Wilmington real estate developer and entrepreneur H. David Swain and his wife Diane have
given $1 million to the University of North Carolina Wilmington to support economic research
and business development services through the Cameron School of Business. In appreciation
for their generous support, the university has named the H. David and Diane Swain Center
for Business and Economic Services in their honor

For the past 35 years, Swain has invested in ideas to enhance the Cape Fear region. From
constructing and managing apartment complexes and retail centers to developing
restaurants and financial institutions, his company, Swain & Associates, has shaped
Wilmington and the region through innovation, dedication and vision

"UNCW is very grateful to David and Diane Swain for their incredible generosity and dedication,"
Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo said. "In a time of shrinking state budgets, philanthropic gifts
such as theirs empower the university to continue providing students with the most powerful
learning experience possible. They are wonderful role models and friends who have made
our campus and community much better places to live, work and learn."

Larry Clark, dean of the Cameron School of Business, said, "David and Diane are firm
believers in the value of helping others. They planned to make their gift anonymously,
but the university persuaded them to let us put their names on the H. David and Diane Swain
Center for Business and Economic Services. David and Diane share our pride in UNCW,
our commitment to supporting sustainable economic growth through high-quality education,
and our dedication to creating the best business school possible. We look forward to a long
and rewarding partnership with them.

David and Diane Swain have been UNCW advocates and donors for years. They previously
supported a scholarship fund to benefit the children of New Hanover County employees,
and David has been an instrumental member of several volunteer boards, including chair
of the Board of Visitors.

With nearly a 30-year history on the UNCW campus, the H. David and Diane Swain Center
for Business and Economic Services emphasizes outreach into the private and business
community to meet the needs of North Carolina. Its activities include partnering in projects
with students and faculty, forecasting the economy, hosting the North Carolina
Entrepreneurship Summit in 2010 and providing training for the region's workforce.

The center will use the Swains' gift as a catalyst for program growth, enhancing the scope
of services it provides to the region. A short list of the center's current projects includes:

• working with the North Carolina State Port Authority to refine a model to predict
  shipping volume.
• developing a unique and proprietary database of "angel investor" networks in the
  southeastern U.S., which will provide essential understanding of the overall funding
  processes available to early-stage entrepreneurs.
• enhancing the center's North Carolina Economic database, which provides free,
  online access to an entire portfolio of economic data series covering the eastern
  portion of North Carolina (http://csbapp.csb.uncw.edu/ncecondata/). In addition
  to its use by the regional business community, the center hopes to encourage
  N.C. schools to utilize the database to help future students better understand
  the state's economic relationships.
• working with the Wall College of Business at Coastal Carolina University to develop
  a joint Economic Summit, to be offered in Wilmington for the first time March 9, 2010.

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