Tennessee rated No. 5, behind Ohio, Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The state said in a news release Wednesday that since January 2003, economic development projects in Tennessee have created more than 179,000 new jobs, $29 billion in new capital investment, and forty-nine new corporate headquarters.

The tallies are based on expansion or relocation projects that meet at least 1 of 3 standards: a capital investment of at least $1 million, creation of at least fifty new jobs or creation of at least 20,000 square feet of new floor space.

Only corporate projects are considered.

Source: WATE

Jefferson City and Sweetwater were among two towns chosen statewide.

The eight others included Celina, Jefferson City, Martin, Milan, Mt. Pleasant, Monterey, Paris, and Selmer.

Winners were based on historic resources, need (economic and physical), demonstrated local effort, overall presentation and probability of success.

The program awards grants of up to $15,000.

Winners were announced by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

Source: WATE

The new location is in Patton Plaza, just west of the intersection of Haywood Street and Patton Avenue.

“We’ve had a lot of students traveling from West Asheville to our main branch,” said co-owner Paul Thorpe. “We saw the potential to reach much farther west than we had been, out into Candler and Canton.”

Music City, a neighboring instrument shop, owns the building and approached Thorpe about opening the branch. “They saw a benefit to their business of having music school in same location,” Thorpe said.

In addition to private lessons, the new branch will offer group lessons and classes for adults and children — even infants. Lessons at the new location, set to start Monday, will include small-group violin and guitar lessons, music theory, performance and master classes.

The school, started in 1996 by Anne Coombs, was acquired in 2002 by Thorpe, who had been a public school band and orchestra director. Coombs, who stayed on as assistant director after selling the school, has become a partner with Thorpe in the new location.

The Rock Academy, run by Coombs, is next door.
The school says more than 350 students of all ages and levels take private lessons each week from the school’s 27 instructors, learning to play all band and orchestral instruments, piano and voice, and instruments used in rock, pop, jazz, bluegrass and more.

The school says more than 350 students of all ages and levels take private lessons each week from the school’s 27 instructors, learning to play all band and orchestral instruments, piano and voice, and instruments used in rock, pop, jazz, Bluegrass and more. About 25 percent of the students are adults.
The new location is at 1408F Patton Ave. The original location will continue to operate at 250 Charlotte St. Call 252-6244 and visit ashevillemusic.org.

The new location is at 1408F Patton Ave. The original location will continue to operate at 250 Charlotte St. Call 252-6244 and visit ashevillemusic.org.

Source: Asheville Citizen Times

For years, rumors have buzzed around Asheville about two much-coveted grocery chains arriving in town: Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market. Both have a heavy emphasis on organic and natural foods, a good fit for Asheville’s health-conscious shoppers.

There’s even Facebook group called “Bring Trader Joe’s to Asheville.”

Local developer Rusty Pulliam is quite familiar with the gossip — and he’s not opposed to fanning the flames a bit himself.

“I have talked to Trader Joe’s agent, and they have been in town twice in the last six months looking at sites,” Pulliam said. “They like both the north and south (sides of town) — that’s been the two areas they’ve looked at the hardest. I think Asheville will have a Trader Joe’s within two-three years.”

Pulliam said the Trader Joe’s agent gives the company suggestions, but the actual location decision is up to corporate.

California-based Trader Joe’s has more than 335 stores in 25 states, including three in Charlotte and one each in Raleigh, Cary and Chapel Hill. But company spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki kept mum about any potential Asheville sites.

“At this time, it’s not in our two-year plan — specifically a Trader Joe’s in Asheville,” Mochizuki said, adding that the company does not “disclose what goes into our decision-making process.”

Asked if the chain had scouted Asheville, she replied, “I don’t have a comment on that.”

Whole Foods looking?

As far as Whole Foods, Pulliam said he’s not had any personal contact with the chain, based in Austin, Texas, but he’s heard the company had scouted a location on Tunnel Road.

Whole Foods spokeswoman Darrah Horgan sounded as if she’s been down the speculation road before.

“We can’t confirm any rumors,” she said with a laugh. “We don’t make any kind of announcements until real estate plans are complete. But we’re always interested in new stores, and Asheville is definitely a spot we’ve been looking at for awhile. We hope to come into that community.”

Whole Foods just opened its 290th store, a location in Hawaii. The last store it opened in the South (excluding Florida) was in Nashville in 2007, Horgan said. The chain operates North Carolina locations in Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Winston-Salem.

Read entire story here

The Internet giant has announced plans to bring an extensive fiber optic network to every home in one or more cities across the United States, promising connection speeds of 1 gigabit per second, far faster than DSL or cable broadband.

The Asheville Google Fiber Network Initiative is urging everyone from media artists to school officials to help them demonstrate how Asheville could become a hub of innovation with the help of Google’s network.

Advocates of the network say it could allow teachers to hold classes over the Web during snow days or help scientists compile massive amounts of data and map out solutions to the world’s climate problems.

“We’re talking about having the best fiber optic network in the nation,” said Asheville City Councilman Gordon Smith. “It gives us an opportunity to become a center of research and innovation in a way we wouldn’t have the opportunity to otherwise.”

Google is looking for a city with a population of 50,000-500,000 people and could spend up to $500 million on the project.

The company has asked municipal leaders and community members to respond to requests for information by March 26, outlining their city’s current network infrastructure and ways they would utilize the new technology.

Officials in some cities have taken outlandish steps to gain Google’s affection. The mayor of Topeka, Kan., made a proclamation renaming his city “Google, Kan.” for the month of March.

Google hasn’t stated exactly what qualities it wants in a host city or whether the company might seek legal or economic incentives in choosing a location, said Ben Teague, senior vice president for economic development at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Asheville should be attractive to Google because the company could build on existing broadband infrastructure put in place by groups like ERC Broadband and Mountain Area Information Network, said ERC General Manager Hunter Goosman.

Read entire story here

What is more, employers famously make up their mind about a candidate within the first five minutes of meeting them. Your CV might have got you in the door, but it’s how you carry yourself in person that will determine whether you leave as a sparkling new employee or just another hopeful. Five minutes does not give you long to make an impression. What you say with your body language is just as important as the words that come out of your mouth.

Employers are usually looking for people who are confident and outgoing; nothing says “don’t employ me” more than a candidate who is timid and shy of making their points. If you’re scared of your employer at interview, it will be much harder to convince them that you would have a productive working relationship. But there are a few simple things to bear in mind.

How you sit can be very important

Well-cushioned seats can give you a slumped posture, restricted speech and an air of submissiveness. If your seat is having this effect on your body language, compensate by sitting forward and, if necessary, leaning forward.

Listen with your whole body

Give appropriate head nods to show that you are listening. When making your own points, adopt techniques popular with public speakers: use your hands to signal the parts of your sentences you’re trying to emphasise.

The eyes have it

You should make eye contact with whoever is addressing you to show that you’re listening and not afraid of the questions. If there is more than one interviewer, adjust your eye contact accordingly. You should smile slightly – it relaxes the situation and lets the interviewer know you are comfortable – but without seeming false or manic. Avoid fidgeting or touching your face, and anything that suggests you are defensive or might not be paying attention to the questions.

Entrances and exits

How you walk into the room and greet your interviewer is just as important as what you then say. Walk in with a sense of purpose. As you shake hands with people, maintain eye contact – this will show them that you are not afraid.

Once the interview is over, make sure the final image you give is not your rear, but your face. As you make your exit, just turn around for your final goodbye. This way, they will remember your face.

Source: UK Telegraph

Most employment specialists recommend that you avoid using one general resume for all jobs you apply for. Instead, they suggest you customize a resume for each position. Focusing on the skills you have that match the job you’re applying for is the best way to do it.

Source: TechRepublic

According to a company filing with the N.C. Department of Commerce, most of the layoffs will occur between May and November.

The factory is at 520 Grace Church Road.

A company spokeswoman says Maxon is closing the plant due to excess capacity in a weak economic envirnoment. Affected employees will receive severance packages.

Maxon Furniture sells cubicle workstations, free-standing desks and office chairs. The company is based in Seattle.

Source: Charlotte Business News – Local Charlotte News | Charlotte Business Journal

Pierre Foods, which produces fully cooked meats and frozen sandwiches, also will retain 700 existing jobs in Claremont.

Although wages will vary by job function, the new jobs will pay an annual average salary of $26,467.

The announcement was made possible in part by a $600,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund, which is used to recruit businesses to the state.

Cincinnati-based Pierre Foods produces a wide variety of frozen sandwiches and other products for schools, food-service, retail, vending and convenience-store markets. The 60-year-old company has manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Georgia, South Carolina and in Claremont, where it has operated for 30 years.

Source: Charlotte Business News – Local Charlotte News | Charlotte Business Journal

Source: Charlotte Business News – Local Charlotte News | Charlotte Business Journal