Business roundup: Granite Auto Parts’ third location open as Country Auto Service & Tires

Granite Auto Parts Inc. and Country Auto Service & Tires. Left to right: Wendy Earley, Steve Earley, Nathan Hardister, Mary Ponds, Beau Taylor, Carl Ford, Nichole Efird and Joe Goodnight

ROCKWELL — Granite Auto Parts Inc. has expanded to a third location, Country Auto Service & Tires, at 325 Phaniel Church Road.

Country Auto Service & Tires opened Oct. 10 and held a grand opening celebration Wednesday.

Granite Auto Parts Inc. owner is Joe Goodnight. Wendy and Steve Earley are officers. Nathan Hardister is manager and Nichole Efird secretary.

Hardister is a graduate of the Nascar Technical Institute in October 2010. He majored in the Ford Fact program. The auto service center offers repairs, inspections, oil changes, brake jobs and more.

Kannapolis native Cox gets public service award

J. David Cox, a native of Kannapolis, has been selected to receive the 2012 Rabin Center Public Service Award.

Cox serves as secretary-treasurer for the nation’s largest federal employee union, the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 625,000 workers.

The award is presented by the American Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Center honoring those whose work reflects the legacy of the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

“It has been a labor of love representing VA employees, federal employees, D.C. government employees and, of course, my union, the American Federation of Government Employees, for the past 26 years. The recognition of our union’s work to provide federal workers with job dignity, fair pay and adequate working conditions is an affirmation for AFGE that echoes Prime Minister Rabin’s belief in the labor movement,” Cox said.

The nonprofit organization supports the mission of the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv.

A dinner in honor of Cox will be held in the spring.

For more information, visit www.friendsofrabin.org or www.afge. org.

CommunityOne Bank names new executives

CommunityOne Bank recently named the executive leadership of its commercial banking, consumer banking, mortgage banking and wealth management divisions. Don Harrison and Greg Spainhour will lead the bank’s commercial banking division, Pam Frey will lead the bank’s consumer banking division, Mark Hensley will lead the bank’s mortgage division and Scott Kittrell will lead the bank’s wealth management division.

Bob Reid is president of CommunityOne Bank. “Commercial, consumer and mortgage banking, along with wealth management, represent the core of our business as a community bank and we are committed to providing innovative products and exceptional service in each of these lines of business,” he said in a news release.

FNB United Corp. is parent company of CommunityOne Bank and Bank of Granite. CommunityOne has 45 offices in 38 communities of North Carolina, including branches at 1938 Jake Alexander Boulevard W. in Salisbury and 100 S. Enochville Ave. in Kannapolis.

Freightliner Trucks has new website

Freightliner Trucks has launched a new version of www.FreightlinerTrucks.com with new product support tools, information and navigation features.

Additional features include a dealer locator, multimedia library, social media integration and optimized mobile-specific content.

Thomas Built Buses boosts production

Thomas Built Buses has confirmed upcoming increases to production levels and staffing in response to strong customer interest in C2 school bus products.

Planned production and workforce changes were shared with employees at all Thomas facilities on Dec. 5. A total of 125 workers will be recalled, beginning Jan. 9.

Thomas Built Buses Inc., headquartered in High Point, is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC.

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