Business briefs: Power in Partnership is Thursday

Published 12:00 am Sunday, January 12, 2020

Dr. Michael Walden, N.C. State Economist, will present a 2020 Economic Outlook at the Power in Partnership (PP) breakfast on Thursday, Jan. 16, 7:30 a.m., at Trinity Oaks, 728 Klumac Road.

The sponsor of this month’s PIP is Wells Fargo Bank.

Walden is a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in the department of agricultural and resource economics at North Carolina State University, and a member of the graduate economics faculty with The Poole College of Management. His Ph.D. degree is from Cornell University and he has been at N.C. State since 1978. He has also been a visiting professor at Duke University.

Upcoming PIP speakers/programs include:

  • Feb. 20 – State Legislative Breakfast; Sponsor: Piedmont Natural Gas
  • March 19 – Salute to Agri-business at West End Plaza
  • April 16 – Health Care; Sponsor: Novant Health Rowan Medical Center
  • May 21 – Dr. Janet Spriggs, Forsyth Tech, Leadership Speaker; Sponsor: Duke Energy

If you are not a Power Card holder, individual reservations are welcome; however, the reservation deadline is Tuesday, Jan. 14 by noon. The cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. The price includes the cost of breakfast and the program. Contact the chamber for information on reservations or sponsorship opportunities at 704.633.4221 or info@rowanchamber.com

Concord seeks feedback on fair housing

The Cabarrus/Iredell/Rowan HOME Consortium (which includes Concord, Kannapolis, Mooresville, Salisbury and Statesville) is conducting an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice study designed to identify barriers to fair housing choice.

The study is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a condition for receiving federal housing and community development funds.

The information gathered will help local leaders and community stakeholders develop priorities, take meaningful actions to promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities that are free from discrimination.

Fair Housing laws prohibit discrimination in all aspects of housing, including home sales, rentals, housing policies and financing. Each resident is entitled to equal access to housing opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability/medical conditions, familial status, marital status, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, source of income or any other arbitrary reason.

To help us identify any fair housing challenges that may exist, residents are asked to complete the Regional Fair Housing Citizen Survey. Responses will be kept confidential and are reported only in combination with other responses and in summary format to protect privacy. Obtaining this feedback is crucial part of efforts to enable fair housing choices in the community. The survey is available online, as well as in printed form, in both English and Spanish. The deadline to submit a completed survey is Feb. 28.

Stakeholders including real estate agents, developers and individuals or agencies who work in housing or related efforts are asked to complete the Regional Fair Housing Stakeholder Survey.

The city of Concord is the lead agency of the Cabarrus/Iredell/Rowan HOME Consortium, supported by staff from the planning and neighborhood development department. For more information, contact Alicia Broadway at broadwaya@concordnc.gov or 704-920-5137, or visit the community development page on concordnc.gov.

Novant Health board adds new member

WINSTON-SALEM– Novant Health, a not-for-profit health care system serving the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia, added Joni Y. Davis as an ex-officio, nonvoting member to the board of trustees. Davis will replace Lee Myers as chair of the Southern Piedmont Region Board. Her term began Jan. 1 and will end Dec. 31.

Davis is a Charlotte native and vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer for Duke Energy. She is responsible for developing and executing strategies to build a strong culture of diversity and inclusion that strengthens the company’s recruitment pipeline, workforce and leadership team, as well as the communities the company serves. Davis has worked for Duke Energy since 1985 and has also served as vice president of marketing and customer engagement and vice president of large account management.

Davis is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and completed executive leadership postgraduate work at the University of Chicago. She is a board member of the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture; and a past board member of Blumenthal Performing Arts, Foundation for the Carolinas-Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation, N.C. Center for Nonprofits, Leadership Charlotte and the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce (past chairman). She is a senior fellow with the Charlotte Region Chapter of the American Leadership Forum and was previously named as one of the 25 most influential leaders in the Lake Norman area.

AAA Carolinas and The Auto Club Group merge

CHARLOTTE – In an effort to provide the best experience for AAA members, AAA Carolinas and The Auto Club Group (ACG) have merged and combined operations.

With North and South Carolina part of The Auto Club Group family, the company now serves more than 13.5 million members and has 9,600 employees in 13 states, two U.S. territories, and the province of Quebec. The Auto Club Group’s new service area includes Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, most of Illinois and Minnesota, a portion of Indiana, and the province of Quebec.

Joseph J. Richardson, Jr. will continue as The Auto Club Group President and CEO, while Dave Parsons, who retired as president and CEO of AAA Carolinas at the end of 2019, will assume a consulting and advisory role. The Auto Club Group now has three main hub headquarters in Charlotte, Dearborn, Michigan, and Tampa, Florida.

The combined organization will provide membership, auto, home and life insurance, travel and financial services to its members. The Auto Club Group belongs to the national AAA federation with 60 million members in the United States and Canada, with a mission to protect and advance the freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety.