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durham inc.
NETWORKING 1 Mayor Pro-Tempore Jillian Johnson, Durham County Board of Commissioners Chair Brenda A. Howerton, Commissioner Nimasheena Burns, Commissioner Nida Allam, Nathan Robb, Scott Dorsey, Mayor Steve Schewel, Geoff Durham, Keith Wallace, Merritt Properties Field Superintendent Chris Flowers, council member Mark-Anthony Middleton and council member DeDreana Freeman.
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2 Indulge Catering co-owners Jacqueline “Jay” White and Queen Precious-Jewel Zabriskie, and Kelsey Labree, Indulge Catering’s kitchen manager.
RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY FOR MERRITT TW CROSSING Maryland-based Merritt Properties celebrated the grand opening of Merritt TW Crossing on Alexander Drive in Research Triangle Park on May 12. New tenants, construction partners and elected officials gathered outside the new location – four industrial buildings, totaling 284,240 square feet – for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Keith Wallace, Merritt TW Crossing vice president of operations and business development, introduced speaker Geoff Durham, president and CEO of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce; Nathan Robb, Merritt TW Crossing vice president of development, and
Merritt Properties CEO Scott Dorsey also gave remarks. Indulge Catering LLC served Maryland-inspired cuisine, and guests took home insulated cups stuffed with chocolate and a bottle of Old Bay hot sauce. Merritt TW Crossing is the company’s first development in North Carolina, and businesses can pre-lease office space now. Merritt Properties also announced the acquisition of 35 acres to build an industrial business park in Knightdale, North Carolina, on May 17. The new property will be known as Merritt Midway Business Park and is slated for completion in 2022. – by Marie Muir
struggling to recruit candidates. Businesses can post about open positions, with the option to include a job description, a link to the job posting or contact information. Those interested can access the platform at downtowndurham.com/jobs.
to-no experience in the field. Durham topped the list due to its cost of living in comparison to other job-heavy cities as well as the options in medical and health services, software development and nurse practitioner job markets.
The Durham metro area was ranked the No. 7 best location for recent graduates to find the hottest jobs, according to a survey released by RENTCafé in May. The nationwide internet listing service focused on the top 50 cities with the fastestgrowing, highest-paying jobs available in 2021 for recent college graduates with little-
GRAIL, a health care company with a new lab in RTP, introduced a blood test called Galleri in June that can detect more than 50 types of cancer – 45 of which currently lack recommended screenings in the U.S. – through a single blood draw and with a low false positive rate of less than 1%. The company presented the
new technology at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting along with results that supported Galleri’s clinical performance. The Galleri test is intended for use in those with an elevated risk of cancer, such as adults aged 50 or older, and as a complement to existing single cancer screening tests. With a list price of $949, the test is now available in the U.S. with a prescription.
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durhammag.com
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august 2021
FORECASTING
The Durham Success Summit returns on Sept. 18 for its third annual event aimed at empowering Black, male
students aged 18-24 to begin taking important steps in their careers. Reggie Love, a former political aide to President Barack Obama, will be the keynote speaker at the in-person event at The W.G. Pearson Center. Research shows only one-third of Black residents in Durham have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to two-thirds of white citizens. “I was tired of seeing men like me be treated as if our lives didn’t matter,” DSS founder Derek Rhodes said. “Now, three years later, I am happy to have created an event that uplifts and supports Black men.” dssnc.org