Dan Bishop: “North Carolina State Senator Tom McInnis of Rockingham has been named ``Citizen of the Year'' by the Richmond Community…”

“North Carolina State Senator Tom McInnis of Rockingham has been named ``Citizen of the Year'' by the Richmond Community College Foundation, and I rise to comment on this well-deserved honor for my friend. Tom is an alumnus of RCC, and I know this distinction is meaningful to him. I was privileged to serve with Tom in the North Carolina Senate and have worked closely with him to learn and serve the needs of Richmond County in the time leading to and since my election in the House. That experience deepened my appreciation for Tom's love for Rockingham and Hamlet and the rest of Richmond County and his personal force in advocating for the needs and advancement of his people--and I mean everybody. The citizenship award specifically recognizes Tom's effort and success in promoting workforce training for rural North Carolina. And Tom has devoted much of his adult life to improving educational opportunity, especially. Tom grew up on a Richmond County farm. He put himself through school and started multiple businesses. In 1983, he founded Iron Horse Auction Company, which, in 2013, was named one of the top 10 auction companies in the United States. He was elected to the North Carolina Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame in 1994. Tom's public life began with 8 years' service on the Richmond County Board of Education. Tom is now in his third term in the Senate, where he serves as chairman of the Transportation Committee.…”