By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
Saying he wants to put more business in government and less government in business, N.C. Rep. Bill Daughtridge of Rocky Mount will be a Republican candidate for the N.C. House.
Daughtridge visited Salisbury this week to introduce himself to possible supporters.
The three-term legislator is president of Daughtridge Gas Oil Co., started in 1929 by his grandfather. The business owns several convenience stores and delivers fuel oil and propane for industrial and farm uses.
Daughtridge, 55, is a former president of the N.C. Petroleum Marketers Association.
In the House, he serves as vice chairman of the House Commerce Committee, is on the House Finance Committee and belongs to the Executive Committee of the Economic Development Board.
Besides his experience in running a business, Daughtridge formerly worked for Continental Oil Co. (Conoco) in Houston as a financial analyst. He said he learned to manage million-dollar budgets for the company and lead teams that faced “complex, large-scale financial decisions.”
He also traveled across the country recruiting from the top MBA programs in the country and oversaw the training of new MBA employees.
That prior experience in recruiting and training fits in with the treasurer’s job, Daughtridge said, because “you have to know how to use good talent.”
Daughtridge said his experience with economic, finance and business issues in the House and knowing how things work in the real world also give him the experience needed for the treasurer’s job.
“I could stop a lot of bad things that could adversely affect business and (promote) a more business-friendly climate in North Carolina,” Daughtridge said.
He said he would serve as ” a guardian of the taxpayer.”
Daughtridge returned to the family business in 1979 and said he has significantly grown it through acquisitions and new startups.
The 2008 election for state treasurer will not include present Treasurer Richard Moore, a Democrat who is seeking his party’s gubernatorial nomination.
North Carolina has not had a Republican treasurer since the 19th century. Daughtridge intends to file for office on President’s Day. He has been trying to set up fundraisers across the state.
He proposes a “Secure Your Future” initiative in which companies in North Carolina could voluntarily have their pension plans reviewed in conjunction with a board of private citizens.
Daughtridge is a former N.C. National Guardsman (1972-78) and was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration.