WakeMed Health & Hospitals released the Triangle’s first consumer smart phone app for iPhone and Android users. The app enables users to locate WakeMed facilities, search physicians, input personal health and insurance information, and read hospital news. Emergency room wait times will be added soon.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been awarded a $32 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to investigate ways to cure people with HIV by purging the virus hiding in the immune systems of patients taking antiretroviral therapy. The grant marks the first initiative to focus on a cure for HIV rather than prevention.

UNC Hospitals received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Silver Performance Achievement Award, recognizing their commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. UNC Hospitals seek to provide timely care to heart attack patients, particularly those dealing with STEMI heart attacks.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa was named 10th best large-city hotel in the U.S. and Canada by Travel + Leisure. It is the only North Carolina hotel on the list, and climbed 24 spots from its position in 2010. The list ranks hotels based on rooms, location, service, food and value.

Mark Saad, co-founder of socially responsible flip-flop company Kinder Soles, teamed with Chris Bingham and his company Riley Life Logistics to launch the nonprofit organization the SoleMates Foundation. Aimed to increase awareness and raise funds to help the footwear shortage in the United States, the SoleMates Foundation will distribute new and gently used shoes to individuals without proper footwear.

Rex Healthcare has been designated by The Joint Commission as an advanced primary stroke center. The certification acknowledges Rex’s ability to provide life-saving, emergency treatment of stroke, as well as its focus on community stroke education. As a certified stroke center, Rex will submit performance reports to the Joint Commission on measures including additional screenings, education, smoking cessation /counseling, proper therapy protocol administration and other categories. The accreditation is valid for two years.

Prestonwood Country Club opened a Golf Learning Center in July featuring state-of-the-art technology and equipment along with guidance from top golf instructors. The 2,500-square-foot building includes indoor and outdoor bays, a 10,000-square-foot grass teaching area tee box, a V1 swing analysis video system, indoor putting studio with the S.A.M. PuttLab putting analysis system, S.A.M. BalanceLab, K-Vest, and TrackMan launch monitor.

The Newborn Critical Care Center at N.C. Children’s Hospital opened Pod G, a new 10-bed expansion, in July. Pod G has a central clinician workstation to keep care providers nearer to the families. The new pod also boasts numerous appointments to augment family-centered care, including enhanced privacy partitions and personal storage spaces.

Photo: Mathnasium Learning Centers recognized local educator and business owner Denise McCann with its Top Franchisee Award for the second year in a row. McCann owns Mathnasium centers in Apex, Brier Creek, Cary, and North Raleigh. Franchisees from around the world attended the Seventh Annual International Mathnasium Franchise Convention, where the award was presented.

Crescent State Bank now offers an interactive game called MoneyIsland that aims to increase financial literacy by teaching children the fundamentals of finance at an early age. The interactive MoneyIsland experience allows a parent or teacher to track a child’s performance.

To secure a passport for a child to participate in MoneyIsland, a parent must visit any Crescent State Bank location and open a Junior Savings account in that child’s name. Crescent State Bank will deposit $5 in that account when it is opened. Upon successful completion of the MoneyIsland experience, children should bring their printed certificate to the same Crescent State Bank location to receive an additional $5 deposit in their account. There is no minimum balance required to maintain the Junior Savings account.

Photo: Clean Design Inc., a branding and design agency, has named Scott Scaggs vice president and creative director for the agency. With more than 20 years of experience, he will be responsible for providing leadership for the agency’s creative efforts, including designers and copywriters, and is responsible for delivering outstanding creative thinking to the agency’s clients. Scaggs has previously served as an associate creative director, art director and a designer at several major national agencies.

The Town of Cary has awarded one of the Cary Arts Center’s residencies to the Cary Players Community Theatre Company. Cary Players has held 29 productions attended by 14,000 patrons at seven different venues in its 10-year history. Cary Players will produce its entire season of four stage productions on the main stage at the Cary Arts Center, including the center’s first full-length musical, Once Upon A Mattress, opening on September 30.
 

Awards & Recognition

The V Foundation for Cancer Research partnered with Twongo, an online team-buying discount service, as its June Power of Team Giving charity cause. Twongo sold tickets for the chance to win a Leith BMW 128i at the Jimmy V 2011 Reverse Raffle that will take place Aug. 26. Each raffle ticket purchased via Twongo includes a family four-pack of gallery tickets to the 18th Annual Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic on Sunday, Aug. 28.

Carolina Ale House donated $23,000 to the Carolina Hurricanes’ Kids ’N Community Foundation. Lou & Joy Moshakos, owners of LM Restaurants Inc., presented the funds to Doug Warf, Executive Director of the foundation. The total came from the combined efforts of two fundraising initiatives: Points for Kids & Heart of the Hurricanes. Carolina Ale House donates $100 to KNCF for every point the Canes earn in the standings, which this year rounded up to $10,000. This year’s Heart of the Hurricanes campaign raised $13,000 from sales of paper hearts and car magnets. Carolina Ale House has raised more than $63,000 for the foundation since 2007.

The 2011 Cary Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards, sponsored by Crescent State Bank, honored local small businesses for contributions to the community through innovation, creativity, sustainability, success and community service. 2011 winners were: La Farm Bakery as Small Business of the Year; Equity Saver Plus Inc. with the Innovation Award; The Meat House with the Community Service Award; Robert G. (Bob) Smith, CPA with the Employer of the Year Award; Yes! Solar Solutions with the Green Plus Sustainability Award; and Cary High School with the Entrepreneurial Award in Education. The Charitable Partners Award, created specifically for the nonprofit organizations in the area, was awarded to The Miracle League of the Triangle.

Royal Oaks Building Group received the 2011 Major Achievements in Marketing Excellence Awards in the categories of Best General Brokerage/Agent Oriented Program, Best Merchandising for a Detached Home with a sales price of $175,000–$250,000 and Best Parade of Homes in the $175,001–$250,000 price range. In 2011, Royal Oaks has expanded homebuilding in five new residential neighborhoods and added several strategic members to its staff to accommodate this growth.

Coldwell Banker Commercial TradeMark Properties was honored by the 2010 Coldwell Banker Commercial Global Awards as the top Coldwell Banker Commercial office in North Carolina and in the top five of the Commercial Elite within the Coldwell Banker Commercial global affiliate network.

CreatiVisibility, a marketing and design firm in Cary, was awarded bronze in the 2011 Summit Creative Award competition in the Women’s Audience Website category. The Summit Creative Award is a part of The Summit International Awards organization, and recognizes and celebrates the creative accomplishments of small and medium-sized advertising agencies and other creative groups with annual billings under $30 million. CreatiVisibility’s winning website design was for Pristine Beauty, a natural hair and skin care beauty line created in Raleigh.

Fuentek, an Apex technology consulting firm that provides intellectual property and technology management services, has been selected as one of the Top Businesses by DiversityBusiness.com for the sixth consecutive year. The awards are based on annual gross revenue and business profile, and are used by major corporations looking to increase spending with small and diversity-owned companies.

Residents at continuing care retirement community Glenaire awarded $10,000 in scholarships to five graduating high school students planning enrollment in accredited post-secondary schools this fall. The scholarships were a combined effort from a Glenaire resident couple and the Glenaire Foundation. In 2003 this couple provided $100,000 to the foundation to establish the “Wait Staff Scholarship Fund” to provide scholarships for high school students who work in the facility’s dining room. Recipients were Dominick Downing from Cary High School, who will attend N.C. State University; Winnie Hui from Cary High School, who will attend East Carolina University; Lauren Koepnick from Athens Drive High School, who will attend NCSU; Keia Lusk from Panther Creek High School, who will attend ECU; and Zakiya Toney from Panther Creek High School, who will attend NCSU.

The Cary Chamber of Commerce held its annual Honor A Teacher Awards ceremony on May 9. Twenty four chamber members sponsored the $1,000 awards presented to each of the 27 winning Western Wake County teachers. Award money may be used in any way the teachers would like. The winners were: Allyson Lynch of Green Hope High School; Ashley Palermo of Carpenter Elementary School; Terri Stewart of Weatherstone Elementary School; Twanna Hancock of West Cary Middle School; Chris Forgione of Davis Drive Middle School; Jennifer Butler of Highcroft Drive Elementary School; Paul Regina of Adams Elementary School; Diana Hosterman of Mills Park Elementary School; Lisa Amador of Farmington Woods Elementary School; Christine Rahn of Reedy Creek Elementary School; Rhonda Potts of Davis Drive Elementary School; Robin Turner of Northwoods Elementary School; Ashley Nelson of Reedy Creek Middle School; Heather Lilley of Briarcliff Elementary School; Kelly D’Amico of East Cary Middle School; Robin Edelstein of Cary Academy; Patrick Jessee of Cary High School; Kathryn Boone of Turner Creek Elementary School; Elizabeth Ramsey of Morrisville Elementary School; Bonnie Lee O’Connor of Panther Creek High School; Erika Emelle of Alston Ridge Elementary School; Maureen Kasegian of Mills Park Middle School; Thomas Teachout of Cary Elementary School; Janice Azevedo of Kingswood Elementary School; Serena Buckner of Green Hope Elementary School; Wayne Bragg of Panther Creek High School; and Christine Dahlin of Cedar Fork Elementary School.

Allstate Insurance Co. recognized local Allstate personal financial representative Basil “Boz” Marchi with the Chairman’s Conference award for high standards in customer satisfaction and financial services sales. Marchi is one of six percent of Allstate producers nationally to reach this level of achievement, based on financial services sales.

Appointments

Cindy Alness Boily, RN, MSN, has been named senior vice president and chief nursing officer of WakeMed. Boily previously worked as a CNO and hospital administrator, serving in this role for hospitals and health care systems of all sizes. Most recently, Boily served as chief nursing officer for Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Minnesota State University, a master’s degree in Nursing from Barry University and more than 28 years’ experience in nursing.

The Carying Place, a Cary-based nonprofit agency serving working homeless families with children, has named Pat Lykins as executive director. Lykins most recently served as the Director of Outreach at St. Francis United Methodist Church. During her tenure at St. Francis, Lykins referred people who have needed help as well as those who had items, time and money to donate to The Carying Place.

“Coming to The Carying Place feels very much like the next step on my path,” said Lykins. “I enjoy helping people who are in need and living in desperate situations to turn their lives around. I look forward to the opportunity to intensively support the families and help to get them on a new path.”

The North Carolina Symphony named Sandi Macdonald as president and CEO of the organization. Macdonald brings more than 20 years of experience in orchestra management to her position. Previously she served as Miami Residency director for The Cleveland Orchestra.

MarketSmart Advertising, a Cary full-service marketing and communications agency, named Jan Johnson chief executive officer. Formerly MSA’s vice president, Johnson will manage internal company operations, supervise senior management executives and facilitate future business opportunities. Johnson brings more than 20 years of industry expertise with an extensive background in corporate, business-to-business, interactive and consumer marketing. Johnson joined MSA in 2006, where she guided the account leadership team and served as the account director for UNC Health Care.

Rex Primary Care of Cary has added Vandana Devalapalli, MD, FACP, to its staff. In March, Rex Primary Care of Cary expanded capabilities to offer a broader scope of quality health care services for patients 18 and older. Devalapalli brings more than 15 years of experience in internal medicine. Devalapalli has received several industry awards, including the 2010 Star Award for patient care recognition and the 2006 Circle of Quality Service Award for outstanding achievement.

Industry Growth
Lenovo has signed a contract with Affiliated Computer Services Inc., a Xerox Company, as part of an initiative to expand its Global Services business. The agreement will create approximately 300 new jobs in the Triangle, including 50 with Lenovo and 250 with ACS. Through its industry-leading customer services, ACS will support Lenovo customers in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand via telephone, email and Web chat.

Palm Avenue, the Lilly Pulitzer boutique in Raleigh’s Cameron Village, is the first store nationwide to offer the designer’s new home furnishings collection. The offerings include bedroom, living room and dining room furniture collections, case goods, accessories
and custom upholstery.

The shop, which recently changed locations within Cameron Village to accommodate the new products, opened its doors on May 4. “We are thrilled to be the first store in the country to offer this timeless and eclectic line to customers,” said Rebecca Byrd, owner of Palm Avenue. “We believe North Carolina’s roots in the textile and furniture industries provide the perfect location for us to invest in this new endeavor and honor our state’s exciting heritage.”

Longtime Cary resident, Town of Cary Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources advisory board member and 2006 Town of Cary Cultural Arts volunteer of the year winner Kay Struffolino is the recipient of the town’s annual Hometown Spirit Award. In its second year, the award recognizes community-minded citizens who enhance the quality of life in Cary by preserving, promoting and carrying out positive small-town community values and traits. The Town Council honored all eight nominees — Michael Carlton, George Donanich, Jason Harloff, Rosalind Heiko, Ruth Merkle, Gay Purvis and Cynthia Sinkez — for their unique contributions to the community. Struffolino received a plaque, and the town will recognize her on a plaque inside Town Hall.

“This is a humbling experience. I am grateful for all the opportunities available to become involved in this community that I love,” said Struffolino.

Hometown Spirit Award nominees had to demonstrate leadership and integrity and be respected by peers. In addition, they had to exemplify at least one of the following criteria: helps out neighbors and fellow Cary residents; demonstrates hospitality; promotes and preserves traditional American pastimes; shows a concern for preservation and works to preserve traditions and the small-town atmosphere in the community; promotes entrepreneurship through supporting locally owned business; promotes a sense of community in their neighborhood and all of Cary; demonstrates patriotism through promotion and preservation of the country’s symbols and dedication to the U.S. military, past and present; and serves the community through business.

The Town of Cary has been named the second safest in the nation among municipalities with populations of 100,000 to 499,999 by CQ Press, publisher of the annual “City Crime Rankings 2010-2011: Crime in Metropolitan America.” The town previously held the fifth safest city ranking in the same category in 2009. This is Cary’s 12th consecutive year on this list. Only Amherst, N.Y., ranked safer among municipalities with similar populations. The rankings are based on final 2009 crime statistics.

“Even though the population in Cary continues to increase, our safety ranking also continues to remain high,” said Police Chief Pat Bazemore. “Keeping Cary safe goes hand-in-hand with keeping Cary one of the best places to live, work and raise a family, which is why we will continue to work with our citizens on preventing crime before it happens.”

Six artists were recently given the 2010 Jerry Miller Artist Award to recognize the “Best in Show” among artworks/crafts displayed at the Town of Cary’s Annual Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival that attracts more than 50,000 people each year. The following were selected from 385 artists for top honors: Melissa Booth, a jeweler from Durham; Kimberly Kearney, a jeweler from Raleigh; Maggie Joynt, a jeweler from Dillsboro; Rhanna Nyman, a fiber artist from Asheville; Joe Wujcik, a wood artist from Calera, Ala.; and Jim Whalen, a clay artist from Horse Shoe, N.C.

Brilliant Sky Toys & Books recently opened a new location in the Stone Creek Village shopping center Cary. The specialty toy store retailer offers parents and children a unique educational experience with a focus on providing the finest toys, books and events to enrich, enlighten and entertain families. Complimentary activities are offered at the store, such as craft workshops, special play days and story hours with guest storytellers and musicians. The location is locally owned and operated by Lori and Tom Hartman. The Hartmans are residents of Cary and are parents to a boy and a girl.

“Brilliant Sky is a wonderful concept, and we strongly support its mission,” said Lori. “Being parents ourselves, we really value what Brilliant Sky brings to the Cary community, which is a fun, educational place for families to spend time together.”

Site Selection magazine has named North Carolina the state with the Top Business Climate for 2010. Research based in part on a survey of corporate real estate executives has identified the Tar Heel State’s overall climate for capital investment to be tops in the nation for the ninth time in the last 10 years. Tennessee placed second this year, followed by Texas, Virginia and South Carolina.

Among North Carolina’s strengths, according to executives associated with projects there, are its extensive higher education resources, work force training initiatives, moderate climate and transportation infrastructure — besides sea, rail and highway assets, the state has both a US Airways hub at Charlotte and a FedEx regional hub at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro. Another factor is the governor’s proactive approach to business recruitment.

“People across the state and many businesses around the country know that I’ll take any call and go anywhere to bring a business to our state or expand a business or create a small business in North Carolina,” said N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue. “We have been very aggressive, and that has paid off.”

With more than 11 years of service, Yoko Sorensen has been named the Town of Cary’s 2010 Employee of the Year. Sorensen is the fire captain at Fire Station 2 and was chosen out of 19 nominees from the town’s 1,140 employees. He was honored with a plaque and a $1,000 savings bond. Other finalists include: Brian Austin, Police Department’s master police officer; Wes Everett, Inspections & Permits Department’s operations analyst; Andy Tipaldos, Public Works & Utilities Department’s solid waste equipment operator; and Terry Yates, Technology Department’s telecommunications manager.

“We’re very proud of Yoko’s accomplishments and his commitment to providing outstanding services,” said Ben Shivar, town manager. “We are grateful for employees like Sorensen and countless others who continue to provide exceptional services to our citizens despite tough economic conditions.”

Sorensen is a model employee and supervisor. He spends countless hours training his staff and new recruits in providing effective fire, rescue and EMS services and spends extra time with citizens explaining how the fire department can be of assistance. According to his colleagues, Sorenson is selfless and makes a genuine effort to help fellow employees meet their personal and professional goals.

Swagger Gifts, an upscale Cary boutique owned by Mandy Becker, has earned the Marketing Achievement: Branding and Integrated Marketing award for 2010, presented by Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine during its annual Retailer Excellence Awards gala, held in New York City. The award is based on Swagger Gifts’ advertising and promotion campaigns, including e-mail marketing and social media efforts, and ongoing community-supporting events, including the Swagger Gifts Community Giving Program.

Tom Sewitsky has been named Raleigh division president by Citizens Homes, as the company marks its expansion into the North Carolina market with the opening of Lakestone Village in Fuquay-Varina. Sewitsky brings to Citizens Homes a long history of building in the Raleigh-Durham area, with more than 18 years of home building experience, including at the helm of a national building company in Raleigh.

Don K. Davis, aN N.C. State University graduate and Fayetteville native, has been named interim president and chief executive officer of the North Carolina Symphony, replacing resigning president David Chambless Worters. Davis has been a member of the Symphony’s Board of Trustees for seven years, serving on nominating, audit and finance committees, and for the past two years, the executive committee. He is the retired former executive vice president of Progress Energy.

Daniel Peter “Danny” Hopkins has been selected to serve as Cary’s director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, replacing the retiring Mary Henderson. Hopkins was selected from a pool of 168 applicants from eight states. As director, he will oversee a staff of nearly 70 regular employees and more than 900 temporary employees who support the nationally accredited department’s efforts to provide a variety of recreation, sports, environmental, historical and cultural arts facilities, programs and services. He most recently worked as superintendent for recreation for the City of Asheville, and has held leadership positions throughout Florida and in Redmond, Wash.

The Town of Cary has been named a Gold Level Fit Community by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund. This is the first year a gold level status has been awarded in the Fit Community’s program history, and only one other organization shares this honor. The town was again designated as a Fit Community for 2010–2013, an award given to only seven other municipalities this year. Cary was first named a Fit Community in 2007. Founded in 2005, the initiative is a designation and grants program that promotes a holistic community-based approach to addressing obesity in the state.

Sendhil Kumar Cheran, MD, has joined the practice of Raleigh-based Wake Radiology, as a body imaging specialist. Cheran completed a fellowship in abdominal imaging in June 2010 at the University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital at the University of Toronto. He received his medical degree from Duke University, then served his residency at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He spent four years as a resident in the Department of Radiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and is certified in diagnostic radiology by the American Board of Radiology.

The Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood announced five new elected board members and two new members appointed to its advisory board. New board members are Jonathan Blackwell, of Apex; Saundra Freeman, of Raleigh; Christian Marín, of Raleigh; Scott H. Spiegel, of Cary; and Morgan Stickler, of Raleigh. New board of advisors members are Kay Schoellhorn and Kari Howe Stoltz, both of Raleigh.

New officers and members of the Executive Committee are Dean M. McCord, chair; Bert Smith, vice chair; Richard Wilson, MD, secretary; Jeff Eakes, CPA, CTP, treasurer; and Walton Jennette Jr., at-large member. The Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood is a nationally recognized model for childhood mental health education and services, and the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit focused on providing mental health services to young children and their families in the Triangle.

Leigh Griffin Duque has been named executive director of InterAct, a nonprofit agency serving victims and survivors of domestic violence and rape/sexual assault in Wake County. Duque joins InterAct with a 25-year background in human services and nonprofit administration. Most recently, she served as executive director of the YWCA of the Greater Triangle Inc., and chief development officer with Girl Scouts — North Carolina Coastal Pines Inc., serving 41 central and eastern North Carolina counties.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that St. Michael School in Cary has received a National Blue Ribbon Award for 2010, one of only three North Carolina schools to receive this honor and the only school in the Triangle. The award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools whose students achieve at very high levels or have made significant progress and helped close gaps in achievement, especially among disadvantaged and minority students. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is part of a larger Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about best school leadership and teaching practices. Private schools are only eligible to earn this honor every 10 years. Principal at St. Michael School, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is Dr. Sarah Wannemuehler.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa was awarded with the 2011 AAA Five Diamond Award in October, one of North America’s most respected symbols of excellence in the hospitality industry and the highest honor bestowed by AAA. This is the fourth year The Umstead has won this award.

Gentris Corporation, a global leader in applied clinical pharmacogenomics, has named Rick Williams as chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors. In his role he will ensure that the company continues to provide biotechnology and pharmaceutical sponsors with the benefits of cutting-edge advancements in individual patient response and biomarker utilization. 

Wake Radiology recently hired Danielle L. Wellman, MD, to the practice as a radiologist. Wellman received her medical degree from the University of Texas – Houston Medical School and recently completed a women’s imaging fellowship and a diagnostic radiology residency at Duke University Hospital.

Fast Lane, a leading worldwide provider of advanced IT training, has moved its U.S. headquarters from Cary to Morrisville to accommodate growth in service offerings and staff. The new location includes three training rooms and will also accommodate anticipated staff expansion in the coming year. “We are projecting continued growth in our IT business training lines of business, and this relocation marks an exciting time in our history,” said Chuck Terrien, president of Fast Lane Americas.

On July 30, Food Runners Collaborative Inc. delivered its 3 millionth meal to a senior through Meals on Wheels of Wake County, its largest senior meal client. Food Runners produced its first hot senior meal on March 1, 2005, and currently provides almost 2,400 hot meals per day, Monday through Friday, to six senior programs in Wake, Durham, Johnston and Nash Counties. Food Runners is a joint venture of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and Meals on Wheels of Wake County.  “We are pleased to be able to provide these hot, nutritious meals to our clients for delivery to the senior citizens of our community,” said Fred Haggard, executive director of Food Runners. “Food Runners is producing these meals at a very low cost, helping our customers stretch their limited dollars in these tight money times. We are doing all we can to feed as many senior citizens as possible.”

Wake County recently opened a new wing of the Animal Care, Control and Adoption Center. This expansion will allow Wake County to house animals from all cities in the county as well as those from unincorporated areas. “Our partners have provided thoughtful input, and their participation has helped us develop a plan that will provide high-quality care for cats, dogs and other pets in Wake County for many years to come,” said Wake County Board of Commissioners Chairman Tony Gurley.

Eyecarecenter has added Dr. Kathryn Manton and Dr. Holly Adams to its optometry team. Dr. Manton will be working at both the Barnes and Noble Plaza and downtown Raleigh locations. Dr. Adams will practice at the Barnes and Noble Plaza and Preston Plaza offices. Both doctors will be specializing in primary care and contact lenses. Wake County Public Schools System has leased an additional 175,000 square feet at Crossroads Corporate Park in Cary. The new lease expands the school system’s presence at the property from its existing 74,201 square feet and consolidates departments and operations previously housed in four other locations around Raleigh. “We are excited that the Wake County Public School System is establishing their corporate campus at Crossroads Corporate Park. Consolidating their offices will give Wake County Schools a much more efficient operating platform and positively impact the community for many years to come,” said Erin Curry, asset manager of Mayfield Gentry Realty Advisors.

Cary has been named one of the best places to live in the Southeastern United States out of more than 100 cities nationwide by Money magazine. Cary is the only North Carolina community to make the Money magazine Top 25 list. This marks Cary’s fourth appearance on the Best Places to Live list in eight years. Factors affecting the rankings included median income, population growth, unemployment rates, cost of residential housing relative to local income levels and percentage of college-educated working professionals. Cary was also recently designated a gold-level Fit Community by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission.

Cloer Family Vineyards, a family farm winery, opened in Apex on June 4. It is the second family-owned farm in the immediate Triangle area that grows its own grapes and produces its own wines on-site. The vineyard offers wine tastings, self-guided vineyard and winery tours and bottles of the family’s locally grown and produced wines for sale.