John Sauls, a North Carolina native and Lee County Resident, is a family man, businessman, pastor, and community leader. After a successful twenty-plus year business career, John retired to focus on serving his community as both a pastor and community leader. For the last 21 years, John has served as Senior Pastor of Crossroads Ministries, the largest church in Lee County, and he has served his community in numerous leadership roles including as a State Representative and a County Commissioner. As a State Representative and as a County Commissioner, John focused on economic development, job creation and education. As a State House member, John's biggest accomplishments included securing $500,000 in funding for Central Carolina Community College and passing legislation to protect hundreds of jobs at Static Control, a Lee County based company, which employs over 1100 people across seven North Carolina counties . While in the State House, John served as Vice - Chair of the House Education Committee and Co-Chair of the Community Colleges Committee where he worked hard to strengthen our public schools. The North Carolina Association of Community College Presidents honored John with their 2004 Award for Support of Community Colleges. Proving his commitment to job creation and economic development, John served eight years on the Lee County Economic Development Commission including two years as Chairman and also represented Lee County on the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, which works to bring jobs and economic growth to the 16 county region including Lee and Harnett Counties. In these capacities, John was instrumental in both attracting new industries to Lee and Harnett and also in helping our existing businesses grow and expand. A Vietnam-era veteran of the US Army, John has also worked hard to ensure that our active duty soldiers, our veterans, and their families receive the support and recognition they deserve. A founding board member of the North Carolina Veterans Memorial Committee, John was instrumental in bringing the North Carolina Veterans Memorial to Broadway, NC. The Memorial recognizes each generation of North Carolina soldiers who stepped forward to serve as well as memorializes those heroes who gave their life in defense of our freedom. John's leadership, commitment to public service and his work ethic have earned him numerous awards and honors. On January 4th, 2013, John was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is awarded by the governor for exemplary service to the State of North Carolina and the community that is above and beyond the call of duty. Then in 2014, Sanford Mayor Chet Mann declared October 19, 2014 to be "John Sauls Day" in the Town of Sanford in acknowledgement of John's hard work and service on behalf of the Town of Sanford and its people. Other honors include the 2005 Jonesboro Rotary Club Non-Rotarian of the Year Award and being inducted into the Charles B. Aycock High School Hall of Fame. John and his wife Mardie reside in Sanford. In addition to serving their community and their church, they enjoy spending time with their three children and four grandchildren. John attended Wayne Community College, Heritage Bible College, and Management Development Training at Notre Dame University. He is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate form Heritage Bible College.