Wake Forest Magazine, March 2007 - Past Issues - Wake Forest ...

Top five things you like about Winston-SalemDavid Valliere (’95)1 Great weather2 Excellent school system3 Cost of living4 Access to Wake Forest sports5 Affordable, year-round golf choicesFavorite college hangout you’ve rediscoveredMountain Fried ChickenFavorite new hangoutThe LoopBest Wake Forest connection since you’ve been backLearning a freshman year suitemate,Brent Wooten ('95), worked in my groupat HanesbrandsAfter living all over thecountry, Valliere says there’sno place like Winston-Salem.‘We’ve found everything that we’ve looked for here.’DAVID VALLIERE (’95) foundAnn Arbor, Michigan, too coldand Dallas, Texas, too hot, buthe’s found Winston-Salem to be justthe right place for his family, and notjust because of the weather. “I can’timagine a better place to raise a family—great schools, lots of parks, and anamazing cost of living,” says Valliere,who lives just outside Winston-Salem,in Clemmons, with his wife, Sarah,and sons, Alex, 3, and Ben, 1 1 /2. “Thisis my fourth stop since graduating, andthis is easily our favorite place to live.”Valliere has lived all over the country;his father was a salesman and hisfamily moved frequently when he wasgrowing up, from Michigan to theMidwest to Boston to Atlanta. “Havinglived all over the country as a childand as an adult and having experienceddifferent areas, I really appreciatethis area,” he says, “and know thisis where I want to be long-term.”A finance major at Wake Forest,Valliere worked in Charlotte for a fewyears before pursuing his MBA at theUniversity of Michigan in Ann Arborand then worked at Frito-Lay in Dallasfor several years. In 2004, he saw anopening for a position in marketing atone of Winston-Salem’s most iconiccompanies, Hanesbrands. “The movewas job-driven, but the location wascertainly a bonus,” he says. “Thedownside (of moving from a largercity) may be if you’re looking forsomething super specific and lookingfor ten choices, but we’ve found everythingthat we’ve looked for here.”34 WAKE FOREST MAGAZINE