Business Briefs
June 8, 2007
IT’S ALL ABOUT OUR MEMBERS
Piedmont Triad Partnership Awards First Round and Second Round of WIRED Focus Grants
PIEDMONT TRIAD - The Piedmont Triad Partnership (PTP) has identified the first five recipients and the second three recipients of Focus Talent Development Grants and Focus Workforce Training Grants available under the Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative. These WIRED Focus grants, which are being administered locally, were established to fund demonstration projects throughout the Piedmont Triad that prepare the region’s workforce for high-skill/high-wage jobs in new and emerging occupations in the targeted cluster areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Logistics and Distribution, Creative Enterprises/Arts and Health Care.
The Focus Talent Development Grants fund demonstration projects in curriculum development, identification and dissemination of career information, and supply chain education while the Focus Workforce Training Grants use ACT WorkKeys system to profile jobs, assess workers, and provide remedial training necessary to prepare incumbent workers for future high-skill/high-wage jobs. WorkKeys is a nationally recognized, skills assessment tool developed by ACT Inc., an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides assessment, research, information, and program management services in the areas of education and workforce development.
Recipients with projects approved for Focus Talent Development Grants during this first funding cycle are -
Montgomery County Community College (MCC) - (Target cluster: Health care)
Forsyth Technical Community College and Guilford Technical Community Colleges (FTCC / GTCC) - (Target cluster: Logistics/Distribution)
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) - (Target clusters: All)
Regional Consolidate Services/Randolph County JobLink Career Center - (Target clusters: All)
North Carolina Baptist Hospital - (Target cluster: Health care)
The five grants awarded – out of nine grant applications received – total more than $350,000. These funds plus leveraged funds and in-kind contributions amount to more than $845,000 committed in support of the projects.
Recipients with projects approved for the second funding cycle round grants were awarded to three applicants -
*Welfare Reform Liaison Project (Target cluster: Creative Enterprises and the Arts)
*Davidson County Community College (Target cluster: Health care)
*Piedmont Triad Education Consortium (Target clusters: All)
The three new grants total just over $63,000 and bring the total amount of grants awarded by the Piedmont Triad Partnership to approximately $415,000. These WIRED funds plus leveraged funds and in-kind contributions amount to more than $1.1 million committed in support of the eight projects.
While WIRED partners are excited about having made these awards, they are quick to point out that this is just the beginning of an extensive program put in place to foster replicable, sustainable programs that will enhance regional economic competitiveness, transform training delivery systems, and reflect new partnerships in providing workforce training.
Grant applications for all three of the WIRED Focus Grants; Focus Talent Development Grants, Focus Entrepreneurial Job Creation/Training Grants, and Focus Workforce Training Grants are being accepted every month. Application deadlines for Spring/Summer 2007 are June 20, July 18, and August 15.
To help ensure broad participation and collaboration, and to take full advantage of existing regional resources, the grant guidelines require that individuals, businesses, trade associations, educational institutions, and community–based organizations who wish to propose a project do so in partnership with other stakeholders. All those with a project impacting one of the identified target clusters are encouraged to submit a grant application.
A Grants Application Guide with complete eligibility requirements and detailed application instructions along with an application form for each grant is now available at: http://www.wired.piedmonttriadnc.com.
Requests for technical assistance or further information should be emailed to: wiredgrants@piedmonttriadnc.co
Piedmont Triad Partnership 7025 Albert Pick Rd, Suite 303 Greensboro, NC 27409
Phone: 336-668-4556
Email: wiredgrants@piedmonttriadnc.com Web: http://www.wired.piedmonttriadnc.com;
Benefits of being a Chamber Member
Your Business Information – Let us know of any changes with your business information. Current information on your business is critical to our website and database. Please check your business contacts, address, email addresses, etc. and let us know of any corrections or changes that need to be made. This information is not only how we communicate with you but also how the entire membership and website visitors communicate with you and your business.
Online Access to the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce website - You have been provided with a Username and Password that will give you access to features and functions found at the Chamber website http://www.mtairyncchamber.org, use this feature.
Website Listing –Your business can stand out from the rest by upgrading to the Enhanced Listing. The Chamber can now offer a business an upgrade to their listing with the Enhanced Listing. This specialfeature enables the business to include up to two (2) photos and a description along with the other website listing features.
For more information on business information updates, online access to the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce website or website listing pleasecall Robin Dollyhigh our Membership Specialist at 786-6116 ext. 4
Our Chamber website statistics for the past 10 months ………..
August 2006 222,452 website hits 8590 visits
September 2006 286,429 website hits 10,331 visits
October 2006 463,022 website hits 13,942 visits
November 2006 210,245 website hits 7262 visits
December 2006 163, 422 website hits 9280 visits
January 2007 194,638 website hits 9226 visits
February 2007 120,227 website hits 6702 visits
March 2007 130,685 website hits 8454 visits
April 2007 135,618 website hits 8056 visits
May 2007 131,664 website hits 8452 visits
1,595,843 hits 90,295 visits
Visitor Center Update
Busy, Busy Busy! The Visitor Center was very busy during the month of May; 5,628 people stopped by the center for information. During Memorial Day weekend over 1400 people stopped by the center! Tour buses continue to roll into town and we hosted thirty two guided bus tours for May. Responses from the Oprah Magazine ad have been pouring in with over 1800 visitor information requests since the first of May.
State Tourism News
DR. BEACH NAMES OCRACOKE NATION’S TOP BEACH
Move over, Florida and Hawaii. Your beaches are no longer the best. The nation's best place to get a tan and enjoy the ocean's waves in 2007 is North Carolina's Ocracoke Island. Technically, it's Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach that is the nation's best. But Stephen “Dr. Beach” Leatherman said there's little that separates those 300 yards of postcard-perfect sand from the rest of the island, almost all of which is protected from development as part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
“It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here," Leatherman said this morning from Ocracoke, the first beach not in Florida or Hawaii to earn the top spot in his annual ranking of the nation's top 10 spots on the shore. “Ocracoke is my favorite get-away beach.”
As “Dr. Beach,” Leatherman has selected the annual Top 10 Beaches since 1991. Fifty criteria are used to evaluate beaches, including water and sand quality as well as facilities and management. He is director of Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research.
To find out more, visit http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/1482969/and http://www.drbeach.org/drbeach/press_release/Dr_Beach_2007_Top_Beaches.pdf
“USA TODAY” SPOTLIGHTS N.C. BARBECUE TRAIL
In today’s “USA Today,” the newspaper spotlights North Carolina’s newest “route,” the North Carolina Barbecue Trail. From the wooded byways of North Carolina's fertile tobacco country to the strip malls of its burgeoning suburbs, barbecue isn't just something you heap on a soft white bun and serve with a side of slaw. In these parts, slow-roasted pork smells of heritage, history and home. It ignites passions and sparks rivalries. And with the creation this year of a statewide barbecue trail, it's attracting tourists, too. The North Carolina Barbecue Historic Trail is the brainchild of Jim Early, an attorney by profession and barbecue nut by avocation. The author of “The Best Tar Heel Barbecue: Manteo to Murphy”crisscrossed 22,000 miles of North Carolina blacktop researching his book. But the trail pays homage to just 25 establishments that prepare 'cue the old-fashioned way. To find out more, visit http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-06-07-carolina-barbecue-trail_N.htm.
On a related note, Gov. Mike Easley has issued a proclamation naming the Blue Ridge Barbecue Festival in Tryon as the North Carolina State Barbecue Championship and proclaiming June 8–9, 2007 as “The Blue Ridge Barbecue Festival Days” in North Carolina. To find out more about the event, visit http://www.tryondailybulletin.com/news/21056.asp.
New Programs
TheChamber Surprise Patrol paid a surprise visit to Granite Development, LLC on May 10thand, a surprise visit to RBC Centura in Mount Airy on May 23rd and a surprise visit to Greene Finance Corporation on June 5th.
The staff at Granite Development, RBC Centura and Greene Finance were greeted by Chamber Ambassadors with cookies, candy and balloons. The Chamber Surprise Patrol just wanted to let these Chamber members know how much we appreciate their support of the chamber! Photos from the surprise visit are on our website. The Chamber Surprise Patrol will be making surprise visits at least twice a month…will you be next?
The Good Neighbors Program has been a big success from the member’s standpoint and from the Chambers standpoint. We have been able to sit down and talk face to face with our members without taking away from their daily work routines by having lunch together. Thanks to our Chamber member, Sagebrush for making the Good Neighbor’s Program possible. Photos from previous Good Neighbors Program are on our website. We hope to be contacting your business to join us for lunch real soon!
Ongoing Programs
SCORE- Give your business every chance for success; ask SCORE for FREE Business advice. Thinking of starting your own business or if you are already in business our SCORE local chapter can guide you through the process with confidential no-charge business counseling sessions for as long as you need, to make your business a success.
Learn to write a business plan, apply for a loan, update your marketing plan, improve your cost management and examine ways to face those profitability challenges while becoming a more confident business owner. The local SCORE chapter has one-hour confidential counseling Services. SCORE not only serves the new potential business owners BUT existing businesses. Contact Membership Specialist Robin Dollyhigh at (336) 786-6116 to schedule an appointment.
Gifts/Rewards/Incentives
Looking for an employee gift, reward, incentive … while keeping dollars in the community? CertifiChecks is a gift certificate program offered by the GMACC redeemable only at Chamber member businesses. Log on to www.mtairyncchamber.org : go to Membership Information tab - Chamber Benefits tab.
Upcoming Chamber Events/Programs/Meetings
· June 18, 2007 9:15am Chamber Speaks Live on WSYD Radio 1300 on your dial
· June 19, 2007 10:00 Executive Board Meeting Chamber
· June 21, 2007 8:00 Chamber Board Meeting Hampton Inn
· June 23, 2007 9:00am Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening - Lisa’s Hallmark 75 Colonial Mayberry Mall, Mount Airy NC
· July 2, 2007 9:15am Chamber Speaks Live on WSYD Radio 1300 on your dial
· July 13, 2007 8:30am Education Support Committee Meeting Good Life Cafe
· July 16, 2007 9:15am Chamber Speaks Live on WSYD Radio 1300 on your dial
· July 19, 2007 8:00am Chamber Board Meeting Hampton Inn
· July 19, 2007 12:00 noon Business Development Committee Meeting Chamber
Chamber’s monthly calendar along with current event photos can be viewed at www.mtairyncchamber.org…just click on chamber calendar tab. Community events and entertainment can be viewed by clicking on the community events tab. We encourage you to visit the Chamber calendar so that you don’t miss any of our upcoming events and programs and to visit the community event calendar so you can support local events!
Business after Hours
· June 14, 2007 - 5:30pm – 7:00pmWolf Creek Farm
· July 5, 2007 – 5:30pm – 7:00pm Greystone Condominiums
· August 2, 2007 - 5:30pm – 7:00pm RBC Centura
· September 6, 2007 - 5:30pm – 7:00pmSagebrush Steakhouse
· September 20, 2007 – 5:30pm -7:00pmBright Leaf Drive-in
**We are currently scheduling 2007 Business after Hours events and we would love to include your business on our calendar. ** The interest has been so great that we are booking more than one Business after Hours a month! This is a great way to show off your business while meeting and networking with other Chamber Members and their guests!
For more information about planning a Business after Hours event call the office today…336-786-6116
Welcome
Welcome New Members
· A+ Computer Services – 650 White Pine Country Club Road, Mount Airy NC 336.786.4066. Customized systems and services for small, medium and large corporations as well as products and services for individual use. Home or Office…We come to you! www.apluspcrescue.com. Call Calvin Vaughn today for all of your computer needs.
· Blevins Building Supply – 2106 West Pine Street Mount Airy, NC 336.789.5888 or toll free: 866.789.5858 Retail sales of hardware and building materials including plumbing and electrical. Specializing in contractors needs. Making Building Better since 1946. Bill Blevins, Sr. is excited to have his fifth (5) store location here in Mount Airy!
· Granite Tactical Vehicles – 523 South Stephens Street Pilot Mountain, NC 336.368.5000. Manufacturing of defense industry products – primarily armored vehicles. Chris Berman, President of Granite Tactical Vehicles began manufacturing operations in Pilot Mountain September 2006 www.Granitetacticalvehicles.com.
· Mount Airy Diner -453 Andy Griffith Parkway Mount Airy, NC. (Thruway Shopping Center) 336.789.9708. Tamara Newton, the owner of the Mount Airy Diner, invites you to join her for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday 6:30am – 2:00pm, closed Sunday.
Congratulations
John S. Clark Company, LLC
Engineering News-Record has announced that general contractor John S. Clark Company, LLC ranked 235th of the top 400 Construction Firms in the country, completing $ 261,477,264 in revenue during 2006. This included $722,718 in international construction and $260,754,546 in domestic work. The Engeering News-Record ranks each firm based on contracting revenue earned in 2006 in the broad area of General Contracting.
Southeast Construction recently announced that General Contractor, John S. Clark Company, LLC ranked 38th in the
Southeast U.S. completing $239.5 Million in revenue during 2006. Some of John S. Clark’s current projects in the Southeast are Shops at Battleground (Greensboro, NC), Wal-Mart (Zebulon, NC), One Park Vista (Winston-Salem, NC) and Southwest Community Healthcare (Smyth County, VA). Southeast Construction featured Clark’s largest project to break ground in 2006, which was the Swedwood furniture manufacturing facility in Danville, VA. John S. Clark has four full service offices in North Carolina - Mt. Airy, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Wilmington. While the company’s primary market is in the Southeast U.S.,
the company has completed projects in 24 states.
Northern Hospital of Surry County has been recognized as Tobacco-Free Trailblazer at the Northern Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Fifty Six other hospitals will also be recognized for having implemented Tobacco-Free campus-wide policies.
Pandowdy’s celebrated seventeen years in business at 243 North Main Street Mount Airy on June 7th. Bob and Irene White have been in the restaurant business for forty years. Mayor Jack Loftis presented Pandowdy’s with a proclamation in honor of their years in business.
Burke Robertson & Associates has decided to become a member of the Coldwell Banker system, one of the largest and most successful real estate companies in North America. Their new name is Coldwell Banker Mountain Valley Properties, office location, phone numbers and mailing address will remain the same as well as the dedicated staff.
Month in Review
v The 6th Annual Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Cup Golf Tournament was held on May 24th at Pilot Knob Country Club. Twenty (20) teams participated in this year’s event and the weather was perfect! A special thanks to our sponsors, to Melissa White Vice-Chair of Membership/Communications and her committee of Tonda Hall – Chair, Elisha Hall, T.J. Payne, to the Chamber Ambassadors who volunteered to work during the event and to Tom Gibson and Pilot Knob Country Club for working with us to make this event a huge success for the chamber! Grand Prizes included a Primland Resort – The Highland Course Package, a Rock Barn Golf & Spa Package plus PGA passes and entrance to Embarq’s Hospitability Suite, a Day Spa Package at Rock Barn and many more great prizes! Thank you!
GOLD SPONSORS
Carolina Carports, Kelly Office Solutions, Embarq, Primland Resort – The Highland Course
SILVER SPONSORS
Duke Energy, John S. Clark Company, Leonard Building and Truck Accessories, Northern Hospital of Surry County, Tri County Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, P.A.
PEWTER SPONSORS
Ablest Staffing Services, Allstate-Tonda Phillips Hall, Lone Star Steakhouse, Mobys Coffee Company, Mountain Valley Hospice & palliative Care, Renfro Corp., SouthData, Domino’s Pizza
BRONZE SPONSORS
Andy’s Griffith’s Homeplace, BB&T, Blue Ridge Enterprises, Brannock & Hiatt Furniture, Bray’s Tire & Automotive, Burke Robertson & Associates, Inc., Cooke Rentals, Cooke Trucking Company, Inc., Drapery House, F. Rees Company, First Community Bank, Frontier Energy, Gates Pharmacy, Granite Development, LLC., Granite Tactile Vehicles, Inc., Hampton Inn-ZWB Enterprises, J G Coram, Johnson Granite, Inc., J’s Office Supply, Moody Funeral Services, Mount Airy Drug, Inc., Mount Airy Oil Company, Office Vision, Parrish Tire Company, Perkins& Associates, Premium Tobacco Company, US, Inc., Patterson Automotive, Print Distribution Services, LLC, Quality Inn, RBC Centura, Riverside Building Supply, Inc., Samet, Payne, Wood, Horton & Company, Scenic Ford, Southeastern Signworks, Inc., Southern Community Bank, Surry Telephone Membership Corp., Webb Interior, LTD & Ashby Travel, Inc., Workforce Carolina.
OTHER SPONSORS
ProHealth, Shelton Vineyards, Wal-Mart, Lowes Foods, Neighbor Stores, Bank of America, Acme Stone, Pilot Knob Country Club.
v The County Commissioners approved a resolution asking the N.C. Department of Commerce to issue $7 million in industrial bonds for Ottenweller, which opened a welding facility in Mount Airy in October and employs 35 people in metal fabricating.
Announcements
· Surry County Heart Walk – Saturday June 23, 2007 Emily Taylor Walking Trail, Mount Airy NC. Registration begins at 8:00am at Veterans Park; Walk begins at 9:00am. For more information call 336.789.6238.
· More Books, Please is a community fund raising campaign sponsored by the Mount Airy Library.
The Mission of More Books, Please is to improve the quality of life of every citizen; children, young adults seniors, everyone, who lives within the service area of the Mount Airy Library. Your donations will be used to strengthen the following collections: children’s, modern fiction, classic fiction, large print books, electronic formats, research collections, business collection and biographies. Please send your donation to the Mount Airy Public Library, Books For Our Community 145 Rockford Street Mount Airy, N.C. 27030.
· IESNewsNorth Carolina State Industrial Extension Service (IES) provides professional education and technical assistance to businesses and industries in lean, Six Sigma, ISO/TS 16949:2002, ISO 9001:2000; ISO 14001, safety and health management systems and more to improve productivity, profitability and competitiveness. Courses and Events run through August. For more details www.ies.ncsu.eduor contact Dennis Atkins in Dobson at 336.362.5170.
Did You Know
· Over 200,000 people will relocate to the Carolinas during the next calendar year.
· In 2005 North Carolina had 1.3 Million uninsured from ages infant - 64 years: Surry County 11,450; less than ½ of North Carolinas small businesses provide health coverage
· There is 50 million acres of land available for sale in the Carolinas
· Murdock steps down as Dole Food CEO
The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area - 10:40 AM EDT Wednesday, June 6, 2007
David Murdock, billionaire builder of the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis, has stepped down as chief executive of Dole Food Co. Inc. David DeLorenzo, a board member and chair of the audit committee, has succeeded Dole. DeLorenzo previously was president and chief operating officer of the company. We are pleased to have David undertake this expanded leadership role in the company," Murdock says. "His knowledge and experience in the industry are unprecedented." Murdock will remain chairman of the company. California-based Dole, with 2006 revenue of $6.2 billion, is the world's largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers. The $1.5 billion N.C. Research Campus is envisioned as a 350-acre life-sciences hub involving Murdock, Duke University, the UNC System, the N.C. Community College System and other institutions of higher education as well as several corporations. Other research and development companies expected to have a presence at the N.C. Research Campus include software developer Red Hat Inc.; Pelican Life Sciences, now based in Huntersville; Winston-Salem-based The Biomarker Group; and an unnamed therapeutic vaccine company, in which Murdock is investing $33 million
Informative web-sites
North Carolina Chamber of Commerce Institute for a competitive workforce
http://www.ncchamber.net www.ncchamber.com/icw
A Service of the NC Dept. of Commerce Business Recruitment
http://www.investnc.com/
Piedmont Triad Partnership
http://www.piedmonttriadnc.com
United State Chamber of Commerce
www.uschamber.com
N.C. LEGISLATION NEWS
Highlights of North Carolina $20 billion 2007-08 state spending plan given tentative Senate approval Wednesday 5/30/07
Surry County mentions……
*Natural and Economic Resources – Promote North Carolina viticulture industry, help Surry Community College viticulture program: $10 million
To look up a N.C. bill to view the full text and find its status, visit
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