WINTERVILLE—To commemorate 100 years in business, T.A. Loving Company has established an endowed scholarship with the Pitt Community College Foundation to support students in building construction-related programs.
Through a considerable contribution by its T.A. Loving Foundation, the Goldsboro-based commercial construction company created the T.A. Loving Company Endowed Scholarship in June. Through the endowment, the PCC Foundation will award two $1,000 scholarships each year in perpetuity.
“The T.A. Loving Foundation’s mission is to provide grants that create a positive impact on our people and the communities in which they live, and the PCC Foundation and Pitt Community College both mirror these objectives,” T.A. Loving Company Senior Vice President Paul Hunter said.
Hunter, who is also president of the T.A. Loving Foundation, said the company is excited about providing assistance to PCC construction programs and playing a role in educating future builders in eastern North Carolina.
“We as a company have had great success in working with students coming out of construction-related programs at PCC,” he said. “Numerous students have been enrolled in our summer intern program, with many going on to become full-time employees.”
PCC Foundation Executive Director Beth Sigmon thanked T.A. Loving for its generosity and longtime support of the college.
“T.A. Loving Company has spent the past century building structures that strengthen communities,” Sigmon said. “It’s entirely fitting they would celebrate their 100th anniversary by investing in higher education — the very structure that supports a skilled and thriving workforce.”
In addition to signing ceremonies at PCC to celebrate and recognize students it has hired from the college, T.A. Loving Company has supported apprenticeships that give Pitt building construction students valuable professional experience while completing college coursework. In 2022, Steve Bryan, T.A. Loving vice chairman and R.A. Bryan Foundation president, made a generous donation to the PCC Foundation to name the lobby of Pitt’s Craig M. Goess Construction and Industrial Technology Building.
“T.A. Loving Company’s partnership with PCC has been invaluable, and it’s a bond that has only grown stronger over the years,” Sigmon said. “We’re grateful for their support, which has greatly enhanced the training Pitt provides students preparing for rewarding careers in the construction trades.”
In order to apply for the T.A. Loving Company Endowed Scholarship, students must be enrolled in a degree, certificate or licensing program in good standing at PCC with at least a 2.5 GPA. Recipients are selected by the PCC Foundation Scholarship Committee, and consideration is given to students who demonstrate financial need.
The first T.A. Loving Company Endowed Scholarships were presented this fall to students Nicholas Snedeker and Cameron Williams.
A building construction major, Snedeker has had an interest in construction since he was a youngster who played for hours with his collection of toy toolsets while watching “Bob the Builder” and “Handy Manny.” The scholarship has been a relief, helping him cover the cost of attending college as he battles a serious illness.
“I’m super grateful and can’t wait to learn as much as I can and not have to stress as much,” Snedeker says. “I was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkins Lymphoma in February, and this scholarship takes a weight off my shoulders while I continue my education during this time.”
Williams, who grew up with a “strong appreciation for hard work and perseverance,” is also a building construction student. He studies business administration as well and enjoys jotting down business ideas in his free time. Doing so has made him realize how much he enjoys “creative problem-solving and thinking like a business owner.”
Like Snedeker, Williams says he’s grateful for his T.A. Loving Scholarship and how it helps him move closer to achieving his career goals.
“This scholarship will greatly benefit me by easing the financial stress of pursuing my college degrees in Business Construction Technology and Business Administration at PCC,” he says. “It allows me to focus more on my coursework and future career goals without having to worry about how I would cover educational expenses.”
Founded by Taylor Abbitt Loving in 1925, T.A. Loving Company has provided pre-construction and construction services to industries ranging from health care and education to athletics and utilities. Over the years, the company has built major military installations such as Fort Bragg and MCAS Cherry Point, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Lineberger Cancer Center, multiple projects at ECU Health Medical Center, and the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama — a site that drew global attention in March 1965 during the Civil Rights Movement.