MINORITY BUSINESS REPORT , Ait If ci o' JUL SLACK ! 'MM v CUI'Jl 10 f WINCIM iUDcPEN9[Mt, j H11 j ?y| BiB^i'TlTICcwil^IlM 0 Tt? ^ Wack Roman's BuWe to Starting = ? Xour Own Business v . ?. \ v \ . .i "Sinter (,'/,() spells out llu h.isits .mil slums us how to 11Kike out dreiiins umii ? rut. -r-Dennis Kimbra. author ?l /?'?, w 9 w Southern Community Bank and Trust is^ different. We always treat you like a3J neighbor - not a number. And we also * offer all the services you need; from spe- J rial personal and business packages to* seniors' programs, kids' banking and * more. We listen to you and respond to * your special needs with fast and flexible * solutions. We're here for one reason: you. J fr^outhern Community BANK AND TRUST Small Enough to Care wwwjcbtnM.coM 4701 Country Club Road Winaon Sal(M7b&8500 at lie corner of Counhy Club Road 6 Jon^Slln Road) Member FDIC Recruiting may be a profitable franchise NCR A is the National College Recruiters Association, which is a ranchise spin-off of SportStar darketing.Inc. This quite little franchise has ncreased its market share for each >f the past six years, since 1992 vhen the Federal Courts ruled that olleges and universities must offer he same number of athletif ? cholarships to women as they do o men. Prior to the Court's ruling olleges and universities offered 62 lercent of their athletic j cholarships to men, and 38 tercent to women. Since the ruling hey have been frantically trying to omply with the court and evenly distribute their scholarship dollars cross gender lines. Schools are reaching out to 4CRA in a big way, and here's diy: 1. There are approximately 2,000 high schools in the United tates, with six million male and emale students participating in ports, Female athletes who didn't ave a shot before are going after cholarships that are now available o them. 2. NCRA was already on the cene providing assistance to lousands of high school athletes ompeting for the estimated 50,000 athletic scholarships ; warded each year, in all sports i ategories, but primarily to men. 3. With more scholarships vailable. recruiters were forced to jok at a growing number of i thletes, and they were not able to so with the high degree of scrutiny required by college coaches and athletic directors. North Carolina is the perfect example. We expect recruiters to make known to us the best high school athletes on the planet, in the universe, and we accept no excuses. NCRA franchise owners are screaming "We can do the recruiting for you, you don't have the time, let us do it" NCRA franchises range from SI6,000 to $50,000, and they operate like this: ? They identify and research promising (and oftep times overlooked) men and women athletes who are typically freshmen and sophomores in high school; ? NCRA will develop profile packages on the athletes. These information packets are very high level, top quality, professionally done, and they are sent to colleges and universities all over the country; ? NCRA provides complete educational support to athletes with lagging grades that might prevent them from being eligible for scholarships. Coaches love this one.; Let's Get Down to Business ^ tvlyn MtMahon ? NCRA also provides financial aid assistance for academic scholarships. The financial aid component has placed NCRA ahead of other companies in this field. If s hard to believe the vast majority of high school, students are not being sought by anyone. Star athletes and academically superior students are being offered incentives (legal and otherwise) to attend certain schools, while all other students who are college bound go through proper channels to apply for scholarships, and hope they get lucky. NCRA is aggressively reaching out to all students, and ending up with an extensive selection of students to match with colleges arid universities, The other issue is high school students are not sitting back waiting to be discovered by a recruiter. On the contrary, they have been over-educated on the cost of a college degree, and those with and without athletic abilities are going after scholarships with furious intensity, During their search for scholarships many of them discover NCRA, and they like what NCRA can do for them. * ? If you've ever thought about owning a franchise, and you have an understanding of college recruitment, I recommend NCRA, It's new, fresh, inexpensive to start, potential, profits are substantial, and it has a feel-good quality about it. Getting every high school students who desires and deserves to be in college an opportunity to continue his and her education is a very good thing to do. Give it some thought. If it's right for your skills and interest, check it out. It could be the business venture you've been looking for. Call the Micro-Enterprise Loan Program at 722-9600 for information on small business loans and business educatibn courses. We're here to fiel$ you. ACROSS the CREEK / I Please join us for AN OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, January 3,1998 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the offices of Dr. H. Hamilton Allen General Surgery and , Dr. Harvey H. Allen, Jr. Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology ? ? Twin City Medical Building 501 North Cleveland Avenue Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101 Snow fate ? January 10, 1998 Jnemployment lp slightly i RALEIGH - North Carolina's asonally adjusted ijnemployment rate went up in iovember from 3.4 to 3.5 percent, :cording to Parker Chesson, lairman of the Employment icurity Commission. The unemployment rate in ovember 1996 was 4.3 percent, he state unemployment rate $ mains below the U.S. rate, which \fent down in November from 4.7 tk 4.6 percent. In November North Carolina's economy added 22,300 jtfbs. Area partnership to host annual economic forecast The Piedmont Triad Partnership and the UNC-G Bryan School of Business and Economics have joined forces for the third consecutive year to host the 1998 Economic Forecast Luncheon. The guest speaker for this year's event is Dan Bechter, senior vice president and officer in charge of the Charlotte and Columbus S.C. offices of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The annual conference offers business leaders a forum to hear economic perspectives from some of the region's top economists and discuss the state of the region's economy for the year ahead. The luncheon will be held at noon on Monday, Jan. S in the Virginia Dare Room of the Alumni House on the Greensboro campus of the University of North Carolina. The cost is $20. For reservations, call 668-4556. Mortgage Company Offers Loans to People Turned Down by Other Financial Institutions With interest rates at record lows, millions of Americans are saving thousands of dollars by refinanc ing their homes and consolidating debt built up over the years. But according to many experts, thousands have been unable to refinance or consolidate debt due to credit problems. The irony is that lower payments are the answer to their current cash-flow problems. CMB can help borrowers with damaged credit. A Specialist In Problem Loans CMB mortgage has stepped in to fill the gap where conventional lenders have refused to go. CMB Mortgage has developed a special loan package for those turned down by other banks and mort gage companies. The lender has secured loans for homeowners with tax liens, previously bankrupt homeowners, those with high debt ratios and those whose debt-to equity ratios on their homes exceed normal rules. Loans Range From $15,000 To $1,500,000 According to research conducted by CMB Mortgage, credit prob lems are not limited to lower income borrowers. Many who have been declined by other banks currently hold mortgages well above $250,000. A significant portion exceed $500,000. Typically these homeowners are professionals and executives who, like lower income borrowers, have temporarily been unemployed or experienced income drops during the recession and consequently missed debt payments. The result creates a poor credit report even though they are now well on the way to financial recovery. Nationwide Lending Capability CMB Mortgage is on its way to becoming one of the nation's largest lenders. CMB Mortgage offers applications by phone; 48 hour loan approvals and many other features not available through traditional loan resources. There are also special programs for manufactured home owners, as well. CMB Mortgage has loan programs that will provide loans up to 135% of the value of your home. Those wishing more information should contact Steve Bradford, Director of Residential Lending. CMB Mortgage (Winston-Salem, NC) (336) 659-7777