News-Record.com

Well, Time Warner Cable has announced a rebranding of its business services. The services - data, video, security - haven't really changed. But the new name - Time Warner Cable Business Class instead of Road Runner Business Class - might nab more recognition.

Company spokesman Buck Yarborough says Time Warner Cable also has plans to expand its digital phone service offering to business customers - about 211,000 throughout the company's coverage area during the fourth quarter of 2005. The cable company's voice services, which compete locally for customers with BellSouth's traditional landline offerings, currently only are available to residential customers.

84 Lumber, the nation's largest privately owned building materials retailer, is trying to boost its bottom line and intends to close 67 stores this year.

However, it plans to open 125 other stores in parts of the country it deems as fast-growing. One of those areas, according to a company news release, is High Point. No word yet on where the company would build.

High Point already has an orange box and a blue box, but that's not likely to matter much to 84 Lumber. It sells primarily to major builders, not your average home owner or small contractor.

By the way, in case you wondered why the company is named 84 Lumber, it takes its name from the town in Pennsylvania: Eighty Four

You might be one of the responsible people. One of those taxpayers who already have everything in order and can just fill out the forms and print or e-file.

Or you might be a little more like me - frantically gathering all your tax information at the last minute and praying that you're not going to owe Uncle Sam any of your hard-earned cash.

Either way, it's not too late for tax tips. So here's a last-minute list, for the procrastinator in all of us, from the National Association of Tax Professionals:

Greensboro-based Steven D. Bell & Co. and its partners have picked up apartment properties in Asheville and Fayetteville for $22.7 million, according to a Thursday news release from the real estate investment company.

"As interest rates rise, the performance at our apartment properties should continue to improve," said Jon Bell, Bell's VP, in the release. "We are betting that investments in apartment properties will be profitable over the next few years."

Certainly, there's been increased interest, here in Greensboro, recently in the market for new apartments. With plans for CityView, or City View, proceeding downtown and talk of some other complexes in the works, the city could see a spate of new apartments soon - for the first time in years.

Bell's acquisitions, two apartment complexes built within the past five years, comprise near 350 apartments in growing areas.

According to information from the company, Bell & Co. manages a property portfolio valued at upwards of $2 billion and made up of about 19,000 multi-family units, 16 senior-living communities and 4.8 million square feet of retail and office space.

The majority of Americans believe the tax system needs major changes or a complete overhaul, according to survey results released yesterday by market-research firm Harris Interactive.

The survey, conducted for the nonpartisan Tax Foundation out of Washington, D.C., found, not surprisingly, that Americans aren't all that pleased with how the government takes their money - and how confusing the tax preparation process can be.

Harris surveyed a cross-section of American adults - ages 18 and up - between March 8 and March 16 of this year and adjusted the results for factors including race, education and household income.

Here's what the market-research group found:

Greensboro's TIMCO Aviation Services has a new member of its top executive team, John R. Cawthron, who was appointed as the vice chairman of the board and chief executive officer.

Cawthron, 62, is a certified public accountant and president of Cawthron, Wommack & Coker, P.C., a full-service public accounting and consulting firm based in Waco, Texas. Cawthron also serves as managing
partner and a director for several Texas-based business ventures, according to a TIMCO news release.

Cawthron was appointed to the Company's Board on February 6, 2006 at the request of LJH Ltd., which owns 72 percent of TIMCO's stock.

Roy T. Rimmer, Jr., the Company's current CEO, will remain as board chairman and chief marketing officer.