Sandy Wells
Innerviews: Former coalfields welder rises to the top at Smith Company Motor Cars
Photo By: Chip Ellis
Growing up in the Fayetteville coalfields, he dreamed of playing professional baseball. He settled for welding. End of story? Not by a long shot. Today, he's president and chief operating officer of Smith Company Motor Cars, home of Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover, the swankiest dealership in town. Quite a leap, right? Brian Bailes can hardly believe it himself.
A former welder from Fayetteville, 37-year-old Brian Bailes reigns as the new head honcho at Smith Company Motor Cars. He was named to the top slot by his mentor and predecessor, Jed Smith, who moves to chairman of the board.
Innerviews: Personal challenges inspired advocate for the disabled
She's partially paralyzed and misshapen by a birth defect called spina bifida, an opening in the spine. She uses a wheelchair and a specially equipped van to get around and needs some help at home, but Jan Lilly-Stewart doesn't think of herself as disabled.
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