Two visionaries, One Mission: BHP Chairman Scott Tilley Passes the Torch to David Congdon
High Point, NC – With the start of 2018, inaugural chairman for Business High Point – Chamber of Commerce (BHP Chamber), Scott Tilley, passes the torch to incoming chairman David Congdon, who will lead BHP Chamber for the next two years.
BHP Chamber is humbled and grateful that such leaders lend their time and support to the organization and the future of High Point. In their professional roles, Tilley leads The Tilley Group, a financial advisory firm through Merrill Lynch and Congdon serves as CEO & Vice Chairman of Old Dominion Freight Line.
Throughout Tilley’s time as chairman, BHP Chamber has had many successes, including securing public/private funding for developments such as the Library Plaza and an entrepreneurial center, providing matching dollars to the City of High Point to fund an engineering study for the Lexington Avenue gateway to improve Triad transportation and connectivity, and establishing a political action committee (PAC) to promote pro-business issues leading to prosperity for all citizens of High Point.
Additionally, BHP Chamber has kept small business a priority by establishing a Small Business Seminar Series, marketing the North Main Street businesses during the street closure, continuously advocating for improved permitting processes, and launching new events like State of the City, Economic Forecast and the Membership Awards Celebration to educate members on relevant information for the city and nation.
Under Tilley’s leadership, BHP Chamber has grown by nearly 200 members.
Also during Tilley’s chairmanship, BHP Chamber embarked on a rebranding process, resulting with the vision statement High Point Rising and the mission to propel our members to success and our community to prominence.
With the refined vision and mission, three areas of focus were identified: the Chamber of Commerce, Strategic Initiatives and Transformational Change. The Chamber of Commerce focuses on small business through events and programs; Strategic Initiatives strengthens our regional partnerships and workforce; Transformational Change develops our city and downtown for current and future generations.
On his time as Chairman, Tilley remarks, “It has been a true honor serving our community as the Chairman of Business High Point – Chamber of Commerce. Our mission was to unite the voice of business in High Point, adding influence and resources to effect positive change thus leading High Point to become the best place to work, live and play. We have made great progress on this bold initiative. High Point has all the ingredients to be one of the best small towns in the United States. We have a thriving University, a globally recognized brand as ‘The Furniture Capital of the World,’ fantastic leadership at the City, an entrepreneurial spirit and perhaps the most generous citizens in the country. We are on our way. High Point is rising. With David’s leadership moving forward, I have no doubt we will succeed.”
As chairman-elect Congdon has been acutely involved in the establishment of the entrepreneurial center and states the implementation of the project will be his “immediate focus” as chairman.
With this focus, the coming months will bring exciting news on an innovative, world-class initiative and co-working space known as HP365.
On HP365 Congdon comments, “Our goal is to capture the attention of the furnishings industry beyond the bi-annual markets. We can do this by activating a creative incubator for entrepreneurs and small businesses in the industry to connect, collaborate, and grow, as well as offer space for more artisanal furniture designers to showcase their work.”
President and CEO Patrick Chapin is excited to continue the vision, adding, “Our community and organization are fortunate to have the caliber and commitment of leaders like Scott Tilley and David Congdon. True visionaries who care about High Point and have worked tirelessly to impact our community. Scott welcomed me as I arrived in this role 18 months ago and he quickly became a mentor and friend. David, with the rest of our Board of Directors, I know will continue to boldly lead this organization with great passion, purpose and vision. I’m deeply appreciative of all the hard work it has taken to get to this point and excited about our next chapter.”
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About Business High Point, Inc.: Business High Point – Chamber of Commerce initiates, inspires and accelerated the kind of change that propels its members to success and its community to prominence. This mission is accomplished through our three areas of focus: Chamber of Commerce, Strategic Initiatives, and Transformational Change. Established in 2015, Business High Point – Chamber of Commerce is the merged entity of the High Point Chamber of Commerce and the High Point Partners. To learn more about us please visit www.bhpchamber.org. To discover how we can help your business, please contact Iris Boswell, membership director, at Iris@bhpchamber.org. 