BUSINESS LEADER DECEMBER 2006 VOL. 18, NO. 06 BUSINESSLEADER.COM

Women EXTRAORDINAIRE 2006 Carter Worthy, Deborah Friberg, Michelle Rich Goode, Kathy Higgins, Rusine Mitchell-Sinclair, Linda Leake, Lorraine Stephens, Cindy Anderson, Beverly Jones and Mary Beth Johnston

President, Carter Worthy Commercial Inc. Carter Worthy

By Slee Arnold

BUSINESS OWNER, committed community leader and downtown advocate, Carter Worthy is truly a Woman Extraordinaire. Her passion for these is evident in everything she does.

A Triangle native, she is a product of Wake County Public Schools and an alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Worthy has been married for twenty-five years and has two children.

“My parents were very influential in my life,” she shares. “Their parents were shopkeepers and they knew the meaning of hard work and strong family values.” Giving back to the community and helping others was a part of their life. Strong family values have also been an important factor.

After college, Worthy caught the real estate “bug.” She began her career at York Properties, under the helm of Smedes York. Actually, she was the second person in her family to work for the York family; her father worked for J.W. York at one time. So here she was full circle into the world of real estate.

Worthy’s inaugural voyage into this world was selling condominiums in Cameron Village. Many of these she sold to investors, not necessarily future residents. Nights and weekends were not conducive to family life, so she took the CCIM course and made the transfer to commercial real estate.

Joe Calkurst, one of her first managers at York Properties, taught Worthy the ropes. His knowledge and influence shaped the ethics and values she uses today. After twelve years with York Properties she formed Carter Worthy Commercial, Inc. in 1996. Relationships and community causes are the driving motivation for Worthy. These are the backbone of her company culture today and an integral part of how she does business.

An early client was Dean Debnam. Her first deal with him was a 2,400 square foot home office that he wanted to sell. The next was a 17,000 square foot industrial building, a 15,000 square foot office lease and then a twenty-acre land sale and a 25,000 square foot building. “Relationships are my business,” she explains.

As one of the first commercial realtors in the Triangle, Worthy finds that to be a benefit today. She believes that “what goes around, comes around.” Deals and opportunities frequently do this, even over time. Smedes York was an influential public service mentor. “His encouragement for people to be good citizens, to step up and make a difference in our community resonated,” she recalls. She lights up when conversation turns to the community. It is easy to feel her passions and it is evident she is a willing consultant to a variety of community service organizations.

Worthy helped the Junior League of Raleigh find a larger location for the organization’s thrift store, The Bargain Box. She represented the Wake Education Partnership and the New Schools project in finding new office locations for their expanding community programs. She is currently working with Habitat for Humanity to further their mission in providing affordable housing.

She has dedicated countless hours of her time, talents and resources to aid in the rebirth of Downtown Raleigh. Her early involvement in the preservation of Raleigh’s historic urban core and ongoing commitment has been extraordinary, even moving her company to 228 Fayetteville Street.

Worthy has been involved in many downtown projects. Some of these include the restoration of the Mahler building (originally built in 1876), Pilot Mill – a beautifully restored 100,000 square foot mixed use development that won the Anthemion Award from Capital Area Preservation, Capital Park. She co-chaired Fayetteville Street Visioning Committee to explore bringing back life to Fayetteville Street. A champion for public education, Worthy has been a member of the Wake Education Partnership for over fifteen years. She believes critical thinking and initiative are important cultures to incorporate in quality education and to grow future generations and workforces.

Worthy’s commitment to downtown Raleigh led to her appointment by the City Council to the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) in 2001, of which she is now the Board Chair. She is an advocate of long-term investment and vision to handling growth in the Triangle, especially as it pertains to high quality transit to downtown and other parts of the city. Carter Worthy is paving the way for the future of Raleigh. As she stands out in front of her new office on Fayetteville Street, she smiles looking up and down the street talking with and waving to many; her excitement and passion is contagious. Revitalization is made possible because of people like Worthy— who are constantly helping others.