Town Talk 10/27/16

Cooperative Extension with Jean Bell 10/27/16

Animal Kingdom 10/26/16

News 10/27/16

Vance Furniture Celebrates 75 Years with Ribbon Cutting

On Tuesday, October 25th, Craig Bailey and Sam Harper celebrated the company’s 75 years in business with family and friends, their staff, local officials and business owners and the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.

Through the years, Vance Furniture has faced its share of hardships – storms, changing marketplace trends and demands, along with the region’s physical landscape and the economy while at the same time remaining true to their commitment to exceptional customer service and thinking of their staff as family. Long hours, hard work and their commitment to deliver perfection has kept them in business for many years.  Vance Furniture has survived it all, and this year, celebrates its 75th anniversary. Henderson certainly would not be the same without this downtown staple for furniture.

Sam and Craig have never settled for ‘good enough’. Having been in Henderson for 75 years, they know the people in Henderson.  They know what matters to their customers.  The Vance Furniture name has been built on their insistence that every purchase must meet or exceed customer expectations, and they will do whatever it takes to make it so.

Within Vance Furniture there are five floors of showrooms offering home furnishings from the best brands, including: A.R.T., Armini, Broyhill, Craftmaster, Hillsdales, Hooker, Kincaid, La-Z-Boy, Legacy, Lexington, and Paula Deen Home furniture to name a few.

For more information about Vance Furniture, please stop in at their 325 S. Garnett Street location or contact them at 252-438-3911.  You can also check them out at www.vancefurniture.com.

This anniversary represents a very significant milestone for Vance Furniture and the Chamber is very excited to have been a part of this celebration today.

News 10/26/16

Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie 10/26/16

Employers connect with students at VGCC Manufacturing Day

Vance-Granville Community College held a “Manufacturing Day” celebration on Friday, Oct. 7, in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. An estimated 275 middle and high school students from Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties attended, along with VGCC students and other members of the community. They learned about how manufacturing has changed, local career possibilities in the field and options for education and training related to careers in the industry. The event was one of many Manufacturing Day celebrations held across the country that day.

Participating employers included Altec of Creedmoor, Asteelflash of Raleigh, Delhaize America/Food Lion Distribution Center of Butner, Dill Air Controls Products of Oxford, Eaton of Youngsville, Glen Raven of Norlina, Ideal Fastener of Oxford, Mars Petcare of Henderson, Novozymes of Franklinton, Plastic Ingenuity of Oxford, Revlon of Oxford, Shalag of Oxford, Staffmark of Henderson, Stay Online of Creedmoor, Sunrock of Butner, Superior Tooling of Wake Forest, TFS of Wake Forest and Universal Forest Products of Franklinton.

VGCC technical programs were also represented, including Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology, Automotive Systems Technology, Bioprocess Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Welding Technology.

Attendees also learned about the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), which partners with colleges like VGCC and employers to prepare a skilled workforce. During lunch, Robbie Earnhardt, owner of Superior Tooling, discussed NCTAP with representatives of the other companies in attendance. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the apprenticeship I had,” Earnhardt said. An alternative to the traditional four-year college degree, the program takes a student from high school through a two-year community college program like Mechatronics Engineering Technology, with the guarantee of a job at the completion of the program. “We need more local industry partners in NCTAP,” Earnhardt said, noting that Dill Air Controls Products has already joined. “Many industries have trouble finding skilled workers. This can help.”

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program at VGCC organized Manufacturing Day, with support from the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Alliance (AMSTA), a partnership of VGCC and local K-12 school systems. With the help of the $1.75 million TAACCCT grant, the largest single competitive grant in VGCC history, the college has developed and enhanced innovative training programs for advanced manufacturing careers. The TAACCCT grants are part of a nearly $2 billion initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor to expand targeted training programs for unemployed workers, especially those impacted by foreign trade. For more information on TAACCCT, call (252) 738-3342.

WRAL TV’s Bill Leslie to Perform at McGregor Hall

Take a journey through North Carolina, as well as places like Scotland and beyond, with long-time WRAL News Anchor Bill Leslie. This award-winning North Carolina journalist is also an internationally acclaimed musician, singer and composer who performs across the globe with his group Bill Leslie & Lorica.

This five-member ensemble showcase a blend of Celtic, Folk and New Age music that includes albums that have topped World Music charts in the U.S and abroad. His most recent recording “Scotland: Grace of the Wild” was named World Radio Album of the Year in 2013.

Bill Leslie & Lorica’s soothing musical configurations include the guitar, Celtic whistle, violin, flute, piano, percussion and vocals. Bill seems to transport his audience into his music, inviting you to travel with him as he explores various melodies that often describe his journeys through his beloved home state such as his hikes among the ancient pines of North Carolina’s Linville Gorge.

Mayor Eddie Ellington calls for special meeting

Mayor Ellington has requested a Special Called Meeting of the Henderson City Council for Friday, October 28, 2016 at 12:00 noon.  The purpose of this meeting is to consider a wastewater agreement relating to the ongoing construction project and approving a Kerr Lake Regional Water repair relative to the generator wiring to the raw water pump station.

This meeting will be held in Council Chambers at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue, Henderson, NC.

The public is welcome to attend.