“It’s a good place,” Hux said. “It’s a good town, and it’s a good community.”
Hux was born in Roanoke Rapids Hospital in 1953, when the facility was located on Roanoke Avenue. He spent his life in South Rosemary until the age of 12, when his family moved into the Forest Hills community in Roanoke Rapids. He graduated from Roanoke Rapids High School in 1971 and from Barton College in 1975. He married his wife, Jean, 35 years ago, and he is a member of Rosemary Baptist Church.
While growing up in the community, Hux was aware of his family’s connections to the area. His father, Grady L. Hux, a contractor, helped develop the Forest Hills area and some of Becker Farms, and served on the Roanoke Rapids City Council in the 1950s. His uncle, Rufus Hux, served on council in the 1960s, and his cousin, W.B. Hux, served as a Halifax County commissioner. W.B. Hux’s widow, Rachel Hux, currently serves on the Halifax County Board of Commissioners. All of them, Hux said, were involved in the development and construction of Halifax County and Roanoke Rapids.
As an adult, Hux worked with his father in contracting, but 16 years ago, another opportunity led Hux away from the family business.
“A friend of mine named Harold Ray called me up and told me he knew someone with a business venture in mind, the insurance business,” Hux said. “I told him no, I didn’t like insurance.”
However, Hux said, after meeting with those involved, he couldn’t turn down the money they offered, though he was still not convinced it was for him.
“I took all my contracting equipment and parked it in a warehouse,” Hux said. “I said I would give insurance a try for a year. After three months, I knew I wasn’t going back to contracting.”
For 13 years, Hux ran Coastal Benefits with partner Chuck Laughridge. Three years ago, Hux bought out Laughridge and formed First Carolina Agency with partners Joey Bright and Michael Wray, all the while remaining dedicated to his hometown.
“It was a good place to raise children,” Hux said. “I had a great time growing up here. I wanted to make my life here.”
As Hux’s business grew, he began to get involved in a variety of community organizations dedicated to economic improvement in the Roanoke Valley, ventures which today include the Halifax County Economic Development Board, the Board of Directors for Halifax Horizons and the Northeast Commission.
“He gives a lot of time and energy toward economic development,” said Halifax County Economic Development Director Cathy Scott. “Whenever there’s an economic development project, he does what he can do to make sure we stand out to the industry.”
Hux, a father of three with four grandchildren, believes being involved in economic development helps the community move toward a brighter future.
“The more industry we can get up here, the better the tax base we have,” Hux said. “That way we can keep taxes down. We’re creating jobs and tax base.”
Serving on the Northeast Commission, which is made up of representatives from 16 northeastern North Carolina counties and is dedicated to helping the economic development of the entire region, has taught him a lot.
“The people serving on that commission, they know how to make money,” Hux said. “So many times you have people making decisions who aren’t business people. But those people, those are some smart people.”
Hux sees a brighter future ahead when he considers the economic picture for Halifax County and Roanoke Rapids.
“I see (the economy) expanding,” Hux said. “A lot of people are facing hard times now but things are getting better.”
While Hux has given credit for the improved economic picture to Scott, calling her a “catalyst,” for the development board, Scott feels Hux has contributed enormously to the area’s improvements.
“I think Phil has made a tremendous impact to a positive economic development image for Halifax County,” Scott said. “He is an advocate for the county.”
In addition to being an advocate for the local businesses — Hux still has towels in his house made at the J.P. Stevens mill — Hux is also an advocate for American industry in general.
“A lot of industry moved overseas because of cheap labor,” Hux said. “But they’re coming back because they found cheap labor could not produce like the American worker can and couldn’t match the quality of product made by the American worker. I think we’ll see industry return to this area and all over the south, because you cannot beat the American worker. He puts his pride and his heart into what he’s making.”
In addition to his economic development work, Hux also is involved in community work, such as asking those who attend his birthday parties to bring a gift for Angel’s Closet rather than one for him.
“At his birthday parties, it’s not about ‘Bring Phil a gift,’” Scott said. “It’s about bringing a toy to give to kids at Christmas.”
Hux himself is quick to shrug off his community service work, giving credit to the entire city for having a big heart.
“A tornado just came through,” Hux said. “The people of this community came out to help. Down where I live there were people from across town who came with chainsaws to help out the people whose trees were down. That’s the kind of thing you see around here.”
Source http://www.rrdailyherald.com/
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