Business Roundup: RiverTrail Mercantile opens in Advance

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 1, 2009

ADVANCE ó RiverTrail Mercantile of Advance opened for business March 4.
The timber-frame building, located at the intersection of U.S. 64 and N.C. 801, includes several retail sections.
The Staples Shop of the Mercantile, which opened November 2008, includes convenience items and Shell fuel. In the Mercantile, shoppers will find antiques, gifts, toys, unique groceries, a boutique (women’s clothing and accessories), men’s apparel, quilts, art prints, pottery and more.
In addition to shopping, RiverTrail also features a cafe/soda shop with specialty sandwiches, soups, salads, Riverbread (pizza), bakery items and an assortment of ice cream desserts.
RiverTrail is a locally owned, family business.
“Our family is proud to bring such a diverse business to Davie County and the surrounding area,” said developer Pat Hauser. “We understand the economic hardships of today and hope that a visit to our store will lift spirits and allow customers to enjoy a nostalgic trip to yesteryear.”
RiverTrail Mercantile is a for-profit enterprise owned and operated by the Hauser family of Advance.
The purpose of RiverTrail is to offer unique and one-of-a-kind products along with everyday necessities. The Mercantile also hopes to create a unique gathering place for old and new friends to come.
For more information, contact RiverTrail at 336-998-8800, or visit www.rtmercantile.blogspot.com.
Burke takes over Biofuels Center
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK ó W. Steven Burke, the long-tenured senior vice president of the N.C. Biotechnology Center, announced in March his intent to leave this organization.
Effective April 3, he will be president of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina.
Burke has served since July 2007 as founding chairman of the board for the Biofuels Center and since August 2008 as its acting president.
The Biofuels Center, a private nonprofit corporation based in Oxford and funded by the N.C. General Assembly, implements the legislatively mandated North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership.
The Biofuels Center is the nation’s first agency to address all aspects of long-term biofuels development within a state.
Burke joined the newly established N.C. Biotechnology Center in 1985 as its fifth employee and has served since 1996 as senior vice president for corporate affairs.
Gateway Surgery Center accredited
CONCORD ó The Gateway Surgery Center at CMC-NorthEast has achieved accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).
This nationally recognized accreditation distinguishes the surgical center from other outpatient surgical facilities by providing a safe work environment and the highest level of quality of care to patients. AAAHC surveys more than 3,600 ambulatory health care organizations across the United States.
“We believe our patients deserve the best,” said Craig Bryan, administrator of Gateway Surgery Center. “We are proud to have accreditation from this national organization which has closely examined our facility and procedures. It means that as an organization, we care for our patients and strive for the highest professional standards possible.”
Ambulatory health care organizations seeking accreditation by the AAAHC undergo an extensive self-assessment and on-site survey by the accreditation association’s surveyors ó volunteer physicians, nurses and administrators who are actively involved in ambulatory health care.
The survey is consultative as well as educational, presenting best practices to help an organization improve its care and services.
“Going through the process challenged us to find better ways to serve our patients, and it is a constant reminder that our first responsibility is to our patients and the quality of care we provide to them,” said Bryan.
Breast health program gets $4.3 millionThe 220 guests attending the annual meeting of NorthEast Foundation learned that more than $4.3 million has been raised to support the Breast Health Program at Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast.
The meeting and celebration were held on the CMC-NorthEast campus Monday. Guests also heard from foundation friend Betsy Buchanan, a seventh-grade teacher at Kannapolis Middle School and breast cancer survivor.
The funds will support the creation of a new Breast Health Center, the purchase of digital mammography equipment and a mobile mammography van and subsidize a community outreach program designed to increase the percentage of women scheduling annual mammograms. Additionally, assistance will be provided to women who cannot afford mammograms.
Because the number of women in Cabarrus County scheduling annual mammograms was well below the national average ó 36 percent compared to 66 percent ó NorthEast Foundation launched a three-year campaign in January 2008 to raise $5.5 million to support the Breast Health Program and to raise community awareness.
Diane Honeycutt, chairwoman of the foundation campaign, said, “We are thrilled with the gifts thus far and also pleased that an additional 2,100 women scheduled mammograms in 2008.”
The $4.3 million includes more than $3 million received during 2008 and $1.3 million already this year.
Among the new 2009 gifts and pledges was $255,500 from CMC-NorthEast employees, bringing their total campaign contributions to $520,000; the Charles A. Cannon Charitable Trusts gave $1 million; Cogdell Spencer, a national health-care property development and management company, pledged $50,000.
Cogdell Spencer also presented a Tiffany clock to CMC-NorthEast President Mark Nantz, honoring their long-term gifting relationship of more than $575,000 with the medical center.
Endowment made in memory of Coltrane
A significant endowment gift was given to NorthEast Foundation by Phyllis C. Coltrane in memory of her late husband L.D. “Bub” Coltrane III.
Coltrane was a former chairman of the board of the medical center and founding member of the NorthEast Foundation Board of Directors.
The gift will create an endowed chair which will be named the L.D. Coltrane III Endowed Chair of Clinical Pastoral Education. This program will place five full-time ministers who are enrolled in the Residency Program in the medical center, providing pastoral care and on-call assistance to patients and staff.
Adam Cook, NorthEast Foundation Executive Director said, “Bub’s life exemplified the spirit of this program, a life centered in Christianity and kindness to all he touched. This is one of the most noteworthy gifts received in the history of our Foundation.”
Recognition was also given to the Jeff Gordon Foundation which awarded a grant of $271,000 to buy 10 new incubators for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Cook complimented the Jeff Gordon Foundation for its continuing support of the services provided through the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital. “Your support continues to enhance the quality of care by making available leading-edge technology for the children of our community.”
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