SANFORD, N.C. - Central Carolina Community College alumnus E. Eugene Moore is being recognized for his $2 million gift to his alma mater with the naming of the future E. Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center in his honor. The Center will be located at the former Magneti Marelli facility.

Moore, who grew up in Bear Creek and currently lives in Sanford, is Chief Executive Officer of Bear Creek Arsenal (BCA) - an international company located in Sanford which has customers in all 50 states and other countries as well.

"Mr. Moore, a CCCC alumnus, is a model of generosity. His gift will support many scholarships, the purchase of additional state-of-the art equipment, and an endowed faculty position (the first at CCCC) -- the complete package necessary to ensure more students successfully complete their educational goals," said CCCC President Dr. Lisa M. Chapman.

"In addition, Mr. Moore's donation will also help with the necessary redesign of the E. Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center. This Center will enhance our response to expanding and relocating company needs -- whether it's customized training, general educational programming, temporary work space, or other resources, the E. Eugene Moore Center will be the regional hub," said Dr. Chapman. "So Mr. Moore's donation will not only provide opportunities for many of our local residents, it will also help sustain Lee County's exceptional economic growth. What a legacy!"

H. Julian Philpott Jr., Chairman of the CCCC Board of Trustees, noted: "Mr. Moore is a wonderful example of a person who took supreme advantage of his education and training from CCCC and turned it into a highly successful business and manufacturing career. His most generous gift to the CCCC Foundation is a wonderful investment in the College that will assist students in accessing outstanding educational opportunities and reaching their career goals. His donation will help CCCC, our students, and our industries obtain maximum educational and training benefit from the E. Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center, the new name for the former Magneti Marelli property that our Lee County Commissioners generously acquired for the benefit of the College.

"We feel that the E. Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center will be an exceptional driver of economic growth in Lee County and our service area for years to come. We are grateful for Mr. Moore's generous donation that will help students' educational and career dreams become realities," said Philpott.

Moore became a CCCC student in Fall 1969, as soon as his tour in Vietnam with SeaBee Team 0914 ended. "The school was a lot smaller than it is now," said Moore, who studied Tool and Die Making when the school was known as Central Carolina Technical Institute. "The teachers were all very good and very interested in helping the students learn."

Moore remembers school personnel Ray Epley, Robert Brown, Jerry Stevens, and Percy West. "Fellow students were all very nice," said Moore. "It had a very 'community' feeling."

Moore credits his CCCC education as being beneficial for his career. "CCTI, as it was called back then, gave both hands-on experience in the shop area and classroom studies that complemented the shop area," said Moore. "The classroom covered areas like drawings, blueprint reading, metallurgy, which has been very helpful and areas that would have taken much longer to acquire this knowledge without the formal education."

Moore, who graduated in Spring 1971, then started his business - originally a two-person operation doing repair work.

From there, his business expanded.

• From 1984 to 2015, his business did subcontracting machining for a global off-highway system group, manufacturing components that supplied equipment to off-highway construction and mining work. Some of the components were on equipment two miles underground in diamond mines - and Moore's business was the only company in the world manufacturing these parts.
• From 1986 to 2015, his business did subcontract machining for an international automotive company that supplied finished assemblies to the automotive manufacturers, being able to supply over 400,000 parts a week as needed.
• From 1989 to 2005, his business supplied painted and machined parts to an international company that markets and sells power tools. For over 10 years, Moore's business was the largest supplier to a 2,300-person assembly plant.

"It has always been our desire to have our own product. For many years, we manufactured parts/equipment with other companies' names on the product," said Moore, adding that BCA was formed in 2013 using the personnel and equipment that had been used in Moore's Machine Company Inc. to make this dream become a reality.

BCA grew from 300 employees in January 2019 to as many as 762 employees in 2020 and 2021.

Moore attributes the success of his company to good people. "It always comes back to good people," said Moore. "Three main areas make up a good company - good people, good facility, and good customers. As long as BCA keeps good people, BCA will meet the challenges of our ever-changing world," said Moore.

"Having good people allowed us to grow the capabilities of our facility and as we grow our facility, we are able to add more people. As we add better people, we are able to grow and increase our customer base," said Moore.

Moore and his wife Ruby have three children - Chad Moore, Monica Purvis, and Nicole Allen, and eight grandchildren - Meg, Tucker, Belle, Finn, Montgomery, Oliver, Harper Lee, and Glosson.

"Sanford is experiencing a period of unprecedented economic growth. Excellent opportunities are arriving for high-paying technical careers," said Lynda Turbeville, CCCC Foundation Board Chair.

"The impact of the donation of Mr. Moore and his family will go on for generations in this community. There is no way to quantify the number of students and families who will see their lives changed through education and careers. It is seldom that one has the opportunity to meet someone with the vision of Mr. Moore. I remain awed and humbled by his selfless generosity," said Turbeville.

Dr. Emily C. Hare, Executive Director of the CCCC Foundation, said she is grateful for Mr. Moore's generosity to his alma mater. "E. Eugene Moore is a prime example of a student who took full advantage of his educational experiences at CCCC and exceled to build an international company. His success story is an inspiration to all. And, through his success, his financial support will help to boost the College and the Central Carolina community by aiding both current and future generations."

The CCCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization affiliated with, but independent of, the college. It receives donations of money and equipment on behalf of CCCC and uses them to promote the educational mission of the college and assist students through scholarships and grants.

"We have been successful, and we owe a lot of this to CCCC and the community," said Moore as to the importance of giving back to the College. "It is our desire to make our world, our country, our community, a better place to live and work in. It takes not only better education, but also the right education for the people in our community to be able to achieve an improvement in people's lives. With better education should also come higher paying jobs, with higher paying jobs comes a better lifestyle, a more secure environment, a desire to be better citizens, and the ability to raise a good family.

"Having more educated and trained people locally will make our community more appealing to corporations and businesses to locate to our area. The more businesses we have locating in our community, the more better paying jobs there will be for the people in our community," said Moore. "The more better paying jobs and the more successful companies we have in the community, the better our community will be. This will allow us to have great public schools, great health care, and great recreation for our citizens."

Moore said he greatly encourages other people to contribute to CCCC. "The more we contribute to CCCC, the more and faster CCCC can grow," said Moore. "The more CCCC grows, the more people they can improve education for."

For information on giving to the CCCC Foundation, contact Dr. Emily C. Hare, Executive Director of the CCCC Foundation, 919-718-7230, or ehare@cccc.edu.