Thursday, June 26, 2008

Duke's Tony Almeida to chair Charlotte Regional Partnership board of directors

CHARLOTTE, NC - Tony Almeida, vice president of business relations and
economic development with Duke Energy Carolinas, will become chair of
the Charlotte Regional Partnership board of directors for the
2008-2009 fiscal year that begins July 1.
 
Other members of the Partnership's leadership team are: Humpy Wheeler,
first vice chair; Landon Wyatt, partner with Childress Klein
Properties, second vice chair and Business Development and Marketing
Advisory Committee chair; Pete Acker, president and CEO of Carolinas
Medical Center-Lincoln, treasurer; Jeff Kane, senior vice president,
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Charlotte Office, Audit Committee
chair; Alan Dexter, partner with Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein,
Planning and Performance Review Committee chair; Robert Van Geons,
executive director of Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission,
Economic Development Advisory Committee chair; Steve Luquire, CEO of
Luquire George Andrews, immediate past chairman..
 
Ronnie Bryant is president and CEO of the nonprofit, public/private
economic development organization that markets the 16-county,
two-state Charlotte region. The CRP leverages regional resources to
create opportunities for long-term growth, job creation and investment
in Charlotte USA. Additional information is at www.charlotteusa.com.

A nonprofit, public / private economic development organization, the
Charlotte Regional Partnership allocates and leverages regional
economic development resources to sustain and enhance the economic
growth, vitality and global competitiveness of the Charlotte region.
 
 

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Charlotte’s ClubFurniture.com Provides Furniture For New “The Baby Borrowers” Reality TV Show on NBC

Charlotte's ClubFurniture.com Provides Furniture
For New "The Baby Borrowers" Reality TV Show on NBC

For Immediate Release 06-19-08

CHARLOTTE, NC – Sofas, chairs, coffee tables and other furniture
provided by ClubFurniture.com of Charlotte will "star" in a new reality
TV show premiering this Wednesday, June 25th at 9 p.m. on NBC, called
"The Baby Borrowers."

The highly entertaining show reveals what happens to five teen-age
couples as they take care of someone else's baby, then toddlers,
pre-teens, teen-agers and finally aging seniors. "I had no idea this is
what it took" is a comment heard frequently in various forms from the
struggling teen "parents." Like the hugely popular "American Idol," the
basic format for the program started on TV in the UK, where it drew
large audiences.

NBC describes "The Baby Borrowers" as "a unique social experiment that
takes five teen-age couples on a rollercoaster ride of adult
responsibility, allowing them to experience parenting firsthand.
Desperate to have their own life and family, our lovebirds are thrown
in at the deep end. They're given real houses and real
responsibilities, the most important of which is to look after children
from a range of age groups. . . . In the end, will these couples be
able to cope with the pressures of parenthood or will they break?"

The five couples will "live" in five new homes in a cul de sac in
Eagle, Idaho. Producers of the show contacted Charlotte's
ClubFurniture.com because of their track record providing quality
furniture for other TV shows including NBC's "The Apprentice," Fine
Living TV, TLC TV and other programs.

"This is very exciting for us and we think the show is going to attract
a wide range of audiences because it is so entertaining," said Darrin
King, president of ClubFurniture.com. "People who live in North
Carolina can get special satisfaction in knowing that much of the
furniture was made right here in our state. We're proud of the fact
that most of the manufacturers who work for us are located here in the
furniture capital of the world."

ClubFurniture.com was started by brothers Darrin and Jeff King selling
North Carolina Furniture direct to consumers online. As demand grew,
they've established relationships with leading US furniture
manufacturers, expanded their website and provided home furniture
products to thousands of customers nationwide for more than 10 years.

"We're family owned and take pride in providing very personalized
service for all our customers," Jeff King said. "This leads to a high
level of customer satisfaction, which is extremely important to us."

For more information, visit http://ww.clubfurniture.com or call
1-888-378-8383. The NBC promotion page is

http://www.nbc.com/The_Baby_Borrowers/

###
[Media Contact: Buck Lawrimore, Lawrimore Inc., 704-332-4344,
www.lciweb.com.]

Friday, June 6, 2008

HomeAid Charlotte's Board Members Announced

 HomeAid Charlotte's Board Members Announced
- Under the Tutelage of Home Builders Association of Charlotte New
Non-Profit Aids the Local Homeless Population -
 
Charlotte, N.C. - Operating under the Home Builders Association of
Charlotte, HomeAid Charlotte was recently established as the 19th
chapter of the national organization, HomeAid.  HomeAid Charlotte's
mission is to build or renovate dignified housing for temporary
homeless families and individuals by working with other non-profits in
the community dedicated to helping the homeless. 
 
The Home Builders Association of Charlotte selected the following
individuals to serve as leaders in establishing and governing HomeAid
Charlotte:  President: Elliot Mann, Standard Pacific; Vice President:
Tom Ingram, David Weekly Homes; Treasurer: Mark Baldwin, Home Builders
Association of Charlotte; Secretary: Andrea Berenfeld, Lennar Homes;
Directors: Larry Burton, Newland Communities; Michael Hinshaw, Hinshaw
Properties; Bob Kardos, Toll Brothers, Inc.; Dean Kellum, John Wieland
Homes; Shawn King, Bonsal American, Inc.;  David Parler, Wachovia Bank;
Chris Pinckney, National Gypsum; John Shea, Shea Homes; Steve Windell,
Bank of America; and Libby Currier, Executive Director, HomeAid
Charlotte
 
"We have pledged the initial operating funds to HomeAid Charlotte for
2008 and provide them with office space," said Mark Baldwin, executive
vice president of the association.  "With homelessness escalating in
our community at such an alarming rate, we wanted to be part of the
solution in working with other non-profits who serve the homeless," he
continued.  "That's why we hired Libby Currier to become the executive
director of the program and to work closely with the community and the
newly-formed volunteer board of directors to carry out their mission
and policies."
 
"By partnering with other non-profits helping the homeless, HomeAid
Charlotte allows our association's members an opportunity to do what we
do best – build with an added benefit of giving back to our community,"
said Baldwin.  "For every dollar invested in HomeAid Charlotte, we
estimate this contribution results in an average of $2 to $3 of in-kind
labor and materials."  
 
HomeAid Charlotte's national partners locally include Bank of America,
National Gypsum, Pro-build, as well as Sakrete of North America. The
national builder partners who helped launch HomeAid Charlotte through
their local divisions are: Beazer Homes USA, David Weekley Homes, John
Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, K. Hovnanian® Homes, Lennar
Corporation, Shea Homes, Standard Pacific Homes and Toll Brothers.

In the near future, HomeAid Charlotte will announce its plans for its
first project in the community.  The organization is working closely
with the Homeless Services Network and care providers of the homeless
to become a viable solution to aid our community's homeless population
in need of temporary shelter as they become self-sufficient.
 
Each national HomeAid chapter is a 501(c) (3) charitable, non-profit
organization and is sponsored by a committed, local building industry
organization.  Today, because of the generosity and dedication of many
in the home building industry, HomeAid is one of America's largest
providers of shelter for the temporarily homeless. 
 
Established in 1945, the Home Builders Association of Charlotte's
members include builders, developers, trade contractors, lending
institutions, real estate companies and building-material
manufacturers, suppliers and distributors.  To learn more about HomeAid
Charlotte and the Home Builders Association of Charlotte, visit their
web site at www.hbacharlotte.com.
 

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Village at Lake Norman Issues News Update

A new issue of the Village at Lake Norman Email Newsletter is available
online at:

http://www.corneliusbromont.com/news/updatejune3.html

If you would like to receive future issues directly, we encourage you
to sign up at:

http://www.corneliusbromont.com/news.html

Best regards,

Buck Lawrimore