W. Elliott Whitfield
President & Chief Executive Officer

Elliott joined S. W. Rawls, Inc. in 1982 as an internal auditor, and in 1984 he became vice-president and chief financial officer.  In 1993 he was promoted to president by S. W. Rawls, Jr.  When the company was purchased from the Rawls family by the employees in 1997, Elliott assumed the additional position of chief executive officer.

Elliott has held various positions on the Board of Directors of the James L. Camp, Jr. YMCA since 1983, serving as president for multiple terms.  He was on the Southampton Memorial Hospital Board from 1990 until 2000 and was chairman of the board for two of those years.  He is currently the president and a director of the Robert Camp Ray YMCA Foundation and is a director of Franklin/Southampton Charities.

In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, golf, snow skiing, and relaxing on the beach at the Outer Banks, North Carolina.
 

Bernard E. Rook
Operations Manager

Bernard first worked for S. W. Rawls, Inc. in 1966, where he learned the heating and air conditioning trade.  He worked in that field for twelve years, helped deliver fuel on a part-time basis, and was employed with the Amoco Company in Franklin.  He returned to S. W. Rawls, Inc. in 1986 as a customer service representative, and he became the operations manager in 1995.

Bernard served on the Southampton County School Board for seven years, was a Boy Scoutmaster in Courtland for fourteen years, and is currently very active in Courtland Baptist Church.  He enjoys bowling, fishing, and spending time with his family, especially his wife of forty-three years and his two grandsons.

Paul Hinson
Plant Manager

 Paul grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he built some long-lasting friendships. He moved to Southampton County in 1975 and started to work for S. W. Rawls, Inc. in 1980.  Paul graduated from Atlantic Christian College (Barton College) with a degree in Business Administration.  He has expert knowledge of fuel oils, motor oils, and lubes.

Paul enjoys many outdoor activities, such as hunting, fishing, and raising a garden.  His favorite time is hanging out with his soul mate, Nancy, and their Labradors at the farm.

Kevin Roughton
HVAC Manager

Kevin was born in Suffolk, Virginia, and began working in the heating and air conditioning field at the age of seventeen.  He joined S. W. Rawls, Inc. in 1995 as assistant manager of the service department.  Kevin holds a Master's and a Class A license in HVAC and gas equipment.  He is experienced in design, installation, and service of heating and cooling systems.

In his spare time, Kevin enjoys working in his 6-acre yard and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their son, Bryan.

John Horne
Supervisor, Smithfield HVAC

John joined S. W. Rawls, Inc. in 1992, but has been in the heating and cooling business for 40 years.

He graduated from Old Dominion University School of Engineering with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology.  He is licensed by the state as a master HVAC and master gas fitter tradesman and is certified by the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society as a heat pump technician, as a heat pump system designer, and with CFC recovery.  John has completed numerous classes in management, oil, gas and heat pump systems and has also received certification from Amana and Lennox.

Sheila Griffin
Convenience Store Supervisor

Sheila has been with S. W. Rawls, Inc. since 2006, but has twenty-five years of store experience.  She began as a sales associate, was promoted to store manager, and then became assistant supervisor of fifteen stores.  After staying with the same company for twenty-one years, Sheila wanted to work somewhere new.   A friend of hers applied for a job with the deli at the Plaza Sunoco convenience store and talked her into filling out an application, too.  When she was offered the position of store manager, she then hired her friend to be the deli manager.

In 2009 Sheila was promoted to supervisor of the six convenience stores that are owned and operated by S. W. Rawls, Inc.  Two of those store have a deli, and Sheila feels we serve the best fried chicken around.  She invites you to come in and feel like family.