COB alumnus celebrates 50 years of serving North Carolina

by McKenzie Shelton, current MBA student, owner of Embody Productions & Planning

Earlier this year, Creswell native and Durham resident Hilton “Chip” Chesson celebrated 50 years of service to Eastern and Central North Carolina through real estate development and empowering education.

Upon graduating with his BSBA degree from East Carolina University in 1966, Chesson worked at Wachovia Bank in Greenville. In 1968 he transferred to Durham to administer the Federal Housing Administration 235 mortgage program, which subsidized interest rates for low-income families. Managing this program solidified Chesson’s lifelong goal to create affordable housing for marginalized communities that historically have been offered little access to housing.

Chip Chesson

Chesson’s focus on bringing purchasing power to families led him to start several real estate and mortgage companies where he delivered thousands of homes at moderate price levels in the ‘70s and ‘80s. To date, Chesson has built 3,000 homes, two shopping centers and multiple office buildings. Through this entrepreneurship, Chesson was also able to empower colleagues. Craig Morrison of Cimarron Homes remembers Chesson as a “positive, blue-sky kind of fellow” who motivated him to overcome obstacles. “He was a great encourager, in my case. I accomplished a lot more at that time than I would if I hadn’t known him.” Tracy Goetz, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway, is a former employee of Chesson’s who eventually took over his first realty business. She agrees with Robinson, saying Chesson “made an impact not only with creating neighborhoods but with his people. He encouraged and inspired us to embrace our passions and supported us financially. There’s not a lot of people who do both.”

Chesson has expanded his professional foci to stimulating progress in Eastern North Carolina through education. Having served on the ECU College of Business Advisory Board from 1986-2018, he remains involved with the ECU COB by supporting the Miller School of Entrepreneurship. Reflecting on his time at ECU, Chesson says, “the College of Business gave me the tools to compete and excel in the world of business. They prepared me so well that, two years after graduating, I started my business. ECU gave me a thirst for knowledge that allows me to stay current in an ever-changing world.”

Further, Chesson is one of the founding members of Pocosin Innovative Charter School in his hometown of Creswell. “I have a passion for the East,” said Chesson. “We have to do things in a different way.  ECU’s Miller School of Entrepreneurship and Pocosin Innovative Charter are the brightest hopes we have for Eastern North Carolina. They’re bringing hope for a brighter future through education at a higher level than we believed possible.”

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