Greater Charlotte Biz 2007.06

Rutland Plastic Technologies • SouthWood Corporation • Hubert Whitlock Builders • UNC Charlotte Continuing Education

june 2007

Mike Munley President Time Warner Cable Charlotte Division

BUNDLING SOLUTIONS

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Exercise patience with your employees...

“Does this chair make me look fat?”

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...not accessing the Internet Do what you love. We’ll handle the rest.

Your business is your passion. And keeping you connected is our passion. Through Time Warner Cable’s robust, whollyowned and reliable network, we deliver high-speed Internet access that lets you communicate with customers and suppliers, and download large files at blazing fast speeds.

And as your business grows, we offer scalable, flexible solutions such as fiber-based Ethernet services and dedicated Internet access for multiple office locations.

1-866-TWC-4BiZ www.charlotte.twcbc.com

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Time Warner Cable Charlotte Division The very nature of a technology company is evolutionary—a delicate balance between scientific innovation, tense competition, and traditional business practices to assure quality products and customer service. No one knows this better than Time Warner Cable’s Charlotte Division, which has grown to almost 450,000 customers, adding 26,000 new homes to its network every year.

SouthWood Corporation Ernest Dwight admits that when he entered the signage business he wasn’t quite sure where it would take him.

But throughout the years, his company has earned a reputation for excellence by staying focused on service, dependability, and responsiveness.

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Rutland Plastic Technologies It is Dennis Gunson’s job to oversee the transformation of concepts and designs into best-in-class printing technique solutions and textile inks.

Millions of garments and products around the world are produced with inks made by the division of Rutland Holdings in Pineville Industrial Park.

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UNC Charlotte Continuing Ed Their mission is working to keep Charlotte’s business community on the cutting edge in the face of constant change. Working to make these educational opportunities relevant and accessible for companies and corporations has become Amy Wartham’s passion.

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cover story

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departments publisher’s post

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bizXperts Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions

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bizoutlook

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employersbiz Legislative and Regulatory Highlights for Area Employers

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bizview

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biznetwork

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ontop

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executive homes Luxury Homes above $350,000

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on the cover:

Mike Munley President Time Warner Cable Charlotte Division

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Hubert Whitlock Builders Hubert Whitlock recalls the decision to start his company as “the best mistake I ever made.” Now they are celebrating their golden anniversary, and the success of their custom home building and renovation firm emphasizing integrity and performance, precepts instilled by its founder.

Photography by Wayne Morris.

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GE T TING TO KNOW YOUR BUSINESS STARTS WITH GE T TING TO KNOW YOU.

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W I T H WA C H OV I A

With Wachovia, a Business Specialist will work to understand your company and take personal ownership of your needs until they are met. And to accommodate your hectic schedule, your Specialist will meet wherever you like. Just one of the many benefits of Wachovia Business Checking that helps you manage your company’s day-to-day finances. Stop by your nearest Wachovia Financial Center or call 800-566-3862 to see how we can help.

Wachovia Bank, N.A., and Wachovia Bank of Delaware, N.A., are Members FDIC. ©2007 Wachovia Corporation

[publisher’spost] How in the World Did This Happen?

Now I have seen many convoluted, complex, wild-eyed, crazy, lame-brain schemes put together for public consumption in my lifetime, but I thought the one structured by Michael Smith of Charlotte Center City Partners proposing a baseball stadium for Charlotte took the cake. How in world he thought he could put together a complicated land swap deal that would include Mecklenburg County, City of Charlotte, Wachovia Bank, MassMutual, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Spirit Square, Charlotte Knights and local developers – and deliver a baseball stadium, urban parks and affordable housing at the same time – is beyond any rational pattern of human thought.

Having launched this incredible scheme a little over a year ago, Smith put together a surprisingly convincing and logical presentation of a very intricate and involved puzzle of transactions and set about educating people to the value of this proposal. Smith jump started the discussion of bringing the Charlotte Knights into uptown Charlotte. Sensing substantial support for that objective, he listened intently to learn about ambitions and objectives within the center city. He discovered that, while not everyone supported the baseball stadium idea by itself, nearly all related parties wanted at least one or more of the proposed projects, and support for the deal began to grow.

Smith and his board members, including Jim Dulin, Bobby Drakeford, Jim Palermo and Harvey Gantt, were intimate with the details and the conversations that unfolded in the course of promoting their proposal. Don Beaver and Dan Rajkowski from the Charlotte Knights were intent on making this package work. Additional support came from County Commissioners, City Council members, CMS officials, developers and corporate leaders.

Professional staff support from Harry Jones and Bobby Shields from the county well as Pam Syfert and Curt Walton from the city and Guy Chamberlin from CMS contributed incredible insights and creative concepts.

Over the past year, the pieces of this puzzle have gradually come together. Mecklenburg county officials led the way. CMS gives up their administrative building and its property adjacent Marshall Park. In return, CMS gets $13.8 million and the office space on the fifth floor of the government center building rent-free. The City of Charlotte gives up its portion of Marshall Park to the county and gets the county’s share or ownership of the future Wachovia Cultural Arts Center. It also has an involvement in housing in the Brooklyn Village.

Mecklenburg County gives up Marshall Park and the CMS headquarters in exchange for properties. It also gets land for an urban park. The Charlotte Knights contribute a $35 million stadium and an additional $8 million for public utilities and get low-rent, county-owned land for their stadium.

With the Charlotte City Council vote in favor of the swap on May 14th, it appears that nearly all the pieces have fallen into place. The county must still negotiate its contracts with private developers for the completed projects to come together. The only remaining issue is a law suit from Jerry Reese, a Charlotte lawyer, to block the transfer of the school administration building to the county.

Amazingly enough, Smith’s hair has not turned gray nor has he become bald in the process of these discussions. He really would make a great James Bond in one of the 007 movies. Cool, calm and collected, Smith is the epitome of an insightful leader with his energies focused on the objectives while still attending to every detail along the way.

We will very likely see a baseball stadium built in the center city by 2010 at the latest.

Along with the NASCAR Hall of Fame also opening in 2010, we will have made Charlotte an even more attractive destination for visitors and convention goers as well as for people seeking a new community with growing economy.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more luck I have.” Charlotte is not lucky; Charlotte has great leaders who are working harder than ever. Bravo! biz

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June 2007 Volume 8 • Issue 6 Publisher John Paul Galles jgalles@greatercharlottebiz.com

Associate Publisher/Editor Maryl A. Lane maryl.a.lane@greatercharlottebiz.com

Creative Director Michele E.Warren mwarren@greatercharlottebiz.com

Editorial & Sales Assistant Janet Kropinak jkropinak@greatercharlottebiz.com

Business Development Sandy Rosenfeld srosenfeld@greatercharlottebiz.com

Account Executive Mimi Zelman mzelman@greatercharlottebiz.com

Contributing Writers Ellison Clary Susanne Deitzel Lisa Hoffmann Janet Kropinak Contributing Photographer Wayne Morris Galles Communications Group, Inc. 5601 77 Center Drive • Suite 250 Charlotte, NC 28217-0736 704-676-5850 Phone • 704-676-5853 Fax www.greatercharlottebiz.com • Press releases and other news-related information, please fax to the attention of “Editor” or e-mail: editor@greatercharlottebiz.com.

• Editorial or advertising inquiries, please call or fax at the numbers above or e-mail: info@greatercharlottebiz.com.

• Subscription inquiries or change of address, please call or fax at the numbers above or visit our Web site: www.greatercharlottebiz.com. © Copyright 2007 by Galles Communications Group, Inc. All rights reserved.The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable.

However, Galles Communications Group, Inc. makes no warranty to the accuracy or reliability of this information.

Products named in these pages are trade names or trademarks of their respective companies.Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Greater Charlotte Biz or Galles Communications Group, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. For reprints call 704-676-5850 x102.

Greater Charlotte Biz (ISSN 1554-6551) is published monthly by Galles Communications Group, Inc., 5601 77 Center Dr., Ste. 250, Charlotte, NC 28217-0736.

Telephone: 704-676-5850. Fax: 704-676-5853. Subscription rate is $24 for one year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Greater Charlotte Biz, 5601 77 Center Dr., Ste. 250, Charlotte, NC 28217-0736.

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HOOD HARGETT BREAKFAST CLUB

Charlotte ood Hargett Breakfast Club: The Premier Business Development Organization for Success-Minded Charlotte Business Owners.

The Hood Hargett Breakfast Club is a ‘category exclusive’ business development organization that develops and hosts some 36 events throughout the year for its members and guests. The goal of these events: to provide success-minded business owners with first-class venues to entertain their clients and prospects.

HHBC takes great pride in creating a pro-active, professional-yet-casual environment that gives members and guests the chance to meet and learn more about each other and their respective companies. These opportunities to develop new business relationships and enhance existing ones are key to the on-going success of HHBC.

Upcoming 2007 Speakers

September 14, 2007

October 12, 2007

November 9, 2007

Rich Karlgaard Publisher Forbes Magazine

Michael Powell Former Chairman FCC

Lloyd Trotter Vice Chairman, GE President & CEO, GE Industrial

HOOD HARGETT Breakfast Club America gives “Wake up and smell the coffee” full-bodied meaning!

To attend or learn more or to find out about membership,call JenniferSnyder at 704-602-9529 • jenn@hoodhargett.com

w w w.c har lotteb c a.c om ©2007 Galles Communications Group, Inc.

[bizXperts] Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions

selling your business—the sales process Last month we suggested that the best way for owners of small businesses to maximize the value received upon sale and insure a successful closing is to first find the “right” team of financial, legal and tax advisors (including an experienced intermediary) to guide them through the “process” of selling their business.

This process should include the following steps: 1. Determination of Owner’s Objectives. The advisors should help the owner determine his personal objectives to be met in connection with the sale of the business. Please see last month’s article for more detail.

Assuming these objectives are realistic relative to the market, great control should be exercised over the process of selling the company in order to maintain maximum confidentiality, provide opportunities for key employees of the company as desired by the owner, and minimize disruption to the company’s operations during the sales process. The owner’s objectives may also dictate the particular types of buyers (strategic, financial, etc.) that should be targeted, as well as decide any “legacy” issues in connection with the owner’s desired estate plan.

2. Presale Risk Assessment and Due Diligence. After determining the owner’s personal objectives, the advisors then need to analyze the company in detail including its past, current and future financial information and projections, its strengths and weaknesses, its specific market position, and all other aspects of the company in its particular industry which are necessary in order to determine a range of values which should be achieved upon sale. The advisors need to understand every aspect of the company’s operations and market position. The end result of this due diligence is the preparation of a “Confidential Memorandum” describing all aspects of the company needed for evaluation by potential buyers. The financial intermediary on the team should be extremely knowledgeable about the company and its industry before approaching potential buyers. Potential buyers move much quicker and pay higher prices when they are able to talk to an owner’s intermediary who is able to quickly and accurately answer the buyer’s questions.

3. Valuation. Using the information outlined above as well as researching recent sales transactions in the owner’s industry, the advisors then determine a range of values, which should be achieved from the sale of the company as well as the terms of sale, which are acceptable to the owner.

4. Identification of Potential Qualified Buyers. These include strategic buyers, financial buyers, and even the management of the company through an ESOP or otherwise.

5. Contact Potential Qualified Buyers. Once potential buyers in each area are identified, the intermediary confidentially

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contacts each potential buyer to determine its level of interest and obtain confidentiality agreements with potential buyers prior to disclosing the name of the company and any information that could identify the company.

6. Distribute Confidential Memorandums Robert Norris to Potential Buyers Showing Sufficient Interest.

7. Negotiate With Each Buyer. The intermediary lets each buyer know that there are several other interested parties. The potential buyers are normally given a timetable within which to propose the price, terms and conditions of a non-binding Letter of Intent, which they would be willing to execute. The intermediary then selects, after further negotiation, the potential buyer with which the owner will execute a Letter of Intent.

8. Buyer Due Diligence. Following the execution of the Letter of Intent, there is normally a 45 to 60 day period within which the buyer performs additional due diligence to verify the accuracy of the information provided by the seller.

9. Drafting a Definitive Purchase Agreement and Closing. Normally, during the buyer’s due diligence process, the attorneys for the buyer and seller negotiate and draft a definitive purchase agreement which binds the parties to a purchase contract. Often, buyers do not wish to execute the definitive agreement until closing when the buyer’s due diligence is complete and all the conditions for closing are met.

Normally, closing can occur shortly after the completion of the buyer’s due diligence.

The total length of time between selecting a team of advisors and closing the transaction can be as short as 45 to 60 days and as long as six to nine months depending on the transaction.

Of course, there are other variations of this process depending on the particular transaction. However, it is well accepted that this process will maximize the value the owner receives upon sale of his company to the extent it creates a “market” of interested and qualified buyers (at least two, but preferably more) who competitively engage in the process of negotiation to purchase the owner’s business.

Robert Norris is managing partner of Wishart, Norris, Henninger & Pittman, P.A., a law firm which focuses on helping business owners define and achieve their business and personal objectives. Contact him at 704-364-0010 or w w w.wnhplaw.com.

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Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions

[bizXperts]

70/30—the odds are in your favor!

Without progress, a profession becomes just another job.

Sales is no different. What worked in the past doesn’t always work today. Markets change, society evolves, and sales techniques must change right along with them. In fact, certain selling systems were developed for that very reason—a better way to sell, more suited to a changing marketplace.

One thing that doesn’t change, however, is human nature.

Customers and technology are more sophisticated in some ways, but strip away the current pop culture, and people are basically the same as they were decades or even centuries ago.

You can see this pretty clearly if you look back at some of the popular sales manuals over the last 50 years or so. Salespeople have always had to face many of the same obstacles that we face today.

For instance, typical sales methodology has always emphasized the importance of product knowledge. What gets overlooked are the dangers of sharing too much of it at the wrong time in the sales process. And that is an important point of value in other selling systems…a systematic approach to contemporary selling that continues to lead our profession into the future.

Let’s examine the topic of talking too much. David Sandler’s seminal book, You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar, has a chapter titled, “Can Asking Questions Be the Answer?”

The chapter begins with, “One of the things people say they like least about salespeople is that they talk too much. And it’s true.” So far, what’s groundbreaking? Nothing yet. But let’s read a little further: “I’ve discovered that if you talk less, you’ll sell more, and that’s a rule you can take to the bank…Traditionally trained salespeople talk at least 70 percent of the time in front of a prospect when they ought to be talking less than 30 percent of the time. The problem is that they don’t know how to get the prospect to do most of the talking.”

And that was groundbreaking. It still is, because a lot of salespeople just don’t get it. It’s the prospect that should be doing most of the talking. To reach the proper ratio, you have to approach your relationship systematically right from the beginning.

greater charlotte biz

When you first talk with prospects, either in person or on the phone, there are two systems at work: the prospects’ and yours. We call this initial contact WIMP JUNCTION because you will either wimp out and default to their system, or you will show a bit more fortitude and Bob Henricks guide them with your own subtle but powerful selling system.

You know the prospect’s system: They convince you to turn in a proposal, which they proceed to use as a bargaining chip as they shop all over town. They stall. They object to price.

They think it over. In the meantime, they’ve turned you into an unpaid consultant.

Sound familiar? Why doesn’t the old-fashioned “features and benefits” download cause the prospect to buy more often? How do you get inside a buyer’s head to learn what his/her buying and decision-making processes look like? Well, that’s the essence of what David Sandler was stating in his book, a sales philosophy comprised of concepts and techniques to put the concepts into practice. If we look at the 70/30 rule, what is the rationale behind this proven concept?

It all begins with pain. Pain is the prospect’s emotional need to buy—the problem that needs solving—as opposed to his/her intellectual need. Remember: Prospects think they make all their decisions intellectually, but they really make the decision to buy emotionally. They will be ready to buy from you when they feel that your product or service solves their pain. They may not understand consciously what their pain is, but they’ll be able to sense when relief is in sight…with your help.

You uncover pain by asking questions. Often you respond to questions by asking more questions using the reversing technique. In fact, throughout the sales process, whether you’re making a cold call or about to close the sale, you have to know when to “dummy up” and say little if anything at all, when to impart information or ask more questions. At each step in the selling process, you must use the right techniques to move forward.

Your personal progress as a sales professional is can benefit from this major improvement that took us from simple “Know your product!” to the process-oriented “Uncover pain!” If you want to make sales less painful for yourself, make it more pain-oriented. It could be the start of a brand new chapter in your career.

Bob Henricks is president of Henricks Corporate Training and Development; a company dedicated to helping business owners, sales managers and salespeople succeed. Contact him at 704-544-7383 or visit www.henrickscorp.sandler.com.

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[bizXperts] Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions

the VoIP advantage If you have heard about VoIP but still wonder what it is and how it can help your business, you are not alone.

VoIP is simply the transmission of voice traffic over an IP-based network. An IP-based network can be the public Internet or your company’s internal data network. Using the Internet for phone calls is most common on the consumer level. Most businesses are using IP telephony across their own managed private networks. This allows them to handle security and service quality that cannot be controlled over the public Internet.

So, how can having a phone system that uses a data network help you? Here are a few reasons businesses are investing in VoIP: Multi-site Transparency: A corporate office that has a branch office can have the benefits of being on the same phone system. This allows for transparency to customers as they are transferred between locations. If you have employees who work in more than one office, they can enter a code into a telephone set to tell the VoIP system where they are and automatically redirect all their calls to that location.

Remote or Home Office Workers: You can use your home Internet connection to connect an IP phone back to your office. This is great for the executive who does not work traditional hours, working parents, part-time

employees or full-time workers whose job responsibilities do not require them to be in the office. This type of phone extension works the same as an extension within the building’s four walls. All business features and flexibility you have within the office, you now have at Rhonda Morgan away from the office.

Cell Phone Integration: VoIP can allow you the ability “twin” to your cell phone. If you are reluctant to give out your cell phone number for business purposes, you can program your cell phone to ring simultaneously with your desk phone. If you are out of the office, you can answer the business call on your cell phone, and still be able to transfer the call to an extension within your office. This is great for mobile workers frequently away from their desks.

There are many other customized applications that VoIP can deliver to a business. The flexibility for your voice and data to be on the same network enables many choices not available with traditional telephony.

Rhonda Morgan is vice president and general manager of ATCOM Business Telecom Solutions. Contact her at 704-602-2902 or www.atcombts.com.

why am I doing this?

This question is much bigger than it appears at the outset. In fact, it can have a different impact, depending on which word you choose to emphasize.

Why am I doing this? This question indicates the need to look for reasons to justify the action. It suggests that you shouldn’t simply do something subconsciously. For example, if you’re putting off having a difficult conversation, you should ask yourself why.

Rather than accept excuses like, “I don’t have time today,” you need to evaluate what emotional baggage may be stopping you from doing what you need to do. If you answer the question, “Because I don’t know what I want to say,” you can begin to build a plan, write a script, or practice what you want to say. Identifying the real “why” can help move you toward resolution.

Why am I doing this? This question indicates that there are others who could do the task at hand. People often perform tasks because they are comfortable, easy to do, or they serve to distract from something harder that needs attention. If you ask this question about everything you do, you can better evaluate if you using your time most effectively. If you are not, you’re robbing yourself and your company of progress you could make if you focused on

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the right things.

Why am I doing this? This question indicates that there are other functions or tasks you could be spending time on that would be more advantageous. Again, as stated above, you may be doing tasks that are comfortable, easy to do, Denise Altman or serve to distract you from harder tasks.

Perhaps you need to be making sales calls, but instead, you are at your desk compiling reports. If you identify that the task you’re doing is a distraction, you can more easily face the prospect of performing the other task that you’re avoiding. At that point, you may need to go back up to question one and ask WHY you’re avoiding the task.

These five words can be a powerful tool to enhance productivity, satisfaction and success. Don’t go blindly through your day. Ask yourself this question in all its forms and see what it can do for you.

Denise Altman is president of Altman Initiative Group, Inc. She works with companies to improve their communication.

Contact her at 704-315-9090 or www.altmaninitiative.com.

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Smart Salvos, Select Strategies and Succinct Solutions

[bizXperts]

dwell versus debate Do you want to be right, or do you want to get results? A selfhelp mantra to be sure…but what if the two aren’t mutually exclusive? What if there are different degrees of being right and the greatest of them is finding out the ‘whole story’ in any given situation?

When our days are packed with meetings, personalities and decisions, many of us have a tendency to get locked into what we call a debate mentality. We listen to another person just long enough to get the kernel of information we need to prove our point, or demonstrate why that person is wrong. In the debate mentality, our minds are crunching information so quickly that our positions create little more than opposition from others.

Another conversational scenario involves a banter mentality.

Rather than waiting for the liability of the other person like we do in debate, we seek instead to find commonalities to continue the conversation. These are the discussions that begin with one topic and flow easily through several topics with no particular destination. Banter serves more connection than debate, but its roots are shallow.

What I propose is a deeper approach to communication: dwelling.

Dwelling is to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech or writing. It is also a place where we choose to reside, live and grow, and similarly, this is our goal in creating relationships.

greater charlotte biz

Dwelling is being open to what is being said without assuming you know where it is going.

Dwelling involves being present and fully listening to not only what is being said, but the way in which it is being said. It also involves a form of intentional listening—listening without preoccupaMike Whitehead tion on the outcome of the conversation, but rather on the unfolding of the truths revealed in the conversation.

Dwelling involves mental stillness and a respect for the other person’s voice. By dwelling in open-mindedness and respect for another’s point of view, resolutions with strong roots and attractive blossoms can grow.

We sometimes fall into the trap of trying to win an argument or make a point in conversation.

By dwelling in a conversation or scenario, we get much closer to winning the whole game by hearing things that open up new possibilities for us.

Mike Whitehead is president of Whitehead Associates Inc., a consulting firm specializing in leadership and culture development. Contact him at 704-366-5335 or visit www.whiteheadassociates.com.

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[bizoutlook] Regional Economic Analyses and Forecasts

North Carolina Executives Bullish Respondents Predict Increased Hiring, Capital Spending; Many Expect to be in an Acquisition Mode; 2008 Seen as Year of Greatest Profitability North Carolina business executives expect improved company performance in the coming year and are optimistic about the state’s economy, according to a survey by KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm.

Sixty-seven percent of 103 business executives in KPMG’s 2007 North Carolina Business Climate Survey expect better business performance in the year ahead, while 29 percent expect it to be the same. Only three percent said business performance will be worse.

In looking at the prospects for the state economy, 58 percent feel that it will improve, 32 percent expect it to be about the same, and only six percent expect it to get worse. Executives expressed far higher levels of optimism for the local economy compared to the national economy. In fact, 38 percent expect improvement in the national economy, 43 percent say it will perform about the same, and 17 percent expect the national economy to worsen.

“Strong economic sentiment combined with bullish business predictions translate into very good news for our state,” says Paul Chapman, managing partner of KPMG’s Charlotte office. “Our survey found the executives expressing high levels of business optimism and confidence and, as a result, they will be investing in their businesses in the year ahead, which is very encouraging news.”

With respect to hiring in the coming year, 49 percent of the North Carolina executives interviewed expect to increase their number of employees. Only three percent foresee a decrease. The KPMG survey also found that 43 percent of the executives are planning to increase investment in new products, and 54 percent expect an investment increase in capital improvements and technology.

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According to the survey results, the executives say their CEOs are focused on “business expansion to improve long term growth,” at 39 percent, and “improving employee morale and productivity”, at 28 percent. Also, 33 percent said it was likely that their firms will make a major acquisition in the next two years. “It is clear from the survey findings that North Carolina executives are investing in their

businesses and taking the long term view,” affirms KPMG’s Chapman.

As to when the executives feel that company profitability will be at its greatest, 28 percent indicated 2008, with 18 percent expecting it in 2007. Another 16 percent said in 2010 and 12 percent in 2009.

In addition, 81 percent were positive about the state’s overall quality of life, with only two percent saying it was a negative.

And 97 percent of business executives felt that the Carolinas is an attractive location for businesses to relocate to and 92 percent said they would recommend the Carolinas for

economic development/expansion.

When asked if they intended to relocate their firms in the next 12-24 months, while 76 percent indicated that they will definitely not move, many others at least left the door open to relocating. “With the increased hiring and expansion intentions, some executives will feel the need to at least investigate new quarters,” according to KPMG’s Chapman.

The executives in the KPMG survey expressed higher optimism on a number of other factors of conducting business in the state. For example, 53 percent viewed the quality of the North Carolina employment pool as positive, while 10 percent cited it as a negative. Fifty-six percent rated the suitability of North Carolina office space as positive versus three percent who had a negative view.

As to negatives of conducting business in the state, 40 percent viewed the state and local tax situation as negative, versus 16 percent who felt it was positive. While 35 percent felt positive about the state’s transportation system, 23 percent had a negative view. And 63 percent felt that high gasoline prices had a negative impact on their businesses. biz About the Survey: The KPMG survey polled 103 executives from North Carolina-area companies of various sizes covering a range of industries. The survey was conducted for KPMG

by Penn, Schoen & Berland from March 6 to March 8, 2007.

KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm (www.us.kpmg.com), is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International. KPMG International’s member firms have 113,000 professionals, including 6,800 partners, in 148 countries.

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Legislative and Regulatory Highlights for Area Employers [employersbiz]

What Motivates Employees?

What employees look for in a job and what motivates them to stay with an employer varies according to their generation.

The trends and events that influence a 50-something empty nester have produced a person with different workplace wishes, values and needs than those of his 25-year-old co-worker.

While demographers differ about the exact generational definitions, many experts agree on the following generalizations: The Silent Generation (Born Before 1946) Defining events and trends: Great Depression, World War II, and labor unions. Generalizations: • Believe in paying their dues through sacrifice and hard work.

• Respect for authority, conformity, adherence to rules, and organizational structures.

• Rely on tried, true, and tested ways of doing things.

Baby Boomers (Born Between 1946-1964) Defining events and trends: Vietnam, Civil Rights, and prosperity. Generalizations: • Value hard work and peer competition—view hard work as necessary for career success.

• Embrace teamwork—don’t favor “command and

control” leadership.

• Optimistic—thrive on possibilities and constant change.

Generation X (Born Between 1965-1977) Defining events and trends: Watergate, computers, doubledigit inflation, latchkey kids, single parents, and dual career families. Generalizations: • Believe in working hard, but quickly, efficiently—more time for work/life balance.

• Cautious about investing in relationships with employers—invest in their own development.

• Entrepreneurial, independent, creative, flexible.

Generation Y or Millennials (Born After 1978) Defining events and trends: Expansive economy, high-tech revolution (cell phones, pagers, laptops, Internet, video games, speed dial.) Generalizations: • Highly energetic—want to be continuously challenged and do something significant.

• View boss as a coach—want clear expectations, input into how to do their jobs, and independence to do them.

• Optimistic, multi-taskers, socially conscious.

(Associated Employers, Moline, IL)

Health Care Costs Still Too High?

Are your company’s health care costs still too high? Maybe your company can be doing more to lower them. Many firms are taking action, cutting annual increases to about 2.5 percent, a third of what most employers face this year and next.

There’s no magic bullet for employers. But small steps can yield big results.

Basic principles to keep in mind: Prevention is crucial—Be aggressive in persuading employees to get regular checkups and enroll in disease management programs to lower the odds of expensive complications.

Give workers a stake in lowering costs—Financial incentives are a smart investment if they reduce the number of costly illnesses.

Pay attention to those most at risk—such as employees who smoke or are overweight.

And make sure workers have the tools they need, including access to information.

Some specific ideas: Pay drug costs for low-income employees with chronic illnesses so they’re more likely to take medicines that can control their disease. Marriott International pays for many generics and halves the price of some brand names.

Reward pregnant women for joining prenatal nutrition programs. A premature birth with complications can cost a firm millions of dollars. Fiserv, Inc. offers savings bonds to women who go for regular checkups and attend classes, with a big gift certificate when the baby is born.

Offer incentives for weight-loss, fitness and stop-smoking

greater charlotte biz

plans. IBM Corporation pays up to $300 a year to participants, for example. But employers should consider rewarding healthy workers for their lifestyles, too, to avoid complaints of unfair treatment and potential morale problems.

Also: Give workers information on the quality and cost of doctors so they can be smart consumers. Internet-based systems can inform employees of the prices and success rates of specific health care providers. Provide access to nurse help lines for advice and guidance.

Another option: Charge for spousal coverage if the spouse works and is eligible for other insurance. A typical surcharge is $100 a month. Health Savings Accounts are also effective in cutting costs. These ideas work for all businesses, but big firms can do more. Some provide on-site clinics to make preventive care convenient. Many large companies mine claims data for trends on illnesses. The data can help determine which disease management plans are needed.

(The Kiplinger Letter, 3/30/07) biz The Employers Association is a nonprofit Charlotte organization providing comprehensive human resources and training ser vices. Founded in 1958, the Association maintains a broad-based membership of over 800 companies from all industries in the greater Charlotte region.

The above excerpts were taken from The Management Report, the Association’s monthly newsletter. For more information, please call Laura Hampton at 704-522-8011 or visit the Web site at www.employersassoc.com.

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11

Knowing the SouthWood Could Have Written the Book...

Ernest Dwight is the first to admit that when he entered the signage business in 1970, he wasn’t quite sure where it would take him. He was working in conjunction with his wife’s embroidery business, but eventually saw more potential for growth with signage, so he made the decision to focus his energies there.

In the beginning, Dwight was running a one-man show. Before heading to the office, he would stop by the lumberyard 12

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and purchase the wood he needed for his current project. Then he would take it to the shop, rout it, write up an invoice, and head to the client’s location after work to install it. Over time, he experienced a growing demand for the services he was offering and decided to capitalize on it.

One thing Dwight had learned, no matter what the industry, is that people were looking for service, dependability, and responsiveness. As he listened to his cusw w w. g r e a t e r c h a r l o t t e b i z . c o m

by janet kropinak

[bizprofile]

Signs

tomers discuss their frustrations with companies that simply didn’t follow through on their promises, he saw an opportunity to use this to his advantage, by merely staying true to his word. It is with this simple mantra that SouthWood Corporation began its existence.

Today, the company is recognized internationally as a premier signage solutions provider, with clients in every state and significant projects in wide-ranging locales from Grand Cayman to Mount Rushmore National Monument to Raffles Canouan Island Resort in The Grenadines. ÂŽ greater charlotte biz

Ernest Dwight, President and Founder SouthWood Corporation

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Locally, SouthWood signs grace the properties of Ballantyne Village, Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, Historic South End, Johnson & Wales University, Latta Pavillion, The Sanctuary, and Wachovia Corporation.

Writing the Book Throughout the years, SouthWood has earned its reputation for excellence, building upon the learning from each signage project completed.

“Initially, we just followed opportunities as they were coming to us. We tried to learn what we were doing right and correct the mistakes that we made along the way,” comments Dwight.

One of the first projects attesting to the company’s reputation and spurring Dwight to move forward was for Dallas-based Lincoln Properties when they came to Charlotte in the 1970s. Because of SouthWood’s attention to detail and project follow-through, the company gained the respect of the architects on the project. As a

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result, SouthWood was called upon in later years to do additional projects outside of the Charlotte region.

“This was when we realized that people were willing to pay for the quality of the relationship and the service. They knew what they were going to get with us, and they were willing to pay a little more to have us do the job right,” Dwight recalls.

SouthWood began its expansion into the Columbia, South Carolina, and Greensboro areas and from there, growth has moved at a rapid pace. “The architects we worked with referred us across industry boundaries, which really helped expand our business and clientele,” says Dwight.

In 1975, Dwight attended his first architectural trade show, and found it a very reaffirming experience. He remembers, “After the show, I knew that we were sitting on something that hadn’t quite been developed yet.”

As the company’s products were being requested by more and more architects, SouthWood decided to create a catalog of basic signs for prospective customers in an effort to keep up with the inquiries.

“Although this worked for a while, and we did get a lot of projects from it, we weren’t building relationships,” Dwight recalls. “We were also finding that the market was getting confused about what it was that we did and who we were.”

By presenting their services in a catalog format, they were basically showing their competitors what they were doing—and allowing them to capitalize on business opportunities. Another downside of the catalog was that sales representatives were becoming little more than order takers.

Because it was far easier to fill out an order form than it was to search for new ways to solve a problem, a large aspect of business was getting lost in the shuffle.

So, after using this “standard products from a catalog” approach for almost 10 years, SouthWood made the decision to go back to its roots—and focus more on custom signage projects. This was a move in the positive direction for Dwight because he thrived on the personal interactions with his clients, helping to identify their needs and find ways to help them.

Dwight also began to see the importance of having an in-house design team to

work with the clients and help them to determine the best signage solution. This move allowed them to branch out to more customers and become more of a comprehensive service provider.

With the addition of a design team and advances in computer technology, business was well positioned for growth. So when Dwight got a call from an architect about a project in Grand Cayman, he jumped at it.

“People on the islands have a high emphasis on dependability, and word had apparently gotten out that we were dependable. After completing one project, we were asked to do another and it continued from there,” he comments. “Clients were looking for someone who was ready to stand by their word. That company turned out to be us, and we’ve really profited from that relationship.”

Over the years, SouthWood has branched out to offer more services to its clients from wayfinding to the design, planning and creation of signage. “By branching out our services while staying dependable and responsive to the needs of our customers, we have been able to differentiate ourselves from our competitors,” says Dwight.

One of SouthWood’s most comprehensive local projects was signage for the corporate headquarters of Lowe’s Home Improvement in Mooresville. SouthWood was responsible for designing, fabricating and installing interior signage and exterior regulatory signage to reflect the stone façade and curved architecture of the unique facility design. Parking signage was tied into the Lowe’s store theme by identifying each floor with a Lowe’s specialty— gardening, hardware, etc.

“What a great job your staff did with design, production and installation of our sign package,” Dwight recalls the praise of Warren Shinker, Lowe’s director of facility operations. “The signs look great and the installation was smooth and efficient.”

Signing an All-Star Team Another way that SouthWood has been able to differentiate itself from other companies is by being one of the best companies to work for from a family point of view. SouthWood prides itself on being named a “Family-Friendly Company” by Charlotte Parent magazine for five of the

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past six years.

When asked what SouthWood looks for in its employees, Dwight responds, “We are looking for team members with drive and ambition, and for people who are interested in learning and developing new skills.”

Dwight says he trains all of his 50 employees to be “generalists,” so they have a basic, working knowledge of all aspects of the business and how everything gets done. But at the same time, he works hard to avoid depending on any one person too much. This helps to create a synergy and cohesiveness among his team. “Everyone is an equal contributor.

It is really about treating your employees the way you’d like to be treated and people appreciate that,” Dwight comments.

Because of the nature of the company, multi-tasking is essential to all SouthWood employees. “We are looking for people who are not only versatile in their skills, but people who are able to take opportunities and learn from them.”

It is easy to see Dwight’s enthusiasm and dedication, and, as you walk through the plant, it is apparent that his employees share his sentiments. You can’t help but notice the people taking pride in their work and being part of the SouthWood team, reflecting the guidance and mentoring of their “coach” who keeps a hand in the day-to-day work.

Nick Vasquez, who works in installation, comments, “Ernest is open to ideas and likes to hear our contributions. He offers support and solutions.”

Dwight says he isn’t a micro-manager and feels confident in the abilities of his employees. Eric May,an installation manager, reaffirms this, “Ernest is here, overseeing everything, but he lets us do our jobs.

But he is always there if you need him.”

In the future, Dwight hopes his company will be looked upon as a place where everyone would like to work, but only the best can get a job there. Admitting that he’d rather

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coach a team of all-stars than rookies, Dwight feels it is worth it in the long run to spend the time finding the right people for the company. By having a high set of standards, Dwight says he is working to create an environment

where the “good ones can thrive.”

Richard Lockwood, in manufacturing, describes his job: “I do something different every day. There is always plenty of variety and something new to learn. We are getting real ‘on the job’ training. Ernest runs the business orderly and with precision. We all take pride in our work because he takes so much pride in us.”

A Wide Open Canvas Dwight notes that change is constant, and it is important to be ready to work with change instead of meeting it with resistance.

He sees the future as a “wide open canvas.”

“So far, we have gone where the market has taken us and that will continue in the years to come. We are going to continue to do what we are doing, just for more people.”

If repeat business is any indication, SouthWood will continue to enjoy success.

For the past eight years, Archstone-Smith Residential, owners, operators and developers of apartments in metropolitan areas nationwide, has turned to SouthWood to bring standardization and brand recognition to the Archstone name and communities.

To date, SouthWood has provided signage to more than 300 Archstone properties.

SouthWood also has also provided signage for more than a dozen Marriott Vacation Ownership Resorts (timeshares) over the past 15 years, including properties in Myrtle Beach and, Hilton Head, South Carolina; Orlando, Florida; Breckenridge, Colorado; and Malaga, Spain.

SouthWood prides itself on doing things

right the first time, so it lasts for the long haul. One of their goals for the future is to continue relaying the importance of signage to their customers and to the public.

Dwight states, “We hope to challenge clients to understand the importance of signage, as it is their identity to the outside world. Signage is going to last a lot longer than an ad in the newspaper or a commercial on television. It is more than an investment; it is a fixed asset of the business.”

As SouthWood has grown as a company, so has its involvement with the community. Donating signage to local non-profit organizations and charities is something Dwight tries to do whenever possible, stating, “You have to give back where you can; that is how we can help.”

Growing just to say you are growing isn’t the direction SouthWood is heading. They continue to assess potential projects to ensure they are the right company for the job. This again shows their continued dedication to both their craft and their customers.

Dependability, responsiveness and accountability have helped SouthWood and Ernest Dwight find their way, and all signs are pointing toward a prosperous future. biz Janet Kropinak is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.

SouthWood Corporation 4700 Westinghouse Blvd.

Charlotte, N.C. 28273 Phone: 704-588-5000; 800-727-6884 Principal: Ernest H. Dwight, Founder and President Established: 1970 Employees: 50 Revenues: Over $5 million (2006) Business: Specializes in the creation and implementation of image-conscious custom signage and graphics; designs, plans, builds, installs and manages the process from concept to completion for clients through the United States, the Caribbean and beyond. www.southwoodcorp.com

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Designer Ink 16

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Hip Designers Soak Up Rutland’s Specialty Inks Remember the fashion-forward shirt with the three-dimensional design you bought at SouthPark Mall?

The ink for that Abercrombie & Fitch garment was likely made in Pineville.

What about that silky-looking T-shirt you found at Hollister in Carolina Place Mall? Chances are the ink that produced the eveningwear look comes from the same Charlotte suburb.

Both garments and millions more are produced with inks made by a division of Rutland Holdings, which operates from headquarters on Rodney Street in Pineville Industrial Park.

Rutland Holdings owns Rutland Plastic Technologies, Inc., the Union Ink Company and the Union Ink Company, United Kingdom. The successor to Rutland Plastics, founded by Sam Rutland in 1962, the company makes products as diverse as metal coatings for playground equipment and components for automotive filters.

But its real forte is developing the more than 1,000 textile inks that embellish shirts, jackets and pants with myriad colors and textures for urban styles fashions from companies such as Reebok, Nike and others.

Dennis Gunson, chief executive of Rutland Holdings, is part of an ownership group that bought Rutland Plastic Technologies in 2004.

At that time, the company was creating unique printing techniques using textured inks and had invented a process for ink that produces special effects on textiles. ÂŽ w w w. g r e a t e r c h a r l o t t e b i z . c o m

by ellison clary

[bizprofile]

Dennis Gunson, President and CEO, and Rodney, the Chameleon Rutland Plastic Technologies, Inc.

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“What’s really neat about us, is that this little company in Pineville is helping create what is purchased from ‘hip’ stores across the nation and, possibly, is influencing design trends in the fashion industry at-large.” ~Dennis Gunson, President and Chief Executive Officer

Besides a 3-D design, Rutland’s inks can produce a blister look, a faux leather image, a tone-on-tone effect, a design that appears “distressed” or old, and a glittery look, something that masquerades as liquid metal or a luminescent design. That burned out look of a T-shirt, athletic jersey, or jeans? Thank Rutland inks for that, too.

“What’s really neat about us,” Gunson smiles, “is that this little company in Pineville is helping create what is purchased from ‘hip’ stores across the nation and, possibly, is influencing design trends in the fashion industry at-large.”

Rutland works with the big brands such as Reebok and their apparel designers, who rely on the techniques Rutland develops. Here’s how it works: Young adults, athletic types and

(l) Hal Crownover, CFO; (r) Dennis Gunson, President and CEO Rutland Plastic Technologies, Inc.

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teens, who search out the most fashionforward looks, flock to garments with these special ink treatments. So makers such as Reebok and Nike specify that printers produce such effects on the fabrics they send them.

The brands send their designs to printer’s agents around the globe. Each agent assigns jobs to one of a dozen or more printers it works with. The printer gets the necessary specialty ink, or if a small operation, the printer calls a regional distributor to get the necessary specialty ink. And more often, these printers and distributors are contacting Rutland.

When a Fad is Not a Fad “We actually sell the concept to the folks that are doing the designing,” Gunson says. “Our customer is the dealer, in terms of the financial transaction. But the real customer, the guy that drives what we do, is the big brand.”

For fresh ideas, Rutland

employees frequent artsy shops in cities such as Shanghai, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York to spot what these innovators are doing with one- or two-of-a-kind, handmade garments. They bring their finds back to the 85,000square-foot Rutland facility in Pineville.

Then, people under the leadership of Bill Dominick, executive vice president of technology, and Tony Chapman, director of technology service and support, develop the inks and the processes that make it possible to mass-produce a design that once was unique.

Dominick, who has been with Rutland 29 years, was hired by its founder. With a wry grin, he remembers what Sam Rutland told him when he signed on. “This automotive business is solid and the industrial business is solid,” Sam Rutland said. “This ink thing is a fad. Who’s going to want a number or a name or a picture on a shirt?

This thing’s got three to five years.”

Much later, Dominick recalls, “Sam told me, ‘I guessed wrong.’”

Early in the process of developing textile inks, the Rutland ink business was doing a modest couple of million dollars in annual sales, mainly to mom-n-pop screen printers in North Carolina. Now, it makes up a large percentage of the nearly $75 million revenue the private company will realize in 2007.

“A number of things have promoted that,” Dominick says. “Equipment has improved, screens have improved, artwork has improved, computers came in and drove the ability to separate colors and do exotic art work. It really did mushroom.”

Chapman is a 26-year veteran of Rutland. He remembers the early days in inks. ”We were printing block letters on T-shirts—and not doing a very good job of that,” he says.

Trashing Fashion As Rutland improved its ink capabilities, Chapman remembers when a representative of Ecko Unlimited—another producer of hip threads—visited the Pineville plant and asked to see what Rutland deemed

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mistakes. “‘I want to see what you throw in the trash,’ he told me.”

The trash happened to hold some fabrics with multiple layers of ink. The Echo rep liked the look. “That was the beginning of textured inks,” Chapman says.

For his part, Gunson, 51, hadn’t thought of working in an inks business, although “for laughs” he took a screen printing course during his senior year at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. He was nearing his degree in Plastics Engineering.

He fashioned a career with corporate giants Dow Chemical and BFGoodrich, presiding over lines of business that took him from Plaquemine, La., to Cleveland, Ohio, and placed him in offices in both Belgium and France. Along the way, he earned a certificate of special studies in advanced administration and management from Harvard University.

Following that, he served as president and chief executive of Atlantic Extrusions, presiding over the Massachusetts-based netting and custom extrusions manufacturer.

He eventually oversaw the sale of the business to a group of strategic buyers, and that’s when he and several board members got interested in Rutland Plastic Technologies.

Gunson and his crew enlisted help from “a very large financial institution” and bought the company in 2004 from Canterbury Partners, the last of a series of private equity firms which had owned Rutland.

The Rutland family had sold the business to the Dexter Corporation in 1986, shortly after building the current facility in Pineville. Dexter sold Rutland to a private equity firm and it passed through several more buyers before Canterbury.

Gunson’s group soon adjusted ownership to include some Rutland executives and Gunson took over as chief executive and executive vice chairman in early 2006.

He brought with him a series of changes.

“The leaders before me teed this company up beautifully for the right guy to come in and leverage its technology and market position and really grow it, “ Gunson says “We’ve done several things to make that happen.

“I’m privileged to bring a bit of leadership, distribution savvy, marketing know-how and

greater charlotte biz

experience in positioning brands to drive growth,” he adds. “I know how to put a global footprint in place.”

Early on, Gunson and the board decided Rutland needed a distribution arm, so in 2005 it completed the purchase of one of its larger distributors, IPT Technologies, based in a Miami suburb. Then Rutland opened a warehouse and distribution center in Columbus, Ohio, and another in Pineville. That put the company in the distribution business, selling ink, supplies and other consumables to the screen printing industry.

Next, Rutland looked for ways of complementing its product line, targeting several potential acquisition candidates, all competitors. In 2006, it bought the Union Ink Company of Richfield, N.J., which brought with it a small manufacturing presence in Paddock Wood, England, and licensees in South Africa and Argentina.

Rutland already had a token distribution center in Leicester, England.

“So we’re now beginning to establish that global footprint,” Gunson says proudly.

Rutland Holdings was created as the umbrella organization for Rutland Plastic Technologies, Union Ink Company and Union Ink Company, United Kingdom.

Currently, 111 of Rutland’s 180 employees work in its two Pineville facilities.

Future Inks Growth Gunson has a clear view of Rutland’s future but with a modest adage to planning, “If you want to make God laugh, make plans.”

Rutland now has a stable business platform, with its

industrial coatings, automotive, distribution and inks businesses and it continues to look for expansion opportunities.

Gunson believes the company’s organic growth will continue at a rate of 10 percent to 20 percent a year. More acquisitions are a distinct possibility–perhaps a joint venture in China and a licensee in Brazil.

“We will have a global presence,” Gunson vows, “We will be the most well recognized brand of ink for the purposes of embellishing a garment at all the major brands worldwide.”

“Our goal is to have designers all over the world exposed or trained on our technology and Union and Rutland inks, “ he continues. “They’ll be designing with many of the techniques in Rutland’s portfolio.

Cheri Hancock and Scott Mon, global market managers for business specifications, will in large part be responsible for making that happen. Hancock and Mon spend huge chunks of time in travels to places such as China, Southeast Asia, India, Brazil and Peru. They help the big brands ensure that their contract printers are using the proper specifications with the Rutland inks.

Hancock collaborates with big

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brand designers on what Rutland can make happen. “I tell the designers I work with, ‘Your imagination is your only limit,’” she says.

Indeed, Rutland recently adopted the likeness of a big green chameleon to grace its logo. Mon calls that image appropriate. “Fashions change overnight,” he says. “And we can, too.”

Closer to home, Gunson is emphatic that Rutland headquarters will remain in Pineville. He, wife Lois and daughter Paige, 15, enjoy living in southeast Charlotte.

Periodically, Gunson and Paige shop together and she gives him advice on what garment designs are viable. “‘This is hot, and this is pretty good, and dad, don’t buy this one…ever,’ she tells me as we browse in stores,” Gunson says.

Keeping It Green Gunson and operations head Davis also put a premium on environmental issues and a Rutland environmental policy hangs prominently in the firm’s reception room.

“We try to consume just about everything,” Davis says. “You’ll find no drains, no effluent on the floor.

If we make ink and it doesn’t turn out to be the right ink, we may use it in another ink product or in one of our many industrial applications. If that doesn’t work, we may move it to an automotive application.” The small amount of waste that Rutland sends to a landfill is non-toxic, he adds.

Rutland also encourages its employees to give back to the greater Charlotte community and leads by example as the company recently organized and sponsored a successful blood drive for the Community Blood Bank, including a couple dozen other companies located in Pineville Industrial Park.

Rutland recently joined the Charlotte Chamber. “We’re trying to identify the

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areas in which we may be able to contribute to the business community,” Gunson says. “Helping leaders of young companies with international business expansion along with branding, strategic positioning, restructuring, and marketing may be one possibility.”

Meanwhile, Gunson tries hard to nurture and build on the entrepreneurial spirit of Rutland, even as it approaches $100 million in sales. In his office, there are two lifesize mannequins sporting the newest print technique, design and trade magazines dog-eared and stacked, and Chemical Brothers and Citizen Cope playing in the background.

“It’s pretty cool that a design concept out of our shop here in little Pineville, works its way over to Honduras, Turkey or China, and ends up as merchandise at SouthPark Mall,” Gunson muses.” biz Ellison Clary is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.

Rutland Plastic Technologies, Inc. 10021 Rodney Street Pineville, N.C. 28134 Phone: 704-553-0046 Parent and Affiliated Companies: Rutland Holdings; Rutland Plastic Technologies, Inc.; Union Ink Company; Union Ink Company, United Kingdom Principals: Dennis J. Gunson, President and Chief Executive Officer; Hal Crownover, Chief Financial Officer; Bill Dominick, Executive Vice President of Technology; Gary Davis,Vice President of Operations;Tony Chapman, Director of Technical Service and Support Established: 1962, as Rutland Plastics Employees: 180 Revenues:Approaching $75 million for 2007 Business: Rutland delivers best-in-class printing technique solutions and textile inks to high-end garment merchandisers, targeting the athletic, urban and casual apparel markets.The company also produces protective coatings for diverse applications and automotive filter components. www.rutlandinc.com

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21

Bundling Time Warner Cable Offers the Total Package

T

The very nature of a technology company is evolutionary. It involves a delicate balance between scientific innovation, tense competition, and traditional business practices to assure quality products and customer service.

No one knows this better than Time Warner Cable’s Charlotte Division. Franchised in the early 1970s, the division grew through repeated acquisitions and is now more than 448,000 customers strong and climbing. It is adding 26,000 new homes to its network every year.

Michael Munley, the division’s new president as of August 2006, explains this growth in comparison to other markets he has been involved with in his 25 years at Time Warner: “I spent 20 years previously in the Syracuse, N.Y., market, and three years prior to coming to Charlotte in Minneapolis, Minn. I don’t think that we added in five years the amount of new homes we see each year in Charlotte.”

Many folks would agree that the challenges that come with this kind of growth are a ‘problem of privilege.’ For the past several years,Time Warner Cable’s Charlotte Division has been beset with resultant issues involving customer service and their customers ability to reach customer service representatives and be serviced in a timely manner.

That is precisely why Munley was called in to take stock of the situation and implement initiatives to bring new focus on the customer experience. He makes no bones about the problems he encountered when he arrived. However, it is clear he has a firm grasp on the plan that is leading the company of 1,300 employees toward his vision.

According to Munley, “My goal is for the Charlotte division to become a technological and customer service showcase for Time Warner Cable nationwide.” ®

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by susanne deitzel

[bizprofile]

Solutions

photo: Wayne Morris

Mike Munley President Time Warner Cable Charlotte Division

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A Jump Start In the 10 months since he came on board, Munley’s plans have already yielded positive results. The company began an over-$50 million upgrade of its network, which is scheduled to cover 2,000 miles of cable this year, and 2,000 miles of cable in 2008. “This will bring fiber closer to the home, increasing capacity and facilitating the delivery of more services in the near future,” explains Munley.

The last major cable upfit was 12

years ago, when the Charlotte division was one of the first in the country to receive resources of this magnitude. As a result, though, they have had to sit back while the rest of the country catches up.

Now it is time, once again, for the Charlotte region to become the leader in faster, easier, more comprehensive and more integrated products and services.

The Charlotte division is a big market which gives it leverage, but it also benefits from the proximity of a Time Warner Cable Corporate office two miles down

SUCCESS NEEDS A PARTNER

“Timing and access are crucial for my customers. That goes double for my bank.”

Member FDIC

– I’m Ron Ezell, Sr., president of Custom Logistics, and my banker is Sammy Black.

Uptown Charlotte 704.945.6565 Cornelius/Lake Norman 704.987.9990 Matthews 704.814.1200 SouthPark 704.442.5900

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the street from its Arrowood Operations office. Explains Munley, “Here, 700 additional employees provide back office services and an advanced technology group with labs, engineers and strategic thinkers that help us test and move products and enhancements out into our market quickly and first.”

Some of the changes will be more transparent to the customer, but no less important. “Our changes are increasing Internet speed, and reducing the incidences of cable outages in the case of weather or accident emergencies. We are in the process of installing battery backup power to many parts of our plant. (Many readers might ask, ‘Why do I need cable if I don’t have power?’ The answer is that cable grids and power grids are different; before the backups, a power outage in an adjacent power grid could impact the cable of a home that wasn’t itself affected by the power outage. Now, that scenario is eradicated.)

In addition to speed and reliability, the changes will also add services to Time Warner Cable’s offerings. The company is testing a ‘Start Over’ service that allows the customer to restart a show that they missed the beginning of, and are also testing Caller ID via the cable connection on the television screen for their digital phone service.

Some people might think these additions aren’t quite as sexy as a few of the quantum leaps we have made in technology over the past decade. And if that is true, then it is probably good that they aren’t in the cable business. Comments Munley, “It is simple ideas like these that can make a big difference in a customer’s lifestyle. That is what we are focusing on. We have come to appreciate the individual consumer.”

If the DVR is any indication, it appears that rather than devising flashy

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new products, Time Warner uses technology to make improvements for the customer that simplify life and make it more enjoyable. It is a good sign when one of your products becomes a verb: “Did you DVR it?”

The cable company most recently made news when it began offering digital phone service and bundling it in a package with its digital cable and high speed data Roadrunner service. Munley says they are also branching out into the wireless community. With this service, DVRs could be programmed from work after watercooler talk about a particular show, or a call received at home could flash up as an instant message at work.

Again, these may appear seemingly modest ideas, but before we know it, we see that these subtle changes help shape the way we live.

Munley’s is a bold, integrated approach that leverages his company’s technological and financial strength with a steadfast resolve to anticipating and addressing subscriber needs customer by customer.

Strengthening the Signal In assuming his new position, the real challenges Munley faced had relatively little to do with technology. He recalls, “My first day, I left the office and had set my priorities.”

The most immediate issue was customer service. In his three years in Minneapolis Munley had raised that division’s rankings from the cellar to the top five nationally. It is clear that Munley is the guy for the job. Speaking with him, his authority and clarity make it easy to see why—he understands leadership.

Comments Munley “Leadership, particularly in the call center, was an area that had not had the focus it should. When you have a customer-focused business, that’s a problem.”

Munley brought in Mike Smith from Albany to serve as his vice president of customer service because, as Munley says, “He ran the

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“My goal is for the Charlotte division to become a technological and customer service showcase for Time Warner Cable nationwide.” ~ Mike Munley, President

top call center in the county for five consecutive years; he knows how to do it.”

Results don’t lie. On a recent Monday, typically a heavier call day, 90 percent of the incoming calls received personal attention from a representative within 30 seconds.

Munley says that they have taken steps not only to get calls answered once they come to the center, but to circumvent the need for them with increased and improved customer communication. “We try to do all our upgrades between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. to reduce the inconvenience to the customer. We also make calls to customers when there is an expected outage, and send postcards when there is work scheduled on part of the grid.”

But Munley attributes the huge improvements primarily to finding the right people. “We spend a lot of time recruiting, hiring and training good people to serve our customers. We are very thoughtful about designing our leadership.

And we try very hard to keep our employees happy.”

Vice President of Public Relations Sue Breckenridge says that Munley’s message was clear from the first day he addressed the company. “He told everyone that his job was to take care of

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the employee, and that our job was to take care of the customer. Since Mike arrived, we have seen consistent demonstration of his sincerity.”

Breckenridge cites several new practices that have been designed to bring more fun and community involvement options to the employees.

Time Warner Cable hosts an annual family

picnic and employee ‘fun days’ throughout the year; conducts outreach and volunteer initiatives including Hands Helping Heroes, JDRF and United Way fund drives, and tutoring programs; and has increased communication and participation

opportunities among employees by appointing department ambassadors, increasing employee meetings, and producing company newsletters.

“If the customer is happy, and the employees are happy, then everything else falls into place. So it is my priority to make sure that those two elements are solid,” sums Munley.

Lengthening the Cord There have been a few news-breaking distractions, however.

Last August, Time Warner Cable with partner, Comcast, purchased 5 million subscribers from struggling Adelphia Communications for $17.6 billion. A group of local municipalities in northern Mecklenburg County and southern Iredell Counties including Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Mooresville and Troutman have been exploring a right of first refusal and began considering purchasing and operating the cable system in their communities. The towns suggest that operating their own systems could yield economic development opportunities but Munley says his experience has taught him otherwise.

“Despite how it may look from the outside, running a cable company is an extremely complicated business.

Constant evolution and heavy competition are the biggest challenges. We have to think and act quickly, and historically, government just doesn’t do things that way.” Adds Munley, “We have seen several initiatives like this end up reselling back to the cable company because of difficulties.”

As of mid-May, Huntersville had pulled out of the consortium, with the remaining municipalities still officially ‘in the game.’ Munley said that, in the meantime, in the communities where franchises were transferred to the com-

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pany, Time Warner continues to upgrade the region’s plant and will continue to do so until a resolution is reached.

“Regardless of how this plays out, our aim is to continue serving and improving things for our customers.”

Through this process, the company has added Statesville, Harmony and unincorporated Iredell County to its customer area, expanded the reach of its Channel 14 24-hour news further north, and continues to expand and enrich its product offerings while also offering new ways of using and paying for the services together. ‘Bundling,’ or packaging several digital services into a customer unit has been very effective for Time Warner Cable. Of Time Warner Cable’s 14.7 million subscribers, 6.5 subscribe to two or more products, and 1.7 subscribe to all three products.

“Our customers say that bundling is very convenient and efficient for them, and we expect those numbers to strengthen even more,” says Munley.

Other numbers to keep an eye on?

Munley says he will continue to add

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staff in customer service, which so far has a net gain of 55 employees. He will lead the center in an expensive technology overhaul to improve the interaction between customer service representatives and customers. He will continue to challenge his team to take advantage of the remarkable amount of home businesses by working with developers and builders and to win over customers with new products and a customer-focused philosophy. With this he hopes to continue to ward off the satellite companies and new entrants to bring the Charlotte division of Time Warner Cable into the winner’s circle.

Munley’s is a bold, integrated approach that leverages his company’s technological and financial strength with a steadfast resolve to anticipating and addressing subscriber needs customer by customer.

With Munley’s guidance, Time Warner Cable’s Charlotte division clearly sees the big picture—pixel by pixel. biz

Time Warner Cable Charlotte Division 3140 Arrowood Road Charlotte, N.C. 28273 Phone: 704-378-2952 Parent Company: Time Warner Inc. Principal: Michael E. Munley, President Nationwide Subscribers: 13.4 million in 33 states Local Employees: 1,400 Local Subscribers: Approx. 450,000 New Local Subscribers: 26,000 per year; 13 counties NYSE: TWX Business: Products include television cable, digital cable, Roadrunner high speed data, digital telephony. Second largest cable company ranked by subscribers nationally. Over $50 million planned in upgrades and rebuilding over the next two years. www.timewarnercable.com/charlotte

Susanne Deitzel is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.

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Providing Real-World UNC Charlotte Continuing Education Offers Instruction with Practical Applications It took thousands of years for humankind to evolve into industrialized beings. Yet we moved from horse and buggies to rocket ships within the same century.

From room-sized to pocket-sized computers in a few decades. From phone booths to Bluetooth in just a few years. Communication technology has taken business from countywide to global in nothing flat. Companies that want to survive and thrive in this catch-me-if-you-can environment face the challenge of keeping pace.

One solution to this challenge lies in continual training. Keeping Charlotte’s business community on the cutting edge in the face of constant change is UNC Charlotte Continuing Education’s mission. Making these educational opportunities relevant and accessible for companies and corporations is Amy Wartham’s passion.

Wartham is the director of corporate training at UNC Charlotte Continuing Education based in the Ben Craig Center on Mallard Creek Road. “We help people broaden their skills, fine-tune their work credentials and accelerate their careers,” Wartham says. “And we help companies and corporations make their operations more effective, more efficient and better able to keep up in today’s marketplace. In that respect I see our role as one of support for the Charlotte business community.”

“When companies improve their employees, that improves the company, which improves the way Charlotte operates from an economic standpoint, which impacts our standing in the country,” she adds. “So our perspective is always ‘How can we help, how can we make a difference?’ It’s all about keeping Charlotte business at its peak performance.” ® 28

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by lisa hoffmann

[bizprofile]

Business Solutions

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When Wartham joined UNC Charlotte Continuing Education in the summer of 2005 only about five percent of its programs focused on corporate and custom training. Today, the figure is five times that.

Wartham taught business communication at the Belk College of Business prior to moving to the continuing education department and has a background in corporate America. Initially she split her time between developing and maintaining corporate and customized training and public programs. She quickly realized that Charlotte’s demand for corporate training meant she should focus all her energies in that direction. “We’re constantly building new relationships with new businesses and supplying repeat business to companies who are seeing the positive results professional development can bring about.”

The department offers programs that let professionals maintain their accreditation, stay on top of new developments, and improve internal processes such as project management, business analysis and accounting. Public courses offer certificates in such disciplines as Web site design, paralegal studies, and fire and rescue management. Other courses prepare students for certification and school entry exams such as professional engineer certification and GRE and SAT exam preparation.

Wartham’s concentration lies in the corporate and custom training arena. Her biggest challenge? Getting the word out about the program and its benefits.

“There’s a misconception floating around out there that our department is part of UNC Charlotte’s graduate programs,” she explains.

“Continuing education is not about pursuing a degree; it’s about staying up-to-date and continuing to improve yourself and your company. I’m always looking for new ways to reach

out to businesses and demonstrate how we can help them.”

Not Old School UNC Charlotte’s continuing education program has been around for several decades, starting with a small program based out of the main campus. In 1995 the department opened its Uptown Center, first in the now-demolished City Fair building, then moving to the third floor of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design. That 15,000square-foot office met some of the demand for business people who did not want to travel to the University area. Demand continued to rise, however, and UNC Charlotte Continuing Education opened another satellite campus in the Ben Craig Center, which also now serves as its base.

Although having three locations is appealing for public courses, the trend in corporate training is toward fully customized on-site classes that can be completed in one, two or three days. This is where the programs Wartham oversees come into play.

Wartham recently created a customized process mapping course for Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Charlotte. Process mapping offers companies real world ways to rediscover and refine core processes, focusing on the heart of the company. This course teaches people from various management levels and positions to stop focusing on “local” concerns within their company, where managers tend to manage tasks, and look at their organization from a more “

global” perspective, where they manage processes instead.

Effective process mapping, which leads to better process management, improves efficiency, productivity and customer response times and reduces waste. “Our process management instruction is designed to help companies cut the fat and move toward becoming leaner operations, which is a real necessity in today’s competitive global business community,” Wartham explains, sliding a thick, professional-looking course handbook emblazoned with Coca-Cola’s name across her desk.

UNC Charlotte Continuing Education provides all the required course materials for their customized corporate instruction. Many of the classes are based on public courses but Wartham explained that her department is able and happy to construct courses from scratch as needed. She and her staff spend a lot of time allowing clients to communicate particular challenges their companies are facing, their expectations for courses, and the outcomes they desire.

“The Process Management Certificate Program provided tools, techniques and stimulated thought patterns to address issues and needs within my own line of business that I currently lead,” says Karl Schul, director of project management and quality assurance for IBM Global Services.

“The class participation and make-up of the class provide alternative ways of resolving and solving issues that most businesses face.

This is the evolution and new frontier of business management for the 21st century.”

Other courses designed

Back Row (l to r) John Basilice, Program Director; Janeene Humphrey, Program Director; Lesley Snyder, Director of Program Development and Marketing; Steve Downs, Program Director; Front Row (l to r) Mary Peterson, Program Director; Amy Wartham, Director of Corporate Training; Samantha Abt-Bumgarner, Program Director UNC Charlotte Continuing Education

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to help companies tighten up their operations include “Principles of Project Management,” “Process Value Analysis” and “Measuring and Improving Processes.”

Courses such as “Human Performance Improvement in the Workplace,” “Forensic Accounting,” and “Cost Estimating and Cost Management” are designed for H.R. representatives, financial professionals and managers. “Our course catalog has just exploded in the past few years,” Wartham says.

In 2006, UNC Charlotte Continuing Education delivered 300 courses and programs to 6,000 participants representing about 800 organizations including such notable corporations as Bank of America, Duke Energy, Wachovia, TIAA-CREF and American Express. Clients are happy to learn that the continuing education staff can deliver courses anywhere in the country.

Being part of the UNC system offers clients unique access to resources in the form of research and expertise. Instructors are experienced business people and often part of the university’s faculty. The department also acts as a liaison between corporations, facilitating valuable networking opportunities. These benefits, coupled with the fact that UNC Charlotte Continuing Education’s programs are less expensive than a private firm or consultant, make the programs both effective and affordable, Wartham says.

Sometimes Wartham sits in on classes and says she thoroughly enjoys watching “ah ha” moments as they happen. “I love it when I see those light bulbs going on with our clients’ employees. When they see how things can be done more effectively they understand the reasoning behind making certain changes and they’re eager to go back and apply the principals they learn from our instructors, which they can often do the very next day.

Although UNC Charlotte Continuing Education is part of the university system, it is self-supporting and receives very little funding from the state. It’s a non-profit organization that has to remain diligent in its financial comings and goings to stay afloat.

Corporate and customized courses provide financial buoyancy. Where public courses are a financial risk—it can be difficult to predict enrollment rates—specially requested company training most often takes place as scheduled. Even when companies cancel

greater charlotte biz

they usually reschedule for a later date.

“Having the corporate training department grow the way ours has offers a financial boost to the entire program,” Wartham says. “We’re placing a heavy emphasis on marketing to maintain healthy growth.”

Wartham regularly attends the Friday morning meet-and-greet networking breakfasts held by the Hood Hargett Breakfast Club at Carmel Country Club. “Our marketing strategy revolves around doing a lot of talking,” Wartham says. “I’ve also been speaking at the Chamber of Commerce and setting up personal meetings whenever I can. Challenging misconceptions about our program and helping people see how we can customize courses to their needs is best done in person. What I like most about that is the surprised look on peoples’ faces when I say, ‘Sure, we can do that!’ when they ask about finding a solution to a challenge they’re facing at work.”

Maintaining Momentum Wartham is pleasantly surprised at the enthusiastic reception the expanded corporate and customized programs are receiving and the amazing growth of the programs which doubled last year and are expected to triple this year. “I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised because we offer such a wide scope of programs at such an affordable price, but the palpable excitement of our clients is contagious,” she explains with a smile. “And corporate training leaders love that I am always available, that I answer the phone and e-mails and return calls quickly.

Being able to talk to a real person holds a lot of value these days.”

Dr. Connie Martin, director of the Office of Continuing Education, Wartham and the staff at UNC Charlotte Continuing Education plan to continue on the same path they’ve forged over the past two years.

The key is to remain focused on offering practical applications to their clients and keeping courses tight and relevant, Wartham says. People are pressed for time and can sense when precious work hours are being wasted. Clients also want virtually instantaneous results: skills, ideas and techniques they can apply immediately. UNC Charlotte Continuing Education delivers.

“The Project Management Certificate Program has provided me with the useful

tools that I can use day-to-day in managing my projects,” says Paula H. Lauher, senior IT auditor in the audit project office of Wachovia - Finance. ”I particularly enjoy the real world exercises that help to put these project management concepts into practice.”

“We’re fortunate in that there’s an obvious need for high-quality, research-backed, affordable customized corporate education here in Charlotte,” Wartham says. “Our vision is to continue to grow our client base and increase instructional hours. We’re seeing more and more repeat business, which I take as a very positive sign that people are seeing a concrete benefit from our courses.”

UNC Charlotte Continuing Education continually seeks feedback to stay on track and up to date. With an ever-increasing focus on running lean operations, companies want to retain and make the most of the employees they have and continuing education is a potent way to generate high returns on investments corporations make in their personnel.

“It’s really about supporting companies and helping them succeed,” Wartham says.

“Sometimes companies get bogged down and we can help them find a fresh perspective and help them find and overcome weaknesses. Above all, what we provide is clarity. And we’ll do whatever it takes to help corporations find it.” biz Lisa Hoffmann is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.

UNC Charlotte Continuing Education The Ben Craig Center 8701 Mallard Creek Road, Suite 200 Charlotte, N.C. 28262 Phone: 704-687-8900 Principal: Amy Wartham, Director of Corporate Training Employees: 25 Business: Offers a wide variety of public, corporate and customized classes and certificate programs in the fields of business, law, management, human resources, accounting, engineering, paralegal, IT, project management, event planning, exam preparation and more. www.continuinged.uncc.edu

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Golden Legacy

Whitlock Celebrates 50 Years Of Quality Homes

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At 88 years old and with his company celebrating its golden anniversary, Hubert Whitlock remembers a big turning point for his custom home business. He calls it “the best mistake I ever made.”

He got a chance to construct a home for Russell and Sally Robinson. Bidding against two of the best custom builders in 1960s Charlotte, Whitlock’s number was low—by quite a bit. Whitlock got the job, but soon discovered he left out the cost of foundation masonry.

“I decided I was going to build a really good house,” Whitlock recalls. “I put a lot into it. I built a house I’ve always been proud of, and we’ve been friends and they’ve referred a lot of people to me.”

Hubert Whitlock Builders, Inc. marked its 50th anniversary May 19 with a big barbecue on Hubert Whitlock’s birthday. Hubert Whitlock, daughter Stephanie Whitlock Hazard, and sons Scott and Steven Whitlock, all of whom hold leadership positions in the company, were among those welcoming employees, their spouses, subcontractors, vendors and friends.

They celebrated the success of a custom home building and renovation firm that has emphasized integrity and quality performance, precepts instilled by its founder.

Robinson, senior partner at Charlotte law firm Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, fondly recalls his homebuilding experience with the elder Whitlock.

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tically. “He was so very conscientious and he did the job right on time. We had some changes we wanted.

He did those. His integrity was so very evident from the beginning.”

The Robinsons still live in the two-story brick home Hubert Whitlock finished in 1967. Through the years, Whitlock’s firm has added a screen porch and a garden house in back of the property.

Whitlock never told the Robinsons about his bidding slipup. “I heard that later,” Robinson says.

Whitlock is adamant that his “best mistake” has paid off richly. He and the firm have sent countless prospects to look at the Robinsons’ residence. Many agree with Robinson who calls it “a beautiful house, so well proportioned and well built.” ® w w w. g r e a t e r c h a r l o t t e b i z . c o m

by ellison clary

[bizprofile]

Back Row (l to r) Scott Whitlock, President and CEO Hubert Whitlock, Chairman and Founder Tyler Mahan, V.P. of Production Front Row (l to r) Stephanie Whitlock Hazard, V.P. of Finance and Administration Steven Whitlock, V.P. of Human Resources and Marketing

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He left an early job in Denver for a Houston developer who promised a place for him if he’d “wade in the mud.”

Whitlock quickly rose from a labor foreman on $7,000 houses meant for returning GIs to a project superintendent.

Then he hooked on with an architect who was designing and building Texassized mansions. He spent eight years there, long enough to become a registered architect in the Lone Star state. But when he didn’t make partner, he returned east to his

Hubert Whitlock remains chairman of Hubert Whitlock Builders, a company that employs 22 and operates from 6,500 square feet in the Crown Point Business Park. But these days he spends much of his time with his wife of 63 years, Irene Kirby Whitlock. The Whitlocks have four children, 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

After growing up in the business, Whitlock’s children went off to school— and in some cases worked other jobs— before returning to the family firm.

Helping run the Whitlock company now are Scott Whitlock, president and chief executive; Stephanie Whitlock Hazard, vice president of finance and administration; and Steven Whitlock, vice president of human resources and marketing.

Only daughter Sheila Eichert is not involved with the firm. She is neighborhood outreach director for Charlotte’s Resurrection Lutheran Church.

Non-family member Tyler Mahan is vice president of production. He started with the company as a carpenter in 1989 and his shared commitment to Whitlock family values quickly propelled him into management.

A Family Affair Family involvement gives the elder Whitlock “immense satisfaction,” he says.

“This is an amazing management group,” he adds. “They work together and they’ve advanced our business.”

Hubert Whitlock was born near Columbia, S.C., and grew up in the Carolinas and Virginia. After serving as a captain in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, he studied architecture in the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

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worked on projects from Uwharrie Point to Lake Norman to Fort Mill to Union County.

For 20 years, annual growth held steady at 15 percent to 20 percent, according to Scott Whitlock, who joined his father’s firm in 1982. With growth, that’s dropped to 10 percent, but Scott Whitlock believes that rate will continue.

Efficiency means much, Scott Whitlock says. “We’re always changing and learning.

We’re extremely efficient if you look at revenue per employee. We have very effective people running the field. Tyler’s in charge of that.”

Perfectionist Edge Yet that perfectionist edge remains sharp. “In remodeling,” says Tyler Mahan, “we excel on projects that are detailed and difficult. In many cases, it’s a whole house renovation and there are several specific goals the client has. It might be a larger, updated living area. They might want a media room. Or they may like to have a playroom. But it’s extremely detailed, with products specified, and it may be out-of-town materials.”

Custom home building is about 40

father-in-law’s Virginia coal mining business.

Mining turned bad and Whitlock sought design-build work in Charlotte. He soon found some, and on the side he earned his North Carolina license as a builder. When his employer got out of homebuilding, Whitlock hung out his own shingle, initially as Hubert Whitlock Design-Builder in 1957. He quickly gravitated to high-end residential construction.

Developer George Goodyear got Whitlock involved in the Home Builders Association of Charlotte where he served 17 straight years as an officer or a board member.

Admitting to being a perfectionist, Whitlock approached each custom home as a work of art, and vows that he never cut corners. His sons and daughter who run his company say they enjoy the fruits of the reputation he built for high-quality, uncompromising construction.

Currently, Hubert Whitlock Builders is a licensed general contractor in North Carolina and South Carolina and has

percent of the firm’s business, and it may work on three or so a year. Remodeling makes up the other 60 percent. Many projects are for existing customers and the company handles more than 70 of these annually.

“We do a lot of repeat business and a lot of referral business,” Scott Whitlock says. “Ninety-seven percent comes from referrals, and 75 percent of our jobs are repeat business.”

Many referrals, Steven Whitlock adds, come from architects who want the firm to

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“Our standards of quality set us apart. Our concept is to be a client’s builder for life.” ~ Steven Whitlock, Vice President of Human Resources and Marketing build the custom homes they design.

“Architects and interior designers appreciate that we take their plans and specifications literally; we don’t look at them as just an idea. If what they want is not feasible, we’ll work with them to make it feasible. In the niche we’re in, we’re unique in doing that.”

Steven Whitlock rejoined the company in 1996. He adds one more significant statistic: 98 percent of clients say they would recommend Whitlock to their friends.

“Our clients have very refined tastes,” says Stephanie Whitlock Hazard. “They are not market-driven. They’re more driven by quality and their own aesthetic sensitivity and sensibility. Sometimes we need to have a craftsman project manager to make it happen.”

Whitlock Hazard came back to the company in 1992 and maintains the conservative fiscal management her father instituted long ago.

Follow up after a project is finished is another area that sets Hubert Whitlock Builders apart, Scott Whitlock says. “In many cases, we build the house and the clients say ‘hang on to the key.’ If they’re out of town and something happens, they call us. It’s that degree of trust that we establish.”

Indeed, Robinson says Hubert Whitlock Builders still keeps a key to his house, 40 years after he and Sally moved in.

Current on Trends The company stays current on building trends in the greater Charlotte region.

Among the strongest is growing emphasis on working in harmony with environmentally friendly or “green” precepts and the reuse of products.

“A lot of our clients want to know we’re being conservative about what we throw away and how we dispose of waste,” says Mahan. “We think that’s something we can help the community with and set a standard.”

Recently, a client had one of Mahan’s crews dismantle an old barn near Tom Short Road near the Mecklenburg-Union

greater charlotte biz

county line. Its pieces are in storage, and the client’s son probably will reclaim much of the 5,000 board feet of usable lumber as he builds a house in the mountains.

Often, when material is salvageable but not needed, the Whitlock firm donates it to Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte. Last year, the company’s employees helped build a Habitat house in the Druid Hills neighborhood. They completed it in one week.

Homebuilding tastes are changing as Charlotte draws people from around the country. “It’s a lot different from what we were doing 10 years ago in terms of materials we’re using and the degree of detail,” says Scott Whitlock. “We’re seeing more limestone now, not just on floors, but on exterior facades. We’re doing a lot more basements.”

More and bigger garages are important these days and people are paying a great deal of attention to hardscaping and landscaping, he adds.

“People want rooms outside,” Mahan says. “You create a room with landscaping.

It might be a terrace with a fireplace. But it’s a room outside with a pool, with no roof. Maybe a dining area.”

The firm’s houses dot Charlotte’s better neighborhoods such as Myers Park, Morrocroft and Village at Seven Eagles. Its clients value discretion, Scott Whitlock cautions, but he can say that his crews recently completed an Eastover home for Ken Thompson, chairman and chief executive of Wachovia Corporation.

“Scott Whitlock has renovated one house and built a house for me, and both experiences were close to perfect,” says Thompson.

“They have great people and take responsibility for doing things just right.”

Another high profile project has been with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The Whitlock Company dismantled the old Billy Graham home place, which had been relocated on the PTL property near Carowinds. It’s been in storage for a couple of years and now the firm is

rebuilding it on the association’s campus on Billy Graham Parkway.

An important referral came several years ago when the University of North Carolina at Charlotte sought a new chancellor’s residence. As a member of the board of trustees, Robinson pushed hard to pick Whitlock.

The spacious two-story home, known as the Bissell House, has become a campus focal point.

“The downstairs is designed for entertaining friends of the university and it does that very well,” says Phil Dubois, UNCC chancellor. “We can handle 150 people pretty easily and more than double that if we use the screened porch and the outside patio. But we try to make it feel as though visitors are not visiting some hotel but are being welcomed into our home.”

“It’s a great house,” Robinson says proudly. That’s music to the ears of the Whitlock team. “Our standards of quality set us apart,” Steven Whitlock says. “Our concept is to be a client’s builder for life.” biz Ellison Clary is a Charlotte-based freelance writer.

Hubert Whitlock Builders, Inc. 8101 Tower Point Drive, Suite 100 Charlotte, N.C. 28227 Phone: 704-364-9577 Principals: Hubert Whitlock, Chairman and Founder; Scott Whitlock, President and Chief Executive; Stephanie Whitlock Hazard, Vice President of Finance and Administration; Steven Whitlock,Vice President of Human Resources and Marketing;Tyler Mahan,Vice President of Production Established: 1957 Employees: 22 full-time High-profile projects: Historic Morrocroft Mansion renovation; UNC Charlotte Chancellor’s Residence; Billy Graham Historic Home Place Business: Family-owned and operated custom homebuilder serving the Charlotte metro area; specializes in custom home construction as well as interior and exterior renovations; licensed general contractor in North Carolina and South Carolina. www.whitlockbuilders.com

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The Charlotte Region:The View from Another Perspective

Since its debut in 2002, the Wachovia PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club has become a premier national sporting event and one of Charlotte’s most popular with over 140,000 people in attendance. It contributes $11 million in annual revenue to its nonprofit parent, Champions for Education, and generates between $45 and $60 million to the local economy.This year, 28 of the world’s top 30 golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh, vied for the purse won by Tiger Woods worth more than $6 million.

[bizview]

Aerial, Architectural and Stock Photography Larry Harwell 704-334-7874

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[biznetwork] Thank you to our advertisers who make this publication and its distribution to over 100,000 readers possible! Enjoy their products and services as Charlotte’s leading business-to-business suppliers.

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TOPIC 2007: What’s In It For Me? June – I need to know how I’m doing!

How do you know if you’re on track toward your goals? How do your employees know if they’re doing the right things right? Good measurement systems give ongoing feedback to keep us tuned in to our progress. Regular feedback helps us take corrective action along the way, before it’s too late.

We’ll help you think about the “dashboard” that your employees need and how to provide it. We’ll look at it from your “what’s in it for me” standpoint and from theirs.

2007 Schedule of Meetings June - I need to know how I’m doing!

August - Money makes the world go ‘round October - Would I buy this business from me?

Time Warner Cable - Business Class charlotte.twcbc.com

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UNC Charlotte Belk College mba.uncc.edu

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Wachovia

Our meetings are packed with practical information you can use to improve your business and reach your goals. Join today and become part of this exciting and worthwhile group.

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Wayne Morris Photography wmphoto.biz

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For specific dates, times, locations and membership information visit www.business-success-institute.com or call Denise Altman at 704-315-9090.

june 2007

©2007 Galles Communications Group, Inc.

telware.com IFC

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[ontop] Awards & Achievements The Financial Times group’s fDi magazine ranked Charlotte No. 3 overall among large U.S. cities. Within key categories, Charlotte finished No. 1 in the U.S. in economic potential, No. 1 in quality of life, No. 3 in best development and investment promotion, and No. 5 in human resources.

Winners of the Charlotte Center City Partner’s 2007 Vision Awards are as follows: Special Achievement Award s; The Green, The Public Art Commission, Dovetail Garden, CMPD Entertainment District Unit; The Settler’s Award, The Community Culinary School; and The 2007 Vision Award, Jerry Richardson, owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers.

Felix S. Sabates, Jr. has received the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service from UNC Charlotte for his generous Felix Sabates philanthropic contributions, dedication to the Charlotte community, and continual support for higher education.

The Charlotte Chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals has named Piedmont Natural Gas, Inc., Premier, Inc. and Donald Haack Diamonds, Inc. the 2007 recipients of the Charlotte Ethics in Business Awards.

The N.C. Transportation Hall of Fame (NCTHF) has inducted William F. “Bill” Babcock, C. Grier Beam, John Blue, R.J. Corbitt, Z. Smith Reynolds, Richard J. “Dick” Reynolds Jr., C.E. “Ed” Vick Jr., and S.T. Wooten Sr. for 2007.

Junior Achievement has inducted five laureates into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame: Harold Boeschenstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Owens Corning (being honored posthumously); Earl Graves Sr., founder, chairman and publisher of Black Enterprise magazine; Hugh McColl Jr., retired chairman and chief executive officer of Bank of America;

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[ontop] John Schnatter, founder and executive chairman of Papa John’s International; and Ted Turner, chairman of Turner Enterprises, Inc. Advertising & Media Life In Charlotte has honored Ty Boyd, Moira Quinn Klein, Leela Vox and John Galles for their contributions to Charlotte media.

Multimedia marketing firm LA Management Company has received five Telly Award s, one of the most prestigious awards in advertising, film and video production.

HMH has received a gold ADDY in the 2007 ADDY Awards show; the firm has hired Brett McCoy as marketing manager and Tom Vincent as a graphic designer.

Eric Mower and Associates has promoted Rick Lyke, APR, senior partner, to director of public relations Rick Lyke Bob Bellafiore and public affairs for the agency’s Southeast offices in Charlotte and Atlanta and Robert J. Bellafiore to senior partner.

Wray Ward Laseter (WWL), a creative marketing communications firm, has hired John Mader and John Mader Michael Henry Michael Henry as public relations account managers.

Raylene Rascoe has joined Internet marketing agency WebsiteBiz as marketing assistant supporting all practice areas.

Raylene Rascoe

Business & Professional Kennedy Covington has been named one of the top private equity and venture capital law firms in the country by Private Equity Analyst, a Dow Jones publication.

The firm has also been awarded the Triangle CREW award for most creative

Networking Services “No business is too small”

If you are looking for a company that gives a personal touch and honestly cares about their clients, then give us a call!

Local & Wide Area Networks Wiring Routers Switches Servers Wireless Workstations We are an innovative, high tech company, specializing in local and wide area networking to the small and medium business market.

We provide complete turnkey solutions from concept to reality.

For more information call: Walt Fields at 704-560-4897 or Dwayne Stone at 704-560-4900 FieldStone Networking Services • 16041-G Johnston Rd. #161• Charlotte, NC 28277

www.fieldstonenetworking.com

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[ontop] trust+strategy+integrity+planning+insight+experience

it all adds up!

We're not your typical CPA firm. Instead, we go beyond traditional accounting services, adding valuable insight and guidance to your growth process. Think of us as the business development partner you always wished you had - a Champion for your business!

Our Philosophy We believe we are rewarded only to the extent that we add value to those we are privileged to serve. At Daniel, Ratliff & Company, we are here to serve you, to help your business achieve its goals. We do so by learning your business and the challenges you face, then working with you to guide you toward success.

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©2007 Galles Communications Group, Inc.

“Daniel, Ratliff & Company has been instrumental in establishing the foundation for our success. In a very short period of time, we have come to rely greatly on their advice and counsel. I am extremely pleased to have Daniel, Ratliff as a partner.”

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~ Vic Theobalds President, The Lumber Depot, Inc

At the lake:

Daniel, Ratliff & Company 107 Kilson Dr., Ste. 205, Mooresville, NC 28117

704.663.0193

Uptown office: Daniel, Ratliff & Company 301 S. McDowell St., Ste. 502, Charlotte, NC 28204

704.371.5000

www.danielratliff.com

june 2007

advertising/marketing campaign.

Labor law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP has been awarded first place in the Legal Marketing Association Your Honor Award s program in the category of Single Advertisement.

PAETEC Holding Corp. has received the Seven Seals award from the North Carolina Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for hosting video conferencing events connecting local families with Marines serving in Iraq.

Wilson Air Center has been named No. 1 Corporate Aviation Support Facility Chain in Professional Pilot magazine’s Preferences Regarding Aviation Services and Equipment (PRASE) survey.

Daniel, Ratliff & Company, a full-service CPA firm, has hired Nesha Singer, CPA in their Nesha Singer Charlotte office.

The McLaughlin Young Group, a consulting firm specializing in human factor improvement, has named Carol Klein director of client services.

Welcomemat Services, Inc., has appointed Ashley Kirby an executive assistant/customer service specialist and Bragetta Becker the Ashley Kirby Bragetta Becker account manager serving the North Charlotte region.

Martha Surles and David Levy have joined the Charlotte Martha Surles David Levy office of Hedrick Eatman Gardner & Kincheloe, L.L.P. Barry Given, a program/project manager with Project Managers, Inc., has earned the project management professional certification from the Project Management Institute.

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[ontop] Construction & Design Gantt Huberman Architects has been awarded three design awards from AIA Charlotte: ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center received an Honor Award for Design and the Carole Hoefener Carriker Honor Award for Sustainable Design, and Dudley High School in Greensboro received a Merit Award for Design.

Concorde Construction has hired Ned Conley as project superintendent and Sue Colvin as administrative assistant.

LandDesign has promoted Bob Mainones and Kris Rowe to senior associate; and Todd Gingerich, Chad Goddard, Ashlie Hood, Matt McLaren and Julie Roberts to associate.

BJAC has appointed Jane Johnson as a project manager in the healthcare division, and Michelle McNutt has earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional certification.

Education & Staffing UNC Charlotte has honored Irwin “Ike” Belk with the 2007 Distinguished Service Award.

Queens University of Charlotte has become part of an elite group comprised of less than 10 percent of the world’s business schools with its accreditation by AACSB International.

Appalachian State University has honored Katherine Harper, co-founder of Harper Corporation of America and longtime champion of flexography education, with the dedication of Katherine Harper Hall.

Waverly Partners, LLC has been ranked among the 40 Largest Retained Executive Search Firm s in the U.S. by Executive Recruiter News.

Dr. Reta R. Phifer has been named executive director of the N.C. Music Educators Association, an organization of 3,000 public and private school, college and university educators in the state.

greater charlotte biz

©2007 Galles Communications Group, Inc.

waynemorrisphotography wayne@wmphoto.biz www.wmphoto.biz

704.545.7001

Architectural Interiors & Exteriors Advertising • Industrial • Corporate june 2007

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Centuryy 21 Hecht Realty, Inc. Commercial Division Excellence Experience Dedication... and a touch of

Office

Gold

Land

Robert Rhodes Broker

Industrial

Retail

[ontop] Darby McNeal Starnes has joined CEO Inc. as an account executive in the accounting and financial search division.

Engineering Sepi Asefnia, president of SEPI Engineering Group, has been named chair of the Board of Directors for the International Affairs Council of North Sepi Asefnia Carolina.

Boyle Consulting Engineers, PLLC has hired Tim Pride as a project technician and Dennis O’Keefe as a staff technician.

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©2007 Galles Communications Group, Inc.

704.892.8252 Each office independently owned and operated.

ITS REAL NAME SHOULD BE COPIER, PRINTER, SCANNER, FAX MACHINE, E-MAILER, COLLATOR, HOLE PUNCHER, AND STAPLER.

It’s amazing how much one piece of equipment can do to improve productivity, increase office efficiency and save money. But that’s exactly what our color copier/printer does. Because it’s networked with all your office computers, it eliminates the need for fax machines, scanners and personal printers. And its cost per printed page is less than you pay with personal printers.

At Charlotte Copy Data, the largest independent office equipment dealer around, we have a full line of color copier/printers with names like Canon, Sharp, and Konica Minolta. They’re available for sale, or through a very low cost-per-print program called POP. And our Color Division specialists can help you determine the equipment that’s right for you.

4404-A Stuart Andrew Boulevard, 704.523.3333 FAX 704.525.1506 So give us a call, and find out more about the single piece of www.charlottecopydata.com equipment that does it all.

Financial & Insurance Hinrichs Flanagan Financial has been honored with the 2006 Crystal Bowl Award recognizing agencies that have demonstrated solid performance and growth, meeting the requirements of MassMutual.

Carpenter, Cammack & Associates, Inc. has celebrated its 15th anniversary of operation; the firm was founded in 1992.

Henry McNeese, a financial professional with AXA Advisors, LLC, has been awarded the company’s 2006 Southern Regional Honor Associate award.

Alan Sulek has joined the Mooresville office of First Trust Bank (NCFT) as vice president/commercial loan officer.

Government & Non-Profit United Way of Central Carolinas has received a $100,000 grant from the National Football League Disaster Relief Fund to help Hurricane Katrina and Rita evacuees in the Central Carolinas.

Health Care Felmont F. Eaves, M.D., a partner of Charlotte Plastic Surgery, has been appointed to Treasurer of the American

THE AREA’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT DEALER OF COMPLETE OFFICE SOLUTIONS

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[ontop] Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Signature Healthcare, a concierge healthcare practice, has hired Sophie Percival as executive director.

Manufacturing Global anilox supplier Harper Corporation of America has added Beth Hayes to its customer service department.

Amy Wright has joined Bonsal American as marketing manager.

Beth Hayes

Amy Wright Real Estate Commercial/Residential Allen Tate Relocation Services has been recognized for excellence in production and performance, receiving the prestigious Crown of Excellence Award

by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE).

Beacon Partners, one of the area’s leading commercial real estate firms, has hired Dan Ward as a property manager.

Dan Ward Tim Richardson and Julie Morton have joined Colliers Pinkard to head the property management operations.

Technology Myerslegal.com, a Web site developed

by Parker Web Marketing for the Charlotte-based Myers Law Firm, has been selected out of more than 100 sites to receive North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s award for Best Law Firm Website in the small firm category.

Decision Support, Inc. has hired Art Scott as director, software factory practice. biz To be considered for inclusion, please send your news releases and announcements in the body of an e-mail (only photos attached) to editor@greatercharlottebiz.com, or fax them to 704-676-5853, or post them to our business address—at least 30 days prior to our publication date.

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Featuring Executive Homes in the Charlotte Region 701 N. CHURCH STREET IN FOURTH WARD Charlotte, North Carolina

Location and luxury in Fourth Ward’s 701 North Church. This four-level townhome features an elevator, brownstone entry with copper roof, ten-foot ceilings, hardwood floors and granite.

Entertain on the top-floor room with wet bar or on rooftop terrace with gas fireplace overlooking the skyline.

3BRs/3.1BAs MLS# 663052 - $699,000 Property Address: 701 North Church Street

Dawn Krieg - 704-331-2122 www.allentate.com/dawnkrieg

SETTLERS’ PLACE IN FOURTH WARD Charlotte, North Carolina Unique and spacious describe this traditional-style condo in Historic Fourth Ward. The end unit features floor-to-ceiling windows and a 200-square-foot balcony with gas grill overlooking Settlers’ Park. Other extras include detailed crown molding, surround sound and a fireplace. 3BRs/2.1BAs MLS# 647890 - $1,200,000 Property Address: 229 North Church Street, Unit 303

Kim Pfleeger - 704-496-7440 www.allentate.com/kimpfleeger

HACKBERRY PLACE IN FOURTH WARD Charlotte, North Carolina You’ll appreciate the unparalleled renovation in this exquisite townhome. The kitchen features quarter sawn oak cabinets with glass, copper sink, mosaic limestone and sandblasted granite counters. The master bath offers a walk-in shower and marble counter. Also included are a patio, deck, courtyard and one-car garage. 3BRs/2.1BAs MLS# 653437 - $749,000 Property Address: 311 Settlers Lane

Nancie Woods - 704-331-2122 www.allentate.com/nanciewoods

SETTLERS’ PLACE IN FOURTH WARD Charlotte, North Carolina This is Center City living with rare views of Uptown and Settlers’ Park.

The expansive, one-level floor plan includes a grand kitchen with custom cabinets and granite countertops, plus extras like crown molding, fireplace and surround sound.There are three terraces to enjoy and two garage parking spaces. 2BRs/2BAs MLS# 666642 - $845,000 Property Address: 229 North Church Street, Unit 402

Paul Koehnke - 704-496-7440

www.allentate.com/paulkoehnke

SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT SECTION

Featuring Executive Homes in the Charlotte Region WELCOME HOME TO THE LAKE Charlotte, North Carolina Enjoy privacy and seclusion with sweeping views of the main channel and year-round sunsets from every angle of this lavish estate. Situated on almost an acre, the property includes a beautiful waterfront home, two docks with lifts, a gorgeous pool, spa and pristine landscape.

4BRs/3.1BAs MLS# 666148 - $2,500,000 Property Address: 16324 Harbor View Road

Pam Orsburn - 704-543-5915 www.allentate.com/pamloveorsburn

WORLD-CLASS OPULENCE Gastonia, North Carolina Once in a while a truly magnificent home, such as this one, is available. Situated on 3.43 lush acres, this home reflects only the very best, including a gourmet kitchen, lavish master suite, large den and wine cellar. If you promised yourself the best, then welcome home.

5BRs/5.1BAs MLS# 669381 - $1,695,000 Property Address: 1282 Audubon Drive

Katherine Currence - 704-861-2469 www.allentate.com/katherinecurrence

MOUNTAIN-LIKE RETREAT Charlotte, North Carolina Feel like you’re in the mountains on 1.7 beautiful, private acres, yet minutes from shopping, restaurants and top schools. This updated home features a cook’s kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite counters and custom cabinets. A huge deck with hot tub and hobby shed are in back.

4BRs/3.1BAs MLS# 677355 - $699,000 Property Address: 3220 Long Valley Road

Lori McGowan - 704-650-6521 www.lorimcgowan.com

MASONS CROSSING Lake Wylie, South Carolina This beautiful brick home is situated on a stunning water-view lot. It features two master suites on the main level and an unbelievable bonus/media room on the upper level. A large deck overlooks the private, wooded back yard.

5BRs/4.1BAs YMLS# 1035566 - CMLS# 628055 - $749,900 Property Address: 5308 Masons Ferry Road

Mary Beth Shealy - 866-658-5754 www.marybethsehealy.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT SECTION

How important is finding the right bank?

Dale Halton Pepsi Cola Bottling Customer for 22 years

“Finding a bank that fits your business is not always easy, but that’s what I found at First Citizens. They’re large enough to offer the services I need, yet small enough to provide the personal attention I want. I found the right balance at First Citizens—that’s why they’ve been my bank for over twenty years.”

We value relationships.

Member FDIC

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