ACN Inc. has helped Home Instead Senior Care of Rowan and Cabarrus counties develop a program called ěThe Gift of Caringî to benefit isolated and financially challenged seniors.
The program is to fund 40 grants to provide nonmedical in-home care or in-hospital respite care for seniors in need. It will also publish a calendar that features and honors local senior veterans.
In December, ACN Inc. and its employees participated in the Be a Santa to a Senior program that Home Instead Senior Care sponsors each Christmas. ACN employees also raised funds that the company matched. Home Instead Senior Care was presented a check and a challenge: take the money and create a means to benefit needy seniors year-round. The Gift of Caring began with that challenge.
Each of the 40 grants will provide a caregiver for 10 hours of non-medical private care for one senior, either in their home or in the hospital. The grant may be used to assure that the senior is accompanied home after hospitalization, helped to get settled safely, and has the means to attend a follow-up appointment with their physician. The grant may be used to provide 10 hours of in-hospital respite care for the family caregiver of a seriously ill senior.
The grants are being given to Rowan Regional Medical Center, Carolinas Medical Center Northeast and W.G. Hefner Veterans Administration Hospital. Discharge planners, patient advocates and chaplains will select the care recipients.
Home Instead Senior Care will deliver the grants to the hospitals on a monthly basis from March to October.
A portion of the fund has been designated to develop a 16-month calendar that features and honors local senior veterans. The calendar will be given to veterans at the State Veteranís Nursing Home in Salisbury and also to veterans in the community through the Cabarrus Veterans Service Office in Concord. The calendar project is scheduled to be complete by summer and will be distributed during a veteransí appreciation celebration sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care. For more details, contact Home Instead Senior Careís Community Service Representatives Crystal Dickerson 704-636-2010 or Robin Scharding 704-788-3399.
Penrod Medical Equipment sold
Penrod Medical Equipment has been sold to Craig Rae, who is relocating to the area from Hudson, Wisc.
ěPenrod is the leading supplier and servicer of mobility equipment, lift chairs, and other durable medical equipment in Rowan County, and I look forward to continuing their long standing reputation for excellenceî said Rae, a former executive with companies such as Newell-Rubbermaid and Roto Zip Tool Corp.
ěAfter 30 years in the corporate world, millions of miles of travel, and too many brutal Wisconsin winters, my wife, Sherry, and I decided that we wanted to get closer to the sun and our kids, who all live in the Charlotte areaî Rae said. ěI contacted VR Mergers and Acquisitions of Charlotte, and we reviewed numerous local businesses that were for sale. Penrod Medical was clearly the best opportunity.î
Penrod Medical was founded in 2003 by Roger Bowman. Gary Straka joined as a partner in 2005. Penrod is best known for power wheelchairs, scooters, lifts and lift chairs. It also offers other medical equipment products, including diabetic testing supplies, diabetic shoes, nebulizers, walkers, canes, crutches, bath safety products, patient lift equipment and hospital beds. Penrod is also the only accredited durable medical equipment distributor in Rowan County.
Straka, a disabled American veteran, will remain with Penrod, focusing on working with veterans.
National apartment leasing professional
Shuntale Smith has met the National Apartment Association Education Instituteís (NAAEIís) requirements is now designated a National Apartment Leasing Professional.
Designates must attend more than 30 hours of curriculum study and lecture that encompasses the latest information regarding fair housing, rental policies and procedures, resolving objections and keys to success. You must pass seven exams, submit and receive a passing grade for an oral presentation, document at least six months of apartment industry experience and earn continuing education credits annually.
Official at Land Trust leadership seminar
Andrew Waters, operations director at The LandTrust for Central North Carolina, was selected by The Land Trust Alliance as one of 20 land trust leaders from across the country to attend a week-long training program in Massachusetts.
The Land Trust Alliance (LTA), based in Washington, D.C., is the national association and service center for Americaís land conservation organizations. It provides training, support and advocacy for land trusts throughout the United States.
The training, held in North Adams, Mass., May 1-6, focused on various aspects of nonprofit management, including communications and public relations, board development, fundraising and financial management.
The LandTrust for Central North Carolina also has been selected by the Land Trust Alliance as the first ěpilotî land trust in the Southeastern United States to participate in LTAís new ěAdvancement Program.î The selection recognizes The LandTrustís record of land conservation and provides assistance for advancing operational excellence and assuring its sustainability. Watersí selection for the leadership training, which includes a $5,000 scholarship, is a component of the ěAdvancement Program.î
Waters manages all day-to-day administrative functions at The LandTrust.
ěWe are excited that Andrew has been selected for this honor,î says Jason Walser, executive director at The LandTrust. ěIt is recognition of the great job he has done.î
Also selected to attend the training program was Kevin Redding, former associate director at The LandTrust and current executive director of the Piedmont Land Conservancy based in Greensboro. A Rowan County native, Redding attended East Rowan High School before receiving degrees from East Carolina University and Western Carolina University.
Brady qualifies for Sierra Levelwith Thrivent Financial
Eric Brady, a financial consultant with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, is one of 700 who qualified for Sierra level for 2010 sales and service out of approximately 2,400 financial representatives.
Brady is with Thrivent Financialís Southeast Regional Financial Office, serving Lutherans and their family members in Salisbury and surrounding communities. He was recognized at Thrivent Financialís sales conference in April. He has been with Thrivent Financial for 20 years and has been recognized for his performance 15 times.
Meanwhile, the A.M. Best rating agency has affirmed Thrivent Financial for Lutheransí A++ (Superior) rating and given the organization a stable outlook. A++ (Superior) is the highest of A.M. Bestís 16 ratings categories.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans also has been named to Fortune magazineís Fortune 500 list based on annual revenues. The organization moved up 24 spots in the 2011 ranking to become the 318th largest company in the United States. The ranking was based on Thrivent Financialís 2010 revenue of $7.47 billion. The magazine listed Thrivent as the sixth largest mutual life/health insurance organization in the United States.
Daimler Trucks CEO showcases hybrid products at conference
LONG BEACH, Calif. ń Martin Daum, president and chief executive officer of Daimler Trucks North America, provided the keynote address at the Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, the largest clean transportation event in North America.
Daum discussed leadership in diesel efficiency programs and alternative fuel options, including the first original equipment manufacturer to bring a factory-produced conventional natural gas truck to market.
Daimler Trucks has deployed 400 Sterling and Freightliner natural gas tractors to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach; and, with the Maryland Energy Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy, spearheaded deployment of 143 hybrid trucks to Aramark Uniform Services, Nestle Waters, Sysco Foods and UPS.
The company has already delivered nearly 1,600 natural gas-powered Thomas Built Buses and will deliver its 1,000th natural gas vehicle since 2008 under the Sterling and Freightliner brands later this year.
RecruitMilitary event scheduled for June 2 at speedway
CONCORD ó The military-to-civilian recruiting firm RecruitMilitary will present a free employment, business-opportunity and education event for job seekers who have military backgrounds on Thursday, June 2.
The RecruitMilitary Veteran Opportunity Expo will be from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at The Speedway Club, Charlotte Motor Speedway. The event will be open to veterans who already have civilian work experience, those who are transitioning from active duty to civilian life, members of the National Guard and reserves, military spouses, and other military family members.
RecruitMilitary has scheduled 36 expos for 2011. For more information, visit www. recruitmilitary.com.
Tara Smith named CareGiver of the Month for Home Instead
Tara Smith has been chosen May CareGiver of the Month by Home Instead Senior Care in Salisbury.
She has been with Home Instead since September.
ěTara has her whole heart in Caregiving, and is a wonderful asset to our Home Instead family,î said Ashley Sheley of Home Instead.
First Bancorp first quarter earnings 32 cents per share
TROY ó First Bancorp, parent company of First Bank, announced first quarter net income available to common shareholders of $5.3 million compared to $3.4 million reported in the first quarter of 2010. Earnings per diluted common share were 32 cents in the first quarter of 2011 compared to 20 cents in the first quarter of 2010.
The company realized a $10.2 million purchase gain from the acquisition of The Bank of Asheville, resulting from the difference between the purchase price and the acquisition-date fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities. The after-tax impact of this gain was $6.2 million.
Under a loss share agreement with the FDIC, the government will cover 80 percent of loan and foreclosed real estate losses. First Bancorp has recorded an estimated receivable from the FDIC of $42.2 million.
Total assets on March 31, 2011, were $3.4 billion, a 0.3 percent increase from a year earlier. Total loans were $2.5 billion, a 4.6 percent decrease from a year earlier. Total deposits were $2.8 billion, a 0.9 percent decrease from a year earlier.
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