Thomas M. (Tim) Belk Jr. is taking his family’s long history of community service to an entirely new level, with an emphasis on the value of diversity.
Belk is only the third member of his family in 122 years to be CEO and chairman of Belk Inc., the department-store chain with more than 300 stores in 16 southern states. His two predecessors included his Uncle John, who led the company for 50 years and also spent eight years as the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., where Belk is headquartered.
“Community involvement is part of our business strategy. It was that way when my grandfather founded the company and my dad and uncle raised us that way. Business, community and diversity go hand in hand,” says Belk, who is also chairman of the company’s diversity council.
