Learn how to make the most of online advertising

SALISBURY — Local businesses have a chance to hear from an industry insider about how to hit the mark with online advertisements.

To help businesses use online marketing effectively, the Salisbury Post will host the Target Your Ideal Audience seminar on Sept. 10 at the Salisbury Business Center. The featured speaker will be Ann Kraus.

Kraus started her career in television production, working at stations in Rochester, Boston and Charlotte. She also worked in education, teaching digital media to high school and university students.

Kraus was a digital sales specialist and digital sales training manager for an integrated broadcasting, publishing and digital media company. She wrote and produced several online courses. She is pursuing her second master’s degree in instructional design.

Kraus has consulted with thousands of business owners about the latest in marketing technology.

“Basically, in today’s day and age, people are addicted to the internet. They are spending somewhere in the range of six hours a day online,” Kraus said. “Business owners can’t ignore this channel, and they can’t just focus on Google and social media for their advertisements.”

Her presentation at the Salisbury Business Center will focus on how to use marketing technology, including targeted display and geo-fencing, to find the right consumer for advertisements.

“Targeted display places relevant ads in front of the right audience based on their internet history,” Kraus said. “And geo-fencing, which is great, allows us to advertise to someone based on their specific location.”

The free seminar includes lunch and prize raffles.

The Salisbury Business Center is at 301 S. Main St.

To reserve a seat for the seminar, visit Eventbrite or call 704-797-7672.

Fision Experience Center opens downtown

Hotwire Communications has opened Fision Experience Center in downtown Salisbury.

Located at 114 S. Main St., the center will provide more hands-on customer service.

Salisbury residents can see live demonstrations of Fision products, pay their bills, pick up or drop off equipment, add or change services, and speak directly to customer service representatives to address questions or concerns.

All forms of payment are accepted at the downtown center. Only credit-card payments are accepted at the Customer Service Center at 1415 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

Business hours at the downtown center are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

Food Lion Feeds announces new plans to fight hunger

SALISBURY – Food Lion has announced new plans for its hunger-relief initiative, Food Lion Feeds.

To fight hunger in its operating area, Food Lion Feeds will expand its long-term partnership with Feeding America, create partnerships to address hunger, and commit to donate 1 billion more meals by the end of 2025 to people in need.

Food Lion Feeds reached its previous goal of donating 500 million meals in May nearly 18 months early.

“At Food Lion, we believe that no one should have to choose between dinner and rent or gasoline and buying groceries, and we know far too many of our neighbors are faced with those difficult decisions,” said Meg Ham, president of Food Lion. “Children in our classrooms, service members who give so much to serve our nation, and seniors on fixed incomes in our towns and cities are struggling with hunger. Hunger knows no bounds.”

Food Lion Feeds announced new partnerships with No Kid Hungry, a campaign to end child hunger in the U.S., and Operation Homefront, which fights food insecurity among service members and their families.

Additionally, Food Lion Feeds will continue to strengthen its longstanding partnership with Feeding America and its 30 food banks across Food Lion’s 10-state service territory through a combination of product, financial and equipment donations; disaster relief and recovery efforts; volunteer events; in-store retail campaigns; and the retail food rescue program to donate food before it perishes.

For more information, contact Emma Inman at 704- 310-3869 or emma.inman@foodlion.com or Matt Harakal at 704-310-2858 or matthew.harakal@foodlion.com.

NC Chamber names Gary Salamido president and CEO

The NC Chamber, the state’s largest business advocacy organization, has named Gary Salamido as president and CEO, effective Friday.

Salamido became chief operating officer and acting president in late 2018 after the resignation of Lew Ebert, who had held the post for 12 years.

Salamido joined the organization in 2011 as vice president of government affairs.

“Gary was chosen in a rigorous and comprehensive selection process from a strong field of candidates,” says Ward Nye, CEO of Raleigh-based Martin Marietta, who led the search. “He is a highly impressive talent known in our business community for his collaborative leadership style and for building dynamic partnerships throughout the state.”

Before joining the chamber, Salamido worked at GlaxoSmithKline for 19 years, including a decade as director of state government affairs in his last 10 years with the company. His responsibilities spanned issues such as corporate taxes, economic and workforce development, and environmental impact.

Chamber officials say Salamido has a proven track record representing the state’s business interests at the N.C. General Assembly. Before being named COO last year, Salamido led the chamber’s lobbying, advocacy and political efforts.

“Gary is an exceptional leader. He has done an excellent job steering this organization over the last several months, and I am excited to see him continue to harness opportunity for our state’s business community,” said Tom Heiks, the chamber’s chairman, in an emailed statement.

Heiks is Fifth Third Bank’s executive vice president and head of commercial middle market banking.

Salamido has a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from New York’s Albany College of Pharmacy and a master’s in pharmacy administration from the University of Texas. He and his wife, Lisa, live in Raleigh. They have four children.

For more information email, go to dailydigest@businessnc.com.

Tractor Supply hosts farmers market

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Tractor Supply Co. is inviting farmers, crafts makers and artisans to join the farmers market at local stores on Sept. 28.

The market is an opportunity for the public to showcase talents and display homemade and homegrown goods, whether they are new to the market or have been selling for years.

The farmers market is held each fall to celebrate community spirit, providing a platform for budding businesses in a family-friendly setting, the company says.

“Each Tractor Supply store serves as an important member of the community in which it operates. We are always looking for ways to connect with and support our neighbors, and the farmers market is a wonderful opportunity for this,” said Mary Lawley, vice president of store administration at Tractor Supply.

Tractor Supply also hosts a market day each spring as another way for local artisans to showcase and sell their goods.

For more information, contact Francie Corcoran at 615-610-0315 or francie.corcoran@finnpartners.com or visit www.tractorsupply.com.