News-Record.com

Frequent fliers traumatized by having to pitch their mouthwash and tooth gel rejoice! Air Force Inc. is now selling a powdered dental cleaner that it says can replace toothpaste and mouthwash in your carry on bag. A news release by the company says that the small packets are FAA acceptable and are available at www.dentalairforce.com.
BizBuzz wonders, though, how many uninformed security officers will have the bomb or drug dogs out before they realize the suspicious powder is harmless tooth cleaner?

Home prices in the Triad have appreciated during the last year, but growth here is slower than on the national scene.

The Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area saw housing prices go up just under 3.8 percent during the past year and ranked 214th out of 379 MSAs studied nationwide by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight.

Winston-Salem fared better, posting price increases of 6.6 percent between the second quarter of last year and the second quarter of 2006. The city clocked in at 151 on the national rankings list.

Both local MSAs lagged behind the nation, which saw home prices rise more than 10 percent during the yearlong period. Local appreciate also couldn't catch up to growth statewide. Home prices in North Carolina, 24th on the report's ranking of 50 states and the capitol region, went up by about 9.3 percent.

Yet the report also included reasons to take heart ...

The Triad is stepping up its efforts to provide health care to a growing region.
This week Moses Cone Health System opened its newest doctors' offices in Kernersville. The Greensboro-based health system opened its Moses Cone Family Medicine Kernersville Tuesday.
The 3,000 square-foot temporary offices are located at 1617 N.C. 66 South in the Keller Williams office building. A permanent site, which could be complete by 2007, is being planned for 1635 N.C. 66 South.

North Carolina ranks fifth in the nation for growth of businesses owned by women, according to a recent report from the Small Business Administration.

Thursday, Gov. Mike Easley touted the report in Raleigh, lauding the findings that women-owned firms in the state grew faster than they did on the national level.

Between 1997 and 2002, the number of women-owned firms nationally grew by 19.8 percent. Women-owned firms increased employment by 70,000, while firms owned by men lost 1 million employees. But most business owned by women didn't have any employees, and 79 percent of them made less than $50,000, according to "Women in Business: A Demographic Review of Women's Business Ownership."

In North Carolina, the number of women-owned firms grew by 24.3 percent during the same period, posting total sales of $26.7 million in 2002, the last year studied. The growth in women-owned business here outstripped jumps in all states except Nevada, Georgia, Florida and New York. Nevada, the frontrunner, saw a 43 percent hike in women-owned firms during the six-year period.

Sales growth at women-owned businesses was another thing entirely. North Carolina ranked 35th on that list, with a jump of just 1.3 percent in receipts from 1997 to 2002. New Hampshire, with 37.2 percent growth in receipts at firms owned by women, ranked first. A number of states posted negative growth.

North Carolina did not make the lists of statistical areas, counties and cities with the largest numbers of women-owned firms. New York and Los Angeles topped these lists.

To view the full report, hit up the SBA's Web site.

Home sales for the remainder of 2006 are looking low, an industry group reported today.

The National Association of Realtors is predicting that actual home sales won't meet projections during the next few months. The market is saturated, and sellers are finding themselves negotiating more often in a slowing market, David Lereah, the association's chief economist, said in a report on the group's Web site.

"This is a normal patter during a market correction, but home prices should return to positive territory within a few months and annual appreciate will be slower than historic norms," Lereah said in the report.

Data from the realtors after the jump ...

The Greensboro Regional Realtors Association announced on its Web site this week the choices for its leadership in the coming year.

Ann Buffington, of Brown Investment Properties, became the group's president-elect for 2007 and president for 2008 after the results of online-only voting were tallied. This is the first year the group, which introduced electronic balloting last year, restricted voting to the Web.

Kathleen Sullivan of Re/Max First Choice will be the group's assistant treasurer in '07 and its treasurer in '08.

Other board members-elect include:

* Sofia Crisp of Carolina Deam Realty.
* April Lattig of Keller Williams of Greensboro.
* Barbara Mann of Re/Max Realty Consultants.
* Thomas Somerville of Re/Max First Choice.

Monday's meeting of the Greensboro Zoning Commission lasted less than four hours, thanks to some petitioners who removed their items from the agenda.

There wasn't much major news out of the meeting - two mixed-use projects garnered approval, and zoning officials stamped a 500-home project with a favorable recommendation.

On Oct. 17, the City Council will weigh in on a town home and single-family home project in the Hines Chapel and McKnight Mill roads area. The owners of the property, represented at the meeting by Charlie Melvin, have requested annexation of two tracts totaling 153.8 acres.

Commissioners unanimously (in a 9-0 vote) approved the rezoning of the land to an RS-5 district (for freestanding houses) and an RM-8 district (for town homes). But the decisions will have to go to the council because of concerns about city amenities, including fire services, being safely provided to the tract.

Zoning staff published no reports on the commission's Web site regarding the large-scale rezonings, which staff originally thought would be pulled from the agenda and held for a later date.

But other proposals were tabled, with little fanfare. These included ...

In Sunday's Savvy Shopper column, I left out a reminder about a downtown business opening.

Sole 44, a shoes-and-more upscale fashion shop I mentioned before, opens this weekend. The boutique, located in a former barber shop space at 117 E. February One Place, boasts collections from French Connection, Rachel Palley and Kara Janx of "Project Runway" fame.

The store's owners have launched a Web site - check it out.

The N.C. Education Lottery's news office announced today that lottery commission Chairman Charles Sanders has resigned, effective Aug. 31.

Sanders' appointment to the nine-member commission expired at the end of last month. Gov. Mike Easley's office has yet to announce a successor.

In a statement, Sanders expressed pride in the works of the commission's first year. "I am proud the funds generated by the lottery are adding to the existing commitment of North Carolina to the education of its students - a commitment the people of North Carolina must guard to insure that these funds are truly additive and not supplanting existing funds in the years ahead."

Sanders served as the chief executive officer of pharmaceutical company Glaxo Inc. from 1989 to 1994 and the chairman of the company's board of directors from 1992 to 1995.

Cingular Wireless announced today that it has added five new cell towers to serve its customers in the Piedmont.

The company, the largest wireless carrier in the country, is in the midst of a building boom geared to augment its network in North and South Carolina. Cingular plans to add more than 300 new cell sites - combinations of towers and transmitting equipment - between the two states by the end of the year.

The five new sites are:

* In High Point, to augment coverage along North College Drive, College Drive West, Montlieu Avenue and around High Point University.

* Southeast of Osceola in Guilford County. This tower will enhance coverage to the area between Turner Smith Road, High Rock Road and N.C. 61.

* Southeast of Greensboro, for coverage along U.S. 421, Liberty Road, Tabernacle Church Road, Forest Oaks Drive and Southeast School Road.

* In Alamance County, covering Swepsonville Saxapahaw Road, Swepsonville Road and Alfred Road.

* In Alamance County, covering Boone Road, Mine Creek Road, Brandy Lane and Hufflines Drive.

By the end of the year, Cingular Wireless hopes to spend more than $385 million on its network in the Carolinas as part of a nationwide, $6-billion expansion plan. The company, owned by AT&T and BellSouth, has 57.3 million customers.

From the governor's Web site:

GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES N. C. LOTTERY COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS

Raleigh - Gov. Mike Easley today appointed John McArthur of Cary as chair and Bryan Beatty of Raleigh to the N.C. Lottery Commission.

McArthur is senior vice president of corporate relations, general counsel and corporate secretary of Progress Energy Service Company. Prior to that he served as a Senior Assistant for policy and legal affairs for Easley. He previously served in government affairs with General Electric Company and was chief counsel in the N.C. Attorney General’s Office. McArthur received his undergraduate degree from Davidson College and his law degree from the University of South Carolina, where he also served as editor of the Law Review.

Beatty is secretary of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. He is former director of the State Bureau of Investigation and the former Inspector General. Beatty also served as an associate attorney general and an assistant attorney general with the N.C. Department of Justice. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. He is also a graduate of N.C. State Bureau of Investigation Academy at Salemburg.

For the full release.

A series of local cable change-ups has been pushed back because of delays launching a local 24-hour news station.

Time Warner Cable planned to kick off News 14 Carolina in the Triad on Sept. 5. But delays in pulling together a local studio have pushed back the station’s launch date to Sept. 25.

Changes in local channel listings, to accommodate News 14 Carolina on channel 14, also have been delayed.

On Sept. 25, Time Warner customers throughout the Triad should see WGN become channel 77 and The Movie Channel restricted to channel 438. (It's currently available on channels 77 and 438.) In Dobson and Winston-Salem, the Women's Entertainment Network will land on channell 77. In Mebane, HBO will only be available on channel 400. In Rockingham County, the Home Shopping Network will become channel 13, and AMC will become channel 74.

Time Warner first announced these changes in August, when it notified subscribers about a shift of Cinemax from analog to digital service in High Point and Archdale. That shift took place, as planned, on Sept. 5. The News & Record first reported about the digital transition and channel changes Aug. 10.

To monitor local channel changes, the News 14 launch and related issues in your area, head here.

The company's local office launched a new on-demand channel for geek-squad types today.

Brooks Brothers has signed a lease at the Shops at Friendly Center.

The store will open in spring 2007 in a 9,000 square-foot space near J. Crew and Ann Taylor, Starmount Co. President Coolidge Porterfield said Monday.

The Shops at Friendly Center is an upscale retail development near Greensboro’s Friendly Shopping Center. Restaurants already have opened there, and the first group of retail tenants is set to open in mid-October.

More than 800 insurance agents will bombard Burlington later this month to mark the grand opening of a national marketing firm.

National Agents Alliance, a marketing operation representing more than 4,000 insurance agents nationwide, will open its new corporate headquarters at 1214 Turrentine Street on Sept. 30.

The company has taken over the former Riddle & Co. textile manufacturing facility, which closed earlier this year, and plans to open at 9 a.m. on the 30th, according to a company news release.

NAA has three local owners, one of whom - Andy Albright - is from Burlington. His partners, Barry Clarkson and Philip Hudgins, are from Lynchburg and Danville, Va., respectively. They picked up the vacant Riddle & Co. building the summer and plan to complete their move-in by the end of the month. Sister companies Pro Data Research and KIT Marketing, which handle direct mail and marketing for insurance agents, also will take up residence in the 58,000 square-foot building.

NAA reports that it represents more than $100 million in annual financial services sales. The company was formed in 2002.

Riddle & Co. sold its assets to Weavetec, Inc. on June 15. The textile group, formerly called Riddle & Cockrell, is being combined with Weavetec affiliate Simply Home to offer a new line of throws and accessories. Weavetec is based in Blacksburg, S.C.

A Greensboro consulting firm hopes to help area residents plan for retirement at a daylong event next week.

Dixon Hughes Wealth Advisors, a consulting firm whose clients generally boast a hefty portfolio, will host a Proactive Retirement Day event at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center on Sept. 27.

The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and feature 10 information sessions on topics ranging from planning for the transition into retirement to understanding and budgeting for healthcare as a retiree.

Tickets for the event are still available through Karen Robertson, at 294-8585 or krobertson@dhwealth.com. It costs $50 per person to attend the luncheon, which includes a talk on retirement's impact on the family from Wake Forest University's Wayne Sotile. Sotile is the director of psychological services for the university's healthy exercise and lifestyles program and a special consultant to the Center for Cardiovascular Health at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Check out the full program here.

The Greensboro Planning Board will hold a public hearing on plans to redevelop what's considered a blighted area of South Elm Street on Wednesday.

The board plans to take public comment before making its recommendation on the South Elm Street Redevelopment Plan, a design to reinvigorate 10 acres of South Elm south of Lee Street with retail, homes and offices. The project could cost $11 million.

If you're interested in the discussion, or want to add your two cents, hit up the meeting - at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the City Council Chamber of the Melvin Municipal Building downtown.

For those of you who haven't been there before - or don't watch the meetings on public access - the council chambers are on the second floor. And the building is at 300 W. Washington St.

The South Elm plan is the first item on the agenda, so be on time.

A little late here on the unemployment numbers released Friday, but here goes.

The state's unemployment rate trumped the national average for the first time since December last month. This, despite the fact that North Carolina's civilian labor force hit an all-time high of 4.23 million people in August.

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed steady at 4.8 percent in August, while the national rate dropped to 4.7 percent.

The state will release its breakdown of August unemployment by county Sept. 22.

Professional association Women in Cable & Telecommunications will host the fall meeting of its Carolinas chapter in Greensboro at the Grandover Resort next week.

The meeting, on Sept. 27 and 28, will include a keynote address from Time Warner's Cable Chief Operating Officer Landel Hobbs and presentations by representatives from Advance Newhouse Communications, Charter Communications and Navic Networks.

The industry group plans to host an online auction on eBay starting Friday and featuring gift certificates to area restaurants and prize lunches with industry leaders. To participate in the auction, search for WICT on EBay. Bidding ends Sept. 26. All donations will benefit the trade group's Carolinas Chapter.

For more information, call Ninnet Bowman at (919) 573-7359. Or e-mail Bowman at ninnet.bowman@twcable.com.

Here's a friendly reminder from the IRS.

Your buddies at the Internal Revenue Service want you to know that individuals who extended their 2005 return deadlines by six months have fewer than 30 days to file. The Oct. 16 deadline is rapidly approaching.

The good news: Extended taxpayers can still choose to e-file - submitting their returns electronically.

Qualified taxpayers - i.e. those who fit the IRS's bill by making $50,000 or less - also still have the chance to free file. The IRS has partnered with a number of tax-software makers to provide software and e-filing free to the 70 percent or so of taxpayers who fulfill the program's income requirements.

The IRS estimates that 9.6 million taxpayers filed for an extension to submit their tax return later this year, according to a news release from local spokesman Mark Hanson. This is the first year taxpayers have been able to extend for six months, instead of the traditional four months.

By 2008, one in six workers, nationwide, will be older than 55, reports the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

By 2030, more Americans will be older than 85 than will be younger than 18. And most of these older Americans will still be working, the commission says.

That's why the commission plans to recognize these older workers next week during "National Employ the Older Worker Week." The commission has specialists who handle job placement and referral for older works in most of its 93 offices throughout the state. These specialists also act as resources for resume and interview preparation and help older workers find training opportunities.

The commission reports that it has placed more than 5,000 older workers in new jobs during the past year.

Here is the info. for the local ESC office:

2005 B Elm-Eugene Street
Greensboro , NC 27406
Office Hours:
Mon. - Fri. 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Guilford Tech. CC Mon. - Fri. 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Phone: 336.334.5777
Jobs Line: 336.334.5077
Fax: 336.334.5188
EMail Address: esc.jobs.greensboro@ncmail.net

The News & Observer tells consumers not to look for reduced rates on natural gas as fall kicks in.

But the Charlotte Observer tells readers that natural gas prices should decline this winter.

What's the deal?

Look to next week's News & Record for the skinny on local rates.

Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports today that it's hip to be older than 55 in the workplace.

There are more older workers out there than ever, the Chicago-based firm says. But, though age might be in vogue, the competition between aging Baby Boomers is getting fierce.

Harris Teeter will replace Southern Family Markets at Greensboro's Lawndale Crossing, the shopping center's owner said Wednesday.

Jimmy Black, president of Alliance Commercial Property Management Co., confirmed that the Matthews-based grocer sealed a deal Tuesday to take over Southern Family's lease at the Target-anchored center.

"I have no idea when they'll open," Black said. "I would guess within the next six months, but I don't know a firm date."

Southern Family Markets, which has been in the Triad for less than a year, announced plans in August to pull out of North Carolina. The chain's Lawndale Crossing location closed this weekend.

The chain is still operating a store at Alliance's Alamance Crossing.

City planning officials approved today plans to redevelop South Elm Street with a blend of homes, retail and offices.

The $11-million revitalization project, which targets 10 acres of land bordered by Elm, Lee, Arlington and Bragg streets - and railroad tracks - garnered unanimous approval from the city's Planning Board. That's just a preliminary step, though; the plans will head before the City Council on Oct. 17. And the property will have to come back through the council chambers next year when it's ready to be rezoned as part of the Central Business district.

Pick up tomorrow's News & Record for the full scoop.

In other news ...

The state reported today that county unemployment rates plunged throughout the state last month.

Guilford County was no exception, according to data from the N.C. Employment Security Commission. The county's unemployment rate last month was 4.8 percent, down from 5.1 percent in July. Unemployment in the local Metropolitan Statistical Area, which covers cities including Greensboro and High Point, dropped to 5 percent from 5.3 percent.

"Employment numbers continue to be strong throughout the state and 88 counties have lower unemployment rates in August compared with this time last year," ESC Chairman Harry Payne Jr. said in a commission news release.

Of the state's 100 counties, 95 saw a drop in rates from July to August. Two counties - Currituck and Richmond - saw increases in rates, which three - Chowan, Northampton and Person - posted static numbers. State unemployment in August was 4.7 percent, the commission reported earlier this month.

Dare County had the state's lowest unemployment rate last month, at 2.3 percent, while Scotland County recorded the highest rate - 9.2 percent.

Guilford continues to be among the counties receiving the highest amount of unemployment insurance benefits, along with Mecklenberg, Wake, Cumberland and Forsyth counties. The state paid out $72.3 million in total unemployment benefits last month, up from $65.7 million during July.

Existing home sales in the state held steady last month, despite what appears to be a national slowdown of the housing market.

And, year-to-date, N.C. existing home sales were 6 percent above those posted during the first eight months of 2005, the N.C. Association of Realtors is reporting.

Statewide, 13,582 homes sold in August, and total sales for the month trumped $2.98 billion, the realtors group reports. The average sale price for an existing home was up 1 percent last month, to $219,446.

More than 96,600 homes have been sold this year, the realtors report, with the average sale price up 3 percent during the past eight months.

Jacksonville, Catawba Valley and Brevard lead the state in positive growth of total sales dollars, while the largest year-to-date price appreciation was seen in Pinehurst, according to a news release from the association.

Coastal buyers take note: Hot sales areas are cooling off when it comes to pricing and sales totals. A number of coastal regions saw a downturn in total sales dollars - some posting reductions of as much as 50 percent.

Black's Furniture will open its new Greensboro showroom Sept. 30.

The High Point-based furniture and accessories retailer plans to launch its 80,000 square-foot showroom here with a Sept. 29 ribbon-cutting featuring the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. The event will take place at 11 a.m. at 300 South N.C. 68.

In a news release, the retailer touts its deals - discounts 40 percent below the manufacturer's retail price - on more than 300 furnishing and housewares lines. The showroom also will feature a rug gallery full of assorted hand-knotted wool and silk Persian, Pakistani, Afghan, Indian and Chinese rugs.

The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the 30th.

As the High Point Market prepares for its October furniture show in downtown High Point, the Las Vegas market plans to break ground on its third showroom building later this week.

The rival home furnishings market in Las Vegas opened its doors to the World Market Center in July 2005. The new show had roughly 2.6 million square-feet of showroom space compared to High Point's more than 12 million square-feet of space.

Greensboro-based RF Micro Devices announced Tuesday that it expects to get between $24 million and $27 million for selling its stake in Jazz Semiconductor to Acquicor Technology.

The value of RFMD's investment in Jazz, a joint venture between Conexant and the Carlyle Group, has gone down since the announcement of a merger between Jazz and Acquicor, a blank-check company founded by a group of Apple executives. According to a Tuesday news release from RFMD, the local tech company set the value of its Jazz investment at $60 million before the merger.

The merger, valued at $260 million in cash, is set to close during the first quarter of 2007. Upon completion of the merger, Jazz will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Acquicor.

RFMD and Jazz have worked together since 2002 to develop silicon technologies for cell phone chips. Bill Pratt, an RFMD cofounder, and Jazz president Shu Li said in the press release that the two companies plan to work together in the future.

Time Warner Cable plans to offer Azteca America, a Spanish-language channel geared toward people of Mexican descent, starting Oct. 27.

Azteca America, self-described as television for Hispanics by Hispanics, will replace Canal Sur on the cable provider's Spanish-lanugage tiers and its Digital Specialty Networks. Time Warner has offered the more broad-based Canal Sur, which appeals to viewers with origins in Portugal, Guatemala and other countries, since it first launched Spanish-language offerings.

Local spokesman Buck Yarborough said Time Warner decided to make the switch to better cater to a Latino population with strong ties to Mexico.

The swap is just more evidence of an increasing emphasis on appealing and marketing to the Latino population in the Triad. Within the past year, Latino media outlet Que Pasa has made greater inroads into the print and radio market, while stations like 94.5 The Beat have dropped hip-hop in favor of a nationwide, Spanish-language format.

"Any place that anyone can go to get news, information or entertainment is competition for cable," Yarborough said.

Azteca America will be available on channel 176 on nuestra Tele and the nuestra Tele HBO package. These cable packages cost $25 and $35 a month, respectively, in Greensboro. The channel also will be offered on DigiPic packages, which start at $66 a month in Greensboro. The DigiPic channel listing will be 126.

A local realtor has received a regional service award from the N.C. Association of Realtors, the group reported this morning.

Bruce Williams of Bruce Williams and Associates, Re/Max 1st Choice in Greensboro has been recognized as an outstanding realtor who has contributed to and continues to serve local, state and national associations.

Williams currently serves as the 2006 president of the N.C. Council of Residential Specialists and the N.C. Real Estate Educational Foundation, the association reports.

The Greensboro Housing Authority will receive the N.C. Association of Realtors' project of the year award for Greensboro's Willow Oaks community next week.

The association plans to announce its awards for affordable housing efforts at a Monday ceremony in Cary. The awards, from the association's Housing Opportunity Foundation, mark individuals and groups that have made strides for affordable housing in the state.

Other award winners include Durham's Center for Responsible Lending, the N.C. Individual Development Account Program, Raleigh's IDA and Asset Building Collaborate of N.C. and the Winston-Salem Regional Association of Realtors.

Belk will launch a series of events meant to promote breast-cancer awareness Friday.

October is breast-cancer awareness month, and Belk stores hope to raise $200,000 for the Dallas-based Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation throughout the month. Half of the donated amount will go to Komen Foundation local affiliates in Belk markets, the Charlotte-based department store announced today.

Events include:

Friday-Sunday: Shoppers will receive a collectible purse with charms featuring breast-cancer awareness symbols when they purchase $100 of merchandise anywhere in the store.

Oct. 6-9: Customers who buy a $1 shopping pass will receive discount coupons for purchases throughout the store - 20 percent off a single, regular-priced item, 15 percent off a clearance item and 10 percent off homestore items.

All month: Shoppers can choose from bracelets, lapel pins, necklaces and earrings featuring pink-ribbon designs. Jewelry starts at $15.

Robert McDowell, vice president for information worker business value at Microsoft Corp., will deliver a keynote address on the relationship between business and higher education at a UNCG conference Oct. 24.

McDowell's talk will be the headlining event for the morning-long UNCG Corporate Expo, an event dedicated to networking and discussions between corporate executives and the higher-education community. Other participants include Leslie Boney, associate vice president for economic development research, policy and planning at UNC-CH; Rosemary Wander, UNCG associate provost for research and public/private sector partnership; and Valerie McMurray, vice president of human resources and leadership at Weaver Investment Company.

The expo, which starts at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m, with an address from the UNCG chancellor, is sponsored by American Express, Wachovia, Key Resources, the Bryan School of Business and Economics, the UNCG Office of Research and Public/Private Sector Partnerships and the UNCG Office of Development.