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Our Extraordinary Hometowns Articles

We invest in the towns where we live and work to keep the community vibrant.

Learn About Our Extraordinary Hometowns

See how we’ve been serving towns across the Carolinas for more than 80 years.

All First Bank Team Giving Extraordinary Hometowns Small Business Stories
Apple cake, apples and eggs on a table Recipes from Our Neighborhoods, Part 2 In celebration of the fall season, we’ve pulled together a few family recipes. Here, you’ll find a few sweet treats and sides to pull out in time for the influx of company in the weeks to come. 3 min read
Bowl of hot delicious corn and red chilli chowder garnished with cream and fresh parsley Recipes from Our Neighborhoods, Part 1 There’s just something about that first snap of cold air in the fall. It feels like a mixture of a visit from an old friend and an invitation for discovery of something totally new. 3 min read
April and Kevin sitting in front of board game Business Spotlight: KnA Games Kevin and April Cox, owners of KnA Games, love to create games. Their latest product, Space Movers, is their most ambitious project yet. 4 min read
Front Porch Realty Office. Front Porch Realty: Prepped for Growth Laura McCorry has been selling real estate in the Triangle area since 1996. After working for a franchise realty company for the first 9 years of her career, her referral base had grown so large that she decided to open her own real estate company in 2005. 3 min read
Stanley Hughes examining plants Business Spotlight: Pine Knot Farms Pine Knot Farms has been in Stanley Hughes’ family for over 100 years. He tells us his story and how organic agriculture has never been more important. 4 min read
Two cats in cage at a humane society Volunteering Part 2: Help Wanted! This is the second in our 2-part series examining how to find local volunteering opportunities. 6 min read
Heart shape made with hands through sunset Volunteering Part 1: Helping Others, Helping Yourself This is the first article in our 2-part series examining how to find local volunteering opportunities. 3 min read
Chris White leading a horse. Business Spotlight: White Dogwood Farm & Stables First Bank client White Dogwood Farm & Stables is a full service breeding and boarding facility started by Elizabeth and Chris White. The Whites truly love horses and their boarding facility offers top notch care, quality feed/hay and daily turnout. 3 min read
The Hagler's standing in front of farm equipment Business Spotlight: Hagler Farms Bryan Hagler tells the story of Hagler Farms in Laurinburg, North Carolina. 2 min read
Business Spotlight: Little Black Dressing Video Business Spotlight: Little Black Dressing Co. Kissie Stroup started High Point-based Little Black Dressing Co. simply to “provide something for [her] family” but it has become so much more. The dressing is now carried in supermarkets across the region and was even the official dressing of the 2014 U.S. Open in Pinehurst. Video Transcript Kissie Stroup: I think my grandmother passed onto us taking care of the household. Families don’t do that anymore. You know, they’re off to baseball and then they’re off to football and they’re off to tennis or they’re at dance and the home life now seems to have lost its family orientation. And that’s what I think she did. She, and my mom, provided that for us. And that’s what I wanted for my kids. It’s a lost art. Stroup: I am Kissie Stroup and I started a food business called Little Black Dressing. We produce four flavors of refrigerated, all-natural salad dressing. I just wanted to provide something for our family. You know, my husband’s worked hard, the fabric furniture industry was not good during there in the crash seven years ago, and I thought to myself, “What can I do?” Stroup: I don’t have anything that anybody else really has, and I think that’s the key. You’ve got to give them something different. Food seems to be the thing that you come back to. You entertain, you eat around the table…it seems to be when we’re the happiest and when everybody gets along. So, we gathered around food. Stroup: I’ve had a lot say it’s the best dressing they’ve ever eaten and it’s because its fresh and its different. It’s unique. I’ve got four different flavors and I don’t do anything like the other flavors that you see in the refrigerated salad dressing section. Stroup: Why would I want to compete with those large companies? I don’t. I don’t want to. I want to do something different. I’m going to give you what I grew up eating and they’re unique, they’re different. Success: Is it making a lot of money? Because I’ve yet to do that. Is it that’s it’s in every grocery store in the nation? I don’t know. I don’t know what the success of it is. I feel successful that I 3 min read
Business Spotlight: Elizabethtown Baptist Church Video Business Spotlight: Elizabethtown Baptist Church Located in Bladen County, NC, sits the majestic Elizabethtown Baptist Church. The church plays a major role in the Elizabethtown community and that was never more apparent than in the aftermath of a devastating tornado. 1 min read
Solar panels in a field at sunset The Sun Shines on North Carolina’s Solar Power Growth Thanks to 215 sunny days a year and solar-friendly regulations and tax credits, North Carolina is a great place for those who want to convert solar rays into electricity. 5 min read
A First Bank employee holding up a Power of Good sticker. We believe in investing in the power of people. View Power of Good Grants
A child reading a book surrounded by illustrations. For kids and the love of reading. Explore First Bank Book Club
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