The Rowan County Chamber of Commerce recruited more than 100 new members into the business organization during its recent annual new member drive. The effort surpassed the Chamber’s budgeted goal.
Brian Miller of Citizens South Bank is the Chamber’s Membership chairman. He led the annual new member recruitment effort with the help of more than 60 volunteers. The drive was headquartered at the Gateway Building, the Chamber’s home.
“The drive was an outstanding success in every way,” Miller said.
The team selling the most new memberships was led by Ted Goins of Lutheran Services for the Aging and recruited 24 new members. Tom Loeblein of Healthcare Management Consultants was the top individual sales person with eight new members.
Team captains for the drive were Greg Anderson (Salisbury Post), Robert Cockerl (Allstate Insurance), Bob Craig (Prater Trucking), Guylaine Diehl (PDC-Phone Directories Co.), Jennifer Gardner (Food Lion), Ted Goins (Lutheran Services for the Aging), John Grubb (Quick Copy Print Shop), Jayne Helms (Allen Tate Realty), Tom Loeblein (Healthcare Management Consultants), Jim McDermott (SunTrust Bank), Brian Miller (Citizens South Bank) and Ed Snow (AXA & Snow Benefits Group).
Randy Welch of Duke Energy is Chamber chairman of the board. He said, “The Rowan County business community has rallied around the Chamber and we now have almost 1,000 members. Because of this tremendous support, the Chamber is better positioned to lead the business community forward and meet head-on the many challenges we face. We can’t thank enough the new members who have joined us and the many volunteers who played a part in this tremendous success.”
Linda Sherrill, membership director for the Chamber, provided critical support and leadership for the drive.
Membership in the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce is available to any firm, association, corporation, partnership or estate having interest in the Chamber’s mission and objectives. Contact the Chamber at 704-633-4221 or www.rowanchamber.com.
Walmart celebration is Wednesday
The Salisbury Walmart is celebrating a re-grand opening Wednesday.
The Walmart at 323 S. Arlington St. will give shoppers a glimpse of the company’s next generation of store design and customer experience. The results of a three-month remodeling project will be unveiled during a ceremony at 7:30 a.m. Among the improvements are a new layout, wider aisles, low-profile shelving, bright interior paint scheme, enhanced lighting and easy-to-read signage.
“We listened to our customers and have redesigned the store to make shopping at Walmart even easier,” said store manager Richard Anderson.
The remodel also brings Walmart customers an expanded electronics department. A new department called Celebration Station has been added and will feature party supplies, greeting cards, balloons and helium tanks, cake supplies and gift wrap.
During the ceremony, store associates will present $16,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to local service organizations including Habitat for Humanity; Overton Elementary School; Rowan Cabarrus Early College; Salisbury Fire Department; Salisbury Police Department and West Rowan Middle School.
The store will employ a total of approximately 470 associates after the remodel.
Consignment sale at armory Oct. 23-25
David and Cara Dowling will hold a consignment sale at the Salisbury National Guard Armory from Oct. 23-25. The sale is open to the public to consign, volunteer and shop. Military families get early entry to the sale and free consignment registration.
All families can register to consign through the Web site http://www.kidconsign.com. Volunteers can register for shifts online.
On Sunday of the sale, most items will be half price. Many items that are not sold will be donated to local charities within the Salisbury area. Through local charities, two families will be chosen to shop for clothing off the racks.
The Dowlings also plan to provide lunch to the full-time soldiers that work at the National Guard Armory in Salisbury as a special thanks for their service. The sale will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 23, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 25.
Learning center offers certified nursing assistant classes
New Careers Learning Center will offer the Certified Nursing Assistance I Class on Monday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The session is four weeks and will take place at 510 Old Centergrove Road in the Marable Memorial Plaza in Kannapolis.
Also, there will be a CNA I Refresher Course on Oct.17 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
Seating is limited. For more details, please contact Yvette Sinclair at 704-298-4450 or by e-mail at newcareerslearningcenter1@yahoo. com.
SunTrust traveling education center comes to Salisbury
Business on the Go is on a 16-week tour throughout the Southeast as part of SunTrust’s larger effort to educate small- and medium-sized businesses about the business solutions, tools and best practices that can help business owners get through the day and run their business more efficiently.
The vehicle gives visitors a hands-on experience with several tools and solutions aimed at addressing the needs and challenges business owners often face.
Visitors can register to receive a Business Owner’s Playbook when they take a tour of the vehicle. This playbook includes tips, research and best practices to help business owners ń beyond technology and products.
Business on the Go is at 507 W. Innes St. in Salisbury 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday. No appointment is required.
Benham Companies headquarters going across from Concord Mills
CONCORD ó Benham Companies is set to move into a new building and host a dedication and ribbon cutting on Oct. 28 at 10 a.m.
Benham Companies was founded in 2003 by identical twin brothers Jason and David Benham. After graduating high school in 1994, each received a full baseball scholarship to Liberty University. In 1998, Major League Baseball selected them both in the Professional Baseball Draft. David was drafted by the Boston Red Sox, and Jason was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles.
They began their business journey at the David Drye Co. in 2002, but shortly thereafter joined Allen Craven of Craven & Co. Realtors. They developed a niche working with foreclosures, managing and selling foreclosure homes during a time when values were climbing and markets were strengthening. In 2004, they launched the Benham Real Estate Group. In 2006, as real estate markets and values began to soften, the Benhams decided to expand nationwide and founded the Benham “REO” Group. The Benham REO Group became the nation’s leading affiliate “reo brokerage” network. With 85 offices nationwide and more than 4,000 assets in its inventory, the Benham REO Group continues to grow.
The company has achieved awards including Inc. Magazine’s Fastest Growing Companies list, U.S. Chamber Blue Ribbon Award (Top 25 Small Business USA), Cabarrus County Small Business of the Year, and the 2008 Stevie Award for Sales Executive of the Year.
They were also nominated for Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs of the Year and were listed in the Top 5 Real Estate Agents in the country by the Wall Street Journal.
Their corporate headquarters is currently moving across from Concord Mills Mall into a million-dollar facility, which will house six other companies and employ more than 55 people.
Fiberon moves into PVC decking fda fdasljkfdasljk
NEW LONDON ó Fiberon LLC, a leading manufacturer of alternative decking solutions, in preparation for the introduction of new technologies for PVC decking, is elevating its PVC offering to Fiberon OutdoorFlooring featuring Sensibuilt LumeniteTM technology.
“With the recent proliferation of decking options, homeowners are placing emphasis on style and aesthetics. They are looking for flooring for their outdoor living spaces the same way they selected tile, laminate or hardwood for their indoor spaces,” says Chris Beyer, vice president of marketing for Fiberon.
Fiberon’s application of the patent-pending, fusion-bonded Lumenite surface innovation, originally introduced on Sensibuilt PVC decking, raises the benchmark in alternative decking because it ensures fade, stain and mold resistance. This PVC outdoor flooring comes with the industry’s only 10-year stain and fade resistance warranty, providing peace of mind for contractors and homeowners.
PVC is widely recognized in the category as the most advanced alternative decking material. Advantages include its long life cycle when compared with wood and traditional composites. PVC decking is also comparably lighter in weight than wood composites, providing added transportation and installation benefits.
Fiberon decking solutions are sold to professional contractors and dealers through a national network of distributors. To learn more, visit www.fiberondecking.com or call 800-573-8841.
Carolina Farm Credit announces cap winner for the quarter
Carolina Farm Credit announces that Robert Harrison of Rowan County is a winner in the company’s cap contest.
The cap contest is a quarterly drawing rewarding four people for wearing a Carolina Farm Credit cap.
An employee or director spots an individual wearing a Carolina Farm Credit cap and obtains his or her name and address to enter the person in the drawing.
At the end of each quarter, Carolina Farm Credit draws four names, and the winners each receive $50.
The company serves 54 counties.
Risk manager joins Central Carolina Insurance Agency
Ryan Jenkins recently joined Central Carolina Insurance Agency Inc. as a risk manager in Rowan and Davidson counties.
He has 13 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Jenkins has lived in the Salisbury area for more than 12 years and is married to Suzanne Jenkins. They have a 7-year-old son named Carter and a 4-year-old daughter named Parker.
A 1996 graduate of Western Carolina University, Jenkins has a BSBA degree with a focus in Management. He serves on the board of directors at Davidson County Communities in Schools, as an Ambassador with the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce and is an avid cyclist who competes on the Carolina Masters Cycling Team.
Contact Jenkins at 704-636-5311 or jenkinsr@centralcarolina.com.
Submit information about new businesses, honors and management promotions to bizbriefs@salisburypost.com. Include a daytime phone number.