Progressive business owners looking for new ideas to boost profitability have a free opportunity to learn from a master business strategist – and from each other. “Top Five Strategies for Improving Profitability in 2012” will give business owners fresh insights on how to build their profits even in a recovering economy. The program features Tom Jackson, president of Renaissance Executive Forums in Charlotte. Jackson is a master business strategist with more than 30 years of experience in starting, running, purchasing, selling and valuing businesses. Participants will also have the chance to share ideas with their peers in a powerful roundtable

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Origin Food Group, LLC’s früsh yogurt & Fruit Shakes are now for sale at Lowe’s Foods, Ingles Markets and BI-LOs throughout North and South Carolina. The früsh line of innovative and healthy yogurt fruit shakes may be found in the dairy cases at 110 Lowe’s Foods stores, 101 Ingles Markets and 145 BI-LOs throughout the Carolinas. Debuting in four flavors: strawberry, blueberry, peach and strawberry banana and available in two sizes, 8.4 fl. oz. and 32 fl. oz., früsh is designed for a healthy on-the-go lifestyle. “This is a home-grown relationship among four Carolinas -based companies,” said Don Greenlee, general

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Military Families United, a national coalition of Gold Star and Blue Star families, veterans and patriotic Americans, is proud to announce it is joining forces with The Art Institutes to provide educational support to the spouses of the men and women who wear the nation’s uniform. The Art Institutes will offer four scholarships at $25,000 each (equaling $100,000 total) per year to spouses of all Armed Forces members including Active Duty, Active National Guard and Reserve, and spouses of those killed in the line of duty post 9/11. Need-based recipients are eligible for a one-time only award in the form

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The developer of ReVenture Park announced today that they now control an additional 578 acres of residential land that wraps the primary ReVenture site. This brings the total project size to 1, 245 acres that will include a proposed mix of residential, retail, office and industrial spaces. The vision for the new housing component is a community where sustainability is ingrained into people’s lifestyles and is woven through the fabric of the community. Forsite has engaged UNC Charlotte’s Urban Design program to help mold the initial vision and design principles that will be incorporated throughout the project. “This is a

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Southeast Pain Care (SEPC), a division of the national medical group American Anesthesiology, and Blue Ridge HealthCare have opened a new pain center in Hickory at 2134 14th Ave. Circle NW. The new location is already accepting new patients. Founded in Charlotte in 1997, Southeast Pain Care treats a wide variety of patients’ pain needs, from back pain to diabetic neuropathy, using interventional pain techniques. The goal is to provide patients with non-surgical options, while simultaneously decreasing and/or eliminating the amount of pain medication necessary to control their pain. Some examples of interventional pain techniques include: injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency

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The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education received the first report from its Privatization Advisory Committee on Feb. 14, which recommended that the district consider expanding some outsourcing of custodial functions and explore outsourcing some functions of information technology as well as privatizing payroll. The Privatization Advisory Committee was created in April 2011 to review ways the district could benefit from managed competition, outsourcing and consolidation of services. The committee has nine members, with each Board member appointing one, and has met nine times since convening in August. Five CMS service areas have given presentations to the committee: custodial services, Child Nutrition,

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Spring Break is a time when many college students like to cut loose and forget about exams for a few days, but unfortunately, focusing too much on fun and not enough on personal safety can have tragic consequences. To help college students stay safe while on Spring Break, Marcia Peot, full time police officer and Chief Safety Officer at StreetSafe, offers the following safety reminders: • Don’t let your guard down. Being on vacation is not an excuse to throw caution to the wind and do something you wouldn’t normally do or put yourself in an unsafe situation. • Research

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A new locally-owned shop offering unique gifts and home décor has opened its doors for business in Harrisburg. Wish Gift Boutique will offer a wide variety of specialty items, including clothing, shoes, accessories, bracelets, jewelry, lip gloss and purses. In addition to clothing and accessories, Wish Gift Boutique will carry an array of home décor, including handmade wall art, frames, lighting and decorations, plus gift ideas, greeting cards, candles and more. Select items sold at Wish are customizable, as the shop also offers full-service personalized embroidery on-site. Wish Gift Boutique is located at 5226 Highway 49 S in Harrisburg. “We

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Metro Fitness Club has appointed Jennifer DeCurtins as general manager. In her role, DeCurtins will oversee all day-to-day operations of Metro Fitness Club including member and community relations, fitness programming, and staff development. DeCurtins is an NASM certified personal trainer, certified group fitness instructor, 200-hour registered yoga instructor and healthy living blogger. A lifelong fitness enthusiast, DeCurtins loves sharing her passion for healthy living with daily updates about workouts, meals, running, yoga and general fitness and nutrition topics on her blog, Peanut Butter Runner. A graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in public relations, DeCurtins recently left

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Pam and Jim Halpert from The Office make working together look like a cinch. But in reality, working with your spouse is generally not so simple. While many grapple with the question of whether spouses can run a business together and still stay married, some local business partners have reached the conclusion that despite being difficult at times, this arrangement works for them and can be successful and healthy for relationships. Here are their tips on how to utilize each other’s strengths and weaknesses while working and sleeping side-by-side. Divide and Conquer: Mike and Catriona Harris started and run a

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