FAYETTEVILLE, NC -- Local businessman Frederick Surgeon, owner of Sweet Valley Ranch and Surgeon & Associates, Inc., has been appointed to the North Carolina Ports Authority Board of Directors by Governor Josh Stein. The appointment was announced by the Governor’s office in late 2025, and Surgeon will serve a six-year term.
“It is an honor to serve the state of North Carolina on the North Carolina Ports Authority Board of Directors,” said Surgeon. “I am grateful to Governor Stein for the opportunity to contribute my experience and perspective in support of the state’s economic growth and infrastructure.”
Surgeon is the founder and owner of Surgeon & Associates, Inc., a diversified organization encompassing agricultural tourism, health care services, residential and commercial cleaning, pest control, property inspection, and hospitality-related businesses. Among its divisions is Sweet Valley Ranch, a 300-acre working farm and agritourism destination located in Fayetteville. Prior to founding Surgeon & Associates, Surgeon served as a chief financial officer for multiple organizations and worked as an auditor at Ernst & Young. He has been active in entrepreneurship and business leadership for more than three decades.
An engaged member of the Fayetteville business community, Surgeon founded the Sweet Valley Ranch Gives Back program in 2021 to support local initiatives addressing critical community needs. The program has awarded more than $275,000 to over 25 organizations serving Cumberland County. Surgeon & Associates also awards the annual David Surgeon Jr. Memorial Scholarship, established in honor of his late father. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from North Carolina A&T State University. He serves on the Advisory Board of Lumbee Guaranty Bank and is a former chair of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Board. He resides in Fayetteville with his wife, Anita.
