CommunityOne Bank has named Mark B. Perry as vice president and senior trust officer for Rowan County.

Perry previously worked for SunTrust Bank in Salisbury.

Perry, a resident of Rowan County for 26 years, has 30 years of banking and investment experience. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in law from Wake Forest University. Perry practiced law for more than two years in Virginia, specializing in estate planning, wills, trust and taxes.

He has served as president of the Arc of Rowan County, Rowan Vocational Opportunities Inc., and the Historic Salisbury Foundation. He has also been active with Rowan Helping Ministries, Rowan County United Way and Salisbury Rotary.

Perry and his wife of 34 years, Barbara, live in Rowan County and attend St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

Wedding planner

Jennifer Pearson has opened a wedding and event planning business in Concord.

She will be serving Cabarrus, Stanly, Rowan and Mecklenburg counties.

She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Pearson received an Award of Merit and has been designated an International Wedding Planning Professional by the QC School of Wedding Planning.

Pearson also is a consultant member of the Association of Bridal Consultants. She has earned the Professional Bridal Consultant Designation by the association. She also plans and coordinates parties, fundraisers and cooperate events.

"My goal is to serve members of the community by saving people money without compromising their goals," she says. To contact Pearson, call 704-784-1369.

Gifts for military kids

Operation Homefront and Dollar Tree are gathering gifts for military children.

More than 3,500 Dollar Tree stores nationwide are taking part for the second year. Last year, patrons donated an estimated $4.5 million in toys. This year's goal is $5 million.

Dollar Tree will begin collecting items Sunday, and Operation Homefront volunteers will collect and distribute the gifts at events around each of the 30 chapter locations. Where Operation Homefront does not have a chapter, volunteers are providing local Family Readiness Groups with gifts for their command families, or the store will donate products to local charities.

Composite fencing

New London-based Fiber Composites is expanding its outdoor product offerings with new Fiberon Enclave composite fencing.

The fencing combines multi-chromatic technology with heavy embossing to create realistic wood beauty that lasts longer and is available in three natural-looking wood hues: coastal cedar, Pacific redwood and weathered pine.

Enclave is made with 65 percent recycled wood and HDPE plastic content for added durability and doesn't require chemical preservatives, stain or paint.

The rails feature three components: composite sleeve, steel and wood reinforcements that allow for 8-foot spans. Self drilling/self tapping screws are provided to secure backer rails.

Fiberon offers 3 1/2-inch pickets in gothic and square top styles and 7-inch pickets in dog ear and square top styles. Pickets can be nailed, stapled or screwed in place.

Enclave is backed by a 20-year limited warranty.

The Fiberon product family is sold to professional contractors and dealers through a national network of distributors. To learn more, visit www.fiberondecking.com, call 1-800-573-8841, or you can e-mail info@fibercomposites.com.

NAM honors three

Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and Rep. Howard Coble received National Association of Manufacturers awards for manufacturing legislative excellence.

Each award honors federal lawmakers whose voting records have consistently supported manufacturing in America.

Dole's record was 75 percent, according to the organization. Dole, a Salisbury native, recently lost her re-election bid.

"In this era of increasing economic uncertainty, Sen. Dole has demonstrated a true understanding of manufacturing's key role in the strength of the American economy and has acted to protect and create manufacturing jobs," said NAM President John Engler.

The NAM award is given to members of the House and Senate who support key manufacturing votes 70 percent or more of the time, as determined by an NAM member-led advisory committee comprised of both small and large manufacturers.

Burr and Coble were among the NAM award recipients with ratings of 100 percent. In the 110th Congress, 43 senators and 181 representatives earned the NAM award. Members of Congress are notified in advance if an upcoming vote is designated a "key vote" by the NAM.

Computer classes

CONCORD — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will offer a basic class in Microsoft Access 2007 and intermediate and advanced classes in Microsoft Excel 2007.

These classes are designed for adults who need to learn the Microsoft Office 2007 software packages. Many businesses and other organizations are moving to the 2007 versions for the newer features and ability to customize documents.

The cost for each course is $50 plus other class materials. Pre-registration is required by calling 704-216-3598. The schedule of classes is as follows:

- MS Access 2007 Basic – 6 to 10 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 11, at RCCC's South Campus;

- MS Excel 2007 Intermediate – 6 to 10 p.m. on Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, South Campus;

- MS Excel 2007 Advanced – 6 to 10 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 16, South Campus.

RCCC's South Campus is located at 1531Trinity Church Rd., just off N.C. 73 and I-85, at exit 55, in Concord.

Military recruiting

CHARLOTTE — The military-to-civilian recruiting firm, RecruitMilitary, will present a free hiring event for job seekers with military backgrounds in the Charlotte area Dec. 4, a Thursday.

The RecruitMilitary Career Fair will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord.

RecruitMilitary urges all job seekers who have military backgrounds to attend, including veterans who already have civilian work experience, men and women who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, members of the National Guard and reserves and military spouses.

The event will be the 97th of 102 RecruitMilitary Career Fairs scheduled for 2008.

Already in the line-up are AFLAC, AT&T (Cingular Wireless), Bank of America, Chesterfield County Police Department, CPI Security Systems, the Defense Intelligence Agency, DeVry University, Duke University Eye Center, ETAK Systems, Gardner-Webb University, Industrial Distribution Group, MatchPoint Franchise Consulting Network, Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network, the N.C. Air National Guard, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Veterans Benefits Administration and Wachovia Corporation.

RecruitMilitary will produce the career fair in cooperation with The American Legion; HireVetsFirst, a unit of the Department of Labor; and the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network.

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

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