Business North Carolina articles from July 2003

Business North Carolina archives from July 2003

A new direction. (Up Front).(Eastern North Carolina economic woes)
July 1, 2003... It's easy to forget just how big this state is. But 4 1/2 hours in a car, which Ed Martin and I spent driving from Charlotte to Greenville, brought it to mind, not to mention to aching nether regions of our anatomy. But our discomfort was...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... Keeping score I read "A Fan's Notes" (June) and agree: UNC basketball was special. The problem is that institutions are built upon the legacy of consistency and vision, especially by the head coach or, in the case of a business, the CEO....

Trend.(North Carolina economic indicators)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... TREND Latest Previous Previous month month year EMPLOYMENT (1) Total employed (000s) 3,902.1 3,910.4 ...

Steel maker recasts debate over free trade. (Economic Outlook).(Dan DiMicco )(Nucor Corp.)(Interview)
July 1, 2003... Dan DiMicco, CEO of Charlotte-based steel maker Nucor Corp., claims trade liberalization has hurt the U.S. economy. Other countries are unlawfully devaluing their currencies, he says, making it cheaper for them to sell steel and other goods...

Grocer's shares suffer as rivals go to market. (Money Matters).(Ingles Markets Inc.)
July 1, 2003... There's no such thing as a free lunch at Ingles Markets Inc. anymore -- certainly none as big as its annual Food Show was. The Black Mountain-based grocery chain has discontinued the giveaway, which last year drew almost 10,000 people. It's one...

Tar heel stock watch.(stock prices of North Carolina companies)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... TAR HEEL STOCK WATCH Expensive stocks Highest price-earnings ratios among North Carolina stocks P/E 05/30/03 52-week Company ratio * price range Unifi ...

Storage centers fear base will lock up Marine trade. (Tar Heel Tattler).(Marine Corps Community Services)(onsite storage center for Camp Lejeune)
July 1, 2003... War in Iraq didn't help most Jacksonville businesses. Retail sales were off nearly 8% in March compared with a year earlier, mainly due to deployment of 14,000 Marines and sailors from Camp Lejeune. But one sector that did thrive -- for the...

Reason for 401(k) change is fee simple. (Tar Heel Tattler).(Prudential Retirement wins contract)
July 1, 2003... It was an offer the state couldn't refuse. Prudential Retirement, part of Newark, N.J.-based Prudential Financial, promised to increase staffing, eliminate some fees and lower others if it got to manage the $2.3 billion 401(k) plan for 180,000...

CNET/Business North Carolina index. (Tar Heel Tattler).(data for small-cap, large cap stocks)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... CNET/BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA INDEX Surging drug and health-care stocks helped boost North Carolina small caps to a 52-week high. Despite gains by high-tech and telecom stocks, large caps still showed a negative one-year return. ...

Gasp gauge. (Tattle Tales).(Charlotte's air pollution ranking )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Charlotte leads the state in another national ranking. The American Lung Association ranks it 10th-worst for air pollution, dirtier than New York and Chicago but cleaner than eighth-place Atlanta. Greensboro was 17th and Raleigh 22nd.

Fowl ball. (Tattle Tales).(GreenChicken's processed chicken fertilizer)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A Union County business hopes to show the New York Yankees and other pro teams that it has what they need to keep playing fields healthy and green: chicken manure. GreenChicken claims its processed henhouse fertilizer beats synthetics hands...

Easy come. (Tattle Tales).(Department of Commerce's premature state incentive)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Saying it feared BB&T would locate a $12 million loan-processing center in another state, the N.C. Department of Commerce announced the bank would get $300,000 in state incentives to build it in Wilson. Bank officials were surprised, having...

Every picture tells a story. (Tattle Tales).(Stokes commissioners rescind manager's severance package)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Stokes commissioners fired former County Manager Craig Greer - who had already resigned for other reasons and been given a $37,000 severance package - after employees discovered thousands of pornographic photos had been downloaded to his office...

See Rock City, too. (Tattle Tales).(tourism promotion for Charlotte and other North Carolina venues)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Tourism booster Visit Charlotte unveiled new souvenir attire with "My friend went to Charlotte and all I got was this T-shirt" and sketches of Carowinds, Discovery Place, Reed Gold Mine, Lowe's Motor Speedway and Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens....

Meats and bounds. (Tattle Tales).(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)(billboard offensive to Christians)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Christians complained about a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals billboard north of Wilmington that featured a pig and the caption: "He died for your sins. Go vegetarian." So PETA backpedaled to one without a picture: "WWJE? Not...

Consider the source. (Tattle Tales).(developer Bill Horton retracts conspiracy comment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... After insisting there was a conspiracy in state government to destroy his plans to build ethanol plants in Eastern North Carolina (Tar Heel Tattler, April), Raleigh developer Bill Horton says, uh, never mind. In a letter to one of those he...

Data bits.(housing prices)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... DATA BITS THERE'S A CEILING Only five states saw average housing prices increase less than in North Carolina last year. Change 1 Utah 1.6% 2 Nebraska 2.6 3 Indiana ...

They cleaned up on donor's dirty money. (Tar Heel Tattler).(nonprofit organizations and political candidates)
July 1, 2003... Andrew Reyes schmoozed with politicians in the White House and, back in Charlotte, plied them and charitable causes with money. But after admitting he embezzled $3.6 million from United Building Contractors, he's given the recipients of his...

Rhubarb rages: was the ballpark on first? (Tar Heel Tattler).(baseball stadium planned)(residents to vote on zoning issue)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." Jim Melvin says his fight to build a minor-league baseball stadium in downtown Greensboro is over. "We're building a stadium on that site for $20 million," says Melvin, president of the...

WestPoint Stevens. (Eastern: Roanoke Rapids).(plant closure)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... West Point, Ga.-based WestPoint Stevens was scheduled to close its towel plant here in late June, idling 320. The company had announced last year that it was going to convert the plant to make bedding, but it decided instead to use bedding...

Department of Revenue. (Eastern: Rocky Mount).(Taxpayer Assistance and Collection Center planned)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The state Department of Revenue will open a Taxpayer Assistance and Collection Center here in October, creating 100 jobs. The center will focus on collections, according to Revenue Secretary Norris Tolson.

Progress Energy. (Eastern: Southport).(accepting bids for storage of spent nuclear fuel)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Raleigh-based Progress Energy is seeking construction bids for 50-ton concrete-and-steel containers to store spent nuclear fuel. Construction likely would not begin until 2005 and would require a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license. The...

BB&T. (Eastern: Wilson).(bank to build loan-processing center)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Winston-Salem-based BB&T is building a $12 million loan-processing center that will create about 300 jobs averaging $32,000 a year in salary when it opens next year. The bank once was headquartered here.

Cape Fear Valley Health System. (Eastern: Fayetteville).(layoffs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Cape Fear Valley Health System began laying off 68 employees in late May. Most of the cuts came from shutting down its Residential Treatment and Troubled Youth centers, which lost $1.2 million in 2002. The health system, which includes four...

CAM International Trading. (Eastern: Kinston).(spice company moving to North Carolina)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... CAM International Trading, which packages and distributes spice under the Spice Bouquet and Gourmet Spice brands, is moving here from Long Island, N.Y. The company, which expects to create 30 jobs, planned to begin production in early July.

Community Newspaper Holdings. (Regional Report: Eastern).(daily and weekly newspapers will not be sold)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Birmingham, Ala-based Community Newspaper Holdings will not sell three Eastern North Carolina daily newspapers to Ohio-based Brown Publishing after all. The Robesonian in Lumberton, The Sampson Independent in Clinton and The Daily Southerner in...

Nomaco. (Triangle: Zebulon).(polyethylene foam maker to add 165 more jobs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Nomanco, a maker of polyethylene foam, will add about 165 jobs by the end of the year at plants here, in Youngsville and in Tarboro. That will bring company employment to about 800. Among its products are construction, insulation and packing...

UNC Chapel Hill. (Triangle: Chapel Hill).(University of North Carolina)(nonprofit organizations to start venture-capital fund)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Nonprofits associated with UNC Chapel Hill are launching Carolina Ventures, a venture-capital fund to invest in companies spawned by technology developed at the school. Carolina Ventures hopes to raise $30 million and begin investments this...

Paradigm Genetics. (Triangle: Research Triangle Park).(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences contract)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences increased the value of its five-year contract with researcher Paradigm Genetics by $8.4 million, bringing the total to $32.2 million. Paradigm is studying the effects of drugs and...

Research Triangle Institute. (Triangle: Research Triangle Park).(contract to rebuild Iraq's public services)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... RTI International, the trade name for Research Triangle Institute, landed a $167 million contract from the U.S. Agency for International Development to help local governments in Iraq rebuild public services such as water and sewer. The one-year...

MediaSpan Group. (Triangle: Durham).(financing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... MediaSpan Group, which provides technology services for newspapers and broadcast media, secured $5.5 million in financing from its investors, including Durham-based Southeast Interactive Technology Funds. In May, MediaSpan acquired...

Longworth Industries. (Triangle: West End).(new location)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Candor-based thermal-underwear maker Longworth Industries moved its distribution center to the former Stanley Furniture plant here. It will hire 15. Longworth will keep its manufacturing and headquarters in Candor.

Infineon Technologies. (Triangle: Cary).(expansion planned)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... German computer-chip maker Infineon Technologies plans to expand its operation here by as many as 400 jobs in five years. The company, which employs 70 here, will receive $9.5 million in state incentives if it meets hiring goals. It also...

WakeMed. (Triangle: Raleigh).(heart center expansion planned)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... WakeMed wants to spend $30 million to expand its heart center by nearly a third, to 167,000 square feet. Officials say the center is operating at 128% capacity. The hospital planned to file for state approval in June, with construction to begin...

Cisco Systems. (Triangle: Research Triangle Park).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco Systems, which makes telecommunications networking equipment, promoted Ed Paradise, vice president and general manager of its Mobile Wireless Group, to RTP campus site executive, its top position in North Carolina....

Red Hat. (Triangle: Raleigh).(Hugh Shelton appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Red Hat, which sells and services the Linux computer-operating system, named Hugh Shelton, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a director. He took one of two new seats on the expanded board, which now has eight members.

Employment Security Commission. (Regional Report: Triangle).(manufacturing wages)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... The region's average manufacturing wage is heavily influenced by high-paying jobs in Durham County. Average annual Jobs wage (000s) (000s) Durham 37.8 $80.8...

Blue Cross. (Regional Report: Triangle).(Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... State-hired consultants studying the proposed non of Chapel Hill-based insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina from a nonprofit to a for-profit business say a private Blue Cross likely would raise premiums to maximize profits for...

Unifi. (Triad: Greensboro).(job cuts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Textile maker Unifi shed 400 jobs in April, bringing the number cut since January to 600, about 15% of its work force. The cuts altogether should save the company $20 million a year. Operations affected include headquarters here and plants in...

Thomasville Furniture. (Triad: Thomasville).(Tom Tilley appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Tom Tilley was named CEO and president of Thomasville Furniture. He replaced Chris Pfaff. Tilley had been president of Pennsylvania House, a division of La-Z-Boy. Thomasville is a division of St. Louis-based Furniture Brands International.

Charter Medical. (Triad: Winston-Salem).(consolidating operations)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Charter Medical, a subsidiary of Manchester, Conn.-based Lydall, is consolidating its Lakewood, N.J., operations, adding 50 jobs to the approximately 70 already here by the end of June. The company makes blood filters and other products...

BB&T. (Triad: Winston-Salem).(acquires Southern Cross Underwriters)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... BB&T is buying Jackson, Miss.-based Southern Cross Underwriters, one of the region's largest insurance wholesalers. It will operate as a division of Birmingham, Ala.-based CRC Insurance Services, which BB&T bought last year. Founded in 1976,...

Steven D. Bell & Co. (Triad: Greensboro).(apartment complexes purchased)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Investors led by Steven D. Bell & Co. bought two apartment complexes -- Archstone Steel Creek in Charlotte and Archstone Southpoint -- for $37 million from partnerships sponsored by Archstone Communities, an Englewood, Colo.-based real-estate...

Wake Forest University School of Medicine. (Triad: Winston-Salem).(government funding)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Wake Forest University School of Medicine received $105 million from the National Institutes of Health during the fiscal year that ended in September. It is a 16% increase from 2001 and moved Wake from 35th to 34th nationally among schools that...

Uniprise. (Triad: Greensboro).(job cuts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Uniprise, part of Connecticut-based United Health Group, says better technology enabled it to cut 33 jobs at its call center. Uniprise, which administers benefits and processes claims for United, employs about 1,300 in the Triad.

Industrial Packaging Supply. (Triad: High Point).(opens warehouse)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Industrial Packaging Supply, a Greenville, S.C.-based distributor of fasteners and packaging supplies, opened a 50,000-square-foot warehouse that employs 10 and serves the Carolinas and Virginia.

Volvo Trucks North America. (Triad: Greensboro).(Peter Karlsten appointed)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Peter Karlsten, 46, will become president of Volvo Trucks North America in October. Karlsten, president of Volvo Trucks in Brazil, replaces Michel Gigou, who became president of Volvo Trucks North America in July 2001. Volvo Trucks North...

First Bancorp. (Triad: Troy).(Carolina Community Bancshares merger)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... First Bancorp, which operates First Bank, completed its $18 million merger with Latta, S.C.-based Carolina Community Bancshares in May. All three branches of Carolina Community Bank were converted to First Bank branches.

Furnitureland South. (Triad: Jamestown).(discrimination case)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Furnitureland South will pay $10,000 to a Liberian-born ex-employee who claimed he was reassigned because of his accent. The retailer settled the lawsuit but admitted no wrongdoing.

U.S. Cersus Bureau. (Regional Report: Triad).(population statistics)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... Davie grew faster than any other county in the region between July 2001 and July 2002. 2002 Population (000s) Change Davie 36.7 1.7% Alamance 135.9 1.5 Yadkin...

Grupo AXO. (Regional Report: Triad).(Krispy Kreme joint venture)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Krispy Kreme has formed a joint venture with Grupo AXO to build 20 doughnut shops in Mexico during the next six years. The Winston-Salem-based chain will own 30% of Krispy Kreme Mexico. Mexico City-based Grupo AXO, which also has Tommy Hilfiger...

Charlotte Coliseum. (Reginal Report: Charlotte).(financial losses)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Losses for the Charlotte Coliseum, Ovens Auditorium, Cricket Arena arid two convention centers will total $775,000 for the fiscal year that ended in June. Coliseum Authority officials blamed poor attendance at Checkers hockey games, the move of...

Carlton Tyson. (Charlotte: Monroe).(developing shopping center)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Local developer Carlton Tyson will revamp a former supermarket to create Shops at Nottingham Plaza, a shopping center with about 250 small shops. Renovation costs will be about $750,000.

Nucor. (Reginal Report: Charlotte).(Brazilian mill investment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Nucor will invest $10 million in a mill in northern Brazil to produce steel for automobile parts. Unlike most Nucor plants, which make steel from scrap, the new one will process iron ore. Brazil's largest ore producer is majority partner.

North Carolina Quarter Midget Association. (Charlotte: Salisbury).(building new racetrack)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Rowan County will lease 23 acres to the North Carolina Quarter Midget Association to build a $2 million racetrack for the small cars, which reach speeds of only about 60 mph. The track will host about 60 events a year, organizers say, but they...

US Airways. (Regional Report: Charlotte).(new service, layoffs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... US Airways will begin a daily, nonstop flight to Mexico City in October. It also announced it will lay off 890 flight attendants, including 200 based here.

Siemens Westinghouse Power. (Regional Report: Charlotte).(rejects United Steelworkers of American representation)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... In one of the largest recent union elections in the state, Siemens Westinghouse Power workers rejected representation by the United Steelworkers of America by a 299-148 vote. The plant here makes power-generating equipment.

Team Racing Auto Circuit. (Charlotte: Huntersville).(ESPN deal)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Financially troubled Team Racing Auto Circuit signed a deal for 13 races to be broadcast on ESPN beginning in 2004. TRAC will pay ESPN $10.7 million a year but retain proceeds from advertising sales.

Duke Energy. (Regional Report: Charlotte).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Duke Energy shareholders rejected proposals that the company study whether its nuclear plants threaten the public and that it revise the policy under which it pays dividends even when earnings are down. Duke also announced it will halt...

Personnel Group. (Regional Report: Charlotte).(Personnel Group of America reduces debt)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Personnel Group of America, an information-technology and staffing company, gave 82% of its stock to creditors, who hold about $153 million in company debt. The restructuring and related agreements, company officials say, will reduce debt by...

Solucient. (Charlotte: Concord).(NorthEast Medical Center added to top hospital list)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Illinois-based hospital-rating company Solucient belatedly named NorthEast Medical Center to its list of the nation's top 100 hospitals in the teaching-hospital category. Solucient had examined only the hospital's surgical results, not its...

Charlotte Apartment Association. (Regional Report: Charlotte).(too many evictions)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Too many evictions and not enough sheriffs deputies to serve notices. That, say officials of the Charlotte Apartment Association, is one result of a boom in apartments -- an increase from 28,000 to 85,000 since 1985 -- and delays in the hiring...

2000 Census. (Regional Report: Charlotte).(household income)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... With the region's fewest households with incomes over $150,000, Anson had the biggest percentage increase. Number in Increase 2000 1990-2000 Anson 153 856.3% Stanly 457 ...

LendingTree. (Regional Report: Charlotte).(USA Interactive acquisition)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... By the end of the summer, Charlotte-based LendingTree (cover story, May) likely will join the company that owns Ticketmaster and the Home Shopping Network. New York-based USA Interactive agreed to buy LendingTree, which matches borrowers and...

EM Partners. (Western: Marion).(new plant)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... EM Partners, a metal-working business based in Hampton, Va., is building a 105,000-square-foot plant. The plant, which will operate under the name American Titanium, is expected to be completed in September. The company will hire 73 workers...

Bernhardt Furniture. (Western: Lenoir).(plant closure)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Bernhardt Furniture is shuttering one of its plants here, laying off as many as 125 workers. The shutdown is expected to be complete in September. Production of dining-room furniture, and some workers, will be shifted to a moremodern plant,...

Broyhill Furniture Industries. (Western: Rutherfordton).(plant closure)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Blaming competition from imports, Broyhill Furniture Industries will close a casegoods plant here by the end of September. Most of the factory's 506 workers will be laid off, though some will be transferred to other plants. After the shutdown,...

Neuville Industries. (Western: Hildebran).(job cuts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Citing foreign competition, sock maker Neuville Industries is cutting 75 jobs and shifting work to the Dominican Republic. The company, which makes socks under the Wrangler, Dickies and Keds brands, will still employ 310 here.

Mountain Bank Financial. (Regional Report: Western).(South Financial Group acquisition)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... J.W. Davis doesn't suffer from the some geographical biases he says afflict some bank shareholders in Virginia. He is CEO of Mountain Bank Financial, which, for now, is based in Hendersonville. In May, the bank agreed to be bought for $137...

Edwards hasn't made his case with Tar Heels. (Capital).(John Edwards)(Biography)
July 1, 2003... John Edwards is a crackerjack trial lawyer. His won-lost record in courtrooms across North Carolina makes him the envy of plaintiff's attorneys and puts him in the upper echelon of those who have collected millions of dollars for clients and,...

No mean feet: though Gold Toe Brands rules its market, Jim Williams wants to have a leg up on the competition when import quotas end. (Feature).(Biography)
July 1, 2003... Hey, Hot Rod, how's it going?" the president and CEO of Gold Toe Brands Inc. says, halting a tour of the sock maker's plant in Burlington to greet a maintenance worker. "Hey, Jim," the man replies. "You still playing ball?" James Williams,...

Blood work; Dani Bolognesi's researchers found a new way to fight AIDS. Now comes the hard part: making sure it pays off for Trimeris. (Health Care).(Biography)
July 1, 2003... It's showtime. Time for Dani Bolognesi to give another lesson on AIDS viruses, how they attack white blood cells and how a drug created by his company stops them from infecting healthy cells. It's the first drug to do that -- and being first is...

The good doctor: hospitals invest heavily in recruiting top medical talent because it's healthy for their bottom lines. (Health Care).
July 1, 2003... Growing up in Missouri, John Bechtel excelled in math and science. He went to college to study engineering, but engineers seemed to spend too much time behind desks. "I wanted something more humanitarian." Now, more than 10 years later, he...

Premier practitioners. (Health Care).(specialists)
July 1, 2003... Compiled for BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA by Consumers' Checkbook Inc., a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit research organization that rates hospital health-plan and physician quality and publishes Consumers' Guide To Top Doctors. It asked doctors in...

Law journal 2003.
July 1, 2003... John F. Kennedy, himself a lawyer, once remarked, "In a time of turbulence and change, it is more true than ever that knowledge is power. That's as true today as it was when he said it 41 years ago. To empower our readers regarding changing...

Planning considerations for mergers and acquisitions.
July 1, 2003... Though a fortunate business owner might experience only one merger or acquisition in a lifetime, M&A transactions represent a primary means for companies to return value to their owners, especially because public stock offerings offer little...

Understanding the changing role of the audit committee.
July 1, 2003... In the wake of Enron and other corporate misconduct, Congress perceived that major systemic problems existed within corporate America. In July 2002, Congress offered its solution through the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The...

Avoiding pitfalls while investigating sex harassment.
July 1, 2003... It has been more than a decade since Anita Hill's allegations that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her when they worked together launched the issue into the public consciousness. Arguably, the confirmation...

Eight ways to lose a noncompete case.
July 1, 2003... Few businesses succeed. without their key people. And when one or more of those key people leaves to join a competitor, management is often ready to send out a posse and circle the wagons around the remaining employees. The posse nearly always...

Business plaintiffs: not an oxymoron.
July 1, 2003... Businesses are not always the defendants in lawsuits. They are often plaintiffs. But scant attention has been devoted to the unique considerations which arise when a business brings litigation. While we read more about the large jury verdicts...

Discovering -- and protecting against -- adversely held patents.
July 1, 2003... Many business managers understand the competitive advantages gained by protecting their key products, processes, software and methods of doing business with a portfolio of patents. This article briefly explores the flip side of that coin -- a...

No bull: Durham stands out as triangle's anchor.(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... Mention to some folks in the Triangle that you live or work in Durham, and they'll probably fire back a quizzical, "Why?" Why, indeed? The reasons are plentiful. Durham is home to some of the world's top corporations, healthcare facilities...

Blooming agribusiness at work. .(Industry Overview)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2003... With all the talk about North Carolina's emergence as a financial center, its allure to tourists and its thriving technology sector, it seems as if the state has forgotten about one of its oldest commercial pursuits: agribusiness. In 2000, the...

FCC maverick gets with the program. (People).(Kevin Martin, Federal Communications Commission)(Biography)
July 1, 2003... With a mop of blond hair and an impish smile, Kevin Martin looks like Dennis the Menace grown up. The Weddington native even seems a bit mischievous to fellow Republicans on the Federal Communications Commission. At 36, he is the youngest...