Wes Starkey is a lifelong resident of the beautiful state of Virginia, where he lives in the small one-stoplight town of Floyd and boasts the "most scenic view of Buffalo Mountain in the county" from the deck of his home near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Wes graduated from Milligan College in Johnson City, Tennessee, in 1974, and then returned to his hometown, where he was a teacher, coach and athletic director at Floyd County High School until his retirement. Wes has been married to his wife, Joan, for thirty-one years, and they have one daughter, Mary Beth, who is a teacher in Haymarket, Virginia.

Over the course of Wes's career, he has made time for his hobbies of weightlifting and softball. Along the way, an avid interest in sportscards worked its way into his busy schedule, as well, and quickly became a passion. He has spent over 24 years as both a sportscard/toy dealer and collector. Following the spring of 2011, Wes will be relinquishing his role as the varsity coach of the Floyd Lady Buffs softball program (no small sacrifice for a dedicated 32-year coach who lived and breathed softball, according to his wife) to pursue, in his words, "this new and exciting opportunity in a line of work that I love." Wes hopes to continue the promotion of the Carolina shows with the same efficiency and care that were Ray Mozingo's trademarks. As the economy improves, he wants to focus on show expansion, both in dealer base and also in increased attendance.

Wes has always been a "people-person", and one of his priorities as such is to establish and maintain effective working and interpersonal relationships with the dealers and the public. He is a strong advocate of teamwork; no matter your education, experience, or title, if you can't play well with others, you will never accomplish your work mission. As former baseball great Pete Rose so aptly expressed, "You owe it to yourself to be the best you can possibly be - in baseball and in life." Thus the vision for Inside Pitch Promotions...and welcome to the team!