durham inc.
BIZ BRIEFS Compiled by Lena Miano
ON THE MOVE
Grace Jones, director of productivity, growth specialist and a real estate broker at Keller Williams Elite Realty, was installed as the Durham Regional Association of Realtors’ 2024 president at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club on Nov. 27, 2023. The association, which aims to provide resources and education tools to its real estate members, also announced its other officers and directors for the new year: Sondra Trice-Jones will be the 2024 vice president; Lynwood Cherry, the secretary and treasurer; and Bert Woodall, the president-elect. All took office on Jan. 1, 2024. Members also brought donations for Urban Ministries of Durham and Second Mile Ministries to the inaugural luncheon, which featured an economic forecast on the real estate market as
well as a presentation of $28,291 from various fundraising events held by the association to Morgan Welch and Janel Burns of Hope Renovations.
Research Triangle Foundation unveiled plans to bring a Renaissance hotel to its mixed-use Hub RTP development. Construction for the new full-service hotel – Hub RTP’s first lodging offering, which will feature 250 rooms and 13,000 square feet of meeting space – is slated to begin in the summer at 4175 Sancar Way off Davis Drive.
John Elliott retired from Duke Energy on Jan. 1 after 26 years as vice president of government and community PHOTO BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON relations in North Carolina. Indira Everett, former director of Duke Energy’s East region, assumed the role, expanding her direct responsibility from Chatham, Durham, Lee and Orange counties to a total of 83 counties. Everett, pictured above, has been in the energy industry for more than 30 years and with Duke Energy since 2012. PHOTO BY JOHN ELKINS PHOTOGRAPHY
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Habitat for Humanity of Durham held a ribboncutting ceremony on Dec. 6, 2023, to commemorate its move into a 3,200-squarefoot administrative space in the Tuscaloosa-Lakewood neighborhood. The nonprofit had previously operated within Trinity United Methodist Church since 1989. The new location will allow Durham Habitat to provide classes and seminars for new homeowners and maximize space and accessibility for visitors. Tim Joyce joined Finlandbased electric charging provider Kempower’s management team in August 2023 as the new president of its North American operations, overseeing the company’s establishment of an electric vehicle charging station production facility in Durham as well as strategically growing the company throughout the continent. Kempower also made a $5,000 matching donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties in December 2023.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF DURHAM
GIVING BACK
MetLife Foundation announced the 2024 recipients of its Accelerating Commitment to Equity Innovation Fund, which seeks to support programs and initiatives addressing income and wealth inequality in their communities. Several Durhambased nonprofits were selected to recieve a grant of $250,000 each, including Community Empowerment Fund’s firsttime homebuyer program; a financial health and education program from the Croatan Institute; MDC Inc.’s economic mobility project; and the Black Wall Street Forward initiative from Forward Cities, a pilot cohort-based learning program modeled on the pillars that made Durham’s original Black Wall Street successful.