CMRG 2011

2011 - 2012

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITIES WITH PRIDE

In partnership with

Published by

Top left: Sonya Dukes and CaSondra Devine, Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity leaders. Top right: Linda Holden, owner and president of The Linda Construction Co., is a Wells Fargo Leaders of Change Program participant. Middle right: Julian Arcila, executive director of the Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas. Bottom: Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity team and business plan workshop consultants and participants.

Corporate Supplier Diversity

Building businesses and communities with inclusion This PRIDE Multicultural Resource Guide serves as a valuable tool to support diversity, inclusion, and connection within our Charlotte community.

In these pages, you’ll learn more about Wells Fargo’s commitment to providing access to diverse suppliers, our Leaders of Change program, and our partnership with the Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas.

Sonya Dukes, based in Charlotte, heads the Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity group with support from CaSondra Devine and the rest of the team.

They strive to identify, build, and sustain strong supplier relationships that reflect the demographics of our communities – here in Charlotte and across the nation.

We believe that significant change – the kind that increases social responsibility and advances economic development – begins with a real conversation. Let’s talk.

For more information, please contact the Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity team at corporatesupplierdiversity@wellsfargo.com.

wellsfargo.com © 2011 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved.

Member FDIC. ECG-538903

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2011 - 2012

Charlotte Multicultural

Table of Contents Departments

Resource Guide

8 Publisher’s letter 47 C ommunity and business directory

18

30

Business spotlights 18 Savory sustenance 24 Positive experience 28 A myriad of enterprises 32 National exposure 68 Wells Fargo partnership spotlight

Features 16 More than skin deep 20 The world comes to a world-class city 22 Building strong communities and businesses through engagement

34

26 Seeking a higher profile 30 The neighborly thing to do 34 A bridge abroad 38 Multiple races… one family 42 Mistaken identity 44 Tropical treasure

42

Sección en Español 62 Las minorías reclaman participación mayoritaria 63 Edificando comunidades y empresas fuertes a traves del compromiso 64 Sabrosos y nutritivos

www.charlotteresourceguide.net

7

Minorities claim majority stake

by Dee Dixon

Joint research project We have learned something else from this recent Census data. There is a need for us to gain more insight relative to an extremely important sector of our economy – women- and minority-owned businesses. (That’s one of the reasons we created the Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide with a small business listing three years ago.) In fact, there are more than 8,000 of such businesses in our metropolitan statistical area; however, a detailed listing of such businesses is nonexistent — but, not for long.

Pride Magazine is teaming up with the Charlotte Chamber and UNC Charlotte in a joint research effort to identify women- and minority-owned businesses within our MSA. Getting a handle on this information will perhaps pave the way for increased economic development. Did you know a local survey showed while total businesses grew by more than 8

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

photo by Tye Feimster

W

elcome to Charlotte’s third annual Multicultural Resource Guide! This year’s edition is truly a beautiful thing. Our mission to connect corporations, small businesses and communities of color continues to flourish and is quite timely as minorities have officially become the majority in the Queen City, according to the latest Census figures. In 2000, minorities accounted for 40.5 percent of the general population of Charlotte.

That number has increased to 53.7 percent!

In fact, the total population of the city of Charlotte rose from 540,828 to 731,424 in 2010.

The breakdown by race is as follows: Black/African American, 256,241 (35 percent); American Indian/ Alaska Native, 3,483 (0.5 percent); Asian, 36,403 (5 percent); Native American/Pacific Islander, 581 (0.1 percent); and Hispanic/Latino, 95,688 (13.1 percent).

By the way, the female population increased from 275,850 in 2000 to 377,913 in 2010.

Wow! Now the question becomes, “What does all of this mean?” We don’t have concrete answers yet – however, we do know these numbers reflect a change to the status quo. What we have here is a wake-up call. Understanding the nuances and preferences of these new markets that have emerged is going to be key to the political, social and economic success of our city. We have much to learn.

(See article on page 20 for additional information.)

Nepherterra Estrada, left, James Davis and Dee Dixon attend the “Staying in the Game: Unwritten Rules for Small Business Success” symposium on May 17.

3,592 firms in Mecklenburg County from 2002 to 2007, the growth of black- and women-owned firms actually decreased? This is a bit perplexing, considering the population increase of these two groups as reported by the Census. Hopefully, once a definitive list of firms is established from this research, strategic measures can be used to help these small, minority businesses succeed.

Small Business Week Speaking of small businesses, National Small Business Week (May 16-20) was a huge success here in Charlotte. Pride Public Relations hosted a symposium on May 17 at the Urban League called “Staying in the Game: Unwritten Rules for Small Business Success.” If you didn’t attend, you missed a fabulous time. But no worries, we’re planning to do it again next year. We had two outstanding panel discussions along with a business makeover for one lucky attendee. Many thanks to our sponsors who made this event possible: Charlotte Area Transit System, Fifth Third Bank, Wells Fargo, Principal Financial Group and FDY. OK. Time to run. Please join me in giving a round of applause to Wells Fargo Supplier Diversity for continuing to make the Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide possible. This issue truly reflects the changing demographics in Charlotte. It overflows with diversity. Sonya Dukes, CaSondra Devine, Tonia Woodbury and the entire Supplier Diversity team – you rock! We appreciate your loyalty, insight and leadership in our community. “Thank you” for all you do.

– Dee

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2011 - 2012

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide CEO Publisher Dee Dixon

Editor

Constance Holloway

Editorial Assistant/Writer Angela Lindsay

Contributor

Jasmine Hines Jose Perez

Creative Director Fabi Preslar

Intern

LaPorsha Lowry

Public Relations

Nepherterra Estrada

Sales & Distribution (704) 375-9553

Design & Production

SPARK Publications www.SPARKpublications.com

Web Address

www.charlotteresourceguide.com

Subscribe to Pride

$13.25. Please subscribe online at www.pridemagazine.net or mail to P.O. Box 30113, Charlotte, NC 28230

Letters to the Editor

Please e-mail to info@pridemagazine.net, fax to (704) 375-9550 or mail to Pride Magazine 312 W. Trade St., Suite 600 Charlotte, NC 28202

www.pridemagazine.net

On the Cover

Ron Leeper, RJ Leeper Construction, president and owner. John Chen, Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce, president. Lucia Zapata Griffith, Metro Landmarks, founder and CEO. Sandra Roseman, Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity, vice president.

Copyright© 2011 Pride Magazine All rights reserved. Copying or reproduction, in part or in whole, is strictly prohibited.

Pride Magazine prints with soy ink as part of its going green effort.

Vol. 19 No. 3 2011-2012 All rights reserved for PRIDE Communications Inc. www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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L

ook closely at Charlotte and you’ll discover a lot. Masterpieces on display from diverse artists, a shrine for legends with the NASCAR Hall of Fame and inspired artistic performances are among the debuts the city is proud to tout and we’re not stopping there. Charlotte is undoubtedly on the rise … and in more ways than one.

Arts aficionados won’t want to miss out on a thriving cultural scene with everything from neighborhood gallery crawls to alfresco symphony concertos. Most notably, the nationally renowned Levine Center for the Arts is a haven for extraordinary works, thanks to gems like the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. Named for Charlotte’s first African-American mayor, the facility relocates

Photos courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority

Charlotte’s got a lot

the Afro-American Cultural Center, a 35-yearold institution. The three exhibit spaces host major traveling and permanent exhibitions brimming with fine arts, crafts, and historical and cultural displays. The center also encompasses the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art featuring modern works new to a North American

Photos courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority

audience, the Knight Theater hosting regional and national performing arts groups and a new facility for the Mint Museum-Uptown.

Meanwhile, Levine Museum of the New South documents the rich history of Charlotte’s role in the “New South” with vibrant exhibits including its timeless and award-winning “Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers.” Visitors can relive a civil rights era sit-in at a lunch counter or even stroll down a recreated main street to try on a hat in an early Belk department store. See the city with fresh eyes by taking advantage of helpful resources like Crown City Guides, Charlotte Tours and Charlotte NC Tours, all Queen City experts that provide insightful excursions.

For foodies, the region may be known for stickto-your-ribs sustenance with staples like pimento

cheese, barbecue, and just about anything deep fried or dripping with butter at favorites like Mert’s Heart & Soul and Mac’s Speed Shop, but Charlotte’s ready to challenge even the most discriminating palate. Visitors will find worldly culinary creations that crisscross the globe ranging from tangy tapas at Press Wine/Food to satisfying sushi at Enso Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar. Not to mention enough steakhouses to exhaust even the most enthusiastic carnivore.

With a community so rich in captivating culture, colorful cityscapes and cosmopolitan character, the thriving quality of life here is abundantly clear. CMRG Find out more about Charlotte by calling (800) 231-4636 or visiting www.charlottesgotalot.com.

Inspire Look closely at Charlotte and you’ll discover a lot. A lot at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art to stimulate the senses. And over a mile of arts and performance venues to ignite the imagination. Find a lot more at 800-231-4636 or charlottesgotalot.com.

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F eature

More than skin deep Practitioner says acupuncture helps identify problems before they reach the ‘sick stage’

by Angela Lindsay photo courtesy of Lauren Leung

Did you know…

Koreans have a unique custom of sharing a glass when drinking liquor. After drinking up one’s glass, he or she fills it with the beer or whatever liquor is being drunk and passes it to a colleague, who does the same thing after drinking it.

Source: www.asianoffbeat.com/default.asp?display=1014

W

hen Lauren Leung saw how an acupuncturist helped her tennis coach avoid surgery for his severe tennis elbow, she was fascinated. When she experienced the effects of Chinese herbs in relieving her migraines while studying abroad in China, Lauren Leung she was convinced.

“I thought it was very fascinating just to have these needles stuck in you with no medication … and he started to get better,” recalls Leung, now a licensed acupuncturist and owner of Leung’s Acupuncture in Charlotte.

According to the National Institutes of Health, “the term acupuncture describes a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques.

The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.” Though the original date of when acupuncture started is unknown, the practice has a recorded existence of about 2,000 years.

Leung explains that in the Chinese language, the word for acupuncture, Zhēnjiǔ, is a combination of two words, acupuncture and moxibustion.

Moxibustion is traditional Chinese medicine therapy using moxa, or mugwort herb, to treat or prevent health conditions. She says this practice helps “re-regulate” a body and helps bring the “energetics” (the flow and transformation of energy) of the body back into balance.

“Chinese medicine is very scientific, actually.

It has its own system-of-thought process that’s very scientific. It knows the body very, very well.

Thousands of years ago, they had it all recorded in the books because they already knew how the human body works. So there are some diseases in Western medicine that were already recorded 16

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

thousands of years ago and (we) already had the formula to treat it back then.”

An earlier warning about evidence of disease The procedure has been proven effective for treating conditions ranging from aches and pains, to constipation and infertility, to reducing stress and even aiding those who want to quit smoking.

A major advantage of acupuncture, says Leung, is the ability “to get in front of” diseases before they become problems.

“In Chinese medicine, we can detect something before it gets really bad. The Western medicine has its normal standard of what health is and then its sick standard… There’s actually in Western medicine a huge gap between normal and sick where you start to have signs and symptoms, but they cannot detect it yet,” she says. “But in Chinese medicine, we have our normal standard of what a human’s normal health is and then we have signs and symptoms that things are getting bad before it hits the sick stage in Western medicine, where their tests start to detect things.”

Though she says she has seen the practice grow in popularity, many people are still apprehensive about undergoing it.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is, for people who have not come for acupuncture (before), is that the needles are very painful. The needles are very, very thin. . . So they don’t hurt in the insertion,” she explains.

Another fear is safety. The Food and Drug Administration requires needles to be sterile, nontoxic and labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only. Further, the NIH reports that relatively few complications from acupuncture have been reported to the FDA, in light of the millions of people treated each year and the number of acupuncture needles used. For those who are still doubtful, Leung offers a pragmatic suggestion: “If they’re having an illness that they’re not getting any better results in, why not try something different.” CMRG

Sean T. Murdock, DDS, MS

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RETIRING!

etirement in the 21st Century introduces financial challenges that have not been seen by previous generations of retirees. My research has shown that many of today’s retirees are blind to these new challenges. As a result, they are following the same retirement spending plan that worked for their parents. But this seemingly safe strategy might actually cause them to run out of money during retirement.

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STEPHANIE R. DAWKINS is the former Global Senior Vice President for AB Volvo, the first and only African American to hold this position in the 80-plus year history of this Scandinavian company. From her offices in Goteborg, Sweden, and Greensboro, North Carolina, she led an international team in 19 different in danger countries and 180 markets and oversaw more than 100,000 employees worldwide. Stephanie is one of the top African American labor negotiators around arkets from the world. al free-fall?

Prior to her position with Volvo, Stephanie worked in other Fortune 500 companies in both operational and strategic positioning capacities. She is a certified swers these questionsspeaker and gives you tools level. Her specialties include on an international global expertise negotiations, strategies, mergers & ur financial destiny each and everyinyear of acquisitions, human resources, industrial relations and many years that is. There are no do-overs. You organizational effectiveness. ime. Holy Cow, You’re Retiring! can put by you Recognized in 2010 the United States House of Representatives and inducted into the Congressional dom and keep you there.

Record for her outstanding work in global business, community service and her affiliations with international women’s organizations, Stephanie holds a seat on board for the Euro-American Woman’s Council (EWAC), whose mission is to strengthen the status of women around the world. She is also a Board of Trustee member for the Business and Professional Woman’s Foundation. She is a member of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, National Association of African-Americans in Human Resources Management, and is a recent recipient of the North American Leadership Award from the World Igbo Congress of Nigeria. She has been awarded an honorary doctorate blished by: for her global initiatives. ations, LLC Stephanie is married and has two beautiful children.

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t yet or not, retirement is more than just t also marks a significant financial turning nstead of saving for tomorrow, you will ly enjoy your retirement you must have future. To have confidence, you need a plan avings last. Your retirement success is too .

Don’t Let Your Financial Freedom holy CoW, you’re reTiring! Turn Into a Financial Free-Fall

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Compounding the problem, most retirees will only learn of their mistakes after it is too late to fix them. Failing to catch a mistake early in your retirement can turn your golden years into your pennypinching years, or worse, send you into an all-out financial free-fall. Don’t let this happen to you.

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SUCCESS NEVER TASTED SO GOOD

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s time to pour yourself a cup of Corporate Coffee.

ARTIST DAN NANCE BRINGS Senior Vice President for one of the world’s most HISTORY ALIVE a woman who rose from poverty to power as a

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Holy Cow, You’re Retiring! reveals these common retirement blind spots and provides you with a comprehensive strategy for overcoming the challenges they present…without sacrificing all of the things that make retirement great. You will learn how to confidently answer the two questions every retiree has: “How much can I afford to pay myself each year?” and “Am I in danger of running out of money?” Not only are these good questions to ask at the beginning of retirement, they are good questions to ask every year of retirement.

GONE memoir, part mentorship, Corporate Coffee reveals CAMPING the WHERE hard-won lessons that enabled Stephanie R. TOtoFIND Dawkins beat the odds.

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17

B usiness S potlight

Savory sustenance ‘Green’ restaurant’s menu includes vegan, raw and gluten-free fare

Did you know…

In India, one should not give, take or point at anything with the left hand. The left hand is used to clean yourself after using the toilet, so it has extremely negative associations.

by Angela Lindsay

Photo by Mike Hedge

Source: http://studiereis.cs.ru.nl/2007/wp-content uploads/2007/10/travel_guide_india_2007.pdf

Luna’s menu includes the Sprouted Kamut Quinoa Veggie Burger.

L

ocated next to Atherton Mills Farmer’s Market in Charlotte’s Southend, Luna’s Living Kitchen cultivates what owner Juliana Luna calls “the art of nourishment.”

Hailing from Colombia, Luna and her husband, Randy Powell, opened the restaurant last July.

It offers vegetarian, vegan, raw (uncooked or unprocessed) and gluten-free dishes. She says they wanted to open the restaurant “to share with the community how (they) eat and (their) lifestyle.” She has been a vegan (consumes no animal products), for 1 ½ years. Her husband is a vegetarian.

Coming from South America, where people raise animals and grow their own food, Luna found the food industry in the U.S. to be “something amazing” and grew concerned that “everything came in boxes and was really high in sugar.” So Luna’s is proud to use the freshest organic and locally grown ingredients in everything from its salad greens to the coffee.

18

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

“We try to give people the best nutrition as we can, but also we try to make art with the food with ingredients that the farmers provide to us,” she says.

Specialty menu items include the Lunasagna — a raw version of lasagna made with zucchini noodles, sun-dried tomato sauce and green cashew cheese — and the sprouted quinoa and Kamut veggie burger.

The “green” eatery performs on-site recycling and composting and uses biodegradable containers and utensils. A community resource, it houses a library with books on alternative diets and lifestyles and showcases works of art and store fixtures by local artists and craftspeople. There are also plans to host health lectures and cooking lessons. CMRG www.charlotteresourceguide.net. Tags: Luna’s, vegan, organic

Photo by Mike Hedge

Photo by Juliana Luna

Ben Lemmond, left, Koichi Matsuda, Randy Powell, Andy Thewlis and Juliana Luna, the team at Luna’s Living Kitchen, serve vegetarian, vegan, raw and gluten-free dishes.

Patrons dine at Luna’s Living Kitchen in Southend.

Presbyterian Hospital has been named one of the 50 best hospitals in America.* Based on national hospital rankings for quality patient care, Presbyterian Hospital joins the elite 50 best list along with nationally renowned medical centers such as Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.

Presbyterian Hospital is the only hospital in the region on the “best hospitals” list for 2011. Thanks to all of our staff for delivering exceptionally high-quality care.

www.presbyterian.org/quality.

*by Becker’s Hospital Review. www.charlotteresourceguide.net

19

F eature

The world comes to a world-class city 2010 Census figures show how fast Charlotte is becoming an international culture

Did you know…

In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive.

Source: www.news.bbc.co.uk

by Louise Barden photos by Tom Hanchett

Europe in about 1900, they settled primarily in the industrial Northeast and upper Midwest. That influx had little influence on Charlotte. This time, however, Charlotte and the entire South provide the magnetic attraction of jobs and a desirable lifestyle.

The greatest number of these recent immigrants are Latino. In the last decade CharlotteMecklenburg’s Latino-Hispanic population has risen by 32.3 percent to total 96,000 (about 11 percent of the entire population). In other nearby counties, Latinos have increased by as much as 62.5 percent, for example, in Union County, to total 21,000.

What’s not commonly known, however, is that only half the Latino immigrants come from Mexico.

The other 50 percent of the Latin population represents a wide range of countries, from Spain to Portuguese-speaking Brazil. The details of this diversity are now being validated by Census figures, but it was an idea uncovered by researchers at the Levine Museum in 2007-2008 as they prepared an exhibit on the changing face of Charlotte.

Hamsa Hashi, left, and Jamile Sheikh, two refugees from Somali, at their restaurant on Charlotte’s Central Avenue.

T

he Census Bureau’s number-crunchers are still crunching, and will be for months to come. But the bottom-line conclusions of the 2010 Census are pretty clear. In the last decade Charlotte has changed from a small, promising Southern city to a regional hub with international growth and recognition.

That means immigrants of every ethnicity and culture, as well as from throughout the United States, are making this place home. With their arrival, the city’s very nature is changing.

International citizens It’s no wonder Charlotte feels like a place where everyone knows “things are happening,” says Tom Hanchett, historian with the Levine Museum of the New South; it has been 100 years since the nation last experienced such a wave of immigration. But when that wave of people arrived from Eastern

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“People follow jobs,” says Angeles OrtegaMoore, former executive director of the Latin American Coalition. “The story of the 21st century in this country has been the growth of the Hispanic population.”

In addition to the Latino-Hispanic influx, however, Charlotte’s Asian population has grown substantially.

Asians now account for 5 percent of the total population. Initially released 2010 Census figures indicate the top four origins of immigrants are Mexico, India, Vietnam and El Salvador.

Today the Charlotte that began calling itself a “world-class city” in the 1980s is truly becoming a city of citizens from around the world.

Global influences “It’s hard for newcomers to grasp how un-diverse this area was 30 to 40 years ago,” Hanchett says.

“Seventy-five percent were American-born whites, 25 percent were African-American and there was a small population of Greeks who were visible because they ran popular restaurants.”

In 2011, Ortega-Moore notes that immigration has substantially contributed to the state’s population increase of 1.5 million people in the last decade, with “tremendous total growth” in Mecklenburg and other counties. She says, “We (the United States) are globally connected (through business and politics); through immigrants now we are also physically connected in our community. We can live the (global) life instead of vicariously experiencing it on TV or on the computer.”

As a result, she says, we have “a more vibrant community. It gives everyone an opportunity to learn about other cultures, taste other food and experience other art. The arrival of people from other cultures helps us experience those cultures. ” Restaurants, according to Hanchett, have been the first and most-visible immigrant-owned businesses. In the early 1980s, he remembers, a

couple of Chinese restaurants were Charlotte’s only source of foreign food. But in the mid-1980s, El Cancun, the city’s first authentic Mexican restaurant, rapidly expanded around the city. The Chinese traditional Cantonese stir-fry menu grew to include Szechuan and Mandarin dishes, and Indian restaurants brought tandoori chicken and nan.

In the last decade Charlotte’s ethnic restaurants have included Indian vegetarian, Middle Eastern, Thai and Vietnamese to Korean, Ethiopian, Salvadoran and Japanese. Sections of Central Avenue and South Boulevard have become hot spots for international food and atmosphere. An annual Taste of the World tour of east Charlotte eateries repeatedly sells out. Even in surrounding counties, such shopping centers as Stallings’ Grand Asian Market (with nearby Latino restaurants and stores) help support the region’s new entrepreneurial immigrant families.

Unlike the Charlotte of 1980, today’s Charlotte bears the marks of a widely diverse population — Islamic mosques, medical practitioners who offer non-Western medicine (from herbal treatments to acupuncture), boutiques selling art and clothing from anywhere in the world, and supermarkets filled with the foods of Africa, Indonesia, Turkey and Cambodia.

The list is endless. CMRG To read this entire article, visit www.pridemagazine.net.

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21

F eature

Building strong communities and businesses through engagement

by Edward Cates

T

he growth and development of communities can be partially measured by the vitality of their small and emerging businesses. Wells Fargo’s Corporate Supplier Diversity team is contributing to the enrichment of communities by developing emerging entrepreneurs, minority, women, LGBT, disabled veteran and disadvantaged business enterprises through their outreach initiative called Leaders of Change.

“Leaders of Change delivers a national, comprehensive approach towards increasing diverse supplier inclusion and capacity through coaching, training and development delivered with our organizational partnerships. The three areas of focus for the Leaders of Change program are supplier development, coaching and mentoring and emerging entrepreneurs which encompasses engagement of high school and college students interested in business ownership,” said CaSondra Devine, senior vice president and senior business manager for Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity.

Suppliers and nonprofit organizations around the country have been impacted by Wells Fargo’s pro-active approach towards increasing diverse supplier inclusion. Charlotte’s vibrant and diverse business community is actively engaged in Leaders of Change with positive results.

“When Wells Fargo invited us to the Leaders of Change program it was a perfect time for a company like ours,” said Lucia Zapata Griffith, president and CEO of Metro Landmarks a Charlotte based architectural and commercial construction firm that is minority and woman-owned.

Headquartered in a Charlotte historic landmark CaSondra Devine they restored, Metro 22

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Landmarks is certified in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED methodology encourages environmental consciousness and increased sustainability in architectural and construction projects.

“Once we started the Leaders of Change program, we focused on asking questions about our company like, what is our vision, what kind of projects should we do, what kind of clients should we pursue? We also aligned ourselves to prepare for obtaining ISO 9001 certification. It’s been a holistic experience, not just how it affects us as it relates to architecture and construction but also how we operate as a team.”

As a result of Metro Landmarks’ participation in Leaders of Change, the company is seeing tangible results improving the business. Website redevelopment time was cut in half. The company has reduced bid response time by 50 percent and experienced 40 percent Lucia Zapata Griffith acceleration in the ISO 9001 certification process.

Leaders of Change is also impacting emerging entrepreneurs and students through their outreach to a network of national college campuses. Wells Fargo partners with 105 Voices of History (105 Voices) a fine arts nonprofit organization that showcases Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ student talent and performance excellence to access opportunities.

“We recognized that a number of our participants were already acting as emerging entrepreneurs in the activities on their campuses, but needed training to harness their genius,” said 105 Voices founder Renata “Toni” Roy. In fall 2010, Wells Fargo hosted 12 emerging and aspiring student entrepreneurs from 105 Voices in Charlotte to attend a business planning

Business Plan Workshop participants, Wells Fargo’s team and consultants.

workshop. Wells Fargo coupled business planning training with activities that included touring the Wells Fargo Cultural campus, the Mint Museum of Art and an inspiring presentation at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture by Ron Leeper, Ron Leeper president of RJ Leeper Construction LLC. “I felt honored and blessed that the Wells Fargo team wanted me to share my story. From time to time I have an opportunity to inspire young people who think their background, circumstances or environment may not be positive for them in pursuing their life goals,” said Leeper. His Charlotte-based commercial construction, general contractor and construction management company has been in business 19 years. “My life story isn’t that dissimilar than people who come from communities with limited resources and limited access. In many cases they are people who haven’t had businesspeople or entrepreneurs in their family so they had to figure it out. Through working hard and perseverance they’ve been able to succeed. I shared how anything is possible if you work hard, apply yourself and stay on track.”

Robyn Hamilton is president and CEO of the Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council, an organization that serves as a link between minority businesses and major corporate buying Robyn Hamilton institutions. “Leaders

of Change was exactly the opportunity we needed to look at our business model and determine how we can remain relevant in this new marketplace,” adds Hamilton, who completed the Leaders of Change training last fall and credits the program with a renewed focus for her organization. “We’ve become a much more efficient organization as a result. We no longer just exist, now we are a growing organization. Not just growing in the number of minority businesses but also in our understanding of what our place is and should be in the community. Leaders of Change is an opportunity to have someone else thinking about your business the way you want to think about your business.”

Wells Fargo’s Corporate Supplier Diversity team is aligned within Social Responsibility, a business unit responsible for issues impacting the environment, diversity and inclusion, philanthropy and community development.

Sonya Dukes, senior vice president and director of Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity, believes that this alignment enhances their reach and continuity in Sonya Dukes their approach.

“Leaders of Change expands our work beyond the logistics of supply chain into the growth and development of diverse businesses,” said Dukes. “We are vested stakeholders in the success of our supplier partnerships. Leaders of Change is another way we stay engaged and involved in business and community building.” CMRG www.charlotteresourceguide.net.

Tags: Leaders of Change, Wells Fargo, Corporate Supplier Diversity www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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B usiness S potlight

‘Positive experience’ Hard work, receptive community help Latino-owned company prosper

by Angela Lindsay photos by Tye Feimster

Did you know…

The Japanese are trained from a young age in the art of bowing. Bowing is used as a form of greeting, a sign of respect, to accompany an apology, and for other reasons and is complicated, ranging from a short, quick bow at a 15-degree angle for a friend to a long, deep bend when addressing a superior.

Source: http://knol.google.com/k/japan-top-5customs-to-know-before-you-travel#

Louis Romero, founder of Network Cabling Systems, believes Charlotte is “really committed to a diverse culture.”

A

rriving in the U.S. from Ecuador in 1969, Louis Romero moved to Charlotte with his parents in 1971. Business owners themselves, his parents planted the seed of entrepreneurship in him as a child.

Twenty-one years ago, in 1990, Romero founded Network Cabling Systems as a oneman operation. Today, he employs 56 people in two offices. NCS designs and installs structured cabling infrastructure for commercial buildings, including new construction and corporate relocations. It offers design implementation and

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Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

support for large technology-based applications and structured cabling for data, voice, CATV, wireless networks and data centers.

Romero recalls when he was the only Latino in his fourth-grade class and the only other Latinos he knew were his parents’ friends from Ecuador. He has since watched the numbers of Latinos in the area grow and acknowledges that, despite his minority status then, his foray into the business community was a positive one.

“Truly, it’s all been a positive experience.

I don’t feel like I have really faced obstacles because I am Latino…” he recalls.

He says his keys to success have been effective job performance and building relationships that have garnered him clients such as Bank of America, Premier Inc., SSI Schaefer Systems and Mecklenburg County. Romero believes the city and its corporate citizens are “really committed to a diverse culture” and that he has benefitted because of it.

“I feel we’ve always been blessed, and we’ve been fortunate that we’ve been allowed a seat at the table to introduce our company and to provide the services that we provide.” CMRG

Committed to People

Ronna Gray and daughter Darien, who underwent a leukemia bone marrow transplant at Levine Children’s Hospital, celebrate the announcement of Carolinas Kids Cancer Research Coalition with pediatric oncologist Dr. Javier Oesterheld, MD.

At Carolinas Healthcare System (CHS), our 48,000 employees reflect the truly diverse population we serve. Each day the individuals who make up our diverse communities come through our doors expecting and deserving the highest quality healthcare delivered with compassion and care. As a mission-driven organization we value and respect the diversity of our patients, teammates and the communities we serve.

CHS is the proud recipient of the 2010 Belk Innovation in Diversity Award from the Charlotte Chamber. This award recognizes CHS for enhancing and achieving diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

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F eature

Seeking a higher profile German community’s goal: Showcase its professional and cultural contributions to the region

by Angela Lindsay photos courtesy of the German Language and Culture Foundation

Did you know…

In England, the traditional greeting for the queen is a neck bow (from the head only) by men and, for women, it is a small curtsy.

Source: www.beans-around-the-world.com/buckingham.html

UNC Vice Chair Niles Sorensen, right, and scholarship recipients with a check from the German Language and Culture Foundation.

N

orth Carolina enjoys a long tradition of German culture, with the first immigrants from Germany settling in the state more than 300 years ago. The German population in Charlotte has become more visible and, with that growth, has come an interest on the part of the German people to share and expand their heritage in this community.

“Thirty percent of all foreign companies in the Charlotte region have headquarters in Germanspeaking Europe — Austria, Germany and/or Switzerland. They offer high-paying jobs! That is why teaching and learning the German language makes monetary sense,” reasons Kurt Waldthausen, chairman of the German Language and Culture Foundation.

The foundation was created six years ago primarily by a group of German businesses to raise scholarship funds for students in high schools Kurt Waldthausen and college German language classes so they could study in Germany. He says there are more than 300 companies in the Charlotte region from that part of Europe, and these companies are craving 26

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

employees with some German-language skills so they can interact with the parent companies in Germany.

“Personally, for me, one pet peeve I have – and that’s why we have this foundation — is we need more foreign languages taught at all levels of education,” he says. “We need languages that are spoken by those firms and companies that have invested in this region because that makes the most sense, in my opinion.”

A native of Bremen, Germany, Waldthausen came to Charlotte as an inter-company transfer for a furniture hardware manufacturer in 1982 A band performs at the Jazz in the Village festival.

and says he was “shocked” at how “domestic” Charlotte was and the lack of international representations in everything from restaurants to the performing arts. His work contract then was for three years, but he is still here and has watched the city’s landscape change dramatically.

“The transformation that Charlotte has undergone, in my opinion, is stunning, absolutely stunning, in that short period of 30 years. I tell you, today, I am proud to represent Charlotte in any international circle (in which) I am moving as one of the best cities in America,” he states.

And then there’s jazz …

In addition to the GLCF, there are a number of other German-based institutions in Charlotte, such as St. Mark’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church; the Alemannia Society, a German social society; Deutsche Schule Charlotte, the oldest foreign-language Saturday school in the southeastern U.S.; the German American Chamber of Commerce; and the German American Club of Charlotte. In addition, Germany is affiliated with the Charlotte International Cabinet with Krefeld, Germany as a sister to Charlotte.

“All of these German institutions or Germanoriented institutions are interacting with hundreds, thousands of Americans on a daily,

weekly, monthly basis in order to bring our countries closer together,” Waldthausen says.

Another aspect bringing the countries closer together: jazz.

The annual fundraiser for the GLCF is the Jazz in the Village festival. This year it will be hosted by Johnson C. Smith University, taking place on campus on Oct. 7, and will include a concert by jazz quintet The Munich Swing Stars from Munich, followed by the single-largest German business networking event in the Carolinas.

“I think jazz belongs to JCSU and vice versa,” Waldthausen says. “The German-speaking community and our American friends, we are all delighted to team up with JCSU.” Wondering about the connection between jazz and Germany? Well, Waldthausen contends that jazz is bigger in most cities in Germany than in Charlotte, and he laments the dearth of jazz venues and festivals here.

“We, of course, also hope that with our Jazz in the Village event, we will help bring jazz back to Charlotte,” he says. “Jazz is something, in my opinion, that is more American than apple pie.” CMRG www.charlotteresourceguide.net.

Tags: German, jazz, culture

www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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B usiness S potlight

A myriad of enterprises Amalgam of business divisions provides a host of services to varied audiences

by Angela Lindsay photos by Tye Feimster

Did you know…

It is taboo in Thailand to touch the top of another person’s head or to point with the feet.

Source: http://northernthailand.com/cm/dont’s/do&dont.html

Norberto Sanchez, the CEO of Norsan MultiMedia, is originally from Mexico.

Mayor Anthony Foxx, right, presents the 2011 Patrick McCrory International Entrepreneur Award to Norberto Sanchez.

W

hat began with a small Mexican restaurant in Norcross, Ga., in 1987 is now the largest Hispanic media conglomerate in the Southeast. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Norsan MultiMedia CEO Norberto Sanchez came to Charlotte five years ago to launch the media division of the company “in a great city with great potential for growth.”

Norsan consists of four parts: The restaurant division own and operates 17 restaurants and is 28

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

building three more, including one in Charlotte; a second division owns and operates Prime Meats, a U.S. Department of Agriculture meatprocessing facility with several distribution centers; the multimedia division, based here, owns and operates 12 radio stations in Hispanic formats, three newspaper companies, Latino Web portals and an entertainment company that promotes events and runs two concert venues; and the real estate company division, which owns and operates restaurants for the company and leases properties as well as two Latino shopping centers.

“The Charlotte community has received Norsan MultiMedia very well,” says Sanchez. “We are very happy to be an integral part of the growth of our community. (We) look forward not only to be(ing) a company that provides great results for our customers, but also to help(ing) our community in all the challenges and needs that this community have (sic) at this time.”

Sanchez is the 2011 recipient of the Patrick McCrory International Entrepreneur Award, which he calls a “tremendous recognition.”

“We are very proud of the accomplishments of our co-workers and our wonderful community overall,” he adds. CMRG To read about Kal Kardous, recipient of the CIC’s Richard Vinroot International Award, visit www.charlotteresourceguide.net.

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F eature

The neighborly thing to do Center aids refugees, immigrants in efforts to integrate into American society

by Angela Lindsay photo by George Harrison

Patrice Ognodo is the founder of the Neighborhood Good Samaritan Center.

P

atrice Ognodo doesn’t work for money. He works to give back what was given to him.

As a refugee from Togo, West Africa, Ognodo was granted political asylum in Maryland and knows firsthand the difference that a little help can make in the lives of those from foreign countries. Upon visiting Charlotte, Ognodo says the “cheerful faces” and the climate reminded him of his native country, and he instantly fell in love with the city. So in 2000, he moved here and, in 2005, founded the Neighborhood Good Samaritan Center to give other refugees access to the opportunities he enjoyed.

The NGSC is a nonprofit that addresses integration issues for refugees, asylees and immigrants by providing educational and advocacy programs and immigration services. Ognodo says the center helps them “assimilate into the American way of life, navigate the complex systems in place here, and assists them with becoming independent, selfsufficient citizens.”

The center assists people from Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America and Africa. In 2009, the center assisted more than 2,500 refugees, and in 2010, welcomed 710 new refugee/asylee families.

Ognodo says an average of 10 refugees are helped daily and, on the weekend, an average of 60 students 30

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

Did you know…

In Mozambique, when a woman’s husband dies, she is forced to marry his brother in-law or any male relatives of her husband because she is considered a property of the family.

Source: www.bukisa.com/articles/125596_bizarrecustoms-and-traditions-from-around-the-world

are tutored in English/French-as-a-second-language classes. He says Charlotte’s changing landscape is ideal for a place like NGSC. Eager to be a conduit for others “After 9/11, immigration issues and concerns were arising and African immigrants were in the same boat without assistance. They also don’t have the funds to pay for legal services and filing fees,” he explains. “We were all confused about the complexity of the system in place. …”

Charlotte has been very welcoming of the center as more and more refugees flock to the area and Ognodo attributes such migration to “the city, the county, the people of good faith, dedication and good heart (who) donate their time, money, resources and care about them.”

The Neighborhood Good Samaritan Center provides tutoring and other services.

“We all love Charlotte and its politics, people, climate and others’ willingness and compassion,” he adds.

Ognodo is driven by “passion, devotion and (his) prior experiences.”

“I am giving back to my community what Uncle Sam gave me . . .” he states. “I believe that it is a call for me to serve the voiceless, the disadvantaged population in the land of opportunity. I am called to open the opportunity door for those who have eyes but can’t see, have ears but can’t hear, for those who have mouths but can’t speak.”

The center is funded by donors and contributors to meet its overhead and operating expenses.

Ognodo says the center serves all nationalities, ethnicities and religions, and collaborates with other organizations and institutions to assess the needs of “these new and vulnerable growing communities to better serve them.”

“We all wish that we could do more, and we’re thrilled, all of us, that we have a Patrice in the community who’s at least willing to tackle some of these issues,” says Alina MacNichol, executive director of the Charlotte International Cabinet.

Ognodo wants the community at large to become more familiar with NGSC’s services and programs and understand how the refugees and asylees enhance the city.

“The new community is transforming the Charlotte landscape. They are everywhere … nurses, doctors and pharmacists in the hospitals and clinics; professors in universities; engineers and researchers, etc. They are everywhere as lowly paid labor: cab drivers, janitors, cleaners, maids.

They are part of the commercial landscape: store owners, hairdressers, barbers. They are part of the physical landscape, present in all the major cities surrounding Charlotte and can be found in airports, hotels and other service industries. They are a visible part of the cultural landscape.” CMRG

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B usiness S potlight

National exposure Charlotte-based marketing firm’s growth fuels interest and need for new headquarters

by Angela Lindsay photos by Mike Dickerson

“Latina females are increasingly becoming featured on the stage of business owners,” says Red F Marketing CEO Sara Garces.

Did you know…

When you enter a Japanese household, it is customary to take off your shoes.

Source: www.frommers.com/destinations/ japan/0229022479.html

“More and more companies are realizing the importance of targeting multicultural markets based on Census data. It’s just one of those things that we have to do in order to continue to grow market share,” Garces says.

Red F and its sister marketing companies, CustomerStream and Target Point, are relocating the headquarters uptown. The 90,000-square-foot building expansion is slated to create at least 60, and possibly 120, new jobs.

It will feature an entrepreneurial center, free conference space and a conversation café for networking. Garces says Red F is partnering with several organizations such as the Latin American Chamber, the National Association of Women Business Owners and Charlotte Creates to encourage “an entrepreneurial revolution in Charlotte.”

“What we are trying to do,” says Garces, “is put Charlotte on the map as a hot bed for entrepreneurs.” CMRG

A

s CEO of Red F Marketing, Sara Garces is part of a growing number of Latinas in such positions. This past year, Hispanic Business Magazine ranked Red F as the nation’s 11th-fastest growing Hispanic-owned company in the U.S. “What’s most important to me is that it just goes to show that Latina females are increasingly becoming featured on the stage of business owners,” says Garces, who is of Colombian descent.

Red F is a full-service marketing and advertising firm for Fortune 1000 companies that offers digital, direct, interactive and mobile marketing as well as brand consulting and other services. It also provides multicultural marketing, the demand for which has been on the rise.

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Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

Sara Garces confers with Red F Marketing employee Christina Morales.

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F eature

A bridge abroad Charlotte International Cabinet promotes city and helps advance bonds with other countries

Did you know…

In France, it is forbidden to call a pig “Napolean.”

Source: www.shvoong.com/law-and-politics/law/ 1827493-strange-laws

by Angela Lindsay photos courtesy of the Charlotte International Cabinet

I

n 2008, the Mayor’s International Cabinet and Charlotte Sister Cities merged to create what is now the Charlotte International Cabinet. Charlotte Sisters Cities was created in 1962, and the Mayor’s International Cabinet was begun by Mayor Richard Vinroot as an advisory board in 1992. Now, the combined organization’s primary mission is to promote Charlotte as an international city and serve as a resource to foster international relationships.

Volunteers serve drinks at the 2010 Beaujolais Festival.

The CIC Board of Directors consists of 30 people appointed by the City Council and mayor’s office representing specific parts of the international community, like the French and Asian communities, as well as different parts of the Charlotte

community itself, such as the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. The organization works with the more than 350 international organizations in Charlotte and with foreign-owned businesses in the region, and it reaches out to different parts of the world via its Sister Cities component.

As part of its duties, the CIC oversees the relationships that Charlotte has with its seven official sister cities (Arequipa, Peru; Krefeld, Germany; Baoding, PR China; Voronezh, Russia; Limoges, France; Wroclaw, Poland; and Kumasi, Ghana.

Hadera, Israel is awaiting a formalized relationship).

Each sister city relationship is run by a committee of volunteers with a chairperson who determines the programming and interaction with that particular city with input and oversight from the CIC’s board of directors. Its many programs include business, educational, civic, arts and cultural exchanges.

“The idea behind a sister city relationship is to try to put people in one-on-one contact with each other. So the idea is to try to take people from Charlotte to that city and bring people from that city here to Charlotte,” says Alina MacNichol, executive director of the CIC. She describes the CIC as “inward-looking” as well as “outward-reaching” in its broad mission.

The Queens University choir visits sister city Wroclaw, Poland in 2009.

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Continued on page 36

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35

Continued from page 34

“The city does not have an international office, per se, so we act in an advisory capacity to the mayor’s office and City Council, and we are the organization that connects the international community here in Charlotte to The CIC’s dragonboat in 2008. elected officials,” she says. “So, it’s critical that an organization such as ours exists because… we provide a means for (the international community) to be able to communicate their concerns and their issues to elected officials.”

‘Striving to be a better, relevant source’ The organization is a centralized public resource.

One of its responsibilities to the city and the Charlotte Chamber is to maintain a list of the active international organizations here. MacNichol says it is an ongoing process to remain relevant through programming that provides useful and helpful links from business connections that might help bring foreign firms here to educational connections that might assist educational institutions here in creating relationships abroad.

“We are constantly striving to be a better, relevant resource for everybody that we interact with. We provide a service that is important to economic development groups in town as well as to the city and the community — if they have questions about resources that the city has or vice verse — if the city has questions about the international community — we can provide the answers to those questions,” she states.

In addition, the CIC’s 14th annual award ceremony, the Mayor’s International Community Awards, recognizes the corporate philanthropy of three foreign-owned firms (in small, medium, and large categories) and the civic contributions of two individual awardees. The Richard Vinroot International Achievement Award, akin to a lifetime achievement award, is given to an individual or an organization that has made a large impact on the city of Charlotte and its international community. The Patrick McCrory International Entrepreneur Award is given to a foreign-born entrepreneur whose business has “grown up” in Charlotte and who is still active in that business.

Says MacNichol, “The criteria boil down to the fact that they have made a huge impact on not just the international community in Charlotte but also the entire Charlotte community, and they have contributed to making Charlotte into a global city.” CMRG

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Please visit www.providenceday.org for Open House information.

5800 Sardis Road | Charlotte, North Carolina 28270 | 704.887.6000 | www.providenceday.org

www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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F eature

Multiple races … one family Fast-growing category of adoptions unites parents, children of different ethnicities

by Angela Lindsay photo courtesy of the Weldon family

adoption agency with more than 80 locations, including Charlotte.

“We’re four people who, really, God destined to bring together to make a family,” says Stacey.

Tim and Stacey Weldon are the parents of Seth (standing behind Tim) and Daniel.

T

hough Tim and Stacey Weldon and their two sons did not become a family in the traditional sense, Stacey Weldon says their bond is a strong one. The Weldons are a “transracial” adoptive family. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, a transracial adoption involves “placing a child who is of one race or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another race or ethnic group.”

Stacey says she and her husband weren’t considering adoption when the opportunity arose for them to bring Seth, a 6 1/2-yearold Mexican boy, into their home. The day after Seth was born, an acquaintance told the Weldons about him and his need for good parents, and within 48 hours, they brought him home from the hospital. When Seth was 1, they decided to adopt again and found Daniel, a 4-year-old boy of African-American and Caucasian heritage, through Bethany Christian Services, the nation’s largest

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‘Families are built through love …’

The Weldons are part of an increasing trend in U.S. adoptions. According to a study conducted by the University of Oregon titled “The Adoption History Project,” overall adoptions have been declining since 1970, but the growing numbers of recent adoptions have been transracial and international. In the past decade, international adoptions have increased dramatically. In 2002 there were 20,009 such adoptions, more than triple the 1992 figure, reports the State Department.

“The interest in cross-cultural adoption is indicative of a modern society that, though aware of the unique challenges that an interracial adoption may bring, understands that families are not dictated by ethnicity, culture or even birth. Families are built through love and a willingness to open one’s heart and home to a child in need,” says Jessica Owanesian, assistant to the executive director of Christian Adoption Services Inc., a local agency.

CAS was one of the first agencies in the country to receive a five-year Hague Accreditation, which offers membership for U.S. professionals providing international adoptions.

It was founded in 1979 as a result of the success that founder Doris Woodward had in facilitating adoptions from her native country of El Salvador. CAS has its own domestic adoption program and an international placement program with the Philippines. It has also assisted families in completing adoptions from Poland, Liberia, Ukraine, China, Korea, Russia, Uganda and other countries, and performs about 50 placements per year.

“There has been a noted increase in crosscultural adoptions during the 20 years that CAS

heritage. Choosing to live within an ethnically diverse community is often to the benefit of these interracial adoptive families, as this type of community typically reflects and embraces such diversity.”

Stacey Weldon says that while her boys’ culture is of utmost value, she feels their identity is really more spiritual and wants them to understand “who they are as humans as much as they need to understand their culture.”

Seth and Daniel are already well aware that their skin color is different from their parents’.

However, it helps that the Weldons have several friends who have also adopted transracially.

“An ethnically diverse community and society enrich the lives of all involved. Parents and birth siblings can learn a lot from an adopted child of a different heritage,” states Owanesian.

“Many families choose to embrace the diversity through observing native cultural celebrations, taking trips and enjoying ethnic foods. Adoption itself is a joy for the adoptive family, adoptive child and society at large,” Owanesian states.

Adds Stacey, “Their story is just a little different. They didn’t grow in their mommy’s tummy, and we don’t all look alike. That’s OK. We’re still a family. Everybody doesn’t have to look alike to be a family…” CMRG

has been in the Charlotte area. CAS does strive to comply with national standards that encourage agencies to place children within the same ethnicity when possible. This being said, there seems to be an increasing openness to transracial adoptions on the part of adoptive applicants.

This often proves to be a wonderful situation for children in cases where same-race adoption is not a feasible option,” explains Owanesian.

Identity on more than a cultural level While 95 percent of their adoption experience has been positive, the Weldons have faced such things as hearing someone say a Caucasian couple can’t raise an AfricanAmerican child.

“Cross-cultural adoption can pose challenges in many ways,” Owanesian says. “One of the most obvious ways is when the child does not appear to be of the same ethnicity as his/her adoptive parents. This can provoke insensitive comments, stares and even teasing at school.

Cross-cultural adoption can also cause identity issues for the child, but this is not an issue uncommon to other sorts of adoption as well.

Parents need to be prepared, through training courses, to handle these issues with care when considering the adoption of a child of a different

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www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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HELP THEM IMPACT OUR WORLD At the Y, we believe that every teen deserves a successful future. Through Y Achievers, we link students with experienced mentors who inspire academic and personal growth through skill development, guidance and encouragement.

To learn more about becoming an adult mentor and find out more information on Y Achievers, visit ymcacharlotte.org or contact Melisa Tate at 704 716 4848 or melisa.tate@ymcacharlotte.org. ymcacharlotte.org YMCA Mission: To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

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Unique perspectives. Common goals.

Supplier diversity isn’t just about the services you bring to our company. It’s about exploring new ideas, working together to develop innovative solutions and creating value for our business – and for yours.

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www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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F eature

Mistaken identity Sikhs often assumed to be of Middle Eastern descent because of their attire

by Lee Rhodes photo by Jon Strayhorn

“Discrimination starts the minute you see me because of the facial hair and the turban, says Pushpinder Garcha, project leader with the UNITED SIKHS.

S

ometimes called “The City of Churches,” Charlotte is known for its dynamic faith community. And as Charlotte has become more multicultural, new faiths have joined the mix, including the Sikh religion. While the largest number of Sikhs reside in India, where the religion has its historic origins, Charlotte is home to approximately 200 families within the close-knit Sikh community.

Ranked as the world’s fifth-largest organized religion, Sikhism is a monotheistic faith that was founded around 500 years ago. “Basic principles include a belief in honest living, sharing the fruits of your labors with those that are less fortunate and to always remember God,” explains Pushpinder Garcha, project leader with the UNITED SIKHS. Born and raised in India, Garcha came to Charlotte 11 years ago to earn his master’s degree at UNC Charlotte and now works at Duke Energy.

Garcha is easily recognizable as a Sikh because of the turban he wears. The turban covers his uncut hair, or kes, one of the religion’s five mandated articles of faith, known as the kakars,

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Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

Did you know…

In Indonesia, it is considered extremely rude to point with the forefinger. The thumb is used instead.

Source: www.faqs.org/shareranks/2131,Top-20-unusualcustoms-from-around-the-world

that baptized members of the faith must wear. In Garcha’s case, he has never cut his hair nor his beard. He ties his hair in a top knot and puts his turban, which comprises several yards of fabric, in layers around it. The other articles of faith include the kara, kirpan, kachhera and kanga.

The kara is an iron bracelet Sikhs wear to remind them to exhibit ideal behavior, and it symbolizes strength and unity with God. The kirpan is a small dagger that Sikhs carry at all times and represents a commitment to uphold honor and justice. The kachhera is a loose undergarment that reminds Sikhs to be faithful in marriage. Finally, the kanga is a small portable comb that Sikhs keep in their hair in order to clean it daily. “The hair is a gift from God, so you should maintain it,” explains Garcha.

‘I get called bin Laden a lot of times’ Women follow the same code as men, though many opt for a smaller turban or another head covering like a scarf. Each of the five kakars is highly revered and has deep spiritual significance, though the perceptions associated with the kakars, particularly the kes, are not always positive.

As Garcha explains, “We face a lot of issues, especially after 9/11. I get called bin Laden a lot of times. The turban is considered an anomaly.”

Indeed, the turban is what often leads people to mistakenly believe Sikhs are Middle Eastern; Sikh is a unique religion that differs from Islam. While Garcha acknowledges most people in Charlotte are “politically correct” when it comes to his appearance, he has been subject to stares and comments about terrorism. “Discrimination starts the minute you see me because of the facial hair and the turban,” he says.

His appearance is of particular concern in airports, and he explains that he’s always called out for a secondary screening, which takes place in a glass box. “People see it,” Garcha says. “They see me in the box, with the turban and facial hair, and it reinforces the stereotype. Plus, it’s never good to be put in a box.”

Ranked as the world’s fifth-largest organized religion, Sikhism is a monotheistic faith that was founded around 500 years ago. Charlotte is home to approximately 200 families within the close-knit Sikh community.

In an effort to take the Sikhs out of the box, so to speak, the North Carolina chapter of the UNITED SIKHS, a nonprofit, United Nations-affiliated advocacy organization, works in the community and beyond in the areas of humanitarian aid, civil rights and diversity training. Garcha is the liaison with law enforcement, the U.S. Attorneys Office and others in an effort to combat bullying and hate crimes. It’s a charge that is close to his heart – and with good reason.

As one of the few Sikhs who currently works in uptown Charlotte, Garcha says, “I can sense people’s fear and apprehension (when they see me). But I want to replace fear with trust.” CMRG www.charlotteresourceguide.com. Tags: Sikhs, attire, appearance

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43

F eature

Tropical treasure Restaurateur takes Caribbean establishment to next level with new business strategy

by Edward Cates photos by Edward Cates

Did you know…

Koreans have a unique custom of sharing a glass when drinking liquor. After drinking up one’s glass, he or she fills it with the beer or whatever liquor is being drunk and passes it to a colleague, who does the same thing after drinking it.

Source: www.asianoffbeat.com/default.asp?display=1014

Tony Martin is the CEO of Anntony’s Enterprise LLC.

A

nntony’s Caribbean Café, located at 6434 W. Sugar Creek Road in Charlotte, has a legacy that complements its exquisite cuisine, welcoming service and family-friendly approach to healthy and nutritional tropical delights. Focused on having the freshest ingredients, innovation in delivery and a sound business strategy, Anntony’s is led by restaurateur Tony Martin, CEO of Anntony’s Enterprise LLC. Martin has a cool confidence coupled with sincerity and warmth that welcomes guests in his vibrant colorful restaurant. With a doctorate in nutrition, Martin has built an enterprise that has operated in metropolitan Charlotte for 23 years. His Caribbean cuisine with dishes from South America, Central America and the Caribbean has captured the essence of the tropics. He literally bottles and sells it.

Martin is more than a restaurateur, he’s an inventor and it all started with his signature, all natural, fatfree Anntony’s Caribbean All Purpose Sauce.

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“My recipes came from my mother. She was a great culinary expert. She could make anything taste good,” says Martin, fondly reflecting on his mother Ann’s partial namesake for the restaurant (Ann + Tony = Anntony’s).

In 1985, Martin approached Food Lion grocery stores about distribution of his proprietary sauces.

He was successful and in short order Anntony’s sauce was on the shelves of Food Lion stores nationwide. Today you can find a variety of Anntony’s spices and sauces in Harris Teeter, Food Lion and U.S. Food Service locations.

“Tom Smith, the former CEO of Food Lion, tasted my sauce and recommended I get a venue so people can try the product,” says Martin.

He combined his cadre of family recipes with an innovative cooking process he discovered while traveling abroad to start Anntony’s first restaurant in 1987. While in Paris, he was attracted to a restaurant by the inviting aroma of chicken l’orange

Anntony’s Caribbean Cafe fare includes dishes from South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

being prepared in a rotisserie roaster and he had an epiphany.

“I combined what I saw in France with my mother’s recipes to invent a cooking process that hadn’t been done before with Caribbean cuisine. It was like gangbusters when we opened our original Seventh Street location in downtown Charlotte.

There were lines around the corner,” says Martin.

Martin is preparing for the future of Anntony’s with a strategic approach toward growth. Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity supported Martin’s development and growth. Beginning in April 2010, Martin collaborated for three months with a team of specialized consultants in marketing and business development to set the strategic direction for Anntony’s.

“Before their leadership, I was approaching this process like shooting in the dark. I was doing this by myself. I didn’t have a team of people involved at a strategic level,” adds Martin. “Wells Fargo’s support has given me the tools. I’m developing strategy. I’m capsuling how I approach my business and have a complete path on taking this to the next level.” CMRG www.charlottesourceguide.net.

Tags: Anntony’s, Caribbean, cuisine

www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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Proud to give the community a lift More than half of all Americans either own a small business or work for one.

That’s why CATS is proud to participate in the Small Business Enterprise (SBE) program and the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, which give small and socially or economically challenged local businesses the opportunity to compete for publicly funded contracts.

On the LYNX Light Rail project, for example, CATS spent $42.9 million with 38 DBE firms to build the new light rail system.

As the major provider of public transportation to Charlotte and the surrounding region, CATS relies on the communities we serve to build and operate the service every day. And by working together on these new opportunities, we can all keep our communities moving in the right direction.

For more information, visit ridetransit.org.

MWBE Consulting, Training and Support Minority Business Development Agency Minority Business Enterprise Center 888-324-1551 www.mbda.gov North Carolina Coordinators’ Network P.O. Box 1856 Raleigh, NC 27602 www.mwbenetwork.org N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development 919-956-8889 info@ncimed.com www.ncimed.com Supplier Diversity Works!

1200 Wych Lane Charlotte, NC 28273 704-237-0278 info@supplierdiversityworks.com www.supplierdiversityworks.com United Minority Contractors of North Carolina 5 W. Hargett St., Ste. 309 Raleigh, NC 27601 919-834-1211 www.umcnc.org Women’s Business Center N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development 919-956-8889 info@ncimed.com www.ncimed.com

Organizations Certifying MWBEs City of Charlotte Small Business Opportunity Program Nancy Rosado, Neighborhood and Business Services 704-336-2116 Carolina Minority Supplier Development Council 704-549-1000 info@carolinasmsdc.org

Statewide Uniform Certification Program (SWUC) *N.C. Dept. of Administration Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses Sheryl Cromedy, Certification Specialist sheryl.cromedy@doa.nc.gov or huboffice.doa@doa.nc.gov 919-807-2339 www.doa.state.nc.us/hub North Carolina Procurement Technical Assistance Center Small Business and Technology Development Center 704-548-1090 www.sbtdc.org

Charlotte/Mecklenburg City-County Resources City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County www.charmeck.org Mayor/City Council 704-336-2241 City Manager 704-336-2241 County Manager 704-336-2472 Board of County Commissioners 704-336-2472 Three-digit phone services 211 Social service agencies 311 Charlotte-Mecklenburg County services 411 Directory assistance 511 Traffic information/ accidents/construction 711 Connections for speech— or hearing-impaired people 911 Emergencies Police Department (non-emergency) 704-353-1000 704-336-7600 www.cmpd.org Fire Department (non-emergency) 704-336-2441 County Sheriff’s Office 704-336-2543 Courthouse 704-686-0400

Other City/County Offices Board of Elections 704-336-2133 Building Permits 704-336-3803 Garbage/Trash Collection/ Recycling 311 Park and Recreation 704-336-3854 Tax Office 704-336-7600

Towns Within Mecklenburg County Cornelius-Town Hall 704-892-6031 www.cornelius.org Davidson-Town Hall 704-892-7591 www.ci.davidson.nc.us Huntersville-Town Hall 704-875-6541 Greg Ferguson, Town Manager P.O. Box 644 Huntersville, NC 28070 www.huntersville.org Matthews-Town Hall 704-847-4411 www.matthewsnc.com Mint Hill-Town Hall 705-545-9726 www.minthill.com Pineville-Town Hall 704-889-2291

Transportation Amtrak 800-USA-RAIL (872-7245) www.amtrak.com Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) 704-336-RIDE (3366) www.charmeck.org/departments/ CATS Charlotte/Douglas International Airport 704-359-4910 (multilingual) www.charlotteairport.com

Utilities AT&T 888-757-6500

* Note: The North Carolina Office for Historically Underutilized Business instituted a Statewide Uniform Certification Program effective July 1, 2009. This program replaced all minority/woman owned business enterprise certifications offered through local municipalities, except the city of Charlotte and Durham. The SWUC Program allows MWBE firms to certify their business at the state level, allowing them to compete for state and local contracts. The SWUC must be accepted by all North Carolina municipalities, removing the burden of MWBE firms to certify with each municipality they wish to operate in. ❖ Certified MWBE Business

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department 704-399-2221 Duke Energy 800-777-9898 Piedmont Natural Gas 704-525-3882 or 800-752-7504 Sewer (24-hour service) 704-357-6064 Time Warner Cable 704-377-9600 Water/Sewer Bills 704-336-2211 Water (24-hour service) 704-336-2564

Broadband Internet Providers AT&T 704-837-8491 www.att.com Earthlink 866-406-4590 www.earthlink.net Road Runner/ Time Warner Cable 800-TWCABLE (892-2253) www.twcnc.com Windstream Communications 800-843-9214 www.windstream.com

Government Governor’s Office Gov. Bev Purdue Office of the Governor 20301 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-0301 919-733-4240 www.governor.state.nc.us

U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R) Russell Senate Office Building Room 217 Washington, DC 20510 202-225-3154 336-631-6125 (North Carolina office) Kay Hagan (D) Dirksen Senate Office Building Room B40A Washington, DC 20510 202-224-6342 310 New Bern Ave. Raleigh, NC 27601 919-856-4630 hagan.senate.gov

U.S. Representatives Larry Kissell (D) 8th District 1632 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-3715 325 McGill Ave. #500 Concord, NC 28027 704-786-1612 kissell.house.gov Sue Myrick (R) 9th District 230 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-1976 6525 Morrison Blvd. #402 Charlotte, NC 28211 704-362-1060 myrick.house.gov Mel L. Watt (D) 12th District 2304 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-1510 1230 W. Morehead St. #306 Charlotte, NC 28208 watt.house.gov 704-344-9950 N.C. Senate Legislative Building 16 W. Jones St. Raleigh, NC 27601-1096 Legislative Office Building 300 N. Salisbury St. Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 919-733-7928 Tommy Tucker (R) District 35 LB 1414 919-733-7659 tommy.tucker@ncleg.net Daniel “Dan” G. Clodfelter (D) District 37 LOB 408 919-715-8331 daniel.clodfelter@ncleg.net Charlie Smith Dannelly (D) District 38 LB 2010 919-733-5955 charlie.dannelly@ncleg.net Bob Rucho, DDS, (R) District 39 LOB 515 919-733-5655 bob.rucho@ncleg.net Malcolm Graham (D) District 40 LOB 620 919-733-5650 malcolm.graham@ncleg.net

N.C. House of Representatives Legislative Building 16 W. Jones St. Raleigh, NC 27601-1096 Legislative Office Building 300 N. Salisbury St. Raleigh, NC 27603-5925 Thom Tillis (R) District 98 LB 1002 919-733-5828 thom.tillis@ncleg.net

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Rodney W. Moore (D) District 99 LOB 403 919-733-5606 rodney.moore@ncleg.net Tricia Ann Cotham (D) District 100 LOB 418C 919-715-0706 tricia.cotham@ncleg.net Beverly Earle (D) District 101 LOB 634 919-715-2530 beverly.earle@ncleg.net Becky Carney (D) District 102 LB 1221 919-733-5827 becky.carney@ncleg.net William Brawley (R) District 103 LB 313 919-733-5800 bill.brawley@ncleg.net Ruth Samuelson (R) District 104 LOB 418B 919-715-3009 ruth.samuelson@ncleg.net Ric Killian (R) District 105 LB 1010 919-733-5886 ric.killian@ncleg.net Martha Alexander (D) District 106 LB 2208 919-733-5807 martha.alexander@ncleg.net Kelly Alexander Jr. (D) District 107 LB 632 919-733-5778 kelly.alexander@ncleg.net

Education Charlotte-Mecklenburg comprises the seventh-largest public school district in the country. In addition to public schools, state-funded charter schools (www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools) and a host of private schools (www.independentschools.com/north_carolina) also serve the county.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools 701 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28202 980-343-3000 www.cms.k12.nc.us CMS serves more than 134,000 students. Some 160 countries are represented by students, and 140 native languages are spoken.

Colleges and Universities Art Institute of Charlotte 704-357-8020 www.artinstitutes.edu Central Piedmont Community College 704-330-2722 www.cpcc.edu Johnson & Wales University 980-598-1000 www.jwu.edu Johnson C. Smith University 704-378-1000 www.jcsu.edu Keller Graduate School of Management 704-362-2345 www.devry.edu Kings College 704-372-0266 www.kingscollegecharlotte.edu New Horizons Computer Learning 704-522-9747 www.newhorizons.com

Visitor’s Bureau Visit Charlotte 704-334-2282 www.charlottesgotalot.com

Business & Civic Organizations 100 Black Men of Charlotte 704-375-7300 www.100blackmenofcharlotte.org Altrusa International of Charlotte 312-427-4410 www.altrusa.com American Business Women’s Association Charlotte Charter Chapter 704-953-6169 704-763-8157 Black Women’s Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg 704-336-7118

Pfeiffer University-Charlotte 704-521-9116 www.pfeiffer.edu

Business and Professional Women’s Club Metrolina Chapter 704-714-2219 www.mbpw.org

Queen’s University of Charlotte 704-337-2200 www.queens.edu

Carolinas Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs Inc. 704-333-1690

University of North Carolina at Charlotte 704-687-2000 www.uncc.edu

Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists www.caabj.com

Nonprofits Adoption Christian Adoption Services 704-847-0038 www.christianadopt.org cas@christianadopt.org

Chambers of Commerce Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce 866-937-2742 www.caacc.com Charlotte Business Guild (LGBT community) 704-565-5075 www.charlottebusinessguild.org Charlotte Chamber 704-378-1300 www.charlottechamber.com Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce www.cmbcc.org Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte 704-343-2525 www.lacccharlotte.com

Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County 704-525-5843 www.mecklenburgdemocrat.org Charlotte Association of Urban Bankers www.cncaub.org

Filipino-American Community 704-366-4401 ninibautista@aol.com German Language and Culture Foundation 704-372-2172, ext. 202 www.germanfoundation.com Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas 877-227-1680 www.hcacarolinas.org Hmong Community 704-545-8264 clvang@earthlink.net Indonesian American Association of the Carolinas 704-458-8532 robbyson_suy@yahoo.com India Association 704-545-3727 surjadar@yahoo.com Internal Revenue ServiceCharlotte 704-548-4100 www.irs.gov Korean Association 704-591-4872 www.charlottekoreans.com Lao American Association 704-497-0490 Kkeonakhone@yahoo.com Latin American Coalition 704-531-3848 www.latinamericancoalition.org Latin American Women’s Association 704-552-1003

Charlotte International Cabinet 704-336-2174 www.charmeck.org/city/charlotte/ci

League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg 704-556-4600 www.goleaguego.org

Charlotte International Women’s Club Ximena Uribe 704-246-7619

Lesbian & Gay Community Center of Charlotte 704-333-0144 www.gaycharlotte.com

Chinese-American Association Meng Li 704-322-3327 woodydiwu@yahoo.com

Metrolina Minority Contractors Association 704-332-5746

Crossroads Charlotte 704-973-4567 www.crossroadscharlotte.org Diversity Council of the Carolinas 704-338-1888 www.c-dcc.org The Diversity Forum 704-405-0607 www.thediversityforum.org eWomen Network Charlotte, 704-650-5439 Lake Norman, 704-947-8476 www.ewomennetwork.com

Millions More MovementCharlotte 704-333-1690 www.mmmcharlottenc.org MWBE (Minority and Women Business Enterprise) www.mwbe.com North Carolina Indian Economic Development Initiative Inc. 919-232-9414 www.ncindian.com

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N.C. SBA (Small Business Administration) 704-344-6563 www.sba.gov/localresources/ district/nc National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women’s Club-Charlotte 704-392-9547 Pride Entrepreneur Education Program (PEEP) 704-375-9553 www.peepcharlotte.org Republican Women’s Club Charlotte-Mecklenburg 704-553-9392 National Hispanic Entrepreneurs Organization Inc. 704-909-7945 www.nheo.org Neighborhood Good Samaritan Center 704-605-6723 704-531-9989 www.ngscenter.org info@ngscenter.org SCORE 704-344-6576 www.charlottescore.org Urban Financial Services Coalition 202-289-8335 Urban League-Central Carolinas 704-373-2256 www.urbanleaguecc.org The Urban Restoration 704-391-0022 www.urbanrestoration.org Vietnamese Association 803-526-2133 tuananhtran10@yahoo.com Women’s Inter-Cultural Exchange 704-365-4452 wie@wi-ce.org www.wi-ce.org Women’s Political Caucus-Charlotte 704-252-0967 www.charlottewpc.org www.facebook.com/ncwomenspoliticalcaucus Community Services Children and Family Services Center 704-943-9400 www.childrenfamily.org Community Link 704-943-9490 www.communitylink-nc.org Crisis Assistance Ministry 704-371-3000 www.crisisassistance.org

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Kicking for a Dream http://kickingforadream.org Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services 704-336-3150 www.charmeck.org United Way of Central Carolinas Inc. 211 (information and referral services) 704-372-7170 www.uwcentralcarolinas.org Urban Ministry Center 704-347-0278 www.urbanministrycenter.org YMCA of Greater Charlotte 704-716-6200 www.ymcacharlotte.org

Corporate Supplier Diversity Listings Balfour Beatty Construction Calvin Stevens Director of Community Relations and Diversity 704-319-4000 emergingcontractors@ balfourbeattyus.com www.balfourbeattyus.com Bank of America Jeff Jones 757-728-3711 jeff.jones@bankofamerica.com Belk Inc. 704-357-1000 www.belk.com Carolinas Healthcare System Donnie Moore 704-512-7772 Compass Group/FoodBuy Skyne Betha Supplier Diversity Manager 704-328-1129 sbetha@foodbuy.com www.cgnad.com Duke Energy Andrew Grier Manager Supplier Diversity 704-382-7690 abgrier@duke-energy.com www.duke-energy.com/suppliers/ default.asp Harris Teeter Ted Harrington Manager of Diversity 704-844-3565 tharrington@harristeeter.com www.harristeeter.com Lance Inc. Cindy Evans 704-557-8349 704-557-8031 cevans@lance.com www.lancesnacks.com Lowe’s Home Improvement www.lowes.com/supplierdiversity

Novant Health Care/ Presbyterian Hospital Kevin Price Manager 704-384-7456 kjprice@novanthealth.org Nucor Corp.

Betsy Lieberman 704-366-7000 Piedmont Natural Gas Mike Morrow Manager of Supply Chain 704-731-4104 mike.morrow@piedmontng.com Time Warner CableCarolina Region Michelle Hankston Regional Buyer Analyst 704-731-1911 michelle.hankston@twcable.com www.timewarnercable.com Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club Theresa Barrera Vice President Supplier Diversity and Management 479-277-0650 genia.hight@wal-mart.com Wells Fargo Bank Sonya Dukes Senior Vice President of Corporate Supplier Diversity 704-383-7323 sonya.dukes@wellsfargo.com www.wellsfargo.com/supplierdiversity

Businesses Accountants/Bookkeepers Absolute Business Connections Inc. 704-537-0010 absolutebusinessconnections.com Boyd’s AccTax Consulting 704-322-3630 mlboyd@carolina.rr.com Chan Pauline, CPA 704-540-0027 Chun, Ki-Hyun, Ph.D.LLD, CPA 704-332-5656 Elizabeth Leonard, CPA 704-655-2648 Lee, Jung Sook, CPA 704-364-3667 Patrick A. Beach, CPA, PC 704-688-3075 www.beachfinancialsvcs.com Regina H. Rudolph, CPA 704-944-5547 www.reginarudolph.com Robinson Tax Services 704-658-8248

Stacey E. Tucker, CPA, PC 704-847-0021 www.staceytuckercpa.com Zee, Sylvester L., CPA 704-467-1965

Acupuncture Hu Jiang, L. Ac English-Chinese-Korean 3065-A Senna Drive Matthews, NC 28105 Lauren Leung, L. Ac 5200 Park Road, Suite 227 Charlotte, NC 28209 704-605-2602 Jeffrey Wang and Mary Ren, L. Ac English-Chinese 7810 Ballantyne Commons Parkway Suite 300 Charlotte, NC

Advertising/ Promotional Products Ad Concepts Inc. 704-366-1616 www.goadconcepts.com

Architects A.L.R. Architecture 704-348-2699 Gantt Huberman Architects 704-334-6436 www.gantthuberman.com Happy Box Architecture PLLC 704-334-8724 www.happyboxarchitecture.com Metro Landmarks Architecture PC 704-333-2011 www.metrolandmarks.com Millennium 3 Design Group PLLC 704-333-1965 www.m3dg.com Mistri Hardaway Architects Inc. 704-371-4622 www.mistrihardaway.com Neighboring Concepts PLLC 704-374-0916 www.neighboringconcepts.com Studio 1 Architects PC www.studio1arc.com

Attorneys

Alliance Document Solutions Inc. www.adocument.net

Chang, Kristen Aekyung 336-855-5700

Bantra Corp.

704-372-3400 Bonnie B. Thyer Specialties Co. 704-331-0645 sales@bonniebpromomall.com

Denise L. Presley, Esq. 704-676-4622

Carolina Corporate Wear Inc. 704-540-4613 www.carolinacorporatewear.com Charlotte Hotel TV 704-806-5692 www.charlottehoteltv.com www.fitcitytv.com FES Inc. 704-398-0436 www.fleminges.com The Logo Loft Inc. 360-394-5638 www.thelogoloftinc.com Lyerly Agency 704-525-3937 www.lyerlyagency.com Orbimedia Communications/ Radio Lider 704-665-9337 julian@orbimedia.com Digital Divas 201-304-2933 digitaldivasinc@gmail.com www.digitaldivasevents.com Zuri Creative Services 5960 Fairview Rd. Suite 400 Charlotte, NC 28210 info@zuri-creative.com 704-496-2695 www.zuri-creative.com

Chun, Lisa 919-619-1280

Eric Montgomery 704-909-2765 Gary Henderson 704-599-4577 www.ghendersonlawoffice.com James Ferguson 704-375-8461 www.fergusonstein.com Li, Benjamin M. 704-527-0878 Kim, Douglas H. 704-504-0962 Paul Suhr 919-876-4707 T. Michael Todd PLLC 704-343-9700 tmtedellaw@aol.com Tamela T. Wallace PA 704-371-4212 www.tamelatwallace.com Tin Nguyen 704-461-1527 Cheryl Watkins 704-552-3993Â cheryl@crwatkinslaw.com

Automotive Ben’s Automotive Center 704-333-1200

Parrish Tire Co. 704-583-5883 www.parrishtire.com Victory Lane Automotive Mobile Services 704-493-3340

Blinds/Window Treatments Croteau Window Coverings 704-367-9905 www.croteauwindowcoverings.com

Boxes/Packaging Supplies Ferguson Box 704-579-3952 www.fergusonbox.com wtruesdel@fergusonbox.com

Business Consultants Business Link Technologies 704-248-8068 www.businesslinktech.com The Coman Co. 704-366-9060 www.comancompany.com DBS Consulting LLC abonner@dbsconsultingllc.com www.dbsconsultingllc.com GoldenCrest Executive Consulting LLC www.goldencrestexecutive.com Harris Krueger Consulting Inc. 704-896-5678 www.harriskruegerconsulting.com Kreative Group Inc. 980-253-4339 www.kreativegroupinc.com Lil Associates II Inc. 704-372-3331 www.lilassociates.com Lockman-Brooks Marketing Services LLC 704-944-3188 www.lockmanbrooks.com POSTNET 704-541-0490 www.postnet.com/nc135 **Project Managers Inc. 704-332-6611 www,projectmgrs.com Red F Marketing LLC 704-227-0700 www.redf.com Supplier Diversity Works!

12000 Wych Lane Charlotte, NC 28273 info@yourbusinessworks.com 704-583-0278 www.supplierdiversityworks.com * Visioncor 704-366-7979 www.visioncor.com

www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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Caterers/Bakers Cake and Craft Creations 704-577-4400 info@cakeandcraft.com Caribbean Hut 704-593-0030 www.caribbean-hut.com

Compliance/Safety Compliance Centre Inc. 704-557-9027 803-531-1300 www.compliancecentre.net

Computers/Printers

Charleston House Catering 704-333-4441 www.herbin.com/charlestonhouse. html

Actionthree Computer Services LLC 704-537-1312 www.actionthreecomputers.com

Creative Catering 704-373-2900 www.creativecateringinc.net

Applied Data Technologies 704-847-3000 www.applieddatatech.com

Dave & Fran Catering 704-299-7696

Carolina Cartridge & Supplies Inc. 704-347-2447 www.ccs-ink.com

FDY Inc. 704-523-6605 www.fdyinc.com Heaven Sent Catering 704-535-0567 www.heavensentcatering.net Just 4 U Personal Chefs 704-619-6870 www.jus4upersonalchefs.com Nona’s Sweets 704-717-6144 www.nonassweets.com Sadie’s Soulful Southern Experience 704-532-5570

Cleaners Birkdale Cleaners 16600 Birkdale Commons Parkway Huntersville, NC 28078 704-987-2232 Clothing/Apparel DW Clothing Design 704-332-1896 www.dwdesigns.biz The First Lady Apparel 704-302-6429 704-394-4121 www.thefirstladyapparel.com The Knott Shoppe 704-819-0839 Sew Up by Sung 704-900-6579 Gone Ape 8518 Castle Pine Ct. Charlotte, NC 28226 info@thegreatgoneape.com www.thegreatgoneape.com

Coffeehouse Diversity Den Coffeehouse 704-792-2233 www.diversityden.com

Carolina Computer Partners 704-549-0125 704-409-7977 www.ccpteam.com Carolina IT Consulting Inc. 704-577-0687 www.citconline.com CG Technology 704-887-3986 www.cgtechnology.com

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

Alvacor Inc. 704-544-8211 www.alvacor.com American Eastern Builders Inc. 704-342-1968 www.americaneastern.net Aztek General Contractor Inc. 704-770-5389 Baucom Group & Associates LLC 704-926-1509 www.baucomgrp.com Bolton’s Custom Contracting Inc. 704-399-5010 C&J Supply Inc. 704-399-4722 Camps Construction Co. 704-321-1492 www.campsconstruction.com Carolina Cajun Concrete Inc. 704-545-8626 Chartia Construction Co., Inc. 704-509-5542 Chief Cornerstone Builders Inc. www.chiefcornerstonebuilders.com

CPI Training Solutions Inc. 704-358-3383 www.solutionsrus.com

Conmat Construction Inc. 704-713-3685 awutep@yahoo.com

Esource Systems and Integration Inc. 704-895-3520 www.esandi.com

Conmat Development Inc. 704-594-9631

Fizza Group LLC 336-499-2616 www.fizzagroup.com

Do It All Interiors Remodeling & Renovations 980-721-6391

Frontline Consulting Services 704-510-1998 www.fcs-inc.com

DOT Construction Inc. 704-634-3790 www.dotconstructioninc.com

Global Networkers 704-343-0094 www.globalnetworkers.com

Econ International Corp.

704-688-3709 www.econconstruction.net

Kinetic IT Systems Inc. 704-340-7660 www.kineticits.com

Fernandez Construction Corp.

704-394-7173

Network Cabling Systems Inc. 704-523-8606 www.networkcablingsystems.com Newton IT Services 704-561-7099 www.newtonits.com Webfuzion.com 704-607-7127 www.webfuzion.com

Construction 8 Star Construction Inc. 980-297-7266 A Anthony Corp.

704-358-4747 www.aanthonycorp.com

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Akhter Builders Inc. 704-847-5976

D.E. Walker Construction Co. 704-597-8911

G.W. Liles Construction Co., Inc. 704-786-3450 www.lilesconstruction.com Hemar Concrete Inc. 704-932-5581 **Heartland Contracting 704-882-3004 Highland Construction Group 980-322-7584 Horus Construction Services 877-898-6879 www.horus-cs.com Jamar Properties Inc. 704-796-1437 (phone) 704-720-7659 (fax) www.jamarhouses.com

Kirkman Construction Inc. 704-987-2050 Latta Light Construction 704-728-2597 Lee Morgan Inc. 704-348-1460 www.leemorganinc.com Legacy Construction Inc. 704-968-1918 Lil Associates II Inc. 704-372-3331 www.lilassociates.com Linda Construction Co., Inc. 704-333-7120 www.lindaconstruction.com Mansel Contractors LLC 704-547-9006 Marand Builders Inc. 704-544-8211 www.marandbuilders.com Raydal Construction LLC 704-900-2952 www.raydalconstruction.com R.J. Leeper Construction Co., Inc. 704-334-3223 (phone) 704-348-1898 (fax) www.rjleeperco.com Structural Creations Inc. 704-728-6543 www.structuralcreations.intuitwebsites.com Stuart Page Co. Inc. 704-545-0695 www.stuartpagecompany.com Tyler Construction 704-527-3031 www.tyler2construction.com Walter B. Davis Co. 704-358-3793 www.wbdavisco.com

Copier Supplies & Services **Carolina Cartridge & Supplies Inc. 704-347-2447 www.ccs-ink.com **Carolina Copier Services 704-375-9099 www.carolinacopyservices.com

Counselors Angel Gabriel Co. 704-281-8416 www.angelgabriel.org Michael E. Hall, Ph.D. 704-858-2984 Trinity Counseling Services LLC 704-921-9600 trinityme3@hotmail.com

Day Cares Dixon Academy 704-391-9875 www.dixonacademy.com

Fran’s Kids Daycare 704-376-2655 Kids Town Child Enhancement 704-527-0423 Mrs. Chris Play & Learn 704-393-1472 Nana’s Place Learning Center 704-568-3899 Step by Step 704-568-1214 stepbystephomedaycare@yahoo. com Toddletown Kidz 704-567-1797 mbrown@toddletownkidz.com www.toddletownkidz.com

Decorating/Visual Art/ Plantscapes Charlotte Plantscapes Inc. 704 529-1399 www.charlotteplantscapes.com Corporate Visual Artworks 704-904-4795 www.corporatevisualartworks.com

Dentists Dasling Dentistry 704-594-9250 www.daslingdentistry.com Dr. Derek C. Barnes, DMD 704-849-6700 www.drderekbarnes.com Felecia Burridge, DDS 704-536-0811 Carmel Commons Dental & Imaging 704-540-2443 www.carmelcommonsdental.net Centro Dental Comunitario 704-494-7990 Dr. Xin Chen English-Chinese 8170-C S. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28273 704-405-5690

Smile Family Dentistry 704-549-1199 www.smile4ucharlotte.com Dr. Michael Stout 704-332-7737 www.michaelstoutdentistry.com Dr. Minh Oai Vo 704-364-6666 Webber Dentistry 704-332-5848 or 704-392-9357 www.webberdentistry.com Young & Polite Children’s Dentistry PLLC 704-587-7336 www.youngandpolite.com

Education Brisbane Academy 704-598-5208 www.brisbaneacademy.org Kennedy Academic Learning Center 704-547-1151 www.kennedyacademic.com Christian Montessori School at Lake Norman 704-875-1801 www.christianmontessorischool.org Charlotte Chinese Art School 980-939-9408 cltchineseartschool@yahoo.com Chinese Language Tutor 980-939-9408 Great Wall School of Education 704-728-2679 www.charlottechineseschool.org Japanese Language School 704-333-8099 Timothy School 704-591-4872

Electricians Alternate Power Services Inc. 980-235-9045

Friendly Neighborhood Dental Center 800-766-7472

A&W Electric Inc. 704-333-4986 www.aandwelectric.com

Steven Ghim, DDS 704-541-8600

Carolinas Electrical Supply & Service LLC 704-562-0923

Regina Henderson 704-503-0202 www.charlottecosmeticdentist.com Luoug-Huy Le, DDS English-Vietnamese 2614-A E. Seventh St. Dr. U. Phillip Igbinadolor & Associates PA 704-494-8484 Orthodontic Care of Carolina PA 704-509-4999 www.drcooperortho.com

COED Electrical Inc. 704-395-3622 www.coedelectrical.com DEW Electric LLC 704-335-0891 www.dewelectricllc.com E. Moore & Son Electric Inc. 704-358-8828 www.emooreelectric.com Elm Engineering Inc. 704-335-0396 www.elmengr.com www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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International Electrical Solutions Inc. 704-777-5626 intlelectricalsolutionsinc.building. officelive.com

Engineers

Bharat Bazaar 3509 David Cox Rd. Charlotte, NC 28269 704-494-4845 www.bharatbazaarcharlotte.com

Capstone Civil Group PA 704-567-0769 sbrown@capstonecivilgroup.com www.capstonecivilgroup.com

Central Oriental Market 704-532-9888

Engineering Design Collaborative 704-971-1660

Compare Foods E. Independence Blvd: 704-532-5892 N. Tryon St: 704-596-3495 E. Arrowood Rd: 704-716-1170 www.comparesupermarkets.com

H&H Engineering PLLC 704-897-8328 www.hhengineering.net MA Engineering Consultants Inc. 704-896-5250 www.maec.com Zapata Inc. 704-358-8240 www.zapatainc.com

Ethnic Festivals

Cilnecerea 704-569-0132

Eang-Hong Grocery & Fresh Seafood 704-566-1272 International Super Market 704-509-1799 Jin’s Market 704-341-1112 LaBella Estrella 704-569-1899

Main Event 704-332-5819 www.themaineventnc.com Millennia Solutions 704-395-4706 Occasions Catering and Event Planning 704-333-1060 www.occasionscater.com Tribble Creative Group 704-376-1943 www.tribblecreativegroup.com

Exterior Building Maintenance/Windows Bright & Shine Services Inc. 704-650-6773 www.brightandshineservices.com Joffie Contracting Services Inc. 704-392-4442 www.joffie.com

Film/Video Production Emulsion Arts Robin Grey 704.343.0220 www.emulsionarts.com

Charlotte Dragonboat/ Asian Festival 704-540-6808 Ramsey Creek Park, Cornelius/May www.charlottedragonboat.com

La Bonita Mexican Grocery Store 704-527-8564 Los DOS Hermanos II 704-921-6424

Dances of India 704-330-6534 April

Carter Insurance 704-542-7500

Lotte Grocery 704-527-8949

Emma Allen Enterprises 704-892-0214 www.emmasallen.com

Jazz in the Village Johnson C. Smith University Oct. 7 Pride Charlotte (LGBT community) 704-333-0144 www.pridecharlotte.com North Carolina Music Factory Fourth Ward October St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival South Tryon Street/March www.charlottestpatsday.com The Carolinas Latin Dance Company 704-872-4988 Spirit Square McGlohon Theatre/April thecarolinaslatindancecompany.org

Grocery Stores

Lucky Oriental Grocery 704-568-8666 New Asian Market 704-393-5831 New Century 704-921-1716 Ole Mexican Foods 704-587-1763 Overseas Oriental Food 704-522-9111 Payal Indian Grocery 704-521-9680 Rajbhog Sweets and Snacks 704-909-7783 www.rajbhog.com The South African Food Shop 704-849-2660 Toll-free: 888-532-1433 www.southafricanfoodshop.com

Events/Party Planning

Financial Services

First Legacy Community Bank 704-375-5781 www.firstlegacyfcu.org Mechanics & Farmers 704-247-3400 www.mfbonline.com Rose & Associates Southeast Inc. 704-896-0094 www.roseassociates.com US Financial Alliance Consultants LLC 704-496-2764 www.usfacllc.com Wealth Builders Inc. 704-890-2522 877-279-9922 www.wealthbuildersnc.com

Fitness/Wellness

A&A International Food 704-531-1151

Creative Catering 704-373-2900

Fit4Life 704-491-2216 www.tiffanysfit4life.com

Ann Doa Sakura Oriental Market 704-525-9840

Events & Celebrations Inc. 980-939-1645 704-246-7619 www.eventscelebrations.com

N’shape with ’N 704-334-4848 www.nshapewithn.com

Asia Oriental Grocery 704-375-2264

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Asian Grocery 704-540-4201

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

It’s My Affair 704-394-4928 www.itsmyaffair.com

Pure Wellness Medical Spa 980-297-7873 www.purewellnessspas.com

Shabaka Body of Your Dreams Studio 704-449-1476 www.bodyofyourdreamsstudio.com

Food Service Management FDY Inc. 704-523-6605 www.fdyinc.com

Formal Wear The Formal Touch 704-593-1961 www.theformaltouchonline.com

Garage Doors/ Overhead Doors All American Overhead Door LLC 704-597-1002 www.allamericanohd.com

Gifts A Fruit Basket & The Southern Blossom 704-375-7706 www.southernblossom.com Lamb Baskets and Invitations 704-497-3470

Graphic Designers Kineta Corp.

704-752-7994 www.kinetacorp.com Moonlight Creative Group Inc. 704-358-3777 www.moonlightcreative.com info@moonlightcreative.com SPARK Publications 700 Matthews Mint Hill Rd. Suite B Matthews, NC 28105 704-844-6080 www.SPARKpublications.com The Maxim Agency LLC 704-339-0099 www.themaximagency.com

Hairstylists/Salons A Total Experience Salon & Spa 704-377-0383 Hair Infiniti Wellness Salon 704-596-2166 www.hairinfiniti.net Lockstar Natural Hair Salon 704-334-6624 www.lockstarsalon.com Salon Untouchable 704-921-0161 (barbers) 704-921-0182 (stylists) Shear Illusions 201 W. Arrowood Road 704-522-6484 Studio East Styling Salon 704-569-4553

The Relaxer Experts 4820 Monroe Rd. Charlotte, NC 28205 704-535-6978 www.relaxerexperts.com Tracy Riggs Salon 704-759-6258 6324 Fairview Road Suite 126 Located inside Sola Salon Studios Charlotte, NC 28210 http://tracyriggsinc.com

Health Care/Medical Advantage Vision Center 704-375-3935 www.advantagevisioncenter.net Americare Health 704-941-2080 Arboretum Obstetrics & Gynecology 704-341-1103 and 704-841-7225 www.arboretumobgyn.com Carolinas Eye Center 704-510-3100 www.carolinaseyecenter.com Centers for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research/ Dr. Rashid Buttar Advanced Concepts In Medicine 704-895-9355 9630 Julian Clark Ave., Huntersville Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness 704-264-1402 www.medicineandwellness.com Crown Clinic PA 704-527-5522 www.crownclinicpa.com JP Chiropractic & Posture 704-841-1701 Sheena Kapadia Internal Medicine 704-342-8115 National Kidney Foundation 877-858-3808 www.kidney.org Jeongpil Park, DC Chiropractor 704-841-1701 Prime Care Medical Center 704-335-0806 www.primecaremed.org Starks Pediatrics 704-717-2826 www.starkspediatrics.com Nang T. Ta, MD Central Care Clinic 704-567-8218 Nguyen Ta, MD Pediatrics 704-554-8880

Jenny Thao Ngo, CNM Obstetrics Gynecology 704-536-7233 Do Thuan My Optometrist 704-777-9047

Heating and Air Conditioning AT’s Heating & A/C 704-568-3147 Champion Heating & Cooling Inc. 704-391-2077 Controlled Climate Technology Inc. 704-535-9192 www.controlledclimate technology.com McKenney’s Mechanical/ Superior Mechanical Systems 704-335-1942 www.superiormsinc.com Superior Mechanical Systems Inc. 704-335-1942 www.superiormsinc.com

Home Care/Nursing Advantage Rehabilitation Services 704-953-5072 HomeCare for the Carolinas LLC 704-335-8488 www.homecareforthecarolinas.com Home Health Enterprise Inc. 704-529-2682 www.homehealthenterprisesinc. com Unlimited Possibilities Family Care Homes 704-453-6753 www.upfamilycarehome.com

Hotels SREE Hotels 704-364-6008 www.sree.com

Human Resources/ Executive Search AccruePartners Inc. 704-632-9955 www.accruepartners.com Allegiance Staffing 704-556-1770 www.allegiancestaffing.com Baker Human Resources Consulting Inc. 704-395-2813 www.bhrc-partner.com

Sharon Tam, DC 704-377-0800 www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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Bergman Brothers Staffing & Consulting 704-537-1230 www.bergmanbrothers.com

Yorel 704-594-9870 www.yorel.com

Burnett Resources Inc. 888-273-4108 www.burnettresources.com

Janitorial/Cleaning

Career Match Solutions 866-225-2747 813-412-6560 www.careermatchsolutions.com CEO Inc. 704-372-4701 www.ceohr.com DMD Consulting LLC 704-728-3996 www.dmdhr.com

AC Cleaning 704-605-7899 **Aerocare Inc. 704-970-7029 www.aerocarespecialist.com All Things Professional 704-345-3976 www.allthingsprofessional.net Big Don’s Cleaning Services 704-491-3859

Jennifer P. Davis & Associates LLC 704-864-5211 www.jpdavisonline.com

Burgess Cleaning Service Inc. 704-890-4613 934 Norland Road Unit B Charlotte, NC 28205

K&P Consulting Inc. 704-341-4340 www.kandPconsult.com

Clean-Rite Janitorial 704-907-2073

Symphony Management Consulting 704-556-2288 www.symphony-consulting.com

Image Consultants Harris & Barnes Image Consulting 704-540-0989 www.harris-barnes.com

Information Packaging and Design/Marketing Cook Information Packaging & Design Inc. 704-376-6324 www.cookinfopkg.com

Interior Design/Upfitting BeauxHome 704-752-1733 www.beauxhome.com Tyler 2 Construction Inc. 704-527-3031 www.tyler2construction.com

Information Technology The Anstad Group 704-208-8304 www.anstad.com **Fortress Systems International 704-405-5000 www.fsiinc.com Webneed 704-470-4058 www.webneed.com

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A&D Janitorial 704-320-2582

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

DDM House Cleaning 704-488-1520 Frick & Frack Cleaning Services 704-619-5471 H&M Cleaning and Maintenance Service Inc. 704-563-0135 Jani-King/Richard Jr. Enterprise 704-780-5558 www.janiking.com The Johnson Group 704-522-3544 www.aejohnsongroup.com La Biep Services 704-641-8892 Miriam Davis Cleaning 704-201-6111 Pelzer Group Construction Clean-Up and Trash Out 704-712-7899 P.O. Box 5214 Charlotte, NC 28269 Peak Cleaning Services Inc. 704-421-1469 R and D Cleaning Services/ Maid Services 704-605-4346 rdcleaningservice@yahoo.com R&R All American Cleaning Contractors 704-503-3882 Success Xpress Cleaning Service 704-840-4792

Landscaping/Fences Accurate Cut Lawncare 704-574-1147 Affordable Fence & Tree 704-392-7078 American Fence & Supply Co. 704-523-4936 www.americanfenceandsupply.com Braun Land Management Inc. 704-332-3462 Breburks Landscaping 704-493-5822 Carolina Cut-N-Edge LLC 704-315-8547 www.carolinacutnedge.com Carolina Green Landscape Co. 704-394-3152 Carolina Wetland Services Inc. 704-527-1177 www.cws-inc.net Fussell’s Turf Management LLC 704-708-8166 Green Touch Tree & Turf Inc. 704-549-4484 Green World Landscaping 704-699-7956 Greenprint Horticulture 704-567-8858 Groundworks Studio PLLC 704-375-2785 www.groundworksstudio.us Heritage Meadows LLC 704-780-0036 Lee’s Landscaping 704-493-0981 Leisure Time Lawn Care LLC 704-392-5299 Martin Landscaping Co., Inc. 704-379-0076 New Beginning Landscape LLC 704-400-4930 Perry’s Lawn & Landscaping Services 704-299-5483

Marketing/Advertising/PR ATLAS Diversified 704-361-4333 www.atlasdiversified.com Cohesion Marketing & PR 704-296-2174 www.cohesionmarketing.net Digital Divas 201-304-2933 www.digitaldivasevents.com IT Factor 310-910-1837 www.theitfactormedia.com HTD Network 704-249-3723 704-759-6483 www.htdnetwork.com

The Lyerly Agency 704-525-3937 www.lyerly.com Pride Public Relations 704-375-9553 www.pridepr.net *Rojo Hispanic Marketing 704-227-0700 www.rojomarketing.com Talk of the Town Rhonda Mayo-704-488-3998 Tonya Inabinett 704-649-5304 P.O. Box 33162 Charlotte, NC 28237 www.talkofthetownent.com Millennia Solutions 704-395-4706 REDF 704-227-0700 www.redf.com Zumbazo.com 704-650-7411 704-916-9862 (English only) www.zumbazo.com

Masons Leigh Concrete Services 704-628-6809 S&D Masonry & Construction LLC 704-496-4590

Massage Celestial Soul Premier Massage 704-962-6400 www.celestialsoul.com

Lake Norman Woman 704-895-6168 www.lakenormanwoman.com Latino Communications 704-319-5044 www.quepasamedia.com The Korean Christian Times 770-986-8220 The Latin Focus 704-909-7945 www.thelatinfocus.com Mi Gente 704-531-6070 www.migenteweb.com Qcitymetro.com 704-442-1565 www.qcitymetro.com Pride Communications/ Pride Magazine 704-375-9553 www.pridemagazine.net Today’s Charlotte Woman 704-521-6872 www.todayscharlottewoman.com

Crown Clinic PA 704-527-5522 www.crownclinicpa.com JP Chiropractic & Posture 704-841-1701 Sheena Kapadia Internal Medicine 704-342-8115 Jeongpil Park, DC Chiropractor 704-841-1701 Prime Care Medical Center 704-335-0806 www.primecaremedical.org Starks Pediatrics 704-717-2826 www.starkspediatrics.com Nang T. Ta, MD Central Care Clinic 704-567-8218 Nguyen Ta, MD Pediatrics 704-554-8880 Sharon Tam, DC 704-377-0800

Viva Carolina!

704-909-7945 www.vivacarolina.com

Jenny Thao Ngo, CNM Obstetrics Gynecology 704-536-7233

World Journal 770-451-4509 5391 New Peachtree Road Chamblee, GA 30341

Do Thuan My Optometrist 704-777-9047

Working Charlotte 704-992-1211 www.workingcharlotte.com

Medical

Medical Supply Parish Dental & Medical Supply 704-649-2385

Mental Health

Massage & Go 704-900-5173 www.massagegonoda.com

Advantage Vision Center 704-375-3935 www.advantagevisioncenter.net

Life Enhancements Services 704-342-9595 www.lifeenhancementservices.org

Oasis Day Spa 704-333-8777 www.oasischarlotte.com

Americare Health 704-941-2080

Me’lange Health Solutions 704-567-8690 www.melangehs.com

Pure Body Salon and Spa 704-393-1019 www.purebodysalon.com Why Knot Massage 704-529-2400 www.whyknot-massage.com

Media/Magazine/Newspaper The Asian Herald 704-334-3450 The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 704-376-0496 www.thecharlottepost.com CJ Ramirez 704-895-3315 www.cjramirez.com La Noticia 704-568-6966 www.lanoticia.com

Arboretum Obstetrics & Gynecology 704-341-1103 and 704-841-7225 www.arboretumobgyn.com Carolinas Eye Center 704-510-3100 www.carolinaseyecenter.com Centers for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research Dr. Rashid Buttar Advanced Concepts In Medicine 9630 Julian Clark Ave., Huntersville 704-895-9355 Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness 704-264-1402 www.medicineandwellness.com

Multimedia All-Star Communications 704-579-9715 www.allstarscomm.com Norsan Multimedia 704-405-3172 norsanmultimedia.com Eastonsweb Multimedia 704-607-0941 www.eastonsweb.com Viva Carolina 704-909-7945 www.vivacarolina.com

Network Cabling Network Cabling Systems 704-523-8606 www.networkcablingsystems.com

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Office Supplies & Services **Advanced Imaging Systems 800-332-6793 www.advancedimaging.net *American Product Distributors Inc. 704-522-9411 www.americanproduct.com Aaron Rents Inc. 704-509-6252 www.aaronrents.com ** Carolina Marking Devices 704-525-7600 www.caromark.com **Debriants Office Service Inc. 704-527-7600 www.debriants.com NYNCO LLC 704-577-2365 www.nyncoproduct.com Professional Resource Group Inc. 704-771-9637 www.professionalresourcegroup. net

Painting/Wallpapering An Eimaj Painting Co. 980-253-4013 www.aneimajpaintingco.com Bobby’s Painting Co., Inc. 704-394-5124 www.bobbyspaintingcompany.com Building Bethel Construction Co. 704-607-5540 C-III Paint Inc. 704-506-8164 Corporate Painting Inc. 704-521-6083 JP Group Construction Inc. 704-890-4748 www.thejgroup.com Scott’s Painting and Decorating 704-394-0711 United Painting Services Inc. 704-962-0563 www.unitedpaintingservices.com

Parking Management E-Z Parking 704-376-5559 www.e-zparking.net

Personnel/Staffing/ Head Hunter Bergman Brothers Staffing & Consulting 704-537-1230 www.bergmanbrothers.com Corestaff Services 704-554-1960 www.corestaff.com 58

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

Elite Resources Inc. 704-504-2299 www.eliteresources.net Express Personnel Services 704-866-4136 (Gastonia) www.expresspersonnel.com Integra Staffing LLC 704-527-9191 www.integrastaffing.com Link Staffing Services 704-525-4555 www.linkstaffing.com Netview Inc. 704-837-7500 www.netviewstaffing.com Premier Resources 704-543-9200 www.premierresourcesnc.com Project Intern www.projectintern.com Sappenfield Staffing Inc. 704-332-4710 http://sappenfieldstaffing.com Team Technology Inc. 704-849-0266 www.teamt.com Technology Project Management Inc. 704-347-2447 www.technologypm.com W2 Financial Staffing 704-665-8555 www.w2financial.com Working Charlotte 704-992-1211 www.workingcharlotte.com

Pharmacists Carolina Compounding and Nutrition Pharmacy 704-540-4330 www.ccnprx.com Family Care Specialty Pharmacy 704-688-5330 Medicine & More 704-537-0191

Physical Therapy Sports and Spine Physical Therapy 704-394-6677

Plumbers Agua Source LLC 704-831-8311 www.aguasourcellc.com Burris Plumbing Inc. 704-510-2123 Heyworth Plumbing Co., Inc. 704-523-2696 www.heyworthplumbing.com

New Millennium Plumbing LLC 704-309-9565 Reed’s Plumbing Co., Inc. 704-399-7785

Printer Accessories/Supplies Dat-A-Syst Inc. 704-523-3548 www.datasyst.net

Printers Allegra Print & Imaging 704-708-5818 www.allegracharlotte.com Belk Printing Technologies 704-588-4433 www.belkprinting.com Copy Cat Instant Printing of Charlotte Inc. 704-529-6606 www.copycatsouth.com

Publishing/Editorial Services SPARK Publications 704-844-6080 www.SPARKpublications.com

Radio Stations LaRaza (106.1) www.larazalaraza.com Radio One (My92.7 and Praise 100.9) 704-548-7800 www.my927charlotte.com WGIV (103.3 FM and 1370 AM) 704-553-1370 www.wgiv.net

Real Estate Alford & Associates Inc. 704-890-9672 www.alfordappraisals.com Lake Realty of Charlotte 866-439-1025 www.mymooresvillehomes.com **The Benfield Group (Real estate appraisers) 704-333-0774 Binaco Real Estate 704-333-2462 www.binacoinvestments.com Blackberry Realty Associates 740-537-9091 www.blackberryrealty.com Headline Realty 704-547-1700 www.headlinerealty.com Hendrix Mitchener Properties LLC 704-552-9292 www.hmproperties.com Mountain Island Realty LLC 704-971-6021

Rayford Smith Realty LLC 704-494-4704 www.rayfordsmith.com Savvy + Co. Real Estate 704-330-8326 www.savvyandcompany.com Trade Street Realty 704-375-3082 www.tradestreetrealty.com Von Pettis Realty 704-536-9801 www.vonpettis.com

Refugee Services Boat People SOS Inc. (Vietnamese) 704-567-2320 www.bpsos.org

Restaurants Asian 88 China Bistro 1620 E. Fourth St. 704-335-0288 Ben Thành Vietnamese Restaurant 4900 Central Ave. 704-566-1088 Chen’s Bistro 230 E. W.T. Harris Blvd.

704-510-9889 www.chensbistro.com Cuisine Malaya 1411 Elizabeth Ave. 704-372-0766 www.cuisinemalaya.com Dim Sum Chinese Restaurant 2920 Central Ave. 704-569-1128 Dim Sum Chinese Restaurant 2920 Central Ave. 704-569-1128 DragonFly 5110 Park Road 704-527-3868 Fujo Uptown Bistro 301 S. College St. 704-954-9016 Golden Taipei 8511 Davis Lake Parkway 704-494-8688 www.goldentaipei.com HoHo China Bistro 2001 E. Seventh St. Charlotte, NC 28204 704-376-0807 House of Leng 704-510-5081 www.houseofleng.com Nikko Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar 1300-F South Blvd.

704-370-0100 www.nikkosushibar.net

Soho Bistro 214 N. Tryon St. 704-333-5882 www.sohobistro2go.com Shun Lee Palace Inc. 4340 Colwick Road 704-366-2025 Taiyo Pacific and Sushi Bar 8205 University City Blvd.

704-509-9090 Tin Tin 10215 Park Road 704-341-2293 Caribbean

Caribbean Anntony’s Caribbean 704-608-9031 www.anntonys.com info@anntonys.com

Indian Copper Cuisine of India 311 East Blvd.

704-333-0063 www.copperrestaurant.com Jaipur Indian Restaurant 5909 South Blvd.

704-643-1421 www.jaipur-indian.com Maharani Indian Cuisine 901 S. Kings Drive 704-370-2455 www.maharaniindiancuisine.com Namaste India 4508 E. Independence Blvd.

704-568-7979 www.namasteindia.cc Saffron Indian Restaurant 2135 Ayrsley Town Blvd.

980-297-7722

Latino 5 De Mayo 10009 Weddington Road Extension Concord, NC 28027 704-979-8709 Carnitas Guanajuato 1702 Walkup Ave. Monroe, NC 704-238-9726 LaTorre’s Latin Inspired Cuisine 704-377-4448 www.latorresrestaurant.com Machu Picchu 4715 E. Independence Blvd.

704-449-0130 Red Pic Café 1480 Concord Parkway N., Suite 305 Concord, NC 28205 704-793-6305

Monterrey 1001 E.W.T. Harris Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28213 704-593-0167 9629 E. Independence Blvd.

Matthews, NC 28105 704-841-8068

Mexican Azteca Mexican Restaurant 116 E. Woodlawn Road 704-525-5110 www.aztecamex.com Cantina 1511 1511 East Blvd.

704-331-9222 www.cantina1511restaurant.com Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant 5317 E. Independence Blvd.

704-535-4383 Fiesta Maya 3507 David Cox Road 704-509-9402 La Casa de Las Enchiladas 2917 Central Ave. 704-536-1851

Organic/Vegan Luna’s Living Kitchen 704-333-0008 lunaslivingkitchen@gmail.com

Southern/Soul Food Coffee Cup 704-909-7096 www.coffeecupsoul.com Chicken Box 3726 N. Tryon St. 704-332-2636 Grandma’s Country Kitchen 6615 N. Tryon St. 704-598-1221 La’wan’s Soul Food Restaurant 7705 S. Tryon St. 704-665-7225 Mert’s Heart & Soul 214 N. College St. 704-342-4222 www.mertsuptown.com Sadie’s Soul Food 5708 N. Sharon Amity Rd. 704-532-5570 www.sadiesoul.com Simmons Soul Food 516 N. Graham St., Unit A-3 Charlotte, NC 28202 704-334-6640 www.simmonsoulfoodrestaurant. com

Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina 704-643-9500 www.salsaritas.com

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Thai Thai House, University 704-717-8006 Thai Orchid 704-364-1134 Thai Taste East Boulevard 704-332-0001

Other Los Paisas (Colombian) 8318 Pineville-Matthews Road, Suite 702 Charlotte, NC 28226 704-542-5477 Meskerem (Ethiopian) 601 S. Kings Drive 704-335-1197

Retail Head First Millinery 704-562-9985 Hola Baby 704-737-1622 www.holababyshop.com Gone Ape 8518 Castle Pine Ct. Charlotte, NC 28226 info@thegreatgoneape.com www.thegreatgoneape.com

Shipping/Packaging **Ferguson Supply & Box Co. 800-821-1023 www.fergusonbox.com

Shredding/Recycling Mar’s Recycling & Shredding Inc. 704-549-8409 www.marsrecyclingandshredding. com Small Business Resources Nu Level Solutions 704-756-4888 www.nulevelsolutions.com Smart Solutions 704-807-4184 www.yourlifeeventslegalplan.com

Spa Modern Salon & Spa 704-339-0909 www.modernsalonandspa.com’ My Day Spa (nails and tanning) 5818 Prosperity Church Road Charlotte, NC 704-875-7744

Speech Therapy Speechworks Therapy Services Inc. 704-973-0149 speechworkstx@aol.com

Sports and Entertainment Charlotte Bobcats 704-688-8600 www.bobcats.com

Stamps/Marking Devices Carolina Marking Devices Inc. 704-525-7600 www.caromark.com

Telecommunications Omega Communications 704-665-9545 www.omega-comm.com Webneed Inc. 704-492-0354 www.webneed.com

Translators/Language Services Avantgarde Translations Inc. 704-496-2736 www.avantgardetranslations.com Into Spanish Ltd. 800-351-4686 www.intospanishltd.net

Transportation/Delivery Chambers Express Trucking Inc. 704-292-2916 D.W. Rowland Hauling 704-263-2806 Glaze Independent Trucking 704-345-5984 drglazesr@yahoo.com Load ’Em Down Trucking 704-492-0633 **Mile Marker Logistics Inc. 704-393-3630 www.milemarkerlogistics.com R. Broome Jr. Trucking 980-721-2393 RC Hauling Inc. 704-786-1067 RLD Trucking 704-264-9821 Solano’s Trucking 704-557-5558 Thore Enterprises Inc. 704-875-9407 Whitley & Son Trucking Inc. 704-573-3848 www.whitleyandsons.com

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Urban Planning/ Commercial Development Ryan Harris LLC 704-644-7726 www.ryan-harris.com The Littlejohn Group LLC 704-377-2262 www.thelittlejohngroup.com

Web Design Cohesion Marketing & PR 704-296-2174 www.cohesionmarketing.net Eastonsweb Multimedia 704-607-0941 HTD Network 704-749-6483 www.htdnetwork.com IZHE Web Design 980-875-0093 izhedesign.com Zuri Creative Services 704-496-2695

Wildlife Management Goose Busters! The Border Collie Patrol Inc. 704-365-2497 www.gogeese.com CMRG

F i d e l i s U . E d o s o m wa n , M D

Sugar Creek Medical Center 721 W. Sugar Creek Rd Charlotte, NC 28213 704-941-2080 At The Park 6023 Beatties Ford Rd. Charlotte, NC 28216 704-399-2677 On The Plaza 1805 Milton Rd. Charlotte, NC 28215 704-535-0400

Dentistry Urgent Care Internal Medicine

Americare

Walk-ins Welcome

Pediatrics

No Appointment Needed

Family Practice

Open Monday-Friday 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-3pm (Hablamos Espanol)

Immunizations Minor Trauma Industrial Medicine

We acce pt all for ms of payment including Medicaid, Medicare and the Militar y TriCare/Champus Prog rams

Family Medical Center 905 N. Pearl Street Pageland, SC 29728 843-672-3100

Full Lab Services X-Ray Echocardiogram Physical Therapy

Anson Medical Center 608 Salisbury Street Wadesboro, NC 28170 704-695-9200

Hypertension

Marshville Health Center 7204 E. Marshville Blvd.

Marshville, NC 28103 704-624-9200

Allergy Testing

On The Plaza

Diabetes Bone Density

Sleep Study Fidelis U. Edosomwan, MD Medical Director and CEO

Sugar Creek Medical Center

At The Park www.charlotteresourceguide.net

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R eportaje

Las minorías reclaman participación mayoritaria por Dee Dixon

¡B

ienvenido a la tercera edición anual de la Guía de Recursos Multiculturales de Charlotte! La edición de este año es verdaderamente bella. Nuestra misión: servir de enlace entre el mundo corporativo y las pequeñas empresas; mientras tanto, la diversidad entre las comunidades continua floreciendo y oficialmente las minorías en la Ciudad Reina se han convertido en mayoría,según las últimas cifras del Censo. En el año 2000, las minorías sumaban el 40.5% de la población general de Charlotte. Esa cifra ha incrementado hasta un 53.7 %.

De hecho, el total de la población de la ciudad de Charlotte aumento de 540,828 a 731,424. El desglose por raza es de: Afroamericano -256.241 (35%), indios americanos / nativos de Alaska -3483 (0,5%), asiáticos-36, 403 (5%); nativos americanos / isleños del Pacífico-581 - 0,1%, y los hispanos / latinos 95688 (13,1%); la población femenina aumentó de 275.850 en 2000 a 377.913 en 2010. ¡Guau! Ahora nos tenemos que preguntar, “¿Que significa todo esto?” Aun no tenemos una respuesta para esta pregunta, sin embargo, nos damos cuenta que estas cifras reflejan un cambio en nuestro status quo. Lo que tenemos aquí es un aviso, un toque de atención. Entender los matices y las preferencias de los nuevos mercados emergentes será clave para el éxito político, social y económico de nuestra ciudad.

Tenemos mucho que aprender. (Vea el artículo en la página 20 para obtener másinformación).

Proyecto de Investigación Hemos aprendido algo más de los datos recientes del censo. Hay una necesidad de conseguir más entendimiento en relación con un sector muy importante de nuestra economía - la población femenina y las empresas que son propiedad de minorías. (Hace tres años, esta fue una de las razones que nos motivó a crear la Guía de Recursos Multiculturales e incluir un listado de pequeñas empresas). De hecho, hay más de 8.000 de estas empresas en nuestro MSA (siglas en inglés para análisis de sistemas de medición), sin embargo, no existe una lista detallada de estas empresas, aunque no por mucho tiempo.

Pride Magazine se ha asociado con la Cámara de Comercio de Charlotte y la Universidad de Charlotte (UNC) en un esfuerzo conjunto de investigación

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para identificar a las mujeres y las empresas que son propiedad de minorías dentro de nuestra MSA. Lograr entender esta información, tal vez allanara el camino para un mayor desarrolloeconómico. ¿Sabía usted que una encuesta mostró que mientras el total de los negocios aumento a más de 3.592 empresas en el condado de Mecklenburg entre el 2002 al 2007, el total de afroamericanos y mujeres en las empresas disminuido? Esto es un poco desconcertante, si se tiene en cuenta el aumento de la población de estos dos grupos según lo informado por el Censo. Esperemos que, una vez se establezca la lista definitiva de las empresas a partir de esta investigación, se puedan emplear medidas estratégicas para ayudar a estos pequeños negocios minoritarios a tener éxito.

La Semana de la Pequeña Empresa Hablando de la pequeña empresa, la Semana Nacional de la Pequeña empresa (16-20 de mayo), fue un éxito rotundo en Charlotte. Pride Public Relations organizó un simposio el 17 de mayo en la Urban League con el título de “Mantenerse en el juego: Reglas no escritas para el éxito de la pequeña empresa.” Si no pudo asistir, se perdió algo bueno, pero no se preocupe, estamos pensando en volver a organizar otro simposio el próximo año. Tuvimos dos mesas redondas sobresalientes junto con un cambio de imagen del negocio para uno de los asistentes afortunados del simposio. Queremos darle las gracias a nuestros patrocinadores por hacer posible este acontecimiento. Charlotte Area Transit System, Fifth Third Bank, Wells Fargo, Principal Financial Group y FDY. O.K. Ya es hora de despedirse. Por favor, únanse a mí para dar un fuerte aplauso a Wells Fargo SupplierDiversity (Departamento de Diversidad de Proveedores de Wells Fargo) por hacer posible esta Guía de Recursos Multiculturales de Charlotte. Este ejemplar verdaderamente refleja el cambio demográfico de Charlotte. ¡Se desborda con la diversidad! Sonya Dukes, Cassondra DeVine, Tonya Woodbury el entero equipo de Diversidad de Proveedores – ¡son lo máximo! Agradecemos su lealtad, visión y liderazgo en nuestra comunidad. “Gracias,” por todo lo que hacen. CMRG

R eportaje

Edificando comunidades y empresas fuertes a través del compromiso Por Edward Cates traducido por Jose M. Perez

E

l crecimiento y desarrollo de las comunidades se puede medir en parte por la vitalidad de sus empresas pequeñas y emergentes. El equipo Corporativo de Wells Fargo de Diversidad de Proveedores está contribuyendo al enriquecimiento de las comunidades mediante el desarrollo de nuevos empresarios, minorías, mujeres, LGBT, veteranos discapacitados y empresas y negocios desfavorecidos a través de su iniciativa de alcance llamado Líderes del Cambio.

“Los Líderes del Cambio ofrece un enfoque nacional y global hacia una mayor inclusión de proveedores diversos y capacitación a través del entrenamiento, formación y desarrollo proporcionado en conjunto con nuestros socios de organización. Las tres áreas de enfoque para los líderes del programa de cambio son el desarrollo de proveedores, orientación y tutoría de los nuevos empresarios y abarca el compromiso con la escuela secundaria y estudiantes universitarios que estén interesados el mundo empresarial “, dijo CaSondra Devine, Vicepresidente Superior y Gerente Comercial Superior del equipo Corporativo de Diversidad de Proveedores de Wells Fargo.

Los proveedores y organizaciones sin fines de lucro en todo el país se han visto afectados por el enfoque pro-activo de Wells Fargo hacia una mayor inclusión de proveedores diversos. La vibrante y diversa comunidad de negocios de Charlotte participa activamente en el programa de Líderes del Cambio con resultados positivos.

“Cuando Wells Fargo nos invitó a participar en el programa Los Líderes del Cambio fue en el momento perfecto para una compañía como la nuestra, una empresa minoritaria que pertenece a una mujer “, dijo Lucía Zapata Griffith, Presidente y CEO de Metro Landmarks, compañía de construcción y arquitectura comercial con sede en Charlotte.

Metro Landmarks con sede en Charlotte y situada en una localidad histórica restaurada por la misma empresa, está certificada como Líder en Energía y Diseño Ambiental. La metodología LEED empleada promueve conciencia ambiental y una mayor sostenibilidad de proyectos arquitectónicos y

de construcción.

“Una vez que nos iniciamos en el programa de Líderes del Cambio, nos centramos en hacernos preguntas sobre nuestra empresa. Preguntas como, ¿cuál es nuestra visión, qué tipo de proyectos debemos realizar y qué tipo de clientes debemos perseguir? También nos preparamos para obtener la certificación ISO 9001. La verdad que ha sido una experiencia integral, no solo en lo que respecta a la arquitectura y construcción, sino también en como trabajamos como equipo.”

Como resultado en la participación de Metro Landmarks en el programa de Líderes del Cambio, la compañía ha visto buenos resultados tangibles en el negocio. El tiempo dedicado a la renovación de nuestra página Web se redujo a la mitad. La compañía redujo a la mitad el tiempo de responder a ofertas e incrementoun 40 por ciento más el proceso de la certificación ISO 9001.

Los Lideres del Cambiotambiénhan impactado a los empresarios noveles y a los estudiantes a través de su difusión en la red de universidades nacionales.

Wells Fargo se ha asociado con la organización 105 Voces de la Historia, una organización de bellas artes sin fines de lucro que expone la excelencia, talento y rendimiento de estudiantes de Universidades Históricamente Negras para ayudarles a acceder a oportunidades disponibles.

“Nos dimos cuenta de que un número de nuestros participantes ya eran empresarios en perspectiva por sus actividades en sus campus, solo necesitaban más capacitación para aprovechar y encausar su talento”, dijo el fundador de 105 voces, Renata “Toni” Roy.” En el otoño de 2010, Wells Fargo acogió a 12 nuevos estudiantes empresarios de 105Voces en Charlotte para que asistiesen a un taller de planificación de negocios. Wells Fargo unió la formación de planificación de negocios con actividades que incluyeron giras por el Campus Cultural de Wells Fargo, el Museo Mint del Arte y una inspiradora presentación en el Centro B. Harvey Gantt para el Arte y Cultura Afro-Americano por Ron Leeper, presidente de RJ Leeper Construction LLC. CMRG www.charlotteresourceguide.net

63

B usiness S potlight

Sabrosos y nutritivos Restaurante de movimiento verde con menús veganos, crudos y libres de gluten por Ángela Lindsay y traducido por Jose M. Perez

un alto contenido de azúcar.” Así que Luna se enorgullece de que todo, desde sus ensaladas verdes hasta el café, son los ingredientes orgánicos más frescos y son cultivados localmente.

S

ituado junto al Mercado Atherton Mills al sur de Charlotte, el restaurante Luna’s Living Kitchen cultiva lo que la propietaria Juliana Luna llama, “el arte de la alimentación.” Provenientes de Colombia, Luna y su marido Randy Powell, abrieron el restaurante el julio pasado. Ofrece platos vegetarianos, veganos, platos crudos (no cocidos o procesados) y platos libres de gluten. Ella dice que lo que les motivo abrir su restaurante fue que, “querían compartir con la comunidad su forma de comer y su estilo de vida.” Ella ha sido vegana (estrictamente vegetariana) por año y medio. Su marido es vegetariano.

Ella viene de América del Sur, donde las personas crían animales y cultivan sus propios alimentos. Luna encuentra que la industria de alimentos en los EE.UU. es “algo increíble” y se preocupa que “todo viene en cajas y con 64

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

Ella dice: “Tratamos de darle a la gente la mejor nutrición dentro de nuestras posibilidades, e intentamos producir arte en la cocina con los ingredientes proporcionados por los agricultores.”

El menú especializado incluye Lunasagna una versión en crudo de lasaña con fideos de calabacín, salsa de tomates secados al sol, y queso de anacardos verdes - y los brotes de quínoa y hamburguesas vegetarianas de Kamut.

Este restaurante “verde” practica el reciclaje y compostaje in situ y emplea contenedores y utensilios biodegradables. Lo podemos considerar como un recurso de la comunidad, que alberga una biblioteca con libros sobre dietas y estilos de vida alternativos y expone obras de arte y accesorios hechos por artistas y artesanos locales. También hay planes para organizar conferencias sobre la salud y clases de cocina. www.charlotteresourceguide.net. Tags: Luna’s, vegan, organic

Celebrating Romare Bearden’s 100th birthday

Romare Bearden: Southern Recollections 2 September 2011 – 8 January 2012 Romare Bearden Of the Blues: Carolina Shout, 1974 Collage, acrylic, and lacquer on board 27.5 x 51 inches Mint Museum of Art Collection.

Museum Purchase: National Endowment for the Arts Matching Fund and Charlotte Debutante Club Fund.

Exhibition made possible with generous support from Duke Energy and Wells Fargo. Additional funding is provided by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Organized by The Mint Museum.

Art © Romare Bearden Foundation/ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts | 500 S. Tryon Street | 704.337.2000 | mintmuseum.org

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Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

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Wells Fargo partnership spotlight Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas

by Julie Logan

O

ne of the guiding principles for Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity is partnership development.

Through collaboration with leaders across the company and advocacy organizations, the Wells Fargo team is able to Julie Logan provide minority, women, LGBT, disabled, veteran, and disabled veteran-owned businesses equal opportunity to compete for business. Julie Logan, Assistant Vice President and Business Manager for Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity, is a member of the board for the Hispanic Contractors Association of the Carolinas. She recently spoke with the newly appointed Executive Director Julian Arcila and President Renee Jones on the organization’s partnership with Wells Fargo and its impact to the Hispanic business community.

Q. What is the relationship between Wells Fargo and HCAC? A. Wells Fargo is not only a partner for HCAC, but the company has a seat on our board. Julie Logan actively participates on the board of directors, offering suggestions and feedback for different initiatives.

Renee Jones Additionally she works constantly with HCAC staff in the development of one of our most important events, The Safety and Construction Fair.

Q. How has Wells Fargo’s involvement impacted HCAC? A. Having a partner such as Wells Fargo, among others, impacts our organization in different ways.

First it helps other companies become confident in supporting our organization because Wells Fargo is a trusted brand in the market. Our membership 68

Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

base feels very positive in their experience because they are not alone in their development.

Secondly, HCAC is able to learn best practices from an operational perspective. Understanding and learning about some of the internal processes used by a large corporation can help our organization become more efficient, effective and innovative.

Q. Are there any members of HCAC that have supplier relationships with Wells Fargo? Any 2nd-tier suppliers?

A. Two of our most recognized members have been suppliers for Wells Fargo. Marand Builders has constructed branches in the past and have been given an opportunity to construct new retail stores in the southeast region for Wells Fargo.

We have a second-tier supplier, AquaSource, who works for Mirand Builders.

Q. Any final comments?

A. As the executive director of the HCAC, I find our relationship with Wells Fargo to be invaluable.

In addition to being one of those companies that has partnered with us since our very beginning, the Corporate Supplier Diversity staff has been very active in supporting Julian Arcila our organization with on-time suggestions, involvement in different committees and providing resources for the advancement of our community.

Here are some final thoughts from the president of HCAC, Renee Jones: “As president of HCAC I have the honor of serving with members of the Wells Fargo team on our board of directors. It is a great pleasure to work alongside a company that shares the same corporate goals of inclusion as HCAC and is willing to ‘roll up their sleeves’ in moving our initiatives forward to assist the community. I look forward to our continued partnership with Wells Fargo as we expand our educational programs and small business services throughout North and South Carolina Hispanic business community.” CMRG For more information on becoming a supplier for Wells Fargo, please visit our website at wellsfargo.com/supplierdiversity.

Corporate Supplier Diversity

Let’s talk

We strive to establish relationships with firms like yours — growing companies owned by members of Charlotte’s multicultural community. In doing so, we gain strong suppliers to boost our competitive advantage in the marketplace and you enjoy new opportunities to expand and enhance your business.

Yet, it’s our communities that really benefit. Our partnerships with diverse suppliers — minority-, women-, LGBT-, disabled-, veteran-, and disabled-veteran business enterprises — contribute to the economic vigor and cultural vibrancy of communities where we live and work.

For more information, please contact the Wells Fargo Corporate Supplier Diversity team at corporatesupplierdiversity@wellsfargo.com.

wellsfargo.com © 2011 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved.

Member FDIC. ECG-536201

START A NEW CHAPTER IN YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION. Learning disabilities or ADHD means educational success can be a challenge. Dore’s focus on Academics, Arts and Self means your child receives an education that helps close the gap, and create success. Visit us to see the difference Dore Academy can make in your child’s life.

1727 Providence Road • Charlotte, NC 28207 704.365.5490 • DoreAcademy.org

Dore Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, marital status, disability, religion, creed, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational programs, admissions, financial aid policies or employment practices.

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Charlotte Multicultural Resource Guide

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