Sharon Dent

Sharon, a native of Florida, has lived in Burlington for 18 years, and is a commercial paralegal at Wishart, Norris, Henninger & Pittman, P.A. She serves as Chairperson of the Board of the Wishart, Norris, Henninger & Pittman, P.A. Charitable Foundation, Inc. and is a volunteer with the Humane Society of Alamance County. Excited about the Company Shops Market from its inception, Sharon believes that she can contribute ideas from a consumer’s perspective as to the benefits of organic foods and products, particularly those produced locally, and Alamance County’s need for an organic market. She asserts traditional grocery stores and the marketing engines behind them have conditioned consumers to what and how they should eat and the products they should purchase. It is Sharon’s belief that local and organic markets can expose consumers to other choices and remind them of the real taste of fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains. Sharon has invested $5,000 in Company Shops Market.

Eric Henry

Eric is President of T.S. Designs, a sustainably-minded textile company in Burlington. After almost losing their business to NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement), they have made a successful transition to a triple bottom line business that makes the highest quality, most sustainable, printed t-shirts on the market. Eric has been a long time owner of Weaver Street Market in Carrboro and an early owner of Chatham Marketplace in Pittsboro. The idea of a community owned grocery store to reconnect local agriculture back to Alamance County has been a long time goal. Eric also helped to start Burlington Biodiesel which has been making biodiesel at T.S. Designs for almost four years. Eric wants to push the window of sustainability in order to change the direction of American society. Eric is the Board Secretary and has invested $5,000 in Company Shops Market.

Rusty Holt

Rusty Holt of Holt Hosiery in Burlington is the Board Treasurer and has invested $5,000 in Company Shops Market.

Sam Moore

Sam Moore is a native of North Carolina. For 30 years he was a research chemist, R+D Director and eventually CEO of Burlington Chemical, a family company started by his grandfather in 1953. His education includes an undergraduate degree from Elon University, graduate studies in textile chemistry at North Carolina State University, a master’s in Organization Management from the University of Phoenix, and he is currently seeking a PhD in environmental management and clean production at Erasmus University in the Netherlands.

Since the sale of Burlington Chemical in the Spring of 2007, Sam has founded a small business consultancy, Ouroboros Holdings, LLC and has started a web-based sales firm marketing a surgical recovery kit for orthopedic patients (www.kneedybag.com). Another project is beginning to develop a cotton appellation branding more sustainable cotton fabrics grown, spun and sewn in the Carolinas.

Sam has a wife of 15 years, Mary Frances, and a daughter Chelsea who is currently a candidate for a doctorate in audiology at University of Southern Alabama. In his spare time he tends to a 20 acre farm and listens to DAWG music with his hound dogs. Sam has been toying with the food co-op idea for years and is very excited to see it moving forward! Sam is the Board President and has invested $5,000 in Company Shops Market.

Charlie Sydnor

Charlie Sydnor, in 1963 was faced with the dilemma of whether to get an MBA and run a ranch or whether to go to medical school. Because of certain financial considerations, it was thought that medical school was the better choice. For the next 12 years, heart and soul went into finishing medical school, an internship and a residency.

In 1975 the dream of the ranch resurfaced, and a small farm was purchased in Snow Camp, North Carolina, in the spring of that year. This was the beginning of Braeburn Farm, which for the next 25 years was engaged in a cow-calf and stocker operation, producing calves for the commodity market.

In the spring of 2000, Charlie attended a conference on stocker cattle and was introduced to the idea of multi-species grazing. Also at this time, a growing body of evidence showed that cattle raised exclusively on grass were a healthier product than those fed grain.

The following year, Dr. Sydnor attended the Ranching for Profit course, given by David Pratt, and began to network with a group of ranchers in the West, who demonstrated many innovative practices. He came to believe that he had the wrong cow, producing the wrong product, in the wrong way, and was injuring the environment at the same time.

Consequently, a total remake of the farm began. It was decided to use the New Zealand Red Devon cow because of a history of one hundred years of grass-fed genetics. The product of these cows could not go to the commodity market, but had to be sold as a 100 per cent grass-fed product, processed and sold locally.

In 2004, Charlie joined the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and found a large number of farmers interested in sustainable agriculture. Discussions with Eliza McLean started in a casual way at that time, but eventually led to the merging of Cane Creek Farm and Braeburn Farm under the banner of Wells Branch LLC. Wells Branch is currently in the process of integrating sheep, pigs, goats, layers, broilers, and turkeys into a cohesive system, such that each species produces a product and a service. Products are being marketed to restaurants, individuals, and at farmers’ markets throughout the Piedmont. Charlie is deeply committed to the establishment of Company Shops Market and the opportunity it will afford local growers and producers of all kinds. He has invested $5,000 in Company Shops Market.

Wayne White

Wayne is a relatively new resident of Burlington, having lived in Greensboro from 1975-2005. He has been active in the Greensboro community, while living in Fisher Park, which is a center-city neighborhood. His activities included serving as Chairman of the Historic District Commission and President of Preservation Greensboro, Inc. Wayne also was the co-founder of Architectural Salvage of Greensboro, one of the longest-running all-volunteer salvage operations in the country, that subsidizes preservation projects in the community. Wayne's civic activities have always centered on hands-on active participation in large fund-raising projects and labor-intensive volunteer projects, and his skills in organization and motivating volunteers will come in handy in the formation of Company Shops Market, and he's excited that the community has indicated such a strong initial interest in the concept of Company Shops Market.