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July 21, 2008

 

Knowbulls

Recent Changes, Promotions, and Awards

 

Reasons to Believe – Durham, Where Great Things Happen

Local Awards & Recognitions

Events & Happenings

Promotions, Staff & Board Changes

New Businesses & New Developments

Changes & Renovations to Durham Businesses & Organizations

 

To submit a Durham news tip or announcement, email julier@durham-cvb.com.

 

 

Reasons to Believe – Durham, Where Great Things Happen

  • The City of Durham is one of approximately 20 cities nationwide to receive AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies.
  • Duke University Medical Center ranked 8th by U.S. News & World Report's ranking of America's Best Hospitals.
  • The president of the Durham-headquartered North Carolina NAACP, Rev. William J. Barber II, has landed a spot on the civil rights organization's national board to represent seven Southern states.
  • The Durham Performing Arts Center has announced the legendary bluesman B.B. King will perform Nov. 30 as part of the grand opening lineup.
  • The Duke Endowment has awarded more the $110 million in grants across North Carolina and $60 million to Duke University.
  • Merck & Co. Inc. donated $30,000 to Durham Technical Community College as part of a partnership to grow the school's Biotechnology/BioWork Pathways program.
  • Recent renovations to the streetscape in downtown Durham and the redevelopment project at the American Tobacco Campus have been recognized at the annual Brick Industry of America 2008 Brick in Architecture Awards.
  • North Carolina Central University cross country/track and field head coach Michael Lawson has been selected as an assistant coach for the USA Track & Field National Team.
  • Less than two years after launch, nearly 80% of Durham residents are now aware of the community's overarching brand and 97% of those feel it makes them feel more positive.
  • The City of Durham has installed 67 new bike racks throughout the city as part of Durham's CityRacks Bicycle Parking Program.
  • The NC General Assembly has approved a referendum in Durham on a 1% prepared food levy targeted to sustain Durham's quality of life and cultural landscape and ask visitors and non-resident commuters to share the cost.
  • Quintiles Transnational Corp. has been named to Computerworld magazine's 2008 list of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT.
  • Duke University MBA school in Marketing ranked #3 by U.S. News and World Report.
  • Downtown Durham Inc. is partnering with Urban Ministries to help implement a "Donation Meter Program" with the 10 year plan to end homelessness.
  • Lavonia Allison, longtime leader of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, is donating papers and memorabilia to the State Archives.
  • Durham-based CrossComm, Inc., one of the first companies to work with Apple in time for the App Store's launch, has released LuminaTM, a game designed specifically for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPhone 3GTM.
  • Erika Stewart, a recent Jordan High School graduate, qualified for the U.S. Olympic team trials.
  • Ascom (US) Inc.  a leading developer of on-site wireless communications solutions has launched a compact, all-in-one, version of its UNITE Messaging Suite targeted toward small and medium sized markets such as elderly care, retail, hospitality and education.
  • Lenovo unveiled a complete computing solution for small-to-medium business users that includes the new SL series of ThinkPad notebooks, value-added software and unique news services.
  • Duke University is beginning plans for two abroad sites in China and India. Each campus will house students in the Fuqua School of Business for two weeks at a time for a Cross-Continental MBA program.
  • Duke University glaucoma specialist, Dr. Sanjay Asrani has developed a new instrument to aid in early detection of narrow-angle glaucoma.
  • Kaylin Davis, Ada Taylor, and Nicole Thomason, all of Durham, have been awarded the highest achievement for Girl Scouts aged 11-14, the Girl Scout Silver Award. The honor symbolizes outstanding accomplishments and a commitment to excellence in the areas of leadership, community service, career planning, and personal development.
  • Durham native and ADF performer Hannah Darrah has earned a spot in Mark Dendy's world premiere, "Preliminary Study for Depth: The Upper Half of High and Low."
  • Jay Bakker; son of PTL’s Jim Bakker and the late Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner, star of Sundance Channel’s “One Punk Under God” and founder of Revolution Church will be participating in the Pride Festival and Parade at Duke University’s East Campus on Saturday, September 27.
  • Dr. Louise Markert, a Duke immunologist, was profiled on "Good Morning America" and "Nightline" for performing a transplant with donated thymus tissue in March. Duke University Medical Center is the only place in the world that does thymus transplants. Markert developed the surgery, and she's now training doctors from London who will perform transplants in England.

 

 

Local Awards & Recognitions

 

·         Bragtown Branch, McDougald Terrace Branch and the Southwest Branch Libraries will benefit from a $1.6 million in grant money from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

·         RTI International has expanded its staff by 50 percent to 910 due to decreased violence in Iraq with its ‘Provincial Reconstruction Team,’ which complements the recent military buildup.

·         N.C. Mutual Life Insurance has acquired all of the premium-paying policies of Birmingham, Ala, insurer Booker T. Washington Insurance Company, which will double their sales force.

·         Pat Radack and Wendy Evans of Prudential Carolinas Realty’s Durham office have one Prudential CARES Volunteer grant awarded annually to charitable causes that Prudential sales associates support.

·         BioResources International, Inc. Chairman Dr. Jason Shih has been awarded the World’s Poultry Science Association Research Award.

·         Amadou Sambou, a 6-foot-10 and 275 pounds forward, potential Division-I prospect and graduate of Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, will join the Putnam Science Academy basketball team in Conn. next year.

·         Mark Anthony Wright Jr., a 2008 graduate of Hillside High School who plans to attend Campbell University, was awarded a $1,000 scholarship by National Jewelry & Pawn.

 

 

 

Events & Happenings

 

For a complete list of events and happenings in Durham, visit www.durhameventcalendar.com. Click here to have weekly eCalendar updates delivered to your email.

 

 

 

Promotions, Staff & Board Changes

 

  • Nahale Freeland Kalfas has been named the new Board Chair of the Carolina Theatre. Paul Brock will serve as Vice Chair, Kathy Silbiger as Secretary, and Dave McIntee as Treasurer, and Brett E. Chambers, Maureen D. Cullins, Saundra M. Freeman, Debbie Kulowitch and John Warasila were named new board members.  

·         George McLendon has been appointed to a second five-year term as dean of the faculty of Arts & Science at Duke University and has been named dean of Trinity College.

  • Tim Rodriguez has joined Largemouth Communications, a full-service public relations firm, as business development manager.
  • Drew Eller has joined Coldwell Banker Commercial TradeMark Properties as a real estate advisor specializing in the brokerage and leasing of office and retail properties and commercial investments.
  • Michael Galiger was hired as manufacturing and engineering manager at Entegrion.
  • New CEO of Wachovia Corporation, Robert Steel will keep his position as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Duke University.
  • Julie LaDue, creative director at Hummingbird Creative Group, has been named to the Durham Public Schools Academy Parent Advocacy Board for the academically gifted or intellectually gifted.
  • Nelson Gibson was appointed to the advisory board of Crop Microclimate Management, a Research Triangle Park company that develops, manufactures and markets products and services to the agriculture industry for the management of environmental stresses in crops.
  • Quincy Monk was hired as managing director at Argentum Capital Management in Durham, which provides financial consulting and wealth-planning services. Monk was also appointed to UNC-Chapel Hill's Board of Visitors.
  • Jeremy Holden was promoted to partner and executive vice president, director of account planning at McKinney Advertising.
  • Doug Holroyd was promoted to partner and executive vice president, director of connection planning at McKinney Advertising.
  • John Newall was promoted to partner and executive vice president, group account director and director of strategic alliances at McKinney Advertising.
  • Janet Northen was promoted to partner and executive vice president, director of agency communications at McKinney Advertising.
  • Jim Russell was promoted to partner and executive vice president, director of digital strategy at McKinney Advertising.
  • Ellen Steinberg was promoted to partner and executive vice president, group creative director at McKinney Advertising.
  • Ke Chen was promoted to research scientist II at Eisai's pharmaceutical-production and formulation research and development facility in Research Triangle Park. Stuart Pullen was promoted to senior research scientist in the analytical department, and Jane Winkleman was promoted to research scientist I and manager.
  • Nancy S. Padian, senior director of prevention at Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, has been named an RTI International Distinguished Fellow.

 

 

 

New Businesses & New Developments

 

  • Within five years, the Triangle’s 150 miles of greenway will connect from Downtown Durham to the east end of Raleigh.
  • Wednesday night marked the grand opening of Rockwood Filling Station, Scott Howell's new wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria on University Drive, in between Nana’s and The Original Q-Shack.
  • Richard Holcomb, Jamie DeMent, and Sargi Agasi are collaborating to bring Durham its first farm-to-menu eatery, the Eno Restaurant & Market offering American and North Carolina based cuisine.
  • The Picnic Basket has opened its fifth Durham location at 2501 University Drive beside of Thai Cafe and Wine Authorities (former Sips). Named the largest volume Caterer in the Triangle area for the last four years by The Triangle Business Journal, they serve fresh sandwiches and wraps, hot soups and delicious homemade side dishes.
  • Signs are going up at the Hope Valley Commons shopping center at the corner of N.C. 54 and 751 for anchor tenant Harris Teeter, which is set to open Aug. 6. Other businesses, including Char-Grill, the popular burger joint, Dunkin' Donuts, Rita's Water Ices, Jimmy John's and other businesses will set up shop there in the fall.
  • The North Carolina School of Science and Math has chosen a Baltimore architectural company to plan the schools expansion.
  • Petrus Partners Ltd. and Crown West Realty LLC have purchased Center Point Distribution Center for $14.5 million.
  • Michael Miller, former owner of Bare Woods & Accessories Inc. on N. Roxboro St, has closed that business and opened a new business called Bluesmaster Guitars located at 4515 N. Roxboro St.
  • Saladelia is schedule to open at the American Tobacco Campus on Monday, July 21 in the former Starbucks location.

                                     

 

 

Changes & Renovations to Durham Businesses & Organizations

 

·         Med-El, one of the world’s largest hearing-implant companies is expanding its North American Headquarters in Durham after sales of its newest device increased its international market share.

 


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