By Bruce Boyer

Why do people choose to live in Kernersville when business opportunities knock elsewhere?  Ask Bob Reed and he will tell you in six words, “It is all about the people.”

As a junior at UNC-G, Bob was asked by Don Page to “look after a new Page Sporting Goods Store” which was getting ready to open on South Main Street.  Helping to manage a sporting goods store was a great part-time job for a college student, but Bob had his sights on a larger city once his degree was in hand.  At the store he met some of Kernersville’s finest citizens – people like Clarence Lambe, Sr.  Bob quickly realized Kernersville people are special.  After graduation, Clarence Lambe Sr. offered him a job at Kernersville’s Northwestern Bank.  The date was February 2, 1976, and the beginning of a long, rewarding career in Kernersville banking.

Other than one year (1977) as an Assistant Park Superintendent at Tanglewood Park, Bob Reed’s career centered in Kernersville, enjoying his deepening friendships in the community.  Bob’s resume lists a string of bank names:  Northwestern Bank, First Union, American Bank, Southern National Bank, BB&T and now, Fidelity Bank.  A closer look reveals only two of the six positions involved a career change.  Bank mergers accounted for the remainder of title changes.  He opened his current bank, the Kernersville branch of Fidelity Bank, from scratch – well, almost.  Gale Motsinger came with him.  Gale has worked with Bob his entire career in banking, dating back to the earliest days of Northwestern Bank.  Did I tell you the word loyalty is one of the most important words in Bob’s vocabulary?  To him, loyalty is “all about the people, too.”  Just like Clarence Lambe Sr. said, “I believe in you,” he acts the same way about people he employs.

Bob has always been deeply involved in the community.  The list of community organizations is seemingly endless:  Lion’s Club, Friends of the Kernersville Library, Körner’s Folly, Kernersville Family YMCA, Shepherd’s Center, MS Society, Kernersville Downtown Preservation and Development Council, Kernersville Chamber of Commerce, Wake Forest University Deacon Club, and Main Street United Methodist Church.  He credits his wife, Marie, and his employers for their sacrifice, enabling the community involvement.

Marie played an important role in Bob’s passion for Wake Forest University athletics.  One of their first dates was to a Wake Forest University basketball game.  Marie would later work as an assistant to Wake Forest Athletic Director Ron Wellman, a relationship that introduced the Reeds to outstanding young athletes and coaches from the university.  They followed teams to out-of-town games, including the Aloha Bowl, Orange Bowl, and other games around the country.  Bob became an avid member of the Deacon Club.  Living in close proximity to four ACC schools gave him plenty of opportunities to poke good-natured fun at fellow business leaders who follow other ACC teams.  After all, sports are about having fun.

When I asked Bob what is special about Kernersville his eyes lit up.  Roger Swisher called Kernersville “The Heart of the Triad,” because of its centralized location within the triad.  To Bob, the heart is also about friendships.  Bob quickly named off some of the people most influential to him over the years:  Clarence Lambe Sr., Solly Coltrane, Norman Bennett, Alan Bennett, and Jerry Medford were just a few of the names mentioned.  Each had mentored and counseled him in the business world and as a friend.  He described their traits as gracious, giving, understanding, and hardworking.  Bob obviously learned well as he exhibits the same traits himself.

As the author of this article and the previous chamber executive, I have also observed that Bob is willing to make tough decisions and to speak up when it is time for a mid-course correction.

He said Kernersville is a community of people willing to help others, and credited the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce for getting people involved in civic and business activities.

As a businessman, Bob Reed thinks Kernersville’s future is wide open and very bright.  Kernersville is positioned for solid residential growth.  He highlighted six areas primed for development.  The most immediate is the South Main Street area near the junction of Cherry Street.  Other key development will be on Medical Parkway, Highway 66/Carrolton development area, Union Cross Road, the former Pine Tree Golf Course area, and Triad Business Park.  Long a proponent of a healthy downtown Bob Reed said, “Kernersville has overcome challenges to maintain a strong downtown area.”  He went on to say, “Growth does bring some pain, but the town has consistently done what is the best thing to do for the long run.”  He concluded by saying “growth attracts lots of good things.”  Some of those intangibles include the quality of life, civic involvement, and quality public and private schools.  Kernersville is where people want to be.  Bob saw that from day one in Kernersville:  people went away to college and returned to Kernersville to work and raise their families.  The bright lights of the city don’t compare to the friendliness of Kernersville.  “Kernersville is simply the best,” he said.

Bob likes to have his morning coffee at Fitz on Main.  Where else can you walk into a restaurant only 9’ wide and have everyone speak to you?  That is what motivated Bob to settle in Kernersville in the first place, and Kernersville retains that small town friendliness today.  As he said to Clarence Lambe Sr. back in 1976, “I’m going to give it a try.”  That was 39 years ago and Bob is still enjoying Kernersville.

Author’s note:  The walls of Bob Reed’s office are lined with plaques of appreciation from numerous organizations in Kernersville, honoring a man who has done much to help the community.  The most recent award was presented at the 2014 Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet.  Bob Reed received a lifetime achievement award, the Community Distinguished Service Award.