Images Rocky Mount, NC: 2007-08

2007-08 | IMAGESROCKYMOUNT.COM | VIDEO TOUR ONLINE TM

OF ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA

Good To Grow Commercial, industrial and homebuilders zero in

JUMP, JIVE AND WAIL Art, music and theater venues exude excitement

ERA OF CREATIVITY Arts center hits half-century mark

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CALL (252) 937-6500 Please visit our Web site at: www.coldwellbanker-rockymount.com 3801 Westridge Circle Dr. Rocky Mount, NC 27804

2007-08 EDITION | VOLUME 8 TM

OF ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA

10 ROCKY MOUNT BUSINESS CO NTE NT S F E AT U R E S 10

FEELING RIGHT AT HOME Rocky Mount is attracting newcomers from near and far.

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Downtown revitalization efforts push forward two projects that will change how the city looks.

32 Biz Briefs 34 Chamber Report 35 Economic Profile

GOOD TO GROW In Rocky Mount, increasing retail sales reflect the expanding shopping landscape.

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30 The Comeback Kid

JUMP, JIVE AND WAIL There’s certainly no lack of music, dance and theater in the Rocky Mount area.

D E PA R TM E NT S 6 Almanac: a colorful sampling of Rocky Mount’s culture

25 Portfolio: people, places and events that define Rocky Mount

40 Education

22 APEX OF EDUCATION Higher education is on tap at four separate colleges and universities in the Rocky Mount area.

43 Sports & Recreation 46 Health & Wellness 51 Community Profile: facts, stats and important numbers to know

49 ERA OF CREATIVITY Rocky Mount Arts Center looks ahead to 50 more years of cultural enhancement.

ON THE COVER Photo by Ian Curcio Artist Peggy Wyman’s work at the Galleryshop

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Building Brighter Futures at North Carolina Wesleyan College!

Beginning your college career on the right track can make all the difference in your success.

At North Carolina Wesleyan College, you’ll have the resources you need to build your future with programs that help bridge the gap between high school and college. At North Carolina Wesleyan College, you will receive a degree that readies you to successfully build a brighter future in college and in life, so why not start today?

MAJORS: Accounting • Business • Education & Social Science • Education History • Justice Studies Political Science • Psychology • Sociology • Humanities • Mathematics/Science MINORS: Accounting • Biology • Business Administration • Chemistry • Computer Information Systems • English History • Hospitality Management • Journalism • Justice Studies • Mathematics NCAA DIVISION III ATHLETICS: MEN’S Baseball • Basketball • Football • Golf • Soccer • Tennis WOMEN’S Basketball • Cross Country • Lacrosse • Soccer • Softball • Tennis • Volleyball

North Carolina Wesleyan College 3400 N. Wesleyan Blvd. • Rocky Mount, NC 27804 (252) 985-5200 • Toll Free: (800) 488-NCWC • Fax: (252) 985-5295 E-mail: adm@ncwc.edu • www.ncwc.edu

ONLINE CONTENTS More lists, links and tips for newcomers

IMAGESROCKYMOUNT.COM

MOVING PICTURES Take a video tour of Rocky Mount at imagesrockymount.com.

GET SMART ABOUT LOCAL SCHOOLS Find listings and links to schools, colleges and universities.

SEE HOW THE GARDENS GROW Get the dirt on growing seasons, soils and common challenges.

WHAT DO THE LOCALS EAT? Discover what makes cuisine in this region so deliciously different.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME Search for a new home, plus get moving tips and more at www.realtor.com.

A B O U T TH I S M AGA Z I N E Images of Rocky Mount is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is sponsored by the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce. In print and online, Images gives readers a taste of what makes Rocky Mount tick – from business and education to sports, health care and the arts.

“Find the good – and praise it.”

– Alex Haley (1921-1992), Journal Communications co-founder

jnlcom.com

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Almanac

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARRY HODGES, SUNSET STUDIOS

Lettuce and Lungwort Everything is as fresh as a summer’s breeze at the Rocky Mount Farmers Market.

The market opened in 2005 and features products that are grown in Edgecombe, Nash and Halifax counties. Those products include fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, jams, eggs, pickles, fish, country meats and flowers.

The farmers sell their produce in an 18-bay enclosed building at the corner of Peachtree and Spring streets. It is open every Saturday morning from April through October.

Station to Station The Rocky Mount Train Station is still chugging along, 114 years after it was first constructed.

Wilmington & Weldon Railroad constructed the two-story brick Romanesque building in 1893, and a third story was added in 1916. The entire building was modernized in the 1960s, and more improvements were completed in the late 1990s.

Today, the train station serves Amtrak customers bound for places as far away as Miami or New York City. The building also houses the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce.

Meat and Potatoes Out of mahi-mahi or Black Angus steaks? Try Elias’ Butcher Shoppe.

The shop bills itself as a one-stop butcher center because it not only carries beef, but also chicken, pork, veal and seafood. In addition, the shop stocks fruits and vegetables along with seasonal produce from local farmers.

Other popular delicacies are pork barbecue, turkey barbecue, chili, snow crab legs, crabmeat, fresh salmon and oysters. All meats are cut fresh daily, and chicken and seafood are delivered to the shop each day.

Owner Artie Elias has been in the butcher business for 22 years.

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The Goal:

By Veterans Day

Famous Forever

Here is a salute to everyone trying to make the Veterans Memorial at Jack Laughery Park become a reality

by Nov. 11, 2007.

Fundraising efforts are under way to establish the memorial at a site where the old Hardee’s restaurant used to stand on Church Street.

The restaurant was leveled in early 2007 and the decision was made to establish Jack Laughery Park in that spot, and then the memorial on that property.

Laughery was a former executive with Hardee’s who was known for his generous involvement with charitable causes.

There is finally a home for the Twin County Hall of Fame.

The hall was started in 2004 to honor citizens of Edgecombe and Nash counties who have made lasting contributions to the community. The public nominates inductees, and a panel of long-time citizens and dignitaries chooses the final list.

The hall is situated in a portion of the first floor at Rocky Mount Train Station. To date, 29 inductees have been enshrined, with the 2007 class to be announced in November.

Those already in the hall include educator Kanawha ZeBlon Chavis; nuclear physicist Harold Ray Denton, Big Band leader Kay Kyser; baseball great Buck Leonard, Army Col. Martha Westray, Battle Boyce Long, former slave and state legislator Dred Wimberly, athletic great Danny Talbott (UNC) left, and “Remember the Titans” coach Herman Boone, shown here.

Rocky Mount | At A Glance POPULATION (2005 ESTIMATE) Rocky Mount: 56,626

Rocky Mount

LOCATION Rocky Mount is in the eastern section of North Carolina’s heartland region, 2 1/2 hours from the Atlantic Ocean and 4 1/2 hours from the mountains in the western part of the state.

BEGINNINGS European settlers first arrived in Rocky Mount in 1712 after years of battling the Tuscarora Indians, but the town wasn’t formally established for another 155 years.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce 100 Coast Line St., 2nd Floor PO Box 392 Rocky Mount, NC 27802-0392 (252) 446-0323 Fax: (252) 446-5103 www.rockymountchamber.org

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Whitakers

N AS H Dortches

E D G E CO M B E

301

Nashville 64

Rocky Mount 58 43

Tarboro

eigh igh Sharpsburg

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At Prep we are encouraged to dream and succeed!

Duke

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Emory

Meredith

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Morehouse

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NC Wesleyan

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TUITION-FREE COLLEGE PREPARATORY

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- 12 Million Dollars - Three Academic Wings - Gymnasium - Medical Center

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Rocky Mount Preparatory School • 3334 Bishop Rd. • Battleboro, NC 27809 • (252) 443-9923

Almanac

Fast Facts Q Nash County is one of the largest sweet potato and cucumber producers in the world.

Q The makers of George’s Barbecue Sauce send out 3,500 bottles a day from their Nash County headquarters.

Rookie Restaurant And the winner is: Cuvee.

This interesting restaurant in the Shoppes at Stoney Creek won the 2006 Rocky Mount Small Business-Rookie of the Year Award, as voted by the chamber. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch items, including omelets, sandwiches, salads and baked goods, for dining in or taking out.

Cuvee’s café atmosphere comes complete with wireless Internet service and a variety of coffee offerings. The space also includes a banquet room and wine shop.

Cuvee is available for catering wedding receptions and private meetings.

Creating Quite a Splash Here is a popular exercise program that’s all wet.

The Rocky Mount Senior Center, which opened in May 2006, offers a seniors’ water aerobics program that is available to both men and women. The program takes place four days a week over a six-week period.

Being in the water allow seniors to exercise even though they might have some physical limitations. It is ideal for anyone with arthritis or who wants to enjoy a fitness regimen without the impact of running or floor exercises.

Participants in the April 2007 Rocky Mount Senior Center water aerobics class ranged in age from 55 to 84.

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Q Rocky Mount is situated almost precisely midway between New York City and Jacksonville, Fla., at the intersection of Interstate 95 and U.S. 64.

Q Rocky Mount is home to the Carolina Classic women’s professional billiards tournament televised on ESPN. Q Eggland’s Best eggs are all produced at Braswell Foods in Nash County.

SEE MORE ONLINE | For more Fast Facts about Rocky Mount, visit imagesrockymount.com.

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Feeling Right at Home ROCKY MOUNT NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

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STORY BY PAM SHERBORNE PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO

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hy would anyone want to move to a friendly, mid-size town that’s a two-hour drive from the beach, an hour’s drive to urban shopping, dining and sports, has a new children’s museum downtown and plenty of real estate bargains?

The obvious response is, “Why not?”

“This location is attractive to many people,” says Janet Cavalier, executive officer of the Rocky Mount Area Association of Realtors. “If you want to live in a smaller city but still be close to a large city, Rocky Mount is perfect.”

There are many reasons to choose the Rocky Mount area. The new YMCA in Rocky Mount is a definite plus, with two indoor pools, plenty of equipment, and great programs for adults and children. The new library is state of the art, and the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences has something for everyone.

Adding to the attraction is a new $12 million sports complex, featuring baseball and softball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, walking trails and fishing ponds.

Along with these community amenities, many different residential offerings are available in Rocky Mount. But you might want to act fast, as real estate prices continue to increase at a steady pace.

“It is really kind of amazing, some of the price increases I am seeing,” says David Orr, an agent with Re/Max Point East, Rocky Mount. “Per-square-foot costs continue to rise, especially in new construction. Compared to national reports, we are doing quite well.”

The Rocky Mount market is an easy place to sell, Orr says. In fact, he doesn’t consider it work steering homebuyers to

Right: Older homes, such as those in the Edgecombe Historical District, appeal to many modern buyers.

Above: A masonry sign welcomes home residents of Ford’s Colony.

Left: Gazebo at Ford’s Colony

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the area. All he needs to do is inform them of the opportunities here.

“There are hundreds of years of history here,” Orr says. “This is a very proud and tight-knit community. Individuals work hard and take care of what they have. We are growing, but we are keeping the small-town feel.”

The Rocky Mount area has a variety of neighborhoods to choose from. One charming spot is West Haven, an older, established neighborhood built in the 1930s and 1940s. Extensive mature landscaping and large lots are hallmarks of the area. Those who have grown up in older neighborhoods are drawn to West Haven, where home prices range from $100,000 to more than $500,000, Orr says.

Candlewood, built in the 1970s and 1980s, is another popular area. With large lots and a meandering brook in the development, these custom-built homes

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range from $225,000 to $525,000.

A neighborhood with much historical significance is Mill Village. Homes here were originally built for workers at the local cotton mill, and today’s families still find these residences charming and convenient. Homeowners in the village are intent on preserving the neighborhood’s vintage character. Homes in Mill Village range from $90,000 to approximately $120,000.

Empty-nesters and retirees are drawn to The Pines, says David Combs, of Century 21 The Combs Company, Rocky Mount. This development and others – such as Cobblestone, West Hall, and the Townhomes at Westry Crossing – are geared toward retirees and the aging baby-boomer generation.

One cutting-edge development earning lots of press is Ford’s Colony Rocky Mount. This gated residential com-

munity includes more than 1,000 home sites, as well as a golf course, swimming pools, tennis courts, an exercise facility and a private 80-acre lake with a marina.

Homes in Ford’s Colony are priced at $300,000 and up.

“With the construction of the Interstate 64 Bypass making it easier to get from Rocky Mount to Raleigh, I think the idea of commuting is becoming more and more a possibility,” Combs says. “It is a quality-of-life issue. It is easier to get around in a small city. We have growth, but it is controlled.”

Below: Attractive homes and landscaping fill the Edgecombe Historical District neighborhood in Rocky Mount. Right: Homes in the West Haven neighborhood are considered a solid investment.

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Good to

Grow TWO CENTERS AND $50 MILLION INVESTMENT BUOY CITY’S FUTURE

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Jamaican jerk chicken at Taste of Paradise Left: New restaurants such as Taste of Paradise offer more options.

STORY BY KAY BROOKSHIRE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO

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n Rocky Mount, increasing retail sales reflect the expanding shopping landscape. The growth is welcome here, signaling an economy in the upswing following the 1999 flood that destroyed a regional shoppers’ destination, Tarrytown Mall.

In the mall’s place has risen a newly opened Sam’s Club at the new Tarrytown Center, a $25 million development anchored by the warehouse retail chain, with room for additional growth in five out-parcels. Elsewhere, Golden East Crossing Mall continues to add to its trendy shops and popular national retailers with names such as Bed Bath & Beyond and Ross Dress for Less. New restaurants are opening their doors, including Cracker Barrel, one of the anchors of the new 28-acre Winstead Business Park development.

“We actually serve a five-county market that has a ROCK Y MOUNT

population base in excess of 300,000, and that is why companies like Sam’s Club have chosen Rocky Mount to expand their operation,” says Alan Matthews, director of business recruitment for the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce. “They realize the drawing power that Rocky Mount has to consumers that live outside our defined twocounty MSA (metropolitan statistical area).”

Tarrytown Center and the Winstead Business Park represent a $50 million capital investment in Rocky Mount, which helps explain its steady increase in retail sales. Last year, Edgecombe and Nash Counties, which make up the Rocky Mount MSA, experienced a 9.3 percent increase in retail sales over 2005, according to Matthews.

Good news also came from a recent shopping center survey, he said. Between 1999 and 2006, retail occupancy I M AG E S R O C K Y M O U N T. C O M

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Golden East Crossing is conveniently located on the U.S. 301 Bypass. Left: Popular national retailers draw shoppers to Golden East Crossing. Below: Sam’s Club opened in early 2007.

rates increased 14 percent, from 85 to 93 percent. Matthews expects retail growth to continue, with an expected 200,000 square feet of new retail space in the next year and a half.

“We had a number of retail outlets opening, but we also had pretty good hiring in the manufacturing and distribution sectors,” says John Gessaman, president and CEO of Carolinas Gateway Partnership. The local economic development corporation harnesses the strength of five public-sector partners in the two-county region.

The number of people employed in the MSA jumped from 62,875 in January 2006 to 65,508 in January 2007, the largest increase the region has had in recent years, Gessaman notes.

The 1999 flood caused by Hurricane Floyd cost the region a large number of its commercial structures, leading to a loss of employment. The area also has been hit by downturns in the textile industry since the early 1990s.

Such factors have spurred Rocky Mount’s transition to a more technology-led manu-

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facturing focus, Gessaman says.

“It’s exciting that we have this increase in the labor force,” Gessaman said. “This is taking us back to where we were before we had these tremendous declines in these industries.”

Businesses and industries in the area are well served by the Gateway Technology Center. The center, on the campus of North Carolina Wesleyan College, opened in May 2006 and now offers job training, teleconferencing facilities and business and engineering programs from East Carolina University and North Carolina State University. The center’s facilities are often rented by private businesses.

“The videoconferencing capability we have here, the opportunity that offers for business and industry, is just incredible. Folks can videoconference with anyplace in the world,” says Marilynn Anselmi, director of the center’s ECU/ NCSU Rocky Mount Region Academic Program.

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& Wail

Jump, Jive MUSIC, DANCE AND THEATER FLOURISH WITH ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE SUPPORT

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PHOTO COURTESY OF STACEY PATTERSON

STORY BY PAM SHERBORNE

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PHOTO COURTESY OF NEIL BERG

here is certainly no lack of music, dance and theater in the Rocky Mount area. And at each event, there’s an appreciative audience eager to take it all in.

Rocky Mount residents show their support for the arts in many ways, from funding new performance venues to snapping up tickets for the opening day of a play.

This enthusiasm extends to a variety of local theater and choral groups, as well to frequent visits by nationally known performers, ranging from the Glenn Miller Band to bluegrass star Ricky Skaggs to blues legend BB King.

Among top locations to catch a great performance is the Nash Arts Center in Nashville. The center is housed in a church built in 1914, and its 200 seats are the original church pews. Slated for demolition in the early 1980s, the facility was saved by the community and now is operated by a partnership between the Nash Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Each year, three or four major performances are staged at the Nash Center. Acts taking the stage recently included Sarah Lee Guthrie and The Greencards. But, that’s not all that goes on at the center.

“We do a children’s series, with the Patchwork Players,” says Maureen

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Entertainers direct from New York present Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway at the Dunn Center for the Performing Arts. Above: Doc Watson and David Holt perform on the Keihin Auditorium stage.

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Photo Credit: Gerry Brabham

GATEWAY CENTRE

Holiday Inn Catering Service provides facilities for banquets, corporate meetings, trade shows and special events.

651 N. Winstead Ave. Rocky Mount, NC 27804 Fax: (252) 937-4788 E-mail: sales.holiday@tectonhospitality.com

(252) 937-6888 www.holidayinn.com/hirockymountnc

Maureen Daly oversees programming at the Rocky Mount Performing Arts Center. Below: Quinton Dixon and Traci Dixon practice lines for an upcoming performance. Live entertainment can be found throughout Rocky Mount.

Kroncke, executive director of the Nash Arts Council. “We hold performances of various local artists and are a local scene for community singers and songwriters.”

Another popular spot to catch a show is the Rocky Mount Performing Arts Center. The center opened in 2005 as part of the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences, which also includes the Children’s Museum. The building may be new, but the organization has been in existence for 40 years, says Felicia Murphy, secretary for the arts center.

“Before the flood here in 1999, we were located in an old building we affectionately called ‘the tank,’ ” Murphy says. “We moved to South Church Street then, as a temporary location. The Children’s Museum was located with us on South Church. When we moved to our new location, we took the museum with us.”

The 303-seat performing arts center showcases community theater, including comedies, dramas, musicals and children’s theater. There are film ROCK Y MOUNT

showings for all ages and an annual Christmas chorus.

Another premier performing arts venue is Keihin Auditorium at Edgecombe Community College in neighboring Tarboro, NC. With 1,020 permanent seats, the auditorium is an ideal place to enjoy quality sound, says campus Cultural Arts Director Eric Greene.

Keihin offers eight to 10 performances annually and is often booked for national touring productions and regional performances, including concerts by the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra.

The Dunn Center for the Performing Arts on the Wesleyan College campus is another place audiences will find a variety of entertainment options. Along with Ricky Skaggs and a Beatles tribute concert, the Dunn Center stage has welcomed Garth Brooks, the Golden Dragon Acrobats and “Almost Heaven,” a production of John Denver songs.

“We hold Broadway productions to bluegrass to good old gospel music,” said Shelia Martin, executive director of the Dunn Center.

The Dunn Center, which opened in 1996, also is home to the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, as well as the North Carolina Wesleyan Players. The main auditorium has a capacity for 1,202. It also contains the Mims Gallery and the Carlton Board Room.

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Apexof Education AREA WORKFORCE RISES TO THE CHALLENGE WITH HELP FROM HIGHER EDUCATION

STORY BY BRIDGET HUCKABEE PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO

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ore than a half-century ago, Rocky Mount leaders identified higher education as the key to developing the local economy.

So, in partnership with the United Methodist Church, the community opened North Carolina Wesleyan College, where high school graduates can still find topnotch educational opportunities.

Today, higher education is on tap at four separate colleges and universities in the Rocky Mount area, giving students choices that range from a liberal arts curriculum in a traditional academic setting to job-specific training programs offered online or in night classes.

North Carolina Wesleyan College has 900 traditional students on campus and another 1,300 enrolled in evening classes at satellite sites. During the past 10 years, a strong adult evening degree program has developed in the Raleigh-Durham area, Goldsboro and in Rocky Mount.

With sustained leadership and support from the Rocky Mount community, the college has developed and managed its offerings to include a mix of pure liberal arts and sciences coursework and vocational degrees.

Nash Community College opened its doors in 1967, giving students the chance to study in a wide range of fields from accounting to truck-driver training. Today the college offers 68 degree, diploma and certificate programs, as well as a selection of continuing education and 22

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professional development courses.

“It is estimated that America will need to double its college-educated workforce to remain competitive in a global economy,” says Nash Community College President Dr. William S. Carver.

“Over the years, the college has prided itself on hiring committed faculty who provide inspiration and expertise that have enabled our students to meet their personal, educational and professional goals.”

Advisory committees with input from community leaders and local employers have helped Nash Community College remain responsive to local workforce and educational needs, Carver says.

Edgecombe Community College started in one small building in 1968 and then expanded to include campuses in Tarboro and Rocky Mount. Steady enrollment increases have characterized the college’s almost 40-year history. In 2006, some 9,500 individuals chose Edgecombe Community College for their educational and training needs.

“Our customized industry training

programs are designed around the local needs of our industries,” says Dan Grimsley, dean of workforce development at the college. “Edgecombe Community College is called upon to offer high-level programs, such as Six Sigma certifications and other internationally recognized programs. Learning never ends and, hopefully, Edgecombe Community College is the catalyst and venue to assist students in meeting the workforce needs.”

A fourth option for students is the College of Adult and Professional Education. This branch of Shaw University, which was founded in Raleigh in 1865, is one of nine in North Carolina. The CAPE program is geared toward helping working adults obtain their undergraduate degrees.

“We have 110 students, and our faculty understands that most of them have families and jobs,” says Dr. Marcellina Offoha, president of the Rocky Mount branch. “They take this into consideration by working around students’ schedules. We also give up to 27 hours of credit for life experience.”

Through these four institutions of higher education, post-high-school students in Rocky Mount, Nash and Edgecombe counties are offered the opportunity to boost their job-market potential in a way that fits their lifestyles – whether that’s taking classes in the evening, studying online, enrolling in independent study or enjoying the benefits of a traditional college experience.

Nash Community College in Rocky Mount Above: Edgecombe Community College Left: North Carolina Wesleyan College

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Portfolio

Planning for Excellence WILLIAMSBURG-STYLE COMMUNITY TO INCLUDE TENNIS, GOLF AND MORE

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Williamsburg in Virginia.

Land sales began here in the spring of 2005. Two new model homes, featuring the Colonial Williamsburg design, opened in April 2007.

“There are 93 existing homes, some of which were already here when we began the development, and they opted

in,” says Diane Clarcq, assistant sales manager for the development. “The reception to what we are doing here has been very warm, and I think it is due to the fact that we are trying to be a good fit with the community and the natural settings.”

While much of the project is still under development, the amenities being planned at Ford’s Colony are extensive. Central to the community is the 83-acre Belmont Lake, which offers fishing opportunities and will become the focal point for surrounding walking trails and a wildlife preserve. An Olympic-size pool will feature zeroentry access, and a fitness center is also planned.

The seven outdoor tennis courts and two indoor courts have already been built. Additional plans call for a 16,000-square-foot clubhouse that will accommodate two dining rooms and a golf pro shop.

A David Johnson-designed 18-hole golf course will ultimately anchor the development. The course is slated to open for play this fall. Presently, there is a temporary golf pavilion and visitor center that will provide basic services until the completion of the clubhouse.

The social membership is part of the property purchase and provides access to all amenities, present and future.

Memberships will also be available for purchase by residents living outside the development.

“I think that the success of the Ford’s Colony at Williamsburg is a great map for us to follow here,” Clarcq says.

“Personally, I think we will have a positive impact here in the area. This type of development gives one a sense of pride in the area and makes you want to continually improve.”

For more information on Ford’s Colony, contact the marketing department at (800) 253-6933 or visit the Web site at www.fordscolony.com.

IAN CURCIO

ord’s Colony Rocky Mount brings an upscale environment to its masterplanned community while staying in touch with the natural surroundings that make the area so unique.

Homes are in the $300,000s and up in the Rocky Mount community, a sister development to Ford’s Colony

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The championship golf course will open in the fall of 2007.

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Faith-Based Schools Offer Choice

IAN CURCIO

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help

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wo schools in the Rocky Mount Area provide a faith-based education to students while maintaining a focus on academic excellence.

“Academic excellence is something that is very important to us,” says Principal William Pettus of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School. “We keep a smaller class size, and I believe that is the reason our students do well.

When they leave here, they are welldisciplined with their study habits and are usually ready to go on into advanced classes when they enter middle school.”

Such excellence is appreciated by non-Catholic families, as well.

“We teach Christian values that everyone can appreciate,” Pettus says.

“We try to teach students to have respect for each other and to have a sense of responsibility for themselves as well as others.”

There were about 100 students enrolled at Our Lady of Perpetual Help for the 2006-07 school year. The school has seven full-time instructors on staff.

Another Rocky Mount institution offering strong academics with a religious foundation is Faith Christian School. The non-denominational collegeprep academy was founded 15 years ago.

“We really try to achieve excellence in education – 80 percent of our graduates from last year went on to college – and we try to give them that education with the foundation of a biblical world view,” says Keith Griffin, headmaster at Faith Christian. “We could be called a Protestant evangelical school.

“Our students have been appreciative of this type of education as they move on out into society.”

The school serves almost 300 students in nursery school through grade 12.

“Many of our graduates stay in touch with us,” Griffin says. “And we are starting to see the next generation come through whose parents attended here.

That kind of thing is felt in the community as a whole, when you have graduates with an excellent education and strong faith. It’s a positive thing.”

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Portfolio

hether you are planning a business conference or corporate event, a banquet, reunion or wedding, Rocky Mount has the right space for your gathering.

A showpiece in the area is Rose Hill Conference Center, a former countryside estate built in the 1790s by the Boddie family of Rocky Mount. Now owned

by Mayo Boddie, a descendent of the original 1762 land-grant recipient, Rose Hill has been restored and sets the perfect scene for weddings and other events. A new 8,000-square-foot wing, known as Nathan Hall, was designed with business and conference facilities in mind. It includes a ballroom, professional kitchen and poolside patio.

Nathan Hall accommodates up to 450 guests and offers a host of business amenities at the site, which is known for Old South elegance. Swimming and clay shooting are offered on the grounds, and golf outings can be booked at the nearby Benvenue Country Club.

At the Gateway Convention Center, adjacent to the Holiday Inn on North Winstead Avenue, meeting planners can choose between three separate meeting spaces – or combine them all into one large space that can accommodate 500 for dinner.

“We stay very busy and have completely redone the center with new furniture, carpets, lights and wallpaper,” says Barbara Taylor, director of sales at the Gateway Convention Center.

Meanwhile, at Nash Community College, the Business and Industry Center and Brown Auditorium offer another set of options for meeting planners.

With 10,000 square feet, the auditorium can be broken up into five areas for simultaneous events or remain open

PHOTO COURTESY OF GERRY BRABHAM

Meet Me in Rocky Mount W

as one large meeting room.

“We enjoy being the host site for a variety of events,” says conference manager Faye Cahoon. “It gives us the opportunity to welcome out-of-town people to our community and project the positive image we are so proud of at

Nash Community College.”

Other venues for large gatherings in the area include the Dunn Center for Performing Arts at North Carolina Wesleyan College and the Keihin Auditorium at Edgecombe Community College in Tarboro.

The Gateway Centre provides services and accommodations that appeal to meeting planners.

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Portfolio include electronic medical records and a paperless office, and the fact that we have a customer service department that provides liaisons between the providers and the patients.”

The clinic, founded in 1982 by Dr. Richard Michal, provides care for patients ranging from pediatric to geriatric. There are now 12 doctors in the group.

“We provide the same quality of health care found in larger cities,” Bell says. “We offer state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, secure electronic prescriptions, a new bone density scanner, and we are developing an online Patient Portal.”

The Patient Portal will allow patients to ask a doctor health questions, access records and make appointments online, says Todd Barrack, information systems manager for the practice.

“It will be a unique resource that will be accessed through our Web site,” Barrack says. “The technology can make everything more convenient for patients and cut down on the possibility of human error.”

Despite all the emphasis on technology, a Christian theology remains at the heart of the practice, Bell adds.

“Dr. Michal originally started his practice because he was unable to pray with patients at other practices. It is a part of our care.”

Medical Center Is Tops in Technology

A

USB drive might be just as important as your insurance card at a future doctor visit.

The day is coming when you will bring not only an insurance card to the doctor’s office but also a small USB drive containing all your medical records for the doctor to review and update. This valuable information could then be carried with you in a purse or pocket in case a medical emergency

should arise.

This is just one scenario being developed at the Rocky Mount Family Medical Center, the largest group practice in the area.

“We are trying to make ourselves extremely useful and user-friendly,” says Amanda Bell, the practice’s customer service manager. “The two things that I think really set us apart are our technology services, which

You Can Count On Us to Keep You Warm …

Your Natural Gas and Electric Public Utility Provider

(252) 972-1270 utilities.rockymountnc.gov

PHOTOS BY IAN CURCIO

So You Can Focus On More Important Things

Rocky Mount Family Medical Center uses the latest technology.

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I M AG E S R O C K Y M O U N T. C O M

ROCK Y MOUNT

Business Is a Pet’s Best Friend W

hen Susan Baker bought a petsitting business from a friend 13 years ago, she saw it as an inviting escape from a computer-filled corporate world.

Now her job is her way of life – and a booming business of its own.

Baker provides the Rocky Mount area with a unique, award-winning inhome pet-sitting service through her company, Pet’s Best Friend.

“It is an alternative to boarding kennels and gives the animals that personal touch,” Baker says. “The primary focus is at the home where the pet is comfortable. We will come to the home for a consultation and meet the pet, and then when the owner is gone, we’ll make as many visits to the home as necessary – sometimes up to four visits in a day.”

Not only does the service provide the pet with care in the security of its own home, it gives the owner peace of mind.

“That’s really what we offer: peace of mind,” says Baker. “You don’t have to worry about how your pet is interacting with other animals or if it needs medical attention. And you also get the added security of crime deterrence with our presence. We’ve had instances where we have noticed the heat being out or the refrigerator being out and have been able to take care of those kinds of things for our clients.”

Pet’s Best Friend recently added a professional pet grooming service and salon with a pet boutique on Zebulon Road. The newly renovated salon boasts state-of-the-art grooming technology, and offers a pet taxi service to help ease any transportation burdens. The boutique carries leading brands of collars and leashes, bowls, novelties, grooming supplies, and flea control products.

“I love this job,” Baker says. “You can wake up in the morning with the weight of the world on your shoulders, and then you get a big lick in the face, and all your worries disappear.”

–Stories by Warren Denney

Making Sense of Insurance

Business Employee Benefits Home • Auto • Life Serving North Carolina Since 1924

Susan Baker cares for animals at her business, Pet’s Best Friend.

ROCK Y MOUNT

128 N. Franklin St. Rocky Mount, NC 27802 (252) 446-7188 www.mshins.com

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Business | Rocky Mount

The

Comeback Kid HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND RENOVATIONS BRING DOWNTOWN ROCKY MOUNT BACK TO LIFE

STORY BY CRISTAL CODY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN CURCIO

D

owntown Rocky Mount, like many of America’s small urban centers, was an overlooked asset for much of the last three decades.

Investors bypassed the heart of the city in search of greener pastures in the suburbs and more rural areas of town.

But today, downtown projects are the

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talk of Rocky Mount, as revitalization efforts push forward two projects that will change how the city looks.

“Downtown is the heart of your city. It’s your living room, and if you have guests over, you want your living room to look nice,” says Michael Cook, owner of Tyson’s Upholstery on Main Street and president of the Downtown

Merchants Association.

The city’s downtown got a big makeover with the creation of the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences on the north end of town and renovation of the historic train station on the south.

“The idea is to fill Main Street in between those two anchors, but it needs to be done primarily with private

ROCK Y MOUNT

money,” says Ian Kipp, downtown development manager for Rocky Mount.

Other buildings, such as the fivestory Peoples Bank building that had been vacant since the late 1980s, also have been brought back to life.

The downtown’s comeback is being made possible through the combined efforts of the city, private investors and groups such as the Self-Help Ventures Fund, which restored the Peoples Bank and the former post office buildings.

Downtown activity is probably at the “highest peak it’s been in a long time,” Cook says.

About 50 businesses, including new rest aurants and offices, operate downtown.

An average of 10,000 more people annually are visiting Rocky Mount because of the Imperial Centre, says Ian Kipp, downtown development manager for Rocky Mount. The city has been named to host the North Carolina Main Street Conference in January 2008 at the Imperial Centre. The conference has typically taken place in communities such as Salisbury and Morgantown that have completed major renovations of their downtowns, although Rocky Mount’s renaissance is considered still a work in progress.

“We’re at a different stage of downtown revitalization, but the fact they’re coming here is a huge vote of confidence for Rocky Mount,” Kipp says. “We hope in 10 years every building will be renovated and have mixed uses, with people living upstairs, and vibrant retail in the downstairs. We know there’s not going to be a JCPenney and Belk’s back into the downtown area because of parking, but we plan to have a unique downtown with small shops, restaurants and art galleries.”

The Douglas Block Redevelopment Plan, an estimated $20 million project, will create commercial and residential neighborhoods in an area that was once the African-American cultural and commercial hub of Rocky Mount.

The city plans to break ground in 2008 for the first phase, renovating the ROCK Y MOUNT

Interior of Imperial Centre Left: A top-to-bottom renovation brought the historic People’s Bank building into the 21st century.

block’s commercial buildings. Residential development along Albemarle Avenue will follow in the second phase.

The city is acquiring the property through grants and investors and is seeking a partner to develop the land.

Rocky Mount’s downtown will be getting new sidewalks, park benches, streetlights and more as part of another major project that will also improve traffic patterns for motorists and pedestrians.

The renovations and push for even more investments shows just how far Rocky Mount has rebounded since the 1999 flood that destroyed 25 percent of the city’s buildings.

“The city of Rocky Mount turned a corner in 2005 and shook off the cobwebs of that disaster and began to make some economic strides,” Kipp says. “That was the beginning of private investment in an area where there was very little investment over the last number of years.”

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Business | Biz Briefs

IAN CURCIO

The company provides a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of heartburn and GERD that treats the patient as a whole, not just the symptoms.

“This disease is underappreciated,” Dengler says. “Many people view GERD just as a nuisance and don’t seek medical care. And in those who do, we see a tremendous inconsistency in treatment.

Our heartburn centers provide a single, seamless, patient-friendly disease management program for our patients.”

Special occasions call for hand-made jewelry from Wade Designs Jewelry.

WHERE CUSTOMERS ARE LIKE GOLD Jewelry lovers who want a handengraved piece of art rather than a run-of-the-mill bracelet or ring don’t have to look far. John and Rita Wade have quite a selection at their store, Wade Designs Jewelry, in Rocky Mount.

John Wade, a goldsmith for 30 years, is the creative force behind the jewelry. His wife, Rita, the Chamber of Commerce’s 2006 Small Business Woman of the Year, provides the business know-how. The company, which opened in 2005, saw its sales rise 67 percent in 2006.

Wade Designs Jewelry, on Zebulon Road, is a full-service jewelry store, but John Wade’s original hand-engraved jewelry is the biggest draw. Some of the more popular pieces are rings with colored stones, such as honey or blue zircon, and a sterling silver cuff bracelet that is engraved with scrollwork.

“It looks like it’s covered in diamonds when I’m done,” he says.

Customer service is important to the 32

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Wades. “The only way to stay in business is to know how to attract and keep your customers, by serving them in every way we can,” Rita Wade says. “Your customer service has to be not just good, but unbelievable.”

HEART TREATMENT GOES DOWN EASY Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD, and its most common symptom, heartburn, affect about 35 percent of the general population.

With that statistic in hand and the knowledge that the treatment is often fragmented and inconsistent, a Rocky Mount physician established the first heartburn treatment facility in the country, the Rocky Mount Heartburn Center, in 1997. When that facility started drawing patients from other states, Dr. William Dengler took the concept nationwide, founding Legato Medical Systems and establishing a group of centers in 27 hospitals in 13 states that are “one-stop shops” for the treatment of GERD.

A TOAST TO COOL CUPS The idea started out in 2003 as an original Christmas gift to friends.

Cammy Hodges had “Reindeer fuel” printed on simple Styrofoam cups and gave them to friends, along with one pound of coffee and a bottle of Kahlua liqueur.

When several placed orders for more, she realized she was on to something.

The result: a thriving Rocky Mount business, CoolCupsandStuff, which has made the plain white Styrofoam cup a thing of the past.

Sold in stores across the country, a set of 20 Cool Cups sells for about $12; 10 reusable cups cost $14.

Hodges, and her husband, Fred, started the business with about five designs and a $400 investment. The company now has four full-time employees and about 500 different designs, including “Weekend Waterford” and “WWW” (Women Who Wine). The business took in firstyear sales of $125,000. Sales for 2006 reached $700,000. This year, the company will add napkins and a line of cups for children.

“It’s exciting,” Cammy Hughes says.

“It isn’t what we had planned, just a side business for making some extra money.

I never dreamed it would turn into this.”

A BLOOMING BUSINESS Michael O’Brien’s grandfather used a portion of his vegetable garden to grow flowers for his wife. Today, with slightly more garden space, O’Brien is continuing the tradition of spreading joy with freshly cut flowers.

He and his wife, Daphne, have operated Fishing Creek Flower Farm for the past 14 years. A seasonal outdoor farm, Fishing Creek specializes in fresh flowers ranging from daffodils in March ROCK Y MOUNT

to 11-color zinnias in mid-July. The flowers are grown from 50,000 bulbs planted on 14 acres of land. As soon as one crop is cut, another is planted.

The owners offer a weekly home or office subscription delivery of unarranged flowers to about 100 customers.

“It’s kind of a cross between Santa and the milkman coming every week,” Michael O’Brien says. “We deliver unarranged, unadorned flowers in vases and buckets people leave on their doorstep for us. All you get are the flowers, the rubber band that holds the stems together and a couple of packets of flower food.”

Next on tap for the O’Briens is a companion f lower service called FloraCarolina that will offer North Carolina greenhouse-grown f lowers year-round.

“What flowers Fishing Creek Flower Farm doesn’t have at certain times of the year, FloraCarolina will,” O’Brien says.

BUSINESS CARDS AND MORE Lane Weatherly and his Uncle George started their company, Eagle Press, in 1989 with one employee, one press and one product – printed business cards.

Quickly earning a reputation as an innovative printing company, Eagle Press kept its focus on business cards for almost a decade, while quietly adding related stationery products such as personalized letterhead, memo pads, note cards and address labels.

Today, the company specializes in stationary packages for customers who sign one- to three-year contracts.

Eagle Press has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. In 2000, Weatherly, now CEO, added a second shift to the company’s operation and an online ordering division, as well.

In 2006, the company relocated its operations and its 65 employees to a new plant and purchased a well-known Oregon competitor. With more than 25 presses, the company now serves customers efficiently coast to coast.

Eagle Press had $65,000 worth of business in 1989 and is working toward a goal of $6.5 million in sales for 2007.

“We did only business cards for a long time, then with the Internet, added other products. We’re always looking at new things, new ideas,” Weatherly says.

– Nancy Humphrey ROCK Y MOUNT

Lane Weatherly, president and CEO of Eagle Press, and Tim Shea, executive vice president, are steering the company through its growth phase.

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33

Business | Chamber Report

Taking Care of Business THE ROCKY MOUNT AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS A FULL PLATE THIS YEAR

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on improved educational opportunities that will lead to greater workforce preparedness.

Along with its recently released Celebrate Rocky Mount logo, the Chamber has many new activities on its agenda this year. Quarterly dinner meetings will address the needs of the industrial community, and a series of Chamber Café breakfast meetings will solicit feedback from chamber members. The chamber leadership also hopes to initiate focus-group meetings for small businesses, not just chamber members, to gain perspective on how the chamber

can help the entire business community.

Also in the works is a revamped newsletter and Web site that will include a community calendar. Other events, such as the State of the Community Forum, the Annual Business Expo, the Fall Outing and the Chairman’s Ball, round out a busy schedule for the coming year.

– Kimberly Daly

New businesses, such as this Sam’s Club, signal an era of revitalization in Rocky Mount.

IAN CURCIO

T

here’s a lot of business activity in Rocky Mount these days, so it’s only natural that the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce is staying busy, too.

Chamber Chairman Russell Proctor outlines a long list of activities going on at the organization, from increased educational opportunities to programs that enhance relations between law enforcement and other governmental agencies.

The wide variety of programming, however, is undertaken with a common goal: to sustain and even improve the excellent quality of life Rocky Mount is known for.

The Chamber’s annual planning retreat focused on the theme, “Are You Ready to Take Our Chamber and Business Community to the Next Level?”

This year, leaders and members have found many ways to do just that.

“I think there are three areas of focus: quality of life, economic development and education,” Proctor says.

“We had a very successful year in 2006 under the leadership of David Farris. My mantra is to try to build on that and take the Chamber to an even higher level.”

New businesses popping up in Rocky Mount reflect this high level of economic energy. Retail development is growing – from new restaurants and hotel space to new tenants at Golden East Mall and ongoing development in the downtown area. Perhaps the signature example of revitalization is the new Sam’s Club on the former site of Tarrytown Mall. And the Imperial Centre, once a tobacco warehouse, is now home to an arts center, children’s museum and planetarium downtown.

But it’s not just new investments that have the Chamber’s attention. In fact, Proctor quotes a statistic he once heard that really got his attention: Nearly 70 percent of new jobs are created by existing businesses.

“I want to make sure we keep what we’ve got and help them grow,” the chairman says. To accomplish this, the Chamber is working to engage industrial partners at a higher level and to focus

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Business | Economic Profile

ROCKY MOUNT BUSINESS CLIMATE A diverse mix of manufacturing, retail and services forms the foundation of the Rocky Mount area’s growing economy.

County Governments

Utilities Sales A 3% state use tax applies to sales of local telephone service, electricity and piped natural gas. Intrastate toll and private telecommunications services are taxed at 6.5%.

Airports Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport (252) 446-7057

Nash and Edgecombe counties have a commission/ manager form of government, each with seven partisan commissioners serving fouryear terms. All seven are elected from districts and serve four-year terms. The respective commissioners elect the chairman.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport, (919) 840-2123

TAXES

TRANSPORTATION

Highways Rocky Mount is just off Interstate 95 at the intersection with U.S. 64.

Property Property taxes/$100 value Edgecombe County, .94 Nash County, .70

Rail Amtrak, (800) USA-RAIL

City of Rocky Mount, .55 General Retail Sales

DISTANCE TO MAJOR CITIES Asheville, N.C., 305 miles Charlotte, N.C., 199 miles Greensboro, N.C., 123 miles Raleigh, N.C., 53 miles Wilmington, N.C., 133 miles Atlanta, 470 miles Boston, 675 miles Chicago, 870 miles Detroit, 723 miles

LOCAL GOVERNMENT City Government Rocky Mount has a council/ manager form of government with seven nonpartisan council members. All seven are elected from wards.

The mayor is elected at large.

Council members and the mayor serve four-year terms.

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Personal Property Personal property must be listed with the county and is taxed the same as real estate.

Personal property that must be listed includes mobile homes, trailers, boats, motors and farm machinery.

Retailers, wholesalers and manufactures’ inventories held exclusively for sale are exempt from property taxes.

Ad valorem taxes are assessed per $100 of valuation.

North Carolina levies a 4.5% general retail sales tax and 2.5% for Edgecombe and Nash counties. This tax applies to retail sales excluding purchases of prescription medicines, dentures, eyeglasses and those cases outlined below.

The total sales tax on food was reduced to 4 percent in 1998.

Corporate Income Tax

Manufacturer’s Purchases

April, $4,053,929

Purchases of the following items by manufacturers are taxable at the rate of 1%; coal and fuel oil used in manufacturing, manufacturing machinery and equipment, and parts and accessories to manufacturing machinery.

The maximum tax on a single article of machinery or equipment is $80.00. Raw materials, containers, labels, packaging and shipping materials and motor vehicles are exempt from sales tax.

May, $3,587,738

The North Carolina corporate income tax is based on federal taxable income.

GROSS COLLECTIONS ROCKY MOUNT MSA 2005 January, $4,884,068 February, $2,999,715 March, $3,441,600

June, $4,258,905 July, $4,279,624 August, $3,864,048 September, $4,038,006 October, $3,512,512 November, $4,318,565 December, $3,155,356 Total To Date, $46,389,066 Source: NC Dept. of Revenue

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Business | Economic Profile

WAGE RATES Professional & Tech

Entry Wage

Avg. Wage

Accountants & auditors

$13.83

$22.75

Civil engineers, incl. traffic

$20.65

$26.31

Computer programmers

$13.85

$20.64

Computer support specialists

$10.54

$16.31

Loan officers

$10.55

$15.05

Mechanical engineers

$18.04

$28.31

Paralegal personnel

$11.38

$14.94

Physical therapists

$24.05

$29.50

Surgeons

$63.31

$67.77

Entry Wage

Avg. Wage

Administrative services managers

$13.51

$21.57

Construction managers

$15.70

$24.92

Financial managers

$19.89

$32.76

Food service & lodging managers

$10.55

$16.55

General and operations managers

$15.33

$31.42

Purchasing managers

$11.41

$22.58

Real estate managers and admin.

$11.36

$22.19

Entry Wage

Avg. Wage

$7.81

$8.83

Carpenters

$8.38

$11.41

Driver/sales workers

$8.65

$11.07

Helpers, installation, maintenance, repairs

$9.43

$14.61

Machinists

$9.14

$14.15

Precision fitters

$12.88

$13.58

Press machine operators/metal/plastic

$10.41

$12.28

Supv. production & operating workers

$8.73

$15.55

Management & Administration

Production, Construction & Maintenance Assemb. & fab. exe. mach. elect

Material Handling

Entry Wage

Avg. Wage

Freight stock & material movers

$6.93

$9.40

Industrial truck operators

$8.62

$11.38

Packaging machine operators

$6.70

$10.21

Entry Wage

Avg. Wage

Metal Fabricators

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Sheet metal workers

$12.54

$14.47

Production inspectors

$12.28

$19.02

Welders & cutters

$10.75

$13.55

I M AG E S R O C K Y M O U N T. C O M

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WAGE RATES CONTINUED Administrative

Entry Wage

Avg. Wage

Bill & account collectors

$8.65

$11.40

Bookkeeping, accounting clerks

$8.69

$12.20

General office clerks

$7.62

$10.84

Order fillers

$6.78

$9.18

Receptionists

$7.62

$9.62

Secretaries

$8.13

$11.40

$8.39

$10.92

Stock clerks

$6.78

$9.18

Data entry keyers

$6.96

$9.13

First line supervisors, clerical

$11.40

$17.40

Shipping, receiving clerks

Source: North Carolina Employment Security Commission

BUSINESS POINTS Qualifying new businesses can take advantage of a number of local incentives, including funds for training, worker relocation and land cost reduction.

Edgecombe and Nash community colleges offer customized training for companies with 12 or more employees when they relocate or expand in the Rocky Mount area.

Manufacturing is the largest segment of Rocky Mount’s workforce, followed by retail and services.

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LABOR FORCE The Rocky Mount metropolitan statistical area’s labor force stood at 68,958 in 2004.

FINANCE/ INSURANCE/ REAL ESTATE 2% GOVERNMENT 8%

COMMUNICATION/ TECHNOLOGY 2% AGRICULTURE/MINING 1%

MANUFACTURING 23%

EDUCATION 9%

HEALTHCARE 11% RETAIL 18% CONSTRUCTION 11% SERVICES 15%

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37

Business | Economic Profile MAJOR EMPLOYERS Company

Classification

Nash County-Rocky Mount Schools

Education

Employees 2,500

Hospira

Pharmaceuticals

2,300

Nash Health Care Systems

Health care

1,800

Consolidated Diesel Co.

Diesel engines

1,350

RBC Centura

Financial institutions

1,250

Edgecombe County Schools

Education

1,100

Embarq

Communications

1,100

QVC

Distribution

1,000

Universal Leaf North America

Tobacco processing

1,000

City of Rocky Mount

Local government

850

Sara Lee Bakery

Bakery products

800

West Corp.

Call center

800

Kaba Ilco

Locks, hardware

575

McLane Carolina

Distribution

575

Keihin Carolina System Technology Inc.

Auto parts manufacturer

525

Covalence Plastics

Trash bags

500

Air System Components

Industrial venting equipment

450

Boice-Willis Clinic

Health care

400

Heritage Hospital

Health-care services

380

Barcalounger Co.

Motion furniture

300

Cavalier Home Builders, LLC

Manufactured homes

300

Honeywell

Aircraft fuel controls

350

Fawn Industries Inc.

Injection molding

350

Tietex

Textiles

350

CSX Transportation

Rail transportation

300

Superior Essex

Communications wire and cable

300

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I M AG E S R O C K Y M O U N T. C O M

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ROCK Y MOUNT

Among the area’s leading products are pharmaceuticals, diesel engines and bakery items.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

INCOME (2000 CENSUS) Estimated Household Income Total households 54,036

Estimated Family Income Total families 38,877

Less than $10,000

13.6%

Less than $10,000

8.1%

$10,000 to $14,999

7.9%

$10,000 to $14,999

6.2%

$15,000 to $24,999

14.8%

$15,000 to $24,999

13.3%

$25,000 to $34,999

13.9%

$25,000 to $34,999

14.2%

$35,000 to $49,999

17.6%

$35,000 to $49,999

18.8%

$50,000 to $74,999

18.1%

$50,000 to $74,999

21.7%

$75,000 to $99,999

7.4%

$75,000 to $99,999

9.4%

$100,000 to $149,999 4.4%

$100,000 to $149,999

5.7%

$150,000 to $199,999

1.1%

$150,000 to $199,999

1.4%

$200,000 or more

1.1%

$200,000+

1.4%

Median household income $34,795

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Median family income $41,102

Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 392 100 Coast Line St. Rocky Mount, NC 27802 Phone: (252) 446-0323 Fax: (252) 446-5103 www.rockymountchamber.org Nash County Visitors Bureau 107 Gateway Blvd.

Rocky Mount, NC 27804 (252) 972-5080 (800) 849-6825 Fax: (252) 972-5090 www.rockymounttravel.com

Sources: www.census.gov, www.ci.rocky-mount.nc.us, www.rockymountchamber.org, www.rockymounttravel.com

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39

Education

Jump-Starting the Future AREA SCHOOLS ARE SHAPING PROGRAMS THAT IMPACT STUDENTS AND THE LOCAL ECONOMY

S

IAN CURCIO

ome of the scholars attending classes at Nash Community College are much younger than typical college freshmen.

That’s because students in grades nine through 12 can now study there as part of a Nash-Rocky Mount Schools program that puts high school students on a fast track to college degrees.

Nash Community College campus is home to Nash-Rocky Mount Early College High School, founded five years ago to provide an opportunity for students to earn up to two years of college credit or an associates degree while still in high school. The program is growing in popularity, with more than 190 students applying for fall enrollment. Flexible class scheduling and the potential to earn tuition-free college credit are seen by students and their families as key Early College advantages.

The school’s principal, Fay Agar, says the success of the program is due in large part to a strong partnership between Nash-Rocky Mount Schools and Nash Community College.

“The idea is to make college more accessible to a wider range of students,” Agar says. “This concept is very cuttingedge and demonstrates the commitment of this school system to putting innovative programs in place and recognizing that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to education.”

Early College is one of many innovative offerings at the Nash-Rocky Mount school system designed to prepare students for post-secondary success. Its youth apprenticeship program is the largest in the state and serves as a model for other

Nash Community College is home to Early College, which allows students to earn college credit in high school.

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programs around the country. Five specialized academies also have been developed, with local business and industry partners in mind. The academies accommodate a diverse array of interests while providing a core technical education.

The program allows students to enter the workplace with certifications in a variety of fields.

Next door, in Edgecombe County, a similarly progressive approach to education is under way. Edgecombe County Schools offer several programs to help students become more successful in school and as members of the workforce following graduation.

“As a relatively small district of 16 schools and about 8,000 students, we can focus on individual needs,” says Edgecombe County Schools Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon. “We understand that today’s children will function in a world that is advancing very quickly, and we are preparing them for the future.”

A special freshman academy was designed to nurture ninth-graders and help the youngest high school students make a smooth transition from middle school to the next level, where they can take advantage of expanded honors and advanced placement course offerings, as well as unique career-based academy programs.

“We are committed to academic achievement for all children,” Witherspoon says. “We provide advancement for those who are up to the challenge, but we also provide extra assistance for students who have those needs.”

Witherspoon says the district is also proud of its 3:1 student-to-computer ratio and a recent $1.3 million IMPACT model school grant to expand cutting-edge instructional technology resources at West Edgecombe Middle School.

There is a smaller school in the area that is making big waves in the segment of college-bound students. Rocky Mount Academy, the largest independent school in the Twin Counties, serves students from PK-12th grade. The 35-member Class of 2007 reflects the strength of the school with its $730,000 in merit scholarships, including a Park Scholarship to NC State and a Poteat Scholarship to Wake Forest University. RMA parents and students define the school as “challenging, safe, fun, nurturing, and friendly.” RMA is challenging through its rigorous academic program that includes a world language/ cultures program in Lower School, 11 AP courses in high school, and a focus on reading and writing across the curriculum in all grades. Complementing the traditional academic program are off-campus and experiential learning opportunities, such as class trips to Washington, Williamsburg, and New York City. Visiting presenters, including Camp Flintlock and famous authors, add to the RMA experience.

“By virtue of our size, our outstanding faculty and curriculum, and our ability to adapt easily to the needs of our students, RMA gives its students the skills and abilities necessary to live successfully in a changing world,” RMA Headmaster Thomas R. Stevens says.

– Valerie Pascoe ROCK Y MOUNT

School Offers All-Around Excellence

Contributing the independent school option to the area’s education community

GROWTH BRINGS NEW CLASSROOMS

T

he morning bell signals another day of academic challenges – along with the promise of future success – for the 1,000 students attending classes at Rocky Mount Preparatory School.

The school’s growing and diverse enrollment, which includes students from five counties, makes Rocky Mount Prep one of the largest charter schools in North Carolina, says Headmaster Michael Pratt.

“Many people think of a charter school as a smaller school with a limited mission, but this is a full-fledged college prep, K-12 school where we’re preparing kids for success in college, careers and life,” says Pratt, who came on board two years ago.

Prior to his Rocky Mount appointment, Pratt served as headmaster of five different independent schools during a 40-year career in education.

Along with overseeing Rocky Mount Preparatory School’s elementary, middle and high school programs, Pratt teaches a philosophy course for seniors.

The school campus, just behind North Carolina Wesleyan College, features a $5.3 million, 92,000-square-foot facility, and expansion plans are in the works. The school will add six classrooms next year due to the steadily increasing enrollment numbers, Pratt says.

“We’re growing exponentially, in large part due to the fact that the students and parents trust in what we’re doing,” the headmaster says. “The growing number of students also makes for a very positive social component.

– Valerie Pascoe

ROCK Y MOUNT

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Education

Investing in Children DISCOVERING FUN

W

hen Discovery Play Park opens in downtown Rocky Mount next year, families will have yet another resource for enriching the lives of children.

Still in the planning stages, the new 2.5-acre public park is expected to feature an amphitheater for storytelling, gardens and interactive exhibits developed in conjunction with the Rocky Mount Children’s Museum.

Discovery Play Park is a project of the Down East Partnership for Children, a nonprofit organization that offers specialized programs and services for children, families and child-care providers in Nash and Edgecombe counties.

The partnership also provides more than $5 million in funding, technical assistance and program support to other agencies in the community that serve children, says Henrietta Zalkind, the group’s executive director.

“We’re building out a system to be sure kids are ready for school, and they’re healthy and successful once they get there,” Zalkind says.

The partnership serves as a comprehensive resource for families, including training in parenting skills and a daycare referral service. It also provides day care scholarships for local families.

In 2003, a W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant was awarded to help implement the Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids initiative.

As part of this grant, the partnership offers support to elementary schools, principals, teachers and others.

– Valerie Pascoe

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ROCK Y MOUNT

Sports & Recreation

Sports Complex Takes Flight BALL FIELDS LIGHT UP FOR ATHLETES AND THE LOCAL ECONOMY

ROCK Y MOUNT

PHOTOS BY IAN CURCIO

B

aseballs and softballs are replacing the planes that once flew through the air at the former municipal airport in Rocky Mount.

The airport was decommissioned in 1981 after 60 years of service. Since that time, the land was largely unused – until the city of Rocky Mount acquired the property and began transforming it into a sports paradise. The city opened the Rocky Mount Sports Complex in November 2006.

The complex features 11 baseball and softball fields – including six for youth play – four multipurpose fields, and one championship diamond in two circular hubs. At the center of each hub are concession buildings, with rooms for offices and umpire meeting rooms. Six hundred paved parking spaces provide ample room for vehicles.

Each field is based on state-of-the-art design and materials, with Lewisburg clay on the basepaths and genetically engineered grass for greater resistance to wear. All of the diamonds are lighted.

Monday through Thursday, baseball and softball leagues use the diamonds, with players ranging in age from 5 to 70.

The facility is dedicated to tournament play on weekends.

The $12 million athletic park will benefit the community on several fronts, says Ben Layton, director of the sports complex. Convenience is one factor. The complex puts all games in one location, rather than spreading them out on various diamonds throughout the community.

“It gives neighborhood ball fields back to the local residents,” Layton says. “Fathers and sons can go out and play catch.”

Consolidating league play in one location will also cut down on the wear and tear of neighborhood fields, he adds.

Future projects on the agenda for the sports complex include the addition of walking trails, picnic shelters and eight soccer fields, two of which will be lighted.

More than 30 tournaments involving eight nationally recognized leagues are scheduled in 2007.

“From March 10 through Nov. 11, there is some sort of tournament scheduled every single weekend,” Layton says.

Tournaments boost not only athletic activity but business activity as well.

Parents, grandparents and other family members typically

follow players to the community where tournaments take place.

“The sports complex will bring in whole families, filling up our hotels,” says Martha Lamm, executive director of the Nash County Visitors Bureau. Lamm says the tourism bureau will assist the parks and recreation department in marketing the complex as a tournament site.

– Dan Markham

The Rocky Mount Sports Complex was built on a former airfield. Above: The baseball diamonds are top-notch.

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Health & Wellness

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ROCK Y MOUNT

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Health & Wellness

IAN CURCIO

A Varian 21EX Linear Accelerator was installed at the Nash Health Care System’s cancer center.

Here’s to Your Health ROCKY MOUNT RESIDENTS HAVE MANY CHOICES FOR QUALITY CARE

H

ealth care is important to everyone – so much that recent studies show the majority of Americans consider health-care coverage as important as career considerations.

Fortunately, residents of Rocky Mount and the surrounding areas have a number of excellent providers from which to choose.

The network of the Nash Health Care System is second to none. The system features Nash General Hospital and its range of services from surgery to weight loss, the Nash Day Hospital with its cancer treatment center, the Bryant T. Aldridge Rehabilitation Hospital, the Coastal Plain Hospital

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specializing in psychiatric and psychological care, and the Emergency Care Center.

The 160-acre campus is home to all of these facilities. The campus is one mile east of Interstate 95 adjacent to Highway 64. The system is the county’s second-largest employer, with 2,000 employees on its roster.

Nash Health Care strives to stay on the leading edge of medical technology, says President and CEO Rick Toomey.

“We invest heavily into the expansion of our services each year,” Toomey says. “We re-invest $15 to $20 million each year back into the system to improve and to stay ahead in technology and equipment. We spent $26 million for the new surgery pavilion in 2004. It’s an ongoing thing we have to do.”

One of the most recent and important investments was the purchase of a new Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy unit for the Nash Cancer Treatment Center. The unit provides a much more focused beam of radiation in tumor treatment and causes less damage to healthy cells.

“This puts us at the front of radiation therapy. Not just here; it is state of the art nationally,” Toomey says. “We are here to make an impact and be an asset to the community and beyond.”

In March 2007, Business North Carolina magazine named Nash Health Care System as one of the top 10 providers in the state for its track record of care in general surgery, stroke and orthopedics.

Outstanding care is also the rule at Boice-Willis Clinic, a network of seven medical offices, including a new clinic in the north corridor that serves the Belmont Village and Ford’s Colony area.

The clinics offer a broad range of services, from imaging to physical therapy, immediate care, endoscopy and laboratory services.

Established in 1913 by Drs. E.S. Boice and B.C. Willis, the clinic now has 66 providers and 400 employees. It is one of the largest multi-specialty practices in eastern North Carolina.

“We have tried to stay ahead with our services,” CEO Gary Fazio says. “We are constantly recruiting in our primary and specialized care areas. And most recently we have invested money into our areas of nuclear and diagnostic medicine, as well as into our new endoscopy suite.”

Other medical options for area residents include LifeCare Hospital and Heritage Hospital.

Heritage, which primarily serves Tarboro and surrounding communities in Edgecombe County, is a 127-bed acute care facility with a wide range of services and is a part of the network of University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina.

LifeCare Hospital of Rocky Mount specializes in patients that require extended stays of 25 days or more as a result of traumatic injury or illness. LifeCare has 50 beds and 39 physicians on staff.

– Warren Denney ROCK Y MOUNT

Lending Patients a Helping Hand TOP DOC OPENS SHOP

I

magine the complexity of the hand – its range and capabilities of movement are astonishing. Now imagine the myriad of injuries that can involve the hand, especially in farming communities.

Until recently, local residents had to travel a great distance to get top-flight treatment by hand specialists or to have joint-replacement surgery for severe arthritis.

Enter Dr. David Dalsimer, an orthopedic surgeon with the Carolina Regional Orthopedic group in Rocky Mount and Tarboro. Dalsimer is drawing national attention for his skill in repairing the hand. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and is also board certified in upper extremity, microvascular and hand surgery.

He came to Rocky Mount with great experience in shoulder, elbow and wrist repair.

“I came here from a very large practice in Chicago where I treated the worst of the worst in joint and hand injuries,” Dalsimer says.

“I wanted the chance to help build a practice and provide the time to do it — where I was needed. After some research, I found that there’s not a single surgeon like me here within 19 counties. It seemed like a place where I would be needed. I felt compelled to come here.”

Originally from Bryn-Mawr, Penn., near Philadelphia, Dalsimer trained in his specialty at the prestigious Kleinert Institute in Louisville, Kentucky.

He was a part of the team that performed the first hand transplant in 1996.

– Warren Denney

ROCK Y MOUNT

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ROCK Y MOUNT

Arts & Culture

Citizens Document ‘Our Town’ ARTS CENTER LOOKS AHEAD TO 50 MORE YEARS OF CULTURAL ENHANCEMENT

A

rea residents are being asked to go behind the camera lens to help Rocky Mount Arts Center celebrate its 50th anniversary.

More than 100 citizens will be given disposable cameras to document their hometown for a special exhibit slated for late 2007, says Catherine Coulter, curator for the Rocky Mount Arts Center galleries.

“The project is titled Public Perception: a Photo Journal,” Coulter says.

The photos will be exhibited in conjunction with the Rocky Mount Community Theatre production of “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, which runs throughout November 2007.

“We’re getting people from all different backgrounds and ages and from different parts of the community to participate,” Coulter says.

“We’ve gotten some good response from the public. There are groups, older adults and some children who want to be part of it.”

The citizen photographers are being asked to capture images that best reflect their hometown as they know it, Coulter says.

“They’ll be able to keep the camera for a while, so we expect to have some summer and some fall shots, too,” she says.

The photographs will be displayed around the city from October through December. Boddie-Noelle Enterprises, a sponsor of the project, will feature the

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photos in area restaurants owned by the company, such as Hardees and the Texas Steakhouse and Saloon. Representatives from City Hall and other public agencies also have expressed interest in showing the works, Coulter says.

Some of the shots will become part of a time capsule that the arts center is putting together to be opened in 2057.

Other objects included in the capsule will be the written observations and artistry of local residents on special cards created for the occasion. The inscribed cards will be displayed in late 2007, and several will be chosen for inclusion in the time capsule.

It’s particularly fitting that the public join in the center’s anniversary celebrations, because it was a group of private citizens who started the arts organization in a small house in 1957.

Today, the city of Rocky Mount operates the Arts Center, a Children’s Museum and Science Center and a Community Theatre at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences.

The arts center plays host to concerts throughout the year, as well as theater productions, and major art shows in sculpture, fine crafts and art.

The center offers about 45 adult classes every year, from drawing to Japanese embroidery. The center also operates about 40 youth programs throughout the year.

Art in a variety of styles, including

folk art and crafts, is available for viewing at the center. Those who want to bring art into their own homes will find plenty of choices inside the center’s Galleryshop, where the creations of many North Carolina artists are showcased.

The Galleryshop features works made from clay, wood, glass, metal jewelry and more.

– Cristal Cody

Pottery from King’s Pottery at The Galleryshop. Above: The Galleryshop, located in the Rocky Mount Arts Center, features work by North Carolina artists. PHOTOS BY IAN CURCIO

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ROCK Y MOUNT

Community Profile

ROCKY MOUNT SNAPSHOT With more than 40 parks and playgrounds, a host of eclectic shops, and a historic downtown in the midst of revitalization, Rocky Mount is a progressive, family-oriented community.

LIFE IN ROCKY MOUNT Spring and summer festivals feature toe-tapping music, regional cuisine (especially barbecue) and handmade crafts.

The Dunn Center for the Performing Arts at North Carolina Wesleyan College has been a catalyst for a cultural renaissance in the Rocky Mount area. It was joined in 2004 by Keihin Auditorium at Edgecombe Community College and The Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences in 2006.

MEDICAL FACILITIES

UTILITIES

Boice-Willis Immediate Care, 937-0300

Cable Suddenlink Communications, 443-1592

Coastal Plain Hospital 443-9500 Heritage Hospital 641-7700 LifeCare Hospital 451-2300 Nash Day Hospital 443-8915 Nash General Hospital 443-8000

Time Warner, 443-9227 Electricity City of Rocky Mount 972-1250 Progress Energy 438-1900 Natural Gas City of Rocky Mount, 972-1250

Nash Urgent Care 451-3411

Telephone Embarq, 977-9011

OIC Medical Center 446-3333

MEDIA

Rocky Mount Family Medical Center 443-3133

Newspapers

The News & Observer, daily (919) 829-4500

Average temperature 61.9 F

Sharpsburg Family Medical Center 446-5755

Average winter temperature 42.6 F

HOUSING COSTS

CLIMATE

Average summer temperature 82.3 F Annual average precipitation, 46 inches

Median value of owneroccupied housing units: $108,300 (year 2000)

The Rocky Mount Telegram, daily, 446-5161

The Nashville Graphic, semiweekly, 459-7101 Spring Hope Enterprise, weekly, 478-3651 Daily Southerner, daily 823-3106 THIS SECTION IS SPONSORED BY

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www.coeco.com • (252) 977-1150 • Since 1921 The area code for Rock y Mount is 252 .

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Community Profile Radio WRMT-AM WDWG-FM WPWZ-FM WZAX-FM

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School (pre-K-5), 972-1971 Rocky Mount Academy (grades K-12), 443-4126

WEED-AM WRSV-FM WZRU-FM Television WHIG WNCR WUNC-Public TV

EDUCATION Public Schools Edgecombe County Schools 641-2600, www.ecps.us Nash-Rocky Mount Schools 459-5220 www.nrms.k12.nc.us Independent Public Schools Rocky Mount Preparatory School, 443-9923 www.rockymountprep.org Post-Secondary Education Edgecombe Community College 446-0436 (Rocky Mount), 823-5166 (Tarboro) www.edgecombe.cc.nc.us Nash Community College 443-4011 www.nash.cc.nc.us North Carolina Wesleyan College, 985-5100 www.ncwc.edu Shaw University CAPE 442-8008 www.shawuniversity.edu Private Faith Christian School (grades 1-12), 443-1700 Falls Road Baptist Church School (grades K-12), 977-2401 Grace Christian School (grades 4-12) , 442-1857 Mount Zion Christian Academy (grades K-4), 446-6324

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PARKS AND FACILITIES Battle Park - This beautiful, natural 56.5- acre Park is located at Falls Road and Tar River. The park has a greenway, a boat landing, 3 picnic shelters, an overlook, playground equipment, 4 parking lots, 2 islands and a gazebo.

Booker T. Washington Community Center This facility is located at 727 Pennsylvania Avenue.

This center is open seven days a week and houses a gym, meeting rooms, computer lab and game room.

City Lake Park - Rocky Mount’s iconic 20-acre park is located on Sunset Avenue at the Tar River. The park includes a half-mile walkway, two fishing piers, island with gazebo and lighted fountain.

Historic Tree Park - This Park is located on Nashville Road at Harbor West. This serene park has trees propagated from parent trees that witnessed pivotal moments and influential individuals in the history of the United States.

Imperial Centre for The Arts and Sciences - This facility is located at 270 Gay Street. It features a Children’s Museum, the Cummins Planetarium, Art Center and Theatre.

Martin Luther King Jr. Park This 28- Acre Park is located on Leggett Road. It features the Martin Luther King Memorial, paths, benches, fields for walking or picnicking and two picnic shelters.

Rocky Mount Senior Center This facility is located at 427 S. Church Street. It features a library, billiards room, computer lab, pool, craft room, fitness center, walking track, dance studio, bike room and health center.

Rocky Mount Wilson Gym This .5-acre site, located on Hill Street and Arlington Street, houses the Athletic Division offices and features a gymnasium.

South Rocky Mount Community Center and Park This facility is located off Highway 97 West on Ravenwood Drive and Boone Street. This center is open seven days a week and houses a gym, kitchen, game room, two exercise rooms, arts and crafts room, TV room, and meeting rooms. The park includes two lighted softball fields, a lighted basketball court, a little league field and four lighted tennis courts.

Rock Mount Sports Complex This 143-acre multi-use facility offers two outdoor basketball courts, six youth baseball fields, four interchangeable baseball/softball fields, and one championship baseball field. Future phases include eight soccer/football fields, walking trails, a baseball training facility, and additional park features.

Stith-Talbert Park - This 16acre Park located on Tar River, Spruce and Atlantic Avenue has playground equipment, picnic shelters, a lighted basketball court, rest rooms, four tennis courts, a tennis backboard, fishing pier, amphitheater soccer field and a Little League field.

Sunset Park - This 25-acre park is located off Sunset Avenue and Taylor Street on River Drive and is the favorite

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park of area children and families. It features four picnic shelters, two lighted basketball courts, a boat ramp, Spray Park, disc golf course, climbing rocks, 11 lighted tennis courts, concession stands and a tennis backboard.

Tar River Paddle Trail - This trail is comprised of ten canoe and kayak locations access locations that connect over 20 miles of the Tar River and Stony Creek.

Tar River Trail - This 3.9 mile walking/bike trail near the center of Rocky Mount follows the southern bank of the Tar River from City Lake on the west to Martin Luther King Park on the east.

Tar River Reservoir - The City of Rocky Mount operates boat ramps on the Tar River Reservoir at “Bend of the River” and Sapony Creek.

Picnic tables are also available at “Bend of the River.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 392 100 Coast Line St. Rocky Mount, NC 27802 Phone: (252) 446-0323 Fax: (252) 446-5103 www.rockymountchamber.org

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Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties Inc. • A safe place to learn and grow.

• Ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals.

• Life-enhancing programs and character development experiences.

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• Hope and opportunity.

• Making an IMPACT since 1966.

Lucy Ann Boddie Brewer Unit 405 Raleigh Rd., Rocky Mount, NC 27803 Nashville Area Unit 904 S. Brake St., Nashville, NC 27856

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For more information, please call: (252) 977-9924

South Edgecombe Unit Rt. 2, Box 255, Pinetops, NC 27864 Edgecombe County Unit 306 Walston St., Tarboro, NC 27864 Phillips Unit Rt. 2, Box 1, Battleboro, NC 27809

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“THE Positive Place for Kids”

Looking for ways to save money on gas and help the environment?

The EPA wants to share some smart driving tips that could give you more miles per gallon of gas and reduce air pollution. Tips like making sure your tires are properly inflated and replacing your air filter regularly. And where possible, accelerate and brake slowly. Be aware of your speed ... did you know that for every 5 miles you go over 65 mph, you’re spending about 20 cents more per gallon of gas? If you’re shopping for a new car, choose the cleanest, most efficient vehicle that meets your needs. If we each adopt just one of these tips, we’d get more miles for our money and it would be a little easier to smell the flowers. For more tips and to compare cleaner, more efficient vehicles, visit

www.epa.gov/greenvehicles.

The area code for Rock y Mount is 252 .

WWW.BGCNEC.ORG

MONEY-SAVING DISCOUNTS

Save with Nationwide’s Discount.

Home & Car

Mary K. Ruffin Agency Owner Mary Ruffin Agency Nationwide Insurance and Financial Services 1376 Benvenue Plaza Rocky Mount, NC 27804 (252) 446-2370 E-mail: ruffinm1@nationwide.com

Nationwide® On Your Side

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies. Home office, Columbus, Ohio 43215-2220.

Nationwide, the Nationwide Framework and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance.

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Visit Our Advertisers A&B Milling Company www.auntrubyspeanuts.com Action Staffing Group www.actionstaff.net America’s Best Nut Co. www.americasbestnutco.com Boice-Willis Clinic www.boice-willis.com Bottoms Tire & Automotive Center Boys & Girls Club www.bgcnec.org Braswell Memorial Library www.braswell-library.org C.S. Henry Transfer, Inc. www.cshenry.com Carolinas Gateway Partnership www.econdev.org Century 21 – The Combs Company www.c21thecombscompany. com

Hanson www.hansonplc.com Heritage Hospital www.heritage.uhseast.com Honeywell www.honeywell.com Hospira www.hospira.com Lakeside Baptist Church Mary Ruffin Agency Mayo, Simmons & Harris Insurance www.mshins.com McLane Company, Inc. www.mclaneco.com Nancy Liipfert Associates, Inc. www.nancyliipfert.com Nash Community College www.nashcc.edu

City of Rocky Mount www.ci.rocky-mount.nc.us

Nash Health Care Systems www.nhcs.org

Coeco Office Systems www.coeco.com

Nash-Rocky Mount Public School System www.nrms.k12.nc.us

Coldwell Banker – Watson Properties www.coldwellbankerrockymount.com Colony Square Apartments www.springstreet.com/ propid/393363 Down East Partnership for Children www.depc.org Eastern NC Medical Group www.encmg.com Edgecombe Community College www.edgecombe.edu Edgecombe County Public Schools www.ecps.us Embarq www.embarq.com Gateway Convention Complex www.holidayinn.com/ hirockymountnc.com

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Hampton Inn

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NC Wesleyan College www.ncwc.edu Oakley Collier Architects www.oakleycollier.com RBC Centura www.rbccentura.com Rocky Mount Academy www.rmacademy.com Rocky Mount Family Medical Center www.rmfmc.com Rocky Mount Preparatory School www.rockymountprep.org Servpro of Rocky Mount www.servpro.com Spring Arbor of Rocky Mount www.springarborliving.com Tri-County Industries www.tciworks.com

OF ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA SENIOR EDITOR RENEE ELDER COPY EDITOR JOYCE CARUTHERS ASSOCIATE EDITORS LISA BATTLES, SUSAN CHAPPELL, KIM MADLOM ASSISTANT EDITOR REBECCA DENTON SENIOR WRITER DIANE BARTLEY STAFF WRITERS CAROL COWAN, KEVIN LITWIN, JESSICA MOZO DIRECTORIES EDITORS AMANDA KING, KRISTY WISE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS KAY BROOKSHIRE, CRISTAL CODY, KIMBERLY DALY, WARREN DENNEY, BRIDGET HUCKABEE, NANCY HUMPHREY, DAN MARKHAM, VALERIE PASCOE, PAM SHERBORNE ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER TODD POTTER EXECUTIVE AD PROJECT MANAGER PHILIP JORDAN SALES/MARKETING COORDINATOR SARA SARTIN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS WES ALDRIDGE, ANTONY BOSHIER, MICHAEL W. BUNCH, IAN CURCIO, BRIAN M CCORD CREATIVE DIRECTOR KEITH HARRIS WEB DESIGN DIRECTOR SHAWN DANIEL WEB DESIGN RYAN DUNLAP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NATASHA LORENS ASST. PRODUCTION DIRECTOR CHRISTINA CARDEN PRE-PRESS COORDINATOR HAZEL RISNER SENIOR PRODUCTION PROJECT MGR. TADARA SMITH SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS LAURA GALLAGHER, BRITTANY SCHLEICHER, KRIS SEXTON, VIKKI WILLAMS LEAD DESIGNER LINDA MOREIRAS GRAPHIC DESIGN JESSICA BRAGONIER, CANDICE HULSEY, DEREK MURRAY, AMY NELSON WEB PRODUCTION JILL TOWNSEND DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER ALISON HUNTER COLOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN CORY MITCHELL AD TRAFFIC SARAH MILLER, PATRICIA MOISAN, RAVEN PETTY, JILL WYATT 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./PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS CASEY E. HESTER V.P./SALES HERB HARPER V.P./VISUAL CONTENT MARK FORESTER V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING SYBIL STEWART EXECUTIVE EDITOR TEREE CARUTHERS MANAGING EDITOR/BUSINESS MAURICE FLIESS PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR JEFFREY S. OTTO CONTROLLER CHRIS DUDLEY ACCOUNTING MORIAH DOMBY, DIANA GUZMAN, MARIA MCFARLAND, LISA OWENS, JACKIE YATES MARKETING MANAGER TRACY ROGERS DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING SUZY WALDRIP DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR GARY SMITH IT SYSTEMS DIRECTOR MATT LOCKE IT SERVICE TECHNICIAN RYAN SWEENEY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER PEGGY BLAKE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR NICOLE WILLIAMS CLIENT & SALES SERVICES MANAGER/ CUSTOM MAGAZINES PATTI CORNELIUS

Images of Rocky Mount is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce and its 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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce 100 Coast Line St. • Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27802 P: (252) 446-0323 • F: (252) 446-5103 E-mail: rmacc@rockymountchamber.org www.rockymountchamber.org VISIT IMAGES OF ROCKY MOUNT ONLINE AT IMAGESROCKYMOUNT.COM ©Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc., 361 Mallory Station Road, Ste. 102, 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.

Magazine Publishers of America Member Member Custom Publishing Council Member Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce

ROCK Y MOUNT

Rocky Mount Area Relocation Relocating is more than just about changing houses.

It is about all the parts of your life that make a home.

Nancy Liipfert Associates understands. Please let us help.

We are a member of North America’s leading independent broker network.

Whether you are moving to or from Rocky Mount, please call on our team of trained professionals.

BRUCE GOODENOUGH CRS, GRI, Broker

BETTY NORMAN CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES Broker

NANCY LIIPFERT CRS, GRI GRP, Broker

HANNAH JONES ABR, CRS, GRI, Broker

RENEE SILK ABR, GRI Broker

ELIZABETH SCOTT Broker

ANA JOYNER ABR, CRS GRI, Broker

ANN MCCARTNEY ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI

An All Broker Office

NANCY LIIPFERT ASSOCIATES INC. 3709 Westridge Circle Dr. • Rocky Mount, NC 27804-0218 (252) 937-7000

(800) 831-0114

www.nancyliipfert.com ABR – Accredited Buyer Representative CRP – Certified Relocation Professional CRS – Certified Residential Specialist GRI – Graduate Realtors® Institute e-PRO – Internet Professional SRES – Seniors Real Estate Specialists