North Carolina is in the winner’s circle for the US Department of Education’s “Race to the Top” grant competition. In the video below, US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, announced the winners. For over 50 years, Washington has relied on formulas to distribute federal education dollars to the states based on school district size and other data. The Race to the Top competition may signal a transformation from awards based on formulas to awards based on what works best. If this trend toward funding what works best holds up in Raleigh, the Davie County STEM Education Initiative and the NCSTEM […]

Growth, Jobs, & Local Healthcare The NC highway 801 and Interstate 40 interchange adjacent to Bermuda Run and Kinderton is one of the last undeveloped tracts at an I-40 interchange in the entire Piedmont Triad… but this is about to change! Preparation The I-40 interchange has been improved and NC Highway 801 has been widened in anticipation of the medical complex being built by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.  The medical complex will include outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging and related services and physicians offices in the first phase of its development. Adjoining the medical center are 47 acres of […]

The brand new Hampton Inn at Bermuda Run/Advance is making a splash in the Hampton Inn brand which is owned by Hilton.  Located at the gateway to North Carolina Wine Country and the gateway to Davie County, the Advance property was designed to meet the needs of the modern traveler in a way that no previous Hampton Inn has done! Expanded Water Amenities are a First for Hampton Inn Properties The Bermuda Run/Advance Hampton Inn is the first Hampton Inn property to have expanded water amenities.  The inn has an indoor swimming pool, a hot tub and 2 water slides […]

Davie County shoppers and contractors have a new place to go when it’s time to spruce up a room with a fresh coat of paint or when it’s time for a complete home makeover: Sherwin Williams, located on Highway 601 just north of Interstate 40. According to store manager Clayton Lassiter, “Professional contractors choose Sherwin Williams paints for consistency, superior quality, and durability while homeowners choose Sherwin Williams for value and service from some of the most thoroughly trained professionals in the industry.  Customers count on us for sound advice on every step of the painting process, from texture, design […]

Davie County is Home to One of the Most Important “Green” Initiatives in the Country Power Tray, LLC produces environmentally friendly packaging from renewable resources. One of the most important “green” initiatives in the country, Power Tray packaging is designed to replace the Styrofoam packaging used throughout the food industry. Production in the facility is ramping up and by this fall Power Tray LLC expects to be running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with production running into the hundreds of millions annually. Power Tray, LLC Selects Davie County After looking at hundreds of buildings and sites throughout […]

The WFUBMC Strategic Plan Includes Davie County. Dr. John Dr. John D. McConnell, M.D., the Chief Executive Officer of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center was the keynote speaker at the Davie County Economic Development Commission quarterly update meeting on Friday, January 22, 2010. Dr. McConnell described components of the strategic plan for Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center as they relate to Davie County. Dr. McConnell highlighted the importance of partnerships, affiliations and regional delivery systems; training, education, and discovery-based centers of excellence; recruiting, retention and promotion; collaboration, discovery and enabling platforms.   All of these are areas of focus […]

I just finished reading a terrific book by Joe Hollingsworth, Jr. “The Southern Advantage.” With lots of facts and figures and anecdotes that bring them to life, the advantage of being located in the southern US is clearly demonstrated. Affordability and Economic Vitality The underlying economic fundamentals of the South have transformed the profitability of companies and entire industries that had the foresight to locate in the world’s 4th largest economy.  Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other foreign automakers clearly did their homework when deciding to locate their North American operations in the south. In the span of half a […]