Must read article about BLOC Golf Tourney and Promising Pages!

BLOC-Ballantyne member, Joe Keener, with PRUITT KEENER Insurance Services Inc. was named shareholder at Pruitt Insurance Services Inc. of Charlotte. Keener will serve as a board member and vice president of the agency. Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/02/26/3042866/career-almanac.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy

BLOC-Southpark member Anna Smith, with Hibiscus Graphix Inc., a Charlotte based marketing company specializing in Branding & Graphic Design, was engaged by Uptown member, Lauren Borchert with The Arc of Mecklenburg County to design and implement a resource website for People with Developmental Disabilities transitioning into post-secondary education or the workforce at Doors2Life.org. The Arc of Mecklenburg County creates opportunities with our community for people with cognitive impairments and their families to experience more meaningful and satisfying lives. Funding has been provided through a School to Community Transition grant from The Arc of the United States.

BLOC - Southpark member Anna Smith, with Hibiscus Graphix, Inc., a Charlotte based marketing company specializing in Branding & Graphic Design, was engaged by Carolina Connections, Inc. to redesign and implement their website. Carolina Connections, Inc. is a full service background screening firm focusing on areas of employment and volunteer screening nationwide.

BLOC Uptown member Dr. Bradford Picot of SouthEnd Dentistry was recently recognized as one of Charlotte's Top Dentists in Charlotte Magazine's latest issue. This award is given to dentists who are most highly recommended by their colleagues.

BLOC-Matthews co-director Pam Decker with SunTrust was named a finalist for the Business Leader’s 2011 Women Extraordinaire Award! The ceremony is on December 8, 2011. Please join me in congratulating her on this achievement! Great job, Pam!

BLOC-Matthews co-director, Pam Decker with SunTrust Bank would like to announce that two years ago, as part of the Play to Win program, SunTrust set an aggressive goal to become an industry leader in client loyalty by the end of 2012. Thanks to the hard work and focus of our teammates, SunTrust now scores the highest in client loyalty against competitors in our footprint – and a full year before the target date. Also, in a challenging economic environment, SunTrust continues to support the businesses and communities it serves by addressing the need for small business loans through the SBA. SunTrust has increased their activity. As noted in the New York Times, SunTrust posted the biggest growth in 7(a) loans – the flagship lending program of the SBA.

BLOC-Ballantyne member Amanda Schüss with Ballantyne Business Center just held a huge fundraiser for a local non-profit called ‘Classroom Central’ which provides schools supplies for teachers throughout the year free of charge. Our biggest push is to collect over 15,000 packs of markers within a week from our entire Ballantyne Corporate Park. To raise excitement I was volunteered (notice…I WAS volunteered) to challenge our parent company Bissell Company if they collected 1000+ packs of markers I would wear a University of Florida shirt for an entire workday. Now, this doesn’t seem to be a big deal for most people but I’m a HUGE University of Georgia fan and I despise the Florida Gators. So…it’s a very big deal and I will need to keep it a secret from my family. J So, of course we exceeded our goal and Amanda was FORCED to wear a hideous University of Florida shirt the entire day on August 3rd

BLOC 24 Hours of Booty Team Raises $10,563 for Cancer Research!!! Team BLOC which consisted of BLOC members Ryan Donaghy, Craig Dunn, Daniel Cooper, Scott Donaghy, Mark Munson, Rick Spruill and of course Team Captain Bryan Katzenmaier, gathered this past Friday and Saturday to ride for 792 miles and having a blast all along the way. They raised a ton of dough with Rick Spruill raising the highest amount. He came in at $1668 while Scott, Bryan, Mark and Rachel Staton also raised over $1000. Team BLOC also was supported by David Eddy, Danielle Smit, Pim Smit and Lexee Zutz. The event as a whole raised over $1 Million. To find out more about the efforts of team BLOC and other go to www.24hoursofbooty.org

BLOC-Matthews Member Jonathan Malone, of GCG Wealth Management, qualified for the industry's Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) in 2010. MDRT is the Premier Association of Financial Advisors, made up of 32,000 of the world's best life insurance and financial services professionals from 81 nations and territories.

BLOC-Uptown member Allen Clark, with the Charlotte Business Journal, has been elected as President of the Rotary Club of Charlotte- Evening Chapter. The Chapter is chartering this summer and meets 6-7pm Mondays at Chima Brazilian Steakhouse Uptown. Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

BLOC-Ballantyne member Michael Barnes, Co-owner and VP of Operations at Carolina Connections, Inc., would like to announce the new EZyApp™ background screening system. This new system will provide your volunteers or applicants with a safe and secure way to enter their personal information into your EZyCheck™ account on-line for your background check. This eliminates the time-consuming data entry process and allows you to be able to manage your applicants as well as the rest of your work duties. We even have a function that will allow you to e-mail the proper credentials and instruction to your applicant or volunteer. Please contact Michael Barnes for further information.

BLOC CIC Director Courtney Colosi has accepted a new career opportunity that will not allow her to finish her term through the end of 2011. Everyone at BLOC and especially her friends on the Executive Board, wishes Courtney well and continued success in her new position.

BLOC Southpark members Julie Tache, of Homes With Cachet, and Brian Novak, of The Novak Group, would like to announce the birth of their daughter Gemma Bing Novak. Born on Wednesday, March 16 at 09:00 AM and weighing 6lbs 4oz.

BLOC Ballantyne member Michael Barnes, owner of Carolina Connections, Inc., would like to announce the newest member of his team: Cooper Ashley Barnes. Master Cooper was born 1/31/2011 at 2:53 pm at Gaston Memorial Hospital at The Birth Place and weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. His new role within the organization will be under the marketing department as his image is the new face of our company.

BLOC Ballantyne member Jeff Lamont with ATCOM Business Telecom Solutions was recently awarded the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce VoIP Telecom System Contract. ATCOM was awarded the contract over 12 other vendors and will provide a state of the art VoIP solution that will give The Chamber the tools necessary to continue to propel their mission for years to come. ATCOM is also growing and is seeking Business to Business Sales Representatives. Experience and a successful sales history is a must. Please send resumes to rhondam@atcombts.com.

Congratulations to BLOC-Uptown member Courtney Colosi who recently appeared on Fox Charlotte News @ 10. Courtney who works at Sherpa discussed the Charlotte job market and the great opportunities presented to young people. Check out the news story at the following link: http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/top-stories/QC-Youth-Jobs-111304039.html Courtney is also BLOC's Community Involvement Director.

BLOC reignited its’ co-ed BLOC Bowling Team in the Fall of 2010, and after five weeks, finds itself in FIRST PLACE, for the third week in a row, with a 30 – 10 record. Strikers include captain Justin Lowenberger, Ryan Donaghy, Mark Munson, Benjamin Helbein, Mike Waite, Ellen Lowenberger, Wendy Shanahan, Nikkie Darrell, Whitney Turner, and Jennifer Beagle. GO BLOC!

BLOC Uptown member Dr. Bradford Picot and SouthEnd Dentistry celebrated an incredible first year in business September 17, 2010. The premier dental practice stands by its' mission statement to offer the best in dental care using the latest in technology in a soothing environment for its patients. SouthEnd Dentistry's renowned website (www.southendsmiles.com) continues to offer a great deal of dental education for visitors. "It's the Experience!"

BLOC-Uptown member Scott Donaghy from Best Integration Technologies, Inc. is happy to share that Ryan Hardy has joined their engineering team. Ryan has 6+ years of engineering experience and is a certified Microsoft engineer. For more information about Bestintech and thieir computer networking services go to www.bestintech.net or call Scott at 704.540.6965.

BLOC -Uptown member Courtney LaLone has earned the position of Partner at Toler, Bly & Associates, CPA, PLLC (TB&A). During Courtney’s three years with TB&A, his hard work, dedication to clients and solid leadership have resulted in rapid growth with uncompromising quality for the firm’s corporate audit division. Courtney’s unique insight and career experiences will guide TB&A as the firm continues to grow by providing a vast array of client-focused services. Congrats Courtney!!

BLOC-Uptown member Ben Helbein of the Benjamin Helbein Agency (an Allstate Insurance partner), located in historic heart of Dilworth celebrated their 2 year anniversary on July 1st. They are an insurance agency that continues to focus on growth and putting customers first. It is with that direction and focus as to how we maintain our Premiere Service Agency designation. Ben would like to thank all BLOC members for their continued support to help he and the agency meet and exceed their goals.

Craig Dunn, Jennie Rowlands, and Ted Peterson, all from Carolina Office Solutions, want to share that they are moving to a nicer, larger, climate controlled warehouse on Westinghouse Blvd this Summer. Managing Partner, Craig Dunn is a member of BLOC-Uptown, managing partner Ted Peterson is a member of BLOC-Ballantyne and sales & marketing associate, Jennifer Rowlands Beegle is a member of BLOC-North. After 10 years of business the company is excited about moving to yet another larger space that will allow them to better accommodate their clients.

BLOC-North member Jennifer Rowlands, with Carolina Office Solutions, will be getting married on April 25th in in beautiful Cancun, Mexico. Congratulations Jennie from all your friends at BLOC!!!

BLOC-SouthPark member Nicole Sodoma, with Sodoma Law, P.C., was honored February 22nd by Business Leader Magazine as one of Charlotte's top fifty entrepreneurs for 2010. Nicole accepted the nomination graciously explaining she was not an entrepreneur, instead a family law attorney who started a family business for the families she serves. She explained that she loves her practice and was just fortunate enough to be surrounded by a team of people who feel the same way. Congratulations Nicole!

BLOC would like to congratulate former BLOC Charter Member Chris Herring and his wife Dani on the arrival of their new son Beckett Steele Herring. Beckett entered the world on February the 10th at 7 lbs 1 oz and is 20.5 inches. He has red hair like his daddy. For those of you who do not remember Chris was an integral part of BLOC's foundation and served initially as the Treasurer. He then went on to create and direct the Community Involvement Committee which has gone on to become a staple of BLOC's efforts. Chris now lives in Pittsburgh, Pa but continues to work for Creative Loafing in a management position. I am sure Chris would love to hear from his old friends. Send him a note at chris.herring@clm.com

BLOC-Ballantyne members Marla Emery and Rhonda York from TeamWide Solutions, in partnership with the Charlotte Business Journal and The Employers Association, proudly present 'Create "We" in Your Workplace' featuring three-time bestselling author Judith E. Glaser on February 23, 2010 (8:00-11:30 AM). The event will be held at The Employers Association. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/createwe or call Marla Emery at 704-540-3662.

BLOC-SouthPark member Anna Smith, with Hibiscus Graphix, is honored to be able to truly showcase her talents in the marketing spot for BLOC-SouthPark. This accomplishment is based on the inspiration from BLOC members to start her own business. Anna has also worked behind the scenes marketing BLOC for the past two years and is finally getting to market herself. Since being announced as a member of BLOC-SouthPark, Hibiscus Graphix has totally redesigned and relaunched the website www.hibiscusgraphix.com, rebranding Hibiscus as she rebrands her clients. A special thank you to all members of BLOC.

BLOC-Uptown member Craig Dunn from Carolina Office Solutions, is passionate about helping local businesses and non-profits save money on quality office furniture. He and his partner Ted Peterson donate furniture on a regular basis to help non-profits get started or for Habitat to resell and raise money for a great cause. Most recent furniture donations have been made to Habitat for Humanity, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Hoskins Park Ministries, Carolina Community Maternity Center, and Ramah Christian School. For more information on how you can help these non-profits please contact Craig Dunn at craig@carolinaofficesolutions.com

BLOC-North member Mary Catherine Dolphens, with Asterisk Creative, has been appointed to the board of CORE and the steering committee for Charlotte Business Professionals.  Additionally, BLOC-Uptown member, Wendy Shanahan, also with Asterisk, has accepted the position of Director of Marketing for the Charlotte Chapter of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners).  The team at Asterisk Creative has recently launched a website for Olympic Bobsled hopeful Brock Kreitzburg at www.brockbobsled.com.

Brandon Lowery, president of Converge Communication Technologies, and member of BLOC-Uptown, has been recognized by Business Leader Media as a 2009 recipient of the “Movers and Shakers” award.  This is the second straight year that BLOC has been represented as a winner of this award, that recognizes professionals and companies that experience growth in their business, offer leadership to their company, demonstrate achievement in their industry, and make an impact in the community.  Congratulations, Brandon!

BLOC-Uptown member Liz Kunz with Girls on the Run International is pleased to share that the organization has moved into new office space at 120 Cottage Place in Charlotte.  The International office continues to share space with the Charlotte council of Girls on the Run.  Girls on the Run is a non-profit organization that serves girls in the 3rd – 8th grade.  It’s twelve-week curriculum combines training for a 5k with lessons that inspire girls to recognize and honor their individual strengths and to truly celebrate who they are on the inside.  The organization served over 50,000 girls in 157 cities in 2008.

BLOC-Uptown member Courtney LaLone and Ballantyne member Daniel Cooper and the entire Toler, Bly & Associates Team had the rewarding experience of volunteering at Thompson’s Children’s Home on Monday, May 4th for the Firm’s annual community service day.  They stepped away from the adding machines and computers and did a spit and polish of the pool house and many vehicles used by the home.  Toler, Bly & Associates picks a different charity every year as a way to give back to the community.  The day always ends with team building and fun.

BLOC-Ballantyne member Ted Peterson, with Carolina Office Solutions, has been honored as a winner of the 2008 Top Entrepreneur Award, by Charlotte Business Leader Magazine. The Top Entrepreneur Award honors business leaders in the community that are making a significant difference within their organization and the community.   This year’s Top Entrepreneurs were chosen from a record number of nominations of extraordinary leaders. Winners were honored at a ceremony on February 18th at the Double Tree Hotel in South Park and were featured in the February 2009 issue of Business Leader magazine.  An on-line copy of the magazine can be found at www.BusinessLeaderMedia.com.

Charlotte lost respected author and businessman Donald Haack earlier this month. Mr. Haack was known for his generosity and his support of the arts. BLOC would like to offer our sincerest condolences to the Donald Haack family and business family. Donald Haack Diamonds and Fine Gems has been a BLOC member company for four years. For more information on this loss to the Charlotte community please go to: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/572478.html

Lynda Kuehni of SeniorBridge has been appointed to the Advisory Board for the Carolinas Healthcare System "Active Women" program.  This is a Membership Group For and About Women.  More details and FREE membership information is available at www.carolinasmedicalcenter.org/active.  There are over 50 local participating businesses offering discounts and special offers.  Women are welcome to become a member today and enjoy the benefits!

BLOC-Uptown member Robert Sabin, with Clearly Carolina Water and Coffee, has been awarded the 2008 North Carolina Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.  Robert has spend many hours donating his time and service to several non-profit organizations throughout Union County.  He is the only recipient to receive this 2008 award for Union County.