Business roundup

TROY — At First Bancorp’s annual Retirement and Service Awards Banquet held recently at the James H. Garner Center in Troy, several employees were honored for their dedicated service to the bank and the communities they serve.

• Retirement

Phyllis McDuffie, Naomi Gilreath, Patty Godfrey and Larry Preslar

• Presidential award, 45 years of service

Shirley Russell, Dixie Kearns and President and CEO Jerry Ocheltree

• Silver Award, 35 years of service

Teresa Cole and Denise Ruth

• Bronze Award, 30 years of service

Linda Shepard and Delores George

• Milestone Award, 25 years of service

Nancy Josey, Camille Hunt, Susanna Keck, Rosena Johnson, Linda Burton, Judy Estridge, Sue Flynn, Judy Horne and Sandra McCormick

The Grand to host New Year’snetworking soiree

SALISBURY — The Grand on Julian will host a New Year’s networking party for Salisbury professionals.

The event will allow business people in Salisbury and the surrounding area to network as they prepare for 2012.

The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the The Grand on Julian Clubhouse.

Those planning to attend should RSVP by Wednesday by email to lmontgomery@mcclainbarr.com.

$30K loan boosts biotechcompany

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — A $30,000 loan from the N.C. Biotechnology Center is helping NovaTarg grow in the Research Triangle Park area.

Founded in Durham in 2009, NovaTarg is developing novel pharmaceutical products targeting liver diseases and diabetes. The company received a $30,000 Company Inception Loan from the Biotech Center to help position it for raising outside funding that can advance its experimental therapies into clinical trials.

The Biotechnology Center is a private, nonprofit corporation supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business, education and strategic policy statewide.