Steve and Jackie Bell and the Bell Foundation invest $7.5 million to help prevent life-threatening heart and vascular disease.
It’s the late 1960s, and a young man, 23 years old, moves from Raleigh to Greensboro. It’s fair to say he’s dragging his feet about it. He’s just starting out, his life spread before him, with so much yet to be written — what will Greensboro mean for him and for his future?
For Steve Bell, that move was the beginning of everything. Lifelong friendships, a full family life with his wife, Jackie, and a tremendously successful business, which he started just a few years after arriving in Greensboro. Bell Partners is now one of the largest apartment investment and management companies in the country.
“This has been a great community,” Steve says. “I love the convenience of getting anywhere you need to be in 10-15 minutes. I love the people and the values here. And, we are so fortunate to have three things that make our region especially attractive.”
Every thriving community has a critical trifecta in common, according to Steve: “Excellent schools, a robust airport and a strong regional health system,” he says.
Steve knows what it takes to be dynamic and vibrant. A large reason for his company’s success is his passion and prowess for investment. In addition to having a keen business instinct, he knows how to vet opportunities, rally support and fuel growth — for business and philanthropy.
His most recent investment reflects a commitment to the city and region he’s called home for 55 years. Steve, Jackie and the Bell Foundation have donated $7.5 million — Cone Health’s largest donation since its founding gift from the Cone family — toward a vision for better health.
“My family and I are excited about how this will benefit our region. How else could we better share some of our success and impact our community than through an effective, innovative health system?” Steve says.
The Bell family gift will be directed four ways: Cone Health’s new Heart & Vascular Center at Moses Cone Hospital (opening this spring, a facility fueled by an early $3 million gift from Norman and Sylvia Samet); the Heart & Vascular Prevention and Wellness Clinic; the Dr. Thomas D. Stuckey Endowed Chair in Heart & Vascular; and supporting efforts to share the Cone Health story. “We were able to increase our contribution for greater impact by including a planned gift,” Steve says.
“Steve has taken time to carefully structure a gift that will have a huge impact on our region,” Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer Michelle Schneider says. “He’s a fantastic spokesperson for the importance of investing in a health system, from improving health outcomes to attracting and retaining talented people who want to live in a community that prioritizes health.”
Dr. Tiffany Randolph, whose work will be greatly enhanced by the Bell family’s generous donation, exemplifies Cone Health’s ability to attract and retain top talent. After training at Wake Forest, UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke and Harvard, she joined Cone Health as a fellow in 2016. Driven to eliminate the crisis of untreated hypertension, she recently established the Advanced Hypertension Program. Now, with this gift, she will further expand her impact by helping patients prevent heart and vascular disease through the Prevention and Wellness Clinic.
In a handwritten note to Steve and Jackie, Randolph wrote:
“It means so much to know that you see the value of what we are doing for the community and that you are willing to invest in our growth! This investment will save lives, improve quality of life and empower patients to take control of their own health. Thank you for believing in our team.”
Steve and Jackie had an opportunity to meet Randolph when they were considering their donation. “Tiffany talks about figuring out how we can prevent these problems as opposed to dealing with them after they’ve already occurred, and I admire that mentality,” Steve says. “Her note really captures what we all hope to accomplish.”
Support of the Dr. Thomas D. Stuckey Endowed Chair brings to mind another “attract and retain” success story. The fund honors the illustrious Dr. Thomas Stuckey, known worldwide for his impact on cardiovascular research and education. He’s a leader who’s chosen to call Cone Health and the Piedmont Triad region home for decades. When the funding is complete, this will be Cone Health’s first endowed chair.
“This endowment ensures that when Tom retires, his work continues,” Michelle says. “The next innovator we attract will be someone who learned about Dr. Stuckey in their training and someone who will carry his name through this title. The way to get that national leader is with an endowed chair position that enables them to conduct significant research along with patient care. We want that person here, not in Charlotte or Philadelphia.”
Sharing the Cone Health story
In addition to his meetings with Michelle and Stuckey, and his conversation with Randolph, Steve sought the wisdom of his longtime friend and mentor Mike Weaver. “Ever since I was a young man in my 30s, I’ve looked up to Mike,” Steve says. “He’s always had a vision for sharing with the city and he’s not just given money but has thoughtfully and strategically invested it so that it could be utilized in meaningful ways.”
Spend a few minutes with Steve, and it’s evident how seriously he, too, takes his commitment to Greensboro and the surrounding region. He doesn’t just believe in our potential; he sees it. “It comes down to investing in the right things,” he says. “Health care is at the top of that list.”
He’s also passionate about diversifying and expanding who takes the baton and leads us into our next 50 years, and that relies on engagement. For that, Mike offered this advice: Set aside funds to support marketing and communications so that more people hear the Cone Health story.
It’s a story about a health system working to shift the approach to health care from a sick model to a wellness model. A health system that is working to increase access and provider coordination to deliver the right care at the right time and in the right place. A health system of the people and for the people.
Steve took Mike’s advice to heart; part of his gift will help connect more community members to the Cone Health story so that they, too, can be a part of it — as a patient, partner, provider or donor.
“There is no doubt in my mind that we have some incredible care providers, but not enough of our residents realize just how special they are,” Steve says. “Part of this plan is to get out the word. Unless you have a health issue, Cone Health and its great doctors may not be at the top of your mind. But it’s important, particularly as we age, to know about the quality of services offered here.”
Conferring with the man who helps our region fly
With Steve’s “hospital-schools-airport” trifecta, it makes sense that he visited Kevin Baker, executive director for Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, the day before making his commitment to Cone Health. Although Steve’s gift will name the new Steven D. Bell Family Heart & Vascular Center, this experience is not singular to him and his family. It’s about gathering consensus with other community leaders like Kevin. It’s about being part of a shared vision, a movement.
“At my stage of life, I don’t need personal recognition,” Steve says. “But if having our name on the building will help attract other gifts, that’s what we want. We hope others will learn about the fabulous Heart & Vascular Center and all that it can do and be part of what’s possible.”
Like Randolph and Stuckey, Kevin is another example of a visionary leader committed to the positive growth of our region. He’s also a grateful Cone Health Heart & Vascular patient.
On the day of Piedmont Triad International Airport’s annual Run on the Runway, Kevin headed to the emergency department with a distressing ache in his back. The care team discovered that Kevin had a 99% blockage of his left anterior descending artery — the one they call “the widow-maker.”
“From the moment I walked into that hospital until the moment I walked out a few days later, I had incredible care. You couldn’t have scripted it better,” Kevin says. “It is very clear to me when you look at the talent at Cone Health, we can become one of the best places in the world for heart and vascular care.”
In Steve and Jackie’s eyes, all we need now are the investors. That’s why he’s organized a challenge campaign, personally reaching out to dozens of friends in Greensboro, Kernersville and Burlington.
“I genuinely believe I am doing them a favor. They love our region as we do, and I want them to learn about the health system, its benefits and how it influences this area. I truly feel if they take the time to talk with Michelle and her team, they will come away understanding how they will benefit from this investment and ask, ‘How can I help?’
“They’ve had a good life here, and if they want this region to continue to have a strong quality of life 10 and 20 years from now, we’ve got to invest in it today to ensure that Greensboro will continue to be a great place to live, for our children to return to, and for future residents to come and help make our community strong.”
To support heart and vascular wellness and prevention, contact Cone Health Philanthropy.
philanthropy@conehealth.com
336-832-9452
