Financial advisers attend conference

China Grove – Midge Suite-Arnold and Cathy Foster, CFP local financial advisers affiliated with Victory Wealth Management Inc., recently attended AIG Advisor Group’s 2015 ConnectED conference.

The annual event was hosted in San Antonio on Sept. 28-Oct. 1. More than 3,000 attendees, including financial advisers from FSC Securities Corporation, Royal Alliance Associates Inc., SagePoint Financial Inc. and Woodbury Financial Services Inc., AIG Advisor Group’s four broker-dealers, were present at the event.

“ConnectED has grown into one of our most successful education events for all advisers in the AIG Advisor Group network,” said Erica McGinnis, president and CEO of AIG Advisor Group. “This year we provided attendees with the exclusive opportunity to really hone in on business and practice development tools and resources. We’re confident that advisers left the conference with new and applicable knowledge to better serve their clients and grow their businesses.”

ConnectED 2015’s keynote speakers included Malcolm Gladwell, journalist and best-selling author, as well as Peter H. Diamandis, engineer, physician, author, Chairman/CEO of the X Prize Foundation and Executive Chairman of Singularity. The conference also featured more than 120 educational sessions on a range of topics reflecting the most current industry trends, best practices, products and policies.

“ConnectED 2015 was an outstanding event,” said Suite-Arnold. “AIG Advisor Group ensures that attendees will be provided with compelling and relevant breakout sessions along with invaluable networking opportunities among advisers from all four broker-dealers. I am pleased to say that I learned excellent tips, tools and resources that can directly benefit my business and, more importantly, my clients. Each year AIG Advisor Group proves that educational conferences such as ConnectED are powerful learning opportunities.”

Pro Refrigeration expanding

 Two years after opening its East Coast manufacturing plant in Davie County, Pro Refrigeration is expanding.

They have outgrown the 40,000 square feet of space in the former Crown Wood building on John Crotts Road and have expanded into over 60,000 square feet of space in the former Renegade Tobacco warehouse on Beechtree Place, just off of Farmington Road near Interstate 40. The layout of the new location doubles the amount of space dedicated to the manufacturing process.

Pro Refrigeration was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Auburn, Wash. In 2013, after a year-long search for a site that would fit their East Coast expansion plans, the family-owned manufacturer decided that Davie County best reflected their vision for the future and they opened a manufacturing plant at the former Crown Wood plant.

According to Jim Vandergiessen Jr., CEO of Pro Refrigeration, “We chose Davie County for our East Coast manufacturing plant because of the skilled workforce, the business-friendly environment, and the amazing support we’ve received from everyone we’ve met.”

When Pro Refrigeration recognized the need to expand its Davie County manufacturing footprint, local leaders and entrepreneurs went to work to help keep the company in Davie.

According to Terry Bralley, president of the Davie County Economic Development Commission, “Our community of business leaders and entrepreneurs has gained a lot of experience over the last several years and they know how to win in the economic development arena. Broad-based community support for these wins has encouraged an entrepreneurial mindset among local business owners and entrepreneurs across Davie County.

“After a series of economic development wins since over the last several years, Davie County is running low on our inventory of existing buildings. While the former Renegade Tobacco warehouse had just about the right amount of space for the Pro Refrigeration expansion, there were some key pieces missing, including office space and parking. The building is owned by several local entrepreneurs who were able to work to up-fit the space to meet Pro Refrigeration’s office and parking requirements. Local entrepreneurs engaged and invested in economic development results in broad community support for local entrepreneurs.”

Pro Refrigeration designs, manufactures and distributes state-of-the-art refrigeration systems for the dairy, winery, food processing, medical and brewing industries.

Company headquarters coming to Davie

AccuMED is moving its corporate headquarters from Buffalo, N.Y., to Mocksville. The company will invest approximately $3.5 million and create 40-50 jobs.

The company is moving into the former Ventlab building, a 78,300-square foot building located at 155 Boyce Drive in Mocksville. AccuMED corporate headquarters in Mocksville is expected to include jobs in senior management, engineering, supply chain, production planning, information technology, human relations, quality assurance, logistics and warehousing, project management, finance and general production and support positions.

The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority has approved a building reuse grant of $500,000 for building improvements to the 78,300-square foot building which has been vacant for approximately a year and a half. Construction is expected to begin this month  with hiring to begin in the spring of 2016. 

AccuMED Corporation is an engineering services and contract manufacturing partner for major medical product companies with a specialty in textile-based medical products that touch the body. Using their knowledge of materials and how they interface with the human body, their engineering team works with their design teams to create and transform ideas into a product which meets the form, fit and function of unique application requirements.  Additionally, they provide turn-key design and manufacturing.

Current products include CPAP headgear, DVT wraps, patient slings, lateral transfer mattresses and orthopedic devices.

Administrator earns certification

Peggy S. Dramer, BS, CMPE, administrator, Salisbury Pediatric Associates, PA, has earned the professional designation of Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE) by the American College of Medical Practice Executives, the certification entity of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).

The designation of CMPE demonstrates that Dramer has achieved board certification in medical practice management. Through industry-leading board certification and Fellowship programs, ACMPE certifies an individual‘s professional competence when they pass rigorous essay and objective examinations that assess knowledge of the broad scope of medical practice management skills sets as outlined in the Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management.

These include business operations, financial management, human resource management, information management, organizational governance, patient care systems, quality management and risk management. The individual must also earn a minimum of 50 continuing education credit hours.

Dramer has over 20 years of experience in medical management, including skills in human resources, financial analysis, contract negotiations, risk management, practice performance, physician buy-in techniques, practice evaluations, facility design, construction relocation and site development.

Dramer was president of the Winston-Salem Medical Group Managers in 2010-2011. She has successfully lead large private practices through the challenging technology and economically times. Currently, she leads Salisbury Pediatric Associates, an independent practice with over 17 providers.