Carolina Farm Credit names vice president

James Taylor, branch manager of Carolina Farm Credit’s Salisbury office, has been named vice president.

His new responsibilities include the implementation and oversight of Carolina Farm Credits’ new Mission Related Investment/Rural American Bond Program.

Taylor joined Carolina Farm Credit as a loan officer in Statesville in 1981 and moved in 1982 to Salisbury, where he has been branch manager since 1985.

“Both James and the Salisbury branch office have experienced very good success during his tenure as branch manager,” according to Larry Shoffner, Carolina Farm credit chief executive officer.

Taylor is a summa cum laude graduate of Catawba College with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology-personnel management. He has also graduated from the N.C. Bankers School at Chapel Hill, the agriculture Finance School at Georgia Southern and the Rowan Chamber Leadership Program.

Taylor lives in Woodleaf with wife, Kim. They have two children, Adam and Brooke. He has been president of the Salisbury Lions Club twice and the Woodleaf Civitan Club once. His a member of the Home Builders’ Association and a member and former deacon of Enon Baptist Church.

Carolina Farm Credit is a stockholder-owned cooperative providing short, intermediate and long-term financing to full- and part-time farmers and agricultural-related businesses. It also provides financing for the construction and purchase of homes in 54 counties through 37 branch offices, including the one in Salisbury on Statesville Boulevard.

Other financial services include credit life and crop insurance, appraisal services, leasing programs and financial planning.

XanGo meet up

XanGo will hold a drop-in meeting from 11 a.m.-noon Saturday, followed by distributor training from noon-1 p.m. at Challenge 8, 1015 S. Main St., China Grove.

Jeanene Atkinson will host the health and wealth meeting that is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.meetup.com.

Brittain on bank board

Dr. Mark Brittain, a Salisbury optometrist, has joined Fidelity Bank’s advisory board in Salisbury.

Brittain, originally from Hickory, has been in practice in Salisbury since 1985. He graduated from Penn State University and earned his doctorate from Pennsylvania College of Optometry.

He specializes in primary vision care, prescribing glasses and contact lenses and optical aides for the visually impaired.

He has had the opportunity to provide vision care to indigent patients in several countries, including Haiti, Guatemala, Antigua and Kenya. Locally, he is involved with the Good Shepherd Clinic, United Way and the Salisbury Rotary Club. He also serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church.

“We are excited to have Dr. Brittain as part of our banking team. He is very active in the local community and will make a great asset to our board,” said Gary Yelton, vice president of Fidelity Bank.

Brittain and his wife Jane Brittain have two children, Julie and Joel.

Founded in 1909, Fidelity Bank is a full-service $1 billion financial institution headquartered in Fuquay-Varina. It owns and operates 71 branches in 25 counties throughout North Carolina and Virginia.

Local adviser trained

Wendy P. Weant, a Salisbury financial adviser, recently completed IRA distribution training in San Diego, Calif., with Ed Slott, a nationally acclaimed IRA distribution expert and author of several books.

Slott’s training focuses on educating advisers on how to potentially save their clients money and help avoid costly mistakes that would otherwise result in huge tax payments.

His books include “The Retirement Savings Time Bomb … And How to Diffuse It” and “Parlay Your IRA Into a Family Fortune.”

Weant is associated with Insight Financial Partners at 219 Statesville Blvd. and can be reached at wendy .weant@ingfp.com.

New sales consultant

Kelly Lowe has joined Apple House Realty as a sales consultant. He will specialize in assisting buyers and sellers of residential real estate.

A former Navy veteran, Lowe and his wife, Wendy, have lived in Salisbury the last 15 years. They have three children, Amanda, Brandon and Jonathan.

He previously worked 14 years as a driver and sales representative for the textile transportation industry. He also has extensive experience in residential construction.

Program on benefits

Linda M. Hinkle, senior account executive with Benefit Controls of the Carolinas, will speak on “Benefits Benchmarks” at the Rowan County Human Resource Association meeting Jan. 18.

The lunch meeting will begin at noon at the Salisbury Rowan Utilities Department “Old Waterworks Building.”

Anyone interested in attending should contact Jill Rufty, secretary, at jrufty@cheerwine.com or 704-637-5881, extension 291.

Project Santa gifts

Project Santa in Denton received donations of food, toys and money from Food Lion to help with food baskets and toy deliveries to needy families in Southern Davidson and Easter Rowan counties.

Food Lion donated more than 20,000 pounds of food worth about $25,000 in retail value, $1,300 in gifts and $400 cash, according to Bobby Garner, Project Santa founder.