hpe10162010

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ROAD TO NOVEMBER: Select county elections profiled. SUNDAY

YOUNG PACK: Freshmen hope to spark N.C. State. 4C

50 Cents Daily $1.25 Sundays

BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

business of streamlining operations, Casey said. Home furnishings exhibitors could be extracting more value out of a lower footprint of showroom space, he said.

HIGH POINT – The extra traffic generated by the High Point Market that opened today was already evident in some stores and restaurants, though local businesses reported different results. “Three weeks before the market starts, we get all of the set-up and construction crews in,” said Jeff Baker, owner of Jimmy’s Pizza House, one of the few restaurants in the showroom district that operates year-round. “That’s the way it always is. Since Wednesday, we’ve seen more (people in) suits than the previous markets.” The furniture market is known as the world’s largest furniture trade show and North Carolina’s single largest economic event. Marketgoers are a welcomed business opportunity for business owners like Baker, who says it’s hard to predict what his busiest days of the furniture market will be. But it always boosts his bottom dollar, he said. “It’s still hard to tell when people will be here,” Baker said. “But the absolute busiest time is always three weeks before (market) with the set-up crews coming in.” In terms of construction crews and temporary jobs, the furniture market creates about 13,000 jobs a year, according to the High Point Market Authority. Its impact also expands to surrounding areas like Greensboro, where George’s Pizza and Grill on Old Oak Ridge Road sees a slight boost from marketgoers staying at hotels around Piedmont Triad International Airport. “We see an increase,” said manager Ghassan Mustafa about orders during the market. “Not a big increase because we aren’t in the High Point city area, but we’ll do about 15 or 20 percent extra. It picks up a little bit for us.” Mustafa said the restau-

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MARKET, 2A

DON DAVIS JR. | HPE

Jenny Billings, representing NaturaWorld of Ontario, Canada, gets her market credential from Erin Ocheltree, at the International Home Furnishings Center desk.

City records show showroom space shrinking Inside...

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Number of owners still widespread. 2A the major players at market in terms of controlling space. Of the 9.8 million square feet of showroom space, two companies – the International Home Furnishings Center and Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. – own 55 percent of the space, or about 5.4 million square feet. The vast majority of showroom space owners in the High Point Market district hold 50,000 square feet or less of space, with the smallest ownership at 975 square feet, city records indicate. The economy may have compelled some showrooms to reduce the amount of active space they are using at market, said Market Authority President Brian Casey. “The one thing I would like to remind everyone is that, even if this is amounting to 10 million square feet, it is

DON DAVIS JR. | HPE

Mike Anderson moves furniture into place at the Telescope Casual space in Showplace. way beyond any other home furnishings market around the world,” he said. Another factor for the contraction of actively used showroom space is that home furnishings exhibitors are reflecting the overall trend in

Job numbers at issue in mayor’s race BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

HIGH POINT – Has the city gained or lost jobs during the recession? A contender for High Point’s top elected post has made this a campaign issue, claiming that the city has seen a net loss of about 2,700 jobs over the past three years. Jay Wagner argues that this figure, based on N.C. Employment Security Commission statistics, gives the true economic picture and illustrates the shortcomings of Mayor Becky Smothers and the City Council. Smothers defends the city’s record of economic development under her watch,

Wagner

Smothers

pointing to 6,668 new jobs created or announced from 2007 to 2009. She argues that every city in the nation has been battered by the recession and other economic problems that are beyond the city’s control. “I don’t know where he’s getting his numbers,” Smothers said. “We know we’ve lost jobs; that’s the national economy in action.

127th year No. 289 www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.

Market preparation, opening bring economic increase

HIGH POINT – The recession and its continuing fallout have taken a toll on the size of the High Point Market. For years, market organizers have touted the world’s largest home furnishings trade show as covering 12 million square feet of showroom space, but records kept by the city of High Point show that official showroom totals have contracted to 9.8 million square feet. The city maintains detailed figures on showroom square footage because it collects a special showroom tax, proceeds of which are used annually to support activities of the High Point Market Authority. The authority organizes the spring and fall trade shows and promotes the event across the world. Market showroom properties are owned by 120 separate entities, according to records from the city of High Point. A handful of owners are

October 16, 2010

LASTING LEGACY: Cameron will leave big shoes to fill at GTCC. 1B

BOOST FOR BUSINESS

BY PAUL B. JOHNSON ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

SATURDAY

The numbers I’ve released have all been public record and never been challenged.” According to ESC figures cited by Wagner, there were 2,665 unemployed residents in the city in January 2007, and that number jumped to 5,375 by December 2009, a net loss of 2,710 jobs. According to the ESC, the figures are based on the unemployed individual’s place of residence, not where the job is located. Wagner said this doesn’t diminish his argument, pointing out that some new or announced jobs in places like north High Point are likely filled by Greensboro residents. “What the heck is an announced job? I think we

have to stick to real numbers,” he said. Wagner said he understands the effects of the recession nationwide but argues that a pattern of inaction at the local level is partly to blame. For instance, he said the city’s economic incentives budget was cut and an incentive plan for innercity areas and south High Point has yet to be acted on more than 19 months after it was proposed. “The bigger issue is the lack of response to the economy,” he said. “I get the impression the attitude was, we’ll just ride it out, and it will all be OK.” Smothers said the city has continued aggressively

YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEWSPAPER.

recruiting new industries during the recession, and has seen several recent economic development successes, including more than 170 companies that have created new jobs since 2008 and a No. 1 national ranking by Site Selection magazine for attracting new business. “At this point in time, people need hope and confidence that the situation we’re in will change,” she said. “I think the facts presented indicate High Point is well-positioned to take advantage of business investment because we’re doing it. High Point is attractive for many different types of industry.” pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531

WHO’S NEWS

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B. Hofler Milam was named senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at Wake Forest University. Milam is currently vice president for finance and treasurer at Duke University. He is expected to begin work at Wake Forest in December.

INSIDE

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LOSE WEIGHT: Local nutrition club holds contest. 1B OBITUARIES

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Archie Anderson, 78 Catherine DeMoss, 83 Hazel Eddinger, 88 Rhonda Harmon, 49 Forrest Mason, 49 Morgan Payne, 19 John Reaves, 64 Jewell Spell, 94 Obituaries, 2B

WEATHER

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Sunny, mild High 68, Low 42

INDEX ABBY 3B BUSINESS 5-6C CLASSIFIED 3-6D COMICS 5B CROSSWORD 4B DONOHUE 5B FAITH 5A FUN & GAMES 4B HOME 3D LOCAL 2A, 1B LOTTERY 2A MOVIES 6C NATION 1-2D OBITUARIES 2B OPINION 4A REAL ESTATE 1-3R SPORTS 1-4C STATE 2A, 2B STOCKS 5C TV 6B WEATHER 6C WORLD 3A

INFO Circulation Classified Newsroom Newsroom fax

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