Two with Century 21 Towne & Country win awards

SALISBURY — Cathy Griffin recently earned the Century 21 System’s Double Centurion Producer Award for continuous sales success, and Jayne Land  received the Century 21 Pinnacle Quality Service Producer Award.

Both are with Century 21 Towne & Country, owned by broker Dianne Greene.

Griffin has proven her commitment and demonstrated exceptional professional standards and dedication to her clients, according to a company press release. She also is the No. 1 agent in the Century 21 system for North and South Carolina for number of units sold.  Griffin was recently honored at a dinner and awards ceremony in Myrtle Beach.

Land’s Pinnacle award is  given to Century 21 agents who have received the Quality Service Award three consecutive years for exceeding the service expectations of her clients. Land also received the Masters Ruby Award  for outstanding performance and was recognized at the Century 21 Sales Rally in Myrtle Beach on Friday.

 

BAYADA named provider of choice

SALISBURY — BAYADA Home Health Care, including its Salisbury office, received the 2017 Best of Home Care Provider of Choice Award from Home Care Pulse, an industry research firm that benchmarks quality satisfaction across North America.

This distinction ranks BAYADA among a select few home care providers across the country with proven ability to provide outstanding care. This year, 56 of BAYADA’s adult nursing, assistive care, and assistive care state-program offices received the honor.

Aaron Marcum, CEO and founder of Home Care Pulse, congratulated BAYADA. “Since this award is based on client feedback, it demonstrates BAYADA’s dedication to providing the highest quality of care with a focus on client satisfaction,” he said.

Each year, Home Care Pulse awards providers who meet certain criteria in one more of these 10 categories: ability, client and caregiver compatibility, compassion, communication, confidence, professionalism, recommendations, services, quality of life, and work ethic.

Offices qualify if they have been Home Care Pulse certified for at least six consecutive months, have 10 percent of clients interviewed monthly and achieve the top 50^th percentile in three or more client satisfaction categories for the region.

Karen LeRoy, director of BAYADA’s Salisbury office, credits the  the type of nurses the company hires and continuously trains.

“It’s an affirmation of our ongoing commitment to build great teams of home care professionals who love what they do and put our clients first,” LeRoy says. “When people love what they do, they do it well.”

Salisbury native elected transit union president in California

Salisbury native, Terry Leepo Russell, has been elected president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 265, in San Jose, Santa Clara County, California.

His late father, Thomas L. Russell, was the first black bus driver for public transportation with the late Sam Moore’s company in Salisbury, in the late 1960’s.

Leepo, as he’s known to family and friends, previously held the union office of assistant business agent-operations for Local 265.

Russell, a 1972 graduate of Salisbury High, has driven for the Valley Transit Authority since 1987.

Food Lion announces store manager award finalists

SALISBURY — Wendy Thompson of Store 1217 in Lumberton has been named winner of Food Lion’s prestigious Ralph W. Ketner Store Manager of the Year Award.

Thompson has been working with Food Lion for 22 years, spending the last 14 years as a store manager.

She was one of five store managers to be named division winners, and she was named the top recipient last week.

The awards recognize exceptional store managers who enrich the lives of Food Lion’s customers, associates and the communities the company serves, successfully leading the business, and supporting and inspiring others.

Other divisional winners include:

• Jeff Estes, of Store 2206, of 1088 Brawley School Road, in Mooresville, for the Central Charlotte Division. Estes started with Food Lion in 1996 as a bagger in Richmond, Va.  Since that time, he has worked in various roles of increasing responsibility up to store manager.
• Leslie Johnson, Store 57, of 5279 Roxboro Road, in Durham, for the Mid-Atlantic Division. Johnson joined Food Lion in 2010 as a store manager, where she has held that position for the past six years. Prior to joining the company, she spent some time working in retail and uses her vast experience in her current role as a store manager in Durham, N.C.
• Brandon Phillips, Store 1352, of 1526 North Bridge St., in Elkin, for the Central Greensboro Division.Phillips joined Food Lion 16 years ago. Since that time he has worked in various roles of increasing responsibility.
• Matthew Webber, Store 2194, of 78 Worchester Drive, in Falling Waters, W. Va., for the Northern Division.Webber has worked with Food Lion for 19 years. He has held various roles during his tenure including service associate, grocery manager and store assistant. He has spent the last 15 years working as a store manager with the company.
  

 

“Our store managers are the heartbeat of our organization and represent the towns and cities we serve,” said Meg Ham, president of Food Lion. “Our store associates bring our brand, our strategy and everything we do to life for our customers. These exceptional store managers lead the way for our associates who serve our customers every day.”

Food Lion will donate $1,000 to each of the feeding agencies served by these stores in honor of the division winners.  

RCCC to hold job fair in Concord

CONCORD — More than 50 employers will be on hand March 1 when the Centralina Workforce Development Board and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College hold a job fair at New Life Baptist Church, 1281 Biscayne Drive.

The Rowan-Cabarrus Community Job Fair will kick off with an employer panel from 9 to 9:45 a.m. The job fair will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A Mobile Veteran’s Center will be on site from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for veteran’s benefits, education, employmen, and service questions. 

A Mobile Workforce Center will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for job seekers to complete online job applications and print resumes. 

More than 400 job seekers attended this event last year.

 Candidates of all ages, experience levels, and industries are encouraged to attend and dress to impress.

 Some of the major companies in attendance will be Intertape, Snyder Lance, Gordon Food System, Corning, Frito-Lay, S&D Coffee, McLane Food Service, Legrand Pass & Seymour, DNP Imagingcomm America Corp., City of Concord, City of Kannapolis, Hitachi Metals and Blythe Construction. 

Davie County human resources managers gather

MOCKSVILLE — Dozens of human resources managers from companies across Davie County met for a “Lunch and Learn” event last month at the Triple J Manor House  to discuss the state of the county in terms of workforce development.

The Davie County Economic Development Commission, the Davie Chamber of Commerce, Davidson County Community College and the Davie County School System hosted the meeting.

Sustained growth in the number of manufacturing and industrial jobs being created in Davie County over the last five years is putting pressure on HR managers to attract and retain the talented workforce needed to compete successfully in a growing economy.

Dr. Pamela Howze, from the N.X. Department of Commerce and NC Works, delivered the feature presentation, “Apprenticeship Programs in North Carolina.”

According to Howze, there are 400,000 apprentices across the country in more than 1,000 occupations. A 2009 return-on-investment study found that for every dollar spent on apprenticeship training, an employer receives an average benefit of $1.47.

The state supports apprenticeship initiatives by offering free community college tuition to any North Carolina workers that enter an apprenticeship program. The Department of Commerce has also submitted a $1.3 million grant proposal to grow apprenticeship programs across the state.

After the presentation, HR managers engaged in brainstorming and discussion with Howze and representatives from the schools, the community college and local temp agencies.

As Terry Bralley noted, “Economic development is a team sport. As we move forward as a community, we must create a local awareness that we are in competition with the world.”

N.C. A&T to host farmers’ meeting about hemp

GREENSBORO — A Feb. 27 meeting is aimed at farmers and other growers interested in learning about industrial-hemp production and the state law that has established a research program for it.

The meeting is sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

The meeting is scheduled for 1-3 p.m.  at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, 2907 E. Gate City Blvd.

To reserve a meeting space, email aymccall@ncat.edu or call 336-285-4701.

The 2015 North Carolina General Assembly legalized industrial-hemp production and established a pilot program to help small farmers generate income through production of the new crop.

The law was updated in 2016 to establish a research program using the faculty expertise at N.C. A&T and N.C. State University, the state’s two land-grant institutions with strong agricultural programs.

Hemp production in the United States has become a profitable, value-added crop with a number of uses including grain, dietary supplements, textiles, animal bedding, car parts, biofuel, environmentally safe paper and packaging material, and construction.

The goal of the N.C. Industrial Hemp Commission is to help North Carolina become a leader in hemp production and processing, to stimulate the economy and to provide viable opportunities for small-scale farmers.