Who’s getting one?
UP TO 2% EARLY PAY DISCOUNT OR
UP TO 2 MONTHS
DEFER PAY
THE PLUM CARD. THE FIRS T E VERY THING, E VERY WHERE SM
On November , applications for the Plum Card from American Express OPEN will become available. We’re initially releasing , Cards, and we’ll be announcing some of the first members on December during MSNBC’s “Your Business.” If a Card that
If payment in full of the New Balance on your billing statement is credited to your Account within 10 days after your statement Closing Date, you will receive a discount of 2% if your Eligible Purchases made during the billing period covered by that statement exceed $5,000. If your Eligible Purchases are less than or equal to $5,000, you will receive a Discount of 1%. If you pay at least 10% of your New Balance (plus the entire amount of any previously deferred amounts) by the Please Pay By date on your billing statement, you
T R ADE T ERMS CA RD F ROM A MERICA N E X PRESS OPEN.
SM
offers you the choice of up to early pay discount or up to two months defer pay can change the way you do business, please visit PlumCard.com to learn more. We can’t wait to see what you do with it.
APPLICATION AVAILABLE
NOV. 5
RESERVE
APPLICATION AT
PLUMCARD.COM
may defer payment of the remainder of that New Balance until the Please Pay By date shown on your next billing statement. Your Account must be ingood standing in the month in which you exercise the Defer Pay Option. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. For full details, visit PlumCard.com. © 2007 American Express Bank, FSB. All rights reserved.
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HOOD HARGETT BREAKFAST CLUB
You and Your Company Are Invited to become an exclusive sponsor of the Hood Hargett Breakfast Club in 2008
H
ood Hargett Breakfast Club: The Premier Business Development Organization for Success-Minded Charlotte Business Owners.
The Hood Hargett Breakfast Club is a ‘category exclusive’ business development organization that develops and hosts some 36 events throughout the year for its members and guests. The goal of these events: to provide success-minded business owners with first-class venues to entertain their clients and prospects.
HHBC takes great pride in creating a pro-active, professional-yet-casual environment that gives members and guests the chance to meet and learn more about each other and their respective companies. These opportunities to develop new business relationships and enhance existing ones are key to the on-going success of HHBC. Call Jennifer Snyder at 704-602-9529.
NEW 2007-2008 SPEAKER LINE-UP November 9, 2007 Lloyd Trotter Vice Chairman, GE President and CEO, GE Industrial
March 14, 2008
January 11, 2008
April 18, 2008
October 10, 2008
Chief Richard Picciotto Highest-Ranking Firefighter to Survive WTC Collapse
Doug Lipp Former Head of Training at Walt Disney University
May 2, 2008
November 14, 2008
Kirk Herbsteit ESPN Sports Analyst and Former Star Quarterback
February 8, 2008 Ari Fleischer Former Whitehouse Press Secretary
HOOD HARGETT Breakfast Club America gives “Wake up and smell the coffee” full-bodied meaning!
Pat Croce Entepreneur and Motivational Speaker
Jim Nantz Broadcaster CBS Sports
September 12, 2008
Lee Woodruff Public Relations Executive and Freelance Writer
Dick Hoyt Team Hoyt Motivational Speaker
To attend or learn more or to find out about membership,call JenniferSnyder at 704-602-9529 • jenn@hoodhargett.com
w w w.c har lotteb c a.c om ©2007 Galles Communications Group, Inc.
[publisher’spost] A Time to Reflect and Give Thanks November is always a good month to pause and reflect on our business accomplishments. In tandem with that reflection, it is an appropriate time to be thankful for all the blessings and support that have contributed to our success over time. This post is my opportunity to report on our progress and to recognize those who have been helpful along the way. We are so pleased to have become an important and valuable contributor to our local John Paul Galles economy and to this region. Greater Charlotte Biz magazine was launched in January 2000. Our mission was and is to help business owners, managers and executives learn about each other and the abundance of business resources that support business growth and development in our marketplace. Over the last eight years, we have published 94 issues of Greater Charlotte Biz with over 470 biz profiles as well as 4 annual issues of Choose CharlotteUSA in support of economic development in this 16-county region. In addition, our custom publishing department has published a Newcomer’s Guide for Union County and a Consumer’s Guide for the Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont. We were also privileged to produce a hard-bound book entitled, The First Ten Years of Ballantyne Corporate Park for The Bissell Companies. Greater Charlotte Biz is mailed directly to business decision-makers where they work, attracting over 100,000 readers each and every month to our content and to our advertisers. Our specially-targeted readership includes important business executives and professionals who are also high-end consumers. According to a recent survey by The Media Audit, Greater Charlotte Biz readers have an average annual income of $90,325 and average 44 years of age. Nearly 82 percent of our readers own their own homes valued at an average of $309,010. Approximately 53 percent of our readers are women and 47 percent are men. Over 70 percent have attended college, earned a degree or have post-graduate education. We are proud to have earned the respect and attention of such elite readers. Bombarded by print, broadcast and digital media, we have learned that business decision-makers are a very special breed. Capturing their attention is not easy. They are constantly in search of information that will help them become even more successful. They want to learn directly from the experience of others and then apply what is relevant and valuable to their own businesses. They want to learn from business owners and managers right here in the Charlotte region and look for business opportunities at the same time. We are pleased that so many good business people have allowed us to profile their companies and tell their stories in our pages. We work hard to deliver really good stories about local business leaders contributing to our regional business marketplace and to business success. We are also especially grateful to our advertisers for their support of Greater Charlotte Biz. They provide the revenues to research, write, photograph, design, layout, edit, proof, print and mail each and every issue. All of our profiles are kept online at our Web site, www.greatercharlottebiz.com. When you are researching business prospects, we invite you to visit our Web site and learn more about them. In addition, I would like to personally thank our staff, our writers, our graphic artists, our account executives, our printers, and our families for their support and the quality work completed on a timely basis amid different deadlines for different publications. We are rewarded by our readers and our advertisers who learn from each other and find business opportunities to work together. We are so pleased to work with you in this wonderful community. Thank you! biz
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November 2007 Volume 8 • Issue 11 Publisher John Paul Galles jgalles@greatercharlottebiz.com
Associate Publisher/Editor Maryl A. Lane maryl.a.lane@greatercharlottebiz.com
Creative Director Joanna L. Davis jdavis@greatercharlottebiz.com
Editorial & Sales Assistant Janet Kropinak jkropinak@greatercharlottebiz.com
Business Development Sandy Rosenfeld srosenfeld@greatercharlottebiz.com
Account Executives Kim Nees kim.nees@greatercharlottebiz.com
Mimi Zelman mzelman@greatercharlottebiz.com
Contributing Writers Ellison Clary Susanne Deitzel David Demarest Janet Kropinak Sherry Oosterhouse Contributing Photographer Wayne Morris Galles Communications Group, Inc. 5601 77 Center Drive • Suite 250 Charlotte, NC 28217-0737 704-676-5850 Phone • 704-676-5853 Fax www.greatercharlottebiz.com • Press releases and other news-related information, please fax to the attention of “Editor” or e-mail: editor@greatercharlottebiz.com. • Editorial or advertising inquiries, please call or fax at the numbers above or e-mail: info@greatercharlottebiz.com. • Subscription inquiries or change of address, please call or fax at the numbers above or visit our Web site: www.greatercharlottebiz.com. © Copyright 2007 by Galles Communications Group, Inc. All rights reserved.The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, Galles Communications Group, Inc. makes no warranty to the accuracy or reliability of this information. Products named in these pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies.Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Greater Charlotte Biz or Galles Communications Group, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. For reprints call 704-676-5850 x102. Greater Charlotte Biz (ISSN 1554-6551) is published monthly by Galles Communications Group, Inc., 5601 77 Center Dr., Ste. 250, Charlotte, NC 28217-0737. Telephone: 704-676-5850. Fax: 704-676-5853. Subscription rate is $24 for one year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Greater Charlotte Biz, 5601 77 Center Dr., Ste. 250, Charlotte, NC 28217-0737.
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[bizXperts] Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions
“owners at risk” (OAR) Preparing to write this article, two images came to mind. The first was our next door neighbor at a resort island. A developer and business owner, he was on his porch at 5:00 a.m. When I asked why he was up so early, he replied, “I’m a man at risk.” Owners are always “at risk.” We can all identify with those times when changes in our businesses challenge us to the point of losing sleep. OAR (Owners at Risk), this acronym triggered a second image— that of a rafting guide at the National Whitewater Rafting Center (NWRC). I recently ran the course with my son and a group of his friends. (By the way, you should experience the NWRC if you haven’t.) As the guide took his seat at the back of the boat, I thought about how much like an OAR this guide was. His job was to take this boat (like an owner’s company) successfully to the finish line. Aboard the boat were willing participants (like the owner’s employees in his company) who were looking to him for leadership and direction. To successfully run the course at the NWRC, you have to navigate a series of rapids which present great challenges. To successfully grow a business, an owner must also navigate a series of “transition rapids” in his business that present great challenges and risk to the owner. What are these “transition rapids” and what challenges do they present? There are five basic “transition rapids” an owner faces during the life cycle of a business: 1. From business idea to business startup; 2. From business startup to initial growth; 3. From initial growth to rapid growth; 4. From rapid growth to continuous growth; 5. From continuous growth to eventual exit of the owner from the business at his retirement and upon sale of the business, or through succession of ownership, management and control of the business to employees and/or family members. The challenges of these “transitions” require flexibility and willingness of the owner to make the changes necessary in terms of his leadership role, his personal leadership style, the business’s market and products/services, internal processes for planning, management and workflow, people and team development, cultural and business model development, etc. These “transitions” can be extremely difficult for the owner, requiring a commitment on the owner’s part to embrace the continuous change process (particularly with respect to the owner’s leadership role) and to become a constant learner. For example, according to Katherine Catlin and Jana Matthews in Leading at the Speed of Growth, through startup of his business the owner tends
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to be a “doer” and the sole “decision-maker.” His role begins to change to a “delegator” and a “direction-setter” after startup and through the initial growth stage. During the rapid growth stage he must change to a “team builder,” “coach,” “planner,” and “communicator.” During the continuous Robert Norris growth stage his role changes to a “change catalyst,” “organization builder,” “strategic innovator,” and “chief of culture.” Similarly, these “transitions” also present challenges in the form of constantly changing legal, tax, accounting, and risk management issues. The owner must adapt his leadership role with each “transition” in the growth of his business. Finally, at some point during the continuous growth stage, the owner has to decide how and when he will retire and make his own exit from the business. Will it be a sale of the company to third parties (whether strategic or financial buyers), or will it be a succession of the ownership, management, and control of the company to key employees or members of his family? Of course, one of the major goals which must be met in terms of the owner’s exit strategy will be providing the owner sufficient retirement income to live the life he wishes to live. Just as successfully navigating the rapids at the NWRC is best accomplished with the help of an experienced guide, successfully navigating the “transition rapids” of a business is best accomplished with the help of legal, tax, and financial advisors who are experienced in the particular issues presented at each of these “transitions.” What are the particular legal, tax, accounting, and risk management issues which the owner will face in each “transition” during the life cycle of his business? In next month’s article we will discuss some of these critical issues confronting the owner as he attempts to navigate each of the “transition rapids” so that he successfully completes the “course” and ends up where he wishes to be upon his retirement and exit from the business. Robert Norris is managing partner of Wishart, Norris, Henninger & Pittman, P.A., a law firm which focuses on helping business owners define and achieve their business and personal objectives. Contact him at 704-364-0010 or visit www.wnhplaw.com.
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Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions [bizXperts]
the lost art of communication Today’s world offers many avenues of “communication.” We have telephones, e-mails, video-conferencing, instant messaging— and the list goes on. All of these tools are supposed to help us communicate—but I’m afraid many of them do just the opposite. They offer a venue to provide information, but that is not the same as communicating. Communication isn’t really about the medium—it’s about the message. Most people have never been taught how to communicate. They know how to talk, but that’s not the same thing. When communication truly occurs, all parties in the process have an understanding of the intended message. They exchange information that is meaningful, and hopefully come to conclusions that are mutually understood. All too often, people speak, but they don’t communicate. The result is misunderstanding, resentment, failure to act, even confusion. I’m afraid this trend is getting worse instead of better. Many people, it seems, hide behind technology. The one-sidedness of e-mail, for example, allows a person to say something he might never say to someone’s face. Rather than have a discussion or conversation about a difficult subject, he’ll send an e-mail telling his side of the story or what he wants to have happen.
That’s not communicating. Communication is a skill, and it can be learned. Like any skill, though, we must practice to become proficient. As parents and employers, we need to help people learn to communicate more effectively. We need to encourage more Denise Altman face-to-face dialogue when possible. Nothing can take the place of that. The benefits of good communication are abundant. Good communication breeds understanding and cooperation. It encourages dialogue and brainstorming. It allows people to engage. Fill your shelves with books on good communication and encourage your employees to read them. Have lunchtime chats about those books to discuss how your group can best use the tools they provide. Offer training and coaching to your team members to help them learn these skills. Work on your own communication skills. Your company (and the world) will be a better place for it. Denise Altman is president of Altman Initiative Group, Inc., helping companies hire and retain productive employees. Contact her at 704-315-9090 or visit www.altmaninitiative.com.
plan to be successfully opportunistic Business owners are by nature a pretty active crowd. It’s as if the Nike slogan “Just do it!” was invented for them. That’s why so many of our clients approach the fall planning cycle with less than total enthusiasm. Arguments against strategic planning are many: “We have a hard time predicting what will happen next month, much less in two or three years.” “Who knows when and how this business cycle is going to turn?” “Our market is limited. In order to grow, we need to be opportunistic.” All are good points and very true. None of us can accurately predict the future and life would be pretty boring if we could. Time and again, we see that the most successful leaders are those who respond effectively when confronted with the unexpected. Ironically, what helped many of them to be so successfully opportunistic was the carefully worked out plan they had for doing something completely different. A formal strategic and operating plan can help your enterprise react effectively to the unexpected in five ways: Ensure a good strategic fit. A clear vision statement defines your business and provides a touchstone for determining how the addition of something new will increase value. Play your strengths. Customer feedback and competitive analysis gathered for the marketing plan profiles your distinctions and helps
greater charlotte biz
correctly position a new venture in each segment. Evaluate the impact on delivery systems. The process documentation and capacity planning you did for your existing operations provide a basis for reviewing bigger or different requirements. Leverage human capital. Having worked through development plans for each functional Mary Bruce area, you know who will be ready for new and larger assignments—and where you’ll need to beef up training plans or hire added skills. Minimize financial surprise. Your plan’s financial model becomes a great tool for the “what if” analysis that determines whether you’ll need expanded funding to take advantage of the opportunity. While all of the above work could be completed after an unexpected opportunity presents itself, it does take time. The leader who has already completed that work can respond faster and with much less risk of failure. That’s why planning creates such successful opportunists! Mary H. Bruce of Kaleidoscope Business Options, Inc. specializes in advising business owners on improving performance and building the value of their enterprise. Contact her at 704-375-1970 or www.kboptions.com.
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[bizXperts] Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions
the right time for a proposal...for the sales manager Proposals and presentations are a very important part of the sales process. However, they must occur at the right time and be directed to the right audiences. Part of your job as a sales manager is to oversee the proposal process, both in terms of deciding if and when to make a proposal and determining the scope of any proposal that is made. By managing your salespeople within the context of a sales process and applying strict and consistent criteria to the proposal decision, you will be able to improve your department’s success rate. And, by discussing the criteria and decision making process with your salespeople, you will eventually be able to transfer some of the responsibility for screening to them. Timing is determined by the sales template used by the sales department. While various patterns have been developed, most selling systems now follow the ordering pioneered by David Sandler more than 25 years ago. Sandler cautioned against making premature presentations, which he said usually amounted to giving free consultation or “spilling your candy in the lobby.” While the issue has become more complex in the customer driven sales environment, timing is still one of the primary factors determining the potential effectiveness of a presentation. The Sandler system places the presentation well into the selling process rather than near the beginning as was typical of “features and benefits” selling. This is because of the emphasis in today’s marketplace on customer-based marketing and customer development. Salespeople are increasingly aware of the importance of understanding the customer’s needs and objectives and determining whether there is a fit between the customer’s goals and your company’s products or service before making a presentation. That fit must include considerations of the
appropriateness of the customer in considerable detail. In the Sandler Selling System the presentation (known as the Fulfillment Step) is the sixth step of a seven step process. This ensures that the presentation demonstrates a workable solution to the real Bob Henricks problems and issues facing the prospect, that the prospect has the budget to pay for this solution, and that your company can profitably deliver the solution. The presentation is made only after your salesperson establishes the understanding that the authentic decision maker will be present and will decide yes or no after the presentation.
the cost of the proposal and presentaion When selling without a system, it is difficult to establish an accurate cost for generating a proposal because you can’t easily distinguish activities related to proposals from other activities. Using the Sandler Selling System enables you to separate the cost of the earlier steps from the cost of the proposal development and presentation process. The cost of the proposal and presentation includes: • Time spent identifying and specifying the relationship between the prospect’s pain and the solutions your company could offer • Research into the competition you face on the proposal and the solutions they could offer • Time spent developing an advantageous positioning of your solution relative to the competition • Time spent writing the presentation and developing appropriate visual aids and support materials • Production cost of presentation materials • Time spent making preliminary presentations to members of the buyer’s team and getting feedback • Time spent finalizing the presentation based on feedback • Time spent in rehearsal and dry runs • Time spent presenting the proposal • Any travel expenses incurred during the process Bob Henricks is president of Henricks Corporate Training and Development, a company dedicated to helping business owners, managers and salespeople succeed. Contact him at 704-544-7383 or visit www.henrickscorp.sandler.com.
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Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions [bizXperts]
“if a business is worth a dollar... …and I can buy it for 40 cents, something good may happen to me,” says Warren Buffett. Translated, a bargain is a bargain. All we have to do is own bargain stocks and wait for other investors to eventually wise up. That requires patience. Often a great deal of it. Let’s use Home Depot as an example. Here is a company that has so many things wrong: outdated-looking stores; sub par-to-lousy service; declining customer image; slowing sales and falling earnings. And as a result, Lowe’s continues to catch up. All these concerns are valid. But they are also widely known. Said another way, they are most likely already built into the stock’s price. Let’s take a look at the bright side. One, the company owns about 80 percent of the land on which its buildings sit and about 60 percent of those buildings. Home Depot is in numerous prime locations throughout America. Two, business in its Mexico division is booming. Three, outdated stores can be brought up-to-date. Four, customer service can get better, perhaps dramatically so. Five, we’ve seen credible private-value estimates ranging from the low $50s to the low $70s per share. Six, the company has an investment-grade balance sheet. Seven, it just purchased nearly 290 million shares with dozens of millions to go. That
greater charlotte biz
pruned shares outstanding by 14.6 percent. Eight, the yield is historically high at 2.6 percent. Nine, the dividend is higher in 2007 for the 20th consecutive year. Ten, the stock is down more than 50 percent from the all-time high of 70 reached more than eight years ago in the first quarter of 2000. And finally, the company Bill Staton just announced that because of the huge stock buying, earnings per share for fiscal 2007 are anticipated to decline within the 7 to 9 percent range compared to the earlier forecast of 12 to15 percent Edwin Lefevre, author of Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, wrote this in 1923, “It was never my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!” That was great advice 84 years ago and remains true today. Once stock positions are established at favorable or bargain prices, it usually makes the most sense to hold on for the long pull. Rebalancing among “core” positions once in awhile to account for underweighted and overweighted issues is necessary, but trading in and out is a loser’s game. Bill Staton, M.B.A., CFA, is chairman of Staton Financial Advisors LLC, a money management firm. Contact him at 704-365-2122 or visit www.statonfinancial.com.
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[employersbiz] Legislative and Regulatory Highlights for Area Employers Keeping your employee handbook out of court Can your employee handbook be used against you in a court of law? Does it give your employees rights that you never intended? You need to be careful about what you put in your employee handbook because every word can be used against you, according to Paul Salvatore and Allan H. Weitzman of Proskauer Rose LLP. They recommend following seven principles to keep in mind when creating an employee manual. 1. Make sure your handbook is not an employment contract. In addition to disclaimers in your manual, inform employees that the policies and procedures contained in the handbook are not intended to create a contract. Distribute the manual and make sure your employees sign a receipt acknowledging that they received a copy. And reserve the right to modify or change those policies and procedures at any time. 2. Plainly state your rules, regulations and procedures. Clearly stating your procedures and rules – attendance policy, performance appraisals, use of e-mail – and then making sure they are consistently followed, helps ensure that employees understand what is expected of them. 3. Describe policies intended to assist employees. Describing policies that are designed to help employees allows your handbook to function as an internal public relations system. Describe your employee assistance program, your family and medical leave policy, and your pregnancy, disability and child care leaves. This shows your employees that you understand the laws and rules and intend to follow them. 4. Communicate your commitment to equal opportunity. Your handbook should include equal employment opportunity policy. Courts will look for this if you are sued for discrimination. Also include an anti-harassment policy, defining harassing behavior and giving examples. Clarify supervisory responsibility and clearly set forth your internal complaint procedure. Designate more than one person who can receive complaints. Set forth your organization’s investigation obligations, a no-retaliation provisions, etc. 5. Set termination guidelines. Include required notifications, severance pay policies and any grievance or complaint procedures and alternative dispute resolution procedures. Also consider tying severance pay to the requirement that employees execute the release acknowledging they received the handbook to help ensure that employees sign and return that acknowledgement. 6. Develop technology policies. The informality of communicating by e-mail makes an e-mail policy a necessity. Employees should clearly understand that there is no
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expectation of privacy in company equipment or in their electronic communications. Reserve the right to monitor email and make sure that employees realize that all communications are “discoverable” and can be used in any legal proceedings. Also consider a policy governing instant messaging as well. They cannot be recorded electronically, but they can be printed off when they appear on the screen. You may want to consider banning the use of instant messages or adopting a policy similar to your e-mail policy. 7. Include state and local legal requirements. Although keeping up with federal laws may seem like challenge enough, don’t forget that state laws also are important. Not only can state laws provide more generous benefits and protections than federal laws, they can also affect many of your policies. For example, state laws may govern your jury duty leave and workplace smoking policies. It is important to incorporate these, and other state and local legal requirements, into your employee handbook. If written properly, your handbook shouldn’t contain any information to be used against you. (CCH Online)
Give your employees a raise without spending a dime! Would you like to help your employees increase their take–home pay at no cost to you? You can do this by giving eligible employees part of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) with their pay, and then subtracting those payments from your payroll taxes. This is possible through the Advance Earned Income Tax Credit (AEITC). The EITC is a refundable credit for certain qualified workers. It is intended to help offset some of the increases in living expenses and Social Security taxes. This credit reduces the amount of tax owed, and may result in a refund to the taxpayer. Eligible employees can receive part of their EITC in their paychecks instead of waiting until they file their tax returns. To be eligible for AEITC payments, an employee must expect to have a qualifying child and fall within certain income limits. Other requirements are explained on Form W-5, Earned Income Credit Advance Payment Certificate, and in more detail in Publication 596, Earned Income Credit. Employers may refer to Publication 15, Circular E, Employer’s Tax Guide for instructions on calculating the credit amount and reporting these payments on their employment tax return. For more information, contact the IRS at: 1-800-829-1040, or visit www.irs.gov/eitc.
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Work Force Training and Development [workforcebiz]
Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Careers Become Increasing Technical
A
dvanced bloodstain pattern analysis… digital evidence… digital search and seizure…ultra violet infrared photograph…
law enforcement officers and 1,800 firefighters and medics each year. As a result of the Congressional funding, the AAAF has been able to develop one of the most comprehensive applied forensics training programs in the country, including an impressive digital evidence training program anchored by one of the nation’s few digital evidence and cyber crime teaching labs. The AAAF has developed several significant corporate partnerships with companies which are critical to the Academy’s ability to train investigators using the latest technologies. Partners include Fujifilm USA for photography tools; Wetstone Technologies, a vendor of unique network forensics tools; Susteen, Inc. for cell
that is recommended for those new to the field of computer forensics. Law enforcement as well as corporate clients have had high praise for the class and expressed a desire for more similar offerings. The newest genre of classes in digital These terms sound like an introducevidence includes training on forensics tion to the latest CSI (Crime Scene Investechniques for cell phones and other tigation) episode, but they’re terms that hand-held devices. In a highly mobile leading professionals in the forensics and society, evidence of crimes, especially solaw enforcement fields must know and called “white-collar crimes,” is often understand. Crime scene investigation is found in any of the variations of handbecoming much more highly sophistiheld computers. This method of hiding or cated including issues such as cyber tracking evidence is only becoming more crime, identity theft and fraud, and online ubiquitous. child predators. Today’s law enforcement According to AAAF program director officers, private investigators, corporate Dr. Lili Johnson, a growing number of investigative personnel, and others in the companies are insisting that their personnel participate in training alongside law enforcement CSIs. “Companies are beginning to realize that they can combat digital evidence crimes more effectively with the help of law enforcement Laser trajectory devices are used in shooting reconstruction in classes as a means of crime scene documentation. than without.” field must have up-to-date training to phone forensics tools; and Paraben CorIn addition to general forensics and keep abreast of developments in the field. poration for hand-held and computer digital evidence training, AAAF also offers The American Academy of Applied forensics tools. corporate team-building sessions and Forensics (AAAF) was established in 2001 Recently the AAAF launched its first summer camps for middle and high by a Congressional appropriation secured online class. Introduction to Computer school students. For more information, through the efforts of CPCC President Dr. Forensics is taught by Steven Hickey, call 704-330-4133 or visit Tony Zeiss, with support from a bi-partiCEO of Insight Computer Forensics, a www.cpcc.edu/aaaf. biz san coalition of North Carolina’s congreslocal computer forensic services firm This section is intended to highlight work sional delegation including Senators Jesse located in Charlotte. Hickey is typical of force training and development programs and Helms and John Edwards and RepresentaAAAF instructors who are professionals in initiatives delivered by community colleges tives Sue Myrick and Mel Watt. their respective fields, but find the time to within the Charlotte region. Community colleges The Academy is the latest addition to share their expertise with law enforcement are invited to submit substantive content ideas CPCC’s law enforcement training proand other investigators. Introduction to to editor@greatercharlottebiz.com. gram, which graduates more than 2,000 Computer Forensics is a foundation class
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[bizoutlook] Regional Economic Analyses and Forecasts North Carolina Continues Seventh Year of Economic Expansion in 2008 For 2008, the North Carolina economy is expected to continue its seventh year of economic expansion, according to UNC Charlotte economist John E. Connaughton, John Connaughton in his Ph.D. TIAA-CREF/UNC Charlotte Economic Forecast for North Carolina. Real (inflation adjusted) Gross State Product (GSP) is expected to increase by 2.2 percent over the 2007 level. Connaughton expects GSP for the first quarter of 2008 to increase by an annualized real growth rate of 2.5 percent. During the second quarter, GSP is expected to increase by an annualized real rate of 2.8 percent. In the third quarter, GSP growth is
expected to drop off and record an annualized real growth rate of 1.0 percent. In the fourth quarter of 2008, GSP growth is expected to pick-up and reach an annualized real rate of 3.3 percent. Nine of the state’s 11 economic sectors are forecast to experience growth during 2008. The sectors with the strongest expected growth forecasts are: • Services, with a projected real growth rate of 5.3 percent; • Wholesale Trade, 4.5 percent; • Agriculture, 3.8 percent; • Retail Trade, 2.8 percent; and • Government, 2.2 percent. Four other sectors are expected to experience growth, but at rates less than the overall growth rate of 2.2 percent. These
Quarterly Growth Rates in Real GSP
3.7 2.1 2007 I
1.7
1.0
2007 II f 2007III f 2007IVf
Quarterly Growth Rates in Forecasted Real GSP
2.5
2.8
1.0
3.3
sectors are Transportation, Warehousing, Utilities and Information (TWUI) with a projected real growth rate of 1.8 percent; Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE), 0.8 percent; and Nondurable Goods Manufacturing, 0.1 percent. 2008 Employment Outlook For 2008, Connaughton expects North Carolina employers to add 82,400 net jobs, an increase of 2.0 percent over the 2007 level. Eight of the state’s 10 nonagricultural sectors of the economy are expected to experience positive employment growth during 2008. The sectors Connaughton expects to display the strongest employment growth rates in 2007 are Mining at 9.5 percent; Government, 4.1 percent; and Services, 3.1 percent. “The current economic expansion, which began in November of 2001, is now 68 months long,” Connaughton indicates. “The average duration of the 10 expansions since World War II has been 57 months. Only three periods of expansion have been longer than the one we are currently experiencing. Our forecast for 2007 would extend the length of the current expansion to 74 months, thus making it the fourthlongest since 1945.” The full Forecast report is available online at www.belkcollege.uncc.edu/forecast.
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Regional Economic Analyses and Forecasts [bizoutlook]
2008 Highlights
2008 Employment Highlights
Current Dollars Total Gross Product
2008* 412,768.0
Percent Change 5.0
Constant (2000 Dollars) Total Gross Product Farm Agricultural Services Mining Construction Manufacturing Durable Goods Nondurable Goods TWUI Wholesale Trade Retail Trade FIRE Services Government *millions of dollars
337,453.9 2,066.8 789.2 451.9 13,699.1 69,107.4 29,555.0 39,552.4 28,196.7 20,206.6 23,699.5 66,555.6 74,192.8 38,488.3
2.2 5.3 0.1 -0.1 1.1 0.0 -0.2 0.1 1.8 4.5 2.8 0.8 5.3 2.2
Total Establishment Employment Mining Construction Manufacturing Durable Goods Nondurable Goods TWUI Wholesale Trade Retail Trade FIRE Services Government *thousands of persons
Year-End*
Percent Change
4,225.6 8.1 256.2 524.6 288.6 236.1 204.3 182.4 471.4 221.5 1,633.2 723.9
2.0 9.5 1.4 -3.1 -1.5 -4.9 0.3 2.2 1.6 2.6 3.1 4.1
John E. Connaughton is professor of economics in the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte. He is director of the Carolina Economic Forecast, funded by TIAA-CREF and published quarterly by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The Forecast provides both a review of North Carolina’s recent economic performance and an estimation of the state’s future growth. Dr. Connaughton earned his Ph.D. and masters’ degrees from Northeastern University and his bachelor’s degree from Boston State College.
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november 2007
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[bizprofile]
by janet kropinak
Strategic Planning for
SMART GROWTH Center for Real Estate Builds Community
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uring the ’90s Charlotte was already well on its way to becoming a thriving local economy, and its leaders were working hard to position the city for its rapid growth. It necessitated foresight and strategic planning to ensure that the approach to growth was intelligent and that the result would be a success. As the presence and complexity of the financial services industries in Charlotte grew, bringing talent into the region, so did the demand for real estate expertise. In an increasingly sophisticated business market, it became important to have a source of practical and academic research in the field, as well as higher education at the graduate level in real estate finance and development. To meet these growing demands, then UNC Charlotte Chancellor Jim Woodward, developer John Crosland, and other leaders from the real estate and financial services community came together in a determined fashion to endow and establish the Center for Real Estate within the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In 1999, Dr. Steven Ott was chosen as the Crosland Professor and handed the task of developing the Center for Real Estate’s program into one that would be mutually beneficial for the university as well as the business community. Smart Planning Ott was quick to recognize the expertise that was located in UNC Charlotte’s backyard, partnering with local industry leaders to form an advisory board for the educational and research activities of the Center. The board members’ participation, both inside and outside the classroom, enhances research and educational activities as well as the student’s overall educational experience. “The advisory board has been extremely helpful in advising the Center and helping us develop the program,” comments Ott. “We’ve worked hard to bring together government, industry and academia to develop the initiatives that we have moved forward through the Center.” “A lot of work that the Center is involved in is very insightful in terms of dealing with the challenges that come with being part of a vibrant economy,” !
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“The business of real estate covers so many industries that, in order to build this program, I’ve needed to become very connected to the community. Now... I am expanding my scope and working to connect with the leaders of the other business industries.” ~ Steven H. Ott Interim Dean of Belk College Director of the Center for Real Estate
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affect the real estate market. Todd Mansfield echoes the importance of research, “I think there is a real opportunity for the Center to enhance the caliber of research in the field, especially in terms of public policy, as well as facilitate creating quality professional candidates for the industry and the region.” Service is the third focus of the Center’s program, which includes lectures through the Urban Land Institute. These lectures are geared toward public officials to educate them on how developers evaluate real estate projects, helping them to decipher and understand what each side wants out of a transaction and working toward making that happen. With a program laid out, and an abundance of local resources at their disposal, it is evident that the Center has only begun to tap its full potential. Expanding the Scope Ott’s success with the Center for Real Estate no doubt played a factor in UNC Charlotte’s decision earlier this year to appoint him interim dean of Belk College. Ott is excited about his new role and sees real estate as the perfect foray into his new position. “My background has been very helpful. A dean has to be is very connected with the community, especially at a school like this, in a city like this,” comments Ott. “The business of real estate covers so many industries that, in order to build this program, I’ve needed to become very connected to the community. Now as interim dean, I am expanding my scope and working to connect with the leaders of the other business industries.” Ott understands the importance of Belk College to the region, noting that the University’s connections to the city and the business community are mutually beneficial. Because he has only stepped in as interim dean, Ott is staying focused on what he can do in the here and now. The College is currently in the midst of hiring new professors, as they are constantly searching for the best and brightest from around the country. The College would also like to enhance their online program which would make
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classes more accessible for working students. Increasing online capabilities will also help strengthen the global connections the College currently has. Additionally, Ott would like to enhance their partnerships with business schools in other countries which would allow more students the opportunity to incorporate overseas studying into their education. Another focus for Ott is on creating a full-time M.B.A. program, though he admits this isn’t going to happen overnight. Currently, about three-quarters of the Belk College students attend classes part time while working full-time in the region. The college is also working to strengthen its already strong presence Uptown, which will be aided by UNC Charlotte’s new building in 2010. Ott has many other long term goals for the college as well, including an expansion of the graduate curriculum offerings, including Ph.D. programs. Currently there is one Ph.D. program within the college and a second will be added in the near future. “Graduate and Ph.D. programs are extremely important to the business school and to the community, and the direction of the university is to become more of a graduate and researchoriented institution.” The Future of the Center Ott promises to keep a strong emphasis on the Center for Real Estate. “I want to continue to see the program flourish and prosper. It’s a big part of the College and it will remain a strong focus going forward.” The advisory board has also made a commitment to helping the Center grow. “I believe with finance, banking and real estate playing such a large role in our community that we need to strive to have a full-time program. And when we get to that level, with full-time graduate students and the research and community interface, I believe UNC Charlotte will vie to be one of the preeminent real estate programs in the country,” comments Frank Spencer. In terms of goals for the Center, Ott doesn’t hold back when listing his ambitions. “I would really like to see this program grow to be the premier real estate program in the Southeast. When people
think about the major players in real estate education and research, they think of MIT in the Northeast and USC and Berkeley on the West coast. When they think of the Southeast, I want them to think of us.” Like the city of Charlotte, the College’s and the Center’s leaders are working hard to position themselves for growth over the next 5 to 10 years. “We are well on our way to achieving this status. We just have to maintain the momentum we have going and continue building upon it. That is the way to attract the very best students who will eventually stay here and add to the talent pool we have going in the industry,” notes Ott. And whether it is under the title of director or dean, you can be sure that Ott’s commitment won’t change. “I am permanently and emotionally attached to the school and I am proud to be a part of it,” he says sincerely. biz Janet Kropinak is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.
The Center for Real Estate University of North Carolina at Charlotte (part of the Belk College of Business) 9201 University City Blvd. 252A Friday Building Charlotte, N.C. 28223-0001 Phone: 704-687-2034 Principal: Steven H. Ott, Interim Dean of the Belk College of Business, Director of the Center for Real Estate, John Crosland Sr. Distinguished Professor of Real Estate and Development Accreditation: The Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte was the first business school in the Charlotte region to earn accreditation by AACSB International (the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide) and has held that distinction for more than 20 years now. Business: Seeks to further the knowledge of real estate, public policy and urban economics in the professional community through its teaching, research and service activities. www.realestate.uncc.edu
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Greg S. Allen President Cirrus Medical Staffing, LLC
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by ellison clary
[bizprofile]
FOR HOSPITALS Cirrus Makes it Their Business to Know Their Clients’ Business
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ou think your job is hard? It’s probably not as difficult as Greg Allen’s. He’s president of Cirrus Medical Staffing, a Charlotte company that places traveling health care professionals at hospitals in all 50 states. Allen lists a few of the hats he wears during his typical 12-hour work day: “You have to be a Realtor, a psychologist, a salesperson, a customer service representative—and it’s very difficult,” he says. “This is not easy to do and if you can do it consistently and do it well, you know you’ve done something with yourself and your career.” He flashes his quick smile and adds: “It’s very fulfilling. Sometimes I have to be on the verge of a nosebleed to be happy. This definitely takes me there.” After 20 years in recruiting, Allen was working with DBS Systems in Charlotte when longtime friend and mentor David Cline broached the idea of starting a medical staffing firm. Allen took the challenge along with Cline and Cline’s wife Leslie and several other investors. The result was Cirrus Medical Staffing, which places roaming medical professionals with hospitals that need their services. Cirrus started with just Allen and two others in May 2002; today, Cirrus has 38 internal employees operating in 10,000 square feet in an office park near Billy Graham Parkway. It keeps more than 200 professionals working at hospitals across the country. With $20 million in annual revenues, Cirrus ranks far behind industry giants such as San Diego’s AMN Healthcare Services with north of $1 billion in 2006 sales. Yet Cirrus already is larger than most firms that specialize in placing medical professionals and Allen plans to grow annual revenue to $50 million in five years. He likes the size of Cirrus because the firm can provide individual
greater charlotte biz
attention to its clients, which includes both health care professionals and hospitals. A downside is that, positioned between the big boys and the small-timers, Cirrus wrestles with the investment it takes for the kind of consistent marketing campaign it needs on a national basis. Medical Match-ups Still, Allen exudes happiness as he describes the details of his business in his fourth floor corner office. The 48-year-old Salisbury native who studied pre-med at the College of Charleston says he’s glad he paid his dues in various recruiting functions. It has helped him amass a wealth of savvy for situational solutions. “I like the analysis involved,” he says. “You have a certain issue, you get creative with it and you analyze it. Then you come up with a resolution.” Solutions usually involve matching an itinerant health professional with a hospital that needs that person’s services. Cirrus works !
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with physician’s assistants, respiratory therapists and nurse practitioners, as well as technicians in surgery, radiology and magnetic resonance imaging applications. But, because of a severe shortage in America, Cirrus most often places registered nurses. Knowing they are in demand, nurses who desire to see the country travel to various spots and use placement firms such as Cirrus to find work. Probably 10,000-plus nurses are employed through placement firms at any given time. “We consistently keep 200 nurses on our payroll,” says Allen. “We may employ anywhere from 300 to 350 in a year. At a typical hospital in the Charlotte region, about 5 percent of the nurses might be “travelers,” the name given to those professionals who move from hospital to hospital. But a patient wouldn’t be able
to pick one out. A study by the International Journal of Nursing Studies showed there is no difference in the quality of care given by a traveler or a full-time nurse, Allen says. That study also showed travelers, on average, are as educated or better. “Both hospitals and travelers are our clients,” Allen explains. “You are trying to satisfy and work with the traveler, but the hospital has to be satisfied with what you’re doing, too.” Typically, nurses who move about the country work a 13-week contract with a hospital and that can be renewed for
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another 13 weeks. The nurses and other traveling professionals remain employees of Cirrus. The hospital where they work pays Cirrus and Cirrus, in turn, pays them. Cirrus finds housing for its travelers and provides them with fully-paid benefits, including major medical, dental, vision, prescription discounts and a life insurance policy. Other options are plentiful. There’s supplemental life insurance, accident insurance, cancer insurance and long-term care insurance. Further, Cirrus provides financial analysts to assist with investments. The average traveler with Cirrus is in his or her mid-40s, Allen says, and a number of them move around with their spouses. Often a traveler has at least 10 years of experience and has been a clinician in more than one specialty area such as intensive care, emergency room, pediatrics or medical surgical nursing. They tend to shy from institutional
politics, Allen adds, and they usually are very quality-oriented. Also, they enjoy moving from hospital to hospital and learning new ways of practicing health care. Traveling Aid “Moving really does enhance their career,” Allen says. “They practice health care in many
different modes. A small hospital would do something one way while a large hospital would do it a different way. But there’s the same outcome. The patient gets well and the traveler learns different ways of healing the patient. It makes them more well-rounded professionals.” Traveling nurses often earn between $70,000 and $90,000 and can bring in as much as $5 more per hour than their stay-put counterparts, according to Allen. David Erskine is a traveling respiratory therapist who used Cirrus to hook on at Lincoln Medical Center in Lincolnton, N.C. Originally from Columbia, S.C., Erskine had been working at hospitals in and around Houston, Texas. He’s been at Lincoln Medical for almost three months and thinks he’ll sign up for another two or three. “I thought about six or seven different agencies before I went with Cirrus,” Erskine says. “The people at Cirrus were real straight up for me and worked hard for me to get a
job and make everything happen.” Many hospitals see an advantage in taking on traveling professionals, Allen says, and hospital executive Rawle Barker agrees. Barker is director of employment services for Novant Health’s South Piedmont Region and he’s based at Charlotte’s Presbyterian Hospital. Presbyterian has used Cirrus for at least four years, Barker says, to find nurses for 13-week periods. This works better with scheduling than repeatedly trying to fit in a nurse on a one- or two-day basis. “Travelers help us fill out our schedules,” Barker says. “We’ve not had any problems with Cirrus. They serve our programs very well.” Sandra Curry, director of education
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New York Stock Exchange,” he says with a and development at Northeast Medical head shake. “You’re juggling multiple Center in Concord, echoes those issues with multiple people. You’re trysentiments. “Cirrus has sent us ing to get situations resolved on both the type of staff nurse that we ends of the spectrum—with the hoshave asked for as far as compepital and with a traveler.” tency,” Curry says. “They know But that produces what Allen what kind of nurses we need “I like the analysis involved. You have calls the best part of his job: variety. and the different units we have “I’m not stuck doing one thing a certain issue, you get creative with them in.” all day,” he says. “I get exposed to a “The needs of a hospital it and you analyze it. Then you come lot of different things, whether it’s change quickly,” Allen up with a resolution.” the hospital, whether it’s the travexplains. “It gets cold, and eler, whether it’s our internal there’s a ton of heart attacks, ~Greg Allen, President employee. I get variety and I like and they don’t have enough that. It feels like I’m still growing.” intensive care nurses. With Growth continues for Cirrus, as well. A one call, you can get some more without we say we’re going to do. We don’t leave recent Charlotte Business Journal ranking having to close beds in your unit (due to things unattended. We take what we do of area staffing offices by size placed Cirnurse to patient care ratios).” very seriously.” rus in a tie for ninth. Additionally, Cirrus Medical problems often occur in Taking care of the travelers involves just made Entrepreneur magazine’s list of cycles, he adds. There’s a flu season and more than most would imagine, such as top 500 fastest growing small businesses more emergency room visits happen in handling personal problems. “Just like in in the United States, coming the summer as well. Elective surgery a full-time job, there are times when a in at 42. spikes around holidays, as does operating traveler has a family emergency or a medAllen doesn’t rule out acquiring other room demand, and birth rates rise in the ical emergency,” Allen says, “that may firms, although he adds that there are no early spring. take them away from an assignment.” purchase targets currently. He might also The cost of a traveler versus a fullSometimes a traveler can return soon entertain a merger. timer usually is a wash. “If you calculate and make up the time lost. In other cases, He sums up growth options simply: compensation and efforts to recruit a fullCirrus has to cancel the contract and find “We’re going to keep an open mind to time employee, you’re ending up paying a replacement for the hospital. what’s going to grow the company and about the same thing,” Allen says. “So Regardless, a Cirrus staffer is available what’s necessary to secure the talent we nobody’s getting gouged.” to handle unforeseen situations 24 hours a have long term.” biz Cirrus has more than 1,200 contracts day, seven days a week. with hospitals in all 50 states. “We’ve That brings Allen to a detailing of the Ellison Clary is a Charlotte-based freelance writer. never had a hospital contract cancelled,” various tasks that his internal employees he brags. handle. There are recruiters who find jobs Indeed, Cirrus is the first medical for travelers and they work closely with Cirrus Medical Staffing, LLC staffing firm in North Carolina to win hospital coordinators who make sure 4651 Charlotte Park Dr., Ste. 400 Healthcare Staffing Firm certification from Cirrus is complying with the needs of the Charlotte, N.C. 28217 the Joint Commission of Hospital Accredimedical institutions. Account managers Phone: 704-887-3900 tation, says Allen, who sits on the comdevelop new contracts with hospitals. Principal: Greg S. Allen, President mission’s staffing advisory council. Quality control folks collect required “Accreditation is very beneficial medical and professional information and Established: May 2002 because it helps you organize your busihandle referencing, credentialing and Employees: 38 full-time ness better,” Allen says. “You know you’re continuing education. They interact with Placements: About 200+ medical meeting the same criteria the hospitals are each hospital human resource departprofessionals at any time held accountable for.” ment. And there’s a controller and an accounting department. Revenue: $20 million (annual) Versatility and Reliability Allen’s staff of 38 handles all this. Business: Places traveling medical proAlong with keeping hospitals happy, “We’re lean and mean,” he laughs, then fessionals, chiefly nurses, with hospitals Allen takes pride in the loyalty of the that need their services; more than 200 takes a more serious tone. “We have some placed professionals working at hospitals medical professionals Cirrus helps. “Our exceptional talent and I wouldn’t trade in all 50 states. retention rate for travelers is above 70 this group of people for anything.” percent,” he says. “That’s one of the highest industry averages, if not the highest. It’s because we treat people right, we do what
greater charlotte biz
One of the hardest parts of his job, Allen says, is maintaining balance. “There are times when our cubicle area is like the
www.cirrusmedicalstaffing.com
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Jim Pendergraph Sheriff Mecklenburg County
photo: Wayne Morris
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by susanne deitzel
[bizprofile]
A Southern Gentleman
MR. PENDERGRAPH GOES
TO WASHINGTON
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ou’d be hard pressed to find a person in Charlotte who doesn’t know about Jim Pendergraph. This is only one measure of his success during his four-term tenure as the Sheriff of Mecklenburg County. He has led the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) since 1994, and has been the face the city looks to for confidence and order when things go haywire. Whether leading during 9/11, or attending to a discipline problem at a local school, Pendergraph has been a source of professionalism, order and stability for the county. He has also become a political lightning rod addressing illegal immigration and crime, and has attracted the attention of higher ups who are impressed with his knowledge and leadership. In fact, for Charlotte, Pendergraph’s leadership may have been too much of a good thing. In December 2007, Jim Pendergraph will be leaving the Queen city for Washington, D.C., to become the “Executive Director of State and Local Coordination for the Department of Homeland Security.” Duty Calls Jim Pendergraph fits the ideal of a good lawman. He has that certain something that makes his back seem straighter than the next guy, and clarity in his gaze. But don’t mistake his confidence for swagger. Pendergraph is no cowboy. Rather, he’s a courteous southern gentleman with a strong work ethic and an even stronger sense of duty. Pendergraph credits photos of his father serving as a military police officer in World War II for igniting his desire to be a public servant. He says several state troopers he knew in high school further inspired him. “I think I always knew I was going to be a cop; the officers I knew in high school were my heroes. When I was discharged from the army, I went straight to the Mecklenburg County Police Department,” he says. Twenty one years after Pendergraph joined the force, the Mecklenburg County police department consolidated with the Charlotte police department. Prior to the consolidation, Pendergraph had risen in rank to Major and had just completed opening a new arrest processing center and had assisted in important revisions to the court information systems. Partially because of this, Pendergraph came to the attention of peers, and civilian leaders began elbowing him to run for Sheriff. “The office of the Sheriff is a major part of the success or failure of the local criminal justice system. If the Sheriff and his support staff don’t do their job, then nothing works,” explains Pendergraph. “In 1994 there was no cooperation, and little interaction, between agencies. The department was untrained and a week didn’t go by when The Charlotte Observer wasn’t taking it to task for less-than-professional behavior.” He adds, “When I came into office, people were changing out of their uniform before they left their shift, so people wouldn’t know where they worked. It was very sad.” Pendergraph did not take the idea of running for Sheriff too seriously, until it became clear that it wasn’t a matter of whether he wanted to take the job or not. It was a matter of duty. !
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“I wasn’t interested in running for office. I was a cop, for Pete’s sake. But my friends encouraged me to run, and assured me they would help me raise the money to do it,” says Pendergraph. It took a lot of campaign contributions to unseat incumbent Sheriff C.W. Kidd—about $200,000 in 1994—and Pendergraph doesn’t pull any punches when he talks about raising funds: “To this day, that’s my least favorite task. I was raised not to ask for money, and then ended up in a political position where I had to ask for contributions.” While the Sheriff’s first campaign was relatively expensive, there were plenty of people willing to support him. Charlotte was at a crucial stage of growth, and, according to Pendergraph, “There were a lot of influential people concerned that Charlotte couldn’t continue to grow and be successful unless some major changes were made. Pendergraph not only won the 1994 election, but three more since then. A Man of His Word The changes Pendergraph implemented were as bold as he promised in his campaign speeches. He sought to empower his staff, to provide education and advanced training, and to become an innovator in his post. In addition to keeping citizens safe and secure, and coordinating with the powers that be to keep the city law enforcement moving, the office of Sheriff of Mecklenburg County is responsible for over 1,400 employees and a $100 million budget. When he walked across the street with the contents of his locker to move into the office of the Sheriff, he discovered there was a lot of work to be done. “There was a line of people outside my office waiting for me to tell them what to do. Accomplished officers with bars and stripes, paid to be supervisors, were coming to get their orders every morning. They were used to getting directions from a guy who ran things from his hip pocket. Well, that just isn’t the way I operate. I believe in letting people do their jobs.”
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Sheriff Pendergraph has exponentially increased the education and professionalism of the MCSO. He established professional qualification standards for command staff and today more than 40 command leaders have attended the FBI academy, the SPI academy, and or the North Carolina Justice Academy. He also formed the Office of Professional Compliance within the Sheriff’s Office to raise accountability and integrity. Explains Pendergraph, “Educated employees stay around longer. Plus, I knew when I started here that there would come a time when I would also have to leave. It has been my mission to
“The sheriff should be a visionary. Things and systems that used to work, don’t always keep working. We have to be willing to lead by example.” ~Sheriff Pendergraph make sure that when that day arrived, my staff wouldn’t miss a beat. I have tried to create an organization that can run without me, whose people won’t hesitate to call out a leader who is leading them in the wrong direction,” says Pendergraph. In addition to revolutionizing the staff, Pendergraph has also embraced cutting edge technology that will make the MCSO a sterling example of 21st century law enforcement. Pendergraph teases that his staff balks when he comes back from conferences with new ideas. But he makes a point of showing he isn’t afraid of innovation. “The sheriff should be a visionary,” he says. “Things and systems that used to work, don’t always keep working. We have to be willing to lead by example,” comments Pendergraph, who has pioneered use of an iris-scanning identification system and employed
wide-ranging training for sophisticated IC E (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) fingerprinting system that paved the way for Sheriff Pendergraph’s current fame—or notoriety, depending on who you ask. Mission Manifest The first thing that brought Pendergraph’s attention to crime in the illegal immigrant population was the staggering increases in the budget for translators. Then he started seeing the same faces resurfacing in the system. “I suspected many of the people were in the country illegally. I started to see them repeating serious crimes, being released on bond, and walking out the door. But there was no way to identify them,” he explains. Then Pendergraph met Sheriff Mike Corona of Orange County California, who informed him of a program called the Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287g. This federal law “provides the legal authority for state and local enforcement to investigate, detain, and arrest aliens on civil and criminal grounds.” Pendergraph found the glimmer of a solution that would become a political firestorm. Section 287g permitted Pendergraph to send 12 officers into extensive federal training for certification as immigration officials, allowing them to utilize the ICE fingerprinting system. The ICE system is technologically sophisticated with a highly integrated database that merges federal and local information systems, making it possible to track, identify and when necessary, expel criminals in the country illegally. Representative Sue Myrick strongly backed Pendergraph’s pursuit of local implementation of 287g, and the resultant visibility has put him on the front lines of the immigration debate. He clarifies, “I am not interested in running around with a net catching people who are in the county illegally. And I am not responsible for what people call ‘throwing people out of the U.S.’ What I am interested in doing is catching, identifying and processing repeat offenders of serious crimes. I turn in criminals who happen to be illegal immigrants to the federal authorities.” And in his plainspoken drawl he adds, “There are plenty of U.S. citizens I’d like to toss out if it were up to me, but it’s not.”
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Pendergraph has also been instrumental in getting a Federal Immigration Court awarded to Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and has pioneered an initiative to partner with private developers to build the court and accompanying detention facility for offenders and lease it to the federal government. This proposal would eliminate the need for a bond or new public debt. Pendergraph has been criticized for focusing on illegals, both from the immigrant community and people who think that immigration should be the concern of the federal government. But Pendergraph is no shrinking violet when it comes to the controversy. “People need to see that these are criminals who have already been deported after committing crimes and have returned, or have already been convicted of serious crimes in other states. I cannot believe that the citizens of Mecklenburg County would prefer that we keep these 3,000 additional criminals in the city.” Sheriff Pendergraph cites a reduction in gang activity as a positive result of the 287g implementation: “Gang members do not want to come here and be booked on some petty crime that is going to get them expelled from the country, so they behave or go somewhere else.” Pendergraph is also quick to suggest that this is not just a local matter, but a matter of national security. He mentions a tunnel wide enough for a car discovered just last week under the U.S.-Mexican border. The assumption is that the guys building these aren’t motivated by the idea of better wages or freedom, but cash and drugs. It follows that if there’s enough cash and drugs to motivate going to these lengths, there are likely few alliances that fall below one’s moral compass.
Senior Executive Service and will seek to establish and maintain a partnership as well as formal and informal channels of communication and information exchange between ICE, state and local governments and their respective law enforcement entities. “Leaving the job and community I love to accept this position was a difficult decision,” said Pendergraph, “but I believe the stability of our country is at stake. I took an oath in both the military and as a law enforcement officer to
protect this country and I believe my position with ICE will allow me to do this on a national level.” Pendergraph gets it. He’s not afraid to speak truth to political correctness. And he knows what it takes in terms of people, systems and implementation to make things happen. Pendergraph says he will miss being the Sheriff, will miss Charlotte, and that he’s sorry he will miss seeing some of his projects coming to fruition. However, he strongly backs his long-term Chief Deputy
The Promised Land Pendergraph must be on the right track. Just last month, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Julie Myers tapped Jim Pendergraph for ICE’s executive director of state and local coordination, a newly created senior executive position. In this new position, Pendergraph will serve as a member of the Federal Government’s
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Chipp Bailey for the job. Bailey has worked for and with Pendergraph for a long time, and Pendergraph even credits him for running things now. So in
many ways they will be still share the same mission…just on different beats. As Mr. Pendergraph goes to Washington, if he continues to do on a national
Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) 700 E. 4th Street Charlotte, N.C. 28202 Phone: 704-336-3667 Principal: Jim Pendergraph, Sheriff (retirement effective Dec. 1, 2007); to assume a newly created senior executive position as Executive Director of state and local coordination with U.S. Department of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington, D.C. In Office: Since 1994, serving 1st year of 4th term Employees: 1,400 Budget: $100 million Mission: To protect the citizens of Mecklenburg County by operating secure and professional rehabilitative detention facilities, enforcing civil and criminal laws, providing outstanding public service with integrity and upholding the constitutionality of the Sheriff's Office. www.mecksheriff.com
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level what he has started here in Charlotte, the nation will be very fortunate. biz
Susanne Deitzel is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.
FACTS AT A GLANCE Accomplishments of Sheriff Pendergraph’s office: • Provided security for more than 1,000,000 citizens conducting court business in Mecklenburg County last year, and 11,152 court hearings. • The Sheriff’s inmate work crew has saved more than $1.5 million dollars in labor for the County. • Served more than 83,000 civil papers for the court last year alone. • Created the electronic monitoring program which has diverted more than 300 accused defendants from the detention facilities since June 2006. • Developed an innovative jail treatment program for substance abusers which has provided treatment services to more than 12,000 inmates since its inception. • Developed the rehabilitation-driven WRRC facility which currently has a recidivism rate of 37 percent compared to 75 percent for the County’s jail system. • Integrated Pretrial Services into the Sheriff’s Office in 2005 and raised release service levels by 15 percent. • Established professional qualification standards for command staff; more than 40 command officers have attended the FBI national academy, the SPI academy, and or the North Carolina Justice Academy. • Formed the Office of Professional Compliance within the Sheriff’s Office to raise accountability and integrity within the MCSO. • Created the Citizens Academy to educate the community on the role and responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Office. • Handled the growing number of arrests in Mecklenburg County (+11 percent since 2000) by processing more than 42,000 individuals during FY07.
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Trust Without Matrix Offers
Financial Planning for Life
T
he phone rang in Giles Almond’s office one day in the early 1980s. It was Doris, a tax client of his, frantically asking for his professional advice. “What do I do? What do I do?” Almond remembers the elderly widow asking repeatedly. Almond, then a young certified public accountant at a local Charlotte firm, had given the woman—who had a large sum of money to invest—the name of a broker with whom he was acquainted. Doris took Almond’s advice and contacted the broker.
Much to his dismay, Almond later learned the broker had invested all of the money in one stock. Soon, the stock plummeted, leaving the widow distressed and Almond feeling utterly embarrassed and upset. “I remember almost slamming the phone down,” Almond recalls. “I said to myself, ‘This has got to stop. My clients deserve better.’” Almond believes that phone call was the catalyst that drove him to seek a full-fledged career in the financial planning industry. “That was the defining moment that started me on the track to getting my Certified Financial Planner designation,” Almond says. Upon achieving his CFP designation, Almond determined to create a new kind of fee-only financial planning firm that would work solely in the interest of clients. Almond envi-
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by david demarest
[bizprofile]
Reservation sioned a highly collaborative team environment, where everyone works hard for clients. That vision became Matrix Wealth Advisors, Inc. in 1990. From the very beginning, the firm has prided itself on developing personalized financial plans to meet clients’ specific life goals. Now, 17 years later, Almond’s firm, with a staff of six highly educated investment professionals and an office manager, is well known across the country, and one of the top choices for physicians, executives, retirees and other professionals. Worth magazine has named Almond as one of the nation’s top advisors in 1994, 1999, 2001 and 2002, while Medical Economics has rated him as a Top 150 advisor for doctors in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. Lessons Learned Almond, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington who also completed an investment management educational program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, began his career with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). At the IRS, he quickly learned how critical it was to have quality financial planning as he sifted through countless poorly planned tax returns. Almond also realized the !
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Giles K. Almond, CPA/PFS, CFP, CIMA President Matrix Wealth Advisors, Inc.
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need for a financial professional who could sit on the client’s side of the table, not just to protect their rights in an audit, but to make sure all financial products purchased met the client’s financial plan. While his stint with the IRS was a great experience, it wasn’t enough to satisfy Almond’s drive to create a better financial life for clients. “I decided I really wanted to be in a line of work where people liked you,” recalls Almond. After leaving the IRS, Almond worked
for a couple of local CPA firms as a tax advisor, but the experience soon soured his view of the financial industry as he received pressure to put his tax clients in questionable investments where the client’s interest was not top priority. “The firm decided to go down the commission sales route,” Almond says. “I had a fundamental problem with that. I decided that I was just not comfortable with the conflict of interest.” Almond wanted to be someone clients could turn to for objective and honest
advice. The firm where he had worked for years became less objective than he would have liked. They grew focused on commissions and steering clients toward investments in which they had a stake. Almond understood their stand, but took a hard line stance away from it. “I was just turned off by people with a sales commission mentality,” he says. “I guess deep down I had seen other people whose judgment had been swayed by the potential of more financial compensation. The kind of financial planner I am is not someone who pushes clients toward certain financial products in an effort to earn more. That type of so-called planning always bothered me deeply.” As a result, when Almond and a business partner assembled their own firm, they dubbed it “Matrix,” the word being symbolic of an architectural design of tightly interconnected components, resulting in a structure of great strength and durability. Almond and his partner pledged a different approach to financial planning than other firms for which they had worked. Matrix was built with a foundation around “Planning for Life” and trust. The Matrix Philosophy A Matrix client is going to get independent, objective and unbiased financial advice, Almond says, because Matrix operates on a fee-only basis. Being a fee-only firm means that they do not accept compensation of any kind based on the financial products that they recommend. “There are no financial incentives tied to our advice,” explains Almond. “We are paid solely by the client. This way, it puts us and the client on the same side of the table with no outside influence.” Many people believe a diverse portfolio is all you need to succeed, but Almond believes there’s much more. Planning and intelligent diversification are key components of invest-
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ing with Matrix, Almond affirms. Competent and thorough financial planning continues to serve as the focus of everything Matrix does. The process compares a client’s current situation with his or her goals for the future, identifying what needs to be done to reach them. Over the last 17 years, Matrix clients’ investment preferences have changed along with the market, but their beliefs have stayed the same. Matrix clients want to spend their time doing other things in their lives besides managing their financial matters and investments; feel it is important to set and achieve goals in accordance with their values; and remain focused on long-term goals, rather than temporary market fluctuations. A comprehensive plan covers most every aspect of a client’s financial life: assets, liabilities, and net worth analysis, cash flow, investments, taxes, estate planning, risk management, financial independence planning—and all significant financial areas that affect the client and his or her family. All the details of a client’s finances will be analyzed in one comprehensive package.“We have a policy with the firm,” Almond explains. “Every new client will be a planning client. We sit down with all of our clients and develop a financial plan with them. I want to know both what the client wants and needs with his or her portfolio— aggressive or conservative growth and the best way to know that is to complete a financial plan.” The plan constitutes a road map guiding the client and Matrix toward achievement of the client’s financial and lifetime objectives. It is both the foundation and the framework for all financial decisions, Almond says.
are going well and convincing them not to throw in the towel when things aren’t going all that well.” Almond remembers one time specifically in the late 1990s when investors were falling all over themselves trying to jump aboard the fast moving dot-com train. “We weren’t averse to any particular sector,” Almond explains, “but our policy was to have no one sector be more than 25 percent of a client’s portfolio. A few clients thought they were missing out on a golden opportunity.”
When the dot-com bubble burst it took a toll on many investors, but Matrix’s stubborn “stick to the long-term financial plan” approach helped keep its clients’ portfolios intact. “We hung tough and stuck to our principles,” Almond affirms. The Future When talk turns to the future of Matrix, Almond beams. “I believe the future is very bright,” Almond says confidently. “First of all, I
Challenges of Today’s Investing With a stock market that fluctuates daily, Almond says one of the biggest challenges his firm’s associates have faced is keeping their clients even keeled with their eyes focused on their long-term goals, rather than temporary market fluctuations. “I think one of the greatest challenges we’ve faced has been managing the everchanging emotional investment climate,” Almond says. “We try to keep our clients from becoming too euphoric when things
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believe we are providing the right kind of service that many people in the market are looking for. “Our future is also bright based on the outstanding resiliency of the local Charlotte economy and the quality team of investment and planning professionals we have put together.” Clients do not want to have to wonder whether their financial planner has ulterior motives for recommending a certain financial product. They want to trust, Almond says. “I would like to believe people choose us because they feel they can trust us,” Almond says. “Trust is everything. If trust isn’t in the picture you don’t have a relationship.” If surveys conducted by Matrix earlier this year are any indication, a large majority of clients believe the firm is trustworthy and commendable. “Eighty-eight percent of our clients listed trust as the primary reason they selected us,” Almond proudly points out. “Seventy-six percent ‘strongly agree’ that
Matrix Wealth Advisors, Inc. 831 E. Morehead St., Ste. 760 Charlotte, N.C. 28202 Phone: 704-358-3322; 800-493-3323 Principal: Giles K. Almond, CPA/PFS, CFP, CIMA, President Awards: Worth magazine has named Almond as one of the nation’s top advisors in 1994, 1999, 2001 and 2002; Medical Economics has rated Almond as a Top 150 advisor for doctors in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. Employees: 6 In Business: 17 years Business: Fee-only financial planning and registered investment advisory firm, compensated solely by its clients. Matrix uses a very personalized principle-centered process to offer comprehensive financial planning and investment management services that help clients take action and grow, closing the gap between where they are now and where they want to be. www.matrixwealth.com
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they would recommend our services to friends and colleagues. In this survey, our clients are telling us we’re doing something right. It’s certainly gratifying.” Almond says about 25 percent of Matrix clients are physicians. Although they didn’t exactly target physicians for their business; it just kind of happened that way, he says. (front row l to r) Donna Barrow, Office Manager; Jonie Parks, Office “Physicians Manager; Kimberly Wilhelm, Investment Analyst; (back row l to r) Robert tend to be very Nance, Associate Financial Administrator; Cynthia Carroll, Portfolio busy and their Administrator; Giles Almond, President; Matrix Wealth Advisors, Inc. time is valuable,” Almond says. “They gravitate toward us now, I feel a certain sense of accomplishbecause they trust us.” ment because in some cases we started “We do their comprehensive financial investing with families when their chilplanning which frees them from the burdren were very young,” Almond says. “I den of dealing with it themselves. This believe we may have played a small role in helping that happen.” There are even parallels in the way “Our firm’s future growth Almond’s firm invests and how he envisions plan is not all that different his firm’s future growth. from our investing strategy. “Our firm’s future growth plan is not all that different from our investing strategy,” Just as we have a specific Almond explains. “Just as we have a speplan for each client, we cific plan for each client, we have a have a detailed plan for the detailed plan for the firm as well. From firm, as well. From there, we there, we execute the plan and stick with execute the plan and stick the plan. We kind of just sow the seeds and let the harvest happen. with the plan. We kind of “We intend to grow, but it will be at a just sow the seeds and let pace that is steady, measured and strategithe harvest happen.” cally planned.” No matter how large a firm Matrix ~Giles Almond, President evolves into, Almond predicts it will always stay true to the roots set in place allows them to spend more time with their over a decade ago. families and less time worrying about day“Matrix will always be about allowing to-day investment management.” our clients to essentially live fully more That positive feedback continues to motiproductive lives,” Almond says. “By working vate Matrix associates, along with the belief with an advisor who operates on a fee-only, that through intelligent financial planning fiduciary basis, our clients can trust us their clients are able to enjoy more fulfilling, without reservation.” biz productive and happier lives. “When our clients’ kids graduate college David Demarest is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.
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[bizprofile]
by sherri oosterhouse
Pools, Patios & Pine Trees... Oh My!
Two Businesses Take Turns Under One Roof
A
s the temperature in Charlotte finally takes a dip, people are finding themselves transitioning from pools and patios to the cozy comforts of indoors—just in time for the holidays. This is exactly as Wally and Susan Kooiman, owners of Oasis Pools Plus Outdoor Living Showplace and Peppermint Forest Christmas Shop, would script it. During the hot summer months their 35,000 square-foot building is peppered with above-ground pools as well as high-end patio furniture to satisfy the need for backyard entertainment and relaxation. As fall approaches, the pools are relegated to the warehouse and the Christmas business takes center stage—everything from pre-lit trees to precious ornaments and collectibles. This local success story marries two distinctively different businesses into one unique formula where the seasonal nature of the pool business dovetails into the profitable holiday selling season. Or is it the other way around? Making a Splash In the late ’70s, the Kooimans were living in Florida, where Wally worked for a local business selling above-ground pools. Dismayed by the lack of display models and high pressure sales tactics common in the industry, the couple decided to start their own business and looked for a suitable market that was being underserved. In 1979, they made the decision to come to Charlotte. Wally Kooiman felt that Charlotte’s growing housing market was ripe for a business start-up. Launching Southeast Oasis Pools, Inc., it was their ambition to fill the market void with high quality above-ground pools and spas with plenty of display models but no pressure sales tactics, raising the bar in this market. “We were the first retailer in this market to display and specialize in above-ground pools,” says Wally Kooiman. “We also sell hydro-therapy spas, pool accessories and patio furniture to complete a backyard oasis.” !
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Wally and Susan Kooiman Owners Peppermint Forest Christmas Shop Oasis Pools Plus Outdoor Living Showplace
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Most importantly, what the Kooimans have discovered is that people are not just buying a pool, or a Christmas tree; they are hoping to create an environment to relax, entertain and spend time with family and friends. It is this “environment” on which Oasis Pools Plus and Peppermint Forest have managed to successfully focus their continued—and collective—growth, year-round. Today, the company boasts one of the largest indoor and outdoor displays of above-ground pools in the Charlotte
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complex matters made simple
spas—are beginning to soak up not just more real estate, but also more real estate on the showroom floor. It’s all about backyard entertainment and the expanding outdoor living emphasis that major home improvement retailers, home builders and the marketplace are capitalizing on. With a business grounded in product knowledge and a unique mix of exclusive brands, the concern was to fill the winter months with enough business to maintain year-round employees. The Kooimans felt the consistency of employees who knew and understood the products would be important to give their business the edge over major retail chains and big box stores. The solution was to find a complementary business at the other end of the calendar. “Beginning in 1980 we decided we would operate essentially two businesses every year,” says Wally Kooiman. “So annually we completely transform this space from summer oasis to winter wonderland,” he says, waving his hands across the expansive 14,000 square-foot showroom he designed and opened directly behind Carolina Place Mall in 2003. Santa’s Workshop Christmas is a mega retail category and the Kooimans own stock in it. In late summer of every year, the chlorine gives way to Christmas, and the team starts from scratch building a winter wonderland that they call Peppermint Forest Christmas Shop. Re-setting the stage is quite a production. The pool display gives way to a yuletide feast for the eyes. Wally Kooiman says it takes six weeks to set up for Christmas, which makes its annual debut the first week of October. More than 150 artificial trees, from 12 inches to 12 feet in height, stand in the pools’ stead. In addition, a 2,800-square-foot attic serves as storage for the many props, such as rocking chairs,
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shelves and fireplaces that create a backdrop for holiday displays. “I’m passionate about trees,” explains Wally. On a recent vacation he cut the tip off a Blue Spruce and shipped it to his vendor to replicate. “The branches are molded in polyethylene and hand-painted with a syringe,” he points out with pride. Wally designs many of the artificial trees that have helped grow the business over the years. The quality and realism of the trees are what sets them apart—and the fact that you can only buy them at the Peppermint Forest. This, along with a dedicated staff that takes time to explain the investment of a pre-lit tree, brings returns in retail sales. Wally’s eyes light up when he talks about this year’s hot new topic sure to spark conversation around the tree. The exclusive WonderLit Christmas Trees feature light sets that have a tiny microchip in the base of each bulb—the most technologically advanced solution to light set frustration. The microchip regulates the voltage running throughout the strand, rather than relying on mechanical features. This technology is the first electronic solution, and it addresses every reason that mini-lights can fail. It is especially important since the majority of artificial trees now sold are pre-lit trees. “It’s a unique patent and the trees will be a big seller for us this year,” says Wally Kooiman. He believes in it so much that he has stocked 35 percent of his inventory with the high-tech trees that are moderately more expensive than other pre-lit trees. The business sells trees in all price ranges, in all shapes and sizes. “We make sure we have something for everyone,” continues Wally. “We take the time to listen and learn what the customer wants, then match their needs—without a lot of pressure.” Susan Kooiman is responsible for all the trimmings, including collectibles, gifts, ornaments and décor—a growing side of their business that makes an appearance year-round, although with a smaller emphasis in the summer months. More than 35 decorated trees, mantles and vignettes are what make Peppermint Forest a designated North Carolina Tourist Attraction by the N.C. Department of
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Tourism. People come from all around to see the styles and buy the unique decorations that are crafted into showpieces. “We have to be worth the trip,” Susan smiles. One visit to the warehouse signals their worthiness. Controlled climate storage for candles and accessories along with rows and rows of trimmings and collectibles are on hand to fulfill any wish list. It’s organized in tidy rows for easy access by staff on busy shopping days when the showroom floor is flooded with “Christmas Crazies,” as Wally Kooiman affectionately calls dedicated holiday shoppers. Susan Kooiman follows trends closely, attending trade shows and embarking on frequent buying trips beginning in January of each year. She notes that holiday decorations follow home fashion, and home fashion follows the latest clothing trends. “Greens, browns, coppers and earthy reds are big this season, and the natural look is in when it comes to tree trimming,” she adds. Knowing, Growing Customers With the hot Piedmont weather, pools are big business. However, according to Wally Kooiman, the above-ground pool market is being injured nationwide by new housing developments and home owner associations that specifically restrict aboveground pools. Some view them as an eyesore, while others see above-ground pools as an affordable means of simply staying cool, providing entertainment and building memories. “There’s no reason that an aboveground pool can’t be attractive,” he says, pointing to a pool complete with decking and landscape that rivals any in-ground pool. “I know people who could afford both, but choose an aboveground pool.” Oasis Pools Plus sells a complete line of pool accessories year round, including winterization kits and everything it takes to keep a pool serviced—even their own brand of Oasis Pools Plus chemicals
formulated for the Carolinas climate. A special chlorine chamber serves to keep the chemicals contained, so that customers are not overwhelmed by the smell when they walk into the enclosed space. Weather also plays a factor in the success of the summer selling season. “It’s sort of like farming,” says Susan Kooiman. “Some years are better than others.” This summer was so hot that people spent more time inside during the day and then came out at night to enjoy the cooler temperatures. That is why the outdoor furniture category is growing by leaps and bounds as homeowners rediscover the love of outdoor entertaining. What was once a small part of the business, selling patio tables, chairs and umbrellas, is now a comfortable chunk of the Oasis Pools Plus business. Brands like Tropitone and Telescope notify customers of the high quality standards. Prior to building their large facility, they Kooimans had tried a mix of retail formulas. The showroom was smaller at their two previous Charlotte locations, so satellite stores were leased to cover more ground for Peppermint Forest. A large showing in the Olde
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Executive Looks. Exceptional Prices.
Dan Larner Owner
Daryl Larner Owner
Towne Village at the Southern Christmas Show was also an annual staple, but the two finally had an epiphany. “We decided to stop treating Christmas as a category and treat it as a business, and this location fulfills our goal,” Susan Kooiman nods to the surroundings. Peppermint Forest has outpaced its summer counterpart, accounting for more than half of revenue now. But that’s not to say it isn’t creating an interesting dynamic. This year there is synergy between the businesses, helping to shape the showroom this holiday season. While selling pools is a seasonal business, outdoor entertaining is a year-round cash cow in the Carolinas. As the shopper wanders amongst life-like artificial trees they can easily find a resting place. Outdoor sofas, loveseats and chairs, along with an outdoor fireplace mantle trimmed in holiday fashion are highlighted, not hidden, as an extension of the Peppermint Forest décor. “We are finding that our outdoor living customer is the same as our Peppermint Forest customer,” says Susan Kooiman. “They shop at
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704-399-1948 www.LarnersOffice.com
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specialty shops for quality products and a helpful, knowledgeable staff.” With more than a quarter century of retail experience, the Kooimans understand that it’s an evolving marketplace. That’s why they view the Internet as a necessity in the marketing mix. First experimenting on eBay, the couple realized that they needed to sell from their own Web sites. As a specialty shop, it’s about finding a niche in your category. This twoin-one business has found success locally and is expanding their boundaries on the World Wide Web. Most importantly, what the Kooimans have discovered is that people are not just buying a pool, or a Christmas tree; they are hoping to create an environment to relax, entertain and spend time with family and friends. It is this “environment” on which Oasis Pools Plus and Peppermint Forest have managed to successfully focus their continued—and collective—growth, year-round. biz Sherry Oosterhouse is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.
Southeast Oasis Pools, Inc. d/b/a Peppermint Forest Christmas Shop& Oasis Pools Plus Outdoor Living Showplace 11729 Carolina Place Pkwy. Pineville, N.C. 28134 Phone: 704-542-5300; 800-909-NOEL Principals: Wally and Susan Kooiman, Owners Employees: 12 full-time, plus 50 seasonal employees In Business: 28 years Distinctions: Designated an official North Carolina Tourist Attraction by the N.C. Department of Tourism Business: Peppermint Forest Christmas Shop: Christmas trees, ornaments, decorations and collectibles; Oasis Pools Plus Outdoor Living Showplace:Aboveground pools, spas, patio furniture and accessories. www.peppermintforest.com www.oasispoolsplus.com
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Aerial, Architectural and Stock Photography Larry Harwell 704-334-7874
[bizview] The Charlotte Region:The View from Another Perspective
SouthPark Mall opened on February 12, 1970, with three department stores and about one million square feet.As of 2007, it is the largest shopping mall in the Carolinas with over 1.6 million square feet (including the Villages at SouthPark satellite shopping area).
It is located about five miles south of Uptown, in its namesake neighborhood at the corner of Sharon and Fairview Roads. The area was considered the outskirts of Charlotte at the time it opened; people were skeptical about a big shopping mall in the middle of pastureland.
The mall was developed by the Belk and Ivey families, owners of the eponymous department stores, who jointly owned and operated the mall. The design of the shopping mall was starkly modernist, with an underground parking deck. The inspiration for the mall's original architecture reportedly was Dallas’ NorthPark Center.
This view of SouthPark Mall, looking north shows the Park -Woodlawn shopping areas on the left and Uptown in the distance.
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[biznetwork] Thank you to our advertisers who make this publication and its distribution to over 100,000 readers possible! Enjoy their products and services as Charlotte’s leading business-to-business suppliers. 52, IBC
Allen Tate Realtors allentate.com
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Altman Initiative Group altmaninitiative.com
IFC, 01
American Express americanexpress.com
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ATCOM atcombts.com
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Ballantyne Center For Dentistry ballantynedentalspa.com
34
Bank of Granite bankofgranite.com
35
Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont bbb.org
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Black Lion blacklion.com Blair, Bohlé & Whittsitt bbwpllc.com
48 49
Century 21 Hecht Realty - Commercial c21hecht.com/buy/commercial.asp
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Charlotte Copy Data charlottecopydata.com
31
College Foundation of North Carolina nc529.org
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Compass Career Management Solutions compasscareer.com
37
CPCC cpcc.edu
49
Daniel, Ratliff & Company danielratliff.com
BC
Diamonds Direct diamondsdirect.com
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Employers Association employersassoc.com
07
First Citizens Bank firstcitizens.com
16
Group Insurance Solutions groupinsurancesolutions.com
30
Hickory Printing hickoryprinting.com
03
Hood Hargett Breakfast Club charlottebca.com
40
Knauff Insurance knauffins.com
42
Larner’s Office Furniture Outlet larnersoffice.com
11
MaxMpact maxmpact.com
45
Metro Greenscape metrogreenscape.com
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Money Counts moneycounts.biz
17
Scott Jaguar scottjag.com
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TelWare Corporation telware.com
13
The Oceanaire Seafood Room theoceanaire.com
05
Time Warner Cable - Business Class carolinas.twcbc.com
14
Treana Winery treana.com
29
Trulliant trulliantfcu.org
02
UNC Charlotte Belk College belkcollege.uncc.edu
42
UNC Charlotte Continuing Education continuinged.uncc.edu
45
Wayne Morris Photography wmphoto.biz
50
Winthrop University winthrop.edu/graduate-studies
greater charlotte biz
Chase Away The Autumn Chill!
Adding an outdoor fireplace can provide many months of cozy warmth to your outdoor living space, greatly enhancing the beauty and charm of your home in the process. Environmentally friendly outdoor fireplaces from Metro GreenScape are one-of-a kind, stateof-the-art masterpieces that add a glowing, magical atmosphere to your surroundings. Every project at Metro GreenScape is built with high-quality craftsmanship and managed with unparalleled customer service. From the beginning of the design phase to the conclusion of the construction, we pay attention to every detail. In addition to outdoor fireplaces, we also specialize in outdoor kitchens, aquascapes and pools, custom landscapes, patios, outdoor lighting and more. Call us today at 704.763.2989 to schedule a complimentary creative consultation from Metro GreenScape. Intelligent Design. Inspiring Results.
704.763.2989 www.metrogreenscape.com
november 2007
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november 2007
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[ontop] Advertising & Media Business Marketing Association, Carolinas Chapter has honored the Lyerly Agency with its Best in North Carolina award and Strickland & Company with the Best of Show award at the 2007 ProAd Awards. Multimedia marketing firm LA Management Company has been named a finalist for the 2007 Charlotte Chamber Entrepreneur Award. Eric Mower and Associates’ clients Eastman Kodak Company, Nucor and George Little Management have been named finalists for this year’s Creative Excellence in Business Advertising Awards. Lyerly Agency, a full service communications firm, has been named by Carolina Parenting as one of North Carolina’s most family-friendly organizations. Business & Professional SouthWood Corporation, a commercial signage solutions manufacturer, has been named a finalist for the 2007 Charlotte Chamber Entrepreneur Award. Best Lawyers has named 13 Alston & Bird Charlotte attorneys in its Best in America 2008 edition; the firm has received a top rating of 100 percent from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index; the firm has also added Brian C. Cox, J. Patrick Hayden, Bradley H. Johnson and William B. Macurda as partners. The 2008 list of The Best Lawyers in America has named 32 attorneys from Smith Moore LLP and ranked it in the top 20 law firms in the U.S. and in the top five in North Carolina in 23 different areas of specialty. Best Lawyers has named 23 Helms Mulliss & Wicker attorneys in its Best Lawyers in America 2008 edition. Inc. magazine has named Vaco the 33rd fastest-growing company in America. Gregory R. Grass has joined Hedrick Gardner Gregory Grass
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NAVIGATING ROUGH WATERS? Compass Career Management Solution’s expertise is Managing Change and Cultivating Talent Executive Search
Succession Planning
©2006 Galles Communications Group, Inc.
• Search & Recruiting • Training and Leadership Development • Exit Surveys • Retirement Workshop
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For information call: 704-849-2500 • compasscareer.com 8509 Crown Crescent Court • Charlotte, NC 28227
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Accountants First, Advisors Foremost Located at Providence Park at I-485 and Providence Road 10815 Sikes Place, Suite 100 • 704-841-9800 • Fax 704-841-9802 www.bbwpllc.com
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november 2007
[ontop] environmental engineering, has been named the 2007 recipient of the highest teaching honor bestowed by UNC Charlotte—the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence. James Tolliver, Jr. has joined Queens University of Charlotte as a director of development. The Art Institute of Charlotte has appointed James Tolliver, Jr. Pamela Notemyer Rogers, director of admissions; Darchele Smith, director of career services; Susan E. Cameron, academic director,general education; and Joan R. Faison, academic director, interior design. Finance & Insurance GW & Associates Investment Advisors, LLC has been given top ranking among local firms in the Charlotte area and 127th among 464 registered investment advisors nationally by Wealth Manager magazine’s exclusive Top Dog Report. Mike Morketter has been named senior vice president of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an Mike Morketter international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm which acquired Carpenter, Cammack & Associates. Rodney Murray has been named a principal in Dixon Hughes’s Central North Carolina practice unit. Sherpa Rodney Murray LLC has promoted Missy McDonald to group manager for the accounting operations Missy McDonald recruiting group. Charlotte business leader and Rock Hill native Larry W. Carroll, CFP, CMFC, has been ranked 18th of the nation’s top 100 independent financial by Register Rep magazine. RSM McGladrey has been recognized on the Working Mother 100 Best Companies list.
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Century 21 Hecht Realty, Inc. Commercial Division
[ontop] Government & Non-Profit Jerry Richardson, Shannon McFayden, the Honorable Ralph C. Gingles, and Bertha Maxwell-Roddy have been honored with the Award of Excellence from The Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Lisa Angel, of the Rosen Law Firm has been reappointed by Governor Mike Easley to serve another two years as chair of The North Carolina Domestic Violence Commission. Bank of America associate volunteers and NASCAR have joined Habitat for Humanity to build a home for a Charlotte family; The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has also donated $250,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte. Chris Peek has been appointed the director of Mecklenburg County’s human resources department. The Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross has hired John O. Dudley as the chief development officer and Dan Ogburn as a major gifts officer in the department of financial development. Jennifer Barnette and Lori Irvin have joined The CommuJennifer Barnette Lori Irvin nity Blood Center of the Carolinas as sponsorship development specialists.
greater charlotte biz
and a touch of
Office
Gold
Land
Robert Rhodes Broker
Industrial
Retail
©2007 Galles Communications Group, Inc.
704.892.8252 Each office independently owned and operated.
trust+strategy+integrity+planning+insight+experience it all adds up.
©2007 Galles Communications Group, Inc.
Health Care Sandi Surratt of Rowan Regional Medical Center has been selected as one of North Carolina’s 100 Great Registered Nurses for 2007 by The Great 100, Inc. Sandi Surratt Dr. Sandra Blackstock, an assistant professor at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and a home Dr. Sandra Blackstock health nurse for CareSouth
Excellence Experience Dedication...
At the lake:
Uptown office:
Daniel, Ratliff & Company 107 Kilson Dr., Ste. 205, Mooresville, NC 28117
Daniel, Ratliff & Company 301 S. McDowell St., Ste. 502, Charlotte, NC 28204
704.663.0193
704.371.5000
www.danielratliff.com
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[ontop] Homecare Professionals, and Von Best Whitaker, PhD, RN, FAAN, clinical associate professor of nursing, have been honored as Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina for the year 2007. Brenda Fore has been named Rowan Regional Medical Center’s new director of emergency services. Gastroenterologist Dr. Kiran JagarBrenda Fore lamudi has joined the medical staff of Rowan Diagnostic Clinic and Rowan Regional Medical Center. Crystal Health Care, a Dr. Kiran Jagarlamudi home care agency providing high-tech medical care, has hired Melinda Walker as office manager and Liza Bonilla as administrative assistant and cultural initiaLiza Bonilla tive specialist. Melinda Walker Manufacturing Abe Reichental, president and CEO of 3D Systems, has been named York County’s Economic Development Ambassador of the Year by the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Ron and Katherine Harper, founders of Harper Corporation of America, have been awarded the 2007 Education Award of Excellence for industry representatives by the Printing Industries of America and the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation. Real Estate Commercial/Residential David Ravin has been named the new president of Crosland LLC’s residential division; the company has also been awarded a 2007 Design Excellence award from Multi-Housing News magazine for the Alpha Mill apartments. David Ravin
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[ontop] Michael Davis has joined Flaherty & Collins Properties as its vice president of development and finance. Home Builders Michael Davis Association of Charlotte has appointed Libby Currier as executive director for its HomeAid chapter in Charlotte. Lake Norman Realty has hired Mary Lou Haraburd, Mary Marinello, Julie Pou Bridget Holm, Brian Maxwell, Wendy O’Neal, Jessica Higgins, GerriLynn Kemper, Frank Benson, Dawn Wight, Joey Gainer and Debra Palazzolo as sales associates and Joshua Boyle as a commercial sales associate. Kennitha Wyatt, Lora-Lee Hamlin, Nathan Reed, Elinor Edvi-Miller, Sandy Hirsh, and Susan Dougherty have joined WEICHERT, REALTORS Rebhan & Associates as sales associates. Coldwell Banker United has added Jasmin Cruz, Susan Nelson, Missy Taheri, Alison Boughrum, James Peterson, Natalie Foulk, Lucy Albert, and Henry Nocella as sales associates. Retail & Sports & Entertainment Morton’s The Steakhouse has promoted Derrick W. DeWalt to general manager of their uptown restaurant. Technology Peak 10 has been named a finalist in the Top Customer Service Company of the Year category for the 2007 NCTA 21 Awards. UpSNAP, Inc. has been named a finalist in the Technology Industry Awards—Communications Company of the Year category for the 2007 NCTA 21 Awards. Seng Wee Lem has joined Pinstripe, Inc. as lead developer. biz To be considered for inclusion, please send your news releases and announcements in the body of an e-mail (only photos attached) to editor@greatercharlottebiz.com, or fax them to 704-676-5853, or post them to our business address—at least 30 days prior to our publication date.
greater charlotte biz
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Featuring Executive Homes in the Charlotte Region PRESTIGE, ELEGANCE, ATMOSPHERE Charlotte, North Carolina This new construction offers an exquisite plan on 0.93-acre cul-de-sac lot in a golf community. The main level features include a master suite, ten-foot ceilings and eight-foot doors. This elegant plan offers a keeping room, a gourmet kitchen with Viking, stainless steel appliances and custom cabinetry. 5BRs/4.1BAs MLS# 708502 - $1,475,000 Property Address: 6206 Glynmoor Lakes Drive Pat Angle - 704-564-2012 www.allentate.com/patangle
WINDOW WONDERLAND Weddington, North Carolina This classic farm-style home offers a picturesque setting on 3.29 wooded acres in a cul-de-sac. It features a stone wraparound front porch and expansive deck for viewing nature.Other extras include huge master suite accentuated with fireplace,luxurious master bath,keeping room, gourmet kitchen and 3-car,side-load garage.5BRs/4.1BAs MLS# 693030 - $775,000 Property Address: 1848 Tanglebriar Court Pat Angle - 704-564-2012 www.allentate.com/patangle
GORGEOUS EUROPEAN INSPIRED HOME Waxhaw, North Carolina This gorgeous home features incredible appointments, distinctive architectural details, exquisite millwork and superb craftsmanship.The covered veranda leads to a terrace with stone fireplace,set amidst a serene backdrop of woods.Union County taxes,great schools and a convenient location off Rea Road add to its appeal. 5BRs/5.1BAs MLS# 713786 - $929,900 Property Address: 1111 Hansler Lane Sue Zarrabzadeh - 704-650-6046 www.sueholdsthekey.com
COUNTRY LIVING Waxhaw, North Carolina This is country living at its finest, with a large covered porch to enjoy the surroundings. This lovely two-story home includes a full basement, plus separate in-law quarters. All of this is set on two acres in the Crow Creek Acres neighborhood in popular Waxhaw. 5BRs/4BAs MLS# 704746 - $489,900 Property Address: 5619 Davis Road Russell Wing - 704-291-8908 www.thewingteam.com
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT SECTION
Featuring Executive Homes in the Charlotte Region SETTLERS’ PLACE IN FOURTH WARD Charlotte, North Carolina This is Center City living with rare views of Uptown and Settlers' Park. The expansive, one-level floor plan includes a grand kitchen with custom cabinets and granite countertops, plus extras like crown molding, fireplace and surround sound. There are three terraces to enjoy and two garage parking spaces. 2BRs/2BAs MLS# 666642 - $775,000 Property Address: 229 North Church Street, Unit 402 Paul Koehnke - 704-496-7440 www.allentate.com/paulkoehnke
CHAPEL WATCH IN FOURTH WARD Charlotte, North Carolina Live in Uptown luxury in this incredible condo. It features black galaxy granite and London Ashe wide-plank hardwood floors. A wall of windows in the living room allows for a view of the private garden. The lavish master suite has marble floors, garden tub and separate shower. 3BRs/2.1BAs MLS# 692736 - $998,000 Property Address: 534 North Church Street Dawn Krieg - 704-331-2122 www.allentate.com/dawnkrieg
THE RATCLIFFE IN CENTER CITY Charlotte, North Carolina Luxury, location and city lights – this penthouse has it all. It features floor-to ceiling windows, Brazilian cherry flooring, custom built-ins, wet bar with sink, wine cooler, marble counters, steam shower, whirlpool tub, central audio/video system, custom lighting and much more. Plus, enjoy extraordinary sunset views. 2BRs/2.1BAs MLS# 707519 - $1,350,000 Property Address: 435 South Tryon Street, Unit 906 Nancie Woods - 704-331-2122 www.allentate.com/nanciewoods
SETTLERS’ PLACE IN FOURTH WARD Charlotte, North Carolina Unique and spacious describe this traditional-style condo in Historic Fourth Ward. The end unit features floor-to-ceiling windows and a 200-square-foot balcony with gas grill overlooking Settlers’ Park. Other extras include detailed crown molding, surround sound and a fireplace. 3BRs/2.1BAs MLS# 647890 - $1,150,000 Property Address: 229 North Church Street, Unit 303 Kim Pfleeger - 704-496-7440 www.allentate.com/kimpfleeger
SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT SECTION
4521 Sharon Road, Charlotte NC 28211 (Located across from SouthPark Mall) Call 704.532.9041 or 888.400.4447 Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00-7:00, Saturday 10:00-5:00 by appointment Offering 100% satisfaction guarantee & 90-day price protection. w w w. d i a m o n d s d i r e c t s o u t h p a r k . c o m