Ben Mayo Boddie, Sr.
Hometown: Rose Hill - Nashville, North Carolina
Industry: Restaurant Business
Mayo Boddie (left) and Nick Boddie (right)
early life
Ben Mayo Boddie, Sr. was born December 6, 1929, at his beloved Rose Hill in Nash County. He married his high school sweetheart, Jean Carolyn Cockrell, on New Year’s Eve in 1950. The couple was married 69 years until Mayo’s death on March 31, 2020.
Mayo graduated from Rocky Mount Senior High School as a member of the Class of 1948, did a post graduate year at Saint James School in Hagerstown, Maryland and then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He was a faithful Christian and lifetime member of First Presbyterian Church of Rocky Mount where he served as a Deacon and an Elder.
career
He and his brother Nick Boddie along with their uncle Carleton Noell founded Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Inc. in 1962. The company operates nearly 330 Hardee’s restaurants, BNE Land and Development, and other ventures in four states.
After serving many years as President and CEO of Boddie-Noell, Mayo served as Chairman of the Board for the last 25 years of his life.
In business, Mayo enjoyed taking a calculated risk and took pleasure in seeing his endeavors flourish and learning lessons from those that didn’t. Nothing pleased him more than seeing others grow, prosper, and succeed. The motto he chose for BNE was “We Believe In People.”
free enterprise hero
Mayo was a generous philanthropist who always put the needs of others before his own and he was a good friend to many. He frequently credited his mother for teaching him, his brother Nick, and his sister Lucy Ann the importance of serving others.
Mayo was active in the community and throughout the state of North Carolina. He served in a variety of capacities on numerous boards. He was most proud of his association with the Boy Scouts of America and was humbled when Camp Bonner, a Boy Scout camping facility located on the Pamlico River, was renamed Camp Boddie in honor of Mayo and his brother for their loyal support and dedication to the scouting program.
