M. R. Williams Inc.

Mike Williams was born and raised in a small rural town in southwestern Ohio. He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio on a full football scholarship and majored in Aeronautics, graduating in 1966 with a BS degree. He received a regular commission in the United States Air Force and logged over 4000 hours as aircraft commander, instructor pilot, and test pilot in the C-141 Starlifter and the C-5A Galaxy. Later, after flying for Eastern Airlines, his career in aviation was interrupted by the Oil Embargo and he entered the field of business, buying his current company - M.R. Williams, Inc., in April, 1976. He put his engineering background to good use and completely re-engineered his company, which became a model for the industry. He attended the Wake Forest University executive education program and received his MBA degree in 1994. His company has continued to grow and prosper during his three decades of leadership and has become a hallmark for service within its community. For his community involvement he was honored in receiving the "Human Relations Award" in 1986, as well as being chosen as Henderson's "Citizen of the Year" in February, 2000. He resides in Henderson with his wife, Jeremy, and they have three grown children.

Lawson Williams was raised in Henderson, NC and has worked in the family business since he was 8 years old. Upon graduation from Fork Union Military Academy, he attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, graduating in 1996 with a BA degree from the Cox school of Business at SMU. While in Dallas he received his commercial real estate license and worked for three years in the industry in sales and contract negotiations. He re-joined the family business in February, 1999 and is currently responsible for sales development. Lawson presently lives in Wake Forest, NC with his wife Katie and they have three sons named Patrick, David, and Colin.