William Ambrose Mills, III

Ambrose is a native of Polk County, NC. As a youth he camped and hiked trails near the Parkway, and later enjoyed frequent motor trips on it. He is a graduate of NCSU, was commissioned an Infantry officer, and retired from the Army as Lieutenant Colonel after  27 years of service. He was International Sales Manager for a subsidiary of Martin Marietta, leaving to found Intertech,an international trading company. This took him to many countries, with a concentration on Asia, especially China. Now living in his hometown of Tryon, he is chair of the Polk County Economic and Tourism Development Commission, and has served on the board of the Polk County Community Foundaton. He is Project Manager,developing the Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander’s Ford, a 160 acre preserve that includes a segment of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.