Lillington Area Chamber of Commerce recently hosted the 2024 Rock the River Awards, which celebrate and recognize some of Lillington’s finest community leaders and businesses.
This year’s awardees were:
Man of the Year: Matt Brown, Fulton Farm
Woman of the Year: Melanie Stewart, The Underground Railroad
Business of the Year: Butterfly Counseling
Bill and Mildred Johnson Beautification Award: First Bank & Trust Co. of Virginia
The awards ceremony took place at Carolina Barn in Angier, where guests enjoyed delicious food and drinks as they gathered to celebrate the contributions of locals to the betterment of the community.
At center, Chancellor Darrell T. Allison and Juanette Council, Ed.D., vice chancellor for student affairs, cut the ribbon to celebrate the grand reopening of Fayetteville State University's newly renovated Spaulding Building, joined by campus leaders
FCEDC has officially moved its staff and operations to 611 W. Russell St. The 35,800- square-foot center was previously home to Homemakers Furniture and Interiors. Renovations began in the fall of 2025 and are expected to be completed in the next six to eight months. Currently, FCEDC staff are working within an open 7,500-square-foot floor plan as initial improvements progress.
Inset: Systel’s first corporate headquarters was a small rental house turned office on Fort Bragg Road in Fayetteville in 1981. Large photo: The company’s new corporate headquarters reflects years of growth into a multi-million dollar company that pr
