Regional
Business Reports
Charlotte:
Bonds' Defeat Leaves Hornets Without a New Hive
The NBA’s Charlotte Hornets could be moving to another city in as
soon as two years after city voters overwhelmingly rejected a $342
million bond that would have built a new basketball arena and six
other cultural projects. Despite strong support from the city’s major employers, including
$100,000 each from Bank of America and First Union, to promote the
bond package, 57 percent of voters decided against the package.
Its defeat leaves the team’s future up in the air. During a year of
heated negotiations between the City Council and Hornets co-owner Ray
Wooldridge, the club proved its claims that it was losing about $1
million playing in the current 13-year-old Charlotte Coliseum, which
does not have lucrative luxury suites. The economics of pro basketball
have changed drastically since the coliseum opened in 1988 and now 25
of the NBA’s 29 franchises play in arenas that provide premium
seating. In March the Hornets applied to move to Memphis, Tenn., for the
2001-2002 season, saying the team was protecting its interests if an
arena deal was not worked out. After the city received approval from
the N.C. General Assembly to hold the June 5 referendum, the Hornets
withdrew the application.
In the meantime, former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl, among others,
hinted that several Charlotte business leaders were working to
purchase the team from Wooldridge and George Shinn. No final deal has
ever been struck. While June’s referendum was “non-binding,” meaning that the
referendum was advisory, it appeared unlikely that the City Council
would be up for another public campaign and referendum, nor would it
go against the public vote and move forward with the current arena
deal. If the referendum had passed, Charlotte planned to use a new 3
percent ticket tax, an increase in the rental car tax and hotel-motel
taxes to fund construction of the arena.
After the defeat, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory said he hoped the
Hornets organization would come back to the negotiating table to work
out a different agreement to keep the team in Charlotte. Even if the
team is sold to new ownership, McCrory says, the city still needs
approval from the General Assembly to institute the new car rental tax
to be able to fund arena construction.
The referendum defeat also throws into question the fate of six other
building projects, including a new uptown baseball stadium for the
Triple-A Charlotte Knights, a new uptown art museum, improvements to
Discovery Place science museum, the Afro-American Cultural Center,
Theatre Charlotte and the Carolina Theatre. Some or all of those
projects may still be financed at some level based on past comments
from a majority of city council members. The only thing certain now is that the team will play in Charlotte for
at least one more season. —
Laura Williams-Tracy
Asheville:
Hot Food, Cool Music at Bele Chere
As the locals already know
and visitors will quickly learn, downtown Asheville is a happening
place to be during the last weekend in July. That’s because of Bele
Chere, which is billed as the Southeast’s largest street party and
is three days of hot food and cool music under the stars. More than
350,000 people are expected to stop by during this year’s event set
for July 27-29. The 2001 celebration stands to be the biggest yet, as the festival
area will expand south on Biltmore Avenue to give patrons additional
elbow room. And organizers have planned a variety of new events,
including a California stunt team that will perform three
death-defying shows each day.
A few venue changes have been made as well. To better showcase Bele
Chere’s award-winning juried art exhibition, these booths will be
moved from Haywood Street to a more user-friendly location on Patton
Avenue. (Appalachian craft lovers needn’t worry; the popular
Mountain Heritage area will remain an important part of the festival.)
With the addition of the Biltmore Avenue arm of the festival, Bele
Chere has expanded to eight stages. Visitors can head to Battery
Park’s Rock ’n Blues Stage to enjoy squealing guitars and thumping
percussion, to the Café Stage on Lexington Avenue, or the Dance Stage
on Biltmore Avenue. As is custom, Bele Chere will focus on
up-and-coming local talent, and to that end, all performances at the
Pritchard Park Homegrown Stage will feature artists from western North
Carolina.
And remember to bring your appetite. Visitors will find everything
from Indian specialties to Scottish shortbread to funnel cakes and
barbecue. Beer and wine will be available for purchase on Friday and
Saturday. T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and other souvenirs also will be
sold. Festival hours are noon to 11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on
Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, contact
the Asheville Parks and Recreation Department at 828-259-5800, or
visit www.belechere.com.
— Kevin
Brafford
McDowell
County: A County Takes Inventory of its Business Prospects
Manufacturing jobs are being lost across the country and
throughout the state, which employs a higher percentage of its
workforce in manufacturing than any other state. In fact, North
Carolina lost more manufacturing jobs last year than any other state. The McDowell Economic Development Association recently undertook a
major study of the needs of existing manufacturing companies in its
county. They provide employment opportunities for 56 percent of the
employees in McDowell County.
A team of education and economic development leaders, including Chuck
Abernathy, McDowell County manager and economic development executive
director, visited every employer of more than 25 workers. Group
meetings were held with smaller employers. The purpose of the visits were to assist existing industry in solving
problems, to inform employees of programs that could help them, to
develop a strategic plan for long-range business retention and
expansion, to build community capacity to sustain growth and
development, and to demonstrate to local industry a community
appreciation for their contributions to the economy.
Worker training and development was the top concern of McDowell’s
manufacturing employees. The experienced workers were praised, while
the less experienced workers were said to be less motivated and
usually reliable. Utilities, except telecommunications, were viewed as adequate, as were
the infrastructure, roads, public safety agencies, recreational and
cultural opportunities. Local government operations were considered
above average, but less aware and supportive of industry’s value.
Other less favorable factors identified included air transportation,
labor shortage and affordable housing. Location, available housing and
industrial sites were listed as positives. In addition to members of the team developing a better appreciation of
the contributions that each of them make, the project will lead to a
comprehensive workforce development plan, a stronger communications
and industry appreciation effort and a long-range economic development
planning/strategy process. — Phil
Kirk
Raleigh:
Ticket Sales Help Calm the Hurricanes
Lost amid the celebration that the Carolina Hurricanes had written a
happy ending to its NHL All-Star Crusade was the fact that a major
league sports franchise apparently has found a permanent home in the
Triangle. The club had floundered somewhat since moving from Hartford, Conn.,
prior to the 1997-98 season. Two years of commuting from Greensboro
and disputes while the Entertainment and Sports Arena was being built
contributed to an icy relationship between the Triangle community and
the franchise. That was no more evident than in a disappointing
season-ticket base of 6,302 this past season.
In an attempt to jump-start the Hurricanes, NHL commissioner Gary
Bettman promised in March to bring the league’s All-Star game to the
ESA by 2006 if the team could grow its season-ticket base to 12,000.
The club imposed a deadline of May 31, which it met — and eclipsed
by 309 — thanks to Charlotte-based grocer Harris Teeter, which
committed to 1,000 season tickets in the 11th
hour.
“A lot of things fell into place to make this happen,” says Doug
Piper, the Hurricanes’ executive vice president. “The people are
sports fans; we didn’t have to prove it. It was just a matter of
finding our place. The steps we’ve taken forward for this franchise now — moving
from four years ago or five years ago with Peter Karmanos and Steve
Stroud and the politicians breaking ground here on a windy, dusty day
— what a long way this franchise has come,” says general manager
Jim Rutherford. “People don’t have to talk about this franchise
anymore as a franchise that doesn’t care about hockey.”
The All-Star game, the sport’s premier event outside of the Stanley
Cup finals, is generally held the first Sunday in February. Its
economic impact on the Triangle is expected to top $20 million. — Kevin
Brafford
Greensboro:
Upscale condo complex to Include Offices, Shops
Greensboro has never seen anything quite like Huntington Place at
Irving Park, a six-story complex that will combine retail shops,
offices and upscale condominiums. “This is a little different for Greensboro,” says Jim Marshall of
Lindbrook Development Services, project developer. “We went down to
Charlotte, and there are maybe 15 projects of its type there.”
The $22 million project is planned for a 2.2-acre tract on Northwood
Avenue. The prime location, with views of downtown and the Greensboro
Country Club golf course, will be a key selling point for the condos,
which will be priced from $400,000 to $800,000, as well as the retail
and office spaces. “Probably the neatest thing about this project is the location,”
says Marshall. “It’s a one-of-a-kind location. We’ve had a lot
of phone calls and a lot of interest. We’ve also had some people say
we can’t sell those condominiums because they’re too expensive.
But we’re not trying to sell 200 of them. We’re just building 36,
and it’s a target market.”
There will be seven floor plans for the condos, which will occupy the
top four floors (nine condominiums per floor) of the complex. The
units will be 2,000 to 3,600 square feet. Amenities include one or two
fireplaces, wiring for high-speed Internet, cable and satellite TV, a
gated entrance with underground parking, and private elevators. Nine
penthouse suites will make up the top floor. The first floor will contain 25,000 square feet for retail shops.
Possibilities include day spas, banks and jewelers. The second floor
will feature 16,000 square feet for offices. The project owner is Irving Park
Centre Group. Construction is scheduled to start in September with
completion expected by September 2002.
— Jim Buice
Thomasville:
Baptists Pass the Plate, Give Children's Home $1 Million
Michael Blackwell asked for an early Christmas present last
Thanksgiving, and needy families and children from throughout the
state have benefited since. The president of the Baptist Children’s Home set a goal of
collecting $1 million in special offerings from Baptist State
Convention members — a lofty number given that nearly $850,000 had
been raised the previous year.
Yet when all of the numbers were crunched, the nonprofit that dates to
1885 netted about $1,032,550 from some 3,000 member churches statewide
— the largest offering ever given to a single convention agency. “I’m elated and humbled,” says Blackwell. “It’s good to know
we have such support.”
Baptist Children’s Homes, headquartered in Thomasville, operates
four residential campuses, a number of group homes, a maternity home
ministry and a wilderness camp statewide. Its most recent addition is
a group home for adults with developmental disabilities that opened in
Winston-Salem last year. —
Kevin Brafford
Greensboro:
Leaders Raise a Stack of Cash for the Schools
An unprecedented outpouring of local financial backing will infuse
$4.8 million into Guilford County’s public schools during the next
three years. The money will reward teacher and student achievement, as
well as fund programs to heighten the performance of the schools’
disadvantaged children. The response is credited to a recent McKinsey report and includes $2
million from some 20 Greensboro corporations, $1.7 million from the
Joseph Bryan and Cemala foundations, $750,000 from the United Way of
Greater Greensboro and $385,000 from the Center for Creative
Leadership.
“I’ve worked in school districts all over the country,” Guilford
Superintendent Terry Grier told the Triad
Business Journal, “and I’ve not seen business and foundation
communities respond like this community has. The report asked people
to step up — and they have.”
David Stonecipher, CEO of Jefferson-Pilot and a co-chair of the
McKinsey education committee, says programs will begin in the fall and
will focus beyond underachieving students to recognize top students
and teachers as an incentive to encourage others to try harder. “Not enough attention is paid to the excellence already taking place
in the schools,” he says. “We wanted to put the light of day on
that.” — Kevin Brafford
High
Point: Gift Helps Teachers Learn, Too
Marsha B. and John C. “Jack” Slane have pledged $1 million to
help High Point University create an innovative Early Childhood
Laboratory School. The gift will launch the Laboratory School in conjunction with the
university’s department of education. The state-of-the-art school
will provide children a pre-school education and also will service
university students interested in careers in the burgeoning field of
early childhood education. High Point already offers degrees in K-5,
middle school and high school education.
“We must understand that 90 percent of a child’s brain development
occurs from birth to 3 years of age, thus making this the most
critical time of all in a child’s life,” says Jacob Martinson, the
university’s president. “Research has shown that if we can reach a
child from birth to age 3, not only will the child benefit
dramatically but the society at large will also reap enormous
benefits.”
Dr. Vance Davis, vice president for academic affairs, says “the
Laboratory School will provide an excellent educational environment
for our students as well as an important start for our community’s
children — while serving a much broader audience through research
and curricula development.”
The Slanes have a history of involvement with the school. They have
both served on the Board of Trustees and have funded numerous campus
projects, including the renovation of the Slane Campus Center. They
are also members of the United Way Alexis de Tocqueville Society’s
Roundtable, underwriting, in part, the start-up of the Success By 6
early-childhood program. “With a critical shortage of certified early-childhood teachers, as
well as a lack of high-quality day care, we feel an urgency in
addressing these issues and hope others will join us in tackling
them,” says Jack Slane. “We will need help — financial help —
to complete this project, and hope others will join with us.”
High Point University is a liberal arts institution with approximately
3,000 undergraduate and graduate students at campuses in High Point
and Winston-Salem. The university offers 42 undergraduate majors and
five graduate-degree programs. — Charlie Lehman
Boone:
Hayes Family Matriarch Gives $10 Million for Music
Mariam Cannon Hayes, a longtime supporter of music and the arts at
Appalachian State University, has provided the largest endowment gift
— $10 million — in the university’s 101-year history to the
School of Music. Chancellor Francis Borkowski says the hefty sum “elevates
Ap-palachian’s School of Music and its programs to the highest level
of music education and service to the state and will make Appalachian
one of the strongest schools of music in the Southeast.” In response
to the gift, ASU has named the music school the Mariam Cannon Hayes
School of Music.
William Harbinson, dean of the music school, says the gift will fund
an overhaul in equipment, student scholarships, faculty research and
travel, and student ensemble travel. But that’s just for starters. “We really don’t know the full extent of what this gift will do
for us,” says Harbinson. “We do know the gift will ensure the
quality of our future.” Harbinson says ASU has developed a solid music program over the years
“with limited resources.” Of course, that is no longer the case,
thanks to the generosity of Hayes.
Hayes and her late father, Charles Cannon, helped found Cannon Music
Camp at the university in 1969. The camp brings together high school
musicians for four weeks of instruction and performing each summer. She relates a story from one of her favorite events — the annual
concert of the combined Cannon Music Camp Orchestra and the N.C.
Symphony — that set into motion her plan to make the gift.
“Two women sat in front of me during the program,” says Hayes.
“After the last number, one of the ladies turned to me and told me
that her nephew was a flutist in the Cannon Music Camp Orchestra. She
went on to say that he had been in every type of trouble imaginable
and was on a bad course. She believed that his involvement in music
saved his life, and she thanked me for making Cannon Music Camp
possible for him.”
Hayes, who is president and director of the Cannon Foundation in
Concord, served on ASU’s Board of Trustees from 1981-89 and was a
member of the university’s board of visitors in the 1960s and 1970s.
— Jim
Buice
Asheville:
Foprum Offers Big-Time Advice for Small Business Owners
Chain department stores are popping up everywhere and the Internet
means shopping at home is only a few mouse clicks away. While
consumers win, family-owned businesses that are finding it
increasingly difficult to survive lose. In hopes of combating that, UNC Asheville has launched the first
Family Business Forum in the western region of the state. Its purpose
is to bring four national-caliber speakers to the city annually to
address the issues facing family-owned businesses.
Gerald D. Bell, an award-winning professor at the Kenan Flagler School
of Business at UNC Chapel Hill, discussed basic principles for
managing family business at the inaugural program on May 24. “Family-owned business is the backbone of our economy, yet it is
increasingly difficult for these firms to survive or thrive on an
intergenerational basis,” says George Groome, a member of UNC
Asheville’s board of trustees.
Jim Henderson is the forum’s interim executive director and says
that there are more than 150 organizations in the U.S. devoted to
nurturing family-owned businesses, which account for 78 percent of all
new jobs created, 60 percent of employment nationally and 50 percent
of the gross domestic product. “There is a tremendous body of knowledge,” Henderson says. “The
challenge for us is how can we disseminate and implement that
knowledge in Western North Carolina.”
For more information on the Family Business Forum, call Henderson at
828-251-6797, ext. 8003 or e-mail him at jamesh@buncombe.main.nc.us.
— Kevin
Brafford
Return
to magazine index
|
|
