Lamar Richard “Dick” Plunkett

• Tweet
• Pin It

Lamar Richard “Dick” Plunkett graduated from Brown University in 1965 and subsequently received an MBA from Georgia State University in 1967.  He then worked for seven years in investments at Suntrust.  While there he received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation.  In 1974 he left Suntrust and went into his family business which had antecedents going back to 1918.  The family complex of companies manufactured high end private label tailored clothing, at times employing more than 2000 people.  Dick initially worked in finance positions of the businesses and later spent a number of years working in manufacturing.  He was CEO of one of the manufacturing companies, Lamar Manufacturing Company from 1989 until its sale in 1993.  He also served a three year term as CEO of Warren Sewell Clothing, a sales and marketing company owned by the family.  In 1992 he became concerned about the impact of increased casual dress in business situations on Lamar. Also of concern was the progressive dismantling of the protection of quotas and tariffs that had long protected the domestic apparel manufacturing industry.  An opportunity to sell part of the manufacturing assets of the business came in 1993 with the acquiring firm mandating his continued involvement for two years.

Following this time of transition he decided to return to the investment field and became a Registered Investment Advisor, managing money on a fee only basis for individuals, trusts, and foundations.  He continues to enjoy selecting individual stocks and bonds for his clients.

Despite his active career Dick had the opportunity to serve on a number of boards of directors in both the corporate and non-profit world.  He was on a local bank board continuously from 1977-2010.  He was also on the board of Sunbelt Express from 1985 to 1990.  Sunbelt was an innovative trucking company that was among the first to use the computer to maximize the efficiency of driver scheduling. From 1995 until 2000 he was on the board of Greenway, a software company that made a sale of its financial software so that it could concentrate on developing software for medical records.  The company had an IPO in 2012 that was very successful.  From 1992 to 2005 Dick was on the board of Robert Pattillo Properties, a large and successful industrial real estate investment company in Atlanta.

Dick has also been active in non-profits.  He has served three 5 year terms on the Mercer University Board of Trustees, serving as Chairman of the Finance Committee on several occasions.  He was on the Private Colleges and University Authority of the State of Georgia from 1982-2005.  Since 2007 he has been serving on the board of Kidspeace, a non-profit offering a variety of services for troubled youth in the Eastern half of the country.