Mabe, former tourism leader, dies at 72
HIGH POINT — High Pointers this week are mourning the loss of a vital city promoter, former High Point Convention & Visitors Bureau leader Tim Mabe.
Mabe, who served as president and CEO of the agency from 2011 to 2018, died Sunday in Clemmons. He was 72.
"The best way to describe Tim is that he was the right leader at the right time, not only for our organization but for the impact he made on High Point," said Melody Burnett, who worked with Mabe for nearly eight years and now serves as president of the organization, which changed its name to Visit High Point.
According to Burnett, it was Mabe who first envisioned a catalyst project that would attract developers to downtown High Point.
"He said, 'Mel, we've got to put some steaks on the grill so developers will smell what we've got cooking here in High Point,' " she recalled. "He said, 'We need a catalyst project.' "
That vision ultimately led to Truist Point, the multipurpose stadium downtown.
"That's his legacy here in High Point," Burnett said. "He's the one that made the pitch for a multipurpose venue in High Point, and specifically a multipurpose venue in the core city."
Although much of what Mabe did was behind the scenes, his leadership skills were unquestionable, Burnett said.
"The one big attribute everybody recognized in Tim was that he was so bold and so courageous," she said. "He had no fear — he led like a cowboy. He had opinions, he wasn't scared to take risks, and sometimes you need that kind of leader to get where you're going. He was exactly what High Point needed."
That bold style didn't mean Mabe didn't have a fun side. A graduate of Texas A&M University, he decorated his office in cowboy hats. On his LinkedIn professional networking page, he described himself as "chief instigator of great events and all round fun in the furniture and home furnishings capital of the world."
Another of Mabe's accomplishments was the opening of a new High Point Visitors Center on North Main Street in 2014. Then-Gov. Pat McCrory spoke at the grand opening of the high-tech, highly interactive visitors center, which Mabe declared at the time was "like no other visitors center in the state."
The center operated for a decade, until Visit High Point relocated to its current site on West English Road this past summer.
Prior to coming to High Point, Mabe managed convention centers and arenas in Georgia and Texas. Earlier in his career, he managed The Depot, a special events center in Greensboro, and co-owned Baity's Music Garden in Winston-Salem.
His many accolades include receiving the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award and being named to the board of directors and Governor's Council of the N.C. Travel Industry Association.
He also served as president of the Rotary Club of High Point and served on the High Point University Board of Visitors, now called the Board of Ambassadors, among other community involvement.
Mabe stepped down from his role with the Convention & Visitors Bureau after a stroke in December 2018. He had hoped to return to the position but was unable to do so, and he ultimately moved to Clemmons with his wife, Debbie.
A graveside service will be held Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. at Fellowship Baptist Church Cemetery in Advance. The family will receive friends following the service.
