Caroline Ansbacher

A strong sense of community and a deep connection to mother earth have intersected at this particular time in Caroline Ansbacher’s life, to lead her to the work of Company Shops Market. Having grown up in South Carolina among extended family members whose avocations included farming, gardening, and conservation, she adopted these interests through osmosis. Though never a farmer herself, she has had a garden most of her life, and is drawn to anything and everything that has a connection to nature in all its magnificence.

Temporarily sidetracked from these interests during college and early adult life, Caroline graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Phi Beta Kappa and Cum Laude, with a degree in economics. Thereafter, she worked as a Systems Engineer for IBM in Boston for seven years, but gave up her career to raise three children with Ben, her husband of 40 years. They owned and operated a computer business together until they sold it in 1998. Along the way, she earned a Masters Degree in Liberal Studies from Duke University.

The community part of Caroline emerged soon after her family moved to Burlington, North Carolina in 1973, as she worked to found both Family Abuse Services and Rape Crisis Alliance. As a result of these experiences, plus her work on the Burlington Planning and Zoning Commission, the Alamance Community College Foundation and the vestry at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, she learned to plan, to organize, and to execute. These skills proved useful later as Caroline served on The Burlington City Council for twelve years, eight of them as Mayor Pro Tem. During this time, she also served as Chair of the Environmental Committee of the North Carolina League of Municipalities. An appointment by Governor Hunt in 1996 to a six year term on the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund, as a founding member, allowed her to continue her interest in environmental issues after she left the city council. At the present time, Caroline serves on an advisory committee of Elon University Environmental Studies.

During all these years, she has maintained an avid interest in all things related to good health, especially exercise (she is a strong advocate of sidewalks), but more importantly, healthy eating. A co-op that offers locally grown foods will make a significant contribution towards that end, and at the same time build community for our people. Caroline has invested $5,000 in Company Shops Market.

Heather Bjork

Heather Bjork was raised in an entrepreneurial family and grew up with a love for education, children and small business. Heather began helping out in the family business (travel agency and tour company - educational trips for students and seniors) when she was 8 years old and worked in the business until she went to college. Heather graduated with high honors from Eckerd College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and in 2000, graduated with high honors from Kenan-Flagler Business School with an Executive MBA. Heather spent 8 years in organizational development consulting, helping companies to link their human resources to organizational strategy. Twice she started a consulting practice from the ground up. She left the business world for 7 years to raise her two children but during this time held several leadership roles including President of the Board of Directors for Broach Theatre (a professional theatre in Greensboro), Co-Coordinator (Media Chair & other leadership roles) for the Alamance County Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group, and Co-Director of the Children's Choir (Joyful Noise) at St. Mark's Church. In 2008, Heather opened an art education franchise that offers multicultural, mixed media art education camps, classes, parties and events for children 20 months to 12 years of age throughout Central NC. Heather also serves as a Board Member for the Alamance County Arts Guild (Media Chaiperson for The Studios).

Heather is passionate about healthy living and especially children's health. She has been an active member in the efforts to reduce toxins, dioxins and other harmful emissions released by Stericycle's medical waste incinerator operating in Graham. She works hard to protect her children from pesticides, growth hormones, and other hazardous substances by purchasing organically, locally grown food. Her life, like most people, has been touched by cancer, having lost three loved ones to cancer. She has made a commitment to make choices to keep her family as healthy as possible and the vision for a market in Burlington offering locally grown, organic and sustainably produced food is very exciting to her. Heather is also committed to children's health and will focus her efforts on educating children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and healthy food choices. She will be focused on making mothers aware of the choices that will be available at Company Shops Market and hopes her entrepreneurial background will be beneficial to this venture.

Pete Burgess

Biography coming soon.

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. Sharon also sits on the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of Alamance County and on the Board of New Leaf Society, a nonprofit organization formed to beautify the community with landscaping and hardscaping, through public and private cooperation. Excited about Company Shops Market since 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 $15,000 in Company Shops Market.

Sam Moore (recently retired from the board)

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 $15,000 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 $15,000 in Company Shops Market.

David R. Williams

David, one of the more recent members to join the Company Shops Board, served for twenty-five years as Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, retiring from this active downtown Burlington parish in early 2010. As devoted pastor, educator and administrator, he oversaw the growth of the church’s “open door” campus to the seven buildings so vital to Holy Comforter’s legendary outreach ministries.

David brings his entrepreneurial spirit of mission to Company Shops. His “can-do” vision initiated the raising of more than $2 million in capital funds during his rectorship at Holy Comforter, bringing the parish to full health for its Centennial in 2011--within a block of the Company Shops Market, a concept sure to bring new vitality to a downtown in transition.

David has served well on several boards of directors in Alamance County. He was Chair of the Hospice Board during the ground-breaking of Hospice Home; a member of the Human Relations Committee in Alamance County and co-coordinator of several annual community services honoring The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Convener for many years of the interdenominational Downtown Ministers; and member of the local FEMA (Federal Emergency Management) Board.

Moreover, David loves to garden. Way back in the ‘70s, he initiated church community gardening in Winchester, Virginia, and he has always nurtured a “vegetable garden room of my own.” He is a vocal promoter of local farms and is enthused by the prospect of a community grocery bringing new life to beautiful downtown Burlington.

David has been married to Sarah for 34 years, and their four children and three grandchildren, now living on both east and west coasts, are all “local foodies.”