CHARLOTTE — Time Warner Cable customers in Rowan County and the rest of the Charlotte area will see increased Internet speeds this summer.

Dubbed “TWC Maxx,” the new service will have download speeds of up to 300 megabits per second at no extra cost to customers.

Salisbury’s Fibrant currently offers speeds up to 1 gigabit per second (1,000 megabits equals 1 gigabit).

In a press release, Time Warner Cable said customers have started to receive information from Time Warner Cable outlining the first phase of the project as the company begins the process of creating a 100 percent digital network.  Moving to an all-digital lineup is a significant step. Each analog channel takes the space of three to four HD channels and up to 12 digital networks.  This will free up the necessary bandwidth to offer faster Internet speeds.

“With ‘TWC Maxx,’ we’re essentially reinventing the TWC experience,” said Darrel Hegar, regional vice president of operations for Time Warner Cable. “We will boost Internet speeds for customers up to six times faster, add to our robust TWC Wi-Fi, dramatically improve the TV product and set a high bar in our industry for differentiated, exceptional customer service.”

Walmart raises worker pay

After years of employee protests and public pressure, Walmart has officially started paying its employees more.

All Walmart employees now earn at least $9 an hour. In North Carolina, over 23,600 Walmart employees saw their pay increase this week. By February 2016 all current associates will earn at least $10 per hour, according to the company.

Walmart has 1.2 million workers across the country.

A full-time worker earning $9 an hour makes around $19,000 a year before taxes.

The company is re-examining the department manager roles and will raise the starting wage for some of them to at least $13 an hour this summer and at least $15 an hour early next year. Walmart is also implementing changes to its hiring, training, compensation and scheduling programs, as well as its store structure.

Integro partners with Mitsubishi

Machine-vision company Integro Technologies, headquartered in downtown Salisbury, has announced a partnership agreement with Mitsubishi Electric.

Mitsubishi Electric is a leader in machine vision components, including devices for industrial-use factory automation, semiconductor and automotive electrical.

Mitsubishi Electric’s Contact Image Sensors (CIS) KD Series provides an optimum solution for the design of compact, high-speed optical image readers. With a 20-year history in the development and manufacturing of CIS, Mitsubishi Electric offers its experience and self-developed, dedicated key components to meet all of its customers’ needs.

“We are excited to add Mitsubishi’s CIS to our product and integration arsenal to provide best-in-class machine vision inspection and imaging solutions. Mitsubishi’s innovative compact color and grayscale CIS image-formation systems provide superior image quality, speed and form factor to explore a number of previously mechanical constrained inspection applications. We look forward to a very successful 2015 with Mitsubishi CIS products and solutions,” said Shawn Campion, president of Integro Technologies.

The agreement appoints Integro Technologies as the distribution channel for Mitsubishi Electric CIS KD Series.

Dog store seeking donations

Hot Diggity Dog, a specialty store for dogs, is holding its 2nd annual Spring Clean Event.

The store is asking people to donate their old blankets and towels. The store will collect the items and donate them to local and regional animal rescue organizations to use for pet bedding. The store is asking people to wash the blankets and towels before donating them.

People can get a free dog treat when they make a donation.

Hot Diggity Dog is at 125 W. Kerr Street. Hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 5 p.m., Saturday and Monday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The store can be reached at 704-636-9933.

New doctors for Novant Health Rowan

Novant Health recently welcomed new physicians representing the medical specialties of vascular surgery, infectious diseases and spine surgery to its growing network of local health care providers in Rowan County. The new physicians have joined existing Novant Health medical group practices and have hospital privileges at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center.

“Our goal is to continue to enhance our services across Rowan County so that every person has access to care when and where they need it,” said Dari Caldwell, Rowan Medical Center president. “By building our network of doctors, we’re able to better coordinate the primary and specialty care of our patients, anchored by Rowan Medical Center.“

Dr. Martin J. Carignan is a board-certified surgeon with a fellowship in vascular/endovascular surgery. He offers expert specialized care for patients with venous and/or vascular disorders such as peripheral artery disease, aneurysms, renal artery disease, peripheral venous disease, varicose veins, blood clots in the veins and lymphedema. Carignan uses a minimally invasive approach to complex vascular issues, which allows most patients to be evaluated and treated in one convenient location. Most vascular procedures are done on an outpatient basis with reduced recovery time. His practice is Novant Health Vascular Specialists located at 530 Corporate Circle, Suite 200, 704-638-4361.

Dr. Abayomi A. Agbebi is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases with a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Agbebi’s medical interests include general infectious diseases, orthopedic infections, MRSA, hepatitis, HIV, travel medicine and wound care management. He brings over 17 years of experience to Novant Health Infectious Disease Specialists located at 530 Corporate Circle, Suite 200, 704-638-0336.

Dr. Eugene Eline joins the team at Novant Health Pinnacle Orthopedics. Eline is board-certified in orthopedic surgery and completed a fellowship in spinal surgery. He served as an orthopedic surgery residency faculty member and has been involved in the development of new spine implants and procedures. Special interests include degenerative spine conditions, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, cervical disc herniation, compression fractures, and minimally invasive spine surgery. Eline’s office is located at 810 Mitchell Ave., 704-216-5633.

For a full list of physicians and providers, visit NovantHealth.org/Rowan.

Guffey appointed chair of trade association

CONCORD — The Tree Care Industry Association, the national trade association for commercial and utility tree care companies, recently installed Jack Guffey as chair of the board of directors.

Guffey, president of Carolina Tree Care in Concord,  previously served two three-year Board terms leading up to the chairmanship, having served since 2009. He was appointed to the chair position at the annual Winter Management Conference in February.

The board is elected by its members to set policy and the strategic direction of the association, which provides safety and educational programs, meetings, publications and guidelines for tree care companies.

“We’re excited to see Jack at the helm as Chair – the industry and the Board will benefit greatly from his tree care expertise and leadership,” says Mark Garvin, president and CEO of the Tree Care Industry Association.

In addition to his board service, Guffey has served as a Tree Care business adviser and as a member of the association’s ethics committee. He has served the community and the country as an officer in the United States Army Reserves, as an ordained deacon, served on the board of advisers for his local chamber of commerce and is currently on the board of the Carolinas Medical Center Northeast Foundation.

Along with increasing professionalism in the tree care industry, Guffey wants the board to focus on attracting more young people to arboriculture by supporting their education and job placement. “We’re seeing a number of colleges and universities eliminate their forestry program or their arboriculture program. I really would rather see our college systems increasing the number of programs for our industry. Trying to find qualified labor is a major issue,” he said.