NCCBI News

Big Crowd Expected at Economic Forecast Forum

About 500 business leaders are expected to gather in Cary next month to hear experts discuss financial trends that will impact the economy in the year ahead. The 2004 Economic Forecast Forum, a joint presentation of NCCBI and the N.C. Bankers Association, will feature presentations by several speakers, including Graham Denton, the Bank of America executive who is president of the bank’s North Carolina operations.

The forum, seen as one of the biggest power lunches in the state, will provide NCCBI members with insights into how the state and national economies will fare during 2004. Attendees will be presented with a wealth of data predicting trends in interest rates, credit availability and employment. The event will be held on Jan. 5 at the Embassy Suites hotel in Cary.

NCCBI and the Bankers Association teamed up last year to present the inaugural Economic Forecast Forum. That event, staged at the Capital City Club in downtown Raleigh, sold out, prompting this year’s event to be moved to a larger facility to accommodate demand. The cost of the event is $50, which includes the luncheon and all materials. Members who would like to purchase a table to guarantee your delegation sitting together can purchase a table of 10 for $500. Seating is limited.

In addition to Denton, other speakers include State Treasurer Richard Moore and Dr. Harry M. Davis, the economics professor at Appalachian State University who is the economist for the NCBA. Gov. Mike Easley also has been invited to participate.

NCBA and NCCBI wish to recognize companies who are sponsoring the event. Platinum sponsors include Bank of America, BB&T, Blue Cross and Blue Shield and RBC Centura. Gold sponsors include BellSouth, First Citizens Bank, Gateway Bank & Trust / North Carolina’s Northeast Partnership, GE Mortgage Insurance Co., GlaxoSmithKline, Haynsworth Baldwin Johnson & Greaves LLC, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, Management Assistance: Programs & Services (MAPS), Progress Energy, Sprint and U.S. Trust Co. N.A.

Additional information about the event and a registration form is available at the NCCBI web site, www.nccbi.org. Registration is being handled by the Bankers Association. To register, call the NCBA at 919-781-7979.



Members Asked to Serve on Policy Committees
We rely on the policy committees to develop legislative positions that provide a framework for NCCBI’s work with the N.C. General Assembly. The committee structure provides our members with an opportunity to hear firsthand from state policymakers on a variety of issues and a real chance to make an impact on the laws and regulations that govern the state’s business community.

We are in the process of updating our committee membership lists and adding new members. If you are interested in serving on a committee, contact Debbie Mueller, legislative assistant, at dmueller@nccbi.org.

Membership News: New members of NCCBI for September and October include: Gregory K. Griggs, AENC - Association Executives of North Carolina, Raleigh; Bill C. Scott Jr., Alamance Foods Inc., Burlington; Dr. Sammie Potts, Barber-Scotia College, Concord; Mark A. Jones, Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC, Raleigh; Jim Tobin, Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing, Cary; John C. Howard, Caldwell County Economic Development Commission, Lenoir; Nathan H. McLamb, Carmel Contractors Inc., Charlotte; Carol L. King, Carol L. King & Associates, PA,  Asheville; George W. Clark, Catawba Sox, Inc., Conover; Larry T. Cloninger, Cloninger Ford Toyota, Salisbury; Will Avera, Coastal Carolina Auto & Truck, New Bern;  Avery Thomas, Cobb, Ezekiel, Brown and Co., P.A., Burlington; Jerry Norvell, Colonial Development Co., Morganton; Sandy Richardson, Craven County Convention & Visitors Center, New Bern; Reese A. Lasher, Crest Mountain Communities, LLC, Asheville;  Tom Fisher, Custom Brick Co. Inc., Raleigh; Fred W. Cripps, Distribution Construction Co., Greensboro; Patricia MacTaggert, EDS-North Carolina, Raleigh; Dave Boliek, Explornet, Raleigh; Vinton E. Fountain III, Fountain Financial Associates Inc., Wilmington;

Grady Campbell, G. Campbell Construction Co., Mooresville; Gaston Campano, Glade Holdings Inc., Hendersonville; The Hon. Wayne Goodwin, Goodwin Law Office, P.A., Hamlet; Stephen C. Hassenfelt, Granville Capital Inc., Greensboro; Dieter Bialek, Grasche USA Inc., Hickory; Dr. Duane H. Kirkman, Supt., Hickory City Schools, Hickory; Buddy Hilbish, Hilbish Motor Co.,  Kannapolis; Harry Hoover, Hoover Ink PR, Huntersville; The Hon. Julia C. Howard, Howard Realty & Insurance, Mocksville; Wendy Coulter, Hummingbird Creative Group, Raleigh;  Gresham Orrison, Hunting Creek Associates, Morganton; John Branstrom, J. Branstrom & Associates Inc., Morganton; David DeVries, Kaplan DeVries Inc., Greensboro; Bonnie Hunter, Keffer Management Co., Charlotte; Steve Saucier, KidSenses Children’s Interactive Museum, Rutherfordton; Don Price, Lafayette Ford Inc., Fayetteville;

Jim Sari, Landmark Asset Services,  Winston-Salem; William D. Inabnit, MEDI, USA, Whitsett; John Minges, Minges & Associates, Greenville; Bo Massey, Mueller Distribution Contractors, Charlotte; Linda Hahn, NT Techno USA Corp, Oxford; Giff Daughtridge, Nucor Plate Mill, Winton;  Timothy D. Oakley,  Oakley Associates Architects,  Rocky Mount; Dr. Bruce I. Howell, Office of Dr. Bruce I. Howell, Cary; Otto H. Woerner, Office of Otto Woerner, Morganton;  Sparky Cullen, PCM Construction Services, LLC, Cary; Tom Pearson, Pearson Land Corp., Charlotte; Mary Lawton, Polo Ralph Lauren, Greensboro; Graham Wilson, PR Street Inc., Cary; John Whitley, Regions Bank, Wilmington; Becky Handy, Tar Heel Paving Co. Inc., High Point; Stephen L. Robertson, The Robertson Group & Affiliated Cos., Mocksville; Dan Crawford, Visionair, Castle Hayne; Mark K. Miller, Weir Smith Jones Miller & Elliott, Morganton; Meg Ryan O’Donnell, Winning Strategies, Raleigh and Robert Leak Jr., Winston-Salem Business Inc., Winston-Salem.


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