Retired aerospace company founder and president will work for free

BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

KERMIT — The Town of Kermit has appointed an “unofficial” economic development director.

Retired founder and president of the highly successful Veracity Technology Solutions in Broken Arrow, Okla., Gary Hensley is living on Middle Burning Creek and wants to put his skills to work for the Town of Kermit for free.

Hensley has 40 years of NDE activities in engineering and the development of unique products applications in the aerospace and power generation fields and is also retired from the U.S. Air Force. He told Kermit Council members in a meeting Monday that he wants to bring entities together for economic development.

“I’ve been very successful in approaching some high-level officials in the Senate in my last job and getting earmarked money approved for projects in the military,” Hensley commented. “I’m used to bringing parties together, and I asked [Mayor Charles Sparks] if there is an opportunity here that maybe we could just bring some parties together, the landowners and developers, whoever they are and ask, “What are your roadblocks?”

Hensley said he was not there to solicit anything and did not expect pay or compensation.

“I like challenges. If there is a challenge, I’d like to do it,” he said.

Councilwoman Anna Mae Sartin Wellman asked Hensley, “What would be your first step in doing that?”

Hensley said the first step would be to take the council’s guidance.

“This is my home now, and I’d like to see something come into Kermit,” remarked Hensley. “I’d like to go to McDonald’s here, not the one in Inez.”

Council members liked Hensley’s ideas.

“I won’t be so official that I will come in and write a trip report, if you will, but I will be official enough to come back and give you a status report of where we are, what I’ve accomplished and what I’ve been unable to accomplish,” said Hensley.

“I’m not used to failure. In the military, we didn’t fail… Anyone that worked around me that used that word, they were gone.”

The council voted unanimously to appoint Hensley as the “unofficial” economic development director.

Councilman Tomahawk Preece told Hensley that a good place to start would be the car wash property, for which there had been prior discussions about a Tudor’s Biscuit World.

Wellman agreed to help Hensley establish contact with the property owner.

“Sometimes when you go and talk to people, you ask them, ‘Give me five reasons why you want this or why you don’t.’ And then you say, ‘If you had to get rid of one of those, which one would it be? If you had to get rid of two of them, which ones would it be?’ If you can get them down to three reasons, then you’re rolling,” said Hensley.

The council will invite Sen. Mark Maynard to the next meeting.

In other business, the council:

• Discussed the Christmas in the Park event Dec. 2.

Anyone who desires a spot to decorate in the park can call city hall at 304-393-2655. Displays should be set up by Nov. 28. A parade will take place before the tree lighting provided by ABLE Families at 6 p.m, with the lineup at 5:30 p.m at the car wash.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand underneath the shed to receive children’s wishes for Christmas from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Hot Chocolate and cookies will be served.

• Discussed getting a robocall system for emergency alerts to citizens.

• Voted to require the parents of the juveniles who stole nine street signs last month to replace the signs at the cost of $975.

“We’ve already talked to all of them, and they’re all in agreement,” Mayor Sparks said.

Sparks informed the council that there had been an issue with one of the generators at the water plant. He said a sensor was replaced.