Tim Belk

Tim Belk is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Belk Inc. He joined the family company in 1981 serving in a variety of positions including buyer, store manager, Divisional merchandise manager of men’s and boys, SVP of Human Resources, and SVP Stores and Real Estate. He became CEO in 2004. He and two brothers led the company through the acquisitions of Parisian, Proffitts and McRaes and expanded to 300 stores in 16 states in the southeast. Belk Inc. sold to Sycamore Partners in 2015. Tim retired in 2016 ending 128 years of family leadership of a company that grew from a store in Monroe to largest family owned department store in America.

Tim served on the boards of Atrium Health, the National Retail Federation, Williams College, Natural Dog Company, and the Belk Foundation. He has served as Chair of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, and President of the Boy Scouts Mecklenburg Council. He currently serves on the Orvis Company and GFP Inc. He served for 10 years as the investment committee chair of the Belk Foundation and the last 5 years as the investment committee chair of the Belk family office.

Tim began a new chapter in his career in 2017 founding a start-up, Wild Hope Farm, a certified organic vegetable farm located in Chester SC. They are building a brand in the Charlotte market. After 6 years he turned leadership over to his daughter, Katherine Belk. In 2023 he led the build out of the Carolina Farms Fund in the Charlotte metro area, the third location of a new initiative of the Conservation Fund

Tim is married to Sarah Fortune Belk. They have 5 children and 6 grandchildren.