CLT Airport Just Announced A New $231 Million Expansion To Concourse A

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CLT Airport Just Announced A New $231 Million Expansion To Concourse A

The Charlotte Douglas Airport just announced yet another round of expansive growth.

In the midst of its $2.5 billion makeover (to build an airport ‘fit for the Queen’), the airport just announced another major upgrade – a $231 million, 191,848-square-foot, 10 gate expansion of Concourse A.

When completed in 2024, the massively expanded concourse will feature a number of high-tech features, including auto-tinting window glass, adjustable speed terrazzo flooring in the center walkways, and 2 new massive live-art pieces, according to a press release from the airport.

The new concourse expansion will be paid for by a North Carolina Airport Improvement Program state grant, Passenger Facility Charge bonds, as well as non-Passenger Facility Charge bonds.

Charlotte Douglas has contracted with C Design and Perkins+Will for the design and JE Dunn and McFarland for the build out.

Tour The ‘Secret Gardens’ of Uptown This Weekend

Charlotte Stories
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Tour The ‘Secret Gardens’ of Uptown This Weekend

This weekend, some of the most elaborate and beautiful gardens in Uptown Charlotte will open their gates to the community for walking tours, live music, and incredible food and drinks.

From the micro to the magnificent, ‘Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward Tour 2022‘ will showcase a mix of private gardens, courtyards, and unique outdoor living spaces. Tour-goers may explore these hidden oases while enjoying complimentary food & beverage tastings courtesy of:  Aperol Spritz, Town Brewing, El Jimador Tequila, Vinada NA Wines, Ritual, With Co., Mocktails, Rightside Brewing, Sea Level (free oysters), Broken Shed Vodka, Southern Distilling, Potts Chocolate, Poplar Tapas Restaurant, Queen City Grounds, Pizzeria Sapienza, It’s Poppin’ Gourmet Kettle Korn, Edwin’s Organix (Seafood paella tastings – Sunday only) & more.

The tour also features live music from Leisure McCorkle, free electric golf cart rides from Ride Charlotte, a plant and pottery sale from UMAR, and more.

Tickets for the Secret Gardens of 4th Ward range in price from $30-$40. For tickets & more info, visit fourthwardclt.org.

Frank Vogel joins contenders for Charlotte Hornets head coach job

Sharon Anderson
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Frank Vogel joins contenders for Charlotte Hornets head coach job

The list of candidates for the Charlotte Hornets’ bench continues to grow. After the firing of James Borrego, who had held the spot since 2018, the number of possible options and new names added on the list of suitors has never stopped increasing in size. Now, it’s former Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers head coach who joined the list of runners to ply their trade in Charlotte.

Unfortunately for James Borrego, his project did not convince the owners, which made him the big piece to replace. However, there’s still no clarity regarding who will be the next choice, as other names like those of Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham, Charles Lee, David Vanterpool and others have been thrown into the hat. Get the latest information on the Charlotte Hornets so you can play here like an expert when the season starts.

In the case of Vogel, defense is expected to improve, as it is one of the keys to his style. His tough style was paramount to the Pacers team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013-14, and Vogel’s mastery of the art of defense was proven once again when the structure proposed by the coach led the Los Angeles Lakers to win the ring in the 2020 NBA Finals.

Vogel was sacked by the Lakers in April after he failed to lead the team to a PlayOffs spot. “This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but we believe it is necessary at this time,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. The Los Angeles team finished the 2021-2022 campaign in 11th place in the Western Conference, missing the postseason with a terrible record of 33 wins and 49 losses. However, Vogel’s work was praised by the NBA’s biggest star, LeBron James. When asked about the New Jersey-born coach, James said he had “nothing but respect” for his former boss.

Regarding the other candidates to take the Charlotte Hornets’ head coaching position, Charles Lee has been an assistant to Mike Budenholzer since 2018 after previously spending time with the Atlanta Hawks (2014-18) and Bucknell University (2012-14) also as an assistant. In the case of Vanterpool, he has been on the bench for CSKA Moscow (2007-10); Portland Trail Blazers (2012-19); Minnesota Timberwolves (2019-20) and the aforementioned Brooklyn Nets (2021-current).

When it comes to the Hornets, it’s worth wondering whether Vogel, while a terrific coach, will be the right choice for the job. Charlotte has a group of young players that has already been about to make the jump to the playoffs this year, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 43 wins and 39 losses. With LaMelo Ball at the helm and others like Miles Bridges accompanying him, no matter who gets to the bench, the only goal will be to be a postseason team, but perhaps a more offensive coach could get something better from the young players. No matter who their choice will be, it’s clear that Charlotte has an interesting team that has gathered plenty of interest, and one that any coach would like to try and shape in their style.

Charlotte’s Nucor Corp Buying Overhead Doors For $3 Billion

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Charlotte’s Nucor Corp Buying Overhead Doors For $3 Billion

Charlotte-based Nucor Corporation has just announced plans to buy garage door maker C.H.I. Overhead Doors from private equity firm KKR for a cool $3.0 billion ($2.4 billion more than what KKR paid for the company back in July of 2015).

The roughly 800 employees at the company are fractional shareholders, so when the deal closes, a total of $360 million will be paid out to workers (receiving between $20,000 and $800,000 per person, depending on their position in the company).

According to a press release, the transaction is expected to close in June or shortly thereafter, pending regulatory approvals and customary closing condition.

“Acquiring C.H.I. is another step in our long-term strategy to expand into areas that are a natural extension of our business and leverage our efficient manufacturing model,” said Nucor CEO Leon Topalian. “Acquiring C.H.I. allows Nucor to further enhance its already diverse range of businesses that provide end market solutions to the construction and infrastructure markets. As with the acquisitions Nucor made in the past year in insulated metal panels and racking, C.H.I. increases the overall long-run value of the organization with businesses that have strong free cash flow characteristics, robust growth prospects and fit with Nucor’s capabilities.”

The C.H.I. Overhead Doors company manufactures and sells overhead door products for residential and commercial applications, including rolling steel and rubber doors for commercial and industrial customers. They have 2 manufacturing plants in Arthur, Illinois, and Terre Haute, Indiana, and regional warehouses located in California, Colorado, New Hampshire and New Jersey.

New $27 Million Manufacturing Plant Coming To Concord

Sharon Anderson
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New $27 Million Manufacturing Plant Coming To Concord

A new $27 million manufacturing plant has just been announced for the City of Concord.

Specialty Packaging company Max Solutions, Inc announced it will be building their first facility in the Carolinas as well as creating 150 new higher than average paying jobs.

In a press release, NC Governor Roy Cooper praised the decision.

“North Carolina’s reputation for manufacturing continues to attract entrepreneurs across all industries and Cabarrus County is the perfect spot,” said Cooper. “With our talent, transportation, and East Coast location, manufacturers in all phases of growth can count on North Carolina to support their success.”

Although salaries for the new positions will vary, the average annual salary for the new positions is $67,253, which is more than Cabarrus County’s annual average wage of $43,687. The project could create a potential annual payroll impact of more than $10 million per year for the region.

“We are thrilled to be returning to North Carolina,” said Dennis Kaltman, President and COO of Max Solutions, Inc.“ The Concord location will allow us to service our customer base in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Furthermore, this facility will have the same state of the art equipment as its sister facility in Pennsylvania, which will allow Max to service its entire customer base as necessary. We particularly appreciate the efforts of the North Carolina Department of Commerce over the past few months as we searched and identified what we believe to be an ideal facility. We look forward to partnering with North Carolina as we identify and train the skilled labor necessary to operate our facility.”

The new project will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term the company is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $400 million, allowing for a potential company reimbursement of up to $1,250,250 spread over 12 years.

North Carolina is the 2nd Safest State During COVID-19

Charlotte Stories
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North Carolina is the 2nd Safest State During COVID-19

With around 66.3% of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and new cases on a general downward trend since the start of the year, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the Safest States During COVID-19.

In order to find out the safest states during the COVID-19 pandemic, the site compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics. Our data set includes the level of COVID-19 community transmission, the rates of positive testing, hospitalizations and death, as well as the share of the eligible population getting vaccinated.

North Carolina’s Safety During Coronavirus (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

  • 1st – Vaccination Rate
  • 23rd – Hospitalization Rate
  • 1st – Death Rate

Safest States During COVID

Overall Rank*  State Total Score 
1 South Dakota 81.80
2 North Carolina 75.16
3 Texas 75.03
4 California 74.51
5 Maryland 74.01
6 District of Columbia 73.64
7 Nevada 73.45
8 North Dakota 72.34
9 Colorado 71.87
10 Iowa** 68.88
11 Alabama 68.47
12 Rhode Island 67.81
13 Idaho 67.54
14 Nebraska 66.72
15 Virginia 66.40
16 Arkansas 66.26
17 New Jersey 64.91
18 Hawaii 64.20
19 Montana 64.03
20 Illinois 63.61
21 Utah 63.09
22 Louisiana 62.92
23 Pennsylvania 62.91
24 Florida 62.57
25 New Hampshire 62.55
26 Alaska 62.35
27 Washington 61.39
28 Massachusetts 61.35
29 Wyoming 60.21
30 Missouri 59.32
31 Vermont 59.14
32 Oregon 58.50
33 Mississippi 58.29
34 Connecticut 58.22
35 New York 57.45
36 South Carolina 56.80
37 Minnesota 55.18
38 Delaware 54.73
39 Tennessee 52.34
40 Kansas 51.80
41 Oklahoma 49.59
42 Ohio 48.94
43 New Mexico 48.71
44 Indiana 48.06
45 Wisconsin 44.41
46 Georgia 43.16
47 Michigan 40.18
48 West Virginia 37.77
49 Kentucky 30.70
50 Maine 30.15
51 Arizona 29.99

Note: Rankings are based on data available as of 12:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/safest-states-during-covid/86567

Grammy-Winning Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors to Headline 2022 Cheerwine Festival

Charlotte Stories
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Grammy-Winning Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors to Headline 2022 Cheerwine Festival

Cheerwine, the iconic 105-year-old soft drink, and its hometown of Salisbury will welcome two of the country’s favorite rock bands to the Hotwire Communication Stage as this year’s headliners at the 2022 Cheerwine Festival.

Blues Traveler, the Grammy-winning quintet, is best known for their Top 40 singles “Run-Around,” “Hook,” and “But Anyway,” as well as their improvisational live shows. The Grammy-nominated Spin Doctors rose to fame for their 5x platinum album Pocket Full of Kryptonite and hits “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong.”

The two headlining acts will be joined by Lauren Light Trio, Tsunami Wave Riders and 9daytrip.

“We’re beyond grateful to the fans who travel from near and far to celebrate at the Cheerwine Festival with us,” says Joy Ritchie Harper, vice-president of marketing for Cheerwine and fifth-generation founding family member. “And we’d like to thank them by hosting two incredible headlining acts in our hometown. On top of that, we’re thrilled to welcome an incredible array of local vendors and brands from around the South to help us celebrate uniquely regional sights, sounds and tastes.”

This year’s outdoor celebration is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, from noon to 10 p.m., against the backdrop of Salisbury’s historic downtown.

In addition to exciting live musical performances from national, regional and local acts, festival goers will:

  • Taste Cheerwine-filled food, including BBQ, desserts and more, from 35 Carolinian vendors.

  • Enjoy Cheerwine-infused craft beer from a number of regional breweries, such as New Sarum Brewing Company and Cabarrus Brewing Company.

  • Explore the soft drink’s heritage at the Rowan Museum’s Cheerwine exhibit, which catalogs the company’s long, storied history with rare memorabilia.

  • Pop in the Food Lion “Carolina Brands” experience and sample unique regional flavors from favorites, including Cackalacky.

  • Play at the F&M Bank Kids Zone, which includes activities and entertainment for kiddos.

  • Take an F&M Bank trolley tour through historic downtown Salisbury, which will highlight a number of interesting Cheerwine sites.

  • Shop for arts and crafts, including unique Cheerwine merchandise, at over 45 vendor booths.

“We love welcoming tens of thousands of people for the festival who in turn also get to see all our amazing city has to offer,” says Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander. “Our residents and business owners always look forward to hosting visitors at our annual event, and 2022’s festival is poised to be the best one yet.”

For more information, visit https://cheerwinefest.com. Fans can also find details by visiting the Cheerwine Festival Facebook event page and searching the hashtag #CheerwineFest on social media.

5 Ways To Grow Your Network (As A Real Estate Agent)

Sandra Young
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5 Ways To Grow Your Network (As A Real Estate Agent)

Networking is an essential skill to develop when learning to be a real estate agent. Networking allows you to learn from others, get new clients, and nurture yourself and your organization in the real estate business.

Growing your network as a real estate agent can be challenging. However, you can focus on the quality of your network over quantity, build relationships as time progresses, and keep in touch with your clients to boost your network. 

You might be struggling to find leads for your business. The outline below highlights some tips that can assist you in growing your network as a real estate agent:

  1. Maintain Your Active Online Presence

Most real estate agents overlook the importance of maintaining an active online presence to grow their network. They focus more on building their personal and professional traits. However, with the advancement in technology, the first impression is often made through digital platforms, including blogs, websites, and social media platforms.

Social media allows you to connect with clients and helps you communicate your skills and expertise to them. You can also interact with other people, share your ideas, and promote your business through social media platforms. 

Building an active online presence also allows you to respond to inquiries, messages, and emails through all your channels. The more active channels you have, the greater your chances of connecting with prospective clients and professionals and getting leads.

However, it’s crucial to make yourself easy to contact by ensuring that your contact information is active and up-to-date.

2. Be Active In Your Community

It’s crucial to know how to build a rapport with people and relate with all sorts of people to boost your networking. Being active in your community is an essential tip for networking that can help you expand your customer base and understand the people living in your property’s neighborhood. There are many ways you can get involved with your local community. Some ways include:

  • Local sponsorship– you can sponsor local events such as local festivals, school events, or small league teams. Being a community sponsor can be a good strategy for branding or business recognition by handing out t-shirts, flyers, or pamphlets that bear your organization’s name.
  • Volunteer– you can spend your free time volunteering for local organizations or causes you like. You can connect with like-minded people during this campaign as you grow your network. Additionally, volunteering can be an excellent way of doing some good to your community.
  • Participate as a guest and support education– you can be a guest on different local occasions like speaking at local events or giving a speech during career days. You can reach out to institutions that offer real estate courses and share your expertise with them. You can also suggest having an internship program with a particular institution.

By getting involved with your local community, you can deepen your connection with the other community members. You can also make postcards that market your business; for instance, the just sold postcards by Wise Pelican. Through this connection, they can consider you as their top priority when hearing about any real estate opportunity.

3. Listen More

Listening more and talking less can help you grow your networking business. Many people love to talk about themselves. Even in the real estate industry, people tend to share their ideas on purchasing, maintaining, or putting a property on sale. You can help identify peoples’ challenges and solve problems they never knew they had by actively listening. This can help build trust between you and your contact, impacting the growth of your network.

4. Have A Competent Team

Any business with a competent and trustworthy team has to succeed. The real estate business also needs a team of dedicated personnel to grow. Therefore, you need to surround yourself with people capable of gearing your business towards success. Your team should be capable of referring potential clients to your business.

5. Follow Up With Prospects

It can take you a lot of time to get prospects and develop relationships with them. If you happen to find a prospective contact, it would be best to follow up and follow through with them, either through a call, email, or a scheduled meeting. Personalizing the follow-up can guarantee the appreciation of your contact. The follow-up shows your contact that you’re in the position of helping them with any of their real estate needs.

Conclusion

Networking is all about getting new contacts and building relationships with them. It can be challenging in the real estate business. You need to employ some specific strategies to grow your network in the real estate business. The tips in the outline above can guide you through how to grow your network as a real estate agent.

Why the Art of Gift Giving Is Important

Sharon Anderson
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Why the Art of Gift Giving Is Important

Are you having trouble finding the perfect gift for a friend and loved one and are starting to wonder why it is even important? Do you want to know why gift-giving is meaningful and how you can make it a big part of your relationships?

Giving gifts is more than just giving someone a present for their birthday or a holiday but it can also be an expression of your love for that person and how much you mean to them. However, often gift giving can get quite tricky especially if you don’t know what people might like. That’s where gift guides like this one come in handy – they provide extensive lists of gift ideas that can help you when you’re struggling with making a choice.

There are many different reasons why the art of gift-giving is important and why you should make sure to get your loved ones the perfect gift every time. Here are a few reasons why the art of gift-giving is important.

Expression Of Love

Gift-giving is something that is special and it’s something that also does not happen very frequently however it is very important to pay attention to what you are giving to your loved ones. This is because gift-giving is an expression of love.

Understanding that giving gifts to someone is an expression of your love, what you need to know is that when you give someone a gift it needs to be something that comes from your heart and is something that the receiver will love.

Shows Thoughtfulness

The next reason why the art of gift-giving is so important is that it shows thoughtfulness. There is no doubt that people love it when you pay attention to what they are saying, what they enjoy, and what they might want in the future.

This thoughtfulness does not mean that you have to get them expensive or fancy gifts, but it could even be buying them chocolate that they have once mentioned that they enjoy or getting them something that they have been needing for a very long time.

Being thoughtful through gift-giving is a great way to show your appreciation for someone but also to show that you listen to what they say, or you have a good understanding of them.

Token Of Gratitude

When it comes to gift-giving many people give gifts to show their appreciation for someone or as a token of their gratitude. Many people give gifts to people who have helped them in some way or another as a way to say thank you.

Gifts could be given to parents as a token of gratitude for looking after you as you grow up or to friends for helping you with things that may be troubling you. There are many different reasons why one might want to give gifts as a token of gratitude, but it is always a great way to show your gratefulness and to show your thankfulness.

Giving gifts as a token of gratitude does not only have to be for those who are your loved ones or your friends and family but it can also be used in a business sense where businesses can give tokens of appreciation to their staff and their employees.

It Shows That You Care

The final reason why the art of gift-giving is so important is that it simply shows that you care. Something to keep in mind is that gift-giving does not solely have to be for special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries, but it can also be used as a way to show someone that you care and that you are thinking about them.

Little gifts such as a bouquet or a basket of snacks are a great way to show that you care about someone. It is a great way to show your appreciation for them and let them know that you love them. Gifts can often speak louder than words can, and it is a great way to make someone happy with a simple action.

Giving gifts to show appreciation or that you care does not have to be expensive but is just simply a token of your appreciation.

How to affordably pull off a month of remote work in a new city

Sharon Anderson
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How to affordably pull off a month of remote work in a new city

Remote work and digital nomadism are on the rise, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. As companies realized they can lower overhead and maintain productivity when workers are remote, many are not requiring workers to come into the office at all or are allowing them to choose a hybrid schedule. 

If you want to test out the digital nomad lifestyle but are worried about how you will afford it, you can compare personal loan rates with Credello. 

An overview of work and travel

Many people were raised to think that work afforded travel, but that they were two separate entities. Now, there is a rapidly increasing group of people that have combined these two things, otherwise known as digital nomads. Each nomad is different, but many sold off all their belongings and committed to a life on the road, bouncing from city to city and working from new locations. This is oftentimes cheaper than affording rent in the U.S., where you also have to think about car payments or other transportation, food, and other costly expenses. 

If you are considering testing out this lifestyle or just want to get away from home for a bit but do not want to fully take the leap into selling everything you own, there are ways to make it more affordable. It can be daunting thinking of paying for rent back home while also traveling for a month, but the benefits will likely outweigh the costs. 

If you have travel credit cards, you can use points and miles to pay for flights or rental cars to get to your new city. These can also go towards Airbnbs or hotels, significantly reducing those two major costs. Choose a city that has a lower cost of living than the one you are currently living in. South America has many cities that are great for digital nomads, as they offer reliable internet, similar time zones to the United States, and an extremely low cost of living. 

You can also take out a personal loan to help cover the cost of a month of remote work. Personal loans typically get approved and funded very quickly, meaning you can start planning your trip in no time. They also typically have lower interest rates than credit cards, but do be sure to shop around between lenders so you get the best rate. Check the terms of your personal loan to see about repayment options and any hidden fees or penalties throughout the lifetime of the loan. 

The bottom line

Working remotely in a new city can feel like a complete reset and a fresh start. People are getting burned out working from home but also do not want to go back to the office. The pandemic prohibited travel for such a long time that many are looking for ways to see the world while also maintaining a steady income, and remote work allows just that. 

If you are interested in working remotely in a new city, you can leverage credit card points or take out a personal loan for vacation – or both. 

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