Business roundup: New owner for Small Animal Medicine and Surgery
Published 12:00 am Sunday, May 17, 2015
Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at 3200 Sherrills Ford Road was recently purchased by Dr. Connie Kirk of Virginia. Kirk’s veterinary experience includes dogs and cats, wildlife, exotic pets and zoo animals.
She enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school, becoming a veterinary technician responsible for the health of Military Working Dogs at Fort Bragg and other installations. After 11 years, she left the Army to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian.
Kirk has had training and experience that enables her to provide expert care for an array of small companion animal species. She has worked at two zoos, and has kept a variety of species as pets. “I maintained a flock of breeding parrots for several years, and have had a number of reptiles and exotic mammals as pets. That experience provides me with a huge advantage in helping owners identify and rectify husbandry, breeding and neonatal problems,” she said.
Kirk’s two dogs, Koji & Sasha, are like a second set of kids to her and her husband of 27 years, Ken. She understands what people go through when their pet, of any kind, is sick or injured. “It pulls at your heartstrings.” she said. “Like a young child, you can’t explain to a pet why they have to be in the hospital, and why things are being done to them. You have to trust that the people you’ve chosen for your pet’s care are treating that pet with kindness and dignity. I want to earn owners’ trust.”
In addition to dogs and cats, Small Animal Medicine and Surgery now also provides full medical and surgical care of exotic pets, including birds, reptiles and mammals such as rabbits, ferrets, rodents, and small marsupials like sugar gliders. They can be reached at 704-636-6613, Monday through Saturday.
Foster earns certification
CHINA GROVE — Cathy S. Foster, a Financial Advisor at Victory Wealth Management Inc. has been authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to use the Certified Financial Planner and CFP certification marks in accordance with board certification and renewal requirements. Foster specializes in college, retirement, estate and other family financial planning.
The marks identify those individuals who have met the rigorous experience and ethical requirements of the board, have successfully completed financial planning coursework and have passed the certification examination covering the following areas: the financial planning process, risk management, investments, tax planning and management, retirement and employee benefits and estate planning. Certified professionals also agree to meet ongoing continuing education requirements and to uphold the board’s code of ethics and professional responsibility, rules of conduct and financial planning practice standards.
The board is a nonprofit certification organization with a mission to benefit the public by granting the certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning. For more about the board, visit www.CFP.net.
For more information on Foster, please visit www.VictoryWMI.com or call 704-857-4924.
Cathy Foster offers securities and investment advisory services through FSC Securities Corporation, member FINRA/SIPC. Victory Wealth Management is not affiliated with FSC Securities Corporation or registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor.
Cabarrus starts Industrial Council
CABARRUS — The Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation has launched a new Industrial Council. The purpose of the Industrial Council is to address issues and needs for manufacturing and industrial sectors and to encourage collaboration among existing businesses.
The Chamber asked Jared Nichols of The Jared Nichols Group to work with Cabarrus County and Kannapolis high school students to provide a brief program. Nichols engaged the students in an exercise of future thinking. “In order to effectively plan for the future we must take in to account multiple possible futures,” Nichols said. “Technology, the environment, workforce, education, all come in to play in each of those scenarios.”
Prior to the meeting, held the week of May 4, students gathered to examine several trends including the commercialization of autonomous drones, 3-D printing, genetic modification in humans and foods, and weather modification. Nichols familiarized students with the S.T.E.E.P. method of analysis, looking at the Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political implications of each trend. The students then applied the process to the potential futures of Cabarrus County’s targeted industries of distribution, advanced manufacturing, motorsports/automotive, food/beverages, aviation and life sciences, and presented their findings to the Industrial Council.
The manufacturers asked the students questions about what they learned about the community and their possible career paths as a result of the project. Many students said they acquired a new appreciation for the businesses and careers in Cabarrus County. Each student shared their vision of their chosen college and career path. Many said they are now aware of careers in the county that they did not know existed.
“This project links business and education in a way that did not exist before,” Patrick Coughlin, president and CEO of the Chamber, said. “These students are tomorrow’s employees, managers and leaders. We want them to apply their knowledge and perspective to companies right here in Cabarrus County.”
The Industrial Council will be issuing a survey to determine future topics for discussion and guest speakers they would like to hear from. The next meeting is scheduled for June 9, at Sysco, where a plant tour will be included. Interested industries can contact LeeAnn Nixon at lnixon@cabarrus.biz or 704-782-4000 for more information on the Industrial Council.
Financial and legal workshop for seniors
Estate & Elder Planning Center of North Carolina is sponsoring and presenting a Senior Financial and Legal Workshop Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Hurley YMCA, 828 Jake Alexander Boulevard West in Salisbury.
Pepsi building new facility in Cabarrus
“Pepsi has a long history in Cabarrus County. We are extremely happy that as the county grows, we’re able to meet Pepsi’s growing needs,” said Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners Chairman Steve Morris. “Pepsi is a proven supporter of our community. Their investment in our people and infrastructure will widen our tax base, which translates to more opportunities for our citizens.”
“The Cabarrus EDC would like to thank Pepsi for their investment in our county,” Patrick Coughlin, president and CEO of the Cabarrus regional Chamber and EDC, said. “We would also like to thank all the partners who helped bring this project to completion, including the Town of Harrisburg and Cabarrus County.”
“Harrisburg is the ideal location for our company, given its central location in our service area and it’s accessibility for our current employees and easy highway access to distribute our Pepsi products,” said Claire Niver, SVP of Human Resources and Corporate Affairs. “We appreciate the support we have received from the Town of Harrisburg and Cabarrus County, making it possible for us to expand here,” she added.
Kasey Kuhn and Owen Wackler of Southern States Cooperative in Salisbury have attended a comprehensive three-day training program designed to qualify retail employees as “FeedMaster Certified Feed Specialist” for Southern States.
The training program is tied to the Southern States’ FeedMaster program and is designed to augment the existing knowledge base of employees involved in advising the co-op’s customers on issues related to feeding various types of animals. The program provides new and updated information and qualifies for continuing education units by the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, a national organization that certifies animal scientists through examination.
Professors from land grant universities in the Southern States service area, industry nutritionists and veterinarians were among those conducting technical sessions during the program Kuhn and Wackler attended.
“With all the research and new developments occurring, animal owners need and want the best possible counsel on feed nutrition and feed solutions in general,” says Rich Schneider, part of the Southern States team that developed the FeedMaster program. “FeedMaster programs instill knowledge in our people, so that we can truly provide people who know.”
