Kannapolis Mayor Pro Tem Roger Haas was honored with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine at Monday’s City Council Meeting. Haas is retiring from his city council position after not seeking reelection this Fall. He has served as a Kannapolis City Council for 16 nonconsecutive years.
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is one of the highest honors a citizen of North Carolina can receive. Haas was honored for his 30 years of service to the City of Kannapolis both as a city council member and as a leader in numerous organizations in Kannapolis.
Upon receiving the award Roger said, “I have always wanted to be remembered for laying the foundation for the lasting success of the City. The voters of Kannapolis have given me the opportunity to do that and I have enjoyed serving.”
Roger is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University majoring in business with additional management studies at Cornell University. He served as Southeast Regional Vice President of U.S. Tobacco where he founded one of the marketing arms of the company that promoted the racing industry. Taking race cars to stores and various venues to give people exposure to the sport was one of his tourism ideas and one that is now commonplace in the racing industry.
His community and civic service began in the 1970s. He was on the Executive Committee for the Cabarrus County Republican Party. He was an active member of the Kannapolis Rotary Club, serving as program chair, social committee, and was a Paul Harris Fellow.
He was an American Red Cross Volunteer and Board Member; worked with several non-profits to help them with needs such as buying a van to help people with disabilities and senior citizens to get to their appointments. He served as a board member with the Kannapolis Chamber of Commerce. He also worked as a volunteer in the school system teaching the fundamentals of business to 7th graders.
He was one of the first people to advocate for the location of the Kannapolis Intimidators Minor League Stadium and secured a $40,000 grant from his company, U.S. Tobacco for its construction. He was also a 600 Festival Committee Member, on the United Way Advisory Council and when the Cabarrus County Tourism Authority was organized, he was appointed to serve on it and later became chairperson.
He was chairman of the Partners for Progress, the committee that advocated for the liquor by the drink referendum committee in Kannapolis; Cabarrus County Planning & Zoning Commission Chairperson and a member of the Concord-Kannapolis Transit Authority.
In 1996 he was the driving force and fund-raiser for the building of the Kannapolis Train Station, by the Railroad Commission, the only Amtrak location in Cabarrus County.
He has worked tirelessly to promote the City of Kannapolis, Cabarrus County, and North Carolina to tourists in his role as a small business owner. After retiring from U.S. Tobacco, he became the president/founder of AIM Tours, a Kannapolis based travel and tour company. In particular, he is a huge cheerleader for the race industry and its employees. During race season you will find him at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and area race shops giving in depth and behind the scenes tours which are always completely booked.
He is a member of First Baptist Church in Kannapolis where he has served as a Sunday School teacher for more than 23 years.
He is married to his wife, Kathy, and has three children. He says his crowning achievement is Brynn, Alexis, and Ayden, his three granddaughters.
During his tenure on city council he has been one of the visionaries who have worked tirelessly to guide Kannapolis through a recession, the organization and building of the North Carolina Research Campus, obtaining the Interbasin Transfer, construction of the Albemarle waterline, the construction of the City’s first City Hall and Police Headquarters facility, two new fire stations, new greenways, expansions of parks, incentives to recruit Amazon, Gordon Food, Inc., Stewart-Haas Racing and the nation’s only Formula One team, the western annexation and construction of new infrastructure along the Kannapolis Parkway.
He was one of the City Council members who voted to purchase the entire downtown area and embark on the remarkable Downtown Revitalization Project which includes new infrastructure for downtown, a streetscape/linear park, the new Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Sports and Entertainment Venue and VIDA, a mixed-use district in downtown Kannapolis.