Last month, Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) and the North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) announced a succession of executive leadership. On Oct. 1, Martin J. “Jimmy” Hendrix III officially assumed the role of executive director. Scott Dorney, the organization’s founder and executive director since 2004, will remain involved with the organization during the initial period of transition. 

For more than two decades, Dorney has led the NCMBC from its inception into one of the nation’s most successful defense-focused business development organizations. 

“Our job every day is to make sure that every opportunity that we can help a company in North Carolina win, we do what we can to make that happen,” remarked Dorney. 

Since opening in 2005, the NCMBC has assisted North Carolina businesses in securing more than 7,000 federal contracts valued at nearly $19 billion, strengthening the state’s defense economy, supporting military communities and expanding opportunities for businesses across North Carolina. 

Hendrix is excited to continue building upon the success the organization has found over the past two decades. 

“Scott Dorney, along with being an amazing leader and a brilliant guy, is just incredible at recruiting talent and putting together this team…it’s just a really neat opportunity to serve the state, serve the businesses and the people and to lead a really good team,” shared Hendrix. 

Hendrix brings extensive military, logistics, manufacturing and organizational leadership experience to his new role. Since joining the NCMBC, he has served in key leadership positions, most recently overseeing statewide programs that connect North Carolina businesses to federal contracting opportunities and strategic industry initiatives. 

A Fayetteville native, Hendrix retired from the U.S. Army after more than 25 years of active service as an ordnance and multifunctional logistics officer. His career included command assignments at the company, battalion and brigade levels, as well as leadership of the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center, the Army’s only vertically integrated metal manufacturing facility and center of excellence for advanced manufacturing. He also served in senior civilian leadership roles supporting U.S. Army Forces Command logistics operations. 

As executive director, Hendrix will lead the NCMBC’s mission to leverage military and other federal business opportunities to expand North Carolina’s economy, create jobs and improve quality of life throughout the state. His proven leadership and experience position him to build on the NCMBC’s success and lead the organization into its third decade of service to North Carolina businesses and communities. 

“I would really love to keep up the quality of recruitment and the quality of the team, and then just the culture…” remarked Hendrix. 

“There’s a big transition going on in the military, starting from the Department of War level down to Fort Bragg, in doing things differently, contracting for services and for construction and for products very differently…our people are having to learn these new techniques along with their government partners and along with our business partners, so that we can work with Fort Bragg and work with other people and help companies win that work here in North Carolina. Jimmy is extremely flexible. He fits in with that team. He knows how we need to modify what it is that we do to stay relevant, to stay current and to stay effective,” remarked Dorney. 

During the transition period, Hendrix and Dorney will travel together to meet with key partners and stakeholders, celebrating the organization’s accomplishments while positioning it for continued growth and success. 

“Part of our goals for a long time have been to crack the top 10 of states in federal contracting annually,” shared Dorney when asked about long-term goals for the organization. “My goal for a long time was to have $10 billion in prime federal contracts. Well, we achieved that in 2025 with 10 and a half billion. So, I would like to double that. My goal has been to do $20 billion in federal contracts, probably by 2035 or so.” 

“The goal, looking forward, on top of everything Scott described, is really getting North Carolina the reputation of being the state that can solve federal government problems rapidly, and also continuing to build on the great reputation we already have of being the go-to organization for federal agencies for helping them link up with business and link up with the suppliers they need to,” added Hendrix. 

While Dorney’s leadership was critical in the success of the organization over the past two decades and Hendrix’s leadership will be instrumental in carrying it further towards its goals, both the former and current executive director humbly acknowledge the many people who helped make this success a possibility. 

“The General Assembly past and present, governors past and present, who had the foresight and understood that when we went to them in 2004 and presented this concept, they really got it. They got it then, and they get it now. They understand how important it is to have an entity like the Military Business Center totally focused on growing the defense and federal economy because it’s the second largest sector of our state’s economy,” shared Dorney. “We are extremely thankful not only to the community college system for the operational and logistical support that we get, but to the leadership of this state that really understands how important it is that what we do gets done in North Carolina.” 

For more information about the NCMBC and a calendar of upcoming events, visit ncmbc.us.