Mar. 29—Of all the things Donnie Holcomb has done in his life, he said just about the only thing he's failed at is retirement.

"There's a problem with me in that I seem to fail retirement over and over," said Holcomb, who initially planned to retire in 2013 in Florida.

But after fishing to his heart's content and polishing his collection of cars, Holcomb said he felt like he needed to get back to work.

He now works on the board for Dickerson Fuel Company, which owns 85,000 acres of land in southern West Virginia, is the vice chairman for the Finance, Audit and Facilities Planning Committee for the Marshall University Board of Governors, and is the manager for Greenway Trust Company, which is the trustee for all of the late Chris Cline's assets.

He also owns Wooden Nickel Used Cars and Performance in Beckley.

Throughout his career, Holcomb has worked as a CPA, CFO, VP and President of private companies in the areas of contract mining, automotive dealerships and consulting for natural resources.

He has also served on local boards including the Red Cross, Beckley-Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Southern West Virginia and has been the president of the Beckley Rotary Club.

For his professional accomplishments as well as his volunteer and philanthropy work, the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce has described him as "one of the most generous people you will ever meet."

For his dedication in businesses as well as to the community, the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce has selected Holcomb as the recipient of the 2023 Community Leadership Award.

Since 1991, the Community Leadership Award has been given annually to the business leader or organization who has most positively impacted the community through excellence in business leadership and community service over a lifetime.

The chamber plans to present Holcomb with this award at its 102nd Annual Dinner set for Thursday evening at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.

When asked how it felt to be selected for the Community Leadership Award, Holcomb said he was surprised and humbled.

"I don't know, I sort of hang my head in surprise and awe about that," he said. "But it makes a chill come over me that people would think that much of me."

Holcomb credits his West Virginia roots as the source of his giving nature.

"The people that I grew up with and around, they would give you the shirt right off their back," said Holcomb, a Wyoming County native. "They're wonderful people — very giving, very caring. So growing up that way it's just kind of instilled in you that if someone asks and they're truly in need, you try to do for them."

Holcomb said he especially tries to give back to the communities and organizations that have been part of getting him to where he is today.

This includes Concord University in Athens, where Holcomb majored in accounting and management and received a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1979.

"(Concord University) is really where I got the opportunity to learn and become involved, through the business classes and so forth," he said. "And they gave me the tools to be able to pass the CPA exam and do what I've done."

Over the years, Holcomb has made major contributions toward the President's House restoration and track renovation projects at Concord and also established the Holcomb Family Presidential Scholarship, an endowed fund that benefits Concord University students from southern West Virginia.

Holcomb made his way to Beckley in the '80s to work for Mason and Bashaw CPA, which was owned by Vivian Mason, the first female CPA in West Virginia, and David Bashaw. At the time, Holcomb said it was the largest CPA firm in Beckley and handled accounts for many of the local businesses.

He added that working at this firm as well as others in the area really helped him to get a sense of the community.

"Over the years that I spent in various stages of public accounting, I got to know practically all the business people around southern West Virginia," he said. "Not only in Beckley but Raleigh County as a whole, Wyoming County — Oceana, Pineville.

"Even if it was year-end tax work, you get to know people on a very personal basis that way. And you learn what's going on in their town."

Holcomb said it was through that work that he met his wife Linda, whom he's been married to for 41 years.

In later years, Holcomb worked at Banner Coal and Land for Joe Phillips, who was previously the general manager of Robinson-Phillips Coal Company, where Holcomb also worked before attending college.

Holcomb then got into the automotive business. After initially working at what was at the time Patriot Ford Lincoln Mercury in Beckley, Holcomb would eventually go on to purchase the business in 2014 with co-owner Keith Tyler and rename it Mountaineer Automotives.

Prior, Holcomb became CFO of Cline Resource and Development Company, owned by local entrepreneur and philanthropist Chris Cline, who died in 2019.

Holcomb said it was his involvement in these businesses, which were led by generous and community-minded people, that helped shape the person he is today.

He added that he is also pleased to see that this trait has been passed down to his children.

Holcomb said his daughter, Megan Walker, is a doctor at Dickens & Walker Family Dentistry in Beckley and his son Mark works for an advertising agency in New York.

In 2020, Holcomb said his son helped facilitate the donation of 4,000 shoes to the United Way of Southern West Virginia through a shoe company called GREATS, which he was doing advertising work for at the time.

"You see all the needs that we have in our community, but for me, I'm conscious and try to do things about the needs, but I believe the way that we drive away such large amount of neediness is come up with a thriving business community," Holcomb said.

"It's the adage of high water raises all boats kind of thing ... A long time ago, someone told me, if you want to get something done, find somebody that's busy to do it. I guess I've kind of lived by that."

Email: jmoore@register-herald.com