Business roundup: 18 Leadership Rowan grads

Leadership Rowan has 18 new alumni after a graduation ceremony at the Country Club of Salisbury.

Leadership Rowan is sponsored by the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce. Ronnie Smith was the featured speaker. Penny Greer-Link, Leadership Rowan steering committee chair (of the W.G. Hefner V.A. Hospital), served as master of ceremonies for the evening.

Graduates for the 2009-10 class are Glen Albracht (W.G. Hefner V.A. Medical Center), Mary Jo Bopp (town of China Grove), Stephen Brown (Salisbury-Parks & Recreation Department), Alesia Burnette (Rowan-Salisbury Schools), David Flowe (N-Focus Design), Katherine Generaux (Partners In Learning), Troy Harrington (SunTrust Bank), Todd Harris (Alliance Medical Inc.), Brittany Honeycutt (Prevent Child Abuse of Rowan) and Jeff Jones (Food Lion).

Zack Kyle (city of Salisbury), Melissa Meacham (F&M Bank), Brooke Moose (American Cancer Society), Beth Nance, David Phillips (W.G. Hefner V.A. Medical Center), Robert Reese (CommunityOne Bank), Angie Richard (North Hills Christian School) and Joyce Yates (Chandler Concrete & Building Supply).

"The Chamber extends it congratulations to these people and looks forward to the good things that will come from them. We also look forward to the 2010-11 edition of Leadership Rowan," said Chamber of Commerce Chair of the Board Skip Wood (Sharp Transit of Salisbury).

Besides Greer-Link, other members of the Leadership Rowan steering committee are Rita Foil (Rowan-Salisbury School System); Myra Heard (city of Salisbury), Tim Norris (Healthcare Management Consultants) and Tyler Weant (Elium Exterminator).

Jordan joins Federal Reserve council

Bryan Jordan, son of Salisbury's David and Jean Jordan, has been appointed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to fill an unexpired term on the Federal Advisory Council.

He is president and CEO of First Horizon National Corp.

The Federal Reserve term ends Dec. 31.

The council comprises one representative from each of the 12 Federal Reserve districts. Council members confer at least four times a year with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington on economic and banking developments, and make recommendations on Fed system activities.

Gerry Wood names director of operations

Jim Kristoff has joined Gerry Wood Auto Group as director of operations. He is responsible for increasing market share and training and developing employees with a focus on customer service.

Gerry Wood Auto Group employs 90 people at Honda, Kia and Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram operations on Jake Alexander Boulevard.

Kristoff, who has 30 years of experience in the auto dealership business, was previously a partner in a Honda store in Tampa, Fla., and has also worked in dealerships in Palm Beach County, Fla.; Connecticut and New York.

Turning House Millworks honored for tobacco warehouse work

Turning House Millworks received a Triad Green Award for its role in the deconstruction of two tobacco storage warehouses at an R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. complex in Winston-Salem.

The Landis millworks salvaged every piece and type of material it could from the 1920s- and 1930s-era warehouses, including 230,000 linear feet of wood for its sister company, Turning House Furniture in Bassett, Va. The millworks reclaimed and renewed the vintage, Southern longleaf pine for use in fine furniture.

Spencer Wood Morten III, chairman and CEO of the two companies, also is chairman and CEO of Bassett Mirror Co. He was one of three joint recipients of the award for resource recovery made by the Triad Business Journal during ceremonies on Earth Day in High Point. The other two recipients were R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company Inc.

"Turning House is more than a business that just sells wood and furniture," Morten said. "We help communities revitalize by removing old industrial buildings, recycling materials that used to end up in landfills. In the process, we are able to repurpose the wood as fine furniture, offering consumers an alternative to furniture built from fresh-cut timber."

Swing Transport honored for safety of truckers on the road

Swing Transport Inc. was recently presented a Platinum award by Great West Casualty Co. as part of the 2009 National Fleet Safety Awards Program. This award is the highest bestowed and the third consecutive distinction.

Swing Transport is a for hire carrier with corporate headquarters in Salisbury and terminals in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

The Fleet Safety Award Program drew more than 800 entries from across the country. Carriers were recognized for achieving a low preventable accident frequency per million miles of operation. The Fleet Safety Awards program recognizes fleets in similar operations (truckload and less than truckload) with awards based on year-end preventable accident results.

Thrivent Financial honors Hough for sales, service

Boyd Hough, a financial representative with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, has qualified for the organization's Summit Circle for 2009 achievements.

To qualify, Hough demonstrated outstanding sales and service to members.

The Salisbury financial representative is with Thrivent Financial's Southeast Regional Financial Office, serving Lutherans and their family members in the surrounding communities by providing financial guidance.

Ten percent of Thrivent Financial's 2,500 financial representatives qualified for the Summit Circle. Hough has been with Thrivent Financial and its predecessor organizations for 28 years and has been recognized for his performance 28 times.

New Rite Aid in Mooresville offers free health screenings

MOORESVILLE –– A new Rite Aid features the company's "Customer World" design.

The Rite Aid, at 614 Brawley School Road, opened this past week.

Customer feedback was used in the new design, including expanding merchandise selections, improving store navigation and improved feel at the pharmacy.

The pharmacy waiting area has a lowered ceiling, comfortable chairs, a TV and connects to a pharmacy consultation room, providing a private and professional setting for patient counseling by the pharmacist.

Other events scheduled for the grand opening week include:

- Tuesday, free blood pressure readings

- Wednesday, free blood pressure readings and personal vitamin profiles

- Thursday, free blood pressure readings and fitness assessments

- Friday, free blood pressure readings.

Bank of Carolinas reports first quarter net loss of $235,000

MOCKSVILLE — Bank of the Carolinas Corp. reported a net loss of $235,000 for the first quarter compared to a loss of $655,000 in the first quarter of 2009.

For the three month period ending March 31, the company reported the loss was 12 cents per common share, compared to a loss of 17 cents per share for the first quarter of 2009.

Improved net interest margins have helped. Net interest income totaled $4.2 million this year, a 32.3 percent increase from the comparable 2009 quarter. The net interest margin in the first quarter of 2010 increased to 3.17 percent, compared to 2.38 percent in 2009.

Total assets amounted to $570.7 million, a decrease of 6.5 percent when compared to the $610.4 million as of Dec. 31, 2009 and a decrease of 5 percent when compared to $600.6 million last March 31. The decrease in assets was a planned strategy to improve its net interest margin and capital ratios.

Bank of the Carolinas Corp. is the holding company for Bank of the Carolinas with offices in Cleveland, Concord, Landis, Lexington and other areas.

Cabarrus Meals on Wheels gets $5,000 from Food Lion foundation

Cabarrus Meals on Wheels has received $5,000 from the Food Lion Charitable Foundation. Cabarrus Meals on Wheels will use the gift to pay for meals for clients who are unable to pay for meals themselves due to financial hardship.

"We are extremely grateful to Food Lion for this generous grant. Nutritional meals are essential to helping our clients maintain their health and continue to live independently in their homes," said Kimberly Strong, executive director.

The mission of Cabarrus Meals on Wheels is to assist the homebound in remaining independent by the delivery of nutritious meals which contribute to their overall well-being. Today, more than 388 homebound, elderly and disabled residents in Cabarrus County receive a hot, nutritionally well-balanced meal delivered by caring, compassionate volunteers, Monday through Friday.

Established in 2001, the Food Lion Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry in the communities it serves.

Mooresville elementary school wins $25,000 from Windstream

Lakeshore Elementary in Mooresville has been named one of four $25,000 winners in Windstream's Classroom Connections program.

Windstream will officially present the school with its award at a pep assembly Monday at 1 p.m. featuring the entire student body, teachers, administrators, Windstream representatives and the company's vintage 1953 green truck.

Lakeshore elementary is located at 262 Lakeshore School Road in Mooresville.

Windstream received more than 120 applications from public and public charter schools in Windstream's service area. Eligible schools applied online and were required to submit a video with their application. Schools were judged on demonstrated need, creativity and enthusiasm.

Clifton named Caregiver of the Month at Home Instead

Brenda Clifton has been named Caregiver of the Month for May at Home Instead Senior Care.

She joined Home Instead in June of 2007.

"Brenda's clients and their families continually sing her praises," said Ashley Sheley, staffing coordinator. "Brenda is a very dedicated Caregiver and always has a smile on her face."

A Salisbury native, she has a daughter living here, a son in Georgia and six grandchildren.

Comfort Keepers seeking food donations to help needy seniors

Undernourishment and malnutrition are serious problems for America's growing 65 and older population.

To raise awareness for this growing problem, in conjunction with Older Americans Month in May, Comfort Keepers kicked off a nationwide initiative to collect food items for distribution to seniors in the community.

All through the summer months, Comfort Keepers is seeking groups or organization interested in collecting food donations for the Serving Seniors, Nourishing Lives campaign. Those interested should contact Lori Eberly or Patrice Gordon with Comfort Keepers at 704-630-0370 or via e-mail at lorieberly@comfortkeepers.com .

Comfort Keepers will provide each participating organization with a collection bin and promotional materials and will coordinate food pick up and delivery as needed.

Comfort Keepers is also accepting healthy non-perishable food donations at the office at 1717 W Innes St.

Magazine names Edward Jones No. 1 full-service broker

The financial services firm Edward Jones was named the No. 1 full-service brokerage firm in the June edition of SmartMoney magazine. The firm has five Rowan County financial advisors.

The magazine lauded Edward Jones for adding more than 500 financial advisors since last year to meet investor needs. The firm was No. 2 in 2009 and 2008, and No. 1 in 2007 and 2005.

The Rowan County financial advisers include Don Coggins, Michael Hanzlik, Stephen Kidd, John Philpott and Jolene Philpott.

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