Dollar General in Salisbury opened Saturday

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General’s newest store at 120 Grace Church Road in Salisbury is now open. In its new location, Dollar General will offer area residents a convenient place to shop for everyday essentials at low prices.

Dollar General celebrated the store’s official grand opening on Saturday with free prizes and special deals. The first 50 adult shoppers at the store received a $10 Dollar General gift card. The first 200 shoppers received a Dollar General tote bag with complimentary product samples. There were also other giveaways.

“Dollar General is committed to delivering a pleasant shopping experience that includes a convenient location, a wide assortment of merchandise and great prices on quality products,” said Dan Nieser, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “We hope our area customers will enjoy shopping at Dollar General’s new location.”

Dollar General stores offer convenience and value to customers by providing a focused selection of national name brands and private brands of food, housewares, seasonal items, cleaning supplies, basic apparel and health and beauty products. The store’s layout is designed to make shopping simple for customers. Seasonal products are displayed in the center of the store, departments are easily recognizable with visible signage and coolers are located at the front of the store.

Traditional Dollar General stores employ approximately six to 10 people, depending on the need.  Anyone interested in joining the Dollar General team may visit the Career section at www.dollargeneral.com.

At the cash register of every Dollar General store, customers interested in learning how to read, speak English or prepare for their high school equivalency test can pick up a brochure with a postage-paid reply card that can be mailed in for a referral to a local organization that offers free literacy services.

Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $140 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 9 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, go to www.dgliteracy.com.

Caniche to close for five days for “rejuvenation project”

SALISBURY — Caniche — a boutique gift, apparel and accessories retailer — will be engaging in a “rejuvenation project” for five days, starting Jan. 29 and ending Feb. 2.

The rejuvenation project is inspired by New Year’s resolutions that will “last well beyond 2018,” according to a store news release.

Caniche, which is located at 200 S. Main St., will update its look and bring in new vendors as part of its rejuvenation project.

During this time, the store will be closed so necessary changes can be made to the store.

“We are excited to rejuvenate our space and bring fresh, exciting new offerings to our customers,” Caniche owner Lesleigh Drye said.

For more information, contact Caniche through its website — www.shopcaniche.com.

Stephanie Grubb and Jennifer Newman earn CBIA designation

RALEIGH — Builders Mutual Insurance Company has announced that Stephanie
Grubb and Jennifer Newman have earned the designation Certified Builders Insurance Agent (CBIA) through their company-sponsored educational division, Builders University.

Grubb has been an account manager with Central Carolina Insurance Agency in Salisbury for five years. Newman has been an account manager with Central Carolina Insurance Agency in Salisbury for 11 years.

Both women successfully completed a series of six four-hour continuing education courses and passed a comprehensive final exam to earn this designation.

Builders University hosts a variety of free educational programs for Builders Mutual’s agents, employees and policyholders. The mission of Builders University is to enhance and upgrade the construction-related insurance knowledge of its agent partners through informative discussions and educational programs.

Jerry Hargrove, an independent agent for more than 35 years, is both a dean of curriculum and a professor of Builders University.

To date, more than 1,800 producers have attended Builders University courses and more than 500 have completed the CBIA requirements.

“Builders University is a unique program designed to assist our agency partners in understanding the complexities of the construction insurance market,” said Karen Blalock, Builders Mutual’s manager of training and development. “We are proud to confer the CBIA designation in representation of (their) knowledge and commitment to the industry.”

Headquartered in Raleigh and rated “A — Excellent” by A.M. Best Company, Builders Mutual Insurance Company has been serving the building industry since 1984.

Builders University, its educational arm, offers training to more than 14,000 policyholders and 3,000 agents. More information can be found at www.buildersmutual.com.

Salisbury native Andrew McMillan named partner at REH CPA, PLLC

MOORESVILLE — Andrew McMillan — a resident of Mooresville and a Salisbury native — has been named partner at REH CPA, PLLC.

Andrew is a graduate of Catawba College and has a master of science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Andrew will be managing all aspects of individual and business taxation for the firm.  

REH CPA, PLLC, has been serving clients in North Carolina and across the U.S. from its Mooresville office since 2006. The firm offers a wide array of services including tax preparation, accounting and payroll services. The staff of four CPAs and five associate accountants provides clients with many years of tax and accounting experience.

New officers installed at January Salisbury/Rowan Association of REALTORS

SALISBURY — At the Salisbury/Rowan Association of REALTORS (SRAR) January meeting, President-Elect of the North Carolina Association of REALTORS Asa Fleming installed the 2018 officers and directors of the organization. Those new officers are Mary Arey, president; Tom Bost, president-elect; Beth Bean, secretary; Daniel Almazan, treasurer; and Rob Bean, immediate past president.

The newly installed directors of SRAR are Kellie Fischer, Victor Poplin, Mike Rusher and Jason Wallace.

At the SRAR Holiday Social in December, the organization raised $500 in donations for Communities in Schools and 110 pounds of food donations for Rowan Helping Ministries.

It also donated $1,000 to the Rowan-Salisbury School System’s literacy program from the SRAR 2017 golf tournament.

‘Green means go’ for Salisbury’s Promats Athletics

SALISBURY  — Promats Athletics’ new Ultra Cross Field Green baseball netting has taken the market by storm this off-season. Within the first couple months of its release, the low-profile green-coated Dyneema fiber netting attracted over a dozen Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs that plan to install the new product at their home stadiums or practice facilities as part of the push for expanded safety netting.

“There was a first wave of netting expansions in 2016 following a recommendation from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. During that time, our original black Ultra Cross netting became well-known with MLB and MiLB teams for having industry leading 95 percent see-through visibility and exceptionally strong construction,” said Kevin DeVantier, stadium sales manager at Promats Athletics.

DeVantier added that Promats Athletics is the exclusive provider of the product, which is manufactured by Nor’Eastern Trawl (NET) Systems.

DeVantier said that in the fall of 2017 an independent consulting firm, commissioned by MLB, conducted a study to see if green-colored netting would improve the viewing experience for fans in the stands. They evaluated several green variants and determined that there was a noticeable improvement in the in-stadium viewing experience.

A final decision on the hue was established by MLB based on the color’s ability to blend into stadium elements such as grass, dirt, seating, signage and scoreboards. This was the catalyst for the Ultra Cross upgrade.

“It’s hard to imagine that Ultra Cross netting could get any better but, with the green coating, it has,” said DeVantier.

DeVantier said the premium netting is made with Dyneema fiber, which is also used in bulletproof vests and air cargo containers.

“It’s very lightweight, yet extremely strong,” he said.

This feature allows netting manufacturers at NET Systems to decrease the twine gauge to 1.2 mm without compromising its strength. Additionally, the netting is knotless and the twine is braided — the strongest configuration available. Custom netting systems are engineered and installed by Promats Athletics.

When asked what’s next for Promats Athletics and Ultra Cross Field Green baseball netting, DeVantier said, “There’s a lot of interest in Ultra Cross Field Green at the MLB level, but we’re also seeing a lot from MiLB teams and universities. I think we’re going to be busy for a while.”

Promats Athletics of Salisbury is a direct manufacturer of protective wall pads, windscreen, tension netting systems and athletic equipment for stadiums, recreational facilities, schools and universities worldwide.

In partnership with its parent company, Sportsfield Specialties, Inc., the companies have been awarded over 20 patents for their innovative designs, making them the most specified sports equipment company in the United States.