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By Mandy Haggerson

For the Clemmons Courier

CLEMMONS — When you grow up admiring teachers and coaches who have positively impacted you, like Dave Fox, it’s easy to understand why one would land on the same path one day, too.

“As a kid, I spent a lot of time playing sports like baseball, basketball and football,” Fox said. “It was fun doing different sports each season. Aside from playing them, I also loved watching them, especially the Buffalo Bills.”

Having versatility in sports as a kid allowed Fox to venture out even as he got into college with other activities.

“I developed a love for skiing when I went to the State University of New York (SUNY) in Oswego,” Fox said. “And during the warmer months, I also enjoyed going camping.”

As a college student, Fox began to realize that while he enjoyed the idea of making a difference in kid’s lives, he also had an interest in business.

“Even during high school, when I worked at a pizza shop, I saw the benefit of the business background and mindset,” Fox said. “During my summers, I would work at a manufacturing company, and that really cemented my changing career tracks.”

Graduating with a bachelor of science degree in business administration and computer information systems, Fox was eager to get started.

“I had been offered a job after I graduated at Paychex,” Fox said. “It was an entry-level position, and I didn’t expect to stay there too long. I also didn’t expect to meet my future wife, Lynette, there through mutual friends from work.

But it ended up being a place where I was promoted and supported for almost 22 years.”

Because Fox’s company continued to promote him throughout the company, he was offered a position that would have him and Lynette moving to Clemmons.

“Although Rochester, New York, had always been home, there had always been a part of me that was interested in moving down south,” Fox said. “North Carolina was one of those places that had piqued my curiosity. My parents had ended up in Atlanta, Georgia, and one of my older sisters did, too, so I had family close by.

“I was more concerned about Lynette because she had loved being so close to her family in New York. We were newly engaged and getting ready to set our roots into a completely different place where we would likely raise our children. She definitely took a chance to support me with the move, and I’m so grateful she did.”

The new opportunity ended up being a great place to advance careers and also raise a family.

Dad to three boys, Ethan, 15, Noah, 12, and Hunter, 6, Fox has loved raising them in a community that offers so many activities and opportunities.

“It’s fun to get to watch your children participate in sports that they enjoy. Ethan was on the junior varsity football team at West Forsyth,” Fox said. “And Noah started playing ice hockey recently, too, which is something I also have picked up in the adult men’s league. I had never played that before either.”

Getting to share sports and common interests, like skiing with his family, has been important to Fox. So has giving back, something that had drawn him to teaching originally. The chapter chairman for All Pro Dads has been one way he’s been able to do so.

“It’s a nationally recognized organization that facilitates a monthly topic and dialogue for dads or dad figures at Morgan Elementary School,” Fox said. “A lot of other dads have helped to make it successful and encourage meaningful conversation. I’ve felt gratitude from the partnerships from those dads to help the program along. It’s one of those things that you can’t do on your own.”

When he is not volunteering at the monthly events, Fox also has been part of the finance and audit committee at Morgan Elementary for several years.

“I really believe that it’s important to give back when you can,” Fox said. “With this being something that I am familiar with, it seemed like a natural way to impart what I know to help the school.”

Fox realizes the importance of imparting the work/life balance, especially as he recently started a new position as vice president at FirstPoint, Inc.

“I like being challenged at work and having lofty responsibilities,” Fox said. ” I also like striking that balance of working hard and being there for my family. At the end of the day, they are most important to me.”