Business
OPINION: Private toll lanes on I77 are wrong for business
OPINION. By Mike Russell. We use I-77 through Lake Norman as a local road. When it was built 40 years ago that may not have been the original intent, but with part of US 21 under Lake Norman and NC 115 constricted through downtown Davidson, it is an inescapable reality. For local businesses I-77 is […]
Aquesta plans stock repurchase
July 24. Aquesta Financial Holdings has announced it will buy back up to $500,000 of Aquesta Common Shares (AQFH) on the open market. Stock in the Cornelius-based financial institution is thinly traded and trades below book value. At the same time, Aquesta appears to be more aggressive about its plans to grow in Charlotte. “We […]
Uwharrie reports gains in second quarter
July 24. Second-quarter net income at Uwharrie Capital Corp and its subsidiary, Uwharrie Bank, climbed nearly 11 percent this year vs. last. For the three-month period ended June 30, the financial institution earned $660,000 compared to $596,000 for the same period in 2014, a 10.74 percent improvement. Also for the second quarter of this year, net […]
Planet Fitness: Salvation for old Bi-Lo space
July 22. The old Salvation Army space in Cornelius, which was the old Bi-Lo grocery store, finally has a tenant. A 25,000 square foot Planet Fitness franchise will go into the space on West Catawba Avenue later this year. Another 15,000 square feet remains to be leased in the shopping center which once housed a […]
Aquesta: ‘Really starting to hit its stride’
July 21. Aquesta Financial Holdings today reported record operating income for the second quarter of 2015: $590,000 vs. $446,000 during the same quarter last year. Total assets increased to $269.1 million at June 30, compared to $263.6 million at year-end. Total loans increased to $184.1 million at June 30, vs. $172.2 million at the end of 2014. “Our […]
Is fearful thinking impacting your business? Part II of II
Last month, I shared insights on how Wishful Thinking can stagnate business progress. While Wishful Thinking is often openly expressed in a somewhat exasperated state of mind, Fearful Thinking is often not shared or spoken, but lies within one’s subconscious, impeding decision making or effective action through an undermining whisper. Are any of these Fearful […]
Evernham: Toll planners should be ‘ashamed’
July 15. (UPDATED 1:45 pm with comments from Sen. Tarte.) Opposition to the I-77 toll plan continues to gain speed. Major voices in the motorsports community are speaking out against the $650 million plan to widen I-77 with a public private partnership. As reported in BusinessToday’s July print edition, Humpy Wheeler opposes the current plan. […]
City of Kannapolis establishes in-house planning department
By Dave Yochum. The City of Kannapolis has a brand new planning department, a reflection of the growth that is expected ahead. Benchmark Planning, an outside consulting firm, had conducted the town’s planning business, including code enforcement, since the 1980s, according to Kannapolis spokesperson Annette Privette Keller. The new in-house municipal department will cost about the […]
NC Downtown Association elects Diane Young president
Diane M. Young, executive director of Concord Downtown Development Corp., is the new president of the North Carolina Downtown Association, which works at “the creative intersection of the public and private sectors to enhance downtowns as cultural and economic centers throughout the state.” There are also eight new board members who will serve a two-year […]
Humpy Wheeler: Toll plan won’t work
By Dave Yochum. After nearly three dozen Lake Norman business leaders called on North Carolina legislators in the State Capitol, there’s solid business momentum behind a legislative effort to defund the 50-year, $650 million contract with a company whose roots are in Spain. From the motorsports community to community bankers, companies with hundreds of employees, not […]
