Greater Charlotte Biz 2001.01 by CLT.biz & Charlotte Biz & Greater Charlotte Biz

WOMBLE CARLYLE

速

NEXT -GENERATION BUSINESS LAWYERS"' www.wcsr.com ATLANTA GREENVlLLE, S.C. CHARLOTTE WOMBLE CARLYLE SANDRIDGE & RI CE, PLLC

Wl STO -SALEM

RESEARCH TRIA NG LE PARK

RALEIGH

WAS HI NG TON, D.C. c >ooo

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Per~ona.lization..

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Know perceptions <md

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about electronic r e:ati<MS/:rifl

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The Fast 11·ad< Ti:>

e-Busi·w~s.

" TI::HNOLOGIES

Atlant a

ALt>tin

Birmin g h a m

C harl o tt e

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ll :> u>to r.

'\ ;tS hville

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Ta mpa

TJ IS:a

Here's to : ei ng f irst . Here's

leading. Here's to altering the face

:>f busine5s by revo utic nizi~g every single facet of your company. ~all

our Charlotte cffice at 704.329.4600.

A new world. A new way.

cover story

palm readers SoDeog Technologies co-founders Paul Crimm and Ryan Walcott have developed software that allows mobile devices such as PDAs, smart phones and pagers, to wirelessly exchange infonmation regardless of device type, operating system or network coverage. And the wireless industry is taking notice.

real estate biz:

center city alive and well

Explosive residential and commercial growth in Charlotte's central business district continues to surprise even those responsible for promoting the center city. With numerous projects underway and even more in the planning stages, downtown Charlotte may yet become the dynamic hub planners think it should be.

28 structural integrity Manuel Zapata is not your typical engineer The former Chi lean refugee has built a successful company by tackling complex problems most other firms won't go near

de artments publisher's post

guest column

Managing Change: The Law of Survival by Bill Criggs , Transition Team

biz digest

the biz interview Parks Helms, chair of the Mecklenburg

biz calendar

regional biz

County Board of Commissioners, shares his goals for the next two years and how he thinks the school situation will affect Charlotte's abi lity to attract new businesses.

40 being first

Mecklenburg County is well-positioned for continued growth, even if the economy takes a downturn.

biz resource guide

T.j. Felice, local managing executive for march FIRST, believes companies need

on the cover:

to change their fundamental approach

This month's cove r features SoDeog Technologies founders Paul Crimm 0) and Ryan Walcott (r) in the lobby of their Ballantyr.e office. Photo by Wayne Morris.

to business in order to survive in the years to come. And he's willing to help.

guest column

charlotte's identity crisis Dr Billy 0. Wireman, president of Queens College, thinks most of Charlotte's attempts to build an identity fail because t hey lack a sense of history. He's got five essential steps to a lasting solution.

ยงreater char lotte b iz

cliaflotte iz january 200 I

cliaflotte

January 200 I Vo lume 2 • Issu e

Publisher John Paul Galles jgalles@greatercharlottebiz.com

Associate Publisher Maryl A Lane maryl.a.lane@greatercharlottebiz.com

[publisher's

stl

Manufactu ring Vitality Underlies Charlott e's Economy Often overlooked in our enthusiasm for the new high tech / Internet age is the fundamental importance of our manufacturing entities and all they produce, provide and deliver to Charlotte's economy. Sometimes looked upon as the "old economy," manufacturing produces jobs and

John Paul Galles, Publisher

wealth that are incredibly impressive and valuable.

At a recent Manufacturers' Council meeting, Bob Kellen, its executive director, distributed a fact sheet regarding manufacturing in Charlotte. As a proud advocate for area manufacturers, he works to communicate the value of manufacturing and its importance

Editor Timothy J. Parolini tparolini@greatercharlottebiz.com

to our local economy. Here are some of the facts he put forward.

Charlotte manufacturing is highly diversified! Nineteen of the 20 U.S. manufacturing classifications can be found in Charlotte.

Vice President/Director of Sales

Leading industries, based on employment, are:

Talbert Gray tgray@greatercharlottebiz.com

• Industrial Machinery

Account Executives

• Food and Beverage

Polly A Epp ley paeppley@greatercharlottebiz.com Mike Shannon mshannon@greatercharlottebiz.com

Contributing Writers Kathy Mendieta Bea Quirk Nethea Fortney Rhinehardt

Contributing Photographer

• Printing and Publishing • Rubber and Plastics • Chemical.

Charlotte manufacturing employment is strong! • 840,000 manufacturing employees make North Carolina 8th in the nation in manufacturing. • 16 percent of the state's manufacturing employment is within the Charlotte Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). • Si x percent of the state's manufacturing employment is within Charlotte. • Over 1,100 manufacturing firms employ over 50,000 people in Charlotte.

Wayne Morris

Charlotte manufacturing has global reach ! Greater Charlotte Biz is published 12 times per year by: Galles Communications Group, Inc. 804 Clanton Road , Suite B Charlotte, NC 2821 7-1358 www.greatercharlottebiz.com For editorial or advertising inquiries, call 704.676.5850.

• 719 manufacturers are importing and/or exporting goods. • 128 of 377 foreign firms located in Charlotte are manufacturers. • 1996 exports from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport totaled $264 million. • 1997 export sales from the Charlotte MSA exceeded $2.5 billion.

Charlotte manufacturing makes significant finan cial contri butions! • Manufacturers' Charlotte payroll is over $2.1 billion. • Manufacturers pay $1.1 billion in personal property taxes.

Please fax subscription inqu iries to 704.676.5853 or e-mail them to info@greatercharlottebiz.com

From 1992 to 1997, Charlotte manufacturers experienced impressive growth. Value added grew by 21 percent from $3 .6 billion to $4 .4 billion. Shipment values grew 97 percent from $4.5 billion to $8.8 billion. Capital expenditures grew by 52 percent

All contents © 200 I , Galles Communications Group, Inc . All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Products named in these pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies. Th e opinions

expressed herein are not necessarily

those of Greater Charlotte Biz or Galles

from $196.7 million to $298.5 million . All of this growth occurred while employment went down by 4.5 percent from 52,400 to 50,000 employees. According to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data, North Carolina became one of the nation's economic powerhouses during that period (1992 to 1996) when its gross state product - or the value of all goods and services produced in the state- grew 95.13

Communications Group, Inc .

percent, the lOth fastest-growth rate in the nation. And although ours has traditionally been a manufacturing state, the nature of the manufacturing has changed- shifting away

See Ma nufacturing on page 52.

january 200 I

greater charlotte biz

[guest olumn] Managing Change: The Law of Survival

You need

We may be living in the most rapidly changing environment to which mankind has ever been exposed . If you doubt

maPketino

this, just look at what's happened in telecommunications in the past fifteen years. Cell phones have gone from bulky expensive "bag" phones with limited access, to miniature fit-in-your-shirt路pocket communication devices that not

but not creative

Bill Crigger, Transition Team

only make and receive telephone calls, but send and receive e-mail, check stock quotes and play computer games.

ere ative

In the biological world, extinction occurs when the physical landscape changes too rapidly for plants and animals to adapt. This law of survival applies equally to other environments and their inhabitants. Corporations that cannot adapt to rapid changes in the marketplace are in as much danger as the spotted owl . Their dem ise usually follows a natural progression : they did not change, they did not grow and they failed to exist. More than 2,500 years ago, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, "Change is our only constant." If change is everywhere, why do we resi st it? Have you noticed that you park in about the same spot or area of the parking lot ea ch day? And even t hough you

but not marketing

don't have an assigned parking spot, you're upset if someone has taken your parking spot? Why is that? Consider this scenario : after working in the yard all day on Saturday,

media buying

you realized that you had been invited to a function that evening. Although you didn't want to go, you went anyway. And you had a great time. Why is that? When asked why they resist change, employees typically list fear of the unknown , fear of failure, and lack of self-confidence, as well as being creatures of hab it and liking a comfort zone. We resist change no matter how minute the change may be because we're comfortable with how things are right now. This is our comfort zone . The longer we're in the same job, role, house and so on, the more comfortable we become . We are comfortable because we can control our comfort zone . If we get outside this zone, we feel like we lose control.

but not marketing or creative.

Employees involved in major work-related changes typically identify the following among their reactions and feelings: a strong desire to preserve the status quo, an inclination to be angry at the person or element that caused the change, hesitation to make a decision, blaming, frustration, dislike of the disruption of routine, self-doubt,

C4/!;.

fear, confusion and bewilderment. The solution to overcoming the resistance to change

Kaufman,

Managing Partner

and its accompanying reactions and feelings lies in understanding and accepting the change rationale. To begin to understand and accept change, consider the following steps : 1. Understand your reactions to change and how to overcome them.

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5009 Monroe Road

C harlotte , NC 28205 704 567-1000 Fax 567-8193 www.mediapoweradvert ising.co m

2. Accept what you can and can't control.

3. Become more comfortable with your situation . 4. Establish a long-term and short-term plan for dealing with change .

5. Understand, manage and learn to leverage change.

Understand Your Reactions Your reactions to change are probably very similar to those reactions mentioned earlier. These are normal. The best way to deal with these reactions is to plan your way through them . For instance, if you find yourself mad or hesitating, your plan to overcome

See Change on page 52.

january

200 I

greater charlotte biz

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[bizdigest]

Chamber Unveils New Logo, New Leader Hugh McColl

Jr. also

honored at annual meeting

''This new

Charlotte' s history as a trading crossroads.

identity

chamber is all about: access," said

"Th is new identity defines what the

defines what the chamber is all about:

incoming chair Ed Dolby of Ban k of America. "Access to people, access to information, opportunity and access to the future." to lead the chamber in its 121-year

lncommg Cha1r

Belk of Belk Inc.

history, succeeds 2000 chair McKay "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can -h e Charlotte Chamber unveiled a new bgo, an noun ced its new leadership tea m, and honored Bank of Ameri ca chairman and CEO Hugh McColl Jr. at its re cent annual meeting.

The Charlotte Chamber, which counts 5,300 member firms, set a campaign record in 2000, raising $3 .2 million and surpassmg Atlanta as the nation's largest chamber fund-raiser.

Dolby, the first African American

access." Ed Dolby

Chamber Highlights

change the world," noted Dolby, quoting anthropologist Margaret Mead . " Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Also at the meeting, the chamber and Duke Energy

Th e logo,

bestowed

design ed by The

In 2000, the chamber also: Recruited 21 international companies from I0 nations. Provided relocation information to more than 5,000 newcomers. Facilitated hiring 2,296 people through the WorkFirst Program. a welfare-towork force initiative. Launched the Center City Area Council, its seventh area council.

the Citizen

source: Charlotte Chamber

of the Carolinas

to edu cational and civic organi zations . In accepting the award, McColl

award upon Hugh McColl Jr. He was cited for

said he was most proud of his efforts

nent to energy, pride and accessibility.

his role in making Charlotte a major

to ma ke a differen ce in the Carolinas

1: replaces th e logo adopted in 1988 and

financial center, his involvement in

in two key areas : edu cating children

il clude s an irrage of a road symboli c of

revitalizing the center city and his service

and building communities .

l3rgest business organization ' s commit-

Tech Sector Growing

by Allan Maurer, LocaiBusiness .com

Charlotte is enjoying strong technology growth, but still has a ways to go to become a high tech center: Charlotte has posted strong growth in technology employment since 1993, but still ranks low compared with other cities, according to a new report. "Cybercities: A City-byCity Overview of the High Technology Industry" says Charlotte had 30,800 workers in 1998, ranking it 37th among the 60 cities studied. It had an average g - e ater charlotte biz

wage of $49 ,000, ranking 41st nationally. Charlo:te added 9,100 jobs from 1993 to 1998, growing by 4 2 percent. The American Electronics Association, which recently shortened its name to AEA [www.aeanet.org] , prepared the analysis in conjunction with the Nasdaq stock exchange. AEA io the

nation's largest hightech trade association with more than 3,500 member companies. Study offers snapshot The study provides a statistical snapshot of the high-tech industry using data on employment, wages, establishments and payroll. See High Tech on

next page.

january 200 I

Hi gh Tech continued from " ~ c· me

c· f the data m ay

previous page. the technology networking

thinks a social scene more

group Firstround.org says

appealing to entrepreneurs

it's lCO percent objective,"

that Charlotte may be

and high tech workers is

no teO> AEA's executive

expanding its technology

needed for Charlotte to

dire: c·r for the southeast ,

jobs but still has a ways

attract top talent.

Mil<= l evin "ll comes

to go before becoming a

from Eurea·J of Labor

tech no logy hub.

see:n ::: little dated, but

statis i::s, Department

. . .lrr~i~~r~-I;~!It~i·i~'ts] · · '=:"~"'"~?· ?.· :~~~e:i~ltV

rei~ierc~f-~~m~n~~ apparel wi:h ~:::r~t·h~(3io .~i~rEs i:1 :he 5Ctuth, ' .__ -.;:·--.-:.anil ~·ur.~ed ~.ar.s to, ~.,:xr.d in:o --~

"There is enough to do in the [Silicon] Valley and

"Charlotte has momen-

--~-:;~-~----~-

-~:<

;~a~~]:::~i!.:1thi;:i~e

the [Silicon ] Alley. Seattle

~·

•-· . . -~ . _ rEJ:or~: on ; S3?

of Trc:nsponation infor-

tum with an expanded

and Atlanta are big cities

maLcn, and the National

research park and informa-

that appeal to these tec hie

~._..:n __~i.; bl.siiie5s- :i~-..estment ::mi.l;;; · - __ -.._:-•

tion technology program s

types . Tech entrepren eurs

du_ri]g llle t ~ir<f_ quarter, : inclJding

at the Unive rsity of

are typically young and

Association of Rea ltors." ~.rin p~ ints

out that

onh

the rc:port ' tudied only

Carolina at Charlotte,"

not satisfied with the

te-:::-rc logy :::ompanies, not

Roberts said . "The challenge

suburban lifestyle.

techrd.ogy employment as a

now is to create a social

whc·lc:. Techn ology employ-

atmosphere

ees :ll ' traditional" companies

momentum we have in

the mountains and ocean

such :E First Union, Carolinas

attracting these companies."

are each a short three-

Healitcare and Duke Encrg-J were n ot included.

Get 1life Charlone entrepren eur Ji m Eoberts, who founded

jan.uary 200 I

match the

"The traditional Charlotte draw is that

$'18--;.diu~~ ~v ifco~ rnuni:-3tion~

:. anj-$6-_liilliln b~ H~dric< l · :~~rs ;,§.":. . _: ; fiiM.~~mm,

a r~v ,rfom2c comll31~· baed in ::orre.ius, is prt)moting its \\e::> :;ite .vhrre c_stJTlers can get

h our drive . Tech entrepre-

:t-re :cmpEiitiv€ qu<JtEs on stor3ge ract: and periphoer=l1ar.dling

Charlotte can boast only

neurs don't have that

2c:;wp11~LM lwaul:a::!~:Bsec

one nationally known but

much time."

locaEy grown lntem et com-

LocoiBusiness.com is a doily online business news site with a local focus on the Carolinas.

I<.oberts points out that

pany: LendingTree, the onlir..e loan marketplace. He

pro§ss on:lJ.sEt"vi:es =rm IdEm. Wt!ls lnte"''llional r.as Ofle ~ ;:d a re~io1.:l office in :ile

B:m-< ofArlo?·in Plan I:JUilcing.

5rea t :!r ::hc:rl::tte biz

[bizcalendar] _uesd3.y~ f, iz]\ ~:twort . Jrg Scu .1Park This month on Tue :>dCl'}· 7 30 - 8:45 a.m . <ath 1m Mo~ elel{ 704. 5?6 .5!::. 50 (weeJ.: ·r)

Charlotte Cl:amb:?:SonthParJ.. .\rea •::::Our cil LL J.dlf; C

thursdays

Metrolina Entrepreneurial Council (MEC)

Foud Tuesday, 7:30a.m.

BizNetwork.org SouthPark

Third Thursday

RSVP line 704 .378.1336;

This Month on Thursday

Karyn Lindsey 704 .378.1321

7:30- 8:45 a.m.

Chamber Connect: New Member Orientation Last Tuesday, 4:00- 6:00 p.m. RSVP line 704 .378 .1336;

::econj Tu ~. ca'y !<:yl2 3·Jyles 71)4. =·?8.41 •)6

San c. li Phelps 704.378.1378

wednesdays

Charlotte CJ-.amb ~E:tst ~-rea Ccuocil Lrmctec• Thi rd Tues di:ly ::a na ll Phe .:Js 704. :.;8.1::78

"Firstround. Jrg Fn uth Tue.;d c.y E CO - 7 :3 0p.m . The Paladi an 12? . Tryo - St., 71)4. :: 31.9!. 63

Busi.ness Growth Network Charlotte Chamber

Biz etwork.org Uptown This Month on Wednesday 7:30 - 8:45a.m . Kath ~m Moseley 704 .06.5850 (weekly) Char~otte Chamber Center City Area Couxil Luncheon

~t = .

Thirc Wednesday Kyle E.oyles 704 .3 78 .4106

5:30- 7:30p.m . Adam's Mark Hotel

Kathryn Moseley 704.676 .5850 (weekly)

Charlotte Chamber Perimeter South Area Council Luncheon First Thursday

Patricia Pollack 704 .708 .4050

Charlotte Chamber Northwest Area Council Luncheon Third Thursday

Sanalli Phelps

Kyle Boyles

704.378.1378

704.378.4106

Charlotte Chamber University City Area Council Luncheon Second Thursday

Charlotte Chamber Airport Area Council Luncheon

Kyle Boyles

Last Thursday

704.3 78.4106

Sanalli Phelps 704.378 .1378

Make the Right Connections! MBA and Executive MBA students make important connections at the McColl School of Business at Queens College. With the high caliber of students at the McColl School, students learn from each other as well as from the professors. After all, they do represent the rising stars of the Charlotte business community. And, after graduation, the relationships and connections established in the school often prove invaluable throughout their careers.

McColl Sc_hool Q~lottl' ofBuszness Couege

1900 Selwyn Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28274 www.mccollschool.edu MBA (704) 337-2224 EMBA (104) 337-2248 gr e ater c ra - lo :: e biz:

Janu a r y 200 I

Aeron:D Chair

by H~rman 1\Jiiller:Bl

oe:~

quh

[realestatebiz ]

Center City Alive and Well Fast-gt-o·Ning o1lce and

~2sident al

rarket shows no signs of 5I owing down

Can': ~.zeep up with all :hat's going on in Cha:::-lotte's center cityi L:t fact, are you s:> behind the tirles that ycu're sell calling it "uptovm"? D::n.'t fee! bad. Even Bank of Americ,;'s _im Palermo can't keep up. And he 1s, after all . the rem .n the know, serv .ng as c·1a:rman

C·~·

Charlotte

Cente::- City P1rtnel-s <WVJW.charlotte-

centeu:ity.org> , the nor -pw fi t group that promotes, encourages an::! coordinates ce:uer city business., cultural, retail and resi:le:1.tial enceavor5. "l 11sed LObe able t::> ken a handle on evcything tha . was going on," he 3ays. "No.,. there's so much happerung aL over

~1-.c

place

[downtown]. It's like the Energizer Bunny - i t jus·

k ~ep3

enterpd~e

going and go:ng. Free

and creativity a1e al l taking off,

and thiJ:lss keep geuing better and better.'

Am.:mg the projects be.,.. ng genern~e

tl::at exciteTre:nt:

Tr.e 39-stOty, 550 000-sq.wrefiX't oj}ce tower/2:JO-r: o'Ol hotel

E E

cc;rplc.x cr1 Trade 2nd Coil£ge

:::J

..c

Stre::ts an.1ounced by lir.ccln

Hc. nis in Jctol::er.

...,0 0

..c

A~tnen:s,

office and mail space at tfte ·=hc;rlottL Cotto11 Miii, a rch;. b of a'l exi,lirg hi~ o1i.c struc-

0..

)own:::::>wr Crarlotte is enjoying a commer:ial, resi dent a an•:J ·:ultu -al renaissance. 'Nith n.crne rcus major projects in : he w orks anc ot 1ers - t T '! :>laming stages, the certer :ity is :on t he V2rge of becoming a drnc.mic :>lace t o I ve ,.._'Cf'~ =.nd : Ia)'.

ture at Fif'h and Grah , m 2treets Pappas Pmpenies.

r:1( g'cundbreaking this fall of

b_~

the lo11g-c.waited for conventiJn c:nter lt.Jrel, a 700-room Westir

Thz op-zning of Tlu-ee F rs: Union, wi1h mrJre than 9CO,OCO ~Aare feet "Jf ifice ancl first -f Jo- retai I.

escecre:;; ;o pump $5 million i111o the ~.:anomy.

cown t='-'1 auu:xnotive museum, a Eireo~ n '; m ·J;rum .J.nd a Children's Lea:rning Cent=-; :l-e ren.::·vation and adaptiv-E. E-use o ~ I- ~ C:.-oiina Theatre; tl.-.e expa:Eicr :of tb~ Museum of the New ~cur:-_

Th ~

181-roJom Hil:on Gw:!. ~ ns an.:l 149-roJom Ha 'Ylptcrr lr 'l ac 5ccood 1nd Ca ldwell ~tr<ets by lhe ?anos Hate' GrC'Ap greate - :harlotte biz

A so providing a sense of ene~g:1 spirit are First Unicn's

n:i the :Jossible relocatio:-~ d t-e ~:n ·1seum of Art . These plans

::>lans tc cteJte a l-l/4-acre pari< oo

and :: c·s~ i J .litie:c, added to the attrc.ctions alrea·::; tl-ece -such as Discovery ? lace,

3outh Tryon . Bruton Smith's pla:1s for a

th~

mel

cr~ ati"e

N.C. I;lumEathal Performing Ar:s j3.nuary 200 I

> 13

Cen ter. ::kn._ MuseL 1 cf Craft+D esig:J., Tr,ron ::::nu far th= \'ism! Arts, the J.fro-A.Jr.eri:an •::.Jlt\_-nl Center and the :onvent on :en·cr·- ::an only, in the wo rd ~ or p lerm.•, ·: r:md us as the place tJ ha\ e fur." 1'.:-nJi.L•JUS plan= c make over the §,CVer Jr e- t di5t::ict T Second Ward ord lu:.ve xen .l:mc-:~:1ced as well as pLms fo a uni•. e -i<ed-use developrrent to cor.nect Fi=t anc Fourth wards on 15 acre; of p tb · :Ly-owned land crcor~s:Sng dE F..:~· Mc.rshall ervice Cente r an.:: surcur :.i_•g area. The ecord ~·act U : st -=>Iar , to be official!:' prese-u::d his J:n.:Jrl.-, en::ompasses c. nine-':: lcc'< 3.re3 ;; l~ Trooe Street ard czlls for c::nso: atT § go·;ernment uses to fre_ rp and [or :ct3il, residential and greerEpao:: to crcar:= ::: pedestrianorien·ed chic tcul~c.rd. e ter Ci~ y Pc;::ners is taking proposal:; fron pc ent -~1 developers for :he Hal 11.1arsh3ll s ..o: a -:1 •..viL choose one tl-:is s ··ul.~ Wi 1- a- J her 15 ac res adjacent to it row own=:i by Levine PropeL "'- - the :;he 'us t·• e potential to have Lht: g·eate:;t ir ..JKt Jf any project on thE cerer c. ,;," =·derma says. "'We have tht: o: po::L..ml.; to define what we mean b·!' a-: urb:.n ,-_Lage. "

uniCfLe

i-L~astru c t _ re

" -=o\./c.r:ls that

::.irr., the crganizati.•n runs t e free Ci:·y~ CircL:t shuuiE ;ystem 'WiLl 40 sto-:>3 thrcughoJL . '1Z area :me p-oduces gudes, :xlud.ng ooe O"l cinir g and a ~e lf- gu . dd 1:-istc· ·~ walk1r g ·cur.

''[t's all about adding more rooftops." Fer those who rove watched the Jf Ct.nter Cry Partners since its incepl:on in 19/:) as the Cb, rlorte IJpw·Nn Developrr : nt Corp:r:ttion, the ·..vord; IM:.ble' and 'n.:::ighl: orb•Jods' may come zs c: surprise. l3ur it :s L-Le addition •Jf -eO"iderts to the enter city that is :u :-l:ng ::n.1ch ::: f the c.ct:vity h Ll1e area. 0\C. .\ilie~

-:11-::se :Jia- s. in ~nd to make real the vision Cert.£r C··y -mers developed fc,r its 201C Fb.n <"II'W'&- dtadotte2010.com> u:wei\ed near:, 2=•JJ ":o create a :babk: ::.nc. me:uo'-" J e Center City of

Up to I ) 000 Jeo::le :ould te ~ ving downto'"'r with r t~ ne >:t =ev1 ye<:n , !'lore than d·: Ltle tre curren: ·ol..IT1ber cf r=sidents. ·'ll'o 3.1. about ~1cld ing mere rooftops," n otes C ~1t::r •:::ity :- anrers -:>resident Rob w,1·sh · -:-he cem::r dty is l:e : JI1ing a ncighbc~,ooc an:i project'- a·e being oriented tl•'-'GJrd the -o::ople who live there." Sa:,s Falermo, \\·ho h J'- tiJed in F-:utb ·v/ard since 19<;3, "Tb r.gs

E E ::::J

..r:

...,0 0

..r:

0..

St:reetlife : n N::>-th --~·en. Change is on th ~ way wit l t'e ne·,; Hoec.rst Tower and the ~otenti i..l --=no\.;r: or :J- the Carolina Treatre.

anuar''

;;_co I

"Th t: center city is becoming

disti:u:t nc1ghtorhoods -: onnected by

0 ~ v·+ne ttere are people. Retail fc·li ·J.VS 1=0-:>ulatic 'Ne used ·c beg restau ·or t~ to locc. ..e in th:: ce1ter city; n: \.1 \WE urn Lhen awc:y. " Af::e::- the revil.al.zatioo ar Oowering o ~ Fou. 'Nard c: s a res i~ nti.1l district in the !ale 1970s. --esiclen .ial growth stop-:>ec. 3.5 the fous tcrn::d t·J infrastructure a:1d crea:ing wl- at is n J'\\ -eferred to as liule oore tha r an "urbc: n Jsiness pnk." D=spit:: the ::on·,en·oc center, pErfOJTirtg a-ts Center an:! ar.: ?,alleries,

a ne-·ghborhood, and project3 are beir g oriented toward the p~ople

who live there."

Reb 'Nrish, Center Ct y Part.1ers presi:Jent the :lowr O\\n area shut down at 5 p .m. n ::~ o- e knew quite what to do about it. ln stcprec architect/developer J l1 Gr·J ~ s w·- o Llcught tlere \Was a market for t_pt.:J'v-n I-o1sing. "'-I.e co1vened the fonT.er l\ ~ y·s d ~ panment st:xe to lu>ury condomi iu ms about a decade ago, and they ..v_re Jn overnight success much to 1h:: s!-ock of skeptics who though :. e was crazy. P.ncl no'V? There are about 6,000 pen! :: li .in§ in the enter •2ity, and Pa crmo th:d:'- the numbe1 could rec.u 5 JO(l cne dar: Cun ent projects include lle P.lexanders on inth and The C<-"c..vells on inth , rwo townhc·me COLI plex.:s 01 ::ast nth S.reet by the ank o c· .\nerica :::omrnunity DC\. elcpoenl -orpootion ; single family hancs ard uolexes, also on Ninth Street, b:- ~aussy BurJank Deve lopm::nt; an.::! Shylile Te:rrace, :ownl-omes in first Wrd by BoulEvard entro as well as pD_ects .hrcughout -:-hird Jncl Fourth wc.1ds b} such developers as ummit PrJJcn.ic;, Faradigm Development Comp:m;-, :1- e Boule\.ard (;)mpany, Charter - ropenies, P1ppas Properti.::s aoc r(•Sl P:cpenies. On Ll-.e fringes of up tov-1, wl· ere Mkltown Square no ..· stan::ls, Pappas plans a mixed residenti£..1-retc.il development in th:: st~le ::~f A1ilh:>S Place.

An:!

'TI- e ce n~ r- ci~ is becoming 3. neighbc rhood," sa;5 Rob '/1/as'L "and p-ojects a~ being orien:ed O'N::t:ds the ~·eopl e who l1 ve : I- ere.

.5reater c1arlot-:e biz

Office development still c·n t e rise &.L c.U

is reside- .U anility meu. LffiL cff:c~ cevelopme"l.L is down- cof:e the coc.r<Jr'l. -=- t-e newest b uilc b~ Lrcer o:cnstxcroo. the Hearst TbweL 1 21 '1 No~th Tr~cn Street, is 46 sLOrie:. ?.i.t_- '70,(00 s.:t aE [eE.t of ::>ffice ar.d 5= (!Co:: S:jUdC fe~ o: re::J.i- and is ;~.hai:; 9:3 Y::rcen.t leascc'... n.e old 3B&T does~ I

0..

::!ank c-=-Aner :a ~lready-a: ,SJC• employees oiV'Orlon,E a: G;r:evva:' Vil~e ·Jn 'v\1ESt Trc.de Street lht IL 11ter wil J.:e y groJvt to 6,00C. Juilcin~ at 200 South Jr:-cn is beirg -eno·_..:_ec lo} Hines lruerc9. LimiLec anr c -,.:U-:.. Across tiE street, ;tl 2C1 ·Jut""l Tf}·Jl tl:: ~ -:Jani;.:l:,-·:O::l?leted Llixec-'Js~ ;,--;uth Iryo""l S:pa.re will ulLi-uatel:- :eat ~e 235,00( square feet Jf ·Jffice. "'0 ,OJ: sqt;a~e fc::t c f relail, c. 181-r•~·m IA::.rrio t Ccm:y.1rd, and a 580-;-:ace p~:king :leu. F·x hJsE 'vlho ::-.a\.e:l.'t driven down ·,Vest:_ -=:--ace Street b~ aw:1ile, hey're .n fot a big suqxi;e. Ba:1k of _;me-i:.l n·::v- h.os som: 1 ::00 empbyee; ·x .Jrl<j - ~ · a 65().0JO-oqoae-f· ol cffice ·Juilc~ ±e finL phas:' d a :cmplex -haL -,.,1 ev:::TLually ha,-;: l 4 million squa ·e ·eel <n 15 acre.= with atoUL •5,001) ::r:rp· ees. Ga:e:<..Vry Vilb.ge, as it': :all::::, -Nil! :nclude a YhCA ·J ranc: _ 1nd :.s surroun.::le::i b~ seveBl -esiclzn ial ·:c·mplexeo -:Jof : he BouleYard ·=ompl)-, llc·ulevard Cettro 3rd Pest Jrop :::L.es. A:ross the s•n:et, the =•oub ::.ree Hotel recertl}- -Jnderwe!L a -uult.-a.llioc d ::>llar re:rxPG.Lio and uph. L ano.h.:::r kind d accommodG.Lion . :u the cthe:r end cf the cen.e1 city, he 21 ~.~Cu)-sq;.tare-f -:>:pansion of ·be a::-.:n:~, jc. I ·...ri. l op:n .hs fell. xe ' do\PTlsic ~ ~nid :tllthis ·s wl-.c.~ ~ •::ncz :on.sidcred one oE ·be c:en_er c i=:/s jewels -the cld .,.

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C::r .rentian Cente·, wh· c~c has bin dcrtant sirce 19S:05. Late last year, C:-_.,..lctte ::::.ty CoLncil -:: nded a deal "Vi.. Pmn:;ylvmia-based LCOR to de\'-=lop th sire wth ar office tower, ap:r:men-:5, ccmdoniniums and stons. lt .1~s thesec01d · ime a d~al h ;; d far:!n tl-·ogh kr the sit=. "l ha~ to see ::tnotLe::- company ':;13. _-~ a\\ a:"," Wc.s:t Xtys. "But the buil:hng .i5 net •Jrientec tc the street, 30 the site pc~ a lot of challenges' But L.J ore at Cenrer :::::ity Partner:;

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' V1=:: used :c beg restaurants to lccate in the :enter ~i:y; lOW we tu'll them awajo;' ~a;~ dowrteown re5':dent jirr Palermo. is - li:-tg :xssi:nisjc. ln Let, most

tecezJ.tly,

c: t~ oJicials pr:::posed a plan

tl:a: woul:::. ndudc. a new ::~rena for tl:c Hcrne:s., a miror-league baseball 5t::dum, e:x:nnsio~ of Discover? Place c.O.::.

:h~

Atro-Ame:ican :::::ultural Cent =r,

ten:.vatior of the Carolina Thea:re , an:i te.b: ation of the kint l'-.l t:5eum. To be.::x:me a ~e:aky, 1:-.owe'v'!"r, a number .Jf tl:~s ha~ to

hat='?en, .ncluding

c.p: :::Jval ty Charl·:ltte City Council an:i c. c: "'= rend·Jm presented to voters. Althcugh :t's rot included ir: the ctig)na :: rcpos:J.l, Palen:to dreams of 3. kay:.k.ing -3.dity downto"'VTT oL a manufactu·ec rb:: "We "-re lookir-s at o.illions c·f pec::ie cc•Tllg he·e every ;ear," he says. Sc.ys 1tl..:cr-n Cramton, director or

tl:c:: :.::harlc tte- Jlecl:.lenbc.rg Planning C: r:-m ission, "Dor 't ever

Lnderestim ~ t e

C :- <£lotte's pot~ntial. " vVals::-. cer:ain y agrees, but has ;; dill=-em r-e 5p=cti-e. "lt's going to be 5CL:~ fun ?Ear:: ahead," he says. biz

Be-:: :},uirk :cvers If= real estate marke~ month fJr Greater Crarlotte Biz.

e~oer;

1anuar; 20:: I

greiter Clari·.Jtte biz:

by bea quirk

[regional biz]

Growth Engine Mecklenburg County vvel -posrtioned to ride oJt pcssible economic downturn As folks in Charlotte - and across the country - saw economic growth indicators begin to slow down as 2000 came to a close, many felt it was time to start hunkering down for what may turn into - at best - a lackluster year. o one is saying that Charlotte is invincible. After all, the FDIC has placd the Queen City on its list of cities to watch for possible danger of overbuildir:g in the commercial real estate sector. Still, if any city is well-positioned to ride out a downturn, it's Charlotte. Third quarter figures from the CharlottE Chamber showed 844 new and expar.dcd businesses for the first nine months of 2000, up from 838 the previous year. Employment figures were at an all-time high for the nine-month period with 13,931 new jobs. Square footage and investment doJars were also up with 13.:路 million and $1.51 billion, respectively Third quarter announcements were impressive. An expansion by Solectron Corporation is creating 600 new jobs, and one by Sprint PCS, 500. A new distribution center by Rooms To Go i~ adding 400 new jobs, 450,000 new square feet and an investment of $16 million. NuTech Solutions invested $25 million and added 200 new jobs, while Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose & Throa路 Associates invested $23 million in the.r 80,500-square-foot expansion. Childres~ Klein Properties invested $12 million in its 286,380 square foot expansion of the Airport Commerce Center. Earlier in the year, Carolina Broadband announced a $300-million investment and the creation of 250 new

greater charlotte biz

CJnstruction jobs are r:lertifLI ~tr alltlle cevelopm=nt taking place throughout Mecklenburg County. Here a worker plies hi5 tra.::i= in cowntowr Charlotte.

jobs.. First Charter anrounced 350 new jobs and a $25 mi.lli Jn h\.-e~me::-_t ,

Crosland Commercial began wcrk on mith Corners, a $100 million

c.rd Trizec Hahn began

d=路;elopment at l-77 and WT. Harris BJJlevard, and lincoln Harris announced a 550,000 square foot office to'Wer and a 200-room hotel on College

8CO OCO-

'q J<.re-foot, 3100 millior de"'e opme::-_t c.t 1-77 and Reams Ro;,;d. The AllscJte lnsurance expansion cea..ed l ,l::: nevv jobs, while Equifirst ad:led (.('0 jJbs and The Hanford 3'5.

-r=et across from the Bank of America Corporate Center. Ground was broken >-

january 200 I

Ball;;n:~

on a 700-room Weotin Hotel slated to

ings a:

becom~

for al::::mt 1 oilbn

the long anticipated c-:·nve:::tion

center hoLl , which will help :::harLotte attract mo re and bigger convc-_tions.

::::orpma E.. P:1rk, making ~quae r~~

-:-he la.:;t ci::ade

h ~s

of space.

be:cr good to

·=harbtte. A-:c:::cling to .::-<c .2.000 census,

the corporate presence is certainly strong, with 305 of the Fortune 500 companies having operations here. And despite the focus on glitzy office towers and glistening suburban

Mecklenburg is home t.D more than I,200 mc.nufcct!.l ..;rf (lrms, more than onr other county in the ::Orolinas. S:mthP:1rk Mall got the appn:wal fr.:m

.t wa~ the oec.::-:d

Charlene City Council to be?ffi a major

:he countr;', ·.;;'t:h a p opQcc··:m increase

e>:pans on that will bring Ncrdstroms

J f 22 percm: -

a:1d S;; k.s ? ifth Avenue teo the area. P ~evi•J U S anno.mcenents also came to fru i:.on. Three First Lnion and .ne first phase of the Gatewcy C~ter opened downtown, yet the office sp~ce vacancy

srow:h cane hon .mne:<Ti:J::l. From

t:<ere remained at ~bou t three pera:nt. The fi-st of an anticipated 10,000 employees began movin3 intc the r,ew TlAA-CREF service cent::r, a 460,(•00squart-foot foot facility at U:::_·;ersiry Eesearch ?ark (UR?) that could Lltimctely grow to 3.5 millio::-. sqm re feet in siz::. Now that URP is dfectively l::uilt cut; the Chaober and CNC Charlo:te are working tc·get!Er on anothe project, a 100-a: re research and te hnology campus in r..cnhe' st Charlo:te. Plans call fo r devewpme:nt tJ

begin hter this :'ear. The northern pan

Meulenb.1rg

is growing so fast that inErastn:.cture i:npro·,~n:ents can't keep up . .'illd at the other end of the co.mty, The Bissell Compmies keeps adding new office build -

f~stest ;gK wing

city in

:h::mgh rr:.rch of that

1990- 199<;, ac.::ord .::lg tc c ·_amber of ~om:nerce

fig... res, 10 ,373 T.lsinesses

:arne here or

~=p<~r.o:ied ,

:lel:ing

140,641 new _=·b 3 and i~:: ting more than $8.2 b:b :m.

Diversify, divet'Sify, dtersify So should the Qu~m City be able to weather thE.. :Jote:ttial economic storm? For one lhing, Ctar ccc has a diveoified CC:• ~tOm)'. W:-je i: iS true that :ne banking indust~J i:; :1 major playcr in •=:ruciotte, it i:: rc~ as dominant as one mig.b .:.ink. Acccr::ing to U.S. Department ci Cx:.m~rce: ::.gures from the m id-1 990=. 27 5 pecen of the workforce was ernpbyed ir.. t"J.e : ervice industry, 11.4 p::r:ot in manu~= -uring, and just 9.8 per:=: in hnaLcE , i:lsurance and real ~::state . A-:.:. wl-.:le ~e might think of th ~ city as "' p~ac :: v1hcre giant corporatio:J.s are t!-.~ rLle , in ~ :f9c:J only 7l businesse5' - :Jut of a t::tal of 23,466 employed DCie thm SOc) r-:x>ple. BUL

office parks, manufacturing remains an important mainstay of the economy. Mecklenburg is home to more than 1,200 manufacturing firms, more than any other county in the Carolinas. During the 1990s, Charlotte ranked second behind Dallas, Texas in the number of new factories opened , and it is among the nation's top five cities in expansions of existing facilities. Since 1980, industrial employment in Mecklenburg increased by more than 14 percent, compared to a national decline of 7.5 percent. These manufacturers make products of most every kind, and run the gamut from longtime companies such as Lance and Continental General Tire to high tech firms like Okuma America and Solectron . Charlotte-Mecklenburg also remains a major distribution center, thanks to its location midway along the East Coast and at the intersection of l-77 and l-85 . ln the first nine months of 2000 , 1.1 million square feet of warehouse space was absorbed, and the vacancy rate was an acceptable 9.9 percent. The city's wholesale sales volume places it sixth on the list of U.S. markets, behind New York, Houston , Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago. According to Site Se lection magazine, Charlotte ranks fifth

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Money, m oney, money But th. strength c·f the financial services h ....~U)' can't be ignorcJ. Aft.e· a:J, Cha:b. e .S rome fo ~ LlC head=tuatcrs of t NC )f the nation·, t::>p 2:: bank h::J id ing a::n anies, First 1_ n ion ard Bmk of P.tre·.ca, the b.tter of which i; the nati•)D ';

la ~ze~ t ba~k

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banking d9os ts. Tha· gi\•cs Charlene some $Sl ~ 4 bil ion in bc:nking assn; headquaner~d h ~ 1e ,

secon:l only o

York. TJ-e ·e a ·e also mc•re .!-.an 2"0 ncngage bar ke1~ :::.oing bu~iress he re inclucirg eight o· J-e 2C largest n the l l._. All thi5 n·ears that b::Hh consumer; Jod bus n :ses alike have a wide a·ra;::Jf serviceszv:~ilatle to tl-en - ard usually trn"ll more than o:1e source. ·eventeen :::a"'lks have m-:;rc thar

200 brancii-:~ t'lroughou_ t 1.e co-Jill)'. C: 1.arlou..e l <S one of tl:-.e I- izhest ra io~ of nk brar ciies t::J popula.tic·n in the U -· ·.vnh no p::i1t in the city more tr.an

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The f.IJir«. MusEuM of Craft-Design rray soon be jc ined bv its sister ,;rt Museum and other toL r st-oriented c:ttractior s in dowrto,vr's t•Lr~oning art; dirtrict

intenatianal business. Las L y~ar, rh ere

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;;:3 SfUTH SHARO'I AMITY ROAC .JZOO CHARLOTIE f1C 28211-283= p. 704.=65.9077 f. 704.3&5.0447 w.vw.infov.con

were 3EO fmelg1-owned firms in Mecklen.::urg , a:-1. in crease o f mo re th an 500 -:>ercE.nL avn the last 30 ·; ears. Alth o-c.gh 36 na:ion s are repr~sen: ed , m ost of the firrr_s are from sb: cou r tri es -

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Swit::er_an d , Ca.1.ad a and ltal? Tl:-_e p resence of tt esc in::e rnation al firms p ermeates :h e ·::usines climate , j us: as :he increase in f·J~e~-bo rn r~sicent~ has ar..

_rJ r r r

impc:c: en all a'}Jects of hie J-ere, from d ining •J[:t iCX\5 o social servi: es.

Travel a n.d t ourism Medden burg's trave l an c tourism

small tn mfdium size compalies can have the IT C(JJ1,uter Slpport iust Uke the big compillies. But with1ut the big tJst!

busin es-s

another m ajor part o f the

ecoTWJ:r.y. Acmrding to the C1tarl•Jrte ComerliJn & 'J isitors Bueau (CCVB), trave l and tcui.3m bring in aJout 52.4 b illion .n re"E. n ..Jes annually, makir..g it th e top cksL-r.ado n in the sLa:e. T:::)T_.t rism emp.oys >pp rm:imately 12,000 p ~ o ple

MICROVA TIONsiY ~·

here lr. 11ay 2C·OO, there were m J re than 26,000 rooms cvailable in th:: co·.1 nty, an annual i:-crease o f 8.6 p e~cenl. lr. the fio-

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Jirport in the U.S. in total operations an::! 22nd busiest in terms of total passenge ~'颅 As the largest hub for US Ai1ways, the ai 路pon averages about 500 daily flights to more than 150 cities around the U.S. and the world. The airport's cargo servi.ce is Jlso busy, enplaning 105,864 tons of domestic and international cargo in 1999. Other mJdes of transportation are strong, too. The region is the center of the country's largest consolidated rail system, and the city is the nation's lltr_ largest trucking center, with some 300 firms operating here. The cost of doing business here remains low. According to the R.S. Means Company City Cost Index, construction costs in the Charlotte region are 22 percent below the national average. Raw materia_ costs are 97 rercem of the national average , according to the same study

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Quality of life The cost of living and quality of life remain po itive as well. In the second quarter of 2000, Charlotte had the lOth lowest cost of living among cities with populations of 300,000 to 600,000. Local ur:iversities- UNC Charlone, Queens College, Davidson College and Johnson C. mith University- have a I received national acclaim and aid local businesses With research assistance and graduate degree programs. Central Piedmont Community College, the flagship of the state system, offers training in 92 programs , as well as customized training for specific companies' needs. Entertainment, shopping and dining offerings are :::ontinually expanding and improving, and Charlotte has a rich cultural life. Charlotte-Mecklenburg is also a generous place , no matter what the economic picture. Its annual CROP Walk, which benefits hunger-fighting groups, is the largest in the U . . , and its Habitat for Humanity affiliate one of the most successful. With that kind of commitment to community, Charlotte's record of succes~ and diverse economy with a multitude cf strengths, the picture is always sure to look good for the Queen City. biz

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SoDeog -echno logies co-founders Ryan Walcctt (I) and Paul Crimm (r) want wireless devices to tal k to each othe r regardless of their operating system.

:J}' n e th~a

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og1es

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SoD eog Techno fogies has the 路Nireiess

industq in the taJm of its hand. 1

? OU cat sit in the park and check y::J_ t e-:naiL You can look up a phene n _lll:.l:c

·J - JOt :~. n::J:e in a moment. FDA> are small and light enou.;;:o takE anywhere. Many are shicr:ockt size; though others fit mere c::·mb -t a·J~Y in a jacket pocket or E'J ":::: a bri ef::as~. They typically include an. <\)pointment calendar, a to-do list, a J=:loLoladdress directory and .J. 1:3.5..::: rem•:: editor. At a bare minimuo, a t=)A ou~t be able to communica:e I: \..ire W'itt a personal computer f.Jr f: tJans'::r and backup. Many P:JA.s SU?D·:lTl c.:t O? joeJ.al modem for acces> Leo E-rrcil c.1.d u en web browsing. Sorre cfftr "">'ireh:ss onnectivity or are integr:J t ~ ::nto ::igital cellular phones. E·ut one thing a Palm Pilot ::c-1 •l"'ll : o, 31 le;;,st until Walcott and Crinc

w.th other WildO';.; CE devices; EPOC 'Vith only othn EFCX::: devices. Almost e<::ry project c•r m;magement team can cau:1t on 3 "n'iY...::cl-device" environment. 'klcott had e_q::~rienced this firsthand. "I had a -,a-...o. ·::evice; Paul had a -v-indows CE-b"se.:1 device and there "-'3.5 no way for -1~ :.J share data, " he 3:1)1S "I could :er..:: _nformation to all my collec.gueo "'+o ·had Palm devices, b1t I couldn'l strt anything to him. It voas ridiculm:s.,

::-he software, SyncTall: Prde~s)onal, is Walcott :E.d c. very real need to patent-pending, uni\ersa_ Jla:::form ~nd information :J Crimm . Not only for device-to-device trmsfrr of o:ontac::~, '>.ere they lifelong Enends, growing up appointments, text do ::umens and ogether in F::•c r..-;tll, S.C., they were 3ore across different oper:orng systems. c so emj: loyee5 a_ :vtetasys, an enterprise "We don't really L<ink any one opermanagement ~ofr,,;a ~e start-up, acquired ating system will win JUt c•·;n the ott_ers by Optum ir 903. W ith a computer like Microsoft Windovs hc.s or deskt·D ~ ::ience degr:e fr::::m the University of PCs," Walcott explain;. "So ..-:ce nee•:is South Carolina , to be one common Walcott headed language so these up a group different devices can of techno-savvy speak to each other. employees as We built SyncTalk to director of make that happen. " research while For those of you only in his early still clinging 20s. As director, to a tattered appointhe was charged ment book, consider with applying new that electronic organtechnologies and izers do more than software developjust organize. PDAs are portable devices ment methodolothat help you take gies to build and charge of your busy commercialize life. You can transfer Optum's flagship information to and products_ from your desktop Paul Crimm computer, updating took an alternative the information on route to hone his either the PDA or tho:: technical skills. computer. A prioriX>Deog recently rerurnec from COMDEX, the annuc.l 'Etr::>lo&>- :ra:ie show held in us Following an Air Vegas, wn~re ti"JE)· receiYed favorable press and gener•ed 3 lot o= inLerest in Syn:Tall:. tized to-do list help£ Force tour you focus on imporcara:: a ong, was transfer infocn ~ LYl w of duty, he re::e::..:ed an appointment tant activities. ano _ hehandheld platform As \"L'? Cs, to the Na ti•Jml ~ecurity Agency as a Alarms alert you priJr to oppointmEns. ma~:.ufs c turers use different operLL.g telecommt:.ni·::OCI:ms and cryptology An always up-to-da~ conoct list sa;es specialist, •,:':Jere he received the joint syst:::~3 for their handheld de·1ice.:; time spent searchin~ for p1o:1.e numbers. Service Cot..:ne-_:iation Medal and the incillding Palm OS, Windaws CE Personal finance sof ware: ·-.::lps track j oint Servi::e A::hi.evement Medal. After SyrabL:.n's EPOC32, Auto F'C and ?J::ket your expenses. a stint at th:: \;,;--J te House, he was PC. But while PC-based Wmdo"'J:-en You can make use cf _me spert eager to re.-.1:-n __;) the Carolinas. Walcott communicate with Macintosh ar.c_ UNIX, commuting or sittins in ~itmg roeos to recruited ho o Optum. Pa ~:n Filots could only comm'Jrlc::.t~ edit proposals, read mans:cpts, o- even wi: l c_l:ler Palm devices; Vlinic...,.._; ·:= E Durir~ ~1i 3 fou r-year post, Walcott play a game. And if y::Jui PO_'\ is wireless, 3.

january 2:)0 I

f - =ater charlotte biz

not only demonstrated technical excellence, but a strong affinity for management. "It was a start-up," he says. "I saw the company grow to over 300 employees. I was very close to the executive management team, close to the heartbeat of the company." This start-up exposure as a manager was an omen of good things to come. "Four years at Metasys was like 40 years at another company," he comments. "And it's really prepared me for this. I can take the knowledge from there and apply it here." Walcott's projects at Optum planted the seeds for SoDeog's SyncTalk product. Optum specializes in supply chain software-logistics, warehouse management and order fulfillment products that must integrate with a clients' Enterprise Resource Planning systems like People Soft or SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (or ERP as it is commonly known) software is a vital manufacturing and planning tool that allows businesses to automate and coordinate business activities. "It's a huge problem - application integration," Walcott explains. "But the same problem exists in the device space itself. You have applications on these devices that need to talk to each other. "

Leap of Faith Convinced that others shared their frustration and aware of the surprising dearth of alternatives, they took of leap of faith out on their own in july 1999. Walcott and Crimm quit their day jobs and set up shop in Crimm's back bedroom. They had no guarantee that their product would work, but an angel investor saw promise and bankrolled the duo-to the tune of $100,000. They coined the company name, SoDeog, as an abbreviation fo r the Latin , Soli Deo Gloria. ("To only God be the glory.") Despite staggering technical challenges and the intellectual property risks, failure never entered Walcou's mind. Using XML technology, the two were committed to overcoming constraints-limited bandwidth , limited memory, and limited CPUs and more. Tinkering, testing and building prototypes, the team met with success early on. >-

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'loJO~ij i'

qJJe set out from the beginning to bLild

pro:iuct that worked and to get

C3pital morer trcm the \li73.kdid. Group cf c,a-btre and Auarra-oog:d

They ;.sitei booths and demonstrated

Noro-M::>seley ?3.:::ners. ~rge t.taGie, an EntRpreneu-1:- -Resi.i<"Lce: at Wakefield Grc:;>, wc.s ap : ointd chairman o·· the b::>ard By the tin=: -,v'al::o-:t md C1imm Eturned w c =IJ.:JEX b t~o-eobe r 2000 , they :l.Cl: ody :-.ad :t bcotb, l::ut \'/ere alreai; ::elling Syr:.cial[. O"'tr the hternet for $3•) ::t cop:; ~ tbn ::han sran. they h.ad aquirec o;er 50,JCH) c.sers worldwi:'e . Whi:e Walcot ·s pleaseC: wit"1 mHduc.llEl.gc , h~ st::-esses tha· c.le.\-i :e mc.r.uf:tcrurrr:;

treir p -ot::• ype tO industry leaders, buy-

are the corrprr:/=: prioa:--,_ aLd~nc•.

eG ani ser e:rs. Walcott recalls, "People

Future Stnt~J~

it :mto the rna rket quickly," says Walcott. ·'We just

k :-tEW

we could find a solution. "

B} M.n::h 2(00 , they had done just that. lt.hough they had no booth,

r-----

no presentation and only f1ree employees (including t-lemselves), Walcou and Crimm arrived at the COMDEX Fall 1999 conference in Las Vegas. COMDEX

is a business-to-business trade stow for :echnology in the new economy

kept tcllin5

JS,

'lt's about lime someone

"In the fL ::Lre , w~':e. ~!Ln.§ the s:ft-

ta:k:e::::J rl::is problem.' We were really er.cc .JGge· . ' Gathering feedback and

...,are dtrecr: .:• the m3.JlL ·ac.ur::r," :1::

scgge;tions, they returned to Charlotte to

soays. ":'ou bu: tl::c de•ic;;

modify an· ta ilor SyncTalk for its release.

the box anc ~eTa[<. i :; ~::rec.d:, loc.ded

Since

initial funding, oDeog

C•nto

ta:~e

_t o..:t cf

it We >V31t 3yncT3.L- on e..:er:;

hc.d u.ised a1 additional $500,000

de\ice that is s-:i::: pin§ : n :he irrlu~- tr:~'

from o· her engel investors along the way Then, in l\.tay 2000, th e company raised

In :"act S.JDogjL~ IIIDL:l.ce:. a worldvr.de ?a£-n-!rship a,~;-ee:nrnt ?itl-_

$5 milhon in a first round of venture

Ericsson , tl-e ;..o:-.d 's so::nd larsest

WY'/W. Iiquiddesign. net

janLary 200 I

lili ~ th~ llll~ lll! jo it. It's a •c le re spa:e J~ l!re ttl at rtEr pet~ le aveignored_ ~e •n~w ~1m ttl be -·nning t ~ Wi~ JOir to tJe big_ " d11i JUlrl

•t Slfe'l] r~ -c Jg e:;

p:1or::.e

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:r:~r:-Jfcc ::-_r"! r. ,A_; .l

partrter,

:': :t'Jeo~

E_- ,:~sor

·;;Jl d :: ~:::, .- Sy:--t:Tllk

~oh:: jons b t 9.J]:po::-t e:·:L in ~ nd L : Jre E::-icss•n :e_ b:- c ogie -. SX:ec~

a. • r~c~ r J:, 3!1f.

~m~gi:: :~ g:-eenen .

wi(:: ( J :>: :· i-:

Ger:nan~ -:_n cer the agro::£-:Je::ll, Cas:c wil b 1 :d£ S:~n·:Ta lk sc::-:-"'3'P- XI iLS ir.st=: 11.3.::: c..:::~. fo r CasU~ sx: __ sf J.l

Cas:::cpeia :me c·- DAs. I :>--' ") ·iv'c.lo. :::•: is c.: tbc ile .m oi a ? ~~=c=

op aLan ·;.ill- c:n:--a,t: klla1 -yr..e . - .lilm ch.ef p.or: ~e:r, is e: ~a.c engi::.er :J.:"ld So[•::c·g!: :-:.pa: ~ me procL .::t rnc·v::.tion~. S·J ~f:..p• ll!e t-:.':0 hc.v.: ::1.=rng:d th t .:bJSJless· e:::- p: JS:•;.e grC'.;.-::1:- :irs:>c :r·:·.:ng mm::-iages Li d ;r·:·wi.r.g f; rili::s. Lo::>~:i:l.g bac·< C•n :lr.::r "\·.:ri:r[winc ei~_l.::er me onths, 'Jlak:Cl: s ~n: ~-ul for hi~ )GIG O p«.um "A Jc-t o:' J t ,.-e did :rt•:-:x-J.::-:1. prq::ared u s ll::r "--:-.a:: -" _' re dom~ n::-;.-~ 5•)-

o:fic~ _r_

Sci:•-:·: ~at J maruge:ne:ll

boa s t~

loeiD1

a:1 :np-e:ss-.ve Wit::. c :;: r 23 yurs o£

executive and senior management experimce, George Mackie adds depth, commercial expenise and a wealth of relationo.h ips to help SoDeog move forward. Brian Shepherd is vice president cof marketing P.e is a former McKinsey consultant with a Harvard MBA and over ten years of strc.tegy, management and business development experience. Leonard Philemon , vice president cof sales, has 23 years' experience in technology and sales management. with such compar_ies as Tandem Computers md most recently, Telxon Company. Peter Gdord is managing director câ&#x20AC;˘f SoDeog Eurcpe. He most recently was general manage r for Greenwich Instruments in the U.K., where he led dl sales and :nc.rketing efforts for their handheld and peripheral products. SoDeog Technologies is a member

Amon6 t - e attra:tions lt SoDeog'; COt1DEX l:ooth was this popular w reframe annooncer.

cof the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. Bluetooth, comprised of industry leaders like 3Com, Ericsson, IBM , Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, okia and Toshiba, i.3 driving development of wireless technology and bringing it to market.

lt is a common misconception that Bluetooth is a SyncTalk competitor. (Bluetooth protocol uses radio waves to transport information between devices.) Bluetooth actually enhances the SyncTalk software, which CUITently utilizes infrared tech:wlogy as a means of transfer between devices. The software has been designed to scale with advancements in wireless technology, such as the introduction of the Bluetooth protocol. SyncTalk wUl usc this mode of transport, much as it does infrared today, to facilitate the exchange of information between mobile devices. SoDeog Technologies has multiple procucts in development to capitalize on the promising future of Bluetooth technology. According to the company, there are no other products currently posi~ioned to compete with Syn Talk. Walcott is confident about the future. "Nobody is doing what we're doing the way we do it. It's a whole new space out there that other people ha\'e ignored. We knew from the beginning this was going to be big." biz

Nethea Fortney Rhinehardt IS a Charlottebased freelance wnte~

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5reater :har otte biz

january 200 I

-::y nethe:t foc:r ey rh ir ehard-:

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-:=-

~ Lpi~Pt70file I ~

ZL\PATt\ENGINEERING INT EG R ! l ' l

Q_, r-\LfTY

Manue' Zapata -v;or_ t discus~

mo.:t •Jf Zap:1ta

Engineerng'~ .:;uc:.:es~bl

projects, and reason.

'h ·th

_g cod

His CGmp :-.y 3pecio.i:::es

in identif~ng prob _e;ns

e".is::=->5

Zapata Engjneerirg is n ot your average engineerin5 lfirm, and its leader, Mc:.nuel Zapata, is rot your t}"P cal engineer. Tile fonrer refLgee has built a successful company b? tackl ir.g ·::Omplex prcble11s m:ost other firns wo ....~t go near.

structures and deveb:;:> ir.g c,:a::-,~ solutions u mocif} 3.rd toqJID

d-: ~ m

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env:ircr.m~nn c'JgirLer~

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public an:! t=rivcte :::•)mpniEs and g::>vernment.ilorgan::::ations.

we do , ou- cl en·s d:w "t a.-:v:ry:: Pant

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a lot of pUJlicity:' ~iJ"_Io ZcpaG. ·~·J

strucutal

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january 2C:• I

e:o·osives ar.d chemic<l

Zap3. ..a fcunc:e

Zap1 _a E::-tgi:ceering ir lt;9l and bas car~blly

-;>::>s tione.::l it as a very spE :::idz~c

fim. Forget sLnple const -uctior_ - Zapa _a Engir ~e ::t1g :c.kes on : orrplex. ~echnic:ally d..:mmding challenges thc..t oany ergo firms deciLe. -v;e a :o work :::m tuilc.ing~ wt-e-e

'-fa ·e materi:L

TI-e C.S. Air f·Jrce. A·ny ll"d tre

r.::gdarly call ..rpon th_ Cb.:L1otte-hased

rec1.1ile : ZapJ:a EDgi:-eeri:1g L tn

r n:

for their .::xperus~ -

oro.:.n:m::e anrl

Zapata3 c.ut-of-tre-•r :h laJ.)

...,<. - fre c er-ur Io:h-y the Len is

eng:neering 1133 earned. tl· c :Jrm impres-

The firm3 clien.:

i~. , r~,ds

orlds AwaJ

like a

Z.ap;m 's integity -,as sePI ::d htn

V1CtS Who in mena1 ELCir.es;-

J f •. jones, Ba1.k of f\n o::ri_<;.

""'e l t"lr::: JghJut ...= ·: areer. Bu his

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l. oi :ed Parcel ervice, t.c -::.me j..ts~ a fe\-9.

h l:uge part, Zapal<J

cr ~ d

•: h.tl::: in

C•)(l.inued success. ":Jur su:::::::ess has krn built ~\;;..(:

0:1

these

c<..ts~ the b"Jilding tJ be5in 3 ~csing . We

cf :;:ublic corrpanie5. Tx> ht:p com.ns ta:;.: lO US be·21USe t h.::., t -_: ~t US tC tell

he says.

hcrve execut-

Lap3ta for he::r in a

engi~erin.?;

reg)Lation. Ibe com"Jan: ;;>ant<:d to

"si:::l- J..tildi"lg syndwoe, ' to p-c:Jelly cc•ltll inattd w· th chem·ca s, o::Lctro-

t-u

rrogn ; tic fidds c.nd m ·..tniticns.

t-alked becau~e the

TT'£trodology to resear: t-. the effc : ts o iJborrc~

and pO\\er lines througr Jut t 1e

Sou :1e1st.

~he

work has be ::r rc p rc·-

world -::c. rot

He led the countP/

w;;:;

extrera::ly

rerre1be:s. "\1y - ~ a :t

_socs oUl .:: Jll il1lmigr:1r.ts. It ::=:.kes r. Ol ::: f gUG . 0 CO! := t::J he C -

b.nd

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p .·l ic<- refugee. Zapa·a

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scicr ti:.ts f,y forensi::: en :I enviroom::rtal

2apat<. Engineerir g de\.elq:~d .he

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br.s

-.,b.el. th~ ruling :::on1unist ?orty o Jro::d un.ve-sit:- ~·ac ·..tates frCll en:r ·ea :ir:g th~ our r;. F.Jt years nto a 2 - cling s ::-:1ear -Ill o::r.gi:1eer.ng -::r:::gnm, Zapata ~cned h; stLd es ·a-;; ·a:te o: frec::l•m .

L1 ::m the trut\. "

St ~ ff C f engi_1eers, gtobgists and othe-

-h ~

;u::- \d i - &.:sto:.E frClTI his n.:l.ive

a=·:ey tJ his

bs ~uke Pov..cr tenJJe

s.1::c:::·s in

com:: ec.s ;.

·:.lo-,g-term

da ionships, many esuJ :.ied iurirg

e-:! multi-milli:n do l' r :cTracts for a lot

h·om incl.oor 3tr qua1L.y cr

train.in§ grou-,ds

mid-sized o-gam.:a.i •t=..

·cr," h( slu-es. "The h ::3\ier lo1d can

e\~r::r hng

nT 1""tl ~}

bed Lo re:s .•x :

srr:.all

a :en1 n sp1ce t 1.an ori§inally :J .1nne·l

This select to::an :::::r>ects

:;ele::t f::vo-- in he llJL:Xl. qua i-

by cli~m<.-tl : ng ~ wo::apomy.

for

and _he::mcal

Fcrtune 500 c.ompnie; a= •:Jell

e: a : ionshi~_::s:

The fi · 11 emplc•ys a 1ighl} ~.::ern cal

:l.l'lD~ ::1.

e-~ · osi-es

50\.e repeat cli; nts tl-a: . c\.de s::veral

h:: us,;ge II..1s changed- Iro-e :->eople in

1dp the bu !dins carr:- n ::w fu-,.~iol~. "

-,iJ.h the ·itrrs rre _cubus app::::>ach 10 sc l;irlf; :.trucLJ"Ll r-oblems. ttey

aY}

·' was very forturate. I ~-u:d pe<: ?le who

reoiler,

the buyer

-:;)Ok

chance on me. :::1. thi5 country. -.-.h~n peoole see - meone st-.tggling and trying, th~y find a way to>.:• hel? you.~ - Mmwcl z..-1a

l:md was ccntcmir ate d . Zapata [r.gineering cpenly omulted wiL: bot!- ti-e

scll ~ r

md buyer re[aclint; tl£

n·-irorn~mal

L.apc.ta plar""l.:xi t.::• set:le i- San

-=:•ie§C, bu. throus- a hmily fr :: ncl

c:m.3equences, then carefd; crcfted

::etourer: o Gas cia. Although h~ ':: nd

scier tists c:::ntin·Je t.:> us:: ZcpJ ,; tech -

c 1horough cl !ln-up p13n _-cat suit::d

~tudic:d

li<.JLES for continued re~ Earch. T1e fi1m

kth parties.

dccec. n oner parts

the O:OLr· ry, a1cl

al-o :::::JClduas sudi(s, p o::· fo ~m 3 i.nves iga· in1: ;nd

d ~ velcps

designs ·o:: c..::anup at

si ..::s cc·nta""l!inat::d with ord.inan.=e ::.n:l

~pata w<.~

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:::nsl sh : i- ce th ~

bot:-

Er gli~ 1.

~ ngin::erir

tbrc grade an:!

.me. French 1extb :))k~

.s s _h :·ol. the hr._;.Jage

b : 1e positive outconc, 01....-d the reta.ler

pu: hased thE. proper:}The U ..•\rmy w2S :o ·m:p-essed

Jarr er ~~' ~ill :: i.:~rnL :ant. "V.~-,.en l :irst ::::u ; tc Cba ·lot:.e l Lrnecl or .he ca ~

-a.::..i•J tc

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o1..n! cTI"rc:E FOR :

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B~:F£~

1\IITETING?

OUR 7 AC ..I""lESIHCLU!:IE·

-.gu -e ou .

C::::C•..tn--::- stc: ion. I co-uldn't :t

""od the; were sa::'ing ·

Und=t ~:-~d,.G.pa 1

::ngh ~e:-

appliec to

ng :;: hool 3.t t::.e Un.iv~:s ity :t[

'krtl- Ca-::lina-Chdoc.e (U:.JCC). He ea:.i-

:> p<.se ::.. a batter; of~ .acemenr examE to ~::ll11 ::.

s- ex ir the: III.C:::

nical eogi:-te:er.ng

:n::•gram B..tt he !;t -:. n_=eded a j b. Bu:;i -.cssmo ar.c. brother = Fra11k J:- t.

Fred M<J)Ihf ..v toe·-< a char-:e o- _he

::ageT you - g ma:1. He .vas hired on · he ~ot

to pre gra:n a. ::: omrut~r

3er ;ice

januar>· 200 I

(,:>~ ,..o: <dim

:.1

Metd

c1. Souh -:.cuba rd.

gr:=.ater cra r ot:;: t:iz

Z:1pata's ingenuity isn't limited to restructJr.~ buildings. When they couldn't ftnd one to ~J r chase, Zapata's engineers desigred their c-...,., portable decontamination tent Shown ~rf: by (I ro r) Bryan Moeller, P.G., Greg Hipp.::rt, geologist, and Zapata, the tent ccn be used 01: worksites or at disaster scenes for cher.1i:al, biological and other forms of contamina!am

Although Zapata had never pogrammd ~ COmJ=uter tebre, he figured it out i::l ~ single mornir_g. The unit went into production that afternoon. "l was very fortunate, " he stresses. ·1 had :=eople who took a chance on rru:.

In this country, when people ~e som~ ~·re

str..:.ggling and trying, the:' find a way to help you. " Zapata earned a degree ir: mechanical engineering in 1969 and accepted c post at ?iedmont Natural Gas. He continUEd his studies in the evening at U CC, taming an MBA in 1972. But his community fervor didnit begin in ~arnest until he caught the eye of Billl.ee.

Communitv Service BiJ Lee was chairman and CEO of Duke Power (now Duke Energy)

<'Www.dukeenergy.com> from 198::. through 1994. He spent 39 years rising througn the ranks to build Charlotteb c.sed Duke Power into one of the m.tion's largest utilities. But Lee's inte:est e>tended beyond Duke PoweL He wisely h.mneled his time , energy and even h .s . 1.. bord.inates ir.to building Charlotteis and the stateis economy. As an advoC3te Jar the business community, he expec.tr:c D.1ke employees to do the sane. Lee saw value in Zapata md hired htm in :he rr:id-'70s. Right away, Zapa8 krund :iat Lee had high expectations c.f employees at his management level. "F:e everyone to be involved in the cc•mmunity," recalls Zapata . "He told me tbt because of my job, I had to be the leJder of at least two industry or civic gwups, so liJ better get busy. It was 'VTitten into :ny job descripticn. " zrpata eventually found :1imself a: t!-:e helm of the ister Cities Committe~ lor the City of Charlotte. He ~v1ved >-

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Even an en,g - :er has to t: e a salesman sometimes. Here at a recent trc.:le sho·.-, Z:~ata encourages tvtc officers frcm the Russian army to consider Zapata

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the then-defunct group and incorporated the business community into the cultural exchange. The very first Sister City was Arequipa, Peru ; then Baoding, China; and Krefeld, Germany. Zapata led delegations of Charlotte businesses overseas and organized reciprocal trips. "We got to promote our city around the world," he says proudly. "The payoff for the city was great. " But as a Duke Power employee, Zapata hadn't entertained the idea of promoting himself, much less his own company. As committee chair, Zapata actually had to ask some members, intent on endorsing their own businesses, to leave the group. "We were focused on promoting the United States first, then North Carolina, then Charlotte and yourself last," he insists. "When you are talking to companies from japan or Germany, it's not about you. It's about Charlotte." His integrity served him well in the ensuing years. "Even today I get calls from contacts I met years ago. When you work hard to keep your integrity, people trust you. Even years after the fact. "

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Staninu over Those h~ady years of leadership came to a roahg halt in the late '80s. ln the midst ::>f profound changes in the electric utilities industry, Zapata found himself downsized. With his wife Karer_'s support, he brovely took his severance and launchec. what he hoped would be a successfJl international consulting business. His ~orldwide contacts and stature as a oosiness leader should have guaranteed sncâ&#x20AC;˘:ess. But it di:ln't. Zapata fou:1d competition from the Bi.g 5 accounting firms , lc.w firms, and th~ banking secto:: too much for his fledgling operation. Disheartene::l, he tried his 1:-..ard at the import/export business. lt, t.oo, failed to reap dividencl.s. By 199 1 Zap:w was nearly out of ideas when he was reminded of what a management expert might call hi.; "core competency. " He was after all , an engineer. Zapata eoq::lains, "Worki:l.g at Duke Power put m:: on the business side. l had to study ar:d refresh and get back to being an ngineer. I realized how >

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much I truly lov~d engineering. Its wh~ l wanted tc do all my life. " Zapc.ta stud ed and cbtained iis engineering licer_se. With his last $250, he s=.t up a computer in the corner crf the fami1y rooo in hs home. He sent out 50 lette:rs to contacrs he iad rcade tl-.roughout J.is career at Duke. Zapata Eng:ne::ring was open for busine~s. Thc·se contocts he cdLva:ed tho..1gh civic act:'Jities dd not fail him. Zapa .c's trus:. integ~ity and strong s~nse of ethics stru·: k a chord Rith his fc·rmer co1lec:gues and they in turn supported hi:n. :J.e ::ouldnit afford tc pay his fir3t emr.loyee, but wary Richudson, :lOW' seni:Jr vice president of O:)eration:;, l-as been with the fim1 ever s:nce. Hi: fe ,

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Karen, a CPA, e\.entually left her :)Osl.tion as a college prof~ssor to come ab:Jard. Nine yea~s later, Zapata Engin ::ering i:. 50-Employees st-ong and one of the largest er.gineeri1g firms .n th:: area. Zapata's abi'ity to ensend::r t: us . is matched by his trust in his emplc·yee:::.. Zapata Engineer ng expeliences Em:nkably low turnovE.r becaus:: !le is a strong supp orte~ of his staff. Educationa stipc::-tcs and bonuses are not unL:;ual in this day and age But what is difbent is the eve! of flexibility and resromibi.i:y offered to emplo,ees. Work hours ac flexible. After gn.eling fie:ld assignmeus, the 3i.aff is ~ncouaged to take tirr.:: cff. When the firm landed a

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Zapata wou ld hc::ndle the assignment in the :nuch-coveted locale. Instead, he :ent two junior, yet v::ry capable engi:1eers. Zapata~s

management ph·lcsophy is Ktu-

ally .c. refl ection of how he likes tc• w:rk. "We believe in o.1r people," he sa:,·s. ·"Ne trus: them and

E~ve

them a great :ieal of

rest:omibillty ea· ly on. We want tiem to like their jobs ar d have bL "

j an u a r y 2 0 0 I

g r2 at e r c r a r I c t t e b i 2

Servinl the Public Good Despite his accomplishments, Zcpata is modest about his long car ~ e of public service. "Ch<:: rlotte has been good to me ,'= he says simply. "People gave me a ci ance. F I can help the city, then I -~11 " And he has. Zapata has ac tively se ~ved as Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce is Foreign Investment Committee, Ca ~olinas World Affairs. tre Nortl-_ Carolina Entrepreneurial Development Board and more . Chatlotte mayors and even the p:rve lor ha\e sought his business expert..3e. b: has led North Carolina delegates all o-.er the vorld. Zapata has mentored emerging bus~nesses and cultivated s·Jr:pcrt br mmority entrepreneurs. His caet, yct hc.nds-:::m ar:proach has enriched ·::: c:h tre business c.nd social fabric of Charlo.J:e a:x:l the surro·.mding area. Zapcta exr: lains his civic zeal v.itE a quote a::ributed to former Charlo:::: m.:tyor St:m Brookshire. " 'In Charlo:te it :ioesn't matter how much money J-..l hzve. If y::m don't do civic work, you dc·n't connt. ' "Her- ," he says , "businesspeople 3h·e of their time , talent and treasure. For ::. l o~g time . the only thing I had was ti..n:2.'Despite the demands of a gro~ finn and a backlog of $72 million in C•::ntracts Zapata still makes time to support t::• the Charlotte business con:..m..tnity. w·orkir.g with the Charlotte Chamber he helped found the Las Americas 3uoiness Council, a busin~~ goup for Hispanic professionals. H~ as m::ntorec young entrepreneurs through th~ Charlotte Chamber Minority Bllirness Le.adersh-p Institute. His presence b.~ been felt i::1 social organizations , too from the Boy Scout Council to Crisis Aosistanc:: M:nistry. Although Zapata has been identified as an ind..tstry recruiter and goodwill a~bassacor for the City of C h arlott~ , he i.o: convin: ed that his best work is yet =o carne. Hi::; goal is to increase the firm to 4C•O emp:oyees through internal grovr_h ' '.lle have a lot ::Jf momentum going righ new," he sayo. ' If you love what you'::dcing there's no need to retire. It's so m..teh fur. to gnw a business. " biz

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_ai ..Jar y 200 I

3.:

"T 1e property

tax~ c.:

reasonable

levels, is inadequate tofu d schools and other growtr-related services and debt. It is

im~erative

tha.t "''e reexamine the allocation of reote ues becvveen state and local goverrments." Par~s -l:lm~

chaÂŁ, i"lecklenburg ::Oumy Board .:Jf ::cmmi~icn:ers

.anuary 2J â&#x20AC;˘)

greater charlotte biz

inter·r ewed b:- bea quirk

[bizinterview I

Cou y Mat ers Parlzs Helrns Chair= Mecklenburg County Beard of Corr missioners

\Vhat ro e should county gove-m:1en: p]a~: in keepir..g Meek enburg5 economic success going? Th2 Cou - ty cc.n Jlcy an i11pcrtant role in economic dev;:loJpllen:

tJy

pcrtn~ri1g with privat2 bLsiness in : r.=ati 15 r ew job oJpJrt J·

nities ar.::J 11aking ; ure we h::ve a well·p-epared

"Vefk

fcrce. Tris

inclu :le5 v1orking c..osely wit - the Char o:te·Meclde nburg Scho-J.

Fro- ~ ction

c=c:a..r W3te · s uj:: pl~ and more Jpen spac€,

j:a -G 3nd recr=-aticn fac 1"1ies. ~e:;;::lLtion

cf tte

~e :: i ;:· ictin§

i~sJe

cf a new up:own 3rena.

o= pol tical J::_ndaries with

sensitivit~

t1e colsti :u-ioral r.=qL irerr ent that every vo: e mus·

CD.rt.

Sy.;tem c=rd Central Pied11or t Commur it,r Co Lege. 11 aa .H ion, we can CJ l3boratewith the ·:::ity of CharlJtte in pro·.· idirg affor:J· ab .e lOG 11gin all secticns .:fthe count·1. Furtre·, we must mcv= forwc rd

..1

th impravements •J our tran3j::Ortaticn s·,·stem- ba: h

Ce:: ~rn i1 a tion

if Jur ~ rr= --t: for11 of city c: nd county. gov-

err Tents is bE st br : re 1211 century, and if we shc:uld r 2 \.~:t h e

idee: J r .oca g:>vErrment consolidation .

roads ar:l otrer m·Jdes of m3ss transit aHer'lat i'/2.:. An: ·Ne mJ:it

~tc.:

acccmj::lisJ- this write mainto:ining a st3ble tax t urden.

sel ·orc tize1s.

\vl:-at ~re your major goals for the Commissian C•'- er t]- c next _wo '' ears? Duri 1g : te 1ext :wo years, tr-= County CommisoiJn 11ust de:erTTlirwe Jri::Jritieo; that are 'Jolitically a1d pra c: icallli=03~ble . We must ceveloJ c: n 'agend - for a new century' t1a t ;h:uld

The D:Jn.ocrats Inve gc1e from a 7-2 to a 5-4 1a_(lrity or_ ue :::::ou J.ty Commission How will th s :a-r::ct how t.:lC &:>ar J fLnctions a-,d what you can .Jc.::.omplish? -he JJrt :.an maloeLp of the Bac. rd of County Commissio1ers shoul:l t-a•re no cd\.ers::- im::Jacton the Board'o; fLnction Very few

include, r a minirr um:

A r=-E:>anirat on ofthe - evenue s1cring be:,.,een state and lJCa l governmen :s..

lizatior o=the ta;. bJr:len, particularly on our

prnicie ~

nf thf< i5;Jes

W€

"Vi l cE al.,.,.th :: re Jartis3n in nature. I a-n hope·

ful th c. ttte &>arc v.ill be sE nsit \'e to dWering philosophies and :>pin icn;. 'IS v..e cmsider putlic pJ!icy issu=s. More import3ntly, we

Ad::JYi:m ofpclicies 3nd :> ractices that limittrE increa.;ing

mus: 3LbJrd nat:- CLrpeGon3 3gerdas to a corrmunit). agenda

frictbr betv<een urban a1d suburban areas :f our ccuntv.

for the

Creat c•n of a t'ansit sys-e m that car compet2 Nith 11-- e au cm::>bile.

1e11

ce ntLry and a( wijth ma ture, thoughtful jud~ment to

3dopt r.:o rci es ard :: ra c ices trat have long-term implicc. tions for t he qu al!)• o=te=t &=e pJs9b .e fJ r cur citizens. -his Bo3rd has the cc: p::ci:J :o pro\. ide tha· k nd o=leadership. I 3m hoj:eful that

Exp ::. n5ion and impove1ent of heath cere f:>r the oocr

we V'li l :E e~al-o ~ 1 e cha le1~ of building consensus and ere·

and el:Je ·ty.

3ting :c n=idence in g01.ernnent.

gr23te- :rar lotte bic

j an u a r y 2 0{) I

some roles in maintaining a f ree a1d indep := n:l =nteconO'll J

With growth .:xnnes an increased need for government 5.z:o·Jicc~. How do we address these needs v.i:hour an over-rejance 0:::1 the pr•Jperty tax?

that only government can pD vid e. It is not pre = :atle for th e private sector to engage in many services a l d]Yo~ ·am o :hott are essential for the safety, health and wel l: beiag J f com11 -r ities

Th e gro'A th n tre valLe : f /VIecklenburg CoLnty's tax be: se in the

across this nation. I also appreci3te th e inc us ·..e aature Jftre Democratic platform .

curren: f sce: l ysn.. cs m•Ye th an $ 2.5 billi on dolla·s. This r ew grovvth, at th e Ci rElli Jro.Je rty tax ra:e, gene·ated less t1i:;n $:20 million n:!w :lollar:; n reve11 ue. During the same budget cycle, the Board ·Jf Educati(n rec ues· ec an increase in funding of $45 million .

What are Mecklenburg's grea:est st:- ngths?' Greatest weaknesses?

Th e pro pe rt~ tax.. 21: ·10ason3 ble levels, is inadequate to fLnd

Mecklenburg's greatest stre11gth is its peop.e. 11\'hi.e we J-a .. e-

scro ols and oth ~ r grcwt h · e l ated services an:J debt. tis mp::ntiv::

excellent geography, weather and natural resc•_·cES, it hcs been

th at we P-eX3 mil e the al o·:atiol of revenLes between s:ate and

the traditional leadership of rrer and women in tre publ c<>m d

l::>c3 1g•JVE rn-nerts.. Local g•JVerr ments need a revenL e source that

private sectors that have tra 1slared the se ass23 i 1to a q.J c. i:'!l

is P-SpJr sive to l rzcr:J rr aic grJwth occurring in MecklEnburg

of life that is unequalled in the L nited States. C..:. til e sam2 :: ne,

County an d oth e:r r~a jcr urba n areas of Noih Carolina.

and as a corollary, our greate:;t ll"eakness i ~ ir "::: ii ng to n cre forcefully resist those who ~r.ro ul c divid e thi ;

How is the school .>ituation affecting outsiders' percepticn of Cha -l.Jne-Mecklenburg? Is ~ l irr.peding our ;tbiL~,r :o attract new businesses?

unity c. leo 15

social, neighborhood or eco1om ic lines. The increasing diversity represents a tlirE

tc the la :te·

group, but an opportunity to the form er groJp... Ve musf rei - brc=

The urc ertai nty <II : J ngo 1f liti gation in ou s·: hocl system is

the traditional public / private partnersh ·ps · h e. ~ 1a ;e tau eh: LS

havin g a ne5ati·1e in pact :>n p ~ opl e ' s percepti on o· Ch 3rlotte

the importance of living togethet i1 an ever-chc. 1g ng w JClc. 'file

and M:!ckl e1bu ·g CJu ntJ. J nfc rt unately, there is much misunde --

risk losing the sense of : om11un ity th at hao b.J _nc us to 5e:12.r

standil g about t tl€ soci31ar d edu GltiJn dynamics tha: crea:e

for more than 200 years. Ou r 'hornets nesr riO J:Utation i o r cb y

t hE unre rtainty.l.\'ili iE

a ::r.:~ct i rg

deserved- and we must nct allow the pro ~ p ;o riy oc. nd fOOd

new bu si ness is a1 impon r t

goal, t l iS sr oul:J l.Jt :>e the mJtivating factor in

~Ct.ke~. si ng

the

fJr resjsi 'lg

those who would change our cou nty.

education cla ll=rrges fa:i 1g ou r com rr unity. While cree: ting en c l all'e~

times of recent years to dampen our en: hu:.ia=·

of - good' scho Jls 2nd po ckets of ' poor' schools rr ight

bri1g shoJrt-:erm t ellE fi ~ . it is also

a recipe fo r the ulf rrate fail·

urE of ou r so:hool :;, ~ e m c. nd our ci:y and county.

My favorite memories of grmving Lp in Ch a ·to t:tr incl ud e tl'le

Why are yo·.l ~ ::)erro:rat? I am a Democ r<t:

:J o:-cc u ~ e

You're a Charlotte native. Wr.at c.re ,rcur h .rorite memories of Charlotle while gro.v:.rg up? friendliness of neighborhoods,

I !"old th e vi ew of many t1at govern·

ment can be go:>·: for soc et y in ger eral. I believe tll erE are

~articul a rly

in :- e 11ill v

when textiles were a major part of our So ut1a n

l~ g2;

e c onon ~.

My years at Villa Heights Elemen ta ry and TEch 1-ig Sch J·J lw?re

Break Through the Ba"iers as Others Have Done! Here is what they are saying ... "R>sults speak !auGer tt:;m wo•os ~ have engaged Hf!f1ricks Dorpcrate Train ·ng tor bct.'l '>'lies training and prNate consu/t'ng. rJoJr results M?"e i.1'mediate and wfJI beyo.7d a~onfJ's reas~nab 'fi e:.pa.::tation. I advise businesses of 111/ s!<:es to retain 'i<r.r!Cks Corporate Trzining as the:r persona ' guidr; rc i.' secure future. " Ashley Camp bel , Pre:sidenlllr II CEO Midgard , In;.

"In twenty years of p ctessioJnal Si.'llitt; £JniJ sales tFEii:r-!J. nothing has inf'uencad my rte mae ;:a=;iti ,ely bcJt (}1 and off tha job 'iS the peopl~ at Hrnrccs G'Jrpora!r; Training. i heir 'r.ter£!'>1 exter ds bf!.lorG mfi as a diEnt ~c me as a persor_ The artenticn anc st..p:on i rece.Vi! t~ s made eac.'J day 2 strce torvrard ir m_, ~ uc;;ess in lie." Bill Sykes lotus/IBM

San d l'9r HENRICKS CoRPORATE TRAINING AND DEVEI.OPMEI'T INC.

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Sale! lnsHtl.te• (704) 544-7383 www.henrick scor p.sandle::.eom 38

j anuary ~ 0 01

§T e at Er ch a rl c t i:. E- ciz

some of the most enjoyable expErience of my 'grov, n ~ up' years. Families and friends were reccve·ing from the G~eat [).::pression and were faced with defending the world from tre 3S~ :! ult on our democratic society in the Seccn:l World War. I remember the patriotism, t1e courage, the l()llal::/ and

Born: 1535, in

Ch"rk:tte's Belrncn:

ne·ghtort cod, ju5:t rnr.h of t..p~o •.tn.

:he strong sense of communit~ ttat bound us al[toge-:fler as

Educatior : Al:em::!d c.r :l gradL;rt-

Americans who had pride and rEspect for our cotm try. -hese

'Nere, in some cases, painful timEs- but in retrcs~~c:.. these

:Cc; ·nee a B.A. an ::I a a.,., cEgree =rnm

experiences created the foundation for the comr~ur it\' Of

tle U1 vErsit} c•f Nor:1 ::arolin3 a:

•::harlotte and Mecklenburg CoJrty that we know toea•,

Ch3pe H II.

And these are good memories.

frcn Ci13no:te ::.1bli1: school~.

Fz.mi )·:

f\1ctre·, 83-ve3r old l:a ~

Fa1ks lielrG, l've.s in

--low has Charlotte changed for the better since your youth? For the worse? Charlotte has changed since my nuth. I believe i: is bO'tter in most respects. We have adaoted to the inevitctJie c~ :Jnges brought about by growth, and at the same time, have preserved nost of those characteristics Y..h ch make our cit~ a1d o:ounty desirable and livable. It's import3nt to remember tht r::very

~1--Tied

E e3ro· AI En

nt HilL

Cr arlottl: ir

1S:59. 1he~ hi;ve t~·ee g--:JNn ::r-i dr.:r an: ·.vo ~c:rdsons.

Career:

::>re~ice~r ar d IVanafi ,[ P:l'tllEr o" HE m >..

HEnderso1 & PortEr, La!;t

3ook F.::a.d

law irn in ::hl"i•r:e.

T~e

Return o=.he Pr•nig3ISoo

b•t HetTi J. \1 JouV>JeLast t'io;,i~ :eer: 1he Green rti e

city changes. We have changec hr the better, wh ·le so1e have faded into obscurity. Charlctte is alive in th~ best sense

Fa\'Ori::e TV Sh:>-"' .ll'ndy Griii· ll

of the word, and the potential fo · our future heal111 ;; 1d

PersoD I'd !'-lost Like

prosperity remains great.

biz

M~t: ~Jelsc1 fWandel.::

Proud;:s: AccoT p ishm en: : fi'\3rr\in~ E ::ano·

&eo Qwrk is a Charlotte-based freeiJnce writer.

gr e ater char l o tt e b iz

a nu H "r 2C 0 I

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•

e1n The Charlotte JiTice of ::m.rchFLF.ST <www.marrh RST co

C:·..arbce Coliseum, provk. ::s c.. bee fc·r the new econony wi:h la ::~s t

at S.x LakePc·inte ? laza nor the ~ts

dgy irrteri:)r dtsign ar..d the

in technol·Jgi::al gadgetr}.

Tb: im:tge i!:: -neore thrn superfic aL 3cir g at the leading edge per:neaJ.es ti- e corr:par..y TtE puJii:ly -, dd

3' it rides ·I-.e :JZ:-tt v>ave of e-integration.

:::hi :a~c- b.1 3ec OJmpc.r.~

i' nc·w the largest

Robert Bermrd, Chai1- 1an c.oo

tusmess imegnuon to

sit~

new econo:ny"

greate r d ·ar·lotte tiz

btl ev~s that

":ompanies t!-.at ::c.n :::nvisi - , ani sustain a

we· in cgratcr offering dien .s e-»erythir:.g fran strategy lO

desigr. to b a.:k n d systems integrat·cn.

CEO,

fro-:-. bu,.i:Jess

customer relctic·nsb.ips -

mod ~

n ~w

level o ..

to operali•1ns

wil be the leaoers in the

j:tr uary 2)0 1

ne of the energ-:::G

know or wrnl they fear. "

and int~ rpretcrs of the ne'V economy is T.j. ::;el ice, manag' n g executive of march FIRSTs Charloue J ffi ce. " f you leo : al a carr pany :1 3 a collcc:.ion of hn£s of bushesses. the way L'ley wor-< tJgether as an entiL ~ is by the exchargc of infornation . In the old e:onomy, a :ompetilc·r had

1..::>

take

BecallSE clthe speed of c 1ange, the res oft~n

a per]Ytual sense of uneJsi 1e~ at the

cot porate le•e' marchFIRST tecJllCS an ad·, ocate, 'ldping compani · s rutizc and su. tain mEalilgful busines,;; -es..t.LS "We ~. from the top o{ L'lc orga nizatior n d help drivE chc:nge that benefits ti-c emire eme: pri5e." Felice expounds. ""'J>.:e can brhg cur e <pe-ience and exper i ~e to bear to he p cl ems put their thou ~!:.. t5 into perspeClive. We ask

on a 'ii\lhole bus 1ess because there was m way to break it down," c ·'J ains

the: right ct£stions and draw tre answe r out of theT v.;e help t:1em roocdir ate

the 33-year-o d ~xec utive. "Todar~ the lnernel is 1:: ·eaking clown the hard-

an·J articula.c the ne cessa~ infmnuti on LO ac hieve n cir desired bu:oiues gc·als." Felice ._ d:nils that unclersL~rding a

core ties beL'M:C:l lines of busino::=s. lnfornuticn am now be exchang:c in differ.-nt way~- . Ihe Internet allc-..r,; competitcrs to bn::a -< into tha information , and s~gment J r that line of bu9ne:;s to comj:Zte hec.c L:.• head.

cli~ nt's

exp:xt=.Lions be:ore Jeginni:lg a

project en

challenging. ;,. good founclati<:l and managing c irnL expectatio 15 ate key. We've go t-e l ,·ery focused .Jn GG I:irg E

"Se uir:~

"Setting a good founda-::ion and mana?;irg client expeca::ions are key. We 'vE gotten v~ry focused on asking ques.tions uJfron-:: to make sure expectations ere met." - T.J . FeliCE . narchFIRST · lf comp3r es compartmentalize

jc. -u 1ry 200 I

questions LDfront to rr.ake surE cxpectati c ns are m ~ L Unclerstandi'lg ex'Je : LaLicns clriv~;; ti-e success of tl:e proj =:c t

basec on the tuclitional 'Vay of doing busiress t:tey so:!~. themselves ur- for competition fretn faster nore e 'fic~nt compnies attbl line of businc-~. Our point i5, o-.?;anizatiols need te thir k acros; the emenrise working a ti- e Line to m;.. in Lain r~ I J.ionsh ips with cTr: loye::s, share::1olders a n:! custol'll£rs." -o this enc., marchFIRST dfers clients strate&ic vision a ncltec h ~c,J.Jgy dept, , an under standing of how its clien::o;' marke.pbces are c-rangi n~ and hc·w Lo bu lei and execute winning str:illgies. "Organizations tell LS they re cleveb ping stra.egies for two to three years. that on y have a sh2lf life of six months becaus: things c 1ange oo quic-ly," Fe.i:e ::ontinues. "The questicn we get from ~.e nior level ::xecul ·;e5 is, 'llov, do I clevc lop a stra .egy f01 rry enterprise that's meaningfuP' "The chc..ll~ge is to build J

as well as the success of ou lo1g- te rm relationshi p; 'Vith the clier t. We cl n'L m·ss if we'· _ go uen thJt se-aig!JL" FelicE d a:sifies the types of na lenges they assist e ients with i::lto r.vo categories. "In tb.e- first situation, cl enL is awa re of th.-ir problem . Tre ;- -..-i I ask us to come in 1r j work cut tlzt 5pCClfic isSie. ln tl-tc ~ xoncl imtan:e, r an L::uarly if Ne've d ~ ·-do p ecl a relatic·nsh r: in which we c:mstantly deliver LO Lle r expectali c113 . .hey give us :;.n O"J'JOrtunity to do mo re rc aningful thilgs. l:hcy may nN know :·1e problem, bLL they know th ~ re's an CJ]-.::munity to i111pac.ttre botton line u d call us LO heh figre it out fo- them. FJr example, thEy m 1;-' ask us to nncl nC'\'- ways to cr<:ale rcvmu or a new markc to compete in " David H :: nley, eli recto · of "Jroh:s-

strat'-gy b:~se ol : n what aur clients knm..- and where they want LO g::> rather than lxt5r~ d on whll they don't

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tre

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marchFIRST lC.S con,.i.>2L.tl~ pr::vided !herr. wi1h bp :ie: tecb.:-.ical ta1em. "At one. pcic we :::nnd ou r.=e~7eo :n need of :ieo Crc.de e}::ertise to ;upp:m scme of our p:-Jjects. -::-:1e:' provided Dp Or-acle t.1lent ::t·.Jio:ker tl- .m c."lyo:::.:: else: ::ould . They p-.n :::1 ext:; lours, rrig:-lt~ :and .vee:kencl3 .o give ·.:s sp:•t ~}:?ettiSE ," ;ays Henley: ·~ey've c•:me ~o the :.:~b _ w ,th res·:urce:: like tha.L 3 ::1rnnbe:r of imes. Cnce t:.ey :-e in b~, the;' a-e pc.rt o f cur terr:l ::.nd Vi'~ tre<.t :hem : hat .vay to tl-.e point t:-a: 'it's cilliclt 10 distinguish bet·.veen :b : r-:.vo of us." Their rehtlonshi:l -.as s.n:e gro\\:n to global prop•J:-:.c:ls "'We have: a close "':::rking relacon5hip V"i ~h marct.:=IR.:T." t'<plans D:::>ug Havis. di:-e: tor of Al1imc~ and C laonds. 'Th:: Charkm:E: :::>ffice has be n the genesis •Jf :: u- globe- &::t:v'ity ·n all ::orrers :.f thE co·Jntr/ ·-

3 ·owtf-J Through Ms & As Felice has been th rough the :-nergeG and acqu:;itions that produced :-narchFIRST. In 1<;'99, he left a Big Five ·:onsulti::-.g firm to open the Charlotte office cf Feint of View [Partners Inc .]. Tte collpany offered back end integra:icr: strategies and had three sizable diems; Trar.samerica, Bank of America and Fitst Cnion. "B:Kk then w2 were privately held and hited pwple as we so ld work," :=elice explains. Whittman-Hart bought Point of ·view in july 1999. "SJddenly we had a lot more O:a?ita l an::i Jur errployee numbers grew dramatically," says Felice. "It was like ?. 0 Von 3teroids. Then USWeb/CKS :-nergec with Whit man-Han on ·vtarch l st, 2000. " ~

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Employees Seek Local lmpac Besides Felice, employees like jon Nance , Daniel Durham and Brad Flemi:Jg were enticed from Big Five consulting firms by the lure of the freedom and the entrepreneurial spirit the company embodies. But beyond furthering their own careers they wanted an opportunity to impact their community on a local level. "ln a large company, it's difficult to own a client relationship from conception to completion of a project or strategy," says ance, manager of the customer relationship management practice. "l wanted me~ opportunity to develop those skills. "We do the bulk of our business ir Charlotte and bring in experts from otter places when we need spot assistance. At my previous job l was traveling 10 D 20 hours a week. marchFIRST gave rae the opportunity to work closer to home. After nine years in Charlotte, I'm now actually doing something to help local companies change and make a difference in the way they perform. " Durham, a senior consultant, says that although they aren't typical consul ants, their resources run deep. "We have people across the globe with knowledge, experiences and resources that we can tap into for niche needs. We've just recently implementec new tools to help us share knowledge D access the work other offices have done. We learn from their experience and car: apply it to our O'A-TI situation here. " Fleming, a senior consultant , echo~3 their words and adds, "l went from bein5 a number at a Big Five consulting finn to being able to impact Charlotte both professionally and personally. Before, l was traveling five days a week and not spending much time here. ow l have a life in Charlotte as well-" Fleming is the fundraising chainnm for his Chantilly neighborhood, which is partnering with the city for local improvements.

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1he company encourages civicmin::ledness and its employees have taken part in j unior Achievement, YMCA_ Corpo~ate Cup, NPR Fundraisers, local church projects and othet events such as Race for the Cure. Turnover rate well below ir.dustry aver::.ge in this office. ·'In hindsight, we're fortur:c.te we grew dowly early," explains Feh:e. "We :::ontinued to build small §TOUps of people foct.:sed on either a sxcific offer:ng that we take :o the ma-:,et or a specific skill set. We still hire people in grou"Js to pro•;ide a sense of c:JDmunity. That S·Jlves the turno·;er proble m. The companies that try to grow too fast or try to d::: too much all at once expo:·ience the turnDver when things get bump 1 And thin§S get bumpy in our business " •:::me big bump was a dramaic dip 1n stcck prices and a ten percent :::ompanywide layoff of employees at the mel of 2000_ According to Felice, though, the demmd stil exists for their services. "The third quarter earning3 announcement on October 24 , ~000 stated that revenues were slightl:,r below expectation but earnings per sh::;re were draoa:ically below expectation.o From a glc.Jal persp~ctive , demand st.ryed flat •,vble recruiting continued. 'That resulted in a ten percent redt.:ction in our work force. A: 3n organization, we've slimmed dcwn so we can §D to market mor~ aggressi·~ly." :n 2001 , Felice a::uicipates c. ripe market with a growth rate of 60 percent for th Charlo:te office. 'Our main focus this year ·;.ill be the ninety miles around Charlo:te with 3 str:::ng dema:J.d for strategy ard supply :::hain and customer relationsh1p management and anything to do with tnnsactions on the web. l see nothing but improvement in the pKe of de<elopment in lrJernet space, with broadbncl being t he lea::ling technology. It's mo ~e relevant here ·han wireless because of tl:t manufactt.:ring and financia _ sectors. :r's about ::xch:=nging information better, 'aster and ::he aper. Charlotte is still a rathe- conser.'ativ.:. city when it comes to te::::nology. The nentality is, 'Let's see what noats mel what sinks and get on boar:: with .vhat floats.' " biz

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by dr. billy 0 . wireman, president, queens college

[guestopi n ion]

Charlotte's Identity Crisis Five essential st eps to a lasti1g solution The headline in The Charlotte Observer of November 15, 2000, "Charlotte Advised to Improve Image," was spawned out of yet another attempt by Queen City officials to establish a clear identity.

in the life of the citj'. Charlotte has

pride from the Civil War, (4) moral

been very generous to Queens, and

earnestness resulting from the eighteenth

the Queens comm unitj' must support

century Scot-Irish religious influence, and

:: harlotte's civic causes."

(5) an entrepreneurial spirit.

Any objective analysis will confirm

L nderstanding the forces that

: hat Pease's composite of Charlotte as a

have shaped Charlotte are important

city that "goes" (initiative), "does"

for, as Carl Sandburg observed, "When

(action), and "gives" (generosity) is an

a nati :m or civilization perishes, one

William Stafford, president ofThe Trade

accurate portrait. Wha t the Colonel

condi tion can always be found . They

Development Alliance of Greater Seattle,

described was the aggregate conse-

forgot what brought them along." But the question remains: What

speaking to the Charlotte Region International Business Summit, minced no

do we do now? In a rapidly globalizing

words in describing Charlotte's challenge:

world , how can we position Charlotte for

"For the most part, you have no image."

the twenty-first century? Since arriving in Charlotte, I have participated in several

Several folks following Stafford's remarks expressed a growing weariness

attempts to fashion the city's future.

with outside "experts" telling us about

The recipe has been consistent:

Charlotte's woes. Perhaps that's why the

1. Convene a group of Charlotte

negative reasons Stafford cited for his

.eaders and citizens.

uncharitable assessment- green, lazy,

2. l1vite outside experts to share their

"a baby Atlanta," confusion with Charles-

â&#x20AC;˘;iews of Charlotte and tell us what

ton and Research Triangle Park- raise the

Âˇs going on nationally.

teasing possibility of a trace of schaden-

3. Loosely structure a process tha t

freude [pleasure at the misfortune of

encourages a lively exchange of

others] in his analysis, gathered from

Âˇdeas.

an informal poll of 40 Seattle residents.

4. The participants disperse.

Moreover, this indictment of

5. Summarize the results and issue a

Charlotte for lack of a clear image contradicts an experience I had after arriving at Queens College on Valentine's Day 1978. One of my first visitors was

Dr. Billy 0 . Wireman president, Queens College quence of a process that transformed

report, which is eventually banished o the bottom shelf to gather dust. In due time, another group will

Charlotte's elder statesman and Queens

Charlotte from a "trading path" in 1650

consider the image issue. There is one

trustee, the late Colonel]. Norman Pease.

to George Washington's "trifling place"

notab le exception to this scenario .

In his legendary courtly manner and with

in 1791, to The Charlotte Observer editor

Advantage Carolina has worked

impeccable Southern courtesy, Pease,

Isaac Avery's tum-of-

93 at the time, warmly welcomed me

t he-century portrayal

to Charlotte and Queens. Then, with

of Charlotte as a

community -

cheerful earnestness, he shared his

"sure enough city."

Rather, it must be discovered from within.

views on Charlotte and his expectations of me as president of Queens College .

The identity of an organization -

or a

cannot be invented from without.

Throughout thi5 evolutionary pro : e5s, Charlotte has been

because it engages Charlotte's top

shaped by the rrutu al interaction of five

business and civic leadership, and it

dominant forces : 1) ) ambition to be a

has a specific goal (to help ensure

and 'gives.' Executives here do not send

major national an d irternational economic

that Charlotte's economy continues t o

surrogates to important civic meetings.

player, (2) exceptional leadership in the

grow while the community remains

You are expected to participant actively

public and privat= sectors, (3) wounded

uniquely livable).

Pease imparted the following: "This is a city that 'goes' and 'does'

g r eate r c h a r lo tt e bi z

>january 200 I

Addif ()Ia lly,

e~e:tive

fJlloN- hough

Nas a~s - re : ·n r e1 : •.1c leaders Cl f

S.:er: One: Develop c. sen .: e ::f urgency an::J ::::•nti nu ty. n:2 natior al '! ·cJgnized manage-

::arreror: =.cl Sretc·n :J nd Bi. Gi55 35re2c t() : - 3 r p·o5"=ss cr

e nl: a-

:i\·es. In :>1c-:. it 1c: missi::n, c..::Lt and =ollcN-tfw'c~h.

11JS:

Sacy , : u t u1mi::o:c:~ably,

cHli€- dfo ·t5 ba,e a lJc..s c "'~.

Tr e'!' l3 d: ·r ::: t tutio13 ! llEI•ry! H2re's "hy:

-'lE

Step Two: Adopt the Mars Group and Five Whys concept.

nentguru PE tE r [ •·ud2r ar3Lt~ 131 tv t- .:ut

llSt

~= cy r:J plan

::n i 5c l:lted e·rent

=o llo~.o·

·"·i.

=•= m01e t hc: n

Con: i-w it~

crd

th•) L§h c:·e m xra tive. Care=Ll

: r o u~r :

i::e r : t; Df 3r

a :;e1s2 :rf u

tv J '<.. Teo, ~ re e'for~r u s t

:;h:·ulc b= gi•,'!'n to the ccrrpc3-

:iond he.;·: ti:>fl-e:t

. Thes -a e· th'2 g·o up :1 e bette r

'W e em faci lit3t: C har!ot:e'! ev::>lut o r ilto r:reemre1ce ?..s c vita

d~niDlic , seU-reneving ~re n d

t)'y nome·nl.l m

and Dul-craft; 1 city wh:re

alche 11is-.s ·wock, tr::1rsf::rming hum m hcpes a1d d ~eam>

into

l t 111r

reality ar d fu ffi m ;;nt.

orgc:n zal~Jn- or c : o11r Jl i:y- Grnot be ilv 2ntEd fro11 "\.i:"'oJt. ~ h:r, if r-u st be

cis:c· .l~ro: c

frcn w t hir. -he p:: r t of

"i 112 to 5:e-.t? n rr er1JEfS \\'Jrls be~L ·=har c:le's t.ctiCil

and Jerry Porras outlined this approach in "Building Your Company's Future." First, the Mars Group idea : "Imagine you have been asked to re-create the very best attributes of your organization, but you only have seats on the rocket ship (to Mars) for five to seven people." Against this backdrop, select the Mars Group and commission it to

-earr 5hould .::>e

discover the essence of what has made

a: pcir te:J after

Charlotte, Charlotte. In preparing for an

>:•)1SJ .tctic- ·.vit

accurate message to the Martians, Collins

- he Ct- :'..!lotte-

and Porras suggest the five whys method:

v'led:l;;cnburg

Mars passengers would be asked to

:=.:> urjy Corr-. ission , 11e Ch =.r ·:rt:2 Ci:y :=.:> u r.: i ~

In the September/October 1996

Harvard Business Review, James Collins

a1c the ChariJt1e :::13mber o=-

name Charlotte's most important core value. Then each Mars traveler is asked

:=.:>mmer:e. -h=se x=ies si-Juld cons...lt

to give five different reasons why this is

A :J 2 I withE br:oad S.JECtrum : f

true. For Charlotte, the questions are "why"

dep3rtu-z f:f n rgaril'.a tio -13 ·:r<=n&E is :o

:Jlar~J:~2',;

und2rst.=r n t,; 1Gt:X~, 'N ~ :f1 r ES ' ESUi ted

:Jltu-al a c ·e l · ~ ioJs :. rga nizations en:

in IV1Ere il ·=·· ThEn !: · ratEgies C3n bE for-

: tizElf) .

mulat=c c1 ""1ere 1""3nt:; t.o: gc.

:Josej of ·nd vic .1a s c·= unb l=mish aJ

:Ypora! e, .2ducatio1 3l. civ ·c,

-r-, flctiol-Eam mu s

:Jrest:ige, x·Ne r a-d i n e.srity.

: •;: :on-

should individuals, families, corporations and other institutions choose to live, work, study, invest and retire here. Out of these whys, comes the next step.

Step Three: Develop a core ideology. "Core ideology," Collins and Porras contend, "defines the enduring character of an organization .... (It) provides the glue that holds an organization together as it grows, decentralizes, diversifies, expands globally and develops workplace diversity." Charlotte's core ideology is already there to be discovered and includes the values of economic vitality, high quality of life, commitment to equal justice, strong medical community, honest and competent government, vibrant cultural and sports programs, balanced and distinctive educational opportunities, all pursued with pleasant persistence and calculated risk- a winning mix by any standard. Several examples of core ideologies:

In the 1950s, Senior Minister Charlie Kraemer decided that Charlotte's First Presbyterian Church should stay uptown to work "for Christ in the heart of Charlotte." Henry Luce launched Fortune magazine "to give business a literature."

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McKinsey & Company exists "to help leading corporations and governments be more successful." Queens College educates for "noble lives, productive careers, and global citizenship." Wai·Mart exists "to give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same things as rich people." Walt Disney aspires "to make people happy." A billboard in Scandinavia reads: "Where civilization is still a guest of nature." Significantly, these core ideologies do not deal with the "how." Rather, they manifest core values .

Step Four: Formulate a BHAG (Big, Hairy Audacious Goal). Having clearly established a core

r&Jrf.:t:e~f~T;JcliaiC"..4 G£1 ~nEe{.r,

ideology, the next step is to formulate

:e-1~1

:::(;n,::IU;. C:nrub1t

E:=. 3cx 4; 19

"An Envisioned Future," which consists

C-111Y~CJo-til C~ r:)][u .:!~·

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of two parts: a "10-to· 30-year audacious

'V\~-vn:ca1t ~ l o-~

goal, plus vivid descriptions of what it will be like to achieve the goal." Visionary companies have "bold missions ." When President John Kennedy announced in the early 1960s America's intention "to place a man on the moon in this century," he reflected the BHAG principle. The BHAG process starts with ques· tions: lf we were sitting here in 20 years, what would we love to see? What should Charlotte look like? What should it feel like to be a Charlottean? What must change to get there ? These answers must be translated "from words into pictures of

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what it will be like to achieve your goal."

The supreme test of the BHAG is the degree to which it "gets our juices flowing." Examples of BHAGs:

Democratize the automobile

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Lptown Cha ·lot:e: l)L-3-ll-5372 il:ct:E-sville ~oad : 704·597 · .1655 FineviiiE: 704-829·32/=

Sou: Parle 7C4T ~-5 1 00 S£leed1.r ay f.lvd. : 71l!l-979-56CO PirEvil iE: 704-:38 3-~ 700

G.astonic.: 704-8t5-66E

Uptowr Charlotte: 7.i4-- 37 : ~17 Ma hews: 704--E<l -- 155 co - cord: 704-793-' 76'5

-Henry Ford, early 1900s. Crush Adidas - Nike, 1960s. Be the Harvard of the West -Stanford University, 1940s. "/want Charlotte to have America's biggest bank." -Hugh McColl, early 1980s. greater charlotte biz

!?A

ll/20-:1

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104-532-6747 Gr Be Our Guest at

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Take adv:JJtJige of these products and services from Charlotte's leading business-to-business suppliers. accounting services

financial services I investments

i.t./internet services

office furniture

Dellinger & Deese, PLLC 831 E. Morehead St., Ste. 90 :â&#x20AC;˘ Charlotte, NC 28202-27 11 www.delld eese.com 704.331.8000

Hilliard Lyons 5925 Carnegie Blvd., Ste. 101 Cha rlotte, NC 28211 www.hilliard .com 704.556.9000

Ballantyne Consulting Group 15720 John J. Delaney Dr., Ste. lJO Charlotte, NC 28277 www.gobcg.com 704.540.0509

Carolina Business Interiors 4020 Yancey Rd. Charlotte, NC 28217 www.cbi-nc.com 704.525.7630

golf courses I recreation advertising/marketing/pr BellSout h I The Real Yellow Pl gl!!' 9144 Arrow Point Blvd . Charlotte, NC 2827 3 www.realpages .com 704.552.5507 Med ia Power Advertisi ng 5009 Monroe Rd . Charlotte, NC 28205 www.mediapoweradvertising.::.Jr.: 704.567 .1000 architectural/design firms Li quid Design 601 S. Cedar St. , Studio 114 Charlotte, NC 28202 www.liquiddesign.net 704.3 38.9980 Perki ns & Will 1130 E. 3rd St., Ste. 200 Charlotte, NC 28204 www.perkinswill.com 704 .3 43 .9900 education McColl Sch ool of Business at Queens College 1900 Selwyn Ave. Charlotte, NC 28274 www.mccollschool.edu 704 .3 37 .2224 Pfeiffer University 4701 Park Rd. Charlotte, NC 28209 www.pfeiffer.edu 704 .521 .9116 UNC Charlotte Co nti nui ng Education 9201 University City Blvd . Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 www.uncc.edu l con ted 704.687 .2424

Olde Sycamore Golf Plantation 7500 Olde Sycamore Dr. Charlotte, NC 28227 www.oldesycamoregolf.com 704.573.1000 Regent Park Golf Cl ub 5055 Regent Pkwy. Fort Mill, SC 29715 www.regentparkgc.com 803 .547.1300 I 704.547.0023 healthcare NC Services for Dentistry P.O. Box 4219 Cary, NC 27519 www.ncdental.org 888.403 .4147 hospitality Dun hill Hotel 237 N. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28202 www.dunhillhotel.com 704.332.4141 I 800.354.4141 Panos Hotel Group 5936 Monroe Rd . Charlotte, NC 28212 www.panoshotels.com 704.532 .6747 human resources I staffing Matt Ch ristopher Group 4530 Park Rd ., Ste. 100 Charlotte, NC 28209 www.mattchris.com 704.3 38.1948 RHI Management Resources 201 S. College St., Ste. 2200 Charlotte, NC 28244 www.rhimr.com 704.342 .7986 Staff Am erica 6000 Fairview Rd., Ste. 1500 Charlotte, NC 28210 www.staffamerica.com 704.944.7600

UNCG Graduate School P.O. Box 26176 Greensboro, NC 27402 -6176 www.uncg.edu 336.3 34.5596

The Transitio n Team 7512 E. Independence Blvd., Ste. 105 Charlotte, NC 28227 www.tttsolutions.com 704.532.0084

financial services I insurarw:E

USA Staffi ng www.usastaffinginc.com 800.991.2367

Hood Hargett & Associates P.O. Box 30127 Charlotte, NC 28230 www.hoodhargett.com 704.374.1863

Westaff 800 Clanton Rd ., Ste. W Charlotte, NC 28217 www.westaff.com 704.525 .8400

January 200 I

Busi ness Control Systems 402 W. Trade St., Ste. 102 Charlotte, NC 28202 www.bcsmis.com 704.333 .7794 I 800.945.2931 CAl Con cepts www.caiconcepts.com 704.338.9808 E-dreamz www.edreamz.com 704.716.3400 lnfovision 723 S. Sharon Amity Rd., Ste. 2'00 Charlotte, NC 28211-2835 www.infov.com 704.365.9077 lnSite Business Solution s www.insitebiz.com 704.846 .8121 march FIRST 2725 Water Ridge Pkwy., Ste. ~ 0 Charlotte, NC 28217 www.marchfirst.com 704.329.4600 Microvations 1001 E. WT Harris Blvd., Ste. P-3 01 Charlotte, NC 28213 www.microvations.com 704.510.0222 Stonebridge Technologies 2550 W. Tyvola Rd., Ste. 29 3 Charlotte, NC 28217 www.sbti.com 800.776 .9755 Time Warner Road Runner 316 E. Morehead St. Charlotte, NC 28202 www.carolina .rr.com 704.943.4300 legal services Robinson Bradshaw & Hinsoo 101 N. Tryon St., Ste. 1900 Charlotte, NC 28246 www.rbh .com 704.377.2536 Womble Carlyle 301 S. College St. Charlotte, NC 28202-6025 www.wcsr.com 704.331.4900 media WDAV 89.9 Classical www.wdav.org 704.894.8900 multimedia services Limerick DVD Solutions 1512 Camden Rd. Charlotte, NC 28203 www.limerickdvd .com 704.371.4991

Tech line 4446 South Blvd . Charlotte, NC 28209 www.techlineusa.com 704.334.6823 printing/pre-press Powerhouse Color 804 Clanton Rd., Ste. C Charlotte, NC 28217 www.realpages.com l powerho1se 704.523 .5019 R. L. Bryan Company 7510 Hogan's Bluff Ln. Charlotte, NC 28227 www.rlbryan .com 704.573 .4946 real estate Prudential Carolinas Realty 4529 Sharon Rd. Charlotte, NC 28211 www.prudentialcha rlotte.com 704.366.5545 sales training I contact managemeâ&#x20AC;˘t

Beacon 11911 Steele Creek Rd . Charlotte, NC 28273 www.pharos-software.com 704.587.0225 Henricks Corporate Training 7621 Little Ave ., Ste. 503 Charlotte, NC 28226 www. henrickscorp.sand 'er.com 704.544.7383 telecommunications Adelph ia 401 S. Tryon St., Ste. 2200 Charlotte, NC 28202 www.adelphia -abs.com 704.357.8080 iReadyWorld www.ireadywor ld.com 877 .473.2399 Time Warner Telecom 316 E. More head St., Ste. 300 Charlotte, NC 28202 www.twtelecom .com 704.943 .2900 trade show I presentations G. Michael's 656 Michael Wylie Dr. Charlotte, NC 28217 www.gmichaels.com 704.679.4100 Sharpe Images 704.525.7087. Dept. 31

greater

char\:)tt~

b iz

Step Five: Build alignments and coalitions. What happens if an organization does all of the above, but gets a whocares response . This can be avoided by understanding that effective transformations rest on building coalitions and

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alignments, not vision alone . Imbedding organizational aspirations in coalitions aligned on common goals ensures that the process of transformation will be anchored organically in widely held objectives. This avoids the Achilles heel of many reform efforts: a wooden, tinkertoy quality that lacks energy and inner life . Collins and Porras put a fine point on the issue: "building a visionary company requires one percent vision and 99 percent alignment...creating alignment may be your most important work." The hard reality is that futures cannot be created a priori. Rather, they are born out of discovering from within

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the forces that have shaped the present. The major strength of the "Five Steps" is that they are grounded in a sound strategic approach to formulating Charlotte's future. With this approach, we can facilitate Charlotte's evolution into pre-eminence as a dynamic, self-renewing blend of vitality, momentum and soulcraft; a city where alchemists work, transforming human hopes and dreams into human reality and fulfillment. Happily, it also has another major benefit, it rescues debate on Charlotte's future from being bogged down somewhere between Panglossian innocence and vacuous shibboleths like "wanting to sit at the big table" and being "a world-class city." Let's hope that future Charlotte "image making" explorations begin with an institutional memory of what brought it along. This will confirm that Charlotte is endowed with a genetic code composed of qualities in abundance to achieve the imprimatur of civic virtue: excellence in the city. biz

A former director of the American

Management Association, Dr. Billy 0. Wireman has led transformations at Eckerd College in St Petersburg, Fla. and Queens College. He has also consulted with universities in Asia and frequendy speaks and writes about international issues. Former chair of the Charlotte World Affatrs Council, he recently led a Council study tour to Moscow, Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong. Dr. Wireman was also awarded the 2000 Excellence in Management Award by the Charlotte Chamber, the Charlotte Rotary and

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The Business journal.

greater ch a rlotte b iz

january 200 I

Change, continued from page 6

each of the identified areas on a piece of

Take advantage of change.

this reaction would be to strive to gather

paper. How do you stack up in each area?

With this information, you are rapidly moving towards understanding,

as much information as possible as to

Are you prepared to withstand "the speed

why the change is occurring, what your

bumps in the road" that may occur as

role should be during the change, etc.

change occurs? If not, develop your plan

Information can empower, build self-

of action in each category.

confidence and eliminate doubt.

Change is either something that happens to you or something you manage.

List your potential options concerning the possible changes that might

Learn what you can and can 't controL

managing and leveraging change to your advantage.

occur. Magnify your abilities rather than

You have a choice to be an active participant in the change process and go with the flow, or you can resist and react to change and suffer the stress. Successful

your disabilities.

Identify the areas that you can con-

change doesn't happen by chance . Personal and professional growth is an

trol: your attitude, health and personal

Establish a long-term and short-term plan for deal ing with change_

habits, work ethic, integrity, family communications, spending habits, the way you react and deal with others and recre-

Starting today, how will you manage

ational and leisure time. You cannot control decisions to move, close or downsize your job. Focus on what you can control versus what you cannot control. Look for the positive aspects of change. Behave optimistically. Maintain perspective.

Become more comfortable with your situation. Assess your current position. List

change? Identify your personal philosophy for dealing with change. Incorporate your reactions to change with your assessment of your current position.

inevitable outcome of change if you choose wisely.

Bill Crigger is Principal and General Manager ofThe Transition Team, an international outplacement and human resource consulting firm. Share your managing change ideas at transitionteam@msolutions.com. Manufacturing, continued from page 4

Break the outcome into priorities: short-

from traditional goods such as furniture

term and long-term plans for dealing with

and apparel to more high tech fields such

change. Write the plans down and estab-

as computers and telephone communica-

lish goals and check points. Commit to

tions. The jobs that are lost in textile mills

implement your plans .

and manufacturing operations are being recreated elsewhere, particu larly in the transportation and service sectors. With a

implify Your Network.

rapidly changing world, Charlotte's manufacturers will need to continually improve their operations to remain competitive in

Customer contact is the lifeblood of your business.

the global economy. Indeed, Mayor Pat McC rory says North Carolina- and particularly

You depend on a swift , accurate flow of information

Charlotte- will always rely on the tradi-

from your outlyi ng locations to your main office .

tional sectors. "I'm a strong believer in

Your planning , your profitability, your growth depend

keeping manufacturing in Charlotte and

on that flow. The solution? BeiiSouth~ channelized

the region. Westinghouse Boulevard does

Megalin

not get a lot of publicity, but it is a major

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employment center. Manufacturing is the most important part of our economy, and everything else hinges on that." The vitality of Charlotte manufacturers

Call Safecall for more information on how BeiiSouth~ Megalin l<ÂŽ

is too significant to be overlooked and is

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often under recognized in this economic community. To that end, Greater Charlotte

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Biz will make every effort to report on Charlotte's manufacturing sector as

0 O if

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well as the services, wholesale, retail and technology to demonstrate the

healthy diversity of business on an ongoing basis.

j anuary 200 I

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