CONCORD ó Stein Mart Inc. is expanding its presence in North Carolina with a new location in Concord at the Afton Ridge Shopping Center. The store at 6130 Bayfield Parkway will hold a grand opening at 10 a.m. Thursday.
“We are pleased to bring the Stein Mart shopping experience to the Concord community,” said Michael D. Fisher, president and chief executive. “Our store will offer the latest fashions and accessories in an upscale shopping environment at prices customers can feel good about.”
The new 36,000-square-foot store has an assortment of apparel for women and men, as well as accessories, gifts, linens and shoes. In addition to national brands, Stein Mart also features women’s social occasion apparel from designer Victor Costa, menswear from designer Alan Flusser and home dcor, linens, towels and rugs from internationally-known designer/decorator Nina Campbell. Exclusive brands recently added include A Line Anne Klein and Jones & Co.
“Stein Mart generally purchases from many of the same vendors as department stores. Merchandise is tailored to Stein Mart’s specifications, ensuring styles will best suit our customers,” Fisher said.
The cornerstone of Stein Mart, the Boutique, a store-within-a-store concept that is staffed by women who work part-time and serve as personal shoppers.
Stein Mart will host a ticketed pre-grand opening event on on Tuesday that benefits Speedway Children’s Charities in support of the SCC grant program. Tickets are $15 per person and can be ordered by calling Amanda Hollingsworth at 704-532-3318.
Speedway Children’s Charities awards grants to nonprofit organizations that benefit children in need.
Two elected to board
KANNAPOLIS ó The membership of Southern Select Community Credit Union has elected Brandon C. Farabee and James Edward Sinclair to its Board of Directors.
“We are confident Brandon and James’ unique business experience will contribute greatly to the success of Southern Select and its members,” said Huyla Jackson, president/CEO.
Farabee recently opened Tucker Real Estate in Kannapolis where he is a broker. The company specializes in residential, land and commercial sales in the Cabarrus and Rowan Counties and Lake Norman area.
Farabee graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor of science in business administration in finance and banking. He, wife Ali Barger Farabee, and newborn son Tucker are lifelong Kannapolis residents. He is a member of West Point Baptist Church.
Sinclair owns and has operated Tax Unlimited on Cannon Boulevard in Kannapolis since 1993. The firm, with 20 employees, prepares taxes and provides accounting services. Sinclair studied accounting at Gaston College. He is married to Robin E. Sinclair, and the father of three, Briana, Carly and Blake. They live in Davidson.
Southern Select Community Credit Union (www.southernselectccu.com) is a member-owned cooperative headquartered in Kannapolis.
Lean Enterprise group
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College wants to help companies improve their bottom line by finding ways to improve performance and productivity, control costs, enhance customer satisfaction and reduce employee turnover.
RCCC’s Customized Training and Development Office, part of the college’s Continuing Education Department, is offering a “Lean Enterprise” focus group Sept. 28 to learn more about the challenges local companies face and to develop and provide training programs to meet local needs. The meeting also will provide a forum for information sharing and networking.
Ron Fite, an RCCC instructor with more than 30 years of experience in the field of quality and process improvement, will lead the focus group. Representatives from two prominent local companies will discuss their experiences and the challenges and successes of introducing “lean manufacturing” practices in their respective organizations.
“As global competition increases, more companies are realizing the benefits of a well-trained and educated workforce. Those companies, both manufacturing and service, have turned to continuous improvement strategies in an effort to become more efficient and effective and to maximize profitability,” Fite said.
“RCCC understands the need to offer local employers the best and most up-to-date information and training in the field of continuous improvement. Rather than arbitrarily offering courses, RCCC is partnering with local industry in an effort to better understand their needs and incorporate solutions into customized courses,” Fite added.
RCCC will launch its efforts by looking at “lean manufacturing,” a management philosophy that focuses on waste reduction to improve overall quality and customer value. A basic tenet is that steady elimination of waste leads to enhanced quality and production time and lower costs.
“In addition to lean philosophy and practices, we will also develop training programs for Six Sigma, statistical process control, team building and problem solving,” Fite said. “For each area, we will seek out local companies, listen to them and develop programs that meet their specific needs.”
The half-day focus group will meet at RCCC’s Cabarrus Business & Technology Center in Concord. For more information, contact DeAnn Basden at basdend@rowancabarrus.edu. or 704-216-3530.
New agent appointed
Thomas Chesney of Woodleaf has been appointed an agent for American General Life and Accident Insurance Co. in Salisbury.
Chesney has a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s College of Maine and is licensed to sell life, accident and health insurance as well as annuities. He can provide life, cancer, critical illness, disability and accident insurance for individuals and employee group policies for business.
American General is a member company of American International Group Inc. Contact Chesney at 704-638-2501 or tomamergeneral@earthlink.net.
Bonnie Miller elected
Bonnie Miller was elected secretary-elect of the Behavioral Health Section of the N.C. Health Information Management Association at its recent annual meeting in Raleigh.
Miller is medical records director for Daymark Recovery Services, 1305 S. Cannon Blvd., Kannapolis.
The association is a state chapter of the American Health Information Management Association, which certified Miller as a Registered Health Information Technician in 1993.
Daymark, a not-for-profit corporation, provides outpatient mental health and substance abuse services for area citizens.
Cutting college costs
A free workshop for parents of college bound high school students will be held at several locations in downtown Salisbury this month.
The workshop will focus on getting money for college, no matter how much income you have or how good a student you have. Topics include how to possibly double or triple your eligibility for free grant money, the secret to sending your child to a private or state supported school for less than the cost of a junior college and the biggest mistake that 9 out of 10 parents make when planning for college.
Sessions will be 7:15-8:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at The Gateway Building (upstairs in the Food Lion Board Room), 204 E. Innes St. and 1:15-2:30 p.m. Aug 25 and 7:15-8:30 p.m. Aug 30 at Rowan County Library’s Stanback Auditorium, 201 W. Fisher St. The library is not sponsoring these events.
The workshops will be taught by Karen Cranford, managing partner of Karen L Cranford, CPA, who specializes in college planning. She has taught at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Catawba College and Montreat College. She also teaches a career planning workshop “Career Strategies: It’s Your Move!”
The sessions are free, but seating is limited. To reserve a seat, call 704-639-9552, a 24-hour recorded reservation line.Staples teacher’s day
Staples at 355 Faith Road will participate in the office products company’s Teacher Appreciation Day on Saturday.
Each year, teachers spend an average of $475 of their own money on classroom materials and supplies, according to a report, Teacher Buying Behavior 2006-2007, from Quality Education Data, Inc.
“Tighter budgets mean teachers are spending more of their own money to keep their classrooms stocked,” said Shira Goodman, executive vice president of marketing for Staples. “In an effort to make starting the new school year easy for teachers, Staples stores are kicking off the back-to-school season with a Teacher Appreciation Day and giving educators tools to keep them organized.”
The first 200 teachers visiting Staples stores from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday will receive a Staples polybinder that will include a legal pad, paper clips, highlighters and index flags, among other back-to-school accessories and discount coupons. They can enroll in Recycle for Education at www.staplesrecyclefored.com, a program that has raised more than $2 million for schools nationwide through a Staples donation of $3 for every eligible ink or laser toner cartridge collected.
Teachers can earn up to 5 percent back in rewards when they spend $200 or more in a calendar quarter. During back-to-school’s Teacher Bonus Season through Sept. 15, every $1 Staples Teacher Rewards members spend will count as $2 toward earning rewards. Members also get 20 percent back in Copy and Print Center purchases, up to $200 per quarter. Teachers may enroll at any Staples store or online at www.staplesrewards.com.
In addition, Staples continues to sell Easy Buttons with proceeds of up to $1 million annually donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America through Staples Foundation for Learning. For more information, visit www.staples.com/teacherday.
Thrivent honor
Brad D. Brady has qualified for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ Sierra level for 2006 achievements.
Fewer than 300 of Thrivent Financial’s nearly 2,500 financial representatives qualified for the Sierra level.
Brady has been with Thrivent Financial’s Southeast regional office for a year and is being recognized for his performance for the first time.Smith gets ABR
Michele G. Smith of Kirby Realty Co. has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representation (ABR) designation after successfully completing a comprehensive course focusing on how to best serve buyers.
Smith joins more than 32,000 real estate professionals in North America who have earned the designation. All completed the buyer representation course and an elective course on a buyer representation specialty. Documentation of professional experience is also required.
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Linda Braswell compiles the Rowan Roundup of companies, organizations and individuals. You can submit information about new businesses, honors and management promotions to her at the Salisbury Post, P.O. Box 4639, Salisbury, NC 28145-4639; fax it to 704-639-0003; or e-mail lbraswell@ salisburypost.com. Please include a daytime phone number.