Noel Chitwood to receive Pamplin College 2013 Distinguished Alumnus Award

10 May 2013

Business executive Noel Chitwood, of Summerfield, N.C., will receive the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business 2013 Distinguished Alumnus Award during the college’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum.

The college created the award in 1990 to honor alumni for outstanding career accomplishments and contributions to the college.

Chitwood, who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1980, is president of LacquerCraft Hospitality, a manufacturer of cabinets, dressers, and other casegoods or hard furniture for the U.S. and international hospitality industry.

Upon graduation, he began a 20-year career in commercial banking, working primarily in the Roanoke and Martinsville, Va., offices of banking organizations that later became part of SunTrust Bank and BB&T.

Chitwood rose through the ranks, gaining experience in variety of capacities, including credit analyst, senior commercial loan officer, and senior vice president for commercial lending.

In 1999, he left BB&T to become vice president of sales for American of Martinsville. Within two years, he became president of the furniture manufacturer.

During his 11 years there, Chitwood helped steer the company through two ownership changes and cyclical challenges and strengthened its ability to compete at home and abroad through a multiyear move of manufacturing operations from the U.S. to China.

In 2010, he left the company to start LacquerCraft in High Point, N.C., in partnership with Samson Holding, a publicly traded furniture company in China.

At Virginia Tech, Chitwood has been a member of the Pamplin Advisory Council since 2003 and is a past chair. He has served on the hospitality and tourism management department’s advisory board since 2002 and recently served on the search committee for the college’s next dean.

Learn more about the Pamplin College of Business Commencement.