BIZ BRIEFS
PHOTO BY JULIA VAUGHAN
durham inc.
Compiled by Katie Scherner
Meredith Biechele, an advanced research and development engineer at John Deere, was honored PHOTO BY KEVIN CHAMBERLIN with the Rising Technical Contributor Award by the Society of Women Engineers at SWE’s annual conference in Los Angeles in October 2023. The honor recognizes Biechele’s work on the development of multiple battery-electric prototype vehicles, paving the way for commercially available electric mowing equipment, as well as her research in swappable batteries and protecting cargo ships from electric vehicle fires. In a study published by CommercialCafe, Durham ranked as the No. 8 best Southern metro area for technology development based on nine metrics. It ranked No. 3 for its ratio of tech businesses within the local economy, and No. 6 for technology employment density. North Carolina Technology Association’s NC Tech Awards recognized Durham’s Peoplelogic.ai with a Beacon award, placing the workplace software platform on its “Top 10 Startups to Watch” list of successful companies that were founded in North Carolina within the past four years. According to the company, its mission is to provide better insights to scaling organizations so they can excel.
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Durham-Chapel Hill ranked No. 6 out of 110 top U.S. metro areas for technological innovation, inching in front of Raleigh at No. 7, according to North Carolina Technology Association’s annual state of technology report.
will resonate for years to come,” said Department Director Don Greeley. Pictured left are Water Efficiency and Conservation Analyst Grant Cullinan and Water Efficiency and Conservation Manager James Lim.
COMINGS & GOINGS PHOTO COURTESY OF EPA WATERSENSE
WHAT AN HONOR
CandleScience, an e-commerce provider of candle and soap-making supplies in the U.S. and Canada, held a grand opening for its new showroom at its Durham headquarters located at 1247 Person St. on Oct. 11, 2023. At the showroom, visitors can shop for candle containers and exclusive deals and discounts; connect with other makers; and take in the smells of the company’s extensive fragrance and essential oils library.
The City of Durham’s Department of Water Management won its first Sustained Excellence Award from the Environmental Protection Agency’s voluntary partnership with WaterSense, marking the city’s eighth consecutive award from the organization. It previously won five WaterSense Excellence awards and two WaterSense Partner of the Year awards. “[Our water efficiency team’s] dedication and innovative approach to water efficiency outreach earned this recognition, and their efforts showcase Durham Water’s commitment to sustainable practices that
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Thomas & Hutton, a professional services company providing consulting, planning and engineering design services related to land and infrastructure, relocated its Durham office to 2510 Meridian Pkwy., Ste. 100. “We now have four private conference rooms, which provides a very convenient location for out-of-town clients to use our new office as a base of operations for meetings,” said T&H Principal and Regional Director Dan Jewell.
Global pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced the closure of plants in both Durham and Morrisville to streamline operations and reduce costs, aiming to cut at least $3.5 billion in costs. Its two largest North Carolina facilities in both Sanford and Rocky Mount will not be affected by the closure. Beacon Properties Group, represented by CBRE | Raleigh, sold 6.82 acres of land at 4802 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. to AvalonBay Communities. The land is slated for 459 units as phase one of this purchase between Beacon and AvalonBay to develop a 930unit apartment community. AvalonBay’s plans include three four-story mid-rise buildings, each with its own parking garage, as well as a resort-style PHOTO BY DAN JEWELL