Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
September 3rd, 2010
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Want some tasty food at 3am or breakfast for dinner, then Mattie’s Diner is the place for you. Located at the NC Music Factory , Mattie’s Diner provides a unique atmosphere and great food at a reasonable price. Open late every night and open 24-7 on Thursday-Sunday. Check out our video with the co-owner Matt King to get all the details about this great place.
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Amélie’s French Bakery just signed the lease on a new location uptown, at the base of 330 S. Tryon (or as you might know it, right below the big “Charlotte Chamber” sign).
They’ll be serving pre-packaged sandwiches and salads, select pastries, and of course, coffee, tea, etc.
They won’t be strictly 24/7, instead saying they’ll have “event-driven hours”, in other words, staying open if people are there.
I ran uptown to scope out the location, and happened to find owner Lynn St. Laurent, who said she had been there since 6am. She showed me inside and let me take some video to share here.
Lynn says they’re aiming to open on September 1st, though it might be sooner.
Thanks to @UD400, who tipped us off on the location through Twitter.
Three Charlotte-based companies:
- Yap (@YapMe)
- 3tailer (@3tailer)
- and goodmortgage.com (@goodmortgage)
… were named among the top 25 North Carolina companies to watch by CED (@CEDNC, Council for Entrepreneurial Development), a private nonprofit organization that promotes local entrepreneurial efforts.
“From 2006 through 2009, these companies collectively generated $334 million in revenue and added 443 employees (both in North Carolina and out of state), reflecting a 232 percent increase in revenue and 176 percent increase in jobs for the four-year period. That translates into a 51 percent annual revenue growth and 41 percent annual growth in employees.”
watch this video in HD on Vimeo
Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko form Raleigh Denim, a local (OK, Raleigh-based) company using mostly local materials including locally manufactured denim (Cone Mills, to be exact). They’re making waves worldwide, despite their mission to revitalize the North Carolina garment industry.
You can buy Raleigh Denim at Niche Market on Camden, whose blog pointed me to the above video produced by David Huppert for UNC-TV.
“Regions Bank has launched foreclosure proceedings against Afshin Ghazi’s EpiCentre entertainment and retail complex in uptown Charlotte.
The filing — made this morning in Mecklenburg County by substitute trustees Sellers, Hinshaw, Ayers, Dortch & Lyons, a Charlotte law firm — states that Ghazi affiliates Pacific Avenue and Pacific Avenue II ‘failed to make timely payments of the debt upon maturity of the note.’”
Read more by Susan Stabley at the Charlotte Business Journal.
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From the press release:
“Balfour Beatty Construction, North Carolina’s largest construction manager, announced today it is moving its Carolinas Division headquarters to The Design Center of the Carolinas at 1930 Camden Rd. in Charlotte’s Historic South End.
The move optimizes the integration of Balfour Beatty Construction and its Charlotte-based subsidiary RT Dooley, which was acquired in February 2009. The Design Center will be home to the consolidated operations of Balfour Beatty Construction and RT Dooley that are currently housed in separate locations.
“This is an important milestone that will enable us to even more effectively bring our combined capabilities and talent to bear on behalf of our clients,” said John Woodcock, president of Balfour Beatty Construction’s Carolinas Division. “We are excited by the prospect of being in South End, which has been an important part of Charlotte’s economy in the past and has an even more promising future.”
“We are pleased to welcome Balfour Beatty to Historic South End and believe the decision of this global business to locate in the district is a strong indicator of the vibrant business climate that has matured in South End,” said Michael J. Smith, president and CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners. “This is the beginning of a new chapter for South End as it continues its transformation from the city’s warehouse district to a design and entrepreneurial district and now becoming a major employment center.”
Balfour Beatty will become the largest office user in the historic district, occupying nearly 30,000 square feet in the Design Center, which comprises three buildings featuring historic brick, expansive windows, and vintage architectural detail. Balfour Beatty chose the Historic South End location for several reasons, including the adaptive reuse of a historic site, easy access to Charlotte’s Center City via the Lynx Light Rail Blue Line, the convenience of the location for Balfour Beatty clients and other business partners, and the wide range of nearby amenities.
“Being located in Charlotte’s center city fulfills Balfour Beatty’s priority to provide additional service and convenience for our corporate, professional services and public sector clients and enhances our ongoing community engagement focus,” Woodcock said.
“The Design Center is a unique work environment of forward-thinking businesses in an historic and architecturally compelling community that inspires people to do their best,” said Ivy Greaner, chief operating officer of Ram, owner of the Design Center. “We are delighted that Balfour Beatty has selected it as their Charlotte headquarters. We believe that one of the strengths of the Design Center is in what it adds to the quality of life for those who work here.”
About 90 Balfour Beatty and RT Dooley employees will relocate to the new headquarters after the interior upfit of the space is completed.
Balfour Beatty entered the North Carolina market via acquisition of the commercial construction division of Centex, which began its Charlotte operations in 2001. The acquisition of Charlotte-based RT Dooley in February 2009 created the ability for Balfour Beatty Construction to deliver integrated facilities, interiors and mission critical solutions to its clients.”
In 1975, Eastland mall was the biggest and best shopping center in North Carolina. After 35 years, Charlotte is loosing one of its malls at the end of June. It has been rumored about for a while now, but now we finally have a date.
The 80-acre land holding the once thriving fashion spot will now be vacant. There are no plans from the city or potential buyers to re-build. Concerns about security loom, now that such an empty building will be left unattended.
When one door closes another shall open. Let us hope for something bigger and better than Eastland Mall in the future. Charlotte has a good 3 malls. Perhaps one more with a different variety of stores could help.
In 1975, Eastland mall was the biggest and best shopping center in North Carolina. After 35 years, Charlotte is loosing one of its malls at the end of June. It has been rumored about for a while now, but now we finally have a date.
The 80-acre land holding the once thriving fashion spot will now be vacant. There are no plans from the city or potential buyers to re-build. Concerns about security loom, now that such an empty building will be left unattended.
When one door closes another shall open. Let us hope for something bigger and better than Eastland Mall in the future. Charlotte has a good 3 malls. Perhaps one more with a different variety of stores could help.
photo: James Willamor
“Slowly, Wall Street South is starting to rise again.
Charlotte, which gained the nickname for its large cluster of financial firms, was slammed by the global credit crisis and recession. Its unemployment rate more than doubled, to the double-digits. Two stalwarts of its economy were battered: Wachovia Corp. was taken over by a San Francisco bank, while Bank of America Corp. was forced to seek a bailout and picked an out-of-state lawyer to succeed longtime chief executive and local resident Ken Lewis, raising fears about the bank’s future in Charlotte.
Though the damage remains, the banking sector has since stabilized. More important, Charlotte’s economy, as Boston’s did nearly two decades ago, has begun to diversify so it is no longer so dependent on a single industry. (…)
“If we’ve seen the worst already, then we are in good shape going forward.”
Charlotte’s struggles mirror the challenges Massachusetts faced in the late 1980s, when it was hit hard by its heavy reliance on defense and technology when the Cold War ended and the minicomputer industry collapsed. Though Boston remains a key center for the financial sector, its strength in other sectors — life sciences, health care, and higher education — helped to soften the blow of the latest economic downturn.
The financial crisis provided a similar wake-up call for Charlotte, pushing city leaders to broaden the local economy so it won’t be as vulnerable in the next downturn. And in another parallel to Massachusetts, Charlotte wants to be as big a hub for the alternative energy industry as it is for banking.”
photo: James Willamor
“Slowly, Wall Street South is starting to rise again.
Charlotte, which gained the nickname for its large cluster of financial firms, was slammed by the global credit crisis and recession. Its unemployment rate more than doubled, to the double-digits. Two stalwarts of its economy were battered: Wachovia Corp. was taken over by a San Francisco bank, while Bank of America Corp. was forced to seek a bailout and picked an out-of-state lawyer to succeed longtime chief executive and local resident Ken Lewis, raising fears about the bank’s future in Charlotte.
Though the damage remains, the banking sector has since stabilized. More important, Charlotte’s economy, as Boston’s did nearly two decades ago, has begun to diversify so it is no longer so dependent on a single industry. (…)
“If we’ve seen the worst already, then we are in good shape going forward.”
Charlotte’s struggles mirror the challenges Massachusetts faced in the late 1980s, when it was hit hard by its heavy reliance on defense and technology when the Cold War ended and the minicomputer industry collapsed. Though Boston remains a key center for the financial sector, its strength in other sectors — life sciences, health care, and higher education — helped to soften the blow of the latest economic downturn.
The financial crisis provided a similar wake-up call for Charlotte, pushing city leaders to broaden the local economy so it won’t be as vulnerable in the next downturn. And in another parallel to Massachusetts, Charlotte wants to be as big a hub for the alternative energy industry as it is for banking.”