>> MOLDING THE WORKFORCE

About 50 members of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity chapter at Miami University of Ohio visited Wray Ward, a creative marketing communications firm in Charlotte, N.C., as part of their annual business outreach. The group travels to a different city each year to visit with companies and local professionals to learn more about what they can expect once they enter the workforce. Kent Panther, a Miami alumnus and vice president of strategic planning at Wray Ward, met the students during their two-day visit and talked about the current state of the advertising world. Allison Waller, director of government affairs at the Charlotte Chamber, also met with the students at Wray Ward before the group visited other local businesses, including Bank of America.

>> DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded a grant of nearly $706,000 to UNC Charlotte School of Nursing faculty Dr. Lienne Edwards and Dr. Tama Morris. The Nursing Workforce Diversity grant will fund a three-year effort to increase nursing education opportunities for educationally disadvantaged and minority students.

WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Rebhan & Associates has been certified by the National Woman Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC). The national certification facilitates the company’s ability to obtain contracts from corporations and government entities that direct a percentage of their purchases to women owned businesses. The company is a full service residential real estate agency serving buyers and sellers throughout Charlotte, South Charlotte, Union County, Iredell County and South Carolina.

>> TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Homoly Communications Institute has been engaged by Indianapolis-based Hufford Financial Advisors to provide leadership communications consulting and coaching to the firm’s financial planners and advisors. Conducted by communications expert Dr. Paul Homoly, CSP, sessions are specifically designed for Hufford Financial’s highly educated professionals, leaders and influencers who have complex information to communicate to clients. Homoly has also launched a new Web site, TheInterestingExpert.com, which offers information about the firm’s workshops, seminars, coaching and consulting.

Moonlight Creative Group, which specializes in providing effective marketing communications solutions, has created a new Web site for Ranger Construction. Check it out at www.rangerconstruction. com. Moonlight has also been engaged by My Team of Experts, Inc. to update its portfolio booklet of client success stories.

Peak 10, Inc., the leading independent data center operator and managed services provider, has renewed its service agreement with the North Carolina Association of Realtors, one of the oldest non-profit trade associations in the state. The association has agreed to continue its partnership with Peak 10 for at least three more years. Peak 10 provides the association with a fullymanaged portfolio including the management of both its Linux server and Exchange servers,as well as offering enhanced security with ProtectPoint managed intrusion detection and prevention services.

After voluntarily relinquishing its Trauma Designation in 2007, officials at Carolinas Medical Center - NorthEast were recently advised by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) that the original Level III Trauma designation is reinstated. Services provided through a level III facility include a wide range of processes covering both the stabilization and treatment of trauma patients. This year, CMC-NorthEast estimates 85,000 patients will seek treatment in the Emergency Care Center, of which more than 450 will be identified as trauma cases.

>> CELEBRATING WITH SERVICE

Sperry Van Ness/Lighthouse Commercial Realty celebrated its fifth anniversary in November. To commemorate the occasion, the firm’s brokers made a donation to Charlotte Rescue Mission. Charlotte Rescue Mission has been changing lives by reaching out to homeless men and women throughout the region for the past 70 years. In addition to providing nearly 200,000 meals each year, the agency offers social services for the poverty-stricken, vocational assistance and recovery programs for people struggling with addictions.

>> KUDOS

Autobell Car Wash Inc., headquartered in Charlotte, was named Outstanding Philanthropic Organization by the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Charlotte Chapter during the association’s 2008 National Philanthropy Day® awards. This award recognizes a philanthropic corporation or organization whose programs, gifts, and charitable activities enrich the community and serve as a role model. Activities for which Autobell was cited include its Charity Car Wash program, which has raised more than $2.5 million for non-profits since the program’s inception in 1998.

The Joint Commission recently named Carolinas Medical Center a 2008 recipient of the 12th annual Ernest Amory Codman Award. The award recognizes excellence in the use of outcomes measurement by health care organizations to achieve improvements in the quality and safety of health care. Carolinas Medical Center is one of three recipients of the award in the hospital category and is being recognized for an initiative to provide early treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock for emergency department patients. The program resulted in a 30 percent decrease in the mortality of patients in the emergency department with suspected or confirmed sepsis, a serious illness that requires quick diagnosis.

Clark Nexsen, an award-winning architectural, engineering, interior design, planning and landscape architecture firm, is pleased to announce that William R. Keen, PE, LEED AP, passed the LEED Certification exam, earning his LEED Accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). As a LEED Accredited Professional, he will help ensure that sustainable design practices will be employed for projects within the firm. In other news from Clark Nexsen, Robert T. Gunn, AIA, LEED AP, has been appointed to Radford University’s Interior Design Program’s Advisory Board. The Interior Design Program is within the Department of Interior Design and Fashion. The 16-member Advisory Board is comprised of professionals in the field of Interior Design and related professions and seeks to assist, support, and promote the development of Radford’s Interior Design Program and its students and faculty. Robert’s role as a board member will be to help further the growth of the Interior Design program through mentoring students, assisting faculty, and participation in program and campus events.

Fabi Preslar, president of SPARK Publications, was recently selected as a finalist in the N.C. & S.C. Make Mine a Million $ Business competition (a cross between The Apprentice and a business American Idol). Preslar is also a national Stevie Award finalist for Best Entrepreneur in a service industry with under 100 employees.

Inc. magazine ranked Integra Staffing & Search number 55 on its annual ranking of the Top 100 fastest-growing privately held Human Resource companies in the country. With a three-year sales growth of 323.7 percent, Integra Staffing & Search was the highest ranking Charlotte Metro human resource company on the Top 100 list.

LKM’s development and marketing work for the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development’s consumer travel planning Web site has captured the attention of the tourism industry. VisitNC. com was honored by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) for the third time in five years with the 2008 Mercury Award for Technical Marketing. Presented annually by TIA’s National Council of State Tourism Directors, the coveted Mercury Awards recognize imaginative, exciting destination marketing and promotion programs among the 50 states.

Pfeiffer University recently received accreditation for its International Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program by ACQUIN, the German accreditation agency, following a site visit and an extensive audit. The ACQUIN Accreditation Council endorsed its site team’s recommendation to certify Pfeiffer’s European MBA degree program. Accreditation by ACQUIN assures trained evaluators have examined the program to ensure the agency’s standards are being met in several vital areas including strategic planning, student learning and curriculum, faculty scholarship, professional activities, resources, internal/ external relationships, and educational innovation. The rigorous process, which included sites visits and audits and completion of 1,000 required accreditation documents, began spring 2006. The certification is valid through September 2013.

Queens University of Charlotte climbed three positions to the number 20 spot among private master’s universities in the South, according to the 2009 U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Colleges list. Queens was ranked second in North Carolina, behind only Elon, and was recognized as a great value, earning a number 11 ranking in the publication’s Southern Masters’ “Great Schools, Great Prices” category. The new rankings mark the 12th consecutive year that Queens has been ranked in the top tier of schools in the South in the “Best Universities – Master’s” category. U.S. News & World Report includes in this category (121) institutions that provide a full range of undergraduate and master’s-level programs, but offer few, if any, doctoral programs.

R. C. “Rick” Bainbridge Jr. and The Bainbridge Crew have been ranked 155 in Qualified Remodeler magazine’s Top 500 list of the top remodeling firms in the nation. The annual listing is published to recognize remodeling firms for nine criteria of success: annual sales volume for the previous year, 2008 projection, previous year’s gross volume, total number of years in business, association membership, certified employees on staff, industry awards and community service. The 31th annual Top 500 was published in the August 2008 issue of Qualified Remodeler and on the magazine’s Web site.

Online marketing agency WebsiteBiz was recently ranked number 52 on the list of Top Advertising and Marketing Companies in the country and number 688 on the Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies. WebsiteBiz reported three-year sales growth of 492 percent.

>> EXPANSIONS & OPENINGS

Decus Communications, LLC, based in Clarkston, Mich., is expanding its strategic and integrated marketing and communications services to the Carolinas with the opening of its new Charlotte office. The Charlotte office will be managed by Kenneth Paulus, who has been named as Decus’ director of business development – Carolinas.

ECS Carolinas, LLP is pleased to announce the opening of its newest satellite office in Concord, N.C. This office offers construction materials testing services and will dispatch engineering technicians for Cabarrus, Rowan, and Stanley counties. ECS Carolinas, LLP is a diversified engineering consulting firm offering geotechnical, environmental and construction materials engineering.

McCar Homes is pleased to announce the grand opening of the Resident’s Club at its charming single-family home community, Rosemont. The Resident’s Club will serve as a gathering place for families at Rosemont, and will be the location for a host of activities. Rosemont, located in Indian Land, is part of a mixed-use development just south of the Ballantyne area off of Route 160 and Route 521.

Planet Five Development Group, LLC is pleased to announce the unveiling and pre-leasing of it’s newest development project in Midtown Charlotte – 1301 E. Morehead. The site is a 160,000-square-foot Class A medical and professional building located near uptown Charlotte. It offers custom designed suites from 1,200 to 50,000 square feet with private entrances and building signage for qualified tenants.

>> WELCOME TO THE PARTY!

Allen Tate at Ballantyne welcomes Sandi Salisbury, Glenda Wolf and Susan Dougherty as new associates.

CEO Inc. welcomes Ellen Verhaagen as executive assistant. Ellen comes to CEO Inc. from Charlotte Preparatory School, where she taught Technology and Computers. Prior to her work at Charlotte Prep, Ellen was an independent contractor for Training at Work and New Horizons Computer Learning Center. In all, she has taught computer software to adults and children in the Charlotte- Mecklenburg area for the last 16 years. Ellen received her bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1984.

Clark Nexsen welcomes Darius Johnson, Assoc. AIA, as an architectural designer, Melanie R. Anderson, Assoc. AIA, as an architectural intern, Angelique Hudson as a project manager assistant, and Karen D. Lakins as a software support/training administrator.

Cox Marketing Group has hired Vicki Sweginnis as its new director of client services. Sweginnis is responsible for ensuring strong customer satisfaction and assisting in the ongoing growth of the agency.

The Innovation Institute at McColl Center for Visual Art has named Barbara Spradling, a seasoned corporate executive with more than 20 years of business and community service, to a newly-created director’s position to guide The Institute’s expansion plans. A former senior vice president with Bank of America, Barbara will oversee a number of new initiatives made possible through a $1.13 million grant recently awarded to The Innovation Institute by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This grant will allow the artist-inspired Innovation Institute to expand its offerings to new groups as well as provide enhanced networking opportunities for Institute graduates.

Elaine Depasquale has recently joined Integra Staffing & Search as Business Development Manager. She will be responsible for developing new business and maintaining client relations.

RE/MAX Executive Realty welcomes Jason and Maryeli Culbreth, Michelle Han, Joyce Fox and Susan Brinkley Fox to its Ballantyne and Lake Norman offices.

Professional coaching firm Rich Campe International, LLC welcomes Doug Gray as vice president of learning and development and Barbara Proctor as chief operating officer and vice president of its corporate division. Co-founder of the Leadership Development Institute at the University of Maryland, College Park, and author of Passionate Action: 5 Steps to Creating Extraordinary Success in Live and Work, Gray brings more than 24 years of professional coaching and training experience to the team. Proctor brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in operations, technical administration and sales. She is a graduate of State University of New York at Buffalo and is certified as a professional coach by the Coach Training Alliance.

Kelsey Richards has joined The Bainbridge Crew as a salesperson. A Greensboro native, Kelsey graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a dual major in journalism and mass communications and communication studies. Since graduating, she has worked as an associate producer for HGTV’s “Spice Up My Kitchen” and “Save My Bath.”

The Catevo Group, an integrated marketing communications agency based in Raleigh, N.C., with offices in Charlotte, N.C., Washington, D.C., and Dubai, UAE, welcomes Mary Marcantonio as media director. In this position, Marcantonio will direct media research, planning and buying for a variety of clients and lead consumer insight initiatives for the firm and its clients.

Leah Haines has joined Tribble Creative Group (TCG) as a graphic designer. She comes to TCG with an impressively creative portfolio in Web site, logo and print design. Haines earned her bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and with a minor in marketing from Auburn University and previously worked for Scott Brown Media Group and Velocity Media in Charlotte. She is a welcome addition to the TCG team and brings a fresh perspective and design outlook.

James Bullock, a 23-year development veteran with Wake Forest University, has been named the new vice president for university advancement at Queens University of Charlotte. He will serve on the president’s senior leadership team and provide strategic oversight of the University’s advancement program, including its critical development and capital fundraising initiatives.

>> NEW VENTURES

Cogdell Spencer Inc. (NYSE: CSA) has signed a joint venture operating agreement with Northwestern Mutual to form CSA Medical Partners LLC, a joint venture to acquire medical office buildings. The joint venture expects to acquire up to approximately $350 million of medical office buildings and other health care facilities nationwide, predominantly associated with not-for-profit health care systems and large physicianowned clinics. Cogdell Spencer will contribute 20 percent of the equity capital to fund future acquisitions in this joint venture. Cogdell Spencer expects to use this partnership to continue to serve its clients in both new and existing markets. The partnership allows the newly transformed Cogdell Spencer to continue to meet its clients’ needs, as it allows the provision of additional liquidity options. The joint venture will be Cogdell Spencer’s exclusive vehicle for cash acquisitions. Charlotte-based Cogdell Spencer Inc. is a fully-integrated, self-administered and self managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in specialty office buildings for the medical profession, including medical offices, ambulatory surgery and diagnostic centers.

Rahman Khan has launched a new venture that highlights the good that is happening in our businesses and communities, GoodWorks Media Group. GoodWorks Media Group has a mission to inspire, educate and motivate people from all walks of life to do good works, particularly in the areas of the environment, education and diversity. The firm, which was founded on the principles of truth, integrity and the inherent nature of people to do good, utilizes a variety of channels to share and teach people how to do better in these three focus areas. The flagship and very first effort of GoodWorks Media Group is the development of a new TV show, “GoodWorks with Rahman Khan,” which airs on WTVI Charlotte on Sundays at 7:00 p.m.

Congratulations to John Winslow on opening Floor Coverings International at 3809 Beam Road in May. Winslow spent nearly two decades in executive management positions for GE, Bank of America and Wells Fargo before deciding to leave the corporate world and open a business of his own. From his past experience, Winslow knew the concept he selected would have to be centered on giving his customers exactly what they want and need and he found just that in Floor Coverings International. Given the state of the housing market, more people are opting to stay put instead of move and Winslow’s services – helping homeowners throughout Mecklenburg and Gaston counties make their abodes as beautiful and comfortable as possible for the long haul – will prove invaluable.

>> MOVING ON UP

Jennifer Matz has been named to a new position of director of community relations at Queens University of Charlotte. She previously served as the assistant director of donor and community relations. In this position, Matz will focus on forging new and deeper relationships between Queens and the Charlotte community. She will work to raise the profile of Queens by developing and executing community engagement, outreach and partnership programs that will elevate the University as a critical asset to the local community.

Congratulations to David Chapman of Exervio Management Consulting for being promoted to director of the firm’s process excellence practice. David has worked with Exervio for seven years and has contributed heavily to the process excellence practice, as well as the company as a whole.

Pfeiffer University was been busy promoting and reappointing personnel. Jean Popejoy, former assistant registrar, was promoted to university registrar replacing Larry Durrett, who retired from Pfeiffer in May following 40 years of service. Marisa Wheeling and Sudie Nallo have been appointed to take lead roles in the Francis Center for Servant Leadership at Pfeiffer University. Wheeling, former director of career services at Pfeiffer, was appointed interim executive director of the center; and Nallo, who came to Pfeiffer from the Centre for Enterprise Development and Action Research in Nigeria, will serve as director of service scholar programs. Dr. David Heckel, dean of the former School of Languages, Literature, and Communication and Raymond Allen Jones Professor of English, was appointed to serve as dean of the new School of Humanities, which will encompass undergraduate programs including languages, liberal and fine arts. A Pfeiffer faculty member since 1988, Heckel earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from St. Louis University.

Broker Elizabeth Drummond has been named broker-in-charge of WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Rebhan & Associates in its SouthPark headquarters office. Kathleen Rebhan, broker/owner, now occupies the president/ CEO’s chair, but will continue to oversee operations at all locations and pursue more expansion for the franchise. Rick Montgomery has been promoted to managing broker of real estate/bank owned (REO) properties.

>> WHO ELSE IS HUNGRY?

Chima Brazilian Steakhouse (pronounced “She-ma”), an elegant Brazilian steakhouse offering a unique and elegant fine dining experience, opened at 139 South Tryon Street in November. Guests can choose between two meal options. One meal choice is “Churrasco,” a Brazilian BBQ served “rodizio” style including all meats and the salad bar. The salad bar is also offered as a stand alone dining option. This inclusive salad bar features a wide range of American and Brazilian favorites with more than 40 items.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar opened at the corner of 4th and College Streets in the EpiCentre in September. The nationally acclaimed restaurant offers a variety of prime meats and chops, fresh fish and poultry, generous salads and side orders, and the Fleming’s 100™ – a sophisticated and unique wine list featuring more than 100 wines served bythe glass.

>> NEW BUSINESS

Gotham, LLC was recently selected by Charles Stewart Contract to build a complete branding identity, based on the company’s new line of commercial contract furniture. A division of The Charles Stewart Company in Hickory, N.C., Charles Stewart Contract manufactures upholstered seating for corporate interiors, upscale hospitality and institutional environments.

Knowmad Technologies, which helps clients operate more efficiently through software customization and process automation, has been engaged by management services firm New Concepts International Group, Inc. to provide expanded services, including automating its application and call-back system.

>> IT IS FUN TO BE GOOD

Exervio Management Consulting is proud to announce its inclusion in the Inc. 5000 list for 2008, ranking number 112 in the state of North Carolina and number 4,920 nationally on the list on fastest growing private companies.

Health magazine recently named Harris Teeter one of America’s 10 healthiest grocery stores. Based on research conducted by six health experts at the magazine, Harris Teeter received accolades for its fresh and healthy food choices, as well as its tools designed to help shoppers make smart shopping decisions and healthy purchases.

Hendrick Construction, Inc. recently received the prestigious Building STAR award for safety today from the North Carolina Department of Labor. The designation, which is part of the state Occupational Safety and Health Division’s Carolina STAR program, recognizes construction companies with exceptional safety programs that strive for accident-free work sites. Hendrick Construction received the award for its work on the 81,000-square-foot Mecklenburg County Jail-North Annex.

Johnson C. Smith University has again secured a top spot in U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Black Colleges ranking – 10th out of the more than 70 Historically Black Colleges and Universities that were ranked. This is the second consecutive year that the university has made the list.

WFAE News Reporter Simone Orendain received second place for her report on the “Families of Abraham” in the 2008 Best Radio Religion Reporting competition from the Religion Newswriters Association. The award recognizes excellence in religion reporting in mainstream media. “Families of Abraham” was an exhibit at Levine Museum of the New South that featured photographs portraying the daily lives and religious ceremonies of Charlotte-area families including Jews, Christians and Muslims.

>> GIRL’S BEST FRIEND

Donald Haack Diamonds & Fine Gems is now the exclusive jeweler of the Masriera jewelry line in the Charlotte region. Featured in museums throughout the world and often considered an essential fashion accessory for female opera goers and the like, Masriera uses vibrant colors, exquisite gemstones, metals and nature-inspired designs in creating its one-of-akind pieces.

>> MORE NEW HIRES

Allen Tate at Blakeney welcomes Richard Roskind and Mickey Gold as associates and congratulates Karen Labovitz for being named branch manager.

Internet security firm, Calyptix Security, has expanded its business development and channel sales team with the addition of Kristen Wild, Steve Wild and Terry Van Winkle. This expansion will immediately increase exposure within small and medium businesses of the value that Calyptix’ innovative single unit device, AccessEnforcer™, contributes to Internet security strategies.

Andy Locklair has been named vice president of operations for Hendrick Construction, Inc.

William W. “Billy” Wilkins, Ronald Reagan’s first selection to the federal bench in the nation and the former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, has joined Nexsen Pruet as a partner. He will lead the firm’s white-collar crime, appellate advocacy, and corporate compliance/crisis management practice groups and actively participate in the firm’s business litigation group.

Mitchell L. Holmes has joined PBS&J as a division manager in the company’s east region aviation practice where he will manage all aspects of project delivery, client maintenance, and performance metrics. He brings more than 23 years of experience to PBS&J in managing capital renewal programs, strategic business planning and development, and airport process improvements.

Marty Viser, former vice president and director of JA Biztown at Junior Achievement, recently joined Piedmont Natural Gas as community relations manager directing community and government relations for Mecklenburg, Union and Stanly counties.

Record Storage Systems, a full-service, data shredding and recordsmanagement company based in Charlotte, N.C., has recently appointed Raymond Greenlees as its new IT/imaging manager.

Southern Shows Inc. announces Mardee Woodward has been named show manager for the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show and the Southern Ideal Home Show.

Cynthia McCloskey has joined Springs Creative Products Group LLC as merchandising director. In this capacity, Cynthia’s responsibilities include developing the merchandising strategy; sales planning, pricing, and distribution; and serving as a liaison between design, production, marketing and sales departments.

VantagePoint, a marketing and advertising agency, welcomes Stephanie Smith as an account coordinator. Stephanie will be responsible for the project development and management for one of VantagePoint’s key clients.

WEICHERT, REALTORS ® - Rebhan & Associates welcomes broker associate Jacqua S. Carr, a five-year professional. As a specialist in residential sales and relocation, she serves clients in Charlotte, Belmont, Mt. Holly, Gastonia, Fort Hill, Rock Hill and surrounding areas.

>> CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES – C’MON

Project Managers, Inc., a consulting firm that helps Fortune 1000 clients manage significant change within their organizations, including mergers, grant management, new product rollouts and project rescues, celebrated its 10th anniversary in September. The firm, founded in 1998 by Karen McIsaac, hosted an event with the theme “The Art of Managing Change” on the terrace of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in uptown Charlotte. More than 70 clients, consultants and other valued friends of the firm attended the event.