Stan Reece, a Kannapolis native and 30-year banking veteran, was recently named Rowan County executive for Citizens South Bank.

Based in Salisbury, Reece is responsible for Citizen South's commercial banking services in the Salisbury and Statesville markets.

Reece joins Citizens South from Bank of Granite, where he served as vice president and commercial loan officer based in Charlotte. While with Bank of Granite, Reece continued to live in Kannapolis.

Also during his career, he has served as a portfolio manager, senior credit analyst and inventory control manager with financial services units of General Electric. Reece earned a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from Appalachian State University.

Reece is active in several community organizations, including the Kannapolis Business Alliance, Kiwanis International, Cabarrus County Jail Volunteers, Community Thanksgiving Meals and Kannapolis Food Pantry. He and his wife, Terry, have two daughters – Kathryn who is a sophomore at Wingate University, and Hillary, who is a senior at A.L.Brown High School. The family attends West Point Baptist Church.

Power Curbers honors two for service

Power Curbers Inc. recently honored associates Steven Kirst and Steve Milam as the recipients of the 2009 Richard D Messinger Commitment Award. The winners were nominated and chosen by an employee panel.

Each year the company honors two associates for their commitment to customers and co-workers, positive attitude, attendance and willingness to go beyond expectations. The winners each received $1,000, a pin and certificate. The award is named for the late Richard Messinger who was chairman of the board of Power Curbers.

Kirst, a Rockwell resident has been with Power Curbers since 2007 and is a member of the machine production team. His primary responsibilities include running both a CNC milling machine and plasma cutter. Steven has three daughters, Stephanie 16, Amanda 12, and Kaeleigh 4.

Milam, who lives in Salisbury, has been a regional sales manager for six years. In addition to his sales duties, he manages used machines and the Power Curber Web site. He and his wife, Dana, have two children, Daniel, 17, and Sarah, 15.

Associates recognized for years' service included David Hancock, Charles Heater, Lindsay Lowman, Milam, and James Pennington, five years; Sam Howard and Larry Willis ten years, and Stephen Bullock, fifteen years.

Power Curbers, incorporated in 1953, manufactures concrete paving equipment and conducts business in 80 countries. The company specializes in slipform paving equipment which is used in construction of curbs, sidewalks, highway barrier walls, dams, stadium risers and foundations for agricultural buildings.

RCCC Small Business Center displaced workers programs

The Small Business Center at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will offer the award-winning FastTrac New Venture entrepreneurship program at no cost to displaced workers, beginning March 22.

The three-week class will meet at RCCC's Cabarrus Business & Technology Center, in Concord.

Designed for individuals who are serious about starting a small business, the 36-hour FastTrac¨ New Ventureª course provides real-world tools to help participants develop a business concept and move quickly toward a successful business launch.

Course topics include identifying and reaching a target market, setting financial goals, planning a product or service and building an effective team.

"The hands-on activities that help participants focus on their particular business idea is the key to the program's nationwide popularity," said Barbara Hall, director of the Small Business Center.

FastTrac¨ New Ventureª is a program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. Kauffman and the Deluxe Corporation Foundation are donating the program for job seekers in 12 North Carolina counties as part of Gov. Beverly Perdue's economic and workforce recovery initiative.

RCCC will offer the course from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Mondays and Wednesdays, March 22 – April 7. Applications are online at www.fasttrac.org. For more information, contact Barbara Hall at hallb@rowancabarrus.edu.

Sen. Kay Hagan to serve Cheerwine to office visitors

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan visited Cheerwine earlier this month, meeting with Cheerwine CEO Cliff Ritchie.

In support of Cheerwine, Hagan will serve Cheerwine in her office to all constituents and visitors.

Spencer Beauty and Barber Shop now open

Spencer Beauty and Barber Shop recently opened at 512 S. Salisbury Ave.

Carolyn Wagner, owner and cosmetologist, has more than 40 years of experience in the hair business. She graduated from Central State Beauty College in Salisbury. Her services include cuts, color, perms, hi-lites and manicures.

Sarah Baker Thompson, registered barber, graduated from Winston-Salem Barber School and has four years of experience.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome or you can call 704-603-4550 to schedule an appointment.

EnergyUnited earns national safety accreditation

EnergyUnited, headquartered in Statesville, has received national recognition for its comprehensive safety program.

The Rural Electric Safety Accreditation Program, which recognized the electric cooperative, is one of the few programs in the country that provides a management tool for continuous safety and loss control assessment that is specific to electric utilities. The program was founded in 1967.

The certificate, the tenth to be awarded to the cooperative, was recently presented to CEO H. Wayne Wilkins at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives (NCAEC) in Raleigh.

EnergyUnited is a member-owned electric cooperative serving nearly 119,000 members in 19 counties.

Duke Energy CEO to speak on search for green power

Jim Rogers, president and CEO of Duke Energy will speak on "The Energy Industry's Search for Greener Power" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, at Davidson College's Smith 900 Room of the Alvarez College Union. The event is free.

Rogers' public address will serve as the keynote lecture for a weekend-long student conference on "The Global Energy Challenge," and serve as the final event in a Bank of America lecture series focused on "Responding to the Global Energy Challenge: Technology, Policy and Security." It is sponsored by the college's Dean Rusk International Studies Program.

Rogers leads one of the largest energy companies in the United States, serving four million domestic customers. As co-chair of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency and the Alliance to Save Energy, he is also a leader in the effort to help energy companies develop alternative sources that are sustainable from both business and environmental perspectives.

The weekend conference will involve 35 Davidson students in mock Senate hearings about energy issues. Members of the public are invited to follow the proceedings on Saturday morning from 9 to 10:45 a.m. They will be held in four locations —Philanthropic Literary Hall, Eumanean Literary Hall, Hance Auditorium of Chambers Building and the Baxter Davidson Room of Chambers Building.

Students will play the roles of politicians, scientists, business leaders, farmers and civilian activists testifying about energy issues. Those who play the roles of senators will, on the basis of the testimony, conclude the exercise by developing guiding principles and action steps for U.S. energy policy.

Four real-world leaders in the energy field will serve as mentors to the student senators in their deliberations. They are Larry Kellerman, former president of Cogentrix Energy; Toney Mathews, a senior engineer for the French nuclear power design and construction company AREVA NP; Len Peters, Secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet of the State of Kentucky; and Davidson College Professor of Economics David Martin, a specialist in environmental economics.

For more information about the talk and the conference, call 704-894-2440.

Fitness studio offers one-on-one service

Jo Henderson of Fit 1 On 1 personal training studio, 36 S. Union St., Concord, is offering in-home and fitness center training. Her small studio caters especially to men and women who can't motivate themselves to get into a gym.

Henderson grew up in the Concord area and has been in the fitness industry for more than 20 years, owning her own fitness center for eight.

Her studio is private, with just the client and Henderson. She has trained runners, including one who made it to the Olympics and told her that he attributed a lot of his success to her new Power Pilates workout.

She also trains cheerleaders who want to improve their agility and high jumps.

Henderson can be reached at Fit 1 on 1 at 704-425-9965.

Submit information about new businesses, honors and management promotions to bizbriefs@salisburypost.com. Include a daytime phone number.