Distinguished Eastern North Carolina Businessman and Bank Chairman Dies
January 06 2014 - 4:53PM
Business Wire
Little Bank chairman and founder, Felix Harvey, who developed
his family’s farm supply business into a conglomerate of
agricultural, transportation and financial companies and was a
generous North Carolina philanthropist, died January 2, 2014.
Harvey was 93 years old. Harvey was born Charles Felix Harvey, III
in Kinston in 1920. After his father died when he was 13, he was
raised by his grandmother, Lula Gill, the widow of a Civil War
Veteran. He credited her with helping him to develop the self
–discipline that was instrumental in his success. Harvey recalled
in a recent interview that she would tell him in his teen years to:
“make me love you more by honoring my instructions.”
By age seven, Harvey was already earning his spending money by
loading his goat-led wagon with fresh vegetables from his
grandmother’s garden and pulling them to the sidewalk to sell. That
began a career in which he would build multiple successful business
ventures.
Harvey attended Kinston Public Schools, Woodberry Forest School
for his high school years and he graduated from The University of
North Carolina - Chapel Hill in 1943 with a B. S. in Commerce.
Shortly thereafter he entered active service with the United States
Navy. He was commissioned an Ensign and served two years in PT Boat
Combat Duty in the Southwest Pacific, serving under command of
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., the movie star. Later he was transferred to
duty at Ocracoke, North Carolina.
Although Harvey started and invested in countless businesses
over his career, he especially loved banking and insurance. He
founded two banks, including the little bank, and an insurance
company. In 1998, at the age of 78, he co-founded the little bank
with his son-in-law, R. Lee Burrows, where Harvey served as
Chairman of the Board and Burrows served as Executive Committee
Chairman. Harvey also served on the boards of five New York Stock
Exchange companies, traveling around the world on their behalf. The
Harvey family commuted to Atlanta during the 1960s when he became
the CEO of Georgia International Life Insurance Company. In 1972
when he left Atlanta, he declined an offer of an executive position
in New York to return to Eastern North Carolina to expand the
family business, since he preferred soil – rather than
concrete.
Little Bank CEO, Rob Jones, believes that Harvey’s ties to the
land and agriculture served him well in business. “I will always
remember Felix Harvey as a farmer. He knew how to plant a seed,
nurture the plant, let the crop develop, harvest it and finally,
get ready to do it all over again. In that regard he was a gifted
farmer of business, relationships and people. He was especially
good at cultivating people. Recruiting, motivating and developing
his own employees were among his greatest strengths. I am very
proud to have been one of the “seeds.”
In addition to founding the little bank, Harvey also founded
Kinston, NC based First Financial Bank which later sold to BB&T
in 1993. Harvey served as Chairman of the board of First Financial
until its sale. In the 1970s and 80s Harvey also served on the
board of directors of NCNB, now known as Bank of America, and was
on the board when dynamic NCNB CEO, Hugh McColl, was selected. He
loved the financial services sector and was an active investor in
southeastern bank stocks throughout his life.
He remained extremely active in the various Harvey family
businesses throughout his career, though in recent years these
companies have been guided by his son-in-law, John O. McNairy, and
now have over 800 employees. Harvey knew most of his employees
personally and many remained lifelong friends. He honored these
employees by establishing the Felix Harvey Scholarship at Lenoir
Community College where a scholarship was given each time an
employee obtained 20 years of service with the company. Presently
over 200 employees have been honored.
Harvey was a member of the UNC Business Foundation, the
Educational Foundation and served as President of each in 1970 and
1975, respectively. He also served on the UNC Board of Trustees. In
2001 he was inducted into the N.C. Business Hall of Fame.
In 1993 he accepted the challenge to raise $18 million dollars
for the Global Transpark Foundation in order to help recruit
industries to the Global Transpark. He became the Foundation’s
first President and served in this capacity for many years.
He often quoted his ideas on relationships as well as
business:
“The important things in life are faith, family, and
friends.”
“The simple way of life is the happiest.”
“Things are never as good or as bad as they seem.”
Rob Jones commented further about Mr. Harvey’s leadership. “We
were so fortunate to have his guidance for the past fifteen years.
The Board of Directors and Management Team look forward to
continuing the Bank’s mission of providing high quality personal
service, quick response to customers’ needs, and re-investment in
the communities we serve.”
Little BankRob Jones, CEO,
252-317-2806orLee Burrows, Executive Committee
Chairman, 404-558-5558
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