Nadine Alford, a 15-year veteran of Lutheran Home – Albemarle, has been named 2009 Nurse Aide of the Year by the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association.
Lutheran Home – Albemarle is an affiliate of Salisbury-based Lutheran Services for the Aging.
Alford, who began her career as a certified nursing assistant 35 years ago, has been caring for residents of Lutheran Home – Albemarle since 1994.
LSA President Ted W. Goins Jr. praised Alford: “I worked a shift with Nadine to keep my own CNA license current, and I was exhausted. Her compassion and endurance are boundless.”
The award was presented to Alford at the NCHCFA convention and trade show in Raleigh in January. Lutheran Home – Albemarle Administrator Priscilla Vint said, “We are very proud of Nadine and of all the front-line staff who work so hard on behalf of our residents.”
This is the fifth year NCHCFA has presented the statewide award, and the second time it has been won by a Lutheran Home ń Albemarle aide.
“I think this profession chose me. When I leave for the day, it makes me feel good to know I have made a difference in someone’s life,” Alford said. “I have been doing this work for over 30 years now and could not imagine doing anything else.”
Genesis Healthcare promotes Fisher
MOORESVILLE ó Mary Ann Fisher has been promoted to senior administrator for Genesis Healthcare in Mooresville.
She has been with Genesis five years as the administrator of its Mooresville facility. As senior administrator Fisher will assist the regional vice president of operations with development of other administrators as well as assisting with special projects.
Future Business Leaders week
Members of Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College celebrated FBLA-PBL Week this past week.
The RCCC chapter of FBLA-PBL was re-chartered in late 2008 with 27 student members. The RCCC chapter will conclude the week’s activities with a re-charter banquet on Feb. 20.
RCCC chapter officers are Virginia Yost, president; Michael Taggart, vice president; and Erin Derr, secretary. Serving as advisers are Martha Cranford and Sandra Horne.
Current RCCC students, alumni and community business leaders are invited to join the RCCC FBLA-PBL chapter by contacting Cranford at cranfordm@rowancabarrus.edu.
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda Inc., is a nonprofit student business organization, with nearly a quarter million members and advisers, in 12,000 chartered high school and college chapters worldwide. Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.
Bank of Carolinas has net loss for year
MOCKSVILLE ó Bank of the Carolinas Corp. reported for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008, the company recorded net income of $794,000, as compared to a net loss of $19,000 in the fourth quarter of 2007. Diluted income per share was 20 cents for the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to no diluted income per share for the comparable quarter of 2007.
For the year ended Dec. 31, 2008, the company reported a net loss of $2.19 million compared to net income of $1.96 million for 2007. Diluted loss per share amounted to 56 cents for 2008 compared to diluted income of 50 cents per share for 2007.
The company’s non-performing assets as of Dec. 31, 2008, were $11.1 million or 1.97 percent of total assets as compared to $15.1 million at Sept. 30, 2008, or 2.64 percent of total assets.
The company’s non-performing loans as a percentage of total loans were also down. These ratios were 1.15 percent at Dec. 31, 2008, 2.44 percent at Sept. 30, 2008, and 1.82 percent at Dec. 31, 2007.
The company added $4.78 million to the allowance for loan losses during 2008, including $534,000 during the fourth quarter.
Robert Marziano is president and chief executive officer.
First Bank CEO in running for award
TROY ó Jerry Ocheltree, president and chief executive officer of First Bank, was recently nominated for 2008 Triad Business Leader of the Year in the finance industry. The award is part of Business Leader magazine’s annual recognition of regional leaders who have made a significant business accomplishment in their category.
Ocheltree was named First Bancorp president and chief executive officer in January 2007. His company recently achieved national recognition as a top performing small-cap bank by Sandler O’Neill & Partners. The award was given to only 33 banks in the nation that show excellent growth, profitability, credit quality and capital strength.
Ocheltree will be recognized with other nominees at an awards ceremony Tuesday in Greensboro.
Walker Marketing adds new client
CONCORD ó Walker Marketing has added Active Day Inc. to its clients.
Active Day Inc. is the largest network of adult day health services centers, in-home personal care companies and outpatient rehabilitation facilities in the country. The network provides adult day health services to more than 2,800 clients a day.
Walker Marketing will provide public relations services for all Active Day centers, located in seven states.
Senior Helpers opens office in Concord
CONCORD ó Senior Helpers, a provider of in-home care for seniors, is now available in Cabarrus, Rowan, Iredell, Catawba and surrounding counties with the opening of a new office.
“Family members begin an emotional rollercoaster ride when trying to balance caring for their elderly parents or grandparents while still living their own lives,” advises Sandy Mullins, with Senior Helpers in Concord. “Families get exhausted, confused and burned out. That’s why people in this situation need to know it’s okay to ask for help.”
Senior Helpers allows adult children to hire a professional caregiver for a few hours a day. The company has 260 franchises in 37 states. Caregivers provide non-medical services such as cooking, taking a client to the doctor’s office, running errands or just keeping someone company.
Hannaford Bros. offers reusable totes
Hannaford Bros., a sister grocery chain to Food Lion, is ending its longtime practice of giving shoppers who carry their groceries home in reusable totes a 5-cent credit for each bag.
The Maine-based supermarket chain, which has provided the incentive since the early 1990s, will end the practice on Monday, spokesman Michael Norton told the Times Union of Albany, N.Y.
“We know that, when you talk to people about why they’re using the bags, there’s a large percentage who aren’t even conscious of the credit,” Norton said.
Roughly 12 percent to 15 percent of items purchased at Hannaford stores now are carried out in reusable bags, and the company is looking to boost that, Norton said.
The company plans to distribute 20,000 of its polypropylene totes, which normally sell for 99 cents, for free. Hannaford will focus first on providing the totes to customers who already use them, hoping they’ll be passed along to friends.
Victory Wealth Management ‘senior friendly business’
Victory Wealth Management Inc. of China Grove has earned certification as the first “Senior-Friendly Business” in Rowan County, according to the Rowan County Council on Aging.
The Council recently instituted the certification program using a model developed in Nash County. The program seeks to recognize businesses that have met legal compliances of the Americans with Disabilities Act and demonstrated an effort to be “senior-friendly.”
Victory Wealth Management agreed to undergo an evaluation conducted by older adult volunteers associated with the Council on Aging.
The company is headed by Mary T. Moose. To learn more about the Senior Friendly Business Certification Program or the Rowan County Council on Aging, contact Rufty-Holmes Senior Center in Salisbury.
CommunityOne Bank gets $51.5 million from federal program
ASHEBORO ó FNB United Corp., the holding company for CommunityOne Bank, reported that it has received $51.5 million as a participant in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Capital Purchase Program.
The company issued 51,500 shares of senior preferred stock and a related warrant for 2,207,143 shares of FNB United common stock to the U.S. Treasury, which represents 15 percent of the senior preferred stock or $7.725 million.
Michael C. Miller, president and chief executive officer of FNB United Corp, said the funds “will strengthen our balance sheet, providing the capital we can use to support our communities not only with loans to qualified borrowers, but to assist customers, on a case-by-case basis, to cope with a diminished capacity to repay their loan obligations.”
The preferred stock issued by the company will pay a 5 percent dividend for the first five years, after which the rate will increase to 9 percent if the company does not redeem the preferred shares.
Galano joins AXA Advisors, Mooresville
MOORESVILLE ó Financial professional Peter Galano has joined AXA Advisors LLC in Mooresville. Devon Cury, executive vice president of AXA Advisors’ Southern Division, made the announcement.
“We’re extremely pleased to have Peter join AXA Advisors,” Cury said. “He comes to us a highly decorated financial professional that has been continually recognized for his commitment to professional leadership.”
Galano has more than 19 years of experience in the financial services industry with a focus on comprehensive wealth management and estate planning. Galano’s office is in Mooresville and can be reached toll free at 877-741-7922.
Architect completes crime prevention training course
CONCORD ó Yates-Chreitzberg-Hughes Architects has announced that Mike Chreitzberg has recently completed Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design training, which was conducted through the N.C. Crime and Public Safety Commission.
Training was specifically targeted toward primary and secondary educational architecture for public schools.
The training is based on the premise that “the proper design and effective use of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear of crime and incidence of crime, and to an improvement in quality of life.”
YCH has been responsible for more than $175 million of public educational school work from Grades K-12.
First Bancorp elects new chairpersons
TROY ó First Bancorp and its subsidiaries elected new chairpersons during a recent meeting. Chairpersons for the board are elected annually and serve one year.
The board elected Tommy Phillips chairman for First Bancorp. He is an automobile dealer and owner of Phillips Ford in Carthage. He was a director of First Savings Bancorp Inc. from 1985 until the bank’s merger with First Bancorp in 2000, and he has continued as a director.
Mary Clara Capel was elected as chairperson for First Bank. She is the director of administration at Capel, Inc., a rug manufacturer, importer and exporter in Troy. She has served as a director of First Bank since 2005.
Frederick Taylor was elected chairman for First Bank Insurance Services. He is the president of Troy Lumber Co. He has served as a director of First Bank since 2005.
James C. Crawford III was elected chairman for Montgomery Data Services, First Bancorp’s data processing subsidiary. Crawford, formerly chairman of Great Pee Dee Bancorp, Inc., joined the board after a 2008 merger. He is retired chairman and chief executive officer of B.C. Moore and Sons Inc., a department store chain.
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