HAMLET – Rockingham native Wayne O. “Butch” Farrah III has been named the director of the Small Business Center at Richmond Community College.
Farrah has more than 30 years of management experience in the banking and financial industry. He was one of the founders of Longleaf Community Bank in Rockingham, which formed in 2002 and was sold to Four Oaks Bank in 2008.
“I want the people in our region to have the ability to improve and grow their businesses through the vast resources made available through the Small Business Center,” Farrah said. “I believe the future of new job opportunities and economic growth in our area is largely dependent on a strong core of locally owned and operated companies.”
Farrah will also be working with people interested in starting a new business.
“Through the Small Business Center, I will be able to work one-on-one with those interested in owning their own business but are unsure of the steps needed to make their dream a reality,” Farrah said. “I want to give people who operate small businesses access to the same quality of information and training enjoyed by larger companies.”
Farrah is a 1979 graduate of Richmond Senior High School and received his Bachelor of Science in Communications Studies from Wingate University in 1983. He left banking in 2011 to pursue a call to ministry and received a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Counseling and Chaplaincy in 2014 from Campbell University. He served as church administrator and minister to senior adults at First Baptist Church Hickory before returning to Richmond County to fill the position at RichmondCC.
“We are excited to have Butch leading the Small Business Center and using his vast business experience and expertise to help both existing and new businesses in Richmond and Scotland counties,” said Dr. Dale McInnis, RichmondCC president. “He is a great addition to the College, and we look forward to the great things he’ll be doing for local entrepreneurs.”
Farrah is married to the Rev. Dr. Allison Farrah, who serves as the senior pastor at First Baptist Church Hamlet. They have three children: Matthew, Olivia and Mary Catherine Coltrane.
About the Small Business Center
RichmondCC’s Small Business Center supports the development of new businesses and the growth of existing businesses by being a community-based provider of counseling, training, and resource information.
The Small Business Center offers year-round a variety of seminars and workshops to help small businesses be successful. Professional development seminars are also offered to assist businesses and start-ups on promoting professionalism through motivating, networking, strategizing and other areas that impact the work environment.
To contact the Small Business Center, call Farrah at (910) 410-1687 or (910) 506-4402 or email wofarrah@richmondcc.edu.
