The Foothills Farmers’ Market Board of Directors reflects a cross-section of community interests drawn together in support of local foods. Responsible for market oversight and long-range planning, our directors include market customers, health care professionals, educators, and vendors.
Chad Stout, Chair
Chad is a former U.S. Geological Survey marine scientist who worked exclusively with near-shore habitats. He has seen first-hand the damage large scale industrial farming has on our rivers and oceans. That experience coupled with a taste for homegrown food has made him a firm believer in the “think locally and act globally” initiative. Chad is owner-operator of Lily Bean Coffee Company, which sources green coffee beans that are fair trade, shade-grown, and organic certified. Roasting and packaging them at home, Chad makes his coffee available at Foothills Farmers’ Markets, online, and at restaurants and coffee shops in the local community.
Wade Nichols, Vice Chair
Wade Nichols is Executive Director of Uptown Shelby Association, one of the first Main Street organizations in the United States with over 30 years of promoting the vitality of Shelby’s central business district. Wade grew up on a farm in northwestern North Carolina and has actually been a market vendor in his hometown of Mount Airy, NC during the 90s. He is an advocate of the eat-local and shop-local approach to independent businesses in small towns and cities. Wade is involved with several Uptown events and programs through Uptown Shelby Association, and is a member of the Agri-Tourism Task Force, the Between the Rivers Wine Trail, as well as the board of Foothills Farmers’ Market.
Stephanie Richie, Secretary
Stephanie is a native of Winston-Salem, NC. After attending Gardner-Webb University from 2006-2010, she began working full time as the University’s Community Engagement Coordinator. Stephanie is a local foods enthusiast and has the opportunity to share with students the importance of supporting local farmers and craftspeople. She currently resides in Boiling Springs and serves as the Secretary for the Foothills Farmers’ Market Board.
Melanie Besson, Treasurer
Melanie has a BS from Florida Tech and an ED.M. from Harvard University. Her husband, Dr. Gideon Besson, practices Internal Medicine at Shelby Medical Associates and her two children, Aren and Haley, are college-bound. She is currently teaching yoga at Cleveland Community College and is a member of the Real to Reel film festival committee at the Cleveland County Arts Council. Yogic philosophy, eating healthy, and protecting the earth’s resources are what lead her to join the board of the Foothills Farmers Market where she acts as treasurer. The added benefit of eating great food, supporting responsible farmers and adding to the local economy sure doesn’t hurt!
Milton A. (M.A.) Andrews
Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Milton moved to Washington, D. C. at 7 years of age. He attended Nativity School and then St. Anselms College Prep in Washington, D. C. He began writing sports for Scripps-Howard (Washington Daily News) at age 13 and was also on WWDC Radio. M.A. became Managing Editor of the Scholastic Sports Association at age 17. He covered sports for the Washington Post for two years prior to four years service in US Navy where he worked in personnel (Navy Schools Command) and then AFRTS (Armed Forces Radio/Television Service) in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. M.A. wrote for newspaper, did his own radio shows and sports, and then anchored evening news on television. He attended Montgomery College, Maryland University and finished in Boston. Presently, M.A. is doing editorial (both writing and photography) for Community First Media for both the Shelby Shopper & Info and the Rutherford Weekly. He has always had a garden and has been a vegetarian in the past. M.A. firmly believes “we are what we eat”. He will only do positive news and seeks those who emphasis the good side of life. M.A. is currently finishing three children’s books and is working on a novel.
John Carroll
John grew up on a former dairy cattle farm in upper Cleveland County and worked in the nursery trade for several years. He successfully introduced shiitake mushrooms to Foothills Farmers’ Market in 2010 and is experimenting with the production of several additional mushroom varieties including oysters and morels. In addition to selling local produce for Rhodesdale Farms in Kings Mountain, John is preparing to expand his farm in a new direction with hydroponic vegetable production. As a member of the board, John was instrumental in helping to locate a building site for our future shade pavilion.
Stacey Costner
Stacey is owner and operator of Wild Dahlia Homestead. She moved back to her family’s farmland in 2009 to begin producing a wide variety of vegetables and eggs. She uses sustainable systems and does not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides. She has been a vendor at the Foothill’s Farmer’s Market for the past two years and is currently serving on the FFM board. Stacey has also organized a local foods “Meet Up to Eat Up” traveling potluck group which meets monthly throughout our county. As a local foods activist, she is committed to building a local foods economy which will support our community and protect our environment.
Tony Fogleman
Tony serves as Career & Technical Education Director and Dropout Prevention Coordinator for Cleveland County Schools. He and his wife Susan have two children, Daniel and Mary. Tony has worked with the local school system for twenty years as a teacher, career development coordinator, and principal. His professional interest in the farmers’ market relates to middle and high school students who are involved in vocational agriculture programs. Tony believes it important for students to see the benefit of locally grown produce and the impact that it has on our local economy.
Barbara Hannah
Barbara is currently employed as a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at Cleveland Regional Medical Center in Shelby, NC. She earned a Bachelors Degree from Cornell University, a Masters Degree from Winthrop University and completed a dietetic internship at Duke Hospital.
She is licensed in the State of North Carolina and is a member of several professional societies. As an experienced dietitian, she understands the importance of health promoting food choices and as such is excited to have the opportunity, through the Foothills Farmers Market Board, to more actively promote the availability, sale and consumption of locally grown food.
Loyd Lewis
Loyd served on the advisory committee that created Foothills Farmers’ Market in 2008 and is a charter vendor. He and his wife Sarah operate an intensive fruit, vegetable, and beekeeping enterprise just north of Fallston, NC, on Highway 18. The husband and wife team have been farming for more than 40 years and provide most of the labor associated with growing and marketing their crops. In addition to selling at FFM, Loyd operates a roadside stand in front of his home and sells regularly at the farmers’ market in Lincolnton. He is a member of Foothills Fresh and has served on the Cleveland County Extension Advisory Council.
Dr. Becky Love
Dr. Love practices family medicine in Shelby and understands the importance of fresh fruits and vegetable to good health. She is active in community affairs as a member of Shelby Breakfast Rotary Club and a staunch supporter of the Cleveland County Arts Council. Dr. Love is a bluegrass musician and preservationist. She is currently working to restore the Gibbs House located at 520 West Warren Street in the Central Shelby Historic District. Also known as El Nido (“The Nest”), the Gibbs House an extremely rare North Carolina example of the Spanish Mission/California style bungalow and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to serving on the board, Dr. Love is a regular FFM customer.
Tyler McDaniel
Tyler is a Cleveland County native, born and raised in Kings Mountain. He attended Appalachian State University where he majored in Health Promotions with a minor in Physical Education. Tyler is employed by the Cleveland County Health Department as a health educator and teaches an alcohol abuse prevention classes to 8th grade students. He serves as site coordinator for our Shelby Satellite market at the Health Department, where he enjoys visiting with vendors to learn about how they farm and what they grow.
Mike Poage
Mike is a team leader with Fox Distributing Company in Shelby and is active in community economic development. He is also a board member with Destination Cleveland County, Inc. (DCC), a non-profit organization of passionate citizens with a goal of revitalizing our community by making it a dynamic destination for heritage tourists. Mike understands the importance of creating and sustaining a local food culture, and envisions FFM as a major contributor to quality of life in our community. In his view, FFM and DCC can work together to capitalize on the authentic charm and rich heritage of Cleveland County, reflecting community pride and providing a dynamic destination for visitors.
Anne Short
Anne is the Director of Community Health Services for the Cleveland County Health Department. In that capacity, she also staffs the Alliance for Health, the county’s certified Healthy Carolinians Partnership. The Alliance represents a county-wide effort to establish public/private partnerships that bring together public health workers, health care providers, human service agencies, civic organizations, churches, schools, businesses, and community members to address the health and safety problems of their community. Anne supports Foothills Farmers’ Market because it improves access to fresh fruits and vegetables and builds community. As a FFM board member, Anne was instrumental in developing organizing documents and in establishing our Shelby Satellite at the Cleveland County Health Department.
Greg Traywick
Greg has served as County Extension Director for Cleveland County, North Carolina since 1992 and been employed by NC Cooperative Extension since 1986. He holds Bachelor of Science (1983) and Master of Science (1986) degrees in Animal Science from NC State University. In addition to his administrative, supervisory, and program leadership responsibilities, Greg is responsible for developing programs that address local community development issues. He is also responsible for programming related to livestock production and pesticide education. In 2008, Greg led a team of Extension colleagues and community leaders to establish Foothills Farmers’ Market. He currently serves on Cleveland County’s Eat Smart Move More Coalition, a group that establishes and shapes local food and nutrition policy in the local community.
Lori Wellmon
Lori, her husband Tim and their three young sons own and operate Rock Bottom Farm in Patterson Springs. They have sold herbs, vegetables, and cut flowers at FFM since it opened in 2008. Lori has been involved in growing produce for local markets for more than 35 years. In 2009, she provided leadership to the market’s Production Team, which was charged with increasing the diversity and specialization of products and extending the growing/ selling season through careful collaboration among producers and supporting the development of new capabilities for production. Lori also serves on the Board of Directors for the Farmer Foodshare organization in Chapel Hill and helped to launch the Farmer Foodshare program at Foothills Farmers’ Market.
