SALISBURY — Integro Technologies, which recently moved into its new headquarters on South Main Street, has been named to the Charlotte Business Journal’s Fast 50.
The list includes the region’s 50 fastest-growing privately held companies. Businesses qualify for recognition based on a formula that reflects dollar and percentage growth during a three-year period.
Companies apply for the list by submitting nominations that include financial performance. Companies must have had annual revenue of at least $1 million in 2010 and must be headquartered in one of the 16 counties that comprise the Charlotte region, including Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly and Union in North Carolina and Chester, Chesterfield, Lancaster and York in South Carolina.
All 50 companies will be recognized and their rankings announced Dec. 5 at a luncheon.
“Our growth is fueled by our customers’ need for machine vision, turnkey product solutions, consulting and support services,” Integro President Shawn Campion said.
Campion said Integro’s reputation as an elite machine vision system integrator — 2D and 3D imaging — has been established through the hard work and dedication of his employees.
Founded in 2001, Integro moved from North Lee Street to its new location in the Salisbury Business Center at 301 S. Main St. Integro is the developer and primary tenant for the Salisbury Business Center.
The new location is more than double the size of the previous location, providing space for Integro to increase manufacturing capacity and a demonstration area to better service customers and their machine-vision needs. 
Campion said the SBC will offer state-of-the-art business facilities to people or companies who need to lease one or several offices. The SBC office suites will open in January 2014, and space is still available for lease.
Sharon Baker is the general manager and can be reached at sbaker@growrowan.com or 704-209-4589.
Imperial Brown, national manufacturer of walk-in coolers and freezers, has named Richard R. Burrows of Hoschton, Ga., as regional sales manager of its Central Division in the U.S. Burrows has more than 20 years of sales experience in the industry and more than 10 years of experience in distribution and service operations. He will be responsible for Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas.
Imperial Brown has manufacturing facilities in Portland, Ore., and Salisbury. The company was created in May 2012 when Imperial Manufacturing acquired W.A. Brown & Sons of Salisbury.
During Burrows’ career, he has worked in sales in 14 states. He has worked in marketing positions, involving capital equipment for health care and food service industries, and as a service manager for an Atlanta area management group.
“I am excited to become a part of this solid company and bring my industry experience to continue the impressive growth of Imperial Brown,” Burrows said.
Rick Schermerhorn, president of Imperial Brown, said Burrows has the experience and knowledge of the industry to continue to expand Imperial Brown’s presence in the Midwest.
Burrows attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, majoring in marketing, and has completed Dale Carnegie courses in human relations and effective speaking. He has had extensive industry training in leadership, management development, safety, dispatch, international shipping, and service management.
SALISBURY — Sherron Barnes, a certified nursing assistant and unit secretary at Trinity Oaks health and rehab, won a Fabulous Fifty Award recently.
Begun in 2001, the Fabulous 50 awards program is a part of the long-term care community’s effort to recognize the extraordinary contributions of all front-line staff to the quality of care and quality of life for residents in skilled nursing facilities in North Carolina.
Barnes was praised for communicating well and establishing wonderful relationships with residents’ families.
“What sets her apart is the willingness and happy spirit she brings to work daily,” administrator Bill Johnson said. “Her boisterous laughter can be heard throughout the building.”
That she has a 90-mile daily commute says a lot about Barnes’ commitment to her job. “I believe this is where God wants me to be,” she says.
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s workplace injury and illness rate for private industry achieved a historic low for 2012, making the Tar Heel state one of the safest states in which to work. The rate decreased to 2.9 cases per 100 full-time workers. The rate had been at 3.1 for the previous three years.
“During my term as Labor Commissioner, I am proud of the fact that North Carolina’s injury and illness rate has dropped 45.3 percent (from 5.3 to 2.9) over the past dozen years, but there’s still more work to be done because 0.0 is the only acceptable rate,” Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said. “The record low injury and illness rate is a credit to the employers and employees of our state and to the hard working men and women of our Department of Labor. Safety is being embraced by management as well as those on the front lines who are performing the state’s most dangerous work.”
The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Division focuses on hazardous industries like construction and manufacturing by implementing special emphasis programs, providing free education and training, and conducting free safety and health consultative visits.
The 2012 rate for construction remained at 2.8 per 100 full-time workers, well below the national average of 3.7. The manufacturing rate decreased to 3.4 in 2012 from 3.7 in 2011 and remains below the national rate of 4.3.
North Carolina was one of eight states to see a decline in injury and illness rates from the previous year.

CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers are hot and tickets to Monday night’s big game in Charlotte are even hotter. If you want to go to the game, the BBB has tips to help you get the hottest tickets in town without getting burned.
The opportunity for sports fans to be scammed by fake ticket sellers occurs most often when people buy tickets from individuals outside the venue on the street, or through online auctions, classifieds and bulletin boards.
The BBB’s database includes reputable, secondary market, ticket firms that provide buyer protections
Other tips for football fans include:
• Find out what a real ticket looks like so you will know if the one you are buying looks real.
• If you are buying from an online ticket broker, look for the BBB seal so you know that you are dealing with a company that has a good reputation and a secure website for processing your payment.
• If you are buying tickets through Craigslist, you should never pay the seller by wire transfer or prepaid debit card.
• If you are buying from a local seller you do not know, meet the seller in a public place to conduct the transaction.
For more information, please visit BBB or call 1-877-317-7236 toll-free.
Submit information about new businesses, honors and management promotions to bizbriefs@salisburypost.com. Include a daytime phone number.