Groundbreaking Held For New East Carolina Farm Credit Office

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held Thursday afternoon for a new Smithfield branch office of East Carolina Farm Credit (ECFC). “The 4,606 square foot facility will serve our farmer-members in Johnston, Wayne and Wilson counties,” said Billy Parrish, a 34-year farm credit veteran and current Smithfield branch manager. East Carolina Farm Credit President Gene Charville said, “The $900,000 investment in this new facility is an effort to further address customer convenience, as well as better utilization of our real estate assets.” The new Smithfield office will be one of 12 branches serving farmers in 34 eastern NC counties. The building, on Highway 70 at Yelverton Grove Road , will replace the current Smithfield office on US70 West, and ECFC offices in Goldsboro . The facility should be completed in the fourth quarter of 2007. Jarman Construction Company of Kinston is the building contractor. East Carolina Farm Credit is a farmer-owned financial cooperative, and the leading provider of credit, $750 million in loans, to members in central and eastern North Carolina .


(L to R) Chris Coats, branch manager of the Goldsboro ECFC office, Billy Parrish, manager of the Smithfield ECFC office, ECFC President Gene Charville, Smithfield Mayor Norman Johnson, County Commissioner Cookie Pope, and ECFC board member Eldridge Westbrook, break ground on a new ECFC office on US70 East in Smithfield Thursday afternoon.