The N.C. Department of Labor honored area employers and employees at the agency’s annual safety awards banquet in Lexington on Thursday, June 13.
“It’s really an honor for me to travel throughout the state and recognize these employers who are making a commitment to their employees’ safety and health,” Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said. “These employers are helping to make North Carolina workplaces some of the safest in the country.”
The awards honor outstanding on-the-job safety achievements of each company during 2012. Recipients were located in Lexington, Mocksville, Salisbury and Thomasville.
The event was co-sponsored by the N.C. Department of Labor and the Lexington Chamber of Commerce.
The local recipients have met the stringent requirements necessary to receive a safety award.
Companies must have been free of fatal accidents at the site. More information on the program is available by calling 919-807-2908 or emailing Eursula Joyner at eursula.joyner@labor.nc.gov.
Rate of days away from work must be at least 50 percent below the industry average.
First Year: Lexington Home Brands, Plant 5
Rate of days away from work, job transfer or restriction must be at least 50 percent below the industry average.
First Year: Lexington Home Brands, Plants 3 and 98
N.C. Department of Public Safety, Davidson Correctional Center
Second Year: Duke Energy, Buck Combined Cycle Station
Rowan Regional Medical Center

Third Year: Temporary Resources Inc., Mocksville
11th Year: N.C. Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions, Lexington Local Office
N.C. Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions, Mocksville Branch Office
N.C. Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions, Salisbury Local Office
15th Year: Diversified Graphics, Inc.

The Family Dollar store on Jake Alexander Boulevard will hold a grand re-opening Saturday as it celebrates its new, bigger location. 
Store manager Jeanie Fox says the store closed its location in the Westland Shopping Center near Food Lion two weeks ago and moved to 455 Jake Alexander Blvd. 
The new location has space for more variety, Fox says, including refrigerated and frozen food. It also has expanded hours, being open 8 a.m.-10 p.m., seven days a week. The store accepts EBT cards. 
Fox said the grand re-opening will start with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. 
The store’s phone number is 704-638-6359. 

RALEIGH — Wesley Mcknight of the Rowan County maintenance yard won the motor grader competition at the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division Nine “Equipment Roadeo,” which was held in Winston-Salem on May 14-15.
The annual event tests the safety awareness and skill level of NCDOT employees in Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Rowan and Stokes counties who operate heavy equipment.
The contestants engaged in friendly competition with co-workers to determine who could best maneuver a dump truck, tractor, backhoe, low-boy trailer, mower or motor grader through obstacle courses that model real-life scenarios.
The winners of each category will go on to compete in the statewide “Equipment Roadeo” in Raleigh July 24.
The overall goals of the “Equipment Roadeo” include helping NCDOT workers advance their skills, emphasizing the importance of safety when operating heavy equipment, fostering a sense of team spirit and recognizing employees who excel at their jobs.

Guest speaker John K. Anwar of Estate and Elder Planning Center of North Carolina will join Thomas R. Sanford, II, estate and elder law attorney at a senior financial and legal workshop Thursday, June 27, at 1 p.m. at J.F. Hurley Family YMCA (828 Jake Alexander Blvd. W.).
Topics include protecting your life savings from nursing home costs, protecting your estate, possible Medicaid disqualifiers, veteran’s benefits most people are not aware of, legal documents and more.
If married, both spouses are encouraged to attend.
Seating is limited, so call 800-445-1157 to reserve a space.

Rowan Real Estate Investors and Associates will meet Tuesday, June 25, to hear all about how to get started.
Discussion will include how to market for, analyze, negotiate, purchase and sell properties without using your own money.
Details will include a look at several deals, past and present, to plan for doing better deals in the future.  
The group meets regularly at China Buffet in Salisbury at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month.  The meeting is open to anyone who would like to attend.  (China Buffet is on Arlington street behind O’Charleys near Interstate 85 exit 76)
The purpose of the group is to provide information regarding real estate investing in Rowan county. Call 704-762-1117 for more information. 

The Mosquito Authority is offering tips for control and prevention during Mosquito Control Awareness Week, June 23-29.
Mosquito Authority is offering new customers 50 percent off their first backyard mosquito treatment during the week.
The Mosquito Authority uses mosquito management to break the life cycle, reducing aggravation and risks posed by these pests.
Visit BugsBite.com or call 1-704-680-8133.

Cincinnati-based Kroger is touting a new number it says is winning shoppers and adding to the grocer’s bottom line: A wait of just 26 seconds to start in the checkout lane, down from 4 minutes a few years ago, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Getting shoppers through checkout as quickly as possible is key to building customer loyalty — cited by Kroger this past week as one reason earnings were up 9.6 percent in the three months ending May 25, compared to the same time a year ago. Overhead infrared sensors count customers in all 2,424 supermarkets operated by Kroger. In the past few years, the retailer has quietly widened the use of technology to analyze most popular shopping times to better staff cash registers.

LEXINGTON- Steve Case, co-founder of Revolution Growth and former co-founder of AOL, announced a $20 million investment in Lolly Wolly Doodle, a social commerce apparel company.
Lolly Wolly Doodle was founded by first-time entrepreneur and mother-of-four, Brandi Temple.
Lolly Wolly Doodle has been a pioneer in using social media to propel its business, It has become a social commerce success story with a Facebook community of more than 580,000 fans.
The investment will enable the company to scale its operation including recruiting executive talent and hiring 100 more people in North Carolina in operations and manufacturing.

FAITH — EllaRae House and Garden, 109 N. Main St., Faith, hosted its grand opening in May.
EllaRae House and Garden is a family owned business that provides floral arrangements for all occasions such as anniversaries, births, weddings, sympathies, get well and more.
The business is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The company delivers throughout Rowan County, Mount Pleasant and Locust.
For additional information, visit ellaraehouseandgarden.com or contact Teresa Turner or Angela Harris at 704-279-0424 for any questions.
Submit information about new businesses, honors and management promotions to bizbriefs@salisburypost.com. Include a daytime phone number.