While noted most often for his significant role in the development of such successful landmark communities as SouthPark and Ballantyne, Smoky Bissell’s longstanding commitment to building community throughout the Charlotte region extends far beyond bricks and mortar.  For more than forty years, he has championed – from the front lines and behind-the-scenes -- countless philanthropic initiatives that have greatly enhanced the quality and outreach of this community’s education and healthcare institutions and resources.

  Whether advocating the mission, raising the funds or developing the strategy, Bissell’s involvement always equals positive results because of his can-do attitude, which advances his philosophy that we are each obligated to work for the greater good to make a difference in the world.

  Bissell has an enduring respect for the importance of education, espousing that education helps people and communities.  A former math teacher, the Yale graduate prefers the title of educator to that of real estate developer, and his numerous volunteer efforts in the educational arena reflect his insatiable passion for learning.

As the former board chairman of UNC Charlotte, he chaired the recent $100 million It Takes A Gift Campaign, the largest and most successful in the university’s history.  He remains involved as an honorary member of UNC Charlotte’s board of trustees.  He has also served as a member of the board of visitors for the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte, and led a $10 million capital campaign for Queens.

Bissell has also helped broaden the scope of healthcare resources available in the Charlotte region by accepting pivotal leadership roles for Carolinas HealthCare System, serving since 1997 member of the board of directors of Carolinas HealthCare Foundation.  Today, Bissell is chairman of the $60 million Dare to Dream Campaign for the new Levine Children’s Hospital, slated to open on the campus of Carolinas Medical Center in 2007. 

An ardent community leader, Bissell has also fostered initiatives that strengthen programs aimed at providing accessible health and social services for all Charlotte residents.  He was the chairman of the 1998 United Way Campaign, and has served the YMCA of Greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg as president and trustee.

He is the recipient of numerous awards including: Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, Queens College – 1989; Outstanding Volunteer Fund-Raiser Award - 1990, The Charlotte Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives; “Realtor of the Year,” 1995 Charlotte Regional Realtor; “Realtor of the Year,” 1998 Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors; Charlotte Sales & Marketing Executives 1999 Top Management Award; John R. Mott Award, YMCA – 2001; 2003 Chairman’s Award – Charlotte Chamber of Commerce; 2004 Leadership Charlotte – Lifetime Achievement Award; Charlotte Business Journal’s 2004 Business Person of the Year; and State of North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, May 2005.

Other community affiliations include: Board of Visitors, Past Chairman and Life Trustee; Charlotte Country Day School; Past President and Member, Board of Trustees, The Hotchkiss School; Past President, Charlotte Board of Realtors; Board of Directors; and Advantage Carolina. 

Bissell was born in Buffalo, N.Y. on March 16, 1937. He attended Hotchkiss School, earned an economics degree from Yale University and spent two years in the Navy.  In 1961, he and wife Sara Harris Bissell moved to California where he taught math, using concepts that he developed himself.  They returned to Charlotte in 1964. 

He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Bissell Companies. He and Sara have four children: Cary, Barbara, Howard, J.J., and nine grandchildren: Cameron, Morgan, Sara, Jack, Ward, Anna, Burns, Rex, and Owen.

About The Echo Foundation

The Echo Foundation was founded in 1997 by Stephanie G. Ansaldo, and is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.  It is an educational foundation, which seeks ...to sponsor and facilitate those voices that speak of human dignity, justice and moral courage in a way that will lead to positive action for humankind.  For more information about The Echo Foundation: www.echofoundation.org

###