BUSINESS FOCUS
Briefs
Visit Winston-Salem
wins recognition
Visit Winston-Salem (formerly known as the
Winston-Salem Convention & Visitors Bureau) has
been presented with ConventionSouth magazine's
annual Readers' Choice Award. ConventionSouth has
been the recognized leader in covering the South's
meetings industry for the last 24 years
After more than a decade of recognizing some of the
most talented meeting professionals in the nation
through its annual "Meeting Professionals To Watch"
designation, ConventionSouth editors asked meeting
professionals to name the convention and visitors
tjHgei|us (CVBs), convention centers, conference cen
teivTtetds. resorts and other meeting sites that they
believe display professionalism and exemplary service
to groups.
More than 1 8,500 readers were asked to cast their
votes for the Readers' Choice Awards. Only 81 of
approximately 2.000 meeting sites and CVBs nominat
ed received this recognition. Readers' comments ranged
from the very simple to the very detailed, with some
readers even bestowing accolades to particularly out
standing staff members.
"The value in receiving this recognition is that it
comes from the United States' top meeting planners
who book events in the South. These planners demand
the highest level of customer service and quality facili
ties, and they have determined that the recipients of
ConventionSouth s Readers' Choice Awards do indeed
display the commitment to professionalism, creativity,
excellence and outstanding customer service they
require," said ConventionSouth President and Publisher
J . Tally O'Connor. "It is an honor to announce that Visit
Winston-Salem was selected by these planners as one of
the best in the South."
Janke appointed SBTDC Director
of Equity Capital Formation
The NC Small Business and Technology Development
Center (SBTDC) has announced that Timothy R. Janke
has been appointed as the statewide Director of Equity
Capital Formation and Access Initiatives.
In this role, he will have lead
responsibility for Power of Angel
investing and Becoming and
Investor- Ready Entrepreneur
offerings and for the creation of
multiple Inception Micro Angel
Funds (IMAFs) across the state.
An IMAF is a member-man
aged seed stage angel capital fund
designed to capitalize on the
growth in entrepreneurial activity
and venture financing primarily
Janke
in Norm i^aroiina. janke estat>
lished the first IMAF in the Triad two-and-one-half years
ago and the very recent establishment of an IMAF in west
ern North Carolina. These efforts have sparked consider
able interest both here in North Carolina and in other
states.
Janke s previous SBTDC positions' include statewide
technology director, director of the Northeastern Piedmont
Regional Service Center based at NC A&T State
University, and technology development specialist based
at Winston-Salem State University. Throughout his tenure
with die SBTDC, Janke has worked extensively with
regional technology-based companies and partner organi
zations.
New DOT administrator named
N v
RALEIGH ? State Transportation Secretary Lyndo
Tippett last week announced that a 37-year employee of
the N.C. Department of Transportation has been named the
new state highway administrator.
Bill Rosser, who previously served as director of field
operations, assumed his nev^duties Jan. 1 , 2007. Rosser
replaces Len Sanderson , who is retiring at the end of this
year.
"Bill brings a wealth of knowledge, skill and experi
ence to this important role within the department," Tippett
said. "He knows highway construction and maintenance
in and out, and he will be evaluating and implementing
needed change in project delivery and oversight."
The state highway administrate oversees road and
bridge construction, maintenance-sand repair, equipment
and materials; roadside environmental efforts including lit
ter control and highway beautification; right-of-way acqui
sition; environmental analyses for projects; and both the
computerized Travel Information System and 511 toll-free
Information line for citizens to get current highway condi
tions. The Division of Highways has more than lOjOOO
employees
Rosser joined NCDOT in August 1969 as an engineer
in training. He has served in a number of positions
through the years including district engineer, head of high
way maintenance and divisioivengineer for field divisions
6 and 8. Rosser was named director of field operations in
December 2003.
A Lee County native, Rosser graduated from N.C.
State University with a bachelor of science degree in civil
engineering and a masters in transportation engineering.
Joines to speak at NFB meeting
Networking for the Best (NFB). an after hours busi
ness organization, will hear from Mayor Allen Joines at
its meeting on Wednesday. Jan. 10 at the Piedmont Club
in downtown Winston-Salem. He will talk about mar
keting Winston Salem and what is needed to keep small
businesses in the area .
NFB invites the public to. attend. This event will
begin approximately 5:45 p.m. with informal network
ing at 5:30 p.m.
The organization's mission is to leverage the pres
ence of small businesses in Winston-Salem to promote
economic development and meet the contacts they need
to meet. NFB will be conducting a membership drive
in the Winston Salem area.
To learn more about NFB, visit
www.nfbreferral x>rg .
Local realtor earns lofty designation
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
CHARLOTTE - Allen Tate
Realtors announced last week that
Mark MaxweJI has been awarded
the Graduate REALTOR Institute
(GRI) designation.
He joins other top producers in
the residential real estate industry
who hold the designation across the
nation. Maxwell is located in the
Stratford office and can be reached
at (336)714-9705.
Maxwell earned the "Graduate
REALTOR Institute" (GRI) desig
nation after completing a specific
and intensive series of 90 hours of
classroom instruction, covering a
variety of subjects including con
tract law, professional standards,
sales and marketing, finance, and
risk reduction.
REALTORS holding this desig
nation have learned the fundamen
tals of brokerage and other areas of
real estate specialization. With this
designatign and through increased
awareness of current topics impor
tant to the real estate professional,
such as legal issues, these REAL
TORS? can better serve prospec
tive clients and customers.
The REALTOR Institute is
designed to educate practitioners
about local, state and national real
estate practices that affect them,
their clients and customers. The
Institute is taught by leading real
estate professionals from around the
country.
The GR1 designation sets the
individuals who have attained it
apart from other practitioners
because it indicates to the public
that the individual has obtained a
professional educational foundation
on which to base the services they
provide and that they are a member
of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF REALTORS
Obtaining the GRI designation is
a beneficial way for a REALTOR to
advance their professional image.
The extra measure of knowledge
and prestige achieved bytompleting
this course work is a tool that will
advance" a career in real estate on
attracting anfr' building new busi
ness.
Allen Tate Realtors was found
ed in 1957 and remains independ
ently owned and operated with
headquarters in Charlotte.
Nationally its family of companies
rank 10th among America's top 25
firms for providing diversified real
estate services including mortgage;
insurance, title, home warranty and
home services.
Charities benefit
from SECU effort
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE _ . ?
RALIEGH - State Employees' Credit Union's (SECU's) coin sorters, installed in its 203 branches
statewide, are providing an added benefit to various North Carolina charitable organizations - more money
in th<>ir nnrlcts! In in?t
one year, SECU has
saved charities thousands
of dollars by sorting coin
collected by the charities
through school fundrais
ers and community coin
drives.
SEGU originally
deployed its coin sorters
in branches to provide a
much-needed member
service at no cost, as
most coin sorting
machines assess a 7 - 8
percent fee for use of the
machine. The coin
sorters feature Fat Cat -
the mascot of SECU's
youth program designed
to promote saving. And,
in keeping with its non
profit philosophy of
"People Helping
People," the Credit
Union also offers its
machines at no cost to
other npn-profits and
charitable organizations
which -were paying a fee
elsewhere.
Numerous charitable
groups benefited from
SECU's coin sorters in
2006. One such group
was Meals on Wheels of
Asheville. Meals on
Wheels used an SECU
coin sorter to count spare
change donated towards
their annual "Pennies
with a Purpose"
fundraising campaign.
Use^of the no-fee sorter
allowed Meals on
Wheels to maximize
every sirfczle cent donated
bv the local communitv
A woman shows a few people how to use the Fat Cat.
I I
SECT' Photo
Warrenwood Elementary
Scfiool students in Fayetteville also brought $1,870 in coins from a "Reading Roqj^s" fundraiser to their
local branch. One student commented the Fat?&t Coin Sorter was a "great, awesome and super cool math
ematician!" *
Leigh Brady, SECU's Senior Vice President of Education Services, comments, "State Employees Credit
Union members and staff are traditionally strong supporters of local charitres. Using Fat Cat coin sorters
to benefit not only SECU's membership but all North Carolina communities embodies the cooperative .spir
it on which our organization was founded."
FTCC hires outside marketing firm
SPECIAL TO THmrHRONlCLE
Forsyth Technical Community
College has chosen The Blttom
Agency to be its integrated marketing
partner. The Winston-Salem based
agency will
operate as an
extension of
Forsyth Tech's
marketing and
public rela
tions depart
ment, and will
have responsi
bility for mar
keting plan
ning. market
ing communi
cations.
College publications, advertising^
media relations and special events
planning.
"We've taken marketing and pub
lic relations efforts to a point with our
internal resources, and now we want to
go beyond that." said Forsyth Tech
Presidept Gary Green. "Partnering
with The Bloom Agency will enable
us to make more effective use of our
resources in telling our story and rais
ing the profile of the College."
Forsyth Tech's programs serve
40j000 people a year. The College has
experienced a 40 percent increase in
enrollment over the past five years.
With classroom space in eight loca
tions in Fotvyth and Stokes counties,
the College is in the midst of a major
building program that will provide
opportunities for significant growth in
enrollment in the near future.
"We aim to he the premier techno
logically advanced community college
in the Southeast Dr. Green said.
The Bloom Agency, a six-year-old
firm located at 939 Burke St., was
See FTCC on A5
Mark Maxwell
Picarello
to speak
to local
NAWBO
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Terrina Picarello has been
selected to speak at the Jan. 11
meeting of the National
Association of Women Business
Owners. Her presentation,
"Finding Balance in Your Life,"
is an interactive, engaging work
shop
about
achieving
fulfill
ment in
the four
compo
nents of
our lives
- emo
tional ,
intellec
tual, pro
fessional and physical.
Picarello lives in Greensboro
with her husband, their three
children, their dog, "Bandit" and
her jjflrrot "Blue."
^She has a Masters Degree in
Counseling from the University
of) Santa Monica and a BA in
Psychology from the University
of Texas at Dallas.
She has 18 years of experi
ence and training in Psychology,
Consciousness, Spirituality,
Interpersonal Neurobiology,
and NeurpLinguistic
Programming. She has worked
with individuals, families, and
communities.
She is also a Community
Activist and Child Advocate.
The Chnyon Hills Community
Council in Anaheim Hills,
Calif, named Terrina Picarello
"2003 Citizen of The Year" for
Outstanding Volunteer Service
to the Anaheim Hills
Community and she has
received numerous recognitions
and awards for her efforts on
behalf of children and educa
tion. ">?
Terrina writes a columg for
the News & Record in -the
Summerfield Hometown Hub
section and frequently reports
on school issues. She also serves
as the 1st Vice President of the
Guilford Cour^ Council of
PTAs.
The event will be at the
Downtown Marriott from 6:30 -
8 p.m. It is open to members,
partners and guests. The cost for
Members and partners is $25;
Visitors pay $30. Tickets at the
door will be an additional $5.
Dinner will be served.
The National Association of
Women Business Owners is the
voice of America's 10.6 million
women-owned businesses. The
organization propels women,
entrepreneurs into economic,
social, and political spheres of
power worldwide by strengthen
ing the wealth-creating capacity
of its members and promoting
economic development; creating
inrmvativ# and effective
changes in the business culture;
building strategic' alliances,
coalitions and affiliations; trans
forming public policy; and
influencing opinion.
For more information, e
mail info@nawbo-triadx)rg.