The Secret’s Out!

“To understand another’s vision, you must be able to look through their window.”
Photograph caption, The Perfect Home Series by Joseph Carroll

Each April and October approximately 80,000 people make their pilgrimage to the furniture mecca of the world—High Point, North Carolina. They come to High Point because it’s home to the International Home Furnishings Market, the largest and most prestigious wholesale furnishings market in the world.

Market, as locals call it, is like an 800-pound gorilla, a dominant force in its environment. This semi-annual trade gathering generates $1.14 billion a year across the state and more than 12,000 jobs in the Triad are directly attributable to Market. This is not another story, though, about the economic impact of North Carolina’s mecca.

Behind every Market, there is a secret—the leadership that handles logistics so “home” is a comfortable place, not only for an 800-pound gorilla who visits twice a year, but for year-round residents, too. This is a story about letting the secret out.

They are two women who are best friends. They have a long history of walking side-by-side to create a vision of economic vitality in High Point, a vision that embraces Market yet extends beyond Market’s existence. They use their leadership positions, not for personal power, but to create an inclusive environment and facilitate community involvement. One’s a Democrat and the other a Republican, yet they choose to rise above partisan politics and work together to do what’s in the best interest of the community.

The Honorable Rebecca Smothers, Mayor, City of High Point		Judy Mendenhall, President, International Home Furnishings Market Authority

That’s the secret—two women who share a vision, pulling together to build community and welcome “home” an 800-pound gorilla. Here’s what North Carolina Journal for Women discovered when we talked with The Honorable Rebecca Smothers, Mayor, City of High Point, and Judy Mendenhall, President, International Home Furnishings Market Authority, the official sponsor of Market.

Becky and Judy have been personal friends since the early 1960s. Both were stay-at-home mom’s who became active volunteers in the community while they were rearing their children. Their abilities were noticed by community leaders and doors opened for each of them.

They came to political office via different political routes. Both have served as a council member and as mayor on High Point’s City Council. They’ve even served under each other’s leadership. Judy describes it this way; “The Mayor and I have been very close friends since 1960. So, working together for us has never been an issue. We served together on City Council. She was on the Council when I was Mayor; I was a Council Member when she was Mayor. We were best friends before that.”

In their various leadership positions, each has embraced an economic development vision for High Point that extends beyond Market. In the mid-80’s, under Judy’s leadership as Mayor, the council voted to extend city water and sewer along Highway 68 at the request of developers who had a vision for creating a business park. It took a giant leap of faith to envision acres of undeveloped farmland as an economic growth generator, yet that is what Piedmont Centre has become over the past twenty years.

Mayor Smothers continues to be a champion for economic growth in North High Point, as well as nurturing inner city redevelopment initiatives. She reached out to the Center for the Study of Social Issues at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, to help the City do an economic development assessment for an area of the city needing a redevelopment facelift. It led to the highly successful Macedonia Project. She says it’s a type of economic development activity that allows people to get involved in making their community better.

Whether focusing on High Point’s long-range economic vitality or planning for Market, a hallmark of Becky and Judy’s leadership is bringing people to the table. They demonstrate a commitment to using their positions to create an environment of inclusiveness, rather than exclusiveness.

Becky’s first mentors, who she describes as consummate nurturers and hostesses, influenced her attitude towards inclusiveness. Becky says they made sure that everyone felt comfortable and created an environment where people could talk about things openly. She sees her role as Mayor in much the same way. “I can use the office to draw attention to the fact that as a community we’ve got to come together. The main thing you face is trying to make sure that people don’t lose sight of the fact that we are one community. We might be many different neighborhoods, but we are one community. We have to look at what’s best for the community, not just for an individual.”

Becky’s view of community extends to Market, too. “It’s not just going to a big meeting in a town that has no real feeling or connection. It’s going to the place, for many folks and particularly for those that exhibit, that’s home for a month – two weeks each Market.”

Judy’s focus at Market Authority is creating the infrastructure that supports service delivery and makes High Point “home” for Market attendees. It requires in-depth knowledge of Market logistics, like parking, transportation, lodging, etc., in addition to acquiring resources for service delivery. She acknowledges that building relationship networks at national, state, regional, and especially at local levels, is a critical success factor. “There’s probably not a department in the City that we don’t work closely with because of Market. It’s very important that they feel an integral part of what’s going on here. The Market is the biggest thing that happens in this community, so the City naturally has a very strong kinship with the Authority.”

The payoff for creating an inclusive environment as preparations are being made for Market is described by Judy in the following way, “If we do our job, the people who come to this market don’t really know that we exist. They just simply know that they can come here, get where they need to be, do business and [return home] without any hassles.”

Mayor Smothers has her focus on a hassle free visit for Market attendees too. “The public safety element is so much a responsibility of the City. The sheer magnitude of getting ready [pause]. We just pray that they come in, behave themselves and get home safely.” Then she adds, “Prayer works.”

When asked to share specific leadership tips, Becky had the following to say about decision-making, “You’ve got to be secure enough to think that you can make an informed decision. Recognize that you never have all the information there is to make the perfect decision. You get the best information you can, you weigh it carefully and you listen to the arguments, pro and con. Then, you make up your mind and you vote.”

Judy encourages women to get out there and use their strengths. “False modesty really bugs me. You don’t have to have an ego the size of the Empire State Building, but understand what your strengths are, know what you can do, have confidence in what you can do and don’t be afraid to do it. Don’t apologize for doing it. I think sometimes women think they have to apologize if they are good, if they are making a difference. Well, I don’t think you apologize for anything. Understand your capabilities and then just go ahead and use them.”

Fall 2004 Market is scheduled to run from October 14-20. Becky and Judy are best friends standing side-by-side. They’re making decisions, putting their strengths to work, and pulling together to welcome “home” an 800-pound gorilla, plus keeping an eye on how to build High Point’s long-term economic vitality. The secret’s out.