Choate, Alleghany native, hired as chamber director By COBY LaRUE Staff An Alleghany native has been hired to take over the reins of the Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce. Bob Choate, who was born and raised in Sparta and has retired here, will take over the position of executive director on July 1. Choate has lived most of his adult life in Morganton, where he has headed up two state facilities as business manager - Broughton Hospital and Western Carolina Center.

Bob Choate

He is also currently serving as a town councilman there, a post he has held for 18 years. While Choate said he does not plan to resign that post, he doesn't plan to run for the office again.

"Twenty years is enough for anybody," Choate said with a smile. Choate graduated from Sparta High School in 1963 and was graduated from Mars Hill College in 1967 with a degree in business administration.

He started his career as a budget officer at Western Carolina Center, a state facility for the mentally and physically disadvantaged, he said. He worked there for 27 years, eventually rising to the rank of business manager. He then transferred to Broughton, where he served as business manager for two years.

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