Carl Nichols

Carl Nichols has been working with Duke Power, or Duke Energy as it is known today, for many years.

Mr. Nichols, how long have you been in Mooresville?
Almost 28 years.

Would you mind sharing some of your background, as far as Mooresville goes, in business?

Well, I started out in 1982? [Mrs. Nichols says “1984.”] 1984. In 1984, we moved to Mooresville as the Office Supervisor for the Duke Power office back when it was on Oak Street. And [I] worked in Mooresville for about nine years, working with Duke Energy, or Duke Power at the time; working the office where they had the credit collections, sold appliances, and all that, and I basically managed the office function.

What changes have you seen in Mooresville, as far as energy-wise, or with Duke Power [Duke Energy today]?

Well, it used to be that Duke [Power] was one of the major employers here in Iredell County. But as the county’s population has grown, you’ve got more people commuting now to Charlotte. You’ve got huge industries [in Iredell County] like Lowes [Corporation], and I’ve seen the plants out at the Industrial Park come and go. But Duke [Power/Energy] really does not have as big a footprint in the Mooresville area as it did 25 years ago. As a percentage of the population, the employee base is not as great. It’s still an important part of the community, but it’s not as important as it was 25 years ago.

What changes have you seen in Mooresville, culturally?

I think with the growth of Mitchell Community College and its attempt to do more cultural things. I think with the John Mack Center [Mrs. Nichols notes that it is also called the John Mack Citizens’ Center], they’ve…see, that didn’t exist. That was where the old Belk’s [Department] Store was. [Laughs] Yeah, and so we had no center point in the community for anything cultural – for music, for dance, for anything. You had the Moose Lodge that had dances, if you would call that a cultural event. And other than that, you pretty much had to go to at least Davidson. So now, with a community center doing art shows, doing music, doing some small plays, so it’s gone from non-existent to there’s a...the art walks that they used to have. There’s much more of a cultural atmosphere and more opportunity for cultural activities in Mooresville than there used to be.

What is your fondest memory of Mooresville?

That’s interesting. My fondest memory of Mooresville…probably Melissa’s wedding, my oldest daughter’s wedding, because that was an old-fashioned, Southern wedding. And the church was packed, and we went to Carrigan Farms for the reception. And it was just – a good time was had by all. [Laughs] But that would be one of them. That and the wine shop [now named 202 North Main Fine Wines, in downtown Mooresville]. We used to have a large time at the wine shop when it was on Main Street, so those are probably two of the most fun things.

And what are some of the things you miss about Mooresville?

The traffic – I miss not having traffic. I do miss when everything was a lot closer. I remember when they first built the WalMart and it was at the [what is now the] Bottom Dollar store, right across from Burger King – that was the first WalMart [in Mooresville]. And people used to fuss about having to go out of town to WalMart. [Laughs] You know, I miss when the Harris Teeter was right there across from the Presbyterian Church. Not the one out at Port City, but the little Harris Teeter was at the, across from the Presbyterian Church. Everything was much more compact. You could get whatever you needed, as long as you didn’t need too much, and it was very convenient. And I missed when I worked in town, I knew people. Now, I can go out to eat and never see a soul I know. You know, when I worked in town, you’d go out to eat, and people would speak [to you]. Go to the grocery store, and people would speak [to you]. Now, I don’t know anybody because we both work in Charlotte, and have for years. I realized the other day [that] I have not worked in Mooresville proper for 20 years. I’ve been working in Salisbury, Charlotte – you know, around [Mooresville], but it’s been a long time [since I’ve worked in Mooresville].

Do you see Mooresville growing more, industry-wise?

Probably…there’s a rule: either you’re growing or you’re dying. So from that standpoint, I hope Mooresville does keep growing. I think it needs to be a little more progressive in some areas, but I think – I hope it keeps growing to provide services to the people. But I’m really not sure…you’ve got the conflict between the lake [Lake Norman] and the town [of Mooresville], and that’s as true now as it has ever been. So it will be interesting. The Lake Norman people want their own identity, and they don’t identify with the town of Mooresville. They even named the shopping center “The Mooresville Town Center,” and it’s not even in town [in Mooresville proper]. So I think that conflict, and to see what happens in county government, will be interesting to see.

And one final question. What other things, if any, do you see in Mooresville’s future?

Well, let’s hope that the ball field up towards Troutman increases the tourism and helps that end of town. I really am not optimistic about the race industry [in Mooresville]. I don’t think it’s going to be the anchor that it was. It’s already…the shops are moving out where there’s more land, more remote where they don’t bother people. So I think you’re probably going to see less of a focus on the race industry and hopefully, then we’re able to diversify [the economy]. You’ve got the one place in the [Racing] Park that does electric cars, and that’s the kind of diversity we need to pull into the area of the small, mid-sized firms that employ, you know, 100 people rather than employing 1,000 people because you don’t want all of your eggs in one giant employer. That’s the scariest thing about Lowes [Corporation]. Lowes is a wonderful corporate citizen, but they employ a ton of people. If Lowes decides to pick up and move, then that [will be] really ugly. But if a small business goes under or decides to move, then you can recover from it better. So I really don’t want any more huge industries [in the Mooresville area]. I’d rather…I think we’d be better off with the diversity of a lot of mid-sized companies.

Well, thank you so much for your time, Mr. Nichols. I really appreciate it.

Well, you’re welcome.