NCBiotech's Mark Phillips named Greenville-Pitt County Chamber's Citizen of the Year
The Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce recognized Mark Phillips, vice president of statewide operations and executive director of the Eastern Regional Office for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, as its 2024 Citizen of the Year. Phillips was honored on Jan. 30 at the chamber’s annual membership celebration at Rock Springs Center.
Phillips is the 57th recipient of the chamber’s Citizen of the Year Award, presented annually to an individual who has contributed to the growth, stability and overall advancement of Greenville-Pitt County. "Through his leadership, [Mark Phillips] has helped strengthen connections between government, business, and academia, fostering collaboration and new opportunities for Pitt County and the eastern region,” the chamber said in a news release. Phillips accepted the award and thanked his family and community. "I'm grateful to be part of this extraordinary community for the past 28 years," he said. "I'm honored to be among all the past recipients who have received this distinguished award. I realize it takes an entire community ecosystem to make things happen. This award would not be possible without many of you. So, thank you for all your continued support and contributions."
Key role at NCBiotech and in eastern NC growth
Phillips plays a pivotal role at NCBiotech in positioning Greenville and the eastern region as a hub for life sciences, driving economic growth, education and innovation. Greenville is part of the BioPharma Crescent, which includes Johnston, Pitt, and Wilson counties. The BioPharma Crescent is best known for biopharma and pharmaceutical manufacturing with leading companies such as Catalent, CMP Pharma, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Grifols, Merck, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer. The region grew significantly in 2024 with Novo Nordisk announcing a $4.1 billion expansion in Clayton in June 2024, and Johnson and Johnson announcing a $2 billion expansion in Wilson for its Janssen Biotech subsidiary.
Other awards
The chamber also recognized Parker Overton with its Legends Award, which honors a citizen whose service to the community has been significant over a sustained period. Overton is the founder and former CEO of Overton’s, the world’s largest catalog of watersports and boating supplies from 1975 to 2003. His business leadership and philanthropic efforts have made a lasting impact on eastern North Carolina. Overton played a pivotal role in founding Metrics Pharmaceuticals (now Catalent), Select Bank & Trust, and Select Bancorp, contributing to the region’s economic growth. Overton has made significant contributions to East Carolina University and Pitt Community College for academic and athletic programs.
Additional awards were presented to Sebastian Kressley, commercial real estate associate at Mullarkey Real Estate Group, Inc., who was named the 2024 Young Professional of the Year and to Craig and Lisa Marshall, owners of Nothing Bundt Cakes, who were named the 2024 Ambassadors of the Year.