! We hear these excuses often during our health fairs.” IHS’s goal is to align peo-ple’s understanding of how they, them-selves, can create a more healthy lifestyle and, in turn, improve their overall health and wellness. “I envision a time when hospitals will play a smaller part in health management, because we’ll be doing such a good job in prevention and education,” Rush continued. “Today, our hospital is embracing this new health management focus, where our citizens use the hospital as needed, and employ IHS to access educational, preventive and ancillary services.”

EXPANDING TO MEET YOUR NEEDSDavid Grogan has served on the hospi-tal’s board of trustees since 2002, and as board chairman for the last seven years. “It’s a wonderful hospital. Since day one, our charter recognized the importance of wellness and prevention as opposed to treating sick people,” Grogan said. “We’re bringing our charter to life. By expanding into Mooresville, for in-


stance, more people will have access to this approach.”

A new 10,000 square foot medical facil-ity is now open in Mooresville Town Square, at Williamson and Brawley School Roads. Convenient to Exit 35 on I-77, two of Iredell Health System’s physicians are moving their practices there. A familiar face, Dr. Emily Nabors of Iredell Family Medicine, is relocating to the new building, having practiced in Mooresville previously for ten years. As a family physician, Dr. Nabors partners with her patients to help keep them healthy and prevent illness. In depth knowledge of you and your family is important. “Dr. Nabors is a great fit for our organization,” Kelley shared. “The primary care physician becomes your medical home, to help you stay well, or

at the very least, not to get any worse if you do have a chronic disease. This is key in our new model of wellness.”

Dr. Jason Batley is an orthopedic surgeon with Iredell Orthopaedic Center. He has expanded his Moores-ville practice to the new facility, while maintaining his Statesville office across from the hospital. “The reason you see surgeons turning to smaller community centers is that you can have communi-cation–you can help the administrators understand that if you do a better job treating the whole person, even though you may not be doing as many MRIs, more people will want to be a part of that type of care,” Dr. Batley shared. “At Iredell Memorial Hospital, I have the opportunity to sit down with our CEO and say, ‘What do you think about this

idea?’ If we agree that it is a good idea, we can give it a try.” Dr. Batley treats sports injuries and is the official team physician for David Marsh Performance, a local organization that trains Olympic and national swim teams.

NONPROFIT MEANS LOCAL OWNERSHIP“Our board of trustees is awesome: they are dedicated, high caliber citizens,” Rush said. “They keep the hospital inde-pendent for the community, and

Photos, clockwise:• Iredell Health System’s new

10,000 square foot building at Mooresville Town Square. The building includes Iredell Family Practice (Dr. Emily Nabors) and Iredell Orthopaedic Center (Dr. Jason Batley).

• Dr. N. Jyothi Gavini of Iredell Hematology Oncology talks with chemotherapy patient.

• Hospitalist Dr. Ricardo DeLeon visits one of his patients.

• Iredell Health System employees wear pink and pose with the Pink Fire Truck in support of breast cancer awareness. Iredell Health System is a sponsor of the Pink Fire Truck.


Photos, top to bottom:• John Snow, vice president of

Ancillary and Support servic-es, receives a special thank you from Girls on the Run. Iredell Health System has been the presenting sponsor for their last four runs.

• Mooresville Doctors Judy Bremnor (left), Jason Batley and Emily Nabors at the Mooresville Town Square Great Chili Cook Off last fall.

• Rebecca McCarthy, RN

Uncredited photos provided by Iredell Health System

keep it abreast of new technology and procedures.” Even in times of uncertainty, the hospital has upgraded its fa-cilities and technology. In recent years they have added a new patient floor, two new digital operating room suites, high tech central sterile processing, a new catheteriza-tion lab, a new interventional vascular lab to treat arterial disease in the kidneys and legs, and the True Beam linear accelerator used to deliver radiation therapy to cancer patients.

As a nonprofit corporation, Iredell Memorial Hospital is unique: it is owned by the citizens of Iredell County. All of its services are available to all citizens in all walks of life. Its earned income remains in our community. “In today’s busy society, our expansion into Mooresville is important, because we need to be close so everyone has access,” Rush said. “Our trustees are all local residents; they are your friends and neighbors, and they all buy into this vision. Because we are nonprofit and controlled by local citizens, we can be flexible to commit resources and energy to focus on wellness, one of our founding principles.” IHS employs physicians and their teams in all parts of the county. Supporting family and primary care physicians to embrace prevention, wellness, and education is critical to good health as our communities grow in the years to come. Iredell Health System has been ahead of the curve for 60 years.

A COMMITMENT TO YOUThe vision statement of Iredell Health System says it all: “To be the best at what we do, and to be constantly improving our services to build a healthier community in all of the communities we serve.”

The organization incorporates many valuable commu-nity and charity services as an extension of the excellent health care provided by its dedicated physicians, staff and administration. Again, the board of trustees takes its role seriously. They believe that giving back to the com-munity is vital. IHS and its employees support various health and human services agencies such as the March of Dimes March for Babies, United Way of Iredell County, the American Heart Association and the American Can-cer Society’s Relay for Life. You will always see a team or two from Iredell Memorial working (or playing!) to raise awareness and funds to help others. Other services and donations support health screenings, education, support groups, and school staff, among others.

With 60 successful years of practice, IHS is ready for the next 60!

557 Brookdale DriveStatesville, NC 28677

(704) 873-5661www.iredellmemorial.org


The seven physicians at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, PA (CEENTA) each bring a unique specialty to the group, enabling them to offer a wide-range of services in one Statesville location. Iredell Eye Center joined CEENTA in 2006. CEENTA celebrated 90 years this year with over 100 specialists in 15 locations in and around the Charlotte area.

The Statesville office, located near Iredell Memorial Hospital, is a modern facility with the latest and most advanced equip-ment.

Meet the physicians:Andrew N. Antoszyk, MD - Co-President,Vitreoretinal diseases and surgeryDr. Antoszyk joined CEENTA in 1993. He is a vitreoreti-nal specialist treating diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinovascular disorders, retinal detachments, and ocular trauma and their medical and surgical management.

Taressa Haney, MD - Pediatric OphthalmologistDr. Haney brings pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus specialties to CEENTA. She has been with CEENTA for five years. She enjoys educating parents and children about their

By Meredith CollinsPhotos by Michael LoBiondo Photography © 2013

Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A.

vision disorders and creating a relaxed, child-friendly en-vironment. They have a separate pediatric friendly waiting room and exam room.

Walter Holland, MD - Comprehensive OphthalmologistDr. Holland has been a provider in Statesville since 1982 when he opened the Iredell Eye Center as a solo provider. Originally from Statesville, he was excited to return home to provide surgical and medical eye care to his community.

“The practice grew steadily over the years,” Dr. Holland said. “We began hosting a CEENTA Retinal/Vitreous specialist, Dr. Andrew Antoszyk, in the Statesville office about 10 years ago. That worked so well, allowing subspecialty care in the local community, that I began to consider a merger with CEENTA. This gave us access to more diagnostic technology and sub-specialty.” Omar Punjabi, MD - Ophthalmologist, Vitreoretinal dis-eases and surgeryDr. Punjabi has been with CEENTA less than one year. He specializes in medical and surgical diseases of the retina and vitreous, macular degeneration, diabetic eye diseases, retinal vascular diseases, retinal detachment and posterior uveitis.

Robert M. Saltzmann, MD - Glaucoma surgery and careDr. Saltzmann enjoys getting to work on both ends of the vision spectrum, restoring vision for people with age-related cataracts, and also preventing blindness in those with ad-vanced glaucoma. He has been with CEENTA for three years.

Your Vision is Your View to the World

Pictured, left to right – Dr. Robert Saltzmann, Dr. Omar Punjabi, Dr. Brent Warren, Dr. Craig Self, Dr. Taressa Haney,

Dr. Walter Holland and Dr. Andrew Antoszyk


Photos, left to right: A pediatric patient receiving an eye exam from Pediatric Ophthalmologist Dr. Taressa Haney.

Dr. Self performing an in-office procedure on his patient.

Vitreoretinal specialist Dr. Omar Punjabi performing an eye exam on his patient.

Craig Self, MD - Comprehensive OphthalmologistDr. Self has been with CEENTA six and a half years. He of-fers eye care for patients of all ages ranging from routine eye exams, glasses, contact lens, surgical treatment of cataracts, medical treatment of glaucoma and corneal diseases, as well as exams for diabetes and macular degeneration.

Brent Warren, MD - Comprehensive OphthalmologistDr. Warren specializes in cataract surgery and has been with CEENTA for seven years. He enjoys working with patients to surgically correct loss of vision due to cataracts.

“Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates has top notch doctors who have trained at some of the most prestigious academic centers in the country, and caring compassionate staff who strive to provide top quality service to all patients during their visit,” Dr. Warren said.

Office specialties:• ComprehensiveAdultEyeCare• ComprehensivePediatricEyeCare• CataractManagement• DiabeticEyeDisease• GlaucomaManagement• VitreoretinalDiseases&Surgery• Full-ServiceOpticalShop

WE JUST MAKE SENSE. GOODSENSES.COM 704.872.4108

Award-winning eye care right in your backyard.

Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.

Statesville office doctors:• AndrewAntoszyk,MD• TaressaHaney,MD• WalterHolland,MD• OmarPunjabi,MD• CraigSelf,MD• RobertSaltzmann,MD• BrentWarren,MD

www.goodsenses.com704-872-4108


The holiday season may have reached a close, but why should the spirit

of giving end along with the ball drop in Times Square? For those of you still in the charitable Christmas mood this January, why not join in celebrating National Volunteer Blood Donor Month and give the gift of life.

Every day, over 41,000 blood dona-tions are needed in the United States. Since blood cannot be manufactured or reproduced, it takes a volunteer blood donor to provide the supply of plate-lets, red cells, plasma, and cryoprecipi-tate (a frozen blood product made from plasma) to those in dire need. In a year, 9.2 million people will become donors. 31% of the yearly blood donors are first timers. They are as crucial to saving lives as the 50% who are dedicated, regular donors. First-time donors can potentially help in saving more than 1,000 lives per year if they donate at drives or donor centers every 56 days.

The perfect time to become a donor is after the holidays when the body

has taken in large quantities of iron in the form of Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas ham. Due to a diet rich in lean meat and protein, a specific type of iron, called heme iron, is readily absorbed and taken into the body and blood stream after consumption. A donor whose blood is healthy and iron-rich will have a successful donation experience. Another important element looked for in donors is blood type.

O-negative blood, the universal type blood for red cells, is needed in emer-gencies with newborns and where a patient's blood type is unknown. Unfortunately, only 7% of people in the U.S. have O-negative blood. Similarly, AB-positive blood type donors are the universal donors of plasma, which is used for patients requiring massive transfusions, emergencies and new-borns. Only 3% of people in the United States have AB-positive blood.

Of course, all blood types are needed and in high demand. One donation of any blood type can save up to three

people. This is imperative when the victim of a car accident can require as many as 100 pints of blood, or one pint taken from 100 different donors. Need a different perspective? Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. More than 1.6 million people diagnosed with cancer last year required blood, sometimes daily, dur-ing chemo. 70,000 people with sickle cell disease, including infants, can require frequent transfusions during their lifetime.

You have created new resolutions for the year, but what about making an ex-tra commitment to give a pint of blood in order to save the life of another? The number one excuse given by those who are not donors is that they “never thought about it.” Now, the seed has been planted, so find a local blood drive near you and become one of the millions of new donors saving lives in our country everyday.

Find out more at www.redcrossblood.org

GivingThat Saves

LivesBy April Dellinger

4774344sean | iStock | Thinkstock


begin to break down, about 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then purée in blender or food processor until smooth. Set sauce aside.

Preheat oven to 300°F with rack in center. Coat 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Process ginger-snaps in food processor until fine; add graham cracker crumbs. With machine running, drizzle in melted butter. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of prepared springform pan and about 1 inch up sides of pan. Set aside.

Blend cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each ad-dition. Blend in sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla and 1 tablespoon or-ange juice, then pour into prepared pan. Drizzle top of cheesecake

with 1/4 cup of prepared cranberry sauce, then drag skewer, toothpick or knife tip through sauce to create marbled swirl pattern on top. Place cheesecake on baking sheet and bake until edges are set and puffed but center is slightly jiggly, about 45 minutes. Do not overbake. Turn oven off, crack door open slightly, and allow cheesecake to cool inside for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely at room temperature, then cover cheese-cake with tea towel and refrigerate overnight.

Run knife around sides of cheese-cake, then release and remove side of the pan. To cut, dip blade of thin, sharp knife into hot water (do not wipe dry) and slice into wedg-es, cleaning blade between each cut to prevent smearing. Serve with remaining cranberry sauce.

Setting a beautiful table lets your guests know they are in for an evening of fun and good food as soon as they arrive. Keep things simple with white dinnerware, like the Mikasa American Countryside, pictured, and dress up the table with festive touches of color and texture. End the evening with a show-stopping dessert and your guests will be singing your praises.

Vanilla-Orange Cheesecake with Cranberry Swirl & Gingersnap CrustMakes a 9" Cheese Cake.

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup orange juice1/2 cup water24-32 purchased gingersnap cookies (to make 1 cup crumbs)1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs4 tablespoons butter, melted3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature1 cup sugar2 eggs1/4 cup sour cream1/4 cup heavy cream1 tablespoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon orange juice

DirectionsSimmer cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice and water in saucepan over medium-high heat until berries burst and

What's Cooking?!Vanilla-Orange Cheesecake with Cranberry Swirl

Recipe and photo courtesy of

Lifetime Brands, Inc.


A W O R D F R O M

The Leader in Me ProgramEmpowering

Students

David BradleyPresident and CEOGreater Statesville

Chamber of Commerce

Four years ago, we heard about an

extraordinary teaching framework

at A.B. Combs Elementary School

in Cary, North Carolina. Long story

short, several years prior, the super-

intendent of Wake County Schools

told Muriel Summers, principal at the

struggling magnet school, that changes

would be made. Enrollment was down,

teacher attrition was up, and dramatic

adjustments were imminent. Ms. Sum-

mers got a week to come up with a new

magnet plan with the codicil that she

would have no more resources–money

or human. After some soul searching,

she devised a plan that A. B. Combs’

magnet would be a model of leadership

based on Stephen Covey’s book, The 7

Habits of Highly Effective People. She

and her staff would diligently study the

book, practicing the habits throughout

their day. They would keep their cur-

riculum but would use the language

of the 7 habits in their teaching, every

lesson, every day.

Our visit to A. B. Combs was transfor-

mational. Students looked, felt, and

acted empowered. We were excited to

bring Covey’s The Leader in Me concept

back to Iredell-Statesville Superinten-

dent Brady Johnson. The Chamber

committed to raise money for the pro-

gram in four local schools. He agreed to

share in fund raising. Much credit goes

to the Chamber’s past vice-president

of education programming, Bill Bala-

tow, for his passion and commitment.

Within days we raised $60,000 for our

share of The Leader in Me program

implemented at Third Creek and East

Iredell Elementary, Statesville and East

Iredell Middle Schools.

In December, we took 15 leaders

from three area Chambers through

the schools (thanks to Susie Wiberg at

Iredell Statesville Schools for setting this

up.) Typically, a school tour includes

students taking us to classrooms, talk-

ing about programs. This didn’t hap-

pen at Third Creek Elementary. Angel

Oliphant told us to visit any classroom

and see what they are doing. I was

concerned we wouldn’t get what we

expected. We did not–we got more!

Sarah Meade’s fourth grade class was

very attentive. When Sarah came to a

break, she asked for questions. One

visitor asked, “What is your favorite

habit?” In a heartbeat I prayed that

someone had an answer. Every hand

in the room shot up. One young lady

responded, “My favorite habit is, ‘Think

first to understand, then to be under-

stood.’ I used to be the first one to talk,

to tell my opinion about things that I

really didn’t understand, but I wanted

people to know what I thought. Un-

fortunately, I was often wrong, but you

can’t take back words. Now, I hear what

other people think first, then I offer my

thoughts. My life is a lot less chaotic.”

We sat there stunned! Out of the

mouths of babes come simple truths.

Other students were just as eloquent.

We walked into random rooms, asked

random questions and were blessed by

the profound recognition that our hopes

were being realized.

The Leader in Me might not have a

dramatic impact on test scores, but my

guess is, in the long haul, it will. We

are already seeing decreased disciplin-

ary referrals. These children now have

the power and responsibility to think,

act, and live proactively. Thanks to the

leadership of Brady Johnson, our board

of education, principals, teachers, and

most importantly, our students, for

embracing these habits.



Pho

to b

y C

apta

in G

us

Kirk BallardPresident and CEO

Mooresville - South IredellChamber of Commerce

The Business of Staying Connected

A WORD FROM

Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber Annual Luncheon

& Awards Ceremony January 31,2014

Each year the MSI Chamber of Com-merce holds its awards ceremony cele-brating the accomplishments of business and community leaders. We bring our community together to recognize those individuals who make a difference.

The luncheon sells out with over 500 in attendance at Cove Church. The program includes music and videos of award recipients in five key categories: Duke Energy Service Award: Duke En-ergy recognizes the commitment to help others and bring us together as a com-munity and nation. The award recognizes and rewards leadership and/or involve-ment in volunteerism and community service. It encourages a culture of citizen-ship and service and complements the efforts of individuals and organizations in our community striving to improve our quality of life.

Randy Marion Businessperson of the Year: This award recognizes a merchant, industrialist, service representative or anyone doing business in the Moores-ville-South Iredell area for outstanding achievement in their chosen field.

Citizen Of The Year: This person is chosen for their outstanding contribu-tions in the areas of civic and community involvement, religious, personal, and family life. Years of service and depth of community involvement are also hon-ored.

Willis Barnette Entrepreneurial Award: This special designation honors those who deserve that unique spotlight for their innovative and effective work in a privately owned, independent enterprise.

Sara Haire Tice Women in Leadership Award: Each year one female leader is recognized for her leadership and ac-

complishments in the Mooresville-South Iredell area.

This year, our keynote speaker is Bill Goodwyn, a national thought leader in communications and connectivity. He is president of Strategic Distribution and CEO of Discovery Education.

Goodwyn oversees content distribution strategy, sales and marketing activity on behalf of Discovery's U.S. portfolio of more than 13 networks, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery and Science Channel. He leads the company’s fast-growing Discovery Education division, the nation’s top provider of curriculum-based digital content, professional devel-opment and digital textbook resources in U.S. schools. Discovery Education supports school systems as they transi-tion to digital learning with the launch of the world’s first truly interactive digital textbook for K-12 classrooms.

Since 1987, he has grown Discovery Communications’ U.S. content distribu-tion business to exceed $1B annually, built the #1 ranked sales and distribution team in cable television, and cemented Discovery as one of the top television and content platforms in the media industry. Named head of North American distri-bution for all of Discovery’s networks in 1994, he has developed Discovery Channel into one of the greatest network growth stories in television history, now reaching 100 million U.S. households.

Goodwyn was a speaker at the National Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 An-nual Conference and is the recipient of numerous industry awards. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communications from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Make your reservations early at www.Mooresvillenc.org, or call 704-663-3898 to attend this event on January 31st at The Cove Church. Networking starts at 10:30. The program begins at 11:30.



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