If you want to become state-approved activity director for a nursing home, you can take a course offered by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College beginning Monday.
The class meets Mondays and Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. through Aug. 13 at the Rufty-Holmes Senior Center. The registration fee is $60 and a supply fee is $22.
This is a 60-hour, state-approved course meeting all N.C. state qualification requirements and detailing state and federal regulations, how to plan and coordinate senior activities, and various other duties within the activity director profession.
Call RCCC’s Continuing Education Department at 704-216-3512 for more details and to register.
– You can learn how to turn vegetables into works of art and create unique table centerpieces and accents by taking a five-session “Vegetable Art Carving” class at RCCC.
The 15-hour class will meet 6 to 9 p.m. on June 1, 3, 8, 10 and 15, at RCCC’s North Campus, in Salisbury. The course fee is $42.55, plus supplies.
Students will learn how to use carving tools and related safety tips, how to carve carrots, cucumbers and radishes, and how to make basket arrangements using a variety of vegetables.
Class space is limited, and advanced registration is required. Call RCCC’s Continuing Education Department to register and for more information, including supply list ó 704-216-3512.
On National Doughnut Day, get a free one Friday
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. is celebrating National Doughnut Day Friday, June 5, by giving away a free doughnut to all its customers.
No purchase is necessary to receive a free doughnut. The offer is good for one doughnut per customer at participating locations.
Real estate investors meeting Thursday in Concord
The Concord-area subgroup meeting of the Metrolina Real Estate Investors Association will meet Thursday at Logan’s Roadhouse, 2431 Wonder Drive in Kannapolis.
The topic is “Buying and Financing Bank Owned Properties” by Gwen Chubirko.
With so many foreclosures, banks have an abundance of inventory they need to sell. Chubirko will share some of her 20-plus years of expertise as an agent in getting discounted deals from the banks and how to get them financed.
The group meets the first Thursday of each month.
First Bank dividend 8 cents per share, down from 19 cents
TROY ó The board of directors of First Bancorp, the parent company of First Bank, has declared a cash dividend of 8 cents per share payable July 24 to shareholders of record as of June 30.
That’s the same as the rate declared in the first quarter of 2009 and is a decrease from the 19 cents per share rate declared in the second quarter of 2008.
Charlotte Regional Partnership named grantee for FTZ 57
The Charlotte Regional Partnership has become the grantee and administrator for Foreign Trade Zone 57. Although designated “Mecklenburg County,” FTZ 57 extends beyond the county’s borders, including sites in Alexander, Cabarrus and Catawba counties.
The N.C. Department of Commerce requested that the public/private economic development organization provide the zone’s oversight, so there was more direct regional involvement. Although FTZ 57 is the oldest in the state, it was the only one of the six North Carolina foreign trade zones that wasn’t under local control.
“Although we always have promoted the FTZ as one of our regional assets, as the zone’s administrator, we can more directly market and grow the foreign trade zone, as we work with existing industry and recruit new businesses to Charlotte USA,” said Ronnie Bryant, Charlotte Regional Partnership president and chief executive officer.
Foreign trade zones offer tax and duty advantages to existing industry and serve as an incentive to attract companies.
Since FTZs are legally outside U.S. Customs territory, merchandise from anywhere in the world may enter a foreign trade zone without a formal customs entry or the payment of customs duties or government excise taxes.
Goods may be stored, exhibited, assembled, manufactured or processed on site. They aren’t taxed until they leave the FTZ and officially enter the United States. Then, the tax is on either the product itself or its imported components, whichever is lower. If the final product is exported, there are no duties at all.
Foreign trade zones can be a building or just a room, but they must be within 90 miles of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry. FTZ 57 includes 16 general purpose sites for public use, as well as two subzones that are company exclusive. Several additional sites are pending approval by the U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Board.
The Charlotte Regional Partnership allocates and leverages regional economic development resources in the Charlotte region. The 16-county region encompasses Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties in North Carolina and Chester, Chesterfield, Lancaster and York counties in South Carolina. Its Web site is www.charlotteusa.com.
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