Banking Wisdom and Community Spirit in Johnston County

Jonathan Breeden: [00:00:00] On this week’s episode of the Best of Johnson County Podcast, I sit down with Chad Massengill of United Community Bank. Right here at 4042 in Western Johnson County. We talked to Chad about him growing up in Hornet County and the Dunn Erwin area, his decision to get into banking, his career in banking, the services that United Community Bank provides.

We also get in a little bit about how to protect yourself from identity theft, which he talks about not mailing physical checks anymore, which I have to admit, I still do sometimes, as well as using credit. investments and how to maybe get a better credit score. I think you will find the conversation fascinating and informative about local banking and his story.

So listen in.

Narrator: welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has called home for over 20 years. Whether it’s a deep [00:01:00] dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County presents an authentic slice of this unique community.

Jonathan Breeden: Hello and welcome to another edition of The Best of Johnston County podcast. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden. And on today’s episode, we have Chad Massengill with United Community Bank. He’s here to talk to us a little bit about how his story of where he grew up, how he got into banking, how he ended up with United Community Bank. Some of the products they provide at United Community Bank, some of the mistakes he sees people make in banking, and of course, what he loves about Johnston County, which is our favorite question to ask anybody on this podcast.

But before we get to that, I would like to ask you to like, follow and subscribe to this podcast, wherever you’re seeing it, whether it be on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Tiktok, LinkedIn, or any of the other social media channels of The Best of Johnston County podcast.

The Best Johnston county podcast comes out every single monday. And we’ve been doing this for well [00:02:00] over a year now. So there’s been a lot of great guests. So please go back and listen to some of those guests. If you’ve not been following this podcast, we’ve had several of the county commissioners, including Patrick Harris and Butch Lauder. And we had representative Donna White, we had Chris Johnson from Johnston County Economic Development, Tim Sims, and economic advisor, Chris Key. Tons of good information have been on this podcast over the last year, so go back and listen to some of those, and keep listening. We have lots of great guests coming, and we really enjoy bringing this to you.

And the podcast grows by you liking and subscribing and following it. It also grows by you sharing it. You can share it on your instagram stories, uh, and tag best of Johnston County in it. And you can also live as a five star review down at the bottom wherever you’re saying and tell us what you like or maybe dislike about The Best of Johnston County podcast.

Cool. Chad, thank you for coming in.

Chad Massengill: Thank you, John.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah, man. It’s good to see you. Good to see you. Glad you, Glad you came in to talk to us. So tell us who you are, where you’re from?

Well, I was born in Dunn. That’s where I grew up, was in the Dunn. But my father grew [00:03:00] up in Four Oaks, and partly in Dunn as well. Our family goes back to the civil war in Johnston County. My great, great, great, I don’t know how many great grandfathers ago, fought in the civil war, and surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. And walked home to Four Oaks, where he worked as a turpentine. He would go up in the trees, collect the turpentine, and eventually died of that. But his name was Nasro Creech. So we have a rich history here in Johnston County.

Man, you know, I think one of my great, great grandfathers was at Appomattox, along with his brother and they were on different sides of the war.

Chad Massengill: Oh, wow.

Jonathan Breeden: And when it was over, they both walked back home to Elkin, North Carolina, is the story I’ve been told in my family. We had two brothers on different sides of the war and they both ended up at Appomattox. Well,

Chad Massengill: Maybe they knew Nazareth.

Jonathan Breeden: They may have. that’s, I mean, I don’t know how many people are actually at Appomattox when it happened, but anyway, that’s a [00:04:00] fascinating story.

So did you go to Irwin Erwin Triton High School?

Chad Massengill: Went to Triton.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh my goodness.

Chad Massengill: Graduated in 1992.

Jonathan Breeden: The Hawks.

Chad Massengill: The Hawks.

Jonathan Breeden: Why are they not good at sports?

Chad Massengill: I can’t answer that. Okay. I’m just in general working in Johnston County to understand I’m just curious. Like with the ball program.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. I mean, every once in a while, they get good at football and then just in general, they’re not that good. I’m just curious.

Chad Massengill: That’s the question. I better stay away from it.

Jonathan Breeden: Anyway, being the Cleveland High School Football fanatic that I am you know, a little spoiled since they’ve won over 50 straight games, regular season games anyway. So cool. Where’d you go to college?

Chad Massengill: Went to East Carolina. Sure did. Went there. that I graduated high school, not everybody, but a lot of my friends, we all just did it as a collective group, and we all went, all hung out together. We continued high school with East Carolina. And it all worked out for some of us and I was one of, I was one of the ones that it did work out for. so, uh, Graduated there and at East Carolina is where I got into banking, actually.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. All right. Well, what, What interested you about banking?

Chad Massengill: Well, My mother [00:05:00] worked in banking all her life. That’s all I ever knew. She taught me at a very young age how to keep a passbook and balance the checkbook, so I had the basics of everything as a child. And so she made sure of that. I never knew I’d go into banking.

I always thought I’d grow up and be a race car driver or something like that. you know Of course that never happened. Although I did race at Johnston county speedway that used to be out here, Okay down Cord Wallace Road, 30 years ago when it was a go kart track, so but that was close as I ever got to it.

But no, she taught me how to do that. And when I was in college, I was looking a part time job, and a job that would allow me to be You know off on the weekend so I could go home and race because that’s what me and my dad did. And she knew someone at BB&T at the time in Greenville. And I went and had an interview and they hired me and worked around my school schedule. Ended up working there for about two years.

After I graduated, I remained there and then someone in Benson fell and broke their arm, so I transferred to that role. [00:06:00] Okay. And from there, other opportunities started to open up. Being I was from the area, became a loan assistant and then a loan officer. Then I became a branch manager. And then later on the city executive.

Jonathan Breeden: This is all at BB&T?

Chad Massengill: All at BB&T for 10 years. That’s where I started. That’s where I cut my teeth with banking.

Jonathan Breeden: And this was all at the Benson branch or you moved to different branches?

Chad Massengill: It was all over. It was Benson. It was Dunn. It was Lillington Coats. Pretty much everywhere in Hornet County and, half of Johnston County I worked.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. All right. So you did start as a teller?

Chad Massengill: Yep, sure it is.

Jonathan Breeden: So the tellers that work for you now cannot say you don’t know how to run the teller line and you don’t know what our job’s like.

Chad Massengill: Well, They do say it. And, um, I don’t think they really know about that. But banking’s changed so much since then. That was 30, you know, 25 years ago, almost 30, when I became a teller. And you know, now you got cash machines that count the money for you. And you know, they don’t know what it’s like to get the dark thumb on a Friday afternoon after hand [00:07:00] counting money all day. But it’s changed so much. And it’s been so long ago since I’ve done it. It would be a difficult job for me to get back there and help them.

Now, I do go back there sometimes and they kick me out because I’m in the way. I’m trying to help them, but I I’m better off in the office.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s what the attorneys here do to me, sometimes. I get it.

It’s hard. I start trying to put exhibits together and do an exhibit, no books. So they’re like, you’re just in the way, like let us do it. Go back, do something else. I get it. I get it. I get it. No doubt. Well, It’s funny. It’s a small world because when I was born in 1975, my parents lived in Dunn.

My dad worked at the uh, denim Mill there in Erwin. So it could have been that our parents knew each other because Dunn and Erwin were not very big places back then. So, Anyway, so it’s just kind of a small world. My dad getting laid off from that job when I was about six months old.

So when I was six months old, they moved to Chatham, North Carolina. you know, And my dad went back to school to become a, come a CPA, which he still is today. So, well, That’s kind of neat is that we’re both kind of the same timeframe, you know, 74, 75, you’re born and Dunn, I was born [00:08:00] and Dunn. So it’s a small world.

So anyway, I mean, you said your mom was a bank, but clearly there had to be something that made that like a calling to you. Like, I mean, Everybody does something that. like, What was it about banking? I mean, I, I love bankers, you know, I love what you’ve done for me. Like, Maybe it was that you want to help small businesses like me.

Chad Massengill: Oh, yeah. well, At the age that I was when it happened, it, none of that came to mind, until later. And I realize now that it is, or was my calling, as you said, I was comfortable with it because my mother did it. And I had that safety net to go back. If there’s something that spooked me out or something I didn’t understand, I could talk to her.

And that made it a lot, more, uh, a lot easier for me. The biggest reason I did got into it was Saturday and Sundays. The banks are closed. I was off. Every part time job when I was growing up was definitely Saturday and Sunday, you know, mopping floors at the grocery store, which I did that as well. But I, when I became 18 and 19, [00:09:00] we, got into go kart racing real serious. And I had to have my Saturday evenings so working in a bank allowed that to happen, and it helped fund it too.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that’s cool. So I mean once it got to be beyond you like not working weekends, what did you begin to enjoy about banking?

Chad Massengill: Well, of course, the go kart racing went away. That’s a very expensive thing to get into. And I don’t recommend it. And it’s fairly dangerous as well. But once I got into banking and I graduated up and started being a loan officer’s assistant, started understanding, how to bank service the community, how to service individuals, how they can make or break a business, how to help get businesses started.

I didn’t realize, that as much as I do now looking back. But you know, at 25 years old, I’m giving advice to people twice my age on how to handle their finances and handle their debt. And I remember how appreciative they were. And then you see him years later, they remember it. They come to you and thank [00:10:00] you for that advice.

And it’s not that I knew more, it’s not that I’m smart or anything like that, it’s just when you’re in front of different sets of people day in and day out, over and over and over, just like in your business, you see every example they can be. And it’s easier to ascertain what folks need. And it’s easier to hone in on what can solve their problems.

And sometimes, when it’s you sitting in the seat of the financial situation, you need that second set of eyes to look at it and remove the dizziness that can come with it when your emotions are involved in your mind.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, that’s a good point. A good point. And a lot of people make financial decisions based on emotions. Some good, some bad. and it does, you do need a independent person. I think that is not emotionally involved to help you make those decisions. you know,

I’ve recently gotten sort of a chief financial officer to help me with this business to sort of look [00:11:00] at it from a non emotional place, you know, like these are the numbers because you know, you can tell your thing, you can tell yourself all kinds of stories in your head about whether you’re profitable or you’re not profitable, or whether your overhead is where it should be, or whether your collections are where they’re supposed to be.

But really, if you get an accountant or a banker and somebody is actually looking at the numbers saying, I don’t know what you’re telling yourself, but this is the number, and you know, numbers don’t lie, or at least honest numbers don’t lie, unless you’re trying to cheat the government.

So I think that’s a really a good thing. And, you know, I remember, the reason I’m with United Community Bank still today is when it was Four Oaks Bank or before they bought  Four Oaks Bank, somebody at  Four Oaks Bank, I think it was Jim Riley gave me a line of credit and a credit card at a much lower percentage than a normal credit card would be, so I could start my business in October of 2000. And I never forget it. I didn’t have anything. But I took what they gave me, which was not a ton. It was a $5,000 credit card. And I grew it in where I could make money and build a business. And the rest is sort of [00:12:00] history.

And I was 25 and didn’t have any idea what I was doing. I had a business plan. Who knows? It didn’t happen. I can tell you that, I mean, I had a plan, but you know, I did not make the revenue that I had on the plan. And I think they probably knew I wasn’t going to. but you know, I thought I was. So, I mean, I think that’s good.

So when you think about that, what are some of the common mistakes that people make when they come to see you or that you’ve seen, or you wish they wouldn’t do?

Chad Massengill: I tell you right now, fraud is a big subject. We’re seeing more and more of it as technology gets better. There’s ways of, counterfeiting checks and things of that nature.

And talking to people about adjusting to technology, I’m old school, I like doing things the old way. I like writing out a check and mailing it. But that is, you’re subject to fraud when you do that. And there is technology available at banks, all banks that can help alleviate that. And one of the things that’s kind of frustrating as an employee is trying to advise a customer to help reduce that risk of [00:13:00] fraud. And they don’t take that advice until something happens. And then it’s too late. Something’s happened already.

Jonathan Breeden: So what are some of the things that everybody listing out there could do to help protect themselves from this fraud you’re seeing?

Chad Massengill: Well, Like I said, I like to mail checks, but that’s not something I would suggest to do. You just have to get out of old habits because you’ve got a piece of paper floating out there with your account information on it. You got it. It’s going into a mailbox, going into a mailman’s hands, going into a truck, going out, you don’t know how many places and things it stops to. When you do something ACH or electronic, it goes automatically.

There’s still risk in everything, but embrace the technology would be something I suggest folks to do. And you know, my parents are in their 80s, and you know, that’s something they just don’t do. They do not do online banking. They don’t do bill pay. They write a check. And that’s something that I have to deal with them about. Cause I try to look help, look after their [00:14:00] affairs as much as I can. And that’s some of the things that I try to tell them.

Jonathan Breeden: Kylie, I still mail a few checks, not nearly as many as I used to, but I still do mail, I don’t know. I mean, Personally, I probably mail three or four a month. you know what I mean? And the business, we mail checks. We don’t have to mail as many as we used to now that there’s e filing in North Carolina and stuff, but we do mail a few you know, sponsorships and stuff like that, but I’d never really thought about that as, as a dangerous thing now. When you talk about all the different places, mailing a check can go, what are some other mistakes you see people make?

Chad Massengill: I think people can easily get wrapped up in abusing the availability on credit. Especially when you see inflation coming up like it has, rates, which rates are going down, fortunately, but as they were rising and cost of goods and just living expenses are just much more than it used to be.

It’s easy to get in a trap and start pulling off a home equity line or a credit card. [00:15:00] Something that’s revolving, that rate keeps going up, and paying interest only on a payment, I mean on a credit card or a credit line, that can get you in trouble by just paying interest only, not paying down that principle.

Those things, revolving lines are used for short term needs, not long term needs. And many, many people use their short term credit products for a long term need. And there’s nothing necessarily illegal about it or anything like that. There’s, you can do it. No one’s going to say anything as long as the payments are made.

But there’s going to be a rainy day and you’re going to need access to that line and it’s not going to be there. And that’s what it’s really for. And so I think, explaining that to folks is hard, especially small business owners. They need that credit reference. They need that credit source. They got to have it to operate. And yes, you see the cost of everything’s going up. If you’re running a small restaurant, price the foods up. You know, Your menu prices might not be going [00:16:00] up at the same percentage as your, costs are. So what do you do? You need to borrow money to help keep things running and keep your employees paid.

Right, right. No, I think you’re right. And I think people don’t realize, by just paying interest only how much that original principle ends up costing them. Sometimes it’s two, three, four, five times what the original amount borrowed was ultimately to pay it back because they just make those interest only payments.

Right.

Jonathan Breeden: And that’s a dangerous spot to be in.

Chad Massengill: Sure. And another thing too, you know, you can have great credit, pay all your bills on time every month. But if you’ve got a credit card or a credit line that’s maxed and it stays maxed, that will chip away at your credit score. So having available credit. The more available credit you have, the better it is on your credit score as well.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s true too.

Have family law questions? Need guidance to navigate legal challenges? The compassionate team at Breeden Law Office is here to help. Visit us at www. breedenfirm. com for practical advice, [00:17:00] resources, or to book a consultation. Remember, when life gets messy, you don’t have to face it alone.

Jonathan Breeden: So what is the number one thing somebody can do to help fix their credit if their credit isn’t where it should be?

Chad Massengill: Time is number one. It depends on the situation, but a lot of credit problems or credit score declines are due to late payments. And the only thing that can cure that is time.

And of course not paying late.

Right, right. Pay on time.

Pay on time. And it’s not going to change in 90 days. It takes a little time. You’re going to have to work on it.

A lot of other things that bring down credit scores are collection items. A lot of people have medical bills that insurance won’t cover. And sometimes, it’s hard to figure out, who do I pay this? I want to pay it, but who do I pay it? Who do I pay it to? It’s on my credit report. That’s very difficult at times.

Contacting the medical facility where everything started is a good place to start for something like that. But [00:18:00] having collection items on your credit report, that brings your scores down. And again, your balances in relation to your credit limits is important.

Jonathan Breeden: All right. Well, Let’s talk a little bit about United Community Bank. I think you came to work for Four Oaks Bank, so did you ever work for Four Oaks?

Chad Massengill: I did not.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay, because I know it was really close in time.

Chad Massengill: Sure, I was in talks with Four Oaks about moving over, at the same time that United was in talks with Four Oaks about coming together. So that was my move over to the bank was postponed because of that. So 90 days after the uh, acquisition of United taking over Four Oaks, I came on board. And met right up here on Glen Road with the uh, state president and the manager there at that time.

And, I’ve been here now six and a half years. It’s been a good, a good move for me, I’d say.

Jonathan Breeden: So you went from BB&T, one of the biggest banks there is, now truest to a small or community bank, much bigger than the [00:19:00] 10 branches of Four Oaks. But still, what would be considered a small community bank I would think, even though it is in all of the Southeast, in the grand scheme of banking now, is that right?

Well, I worked at BB&T, which was called BBT at the time, for 10 years. And then I left there and went to First South Bank, which is, no more.

Correct.

Chad Massengill: And then First Federal Bank, which is another community bank, then United. I’ve been at three or four institutions in the last 25 years.

Jonathan Breeden: So what makes community banking important and better than maybe the big banks? Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo?

Well, and I’m not gonna talk disparagingly about a, a competitor, but the bigger the bank, the less personable it gets. So that’s just common sense. you know, It’s customer and an employee can be a number or they can be a name. And United, we call you by your first name. You’re not a number. Your relationship’s not a number. That’s just [00:20:00] not how we see it. And that’s one of the big reasons I wanted to come here and why I want to stay.

Chad Massengill: United’s a great place and uh, treat your people well. They’ve had several JD Power awards over the years for customer service and employment retention and satisfaction in employment. They’re very good and a lot of great people.

Jonathan Breeden: And I’ve always wondered this because it used to be, You know, when I came out in business, a lot of the loan decisions were made in the local branch. And then as things got bigger, it started going to a centralized loan office. With United, are the decisions made in the local branch or are they made by somebody who doesn’t know me at a loan processing center?

Well, I’ll tell you, a lot of that is driven by regulation. And it’s really not a decision banks make on their own, it’s bank regulators require to a certain extent some centralization of operations, [00:21:00] depending on what it is. Commercial lending, for example, at our bank, the decisions are made locally.

Chad Massengill: Our headquarters, we’re in six states. But in North Carolina, our local headquarters is Raleigh, where our state presidents reside, and our local underwriting team is housed out of Raleigh on Six Forks Road. So, When there’s a commercial loan, we would go there to do that locally.

Now, consumer lending, like a home equity loan, a car loan, something like that, we enter that into the system, and it does go to Georgia where our bank was, is headquartered and where it began. And decisions are made there, but there’s interaction. It’s just not approval to not. Right.

Jonathan Breeden: That’s what I’m asking.

Chad Massengill: There’s a gray area in every decision.

Right.

Jonathan Breeden: Can you go to bat for me if somebody down there says, I don’t know, but you’re like, look, I know this guy, he’s going to pay his bills.

Chad Massengill: Yeah. And there are occasions when we can do that but we have to have what we call a compensating factor. It has to be a reason and it has to be fair and equitable, not just [00:22:00] for one person. I can’t do it because I know you.

Knowing me helps in as far as our relationship and our banking relationship, but getting a yes or no, that has nothing to do with it. It’s all facts. And that’s how it is at most banks. And if not all and I think regulation has created that environment. Whether you agree or not, that’s the way it is.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. And, it may be, that probably is better for the bank, but I did used to like it where they could just make it more locally. Yeah. You know what I mean? And I know that probably led to more defaults and then the banks would have probably liked and that kind of stuff. But, But it just makes me old school. I’m not that old. We’re the same age but, but you know, I mean, well,

Chad Massengill: when I start, I understand what you’re saying. When I started out, it was like, we know him, there’s no need to do this, and this. Cut the check, move on. Sign the papers, whenever, next week. And I’ve done that years and years ago. Those days are [00:23:00] long gone. You just can’t do that anymore. And it’s not that anyone was doing anything wrong. It was just, there was a relationship there.

And the customer had been banking there and knew everyone. And that still does matter to a degree. And we do look at current customers. And their repayment ability to us, that plays a factor in a decision.

Jonathan Breeden: All right. Well, tell me a little bit about, I know you’re the president of the Garner Mid-Day Rotary Club. Tell me a little bit about when and how you got involved in Rotary and some of the things that your Garner Club are doing.

Chad Massengill: I joined Rotary initially back, about eight or nine years when I was with another bank. And then when I came to Garner, to this office, I transferred to Garner Mid-Day. And there was a choice.

I could go to Garner Morning Club, which meets at 7 a. m. on Wednesday morning. That’s way early for a 45 minute drive in, so for me, so I decided to do the Mid-Day. Joined the Mid-Day and I was not involved as much as I am now with [00:24:00] Rotary in the beginning. But as I got in there and built those relationships with people, became good friends with everyone, I felt a little more comfortable. And then the time came for a leadership role and I decided to do it.

I had been president of Kiwanis Club in Dunn, a few years ago. I had to have some you know. experience in that matter. So this is my second year as president and we do have a president elect. June, um, I will be passing the gavel over, but I’ve enjoyed being president this year.

Well,

Jonathan Breeden: And I know that one of the big, I mean, you gonna do so much in the Garner community, it’s tremendous, everything. But one of the big things y’all do is, you do some big fundraiser every year to help the Backpack Buddies program. I know, by the time this episode runs, the one that this year’s casino night will be over.

But what got Rotary involved with Backpack Buddies and what are y’all trying to do for them?

Well, Started years ago, and Rita Hines could probably tell you a lot more on how it started. She’s our backbone of the Backpack Buddy program. She’s our fundraising chair. [00:25:00] And without Rita, we would not be where we are with this today, for sure.

Chad Massengill: She’s done a fabulous job with that. And uh, really does a good job leading the group with that. It’s as far as what it, like you said, Casino Night, it’s on November the 2nd. We have it every fall. The last year and this year, we changed it to a  Casino Night. It used to be a bling, but it’s still a black tie affair.

You come in and everything, you got blackjack tables, roulette, poker tables, things of that nature. All the proceeds go to the Backpack Buddy program. And we raise anywhere from $100,000-130,000 in one night. And I know you recently sponsored and we appreciate that. And you know, the sponsorships, it’s cut off for now. There’s still tickets available for it. And we’re still selling those, but it’s a huge night. It’s a great night. It’s going be long and tiring for us in the Rotary, but we enjoy it.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah, and the Backpack Buddies program provides a backpack full [00:26:00] of food that children can fix themselves that they get on Friday afternoons.

Chad Massengill: True.

Jonathan Breeden: And they take home on the weekends because not all these kids have food at their house that would be nutritious and good for them. And it helps them get back to school on Monday where they can get free breakfast and free lunch, as well. If you’ve listened to this podcast before, we’ve had Carlton McDaniel on who in his group with the disabled adults, but makes these backpacks for the Garner schools.

We also had the head of the Cleveland area Backpack Buddies program on, about a year ago, talking about their program and they usually do a big hearts gala around Valentine’s Day, every year as well, to raise money for the Cleveland area Backpack program. It’s a tremendous program. And if you’ve not been involved in it, if you get a chance, please do because you would be stunned at the number of children who go home without food in our communities every single day.

It is surprising. It can be sad, but it is what it [00:27:00] is. And everybody can do a little bit to try to make that better. I know Rotary is. I did not realize until I went to your meeting the other day that y’all would raise $100,000 a one night. That is absolutely amazing. That is an amazing amount of money.

Chad Massengill: I didn’t believe it either until I saw that. Yeah, it’s, truly unbelievable, how it all comes together. And it’s worked all year long. You know, We get into it, and it really ramps up in the fall and um, but we’ve, had a, a lot of partners. You mentioned Carlton earlier, saw it right before we came in here today. And I know he was on your program. He and his staff are really helpful in that as well.

Every other week on Monday, a few Rotarians including myself will pick up food, and I’ll fill the back of my pickup with it, and mostly canned foods. And we take that to Lord of Life Lutheran Church where they store it.

And that’s where they get together with able to serve. And they, packed up these lunches for these kids. We’re serving eight or nine schools in the Garner area. And uh, that number, it just, the number of kids, [00:28:00] it keeps raising. So every year, we’ve got to raise more money, and the price of food’s gone up. Right. You know, I’ve seen it.

I’ll buy a thousand dollars worth of food to fill up the back of my truck. Last year, that was 6 and $700. So you can see a huge increase in that. So we’ve got to make up for that inflation. And we’re not going to let inflation be the excuse. These kids are going to get fed.

Well,

Jonathan Breeden: And I think y’all are serving 180 kids a week, at least, if not more, right?

Chad Massengill: And I don’t know the exact number.

Right.

Jonathan Breeden: But it’s more than 180, I think.

Chad Massengill: Yeah, I believe it is too. Right. If my memory serves me right, it’s in the 190s. But Rita, she has all those numbers.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. So if somebody wanted to get up with you, uh, United Community Bank or learn more about Garner Mid-Day Rotary, how would they do that?

Chad Massengill: You can email me at Chad, C H A D _Massengill. And that’s spelled just like every Massengill in Johnston County. M A S S E N G I L L @ U C B I dot com. And you [00:29:00] can email me there and uh, be glad to answer any questions about the bank, our products, or Rotary, or the Chamber of Commerce in either Clayton or Garner. I’m members of both. The more I know and the more I can share with people, the more valuable I am to the bank and to my customers. And that’s, my goal.

Well, that’s great. That’s great. You’ve been a tremendous asset to me and my business over the six years. You’ve been at United Community Bank.

Jonathan Breeden: Last question we ask everybody is, what do you love most about Johnston County?

Chad Massengill: Oh man, it’s got everything you need. I mean, I may be wrong, but I know Johnston County was one of the fastest growing counties in North Carolina, if not the country. I think it has a mix of the down home people that live here, mixed with all the amenities that we have.

Everything is a short drive away. Now, I wish the roads were wider. I wish some of the construction would hurry up and finish. But they’re all growing pains and we have to live with that, but it’s just a great place to live and work. And uh, I would recommend it highly.

Well, I definitely, I would agree with you on that.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, We’d like to thank Chad [00:30:00] Massengill for coming on and being our guest on this week’s episode of The Best of Johnston County podcast. As we mentioned earlier, please like, subscribe, or follow this podcast where you’re seeing it. Leave a five star review down below. Tag us in your Instagram stories, best of Johnston County.

Until next week, I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden.

Narrator: That’s the end of today’s episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.

If the legal aspects highlighted raised some questions, help is just around the corner at www. breedenfirm. com.