Business
LKN businesses en route to Raleigh with 300 no-toll signatures
June 30. Lake Norman power hitters like Chamber Chair Mike Russell, commercial real estate broker Tom McMahon, former Chamber Chair John Hettwer, racing executive Greg Wallace and bankers Tom Dutton and Jim Engel are on their way to Raleigh to express profound and deep-rooted opposition to the NCDOT plan to widen I-77 with toll lanes and a […]
Business leaders bus to Raleigh Tuesday to oppose toll plan
June 29. Lake Norman-area business leaders, ranging from bankers and racing executives to commercial real estate brokers and manufacturers, will travel by bus to the North Carolina State Capitol tomorrow to visibly join the fight against the public-private partnership that would widen I-77 with toll lanes. “I intend to call out that the NCDOT has the ability […]
Aquesta names City Executive for Concord
June 26. Aquesta Bank has recruited commercial banker Michelle Riley from Bank of North Carolina to be the Concord City Executive for the Cornelius-based bank. “It’s a very attractive market; there are quite a few businesses that are looking to expand there,” said Aquesta CEO Jim Engel. “This [a commercial loan production effort] is a […]
New CEO at The Pines comes July 15
June 17. Steven H. Jewell takes over as the new president and CEO of The Pines at Davidson July 15. He is currently the executive director of Park Pointe Village, a retirement community in Rock Hill. He replaces Edgar L. Muller, who is retiring July 18, the 27th anniversary of The Pines. Jewell has more than 20 years […]
NCDOT: No economic impact study on I-77 toll plan
June 16. Like most NCDOT highway projects, it turns out the state did not conduct an economic impact study on the $650 million plan to widen I-77 between Lake Norman and Charlotte with the help of a public-private partnership. Addressing 75 business people and residents at the Business Today and Cornelius Today Newsmakers Breakfast today […]
Sweet Magnolia parks in Magnolia Plaza
June 16. There’s a sweet new shop in Magnolia Plaza. Sweet Magnolia is the brainchild of Tracy and Sissy Parks, who left the family business of selling cars—think Parks Chevrolet—to their younger brother. Their brand is “Unique Southern Chic,” which means upscale clothing lines with a trendy twist, eclectic home furnishings, and gifts for every […]
Leadership in I-77 opinion battle coming from citizens, companies
“You know, I would actually love to have Jim back. I personally think his contribution to avoiding the tolls could have been similar to the impact he had on Reval. We desperately needed the famous ‘Jim touch’ at NCDOT/CRTPO in recent months/years.” —Corenlius Commissoner Dave Gilroy on former colleague Jim Bensman Former Town Commissioner Jim […]
Young Davidson retailer not just whistling Dixie
By Dave Vieser. Dixieland Clothing at 109 N. Main St., Davidson, which sells a variety of classically casual clothes invoking an upscale Southern lifestyle, is the brainchild of Tyler Hampton. “I saw a need for this type of store in the Lake Norman area,” said Hampton, 25, who will be a senior at UNC-Wilmington this fall. […]
Papaya Papers in Jetton Village folded into Note + Nest
Papaya Papers has a new name, a new owner and a larger location in Jetton Village. Co-owner Tracie Stier-Johnson has purchased the business, a mainstay in Cornelius since 1998, from Wendy Presley, a long-time star in the Mary Kay cosmetic constellation, and renamed it Note + Nest. Stier-Johnson says she will focus on her budding […]
Mike Russell is new COO at MadVapes
Mike Russell, the chairman of the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce, has left Energy United and is now chief operating officer of MadVapes, a $40 million-plus company that was started in Huntersville in 2009. MadVape’s electronic cigarettes help people stop smoking. Mark Hoogendoorn is the founder. The fast-growing company essentially sells liquid nicotine online and […]
