HCC hosts 24th annual Chamber golf tourney

Oct. 6—HENDERSON — The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce golf tournament field was booked solid, well in advance of the 24th Annual Chamber Challenge held Tuesday at the Henderson Country Club.

For the second year in a row, the number of foursomes totaled 23 for an event that's crucial in supporting the Chamber, and this year was won by the H.G. Reynolds Co. Inc. squad of Ken Long, Chase Boyer, Matt Beasley and Charlie Lewis.

"We have great sponsorship from our business members, our Chamber, and we couldn't do it without them," said Henderson-Vance Chamber President Michele Burgess. "It's a big fundraiser for our Chamber and we use it for our budget to take care of programming that we offer."

One of the competitive highlights of the day was Matt Choplin's 164-yard hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth, which generated quite a bit of buzz around the course. Choplin represented the Private Wealth Management of N.C. team along with Mack Choplin, Dave Carver and Toney Falkner.

Margier White-State Farm Insurance served as this year's presenting sponsor, same as a year ago at Kerr Lake Country Club.

State Farm sponsored a pair of teams, one with Matthew Allen, Joseph Allen Jr., James B. Williams and Joe Peace, and another all-women's group featuring Debbie Upright, Sarah Lloyd, Cathy Carver and Cheryl Ellington.

"Philanthropy is very important to me and giving back to the community is really important," White said. "So that's why I do what I do. I try to be as visible in the community as possible to let people know that we're here for them and we want to help them in more ways than one, more ways than just being an insurance agent, but a partner in everything that we do, even playing sports. So I'm excited to be here."

Burgess praised the volunteers that make the tournament possible and gave a shoutout to host HCC, which showcased its new greens.

HCC Pro Jeremy Radford said community-oriented events such as the Chamber Challenge give the club a chance to show off its amenities while also demonstrating that HCC supports the community.

"Yes, we may be a private country club," Radford said, "but we're here to promote Henderson and Vance County as a whole. We look forward to having this event and we're happy to have it this year and we're excited for the participants and thank everybody for having us."

Aside from supporting the Chamber, one of the most beneficial aspects of a tournament like this is networking. Each team is sponsored by a local business, agency or school. Some teams are made up exclusively of those business's employees while other rosters are rounded out by associates, friends and family.

The Charles Boyd Chevrolet team had Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon and Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen, joined by Brian Boyd and John Rowan.

For some, acquaintances are renewed. Others, like Mars Petcare Plant Manager Dave Spehek, making his tourney debut and representing a Gold tourney sponsor, receive an introduction to Henderson. He was joined on his team by Austen Burk, Ivory Foster and Herbert Higgs.

"It brings everybody together for a fun afternoon," said Chamber Board Chairman Ronald Bennett. "There are other golf tournaments and all but this is the premier event for the Chamber that we look forward to every year — it's our biggest fundraiser of the year. And just an opportunity for businesspeople and community people to get together and have a fun afternoon on the golf course."

24th ANNUAL CHAMBER CHALLENGE

Chamber Challenge Cup winner: H.G. Reynolds (Ken Long, Chase Boyer, Matt Beasley, Charlie Lewis)

2. The Pegram Agency (Ray Pegram Jr., Kenny Abbott, Tommy Overcash, Jonathan Edwards)

3. Paddle Consulting Group (Joseph Falkner, Henry Falkner, Joel Cheatham IV, David Kirby)

Longest Drive: Hole 1 (Jonathan Edwards, Pegram Agency)

Closest to the Pin: Hole 11 (Rusty Pace, Vance-Granville Community College)

Closest to the Pin: Hole 4 (Matt Choplin, NC Private Wealth Management with a hole-in-one)

Presenting sponsor: Margier White-State Farm Insurance

Gold sponsor: Mars Petcare, Executive Personnel Group

Silver sponsor: GFL Environmental, Gupton Services, Oxford Prep, Vance Charter

Bronze sponsor: Brewer Cycles, Carolina Sunrock, Charles Boyd Chevrolet-Cadillac-Buick-GMC, H.G. Reynolds Company, Inc., Hillside Farms, MGM Products, Inc., M.R. Williams, Maria Parham Health, Paddle Consulting Group, Pegram Agency, Inc., Private Wealth Management of N.C., Vance County Farm Bureau, W.W. Properties

Hole-in-one sponsor: Charles Boyd Chevrolet-Cadillac-Buick-GMC

Lunch sponsor: Mars Petcare

19th-hole sponsor: Fred's Towing and Transport, J.M. White Funeral Service

Beverage station sponsor: Benchmark Community Bank, Country Snacks Manufacturing, WDT Development

Prize sponsor: Country Snacks Manufacturing