2009 | imagesdavidsoncounty.com | video vignettes TM
Davidson County, north carolina
HERE COMES THE SUN County-based solar farm would be largest in nation
TEAMING WITH TRIUMPHS Schools excel in athletics
It’s All in The Dip Restaurants, festival celebrate love of Lexington barbecue
sponsored by the Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce
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imagesdavidsoncounty.com THE DEFINITIVE RELOCATION RESOURCE
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DOWNTOWN THOMASVILLE Take a leisurely stroll through Thomasville’s downtown district, which features a flowing fountain, clock tower, and the one and only Big Chair. Watch this and other quick videos in the Interactive section.
RELOCATION Considering a move to this community? We can help. Use our Relocation Tools to discover tips, including how to make your move green, advice about moving pets and help with booking movers.
PHOTOS We’ve added even more prize-winning photography to our online gallery. To see these spectacular photos, click on Photo Gallery.
EDITOR JESSY YANCEY COPY EDITOR JOYCE CARUTHERS ASSOCIATE EDITOR LISA BATTLES ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER MATT BIGELOW STAFF WRITERS CAROL COWAN, KEVIN LITWIN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LAURA HILL, MICHAELA JACKSON, JOE MORRIS DATA MANAGER RANETTA SMITH REGIONAL SALES MANAGER CHARLES FITZGIBBON INTEGRATED MEDIA MANAGER WHITNEY STREET SALES SUPPORT MANAGER SARA SARTIN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER BRIAN M CCORD STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS JEFF ADKINS, TODD BENNETT, ANTONY BOSHIER, IAN CURCIO, J. KYLE KEENER PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT ANNE WHITLOW CREATIVE DIRECTOR KEITH HARRIS WEB DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR BRIAN SMITH PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NATASHA LORENS ASST. PRODUCTION DIRECTOR CHRISTINA CARDEN PRE-PRESS COORDINATOR HAZEL RISNER PRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGERS MELISSA BRACEWELL, KATIE MIDDENDORF, JILL WYATT SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS LAURA GALLAGHER, KRIS SEXTON, CANDICE SWEET, VIKKI WILLIAMS GRAPHIC DESIGN ERICA HINES, ALISON HUNTER, JESSICA MANNER, JANINE MARYLAND, AMY NELSON, MARCUS SNYDER WEB PROJECT MANAGERS ANDY HARTLEY, YAMEL RUIZ WEB DESIGN RYAN DUNLAP, CARL SCHULZ WEB PRODUCTION JENNIFER GRAVES COLOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN TWILA ALLEN AD TRAFFIC MARCIA MILLAR, SARAH MILLER, PATRICIA MOISAN, RAVEN PETTY CHAIRMAN GREG THURMAN PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BOB SCHWARTZMAN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RAY LANGEN SR. V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT JEFF HEEFNER SR. V.P./SALES CARLA H. THURMAN SR. V.P./OPERATIONS CASEY E. HESTER V.P./SALES HERB HARPER V.P./SALES TODD POTTER V.P./VISUAL CONTENT MARK FORESTER V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING SYBIL STEWART V.P./EDITORIAL DIRECTOR TEREE CARUTHERS MANAGING EDITORS/BUSINESS MAURICE FLIESS, BILL McMEEKIN MANAGING EDITOR/COMMUNITY KIM MADLOM MANAGING EDITOR/CUSTOM KIM NEWSOM MANAGING EDITOR/TRAVEL SUSAN CHAPPELL PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR JEFFREY S. OTTO CONTROLLER CHRIS DUDLEY ACCOUNTING MORIAH DOMBY, RICHIE FITZPATRICK, DIANA GUZMAN, MARIA McFARLAND, LISA OWENS RECRUITING/TRAINING DIRECTOR SUZY WALDRIP COMMUNITY PROMOTION DIRECTOR CINDY COMPERRY DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR GARY SMITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR YANCEY TURTURICE NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR JAMES SCOLLARD IT SERVICE TECHNICIAN RYAN SWEENEY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER PEGGY BLAKE SALES/MARKETING COORDINATOR RACHEL MATHEIS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY/SALES SUPPORT KRISTY DUNCAN OFFICE MANAGER SHELLY GRISSOM RECEPTIONIST LINDA BISHOP
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Images Davidson County is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce and the Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce and their member businesses. For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at info@jnlcom.com.
FACTS & STATS Go online to learn even more about: • Schools
LOCAL FLAVOR
• Health care
Learn about the hickory-smoked, finger-lickin’ goodness found in the Barbecue Capital of the World. Get a taste of local flavor in our food section.
• Utilities • Parks • Taxes
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce 16 E. Center St. • Lexington, NC 27293 Phone: (336) 248-5929 • Fax: (336) 248-2161 E-mail: chamber@lexingtonchamber.net www.lexingtonchamber.net Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce 6 W. Main St. • Thomasville, NC 27361 Phone: (336) 475-6134 • Fax: (336) 475-4802 www.thomasvillechamber.net VISIT IMAGES DAVIDSON COUNTY ONLINE AT IMAGESDAVIDSONCOUNTY.COM
ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE Images gives readers a taste of what makes Davidson County tick – from business and education to sports, health care and the arts. “Find the good – and praise it.”
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©Copyright 2008 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent. Member
Magazine Publishers of America
Member
– Alex Haley (1921-1992), Journal Communications co-founder
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Custom Publishing Council
Member Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce and Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce
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2009 EDITION | VOLUME 7 TM
DAVIDSON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
CO NTE NT S
DAVIDSON COUNTY BUSINESS
F E AT U R E S
30 Here Comes the Sun
8 LIVING THE HIGH LIFE With its awe-inspiring mountain views, pristine lakefront panoramas and abundance of wildlife sightings, High Rock Lake’s appeal is no mystery.
The state’s new energy law has given rise to a Davidson County solar farm.
32 Biz Briefs 34 Chamber Report 35 Economic Profile
12 IT’S ALL IN THE DIP Plenty of communities like to brag about their particular kind of barbecue, but only a Davidson County city justifiably lays claim to being the Barbecue Capital of the World.
16 HEALTHY LEARNING ON THE MOVE A unique traveling lab allows Davidson County Community College to stretch its health-care education resources further while reaching more people than ever before.
39 TEAMING WITH TRIUMPHS
D E PA R TM E NT S 4 Almanac: a colorful sampling of Davidson County culture
20 Image Gallery 25 Portfolio: people, places and events that define Davidson County
37 Arts & Culture 41 Health & Wellness 45 Education 47 Community Profile: facts, stats and important numbers to know
Davidson County schools have amassed an array of athletics accolades. This magazine is printed entirely or in part on recycled paper containing 10% post-consumer waste.
ON THE COVER High Rock Lake Photo by Ian Curcio
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PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE
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Almanac
Wine All You Want NASCAR team owner Richard Childress is used to coming in first, so naturally he is tasting victory in the vineyard. After founding Childress Vineyards in 2004, Childress is striving to put Yadkin Valley on the map of quality wine production, and his efforts have already begun to bear fruit. Wine Enthusiast magazine named Childress Vineyards among America’s top 25 tasting rooms in 2008.
Lordy, Lordy, Look Who’s 140 Churches in the South are as common as cornbread. Special occasions at churches are common too, but the celebration St. Stephen United Methodist Church had in 2008 is rather uncommon. The congregation honored a storied history as the Lexington church marked its 140th anniversary in October. To commemorate the anniversary, St. Stephen applied to be on the National Register of Historic Places. If approved, the church will join several other Davidson County landmarks as members of the National Register.
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That’ll Do, Painted Pig The Barbecue Capital of the World really has a thing for swine. Since 2003, the historic uptown Lexington district has been the summer sty for decorative fiberglass pigs during Pigs in the City, a public art project organized by Uptown Lexington Inc. Each porker uniquely represents a business of the district, and 2008 marks the fourth year that the pigs have hit the streets. A nonprofit organization, Uptown Lexington Inc. strives to establish community and to fuel business within the historic district.
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Storm the Court Warning: The Storm is raging in Davidson County. Davidson County Community College tipped off its athletic program, nicknamed “Storm,” in 2007, fielding a men’s basketball team and a women’s volleyball team under the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Storm basketball team was just plain offensive during its first season, ranking first in points scored per game (108) in NJCAA Division III and earning a Tarheel Conference co-championship. As an NJCAA First Team All-American, player Justin Strickland scored many honors.
Still Breathing Fire Maidens beware: Dragons do exist – sort of. The Green Dragon football team of West Davidson High School has existed since 1958, and this brood continues to slay challengers on the gridiron. In 2007, the Green Dragons advanced to the second round of the 2-A state playoffs, finishing with a 9-4 record.
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POPULATION (2007 ESTIMATE) Davidson County: 156,530 Lexington: 20,338 Thomasville: 26,298 LOCATION Davidson County is in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad region, an equal distance between Charlotte and Raleigh. BEGINNINGS Davidson County was founded in 1822 and named for Revolutionary War hero Gen. William Lee Davidson. FOR MORE INFORMATION Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce 6 W. Main St. Thomasville, NC 27361 Phone: (336) 475-6134 Fax: (336) 475-4802 www.thomasvillechamber.net Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce 16 E. Center St. Lexington, NC 27293 Phone: (336) 248-5929 Fax: (336) 248-2161 www.lexingtonchamber.net
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WATCH MORE ONLINE | Take a virtual tour of Davidson County 24 at imagesdavidsoncounty.com, courtesy of our award-winning photographers.
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Fast Facts Q The Lexington Municipal Golf Course was recently recognized by Golf magazine as one of the best renovated golf venues in the nation. Q Boone’s Cave Park features Devil’s Den, a cave where Daniel Boone reportedly hid from American Indian marauders. Q Travel & Leisure magazine named the Barbecue Festival in Lexington one of the top 10 food festivals in America.
Downtown Brushes Up on Art Vincent van Gogh. Pablo Picasso. Stephen Sebastian? You may not know that third name, but Stephen Sebastian is a Davidson County artist who is making strokes on the national canvas. Enjoy with local art lovers some of Sebastian’s paintings and etchings at the Stephen Sebastian Gallery in downtown Thomasville. Sebastian often works in the upstairs studio of the showroom building. Visitors are welcome and admission is free.
This Organization Makes Cents Working hard or hardly working? Either way, DavidsonWorks could help advance your career. DavidsonWorks is an organization that aims to strengthen the local workforce and economy of the Davidson County community. In summer 2008, DavidsonWorks held a virtual job fair during which job hunters sought employment on the Internet. Work seekers posted résumés and shopped for employers via business “booths” on a Web site. DavidsonWorks even has a program for youth to help ensure the future economic success of the community.
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Q High Rock Lake has often hosted the Bassmaster Classic, the worldchampionship fishing tournament. Q Thomasville’s Big Chair, a symbol of the area’s rich history of well-respected furniture makers, rises 18 feet from its base. Q Bob Timberlake is an internationally known realist painter from Lexington who began painting professionally in 1970 at the encouragement of Andrew Wyeth.
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The sun sets over High Rock Lake, popular for its lakefront residences.
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Living the High Life HIGH ROCK AREA HOMES LURE LAKE, MOUNTAIN LOVERS
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Jim Kelley owns a home in The Springs community on High Rock Mountain, the tallest of the Uwharrie Mountains.
STORY BY LAURA HILL PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO
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ith its awe-inspiring mountain views, pristine lakefront panoramas and abundance of wildlife sightings, High Rock Lake’s appeal is no mystery. Did we mention the world-class bass fishing and an easy commute to Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro? One of Davidson County’s most popular weekend/summer retreats for decades, the 15,000-acre lake and its surroundings is steadily becoming one of the most sought-after permanent addresses in the region, as modest summer cabins increasingly make way for larger luxury getaways and full-time residences. “It’s hard to find a place in the Piedmont with a little bit of mountain and a little bit of lake without driving 150 miles to the west part of the state,” says Jim Kelley, a High Rock Lake resident for the past five years. “Here, you have it all.” Where once an avid weekend sportsman might have bought a small cabin for far less than $100,000, home prices today range from modest frame houses starting in the $150,000 range to upscale homes in gated communities to elaborate lakefront mansions in the million-dollar range. And just what makes the area so attractive? “What’s not to like? The weather is beautiful, and the people are great,” says Jocelyn Kearns, a friend of Kelley’s and another High Rock Lake full-time resident who enjoys her own private dock on the lake, as do many area homeowners. “Life is so different here,” she says. “We spend a lot of time with friends on the lake, jet-skiing and so on during the day,
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playing cards at night. It’s going back to nature – an oldfashioned kind of life.” Five miles from Denton, High Rock Lake is nestled in the Uwharrie Mountains. Both Kelley and Kearns live in The Springs at High Rock, one of the numerous new developments along the lake’s 360-mile shoreline, Kelley on the mountain side of The Springs and Kearns on the lakefront. Kearns fell in love with the area first, more than eight years ago, when she and her husband, Phil, were living in Ohio. “He traveled a lot of the time, and every time he was out of town he would look at a different area. When he saw the lake, he called and said, ‘When you see the deer jumping in the forest, you’ll be crying.’ And that’s just what happened.” Kearns built a home and moved in five years later. She communicated her enthusiasm three years after to Kelley, who was then retiring from his job with Duke Energy in Greensboro. “I was having lunch with her one day, and we were talking about retirement,” he recalls. “I was telling her that I’d love to live on a lake, and I’d really love to live in the mountains and she said, ‘Come see where I live.’” He did, and within two years Kelley and his wife, Rebekah, were living in their mountain dream home, a move that “suits us like a glove,” he says. Kearns agrees. “I feel like I’m getting down to what is important here,” she says. “The only thing I would change would be to build a bigger front porch. Who needs a living room?” DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
The Springs at High Rock clubhouse boasts 20-mile vistas of High Rock Lake from its mountaintop locale.
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Along with the dip, a smoky flavor is popular in Lexington-style ’cue.
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It’s
All
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DIP
RESTAURANTS, FESTIVAL CELEBRATE LOVE OF SPECIALTY BARBECUE
STORY BY LAURA HILL PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO
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lenty of communities like to brag about their particular kind of barbecue, but only one city justifiably lays claim to being the Barbecue Capital of the World: Lexington, N.C. Where else will you find 150,000 enthusiasts gathered each October for that renowned pork pilgrimage, the Lexington Barbecue Festival? And how many other towns can boast more than 20 restaurants serving up tons of pork shoulder throughout the year? “Lexington barbecue in general has a pretty good reputation,” says Roy Dunn, who, along with his brother Boyd, has been in the barbecue business since the early 1960s. The Dunn brothers’ restaurant, Speedy’s Barbecue, is decked out in nostalgic advertising signs, posters and pig-related memorabilia. Located on state Highway 8, patrons can order classic pork shoulder barbecue sandwiches, or a plate or a tray, or a pound of Speedy’s pork perfection to go. Add to that slaw, beans, potato salad,
Lexington Barbecue, also known as “Lexington #1,” serves a chopped pork plate with fries and slaw.
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Smiley’s Barbecue, The Barbecue Center and Lexington Barbecue, above, are just a few of the local joints famous for their style of barbecue: pork shoulder slow-cooked over hickory wood, right, then mixed with a ketchup-vinegar dip.
rolls and hush puppies, and you’re good to go. Lexington barbecue dates back to 1919, when the first barbecue restaurant was opened under a tent. Its popularity grew, and, says Sonny Conrad of The Barbecue Center, when fast food restaurants appeared, “we just moved on up the ladder with them.” The secret to real Lexington barbecue is slow cooking and a vinegar-based basting sauce, locally referred to as dip, made with ketchup, but, please, no mustard, as is the case farther east. Lean pork shoulder is the cut of choice, cooked for hours until it is forktender and shreddable. It is generally served chopped, with additional dip on the side. “We cook ours on the pit and use hickory wood,” says Conrad, whose 14
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restaurant opened its doors in 1955. “We burn the wood down to coals and put the coals under the meat. We make our own dip – mostly ketchup, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and water – and try to keep it mild, not too hot.” Like other eateries in Lexington, The Barbecue Center has a loyal following of customers who frequent his place, and who come to visit from out of town or even have barbecue shipped to them. The secret, Conrad says, is a combination of pit cooking and their special dip. Dunn agrees that the dip is key. “Ours is the best,” he assures, but says he favors slow cooking in an electric cooker, which he says keeps the meat moist and minimizes shrinkage. Both Conrad and Dunn participate in The Barbecue Festival, which takes place on Main Street in uptown Lexington.
Along eight blocks, more than 400 exhibitors set up booths, and hundreds of artists and craftsmen take part in a juried show. Five stages offer continuous entertainment and music by local and nationally known artists, and Piglet Land, a special area for kids, offers rides and activities for the young crowd. Barbecue is served by local restaurants in three tents. The annual festival, in its 25th year, is held in October, which has been dubbed Barbecue Month by Davidson County and the city of Lexington. Other planned events leading up to the festival include the Tour de Pig bicycle race, the 5K Hawg Run and the Hawg Shoot Air Rifle Tournament. “It’s a busy day for all of us, and the restaurants are busy all day, but it’s a lot of fun,” says Dunn. DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
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Healthy
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on the
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COLLEGE’S MOBILE LAB TEACHES LIFESAVING SKILLS
STORY BY JOE MORRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO
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unique traveling lab is allowing Davidson County Community College to stretch its health-care education resources further while reaching more people than ever before. The rolling facility, better known as the Mobile Medical Simulation Lab, was born out of necessity. The college’s health technology department had received grant funds and purchased patient simulators, but they came up short in terms of physical space to house them. “Our president indicated that there wouldn’t be any place on campus to dedicate to a permanent simulation lab and suggested that we consider a mobile unit,” says Jeannine Woody, associate dean for health technology. “We began looking at some funding to go in that direction, and received some through the WIRED initiative, enough to purchase the trailer.” From that point on, things snowballed. A biology instructor won a small pickup truck, and a trade-up to a larger model gave the trailer mobility. Additional funds were secured to properly outfit it, and
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The Davidson County Community College Mobile Medical Simulation Lab
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the completed mobile lab made its local debut in April 2008. With the ability to simulate heart attacks, labor and delivery, and other critical situations where care has to be immediate and on-site, the lab already is proving to have multiple uses. And from curriculum instruction and continuing education to appearances at career fairs and overall local outreach, it’s already putting on the miles. “Now we can provide learning experiences for our students that you just can’t guarantee otherwise,” Woody says. “People may be in our nursing program for the entire two years and never see a person experiencing a heart attack or a stroke, or a person actually having a pulmonary embolism. You can’t just schedule those opportunities. We can create them in the lab, though, so that situations requiring immediate knowledge can be practiced. And if they make a mistake, they learn from it and no one is hurt.” In addition to nursing students, emergency medical services personnel will use the simulator, as will local hospital staff and other medical personnel who need to stay on top of training requirements. “It’s going to let us assist our healthcare facilities around here, because we can help their employees maintain their competencies and also train on new equipment,” Woody says. The mobile unit is fully outfitted with its own generators, running water and oxygen tank. It can also serve as a field hospital in case of a natural disaster or other major emergency, but Woody says she hopes that its field operations are of a much less perilous nature. “We look forward to taking it to schools, showing it to students who are interested in health-care careers,” she says. “We can talk to them about what kind of courses to take while they’re in high school, and that will help them prepare early to be successful in these careers. It really is gong to see a lot of use, both here and out in the community.”
The simulation lab helps faculty like health technology department chair Suzanne Rohrbaugh teach students immediate and on-site medical care.
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Home is where the Hearth is. Welcome to the Country Hearth Inn – Lexington, North Carolina. We are a brand new hotel ready to serve you with clean, comfortable rooms and courteous service. Nearby you will fi nd several restaurants for your dining needs. We boast easy access to I-85 and are very convenient to the High Point Furniture Market and Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Come be our guest in Lexington, North Carolina where your visit will be “As Close To Home As We Can Make It.”
Our special services include: • Country Hearth InnCredible breakfast
• Handicapped rooms available
• On-site deli
• Hairdryers
• Microfridges
• Free local phone calls
• Cribs available • AM/FM alarm clock
• High-speed Internet access
• In-room coffee maker
• Fitness center
(888) 4-HEARTH
1525 Cotton Grove Rd., Lexington (336) 357-2100
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Image Gallery
Built in 1858, the old Davidson County Courthouse now serves as the county’s historical museum.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO
A caboose sits outside of the Thomasville Visitors’ Center, an 1870 train depot.
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Image Gallery
A Davidson County barn
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The clock tower in downtown Thomasville
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questions answers
Š2002 American Cancer Society, Inc.
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Portfolio
Bring on the Bikes PIEDMONT TRIAD OMNIUM RACE RAISES FUNDS FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
ast summer, hundreds of professional riders converged on Davidson County for the first-ever Piedmont Triad Omnium, and a beautiful relationship was born. “It brought a new experience to the community for people who live here, because that kind of bicycle racing we weren’t familiar with,” says Jo Ellen Edwards, director of the Tourism Recreation Investment Partnership, known as TRIP, for Davidson County Foundation. Months ago, race founder Jim Martin was shopping around for the USA Cycling-sanctioned event’s home when he stumbled across the county and TRIP, a young nonprofit with an eye toward fundraising. The wheels began to turn, and a partnership was formed. The race also benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Central North Carolina chapter. Planning and hosting the race became a community effort. Local sponsors provided the $8,000 purse and other major costs, and during the weekend of the race, Thomasville and Lexington put their best feet forward to support the influx of riders. “The race brought more than 300 people to Davidson County to see what we have to offer in terms of being a tourism destination, a place they could come and visit with their families,” Edwards says. The energy during the race itself was electric, particularly the nighttime element in uptown Lexington, Edwards says. The stores stayed open late, and hundreds of people lined the sidewalks in lawn chairs and benches. “The guys are going 40 miles an hour down Main Street on these two skinny little bike wheels, and everybody was just so excited watching them race,” she says. “Everybody was getting into the moment.” After just one year, the omnium has already achieved annual status. The race will return to Davidson County in summer 2009. DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
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Criterium, road race and time trial are the omnium’s three cycling events.
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Portfolio Hobbyist extraordinaire Brown Loflin runs Denton FarmPark, restores steam engines and antique farm equipment, and vows never to retire.
PHOTOS BY IAN CURCIO
Bypassing Retirement
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rown Loflin strikes you as the kind of person who must never sleep. He’s done just about everything a man can cram into 74 years – and then some. From race cars to flying machines, business ownership to farm life, Loflin knows a lot about a lot. Growing up just south of Denton in the Handy community, he’s seen the town change greatly over the years. “I can remember when there was no electric power in this part of the county. There was no telephone in this part of the county. Then we got the telephone, and it was only a 10-party line,” Loflin reminisces. “But it beat nothing.” The simple lifestyle was good to one of his earliest hobbies: race-car driving. “There was no traffic back then, and we raced up and down the road,” says Loflin, whose racing ultimately took him far beyond Handy, all over North Carolina. He didn’t win much, but that’s not the important thing. “The thrill of racing – that was the thing that I enjoyed the most. It was a lot of fun, and I learned from it.” One of his many other hobbies was flying. He and a friend bought a small plane and built an airstrip on Loflin’s property. They mostly took to the skies for fun, but jet-setting occasionally came in handy for their box springs frame manufacturing business. An entrepreneur through and through, Loflin today combines his fascination with antique machinery and penchant for independent business in the successful Denton FarmPark. The site holds old-fashioned machine demos, bluegrass festivals and the Southeastern Old Threshers’ Reunion. “I’ve had a good life, and I’m looking forward to some more. I’ve got some more stuff I’d like to do if the good Lord will let me stay here and do it,” Loflin says. “I don’t ever intend to retire.” I M AG E S DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y. C O M
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Crowning Achievements for Seniors T
wenty-somethings, take notice: The ladies of the Ms. Senior Davidson County Pageant have got it, and they’re prepared to flaunt it. Each year, women in Davidson County who are at least 55 years young gather for a three-day beauty and socializing extravaganza culminating in the pageant for the crown. And they mean business. For the past four years, the winner has gone on to claim the crown on Ms. Senior North Carolina, a qualifier for the Ms. Senior America Pageant. The Davidson County Department of Senior Services has hosted the pageant for more than 15 years and has seen more than 75 women as contestants over the years. In recent years, senior
services has even been asked to help start pageants in neighboring counties that admire the program’s success. “Senior services hosts the annual pageant with the purpose of displaying the inner beauty and promoting the value of senior women,” says Thessia Everhart-Roberts, director of senior services. “The pageant, as well as the reigning year for the winner, is twofold. It affords the women a time to shine, all the while gracing the community with their beauty and talents.”
And grace the community they do. The reigning queen serves as a senior services representative, advocating for senior-related issues at various functions and riding in all county parades. Current and past queens also go out on the town often, decked out in their crowns, of course. “It’s always such a wonderful sight to see,” Everhart-Roberts says. “Ms. Senior Davidson County is not only a queen during her reign, she is a queen after her reign. They are forever queens.”
Last June, Nellie Tesh was crowned the 2008-09 Ms. Senior Davidson County as well as Ms. Congeniality.
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Portfolio Locals know Warren King, middle, as the Thomasville Bulldogs’ No. 1 fan.
He’s Got Team Spirit W
arren King has a lot of friends. The 67-year-old is so popular in Thomasville that he could be considered something of a celebrity. “People will stop and speak to him, pull off the road and speak to him, stop him in stores and speak to him,” says Tony Hyde, who’s known King for some 20 years. “And many times he remembers their names from when they were a child.” A fixture of the friendly community, King can be seen working at the YMCA or making rounds to greet all his friends. In fact, he calls Thomasville Mayor Joe Bennett every morning. “He touches base with me about the day, or anything that I need to be made aware of, or if there’s anything special that’s happened overnight that I haven’t read about in the paper,” Bennett says. “Warren is a very outward personality type. He doesn’t know a stranger. Lord forbid, he doesn’t have an enemy.” The Thomasville High School sports teams certainly know King. Called the No. 1 Bulldogs fan, he’s carried the team’s flag at home football games for 21 years. “I love to do this for the football team and the kids and the community,” King says. “I’m behind them 100 percent.” Woody Huneycutt, the high school’s athletic director, remembers King from when Huneycutt was a student in the 1970s. Then and now, King goes out of his way to support the team, Huneycutt says, from encouraging players from the sidelines to learning their names so he can talk with them off the field. “I’ve never heard him say a bad word about anybody,” says Huneycutt. “He likes everybody. If he said a bad word, it would be to somebody if they made a bad comment about the Bulldogs.” 28
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Providing Home Sweet Homes B
aptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina is Thomasville’s oldest continuing place of business still in operation: older than the famed Thomasville Furniture, older than the daily newspaper. And since day one – Nov. 11, 1885 – the organization, which now spans 16 cities, has been committed to bettering the lives of children. Michael Blackwell, president of the Thomasville-based organization, has shepherded Baptist Children’s Homes for the last 25 years. The 66-year-old is passionate about the organization’s mission and his role in seeing that mission accomplished. “I think it meets and fulfills all the gifts and talents and abilities that I have,” Blackwell says. “I am able to carry out my own personal passion of helping children and young people, at the same time utilizing the talents that God has given to me. It’s the perfect job for me, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Nor would anyone who has been touched by Baptist Children’s Homes be eager to see him go. Under his watch, the homes have provided shelter for hundreds of neglected children, in
addition to thousands of families who depend on the homes for daytime care. In 2008, Baptist Children’s Homes served nearly 195,000 meals and provided shoes and coats to 830 children. The support of the Thomasville and Lexington communities has benefited the children of the homes tremendously, Blackwell says. “Anytime an organization is helping children, it resonates with just about everybody. And because we’ve been around for 123 years, it would be
difficult to find somebody in the county that does not know about the Baptist Children’s Homes,” he says. Even after a quarter-century at the helm of the organization, Blackwell says he is not considering retirement. “I love my job. And I think that’s saying something after 25 years, that I can still say I love this place,” he says. “There are just a few things out there in the future that I need to accomplish before I hand it off to somebody else.” – Stories by Michaela Jackson
LEXINGTON UTILITIES NATURAL G AS • ELECTRIC • WATER R ESOURCES “Serving Davidson County Since 1904”
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HIGH POINT WINSTON-SALEM THOMASVILLE LEXINGTON Michael Blackwell received a key to the city in honor of his 25 years of service to Baptist Children’s Homes.
DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
476-5074 722-0075 476-5074 243-2489
WWW.LEXINGTONNC.NET
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Business
Here
Comes the
Sun COUNTY-BASED SOLAR FARM WOULD BE LARGEST IN NATION
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Larry Potts, Davidson County Board of Commissioners chairman, says the county hopes to attract more green industries in addition to the planned solar photovoltaic farm. Left: Solar panels are gaining popularity in the state thanks to a new energy law.
STORY BY JOE MORRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO
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orth Carolina’s new energy law may soon score its first major coup, a solar photovoltaic farm in Davidson County. The law, which promotes renewable energy, requires power companies to obtain a set percentage of their power from solar and other renewable sources. The mandate has sent the state’s providers in search of renewable energy providers just as those firms have begun moving into the state to capitalize on the new legislation. And it looks as though all sides are meeting in Davidson County, where SunEdison has proposed a 21.5-megawatt solar farm, which would be the largest in the United States. Maryland-based SunEdison has been getting plenty of help f it ff t IIn addition dditi tto a 20 on th the groundd for its effort. 20-year ppower agreement with Duke Energy, the company has partnered with the Davidson County Board of Commissioners, who approved about $2 million in incentives, most of which would pay for land grading and preparation, with around $250,000 in cash grants from 2009 to 2011. For its part, SunEdison proposes to spend around $173 million on the solar farm. The county’s investment is a strong indicator of how seriously it intends to compete for this and other alterativeenergy projects, says Larry Potts, chairman of the Davidson County Board of Commissioners. “We’re ready to move on our part, so it’s a matter of them finishing their due diligence,” Potts says. DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
As it exists on the ddrawing board, the SunEdison farm would use a photovoltaic, or PV, system of flat panels to collect the sun’s rays and generate gener electricity. At 21.5 megawatts of output, it would trail on only a similar facility in Spain, and outstrip the nation’s curre current largest facility, a 14-megawatt site at Nevada’s Nellis Air For Force Base. SunEdison has largely been drawn to Davidson County for its large expanses of available avai land, including three sites that made the company’s final cut. Some 200 acres will be required for the farm, which would take around a year to build. The development is on only the latest piece of good news for the county, which was ppicked in spring 2008 as the No. 1 micropolitan area in the U United States in which to do business, di to t Sit l ti magazine. The honor didn’t go according Site SSelection unnoticed locally or abroad, Potts says, and he hopes to see local economic development officials capitalize on it. “We’re really unique here, and with the solar plant we’re at a prime location for a lot of other things,” he says. “That ranking got us a lot of attention from the site-selection people and business consultants. We’re hoping this will be a springboard for a larger manufacturing plant to locate here, one that’s interested in green industry.” “The solar farm as it’s planned now would provide enough electricity to run a small automotive plant, should one ever decide to locate here,” Potts continues. “We’re definitely headed in the right direction with this.” I M AG E S DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y. C O M
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Business | Biz Briefs
IAN CURCIO
market in 1958, and now he runs the business. “We take pride in letting people know that we are seafood people,” Todd says. “I feel that we provide people with the best product available.” Todd’s Seafood Market stocks a variety of fresh and frozen foods, including shellfish, shrimp and oysters. The market distributes to restaurants locally and throughout a 250-mile radius. How has the market achieved such success over the decades? “Treating people fair, and trying to be fair to the public,” Todd says. “And they have been fair to us.” The Todd family name is respected in Davidson County, and Todd intends on seeing his family’s role in the local business community remain prominent. He plans to turn the market over to one of his three sons in the future.
The Buttercup Café operates in a restored Denton gas station on Main Street.
FINE (GAS STATION) DINING Who says bigger is better? The tiny Buttercup Café in Denton seats just 75 people at a time – but every one of them leaves happy. “It’s easy to be biased on it, being the owner, but I think it’s cozy,” says Mary E. Berrier, who runs the popular eatery. “It’s kind of a cool place for couples, a romantic getaway.” The café operates in a restored 1930s filling station, offering the charm one might expect from a historic building and the sophistication to match. The ever-changing menu for dinner, which is served Friday and Saturday nights each week, includes roasted duck, chicken piccata and baked salmon. 32
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Brunch on the first Sunday of each month features items like pot roast and various quiches. “I wanted to do more than just sandwiches and specialty coffees,” Berrier says. She and a local culinary student do all of the cooking for the restaurant, which also has a robust catering and private party business. TO MARKET, TO MARKET Todd’s Seafood Market, located in Thomasville, celebrated quite the significant birthday last year. The well-known local seafood retailer and distributor turned 50, marking a half-century of family service and quality products. Jimmy Todd’s parents opened the
BRINGING IN THE BUSINESS The Davidson County economy has seen no shortage of change over the last several decades. As jobs and income shift away from the furniture and textile industries, though, the region has begun to find its feet and industry is on the upswing. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the city of Lexington, where Italian refrigeration manufacturer Arneg LLC recently opened a multimillion-dollar facility. “We have a workforce that is blessed with a manufacturing mentality,” says Steve Googe, the Davidson County Economic Development Commission’s executive director. “They understand the manufacturing process and what it takes to work in a manufacturing facility. So we felt that even though we were challenged to do different things, we might go back and look at things like advanced manufacturing recruitment.” The effort to play up Davidson County’s existing manufacturing strength when recruiting new companies has paid off. Arneg’s initial investment is $20 million, and the company is expected to create roughly 180 jobs over the next three years. HOMEGROWN CULTURE ON DISPLAY Nestled along South Main Street in historic uptown Lexington is Gallery DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
Hall, a 3,600-square-foot powerhouse of artistic creativity. The establishment combines a gallery with a printing and framing shop, catering especially to Davidson County artists. Tom Hall’s father started the art reproduction business with acclaimed artist Bob Timberlake in 1971, and Tom, along with his wife, Andrea, have parlayed that successful venture into the gallery of today. The couple spent 11 weeks renovating a historic building and opened just in time for the city’s famed barbecue festival in 2007. And the timing paid off: Around 2,000 people walked through their doors during their first day of business. During the 51 weeks a year in which there is no nationally known festival, Gallery Hall hosts community events of its own, from children’s art contests to wine and cheese tastings. However, the gallery’s real selling point is its role as a stage for roughly 30 artists, most from the area. “We have a lot of local artists, which is unusual,” Tom Hall says. “Most people aren’t aware that Lexington has so many good artists.” THE ART OF THE MATTER You might say Joe Hedgpeth is a bit of a cupid. The retired physician and avid painter has introduced art-hungry Thomasville to a thriving community of new artists looking for a public. So far, the relationship is going quite well. “Artists that are just starting out, that haven’t gotten the big publicity push, usually have 10 or 15 paintings around the house – in the closet or under the bed – or at least that’s where mine were,” Hedgpeth says. “I’m offering a place for artists around to have a show.” His unique gallery, Best In Show, features not only his own original works, but also a rotating selection by other local artists. Artists also help run the gallery, which allows Hedgpeth to offer them a higher-than-normal percentage of any piece they sell. The community wins by gaining access to original art with a local flavor. “I’m really doing it to help bring art into the community and help people who have never shown before,” he says. – Michaela Jackson DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
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Business | Chamber Report
Leading the Way for the Future YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM TACKLES SOCIAL, COMMUNITY ISSUES
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says. “So we identified kids that had good leadership skills, or the potential to become good leaders, and started giving them that encouragement to help them take the next step and get out in front.” Participants and their parents have nothing but praise for the program, as do its business participants and programmers. That alone tells the chambers that they’re onto something. But there are other benefits that, while unexpected, are equally worthwhile. “In a sense, this is a résumé-builder for high school juniors,” Thomas says, “and we do write letters of reference when they’re applying for scholarships or for their college applications, but they’re getting to know each other and
work together outside the program, and we’re very excited about that.” Both Thomas and Croft are parents of teenagers, and they agree that anything that gets a young person motivated to think about their community and beyond is a good thing. “Our kids are paying attention to what’s going on around them in the community and in the world,” Thomas says. “They receive their information in different ways than we did, but they are getting it. That has impressed me.” “We get to see them change before our eyes,” adds Croft. “The ropes course, the session on human services … it helps them see that there’s a bigger world out there.” – Joe Morris
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outh may be fleeting, but the right lessons learned in the middle of it can last a lifetime. Teaching those lessons, or at least those that have to do with business and professionalism, is the goal of Youth Leadership Davidson County, a joint effort by the Thomasville and Lexington area chambers of commerce. The program, now in its third year, is geared toward high school juniors from around the county. Participants attend six daylong sessions over the course of a school year, everything from a ropes course designed to foster trust and develop team-building skills to meetings with state and local government officials and programs on social-service issues and challenges. “Because we have students from all the schools, they get to meet their peers from around the area,” says Doug Croft, president of the Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce. “And over the course of the program, as they talk about how to lead and solve problems, they work together even more.” The leadership program features entire sessions devoted to personal finance and the ins and outs of the whole college experience. The goal, Croft says, is to help attendees become as well-rounded on things outside the classroom as possible. “We want them to be exposed to our businesses, but we also know that not all of them are going to be running companies here,” he says. “We want to start the process of making them better citizens, no matter where they live.” The program is the most recent of many collaborative programs that the Thomasville and Lexington chambers have put together over the years. And like those that preceded it, a need combined with members’ willingness to pitch in got it up and running, says Radford Thomas, president and chief executive officer of the Lexington Area Chamber of Commence. “We have the adult leadership program, but we felt like we needed something that was a little different experience for the young people,” Thomas
The chambers of commerce in Thomasville, above, and Lexington frequently join forces to create programs such as Youth Leadership Davidson County.
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Business | Economic Profile
DAVIDSON COUNTY BUSINESS CLIMATE Davidson County, once known primarily for its fine furniture manufacturing, now has a well-diversified economy. Textiles, chemicals, electronic connectors, batteries and plastics are just some of the items made here.
ECONOMIC OVERVIEW Home to two of the finest furniture manufacturers in the world, Thomasville Furniture Industries and Lexington Homebrand Furniture, Davidson County has practically furnished the world. In addition to this sector, Davidson County is also home to manufacturers of an array of other products.
ECONOMIC RESOURCES Denton Area Chamber of Commerce 27 E. Salisbury St. Denton, NC 27739 (336) 859-5922 www.dentonnorthcarolina.com Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce 16 E. Center St. Lexington, NC 27293 (336) 248-5929 www.lexingtonchamber.net Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce 6 W. Main St. Thomasville, NC 27361 (336) 475-6134 www.thomasvillechamber.net Davidson County Economic Development Commission P.O. Box 1711 Lexington, NC 27293 (336) 243-1900 Central Park NC P.O. Box 159 Star, NC 27356 (910) 428-9001 www.centralparknc.org
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DavidsonWorks 915 Greensboro St. Lexington, NC 27292 (336) 242-2065 www.davidsonworks.org
Davidson County Transportation 925 N. Main St. Lexington, NC 27292
County Sales Tax
Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation 7800 Airport Center Drive Suite 102 Greensboro, NC 27409 (336) 662-0002 www.partnc.org
4.25%
GOVERNMENT OFFICES
TAXES
2.25% State Sales Tax
6.75% Total Sales Tax
$0.54 per $100 Residential Property Tax
55% of appraised value
Davidson County Government 913 Greensboro St. Lexington, NC 27292 (336) 242-2000 www.co.davidson.nc.us City of Lexington 28 W. Center St. Lexington, NC 27292 (336) 243-2489 www.lexingtonnc.net
TRANSPORTATION
City of Thomasville 10 Salem St. Thomasville, NC 27360 (336) 475-4210 www.ci.thomasville.nc.us
Davidson County Airport 1673 Aviation Way Lexington, NC 27292 (336) 956-7774
Town of Denton 201 W. Salisbury St. Denton, NC 27239 (336) 859-4231 www.denton-nc.us
Commercial Property Tax
MORE EO ON ONLINE imagesdavidsoncounty.com m More facts, stats and community information, including relocation tools and links to resources.
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If we stop to rest,so will
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One of our goals is to keep promising research from being shelved for lack of funds. The money we raise through our Race keeps us moving closer to a cure. Join us at komen.org or 1.800 I’M AWARE®.
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Arts & Culture
Thomasville Artist Throws Down POTTER FINDS INSPIRATION RIGHT OUTSIDE HER WINDOW
I
that watch me work in my studio at night … all the things in and around me at home and in the hollow.” Anderson’s artistic pottery and contemporary folk pieces get a lot of attention, but her face jugs really tend to catch the eye. “I make a beautiful pot, then go back in and start pushing in for the eyes, out for the cheeks, and they just become characters to me,” she says. “Once I’ve put in porcelain clay for teeth and eyes, they’ve become church ladies or whatever. They’re a lot of fun.” And in an effort to keep up with the times, the characters sport everything from baseball caps to tongue piercings, she adds. Thanks to the owls, Anderson also dabbles in animals. But much like the face jugs, don’t expect the expected. “A lot of people do pigs and chickens because they’re real popular, but I didn’t want to go there,” Anderson says. “I’m
doing some wild boar heads, large enough to hang on the wall like a real trophy head. I figure since pigs are popular, these will be, too.” Plus, she admits, she’s got a wild boar head in her own foyer, and after looking at him for years she decided he was worth duplicating. After four years, Moose Hollow is making a name for itself, and operating the pottery business in addition to Goldies can be a challenge. But Anderson is quick to note that both of her jobs and their locale are near and dear to her heart, and not just because the occasional Goldies customer is an unwitting model for a face jug. “I’m not going anywhere,” she says. “Before I got into the pottery I did a lot of gardening and planting herbs, trees, flowers. I’ve rooted here, and what better place? It really is our little slice of heaven.” – Joe Morris
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t is easy enough to figure out where Lorrie Anderson got the “hollow” part of Moose Hollow Pottery from, but how did she come up with “moose?” “My address is Moose Court, we’re out behind the Moose Lodge and my father used to moose hunt,” Anderson explains. “So the name came pretty naturally.” Anderson – whose pottery includes decorative teapots, comical face jugs and more – has been a fixture on the local art scene since a visit to North Carolina several years ago in her former career as manager of a sculpture studio, when she fell in love with the land and its people. Along with partner Roy McMahon, she also operates Goldies, a retail store in Thomasville, but it’s the time she spends in her hollow, working the clay and looking out the window, that’s most precious to her. “I really do get inspired by what I see around me,” she says. “The leaves changing color, my fishpond, the owls
Lorrie Anderson works in her Moose Hollow Pottery studio, where her face jugs and other pieces line the shelves.
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www.WilsonInsurance.biz
AUTO U HOME U LIFE U BUSINESS
THOMASVILLE 202 National Hwy. Thomasville, NC 27360 tel: (336) 475-2128 fax: (336) 472-3656
ARCHDALE 10301 N. Main St. • Ste. D Archdale, NC 27263 tel: (336) 431-2119 fax: (336) 431-3597
DENTON 9 E. Salisbury St. Denton, NC 27239 tel: (336) 859-2021 fax: (336) 859-4425
Davidson County Public Library & Historical Museum Over 80 Years of Service as North Carolina’s Oldest County Public Library “The Very Best Place to Start for Learning and Discovery” Internet Access Toddler/Preschool Bedtime Storytimes Genealogy/ Local History Reference and Information DVDs Compact Discs Ongoing Used Book Sales Meeting/Conference Room Facilities
North Carolina Digital Library Audio Books Reader’s Advisory Color Copier/Scanner NC LIVE Young Adult Programs Word Processing Applications Young Patron’s Summer Reading Program Computer Games for Children Fax Service
Six Locations Lexington (242-2040) North Davidson (242-2050) Denton (859-2215) www.co.davidson.nc.us/library
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West Davidson (853-4800) Thomasville (474-2690) Historic Museum@Courthouse Square (242-2035) catalog: library.co.davidson.nc.us
DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
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Sports & Recreation
The West Davidson High School football team practices on their field in Lexington. Several Davidson County high school athletic teams have won conference and state titles in sports such as volleyball, tennis, softball and football.
Teaming With Triumphs DAVIDSON COUNTY SCHOOLS AMASS ATHLETICS ACCOLADES
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he high schools of Davidson County are seemingly filled with winners. In fact, when it comes to state and conference championships, they have sports down to a science. Combined, the schools have won dozens of titles through the years in an array of athletics ranging from football to tennis. “Each community has its own little niche,” says Woody Huneycutt, athletic director at Thomasville High School. For their part, the Thomasville Bulldogs are running out of wall space. They’ve won five men’s and four women’s basketball state titles and three football state titles in the last 10 years. “We’ve got outstanding community support. In the city of Thomasville, they take their Bulldogs very seriously. A lot of our supporters have been supporting the team since the ’50s, even,” says Huneycutt, who is only the third athletic director at Thomasville since 1959. “I think that makes a big difference, when the players know they’re going to be in front of a big crowd every night.” Lexington High School is also strong in football and basketball, having won titles in both of those sports in recent years. Additionally, West Davidson High School’s volleyball team has been set for success, while North Davidson High DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
School’s specialty is softball, Huneycutt says. East Davidson High School brought home a women’s basketball state title in 2008, along with other state and conference championships over the last decade, including a football conference championship in 2007 and a men’s crosscountry state championship in 2003. East Davidson’s principal, Cathi Smith, attributes the Eagles’ success to strong character building, in addition to quality coaches and gifted athletes. “There’s a certain attitude that’s held by the coaches and the kids,” she says. “I think that has an impact on our athletic program, as well.” Coaches at East Davidson reinforce on the playing field a weighty character education program that students learn in the classroom. “I think that our coaches, like all coaches, are so committed with what they do,” Smith says. “They’re so passionate, and it’s infectious with the kids.” Whatever it is, it’s working in Davidson County. For the Bulldogs, the Eagles and all the other teams in the area, the trophies continue to stack up. And nobody expects that to change anytime soon. – Michaela Jackson I M AG E S DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y. C O M
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Health & Wellness
More Room for Care THOMASVILLE MEDICAL CENTER EXPANDS ITS EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
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She read up on the latest in ER design, soliciting input from medical staff. She also met repeatedly with the project’s architect, Charlotte-based Peterson Associates, and guided the new facility from its inception until its opening in May 2008. The new $10 million ED is located in front of the hospital, making it more accessible and serving as the face of the hospital to the community. The new building boasts more than 24,000 square feet, and the number of beds has increased from 10 to 27, all within eyesight of an 84-foot-long nurse and physician station. Six minor-care beds, with their own waiting room, ensure that less seriously ill patients can be treated more quickly. And chest pain patients who may not need intensive care can be observed in the new five-bed chest pain area. The new ED also enjoys a less stressful atmosphere for staff and patients alike, with high ceilings, cool blues and green on the walls, and lots of natural light. “I think patients have been surprised with how nice it is,” says Smith. “We’ve had a lot of compliments.” – Laura Hill
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ith 17 years in emergency medicine, Kim Smith has learned a thing or two about how emergency rooms work – or should work. Expertise such as Smith’s has led a team of architects and builders to erect Thomasville Medical Center’s new emergency department. Like many hospitals, TMC has seen its emergency medicine population boom, thanks in part to Davidson County’s growing local population, according to Smith, nurse manager of TMC’s emergency department. “We have been experiencing anywhere from 11 to 12 percent growth each year, and we were seeing 26,000 to 27,000 patients annually in 3,400 square feet of space,” Smith says. Smith dreamed of a new, state-of-the-art facility, and when hospital administrators gave the go-ahead on a new ED, she jumped into action. “They supported me in traveling all over the U.S. to other hospitals,” she says, noting a seminar in Philadelphia on building new ERs. “I pulled pieces from things and places I had liked.”
A $10 million, 24,000-square-foot emergency department opened at the Thomasville Medical Center in May 2008.
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Health & Wellness
Two Hospitals Are Better Than One LEXINGTON MEMORIAL AND WAKE FOREST BAPTIST JOIN FORCES
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is an academic medical center composed of Wake Forest University Health Sciences and North Carolina Baptist Hospital. “We are excited to be connected to a world-renowned academic medical center that is in the forefront of education, research and clinical services,” Taylor says. Lexington’s 120-physician staff represents more than 20 specialties. It also
provides a variety of medical services including a state-of-the-art imaging center, a critical care unit, a birthing unit and 24-hour emergency services. “Lexington Memorial is an excellent strategic fit for us as we develop a regional health-care delivery network,” Robertson says. “The affiliation will be a mutually beneficial relationship.” – Michaela Jackson
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A
long history of collaborative care between Lexington Memorial Hospital and Wake Forest Baptist University Medical Center culminated this fall in an official affiliation agreement. Effective Oct. 1, 2008, the two hospitals began working together to provide healthcare services in Davidson County. The partnership, which was several months in the making, will offer the 94-bed Lexington Memorial access to Wake Forest Baptist’s expansive network of medical resources. “Given the pressures facing community hospitals, the board believes now is the best time to join with a large organization that shares our values for a bright future for health care in Lexington and Davidson County,” says Charles W. Taylor, chairman of the Lexington Memorial board of directors. The agreement comes on the heels of the two hospitals’ announcement that they would jointly operate the Cancer Center of Davidson County in Lexington, which is currently scheduled to open its doors in 2010. “We see this affiliation as a natural extension of our relationship,” Taylor says. Other unique offerings at Lexington Memorial include a joint replacement center, a wing devoted to sleep studies and around-the-clock specialist inpatient care. The three areas in which Lexington Memorial would next like to improve are emergency room updates, operating room improvements, and the addition of a rehabilitation and wellness center, according to Taylor. “The goal is to strengthen Lexington Memorial through expanded services, updated facilities and more physicians so fewer patients will have to travel to out-of-town hospitals,” says Steve Robertson, chairman of the board of directors for Wake Forest Baptist. “When patients must be transferred to Wake Forest Baptist, they will have easy access,” Robertson says. The Wake Forest health-care network
Lexington Memorial Hospital will jointly operate a new county cancer center.
I M AG E S DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y. C O M
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Community Self-Storage *ULIAN !VE s 4HOMASVILLE .#
7E OFFER AFFORDABLE STORAGE IN A CONVENIENT LOCATION WITH CONTROLLED GATES AND SECURITY MEASURES We want to be your storage place.
Celebrating 41 years in Davidson County.
www.communityselfstorage.com www.ppg.com
Lanier’s Silver Needles Golden Threads Custom Window Treatments & Bedding 4 E. 1st Ave. Lexington, NC 27292 (336) 224-2354
Anna Hedrick Wilma Gray
Cell: (336) 596-2949 E-mail: sngt@lexcominc.net
HARDWARE, INC.
The place to find what you want since 1940 Come and see where yesterday’s and today’s hardware stores meet. We have 55,000 sq. ft. of retail space packed with:
hardware âœŚ plumbing âœŚ paint âœŚ tools âœŚ office supplies gas logs âœŚ housewares âœŚ electrical âœŚ lawn and garden hunting and fishing supplies âœŚ hobbies âœŚ cake supplies sporting goods âœŚ toys âœŚ pet supplies âœŚ horseshoes wood stoves âœŚ and much more 218 S. Main St. U (336) 248-5938 www.lanierhardware.com
Turlington and Company, l.l.p. Certified Public Accountants
509 E. Center St. Post Office Box 1697 Lexington, NC 27293-1697 phone: (336) 249-6856 fax: (336) 248-8697
www.turlingtonandcompany.com
Sheets Memorial Christian School “A quality education from a Christian perspectiveâ€? Preschool: Infant-Age 5 K-5-12th grade Double accreditations by ACSI & SACS/CASI 307 Holt St. • Lexington, NC 27292
(336) 249-4224 www.sheetsmemorial.org
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I M AG E S DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y. C O M
DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
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Education
East Davidson High School world history teacher Dan Orr wears costumes to draw students into the lesson of the day.
Teacher Brings History to Life COSTUME-CLAD EDUCATOR MAKES LEARNING FUN
M
ost parents dropping off their teenagers for school would probably be a little confused if a Roman gladiator or an 18th-century statesman were to greet them in the parking lot. But for the parents of East Davidson High School students, period costumes paired with a straight face are par for the course. Dan Orr, a world history teacher who also has morning traffic duty, routinely dons full garb to draw his students into the lesson of the day, from ancient eras to classical centuries to modern icons. “It’s a very visual approach,” Orr says of his unique teaching style. “I’m mostly known as the costume man.” Dressing as a mummy for a seminar on ancient Egypt may not seem ordinary, but then again, Orr certainly doesn’t claim to be ordinary. “If you teach the old way, of just lecturing all the time and taking notes and filling out worksheets, the kids can’t handle that anymore, just that alone,” he says. “I still do all that stuff, but they need more of a sensory input.” Rather than expect kids to leave their penchant for interaction and stimulation at the door, Orr meets them where they are. He not only applies costumes but also props, art and music to make his points. For example, Orr routinely leads his class in a rousing
DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
rendition of “Rome on the Range,” a lesson on ancient Rome disguised as a revamped version of “Home on the Range.” “Rome, Rome on the range,” the students sing for a watchful video camera. “Where the patricians and the plebeians once played.” They hardly even realize they’re learning. The songs, the videos and the practical jokes that Orr often plays (such as screaming loudly in class during a key moment in a scary movie) all serve to keep his students engaged and interested in the material. His strategy works, and his students often remember his antics not simply long enough to pass a test, but for years to come. According to Orr, when former students run into him years later, they’ll often say something such as, “I remember when you dressed up as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to teach us about the Renaissance.” Orr is walking proof that it helps to think outside the box to connect with teenagers on a historic level. “I think the kids learn more and grasp more if you give it to them from different angles rather than just having them write notes and memorize facts,” he says. At the very least, Orr’s class might be the only chance they have to hear a teacher yell, “Cowabunga, dude!” And that’s something worth remembering – especially if they soak in some facts about world history in the process. – Michaela Jackson I M AG E S DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y. C O M
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I M AG E S DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y. C O M
BV][OadWZZS ;SRWQOZ 1S\bS` eee bV][OadWZZS[SRWQOZQS\bS` ]`U BV][OadWZZS DSbS`W\O`g 6]a^WbOZ eee bV][OadWZZSdSb \Sb Bc`ZW\Ub]\ 1][^O\g eee bc`ZW\Ub]\O\RQ][^O\g Q][ EWZa]\ 7\ac`O\QS /aa]QWObSa eee eWZa]\W\ac`O\QS PWh
DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
Community Profile
DAVIDSON COUNTY SNAPSHOT Davidson County is situated in the heart of North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad, a vibrant metropolitan region. Known for its natural beauty, Davidson County offers comfortable, affordable living in a small-town atmosphere.
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
COMMUNITY OVERVIEW Davidson County is home to two vibrant communities, Lexington and Thomasville. The county is known as the Barbecue Capital of the World. Site Selection magazine ranked its two cities first among U.S. micropolitan statistical areas, and the county is in one of the midAtlantic’s most dynamic and desirable metro areas.
EDUCATIONAL OVERVIEW Davidson County’s three school districts work together, offering a variety of innovative ways to educate children, from allowing them to take courses in a neighboring district to enrolling them in the county’s community college before their high school graduation.
Davidson County Schools 250 County School Road Lexington, NC 27293 (336) 249-8182 www.davidson.k12.nc.us Lexington City Schools 1010 Fair St. Lexington, NC 27292 (336) 242-1527 www.lexcs.org Thomasville City Schools 400 Turner St. Thomasville, NC 27360 (336) 474-4200 www.tcs.k12.nc.us Davidson County Community College 297 Davidson Community College Road Thomasville, NC 27360 (336) 249-8186 www.davidsonccc.edu
MEDICAL FACILITIES Lexington Memorial Hospital 250 Hospital Drive Lexington, NC 27293 (336) 248-516 www.lexingtonmemorial.com Thomasville Medical Center 207 Old Lexington Road Thomasville, NC 27360 www.thomasvillemedical center.org
MORE EO ON ONLINE imagesdavidson county.com More facts, stats and community information, including relocation tools and links to resources.
HOUSING
$131,329 Average Home Price
THIS SECTION IS SPONSORED BY
We offer: Tax Services for All Types of Entities; Businesses, Individuals, Estates and Trusts, Reviews, Audits and Compilations, Quickbooks Training and Setup, Payrolls and Monthly Accounting
Keep more of what you earn! Visit our Web site at www.goinscurry.com 102 W. First Ave. • Lexington, NC 27292 • Tel (336) 249-2176 • Fax (336) 249-6565 DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y
I M AG E S DAV I D S O N C O U N T Y. C O M
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Together We Make A Difference. 248-5161 www.lexingtonmemorial.com
LEXINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL and WAKE FOREST BAPTIST have joined forces to provide you and your family with the best health care possible. As partners, our goal is to improve the health of Lexington and Davidson County residents by expanding services and adding new doctors as needed right in your own community. That means you’ll have easier access to cutting-edge research, diagnostic techniques and treatments in a health care setting close to home. Lexington Memorial Hospital and Wake Forest Baptist — Together we make a difference. For more information about Lexington Memorial Hospital and Wake Forest Baptist’s new partnership, visit our Web site at www.lexingtonmemorial.com Dimensions of Care Inpatient Services 24-Hour Emergency Care Comprehensive Medical & Surgical Services 120-Member Medical Staff 24-Hour Anesthesia Service New Beginnings Birthing Center Cardiac Care Critical Care Unit Total Joint Replacement Center
Outpatient Services Outpatient Diagnostic & Surgical Center State-of-the-Art Imaging Center Latest CT & MRI Technology Certified Vascular Laboratory Women’s Center for Mammography & Bone Density Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Capabilities Pain Management Center The Sleep Lab Lithotripsy Cancer Center of Davidson County (Opening 2009) Lexington Community Cancer Center An Affiliate of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University Comprehensive Pediatric & Adult Rehabilitation Education & Wellness Programs
2006
Lexington Memorial Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission
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A Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Hospital
Ad Index 4 4 C A RO LI N A FA R M C R E D IT
4 8 L E X I N GTO N M E M O R I A L
4 4 CO M M U N IT Y S E L F-S TO R AG E
2 9 L E XI N GTO N U TI LITI E S
6 CORNERSTONE HE ALTH CARE 1 9 CO U N T RY H E A RT H I N N 3 3 DATA P U B LI S H I N G 2 8 DAV I DS O N CO U N T Y CO M M U N IT Y CO L L EG E 3 8 DAV I DS O N CO U N T Y P U B LI C LI B R A RY C 3 DAV I DS O N WO R K S 24 EN E RGY U N I T E D 47 G O I N S - C U R RY C PA S P C 4 6 G R EG G ’ S G R A P H I C S I N C . 4 0 H I G H P O I N T R EG I O N A L H E A LT H SYS T E M S 42 H OS P I C E O F DAV I DS O N CO U N T Y
42 M CG H E E & A S S O C I AT E S 3 6 PA R ROT T I N S U R A N C E & B E N E FITS 2 6 P I E D M O N T C RO S S I N G 4 4 P P G I N D U S T R I E S P RO D U C TS 4 4 S H E E TS M E M O R I A L C H R I S TI A N S C H O O L 4 4 S I LV E R N E E D L E S G O L D E N T H R E A DS 4 4 TA S TI N G S W I N E & B E E R C 4 T H O M A S V I L L E F U R N IT U R E 1 THOMASVILLE MEDICAL CENTER
4 6 L A K E FRO N T P RO P E RTI E S
27 T H O M A S V I L L E V E T E R I N A RY H OS P ITA L
4 4 L A N I E R ’ S H A R DWA R E
4 4 T U R LI N GTO N & CO M PA N Y
3 6 LEXINGTON CHIROPR ACTIC & W E L L N E S S PA
38 WILSON I N S U R A N C E A S S O C I AT E S
What is DavidsonWorks? DavidsonWorks is a dynamic partnership of private and public resources with a successful track record of delivering workforce development solutions for individuals and businesses in Davidson County. We serve as the primary convener for workforce improvement and talent development for the community. Through our Talent Development approach: UÊ7iÊ> > ÞâiÊ> `Ê> Ì V «>ÌiÊÌ iÊ ii`ÃÊ vÊLÕÃ iÃÃ and industry to develop pipelines strategically. DavidsonWorks develops and implements a Five Year Workforce Development Strategic Plan for Davidson County. UÊ7iÊ> Ã Ê ÛiÀÃii]Ê «iÀ>ÌiÊ> `Ê > >}iÊÌ i JobLink System in Davidson County.
Nancy Borrell
Executive Director
Our Vision Our vision is to stimulate economic growth by providing a skilled workforce that exceeds business needs for today and tomorrow.
Our Mission Our mission is to provide cutting-edge globally competitive workforce development solutions for individuals and businesses fostering a quality workforce.
Why Partner with DavidsonWorks? UÊ } ÞÊÌÀ> i`]Ê } ÞÊà i`Êi « ÞiiÃÊv À your business. UÊ7iÊ>Ãà ÃÌÊÞ ÕÊÜ Ì ÊÌ iÊV ÃÌÊ vÊÌÀ> }ÊÞ ÕÀÊ new employees. UÊ7iÊ i «ÊÞ ÕÊÌÀ> ÊÌ iÊ«i « iÊÞ ÕÊ> Ài>`ÞÊ >Ûi on board. We bring your Federal tax dollars back to Davidson County and put that money to work for your business and Davidson County’s economy. Work with the leader in business growth and taxpayer creation in Davidson County. We have resources to help your business succeed! PAID ADVERTISEMENT
DavidsonWorks 915 Greensboro St. PO Box 1067 iÝ }Ì ]Ê ÊÓÇÓ Î £äÈÇ ÎÎÈ®ÊÓ{Ó ÓäÈx www.davidsonworks.org Thomasville JobLink Ó££Ê7°Ê > Ê À° / >ÃÛ i]Ê ÊÓÇÎÈä ÎÎÈ®Ê{Ç{ ÓÈxx www.davidsoncountyjoblink.org
L to R: Karen Griggs, Rod Kcuik and Kathy Larsen of Lexington Memorial Hospital, Meagan Dillion and Aneetra Daniels
This is a taste of how DavidsonWorks works for you! Business and Employment Training Lexington Memorial Hospital received a Business Employment Training Grant from DavidsonWorks to evaluate the efficiency of their Take Home Medications service. After participating in Lean Health Care Training through North Carolina State University, the hospital saved $2,000,000 by implementing a more effective distribution process. For more information, contact the Business and Industry Manager at 242-2065.
Youth At Get REAL, Meagan Dillion came prepared to learn. Her leadership skills prompted Get REAL staff to offer her a Workforce Investment Act job placement as the receptionist at Get REAL. Meagan received her high school diploma and began CNA nurse training. DavidsonWorks sponsored her when she enrolled at Davidson County Community College in the nursing program. For more information, contact Get REAL at 242-2217.
Adults Aneetra Daniels, a Dislocated Worker from Thomasville Furniture Industries, received Employment Security Trade Commission benefits to enroll in Davidson County Community College skills upgrade classes. She was sponsored by DavidsonWorks for the Health Information and Technology program. DavidsonWorks also helped Aneetra find a Workforce Investment Act job experience in her field. She now works at Wesley Long Hospital and has plans for additional education. For more information, contact Career Programs and Services at 242-2065. PAID ADVERTISEMENT