James edgar broyhill
Mr. Broyhill (b.1892 d.1988) started as a farm boy, became an apple peddler, and saw mill hand, but James Edgar Broyhill met his destiny when he entered the furniture industry. He soon set up shop in a barn, hauling seating in a cart to peddle on weekends in Charlotte.
Born in a rural Wilkes County farmhouse in 1892, he moved to Lenoir after serving in WWI and began a furniture business in 1926 which has grown to 7,000 employees (since acquired by INTERCO).
During and after WWII, he served on the Advisory Committee of the War Production Board and as chairman of the Furniture Advisory Committee of the Office of Price Administration. For four successive terms in the 1940s, he piloted the Southern Furniture Manufacturers Association, and in the early 1960s, served on the board of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers. His Broyhill Foundation significantly contributes to civic, education and religious causes.