Annual Meeting just days away
Make sure you have your tickets and schedule
of events for board meetings, other activities

In less than three weeks, more than 1,000 business, civic and political leaders will descend on Raleigh for NCCBI’s annual business meeting and trade show. We hope you will be there to hear the keynote speaker, to applaud our award recipients and perhaps line up some new business through your networking at the reception.

It’s likely that you already have received several e-mails about the 62nd Annual Meeting and gotten the brochures we’ve mailed you that include ticket order forms. But let’s review the schedule so it will be fresh on your mind.

 



Chair’s Reception
Tuesday, March 16, N.C. Museum of Art, Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh. 
Reception from 6 – 7:30 p.m. hosted by outgoing Chair Sue W. Cole of Greensboro (above) for current and incoming board members. Event also recognizes board members for their membership recruitment efforts with prize drawings.

The Annual Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, March 17, Raleigh Convention and Conference Center, 500 Fayetteville Street Mall.

Small Business Advisory Board, 10–11:45 a.m.

NCCBI Board of Directors, 10:00–11:45 a.m.

The Expo trade show, 11 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Register for prizes and gifts with more than 75 exhibitors at our expanded trade show (see list below). A few booths remain available. For information, call Julie Woodson at 919-836-1402.

The Chair’s Luncheon, 11:45 – 2 p.m. Buffet serving line opens at 11:30
• Introduction of keynote speaker by Mac Everett
• Keynote by Robert L. “Bob” Johnson
• Introduction of Distinguished Citizenship recipient by Nathan T. Garrett.
• Presentation of Citation for Distinguished Citizenship to Bert Collins of N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Co.
• Introduction of Distinguished Public Service recipient by the Hon. Jim Hunt
• Presentation of Citation for Distinguished Public Service to Justice Burley Mitchell Jr.

Executive Seminars
• “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: N.C.’s Strategy on Economic Development” - 2:15 - 3:30
 An update on recent initiatives to strengthen the state’s ability to create new jobs. Watts Carr, chair of NCCBI’s Economic Development Committee, will moderate. Other speakers include Commerce Secretary Jim Fain, on how the state uses incentives; NCCBI Chair Sue Cole, on the association’s new focus on economic development; and NCCBI Vice President of Governmental Affairs Leslie Bevacqua, on Amendment One: Self-Financing Bonds.
• “Battle Over Military Bases” - 3:45 - 5:00
An assessment of the economic impact of North Carolina’s military bases and what’s being done to keep them. Leigh McNairy, the state’s Special Assistant for Military Issues, will moderate. Other speakers include Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue; RBC Centura Banks CEO Kel Landis; Dr. Russ Lea, vice president for research and sponsored programs in the office of UNC System President Molly Broad, and Sen. Tony Rand (D-Cumberland).

The NCCBI Reception, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
One of the most popular events every year, where members stroll the Expo aisles renewing aquantenances with old friends and making new ones. With open bars and several tables of finger foods, the reception is one of the year’s best networking opportunities. Bring plenty of business cards.

Overnight accommodations: NCCBI has reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn-Brownstone near the convention center. If you need accommodations, call the Brownstone at 919-828-0811. Mention NCCBI to get the reduced rate of $82 per night.

There’s a complete story with all the details about the Annual Meeting the end of this newsletter.

Second Mile campaign exceeds goal of $115,000
An outpouring of support from many NCCBI members has allowed NCCBI to exceed its goal of raising $115,000 in contributions toward the cost of staging the Annual Meeting. With more than two weeks left in the drive, contributions totaling $117,000 had been received and others were anticipated. ”We are so appreciative of the response we’ve had from members during this year’s campaign,” said NCCBI Vice President of Development Rosemary Wyche. “We’ve always enjoyed the support of many members for Second Mile, but I think the enhancements we added to the program this year really are making a positive difference,” she added. Wyche was referring to the fact that this year, Second Mile contributors for the first time will be seated in reserved tables during the Annual Meeting luncheon. That way, colleagues will be guaranteed of sitting together. Below is a list of contributions received so far:

Expo Exhibitors
Below is an alphabetical list of exhibitors at the Annual Meeting Expo as of late February; other exhibitors may have signed up since then. The cost to exhibit at the Expo is $400 for NCCBI members and $500 for non-members. Each exhibitor receives a complimentary luncheon ticket, a $60 value. For more information on the Expo, contact Julie Woodson at 919-836-1402 or jwoodson@nccbi.org.  

Alphanumeric
Appalachian State University
Biltmore Estate/Inn on Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Wine Company
Blue Ridge Paper Products, Inc.
Brady Trane
Business North Carolina
Carolina Hurricanes
Charles Hamner Conference Facility
Charlotte Bobcats and Sting
Chateau Laurinda Vineyard
Chatham Hill Winery
Coastal Federal Credit Union
College Foundation
CVB Pinehurst, Southern Pines
Desi’s Dew Meadery
Dixon Hughes PLLC
Franklin Baking Co.
Goodness Grows (10 booths)
Grant Thornton
Hampton Inn and Suites
Holt York McDarris & High
Homewood Suites by Hilton
Johnson Hearn Vinegar Gee and Mercer
MCNC
Mountain Air Country Club (2 booths)
NC Center for Public Policy Research
NC Community College System
NC Global TransPark Authority
NCGo!
NC High Country Host
NC Magazine
NC Rural Center
North Carolinians for Jobs and Progress
Pinehurst Resort
Pine Needles and Mid Pines Resorts
Professional Engineers of North Carolina
Progress Energy
PSNC Energy
Raylen Vineyards
R.N. Rouse & Co. Inc.
Round Peak Vineyards
RSM McGladrey, Inc.
The Sanderling
Signal Design, Inc.
The University of North Carolina
2005 U.S. Open
U.S. Trust
Withers & Ravenel

Other News

New leaders named for Young Executives Forum
Dr. Harry Williams of Boone, an associate vice chancellor at Appalachian State University, recently was named the new chair of NCCBI’s Young Executives Forum. Joe Milazzo II of Apex, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, was named the Forum’s new vice chair.

As associate vice chancellor for diversity at ASU, Williams is responsible for implementing the university’s diversity plan and works with the entire university community to identify and implement strategies that will lead to a more diverse learning community at Appalachian. He works with the admissions office to increase the number of underrepresented students enrolling at the university. He also identifies strategies that will lead to a more diverse learning community on campus.

Before returning to Appalachian in July 2002, Williams served for two years as interim director of admissions at N.C. A&T in Greensboro. He also serves as an associate consultant for Noel-Levitz, a national consultation firm used by colleges and universities for enrollment management solutions. He holds a degree in communication broadcasting, a master’s in educational media, and doctorates in higher education from ASU and East Tennessee State University.

The Regional Transportation Alliance led by Milazzo is a business leadership organization dedicated to identifying, facilitating and promoting mobility solutions for the Triangle region. The alliance is composed of area businesses, chambers of commerce, and several regional and statewide transportation partners and affiliates. Before coming to the Alliance, Milazzo was program manager for policy and traffic operations at N.C. State University's Institute for Transportation Research and Education. A licensed professional engineer in North Carolina, Milazzo was named the Young Professional of the Year for 2001 by the North Carolina section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. He holds master's degrees in both management and civil engineering from N.C. State and a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Penn State.

If you are interested in participating in the Forum, contact Julie Woodson, staff liaison to the Forum, at 919-836-1402 or e-mail her at jwoodson@nccbi.org.

New NCCBI committee chairs and vice chairs named
New chairs and vice chairs have been named for NCCBI’s seven policy committees. The committee leaders will serve for two years and then be eligible to serve one additional two-year term. The new leaders, and their committees are:

Economic Development: Watts Carr, a retired textile executive who serves on the executive committee of the Economic Development Board of North Carolina, is chair of the committee. Richard Wiley, director of economic development with Duke Power, is vice chair.

Education: Edgar Murphy, community affairs manager with Nortel Networks, is chair of committee. Steven L. Wrenn, partner with the Leadership Group for the Carolinas, is vice chair.

Environmental Concerns: Jerry Coker, area regulatory manager with Weyerhaeuser, is chair committee. Mick Greeson, strategic environmental analyst with Progress Energy, is vice chair.

Healthcare: John Peterson, account director with Capstrat in Raleigh, is chair of the committee. Judy Fourie, president of J. Fourie & Company, is vice chair. 

Legal Issues and Workplace Policies: Bill Scoggin, a partner in the Raleigh office of Kennedy Covington, is chair of the committee. George Suddath, vice president of corporate affairs with Pepsi Bottling Ventures, is vice chair.

Tax and Fiscal Policy: Lyman Cooper, regional vice president with CSX Corp., is chair of the committee. Jean G. Carter, a partner in the Raleigh office of Hunton & Williams, is vice chair.

Transportation: Tom Bradshaw, managing director and co-head of the Transportation Group for Public Finance with Citigroup Global Markets Inc., is chair of the committee. Henry Liles, a vice president of HNTB, is vice chair.


Danny Hearn named chair of Council of Local Chambers
Danny Hearn of Statesville has been named the new chair of the Council of Local Chambers, and Susanne Sartelle of Greenville has been named the new vice chair. Hearn began his 30-year chamber career in 1973 and has served as president of the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce since 1978. He also worked with chambers in Catawba County, Rockingham and Norfolk, Va. He is past president of Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) and was named N.C. Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year in 1991 and 2000. Hearn is a faculty member for the U.S. Chamber Institute for Organization Management program.

Sartelle has served as president of the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber since December 2001. She previously served as the Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber president for 10 years and prior to that worked with the South Brunswick Islands Chamber in Shallotte and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. She is a former executive committee member of NCCBI and is currently serving her second term on the board of directors. She is also a past president of the CACCE and was named N.C. Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year in 1993. She is past chair of the Board of Regents for Charleston Institute, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management and served on that organization’s national board of trustees for three years.

The Council of Local Chambers includes executives from all local chambers of commerce that are NCCBI members. The group serves as a grassroots network to talk with legislators and other policymakers about policy issues that are important to the business community. The council meets quarterly to get updates on legislative and regulatory issues, to hear from state policy leaders and to exchange ideas.

Kirk keynotes Knightdale Chamber banquet
"Local chambers are the lifeblood of the community," NCCBI President Phil Kirk told 150 people attending the Knightdale Chamber of Commerce annual banquet on Feb. 19 at the North Raleigh Hilton. "Where there is a strong, effective chamber, there is a thriving, progressive community."

He also told the audience "we need leadership at all levels which knows that success does not come by accident or luck but by leadership which knows the value of collaboration, communication, and partnerships."  He said leaders are needed "who believe in building rather than tearing down...leaders who see opportunity rather than despair and doom and gloom." Kirk said NCCBI would be advocating for the reduction of the corporate and personal income taxes, more efficiency in government, and more effective economic development. Outgoing Knightdale chamber President Glenn Doyle introduced Kirk.

Farm Bureau Leadership Conference: In a keynote address to the North Carolina Farm Bureau Leadership Conference in Greensboro on Feb. 6, Kirk called for the agribusiness leaders to be involved in the political campaigns locally and in the state. "Let's remind our public officials that the time for partisan politics is during the political campaigns. Once the winners are decided, they should forget about party or personal gain and do what is best for the people," he said. Kirk urged the group to work actively for the passage of the self-financing bonds constitutional amendment, which will be on the November ballot. "Amendment One will give our economic developers a tool which 48 states already have, and it will not result in any general tax increase," Kirk said. He explained that local governments could set up zones, issue bonds for infrastructure improvements, and the bonds would be repaid by those who benefited from those investments in a given area.

Duplin County Industry Appreciation Week: On Feb. 4, Kirk delivered essentially the same message to the Duplin County Industry Appreciation Week luncheon in Kenansville. He praised the contributions of agribusiness to the state's economy. "Not many people know that agribusiness brought more than $62 billion into our economy last year," Kirk said. He called for the elimination of unnecessary government regulations, a reduction of costly lawsuits, and a reduction in the corporate and personal income taxes. He also struck an environmental theme. "Too many people ask if we are pro-business or pro-environment.  That is ridiculous.  Most business people are environmentalists.  We believe in a good quality of a life.  We simply want environmental regulations to be based on sound science and not some personal agenda or focus groups or polling data."

Charlotte leaders host reception for NCCBI
Dr. Tony Zeiss, president of Central Piedmont Community College, and Tommy Norman, CEO of Norcom Properties, hosted a membership recruitment reception on Feb. 18 at the City Club in Charlotte. Carroll Gray, president of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce; Ed Rose, a member of NCCBI's board of directors; Zeiss; and Norman gave testimonials on behalf of NCCBI. They cited NCCBI's successes in the General Assembly and in leading statewide bond issues for education and highways as two reasons for joining NCCBI. NCCBI President Phil Kirk told the group that the organization is putting a priority on efficiency in government, more effective economic development, and the reduction of the corporate and personal income taxes.  He urged those attending to be active in contacting their legislators about issues of importance to the business community.  

Mark Your Calendar
 Duke Power is sponsoring the Carolinas Competitiveness Forum on April 29-30 at the Omni Hotel in Charlotte. Several NCCBI board members are advising Duke on the forum, which will focus on strategies and approaches to enhance regional economic development. The event also marks the 100th anniversary of Duke Power. Speakers include Duke Power President Ruth Shaw, noted author Dr. Kenichi Ohmae, Kent Manufacturing Co., President Mark Kent, retired pharmaceutical executive Robert Ingram, and General Dynamics Vice President Linda Hudson. For more information, call 1-800-USE-DUKE.

 The American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina (ACEC/NC) and Professional Engineers of North Carolina (PENC) are sponsoring an environmental conference entitled Total Water Management, Today and Tomorrow on March 24 at the NCSU McKimmon Center in Raleigh. Excellent speakers from both the public and private sector will discuss issues of interest to many NCCBI’s members, especially members of the Environmental Concerns Committee. Information about the conference, including a downloadable registration flyer showing the full conference agenda, is available from PENC’s web site at http://www.penc.org/2004EnvConf.cfm.

Please welcome these new NCCBI members
Companies that joined or rejoined NCCBI during December, along with the company contact person and the company location, include: Creative Services Inc., Nido Qubein, High Point; Kitty Hawk Capital, Walter Wilkinson Jr., Charlotte; Shannon’s Curtain Bed & Bath, Shannon Russing, Boone; Southern Steel, Charles Saleh, Charlotte; Ragsdale, Liggett & Foley, Greg Strickland, Raleigh; Reece, Noland & McElrath Inc., Stephen Kaufman, Waynesville;

Douglas Battery Mfg. Co., Jim Douglas, Winston-Salem; Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Dr. John Kasarda, Chapel Hill; PBS&J, Joel Lee, Raleigh; Century 21 Towne & Country, Dianne Greene, Salisbury; Hubbard Investments, Reggie Hubbard, Charlotte; ICG Capital Partners, Scott Upton, Charlotte; Yager Construction Co., Annette Honeycutt, Pineville; Dynea, Chris McKeeman, Moncure; Fresenius Kabi Clayton LP, Dr. Lin Wu, Clayton; Office of Rep. Rick Glazier, Hon. Rick Glazier, Raleigh;

American Product Distributors Inc., Cy Kennedy, Charlotte; Metrolina Services Inc., Dennis G. Wooten, Charlotte; Watauga Medical Center Inc., Jerry C. Moretz, Boone; The Encore Group, Louis Valente, Winston-Salem; N.C. Outdoor Advertising Association, Tony Adams, Raleigh; Buehler Motor Inc., L.P. LaFreniere, Cary; JM’s Sales Co. Inc., James Spivey, Troy; N.C. Zoological Society Inc., Russell Williams, Asheboro;

Sandhills Business Times, Ted Natt Jr., Southern Pines; The Courier Tribune, David Renfro, Asheboro; Platinum Corral LLC, Billy Sewell, Jacksonville; Tribble Creative Group, Ms. Mary Tribble, Charlotte; D.A. Moore Corp., Thomas A. Novinc, Concord; Davie County EDC, Terry Bralley, Mocksville; Cumberland County Business Council, William Martin, Fayetteville; Ford Motor Co., L. K. “Ken” Dwiggins, Advance; Oiles America Corp., Doug McCabe, Plymouth; Ballard Everett & Associates, Ballard Everett, Raleigh;

North Carolina Symphony, David C. Worters, Raleigh; Charles A. Cannon Jr. Memorial Hospital, Edward C. Greene, Linville; Vineyard Designs, Ms. Lindsay T. Stroker, Pineville; Champions for Education Inc., Ms. Kym Hougham, Charlotte; Culpepper Inn LLC, Ms. Cynthia Elliott, Elizabeth City;

First Research, Robert Martin, Raleigh; Heidrick & Struggles Inc., Gerry McNamara, Charlotte; Porvair Fuel Cell Technology, Tim Kriegel, Hendersonville; Atlas Resource Management Inc., Mark A. Stout, Fayetteville; Blanco Tackaberry Combs & Matamoros PA, David B. Blanco, Winston-Salem; Breslow, Starling, Frost, Warner, Boyer & Hiatt, Tom Evens, Greensboro; Leafguard Southeast, Andy Young, Raleigh;

Mid-State Petroleum Inc., J. Nelson Perez, Lexington; Opera Carolina, James Meena, Charlotte; RJS Properties, Robert J. Sweeney Jr., Charlotte; Speight Construction Co. Inc., J. Alex Speight, Pinehurst; Industrial Opportunities Inc., Tom O’Brien, Andrews; Self-Help Credit Union & Ventures Fund, Ms. Allison Gray, Durham; Office of Joe Sam Queen, Hon. Joe Sam Queen, Waynesville.

State Government

Mecklenburg County dropped from air pollution hit list
Mecklenburg County dodged a bullet last month when state officials did not include North Carolina’s most populous county on its list of counties the state believes are failing to meet federal standards for ozone and fine-particle air pollution. The state recommended that only Davidson County and most of Catawba County be included in the EPA’s list of violators. The EPA will make final decisions by the end of the year. Begin designated as a non-attainment area has important implications for growth and development. Counties included on the final fine-particle list will have to improve their air quality by 2009 or risk federal penalties.

Mecklenburg originally was one of 11 counties that state officials said last year might be violating a new ozone standard. But updated figures, reflecting air pollution levels from 2001 through all of 2003, dropped all but Catawba and Davidson from the list. DENR and the N.C. Division of Air Quality (DAQ) developed the particle non-attainment recommendations based on air monitoring, motor vehicle use, population density, air quality modeling and other factors. DAQ and local air quality programs operate about 35 monitors for measuring fine particles across the state. DAQ said its monitors in Lexington and Hickory were the only ones to exceed the annual standard for fine particles during the most recent three-year period.

The DAQ and affected local governments will need to develop air quality plans for controlling particle pollution in non-attainment areas. These plans would include specific proposals for curbing particle-forming emissions, such as measures to reduce emissions from cars, trucks, and industries and power plants. The designations also give EPA and the states the authority to review proposed highway projects and long-range transportation plans.

The EPA adopted a new standard for fine particles in 1997 due to growing concerns about their health effects. Fine particles can penetrate deeply into the lungs and be absorbed into the bloodstream, causing or aggravating heart and lung diseases. Persons most susceptible to particle pollution include those with heart and respiratory conditions, the elderly and young children. Symptoms of exposure to high particle levels include: irritation of the eyes, nose and throat; coughing; phlegm; chest pain or tightness; shortness of breath; and asthma attacks. In extreme cases, particle pollution can cause heart attacks and premature death.

New Press Secretary: Sherri Creech Johnson, public affairs director at the state Department of Transportation, was named Gov. Mike Easley's new press secretary effective March 1. Johnson, 43, replaces Fred Hartman, who left the governor's office in June. She will remain an employee of the DOT and will keep her current salary of nearly $72,000 a year.

Stock Market Boosts Pension Funds: A strong stock market in the second half of last year raised the value of the seven public pension funds managed by the State Treasurer's Office to a record $60.8 billion on Jan. 31. The funds, which cover 700,000 current state and local government employees, judges, emergency workers and legislators, grew from $51.1 billion a year ago. North Carolina’s public pension funds are the ninth largest in the nation. The state issues about $182 million in retiree checks every month.

Rankings show 10 counties worse off economically than a year ago
Nineteen counties moved up or down in the state Commerce Department’s annual revision of the tier ranking which determined a variety of state funding opportunities to assist in economic development. Tier rankings are required to be calculated annually under the William S. Lee Quality Jobs and Business Expansion Act, using a formula established by statute.

Relying on statutory formulas, the Department of Commerce assigns a tier designation ranking each county from one to five, with Tier 1 as the most economically distressed and Tier 5 as the least challenged. The changes are based on annual evaluation of population growth, unemployment rate and per capita income.

In the 2004 evaluations, Burke, Caldwell, Caswell, Catawba, Cleveland, Harnett, Pender, Stokes, Surry and Yancey counties moved down one tier level to a more-distressed designation. Beaufort, Cumberland, Duplin, Lenoir, Martin, Onslow, Vance and Wilson counties all moved up one tier level to a less-distressed ranking. Hertford County moved up two tiers. All other counties remained at 2003 tier levels.

Tier designations determine a variety of economic development opportunities available to each county such as the available amount of tax credits for job creation, worker training and investment in machinery and equipment under the William S. Lee Act. Businesses locating or expanding in counties that are more economically distressed receive greater tax credits than those that locate in more prosperous areas. 

State’s budget picture brightens a bit
Despite weak collections in January, state tax and non-tax revenues for the seven months ended Jan. 31 increased by $194.8 million, or 2.3 percent, over the same period last year. The substantial increase in non-tax revenue is due to a transfer in July 2003 of $108.8 million from the governor’s Executive Order to generate additional funds for the 2004 fiscal year. Net tax and non-tax revenues for the seven months through January of $8,704.8 billion were more than the projected revenues by $27.8 million. Corporate income taxes are down $92.6 million from the same period a year ago. You can access the complete report from the state Controller’s Office:    

Commerce holding regional workshops to explain incentives
The N.C. Department of Commerce is undertaking an eight-stop, statewide tour to discuss the economic development process and state incentives. These three-hour sessions are designed to provide a forum for information and exchange with local elected officials, county managers, county attorneys, local developers, allies as well as legislators about a significant portion of the state's economic development system and tools.

The presentations on the economic development process will include state, regional and local perspectives as well as existing industry specialists. The state incentive piece will include basics on the One North Carolina Fund, the Job Development Investment Grant, the Bill Lee Act and the Site Infrastructure Development Fund established during the General Assembly's extra session in December.

The dates, locations and times of the meetings are as follows:

 Friday, Feb. 27 -- Haywood Community College, Waynesville, 8:30 - 11:45 a.m.
 Friday, Feb. 27 -- Western Piedmont Community College, Morganton, 1:30 - 4:45 p.m.

 Wednesday, March 3 -- Mitchell Community College, Statesville, 1:30 - 4:45 p.m.

 Friday, March 5 -- GTP Training Center, Kinston, 8:30 - 11:45 a.m.
 Friday, March 5, Martin Community College, Williamston, 1:30 - 4:45 p.m.

 Monday, March 8 -- Robeson Community College, Lumberton, 1:30 -4:45 p.m.

 Wednesday, March 10 -- Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, 8:30 -11:45 a.m.
 Wednesday, March 10 -- Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, 1:30 - 4:45 p.m.


Industrial Commission levying new fine for incomplete Form 19s
The N.C. Industrial Commission is asking all employers, insurance carriers and third-party administrators who are responsible for filing Industrial Commission Form 19 (“Employer’s Report of Employee’s Injury or Occupational Disease”) to ensure that the form is properly completed. While almost 85 percent of businesses complete the form correctly, Commission Chairman Buck Lattimore said the relatively small number of forms with incorrect or incomplete information “results in increased demands on our limited resources.” The most common error is failure to complete the employer code and carrier code sections, Lattimore said. The Industrial Commission currently uses two staff members to return incorrect Form 19 filings to employers for proper completion. To improve efficiency and compliance, Lattimore said the commission has stopped routinely returning Form 19s for proper completion. Instead, commission staff will complete the missing information whenever possible and issue an administrative penalty of $25 to the party that filed the form. If the commission staff cannot complete the missing information, the Form 19 will be returned with assessment of the administrative penalty.

 
Names in the News
Asheville attorney appointed to Court of Appeals
Asheville attorney Alan Z. Thornburg was appointed by Gov. Easley to the North Carolina Court of Appeals to fill the seat vacated by Chief Judge Sid Eagles, who recently retired. Thornburg is a member of the law firm of Patla, Straus, Robinson & Moore in Asheville. He was a legislative aide to the late U.S. Sen. Terry Sanford and a law clerk to the late Judge Sam J. Ervin III, U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit. Thornburg also is a member of the N.C. Board of Transportation, a position he will resign prior to taking his seat on the Court of Appeals. Thornburg is a graduate of Davidson College and received his law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. Thornburg is the son of Lacy H. Thornburg, the former state attorney general who now serves as U.S. District Court judge in Asheville.

 Landis Mayor Fred F. Steen II was appointed by Gov. Mike Easley to complete the term of state Republican Rep. Gene Combs, who died Jan. 20. The governor acted on the recommendation of the Rowan County Republican Party. Steen has served as mayor of Landis, in Rowan County, since 1996.

 Veteran state Rep. Martin Nesbitt Jr. of Asheville was appointed by Gov. Easley to complete the term of state Sen. Steve Metcalf, who resigned his seat Feb. 2. Nesbitt has represented the 114th House district for the past 20 years.
 
 Frank Hill, former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, has joined Capstrat, the Raleigh-based strategic communications company, and will be responsible for opening a Washington office for the firm. Prior to serving in Dole’s office, Hill was chief of staff to Cong. Alex McMillan.

 Wake County Schools Superintendent Bill McNeal was named the 2004 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. McNeal received a $10,000 scholarship in his name to be awarded to a student from the high school where he graduated.


Team Player
America’s first black billionaire sees the return
of the NBA as downtown Charlotte’s best play

When Bob Johnson is introduced as the keynote luncheon speaker at NCCBI’s 62nd Annual Meeting on March 17, he’ll step to the podium not just as the majority owner of Charlotte’s new pro basketball team but also as a caretaker for the city’s economic development plan, which is woven around a $265 million sports arena. That’s his opinion, not ours. “In many ways, I am a custodian of what’s being done, so I have a responsibility,” he says. “It’s a partnership, to be sure, but I have to be right there leading the way.”

Johnson, who will turn 58 on April 8, has been leading the way in many fields since he was born the ninth of 10 children to a timber man and a teacher in Hickory, Miss.

After earning a bachelor’s in history from the University of Illinois and a master’s in international relations from Princeton, Johnson landed in Washington, D.C., and quickly began making a name for himself. He was a lobbyist for the cable TV industry, an experience that showed him the need to programming of interest to African-Americans. He founded Black Entertainment Television (BET), the first black-owned cable network, in 1980. Twenty years later he sold BET to for an estimated $3.2 billion and pocketed about half as majority owner.

Under terms of the sale, which made him the country’s first black billionaire, Johnson will remain CEO of BET through 2005, or just a couple of months after his one-year-old Charlotte Bobcats take to the court for the first time as the major tenant in Charlotte’s new arena, the largest public project in the history of the city.

While it will be the Bobcats’ second season — they’ll spend their inaugural year starting in November playing at the existing Charlotte Coliseum on Tyvola Road — in many ways it will carry more pressure than the first.

That’s due to the controversy the new arena has caused, a political and social unrest that began in the final years of the Charlotte Hornets’ existence. Despite the Hornets’ success at the turnstiles — they led the NBA in attendance for seven consecutive years — principal owner George Shinn maintained that the coliseum, built in 1988 with only 12 luxury suites, was outdated and the lack of that significant revenue stream kept the franchise from being competitive in player salaries.

Shinn’s popularity soon began to freefall, particularly after he traded star players Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning and was taken to court by a former Hornets’ cheerleader. It was no surprise, then, when city voters overwhelmingly rejected a June 2001 advisory referendum that would have brought a new uptown arena as part of a $342 million cultural package.

Johnson made overtures to Shinn about buying the Hornets, but the embattled owner instead chose to move the franchise to New Orleans following the 2001-02 season. With Shinn out of the way, the Charlotte City Council quickly approved a revised deal for an 18,500-seat arena, replete with 60 luxury boxes and 2,300 club seats, that had more private involvement and didn’t include a rental car tax.   

The NBA took note and announced it would award an expansion team to the city beginning in the 2004-05 season with Johnson — once he wrote a $300 million check to satisfy the league’s expansion fee — as its principal owner. In beating out a high-profile ownership group headed by former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, Johnson became the first black to own a majority interest in any major league sports franchise.

“That wasn’t something that I spent time constantly thinking about,” he says. “I had been looking into ownership of a pro basketball team for some time — it’s always been the sport that fit best with what we were doing at BET — and I had established a lot of business contacts in the Charlotte area and the Carolinas. It seemed like a natural fit in a lot of ways.” 

Johnson is aware that outside of the NFL, which thanks to a lucrative TV deal is a guaranteed moneymaker, ownership of a major pro sports team in most cases is considered a losing proposition. He scoffs at the notion that the Bobcats are merely a rich plaything. “That’s not me,” he says. “I’m not in this business to lose money. I don’t have any plans to subsidize big corporations sitting up in suites watching guys play, nor do I plan to subsidize guys making $4 million a year on average to play in the NBA.”

Part of his plan for the Bobcats (he also inherited the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting) is to leverage TV broadcast rights to both teams’ games as content for a new regional sports cable network. “It would be all things sports,” he says. “We would show some of the college teams outside of the ACC. We would showcase more black schools. We’d also have talk shows, features on NASCAR drivers — anything sports that had to do with North and South Carolina.”

While Johnson will remain primarily a D.C. resident, he has bought a $1.3 million condo in The Radcliffe, an upscale development just six blocks from the arena site on Trade Street. “I could have bought a house in the suburbs,” he says, “but I wanted to be close to the arena. Since I’ll live downtown, I’ll be spending my money there, and that’s what we want others to do.”

In addition to the Bobcats, Johnson’s already demonstrated a willingness to spend his money, donating $1 million to build a new YMCA in a distressed part of the city. “I am a part of this community now,” he says, “and I want to make it a better place to live and do business.”

More than 1,000 business and civic leaders from will hear Johnson’s speech at the Annual Meeting across the state who’ll flock to the Raleigh Convention and Conference Center for a full day of activities. “The best and brightest business and political minds in our state come together under one roof for what many consider the most important business meeting of the year,” says NCCBI President Phil Kirk.

The day begins with two NCCBI meetings running concurrently from 10 to 11:45 a.m. — the board of directors and the Small Business Advisory Board. The buffet luncheon begins at 11:45 a.m. and will include the presentation of NCCBI’s two coveted awards. N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Co. Chair Bert Collins, who has led North Carolina’s largest black-owned business for more than a dozen years, has been selected to receive the Citation for Distinguished Citizenship. Justice Burley Mitchell Jr. will be honored with the association’s Citation for Distinguished Public Service.

“Bert Collins and Burley Mitchell have been outstanding citizens and representatives of our state,” says Kirk. “We are thrilled to honor two men who have had positive effects on so many people.”

Current NCCBI Chair Sue W. Cole of Greensboro, the U.S. Trust Co. of North Carolina executive, will conclude her historic year in office with a report during the luncheon. Cole is the first woman to lead NCCBI in its long history. She will turn the gavel over to incoming chair Barry Eveland of Research Triangle Park, the top IBM executive in North Carolina.

The traditional members’ reception, always one of the most popular events at the Annual Meeting, will be staged within the NCCBI Expo during expanded hours from 5 until 7 p.m. with plenty of heavy hors d’oeurves.

Ticket prices are $60 for the luncheon and $60 for the reception, or $100 for both if purchased together. The NCCBI Expo is free, as are two afternoon seminars that will look at two hot-button issues — North Carolina’s efforts toward economic development and the future of our military bases.

“Both seminars will address issues that certainly are instrumental to growth in our state,” says Leslie Bevacqua, NCCBI’s vice president of governmental affairs. “These are lively and pertinent topics that are sure to spark plenty of discussion.”

“Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: North Carolina’s Strategy on Economic Development” is from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. and will be moderated by Watts Carr, chair of NCCBI’s Economic Development Committee. Other speakers include Commerce Secretary Jim Fain, who’ll address how the state uses incentives, and Cole, who’ll spell out the association’s new focus on economic development. Bevacqua also will be part of the panel, speaking on Amendment One: Self-Financing Bonds.

Leigh McNairy, the state’s special assistant for military issues, has agreed to moderate “The Battle Over Military Bases” from 3:45 to 5 p.m. Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue will provide an overview on the state’s efforts to retain all of our military bases and personnel. Other speakers include Kel Landis, CEO of RBC Centura and current chair of the N.C. Bankers Association, who’ll talk about the importance of the military to business and to the state’s economy, and Dr. Russ Lea, vice president for research and sponsored programs at UNC, who’ll give an overview of how the military impacts the state’s research and development efforts.  

A constant throughout the day is the NCCBI Expo, which highlights more than 70 businesses and organizations across the state, including convention and visitors bureaus, technology companies, advertising firms and education organizations. “Last year’s Expo was the largest in NCCBI history,” says Expo coordinator Julie Woodson. “The response again has been wonderful. We look forward to providing exhibitors an excellent marketing opportunity, and providing attendees with a tradeshow that will help them learn more about products and services that are offered in North Carolina.”

For the third consecutive year, Goodness Grows in North Carolina (a part of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) will showcase a variety of booths featuring foods and products that are grown in-state, along with exhibits from a number of the state’s wineries. The Expo will be a focal point for the reception, which will take place in the exhibit hall. “Exhibitors receive maximum exposure during the reception,” Woodson says, “and throughout the day they will have the opportunity to establish contacts with more than 1,000 potential customers. Without questions, this is the tradeshow that businesses should put on their calendars to exhibit their products and services.”