Market News
Business Club of the Triangle Donates Golf Tournament Proceeds to State-Wide Non-Profit
September 24th, 2008
(Raleigh, NC) September 24, 2008- Penn Shore, president of The Business Club of the Triangle (BCA), presented the proceeds from the annual BCA member-guest golf outing raffle to Communities In Schools of NC (CISNC), at the group’s September breakfast meeting. CISNC is one of the BCA’s non-profit members.
This year’s golf outing was held at River Ridge Golf Club and included members of BCA Triangle and their guests. As part of the golf outing each year, a raffle is held to raise money for a non-profit organization from the community.
“Communities In Schools of NC is the number one drop-out prevention program in our state,” said Shore, president of the Business Club of the Triangle. “Keeping students in school and helping them to succeed after graduation makes a positive economic impact on our state and directly effects the business leaders involved in our organization. It was a natural fit for us to choose the organization to be the beneficiary of this year’s member-guest golf outing raffle.”
About the Business Club of the Triangle
The Business Club of The Triangle is a national membership driven business development organization that serves the middle market business community. With each BCA member being exclusive in their business category, BCA puts its members together in a variety of environments where they can build relationships and generate revenue with other members and their customers. BCA provides training, tools, strategy and support to generate measurable results for its members. The Business Club of the Triangle is sponsored by the Carolina Condrey Group of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. For more information on the Business Club of the Triangle, contact Penn Shore at (919) 612-9458 or visit their website at http://www.businessclubsamerica.com/the-triangle-north-carolina-m-2.html.
About Communities In Schools in North Carolina
Communities In Schools has earned its place as the nation’s leading community-based organization helping kids succeed in school and prepare for life. There are 39 local operational programs in North Carolina serving 400 schools and other sites. During the 2006-07 school year, CIS served over 100,000 youth and family members, and it maintains a presence in the five largest school districts in North Carolina. For more information on CISNC visit www.cisnc.org.
Creative Recycling Participation
April 20th, 2009
PRStreet handled the invitations and media relations for the Creative Recycling dedication in Morrisville. It included coordinating transportation for special guest Robert F Kennedy Jr, coordinating those attending a special VIP reception with Mr. Kennedy and staffing the guest check in. PRStreet arranged for three complimentary hybrid Tahoe SUV's to be provided for Mr Kennedy's transportation.
Ray Barbour of Ray Barbour Photography worked as the photographer.
Current BCA Category Listing
April 06th, 2009
Category List
Accounting Firm- Grant Thornton
Advertising/Marketing-Hummingbird
Apartments/Corporate Living
Apartment Locator
Architect Firm
Auto Dealership- Johnson Automotive
Auto Dealership – Luxury- Johnson Automotive
Auto Service & Repair-
AV Company
Bank- Key Source Commercial Bank
Banquet Facility –Brier Creek Country Club
Bottled Water Distribution
Building Management
Business Brokers-
Business Advisor- Paladin & Associates
Business Development – Randolph Sterling
Business Media- Triangle Business Journal
Cable Systems
Call Center
Catering Company- Rocky Top Hospitality
Chamber of Commerce
Clothier – Men- CF Custom Clothier
Clothier – Women- CF Custom Clothier
Coffee Distribution
Collection Agency – TekCollect
Commercial Flooring
Computer Hardware
Computer Networking
Computer Security
Construction – Commercial
Construction – Residential
Construction – Vacation
Convention/Expo Center Sheraton Imperial
Copying Services
Country Club- Brier Creek
Courier Service
Credit Card Service- Axia Payment Systems
Credit Union
Dental – Cosmetic
Dental – General
Direct Mail Company
Doctor – Cosmetic Surgery
Doctor – General Practice
Document Destruction
Document Management/Record Storage
Education – Bachelors
Education – Masters
Financial Advisors- Market Street Advisors
Financial Services- Market Street Advisors
Fire Protection Company
Fitness Equipment
Fitness Facility- Gold’s Gym
Fitness Trainer
Florist
Food Broker
Furniture – Residential
Gift Baskets- Creative Gifting
Golf Facility-River Ridge
Golf Instruction
Health Services – Corporate
Home Automation
Home Health Service
Hospital Health Care
Hospital Systems
Hospitality and Event Planner-
Hotel –
Hotel – Destination- Sheraton Imperial
HR- Talent Management Solutions
Industrial Equipment Supplier
Insurance Company – P&C, Dupree & Webb
Insurance Company – Broker,
Insurance Company – Employee Benefits,
Insurance Company – Life Constella
Interior Design Firm
ISP Internet Service Provider
IT Consulting Services- Altruent Systems
Janitorial Services
Jeweler
Landscaping
Laser Printer, Sales and Repair
Law Firm – Business to Business,
Law Firm – Trial,
Mailing and Shipping Solutions
Mortgage-
Moving Company
Multimedia Production
Non Profit Organization- Communities In Schools
Office Equipment
Office Furniture
Office Supply
Outdoor Media-
Packaging Company-
Party Supplies-
PEO-
Pest Control
PGA Tournament
Photography, Barbour Photography
Print Media, Triangle Business Journal
Printing Company – Digital, Laser Image
Printing Company – Laser Image
Private Club
Professional Sports Team – Major, Carolina Hurricanes
Professional Sports Team – Minor-
Promotional Products- Adsource Media
Public Relations Firm- PR Street
Radio Media- Clear Channel Raleigh
Radio, Sports Talk- McClatchey Broadcasting
Real Estate – Commercial-
Real Estate Development-
Real Estate – Residential,
Relocation Services
Rental Car Company
Resort Destinations & Second Homes
Retail- Costco Marketing
Restaurant – Casual, Hi-5, Michael Deans
Restaurant – Entertainment, Bogarts
Restaurant – Upscale,
Roofing Company –
Security Systems – Commercial
Security Systems – Residential
Sign Company (Mobile),
Software Provider
Specialty Building Products
Sports Marketing- ACC Sports Journal
Staffing-
Storage
Telecommunications – Consultant
Telecommunications – Hardware
Telecommunications – Provider
Telephone On Hold Provider
Television Media-
Tennis Facilities
Ticket Services
Title Company
Trade Show Displays
Training – Leadership, Martin Enterprises
Training-On-line-
Training – Sales-John Costigan Companies
Training – Teambuilding, Tomlinson & Assoc.
Transportation Ground/Limo
Transportation – Emergency
Transportation – Public
Travel Agency
Trophies/plaques-
Truck Leasing
Trucking/Freight Company
Uniform Company
Vehicle Leasing
Warehousing
Waste Removal and Management
Website Development
Website Managed Hosting and Co Location
Wireless Communication
Wound Management
John Costigan Named to Prestigious Inside Sales Lise
May 24th, 2010
CARY, N.C. - John Costigan, one of the nation's premier sales trainers and motivational speakers, is the only North Carolina-based executive to be named to the Top 25 Most Influential Inside Sales Professionals list by the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals.
Costigan was awarded the honor by his peers in May at the AA-ISP's annual convention in Minneapolis. Nominations for the 2010 awards came from sales and technology leaders, as well as a crew of consultants, trainers and authors.
"I'm flattered and very humbled our company was chosen. It's also wonderful when such an award can bring additional credibility to the Triangle and state of North Carolina," said Costigan, founder of the Cary, N.C.-based John Costigan Companies. "This truly is a team effort. Our people are beyond passionate about our brand -- they're fanatical about it. Even though my name is on the award, the tireless hours that go on behind the scenes by our group are unimaginable."
"The nominations we received for John indicated the huge influence he has had in our industry over a short period of time," said Bob Perkins, founder and CEO of AA-ISP. "John has certainly impacted our industry by helping raise the level of professionalism and performance of inside sales reps."
Costigan's client list includes such high-profile companies as software leader SAS, global credit information group Experian, technology network firm Oracle, worldwide technology leader IBM, clothing manufacturer Tommy Hilfiger and the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.
Founded in 2001, John Costigan Companies has grown into one of the most prolific and unique sales training companies in the world by combining motivation with 'LIVE' impromptu phone calls to create a sales experience like no other.
With the increasing cost of travel and entertainment, Costigan has seen a recent shift to more inside sales techniques and additional training needs.
"Even though our company trains both outside and inside sales reps, we have seen explosive growth with inside sales teams," Costigan said. "When you realize it costs three times as much money for a company to get in front of a customer today than it did 15 years ago, a key driver is reducing costs while enhancing productivity. Great inside sales people solve that problem."
Great selling!
John Costigan Companies
Laser Image Wins Contract to Print Letterhead for UNCCH
June 16th, 2009
Local Teen Helps Families for Eagle Scout Project
July 27th, 2009
Davis Blount, son of Eddie Blount, Executive Vice President of KeySource Bank, chose a very meaningful task for his Eagle Scout Project that enabled him to reach out to others. Read more
Logan Aldridge Information
January 30th, 2009
Dear Penn,
Thank you again for having us at your breakfast on Friday, January 16th. We all enjoyed it and Logan really appreciated being there and meeting all of your members and guests!
We are very pleased to tell you that we received over 15 books ordered at the breakfast and are confident that more will sign up on line based on the enthusiasm we received and the cards that were passed out. This is our first “print run” so we are anxious to start the presses. We probably won’t run the print order until the end of the week, so just as a reminder, there is still time to order a signed copy of Logan’s book Beyond Expectations! If anyone is still interested, please visit us at www.LoganAldridge.com and click on BE merchandise. We are only offering signed copies to “friends of BE Foundation” which is a minimum donation of $50 to Logan’s foundation. As soon as the books come in, he will sign and mail out copies along with a special Beyond Expectation gift. Once we find a “book partner” we will release the book to the public.
This brings me to the other point of interest we discussed. We are in search of a company that would be a good fit with Logan and his foundation to help sponsor the book, his speaking engagements & the subsequent press that will accompany the book release. With the right company partner we think that we can not only sell a lot of books and get great publicity for Logan’s foundation, we can also generate a lot of community interest & PR for the book partner as well. We are planning a full blown PR campaign announcing the book, what Logan’s foundation is striving to achieve and the local company that made all of this possible! All proceeds from the sale of “Beyond Expectation: Attitude is How You Live Your Life” will go to the Logan Aldridge Foundation. Logan’s dream for this foundation is to raise money and awareness for all Children’s Hospitals in the United States, starting right here in North Carolina. His first order of business is to purchase and help install Wii Gaming Systems in the children’s wings to help with the mental and physical recovery of the children that are having to fight day after day in their hospital rooms. Logan is very familiar with the daily exhaustion of being in a hospital room, the boredom and depression that can go along with their stay and the mental joy that interactive activities can bring to these kids!
We are looking for a corporate sponsor that will help with the cost of the printing for the books. We have been able to find a local resource that can print them in small quantities. However, printing in small quantities is costly. That being said, if we could place a large order the price per book would come way down. We are hoping that with the right partner we can place a significant order and make the book accessible to a larger audience.
If you can think of any companies that might be a good fit to help make these dreams a reality, please let us know so we can reach out to them and introduce them to Logan and his foundation.
Penn, thank you so much for your time and your generous nature in helping Logan with everything. He couldn’t ask for a better partner than you and the BCA!
Best,
George Wallace
Logan Aldridge Foundation
Beyond Expectations, Inc
919.961.4263
gwallace@TheDofM.com
MARA WESSELL, CRPS (Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist) JOINS MARKET STREET ADVISORS AS REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVE
August 20th, 2009
SMITHFIELD, NC – Mara Wessell, CRPS, has joined Market Street Advisors as a registered representative with specialized expertise in retirement plans for the business community. Market Street Advisors is a wealth management firm that services individuals and businesses from Raleigh to the Cape Fear coast.
As retirement plan options and tax complexities increase, many companies seek professional plan administrators to design, install, and maintain their company retirement plans. Wessell is the first CRPS certified representative to join Market Street Advisors and is among a select few of financial planners that earn their CRPS certification.
Wessell joined Market Street Advisors from the Raleigh office of Citi Smith Barney, where she worked as a Financial Advisor since 2001. Here she managed assets of more than $15 million, and increased managed assets by 90% from 2004 through 2007. During her tenure at Citi Smith Barney, Wessell also developed innovative retirement plans to meet the specialized needs of physician and attorney groups.
“Mara’s experience in retirement planning is the perfect complement to Market Street’s core capabilities of investments, insurance and retirement,” said Mark Hall, president and CEO. “We’re proud to offer our clients the skills of a CRPS certified planner.”
Wessell is a 1995 graduate of Bowling Green State University with a B.S. in Sports Management. Prior to her career in financial planning, Wessell worked in sales for Pulse Athletic Club, Emery Worldwide and Nextel Communications.
In addition to her CRPS certification, Wessell has earned her Series 7, 63 and 65 financial planning licenses. Wessell is a resident of Wake Forest, NC.
Market Street Advisors is an independent financial planning firm headquartered in Smithfield, NC. The firm operates a second office in Wilmington, NC and services a market area from Raleigh east to the Cape Fear coast. Established in 2003, Market Street Advisors is built on three fundamentals: service, trust and expertise.
The Pantry Inc. Goes Green with the Implementation of New Energy Efficient Data Center designed by Altruent Systems
October 15th, 2008
Raleigh, N.C. (October 15, 2008)-- - Altruent Systems, a systems integration company headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. that specializes in the consulting, design, and installation of mission-critical infrastructure, announced today, that the firm has completed a new energy efficient data center for Sanford-based The Pantry Inc., (NASDAQ:PTRY). Altruent Systems was selected to design, engineer and construct The Pantry's new data center with state-of-the-art infrastructure that allows for energy savings on power and cooling.
With rising energy costs now becoming a major concern for most large organizations, the interest in reducing data center and IT energy, where the majority of a company's utility costs are incurred, is now becoming a necessity. "Green" organizations, such as LEED and Green Grid, are stirring interest within C- level executives to turn their companies into eco-friendly, energy efficient consumers and producers.
When The Pantry decided that it was time to expand their headquarters' data center, Ed Collupy, VP of Information Technology commented, "we saw an opportunity to take advantage of new power and cooling technologies, which were environmentally friendly yet more productive."
The Pantry had already begun taking advantage of new computing technologies such as blade servers, whereas one server chassis consists of multiple circuit boards, or ‘blades', that each act as an individual server. This allows more computing power in a smaller space, which drastically reduces power consumption, but results in highly concentrated, or ‘high density' heat output. The ability to capture and remove this concentrated heat, in order to maintain an optimal temperature requires a new approach to data center design. With this in mind, The Pantry chose Altruent Systems for their proficiency in high-density data center design using APC's (American Power Conversion) scalable InfraStruXure® architecture.
Altruent's design and construction of The Pantry's data center allowed The Pantry to make a significant contribution to Energy and Atmosphere conservation and preservation. This is done by using multiple InRow, ‘close-coupled' cooling units, which eliminates the need for an inefficient raised floor, and places the cooling units closer to the servers. This captures the heat directly from an intentional ‘hot aisle' and distributes cool air to the ‘cold aisle'. This prevents the hot and cold air from mixing, which highly improves cooling efficiency, and thus reduces the total energy required to maintain the proper temperature. With the implementation of such a system, The Pantry was able to greatly increase their computing capacity and reliability, while simultaneously going Green!
"Working together with Altruent, we successfully transformed an outdated data center into one that will carry us forward for many years to come," said Collupy. "These initiatives have positioned The Pantry for continued technology growth along with an outlook towards smart energy-related controls."
While more and more companies such as The Pantry are looking towards a "Greener" future, it's no wonder why companies like Altruent Systems are being selected to reconfigure, design and provide solutions to outdated data centers. With energy costs rising and many companies trying to incorporate a green ideology within their business model, it makes sense to start going green at the core of your business, where most energy is consumed -- the data center.
Brad Thompson, Project Engineer for Altruent Systems said, "Technology is constantly evolving, and our job is to stay on top of state-of-the-art innovations from the industry leading professionals, in order to provide our customers with the best possible solutions available."
About The Pantry Inc.:
Headquartered in Sanford, North Carolina, The Pantry, Inc. is the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern United States and one of the largest independently operated convenience store chains in the country, with revenues for fiscal 2007 of approximately $6.9 billion. As of February 22, 2008, the Company operated 1,644 stores in eleven states under select banners, including Kangaroo Express, its primary operating banner. The Company's stores offer a broad selection of merchandise, as well as gasoline and other ancillary services designed to appeal to the convenience needs of its customers.
About Altruent Systems:
Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, Altruent Systems Inc. is a systems integration firm providing consulting, design and installation of mission-critical, power and cooling infrastructure. To learn more about how your company can benefit from an energy efficient data center, visit www.Altruent.com, or call 1-888-843-9392.
