CARY, N.C. — Dex has been honored with a 2008 Yellow Pages Publisher Recognition Award by the Association of Directory Marketing (ADM). ADM recently selected Dex for its “Communication Award,” which “recognizes efforts to improve communications between publishers and CMRs (Certified Marketing Representatives).” The award was announced at ADM’s Annual Conference in San Antonio, Tex.
Dex was selected based upon several criteria, including commitment to excellence in facilitating communications between the company and CMRs, who help develop, implement, manage and maintain Yellow Pages programs for national advertisers. Dex was also noted for its provision of high-quality, effective sales materials and marketing collateral and the continuous enabling of easy access to these materials. As a result, ADM recognized Dex’s ability to help CMRs improve efficiencies, solve challenges and implement successful advertising programs.
“Our goal is to provide CMRs with simple, focused communications that make it easier for them to access information and do business with Dex. This award is a reflection of that,” said Stephen Gibbons, vice president of national sales, Dex. “We’re happy to accept this award from ADM, and will continue to provide CMRs with exceptional communications tools that help them implement and manage their advertising programs.”
Dex is the market brand of R.H. Donnelley (NYSE: RHD), a leading print and online local search company. R.H. Donnelley’s products and services include the Dex(R) Yellow Pages; DexKnows.com(TM), a leading online local search site; 1-800-Call-Dex(TM), a free, voice-enabled local search solution; and Dex Search Marketing, which provides web site optimization and paid search advertising solutions.
Garner, N.C. – Tom Jones Drug, Compounding, Home Medical and Nutrition Center, a community health care resource for the past 34 years, has selected S&A Cherokee as its public relations agency of record.
S&A Cherokee helped promote the relocation of Tom Jones Drug to its new location at the corner of Timber Drive and Vandora Springs Road in Garner and will continue promoting the company’s numerous services.
“I’m excited about working with a public relations agency and tapping into their media expertise,” said owner Tom Jones, R.Ph. “We’re a multidimensional company, and S&A Cherokee will help us spread the word about our customized drug compounding, orthotics, home medical equipment, matching prescription prices, free delivery, and much more.”
Tom Jones opened his first pharmacy in Garner in 1974 and now works with his daughter, Caroline Hodges, R.Ph., at the new 4,000-square-foot facility with a 21st-century look and expanded product line. Earlier this year, Tom Jones Drug was awarded accreditation status by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC) for the service of Home Medical Equipment.
“Tom Jones Drug has been a Garner institution for decades, and we look forward to helping them expand their customer base to eastern Wake County, Johnston County and beyond,” said Ron Smith, founder and president of S&A Cherokee.
For more information on S&A Cherokee, please call (919) 674-6020 or visit www.sacherokee.com. For information about Tom Jones Drug, visit www.tomjonesdrug.com.
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
Survey Highlights The Importance of Teaching Children Good Social Skills
(ARA) – Your 4-year-old may already know how to tie their own shoelaces and spell out their first and last names. But as preschool looms around the corner, are you worried how well they’ll fit in with the rest of the classroom?
According to a nationwide survey conducted of 1,000 parents by Mom Central Inc. on behalf of Hasbro Inc., the majority of parents feel the same way with 90 percent considering social skills to be vital to their children’s happiness and confidence.
Nearly eight out of 10 parents also think social skills are more important than academic skills when it comes to their child’s overall happiness. As a matter of fact, parents gave social skills a higher ranking than academic skills on the survey in nearly every area of child development.
“More than ever, our children must get along with others to function effectively,” says Stacy DeBroff, chief executive officer of Mom Central, found at www.momcentral.com. “In this age of team sports and structured play, it has never been more critical for our children to master socialization skills. From children’s play groups to collaboration in the classroom, kids today engage in significantly more structured group activities, raising the profile and the necessity for good social skills.”
According to the survey, one in five parents feel overwhelmed with teaching social skills and more than one-third say that teaching social skills leads to frustration. In response, Stacy DeBroff has developed some tips parents can use to help their child learn social skills in a positive and reinforcing way:
* Lead by example.
Children are excellent observers. If they see Mom and Dad using polite language, sharing and being respectful, they will follow their parents’ guidance.
* Play with them in an educational way.
Children love to play games with their parents because it provides them with direct attention. Noodleboro by Hasbro is a new line of board games, which includes storybooks and audio CDs that nurture preschoolers’ social skills through laughter and play.
* Take a problem-solving approach.
If a situation becomes stressful, encourage your child to talk about the issues they might have with saying “please,” and “thank you” or sharing their toys with their friends. By allowing children to talk, they often discover for themselves what’s causing the problem while also coming up with unique ways in which they will be able to handle themselves.
“It’s more than just manners… it’s sharing, it’s listening, and it’s engaging with others. The Noodleboro games offer an innovative way to use a classic board game to reward and challenge kids as they learn valuable social skills,” says DeBroff.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
ARA) - Traditional LASIK has taken the public by storm as a way to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and the blurriness called astigmatism. But the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) was not convinced until recently that LASIK (a form of refractive surgery) was for anyone with space aspirations. All that changed last fall when NASA announced it would now accept astronaut applicants from people who had undergone LASIK.
Although it had taken NASA some time to come around to the idea, refractive surgery is actually a natural fit for astronauts, according to Steven C. Schallhorn, M.D., chief medical director of Optical Express and in private practice in San Diego and consultant for NASA for ten years. “Glasses and contact lenses are not conducive to the aerospace environment,” Dr. Schallhorn says. “For instance, your glasses can “float” out of reach, and cleaning contacts with no gravity is much more laborious. In addition, there have been contact lens-related problems in space.”
Early LASIK countdowns
Despite the broad popular appeal, NASA was reluctant to go forward with refractive surgery before now. At the start, the two principal concerns shared by NASA and the military were the stability of the LASIK flap and the resulting quality-of-vision after the procedure. LASIK involves making a surgical incision to create a flap on the surface of the clear outer part of the eye called the cornea. The flap is then folded back to allow a laser to correct the patient’s vision and laid back into place, where it re-adheres to the cornea.
The Navy launched a series of internal studies to address how the LASIK flap would fare under extreme conditions. “We conducted a number of studies,” Dr. Schallhorn says, “and they concluded that there were no effects on LASIK.” While the Navy initiated a PRK-based program for aviators, NASA continued to hold back. “They were interested in the whole package,” Dr. Schallhorn says. “They wanted to know if LASIK would be satisfactory also.”
Into the final frontier
Advances in LASIK technology have been a continuing process since its introduction. One of the most important advances was “wavefront guidance.” The technology uses a beam of laser light that has been reflected off the back of a patient’s eye. Imperfections in the patient’s eye distort the beam. The beam is analyzed and used to make a treatment map that guides the laser as it reshapes the eye. Thus the term, “Wavefront-guided LASIK.”
Spurred by such innovations, NASA decided to take another look at LASIK. “We studied wavefront-guided LASIK and found that it was clearly superior to conventional procedures,” Dr. Schallhorn says. “We then looked at the LASIK flaps created by a laser and compared them to flaps created using a special surgical blade and found that the laser flap was superior in a number of important areas.” When the two new approaches were paired, investigators found that LASIK resulted in vision as good as that made by PRK.
Investigators led by Dr. Schallhorn found that advanced LASIK, meaning the using laser created flaps combined with wavefront-guided treatment, fared well in night-driving simulations. Armed with these results, Dr. Schallhorn approached leaders from the Navy aeromedical community, who had been waiting for the project results. “After the studies were complete and analyzed, my recommendation was that advanced LASIK was ready for the aviator,” Dr. Schallhorn says.
He sees the NASA approval of LASIK as having important implications. “Ten years ago, nearsighted individuals could not become pilots or astronauts,” Dr. Schallhorn says. “What laser vision correction means is that these people can now have their aspirations come true.”
It is also significant in a much broader sense. “NASA independently examined advanced LASIK and determined that it was good enough for the astronaut,” Dr. Schallhorn says. “That should give comfort to patients contemplating having the procedure.”
Courtesy of ARAcontent
EDITOR’S NOTE:
For more information, contact John Ciccone at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery at jciccone@ascrs.org .
(NewsUSA) - Firefighting technology evolves constantly. New climate-control suits and vital-signs monitors help firefighters stay safe.
But what aids firefighters can also help homeowners, especially when new technologies reduce property damage caused by firefighting equipment.
In 2005, home fires caused $6.7 billion in damages. Most of that damage wasn’t caused by the fires, but by the high-pressure water hoses used to extinguish them. Water damage accounts for as much as 70 percent of damage to houses during a fire.
Fighting structure fires -; fires in closed spaces, like homes -; can be dangerous for firefighters. In a room or basement, fires can reach high temperatures quickly. Firefighters might find only one way into or out of a fire.
But firefighters now use new tools to reduce their risk. One company, ARA Safety, has developed the innovative Fire Interruption Technology-5 (FIT-5). The handheld FIT-5 works like an anti-fire hand grenade.
Firefighters pull a rip cord at the top of the 9 pound unit, then throw the FIT-5 into a burning structure. Within 10 seconds, the FIT-5 sprays a non-toxic aerosol powder in all directions.
Oxygen levels are not affected. Indoor temperatures can drop from1,000 to 300 degrees, giving firefighters a safer environment in which to enter a structure, fight the remaining fire and rescue victims.
Using the FIT-5 knocks down fires quickly without relying on pressured water. What helps make firefighting safer can also reduce property damage and insurance claims.
In Port Jervis, New York, firefighters used a FIT-5 to enter a house fire. After dousing the fire with the FIT-5, firefighters later found a propane tank nearby. If the propane tank had exploded, the entire home might have been destroyed.
The FIT-5 extinguishes contained fires in spaces up to 1,700 cubic feet, so it can work in rooms, boats and vehicles. It also slows fires in larger rooms.
Insurance companies realize the FIT-5’s usefulness, and many insurance policies will pay to replace used FIT-5s.
ARA Safety is currently developing a version of the FIT-5 for homeowners. Soon, homeowners will not only benefit from firefighters’ new technology, they will also be able to use state-of-the-art fire safety equipment at home.
RALEIGH - A group of private investors has partnered to buy an office building at a marquee intersection, hoping an Earth-friendly renovation will reduce operating costs and lure tenants willing to pay more for green digs.The group, which includes three Greensboro partnerships and one from Durham, last week paid a partnership led by Mark Properties $3 million for the Navigant building, county property records show. Known for its time-and-temperature display, the building is at U.S. 70 and Creedmoor Road.
It’s the latest deal on a corner across from Crabtree Valley Mall, an area where developers are planning several buildings, including one under construction that would be among the region’s tallest.
The project is expected to meet the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system.
Details of the 32,000-square-foot renovation are being worked out, said Greg Sanchez, a partner in the ownership and president of Durham commercial real estate services firm Tri Properties, which will manage the building and conduct the renovation.
To meet LEED standards, the renovation would incorporate environmentally friendly construction practices and energy-saving design, which lower operating costs. The LEED designation could attract tenants willing to pay a premium for green offices. “A lot of tenants want to be in an energy-efficient building,” Sanchez said.
Read More:News & Observer
CARY, N.C. – Eric Hobbs, president of Technology Associates, a full-service technology solutions and support firm that specializes in providing network design, implementation, management and support to small to medium-sized businesses in North Carolina, has announced that the firm has enrolled as a Microsoft Certified Partner for the ninth consecutive year. Microsoft Certified Partners are independent companies that provide the highest levels of technical expertise, strategic thinking and hands-on skills. Certified Partners encompass a broad range of expertise and vendor affiliations and their real-world perspective helps prioritize and effectively deliver technology solutions to clients.
“We have a very long history with Microsoft and continue to value our partnership,” said Hobbs. “As a Microsoft Certified Partner we have access to an abundance of resources that allow us to provide the best IT solutions to small businesses that meet their needs.”
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
RALEIGH, N.C. – Wendell Falls, a first of its kind neighborhood in the town of Wendell, continues to grow. A historic home that is on the property has been moved to make way for the neighborhood’s parkway entrance.“When we were planning the location of Wendell Falls Parkway, it became clear that this great old house was in the middle of the route,” said Greg Ferguson, Managing Partner of Mercury Development. “It’s not listed on the Historic Register yet, but we believe it could be some day and felt it was important to save it.”
The Richardson Homeplace is a farmhouse once owned by Dr. William E. Richardson. It is a one-story frame dwelling of Italianate and Victorian character with a two-room deep center passage, a large front roof gable, interior brick chimneys, a foundation of stone piers, double-leaf round arch glass panel front doors and tall 4/4 windows. The house is believed to date to ca. 1870. Dr. Richardson (1845-1895) was a member of the North Carolina legislature in 1879 and a survivor of the Civil War. He joined the Confederacy at age 15 and served in the 62nd Georgia Calvary, which became the 16th Battalion of North Carolina Calvary.
“We worked with the heirs of William Richardson to move the house, at our expense, and put it next to the gravesite where Dr. Richardson is buried next to his wife and twin daughters. Mrs. Richardson and her daughters all died in childbirth,” said Ferguson. “The house, cemetery, and the newly created lot will be donated to the Town of Wendell.”
About Wendell Falls
Wendell Falls is a first of its kind development in the town of Wendell in eastern Wake County. The 1,400 acre development located just minutes from downtown Raleigh will be designed and priced to appeal to a full spectrum of home buyers. Amenities and services in Wendell Falls include state-of-the-art fiber optic connectivity for advanced data/video/voice/security capabilities, a YMCA with athletic fields and fitness center, WakeMed East Healthplex with emergency department, and a 126 acre park with a half mile of shoreline on Lake Myra. Construction of the first residences begins in fall 2008 with first occupancy is expected in early 2009. The onsite Information Center is set to open in August 2008. To register to receive updates on the community visit www.wendellfalls.com.
About Mercury Development
Mercury Development was founded in Raleigh in 2002 by Greg Ferguson and Mike Jones, two veterans of real estate development in the Triangle area. The company was formed to fulfill a need met by very few developers in the market. Mercury develops residential neighborhoods for national and local home builders with homes and townhomes ranging from $160,000 to over $1 million. Ferguson and Jones have developed numerous projects in the Triangle including Brook Forest in North Raleigh, Upchurch Farms in Cary, Carriage Downs in Apex, Falls Commons in North Raleigh, Trinity Square in West Raleigh, Deacon’s Ridge in Wake Forest, and many others. www.mercury-dev.com
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
RALEIGH, N.C. – VisionPoint Marketing (www.visionpointmarketing.com) has announced that Diane Kuehn, president and CEO, has been named a 2008 Impact Women Business Owner by Business Leader Magazine. The awards recognize the outstanding leadership of women business leaders, in the professional arena as well as the community. For more information about VisionPoint Marketing, visit their Web site at www.visionpointmarketing.com.
“I am honored to be named an Impact Women Business Owner,” said Kuehn. “This award recognizes some of the most influential leaders in our community and I am humbled to be in their great company.”
About Diane Kuehn:
Diane Kuehn is President and CEO of VisionPoint Marketing, an Internet marketing agency for mid-size organizations that provides strategy, creative services and execution of integrated online marketing programs. Diane established VisionPoint Marketing after holding numerous executive sales and marketing positions at leading companies, including Cox Communications, SourceLink, High Speed Net Solutions, and ADVO ? the country’s largest direct marketing firm. An enthusiastic supporter of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Diane serves on the Board of Directors and the Communications Committee and is the current chair for the Women’s Executive Golf Tournament. Other civic and professional organizations in which Diane maintains membership include the Council for Entrepreneur Development (CED) and the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO). Diane volunteers time to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, serves on the marketing committee for Triangle Family Services, is a board member of North Carolina’s International Affairs Council, and is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Me Fine Foundation. Her service and leadership have been recognized by the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award, which recognizes the top 25 female executives in the Triangle who display outstanding business and community leadership. Diane was recently named a 2007 Enterprising Woman of the Year by Enterprising Women Magazine.
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the inaugural game of golf at the 18-hole championship Nicklaus Design Golf Group golf course at 12 Oaks, Wakefield Development Company’s newest master-planned community in Holly Springs. Builder representatives and city officials joined Wakefield Development Company employees to witness John Myers, president of Wakefield Development Company, and Steve Sandler, president of L.M. Sandler & Sons, Inc., the parent company of Wakefield Development Company, cut the ribbon at this championship golf course. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a dozen foursomes participated in the course’s first round of golf. “The opening of the 12 Oaks golf course is a huge milestone for this community,” said John Myers, president of Wakefield Development Company. “The course complements the lifestyle offered in this Holly Springs community, and we are eager to complete the other amenities offered here.”
A ClubCorp golf course, the 7,219-yard layout course covers a varied terrain, from narrow valleys and ridges to shallow valleys accented with streams and wooded areas. To complete the golf course, an antebellum-style clubhouse featuring formal dining, a ballroom, member’s grill and golf pro shop is slated to open Fall 2009. The course at 12 Oaks marks only one of 10 other Nicklaus Design Golf Group golf courses.
“The natural beauty of 12 Oaks is perfectly captured with this golf course,” said Ken Kasten, executive vice president of new business development for ClubCorp. “The terrain change is picturesque, and the different options of tee boxes make this course a fun challenge for touring professionals and beginning golfers alike.”
Covering 687 acres and offering more than 1,300 townhomes and single-family homes, 12 Oaks is a classic southern community featuring Colonial, Greek and Southern Antebellum Revival and Victorian architecture. Amenities at 12 Oaks will include a Sports and Aquatic Center complete with fitness facilities, snack bar, tennis courts and pro shop, competition and family pools, and a children’s playground. In addition, parks and open spaces will be placed throughout the community. For more information on 12 Oaks and Wakefield Development Company, please go to www.12OaksNC.com or call 919-622-3779.
About Wakefield Development Company
Signature Communities. Ideal Opportunities.
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
