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Fairview Flex Project Brings Sustainability to Kannapolis

Recycled materials and environmentally friendly features bring a new office product to Kannapolis. The first phase of Fairview Flex, an office project on Fairview Street in Kannapolis, has been completed. The facility has four spaces for lease, ranging from 900 to 1,200 square feet, suitable for office, warehouse, or workshop-type activities.

The building features Dutch lap siding and solid oak boards dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, doors reclaimed from an old fire station in Concord, as well as beams and other structural components recycled from Cannon Mills and other projects. Built by the Kannapolis Construction Company, Fairview Flex also includes energy saving and water saving technologies. On the rooftop is a large cistern that collects rainwater to flush toilets and irrigate the landscaping.

Once this project is leased, developer Brian Cone intends to construct an additional 2,400 square feet of flexible office space.

For more information, go to the Fairview Flex website.

 

Shoe Show Completes Solar Panel Installation

Shoe Show, Kannapolis’ largest employer and the nation’s largest private shoe retailer, has completed the installation of 1 million square feet of solar panels on the roof of its distribution facility in Kannapolis. The panels were completed in three phases, and produce 5 megawatts (MW) of electricity – enough to power 600 homes. This is the largest rooftop solar system of its kind in the U.S.

SunEnergy1, a Mooresville-based solar technology company, designed, engineered, and installed the entire system. The solar panels have the capacity equivalent to reducing more than 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the environment, or greenhouse gases from approximately 900 passenger cars annually. The electricity generated will be sold back to the Duke Energy grid through a power purchase agreement.

Shoe Show, Inc. was founded in 1960 and operates 1,114 stores in 36 states under the Shoe Show, Shoe Dept., and Burlington Shoes brand names. In 2009, the company added 300,000 square feet to their distribution facility. For more information, go to www.shoeshow.com.

 

CMC-Kannapolis Emergency Room Facility Opens

Carolinas Medical Center’s newest stand-alone emergency facility now anchors the I-85 Exit 63/Lane Street corridor in Kannapolis. Located next to the Fieldcrest Cannon baseball stadium, the $17 million, 26,000 square-foot facility opened in January and has been seeing strong demand for its services. It is a 24-hour emergency care center providing:

  • A full-service imaging center with CT scanner and ultrasound capabilities
  • Observation beds for patients who need may need extended examination and treatment
  • Laboratory services
  • Quick, convenient access for outpatient services

The emergency facility is affiliated with CMC-Northeast and is staffed by the same group of physicians. Patients needing higher levels of care will be transferred to CMC-Northeast.

To learn more, go to the CMC-Kannapolis website.

 

NC Commerce “Passport to Export” Roadshow

Does your business export products or services to foreign markets? If not, you may be missing a potential growth opportunity. The N.C. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Division is hosting a seminar in Charlotte “Passport to Export Road Show” on Wednesday, April 18th to discuss exporting, and how to get started.

Businesses that attend this free event can:

  • Enjoy a free, one-on-one consultation session with a Commerce trade expert
  • Receive detailed, country-specific data on targeted foreign markets
  • Assess which export markets provide the best opportunities
  • Network with relevant stakeholders and tap valuable resources
  • Enjoy a free business luncheon and information briefing

Review Information brochure (.pdf)

To register for a private consultation meeting or to attend the Road Show luncheon, call Bethany Khouri-Wisbey at (919) 715-1855 or email her at bwisbey@nccommerce.com

 

Kannapolis City Council to Hold Economic Development Summit

Following on the heels of its March planning retreat, the Kannapolis City Council will hold an Economic Development Summit on April 4 to discuss a range of topics and projects for consideration. The purpose of the summit is to clarify the City’s economic development goals and come to a consensus on approaches and priorities for achieving those goals. Staff will present information about several potential projects and intiatives that relate to business development, entrepreneurship, marketing and branding, and tourism. The outcomes of the day’s discussions will be used in the preparation of the City’s 2012-13 budget.

 

Kannapolis Receives Governor’s Innovative Small Business Community Award

The City of Kannapolis and the North Carolina Research Campus are recipients of Governor Beverly Perdue’s 2011 Innovative Small Business Community Award. Kannapolis is one of nine North Carolina communities honored in the award’s inaugural year.

 The Governor’s Award recognizes projects, strategies and initiatives that reflect excellence in community economic development, small business and entrepreneurship, and sustainability in North Carolina. Communities were selected based on their creative solutions to improve quality of life and well-being through job creation and job sustaining activities.

 “We are honored to receive this award from Governor Perdue,” comments Kannapolis Mayor Robert Misenheimer. “The partnership between the City and the North Carolina Research Campus is essential to our future growth. We appreciate this recognition and look forward to continuing our work with community stakeholders to make Kannapolis a great place to live and to work.”

 The City of Kannapolis was recognized for the redevelopment of the former Fieldcrest Cannon and Pillowtex industrial complex into a bioscience research campus and for the public-private partnerships formed to support development of the North Carolina Research Campus. City leaders will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the Executive Mansion in Raleigh on November 14.

 

NCSU Industrial Extension Office Moves to Kannapolis

The Charlotte regional office for the NC State University’s Industrial Extension Service (IES) has moved to 105 West Ave in Kannapolis. IES provides training and services to companies in environmental, safety, and health management, as well as in lean enterprise and quality initiatives, such as ISO management systems and Six Sigma principles.

The Kannapolis office includes both the sales and delivery teams, which have worked with companies such as R.A. Serafini in Gastonia and Capel Rugs in Troy to incorporate quality management and lean processes. Many of IES client businesses are currently interested in sustainability and energy efficiency measures. IES also offers training courses in project management, OSHA practices, hazardous waste management, and other areas. For more information, go to www.ies.ncsu.edu.

 

NC Research Campus Site for Health and Wellness Meetings

Increasingly a site for conferences related to health, wellness, and nutrition, the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) recently hosted two meetings related to employee healthcare programs and childhood obesity.

NC Prevention Partners, a statewide group focused on reducing preventable illness through lifestyle changes, held its Prevention Academy at the NCRC Core Lab in July. The Academy guided regional businesses from North and South Carolina through building healthier workplaces to support healthier employees, and reducing preventable healthcare costs through NC Prevention Partners’ WorkHealthy America program.

Participants also included health insurance brokers, health insurance plans, and the South Carolina Hospital Association. Academy participants received tailored action plans and tools to reshape their workplace policies and management strategies. The next Prevention Academy will be held in Asheville on September 22. To learn more, go to www.ncpreventionpartners.org.

In August, the Kannapolis Scholars Program hosted a day-long seminar at the Core Lab on childhood obesity. The event was webcast to about 200 attendees. Public, academic, government, and industry representatives discussed promising childhood obesity prevention programs and research findings. Speakers included representatives from USDA, NC State University, and the Catawba Valley Medical Center.

The Kannapolis Scholars Program is a 15-month fellowship for graduate students competitively selected from eight universities across North Carolina to conduct research at the NCRC. The $1 million training grant from USDA will fund about 20 students over four years, splitting their time between their home campus and NCRC. For more information, go to the Kannapolis Scholars website.

In mid-September, the NC Research Campus hosted the International Workshop on Anthocyanins. Approximately 100 participants discussed research on anthocyanins, the plant pigments found in blueberries, red peppers, and black raspberries. The pigments act as antioxidants that may have significant health benefits. The conference is related to the research conducted by Dr. Mary Ann Lila, director of the NC State University Plants for Human Health Institute. For more information, click here.